Surprise Finds

Nothing's definite but I hope to have some really cool things to report in the near future. It's been a slow week in my little village. Gram's nephew is making a really surprising recovery. He ended up back in surgery after suffering more bleeding in his brain. The doctors weren't optimistic that he'd recover but he survived the surgery. He was kept sedated for several days so he wouldn't get agitated and cause his blood pressure to rise. I think God answered prayers because now he is expected, with time, to gain back everything he lost after suffering the stroke. He's had nurses watching him almost 24/7 but now he's been weaned off the ventilator and the pneumonia has cleared up. Glory to God in all things!

My parents are heading down this way at the beginning of July but won't be here for my birthday. But my mom said we might be able to figure out a way to get a clothesline put up. It's June and I STILL DON'T have one! The weather has been absolutely beautiful ever since I moved down. If I close my eyes, I can pretend that this is Morocco and not Illinois. The weather has been drying out our garden a little bit but not enough to ruin our veggies. All of our tomato trees have shot up nicely, though there hasn't been anything on the vines yet. A neighborhood bunny rabbit has been snacking on our cabbage plants. Every time I see them, I think of the "Cabbage Patch Kids." My brother and I used to have a record of them that we'd listen to.

My closet has been disorganized ever since I moved here. Half the stuff in there belongs to Gram but I never complained too much because I didn't have ANY closet space the last time I lived here. But it didn't take long to go through my mess and I ended up finding MORE of Gram's yarn; she has it stashed all over this house, apparently, and my closet was no exception. It was time to get out old summer purses and bags and I found the purse I used on my adventure through Morocco. Eight months have certainly flown by! Sometimes it feels like Morocco was just a dream. Anyway, I went through pockets and found about $3 in change. That was a nice surprise though I should know better than to put away a purse without cleaning it out first.

The Apostles' Fast begins tomorrow and lasts until the end of June. So now it's time to eat up some leftovers I know Gram won't finish. In a way, it's almost nice to have a non-fasting person in the house. That way, you don't have to worry about eating up all the dairy and meat in the house. Gram has gone to a family reunion today so I can eat my bacon-wrapped steak. But the positives of living with a non-faster can't eclipse the negatives. Even though this fast is just short of three weeks longs, it'll be long enough to weigh on my nerves and I can't always ignore Gram's comments and questions about why I fast. It's not something she's ever been accustomed to and it can stress me out sometimes. But I feel more prepared this time. I've gone through our cupboards and found boxes and cans that need to be used up. We're running out of space in the kitchen. I've also found more fasting recipes to try that should be healthier than eating PB & J and saltine crackers. And it should be better than giving up and going back to normal food.

That's all for now. I hope for more exciting things to write about in the future.

Until next time,

~Staci~