6-19-03: Full Day of Activities

Thursday, June 19 2003

8:35 pm
Leslie, Alex, Matt & Emily just left. They got here @ noon and had a full day of activities. Lunch of quiche & Caesar salad for the adults and hot dogs for the kids.

Alex & Matt fished in the pond and caught @ 10 tiny fish. Played with the chickens, walked in the fields, played with Tessa, walked over to [P]’s and saw a one-day-old mini-horse foal, played air hockey… 

1-day old foal
photo by Leslie Barni

David, Alex, Matt, Em

Alex, Tessa, Matt

Leslie, Matt, Ales, Tessa, Emily

Tess, Emily, Matt, Alex. Emily is receiving a gift...

...but Emily did not like her gift.

Em and Pav
photo by Leslie Barni

Em, Tessa and Tina
photo by Leslie Barni

Tina and Matt
photo by Leslie Barni

We claim credit for Leslie's family's interest in rowing

It was gray & drizzly for the first few hours, so after lunch we went to Tractor Supply to buy rubber boots for Leslie & kids, & the kids also picked out toys for Tessa & Pav. (Vince doesn’t get much time in with the kids because he barks & is nervous)

Then, to Sandy Hill Farm to look for onion sets and potato starts for Dave B. (No luck on the potatoes – all gone just that morning – but I donated some of my spuds with developed eyes). When we got back to the house the sun was working its way out.



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6-18-03: So Brave and Good

Wednesday, June 18 2003

11:03 pm   Sad news. Tig had a vet appointment yesterday because he was still sick and weak and skinny. Dr. Scholer determined that Kitter had intestinal cancer; there is medicine that would extend his life a few months, but we opted to put Tig at peace right away. He was so brave and good.

Tig in his prime. An abandoned outdoor kitter
that "let" me adopt him in Seattle, WA.

I held him in my arms and David stood right by and touched Tig. The vet was so kind and gentle, and although my tears flowed for my loss, I felt calm & sure about easing Tig’s pain. He was basically starving to death, unable to digest any food properly. I love Kitter, and will miss his life force.

Addendum 2014: It bothered me then, and it bothers me now, that we kept seeking medical help for Tig, and not until his final day was there a diagnosis. I still feel bad that Tig was suffering, waiting for me to ease his pain, and instead he just felt worse and worse. The vets and I should have insisted on different tests.

Monday morning I baked chocolate chocolate-chip cookies, then spent a lot of time outside weeding the small garden and ‘decorating’ the potting shed. David did business on the computer, then did a lot of weed wacking and some mowing.

Leslie & her kids are coming to visit tomorrow. Hope the rain stays away. Her parents were going to come, but opted out due to preparing for a weekend party at their house.

Worked in the field garden today. Transplanted in some seedlings to make up for the rotted seeds, and reseeded the corn and peas & beans. Cloudy today, but hot & muggy. Loved it!




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Random List: The Nose Knows

It's still top-down time in the convertible!

Recently I kept a list of odors I encountered on the way home from work, door to door:

by Hans   / pixabay.com



• Stinky Juniper Shrub (just outside door)
• Cigarette Smoke (co-worker)
• Lemon Car Freshener (co-worker's car)
• Carmel Corn (factory across the road)
• Car Exhaust (entire business park gets on the road)
• Cigarette Smoke (multiple drivers)
• Mulch (fresh, unspread pile)
• Potpourri (floral shop with open doors and windows)
• Diesel Fumes (delivery truck)
• Cigarette Smoke (delivery truck driver)
• Apple (my drive-home snack)
• Cooked Meat (fast food burger joint)
• Freshly Cut Grass (probably some cigarette butts in there somewhere...)
• River Water (tiny section of lower Little Miami)
• Woods/Greenery (you know, that earthy smell when you pass through a heavily wooded, shady area)
• Campfire (life in the woods)
• Smouldering Charcoal (what's for dinner?)
• Fresh Air (close to home now!)
• Sleepy Dogs (official home greeters)

6-15-03: Happy 12th Anniversary!

Sunday, June 15 2003

9:38 pm  Happy 12th Anniversary to us! Happy Father’s Day!

pixabay.com

Tina & David, June 2012

Tina & David, June 2012

Sent an email card and personal letter to Dad late last night so he’d have it by this morning. Also called him today for a brief chat.

Haven’t journaled since Thursday, and am having trouble remembering what’s transpired in between. Need to get better at jotting short notes to document things, instead of always long entries.

One Friday thing was that I called Lars & told him about the boat for sale David spotted an adv. for. He sounded excited and said he would call the guy. On Saturday early afternoon I couldn’t stand the suspense, so I called his neighbor and found out that Lars was right then gone to Mt. Gilead for the boat! Haven’t heard from him yet, so I hope all went okay.

Today we finally had nice weather. Sun and warmth, with less humidity. The last few days were very, very humid, with cloudy skies. So this morning we hopped on the motorcycle and went to Shelby for a radio-controlled airplane show. Had a great ride in the sunshine, and saw some interesting flying.

Went home & David mowed the lawn while I weeded, then at 3:30 we left for our dinner reservation at Steve’s Dakota Grill. (B.D. Roadhouse wasn’t taking reservations). Food was ‘okay’, but the overall experience was so-so.

Planted the Dogwood Red Twig Hedge in the front yard this weekend. Had 20 plants, so David used the tractor & post hole digger to facilitate the holes. Good thing too, since the soil was very clayish. We planted one every 5 feet, so it’s quite a long hedge.

The mini horses have been pooping a lot in the stall.

Low germination rate in the west field garden, largely due to rotted seeds from excessive rain right after planting. I have backup transplants available for some plants. The Indian corn rows (3) are all coming up nicely.

Tig spent time out on the front porch the last few days – wearing his harness & rope – and seems to enjoy the fresh air. He’s been sick less, probably because he hasn’t had wet food for days. But that also means less caloric intake.

On Friday David did a three hour rental on a concrete buster and busted up the pertinent area in the downstairs bathroom. He said the unit was extremely heavy, and the task was a lot of work. I kept me & the animals out of the house because of the noise & dust.

Sump Pump Site

David is a manly-man with that jackhammer!

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6-12-03: Childishly Peeved

Thursday, June 12 2003

10:38 pm   Rain, rain, rain. Might as well be a Seattle June. I feel whiney and childishly peeved about this weather, and need to toughen up.  Didn’t go outside today except twice for @ 5 minutes. While David was gone to his appointments today, I gave Tessa & Vince a bath.

On Tuesday Tig got the first bath of his life (in the utility sink) to wash the residue of sickness off him. Today I rinsed his feet. He took the whole thing pretty well, but then he’s on 6+ pounds of weak kitty. He’s so, so skinny. I called the vet today but the line was busy and I forgot to call back.

Called Leslie today and chatted for a while. They’re having issues with the construction of the addition on their house, regarding distance from the property line. Sounds like they’re working through it. Leslie’s mom & dad want to see our place, so next Thursday the 19th they’ll visit with Leslie & the kids. The boys haven’t been here since we got the chickens.

David got a thumbs up at his doctor visit today. They changed his BP medication to something that will cause less or no fatigue. Advised a cholesterol test in the near future.

We spent quite a while today brainstorming names for the new business – David “de-fragged” the computer.




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