Swinging full circle

I bought Carl a new recliner for our 20th anniversary. After all, nothing could possibly say, "I love you," to a guy like permission to fall fast asleep while watching his favorite sports team.
He's not the jewelry wearing kind, can take a vacation whenever he wants (works for a major airline), and isn't one to want for "stuff." So short of being able to buy him a classic Ford Thunderbird, the recliner was the next best gift. And he truly loves it.
Now that it's here, that is.

We had the option of a $50 delivery charge or picking it up ourselves.
Since we have a pick-up and had tested the weight of the chair before purchasing, we were very confident we could do the lifting(we've done three self-moves with virtually zero help so we're quite the duo movers together.)
The wait for the chair's arrival seemed to drag on and on, however.
"Two weeks. It should be ready in two weeks. We'll call you."
No call.
Kind of hard for them to do that, seeing as they had our number written down incorrectly. Sigh.
So, okay, 5 weeks. Better late than never.

In preparation for bringing the new recliner in, we hauled two of our old recliners out to the curb and posted them free on Craigslist.
No takers. Naturally.
"Load 'em up, honey. They're off to Goodwill before the next round of monsoon rain passes through."
It's been quite the heavy rain and humid summer here.
(And naturally, I got an inquiry about the curb chairs today, two days after they were hauled away.)

Now, kids being kids, we knew they'd love the enormous box the new chair came in, so we dragged it inside (literally; it had to be squeezed through the front door.)
Goodness, that hunk of cardboard has kept them occupied for days now. Three year old Brandon requested to sleep in it. Olivia asked to decorate it. Chance (our dog) has taken the liberty to run in and out of it. It's a boat. A fort. A place to hide. Do NOT throw away your big boxes before letting the kids exhaust their imaginiations with it. Our box has not outlived its usefulness yet.

Our kids' swingset also arrived yesterday. My emotions were high, which may seem silly (it's just a swingset, right?). But you have to know the emotional significance to me. Here's the deal. We built our own home in the country on 3½ acres back in Ohio. It was an absolute dream come true for me. I joined 4-H as a young city girl (the only city girl in my club). I worked at a riding stable (even though I wasn't raised around horses). Being in the country brings a calm over me like nothing else except God's word. Wide open spaces bring such peace and rest to me. Living in the country, I was home.

I could sit on my full front porch for hours, rocking in my Amish made rocking chair (the nearest Amish settlement was 15 minutes away), watching the farmers work the land across the road from me for hours on end. I enjoyed walking my kids in their red wagon to visit the neighbor's horses and cows. I loved riding our lawn tractor. I liked heading to our mailbox at the end of our 200 foot driveway, to gather the day's mail. And the black of night was not at all scary to us, but rather granted the stars their due brilliance, a cosmic experience never noted to that extent in the city.
Not then.
Not now.

And my kids had it good in the country as well.
Caterpillars and butterflies.
Rabbits and o'possum.
An enormous backyard they could safely explore, far away from the potential dangers of our country road.
Rasberries to pick and eat right off the bushes.
Baby birds to hold (I know, I know. But Kideer don't abandon their young for being held. I can assure you.)

And best of all, my kids had the most wonderful Amish built swingset to play on. They ate their lunches in the tower. Learned to "pump and sit, pump and sit" in order to swing high and long. They would put their lego wagon up in the tower, climb in, and ride down the wave slide, screaming with delight, as I watched contentedly from our country kitchen window, or from my place on our big back deck (which faced west, so you can imagine the sunsets for yourselves).

It was a beautiful way of life. Until we had to move away, that is. Dh's job displaced him and we had to sell our dream house in the country. I could barely breathe in the reality of it.
Barely!
Especially when I learned that any of the locations we might have to move to, were beyond our budget for country living. I had lived my dream for 7 wonderful years (for which I'll always be grateful), but it was coming to an end. And to add insult to injury, we couldn't take our kids' swingset with us. We were moving out of state, to an apartment for starters. There was limited room on our moving van, and even more limited space in our storage garage.
It would have to stay behind.

That was 4½ years ago. We finally saved the funds to buy the kids a new set, and it arrived yesterday. The custom builder put it together in the rain. Our kids' noses were literally pressed against the glass windows of our family room as they waited and watched with great anticipation.
7 year old Cierah, apparently inheriting some of the Bunker from her older sister, danced with glee as she announced, "I can't even believe it. It's a nightmare."
Huh???
"Cierah, honey, a nightmare is a very bad dream. What did you mean to say?"
"Oh," (lightbulb finally on), "I meant it feels like a dream."
Her older sister couldn't stop from laughing (takes a Bunker to know one, I guess.)

When the swingset was completed and the man left, literal squeals of delight were heard, among the best I've ever heard from them.
They were absolutely ecstatic.
And so was I.
In fact, I nearly cried (I'm very nostalgic, after all.)

Three year old Brandon asked me today, "Mommy, after breakfast can I go play in my park?"
Oh, sweet boy.
The only swingsets he's ever known in his short life have been in local parks.
He thinks he has one right in his own backyard.

And Reece (gotta love Reece) passed his Dad and I the following comment today.
"Oh mommy, thank you and daddy sooooo much for our new swingset. I love it. It looks hideous because it isn't painted yet, but it'll look better when you put the paint stuff on it."
Yeah, I know. I just chose to receive the thank you in the spirit in which he intended it. ;)

Toni