The first thing we should be doing when we get some great, amazingly fantastic news, and even down to the smallest of blessings, is to bend a knee to the God who made it possible!
Why is that such a hard thing for us to do, I wonder?
Why can’t God get the first, and most important thank you, before we go patting ourselves on the back for a thing we think we deserve the credit for? It’s rather simple, really! Just stop and thank Him! Then, go do the next thing we do with good news… tell somebody about it, celebrate, and have a glad heart!
At least, that’s what I like to do.
Here, have a cookie…
they might not be great or amazingly fantastic, but they’ll do in a pinch!
My nana always had candy, bowls of it, in fact! She always made sure they were freshly filled for our little visiting fingers, whenever we stayed at her home.
They weren’t always the some, though, because she liked variety… and she knew that we would too. Some days she’d have a mix of peppermint, butterscotch, and cinnamon flavored hard candies. My personal favorite were the butterscotch!
On special occasions, there would be bowls all over her home, in sets of three; one bowl with nuts, one with candies, and one with mixed chocolates. I always cleaned out the little candies, specifically the yellow butter mints. You know, for some funny reason, when I ran across them in a store and bought them, the flavor wasn’t the same… how sad, right?!
Honestly, I think it’s the memory of my nana’s house that I fondly recall, more than the candy. Perhaps it’s better to keep the flavor fantasy, just that… a fantasy, a sweet dream of more innocent times.
I still really do love butter mints, and yellow is still my favorite color, and I doubt that will ever change…
You don’t see me anywhere, but don’t let your eyes fool you. I’m simply sitting inside the house, drinking my morning coffee. I’ve just been sitting here, listening to the sound of birds singing outside my window. It’s quite peaceful in this place, and I’m finding myself lingering a bit longer each morning, just to listen to the countryside wake itself up!
(In the real world, we await an approval and invitation to accept our housing voucher. They’ve gathered everything they need, paperwork wise, so this is the part where the paper has to walk itself from one place to another, for a whole lot of signatures. Once that’s been completed, we’ll be given an invitation to attend an orientation class, at which time, we’ll receive that physical “Golden Ticket”. Until that occurs… we must wait.)
You won’t believe who showed up yesterday, bounding right in through the front door? Our Auzzee!!!
I’m not sure where he’s been hiding, nor, how he managed to track us down, here at the farm? I don’t think it even matters, really. I’m just so grateful to see the furry little guy, which is sort of strange, don’t you think? He used to have more feathers, as well as different fur… you know, the fur and claws of a cat, remember? Correct me if I’m wrong but, doesn’t he look like sort of like a wooly bear?
See what I mean?! It’s no bother to me, really, as I’m just so relieved to see his adorableness bound into my kitchen this morning!
It won’t be much longer now, and everyone should be back together again, and the barn is coming together wonderfully, as you can see…
Miss Tilly has volunteered herself to be our handyman’s little helper, isn’t she so adorable in her mini-hardhat?
Even Bailey is enjoying all the new hay that we threw across the barn floor…
And, of course, young Squagon is thoroughly enjoying himself, swinging confidently from the rafters,
Yes, Squagon is looking a good deal more like a bat or dragon than the furry baby we first met, but that’s an update for another day. Don’t worry over it, as the little guy is doing quite well, and no worse for ware, after his time alone in the forest. I just think there is more to him than we’d first thought, that’s all.
Anyways, as far as the progression of all the repairs and restoration of the farm, things are going well. With the house pretty much finished, I’ve been looking over the barn and taking meticulous notes, in order to assist our handyman in some of the larger tasks. That’s a bit much to ask of our Tilly, so I stepped in to help.
I think I’ll hang out with him today while he does all the things on my “Honey Do” list. I made sure to put that requirement into the fine print of his contract… I made sure to smile a lot when he was looking over the paperwork, so he just grinned and said, “Mmmhmmm.”
Oh, by the way, my little shadow was successful in locating our misplaced dragon…
Well, he found her, point in fact! Anyways, they’re on their way home now, as we speak! I realize that it may seem rather preposterous that I can know of such a thing, when I’m here with you and they aren’t even back yet, to tell the tale.
Well, to coin a phrase from Guardians of the Galaxy II, “I’m Mary Poppins, Yawl!” Ok, so maybe not totally like that, but suffice it to say, I did it my way… wait, isn’t that Frank Sinatra? Sheesh! Are all the good lines taken, or what? I can’t use It’s my website and I’ll do what I want to, because there’s an old party song that sounds too much like it.
I know, I know… I might not be Mary Poppins, but my site DOES make magic cookies! Yup, yup, yup… I think that will do just fine, wouldn’t you agree?
With that settled, just trust me when I tell you that they’re on their way… I can feel it in my bones!
I’ve decided that I like this field! In fact, I love everything about this valley for some reason, or another. Maybe, it’s the fresh mountain air? Or, quite possibly, it’s the combination of that air, mixed with the scent of flowers in the meadow. Whatever it is, I swear that the breeze smells of cotton candy… seriously!
This valley seems like the perfect place to settle down, wouldn’t you say? We could create something beautiful for the babe’s, as well as for myself, since I feel rather adrift, just now.
While the RV seems to be working fine at the moment, once all the lost have been retrieved… it won’t be! I’m already having a hard time writing, lately. I’ve no office, or even a decent desk to comfortably work from, what with puppy fur, cheese crumbs, peanut shells, and sticky dragon fingerprints on everything. None of my fruit preserves are safe from Dinky… I swear that little dragon can pilfer (steal) anything she sets her mind on (or anything Boomer can convince her is important)!
Anyway, due to the sheer number of family members we’ve acquired, along with all that’s needed for their care, we need more space! With that in mind, I began to look around the area to see what might be possible for the future home site of the Barnyard. I’ve found a very promising site that has a good deal of potential, so I thought I’d show you my ideas.
I didn’t have to walk far down the valley before discovering, what I think looks to be a realistic endeavor. I found an old farm that was abandoned… ages ago, from the looks of it. There’s a house, a barn, and everything!
Check out this house…
Now, I know it doesn’t seem like much, when you first see it. But, I think that with a little elbow grease, and some real TLC… it just might work! You’d be surprised how much better it would look, with only a quick paint job. Here, let me show you…
See?
Ok, well, I liked the idea behind the re-painting, but the yellow isn’t really cutting it for my dreamy plans, so I think a little color change is in order…
Yup! I think that the green is much more fitting, and I’ve always wanted a porch that wraps around the house.
Bailey’s already decided that she wants to stay, and I’m judging by the absence of the other babes, they’re probably already in the house… snooping!
The wonderful thing about this farm is that it comes with a barn, can you believe it? There’s a massive barn out behind the house… and it’s still standing! Now, before I show it to you, remember that we have to see the possibilities. This farm has been sitting empty for some time, so things got old. But again, with some hard work we can recover it, I think. Come on, I’ll show you…
Maybe a fresh coat of paint, a few repairs on the roof boards, and then some new barn doors. Aside from that, I don’t think it would need anything else, seriously! When inspecting the beams and rafters inside the barn, I was pleasantly surprised how well the framework of the building had held, over the ages. In fact, the inside of the barn looks fairly nice! Whoever originally built the barn used wood that had been well-treated with some form of weather protection. It’s always impressive to look at something crafted with so much care, and forethought… I tell ya, they don’t make things like they used to!
So, here’s what should be quite manageable, in regards to the future possibilities of our barn,
This is the back of the barn, which I think would be better suited for the front, don’t you think?
In regards to painting it, I’m torn between the traditional red color that is often chosen,
or staining it with some form of weather seal, and let the sun naturally fade it, ya know?
While I enjoy the natural look better than a bright red paint, it wouldn’t be compatible with our farmhouse. So, to satisfy my vanity, as well as entertain and impress you, we’ll go with paint!
Now, I’ve hired a very capable contractor for much of the restoration work that will be needed, so the job is in good hands. He is diligent, hard working, incredibly talented, and very handsome. All of these qualities make him well sought after, but he’s accepted the bid for this job, so we got lucky… though it will take every ounce of my self-restraint, not to waste the whole time flirting with him… sheesh!
He’s so cute! Ahhem… ok, anyways…
Hopefully, as time rolls foreword from here, things should begin to stabilize for you, as far as, what the environment looks like when you visit. I don’t know about any of you, but I’m tired of always looking like a nomad, flitting from one scene into another… it can start to feel a bit chaotic! I think it’s time to settle down, wouldn’t you agree?
Honestly, where I reside in the real world is always going to be changing in some way, or another. Isn’t it like that for most? As far as what most of you will ever see of my world, it’ll be here, within the lobby and/or out at the barnyard. For now, that’s all there is! Frankly, I don’t have time to wait for the real world to cooperate, so I’ll just design this virtual setting… until the real thing catches up!
Let the farm building commence!
For now, keep this visual as our hope…
**Remember, a bit of green paint and an added walk-around porch**
No, this isn’t Eustace… he’s simply a friendly camel that I hired to carry me into the dunes, in my search for our lost comrade-in-arms. In answer to the question you must be asking yourselves, I felt that it was far too dangerous to send mini-me out into the deadlands to find Eustace, so instead, I’ve taken it upon myself to search the dunes.
However, I did give her another important task. We’re still missing one very important dragon! Mini-me has been sent southward along the coast, along with a map of the best location for finding Brutus. I’ve put her on our ship instead of that little raft, as the bigger vessel is much sturdier and meant for open water.
My guess is, he’ll probably find our brave little pirate-in-training before she even weighs anchor, which is actually what I’m hoping will happen. I’d prefer it if she didn’t have to get off the ship at all!
I shall be devoting all of this week to learning my new AI program. From watching the myriad of tutorials offered, as well as practicing the different techniques learned; my study cup overfloweth, if you get my meaning. Basically, I’m going to be very busy, but it sounded so boring to say it that way, leaving me no alternative than to use a catch phrase. I swear, sometimes I feel like a coin phrase PEZ Dispenser…
Just flip my head back, and out pops a candy shaped phrase. See what I mean?
At least I’m not boring, right…
Right?! Well, at least that’s my story, so I’m sticking to it!
In regards to the recovery of this site’s beloved characters, it’s been mixed results, thus far. I’ve experienced some good wins and some sorrowful losses, as I wrote about during Friday’s post. I don’t want everyone to be too sad or disappointed, but as of right now, I’m learning to accept that there will be some of our babe’s that won’t be recoverable… and those that I do find, will simply have to be a bit changed. It is what it is, and we’ll have to just love them the way we find them, no matter how different! Even if they look a bit different on the outside, the spirit of their hearts will still remain within their new images… that part never changed!
I know things will work out in the end, mostly. In truth, it has more to do with my expectations of my own abilities than it does with what you end up seeing at the end of it all. I’m far harder on myself than anybody else ever has to be… it’s always been that way. Wouldn’t it be a hoot if all this was a big lesson of learning how to let go, let God, and stop being so overly self-critical and unrelenting… He often does that, you know!
As you go about your week, maybe you can think on this, in regards to how you see yourself! Do you show yourself kindness within your own thoughts? I pray that you walk each day this week, remembering your worth, rather than your work…
The work will always be there whenever you have to punch that clock, so to speak, but you still have to take yourself home with you afterwards, when the work day is done.
Be kind to yourself! Show tenderness and grace toward the beautiful, wonderful, unique, bright, capable, and desirable you that you are!
To name any one book would be an insult to another, depending on the person reading my response to the daily prompt, so I’ll forgo offering up any specifics. What came to mind was an old saying, “beauty is in the eye of the beholder”… or in this case, the best books are in the eye of each reader!
From the moment of our birth, the race to find and become who we believe the world sees suddenly starts with a bang! Groomed from birth on how to speak, what to wear, how to behave, how to please others, and on and on and on we go, sort of like a merry-go-round…
I’ve spent my entire life trying to appear as that which others expect and/or accept, as if I were on one of those merry-go-rounds. Spinning round and round over the years, gaining speed until I became frozen to the bars and unable to get off, followed by a great deal of motion sickness.
Well, finally the ride became so fast that it flung me off into the dirt, so to speak!
If you wondering what on earth an old merry-g0-round ride has to do with one’s image or self-perception (how you see yourself), it just seemed like a good analogy for how it feels to have a good self-image in a world that is so focused on visual bells and whistles… sorry, I often find myself coining phrases or adages to make a point.
What might that point be, you ask?
My point in all this merry-go-round stuff, is this… you’ll have a much more enjoyable ride in life if you learn how to straddle the bars and drag your feet, so you can control the speed of the merry-go-round, thereby strengthening your muscles and allowing you to get off the ride anytime you get dizzy. In reality, I’m saying that you shouldn’t let the world be in control of who you think you are supposed to be!
Me personally, I’ve opted for the carousel over a merry-go-round, in terms of how I see things in the world, and how I see myself…
Don’t let the age fool you,
One man’s junk is another man’s treasure!
Never see yourself as less than you want to be…
"Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses." 2 Timothy 6: 12
Now you know how I see myself whenever I write adventurous tales, passionate poetry, and deep soul searching thoughts for you, my readers and friends. I might seem rather plain on the outside, but that’s my cover story, just like the mild mannered Clark Kent, from Superman. Now, I don’t want to go as far as to call myself a superhero… but in the stories I can be, right?!
Journey With Me! 