Day Forty-eight - Trusses and beets

The trusses were delivered from Pioneer Truss in Owensville. The truck driver kind of scratched his head when I showed him where Nic wanted them. But he did a great job.

Tony finished digging the potato crop and he pulled a few beets. So for supper we both tried our hand a fixing beets. He had me slice his and then threw them on the grill with the burgers and a sliced red onion. I julienne sliced mine and fried them in canola oil. We both agreed I won tonight's creative recipe competition.

Day Forty-seven - Dirt work and potatoes

Dan moved a lot of dirt up around the foundation today. I still want to own this cute little dozer!
We dug some of our potato crop. Tony was real good at spearing the potatoes, not what we wanted.
Rylee was intrigued but the natural potato sculptures.
This one looks like Elvis or Michael Jackson or Alfred Hitchcock or someone. I think I'll try to sell it on Ebay.
What all the fashionable farm girls (like Andie) are wearing this season to dig potatoes.

Third Saturday

The high school youth from our church do mission projects the 3rd saturday of each month. This month we went to a an outreach center called Loving Hearts. They do really great things for our community. The kids helped get the facilities ready for a upcoming tour.

This exceptional young lady will go to any lengths to carry out her assigned chore, even lay flat on her belly to paint under storage shelves.
These guys got to paint standing up!
Part of the group prepared back packs with everything kids need to go back to school.
Ashley helped clean the reception area.
And I'll end with that exceptional young lady. Here she is cleaning the chairs in the reception area. Isn't she adorable?

Day Forty-six - electrical conduit & target practice

Nic got the structure and conduit for the electrical hook-up ready.
Hilary brought their girls out to the farm for a little target practice.
Andie and Hilary got a little bored.

Day Forty-five - pumping out water

Tony spent his morning digging trenches and pumping water out of the basement. Better now that later!
Since I haven't built the water garden yet, Nic put the water fall pump into service.

Day Forty-four - More plumbing

Basement bathroom.

Zoo Part II - Priceless Lessons

If you pet one goat, his ten best friends will also want to be petted.

Three year olds can make friends immediately if a toy jeep is involved.

Three year olds have no problem sharing driving duties.

Ophidiophobic grandmas can touch large snakes.

A day at the zoo with your granddaughters and daughter-in-law can help you forget how much you miss your daughters. (At least for a little while.)

Day Forty-three - Plumbing and the Zoo

House update: Nic continues to work on the plumbing that will be under the basement floor.

Life update: I spent the afternoon at the zoo with these ladies.....

Rylee encouraged her mother and sisters to become comfortable with the goats as she is sure we will soon have a goat herd on the farm. I was kind of hoping the goat smell would discourage her, apparently these goats did not smell.

We enjoyed the cool air in the Penguin House, but not the fishy smell.

Well, some of us did not enjoy the cool temperature.

After seeing the penguins, Andie was sure these wonderful birds were called, "Pengmingos".

What, you thought I could go to the zoo and not take a picture of flamingos? If my neighbor can raise peacocks, why can't I raise flamingos?

Day Forty-two - Electrical Hook-up

Not too much to report today. Nic continued to work on the plumbing the basement.

Cartoon from brotherpeacemaker.

Tony met with a guy from the local power company, Ameren UE. They were discussing the placement of the meter, etc. In the nothing is ever easy category, the meter cannot be under a porch overhang. So if you are building a house which say, has a porch ALL the way around, on ALL four sides, there is a little problem. If the thing it attached to the house, it is maybe a foot wide and three or four feet tall. But if it is not attached to the house it has to have extra shut offs, etc and will be almost five feet wide. UGLY, UGLY, UGLY!!!

Ameren has had a bit of a PR problem lately due to a dam breach on the Taum Sauk reservoir in December 2005 and less than commendable responses after a couple of summer wind storms and ice storms. You would think they would want to avoid more bad press, especially on a world famous blog such as this.

Day Forty-one - Plumbing & Sewing

This afternoon Nic worked on the plumbing in the basement. I assume all of this has something to do with the bathroom. I'm going strictly on location.

Rylee spent the afternoon with me and we had a little sewing lesson. (I had lunch with my friend Liz and she wanted to stay for the sewing lesson but had to go back to work.)
My granddaughters are the least selfish children I have ever know and I credit my daughter-in-law for that wonderful character trait. When we were talking about what we were going to sew she told me she wanted to make a skirt out of this poodle print and give it to her friend for her birthday. It was pretty easy to figure out the fit as Rylee and her friend are the very same size. Rylee does a great job sewing a nice straight line and likes to watch the serger preform surgery. (Her description, not mine.)

I wanted you to see how cute the skirt came out. And as a bonus, you get to appreciate my winter house slippers. Rylee thinks they are an intricate part of the sewing outfit. She is quite the little fashion plate.

Liz, if you had been able to stick around I would have found a more age appropriate fabric for you but it still would have been a tiered skirt. Do you still feel bad about missing this lesson?

Day Forty - Mystery Plant

The lumber yard had planned to deliver the trusses today but alas it is too wet, it will probably be too wet tomorrow as well. (Can't you just see me pressing the back of my hand to my forehead as I fall back onto my fainting couch when I use the word "alas"?)

So what to say about "day 40". I had such high hopes for "day 40". You know God sent rain for 40 days and nights when the great flood covered the earth. Moses was up on the mountain chatting with God for 40 days when he got the instructions for building the tabernacle and the Ark and all the other cool stuff. He was back up on the mountain for another 40 days when God gave him the original "top ten". It took the physicians 40 days to embalm Joseph. When the 12 wise men went up to Canaan (if you know the song, it is now stuck in your head for the rest of the day) they explored for 40 days. Jesus prayed and fasted in the wilderness for 40 days and He appeared to his followers over a period of 40 after his crucification. (Yes, as a matter of fact I do own Young's Analytical Concordance to the Bible.) So as you can see, I had a pretty solid reason for expecting great things for "Day 40" of the house building project. The high light of the day was Jeff, the concrete finish guy, came out to talk about the porch floor/cellar roof and other areas he will be finishing. And now I have to make a decision about concrete stain color. We have made progress but nothing like embalming a patriarch or exploring the promise land. Come to think of it that exploring the promise land didn't turn out so good did it?

I can't have a day without a photo. And since I have already brought God into the blog today, I'll ask the age old question. Why on earth did He create this plant? And why does it look so healthy, why haven't I hit it with an unhealthy shot of Round-up Ultra?

Maybe I should make this a contest. Guess the name (common or botanical) of the mystery plant. And to answer the question of why I haven't already destroyed it, it's not on my property. It's in the neighbors yard when I walk past it several times a day on my way to and from the farm. The eleventh commandment: Thou shall not kill thy neighbors plant.

Day Thirty nine - Up to Date

I am officially up to date with my Blog.

It started raining after we got home from church. By the time it quit, we had 1.4". But Nic got back on the job as soon as it quit. He is working on framing the bathroom/closet/utility room. We (Nic and I) made a design change to the shower on Nic's suggestion.

I was finally able to get up to the loft area. This will be the view from our little bedroom deck. I think we may have to trim off a couple of those lower branches so I can see down the lane.

I took this photo from what will be the living room area. Immediately behind the staircase is the bath/closet/utility room. The studio is on the far right side of the photo.

Day Thirty eight - Four Walls

Finally, I'm back to reporting on the house!!!

Nic invited a few friends to come out and help lift the two huge walls.
This is my son. My only child currently living on American soil. Thanks for sticking with us, Nic.

It's beginning to look like a house!!

Day Thirty seven - No energy

My house is quite and empty; I spent 28 hours out of the last 48 in a car; the Japanese Beetles are back (or their friends and family); we are out of Dilly Bars; and I have the energy level of a slug.

Day Thirty six - Weldon Owen

Today Uncle Bobby was buried. It was also the 20th anniversary of my brother Weldon's death. I don't have any pictures of Weldon on my computer so I am showing you one of his favorite wildflowers. Rattlesnake Master, Eryngium yuccifolium.

I'm not sure why it was his favorite but I have made sure I had one growing in my garden ever since he died as my own memorial to him. Rattlesnake Master is a funny little plant that is related to the carrot. It got it's name because the pioneers thought the roots were an antidote to rattlesnake bite. That belief was erroneous. Bummer for the person that made that discovery.

I suspect Weldon and Uncle Bobby are up to something right now in Heaven.

Day Thirty five - Uncle Bobby

Photo from Hereford (Texas) Brand.

One of my favorite people, my Uncle Bobby Owen, passed away Sunday. I left home early this morning and met my sisters, June and Ruth, in Springfield. Then we traveled (about 14 hours) together to the Texas panhandle for a time of family sharing. Link to Uncle Bobby's obituary.

There is a lot I could say about the circle of life and mountains and valleys of emotions, but I won't. We will all miss this ornery ol' man but I know he is in a much better place and I guarantee you, he is having a good time. I think he is in pretty good company, too.

Day Thirty four - Saying Good Bye to M & J

Mags and Jake aren't leaving until Thursday but I won't see them after today so I had to say good bye.

For the last two weeks I have have a very full house. Two old geezers and four young adults create a whole lot more laundry than just two old geezers. And with those young adults came piles and piles of baby showers gifts and wedding gifts; wedding decorations; stuff out of Mags apartment; and just stuff (crap) in general. (Hilary told me it was piles of love not crap.) In spite of the chaos and mess, it was the absolute best two weeks of my life (so far). I loved every minute of it. The kids were great to pitch in and fix meals and clean up the kitchen and anything else that needed to be done. In fact Tony is going to miss Bryce and Jake when he has to go back to doing all of the mowing/weed eating/etc. by himself.

I think my best memories may not be the big events (and those will be great memories) but the ones of the small events as my kids having fun together.

After Mags and Jake headed out for St. Francois County to visit some of his family, I had a Dilly Bar.

Day Thirty three - Mission Trip and Saying Good Bye to S & B

This morning my oldest granddaughter, Alex, left on her first (of many, I am sure) Mission Trip. She and the rest of this crew will be helping repair a house in northern Illinois. I am so proud of her.

Susie and Bryce also left today. It is tough to think about not seeing them and that baby until Christmas. After they left, Tony went to work; Mags and Jake left to run errands and have supper with friends; Hilary and the little girls had errands to run so I was left all by myself. I had a Dilly Bar.

Day Thirty two - Celebrating Hil's Birthday

Tomorrow, July 6, is Hilary's birthday. (I will not tell you which one!!) We all went out to supper together to celebrate, then came back to my house to play games in the yard and to get a few photos before some members of the family leave the country later this week.

The Mayfields; the Runyons; the Holmes.

The "in-laws". I think they like each other. Having in-law kids this cute guarantees gorgeous grandchildren!!

My kids. Aren't they a good looking bunch.

One of the games involved Maggie climbing onto the roof!!

Hilary is demonstrating the skill of playing croquet while eating a Dilly Bar.

Wedding - Really Important Guest

It meant a whole lot to me that these people were there to share the day and evening with me. From left to right: my sister, Kay and her main squeeze, Willard; my sister, June; Daddy, behind Mama; me; my main squeeze, Tony; my sister (-in-law), Ruth.