The End of June

Last Sunday several of us drove out to visit Mom's grave since not all of them had seen the sight since the stone had been placed.

Rebecca and her girls have been good motivation for me to get up and run on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings. Not as fast nor as far as I would like, but I let my body tell me what it is capable each day. I do ignore the "it hurts and you need to stop" thoughts in the first half mile though.

Monday Miranda and family left for Bella Vista. It is amazing how quiet the house is without the squawking of the bird - and how much we missed it! Rebecca and I did a walk through of one of her rent houses; she had not seen the interior work I had done last fall. Nice tenant.

Tuesday I was supposed to have a zoom call with my grief support group, but the administrator forgot to set the call up. A ward member, who is also a nurse at the hospital, set up a blood drive at the church that afternoon and I had signed up to donate. Rebecca, had never donated before; but she came along and they took her blood too. We swung by Dominoes for dinner.

Wednesday Delaney and I headed off to Springdale. I drove the truck with the trailer; it was loaded with an entertainment stand, 4 bikes and rack and some other odds and ends. I dropped Delaney off at Deborah's, traded her for Samantha, and drove up the road to Miranda's house. Their house is not easy to find; a GPS is almost mandatory to find it. I made one wrong turn and then had trouble turning truck and trailer around with the narrow and windy roads. They have a great house. Currently the garage is half full of full boxes which they are gradually finding new homes for inside. While the house has some nice features, I have to question the wisdom of 10 foot ceilings (both floors) when the laundry room is so small that the door leading from the garage into that room impacts the clothes dryer.

Samantha was happy to play with her cousins and kept herself entertained.

By 730 Thursday morning, Miranda and I were on the way to their storage shed to pick up the last of their items from that facility. The grands were most helpful hauling the smaller items in the house. After a quick shower, Samantha and I headed off to Hollister to purchase additional decking from Menard's. The shortest route there is only on two lane roads. Two hours later, we arrived. I had previously called to verify they had the decking in stock; they did, and they showed I had a credit for the 23 I bought last month, but they did not have in stock at that time. It took about 25 minutes for the sales rep to get my transaction for a total of 50 resolved (he was new). However, once in the warehouse, the worker there confirmed they only at 21 in stock. He did help be load them and I have perfected the technique of strapping them down without worrying of losing any on the way home.

This time though, I went back to the service desk to ask for a refund and to inquire why the sales reps sell things they don't have in stock. They had to bring in the boss lady to get my refund and she suggested asking for the 'front desk' next time I call; they can accurately tell me if my decking is available. I drive 3 1/2 hours and come away with less than half of what I wanted. I was not a happy camper; so I bought some Reese's peanut butter cups to make me feel better. And Samantha was happy to share.

We stopped in Harrison to shop at Aldi's. Bought more strawberries which became jam on Friday. We did not get home until 5 pm. Samantha was a trooper and did not complain about the long ride.

Friday, after running, we tackled the strawberries and made two more batches.

The plants in the garden are gaining ground as the weeds are slowly being removed and burned. Probably 90% clean at this moment (that figure is subject to change rapidly!) Callie is my best helper there. The corn is now as high as an elephant's eye, but no visible corn. The broccoli has blessed our table with delicious goodness.

Saturday we all went to a local restaurant for breakfast. Not too many customers, plenty of distancing and masks were required - when not eating.

I went to the church building to help sanitize it in preparation for today's meetings. I returned in time to see Rebecca's family depart with the ultimate goal of arriving at Jonathan's; Dan flies into Springfield this weekend. She took Samantha with her, met Deborah and family in Harrison and traded Samantha for her own Delaney and Sarah.

I was able to weed whip the fence line and then spray with weed killer; will see how efficient that is. Also got the lawn mowed this week. We have been busy getting ready for next Saturday's Pie Day Celebration, getting several pies made and frozen, lining up canopies, ice chests and such.

Today was real church. We met in three different locations in the building so as not to violate the over 50 rule; no one touched a sacrament tray except the passer and the meetings were over in about 40 minutes. No singing, just organ or piano playing the hymns; only the conductor (member of the bishopric) spoke. We were encouraged to exit quickly after the meetings and not linger in the building. Once outside, off came the masks and the visiting began. It was refreshing to meet, even under these austere conditions. The O'Briens invited me for dinner, so I went and had an enjoyable meal. Then stopped on the way home to check on a couple of families.

It appears the hot/humid season is upon us.

Chaos Reigns

I was motivated to run Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Callie, Marian, Rebecca and I start out about 630 in the morning, and each runs their own distance. One day we even had Alex and Ethan join us, although one was on a bike.

Last December the lab results of my annual physical indicated a higher than normal PSA count, which is why the doctor had me return last week for follow up lab work. Unfortunately, what ever upset my insides last week (diverticulitis, stomach inflammation??) also affected the blood test results. When I visited the doctor on Tuesday, he could only say the test was inconclusive and wanted me to return in a month. The count was a little lower though. Scheduling a follow up lab was interesting; the scheduler was adamant that I could not come in any earlier than 30 days for the insurance to cover the costs; 30 days put it about the time I planned to leave for the reunion. Then she went to schedule my next appointment for six months; again, it couldn't be any earlier that six months and that put it right before Christmas. I don't know that I will be home then I told her; but that is when she had to schedule it! Isn't there any flexibility? She finally asked another administrator and we discovered there is a 30 day window, so my physical is scheduled for early January. Why do we make life so difficult??

Wednesday I had my monthly visit with the chiropractor. A once a month visit keeps me 'maintained'. Thursday I had a minor repair to do at a rental and took Callie with me to assist. Interesting story here. The tenant is 65+ and lives with his single son. Recently his wife passed away in California. Since he thought he was divorced, he only planned to send the son; but not so. Evidently the divorce papers were never officially signed and recorded, so he while he lived the past 10 years thinking he was divorced, he really wasn't. Consequently, he was required to go out as well to sign all the paperwork related to her affairs. 

Three weeks ago I listed a duplex purchased in 2009, with my favorite realtor. On Thursday it was shown for the first time to two different potential buyers; and both viewers submitted offers. And both were for the same price! This property would only appeal to an investor, and I had anticipated it being on the market for several months. I am pleasantly surprised and excited. Friday morning I was at the realtors office countering one offer and accepting the other. Hope to close before the reunion.

Miranda had hoped to close on their house Tuesday morning, but the bank did not get the paperwork to the title company until late in the afternoon Unfortunately, the movers were set to deliver their household goods that morning; the truck was loaded and had to be turned around and unloaded. While they have a house, where Dan has been living a temporary austere lifestyle, their goods will be delivered next Tuesday.  So homeless Miranda and children returned Tuesday evening to spend another week with us. The cousins do get along well.

Friday Andy's family joined us for the week end. We managed to cram all 19 of us in the house because no one wants to miss the action by staying at a motel. And this is what the downstairs looks like:

Saturday, Dan, Andy and seven grands joined me for a tree cutting down project. A dead tree was leaning over at one of the rentals and I took advantage of the help. Turns out the chain was dull and it took longer for Dan to cut; a fellow church member lived around the corned, so I was able to borrow his saw to finish the job. The grands did a fantastic job of cleaning up the debris which all went on the burn pile which was later burned so they could make semores. 

I had to leave before the job was done because I had an eye appointment with the Walmart Vision Center. My new glasses were in and needed to be fitted. They are a welcome replacement to my old ones!

During the week I was able to finish replacing the planking on the back steps. Unfortunately, I am short two pieces to have that section complete. I need to make another trip to Menard's to get more material. The steps were more involved as I modified them slightly and had to figure out how to do it as I went along.

Saturday evening we played the obligatory  game of  5 Crowns. Rebecca made a Father's Day cake and everyone stayed up late visiting and doing some reunion planning.

Cake in the making:

The final product looks much better!

Ethan's coneur has provide much entertainment for us with his bird like antics. 

We had 19 in attendance at church today. I have come to really feel the Spirit in our home meetings and it is great to have so many family members with whom to share that experience.

Enjoying some 7-layer dip after church.

I am not pregnant!

Monday started off with a run in the cool of the morning. Then Miranda and I made two batches of strawberry jam. Three hours of work, 6 pounds of strawberries, and I won't mention the amount of sugar, and we had 10 pints of delicious sweet tasting jam.

Tuesday was a wonderfully cool day! Temperatures stayed in the 60s. It was a good day to work on two sections of unfinished handrails and the steps off the back door. The stringers were still in good condition, so only the steps and toe kicks needed to be replaced. The tricky part is getting the outside corners to match. I won't tell you how good of a job I did - you will have to come and check it out yourselves. Between work calls, Dan was able to assist; it goes much faster with two. Miranda was also helpful when not caring for her children.

Wednesday did not turn out as planned. There was no morning run, no driving to Jonathan and Kristy's for Isabelle's baccalaureate ceremony. I was up early due to abdominal pain; by 7:30 I realized my symptoms reminded me of former kidney stone episodes, so I assumed that was my problem and sent Ethan downstairs to wake up his mother. She was able to get me a 10 am doctor's appointment. And then she drove me there and waited for me. At the doctor's office, they checked my temperature, asked a few questions and then let me in the door - with my mask on. A few minutes later I met with the nurse who checked vitals and then another nurse took me for an ultrasound (a first for me). She confirmed I am not pregnant and there was no evidence of kidney stones. The doctor checked the data and suggested I may be suffering from diverticulitis and proscribed antibiotics. In the afternoon Alex helped me make a  double batch of cookies.

Thursday should have been a big day; Rebecca was due to fly into Springfield that evening. Isabelle was due to graduate about the same time. I wondered if it was possible that Rebecca would be slightly delayed so that I could attend the graduation; but she was more than just delayed. Her flight out of Seattle was delayed two hours, so there was no way to catch the connecting flight in Dallas. She opted to fly into Dallas and spend the night. American Airlines was able to reschedule her flight into Fayetteville for Friday night. That meant she had two nights in hotels and an opportunity to acclimate before getting here.

Friday morning I got in a short run with Dan and then met with my tax accountant; 2019 cost me twice any previous year, but for the first time in 10 years, I am getting a refund! Then home to prep to drive to Fayetteville to pick up Rebecca's family. I stopped by Deborah's for a quick visit, and then drove to the airport. Deborah's family joined me there to greet the returning cousins.

 Since there is an Andy's Frozen Custard nearby, we had to stop there before continuing home.

We were home by 10 pm.

Saturday was slow day for all of us. Vela did invite us to enjoy her pool and everyone had a great time. And we celebrated (late) Callie's birthday.

We had more attendees at home church today than ever before: 12. There is something very special about these at home experiences that will make it difficult to return to church again. And our stake has been authorized to start holding limited meetings starting 28 June.

It is fun to have the two families here; the older girls enjoy playing with the young boys.  And Rachel is enjoyed by everyone.

This picture does not show off the new steps well. And they are all the same color.

Home again

Last Sunday the Spencers came for home church; Adam gave the lesson; I am impressed how much the older of the young grand children know of the Book of Mormon. Lunch followed and we enjoyed a quiet afternoon. In the evening, most of us took a seven minute walk to another ward member who is also a dentist - his office is less than a mile from Adam's office. In fact, on his road, over a two mile stretch, there are at least 7-8 dentist offices. Evidently there are about 80 dentists in the Medford area. We had a delicious dinner of smoked ribs; an enjoyable time was had by all.

Monday I was able to get out and run again, without any negative effects. Most of the day was spent working on the list of chores. By now, Savannah has been able to reduce the list from two pages to one.

Tuesday I had an appointment with the dentist to have a crown removed and replaced. It is nice not to have to have a temporary crown installed and wait two weeks for the crown to be made somewhere else and then installed. Adam has the fancy (i.e., expensive) machine that makes them in the office in less than an hour. During the wait, he removed an old filling that had lost its effectiveness and replaced it. And the new crown fits great.

I returned again on Wednesday to have another tooth capped with a crown. Again, the crown fits and I have had no adverse response to all this tooth work. My mouth may still be stretched out of shape, though. I am amazed that the boy that couldn't sit still (he still can't) as a youth, has the concentration to focus on the delicate work of dentistry in the small confines of people's mouths. And it is obvious that he enjoys his work. He has an impressive staff too.

I was able to run again on Thursday morning and survived. Still too many hills, but the weather was great.

Reasons for obtaining  a home warranty when purchasing a used home: The air conditioning was not functioning properly; the technician came out, found some problems and resolved them. I believe the entire cost was covered by the warranty. The house has a 75 gallon vented gas water heater; it had not been providing sufficient hot water, so again a plumber came out to investigate. Short story, it is into its 14 year of a 12-16 year life expectancy and needs some parts replaced. But as the plumber stated, he would probably be back in a few months to resolve additional issues caused by the age of the heater. He succeeded in convincing the insurance company to pay for the installation of a new water heater. They are not cheap, either. And did I mention that the dishwasher also leaks?

In the process of working around their house, I discovered that water runs up hill in Oregon. It must; why else would the contractor installed a four inch drain line running up hill? The 30 foot rain gutter on the back side of the house drained into a two foot section of drain line with a 5 inch incline before going into the sewer line. It didn't make sense to me; so it now slopes down.

Where I spent the previous two weeks:

Thursday evening was a sad time, saying good bye to all the children since I was leaving early in the morning. I enjoyed reading stories to the 5 and 6 year old girls - I now know why you don't put hot sauce on the dragon's tacos and that Goldilocks really visited the home of dinosaurs and not bears, among other great truths. Denali and I had fun fixing cinnamon cake for breakfast and going to Lowe's for supplies. Lisa was so cute; during the time I was there, she learned to come grab you by a finger and lead you where she wanted you to get her something. If it was to the frig, she wanted her milk bottle. Below are Lisa and Miley.

You may notice an addition to me; I started a Q-19 growth, which, if I can stand it, will continue until the St Louis Temple reopens. It has been 50 years since I had a beard!

Adam doesn't work on Friday's, but he was up at 5 am to transport me the 15 minutes to the airport. 15 minutes after arrival, I was at the gate waiting for my 7 am flight. The Denver terminal was a little more crowded, but still not a mass of humanity. Neither flight was more than 80 percent full and were uneventful. I find it interesting that they insist on distancing while in the terminal and boarding and deplaning, but once you are on the plane, you are elbow to elbow to others.

Kristy arrived about the time I was ready to be picked up in Springfield. Spent a quiet evening with their family. Katie and Aaron drove up in time for Isabelle and Katie to attend a junior prom (Izzie is a senior).

I left Saturday morning to return home; but first a stop at Menard's to purchase additional decking material. The boards come in 12 foot lengths, and with the tail gate down, only about two foot hung over. I used multiple straps to hold the boards together and then strap them to the truck. There was some shifting, but they all made it to the house. Dan helped me unload them.

On the way home, Miranda called to inform me that it was 85 degrees upstairs at the house and the AC wasn't working. I was able to call the AC company I use; Laban called back - he had several other calls ahead of me, but gave me a helpful suggestion:  check the condensation pump to ensure the reservoir isn't full, if so, it will kick off the unit. Turned out that Miranda's boys had unplugged the pump to use the outlet for other purposes. A simple fix. 10 days ago Miranda had started mowing the lawn, only to have the mower quit. In trouble shooting, I discovered there was water in the gas tank. After draining off about 1/2 cup water, it ran fine and Dan mowed the lawn (Yeah!).

Miranda's family is officially homeless; they closed on their previous house on Friday and will spend the week here until they close on their new one in eight days. Rebecca has tickets to arrive in town Thursday night and will hang out here initially.

My week in Oregon

Memorial Day. The children celebrated by swimming in the pool and having a great time.

Adam had the day off, so we tackled several home projects that required two. Probably the most important thing we did was stop by Harry and Davids; I was disappointed on two accounts: the employees confirmed most (all?) H and D shops were closing and they didn't have any chocolate on sale! But that did not stop me from buying some anyway. Hopefully there will be room in the suitcase for my purchases.

The rest of the week sort of morphed together; I'd get up and get started on the list of things to do - which by the way - seems to be growing. I can now find my way to Lowes without getting lost. None of the cabinets/drawers in the house had handles and Savannah wanted the kitchen and master bath to have them. After installing 70, she liked it so much she ordered more for the rest of the downstairs. Will they arrive by Thursday?

Friday was a slower day as it was Denali's birthday and the focus was on celebrating her day. Savannah had coordinated a drive by celebration with several friends for 4:30 pm and so at the appointed hour, her friends drove by, paused for a few minutes to wish her a happy birthday through the car windows, and then drove on. Nice tribute. And Adam fixed her favorite dessert.

Miley enjoying her delicious beccone dolce.

After 10 days of pleasant weather, it rained on Saturday. But what a great way to find out that the rain gutters need to be cleaned out. When the rain paused, Adam and I cleaned the clogged gutters.

After my knee objected to my running (can I say it was injured when I never had that verified?), I took several weeks off. But this past week, I got out the running shoes and ran three times. And the knee did not object. Maybe I should not have waited six weeks. I am starting slow and building up so as not to cause further problems. The challenge here is that they live on a hill and it is difficult to find a level area to run; so there are some hills involved.

I had my semi annual dental checkup scheduled for two weeks from now in Mountain Home and thought, why not have Adam do it for me. His office had a 7 am cancellation on Tuesday, so I took it. His hygienist was very thorough and it was discovered that additional work is needed; so I am scheduled to return next week to have two crowns installed.

Today was church at home; Savannah's parents joined us and we had an uplifting time partaking of the sacrament and a lesson from Come Follow Me. It is great to share these times with family.

I have enjoyed my time here; the weather has been good, the food is great and the family is fun to be with.

Monday I finally made arrangements for my trip to Oregon to visit Adam's family. They recently moved into a new to them house and had a list of things to do to bring it up to their standards. Besides, the office of Harry and David is located there and it is open. I also worked on the exterior deck and used up all the lumber previously purchased.

Tuesday I mowed the yard; new blades make such a difference. I even weed whipped. I found this little guy near the blue berry bushes; he is about four feet long.

 Also spent some time packing for my trip. Then that evening Miranda, Dan and family arrived.from the house hunting trip; they had found a suitable home and made an offer. Now time to get inspections and negotiate who will do what or what they can live with.

Wednesday I was out of the house before 9 am to drive the truck three hours to Jonathan and Kristy's. This drive takes me right by an Andy's Frozen Custard; the car knows the way there so I just have to enjoy one of their hot fudge sundaes. Arrived in time for a short visit with the Fox Family before Isabelle drove me to the Springfield airport. We did make a stop at Reilly's auto parts for a new battery; first car I recall with a battery in the trunk. It does keep the spare tire company.

I was the only one at the ticket counter, and since I had prepaid for my bag and had a boarding pass already printed, the process took only a minute. The gate area was deserted; social distancing was not a problem.

Those in the Denver terminal were required to wear face masks, but not in Springfield. The flight to Denver did require a mask; boarding was routine; the airplane that seated about 60 passengers and was about two thirds full. Hard to keep a six foot separation in that crowded of a space. I had almost a two hour lay over in Denver and the terminal was a ghost town.

Adam picked me up at the terminal and took me to their new home. It is beautiful and spacious. The children were happy to see me and had decorated my room with welcome banners.

Thursday I started tackling the lengthy list of things to do that Savannah had compiled. The list has such items as:  replace a broken outlet cover, to repair window screens, to patching ceiling drywall over their patio area. I know, why did they use drywall in an outside environment? Along the way additional items were noted and added to the list. I needed to make a trip to Lowe's, it is closer to their house. They now live further from there and while I was able to get there okay,  the return trip required two phone calls to confirm directions; I didn't even have their address with me.

Adam had Friday off so we worked on the more complicated items. We managed to assemble the pool cover and it is now operational. While a particular task may not be difficult, it may require materials not on hand, or as we found with the water damaged ceiling drywall, the damage was more extensive than originally anticipated. Saturday was more of the same working on the to do list.

Today I joined the family for their Sunday morning walk on one of the walking trails around the local mining area. Found two mines, one with a heavy duty grate over the top and the other boarded up. It was a relaxing and enjoyable hike. Denali identified many of the local flora - things she had learned from hikes with her other grand mother. Later today we will hold church at the in-laws and then have dinner.

The weather has been cool and sunny here. But in Mountain Home, heavy rains and thunderstorms have been ravaging the area. May 2020 broke the record for the rainiest May on record; it is also the seventh most rainy month since records have been kept - and more rain is forecast for this next week. Miranda sent me a photo of the front yard, most of which was under water.

Arkansas is slowly opening up even though the number of Covid cases is increasing. It appears to be business as usual in Medford. Hope all of you are staying healthy and save.

Where has the time gone? No good asking me because I don't remember! It is a beautiful Sunday morning in the Ozarks (again). In the last 24 hours Mountain Home received 3.95 inches of rain; 9.23 in the past seven days. The ground is very soggy, the pond is overflowing around the edges (this might be the 5th time this has happened in the past 20 years), but the garden is sprouting and growing!

Monday the chimney sweep people showed up to clean out the firebox and flue. Usually I have this performed annually, but for some good reasons it has been three years since the last cleaning.

Tuesday was a good day to relearn the lesson that proper prior planning reaps rewards (sorry, no five 'P's this time). Katie and I left early in the morning to drive to Hollister, MO (90 minute drive) to buy some decking at Menards. When we had the steps replaced last summer, that is the lumber supplier that had the composite decking we wanted; no one locally carries the same materials. We had previously loaded the 35 feet of old deck railing and on our way out of town delivered it to the family that wants to build a dog fence.

So what lesson did I need to relearn:  do the research and calculate the materials you need to finish the job before you leave to purchase materials! I failed to realize that the hand rail requires two rails, at the top and the bottom for the ballisters to attach to; I only purchased one. So I could not finish the handrail; I am 11 feet short. This will have to wait a few days before making another trip to Hollister.

I towed the 16 foot trailer to haul the lumber home and learned another lesson: proper loading and securing of materials prevents in-transient losses. I arrived home with one less 12 foot board than we loaded. Opps. No idea where it got lost; it rained most of the way home so visibility was restricted. Shortly after we returned from our shopping trip, Isabelle arrived, having driven over from MO. Nothing like two teenage girls in the house to keep things lively!

Tuesday evening, Aaron helped me cut and install three of the 4 x 4 posts evenly spaced at six feet. It wasn't until Wednesday when trying to figure out how to build the railings that I discovered the sections of the hand railings needed to be spaced a couple of inches less. So, I had to remove the three posts. Then it took some time to figure out the way the handrails were designed to be assembled; and then how to evenly space the ballisters. Fortunately when Chad did the stairs he left his 4 inch spaces for future use. Once I had the first section done, it was much easier to complete the remaining three. Of course I had help with those, so the work went much quicker.

The used bush hog we purchased about 18 years ago was in serious need of new blades. I located a dealer for that brand and spent 45 minutes in the shop as they looked for the right blades. The number on the old ones did not match what the catalog showed, so they called the distributor, got the right blade; but these were slightly thicker and required different bolts. While Dan was still here, we got the new ones installed, only to find out that the new bolts were too long and impact the underside of the bush hog. So off the blades came with a lot of huffing and puffing. Back to the dealer who did have a shorter bolt, but only one. Hopefully the second one will be in this week so I can get the tractor put back together. 

Wednesday evening we had a birthday zoom call celebration in honor of Sandy's 70th birthday. All the children were on line and most had baked a cheese cake (her favorite) to honor her. We have been blessed with an amazing family!

Thursday morning Miranda's family left early to meet their realtor to look at possible homes for their family. They found one, put in an offer, and it was accepted. This house is very close to Deborah, and closer for Andy and Jonathan's families as well - not to mention about one half the driving time for me.  Now time for inspections and paperwork. They returned to their OK home for a few days; Miranda and children will return early next week.

The remaining four grand children left here Friday afternoon to drive to Isabelle's. But while they were here, the girls made yummy banana nut bread and fixed some scrumptious meals. I almost didn't let them leave just because of their cooking abilities.

Saturday I started removing the old decking and cutting the new boards. The rain interrupted my work; but there is always next week. Don't want to procrastinate too long - it will start to get hot and humid all too soon.