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Posted on Wednesday, June 04, 2014
Julie & Kyle Visit
Stacey, Linda and I went to Sam's Club Tuesday afternoon, and after
shopping, we stopped at Pauline and Brent's house to pick up Julie and
Kyle. We just stayed a few minutes, then loaded the kids in the car and
took them back to the farm.
This morning, Linda fixed breakfast and
before anything else could happen, Stacey began having some involuntary
movements in her arms. Linda called me in the bedroom and we decided to
give Stacey a 10 mg Valium to stop the seizure from continuing. About 25
minutes later, we gave another 10 mg of Valium. Within a half hour,
Stacey was setting up, watching TV, and talking. We monitored her the
rest of the day without her having any problems. We even took a short
Mule ride with everyone, let the kids throw rocks, Daisy run and then
back to the house. Stacey walked in and out of the house without help.
Kyle needed something to keep him busy, so I printed out some coloring
pages with the alphabet letters in the pictures. We sat down at the
breakfast bar and I gave him instructions about how to hold his crayon
and to use his other hand to hold his paper. He followed directions
fairly well about making little strokes too.
His
picture turned out great for a four year old without any help, just
voice directions. Linda's flower log is looking pretty too!
Posted on Saturday, June 07, 2014
Lake Day
We made an early start and were on the lake by 9:30 AM. The water was so
smooth we just kept running the boat towards Sunset Marina. Just past
the cut through to Ashburn Cove, I pulled into a small inlet and Brent
threw out the anchor. Kyle jumped in first, me second and so on... The
water had warmed up in the two weeks since we had last been on the lake
but it was still cool enough to be refreshing. We ate cookies, swam and
played in the water until about 11 AM, then we loaded back into the boat
and went to Sunset Dock for lunch.
The
restaurant has new owners with a completely new menu, which always means
higher prices. We ordered, then took turns going to the store to shop
while our food was prepared. The lunch was good, so no complaint about
the prices. We went back to the boat and took a long ride to Pusley
Creek, where we stopped in the middle and threw out the ropes. Brent
skied, then Julie and Kyle both took turns on the knee board.
We
anchored again and got wet to cool off. The kids had a ball jumping in
the water from the boat and everyone else was just relaxing and enjoying
the show. We ended the boat trip with a ride up to the cliff area and
back before pulling the boat out and heading back to the farm. Linda
fixed a couple of Mexican entrees for supper before we each drifted off
to our bedrooms one at a time.
Posted on Wednesday, June 11, 2014
ATV Repaired
About a month ago, Stacey, Linda and I went for an ATV ride to test out
the new tires we had installed. We drove up the highway and turned
right, then went up the hill onto a gravel road that runs along Jone's
Ridge. We stopped at the top and I was setting up the camera to take our
picture when the ATV I was riding decided it was going to tear up. I
thought the motor or the transmission had tore up. I rode back to the
farm on the ATV Stacey had been driving, we hooked the little black
trailer to the Mule and went back to pick up the ATV that had the
problem. We pulled it on the trailer and brought it back to the pole
barn, put it inside and left it. I didn't really know what was wrong or
where to get it fixed.
About two weeks later, we were out on Dale
Hollow Lake in the boat and talking with some friends from IN. I was
telling them about the ATV and Gary Mader said he could get it fixed for
us. It sounded too good to be true. Gary said he would come by the farm
on his way back to IN, pick up the ATV and haul it to Muncie where he
knew a guy that could fix it. I said OK, if he didn't mind the trouble.
The
next evening, Susie and Gary stopped with their trailer hooked behind
their truck. Gary, Brent and I loaded the ATV on the trailer and after
talking a few minutes, Susie and Gary went on their way. A few days
later, Gary called and let me know that the motor wasn't the problem, it
was the stator and a bolt had broken and messed up a few things. He said
his mechanic friend could fix it and would have it done in about a week.
I told Gary that would be great!.
Susie and Gary came back down to KY
on the next weekend and brought the ATV back to the farm. I stopped
mowing and helped take the hold down straps off, then started the ATV
and backed it off of Gary's trailer. It started right up, ran good and
everything worked. WOW! We went inside the house and I paid Gary what he
had paid the mechanic. He said he didn't want anything for doing a
favor, I said I had figured that would be his answer, so I gave him a
thank you card I had made for them. He took that, opened it and read the
card, then saw the gift card Linda and I had enclosed in the card.
We
just want to say Thanks Again to Susie and Gary Mader.
They took
one of our problems and fixed it! They had it back to us quicker than if
I had taken it somewhere around here, plus it works!
Posted on Thursday, June 12, 2014
IN Trip
Kyle, Stacey, Linda and I left the farm Monday morning and headed to IN.
Kyle was quiet and well behaved during the long ride to Daleville.
Tuesday,
I had to go to Muncie and make a stop at the UAW Legal Services, then
sign a few papers in front of their notary. After that, I had to take
the papers to the Delaware County Courthouse and file them with the
Auditor and then with the Recorder. The papers changed the title of
Mom's house into Linda and my ownership. After paying the $18 fee to the
Auditor and the $40 fees to the recorder we were done doing business.
Only one more house and a car to get the titles changed and I think I
will have the Virginia Blackmer Estate finished. I hate to think how
long it would have taken if I would have had any brothers or sisters
involved. Anyway, again, Kyle was exceptionally well behaved during that
process. We went to Kammack Station for lunch and ice cream, then back
to the house in Daleville.
Wednesday, Kyle, Stacey and Linda took
Nana shopping at the Hamilton Commons strip mall near the 10 mile marker
on I-69. They were gone until around 3 PM. A little after 5 PM, Linda K
and Imon stopped at the house. We had made plans to go out to dinner
since it was Imon's birthday. We each drove our vehicles to Outback
Steakhouse in Muncie. We had a little mix up, we thought they hadn't
arrived and they were actually already seated in a booth, so we
needlessly waited near the entrance for about 15 minutes. No big deal,
something to laugh about. We ordered and ate our meals. Steaks were
great, Kyle was too! After we were all done, I suggested we all go back
to Kammack Station for ice cream and let Linda K & Imon check the place
out. It looks like a nice place to cruise to in an old car. They agreed,
so we drove to the place and enjoyed some good ice cream while looking
at their old gas pumps, cars, tractors and paraphernalia.
Thursday,
we cleaned up the house, packed our things and headed back towards KY,
stopping at King Fish for lunch. Kyle liked the fish sandwich and
sitting outside by the Ohio River. Feeding the little birds was a bonus.
We made it home right around 3 PM.
Kyle was extra well behaved during
the entire trip. No scolding, just coaching, I was amazed!
Posted on Sunday, June 15, 2014
Father's Day Weekend
We didn't have much at home because we just returned from IN, so Kyle,
Stacey, Linda & I went to the grocery store midmorning on Friday while
it was misting rain.
After
returning to the house, I was able to mow with the tractor and finish
mower even though the grass was still a little wet. Julie, Pauline &
Brent arrived about 1:30 PM on Friday. I think they were all eager to
see Kyle, who had been staying with us for a week. We sat and talked for
a while and then went to eat at Major's Pizza in Albany.
Saturday
morning Pauline fixed breakfast and then several of us made up 'cooler
hoagies' and packed things for our day on the lake. We left a little
later than usual since it wasn't going to be really hot, the predicted
high temperature was 85 degrees. A couple of crazy things began
happening! The gas pumps were not working at the filling station. OK, we
went to a different station and filled up, no big deal. Right outside
the State Park, a Tahoe with a pontoon behind it was blocking the road.
We stopped and the guy's trailer had came off his hitch. I left our
truck and boat blocking the road and began helping. We moved his truck,
let the pontoon and trailer roll down to level ground, then six or seven
guys picked up the tongue of the trailer and reset the jack wheel. We
then had the guy back his vehicle up and we hooked on the trailer. OK,
on to the lake. No more problems the rest of the day, it was nice. We
began by going to Pusley and putting Julie out on her new set of trainer
skis that she had received for her upcoming birthday. Like any child,
she was scared and it took some coaching to get her to give it a good
try. She popped up right away, but would quickly fall. After three
attempts, we brought her back in the boat and sent Kyle out with a knee
board. Brent rode a knee board alongside Kyle on a knee board and
coached him into a good ride. Swim, eat hoagies, ride, swim, eat
cookies, ride, and we were down at the dam area about 3:30 PM. No chance
of rain, just able to relax and enjoy the boating trip. On the way back,
I suggested to Brent to pull into Galton Hollow, where there was usually
some real smooth water. He drove nearly to the end of it and we turned
around. Julie wasn't as eager to try skiing this time and Brent had to
urge her to try. The thing that worked was, Brent told Julie she could
quit trying when she skied a certain distance. Boom, she got up and
skied, then was able to get back in the boat. Once in the boat, she was
proud of her accomplishment and was talking about how easy it had been.
Five minutes earlier, people would have thought we were killing kids.
LMAO! We boated away and as we passed another boat, the people yelled
"Good Job!" to Julie. We stopped at Willow Grove's new store. They have
built a new floating store and added a floating bar/dance floor/band
area. We also stopped at Mike's Landing @ Sulphur Creek. No changes
there, but it needs some. A new dock would be safer. We pulled the boat
out of the water around 7:30 PM and towed it to the farm. I parked the
boat by the house and we went inside. Linda had a roast in the crock
pot, but nobody wanted to eat and it wasn't long before we all went to
bed.
Sunday morning Linda made pancakes and smoky links for everyone.
About a hour later, we went outside to clean up the boat. We took nearly
everything out of it, jackets, skis, ropes, floats, pillows, bumpers,
even the snap-in carpet. Then Pauline and Brent used buckets of soapy
water and washed down the ski well, motor compartment and storage
compartments. Julie and Kyle helped me wash the skis, knee boards and
wake board while Linda used the carpet cleaner to clean the boat
carpets. It amazes me how much stuff we put in a boat. By then, it was
lunch time and we needed to let things dry out before returning them to
the boat. I started the grill and cooked a bunch of steaks while Brent
and I sat there and drank a couple beers. Linda had the rest of the
stuff fixed by the time the steaks were done, so we went inside and ate.
A couple hours after lunch, we went outside and loaded the things back
in the boat. We sorted out a few things we weren't going to take every
time and took them to the pole barn when we parked the boat in the barn.
After several hugs, Pauline and Brent took their kids and dogs and went
home about 4:30 PM.
Posted on Friday, June 20, 2014
Julie's Birthday Visit
Stacey, Linda and I had began the day by going to Edmonton and walking
around the Blueberry Festival on the Courthouse Square. We bought 20 lbs
of berries and brought them back to the farm. Linda sorted out the best
berries and I used the rest to make blueberry jam. I had also found a
recipe that used blueberries, cream cheese and sour cream with a few
other ingredients. I put those together in 1/2 pint jars and when
Pauline, Brent and their kids arrived we ate those to celebrate Julie's
7th birthday. Linda put a candle in one and we all sang Happy Birthday
to her before she blew out the candle.
Then
Julie opened her birthday presents.
We
had hamburgers after the birthday celebrations had subsided. I know it
was the wrong order, we should have ate first, then had dessert, but
kids don't like to wait!
Posted on Sunday, June 22, 2014
Celebration @ DHL
My plan was that we would leave early to go to Dale Hollow and maybe
come home early in case of afternoon thunderstorms. Everyone complied
and we left the house at 8:15 AM after 'sticky buns' for breakfast. We
all rode in the truck and stopped to fill the boat with gas where I
noticed a thunder storm cloud getting bigger. At the dock, Brent backed
the boat into the water, parked the truck in the lower lot and joined us
in the boat. Sweet, we left the dock and headed out across the lake. The
lake was flat, hardly any other boats and the water was nice and warm.
We made a quick run to our favorite cove and most of us jumped in and
started having fun. Pauline and Linda remained in the boat. A half hour
after we began swimming, we had to climb out. That thunderstorm had
followed us and was threatening. We pulled up anchor and made a run
across the lake in the opposite direction to Star Point. I pulled the
boat into an open slip and we tied it up just as the rain began. Pauline
had made cupcakes, so we got those out and sort of celebrated Julie's
birthday again.
Shortly,
some geese/ducks swam up and the kids were busy feeding them the heals
from the loaf of bread we had brought for sandwiches.
A
half hour rain shower, then it was over and we headed back out on the
lake. We drove in the direction the storm had came from and were able to
drive to sunny weather. It had been slightly over a 30 minute delay, but
it didn't take any time once we stopped the boat for the fun, fighting,
swimming and sun bathing to begin.
Julie
had told Brent and I that she was going to ski on her birthday, so we
began the attempt. I had her stand on the back of the boat and pose with
her skis, then Brent had her get in the water and put the skis on. We
both talked about what she needed to do and Brent kept her calm.
I
drove the boat, tightened up the slack in the rope and when Julie said
she was ready, I took off. Julie popped right up and went right back
down. Brent was holding the handle with the rope so he could let it go
when Julie fell. That was so the boat wouldn't drag her. A couple more
attempts and she skied far enough people in other boats were cheering.
Julie then swam to the boat full of self confidence and talking a
hundred miles a minute! LoL
Kyle
was eager to go when everyone was cheering for Julie, so he and Brent
went knee boarding, then Pauline joined in the fun. She and Brent rode
until they were both tired and let go.
We
enjoyed more cupcakes, sandwiches, swimming and playing in the water
until another storm cloud caused us to head for the dock. It was nearly
5 PM anyway, so it was about the usual time we leave. We put the boat on
the trailer, covered it up and had left the State Park before the rain
hit us.
The YOUTUBE video of Julie sking is below.
Posted on Friday, June 27, 2014
House Demolition
Herbert Lattin has begun demolishing the small house on our farm.
I
think they are removing the pieces that they can reuse and then Johnny
Davidson will actually demo the house using a track hoe. He will crunch
it into small enough pieces to put into a dumpster.
