Death mountain

Home is a name, a word, it is a strong one; stronger than magician ever spoke, or spirit ever answered to, in the strongest conjuration.
–Charles Dickens

Having lived my entire life in small apartments and crowded spaces, I always dreamt of having a house of my own. Like so many people, I had the romantic vision of fixing up an old house and making it into something magical, which was very good because with my budget, a fixer upper was a requirement. I spent months and months looking at houses like the “two bedroom” that was one bedroom with a ladder into a loft, or the one whose roof had no gutters, but was held together entirely by green moss–not to be out done by the home with a toilet in a dining room coat closet. And I mean literally just a toilet (no sink to be seen). Thanksgiving dinner had to be really interesting in that house. So, it felt like a miracle when I found an odd, raised ranch in the middle of the woods, nestled in the hills of New Jersey and perched at the top of a very steep driveway.

It was a German fairy tale cottage on the outside and a time warp straight into 1976 on the inside. The owner had passed away, so the grounds were overgrown and it was clear it had been a while since anyone had lived there. But where other people saw endless projects, I saw endless possibilities. So despite the fact that I’m incredibly clumsy and should stay firmly on flat ground, and that everything from the baseboards to the avocado fridge, to the blue toilet with it’s original (and now horrifying) toilet seat needed attention, and that I knew nothing about living in the woods or gardening, and it came with two and half acres, this house was the right choice for me. After a ridiculously complicated closing, I moved into my new home that resembled something from a horror story, but I hoped could turn into a fairy tale instead. With its fog, weeds, dead trees, cacking crows, and precarious slope, I dubbed my new home “Death Mountain” and got to work. I’ve found so much inspiration throughout the process and wanted to share it with you.