Wow! I can't believe it's been two weeks since my last post! We got back home early Saturday morning, but since then it's been a mad dash to get the piles of laundry done (delayed due to a loss of pressure on our well - but never fear! I'm married to the well guy!), catch up on a back log of work and try to get back into the swing of "real life".

This last trip was definitely a learning experience! I learned that no matter how bad you think something looks on first inspection, it will probably be MUCH worse when you have time to take a closer look.

I learned that the grass is not always greener on the other side of the fence - but it was much shorter in this case because the grass on the other side of the fence is kept in check with the help of a few delightful goats and ours hadn't been touched by man or beast in months.

Hubby and I both learned the importance of waiting to actually meet a person before forming an opinion based soley on the descriptive opinion of others. Such is the case of our neighbor, Mr. Wilson. It turns out he in no way resembles the description we were given when we purchased our property. He is a delightful, frail little seventy-seven-year-old man. He is sweet, wise, and filled with decades of stories having been born and rasied right there in the "holler". He and my hubby formed an instant bond.

I learned that it's not always true that someone elses trash may be my treasure. That point was driven home by two days worth of hard labor cleaning out the sheds and the barn and filling a 20 yard roll-off dumpster to capacity.

I learned that danger lurks amidst the beauty of the mountains. The hills were alive with the sound of . . . . coyotes howling late one afternoon when we were working - an eerie sound that sent chills up the spine of my even my seasoned woodsman. The next morning, Mr. Wilson's baby goat was missing and three of the older goats were limping. Hubby and I went on a hike across the creek and up over the ridge to see if the little kid had possibly just wandered off. We found no sign of him. We did, however, find a small stream flowing out of the side of one of the rocky cliff, splashing into a little pool. A perfect place for a comfy little bench and a good book. Of course I've been forbidden to wander up there alone until I learn the finer points of carrying and learning to shoot a weapon. Danielle Boone I'm not! The only thing I can shoot is a rubber band or a water pistol - and I'm not very good at that. At any rate, gates were closed and the goats were moved from the back pasture up to the side pasture and back yard - much closer to Mr. W's house and much less tempting for the coyotes.

I learned that in all of Kentucky (at least what I've seen so far) there is one eleven acre piece of property that doesn't have one single dogwood tree on it! Everywhere you look, the dogwood trees are in bloom. Everywhere except, that is, OUR property. Not a sapling. Not a single branch full of blossoms sneaking across our property line. NOTHING! I've already given hubby my birthday, Christmas, anniversary lists for the next year. I want dogwood trees planted on our property!

I learned that even those on the tightest of tight budgets can have a Hummer in their yard! Our friends are fortunate enough to have four in their front yard. Of course their driveway is lined with dogwood trees too - but I will not be envious! We've already staked out several spots along our carport/back porch area where we plan to put parking spaces for our Hummer(s).

We learned that to be a friend to someone does not necessarily mean you have a friend. That's a long story, but what's important is that hubby and I learned that when all is said and done, we have each other. We make a great team. We have the ability to accomplish alone in a short time tasks that we thought would take several people a much longer time to accomplish. And at the end of the day we learn to compromise, i.e., "ok you can take your shower first while I fix dinner, but you get to put the BioFreeze put on my aching muscles first while we're watching the movie!"

And I learned that I can live without TV for a week or more, but I don't ever want to be without access to my blogger buddies and special friends for that long again. I missed my daily doses of inspiration, laughter, tears, tips. . . I missed the feeling that at 2AM when I couldn't sleep, or when I was having an emotional melt-down I could "pop in for a visit". I missed my early morning tea time with my Junque Syster when we take time before the bustle of the day begins to "talk" via IM about nothing in particular but everything in general. I missed my 6AM e-mails from my Sister at Heart filling me in on the "what's happening" (we REALLY need to teach her how to IM before I move or phone bills are going to be astronomical!). I missed the prayer requests from church, the e-mail updates from my Forever Friend. So, in reality, I'm willing to give up Grey's Anatomy, Lost and EVEN HGTV as long as I can have contact with all of you!

Blessings!

Liz