Would someone please turn down the silence?

Wow....

So the kids are away this weekend and DH is at work.

It's quiet in here...!

I almost don't know what to do with myself. Read? Scrapbook? Watch a movie? (or blog! lol!) These are rare moments. And it's really weird for the house to be this quiet. When DH and I go away for a weekend, the peace and quiet is "normal" and doesn't seem out of place. But here in my own home, which is usually bustling with some sort of noise or the other, it is quite out of place!

Which is not a complaint, mind you.

I do have a nice fire crackling in the wood stove; haven't heard that sound in a while. This is the first year out of 6 that we've had a stove hooked up here. But with fuel prices as they are, the less propane I have to burn this winter, the better. Most of our wood we've acquired for free, which is a huge blessing! And somehow I'd just rather my money go to local forestry operations than foreign oil companies.

And that's all I have to say about that.

Nice as the fire is, I would so much rather be sitting on a lanai and listening to the breeze rustle through my palm tree.....

*sigh*

Welcome to my blog!

Ok, so it's one of probably millions on the Web, but it's mine and I like it.

I've always been a writer, to one degree or another, so blogging comes naturally. And when you're living my life, there is plenty to write about! It may not be Nobel Prize material, but when you view life through the spectacles of wit and humor, you're bound to find something amunsing now and then. Sharing my life with a husband, three boys, and 2 cats...well, I have to do what I can to keep my sanity!

I currently live in New England. I was born and bred here, but I'm a Florida girl at heart. On a recent vacation there, we experienced what I call "rising-off-the-pavement-and-slappin'-you-in-the-face" kind of heat. I loved it. By contrast, this afternoon I took DS6 to his soccer game, and by the time it was over it was a scant 49 degrees and I was a walking (barely...) popsicle. Hate the cold... Cold hurts. Heat is uncomfortable, but not painful (unless you hang by the pool all afternoon without your sunblock).

I want to move to the Ocala, FL area. I've researched it and it seems right up my alley. It's not a huge metropolitan area like Tampa or Orlando, but it's certainly bigger (and funner...) than where I live now. But not "too" big. It still retains a rural character and offers ample opportunities for outdoor recreation in the nearby National Forest and the Silver Springs area.

It also has lots and lots of horses. DS6 and I are bona-fide horse lovers. I've been one since Day 1. I was blessed enough to ride and take lessons fairly early on, and got my first pony at 13. At 15 I upgraded to a larger model, and had that one until I was 26 and getting married and heading off to Alaska for the summer.

And to think that after that trip I actually wanted to live there....! There's no denying it's stunning in the summer and early fall, but winter would do me in. Mentally. Bye-bye frayed thread!

I digress...

So, an abundance of equines in the Ocala area is a huge bonus. And so is being less than 2 hours from Walt Disney World! My favorite place within my favorite place. Home of The Mouse Himself.

Besides giving me an outlet to write, vent, share and laugh, this blog will eventually serve as my connection to "home" once we get out of New England. I don't have any idea when that will be, but what the hey.... Might as well start the chit-chat now!