True for me!

 

One More Bleess Photo

 I received this picture from Linda this morning and thought I would share it. If you haven't read the original post which is a couple below this one, scroll down to find it and see other photos from their celebration.

62 Years for Barb & Butch

 Today was also Barb and Butch Brooker's 62nd Anniversary. She made note of it on her blog and I went to her Facebook Page and stole a photo. Ever since I first saw this picture I've liked it as it shows both of them enjoying life and each other. Happy Anniversary to both of you from all of us!!

50th Anniversary for Joe and Linda Bleess

 Thanks to Elaine Misfeldt for sending me the information and some pictures from the celebration for Joe and Linda on their 50th wedding anniversary. She sent a couple of photos, one is of Winter Texans who attended and the other is part of Joe's family which consists of 20 brothers and sisters with 15 in attendance. Joe and Linda now reside in Siesta Village in Weslaco during the winter months which is not very far from where we spend the winter in Trails End. I always think they look like a couple of kids and was surprised it was their 50th. I just received more info from Linda and one more picture. There actual anniversary is December 4 and their kids planned this celebration when everyone could come which I think is a great idea.

Congratulations on 50 years Joe & Linda

Barb's Blog

 I read Barb's blog yesterday and noticed that she mentioned that if you get her blog by email that is not going to be available any longer. Now I haven't read it yet today but maybe she has added some other information to that but if not I want to tell you how I look at her blog.

As some or maybe most of you know, you can set your Windows browser  to open to whatever home page you would like. I use both Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge and I actually find very little difference between the two of them. There are other Windows browsers but those are the two most popular. I have both of those browsers set to open up to the Magnolia blog and have had them set that way for many years. However your opening page could very easily be set to Barb's blog if you wish. In both browsers all you have to do is go into settings and pick what your home page should be. Then, so that I can find the web pages I'm most interested in, at the top of my screen I have several favorites,  where I can see them and the very first one is Keep Movin' On and all I have to do is click on it for it to open up. I have some birding sites and one or two more. I have room for ten favorites that are there in plain sight and very easy to click on and open up. I have a regular routine and look at Barb's Blog every day along with one or two others. Sometimes there's nothing new and sometimes there is. It hardly takes any time at all for a quick look and if she hasn't added anything that day, I move on to the next one.

I hope you all are having a good summer wherever you are and I hope all those that want to, can make it back to the Valley in the upcoming fall and winter season. I'm thinking that we perhaps will be going back to wearing masks even if we are fully vaccinated. I have a big supply that I whipped up last spring and we always have some in the vehicle no matter where we go just in case it once again becomes a requirement.

Stay well, stay safe and if you have news that you would like to share let us know.

This and That

 It's been quite a while since I posted anything, but frankly, there just isn't much to post these days. We are keeping busy at our house working on our various projects which this year include remodeling Jim's bathroom (for about the third time). We built our home back in 1973 and on the main level had one very large bathroom. After the kids left we divided it into two quite small bathrooms, one off the master bedroom (mine) and one in the hall (Jim's). There was also a chimney taking up a chunk in the corner of Jim's and this year when we had the house roofed, the chimney was taken out so that freed up a considerable amount of space. One thing led to another, we discovered we didn't have enough ceramic tile left for the floor from the previous remodel so broke out the old and laid new after patching the hole in the floor and ceiling where the chimney had been. We decided to move the toilet and the vanity around as long as there was more room. Jim builds our vanities but we purchased a quartz countertop with undercounter sink from Menards and discovered that one of the 2 x 4s behind the wall it was going on was terribly bowed You cannot put a straight quartz countertop against a crooked wall! We are still dealing with it and we are both sick of the whole process to tell the truth.

We take care of several urns at the cemetery and this year it wasn't the deer but the Japanese Beetles which have pretty much taken care of the flowers. Deer don't like marigolds but the beetles do! Annoying, to say the least.

We have gotten rain so the grass has greened back up and looks much better than it did. The surrounding farms have some beautiful crops this year. Earlier it was extremely dry but the corn grew, and now we can see ears forming. I really don't understand how that happened as it was so very dry but it did. Jim has just three colonies of bees these days but he says they have lots of honey so he is happy. Just the right amount of bees to take care of for him and he can walk out and see what they are doing. It won't be long and he will be extracting which is a much slower process than it was back in the day when he had big commercial type equipment. Now he just has a little extractor which he has to spin the handle by hand and only holds two frames. It does get done, just takes a while. Our Amish neighbors are starting to have quite a few crops in their roadside stand but no tomatoes or sweet corn yet but I'm sure it won't be long.

I haven't heard anything good or bad from any Magnolia people so that old saying no news is good news must hold true. We are looking forward to returning to Trails End this upcoming season as are Chet & Irma. We like the park a lot and it is a good fit for us, and of course, there are lots of Magnolia people there. It has become an Encore Park but as far as we are concerned, that most likely will be okay. Lots of things are getting fixed which had been neglected for a while.

I will close with a picture of one of our Baltimore Orioles. We have quite a few but nothing like last year.