Getting Back to Normal

We continued in a heat wave this week with temps in the mid 90s... until we finally got 2.75 inches of rain on Friday night. But we were undeterred. Both Tom and I decided it was time to get into a better routine. I had been wanting to exercise and eat healthier, this week, I decided to exercise at least three times a week and to write down everything I ate.

Deborah is my accountability partner and she has been very good about checking in on me. This week I walked three days 1.5 miles and I did two days of yoga. I decided to try that. I'm in "30 days of Yoga with Arlene." It was one of the first videos that came up on YouTube under "Yoga" and I'm enjoying it.  I'm actually doing it every other day.  And I've been working in the garden. It's time to replant for fall. Tom rototilled... then weeds came up.... and he rototilled again. So I'll plant and hope most of the weed seeds have been eliminated.

This has been a great year for cucumbers... pretty good for beans and zucchini... not so hot for peppers and tomatoes.

Monday night we went to see the new Star Wars movie. It was enjoyable.

Tuesday I made flight arrangements to go and visit Mom. I'll leave on August 23rd and return Sept 6th-- both Tuesdays. Tuesday we also went to look at a house to think about buying. It actually was a great deal and would not need all that much financial investment... but lots of work. We crunched numbers and put in an offer on Friday. It will be offered first to owner/occupiers, and then, a week later, opened up to investors.  There are other offers in, so who knows. But it would be a fun house to renovate. We had a single mom and her daughter over for dinner that night. Then Tom spent on hour on the tractor beating the grass into smaller pieces.

We had the AC conk out at our Whiteville house. The 'under the house' distribution box where all the ducts tie into was falling apart so air was freely being released in the crawl space. Our favorite  heat and air guy was so swamped he said it would be weeks before he could get to it. That might have been in part because it was a nasty repair job in cramped quarters.

 This was the box beneath the heater that had all the ductwork going out of it.-- notice the few holes.

  He did recommend someone else. Tom met with those guys and they gave an estimate but recommended replacement of the AC at the same time as it was very old. We decided to go the more expensive route to replace rather than just repair. So they came out on Friday to do that. Our tenant said they were very professional.... and that it's cooling much better now.

I've continued to work on tech websites and publicity. Apparently one tech has the interest of some big companies. As I own some stock in that company, it would be nice if good things happened to it. There was a company in Kenya that asked about a web site. I was pretty sure they would not be willing to pay my price... but I quoted an offer and it looks like they will accept. I thought about one of the young returned missionaries there that has a pretty good command of English. Perhaps he could become a copywriter. I offered to help him, but at this time he doesn't have a computer or steady access to one. I was, however able to gift him the AWAI basic course and he's excited about that. I would like to see if there's a way I can get him to do some work on this website so he can have a beginning portfolio of work done.

Saturday Tom took the youth of our ward to the temple to do baptisms. He was gone all day and then came home to a young man being baptized into the church in our ward. This young man has been coming for years with his mom and sister... and finally made the decision to be baptized himself.  I'm glad he took the time to decide on his own and not follow any kind of pressure.

Today was as great fast and testimony meeting. I also had a chance to meet with the stake president and get my temple recommend renewed. Our Relief Society lesson was on Elder Renlund's talk about "The farther apart the giver and the receiver are, the more there is a sense of entitlement." For example if a friend gives you something, you may feel grateful. But if the government gives you something, you feel you deserve it. She used the examples of Nephi and Lamon to show the difference. One sought to draw closer to the Giver of All things and to understand and be grateful. The other drew away from God and complained that blessings  given to others should have come to him... that it wasn't fair. She said when we get angry, resentful or critical of the way things are... it's time for a check on how close we are to the Lord.