Hi Ladies...

I just have a quick minute. I have been meaning to stop by.

Elaine... we just had a good little storm go by this morning with very much needed rain. It was a good downpour for 30 mins or so but need more. I'm sure you do too. HOT here as well and I hate it.

Cindy... Oh So Glad that you and hubby are healing. Great news! We have a dune buggy up north and it is so much fun! The kids are growing like weeds!

Jan... I know you are so busy with the new house. Did the floors get put in ok? What an awesome place!

Mary.. are you enjoying this horrible heat? Are you doing anything to the cottage this year?

OK ladies... we are leaving this afternoon for the rest of the week. Going to the cabin. We rented a cherry picker lift for 2 days and will do some tree trimming. We've had the place for 22 yrs and the trees re huge and some have dead branches that fall on the cabin and even hit Denn'is truck and put a dent in it. He was not a happy camper at all! I just hate that it will be in the high 90's. That is about 35-36 C for you Jan. Too Hot!

Have a great week ladies and I hope all of you are doing well.

Good morning to all of you.

I have been reading all of your posts and viewing the lovely pictures and just now, enjoyed reading the link Elaine posted of the fishing eagle! Wow! That is some brave eagle and one super photographer.

We have been so super busy. Getting the house prepared for the flooring guys (who are supposed to be coming out here today). Everything I own (body wise) aches today.

Picking up after those electricians nearly drove me nutz! They had cut little bits of wire (while installing the lighting fixtures) and dropped them onto the floor. Some of the bits the vacuum would pick up and a lot it wouldn't. Then, the suction on the shop vac was so powerful that the whole wand thingy would stick to the flooring and I would have to yank extra hard to release the suction. Today, I am a wreck. Not sure how our daughter is doing (will have to check with her today) as she was helping with the vacuuming too - and she is quite tiny. (Oh and the electrial still isn't complete - I guess they will be back at a later date to finish.)

Between the five of us, the floors are ready and I think I should be hearing a truck pulling into the yard any time now. The floor guys think they will be done in 3 days.

Elaine, you asked - the flooring will be carpet and a quite nice vinyl (with hardwood in the kitchen, dining room and great room, upstairs). The hardwood is being supplied only as our son has just started working on the other side of the double sided fireplace and he needs the area to lay out the rock. He has never put hardwood flooring in before, but it must be a lot like the ceiling he installed - so he isn't too scared to do it. He did a really great job on the fireplace for us (basement area) and I will take a picture and send to Elaine.

Diane: That deck you are replacing is a daunting task. I hope you are ok - I can relate to pulling nails and hammering and the like. And, a 25 year old deck would mean the wood is hard and the nails imbedded with a fierceness that would almost make a preacher curse. I hope you will soon be done with your summer project.

I read a brief note the other day that the deer in this area are suffering 'wasting disease'. Not too sure what that entails, but it sounds ominous. We have fewer deer in this area, too, this year. What do you like to knit/crochet?

Cindy: Thanks, so much for posting the pictures. Like Elaine said - your hubby sure does have a lapful of kidlets! How precious. I can envison BC 'leading' the girls as he strolls along. You can bet his whiskers are going to stiffen a wee bit when they are really walking!

I'm not the best gardener - but our daughter-in-law loves to work in the yard. I am going to try stay out of her way as I am sure that by next spring/summer, she will be working to get the yard all spiffy. First, this old house we are living in has to be demolished - and that is going to keep all of us busy.

I cannot imagine jackhammering front/back porches!!! Your yard must have a lot of rock. Vacuuming is my limite, I am afraid.

A dune buggy for the road? I've never heard of those. We watched an interesting show on some golf carts (in Florida) that are custom designed to look like a car. There was cadillacs and cruisers, etc. They looked really neat.

You are right - where did the time go? The girls are almost a year and Andrew bringing up the rear at 5 months. Time is just speeding by!

How is your knee?

Elaine: I have never heard of a fox squirrel. You do seem to have such interesting critters in Michigan. We just have the plain old red squirrel - and the ones here have had babies - some days they are just so noisy in the bush area. Busy, all the time.

I loved the story of the mouse - and last week I was going to ask how the fur kids in your house were doing. Obviously they are still on patrol - but if that was me??? Well, that mouse would be quite safe - I do not chase mice well. That's the cat's job (and my husbands...) LOL

I had to chuckle at your comment about Mary - and dumpster diving...ahhh that brought back memories, for sure.

I have to get going here. Still not dressed - and should eat some breakfast...that is, if my fingers will wrap themselves around a spoon handle in order to eat some cereal!

I will try and take a picture of the basement fireplace for you.

Hi to Mary and Vicki - I hope you are both doing well.

TTFN

Jan

Good Afternoon Everyone,

Diane~~~You are one lucky ducky for getting some rain. I bet your lawn just loved the drink it had this morning, even though it could use some more. Gosh I can't remember now the last time we had any rain. I just keep dragging the hose out and watering. I even made a puddle at the end of our driveway for the birds, even though I have two birdbaths going. I have a Robin in a nest in a bush out that way and though she would enjoy a bath. It sure is hot and humid here. I only went out early this morning and have been quite lazy the rest of the day. I hope you have some cooler weather up north at your cabin.

Jan~~~Egads!!! That had to be one powerful shop vac you had going. That's awful to have your body rebel at all the work you've been doing. Oh I never liked that feeling where you ache all over while trying to accomplish something. I hope you get some much needed rest before you have to start up again. Well if I could have I would have caught that little mouse myself, but he was too fast for me. I really don't like them in my house. They sure can make messes. Yuck!!! I got your pictures. My gosh, I bet you'll be glad when everything is finished and you can move in. But then comes the daunting task of taring the old house down. I didn't know your son also put up the ceiling and now he will be installing the hardwood floors. He must be a jack of all trades. I'll try to explain your pictures, but if I make a boo boo please correct me.

This picture is from the kitchen area to the living area



This is the lower fireplace-Grampa & Grammas area



This is the tallest fireplace getting ready to put the rocks on.



Jan has told me there are three fireplaces. One downstairs for Jan and her hubby. There are two upstairs. One in the butterfly room and the other one is a double-sided one that divides the great room from the pool table room.

This next one is the view out of the great room window and with the rocks that will go one the fireplace.



This last one is the stones waiting for placement on the fireplace.



Sure looks like a lot of work to me Jan. I hope everything goes smoothly for your family. Wonderful pictures and I thank you for keeping us up to date on all the work going one.

Hello to all of you!
Happy Fourth of July day! I hope that each of you can celebrate this special day in your special way.

We are finished celebrating Canada Day (last Sunday), and now summer can begin. It's raining here and very windy. Carpet guys were supposed to come yesterday.

One guy came and did some measuring and put some bits of wooden strips around the perimeters of the rooms that are to be carpeted. Not sure if they will show up today as the area around the house is so muddy and they will have to carry heavy carpet/lino through all that. The ground would probably not support a heavy truck, everything is very squishy. I wish I could send some of this moisture to those of you who are wishing for cooler temps and some rain.

Elaine: Thank you for posting the pictures I sent to you. I appreciate it, very much. One of these days we will be living in the 'new house' and might be able to get the laptop hooked up to the internet. Then I will be able to post the pictures.

Hi to everyone else - I hope you are all ok.

There are no 'children' noises coming from next door, so am going to go over there and check to see if everyone has slept in. Dull weather like this makes a person want to hide under the covers.

I am hoping for nicer weather for all of you!

TTFN

Jan

Hi Friends!!

Didn't get in here to wish everyone celebrating it a Happy 4th of July .... So instead, here is a photo of the girls taken yesterday. Will pop in later ... only have a minute this morning ....



I don't have a lot of time to catch up, but see that the house is coming right along, Jan!!

Take care, all ....

everybody! I will find the time to catch up with y'all now that a few major happenings up here are over. I promise that I did not drop off the face of the earth. No dumpster diving yet!

Jan--LOVE the house!

Cindy--LOVE, love, love the babies...they are growing so much and glad to hear that the two of you are healing!

Diane---I just adore the pics of the smiling doggies!!

Elaine---Your up-side-down squirrels brought a grin to my face!! Do you think it's been hot enough?? I might as well be at home with my central air!!

( The following was yesterday and today!!)

I have just been through another of the joys of living in rural Michigan. The wires and transformers out here are old and inadequate and when temperatures here soared to nearly 100 degrees yesterday---which until last year was nearly unheard of here---our electricity went kapooey for nearly 20 hours!!! Most of two counties lost their power including the areas surrounding several lakes! Early this afternoon they finally brought in a moblie transformer to be used until they can repair or update the other one. Can you just imagine all the folks who were up here for the fourth and no electricity? That means no water or toilet flushing either as we all have wells that work on an electriclal pump up here. AND very hot without even a fan. I'm very glad that they have it back on!!!

Good Afternoon Everyone,

Just thought I would buzz in here and see what's going on.

Jan~~~Gosh, I'm sorry you have been having lots of rain and we'd b glad to accept any leftovers. All this heat really zaps a persons energy. I only go outside to water the plants and that's either early in the morning or later at night. It's suppose to cool down tomorrow evening. I just hope we don't get any bad storms. I get to thinking about your new house and I bet you'll have lots of family get togethers there.

Diane~~~I hope you didn't get any of those storms as I have a nephew that has a place up by Baldwin and another nephew that just bought a cabin up there. They both said they had a pretty bad storm up that way and I new it wasn't that far from White Cloud. I also heard about the bad storms near Detroit.

Cindy~~~Will be looking forward to hear more from you. Thank you for posting the picture of the twins for us. They sure do have adorable outfits on. They sure a precious to look at and it's lots of fun seeing them grow by your pictures.

Mary~~~Boy you can't catch a break when you come to Michigan, can you? I was just telling my hubby I don't know how anyone can go without air conditioning in this heat. I sure feel sorry for those that don't have any. This heat has been awful. I'm sure glad you have your power back on. We have the same problem when we are out of power with the toilets. I have some buckets stored away with water in them just in case we loose power. We can at least keep the toilet pretty well flushed that way. If I know a storms is coming I fill the bathtub up with water so we can use that also. Other than that the generator can keep the other things we have going. Hang on, it's suppose to cool off tomorrow evening.

Well, I had better get off here as I have to get ready for my sister's grand daughters wedding. I'm sure not looking forward to getting in a dress and nylons in this yucky heat.

Wishing everyone a happy week-end.