Jackets required!

We are walking around here in coats again! The beautifully warm 70 degree spring weather has once again changed her hat. There was a 30 degree drop in temperature yesterday from morning until sunset! Good Grief! It's been an interesting March, weather wise as well as everything else!

We spent last weekend mostly outside! Sunday was absolutely GORGEOUS. Paul hung our new storm door on Saturday! Isn't it great! I spent the weekend washing windows and screens ... oh my!! But my neighbor next door told us the house was glistening when she drove up yesterday, so that was fun to hear! We also burned leaves on Sunday ... for hours ... and there are still more to go! The winter really made a mess around here ... although I suspect the leaves haven't been cleaned up in ages since the house was in such disarray. She sure cleans up nice! I've been looking at the before pictures (inside) and there is some BIG difference around here! So I thought I'd post some of the inside just for fun ... the first picture is going to be our formal living room someday. Right now it's just a HUGE foyer ... but the cats love it and it gives Paul & I a place to practice our ballroom dancing! The second picture is of the dining room as you're looking at it through the living room doorway. We hope to get french doors up between the 2 rooms someday when we can find them on sale! The third picture is where we spend our evenings, cuddled up in blankets as you can see ... the sofa faces the fireplace and the t.v., which aren't in the picture. As you walk in the front door, this room is on the left and the formal living room (Foyer) is on the right. Directly ahead is the hallway (not pictured) ... we'd like to get french doors up on all these doorways as budget allows. It'll help tremendously with heating and insulating.

The most exciting thing that happened to Paul this week was .... he was given a kayak!!! Now those of you who know Paul know how happy this made him! He's chomping at the bit to go kayaking ... but the water is just a tad too chilly (freezing!) and I'm hoping he'll wait a little bit. But it is Paul ... we'll have to wait and see!

I don't know how we got so lucky to have the life we are living, but we'll take it with the deepest of thanks and the greatest of gratitude. We are both healthy, our children are healthy, our grand children our healthy, his parents are healthy, and everyone is doing pretty darn good! We are happy in our new world and are able to slow down and enjoy life in simple terms and we are certainly aware enough to give thanks for it every single day. I know spring time always makes reflection an involuntary thing, but I swear I wonder around in total awe of how wonderful life is. So, here's to hoping all of you are finding the same kind of spring in your worlds. The first picture is of our beautiful budding sign that spring is here (on and off!) and just how much of a miracle the cycle of life really is. There is a family of cotton tail rabbits who live under this little bush. They just hang out in a little hole, surviving snow and dogs and all kinds of things. Now that the bush is blooming, they'll come out and scurry around for food, then at sunset, they go back into their little hut, similar to what we do in our "den" I suppose. Don't you just love spring?! Miracles every place you look!

On the "news" front, sadly ... my brother's cat, General Beauregard (Beau Beau) was laid to rest last Sunday. Please send my brother, his wife Debbie, and the surviving cat (Scarlet, "Sissy") some big positive thoughts as those of you who own pets know how devastating it is to lose one of them. Our neighbor Mike has a birthday tomorrow ... wonder where I can get some moonshine for his present? Hmmmmmm... Cyndie, my sister and her daughter are going to Los Angeles on Sunday to "view" colleges and such. My niece, Hollie, is a model so she's all about L.A. Big step from the Mayberry town we live in, and she lives in a town only a couple notches up!! Good luck you 2, and don't get lost ... My son-in-law, Vic's birthday is April 1st (happy birthday, VIC!) and my daughter Jennifer's birthday is the 8th. This will be Jennifer's first remission birthday in ages ... we are still counting those blessings every single day! Seems only appropriate that her birthday falls on Easter this year (rebirth and all that)!! Mandy and Zeus's wedding is next Saturday (April 7) and we can't wait to see that! So much to look forward to! For those of you who knew our Artemis was pretty sick, he's all better and seems perfectly back to normal now. Thanks for the good wishes!

Well, guess I'll go paint and such. Happy trails to all! Paul & Cheri