Adventures

Well, since I have been meaning to write an entry for the past couple of weeks and haven't, I have some catching up to do! To start . . . two weekends ago, we went to a bunch of garage sales. On Saturday, we went to the Mt. Vernon fairgrounds for "Ohio's Largest Garage Sale" or something like that. Really fun, actually. I got 11 new Agatha Christie books, four of which I really wanted my own copy of. The highlight of the day, however, was the cutest little Josef statue of a cartoon mama kangaroo. Mom dug it out of a $0.10 box. Man, did I fall in love with it! It is the cutest thing! So, we come home after a few hours and I start washing everything we got. Mom looks this kangaroo up on eBay and finds that she originally had a little joey that laid in her pouch. Well, we decided to run back and check the box to see if it had fallen out. So, back in the car and get there an hour before it closes. Sarah and I run ahead and, guess what!? There was the little joey in the bottom of the box, not even chipped! It is even cuter! Sarah took this really cute photo of it in the cabinet upstairs. The other really fun thing we got was a table lamp that is a china statue of a rooster. It's new home is the end table between the sofa and recliner upstairs. It really makes a wonderful addition in the TV room! I wanted to name him, but Mom said absolutely no naming a lamp!



The week was extremely hot and Dad even put in the AC units in our bedroom and the back room. We spent a few days in the air conditioning. Got some Hogan's Heroes and Dick van Dyke Show DVDs from the library, and we have been really enjoying them. I started making a scrapbook with all the photos and letters of Uncle JD. It is really coming along. On Sunday (27 May), Mr. and Mrs. Keultjes came over in the evening and spent a few hours with us. We went upstairs with the AC and just had a nice visit talking. They are always fun, and we don't get to see them so much anymore.

Memorial Day dawned hot and yucky (that means sunny). I came down first (!?) and closed all the windows so it wouldn't heat up inside too soon. When I got to the window over the victrola, I thought a baby bird was on the ground. Squeak, squeak, squeak. Couldn't see anything, so I dismissed it. Probably just an annoying young grackle, they make such a fuss. Dad went out and spent the morning doing trim work and weeding. I did dishes and tried to keep somewhat cool. About 1:00pm and the squeaking got really loud. I go to the window, look down and there is a tiny tuxedo kitten screaming under the deck. So, I get some shoes and head out with a pan of water and some moistened kibbles while Mom gets in the car and drives around to all the neighbors. Pussy-Pussy (I christened it "Pussy-Pussy" because I spent so long calling it) was so lonely and frightened. Unfortunately, we live on the Mid-Ohio racetrack (just kidding - maybe) and every fast, loud car, truck and motorcycle that went by made Pussy-Pussy run back under the deck. I spent an hour and a half trying to coax it out. No deal. It would come out and rub against the bush and it sat on a protruding foundation block and frenzied. But it wouldn't come out to me. So, I start getting really hot and decide to go inside for a bit. Maybe it would get lonely for me. So, I leave a little can lid of milk out there and go inside and sit for a little while with a cold towel. Drink a little hot coffee (What?! HOT coffee when I am overheated? Don't ask . . . ). I feel bad, so I leave the coffee and head back out. The minute I round the corner of the house and emerge from the lilac bush, Pussy-Pussy starts screaming and walks right over to me. How cute! :o) So, Sis came out and we petted it and tried to see if it was a little Max or a Maxine. Couldn't tell. We got it drink most of the milk. Well, it didn't belong to any neighbor, so it was probably dropped off by someone figuring we were in the country and it was early on a holiday morning. Little Pussy-Pussy wasn't over six weeks old. So, Mom got a hold of a lady who lives down the street who runs a private cat shelter. She agreed to come and take it that afternoon. So, Sarah and I made Pussy-Pussy comfy in a carrier in the front room (doors to the rest of the house closed, of course!). It curled up on an old towel and went to bed. Sarah and I went up and showered and changed and then the lady came over and took Pussy-Pussy (who turned out to be a little girl). So that was our holiday!




Tuesday was hot and we weren't going to do anything big. Until we started picking random stuff up in the front room. We ended up putting the new sheet music cabinet in place, shelving all the sheet music, putting stuff away in the trunk next to the piano (even dusting behind it!) and totally cleaning off the top of the piano! I am so, so, so thrilled! One of those projects that is always on the list, but never seems to make it to the top priority! Very satisfying. So, now my piano is totally clean and I even opened the top yesterday morning to play it like a baby grand should be played! First time in five years (because of the cats)! Ooooooooh!

Friday, Buddy and Kay came over for for the afternoon. We discussed the new CD and watched a fabulous new western. Silver Lode with Dan Duryea and John Payne. Probably one of the top westerns we've ever seen! Really a must-see! They ate dinner with us and stayed and watched Sgt. York with Gary Cooper.

Yesterday, Dad worked around the yard while Mom and the two of us went to some more garage sales in Danville. Beautiful day for a drive. I was feeling great! The weather cooled off Thursday night, so it is much nicer. The sun was shining, and I was feeling really good. No headache, even! Didn't find many garage sales, but the one we did find was fabulous! I finally got a little monk pepper shaker. There is this set of monk shaped things (Salt and peppers, sugar, creamer, jelly jar, etc.) made by a German company. I have wanted a piece for years and finally got one yesterday. He was really dirty, so I haven't taken a photo of him yet, as he is in the dish drainer drying. He is really cute, though. Mom and Sarah dropped me off at the house so I could do some dishes while they ran to Wade and Gatton nurseries to look at hostas.

Today, after Church, Dad and the two of us went to the bike trail. First time we have been biking in three or four years. Dad filled all the tires yesterday, so we were all set. Get there and head out. Sarah and I had some nice discussion about Leighs. Just as we were approaching the 3 mile marker, that familiar hissing sound came from behind us and Sarah and I were already pulled over and turning around before Dad really realized what had happened. We couldn't believe it! He had another flat tire! Before he got this new bike, he had a flat tire every time we went riding. Sarah and I have walked more miles on the Knox and Richland County bike trails than we have ever ridden. The last time with his old bike, Mom dropped us off and then drove to a stop seven miles ahead to pick us up. She hadn't been out of the parking lot 30 seconds before he had a blow out. We had a nice seven mile hike. Well, we thought that was behind us. New bike, new tire, mountain tire. So, we walk three miles back. I don't know what I would do if we actually biked all the way out and back! Ah, well . . .

Something else really fun happened. Yesterday, in the mail, was an envelope from a guy who sent me Harold Swetland's Individual Deceased Personnel File. It has the list of his effects, his height, weight, hair and eye colour, date of enlistment, even his shoe size! This is really exciting. It also listed two Air Force Bases that he was stationed in 1940. This morning I found the one base on the 1940 US census and paged through, looking for Harold. I finally found him on page 47 of 100 (after doing the first 11 pages and then working from the back ). He is on line 22. I have been waiting for the 1940 census to come out and I was so impatient while they work on indexing the states. So, I was thrilled to be able to find him! Now I am trying to find Uncle JD. Both my "uncle" heroes. :o)