You design and you build and when it is all done you look.
I looked and I am not sure I like.
But inertia being what it is, this is probably what it is going to look like for a while!

how many?

Tolstoy asked: How much land does a man need?

His answer was that we need less than we might think.

How much lumber does a retired guy need? Or paint? Or . . You get the idea.

I have been thinking, and acting, on that question lately. The question I keep asking myself: At this age how many big projects am I going to take on?

At one point after Miriam was dignosed we considered relocating (that is daughters and dad considered, Miriam would only shout: NO). You can move and take everything with you. I think we moved the garbage with us once!

I did not find a job teaching after I finished college, so I went back to working at what I knew: construction. But now in my last years, I would like to seriously produce art work. I don't want to sell it, I don't want to make art to impress judges or even my peers. I want to do art for fun, to visually explore my world.

Where will it go? I have no idea, but I can pretty accurately predict I will not be a “Grandma Moses!”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grandma_Moses

Today is my mother's birthday. She would have been 94.
This picture was taken a few years after my father died, but before she remarried.
Mom was not a tall woman, but she was a giant in character and spirit.
She has been gone a long time and I miss her every day.

the deputy

We visited a different church this weekend.

This church was about 20 miles away, and maybe 75 people in attendance this week. I have known a good number of the people in the church a good while.

The speaker was a kid (OK he is retired now) I have known always. He was not a close friend, he was younger than I, (hence the kid label!) but I knew his grandfather and both of his parents.

Any way, Bobby was speaking. He spent is life in law enforcement, mostly as a deputy sheriff. He retired with the rank of Lieutenant I believe. He confessed to not being educated, only finished high school (the same one I did), and just being an “old cop.”

Bobby had invited several other law enforcement people, as well as the current sheriff. There were 4 law enforcement people there altogether, I believe.

The sermon was good. He made good points about how our life does reflect who we are.

I had never met the current sheriff, but he was a pleasant man.

And I have never felt so protected! There wasn't the least threat to my health or safety, but we sure were protected.