Earlier in the evening of December 16, 2017, M and I rolled up the driveway of our new home in our 4WD packed and strapped with our luggage. Tired and happy after a very long day on the bus. These past 365 days rolled along with exciting peaks and gentle valleys. The bright sunshine and nourishing moisture with the attention and nurturing hard work of M have allowed this patch of dirt to bloom.

Our homecoming in early December this year (after a month away in California) was even more exciting. Last year on our arrival, there were so many unknowns: would we like living here full-time, would we be able to grow food, would we find friends and community, would M and I like each other? We know now that the answers are: yes, yes, yes and YES! We were so excited to be home to see Salty (whose whole body was waggling in happiness at first sight of us.) A freshly harvested rack of 200 bananas, a couple of ripe papaya and a plethora of carambola (star fruit) made our mid-morning smoothies delicious. Besides the smoothies, the bananas have been frozen, cooked, baked or dehydrated into ice cream, banana bread, dried fruit and on and on.

The first few days were full of activity with powerwashing the downstairs terrace. In our absence, the hens like to strut around and poop all over the tile. The weeds had overgrown into the gravel around the house which required several hours of pulling. The car battery died and M had to go into town to get the starter replaced and a new battery. Just a few days before we arrived home, Roy texted M to say the capacitor for the pump was burnt out and he couldn't find a replacement. The pressure pump is an Italian manufacture and replacement parts need to be order. Roy tirelessly searched for a substitute and I was joyous that he found one. I was a little stressed that we would arrive home with a latest house guest, my mother (on her first trip to CR) to a house with no running water.