Sunshine Bath Time

Today my 7 minute round trip walk to the post office turned into a nearly 30 minute jaunt. My plan was to leave by the back of the building to dispose of the week's garbage before continuing on the the normal, direct route up Main Street and up a block more to the post office. But the sun!! Warmth!! There is nothing like the need to unbutton your coat in the middle of winter because spring is finally tring to creep up, even if it is still weeks away. It was wonderful to soak in the sunshine as I walked along listening to the birds. Once I had to laugh….I looked to my left and caught sight of a huge field behind the row of houses. It is easy to forget how close I am to the “edge of town” when “town” consists of one main street and 3 stoplights!

I found myself thinking about my trip to Bath a few years ago. Through a series of events that made sense at the time, I spent a day wandering around Bath, England, alone. I arrived by train early, even before most shops were open. It was March: cool and drizzly. But as the morning wore on, the sun came out brilliantly and I spend a few hours window shopping and church hopping before settling down at a picnic bench next to the River Avon to catch up on postcards.

I live for moments like these…perfect contentment, control, peace and freedom. The sun makes everything better.

Yesterday I finished reading “The Traveler’s Gift” by Andy Andrews. It was an interesting blend of self-help advice and historical novel and I found it very easy to dive in and relate to the jobless (haha) hero David Ponder who was arriving at the desperate believe that his life was beyond hope for himself or his family.

David travels though time, meeting along the way the likes of King Solomon, Christopher Columbus, Anne Frank, and others, who each teach him a valuable lesson about living in such a way that he could not only better the quality of his life, but also the lives of those around him and for generations to come. 
 In a nut shell, David learns:

1. The buck stops here. I am responsible for my past and my future.
2. I will seek wisdom. I will be a servant to others.
3. I am a person of action. I seize the moment. I choose now.
4. I have a decided heart. My destiny is assured.
5. Today I choose to be happy. I am the possessor of a grateful heart.
6. I will greet this day with a forgiving spirit. I will forgive myself. 
7. I will persist without exception. I am a person of great faith.  
   
   (Andres, Andy. The Traveler’s Gift. Thomas Nelson, Inc:
   Nashville, 2002. p. 204.)
   
   
   I love reading books like this. I love KNOWING that there is so much potential in me and in those around me. That it is ok that I want a life of excitement and adventure and learning and influencing others. That is ok that I don’t want to just settle into a ‘normal’ life. I want more. That is ok. Better than ok. :)
   That being said…time to wash dishes. Wink!
   PS. The roof stopped leaking after a work crew arrived at 7:30 yesterday morning to dig out all the ice….they will be back this afternoon to start patching things together!
   
   
   And….My eyes! My eyes!! The burning!!! ;) Suns finally out!!!
   

Water, Water, Everywhere

Yesterday as I was walking to the post office I noticed a huge mound of snow and thought to myself, “I sure hope we have a slow thaw. I don’t know where all this water will end up if we don’t!”

Then I found out.

I had Landon’s family over last night for a Mardi Gras Honduran meal. Keith said he thought he heard water and looked up….right at a ceiling tile about to explode! We ended up having to move two totally ruined ones and a few partly soaked ones only to discover significant water damage.

I live above a laundry mat, and right out my “dining room” window is an exhaust pipe. It appears that the heat from the pipe is melting the snow, but as it has nowhere to go because of all the ice backed up in the drain pipes, it wiggled its way into my apartment!!

It began as an annoying trickle and has morphed into a constant stream. Keith came back this morning and created a makeshift water catcher with a tarp and bucket that seems to be catching 80% of the water. My clever bucket and paper towel combos seem to be getting the rest of it.

Oy vey.

Hopefully the guy Keith hired to knock all the snow down will get here soon. I’m beginning to wonder what will happen in the whole, water-clogged insulation mess comes down….I’ll get my very own sky light!!

Going to get my Ashes tonight. Happy Lent.

Snow, Snow, Go Away....

....Come again another day.....or never. Ever.

I want to like all this snow...it really is beautiful. But it is so darn cold. And messy. And EVERYWHERE!! AND STILL COMING!! Another 8-12 inches tomorrow to add to the foot that fell over the weekend. Boo.

Spring?? Anytime now is great for me!

We did make the best of it, though. Landon and I got snowed in at his mom's, and spend the weekend watching movies with her and playing. I learned to drive a snow mobil, and Landon showed me how to built a fort out of a snow drift...big enough that both of us could fit in it!

Still. I'm ready for spring....or maybe building a snowman. We'll see. ;)

Ps....Is there a way to check my spelling in here? I can't find it!