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June 25 Yes, Marianne, I'm Catching Up! It's a rare evening when I have some time to let my thoughts wander a bit.
We are getting ready to book our Scotland trip, which will be later this year probably around Thanksgiving. What better time to hop The Pond than in November, when it will be nice and misty/gloomy/chilly in that Bonnie Land? Seriously, if it were sunny and cheery it somehow would not seem like the mystical land I have come to love.
And miss. Gosh I miss Scotland.
I was just looking back at some photos here I had taken while over there. I miss Scotland. Her natural wonders, her stories, her mysteries, her people.
Life over there seemed so much simpler than here in the States. I have talked with friends and other folks who express similar views...of how life outside the States in places such as Europe is simpler...more back to basics...
It seems like another time...another lifetime perhaps...when I was there. To imagine little me living in Scotland for three months...with a man one might say I hardly knew...but whom I have known in my heart and soul all my days.
Gosh, was that really me over there? HAHA! Yep, guess it was. What an adventure!
So, we're looking at going back for a week. Not much time at all, but better than nothing. To stroll through Edinburgh on cobbled streets...up the Royal Mile...stop in a pub for a meal or perhaps a pint...hang out with the lads...and to be in my beloved Glen Coe once again...to sleep nestled and sheltered in her arms...sigh....
I miss Scotland. Can you imagine how Dave must feel?
We're saying we'll just go over with essentially empty suitcases this time...taking the absolute bare necessities for a couple of days and then shop a bit. Whoohoo! HA!
Expedia is looking pretty good...very reasonable in price...with flights and accommodations right in Edinburgh, a flat within an east stroll of the Royal Mile. It will be great to have a base from where we can roam the city, venture to The Highlands, and to have folks in to visit. Unfortunately, a week's trip will not allow us time enough to go see everyone while over there, so we'll just have to let folks know where we will be staying, inviting folks to come see us if they can. Hence, it will be nice to have a wee flat where we can do meals and entertain if the occasion arises.
Dave might even have the opportunity to get out on a Saturday run with the guys and I'm all for that if it works out. Gee, I'll just have to entertain myself by wandering the streets of Edinburgh while he's out cycling.
There is no land like Scotland. I miss her. Ah well, our trip will be booked soon hopefully and we'll be winging our way across The Pond before long!
The evening is winding down so I'd best start making my way to bed. Our mornings start fairly early and we have busy days, so snuggling up under the covers is always welcome.
Cheers for now!
Recent DaysDave has undertaken a project recently...putting up a fence on the exposed side of our courtyard. With a fence on that side, we have a totally enclosed bit of land...a yard or garden (depending on which side of The Pond you live). We can now have some privacy, prevent anyone from just walking up to the residence door, and Baby has a place to go out w/o a leash.
It's just about done; Dave hung the gate yesterday and has been fine tuning the fence, trimming bits here and there. I tell ya what, this man can DO stuff! It's an absolutely lovely piece of work, nice and level, straight (or plumb), and is very pleasing to the eye. How he knows how to do all these things, I dunno. Whatever he takes on, he does very well.
Anyhoo, the fence is lovely. There is a strip of ground in front of it on the outside. I've made a good start of taking up the grass there. Once we treat and stain the fence, I'll put in a border and then make that a flowerbed/garden. It'll look very cute when all is done, I do believe.
The grass I planted a couple of months ago is certainly taking root and filling in. What was virtually a mud pit when we arrived back there now is looking like a nice green yard. Not exactly level, as this place is built on a bit of a slope, but hey, it's GREEN and it's grass. I'm so lucky Dave understands he has a little Earth Momma here who needs to plant things and groove with the outdoors.
Did I mention that...oh maybe a month ago...I found a yucca palm in the dumpster? Poor lonely guy, he was still green ... just really kinda neglected-looking and sad...so I brought him home and sat him outside in the back. Well, I tell ya what! He has grown and sprouted new bottom growth. He's now our first bit of landscaping, really, with a proud place in the corner of the courtyard near the fence.
We've been here almost four months now and I guess we'll be staying a while. We are enjoying the life and seem to be doing well with the work, it's more city-fied around here than I really like but it's tolerable 'cause we're in our little "kingdom" most of the time, and we feel like we got lucky with this situation, especially considering we came into it with no storage experience and sight unseen.
Life is good...hectic at times but certainly never dull...and I seem many days to fall in love even more with this amazing Scotsman with whom I share the days and nights. I have never known a man with such strong and loving arms and such a big heart. We laugh a lot, sharing a kindred quirky humor.
Whatever I had to go through to get here, right here and right now, I'd do again in a heartbeat just to get back to this moment.
Recent GiftsRecent gifts I've been given have come at the most unexpected moments.
Driving along in the truck, listening to Carlos Santana's guitar, looking up and seeing a smaller bird chasing a hawk...the two of them "dancing" to the music for several seconds, their aerobatics running parallel to the truck. It was one of those "wow" moments.
Stepping outside right in that time between light and dark...deep twilight...and hearing "who who who-who" from Owl. Yep, Owl right here. Didn't see him/her, but definitely heard the call. Looked down at my feet then and saw a frog. Awwww...there is life in a storage facility surrounded as we are by concrete and steel.
This past Sunday I taught a Reiki class in the student's home...a very lovely environment with even a few kitties. I realized during my alone time driving there and back and during the quiet times of the class that I am living this path I have followed for several years.
Well, yes, of course one is living one's path, you say. The realization was that my life focus seems to have turned from practicing and teaching professionally to using these gifts to help and comfort others each and every day. How?
Folks looking for storage or renting a moving truck are under stress, often in crisis. There has been a death, a job change, a relocation or loss of home, the ending of a relationship or divorce. Often they just need someone to talk to, someone to empathize with their situation, perhaps someone to reassure them that everything will be okay or, at the least, that everything happens for a reason. Perhaps just a calm and friendly voice is all they need. Perhaps a bit of cheerful and friendly banter.
So I guess instead of volunteering with a hospice agency, seeing clients, or teaching workshops...I am, as one of my wise friends has said, simply living it.
All in all, an interesting week or two for me spiritually. My spiritual self is still very much alive and thriving...just needed some fine tuning.
Peace, strength, love, and light  |
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