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Wednesday, July 11, 2012

CHALLENGES EVERYWHERE

When planning the upcoming "century farm" gathering, I reminded myself that it would be hot in July and that I might not want to bake. With cool weather in June, I guess I was lulled into a sense of complacency about that, and now here I am with a little more baking to do and I'm out of the mood.

Monday we went to town to shop, pick up chairs at Harriet's, gather up this and that. But it has not been smooth sailing. The kitchen in our little modular home has experienced a minor invasion of carpenter ants. So, I did a cursory clean-out in the pantry, wiped counters with Chlorox disinfectant (with bleach, you know), and then sprinkled some Ajax with bleach along the back of the sink. Only one ant appeared to die in the Ajax. I just can't determine where they're coming in.

I saw a few in the dishwasher, so I ran it. I saw a few run behind the stove, so I pulled out the drawer, cleaned with the aforesaid bleach, and then treated the area with some ant spray. I also sprayed around the window outside and under the windowsill inside. I haven't seen any more since I did that. Mike stacked a fresh load of wood at the back of the house a couple of weeks ago, and we suspect that's the source.

It was hot in town, so last night Mike and I took Nellie to the river. She loved chasing the tennis ball in the water. It's still a little high and cold for me. Mike thought it was refreshing.







And then, for the fun of it Mike took an underwater picture of Nellie swimming. It doesn't show much -- just kinda fun and a feature we'll have to experiment with.



Today was our last trip back to the farm before the celebration on Saturday and the Dakota was really packed. When we arrived here we were met with quite a scene. Two chaises and a wicker chair had blown off the porch and onto the lawn, indicating strong wind from the south which is unusual. None of it was damaged.




It also broke a limb out of the maple tree, necessitating an unexpected two-hour chore for Mike.




It had elements of fun, though. Not a good picture -- still learning with new camera. KW






4 comments:

  1. That camera is amazing! I felt like I could reach out and touch swimming Nellie. Hmmm...Dad in a tree. Any excuse, I tell you, any excuse to climb, hurdle, suspend, tow, you name it.

    We're half packed now (guess which half--ha ha). See you soon!

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  2. Glad to see Nellie enjoying a swim. The underwater shot is great. When are we going to see Mike go "clear under" the water? Maybe not.

    Remember that digital cameras are good to help you find a certain replacement part in a hardware store, send a photo to a repairman or to use in other inventive ways.

    This is off message, but I read a story once about a woman who was sick in bed upstairs. The husband had laundry duty and was confused. He took a photo of the dials on the washer, & showed the picture to his wife in bed. She explained how he should change the settings to do the laundry. Wife relaxed. Husband went to work.

    Darn Ants. What a thing to happen when you have so much to do. The only time an "army" got into this house (been here 12+ years) was through the AC unit in the living room. One day last year, I was reading by the window when something tickled my leg. It was an ant. I looked down and saw his cousins following. EEEEK. I grabbed my Raid can & ran outside. Sure enough, an army was marching toward the AC opening. I "Raided" them & ended their invasion. I can imagine how frustrating it was to find them in so many places in your house. Hope you've stopped them.

    When I saw the photo of Mike in the tree, I gasped. Hope you can both relax before the big event.

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  3. I forgot to say that our weather station recorded a wind gust of 43 mph from the south at 2:08 p.m. on Monday, July 9. I guess that's what moved the furniture and broke limbs.

    Oh, for sure! Mike will take pictures under water.

    Another hot day in store for us so I'm up early to bake. And guess what! An upper level disturbance on Saturday will bring scattered showers, some of them heavy.

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  4. Hee hee, I'm cracking up over Hallie's comment! I think it's true that guys never grow up in certain ways. :-) I'm impressed you were able to take a picture of Mike in the tree. I usually have to cover my eyes or leave when Dan's in a similar position. Big lot of help I'd be if he needed me...

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