Days are up and down.  I guess that's life.   I just got back from a fabulous four day vacation Colorado to chaos at home.  Maybe I am over-reacting and stressing out.

I don't want to feel sorry for myself;  I have a great place to live, three comparatively healthy daughters, and a passel of new friends from OS.  

I just got back from Maryt's and Kevin's home in Colorado, a beautiful heavenly recreation area/spa home, complete with zip line, trampoline, climbing wall, tree house, and hot tub.  Two extra buildings were lovely retreats, one Mary's study and the other a self-contained "guest house."  I feel so privileged to finally meet such intelligent lovely people in person to fill out my imagination of the OS community.   One thing I did know is that I would like everyone there...and I did!  How often does that happen in a group of strangers?  Well, maybe often when it's OSers getting together.

I easily could have spent much more time with everyone.  

I learned so much.  Sandra with her beautiful writing only spends twenty minutes on her blog daily.  I usually spend four hours, which is why I can't post often.  I think I will begin setting a timer and limit myself so I can post more often.  Of course, I can spend hours and hours reading other people's blogs and commenting.  The "wondering around" appeals to my ADHD personality.   

Robin Sneed is so sweet and just beautiful.  She always looked so strong in her pictures but she was the softest person, but with an inner strength and focus.  I gave her a lift home, and had a great time.  She was the biggest surprise to me.

Just Cathy and Maryt are sisters, and are my favorite blonds, along with Dynomyte.  Cathy would forget something and tell us she just had a "blond" moment.   I never heard of that before.  Have you?  I have those all of the time, and I've never been blond.

Meeting Trig and his son was like old home week for me.  They live in the same section of Kansas City Kansas that I lived in years ago.  TrigX is a mountain biker who takes advantage of the hills in Kansas City.  He tried out in the Colorado mountains, and is dying to train there.  KC hills are tame compared to Colorado.  He was so sweet and seemed to have a great time, even though he was stuck with a bunch of relative oldsters.

I was so happy to meet Lauren, Pretend Farmer, and insisted that she should be called "Real Farmer," even though it's not as catchy.  The fact that she doesn't make money on her farm puts her right here with the rest of the real farmers!  She does lots on her farm, and is great fun at a party.  I would love to have her come to my farm during the summers so she could keep farming when the weather in Arizona is unbearable.

Ruthie, Gypsie Island Girly, was another sweetheart.   We both had fairly long first marriages, and have dated a little afterwards.  I think she has dated more than I have.  I don't know about the whole dating thing.  It was good to talk to her about the changes from having money to not.  It is pretty hard to adjust.   

Later I'll finish the "party" post and include impressions of the other wonderful OSers, and my pictures when I figure out how to download them again. 

I've spent my alloted time, and my brain is starting to sieze up from sitting in one place.  I have to go outside and work my muscles.  Later I get to take the peaches I brought back from Colorado over to Tom so he and Wendy can can peaches.  Get it can can??  Oh boy, I am done.  Bye.