"Brews and Books," Brainstorming, and *Surprise* Its a Garden!

In Eugene, I've been harvesting raspberries almost every day! They are PROLIFIC this year. I've already made jam, given some away, eaten some, given more away, and frozen some. And they are still ripening on the vines.

The blueberries aren't doing so well. I didn't fertilize them while they were flowering this Spring. And I only just un-choked them from the grass and weeds two days ago. They are fruiting, but not many.

The plums are going gang-busters. I have four or five trees, all with green fruit on them. By summer's end, they'll be dripping off the trees.

Blackberries are coming, and the strawberries have ended. The cherries are right now. But I don't know what variety they are. A tad too sour to eat for me -- though Ali likes them. And very small in diameter. Not worth pitting and making into jam.

Ali disagrees.

He picked a bag of them yesterday and promises to pit them by hand, if I will only please make him some sour cherry jam. His favorite.

Of course I said, Yes. And not only because I don't think he'll actually pit them.

Our relationship is deepening, and we're having lovely days filled with Spotify love song DJ nights, dog park excursions, BBQs in the backyard, laughing at private jokes and Facebook one-liners, and watching peculiar Netflix movies on the couch. We still massage feet and sore muscles every night we spend together, and we continue to make plans for the future.

Despite our concerns about moving to Costa Rica (missing Oregon's climate, our friends and the social life we are accustomed to, and snuggling without being sweaty), I think going there will bring us even closer together. We'll have even more time to spend together, as the cost of living -- and subsequently our work hours -- will be far less. When we are working, some of our businesses will be joint endeavors. We'll be working together, in both the secular world and on our small farm.

We still have a few years to try on some new job ideas and see if they fit. Bee-keeping, beer-brewing, mushroom farming, cheese-making, and running healthy living retreats. Weight loss is a big industry, and while we may not have anything new to say about it, we can offer a retreat space and an itinerary to inspire people to change their lives.

I'm in the blue bikini, front row.

Would you attend a Holistic Health Retreat in a tropical paradise with offerings of: permaculture tours, outdoor adventures, healthy cooking classes, organic produce, yoga classes, introduction to ecstatic dance, journaling, art classes, and access to the beach, mountains, and bio-diverse views every day? Plus, we could sell the cookbook that Ali and I are thinking of creating. We are formulating an eating plan that sounds unique, kitschy, AND doable for the modern person, with modern concerns and time constraints.

We also thought of hosting a library at Serenity Gardens. We wouldn't make any money off of it, but it sure would be fun. And we could combine it with a hobby store, of sorts. Like, Brews and Books. We could have a small beer and kombucha brew pub, with espresso cart (Did you know that it's really hard to find DECAF Americanos in Costa Rica?), mixed in with couches and cushy chairs and foot stools amidst our shelves and shelves of art work and books. People could buy a drink and sit and read, and/or check out the books. I can see an outdoor section with a hammock, too.

Without the actual deed on the property, my Costa Rican news is scant. I did, however, get a rather positive sounding email from Jim Gale, the land-developer of the Serenity Gardens and Osa Mountain Village properties. He said that he was down to two extremely unique custom lots (one that's four acres, and one that has a difficult-to-imagine shaped lot) and while those, of course, will be his top priority to sell, he thinks that the re-sale lots will go pretty fast from now on. There will be some new people coming next month to visit the Village; hopefully my lot will intrigue them! And then, next stop, solidifying the land purchase at Serenity Gardens.

I was thinking the other day that the next time we visit, (if we have a deed) I'd love to do some work on the land. Perhaps we can have the permits and supplies ready for our arrival, in order to build an outhouse, or deck, or something while staying there. At one point, Ali had the idea to build a platform for a tipi we'd purchase to use camping during our visits. A platform could be easy. Something to put potted flowers on. And a lawn chair. We could build an outhouse next. I bet the workers would love an outhouse while they are building the houses on our street. :-)

While nothing much is changing on the Costa Rican front, we are still thinking about our future move every week. I plan on incorporating a COSTS label on this blog in order to tally up the actual costs involved in moving out of the country for those of you thinking about doing the same. Look for those posts as they come up. Also, my kombucha-brewing (and Ali's beer-brewing) successes, recipes Ali and I develop, and our permaculture efforts here in Eugene.


Questing for the Pura Vida in the Place That I Am,
Valerie

What if I hate it?

So, the next step was to sign, scan, and email the purchase agreement to the lawyer in charge of all the Serenity Garden Eco-Village lots.

That required ink in my printer, so it took several days to get that project done.

The cost of the lawyer's fees was $250, but thankfully he suggested that I just tack the fees to the end of the balance of the lot. Sweet!

Next, Ali and I went to the library and checked out books on smaller living, and house plans. We've been talking about what we want in a house.

This morning I woke up slow and relaxed next to Ali, and started imagining us waking up together in Costa Rica. What it would be like on our land, what we'd do for fun and work, and then ... I thought, "What if we hate it?" What if we spend all our money and end up not liking the place? What if my kids think that I've abandoned them? True, they'll be graduated from high school (at least one of them), and old enough to come with me if they wanted to, but still. A mama worries.

I guess the only safeguard against that is to continue airing those concerns, and not let them get to fantastical proportions. For instance, Ali's concerns are making money while we're there, being stimulated intellectually and socially while there, and missing the Oregon weather. The weather doesn't change much at the equator. And we do so like the Fall -- the crispness cider hot chocolate scarf wearing dog walking with your breath in little puffs weather.

We'll talk about what concerns us, feel heard when we do, and put a yurt on the property for the first five years. We vacation there (as well as other places, too), and get a sense of what life will really be like there. It's one thing to stay for a week and go to the beach and eat at restaurants, but it would be a different trip altogether to stay for a month and feel what a regular routine would look like there. If all goes well, we'll live in the yurt while we build our eco-house, and be proud to live in an eco-village.

Serenity Gardens - Lot 21

This is a short visual of my homesite in Costa Rica!

Ali and Christian standing at the top corner of our land. Behind them (and down) is a year-round creek, too!

I claim this land!

The view off the street (side of the house).

THE view.
Hopefully most of our windows will be pointing this direction.

This is Bob Crosby, checking wind measurements to see if we can use it for one of our off-the-grid energy sources.

This is the first of the community gardens.

A whole slew of trees to be planted on the properties. Each lot will get one tree in each corner.
Ours will be: a cinnamon, mango, avocado, and sour orange.

Waiting for the ride back to Osa Mountain Village ... and a beer.

This is my homesite!

The Haphazard Gardener

My first fail as a suburban homesteader this week was to NOT accept free edible landscaping. I DID NOT go to a friend of a friend’s house and dig up her unwanted raspberry plants and plant them in my garden. I just had too much else planned that day.

And some of those plans included a nap with my boyfriend after eating Sunday brunch at a local restaurant. It was the first day alone with him in fifteen days. These were important plans.

I got an email from my landlord the other day saying he’d decided to NOT sell the house after all (unless I personally wanted to buy from him.) Apparently he was contemplating a move out of the city and that was really why he was selling the house. I guess that’s not happening anymore.

I think I’ll go ahead with the VA loan process – but slower, and without the anxiety and threat of having to move behind it. If I get the loan, and the monthly payments stay the same, or are cheaper than my rent, I’ll go ahead and buy. I do like this house. But the main effect this change has on me is I don’t have to wait on my gardening intentions.

I’m going to rent a rototiller, plow up my miniature garden space and get some seeds in the ground pronto. I’ll have the raised beds made as soon as possible, and that will make weeding easier down the road – not to mention the dogs can't trample the seedlings – but the gardening can start now.

My next plan is to move the yard debris I’ve collected from around the yard. I can drop it off at Rexius for $5. Done. I also want to plant those tomato and pepper seeds in my kitchen. Of course, that will mean keeping the house warmer. I tend to wear layers in the house and use the woodstove to generate heat only when I’m going to be in the house all day. No use lighting a fire if I’m only going to be around for three hours before or after work. But these seeds will need warmth. If my house is cold enough that my nose is running, why bother planting the seeds inside?

The Costa Rica vacation will warm me up though. A wonderful change from “I need to chop more kindling.” March 25th can't come soon enough. I think Ali and I may even brave the $12 four+ hour bus ride from San Jose to Uvita. We'll stay at Osa Mountain Village Resort in a villa for a few days, and then decide if we want to spend the last three nights camping there. An OMV neighbor has offered to drive us around the week we're there so we don't need to rent a car. Sweet!

Chris (from Osa Mountain Village and Serenity Gardens Eco-Village) emailed me photos taken of some of the lots we are interested in. One has a particularly pretty view of the valley below us. And all the lots have a little jungle left on them. And two have a bunch of smaller trees on the property, as well.

I just got them this morning (or as my Indian friend says, “today morning”) so I haven’t had a lot of time to pour over them. For once a fun thing to add to my to-do list.

I’m leaning towards this one…

because of the view

…but it’s impossible to tell for sure until we walk on them ourselves. Another has more usable land for what we want to do with it but no creek running through the back of it. Hmm. 

In the interim we’ll just pick one (we have it narrowed down to four), and when we get there we can solidify the choice on paper, with signatures. Our first step towards Pura Vida! 

In other news, Ali and I are trying on business ideas for Costa Rica. We’ll both have some sort of writing/editing freelancing we’ll do, but we want a local business to run there, too. So far we are leaning towards hosting all-inclusive retreats in our piece of jungle paradise. Healing retreats, Artist retreats, and Writers retreats.

Also, mushroom farming.

Jungle Goodness

 I would sink my toes in the organic soil and breathe in jungle goodness. Pizotes would beg for food -- until they realized we had dogs on the property - and scarlet macaws would fly overhead. I'm pretty sure that whatever lot we lived on would be "good."

(Taken on the road up to Osa Mountain Village by Betty McGee.)

I don't want to jinx it, but Happy Birthday to me! And I'll tell you why in a minute.

In some recent correspondence with the land developer, I was invited to pick out my home site (even though I only have a deposit down). He was concerned that all the "good" ones would be taken. I smile at this because any land at the eco-village would be grand.

Nevertheless, I had a survey map sent over and -- lo, and behold -- about half the lots already had dibs called on them. Eeek! I sent a mad scurry of emails to determine what wavy green lines, white spaces, blue and red lines, and blue triangles all mean on survey maps, and have requested pictures or video of four or five of the lots that Ali and I have narrowed down. 

Despite this, and despite the knowledge that all the lots would be "good," Ali and I are seriously considering a quick trip down to CR to make sure the lot we pick out will be the best for us. (!!!) I do have some specific intentions for the land, and it would be a bummer if the thing I wanted to do with it wouldn't work. I want to have the space to have a large garden, a bee hive, a chicken coop, a yurt and a wooden house, and plenty of room for doggies to roam. Also, a covered area for eating/dancing/yoga-ing outside.

My kids are going on a vacation with their dad and nana during Spring Break. Ali was thinking we could go to CR at the same time. (What a birthday gift to me!) He needed some time to get some things in order before we went -- projects to finish at work, etc -- but the good news is he doesn't need a visa to enter Costa Rica. So we don't have to wait (or pay extra) for that.

I emailed the community at Osa Mountain Village today and opened a dialogue up for finding creative ways to make this impromptu trip an inexpensive one for us. (Which translates to: begged for cheap, shared, or free accommodations, and car rental and food discounts.) We'll see what happens. There are benefits to living in community, you know?

Things are moving along at Serenity Gardens Eco-Village. 

They are building roads,

marking off home sites,

and they've finished the community center design rendering.

The community center will be at the upper-most lot on the property, with the only ocean view. Originally, Jim Gale (the developer) thought about having a couple of high-end homes built there, but decided it would be nicer if we all got to share that view as community members instead. Win!

Dreaming of House Designs

Look at how much space a thousand square feet can give you!

I particularly like this video because my boyfriend is an artist and avid collector of art. He's got his art, and I have my books. Culling those collections down to move to Costa Rica will be uber-difficult. If not impossible. The house in the video shows how much art can actually fit in a house this size. I'm inspired. I still think we could get by with less though, personally.

At this point, the plan is to put a yurt on the land (with hydro and solar electric) and plumbing (off the grid, of course), and vacation in the yurt until my boyfriend and I make the full time move down there. Once there, we'll live in the yurt while our house is being built. Something smaller than is depicted in the video. Like 700 square feet, maybe even less. (I'm really inspired by the Tiny House movement.)

With the mild and warm climate up on the mountain, we'll be doing a lot of living outside anyway. I see a large covered, open-aired, courtyard area for being outside even in the rainy season. For dancing, yoga, partying, reading in the fresh air, and dining.

Pura Vida. I can smell the soil even now.

After the move into the house happens, the yurt will still be used frequently. If we have a small house, I can see sometimes when one of us will want a space to get away to. Maybe the yurt can become a yoga/meditation room. Or an office (both of us will be freelancing for part of our income). And it would make a GREAT guest home for friends and family that visit us.

I'm so happy that my boyfriend and I have these similar dreams. That separately we've come together with bucket lists that included yurts and intentional living and sustainability. And dogs.

Model Home for Serenity Gardens

Proof.

They wanted to prove that they could build a house for thirty grand. They did. And here it is.