Starry night on the prairie

Sitting here marveling at the way the universe works sometimes. I have had six weeks of something to do almost every weekend. All of a sudden I have six weeks of empty space in front of me. I have been wondering how to use this time wisely and wondering why I have so much of it all of a sudden.

Last night Nicole called me and invited me to journey to Japan with her in August. She is going on a pilgrimage to the Kumano Kodo, a Camino like walk in Japan. It is only 26 miles long and we will do it in six days and five nights. Planning on going three days before so we can adjust to the time difference and staying over three days afterwards. If you are flying that far you might as well take in some of the sights and sounds of the local country.

Now I know why I have six weeks of empty space – training! This trail, although not near as long as the 500 miles I walked before, is more rigorous as it is in the mountains and at times is very challenging with steep ups and downs. I will have the option to take taxis over the hardest parts if I decide to do so. Because my feet hurt so bad when I came home from my Camino in Spain I quit walking and haven’t started again since I had my surgeries earlier this year. I am just past the three-month mark on my right foot which was how long the doctor had told me my recovery would take and advised against doing lots of walking until that time. Time to put my boots on and start walking!

We have decided not to walk together during the day but we will meet up and share a room each evening. That will give Nicole the space she needs to let the Kumano Kodo Camino speak to her. There is a company that arranges for a bag to be transferred from hotel to hotel and for a room to be reserved in advance for us. We have decided to use their services as I found it so nice not to have to worry about finding a room each night after walking all day. The hotels also provide breakfast, dinner and a sack lunch for the day’s hike.

I was excited to find out that if you walk the Camino in Santiago you get a special certificate in Japan to honor the fact that you walked both Caminos. I may have to take apart my framed picture which has my passport books from the Camino so I can take them with me to prove I walked the one in Spain. They have a passport book in Japan that you collect stamps in just like the one in Spain.

I have been craving an adventure for this year but nothing I looked at felt right to me. Now I know why! I consider it an honor that Nicole has ask me to journey with her. Trusting this Camino experience will be as full of wisdom and insight for both of us as my first Camino experience was for me.

I went into Emporia this morning and restocked cat food, cat litter, greens for my chickens, and dog food. Again I forgot to buy me food! Hate when that happens. When I made my list out I wasn’t hungry and I only got what was on my list. Guess I should have put “food for me” on my list.

Cleared out my egg supply yesterday. I had sold some over the weekend and some more on Monday and then a friend came and got my last four dozen yesterday. Always glad when I clear them all out. I picked up over a dozen this morning so starting a new pile. One of the eggs I picked up yesterday was wrinkled.

I started making my second baby blanket yesterday. Waiting on someone to give me an address so I can get the first one mailed off. My brother’s birthday is Sunday and I want to get a box fixed up to send off to him. As he is a bachelor I don’t know if anyone else gets him a birthday present or not so try to remember to send him a little something.

Loving the timing of the Universe today! Sitting in awe and wonder! What a beautiful lesson for me in patience and trust. All is well on the prairie today!

Woke up around 5:30 this morning and looked outside. I caught the moon as it had risen just above the breaking of dawn. What a beautiful site. I didn’t get a very good picture of it though. Love living where I do!

Went into Cottonwood Falls to drop off my recyclable stuff and go to the bank. When I drove past the gas station I noticed they weren’t busy so stopped and got my oil changed. I love that they wash my car really good when they are done. They even vacuum it. Small town service at its best.

This afternoon I am taking the cats in for their annual check and shots. I also need to get them and the dogs some tick and flea medication at it is the season for ticks and fleas. I need to get my tires rotated so may stop and get that done while I am in town. Since I will have the cats with me I won’t wait if they are too busy. I need to get some things in town but I will need to make a second trip later today or go tomorrow when I don’t have the cats with me. It is too hot to leave them in the car while I go into a store.

Am still tired today but finding a bit more energy. I think I have decided to not do food with any future retreats. If someone wants to come stay and fix their own food or bring it in I would be open to that. Doing food is just too much work for not much reward. I charge $12.50 per meal per person and by the time I buy the food and fix it I am lucky to break even. I rarely make anything for my labor. I struggle with charging more than I do.

I attempted this last retreat to keep track of the amount of time it took me to do the shopping and then the food preparation and clean up. I spent at least 50 hours just on the food part of the retreat. After subtracting the cost of the food I made less than $180 for my time. That is less than $4 an hour for my time. Not worth it! This retreat had extra people. Usually I don’t even make $4 an hour as I spend the total amount I charge on food.

Sitting with lots of empty space in front of me. I had stepped out of having empty space for over a month. It feels a bit overwhelming to step back into it for some reason. Facing some old thought patterns I though I had dealt with before. Trusting I am revisiting them at a higher level and they will disappear quickly this time. I did recognize them for the lie they are this time rather quickly. I will take that as a sign of progress.

When I have lots of empty space the old thought of what do I want to be when I grow up comes back to me. Breaking my old habit of always being busy to prove my worth has been one of the harder habits I have had to break. Learning to sit with the idea of being myself is enough and there is nothing I have to do to earn my blessings. When I can accept that and drop my resistence my life flows much easier.

Another hot sunny day on the prairie. Sitting in empty space. Allowing myself to refill. All is well on the prairie.

Happy Summer Solstice! A group of four of us celebrated yesterday. Solstice is a powerful day and is fun to tap into that power and celebrate.

Drove into Emporia this morning to pick up a friend today. I helped her take some of her art to Prairie Past Times to see if they will allow her to sell it. We ended up going to lunch with my friend that is very involved with Prairie Past Times.

I was going to stop and drop off my recyclables in Cottonwood Falls but the recycling trailer was pulling out as I was getting ready to pull in. They must have been taking it to empty it. I will take them tomorrow when I go to the gym.

I finally crashed last night and slept for lots of hours. I do that very infrequently and am always even more tired after I sleep too much. May need to take a nap this afternoon. I rarely sleep the next night anyways so might as well grab an hour or two of sleep when I can.

The big dogs are hanging around in the garage trying to stay out of the sun. They sure look hot. They are cold weather dogs and this hot weather is hard for them. I would fill and put out my kiddie swimming pool for them but they are afraid of it and won’t get in it.

I picked up a few groceries while I was in town. I forgot to get the chickens a watermelon. I need to go back to town later this week so will try to remember to get one then. It helps keep them cooler.

Not feeling very motivated to do anything today. I took a rest day yesterday and today feels like another one. As I don’t have much on my calendar right now I guess it will do no harm to take another rest day. House work always seems to wait for me.

Need to go out and give all my critters fresh, cool water. Maybe I will splash some on me and wake myself up a bit. All I want to do today is sleep and eat.

Hot, sunny day on the prairie. All is well!

Took Craig out to dinner last night to honor him for being the father of our children. We hadn’t had a chance to visit for a bit so it was nice to catch up with him. I’m not sure I was very good company though as I had trouble staying awake.

I went to bed early last night and woke up around 2:00. I couldn’t go back to sleep so got up and did some laundry, started the last load of dishes, and made some beds. Finally went back to sleep around 6:00 and slept my second sleep until 9:30. I often do two sleeps in a night. Always grateful for the second one and grateful I don’t have to be some where most days so I can sleep in if needed.

Got all the guest bedrooms put back together again. The dishes are all put away and the refrigerator is cleaned out and reorganized again. Still need to do the kitchen floors and clean the bathrooms and I will be done with recovery mode except for my body. My feet are still yelling at me today and I still feel tired. I’m sure by Wednesday even I will be put back together again.

I noticed today I am missing some wash cloths, towels and hand towels. I remember noticing that the end of my season last year and had forgotten to do any thing about it. The first retreat I had last year I came up missing a bath rug. I color coordinate each room so I know where to return laundry to. I’ll have to check on-line and see if the style of linens I use is still available. Not sure what I will do if they are not. Maybe I am the only one that would notice if the wash cloths don’t match the towels. Wonder why they disappeared.

I didn’t make it to the gym this morning. Trusting tomorrow I will be ready to start my new commitment to working out. Didn’t have it in me today. Maybe I can ride my stationary bike this afternoon to get me started.

Some friends are coming over in a bit so we can do a summer solstice ceremony together. I love these celebrations. They help me stay connected to nature and her wisdom. Always good to see my friends as a bonus.

So enjoying my empty space today. The quiet music playing in the back ground is so relaxing. Just what my soul needed for today.

Need to get my tires rotated, the oil changed and take the cats to the vet for their annual shots sometime this week. I don’t have anything else on my schedule so it is a good week to get that stuff taken care of.

I have another crack in my windshield. It is high enough up on the passenger side I may not spend another $450 to get it repaired. I just got a new windshield in May. This crack happened when a truck passed me on the Turnpike. Hate when that happens!

Feels good to be sitting today. Looking forward to my friends coming. It is a cool, cloudy day on the beautiful prairie today. All is well and put back together again.

My last guests have departed. I am sitting in my corner chair listening to the sounds of silence. Ahhh……….

What a wonderful group of women I got to entertain. The best part of doing the retreat center is meeting such incredible women. Trusting our paths will cross again.

I learned this weekend I don’t want to do big groups again though. It was too much. Not sorry I did it but right now I can’t say that I will agree to do another big group unless I have help. Cooking five meals back to back for 15 people was a lot of work. I am trying to figure out how to eat for the next couple days and not cook or use any dishes as I am very tired of cooking and washing dishes!

Still not sure what direction I want to take the retreat center for the future. I don’t have anything on the schedule and right now am not motivated to put something on the calendar. Maybe something will present itself and I will add it. The part that drives me to do that is meeting new people and making new friends. That is my reward for my hard work.

I need to check in with all my critters this afternoon and make sure they are all good. I have barely given them any attention this weekend. The chickens enjoyed lots of extra treats from the veggie scraps and leftovers. The dogs got in some extra treats too.

Sure enjoying the break from the hot, humid weather today. It is absolutely beautiful outside today with the high in the low 80’s and lower humidity then we have been having. It is to heat back up this week but for today I will enjoy the break in the heat.

Trying to talk myself out of taking a nap so I can sleep tonight. We’ll see how the afternoon unfolds and if I can stay awake. I didn’t sleep much all weekend. I’m glad I have an open week this week so I can rest and recover.

Deep breathing. Listening to the sounds of silence. All is well on the beautiful prairie today!

Three meals down. Two to go. I have dinner pretty well done. Someone else is going to prepare and cook the fish. I have the potatoes ready to go in the oven and the veggies ready to be roasted. I need to make beer bread muffins later. I dipped strawberries in chocolate for dessert.

The women are having a wonderful time. I feel like I have made a few new friends. One of the women grew up in Olpe. She is five years younger than I so our paths probably didn’t pass when we were in school. We have had a couple of good conversations and I trust our paths will cross again.

I am tired this afternoon. I was up by 5:45 so I could have breakfast ready at 7:00 as requested. I don’t think the first person ate until after 7:30. Betting tomorrow it will be closer to 8:00 before they are up and going.

The people running the retreat don’t have anything planned after 5:00 tonight. We are having dinner at 6:00 and then we get to relax and visit this evening. Several women would like a healing but I’m not sure I have it in me to do so. Maybe I will catch a second wind soon.

Both facilitators lost a partner when they were in their 30’s. One to cancer and one to an accident. It has been interesting to listen to them talk about that time in their life. They certainly understand what Nicole is going through.

Digging deep to find some energy to finish this retreat up. Sure glad I don’t have guests coming anytime soon so I can take my time getting the house back together again.

Almost to the finish line! I can do this! Yes I can!

My guests arrived just after the thunderstorm ended last night. They had driven in from Colorado and hit the storm in Hays and had to drive in it the entire way. Mother Nature welcomed them to the prairie with open arms though and gave us a beautiful sunset in the west and a full double rainbow in the east. One of them had never been to Kansas before. She is impressed with the view.

I got up at 7:00 this morning and have been doing food prep ever since. I don’t have many items completely fixed but have all the veggies and fruit chopped and ready to go when I start putting things together. I still need to make one of the soups for tomorrow and then the prep will be done.

I have run the dishwasher twice today and will have one more load before we have dinner. Dinner dishes will take two more loads.

Dinner tonight is at 6:00. I still need to put the turkey in the oven, finish making the dressing, and roast the veggies. Pies are made as is the fruit salad.

They decided they want breakfast ready by 7:00 in the morning so I will need to be up before 6:00 to get it ready. I’m making a Crustless spinach Quiche for breakfast that takes 45 minutes to cook. I have most of the rest of the breakfast items prepped so it won’t take long to throw them together.

I’m tired this afternoon. I didn’t sleep very well last night. Thinking by Sunday afternoon I will be lucky to still be standing. Almost deciding that doing retreats is too much work! What usually happens though is when the guests arrive and I get to meet some amazing women I change my mind and forget how much work they are to do. I am so enjoying the company of the two facilitators.

Rest time is over. Time to get back to food prep. Trusting I can pull off five meals without a major disaster. All is well on the hot prairie today.

I posted a picture of the third little egg one of my hens gave me. A friend saw it and tagged one of her friends. Her friend posted a link that explains what happens. These little eggs are called fairy eggs. I love that! The link explained something got interrupted during the internal process when the hen was making the egg. Makes sense. It didn’t say if some hens only lay fairy eggs. I wonder though if that is what this hen is doing. I have yet to receive 19 eggs in one day. That should only happen occasionally but it should happen. Time will tell I guess.

I went into Emporia this morning for one last run of groceries. Realized I forgot to check my coffee supply. I don’t drink coffee so forget about that. Due to the distance I decided I would rather be safe than sorry and went into town to get some more. I needed chicken lettuce too. I forgot to get me food for today and tomorrow. I hate when I do that!

The first three guests arrive some time this evening. I think I am ready. I will spend the afternoon going through each room one last time and doing my final dusting. The dusting never seems to last very long even with the A/C on.

Man is it getting hot outside today. Forecast is for it to reach 98 some time this weekend. I am not a big fan of hot weather. It saps the energy out of me very quickly. It becomes a chore to keep all the critters water bowls filled and refreshed.

Last night I stepped outside to call the kittens in for the night. The stars were so pretty but there was lightning all around the horizon. I don’t see that very often as usually when there is lightning there is cloud cover over head. Never did get any rain out of it. Have a chance for some stray thunderstorms this afternoon and into the evening. I would welcome an inch or two of gentle rain.

Only have about 25 – 30 rows to do to finish the first baby blanket. I may get that done yet today. Probably won’t be able to start another one until next week. I have a busy weekend ahead.

After this weekend my calendar is almost empty. So looking forward to some empty space but knowing I need to find something for myself to do over the summer. Working out on a regular schedule is at the top of my list but I need to give myself motivation to do so. If I decide to go to Fiji I know the trip will be much easier if I am in better physical shape. I need to keep reminding myself of that so it can provide the motivation and reason I need to work out. Before I walked the Camino I had spent that summer walking several hours a day. It gave me something to do with an end goal in site.

One thing I don’t like about working out is you are never ever going to be done with doing so. One needs to use it or lose it! That thought overwhelms me some how and I don’t use it as I don’t want to think about doing it for the rest of my life. Silly really but there you go. Maybe if I tell myself I only have to work out until I go to Fiji I can stay with it until then and maybe by the time I get home I will be in such a habit of working out I will want to choose to continue doing so.

Last minute details getting done today. Ready to relax and welcome my guests knowing all is ready for them. It is a beautiful but hot day on the prairie today. All is well!

Last night when I was cleaning downstairs I noticed I had water on the furnace room floor again. I went upstairs and turned the kitchen faucet on and went back down. Sure enough, the drain downstairs over-flowed.

I called my plumber first thing this morning and he was able to come right out and unplug the drain. I had visions of a swimming pool in the basement for my guests for a bit. Grateful the plumber was free today and could get it taken care of right away. Now I need to clean up his mess and the basement is ready for the weekend.

After the plumber left I went to Wichita to go to Sprouts to buy the produce I need for the weekend. I was able to get everything I needed and most of it is organic. I love Sprout’s produce section. Worth the trip to Wichita for sure.

One of my guests is vegan. I had a nice email exchange with her today so I could understand what she can eat. It is so helpful when my guests teach me and tell me what works for them. I want them all to be comfortable and if I know ahead of time what it takes to accomplish that it can happen.

This afternoon I will finish cleaning the upstairs of my house. I want to check one last time to make sure I have all the ingredients I need for the weekend in case I need to make one last grocery store visit tomorrow. I like to be ready by noon on the day my guests start arriving so I am in a relaxed frame of mind when they get here. This time the three facilitators are coming in a day early. The rest of the guests will arrive Friday afternoon. I will do my food prep Friday morning.

I mowed for a bit last night. I may go out and do a bit more this afternoon. The whole yard doesn’t need it but it does look better where I did mow. I seriously need some rain as the cracks are getting deep. It was really bumpy riding the mower last night as I bounced over the cracks.

Glad this retreat is almost here. I have driven myself a bit crazy getting ready for it. I have been a bit overwhelmed with the idea of cooking five meals in a row for 16 people. I think it has been harder since I have only had one other retreat this year. It has felt like I was starting from scratch again. I haven’t had one this big before that I had to fix all the meals for. I’m sure it will all go just fine.

Cleaning. Shopping. Checking my lists. All is well on the hot prairie today.

The newsletter is done! Lynn brought the envelopes a little after 1:00. My friend Sharon joined us and we had them all stuffed and sealed by 3:30. Too late to make it to the post office today but they will go out tomorrow. Always feels good to have that project finished.

I worked on cleaning the basement this morning. Kathy had left it in pretty good shape so I am almost done with it. Got the steps vacuumed which I hate to do. I’ll finish the basement tonight and then tomorrow do the upstairs. Thursday I will buy the rest of the groceries and Friday I will start cooking.

Finished the fourth of six panels on the first baby blanket I am making. I clean for a bit and then knit for a bit. I should have the fifth panel done tonight. One more panel and the first blanket will be done. I remembered my niece is having a baby this summer so I need to make two more blankets instead of just one more. I have lots of free time coming up so I’m glad I have a project to work on.

Kathy made it safely to CT last night. She drove it all in two days. Since she had the dog with her it was hard for her to stop and enjoy meals in a restaurant. I was happy to hear she made it there. It is a long drive!

Another hot, windy summer-like day outside. There is a haze on the horizon. May have some thunderstorms pop up tomorrow around here. I sure could use an inch or two of rain. My yard is cracking badly.

I managed to make it to the gym this morning. I couldn’t make myself go this weekend. I hope to start going more regularly after this retreat is over this weekend. The trainer was there working with some people this morning. I need to get started working with him. I have lots of free time this summer and that seems like it would be a good use of that free time for me. I think if I had an appointment with him regularly it would help me hold myself more accountable in working out.

I missed my class with my mentor today. It started at 3:00 and I forgot about it as I was stuffing envelopes. Thankfully he was to record it and send it to us. Last month he has some technology issues. Trusting those got worked out and I will be able to view it later.

Cleaning. Checking my list twice. All is well on the prairie today!

Flexibility has been my word for the day. So far nothing has gone the way I was expecting things to go today. The newsletter is still not done. The missing envelopes were to have been on a truck and delivered this morning so we could finish this little project up today. We had expected to have the envelopes printed and ready by 2:00 this afternoon and were going to get them done after that. Just got a call and the truck delivering the missing envelopes hasn’t shown up yet. If it shows up yet today and they get them printed I will go get them and get started on them and we will finish them tomorrow.

I went into Emporia this morning to get some more grocery items for the retreat this weekend. I also stopped and got chicken and dog food. Only need to get produce items Thursday at Sprouts and I will be ready to start cooking Friday.

Still need to do some housecleaning but I can’t do that until Wednesday. As dry and dusty as it is the house will get dirty again if I clean and dust it too early.

I got another baby egg today. It is barely bigger around than a quarter. Not sure if it is from the same chicken or what is going on. I haven’t seen this happen before. I haven’t cracked this one open to see if the yolk is yellow. Last time the yolk was clear-colored. Starting to think I have a slacker in the group.

Got over half of the first baby blanket made yesterday. It is an easy knitting project except for many of the rows I have to count every stitch as I have to keep switching from knit to purl. I can’t work on it if there is someone else around to distract me.

Kathy made it over half way yesterday. Trusting today is going as smoothly for her as yesterday did. It is a long drive to CT by yourself with a dog. Hard for her to go into a restaurant to get food when she travels alone with her dog.

May go out and mow part of the yard this afternoon if the missing envelopes don’t show up. I won’t have to mow all of it but the area up close to the house needs trimmed up. Sure is windy out though. May have to put a scarf over my face while I mow to avoid eating what I cut.

I turned the air down so the house would be cool for my friends that were coming to stuff envelopes. Feels nice! I could get used to it being set at 75. Don’t want to pay for that though.

I think I solved the water on the floor issue in the furnace room. I checked it again yesterday and the floor was wet again. I found a water hose that comes out of the water softener had partially come out of the pipe it is stuck in. I pushed it farther down in the pipe and haven’t had water on the floor since. I’ll have to remember to keep checking it but I think I solved the problem. Glad I didn’t call a service guy out for that if that is all the problem was. I have a fan running to dry up the rest of the water that was on the floor.

Feeling a bit like I have allowed myself to get pulled off my center again. It is probably the change with Kathy leaving, the newsletter unpredictability, and the retreat coming up. I keep reminding myself to go with the flow and change. Nothing major in any of the changes anyways. I think it is probably good for me to not allow myself to get too comfortable in things unfolding as I expected them to. Funny how I forget that and need a gentle reminder sometimes.

Hot, summer day on the prairie today. Flexibility is required of me today. I can do this! All is well.

Happy 69th wedding anniversary to my parents who are celebrating together in the great beyond. I remember like it was yesterday the party we had for their 40th. Where does the time go?

The house sure is quiet with Kathy gone. Wishing her safe travels on her trip home. She left long before I got up this morning. She is traveling with her dog so it should be an adventure traveling for her. Trusting the dog will not get car sick.

I finished up collating the newsletter material. Found out this morning the missing envelopes won’t be ready until Monday late afternoon or Tuesday morning. Hoping we can get started finishing up this little project on Tuesday starting at 10:00. If we have several helpers it won’t take more than two to three hours to get them done. I will serve lunch afterwards. Anyone free to come help?

Kathy got most of the basement cleaned before she left, bless her heart. I am washing her bedding up today and after I get her bed made up will only have a little work to do in the basement. I will only then have to clean the floors upstairs and I will have the house ready for the retreat. Not sure if I will need to mow or not. I’m in good shape! I do need to buy groceries and prep food but I had planned on doing that Thursday and Friday.

When I was checking out what needed to be done downstairs I noticed water standing on the floor in the furnace room. It was clean water so not sure where it came from. There is a floor drain but when it backs up the water is dirty as that is where the kitchen sink drains into. I’ll have to keep an eye on it and see if I need to call a repair man tomorrow.

I started knitting a baby blanket today. I have two I want to make for two dear friends. I haven’t made one for a year or so. They are fun to make and I needed a relaxing job to do. Knitting is still my fall back stress reliever.

I cleaned my refrigerator out this morning. It made my chickens and dogs very happy. They are great at helping me recycle food items. Wish they could eat plastic.

Taking a quiet day today. My life has felt busy again and I need to slow down and enjoy a day with no agenda. I plan on knitting off and on today and doing lots of sitting in front of a fan. I haven’t taken a day like this for a while. I am overdue for one.

I walked down to the chicken coop this morning to take the chickens some greens and leftovers from my refrigerator. I hadn’t taken my shower yet so still had my night-gown on. My neighbor’s were out in the back pasture on their four-wheeler and of course saw me and waved. Rarely do I get caught going outside not dressed properly. I did today! Oops!

After the retreat next weekend I have lots of empty space on my calendar. Not sure what I want to put on my calendar to fill in some of the empty space. I will go crazy if I don’t put a few things on my calendar. Nothing seems to be catching my attention enough to put it on the calendar.

Quiet day. Rest day. Refilling my soul and spirit with silence. All is well on the prairie today.

Got a fourth of the mailing for Pioneer Bluffs completely finished last night. Have 3/4 of the rest of it collated. I’ll finish the other 1/4 this afternoon and then it will be ready to stuff Monday when the envelopes are printed. Anyone want to come help me for two or three hours Monday? I plan on starting around 10:00 in the morning and should be done by 1:00 if several people can come help. I will fix lunch! Let me know if you can come so I can have enough food.

I am still tired today although I slept last night more than normal. I fell asleep with my clothes on and woke up around 1:00. I got up and took a bath and was able to go back to sleep. I got up before 7:00 this morning. I might try to take a nap yet this afternoon.

Kathy is packing to leave on an emergency trip home tomorrow. She will be gone until some time in early July. My critters and I will miss her. This house always seems too big and empty when I am home alone.

A friend brought my chickens some beet greens this morning. They sure enjoyed them. I sent a dozen eggs home with him in exchange.

Wow it sure is warming up. Summertime’s hot, dry wind has returned. It is to be in the low to mid 90’s and windy all next week. My yard is screaming for some rain but I don’t think it is coming any time soon. I have set my thermostat on 78. I have to run a fan to stay comfortable. I’ll see how long I can go before I have to turn it down. Trying to reduce my electric bill.

When it gets hot like this it becomes a challenge to keep all my critters hydrated. The chickens go through a five gallon container of water daily when it is this hot outside. I need to remember to buy them a watermelon when I go to town next. It helps them stay cool.

I took another load to the recycling center. I am amazed at how much I take every couple of days. Wonder why it took me so long to get started doing so. Since I don’t have to sort it, it is easy to drop off.

Reflecting on how quickly things can change and how important it is for me to stay flexible and go with the flow. Change is the one constant in my life. The quicker I can embrace and accept when things change the easier my life is. It is when I sit in resistence that things become hard for me.

The full moon was beautiful last night. For the first hour or so it was up it really did look pink. They call this full moon the strawberry moon. I can see why after seeing it last night. It is the full moon that is the farthest away from earth so it is the smallest full moon of the year. It won’t be long before summer solstice is here and the days will slowly begin to get shorter again.

Folding and stuffing a mailing. Allowing the heat of the summer to slow me down. All is well on the hot and dry prairie today.

Home sweet home again. We left Iowa at 8:45 this morning and got to KC by 2:00. Nicole made record time. I80 is not a fun highway as it is very crowded with semi trucks and is narrow. When we hit an open patch Nicole would stretch her legs and just happen to hit the gas pedal. She got the car up to 102 MPH once and over 90 a couple of times. She was anxious to get home. It was fun to ride in a powerful car.

We went out for a beer with Chris’s step dad last night when he was done with his family obligations. Then we had breakfast with him this morning before we left for home. He was very grateful Nicole had come to pay her respects to him.

When we got to KC we went to Costco to get our membership cards. I can’t say I was impressed with their service. Nicole had purchased the new membership at her office when a representative of Costco had come to an employee meeting. Evidently the person who sold her the new membership didn’t handle it properly and the people at the store didn’t like that. Instead of dealing with their own employees screw up they tried to make Nicole take responsibility for the way their employee handled it.

After I dropped Nicole off at her house I went to Sprouts to pick up a few things for the retreat that is happening in a week. I also priced some fish to see how much it will cost if we decide to serve it. I grabbed a bite to eat and headed home.

Always good to get home. When I got home I found the Pioneer Bluffs Newsletter material was on my dining room tables. I will get it collated and stuffed this weekend. I only have one of four boxes of envelopes to stuff it in though as the other three boxes didn’t get printed yet. I have until Monday morning so have plenty of time to get that project done.

I think summer has arrived a couple of weeks early. It is to be in the low 90’s for the next couple of days. I’m trying to not lower my thermostat below 78. I lowered the blinds in the living room to help reduce the amount of heat from the sun coming in. I will need to slow down if I want to keep the thermostat that high. The basement is nice and cool so if I get too hot I will go downstairs.

Not sure why I am so tired tonight. All I have done today is sit in a car. I slept fairly good last night. Sure feel like I could go to bed right now and sleep until morning. Maybe I will catch a second wind and get something done yet tonight.

Enjoying the quiet and beauty of my home tonight. Going to watch the full moon rise and dance in the light of the moon later. All is well on the prairie!

I met Nicole at her house this morning around 9:45. We drove to Muscatine, Iowa to attend a viewing for Chris’s step dad’s father. His step-dad really appreciated Nicole coming to support him. We are having breakfast with him in the morning and then heading back to KC.

We made really good time getting here. We made it in less than 5 1/2 hours and we stopped to get gas and have lunch. Nicole drove her Dodge Challenger and it goes fast! We only got up over 90 once or twice. Sure has more power than my poor little Prius does. It is a fun car to ride in. I offered to drive part of the way but so far she hasn’t taken me up on that. Not holding my breath that she will either.

We had dinner at a little Italian place downtown. It was really good. It made up for the not so good lunch we had in Des Moines.

Got the playroom and another bedroom cleaned yesterday. Only two bedrooms, one bathroom and the great room downstairs to do when I get home this weekend. I still need to do the floors upstairs but that won’t take long. I’m glad I got a few rooms done as it doesn’t seem so over whelming to me now.

When we get to KC tomorrow afternoon we are going to Costco. Nicole and I went in together to get a membership and I need her to go with me so I can get my card. I need to price a couple of things for the retreat next weekend. There is a Costco in Wichita I can get some things I need for the retreat if the price is right.

I need so many produce items I am going to drive to Sprouts in Wichita next week to buy them there. They have a really good produce department and their prices are usually much better than Wal-Mart. I never know if the Wal-Mart in Emporia will have what I need.

Still waiting to hear if the newsletter I normally stuff for Pioneer Bluffs will be ready to be done when I get home tomorrow. If it is I will be busy doing that this weekend. If it isn’t ready until Monday I told them I couldn’t do it this time. I have too much to do to get ready for the retreat starting Monday.

This retreat has been a bit harder for me to get ready for as I haven’t been having retreats this year. Last year I had two or three a month so things were ready all the time for them. This one also has more people than I normally have. Feeling a bit over whelmed with it but trusting things will fall into place.

Enjoying my time with Nicole. The trip up here today went really fast. Trusting the trip home will go as smoothly and as fast. Grateful to Kathy for taking care of my critters so I could get away.

Two bed rooms and one bathroom are detailed cleaned. I did a bed room and a bathroom last night and one bed room this morning. May try to get the second bathroom done yet today. Still have lots of rooms to do but at least I have started.

I’m going to KC in the morning to meet Nicole. She is going out-of-state to a funeral and I am riding along with her. The drive is six hours and I didn’t want her to do it alone. More than that I want to lend her some support while she attends her first viewing since Chris died. I’m thinking it might not be easy for her.

We are spending the night Thursday and will return home sometime Friday. Not sure if I will spend the night at Nicole’s house Friday or if I will drive home. It will depend on how late we get back to KC. I’m glad my calendar is free and I have options.

Still need to give my girls some fresh linens this afternoon. They always enjoy rearranging the straw when I am done.

The dogs rolled in some prairie perfume last night (aka skunk spray). I had to give them their Heartguard pills today. It was all I could do to stand close enough to them to make sure they each ate their pills. Yuck!

I got kissed by the sun yesterday while I was mowing. I had worn my gym shirt which is sleeveless. My shoulders are a bit red yet although they don’t hurt. I am trying to avoid the farmer’s tan look I got last year when I wore a t-shirt when I mowed. My feet have their summer stripes going on from wearing my sandals. Luckily my sandals cover my scars from my surgery earlier this year. My foot Doctor had told me if I didn’t keep the scars covered they would turn a dark purple color.

The A/C guy came today to do the annual summer check up and replace the furnace filter. The filter is four inches thick so I can’t buy and replace it myself. Everything was good so no additional repair bill this time.

I printed the recipes I need for the retreat that is coming up in a week or so. Double checking my grocery list so I don’t forget something. I’ve only had one other retreat this year and it was a small one. I usually have more stuff on hand to use but that isn’t true for this retreat. Sure going to try to not have too much food left over yet have enough for all to eat as much as they want.

I attempted to lower the blinds in my living room west windows. They are built-in between the panels of glass and are hard to get to come down even. They drive me crazy when the blinds are not even. (Yes, I am a little OCD.) I may need to take the front panel of glass out so I can adjust them to suit me. I don’t like them down but know it will decrease my cooling bill if I can block some of the hot summer sun out. The windows have a film on them that reflects the light out that helps some but having the blinds out helps even more.

Cleaning. Planning. Packing. All is well on the prairie.

In the mail yesterday I got a statement from my orthopedic doctor from Wichita. It stated my account was over due and unless I paid immediately they would turn it over to collections. The only problem is they owe me $461.00. I called them this morning. The manager of billing happened to answer my call. She apologized and said she would look into why I got that letter. I told her I thought about sending her a note that if I didn’t get my refund immediately I would turn them over to collections. She laughed. She did tell me my refund check has been requested but it takes two to four weeks to process. I will have to remember that line and give it back to them if I ever go back to their office and owe them money.

I didn’t sleep much last night. When I got up this morning I went to the gym. I was able to do two full circuits on the equipment. When I got home I got my mowing done and then came in and took a shower and got dressed for the day.

I have a big retreat starting a week from Thursday and need to start cleaning rooms to get ready for it. On my agenda for today is to get at least one bedroom and one bathroom detailed cleaned. One problem with not having lots of retreats is too much time goes by without me cleaning rooms really good. This retreat I need to detail clean all four guest bedrooms and the three guest bathrooms plus the two main areas of the basement. I detailed cleaned my main level for my guests last weekend so that part is done at least. I only need to do the floors and dust upstairs.

I got up during the night and started my grocery list for the retreat. I am fixing five meals for at least fifteen people this time. I really need to spend some time making sure I am organized and have what I need. The facilitator for the retreat approved the menu choices yesterday so I can start planning now. I like to make myself a schedule of when to make what so I don’t forget something. It certainly isn’t as easy as it used to be for me to pull something like this off. I haven’t served that many people before so it will be a new experience for me. I can pull off one big meal for lots of people but haven’t cooked five in a row before.

My girls have given me 15 eggs already today. I took down a soft tomato to them with their greens this afternoon. They were fighting over it. Maybe the rooster thinks when I wear red I am something to eat and he likes to eat red things. He usually attacks me if I have bright red on when I go in the pen.

Time to get moving. I am getting sleepy sitting in my chair writing. Starting to lose my motivation to get things done. I have too much to do to allow that to happen today.

Hot, summer-like day today in the prairie. Grateful for my A/C that keeps my house comfortable. All is well although very warm on the prairie today.

Rest day – kinda. I did three loads of laundry and got them folded and put away. Changed the sheets on one bed and got it made up. Took the recyclable goods to the trailer. Straightened out my pantry. Did one load of dishes.

Thinking I will take a nap this afternoon. I woke up around 4:30 this morning and really didn’t go back to sleep although I laid in bed until after 8:00. I am tired today.

Nicole called this morning. Two different people she cares about each had a death in their family this weekend. Sure brings up hard memories for her when that happens. I offered to go to the services with her if she wants me too. She is thinking about it and will let me know what she decides.

Still sitting with gratitude in my heart space. It was such a wonderful weekend for me. Carolyn had blogged on our last day together on the Camino that she would see me again. Love that we made that happen. Trusting we can figure out a way to see each other again.

Not much on my schedule this week. I need an empty space week. The last few weeks have been way too busy for my liking. I have done some fun things but everything was grouped too close together. I am craving quiet, empty space.

After the retreat I have schedule June 15 – 18 I don’t have anything scheduled for the summer. Kathy is going back east for a couple of weeks in August. Thinking I need to come up with a two to three week trip for myself either in July or September. Not sure where I want to go or do but am feeling an urge to travel somewhere.

My friend that is walking the Camino for the second time had an accident this weekend and is having to go home early. She tripped and fell in a hostel and needed 10 stitches in her hand and sprained her ankle badly. She had only walked about a fourth of what she wanted to do this time. Grateful it happened where she could get help and not out on the trail. Grateful I was able to finish my Camino adventure without an accident.

August 21 is my birthday. It also happens to be a total solar eclipse. I am working to arrange a bus trip for that day. The bus will take us where we can experience the darkness of the eclipse. We will probably go to Atchison or St. Joe where it will become dark during the day. Where we go will depend on the weather and cloud cover if there is any. Not sure of the cost yet. If you would be interested in riding along let me know. The bus can take 14.

Taking a deep breath today and becoming aware of the need to stop and be. I have been in a scheduled busy mode the last three weeks and need to slow way down for this week. Nothing on my list has to be attended to today. Hard to switch gears sometimes but oh so necessary for my soul.

Sitting. Nap time coming up. Deep breathing. Enjoying the beauty and silence around me. All is well on the prairie today!

I just got home from delivering my friends to the hotel by the airport in KC. What a wonderful weekend we had. It was so fun to read her blog and look at all the pictures she took. We were able to process our Camino walk at a very deep level. Such memories!

I am tired tonight. I made two trip to KC in three days. I’m ready to have a being day where I have a day that I do absolutely nothing.

My heart is so full right now. Carolyn and Tom have been married for over 55 years. They had 12 children together. Their relationship together makes one believe in love again. They don’t take themselves very seriously. I never feel even a bit of judgement coming from them. They love life and everyone they meet.

If I decide to go to Fiji they invited me to fly into Oakland on my way to Fiji to rest for the long air flight to Fiji. I’ll see what I decide to do and if I can make this happen. If I can’t make it happen I will make a trip to see them sometime next year.

Carolyn had taken over 3,200 pictures while she was walking the Camino. She brought a flash drive of the pictures with her and I down loaded her pictures onto my computer. I haven’t taken the time to look at all of them so am looking forward to doing that. I only managed to take about 36 pictures while I was there. What a gift she gave me in sharing her pictures with me.

Feeling very heart full tonight. So very grateful they came to visit me. They helped my Camino experience continue with the gift of their presence. I am so very blessed!

What a wonderful day. We all were up early enough to watch the sun rise this morning. We sat around the kitchen table and visited until I finally remembered to fix breakfast. We visited some more than ate lunch.

We all went to the Strong City Rodeo Parade in Cottonwood Falls this afternoon. Carolyn and Tom enjoyed touring all the shops in downtown Cottonwood Falls. The parade was delightful. We found a big tree to sit under to watch the parade and enjoyed the light breeze which kept us very comfortable.

We came back to my house and visited some more and had dinner. All of us are tired tonight so we are going to bed early.

Tomorrow after lunch I will take them to KC to a hotel by the airport. They have an 8:35 flight Monday morning back home to Oakland.

This has been such a nice visit from them. We have had so much fun reliving our Camino experience and discussing what the Camino continues to teach us.

They have been just as fun as I remembered them being on the Camino. I am one lucky person!

My friends from the Camino are here! I picked them up at the airport a little after noon today. We stopped for lunch at Granite City and then I brought them to my house.

We have already had a wonderful time reliving our Camino adventure. She blogged her travels too and her kids turned it into a book for them. She had taken over 3,600 pictures while there. Her blog contains several pictures a day. What fun we had looking through her book and remembering the good days and the hard days.

Not sure what we are doing tomorrow. They are a bit travel tired tonight and sitting in a car tomorrow doesn’t sound fun. Thinking we might take in the rodeo parade but spend the rest of the time here at my house.

They enjoyed the sunset tonight even though it wasn’t one of the prettier ones. They like the wide open spaces and the views from my house.

I will be returning them to the airport Sunday afternoon. They will be spending the night at the hotel by the airport. They have a 7:00 am flight Monday morning that will take them back home to CA.

We have had so much fun together already. They are every bit as easy to be with as they were on the Camino.

Definitely been one of my better days this year! I am so blessed they came to se me.

Both kiddos spent the night. We kept rotating how we were lined up in the bed. Three of us in a queen size bed is too many!

A thunderstorm rolled through during the night. We had lots of lightning, thunder and almost an inch of rain. I had closed doors before I went to bed but not the windows so I had to get up around 3:00 and do that. The kiddos slept right through the storm. They both slept almost 12 hours last night. We didn’t have breakfast until 9:45.

I took the kiddos to Subway for lunch. I’m tired of doing dishes. I did three loads yesterday and have already ran the dishwasher once today. Usually I only run it once a day at most.

I washed my bedspread and tried to hang it on the clothesline. It was too windy. The clothes pins kept popping off. I have it hung over my stair case railing now. It is so humid I hope it dries by tomorrow morning.

The house is almost all clean. I’m going to take the grandkids to town this afternoon as I need to buy groceries. Tonight I need to do some meal preps and then I will be ready for my guests to arrive tomorrow.

I am cranky today. I feel tired although I got more sleep last night than I normally do. I couldn’t talk the kiddos into a nap. Thinking I need a couple of days of empty space but that won’t happen until next week.

I do well having the grandkids for one day but a second day in a row is almost too much for me. Maybe I am getting old!

Thinking about selling Star. Three dogs are one too many. If I decide not to breed Star and sell her than I can get Legend fixed and maybe that will reduce how often he roams away. I have never really bonded to Star. Thinking she would be happier some place that really wants her. She is a pure breed Great Pyrenees and is over seven months old. Anyone interested? Star has a sweet disposition but needs more attention then I want to give her.

Cloudy and humid on the prairie today. Looks outside like how I feel inside. Maybe the sun will come out in a bit and maybe the fog inside me will lift soon. I don’t like being cranky.

The grandkids have been here today. We have had a fun day. They helped me clean house for 30 minutes each. Then Ellexia wanted to earn another get out of jail free card so she cleaned for another 30 minutes. Got the main part of the house cleaned really well.

I give each kid a free get out of jail card when they spend the day. It gets them out of trouble one time during the day. They can use it to avoid taking a rest if they want to. Ellexia decided she didn’t want to take a rest so she cashed one in but then changed her mind and wanted to rest. She actually slept for thirty minutes.

The rain and storms have gone around me today in each direction. Lots of severe stuff around me but I haven’t gotten even a drop of rain so far. I could use an inch or more of gentle rain. It is rodeo weekend in Strong City and traditionally it rains at least part of the weekend.

Still need to buy groceries for the weekend and clean my bedroom and the two bathrooms. I am so excited my friends are coming. Trusting they will enjoy their time here on the prairie. Neither one of me has ever been to this part of the country before.

My neighbor’s set some trash out by my mailbox this morning. Star had gotten into one of the bags and scattered it every where. The kiddos walked down with me when they first got here and helped me pick it up. Star is my problem dog right now. She seems to be developing a mind of her own and doesn’t like to obey right now.

Yesterday Nicole text me a picture of a rainbow she saw in her back yard. It was her birthday yesterday. It sure felt like the rainbow was a birthday gift to Nicole from Chris. He had sent two full rainbows to her on Christmas Day. I love when signs like that show up. Sure changes my understanding of death.

Not sure if the kids are spending the night or not. They keep changing their minds. I have them again tomorrow. The second day is usually a bit harder for all of us as the fun has worn off a bit. I still have cleaning that needs done. If they get bored I hand them a dust cloth.

Still sitting with a quiet mind and expanded heart space as a result of the class I was at last weekend. I love how grounded I feel and have been able to maintain the feeling of being an observer of myself. I make much better decisions from this space.

Beautiful day on the prairie. Gentle thunder is rolling in the distance. All is well!

Happy birthday to my beautiful daughter Nicole. She has been thrown a curve ball in life and has handled it with much grace and dignity. Trusting this new year will be a great year for her.

I got my entire yard mowed this morning. Usually I break it up into two mowing periods but it was so nice and cool out today I was able to get it all done without needing a break. Kathy is out weed eating now. Good to have the yard ready for the weekend.

I went into Cottonwood Falls to take my recycle stuff to the trailer. Shout out to Chase County for making that process very easy. Since I don’t have to sort it I think I will start filling my kitten litter containers with mixed recyclable material and every time I go to the gym take the full containers to dump out. I sure can tell the difference in the amount of trash going to the curb.

Since I was in Cottonwood Falls I stopped at the full-service gas station on Main Street and ask if they could tell me why my check engine light had come one. The service guy hooked up his little machine to my car and within a minute told me my gas cap had not gotten on tight enough last time I got gas. He didn’t charge me for the service he provided. My mentor told me if I took it to a dealer it would cost $90 just for them to run the diagnostic test. I love living in a small town that provides service like this.

I filled my car up and filled my two five-gallon gas cans. It was a successful trip to town.

I have gotten all I wanted to get done today done and it is just now noon time. Too early to start cleaning house for my weekend guests. Guess that means I get to play this afternoon. I may go to the falls at the Chase County Lake. It is such a beautiful day I want to be outside and enjoy it. Won’t be much longer and the heat of summer will arrive and I won’t want to be outside.

The lady from the Fiji Mission called me yesterday. I had a list of questions to ask her. I am still very interested in going there the first of next year. I will probably stay at the Mission project for ten weeks and will go to either Australia or New Zealand for a week before I go to Fiji. Although I might go to a resort on Fiji Island for a week instead of going to New Zealand or Australia. It would be cheaper to do that. I need some time to adjust to the 17 hour time change and the climate change. If I stayed at Fiji it would give me a chance to adapt a bit to their culture before I show up at Camp. It will be summer time there in January.

I learned that Internet is not available at camp but they have Internet cafe’s in town if I go to town on the weekends. I can get an international phone that has Internet service if I want to have daily Internet although keeping a phone charged can be an issue as their electricity is not always available. Cell phone service can also be a bit unpredictable. Has anyone traveled internationally that could advise me of what I need and how it works? Maybe a solar charger? I am not very technology smart.

My cousin text me yesterday to let me know my dad’s brother’s wife had died. She lived in Colorado Springs and I haven’t seen her since Dad died in 2000. She had called me two years ago at Christmas time and caught me up on her three daughters and their families. If I didn’t have guests coming this weekend I would have considered driving out for her services. Because they lived in Colorado we didn’t see them very often. I remember taking vacations when I was a child to Colorado and staying with them. She had a stroke several years ago and had been in poor health since. Not too many of that generation left in my family now. Funny to think of myself as the oldest generation in the family. I don’t feel old enough for that to be true.

This beautiful weather is giving me some new energy. I could live in a climate like this year round. There is a gentle breeze today which is helping make it feel even cooler than it is. The skies are bright blue and lots of sun shine. Doesn’t get much better than today anywhere.

Beautiful day. All is well on the prairie today!

I made it to the gym this morning. It had been almost two weeks since I had been there. I took it easy on myself and didn’t push myself hard. Felt good to be back at it again.

Kathy and I did a cemetery tour this morning. At Florence, where our parents are buried, we ran into our Aunt Marylyn, her son David and his daughter Andrea and her son Miles. Nice to see them for a minute. They were going to attend the ceremony at the cemetery but we decided to go on and not stay for that. We drove past the house where our grandparents lived in Marion.

Next on our tour was the cemetery in Hillsboro where our dad’s parents and his brother are buried. We were glad we went there as our flowers were the only ones by their graves. We drove by the house where our grandparents used to live in Hillsboro. It sure seemed smaller! I even remembered the name of the street they lived on. Not sure where that little nugget of information came from in the depth of my brain.

We ended our journey at the cemetery in Cottonwood Falls where our great grandparents and great-great grandparents are buried. We took the Lake Rd across from Elmdale. Such a pretty drive.

It was a beautiful day for a drive. The hills are so pretty and green. Lots of memories shared today!

I need to go into Emporia this afternoon to go buy groceries. Not sure what my plans are for tomorrow yet but am holding the day free in case I decide to go to KC to spend the day with Nicole as it is her birthday. She may want a couch day alone after being gone all weekend. I have to go back to KC Friday to pick up my friends from the airport and then I will return them back to KC next Sunday. If I don’t get to see Nicole tomorrow I have two more chances coming up this week to see her.

Looks like rain is in the forecast for most of the coming week. I need to mow again and am trying to figure out when I want to do that. I would like the yard to look nice for my guests next weekend. May need to mow between showers it looks like.

Decided to take a rest day today and not make myself do much. I am so appreciating my empty space today. There is a nice breeze coming through the house and the skies are a brilliant shade of blue. Hard to find a more perfect day than today is.

Sitting with a quiet and calm head today. I can feel my energy has shifted as a result of the class I just took. I’m liking the calmness of it. When I can stay out of reaction I can always find more options to issues that arise. I feel like I am back to being an observer of my life. Good space to be in.

Beautiful day on the prairie. My heart is wide open today. All is well!

Home sweet home! Class was over a little after 2:30 this afternoon so I was home by 4:15. It is always good to return home. Kathy had taken good care of all the critters while I was gone.

I went to Panera’s at Oak Park Mall for lunch today. I hadn’t been inside a mall for a long time. There is a store that only does eye brows. Oh my! There was a little cart that is selling Fidget Spinners. I need to get out more. I sure didn’t like the energy inside the mall.

Tomorrow Kathy and I are going to a couple of cemeteries tomorrow sometime to put out flowers on loved ones graves. It seems a bit late in the weekend to do so but I didn’t have time between my two trips to do it earlier.

I need to start cleaning house as my friends from the Camino are coming Friday. I also need to put together a grocery list and get stocked up so I can feed them. I’m babysitting Wednesday and Thursday so guessing this week will go by quickly. I’ll be glad to have lots of empty space the following week. It doesn’t feel like I have had much of that lately.

I took nine dozen eggs to KC with me to sell. Got rid of all of them and could have sold at least six more dozen. Need to remember to take eggs with me when ever I go to KC. City folks like my happy chicken’s eggs. I already have three more dozen on the kitchen cabinet that Kathy gathered while I was gone.

I am tired this afternoon. I didn’t sleep well last night and sitting in class for three days has worn me out. Trusting I will be able to sleep tonight.

I want to get to the gym first thing tomorrow morning. It has been almost two weeks since I have gone. Time to get back into that habit. Need to clean up my diet again too. Too much eating out the last two weeks. It is hard to avoid white flour when I eat out. That is proving harder for me to give up then sugar has been.

This class felt like some how I was being reminded of something rather than learning something new. I like when that happens! It is very affirming for me.

Laundry washing. Bags unpacked. It is good to be back home on the prairie!

Class is done for the day. It has been a productive day for me full of new learnings. It is always hard for me to put into words what I have learned though. Sometime soon I will have an experience and will realize I have reacted differently and I will know it is because of the class I attended.

One of the side benefits of attending his classes is reconnecting with friends in the class. It is always nice to see them. I’m sad that this is one of the last classes he will be teaching in Kansas. I’m going to have to remember to find reasons to see the other students occasionally.

I had thought about mowing Nicole’s yard for her this evening but we had a thunderstorm roll through around noon time and it looks too wet outside to mow. It is starting to sprinkle again although radar is showing the rain won’t last long.

It has been nice staying in Nicole’s house this time. Usually I stay in a hotel when I come for class. So much more comfortable in a house. Just wish Nicole was around so I could see her this trip. I’m going home tomorrow and she won’t be home until Monday.

I attempted to watch TV but couldn’t find anything worth watching. I do appreciate the music channel though.

I may go out to dinner with a friend tonight. I had lunch at Chipolte’s so I’m not hungry yet. I might stay in and appreciate the empty space and quiet. It feels like it has been a while since I had empty space to enjoy.

My high school holds an alumni banquet every year. Kathy and Keith were going to go together tonight. I can not believe it has been 46 years since I graduated high school. How can that be? I rarely go to the banquet. Just not my thing.

This class has affirmed the value of my 70 things to do before I turn 70 list. The list helps me clarify my values and vision for myself. I sit with the energy of one of the things on my list everyday and imagine it already happening. I have already crossed several things off the list.

Rainy day. New learnings. All is well!

I forgot to bring my iPad to KC with me. Hard to type on my phone.

Tagen spent the night last night. He woke up for a minute during the 3:00 am thunderstorm but was able to go back to sleep quickly. We had a fun quiet evening.

I got my trust papers signed this morning. He still needs to create one more document and that project will be done. Feels good to have that done.

I went to Costco and picked up a few things I needed. My cart was heavy as I got four cases of water.

I had a healing from my mentor. Always good to get confirmation I am on the right track for me new things are coming in for me when the timing is right.

Had lunch with a friend. I came to Nicole’s house to rest for a bit before class starts at 6:00 tonight. Almost need to turn the air on but it is to cool down tonight. I finally found both cats. They act like they have never seen me before. Silly cats!

City energy. Feels thick today. Missing my wide open space and I have only been here several hours.

I had trouble sleeping last night. I finally fell asleep around 6:00 this morning and slept until 9:00. I got up, put my gym clothes on and headed to Cottonwood Falls. There is a road construction project going on south of the railroad tracks in Strong City. After sitting in the line to get to Cottonwood Falls for 30 minutes I gave up and turned around and came back home. My heart beat was high enough I didn’t need to go to the gym! Ughhhh..

I was tired and cranky when I left the house and had no more patience to wait. I came home, took a shower and ate some breakfast. After I did my chores I went into Emporia to see my grandkids. I haven’t seen them for several weeks. They decided to come home with me for the day. Tim is at home with a hurting back. This will give him a chance to find an hour of two of silence and quiet. Michelle was able to go back to work today after being home earlier this week with some sort of virus.

The kids haven’t been out here for quite a while. They are having fun finding things to do. They haven’t even been on their iPad’s today. I don’t have a TV so they have had to get creative and find things to do. Right now they are playing with balloons. We are going to blow some bubbles in a bit.

Got the sheets all washed and the beds made up. I am going to wait to clean really good until mid-week next week. The friends I met on the Camino are coming in a week from tomorrow to spend the weekend with me. I’m so excited to see them. I need to finalize what I am going to fix them to eat and go grocery shopping sometime next week.

Michelle ask me to babysit next Wednesday and Thursday. The kids will get to help me clean house and do some prep cooking. I may be going back to KC Tuesday to help Nicole celebrate her birthday. I don’t usually do much for the kids birthday but this will be her first one since Chris died and I don’t want her to be alone that day. We went in together To buy a Costco membership and need to go to Costco together to get that finalized. She won’t be home this weekend while I am in KC.

Tagen wants to spend the night but Ellexia wants to go back into town. She is worried about her daddy and wants to help him feel better. He has a doctor’s appointment and she thinks she needs to hold his hand at the doctor’s office. There have been times I wished someone held my hand at a dotocr’s appointment. She is such a sweet, caring girl.

Feeling a bit tired today. Travel is good for my soul but it usually takes me a day or two to recover from the journey. Having the kiddos here today has helped me find new energy. We have had a lot of fun doing simple things.

Need to pack my bag as I need to be in KC by 11:00 tomorrow for an appointment with my attorney. I have a 1:00 appointment with someone else and then class starts at 6:00. I will be done with class Sunday afternoon.

My empty space will feel good again when I can find it again.

Kids playing. Sun shining. It is a beautiful day on the prairie!

Home sweet home! We arrived home around 11:30 this morning. It is so good to be home!

My house sitters took great care of the critters and my house. They even had mowed my front yard! I only need to do my laundry and I will be back to normal around here.

We had a glorious trip. Every placed we stayed was clean and quiet. The condo worked beautifully as we each had our own space.

I am tired of eating out. I need to go into Emporia and go to the grocery store so I can eat dinner at home tonight. I leave for KC Friday morning and will be gone until Sunday evening. I am going to a retreat my mentor is teaching. More eating out is in my future. Wish there had been more space between adventures but I didn’t get to choose dates.

It was a long drive home but it went smoothly. Bless Kathy’s heart she drove all the way to and from Santa Fe. I drove in New Mexico so Kathy could sight see but she drove the long way home. It was an uneventful trip home which is just what I wanted. My ass is tired from sitting so much. I may go to the gym this afternoon to stretch my tired body out. The soaker tub is calling to me to take a bath and relax.

I had two doctor bills waiting for me that I had already paid. I called both and got them fixed. Both offices had messed up and credited a different patient. What’s up with that?

I have a very quiet, relaxed mind this afternoon. It feels so good to sit in my corner chair and look out over the beautiful green prairie. It is good to be home.

The concert last night was pure magic! They were ever bit as good as they were several years ago when I saw them in Phoenix. They give me such hope for the future of our country. When several hundred people come together and chant peace and love it has to help the greater good of all. I love how they keep their egos out of the evening and end the night in silence. Gregg Braden and his wife were at the concert. I heard him say he got to attend as a civilian and not as a presenter tonight. He seemed to be very gracious with people who recognized him and went up to him.

We got up early this morning and were on the road a little after 7:00. After a Starbucks run we headed to Dodge City. We stopped somewhere for lunch and arrived in Dodge City a little before 4:00. We lost an hour on our drive today coming back into Kansas. We drove through some rain, a bit of ice, snow and sleet this morning but had clear to cloudy skies the rest of the day.

We came through Colorado this time. The mountains were beautiful. The tallest ones are still snow-covered.

We were all tired this evening and tired of sitting in a car. We will be glad to be home tomorrow. It has been a wonderful trip but it is time for it to end.

We had dinner at Applebee’s. It was the only chain we have eaten at this trip. Part of my boneless chicken wings were raw so they didn’t charge me for my meal. Thinking I like the Ma and Pa places better. Where ever we ate lunch was a little locally owned place and it was really good.

What a fun trip this has been. Zip lining was amazing. The concert was magic. Spending time with my cousin Pam was special.

Headed for home! There is no place like home!

A quieter and slower pace day in Santa Fe. We went to the Georgia O’Keeffe museum this morning. I can’t say that I was impressed. I love her flower pictures and abstracts and they didn’t have many of those. We walked around downtown for a bit and then returned to our condo. Parking in downtown Santa Fe is a challenge! Kathy walked to meet us and Laura and I took the car.

We all took naps when we returned to the condo and rested. We finally went out for a late lunch. The restaurant we ate at was in the mall so we walked around for a bit after we ate. I went to the nearby Sprouts Market and got a jar of Manuka honey. Kathy and Laura walked around the shops in the mall.

This evening is the concert. I attended one of their concerts several years ago in Phoenix but this is the first one Kathy and Laura have gone to. Deva Premal and Miten make beautiful music together. I love how they keep their egos out-of-the-way and allow their music to shine. I’m looking forward to the concert tonight.

It felt good to have a quiet day. I was getting tired of sitting in a car. We have a long drive ahead of us tomorrow and Wednesday and it felt good to stay out of the car most of the day.

The condo has worked really well. We each had our own bedroom and it has a comfortable living room to relax in. It hasn’t felt like we were trapped inside a small hotel room. We each could get some private space here.

There is a little park next door so we stopped and walked in it on the way home. We had a bird’s eye view of the city. Beautiful!

A few sprinkles today but the sun keeps returning. It is so nice and comfortable here if you stay out of the direct sun. The evenings are so cool they make good sleeping.

Nicole called today. I hadn’t talked to her for several days so it was good to hear from her. She is leaving Thursday for a motorcycle adventure. I am staying in her house next weekend as I will be in KC for a retreat. I’m sorry she will be out-of-town and I won’t get to see her. She gets home Monday and I am returning home Sunday evening.

I get home Wednesday and leave again Friday. Wish I could have spread out my adventures a bit but both were dictated by someone else setting the date for the thing I wanted to do. I bet by next Monday I will be glad to be home and stay home for a bit.

Every time I travel it reminds me I need to do it more often. I forget to go places. Our country is so beautiful and so varied. Lots of things to do and see. I learn something new about myself every time I travel. It also helps me fall in love with my house again! There is no place like home!

Another night of very little sleep. I got up a little after 7:15 and took my shower and got dressed. We left the condo and went to Starbuck’s for coffee. We headed out to Abiquiu so we could meet up with our cousin Pam.

We drove out to Ghost Ranch and then up to Echo Canyon. After Echo Canyon we went on North another 30 miles or so. We turned around and headed to El Rito for the best Mexican food anywhere. After we ate we took Pam back to her truck in Abiquiu and then headed back to Santa Fe.

The weather was perfect for sightseeing today. Bright blue skies and mid 70’s temp. The scenery is breathtaking. This is the only place I can find where I would move to. I love the wide open vistas with the mountains in the background. It is nice and cool in the evenings.

We are all exhausted this afternoon. Lots of miles again today but it was so fun and beautiful. Pam is so fun to be around. We laughed until I almost peed my pants.

Ready for a nap.

Tomorrow we are going to try to stay out of the car as much as possible. The concert is at 7:00 tomorrow night. Tuesday we will head for Dodge City and then home in Wednesday. It has been a fun adventure so far and more to come.

Kathy had me up at the butt crack of dawn this morning. We were eating breakfast by 7:30 and hit the road around 8:00. We went to Angel Fire Mountain Resort to go zip lining. The drive through the mountains was absolutely beautiful. The higher we climbed the colder it got. There is still traces of snow on the north side of the mountains. The air was crisp and clean when we arrived at Angel Fire.

After a rather long check in process we finally got to the ski lift and rode it up to the top of the mountain. We all managed to get on and off without falling.

Some young kids met us at the lift and took us to the zip lining area. They carefully strapped on all our safety gear. We were the first guests to ride the zip line this year other than the employees.

Laura and I went first. There is a double line so two people can go at the same time. We counted down to three but neither one of us went. Finally I kicked off and Laura followed me quickly. You sit down as if you are in a chair and hold on to the handles with your head leaning to the right. We flew over the tops of the trees. The line was 1,600 feet long. We got up to over 50 mph. It was over quick. The only fear I had was at the end as I couldn’t remember what they said about the landing and it felt like I was coming in too fast. The line hit the brake and I slowed down quick. The guys on the receiving end helped me come to an easy stop.

Kathy flew in after we were released from the lines. She yelled the whole way across. She has done lots of zip lining and knew what to expect.

They took us in an ATV back to the ski lift and we rode it down the mountain without incident. It was really cold at the top of the mountain. None of us had dressed to be out in 30 degree weather. But the sun was shining and our laughter warmed us up.

We had lunch at a local restaurant in Angel Fire and then drove into Santa Fe. We checked into our condo around 4:00. It is very nice and clean and will be a great place to hang out until Tuesday. It has three bathrooms and three bedrooms.

Tomorrow we are meeting my cousin in Abiquiu at 10:00. We are going to Ghost Ranch and doing some sight seeing up that way for the day. Pam knows the area well and is a great tour guide. Monday we will go to downtown Santa Fe which is a ten minute walk from our condo. The concert is Monday evening. Heading to Dodge City Tuesday and then home on Wednesday.

The ski resort turns into a mountain bike track during the summer months. There were lots of riders today. There was some sort of race this afternoon. The ski lift has several lift cars for the bikes. The trails are really muddy as they got fresh snow last week that is melting quickly. The riders were coated in dirt.

I drove most of the way today as Kathy wanted to take pictures. I have seen the scenery before and this is her first trip to New Mexico. I think she fell in love with it. We saw lots of antelope and deer in the pastures. We were hoping to see a moose but no luck for today at least. Maybe tomorrow!

This has been a super fun trip so far. We are tired tonight but guessing after we rest for a bit we will get back out and find dinner and a grocery store. Putting lots of miles on the car but have enjoyed the scenery so much. So good to get away for a bit. Grateful to my house sitters for allowing me to get away.

It is 70 degrees in Santa Fe this afternoon with bright blue skies. It cools down to the low 40’s at night and is to warm back up to the mid 70’s tomorrow.

Made it to Clayton, NM. We drove through lots of rain today. It is only 48 degrees outside right now. I did not bring cold weather clothes. May need to find a store and get some warm socks and a heavier jacket. The forecast is for sunny skies and warmer temperatures the next couple of days.

We stopped for breakfast at the Whistle Stop Cafe in Walton, KS. Kathy and I had discovered this place on my many trips to my foot doctor. They have wonderful home-cooked soul food. We had lunch at a burger stop somewhere. My body did not like me eating white flour though. I had a hamburger. I only ate half the bun and some onion rings. Not a good idea to have onion rings. We made a gas stop and a couple of potty stops too.

Glad we didn’t try to go all the way to Santa Fe today. I think the cloudy skies and rain made all of us tired today.

We had a big wind storm come through during the middle of the night last night at home. I had my bedroom window open a crack and the wind was strong enough to blow out the screen from my window. I thought a picture had blown off the wall. I got up and discovered the screen had blown out. I mopped up the water and then toured the house to make sure the rest of the windows were closed.

When I went back to bed I dreamed the chicken coop had received damage and I lost part of my flock. It was the weirdest dream as I remember telling myself it was only a dream and not real. Then I would go back to sleep and continue the dream. Not sure what universe I was in for a while last night. I seemed to have been in two different ones at the same time. I don’t often remember my dreams but this one is still vivid in my mind.

I was relieved when I went down to the chicken coop this morning to find all was well. Their straw had gotten wet but no damage had been done.

Laura had gotten to my house before the storm blew through yesterday afternoon. I about peed my pants when one of the thunders went off. It was very loud and the Lightning was sharp and close. The wind blew hard for a bit but no damage was done that I am aware of. Grateful I escaped the tornado stuff that was dancing around me.

Tomorrow we will drive into Santa Fe. We can’t check in until 4:00 so may do some sightseeing in Santa Fe o

I was at the gym by 7:35 this morning. Increased the weights on most of the machines again. Getting stronger each time I go. No one else was in the gym. They fixed the radio and when I first walked in the DJ was having a conversation with a lady about weight lifting. I thought there was some one else in the gym talking for a bit until I figured out it was the radio.

I drove into Emporia after my shower and breakfast to get more dog food and chicken feed. I went to Bluestem for chicken feed and while there I remembered to get a wrench so I could take the nut off the bolt on my mower so I can clean around the gears. One the workers ask me if he could help me. I told him the 7/16 was too big so I needed the next size smaller. He said they don’t make a 6/16 so I would need a 5/16. He handed it to me and left. That didn’t make sense to me so I looked myself. They make a 3/8 size! Thinking he needs to go back to school and take a math fraction class.

So when I got home I tried both the 3/8 and the 5/16 and they are both too small. What size goes in between 7/16 and 3/8? I used the crescent wrench to get the other side off but this one is too tight and I need better leverage.

Making my list and checking it twice for my trip tomorrow. I am doing laundry and then I need to pack. I had to make sure my critters have what they need before I could pack myself.

My friend that is traveling with us is coming this evening for dinner and she will spend the night here. We will get gone sometime tomorrow morning. We are only driving to Clayton, NM tomorrow which is a six and one half hour drive. No rush to get there. Saturday we will drive into Santa Fe where we will stay until Tuesday morning.

Sounds like I may get some weather this evening. It feels thick outside today and the clouds are starting to build. I am going to have Kathy and my friend park their cars in the big barn for the night in case we get hail.

Nicole had to fly to Dallas yesterday morning for work and she flew back yesterday afternoon. Both flights had been delayed so she had a long day. She was ready to get home and take her shoes off and have a beer. Her landlord was to come by and finish fixing her dishwasher. Next week someone is coming to fix her A/C as it isn’t working. Nice she can call her landlord and he has to pay to have those repairs done.

I managed to get Roxy’s pill down her today. She spit it out three times before she finally took it. She seems to be doing OK running free. I see her napping more than normal which is good.

I need to finish cleaning my house and then I need to pack and I will be ready to go tomorrow. So looking forward to getting away for a few days. I forget to go places sometimes. I haven’t really taken a vacation since I took Tagen to New York last summer.

Storms are brewing. Bags are being packed. Critters food supply is stocked. All is well on the prairie today.

Wow! The wind is really really really in a hurry today. I was out mowing for a couple of hours and had to come in to get out of the wind for a bit. It blew one of my deck chairs to the far north corner of the deck last night. Not sure if I can get all the grass that has blown into my hair, ears and eyes out. I ate a grass salad while I was mowing.

I got about an inch of rain last night. There was quite a lightning show during the night. Grateful I was spared the tornado activity. No damage that I have noticed around here.

Legend had not run off since I brought Roxy home and put her in the garage pen. Neither one were happy with me for penning Roxy up. While I was mowing this morning Legend helped Roxy break out of the pen. They stayed out of my sight while I was in the yard mowing. When I came through the garage after I was done with my mowing I noticed her pen had been broken into and Roxy was missing.

Down by my chicken coop is where I used to have a garden. It has some tall grass on the west end of it. I saw Legend out there but didn’t see Roxy. I fixed the chickens their greens and headed that way. Roxy was curled up and keeping her head down so I wouldn’t see her. Unfortunately for Roxy Legend was standing over her licking her which gave away her hiding spot.

I admit defeat and will allow Roxy to stay out of the pen. I think she will heal faster being with her best friend. Trusting he will let her rest and will not hump her any more.

I had lots of straw from inside the chicken coop outside in the chicken yard today. I have been leaving their little door open at night. Guessing the winds were strong enough last night to make the straw circle around inside their pen and fly out the little door. Their coop has two windows and both are opened. The windows have screens on them though. The board I use as the chicken ramp from their little door to the yard had blown down to the fence. The chickens didn’t seem to mind as I picked up 13 eggs this morning before noon. That is more than I usually get this early in the day.

Got three bedrooms cleaned this morning before I went out to mow. Just need to do the main living area and kitchen and my house will be ready for my house sitters. With this wind it seems pointless to dust. I told someone the other day next time I buy new furniture I need to get dust-colored end tables so no one notices if they are covered in dust.

Sat up for over an hour during the middle of the night watching the storm. I love watching them roll in and I enjoy watching the lightning unless it is really close. I could tell last night I wasn’t in danger. Such power in Mother Nature.

May go into town this afternoon to get one more sack of dog food and a bag of chicken feed. I’m pretty sure I have enough to last until next Wednesday but I don’t like to run short. I can’t ask my house sitters to have to go to town to restock if I run out.

My mentor had a glitch in his on-line class yesterday and only one person got in to see it. He is going to do a repeat class next Tuesday. We will be driving home that day but if we time it right we might be able to watch it if we can find some place with Internet on the road. He will tape it and we can listening to it that way if needed. I was glad to hear the glitch was on his end and not mine. I never know for sure what I am doing with technology stuff and usually assume I am the one doing something wrong.

Windy day on the prairie today. Roxy is with her buddy. House is almost clean. All is well!

Another hard night to find sleep for me. Finally fell asleep around daybreak so slept later than normal. When I got up I got dressed in my gym clothes and went to do my workout. I did two circuits with 10 reps on each machine. It feels good to get my workout done first thing in the morning so it is over with.

After my shower and breakfast I went into Emporia to pick up Roxy. She looks good but is pretty pissed at me that I put her in the garage pen. Legend is even more pissed. The Vet recommended I pen her for two to four days depending on how she does. I will be lucky to keep her in the pen for two days. She and Legend had rearranged her pen’s fence panels trying to get her out so they can be together.

Got the laundry room cleaned. I like to hand mop that floor when I clean it as the cats make a mess with their litter. It had been too long since I cleaned it and their box really smelled. The cats are spending most of their time outside now. Maybe this summer I will figure out a way to feed them outside and they can stay outside all the time. The dogs carry away their feed bowls. I had spilled some chicken feed in the garage and Star cleaned it up for me.

I have a class I am taking through the Internet this afternoon at three. My mentor is going to be teaching a monthly class for the next twelve months. He is taping it so I can watch it again if I want to. I always enjoy his material and it helps keep me focused and grounded.

Another windy day on the prairie. Sure feels like it might blow in a storm later. There is a haze on the distant horizon today.

Kathy grilled again last night. I wasn’t hungry but I did eat some of the pineapple she grilled. It was so good! I had some left overs of the pineapple for lunch today.

Hoping to get two bedrooms and two bathrooms cleaned this afternoon. I have house sitters coming Friday to cover the chores while I am in New Mexico. I want to make sure my house is clean and ready for them. I so appreciate them coming. They take really good care of my critters.

When I picked up eggs yesterday there was an egg just slightly bigger than a quarter in the nesting box. I broke it open and it had a clear colored yolk. When chickens lay their first couple of eggs the eggs can be small like that but I haven’t seen that before from more mature chickens. Even the first eggs have yellow yolks. Must have been a quirk of nature.

I rode my stationary bike for 48 minutes yesterday. The back of my shirt was wet when I was done. I never used to sweat and it surprises me when I do now. The house got up to 85 yesterday afternoon but cooled down nicely last night. I won’t turn the A/C on until it stays warmer at night.

Starting to have more energy since I have started working out. I am almost five months without sugar and two weeks without white flour. I am liking what those two changes plus working out is doing to my body. I don’t like sitting in my chair as much as I used to. I want to be up moving my body much more of the time which is a very good thing. Movement is my word for the year and it is proving to have been a good choice for me.

Windy day. Blue skies. Roxy is home. All is well on the prairie.

Took Roxy to the Vet this morning to get fixed. I took her outside on her leash before I went into town so she could use the bathroom. Big mistake! Legend was around and Mother Nature called him to her. They did their thing while she was on her leash. I bruised my fingers trying to keep hold of the leash and to keep one of them from breaking a leg with the leash. Grateful I won’t have to go through this again. Wonder what it says about me when my dogs get more action than I do?

Star is still not showing signs of being in heat. I would like her to have a litter of puppies but not during her first heat. She is too young to have puppies yet. She won’t be a year old until October. Trusting I can get her isolated soon enough to prevent a pregnancy during her first heat.

After I got home from Emporia this morning I cleaned my bedroom and bathroom. I found way too much dirt which tells me it has been too long since I detail cleaned it. I washed woodwork and moved the bed so I could clean under it. I even got the last bits of paint splatters cleaned up. It only took me three and one half years to get those cleaned up.

Not sure I am going to do more cleaning today. I want to go over the whole house before I leave Friday but with the windows open the dust blows in and by Friday I’m not sure you could tell I cleaned this week. I do want to get the laundry room cleaned either today or tomorrow as I want to change the litter box and trash goes to the curb tomorrow night.

As I was cleaning up the paint splatters I realized I have changed something internally. I used to be a really good procrastinator and would put little things off forever. For some reason I am not doing that right now. I have a quiet sense of urgency to get things done right now. Not sure why the change happened but I’ll ride it out and see where it goes. Maybe it is a reaction to Chris’s death and having a better understanding that tomorrow isn’t promised to me.

I have also noticed making a to-do list feels uncomfortable to me. If I see something that needs done I just do it and not put it on a list to do later. It only hits my list if it is something I can’t do right now. I used to love making lists and crossing things off. Not so much now.

If it isn’t raining I need to mow Thursday before I leave on Friday. I’ll see what the weather does. It might not get done. Too soon to mow today or I would do it now.

My floors took a long time to dry today. The humidity level must be climbing. It is going to be in the high 80’s today. There is a gentle breeze today and right now the house doesn’t feel too hot. Way to early to turn the A/C on.

Kathy grilled chicken breasts and veggies last night for dinner. It was so good! She had marinated the chicken in an Italian dressing she had made. I could eat that meal everyday of the week.

Still sitting with the idea of going to the Fiji Islands for three months the first of next year. It still feels like it is the right thing for me to do. The conditions are a bit rustic but I think that would be good for me. They do have a resort a bus ride away from where I will be staying and it is my understanding that most of the volunteers go stay at the resort one night a week on the weekends. You can take a hot shower, sleep in a comfortable bed and eat really good food at least once a week that way. That makes it feel more doable to me.

A friend of mine is walking a 1,000 mile Camino right now. She just started walking yesterday. Her posts are bringing back some wonderful memories of my walk. I’m jealous of her right now but don’t think I am being called to walk it again. Just craving an adventure and Fiji sounds like it would be an adventure of a different sort. Wish I didn’t have to wait until January to go.

Getting excited about my trip to New Mexico. I got hold of my cousin yesterday and we are going to hook up sometime during the weekend. It is always fun to spend time with her and her husband.

Grateful for another beautiful day on the prairie. All is well!

Remembered to go to the gym this morning. I went before I took my shower. Easier to get it done that way although I am not usually a very good morning workout person. I am up to 25, 30 or 40 pounds on the various machines. Gradually moving on up! I did two circuits today with 10 reps on each machine. Getting closer to calling the trainer and getting more serious about my workouts. I was the only one in the gym this morning.

The wind is in a hurry again today. I need to spray my hemlock patch and burn what I cut down but way too windy for that today. Hoping I can get it done before I leave for New Mexico Friday.

I put Star’s collar on Roxy this morning so I can leash Roxy when I take her to the Vet tomorrow. You would have though I was killing Star when I was taking off her collar. Legend tried to help me put the collar on Roxy. What a circus! Roxy manages to get her collar off every time I put one on her. Kathy got Roxy put in the pen this morning so I can find Roxy in the morning. She can’t have anything to eat or drink after 10:00 tonight and that is the only way I can feed the others but not Roxy. I’ll have to remember to set my alarm tonight as I have to have Roxy to the vet by 8:30 tomorrow.

I made egg salad for lunch. I have lots of extra eggs right now so decided to use a dozen up. They are at room temperature and they peeled really easy today. I had some Triscuit crackers I ate with it. Trying to avoid white flour. I sure like Ritz crackers better.

We are going to grill chicken and veggies for dinner. May have to put the grill in the garage as windy as it is.

Need to check the feed supply for all the critters and make sure I have enough to get through next weekend since I will be gone. I do a better job of feeding them most times then I do myself. Wish I could eat the same thing all the time and be OK with it like they do. Sure would make grocery shopping easier.

I added a retreat to my schedule. It is being held June 16 – 18. Willow Leenders is the co-host. Willow is bringing two of her friends to present the retreat. Daisy Lee is a Qi Gong Master and Terri Nash is a veteran home birth midwife and a long time student of Tibetan Medicine. The retreat is called Half the Sky – Women’s Healing Empowerment. They will be using gentle Qi Gong exercises, mediation, music and laughter to weave a nourishing and supportive circle for deep inner well being. Details available on my website which is: www.starrynightontheprairie.com

I’m sure adding the retreat to my website will be the hardest part of this retreat. Not a good day for me to do technology stuff. Struggled to make things work today. Oh well, that part is done and now the fun can begin. It will be a powerful retreat! Hope you can come!

I am cranky this afternoon. Thinking I need to go out for a walk and let the wind blow some of this crankiness away. Either that or a nap. I need to put myself into time out for a bit.

Windy day. Bright blue skies. Summer is coming soon. All is well on the prairie except for a cranky Kay!

Another beautiful spring day. Went out and finished my mowing. Kathy did the weed eating again. I planted my two lilac bushes in my front flower bed. Trusting the critters won’t eat them.

I sent an application to the Fiji mission project. A lady called me today. It sounds interesting. The school closes during December so I would have to wait until January to go. If I stay under 12 weeks the Visa is reasonably priced. If I stay longer, it gets expensive.

I read some of the reviews about their program. Cold showers, if they have water available, and very limited if any internet is the most common complaint along with bugs of all sorts. Trying to decide if I can handle tropical summer heat with no air and limited electricity. It is in a rural area so no luxuries of any sort. Meat and fruit are considered a luxury. You take your own linens and from what I read sleep 12 people per room on a very thin mattress. Hmmmm.. I wanted something out of my comfort zone!

I was told women are asked to wear a long skirt and our shoulders must be covered during the time we are with the children at the school. Although English is considered the official language of Fiji it is often times the second or third language children learn. The class size is about 150 kids and there is only one paid teacher. Volunteers may end up with 20 or more children by themselves.

Travel insurance is a requirement as the local medical care is very limited. They fly patients to New Zealand for anything very serious. I asked what happens if I can’t handle it and want to come home. There is no binding contract I have to sign but they don’t refund the unused portion of the program fees. If I have to leave due to a medical emergency either for me or someone back home then the travel insurance covers the unused portion of the fees.

Now the question is can I picture myself doing this for 12 weeks? Long enough period of time that I will hit the wall several times and have to dig deep inside to climb over it. No rush to commit and I want to check out a few other programs to see what else is out there. For some reason this one feels right but I don’t want to act too quickly.

There is a 17 hour time difference between Fiji and Kansas. It is tomorrow there already!

Certainly exciting to think about the possibilities! I have been craving an adventure and this certainly sounds like an adventure. I have been attempting to become more conscious of my life choices and am thinking this will take that to a whole new level. I will sit with this and see where it leads – or not.

Got hold of my attorney and he answered the questions I had about the paper work he drew up. He needs to make a few revisions and then it will be ready to sign. I need to call Monday and make an appointment to go see him to sign the documents. It will be good to have this taken care of.

Roxy goes to the Vet Monday to get fixed. I noticed yesterday she has come into heat and I don’t want her to have another litter of puppies. Not sure she can safely deliver them herself and her C-section was expensive. I keep watching Star for signs of her first heat as I need to put her in a pen to keep her from getting pregnant. She is seven months old so it may happen anytime now.

We had a fun time at Keith’s retirement party last night. It was a beautiful evening to be outside. Abrahm showed me his chickens and ducks. Afterwards we stopped to see Chad and Jill at their bar. It was a nice evening.

I need to go to Matfield this afternoon for a funeral for the mother of a friend of mine. It is a beautiful day for a drive.

All is well on the beautiful prairie today.

I fell into the muck pond yesterday afternoon. Not sure what happened but man I took a hard fall. I had a really bad night last night. I didn’t fall asleep until daybreak this morning. Whatever caused me to fall into the muck pond is gone today as I am back to myself. Sure wished I knew what causes me to fall into the muck pond.

After I got up this morning I went out and finished my mowing. It is a beautiful day to be outside as it is in the 70’s and there are bright blue skies and lots of sunshine today. Saw a baby bunny, a turtle, two baby birds and two critters they looked like small rats but they didn’t have a tail that I could see. I have lots of wild flowers blooming right now. I tried to mow around them as they are so pretty I didn’t want to mow them down. My yard looks a bit like a drunk was mowing it though.

Still need to go to the gym this afternoon and get a workout in. This evening Kathy and I are going to a dinner to celebrate our baby brother’s retirement from Westar. It is a beautiful day to have a party.

Set up a system so I can start recycling my trash. I am using cat litter containers to put the recycling goods in. They fit under a shelf in my pantry. I wrote on each what goes in it. They are easy to open and pull out to put stuff in. I have some totes in the garage that I will dump them in when they get full. Now I need to figure out where to take the stuff to when the totes are full. I had to dump the first full litter container last night. I’m a little late to the recycling program but guess it is good that I am finally getting there. Who knew the cat litter containers would come in so handy.

Found a volunteer opportunity for this winter in the Fiji Islands. I can choose how long I want to stay. Three months this winter in Fiji sounds like a great idea. Has anyone ever been there? Would love to hear about it if so. Going to Australia and New Zealand is on my 70 things to do list. Fiji is pretty close so I’m sure some side trips could happen. Love the possibility of it at this point. I will keep looking but this one feels good.

A week from today I leave for my New Mexico trip. It will be good to get away for a couple of days. It has been too long since I took a vacation. I need to make a list of the things I need to get done before I leave. I have a family that is going to come house sit for me while we are gone. So grateful for them! They have one of Roxy’s puppies. I bet their puppy and Kathy’s puppy have fun together.

Birds are singing. Dogs are napping. Chickens are crowing. Cats are hiding from the dogs. It is a beautiful day on the prairie today. All is well!

Made it to the gym yesterday. I did two circuits with 10 reps each at 20 pounds on each machine. I am a bit sore in the arms today but not bad. Just enough I know I worked out but I am able to do what I need to do without pain.

I mowed half the yard last night. I ran out of gas and daylight. Doesn’t look like I will get to mow today as rain is coming in. It was a bit slick in places last night when I was mowing.

I went into Emporia this morning to get gas, chicken feed and a few groceries. I didn’t do a good job with groceries though as I got things I was out of but didn’t get things to fix food for the weekend. I wasn’t hungry and nothing sounded good.

Nothing on my schedule the rest of the day. I do want to ride my stationary bike for an hour but am totally free other than that. I need to get my two lilac bushes planted but the weather isn’t right for that today.

Nicole called this morning. She had left work early as she barely has a voice. She has a very sore throat and is tired. Trusting she isn’t getting the crap I had earlier.

Fed my chickens their noon greens early again today as the rain is moving in. I picked up 10 eggs. I have seven dozen eggs extra right now so if anyone needs some let me know. $3 a dozen.

When I was up during the night I enjoyed the light of the full moon. It was too cloudy in the east to see it rise last night. I love watching the full moon rise. One of my favorite things to do on the prairie.

Quiet day on the prairie today. Cloudy, cool and rainy. All the critters are fed, warm and dry. Nothing pressing to do. Good day to read and rest. All is well!

Rain has arrived on the prairie. From the looks of radar the rain is going to hang around for a bit. I had thought about mowing today but guess that is going to wait for another day. I was also going to plant my two lilac bushes today but that is going to have to wait too. Grateful I didn’t have to drive in the rain yesterday on my adventure.

Had a power surge and lost Internet for a moment. Luckily I was able to reset my router and it came back up. So thankful I finally figured out I needed a power surge strip to plug my router and Sonos bridge into.

Grateful I did the chicken chores early today. I usually don’t take them their noon greens until around 1:00. I took them down around 11:00 this morning. I had gone out to the garage and noticed their feed container that needed carried down to the pen. I went ahead and fixed their greens and carried all down to them. Picked up eight warm eggs while I was down there.

Craig brought out some egg cartons and a sack of dog food for my Mother’s Day present. Wonder how many mothers can say they got a sack of dog food for their gift this year? It is useful! I know I am hard to buy for as I don’t like stuff anymore. I always appreciate something I can use. Thanks Craig!

I need to figure out what my plans are for Mother’s Day. I forgot it was coming up. I don’t like holidays like this one. Feels like a mix bag to me and it is way to commercialized for me. I’ll have to check with the kids and see if anyone wants to do something.

Sarah, one of my two guides on my first trip to see John of a God, has created a program called Free the She. As part of it she does a Facebook live event where you can ask questions to her. She is one of the better energy readers I know. Today I asked her about my energy and her response felt right on. Now to figure out how to do what she recommended I do. Guess if I knew how to do it I would have already have done it as I knew what she was going to say. She confirmed my need and maybe now I can allow the right person to come forward to help me.

There was a baby calf in my backyard this morning. Kathy watched the dogs guide it back into the pasture where it belongs. I’ll need to call my neighbor and let him know. Not sure how it got out but I am impressed with my dogs. They are good for something.

I haven’t made it to the gym yet today. I was going to go this morning until Craig called and wanted to come out for a bit. Maybe I will brave the rain and go soon. Now that I have the right shoes I have no excuses not to go.

Another day of empty space. I’m on the edge of not being comfortable with the empty space today. I am going to do some energy work on myself and see if I can slide back over to the comfortable side of being with it. This feels like my stuff today and not universe stuff but not sure I can tell the difference. I’m thinking what Sarah said stirred up some of my own stuff and sitting with it is making me feel uncomfortable. It feels important to me that I allow this to be what it is and learn how to be with it until it passes. This too shall pass!

Rainy day. Empty day. I need to empty out before I can refill myself. All is well on the prairie today even if I don’t like it.

I went to a birthday brunch for a friend this morning. We had breakfast at the Saddlerock Cafe in Council Grove. It is fun to eat with a group of friends. While I was in Council Grove I stopped at a store and noticed they were selling lilac bushes so I got two of them. I had been looking for some and this is the first time I found them.

Afterwards I drove to Manhattan. I bought some gym tennis shoes, an outfit for Santa Fe, and some Capri pants. Then I went to visit with two dear friends for the afternoon. I didn’t get home until almost 8:00.

It was good for me to get out of the house and visit with friends today. I forget to get out and do that sometimes. It is good for my soul to spend time with others. I get in my comfort box at home and forget to go out.

The house feels warm tonight. It is to cool down tomorrow and stay cooler for the next several days. No breeze tonight to bring in cooler air. It is cooler outside than inside tonight. I walked down to gather the last three eggs of the day and give the chickens feed and water and to take the trash down to the curb and noticed how cool it is.

I got the information back from my attorney today so I will need to review it tomorrow and get it back to him if there are any corrections or changes. He needs me to come to his office to sign papers after we get everything correct so I will get a visit scheduled. I’m not sure if he can wait until the end of the month when I have to go to KC for a class. If not I’ll have to make a special trip up to see him. I’m glad to be getting this project completed.

I haven’t made it to the gym yet so it will be on my must do list for tomorrow. Not sure if I will ride the bike tonight or not. I am hot and tired right now. Maybe if I can get cooled down I will ride it and read for an hour.

The dogs are MIA this evening. They must be out doing their final check of the day. I sure don’t like it when they are gone. Wish I could afford to fence in most of my property so they stay home.

I got names of two more people to talk to about doing a long-term, international volunteer mission project today. Trusting one of them can help me get connected to the right project for me. I’m still looking at the Peace Corps – just not sure I want to commit for two years.

Beautiful moon tonight. Beautiful sunset. All is well on the prairie tonight.

Not much sleep again last night. I finally fell asleep around 6:00 this morning. Makes for a long night when I have nights like that.

Went into Emporia for groceries late morning. I forgot to put on my list shoes for the gym so forgot to get those. I did get a small propane grill so we can start grilling our dinner outside and not have to turn the oven on. Kathy volunteered to put it together for us.

I didn’t make it to the gym last night but I did ride my stationary bike for 36 minutes. My plan is to go to the gym this afternoon and do a circuit of the machines. I want to start riding my stationary bike at home daily again. It does help give me more endurance when I am out and about living my life. Not sure I will build back up to the three hours a day I was doing before the Camino.

It is another summer like day. The wind has returned blowing hot air around. It is to reach at least 85 today outside. Thunderstorms are forecast for Wednesday and Thursday. That will help cool things back down a bit.

The coconut milk ice cream is OK. I had a small bite after dinner last night. It is just sweet enough to satisfy. I can’t eat much of it at a time though as it is way too rich. You do have to like coconut to like it. Next time I think I will add some half and half to cut it a bit.

I need to put on my shopping list an outfit to wear to the concert I am going to in Santa Fe. All I have in my wardrobe is jeans and walking pants. I rarely dress up to go anywhere these days. Not my thing any more. The one skirt I do have is too big for me now.

Still looking for a service mission project to go on. Have a couple that sound interesting but nothing that has grabbed me and said this is the one. I would love to find a local volunteer project to do too. I’ll keep looking as I’m sure the right thing will find me sooner or later.

Empty space today. Bright blue skies. It is a beautiful day on the prairie.

OH my goodness. We have a taste of summer today. 85 degrees outside today. There is enough of a breeze the house doesn’t feel too hot inside as long as I am not doing much. Way too early to turn the air on.

I finished chopping down the weeds in the garden patch. We have decided it is hemlock. After the chopped weeds dry out I am going to burn them and then I am going to treat the roots so it doesn’t come back. I need to find some one that can come Roto tiller it so I can get the dirt worked up.

I took a nap this afternoon. I didn’t sleep again last night and felt tired today. I will take sleep when ever I can find it these days.

My plan is to go to the gym a bit later today. Kathy went this morning but I wasn’t in the mood to go when she went. I’m not sore today from my yard work yesterday and Friday. I was sore yesterday so I’m glad I’m not sore today. I thought I was getting a blister on my thumb from using the loppers but it seems to have gone away.

Finally remembered to mix up the coconut milk ice cream. It is in the freezer now and I am to whip it every hour until it gets solid. I made a mess using my food processor to mix it in. We lost a part to my blender so didn’t have that option to mix it in. I have been craving ice cream so hoping this will hit the spot. It doesn’t have sugar in it.

Need to go to town and get some groceries once I decide what sounds good to eat. When it gets hot it is hard to think about cooking. May need to get a grill so I can grill meat and veggies outside. A grilled hamburger sounds good. I also need to get a pair of shoes that I will only wear when I am at the gym.

I haven’t gotten my chicken coop cleaned out yet today. I still plan on doing that when I get back from working out. The farmer I buy straw from hasn’t delivered the new straw yet but I have enough left to get the coop done at least one more time if not two.

Lazy day today. Another quiet mind type of day. I feel my body slowing down to its summer pace. I lose energy in the summer due to the heat. I function best between 60 and 75 degrees. Once it hits the 80’s I start slowing down and if it is over 90 I almost come to a stop.

Bright blue skies. Lots of warm sunshine. Birds are singing. Chickens are crowing. Dogs are napping. It is a beautiful day on the prairie.

A friend came for the day. We met four others at Ad Astra for lunch together and then she came to my house for the afternoon. It is always a fun day when you spend it with a friend and have the time to have a good conversation.

I worked at cutting some more weeds down this morning. I was a bit sore and thought it might help work the soreness out. It must have worked as I forgot I was sore this afternoon. I haven’t made it to the gym yet today and doubt I will go. I didn’t sleep much at all last night and am very tired. If I do anything I will ride my stationary bike at my house for 30 minutes.

It sure warmed up today. Lots of blue skies and sunshine. The house is over 80 degrees inside this afternoon. Not sure I am ready for heat just yet but I will take it over the damp and cold we had last weekend. The dogs look over heated already. They do not like the heat.

Another free week coming up for me full of empty space. No excuses built into my week to keep me from going to the gym.

I have a quiet mind this evening. Probably from being so tired I can’t hold a thought in my head for long. Trusting tonight is the night I finally sleep longer than one hour at a time.

Kathy and I joined the gym yesterday. We went back in the afternoon and did our first work out. I put the weights on each machine at 10 pounds to start and did most of the machines just enough to figure out how to use them. I can’t figure out a couple of them. Kathy looked like a pro working out. Me – not so much!

I went back this morning and did 20 minutes on a bike and then did one round at each machine I know how to work with 10 reps each. I wasn’t sore this morning so I increased the weight to 15 pounds on each machine. I do not like to get so sore I cry when I have to sit on the toilet because it hurts so bad. A little soreness to tell me I have moved my body I can handle. Starting very slowly and I’ll see where I go from here.

On the way home I stopped at the hardware store and got a pair of loppers. I had some dead branches on my peach tree I needed to cut off. I have a big stand of some sort of tubular plant growing where my garden used to be. The plants are over my head they are so tall. I didn’t get them all cut down but got a good start. After I get them all cut down I am going to pour some vinegar on them to see if I can kill them off. I also got my yard all mowed. After being outside for almost four hours I decided I better stop. I came in and took a shower and then went to Ad Astra for a hamburger. If I had known I was going to do all of that yard work I probably wouldn’t have gone to work out today. I got enough of a workout doing yard work.

It sure feels good to be moving my body! Trusting I didn’t overdo today and I won’t be sore tomorrow. I have a friend coming for the day tomorrow so won’t get to work out at the gym or in the yard.

Today is one of those perfect spring days in Kansas. Mid 70’s and NO wind! They don’t come any nicer than today is. It was a perfect day to get my yard work done. It is to be clear tonight and there is a meteor shower. If I don’t sleep tonight I need to remember to go out and see if I can see some meteors. Tomorrow and Sunday are to be more of the same type of perfect weather.

Sunday I need to remember to clean out my chicken coop and give the girls some fresh linen. I remembered this morning to contact the person I buy my straw from and arrange for some more to be delivered. I am almost out.

Feeling caught up on things that need done around here. That feeling usually doesn’t last very long but feels good for a bit. I don’t have anything on my to-do list right now. I’m sure if I think hard enough I could come up with something to put on it but I think I will sit and enjoy the empty space instead.

Two weeks from today Kathy and I plus a friend of mine are heading out to Santa Fe for a couple of days to go to a concert. I love New Mexico and am looking forward to getting away for a few days. The following weekend my mentor will be in KC and I am going to a workshop he is conducting. The weekend after that my friends from the Camino are coming for the weekend. Three busy but fun-filled weekends ahead of me! Looking forward to all three.

Yard work done. Work out done. Time to enjoy my empty space. It is a beautiful day on the prairie today. All is well!