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| Hiking in the woods on a clear autumn day....   ...was the perfect way to walk off some of Thursday's turkey and dressing and giblet gravy and sweet potatoes and pumpkin pie with real whipped cream...oh, my, let's go! On this day we chose a hike that began with a visit to a grave. How many children in today's mobile society know the burial site of a great-great-great-great grandmother?  Sarah, Emma and Lucy beside the grave of Amanda Little, 1834-1914.  
Following the holler east from the old burial ground on our farm, a spring branch flows clear and pure. Walking a log is one way across...   Lined with enormous boulders, this is a great place for exploring.  The clear blue sky is a beautiful backdrop for towering pines up above...  
 and down below, all kinds of fungi live on fallen logs.  Wonder who lives down here?  Bluff-climbing for sure-footed souls... Home for a lunch of leftovers and then the rest of the family arrived...cousins! They clamored for a hike, too, so off we went in search of an afternoon adventure.  
This time we climbed a stone fence, crossed another spring branch...  
and found an old, abandoned homestead. It's fun to make up stories about the people who once lived here. What did they do for fun? Did they ever see bears or mountain lions? How did they stay warm in winter? What did they grow in their garden?  
Evening arrives, and back at home, cousins played and played...  ...and even Poppy played!  Thanksgiving...when we count our blessings, these are the richest ones. Hope your Thanksgiving was meaningful and rich with family and friends.  | | |
| One day of Thanksgiving is simply not enough. As CHO of our household (Chief Holiday-Appointing Officer) I officially declare that, from this day forward, "EVERY DAY SHALL BE A DAY OF THANKSGIVING." For how in the world can we be expected to give thanks for all of our blessings in one single day, when each new day presents us with a whole set of new blessings?  Today, for example, the morning began with clouds, rain and general drear in place. Not such a blessing? Maybe, but as I looked out, I could see the swirling mist, softening all the hard edges, adding an aura of dreaminess to the very ordinary.  It's November, yes, and most everything is looking brown and drab. But, sheltered by some lingering hollyhocks, this purple coneflower offered a last taste of summer to a fellow who seems to have missed an earlier flight. He was heartened when the sun peeked out.  The chickens have been protesting the advent of winter by refusing to lay eggs...all except for this lovely lady, Miss Ruby Yellowlegs. Miss Ruby stands by me, giving me one perfect brown egg each and every day, rain or shine. She does seem to prefer shine, though. The egg, on sunny days, seems a touch smoother, a little browner and more oval-ly perfect.  And even on the darkest days, when the work is grungy, the hours long and the cattle uncooperative, I can count on this...a cheerful smile from my faithful farmhand. He had a birthday last week. It was the 40-eth time we've celebrated his birthday together as partners in this life we share. Wonder what the record for longest-married is? I think we're shooting to set a new one. Guinness, give us a little time...we're on a roll. These are some of the simple blessings I've encountered in my life today. The longer I live, the more I KNOW (inside, where it counts) that the simple blessings are the very best ones. Lord, help me to never take them for granted. What are you thankful for tonight? Right this minute? | | |
| What does 5 days without internet give you??? A sore back, three clean rooms and closets upstairs, bruises (don't ask), a pickup load of stuff for the food pantry's thrift shop, a roaring blaze in the burn pit (trash!), leg cramps, several trips down Memory Lane, a few tears and a lot of laughs, some cozy moments sharing a very small upstairs bathroom with my patient husband, and an intense determination to NEVER bring any more junk into this house! On Monday, when my dear friends, the floor-covering boys showed up, it was time to turn off the Dell (so they could rip up the carpet in my office) and turn on all the burners...in other words, get to work! While they ripped up vinyl flooring, subflooring, carpets, pads, tack strips, baseboards, toilets, and everything else in their way, I headed upstairs. For how could I enjoy the eventual fruits of their labors (nice, new, clean floors downstairs to go with freshly painted walls throughout), knowing what lurked above. I tackled it with a vengeance. Every day this week, I emptied closets, sorted through the bins, boxes and tubs accumulated through the years, tossed out junk and gave away anything that anyone would take. Woodwork and windows were washed. The fabric stash was organized, the yarn stash minimized. Books, magazines, toys...I was ruthless (never mind that Ruth is my middle name....I forgot her this week!) I called Susannah, asking if she would mind my removing the dusty, faded posters from her closet walls. Sarah doesn't yet know that her 3rd-grade valentine box is no longer on her closet shelf. Stan's FFA awards (from 1968) were lovingly dusted and put back in the plastic tub to await a grandchild's discovery at some distant future date. Matt's freshman creative writing journal (with encouraging, positive notes from AnnieMockingbird, his wonderful teacher) went into MY keepsake box. Thirty-seven strings of Christmas lights have been reduced to...a few. Those sweet boys (Dave, Jeff and Jason) ALMOST finished the floor covering...they'll be back Monday morning to complete the job. It will take all of next week for me to finish what I've begun....this isn't a job that can be rushed. But I'm hoping that by the time Thanksgiving rolls around I can give thanks for a home that's cleaner, healthier and more organized, top to bottom. No pics to go with this post...I can't find my camera...hope I didn't throw it out! | | |
| Forget Dear Abby. Forget the best friend, the psychotherapist or whoever else you tell your troubles to. It is the carpet laying guys who know your dirty little secrets.  Dirty carpet is what started this mess (and "mess" is a mild word for what is in our house right now.) Yes, I had looked at flowerdy wallpaper for 22 1/2 years, and it still looked just the same as when it was hung. Floorcovering is a different breed of cat altogether. Our family had WALKED, CRAWLED, SCOOTED, SLID, RUN, DRIBBLED, SPILLED...the list of verbs that could be inserted here is about endless and I will spare you some of them...on the same carpet those 22 1/2 years. I could vacuum every day (I didn't but I thought about it) and still have dirty carpet. I could (but didn't) shampoo till suds came out my ears and still have dirty carpet. It's a FARM, remember? There's only one solution for this dirty carpet...take it out.  Well, one thing leads to another and suddenly a major renovation is under way. Walls must be painted and wallpaper given an extreme makeover. Old carpet and vinyl must be removed, which means that every square inch of floor must be cleared, even the stuff in the back of the closets that haven't seen the light of day in decades. Under bed storage? Out it comes. YIKES!!!! And what is under the old carpet.....oh, my! Let's not go there....I'm so thankful for a shop vac right now. Just don't think you're going to get the names or numbers of these guys who are suddenly my closest friends... | | |
| Dear Wallpaper, This is very hard for me to write, but the time has come. Believe me when I say this is going to hurt me more than it hurts you...really...but the truth can no longer be denied. It's time for us to split. What's it been... 22 1/2 years? That's, like, a bunch of my life. Guess you could say we've had a long-term relationship. And gosh, wallpaper, we've had some good times together. And I admit that I'm going to miss you. Even though you've caused me trouble sometimes....like when your seams came unstuck...I liked you so much that I was determined to make it work. I just rolled up my sleeves and got busy and soon, with a little stick-to-it-iveness, we were right back the way we started...tight, you know? But this time is different. Before you go chastising yourself, let me just confess that this really isn't your fault. I take all the blame. Call me fickle, if you like, but I am just tired of this relationship. I guess it's just the sameness, day in and day out, of looking at your same old stripes and your same old faded flowers, and you just sitting there looking back at me. I feel the need for something new....something different...something fresh! If it is any comfort at all, let me just say that I'm NOT going to rip you off. When I was a younger woman, living in other houses, that's what I would have done. Out would come the water and the stinking vinegar and the putty knife and the fingernails, and I'd go at you with a vengeance, peeling you apart, piece by piece. But trying to go back and start over, with a bare slate, just isn't something I crave any longer. No, this time I'm going to just leave you there. So, maybe breaking up won't be so hard on you, after all! You'll still be here; you just won't be able to see me...and (thank goodness) I won't be able to see you. Hey, it just hit me! We're not really breaking up....you're just getting a makeover! A little paint here, a little putty there, cover it all with a nice new glaze and voila! Once you're wearing your new look, I just know the love will be back. We'll pick right up where we left off, cooking breakfast together, hanging around in the kitchen and the dining room...but it will feel good again. Oh, I feel so much better about this now. Forget all that stuff I said, wallpaper....we'll be together forever! Love, Me  
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