What I did on my summer vacation...2007

Long time no see! I know I promised to blog over the summer some...

but...

well, I just didn't have time. Yes, I did come to town frequently, but I just didn't take the time to wax poetically and blog.

But, I did jot down some highs and lows of my summer of leisure which I'd be most happy to share.

• All windows on my house are washed. Inside and outside. Most screens were replaced--by little ol' me. I only broke one. I do, however have two windows that need repair. Just waiting until air conditioner weather is past and I can go a couple of days without a window in place to get them repaired.
• Andy worked full-time at Sonic. Good for him, bad for me. He was simply n.e.v.e.r. home. I missed him. He does chores and extra chores I give without whining, pouting, stomping off and slamming doors. He might gripe, but he minds his momma.

His sister, however, is another story.

• It seems that each summer we have one large (over $3000) bill to take care of. This year's bill was for a new motor in the Ranger pickup that Andy drives. It seized up (and it was Mr. Andy and Mr. Kevin's fault). It's expensive to replace a motor, but it's more expensive to buy a new vehicle. So, it's fixed. Now, I just have to pay for it. Yes, Andy will be helping with the repair bill.
• This is the best garden we've had in years. Right now, I'm struggling to keep up with the tomatoes and jalapenos. That's a good thing, because we were down to 2 lonely jars of salsa. Saturday's in September and October will see me in the kitchen, canning. We did learn that most plants can't grow in straight compost. It's too rich. We also learned that blueberries need more acidic soil than what we have. I'm thinking about planting those blueberry bushes into compost next spring. If they like rich, acidic soil, then our compost should be just about perfect.
• We worked on our yards, front and back. Planted grass out front and re-configured the pond. The grass we planted out front isn't growing well, but the native buffalo grass sure is. I have a sneaky feeling that the grass we paid for and planted will be over taken by the native, free, Buffalo grass. Someday, we just might have something other than weeds out front. We'll just have to wait and see who's grass took over, Kev's planted grass, or my native grass.
• We made two major purchases this summer--both happened before the pickup motor incident... we bought a tractor with a bucket. Kev is so excited and we've used the heck out of that poor tractor. We've put a whole 12 hours on it. That doesn't seem like much, but we really have used it a bunch, so it was a good purchase. Our other major purchase was a new flat bed double axle trailer. It was another "but honey, I NEED it" purchase, much like the tractor, but I've been surprised by how much we've used it as well. I know that Kev wanted it primarily for his up-coming elk hunting trip, but we've used it enough this summer that it was a good purchase. (And it's paid for!)
• We added Rabbits to our menagerie this summer. We have 9 rabbits and 7 cages. 8 of the rabbits are male. Our goal was to raise rabbits for meat. But, we only have one lonely doe to procreate. Yes, we suck at sexing rabbits. But you have Rabbit Tales to look forward to!
• Every summer, besides major expenses, we also have at least one major break-down. This year, we had more than our share. The pickup, then the air conditioner and then the ice maker. The pickup and air conditioner are repaired. The ice maker is not. For now, we're buying ice and using that. It takes up less room in the freezer than ump-teen ice cube trays... The AC was an easy fix, Kev took care of that. He might fix the ice maker someday. I'm hoping for a new fridge instead. I've already got it picked out...
• We finally got our new pellet stove and just finished creating the tiled platform for it to sit on. Next step will be to put faux rock on the walls to make a fire barrier.
• We didn't take a real vacation this summer, instead, we had lots and lots of BBQ's with our good friends and neighbors and even a couple of wonderful bonfires. We had visits from family which we always enjoy. We've relaxed and enjoyed our home. We've had bountiful rain and the pastures stayed green most of the summer. They're green right now! No, we didn't take a vacation, but we did enjoy life. And, in my mind, that's the best vacation of all.