Lots To Do Here At Our House!

We've had a lot of rain! The pond is overflowing! It's been a while since we've seen it so full!

Due to heavy rains, the creek flooded, which caused silt to pile up on the creek crossing, making it impassable. We got it all cleaned out yesterday. 

Before and after photos

We were going to replace a culvert on our lane today, but the weather changed our plans. It rained lightly most of the day. We hope to get the job done tomorrow. The old culvert is collapsed and the lane is caving away. We'll be putting in a new one that will be about four feet wider than the old.

We'll add more pictures of the work in progress and hopefully finish it tomorrow.

Great news! Finished the job. 

Discovering God's Will At Niagara Falls!

I've recently returned from a motor coach tour to Niagara Falls, Ontario. The tour was hosted by John and Diane Windle and Dick and Vivyen Angelo. It was all I expected and then some.

Viewing the Falls from Skylon Tower

Standing beside the Falls almost close enough to touch the water. Certainly close enough to get soaking wet!

Naturally, being a Christian group tour, we had a daily devotional time and that's where the 'mystery' of finding God's will became clear to me.  I'm not sure that everyone would agree, but what I learned from the talks Dick shared seemed like a revelation.  I was honored to share with a group of ladies from our church about a week after our trip, and I presented the following information to them which is pretty much a very quick summary of what I learned in Niagara Falls.

Why is an island like the letter T? 

I think starting off with a riddle is appropriate. I was raised in a Christian home, attended a solid Biblical church, was active in all the youth group activities, participated in worship services, family devotions, went to church camp. Yet, I was never confident about what was God’s will for my life. I was encouraged to seek God’s will in every major decision, and even in the small things, yet finding God’s will seemed to be like a riddle, shrouded in mystery. I never really felt sure about “being in the center of God’s will”.

I’ve since come to believe that God’s WILL was not for me to be married to Dennis. 

Now that I have your full attention, I assure you that this is not an announcement of marriage dissolution.  While I don’t think that God’s WILL was for me to marry Dennis, I believe it was in His PLAN.

You might think that God’s WILL is the same as God’s PLAN. And you may be right. Understand that I am simply presenting an idea or thought that has been recently revealed to me. 

God tells us in His Word what He DESIRES.

He also tells us His WILL.

And He tells us that He has a PLAN individually written in a book for me. And you. All of you.

Let’s race through this idea. 

God’s DESIRE:  That NONE should PERISH

2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

1 Timothy 2:3-4 This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

God’s DESIRE is that none perish, yet He has allowed us to choose for ourselves. Because of His desire that none should perish, He has graciously provided a solution for our sin which separates us from Him.

Jesus, the very One who created us, came to live among us and die in our place in order that we might be reconciled children of God.  Amazing grace, amazing love, offered to every single person here.

God’s WILL: That we offer our bodies in worship to Jesus, our Creator and Maker

Romans 12:1-2 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s WILL is – His good, pleasing and perfect will.

A LIVING sacrifice indicates that it’s not a once and done deal. It’s a daily offering of myself, a daily decision to yield myself to God, to live daily in submission to His authority. To sacrifice my selfishness every day. To lay down my ‘rights’. To walk in a manner worthy of Him. In other words, to commit to Him my time, my resources, my life, my all. To tell Him every day, “Lord, I’m Yours.  Whatever You drop on me today, I’ll gladly accept and praise You for it. You are the Master, I Your slave. You’re the Potter, I’m Your clay.”  

Lots of Scripture supports that our lives are to be lived to please God.  Paul repeated it several times in his letters. Ephesians 4:1 … walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called… 5:15…look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise… Colossians 1:10…so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him… 2:6…as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him… 1 Thessalonians 2:12…we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God…

The work ‘walk’ is peripateo. It’s equivalent to conduct or behavior. In each of the verses we just read… ‘walk’ could be replaced with the word ‘behave’ and the meaning would be clear. Therefore, I believe God’s WILL is for His children to behave in a manner that honors and pleases Him.

Simply put, that’s what true worship looks like. And God’s WILL is that all creation worships Him.

But, do you realize that God also has a PLAN?

In fact, He has a plan already in place for each of us. I’m not claiming to understand it or know how it all works, but I believe God does have a PLAN for my life.

Psalm 139:13-18 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. How precious to me are your thoughts, God! How vast the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand – when I awake, I am still with you.

I am (and you are) wonderfully made.

My days (and yours) are ordained and written in a book.

God spoke to Jeremiah, who may have been a teenager at the time, and said to Jeremiah, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” (Jeremiah 1:5) God also confirms in His Word that he had plans for Saul/Paul (Acts 9:15) and perhaps many others. While Jeremiah 29:11 was specifically directed to Israel, it solidly confirms that He does have plans, and that His plans are for our good, not to harm…plans to give you hope and a future.

I don’t know how our choices and rebellious hearts affect God’s plan for us. I believe God knows beforehand exactly what our response will be in every situation and circumstance, and while we may take the wrong road I know God is never surprised. Does the plan he has for my ordained days change when I go my own way? I don’t know. I do know that the closer I am to living within His WILL, the more confident and secure I will be in trusting that His plan for me is being accomplished. I can rest assured that He is with me, as He told Jeremiah, and David.

I also want to add here that if like me, you’ve ever strayed away from God’s WILL and PLAN, there is mercy, grace, forgiveness, reconciliation and restoration. Even David, a ‘man after God’s own heart’ committed adultery and murder, yet was fully restored and mightily used of God.

As I said at the beginning, I don’t think God’s WILL was that I marry Dennis, but I do believe it was a part of His PLAN for my life. We’ve been blessed abundantly beyond what we ever dreamed, and I really believe that if I will simply focus on doing God’s WILL (yielding myself to Him every day, worshiping Him in obedient living) that whatever comes into my life is what He has PLANNED and while it may not be always fun, or easy, it will always be for my good, not to harm me.   Whatever comes, may I accept and embrace it the way Joseph did when he said, “you meant it for evil, but God meant it for good…” Whether my circumstances are pleasant, easy, fun, comfortable or not…I can trust God. It’s going to be good. 

RECAP

I think God’s DESIRE is that ALL would come to know Him and repent, turn to Him. That NONE perish, but ALL would have eternal life. Yet, He leaves the choice to you. He doesn’t force His desire on us.

I think God’s WILL is that we worship Him with our lifestyle, behavior, actions, and lips, that we behave in a way that would please Him, conduct ourselves according to His standards, yield to His authority, obey His commands, seek Him, learn of Him and from Him, communicate with Him. Worship lifestyle.

I think God’s PLAN works out as we follow His WILL…and that PLAN would involve things like which college, who to marry, or should I marry at all, what car to drive, where to live, career choices, financial matters, where or whether to invest, buy a house or rent, which house if you buy one, etc.

Disclaimer.  The material presented makes sense to me. It may be right, or partly right, or not. I only know that it has clarified for me about knowing or finding God’s will for my life. It has also encouraged me in that, the things that come into my life are in His plan for me and I can trust Him in and through whatever may come. The nearer to His Will I live, the more I can trust that His Plan for me is being accomplished and it’s a good plan. I feel like the riddle of finding God’s will for my life has been solved. That’s not saying that I’ve arrived, but I’m seeking and striving to be willing, available and obedient…daily…. day to day, minute by minute.

As I think more and more about God's WILL and God's PLAN, new thoughts come to mind. Things like, when I live according to God's WILL, my focus on worship and obedient living, it eliminates a lot of the 'worries and anxieties' of life.  Additionally, the fact is that all creation (including all humanity) will worship Him....eventually.... Every knee will bow, every tongue confess …. But I have chosen to worship NOW.  Today. Every day.  That sounds almost boastful, and I don't intend it to be. I'm not claiming that I am successful in totally surrendered and obedient living. Rather I am a work in progress, thankful that Jesus Christ had redeemed me, clothed me in His righteousness, and placed His Spirit within me to guide, teach, and encourage me to "Run the race, finish the course."

While in Niagara Falls, we also rode over the 'Whirlpool' in a Spanish gondola, which was literally a hanging basket rolling across some cables.  And we visited a butterfly conservatory, which was interesting and fun.

Butterflies seemed to prefer white clothing.

A butterfly on the hand of one of our travel companions.

                                     

If you look really close, Bobbie is about in the center of the left
side of the basket,
just in front of John, the guy with
the snow white hair.

We also walked the boardwalk along the Whirlpool Rapids, which are class 6 rapids. We had dinner at the Elements restaurant, right beside the Falls and saw the falls at night with the lights on. We spent some time in the little town of Niagara on the Lake, did the Journey Behind the Falls, took the Hornblower boat ride into the middle of the Horseshoe Falls, enjoyed a dinner theater, "Oh, Canada, eh?" and we met some new friends as well. It was a great trip.
And while it truly was a great time, it is always good to get home.

Miles and Smiles

This past summer has seen us in more than a dozen different states and enjoying the beautiful scenery along the way. We've had a lot of fun, met some interesting people, done some challenging things, and overall have had a great time.  Our most recent trip was to Wisconsin Dells. We'd not been to the Dells in many years. It's changed a little, but the things we enjoyed most are still there and ready for the tourist crowd. We had perfect weather while there and enjoyed the pool at Tamarack Resort very much.
After a four day stay in the Dells, we drove west to Faribault MN to meet up with some of our friends and fellow cowboy action shooters for the annual Cedar Valley Vigilante Gunsmoke event.  After seeing the range and stages, we've decided that next year we'll be there to shoot providing we're still able to do so.  We shoot with the Turkeyfoot Cowboys on a regular basis and it is so much fun. I'm posting some of the pictures I shot at Gunsmoke. Since I didn't have my guns, all I could shoot was pictures.

Looking toward stages 7 through 10, before the lead starts flying. Posse groups are getting the stage instructions.

Lots of shooters in their period clothing. And a bunch of gun carts!

This pretty lady is one of the Cedar Valley Vigilantes. Her alias is Songbird.

Miss Shot and City Slicker. 

Calamity Caroline after completing one stage.

Most stages require movement and I like the way Calamity Caroline is loading her shotgun on the run!

It's all timed, so efficiency is crucial to each competitor. You want to hit each target as quickly as possible.

Miss Shot on the move.

Wicker Nash congratulates Miss Shot on a quick and clean stage.

Folks from St. Louis. From left and not quite in the picture is Jean Duke, Mae B Trouble, Ellie Oakley, and Railroad Bill. We enjoyed getting acquainted with them and will no doubt meet again somewhere down the trail.

Lanky Frame shoots gunfighter style and is having a good run on this stage.

Lanky Frame is married to Calamity Caroline and we shoot with them every month at the Turkeyfoot range.

         

Rattlesnake Russ at the ready on stage 6.

John Wesley Hardin had a pretty good weekend.

Two ladies resting are dressed in the typical ladies' cowboy action style. They make the range pretty and colorful.

Since the last post, we've added a new member to the family. Kenzie Jo is enjoying cousin KayKay at Grampy's house.

Precious! 

Relaxing, Refreshing and Raining!

We have just returned from a wonderful time in Branson, more specifically Silver Dollar City. The Southern Gospel Summer Picnic at the park was, as always, a great time! We were blessed with good weather, great music, and some good food.
One of the highlights was participating in the biggest Hymn Sing ever!

Just imagine over 5000 voices singing Wonderful Grace of Jesus! It was beautiful. We sat down in the lower (front) seats, and we could hear those voices being lifted in praise. It was like a heavenly choir!  We were sitting next to a young family and enjoyed visiting with them.  They had four children, two boys, two girls. They came up from Arkansas, and those little kids knew every word of every verse of the hymns we sang. It was scheduled to last for 70 minutes, but because everyone was enjoying it so much, they went quite a bit longer.
We also enjoyed seeing the McKameys in concert, as well as Whisnants, Mylon Hayes Family, Greater Vision, Collingsworth Family and many more.

Peg and Ruben of the McKameys

Collingsworth's at Echo Hollow

Our home away from home was at the Meadows, a beautiful facility. We enjoyed our lodging and even spent a little time enjoying the pool. We cooked in most meals, but did have one meal out at Montana Mike's. I had the Messy Mike's Burger, Dennis had the Summit. Both very good. And both way more than we needed. We left stuffed!
We heard while we were there that a storm passed through Keokuk leaving a lot of branches and trees down and several inches of rain. The wind even took a roof off of a building on Main Street and tossed it through the windows of a building across the street.
On our way home, we stopped for breakfast at Tonka Hills Restaurant, and then tried to stay ahead of the storm that seemed to be chasing us. We did stop in Mexico to pick up a case of shotgun shells at Graf's. We arrived home to find that it had indeed rained. In fact there was 3.8" of rain in our rain gauge. We found the cows in, the fences good, and more water in the pond than when we left. The grass we'd seeded prior to leaving was making a good showing, and Rusty was thrilled to see us!
It's fun to go, but regardless of where we go and how much we enjoy the trip, it's always great to get home.

Where to Begin? It's Been Nearly Three Years!

I've not posted since October 2015, and hardly know how to begin.  The past three years have been filled with countless blessings, constant grace, and the ceaseless love of God.

Lamentations 3:19-25 New International Version (NIV)

¹⁹ I remember my affliction and my wandering,
    the bitterness and the gall.
²⁰ I well remember them,
    and my soul is downcast within me.
²¹ Yet this I call to mind
    and therefore I have hope:

²² Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,
    for his compassions never fail.
²³ They are new every morning;
    great is your faithfulness.
²⁴ I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion;
    therefore I will wait for him.”

²⁵ The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him,
    to the one who seeks him;

The major "event" of the past three years was Mom's cancer treatment, and her "going home".  I miss her a lot, but I know without a doubt that she is truly healed and in the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ.  One might wonder how her death might be considered a blessing.  During the final few days of her life here on earth, she was so weary of being sick.  She was worn out with the constant hurting and struggle to go on.  She said to me, " it may be selfish, but I'm asking God to take me home."  I told her I didn't consider that a selfish request, and it was certainly understandable.  The doctors had already told her that the best they could do was done, and that the cancer was not curable.  So, we held hands, Mom, Bobbie and I, and we all prayed that Mom's suffering would end quickly and she could enter into the presence of her Lord and Savior, Jesus.  God answered our request and took Mom home two days later.  Oh, believe me, I was sad to see her go, because I miss her.  We all miss her, but at the same time, I'm happy for her.  And I'm thankful for a God who hears and answers my prayers. He answered this time with a yes.  I believe all my prayers are answered, but not all are answered with a yes.  Sometimes the answer is no.  Sometimes it's not yet.  But, whatever the answer, I trust God and am thankful.  One of my favorite verses is Habakkuk 3:17-19. Though the fig tree should not blossom, and there be no fruit on the vines, though the yield of the olive should fail, and the fields produce no food, though the flock should be cut off from the fold, and there be no cattle in the stalls, Yet I will exult in the Lord, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength, and He has made my feet like hinds' feet, and makes me walk on my high places.
Whatever happens, I want to be faithful and grateful. I want to rejoice in the God of my salvation regardless of my circumstance.

Simplicity Sounds So Simple...

Simplicity sounds simple, but the simple truth is that simplicity is very complex.  Life seems to get complicated in a hurry.  If you're like me, you have more "to do" things on your list than you will ever finish.  Even if you manage to complete the chores, you just make another list.  There seems to always, always, always be more to do!  As if my "to do" list wasn't enough, I have several weekly commitments to keep, and then there are the appointments to keep, and then there are calls from others to go here or there, do this or that.  I don't have a "job" since retiring, but there are things that must be done regularly, every day that take time and energy.  In addition to all that, many have job requirements of forty (or more) hours each week, further complicating the schedule.

Sometimes it's a juggling act, and I've become a pretty good juggler!  Which reminds me of my friend.  At Heatilator, Connie and I were together most of the time, and while working one night, the conversation somehow went to juggling.  I told Connie that I could juggle, and in fact was quite good at it.  Connie believed that I was talking about the type of juggling that keeps three balls in the air at the same time.  I purposely led her to believe that, but in reality, I was actually talking about juggling through life in general.  Being one who loves a challenge, Connie went home after work, and learned to juggle that day.  Connie's mind-set is "anything you can do, I can do as well" so, when she came back to work the next night, she was able to juggle.  I love that story, and I love Connie, but let me get back to my simple thoughts.

I'm beginning to believe that I was designed for simple life.  I'm thinking that perhaps all of us yearn for the simplicity of the original plan.  I certainly do.  If you recall, God created Adam and Eve and placed them in a beautiful garden where He met them "in the cool of the day".  They walked and talked with God.  God provided for their every need, and it was simply wonderful!  But, that didn't last long!

I've been thinking about the things that complicate life and cause chaos.  I'm also thinking about how I can avoid those complications and return to the original plan.  From the things I've been reading, I've gained a few ideas to foster simplicity in me.

1. I will choose to be committed to a previously agreed rule.
          I commit to our marriage.  I won't consider divorce, or be shopping around for a new man!
          I'll be in church Sunday morning.  No need to decide what to do.  It's already decided.
          I choose not to play internet games.  (that time can be spent pursuing more worthwhile things)
These are not "rules" exactly, but choices I've made that I feel are important to be consistently made.  By maintaining a commitment to these choices, I've taken out the variables and eliminated the need to continually decide what to do each time I'm faced with an option. 

2. Learn to say NO as well as YES.   Sometimes, I take on a job or project just because to say no might make someone think less of me.  When I agree to do something just because I didn't want to say no, it becomes a drudgery.  Saying yes when I should say no creates chaos.  I'm not giving myself permission to say NO to everything.  Sometimes, though, I need to say no.  I should not commit to anything simply because to say no would disappoint another, or cause another to think less of me.  On the same note, when I say YES, it should be a solid, reliable YES.  Both are totally acceptable answers. 

3. Obey God.  This probably should have been #1 on this list.  This is exactly where Adam and Eve lost their perfect life in the garden.  The minute they disobeyed God's instructions, complications began.  They needed clothes.  They didn't want God to see them, so they hid. The Blame Game started and excuses were born. Obedience is most likely the number one way to simplify life, but it's certainly not always easy! 

I've read a book called "A Place Called Simplicity" by Claire Cloninger.  After reading that, I started reading Richard Foster's "Freedom of Simplicity".  Simplicity sounds sweet.  Simplicity sounds so simple, but in reality, simplicity is a complex concept and simply not easily achieved!  I'm on a journey toward simplicity. 

This yearning [for simplicity] can become a belief that becomes an attitude or a mindset that leads to a series of small choices that impel a series of small changes in the way we do things.  And it is these small changes that finally (if diligently clung to) can begin to become a lifestyle.    Claire Cloninger "A Place Called Simplicity" p. 26
           

Our "Anniversary Trip" ... Wonderful!

I'm going to do my best to share our wonderful weekend, but I know I won't do it justice.  Sometimes you just can't "retell" all the emotion and excitement of an event, and this is one of those times. 
We left home Friday morning without the usual stress of being on the road at a specified time!  That may seem a small thing to many, but to me it's huge!  Normally, by the time I get in the car and we are on the road it takes about twenty miles to settle down and start enjoying the ride!  This time, we had no rush, no racing around trying to make sure everything was done and nothing forgotten.  Great start.
We stopped in Cedar Rapids for breakfast, and when we left there it was raining.  It rained the entire rest of the day!  In fact, we didn't know it until later, but several places just to the west of Des Moines received 7-9" of rain! In spite of the rain and poor visibility, we made good time and arrived in Clear Lake just after noon.  We were able to check into our room early, and then we went to the Surf Ballroom.  We spent over an hour just looking at pictures and reading articles about the history of the place, as well as all the stories about Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J.P."The Big Bopper" Richardson.  I thoroughly enjoyed it and found it to be most interesting.

Later, we met my friend, Connie.  It was because of Connie's thoughtful gift that we made this trip.  She sent Dennis a T-shirt and a souvenir book of an upcoming event in nearby Forest City.  The event was called Operation LZ and the purpose of the event was to give Vietnam veterans a proper "welcome home" and thank them for their service.  But, I'm getting ahead of my story.  Anyway, Connie and I met when we worked at Heatilator, back in 1986.  We worked well together, in fact really enjoyed working together and became friends in spite of job changes and relocations.  We don't see each other often, but I still count her as a very good friend.  So, we enjoyed spending Friday evening with Connie.
Saturday morning we drove the short distance to Forest City for the Operation LZ event.  We arrived fairly early and learned that they wanted veterans to register.  So, making our way to the registration area, we were impressed with the venue, and the number of volunteers.  I believe the place was called Heritage Park, and it was 91 acres in size.  It was huge! 
At the registration tent, Dennis was given a commemorative medal, a "thank you for your service", and a big hug from a very attractive lady.  Already, he's enjoying this event!  They then asked him to write his name on a huge map of Vietnam. He was to write it in the location where he served.  He was also given a free meal ticket. 

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall (replica) was there.  It's hard to express the feelings that wall evokes.  For the first several minutes, we just looked at it, speechless. I tried to get a picture, but it's so big I couldn't get it all even using the panoramic setting.  There were folks there to help locate names of those we knew who had given the ultimate sacrifice.  I was in high school when my friend's brother was killed in Vietnam.  There are 58,491 names on that wall! 

Dennis points to Billy Marlin's name

The best moment of the day came after we'd just randomly wandered into a big tent.  While we were looking at the things on display, a young lady approached Dennis and asked if he'd received an official commendation and thank you from the Department of Defense.  She very sincerely thanked him for his sacrifice and service, and she pinned a lapel pin on him commending him for his service.  I'm not an emotional pushover, but that really brought the tears to my eyes and put a big lump in my throat! 

We listened to several different speakers, each one specifically thanking Vietnam veterans for their service.  All of them were Vietnam veterans, and they were sometimes entertaining, sometimes inspiring, and always very interesting.  I don't recall the names of the speakers, except for Governor Branstadt, but I do remember one had spent seven years in the "Hanoi Hotel" as a POW.  Seven years!  Can't imagine!  The audience was huge.  I wish we knew how many were there.  I'd guess several thousand people.  The photo shows a lot of the folks seated in front of us.  There were about as many standing  as were seated. 

There was also an Air Show, music by Rocky Lynne, and a whole lot more.  It was a wonderful day!  We're so glad Connie thought of Dennis and sent him that package!  Had she not, we'd have missed out.  So, Connie....if you're reading this, thank you!

Sunday we headed west to Spencer.  I finally got to meet Terry and Jacquie Heinrichs.

Dennis and Terry served together in Vietnam as part of the 199th LIB.  There's a special bond or brotherhood for men who serve together.  We enjoyed visiting and sharing a meal with Terry and Jacquie.  Dennis and Terry reminisced while looking through a photo album together.  It was the perfect way to end a very special weekend!  Our drive home was uneventful, and as much fun as it was, it's always good to get home!  

August Update

Summer is passing much too fast!  With all the rain we've had, the lawn mowing hasn't let up at all!  Beefy and the girls have had plenty of pasture grass and we've not had to supplement their diet with hay.  Usually by the end of July the grass is pretty well burned up, but not this year! 

We had a great vacation with family in the Ozarks.  We shared some great times, and some of our group also shared a virus.  We had two kids sick the second day, and then one or two different ones every day after.  I think there were a total of 12 who got sick while we were there.  In spite of that, I think everyone had a good time. 

Dennis especially enjoyed skiing with Travis. 










The garden was a total failure this season.  Even the pepper plants failed to produce a crop.  The only thing we planted that actually came up and matured were the zinnias.  They've been blooming profusely and are very pretty.  I'm planning to till it all up again and plant some fall crops.  Maybe we'll grow something yet!

We've been cutting the low hanging limbs of trees all around our property.  It's nice to mow without dodging those branches that used to slap me in the face.  We're really thankful to have had the use of a pole saw. 

We'll be celebrating our anniversary soon!  Forty-four years ago we were married.  I remember it rained early in the day and then the sun came out.  It was very hot and humid for our candlelight service at Melrose Church, which did not have air conditioning at the time! 

August 20, 1971

Happy Independence Day!

Last night we enjoyed the Midwest Academy fireworks display from Travis and Gail's yard.  They always have a good show, and we enjoyed it with family and friends.  We left Rusty at home, inside, with the television blaring, hoping it would keep him from hearing the big booms.  Last year he ran off and was gone for four days!  We didn't want a repeat.  He seemed to have enjoyed watching the Fox News channel, but was very happy to see us return.

We had a little visitor this morning.  Gariann and Valerie participated in the 5K run in town, so Kayla stayed here and entertained us.  She helped with numerous chores.  We washed grapes, took out the trash, and she decided to sweep the deck.  She also wanted to love on Rusty, but he's not much on hugs.  When Kayla started sweeping, Rusty left.  When the sweeping was done, she went looking for the dog, and found him under the porch  She squatted down, looked up at me and said, " I think Rusty is mad at me". 

I think Rusty is mad at me.

We also played a lot.  We read I Spy, played piano and sang chicken songs.  She ate a few of the grapes we washed, and a chicken salad sandwich.  She played with the Thomas the Train set for quite a while, and she petted the fawn, coyote, and skunk.  I know she had a good time with us, but she was still overjoyed to see her Mommy and Grandma return.