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Magdalena Acres:
Where Retired Life Meets Real
Life:
Stories about life, DIY adventures and managing chaos with humor.
Welcome to Magdalena Acres, my sanctuary and center of inspiration.
I recently decided to ‘work differently’ which led me to uproot from my career in property management and trade in my well-trained mouse for a pair of work gloves. Do I miss the paychecks, well yeah, but life always has been about time or money anyway.
Embrace the moment and do what you love.
In leaving my job, I escaped the world of tenant problems, state reporting and maintenance emergencies but I still have housing tasks here to keep my landlord-tenant brain in tune. There’s also a small herd of animals to wrangle daily and endless DIY projects that would make HGTV producers weep.
When you live rurally, there is an endless list of possibilities to create. Inspiration demands supplies though so I shop and then gasp. I can do that myself and save a bunch of money, how hard can rehabbing an abandoned old chicken coop be? Or I peruse Facebook Market Place where my creative brain finds gently used items to repurpose. I think I can just adapt that into what I want, how hard can gutting and revamping a vintage camper be?
It’s always easy to organize, especially when avoiding what’s hard seems a better option. This task can be as small as my sock drawer or more tedious like sorting nails and screws according to size and head type; square, star or Philips. You laugh, but it’s a delight when looking for the right screw for the job is labeled and available right on the shelf.
When I’m not entertained by 14 chickens in various stages of development, negotiating with my bearded dragon over his gourmet food preferences, or explaining to the dogs why they can’t help with electrical work, I’m delighted to write about the hilarity that comes with what I undertake, and usually laughing “how hard can it be?”.
Life at Magdalena Acres
Dive into the different aspects of life at Magdalena Acres
Latest from the Acres
Fresh stories, mishaps, and adventures from cabin life
July 28, 2025
Embrace the bunnies or become Elmer Fudd
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July 28, 2025
Rescuing Lenny the Bearded Dragon
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July 28, 2025
Afloat on the Lake
I read the ad again on Facebook Marketplace, “free” ‘All you have to do is pick them up’, my opportunist brain said, how hard can transporting twelve 3′ x 9′ floats be?’ Without much more thinking about the endeavor, I jumped into action, contacted the seller and schmoozed my youngest son Nate, ‘whatcha doin this afternoon?’ Turned out he was available and willing. We were to meet the float donators at the boat ramp at Goss Lake. As luck would have it, this beautiful spot with free goods is ten minutes just over the hill from my place but you have to drive around through Freeland and then down East Harbor Road to get there, still only a 15 minute drive tops!.
When we arrived, we didn’t see anyone with a stack of floats so we waited. Alas, off in the distance across the lake there was movement, Our adventure had just elevated a notch, these geniuses were making their way towards us on their own floating dock powered with an electric motor, trailing behind a group of white floats, like ducklings following their mama. After some laughter and amazement as we watched the new dock floats get closer, an idea for another new project was conceived, something cool to do is always an option in my world.
Heavy is an understatement, I hadn’t taken into consideration the waterlogged scenario. We were using Nate’s small Dodge Dakota truck to transport these beasts so we made two trips. We stacked them under cover for several months as the project brewed and I researched how to build a dock. I am not sure how I got by for so many years without the DIY support of YouTube.
Several months later, I was talking about my dock building idea with my oldest son Kyle, picking his brain for ideas. “That’ll be a cool project,” he responded with excitement, “Adam and I will come out Saturday and make it happen, here’s your supply list”. Happy Mother’s Day!
Nothing like grown children with skills!
It was a lot of hard work but Kyle and Adam got ‘er done. Nate stopped by on his way home that afternoon wearing white shoes and we laughed about trying to keep THOSE clean! Everyone in the group had experience with the muck at the water’s edge which made it even funnier so we couldn’t help but rib Nate a little.
Sometimes my visions for the property that bypass my rudimentary building skills are met by big sighs and eye rolls from my busy and otherwise life engaged children. To my delight, this project got off the ground and afloat with enthusiasm! And my heart was full to have both my sons there for the dock’s launch.
Our beautiful community lake wasn’t always serene. When we bought this property 2-1/2 decades ago, there was talk about of an eventual lake but then it was just a peat bog. For several years, we lived through equipment noise and dust every summer while they farmed the peat and hauled it to a local landscaping business. Every spring, they would pump the water out just as the water fowl were preparing nesting areas to raise their new families. After a couple of permit extensions, they finally finished and the lake filled up. Over the years, water lovers of all sizes have swam, floated and kayaked on this five acre lake but only after first mucking through the mud. It took a strong soul to journey to the water’s edge, endure mud ooze between toes or get shoes sucked into its abyss, it was always worth it but many declined its inviting pull. Some shoes were never seen again.
Never stop dreaming is the message here, even a mud free entrance to serenity can become reality.
Meet Magdalena
Writer * Mama * Nana * Gardener *Lover of Trees, Nature & Animals
I am a writer, motivated to seek connection with others through words. It’s just easier than verbalizing what goes on in my head. The idea for this web site was conceived out of that yearning for connection. I love creating beautiful spaces, building community and engaging in spiritual pursuits.
I am excited about life and sharing feeds my soul.
I grew up on a farm in north Idaho and then left as a young adult. My migration took me from Genesee to Moscow, then to Spokane, and then on to Seattle after graduating college at Eastern Washington University. After only 5 years, we left Seattle for a more rural lifestyle on Whidbey Island in 2001. Amidst my gradual movement west over the years, there’s been a marriage, divorce, five children, a couple significant relationships and a house purchase.
Even though I’ve moved over 20 times as an adult, I can truthfully say we didn’t live in cookie cutter houses. I was always drawn to unique places to live and when I say unique, that also meant cheap, imperative in those early years as a single parent. Just because a place is cheap ,however, doesn’t mean it has to be devoid of love and self-expression. My first place in Spokane for example, my kids called the Cheese House because it was shaped like a wedge out of a wheel of cheese; it was way fun to decorate all those rooms in it and unique doesn’t even begin to describe that place. ‘Love where you live’, no matter where that is.
In 2007, my migration changed direction again. I rented out my house on Whidbey and moved to Oregon where my oldest daughter was getting married. It was a sudden uprooting, but change was in the air. Work kept me connected to Portland for years but my connection to Whidbey remained strong….
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Living at Magdalena Acres
Magic in the wild woods of Whidbey can be found by those seeking peace, nature and a taste of rural living; but be mindful of the fairies.
There are three distinct living quarters at Magdalena Acres on Woodbine Road.
Main House– 2 bdrm & Loft, 1 bathroom
Every piece of this house has a story, from the wood planks we got for free and installed ourselves, to the electric heat pump my oldest son installed, to the wonderfully gifted creative carpenter we found to create the covered front, side and back decks. Or the brick circle at the center of the sun garden that nearly caused a divorce., ever create a circle with rectangles? How hard can it be? This 950 sf cabin has been updated to include
- Wood floors, luxury vinyl plank flooring kitchen and bath
- Propane fireplace, electric heat pump
- Propane stove for cooking
- Front and back covered decks
- Outdoor covered work room
- Perennial gardens along a pond in front of the house
- Wildlife pond in front
- Raised bed vegetable gardens off the back deck
- Barn/shop
- Chicken Coop and run
Lake House – 1-bdrm, 1 bathroom
This delight has had the most evolutions. It started out as a pole building, then slowly over the years, I added lowered ceilings for easier heating, walls and a bedroom and eventually a bathroom. It’s been an art studio, a party house for a handful of tenants, storage and then eventually a higher quality one bedroom lake house. This 600 sf wonder has amenities that include
- Luxury vinyl plank flooring throughout
- Butcher block countertops
- Propane stove for cooking
- Propane fireplace
- Work room with large windows
- Bedroom with covered deck overlooking the lake
- Storage room and attic
Cabin/Guest Space – Studio with sleeping loft, 1 bathroom
This cozy spot was the original structure to be built on the property, before my time here. It is nestled in the woods and the recipient of the latest upgrade. This 200 sf cabin is a happy place to be.
- Pine tongue & groove interior
- Tiled bathroom
- Remodeled kitchen
- Butcher block countertops
- Covered front and back decks
- Built in propane heater
Community Space
Building community is important so there is a space for all of us to enjoy alone or together. The pergola was built in the meadow with the lake as it’s focal point. There is a firepit and chairs, and a hammock. There are many areas to hang out that includes:
- Open meadow in the center
- 5-acre lake on the north end of the property
- Mature cedar, hemlock, fir and maple trees surrounding property
- Pergola and firepit area overlooking the lake
- Fruit and nut trees and cleared area
- Woodland gardens along the road front
- Dock on the lake – kayaking
This is the setting where these stories unfold. We wake up to chicken chatter, forest bathing, and maybe catch a glimpse of the famous bearded dragon wandering the wild woods of Whidbey.