TURNING PAGES

I slipped the breakfast Holland bought me into the microwave before starting a new read. The breakfast was welcome - and so was the thought behind it; Holland is always thinking of me no matter what, and I appreciate that. The book, on the other hand, I bought a few days ago at the Goodwill Store in Salmon Creek, and it is painful reading: very slow and full of silly ramblings that make the author appear simple minded, regardless of how important her father was (the other half of the Simon & Schuster Publishing Company), or how wealthy she was growing up (and still living) on Martha's Vineyard. It's a boring 376 page 'memoir'. But I'm going to force myself to keep turning pages until I finish it because I hate wasting money.

I like her songs, but her book - not so much.

Maybe some people think my Blog entries are boring too.

I know some think they are too revealing.

But others thank me for being open and sharing my struggles, because they have found strength in my humble victories.

And still others like the in-depth Thursday Bible Studies I post.

Breakfast was as good as it looked; Holland is always thinking of me, and surprising me with love offerings.

Carly Simon became famous in her own right, as a songwriter & singer.

After breakfast, Holland suggested we get out of the house for a while - I happily agreed. Summer had finally arrived, and a sunny drive would be most welcome :-)

First, Holland cruised Main Street Woodland (very short); and I was interested in what I could see of the Park, so I asked Holland to drive down that way - I like it. It's a nice small town Park with a tranquil lake, and walking trails: perfect for a local 'out of house' sunny retreat, when I feel the 4-walls-squeeze.

Horseshoe Lake Park:

https://www.ci.woodland.wa.us/publicworks/page/horseshoe-lake-park

After that short cruise, we drove to Longview to get Betsy washed at the 'Wash Me Car Wash' and was immediately met with a guy who directed us to one of the several self-wash-bays, because "we can't do this truck - it's a long bed". What a line of B.S. So, we pulled in and washed her. We needed the exercise, anyway.

As I was washing my side of Betsy, I spied a penny on the ground, and picked it up with a smile. Finding a {lucky penny = penny from Heaven}, represents a new beginning/the start of a new chapter in Life/a fresh start: I privately cheered for that.

Record Breaking temperatures today …

A Penny from Heaven ;-)

We deposited $20 worth of quarters in the fee box; and Betsy looks like a new truck, now.

Pulling out of the bay, my eye caught sight of the houses Holland worked on, on 'Snob Hill': his family business is dry wall & interior plaster work - and Holland and his brothers each have application techniques that are unique to each of them, and is in great demand when businesses or private homeowners want a tasteful finish. Holland and Scott are both retired now, but Mark is still working; but he is in his 60's too … and none of Scott or Mark's sons are interested in construction. That's sad. I've seen their work and it is artistically awesome (the ceiling sunburst Scott & Holland did was beautiful) - it's sad to know that the beautiful work will come to an end when Mark retires.

Holland did the drywall work on the pillared house - and the one in front of it, too.

When we got back home, I read through previous years' Blog posts to gauge how far I've come - and my Life's growth process since the winter of 2018. As I reread each post through the years, only I knew the unmentioned people who shared their stories with me: stories that bolstered me, and prodded me forward with words of encouragement when the dark days threated to swallow me whole.