I’m very careful about what I take from the farm. I know what is mine. I also know there are some things no one would mind me taking...little things that don’t mean anything to anyone else but me. Anything bigger or more significant, I ask if it’s ok. For instance, I asked to have my grandparents’ bed. I was going to keep the dresser...I may still...but it definitely needs some work. I asked for the big round mirror in the living room. It used to hang on the other end of the wall, but the TV was taller than the mirror and it didn’t serve its purpose anymore. Grandma always brushed her hair out by that mirror. I have countless photos with that mirror in the background. I also asked for a small chair side table that my uncle made years ago. Well, technically Mr. FixIt asked me to ask my uncle if we could have it. 

In going through the items I had stashed at the farm, I came across two old cell phones. One was Mr. FixIt’s. We were dating over a year when he switched to an iPhone so we could see each other on FaceTime while I traveled. However, during that first year, we talked back and forth often. We were laughing at the content of the texts...the majority of which went something like good mornings and how did you sleep and what are you going to do today? Funny how you think your early missives were filled with flowery romance and the reality was pretty much the same as our texts today. Which is a good thing. It means we haven’t tired of each other and we enjoy talking to each other the same as we did when we first started dating. 

I’ve never had the pleasure of raising a boy. I love all the boys in my life immensely. But, I didn’t have to do all the things boy moms do like go to the ER every other week or follow along behind them catching everything that falls. I was treated to Teddy Bear Teas and “Let’s Put on a Show!” That was my mom life. Don’t get me wrong...dealing with girls’ hormones while you’re dealing with your own can be a trip. And don’t get me started about girl drama. But, I admire Boy Moms. They earn their crowns in an entirely different way. This little guy is as sweet as they come and his younger sister was a peach...my kind of energy. I guess I’m just a girl mom.

I always wanted a big family. It seemed big in many ways because my daughters always had friends over and they called me mom. I fed them and took them places, then I sent them home. Kinda like grandchildren, really. Daughter #1 married and has two daughters of her own. Daughter #2 married and they have four cats. One is not better than the other...just different. And they are all loved the same.

When I was rummaging around in the box with my late uncle’s flag, I found this photo at the bottom of the box. I don’t recall ever having seen this picture hanging in Grandma’s house. The frame is long gone...broken along the way somewhere with no money to replace it. When I looked at the photo in person, I didn’t notice a name written anywhere. But, now that I look at the snapshot I took of it, there may be some faint writing along the bottom of the woman’s white dress shirt. I’ll have to take a closer look when I go back to the farm on Sunday and maybe my uncle will recognize her.

I had a pretty productive day at the farm. The cabinets still had tons of food in them that had long ago gone out of date. It was one of those jobs I kept saying I’d get to, then there was always something more pressing to do. I’m amazed the place wasn’t infested with mice, but there wasn’t a single sign. My cousin dropped off some contractors bags for me and I filled two of them only half full and one I can’t even lift. I’ll have to use another bag and divvy up the goods so I can haul it out.

I never sleep well when the moon is full. It was going on 1:30 yesterday morning when I finally dozed off. I was awakened a couple of times by a bird calling in the Carolina Spice Bush along the creek bank. Bless its heart...it almost sounded like it was questioning why it was singing at such a crazy hour. It was quite pretty. I couldn’t identify it as I was unfamiliar with the call, and...it was the middle of the night. I really wanted to sleep.

Mr. FixIt got an early start on the tractor yesterday. I could see him on the security camera, sitting in the driveway, threading the new drive belt on the mower deck. I jumped up, grabbed my coffee, and headed out to join him. He got the mower deck on and running, but the new belt slipped off twice and it really shouldn’t do that. I took the push mower into the fenced area of the back yard around the pool and started mowing. It was rapidly heading to 80 degrees by the time I was half finished. 

We had a lot to do yesterday and in order to get it all done, we had to split up and share the chores. I ran to our little burg and bought gas for the mowers and picked up the mail that was held. Mr. FixIt headed to town to pick up the cat. 

The grass was really thick, and still a little damp with dew in the shady spots, but I got right to work. I filled the gas tank and topped off the oil and started the mowing. Things were moving right along...I had about 15-20 feet all around the edges of both fields and the yards done when...the blades stopped turning on the mower. No sound, no sudden problems...they just stopped turning. Although it’s never happened to me, I knew the belt had either broken or popped off the pulleys. Well, that was not what I expected.

I’m gearing up for a busy week both here on the Ponderosa and out at the farm. Both need mowing desperately. This is the time of year you can almost hear the grass growing. Warm days and spring rains bring everything to life here in West Virginia. If there’s one thing I’ve learned, you have to stay on top of this stuff or it can so get out of hand.