An Appreciation for Old Things

As long as I can remember I have been drawn to old things. I love stumbling upon old outbuildings, shops and trinkets. I used to sneak into old, abandoned houses, lighting up when I would find a beer bottle, mason jar, or mirror left over from someone's past; a life in a different time. I remember even hopping fences into the closed down cemetery in my hometown, rubbing crayon on paper over gravestones dating back to the 1800's, bringing their messages back with me.  I don't know what this means or says about my personality, only that it is a preference or taste for the things in life that have a little grit; a subtle character about them that defines and contrasts it to it's surroundings. This commitment to those things that possess something which can't quite be pinned down is what is bringing me to Idaho this week. I have been accepted to study at the University of Idaho, a Masters program in Conservation Social Sciences, which will be something so new to me, but which I feel a deep draw to. I am driving 14 hours from Lander to visit Moscow, Idaho, more specifically a house and it's inhabitants which possess more character, promise, and commitment to a way of life than all the amenity filled apartments, with their lobbies, balconies and newness in that town combined.

Firstly, it is an old farmhouse *charming*.  There are many levels, rooms, and it sits on two acres; the "yard" is acres of undulating Palouse Valley hills-perhaps still green, as far as you can see. A large garden, a full-time well and a fire pit make up the outdoor offerings; a wood-stove that the tenants harvest wood for every fall; dogs galore; a chicken coop, ooh, the possibilities.

From what I understand, the tenants are not merely housemates, but rather a community. They co-exist, they contribute, they are active in encouraging the type of lifestyle that they seek, and they will not settle for anything but a complimentary addition to the whole of their domestic setup. So for this possibility I will be driving to their old farmhouse meet them.  I know some may think that it's a high price to pay, taking a few days off work, driving 1,400 miles, all for the chance to live somewhere, but as I have found with everything worth while in life, you have to go the distance: often wanting something enough, fully believing in exactly why I want it, and going for it 100% has gotten me far.

So, here I go again.