Took a dive into the muck pond today. I think I was over tired and emotionally worn out. Finally climbed out this evening and am feeling much better finally. It was a long, hard day.
Had a strong thunderstorm roll through around noon. The Emporia airport reported 86 MPH winds. We had a gust of over 70 MPH here. Lost power from noon until 5:30 or so. It suited my mood today to sit in the quiet and not be able to do much. Forced me to slow down and rest. I was grateful when it came back on so I could fix my dinner and finish the laundry.
It was nice to get home Thursday evening. We drove straight through from Santa Fe Thursday. It took just a bit over 10 hours. When we got to my house we went out and started the mowing. My Match guy pushed the little mower and I did the riding mower. Only got a little patch mowed. The grass was over knee high and it took two passes to get it mowed. Friday morning I went out and finished mowing the main part of the yard with the riding mower and Match guy came out and finished the pushing mower part.
I was going to finish the rest of the yard this morning but the barn garage door broke and I couldn’t get the mower out of the barn. It is to rain most of the week so may not get the rest mowed before I have to mow the yard again. With all the rain we are getting the grass is growing fast.
After Match guy went home Friday I took a shower and cleaned up and then drove to Manhattan to see a dear friend. Her husband died earlier this week and I wanted to go over and give her a big hug. We had a nice long visit and I drove back home. I didn’t get home until 9:20. I’m glad I had a quiet day at home today to rest a bit.
Still processing our trip. I learned I need to find some time to blog when I travel as I can’t remember what we did well without a written record. Blogging helps me sort my emotions and it helps to put them into words. I think that is part of why I fell into the muck pond today. I felt really overwhelmed emotionally last night and this morning.
I can’t pick a favorite of all the sites we saw. I loved the landscape of WY and the drive across Idaho and Washington state. The Grand Canyon felt like sacred ground but so did the Redwoods and the Sequoia trees. Yosemite was incredible as well. Olympic National Park was amazing – especially the Hoh Rain Forest. The beaches in Washington and Oregon were spectacular and so much fun. Chaco Canyon was very sacred ground too. I think I hit sensory overwhelm at some point. Too many beautiful sites for me to absorb.
Spending time with the friends I met on the Camino, meeting and spending time with Match guy’s son, and getting to have dinner with my cousin Pam were highlights of the trip for me. I will cherish the memories of the time I spend with each of them as well as the time I spent with my Match guy.
I’m grateful I have a couple of quiet days this week to unwind and settle in. This morning it felt like not all of me had gotten home yet. I finally feel whole again this evening.
I didn’t gain any weight on this trip for which I am very grateful. It is so hard to eat three meals a day when I travel and spend 10 to 12 hours a day in a car. I tend to snack instead of eating meals. Vegetables are hard to find in some restaurants. It will be good to get back on plan. I still have five pounds to take off from the last trip. I am tired of eating out so it felt good to eat my regular food at home today.
Match guy is coming back up Friday. Kathy is coming home for the weekend and I have invited lots of people over to see her. Match guy wants to meet my friends and family that are coming over. If you want to meet him and see Kathy come join the fun. Breakfast and coffee on Saturday is from 9:00 – 11:30, lunch is at 12:30 and lunch again on Sunday at 12:30. Come to one event or all three. The more the merrier. I always fix too much food so just show up. Kathy would love to see you.
Kathy leaves on Memorial Day to drive back to KY. The following day I have a house full of rodeo guys checking in for a week. Glad I have some quiet days coming up to get everything ready and to get rested up.
I had a time warp thing happens his morning. My grandfather clock had stopped and I needed to reset it and get it started. I checked my iPad to see what time it was and set it according to that. Later I noticed there was an hour difference in time from the grandfather’s clock and the clock on the kitchen wall. I checked my iPad again and couldn’t figure out what the right time was. I finally figured out I hadn’t updated my iPad from my travels and it was showing mountain time. I was confused for a bit!
Finally feeling grounded again and my foul mood has lifted. The clouds are rolling in again and it feels like it might storm again this evening. I have standing water in my yard from the hard rain we got this morning. I hope all the rain that is forecast for this week doesn’t happen as I’m afraid the flooding will be even worse this time if we get the rain they are predicting.
Grateful for a safe trip of over 5, 850 miles, grateful my trip in the muck pond was a short one, and grateful for electricity this evening.