Back to Life--Did You Miss Us?

I can't begin to tell you how touched I was to receive the many kind and thoughtful comments on the loss of our girl Rudi. Loss can be a lonely time, but your friendship changed that.  Saying thank-you for the cards, candles and e-mails doesn't seem like enough or express how you've made a difference at a sad time.  


Moving on from a loss isn't something we can always just decide to do and I found that I needed a little time to myself.  So that was what I did, I took a break from just about everything.  I didn't read blogs, I didn't cook, I didn't do a lot of things...

But yesterday I started to feel a bit better.  It's time to get back to my everyday life.  At just the right time, I was given the 'Versatile Blogger Award by jodi stone--Life with Sampson and Delilah….The 411  Jodi is someone I have just met and is an every day blogger who writes about her life with her two retrievers, Sampson and Delilah, and a supporting cast member, a cat named Bob. I hope you'll take a moment and pay her a visit!   

While I know they are not true awards I am happy to accept this one because it's given me the nudge to get me started blogging again.  This award comes with three rules which are: 

1.  Thank the person passing on the award. 

Thank-you Jodi for giving me something to write a post about!!  Also thank-you so much for your kind,  friendly e-mail!  I look forward to getting to know you and your crew a bit better!!  

2.  The second thing when you get this award is to: Write 7 things about yourself. 

I don't really like talking about myself, so I've decided to change it up a bit, and list 7 things about where I live that you may not know.  

1.  Our property is situated on 3.5 acres at the foot of the Short Hill Mountains in Loudoun County Virginia.
 

2. We have no nearby neighbors and are surrounded by 30 acres of open farmland. 

3. I didn't like our house when I first saw it.  It had been empty for almost 2 years and seemed so void of life.  But what I loved was the big front porch and the outside space which is still my favorite!  The house and I have learned to get along.

4. Where our house is now, was once a cornfield.

5. One of our oldest trees on our property is a huge, beautiful maple tree.  It's one of my favorites.  I love its big, long branches.  

6. I never grow tired of seeing the wildlife we have around.  The picture below is one of two deer that wandered through our yard this afternoon.  

7. A favorite, a Barred Owl has just returned.  Actually, there are two.

The last thing I'm to do with this award is to pass it onto 15 people whose blogs I have just discovered. I am really really bad about things like this. I have found several new blogs lately that I really enjoy but I have a hard time singling them out because I don't want to forget anyone...For me it kind of feels like having a birthday party and being forced to invite only a few friends instead of the whole class!  So, I'd like to invite you to look on the left-sidebar and look at the blogs that I have listed there.  Find one that you're not familiar with and pay them a visit, and make a new friend, just like I did in meeting Jodi!

I look forward to catching up on everyone's blogs!  

I hope you're enjoying your Thursday!