The suitcases have been packed for days.
This is a different kind of trip for us. If we want coffee in the morning, we’d better get up and fix it ourselves. There will be food in the refrigerator for some meals, and for the others, we’ll go foraging.
Okay, probably not actual foraging. But after cruises and hotels and people bringing us coffee, this will definitely be a change of pace.
We’re off to the wild plains of South Dakota.
For the first couple of days, we’ll do some sightseeing. There are places to see, roads to travel, pictures to take, and undoubtedly a few adventures I haven’t planned yet.
And then it will be time for the big event.
The Buffalo Roundup.
Yee-Haw!
I can hardly wait.
But don’t worry. Just because I’m wandering around South Dakota doesn’t mean the Grieving Gardener is going dark.
In fact, I have something special planned while I’m away.
This week marks six years since I began writing the Grieving Gardener. Six years. It hardly seems possible.
So while I’m out making some new memories, I’m going to take you back to some old ones.
Beginning Friday and continuing next week, I’ll be sharing some of the earliest posts from 2020. Some of you have been with me almost from the beginning. Many of you came along much later and have probably never seen these pieces.
They are different.
In those days, there weren’t beautiful pictures with every post. There weren’t Pinterest pins, music, or videos. There was simply a newly widowed woman sitting down with her words, trying to figure out what had happened to her—and how in the world she was going to live through it.
I don’t want to rewrite that woman.
I want you to meet her.
So, while 2026 Joy is off looking for buffalo, I’ll leave you for a few days with 2020 Joy.
She has quite a story to tell.
And don’t worry. I’ll keep sharing little bits of our South Dakota adventure while we’re gone.
Enjoy.
Bye for now.