"In nature, nothing is perfect and everything is perfect." ~ Alice Walker

We have moved on from one set of friends to another! This lucky couple however, are on a French river cruise, so we have the good fortune of house-sitting while they are away. We continue with our housing discussions and explorations. There really is nothing concrete to share with you right now, other than that we are actively looking for a new home to either build or buy. There is so much to consider!

Where we are now is another beautiful setting, far out in the country, and up high. When I was trying to describe where we were to a friend, I said that when you come out of their driveway, if you turn left, you are going downhill. However, if you turn right - you are also going downhill!! We are up high, and the views are wonderful. I will try to get some vista shots at some point during our stay here. In the meantime, I'll share a few up close ones of nature at work that I took while walking around at dusk one evening.

"April showers bring May flowers - or is that snow showers?!"

Well, if you look back on my lovely spring photos in my last post, you will see what a difference a week can make! We had blowing snow for most of the day, though only a trace had stuck by sunset. Such a change in scenery and atmosphere. I'm always tempted to roast a chicken or make some stew on such a day, but - oh yeah, I don't have a kitchen!

We are continuing to hang in there, wrapping up our stay with one set of friends today, and heading onto another tomorrow. How lucky we are that we have people who will take us in without a moment's hesitation. Beginning the first of June, we will rent a lovely home through August. Following that - well, it really depends upon our house-hunting (building?!) status at that time. Tomorrow begins a true transition to looking for a permanent home. We are contemplating building, but it remains to be seen if that is practical. Once we have determined that, we will either move forward with building, or will begin a house hunt in earnest.

In the meantime, knowing that we have our Florida condo to fall back on at any time gives us true peace of mind. so - I'll keep you posted!

"Although our intellect always longs for clarity and certainty, our nature often finds uncertainty fascinating." ~ Carl von Clausewitz

My oh my. I am happy to say that we have been able to catch our breaths a bit. Our first few days post house closing were honestly a bit of a fog. A couple of good examples for you of how pooped out we were: The first night at our friends' home, Bruce snored quite loudly, which is usually a sign that he is exhausted. I knew that I had brought earplugs with me, so I went to get them and decided to grab a drink of water on my way back to bed. Earplugs in my left hand, glass of water in my right - middle of the night and exhausted. I popped those earplugs right into my mouth as if they were my morning medications! I realized immediately what I had done, and had to work hard to not wake Bruce up with my laughter! 

Not to be outdone, the next morning Bruce took a shower in his socks! I think that you get the picture! Happily, we are somewhat past our initial fogginess. We have a family event this upcoming weekend, and will then begin to figure out just what in the heck we are going to do!

It's all good though. The friends that we are currently staying with live in a beautiful spot with wonderful walking areas out back. On Mother's Day, I took my camera and headed out in the sunshine. It has been quite some time since I've had a relaxing walk with my camera, and I must say that it did me a world of good.

"Sometimes good things fall apart so better things could fall together." ~ Marilyn Monroe

Ok, we are somewhat homeless. Our purchase, which had been troublesome for some time, did not go through. I can say with honesty that we are relieved. I won't go into detail, but we feel fortunate  that we were able to walk away.

Anyhow! All of our worldly goods are now in storage, and we are staying with the first of a few friends for the meantime. I can say that the last several days have been very stressful, and I have shed more than my fair share of tears. Some in frustration, some in exhaustion, and some in sorrow for leaving our home. All of them justifiable. The support of a wonderful husband, the help of a terrific son, and supportive friends and family, have made all the difference.

We are regrouping. This has had us questioning what we really want and where we really want it. What a wonderful gift to have! So we are taking our time, and most importantly, taking a break. In the meantime, my iPod and my eye-glasses are laughing at me while tucked safely into some box that will probably not be opened for several months. I am sure to discover other things that have gone missing down the road.

I am trying to take to heart the saying that "in a year from now, none of this will matter."