You might remember the pictures taken of M floating in the pool on his visit with us a few weeks ago. When we returned from taking him back to his Mom and Dad and brothers, we found the pool in this semi-collapsed state. Big flood! The inflatable ring at top gave out. I don't know the extent of the damage yet because I have been busy with other stuff.
Right across the lane looking due north is a wheat field. These fields have turned and will be harvested in 2-3 weeks. It will then be really dusty around and in the house. There is no keeping the dust out of a house that was built in 1922, but I do appreciate a house that can breathe. The house was built by a guy who had split with his wife. I don't think a divorce was involved, but he or she could not stand to live with one another anymore. So he built two identical houses. Really pretty well done. When we moved into this house the other identical house was situated at the corner of Crystal and Glascock, a quarter mile down the lane to our east. At the time we moved-in in August of 1972, the house was lived in by the Petersons but they gave up on it and moved into a trailer (not a double-wide) set beside the house. Later the house mysteriously went up in flames. I don't insinuate that there was any hanky-panky, but the house was very dry, unlived in and it just went up in flames. Ours is still standing and hopefully will remain in such condition for several more years.
Looking cross the lane from our house toward the town of Weiser which is five miles away and the nearest town. Onions are growing in this field. All the other fields surrounding our house are planted in soft white winter wheat this year. Farmers are expecting a good price--maybe $12 a hundred weight.
Looking along the west side of the house. We have lots of sunflowers again. I went through and hacked the weeds out that were growing among the sunflowers. There were not many weeds. Now that the sunflowers are so big, no more weeds will get a start. Sunflowers make for a great way to control weeds and also provide privacy from the road. Weeds grow really well in SW Idaho.
Our house is really in there some place. The shade in the afternoons is a real blessing. But I spend many hours in the autumn raking leaves. There really is no free lunch.
Another view of the front of the house. The border of hostas show well in this picture.
Front of the house. Picture does not show the border of hostas very well, but these were all divided and replanted this spring. In three years I will divide again and have no place to put the 75 or so plants that I will then have available. Anybody want hostas in three years? I have always loved bleeding hearts since I was a toddler. Mom and Dad had them planted in front of our house at 4211 N. Howard and on the north side. When we bought our own house, I wanted to have Bleeding Hearts, so I do.
I had seven yards of red bark delivered and so stayed around the house while Gramma J went to Boise. I wanted the bark dumped in a certain place. Turned out that the truck driver is the fiancee of the girl Jane is making the wedding dress for. By the time I took the picture I had moved seven wheelbarrow loads to an area around the birch tree in front of the house. I worked on this for a couple of hours and then stopped so as not to work in the heat of the day. I will work on this for the next two mornings and think I will have it done. I am trying not to come up with too stiff a back by only working 2-3 hours a day shoveling this stuff. Got the job done in three days, but am going to have to get another four yards.
It has been hot around here. L knows how to cool off.
Gramma J went shopping yesterday in Boise and stopped by to visit D's family. We have a new driver in the family. She is two and can run that battery powered ATV given to her by Cousin Carley.The big trees that you see pictured with the house are oak trees given to us by one of my all time favorite people, Harry Zanks. He has departed from this world, but he is one of the folk that made the world a better place in which to live while he was here. The trees are part of his legacy, my effectiveness in the classroom and on the baseball field or volleyball court and children who benefited from my skills and efforts are a more important legacy of Harry Zanks. I know he is with his Maker as he would believe because a few minutes before his death he was fishing on a dock at a small pond in the fog. His daughter came to the pond to video him on a whim that early morning and just as she started the video the sun was rising and the fog lifted in such a way that a shaft of light lit up the sliver of dock upon which he sat and of course lit him up. SuZ was filming from behind him and above on the bank of the pond. He did not know she was there. When she returned home, a few miles, she was called and told to get back to the pond as fast as she could because her father was dead. He had caught a fish and while holding it to remove the hook he fell back and died immediately. A man who often fished on the dock at the same time in the morning as Harry had just set foot on the dock and witnessed his death. The video that SuZ took that morning was played at Harry's funeral. It was pretty moving to see that video knowing of all the good works Harry had done in his life. He had become a lay priest in the Catholic Church after his retirement.
Papa Coyote has to go but is feeling good about recovering this posting. I added some, but it mostly was written a week and a half ago.
No comments:
Post a Comment