A Week of Joy - Summer 2017

We were given the awesome gift of having Lia with us for a WHOLE WEEK this summer and I tried to pack as much fun and memories into it as I possibly could. Click on the pics to see them better.

Best investment EVER! A 300 gallon Rubbermaid horse trough! It will last forever and can be leaned against the shed until next summer. This was played in a LOT while Lia was here.

Lia and Deaconess Irene have a very special relationship. When Lia comes to our church, the first thing she does is run up to Irene for a big hug.

Even though Lia thinks she’s a little old to be playing with Playdoh, we had a lot of fun with this last container I still had here.

These are just a few of the marble paintings we did. We had the living room floor covered with them while they were drying.

Lia seemed to really enjoy playing with my hair.

We went to the nature center where they bring out some of the animals so you can touch them.

This is Lia and my friend’s 2 grandsons. They have a REAL pool and Lia loves being able to visit them.

I had always wanted to do this rock “cactus” arrangement with Lia. Finally did it!

Every visit comes to an end, sadly. But it was JOYOUS to have her with us! ♥

Teardrops In The Dark

Take a little drive with me, down a rural road. It’s night, and the only lights are the headlights of the car. It’s warm enough to drive with all the windows down. You can smell the fields and orchards. Passing a farm house you might even get a whiff of cow. The smells of the earth. The sounds of insects and frogs. Winding around the back roads there might be a house or two that still have some lights on. What’s going on in that house? Or that one? Are the people happy? Are they watching TV or reading? Do they have a pet? Are they happy? If I were someone else and I lived there too would I be happy? IS ANYONE HAPPY???

Those were very dark years for me. This was back when I was unable to talk or let anyone know the complete hell that was going on in my mind. Since I’ve already written about this, I don’t need to repeat it. My mother seemed to know I was in distress, but she never asked me about it, and I wouldn’t have been able to say anything anyway. There are a lot of mental gaps in those years, but one thing stands out. Once in a while my mom would suggest going for a drive at night. Just her and me. We lived out by the tank farm and the cemetery so there were plenty of back roads to drive on.

There was no destination, just the drive. I never told my mom how much these drives meant to me, and I was never able to ask her to take me out. She just did this once in a while. I would have given a good part of my soul back then to just keep on driving. Didn’t care where. All I knew was that at some point, the drive would end. We’d be back at the house. I’d have to go in and get ready for bed because HELL WOULD RETURN IN THE MORNING. As long as I was in that car I was safe. I didn’t have to think about school, about being around a lot of people, about being alone in my mind where the demons dwelled.

But all rides come to an end eventually. Even now, to bring it all back, all it takes is a short drive from point A to point B in the dark, windows open, the summer night coming into my soul, the sounds and smells of nature soothing me. Telling me everything is going to be all right. It’s OK. I am safe.

The drive is over. No need to run away anymore.

I Love The Idea, But….

Like a new bride (in the olden days) collecting recipes, I tend to collect a LOT of ideas (and recipes too, actually) from TV, the Internet and Facebook. I will bookmark sites, note things in files on the computer and dream of doing/making everything I see.

Oh, look! Another cute backyard fire pit! That would be easy to make!

Wow! How easy to change the whole look of the bedroom with just paint and new bedding!

Yum! That looks really tasty!

They all look and sound great, but we are only given one lifetime and that is just not enough to put checkmarks on all the listed items.

Then there are the bigger things. Such as:

Burning Man.

I have always been intrigued with the IDEA of Burning Man. I love looking at all the pictures each year after the festival has taken place. In my youth, I MIGHT have been able to handle something like this with Marv’s help and a decent set-up for sleeping, but those days are long gone. What appeals to me the most is the tremendous freedom of the atmosphere and the truly amazing art and diversity of the people who attend.

Ice Hotels.

Now, this I KNOW I would never really want to stay in for a night. They are so beautiful, especially at night with all the lights shining through.

But DANG!!! COLD!!! SLEEPING ON ICE!!!

I am content with looking at the pictures and dreaming…

Tiny Houses.

They’re so CUTE!!! And again, in my younger days it might have been viable. Not now. I would never be able to sleep in a loft without having functioning knees. And considering how many times I get up at night to visit the ladies room, I don’t see myself going up and down a ladder that many times. And if you’re able to actually have steps to get into the loft, they are very steep and you are giving up even more space.

And then there are my books, my craft supplies, my cat memorabilia…I’d need at least 3 more tiny houses for that stuff!

Zima.

I REALLY wanted Zima to work out!! It looked so good in the TV ads. So clear and slightly fizzy and refreshing. Especially on ice. And the bottle was cool…

YUK! Bought a 6 pack once and that was it. So when it reappeared recently for a limited time I seriously contemplated getting some and seeing if they had improved it. Thankfully, a friend mentioned that her husband had gotten some. I asked if it had changed and the answer was NO. So I saved a bit of money on that one…