The last of the Nov exchange - to Troy, Jess, Smash, & Nanski (empty nest)

These were in the folder with all the mail I sent in the Nov exchange --

and the whole folder has been driving me crazy because I feel like I already posted them but I can't find them. At least I can mark this folder *blogged* and put it in the archive.

Or, once I know images are blogged, in theory, I could delete them. I am tempted to do that. But, part of me is a little nervous. I think I can get over it. 

 For now - there is no rant. (Written on Jan 19) We certainly hope that two month from now there have been some encouraging events. If not -- we will just keep plugging along. At least we can feel a little spring in the air which means a lot, if you live in a snowy place. I had to wear my ice-gripper shoes today because it was a sheet of ice. 

*****

I am writing this on Friday, Mar 12th. Wow. I do enjoy reading things like this - and seeing that - yes - there is a glimmer of hope. I will be heading over to Hunter's house pretty soon to put the final touches on the kitchen - and then, I think I'm done with painting until I resume the projects at 420. 

My only other bits of wisdom to share are the Marie Kondo organizational skills. It was interesting to me - to watch my 3 kids grow up and see which ones learned how to be organized. CPA daughter, no surprise, she was a Marie Kondo before Marie hit the scene. Her friends in college would ask her to help them organize their closets and drawers. She would tell me things like, "Seriously, mom, they do not even know how to fold. I had to teach them basic folding. Can you believe it?" Older son is a nomad - so he is skilled at keeping belongings to a minimum and knows where everything is. The only thing he might lose - would be himself - as he wanders off the beaten path. Literally. He literally spends a lot of time in the *back country.* 

The entire family agrees that Hunter has the best personality. He has the most friends and we marvel at what a sweetheart he is. But, his organizational skills are pretty sketchy. He even lost his car one time. He thought it had been towed - but the police did not have it. Eventually, it was discovered on a random street in a random neighborhood. Grrrrr. Yes, he had been at a concert and wisely had not driven home - but that does not explain how the car ended up in a random neighborhood. At least he knows how to run a commercial kitchen. Hopefully, the kitchen skills will expand into all the other areas. 

I might have to have some kind of celebration - that my nest is truly empty. It's been 20 years since my oldest flew off. Most of may readers seem to be my age. If there are any youngsters with kids. You have my deepest sympathy. Hang in there.