I am ready, bring on August 2018

Day 47, "Every picture has a story"

The calendar that I made for my siblings.  Some of the important people in my life like Helen, Aaron, Judi, Jude, and Henry have special days this month.  I am not sure Helen and Judi call this days special anymore but when you are over 39 and still having a great life they need to be made special.  Other dates that remind me to reflect are related to Roxanne and Ronald. 

Of course there are MANY stories that could be told related to these pictures.  Some headlines could read as:

• Janet and John, the first to marry in our family.  All of a sudden we had another brother that was special like Ronald.  When Dad was in a "not so good" mood we wanted Janet and John to come visit as Dad would instantly become happy!
• The farm icon gas pump.  That picture was taken after I left home as you can see the mailbox in our driveway.  When I lived at home the mailbox was on the road because Fritz came from the north.  After Ricky's parents, Bert and Eleanor, were forced to sell their farm north of us the mail came from the south.
• There could be a million stories about puppies and dogs.  My two favorite memories are of Bennie, the HUGE Saint Bernard and Tiny, the cockier spaniel who was loved by all and loved all.  

On to the present for now.  Well we are having a super start to August as far as weather.  I think it is supposed to be very warm for the next few days but as I write we have an oh so gentle rain which the lawn and garden need.  I am guessing when it ends the amount will not be a whole lot but enough so I do not have to water the lawn or garden today.

I am pretty sure I am excited about the next two months as we start August and then September.  I look back on June and July and think Terry and I did accomplish a lot but really there is so much that we want/need to get done in the two months ahead.  Some of the things I am glad about as I think back starting June 1st:

• Our trip to see Dave and Marlys and then stopping to see friends in Fargo and Grandma Saunders also.
• Our trip to ND to get some old barn wood and then staying with Mary and Mark.
• A great visit from the South Bend Lees.  Can't get enough of those kids, well maybe at my age I can!!!  They are great.
• A couple of visits to the Adkins and visiting new born John Paul James who I have yet to see awake!  He is a very good baby.
• I have pretty much kept up with the lawn care and as of today, August 1st, it is looking green.  For me that is GOOD.
• Have to mention the 2 new living room fans that almost cost me my sanity.  They are so nice to have and I am sure in the days ahead as the heat comes the fans will be a big hit.
• Getting the floors refinished upstairs was huge and so nice to get done.
• Having the sunroom, hallway and west bedroom finished was so so so huge.
• Getting some things out of the garage and house like a vanity and top, two toilets, two large easy chairs, one of Terry's bikes (of course she was sad to see it go), my chainsaw and a rifle.  
• Getting some things to the junk that needed to go like an old crib that was not safe to use anymore, some BIG old speakers that were no longer used and a half load of things that I took out in the truck.
• I did get a new toilet in downstairs with NO leaks, how about that!
• There was the new board on the deck and the new trim around the fireplace.
• AND we got the garden planted late but still have enjoyed some tomatoes and cucumbers to this point.  Terry has one batch of pickles done.  
• Not sure I have listed all but as I look at what I have said so far I am thinking all was not lost in June and July AND as I racked my brain for those things I almost finished my FP

So what do we plan/hope to accomplish in the coming two months.  Well the FOR SURE things are:

• The stairs to the second floor which are well on the way, must be completed.
• The four new kitchen windows put in last January have to be primed and painted. 
• The living room and the hallway up stairs need to be painted.  
• A desire but a maybe are the first floors to be refinished.  
• AND a BIG maybe is tearing out the kitchen ceiling.  It is an 8 foot ceiling while the back entry, the living room and the front entry are 9 foot ceilings???

A wish list that is FAR out there is a new kitchen.  Not fancy, not expensive (if that is possible) but a kitchen that would not elicit "this house is a wreck" response.   Way way back in maybe 79 or so we had a plan drawn up for a new kitchen that would have cost about $7000 and we just could not see ourselves paying for it as I took a pay cut when we moved to St. Paul, our house payment doubled and we had 3 boys in private school.  The question was the boys or the kitchen and the boys won out. I could and maybe will build the kitchen cabinets but that is probably more of a time issue than a money issue.  I thought about buying a lotto ticket but thought that may be a money drain rather than a payout.  I thought about robbing a bank but then what can one accomplish when you are behind bars, not the bars that serve drinks!  (In this day and age I had better say I did NOT think about robbing a bank, just said that for the fun of it!) I thought about borrowing the money but thought that is not a wise decision so at this point the kitchen stays as is with Terry's and my hands as the dishwasher and the old old metal cupboards starring at me each morning as I make my breakfast.  They pretty much murmur to me each morning that they would be happy to spend the rest of their life in the river!  Life could be worse for sure!!!

Enough for today.  As I took the last sip of FP I noticed the green tent on my cup and thought today would not be a good tenting day.