It’s been a busy week here at the Acres, most of the activity unplanned…in a good way.

Casey and I have been talking for a while about buying a travel trailer.  The first obstacle in our path was always the need to buy a sturdier pulling vehicle.  Neither my Caravan, nor his 1992 Dakota were suitable for towing.  Off and on, we’d talk about it, but he was quite obsessed with having a towing package and that generally was harder to find at our price point.  After camping up at Harmonie the other week, we decided to take the first steps to buying, so we got serious about looking…

It was right down the street:  a 2004 Ford Expedition with the towing packge, 4WD, and the Eddie Bauer Edition to boot.  It’s got all the bells and whistles:  dvd player, 6-CD player, leather seats, sunroof, etc.  The price was right, we bought it, and we’re so excited!  (the Dakota is for sale, if you know anybody looking)

That was Tuesday…

On Wednesday, I dragged ass out of bed to go over to Michael’s and watch his kids for the day.  Jessica is back to work and will be traveling once a month, giving me the most splendid opportunity to spend time with Samantha!  Olivia, too, but we walk to school at about 8am and her daddy is usually home by the time we walk home at 3pm.  Samantha is 8 months old now, still smiley, usually easy-going and I loved being with her.  I do rely on Mickey and Minnie to help entertain, so we sang and clapped and did some dancing.  Naps are nice, too.  Nothing is nicer than a cuddly baby sleeping on your chest—best heart medicine ever..!

I’ve been kinda down since Melissa’s last blog post.  I know better than to worry and throw out any negative energy of fear.  I realize, deep down, that there is nothing I can do…but my mind wants to keep reviewing options that don’t exist.  It just so happens that I am getting better at being aware of my thoughts instead of believing them, so I just accept that this is what my life is…the good, the bad, the high, the low, the up, the down…Just Breathe in, then breathe out.  Let it be…

And be grateful…   I took a walk into our 2-acre woods today.  It was just before the leaves changed when I last visited.  Since then, I enjoyed the abundant colors from the top of the hill and watched them fall after the frosts and rains.  Casey’s out doing his leaf-blowing-thing:  onto the tarps, dragged down the hill to be added to the hedgerow… I shuffled my feet through the leaves, the crunchyswooshy sound giving rise to pleasant memories of past Autumns.  I stopped and stood very, very still;  heard the birds, the squirrels, the rustling leaves holding tight to the treetops.  No words.  Just me and the Presence of the Lord.  I am so grateful for Life.

This is where the pictures were supposed to go, but I can’t get Windows 10 to recognize the old Nikon, so you’ll just have to use your imagination.  Better yet, go outside and enjoy the beauty in your world.  And be thankful…

P.S.  I have to add some sort of picture so that my gravatar won’t take over on the social medias…This one is from a couple of weeks ago…