Agate Acres

"Do you like agates?" the guy from across the street - dirt road - in front of our newly purchased, 120 year old house asked my nine year old daughter.

"Yes!" she exclaimed. Collecting little things is one of her favorite hobbies.

It's back in December and we are visiting the foreclosed property we recently closed on. Our 12 passenger van almost fully loaded with our kids and some foster kids, we dove the hour from our house down south to check things out at the new property. As soon as we pulled in the driveway I realized how close we were to the road and how close the neighbor across the street was. Nothing like disturbing their quiet, serene life in the cabin without indoor plumbing with our many kids and animals.

The neighbor can't help but notice us and walks over to greet us, introducing himself and asking my oldest child about the agates. Turns out they are everywhere down here. Oddly enough, I already had a rock tumbler in my Amazon cart for her birthday.

He mentions that he is leaving soon to head to Florida for the rest of the winter (did I mention that we live in northern Minnesota) and will be back in March. By the time he gets back we will be mostly moved in - kids, animals, stuff.

I've always wanted a house with a name. After six moves in ten years of marriage, this might be it. I'm naming this one. So, Agate Acres it is.

And our neighbor Jimmy was right. Agates everywhere.