Always Someone Worse Off Than You

 I was whining about my tomatoes and then I find all of Patsy's are green and the goats have eaten Fleta's and Helen's are those Tommy Toes!  Well, this is my pick today after I gave several to my red headed neighbor!  So I need to say "thank you, Jesus, for this great tomato crop!"   I have been getting a few tomatoes for 2 weeks.  See those little Roma ones, well, they came up in the yard and I transplanted them.  

Now, if I only had some gutter so when I walked off the porch my head did not get wet!  But it is not raining here yet.  Siggie and I have put off her yard sale until next week end.  Rain and yard sales don't mix well!

And....I am going to reboil my sugar water and doctor it up so I can steal Sigrid's hummingbirds.  I call it doing a "Clayton Powell" act!
I will never pass by quicker liqour without thinking of him...and I will never feed the hummingbirds without thinking of him.  

And...Helen, tell Barb that I am glad she will be between Richard and Clayton.    This may keep them from arguing as she will be the buffer!

Work, Work, Work

 I gathered two big batches of corn and cut it off the cob and put it in the freezer.  I put 4 to 5 cups of corn to a bag.  I guess I cut off 80 ears or so.  In a few days I can gather it again and will have a little more to put up.  I gave Laura corn and kept out some for supper.  Larry's field is not as wore out as my garden and the corn was better.

Patsy asked about my dead tomatoes.  I may have planted them too deep, but it did rain and rain and turned cool after I set them out.  Right above the ground it just looked like they rotted off.  The ones I bought at Lowe's to replant did fine.  I did not go back and ask for my money back as I thought it was my own fault not the nursery.   If you can buy stuff from someone other than a big store you will get better plants.  Larry hates Bonnie plants and most of the stores are furnished by Bonnie.

July's End

 I told Sigrid she could pick a bouquet from my Surprise Lilies and she came early today with scissors and took these home.

 My 4 O'clocks look really nice.  This is the prettiest they have ever been.  They came up in a mix of colors.  

 Larry made me a crooked roof Blue Bird house.  He and Sigrid cut out 4 today.  She is having a garage sale at my house this week end and we included bird houses in the ad.

 Larry fixed my grass problem.  He filled his big sprayer and mixed round up I held a card board next to the green beans so the residue would not float to them.  I am not digging up grass now.  

 The corn is gone from my garden.  I cut it down with loppers and put some in my chicken pen and the rest on the burn pile.  The big corn patch is ready now.  It is G 90.

 My tomatoes are not doing real well.  My first plants died and I bought the replacements at Lowe's.  We get enough to eat but I am not having a big crop of tomatoes.  My okra and squash are producing now.  My Kentucky Wonder Pole beans still are blooming and I still have green beans.

Lily Surprise

 Suprise Lilies and Ingrid at basketball practice.

 Astrid at practice.  They go to the same place just practice with different coaches.

 I made zucchini bread again.  Getting tried of it but have lots of squash. 

 More lilies and Astrid pushing the basketball down the court.

Camping Out

 Clayton and Greta are having nutella.  Sigrid loves it.  Looks like they are dipping fruit in it.  Some on the face so it must be good.  Erin is having to keep them a little quiet...I think Greg worked all night.  So she set up a tent.  Greta and Clayton are camping in his room.  

On Top

 The pool where Sigrid had her swim meet was near a earthen dam.  Astrid ran non stop to the top!  Sitting around is something she is not good at.

Swim to Win!

Sigrid is swimming in Alma this evening.  Pop is there...as is Mom and Astrid.

Things change

 Same tree 1982 and 2014.

 Front of this house 1982 and 2014.

Early Morning Visitor

 Sigrid came early and she and her Pop built her a bird house...it is already up in her yard.

I got these veggies today.  Put the green beans in the freezer.  Also, picked several ears of corn this evening.  Great meal tonight!

 Sigrid let my chickens out this morning.  While we were snipping beans on the porch this Cherry egger came up and was trying to get an easy breakfast.

Two New Houses

 Sigrid stayed home today and I am sort of glad because I bet she would have my blue Blue Bird house on a tree in her yard.  But she was busy today and Larry put them on my tree.  I sure like them.

Volleyball Camp This Week

 Astrid is at the Tech Volleyball camp this week.  She is with the High School.  I watched today.  Volleyball is not her favorite sport, but she is good at it and she has grown a little taller.  She is one of the tallest girls now. 

Sigrid Sewing Ingrid Bouncing

 Sigrid is designing clothes.  She bought the t shirt and then sewed a pocket on it also made head bands to match.  Ingrid is the tallest girl in 7th grade basketball.  She has a beautiful shot, but really she could care less about basketball.  She hates being compared to her sister and being called by her name!  She says "I just don't answer if they call me Astrid".

Green Forest Bank -- 1915

Scoop It Up

Clayton got to see this on his trip. It is a shovel or scoop call Brutus.  He was thrilled to see it.  Biggest one in the world I think Erin said.
Located at West Mineral, Kansas

Big Brutus put the oooohs and aaahs in the backyard of the Heartlands!!! Miles before you reach this retired giant — you can see it on the horizon south of West Mineral, Kansas. Standing beside it makes one aware of how fragile he or she is.

The statistics give the hard cold picture —

Bucyrus Erie model 1850B
largest electric shovel in the world
16 stories tall (160 feet)
weight 11 million pounds
boom 150 feet long
dipper capacity 90 cu. yds (by heaping, 150 tons 
— enough to fill three railroad cars.)
maximum speed .22 MPH
cost $6.5 million (in 1962)
There is more to Big Brutus than cold steel and long shadows falling across the Mined Land Wildlife Area. Big Brutus is not just a symbol of the past, but an eternal tribute to the mining heritage of Southeast Kansas and to miners all across this nation who toiled to support their families.

On July 13, 1985, Big Brutus was dedicated as "a Museum and Memorial Dedicated to the Rich Coal Mining History in Southeast Kansas."

In September 1987 The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) designated Big Brutus a Regional Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark, the 10th since 1971 to be so designated.

Splashing Fun

 Looks like Clayton and Greta are having fun.

Swimming

 Sigrid is competing in a swim meet at Clarksville and Greta is just have a good swim today!

Trippin'

 Erin's bunch are taking a week end trip.  I think they are in Winnie Jo country.