Luna Moth on the kitchen window.

One thing about this trip…I’ve been so tired, I’m sleeping like a log! I woke up yesterday morning with a start at around 8:00. Mr. FixIt was still snoozing away. I let him sleep for a while, then noticed around 9:00 that the temperature was quickly rising. It was almost 78° already and we still needed to pack up the trailer and head to the farm to mow.

The far field. Zoom in and see our morning visitor!

I gently woke up my sweetheart and headed into the kitchen to make a couple of breakfast sandwiches and soon we were loaded up and heading for “home”. My heart still swells with the honor of being able to tend to Grandma’s home place…whether the family still owns it or not. It needed mowing and it definitely needs some pruning back of the saplings and underbrush before it takes over. The creek could use clearing out, but it won’t be by either one of us. Too many copperheads and rattlesnakes in places like that. 

The farm always looks so nice after it’s mowed. That poor old elm tree needs cut down.

We sat on the porch for a bit to cool off with a cold drink and listen to the myriad birds in the woods around us. I caught a few on the Merlin app that I hadn’t found before and that was pretty cool. Tanagers and flycatchers and an American Redstart graced us with their summer songs. The Asplundh man stopped out front to check out the old dead elm tree that I’ve been trying to alert someone to these last eight years. I maybe convinced him if the creek bank gave way, that tree COULD fall on the power lines. He took my contact info to report to me what they decide. I won’t hold my breath, but it sure would be nice to get it out of there on someone else’s dime.

Grandma’s Clematis tangled in the old clothesline.

I always do a walkabout to check out the flowers around the farmhouse and they didn’t disappoint. Although I missed the beauty of the rhododendron and the peonies, there were still plenty of yellow iris on the creek bank. The clematis has taken hold and is climbing up the old clothesline pole. I even found a blossom on the Carolina Spicebush. A few years ago, my uncle hired some fellas to come and clear out the creek to keep it flowing freely. Unfortunately, they decimated the spicebush and I was crestfallen when I saw it. However, West Virginia has a climate for growing things and all those roots needed was a little time to come back to life. I hope at some point to carry some slips of all these wonderful plants and flowers and get them to grow on our five acres. I texted Frank and Beans, the new owners, some pictures of the yard and the flowers. She sent me some of the gorgeous flowers I missed while I was gone. They are the nicest people!

The Carolina Spicebush is recovering!

As I was driving back home, something caught my eye in the underbrush to the left of the road. I looked in time to see what I believe was an owl carrying off a rather large snake to feed her brood. A little further down the road, I ran over another snake. I’ve heard they’re prolific this year, although we haven’t seen one at our place yet. I put on a pot of spaghetti sauce to simmer in the slow cooker while we had our afternoon siesta. I got up to throw the rest of supper together. As I was filling up the stock pot for the pasta, a large doe quietly walked up and nibbled on some weeds along the front of the house. I slowly got my camera up high enough to shoot through glass and not window screen and took several pictures of her. Mr. FixIt was out the other night just after dark and a tiny fawn was walking after her mama in the yard. I haven’t seen babies here for a couple of years so I was glad to hear there was a newcomer. I haven’t seen it myself yet. 

My visitor at the kitchen window came to nibble on some weeds while I cooked supper.

We went out on the deck Monday night to look for the new meteor shower. We did see about a dozen or so, but we didn’t have it in us to stay out there till the peak at 1:00am. Still, it was lovely to lay on the lounge chairs on the deck by the pool and enjoy the night sounds with my sweetheart. The lightning bugs are back!

My psyche has been roughed up the last few weeks. With the trip, being away from Mr. FixIt, the terrible news of the mass shootings, and the usual spates of bad news from people we love…I’ve felt pretty beat up. Having days like this where nothing is expected of me…where I can spend time in nature and at the home of my heart…where I can spent broad stretches of companionable silence with my love…these things restore me. They remind me that, even while bad things are happening, God is still providing for us and loving on us at every turn. 

My heart is still shattered for the parents and families of the victims of these senseless tragedies. And for the poor, unfortunate children and teachers whose every moment of life will now be shaped by these heinous events. I have heard people saying the time for thoughts and prayers is over. I even said something to that effect right after the shootings. I would caution against taking prayer out of the mix. Yes, I believe something sensible should be done about assault rifles. AND…the parents of these slaughtered children need every bit of prayer they can get. I can’t imagine how they are surviving this and they need our love and support WHILE we try to prevent these tragedies from occurring again.

And now…it is June.

❤️‍?

“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.””

John 16:33 ESV