You Gotta Go Through it

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Oh beloveds! It has been way too long!! I have missed you. Where were we? Since we’ve chatted, I married off a son, gained a daughter-in-law, sent another one off to University and survived a week of extroverted activities. The old house officially sold, we entered high school and struggled with some very early morning catch- the- school- bus- or- else dramas. And then, of course, I promptly got sick. That was short-lived, though. So many things have happened, the weeks have been a blur of days, one on top of the other, piled so high that it feels like I have trudged through a mound of apple pie filling. (I don’t know, I felt like I needed some turning of fall reference. Long live pumpkin spice everything!)

Yet, here we are!! I guess I am not a very good blogger. True social media influencers would have documented all of the above, with flair. Sorry, you get me and my little piece of the internet. I’m hoping you still feel me. I am sure I am not alone in these crazy seasons of life where you just feel like it’s a bowl of chocolate pudding. Have you been there, my friend? I hear ya. Shout out to the tired momma of little ones. Shout out to the worried mom of teenagers. Hats off to the grandparents who juggle their own mortality with the lives of their adult children and the prayers for the next generation. It’s hard. Really hard.

Many moons ago, I wrote about a similar season (check it out here). I was reminded then, as I am now, that everyone needs a break now and then. What I didn’t know then was Covid was about to hit, my kids would grow and grow up, my home would be sold, and I would leave everything I know for a new adventure. Oh beloveds, I don’t even know how to express it on paper. The emotional rollercoaster of life. And I really have no excuse to complain. Many, oh so many others have struggled much deeper than I through life. We have been blessed in abundance. I count those blessings often. Sometimes you just gotta get it out though. So… I am back with this week’s musings after a short hiatus to gather content. 😉

I read something somewhere about these “recoup” moments and they referenced Elijah in 1st Kings. His enemies surrounded him, he’d been trying hard to live for God, doing good work, but life and the world seemed to be closing in on him like a thick coating of toffee on an old fashioned Christmas pudding. So what did he do? He took a nap. Had a snack. Had one more snack for good measure, and then he was ready for the next long journey ahead. He walked in the wilderness and had a quiet moment alone with God. We are allowed moments of refreshment, by God’s design. I’m comforted to know that God’s got our backs in these seasons of busyness. He knows that sometimes we just need a nap and a snack and a quiet moment with Jesus. I’m here for it. And for some reason, I’m craving a good sticky pudding…

Blessings to you!

It’s All in the Details…

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My goodness! Where has the time gone?! With a family vacation, and an upcoming wedding, and moving in and adjusting to “all the new” it’s a good thing I am currently unemployed… there’s been no time to work! Some days I feel like I have been juggling a thousand things but none have been accomplished. It can be frustrating. How does one manage it all without getting stressed? As I age, I have been learning to write all the details down. Anyone else? Often, it’s all in the details… and so the muse for the week.

Despite the busyness, I have noticed how many little things are ever-so-present in life. One of the big ones out here in the country are the insects! We are fighting the wasps and house flies constantly. The hubby is repeatedly complaining about the mosquitoes. Seriously. All. The. Time. Mosquitos. We also have a resident spider on the front porch which has been a unique source of entertainment. She lives in our Yucca plant and is huge.

Our Reminder of “the little things”

We think she’s a she because she is big and bold. Apparently, these common yellow garden spiders are also known as zipper spiders because they have these thick zipper patterns at the base of their webs. (You can’t see it in my bad photo but it’s there!) I have had the unique opportunity to watch her capture and devour several prey… including one of those pesky wasps! Fascinating. Even if you are not a fan of spiders… one must appreciate their ability to paralyze their prey and wrap them for later use – a process that takes about 30 seconds flat. I wish my grocery shopping was that quick. Like I said: detailed.

I’ve also had the pleasure of being attacked by several plant species in our brush. One must respect a creature who cannot move and yet is able to defend itself with thorns, stinging nettles or “share” their wealth with sticky little burrs. Nature is cool. God is super creative and thought of every little detail.

My sweater after a little walk outside… tiny details!

And so I muse. Not only about the tiniest of details I see around me, but about what kind of little things am I doing to enrich the world I live in? Some of ya’ll are good at those little details… the party has just the right amount of fine details to make it perfect: a place card, a flower vase, a touch of this or that. That cute garden gnome tucked in among the wildflowers. A painted rock with inspiration left on the beach during lockdown. An encouraging note for someone who needs it. A never ending prayer list of names and their individual needs.

You and I both know how important the fine details are. Sometimes they are absolutely needed… like in a recipe or pattern. If the details are lost, your final product just won’t turn out right. Your efforts will be in vain. Other times the details make things just a bit nicer. A dab of whipped cream. A scented candle. Little things just because you care. Other times being aware of the little things save you from trouble. Topping up on fuel – or bug spray, makes all the difference!

Have you tapped in to all the richness of the fine details God has blessed us with lately? Do we take the time to add them in to our plans or are we too busy to care? Would they make your life easier? Would they enrich someone else’s soul? Trust me, it takes effort. Disciplines often do. Yet, I think God gave us nature’s little quirks to remind us that He’s all about the details. And we should be too. I’ll miss my little spider come winter, but for now I will cherish her company. And her prowess. And take the cue to be all about the little things.

The Least of These (Part 2: Rats in the Cellar)

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Sorry for the delay… I promised part 2 a week ago… but we do things slowly here in the country! Nonetheless. Here we are! Back in the basement!

Remember this stain?
This is the after!

If you haven’t read part one of my basement reno, you can check it out here. It took a long time. After plenty of ducking and dodging crevices and spiders, the final coat of epoxy paint was on the floor – and then the hot water heater began trickling condensation. The paint wasn’t even dry yet and I had a puddle! Argh!! I pulled out the roller and spread that puddle around – mixing up my concrete paint with the slightly rusty tinge of puddle. Done.

Seriously?! Puddle extinguished.

And then we began the task of “moving in”. The cellar will be no more than storage and laundry and extra space for the zoo, but I was determined to make it nice. The dog is afraid of the steep basement steps so the cat food is stored down here with little chance of getting eaten up by the Labrador. The previous owner had stapled a large amount of fabric around the laundry tub – which I considered a valiant effort on prettying up a dismal space, so I embraced it. I ripped off the the fabric and decided there was enough to create curtains for the “windows” and decorate up the tub again. I still haven’t put the spare bedroom together but here I was sewing curtains for the basement. I guess this was how I roll. I made no attempt to put up floating shelves and funky laundry signs or fake succulents. My decorating skills for the basement only went so far.

Before
And after!
Crisp white walls!

Although the hubby was quite pleased with the folding table for laundry piles so we replaced the large wooden one with a plastic folding one we had stored at the previous house. I have a picture to put up. The hubby thinks that’s crazy – but we’ll see if it ever gets hung on the wall or simply sits on the ledge for the next 50 years.

After some debate and discussion, we agreed that our pet rats will start out in the basement. Yes, we have rats in the cellar! The creatures have been with us for several years and our youngest has started breeding them as her small side hustle. If you want to get in to a debate on keeping rats as pets, I’m happy to save that for another blog post! Anyway, despite the fact that there is no natural light down there we decided the rat cages would do well in the big open space. The barn would be too cold in winter and the fuzzies are a little stinky even though we housed them in the bedrooms at the old house.

So moving day for the rats was upon us. Trust me, this is no easy hamster wheel and hanging water bottle challenge. The youngest and I had to tackle this on our own as we needed the whole van to transport the two multilevel cages and all the equipment we house to host our little beasties. We packed, dismantled, cleaned and rearranged. We have four boys and eight girls. Two young girls were recently returned to us so we are in the process of making them a little tamer. Van is packed. Bigger boys in a carrier. Smaller girls caged for transport … until one of the young girls squeezes out from the bottom! Yup, escapee in a van load of endless hiding spaces!

We tried coaxing her out with a cracker… which she promptly snatched and stole away with. We waited as she snacked unawares in an unattainable corner. Forty five minutes and another cracker later, we were on the road for the hour long journey to the new house to unload, reassemble and unpack, again!

And so, the basement has been tackled. The first loads of laundry have been done. The rats seem happy and comfortable. The picture is still on the ledge. We are happy.

The Rats have moved in.

Do you ever wonder if all the time and effort you put in to seemingly “useless” tasks is worth it? Who cares about decorating non window windows for a bunch of rats? I’m learning that patience and following through is rewarding. I can sit back now and say – I did that and it looks good! The “ratty” people in our lives are worth the effort. For “the least of these” are children of God too, and He cares for each one of us. He is willing to wait while we munch away on our crackers under a pile of stuff, not knowing that our safety is in His best interest always.

The cellar of our century home is another reminder to me to not overlook the little things. To be patient and trust the process. To wait and not get frustrated, even if it means mixing up your paint with a little rusty water. In the end it’ll be worth it. I’m sure.