Tree Clean-Up + Play

With so many storms moving through our area the last few weeks (with horrendous winds!), we've had quite a lot of tree clean-up to do.  *groan*

Eric and I dragged branches to the front of the yard to get ready to burn. 

Ramsey and Riggsy helped.  Sort of.  *wink*

But they also had to play, so hill-rolling was top-priority.

And once the fire started, S'mores were in order.  Of course, Ramsey's could not include a warm squishy marshmallow; chocolate and graham crackers only for him!  (So weird.)

When Connor showed up later that evening, he and Ramsey played in the yard and on the play set (what a nice big brubby!).

Riggs had to be put on the enclosed deck (he was eating too much grass - which later causes nasty involuntary actions we'd rather not have to deal with), but the neighbor's grand-dog came over for a visit.  He got lots of hugs and attention.  Ramsey lovingly named him "Random Dog".  ha!

Slippin' & Slidin'

In times of COVID-19, there are less and less things to do.  We can't go anywhere.  So, we make the best of what we have and what we can do at home.

I remembered that I had a Slip-N-Slide when I was a kid.  But, in my day, the slide was a long yellow piece of plastic.  And, it came with a sprinkler in the shape of a banana that you used to water down the slide.  It ripped easily.  But, it was good for a few hours of fun here and there!

After a LOT of digging around locally, I finally snagged [the LAST] one at Walmart on a grocery trip.    On a hot Saturday afternoon, I hooked it up to the hose.

I had to find a piece of ground that was somewhat level so the water would disperse properly.  And, I found a bit of shade too.

I think Ramsey had just as much fun drinking the water from the sprinkler and splashing around in the mini pool as he did running and sliding!

Monarch Attractor

Well our orioles decided to take a hiatus, after just a week or so.  And, we've only had one hummingbird.
But, right before [yet another] storm, this gorgeous monarch butterfly decided to visit us.

Protests

Our country is in turmoil as of late (seemingly moreso than usual).   A black man in Minneapolis was killed by a white policeman (a man who should not been in law enforcement - and who will be tried in court for his heinous action).  It was wrong and it was criminal.   One bad cop, however, does not represent an entire nation of good police officers.

This sparked a nationwide band of protesters (from Black Lives Matter, ANTIFA, and other anti-law enforcement and social justice groups) in big cities and even small towns.  With those protesters, many looters and anarchists appeared, burning down buildings (retail stores, police precincts, etc), stealing from and violently trashing stores, desecrating or even tearing down city, state, and national monuments and statues, and injuring/killing innocent people and police officers.  Millions of dollars worth of damage has been done thus far to many cities throughout the United States - and countless lives have been taken or greatly affected. 

And, with all of the chaos, police men and women still clock in to do their best to uphold the law, working to protect citizens and their rights - all the while being shunned by most of the media, ANTIFA, left-wingists, and the Black Lives Matter group.  Morale in many precincts has gone down significantly in the last two weeks.   These protesting groups are [literally] taking over parts of cities and demanding that the police departments be defunded and/or disbanded altogether.  And, many liberal cities are going along with  these demands.

I will not go off on any sort of diatribe here on my thoughts and view (the soap box is large), but I wanted to mark this on our blog/in our book to show that our small town was affected also.  People in our small town have been protesting too, which is part of our First Amendment.  So far, it's been rather peaceful, with only some foul words flinging.

With all of the chaos and protests that had become violent in other cities, the local rumor mills and social media were flooded with stories and ideas of potential issues with a planned protest to be held on June 6th.

However, the local police department met with the protesting group to discuss the planned protest, its location, and how to keep everyone safe.

I'm not going to lie, after seeing all of the horrific things that have been on the news lately, I was scared.  I was scared for Eric and I was scared for our city.  I was scared that things would turn ugly and people would get hurt. 

Eric went to work last Saturday, as that was when the larger planned protest had been scheduled.  He updated social media frequently to keep the Facebook page updated for citizens.  I am happy to say that the protest did remain peaceful.  Eric was gone longer than I thought he would be.  I was beyond relieved when he walked through the front door.

So here is a simple picture....

It's just an image of some food that came to the police department from a few local citizens on Friday afternoon.  But, I tell you what... the food in that picture meant a LOT to the APD (and to me!).  Those boxes and bottles are a representation of the respect and gratitude that some people still have for our local police officers.  The food was sent to the PD for the many officers who were on duty that Saturday during the protest (no one fully knowing how long it would last).   The owner of the local McDonald's restaurant provided breakfast, lunch, and supper for officers on duty that day too.   Those types of outward kindness have an emotional impact on our men and women in blue... and to their families.

So... really just a few key things for this post; #1: to note a historical event that caused a chaotic spiral of events in our nation but moreover #2: to show support for my husband and law enforcement officials, and #3) to demonstrate that this small town still has love and respect for its police officers when so much of the country's support is not shining through. 
God bless America.

New Storage Shed

We'd been in need of a storage shed for quite some time.  This Spring, we finally set the ball into motion.  

The landscaping crew had to build the gravel pad in the hilly area next to the play set.

It was delivered on my birthday, just hours before a big storm came.

We had designed it with the shed-maker's online tool so it would be custom to our exact specifications. 

 Seeing what we had customized was rather fun.

One gentleman named Menno delivered it.  And, before he unloaded it, he even grabbed our chain saw and cut a few wiley branches down that were in the way.

I had figured that getting the shed down the steep grade of the hill would be quite challenging. However, Menno used his motorized equipment and took it down with great ease.  I was impressed!

 So here it is... 12x20' of open area, ready for us to organize and fill up with yard tools, lawn mowers, the snow blower, lake toys, etc.

Just need to pop on the aluminum ramps!

Happy Birthday, COVID-Style

Who would have thought a few months ago that we wouldn't be going out and about for a birthday?  Not that we're party animals, but usually for adult birthdays, we go out for supper, shoot pool, or something to that effect.

This year, the COVID-19 virus is still a factor, though our daily cases continue to decrease to only a handful of new cases per day.   But, moreover, a big storm was brewing!   We did not want to be caught in something nasty that could produce high winds and hail.

Before the storm hit, Eric and I went on the dock to fish.  LOTS of nibbles, but we didn't catch anything.  We did take in the gorgeous view though.   As the thunder grumbled and the lightning started to hit in the not-terribly-distant area, we packed up and went inside.

No sooner had we got inside the house when the squall and winds hit.  The winds stayed at 60mph for quite some time, with gusts up to 80mph! It was insane.   Ramsey and I took cover downstairs for a while, until the tornado warnings subsided.

Note: The pic below is not from our yard; someone in our neighboring area had posted it.... so I snagged it!

We really didn't "celebrate" my birthday until the following evening.  Which... when you're 44, is just fine.  :-)  

 Spending time with the family is a blessing and such a gift.

More Weekend Projects

Really.... when the "projects" are done, there will be time to play.  Unless, of course, I keep dreaming up things to do (which is a possibility!!!).  *wink*

This weekend, my first project was to power wash and stain the play set.  Connor had stained the retaining wall portion the previous weekend.  The play set, too, was in dire need.

So now.... finally, the tunnel add-on is the same color as the rest of the set!   And, no more chipped stain or worn areas.  Good as new!

Because apparently I was on a mission to paint, I decided the stucco on the three sides of the house needed to be painted.  It has been white since we purchased the house - while the rest of the house is grey.  So..... the cracks got filled and the painting was completed!

I think the painting projects are done for this year!