Two months have gone by since I moved to this ‘new and far away land’.  I am almost settled in…..new Tennessee license plate and all!  

I am still liking this ‘smaller living’.  But I have to admit–I still have this sense of being in a large hotel suite.  I’ve got my dogs under control, and life is good.  Oh, who am I kidding…..the dogs have decided to let me feel like I have them under control.  I am getting better at walking them on their leashes, although I have had to hug a few trees.  That is, they decided to go in different directions around a tree and back around, so I had to loop my arms around a few trunks to get them untangled.  I’ve also had to pick their leashes out of a few bushes when they walked hither and yon through them.  And, unfortunately…..and this is absolutely true…..I had to once hug a strange woman walking by to get them untangled.  She sort of chuckled nervously as I was apologizing while wrapping my arms around her.  I’ve also discovered these carpets most definitely will need to be cleaned when I move out.  I don’t know why I even dreamed that would not be so.  

Over the past several months, I’ve found that I am more resourceful than I ever knew.  I have replaced parts on a dishwasher and on a toilet.  I have unplugged a very stubborn disposal, repaired a few minor things on a refrigerator, put together some furniture, installed some pantry shelves, and removed some dead animals from the pool and Casey’s bed.  Yuck!!!   As far as I know, the pups no longer bark while I am away and my pacemaker has yet to start beeping at me.  Life is good.  I am happy.  And look again at my license plate.  Doesn’t it look like it kinda spells ‘joy’???