I HATE food logs and tracking calories. But I know this is what works for me. So back to the mind numbing boredom of tracking. “If you can track it, you can achieve it.” Alux.com Very true. But oh the horror of tracking.
And did I forget to mention measuring food? 😳🤦🏼♀️ 23 shredded mini wheats. 12 animal crackers. 1 cup of broccoli. 1 cup of strawberries. 4 ounces of meat. 2 tablespoons of peanut butter. Insert screams here. More screaming when I look at my food log and see just where my 2,000 calories went. What the %^*+?! All I wanted was a molasses cookie that someone brought to work. COOKIE!
Christmas is descending on my ole Kentucky home. Cakes, pies, cookies, sweet treats all around.
I was listening to a video that asked, ‘what would happen to your body if you committed to and walked one hour a day’? First, where is this hour coming from? And 2 where am I going to walk? If I go home, I want to be able to take Cheekie with me. He needs out of the house too. With this jacked up time, it’s almost dark when I get home. I have zero desire to walk in the dark.
So what has brought on the new round of trying you might ask. A few health concerns. Genetic sadly.
Evie stretched, smiled, and played with her ring. When she patted Dillon’s side of the tarp, he wasn’t there. Coffee was perkin’ on the camp fire. A cup of coffee with steam still wafting from it was between them. She picked up the cup, sippin’, lazily strollin’ over to the waterfall. Dillon was taking a shower. She purred to herself, he was indeed a fine looking man. Should she just stand there and watch him or join him? Watching him was highly enjoyable. So, she sat on a nearby rock and watched, sippin’ dreamily at her coffee.
Did he know she was awake and was enjoying the show? A ping of pain raced through her, ‘don’t do anything. Treat him the way he treated you’! She looked down at the ring he had placed on her finger.
Dillon did his best not to jump when her warm hands slid around his waist. “Good mornin’. I was praying you would join me.”
“I’m shocked the water isn’t as cold as I thought it would be.”
“I might have something to do with that.” He teased.
“Do you want a long engagement or a short one?”
He kissed her, “I’d marry you now if you want to.”
They kissed and explored as they talked.
“How do you want to do our finances? Separate or joint?” She asked.
“I assumed it would be joint. Isn’t that how most couples do it?”
“I guess that is tradition.”
“Your house or mine?”
“Yours, unless you want to move the barn?”
“Am I expected to get a respectable job to be the sheriffs wife?”
Dillon stopped just staring at her. “What?”
“You know people are going to say ugly things about what I do. Would it be easier for you if I got a regular 8 to 5?”
With a wet hand, he caressed her cheek, “let them talk.” He kissed her. She took matters into her hands. “We have the sexiest pillow talk.” He hissed, placing his chin on her shoulder as he melted with the water.
Evie woke with a start. Dillon was hunkered at the fire, pourin’ a cup of coffee. A look of concern filled his face, “you okay?”
She looked around patting her chest, “yeah.” She let out a long sigh, blushing, “I’m good.”
“Promise?” He brought her a cup, sittin’ it next to her.
She took the warm cup, nuzzling it to her nose. “Thank you. I promise.” Leaning in, she kissed him, “I promise.”
Evie laughed as they sat down, “if we do this often, I’m gonna need a better pair of shoes.” She flopped her pack off her back, laying her head on it.
“We can do this as often as you’d like.”
“I can’t believe you kept all this stuff. Aren’t the sleeping bags dry rotted by now?”
“They still looked good when I packed them up.” He blushed.
“Isn’t that cave around here? The one we hiked to on your 16th birthday?”
He grinned, “yelp. Just over that ridge. If your feet aren’t killin’ you, thought we’d camp there.”
She opened her mouth with an O of surprise, “that’s why we didn’t bring a tent?”
He just grinned.
She was able to make it to the cave. It was cool and inviting. Even though the temperature outside was nice, this just had a different feel to it. They hiked back inside the cave to a waterfall. “WOW!” She sighed, “this hasn’t changed one bit.”
“Do you think you will be okay in here?”
She knew what he meant. A shy grin crawled across her lips, “I think so.”
“You will tell me if you need to leave?”
“Of course.” She touched his arm.
They worked together spreading a tarp, built a fire, and rolled out the sleeping bags on the tarp. She kicked her shoes off with a sigh. “Yes, must buy better shoes.” He put his shoes beside hers, laying his gun on top of them. “Do you pack a gun everywhere you go?”
“It’s a habit at this point. Would you prefer I didn’t?”
“I’m confident in your skills.”
A little stream flowed from the waterfall through the room created by the cave. They washed their dishes, had water to drink and for coffee.
With their stomachs full, Dillon closed the lantern. The waterfall had created a hole in the roof of the cave. Stars twinkled in the dark sky. They lay in the stillness of the night. The waterfall singing them toward sleep.
Dillon scooted closer to her, “why did you leave?”
She got up to look at him through the light seeping through the hole. “Mom drilled lies in my head all my life. When you left to go to summer camp and didn’t write me, not knowing what I know now, she had me believing that you didn’t care. She had a bucking dying cow when dad let me go hiking with you for your birthday.” Evie took a deep breath.
“I saw you you know.”
“Why didn’t you say something?”
“I was too scared. That did things to me that,” he sucked air through his teeth.
“Coupled with all the lies she told me. In my adolescent mind, you didn’t care. If you cared or were interested, you would have made the first move. I felt so ashamed when I didn’t get a reaction out of you. As soon as I got my first acceptance letter, I ran toward it. When I came back for mom’s funeral, I was so focused on dad and taking care of that. Then when I came back for your dad’s funeral, I actually saw you again. For the first time since before you went to summer camp.”
“Why didn’t you say anything?” He whispered.
“It’s tradition for the man to make the first move. Mom told me so.” She smirked.
He rose up and kissed her. “I’m sure I have no idea what Lily said to you. I want you to know that the last thing I ever wanted to do was hurt you.”
“I know that now.” The light seeping through the hole highlighted her smile. “I know that now.”
“I wanted so badly to be part of that waterfall.” He sighed.
In all honesty, I’m too busy eating it to know that it flowered.
It has this beautiful yellow flower. This year, I tried to grow broccoli. As for getting enough to make a meal, that was a dismissal failed. But I discovered a feast for my eyes.
Rebecca stretched, yawned, and smiled taking in the cool fall air.
Simon handed her a cup. “Well, I’ll be.” He drew her attention to the hot air balloon gliding over the little white house.
“Did you want to do it?” Rebecca asked softly.
“It is on my bucket list. Right now, we need to be preparing for winter when work isn’t plentiful for me.” He sighed. “You?”
“No.” She looked up again. “Show off.” The silent morning was broken by what might have been someone shouting. “Do you think your high powered rifle would reach that?”
Simon was stunned. She just didn’t say that. “That would be devastating.” He choked.
“Devastating for whom?” She walked back inside the house.
Simon followed her, “please help me understand what is happening here?”
She smiled, flipping her hair. “Just voicing a thought.” She put her hand over her mouth. “Or should I sing it?”
“What?”
She left the room. Simon was confused now more than ever.
The balloon was inflated and ready to go when they pulled up. After they were given some basic instructions, the sky was starting to change color on the horizon. They floated from town over Evie’s home place and hovered over Dillon’s. Teka was playing in her pen as if she knew they were watching.
Her dad sighed, “God does beautiful work.”
This year, the weather had been kinder than in years past. Leaves had color. God’s fall was breath taking. Red, orange, yellow, the colors glistened in the rising sun. A breeze made them appear to wave at the morning travelers.
Evie leaned into Dillon and he put his arm around her. In the moment, she was calm. This was peaceful.
“Dad?”
He turned to look at her. Tears streaming down his face. “Beautiful, hummin’ bird. Beautiful.”
Dillon held her a little closer. He was dying inside. This, this was perfect. There were so many questions he wanted to ask her. One question was paramount on his mind. When he looked down at her, she was looking up at him, smiling. She was so beautiful.
He put his hands over hers. ‘So warm,’ Evie moaned in her mind. Suddenly, he was playing with her fingers. When she looked down at her hand, there was a ring on her finger.
“Are you sure?” She whispered.
“I’ve been shore since I was 16.”
When they kissed, her dad shouted. He stretched out his arms, shouting.
“Someone once told me that time was a predator that stalked us all our lives. I rather believe that time is a companion who goes with us on the journey and reminds us to cherish every moment, because it will never come again. What we leave behind is not as important as how we’ve lived.”
Poetry & More 