Life at the Lumberyard

  Today my eyes are not on the caulking (which is getting harder to come by by the way) or the door knobs (which are up about 40% this week).   Instead I'm focusing on my killer tan and giving you all the secrets so you can have one too. I hate when I need a quick recipe like cheesy baked asparagus. It's not that hard, but I just wonder what types of cheeses are in the picture. I get redirected to a blog post about how this was inspired by her grandmother and she saw a butterfly while harvesting the stalks and the rich history of the tiny market where she can buy cheeses made in-house. Just give me the damn list of cheeses, Debra! But, sadly, I have to be Debra today to get the full tanned, gloriously glowing idea across. But, I digress. Tanning is my happy place. I love to do it and I love how I feel after I have my glow on. It's addicting. I know I am addicted and for some reason, I am fine with that.  I often feel like I look like a Dorito or an Oompa Loompa, but again,

The top. I’ve never seen a mountain. Wild, huh? I’ve never been to Tennessee or out west.  So I can only imagine.  I wish some days I lived closer to the mountains. To be near something so large and to feel so small… to know that there is something so so much bigger beyond myself. What a great reminder that is. I often imagine living or vacationing in the mountains watching the sun rise and hit the mountain tops. What a glorious image I paint in my mind. Isn’t it funny though that I (in my mind’s eye) only look to the tops.  That tip top gets the attention. I like to sit on my patio at night and watch the cows or the birds in the backyard. (Thanks COVID for helping me realize that hobby.)  And when I look at the trees in the distance - with the sun setting - it seems that only the far up tops have light left on them in the final moments of twilight.  But what did those little limbs do to deserve to have that view? To have all that attention? To have our eyes fixed on them wayyy up ther

I think Tim McGraw said it best, " I'm tired of lookin' left or right.  So I'm just lookin' up."  But boy is that hard to do some days. I personally have a lot of work ahead of me. This Fourth of July  was maybe a little bit different. I could get political, and someday I probably will. America sure doesn't feel so very free these days. And I often catch myself thinking about all the soldiers - boys really  - of wars past who died alone in their early twenties or late teens in a forest they had never been to, likely in the midst of a fear we cannot fathom, thinking of a mama or a best friend back home as they slipped from this life to the next... but they died for me. And for you. And for those who don't care about them whatsoever. For those who don't mind handing over their freedoms, handing  over jobs to other countries, for those who don't care if they work hard or don't, someone else will do their bidding and paying... I'm getting c

1 to 148. Miles per hour? No, but it sure feels like it some days. We celebrate our first anniversary today. Year 1 is in the books. But today we also celebrate the Governor's Century Business Award after submitting information regarding how long we have been under the same type of business and showing how and when it transferred ownership. I like what Gov. Halcomb said, " As we continue to attract  new jobs and  investment  to Indiana, these well-established  businesses  will set the tone for a Hoosier economy  dedicated to hard  work, constant  improvement and  strong  community roots.  I’m confident these  businesses  will continue  providing  great service for  the  next 100 years and keep Indiana on the  path to success for  centuries to come."                       As far as longevity goes, Dunlaps made the top 10 of 101 Indiana businesses (and most of the "in  business  longer than us" places were funeral homes. Makes sense, really.) Dunlaps has a long hi