{ A quick trip to visit my mother in law, and Marley gets sprayed by a skunk }

Beautiful Texas!

We live in such a beautiful country, every State with it's own beauty.  All it takes is a quick road trip out of the hub bub of the cities.  Anytime we are headed out of town, I always remind myself to take my camera.  Funny how that never used to be a thing, the camera was just always at my side, no matter where I was.

I guess we change with time, and some things change too.

On Saturday we took a quick road trip to visit my mother in law.  They live 3 hours from us, and while that may seem like a short distance to some, for people like me and my son Nick, who suffer from car sickness, it is no fun at all.

We wanted to go spend some time with her, after she had been sent home from the hospital.  We knew we would be staying but a few hours, but that didn't matter, we just wanted to see her and visit for a bit.

As we headed towards their small town, I spent most of the trip looking out and appreciating the beautiful scenery.

Rolling green hills, gorgeous ranch houses sprayed out as if they had been thrown into the prairie and allowed to land wherever they may.

Cows, horses, little stores selling antiquities and barbecue joints.  I mean, it's Texas y'all!

We visited for a few hours, talked about old times and the future and tried to distract her as much as we could.  The situation is dire, she has entered hospice care today.  We know that she doesn't have much time left, she does not want to do any kind of treatments and we have to respect that decision.

I don't blame her, she has been in constant treatments for the past 4 years and they've taken a toll on her body.

I pray for comfort and peace for her, and for a passing that is not surrounded by pain.  For us left behind, I pray for peace and comfort too.  We know she is going to Heaven and that we will see her one day, but we will miss her, that's for sure.

But, we don't want to concentrate on the sad part of it all.  This is life, we are all going to pass away one day.  We are choosing to go on and appreciate the time we have with her, keep positive and lean on God for guidance.

While there, I got to meet Geraldine.  She is their last remaining chicken.  They had a few, but you know how it is living in the country, some predator always seems to find their way in and take off with some.

Geraldine is so pretty, and just the sweetest.  Makes me want to get my chickens, sooner rather than later.  Ken, my father in law also gave Curt some pointers on building the coop, keeping chickens and all that stuff.  We are very excited to get started.

As we headed back home, late afternoon, we were met with the most beautiful skies.  The sun was just starting to set and we were chatting about the situation we went through, the fact that it got resolved positively in one hour and just a few hours later our life was turned upside down again with the news of my mother in law.

It was as if God wanted to show us that there is always light at the end of the tunnel.  The picture of the sun seeping through the clouds was taken from inside the car.  I was in absolute awe, because I have never in my whole life, seen something so beautiful.

The drive takes us through a few small towns, and I mean small towns like the typical small towns in America.  Tiny historic main roads, buildings that have stood the test of time, historic mile markers.  The kind of stuff I am all about.

I told Curt that next summer we need to take a small road trip, so that we can stop at all these places, I can take photos and share them with you.

We arrived home early evening, got ready for bed, and then Marley needed to go out to potty.

Curt took him out back and then next thing I hear a huge commotion and Curt yelling "Nooooooo Marley, noooooo."

The skunk smell hit my nose before I even became aware of what had transpired.  Apparently a skunk got into our enclosed back yard and was on the patio.  Curt didn't see him and let Marley out, which of course, proceeded to chase the skunk around the patio table, before the skunk stopped and sprayed him.

Y'all, this is the first time it has ever happened in the 5 years we have lived out here.  I guess it was bound to happen, and Marley is now officially a country dog. 

He did get a bath right away, with baking soda, hydrogen peroxide and dishwashing liquid.  It works really well for removing skunk smells.  He has a slight linger of the smell on a spot on his chest, but not bad at all. 

The temperatures have now dropped, which makes me so happy, I am looking forward to Fall weather. 

Have you started decorating yet?