December 21, 2023
I woke up at 5:30 a.m. I laid and dozed for 15 minutes. Then I got up and did 100 rebounder jumps. I went into the house and made my tea. Angel and Christopher were awake. Angel and I were leaving at 6:30 a.m. to check on some animals and go to horse riding lessons. We headed out right on time. Angel told stories on the drive. The animals I stopped and check on looked good. I fed them and gave them fresh water; they got treats and lots of petting. At horse riding lessons, we didn’t ride. We learned how to groom horses and clean their hooves. The instructor was very thorough and detailed, you could tell she loves caring for horses. I appreciated her sharing her joy with us. We both enjoyed our lessons and I look forward to learning more next week.
Next, I picked up my grandson Finn. He was excited to see us. Angel helped buckle him in and we drove to town. I went to a meeting about a caretaking opportunity that will be starting in January. Angel and Finn played in the other room while we had our meeting. The meeting went good. When we were finishing up, I received a phone call, a friend had seen a black dog with white on it across town. I got the kids in the car and drove over there. We didn’t see a dog anywhere, we called for Fletcher and looked around for her but didn’t find a dog. We went to the post office and mailed a couple of Christmas cards. The cards will probably arrive late but that’s ok. We walked across the street to the library and rechecked out some Hank the Cowdog and Nancy Drew books. We got back into the pickup and I drove to Moon Brew, I got a chai tea and visited with friends. The kids played with my friend’s daughter until we left to go to my friend Rachele’s house.
At Rachele’s house, we exchanged gifts with her and her 2 youngest boys. The kids ate lunch and played while we talked. We always have great talks. Then all the kids got in the pickup, I was keeping Rachele’s boys overnight while her and her husband went to a Christmas party in Austin and wouldn’t be back until late. The kids were excited to be having a sleepover, there was a lot of loud squealing happening which I put to a stop for my sanity.
When we got home, Christopher wasn’t there yet. The kids played outside, while I ground up wheat berries and started bread rising in the oven. I brought clothes in off the line and hung some more up. I started another load in the wash. Christopher came home as I was getting all the kids loaded in the side-by-side to take them for a ride around the property. They had fun riding around. When we got back, the kids ran off to play and I sat conversing with Christopher for a while.
I went in the banana hut and wrote my blog. I was 3 days behind. I had written down the highlights each day so I would remember. I wrote for a while, then Christopher came in for a while to talk, then I wrote some more, then I started the bread cooking, then I wrote some more, then I started a bath, then I wrote some more. I had a lot to write. I still hadn’t finished when it was bath time. I made a plan on how to get all of us bathed with one bathtub. Angel and I took a bath together first. When we got out and dressed, the 2 younger boys took a bath together. Then the older boy took a shower by himself. When all the kids were clean and in pj’s, Christopher had supper ready. I ate a big salad and we all shared what we were grateful for. When supper was over, we all went outside and did one sparkler each to celebrate winter solstice. Then we went back in the house and the kids all sat on the couch while I read to them 3 chapters from Hank the Cowdog book 5.
The boys stayed in the house with Christopher and Angel came out to the banana hut with me to sleep on the trundle bed. In the house, the 2 younger boys slept on the couch and the older boy slept in Angel’s room. Angel listened to Cloudbabies on YouTube while I wrote my blog. I finished the 3 days I was behind on and posted it. It felt great to post it. Then I wrote today’s blog post as I was enjoying being caught up. I then remembered to pray my thanksgivings and gratitudes.
- Thank you for children. I am grateful for their playful energy.
- Thank you for friends. I am grateful for connection.
- Thank you for libraries. I am grateful for books.
- Thank you for rain. I am grateful for its freshness.
- Thank you for my pickup. I am grateful for reliable transportation.
I finished writing my blog. I turned off the light and went to sleep at around 8:30 p.m.
Thank you for reading my blog and being a part of my life. I dearly appreciate you.
Love,
Victoria