Today marks five years since Terri left us.  Today culminates a difficult section of June.  The sixth through the twenty-fifth for the last five years.  The sixth being when Freddy left us.

This year was a wide variation of emotion.  Remembering, traveling, Terri's birthday, the wedding with the empty chair, and now today.

Today is also Kelsi's Birthday, so Happy Birthday Kelsi!

We are on the down side of a project at the barn.  Either today or tomorrow we will finish it, but right now I am house sitting.

Last week Memama's air conditioner had a hiccup and Gene came and worked on it.  Today it is having another one, but Gene is out of town.  Memama had not been to the grocery store since wen went to Washington  so I told her to make me a  list and I would go, but she insisted..

I have about recovered from my peanut brittle making where I could eat some.  Memama and I did sixteen batches Saturday for the reunion.  Man that is a lot of work, but I think by getting some different bowls we can make it easier.

It is a microwave recipe and every time you reuse your bowl you have to compensate the time for retained heat.  Otherwise it scorches or burns.

I was quite proud of our consistency and color!

Helping make it sure gives you a different perspective when eating it.

Well, hope you had a day!

FATHER, tell Terri, Freddy and Pepa hi!

A week after returning from the Northwest and I still have jet lag!

I will be the first to admit that it was hard leaving forty degree nights and lower seventies days to return to Texas.

On Tuesday morning, Memama and I made a tour of the farms.  Everything looks good, considering the difficulties of having had to pick the crop up, except the last place we planted, just prior nto leaving.  I had put thep;lanter in an notch, but if I knew the wind was going to blow like it did while we were gone, I nmight have put it in one or two more!  We could sure use a shower to bail my butt out.

I've never been a maximerge planter fan, and I still don't like them.  I look outy from Memama's house and see the planting Tim did with the old furrow planters and it sure looks good.

Actually we are in pretty good shape farm wise, until it rains.

This weekend was the Freeman Stevens reunion at the La Quinta in Sweetwater.  The Kelly clan was the host this year.  It was pretty enjoyable.

Ollie was my only kiddo to come in for it.  She and Noble drove in Saturday afternoon.

Saturday night Noble went to bed with Memama, so Ollie and I met some of my friends at the VFW.  It was a pretty fun evening.

I reported to Pat and Coach at the reuniion that about one this morning I went in and checked on Memama on my way to my bedroowm and I found a guy in her bed! 

Of course I had to 'fess up that it was Noble.  I don't know who was in the better hog heaven, Memama or Noble.  Noble is Memama's youngest great grand at this time and he sure does like her.

About mid afternoon Ollie and Noble headed back to Angelo.

Merrit is supposed to send me pictures of me teaching her to two step..  In the beginning she told me, "Dad, everyone in here is fifty years older than me!"  But on the way home she told me, she had a really fun time meeting some of my friends and now she wants to brush up on her two step skills.

Exciting news for today is that my friends donkey, Tiko, delivered her baby.  A little female.  My text simply stated "Baby ASS!"  So far they are having to bottle feed because Tiko won't let the baby nurse.

She may have to put Junior in with the chicks and guineas!

Hope you had a weekend!

Have a day!

FATHER, bless our efforts.  Help us to make good choices.

There's no place like home.
There's no place like home.

Arrived in Dallas last evening..  Got to Roscoe about 1.  Couldn't sleep so I unpacked.
Laid down and heard the clock chime 2.

Truck driver called this morning about 6:30.

Back to the grindstone.  Fixing to go see what cotton came up from our late planting before I left.  Also going to check spraying.

Have a day!

FATHER, thank YOU for safe travel and homecomings!

It is done.  We finished planting Monday evening about 7.

We finished spraying today just before lunch.

IT has been crazy getting this one in and going.

It is trying to storm tonight.

I had a guy today tell me to worry about what I can control.

FATHER, bless our efforts!

I can remember a time when getting a crop in was easy.  Not so the last few years.

You try to be a good steward and it bites you on the butt.

When we began planting almost two weeks ago, moisture was marginal.  We were placing the seed inthe edge of the moisture band, probably 1 1/4 to 1 3/8 inches deep.  Then it rained, washing in on the seed bed.Ofn late I have been running picker wheels, trying to pick up the crop.  We aren't even through planting but I am trying to salvage the high dollar seed we already have in the ground.

In between I have run  sandfighters.

Sixty acres from being through picking all the planted seed, it rained again.  Now we are looking at probably running sandfighters again.

I am not a maximerge planter fan.  Never have been.  It appears the best thing to do is put it in about 3/8 to 1/2 and wait for a rain.

Very stressful;.

Add to this I have been a one man band again.  Mr farm help's dad died a week ago.  Hopeful my man will be back tomorrow.  There is a lot of menial work to be done.

Guidance issues on the big tractor also.  We changed a steering module yesterday but  it is still lazy.

(It doesn't matter how hard I hit that button).

Looks like trips to Indy and Washington are out..  Fortunes of farming.  Only way I can see going is if there comes a turd floater or a horrific hail storm.

Oh FATHER, rescue me!