The past three days I've done something for the first time in all my 49 years. See that opened door at the top of the barn? Well, I've been pitching hay from there. Can you imagine? Right on down to my wheelbarrow (one of the niftiest inventions ever, by the way).

I'm using the hay for this:
If , two years ago, you would have said, "Debra, soon you will be pitching hay from a barn loft," well, I would have (unfortunately) laughed at you. The lesson? Never assume your life will always be the way it is now. God is very into variety, creativity, movement, flow, change, growth and living.

So never say never, for you never know. シ

We've owned this house for six weeks yet not until yesterday did I step into Bunny Meadow (so named for the Bunny family frolicking out there.)

I don't blame them--what a peaceful place! The grass is sweeter out here and grows more slowly and the cutest, tiny fuchsia wild flowers grow here, along with white and yellow flowers, too (I tried not to mow them all down). I'm tempted to put our someday-screened-gazebo out here instead of in the back meadow. Hmm. We'll see.

Remember how I wanted more bird feeders? Well, I think we have enough now.

This one was here at the house already.


Our realtor gave us this yellow finch bird feeder as a housewarming gift.

 

A woman at a yard sale gave this to us for free this week.

 



Plus, there are the three I made from candle holders which I already showed you. That's enough. I love it when Tom and I can stop searching for certain items for this new life, cross them off our list and move on.

Knowing when enough is enough is important because we are only given Grace to care for the things God means for us to have. Well, that's what I've found, anyway.

Everyone tells us our hydrangea bush will be gorgeous when it's in full-bloom.

The flowers are deeper purple in real-life.

And remember the 'so far' photo of our front porch? Well, it's changed again. I'd been wanting to make it a sleeping porch, so I did.



We bought a bed and I painted it yesterday morning, then rearranged this room. Usually you don't need a lot of money to go after what you want--you just need a lot of imagination.

My mom will be staying with us for the month of October so now we have a place for her to stay -- or for me to stay if she would prefer our bedroom (Tom can have the recliner which he likes to sleep in, anyway, and we have those pocket doors to make the living room private). But whatever, I do not want my mom climbing up and down those steps I showed you to the guest room I'll be making up there. That guestroom will be for our spry-er, er, less-vintage guests.

This whole 'free bed-and-breakfast' thing keeps returning to me. I tell our city friends, "If you ever need a place to get away from it all, please come out here and stay. Anytime." It's important to me to provide a resting place for the weary. I remember how many years I longed for such a place, one especially to experience morning in the country.

And now I know for certain, from experience--there is nothing in all of Life and this world like an early country morning.

--and I want to share that with everyone.



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