August 12, 2013 Greetings My Friend, The roof on the deck is about finished and yup I am a happy camper. In a bit I will head outside and begin my in and out movements. Right now I can’t get on the internet outside so I still start my mornings in the entry way in my comfy chair with my cat Alex snuggled in close. I am moving along with my quilt as well and have the first row of tee shirts pinned to the sheet. I am thinking I may sew one row at a time. Right now that makes sense so I will see. I tend to pin the quilt in the evenings while I watch TV. Junior has set up a small table and a chair for me next to my comfy chair in the TV area. That will be nice. I can then sew in the TV area and keep up with my programs. Life continues to settle and that is a blessing beyond words. I like when life is following regular routines. It feels good way down deep inside of me and I don’t feel a flux like I was. I have learned a lot about me in the past few years. I must say the more I give myself to God the better I feel. I marvel once more at how I love our boring life. We do the same routine most days. We do very little drama and it feels real nice. For me drama was all I knew forever and a day. I was a drama queen and loved it. Then I grew tired of it. Now I am in love with we just get up and do each day with no drama. I love having my routines. Routines help me process life. They feel familiar and that is nice. I also love a quiet lifestyle anymore. The porch time is precious beyond words. In the quietness I find my way back to day to day living. The confusion of two moves in two years and settling into retirement are about gone now. I’ve been retired for 5 years already. For some reason I stop and look around, I look at the humming bird feeder, the dogs sleeping on the floor and Alex is in my lap. I hear Junior dipping his spoon into his cereal bowl. Once more I relish the quiet the unassuming in life. We will go for a walk after he is done with breakfast. I am not as winded as I was going to the end of the road and back. This is a good thing. Of course the dogs will tag along. When I sit out on the deck we have it closed off to the dogs. Out there the cats roam. I find I enjoy their quiet presence as well. I am thinking about adding more exercise to my day. I am thinking maybe adding Yoga to my routine. I loved it back in the day and I see where I might enjoy it again and it may help me be more agile. Through the years I have added my own thing to the Yoga. Instead of breathing in the whole universe I tend to breathe God into my being. It meant a lot to me to not cave into to some of the Yoga themes. So I began making Yoga about my Christian walk wherever I could. Some people don’t seem to have a problem with mixing the two. I did so I began putting my faith into the exercises and I like that. Yesterday at church I started thinking and wondering if I may be at the point of adding a bit more volunteer time to my day. I like when I can show up later in the morning. I like walking through the sanctuary filling the pew pockets. I like the chatter with other women as we fold the bulletins. I don’t think I want a lot of work but an hour or two might be just right for now anyway. We are back from our morning walk. We are up to a half hour to the end of the road and back home. It is so peaceful. As we walk along a couple of neighbors are out and about. We stop and chat before moving on again. That too is sweet. I made cabbage soup yesterday. I’ve not ate it much in recent years because I’d have heartburn real bad. Now that I am on Zantac I thought I’d try it again and so far so good. I use V8 juice as the base and to me it tastes yummy. The roof on the deck is awesome. It covers the entire deck so I can sit anywhere and I can even see the computer screen. A few more boards need to be nailed in place and Junior will straighten the deck up and the pretty stage will begin to take shape. He has started using lattice boards for the filler between the top and bottom spots and it is pretty. We are thinking to put our fire pit on a ledge just off the porch that he will build. He is thinking of using quick create for the base instead of a stone under the pit. I love the planning and implementing the design for the porch. It excites me to no end. I am amazed at how peaceful it is out on the deck. I love sitting on the deck, get up every once in a while and go inside. While inside I tackle a quick job or two and then head back to the deck. Another routine is quickly taking shape and I love it. The house gets picked up and looks good as I learn to do a bit here and a bit there. The chestnut trees are in bloom and to me are beautiful. They are full and the flowers are strangely beautiful. I stop and listen to the birds chatter. Life could not get any sweeter. Thank you Lord for pointing us to this place it is more than I would have imagined. May God bless you and keep you make His face to shine upon you. Love Janet