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Wow! Things have really been buzzin' around here. And not just the bees, wasps, hornets, mesquitoes and deer flies! Geezzzz. What a year for the flying pests! I can't remember a summer that it's been so bad.
And the torrential rains and flooding! A lot of places are still flooded out, roads impassible. Our flooded yard and basement is receding......ever so slowly!
But since Monday, we've had beautiful weather. Sunny and warm......some days, very warm!
So.....the bed quilt and bedspread have been washed, line dried; the throw rugs, same. Today is bedroom curtains and blinds to be washed and scrubbed, hung outside to dry. I also managed to mend a tear in the bedspread on the sewing machine! Yay for me!
Today is regular housecleaning also. BH started laying the new walkway off the deck yesterday. Wednesday we bought the paver blocks - 16" square ---- 42 lbs. each!! --- and we needed 18 of them. 672#s in the van!! OMG! Not to mention that he lifted each and every one from the stack to the van. I tried to help --- did manage a few ---- and then ripped my thumb open on the rough edge concrete. Bled like a stuck pig, as they say.
Anywho, so he started yesterday. I tried to help. "Doesn't that look a little scewed to the right?" "How come there's a bigger space at the top on this side than that side?" "You're gonna have to add more dirt to bring that end up and level it"; "You're gonna have to dig some of that dirt out to make it level".
And as I could see his face getting redder and redder ----- and I don't think it was all from the sun beating on him and temp at 87 degrees, and the sweat pouring off his body ------- I knew it was time to go back in the house. To my own "territory". And let the man do what the man's gotta do. And grin and bear it.
He got 6 blocks set and will finish it today......the other 12. And then "we" just have to hang the new storm door, and the outside work is done.
Funny word....."we". My father had this saying, directed at my mother:
"How come when things turn out wrong it's "he did that" and when things turn out great, it's "we did that" . So I try to reverse it. If things don't turn out as planned, I try to say "we should've thought of........or we should've done.......". And always remember to shower BH with accolades no matter how it turned out. It always looks great! Great job!
Because I can't lift 670 lbs. of anything ........nor can I hang a door straight to save my life!!!! Ya gotta know what side your bread is buttered on!!
Well, as you may or may not know, we've been flooded. Duluth made the news Wednesday. It appears they got the worst of it. Highways and secondary roads have disintegrated into horrible sinkholes; swallowing up cars. A mudslide, knocking down trees on the way has occured; vehicles have been sunk under water and a building's foundation was washed away, leaving it teetering on a precipice.
We've had torrential rains for just about a week now. In the 21 years we have lived here, we've never seen anything like it. We have 2 feet of water in the basement of the old farm house. Never had more than 6 inches ---- after a much heavily snowed winter, and then Spring thaw.
One side of our front yard is flooded half-way up. The ditches along the road into town have water to the top; you can see the water level in the fields. One family up the road ---- their garage looks like it's sitting in the middle of a lake.
Our son emailed us pictures of a storm they got down in the suburbs of Mpls. on Monday. 100mph winds. Tore trees up by the root ball; stripped houses of siding and shutters; tore a double-wide mobile home in half!! Ripped a 2 car garage door off it's tracks and bent it. And one of the lakes went over it's shores.
You kind of get a feel for people who have been flooded with 10 - 12 - 14 feet of water in past years. You can get the gist of it, but you can't fully imagine it.
There's a chance of rain every day now until Monday. I feel especially sorry for BH. He just got done putting all the chopped wood for next winter, in the basement. Now it's soaked, some floating in the water. He'll have to take it all out and stack it outside to dry. We're talking over 3500 pieces of wood. Approximately 18" long and 5" triangular. (Yes. He counts each piece as he stacks it in the basement. I don't know.)
My flowers don't look the worse for weather. But the marigolds planted from seeds ------ oh, they're lush, green and abundant ----- but no signs of buds!!!
We've been treated to a community of yellow finches!! Everywhere! They particularly love the shrub/tree down the driveway. It has some red berries all over it. It's funny to see about a dozen finches come in from every direction just before dusk, sit in the tree, and eat and sing! What a beautiful sight.
And the bluebird and his mate that made a home in one of our bird houses about a month ago, they're still here!!! Flitting and flying all over. They are beautiful birds!! Special to me because the first time we had them nest here was the year my dad died. They showed up a couple of months before, and made their home in the bird house my dad made for us. This house had been on the post for 2 years prior ..... never had any birds in it until that year.
So everytime I see the male......and he sees me.......I say a quiet "Hi Pop!"
Well, here's hopin' the rains are done and things begin to dry out. Enough, already.
Sunday is our 23rd wedding anniversary. We're going to the Casino and then dinner. Hope we're as lucky as we were 23 years ago!!!
Happy Father's Day!
There's a saying......"anyone can be a father ........it takes a special man to be a Dad!"
So, Happy Dad's Day, Pop. You are always in my heart and on my mind. I miss you and love you always.
4/28/27 - 6/10/10
***The title for this post is not the word I wanted to use....but I can't think of the word I wanted. This has been happening a lot. I lose my words.....the simplest ones....names, thoughts, expressions. It's getting scarry.
***I have a few oddball things to do around the house. When the weather is warm and sunny, my energy is peaked. When it's rainy, damp and muggy......I sink like a wet dish rag. Can't function.
***We've been having a lot of stormy days lately. Told BH to save some of the wood for an......ark.
***My beautiful day lilies are tall and green. The leaves are also torn apart horribly from the storms, high winds and hail. As are the begonias in my deck planters. Don't see any buds on the lilies; afraid they may not bloom this year.
***The "Little Kim" lilac bush sent to me a couple years ago by son in NY for Mother's Day, looked like it had died over the winter. No new shoots, no sprouting of leaves. Until the other day. There is one teensy, tiny cluster of green coming up from the ground. I'm thinking of removing the bush and planting it in a deck pot.
***The almost death of the lilac bush just about broke my heart, as son from NY also sent me a mini rose bush (pink flowers) about 5 years ago. I planted it outside that Spring.......it died after the first winter. Makes me so sad.
***Brother from WA. called yesterday. He and wife are planning a trip here week before Labor Day. Wants to come and visit for a couple of days before heading to the Cities to spend time with his twin. I really don't care to have any family visit. Still hurting from the trouble at my niece's wedding last summer. I try to put it aside, but you can "forgive but not forget". And being that no family member ever realized or made mention of an apology for the hurt and pain they caused makes it all the more unforgetable.
***Because I'm always the one who's feelings don't matter as far as any of my siblings are concerned. Turn the other cheek?? Again?? Ehhh.....no. I don't think so.
***There is a very weird smell in the house. Don't know where it's coming from. It's a sour, damp smell. Happens when it's raining and humid....and the house is shut up. I may have to shampoo the carpets. Everything else has been thoroughly cleaned. Crap. I was not planning on shampooing the carpets this season. There's only BH and myself here 98% of the time. It must be him!
***BH sold his boat last week. Yay!!! With the extra money, we're paying off a couple of bills and setting the rest aside.
***I've been knitting the same sock for.....2 months?? Seems like it. Just started the toe decrease yesterday. Then on the the mate. Why is it taking soooo long? Still haven't put the zipper in the finished sweater.
***Haven't started cleaning out the old farm house yet, either. But I'm getting closer! As soon as the little odds and ends are done. And we have a forecast of at least a week with no rain!
***Finally got the inside frame of the window in the utility room painted. Yeah. That was on the list for 2 years.
***Just got all the paperwork filled out for our Equity renewal; dropped it off at the bank. Later realized that I forgot a couple of small monthly accounts payable. Yeah........
***That same day, got a call from daughter. She received re-qualifying paperwork from Social Security. She sent it off to me to be filled out. Crap.
***I want to paint the family room soooo bad. Yeah, that's been on the list for a couple of years also. But now, I get the shakes everytime I think about when it's going to get done. This Fall, hopefully.
***And I'm still anticipating the Big Yard Sale before the season is over!!! But, of course, that proceeds cleaning out the old house. Can't wait to get rid of all the crap....one way or another.
***Last Sunday, June 10, was the second anniversary of my dad passing away. Very sad for me. Miss him very much. Memories flood my mind all the time.
Well, the sun is supposed to be out today, warm and muggy. I better grab the list and get my arse in gear. Rain tomorrow. And Monday through next weekend........you guessed it!! Rain!!!........
"We're gonna need a bigger boat!"
Well, what a few weeks this has been! We've been through torrential rains and flood watches that seemed to never end. Memorial Day weekend was a total washout!! Yep. No barbequeing, no outdoor activities.
3 days now of 90 degree temps and high humidity. BH and I just returned Thursday from a trip to a State park where we camped for 3 days. Had a good, somewhat relaxing time....except for:
Tent catepillars. Do they exist anywhere else besides Minnesota? I never heard of them when we lived in New York. But they've been a menace here for about 5 years. Horrible little things. We've never had our house covered with them as some people have. Actually only saw a few around here over the years. Ahhh, but then we went to the state park.
Oh yeah. They were dropping like rain. Everywhere. You had to look before you sat down in the camp chair; check the coffee pot before pouring a cup; flick them off the cooler before opening it; flick them off your legs, arms, chest, back, shoulders. You get the picture. And all sizes....from 1" to 3". Disgusting! I never ate meals so fast in my life!!
The second day there, we were bombarded with flying ants. Huge, black ones with large wings. Everywhere. Then there was the occasional bee and wasp. And it was hot! Not conducive to hiking, or sightseeing. Thank goodness it cooled down at night so we could sleep comfortably.
Relaxing??? Nope. Check, please! We're outta here! Ahhh, home sweet home!
The daily rains finally abated last week. Wow....the rivers and lakes are very high! More rain to come this evening into tomorrow, I hear. And, of course, the heat has settled in. Friday we spent hours hooking up the A/Cs.
But the rain, humidity and heat has been a bonus to all the seeds planted in the planters. They are thriving beautifully and should be budding any day now.
There's housework to be done, grass to cut, weedwhacking, set up the pool and a few other assorted jobs around here.
Got a call from our 21 yr old granddaughter last weekend. She and the boyfriend are planning a visit here at the end of June. Wow! Haven't seen her in 16 years; haven't talked to her in over 2 years. Long story....not worth getting into. But she sounded great and excited about coming to see us. We are equally excited to have her visit.
Other than that, not much else going on. BH and I did agree no more camping trips in the summer.....we're going to hold off until September. We love the Fall. So we'll just take day trips for the next 2 months. Afterall, that's why we moved to the country....we are "camping" every day.....in the privacy of our own home!!
