An Eventful Welcome Home

We've been away the past couple of days at that luxury resort (not!) called the VA Medical Center, for my husband's knee replacement. He did so well they only kept him overnight--already he can walk up 5 steps. Amazing how quickly this is done these days.

As we drove through town we noticed fire and rescue vehicles heading east but didn't think much about it. We were both exhausted--you know how it is to try to sleep in  hospital--and his pain meds were wearing off. So when we turned on to our road, we breathed a sigh of relief.

There was something special waiting for us: a bald eagle at the small lake that borders the road. We have seen him before, sitting in a tree, but today he was flying. So majestic. I told Larry it was a special token to welcome him home.

Further along the road two women were digging some wildflowers. I remember doing that when I moved here. Now I'm content to leave them in their native habitat. We stopped to talk a minute and they told us we would have to take the other way home--apparently there is a large brush fire on the way we usually travel. When we got to the top of our ridge, we could see the smoke from the fire. Neighbors were gathered, trying to figure out just where it was, because it seems to be not too far away. Plans were being discussed about moving livestock, but since we have only chickens, dogs and cats, we continued on to home because Larry was completely worn out.

Getting him to the house was a long, hard ordeal for him. While he's doing well, the leg is still very painful and it's hard physical work to walk, go up steps, etc. But as we were inching along, a flash of orange in a nearby tree caught my eye. A Baltimore Oriole is visiting our feeders on his migratory way north! I took it as yet another sign that all will be well with my poor old man.

Now he's sleeping, and I'm unpacking, reading instructions for care and medication, making phone calls, and keeping an eye outside for any telltale smoke. We had a small brush fire here a couple months back and it's no fun. God bless the firemen!

No photos today--just getting through the day has been enough. But what memories--all good, I hope, if the fire is put out.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Relax Time, and a Stunning Sunset

Now I can breathe, at least for a little while, because the taxes are done and submitted. What a load off my mind! Once all the data is gathered and organized it's really a breeze. But oh, that gathering and organizing. The thing I really dislike is how much time-in-the-chair it takes. There are so many other things I''d like to be doing but once a year I tie myself down and just get it done.

And now it is done and time to move on to other projects, like getting the Oral Traditions Tent organized for the West Virginia Folk Festival in June. That was on my to-do this morning. In less than two weeks I'll be off to Columbus to present my ghost stories workshop so that is the next priority--right after a storytelling show at a small elementary school in Gilmer county. Mix in some furniture to paint and some garden work, and I think my days will be full of things I love to do, instead of numbers and spreadsheets.

Speaking of relaxing, we had an incredible evening last Friday as we sat by the firepit watching the sun set. Nature put on an amazing show for us, and it was pure pleasure to watch the sky continually changing colors until the last light faded away. What blessings surround is daily, if we only take the time to stop and notice them.

Here are some of the photos I took of that sunset evening. It started simply enough,

and I thought this was pretty already. I really had no idea what was in store for us.

 I can never get my photos lined up straight, but wanted to show how the pink extended all around us.

And then indigo night, and the last embers of the fire providing the only remaining glow.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.