September is already over!

A lot happened really fast this month.

We used up the last of the McCool Christmas gift cards with a dinner up the gorge and a wine tasting. On the way to the tasting, we stopped in for Cyndi to show us a building that my Grandpa McCool had been a part of the building crew on.  Here is a shot of it today and when they were building it. My Grandma marked where my Grandpa is in the photo.

Jessi was doing in-service training at her new job as school nurse, so we had the kids for their final days of summer. They cracked up at my fake ants on their picnic lunch. 

Like I said, a lot happened so fast this month.

Josh finally was given leave from the Marines. A welcome home party was planned and Emily even flew back from Texas to be there. We are sure Josh grew a foot since he left.

But before the party could happen, Josh and Alexis became engaged!

So the welcome home party doubled as an engagement party.

Then before we got used to the idea that Josh was engaged...they got married!!! It was a simple ceremony in her Mother's back yard. Only their parents were invited. They had the idea that they were just going to city hall, but their parents talked them into that instead. A reception will be held for the rest of us that would have liked to see them married, sometime in a few months. First Josh has to report back to his new duty at 29 Palms and apply for married housing and then they will move down, then we will celebrate them.

The very same day that Josh arrived back, I suddenly had an appendicitis attack. I had to stay the night in the hospital and the next morning taken into surgery to remove it. So weird how it happened so fast! But it was pretty cool to feel the love from everyone, including flowers from the kids and delivery meals. We had a trip to Africa planned for 5 days after my surgery! With the covid surge, we had decided it best to postpone it. I am amazed how the timing of that went! There is no way that I would have enjoyed a trip while recuperating from surgery. Thank God it was postponed easily. 

Frankie came to town and had a mini CASS gathering. Since I was just back from the hospital, I could not go. So the next day, Frankie brought some of the students to my place for a visit. 

Luke and Nate came to town too! Luke is being scouted for the football team at OSU. They went to the game and met the coaches.

Here are a few random shots from the month.

Wally had plums and grapes that needed picking. What a treat to get fresh picked fruit.

The kids are back to school, Jessi is loving her new job as school nurse. One of her duties is screening suspected covid cases. Turns out, Josiah's class had a positive case. So he had to quarantine. Of course we said yes to having him. We spent the week doing homework, watching the garbage truck, visiting Great-grandparents McCool, lunches out, mowing the yard, and rewarded him for finishing his homework a day early with a fishing trip. And he caught two!!!

Arianna is in the 4th grade this year and was able to join the volleyball team. It has been fun going to her games and watching as she and the team have learned and improved each game.

Here are a few shots from the yard as summer turns into fall. I have never had hummingbirds share the feeder before. Three of them feed at one time. Of course there is the usual fighting going on too.

This place used to be a walnut grove. There are still a few trees on the place. And squirrels galore to harvest them. They are busy peeling them and burying them everywhere.

August

The month of August was spent mostly at home with family.

Except for the car. I left home to buy a car. I went out by myself and checked out a few dealers and decided on a KIA K5 and drove it home. 

I have never been a big car fan, as long as it gets me from one place to another, that is all I need. This car has way more than I needed, but it seems like they all come that way now. Driving home, I was trying to figure out how to do something while I was stopped at a light, I looked up to see this on the dashboard. I think this car could almost drive itself from what I am learning about it so far.

Dennis and Abby and Gabe and Daniel flew up for a short visit. We packed a ton in while they were here. Mostly cousin time. I sure wish they lived closer for more time together. The time flew by and suddenly they were gone again!

Jessi got everyone set up with a fun afternoon of kayaking and swimming on the very first day.

Of course, Josiah went fishing.

Daniel and Josiah played a game of hiding the army men. I found this guy hiding in the cashews.

The kids and I had a sleepover in the trailer.

Food Face Challenge

I love getting to see the sunsets from this place!

We have had extra grandkid time, which I love!

It is safe to say it now, Jessi has taken on a position as school nurse at her kids school. After all the years as a night shift labor and delivery nurse, she will finally be on the same schedule as her kids. So as she has begun the in-service days this month, we have been able to spend the time with the kids. Good thing, because school starts soon and then we won't be seeing them very much at all.

Josiah brought his BB gun, when they left, this is where we found it. Right there next to John's shotgun.

While Gabe and Daniel were here, we squeezed in a quick school clothes outfit shopping trip. Then when the kids were here, while Jessi was at the school, I took the girls for their shopping. It was fun seeing what they wanted for school. Josiah just wanted to stay at home when I took the girls. He said to just bring him a shirt and some shorts, the wiggly kind. I did. A couple of days later, I suggested to him that we go to Dick's and see if they had anything he liked.  Well, since they have fishing gear there, he was all in for that. And no sisters along. We had so much fun and finished off with a pkg of fishing lures, of course!

This is where I usually wait while the girls try on. If I am lucky, I get a peek of the outfits they do and don't like before they take them back off.

I planted a few flowers when we first moved in. They are so pretty!

Wally told me to go and pick some peaches. They are so good!

Cyndi and Mom and I had a pedicure.

I gave blood again.

My stephanotis has a pod. I discovered it last January. I read that it will get dark brown and fall off. It is taking forever. The plant is loaded with blooms and they smell so good. 

The yard is full of bunnies.

Jessi invited us along for a last of summer bash at Bullwinkles. The kids had fun as we all drove cars, and bumper boats and all the other things.

While we were on the road, I kept my jewelry in the safe deposit box at the bank. I took it all out and cleaned it. One of the things was a ring my Grandmother gave me. It was her original wedding band. So tiny it fit my pinky finger (a little loosely). I have had it on a chain that I wear because it was just a little loose on my finger. I slipped it on and decided to wear it around a little while. I got a phone call. While I chatted, I mindlessly wandered the yard, pulling up a weed here and there and tossing it in the grass. Suddenly, I realized to my horror, that it was GONE! I got off the phone and began searching. Nothing. I got a tiny rake and crawled on my knees the whole area it might have gone. Nothing. I searched and searched until it got dark. I was sick. I cried. It was over a hundred years old and in seconds, I tossed it away. In the morning, I picked up a rake with the tongs closer together and less than 3 minutes in...the RING! Unbelievable!! It is now back on the chain and I will never wear it on my pinky finger again!   

Emily and Matthew surprised us all with a big announcement. They bought a house! In Texas! I am so happy for them, but really, why Texas??!!! They should be in Oregon, right? It is supposed to be finished for them to move into in December.

We ended the month celebrating Arianna's 9th birthday. I am so happy to be back in Oregon after missing it last year when we were on the road.

At the end of July, Jimmy had to stay the the hospital for a week. He had not been feeling well since getting car sick on a van ride up the gorge. But 4 days later, I said enough and took him to emergency. We had to wait 3 hours in the waiting room before they could see us. Finally we had a room and they did a CATscan and decided he had a blood clot in his intestine and admitted him. He had to stay a week. Once home, his feet swelled up and he had huge blisters from the pressure. For this last month, I have been changing his wraps and getting them healed up again. It looks like he is back to normal again except for one tiny little spot. Physical therapy has helped him get his balance again and he is walking with his walker just like before the hospital. But now the Delta variant to the Covid-19 has him eating in his room again. The surge in cases has hospitals closing to emergency only and they are bursting worse than before in the worst of Covid times. Businesses are being closed again and masks are required inside and outside even with the vaccine. It has gotten to the point that the much planned for once in a lifetime trip to Africa that we had booked for September has to be postponed. It was a tough decision, but with all that we are needed for here, we just didn't want to risk getting stuck in Africa after the safari was over. We are now in the process of scheduling it for January. Let's hope things are better by then and we can travel and relax knowing we will get back home when it is done.