They Arrived

about 11 a.m. to start the boiler installation. Will not finish today, for sure. Hopefully will get done on Monday. Mom is starting to complain about being chilly. It is warming up, thank goodness.

Had another long, involved dream about the ex s.o. Just hate that. I can cut off the daytime thoughts pretty well now, but can't control the dream status yet!

Haven't heard from the nephews as to their coming out on Sunday for dinner. If I don't get any emails by tonight will have to get on the phone. They don't realize my limited grocery shopping here. Speaking of which, I went to the store to pick up some buttermilk to make bread yesterday. Of course, they were out. The gal behind the counter (I do not like her) said when I asked if they would be getting any in "well, have you tried the powdered buttermilk?" "Yes, but you are out of that also." Geesh!

I need an attitude adjustment.

Under 40 degrees

this morning. I know Mom has been cold from yesterday evening and yet today but she bundled up and has a literal ton of covers on her bed so she will do OK.

I did go to an auction yesterday afternoon late, the north wind was blowing and it was outside. Yep, you guessed it, the little old lady with the very deep pockets was there. I have been told her house is like a museum. The auctions were very slow this summer. Now, there are so many trying to get done before the weather gets bad they have them in the middle of the week! Feast or famine, for sure. Did visit with an inactive dealer from "back East" who lives here most of the time. He purchased an old building in a very small town and will be opening a shop next spring.

I did get a call back from the heating/furnace people. The boiler did arrive in KC yesterday and they promised him they would get it shipped out yet yesterday. So it should arrive in Milford today and supposedly they will get it installed tomorrow. What I wonder is, I had been told it would take a day and a half for installation. The weekend is to be warm so I am not worried about Mom being too cold. I checked the thermostat while getting coffee ealier and it showed 68 degrees. Not too bad for being about 38 outside. I will fire up the oven and bake some bread this morning. At least warm up the kitchen for her.

Only in Aggieland

Only in Aggieland
Originally uploaded by sfinds2003.

This mornings smile..

Furnace Update

Got a call from the furnace people. I know I am losing my brain cells but damn, could've figured this out.

The fault on the local people is not following up...they placed the order last Thurs. so it would be here on Monday. Did not show up so he finally called yesterday. It seems they were out so had to order one. Instead of drop shipping from their source to their customer, they ordered it in to their facility. The order was placed to Kansas City from here, their source is in Marshalltown, IA. Could have had it here from Iowa to Nebraska today if it had been dropped shipped. Now, shipping charges from Marshalltown to KC, then KC to Milford..geeze, what a way to run a railroad!

Thunder

and lightning at 4:30 a.m. Just a sprinkle of rain but looks like it might start again. Smells grand. While looking out the window noticed the truck door wasn't shut firmly so took care of that. Wondered if anyone was out and about. I go out in whatever I am wearing, sometimes not a whole lot. This small town "we have our eye on you" mindset gets to me after a while. I suppose the only good thing is if you needed a hand, they would be there for you. Well, maybe not me, being the "outsider" as such.

I have my coffee pot set up on the back porch. It is an enclosed porch with lots of windows. One that is always slide open a little. It is right below my window. I use to wake up when the grinder would turn on but guess my hearing is really going down the drain as I don't hear it any more, but the smell of fresh coffee still permeates the fog and wakes me up. What kind of a life is this, when the best part of the day is smelling coffee?

No Turning

back now. The boiler is being dismantled but the new one has not arrived yet..hmmmmm

Biscuits came out great..If you heard contented sighing from the midwest it was me scarfing down a hot biscuit slathered in butter and plum jam..The apple puffs look great too, will let you know how they taste.

Chilly

this morning, but my window still open. Around 48 or so, but to climb into the mid 80's this afternoon. Then a dip into the 30's Thursday morning. The furnace guys came by for a bit yesterday. Getting lined out on what fittings they will need. When finished they will have to use the "key" to bleed all the radiators in the house so think I had better get the tops of the ones upstairs unloaded.

I do receive a medical newsletter geared towards whole health. One thing they suggested was taking a break from news now and again. I believe that to be excellent advice.

Working on finishing up the fringe on the afghan. Not a lot left to do on the Redfish Suspension . So progress, the old putting one foot in front of the other, metaphorically speaking.

I did not do the Apple Puffs yesterday so may do them today, plus, the Angel Biscuit recipe says you can hold the dough in the refrigerator and use as needed. I will bake those off today also.

8 Inch DO

8 Inch DO
Originally uploaded by sfinds2003.

The beef pot pie with the angel biscuits..



Tried to upload this before..lets see if I end up with two.

I Would Like

to see THIS happen.

Will it? doubt it.


But some are WATCHING

Fade Out

of September is moving fast. The weather shows some pretty cool mornings coming up and no furnace. Not a problem for me, but will be for Mom. I picked up a pair of fleece sweat pants, long sleeved top and some Med Ped socks for her on Saturday. She will get through it, but will be cold for her, I know. That is the one thing about S. Texas for the elderly. If you do lose your heat, more than likely you will NOT freeze to death.

Today will make a pot pie topped with Angel Biscuits and probably make some Apple puffs, all in dutch ovens.

I have been reading about the post trauma recactions that people are experiencing due to the events of the last month along the Gulf Coast. I know how I felt on the elective move to help out Mom. And still do, but not like it was the first 6 months. I can't imagine how this must feel for them.

Finally put pastel to paper and almost completed the redfish (this one is more blue) that my son wanted. Some last touches to be done but I am ready to move on to something else! It looks pretty amateurish, but hey, that's what I am.

Dreary

Sunday but just in my head. Gotta pick my self up and keep trudging but just damn, that road stretching ahead fades into ????

Again

There is a tornado warning out. When it first started, not a cloud any where. Now, finally, in checking the weather for the umpteenth time, the radar shows some storms. Looked at NOAA 's site and saw there are 2 fronts converging, so that accounts for the unstable weather.

Did not get much at the auction. Had to laugh, though. A woman spent 30 bucks or so on a small tin curio shelf from Mexico. Her hubby made a remark about it. Then HE spent $150 on a stagecoach safe that had a broken hasp. When he opened it, so several of us could look inside, I made some remark about it being different, and his wife said "yeah, we didn't HAVE one of those" with a look at him that could kill.

Tough

Miss Rita one tough gal spreading lots of damage in Tx and La. The horrible thought is the season is not over. I think they are watching another disturbance.

The fire On the Strand in Galveston unbelievable in all that rain!

On a different note, tried my first batch of coffee that came in via UPS yesterday. The driver said "must be coffee, I've been smelling it in the truck". Sure hope he liked the smell. The beans looked a little light for a French Roast but it tastes great this morning. The beans were nice and shiny, they had not been long out of the roaster. I tried a straight roast, not a blend. With the shipping charges included, it was still cheaper than what I usually get at Super Saver or Wally World. There it is $7.97 to $8.97 a pound. This worked out to about $5.02. (5 lb. bag, you can also get a 25 lb. bag) Of course, different types of coffee carry a different cost. Service was good. I placed the order on a Sunday, was notified it shipped on Monday and arrived on Friday. These folks are in NJ. I will use them again.

GOOD COFFEE

May make an auction run today. Need to check the weather here first. Looks like we may get some storms.

It Started

The Texas bashing, that is..of course, it was to be expected. An old saying sure rings true.

Some people will bitch even when you use a new rope to hang 'em.

The Bad News

is the decision to get a new furnace/boiler. The single problem could be fixed for about $350 but the guy said the system would be shut down if the gas company saw the hookup. I imagine when this was converted to natural gas it was considered OK but now, it would get the RED tag and gas shut off until it was changed. The house was built in 1918. The furnace/boiler used coal. Then it was converted to oil, then natural gas. The pipes and the furnace itself are encased in asbestos. It has been on my mind for some time that it could be dangerous. Then when the motor coupling to the pump broke and the house almost shook with such a loud clattering, I really got concerned.
Hopefully, the new system is the right decision instead of just fixing the coupling problem. With natural gas prices predicted to rise 50 to 70 percent, a new system would be way more efficient.

At least, I hope it would.

Better

Woke up feeling pretty good this morning. Sure don't know what happened last night.

I need to get offline as waiting for the heating/furnace guy to show up. I did tell him if the phone line is busy, I am online. They don't like to come out unless I am here as it is so hard to talk to Mom with her hearing problems. I don't think he will be able to help me with the furnace but if the motor needs to be replaced, I want to know if they have something comparable. Mom is so cold and she heats with natural gas. They just said today your heating bill may go up 70%. That's a WOW!

Doggone it

Got sick this evening..checked on Mom as we both ate the same thing and she said she was fine. Not sure just what it is.

What a storm back in the Gulf. Checked on my friends at the coast. They had quite a week. Her stepdaughter had her first baby Sat. in Huntsville, so they were both up there. Then her hubby had to go back to the Rockport area and take his Mother to the doctor. She may need to have her gallbladder out. Then they are watching this storm. They just announced it may go ashore closer to Houston so that puts it further away from them. I know that gives them some relief. When she got back to me on the phone, said she thought I was the last of her calls. Two of her sisters called, her Mother called and her brother called. Seems as though there was someone else but anyway, we are all concerned.

Hope I can get some sleep and the old stomach settles down.

The Last Day

and Summer's gone. It did seem to go fast in a way. Of course being gone from mid May until after the 4th of July helped.

Miss Rita up to a Cat. 3 and still headed for Texas. My friend sure was wrong. The energy is back in the gulf in spades.

Today is hair cut day for Mom and picking up a few things at the grocery store. I must get out of the procrastination mode. Need to get the baby truck back to the mechanic and MUST call the furnace folks in to check out the furnace motor. Plus, need to clean the flue.

Yesterday had a nice surprise. The gal I delivered the cinnamon rolls to in the morning stopped by right after lunch. She had to go to Geneva to pick up parts for their combine and deliver some things she cleaned out to the goodwill store so she invited me to ride along. I'm afraid I talked her ear off. Just having someone to have a conversation with was great!

Summer going

out of the region like, well, like summer. Suppose to get to 90 both today and tomorrow. Then back to some fall like temperatures.

I read where the mayor of NO finally decided prudence might be the better part of politics and reverse getting people back into the city in case Miss Rita heads their way. His remark about leaving the 500 buses he had available and did not use after Katrina and were under water was "the water never got that high before". With a Cat. 4 or 5 hurricane coming, a thought of "first time for everything" might have wander around his mind.

Going to unpack the North Dakota Mill flour today and do a little baking. Soybean harvest has started and I want to get some goodies out to the good folks who do the farming for us.

One DO

One DO
Originally uploaded by sfinds2003.

Today's dinner cooked in one 10 inch Dutch Oven. Sure does make clean up

easy!

It Seemed Strange

to be under a tornado watch for 6 hours yesterday in mid September. But I believe there might have been one in northern Ne. that did touch down briefly.

Now we have Miss Rita to worry about. I certainly hope this hurricane goes into the sparsely populated area of Mexico.

Feeling somewhat better from the vertigo but still having lots of allergy problems.

Was a quiet weekend. I am learning more about both pro and college football than I want to know. But at least can carry on a conversation with my son about it instead of the usual "yeah" or "unhuh".

My plans are to get a roast going in a black pot shortly. Did a Buttermilk Chicken recipe in one yesterday and it was tasty.

An Eye on the U.N.

and boy, do they need it.EYE

The Opportunity

for $$$ to line the pockets of LA political leaders will be endless unless a way is found to get it to those that need it.

The Big Red team won by a single point but will they win a conference game? That is the 64 $ question. Time will tell.

I still have not figured out what to do with the background on N's fish picture. Thought about it prior to sleep in hopes a dream would light the way but no luck. Slowly formulating the style for it but not the colors. At least that is an itty bit of progress.

Another Auction Day

But I don't know if I will make it. Still some residual balance problems from the vertigo.

The Big Red football game will be televised this afternoon so may sit with Mom and watch it. Was not able to get the Baby Truck to the mechanic yesterday and have that to look forward to, (like a sore thumb) this coming week.

Heard from one of my oldest friends last night that lives on the coast in Texas. She said she did not know if it was just wishful thinking or not, but felt that the hurricane season for the Gulf of Mexico was over. "As though all the energy had been sucked out of it" was the way she put it. Sure hope she is right. Also said with all the evacuees there, if one did come she would have to go to NC, her childhood home, as there was no room anywhere in the interior.

The Dakota Flour Mill corrected their error in my order. Received the 25 lbs of flour yesterday. When I emailed them back, told them to charge me for the second bag of flour but I did not want to pay the shipping again. The reply "oh, no, our mistake, there wlill be no charge at all". Certainly the way to do business.

Originally uploaded by sfinds2003.

The almost finished afghan...will get to the fringe one of these days.

Fall Like

It was 46 earlier this morning. The breeze coming in the window is nice and cool.

Woke up with a much lesser degree of vertigo. Was suppose to take the truck in to the mechanic but will put that off. The afghan only needs fringe on one end to finish it off but I sure did use it as is yesterday. Felt nice. It turned out a little longer than suppose to but just perfect for me.

Guess this will be another "lounge" around day. Will try to make the grocery store this afternoon.

Woke up

with vertigo this morning..just damn..Won't be good to do anything for a while.

Gee, didn't hear

this on TV

Prayer Day

Two friends needing prayers today. One having a dental procedure that envolves extraction and implants, with chances of lots of post op bleeding. She had carpal tunnel done a few months ago on one wrist that still is not good, fell 2 weeks ago catching herself with her hands and had to go back to braces on both wrists. The other one to find out if three lumps on her thyroid are cysts or tumors.

A wonderful cool 52 this morning and calm.

More auctions this week. In fact there is one today and several scheduled for Saturday. Plus the Husker game will be televised in the afternoon. Decisions, decisions, decisions.

Good Doc

One Experience<

Meltdown

Had another incident with Mom yesterday. That continual "having to know" where I am every minute just about does me in. She even went so far as to go to the garage to "see" if I had taken the Buick, since I wasn't in the house and my truck was still parked in the driveway. I was in the garage getting a couple of items recently bought at an auction for an ebay box. That is how I knew she was checking up. If there was any way I could, you could color me gone.

Time for ol' Sis to step up to the plate...will that ever happen?...nah...not in this lifetime.

Results

In the previous post I mentioned having to take care of a couple of loose ends. I will admit, as usual, I procrastinate especially when there may be a continuing problem. Now, past experience has shown me that, first, you just feel better because of doing somethingabout a problem, and that more often than not, everything turns out O.K. but you still put it off. Well, past history came into play, everything is okey -dokey. I should have done it last week; but procrastination is my past history!

Typical Monday

Decided to take care of a few loose ends. Some of them should have been done earlier. Had my wonderful Flour that I get from North Dakota Mill go to the wrong address. I sent an email and guess it has not been corrected yet, so just sent another email. Have not received payment from a buyer so double checking on that.

I did some work in the garage and in doing so, find a very enjoyable experience of feeling much closer to Dad. I may have mentioned it before but in having crs am not sure. The last couple of years he was alive he did not know me. I felt as if he were already gone. When he died felt more grief for Mom's pain. The memories now are just fun and pleasant. So glad I am having them.

A Year

A year has passed since my s.o. said "so long"..I survived..knew I would but a painful process.

Continuing on with some work on the garage. Will get out there shortly as this is to be another hot one. Might as well get at it as it is still breezy.

No Go

Andre didn't make it...but he is a class act.

Not Very Often

does who I'm rooting for win. Will see if I have an almost grand slam this weekend. Clijsters won in the Women's Finals. But Hewett did not in the Men's semi finals. Hopefully Andre will emerge the winner today in the Men's Finals at the US Open. In college football Nebraska won against Wake Forest and Texas barely beat Ohio. That was a nerve racking game to watch. So, 3 out of 4 isn't too bad.

Fast approaching the end of the Afghan Only a Mother Could Love but will need more yarn before it is done. My plans are to only fringe one end of it as I do not like fringe in my face when napping under it.

Decided not to attend any of the auctions today. Will be cooking chicken and dumplings in a black pot to go with some baked sweet potatoes and a salad.

The weather reports says we will have a couple of more days of over normal high temperatures and then a touch of fall. I am ready! Just fall, mind you, not winter.

So Much for Theory

Well, the big spenders were at the auction I chose to attend. So much for that theory. Right down the drain.

Weekend of Auctions

There are many auctions going on this weekend. The criteria I used to make the choice was actual miles to drive, amount of antiques/collectibles listed and if the "big guns" would be out at this auction. I felt this one would have the least, if any, out of town dealers. So, we'll see how my choice worked. You always have folks who follow the auctioneer so it won't be "deep pockets" free, but worth a shot. The winds are supppose to get to 40 mpr today also. May not be pretty.

Received some paperwork that needs to be filled out for the farm. I had a couple of questions so called the office that sent the paperwork. Should have known better. The answer to both questions was "I don't know". But your office sent it, "well, (giggle) I just don't know."

Additional Progress

Spent another bit of time working on the garage. And there is noticeable improvement. Such a good feeling to visually see improvement on a project. Now, if the pastel work would move along. I have spent more time looking at this one, attempting something, then erasing it!! The afghan is down to a mere 8 inches to go. And I thought I would have a problem getting it done by December.

Today is a "taking Mom to the store" day and to the Co-op. Will get the Buick out and run it to do those chores. It has not been run this week at all.

Tomorrow will attend another auction. There are so many around this time of year, and good ones too. What I used in making the choice of which one to go to was mileage. With the price of gas, decided to go to the closest one that had a fairly decent "collectibles and antiques" listing. Hopefully will have enough inventory to take to a store that will handle some of my primative items as consignments after this auction.

Hmmmm

If any percentage of this is true, and I believe that some of it is, well, thinking folks need to think.
Received this in an email.

On Friday night before the storm hit, Max Mayfield of the
National Hurricane Center took the unprecedented action of
calling Nagin and Blanco (governor and mayor) personally to plead with them to begin
MANDATORY evacuation of New Orleans and they said they'd take it
under consideration. This was after the NOAA buoy 240 miles south
had recorded 68' waves before it was destroyed.

President Bush spent Friday afternoon and evening in meetings
with his advisors and administrators drafting all of the
paperwork required for a state to request federal assistance (and
not be in violation of the Posse Comitatus Act or having to enact
the Insurgency Act). Just before midnight Friday evening the
President called Governor Blanco and pleaded with her to sign the
request papers so the federal government and the military could
legally begin mobilization and call up. He was told that they
didn't think it necessary for the federal government to be
involved yet. After the President's final call to the governor
she held meetings with her staff to discuss the political
ramifications of bringing federal forces. It was decided that if
they allowed federal assistance it would make it look as if they
had failed so it was agreed upon that the feds would not be
invited in.

Saturday before the storm hit the President again called Blanco
and Nagin requesting they please sign the papers requesting federal
assistance, that they declare the state an emergency area, and
begin mandatory evacuation. After a personal plea from the
President Nagin agreed to order an evacuation, but it would not
be a full mandatory evacuation, and the governor still refused
to sign the papers requesting and authorizing federal action. In
frustration the President declared the area a national disaster
area before the state of Louisiana did so he could legally begin
some advanced preparations. Rumor has it that the President's
legal advisers were looking into the ramifications of using
the insurgency act to bypass the Constitutional requirement that
a state request federal aid before the federal government can move
into state with troops - but that had not been done since 1906
and the Constitutionality of it was called into question to use
before the disaster.

Throw in that over half the federal aid of the past decade to New
Orleans for levee construction, maintenance, and repair was
diverted to fund a marina and support the gambling ships. Toss in
the investigation that will look into why the emergency
preparedness plan submitted to the federal government for funding
and published on the city's website was never implemented and in
fact may have been bogus for the purpose of gaining additional
federal funding as we now learn that the organizations identified
in the plan were never contacted or coordinating into any planning
- though the document implies that they were.

The suffering people of New Orleans need to be asking some hard
questions as do we all, but they better start with why Blanco
refused to even sign the multi-state mutual aid pack activation
documents until Wednesday which further delayed the legal
deployment of National Guard from adjoining states. Or maybe ask
why Nagin keeps harping that the President should have
commandeered 500 Greyhound busses to help him when according to
his own emergency plan and documents he claimed to have over 500
busses at his disposal to use between the local school busses
and the city transportation busses - but he never raised a finger
to prepare them or activate them.

This is a sad time for all of us to see that a major city has
all but been destroyed and thousands of people have died with
hundreds of thousands more suffering, but it's certainly not a
time for people to be pointing fingers and trying to find a
bigger dog to blame for local corruption and incompetence. Pray
to God for the survivors that they can start their lives anew as
fast as possible and we learn from all the mistakes to avoid them
in the future.

Summer Hanging On

Several days of being in the 90's coming on. Hopefully summer's last hurrah! My personal preference would be for a nice loooong fall and a short, mild winter. Not asking for much!

My Gulfport friends will get back there today. They had some exterior pictures of their house. It seemed intact but with four foot of water having been inside, all walls will be ruined. Their son's place is fine and has electric and water so they will live in their motorhome there while putting their home back together, whatever that takes.

While cleaning out little parts of the garage, found 4 old sewing machine drawers. Looks like tiger oak veneer and the neatest brass handles. Will look for some Murphy's Soap to do some cleaning on them and figure out how I can use them down the road.
Right now I like the rustic style of decorating. Only wish I had a way to do it.

Over the last two weeks have had two strange dreams about Mom's other daughter. Wonder if she is coming for a visit. Was here for 3 days last Oct. Hmmmm, better get my Bug Out Bag ready.

Have to Do It

Started on the garage that J and I were to do..doing it just a little at a time but there is improvement. Have to do it so I can drink the cold beer I had for us..oh, well, some one has to drink it.

Just Wondering

why NO spent 140+ million on a football stadium when the levees needed work?

Just About Had It

First, no "fast" response..well, they did not get the military to Iraq with only a few days to prepare.

Limited access..roads gone..

Local, State then Federal aid not coordinated. Organization started with the military.

The ongoing blame game pure politics. Just get the job done.

Once again, MSM doing more to create chaos than help. IMHO.

Structure

I know Mom "knows" she has some mental decline. And for her age, going on 93, I think it is not too bad. She keeps to her routine and keeps notes about it. There is the calendar that she checks off what day of the month it is. If she is writing checks and is not sure, she goes to the daily newspaper to look. The diary she writes in every day is where she keeps track of the weather. Temp., humidity and wind (speed and direction). At night, wites down what time she goes to bed. Usually around 11..Gets up about 7:30. Makes her coffee at 10 in the a.m. The rest of the time, she drinks green tea. Reads 2 newspapers, takes at least two walks AND keeps tabs on what I am doing! So, over all not too bad. She did say when I was talking about it being rough here (no friends, nothing to do, etc. whine, whine) that this is small town life. The cord that binds me to this is not what you might think. It is a flat "someone has to do it and you are it". Walking away is not an option at this point in time.
But I wickedlydo not like it.

My other unanswered question for the last year and a half is thus: Where in the hell is Mom's other daughter?

Surreal Sky

The alarm went off as usual, I rolled over and stayed abed for a while longer. When the thought of coffee put impetus into my body and I headed downstairs, I noticed the surreal looking sky. Just hard to describe. Checked the weather and a little storm headed this way. In fact, just now heard the thunder....

LATER

Have had steady showers for the past hour or so. They are predicting 90+ temps. today so will be hot and muggy. I checked the cooler. Still has ice and cold beer. I'll be ready this afternoon.

Not Bad

The football evening was not bad. I went to Lincoln a tad bit early as I feel I have to combine trips considering the price of gas. Picked up one more skein of yard for the afghan and found a pad of pastel paper that I want to try. Have had requests for fruit/veggie items in pastel and decided that would make good Christmas gifts.

Back to the football game, Nebraska did win but man, does their offense need tons of work. And once again, slippery fingers reign, as too many fumbles occurred. Their defense saved their butts.

The food at the party was good. Some chipolte dips, the baked spinach articoke dip, hot wings and other "goodies".

My nephew had offered for me to spend the night with them but I came on back to the house. Mom was relieved. He also sent some acorn squash and bell pepper back with me, just picked out of their garden. They are getting ready to put up a 30 x 40 building on their property and will have a party when it is completed. I think I am to do a dessert in a black pot whenever that occurs.
Dessert, the word I will remember how to spell. When that word came up in a spelling list along with desert, the teacher said "just remember dessert has two s's by thinking of second helpings of a favorite dessert". It worked.

RATS

Well, just heard my son won't try the trip due to gas shortages..such is life and I am extremely disappointed. Guess I'll go to my nephew's and watch the football game.

Nice and Cool

It is starting out with a nice cool breeze but it will not last so I am enjoying it while I can.

I have no idea when J will arrive today. Hopefully by mid-afternoon. I don't plan on starting the dutch oven stuff until just before noon. I have never made Green Chili before so that should be fun!
I picked up some additional charcoal at Wallyworld. Some things I will shop "other" stores because they get hammered by WW'ds ability to buy in bulk but charcoal is one I will buy there. The difference is too huge. At the local store, I would pay $13.58 for 20 lbs. I bought 60 lbs for $14.97. Just can't turn that down.

Just Damn..J and I discussed whether to do anything social while he was here and decided not to do much except the plan. Of course, the plan includes a couple of "cold" ones while working. Now, my nephew just called and invited me to Lincoln to watch the first Nebraska Huskers football game this evening. And if that did not work for us to come to Lincoln tomorrow and he would smoke some ribs. Finally told him would have to play it by ear as I did not know when Jim would arrive. So, we may have to figure out how to do something "social" after all.

Excited

Talked to my oldest son (the one in OK City) yesterday and unless they are put under mandatory working on Sat., he will make the drive up for the weekend. I went ahead and finished one of the projects he was to help me with last night so now we will just have one to do. I am looking forward to it as he is coming alone. If he didn't come now, it would be some time before he would be able to so I am glad to take what I can get.

N, the son in Africa, wants me to do a pastel of a redfish. Well, I'm here to say that's a real challenge!

Late last night was suppose to call my daughter who was on a trip to Tulsa. Never did get in touch with her so hope to hook up sometime today.

Heard thunder last night but never did hear the rain. Must have been a very light shower. Still cloudy and there is distant thunder yet. Cool this morning, but due warm up into the 80's and wouldn't you know it, around 90 later on in the weekend when we are cleaning the workbench in the garage.

Took Mom to the grocery store and a little ride around town yesterday. Think she enjoys getting out a little more than just to the store. Always comments about how she use to know who lived in this house or that. There is quite a bit of developement going on here that surprises me. The population is around 1100. Two areas have new houses going up. Well, let me correct that, one aready has the houses, the other is just getting streets put in prior to opening up to house construction. But I guess considering the surrounding small towns, this is the one to live in. It has a hospital and clinic. Staffed by two young Doctors. They have an aggressive administrator that gets them equipment etc. and procedures being conducted are increasing. The rolling MRI eighteen wheeler comes weekly. Other specialy Docs come out on certain days of the week. It is an alternative for health care other that going into Lincoln unless your need big hospital facilities. Another medical clinic staffed by the Doc who has been here for years. He had planned to retire but heard that when his stocks took a downturn a year or so ago, decided to work a few more years.
There is a small Country Club with a 9 hole golf course and restaurant. One of the housing developments is on the back side of the course and the street is the Par 3. Also a small grocery store, drugstore, a couple of coffee shops, a bar that serves food also, hardware store, bank, flower shop, several different repair shops, and so on.

I still want to go back to Texas and hope I am not to use to the climate changes here. This cool mornings are so nice compared to what my friends are complaining about down south.

September

Old September: Back in the days when school did not start until after Labor Day. Now, some have been under way for a week or more. I was anxious as a child to start school. My older sister was there and I wanted to be there also. One September morning Dad was out fixing fence and I was his little helper We were between the house and the old country school, which was about a quarter of a mile total distance from the farm house and we were "working" fairly close to it. I slipped away to go to "school". When Dad looked around and I was gone, he knew exactly where to head. My sis was mortified when I walked in. One, because I was there and two, because I had been eating a peach and was quite the mess.

A nice cool morning. In the high 40's with no wind and the sun rising nicely. Suppose to get into the 80's by afternoon. I turned the refrigerator on to the defrost mode last night so there is no getting out of that chore. Will get it over as quick as possible, though.

Big Red madness starts this Saturday. The beginning of the college football season. Hopefully will get to watch a game during the season. When they are "at home" you have to have cable and it is a PPV.