4th of July weekend

Prairie coneflowers are in bloom.

Gabby loves dogs!  and cats . . . and horses . . . and frogs and clams from the lake. 

Audri Lu loves birthdays and cousins and staying at the cabin and being three!

Bella Bu loves bubbles, her Mama and DaDa and running and climbing!

The bridge is done!

Maddie Mu loves birthday cake, her Nana (you better, Maddie!) and new front teeth! 

Joseph Austin loves golf carts and 4-wheelers and cars and all things transportational.

Is that a word?  Transportational?

Jack loves camping and fishing and all "guy" things. 

Ah, you, come here, Jack.  I'm going to count those ribs and kiss you to pieces!

Morghan Grace loves everything.  Parties.  Family get-to-gethers.

Her friend McKenna, camping, the cabin . . . you name it!

Tyler, I have to apologize for not getting a better pic of you.  You were off and running, riding --  traveling to Lake Marie.  I got the back of your head, Mr T!  But we are sure glad you got to see us!  Come back soon!

Other than the 3" of rain that came down the night of July 4 that rained out the fireworks and the boating and the camping and worst of all the SMORES, why, we all had a swell time!  In fact, after the last three years, we expect it to rain on the 4th of July -- we expect to have the biggest rainfall in history.  We expect to be damp and soggy and irritable.  We would feel wierd if it didn't rain.  But that doesn't mean we like it.

oh year 2011?  Will you please plan a dry week for July 4?

Mo and other thoughts

Himself and I ran down to Too Saturday and came home Sunday.  We found that we might want to be home this coming weekend so we high-tailed it to Too to check the grass and the garden.  There was a bit of rain in the ol' rain gauge but not a lot, for a change.  Himself hauled out the mower and I hauled myself to town and then shopped every grocery store in the county.  I like to spread my business around and this is a low population county but basically, these small stores sometimes "carry" one item while another does not.  So to get what one wants, you shop them all!

Himself would say I love to shop but I don't, not really, not when it comes to grocery shopping . . .   and not even clothes shopping or heath & beauty shopping.  Now, if it is second hand rose shopping, or Rerun shopping or flea market or auction or garage sale shopping, then, YES!  I do enjoy that kind of shopping.  In writing this and reading it and analysing it, I guess I only like to shop if I think I am going to get a bargain.  Well, it could be worse.  Far worse.  I could be a shop-o-holic who shops for everything!  There is nothing wrong with finding a bargain . . . or even just looking for a bargain, in my opinion! 

There it is!  PaPa's new bridge.  Or new bridge railings, I should say.  There is PaPa's bridge and Nana's nine hundred and ninety-six cone flowers.  The coneflowers were at their prime this past weekend.  They were in their glory!  And not just here, contained neatly in a bed, but marching all up and down the road.  Marching right and marching left and even sometimes, across the street!

Here's the new vehicle.  Pretty sharp, eh?  what say?  Nice!

It is boxier, than the First.  Some features are better and some not quite so good as the earlier version.  We will get used to it, I'm sure.  It just plain feels bigger! Taller and . . . well, just plain bigger.

And these two pretties were growing side by side in the wild flower bed.  Just like people, like humans, sometimes "like" flowers stay together and don't mix with the other flowers.  Even tho these two are so very different, they are still striking together and sharing the same space.  May we always be tolerant of others' differences.

After all, look how many people overlook your mother's idiosyncrasies . . .