What a nice relaxing week. I mean the rest of the week after we got the sod in. I didn't do much at all. Joyce worked about 4 hours each day. I took the fifth wheel to Siskiyou RV to have a couple things repaired. They fixed a faulty heater. I know... it seems kind of strange to get a heater fixed when it is 95 degrees outside but one has to plan ahead you know. They also pulled the air conditioner and replaced the gasket that sealed it to the roof. That will solve the leaking problem I had last spring.
But the biggy thing this week was my surgery. I have to put it like that so it sounds really awesome. Actually, the doctor removed a substatious cyst from the back of my neck. I probably didn't spell that correctly but it was simply a cyst from below the skin surface. He had removed this thing a few years ago and it grew back so I decided to get it out again. He sent it to pathology but it will not be anything serious. Right now I have a big incision on the back of my neck with a lot of stitches and Joyce gets to nurse me every morning and evening with a new bandage. I reward her with a kiss. She's a good nurse.
This morning we went to St. Luke's Episcopal Church. Pastor Jim has been a friend over the years and we have often prayed together. It was an interesting service because they were having a picnic afterward so everyone dressed informally. Even Jim was wearing shorts -- along with his green stole. The service was good but too much liturgy for me. I like a little but not that much.
We started a Bible study this evening. Mike's and JoAnn's work schedules make it hard for them to get involved in most traditional Bible studies so we decided to start one on Sunday evenings. Others are invited but it is okay if it is only the four of us -- as it was this evening. We are studying 1 Timothy and know that we won't be able to meet each week.
Jana and family are coming this week and then we have a family reunion so we're anticipating all that. And that's what is happening at the Mumau homestead. Not a whole lot.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Almost There, But Now a Rest
Yes, I know this is Tuesday. I could have blogged Sunday but I didn't. No excuse. I could have blogged Monday but I didn't. However, I have a reason. I realized we were going to get the sod laid Tuesday morning and I wanted to post a picture. So here it is.
Ta da.... the almost finished project. This is our funny shaped grassy area with the new sprinklers going, about 5 minutes after we finished laying the last strip. The circle of rocks in the right center will be a mound of dirt with plants of some kind and either a bird bath or a garden pot with whatever Joyce plants in it. On the far right where it looks like nothing... that is because it IS nothing. There will be a walkway there -- probably wood, maybe stone. In the near foreground is the old "lawn" which will get replaced -- sometime. Just for reference, here is a "before" picture:
But now we need to turn our attention elsewhere. There are grandkids coming and that is very important. We have a Mumau family reunion to get ready for -- my job is the family tree. Then Fir Point camp for the kids will happen in August and our responsibility is the Bible lesson so we have to prepare for that. So The Backyard will get a rest ... and so will we. It seems it has been all consuming for so long. We started in May. I just checked the calendar and I rototilled the area on May 12. I guess being retired means you don't have to work fast. But for so long we have been working on it or thinking about it or talking about it or buying something for it or feeling guilty that we weren't doing one of the above. We'll finish it off later -- maybe September.
Joyce is working about 3 hours each day this week at the Day Care. In addition to that she has been a big help with The Backyard. I have been fiddling with the water from the Grants Pass Irrigation District pipe. We used it for about 3 weeks with no problems, then the other day they got a lot of gunk in the system. This stuff looks like little bitty twigs and pieces of wood. It plugs up the hose filter too quickly. I bought a bigger filter that I'll try this afternoon. The water we get comes from a dam on the Rogue River about 8 miles upstream. Then it flows through ditches to all parts of the city and surrounding area. Somewhere just above us the water is forced into a pipe and is under enough pressure that we can run sprinklers -- if we can get it clean. That seems to always be the problem with GPID water. But we're paying for it so I figure we might as well use it.
From time to time people have told me they read the blog but don't know how to leave a comment. I love the comments and leaving one is easy. 1) click the word "comment" at the end of the blog; 2) type your comment in the box; 3) type in the letters for the word verification -- this is to deter spammers; 4) check a box. If you have a Google account, use it. Or you can sign up for one -- no cost, no obligation. Or check the "anonymous" box. I'm pretty sure that works on mine. I have used it on a friend's blog but I can't test it on mine because it recognizes me and puts in my name. If you use anonymous don't forget to add your name so I know who is leaving those nice comments.
Sunday we attended worship at Parkway Christian Fellowship. I sure like their spirited singing and I like Pastor Dennis' preaching. He has a great way of presenting the truth. Well, I'm off to the next project. I'll meet you on the comment page.
Tuesday, July 08, 2008
Up North and Back Again... Again
This has been a fun week. I'll take you through it and we'll end with the exciting part... and the reason I didn't blog yesterday. On Monday we planted some grass-like plants along Joyce's river and I ran a drip system to them for water. But didn't do much else. Joyce had a doctor's appointment scheduled for Monday. This was just a call back to check her blood work to be sure the meds were doing what they were supposed to do. Her doctor has her own lab so we showed up early for the lab work -- to find the lab is not open because someone called in sick (there's something ironic about a doctor's office lab being closed because of illness!). Anyway, no use seeing the doc if the lab work isn't available. So she had to make two appointments -- one for the lab on Wednesday, and one to see the doc on Thursday.
Tuesday was our anniversary (42 if anyone is counting). So we celebrated by going out to work in the yard early in the morning, then lazing around the rest of the day. Late in the afternoon, Marilyn and her mom, Polly, stopped by. They are the friends we visited in Prescott, Arizona. Marilyn used to live here and 3 of her kids still do. So after visiting for awhile we went down to Abbey's Pizza for dinner. Nice laid back fun day.
We didn't do much on Wednesday. Worked in the yard a little and I worked on my sermon for Sunday. Thursday I was the speaker at a memorial service for the husband of a lady that used to attend Allen Creek. A cousin handled the rest of the service. So I spent a little time in the morning preparing for that. Joyce's doctor's appointment went really well. Her blood sugar and cholesterol are down so she is real proud of herself. Every couple of weeks we have dinner with Mike and JoAnn so this week I let Joyce pick the restaurant. Of course, she picked Chinese and Mike and JoAnn were okay with that. We ate at the China Hut and ordered lots so we would have plenty of take home.
Then came Friday -- the 4th of July. Can you believe we got up early and met Marilyn and her family for breakfast? It was fun because we got to see the boys and their families that we usually don't get to see. It was a little cooler during the day so we worked on the rock border around one of the features in The Backyard. Then in the evening we went down to the church. Every year "they" -- somebody, right now it is the Lion's Club -- puts on a fireworks show at the fairgrounds. Allen Creek church is less than a mile away (as the crow flies -- actually, we have blackbirds around here). So for many years the church people and their friends and people we don't even know gather for a potluck or snacks and then watch the fireworks. They were doing that the day we moved to Grants Pass. We arrived in town on July 4. Some guys from the church showed up to help us unload the truck and then told us about the potluck and fireworks. So off we went to the church for a great meal. I told them I thought it was rather awesome that the whole town put on a fireworks show to welcome us to Grants Pass.
Saturday we didn't do much. I worked on a PowerPoint to accompany my sermon and shoveled a little gravel in the evening. Sunday morning the trip up north began. I preached at Springfield again and we ate lunch with Joyce's brother and wife, Jack and Luwayne. Then drove to Larry and Cheryl's in Newport. They were in our church at Agate Beach. They now attend the Nazarene Church which was having a Luau on the beach. So we went. And got blown away. Literally. The wind was so strong we ate sand instead of potato salad so we didn't stay long. We really enjoyed our time with Larry and Cheryl. Monday morning we had breakfast with Ellis and Kathy, saw Pam at WalMart, saw Willy at the church (I asked him if I could have the trophy we won in the parade over a year ago). Have I mentioned that the Agate Beach church is closed? Willy is working on a new church plant in Newport. Lunch was with Warren and Carol in Lincoln City then on Salem.
We met Ginger at 4:00, toured a mobile home for sale in the same park she lives in, and by 5:30 we bought it. Actually Ginger is buying it but we are fronting the money with some help from her Uncle Don. She is excited. It is a 1973 model, in good condition, and comes with all the appliances including a dishwasher and washer/dryer. It has new vinyl windows, two outdoor storage units and a big covered deck. That is our exciting news. Well, it's exciting to us and to Ginger.
Tuesday was our anniversary (42 if anyone is counting). So we celebrated by going out to work in the yard early in the morning, then lazing around the rest of the day. Late in the afternoon, Marilyn and her mom, Polly, stopped by. They are the friends we visited in Prescott, Arizona. Marilyn used to live here and 3 of her kids still do. So after visiting for awhile we went down to Abbey's Pizza for dinner. Nice laid back fun day.
We didn't do much on Wednesday. Worked in the yard a little and I worked on my sermon for Sunday. Thursday I was the speaker at a memorial service for the husband of a lady that used to attend Allen Creek. A cousin handled the rest of the service. So I spent a little time in the morning preparing for that. Joyce's doctor's appointment went really well. Her blood sugar and cholesterol are down so she is real proud of herself. Every couple of weeks we have dinner with Mike and JoAnn so this week I let Joyce pick the restaurant. Of course, she picked Chinese and Mike and JoAnn were okay with that. We ate at the China Hut and ordered lots so we would have plenty of take home.
Then came Friday -- the 4th of July. Can you believe we got up early and met Marilyn and her family for breakfast? It was fun because we got to see the boys and their families that we usually don't get to see. It was a little cooler during the day so we worked on the rock border around one of the features in The Backyard. Then in the evening we went down to the church. Every year "they" -- somebody, right now it is the Lion's Club -- puts on a fireworks show at the fairgrounds. Allen Creek church is less than a mile away (as the crow flies -- actually, we have blackbirds around here). So for many years the church people and their friends and people we don't even know gather for a potluck or snacks and then watch the fireworks. They were doing that the day we moved to Grants Pass. We arrived in town on July 4. Some guys from the church showed up to help us unload the truck and then told us about the potluck and fireworks. So off we went to the church for a great meal. I told them I thought it was rather awesome that the whole town put on a fireworks show to welcome us to Grants Pass.
Saturday we didn't do much. I worked on a PowerPoint to accompany my sermon and shoveled a little gravel in the evening. Sunday morning the trip up north began. I preached at Springfield again and we ate lunch with Joyce's brother and wife, Jack and Luwayne. Then drove to Larry and Cheryl's in Newport. They were in our church at Agate Beach. They now attend the Nazarene Church which was having a Luau on the beach. So we went. And got blown away. Literally. The wind was so strong we ate sand instead of potato salad so we didn't stay long. We really enjoyed our time with Larry and Cheryl. Monday morning we had breakfast with Ellis and Kathy, saw Pam at WalMart, saw Willy at the church (I asked him if I could have the trophy we won in the parade over a year ago). Have I mentioned that the Agate Beach church is closed? Willy is working on a new church plant in Newport. Lunch was with Warren and Carol in Lincoln City then on Salem.
We met Ginger at 4:00, toured a mobile home for sale in the same park she lives in, and by 5:30 we bought it. Actually Ginger is buying it but we are fronting the money with some help from her Uncle Don. She is excited. It is a 1973 model, in good condition, and comes with all the appliances including a dishwasher and washer/dryer. It has new vinyl windows, two outdoor storage units and a big covered deck. That is our exciting news. Well, it's exciting to us and to Ginger.
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Her's is the one in the middle. Her dining room is in the front and looks out over this pond which has ducks and a fountain.
The proud owner.
We arrived back home last night a little after 10:00. And that about covers our week and our marathon visit-the-friends-and-relatives trip. We're staying home for a few weeks now. Gotta work in The Backyard. Except the temp is supposed to be 104 today and tomorrow.
Monday, June 30, 2008
Up North and Back Again
This has been a very simple week. I preached at the Springfield Free Methodist Church Sunday so we drove up Thursday evening -- not to Springfield, but on up to Salem. This gave us some time to be with Ginger. We did some yard work for her Friday while she was at work and then went to a birthday party that evening. JoAnn Harper was celebrating her 60th so her son and daughter-in-law invited family and friends to a mystery meal. It was lots of fun and we got to re-meet some of her family we hadn't seen in a long time. Saturday we took Ginger sofa shopping and picked a hide-a-bed to replace her futon. It was time to upgrade a little. We also looked at a couple mobile homes for her to buy. But... we're not sure if that is the right move at this time.
Sunday morning we drove to Springfield, enjoyed a great worship time (good preacher, too!!!), had lunch with some friends at the church, then drove home. Pretty simple. We didn't get much work done on The Backyard. Probably won't get much done this week either and we go back to Springfield next Sunday.
It is really smokey in southern Oregon. There have been thousands of lightening strikes the past couple weeks and northern California has 1,420 active fires. The few fires Oregon had were easily put out but California is getting it hard. The wind started blowing smoke this way a few days ago and when we got home yesterday afternoon we couldn't even see across the valley. Most of the smoke we are getting is from a hard-to-fight fire near Happy Camp just over the state line. In addition to that, it is HOT! Well into the 90s and 101 Saturday. So that has slowed our outdoor activity somewhat.
So that is our world right now. Not very exciting, but it's good and we enjoy it. I'd invite you to come and see us but you would have hard time finding us home. Maybe it's not exciting, but it's busy.
Sunday morning we drove to Springfield, enjoyed a great worship time (good preacher, too!!!), had lunch with some friends at the church, then drove home. Pretty simple. We didn't get much work done on The Backyard. Probably won't get much done this week either and we go back to Springfield next Sunday.
It is really smokey in southern Oregon. There have been thousands of lightening strikes the past couple weeks and northern California has 1,420 active fires. The few fires Oregon had were easily put out but California is getting it hard. The wind started blowing smoke this way a few days ago and when we got home yesterday afternoon we couldn't even see across the valley. Most of the smoke we are getting is from a hard-to-fight fire near Happy Camp just over the state line. In addition to that, it is HOT! Well into the 90s and 101 Saturday. So that has slowed our outdoor activity somewhat.
So that is our world right now. Not very exciting, but it's good and we enjoy it. I'd invite you to come and see us but you would have hard time finding us home. Maybe it's not exciting, but it's busy.
Monday, June 23, 2008
I'm A Cockeyed Optimist
We arrived home yesterday evening too tired to blog. But it had been a super great weekend. Friday we left for Annual Conference in Newberg. That is southwest of Portland. From the trunk of the car protruded the bottom portion of a recliner chair -- the top was in the backseat along with our suitcase and snack cooler. We dropped the chair off at Ginger's in Salem, then on to Newberg. Our friends, Loren and Sylvia Van Tassel were gracious to let us stay in their guest room. We so much enjoyed our talks and walks together. We met them in Seminary and then they went off to Hong Kong as missionaries. Through the years we had numerous opportunities to cross paths when they were home on furlough. Now they are retired and we had lots of things to catch up on. Dinner at Izzy's together gave us a good start.
Annual Conference was at the Northside Free Methodist Church. It was routine as Conferences go, but fun in visiting with friends both new and old. Our new bishop, Matt Thomas, did a good job of keeping us on track as we moved through the business of the day and giving us inspiration in his talks. Friday evening we ordained three men as Elders and received six men and women as candidates to work through the process of becoming ministers. As chairman of the Board of Ministerial Education and Guidance, I introduced them and then participated in the ordination process.
I must tell you about Saturday evening. We had the privilege and fun of eating dinner with Joyce's niece and her family. Kim, husband Bryan and children live in Newberg so we don't get to see them very often. They have a little girl named Emma who is 6 years old, just a couple weeks older than Josiah. Then about 2 years ago they adopted Mykel. He is just a little younger than Emma. His sturdy build, black hair, and missing upper teeth makes him an adorable hunk of a gentleman. He is black so he gives the family a great contrast. But to top this, just a month ago they adopted a little girl they named Sara. She was 4 weeks old yesterday and weighs 6 1/2 pounds. What a cozy little bundle! She was so much fun to hold that Joyce and I decided to have another baby. Just kidding! Just kidding! Get up off the floor and quit giggling. Down at the end are some pictures. You can check out Kim's blog at popcorninthesky.blogspot.com (or click on Kim's Blog in the favorites at the right). This was the first time for us to meet Mykel and Sara so it was a fun visit. We had dinner together at J's Restaurant and they gave us a seat in the back so we could just sit and talk and talk and talk. And hold the baby.
Sunday we attended worship at the Northside FM Church which is where I was Associate in Christian Education back in the late 70s (boy, that sure sounds like a long time ago). There are still a few people around who remember us and it was good to see them again. After church we stopped to visit a couple of people in a nursing home, stopped in Salem to have lunch with Ginger, and then stopped on the other side of Grants Pass of help Charles Agee celebrate his 85th birthday. When we got home we were beat.
In the Broadway musical, "South Pacific," Nellie Forbush, the female leading lady sings, "I'm A Cockeyed Optimist." That must be me. I thought The Backyard would be almost complete by now. It's not. It doesn't look much different than it did a week ago. But things have happened. We did a lot of little catch-up things and installed a watering system for the garden and the photinia. I made up my own system using some old soaker hose and PVC pipe for the garden. For the bushes in the back, we used a whole lot of drip tubing. Now I'm working on an underground irrigation system before I put in the new lawn. We'll get a little done this week but not very much -- have to be gone next weekend.
And that about wraps it up. Although we don't need much to wrap up in. The weather here has been warm and will be even warmer this week. Warm -- I think that is what we were looking for last winter.
Yeah, she's really enjoying that, isn't she? The baby, I mean. The baby is enjoying the bottle.
Annual Conference was at the Northside Free Methodist Church. It was routine as Conferences go, but fun in visiting with friends both new and old. Our new bishop, Matt Thomas, did a good job of keeping us on track as we moved through the business of the day and giving us inspiration in his talks. Friday evening we ordained three men as Elders and received six men and women as candidates to work through the process of becoming ministers. As chairman of the Board of Ministerial Education and Guidance, I introduced them and then participated in the ordination process.
I must tell you about Saturday evening. We had the privilege and fun of eating dinner with Joyce's niece and her family. Kim, husband Bryan and children live in Newberg so we don't get to see them very often. They have a little girl named Emma who is 6 years old, just a couple weeks older than Josiah. Then about 2 years ago they adopted Mykel. He is just a little younger than Emma. His sturdy build, black hair, and missing upper teeth makes him an adorable hunk of a gentleman. He is black so he gives the family a great contrast. But to top this, just a month ago they adopted a little girl they named Sara. She was 4 weeks old yesterday and weighs 6 1/2 pounds. What a cozy little bundle! She was so much fun to hold that Joyce and I decided to have another baby. Just kidding! Just kidding! Get up off the floor and quit giggling. Down at the end are some pictures. You can check out Kim's blog at popcorninthesky.blogspot.com (or click on Kim's Blog in the favorites at the right). This was the first time for us to meet Mykel and Sara so it was a fun visit. We had dinner together at J's Restaurant and they gave us a seat in the back so we could just sit and talk and talk and talk. And hold the baby.
Sunday we attended worship at the Northside FM Church which is where I was Associate in Christian Education back in the late 70s (boy, that sure sounds like a long time ago). There are still a few people around who remember us and it was good to see them again. After church we stopped to visit a couple of people in a nursing home, stopped in Salem to have lunch with Ginger, and then stopped on the other side of Grants Pass of help Charles Agee celebrate his 85th birthday. When we got home we were beat.
In the Broadway musical, "South Pacific," Nellie Forbush, the female leading lady sings, "I'm A Cockeyed Optimist." That must be me. I thought The Backyard would be almost complete by now. It's not. It doesn't look much different than it did a week ago. But things have happened. We did a lot of little catch-up things and installed a watering system for the garden and the photinia. I made up my own system using some old soaker hose and PVC pipe for the garden. For the bushes in the back, we used a whole lot of drip tubing. Now I'm working on an underground irrigation system before I put in the new lawn. We'll get a little done this week but not very much -- have to be gone next weekend.
And that about wraps it up. Although we don't need much to wrap up in. The weather here has been warm and will be even warmer this week. Warm -- I think that is what we were looking for last winter.
Yeah, she's really enjoying that, isn't she? The baby, I mean. The baby is enjoying the bottle.
Kim and Emma
Mykel
Pretty cute, huh? Of course, I mean the baby. The baby is cute. All babies are cute, but this one... well, she is a real doll. See how well I do that? Sara does have eyes but we didn't get to see much of them.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
It's Coming Together
Wasn't this a delightful week? Well, I sure hope it was for you. You can always look at the positive things and rejoice in them. Yes. There are some, even if it seems like there isn't. Joyce and I made quite a bit of progress on The Backyard. We finished off the Jo-Gro, spread bark nuggets, put down 1 1/2 inch rock (I call it drain rock), laid some pea gravel for Joyce's "river," and got some fist-sized stones to make the river look more like... well, a river. We actually got these from the bank of Rogue River at a friend's house. Friday was the big "rock" day and since I don't like shoveling and really don't like shoveling rock, I hired a high school guy to help. He worked hard and was worth every dollar I paid him. I was really beat by the end of the week so Saturday was a welcome day of rest. All we did was go to the Saturday Market down town and buy a few plants -- some grass-like stuff to put on the banks of the river and another tomato plant for the garden.
Today was great. We went to church at Allen Creek, came home to a nice nap, then watched Tiger Woods force the US Open to an extra round tomorrow. After the golf game, we went to J.J. North's Grand Buffet with Mike and JoAnn for a nice evening meal. Good day of rest. Tomorrow might not be too hard either because there will be another 18 holes of golf to watch. The girls called this afternoon and wished me a happy Father's Day.
The "river" I keep referring to is actually a flow of rocks to simulate a river -- but no water. It begins on the berm in the photinias and flows to the grass in the center of the landscape. Oh yes, photinias! Diamond Home Improvement had 5 gallon containers for half price so we bought 8 of them to complete the border on the berm. The ones we transplanted are still holding on but looking a little wilty. Will they make it? The jury is still out so we decided to go for the sure thing.
Joyce worked at the Daycare Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday -- about 4 to 6 hours each day. It is really work having 20 to 30 kids to watch (there is one adult for every 10 kids). This week she had the closing shift so that means she cared for the last 10 kids by herself. I went down a little before closing and mopped the floor for her. Nice guy, huh? But it gave her a break from The Backyard.
The Backyard is taking shape and we'll get close to finishing this week. We have an area to pave with ... something. We're trying to decide what. We also have grass sod to put in. That might wait because we'll be gone next weekend for Annual Conference and no one will be here to water it. But it's coming together. Together! That's a good word to consider. Do you have it together? Or are you simply trying to hold it together? Or is it falling apart? God is able to help, you know. Give him a try. Until next time -- and maybe some pictures.
Today was great. We went to church at Allen Creek, came home to a nice nap, then watched Tiger Woods force the US Open to an extra round tomorrow. After the golf game, we went to J.J. North's Grand Buffet with Mike and JoAnn for a nice evening meal. Good day of rest. Tomorrow might not be too hard either because there will be another 18 holes of golf to watch. The girls called this afternoon and wished me a happy Father's Day.
The "river" I keep referring to is actually a flow of rocks to simulate a river -- but no water. It begins on the berm in the photinias and flows to the grass in the center of the landscape. Oh yes, photinias! Diamond Home Improvement had 5 gallon containers for half price so we bought 8 of them to complete the border on the berm. The ones we transplanted are still holding on but looking a little wilty. Will they make it? The jury is still out so we decided to go for the sure thing.
Joyce worked at the Daycare Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday -- about 4 to 6 hours each day. It is really work having 20 to 30 kids to watch (there is one adult for every 10 kids). This week she had the closing shift so that means she cared for the last 10 kids by herself. I went down a little before closing and mopped the floor for her. Nice guy, huh? But it gave her a break from The Backyard.
The Backyard is taking shape and we'll get close to finishing this week. We have an area to pave with ... something. We're trying to decide what. We also have grass sod to put in. That might wait because we'll be gone next weekend for Annual Conference and no one will be here to water it. But it's coming together. Together! That's a good word to consider. Do you have it together? Or are you simply trying to hold it together? Or is it falling apart? God is able to help, you know. Give him a try. Until next time -- and maybe some pictures.
Sunday, June 08, 2008
Progress
It's starting to come together. The first part of the week it rained and we didn't do very much. That was a good thing because we were able to rest and get over our colds. We are both nearly 100% now with just a little residual coughing. A friend down the street offered us fully grown photinias -- all we had to do was move them. They are mature bushes cut back to about 4 feet high and I wasn't sure it would work. But on Wednesday we dug out a couple and discovered the ground was very soft -- almost sandy. We weren't able to get much root wad because the sand just fell off. It was sort of like bare root transplanting. After digging two and having to cut roots to get them out, we decided to try pulling them. So I hooked a cable to the pickup and tugged out 8 more. We actually got more roots doing it that way. We replanted them quickly and Joyce has been watering them twice a day. So far, so good. They look a little wilted but if they pull out of it, we'll have a head start on the hedge. If these don't die, we'll go back and get 8 or 10 more to finish out the hedge line. Pictures later.
Fortunately it has been cool all week so we have been able to get quite a bit done without feeling we were pushing ourselves. After the transplant project we laid down a ground cloth and spread Jo-Gro over it as a mulch. (I explained Jo-Gro about 3 or 4 weeks ago). To get it, we made a trip to Jo-Gro with Mike's trailer half full of his leaves and half full of our branches and other yard debris. We brought back his trailer full and my pickup partially full (2 cubic yards total). The Jo-Gro place is at the old landfill about 10 miles from here so with today's diesel prices I think twice about making the trip. This phase of the project is about half done. Tomorrow, we get more Jo-Gro. Doing this little job made me realize we needed better access to the backyard so today we moved the RV over to the garage side of the house. Now I can back in across the RV pad and get much closer to the work area. This will help when we get rock, too. Also, I took the tool box out of the pickup so I have that much more room for mulch and rock. But the work goes on. In fact, it seems all consuming. Except, of course, for resting, shopping, church stuff, coffee with the guys, eating, resting some more, watching TV, and eating some more. We're real dedicated workers. This coming week Joyce works 3 partial days at the daycare. That will give her a break from The Backyard and cause me to appreciate her more.
During the inclement weather the first part of the week, I squeezed out about 2 dozen lemons we brought back from Jana's house. They have a lemon tree with more lemons than they know what to do with, so we carted about 50 to 60 pounds home. All our neighbors, relatives, and friends have gotten a bag. I got about 22 ounces from the ones I squeezed. We'll freeze most of it for lemonade but I did use a little for one project. Joyce's favorite pie is lemon meringue so I made her an almost-sugar-free pie. First lemon meringue pie I ever baked but it turned out pretty good. The recipe was in her Splenda cookbook. There are more lemon things in there I'll have to try. Oh, I must confess: I bought a pre-made pie crust. Good thing they come two in a pack. I burned the first one when I pre-baked it. Must be something wrong with the oven.
This has been a good week. Probably because we are starting to see progress on The Backyard. Notice it is now a proper name with it's own particular identity. Today we went to the traditional service at Allen Creek. It's always good to see old friends and there are a lot of new faces also. Well, take care.
Fortunately it has been cool all week so we have been able to get quite a bit done without feeling we were pushing ourselves. After the transplant project we laid down a ground cloth and spread Jo-Gro over it as a mulch. (I explained Jo-Gro about 3 or 4 weeks ago). To get it, we made a trip to Jo-Gro with Mike's trailer half full of his leaves and half full of our branches and other yard debris. We brought back his trailer full and my pickup partially full (2 cubic yards total). The Jo-Gro place is at the old landfill about 10 miles from here so with today's diesel prices I think twice about making the trip. This phase of the project is about half done. Tomorrow, we get more Jo-Gro. Doing this little job made me realize we needed better access to the backyard so today we moved the RV over to the garage side of the house. Now I can back in across the RV pad and get much closer to the work area. This will help when we get rock, too. Also, I took the tool box out of the pickup so I have that much more room for mulch and rock. But the work goes on. In fact, it seems all consuming. Except, of course, for resting, shopping, church stuff, coffee with the guys, eating, resting some more, watching TV, and eating some more. We're real dedicated workers. This coming week Joyce works 3 partial days at the daycare. That will give her a break from The Backyard and cause me to appreciate her more.
During the inclement weather the first part of the week, I squeezed out about 2 dozen lemons we brought back from Jana's house. They have a lemon tree with more lemons than they know what to do with, so we carted about 50 to 60 pounds home. All our neighbors, relatives, and friends have gotten a bag. I got about 22 ounces from the ones I squeezed. We'll freeze most of it for lemonade but I did use a little for one project. Joyce's favorite pie is lemon meringue so I made her an almost-sugar-free pie. First lemon meringue pie I ever baked but it turned out pretty good. The recipe was in her Splenda cookbook. There are more lemon things in there I'll have to try. Oh, I must confess: I bought a pre-made pie crust. Good thing they come two in a pack. I burned the first one when I pre-baked it. Must be something wrong with the oven.
This has been a good week. Probably because we are starting to see progress on The Backyard. Notice it is now a proper name with it's own particular identity. Today we went to the traditional service at Allen Creek. It's always good to see old friends and there are a lot of new faces also. Well, take care.
Sunday, June 01, 2008
A Change in Plans
This blog will be short because I don't feel like writing very much. While we were in Los Angeles, Lilly caught a cold and Joyce caught it from her. When we left home last Sunday we thought Joyce's cold was not going to be very bad. Wrong! By Tuesday it was really bad -- lots of coughing, hacking, etc. So... I said, "we're going home." Good decision. After my meeting on Tuesday, we drove home (remember, we were at Ginger's in Salem). This meant canceling about 4 reservations and appointments we had made for Newport and Florence. I began to get the cold on Thursday and have not been at full steam since. I did go to our family reunion planning meeting in Creswell yesterday and hope I didn't infect everyone. Last night I felt pretty bad and this morning we didn't go to church -- just stayed home and coughed. This afternoon I feel better, so hopefully I'm over the hump. I look in the backyard and see all the work that needs to be done. Oh well... It'll happen eventually.
I was reflecting on our health while sitting in my recliner feeling lousy. We have really been in good health over the years. The last cold I had was while we were in Dawson City, Yukon, Canada on our way home on the Alaska trip. That was almost two years ago. Joyce has done about as well. We are blessed. Thank you, Lord.
Isn't God good.
I was reflecting on our health while sitting in my recliner feeling lousy. We have really been in good health over the years. The last cold I had was while we were in Dawson City, Yukon, Canada on our way home on the Alaska trip. That was almost two years ago. Joyce has done about as well. We are blessed. Thank you, Lord.
Isn't God good.
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