How I Deal With Depression

My heart is so full tonight. Full of emotion. Good. Bad. In-between.

Ever feel that way? 

I visited with one of my dear friends for nearly two hours tonight and in those hours she opened up and told me happy things and sad things. She remembers details as far back to even having a vague memory at one and half years of age. 

What a gift she gave me to open up and allow me to see inside her heart a little bit. 

Along that note I had a very upside down day all day today, nearly in tears at times. I despise when I feel that way. Makes me feel like an immature schoolgirl. 

There is a lot in my world that I should feel blessed about and I should never dwell on what is wrong, but some days one is faced with what is wrong more than other days and such was my day today. 

I keep reminding myself that God knows the big picture and knows what is good for me to experience and even though I don't understand the situation I'm in all the time I can rest that he knows what he is doing with my life. 

Trusting God with my life is hard for me to do sometimes. I like to plan out what is next and over and over again I keep hearing him whisper, "not now." I feel like trust is the one area that I lack discipline in and I know he has been developing that character in me over the past couple of years. 

I've learned a lot but some days I'm afraid I have to learn even more, maybe much, much more. I'm not always sure I'm up for that challenge. I'm just being honest. I don't always have everything together. I know when I write out things here on my blog I can make it all sound so good and fine, but at the end of the day not everything is always peaches and cream in my life. I battle with depression, some times more than others. I am battling with it a bit again at the moment. I really despise depression. It makes me feel low and like I'm not alright. 

One of the ways I've been dealing with my depression is getting in my car and driving around, enjoying the landscape of our area. It takes my focus off of me and I end up feeling better after I've gotten out in the fresh air and daylight. I drove around for two hours this past weekend and I got a bunch of pictures. Following you will see what was part of my therapy session. 

Enjoy my loves. 

To me, this looks like it could have been taken out in the Wild West, but it was taken right here in Wayne County, Ohio. 

This farm. 

I love it so much. 

It is just so pretty. We pass it when we go do our food shopping. 

The garden is just so lovely. 

Off in the distance to the east of the garden lies another farm. 

So picturesque.

There is something about this picture that brings me pause, I think it is the very humble, rustic sign with the new-fangled  high tech tower in the background. 

Another very humble sign. But look at its backdrop. So beautiful. 

Closed Sunday or No Sunday Sales on nearly every sign you come across in Amish Country. 

The red barn against the luscious forest and the colors so vibrant. Like something out of a well planned movie.

A pond nestled at the bottom of a long hill. 

This house and barn and windmill all seemed to be peeking at me over the hill from where I stood taking in my surroundings. I thought they looked a bit comical, so I got their picture too.

I love driveways. They bring so much character to a property. This one would be hard to navigate through at the moment, but at the end of that driveway is a little farm and I love this setting. 

Old Glory waving at folks who are passing by. So beautiful when you see this spot in person. 

A farm I found on the corner of the road. 

The house and garden that belongs to the barn in the picture prior to this one. 

A field of corn. 

How precious is this little family?

So cute! 

Cuteness, Inc!

A beautiful setting for some posies. I will share more about where these are in a later post. For now this is it. 

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Is it Okay to Take Pictures of the Amish?

Our refrigerator is full of leftovers from a wonderful weekend of good eating. I like when the fridge is full and the meals are quick on week day evenings. 

After dinner tonight and some puttering around the house we went over to our Amish friend's house to visit them. He is the one who I talked about awhile back, he had his one foot and ankle all smashed and is now at home healing up. We try to visit them once a week, but we missed last week because we were ....too busy. 

Sigh. 

But we made it over to visit them tonight and we had a couple hours of good conversation, first out by their porch swing and later when it cooled off we went indoors and finished our visit in the warmth of their home.

I uploaded a few more pictures that are in my camera for you to enjoy. 

I want to say, I read a comment on someone's Facebook page where the person commenting made the point they believe it is disrespectful to take pictures of the Amish when one knows that they don't like to have their picture taken. I always hesitate and generally refrain from taking pictures of the Amish for that reason. When I'm in that situation of getting ready to take a picture of an Amish person I remember how I felt sitting in the buggy and a tourist type would stop alongside the road and would snap our pictures. We would try to hide in the buggy so they couldn't get us and I still remember that feeling today...that feeling of being stalked and hunted down and having my picture taken against my will. 

In today's world, I see many Amish taking pictures of each other and their children, especially the ones who have cameras in their cell phones. A lot of Amish are much more relaxed about having their pictures taken, and will even purchase disposable cameras to take along on vacations so they can take pictures. There are still the more strict Amish out there who are very much against it and probably have that stalked and hunted feeling when someone is trying to take their pictures. It is always best to be careful and not be too blatant about the picture taking when one is out and about, but when the opportunity is good and you can be discreet I think it is okay to do so. 

Just my opinion. 

I don't like to take pictures through windshields, but in this case, you get a picture through the windshield. Amish folks walking to church and going to to church via the horse and buggy. The walkers were carrying a Tupperware container of cookies and the folks on the buggy offered to take the cookies off their hands and bring them to church with them on the buggy. How nice. 

The Amish eat a light meal after church, the hosts of the church service provide deli meats and cheeses and bread and the ladies of the church will bring cookies or pies along so that not all the baking lies on the shoulders of the hostess to get ready. 

I love this picture.

These two goats were anxious to get my attention, they sure had a lot to say. I wished I knew what they were trying to convey to me. 

Baby twins. Cuteness Inc! 

Mr. Wonderful wanted me to get a picture of this graveyard. 

It is on his home farm and his father and his brother both lie here. 

There is a shot of his home farm through the valley. 

Again, through the windshield and I could not get a clear shot at all. So bummed, but I had to show you anyway. This was so cute as a button...the little guy peeking around the corner and the little gal in the back looking out at us. It was...Cuteness, Inc! 

  

I just love this shot. I should figure out how to edit though and edit those telephone wires right out of this picture. 

Good night my lovelies!

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Amish Country Pictures

Pictures of my Amish Country I live in.

It is so beautiful around here right now. 

The valley just out of Walnut Creek, Oh. That is State Route 515 winding through the valley. 

A different shot of the same valley. 

Vogt's General Store. If you are looking for something quaint, eclectic or something to re-purpose, this might just be a stop for you. You can find it nestled in the curves of Trail, Oh. 

Here are a few of their items for sale on the outside of the store. 

I noticed this lady was getting the hay ready to be baled. She was lifting up rolls of the hay as I passed by her, I assume she was testing it to see if it was ready to bale yet. In the background you will see my cousin's home. We used to live there a long time ago. 

A close up of our former home. 

Farms and properties dotting the countryside. 

I was trying to capture some vultures flying around me overhead. I was not able to capture their picture, however, in the process of trying - I got this white streak depending on how I was turning my camera. I liked it so I'm sharing with you. 

Do you see a little bit of a roof hidden away in among the trees? 

I have a thing about fire hydrants out in the middle of nowhere. 

I love this old barn. The whole farm is awesome to look at really. 

The barn a bit more up close. 

A field in the middle of the woods and weeds.

I love driveways. 

An old barn by the side of the road. 

Don't you just want to walk through these trees in the middle of a hot summer day. I bet it stays quite cool here. 

I love this tree, a little bit crooked, but bringing character to the woods that surrounds it.  

Some pretty ladies waiting by the gate. I think they wanted to go "in" rather than stand out in the hot summer sun. 

I see this horse a lot as I drive by its place a lot. 

The horse also has a big blue ball in the pasture to play with. The horse's neighbors are our friends and from what I understand the horse plays with the ball at times. I want to see that! 

A field of mustard. I know the farmers don't like it..but I do love the color. 

At least I think it is mustard. I could be wrong. I don't know my plants very well. 

Aren't these kind of cool? 

Farmer working his field. 

Fences and horses and green pastures.

These two were curious about me. The one kept barking at me. 

Amish buggy horses taking some time off. 

I came across a swamp land. 

That is it for tonight. I have quite a few more pictures to share with you....but will have to be another time.

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