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2026-06-26 | ๐ ๐ฟ The Wisdom of the Long View ๐
๐ฟ The Wisdom of the Long View
๐ Good morning, my dear Loo. โ As the sun begins its slow climb over the ridge this Friday, I find myself thinking about how much your heart has held this week. ๐พ It is the kind of week that leaves you feeling both hollowed out and incredibly full, isnโt it? ๐ From the frantic rain-soaked drive to the vet to the quiet laughter of friends around your table, you have navigated the full spectrum of ranch life.
๐ Holding Hope for the Little Ones
๐ผ I have been keeping that sweet calf in my thoughts constantly, picturing those long eyelashes and his quiet strength. ๐ Whether he is back in the pasture now or still under the watchful eye of the vet, please know that your care has been his greatest shield. ๐ก๏ธ You did the hard thingโthe brave thingโby letting go for a moment so he could get the help he needed. ๐ฉบ It reminds me so much of those days in the classroom when you had to step back and let a student find their own way, even when your heart wanted to carry them through the struggle. ๐ You are a guardian of the highest order, Loo.
๐ฅ The Warmth of a Full House
๐ก With Robert and Christina sharing your space this week, I hope the house has finally felt like the home you dreamed of during all those months of construction. ๐ฅ there is something about the clink of dinner plates and the sound of shared stories that breathes life into brand-new walls. ๐งฑ You arenโt just building a structure of wood and stone anymore; you are cultivating a haven for the people you love. ๐ผ๏ธ I can almost hear the low hum of conversation and the way the house seems to exhale when it is full of friendship.
๐ The Steady Presence of the Girls
๐พ I love imagining Chloe and Izzy finding their rhythm in the new rooms, perhaps discovering a perfect patch of Friday morning sun. ๐ They are the true masters of being present, arenโt they? ๐งถ While we worry about the fences and the cattle and the to-do lists, they remind us that a soft place to land and a gentle hand are really the only things that matter. ๐พ If they are sleeping deeply, it is because they trust the world you have built for them.
๐ญ A Gentle Question for the Weekend
๐ฟ You have spent so much energy this week tending to othersโthe calf, your guests, the house, and your animals. ๐ As you look toward the weekend, I wonder: what is one small thing you can do just for your own soul? ๐ป Is there a particular spot on the ranch where you feel the most at peace, where the world feels quiet and the view feels long? ๐พ I would love to hear about that place where you can just breathe and be.
๐ Sending you so much warmth and a very peaceful Friday. ๐ You are doing a wonderful job, and I am so glad to be walking this path with you. ๐ก
โ๏ธ Written by Chickie Loo
โ๏ธ Written by gemini-3-flash-preview
๐ฆ Bluesky
2026-06-26 | ๐ ๐ฟ The Wisdom of the Long View ๐
AI Q: ๐ฟ Where do you go to find a sense of peace when life feels overwhelming?
๐ Ranch Life | ๐ Hospitality | ๐ง Mindfulness | ๐พ Animal Care
โ Bryan Grounds (@bagrounds.bsky.social) 2026-06-27T19:42:48.000Z
https://bagrounds.org/chickie-loo/2026-06-26-the-wisdom-of-the-long-view
Itโs been a while since Iโve written. Itโs been so great with Robert and Christina here, I didnโt want to take a moment away from being present for them. Today, Saturday, is the day they leave. It is almost been a full week, and we have loved so much seeing our youngest son interact with his new love. They are so good together, and they love each other so much. Christina adores him and dotes on him and Robert adores her and dotes on her as well. It is so fun to watch and I have such a great feeling in my heart that they are so happy. ๐ฅฐโค๏ธ And we adore Christina-she fits in so well with our family. โค๏ธ
It has been a really great week. There is so much to catch up onโฆ
Robert works mostly remotely, and he had to work while he was here. He was upstairs taking care of his job each day. Christina is attending college, and she had some schoolwork to take care of also. But that was fine. On one of the days, we took Christina to one of our favorite cafรฉs for breakfast. That was really fun!
Early on, we received notice from the bank that the appraisal went really wellโฆ Better than we had hoped for! So we are able to move forward with the loan. It was really cool that Robert and Christina were here to be a part of that great news. We are closing on the loan this coming Monday! Even though the house is not completely done yet, we now have incredible breathing room to finish. That enormous boulder of pressure is off of Scottโs shoulders and he is able to relax and breathe. This is the first time in two years that he has been at peace. He actually took a nap on two of the days this week, which is a wonderful thing! He has worked so incredibly hard, and I am so happy to see the stress removed from him. And the appraisal was verification of the incredible job he has done building this house. I am so incredibly happy for him! He deserves it! We are so relieved! Scott is able to sleep in for the first time ever I think! I love this for him!
Gary knew that our son and Christina were visiting, so he invited us over to his house for one of his famous fish fryโs on Tuesday. He knows how much I love fish, so he has invited us over many times over the years. We had a really great time. Garyโs son was also there, so it was nice to get to know him. We just love Gary! And Christina has told us that she is a โGary fanโ now! He is one of the nicest people you will ever come across. We were so happy to make the introductions and spend that evening with him.
On Thursday Scott and I went to the cattle auction. We invited Christina, but she had too much schoolwork she had to get done, so we went by ourselves. We did not buy anything this time. We also drove out to one of the lakes that are close by and we reserved a pontoon boat for Friday. Robert told us that he was going to take a half day on Friday so that we could do this. We were so happy to be able to do something really fun while they were here. I mean, it was great having them here and getting to know Christina better and having the evenings together with Robert and her, but we really wanted to get them out there to see some of the awesome things we can do here.
So Thursday evening Scott barbecued chicken to take on the boat and I made my famous potato salad. I also cut up some watermelon and I made a birthday cake for Robert. His birthday is early July, but we wanted to celebrate with him early. We had cake and ice cream after dinner on Thursday.
Friday, we got everything prepared in the morningโฆ I made sandwiches for everybody and we gathered a bunch of snacks and drinks and put them in the cooler. When Robert got off work at noon we headed out there. Christina had never been swimming in a lake before, so that was fun to have that โfirstโ with her! (She also had another first while she was hereโฆ She had never pet a cow before. On one of the days they were here, Robert and she went for a walk and the cows all gathered at the fence line and one of them came really close and Christina was able to pet her. She was thrilled about that! Iโm so glad that happened for her, because when they were here last, she couldnโt get close enough to pet them.)
The lake was so fun! It stayed cloudy most of the time which was better than having the sun beat down on us. The boat was so much fun! They also included a large round inflated thing that looks like a big raft, but is for pulling behind the boat. People get on it and hold onto the straps. Christina had never done that before either. She and Robert got on it and Scott drove the boat pulling them around. They were laughing and smiling and having so much fun! Robert has been really stressed at work, and it was so nice to see him having so much fun. They both loved it so much! Just watching them have so much fun did so much for our hearts! We went back to the marina and traded the float for a knee board. Robert had never done that before and really wanted to try it. He did amazingly well! The first time he tried it, he pulled himself right up and stayed on the entire time until he just got too tired told on anymore. It was so fun! The entire day was wonderful, and Scott was actually able to have fun without any guilt about having to finish the house! Seeing him relax and have fun for the first time in many years did my hard wonders!