Happy 4th of July and Update

  Happy 4th of July!

Wishing all my blog friends a blessed 4th of July celebration.  Here at House on the Hill we will be celebrating quietly.  We know that the city will be setting off fireworks at the college that is nearby, so we will be able to see them from our back deck.  That way we will be able to avoid the big crowds downtown.

Today it is 5 months since leaving our Little Blue Cottage.  It is hard to explain the feelings I have, but the only way I can is to say that I feel off kilter.  Also, I am still having issues with my tummy.  My tummy functions best when I do not eat much.  The more I eat the worse the pain.  To ease the pain I take milk of magnesia at times.  Sometimes I take it twice a week.  Other times I just start skipping meals to ease the pain.  I spoke with my endo doctor last Monday and told him that my husband and I have decided in favor of surgery.  That was a big step. Our only problem is that we cannot see when.  The recent issues with our boys have made it so we feel we cannot leave them right now nor do we want to add that much more stress to the kettle.  I do hope that the opportunity to have surgery presents itself soon as I am so weary of all the pain.

The rest of my green pasture time was restful.  I skipped a few meals, ate lots of veggies and fruit and took a lot of naps.  I got in one visit with a girlfriend and I had a really good time.  I hope she did too.  After visiting my girlfriend and finding out how much property costs in her neighborhood, I started looking up properties for sale while doing laundry.  We are not sure if the Lord wants us to buy a house, but I sure would like to as it would be nice to have our own place again.  There are not many properties to rent in the area we have chosen to live, but there are quite a few properties for sale.  With low interest rates & prices down it is a buyers market.   

It bugs me not to have a proper coat closet nor linen closet.  I am tired of trying to make due with a shallow sink in the kitchen.  The landscaping here at House on the Hill is out of control.  The owner has let it go for so long.  No gardener has been hired so we keep the lawn mowed and bushes trimmed, but not much more than that.  Our landlord hooked up the swamp cooler, but neglected to put new filters in it.  When we turned it on it smelled so horrid we decided to make due without it.  For all the money we are paying to rent we might be better off buying.  The only thing holding us back is that we are uncertain about our future and it is nice being debt free.

Spending the night at Boy Scout camp was pretty fun although I was not feeling my best.  The boys were camped in Peaceful Valley and it was beautiful!  Mark and I took a walk in the meadow which was dotted with yellow, purple, pink and white wild flowers.  Butterflies floated over the sea of flowers and green grass as an occasional bird erupted into song.  The blue sky was dotted with puffy white clouds while a small lake lay shimmering below.  In the evening we enjoyed a campfire complete with wonderful entertainment.  Then it was back to camp and off to bed.  In the middle of the night I of course woke up and had to go to the bathroom.  I woke Mark and he took me to the latrine.  On the way back to our tent we enjoyed the moon and stars.  Here below are some pictures Mark took.

Peaceful Valley

Sunset in Peaceful Valley

Another sunset shot.