Ponderings

There are times when things feel muddled.  I'm going through a muddled frame of mind at the moment.  As a result, I've had an unproductive week.  I hate being unproductive!  Perhaps it is due to the diet that Layne and I are on.  We have our last meal of the day between 2 and 3 o'clock, then don't eat again until the next day.  It's great for losing weight.  But maybe it is a mind muddler.  I'm not sure.

I have recently discovered, while at the doctor's office, that I have lost 1 and 1/2 inches in height.  I'm shocked and a little sad not to be 5' 6" anymore.  Somehow it just isn't right!  As a result I've decided that I need to lose a little weight to be right for my new, shorter self.  Another old lady thing.  Slowly, we are called upon to surrender pieces of our youth.  Off it trots, without our permission.

Happily, my muddled self is losing some weight.  I'm even getting used to less food.

Growing older does bring some blessings.  There is time now to do things that I didn't have before.  But it is also a time for losses, it seems.  One of our dear Fremont friends, Benjapon Mellblom, just died of cancer.  I feel so sad to see her go.  She was one of those especially soft, kind and loving people that you so enjoy having in your life.  Even though I haven't seen her for awhile, the world feels less somehow without her.  Here she is with her daughter, Sarah.

On a brighter note, spring is upon us and Layne is getting yard fever.  He finds himself outside these days, planning the garden and repairing winter damages.  The bulbs are sending out shoots.  That is our only sign of spring as the rest of the yard still looks quite dead.  It is magical to see what appears lifeless come back to life with buds turning to a warm, soft green.  It is the joy of spring.  Here is a shot of our coming spring and our only green patch, so far.

Layne is on our HOA board now and so is privy to the latest news for our development.  We have enjoyed lots of open space here.  Part of it is Land Management property but part is privately owned by a company that hopes to develop it.  They are once again offering a development plan to the city of Star in hopes that they can build more homes on some of the open land.  One of the spots they own and want to develop is located behind our place.  Right now it is an open field, behind quite a few other homes as well as ours.  It's lovely to look out beyond it to the hills and the sunset.  It's a little sad to think of homes being there instead.  But the company has the right to develop their property so we will adjust, if it comes about.  My form of adjustment is to plant trees in the back of our property to create some privacy.  I've suggested it to Layne from the time we moved here, but he wasn't interested in doing it.  Until now.  I'm getting my hopes up for trees!

Here is our open field.  Open for now...