Overworkedjanet

 I've been absent for no other reasons than life happens. There seems to be so much to do when retired. My DH has had some other medical issues to deal with, and delt, they have been. Me, too. Nothing worthy of documentation, yet keeping us busy. I didn't post more about our vacation to the mid-west. I might pull out a photo or two before I sign off today. Last weekend we took a quick jaunt to the last of the East Coast states we hadn't visited, so Rhode Island is now off the table! We've nine states to go.  Custer State Park always delivers bison. You might recognize the guys in the background. A look into Badlands, Including my favorite big horn sheep. Outside of the Corn Palace. And finally, the Big Spoon with Cherry in Minneapolis.

 I figured it was about time to show your what I've been up to again. We took another long road trip, this time flying to Minneapolis, MN, creating a circle through six states with our travel companions. Our goal is to visit all 50 states. I've nine to go. Whew! So, for your viewing pleasure, here is the first installment of vacation opportunities. We arrived via Minneapolis to stop in the town of St. Peter to see if we could get into the renowned pearly gates. Alas, my name is not yet on St Peter's list although my DH thinks he's good to go! We stayed in the lovely town of Mankato. Our first stop was Kasota. DH and his brother were completing a bucket list of DH's to drive army tanks! I was the plus one so I got to ride not once, but three times! I followed policy and did not take any pictures during the ride as they would have shut down and carted me away had I done so. Safety first. Besides, holding on in the turret was a requirement of two hands. Bumped bruised ...

 Things continue to improve in the house of OJ. My DH feels a better, although he can't explain how. He has a bit of pep, doesn't feel blah, and is interested in doing things. It's amazing how you improve when your heart gets it's own circulation going! This week is a light flurry of activity as we are going on one of our wandering vacations next week, doctor approved. Flying to the mid-west with our ever-present siblings, we will be hitting 5 states in a road trip to add to our respective maps. Once this trip is done, I've got 8 states to go, then I've done something in all 50 states! Our pinky-sworn requirement is that we've got to do something touristy in each state. I started this attempt by insisting on National or State parks, but sometimes they weren't accessible to our trip. I settled on something less lofty but interesting in each state. This trip we'll pass through a small park in Illinois to a Native American burial mound, one of many I...

 Things are looking up. DH is adjusting to his new hardware and the stent has done it's job. His BP is much lower and even though he's a bit hesitant to do things, he LOOKS better! Well enough that I dragged him to a family reunion. I've never gone to this one; it's my mother's side in rural Maryland. My 3rd-great grandfather was a German stonecutter and arrived here in 1831. He helped build bridges on the C&O canal along the Potomac River on the Maryland/Virginia (West Virginia in 1863) borders. My 2nd-great grandfather was a lock tender on the canal. I met a host of 3rd and 4th cousins and had a great time. We stayed in a cabin-trailer. It had a living room/dining room combo, a bunk bed room added and a front and back porch. The kitchen, bathroom and bedroom were the trailer. I took the opportunity to stay in this and it cured my thought of getting a trailer. Not because of anything wrong, just it wasn't right enough. I found I preferred the bigger space o...

 Things are looking up. Over 12 feet to be exact!  The biggest one is yellow and it's got about 6 flowers at the top. More pictures will follow as time goes by. The second tallest flowering plant is the dark reds and orange sunflower. I haven't taken a single picture that doesn't have bees. I'm very happy. Unfortunately after a week of rain and wind, the orange sunflower has leaned out over the fencing and I can now touch the flowers.  Speaking of rain, when it rains, it pours, or in this case, doesn't flow at all! We needed a sewer line replacement. DH is the job supervisor in black! The guys did a great job and were done in 5 hours. This is what was left.  The other casualty was my roses. Here they are in 2012. This guy turns 14 next month! Finally, another bit of plumbing was unclogged on Wednesday. My honey had a stent put into his heart in the "widow-maker" artery. He feels fine, but no different which may be a good thing. He's got a lot of new me...

I have become a gardener extraordinaire. I've more tomatoes than I know how to eat and have given many away. Ditto with zucchini. I've  over a dozen jars of pickles. On and on. Below is something I have worked hard to grow.  I raised the first batch starting in 1980. That flower created her own batch. My how they've grown. The kids, I mean! The sunflowers, now over 10 feet tall, were easy in comparison. I got them to stand still for about 3 seconds then it was over. Some of you may remember the births of GS2 and Little Miss. GS1 starts high school this fall. I continue to have a happy summer!