I expect to pass through this world but once;

any good thing therefore that I can do, or any

kindness that I can show to any fellow-creature,

let me do it now; let me not defer or neglect it,

for I shall not pass this way again.

Stephen Grellet

Every day, good or bad, is unique and should be appreciated as such. There will never be another one exactly like it.

I awoke last Sunday morning, wondering what had roused me when it was still so dark, I realized that it was cold. That was not so unusual, but it shouldn’t have been the case. The RV that has become my room at Gwennie Ru’s farm cools off quickly at night so I leave the propane furnace turned on. Clearly it had not been running and it was 55 degrees.

But I soon realized that it was not the cold that was bothering me. I could hear a sound, a lot like a child crying, and it was repeating again and again. I had never heard it before, and it was disturbing. I put on shoes and a sweatshirt over my pajamas, hunted up a flashlight, and went outside to investigate.

It was Heidi, the goat. My RV is parked near the barn where Heidi has a stall. She is a small animal and was perched up where she could look out at me. She looked fine, was not tangled in anything, and had sufficient food and water. Yet, she kept calling, or crying, I’m not sure which.

I spent the next hour listening to her while I read my furnace manual from front to back. I understood very little of it, but one instruction stood out as being reasonable. Turn off the thermostat and reboot. I pass myself off as a genius with all sorts of devices by turning off and rebooting.

By the time I had learned about furnace “lock out” and done all my rebooting, I was late getting ready for church. I didn’t feel like hurrying and told Kevin and Julie I would come later by myself. This resulted in our family taking three cars for the half hour journey. Julia took her work vehicle because she was on call. She barely has room for Gwennie’s car seat in there. Kevin drove the family car and had Felix, the German exchange student, with him.

On my way, in my car, I considered the uniqueness of my morning. Being awakened by a bleating goat was so unusual. Learning about furnace lock out was interesting. And if those things weren’t enough, I looked up and saw a sign that I had never noticed before even though I had driven the road many times. That section of highway was maintained by the Doodle Cooke family. I had been clueless. Doodle Cooke. Too good to be true.

The rest of the day continued to be a marvel of experiences. Going to three different Walmart locations in one day, eating at the BEST hamburger restaurant in the U.S. (or so they claim), bottle feeding Gwennie Ru in the parking lot of Trader Joe’s, seeing Felix’s new, bright fuschia, gym shoes, traveling in our 3 car caravan back to Riverbend Farm.

Once I start taking notice with an attitude of being thankful, each day seems a bit more special, and definitely unique. It’s good to be here, no matter where I am.

P.S. I have started taking Heidi outside to graze on the green grass and clover. I think she likes it.