One Part Inspiration...

" Sure Glad That's Over "   My husband says he is going to put this statement on my gravestone. (Secretly I think he'd do it too...if it doesn't cost too much) Over the years, he has heard me utter this statement many times.  It is a bit of a mantra. Saying "Sure Glad That's Over"  may have to do with some project I have to focus on, with  a deadline looming, at which time I will have to have my act together (parties, recitals, presentations) and I feel overwhelmed by the details. I often say it when I am in the middle of a tunnel of activity and can't see the light of day. And sometimes I utter the statement when I have something to do that  I am dreading (dental appointments, music performances)  and know that I just have to muscle through and finish.  Sometimes the phrase isn't "I'm sure glad that's over", but "I'll be so glad when ____"  I caught myself saying this often in the process of renovati...

Meet Tiller.  He is my husband's answer to the fact that our venture in borrowing Grampa's rototiller didn't work, and the weeds are winning in the new area we have designated for the garden.  Tiller's job is to eat the weeds, fertilize the area and get the clay-laden soil ready for us to till next year. Henrik is very curious about this new pet.  He has spent endless hours trying to nip Tiller, lick Tiller, bark at him and race him up and down the fence line.  A few times he has even figured out how to get into Tiller's space and terrorize him.  The funny thing, is, Tiller is a very social animal.  I half believe that he thinks he is another dog.  He willingly races Henrik as far as he can around the perimeter of the fence, and then squeals and snorts and calls for Henrik when he disappears out of sight. They have conversations together.  Henrik is louder than Tiller.  He has a very LOUD bark.  And he gets overly excited about T...

When my sister and I were young, we used to play house.  One of the most common statements we made was " Let's pretend that didn't happen ".  This meant, that we had a do-over.  The script just wasn't making sense, or it wasn't fun any more and we needed to start again.   Unfortunately, this cannot be used in real life.  " Let's pretend that didn't happen"  just doesn't work.  It may not be fun any more.  It may not make sense.  But a 'do-over' isn't an option.  Your only choice is to deal with the life script you are given.   In the past few months, I have had several conversations with people whose life scripts took a very different turn than what they had envisioned in their 'playing house' days. Some experienced loss of relationships.  Others lost loved ones much too soon. Others are dealing with financial or health issues.  They each could say "I never would have imagined this is how my life would turn...

Some of you who read my blog on a regular basis know I love a garage sale.  I haven't done too much of it in the past several years, because Pancake Breakfast generally takes precedence. However, in the last few weeks, I have been out several times. The first time was the day our # 1 son left to fly away for an out-of-town job.  It was a very hard day for me.  I tried my hardest to put on my big girl panties and not cry too much.  I took four kleenex with me, and told myself that when I had used them all up, I had to move on.  It didn't work that well, but I got some great deals at the garage sales my husband took me to, in a desperate effort to distract me from my sorrow.  I mean, who can resist a 40-ish-ish woman with red-rimmed eyes and a drippy nose offering 25 cents for the vase on the garage sale table? I didn't go for a couple more weeks.  Other things came in between me and the 'deal of the century'.  One was a weekend getaway tha...

It's hard to believe that we bought The Pokeaway five years ago. .  I no longer turn the corner to our street and feel like a visitor.  Every once in awhile, I think of where we were five years ago, and marvel at the journey.  Last week, I put these flowers out along with my sign.  Some friends who came to visit said it looked like a Pinterest cover. And even though the kitchen is not complete, I agreed.  When I think back...I envision all it has taken to get to this stage, and I know there are many more stages yet to come.....  ( If you were to pull back from the frame you would see that although we now sport cupboards in the kitchen, I have a psuedo-counter and still use a black bucket for my "kitchen sink".) A long-time friend of mine gave me this sign as a house warming gift when they came to look at The Pokeaway shortly after we began this adventure.  I have kept it front and center through each of the stages of our re-build.  It has be...