Hosting Houseconcerts

One of the dreams that we had as we hoped and planned for our future home was to gather people from every corner to listen to live music in our living room. It was a dream that began way, way back when Bard was a tiny child and I started looking for venues where we could host live concerts as part of a branch of our then-church. That church wasn't very supportive of my vision, and, eventually, we found ourselves leaving not only the church but making a home in a whole new community.

It was then that our dream of building a home came true. With a lot of cooperation from friends and a lot of hard work and perseverance, we were able to build a house that could not only house our growing family, but our love of gathering as well.

So, for the past several years, we have hosted several houseconcerts--musicians from all different genres and geographic locations--and have welcomed guests from nearby and far away. The musicians bring their unique style and feel, and the guests bring food and applause, and I get to sit on my couch, surrounded by creativity, inspiration, good friends and candles, and pinch myself, wondering if this is all really happening.

Tonight, we will welcome our very first female solo performers, Jan Krist and Kitty Donohoe for a small, intimate houseconcert on this snowy day. We'll all snuggle in and pinch ourselves. Maybe we'll even get snowed in and we'll all have to share this big house long into the night.

When things are kind of rough, and times are a bit frustrating, I remember that this was a dream that God brought to fruition, and I find myself amazed.

You can look at The Sprouted Acorn website for information on upcoming concerts this year. If you find yourself in our area, stop in and say hi, and we can share this big house--and the dream--with each other.

::: from the green book :::

It's about 6:30 AM. I checked the outdoor thermometer at about 6:15 and it was 40F. Looks like it's going to be a beautiful day. Wanita spent the night last night and has to be back by 8:00 AM this morning. The neighbors down the street are having an auction at 10:00 AM, so we'll go down for that. The ladies from Laura's church are having a lunch stand.

Ken, or his helper, put an outlet box on our pole for us. Bo ran extension cords to the cabin and we're now using the small refrigerator my dad bought years ago but has never used. It was bittersweet bringing it here, because we are now officially "on the grid." I kind of feel like I've been defeated, or at least assimilated. I guess, somewhere in my idealistic mind, I was hoping to find a way around electricity. Maybe that as a tactile way of showing my independence.

(next paragraph destroyed: water damage to the green book)

I had a dream last night that J asked us when we were moving in. In my dream, I felt like it was a trap. I felt like he wanted me to stay in Akron but was issuing a challenge, like basically saying, "You said you'd move in when your lane was done and when you had a fridge. So, when are ya movin' in? Huh? Huh?" I was looking right at his face and his head was huge. I didn't know what to say. My answer, now that I think about it, should ahve been, "Every day. Little by little."

It's funny how I compartmentalize (is that a word? We need a dictionary here!) things. I have a fridge now. But it's not "big enough." It should be big enough to hold all the things that "should" go in fridges: milk, yogurt, butter, jelly, mustard, eggs, meat, fruits and veggies, on and on. But here, for 7 months, I've struggled with... (rest of paragraph destroyed by water damage).