I was up early enough to see the sunrise on Friday - our last day at the ranch!
Of course I went back to bed as soon as I snapped the photo!
Later that morning Dean sent a text inviting me to do some Tai Chi with him!!
What an honor to have a private lesson from an internationally known and respected teacher!
I even took a short video of his instructions so I can do them at home.
While we MEANT to start our packing and closing up the camper, that's NOT what we did!
Instead we enjoyed every last moment of being there!
We watched the Bonus DVD of Lost season 2 and we sat by the campfire looking up at the stars.
It was perfect!
Saturday morning Louis Dean woke me up saying it looked like rain and we needed to get going before it arrived. He has a terrible phobia about being stuck in the mud!!
It only takes me two hours from the time I wake up to the time I lock the door to get the camper ready to leave.
This time I even made an inventory of what we were leaving here -
pantry items, what's in the fridge, clothing, jackets, etc.
I always keep a complete set of toiletries including make up in the bathroom.
It was time to take the covers off the little sofa home to wash as well as some curtains and loads and loads of laundry!
I love it when we arrive - it's always so exciting to have days stretching out in front of us! We bring in fresh groceries, light the candles and fluff up the place turning it into HOME.
Leaving is a bit melancholy for me.
Louis Dean had just started to relax and really enjoy himself and now here we were - leaving!
But we'll be BACK!!
This time sooner than the two months it took last time!
Our timing was perfect! It JUST started sprinkling as we pulled up to the gate!
I love seeing all the cute houses in Mart - and even some of the not-so-cute ones, too!
This is one of my favorites!
I'm sure I would be friends with the lady who lives here if we were to meet each other.
I enjoyed the ride home.
We went the 'back roads' way and I got to see some cotton fields!
It was a good ride home since Louis Dean was driving and I kept nodding off to sleep.
I'm glad I got some rest because as soon as we came in I discovered the breaker had tripped to the fridge and everything in it and the freezer was ruined! I didn't even take off my jacket or shoes but went straight to work dumping out the contents and cleaning up the mess!
It could have been worse! The smell wasn't really awful and it hadn't been off so long that it was really hot! I managed to save the mustard and a jar of pickles!
Good thing we brought food home with us from the camper freezer!
I went to bed that night and stayed there for nearly 12 hours.
Same thing last night! I was asleep by 9:15 and didn't get up until 10:15 this morning!
Sunday I spent the entire day (what part was left of it after I finally got up anyway!) working on the den. I took all of Christmas out an cleaned and cleaned.
Before we left for the ranch, my end of the electric sofa had quit working - leaving my seat with the foot rest sticking out. It was quite awkward getting in and out of the chair that way! While I worked, Louis Dean propped the sofa up and investigated, found a broken wire and repaired it!
He is so handy!!!
Our den is back to normal!
I do keep one tree up year round. Leaving it kind of natural for this month with simple white lights and pine cones. It won't be long until it's time to put the birds and birdhouses on for the spring!
Today's project was the living room!
Louis Dean suggests we not decorate so much next year- but by the time it gets here I will have forgotten how much work it was to put it up - and take it down!
We actually got the tree IN the tree bag I bought last year!
As I recall, by the time we got the tree down we were too exhausted to try to truss it up like a turkey and stuff it into that bag - so we just stuffed it in the Christmas storage shed as is! Or as WAS!
We're a bit tidier this year!
I wish I could close with a photo of a beautiful CLEAN living room.
Instead it would be a messy one but the tree is GONE!!!
I'll start the clean up tomorrow.
Now that I've turned over a new leaf - it is past my bedtime!!!!
Not sure how long this early to bed and late to rise will last.
Probably as long as I need!
I'm prepared to spend the rest of the month taking down decorations and cleaning.
I'm just not going at it like a mad woman but taking it a room at a time and not wearing myself out.
I think I have finally learned it is more fun to decorate than undecorate, that what goes up must come down. These days I'm mighty careful what goes up. I've moved into the less is better stage of my life. Trust me, you aren't at that stage. I find myself intrigued with blank spaces on table tops & bookcases. Never thought it would happen to me but it did. Tell Louis Dean to keep the faith, it may happen to you yet. There's always hope of a miracle.
ReplyDeleteHi Linda, good to know you are home from your camper. From experience, now I put up minimum decorations. I was sweating when I stuffed back my Christmas tree into its box. The others are quite easy. Go slow and no need to stress yourself up.
ReplyDeleteI am a year younger than you Linda and I moved on from "stuff" to experiences. Maybe LD's suggestion will happen one day?
ReplyDeleteWell I am 60 and I have to take one room at a time Linda! I find in cleaning that I have to do that as well. My kitchen needs a good going over and I keep putting it off! Maybe tomorrow!
ReplyDeleteA room at a time is good. That's how I'm getting my house back under control. There's always so much more room when the decorations get put away but we do it each year because we love them so much.
ReplyDeleteI know you miss the ranch but it must be good to be home. It's like you have two lives. That's so great! But what a mess to come home to. At least it wasn't really bad and you had brought food home with you.
You need to keep LD around. He's a handy man to have. He can fix anything.
Lol....cant help paughing when i read you write about the sunrise and goingback to bed. Glad you had one beautiful sunrise
ReplyDeleteWow Dean is a Taichi master? Impressive
Soo glad you enjoyed your time at the ranch. How wonderful you have a place to go and get away for awhile that you so enjoy. Hubby and I both have been saying that for years now as it takes SOO long to take things down [especially our tree!] but then when the time comes we think no, lets just do it another year, lol. I am sure there will come a time when we hang a wreath on the front door, and set out our nativity and call it a wrap, but not yet, lol. Too bad you had that fridge mess when you got home, but sounds like you got it handled pretty quick. Enjoy the rest of your week...nice and slow is the way to take it all down and clean. Nothing is going anywhere. I am always frantic to get it done...not sure why....just my nature I guess
ReplyDeleteIt is so easy to get carried away during the holidays isn't it? Everything is so festive and so darn cute! I think we all do what makes us happy...except when it comes to packing our beloved decorations away! It's good to have a purpose and get that childhood excitement back! Your home was just lovely at Christmas...good for you! Glad you are home safe and sound!
ReplyDeleteLinda, You must have been wore out . So sorry you lost your food. I like to decorate and some times it not so bad taking it down and other times..I hate when I think I am done and look around and there a piece left out. LOL. You can take your time getting it all down and put away. Blessings to you, love you, Susie
ReplyDeletelove that last shot of the lights in that beautiful suitcase. you have two homes, both cozy and ready for you at anytime. what could be better. home in the city and home on the range. i still have my little tree up in the nook. we like looking at in on a cold day, like our little tree fireplace.
ReplyDeletehehehehe...what a great quote!!! you sleep a bit but when you are up, you are so productive, getting way more done than i could ever dream of!!!
ReplyDeleteand you are a happy girl, blooming wherever you are planted!!!
No valentine tree?
ReplyDeleteOf course!!! It's on the front porch!!
DeleteWelcome home!
ReplyDeleteSo sorry about the fridge/freezer.
Glad you had such a good time at the ranch. It involves so much coming and going, but love all the things for you to do at the ranch, and then your home, what a special place....it's so exciting you can have two homes, both so full of love and yet so different.
ReplyDeleteLove reading your blog every day, and seeing how you live your life. Since hugs and love to you and your dearest.
What a shame you came home to a ruined freezer! I agree packing away all the christmas stuff is very time consuming, but it is so special, and only once a year. I am sure you will do it ALL again next year! X
ReplyDeleteJust reading backward today...sounds like you had a great break except for coming home to a refrig/freezer problem :^(
ReplyDeleteI smiled when I saw the little house in Mart...we are in and out of Mart and Hubbard on a regular basis...there are really cute homes in both towns. Have you ever stopped at the feed store in Mart??? It is old and a very cool place to look around.
Blessings to you,
J
Yeah I'm with LD maybe do a little less decorating. Take it easy on yourself. The putting up is fun but the taking down is a B.#%*. I can't want for a slower pace at the farm but work work it is until then.
ReplyDelete