Anyone with a front load washing machine knows what you have to do after a cycle.
Anyone with a front load washing machine knows what happens if you forget.
The smell will point you right to the problem.
The solution is quite simple.

Many years ago, we bought our first front load washing machine.
Gone were the days of waiting for the drum to fill with water.
Gone were the days of anything with a strap getting wrapped around the agitator.
Gone were the days of using too much water and not being energy efficient.

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I saw a tiny bird on my walk.
It was close to the side of the road.
I wondered if it had been injured.
I stopped and stooped down just a bit.

I saw its little eyes darting back and forth.
I saw its rapid breathing.
Hello, little one, I said as if it understood me.
The little eyes seemed to look in my direction, or maybe I just thought they did.

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She was with her grandmother.
We were in the room where the antique things are kept.
It was a day to drive to my favorite place.
It was a day to explore my favorite little shop.

The back of my minivan was filled with donations.
I emptied my car making a few trips inside the large area where donations are sorted.
The room was neat and organized.
Amish men in suspenders and straw hats usually do the sorting.

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If you have been around young children, you have probably read a particular book.
Children love the story.
They find it very funny.
Adults find the story hits a little too close to home.

The book, If You Give A Mouse A Cookie, is written by Laura Numeroff.
She has written other books which delight children as well.
If You Give A Pig A Pancake and If You Give A Moose a Muffin are some other titles.
Children delight in the circular story that ends where it began.

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Everyone tends to wake up a little bleary eyed.
It takes a few minutes to really focus.
Those few minutes of being half asleep and half awake can be confusing.
Especially is you wear glasses or contacts, you may not be sure you are seeing things correctly.

That happened when I woke up.
I love the early morning light.
I love the soft glow of the sun on the country gold walls.
It is my favorite time of day.

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The days of the week each have a name.
Days can be special and noted as a birthday or anniversary.
Days can be put on the calendar as vacation days.
However, I have come up with a new name for a special kind of day: Grandma Day.

I have heard friends of mine tell me the wonders of being a grandparent.
I have heard them say that there is nothing like it.
I believed them but only from a distance.
I never knew by experience how very special it really is, until now.

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My friend came to sit on my porch.
It is a favorite thing for us to do.
We always know when it is time to catch up.
Porch sitting is the best.

I was on my porch swing.
My friend was across from me in one of the rocking chairs.
We have sat just like this so many times before.
I was listening to everything she said but one thing was distracting me.

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I saw something shiny out of the corner of my eye.
When I got a little closer, I saw multiple shiny things.
I did not understand what I was seeing because of its placement.
My eyes told me one thing but my mind told me another.

When I got even closer to the house, I saw yellow balloons.
I have seen balloons on people’s mailboxes.
This was different.
This was four randomly placed balloons that were very close to the house.

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There is beauty in a winter landscape.
There is beauty even when your heart is hoping for spring.
There is beauty even when the daffodils are covered with snow.
There is beauty even when the grass that was clearly seen a few days before is now hidden.

After another snowfall, I needed to walk.
I miss my walk when the weather keeps me inside.
What is usually my prayer time, was simply a time of amazement this day.
The views that I see every morning were breathtaking.

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Don’t you love little surprises?
The little things that are really quite ordinary and happen at random times.
Silly things that make us smile.
Things that make me think that God has a sense of humor.

I was putting a coupon in a pocket in the back of my wallet.
Something was already there.
Two twenty dollar bills were hiding.
I have no idea how long they were there.

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