Spring flowers on my walkabout on the Ponderosa.

Besides God, there is only one thing for absolute certain you can count on in life, and that is change. Mr. FixIt doesn’t like change. I usually relish it. I find change exciting and challenging and it can lead to many adventures. But there’s one change I’ve been dreading and the time has come to face it.  My uncle is selling the farm.

We gained a son yesterday. Well, a son-in-law. My stepson-in-law, to be precise. K has been around as long as I have been in the family, but yesterday was the day they decided to exchange their vows and change their lives.

In talking with the kids, I heard echoed back the same things Mr. FixIt and I said when WE decided to get married. We had been living together for a while and there came a point where it didn’t feel right in our hearts to continue without being married. I’m so proud of them wanting to get back into church and make things legal so they could...to use their words, “live right.”

Ok, so it was the riding mower...but that still counts, right? We are expecting rain today, so Mr. FixIt said we’d better get the lawn mowed beforehand or it’ll be out of control by next week. Since he was busy working on trimming the outside wall we just painted, and...since I’M the one that loves the riding mower, I quickly volunteered.

I’ve been posting the Sunday Evening Prayer Circle for a few years now. I love that we can come together and pray for each other and lift those in need. Prayer is so powerful and helps everyone involved...pray-er and pray-ee. I also post from time to time when there is urgent prayer needed and I appreciate every single one of you that take the time to pray with me.

It’s springtime in full force here on the Ponderosa and the list of things that need doing is getting longer already. We were going to paint yesterday, but we received an invitation to an impromptu late Easter Egg Hunt for the great grandbabies and off we went! They were so cute...hunting for the eggs, then running around themselves and hiding them again so the could do it all over. I wanted to get them something other than candy, but Papaw won and they each got a basket with treats and toys in it. I remember how much fun that was when I was a little girl and it brought back sweet memories for me to watch them.

Easter always makes me think of hope. The darkness and fear of the Friday before gave way to glorious joy on the day of resurrection and it reminds me there is always hope. No matter how dark things get. I lived a Jewish life for twenty-seven years. My favorite Jewish holiday has always been Passover. Not only is the food amazing, but the story is so filled with hope.

The first day of April gave us...snow! Not a lot. Not even a little. Just a smattering. Just enough to see Mother Nature snub her nose at us and remind us who’s boss. There were just a few scattered flakes when I left for town. My dermatologist took a little shave biopsy of a place on my chest that continues to bug me. She says it’s probably nothing. Of course, that’s what the doctor said when it turned out I had a melanoma, so I err on the side of biopsy. 

Happy April, everyone!

I took my time over at the farm yesterday morning. I was awakened early by a hard rain driving down on the old tin roof. That house was built at least 85-90 years ago and it has the original roof on it...to the best of my recollection. That’s not 100%, you know. I laid there for at least an hour listening to the roar before I drifted off to sleep again. Having just that little sheet over the window kept the morning sun from rousing me too early. When I finally woke up, the creek was roaring. Unfortunately, I forgot to put the rain gauge out on Tuesday so I am not sure how much rain we had, but judging by the creek I’d say upwards of a half to three-quarter of an inch.

I like quiet. I don’t like the television blaring or traffic humming or weird mechanical noises you often times get in a house. So, when I get to have some quiet time out at the farm, the last thing in the world I’m going to do is turn on the TV or listen to music. Consequently, I have discovered my tinnitus has cranked up a few notches since the last time I stayed out here on my own. I can really hear the ringing when everything else is still.

I pulled into the drive at the farm at 2:30, shut off the truck, and opened the door to get out. Before I could move an inch, the sounds and smells of spring washed over me and I had to lean back and take it all in. The Caroline Wren in the old cherry tree called “Cheer! Cheer! Cheer!” as I watched a fat chipmunk scamper under my kayak. Squirrels rustled in the dried leaves at the base of hickory and oak trees, scavenging for nuts to munch on. The sky was crystal clear and the air was crisp. I smiled and a let out a contented sigh.