And now, July

July! Already!
Remember being a little kid? How the weeks dragged on and on?
Now it seems like the toilet paper closest to the cardboard... time rolling off at an alarming rate.

I am enjoying time with Becky and the baby. And what time I can get with Ben and Tommy... I know they will be ready to leave childhood behind and try their adult wings. They will be having families- little strangers who cry when Cowgranny wants to hold them. Like with Chris and Bill- our times together will be briefer and less frequent.
Can you tell I am having a bad case of empty nest this morning? - and I have FIVE of my kids and one grandkid here. Sort of. Tommy and Becky and the twins were up early. Tommy, Daniel, and Sam are out picking blackberries. I think Becky was tired of picking ticks off herself and scratching the chigger's that she's been getting while berry foraging... she stayed here with Ty and I.

It is sort of funny- I am almost looking forward to a job at a place like Lowes. I love doing projecty home improvement type stuff. And there are a few appliances I really covet. I know- I am breaking a commandment by coveting. Or maybe not... I am not coveting something that belongs to another. I just want one for myself. A Dyson vacuum. A frontloading washing machine. A really nifty bathtub with jets. A storage shed. And I could get a discount on some of those things... eventually. IF I worked at a home improvement store.

Well Tommy and the Twins had a bumper crop day for blackberries. A gallon and a half! Isn't it a blessing to be able to just walk the roadsides and gather God's bounty? Back in Marlow (Oklahoma), we would gather wild plums and make jelly almost every year. I haven't canned anything for years now. I sold off my canning jars at a GROJ (Get Rid Of Junk) sale about three years ago, when it looked like the Ohio move was imminent. (Same sale that I sold the Statue of Mom). We actually had the moving van scheduled for the next weekend after my GROJ sale. That fell through... and I no longer have my jars. Not that I have had anything to can anyway.

Since I started writing this morning, I have had to walk away three or four times. Ty'ger was getting into trouble while his Mommy was working on cleaning the kitchen. Becky was cleaning the kitchen because she wants to go to a museum this morning. Ty was being a bit too helpful. He pulled the top rack down out of the dishwasher... he wasn't hurt, and only one glass broke. As his punishment, he had to let Cowgranny hold him. He LET ME! As long as I stayed close enough to his Mommy. He was getting very sleepy... and began idley pinching my batwings arms. The little glazed look came into his eyes, and he was ready for a nap. Mommy can't go to the museum until he awakens.

Daniel and Sam are hoping to go back to Texas with Becky. They went at this time last year and had a great time. They ended up going home about five days before Ty was born. This year won't be quite as exciting, as far as about to be Uncles goes. Still, they love visiting. I don't know how long they will stay this year.

Guess I better get busy here!