Waiting For Good Things

I’m running a little late in getting this Journal out today. We had company here for dinner after church and we’ve just now finished getting things cleaned up. It was a nice dinner. Our senior missionary couple and a former senior missionary couple who are back visiting with two of their grandsons and a member of our branch and Julie were all here. We celebrated Julie’s birthday. Stacey made the traditional “Julie’s Birthday Dinner” of fried chicken, mashed potatoes, rolls, and a salad. We had angel food cake and strawberries for dessert. So it’s late and I’m just getting round to sending out the Journal.

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Tuesday was Independence Day, although that seems like a long time ago already. Our celebration was pretty low key. In fact, it was almost nonexistent. Stacey had to work that day. Our company, grand-niece Hailey and her husband Ben, left to go home that day. It was a beautiful day weather-wise, so I spent a large part of it working in the orchard and mowing lawns. As evening came, Stacey and I expected our neighbors up the road to do their usual big fireworks, but they didn’t do any this year. So it was a rather ho-hum sort of 4th at our house. Our big celebration in July will come later in the month when we have family here.

Good-bye to Hailey and Ben.

After a long time away the Shillg’s returned home last week. We miss them when they’re gone and they were gone a long time.

I’ve been fighting the ongoing sparrow war down at the barn. I thought things had taken a turn in my favor last week, but I was wrong. At the suggestion of a neighbor (thank you Carol), I tried a more brutal way to discourage sparrows from coming into the barn. I killed one sparrow and set it on the net awning over the chicken door where the sparrows go in and out. Seeing a dead comrade was supposed to keep them away. It worked for two days and then the sparrows ignored their fallen comrade and mobbed the feeders again. So I killed a few more and made an example of them – to no effect. I’m beginning to think the sparrows might win this war.

We had some fine weather during the week and I took full advantage of it working in the garden and orchard. I think my flower beds are at their very finest right now. The profusion of poppies and legions of larkspur are lovely. Now the hollyhocks, sweet Williams, day lilies, and pinks are blooming. Unfortunately, poppies and larkspur don’t bloom for long and when they finish in another week or two, the garden will be much duller because there isn’t anything growing to take their place and I have to leave the plants in the garden to mature and go to seed for next year’s flowers.

Pinks.

Sweet Williams

We’re eating lettuce and chard from the garden. The fava beans are almost ready to pick. The first raspberries and currants are almost ripe. The first cauliflower heads are forming. It looks like we’ll have a bumper crop of grapes in the fall.

Sweet Williams.

Larkspur.

Stacey’s employers have finished installing new windows and I have all their old windows now. They are stacked at the side of the house waiting to be transformed into a greenhouse. I don’t know how we’ll put it together yet, but hope to have help from family members that are coming later in the month.

Our excitement for our family gathering later this month keeps growing. Of all the things in this world, my family is the most precious to me. To gather with my siblings, nieces, nephews, cousins, aunts, parents, children, and grandchildren is the most delightful thing I can think of. And to have my parents and my children and their families here for a while after the reunion makes me unbelievably happy. July is going to be the best month ever! We can hardly wait!