"FOOUUNNND IIIIT!!"

This is the shrill cry heard often around the homestead. Usually precipitated by, "Honey, have you seen the..." "Do you know where the..." "What happened to the..." "Where did you put the...?"

My husband has wanted me to write a blog post with this title for awhile now, so today, this is in his honor!

 As you may know, I've been in a funk and have ransacked the entire house looking for a memory card.  I mentioned it HERE  (Actually, the house is now cleaner than it's been in a long time!)  It's been three days now and I've almost given up. I figure I'll find it someday in some weird, obscure place and say, "Oh, NOW I remember!"  I decided that I'd have to retake the pictures for the blog that I had on the card - specifically I'd have to make and can more strawberry jam. I called Bob yesterday and reminded him to pick up my camera from the shop. He forgot. That's ok - I forget things too. Like, where the HECK did I put that card!!

We have three of everything. Because we can't find the first two. And it's somewhat understandable. We have two houses, - a huge frustration when I have to think, "Did I have it in town, or is it out at the farm?'  3 sheds, a barn and a 40 foot semi container. Full.
We're not hoarders. (Although a quote I read recently that makes me chuckle because it's so relateable is, "You are just one box of shit away from an episode of Hoarders!")
 My kids might argue the point - about not being hoarders, but we prefer to call ourselves  "collectors"... "re-users"... "Recyclers"..

Actually I have three strikes against me as far a hoarding is concerned:

 *  I was a stay at home / homeschool mom. I taught three of my four children at home from Kindergarten until they went to college at 16. The fourth started public school in 9th grade. Needless to say, everything was saved as teaching material for the next student. Every book, puzzle, game, tactile project, educational video, computer program, science experiment...   anything that could possibly encourage informal, educational learning  was saved to be reused again in subsequent years.  Strike one.

  *  I am a scrapbooker. A memory keeper. The family historian. A Project Lifer. That means EVERYTHING is acceptable to save to document our life. Every ticket stub, receipt, menu, travel brochure, childhood drawing, homemade card, journal entry, seashell...You get the point. I don't just do the birthday parties and weddings. I do the everyday: favorite cereal, view from each window, family traditions... a picture a day, and ALL ephemera is fair game!   Strike two.

  * We are homestead survivalists. We believe that the years of abundant prosperity are coming to a close- that we are nearing a time of economic upheaval / collapse to rival the Great Depression. That we will see, in the near future, runaway inflation and the devaluation of the dollar. A time when the things you have set aside for future use will be invaluable. We, as intelligent individuals cannot expect to continue with our out of control spending and astronomic debt, both nationally and personally without expecting inevitable consequence.   Strike three.

Bob called me this morning while I was milking. Poor guy - I think he's afraid to call - afraid to hear what predicament I might be in, and to know that he would be unable to help. But he called and thankfully all was well.
"Do you want to hear the good news or the bad news?' he asked. My heart sank. Bad news usually meant he wouldn't be home at a decent hour. Like a mother with a newborn, I listen intently for the sound of his truck rolling in in the evenings. There's a huge amount of relief knowing he's home and I'm not alone to handle whatever catastrophe might happen next!

The bad news was that my camera was still not ready. Apparently I had ground dirt packed in the gears or something. No surprise - I play hard!

The good news was that apparently I did NOT take my memory card out of the camera before taking it to the shop like I was absolutely, completely and irrevocably POSITIVE I had! I would have bet my last dollar on it. And lost.

"FOOUUNNNDD IIIIITT!"

I have my memory card.
But now, I'm afraid I've lost my marbles.