Tuesday, June 1, 2010

We are off the beaten trail in more ways than one.

Our new home is certainly off the beaten trail, but so are our computers. Rather than use Windows on our PCs, we use a Linux based operating system called Ubuntu. I really like how fast and reliable it is, but there can be bumps along the way. For instance, although Verizon claims their air card is Windows, Mac, and Linux compatible, they provide no support for the latter, and the only way to figure out how to get online is to do a whole bunch of online research. Consequently, we were stuck without access to the information super-highway until we got to my parents this weekend (as planned for a party to celebrate my sister's marriage). It took hours, but Aaron got us up and running with interweb connectivity. Hurray!

However, as I write this, contrary to the original plan, I'm still at my parents as Aaron speeds off towards Maine with a ladder strapped to the top of the car. We need some walls! Despite the stories we'd heard of people doing all manner of renovations and building with small children, we learned that it wasn't going to work for us, at least not initially. So, for starters, Aaron is going to build a wall to the boy's bedroom with the help of his brother who is coming for a visit starting Sat. That way we don't have to creep around whenever they are asleep, unable even to do dishes because otherwise Forest wakes up. Given all that has to get done, it felt pretty ridiculous and frustrating.

The highlight of my stay up in Maine so far was my (almost) daily walk along our road to fetch the mail. Our cabin is on a dirt road that is not town maintained. It stretches half-a-mile through delicious smelling woods to the main road, also dirt, and our mailbox. Sun-dappled, essentially car-free, with only two houses just before the main road, it feels like a walk in a state park or nature preserve. The smells, always delicious, vary with the temperature and humidity; sometimes the smell of ferns predominate, sometimes it's the pines, other times, I'm not sure who is responsible, but the smell is woodsy and sweet and leaves me breathing deep, walking slower the better to enjoy it. I'm glad it is enjoyable in the summer, because from what we hear, it washes out at least once each spring and we are told we will come to hate it. The ups and downs of being off the beaten trail.

2 comments:

  1. Hey Mirja, I've been wanting to make the Linux jump for years now. I ran an Ubuntu computer for a while right before we got back to Brooklyn, and have never going to get back to it. I think it's time again. You've inspired me.

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  2. I'm all the more appreciative of Ubuntu as I'm using Windows here at my parents. My lord, all the waiting. Ubuntu rocks. Be inspired.

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