We managed to drag ourselves out of bed at a reasonable time for our morning walk. It was just starting to get light as we walked out the driveway and by the time we returned home, the sun was up over the horizon. Even though the temp was in the low 30's, there was no breeze, so it was very pleasant being outside.

There was a flat tire on our four wheeler, so after breakfast John removed it and took it up to the repair shop in Clearbrook. While he was in town, he stopped over at Matt's job site where he's rebuilding a garage that was destroyed by a fire. The rafters should be in tomorrow, so John will give then a hand putting them up.

Isaac using the chop saw

Matt, Adam, and Isaac

After checking on the workers, John went to Matt's to pick up our little trailer and bring it back to our place. He has given up on the generator and decided it was time to admit defeat and take it to a guy who does repair work on engines. He loaded it on the trailer, drove back to Clearbrook to drop it off, and then picked up the fixed tire. It was then back home to mount the tire back on the four wheeler. I spent a good portion of my day working on finances, getting caught up, and everything on the computer.

We slept in again this morning. It stays dark until well after 7a.m. and that makes it hard to get the eyes opened and the body moving. Following breakfast, we headed up to church. It was a real treat today to have our grandson, Isaac, sit with us during the service.

On our way out the door, Sam and Isaac asked to borrow John's 22 rifle as they wanted to go squirrel hunting this afternoon. John said "Okay", and they stopped down after lunch to pick up the gun and ammo. The weather today was cloudy, cold, and damp--a good day to just stay inside and keep warm. We watched the NFL games and then John decided to go sit out in his deer stand and see if any deer come out. He didn't see anything, so doesn't know how the hunting will go this weekend.

John spent his evening watching the Eagles and Cowboys while I enjoyed The Amazing Race and The Good Wife.

The temps were in the upper 20's when we took our walk this morning. The ground was covered with a heavy frost that looked like a light dusting of snow. John commented about there being no more green--everything is now some shade of brown. At least we don't have white like the east coast.

This morning John and I did some more work on the shelves in the basement. We arranged them the way we wanted and found a spot to store the screens. We then left the restocking until next week because the guys were coming to site in their rifles.

Sam, Matt, and Isaac arrived after lunch with their guns. John set up a couple of tables--one as a firing station and the other for laying out the different ammo. Each one took turns siting in their rifles. When they got done with that, they had some fun time firing a couple of pistols. This was Isaac's first time firing a gun. He had a little trouble at first with looking through the scope, but he got the hang of it and did a good job hitting the target.

Matt firing his rifle

Isaac taking a turn with his rifle

Matt giving Isaac a few pointers

Diesel came along on the outing, but didn't like
the loud noise of the guns. He stayed pretty close to Sam

Once the guys were finished shooting, they stayed for supper and watched some of the Penn State football game before heading home to do some bow hunting.

John spent his evening watching college football and cleaning the guns that were fired today. I did some work on the computer and finished the mystery I've been reading for the past week.

Our day was nice and sunny, but a little on the cool side--high temps reached into the low 40's with the wind making it feel a little colder.

After breakfast, John went to Matt's to pick up Isaac and bring back the wood splitter. The guys then spent most of the morning splitting and stacking the wood that was cut earlier in the week. John says he's done cutting wood for this season, but we'll see. If he gets bored enough, he'll be back cutting and splitting once again. When the guys got done with the wood, they came inside for a snack before Isaac went back to help Matt clear a couple of shooting lanes for next week's rifle hunting.




This afternoon John and I worked down the basement assembling the shelving that was moved down yesterday. We still have to clear some of the shelves and do the restocking, but we are just doing a little each day. Sara and the girls are out of town for the weekend, so tomorrow Sam, Matt, and Isaac are coming down to site their rifles in and staying for supper. I made a salad for tomorrow before spending the evening watching some TV while John watched the World Series.

This morning dawned chilly, cloudy, and very foggy--we opted out of our walk. We have been discussing putting more shelving in the basement for storage. JD had several extra in the shop, so this morning John disassembled them and he and JD carried them up to the house and then down the basement. We now need to remove everything that is currently on the shelves, get the new ones where we want them, and then restock everything. While John was busy with that job, I did a couple of loads of laundry and listed several more items on ebay. I can't believe I already have bids on everything I listed.

This morning John received a call from the eye doctor telling him that his new glasses were in and ready to be picked up. Since we needed a few groceries and he wanted to get the oil changed in the pickup, we decided to head off to Bemidji after lunch and take care of everything in one trip. First stop was the oil change--it took a little longer that we planned as they found several lights weren't working on the truck and new bulbs needed to be installed. From there it was a quick stop to pick up the glasses and then another stop at the accountant's to pick up a tax form we needed for a real estate tax refund. Last stop was WalMart and then we headed back home just in time for supper.

This evening John watched the World Series while I enjoyed the finale of Projection Runway.

After such a busy day yesterday and the long drive home last night, John and I had a pretty quiet day today. We took our usual morning walk and I must say it felt good to stretch our legs after sitting most of yesterday.

The deer hunting rifle season starts in another week, so John took some time today to clean his rifle as well as his other guns. The guys will get together sometime this weekend to site their guns in and then they'll be ready to hunt. I did a little laundry today, listed several things on ebay, and sorted more things to take south.

There was no World Series this evening due to rain, so we watched Survivor and a couple other TV shows before calling it a night.

We spent last night in St. Cloud. Since Isaac's flight didn't come in until 3:30 p.m. we had a good portion of the day to do as we pleased. Our morning was spent sleeping in, having a late breakfast, and a soak in the motel's hot tub. After checking out, we drove a half hour down the interstate and spent a couple of hours at the Albertville Outlet Mall. John found a new pair of Tevas (a brand of sandles) and I purchased a couple of items for our kitchen. From there we drove further toward the Twin Cities and stopped at a Culvers for some lunch. It was then about a 45 minute drive to the Humphry Terminal at the MPLS airport.

We had no trouble following the road signs and finding the parking garage and a place to park. Susie had told us since Isaac was a minor, we could get a pass and meet him at the arrival gate. We found out that only one pass would be issued, so John opted to wait in the baggage claim area while I braved the security lines and went to the gate. Isaac's flight was 25 minutes early, so I was right on time to meet him with a big welcome hug. We walked to baggage claim where we found John and got his luggage. It was then a easy trek back to the parking garage where, after loading everything into the car, we retraced our drive out of the airport and the metro area.

At the halfway point of the drive home, we stopped at Perkins for some supper. Our five hour return drive to Matt's house gave John and I plenty of time to talk with Isaac and catch up on what he's been doing and learning about some of his plans for the future. It was fun visiting and so good to see him again.

This morning we were up early and finished packing and gathering what we needed for our quick trip to the cities. Our first stop was the orthopedic surgeon in Bemidji where John got his right knee checked out--was told the clicking is probably being caused by scare tissue from his knee surgery two years ago. He had a couple of x-rays and learned that the arthritis is not too bad in that knee and if it flares up, come in for a cortisone injection, so he's good to go.Our next stops were Gander Mountain and then BK for a quick lunch before hitting the road to St. Cloud.

There is a DQ right on our way, so of course John had to stop for a vanilla cone for him and a small Oreo Blizzard for me. We arrived in St. Cloud around 3:45 and checked into our Holiday Inn Express. We then spent a couple of hours walking through the mall and doing some shopping--there were great sales in just about every store. It was then on to Perkins for a late supper and then back to the motel to call it a night.

Today was a rather quiet one for us--just the usual Sunday routine. After breakfast we got cleaned up and headed off to church. Following lunch we watched the Vikings lose, did some reading, and worked on the computer. Tomorrow John has a doctor's appointment to get his right knee checked out--it makes a loud clicking sound with every step. We're leaving right from there on an overnight trip to Minneapolis to pick up our grandson who is flying in from Sacramento Tuesday afternoon. He's going to be doing some hunting and working with Matt for a few weeks before heading over to Grand Forks to visit with his dad's side of the family. The beautiful weather continues and has given us some gorgeous sunsets.

We managed to motivate ourselves this morning and got our walk in nice and early. Even though it was pretty chilly, it was beautiful outside with no breeze and the sun coming up.

This weekend was youth early rifle season, so Matt took Hanna hunting. While in their stand, they saw a coyote and Matt shot it. They are major pests in our area and property owners are allowed to shoot them. John had gone up to Matt's right after breakfast to haul the last of the cut wood home and had the opportunity to see the coyote. He said Matt plans to skin it and get the hide tanned.

Hanna holding coyote

After lunch John tackled the generator problem again. He still hasn't been able to find the solution to its problem, so next week it will probably make a trip to the repair shop. We had one final job to do in readying our place for winter--wrap the front shrubs with plastic fencing so the weight of the winter snow won't crush them. We are now truly ready for winter--all jobs are done.


I spent my entire day doing more laundry and working on the second birthday gift. I am glad to say my persistence paid off and that job is finally completed. All I have to do now is wrap the gifts to keep them safe from prying eyes. We will have a joint birthday celebration next month before we leave for Texas.

Our beautiful weather continued again today, so John spent his morning back up at Matt's splitting the firewood he cut up yesterday. He then filled the trailer and hauled it home--there is still enough wood split for one more load. My morning was spent doing some laundry and cleaning up the kitchen.

After lunch, John unloaded the wood and then worked on the generator. He still hasn't solved the problem, but has another plan of attack to try tomorrow. This afternoon I finished one of the gifts I've been working on--can't say what it is as the recipient reads this blog and I want it to be a surprise.

Our evening was spent watching some college football, working on the computer, and reading.

The weather was just about perfect today--sunny skies, no wind, and temps in the low 50's. First thing this morning John took care of a couple of errands in town and, when he got back home, headed to the shop to make an elevated book stand for Sara. Since the weather was so nice and he had to go to Matt's to deliver the book stand, he decided to take some time and cut more firewood. Tomorrow he'll split what he cut today and maybe haul it home then. This afternoon he worked on our generator and found it needs some work done on the carburetor. He has a few more tricks to try to get it running; however, if they fail, then it will have to be hauled to Clearbrook and the repair shop.

I had my semi-annual appointment with my arthritis doctor this morning. I thought I would be in and out pretty fast and back home a little after lunch time. I waited well over an hour before I got called back to the exam room and then waited another 45 minutes for the doctor to come in. The nurse kept apologizing, but what could she do to hurry things along. To add insult to injury, I then had to go down to the lab for some blood work. The veins weren't co-operating and I had to get stuck twice. It was almost 1:30 p.m. by the time I left the clinic. I was so hungry by then that I made a stop at BK for something to eat before gassing up the car, picking up a few groceries, and making a final stop at Home Depot. It was just about supper time when I returned home. John spent his evening watching the World Series while I did some work on the computer and birthday gifts.

This morning we were up nice and early so John could be on time for his eye doctor's appointment in Bemidji. We arrived about 15 minutes early and were surprised when he was taken right into the exam room--usually you sit around waiting to be called. John's eyes had improved a little, but the doctor didn't feel a change in his prescription was needed. His current glasses have some bad scratches on the lens, so he decided to get a new pair--they should be ready to pick up in about a week.

From the eye doctor's we made a stop at Gander Mountain and then Burger King for some lunch. When we got home, John went with Matt to finish the ceiling job they had started a couple of weeks ago. They had been waiting for the wood to come in and it finally arrived the other day. I had an appointment for a hair cut, so it was off to Sara's for me. Our evening was spent watching Survivor (can't believe who was voted off), the World Series, and working on the computer.

Even though it was very cold this morning, John bundled up and went up to Matt's to cut more firewood and haul it back home. Everything he gets cut now gives us a cushion for the winter and next spring. You never know how cold the spring will be and how long you'll have to burn wood.

While John was gone, I started working on finances, cleaning out files, and deciding what info we'll need to take with us when we head south. I also spent some time sorting through more clothes and setting them aside. John has been looking on ebay for a set of irons and found a set that he liked. Since he was up at Matt's when the auction ended, I had to do the bidding for him--he won and will soon have a nice set of irons.

Our evening was pretty quiet--not much to do after supper since it's getting dark so early. We watched The Biggest Loser and a couple of other TV favorites before calling it a night.

Our cold, windy weather continued again today. Even though we had sunny skies, the temps didn't get out of the low 40's and tonight's temps are suppose to drop down into the 20's. We are slowly but surely slipping into winter.

This morning it was John's turn at the dentist office. He came home with a good report--no cavities. While he was gone, I did some laundry and baked a couple of loaves of bread. Sam's final football game was at 5 p.m. this afternoon. It was still very windy and cold, so we bundled up in hooded sweatshirts, winter coats, hats, and gloves. I was so glad the 8th grade game was held first while we still had some sun light, not that the sun made it any warmer. The Bears had a great game--Sam caught a pass for a touchdown and also rushed for one. They ended their season 9-3.

The Bears 8th Grade Team

When we got home from the game, we warmed up with some hot soup and sandwiches before settling in to watch a couple of our favorite Monday night TV shows.

The high winds of yesterday continued overnight and all day today. With temps in the low 40's, it was a pretty chilly day and a good one to stay inside and veg out. On our drive to church we actually had to turn on the heat in the car--just a few days ago, we were using the AC while driving.

This afternoon we watched the NFL and, in between games, John searched ebay for a new set of Ping irons. He was bidding on a set, but got outbid at the last second. He thinks he found another set, so we'll have to see if he can win this one.

I spent a little time today working on birthday presents and finishing up a novel I started last week. This weather makes us antsy to head to Texas.

This morning we skipped our walk due to the cold temps and strong winds--the highs today barely made it out of the 40's. We slept in an extra hour and then John made us a nice breakfast of bacon, eggs, tea, and cinnamon rolls.

We decided that today was the day to get all the outside chores done before the weather turns much colder. Matt and Sam brought their boat down and stored it in our double garage along with our boat and tiller. John moved the mowers and four wheeler down to the shop for winter storage. We then put new weather stripping on the bottom of the garage doors in the hopes of keeping the rain and snow from blowing in under them. The trees in the front yard have lost all their leaves, so the next job was to clean the leaves out of the front gutters and sweep them off the deck and walkway. We had forgotten to take the wind chimes down, so John took care of putting them away. The only thing left to be done is wrapping the shrubs and trimming back the rose bushes. If we should get an early snow at least everything is picked up and put away.

In between outside chores, we watched some college football and I worked on birthday presents. Our evening was spent watching some TV and working on the computer.

This morning the temp was 35 degrees when we left the house for our walk. We had to bundle up a little bit as there was also a fairly strong breeze. As we were walking, we thought how nice it would be to be taking this walk in Texas. We'll have to tough it out for at least another month as our grandson will be arriving from Sacramento October 25th and will be spending several weeks working with Matt and deer hunting.

John worked in the shop this morning and finally completed everything he needed to do for JD. I spent the morning taking the screens out of the windows and storing them away. It's almost been two weeks since our last major grocery shopping, so after lunch we headed off to Bemidji. First stop was to gas up the Honda and then onto the mall for some birthday shopping. We have quite a few birthdays over the next couple of months so we decided to get a head start on the gift buying. Next stop was Wal Mart and then the pizza parlor for supper before heading home.

Right now we are in the middle of the bow hunting season. Matt and Sam have been going out just about every evening. Sam had seen one particular buck several times, but hadn't been able to get a shot off. Well, tonight that all changed. He shot a six point buck--his first one ever with a bow. Needless to say he is one happy camper.

We woke up to cloudy skies and rain which meant our morning walk was off, so we rolled over and got an extra hour of sleep.

JD still needed some help in the shop, so John worked with him this morning. Our weather keeps getting cooler--our highs next week will only reach the mid 40's--so I spent this morning digging out the heavier jackets and washing up some of the light sweatshirts to pack away. We still had quite of few tomatoes left from the garden, so this afternoon we made one final batch of salsa. That's the last of our canning for this year. Other than Matt dropping in for a visit, our day was pretty routine and quiet.

The sky was overcast this morning with a few sprinkles, but it didn't deter us from our walk. We left the house a little earlier as our new fridge was scheduled to be delivered sometime between 8 a.m. and noon. Home Depot told us they would call and give us a heads up about 30 minutes before they arrived. It's a good thing John checked our voice mail when we returned home because there was a message from the delivery people telling us they were on their way and would I return the call to give them directions to our place. When I called, I found they were just pulling into Bagley and would be at our place in 15 mins. It was then a mad dash to get the fridge emptied, the car out of the garage (that's where the old one was going until Matt could pick it up), and make sure the path to the kitchen was clear.

The delivery truck arrived right on time. The old fridge was quickly removed, put in the garage, and the new one brought into the house. The doors were switched so the fridge opened the way we wanted and the ice maker installed and hooked up. Since we hadn't had time to even eat breakfast, we took care of that, and while John got cleaned up, I started washing out the inside of the fridge along with the shelves and door storage bins. It was almost noon by the time I got the fridge restocked and was finally able to take a shower and get cleaned up.

After waiting over two months, the new fridge is finally here!

John called Matt and he came down with his pickup truck and trailer. They loaded the fridge on the trailer and Matt took it up to his place. John followed along and after helping unload the fridge, stayed to cut up more firewood. I occupied my time doing more laundry and sorting through some of our summer clothes to determine what we'll take south with us.

The clouds of this morning cleared off, leaving us with a sunny day and this beautiful sunset.

We are getting into the routine of taking our walk first thing in the morning; however, our start time keeps getting later as we have to wait for daylight before starting out. In high summer it was light at 3:30 a.m. but now it's not light until a little after 7 a.m. with the sun rising in the southeast. Before long it will barely rise above the tree line.

After breakfast, John decided to cut more wood and haul it home. His motto is "You can never have enough firewood put up for the winter." While he was busy with wood, I did some laundry and a few other household chores. I received a call this morning that our new fridge will be delivered sometime tomorrow morning. Hopefully it will be the correct one this time.

Several days ago, Hanna asked us to attend the parents' night for the volleyball players. This is a night where the players honor their parents for supporting them throughout the season. Each player and her parents are introduced and the girls present a yellow rose them--Hanna came up into the stands and gave us one. We then stayed and watched the varsity games--they lost both of them by one point. Our evening was spent watching the end of The Biggest Loser and working on the computer.

Rachel, Sara, Matt (red hat) and Hanna

Even though the sky looked threatening this morning, we were able to get our morning walk in without getting wet. There were just a couple very light sprinkles and that was it for rain. It's very dry here in northern Minnesota and we need some substantial rains.

John decided to head up to Matt's after breakfast and cut some more firewood and haul it back home. My morning was spent at the dentist for my semi-annual teeth cleaning and checkup. I really don't like going to the dentist, but I got a good report and don't need to return for another six months.

This afternoon we headed up to Clearbrook to watch Sam's football game. It was after 6 p.m. by the time the game started and it had to be moved to the big field at half time so they could finish under the lights. The Bears gave it a good effort, but ended up on the losing end with a score of 24-20. Sam hurt his hand the first part of the game and ended up playing with his fingers taped up. JD, John, and Hanna ran the chains this evening. We had a very late supper while we watched some of Monday Night Football.

We managed to get up in time to get a walk in before breakfast. The temp was 50 degrees and the sky overcast, but it was nice to be outside without the deer flies buzzing around--they are gone until next summer. While walking we also saw several flocks of Canadian Geese heading south.

Following breakfast, we got cleaned up and headed up to church. We found out that Matt and Sam are "batching" it this weekend as Sara and the girls are gone til this evening. They have been keeping busy with bow hunting and assured us they were eating plenty of food. We spent a relaxing day watching the NFL on TV. Between games John pulled the tomato plants in the garden and tilled it. The garden is now history until next spring. We are slowly but surely getting everything ready for winter

We had a beautiful Saturday--sunny skies, cooler temps, and winds that weren't quite as strong as over the past couple of days. The Ironwood trees in our backyard are completely stripped of leaves which now cover the ground. This morning I raked the leaves away from the house and John used the mower with the bagger to gather them up and dump them on the garden.

Before tackling the leaves, we worked on winterizing the porch. We took up all the chair cushions, packed them in plastic bags, and stored them away. John then hauled several of the chairs to one of the storage trailers. We decided to leave the carpet down for the winter thinking that mice would not bother it on the porch, but would probably nest in it if we rolled it up and put it in storage. I gave the carpeting a good vacuuming and we called it good to go til next spring.

John had pulled all of the carrots a couple of days ago, so we got them blanched and into the freezer. The only thing left to do in the way of canning is to make one more batch of salsa--then we'll be done with canning and freezing for the year. In between the chores, we would take a break and watch some college football.

The strong winds continued overnight and throughout today. When John and I took a walk this morning, we noticed we could now see way into the woods. The brush is completely stripped of leaves and the trees are just about bare. The long range forecast calls for much cooler weather by the middle of next week. Our Indian Summer is over.

John spent his morning working down in the shop and this afternoon in the garden picking more tomatoes--he is babying the plants along trying to get as many tomatoes as he can. He also cleaned out the lean-to next to the garage, storing things away for the winter. This weekend the plan is to clear the screened porch. I did some cleaning upstairs and several loads of laundry. Since we had been gone to football and volleyball games three nights this week, we haven't had a home cooked meal for several days, so tonight I made a nice roast beef dinner. My evening was spent watching several favorite TV shows while John watched the Phillies.

We had another warm but very windy day. The leaves are falling off the trees like rain so I think we will seeing bare branches in another couple of days.

John worked in the shop this morning helping JD make parts and assembling sofa server tables. I did laundry and visited with Matt when he stopped over to look at the football pictures on the computer.

Following lunch, John and I headed down to Bemidji and Home Depot to resolve our refrigerator dilemma. We found a 30 inch Amana that we liked and it will be delivered next Wednesday. They even gave us the sale price that we had on the first one.

From Bemidji we drove 25 miles north to Blackduck for Sam's football game. lt was another nail biter with a final score of 22-20. The Blackduck team was undefeated and much bigger than the Bears. Clearbrook was even playing without their largest and heaviest player--he had hurt his back in the last game and is out for the rest of the season. The game started off with Blackduck scoring two touchdowns back to back. Clearbrook then returned a kickoff for a touchdown, and they were back in the game. The Bears played stellar defense preventing extra points and that was the difference in the game. Sam didn't score any touchdowns this evening, but he had 15 carries for 107 yards.

Sam starting a run with Hunter blocking

Sam on the ground after tackle

After the game we all headed back to Bemdji where we met up at Pizza Hut for a late supper before returning home. We spent just a little while watching the news before calling it a day.

It was actually hot today. We're still in the midst of an Indian Summer, but according to weatherman's long range forecast, we should enjoy it while it's here because a change is coming some time next week. We'll probably be wearing winter coats and mittens--the seasons change fast here in northern Minnesota.

John and Matt finished the job they started yesterday and successfully raised and moved the building they were working on.

I had a rather frustrating day. My new fridge was being delivered this afternoon. We had ordered this back the beginning of August, but the delivery date kept being pushed back. I had to get the old one ready to be moved into the garage, so I removed all the photos, grand kid's art work, magnets, and other odds and ends from the door. Next, I emptied the freezer and hauled the frozen food out to our freezer in the garage. When the delivery guys called and said their would be there within 15 minutes, I emptied the rest of the food, placing everything on the kitchen counters, and covering it with towels to keep it cold until the new fridge was in place and plugged in. I made sure everything was out of the way and doubled checked the space between the counter top and the stairs to be sure the new fridge would fit through the opening.

The guys arrived right on time and began to unload the new fridge--removing the cardboard carton and packing material. They then came inside and moved out the old fridge, disconnecting the ice maker water line. The lead deliveryman, Carl, kept measuring the old fridge and the door openings and was ready to move out the old one when he said to me, "That new fridge is 33 inches wide". WHAT??????? It's suppose to be 30 inches--that's the only size that will fit into the space allotted for the refrigerator. We checked the numbers on my order and his paper work, and they were the same. How could this have happened? When John and I ordered the refrigerator, we stressed how important it was to get one that was 30 inches wide as that's the width of the opening. I have no idea what the sales clerk was thinking. We refused the delivery of the new fridge and Carl put back the old one and reconnected everything. l then put everything back inside. Now we have to start the process all over again and try to find another 30 inch fridge that we like.

Our evening was pretty quiet--John was tired from the job they did today. We watched Survivor and some of the baseball playoffs. John was bummed--his Phillies lost tonight.

This morning John had to be at Matt's by 8 a.m. to head up to Clearwater Lake for a job. They moved an old shed onto a trailer and then hauled it to the dump. Tomorrow they go back and jack up another building and move it to another spot on the property.

I headed back to Bemidji this morning to take care of a few errands and to do a little grocery shopping-- it was just too late after the volleyball game last night to get anything done. John got home shortly after I did and we got ready to head up to Clearbrook for another football game. The Bears played a great game winning 28-20. The game came down to the final seconds with Sam intercepting a pass to clinch the win. Tonight's game was a real family affair with JD, Josh, and John running the chains.

JD, Josh, John and Matt visiting during halftime

Sam (#5) kicking off for the first play of the game


Sam starting a run for touchdown

Our sunny, warm weather continued today and we had a beautiful evening for football.

Sunset at the game

Our summer-like weather continued today with record high temps in the 80's. It's suppose to stay this way well into the weekend. This weather makes it nice for working outside and getting those jobs done that need to be completed before the colder weather sets in.

John spent the morning working in the shop with JD while I did some laundry and more picture sorting. I'm just about finished with that part of my project. This afternoon was a busy one for all of us. Sam had a football game in Clearbrook, so Matt, Rachel, JD, and Josh went to the game. JD helped run the chains for the game. The bad news from the game was that one of the opposing players broke his arm--brought back bad memories for Sam.

John and I picked up Sara and we headed off to Cass Lake to watch Hanna's volleyball game. The time of the game was moved back and it didn't start until 6 p.m. The 7th grade girls had a rough night, losing the first game, winning the second, and losing the third--not a good way to end their season. Hanna had an excellent night serving, setting, and returning volleys. By the time we reached Bemidji it was almost 8 p.m., so we stopped at Perkins for a late supper. Of course, when we dropped Sara and Hanna off at the house, John had to run in an get a quick recap of Sam's game. The Bears won 24-14 with Sam scoring two touchdowns. The guys play again tomorrow afternoon.

Hanna scored 5 points in a row with her serving

Hanna returned a volleyball back over her head
for a point

Indian Summer has arrived here in northern Minnesota. The temps reached the low 80's this afternoon with plenty of sunshine and warm breezes. The only bad thing about this weather is the flies and ladybugs--they are everywhere and in everything.

We followed our usual Sunday morning routine--breakfast, getting cleaned up, and then off to church for the service. We had Communion this morning so we were a little later than usual getting back home. After lunch we watched the Vikings lose to the KC Chiefs, but then got happy when the Lions beat the Cowboys. John and I then spent an hour or so out in the garage straightening up and making a spot for stuff that will come to Texas. We learned today that our grandson, Isaac, who lives in Sacramento, CA., is coming the end of October. He hopes to do some deer hunting with Matt and maybe work with him on a job. The rest of our day was spent watching more NFL and baseball playoffs.

Today was the last of Josh's fifth grade football season. The games were held in Fertile, MN, about an hour southwest of our place. We left home a little before 8 a.m. so we could get there in plenty of time to find a parking spot and settle into a good place to watch the games.

The Bears won both their games, giving them an undefeated season. The second game was very exciting with an ending from a Hollywood movie. The Bears played offense first, scored a couple of touchdowns, and then went on defense. They were holding their opponents scoreless when, with about five minutes left in the game, one of the opposing players broke free and ran toward the end zone. He was tackled on about the one yard line. For the next five minutes the Bears played outstanding defense, making a great goal line stand, and not allowing a touchdown. What a great way to end their first season. It was fun for John and I to watch the games and see the kids improve from week to week.

Josh (yellow sleeves) blocking his man

One our way home from the games, we stopped at the DQ for some lunch. This afternoon John used the old lawn mower with the bagger to get the leaves picked up in the back yard. He then dumped them on the garden where they'll be tilled under later in the fall. There will be plenty more leaves to be cleaned up over the next few weeks. I spent my afternoon working on pictures for birthday gifts. This project is going to take a little time, so I need to work on it when I have some free moments. Our evening was spent first watching the Phillies beat the St. Louis Cardinals (John is a die hard Philly fan) and then watching college football.