Our lovely mimosa tree has been blooming for six weeks. In the daylight, the leaves spread and resembles a fern. At dusk the leaves close. The sun is finally breaking through the haze from the "microwave fire". No not in my microwave. It is south of Mosier, but the smoke has blown our direction.

New Front Porch

We try not mention bike out loud because Ryder gets so excited that he can hardly contain his enthusiasm for his bike. He loves to ride and it doesn't matter whether it is indoors or out. His bike doesn't have pedals so no chain to get tangled in. He has learned to balance and steer. He gets up speed and then coasts along.
We have a wonderful new front porch that Ben built. He arrived on Tuesday, off to Home Depot Wednesday to fetch a load of lumber and an assortment of hardware. In just four days we have a most excellent deck/porch complete with railings and solar powered post lights. He also installed a new porch light, new house numbers and doorbell button. It has been way to hot to sit and enjoy the even the evenings. Ben said he lost 2 pounds. It must have been water. It was over 100 degrees every day that he was here. We couldn't handle it for more than a few minutes. Guam prepared him to handle the unusually hot weather here. It was so nice to have him here. Vale spent a couple of days and nights here. That was an extra treat for us. We hadn't seen him for several years. He is just as sweet as ever.

Happy 4th of July

Edson barbecued steak and pork steak in the afternoon. We went back in the evening the do fireworks in the driveway. Ryder was not liking the noise or the sparks so we stayed inside with him so he could watch through the window. He was much happier playing with toys. He would venture out to see Mama, peek around the corner of the house, then say "around" which means let's go back. He is very fortunate to be able to express himself as well as he does at two. It has been so hot for the last three days that it has been hard to keep the garden watered. It is supposed to be cooling off this week. I left my camera at Amy's so I will have to post pictures next time.

Fences make good dogs

We have a whiskey barrel in the front yard for flowers, but Beau can't seem to keep out of it. He loves to dig in dirt. He nearly emptied it as soon as the ice melted a few months ago. A couple of weeks ago I planted some new flowers and added some potting soil with fertilizer in it. It lasted all of one night. I planted them in the evening. By the time I got home from work the next evening, it was emptied of the plants and half the soil. Between Beau and Teka (we are keeping her while Amy, Edson and the kids are on vacation to Disneyland), it was cleaned out and most of the plants were completely gone. I managed to salvage two, but there were dumped out again the next day. Lesson learned. I put up wire fencing around the barrel. I have watched Beau stand up on his tippy toes to see if he can figure out how to get in there. Since he couldn't he dug another hole in the yard. He also likes to dig up the hens and chickens in the flower beds. Just one every now and then. He always leaves his treasures on the door step. Perhaps he's part cat.

School is out and Jim is volunteering at the Senior Center. He goes down every weekday morning. He has even started Wii bowling down there. He won't play at home because our tv is not as big. I guess that means we will have to get a larger one with a flat screen.

Stake Conference

I am still very excited that Elder Dallin H. Oaks shook my hand twice yesterday. He arrived 45 minutes early so he could wander through the chapel and gym to shake hands with everyone. We were in the 2nd row in the gym even though I went to save Jim a seat two hours before it started. There was a really good turnout. We also shook hands with Elder Merrill of the seventy.

Spring in the gorge . . finally

It is definitely time to switch to spring pictures. The longer days are allowing more walking time after work. Sometimes we walk the neighborhood with the dogs, but my favorite is walking riverfront trial. It is so peaceful and relaxing near the water. Of course, we do share the trail with bicycles, roller bladers and dog walkers. When we take Beau, he thinks he is the biggest dog on the block. He is almost as big as Buttons now. He was supposed to be much smaller.
We finally got Jim enrolled at the Portland VA. He is going to have a consultation with their pain clinic to see if there is something else that can be done for the pain in his foot. It has been a long, exhausting year searching for something that will alleviate at least some the the pain. It puts such a damper on everything for him.
I have been knitting socks lately. They are easy to stick in my purse so I can work on them when I have to wait for appointments, etc.
Tomorrow after work, the tomatoes, tomatillos and cucumbers are going into the garden. We may need to expand our gardening this year since produce is getting more expensive. I do love home grown tomatoes. Our grape arbor is doing really well. We are going to take the fence across the backyard down and replace it before it falls down.
Now for the ten things I love.
1. Do I get to count my grandchildren as the first 8 items? Okay, I'll just lump them together.
2. My kids.
3. Gardening.
4. Miss Julia books.
5. Fat Free Strawberry ice cream.
6. Sunshine and relaxing in my adirondack chair.
7. Hour long massages (I had one Saturday. My insurance reimburses half the cost.)
8. Chocolate.
9. Sleeping in.
10. My husband and his sense of humor. He also has very kissable lips. (No I am not too old to be thinking about things like that!)
11. Shoes that don't hurt my feet.
I am thinking I may retire earlier than originally planned. Six years is sounding much better than ten. My biggest excitement lately is when the Wii told me I was no longer obese, just overweight.