It feels nice to be back. A year + has gone by since we moved to Virginia. It is very lovely here, and we are enjoying new beginnings. During those months, we worked from sun to sun to restore our 1910 farmhouse – an immense endeavor. We stayed with my sister and b-i-l, and traveled over an hour each way every day.  We still have tons of work to do but we were able to move in during the first seven months. We kept as many as the original features as we could, and strived to achieve a rustic early american look. I think we achieved what we set out to do. In two words – thrilling exhaustion. Will we ever attempt this again? I doubt it, but one never knows, so I’ll leave it at that. For some of you who might be thinking of undertaking a similar endeavor, this is what I learned.

• It is more work than you will ever imagine.
• It takes more time and money than budgeted.
• You will drive each other crazy to the point of no return at times.
• Sometimes, you will doubt your strength to keep on going, but somehow you do go on.
• Expect the unexpected.
• Be prepared to handle good moments, somber moments, crazy moments, sad moments, angry moments, and happy moments.
• You need to pat each other on the back to keep going.
• When you see the results of your hard work, it pays, and it feels very good.
• You must have patience, endurance, and vision.

During that time we were offline and totally disconnected. I found that I enjoyed the time away from all of it. During my free moments I managed to write The Five-dollar Miracle the old-fashioned way – via pen and paper. It is in the first stage of revision and editing, and I hope that by the end of this year it will be published. This one is a bit different from my previous works.

To all of you who followed this blog and read some of the older posts while I was away, I thank you.