Separation

Last week Rustin and I were separated from each other by two states. I went home to Tremont to attend two of my sibling's graduations. I also spent time with family and friends. I was priveleged to go visit my week old niece, Abbi. She is pictured on the left. She slept most of the time and of course is as cute as a button. Thankfully Rustin and I were able to converse via telephone or I don't know what we would've done. I returned home on Friday, just in time for people from the Tremont Young Group to show up for Memorial Weekend. We had a houseful of girls on Sat. night and Sun. night we kept cousins and Bob. It was a very enjoyable weekend. Monday we went to the Cities to help Rustin's Dad move into his "for work apartment." It is cheaper than buying hotel rooms for a couple nights a week. On Tuesday I started my job for the City of Hancock. I picked up branches and cleaned storm drains. Good thing I did this because it rained Tues. night and Wed. The drains were somehow clogged up by the end of Wed. On Wed. I cleaned out the shop. Today I mowed from 7 to 4. Needless to say I have a nice burn.

This morning a first happened which I hope is a last. To back up... 2 weeks ago I went downstairs to do laundry. As I reached the bottom of the stairs a bat started flying at me. I shrieked and started running up the stairs. Rustin, thinking I had fallen down the stairs quickly ran over to see the commotion. This is when he realized there was a bat. He quickly slammed the door and went to get the broom. Of course, when he went back down there was no bat in sight. Then for two weeks there was no sight of a bat. You could hear it scratching in the walls at night which freaked me out. Then at 4:30 this morning I heared this whirring noise in our room and thunk thunk. I immediately knew it was the bat. I dove under the covers and started kicking Rustin awake and saying the bat is here. He didn't hear it at first and it took him a while to come to full conciousness, but then he dove under the covers. Once it hit the wall so hard that it was momentarily stunned. Rustin rushed out of bed and ran downstairs to get the tennis racket. After a few swings he killed it and took it downstairs with a pliers. I told him I didn't even want to see the ugly thing. For all of you who now may not want to stay with us, please reconsider! We plan to call the bat exterminator and have our house exterminated. This is just one of the joys of living in an old house. Rustin saved the day and truly is my hero!

The Time Flies On

The time really does fly by. Sometimes I wonder where it goes. It seems like it has only been a couple days since I updated my blog rather than a week. The Garage Sale was a success. 25 garages were on the map for the Hancock townwides. Kara Messner and Susie Wulf brought some of their things and stayed to help me, so I was able to shop around for a little bit also. I just love garage saling; especially when I find good deals. I bought a wheel barrow and a fertilizer spreader and Rustin found a sledge hammer. We only have a couple boxes left to take to Salvation Army, so I say the sale was a success.

Last week Rustin and I were working on a retaining wall for our friends Mark and Lori. It was again on the outside of a cement pad to hold the gravel in. I was feeling pretty proud of myself that the wall was fairly level until I got to the end and the block was 2.5 inches above the concrete. Then my intelligent husband made the comment that the driveway sloped 2.5 inches. The little things I don't take into consideration! So, we went back about 12 feet and gradually sloped the wall so that it butted up to the driveway. Someday I'll learn my lesson and not jump into a project without looking at all angles.

This week I have been working on a lady's landscape in Hancock. It was a pile of weeds and perennials that she didn't want anymore. She told me to clean it up and put in something she won't have to touch. The only thing I can think of is decorative rock, but I don't think that is what she had in mind. I put in a couple of bushes and brick edge, and today I will finish up by putting in the rock. Yesterday it was upper 80's and today it is 65 so there must be something going through.

I became an aunt again on Mother's Day. Eric and ReKeeta had a little girl in the afternoon. They named her Abigail Lisa Leman. I haven't seen a picture of her yet so I can't share what she looks like. I'm sure she is cute though. I am excited because I will get to see her while I am in Illinois. The rest of the week looks like cleaning the house and finishing up a few ID and trimming jobs. I plan to leave on Friday when Rustin goes to work. So hopefully I will see many of you soon!

Farmer "Tax Season"

It has been eons since I have been able to sit in front of my computer and update my life. Sorry for all of you who diligently read the Sharon saga. The past two weeks I have arose with the sun and went to work at Trico from 6:30 till 8:30. I usually answer the never-ending telephone, file, and sweep the floors. It's amazing how much dirt the guys track in in a day. Then, since this week was the end of one month and the beginning of another month, I stayed longer on a few days to help out the bookkeeper. Rustin has generally been working from 6 till about 9-10 at night. Everyone wants fertilizer NOW. It makes for great togetherness, but atleast this will only last a month or two. I have been spending a great deal of time out at Trevor and Jody's helping them on a landscaping project. They put in a cement patio in their back yard, so we put retaining wall around it. I love it. When the project is finished I will update with pictures. I have been getting landscaping or maintenance jobs here and there, so I think I will spend most of my summer doing what I love best. When Rustin slows down, he hopes to help with some projects. Yesterday it finally rained. Everyone was glad for the reprieve. Since Rustin was home for the evening we actually got to celebrate his birthday. I made him my favorite meal, which is roast, potatoes, and carrots, which he likes too. Then we worked on putting together a futon bunkbed which we purchased to house more company. Today it is raining also, so he didn't have to work long. I think we are going to relax. Tonight we have testimonies so I am looking forward to those. This next week I am looking forward to the Hancock town-wide garage sales. I doubt they are as well traveled as Tremont's but this will be my first garage sale ever. I guess I have alot of cleaning, hiding, and tagging to do!