Its the 4th of July weekend, and I fear the same outcome as last year. Last year, John and family from KC, Bry and Nan, and Jon in Texas were all planning on being in the area at
the same time. Wanting to spend time with all, I had hoped we could all get together at a central location in the area. John (I suppose I should refer to him as Woody since that is
what he prefers to be addressed as) and his family were going to be camping near Table Rock Dam so I figured it would be nice if we could get some steaks, have a little dinner, and spend some time together.
At the last minute, Woody and family canceled, Bry and Nan were doing something for Bry's parents and weren't going to be in the area for more than a couple of days, and Jon
ended up leaving early. So I had six steaks and no one was going to be around to share them with.
Bry and Nan are again in the area, and Greg and Marsh from the Branson area are in town for Marsh's class reunion. I've got 4 steaks so far, anticipating Greg and Marsh tomorrow
evening. SJ told me a few minutes ago not to be disappointed if it doesn't work out as planned. I'm thinking if it does work out half as planned it will be a miracle, but even then
I know I'll be disappointed. We see so little of each other any more, and my friends have always been very important to me. Seeing you means a lot more to me than you can really
know. All my fun anymore seems to come from the satisfaction of doing something well from a job I enjoy doing.
Like working in the yard. I took the camera out today to take some pictures to send to Canada because everything looks as I want it to look were someone coming over for the
first time. Thursday, after work, I used the weed-eater til about dark. Friday, I pushed the mower around for a couple of hours. Today, after spreading only half of the cypress mulch I actually needed (another 4 bags should take care of it), I trimmed the hedge. Had we not had so much rain, I would have liked to have taken some Thompson's WaterSeal and
taken care of the wooden cross embedded in the middle of the patio, but I'll need to wait til we've had a good stretch of hot weather to take care of it to insure all the moisture (or most of it anyway) has evaporated from the wood. I would really hate to see the cross disintegrate because of simple neglect. For whatever reason, I've always felt it had a
power which keeps the house safe.
Speaking of rain, we couldn't hardly buy a drop of it from July of last year to around November. Shoot, even the spring was looking like it wasn't going to amount to much.
But boy, has June ever made up for it. I had been fearful that we were going to have to start some kind of water conservation procedures sooner rather than later because the
lakes were just getting lower and lower. The cove, accross from George and Val, had a dock placed there which had been let out as far as it could go until the lake finally dried up around it. I guess whoever had their boat docked there wasn't paying attention because the boat and motor were both sitting on a dry lake bed at one time. But for about the last three weeks, we've had rain about half of every week. And I sure don't mind. It takes all of the daylight hours I have off after work just to water everything that needs watering.
The garden has sure enjoyed the rain (with the exception of the corn). I've got one tomato plant which is already about shoulder high on me. I do wish we could get a few more days
of sunshine because the tomatos are mostly plant, no fruit. There are very few tomatos setting on, and I suspect it is because of the rain. But the sugar snap peas did real well (I pulled the vines last week), the green beans are doing fantastic (had about 4 good pickings already and most of them went straight to the freezer along with the peas), and the cucumbers, well, lets just say I suspect most of them will be going into the compost pile. I planted 9 cucumber plants (I know...way too many) and they've got cucumbers on them a-plenty with a whole lot more coming. I planted them next to the cage wall and trained them up on the chicken wire. I'm glad I was smart enough to place them on the west side of the garden otherwise they might have blocked the morning sun from the rest of the garden!
The corn has been a real disappointment. I was really looking forward to some good sweet corn. We've not had any for, I'm guessing, 5 or 6 years. Nobody sells it around here like they used to do back home. I bought 2 yards of bulk topsoil with 1 yard of mushroom compost mixed into the topsoil last year around Christmas in anticipation of having the garden cage done for this year's planting season. I thought I was buying their best quality (I sure know I paid for it!!), but when it arrived (I wasn't home at the time) and saw it, I was skeptical. It looked like that river silt they sell around here as topsoil, and I definitely didn't want that! The stuff is crap!!
But I went ahead and wheel-barrowed it from the dumping spot to the garden area. About 15 trips using a large wheelbarrow. The garden has always had a bit of a downward slope to it (everything is on some kind of a hill around here), and I wanted more soil to raise the lower end up so as to level the garden. I planted the corn where most of the newest topsoil was placed. Oh, the corn would come up, but then it died when it got about 3" out of the ground. I replanted three times, the last time I went and got some bagged topsoil and potting soil and mixed it with the other, forming raised rows for the corn. Same results, it eventually died. I've only got about 4 plants from the first planting which managed to live. I noticed it is starting to tassle, but I doubt the ears will ever get big enough to amount to anything. I'm really disappointed with the results.
SJ insisted on getting a mower with catch bag when the last one went ka-put. We've been putting the clippings in the compost pile or using them as a mulch to keep the weeds down
in the flower beds. I put Friday's clippings in the area where the new soil is. I think the soil is just basically dead or way too compact (when weeds won't even grow in it you know something is wrong!). I'm going to try to work in some natural materials and see if I can't "build it up" a little bit. Work in a bunch of humas material. If next year's results prove about the same as this year's, I'm going to dig it all out and put it somewhere for a fill
material. Needless to say, the place where I bought the soil won't be getting anymore of my business for plants or soil with the kind of results I got the first time I delt with them. They do sell natural stone which I could make use of and would like to have more of if I can't find other less costly sources.
Like I said in my last letter, I thought we were going to have a "doggy funeral" around the first week in May. To make a long story short, I gave Bear some sedatives to calm him
down during stormy weather because he'll constantly pace when its thundering and lightening. I thought maybe a storm was approaching that weekend Saturday so I gave him a couple (as prescribed by the vet). It darn near knocked him out. He was so zonked he couldn't even move on his own initiative for two days. I thought his hips had finally gone out on him, and his time with us had finally come to an end. But he recovered two days later and is back to his old (litterally) self. He developed dysplasia which is common in breeds where the hips are lower than the shoulders of a dog. I had thought originally that Bear wasn't going to suffer from the disease because his hips were about even with his
shoulders. Eventually, Bear's hips started to sag, and when he stands, he has more of the look of the German Shepherd than he did when he was younger.
We noticed the changes slowly. His lack of desire to go in the car because he couldn't jump up into SJ's car like he used to (I don't think he ever really liked riding in the truck), his ever increasing slowness when I would walk him (now we only go up to the end of the driveway twice a day instead of what we used to do which I like because it doesn't take half as long), his difficulty in raising himself up off of the floor where he was laying, even more so for him to lay down, a lot of little things which should have been telling us age was starting to take its toll on him.
SJ was usually pointing out that it was because he was getting older, but I refused to believe it because he was only about 14. I guess I was refusing to believe that we would have to watch him age to the point where we might be faced with having to put him down. Honestly, I don't know what would be harder, knowing he had wandered off to die, or
having to let him rest eternally by our own hand. It was all we could do to keep the faith when he had to be put to sleep for a simple operation about two years ago.
We give him a shot of adiquain* once a month and two 75 miligram tablets of Rimidyl* a day to help ease the discomfort associated with the displaysia. (* I looked for a vet bill but couldn't locate one to see how the two meds were spelled. I think the spelling is close.) Bear's vet bill is running about 70 bucks a month. I don't think I ever thought such costs would be associated with a pet. But he is such a part of our home we make room for the expense. I think the thing I miss most about his aging is that he doesn't seem to be as affectionate as he used to be. When I pet him, he acts like it bothers him. SJ tells me something to the effect of "wait til you get as old as he is and then see how you feel". HA! I already feel like that!! I thought by getting older things got easier. Some things did, but I
realize now just how much childhood was really a very special time. Those years feel like they're gone forever.
I chose OLE'ELO, Electric Light Orchestra's "best of" album, and Roy Orbison's "Mystery Girl" for my listening pleasure for this writing. Something about ELO's "Can't Get It Out
Of My Head" really felt like a song I wanted to hear over and over, (although, until actually looking at the album, I thought the name of the song was "Can't Get Her
[don't ask] Out Of My Head") and I hadn't listened to Roy Orbison's "Mystery Girl" album in quite awhile.
While dope was such a major influence on my life for so many years, I find it comforting that what was once a vehicle for enjoying the drugs is now a relaxing source of enjoyment
in and of itself. Many of the songs I enjoy hearing frequently are because of the words instead of the combinations of the sounds and/or beat. While I'm glad dope isn't legal, I admit there are days, when really stressed, that I'd like to be able to take a couple of tokes.
I kept a lot of jobs in the past because I had something to take my mind off of the work and the stresses associated with those jobs. But I guess one must grow up sometime.
While I do miss having the opportunity when I feel it is really needed, I also realize it was too easily abused and is probably better the availability is no longer as easy to come by. Besides, I'm also glad I don't have the urge associated with the desire any longer, too. Tomorrow is always another day; a better day than the last.
Talk at ya all next week or whenever.
Love ya and looking forward to seeing some of you this weekend,
Mike, SJ, and Bear |
