I love books!

Three things I love...

Biking

Blogging

Books

I can't go home today.

The real estate lady
is showing the house.

So I go to The Land -

The Little House -

....where I'm surrounded
by my books.

KC moved all my books here
when I returned from America.

So now when I need to visit old friends

or find just the right book
for my mood....

...I have to go to
The Little House.

I begin stacking my bookly friends.

Gardening books here...

Travel books there....

Oddly enough,
the Simplicity stack is the largest.


The cooking stack
is the shortest.
:)

I have my stack of Dummies books...

...including KC's favorite -

Rottweilers for Dummies.

In one book
I find an old
Halloween invitation.

The Steussy-Williams Halloween party
was famous in those days.

I need to find our copy
of The Halloween Tree.

I read that to the kids
at night

under the old Hickory Tree
by flashlight.

It's the best read-aloud book
in the world!

Mr Moundshroud.

Even his name opens your mouth
in lugubrious tones.

I remember so fondly
reading to the kids
every night
by candlelight.

When I retire
I've decided my job
should be reading to kids.



There's no place
I'd be happier.

Planting the New Hampshire Acorn

Three weeks ago...

as I neared the end of my ride across America

I picked up a small acorn from the New Hampshire road.



What better reminder of an awesome journey than this small creature?

I can plant it at my Land, I thought.

And watch it grow into a mighty oak.




Every day I see that tree I can remember the day I found that acorn on my ride to the Atlantic.

So today I set out to plant my tree...

I arrive at The Land late in the afternoon.

With my trusty bucket I search out the best site for my tree to grow.

The shovel crunches into the hard dirt.


It's so dry.















This is not like our rich Indiana soil -
dark and sweet.

The dry summer has
parched
our
land.

Luckily we have a well.

I set
my
New England acorn
into the
ground.

I remember the wonderful book, The Man who Planted Trees.

It tells of a shepherd in modern France who restores a desolate landscape to life

by planting 100 acorns every day.

I've planted trees
before.

To the north of the house
are the trees
Alex planted
with her second grade class.

They are 30 feet tall now
and
making their own acorns.

Along the gravel drive
are the seedling oaks
Tom planted
three years ago.

They are hidden
by the
grasses.

Their leaves stressed by the sun and drought.

I'll remind Tom to bring them water.

I flag my acorn to protect it from the mower.

My tree will grow over the years.

It will give shade to my grandkids.












Branches to climb.

















Nesting for the birds.

I will sit on my porch to watch my tree grow.

And I will remember
2010
when I found
that
tiny
acorn

in New Hampshire

after
a long bike ride
across
America.

Leaving Home

The bookshelves are empty.












While I've been gone

biking across America




KC has been packing up the old family home.

KC!

Take the bed.

Pack away the clothes.

But, please, leave me my books!

We don't need this big old house anymore.













The three girls are in college.


Tom, the boy and
Dusty have moved an hour away to Fishers

so TJ can go to HSE...

It's just me, two dogs and a Stubby-cat left in New Castle.

The movers come...

They take away the kids' beds.

What's left behind?

The stuff under the beds....



(sounds like a horror movie)

A lone sandle

A jigsaw puzzle

A guitar book for a boy who never learned guitar.

Nicky -

the single boot

a flashlight

and a green box I dare not open.

KC left a ton behind....

Beauty and the Beast

and Mountain Dew.













Al?

There's nothing there...

But don't worry.

I have a wonderful place to move in New Castle.

The Little House.

Built in the 1800s - it was too small for our big family.

We bought it because it was on The Land - 33 acres of farmland that we've converted to nature.














All my books are there now.

I have a bed.

...and a desk.

All I need is internet access and I'll be happy.

Won't it be wonderful to wake up in the morning surrounded by prairie?

But this morning my sunrise is at the airport.

KC has said good-bye to her kitty.

She is off to ASU in North Carolina.

Studying Arabic and business.

Quite the combination.

Nicky is leaving for IUPUI in Indianapolis.


I expect we'll see her when she runs out of groceries.

Al is still on the east coast visiting with friends.

TJ is off to HSE...



Tom and Kitty eat breakfast in peace.