There must be a pony in there somewhere

 We Miller sibs, my two sisters, my brother, and I, are known for being Pollyannas, so we often use "there must be a pony in there somewhere" as a way of making fun of ourselves.  It's a joke that Ronald Reagan told back in the day.  You can look it up on Google if you're interested.  We also use, "Lookie, lookie, lookie, Pa, there's a two-story McDonald's," but that's a whole different story.

With there being so much cruelty both at home and abroad today, and with the feeling I'm starting to get overwhelmed by it, I thought I might do a small MFL gratitude journal entry here.  It will make me feel better, but if you don't think it will help you, please feel free to skip.

I think it's safe to say we have a glorious and much needed two feet - yes, two feet! - of snow on the ground.  The snow gods blessed us this time.   That said, the neighbors who are in residence up here during this event have been wonderful, helping each other, laughing at being stuck, offering survival tips, everything one could hope for.  I wrote yesterday about some of the stories, but here are a few more:

JP and Michelle couldn't have picked nicer renters if they had set out to do that.  Ross and Catherine are such joyful people.  Their son James, who is 3, is a hoot and a half, and he and Rainee would love each other.  Last night, as we were trying to make sure Catherine wasn't stuck in case of an emergency, they were practically doing a happy dance at all this snow.   We just found out that Catherine is pregnant, due in Sepptember, happy for them but sad for me that they won't be living up here so I can snuggle a newborn.

I just found out this morning that Brett Lonjak (5) is here and willing to help as much as possible.  I texted him to get the garage code for the monster snowblower, and he responded immediately, even tried to get Sam up here to help us.  Unfortunately, I had already called Sam, and he is booked solid, but Brett was immediate in his offer of help.  Fortunately, back to Ross, he has driven a combine before and feels capable of driving the monster.  We'll work on that as soon as he has some free time, not that there's much of that.

Off of MFL for a moment, Mike had a skin cancer on his shin removed yesterday, and it reminds me how grateful we are for the really excellent care we are getting with the doctors we have found in Montrose.  I have to admit we were concerned moving from a city of half a million to the Western Slope, but what we are discovering is that really good doctors and technicians are moving here for the same reason we did - quality of life.  

Okay, I feel better.  As I look out at snow, snow, and more snow, I realize if it's going to be a cruel world, I'm lucky to be on Mineral Farms Lane.