The tree is down, the sun is out, and I’ve finished the little shawl/scarf I knitted. I still need to block it. I followed the pattern exactly and had enough yarn left over to knit another one, I believe. It isn’t as large as I pictured it being, but it’s still lovely and was an adventure in learning how to knit lace. I am finding the more intricate the pattern, the more I need to concentrate while I’m knitting. I lost count how many times I needed to rip out a row…or three! I found I needed to put my headphones on and listen to the campfire whenever I knitted the open lacy sections. But, it’s done and now I can move on to other things.

We are expecting some much warmer weather this week…and some rain. Typical seasonal weather for West Virginia. There are areas of the state that will see 2-4” of rain in a week. I’ve lived through summers in Colorado that didn’t see that kind of rain in six months. The rivers are rising. Trees are falling because the ground is saturated, the roots are shallow, and the wind just brings them down. I’m amazed (knock on wood) that we haven’t lost power here. It’s not unusual. We have the generator out on the front porch, gassed up and ready…just in case.

Today marks two years since Mr. FixIt had his first stroke. Six weeks or so later, he had another one. I am so happy to say he is doing really, really well. Very little residual effects. His balance isn’t great so there’s no more trips up tall ladders for my man, but when we think of what it could have been…oh, my! We are SO grateful that God spared us. We have poured ourselves into each other, knowing that we all live on borrowed time and tomorrow is never guaranteed. 

My “Aunt Arlene” called yesterday. She was to marry my Uncle Sonny in the mid-‘50s but never had the chance. He was killed in a plane crash. I sent her one of The Farm memory books and she remembered my uncle telling her how much he loved Grandma’s Raisin Filled Cookies. I included Grandma’s handwritten recipe in the book, so Arlene called me last night to ask me some questions about it. I don’t know if any of you have kept your grandma’s or mom’s recipes only to see they were written more as notes than actual directions. She said she was committed to getting them finished so I sure hope they tasted good to her!

I had a lovely chat with Big last evening. You know how kids prefer texting. I find we “talk” a lot more if we text instead of talk on the phone. Big soon turns eighteen, graduates from high school, and will head off to college in the fall. I know what my daughter is going through with this. She seems to be handling it well…probably much better than I did. That may be because her children are much closer together. Little will graduate in three years then there will be the inevitable empty nest. When Daughter #1 graduated from high school, I still had a two year old at home. Big difference.

I don’t know if you are ever really prepared for that first child to grow up and leave you. It broke my heart when she and her new husband moved to Long Island…about as far away as they could get without leaving the country. I was in the throes of a depression anyway…having her so far away didn’t help matters. My daughter and her husband have a much stronger marriage than we had when she went out on her own, so I have great hopes for them to be successful.

I’m not at all sure what I’m going to get into today. I’m thinking of going out to the farm for a couple of days at some point this week. Other than that and a phone conference on Tuesday, I have nothing scheduled till coffee with my classmates on Saturday. I do need to start some repair work on the smaller a-frame camper soon so I can get it on the market. Our big project for the summer will be cleaning out the big building and getting a new roof on our house as well as our rental. That and the trip to the beach as well as the trip to Colorado and it’s almost as though the summer is over before its started.

Is it just me, or does time seem to race by the older we get? I remember looking at summer as an endless stretch of sun-warmed days filled with fun and friends and laughter. Now it seems you blink and you miss it but somehow you managed twenty doctor’s appointments and a garden and mowing in there. I am committed to spending more time sitting in the shade of a tree and sipping on iced tea this summer. Savor every moment because the water level in the bucket of life is sinking ever lower with each passing year.

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“So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom. Return, O Lord! How long? Have pity on your servants! Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days. Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us, and for as many years as we have seen evil. Let your work be shown to your servants, and your glorious power to their children. Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands!”

Psalm 90:12-17 ESV