What's The Deal With You, Anne?

...deep breath...

This post has been a long time coming.

My life has changed.

My priorities have changed.

This blog has changed.

I post less, and seem to spend less time

on the computer in general.

On a fairly regular basis,
I get e-mails asking me

"When are we going to get to see more of your new cottage? "

I have other bloggers inviting me to show off the new house in

linky parties, which I invariably always decline.

I have famous people asking when it might be possible to

come and photograph our farmhouse, and I've had to reluctantly
put them off for the time being.

Here's the deal...

Life as I knew it changed forever on September 13, 2011,

the day my mother passed away.
It's as if time stopped, and I did too, right along with it.
Frozen. Immobile. Numb.

As most of you know, it took a very, very long time for us to

even get moved in, due to fencing and construction issues,

and it wasn't until the end of June, first part of July that we finally

got even a little bit settled in.

And then August came.

It became apparent that my mother was not well at all, 

so rather than styling the house and welcoming famous visitors,

my whole focus became trying to get her to seek medical attention.

By the end of August, my critically ill mother entered the hospital,

and two weeks later she was gone.
Just like that.

And she pretty much took with her any and all desire I had

to decorate, to primp, to style, and to show off this

beautiful old house I had so wanted to share with all of you.

But that's not even the whole story.

There's more I haven't shared with all of you.

Concurrent to all of this, I was dealing with a medical situation of my own,

and facing a never ending cycle of doctors appointments.

And if you think that's all?

Think again, dear readers.

Two days after my mother died, my father, my active, 75 year old

father fell and broke his hip, and since September 15th, has had

three failed hip surgeries, and is due to face his fourth surgery

this coming Wednesday.

This vibrant, fully employed man has had to live in the rehab wing of

a nursing home the past two months, and will have to live there

THREE more months, until he returns to the hospital for his

FIFTH and hopefully final hip operation.

My mom and dad had been divorced many years when she

passed away, and admittedly, he and I have never been close.

We have even been estranged at times.

But through the mercy of God 

( and perhaps the intercession of my sweet mama ),

he and I have become much closer in recent weeks.

And lest we forget the doggie drama
which recently took place, too.

THIS 

is what I've been doing instead of decorating,

instead of staging photo shoots of my farmhouse.

Rebuilding relationships.

Trying to regain and stabilize my physical health.

Devoting much more time to my faith and to prayer.

And just trying to make sense of all that is going on,

and recognizing the fleeting, fragility of life in general.

To those who have been disappointed that I haven't

gotten the house photo ready, join the club.

I'm disappointed, too. I can count 30 pictures, mirrors,

and what-not's that still need to be hung on the walls,

not to mention drapes in every room except the bedroom.

But all of this will have to wait.

Because in the bigger picture, the grand scheme?

It really doesn't matter right now.

Family comes first.

Faith comes first.

And I know each and every one of you well enough

to know that you'd probably feel exactly the same way.

I'm not going anywhere, I'll still continue to blog on the same, 

somewhat reduced schedule I've maintained the past few months.

And I hope that when I finally DO get the house photo ready,

you will all still be around to witness the miracle, LOL!

I hope this didn't come across as a "poor, pitiful me" post,
because I surely did not intend for it to!
I recognize the hidden blessings amidst the trials, I promise you that.
Through it all, God has been right there with me.

That's all.

Just a little "state of the union"

to let friends and readers of this blog know where I stand

and what I stand for.

Oh, yeah....

and to tell you that I love you.

:-)

photos taken at

chick-a-dee and house wren 

in wimberley, texas

this past summer