Quite A Week

First of all, I'm loving my blog friends! Thank every one of you who have commented on this past week's posts for your wonderful insights and help...it is very appreciated! I want to do justice in responding, and will try to do so over the weekend, probably on Sunday. Thank you for being such wonderful friends!!

I was delighted to hear that two of my wonderful blog friends, Kathie from Two Frog Home and Jess from Practical Nourishment actually were able to meet...what a treat, and how neat that they live within visiting distance :) What were the odds that would happen in Montana? I love when that happens in life, especially finding friends in the most unexpected but delightful ways.

This week has been very full for us. It has definately had its ups and downs.

The biggest and hardest-hitting thing was our recieving news of Jack's mom's illness. I don't know if I've mentioned it, since we've not been at the computer this week as much. She is in the advanced stages of an aggressive cancer, and it took our family by surprise. His mother is a remarkable woman with an incredible mind and will of her own. She staunchly made her way in my husband's early years when circumstances would have been daunting, and possibly overwhelming, to the average mother. She has been no average mother. My husband has inherited her backbone and determination to make a better life, and his mother has figured largely into his own life. We are already antipating this great loss, and praying that her last days can be eased. Any prayers you might have to that effect are very appreciated. She has lived a full life, to the age of 95, and has been active up until this latest health crisis, caring for her own husband of advanced age even to the present. She is also one of the most intelligent women you'd meet. We love Mima.

Plans have to be made soon.

The other news was alluded to somewhat in my other blog, and that is the positioning of a couple of family members who are not welcome news in our lives. We'll leave the details out, but they have circled in on Jack's mom now that she is ill in the hopes of financial gain under the guise of being "helpful," but have a long history of having taken advantage of others in similar circumstances by "helping themselves." Understandably, we are not only concerned about Jack's mom's vulnerability, but also she and her husband's safety. These two family members have a history of being violent, but come off as being pussycats when they want something. Again, prayers in behalf of this situation are appreciated.

Jack found termites in Bucketville, our outdoor garden as such. Again, thank you for your great and helpful comments, which I'll respond to this weekend, over this concern. The plants seem healthy enough, and it's been very rainy here...rain nearly every day. We have NO complaints about that! Most of the plants seem to be doing very well, and we have some new additions...of course!...even though we try to limit ourselves from acquiring more plants, we, uh, both have the same addiction to enjoyment in finding news ones we've not tried before, especially if they are marked on sale. I'll post about the new green babies this upcoming week :)

As for my health resolutions, I have lost a little weight, and am still holding. There was some emotional eating (hello, biscuits!) earlier in the week, but those were walked and sweated off at work. I don't mind at all...we've overall adopted a much healthier mindset, and keep tweaking the particulars to better and better habits and foods all along. I'm very happy about that. Our daughter is also doing the same, and it does my heart good to see her eating really great fruits and vegetables as she now is preparing many things on her own as a young adult. She continues to maintain a very demanding schedule as a new nurse, and is doing a terrific job...she really cares about and for her patients and is going forth carefully and a bit wiser into life now that she's finding out about that big "world out there." We sure love her! She has gained confidence and also has been conferring with Jack for advice on things never yet (in her young life) experienced...car maintenance, insurance, safety issues, job, finances, etc.

We're never far away from the subject of the anticipated homestead on acreage...yes, I know the song gets old, we repeat ourselves on this a lot. The reasons we're wanting it elsewhere are crucial to our future rather than just being the matter of preferred location. This week we've both been back at the drawing board with future house plans, which is always fun. We've run the gamut from a one-room cabin to drawings that look like a community could move into...ha! The fun part, at least for me, are the dates we have together getting to talk about what we need, what we want, what is easy to build--and fast, both of our ideas as to room locations, and etc etc. If you've ever had your own spouse or sweetheart be your primary catalyst and confidante in things like this, it's very motivating and just plain FUN :) And it makes all the castaway drawings easier to swallow as we both go back to the drawing board, again and again :)

It's now nearly dark, and shabbat draws near. For us, it's a time of rest and time together. Thankfully, we just squeezed in the shopping just in time, whew!

For anyone who follows the tradition Jewish weekly Bible portion, this week's is Parsha Korach, which is Numbers 16:1 through 18:32. It's part of a yearly reading cycle followed worldwide by many folks, so just putting it here. We try to follow along every week, since we're mostly at home with no group to meet with nearby.

We love all our blog and online friends, and thank you for making our lives so much richer...we love reading of your successes and challenges, your funny and serious moments, your thoughts and diversity, your families and friends, animals and plants, and ideas. The sharing here is so important. Even though we've had very little time to sit down and enjoy spare time reading blogs the past couple weeks, we know we'll be here often for inspiration and for friendship touchpoints. We hope to stop in for a hello soon, so don't give up on us :)

Here's to a restful and rejuvenating evening and day tomorrow to you, our friends. And if my sister sees this post, it's her first time to ever see my blog...I love you, sis!! Goodnight for now, and Shabbat Shalom!

I leave you with one of our favorite youtube wind-downs, a peaceful guitar rendition of the song Shalom Aleichem...peace unto you :)