WHAT IS THERE

TO SAY?   APRIL 01 2014

Guess I could say APRIL FOOL!  But if I say that then I will have nothing to say.  This is probably a first. 

This is the season of BETWEEN.  Between winter and summer.  Between the Holidays and Spring break.  Between cold and hot. 

I did have a great day last week.  Left in the morning for Hartville Ohio to meet friends - who live there - for lunch at the Amish Kitchen.  Gave myself plenty of time to take pictures of Mail Pouch Barns.  I found all but 1 on my list and using two different sets of coordinates and two somewhat different street address, ended up at  the approx. same spot, so came to the conclusion that  -- the barn was either gone or -- the coordinates and street didn't know didly. 

Got to the Kitchen right on time, and wasn't there 2 minutes when Carol and Jim arrived.  It had been a year and a half since we had seen each other, but we keep in touch thru facebook.

The kitchen was really busy - guess it was spring break as there were lots of families there with school-age kids.  The line was long but moved rapidly and we got seated.  Had a great meal.  Also had a 3 plus hour meal.  I was afraid we would be asked to leave, but as time went along traffic died down.  After all by that time it was almost 4 p.m. - and we were seated about 1 p.m.

Had lots of catching up to do, and decided we would have to do this again.  I even made it home before dark.

A very bright spot in a gloomy day.  The rain held off until I was on my way home.

It is bright spots like this, or getting an unexpected one-liner from a friend on facebook that makes you smile.  I guess I smile a lot.

The odd thing is - that 35 plus years I started my business, thinking I would make a little bit of extra money.  That part has proven true.  But the best part - and I DO mean the best part - has been the friends I have made, both other vendors and customers, folks I would never have know otherwise, and my life has been so much fuller with them a part.

Little did I know all those many years ago that the friendships would be  worth more than all the extra money.

Again, this just proves that you think you know it all, have everything mapped out, but somewhere down the road you look back and  realize that you didn't know anything.  What your road map said and what the actual road was were two entirely different things.  The actual road has always proven to be the best.   

Even saying all this - I am still making plans, road-maps to follow, places to go and things to see.  You should never stop looking ahead, planning, making road-maps.  Just don't be surprised when your plans go a-rye, not what you expected, but when what is means so much more than what was planned - WOW.

My next big adventure, planned weeks in advance, is my trip to Phoenix to visit all the kids.  Will be interesting to see what goes on.  Am looking forward to it.  Got a new great-granddaughter to meet, and renew acquaintance with the other 3 great granddaughters.  I am sure there will be something to talk about, and pictures to share when I return.  Until then don't forget to dream and God Bless.