Fact and Fictioin (Mostly Fact)

I'm going to go out on a limb and say there's a hint of fall in the air. It gets hot in the middle of the day, but the mornings and evenings are very pleasant. I picked the right year to build a picnic table and volleyball poles.

We've also got a couple of large spiders to set up web here in the yard. We get these spiders each year, but they seem a tad early to me this time. They spin really pretty webs that are about three feet across and have a zipper pattern right down the middle. We noticed one of them had caught what appears to have been a bee and was enjoying her feast today.

THE WIZARDING WORLD. Ben and Nate are really into reading the Harry Potter series now. Even Aunt Mar is working on the first Potter book. She says it’s “right good” but “different.”

Of course, when the boys aren't reading it they are now pretending it in their play (which isn't much different from me pretending to be a Jedi when Star Wars first came out). Whenever the boys wave a “wand” to do something to Vicki she just reminds them that they are Muggles and therefore powerless.

The other day I came up behind Ben and put him in a head lock. He had a drumstick in his hand and using it as a wand he waved it at me and said, "Expelliarmus," which is used the Harry Potter world to disarm another wizard.

"Sorry, Ben. That won't work on me because I don't have a drumstick."

Next he waved his wand and said, "Stupefy," which is used to stun an opponent in the Potter series.

"Sorry, Ben. It will take more than you for that to affect me." (In the books it takes several wizards working together to stun a large opponent so I figured I qualified as large.)

As a last ditch effort he tapped me with the drumstick and said, "Uncle!"

I had to let him go with that. It's the old magic that works best.

BIKE LESSONS. I am embarrassed to say that my eight year old son does not know how to ride a bike. Since he has a bike safety lesson coming up in scouts I figured I need to get him up to speed on one.

This evening we took supper over to Aunt Mar's and afterwards I took Nate and an old bike we have to the lower part of the yard (the old strawberry patch). This section has no trees and just enough slope that I can push him off and jog alongside.

He actually did pretty well, but he has a ways to go to build up his confidence. I hope I can report some success next time.

FITNESS. Monday night I was helping with Nate’s Den in Cub Scouts. They had a lesson on fitness and the boys had to do several exercises. We are recording the results to see how they do over four weeks. Poor Nate couldn’t do any push-up and had a hard time with sit-ups. I was holding his feet on the sit-up and became concerned as he struggled so much that he passed gas. (I was planning my escape should something more than gas come out.) At least he saw it as amusing and could laugh at himself.

By the time it was over I told the mom who was recording the boys’ results to put Nate down for two sit-ups and three farts. She lost all control right then and there.

CLEANING OUT. Aunt Mar has decided it is time to do some cleaning. We've been through her closet and helped her get rid of clothes she no longer wears and I have shredded a bunch of canceled checks from the 70s, 80, and 90s.

This evening we started going through Aunt Carrie's old desk. This is something she's never wanted to do alone. It has been interesting to read old letters and see things Aunt Carrie stored away in there. I’ll share one paper we found below. It was written by Aunt Mar to Aunt Carrie.

A Typical Day for Us
June 22 [mid-1980s]

Got up and ate breakfast
Washed clothes, swept garage and mopped it
Went to Roy Cole’s and picked beans and squash
Fixed lunch
Hoed out garden
Went to Nashville with Anne to see Dr. Goldner
Went to Parkview [Hospital] to see Alice [Payne, we think]
Went to Memorial [Hospital] to see Robert [not sure which Robert]
Went to Rivergate to get tie for David [not sure which David]
We met Joe in Springfield to eat supper
We all went to the [Jessie Holman Jones] hospital to see Lillie Belle [Norwood]
Came home and strung beans
Took bath, folded clothes
Twenty till twelve, ready for bed

We're thinking a good project for this winter would be to put some of these things in a scrapbook and share when relatives come to visit. It has been really fun to catch glimpses of life from years ago.

Joe

Settling Back into a Routine

We have had extraordinary weather for August over the last week or so. It's been warm but not intensely hot or humid which has been most enjoyable.

School has been back in session for the last week and a half. The boys went to their first Scout meeting of the year last night and Awana kicks off tomorrow night. Summer break seems like a distant memory. Once you get back in the routine you feel like you were never out of it.

Well, in some ways this isn’t true. Between my coming home tired from a stepped up pace at work and Vicki spending a lot of time at church getting ready for Awana we’ve not had a lot of family time. I guess that’s why I've only got two things to share this time.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME. Well, I'm 45 now. Except for my knees and my vision when reading I can't say that I feel much different from 35. Time marches on though.

Friday night Vicki, Jenna, and I went out to see the latest Harry Potter flick. (The boys didn't get to go because our rule is that you must read the book before seeing the movie.) All three of us felt the movie was very well done and a great way to end the series.

The next night we ate over at Aunt Mar's as a family celebration. That's where I got my favorite chocolate cake! We had planned to have our first meal on our new picnic table that night, but about an hour before we were to eat we had a storm roll through and leave us half an inch of rain. We didn't get to break in our new table until last night.

GETTING THE WRONG WORDS. Last night Ben noticed something on a tree trunk and said, "Look, two quesadillia shells!” It turns out he’d found two cicada shells left behind after the bugs had molted. Jenna corrected him and then got to wear them on her shoulders as a reward for doing so.

Joe

Hot and Humid

Hot and humid. That pretty much sums up our weather.

ONE LAST GETAWAY. It was a quiet week around here last week. With VBS behind us Vicki and the kids got in the van after church that Sunday (the 24th) and headed to Georgia. The spent the entire week with Will, Darice, and the kids -- playing games, swimming in the pool, and having all kinds of fun. I had to stay here and work, and while I had a good time eating supper with Mom and Aunt Mar three times I was really glad to get my family back home on Friday.

AMERICAN IDOL. Vicki and Jenna really enjoyed watching American Idol this year so when they got wind of the post season tour making a stop in Nashville they got a few friends together and bought tickets. The show was Saturday night and from what I hear it was a fun girls night out.

A FUN SUNDAY AFTERNOON. Last Sunday we had a full afternoon. Right after lunch we went over to Orlinda to attend the Denning family reunion. I don't know that many relatives on this side of the family, but I had a good time talking to the ones I do know.

After the reunion we went to see Cars 2. We all thought this latest Pixar flick was better than the first story.

BEN'S BIRTHDAY. Another birthday has rolled around for Ben. This is number eleven. We celebrated on yesterday evening with supper over at Aunt Mar's. Ben is going to celebrate with some friend tomorrow night so I'll save that report for the next edition.

OPEN HOUSE. Summer break is coming to a close. We went to open house at both schools after Ben's birthday supper yesterday. Nate is a third grader this year and Marilyn Kahn is his teacher. This year will be Ben's last year at the elementary school since he is in the fifth grade. His teacher is Julie Stroud. And down the road at the high school Jenna is beginning her eighth grade year. I'm only acquainted with one of her teachers.

This weekend is the last of our break as the first full day of school is Monday.

IT'S FINISHED! The picnic table is finished. (Well, I still need to do a little sanding on the table top.) I got up Saturday planning to put the seats on, but everything was going together so fast I put the table top on too. Now, if it will just cool off some we'll fire up the grill and enjoy some burgers around the picnic table.

I'll have to say this was a most enjoyable project. I would love to do this full time.

Joe