Nothing cheers the soul more than a few days in the great outdoors.
We found ourselves in New Mexico amongst majestic mountains, myriad plant life, hummingbirds, deer, and one bear who was too cool to have his photo taken. The nerve. Anyhow, a change of scenery and a much reduced pace was certainly what the doctor ordered (in addition to a special cream for an undetermined rash, but I'll save that gem for another time). 
For grins, the Mister and I took a little drive into Colorado for a bit of hiking. As we made our way, I spied these fantastic little homesteads much removed from civilization. I pondered what it might be like to live away from people, 24-hour grocery stores, and most likely, the modern convenience of technology. Sign me up, I thought to myself.
The hike up Red Lake Trail certainly was a beautiful one. I'd just about mustered the courage to inform Mr. Newman that we should seriously consider a change -mountain folk living was sure to be a gas. But as I stopped for the 100th time to catch my breath, it occurred to me that in that particular area we couldn't get phone service, which was unfortunate because I was fairly certain that nothing short of a stretcher and a pace-maker could get me back down to the car.
We could live off the grid without hiking, I concluded. 
The quaint little cabin in which we stayed was the perfect home....for four days. It wouldn't accommodate two people, two cats, and my vintage hat collection. I don't keep a lot of stuff on hand, but the stuff I do keep is precious to me. It's stuff I'd like to leave as a legacy to my nieces one day, who I'm sure will cherish it all the way to the junkyard. Ingrates.
So my notions of living off the grid won't come to pass, but that wonderful trip has renewed my appreciation of God's Green Earth, and it's made me take stock of what's really important; it has also caused me to eliminate a few things that no longer serve me. I am perfectly happy to simply sit and think. I can keep myself entertained without a number if gizmos...the exception being Netfix, because I'm just getting into Sherlock.
