Holy communion

Day 6

These little stinkers in the car.
This picture is a prelude of the mischievousness to come.
In church, fighting over used communion cups.
And Clay figuring out he could smack the bottom of the cups in their holders in the pew and send them flying.
Smh.With a smile though.
Life is never dull with these two.

When the dust settles

The grand-babies have been fed, clothed in pajamas and are now asleep.  Sound asleep?

We'll see.

But having them come to visit for the night was a nice ending to the day.

And what a day it's been.  Foggy and cool all morning.  Sometimes the fog only rises above the creek. This morning, it was pressing against the windows-and our windows are a good distance from the creek.  Took until 10 or 10:30 for the sun to burn it off.

That was plenty of time to enjoy some coffee and make french toast in a leisurely fashion.

The rest of the day was clear, bright and sunny.  It actually felt like fall today-a little on the cool side.

A good day for a walk across the field and along the creek bank.

A good day to clean out a shed and prepare it for painting.

I swept and swept and swept, but the dust, rabbit hair and dried chicken manure seemed to be just getting stirred around- and up my nose.

So, I gave the old shop vac a shot.  It worked way better than a broom, and our shed is about ready to paint now.

After a shower to remove the dust from myself, I fried up a nice mess of Vietnamese cat fish and some homegrown potatoes.  Oaklee loved them both.

The kiddos watched cartoons for a bit, and I read them a couple of books. They've just gone to sleep, so I'm a bloggin'.

It's been a good day at home.  I love days like this when I don't have to go anywhere, and I can get dirty as a pig if I want to.

That's another reason I seldom throw clothes away.  Old rags are just the thing for farm chores.

A prescription for a long life?

The best part of my job is gathering people's stories.

After a two or three hour interview, you begin to feel like you know a person. 

I've made many new friends gathering stories for the newspaper, and I have to say I find the older folks the most interesting.  

What is it like to live 90 or 100 years? Do you ever get tired and just want it to be over? I'm sure some do. 

Living long is not necessarily living well, but most of the folks I've talked to who've lived a long time seem pretty content.  

Particularly if they've got people in their life to check on them.

I think loneliness would be the hardest part of growing old, and I say that as a person who has always enjoyed time to myself.  

But to outlive many of your family and friends and end up alone for the last years of one's life must be hard.  

So, as I gather stories, I'm also taking mental notes on how to live successfully as a senior, just in case I ever become one. 

Be adaptable, keep active,be thankful, have faith...these are themes I hear among the elderly most often, I think.  

And, I notice that people don't talk much about lost possessions, but they do talk about losing loved ones.  Those are the heartaches that they always carry.  

And that should give us some insight into how to spend our days. 

 

Too much stuff? Fluff?

Today I began the less than exciting task of switching the contents of my closet from warm weather wear to cold.
Although it's hardly sweater weather here yet, it's NOVEMBER for pete's sake, and I'll surely need to wear something warm before it's over.
I have so many old rags.  My "wardrobe," I mean.  I couldn't give some of the stuff away that's in my closet if I tried.
Yet I didn't throw any of it away.  You might wonder why.
Well, that's a good question, but my reasoning works something like this.  I figure I'd better keep those clothes that are a little too tight, because I might lose weight before spring rolls around again. Motivation may swoop down from above and conquer my voracious appetite.
Or, I'd better keep those clothes that are a little too loose, because what if I GAIN weight over the course of the winter, heaven forbid.
I'll have to admit it's entirely possible.
I skipped the gym tonight, and I'm having a bedtime snack of graham crackers and marshmallow fluff, heavy on the fluff.
Good to fluff those thighs right up.
Yeah. I'm not getting rid of anything outta my closet just yet.

What a day brings

I had ideas about what I'd do on my day off, but they didn't pan out.
That's okay.
I found myself in a place I did not expect to be, meeting a spunky little lady, 89 years old, who shared some stories from her life.

"Things have a way of working out," Louise said.

"You've got to take the bitter with the sweet."

"The Lord's always took care of me," she went on. " I thank God for every day I'm alive."

Words of wisdom, I say.

Before we left her house, she offered me some plants from her tidy flower beds.
I was more than happy to dig up some "starts," and I told her I would make a Louise garden when I got home.
My new perennials are in the ground now. Little Oaklee "helped" me water them.
I'm excited to  see what kind of bloom my new plants will produce. 

And when they bloom, I will ask Oaklee if she remembers that she helped me plant them.
I'll think of a warm fall day, and visiting with the donkeys by the fence, and playing volleyball at dusk with two very short players.
And I will recall Louise, her faith and convictions.

Who knows what will become of those "starts?
But I'm very hopeful. And maybe I will pass them along some day.

It's clique, but its the simple things.

What do I do to restore mental health? 
I take a walk...spend time out in the fresh air...cook something nourishing and homemade...spend time with family.
A walk in the hood this evening with the grandbabies after a long day was definitely restorative.
When I feel restored, my creative energy rises.
And I begin to think I can pull out another NaBloPoMo.

Planting, on hold

Last month was dry as a bone.
Gardens weren't flourishing, pastures were looking faded already.
But May, beginning in late April, has brought rain after rain. Now, we can't get tomatoes out. Or beans. Or corn.

So on my day off last week,  Hannah and the kids and I go to Chicken Hut in McKee to meet Aunt C for lunch.  Then we drive out to Flat Lick Falls with our chicken and have a little picnic.
I got a picture of the Hut, but not the Falls. Such a scenic little spot (the falls) and very accessible. McKee is now a trail town...makes me excited for when we become one.

Thursday morning, I get a call from Martin's Supply, and they are on the way with our hoop house.

I was expecting them on Friday, so that threw my schedule off.

Anyway, the crew of five Mennonites had our hoop house up and were outta here by 2 p.m. It was a joy to watch those boys work. I am so glad we hired them to do it.

Sure, we could have put the thing together, but it would have taken ten times longer, and if the ground ever dries up, we've got things to plant. I'm hoping this high tunnel will lend us a little climate control.

Last night, the temperature fell to around 40. Good timing, with the  high school prom going on this weekend, but hey, at least it didn't rain/snow.

There's nothing faded about the landscape now. It is about as lush and green as you'll ever see it.