Poo-Bah Balls

Getting these pictures up (taken October 5th) makes me sad to leave our sweet little cabin. God gave me a little haven in this home - a place to breathe when we couldn't really afford one. A few years of living in the Vanderbilt area, a neighborhood filled with charming houses all squished together, made me long for space. Prior to that I went to a tiny college, where everyone knew your business and would often end up in your room at some point during the day. That too made me long to breathe. Both of those eras were very happy times, and I wouldn't trade them, but it has been quite a treat to live in a place where I could breathe. And breathing for me, involves land...trees, grass, unplowed spaces. Thanks to the generosity of our friends, we've had that for over a year now.
A favorite Fall activity in this place is finding poo-bah balls. Dad has always used that word for anything yucky; I think it's a remnant of our time in Germany. Last year, Elijah was scared of the big poo-bah balls. So, during this trip, Dad told him they weren't scary; "they're just poo-bah!" Hence, our name for the Osage Hedge Ball. This year, we cleared out all the balls from under our poo-bah tree. (You're welcome, Mark.) The balls are supposedly good for getting rid of spiders. You can order some here, but the EPA has banned this company from telling you that they might get rid of spiders. Stick in tow; ready to go.Searching.

Finding.Throwing.Carrying.Crawling.Gleeful boy, happy to breathe. These are the same hills mentioned here. Now Elijah can run straight up this thing, without any hesitation. Haven will learn to walk and climb hills somewhere else. Gazing. Picking. Happy girl, glad to breathe.We just closed on our new house. We cannot wait to move in. God is so good; I will be able to breathe there as well.