The last few weeks has been a state of limbo for us, yet at the same time, we have been working ridiculously hard. The work has been mental effort, though, rather than the usual physical work we are used to. We have crunched numbers, drawn (and re-drawn) plans, made calls, consulted, researched, waited, and waited some more. We are still waiting for approval on our house plans by the county inspector. We have an appointment on Monday…a week later than we hoped for. Roy worked feverishly to complete all the neccessary plans so that we could get our permit ASAP, so we are frustrated at the continued wait.

Of course the expense has turned out to be more than we anticipated…entirely due to rules and regulations. In an attempt to discourage homeowners from building on their own, there is a rule around every single corner that makes it almost impossible. We forge on, though. We will know more on Monday, and we prayerfully wait. We have people lined up ready to work as soon as we get the go-ahead (provided there are no more suprise expenses).

The garden is winding down, due to both heat and neglect. The only things yet to come in are the sweet potatoes and the okra. The tomatoes and cucumbers have produced very well, we had tens of gallons of both, but living in a camper does not promote canning…so we’ve given most away, to the delight of the recipients. I did put up all the freezer pickles I could fit, and we used as many tomatoes as we could.

The watermelons were my favorite. We had two very big ones…and very good ones, too. They were huge! But, in my distraction, we ate the biggest without weighing it or even taking a single picture.

I am anticipating having lots to update on very soon, and will log each step of this long and exciting process of house building.