The Fabulous Fourth

We accomplished quite a bit at Mom's house last week. It was nice to do a little each day rather than trying to cram it all into one day. By the time we left we had cleaned inside, oiled the cabinet doors in the kitchen, fertilized the lawn, pulled more weeds in the flowerbeds, and watered, watered, watered. By the weekend we were ready for a break and some Fourth of July small town entertainment.

The best part of the week, however, was seeing family and friends.

Our Mission

I took Mom back to her house for two nights and three days of gardening. My mission was to make a dent in the overgrown flowerbeds and thoroughly water the yard and flowers. We had some warning from family and neighbors that much needed to be done, but it was still a sad shock to see how tall and thick the weeds were and how patchy, overgrown, and dotted with milkweeks the grass was. These pictures don't begin to show how dismal it looked. This was the first time that I felt it looked uncared for. I felt bad for Mom as we drove up and resolved to throw myself into the task and not let her sidetrack me with inside jobs. As soon as we were unloaded and she was settled inside I began. Thankfully, reinforcements started coming the next day.

Rock Garden

Back Yard

Front Yard

Daughter-Grandaughter Power

Danielle arrived Friday morning and Sarah came in at dusk that night. I think we were drawn as much by that invisible, unnamed family umbilical cord that is rooted somehow in this homestead place even more than by the mission we were undertaking. This house, which is held together by the sweat equity of my parents seems to be our cradle symbol for family.

Armed with tools we began under the watchful eye of Ellie, our director and comrad.

18 Work Hours Later

The results were fabulous! Although there is more to do, I was amazed at what we accomplished. Needless to say, my hands were playing out by the third day, but Danielle kept going like the Energizer Bunny. Thankfully, Sarah kept Grammy company inside and cleaned up after us by mopping the kitchen/dining room floors.

Rock Garden

Back Yard

Front Yard

Oldest and Youngest

This was a rough weekend. We lost both Blacky and Joey a day apart. Blacky was 18 in March and I think his kidneys just shut down. He died in his sleep at home with us checking on him, telling him we love him, and petting him frequently. Joey, 11, had been sick for five weeks, mysteriously not eating and having bloody diarrhea. Several of the neighbors have told us of similar experiences with their pets recently, too. I force fed him all that time and he would make just enough improvement that we kept trying. Finally, last Thursday, I took him in to the vet for the third time because something was wrong with his eye. We brought him home with some choices to make, but Joey's condition made it for us Sunday night and Monday morning when he had difficulty swallowing.

These two, as with all our pets, are already sorely missed. They are such characters and such a huge part of the family. The house is quite empty and poor Ellie has been lonesome for Joey since he first got sick. I don't know how God is going to find the room, but if Heaven is all that it is supposed to be, I'll be expecting to be greeted by all my pet family when I step inside.

Fun Pics From the East Coast

This is my great niece, Shelby. Robin sent us her picture asking if she reminds us of anyone. Hmmm. Perhaps her second cousin, Jen, with whom she shares a middle name?

Shelby's older sister, Rachel, staged this picture for a photography assignment. Shelby's face is on the ball and younger brother, Carlton is sending her into orbit.

I've added Robin's blog (www.scrapbookwithrobin.blogspot.com) to the list of Family Links and her Close to My Heart stamping website (http://robinvoak.myctmh.com) to the list of Links to Check Out.

Dear Extended Family...(I Know You're Here)...

In case you haven't noticed the list of Family Links in the right hand column, take a minute to check each one out. For instance, since the K-Kids Family Fun blog is meant to include antics of the whole family, I started another one called Simply Me in which to record my own daily random thoughts and another in which to tell family stories that will provide a heritage for our kids. Similarly, JW has a blog that records her travels, DL has one for her art efforts, and Cherie is a family friend who is 2/3 of the way through getting her MA degree while helping to take care of her lively nephews. Feel free to make use of the links provided and join us. Better yet, email me if you have any news of your own that I can add to the family blog. We'd love to hear from you.

Love,
M