Monday evening, July 14th, 2008-Company gone

Hi, Everyone,

We certainly had a grand visit with my sister, her husband, son and daughter last Thursday. We had a cook-out, and then lots of stories to share. They were pretty tired from a long drive from Tenn. The next morning we met for breakfast at a local restaurant in town. Off they went for a road-trip up north to visit former residences they lived in, and meeting up our brotherand with other niece and her family.

On Saturday, we all met at our niece's house for a family reunion. Very nice, great food, and their little Dachshund dog was adorable!

The other part of the company has been gone all week. They were in New York visiting friends. I'm not sure if we will get together before the boys have to be back in Iowa, then brother-in-law drives back to Nebraska where he lives.

The weather was very cooperative on Thursday, but then showers hit on Saturday. We moved everything indoors. Yesterday was overcast, then later on it was really beautiful. Today is lots of sunshine and will be for about three days.

Hubby and I got into a project on Friday and again on Saturday morning. We started tearing apart a deck near the back door entrance. We discovered that most of the posts were all rotten on the bottom, and instead of replacing them, hubby came up with the idea of digging holes, mixing and pouring cement in them underneath the cross-beams, then setting cement blocks on them up with treated 4x4 boards on top of the cement blocks between them and the cross-beams. That will work and support the structure better than before. Then he has to get the treated lumber for the floor and replace the large boards around the top.

When I got home today from work, I saw that the whole basement door apparatus was were sitting around the yard in pieces. He discovered that the boards underneath it were also rotted. So, now he has to replace those, then put the double door covering to the basement back on, then work on the deck. He has a lot to do. Will we get to go fishing again? Don't know at this point!

Yesterday morning I discovered my washing machine was overflowing at the end of the fill cycle. Yikes! The water was not shutting off! I was grabbing towels like crazy, throwing them on the water pooling on the floor and hubby walks over and shuts the water off at the valves. He is so quick and smart! So, the washing machine is history, and I went into the local appliance store on my lunch-hour and purchased a new one. Hey, the old one lasted close to 25 years or so, so we did good! Stuff breaks and gets old.

Speaking of breaking...hubby was going into town to get the lumber for the deck and the truck would not start. I guess it is the starter, so he has to replace it soon. Hopefully it is that and not the flywheel. Yikes! If so, the truck will probably be on the selling block. It is old, but it has been a good truck and served us well over the years. A little while ago, we hooked up the tractor to the truck, I was at the helm of the tractor and pulled truck and hubby out of the garage with a chain. He got it running, and then backed it close to the other garage. When he shut it off, it would not start again. Bummer. So, tomorrow before I leave for a presentation, I will have to pull him with the tractor again. Stuff happens. We just deal with it.

The garden is flourishing, and hubby's corn is so tall! It is starting to tassel, and we should have delicious corn in about two weeks! Very late this year because of the cold and rain early in the season for planting. I ate two cherry tomatoes tonight. Yum. I already picked a cabbage head, and have two more huge ones out there to pick too. The zucchini is starting to grow, and we will probably have it coming out of our ears soon! The other tomato plants and father-in-law's Roma plants are really getting tall. Lot of smaller tomatoes on them, but not ripening yet. After planting the green beans FOUR TIMES, I might get some soon. They are finally starting to blossom.

The neighbors finally got our field and the one next to us mowed and round-baled this past week. They were held up because of all the rain as a lot of the farmers have had the same situation in our area.

It has been difficult mowing the yard, but we are getting it done. We even had to mow it two times last week because of all the rain. Sheesh. It takes a good two and a half hours to mow, then week-whack then trim with the hand mower. Hard to keep up this summer with all to do!

Ann B. Keller, Author/Screenwriter whom I met at the (B&N) Oberlin Bookstore, Oberlin, Ohio, graciously ave me a review and her comments were posted. (We are doing another signing together in October back at Oberlin.)

Gotta get going for now. I'm behind on my computer work and I need to get caught up!
Great to hear from all of you.
I am so blessed!
Stay safe, enjoy the sunshine, count your blessings.
Until next time...
Becky :)