Pine Trees, Rain & Togetherness

July 3, 2011...Relaxing at our cottage in the pines. Enjoying a cool breeze coming through the screened porch and the smell of rain that left its mark on the tips of the pine trees and the fine red dirt that all around. I love these days. I'd call today a lazy dazy day where I can choose just what I want to do within the confines of our little fenced in cottage in the pines.

As I was reading the first installment of my newest self help series {a future post} I would take a few minutes here and there to observe the outside beauty that surrounds us. A cute couple, I am guessing in their 60's just bought the cottage across the way and I can see them bustling around to quickly turn it into a home where they too can enjoy the comfort that I am enjoying. Sweeping the porch, cleaning window sills and blinds, beautifying the yard, they are keeping busy and they ARE enjoying what they are doing! I KNOW this! How do I KNOW they are ENJOYING this work? Well I KNOW. OK! On two occasions I noticed them stop their work and affectionately give each other a hug and a sweet kiss. I felt their happiness right there! Personal experience also helps me to KNOW this. It reminds me of Kirt & I. We have always worked well together. Most home projects we do together, sometimes we cook together, clean together and of course relax together. No matter what it is, when done TOGETHER it is so much more enjoyable. And then there are those times that we just want to do something for the other on our own because we know it feels good to do, and also receive acts of service.

{This is my "stalkerish" view through our screened in porch. I felt kinda like Gladys Kravitz the nosy neighbor from Bewitched...}

We share this place with Kirts parents and they also "work together" to make life enjoyable. His parents owned a lot that they used with their little trailer and they would spend some time up here in the summers. When the lot next to theirs became available they asked family members if any of us wanted to go in on it. Kirt and I were the only ones taking them up on it, and we are glad we did now. When we first got this place Kirt was excited... and I, on the other hand wasn't too much. It was small and old and needed a total re-do. We share this beautiful mountain retreat with several other lots with other cottages, trailers, and homes of sort and it just didn't feel like home to me at first. We started out by gutting the whole inside. We made decisions together about new deigns for the interiors. We painted, Mom P made cute new curtains, and Dad painted the porch a yummy buttery yellow color. Kirt & I would come up on weekends to install floors as well as kitchen and bath cabinets and fixtures. We searched our own homes and sales for the perfect furnishings for the interior. When we were done we have what I like to call our own little Marriott. :) I love it. I'm glad mom & dad can come up for a week or two at a time throughout the summer. Kirt and I come up on occasional weekends, usually holidays when we have a 3 day w/e. 'Tis July 4th weekend, and I'm LOVING it! Gonna go see fireworks tomorrow! :)