BEING HOME

It seems that many of you have reading my blog about our trip to Mallorca. This is officially the last of that series. Like any trip there comes an end. This usually means coming home. Living in Bend, in a comfortable house with a relaxing environment is what I come home to. I have lived in Central Oregon for 40 years now. For me it is the best place in the world, but what really makes it home is my home. It is my sweetheart greeting me with a big smile, after 40 years together her smile is still the thing that makes me the most happy. The kitties sitting by the fire, or on my lap or sleeping together showing me that this is a comfy home (we could all learn a thing or two about cats), and even the fire in the living room make my home feel more like a home. 

I think a home should be a  place of warmth, both in the soul and the temperature. Warmth means welcome,  I also think it is less stressful to be in a place of warmth. It is calming and protective. In this day and age it is good to feel protected from the difficulties of the world. I like to sit by the fire, read a book, write my blog, drink coffee, or even better take a nap. 

I love my travels, my friends abroad, the roads in Europe, but I go not to escape my home but to enhance my home.

Years ago I decided that when I would go on a holiday I would bring back something from that holiday that would make my life at home more enjoyable. We have a cabin in the Sierra Nevada that we used to spend summers in. The cabin was a little stuffy inside so we would put our bed on the deck and sleep outside. We just loved that. We then started to do at home. Why not, if it worked on a holiday why not at home. Since then our outdoor sleeping deck has turned into a sleeping porch. It has large windows that go down to the level of the bed, and big skylights to see the sky.  It is like sleeping outdoors for me.

Another thing I brought home is coffee. The coffee in Europe tastes better to me than the coffee here. I started looking at the beans and expresso over there comes from light roasted coffee. I asked the local coffee roaster, Strictly Organic, if they could roast coffee like they do in Europe. Richard did and he calls it Sunnyside Blend. Try some, you can buy at most stores and at Strictly Organic's coffee house on Colorado and Bond St. More relaxing bike rides. I get tired of going on a bike ride with friends and then afterword everyone is in a hurry to do the next thing. I am guilty of that as much as anyone. Now I try to have a snack and coffee afterwords with my riding partners. 

Home has become better because of these things, but home has always been the place I like best and I hope it always is. 

Take care,

Don