Hometown

Colorful leaves.

my people.

local delights.

 Refreshed spirit.

Have a great week !!

XOXO

Seventies

Hi you !

Just popping in for a quick post.

I have had quite an eventful week.

It all started when I dove into adventure &

faced the unknown!

Or seriously...

just went to hang out with Mom for her birthday,

because yeah , it's pretty much the same thing.

We had a good time. 

We played by the river, took pictures, ate nothing that was good for us,

and got massages. We had our coffee on the deck, while watching the sun come up, 

the cows graze, the cat lounge, and the leaves fall.

We listened to oldies, and had some good old mother daughter chats.

It was a really, really perfectly wonderful way 

to celebrate Mom being 75.

It was hard for me to leave.

You know that feeling...

when everything just feels right ?

You feel like your where your supposed to be ?

And you have that comfort, that you can only get get from being with your Mom?

[even if every now and then there is a battle of the wills ;) ]

Yeah. That. 

Plus....I have always had a little separation anxiety.

Good-byes always do me in.

I try real hard not to cry when we say our good-byes...

but I want to. *sigh* 

Looking forward to our next adventure Mom !!

I hope your around for many more celebrations !

I'm happy your my Mom.

AND, I love you bunches!

Have a great week everyone !

XOXO

Groundhog

Hello there ! Happy Monday to you ! :)

I have decided to start my blog out a little differently today.

I like to change things up a bit.

Sometimes things don't feel right anymore...

and so begins the tweaking process.

Do you know what I mean?

You feel a change coming...

...or decide to make some changes....

and it has a ripple effect ?!

Yeah. That's happening.

Well....it has been wallowing around inside of me.

This "change" thing.

I didn't have any ideas...agendas...or any of that.

I just felt it. Knew it was coming. Prayed. And have been waiting.

Not so patiently either. It's been frustrating.

Confusing.

Discouraging.

It's lasted for a while now.

Then, the other day, I was washing some dishes,

and gazing out the window.

 I spotted a big fur-ball meandering in the neighborhood.

So I grabbed my camera, [totally forgetting I had potatoes boiling for soup]

and ran outside for a closer inspection of this fuzzy, round thing.

Which turned out to be this kinda cute...kinda not... pudgy groundhog. 

Getting ready for winter I suppose...

it was stuffing its face with every step.

Anyway....it didn't seem to mind me taking pictures, or

coming closer, as it also came closer to me.

When the mailman passed by...

 pudgy got nervous, and ran for protection.

So we said our good-byes.

If you know me... You know I was already thinking that pudgy was a "sign".

So I run back to the house.

Perfect timing...as the potatoes I had boiling,

were just about to suck up the last bit of water.

 They were saved. Soup was made.

So back to the "sign".

I rushed to look up groundhog...and started reading.

First of all...I didn't know they could climb trees.

That kinda freaks me out a little.

Like when I found out armadillos can swim under water.

*jeebies*

After reading for a bit longer...there WERE two things

that stood out for me.

1. Boundaries

2. This may reflect 2 years of intensive study, digging, and building.

Bottom line...

I felt like it was just the nudge I needed.

I got it. It made sense to me. It gave me direction.

Do you ever do that ? Look for signs ?

I do. Maybe that's weird...but I am OK with weird. :)

So after my "sign" and all...I wanted to sit and blog...but I struggled with

what to say. So I just let it go.

Now I am going to change the subject for a minute.

Because I want to tell you about this girl... Blondie.

She was a calf, when I first started dating Gary.

She would always give me the once over when I visited the farm.

I always appreciated her doing that...and I ADORED her chunky,velvety, legs.

Then she grew up, and Spring calving season came around.

Blondie had her 1st calf.

It wasn't alive.

I am pretty sure I have told this story before...

but in case you missed it.

Sometimes when cows don't have calves...

they don't get to stay on the farm.

Hubby asked me if I would be OK with Blondie leaving.

I told him "No" that I would NOT be OK...

but if that was the way of the farm... I would learn to live with it.

Some cows were sold that Spring. 

I didn't ask questions.

I figured I was better off not knowing.

Fall rolled around,...and one afternoon while we were checking on the fall calves....

I noticed some chunky white legs in the bunch.

Me: "Is that...?"

Hubby: " Yes ! I didn't get rid of her."

That made me so happy !! :)

The pic. is from yesterday.

Blondie has had several calves. She's a good mama. :)

She is also a "foodie".

So I wanted to bring her a little treat.

She was off by herself, with her little one...so hubby drove me over to her.

 I hopped off the 4-wheeler with my bucket of feed.

I wasn't sure if she would come to me or not.

She did.

She ate.

She even let me stroke her face while she ate.

It kinda made my day.

Except, earlier... Dana, Shannon, and Price came by.

They sang me "Happy Birthday" and Price wore a 

party hat. And that was what really made my day.

It's the little things. Right ? 

And now back to direction and all.

I really didn't know if I wanted to keep blogging.

All weekend I thought about it. Nothing.

There were other things I needed direction in too.

I have been trusting that the answers would come.

I woke up this morning, and it was as if everything

fell into place as I slept.

I feel inspired.

Clear. 

I look forward to sharing with you as I go.

If you have been reading my blog...

you know I go through changes.

I love change...and kinda don't too.

It's uncomfortable. Always.

It's just me becoming more me...

and I am getting more comfortable with that.

Thank you for coming by and visiting me today.

I hope you have a great week !!

Be safe !

Talk to you soon !

XOXO

Imagine

" No one longs for what he or she already has,

and yet the accumulated insight of those wise about the spiritual life

 suggests that the reason so many of us cannot see the red X that marks the spot

is because we are standing on it.

The treasure we seek requires no lengthy expedition,

no expensive equipment,

no superior aptitude or special company.

All we lack is the willingness to imagine that we already have

everything we need.

The only thing missing is our consent to be where we are."

Sharing a quote I read this week.

 I haven't had much time to blog lately.

Priorities.

I am grateful for the quotes that surface,

when I don't have time to put into words,

what I feel in my heart.

This.

Hoping everyone is finding the treasures where they are.

XOXO

Story

Because...

Cowboy Rick saw me taking pictures, and very kindly, offered to show us around.

He told us the history of the stagecoach, 

and how it was the very first ride at Silver Dollar City.

[which is now a good sized theme park in Branson,MO. in case your wondering :)]

And then...how he discovered the coach years later, and gave it new life.

Jumping aboard, he shared more wonderful stories,

his passion for God, people, and service,

and even gave us a few demonstrations.

I was both captivated, and inspired.

It felt good to be where nothing else mattered.

To slow down and pay full attention to the moment.

Sometimes...things aren't always as they seem.

[ i thought i was just walking past another prop]

I was just snapping another picture.

It turned out to be so much more.

There is beauty and interest and perhaps...

a good story behind just about everything in life.

And the best things happen when we believe in good,

when we give people the benefit of the doubt, 

a moment of our time.

When we understand that there is pain and bad things that happen in the world.

But they are overshadowed by people like Cowboy Rick...

and the potential of the great amount of good in human kind.

It's all around you.

Sometimes we have to choose to see it.

XOXO