Are you ready?

This morning I was talking to my sister who lives in Vermont. Things there are in bad shape and her town is without water. It will be a very long process to get things back to normal there. It is easy to think of all the things you need in case of an emergency AFTER the emergency happens.  You wish you had water. You wish you had flashlights. You wish you had a way to cook your food.  All the things you take for granted suddenly mean so much more. You miss turning on a faucet and watching water come out. You miss taking a hot shower. You pretty much miss everything you had just moments before - and now is gone. Here at Yesteryear Acres we have had to face emergency type situations a couple of times.  The worst was a horrible ice storm that happened several Christmases ago.  We were without heat, water, electric - well everything that matters.  It went on for over a week.  Last September Hurricane Ike rolled through Ohio of all places and left us without water and electric for 10 days. You just never know when an emergency will arise. It is best to be prepared. My sister just said today on the phone that she is the "grasshopper" from the Aesop's Fable, "The Ant and The Grasshopper"  Well I am sure you can all guess that I am the ant.  So here is our Emergency Prepared List.  It is good to have these items stored someplace safe - just in case. 

5 Gallon Thermos Water Jug

Cooking pans/pots for campfire – coffee maker, sandwich grill, dutch oven – things to use to cook over open fire

Camp Shower

Canned Food, meats, veggies

Dehydrated Food – beef jerky, tomatoes, green beans, corn etc.

Water – at least 10 gallons saved for an emergency along with bottled water

Firewood

Insulated Cooler

Water purifier

Matches or lighter with refill fuel

Galvanized Wash Tub (for washing outside)

Rain Barrel or 55 gallon drum to catch water off of gutters

Emergency recharge station (works off batteries and will recharge cell phones)

LED Flashlights

Batteries

Ice packs

Blankets

Vegetable Seeds ( you never know – it is good to have a ration of seeds for the next season)

Very well stocked first aid kit – including vet wrap, butterfly strips, bandages – large and small, finger splints, slings etc

Solar powered – fill in the blank – anything you can have that recharges via solar energy – good to have flashlight, radio etc.

Handwarmers

We also are sure to fill our bathtub with water whenever we hear about a bad storm heading our way. That way we have enough water to flush toilets, wash up, do some dishes etc.  We also fill all our water jugs and containers for drinking water.  We have a storm readiness procedure we follow without fail.

Hopefully you will never need this list - but believe me - if you are in an emergency situation - you will be glad you got it beforehand!  If you can think of anything else to add to the list, please feel free to share.  We all want to be prepared!

Let's Hold Onto Summer

Even though both of my girls are away at college and my son is in school all day long.....I still have a hard time believing that summer is coming to an end. In no time at all Autumn will be upon us with the brilliant display of colors, cool fall air, and sweaters will have to come out of the closets. Each morning will bring the sound of crisp leaves crunching under our feet. I can already see the signs that Autumn is on the way. The sun keeps setting a little bit earlier each day. I was driving home last night and it was dark before I knew it. We have to run outside shortly after dinner if we want to catch the evening sunset show. So I say - let's hold onto summer just a little bit longer. This weekend I want to do all sorts of summer things. I am going to talk to Mr. Yesteryear Acres to plan a campfire cookout. We need to sit out on our dock. We need to fish in our pond. We need to have a picnic. We need to make one last batch of homemade summertime ice cream. We need to send summer off with one last big bang. If we do everything just right - we should be able to follow our "Let's Hold Onto Summer party" by a really awesome "Why Hello Autumn!" It sounds like a good plan to me!!!!

And they can't even SEE the ocean!

After watching the Weather Channel for about 24 hours straight, worried about Hurricane Irene and my friends and family along the coastline, I finally turned the channel off.  Hurricane Irene had been downgraded. It was heading inland.  It was moving away from the ocean. All that was left was rain.  Little did I know that my poor sister in Vermont would get the brunt of the storm. Vermont is in terrible shape!  Everything is flooded. Roads are gone. As in just washed away. The rivers are running so high they are taking the bridges with them.  There are so many families just stranded in their homes with nowhere to go.  There are no roads. I know many people thought the hype over the Hurricane was overdone - but look what RAIN - not even a hurricane anymore - but RAIN in huge amounts can do. They are calling the flooding in Vermont a complete and total catastrophe.  In looking at the pictures my sister posted - I have to agree!

This isn't something that can be fixed in just a day or two.  Vermonters have a long haul ahead of them.  All of this destruction- from a hurricane - and they can't even SEE the ocean. I am sure no one thought all this was headed their way. I just hope things start to improve soon.  My dear sister - if you need anything - I am just one phone call away!!!!! Hang in there!!!!

Bye Bye Puppies....Hello Puppies!

I have been busy since sunrise. Literally. It has been non-stop puppy action all day long. We had many nice puppy families come today to pick up their sweet new furry bundles of joy.  It was a lot of fun and the weather couldn't have been any nicer. Sunny with a lovely breeze. Ahhh heaven!  As we said goodbye to our sweet puppies......we said hello to new puppies!!!!  Ariel and Waffles had their new babies and they are so adorable. Look at all the new sweet faces here at Yesteryear Acres:

The last picture just makes me want to snuggle with them! 

There is nothing sweeter in the whole world than Puppy Love!!!

Why yes it is possible to watch the Weather Channel all day long

I didn't know it was possible to be glued to the TV without ever wanting to change the channel. The Weather Channel has been on all day in our kitchen.  Mr. Yesteryear Acres started watching it first thing this morning and we have both been in and out getting Hurricane Irene updates all day long. I have to admit, I love big storms.  I love when a big storm rolls in and the clouds darken and the sky becomes angry.  I like massive electrical storms with all the beautiful lightning streaks filling the sky.  I like ice storms, blizzards, torrential rains - even the earthquake was kind of cool. I like all of that right up until the point that it disrupts people's lives. I don't want roads to be closed. I don't want driving to be dangerous. I don't want houses to be flooded. I don't want roofing shingles whipping through the air. I don't want destruction and mayhem.  I love the awesomeness of Nature but wish there was a way to have so much awesome raw power and still have nice clean roads. I like trees that aren't uprooted, street signs that are intact, and electricity and drinking water for all.  I fear that with Hurricane Irene's massive rainfall - there are going to be quite a few disruptions. So today my heart goes out to everyone on the east coast. For all my puppy families - I hope you are safe. Stay dry! Be Safe!  I hope the storm passes quickly. For all my Navy friends - stay safe!!!!! I am thinking of you. For my daughter who is at the Naval Academy - I hope you and all the midshipmen at the Naval Academy are safe during the storm.  And one more special little request for my sweet daughter....... I know how much you LOVE going running in the rain, but as a favor for your dear sweet mother....could you skip the running today?  Thank you.

Puppy Weekend!

Ginger's sweet goldendoodle puppies are all ready to go to their new homes this weekend.  Oh my goodness - they are so cute!!! I will be sad to see them go.  Of course I can only be sad for a brief moment because there is SO much happiness happening at my house - who can be sad?  Everyone is SO excited to meet their very own new furry family member. I love having people here to pick up their puppies. It makes my house the happiest place ever. Today will be filled with pictures for puppy picture albums, kisses, hugs and lots of tail wagging.  I have all the puppy care packages ready to go and the puppies are eagerly awaiting their big weekend. My son was so nice to help me assemble all 12 bags and get everything ready for puppy weekend. We are ready!  Puppy families........ your furry babies await!!!!!

Well - I do look good in purple

Oh my. I am hot. And tired. And red. No make that purple. And I think perhaps about 102* F. Why you ask? Well because my "let's walk in the morning for miles and miles" has sadly turned into "let's take one more step in the hot blazing afternoon." My son has cross country practice at 4:00pm.  It takes me 15 minutes to drive him to practice. Then of course, it would take 15 minutes to drive back home.  Then of course 15 minutes to go back and pick him up followed by another 15 minutes of driving back once again.  Total time driving = one solid hour. BUT if I do not take my gorgeous happy peaceful walk in the morning and save it until my son runs cross country in the afternoon - I can walk during his hour long cross country practice and save myself quite a bit of driving.  Good plan right? Right? I am thinking maybe not so much.  Here is the scenario for my morning walk.  I get up, get dressed, get in the car and drive to the arboretum. The birds are singing. The air is crisp. The deer are out. The hills are covered with a beautiful morning light and all is right with the world. I happily walk with an upbeat tempo. I am so proud of myself. I can easily cover 3-4 miles and hardly think a thing of it. Each time I look down at my pedometer, I have covered miles! Then when I get back home - I have my whole day in front of me and all the while I think, "I am AWESOME because I already got my exercise in today!"  Here is the scenario for the late afternoon walk. I have 1,000 things on my to-do list and only 99 things crossed off.  I have to make dinner. I have to do the laundry. I have to take care of the puppies and start their dinner. I have to go change my clothes into appropriate workout attire. I have to put on walking shoes. I have to go out in the blazing hot, humid, sun blaring afternoon and walk. The birds are all hiding.  The deer are passed out in the shade far from human contact.  The hoards of high school kids from various schools are all over the park RUNNING past me at the speed of light which makes me look quite pathetic. I am walking the pace of a snail. I have to stop and get a drink. I have to keep myself from crawling to the shade and passing out.  I keep looking at my watch. Only 2 minutes have passed. I keep looking at my pedometer - .02 miles covered.  ACK! The agony! My face is purple! I actually have very little ability to sweat so I am literally hot, dry and purple.  I look like I have been slowly roasted over an open fire. Once I finally crawl to my car and open the door, it is 130* inside the car. I drive back home while my legs cook on my car seat only to be faced with 901 things that must be done right that second. All I can think is.....thank goodness I survived!!!!!! Tomorrow's forecast: HOT, with high school runners whipping by at break neck speeds, followed by half cooked purple mom. Oh well. At least I look good in purple!

Kindness

One of the things I try to do each and every day of my life is to treat people with kindness. I say please and thank you. I thank the cashier at the grocery store. I thank our mail carrier. I wish people happiness, have a nice day, hope your day gets better  - or any number of other good wishes.  I try never to burden other people with my problems and greet everyone I meet with a smile and a happy outlook. To this very day (after 24 years of being happily married) my husband, Mr. Yesteryear Acres, says one of the things he loves very best about me is my smile. He says I can light up a room and he always feels happy around me.  I think the world is a hard enough place without being grumpy and blue towards others.  I also work very hard to treat people with respect and always give the other person the benefit of the doubt. It is easy to misunderstand someone else's intentions so I try to be forgiving if there is something that just isn't clear. I really love to be surrounded by people that are also optimistic and happy.  A smile goes a long way.  People who are grateful for every day are my kind of people.  I look for things to be grateful for each and every day.  Even the hard days.  A grateful happy life - is a life well lived. These qualities: happiness, gratefulness, thoughtfulness, doing onto others as you would like done onto you - these are the type of qualities I love in the families that bring home our puppies. Our puppies are used to LOTS and LOTS of love.  We don't leave them alone.  We are here all the time with them.  The longest period of time they ever go without someone here is 2 hours and even that is a very rare occasion.  Even last night on my birthday - we were gone for exactly 2 hours.  We would have loved to celebrate longer. We would have loved to have watched the stars come out. We would have loved to relax and spend the evening together out on the water but we have puppies. Puppies that need us. Puppies that love us.  So we were prompt in our celebration and came back to find happy puppies waiting for us. We live our life by the golden rule and hope that our puppies live with families that also feel the same way.  I am blessed to have SO many super nice, friendly, awesome, terrific, amazing, grateful, happy, thoughtful, giving, warm and loving puppy families in my life.  I thank you for all your kindness.  Happy Puppy Families = Happy Yesteryear Acres Puppies!

Birthdaytastic!

Well here I am another year older and another year happier. I woke up this morning to find a sweet birthday card on the bed that Mr. Yesteryear Acres left for me. It was an excellent start to the day. Mr. Yesteryear Acres got up early and took our son to his first day of high school while I got to sleep in all the way until 8am. It was heaven. Of course a hot steaming perfect cup of coffee was waiting for me as soon as I came downstairs.  Birthday Fantastic! I can't tell you how many times I have smiled from ear-to-ear today. I had so many facebook happy birthday wishes! They made my day!!!! Thank you!!!! Mr. Yesteryear Acres and my son made an awesome birthday present - a table for our dock. He put it out first thing this morning. See how perfect of a birthday this is?

It just says......"Sit...and Read....and Relax....and Enjoy!"

So I did!  I read for 2 solid hours!  Ahhhhhh birthdaytastic!

And to make my birthday complete - Mr. Yesteryear Acres made the most delicious dinner. It was birthdaylicious!  And my son baked me a birthday cake!!!!!  I had just assumed I would go without a homemade birthday cake because both of my daughters are gone and they are usually the ones to bake me a cake. My son surprised me and baked my favorite cake for me! Swiss Chocolate Cake with double chocolate frosting. MMMMMM!

I thought the day was pretty perfect.  Then Mr. Yesteryear Acres and my son took me out boating for a birthday sunset!

It was a beautiful evening. Mother Nature put on a brilliant display for me.

Mr. Yesteryear Acres is so thoughtful.  He makes the very best birthdays!

My son and Olive enjoyed the sunset as well.

We stayed out on the lake and watched the sun sizzle right into the water.

Then my son, the Captain, took us back to the dock.

It was a perfect birthday!!!!!

I smiled all the way home!

Last First Day - First First Day

Today is my older daughter's last first day of school.  She is starting her senior year at the Naval Academy so today marks the very last time she will have a first day of school. I am fairly certain she thinks the time went by as quickly as I did.  This year will be a big year for her. In complete contrast - today marks the First - first day of college for my younger daughter. Sadly she started off the day completely and totally sick.  She got really sick yesterday with a very high fever and there was not a clinic, urgent care or health center open anywhere. It made her being away from home even harder - for both of us!!! Thankfully the student health center was able to see her this morning and she is on antibiotics so hopefully she will be feeling better soon. She was a real trooper and made it to all her classes despite the fact she was feeling so awful. I know we miss each other even more than we thought we would this week.  Being sick and away from home all at once - that is a lot to deal with the first week away! I hope she feels better tomorrow.  My poor sweet daughter! Tomorrow my son has his first - first day of high school.  I can't say he is really looking forward to it but we are ready for the big event.  The mountain of clothes are all cleaned, folded and ready for school.  School supplies are lined up by the door.  The new super sonic alarm clock is set and ready for the early 6am wake up call.  I have my alarm set as well.  Tomorrow starts my job as chauffeur!  School, cross country practice, cross country meets ------they all await me. I guess tomorrow will be my first - first day of complaining. Why does school have to start so early? WAHHHH!

Laundry Laundry Laundry

I have been buried alive.  I am suffocating under the largest mountain of laundry anyone has ever seen. It touches the ceiling. It escapes the room. It creeps out into the yard. It is a laundry monster of mass proportions guaranteed to frightened even the most hardiest of souls.
Me: "School starts the day after tomorrow and we need to make sure you have clean clothes to wear."

My son: "How clean?"

Me: "CLEAN!"

My son: "Well I better go excavate my room then"

Hours later my son emerges. Well at least I think it is my son. I can't really tell because it appears to be a giant walking mass of laundry. Actually I think some of the laundry is so dirty that it is walking on its own. Evidently the theme of the summer was to wear the clothing multiple times and then store the clothing in a corner.  Evidently the theme of the summer was that he worked FAR too hard to actually bring down his laundry so I could wash it.  Evidently the theme of the summer was for my son to OUTGROW the clothes waiting to be washed. So now - all day - and all day tomorrow - I will be washing clothes that no longer fit  him. I will be washing clothes that I will be giving away.  I will be hoping that at least one or two pair of jeans and a couple of shirts will stretch enough to fit my ever growing boy. I incorrectly assumed that when he grew over a foot in one calendar year, his growth spurt would be over.  Based on the mass quantity of clothes that are sitting on my floor that in no way fit him.....I guess my boy is still growing. The denim industry of America should thank me. My son has gone through just about every size......for a good 2-3 weeks.....and then he is on to the next one. When he outgrows this size - I will be forced to shop at the "Tall" shop only.  I don't think they make Jolly Green Giant sizes at normal clothing stores!!!! Guess I better go change loads.  I will be done washing right about the same time that my boy grows again!

Clean Clean Clean

Hmmmmm - seems as if I am "nesting" despite the fact 2 of my sweet babies have flown the nest.  I am sure my obsessive cleaning mode today does NOT have anything to do with me wanting to fill every spare second of time with busy work so I absolutely cannot spend any time weeping over the emptiness in my house. That cannot be it at all. So far today I have sorted and filed all the paperwork, bills, mail etc from the entire summer.  I have cleaned the entire kitchen. I have wiped down all the appliances.  I have washed the faces of the microwave, dishwasher, refrigerator, stove, oven, blender, toaster, mixer, breadmaker, popcorn popper. I have bleached and cleaned the counter tops and sinks. I have washed down all the shelves in the refrigerator.  I have cleaned all day long.  The puppies were also the happy recipients of my cleaning mode as they all got washed, toe nails trimmed, collars adjusted, and lovely little "haircuts" under the....um......well you know...TAIL area.  They look lovely.  They also got all new bedding.  I suppose I should go start dinner soon as Mr. Yesteryear Acres and my son are certainly starving at this point.  Perhaps after dinner I will sweep and wipe down the stairs in the house followed by sorting laundry and then perhaps I shall organize my son's school supplies.  Nope. I am not thinking about my girls at all.  Clean. Clean. Clean.

I did NOT play in the mud puddle

Today was puppy picture day!!! All the puppies got to pose for the camera and show off their best looks. Some puppies sat like good little puppies, all nice and fluffy and dry and clean. They waited for their turn to say cheese.

Awww sweet dry fluffy puppy.......What a good boy.

Awww another dry fluffy puppy.  Say Cheese!

Then we had the

"I LOVE PUDDLES!!!!" Puppies

I just loooooove to be wet! Puddles are the best!!!!

I love puddles even more!!!!!

We had to dry this little guy off so we could get a proper photo. As soon as he was nice and fluffy......"OH BOY! MORE PUDDLES!" We ended up having to wait for almost 30 minutes before we got him dry again.  Good thing he is the sweetest most loveable puppy! He just loves everything.

This puppy says.....

I would never get all wet and muddy.

Well....not until next week's pictures!!!!

Bye Bye Duckie

Mr. Yesteryear Acres and I are on the long drive back home. We left early this morning with our SUV packed with all of our younger daughter's precious belongings. We arrived at her college around noon and promptly began unloading all the boxes. We managed to fit all her stuff into her very small dorm room. We utilized every nook and cranny. Socks all neatly tucked away. Books. Sweaters. Shoes. Purses. Computer all hooked up and ready to go. We made her bed and made sure she could get up to the top bunk. All her sheets are tucked in and her brightly colored comforter and pillows brightened up the plain room. We filled her desk with her paper clips and pens and pencils. We stayed as long as we could making sure everything was all set. Last thing to come out of the box was her sweet lovable duckie. I placed duckie onto her pillow and the room was complete. Nothing left for Mommy and Daddy to do. Nothing left except to say goodbye. As the tears began to flow - we gave her one last big hug goodbye. Goodbye sweet daughter - have fun at college! Your life's adventures are just beginning.

Hey - Let's Load the Car

So I am back from my trip to Annapolis where I sadly waved goodbye to my older daughter at the Naval Academy. I am back home again .......just in time......to load the car again. WAH!  This is the hardest week EVER!  I am barely back in the door before it is time to load all my younger daughter's belongings into the car.  Tomorrow at 5:30am we are leaving to take my younger daughter to college. Her freshman year starts this week and I am going to miss her SOOOOO much!  I am sitting in my living room surrounded by all her things.  Her pillow. Her alarm clock. Her comforter. Her very favorite stuffed animals. Everything. It is all going in the car. It is all leaving tomorrow along with her. I am not sure how I will be able to say goodbye.  I will not cry. I will not show sadness. I will swallow down every single feeling and emotion inside me and put a smile on my face and say, "Have FUN!"  I will look like I am very excited for her. I will look like I am really really happy. I will not let even the slightest peek of what I feel escape because if I open that door even the smallest bit - the biggest flood of emotion is surely to pour out.  So for now -I am excited. For now - I am going to load that cute little duckie stuffed animal into the car and not even think about what that duckie symbolizes. I won't even think about how putting duckie into the car is the same as packing her childhood in the car and saying goodbye. It is only a cute yellow duckie. Nothing more. Okay duckie --- let's start packing.

And We Are Off

The car was finally packed to its limits last night at midnight. All the Naval Academy issued gear tucked away safely for the long journey back. My daughter and I headed out the door first thing this morning armed with coffee and the GPS set for USNA. So starts the beginning of her senior year at the Naval Academy. I can't believe this is her last year. I can't believe I survived having her so far from home for these past 3 years. I can't believe I am driving her back to school for her very last year of college. One more year. That is it. That is all that is left. Next May she will have her Bachelor of Science Degree in Chemistry and will be commissioned as an Officer in the Navy or Marine Corps. Then she will be headed off to parts unknown for adventures I can barely wrap my thoughts around. Even though I am used to saying good-bye to her - I think this time it will be a little bit harder. This time - I know that having her so far from home, working as hard as she can at the Naval Academy - will be one of the easiest things I ever had to worry about. The future that awaits her is closer than ever. I think I will give her an extra hug or two when I say good-bye. My older daughter is mere footsteps away from a future that is bigger than I ever imagined.

24 Years of Complete and Total Love

Happy Anniversary Mr. Yesteryear Acres!!!!  We were married 24 years ago on a beautiful sunny day surrounded by family and friends. I could say that my wedding day was the happiest day of my life - but really - it was one of many many many happiest days of my life.  My life has been truly blessed and I have been blissfully happy with Mr. Yesteryear Acres. He is my best friend. He is my everything. We knew today would be a very busy day as it was the last day that we would have with all 3 of our children. Tomorrow my oldest daughter goes back to the Naval Academy and Thursday my younger daughter leaves for her college.  Even though we will be up all night packing and getting all the last minute things done - we managed to squeeze in a little family time.  We decided to go out on a boat for 2 hours this afternoon with Mr. Yesteryear Acres parents so we could have a 60 years/24 years anniversary celebration party. It was a lovely day and we were so glad we took a few minutes to reflect on all our happy years together.

Mr. Yesteryear Acres parents kept remarking how much the lake had changed in 60 years.

Well - maybe there is just a little bit of change...... but the love is still the same!!!

For us too!!!  Happy Anniversary Mr. Yesteryear Acres. I love you with all my heart!!!!!!

The Ticking of the Clock

Oh nooooo!  After today I only have ONE more day with my older daughter!!! ONE! Wahhhhhhhh!  How did the time go by so quickly?????  How will I make tomorrow last forever????  What will I do when she goes?????  The very hectic and very busy plan is that Monday we have as much fun as we can. We make Monday last as long as possible.  We turn Monday into one week, or maybe one month - oh heck - let's make Monday last one whole year!  Then once Monday is over - Monday night we pack up the car.  And when I say "pack" - what I mean is Shove, Cram, Fill, and Squish to maximum capacity the entire SUV.  Every nook and cranny will be filled with her belongings.  She has accrued quite a few boxes at the Naval Academy. It is actually mind-boggling considering she showed up at the Naval Academy gates 3 years ago with nothing but a toothbrush! Then Tuesday morning bright and early we drive to Annapolis.  I say good-bye to my older daughter and then drive home ALL BY MYSELF on Wednesday. I must be brave. I must drive with no tears which will be really really hard because as soon as I get back home Wednesday night - my younger daughter has to pack the SUV with all HER belongings! WAH!!!!!!!!!!!!  We leave at 5:30am on Thursday morning to take my younger daughter to college.  *sniff sniff*. She is off for her very first year of college. How will I ever say good-bye??? My house will not have any girls left except ME. I must make these last few minutes last. I must make them last forever.  The clock is ticking!!!!!! WAH!!!

Love Was All Around

Today we celebrated Mr. Yesteryear Acres parents' 60th Wedding Anniversary. 60 years. 60 years of love and togetherness and the true meaning of the words, "I Do".  The entire celebration was a surprise and it all went perfectly. The feeling of forever love was all around.

My niece made the beautiful wedding anniversary cake.

Mr. Yesteryear Acres parents were totally surprised.  We all got a little bit teary. 60 years of forever love.

The cake was strawberry - Mr. Yesteryear Acres mom's favorite!

Of course you have to do the cutting of the cake picture!

Just like they did 60 years ago.

We all were so blessed to share in such a special celebration.

We love them so much.

Our kids do too.

The feeling of love was so great - our kids asked us to walk over to the bridge in the park where Mr. Yesteryear Acres and I had our wedding reception almost 24 years ago.

Our 24th Wedding Anniversary is in just 2 days.

We tried to recreate our wedding picture but unbeknownst to us - that area is now a "professional golf club" and not an area for pictures of people in love. At least we got one quick picture. Now we can put it right next to the one from 24 years ago. The only thing different today - is I love Mr. Yesteryear Acres even more.

Love is all around. Today. Tomorrow. Forever.

Happy Anniversary to Mr. Yesteryear Acres Parents!

We love your 60 years of love!!!!!

2 Year Survival Date

I very nearly died 2 years ago to this very day when I suffered a heart attack. I had been thinking about the fact that my 2 year survival anniversary/remembrance day was coming up but this morning when I woke up - I totally forgot it was today. In fact my phone alarm went off this morning indicating that I had something on my calendar and I couldn't imagine what it could be. It was just a regular old morning to me. When I finally looked at the reminder I thought, "oh yea - that is today".  So what did we do to celebrate my 2 year survival day? We had a regular, good ole, glad to be alive, life is special, run of the mill, ordinary day. I love those.  I love being with my family. I love being at my home. I love being with my doggies and puppies.  I love being.  My morning started with a nice 4.25 mile walk in a cloudless brilliant blue sky with a cool crisp breeze. I thanked the color blue for all her beauty. Then we got busy picking peaches and picked 3 bushels full. Most of the really good big juicy ones were up high so I was very grateful that my son was with me.  Despite the fact he is just 15 years old - he is already almost 6' 4" so he really makes an awesome peach picker. I stood in the orchard with the bushel basket on my head while he filled it up.  I have to say - it was easy picking.  The peaches were a beautiful deep dark apricot color and perfectly ripe. I thanked the orchard for all her deliciousness.  After the peaches were all picked we spent a couple of hours playing with the puppies outside.  They loved the beautiful summer day.  It was the kind of day that wasn't too hot and wasn't too cold. It was just right.  I thanked Mother Nature for her beautiful gift of a perfect weather day. Tonight we are having a big campfire dinner. I mean BIG. We are making homemade pasta from scratch. We have big red ripe tomatoes stuffed and baking in the oven. Fresh Asparagus. Hollandaise Sauce. And let's not forget Mr. Yesteryear Acres specialty - steak campfire style.  We also are making several batches of homemade ice cream.  Right now our Vanilla Pistachio Rocky Road is churning away. I can't wait for that one!  The next batch will be our famous Maraschino Cherry Chocolate Chunk. mmmmmm!  Of course we will have to top it all off with Fresh Peach Ice Cream. All of this wonderfulness is typical of life here at Yesteryear Acres. It happens on any given day - even 2 year survival days. That is what I love most about my life. Every day is a day to treasure.  Every day is a day to be grateful. Every day I am filled with love. When Mr. Yesteryear Acres and I were adding more salt and ice to our ice cream maker he stopped and held my hand. He gave it a squeeze and with teary eyes looked at me and said, "I am glad you are here". I squeezed back and said, "me too."

It's a Tough Job

My daughters came home from the store this morning and saw me sitting outside surrounded by a lapful/armful/bountiful bunch of cute puppies.  It was so lovely outside - every second was a joy. The air was crisp. The sun was shining. The breeze was cool. The puppies and I just sat outside and soaked up all the loveliness of the day. My oldest daughter asked if I needed any help with the puppies and I said, "Nope - we are just outside playing."  She said that was a tough job.  I have to agree.  Such torture. Such hard work. It is a tough job, but someone has to do it.  Today - that someone was me. See how hard my day was?

The weather was fantastic

We played for hours

Until

It was nap time

Tomorrow's forecast?

More of the same!!!!!

So much cuteness!!!!!