Today started hazy, warm, and humid. By the time we finished our walk, the sun had burned off the haze and the sky was crystal clear. I haven't been able to take any pictures for over a week, so I decided to grab my camera and see if I could find something interesting to photograph. I found a couple of wild flowers still in bloom by the front of the shop and the duck family swimming on the pond. It felt good to be outside again and able to bend over a little (still can't get all the way down) to take pics.




After breakfast, Matt and Rachel brought over his four wheeler and sprayer so he could put weed killer on his soybean plots. When he got done, he and Rae stayed to visit for a bit. Since it was rather warm and humid today, we spent most of our day inside with the AC running. I still have trouble with sitting any length of time, so I alternate sitting with laying down throughout the day. John's shoulder is feeling better, but he still has to be careful not to move his arm away from his body. He is looking forward to PT starting next week and being able to get some movement back in the shoulder.

We overslept this morning so John had to eat a quick breakfast before heading up to Sara's for his 9:00 a.m.haircut appointment. He looks and feels much better with his hair cut nice and short and his beard all trimmed up.

After he returned home, he got showered up and then decided to give lawn mowing a try. The grass back by the pond grows so fast because of all the moisture in the ground that it has to be mowed almost twice a week. He wore the brace that straps his arm to his side so he wouldn't accidentally move it while mowing and was able to get it cut. Just having to sit around is very hard on John, so I was glad he was able to get out and do some things.

I was able to do a little more around the house today. I am finally able to bend over a little easier, but sitting for any length of time is still painful, but getting better each day. Matt, Sara, and kids stopped over this evening. Hanna is also entering some photos in the fair and wanted me to help her get them ready for printing. After she gets that done, she'll come back and pick out some mats and frames to finish them up. We spent the remainder of the evening visiting and have a lot of laughs.

John and I both felt much better this morning, so we decided to give walking a try. We walked about a mile and made out just fine. It felt good to be outside and get some exercise after a week of being house bound.

I am entering a couple of my photos in a contest sponsored by the Soil and Water Conservation office in Bagley. The entries have to be in by Monday, so John and I took a quick trip into town to drop them off and to return some books to the library. Sitting is still a little hard on my back, so I was glad the ride was not very long. John is very limited in what he can do with his right arm as the elbow has to stay right up against his side; however he is getting much more proficient using his left hand. His biggest challenge is eating and not spilling food down his shirt. We have gotten a good system for keeping the incision dry while showering and for getting his shirts and sling on and off. I think this will be going on a quite a while--we will know more after his first PT session on Monday.

John and I would like to thank everyone for all the telephone calls wishing us well and checking up to see how we are progressing. Also a big thanks for all the helping hands. This experience has taught us how to be gracious and thankful receivers

The clouds and heavy rains of yesterday led the way to beautiful weather today. A cold front came through which gave us sunshine, low humidity, and gentle breezes. John took advantage of the nice day and was able to get outside and check his garden. He is rather distressed about all the weeds that have taken over after all his hard work getting the garden pretty much weed free. I keep telling him even though there are weeds, the tomatoes, potatoes, onions, and carrots are growing good and we will have plenty of them to eat. Everything is nice and green and makes the garden look great even if half of it is weeds.

Since we finally got a whole day without rain, the lawn mowing crew came over this afternoon. Sara, Sam, Hanna, and Rachel arrived after lunch to attack the jungle that is our grass. Sara used a push mower while Sam mowed using the ride-on. Hanna and Rachel walked around making sure everything was picked up before mowing began. The girls then came inside to give me a hand. I still can't lift or bend over very well, so they did some straightening up inside, helped get clothes put away, gathered up the laundry, and started a load of towels. They made sure the baskets and remaining laundry were up high enough for me so I wouldn't have to bend way over to reach things. They are such good workers and helpers--really take care of me.

Sam and Sara did a great job on the lawn. John was able to be outside and give Sam some direction on the easiest way to mow. However, there was a little miss communication when it came to mowing along the stone parking wall. Sam misjudged the distance and took out a few bricks. The rule is if you break it, you fix it. Sam fixed the wall.




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After the mowing was finished, everyone came inside to visit for a bit before heading back home. Both John and I are improving more each day and hope to be able to start taking short walks in a day or two. Life is slowly returning to normal more every day.

After both of us having a rough night, today we have finally turned the corner. The stronger muscle relaxers have really helped. I still can't bend over or pick anything up yet, but now I can walk around pain free. The muscles in my back are relaxing more everyday--soon I should have full movement again.. John stopped the strong pain pills and seems to be doing fine with just some Tylenol. He was able to shower and get rid of the big brace and just wears a sling during the day.

It was a very stormy day with heavy rains, so it was a good day to just be inside and watch more movies. I have been watching a Pirates of the Caribbean marathon. Matt's family stopped over this evening to deliver the pizzas we ordered for Sam's football fundraiser. Now I don't have to think about supper tomorrow evening. The clinic called today to set up PT for John. He will have his first session on Monday, August 2. Looks like he will be going three days a week. It sure feels good to be up and around again. Soon we should be back to normal or as close to normal as we can be.

John and I were up bright early in order to be ready by 8:15 a.m. for Joanne and the kids to pick us up for our doctors' appointments in Bemidji. She dropped us off at the clinic and then headed off to Walmart and the library where she would wait for the call the I was finished. My appointment was for 9:00 a.m. but I never got called in until after 9:30 a.m. After sitting in the car for a half hour ride my back was very painful so I spent that time pacing the waiting room. I had a good visit with my doctor--he really explained muscle spasms to me and now I have a better understanding of what I am dealing with and how to deal with them. He prescribed a much stronger muscle relaxer and said if things don't settle down in a week, he'll send me to PT.

Since my appointment took so long, by the time we got out of there, it was time for John's appointment. Fortunately, that office was right down the road. We called Jo, and she came and picked us up. We dropped John off, and while he was seeing his surgeon, we went back to Walmart so Jo could finish up her shopping and I could pick up the things we needed. Since I can't bend over or lift anything, Jenni was my shopping partner. She pushed the cart, put the items I pointed out into the cart, unloaded the groceries for checkout, and then loaded the bags back in the cart. What a shopper!! I couldn't have done it without her.

It was then back to the Lake Region Bone and Joint office. I went inside to see if John was ready, but he was still in with the doctor. We waited about ten minutes and then he came out. Good news is the staples and big dressing were removed. He is now in a sling which he wears during the day--the big brace just has to be worn overnight. This is to keep the arm in place while he is sleeping. He also got orders for PT, but we don't know when that will start. I think it will be a little while until the incision is healed a little more. All in all, we had good news and I hope and pray that we are both on the mend. We are still both laying low and spending more time than usual watching DVD's and TV.

It was a beautiful day and both John and I were able to get outside for a little while. John got a chance to look over the garden and picked some carrots that were ready to eat. He still has some pain but it is easing up more each day. Tomorrow he goes to see the surgeon. Since my back is still painful, Joanne has volunteered to drive us to our doctor appointments in the morning. I am scheduled for my annual physical, so I am anxious to talk to him about my back pain.

The grandkids had their world series for baseball today. Hanna and Josh's teams took first place and they won some very nice medals. Matt and Sara went out of town overnight for Sara's birthday, so Sam, Hanna, and Rachel are staying with us. They were pretty tired, so we spent a quiet evening watching movies and just vegging out.

Today was a better day. Even though John is still struggling with being light-headed when he stands up, he felt much better. He was actually able to take a little walk outside. We are both trying to rest and taking it easy. Each day is getting better--maybe the worst is behind us. We can only hope.

Sometimes things get worse before they get better. That seems to be the case with us. Yesterday my back went out and I ended up spending most of last evening and today in bed alternating cold packs with heat packs. On the plus side, I was able to talk to John's surgeon and he ordered a different pain medication and told us to apply ice pack's to the surgical area.

Since I couldn't do anything, I called Matt early this morning and asked if Hanna could come and spend time with us to give us a helping hand. She arrived bright and early and was a great help. I got up different times to walk around the house and while I was trying to exercise a little, Hanna loaded the dishwasher, did some laundry, and gathered up the trash and took it out. She also keep busy doing different tasks for John and I--what a blessing she was today! Joanne and the kids were here to work in the shop and, after finishing their jobs, Jo ran into town to pick up the new pain prescription. I had a basket of socks than needed sorting, so everyone had a sock folding contest--all the socks are now folded and ready to put away. Hopefully, I will be able to do that tomorrow--will have to see how the back feels.

John has started the new pain meds and things seem to be settling down. The nauseousness has started to leave and the pain is more tolerable. The doctor said he should be over the major pain soon--the worst is behind us. We know that this too shall pass away and better days are ahead.

John had a rough night last night and finally ended up sleeping downstairs on the sofa. That seemed more comfortable to him than the bed. I placed a call to his surgeon to try and find out about doubling up on the pain meds; however, he was in surgery all day, so I will have to try reaching him again tomorrow. We have tried giving the pain meds every three to four hours and it seems to have helped. John was slightly more comfortable today.

I have been spending most of the day trying to keep John comfortable and doing some things around the house. This afternoon I made a quick trip into town to pick up some more milk and a pizza for supper. John's appetite is not very good right now so I try to find things that he would like. The meds still make him nauseous, so right now food is not too appealing.

A big thank you to all our family and friends that have called asking about how John is doing. He has enjoyed talking with folks and it helps get his mind off how he is feeling. Tomorrow is day three post-surgery. Hopefully we will be turning a corner soon and each day will be better than the one before.

What a blessing we had--John's shoulder block worked all through the night. This enabled him to have a pain free night and get plenty of rest. Around 8:00 a.m. this morning he started to get some feeling back in his hand, arm, and shoulder. From then on it has been a struggle to stay ahead of the pain. He has been taking the pain meds as often as he can, but they don't seem to be helping very much. They also make him feel nauseated. We will wait to see how the rest of the evening and over night goes. If he still can't get some relief, I will give the doctor a call in the morning. Right now John's right arm is strapped to his side, so he can't do much of anything except lay down and try to rest. We watched a John Wayne movie marathon this afternoon in the hopes of getting his mind off of things.
Hopefully we are getting through the worst of this and things will look better tomorrow.

John had to be at hospital by 9:30 a.m. so we were able to sleep in a little and take our time getting around this morning. We arrived at the Out Patient Surgery department around 9:15 a.m. John got called in to be admitted almost immediately and from there we went to his assigned room. Over the next three hours he was prepared for surgery and then the waiting began. He finally was taken into surgery around 12:15 p.m.

The surgery went very well. John had a complete tear in his rotator cuff so he had to have the more extensive surgery. At first we thought he might have to stay overnight in the hospital, but Dr. Miller thought he was doing well enough to come home. Right now he is feeling pretty good but we are monitoring things pretty closely so we can keep ahead of the pain. Matt, Hanna, and Rachel came down this evening to see how Grandpop was doing and to bring him a get well card. The rest of the evening was pretty low key--just relaxing and watching TV.

We overslept a little this morning and, as a result, it was much warmer when we took our walk. The humidity was up again, so we only went two miles. Still, we really worked up a sweat.

After breakfast, John headed right up to Matt's to start cutting up the logs they hauled out of the woods over the weekend. He cut up some of the smaller logs, loaded them in the trailer, and brought them home where he unloaded them. While he was home, he received a call from the hospital to set up his out partient shoulder surgery for tomorrow. Everything is a go for Tuesday.

I felt ambitious today, so I made a roast with mashed potatoes and vegetables for lunch. Must say it tasted pretty good. When he was finished eating, John headed back out to do some more wood. He stopped to pick up the wood splitter and took it to Matt's. Hanna volunteered to help split the larger logs and load them into the trailer Even though she volunteered, Grandpop paid her for the good job she did. This will be the end of the wood cutting until his shoulder gets healed up.




We spent a quiet evening staying cool in the AC and watching some TV.

When we woke up this morning, it looked like it was going to be a cloudy, rainy day. By the time we finished our walk, the sun had chased the clouds away and it turned out to be a fantastic day.

It was such a nice morning, we decided to eat breakfast on the front porch, We got busy talking and lost track of time, so we had to hustle to get off to church on time. We made it with a few minutes to spare. After the service we went over to Matt's house to take a look at the piles of wood they moved out of the woods. Looks like we will have enough fire wood for the next three or four years.

Following lunch, we spent a lazy afternoon watching the British Open and then washing the car. Matt came over for supper tonight as Sara and the kids were gone for the weekend visiting her family. We ended the evening watching Design Star and some baseball.

Today we were a little bit busier. The weather co-operated and we were able to take our morning walk. There was no breeze at all and we had a few more flying insects bothering us while we walked.

After breakfast, John headed back up to Matt's where he spent the morning working with Matt and two other fellows moving logs out of the woods. They were using a loader with forks to gather up the logs and place them on a trailer which was hooked up to a tractor. They would then pull the wagon loaded with logs, over the pipe line, and into the field where the logs were unloaded. The logs will stay there until they are cut into smaller lengths, split, and then taken to our house to be used for firewood.

While John was gone, I stayed busy at home finishing up some laundry, cleaning up the kitchen, and getting a wedding gift wrapped. We had a wedding to attend this afternoon, and John got home just in time for a quick lunch and to get cleaned up--we left right on time. We thought this was going to be one of those times where you don't know anyone, but we got seated next to the only folks we knew. It was a very pretty wedding and we had a nice time.

After the reception, we headed into Bemidji. John wanted to stop at the Sears store to pick up a new oil filter for his lawn mower. When we got to the store, we found the parts and service department closed at noon on Saturday. Oh well, that will have to wait until next week. We then made a quick stop at Wal Mart and Luekens Groceries to pick up a few items we needed. This evening we made the raspberry jam and ended the evening watching a movie we got from Matt.

It was a rather lazy day around here--nothing on the agenda that had to get done today. We took our walk nice and early before it got hot--walking a little further than usual. There is another 5K Walk/Run in a couple of weeks and we are thinking about entering it, so we need to get in shape.

After breakfast John decided to get some lawn mowed. With all the rain and warm weather of the past week, the grass is almost getting out of control. He mowed for a little bit and then realized he was out of gasoline. Since I had to make a trip into town to return some library books, we decided to just go in together. While I was at the library, he picked up some gas and dropped his chain saw chain off to be sharpened.

While we were eating lunch, Matt and Sam dropped in for a visit and, as usual, a game of basketball was played before they left. I spent the day doing some laundry and cleaning the upstairs while John got most of the lawn cut. This evening John went up to Matt's to help him weld some pipes onto a trailer to be used for moving logs out of the woods. The logs can then be cut into lengths for firewood. John also picked some more raspberries, so we should have enough now for at least one batch of jam. That will be a job for tomorrow.

For the first time in several days we had no thunderstorms overnight--it was nice and quiet and we were able to sleep without worrying about the weather. This morning dawned clear and sunny with cooler temps and low humidity. A perfect morning for a walk.

After breakfast, we got cleaned up and ready for the day's adventure with Wallace and Becky. We picked them up at the Bagley park a little after 10:00 a.m. and started off with a tour of some back roads and small local lakes. We then drove them around the town of Clearbrook before heading to Bemidji where our first stop was Keith's Pizza for lunch. From there we went to Diamond Point Park which is located on the shores of Lake Bemidji. This is a very pretty park with facilities for picnics, swimming, and boat launching. There were also some very beautiful flower beds around the buildings.




We spent some time walking around Diamond Point and then headed north out of Bemidji to see the lake house owned by John's sister and brother-in-law which is located on North Twin Lake. They are currently in Alaska, so we just looked around the property and walked down to the dock. The day had become very windy, so we didn't linger too long down by the water.

You can't come to the Bemidji area without stopping to see Paul and Babe, so it was back to the downtown area for a stop at the visitors' center and a photograph of Bemidji's famous pair. We found a passing tourist who was glad to snap our picture.



By now it was pretty late in the afternoon, so it was decided to head to Perkins for a piece of pie and a cup of coffee and some more conversation--it was great way to end a fun day.

Last night and early this morning we were in severe weather watches. We had a major storm go through about 5:00 a.m.--very heavy rains and a lot of lightning. John checked the rain gauge and found we had gotten 3 inches of rain. There were still some sprinkles and thunder when we got up, so a walk was out of the question.

I ate breakfast and then headed up to Sara's for a haircut. When I got home, I decided it was a good time to tackle the papers and receipts that had piled up on the desk over the past few days. John did a little weeding and just finished cleaning out the pond by the deck when Matt stopped over. He wanted to check on the beans he planted last week and found they are starting to poke through. We sat and visited for quite a while this morning before he headed home.

Wallace Inge also called this morning--he and Becky were planning to stop in Bagley for a few days before heading onto Wisconsin. John had to go into town this afternoon, and found the Inge's already camped in the park, so he stopped for a quick visit and invited them out to our place for supper. They arrived just as I was heading off to Weight Watchers. I told them I would be gone about half an hour--I wouldn't stay for the meeting--just weigh in. While I was gone, John took them on a tour of the house and shop.

After I got home, we sat and visited for a bit and then got the burgers grilled and had a delicious supper--burgers, pasta salad, chips, and fresh fruit. We all had a relaxing evening catching up on Fort Clark news and each others' travels. The plan for tomorrow is to explore Bemidji and some surrounding lakes. It was a very early morning and a busy day--time for bed.

We were up and out bright and early this morning. John had to be at the clinic by 8:45 a.m. for his colonoscopy. He hadn't had any solid food since Sunday evening so he was feeling a little hollow. We arrived about 10 minutes early and found they were running behind schedule. John finally got called in around 9:30 a.m. From there on things moved right along and he went into the procedure a little after 10:30 a.m. The nurse said John should be out of recovery in a little over an hour.

I took that time to run a few errands that needed to be done while in Bemidji. John was just about done in recovery by the time I got back to the clinic so it was only a short time before he was ready to leave. He passed the exam with flying colors. It just so happened that I had a doctor's appointment at 1 p.m. so we just walked from one building into the one right next door. I had the first appointment of the afternoon, so there was no wait, and after a half an hour, we were finally finished with doctors for the day. John wasn't feeling real good, so instead of going out for lunch, we just headed straight home where he laid down for an hour or so. After eating supper, he felt just about back to normal.

We ended the day watching the All Star Game and catching up on emails.

Today was a really low key one for us. We took our morning walk as usual. After getting cleaned up, John went to the garden to pick some more raspberries and then prepared them for jam. We still need a few more to make our first batch. Joanne and the kids came to the shop--while Jo was working, John played some ball with the kids.

John is having a colonoscopy tomorrow, so the rest of the day was spent in preparation. I did some laundry and then worked on labeling my photos for the fair and filling out the entry form. My main job was making sure John did not eat anything solid and drank only clear liquids.

I've had some folks ask if I would post some of the photos I am entering in the fair. They will be entered in the Original Arts Division digital photography class and placed in a specific lot, such as still life, landscape, etc. You can only enter up to three photos in each lot.



The dandelion is being entered in still life and the butterfly in nature. I will post some more in the future.

We had a strong thunderstorm overnight with heavy rains, high winds, and hail. John was up early to walk around the property to see if we had any damage--fortunately, everything was okay. Our neighbor lost most of their greenhouse and there were a few trees down in the woods. The skies still looked threatening this morning, so we decided to skip our walk.

After breakfast, we got cleaned up and went to church. Hanna sang a solo this morning and did a real nice job. Our son,John, and his family also came to our church today.

Today was birthday party day. This afternoon we went up to John's to celebrate Julie's 5th birthday along with Matt's family. The cousins had a good time playing together--Sam and Josh played basketball and several other games on the wii.

Julie was anxious to open her gifts, so play time was put on hold for awhile. She got a cute outfit and several different toys she had been asking for. When the last gift was opened, we ate the birthday supper of Pigs in a Blanket, jello salad, chips, and more. We sat around visiting for a bit and then Matt's family had to leave. Sara and the kids were heading to her brother's place where they will be staying overnight. Tomorrow morning she will be at the Fargo airport to pick up her niece and nephews from Alaska. They will be down in the lower 48 for a couple of weeks visiting family.




While the kids were playing with the wii, the adults played some poker. Old John was the big winner for the night. He cleaned everyone out. When we got home we again watched a little TV before heading off to bed. Jenni was the photographer for the poker picture.

It was another beautiful day and one of the warmer ones so far this summer. We actually worked up a sweat walking this morning.

Today was Bagley's annual Art in the Park and Crazy Daze. After breakfast we decided to head into town and check things out before it got too hot. We walked through the park and looked at the different displays and then headed into town to see what bargains could be found. John searched out a couple of good buys. The local grocery store was selling a steak sandwich and can of pop for $2, so we picked up a couple of sandwiches and pop to eat at home.



This afternoon we attended a memorial service for a friend of ours. Even though it was a sad occasion, it was also a time to reconnect with folks we hadn't seen in a very long time.

On our way home from the service, we stopped over at Matt's place. John wanted Hanna's help with a little project he has been working on. Sara and the kids were still at the pool, so we stayed and talked with Matt until they got home. We ended up being invited to supper and spending most of the evening. After we got home, we watched a little TV before calling it a day.

Today was another beautiful one in northern Minnesota with warm temps and bearable humidity. We took our morning walk and then made plans for the day. I needed a couple of more mats for pictures and a birthday gift for Julie. There were also some letters to be mailed and library books to be returned.

After some discussion, we decided to do the Bagley errands and then head over to Grand Forks for the shopping that needed to be done. We reached GF a little after noon, so our first stop was, no surprise, Burger King for our favorite Whopper Jr's. Next stop was Michael's for photo mats, and then on to Target where we picked out a cute outfit and toy. Sam's Club had the cheapest gasoline, so we filled up before heading back across the river where we made another stop at Cabela's. A Cabela's store is like a Dairy Queen to John--he has to stop at everyone he sees. John picked up some 22 shells and I found a lightweight pullover jacket that was on sale. It will be a nice one to take to Texas next winter. We made one more stop--McDonald's for their $1 hot fudge sundae. Then it was back on the road to home.

This evening John picked a bucket of raspberries and another one of strawberries. This might be the last of the strawberries, so I made another shortcake to use them up. Looks like we will be starting raspberry jam sometime this weekend. We had some shortcake with strawberries and watched a little TV before calling if a night.

Today the weather was just beautiful. The morning was cool and clear--no bugs while we were walking. After breakfast, John went down to the shop to assemble the cabinet he is making and to get it ready for staining and lacquering.

Joanne and the kids came to do some work--the kids to shred paper for packing and Jo to help with staining. I went down to say "Hi" to everyone and to ask Jo for some birthday ideas for Julie. She will celebrate her fifth birthday on Sunday. Matt and Sam then arrived on their four wheeler. Matt had left his truck here overnight and had come to pick it up. Sam's job was to drive the four wheeler back home; however, since his cousins were here, he decided to stay and play for a while.

After lunch, John did some more grass cutting and the first picking of broccoli from the garden. We were just getting ready to prepare it for the freezer when we had a visit from a dear friend of ours from Arizona. There was a lot of catching up to do and our visit lasted into the early evening.

We ate a quick supper, and then John got busy chopping up the broccoli. It didn't take too long to get it ready for the freezer. The rest of the evening was spent watching a little TV and reading.

We woke to cloudy skies and cooler temps this morning which made for very pleasant walking conditions. The clouds actually helped to cut down on some of the flying insects. Before walking, we have to spray ourselves with plenty of Off to ward off the mosquitoes and flies.

The grandkids were playing baseball again this morning, so right after breakfast John headed up to Clearbrook to watch some of their games. Hanna's team won both of their games, while the other kids split with a win and a loss.

Hanna on Base

Rachel at bat

Josh on base

Sam at bat

After lunch Matt, Hanna, and Rachel came back down to our place where Matt finished working up the ground and then planted soybeans. Hanna drove the four wheeler while Matt sat on the front and hand broad casted the seeds.


While John was at the baseball games, I spent the morning cleaning up our home office, updating finances and paying bills. Actually, that took most of the day. I just got everything done when it was time to head off to Weight Watchers. John ended the day watering the garden and doing some grass cutting. We spent a quiet evening watching "America's Got Talent."

A little note to Darlene - we can read your comments. We enjoy hearing from you!

John and I were up early this morning as we had to be in Bemidji by 8:30 a.m. for doctors' appointments. While John was having his annual physical, I went and had my annual eye exam. My eye glass prescription changed just a little, so I am holding off on new glasses for right now. John checked out okay and is cleared for his shoulder surgery--just needs to wait for the results of the blood tests. We were all done by 10:00 a.m. and since John hadn't eaten this morning, we headed off to Country Kitchen for some breakfast.

After a nice breakfast, we ran a few errands and did a little shopping. On the way home, we stopped at one of our local banks and picked up the Premium Book for this year's fair. We have to fill out an entry form for the items we are entering this year.

Today was absolutely beautiful--mild temps and very low humidity. John took advantage of the nice day to work in the garden. He picked more strawberries and the first bucket of raspberries. Our broccoli is just about ready for picking and we should have tomatoes sometime this month. We usually don't get tomatoes until the end of August.




This evening Matt stopped over with Sam, Hanna, and Rachel. The kids came in to visit while Matt finished the tractor repairs and started working in the back field. Sam, Hanna, and I had a lot of laughs watching "Wipeout" on TV. Sam says he would like to try the "Wipeout" course--especially running across the big balls.

The sunny skies of yesterday carried over into today. Though the temps were still warm, the humidity was lower and that made our morning walk more comfortable.

Matt wants to plant some food plots for deer in our back fields, so he came over early this morning to run a disc over the ground. He just pulled into the driveway when the hydraulic hose on the tractor split and fluid began shooting out. That marked the beginning of a day long repair job. Hopefully the repair will be completed tomorrow so he can work the ground and get it ready for planting.



The shop was closed today, so John decided that it would be a good time to start working on the wall entertainment center that he has on order. John got most of the parts cut out, drilled, and ready to assemble. He should get to that in the next day or two. I needed a couple of more frames made and John was able to get them finished up this afternoon.


I kept busy today doing laundry, getting things put back in place after our get together yesterday, and framing a couple of more photo prints. Following supper, John cut a little grass before calling it a day. We spent a quiet evening watching some TV.

We had more thunderstorms and a steady rain all night and it was still raining when we got up this morning. John checked the weather on the computer and found that the rain was going to move out by early afternoon and it would be a nice day for the July 4th parade.

Following breakfast, we headed off to church. This was our new pastor's first Sunday and the service was followed by a potluck dinner to welcome him. Every year we go to Bemidji for their Fourth of July Parade, so as soon as we were finished eating, we took Hanna and Rachel and left for the parade. John and his family were already there (they are camping in Bemidji State Park), so we called them on the cell phone and found out where they were sitting. It didn't take us long to meet up with everyone. We had a few rain showers at the beginning of the parade, but the clouds soon cleared out and we enjoyed nice weather for the rest of it.

Rachel, Julie, Jenni, Hanna, and Josh

After the parade was over, we headed back to our house. Matt, Sara, and Sam soon arrived and after visiting for a bit, John grilled some hamburgers, hotdogs, and brats. Since the weather was so nice, we ate outside on the screened porch. When everyone finally had enough to eat, we spent the rest of the evening playing card games and "Blockus".

We were up early again this morning so we could take our walk before it got too hot. The temperature was 73 degrees at 6:30 a.m. It turned out to be a pretty warm walk--tomorrow is suppose to be a little cooler.

It's nice and cool down in the shop, so John spent some time down there today making and painting a few more frames. The larger prints I ordered on line came today, so the frames are just about ready.

We usually have a big family gathering on July 4th; however, this year is going to be a little different. Dave and Amy usually come up to our place for three or four days, but since they just returned from a two week trip to California, they will visiting later in the summer. John and his family are camping this weekend with his in-laws, so it will be just be Matt's family and possibly a few other people gathering at our place. I spent some time today straightening up around the house and getting some food ready for tomorrow. We also had more strawberries to freeze. John says the strawberries are just about done--just in time for the raspberries to start.

With the weather being so hot and humid, we had a fairly lazy day staying inside with the AC keeping us cool.

It was another warm day with strong breezes that made the temps more tolerable. After our walk, we spent most of the morning in the shop experimenting with different paints and stains. It took a little trial and error, but we finally came up with a combination we liked. John painted the frames he made and will finish them up tomorrow.

The strawberries are still coming on strong. John went out and picked another bucketful this afternoon and then we bagged up the ones we had ready for the freezer. We are getting a bumper crop of strawberries this year.


This afternoon John did a few chores around the outside. While he was doing that, I ran into town to the library and to get a few more photo prints made. I think I now have all the prints done for this year's fair. I will need John to make just one more frame and then everything will be ready for the show.

John has been able to go one whole day without mowing the lawn. I thought I would post a picture of our house so you all could see how nice it looks with the grass all trimmed. This front section is only one small part of the lawn that has to be cut.



After supper John got a call from Stan Metcalf, a friend from Texas, and got caught up on what has been happening on the fort. We ended the evening watching some TV and starting a new mystery from the library.

Summer has finally arrived in northern Minnesota. We got up a little earlier to walk this morning because the weather forecast called for a very warm day--highs in the upper 80's. The temp when we left the house was 67 degrees at 6:30 a.m. There was a strong breeze that helped keep the insects away as well as keeping us cool.

I ordered several larger photo prints for the fair, so after breakfast, John headed down to the shop to make some bigger frames. While he was waiting for the glue to dry, he finished mowing the last section of the lawn. It is now completely cut and trimmed. Hopefully, it will take more than a day or two before he needs to start the whole process over again.

Following lunch, we took some time for freeze the strawberries John had cut up last night. We ended up with seven bags for the freezer and still have two more big containers of berries to either freeze or use for shortcake. Think shortcake sounds like a good idea.

John has been experimenting with different paints and stains for the new frames--he wants to have the frames look like they are made out of old barn wood. We decided to go to Bemidji and visit the Sherwin Williams store. We have done business with them for years, and the manager is very knowledgeable when it comes to solving paint problems. He didn't let us down--he had several suggestions and after 15 minutes we left the store with a quart of paint to try.

It was getting late in the afternoon, so we decided to head to our favorite pizza shop for some supper. After a delicious Canadian bacon, pineapple, and cheese pizza, we went to get some groceries. With the holiday weekend coming up, the store was crowded with shoppers. We were glad we only had a small list of things to get.

This evening John spent some time watering the garden and cutting up more strawberries. Hopefully, they will be coming to an end soon as the raspberries are starting to ripen. We ended the evening with a little TV and strawberry shortcake. It sure tasted good.