What I possessed was irreplaceable in the precise economic sense of the term, and the only question was whether I had the will to do something with it.
I had no money. I owned the property, debt-free, because Grandma June considered debt a form of disorder she refused to tolerate. I had the
The barn, the farmhouse, the pond, the rose bushes, four acres of lawn and meadow, and nineteen months of experience with the needs and capabilities of the property. I also had enough stubbornness to build up a sort of capital, or so Leah told me later, as I recounted those first few months and marveled at my own audacity.
I met Leah at a planning meeting for the city commission: she was objecting to a zoning variance she felt was being granted too easily, and I was trying to understand the permits required for outdoor events. We ended up meeting in the parking lot, still talking, and she brilliantly negotiated her consulting fee; she was more than worth it. She knew that everyone… (read more…)
