Folks who know that we lived in a 366-square-foot house for 12 years and then moved into our larger 930-square-foot log home, often exclaim, "Well, you two must certainly get along well." We smile.
With gray in his beard, he passed away at the age of 63 in July of 1885. One and a half million people lined the streets of New York City to pay their respects. Two Union and two Confederate generals were among his pallbearers. Union and Confederate officers rode together in the procession that stretched for seven miles, all for a boy, grown into a man, who described his childhood as uneventful.
I was curious how many people now live without air-conditioning. I was surprised to learn that only 12 percent of Americans do. I have no doubt that you can imagine that I am a very thankful member of that 12 percent.
They are all of one court, the little king, the tall philosopher, and their silly court jester, three peas in the same, ever so special, creek valley pod.
Idioms have always fascinated me. They are phrases that are commonly used but mean something very different from their literal definitions. It's their popular use that imparts their understanding. I often wonder when they were first used, and why.
If I could have written the story, a light rain would have fallen only briefly, bright blue skies would have been crossed by occasional white clouds, and the temperatures would have rested peacefully in the 70s, but I did not write the story.
It is time to close up the greenhouse. My garden starts are all planted. I still have a few marigolds to set out here and there, but not many. It is time to enter inside these glazed walls and get to work. There is so much to do.
Curly always follows Larry's lead. She will stand right beside him as Larry and I kiss nose to nose, but if I bend over for a Curly kiss, she ducks her head and quickly backs away.
When I stepped out into our back deck the other evening, and looked up at the blue sky just over the hill behind the cabin, I heard a chorus of cicadas. It had been raining for days, but the sky was suddenly blue, and the cicadas were suddenly singing.
Yes, difficult times really are followed by better times. Hardship might be only temporary, beauty really will bloom again, and April showers will bring May flowers. For all of this, I am so very thankful.
