End Of Summer

The first day of Fall has come and gone, and I'm still busy, trying to get my life in order. Funny how that expression now comes to mind, as I remember Bruce saying that very same thing quite frequently in the past. It really is a good expression. And then I wonder how in the world I'm ever going to get it all done! I'm happy to report that I am getting things done, though. These days, I'm ever focused on making the future better, more organized, simpler, more serene. Every day now, I look around the house, and listen to things calling out to me, telling me of what needs my attention at that moment. Last week, I decided it was time to dig out old love letters from my past. No longer needed in my life, definately time to go, so I read them one last time, and ... burned them. Yesterday I started to go through a pile of stuff in the garage, which somewhow led me to look under the kitchen sink, and then made me deal with all the stuff in the hall closet. I guess yesterday was a productive day! I've also decided that it would be very good for me to start reading more before I go to sleep at night. We bought some new, bright lighting to put beside the bed, and it's made a world of difference in being able to actually see, and read. All good, and also a good investment in my plan to age with grace. Onward.

Lucky

We're slowly getting back to normal now that we're back from our latest trip to Maryland. We decided to drive straight through there and back, and that's about an 18 hour drive each way. We brought food in the car, and stopped for gas every four hours. Even then, we had "sea legs" when we got out of the car, a strange sensation I don't remember experiencing in previous trips ... anyway, most of the drive is fine until the last hour or so. We always seem to mess up on the turn in Breezewood, PA, and that added an extra 45 minutes towards the end. It might have been a fun adventure during the day, as the little mountain towns we went through seemed historic and quaint, but late at night and through thick fog, not so much! And coming home, there is a stretch on 94 West in Wisconsin that can get long. I am in no way complaining. We've felt fortunate to have been able to visit Katie and her little family as much as we have, this being our fifth trip to Maryland in the last year. Little boy is growning fast, and always seems to be changing. This time he was "army crawling" all over the place, that little boy is so cute! And, life with a new baby takes a lot of energy, that's for sure. I remember those days well. It made me proud to see what a good mama Katie is becoming. There was cat drama the last day of the trip. Evidently Tristin managed to get the sliding door open between the kitchen and living room, and got into the basement family room to go potty by the treadmill. Naughty! Then, Minnie made her way upstairs to the dry kibble. I think she threw up on the rug. Who knows what damage Punk did. Anyway, Clara's mom had to come over and help get them all back to where they were supposed to be. And then Mark stopped over in the evening to check on things, and ended up cleaning up some of the mess. Those cats sure can be a handful. Back at home now, though, and playing catch up. I'm still trying to arrange a porch visit with mom, and have started going back to Curves for workouts. That feels good. We're all staying healthy so far, and that's good, too. Not sure when the next visit will be ... maybe they'll come home over the holidays. Maybe then there wil be opportunities for them to see Grandma Joyce. I won't give up on hoping for that.