After a year of work, almost set to begin

In retrospect, it was not a wise decision to build this house.  It's been over a year now of endless catastrophe -- an emotional up and down of "wow this is the best thing ever" to "how did I get myself into this anxiety-producing, money-losing, relationship-killing mess."  I consoled myself by walking down to the bridge to take in the beautiful landscape, until the beavers moved in and flooded the place.  Then it was the apple orchard, a delightful spot in the spring in full bloom, until I arrived to find three trees chopped down.  Securing the loan and signing the construction contract was a difficult process; long and stressful, with many painful financial decisions -- everything about the entire house had to be fully specified.  Now, in spite of all this, a permit is likely to be issued soon, and once that happens the project is set to begin, ushering in a smooth, effortless and faster-than-expected building phase; I'm sure of it.

Bridge crossing the brook that runs through the wetland area, a wonderful spot now flooded by beaver dams.

One of the magnificent apple trees, in full bloom before the beavers got to it.