Thursday at Journey’s End

It is almost the weekend again…where does the time go? Without a doubt, I am looking forward to next Friday, September 12, 2008. I will be going to see my grandchildren! Yes, I am going to take a week off and go see the little-little ones and the big-little ones. Somehow that seems like a good thing to do.

With the winter coming I have been trying to get the little yellow house ready. The back room needs a new floor, the submersible sump pump (under my bedroom) has stopped working, the last piece of insulation needs to be put up in the bedroom ceiling and the drywall installed, and the list goes on… With all the upkeep and maintenance factors, I do get a little weary. Don’t we all? Surprisingly, I don’t limit my thinking in terms of the renovations/repair process. I have changed the calendar and made note of September’s important dates/appointments while reflecting on the departure of Summer.

While thinking about a new furnace, a bigger wood stove (for backup), insulating the floors, I just check off these things on my “To Do” list not unlike a cook prepares her menu for an upcoming family gathering. With Labor Day weekend just a memory, the summer people have packed up and gone. The usually bustling campground is quiet now.

It won’t be long before the Snowbird neighbors will be making their seasonal migration to Florida. More and more of the older residents are leaving the area in hopes of avoiding the winter weather. We year-rounders will be left to enjoy the relative serenity of Silver Lake.

You see, I know though that once the snow flies things change at the little yellow house. It becomes an even more lovely place to be. The snow is just another medium for Mother Nature. She works quietly, sometimes in the night, and covers the surrounding landscape with a pearlescent, fluffy blanket. When the sun adds its touch to the sparkling coverlet…it is breathtaking! The fence posts become stalwart sentinels. The birds come to visit the feeders. Their colorful plumage is in stark contrast with the backdrop of sparkling white. Rabbit tracks will find their way across the back yard to mark the passage of the ground feeders. Not a sunflower seed will go unnoticed.

I find myself wishing I had bigger windows so I will be better able to observe the world outside. But wait…that this is only September 5th…lol! I make a mental note not to miss the magic of the moment by focusing on what is to come. Where was I? Today I am going to work. There’s the bus…Sign me, Loving Life at Journey’s End, Nana M

Just a thought…

I woke up last night (or does one say early, early this morning…?)with the loud rumble of thunder and the flash of lightning. The pounding of the deluge on my roof made me cringe. The bathroom has a leak…frig! The back room is kind of a carpenter’s nightmare. Really. It was a porch at one time. No foundation, just piers that were only 2 feet in the ground. So if it rains I could be under water back there. Well, after closing several windows, I relaxed and drifted off to sleep.

When I got up this morning, I checked to see if I was under water in the back room. Nothing to freak out over, glad to say that it had not come inside. In fact, this rain has been ongoing. We have gotten our share of the wet stuff. The thunderstorms were passing over yesterday, we had two cells that hammered our area. This morning on the way to work I heard that Silver Springs was flooded in places with the rain during the night. I am glad for the gully (ditch) that the road crew dug in front of my place. I did notice that the road is washing away as a result of the downpours that we have been experiencing. Those big rigs that fly down my road on the way to the Salt Company will be taking their toll on the blacktop. Hope that the dirt does not go out from under them.

Well, I put on my croc knock-offs and made my way across the little walkway that I had rigged out front. The ground was very boggy! My tomatoes are in raised beds but I wonder just how much more rain they can handle. I don’t think they like wet feet. The roots may rot.

So far I have been getting lovely cucumbers, peppers, and green onions out of my little garden. The tomatoes are not ripe as yet. When they do start to ripen I will have plenty to share. It feels good to be enjoying the garden! While I sat at my desk eating my salad, I liked the fact that with the exception of one tomato (.60 cents) and the cottage cheese, I had grown my ingredients. That is what living simply is all about.

I want to try to grow some broccoli and cauliflower but it is way too late in the year. That will be another addition for next year! Right now I am using some cinder blocks that I recycled to make another couple of raised beds. I want to get them ready so I can organically fertilize them before I cover them for the winter. They will be a good place for blueberries, rhubarb, and raspberries.

You know, I realize that I say “I” a lot. It may sound pretentious but there is no we, so forgive me! I am sure that Miss Kitty Like Gunsmoke would like to be counted but it would sound goofy…lol.

Hope that you are having a lovely day in your part of the world! Sign me, Enjoying living simply at Journey’s End!

Things That Go Bump In The Night…

I am house sitting in small town America for my friend again. The geriatric felines and I have been together since Tuesday evening. They are doing quite well.   They had one cat fight on the first night (at 3:00 a.m) but other than that they have been pretty quiet.

My friend lives in the country and it is very peaceful here.  Last night when I was reading my book, with the kitties settled in the usual comfy places for the night, we heard the most ungodly racket! It was so loud…it sounded like a wounded animal! I turned on the outside light and cautiously peered out hoping to see what it was. I hate to admit that I was EXTREMELY leery of going outside physically to see if something was hurt. When a car drove by I checked to see if something was hurt in the road…thank goodness for high beams! There was nothing in the road.

This racket went on for over 20 minutes. The noise moved during that time; it seemed to be coming from the far end of the house initially. There are lots of trees where the noise ended up so I figured it was something hurt and was making its way back to the woods.

Well, the neighbor across the street must have heard it as well. She turned on her outside light. That was it for me. I called the Sheriff and explained things. I held the phone to the screen for him to hear the nose. He could not hear it through the phone though so out he came to check it for me.  What a relief!

I don’t mind telling you that I did not come out of the house until he pulled up. He met me outside the back door and we both heard it! It had gone further into the trees. He was puzzled as to what it was. We walked closer to the trees. Then we heard it coming closer…OMG, I am thinking to myself. He thought it must be a bird or something. I thought it must be one BIG AZZ bird; I realized that I had said that out loud so I apologized to him. He reassured me that he has heard that before.

We were peering into the darkness with his flashlight searching the woods, the noise was coming closer, and I was not sure I wanted to see what it was. Maybe it had gotten hurt in the road. Maybe it was one of the GINORMOUS barn owls…Holy Frig! I says to myself. Well, when it came out of the brush, I almost died with the fright! It was pretty funny, let me tell you. All that noise was coming from a tiny raccoon…it was the littlest thing…lol. He must have gotten separated from his mother! He wandered around in the beam of the flashlight that the officer had pointed at it. He chuckled and said he should have known what that was…lol. He works the park and had seen a mother raccoon stuck on a log while her baby was in the water. She was going NUTS! (You now what, I think he was relieved to see it was just a baby raccoon, too.)

Well, I thanked him and headed back into the house while he got back in his car. Whew! It was a big relief to know that the little critter was not hurt. His mother was around somewhere. t was obvious that he was just really ticked off! His mother was around somewhere. It was just a matter of time before she found him with the racket he was making…lol. Heck, people in town must have heard that little guy!

Have you ever heard a baby raccoon in distress? Me neither. If you would like to hear what that sounds like, go here: http://www.degus.com/sounds/Distress.wav

Here are some other raccoon sounds:
http://soundboard.com/sb/raccoon_sounds_audio.aspx

Sign me, Slept Better after the little raccoon went to bed, M

P.S. I am going to check the live trap in the back just in case Mama raccoon is in there. If she is, she is getting a “Get Out of Jail” Free card. Trust me…lol.

Ain’t he cute???? 

 

I am Back

I had forgotten my password…can you believe that?   Memory is such a changing thing for me.  I feel like I should remember all the passwords but my friends laugh at me because they cannot remember things either.  I have to lighten up, they say.

I have been home from Oklahoma for a week.  It feels so good to be home although my pipes are frozen and busted.  The PVC pipe was laying on the floor when I returned home.  PVC doesn’t stay in place like copper, for sure.  Anyway, I don’t have running water presently unless you count the spring run off that is gathering under the cottage.  If you count that, well I have running water. 

I am so surprised that Easter is tomorrow.  Where does the time go?  I am a little glad to see the approach of spring.  When I was in Oklahoma they really did not have a snow accumulation to speak of.  It was rather like spring there.  I came home wanting to start working in my flower beds.  What a surprise when I got back…lol.  SNOW!  They had a huge storm right before I got back home.  It was a nice deep fluffy definitely not spring-like snowfall. 

I put the fire in and cuddled up on the couch with a nice fleece cover.  It was wonderful to be back.  After two days of the woodstove I had to stop putting the fire in.  The weather warmed up and it was just too hot in the cottage with the fire going.  Now, if there is a complaint that I want to have…that is it.

Well, hope that you have a wonderful Easter.  I am having a blockbuster weekend here at Journey’s End.  It is lovely and sunny right now so I am at the library working on some things.  Later, when the sun goes down I will be watching several movies…that is what a blockbuster weekend is you know.   Talk 2 u later.

Sign me, Living Simply and Relaxing at Journey’s End, M

It’s a Plan

DH came back last night. He has some kind of mild cold/flu. DH hates being sick. He gets so fatigued and worn out. We touched base before I headed out to the computer lab this morning. I had added wood to the fire to make sure that it stayed warm in the cottage. DH will be working on the shower project today. DH’s father was an old-fashioned man.  He knew how to do just about everything.  He built their house up north. DH, his brother, PITA (not spelling that out for you…use your imagination), and their father built it together. With that kind of training, plus time in the USAF, DH can do carpentry, plumbing, wiring, etc. It is so wonderful to have a husband that can do these things. I appreciate it very much. I believe I have mentioned this before, sorry.

Someone asked me today about DH.  She asked me just how I cope with it.  DH comes (down here) and goes (up north) and the friend wondered about that.  I know that it is hard for some people to understand.  When you live with someone who is battling deep depression things are not easy.  Dealing with the debilitating effects of deep depression is a day-to-day struggle.  Even while seeing professionals and being treated with proper medication things are not easy.  We take things a day at a time.  I hope that DH feels stronger one day.  I always leave the door open.  Someday, things may be  better.  For now, this is the way it is.  Signed that contract, you know.

Moving right along, it gets pretty crowded at the cottage with the two of us, two dogs, and Miss Kitty like Gunsmoke. So, Miss Kitty stays up out of the way, sits on the back of the couch. I head out to the computer lab. That way DH has room to work. The dogs usually spend the day out (and in and out) in the front yard. They love that little picket fenced in area…lol.

There is another reason why I am at the computer lab though. It keeps me focused while I am waiting for my itinerary for my trip to Albequerque, New Mexico. Yes, I accepted that AmeriCorps VISTA internship. I have to go to Alberquerque for four days and then I will be reporting to my project location in Northeast Oklahoma. You know, although everything is in place I won’t believe it until I get the packet in the mail. Let you know when it comes. I have been working on Microsoft Excel and Access to finish out my training modules before I go. At home there are things to be put in order and packed away. Made a list to help me get ready:

1. Get my hair cut, (Done)
2. Have to dig out my summer clothes, sandals,
3. Need to sort through my books, take my bible, daily readings,
4. Need to take some of my simple living, penny-pinching books,
5. Have to take all the food and pack it up, no food to be left in the cottage,
6. Have to store bedding in plastic containers (field mouse proof),
7. Put out mouse deterrent (hate to use poison),
8. Arrange for the phone and electricity to be turned off, and
9. Complete the last renovation projects before locking the door.

Found a furnished studio (in a Bed & Breakfast) about 23 miles from the town I will be assigned to. Just have to bring my personal things, it even has cable, internet, and parking included. There are five lakes right there. I will be driving across the bridge (over one of the lakes) every day. Thank you, God. You knew what I needed. 

I want to visit with my little-little ones and my big-little ones before I go. I have arranged to leave the key with a dear friend. They will be mowing for me while I am away. Made it known to all our friends that if they wish to use the cottage they may contact that friend for the key. Sign me, Living Simply in Small Town America, M

To learn more about AmeriCorps go here: http://www.americorps.gov/