After getting through the initial stage of acute grief, I soon discovered there were two things that eased my broken heart. One was camping with the Girl Campers and sisters on the Fly. The other was working outdoors.. Oh, when I first sold my house, I was absolutely convinced I would never mow another lawn, but that is certainly NOT the case! This farm house has about the same amount of back yard as you see here in the front. And there isn’t a

riding mower here like there is at Mr. FixIt’s five acres. It was hovering around eighty degrees yesterday when we headed to the farm. I knew it was going to really need mowing. It’s been nine days since it was mowed last. In those nine days, it rained 4.25 inches. That grass was high…and wet! We took turns mowing and cooling off. It went a lot faster with two of us. Between laundry and the mowing, we were still there over four hours.

When we were finished at the farm, we took the weed eater to the cemetery and cleaned up the graves and decorated them for Memorial Day. They looked so nice when we were done. We brought the weed eater back to the farm and I went for a walk about to take pictures for you. I almost missed the rhododendron this year. They only last a few days and they are just a bit past their prime but still lovely. The ferns are vibrant green, carpeting the forest floor and hillsides. The peonies were Grandma’s pride and joy. I remember her walking me around the yard and cupping each delicate flower in her well-worn hands and smiling. She knew they were gifts from God, each and every one. She never had bird feeders when she lived here. I think she would have loved them. Mr. FixIt filled them for me. We fed the farm cats and I called them in. Boy Cat came on a run to see me. That always makes me smile.

When we got back to the Ponderosa, I hopped on the riding mower and finished the last half of the lawn while Mr. FixIt made supper. We had a water main break a mile or so down the road yesterday morning so we are on a boil advisory. I told Mr. FixIt it would be a cold day in you know where before I would ever drink that water…it was muddy and boiling doesn’t fix that. That’s what we have bottled water for.

These are the days that warm my heart and heal it even more. These are the days I long for in the depths of January. These days are treasures and I cherish them. I am so deeply grateful for every gift God has given me. ❤

“Heal me, Lord, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for you are the one I praise.”
‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭17:14‬ ‭NIV‬‬