Spring Awaits Us

AN EASTER/SPRING WREATH has been hung on the exterior door of the COTTAGE.  In a nice plastic circular container with lid she was uncovered as we cleared out the garage.  Placing her in the trunk of the car, I knew she would be hung first thing as I unloaded.

LITTLE PASTEL COLORED EGGS encircle the wreath.  I LOVE WREATHS.  Simplest way to decorate a door....just pop that pretty up on the hook or nail and embrace the moment.  Each time you see the door, it's showing signs of the season.

EARLY to hang eggs on my door, but at the moment it was far more important to celebrate with a wreath.  Needing encouragement and a reminder that it will not stay cold forever, I needed a wreath.  WREATH THERAPY.

SMILES HAPPEN when I look at the wreaths on my door.  They set a mood when entering the HOME.  CURB APPEAL.  I'm alright with wreaths on the door all year long.  

NOW TO GATHER UP my bunnies.  Enhancing SPRING.

THERE WERE HORRIBLE FIRES in Kansas where the ranchers lost their houses and cattle.  Nothing left but ashes.  We have some items that our fire did not harm.  In the months to come these Kansas ranchers will deal with an array of emotions, financial issues and rebuilding.  Decisions will have to be made as to how to forge ahead.  Wear and tear that people go through may take a few by surprise.  Wasn't expecting that.  God help us in our time of need.  Dear Lord, help us heal.

I continue to remind myself that not everything was damaged or destroyed.  Some things are usable.  So I am blessed to have a few things still that weren't touched by flame, smoke or water.  We still have some pieces of furniture that will be repaired.  Waiting for these to come HOME where ever HOME will be.  

OUR HOUSE is rebuildable, but not without huge expense.  We were underinsured.   What we received from insurance was about half of what it would take to rebuild our present rock house.  I did not have the heart to take out another loan so we could rebuild.  SO we made the decision to not take out a loan.  We have to live elsewhere.  We're in our early 60s and neither one of us wanted another mortgage or loan to pay off in our sixties and beyond.  It is a life of continual decision making.
Make wise choices and watch God bless you.  

When we watched an elderly couple on television climb out of their basement after a tornado had destroyed their house, the elderly woman said to trust GOD and move on.

This spoke volumes to me....TRUST GOD AND MOVE ON.   

With SPRING WEATHER,  we hope to continue cleaning out the Rock House Garage as temps are suppose to be in the high 60s or low 70s.  The sooner this task is completed the better.  We made great headway a couple of weeks ago as we grouped the Booth items that we'll part with that were not in the fire.  These are waiting to be priced and taken away.

THE MUSCLE RACKS that were holding Christmas Decorations and other seasonal cheer were cleared off.  My dearest Husband has plans to take these monster racks apart and transport them to the COTTAGE where they will hold Seasonal Decorations and dishes that I cannot part with at this time.  

Doing this in steps.
Get storage unit.
Clear out the garage.
Transport items to storage unit filling it up with things that need thinned out later when the weather is pleasant.  
Price Booth items that are accessible.
Transport to Booth.
Continue clearing out garage.
Have a HAPPY garage.

THEN the Fire recovery items will begin to be returned to us.  What could not be recovered we'll have to decide if we just throw away or attempt to clean items as best we can.  Smoke smell or stains do not always come out of textile articles.  

I will have to photograph every item that was damaged for insurance purposes.  With a digital camera the task is an easy enough one to do, but there are the emotional ties attached to the items that were damaged that will take it out of us.  Needing time to recover ourselves.  This has surprised me how exhausting this fire recovery has been.  I continue to remind myself what to be thankful for and yet it has been surprising how this has affected me emotionally.  SURPRISE!

NOTE TO SELF:  Always have Home Property pictures and description of items plus receipts for personal records.  Have copies in a notebook.  One for easy access at HOME.  One in the cyberspace clouds.  One or two printed out and kept in safety deposit box and/or different location far far away from actual home environment.

SPRING AWAITS US.
I am excited about the new growth that comes with SPRING.
This year it will be all the better,
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