That settled, I want to see firsthand the progress on my new home. Johanna has been building it on the five acres they had procured for a future Tiny Home community. Because it’s two hours away from where I live, she has been texting me daily with updates, pictures, and funny stories. But I have to see it in person at least once during the build.

As I continue to climb the two miles from the main highway, the one-lane road degrades from; ‘kind of paved’ to ‘gravel with largish holes’. How the hell are they going to get the house down this road?

I pull into a huge, mowed, grassy pasture with nowhere obvious to park. I shrug my shoulders and just stop the car in the middle of the field and turn it off. MacKenzie, my constant companion, is standing in the front seat, looking across me out of my window with her ears perked and whining. I turn to see two large golden retrievers bounding our way. I have friends with goldens and know them to be the friendliest of breeds and MacKenzie loves to play with other dogs, so with a smile, I open my door and grunt as she scrambles over me to get out of the car.

She stands with ears perked and tail wagging for a few moments, as the golden flashes close the gap. It all happens very quickly. She senses their true intent before I do. Thank god she’s fast. She wheels on her hind legs and crawls under the car. What on earth is she doing? I think to myself. I didn’t even know she would fit under there. Now, the barking starts in earnest. The goldens circle the car, one on either side, growling and snarling ferociously. I recognize they are ‘pack-hunting’ her. I suspect they have done this before. Mac is a tough little dog, and she is holding her own from her safe place. She snarls and barks at them, going from one side to the other, temporarily able to keep them from crawling under there with her. Like a coward, I close the door quickly. This is dog business, and I have no business in the middle of it.

Across the lawn, Barrie moves swiftly calling off her blonde, long-haired beasts, their beauty belying their ferocity. She has to physically drag them away. She later explains that they had killed a wild, baby pig just a couple of days ago and MacKenzies’ size and coloring is identical to the little, black, feral piglets that roam the island. I guess the difference in smell wasn’t enough incentive to shut down their prey drive once they were in kill mode.

With MacKenzie safely in the car, I shake off the traumatic start as we walk across the field to the large barn where the house-build is taking place. Johanna steps down from inside the house and introduces me to her helper, Fred, who is as cheerful as she is. She proudly walks me around the half-built house, pointing out different things. I notice and mention how peaceful it is up here, and that there is no loud rock music playing like I have observed sometimes at other home-building sites.

Johanna smiles knowingly, “I wouldn’t want to infuse that energy into your house honey. Sometimes I chant while I work.” Ah, yes, I remember she is a Buddhist. Well color me impressed.

As I turn to leave and navigate the steep, unkempt road back to the main highway, I once again wonder about the logistics of getting my house to its new location. I realize this will be its own project and I’m grateful I won’t be involved.