Take a Walk with Me

Today has been lovely. We cleaned a bit this morning, in preparation for some old friends who came by for lunch. Knut fired up the grill, and we had brats and all the springtime fixings. We had strawberry pie, and real whipped cream for dessert. It was lovely.

After our visitors left, I worked putting snaps on some diapers while Knut and the kids all took a nap. After an hour or so, the outside was calling to me too much, so I put down my work, and went out for a walk alone on this lovely day.

I wasn’t completely alone. Lena came along, because I needed someone to chase away the little sparrows in our path.

I walked back by the grain bins, as I think that it’s fun to see them, and then follow the path behind them that leads back to the road.

This is where the semi-trucks that pass by the front of our house go to load and unload grain, depending on the season.

When Knut came home last night, I asked what he did at work that day. He said he found a huge muskrat back here chewing on some hose, and needed to be killed. He went into detail (for him) how he did it, but it grossed me out so much, that I’d rather not write it down here. Never a dull moment, and I’m certain, very different from his last job at the bank.

Here’s our land, almost ready for some seed. This field had corn last year, so this year it will grow soy beans.

The grass in the ditch is wind blown and matted down from winter. Soon it will be all green again. I bet little animals of all sorts are hiding in there.

This is one of my favorite fields by our house. The tree down in the valley looks so stunning in every single season.

The road leads back to our driveway, where the road seems to need a bit of work where it meets the gravel driveway.

Then Lena and I followed the driveway back to the house. I have to admit, I still pause every single time I see this prospect of the house, because it amazes me. How on earth, did I end up living here? It is so beautiful. It is so big. I’ve visited poor countries. I’ve seen poverty first hand. Real honest to goodness un-American poverty. Why did God place me here? How did I get so lucky? Why God has blessed me so, I don’t know if I’ll ever figure out. I don’t know if I’ve ever lived in a place so beautiful, and I don’t think it could ever be topped.

The tulips are coming up, along with the daffodils that I planted last fall. Daffodils were my favorite when I used to live in Colorado, and I’m so excited to have them back again.

The rock in the front flower bed was the old place to tie horses when the house was first built…back in 1900.

I love the trees. There used to be so many more in the yard when Knut grew up here, and we hope to plant some more one of these days to replace the ones that died. This is one of my favorites in the yard: black walnut.

Wasn’t that a lovely walk? Thanks for sharing it with me.