We overslept this morning and decided to skip our walk so we could get started on the jobs we wanted to accomplish this morning before the day warmed up.

After breakfast, we headed to the basement to sort through some boxes and old art work.  We decided to store the pictures on one of our storage trailers and put the boxes in the shop.  With a little shifting around we were able to create more storage space for the foods we canned this summer. With that job out of the way, we headed to the garage where I helped John straighten up his workbench.  A very strong wind was blowing directly out of the south which meant we couldn't open the garage doors and get the floor swept.  We'll hopefully get that job done tomorrow.  

John and I took a few breaks here and there to watch the PGA and some college football.  We are slowly but surely working our way down our fall "To Do List".  Our September calendar is pretty full with volleyball and football games for both Sam and Josh, so we're trying to get some major chores out of the way while we have a couple of free days.

John and I were up early so we could get our walk in before getting started on the day's agenda.  Our plan was to straighten out the garage and free up some more storage space.  We had cleaned out the garage after we returned home from Texas, but over the summer we somehow managed to get it disorganized again.

We had just hauled a shelf out of the garage to hose it down when Matt and Hanna pulled into the yard.  We all spent the next hour or so sitting on the porch, eating watermelon, and discussing last night's volleyball and football games.  It was noon when they left, so John and I ate lunch before heading back to the garage.  We cleared off a couple of shelving units and bagged up the trash.  

John then suggested a change in plans.  The garage job wasn't finished yet, but he needed to change the oil in his mower and didn't have the correct filter. He asked if I would like to take a quick trip to Bemdji.  I agreed as we needed some milk and a few other items.  We picked up the correct filter at the Fleet Store and then made a stop at K-Mart to see if we could find any bargains as the store will only be open a few more weeks.  From there we stopped at BK for some supper and then hit Wal Mart for the milk and other groceries.

We spent a pretty quiet evening watching some TV and reading.  Tomorrow we'll get back to the garage.    

After such a busy day yesterday and a late night, both John and I were pretty tired this morning, so we decided to skip our walk and sleep in for an extra hour.

With the warmer weather of the past few days, the tomatoes have begun to ripen so we decided to make some salsa today.  John headed to the garden after breakfast and picked a bucket full of tomatoes and green peppers which he then processed with our Victorio Strainer.  We added some chopped onions, vinegar, and salsa mix, and ended up with seven new pints of salsa.  John processed the rest of the ripe tomatoes and stored the sauce in the fridge until we have enough to make another batch.

We ate an early supper so we could get up to Clearbrook in time to watch Hanna's volleyball game.  They won their first game, but lost the second by 2 points.  That meant a third game, which they won handily.  The team keeps improving and Hanna made some nice plays.

 
 
 

John and I were up early this morning so we could put the finishing touches on our preparations for company.  Our guests, Jim, Kathy, Melinda, and Paul, arrived around 10 a.m.  We spent the next hour or so visiting and giving them a tour of our home and the shop.  

We took a break for some lunch, and then loaded up the cars and headed to Bemidji to show them Paul Bunyan and Babe The Blue Ox.  Next stop was Itasca State Park to see the Headwaters of the Mississippi River and walk across the river.

 Paul using the Mississippi River map to

point our where he lived in Arkansas

 Paul and Melinda enjoying the cool river waters

 The Headwaters

 Jim, Carol, John, Paul, Melinda, and Kathy

The group decided to head to Park Rapids and the "North Forty" Restaurant for some supper before we went our separate ways.  Everyone enjoyed a good meal and a couple of hours of more visiting.  We said our good-byes in the parking lot and look forward to seeing everyone in a few months.

After being gone all day yesterday, it was catch up time today.  We got our morning walk out of the way and then both John and I got busy taking care of some household chores.  I changed bed linens, cleaned the upstairs, and did some laundry.  John kept himself busy finishing cutting up the wood from Matt, getting it stacked, and then mowing some grass.  Without any rain, the grass just needed a slight trimming in a few places.

This afternoon we headed to Bemidji to do some banking, made a stop at BK for an early supper, and then drove 24 miles north to Blackduck where we met up with Matt and Sara to attend Hanna's first volleyball game of the year.  The eight grade team was much improved over last year and they won their first two games, which meant they didn't need to play a third.  

After the games, we drove back to Bemidji and did a little grocery shopping for tomorrow's lunch before heading back home.  The rest of the evening was spent watching some of the convention.

John and I were up and out early for our walk as we needed to be on the road by 9:30 a.m.  Our Winter Texan friends, Jim and Kathy Runger from Detroit Lakes, invited us to spend the day at their home along with other Texas friends who were visiting them for a couple of days.

We arrived at the Runger's in time for a delicious lunch and spent the day visiting with them along with Paul and Melinda.  Kathy gave us a tour of the property and then Jim showed us his very large shop.  Before we knew, the afternoon had slipped by and Kathy invited us to stay for supper.  Before we hit the road home, we made plans for all of them to come up to Bagley on Wednesday.  It was fun to see our Texas friends and to be able to spend some time visiting and catching up on what everyone has been doing since we were all together last winter.

 Melinda and Kathy working in the kitchen

 

 Jim, John and Paul visiting after supper

The humidity of the past couple of days finally moved out and we had a beautiful day with bright clear skies.  It was our usual Sunday morning routine:  walk, breakfast, and then off to church.

We ate lunch when we got home and then John went out to the garden and picked the last of the grapes.  We then got busy and made another 13 quarts of grape juice--glad we are finished with the grapes and very pleased with the crop we had this summer.  We were able to make 34 quarts of juice and 9 jars of jelly.  Hopefully that will see us thru until we harvest another grape crop next summer.

John and I took a little time this afternoon to watch some PGA and he also started cutting up the wood trim and bench he picked up from Matt.  He needed to cut it into lengths that will fit in the outdoor furnace.  We spent a quiet evening watching some TV, reading, and working on the computer.  Tomorrow we head off to Detroit Lakes to visit with some Winter Texan friends.