Thoughts as I think about Those I care for at the Nurse Home...

You are old a tired
But I can still see it,
the smile of a little girl still graces your face.

Oh! You must have been a beauty
You have lived a life
You have your smile and wedding photo to show

I am young a full of life
Thats what you old folk tell me
Though I know someday I will be sitting in your place

I hope the caregiver
Wipes my chin and my butt
Hopefully she isn't in too big a hurry to brush my hair

Maybe my children will be like yours
Taking time to really see me
Not just "popping in" for a minute and gone again

When I confuse my words
Please don't say "uh hum" and walk on
Please try to hear me or at least give a moment

May God smile down on you
May He grace your final years
That they are pain free, full of joy and peace

May it be the same for me when I am
Quietly without hearing and sight
Sitting in your place in your chair at your age

What I have learned since moving to Fillmore County!

Lets see..... think think think....

1. MN has better roads than IA. At least, anyhow, if yr Amish we do, because at least Fillmore Co has a shoulder (I mean a horse n buggy lane).


2. Straight roads DO exist. I never would have known that if I lived always in Houston Co.

3. Dutch heritage, the houses are much more square than German built farmhouses, especially the roof structure, and their coffee floats TWO spoons.

4. Schoolhouses make good homes. :)

5. Bluff country is pretty dang nice place to be, and it ends (or at least levels off some) just past Mabel! Out here its "rolling prairie"

6. I have a great family!! (ok I knew that already!) they have all been out here at least once or at least done a drive by if I wasn't home! You guys rock!

7. If you live in a "rolling prairie", that means the wind ALWAYS blows!

8. I really love it out here, they folks have been so good, the neighbors have been very welcoming. Makes it easier to forgive the wind for taking my hat!

9. Having alot of Amish in the area is a good thing.

10. I can be pretty happy in a half-remodeled house. :)

11. I'm not the only stubborn quack out here who's motto in life is "I can do it myself" lol

12. Old is good. Antique is better. Anything old increases in value if brought to the Harmony antique mall.

13. I can get lost on pretty much any backroad (but usually come out somewhere close enough to figure it out anyhow! LOL)

14. Tiny towns are wonderful. Get a copy of the local church cookbook and your on the way to becoming a community member.

15. Changes in life are not always negative! :)

Our Treasure

Its a beautiful thing

when you can find it

That realization that all will be well

that at the end

of an ugly day-

it will still be alright, because

together

Together

At the end of a not-all-right day

Its still gonna be

Alright.

That is what we have found, he and I-that space and time

where its gonna be alright together.

Oh God, I had no idea!! it was supposed to be like this!

Sweet quiet happiness, I am ready.

remembering.....

A few days ago, i was sleeping in the middle of the day. (Because I work nights, I don't sleep at night very well.) I had a beautiful dream!
I dreamed that I was in a most lovely place on earth-my grandparents front yard. You see, their yard over looks a deep valley and the hills sort of rise out the the mist in the morning, and greet you with a kind of eternal beauty hard to match elsewhere. And in the winter, they have the best view of snow covered bluffs anywhere except perhaps right on the Mississippi.
In my dream, I was running across the yard yelling out "Grandma! Grandma!" and she was standing in her door way smiling at me. As I got closer she said in her sing song way "I have cookies....." I must have been about 10 years old. The grass was so very very green and her smile was so very genuine, as my grandma always is. Her smile was like it is supposed to be.
Then I woke up.
All of a sudden I am 32 again and my grandparents don't live there anymore and my grandma is in the nursing home dying of cancer.

I cried.

wow, a new post!! is it possible?

This awsome old gas stove is going to get a face lift and be the central feature in my new kitchen.

That's me painting the bathroom blue.

Hello friends!! I haven't blogged most of this year, but am going to attempt to re start! So here are quick updates:

-we moved! we live nearby a little town called Greenleafton, in a schoolhouse built in 1926. Its awsome! Its also huge. The boards aren't in front of the house anymore.

-the kids have a new school. Fillmore Central is alot bigger than St Johns (how we miss you all there!) and despite my worrying the kids have done great with the transition.

-Ellie earned straight A's this semester (is anyone who knows her really surprised??!!)

-I work at a local nursing home and work nights and evenings. I really love my job but the hours are sometimes hard to ...what should I say.... be human when not at work and after a night shift?

-The rest of the family is also doing great! I have so much to write and share, look for future posts. love, ruth

Double Story

Ok...so we just have to build another one, and reverse the signs, then all's fair.... harhar

Repost-Lists and Stuff

I have noticed:

A tired child will whine and cannot be pleased until he gets a nap.

I always ask “why”. Guess I never grew out of that stage.

News which is bad news can sometimes be a good thing.

Those who matter most are sometimes the ones on your mind not the ones with the same blood you have.

The ones with the same blood are usually the ones on your mind. If not, it is the ones with the same heart.

You can forget your past, your heritage and your childhood, but you cannot make it as though it wasn’t a part of you. It shows up in little ways if you don’t let it show in bigger ways.

My kids sass back to me the same things I sassed back to my parents. Where do you suppose they picked that up??

Having a little less material goods is satisfying when the soul is prospering. Having more material things just equates to junk when your soul is dying.

If you play a piano out of tune every day, it sounds just fine. Pretty soon you sing out of tune.

A lot of things labeled “wrong” have to be addressed within context to get a clearer picture of why it happened.

Traditions can be a good thing. Maybe there is a connotation to religion, to culture, to pride. There is a beauty in doing the same thing your family has been doing for so many generations.

You can say the right prayer at the right time with the right words. So what. You can say “Oh God!” suddenly when your back is against the wall and it is enough.

Adults are often too uptight. We often transfer that stress to our children who then take it out on us. Go figure!

The people you love sometimes don’t write back to you. You love them anyway.

I had not been home for 570 days but when I did get here, my mind told me exactly which roads to take and my feet knew where I wanted to walk. My bed no longer felt familiar. My old jeans did.

HAVE A GREAT DAY! LOVE, RUTH

A little one line laugh (Thanks Robyn!)

The rooster, you know, was going around the barnyard. He kept bragging about himself you know, crowing about himself all day.
And the hens, you know, got so tired of it. They kept following him around-saying "talk, talk talk TALK talk, talk!"