July 17, 2013 Greetings My Friend, I am out on the deck journaling and writing and loving the quiet peace. Mary Jane one of the cats is beside me helping me eat my bagel and cream cheese. We just got back from our morning walk and the quiet feels real nice. I am out of breath but happy. Our walk these days is around 15 min. and 3 good hills to go up and down so I am fairly worn out when we get back and each week sees me being able to come back not as wore out and that feels awesome. Our dogs join us as we walk along the country lane. They run ahead, stop and smell things and then run on again. After the bear sighting I am grateful for their company. A dead snake is in the middle of the road and again I am thankful because more than likely the kids will find anything that can harm me and let me know. Junior generally joins me on my morning walk which to me is precious couple time. He comes home, reads the mail and takes his nap and I enter into writing and housework. I love the pace life is settling into. I am not worrying when I can’t tackle major jobs and I am pleased with my get something done and enjoy where the house will take me. I invited our youth Minister and his wife by next week. Their baby is still fairly stationary so I will learn to put barricades up that could cause her harm. They are young and I often get my mother mode going when I am with E. She feels like a daughter and for me that feels real nice. I can part my older woman wisdom to her and she doesn’t get offended. They being young know how to work around the internet and at this point I’d like to learn a few more things. I have yet to find a class I can take so this will do. My latest desire is to get a Bible on my smart phone. Right now I have daily passages sent to me on my e-mail but I’d like a Bible I can reference, read along with at church and the like. I stop writing for a moment. I hear a bird sing and another bird answer back. I feel the breeze move ever so slightly across my face. Mary Jane has given up on the bagel and has curled up and is napping. The sun is bright and I am under the shade feature with no sun on me. I love sunny days just not on my body. Again a bird sings out and I stop and listen. My thoughts come back once more. Slowly ever so slowly the routines are starting to fill in and I feel whole again. This afternoon I will mop around the area rugs. I will dust maybe. Next week I want to clean off the shelf in the hallway organizing it more so. I just found 4-5 lotions in different spots and decide I would do good organizing so I don’t spend so much money on stuff especially when I don’t need it. I again think about K and E and B stopping by for a visit next week. That excites me. I have wanted to share our home and the work Junior is doing. They will walk around and give the appropriate voice of approval. This year for the holidays I think I will try to host one or two events like Christmas Day for family and friends. That excites me too. B and J will be here I am sure and now our “family” will grow a bit as we invite more to share the day with us. I know that soon Junior will start on the kitchen. As the weather continues to heat up he will find that coming inside to be more tolerable. That means a kitchen will begin to truly take shape. I am excited at this prospect. I realize how God has helped me accept this man’s to me strange ways. I have learned to live with projects starting, stopping and new ones taking shape. As I continue to see the fruits of Junior’s labor I again appreciate that he works in a manner strange to me. He continues to finish projects and his creative talents continue to amaze me. My dressers have been emptied and one is out of the bedroom. It is on the enclosed porch and stuff begins to find its way into the drawers and clutter is down. That helps me settle better and enjoy our home even more so. As I have started moping around the area rugs I find that Junior is doing our bedroom, the hallway and in front of my chair. I am good with him taking this over if he wants to. He helps and I like letting him do the things he likes to do. Again I find myself excited that we will have visitors next week. I am working at getting the house in order, company order that is. I am not ashamed if someone stops in and sees things out of place because we aren’t overly messy. I do like the idea of fussing a bit. I think it is a woman thing. My goal for next week is dusting. For some reason that has been let go so I will get the dust cloth out with wax and do the furniture. From then on I will use a feather duster……for the most part. Starting next week then I will mop, dust, pick up and keep the bathroom clean and the bedroom sheets clean. That makes me feel good. I am no longer upset that I can’t tackle major jobs in a day or so and I am enjoying the pace of a few jobs done every day or so. I’ve been making lunch – our main meal most days again. Well I make something and we eat on it for a day or two then I make something else. This works real nice for us. For dinner I tend to heat up refried beans or such….that has protein in it and keeps me till morning. Once in a while I will nibble on a spoon of peanut butter if I am hungry. Oh and as it is warm out we are having a bowl of ice cream many nights. Yup even this little routine feels good. Gone are the days of drama for the sake of drama. I tell Junior often how much I love our boring life and frankly it is awesome to me. May God bless you and keep you, make His face to shine upon you. Love Janet