Whenever I take a country drive, I always love to see abandoned houses standing in silence, filled up with the moments and memories of generations past.
When I saw this particular house, I had to pull over and just look at it for a while. I imagined the children who had played in the grass, the wife who had swept the porch, the husband who had worked the fields.
I have always believed that if you get quiet enough outside an old house, you will be able to hear the baby crying, the dog barking. and the screen door shutting. In short, you will be able to hear the memories. Because after all, old homes are so much more than boards and bricks; old homes are repositories of a family’s stories.
I especially loved that this house was bordered by flowered fields and a rambling road.
So many sights to see while driving down a country road.
Steve and I hadn’t been riding in a long time and we were both amazed by how much we had missed doing that.
Our bikes chauffeured us to some lovely, local places.
And when we got home, there was loveliness there, too.
Nothing says spring like southern azaleas colored with a paintbrush dipped in neon pink.
Steve and I are not gardeners, so we are thankful to have this bush which obligingly reappears every year without us doing a thing. It’s great to have at least one thing in life that is low maintenance.
And of course, we always have another variety of beauty to look at when our bikes feel like taking us in the direction of the downtown waterfront.
On this Monday, on this eve of May, I am thankful for country roads, and self-sustaining flowers, and all the beauty that inhabits all the corners of this island.
What about you? Tell us one or two (or three) things you are thankful for at this very moment. Don’t stop and think too long; just write the first two random things that pop into your mind.
I am thankful we got to come back from our business trip a day early and that I got on an earlier flight than I thought I was going to – although my bag did not. I am thankful for spring flowers – azaleas in Louisville were beautiful. I am thankful that the storms in our area last night didn’t result in any damage at my house – other than an overturned loveseat on my patio.
Phyllis,
There’s nothing better than getting back home early–although it would have been nice if the suitcase had decided to arrive at the same time. 🙂
Enjoy your azaleas and springtime in Louisville!
Wow that photo at the top of your post is amazing. It’s so beautiful and I thought it was a painting at first. I too love old houses with stories embedded in the floors and walls and fields.
I am thankful for people around me and colour before me.
Jenna,
Thanks so much! I did some editing to that first photo to give it kind of an artistic look and I loved how it turned out.
People and color. Huge thanksgivings, for sure, and ones I totally agree with. 🙂
So thankful to have hubby home after a 6 day fishing trip (which was a much needed time of relaxation for him after everything that has been going on with his mother). Also thankful for the beautiful weather we had the past two days, even if it meant all the yard work I did! Love having the windows open and fresh, spring air!
P.S. Beautiful photos as always, I especially liked that house, it looked huge!
Kari,
I love opening the windows in early spring, too. I wish that smell could be bottled and put in a spray bottle for the rest of the year!
Glad your husband had a great trip and especially glad he made it home safely. Many thanksgivings!
I too am thankful for the warmer weather after a L.O.N.G. winter. Thankful I can get blisters on my hands as I rake and clean my yard and praise God as I work out in my yard that I am able to do it yet. So many things to be thankful for.
Wendy,
Isn’t it funny we can even be thankful for blisters? I love that you think that way.
Blisters represent warmth and spring and beauty and flowers and grass and lots of good things!
Thankful for my health and healing. I am also thankful for my friends and the fact I was able to introduce Miss North Carolina 2017 Victoria Huggins to my Pilot sisters at our NC District Pilot Convention. She was a surprise guest and her Alzheimer’s platform — music therapy— for patients was very impressive. Thanks to God for her Christian testimony as she has traveled the state this year.
Ann,
What a great platform for Victoria to have! It’s amazing the power of music in every situation imaginable. It crosses all borders and can reach into any heart.
Glad you are feeling well.
I’m thankful for a cozy home to sit here in my P.J.s reading your blog and relaxing on this last Monday in April.
Sue Ellen,
Cozy. PJ’.s Blog. Last of April. Such contented words.
Glad you had a quiet evening and that my blog got to be part of it.
I am thankful that my son who is working in the USA at the moment and sometimes works day and night, just a minute ago found time to answer my WhatsApp questions! Thankful that you and family are doing well Becky. Xx
Angela,
Isn’t so wonderful to get a message from a son who is far away? It just brightens up all the moments all around you.
Thanks for sharing such a sweet thanksgiving.
What movie did you see?
And did you like it?
Hey there 🙂
The movie I saw was the new super hero movie called Avengers Infity War. I am a huge fan of this universe and I was even wearing my Avenger jacket and Spider Man shoes. I enjoyed it very much 🙂 Friday I saw the movie Lady Bird which is a coming of age drama which I enjoyed very much too!
Katrina,
You are pretty serious to have an Avenger jacket and Spiderman shoes! 🙂 Glad you enjoyed it.
I am thankful for warmer days, pretty fowering trees that i see today. And mostly that at my kidney dr appointment this morning everything is the same as last visit, labs and all.
Sharon,
Hooray for a good doctor visit. I know from experience that it’s always happy news when nothing has gotten worse!
And I am thankful for warmth and flowers, too. Long overdue!
I love old building-occupied or not. We almost made it down your way last month. Found out that the Wright Bros museum was temporarily closed so will wait until it opens. I would love to explore your area and see the lighthouse and beaches there. I am thankful for a husband who is currently fixing the lighthouse he made for me that sits in our yard. Thankful for a warm day so I can finally get out and work in the yard. Thankful that we have a lot of birds that visit our backyard feeder.
Patti,
How fun that you are coming to our corner of paradise.
And how wonderful to have a fix-it man husband who knows how to just make a lighthouse but also repair it. Sounds like a keeper!
Enjoy your birds; bird feeders are so much fun to have.
I too am fascinated by abandoned old houses and the mysteries that they hold. When I was about 11 (some 60 years ago) my sister and I wondered down an unfamiliar alley and found a small abandoned house that was completely furnished, but in sad shape.There was lots of dust, dirt and grime. There were clothes in the closets. The beds were not made. And the kitchen table was set with dishes. How I wished that house could reveal the secrets it held. What caused the family to suddenly leave and why did they never return?
Judy,
Oh my. I would have had to research that mystery until I figured it out. Too many fascinating facts. I’m sure your guess (along with mine) is that it was an unhappy story. Most people don’t leave a whole house of belongings behind unless something pretty radical and unexpected has taken place.
Would love to know the rest of the story.
I am thankful for this blog and the Smith family. I always look forward to new posts and seeing a different part of the continent. Spring weather has arrived and I am truly thankful that the last snow piles have disappeared.
Mel,
How sweet of you to be thankful for our family and my blog. Thank you!
You guys certainly deserve some warm weather after dealing with five bazillion snow storms. Enjoy every moment that you can walk outside without your boots and mittens!
I am thankful that today I managed to go to the cinema and see a movie I have been looking forward to for ages without anxiety in the cinema. I was meant to see it on Saturday but I had to leave 30 min before because I had too much anxiety. Today I had none and I really enjoyed the movie.
I am also thankful for that I had a weekend just in my own company 🙂 Yesterday I had a really relax day with cola and a Masterchef season 3 binge. 🙂
Katrina,
Good for you for going to see that movie! I know that must have been a doubly enjoyable outing–you got to see a movie you were looking forward to and you were able to stay for the whole thing. (Judy asked in another comment which movie you saw and if you liked it.) 🙂
I loved what you said that you had a “weekend just in my own company.” What a perfect way to describe the joy of being alone. So glad you had a great day!
I love my friend, Becky who chooses to see life with such an encouraging focus. And I’m thankful that this summer we will welcome another little miracle blending our two families. (Everyone who reads this will surely say, “Too much schmoozing!”) But it’s real. 🙂
Sheri,
Thankful for our friendship and getting to be co-grandmas. Excited about the newest Smawley making his appearance. Even more than that, I am excited about watching Noah and Madi with him. Love you!
I am so thankful for warmer temperatures (FINALLY!!) and for great friends who enjoy what we enjoy who we can spend a wonderful Sunday afternoon with.
I LOVE your azalea bush! I’m really itching to get my flowers planted and now that the forecast is favorable, I hope I can get it done this week. 🙂
Lee Anne,
So happy for all my friends who live in cold climates who are experiencing spring right now. Yippee!
Enjoy planting those lovely flowers and basking in that delicious sunshine.