So much has happened since the last time I’ve written. I could write a blog post about every one of these events, but for now, let me just get you caught up in the saga I call  my life!

Brian, Carrie, Gary and Pam doing a little wine tasting on Wadmalaw Island.

In May, we had a staycation. My sister, Pam and brother-in-law, Gary, came to visit from Colorado. It was definitely a good time. We went to visit Firefly Vodka Distillery and Irwin House Winery and we shopped at the outlet mall and golfed and fished to our hearts content.

Gary hooked a very large stingray near Folly Beach.

Back at work, I was slammed. The company I worked for was nearing its demise and my job got harder and harder to keep organized. By mid-June it announced that it was going to close its doors permanently at the end of the month.

Sweet Jack Dog.

 In early June a new dog came to stay with us. To make a long story short, we did not want another dog, but Jack kept climbing over our fence and into our yard despite numerous attempts on our part to keep him out. We checked around the neighborhood and he belonged to no one. I called the local animal shelters to see if we could drop him off and was told we would be placed on a waiting list and to expect a two month wait before they could take him.  I posted his picture up at our veterinarian’s office.  Jack’s a cute dog and fairly well-behaved. He likes to climb over the fence to chase chickens. Jack continues to recuperate from his very recent neutering. So, I reckon he’s staying.

Lots of groupies at the Blue Oyster Cult and Cheap Trick concert in Greeley!

I also had a sister vacation at sister Pam’s house in Colorado in July. It is always wonderful to be with my sisters, best friends no matter what! We went to a rock concert in Greeley and saw Blue Oyster Cult and Cheap Trick. Haha, what old rockers they are! And, of course, there was that groupie sitting in front of us, having a crazy time. And, the smell of pot wafted all around us. I had a blast!

Gary, Pam and Bonnie are sipping mimosas while I snap their photo from the street prior to the beginning of the parade.

Then, on another day we watched the neighborhood 4^th of July parade, with bikes, trikes, golf carts and even a horse. We sat in our lawn chairs and drank mimosas to celebrate. And, then we went into town later to watch the fireworks over the lake. It was an awesome display. We spent another day at Rocky Mountain National Park and had lunch and shopped in Estes Park. On another day, I went trout fishing in the Poudre River and caught a trout and on our last day there, two sisters got tattoos.

The Chinese symbols mean 'elder sister' and 'younger sister.'

I have been unemployed now for several weeks, so, I have finished all the preserving of the summer vegetable garden, pulled the plants and prepped the ground in anticipation of our fall vegetable garden. I love having two growing seasons. I just need to get better at caring for the winter crop…

I’ve been thinking about starting my own business, well, actually two separate businesses, well, okay, really three separate businesses. One, I am contemplating reviving the on-line magazine idea I had several years ago.  I think it would be a fun endeavor, but, am concerned that I might not get enough advertisers to make a living at it. The second idea is to design websites, mostly for the smaller business market, since I’m not a web design guru and most mom and pops would be interested in simpler designs and have smaller budgets. The third idea is to become a professional organizer, mainly because I like to organize. I’ve been working on three business plans to determine if any of these ideas are really worth pursuing. So far, none of them look promising as anything more than a side job, but we’ll see. In the meantime, I have an interview for a real job on August 27 that would be interesting work and has good benefits.

In the meantime, I have been resurrecting my gourd art. I have about 50 gourds leftover from a planting several years ago.  For the past couple of years, they have been stored in huge lawn trash bags in the now uninhabited hen house. I used a big stick (a tomato stake) since I’m scared of snakes to pull one of the bags out and found 10 solid gourds. I couldn’t believe they hadn’t rotted. I used the bench grinder to buff the mold off and also wiped them with a bleach solution. Next, they are ready for staining or a coat of paint and their final designs. I just might create a page on my website and sell them.

Brian continues to work on the exterior house painting project. What began in earnest in March is still not complete in August. He had hoped to be done by Mid-May before our guests came for vacation, but more repair and prep work than he had anticipated kept him from finishing. Then, of course, summer arrived making it too scorching hot to work outside except for but a few mere hours in the mornings.  We also had an opportunity to buy more windows and several exterior doors at a very reasonable price – a once in a lifetime deal. So, we are replacing 10 more windows and two doors. Now, the thing about older houses, is that nothing goes as planned. We discovered, for instance, that one set of four standard-sized windows in our sunroom are not standard-sized at all. Fortunately, Brian is very clever and is making it all work, although, it is with much extra effort. He plans to install three more windows this weekend and get the final three the following weekend.

There’s always so much more to say, but for now, let me get this posted, so maybe you’ll start reading again. Please browse through the photos in the photo gallery below. Hope you have been having a great summer, so far.  Leave some comments so I know what you’ve been up to!