One thing I miss about being away from home is the fact that I'm oblivious to my husband's movements, his comings and goings. He's working the night shift right now and comes in at 5am. He doesn't make an extreme amount of noise. It's usually the dog that wakes me up, happy to see him. But once I'm awake, I have to get up and get something to drink. I have to put drops in my eyes because they're so dry that they hurt. All of this moving around makes it near impossible for me to go back to sleep.

So here I am. I have been working on a journal that helps with a journal of personal discovery. I picked it up at an Expo thingy in Raleigh. It's called "Live in Wonder: a Journal of Quests, Quotes, & Questions to Jumpstart Your Journey". It's amazing how things come to mind once a question is posed and it gets my mind to thinking, helping me get past the barriers of what I think I should be writing and instead of what I'm really thinking & feeling.

I sat amid the glow of my Happy Light energy lamp for 30 minutes this morning. I just started using it last night. I know it's supposed to be primarily for using during the darker winter months, though technically it IS still winter. But I'm hoping it might help year-round since I'm somewhat homebound (by choice). I'm outside very little. What's to see except the flood of cars barreling down the interstate at unsafe speeds, along with the occasional tractor trailer that blows a tire on the bridge – which sounds like a stick of dynamite exploding. Literally.

We are working on a place we've acquired at the lake, my Mountain Chalet as I refer to it. I think once I get power to it, and eventually wi-fi, I'll spend more time there. My nearest neighbor is 2 miles across the hill. The loudest noises are the sounds of boats out on the lake, which is right over the hill, and the occasional government plane that flies over – low enough to knock the tops off the trees. And it has, several times. But I like when the plane flies over actually. When it goes over, it stirs the coyotes up because it hurts their ears (I'm assuming) and they start howling. I love the sound of a coyote howling. Plus it lets me know how close they are. Lots of wildlife out there – bears, boar, raccoons, squirrels, and the coyotes. I can't count the times I've had to chase a bear away from the camper when I'm grilling outside.

Wow… I'm rambling. I need to shut up