Summer Days

I prayed for this Monday day this morning. Because the last two Mondays have been hard work. It just seemed like they were uphill days, all day. I don’t remember what all happened but I haven’t forgotten the frustrations and maybe even some tears. So this morning, I talked to Jesus about it and asked Him for a good day. Elv helped with that when he prayed with me, my crooked fingers in his strong warm hand, before he left. So it’s been better. There’s been time and thought for cookbook browsing and list making and bill paying. So much better than finding a half eaten garden thanks to rabbits. This morning when I checked the garden Old Mr. Rabbit was hopping around the outside of the fencing we added, thwarted. Much, much better.

Last week, between Mondays, our old basswood tree came into full bloom, filling the yard with sweetness and beauty. Even Uncle Amos was wowed, and seemingly had never noticed a blooming basswood tree in all his 77 years of life.

Today, on this good Monday, I’m wishing that I could take a walk around the house and gardens and lawns with my Mom like she loves to do. She lives 1500 miles west of us and doesn’t travel much anymore. I’ll likely need to do a video instead, but that’s not the same thing at all. I know, I know, I still have my mom. I am thankful.

Here’s a new thankful list.

• Clark’s zero-turn lawn mowing that makes short work of keeping our lawn lovely each week.
• The resulting piles of grass clippings piled up for mulching.
• Caulking and a gun that finally changed the minds of some determined little wasps trying to live in our stone walls.
• A Merlin app on the phone that tells us we have warblers and woodpeckers and vireos and other birds nesting about the place.
• An outdoor room that we spend a lot of time within this summer.
• Elv installed one of those fancy mini split AC’s in the lower level. Now our rooms are dry and cool and no more mustiness. The walk-in closet no longer smells like old shoes. I am comforted and pleased.
• Elv’s new shop. All the vehicles promptly needed repairs, though. What is this? No really. Like the kind of repairs needed, that one of them doesn’t run at all. The newest one, that is. They’re all old, so don’t worry. But seriously?
• For Freja milk and brown, farm eggs, and long quiet home days. Amen.