Then and Now

Jamie and I had recently moved into the old farmhouse
older girls in college and my son was staying part time in the city
where I wanted him to finish his school years.
Construction still going on
in fact
there were plastic walls
between the old original part of the home
and the new addition that was in the process of being finished.
I remember well, not feeling afraid in this new lifestyle,
it was wonderful to hear the frogs and all the night sounds in this open country.
I have shared many times - then and now this land feels like home and peace
in the core of my heart....A dream this one always had when being raised in an
apartment building in Detroit, the only place my young parents could find work.
I lived and worked as secretary at Ford Motor Company, met and married another
one working a simple life with large construction equipment.
Marriage, children, opportunity opened and a dream happened with hard work and
economy was booming - as it went to the top - a business grew for a few years
provided much.
A recession came, was a horrible time, business went downward fast, yes there was a recession
but I took care of business issues, we could have pulled out but I  could not handle the other ones spending or personal habits and it was destroying me,
so all continued downward including a marriage.
Finally I could live a life I always dreamed of....

What a different lifestyle
from the gorgeous English Tudor in the classiest part of Nashville,
that I had directed a lot of the remodeling a few years earlier
of this home that had sat empty for over 5 years - guess no one else
wanted to tackle the tremendous task of restoring the beauty that was
still there under vines, overgrowth of surroundings and an inside sitting abandoned
that many years.
I took one look at that home and knew what beauty was under
all that other's viewed..

So this mom left  the country club membership, private schools for her older brother and sister
and all that most considered the good life and left it behind.
With no regret.   I went back to me, my dream of living in the country and all it involved.


I started over  out in the middle of farmland and began the process of remodeling
this neglected over 100 year old farm house.
Which was the love of my life
from the first sight and when pulling in the dirt drive - I almost jumped out of the car
without it stopping - the one I begged to drive me to the country, the one that I was leaving
remarked "you must be crazy to like this old house".
Oh yes
I was crazy  and could see my new life unfolding.....


We really took to the country with a big garden, fruit trees, bought an incubator
that held 100 eggs, chickens, geese, ducks, turkeys and guineas and peacocks
roamed our surroundings.

Enough of this as I have shared many stories in the past.
With all of the hard times, wonderful times
I have experienced a number of lifestyles
and now nearing the end
I am happier then ever and have so many blessings
just wish the body would obey
but then realistically
it is not suppose to be as it was 20 or 30 years ago
but seems my mind is :)
strange....

Bought Jamie a handmade sun bonnet that she liked wearing
With the aid of my wonderful new  computer helper was able to enlarge this old photo.

Now this next image
was posted on an article she recently wrote
and on her Net flex site
She looks like a fashion model :)
Guess that is the way
mama's like me think....

Busy days
much to share
was not going to post
until Monday
but when successful
with the farm image of years in the past,
so many memories
surfaced...
hope I can sleep tonight
could not wait until Monday...
...