This summer has been a serious roller coaster. We have had lots of fun visiting family and having family visit us, but mingled with that is a list of ailments: corneal abrasion, fleas, lice, fleas, corneal erosion (which I have apparently had for many years, but it came to a head, of course, this summer), and then a weird and inexplicable case of hives. They came. They went. Three days. My doctor said usually they can't tell what the problem is, but said one cause could be stress. (I think over the previously mentioned list, and the fun stress of visiting and being visited, and I think, "Yeah, it could definitely be stress.")
Here we are in the midst of Fall and even though many of the leaves have fallen off the tress around our property, I can look out the window here and see yellow and orange and red leaves flashing in the wind. And the only sound I can hear is the ticking of the clock over the couch. That near-silence is bliss right now. Our house has been drafty lately because we have a big hole over our entry way where Mike is working to take down an old cabinet soffit so we can have our stove pipe installed on Friday. Then we'll be all cozied up in this house with a crackling fire in the wood stove and we wont have turned our heat on since we moved in. It's also the time to start stockpiling food, batteries, hurricane lamp oil, matches, and whatever else we may need if the power goes down for a few days. I hope it does this year. I know it can be a pain, but I always loved just a day or two of no power. You were off the hook for so many things--school, most of your chores--you just played and kept warm. With the stove it'll be fairly easy I expect. No I'm not naive. I spend too much time with my kids at home all day to think it'll be a scene out of a Louisa May Alcott book. But I know I'll like it all the same.
