The Kamstra Kottage

Retirement. Relocation. Reset. Redo. Restore. Revive. Years ago, I dreamt about retirement.  What would that be like? Would it be what I longed for after many years of work?  Now. Now, it was time.  The long-awaited moments to relax and do only what I wanted to do.   The time was here.  There was no relaxation in sight. :-)  Weeks prior to my lifestyle change was consumed with finalizing instructions at the museum where I worked. Creating instructions for the next person to do the job that I had done for nearly 10 years. This included writing instructions, teaching my replacement, and cleaning my home aka the Gift Shop at the museum. It meant taking several dozen photos to store in my memories. Dinners and lunches with friends before making this life change was bittersweet. Leaving so many people I loved. Longing to restore friendships with people I had missed in the Midwest.   Over 11 years I worked at the Temple Railroad and Heritage Museum...

Hello Friends! It was a good number of years ago when I first started this page about my life and ponderings. On this rainy November day, I decided it would be a great time to update. Four years ago, I was traveling from Temple, Texas to LaPorte, Indiana.  It was the first days of my retirement from the Temple Railroad and Heritage Museum. Traveling cross country with my yellow lab, Gracie and her four cat siblings was a true adventure. Her siblings at the time: Jezze, Belle, Lizzie Jane and Charlie.  My friend, Mark Mathew was on loan from his wife and drove the 16-foot U-Haul truck, loaded with my worldly belongings. My car was loaded with all the last-minute items and things we might need for overnight stays on the trek home.  >More about the trip in future posts< ***** This was my very first entry on my page in 2008?  Welcome to my first Blog on this site! Blogging (talking) is something I LOVE to do! just ask my friends. I'm certain there are times tha...

Its been a LONG time since I've been on my page to write.  This morning, is still not going to be that time. I'm at work and I should be entering email addresses to increase our outreach for the Railroad & Heritage Museum. (See--here's the photo of where I work. It is the Santa Fe Depot. This is where I work.)  So...with that said, I'm off to start the addition of names, addresses and emails.  Have a wonderful day and I'll be back soon.  I have so much to talk about! Love from my computer to you.~~Cyn.

The day I would enjoy reliving is Friday, April 7, 1974.  On this day, I was a young, vibrant and happy woman at the beginning of a fresh new life.  It was the day I was first married. What began as a day to celebrate with a spring wedding became the day of an unexpected spring blizzard. With the anticipation of a smooth-running day, I woke to the forecast of cold weather and the possibility of snow. In the morning, I was scheduled to pick up my wedding dress, but the sky was already heavy grey, and the snow showers had begun. By midafternoon, the weather continued to worsen, and the snow was accumulating on the ground. We arrived at the church by 5:30 p.m. after traveling over the roads which were already covered with heavy, wet and slippery snow. The wedding was planned as a 7:00p.m. candlelight service. Slowly our guests began to arrive at the church just minutes before the ceremony was to begin. As they entered, they took time to dust off the snow, remove their coats a...

Hello all! It's been QUITE some time since I've been on my page. It seems I get caught up on Facebook and Myspace, and I forget about this page. Today, it is a quiet rainy day in Temple, Texas. It smells fresh outside; the air is cool (finally!) and it's just refreshing! All summer the weather has hovered around 110 and now with the air cooler at about 70 it has made a difference in my energy level. Seems I'm getting a lot more done each day. I'm attending college for the first time in my life. Yes, I'm a college freshman attending our local school. For my first semester I am enjoying taking classes and the challenges it provides for my brain. It's been quite a while since I've been in school, but so far, I feel as though I'm accomplishing all my tasks at a good pace. Autumn is my favorite time of year and even in Texas, when it rains the wind and water in the trees outside my window make a beautiful sound. The rustle of the leaves and the fresh frag...

The first time I remember that I could do something well, was when I learned how to make a Granny Square Afghan. My memory of this event came after seeing an afghan my maternal grandmother made.  Her pattern was created with monochromatic colors in the center of each square.  Each center was designed with assorted shades of blue, red, orange, green or yellow.  Every block was then outlined in black and the entire blanket edged in a simple black scallop. I thought it was beautiful! I wanted to learn how to make this blanket. One day while I was at her home, I asked her to teach me to make an afghan just like hers. This day began with a trip to the basement of her farmhouse. In the dark basement—which I always found a little scary—was the cabinet that had the many remnants of her previous projects. There were little bits of wool yarn, metal crochet hooks and an assortment of other colorful threads. We searched through the cabinet until we found just the right supplies....

This verse was emailed to me on May 7, 2007 as a chain letter from a co-worker. Usually, I do not participate in chain letters, but I had been compelled that evening to follow the instructions.The direction was to send it on to twelve friends and pray. I did. Here is the prayer that was included with the email letter: May today be all that you need it to be today. May the peace of God and the freshness of the Holy Spirit rest in your thoughts, rule in your dreams tonight and conquer all your fears. May God manifest himself today in ways that you have never experienced. May your joys be fulfilled, your dreams be closer and your prayers be answered. I pray that faith enters a new height for you; I pray that your territory...

My life began anew about five years ago.  It seemed that after years of managing to muddle through a complicated existence as a lonely wife and working mother, I was ready for a new start. Busy days and sleepless nights had taken its toll on me, but now I was ready to begin again. It has been four years of being single following my divorce--it was time to move forward. There were new adventures ahead. The forecast for my life began with venturing into the unknown territory of online dating. This came upon the urging of a younger friend who had already acquired the skills for navigating this dating experience. Within a few weeks I had signed on with the two leading companies in this industry. One company claimed life-long relationships (built on several key components), but this left me without anything or anyone of value! The second service seemed like the smorgasbord of the dating world. Eventually, and with several difficult starts, I found friendship with a couple of seeming...

Today is the 29th birthday of a beautiful young woman.  This is not any young woman. She was to become my daughter in law.  My son, Thomas loved her from the time they were young adults.  When she was unexpectedly taken from our lives in 2004, it left a hole in our hearts. She and I shared a love of lilacs.  It is our favorite flower. The poem I've selected today is dedicated to Diane and my son. Life continues, even after those we love pass away...but there are constant reminders of how they have touched our lives.  I found a poem that touched my heart and (again) reminds me of this special, talented, intelligent, caring and beautiful young woman who was included in our family.   Happy Birthday, Diane.  Here's your poem:   ESSENCE OF A LILAC Every lovely lilac has a pleasant scent, it reminisce me full of lovely events, but you are someone I can never neglect, because that scent is you who it reflect. I brought you...

"Our real blessings often appear to us in the shapes of pains, losses and disappointments; but let us have patience, and we soon shall see them in their proper figures."~~Joseph Addison His love motivates her respect...Her respect motivates his love... ...is this the TRUE answer to prevention of broken hearts?? "Poetry spills from the cracks of a broken heart, but flows from one which is loved." ~Christopher Paul Rubero

" Since you will need fresh energy and new insight to handle what tomorrow throws at you, wait until it dawns before taking it on. Some of the things you do today may seem totally insignificant so far as tomorrow is concerned but stay at it." ~~Charles R. Swindoll

The final lines in my daily devotional: "Each of us may be sure that if God sends us over rocky paths, He will provide us with sturdy shoes. He will never send us on any journey without equipping us well." ...Alexander McLaren  I have been thinking about this verse all morning.  Recently is seems that my life path is cluttered by emotional debris, and I cannot seem to find the smooth or clear path.  Daily I feel distressed and filled with grief by the life I chose to share with someone that I thought was as committed to me as I was to him.  It feels like so much hurt and betrayal that I often don't know what to do next. Each day I begin with my devotions, my coffee, the little bits of news that I care to watch--but even though I have a daily routine, the load I'm carrying is so very heavy. My daily question continues to be "WHY?" and daily there are no answers. All I hear inside my head and heart is Life just is! Friends have been caring with giving their ad...