Home Sweet Home

As nice as it is to be on vacation, it's oh so nice to be home.

We spent Saturday morning at the National Automobile Museum. I expected a building filled with a bunch of old cars and that I'd be bored.

Nope.

This place was really cool! They covered the history of the automobile and complimented the exhibit with well written displays and an audio tour. I learned a lot and my kids all enjoyed. We took a nap in the afternoon and then had a nice dinner with a good friend.

In real life we should have left early to come home.

Instead, we made the 8 hour drive in one day stopping in Winnemucca for brunch with my niece and her mother -- my favorite ex-in-law. We was nice to see them but it's always to leave Winnemucca.

We had a glorious vacation and are already planning our next adventure to Yellowstone and Mt. Rushmore and every national park in between.

It's fascinating to watch my rural raised farm kids experience city life. They're not used to waiting in long lines. They're very sensitive to noises and smells. They're intrigued by things a lot of people take for granted; public transportation. They love taking buses, trams and buses, but at the same time, they don't really understand why they have to wait in line to do it.

Back at home, we curled into our own beds and I started work on the mountain of laundry we've amassed.

We're all exhausted and feeling entirely spoiled by our great fortune. Last night, my oldest couldn't sleep. She was, in fact, over-tired, but in her mind she was feeling guilt that we were able to take such a long and luxurious trip. Today she suggested we start living more frugally.

No more trips to Costco, she suggested. We should shop from a menu and a list and shop the pantry and the freezers first. We should only go out to dinner for special occasions and rarely.

We should shop locally when possible and go through the house and our rooms and get rid of most of our stuff.

She's right and she's ready to commit to doing the menu planning and organize the lists. I suggested we do it for a limited amount of time -- like 90 days -- and then see what changes we like in our life and what changes we don't.

We're both a little undecided about a garden. Every year I start out with great plans for a garden. I actaully have no skills in this area. I jsut plan a lot of stuff and spend a lot of money in hopes the spirits of gardeners before me with possess my body and soul and somehow force me into being a good garderner. Last year got off to a great start I made it into July before I got overwhelmed. The warmer weather and garden soil is calling to me again, but I hesitate to start again.

My daughter's ideas are great and I'm looking forward to seeing what she puts together and supporting the effort. I'm grateful for our bounty but rather than feeling guilty I'm hoping I can teach her there is a middle ground between abundance and poverty.

Be it the luxury of a vacation, a fully stocked freezer, a life without lines and pollution or the simple abundance of friends and family the greatest gift I can give her, perhaps, is appreciation for all the she has no matter the amount.