The quality of this picture is very poor. It was dusk. I was shooting through a window in a dark room. And these two had almost made it to the end of the yard where they ducked into the cover of the trees and bushes. There is a small creek running just on the other side of them so I imagine they were heading for a drink. The only thing that worried us is up above them beyond those trees is a fairly busy highway. I always say a prayer when I see them go up that bank. I’d hate to hear or see one of these beautiful creatures get hit. The cars race by on that road.

Mr. FixIt has lived here for decades and said he had never seen such a tiny baby up walking around. We were sitting in the dining room playing cards after dinner when we spotted them. At the same time, we kept hearing a soft “whump-whump-whump” sound coming from the fireplace followed by high pitched chirping. It confirmed what we noticed the other night at dusk when we were out at the pool. There are swallows nesting in the chimney. We could see them at dusk diving down into the top of the chimney. I don’t know why there isn’t a screen over it. We also noticed as we walked into the dining room where the fireplace is, there was a smell of something burnt. They are stirring up the soot and ash inside the chimney. We have the glass doors and the flue closed so they don’t make a mess in the house but this is just one more thing we have to address once the babies fledge.

Downsizing here isn’t going to be as quick and frantic as it was when I sold my house in Colorado. It’s Mr. FixIt’s stuff. I can’t just come in with a dumpster and throw things away. That’s not how it works…no matter how much I would like to do just that. If we even go through two or three drawers or boxes or a closet every day, we will be making great progress and things will be less of a burden for him…and for me. After downsizing so much myself, my tolerance for clutter and unnecessary ephemera is much, much lower than it used to be. This is something that all of my husbands would have loved. My piles and collections and “stuff” was a bone of contention with each man who ever shared my space.

My friend Deneene is preparing for a huge estate sale as she downsizes and moves south to be with her sweetheart. She is a widow and this house is where she raised her three children. It is a huge home and you know as well as I do…things accumulate. She is doing something I did when I downsized. There were things that had personal meaning for me and papers that I didn’t want to lose track of. I made a file called “Memories” and took pictures of everything I needed to remember…the items I loved but really couldn’t keep as well as papers that could possibly get lost or destroyed. She’s doing a great job. It brings back such memories for me…those long days and nights of purging and packing and moving. She is so blessed to have a buyer…the first one who looked! Selling my house was a nightmare. I’m happy that things are going so smoothly for her so far and pray they continue to do so.

Change. It’s one of the things you can count on…like death, and taxes. And, it’s difficult for some…easy for others. Either way…it’s gonna come. ❤

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:”
‭‭Ecclesiastes‬ ‭3:1‬ ‭NIV‬‬