a brief construction of context in the midst of disorganization

It's the middle of October. My name, as well as Ivy's is on the county rolls and while it only showed up online a couple weeks ago, that ink has been dry over a month. The trail to the escrow office meandered through the long days of the months before that last one, too. Here's my version of brevity with each underscore to eventually be supported by additional annotation. Summer 2007_a few of us continue a conversation about connection to place and the opportunity for proximate communities to reach across an entire neighborhood. After that_Syria. Winter 2008_I return to the house at 7044 where Donnelly and I have been living since the previous spring; we decide to up the occupancy and find another housemate. Spring 2008_John Nixon joins the house; Donnelly & I have dinner with a friend of a friend of a friend who recently moved to Portland. Her name is Ivy. June 2008_Sushi with Ivy who we find out, is also interested in shared living spaces and is looking to buy a house. July 2008_Ivy forges my signature as part of an offer on a 1892 Victorian fixer a few blocks from here; our offer is countered; we hold. August 2008_Our landlord calls to say that she wants to list our house for sale. Two unannounced showings later, I know this will not work and begin to assemble an offer of our own. September 11, 2008_Closing.

This house is not perfect. It is not static. It is a dynamic, mess of an under-built, well-used, occasionally neglected, often frustrating, but good house. It has room to grow, that is evolve. We are like this house.

Beginning this blog has been a challenge. As evidenced by the cloud of dust and bits above, there is so much that I want to document and relate, not the least of which are the myriad improvements, adjustments, alterations, renovations, repairs and restorations (and as the building inspector will tell you, those are all unique undertakings) that I hope to participate in at this, the Vernacular. The challenge is to strike a balance between discussing/defining a vision and then acting on it. This, a halting, ambiguous post is a good step.