Challenges ...

If you ever decided to move from a semi-rural area to a VERY rural area with out challenges, don't be fooled.  One really needs to LOVE country living a whole lot more than the conveniences of city or semi-rural living.  The past couple weeks seem to have been wrought with challenges.  Please bear with me as I lament, BUT don't fret because I will not leave you without a couple upbeat happenings.

1.  It all started with a less than favorable report from the doctor.  Now, more tests - driving a minimum of 60+ miles one-way, maybe even 200 miles one-way if I have to go to the Big city.

2.  The lawn mower, which, by the way, is only 6 months old and has been used less than 5 times, isn't working.  With the arrival of spring the grass in our yard is beginning to get quite tall & thick.  The upside ... the mower is still under warranty.

3.  While Grandpa was helping with the mowing one of our pastures, with what we southerns commonly refer to as a brush hog, (they haven't been mowed or used in nearly a decade) so we can work on our fences, he "bumped" a water spigot breaking a water line.  It took me 3+ days to find someone with a backhoe (water lines are buried six feet deep) who was willing to come out here and dig it up for a 5 minute repair.

4.  Our two year old microwave has stopped working - not a major crisis, but an inconvenience.  We have the extended warranty, BUT the manufacturer can't seem to find anyone who is willing to come all the way out here to repair it.  It's beginning to look like we'll have to purchase a new one & the built in one's are of course the most expensive.   I do expect the cost of the extended warranty to be refunded.

5.  I drove 60+ miles, one-way, to rent a rear-tine tiller so I could break up our vegetable garden area.  The ground is SOOOO hard the tiller won't even begin to do the job.  It looks like we'll need to purchase a plow  AND I need to have everything planted by the 1st part of June, otherwise we'll run out of growing season up here.

However, I did promise to end on a positive note, here we go:

 Our mama cat, Spook (we call her this because she is totally black and has super green eyes - just like a Halloween cat), and her new kitten.  She has finally decided to introduce him to the outside world and us.  Isn't he adorable?  OG and EJ have named him Willow.  He looks a whole lot like Smudge did when he was a young kitten, don't ya think?  I personally find it kind of weird that, so far, our dog and cats are either totally black or black and white paints.

Despite the broken water line situation, Mr. B has finally been able to get a start on mowing the pastures.  He's made quite a bit of progress since the taking of this photo.  Our plan is that by mowing and fertilizing the pastures for a couple seasons we will eventually have some nice summer grass for a couple horses and maybe ... a cow.  We will also be able to do some fence work, which is required, to keep the horses and other livestock within the boundaries of our property.

Thanks for bearing with my lamenting and I hope the positives, no matter how small they may seem, encourages you to also find the upside of any downs you and your family may also be experiencing.