Another Week in the books

 I'm going to get a handle on this one of these days.

But time is FLYING!

I'm now writing LISTS!

I'm not really a list kind of person.

This is our front yard "before".

Rod and Kyle were outside, looking things over and

decided the front and side fences needed a little attention.

But before we can get to them, some of that 

overgrown stuff needs some attention.

If you look carefully, you can see Kyle and his big

yellow Cat just to the left and behind the oak tree.

We haven't even been able to get a lawn mower

more than a third of the way down the fence.

And now its all nice and clear!!

AND we can get to the side yard fence!

(the neighbors were totally ok with this,

their front yard is total woods. So they can't even

see any of this... even if they LOOKED.)

Of course, it wasn't without its challenges.

Thank you previous owner!

When you take down an old fence, you aren't

supposed to just LEAVE it there!!!!

To be sucked into the drum of Kyle's machine!!!

That's who knows how many feet of old, rusty field fence.

Sheesh.

But of course, that's nothing.

He has run into BOATS.

Tires are real common.

Concrete slabs....

you name it.

But now, it's all done, looking lots better

and ready for the next thing.

Good job guys!

Happy Independence Day... and other stuff.

 Happy Independence Day!

(That's SO yesterday... well, actually the day before...)

I had to teach Monday morning and Rod

had to work at the airport.

But Monday evening we went outside to

watch the fireworks. EVERYBODY around us

was shooting off the big fancy kind!

(Not us...)

Kyle sent up his drone so we could watch them,

but the mosquitoes AND the bats were out

in full force, so between the mosquitoes

trying to suck us dry and the bats dive bombing

trying to get the mosquitoes... that was short lived.

But then Kyle discovered how to hook his drone

to the living room TV! So he sent the drone up

above the house (until the battery drained) and

we watched it from the comfort of the living room!

This was before he zoomed in, it is surprisingly hard to

capture a picture of a picture of fireworks!

Like the new carpet?????

It really lightens up the living room.

And it is SOFT!

(And washable!!!!)

We picked it up on Friday from Sam's.

Yesterday after working at the town all day,

I headed out back to move the cows.

They are now happily munching on the new sun hemp

for about an hour each evening.

And then we lure them out with their grain.

We are hoping if we limit them to an hour a day,

we can make it last for a week or two.

They are LOVING IT!

Speaking of Sam's.

Check out my cool new RS Pres stuff bag!

I got this great burlap bag with a zipper closure at the top.

AND

it came with 20 pounds of rice for free!

(hahahahahahahahaha)

It's my Basmati bag.

Almost sounds like a fancy designer....

Hoping to start a new trend.

Dinner tonight?

London broil and basmati / cranberry pilaf.

YUM!

And it's FRIDAY (Already?????)

 Wow!

What a week!

I'm getting my first real taste of being 

a Relief Society President and all that

it entails... Whew!

Thank goodness for brief visits to the beach

for some "down time" to just relax and 

listen to the surf.

Yesterday Kyle and I went to watch a rocket.

It got scrubbed, but we enjoyed our time anyway.

There was a crazy plane making HUGE ovals in the sky.

We had a great time arguing over the shape.

Was it an oval?

Was it a letter D?

We decided it was a hurricane hunter doing practice runs.

He did them over and over and over!

You can see his latest, and two previous!

My neck is a little stiff from looking at the 

top of the oval - it was directly over our heads (and 

a little behind...)

But it was fun!

There was NOBODY on the beach when we got there

because there was a big storm cloud out to the west.

But as it got closer to launch, folks started to show up.

One was a young couple, probably taking engagement

photos. We had a good time watching them.

He was supposed to be lifting her with his legs.

But it didn't ever really work.

His legs weren't strong enough to hold her.

AND the photographer had them on an

air mattress (not really stable) down 

IN THE SURF!

So they kept getting wet.

(They picked a day the sky was overcast

AND the beach was COVERED in sea weed!

Should have waited for a few days until 

conditions were better....)

It was actually pretty funny.

Eventually they moved up to the dunes

about the time we packed up and left.

In other news....

We have been slicing peaches and putting them in

zippie bags in the freezer so when the machine 

finishes a load, we are ready with another one.

This is our next to last load.

Yesterday morning I sliced up three more

trays to add to what was in the freezer.

We only have one of these boxes left.

There's enough in one box to do a little over 2 trays.

And then we will be DONE with the peaches.

They are SOOOOOO delicious!

I'm glad we only got 100 pounds,

but I'm going to be wishing we got 200.

Their 2nd crop was really good,

so I might consider a 2nd delivery.

We'll see...

Last night I made a really delicious meatloaf

in the pressure cooker! It was yummy!

And now I'm heading off to get my 

list of "to do" done.

I'm PERFECT!

 Ok.

That's an exaggeration...

BUT

My doctor WAS really pleased with my

numbers yesterday at my annual check-up.

So... there's that.

LOL.

Meanwhile, it has been a crazy day.

Lots of online banking / finance stuff

(new roof, etc)

as well as RS Pres duties...

But as I'm getting ready to start my evening class....

Kyle brightened up my workspace.

(which I admit, is a MESS...)

Thank you Mom for Grandma's vases!

They will be put to good use!!!!!

FORTY ONE!!!!!!!

Can you believe it?

Yeah, me neither!!!

 41 years ago today, we were standing in 

The Little Church of the West

in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Saying "I Do".

And meaning it.

I DO love you.

I DO cherish you.

I DO count you as my best friend.

I DO want to spend my life (and beyond) with you.

And it is all still true.

Gary????? You under there???

I would not trade him for all the tea in China.

We have had a good go.

And we are STILL going!

And expect to go for ETERNITY.

Sometimes it feels like yesterday.

And sometimes it feels like a lifetime.

But it's not something I would change.

So

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY DARLING!!!

Happy Birthday Rozann!!!

 Well, it's official.

All the Stoddard girls are SEASONED CITIZENS.

(hahahahahahaha)

Rozann has joined the ranks.

We got to spend some time together in April this year.

She is a master at NOT getting in photos.

I have lots of pictures of her wonderful husband.

And her house.

And her dogs.

And her nifty kitchen planter.

But ... hmmm ... she and Kyle must be related.

Not a ton of pictures of HER!

Unless she is busy doing something and isn't aware.

And that pretty much describes Rozann in a nutshell.

She is ALWAYS busy doing something.

Generally FOR somebody else.

She sees something that needs to be done and

presto - she has already handled it.

There seems to be no challenge too large 

for her to tackle.

Whether it is remodeling their home,

training their beautiful dogs,

building and expanding their successful business,

keeping her mind and body SHARP,

she is on top of it all.

Energizer Bunny has nothing on Rozann.

But she doesn't just whirl in and do stuff

and then she's gone... (well, not ALWAYS)

she is also an excellent friend, daughter, sister, wife, mom.

And I am proud to call her my little sister!

LOVE YOU ROZANN!

Happy Birthday!

PEACHES!!!!!

 YEA!!!

Peach season has ARRIVED out here in the East.

(Sun rises in the east, so EVERYTHING is earlier here...)

On Saturday the guys and I headed to a local

parking lot where we and a bunch of other

people gathered to pick up our fresh Georgia peaches.

There were a bunch of folks in line.

Including Rod in his bright yellow

Buffalo Land Clearing shirt and

Kyle standing behind him, incognito.

(And some wildly dressed folks!)

That big ol' truck is FULL to the brim with peaches!

As always they were super organized.

Although it was a GAZILLION degrees outside,

the line moved quickly and efficiently.

You walked up to a counter person,

showed them the QR code on your phone,

and they handed you the number of boxes you

had pre-ordered and paid for.

We got FOUR.

(That's 100 pounds of peaches for anybody

who is wondering...)

Once we got home, we spread them out all over the table.

That's 350 peaches right there!

By Sunday morning, the house smelled GLORIOUS!

But they were still a bit hard.

But MONDAY morning, we each had a fresh peach

with our breakfast.

And it was DELICIOUS!

Next up,

slice, dice, freeze and get them

ready to go in the freeze drier.

YUM!!!!!