Anniversaries

Today is our 33rd anniversary. Last night I came home and told Sue "Let's do something impulsive. Change your clothes, pack 1 outfit, and let's go someplace tonight." So we did just that. Stopped by the new Lion's Den Restaurant in Marshall (they moved) for supper, then took off north. We ended up in Danville, Illinois. I know, not the romance capitol of the world. But we enjoyed it. Stayed the night, then wandered around Danville some. Interesting town. I'd kind of like to do some research and explore it properly some time. There is a lot more there than one might think. We went east and south. Drove through Covington, Veedersburg, Perrysville, Cayuga, all the big cities. Found a very nice little place to eat in Cayuga called the Covered Bridge Restaurant

I told Sue I wasn't sure we could eat there as we were not driving a van. I think there was a couple baseball teams there or something. Good food, a pie list to drive miles for. Including sugar free pineapple and sugar free lemon. Oh, and yucky Gooseberry as well as Rhubarb if you have lousy taste in pies.

Yesterday was also the third anniversary of my grandson David's coming home.

Jill said "So, the story just kind of stopped. Assuming it ended, or "all was good" or something." Sorry about that. I had to step away from the computer a little while so I just posted it and forgot to come back and polish it up. Here is a photo of David last week
God is good

What is your definition of a "better" life?

What is your definition of a "better" life? On a forum I frequent Kay asked that question. It is one I have been pondering, especially considering the year we have been having. After spending way too much time waxing philosophical (and no, it still doesn't shine) I define a better life as one just a little better than your parents had.

I really don't think I can accomplish it, especially if I throw in my grandparents. Both my grandfathers lived well into their 90's. They started with nothing and ended life with something to pass on to their kids.

I don't know much about what my mom's dad started with, other than I heard him make various comments over the years about not doing business with family. He worked hard all his life. He picked apples in a local ordhard until he was ... I think 88, at least 85. Not because he had to in order to survive, but because he enjoyed it and wanted to.

My dad's dad was raised poor. He commented one time he was 16 before he knew you could buy new nails. They always straightened and reused old ones. We never were sure if he was joking or not. We suspected not. His dad just never had the gift of financial success. He left home about 16 with little more than what he was wearing. Two of his brothers had moved north to south central Illinois to find work, and he went to that area and found work on a farm.

The first tractor he ever owned he paid for twice. They had saved the money for it, and between the time he ordered it and it came in the bank failed and lost it all. He was able to borrow the money from his in-laws to pay for it. When he died he owned almost 450 acres, had put 2 daughters through college, had another daughter married to a successful farmer, and seen his son be successful farming. He had enough cash (in more than one bank ... I think at one time he had money in at least 4 different ones) he didn't have to worry about paying his bills. Here he is standing in front of the old home place near Mt Vernon, Illinois


I've had an easy life compared to them. But when I look at what they accomplished and what my dad has accomplished, I have my doubts I will qualify as a financial success the way they did. Perhaps my success will be measured differently.
So what is your definition of a "better" life?

I've got no problems

Every time I get to feeling a bit blue about this year I get smacked up side of the head with the realization things are not so bad. 4th of July the local Fire Dept had a booth set up at the festivities at the Park. It was Dave's idea, so he ran with it, pretty much using the "Do It or Have It Done" philosophy.

I was there off and on, and met a couple young ladies who worked with his wife at McDonald's. One was a very nice red-headed young lady. She was there with a local church youth group setting up a booth. Sue and went to McD's over the weekend and she was working. Once it clicked who we were we talked a bit. The Marshall Ambulance had a run this evening I heard while I was putting a wagon in the shed. Woman had collapsed. Dave called me later in the evening. It was this girl's mom. The girl was feeling ill and stayed home from work. She took a nap and when she woke found her mom on the floor. She didn't make it.

I've got no problems.

Brother called. His son is home from the Army for a couple weeks. Because of some of Illinois' screwy Driver's Ed rules and his age and stuff He had never gotten a driver's license. He got his today. Brother said, well, let me copy an email he sent later:

He wrecked my truck tonight, HE IS OK !!!!!!!!!!......... Truck's not, it's toast, we had a hard rain tonight and he went threw a low spot and the truck hydroplaned, he was only going about 45 but ended down a ditch and hit some trees He has a sore leg, nothing broken ,one of the boys that was with him has some scratches from the glass and the other has some neck and back problems, It wasn't his fault , just one of those things that happens

I've got no problems

edit: Here are a few photos

David's Swallow Test

I don't know who reads this that might not be familiar with my oldest grandson, so a quick explanation then a copy of what his Mom wrote on her family blog page. David was born way early. He was 1 pound 3 ounces at birth. Yes, that caused a lot of difficulties. Here is a photo from early on in Riley's ICU.

But things are steadily improving. He is an active, healthy 3 year old.

He went for a test yesterday that should be another step toward his eating solid food. Here is Becky's post:

Thursday, July 3, 2008

David's Swallow Study!!!

David did his swallow study today. He did great! It was so cool to watch the video of him swallowing. It was a little scary looking through David's head. You could see his glasses and the little metal circles on the glasses strap. When Aman started feeding David he couldn't get any liquid out of the sippy so they took the stopper out of the sippy . The liquid went down with no problems. David kept pointing to himself and when he did you could see through his finger. He didn't want to eat but Aman got him to take a bite. When he got the food to the back of his mouth he kind of gagged on it. Stacey says he probably gagged because of the taste of the barium.

Stacey said to try thicker liquids like milk or V-8 Smoothies. Next week we are working on Sprite with orange juice, and ice cream.

OK, my patience is wearing thin ...

I finally got my internet service back today. We only had 65 messages to download. 21 were from the same person ... I have had to set up a filter to put email from him in a separate folder. Do not be surprised if I change ISP's the next week or so. If I do the cell1net.net address will at some point fail to work. The ARRL.net address will forward to the correct mailbox as well as the firehousemail.com address.

And yes, it is 12:25 AM as I type this. I was upgrading my Open Office and fell asleep at my desk waiting for it to do its thing and now am not sleepy. Its been a challenging day

The backup light on my truck do not work. They don't work because we stole the fuse from them to use in the combine. The combine needed it because the parking brake was locked on.

Oh, you want an explanation?

My son-in-law was running through the field cutting wheat when the combine made a terrible noise and lost all forward motion. It was like someone threw the parking brake on. We could not get it to work right. If you put the transmission in 1st gear you could get some forward movement out of it. This was 5:30 PM. Dad came to take my place in line at the elevator while I looked at the combine. I got back to the field, yep, still looked like a combine. We looked it over, and finally called the service dept about 10 before 6. Everyone had left but a salesman who was no help at all.

Elevator was open until 6, so SIL jumped in the full truck and headed for town. I went back and changed with Dad. I finally got unloaded and put my truck away for the night. Wife helped me get stuff in. We were setting there contemplating when Dad called and asked if we had checked the fuses. SIL popped the fuse cover off and started looking at the diagram to see what fuse it might be. He got this funny look when he discovered the parking brake and the air pump for the driver's seat share a common fuse. He realized he had been pumping up the seat when the combine stopped. We stole the afore mentioned fuse from my pickup and VOILA! he was back in business.

I mentioned challenging? We tried one field this morning and it was too wet so we went to try another. Combine almost didn't start. So we changed fields, it too was wet. We cleaned the battery terminals on the combine, then set up an auger on a bin to put wet wheat in.

OK that is not from today, but it might give those reading this that do not understand "farmer talk" an idea what I mean. If you are reading this and do not understand the significance ... you are fortunate. Putting wheat in a bin now means sometime in the next month you will need to get it out. Combine physical labor (running a scoop shovel or powered equipment) inside a closed circular metal structure with summer heat and you have a setup for heat exhaustion. Nobody likes the idea of wheat in a bin. So we get it all set up, ready to take wheat, I plug in the spreader in the top of the bin ... and trip the circuit breaker.

Fortunately, after we get the first truck loaded I take a sample to the elevator and it has dried enough we can take it directly to town. This is an idea it seems everyone else had as well.

Anyway, broken bolts, blown fuses, non-working devices ... by the way, I forgot to mention I found the big green tractor has a flat tire on it after we got it to the field and a load on the grain cart.But Hey! Yesterday afternoon for fun I talked to the IRS, the insurance company, and of course my internet service provider customer service folks. This is a piece of cake

Well, I've been at this about a half hour and am beginning to get drowsy again, so see y'all later.