“May 3rd is National Widow’s Day”

Today is National Widow’s Day. I’m not quite sure how I feel about that. On the one hand, there are so many widows who are alone and no one comes to call or check on them. On the other hand, we don’t really NEED a day to remember our loss. It’s not that we are likely to forget. Still…it’s good to remind others to reach out to a widow. We all know one, and those of us who are widowed know…it’s nice to be remembered.

“Shari Sims and her precious pooch greet customers at Sims Greenhouse in Palestine, WV”

Twenty-eight years ago, Shari Sims and her husband opened a little greenhouse in Palestine, WV. It’s a tiny little blink-and-you’ll-miss-it town on the quintessential two-lane blacktop way out in the country but you’d never know it from the looks of the enterprise they’ve got going now. I counted at least four greenhouses filled to the brim with the most gorgeous flowers and vegetables.

“When you’re tired and overwhelmed, it’s ok to say Uncle!”

Every day since we got home from the beach has been packed full. Long hours of mowing thick, wet grass. Unpacking. Cleaning. Finally, we had to split the chores yesterday and Mr. FixIt went to the farm to mow while I worked on de-winterizing the camper. First, I filled the freshwater tank and added a little bleach to sanitize it. Then I went in and turned on the pump. It’s supposed to run a little bit, build up pressure, then shut itself off. It didn’t. As I stood in front of the kitchen sink, listening as a pitiful stream of water came from the faucet, I could hear water splashing outside. 

“I’m choosing joy by choosing to remember the special moments we spent at the seashore last week.”

Even though Pastor Justin’s message Sunday morning was about choosing joy, I just had one of my “bad nights”. Yesterday’s post indicated I felt the weight of the world on my shoulders, and I did. Re-entry from vacation was part of it. Being overly tired was another. And, after being gone a week, there was a lot of catching up to do and we just heard one bad thing after another all day. It just hit me hard. Combine that with eating a greasy burger too late in the evening and I was up half the night.

“Sometimes things seem too heavy. That’s when I need to stop and read my devotionals.”

Don’t you sometimes feel like you’re carrying a whole lot of weight on your shoulders? One should come home from vacation feeling refreshed and relaxed. While we had a fabulous vacation and I enjoyed every single minute of it, I always come home with a mountain of work to do and if I’m not careful, I’ll forget the joy of the vacation altogether. 

“Home, Sweet Home…West Virginia!”

I keep forgetting what a long drive that is coming back from the beach in one day. Twelve hours. And that’s not dilly-dallying around, either. Potty breaks only. It rained the last hour and I-77 is under perpetual repair so that slowed us down a bit. It was in the low 50’s when we got home which was a darned sight cooler than the beach was, but we were so grateful for God’s travel mercies. We only saw a couple of minor accidents on the way home. It was such a wonderful trip.

“Best Friends”

Goodbyes are so hard…especially since losing Mr. Virgo. My world perspective has forever changed and grief has colored every thought since that fateful day. I am so aware of how tenuous life is and how strong the bonds between us and those we hold most dear.

Today we have to say so long to our dearest family/friends as they head back home to Colorado and we head back home to the Ponderosa. We have had such a delightful week. The weather seriously couldn’t have been more perfect. Our first morning here dawned sunny and gorgeous and remained the same the entire week until a band of severe thunder storms came through last evening. It rained hard into the night and brought cooler temperatures but today is supposed to be sunny with a high around 70 so it will be perfect traveling weather.

“Is there anything better than spending time with loved ones?”

This has been the BEST week! The weather has been amazing. The company SO much fun. And the food has been divine. The only thing that could have made it better would be if ALL the family could be here.

We started out with a hearty breakfast. I had a box of matzoh leftover from the Seder demonstration at church group the other night and brought it along. My very favorite Passover breakfast is Matzoh Brei. You take the sheets of matzoh and crumble them up. Pour enough hot water over them to cover them and let them sit for a while. Then you squeeze the water out of them and place the wet matzoh in another bowl. Beat three or four eggs with some cinnamon, a dash of salt, and a little vanilla extract together then pour it over the wet matzoh and stir till you get a thick batter. Drop 3/4 of a cup of the thick batter on a hot oiled griddle and cook till browned and set in the middle. Serve with butter and syrup like pancakes. Yummm!

“A day in the life of an OBX tourist.”

It is so much fun to see a place through new eyes. Although this is only my fourth trip to the OBX, I’ve seen all the sights multiple times. Sharing them with some of my Colorado family has been such a joy. 

Yesterday, we took off a little earlier than usual, picked up a quick breakfast at McDonald’s, stopped to buy some cold medicine to keep me upright, and headed to the Elizabethan Gardens over on Roanoke Island. I think that is one of my very favorite places on the OBX. It’s only a mile around the gardens, but there is so much to see. It’s also interesting to compare one year to the next as far as the bloom. Last year we were at the peak of the camellia bloom and this year we were just past. Some of the trees had already lost all their blossoms. Many of the azaleas were just past their prime as well this year but there were a few rhododendron in full bloom which is such a treat. The gardens need about fifty more gardeners to clean up the winter detritus but other than that, it was gorgeous. And, it was a glorious day! About 78 degrees with a nice breeze off the sound. Such a treat!

“Ghost crabs…creepy little monsters in the night”

We started our day out on the perfect note with a plate of pancakes from Stack ’em High At Milepost 4.5. My only disappointment was Christina wasn’t there. She and her husband own the restaurant and I’ve come to look forward to visits with her as we munch on her fabulous pancakes!

After breakfast, we took the guys over to buy bait and their fishing licenses. Then, we dropped them off at the condo to go fishing and us gals went shopping. The only thing we purchased was yarn for a baby blanket and headed back to the condo.