Five years ago a house in our neighborhood had a sign in the front yard that the house and the contents would be auctioned off. I went and looked through everything and thought it looked promising and planned on attending. It was canceled. Two years again there was a neighborhood garage sale and there I was standing in the driveway talking to the male owner about the books he had for sale and how impressed I was with the deck on the front of his home. We had a good visit and I left.
Yesterday I drove back to our old neighborhood hoping to find this man at home to ask if I could take pictures of his deck. Low and behold as "fate" would have it, he was walking toward the road as I pulled it. He said I would be more than welcome to take pictures and to please go around and see the one in the back also. About this time his wife joins us and he explains to her what I am doing there. We took off and she started telling me about her journey. I loved hearing all about it. She had got to thinking about five years ago that if something happened to her husband (they were in their 60's then) that she could not take care of the farm, the animals and all of the acreage. They decided to go for a drive......they saw the auction sign, walked the property, called the auctioneer, went through the house and wrote out a check. He canceled the auction. They sold the farm, moved into the house and remodeled like crazy. She told me about putting in a new kitchen and all that she got into. She planted pines in the back that are already taller than the house. She can see no houses from her back yard and has made an oasis. Her slice of heaven. Her eyes sparkled, she is full of life and living. Oh, how she inspired me. She is ready to buy another house down the street and flip it when the market improves. She allowed me to takes pictures all around but they don't do justice to the scenes. And my description of her doesn't even come close. 71 years young and planning and hoping and dreaming and by George....doing.....full of vim and vigor and joy. Isn't that what God had in mind??
