A Mystery & Ramblings

It's a gorgeous, sunny, sunny day today . . . the first time we've seen the sun in well over a week, I'd say.  MUCH appreciated!  And, double the fun since it's come on a day off for me!  It's chilly, though, according to the thermometer (-5 this AM), but it doesn't feel cold outside due to that strong ol' sol.

Just as I was falling asleep last night, the dogs and I were awoken by a huge BOOM! that sent them both into howls of protective aggression.  What the . . . ??  It wasn't a tree falling on the house (nor was there any wind), so the ONLY dreaded thing I could come up with was that one of the batteries for the electrical system must have exploded.  Hmmm, what to do, I wondered, as I lay there, exhausted?  If it WAS one of the batteries, was I gonna clean it up right then?  Nope.  Too, too tired.  If it WAS one of the batteries, could that cause a fire?  No, I didn't think so.  "All" that would do is knock out the electrical system.  And, truthfully, at that point of the night, I didn't want to know.  So, without turning on the bedside light to see if there was electricity or not, I took a flashlight and padded across the hall into the guest bedroom upstairs to look out on the moonlit night.  Good:  the garage looked solid.  No flames shooting out.  So, with that, I crawled back into bed and didn't wake up until Dosie, the cat, rudely - but gently - speared my left eyelid this morning with a claw, insisting that it was time to get up!

So, what WAS the BOOM!?  Dunno.  All looked well this AM.  I'd thought of a sonic boom; we used to hear them somewhat frequently when I was growing up on Mama & Papa Pea's homestead.  The acreage was located directly under the jet paths for the National Guard located 3 hours south, and their flights regularly broke the sound barrier.  But, that was generally on sunny, summertime days.  So, if this boom was that, maybe someone had been out on a moonlit recon mission?  Who knows!  I'll be sure to let you know what it was if I ever find out!


In other news, a meeting with the credit union that holds my mortgage this past week resulted in the actual threat & promise to foreclose on Swamp River Ridge if I don't put the house & property on the market immediately.  If I do that (put it on the market), I WILL have the option of removing it from the "danger list" if I come up with the money to get the past-due mortgages up-to-date (although I'm not yet sure what that time-line would look like).  For me, that would mean the sale of the 20 acres I've put on the market.  


Anyway, I was pretty much decided that that's what I'd have to do (put it on the market instead of going into foreclosure) until discussions with two different sets of friends/family this past week resulted in duplicate suggestions that I might, actually, be BETTER SERVED (!!?) by allowing the foreclosure process to begin!!!  Blew my socks off, that did!  So, I have word in to a lawyer friend waiting for some advice and, hopefully, a free consultation.  I'll keep you posted.


Meanwhile, at the forefront of my mind has been realizing what it specifically IS that I love about this place, Swamp River Ridge, so much.  What I can't get anywhere else.  And, what my (most primary) regrets would be if I do lose it.  It's profound (and invaluable) insight that this situation is generating!  Who knew?!  (And, hey, ya GOTTA keep looking at the silver lining!)  But, those realizations will be in a post on another day.  Gotta get back to it.

Here are two pics from the past week:

The high winds that threatened to bring another snowstorm right on top of last Sunday's failed to deliver, but they DID result in some amazing wave action out on the big lake!

On Monday, as I set off to work after dropping the dogs at Mama & Papa Pea's, their resident small herd of deer allowed me to stop on the driveway to take several pictures of them in the fresh, deep snow, back-lit by the day's rising sun.