July 23rd to July 29th 2012

This has been a slow and not so busy week for us..  It was nice for a change 

Monday  July 23rd

It is getting light out a bit later now and I still wake up most of the time around 5:30 AM.   I am up, and let Herbie out and of course then he wants his morning treat and then he goes and grabs one of his many babies and makes a b-line for the bed and has some more down time..

I made myself some tea and then turned on the TV early early morning news and checked my e-mail..     Later, when Dan got up I made some breakfast and then I started my laundry.. Dan went to get the mail, and he came home with this BIG BOX..

What a surprise it was.  Our friends from Indiana, Ralph and Barb, had sent a Thank You gift for staying with us over the 4th..   It was a piece of yard art for our new garden.. A Peacock, made of copper with different color stones on the head and feather.  Oh it was so pretty and thoughtful. 

Boy do I enjoy having my washer and dryer in my house.  I do not look forward to having to go to laundromat when we are in Texas.  Did a few other things around the house and the rest of the day was puttsing around.

Tuesday  July 24th

Today was a busy day.. It was Herbie's Grooming day.. We take him into Escanaba which is quite a distance, but the groomer does a great job, and she has an awesome shop.. So that is about a 2 hours that he is with her.  In the meantime we went tot the bread store and stocked up on bread and then we were to meet some friends from Wisconsin who have been up in the Upper Peninsula, and were heading back home.  Bill and Kelly we met maybe 10-12 years ago and they are friends of our friends in The Wisconsin Dells area..  We had not seen them for about 5 years and we had lunch with them and had a wonderful visit and talked about the good ole days of camping and Chili Dumps, that Jerry and Shirley had every year.. The timing was just right, after we finished our lunch I got a call that Herbie was done.  We said our Good Byes and gave hugs we picked up Herbie and headed home..  Just had time to take a rest and then we had to go and pick up Ron and Eileen and head to Munising for Concert in the park.  We stopped at Subway and picked up a sandwich and headed down to the park.

The gal that was entertaining was not our type of music to listen to. We stayed about 1 hour and then picked up our chairs and headed for Dairy Queen.. Then took a nice ride home.

We sat on the porch and waited to see if our animals would come in... Oh well...Not tonight.

Wednesday   July 25th

Woke up this morning to thunder and lighting... It was just starting to get light out and I jumped up and got Herbie out before the rains started.   After I got him in I said bring on the rain.. It rained most of the day. That was good though as we really needed it.  Some times it was really a down pour and then there was just a soft steady rain.

Dan was getting antsy by just sitting around a so he went out in the barn and shop to see what kind of mischief he could find.  Ah-ha Dan was working  on a boat motor that he bought used a few years ago..  Good thing he didn't put in on our boat, the pump was bad.  So he got the part to work temporally and then checked to see if the water was coming out and it was.  Then he came in and was looking on the web and found the same motor and found the part numbers and then spent the evening looking for suppliers that were the best price. I had taught him to use the computer and then we bought him his own Dell and now he is on his own...  I do not use his computer and he does not use mine, and it works out well..

It's time to let Herbie out for his last call and I am going to bed..  Good Night~~

Thursday   July 26th

Woke up early this morning again, and it looks like rain this morning. Oh Oh.. it was just another soft rain and grey skies morning and day.. The rain is needed though.. I did not do to much today, just tidy up and read my book and watched it rain..  Lazy Days are fun.....

Friday   July 27th

Nice sunny morning, I was up early and got ready for Eileen to pick me up to go to Escanaba with her. Molly has an appointment with the Groomer.  We went to Joanne Fabrics, and then to Wal-mart and had lunch and by that time Molly was done we were ready to pick her up..  On the way home we stopped at the Indian Bead store in Gladstone.  I had not been there for some time, but I did find a few thing that I wanted..  I have to make a point of stopping back again, before we head to Texas..  Their prices are pretty good and they have alot of different types of beads...  We did not go out to dinner with Ron and Eileen tonight, they had company and we were invited to go with them, but there would of been 8 of us and that is alot for the small restaurant especially on a Friday night..  I made a nice breakfast for dinner....

Saturday  July  28th

Another  sunny morning, this morning Molly coming for the day...Ron and Eileen are going on their annual VVA pontoon cruise on Lake Superior.  They cruise around Grand Island and spend time in the bays, having a picnic and of course fun..  Herbie and I will have fun with Molly..  Herbie enjoys seeing her, but when she get in his face they go their separate ways.  She goes and trashes his toy box and finds something to chew on.. I just have to remember that Herbie has to be the dominate on when we are here at home..  Dan, was mowing the lawn and he was going to do me a favor and mow the path that goes into the woods and he hit a rock and broke the spindle on his mower deck.    Well some not so nice words came out and I decided to leave...  He spent the rest of the afternoon taking it apart and he found some parts that would work and repaired it..  It is really nice having a Mr. Fix-it on board..

After he was done, we had a snack and then later it was time for me to take Molly home...  We then went out for dinner.. To the casino for a wet burrito.. It is really good.  Depends who is cooking, it is really really good...  When we got back home after not winning anything on the penny slots, we sat on the porch for a while, waiting to see if any animals would come out...  It was a fulfilled day......

Sunday   July 29th

Good morning, it was a bit chilly this morning, but now the sun is shining brightly and the dew is drying off the grass..    Got a message this morning that HOC friends of ours are coming to the Upper Peninsula and want to stop over..  Great, I said, hopefully they will stay in our yard with their RV..   I am making a list of things that I want to get done this coming week, Dan is going to put a coat of wax on the front of the RV, and I want to get some baking done and put it in the freezer for when we head out for 12 days..

Dan built his stairway to heaven, when we got our boat so we could get in and out of it. Also he found he can use it to wax the trailer... the front is so nice and shiny....

Can you believe that the grocery stores want almost $3.00 for a dozen of cookie?? Cup cakes are IN Again... and the price of them are outrageous...  Oh well, I don't even want to think what the price of food will be this winter.. 
I picked 3 tomatoes off the vine this morning and they look so so good.. Nice and firm--Yummy

2 more days and July 2012 will be gone and never to return.. In another 6-7 weeks the leaves will be changing.  In 3 months we will be heading back to Texas.   In 4 months I will be another year older..      ~~YIKES ~~   

I am not going to go to much today, AH ha.. Nascar is on.. 

Hope ya all had a nice week and catch ya again next week.... 

July 16th to July 22nd 012

July 16th     Monday       ~~  Playing With Concrete With Girlfriends ~~

Today I am going to do something different that play with weeds and rocks...  LOL   Some of the garden club gals are going to attempt to make a bird bath our of leaves and concrete..  We are at Eileen's home, she has a sand pile and a cement mixer..  Everyone was to bring a leaf that they wanted to cast..  this was the first time for any of us doing this and we had instructions..Most of us had a small leaf..  After we were done we had to let it sit for 48 hours before removed the cast from the sand..  Then the next step would to be seal coat it and then paint it what color you would like..  The idea of this was to lay it in your garden with some water for the birds and etc.  Well to some dismay, alot of them did not have enough concrete on the edges and they cracked..  So now we know and we are going to take another try at this as soon as the weather cools down.. After that was done I went home and did some laundry and did a little yard work..

This is mine and it did not make the grade!

July 17th     Tuesday

The heat subsided and it was a bit cooler this morning, the wind was coming from the north. After I had my coffee, I decided that I was going to go out early and do some trimming... Our arbor was over grown the Hops and other greenery.  Dan suggested that maybe the arbor needed to be trimmed up so he could see the rock inside of it and that he could see the red bell that we had gotten from a friend some years ago..So, Herbie and I headed for the back barn and hook up the cart and put the utensils I needed and off we went to the back garden.. Well I was a bit apprehensive that there might be snakes in all that vines and ferns. So I started at a small spot and worked my way around.... It took about 2 hours and I had it done... the air was misty and when I was done it was raining lightly. Herbie and I were getting wet and we had to go into the woods and dump the cart that was full..Came in the house when everything was put away and showered and got ready for the rest of the day..  Made lunch for Dan and I and then sat on the porch and watched it rain..

The rain subsided and we then picked up Ron and Eileen for the concert in the park.  "The Broke Flat Blues Band" was on stage..  We are not really great fans of Blues Music, but it was nice to be out among lots of people. We love to people watch..

      
July 18th    Wednesday
Up early and out of house at 6:15 AM.. I had to be in Marquette at hospital for a Pulmonary Function Test and an Asthma Test.. Wow what a long test, but will find out results tomorrow. Dan went and had his blood tested and then we went to Perkins for Pancakes and Wal-mart for some paint and then home to do a few things before I get ready to go with friend Eileen to Marquette to see the Play "Dandelion Cottage".

I was sitting on my porch this afternoon and I thought about my friend Dolly. We had gone to beauty school together and then had been in contact off and on after we both had gotten married. She was a very special person to me.. We had alot of fun.  I had lost contact and then one Saturday morning I was thinking about her and I went on the Internet to see if she still lived at the same place and seen another address, so I sent a message to that address with my address and phone number and she called when we were in Wyoming..  What a lovely surprise.  So, I called her today and chatted, and said that I promised myself that I would keep in touch better with her.   I hope to make a point of going and seeing her before I leave for Texas..

The play Dandelion Cottage was cute, and it was an enjoyable evening.

July 19th     Thursday

Today was another one of those days that I had errands to run in town, So Dan decided that he would go along with me.  It was a nice ride in early in the morning. We went a different way this morning and we seen some deer and a mama turkey with her chicks walking on the side of the road... The fresh smell of the morning, how much better can it get..   After we were done running around we stopped for lunch at The Bonanza" all we wanted was the soup and salad bar.. We have been trying to cut back so we don't look like BOZO when we get to Texas.  LOL      Dan has been replacing some decals on our 5th wheel.  Heartland sent us some new ones as the originals were defective.. So in between the heat, he has been doing that...He is almost done.  He also has been having alot of problems with the brake unit for the new disc brakes that he bought this spring and The company finally sent him a new unit, and hopefully that will take care of the problems.. That new unit also arrived today.. 

I have some things that I have to get done for this garden walk that I am on.  I just don't know how I get talked into all this stuff..

July 20th     Friday

Woke up this morning to some strange noise in the house.  When I figured out what it was, I jumped up and got my cell phone... I had used it the other morning as an alarm clock, and I must of not turned it off properly.. So here I am at 5:30 AM wide awake. I laid there for awhile and figured out what I was going to do this morning.  Up I was had my 1st cup of coffee and then made Dan ham and eggs and toast. (What a nice wife I am...eh)  Then I cleaned up the kitchen or mess as Dan says..Dan went out and mowed the yard. It will look so nice..  I got Dressed and went out and got my tractor and hooked up the cart filled it up with the necessary stuff I needed, took Herbie for a ride in the woods, and around the yard.  I stopped and pulled some weeds in my one area, put down a couple of bags of black dirt.  I got some creeping phlox from a friend and planted that.  I also got some Creeping Thyme from her and I found a place to plant that..  I also made a few succulent baskets from some plants I had in other containers. I placed them around. I have just a few things to put away and I think I am done.. I was told that the focus of my yard is suppose to be the Waterfall.. Well, this gave me an opportunity to re-do some gardens and weed..   I think artificial flowers are alot more economical, and less work and stress...  (kidding of course)  Out for dinner tonight with friends. 

in back row... Dave and Ron Bruce in front

Came home and made a tray of Rhubarb Bars and Ice Tea for refreshments for tomorrow..  I am tired... Good Night

July 21st     Saturday           ~~ TLC Garden Walk ~~

I was up at 5:30 AM this morning.  Had a cup of tea while I watch CNN news about the sad news in Aurora Colorado.    Had some things to finish up before 9AM.  I frosted my Rhubarb Bars, and I made a blueberry coffee cake.. Got showered and dressed, and cleaned up kitchen.  At 9 AM the skies opened up and it started to rain and it poured.  It did not look to promising.. Well I thought that it would give me a little more time..  Finally it stopped raining and the sun came out.   Dan and I put up a canopy over the picnic table and cars started rolling in..The humidity is starting to form.

After lunch the skies are blue with light clouds dancing by..  No humidity and just a nice southern breeze.  A perfect day...  Had a great day, greeting the garden tourists.. I had ice tea, hot coffee and homemade rhubarb bars for a refreshment.. We had approx. 60 people come and almost everyone had great comments on our rocks and our yard that is hidden from the road.  It made us feel that all our work was not  in vain..  We do enjoy being here in the tranquility.
Come 5 o'clock we took the sign down closing shop and going out for dinner.   ~~

July 22nd     Sunday   ~~The Heat Is Coming Back~~

The end of another week is here..  We have nothing really planned for today as it is in the 90's..  

Just hope everyone had a great week, and remember  

Give a friend a call and let them know that you have been thinking about them, It will mean the world to them.  Someday you might be waiting for that call!!!