READY FOR FAMILY REUNION.

For the last three days, my son and grandson’s came to help set up for our family reunion. Mason and Stewart sanded chairs to be painted.

Doug discovered a picnic table had cracked and  rotted boards, so he rebuilt it. We know it would be cheaper to toss the stuff and go buy something new, but none of us like to do things that way.

Nothing works as smoothly nor as quickly as you think it will. My truck wouldn’t start and I had to have it towed to the garage in Angels Camp.

The second day, the boys picked gobs of weeds and we went to the dump with a full load. (Truck is back) The rebuilt table is beautiful.

Stewart scrubbed decks, did weed eating, trimmed shrubs among other chores. The jobs the boys did in Las Vegas were easier than working for grandma.

Mason cleaned off the roof, set up the cooler, chased gobs of weeds. He doesn’t like picking weeds, or any of that stuff. But, it gives him an idea of what he doesn’t want to do with his own yard some day. In fact, apartment living is looking very appealing to me at this moment.

By the second and third day, Laurie decided to lend a hand. She primed the chairs. Painted benches and tables and kept everyone hydrated and fed.


Day three, the chairs are looking good. We have two blue, two yellow, two green and two red. And, a matching coffee table. She has some artistic ideas in mind for the chairs as well.

Things got a little easier for the boys,  but not much. Mason uses the compressor to blow up the tubes.

Stewart scrubbed up the trampoline. They moved heavy barrel plants around with a dolly, cut and hauled tons of brush for another dump run today. The boys are heading for Reno for Mason’s college orientation over the weekend. I’m still getting chiropractor treatments and hoping to be well by late July to return to the motor home. We had an outdoor plug to the sprinkling systems clock die just as the temperature hit over 100. This morning at 5 a.m. I was out reprogramming the clock. The new digital clocks are no match for the old mechanical clocks. I have one that has run for 18 years without any trouble, and it can be programmed in two minutes without double glasses, a flashlight and a book.

REAL TREASURE.

High stakes yard work is kind of an exaggeration. Difficult as it seems in this cool and rainy weather, I have to think about heat coming on while I’m gone. You can lose an expensive, mature shrub in a week in withering weather without an intact sprinkling system. My housemate and I checked the system and it needed two small repairs. The sprinkling clock works, and I can rest in peace when I return to the motor home, hopefully on April 15th.

It’s killing me that Jim is having soooo much fun while I’m missing some great craft beers and the friendly folks of Vicksburg.

Brian, my computer guru is set to come tomorrow and help me out. This morning I’ll evaluate my insurance coverage before paying the bills and then attend an engagement party in the afternoon. Shoot, I haven’t been to an engagement party among friends in…?? (I’m not counting that extravagant engagement shower In Louisiana.)  I’m not sure what to expect. I know chocolate and cherries spell romance so I did put together a chocolate bouquet and a cherry surprise. These kids are 25 years old so I hope to toast them with this old saw:
Here is to Karli, may you always have diamonds on your fingers and knock-em-dead-destroy-the-paycheck-dresses to wear.
And to Danny, may you have an indestructible paycheck.

 Karli and Danny aren’t as materialistic as that toast suggests, but it always brings a laugh and they don’t read my blog. What I really like to impress on young people is the definition of treasure.
Before getting on-line this morning, I cruised through some old family photos and put on slideshows of my grandkids at an earlier age. What a pleasure my pictures are to me. A keen reminder that real treasure is our family and friends.