Making Way!

It has been a busy and exciting week for us, with preparation work being done leading up to an addition we are planning to add to our home.  After 39 years with very little change, this is going to be a big one!  Looking back, our house starting taking shape the year after we were married.  My husband and his dad, along with help from several brothers, did the majority of the work themselves.  They even got some help from my dad with the shingling on a day when it was twenty degrees below zero!

Our house is currently "L-shaped", with the living room extending toward the street to define the shape.  The plan is to add 16 feet to the bedroom end of the house, and add a second extension which will become a sunroom and office space.  In essence, the "L" will become a "U" and at the same time we will also enjoy additional room in our bedrooms.  We haven't planned it out entirely, but my vision is to include a walk-in closet, add a master bathroom, and create a separate laundry room.  Our laundry has always been in a closet in our bathroom, so it will be nice to give it a space of its own.

What does it take to create such an addition?  The first step was cutting down several trees, which was a hard thing for me to watch.  One thing about trees in North Dakota is knowing they were lovingly planted by someone back in the early days of pioneering the prairies, with nothing but miles and miles of grassland.  Knowing it will take the replacements some time to grow, it was sad to see the branches fall to the ground.

 

 

One tree in particular was hard for me to let go of, even though I knew it was in the way.  It was a pine tree which was originally planted when my kids brought it home from school.  Both the tree and our son have grown up over the years!

 



 

The next step was hiring a local excavator to dig out the space where footings will be formed to create a solid foundation for the new addition to be built on.  It was fun to watch them as they first dug out the tree stumps, and then created a three foot deep hole in the space which had been marked out as the boundary.

 

By afternoon I was able to get a visual of just how much area will be added once the project is completed.

 





 

Perhaps one of the most fascinating part of the whole process was observing how many roots there were protruding from all directions.  Even where there were no trees in the immediate area, there were roots which had made their way through the dirt and across the yard.  It made me think about how important roots are.  They are what brings the needed moisture into the tree to make it grow.

 

 

Each of us has our own set of roots, too.  Today I am thankful my roots are right here in North Dakota.  Both sets of my grandparents homesteaded in Divide County and established roots I haven't strayed far from.  Once a "farm girl," I found myself a nice "town boy," and together we have made our house a home to both a daughter and a son.  We are now blessed to have four grandchildren who come often to visit, and it is fun to be able to share with them the history of our family going back to the early days of settling the prairies. 

 

One of my treasured keepsakes is a picture taken of my maternal grandparent's farm prior to the construction of the big two story house we knew as "Grandma's House" growing up.  It's strange to see this farmstead without any trees, since it is currently surrounded by them!

 

 

So today I end my day thinking about my roots. . .both the family kind, and the ones being removed to make way for a new space to enjoy more times with those grandkids.  Perhaps you might one day be able to visit, too!