January 1rst, 2015
Today hasn't felt anymore special than yesterday, or the day before that, or last week even. Just another day, like so many before.
I woke up this morning, made breakfast and then started cooking lunch with the customary black-eyed peas, cabbage, etc..
The drain pipe in the kitchen was frozen and because I don't possess an iota of patience, I took a butcher knife out and cut it so that I could wash dishes. I marveled at the icicles hanging under the eaves of the cabin, the ice on my vehicle, the white patches of ice on the ground and the ice on the empty propane bottle. It was fairly cold out this morning, that is for sure!
Last night, after Husband came in from hunting, and after I had canned 7 quarts of venison, (my first experience canning anything. Ever.), I went back out into the cold with him to look for his wounded deer. We walked around in a thick draw for over 2 hours, with temps in the 20's, looking for that deer.
It was so still. So quiet. Me with my flashlight going one direction and Husband with his going another, it never occurred to me that a booger bear might jump out and kill me as I clumsily searched through the forty pockets on my parka for my pistol that was on safety and didn't have a shell in the chamber. Nope. Never even thought of that. I just searched the ground for a blood trail or a hoof print, looking under brush, barreling through dense mesquite and cacti thickets as if booger bears ought to be scared of me. At one point, I got into a thicket and couldn't get out. I stopped and said to the night, "Damn, fellers. I'm in a tight spot." I finally called out to Husband, "O Husband! Where art thou?" He found me quickly and plowed through a bush to make me a gate, saving me from my thorny prison.
Sometimes husbands are good to have around!
Still, I loved every minute of that search, even if we failed to find the deer. Personally, I think the deer had a minor flesh wound.
We got back to the cabin and he said, "I see you built the fire in the fire pit up earlier." I said, "Yeah. I stepped outside and it was cold, so I threw some logs on the dwindling fire, then went back into the house and stood by the heater and watched the logs burn through the window. I figured the deer needed some heat." He chuckled and said, "It must have worked 'cause it's warmer now than it was before dark."
Anyway, after lunch today, I loaded my truck and my youngest kiddo and headed home. When I stepped into my 'in town' house, I was so happy that I didn't utter a word about the boys housekeeping skills, or lack thereof. Instead, I went to cleaning and doing laundry, and by dark I had swept and mopped the entire house, washed four loads of laundry and two sink fulls of dirty dishes, made dinner and an Apple Crisp, and took down the Christmas tree!
A week ago I prayed, "Lord, let me be content with this house. Let me love and appreciate it, even all of it's warts and failings. Let me appreciate this house. Please."
Well, He did...He allowed me to spend three days and nights at the unfinished, uninsulated cabin during the worst cold snap we've had in about a year. Frozen pipes, cold unfinished floors, sweaty unfinished ceilings, drafty spaces, frozen drains. Unless I was standing on top of the awesome heater, I was freezing. The heater does a great job, but without insulation that heat goes up to the roof where it causes condensation to gather and then drip on my head and shoulders while I'm trying to wash the dishes or read a book or sleep! I even told Husband, "I need to wear a slicker coat to bed and have an umbrella over my head just to wash the dishes!"
Totally annoying...especially when it's 23 degrees outside and you've got water dripping on your face while you are trying to sleep!
So, I walked inside the 'in town' house this afternoon and smiled! No drippy ceilings. No frozen pipes. No drafts. No cold, unfinished floors.
Yeah, God is pretty awesome about answering prayers!
My 'in town' house isn't much, but at times like these, I am thanking God for it!
Maybe this first day of 2015 wasn't so ordinary, after all. Maybe 2015 will have me paying closer attention to the really great things that God has blessed me with. Maybe 2015 will be a year to see the positives in my life, to be more appreciative of the little things, and hopefully, walk closer with God.
Another year...What a blessing!
