A Visit to Reaoma and Ready for the Country!

Today was our last day at home for this trip. Funny how I mentioned to Louis Dean tonight that this 'visit' home had been so successful. I guess it's a good thing that we feel like we are visiting both our country home and our city home. We do love them both!

I am loving the 'retired' lifestyle!

We stay up as late as we want and sleep until we are good and ready to get up.

Some days it is noon or later when I open the bedroom door and embrace the day.

Actually, I have already embraced it by that time.

The first thing I do when I open my eyes is say my prayers.

I am ever so grateful to God for this beautiful life he has given me.

I never even dreamt how wonderful life would be in my old age and I will never cease to thank him every single morning when I wake up.

I awoke in the night to the irresistible smell of a coffee shop.

I even incorporated that smell into my dream!

When I got up and cracked open the bedroom door, I could see the lights were on in the kitchen and Louis Dean was in there frying up some bacon and eggs.

I shut the door and went back to bed.....happy in the knowledge that he was having a good time and would soon have his tummy full and be back asleep in no time.

He does that. He eats sparingly as he should at dinner - and then wakes up hungry.

Here at home - that's no problem! He can go to the kitchen and cook up whatever he likes.

At the ranch, well, that's a different story.

That's why I leave out a bowl, spoon and bag of cereal along with a banana.

Closer quarters and the fact that we don't use the stove in the summer months means - NO cooking!

That's where 'Hot Pockets' come in!

My son, Benjamin, loved those things!

I tried to keep them on hand back in the days when he and I lived alone after the divorce and before Louis Dean. They do come in handy and it makes me happy to see them in the freezer again.

I must remember to buy a package on our way to the ranch tomorrow. Along with bananas and milk for our cereal.

My main meal of the day was fried potatoes with onions!

Paired with a fresh garden tomato, two slices of slightly burnt toast, and a glass of peach tea - it made a really good brunch!

Since we are leaving tomorrow - I wanted to get in one more visit with my friend, Reaoma.

She is my 'Forever Friend' and I do treasure our time together.

Last visit I brought her a Cherry Limeade from Sonic.

NOT the best idea!

Today I took a sipper bottle of brewed peach iced tea with mint and a slice of a fresh peach.

The bottle I had came with a firm sturdy straw.

Reaoma bites down on her straws and I thought this one would work well since she couldn't bite it all the way through. Not! She would NOT sip from the 'sturdy' straw but as soon as I replaced it with a regular one - she sipped away!

I talked to her the entire hour plus that I was with her telling her every funny thing I could think of.

She likes pudding and I brought a Banana Cream one and she ate every bite.

I do love Reaoma.

We watched a little TV and she started crying.

She had fallen asleep and I think she had a bad dream because I comforted her and she was okay.

She really became alert when I rubbed her hands with lotion. Especially her left hand.

She still wears her wedding ring. It will not come off.

I think it was because she was in pain. Perhaps I should not do that next visit....

It's hard to know what to do when you spend time with a loved one.....but, after thinking about it, I think the best thing is to spend that time with them. Perhaps just being there is enough. Pudding, tea, hand lotion.....bottom line is - I spent some time this afternoon with my friend and she spent some time with me. She knows I was there and that's all that matters.

I came home and went back to my packing and preparing to leave mode.

The hail from last week damaged our gazebo and we needed to at least stem the damage if more rain or hail arrived while we are gone. You know, duct tape can fix just about everything!

Louis Dean found some and we pretty much covered up all the slits in the gazebo!

Kind of looks funny but we don't care. He bought an extra cover and curtains when we bought this gazebo so we can put it on anytime. Still, it's a pain so the duct tape may buy us some borrowed time!

Sorry about the roaring sound!

I forgot the HUGE shop fan was on.

It's Texas and you need a big fan when you are working outside.

In other news - Summer is having a good time in Puerto Rico!

This is Rayne as she learns to ride a bicycle with her Aunt C teaching her and running along beside her! When I talked to Summer yesterday her voice sounded really good. You can tell so much from a person's voice. I mean, really! You can't fake it - at least not by much. I know my daughters' voices. Their 'I'm okay' and the 'I'm not doing so well' ones. 

So here we were earlier tonight!

Feet up after we had watered both the front and back gardens.

Our sweet next door neighbor girls will be watering in our absence.

Praise God for good neighbors!

I asked Louis Dean if he wanted to go in and eat a bite while we watched a program.

He said, "No. I would rather sit out here with you."

So that's what we did and that's how we spent our evening.

He came in and took a long hot soaking bath and I wrote up tonight's journal entry.

 I leave you with these pics from Facebook.......

Just so you know......Louis Dean and I are still playing with each other and having a ball together!

I am loving and enjoying every single minute Louis Dean and I have together.

It doesn't get any better than THIS!!!