Balcony Blessings

Have you ever put off something, just kept telling yourself you didn't have time? Then when you finally got to it, it took you no time at all and the rewards were immeasurable? That was me last week. We let our balconies go over the winter...ice/snow/dirt/bird visits. Spring was creeping in, but I felt a little overwhelmed at keeping 5 kids moving and a husband happy and a house clean, so I ignored my balconies...week after week. Then I finally got that bee in my bonnet and did it. I assigned each kid one balcony to do with me. We scrubbed and we squeegeed. We planted and we plotted. It didn't take me more than 20 minutes per balcony. The next morning, we had a Turkish holiday off of school, so we had waffles for breakfast outside. It was wonderful. The birds sang. The breeze was cool. It all just tasted better. The Campbell Clansman said he felt like we got some extra rooms. I let the three big girls each "have" a balcony. They are watering their plants, reading their Bibles outside. It's been wonderful. Perhaps best of all, I found Campbell Clansman out there one day, just staring off in the distance at the sign for our school. I asked him what he was thinking about. He said, "I have everything I've ever wanted. A good wife, 5 beautiful kids, and a school in Turkey." I am glad we tackled the balconies to give him a good spot to think that thought.
Phaselis the Great could not be happier. He keeps the birds away while we eat.