Snapshots from Saturday

Our Girl was not going to let us go without her yesterday. 

She DID let me drive, finally.  

I worked for almost an hour in the flower bed before Amber and Jesse arrived. 

I wasn't the only one working in the flowerbeds!  Isn't he/she beautiful?

There are two ears of corn on this volunteer from last year's 

On Deck hybrid experiment.  If you remember, I planted this 

Burpee cultivar in a tank on the deck... but the goats 

helped themselves to it.  

Our guard was at the door for the better part of the morning, but 

once Amber and Jesse arrived, she disappeared under the deck where it was cool. 

Jesse made short work of the area where the ceiling was 

bad in the living room. 

I did not get a picture of the finished product (yet) because I was called away to help 

get my brother Pete admitted to St. John's hospital in Leavenworth. 

However... 

In the meantime, this guy was having problems, and finally alarmed his daughter Amber and I enough that....

when I drove home to clean up... I decided to come back, get Keith, and take him to the 

VA emergency room. 

I was able to snap only two fast pictures... here is Amber, having primed the master bedroom... and is cutting in the bottom. 

She is meticulous, and is tall enough that she only had to step on the chair once in a while. 

Jesse worked up a sweat... as you see here, he has fixed the master bedroom ceiling 

that we lived with for 8 years with a plywood panel on... and he was one square shy of having it all fixed... then Amber rolled it with white paint.  It looks GREAT. 

We are so grateful for the help of Keith's daughters and sons in law. 

It's like a different house. 

I'll try to get out there tomorrow and take more pictures.  I have to roll the small bedroom a third time, as it had such dark paint on it. 

However...

Keith will be in at least one more night (Have we NO PRIVACY?? " "No, Honey, I'm a blogger")

and Pete will be in for an extended stay. 

After we got Keith going in the ER, I ran out, got in the car, and drove around to St. John's, which is actually across the street, but it is a busy street... and checked on Pete, who was being admitted there. 

I was able to see him and Keith today.  Keith is MUCH better.... and Pete is in for an extended stay, and a possible change of nursing home after it.  We'll see. 

Yes, I'm meeting myself coming AND going. 

I am home for a few hours to cut grass, then will run back to take some 

things to Keith. 

Yes, he's going crazy with boredom, but as he said just now... he's catching up on 

his sleep! 

So... I'm going to stop here, change clothes, and 

go out and cut grass for a little while.  

Then back to take Keith's things to him.  

I'll be sleeping very well tonight, I think! 

If you remember these two in your prayers tonight, I would appreciate it! 

A Good Day's Work

It was VERY hot here in mid-America yesterday, 

getting up to 98 degrees... and steaming humidity. 

Despite that, our work party got a lot done at the old place. 

I admit to you that the four young people FAR outpaced 

Keith and me.  They were amazing! 

For those of you who have not read along the last few years.... we had five dogs as of two years ago. 

3 were pugs, Hannah, Gertie, and Abby, and a German Shepherd, Ranger, 

and our Brittany/Golden cross, Lilly. 

We have only Lilly now. 

However, Gertie came to us completely un-housebroken... and you see here 

before you the condition of the front room floors under the rug and pad. 

Yes, it's a mess. 

Gertie's unhousebroken-ness... begat Abby's, and also, by the time 

we moved from the little farmhouse, Abby had diabetes and was 

unable to hold herself.  

Despite following her around with Nature's Miracle here at the new house, we have to 

replace our carpeting here next spring.  

First things first. 

The once-pale-green walls slowly began to change color... under the expert hands of sons-in-law Nick, in the red, and Jesse, in the yellow.  Jesse grew up in a construction family, and is an expert drywaller and finish carpenter... and we counted on him for all kinds of advice. 

Four years ago, Keith replaced the back door, but he was unable to finish the inside work 

after he got sick.  We lived with this patch job the rest of the time.  There is also a patch in 

the ceiling from a leak that happened before we replaced the roof.  

Jesse pulled off the paneling on the right side of the door in no time... and 

had the drywall going up.  

The floor in the bedroom was beautiful hardwood at one time, but it was screwed down at some subsequent time, and of course, Gertie ruined the finish. 

Little Jace saw us using the tool to scrape the pad and staples from the floor, and told his 

daddy he could help... he DID!  He was able to get the smaller pieces of pad up. 

Daughter Andrea is a little more than 7 months pregnant... here she is in the flower bed, cutting out little trees! 

Unbelieveable!  She told me that she wants to stay active, and she and Nick are 

looking for a house where she can have a nice little garden. 

She also kept little Carson busy. 

It was VERY hot out, but we made do. 

Papaw had just gotten out of the hospital the day before, so he was on errand duty and baby duty. 

We took a break for Jimmy John's at 1.... and notice the clean white wall behind Keith. 

Mom Amber gave our hard-working little boy a boost up to get cooled off. 

Then he and I went out to do some climbing, and.... 

playing with the hose... and yes, we both ended up soaked!

I had started in the garden before the kids got there... this huge pile is mint, and 

cuttings from the two buddleias.  They are BOTH alive, and I was so happy about that! 

There are gaps now, and I am going to dig up the bed, and put some fresh dirt in it, and 

then mulch it.  

We have a lot to haul away this week.  Except for tomorrow's rain forecast, we are to have 

much cooler temperatures. 

After the kids left, Keith and I sat out on the porch to talk for a while about what still has to be done. 

All of the sudden he looked at me and said 

"It's been a long time since we were porch-sittin'"

He was right, it had been.  It felt good. 

But I also realized that it would have been very, very hard on my body to 

do the chores the way I did them this year... carrying cold water multiple times a 

day to the animals, and really seeing to their comfort and care.  

And I told him that despite the nasty floors (that are drying out now so we can paint them with 

Kilz).... I would not have given up having Addie Mae, Gertie, Hannah, Abby, Lilly OR Ranger... that they enriched our lives and provided so much happiness to us.  He agreed. 

Sometimes doors close in your lives, and God asks you to walk through another, and trust that it will be okay.  I think that has happened to us. 

We were so grateful for the kid's help.  Next Saturday, Jesse and Amber will come back, 

and we will fix the two ceilings, hang the front storm door, and do a few more things to ready the house for rental.  Last of all will be carpeting, laid by a contractor. 

We still have the outside work to do, but Keith will start on that this week, and work steadily for a while in the evenings.  I am going to finish the inside painting... I hadn't painted in twenty years, and 

I learned a lot from watching the kids.  I also painted two of the walls, first coat.  

I managed to clean up a little and drag myself to church after the kids left (and I had talked to Keith) when I realized it was 4:30.  

I almost fell asleep... and did, after I got home.   I took this picture on our back deck, though, when the moon rose.  What a beauty!  

More pictures of the progress this week, as we go along. 

Happy Father's Day!

To All the Dads in our Lives, with us and not with us! 

Nick and Jesse, Dads

Ralph, Dad, Grandpa and Great-Grandpa

Keith, Dad, Grandpa 

Jim, Dad 

And my own dear Daddy, Joe, gone since 1969.  This is the ONLY picture of our whole family I have. 

My parents just did not take pictures, though we had an ancient camera.  I don't even know who took this for us, on the day my little sister Kathleen's adoption was finally final... she was seven!  We had had her since she was an infant, and yes, that is I sticking my tongue out, and standing on "moon boots"  a rare gift because of the occasion.  Our wonderful brick house on 14th street behind us, it was such a safe haven to grow up in, a block from our church and school. 

My dad standing tall and proud, and my brothers in their early 20's... a long, long time ago. 

Three of them gone now. 

Happy Father's Day to all of you Dads out there!