LAZY DAYS

Steve and I are just back from a couple days of rest at beautiful Maple Hill Bed and Breakfast on Lake Barkley.  We're such exciting holiday travelers....let's see, what all did we do?

We turned off the cell phones and left the laptops behind.  No Facebook, no blog, no headline news.  We slept late, went to bed early, and took afternoon naps.  We read.  We watched a movie.  We worked a crossword.  We lolled around in the swimming pool.  We visited a local winery and enjoyed a mini course in wine tasting.  We lingered long over breakfast each morning and got to know the other guests at the B&B.

We enjoyed a thoroughly lazy, restful, stress-free holiday.  Doing just about nothing for a couple of days:  Awesome.  I highly recommend it.

Today, it's back to the busyness of life in Kendallville.  Except that it's TOO QUIET at my house.  All of my kids are scattered across the mid-south - except for Tom, who is out mowing lawns and weed-eating with Mr. Ferguson today.  Steve is at the office, catching up on phone calls, emails, and appointments.  This morning, it's just me and the cat.

Cat and I have fed and watered the chickens, picked cucumbers, run two loads of laundry, and canned 14 quarts of tomatoes.  I have a writing assignment to complete by this afternoon, and a few phone calls and emails to make.  Later today, I need to mix up a batch of sourdough bread, start a bucket of pickles, and pull up the spent Black-eyed Susans out front.  It is nice to be home and busy about the house, but I sure miss the noise and chatter of my kids.  Is this a sobering snapshot of what to expect in the "empty nest" days ahead?

Several of my birds should be flying back to the roost tomorrow night.  It will be good to have a full table at dinnertime, and to hear about all the exciting things they've done while they were away.