Mountain Top Retreat - Day #1

Blogging tonight from the lodge

This morning I had an obligation to attend a landowners' meeting in the general area of our family's vacation lodge.  Because for once my calendar was fairly clear, I decided to go to the meeting, then head to our mountain top lodge for a weeklong personal retreat.

The last two years have been difficult for me, mostly due to limitations from injuries to both of my achilles tendons.  Since having surgery on my right ankle just over a year ago, I've been frustrated at the slow rate of healing and at the accompanying weight gain resulting from a healing-imposed sedentary lifestyle.  Although I've had a few brief starts, I know that now it's time for me to make a plan and move forward with better nutrition and ultimately regain a good fitness level again.  I've wanted to take a retreat like this to get my thoughts together, make a plan, and come home ready to make progress.  So here I am.

I'll be reading some motivational books, studying some Bible scriptures, resting, praying, and planning.  When I return home at the end of this week, I will share with my family THE PLAN, and I hope they will be supportive, of course.

Other recent random bits and pieces:

1.  When I arrived at the lodge today, I did a quick look-see through the place, just to see that everything was in its place, and all systems were functioning correctly.  I only found one intruder,  a monster spider down in the basement hallway.  Yes, he's been "disciplined."

2.  Although puppy Sheila loves to come to the mountains with us, this time she's been left back home. She recently turned three, and now that she's "old," apparently she has graduated herself from eating sticks to eating logs.  In dog years, I guess she's a late teenager now.

3.  Son Caleb is now the exhilarated owner of one of these:

You are looking at a powered parachute that is similar to Caleb's, and this photo was taken by a flying buddy of his.  Caleb has taken apart his engine and is cleaning and rebuilding it, piece by piece.  Painting is being done.  Colors are being selected.  New cloth parts are being sewn. Worn parts are being ordered and replaced.  I guess this is what guys do in those hangars. After an evening of tinkering he comes home all happy, and with lots of black crud under his nails.

4.  Also back at home there are all sorts of posies popping out between the cracks in our front sidewalk.  Apparently seeds blew down from the hanging baskets on our porch and are sprouting in some of the most unlikely places.  Here are some perty petunias:

5.  The husband/lover/driver took me out the other night for some ice cream.  While eating our cones, we took a leisurely drive out on some of the back roads in our area.  Imagine our surprise when we came upon this message of "LOVE."  Can you see it?

6.  Dad is doing well following his recent hospitalization for blood clots in his lungs.  If you're not familiar with his recent scary incident, you can read that blog post here.  In fact, he and my mother just returned today from a one week riverboat vacation up in the Maine waterways.  At 80 years old, there isn't much that slows them down.  Not even blood clots.  I love it how they live to get the most out of life.

My father

7.  A bit of news from the grandkids:  Twins Tori and Brianna have sadly informed me that their newly installed hot tub has a leak, so there hasn't been much "swimming" lately.  They also announced that their daddy is fixing it this weekend.

8.  The twins have been continuing their horseback riding lessons all throughout the summer, and are always asking us when the next lesson will be.  This horse was waiting for us the last time we went to a lesson.  I do not know what the meaning of this face covering is.  Perhaps it's a protection from flies or gnats.  

Sadly, the lessons will have to be postponed for a while, as Brianna broke her wrist in a fall the other day.  Once the swelling goes down, she will be hard casted.  Looks like she will start her third grade year in a cast, but the good thing, she tells me, is that it's her left wrist.  She's right handed.

9.  Out in western Ohio, grandchild Gabriel is turning into quite the Phillies fan.  At almost three months old, he's finally giving his parents, Sarah and Lance, some longer stretches at night, too.  Sarah says she's soaking up all the baby snuggles that she can get, as Monday she returns to work at the school where she is an administrator.

10.  I'll be dining by myself tonight here in the Crooked Acorn Lodge.  The menu:  hot dogs  tube steaks and corn on the cob.  

Stay tuned for more news from the mountain top tomorrow.