I was sincerely surprised and touched by the outpouring of love and support I received when I shared my post detailing a little bit of my struggles with depression and bipolar depression. Thank you very much.

I have missed writing and had not realized how much it meant to me. I have tended to post pictures and short blurbs on Facebook as it is quick and easy but I really missed writing and interacting with everyone on my blog. Thanks for hanging in there with me.

I was on vacation the last week of August. I ended up sleeping much of the day the first two days. I suppose I needed it. I have a tendency to think of myself as slightly lazy however I have been told I am anything but. And found myself tired when I stopped on vacation. I limited myself to one dog walking job during the week and the farm on the weekend. One day I went to DC with my mom. What a difference going during the week makes. There was no track work on the metro during the week allowing for much quicker commute times. School was back in session, congress was not and the mall was quiet. The crowds were small. It was like my mom and I had the mall to ourselves. After getting off the subway we treated ourselves to an ice cream sandwich. We sat and watched the world go by. After a while we headed to the National Gallery of Art. We were there to see an Andrew Wyeth exhibit, a Mary Cassatt/Degas exhibit and a small Van Gogh exhibit. My mom wanted to see the Wyeth exhibit. I found it a little dark and depressing. We then went to view the Cassatt/Degas exhibit. I enjoyed it very much. I found it interesting the people posing in front of the paintings. We then decided to go to lunch. We usually eat at the cascade cafe but were not sure it was open due to part of the gallery being closed for renovations (it was open.) We ended up eating at the garden cafe which was a high end very snobby place but had wonderful food. I thought it was funny how snobby it was as they are in the middle of a free museum in DC on the mall. Get over yourself people. The food was wonderful and we enjoyed ourselves very much. Mom and I wandered through the gift shop afterwards. I purchased a coloring book and a bookmark. Mom and I then hunted down the Van Gogh exhibit and wandered through other parts of the museum. I delighted in finding paintings by artists I discovered at the Phillips Collection two weeks prior. I love John Sloan’s work. I really enjoy my art trips with my Mom.

I also caught up on tv that I had recorded and cleaned my apartment. I am settling into a new groove as my landlords moved and new renters are in the main home. They have two dogs who are a hoot and a cat who is getting used to Athena the neighborhood cat. After one night of much yelling they now hang out with each other. Athena does not visit me as much now that she has a cat friend. I also found out from a neighbor she visits about four homes in the neighborhood. She now comes to see me when she wants lap time. She will jump up in my lap and sit for about an hour then wants to go back outside.

The best part of my vacation was meeting a man who has turned my world upside down. I was so unprepared to be swept off my feet that I am still amazed by it all. I’m hoping it all works out and it is far and above what I ever expected. I had pretty much given up on ever finding someone. I am not unhappy being alone and love my own company but this man has made me realize that it is never too late to find love. Fingers crossed it continues to grow.

And now for the pictures I posted the first two I took today. The first is in the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge. We did not get out of the car due to horseflies the size of F-18’s. We saw lots of egrets, great egrets, great blue herons and eagles. The second photo is the Choptank River Bridge from the visitors center in Dorchester County. As always I love yellow flowers and the elderly ewes just make my heart sing. They were chatty tonight and wanted lots of ear scratches last night.

I hope everyone is happy and well. Autumn is my favorite season. I hope it inspires me to write more.