Tuesday, July 31, 2012

It was a pretty quiet day around here today.  We didn't take a walk this morning as John had to be up at Matt's by 7:30 a.m.  He and Matt went to Grand Forks to pick up Hanna from basketball camp where she's  been since Sunday.  The guys wanted to go nice and early so they could see Hanna play in the final games of the camp.

I spent the day finishing up the laundry I had started yesterday, working on the end of the month finances, and getting birthday gifts wrapped.  John got home around four, checked for more cucumbers, and watered the garden.   After supper our evening was once again spent watching the Olympics--hard to believe we have another full week of watching world class sports.

Monday, July 30, 2012

It was nice and cool when we took our walk this morning due to the cloud cover and nice breeze; however, by the time we made it back to our driveway, the clouds were breaking up and the temps were on the rise.  It was another hot, dry day with no rain in sight.

John kept pretty busy this morning.  Matt had dropped off a trailer full of wood siding he had removed from a house he is re-siding.  John got it unloaded, removed some of the nails, and cut it up into smaller pieces that would fit in our outdoor furnace.  Nothing like free wood to burn for heating the hot water during the summer.





With the siding all cut and stacked, the next chore was picking cucumbers and then doing a little grass cutting.  Most of my day was spent cleaning the upstairs and getting the laundry done.  Our evening was spent once again watching the Olympics. 

Sunday, July 29, 2012

The nice cooler weather of the past few days has passed and today we were back up near 90 degrees with humidity.  We were up and out a little later for our walk--thankfully, there was a slight breeze that helped keep us comfortable.


We had a very quiet day with our usual Sunday morning routine of breakfast followed by church.  John did spend a few minutes outside picking the cucumbers that had matured over the past day or so.  Hopefully we'll get enough to make some bread and butter pickles this week.

The county fair is this week, so we're going to be busy a few days working in the Original Arts Building registering entries and helping display the works of art.  The gal that was going to head this up got called out of town and asked if John and I could out help. 

Our afternoon and evening were pretty much spent watching the Olympics and just vegging out.

 

 

Saturday, July 28, 2012

We skipped our walk this morning as we wanted to leave the house by 8 a.m. to head off to the wood carvers' show in Blackduck.  The festival opened at 9 a.m. and we wanted to get there early before the day warmed up.  John and I saw many beautiful carvings along with vendors selling carving supplies.  John purchased a new carving knife and a piece of Montanna bark.  He wants to try his hand at carving bark.  After spending several hours wandering around the many displays, we headed back to Bemidji and stopped at BK for lunch.


Before heading home, we stopped at K-Mart to check out their store closing sales and found some five gallon buckets with lids.  We bought four of them for storing items like sugar and flour.  On our way home, we stopped at an Amish produce stand and found some beautiful tomatoes.  Their produce looked wonderful, so I think we'll be stopping back again next Saturday to purchase some peppers and onions for making relish.


John and I returned home just in time to meet up with JD's family.  We watched the kids while John and Jo went out to celebrate their wedding anniversary.  We played games, ate pizza, watched a movie, and pretty much had a good time.


Grandpop and Jenni playing checkers
 

Julie working on some Legos

While John and Jo were here to pick up the kids, Matt and Sam stopped over with some football equipment Sam wanted to sell and that he wanted me to list on eBay for him.  After some discussion,  JD decided to buy it all for Josh as he'll be playing 6th grade football and could use the pads and other equipment.  After everyone went home, John and I spent the remainder of the evening watching the Olympics before calling it a day.





 

Friday, July 27, 2012

We had another beautiful day with sunny skies and very comfortable temps.  Since it was nice and cool this morning, John decided to head back up to Matt's to cut more firewood.  While he was gone, I did some cleaning and laundry.  

The other day John tilled up a section of ground on the far side of our current garden.  He wants to move our raspberry patch to that area to give us more room in the garden.  This afternoon he sprayed the ground he tilled with weed killer and then sprayed the area down by the pond that has become thick with weeds.  With the hotter weather this summer, the weeds have taken over around the pond to the extent you can no longer see the water.

John has been picking cucumbers over the past couple of days and we finally got enough for another batch.  We made 6 more quarts of dill pickles this evening using our home grown dill from the garden instead of the per-packaged dill mix we used before.  We have to wait 4-6 weeks before we can try them out and see if they are as good as the first ones we made.

Tomorrow is going to be a busy day.  We're heading off to a wood carver's festival in the morning and then we watch the grand kids in the afternoon.

Thursday, July 26, 2012

The weather forecast for today was right on the money calling for a high in the low 70's and that's exactly what we got.  It was actually a little on the cool side this morning when we took our walk.

Since we had this nice break from the heat, John decided to head up to Matt's after breakfast and cut some more wood for the winter.  When he got done with the wood, he and Hanna went up to the school where she practice her shooting.  I also took advantage of the cooler day and was able to bake some bread without heating up the house.


John discovered one of his cucumber vines was all wilted and dying.  At first he thought it was from the heat, but upon further examination, he discovered a pocket gopher had been burrowing in that section of the garden and had bitten off the vine.  He placed some poison in the hole and is hoping that will get rid of the critters before they can do more damage.


One nice thing about a cooler day is the flower blossoms are looking much better and lasting a little longer.  Here is another one of our beautiful blossoms.





Wednesday, July 25, 2012

We had thunderstorms overnight which dropped about three quarters of an inch of rain.  Since the ground was so dry, there were only a few puddles as most of the rain water was absorbed into the dirt.  It was still overcast when we took our walk this morning, but by the time we returned home, the sun was burning off the fog and the temps were on the rise.

This morning I headed up to Sara's for a haircut while John unloaded his compost barrel with it's batch of new dirt.  When I got home I laid down for an hour or so to rest my back some more.  The mornings seem the most painful and if I can rest it, I feel much better by the afternoon.  Hopefully I'll be back to normal in another day or so.

John did some more lawn trimming this afternoon as well as picking more cucumbers.  We should have enough for another round of pickle making tomorrow.

I did manage to get outside to photograph the lilies blooming by the front porch.  With the warm temps, the blossoms only last about a day and then they wilt and drop off.  Last summer it seemed the blossoms lasted at least a week.

 
We just checked the weather on the internet and tonight's lows are forecast to be in the upper 50's with a high tomorrow of only 69 degrees.  Looks like we'll be able to give the AC a break for at least one day before the heat returns on Friday.

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

My back has been bothering me over the past couple of days and this morning the pain made it difficult to get out of bed.  John suggested that we take a shorter walk and see if that would help loosen up the tight muscles.  I did manage okay with walking, but as soon as we got home, I ate some breakfast and headed back to bed where I spent most of the day resting and reading.

John had a doctor's appointment in Bemidji first thing this morning for his annual physical and blood work.  He said he didn't have much of a wait and was in and out within an hour.  Since he had a fasting blood test, he ate breakfast after he returned home and then headed up to Matt's where he picked up Hanna and took her into the school where she and John worked on her shooting.  

I got up several different times during the day and managed to get labels made for the pickles we did yesterday and a few other little chores done.  By this evening my back felt much better--spending most of the day in bed really helped to relax the muscles. 

Monday, July 23, 2012

We had a nice break from the hot weather today with our high temps being about fifteen degrees cooler than yesterday.  The skies were cloudy when we took our walk this morning, and the cooler temps kept the deer flies away.  It looked like we might get some rain today, but the clouds moved out and clear skies returned--still no moisture.

First thing this morning John cut the grass.  Actually he mowed more weeds than grass.  With the lack of rain, our grass hasn't grown, but the weeds still keep coming whether there's moisture or not.  With the warm weather, our cucumbers have come on strong, so John picked a bucketful when he was done with the lawn.  While John was busy outside, I spent the morning working on finances and doing a few other household chores.

I had a doctor's appointment for my annual physical, so after lunch John and I headed off to Bemidji and the clinic.  I barely had a chance to sit down in the waiting area when my named was called and back I went to see the doctor.  We were back out the door in under an hour and, since we didn't need to pick up anything else, hit the road home. 

We still had an hour or so before supper and decided we had enough time to make this summer's first batch of dill pickles.  I got the jars and brine ready while John sliced the cucumbers.  We packed them in the jars, added the brine, and put them in the water bath.  There were just enough cucumbers for seven quarts of pickles.  I checked back on the blog to see when we started doing pickles last summer and found that we did our first batch on August 26th.  We are way ahead of last year which is probably due to the heat this summer.


Cucumbers on the vine this morning

   
Pickles in the jars by the afternoon

 

Sunday, July 22, 2012

The temps were fairly comfortable when we left the house for our morning walk; however, it didn't take long for them to rise once the sun came up.  We reached the upper 90's this afternoon. 

After we got home from church, we spent the rest of the day pretty much hunkered down in the AC.  John had seen a couple of interesting wood items at art in the park yesterday, so this afternoon he spent a little time in the shop working on his new ideas.  While he was doing that, I managed to take a nap.  The early morning walks were catching up with me.  I did get outside for a few minutes to photograph some flowers while John watered the garden and flower pots.  That was our day--a pretty quiet one.

Saturday, July 21, 2012

We skipped our walk this morning and instead opted to get a little extra shut-eye.  Actually, we wanted to leave the house by 9 a.m. so we could get to Bemidji's annual Art In The Park before it got crowded and hot.

Since we arrived before the crowds, we found a shady parking spot a block from the park which is located right on the shores of the lake.  There was a nice breeze blowing in off the water which made it very comfortable for walking around and looking at the different artistic exhibits.  I especially enjoyed the booths displaying photography and got some ideas on new subjects to shoot.  John was particularly interested in the wood turning items and pottery.  I found a cute little brown pottery cup and bought it to use for holding toothpicks. 

After we left the park, we made a stop at Wal Mart to pick up a gift card and a few grocery items and then went on to Menards where John found a few more tee shirts on sale.  It was noon by this time, so we decided to stop at BK for a quick lunch before heading home.

Our afternoon was spent inside in the AC watching some of the PGA on TV and working on the computer.  Matt and Hanna stopped down later in the afternoon to pick up the bed frame and headboard he and John had finished up yesterday.   Sara and Matt were also in Bemidji today to purchase a new mattress and box spring and now have a whole new bed.  They should sleep good tonight.  

Friday, July 20, 2012

The hot, dry weather continued today with temps reaching into the mid to upper 90's.  We did manage to get our morning walk done and after that pretty hunkered down in the AC.

Matt arrived right after breakfast and he and John headed down to the shop to lacquer the bed frame and headboard they constructed and stained yesterday.  In between coats of lacquer, they unplugged the AC condensation drain pipe.  It was stopped up and we had water covering a good portion of the cellar floor.  Thank goodness it was a simple easy fix.  Matt also dropped off Sam and Hanna's football and volleyball schedules for the fall.  Looks like it won't be quite as hectic as last fall.

John and I braved the heat late this afternoon and headed outside to check on the flower pots and garden.  This summer has been much warmer than last, and the garden is maturing way ahead of what would be normal for us here in northern MN.  He dug a few potatoes, cut some cabbage, and picked a few more cucumbers.  We might be putting up pickles next week.  We didn't do pickles until mid to late August last year.  The heat and extremely dry weather is beginning to take a toll on our pots and garden.  John waters just about every day, but the plants and vegetation are really starting to look stressed and wilted even with the water.  We sure do need some rain.


 Cabbage John picked today and peppers
getting close to being picked

While we were looking at the garden, a beautiful butterfly landed on the Marigolds to eat.  I was able to walk right up to it and get some nice photos.


John chopped the cabbage he picked and I made some coleslaw for supper.  It sure tasted good made with fresh cabbage.  Our evening was spent watching some TV and reading.  Our hot weather is suppose to continue with no rain in sight.

Thursday, July 19, 2012

When we left the house for our walk this morning, the skies were overcast and it looked like we might get some rain.  Unfortunately, by noon the clouds moved out without leaving one drop of moisture and the sun to warm the temps up into the mid 80's.  More hot dry weather is on the way for tomorrow.


Right after breakfast, Matt, Hanna, and Rachel arrived at our place.  Last week Matt had dropped off some lumber and today he and John made a new bed frame and headboard.  They got it all cut out and assembled by noon and then stained it after lunch.


While the guys were busy in the shop, I helped Rachel mat and frame a couple of her photos for the fair.  Hanna had decided to add one more picture, so she worked on getting that ready.  We spent the rest of their time here just hanging out until Matt was ready to head home.  He'll be back tomorrow to get the bed lacquered.


After almost two months, we finally got the final job done in our bathroom remodel.  While Matt was here, John got him to help get the tub faucet hooked up and then we installed the last door.  Our bathroom is now finished.

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

We got a break with the weather today as the temps and humidity were much more tolerable which made our morning walk very enjoyable.  Unfortunately, the hot, dry weather is forecast to return tomorrow and last for a while.  John and I were commenting on the fact that we have never run our AC for such a long, continuous time.  Usually we run it for a couple of days, and then the weather cools down, and we turn if off.  That's not the case this summer.  

This morning John cut up the limbs he trimmed off the trees in our yard the other day.  He then did some re-stacking of the wood pile and took care of a few other outside chores.  I spent some time taking photos and trying out different settings on my camera.  Our Tiger Lilies are beginning to bloom and made a pretty subject to photograph.

Around noon we left for Bemidji to take the Honda in for servicing as the AC was giving us some trouble.  The dealership gave us a loaner and we headed off to BK for lunch and then stopped at Wal Mart so I could print out a few photos for Rachel's fair entry.  We also did some shopping at  K Mart and Menards.  After about two and a half hours the Honda was ready to be picked up and we headed back home.  It actually cooled off enough this evening that we turned off the AC and opened the windows for the first time in days.  I'm sure the AC will be running again tomorrow.

 

 

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

The temperatures were a little cooler this morning and with the clouds hiding the sun while we were out, it was actually much more pleasant walking than it has been the past couple of days.

After breakfast, John picked raspberries and did some more work around the apple trees.  I got busy changing the bed linens and working on the laundry.  Sara is going to have another stylist sharing her salon, so some changes needed to be made in the shop.  Matt called and asked John if he could come up this afternoon and give him a hand.  The guys built a corner display shelf, put up some new trim, and got a few other little jobs completed.  I kept busy this afternoon getting birthday gifts wrapped and doing a little house cleaning.  This evening we relaxed and watched a couple of our favorite TV shows before calling it a day.  

Monday, July 16, 2012

Even though we were up and out for our walk nice and early, the temps were already in the low 70's with high humidity by 6 a.m..  There was a strong breeze which made it slightly more comfortable, but we still worked up a sweat walking up and down the hills.

John needed some gas for the lawn mower and I had a couple of errands to run in Bemidji, so right after breakfast we hit the road.  Our first stop was the accountant's and then the bank.  John wanted to look at some fishing lores, so Gander Mountain was our next stop.  We learned that K-Mart is closing out their Bemidji store, so we spent the next half hour searching for close out bargains.  We found a couple of items we needed and will probably stop in again as the sale winds down.  By now it was lunch time, so we made a quick stop at BK for something to eat and then hit Wal Mart for a few grocery items with a final stop for gas before heading off toward home.

Last night I had made arrangements with Hanna to pick her up on our way home.  She and I spent the afternoon matting and framing her photos for the fair and getting her entry form ready for the mail.  When everything was done, we boxed up her photos and John took her home.  Rachel wants to enter a picture or two in the fair, so later this week I'll give her a hand getting them ready.

Sunday, July 15, 2012

Today was a pretty quiet one for us.  Since we were up nice and early for our walk, we had plenty of time for breakfast and to get ready for church.

Since the warm temps and high humidity continued with heat advisories in effect  through tomorrow evening, we spent the day inside keeping cool in the AC.  John and I watched the PGA's  John Deere tournament with it's exciting finish and a new DVD we hadn't had a chance to see.  That pretty much sums up our day.

Saturday, July 14, 2012

The warm weather and high humidity continued today and is forecast to hang around until the early part of next week.  We managed to get our walk in early this morning before the sun was up.


Right after breakfast John headed up to JD's with the tiller.  They had a large sand pile for the kids when they were younger, and now wanted to get rid of that and replace it with an area for gardening.  Matt had removed most of the sand a while ago, so this morning  John tilled the ground and JD removed the rocks that were turned over.  They then raked and smoothed out the area.  It's ready now for a load of top soil and a border of railway ties.  




New garden spot at JD's place


While John was gone, I baked some bread, did some work on the computer, and took care of a few household chores.  Since the weather was so hot, we spent the afternoon vegging out in the AC and watching a movie.  


This evening JD, Jo, and the kids came down so she could pick more raspberries while he took care of a few things in the shop.  Jenni brought along her camera, so she and I took some more pictures.  When everyone was finished with what they were doing, we all adjourned to the house for watermelon.  



John helping Joanne pick raspberries





















Friday, July 13, 2012

John and I were up on time this morning for our walk; however, the high humidity seemed to agitate the deer flys and they were our constant companions the whole time we were outside.  We saw four wild turkeys this morning--that's something you don't see too often around here.  With all the coyotes in our area, I'm surprised the turkeys are still here.

First thing this morning John got the backings and hooks on the rest of my photos.  I only have to get them labeled and they'll be ready to enter into the fair.  John also put the finishing touches on his entries by using his wood burning kit to put his initials on the bottoms of his figures and furniture items.  Now he, too, is all set for the fair.

John's next project was to get the plastic border we bought the other day in Grand Forks around his apple trees.  That took most of the morning, but now the water should stay around the base of the trees.  It's a good thing he got that job done as we had a heavy rain shower this afternoon.  The grass down by the pond also got cut today.


 
Jenni and I had made plans the other evening for her to bring her camera along the next time she came to the shop with Jo.  We found her camera has a Macro mode, so after she got done with her job in the shop, we walked around the yard looking for something to photograph while I gave her some tips and ideas for using the Macro mode.  After taking some pictures, we came in the house, put them on the computer. and tweaked them a little.  I think Jenni did a great job for her first time working with Macro.



Just about the only cherries the birds
have missed 
Photo by Jenni
 
A weed by the shop
 Photo by Jenni
 

Thursday, July 12, 2012

We overslept this morning and were a little later getting out for our walk.  The bad thing about that was the deer flies were more active; however, on the bright side, we ran into several of our neighbors and ended up visiting during  our walk.

Right after breakfast John loaded up the tiller and headed up to Matt's place.  He got a haircut from Sara, tilled their garden, and then went with Hanna into the gym and gave her some coaching as she practiced her shooting.  This afternoon he picked a couple of more buckets of raspberries which we processed and got into the freezer.

I spent my day taking care of some household chores and working on the finances.  Our weather continues to be warm and very dry--rain is very much needed in our area.  At least we are able to stay nice and cool in the AC.

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

The warm weather continued again today with temps reaching into the upper 80's with no rain in sight.  We are getting very dry and the lawn is beginning to burn up.  Only good thing about that is there is no grass cutting for now.

We were up bright and early once again so we could take our walk before the day heated up.  Since it was very warm today and not conducive to working out of doors , we decided to get out of town and take a road trip to Grand Forks to pick up a few mats I still needed for my pictures and to make a Sam's Club run to restock a few items we needed.  We got to GF around noon, so our first stop was Culver's for some lunch before hitting the stores.  One of our stops was the mall where John found a couple of good sales and we did some birthday shopping for the grandkids.  With the shopping completed and the Honda loaded down, we made a final stop at McDonald's for strawberry shakes before hitting the road back home.

We were home just long enough to unload the car, get most of our purchases stowed away, and take a little break before heading up to JD's to celebrate Julie's 7th birthday.  Matt's family came over and we all enjoyed some ice cream and cake.  We stayed to visit for several hours and just got home a few minutes ago.  It's late and time for bed.

  The birthday girl enjoying some
 cake and ice cream

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

First, a quick fishing update from last evening.  John had a great time fishing and was very successful.  He caught a northern, 2 bass, a walleye, and several smaller fish.  We now have enough fish in the freezer for a couple of meals.

On the good news side, our AC is back up and running.  The plumber arrived right on time bright and early this morning.  It took less than half an hour for him to locate the problem and make the repair.  The problem was the electrical wires to the compressor were corroded and had shorted out.  Those wires and clips were replaced and the AC is now keeping us nice and cool.  We were extremely thankful to have it back as the temps reached the upper 80's this afternoon with more warm weather on the way. 

The glass I ordered for my picture frames was ready to be picked up, so John and I decided to make a run to Bemidji.  It was after lunch time when we finally got on the road, so our first stop was BK for something to eat.  We then picked up the glass, dropped some papers off at the accountant, stopped at the Social Security office so I could get a new SS card to replace the one I lost, and then we shopped for groceries to restock the pantry before heading home.  This evening John watched the All Star Game while I did some reading.

 

Monday, July 9, 2012

We lucked out as far as the weather was concerned today--the temps reached the mid 80's but there was a breeze and lower humidity, so the house stayed fairly comfortable until the late afternoon when the sun hit the west side of the house.  John and I stuck to our very early morning walk and it was actually pretty comfortable walking at that time.

John stayed busy most of the day working outside in the garden and trimming the trees in the yard along with taking a few breaks here and there relaxing on the porch.  I did laundry and straightened up our storage closet.  After digging out frames and mats, it was in a little bit of a mess.  I got everything put back where it belongs and order has been restored.

The raspberries continue to ripen, so John called Joanne and asked her if she wanted to come pick some today or tomorrow.  She said she wanted some berries and came over after supper to pick.  Jo brought Josh, Jenni, and Julie with her to help, but the help gave out after a little while and ended up in the house visiting with me.  I got caught up on swimming lessons, camping trips, and general summertime activities.

 Joanne and Jenni picking berries

Pastor Adam called John just as we were finishing up supper and asked if he wanted to go fishing.  Of course, the answer was "Yes". As of now, he still hasn't returned home, so I'll have to wait until tomorrow to let you all know if he caught anything. 

Sunday, July 8, 2012

John and I managed to survive day two without AC.  We left the house around 6 a.m. for our walk so we could get it in before the temps warmed up.  

John ate breakfast and then headed out to pick more raspberries--he got two buckets full of berries and there's still plenty left to ripen.  


While John was busy in the garden, I got the kitchen cleaned and got things organized to make more raspberry jelly.  By then it was time to get cleaned up and leave for church.  It sure felt good to sit in the AC for an hour or so.

We kept busy this afternoon making another batch of jelly, getting the picture frames lacquered, and matching up frames and pics.  I ordered more glass for the frames a few days ago and hopefully that will be in sometime this week.  John and I also spent time in front of the fan watching the PGA.  Hope the AC get repaired tomorrow--weather is suppose to get warmer.

Saturday, July 7, 2012

We have a little problem here on the home front.  Last night as I was finishing up the blog, I noticed that the house seemed warm.  John had been talking on the phone with Matt, and when he was done, said he was  hot.  We checked the air vents and found that warm air was blowing out of them.  The AC had gone out.  John checked the breakers in the electrical box in the basement and could find nothing wrong.  He then checked the AC unit outside, but as it was dark, really couldn't see anything.  Soooo, we checked out what we could this morning, but don't know if it's the condenser or something electrical.  The breaker for the stove kicked out yesterday and our problems seem to have started from that event.  A plumber has been called and, hopefully, he'll be here Monday morning.  This is the first we've been without AC in over 14 years--don't even have a fan in the house.  John brought up a big one from the shop to use until we can get the AC going again.  It got warm today, but not unbearable like the rest of the country.  Hope it stays cooler for the next few days until we get things back up and running.

We did get our walk in this morning and then John spent most of his day down in the shop making frames for my photos.  The shop is nice and cool and stays very comfortable on hot days.  I changed bed linens and gave the bedroom a good cleaning.  The dust was pretty thick on the furniture from the trucks running up and down our road.  I also got the rest of my fair photos matted and spent some time on the computer taking care of finances.

After supper John and I went down to the shop to pick out the stain colors for the frames.  We decided to combine a couple to get the colors we wanted.  John got all the frames stained and tomorrow he'll be able to lacquer them and then I can get the rest of the pictures finished and ready for the fair.  This evening we stayed cool sitting in front of the fan watching some TV and reading before calling it a night.

Friday, July 6, 2012

The sky was overcast and looking a little stormy in the west when we left the house for our morning walk.  We thought we had plenty of time to make it back home before any rain fell.  Well, we were wrong--we walked the last half in a light rain.  It was warm and actually felt pretty good.

The raspberries are ripening pretty fast and needed to be picked, so John donned his rain gear and picked a bucket full of berries.  Since it was such a gloomy, wet morning, we decided it was a good time to make some jelly.  We had purchased a Victorio food strainer a couple of weeks ago and thought this would be a good time to give it a try. 


John put the berries in the top, turned the
crank, and the seeds were separated from 
the juice with some pulp 

   
The strainer worked perfectly and we were able to make two batches of jelly in less than an hour.  We sampled some and found it to be pretty tasty.  It'll be delicious on homemade bread.

The weather cleared off this afternoon, so John did a little trimming that he missed yesterday.  I made a quick run into town to the library and then the drug store to get another photo printed.  It was then a final stop at the pizza parlor to get a pizza for supper.  We spent the evening watching some TV before calling it a day.

 

Thursday, July 5, 2012

The temps were about 10 degrees cooler this morning when we left the house which made walking much more pleasant and enjoyable. Oh, I forgot to mention that we started our walk at 6 a.m.  Early is the only way to beat the heat and bugs.

After breakfast I dug out my photo mats and started matching them up with the different pics to see what looked best together.  I took a break around mid-morning to run up to Sara's for a haircut and then continued working on the photos when I got home.  I was short six frames and some mats, so I'll have to get John to make more frames and pick up a few more mats before I can get this project finished   Entry day for the fair is August 1st.

John spent most of his day mowing and trimming the lawn and got most of it under control.  This afternoon I made a quick trip to Bemidji and our regional library to renew my card so I could continue to use their web site and download e books.  As I traveled through the downtown area, I could still see many downed trees, debris, and damaged properties from Monday evening's storm.  There is still a lot of clean up to be done in and around the town.

A cold front is suppose to move through our area overnight, so we're hoping we won't have any severe weather with it.  We're looking forward to having some cooler weather for a day or so.

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

It was a pretty quiet Fourth of July for us.  Usually Amy and her family are with us over this holiday and we all spend several days together and have a family cookout.  With their family's move to Gillette a couple of weeks ago, we weren't able to be together this year.  Sara, Sam, Hanna, and Rachel were out of town visiting family, so we just had a lazy day at home.

We were in a severe thunderstorm warning for most of the day and, again, the worst of a big storm passed over us to the north with us getting rain and wind but nothing too strong.

John worked down in the shop for a while and finished up the tables he has been making. 


This evening we watched a couple of old movies celebrating Independence Day and ate some strawberry shortcake that I made earlier in the day.

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Our hot weather continued today and we're suppose to have record heat and humidity for tomorrow.  The big storm that went through last evening hit the Bemidji area pretty hard with 70 mile per hour winds.  There are still quite a few folks without power and the call has gone out for volunteers to help clear roads, etc. of fallen trees.  We feel very fortunate that we were on the north side of that storm.

John and I did get our walk in this morning even though it was pretty warm early this morning.  After breakfast, John spent time in the shop working on tables and a few other projects he has in mind.  I continued working on fair pictures and this afternoon made a trip to town and got them printed.  Now I have to find matting and frames for them.  


We discovered we were out of buns, so after supper we made another trip into town to the grocery store and before heading home,  stopped at the local ice cream stand for a couple of milk shakes.  It wasn't DQ but when it's hot, all ice cream tastes good. 

Monday, July 2, 2012

We were up early for our walk hoping to beat the heat, but it was even warmer this morning than yesterday at the same time.  We got our walk in, but really worked up a sweat doing it.  

With the hot weather, inside activities were the choice for today.  My time was spent doing laundry and working on photos for the fair.  I have pretty much settled on the ones I want to get printed and hope to get that done this week.  John picked more strawberries and the first of the raspberries before spending his time down in the shop working on table legs and making a frame for a ceramic decorative tile we picked up last summer in Michigan while visiting there.

The hot weather brought severe thunderstorms through our area early this evening.  We were on the north edge of the big system, but still had much lightening, thunder, and heavy rains.  We lost power for only about 10 minutes, thank goodness.  The temps dropped 30 degrees in half an hour, but hot weather is still in the forecast for tomorrow.  That's all for today.

Sunday, July 1, 2012

The hot weather out to the west of us finally arrived overnight.  The temperature was almost 70 degrees at 7 a.m. and made for a warm walk.

Today was the warmest for us so far this summer with a high in the low 90's. After church, John and I pretty much spent the day relaxing and watching the PGA and Olympic trials while staying in the cool AC.  It was just too hot to be doing anything outside.  The weather service has issued a heat advisory for our area through Thursday.  

This evening John went out and watered the flower pots while I took a few photos of things in the garden.

 Butterflies on marigolds

  Roses blooming in front of house

 Cherries beginning to ripen
 
 Our future grape juice


 

Roofing Being Done Everywhere!!

John and I have been keeping pretty busy over these last several weeks.  Our weather has turned quite warm, but the nights cool down very ni...