And Back To Work

The Husband's two weeks of vacation is over.  He went back to work today.  And I suspect was filled with a couple sparring emotions:  dread and anticipation.  Dread that he had to go to work and couldn't continue to vacation, and anticipation that he had productive work to do and didn't have to be "lazy" (as if that has ever been the case with him) anymore.

And that means we're back to our routine.  I like routine, at least most of the time.  It felt good to get to the grocery and fill the refrigerator with actual food.

Outdoor lights!

The lights arrived today!  When we had the stucco repaired, the outdoor lights had to go.  We found some we liked and ordered them online.  These are not supposed to ever rust and have LED's instead of conventional bulbs.  They'll look great on our house. I know what our post-dinner project is.

Nummers!

Had a call over the weekend from our Nashi supplier.  He had a box for us if we still want the pears (did he even really have to ask?), which I picked up Monday morning. We've shared a few, will share a few more and have had them for breakfast lunch and dinner.  They're just the right size for one person; I feel bad for those who haven't the luxury of Nashi pears every fall, their crunchy pear-ness is a teensy bite of heaven on your tongue.

Farewell, my friend.

And I've sold my lovely guitar.  Too bad I didn't let go of the guilt when I handed over the instrument. It was such a thoughtful generous birthday gift those years ago.  It wasn't doing anyone any good sitting in the corner in its case. And I haven't the aptitude for playing it that I thought I would, I frustrated myself. (Not to mention that I didn't deal well with the callouses that come to the fingertips from guitar playing.)  I was so pleased to find out that the man was buying the guitar for the granddaughters he was going to teach to play.  It'll be a nice home for it.

And that picture of my arm (with the large red rash) in the last post?  I must've deleted the caption - the picture shows my reaction to a bite.  If there's a mosquito anywhere in the state I'll be bit by it and will have a knot under the skin for weeks while it heals.

I came across this quote the other day and was struck by the sentiment.  She was a wise woman.

“The greatest disease in the West today is not TB or leprosy; it is being unwanted, unloved, and uncared for. We can cure physical diseases with medicine, but the only cure for loneliness, despair, and hopelessness is love. There are many in the world who are dying for a piece of bread but there are many more dying for a little love. The poverty in the West is a different kind of poverty -- it is not only a poverty of loneliness but also of spirituality. There's a hunger for love, as there is a hunger for God.”

― Mother Teresa, A Simple Path: Mother Teresa

I'm so grateful to be home safe and sound where I'm the most comfortable.  I'm grateful for good books to read, for machines to help with laundering our clothes (as long as they last and I'm eking every single load out of both the washer and the dryer), for plenty of food in our fridge and pantry, for the sun that shines and the breeze that cools.  I'm grateful for heartfelt hugs and for smiles even from strangers. (Read a quote about that, too. "Let us always meet each other with a smile, for the smile is the beginning of love. --Mother Teresa)  I'm looking forward to General Conference this weekend, I'm grateful for the words of encouragement, admonishment and hope that I know I'll hear.