Tuesday, April 24, 2018

Adventure Or Porch Sitting...It's All Good

Easing into the day, a little battle weary and worn. Yes, hauling that hose down to the front yard and then maneuvering  it close enough to water all the new plants and then back up to the front flowerbed where I left it in a big mess cause frankly my dear, I was done. Note to self when the work for the porch begins, have a gate put in that front fence cause the faucet is on the far side of the house, the side I hardly ever willingly go on and just out of reach if you are in the front yard. Today my shoulders, arms and legs are saying...good job but you haven't used some of these specific muscles for quite sometime.

None of the Feral Fam is around. Here of late, I have only seen them in the early morning while they gaze into the window looking for any sign of life to bring breakfast to them and they haven't been doing that. My main job was to see them through the cold winter and now that it is warming up, sometimes warming up, they are out exploring their world beyond under the deck and farther than the gravel road. I did see Camo briefly yesterday but from a distance and she is hard to see with her coloring. Buddy sits at the window looking for her friends until Buddy's eyes get too heavy to keep a watch out and she falls asleep.
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The rain that has been talked about and watches issued about is here. The weather alert kept going off last night but the rain they said would begin, never really did but this morning I woke up to rhythmic sound of rain hitting the roof. Got the rain gauge set up for this round of showers. The wind has picked up as well.

I love biblical conversations with Roy that spontaneously happen and we had one of those conversations this weekend. I don't remember what prompted the conversation but he brought up the story of Peter in Acts 3 after the crippled man is healed. Peter points them to Jesus...because Peter says, why are you looking at us...we couldn't do this in a million years on our own, Monarch Translation. It reminded him and now me that we should be like Peter when we are used by God...take the attention to where it needs to go...The Lord!
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It feels a little empty around the house...usually that isn't a happy thing but this morning I am quite thrilled that two loads of stuff from our home went to the church yard sale. These past few weeks it has been going through the kitchen and then summer clothes and doing a sweep throughout the house. Things that we loved in decor but now time for someone else to enjoy them and of course the "plans" for somethings that just didn't work. Bedspreads and shams, sheets never opened and the like has lessened the clutter just a bit. I kind of like clutter but then I come to my senses. I have been debating on taking a couple of desks over to the church today but on closer inspection on one of the desks, the leg that we thought was just loose has suffered a little crack that wood glue could fix. I took it apart last night but don't think it will go to the sale cause I don't feel right doing that even if a note was attached to the desk explaining a little wood glue would eliminate the problem.

Yesterday I read an article about getting rid of things that no one wants to inherit. Books and china and postcards...icky furniture all were on the list. Some books went to the yard sale, The Mitford series of books. I have given up ever reading the series because the style of writing doesn't appeal to me, even when the stories take place in Western North Carolina. This was my third and final attempt. Elizabeth Elliott  went that way last year. Over the years I have tried to read her books...again her style doesn't engage me as a reader.

This morning we are hopefully on the tail end of the rain. Overcast but those newly planted snowball bushes are looking good! With the cooler temps I have kept my trusty old friend close by...no, not Buddy but a sweatshirt rescued off the clearance rack at Target sometime in the early 1990's. This gray ubiquitous sweatshirt that had been worn while playing tennis or working out has mainly been an at home staple for the past twenty or so years. The neck and armholes are frayed just a bit and the material is wearing think but I love this sweatshirt! There for several years I didn't wear it because I didn't want it to wear out but sound thought got a hold of me...it was meant to be worn and on a morning like this, an overcast spring morning with the red bud and dogwood trees blooming, framed by an overcast steely gray sky, I'm ensconced here in the house, with a cup of coffee, some books and Buddy fast asleep in the window. This long time friend completes the feel of the morning...while there is stuff to do, I have the privileged of easing into the day.

Roy and I have been talking about mentors and mentoring because it is a theme in the workplace these days. Usually, mentoring has been promoted more in the church, I mean I know it is there in the workplace, as it just seemed to happen, but now there is an emphasis. Our conversation reminded me of two mentors in different times of life whose influence is still bearing fruit today. We never called it a mentoring relationship but I learned so much just doing and experiencing everyday things with them and our conversations uninterrupted and meaningful...as well as silly and I did come away with the best tortilla soup recipe from Carol B. On a side note...I had never heard the term corporate America until moving up here. At first, I found it kind of funny but as I heard it used by various people I began to understand....corporate America is Houston. Almost everyone we know is involved and employed by corporations. It is just how things are whereas here in a more rural area, working for a corporation might not be as universal. I guess it would be like here if I mispronounced Appalachian, it would be weird to the hearer. 

My friend Geni called this morning and we had a great time catching up and then Carole called, only I didn't know it was Carole....so I checked voicemail and I called her back. I'll pick her up Thursday morning....so let the adventure begin or we can sit on the porch, either way...it is good. Today is the year anniversary of when the work began on our front porch....hopefully, the back porch work will begin soon.


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