I am now a property owner for the second time in my life.
The first was a dreamy little house in Sarasota, Florida, with a huge lawn. This is it with a new roof and the front screened porch I added. I never got around to doing much landscaping.
Now, I own an empty little field that I've never even laid my eyes on other than in photos.
It's a bit surreal, to be honest. Part of me cannot believe I did this!
It was just such a good deal and in the absolute perfect location that I could not NOT buy it. And for $15,000, I don’t think I can go wrong. I could’ve flown up to see it, I guess, but that seemed to add a bunch of expenses to the endeavor.
The location is one street away from a huge wooded park and far enough from the Hudson River to hopefully avoid most flooding scenarios. The lot is also on a slope, so I can have a walk-out basement. And if I build something two stories, I should have a view of the Hudson River.
The lot is very small, but a recent zoning change made the setbacks very narrow and allowed for multi-use, which opens up the possibilities of what I can build and do.
Other than keeping the taxes paid, I should probably have someone check on it every few weeks to make sure the grass doesn't need mowing. (Although, I'm hoping that's not an issue now until the spring.)
I probably should have liability insurance on it, too. I’ll check into that.
I'm trying not to get overwhelmed by this new responsibility and instead focus on the possibilities and potential!
The next step I’ll need to take is to get a survey done. Then, I can figure out how much buildable land I have. Because the property is on a slant, the road frontage is going to be different than the actual width of the property as far as building goes. At least, that’s what they taught me in geometry class.
The red marker below is the location of my little field.
You can see how close the winter farmer’s market is! (Top middle.) And the summer farmers market is just a few streets from there. It’s about 7/10 of a mile from my land.
I'm looking forward to planning my first field trip to touch the dirt I own.
🦩 Everyday Adventures
The State of the Advent Calendar
You may recall that I bought a ginormous, amazing advent calendar filled with enough chocolate for an entire family. I’ve been mostly eating only one piece of the several provided each day. (Except the cookies… they’re especially good.) The rest goes in my fridge to share with friends. Most of the chocolate has been amazing, but I admit that I’m about chocolate-d out! Like, I’ll actually be happy when it’s done! I’ve enjoyed the experience immensely, but next year I’ll probably choose tea or something less sweet if I do this again.
(I came VERY close to not eating yesterday's chocolate yesterday. It was a Matcha Mint Mini White Chocolate Bar. At 10 pm, however, I heated up some milk and turned it into a unique hot chocolate.)
The best part about this advent calendar has been having a mini adventure to look forward to each day during the holidays.
Accomplishments
This year, I made a goal to do more yoga and kayaking - two things that are good for my soul.
By year’s end, I will have attended 22 yoga classes. That’s around twice a month, and I’m really proud of that! My goal for 2024 is to get that up to once each week.
I went kayaking 5 times, which is probably more than last year, but I’d like to increase that to at least once a month.
📑 Project Updates
Become a Paid Subscriber
If you love my Facebook posts and these newsletters and want to support my creative work, now would be a great time to become a paid subscriber to this newsletter. My creative work helps inspire joy in the world around me.
With your monthly or annual subscription, you'll get snail mail goodies for you or someone you designate. Said snail mail will usually be a personally addressed monthly postcard or collaged postcard but may include an occasional card, sticker, or other flat thing in an envelope.
Founding subscribers get an envelope each month with some or all of the above-mentioned items in it.
It makes a great gift that keeps giving all year long.
Cross Stitch
For this project, which is a gift for one of my sisters, I didn’t buy any new floss. I used only what I already had, and fortunately, it matched the colors in the pattern closely enough and ended up looking good.
I'm getting closer to the end!
The Hugmobile
National Hug Day is coming up, although opinions differ on what day it is. I'm going to celebrate it by giving FREE HUGS at the farmers market on January 20th.
I'm inviting my fans and readers to join me from 9 am - 10:30 am at the Saturday Morning Market in St. Petersburg, FL if you're in the area. If you're not in the area, I invite you to give FREE HUGS in your own area that day. Maybe you have an outdoor or indoor farmers market that day. You could also go to a mall or other populated place. Make a sign that simply says FREE HUGS. You can also buy a t-shirt on the website.
Join me!
Pro Bono Website Project
I've taken on a pro bono website project that's close to my heart. It's for a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that helps settle asylum seekers in my hometown of Rutland, Vermont. They assist with housing, healthcare, food, and legal aid.
I've just finished the new home page. Here’s a portion of it.
Working on this project feels like a proxy for helping those who are displaced in Gaza and other places. It makes me feel like I'm making a difference in the world.
⏰️ Currently
🎄 Looking forward to the next few days of warm holiday gatherings.
🚴♀️ Enjoying the cool weather lately that's great for bike riding.
☕ Savoring all the new teas I purchased this month.
If you still have a toehold in St. Pete by the time I return, I'm down for kayaking ... and maybe even some yoga!