Thursday, 8/7/25, The rain helped my plants look much better, went to Vikki’s, went to doctor appt., went to get X-Rays, Bill had surprise he got me waiting, Facetimed with Kimmy and talked to her lots, did some trimming,Went to Miles Market for Smash burger with Melissa,

My Hibiscus is so beautiful and has so many buds and blossoms.  It sure has grown since last year.  It’s leaping!!!

Peyton, Rehvyn and Isaac!  I’m so glad I got to spend time with them this morning.

This was the surprise Bill had in his Jeep when he told me he had a surprise for me.  Such a great surprise.  We charged the battery right away.  I went to pick up some Cleaning Spray for it at Ace Hardware.  Then I came home and tried it out.  Kimmy told me to let it do the work and it sure did!  How easy.  What used to be hard jobs were actually easy and fun.  Thank you Bill for such a great surprise,  I love you!  

A baby coyote was lying in the road dead this morning.  I looked at it quickly to make sure it wasn’t Kit Kat.  It looked like a cat at first, but it didn’t have much fur and had long pointed ears.  Then I decided it was a weird looking dog.  I had to leave to get to Vikki’s.  I had so much fun visiting with them.  Rehvyn came to me right away and wanted me to pick him up.  I did but as soon as I sat down he wanted off my lap. Lucy wanted on my lap though.  I gave her some attention.  Peyton came in the room and Rehvyn really wanted her to pick him up.  Rehvyn had lots of fun with his cars on the table Vikki knew he would like playing with them on.  I played with his cars for a while with him.  He gave me two fist bumps.  Then when I had to leave he gave me a kiss.  Such a sweet great grandson!  I’m glad Vikki reminded me to take a picture.  Then I hugged them and left for my Dr. Appt.  It went well.  She ordered X-Rays for me to find out what’s causing the pain in my legs. 

When I got home, Bill asked me if I saw the dead baby coyote.  That’s when I knew for sure what it was.  He gave me my surprise out of the Jeep.  It was a Stihl HSA 26 trimmer and grass clipper set.  I was so happy and thankful.  What a great and thoughtful gift.  He saw a picture of Kimmy’s that she just got and decided to bless me.  We charged it right away.  I called Kimmy to tell her.  I ended up FaceTiming her to show her what the baby coyote looked like.  Then I took a picture and sent it to her because you can zoom in and see it lots better.  Poor thing.  I sure don’t like all of these coyotes around though.  I went to ACE Hardware and got the Stihl cleaner spray for it so I could use it and then spray it afterwards.

Everything I used it on was so easy to trim.  Yay!  I won’t mind trimming now.  Kimmy was very happy for me.  I went to get my X-Rays at Covenant M.  Happy I could get in and out so fast.  

I finished trying it out and then went an picked Melissa up and we went to Miles Market and split a Smash Burger.  They are so good there and getting $3 off was a bonus.  We shared some potato salad too, but Melissa didn’t take much.  It was in a little glass bowl.  It was dark in the restaurant and the table top was black and the floor was black, so some how I didn’t see the edge of the table and off the potato salad went and the cup broke and potato salad was all over the floor.  The girl that waited on us came and cleaned it up and was so nice.  She brought me more potato salad too.  I left a big tip for her for all of her help and her cheerful attitude.  I love it when young people are so kind and helpful.  I dropped Melissa off at home after that and she went in and got me a couple of things she would like Kimmy to sew for her since she’s coming over tomorrow.  

I picked up all of the stuff I trimmed off of things when I got home and hauled the cart to the front and dumped the stuff into the trash cans.  I took it out again and got another load.  

Yay to have that done.  I took the clothes I washed and hung off the line, folded them and brought them in and put them away.  

Then Bill and I relaxed and I worked on my blog.

More pictures of our trip with Max to Yellowstone

Max loved standing in the snow on the mountain.  He ran to it quickly and beat us getting there.

Mammoth Hot Springs

 

Wed., 8/6/25, It’s been six years since our super fun trip to Montana with Max, Picked beets, broccoli, lettuce, corn, Watered the garden, Pulled some weeds, edged the garden and worked it up with the prong tool, went for a long swim, trimmed the tree by the back deck

It was a beautiful morning to sit out and read my Bible, pray and watch the birds

Worked up the soil with the handy 4 prong tool.  It sure makes it easy and keeps the weeds from growing when I’m here to do it 

Bill weed wicked around my flower garden which sure helped make it easier to edge. 

I got up at 5:30.  I picked the beets, lettuce, and broccoli from our garden.  I also picked on ear of corn and it was delicious.  I think it will be great to pick in 2 days.  After I was done picking, watered it.  Walked around and looked at plants.  Pulled some weeds as I walked.  Came in and ate some corn on the cob from our garden for breakfast.  Read my Bible outside and enjoyed this beautiful day.  Two more covers Bill ordered for the camper wheels came.  They go on really easy which is super nice.  Called Champ VA and got a bill taken care of.  They were so nice.

Pool all clean...didn’t take long

Did this ever feel good.  My face was really red when I got in from working in the heat

  Bill was working on trimming trees and bushes and weed whacking.  I worked on weeding, edging and working the soil up to prevent more weeds. It was hot out so I quit after I got this graden done.  He doesn’t mind working in the heat, but I sure do.  It must be because when he was in Vietnam, he got used to really hot hot days. He breathed in stuff when he was trimming and started coughing really bad.  I had him drink my water and then came in the house and got him his water.  It reminded me of when he breathed in the compost when Kimmy, Jared and family were working on replacing the soil in this garden with compost from their place.  It turned into bronchitis that time.

We took the solar cover off the pool and it’s still Chrystal clear.  I cleaned some leaves out that fell in off the cover and then enjoyed a nice time swimming and floating and getting some exercise while cooling down.  It was 84 degrees and a wonderful temperature.  

Bill kept weed whacking back by his shed.  It looked like it could rain, so I covered the pool while I was in  One person can do it easy that way.  It took Bill more water out.  

I transplanted starts of an Aloe plant from Stacie and also transplanted a Kalanchoe.  That’s needed to be done for a while now.  It started to thunder and looked like it could rain any time, so I came in.  I’m waiting til it is over to grill a couple of burgers for Bill. Marie and I have been praying for rain for farmers and for people’s gardens.  It has been so dry for a long time.  It was weird this morning.  The side of our deck with the gazebo was wet and the cushions on the swing were even wet.  The other side of the deck by the garage was bone dry.  

Yay!  We are getting a good steady rain.  So thankful to God!  The farmers have to be very happy.  I need to go plug in the electric fence after it stops raining.  I don’t want the raccoons eating it like they did one year before we had a fence.

Some wonderful memories that came up of our fun trip to Montana and Yellowstone with Max 6 years ago.  

It was pretty amazing because every hotel we went to had a waterslide except one and that one had a basketball hoop and Max played with a guy and made shots from way across the pool.

Cinnamon rolls at the Hilltop

I wouldn’t trade this fun trip for a million dollars.  Such a great fun memory

Tuesday, 8/5/25, Went to Bill’s VA appointment,

Bill waiting for his appointment at the Detroit VA

Cool building we drove by on our way home in Rochester. It said America Made Us and has Jeep written on the building

Bill boing into Great Lakes Crossing

We decided to eat at the Rainforest Cafe.  Bill at the entrance with the fish in the dark blue aquarium with the entrance door in the middle

Me at the entrance

They brought my Mandarin Chicken Salad out and Bill’s Burger.  Bummer!  They put cheese on his.  He had to have them make another one.

He said it was good.  He shared his fries with me.

Watching the fish swim all around in the aquarium was fun! God designed them each so uniquely

Loved this big polka dot one. It swam so fast!

Kit Kat by me on the swing when I read my Bible

Melissa & Badger, Rody, Vikki, Jack, Bill

The Army Helicopter we walked through!

In the helicopter. It was warm inside it.  Papa and Jack with Badger

The soldier wanted to pet badger and give him a treat

Our group picture...I love how Rody looked up at the helicopter going over us.  

Take 2

Melissa, Bill and I

Jack, Isaac, Evan and Badger

Group picture by the helicopter

Peyton and her friend

Got ready, made our coffees, and packed some snacks.  Our breakfast was zucchini bread.  We left at 8 for Bill’s appointment at the VA in Detroit. It was a nice drive but another hazy day.  There were  a couple of traffic backups for two accidents.  His appointment went good except we sure had a couple of good laughs.  His appointment wasn’t to check the bone in his mouth, it was to check his knee replacements.  We laughed when Bill went to buy peanut butter crackers and I told him I had some in the car and also had red licorice.  I didn’t want him to have dirty teeth or it to look like he had bleeding gums so didn’t offer him any on our way to the VA, deciding to wait til our trip home.  We were FaceTiming with Kenzie and Rehvyn and she got a good laugh too.  Rehvyn was so fun giving fist bumps to papa and I on the screen.  He makes my heart happy!

Decided to go to Great Lakes Crossing Outlet on our way home.  Ate at the Rainforest Cafe and had my favorite Mandarin chicken salad I had in Minnesota at the Rainforest Cafe.  Bill had a burger. We walked the Mall after that.  My watch let me know I went a mile and a half.  We didn’t buy anything but had fun looking.  

We had a nice drive the rest of the way home.  I tried to call Sue but didn’t get her.  Kimmy called me and she was on her way to Ace Hardware in Bay City to pick up her early Birthday presents....a small rechargeable trimmer and a small chain saw.  She sent me ;pictures and it looks like I could use an early Christmas present lol.  We had a nice talk and caught up.  Jared called so she had to go, but we talked for a long time which was much needed.  

When I got home, Sue called me back.  I asked her if she wanted me to run over a stuffed pepper, potato, corn on the cob and a small loaf of zucchini bread.  She said she would love it, so I packed up the food and went to visit her and deliver it.  We had fun catching up too.  After we visited for a while, Vikki called and asked me if we wanted to go to the National Night Out.  If is about safety in our township and there was a huge Army helicopter that flew over our house today, so I had looked up what it was in town for.  I told her I had read up about it.  Rody, her and the kids were going.  I called Bill and he wanted to go.  I left Sue’s, came home, had Bill warm up our food before I got home, we ate our stuffed peppers, potatoes and had some zucchini bread then left to go to the event.  I had called Melissa and so had Vikki.  She, Jack, Evan and Badger came there too.  We had fun having around together.  We loved going in the Army helicopter.  It was a little warm inside but the army guys in there were so nice.  They were in really hot uniforms, so I guess we weren’t so hot as we thought in our shorts.  We saw Pastor Jeff and visited with him for a while, then saw Pastor Dan and Charlotte and visited with them.  We saw Michelle and then saw Catherine, Sarah (and her few day old new baby boy), plus her other 4 kiddos.  Fun talking to them all.  We walked around more,  Bill and I left after that.  We had been gone all day so it was good to get home.  I watered some plants and then came in and worked on the blog.  Bill read his Bible.  It was sure a fun day!  I texted my Russell grandsons who I have really missed lots.