Yard "Sailing" and VBS

Yesterday, Beth, Mom and I were out again in spite of the predicted rain. The night before we had thunderstorms and Saturday morning we discovered we had been blessed indeed. There were tree limbs and trees down on the street just north of us. A whole tree fell over just a few blocks away and on the way home we discovered the weeping willow at the upper end of the street had split and fallen. Thankfully both trees fell away from the houses they were close to. We did not even lose a garbage can lid. Beth said Mom called her to come downstairs during the storm and she knows there was at least one huge rumble that shook the house. DH and I could not have felt anything from outside the house as poor Sassy was tucked between us on the bed shaking the whole bed.

But back to the yard "sailing" we did yesterday. The first stop was an indoor sale with beautiful glassware and knicknacks. I found a creamer to match a sugar bowl I have had. On the way out Beth spotted a rustic dipper made from a gourd bowl and a hooked branch. We looked at it and commented how nice it would be for VBS but I was trying not to buy more decorations - I needed craft supplies. The lady came over and said to go ahead and take it since it was for a church. People can be wonderful.

Then we went to a block long yardsale on 5th Street. We managed one and were heading to the next when the rain began pattering down. Soon the patter became a shower and for the rest of the morning we were in various states of WET. It truly was yard SAILING from that point on. But we had fun. I found a number of items for VBS including pillows for the kids to sit on on the hard floor and a pad I can walk on at the crafts table to help absorb some of the impact of the floor. We went to see Dad at the hospital after we finished with the yardsales and were soaking wet walking into the hospital. Dad's doctor was at the nurses station when we walked in and was amazed to see the condition we were in. Beth used paper towels to dry her hair and Mom was glad to discover she had left a lightweight jacket in Dad's room from the night before so she could have something dry to wear. We went to lunch before going home and of course the rain came again - pouring down this time. Soaked again. Thankfully the rain let up and we were able to unload the Tahoe with no problem. So much fun but so tired.

And I still have lots to do to get ready for VBS which starts tomorrow night. Usually I have all my craft materials separated out for each craft and the general supplies packed. This year just hasn't worked the way it usually does. I still need to purchase some supplies and still have more materials to sort thru and separate. I have the crafts planned but don't have samples of everything yet. At least I can concentrate on VBS this week instead of work and VBS since I took the whole week off from work. I worked in the basement last night going thru supplies and figuring out what I still need. In fairly good shape but I will have to do more today.

This is a small pitcher I bought for Mom last week at a yard sale. She "collects" blue glass objects, usually birds, but we liked the pitcher.

Sugar's Favorite Song

Sugar, the singing dog, is my sister's dog. Sam, who wanders thru the video, is her brother and my Dad's dog. My Sassy, who does not resemble them much at all, is also a litter mate along with my younger sister's dog, Peaches. Sugar is the only one that sings and this is her favorite song. She really loves it when the whole family sings this together. This is the only time she doesn't shy away from the camera but takes center stage.

Beth's birthday was last Saturday and I have been trying to upload this for a few days now but must have been doing something wrong.

Happy Birthday, Beth!

Pretty in Peony

Air, I need air ...

or ... The continuing saga of the recalcitrant air conditioning system ...

Yesterday afternoon, Bob came back to work on the a/c again. He cleaned the outside unit and trimmed away the encroaching ivy (last year's time in The Boot really let it get away from me and I have not caught up with the yardwork yet) and installed the new part. We had cold air coming from the vents again. He also decided to go ahead and add some coolant to help keep the compressor cool. Wonderful. An hour and half in the sweltering heat but we had some nice breezes. The water in the hose that was in the sun was very warm when I sprayed my hands to clean them off. But we HAD cold air.

Overnight, we froze up. Bummer. So now the fan is running to help thaw the unit out and the fan is back in the completely opened bedroom window blowing relatively cooler air into the house at 9 am Sunday morning. Hopefully we will thaw soon and be able to try the unit again soon. Temperatures are expected to be in the 90's today.

In answer to Jen's comment about what did we buy at the yard sales ... Oh, did we enjoy ourselves. We left the house just after 8 am on a small trip to McMechen which is barely 3 miles away. We drove one block and stopped at a yard sale, we drove another block and stopped at a yard sale, we drove a little further and stopped at a block long yard sale, and so on and so on. We finally made it to McMechen about 11:00 am with the back of Dad's Tahoe packed full. We got birds, fish, sheep (VBS supplies), dinosaurs, picture frames and mats (can't wait to fill them), a little wicker porch chair, and I can't remember what all else. Beth has to tell Jen about a particular wearable item SHE found and came home with. We walked a community yard sale in Glen Dale's Sun Valley Drive and got nicely pink from the sun. I am still glowing today.

On a further note, the reason we had Dad's Tahoe is that Dad is in the hospital with a cracked pelvis. On Friday he was moving the window a/c for his computer room out of the basement in preparation for installing it in the window again. He had gotten the unit outside and put down and turned to go back in the basement and rolled on his ankle and fell into the basement. He got up and moved a few things in the basement and then called Mom to come help him because HE said he had to go to the hospital (how unusual for my Dad to admit he is hurt). Emergency room for hours and finally admitted to hospital later that evening. He will be in hospital for at least a week. He is able to move around and is not stuck in bed but they want him to stay there for a time. I am taking Mom up to sit with him in a little while and Beth will pick her up and bring her home later.

Cats

Doesn't he look sweet! Not yet a year old.

Her Imperial Majesty finally let me get a picture of her green eyes.

We have A/C again! My nephew's father-in-law came last night and went over the outside unit and got it working again. He thinks we have a loose contact and will pick up a replacement part today and come back again on Saturday, weather permitting, to install it. In the meantime, the unit is working on prayers. We also recently installed a programmable thermostat but had not yet used it with the A/C since it was not working. We woke up in the wee hours this morning to discover the A/C was off and the temperature had risen again. DH certain something had gone wrong again. So this morning I read the instructions for the thermostat and it is working properly. It came pre-programed from the factory and we had not changed the factory settings. I have now made adjustments for us and we will see how it works. Temperatures today climbing into the 90's.

Yard sales tomorrow! Quite a list in the local paper. Beth and I will be out early.

Wild Rose Dawn

I have discovered an attraction to these types of photos recently. These roses are growing on the bank along the alley behind my house. When the grass cutters come again they may be gone but I hope they leave the roses and other wildflowers and just mow the field.

I wonder about my mind sometimes. Our air conditioner has been out since Sunday. We probably need to have the coolant recharged. So every fan in the house is running as my DH is constantly TOO HOT. Last night when we got home one of the fans decided it was not going to run anymore in spite of oil and WD40. Husband TOO HOT. I remembered where the little double window fan we have not used in a couple years was and put it in the bedroom window for overnight. Still TOO HOT ... This morning I remembered to raise the storm window so we actually are getting some cooler outside air. Duh! I'll have to tell him when he gets home tonight.

Flag photo

This one is for Jen.

I thought this happy accident photo was interesting as it shows that what we believe in isn't the flag itself but what it represents - a way of life - freedom.