The Bat Fiasco

I really thought I was going to have to move before I was even in this house for one year. In an 8 day period we had 6 bats. Mostly they would come out at 3 or 4 in the morning. We were thankful for the tennis racket (and for Rustin). I think by the end he was sick of killing them. We found a company called Exclusive Bat Proofing on the Internet and called them up. We were put on a 2 week waiting list but given high hopes. Let me tell you, it was a long two weeks. They came the day we left for IL and did their job. As you can see, first there is proof of bats in our house. They put a 25 year sealant on all the cracks around our house, mainly on the roof. They also put up wire mesh doors, so the the bats already in the house could get out, but no new ones could get in. Thus far it has been a sucsessfull investment. I still cringe when I open the basement door, but I suppose in time, I will get over this. Unfortunately if you have bats and live outside of the state of MN you will have to find someone else to service your problem, as they only cater to Minnesotans.

Life otherwise has been hectic. Rustin is now hauling silage for the Dairy and does this when they need him from 4pm to 2am. I rode with him till midnight and decided I needed some sleep. I have been doing much canning and freezing in the past weeks. Since it has rained and temps are falling I have been helping my boss with his side job of seeding lawns in the afternoons and evenings. This explains the lack of updates. It's too bad that computers haven't advanced to where you think a thought and it types. Well maybe they have, but it hasn't reached MN yet.

Detroit Lakes

This is a picture of my two cute nieces. They seem to like each other. We had an enjoyable time at Detroit Lakes. On Saturday evening Dad S., Eric, Rustin and I went fishing. This was the first time I remember going fishing with die-hards. (minus Rustin) I caught a Northern, but unfortunately I don't have a picture of it. It got thrown back into the lake. We were on the lake for 3 hours. This was plenty long for me considering how many fish I caught. On Sunday afternoon we went to a flea market. We got some bargains and lots of sun. Other than this we mainly lazed around and went swimming. Very relaxing. This week has consisted of working in the mornings and canning and freezing beans and corn in the afternoons. Also I am currently in a pitch-all mood so there is major organizing going on. I got our brick-edge finished one afternoon, so now all we need is mulch and a little bit of rock. This weekend is the Stevens County Fair which is a mixture of the Tazewell County 4-H fair and the Tremont Turkey Festival, downsized. We plan to go there tonight and delight in greasy fair food. We leave tomorrow for Tremont for the weekend.

Wisconsin Dells

It's vacation time! On Wed. the 18 I went with my mother-in-law to St. Cloud to go shopping. By the way I was wanting to spend money, I could tell it was time for another shopping trip. Rustin met us there after work, and we headed down to the cities to stay at his Dad's work apartment. Thurs. morning we went to IKEA and some other little shops and then we met my family in the Dells. It had been awhile since I'd seen everyone so it was good to see them again. We stayed at the Tamarack resort, which I would recommend. It is a couple miles from the main drag, but it is very scenic and the traffic is much calmer. Besides, you have to drive practically everywhere on the main drag anyway. We crashed and bought a few groceries. We ate supper at Moosejaw Lodge. Good food. We tried their infamous mozz. sticks wrapped in egg rolls. Excellent! On Friday we mini-golfed and went to Riverworld Waterpark. Because of the baby I tried to tame down a little. Saturday we ate at Paul Bunyan's restaurant. After lunch we went to the Tommy Bartlett Show and played Bocce ball. In the evening Dad, Mom, Rustin, and I went to the Wisconsin Opry. We were among the youngest people there. After CD church on Sunday we went and rode the Original Wisconsin Ducks. They maneuver on land and water. Mom and I agreed this was our favorite part of the vacation. Check out these chicks!

We played more mini-golf that afternoon. On Monday Rustin, Bob, Susan, and Matt went to Mt. Olympus to enjoy water and themepark rides. Dad, Mom, and I decided we wouldn't get our money's worth, so we opted out. Mom and I went shopping instead and found some bargains. That evening we packed up to leave the next morning, bright and early. On the way home, Rustin and I stopped in Rochester to visit his uncle who had open heart surgery. He wasn't in Mayo clinic, but the nearby St. Mary's Hospital. After a short work week, it's hard to believe the weekend is already here. We are going with Rustin's family up to a cabin on Detroit Lakes for an extended weekend. It's too bad we can't vacation all summer!

Itasca State Park

First of all, here is our baby waving hi to you! July 4th seems like a while ago. Rustin was up at the firehall for a pancake and sausage breakfast at 6:00. I went up to eat with him at 8:30. Then we went back at noon for lunch and at 12:30 we set up barricades for the parade. Rustin drove a big 4 wheel drive tractor with an applicator and anhydrous tank pulling behind. I pulled the classic "Hancock drum" with the city pick-up. My father-in-law says that it was in the parade when he was a kid. It was fun, but I hardly knew anyone on the sidelines. Vern, my boss, rode with me, and his grandsons threw candy from the back. We went to Rustin's aunt and uncles for supper and then went to the Community sing. (we watched) In the evening Rustin helped light the fire works. It was a nice 80 some degrees but this is what he looked like.

I sat at the car and craned my neck to see the fireworks. Overall they were nice and loud. Since it is after the 4th my hours have been cut back to 7-12. Seems like my afternoons get filled with landscaping, garden stuff or other house chores. This past Friday and Saturday, Rustin and I took his parent's camper up to Itasca State Park and camped. This is where the Missisippi Headwaters are. It was very pretty. We also took our bikes and started down a 17 mile bike trail. 3 miles down we decided we had done enough hills so we headed back to our camp site. 6 miles was perfect for us.

On Sunday afternoon we went to Starbuck Beach for a picnic. Ginny Wulf and some girls from Gridley were up, as well as Curt and Norma Witzig and family. It was enjoyable to drive Brent's boat and to watch people freeze as they swam. This week is flying by, but as promised here is some pictures of our new landscape. To get the full picture, you'll have to come visit!

July 1, 2007

It seems like a long time since I have seen this computer. Same old thing. More painting of curbs, garbage cans and park benches - which I've been told isn't the best thing to do when pregnant. Hopefully after the 4th this will come to an end. Tomorrow and Tuesday will be long hours because of more setting up and sprucing up. After the 4th I have a feeling that things will slow down drastically. Last Friday I pulled a sweeper behind the town's pick-up. It took me 6 hours but was pretty enjoyable. More landscaping (trimming) has been done in the evenings so Rustin and I have been busy. We finally have our landscaping almost done. It looks much better to have the weeds covered and plants planted. Pictures will follow.

Last weekend Greg and Mary came up to visit. We spent the day in Alexandria shopping and mini-golfing. In the evening we had friends and relatives over for a weiner roast. We invited our friends Greg and Sheila Reuter, but they had their little baby boy on Friday night. So instead we went and visited them at the hospital. His name is Emerson Jerry Reuter. Last night we took them supper and mother and baby are doing pretty well. They say you don't know what lack of sleep is until you have kids. Sheila can attest to this. We are excited that our kids will be close to the same age and hopefully will atleast get along.

Hope you have a great 4th!!!

News

Okay, so I have been a little lacking in updating the Blog. Sorry about that. It seems like Summer is here and I spend all of my time outside and not in front of the computer. As life goes on I realize that sometimes it's just better to keep my mouth shut. It's not a good idea to tell people when you are or aren't going to have kids because you just never know, one might show up in mid November. Everything is going well as far as we know. We got to see the baby move on the ultrasound. That was cool. Now we have a few months to get used to the idea that we are going to be parents soon. Last night we were with a couple that is due next week. We decided that we should get together one last time while we are childless.
At work I have been very busy sprucing up Hancock for the 4th of July. I mow, clean storm drains, trim trees, paint fire hydrants, and most recently paint curbs. This latest task will take me awhile to get them all done. I'm glad Hancock isn't any bigger. I have a boss but mainly work by myself. I enj0y this. I can pretty well come and go as I choose. I am only supposed to work 20 hours, but lately it has been more like 30. Things will slow down after the 4th.
In the evenings, Rustin and I have been tackling some small landscaping projects. It makes for a long day, but so far we have enjoyed working together and slowly we are getting our name out.
It seems like our social life goes in cycles. Sometimes we have nothing going on for a few weekends. Lately we have been busy, busy, busy. It can be challenging deciding what fun activities to do. I'm not complaining, though. Tonight we are meeting some families at a park for a cookout. We are the only kidless couple, so it should be interesting being with a whole bunch of kids.
We are doing a garden with Trevor and Jody. So far everything is coming up pretty well. It has rained alot so this helps Jody out. It is at their house. I go over once a week to help weed. We put straw and grass clippings down, so this has helped immensely on the weed population. Hopefully we get a good crop to can and freeze.
I hope everyone has a Happy Father's Day tomorrow and may we remember our Heavenly Father and all He has done for us.

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!