Loving the grandchildren

For four days this week I will be staying with my two grandchildren. So there should be lots of pictures. Or maybe I will be so frazzled that I won't remember to take any!! So I will post these now. Here is the artist hard at work.

Don't stick your tongue out at Grandma G!

That is much better.

Sad Bear

Why is this bear so unhappy?

It seems that when I washed the window in the dormer above the front entry, he was removed from his comfortable spot where G has let him live for quite some time.

I am leaving the ladder in place hoping that I can find something else to put in the spot. I had a moment of panic when G found a white Snoopy Dog which is just as big as the bear at a garage sale. It was free to a good home. So far I have won the argument about putting both up there. But I think I need to fill the spot or I may find both living up there.

This is a preview to the pictures of the new patio set. I drove 100 miles (round trip) today to pick up the set. Note how well I tied it down. And I actually backed the trailer into the garage because it is to rain today. The 100 mile trip was to save the $80 delivery cost. Pictures of the unpacked set will be posted soon.

Clean, clean windows

One benefit of having guests, or in this case, a big party is that I do some extra house cleaning. The guests may not notice, but I will enjoy it for months to come. I have spend three full days washing windows. I hate to admit it, but the upstairs windows probably have not been washed since the house was built in 1996. We have lived here three years so only three years worth of dirt is mine. Now they are so clean that it looks like there is no glass in the window. The party I am referring to is our Third Annual Pig Roast which will be held on September 12. Since we are having out of town guests, all five bedrooms are spoken for. If any one else needs a place to sleep, you get the RV or the basement. It sort of reminds me of the preparations for the Wedding Reception last year. Has it been a whole year RM and A?

This is billed as a Pig Roast/Potluck. Which means there will be lots of food. I will just make dishes to fill in as needed. G pulled out the Pig roaster today to make sure it was all working properly. It seems to be fine.

What a day!

As I have mentioned for some time on this blog, I am trying to redecorate the house and do landscaping. I have completed the budget for the decorating and decided to focus on the master bedroom and bath. The current status is this: The bedding is chosen and purchased. Carpet, tile and counter top is chosen. Old bed is sold. I am now working on paint colors and choosing sinks for the bathroom. Yesterday G agreed (with some gentle persuasion from me) to again look at mattresses. We bought it! A king size pillow top ! This is a BIG step forward. Our compromise was that we did not get a box spring. Instead he will build a frame for a platform bed. That also saved us $400. I want to refinish the two dressers we have which will save more money. One G had as a child. Since I had budgeted for new furniture in the bed room there is more savings.

He then went with me to a store called The Great Escape. They have a large selection of patio furniture (thanks for the recommendation Stacey). And on sale for 50% off as it is the end of the season. The sets were $3000 and up so it was a great time to buy, probably the only time as G would never have spent the full price.

We ordered an 87 inch oval table with six chairs. They are made of cast aluminum so are very durable. I will pick them up in a week (saved another $80 by doing that). G was rewarded for all this hard work with a trip to Harbor Freight. For those of you who don't know about this store, it is a "candy store of tools" for guys.

Sweet peaches

It has been hot here, so I have not been doing outside work. The temp has been nearly 90 for a few days. Today I baked two peach pies (from fresh peaches from a local grower). G even commented on how great the flavor was. I also made 15 half pint jars of freezer peach jam.

My other project has been to edit drawers in the filing cabinet. G asked me how I decided what to keep. I told him that if I can find the info on line I toss the paper. But if it is a card or letter from him or my children I save it. I would guess one half is being tossed. Sure makes me feel good. But this is only the first drawer. There are seven more to go. I think I started on the most difficult one so this is progress. I would be thrilled if I could actually remove one filing cabinet from my office. We'll see if that is possible.

Biker weekend

On Friday Andrew rode a 450 cc motorcycle from Maryland to Ohio. On Sunday he took a 1000 cc bike back. The first picture shows him with the manual, checking things out on the "new" bike. It is a 1978 Honda Goldwing. I think he will be keep out of trouble with the time it will take to get it in tip top shape.

As you can see, he has all the fashionable riding clothes to wear.

The good news for us, is that we now have one less motorcycle in the shop, because this one is his to keep.

Return to Ohio

The trip to Wisconsin, Minnesota, and South Dakota, and Illinois went well. I saw all of my brothers and sisters , Mom, and Gerry's siblings who live in the area. I went to Wisconsin to Gwen's house and Glenda and her family came for the weekend. The drive through Wisconsin is so beautiful with rolling farm land and lots of trees. Very green. Minnesota and South Dakota are very flat in contrast. For those of you into "green" you would be interested to see the "windmill farms" in Minnesota for generating electricity.

Mom is doing well, still living in a Senior apartment building. She does not like to ride any distance in the car, so pretty much stays at home. In good weather she walks two blocks outside. Otherwise she walks around the perimeter of the building inside. She still does her own cooking, but family members help with buying groceries, cleaning, laundry and finances. She was 88 years old this year and has no health problems other that water retention in her feet and legs.

My most exciting wildlife sighting was a coyote that was about 100 feet away. It did not hang around long enough to get the camera. Actually I just saw it for a few seconds, but it was really cool.

Greetings from Mt. Lake, MN

A quick summary of my trip so far - On Friday, the first day of the trip I drove 600 miles, driving about 15 hours. Chicago about did me in. I took 90 through the city, and it was not a good choice. The traffic went between 5 and 10 mph for about two hours. But I made it without incident. After a refreshing stay at a hotel, I continued to northers Wisconsin to visit G's sister and family. His other sister and familily from Mpls came for the weekend too. It was great to catch up with what is going on in their lives. Pictures will be posted when I return home.

Then a drive through scenic Wisconsin into Minnesota. Along the way I stopped and visited my only remaining aunt on my father's side. She is 93 and still very sharp. So glad I stopped.

Then on to Mankato where I had dinner with bro and wife. While there I had a three second glimpse of a coyote which ventured into their yard.

Now I am in Mt. Lake for a few days. Details will follow.