We are back in Stillwater. Got going earlier than I anticipated this morning and we arrived in Stillwater before 2:30. Jim went and picked up a sander and a wood floor nailer thingy from the rental place. Tomorrow we are going to lay a new floor on the back room and than possibly remove the linoleum from the kitchen and sand the wood floor in there. We will see how much we can get done. It will depend on what type of unknown issues we run into. When you remodel a one hundred year old house there are always surprises in store.
Lots of traffic on the Turnpike this afternoon. We each drove a car down. I hate to caravan on the highway so we didn’t try to do that. Jim had to stop twice and I stopped once for gas and to go to the bathroom. Most of the time I was able to maintain my speed and the trip took the normal three hours.
I brought a lot of stuff this time. I will be here for three weeks this time. Brought yarn to work up, extra clothes and Christmas presents. Both cars were full so it was a good thing I decided to drive my car too.
It was nice to be back on the prairie for a few days. My heart is full and refilled from being back on the prairie. The moonlight on the snow was beautiful and I reconnected with Mother Nature through the sunrises and sunsets.
Tomorrow is Winter Solstice. The light will start to return following tomorrow. I am so ready for it! I need to set my intentions for the coming year tomorrow and decide what my word for the year will be. Several words are rolling around for me but I haven’t found the correct one yet. I’m sure I will by tomorrow.
My foot has been a bit better today although it is still a bit cranky. It is hurting on the little toe side of the foot today. Not sure what is up with that. I think both feet are adjusting to me walking “normally” on them and they have to reset their old habits.
We have a big stack of Christmas presents that need wrapped. One of Jim’s son will arriving Sunday evening and the other Monday evening so will need to get them wrapped before they come over. We don’t have the tree up yet either and I need to finish the house cleaning project. It will be a busy weekend for sure!
I started knitting a blanket last night. I haven’t used my big needles for several months. I have been knitting baby blankets that use size 6 needles. My hands will have to get used to the big ones again. The pattern is so engrained in my memory that it happens without thought.
Need to put together a grocery list and go to the grocery store tomorrow. We have stuff for bacon, eggs and hash browns on hand so that will be dinner tonight. The hardest part about cooking is deciding what to fix. Once I know what to fix the rest is easy.
I have two or three more presents I would like to go get sometime before Wednesday. No big deal if I don’t get them though. We do need to get some stocking stuffer things for the sons and a girlfriend that is coming. When we need a break from doing the floor we will run out and take care of that.
I bought some pretzels and white dipping chocolate and want to get those made tomorrow before we have to move the stove so we can do the kitchen floor. I also got Rollo’s and pecans to make that treat for the sons. I love those things.
It felt like I had come home when we got here this afternoon. Both houses feel like home. They couldn’t be much more different from each other but both feel like home.
Grateful for a safe journey home today, grateful tomorrow is Winter Solstice and the light will start returning a bit more each day, and grateful progress is being made on the remodel project inside the house.