Ash Tree Cottage Memories

The skies have been so dark here the past couple of days and

even darker this morning.  I decided there was very little chance 

for taking any good pictures in such low light, so I decided to 

raid my albums for some photos from the past instead.

Before I start bringing up memories, I just want to thank

God for sparing our little city from the violent and scary storms

that were originally meant for us.  We had so many warnings of 

severe thunderstorms and heavy rains, but we were spared when

those storms went to the north of us and headed into Houston.

Poor Houston is suffering from severe flooding today with more

rain on the way, so please pray for those in the metro Houston

area.  We are not out of the woods yet, as the skies are getting

darker and darker here as I type, but  I am on my laptop, so we can

proceed with the memories without the worry of having my
desktop Mac receiving a power surge.

So many things have changed in my life since I first began
this blog.  I was still living in Idaho.  My parents, my aunt,
and my mother-in-law, were still alive.  My husband's cousin
Jim was still alive before he was brutally murdered in his
own home.  For those who don't know, or remember this
tragic murder, you can read about it here.  The very last thing
anyone ever suspects is for a man of the cloth, a servant of
God and a loving family man to be murdered in his own home
by an intruder.  Life was so different for us before all the losses.

My new blog gave me another way to display my creative nature.
It was fun to create new posts each week and the lives of my husband
and Bentley changed with all the new activity around our cottage.

My camera was always in my pocket or my purse, ready to capture
any shot that seemed blog worthy.  Of course, Bentley was always
the perfect little model :-)

He's always been a big ham!

I set up vignettes and took photos in the garden, in the house,
in antique and consignment shops.  The world is a stage and I took
advantage of every prop.

And throughout this journey I met other bloggers, and blog readers
from all over this country and around the globe.

Most importantly ~ I made great friends!  Friends

who have helped me get through the deaths of five

family members.  Took the time to listen and keep me

company on our long move from Idaho to Texas.

Friends who watched my unpack and get settled in our

new home.  Friends who kept me grounded during all

the upheavals.  For that, I will be forever grateful.

Blogging has encouraged me to be creative.

It has pushed me to not only be more observant of the world around

me, but to also dig into the depths of my soul.  It's been a wonderful

journey and I appreciate all of you who have taken this path with me.

I am looking forward to the future and let's see where this little

cottage blog takes us next.  Right Bentley?

Thunder is in the distance,  the skies are dark and laden with

rain, but I see a sunny road ahead.

Big Texas Hugs,

Susan and Bentley