Excuses, Excuses

We're home and I still have not downloaded promised pictures from trip, sorry. But here are some excuses for my delay, and I do this because I know that in your every day life you just don't hear enough of them, ahem.

Upon arriving home the plan was to unload, put away, and launder in a timely fashion. For us this means not allowing your suitcases to sit on the floor where they were dumped upon arrival for the next week or month.

My body continues to fight the flu or some unknown tropical disease, which now has my delicate ears on the fritz, which is never a good thing.

Our hot water heater, wait let me rephrase, our water heater (WB strongly dislikes the term hot water heater because this is not what it is...it doesn't heat hot water it heats water. Yes, I live with this on a daily basis) went out after two loads of laundry. Happy to report after a trip to Home Depot we bought a new water heater and WB had it installed that afternoon. And even better news it all seems to be working!!

Grocery shopping after being gone for a week.

Realizing it is Easter on Sunday and your children have no dresses and no shoes.

Realize that we haven't decorated eggs, told the Easter Bunny to bring candy, or found the Easter baskets that are stashed away somewhere.

Chasing around an 11 1/2 month old (this is always a good excuse)


But I promise I will get them downloaded ASAP...

How do you like it?

I get asked a lot how I like living out in the "country". I say "country" because we are in a neighborhood, it's just that our houses are at least 1 to 10 acres apart and our house borders ranch land on two sides. But it is very different the neighborhood we lived in before. Just like anything, there are good things and bad things. I know you are dying to know them so I thought I'd make a list.

Pro: I can stroll outside in my pajamas to get my newspaper in the mornings without risk of being seen.

Con: I may step on one of numerous prickly plants if I forget to put my shoes on.

Pro: Kids can run and scream and play at all times of the day without disturbing any neighbors.

Con: I'm not within shouting distance of help.

Pro: I can go all day without seeing or talking to another soul.

Con: I go all day without seeing or talking to another soul.

Pro: I can come and go undetected by anyone.

Con: I miss the greetings of the neighborhood children as I pull into my driveway.

Pro: Lots of wildlife to watch.

Con: I walk outside on constant alert not wanting to step on snakes, tarantulas, rats, etc.

Pro: No cockroaches.

Con: Just centipedes, scorpions, mice, and the occasional snake.

Pro: Lots of hills for sledding.

Con: Lots of hills for mowing.

Pro: Can leave the windows open at night and not hear one car, train, or plane.

Con: Can lie in bed and wonder what exactly is making that strange howling noise outside my window.

All of this aside, I must say the things I miss the most are our old friends, the knowledge that at anytime I could step outside and probably run into a neighbor. We would chat about what we were cooking for dinner while our kids would play in the yard. I knew if I had an emergency I was surrounded by people who could and would help and it would only take minutes to get that help.
So to that question "How do you like it?"...I reply, "It's wonderful, but it wasn't so bad before either."