somewhere in middle america (happy anniversary, kansas!)

one year ago this afternoon, i was sitting on the back stoop drinking a warm miller lite. melting in the kansas heat and ruing the day i ever agreed to move out here. 

we had only been in kansas  for three hours and were already experiencing some new-house blues. no matter how low we set the air, the thermostat remained at 87. (which i read as "yup. still 87, fuckers! welcome to the house you bought!") the cats were panting like dogs and seemed to be seriously considering suicide after 24 hours in the car. 

and you'll remember, we had received word somewhere back in illinois, that the furniture would be taking its sweet time in getting out here.

i was ready to throw my husband out with the rust-colored bathwater.

i couldn't even fake a new-house smile.

made in ohio. miserable in kansas.

back to the part where i'm drinking my skunky beer. paul was sitting next to me but abstaining, probably because drinking at 1pm would be sort of like admitting our life had gone to hell sans handbasket (it was still parked in a warehouse in columbia). i was thinking about a hotel. i imagine he was wondering how much alimony they'd take from his check each month.

and then. something magical happened. the hvac man pulled in the driveway. forty-five minutes after we called him. on a friday afternoon. smiling and ready to get to work. huh. maybe small town, kansas wasn't going to be so bad after all. 

an hour later the house was inhabitable again and we negotiated forgiveness from the cats (wet food. works every time.)

it's only gotten better. our first year in kansas will go down as a good one, but not without it's challenges (see: winter). it still feels a little surreal and not quite home. but i no longer feel like a visitor in a foreign country. 

which brings me to this particular corner of the internet. i've been thinking about whether or not to continue blogging. our life on the prairie isn't so novel anymore. and i am writing (and teaching) for a living again, and have had some trouble finding the energy (or inspiration) for my own expression. so i'm taking a break and trying to reimagine this space and its potential (actually i'm just trying to cajole paul into blogging with me). 

in the meantime, we'll be taking a little spin around the old west. 

burglars be ware: our housesitter is a bruiser.

but not before i drink a celebratory beer on the back porch. this year i will take it cold, because it is (quite literally) 106 degrees outside.

i think kansas forgot our anniversary.