So…we moved down to the boondocks 6 weeks ago, and we have been resisting that primal urge to connect the television to the satellite dish.  And what we have found is that we watch the sun, the moon, and the stars more.  We watch bunnies, and we’ve seen badgers.  We have coyotes lunging through our tall grass.  And we watch ants.  The best ant activity is swatting flies on the un-screened porch at night.  ‘Cuz then you get to watch the ants carry them off.  Which is not only highly entertaining, but truly inspirational.  Because the smallest of ants can lug the largest of carcasses.  It is a metaphor for effort.  And alcoholic beverages increase the inspirational aspect of it.  But it is truly worth doing.

And Patrick has had the time to hand sand and refinish two old rocking chairs.  Another metaphor that things are worth re-creating.  The old and worn can have new life and beauty.  Like famous quotes from A Nights Tale:  “A man can change his stars.”

And one day Patrick spent several hours trying to flush a rattlesnake out from under the shed with a leaf blower.  And so you see, we are at no lack for entertainment.  It’s like Indiana Jones in the back yard.

And I’d like to say I have learned something profound from all this.  I can say I have become more creative.  I have had time to come up with a million dollar idea.

Swiffer Socks.

Yes.  You design a sock out of Swiffer material and wear them all day and they shall pick up the cat and dog hair from the floor.  And then you throw them out at night.

Sheer brilliance born from boredom I tell you.

But in all seriousness, I can say that time has slowed down.  My blood pressure has dropped twenty points.  And we look forward to church on Sunday.  Just like Ma and Pa Ingall who were so bored all week that church actually sounded fun.  They’d load up in the wagon and put on their bonnets and go to church in order to fan the flame of community and purpose.

And so that is what I hope to find.  I may only have pennies, but “better pennies with purpose than money with mayhem.”  And that’s a Heather-ism.  And you can quote me on it.

T.V. shmee-vee.