Swoosh!!

This past week and the week before were a flying blur! It really went by like a big SWOOSH! When Jack left for the raft trip I was anticipating a quiet rest of that week until he returned. But when the roof man called and said he could get the leak fixed a few weeks earlier than planned I just had to say OK..and the dumpster arrived. The next morning (on Friday last week) the crew arrived around 6:30am. I was just arriving home from work around 7:30am and they were already hard at it. It had been a crazy call night. I worked all day Thursday until 5:30pm and then got called back around 11pm and never left until after 7am! By a quirkie twist of scheduling fate, our OR had no surgeries because all the Friday Docs were on vacation. I'm so thankful because I hadn't slept in over 24hrs. and I wouldn't have been able to make the next 8hrs shift. But trying to sleep when someone is pounding on your roof all day isn't good either! They worked in a SWOOSH manner and were done around 2pm..so I did finally get some ZZZZ's. It also took me all weekend to recover. I felt like I needed to be thrown in that dumpster! This week has come and gone and after another mini crazy call night, I'm ready for the weekend!
The back deck was looking like something was going to be thrown into that dumpster!
The power tools they were using sounded very much like gun shots. Ed wouldn't even come out of the garage..no way, no how! The whole thing had him a bit freaked.
The finished product. We haven't had rain in a coons age so I'm hoping it's not going to leak anymore! I guess we'll just have to wait and see.
On Saturday night Jack got all cleaned up from the raft trip and we walked down our country road to our neighbor's house to celebrate his Mom's 60th birthday. Happy Birthday Jo! Here are a few of the cast of characters that showed up..like her son-in-law on the left..Mike..her hubby Lloyd, my hubby Jack, and our friend Greg.
Jo's Mother-in-law, Estelle, is such a cutie! If I said she was 90, would you believe me? Well, you better because she is!! I'll have what she's having because whatever it is sure has made her beautiful!
Jo's son Adam (our neighbor) and her Sister-in-law Marla.
The Birthday girl, on the far left, enjoying a laugh on the back porch.
Take a deep breath...and enjoy being 60!
Now for my final entry at the end of a crazy week. Why is my coworker laughing her head off in the locker room? Why is our dear friend Donna laughing her head off too? Sometimes you just have to get a bit crazy!
Why is this coworker holding an adult diaper with, what appears to be something suspicious inside, laughing? Only a few will understand...and you know who you are. TGIF!!

Row, Row, Row Your Raft

Here they are, the few, the proud, the brave. The group from Troop 555 ready to take on the adventure they planned for a year ago. The first stages of planning, the building of rafts and tons more planning on how to get it all to the Ohio River was finally being realized. The weather was pretty good..only one thunderstorm to contend with. The flow of the river and the wind were the trouble spots. They all had to do alot of rowing to get the rafts where they were suppose to be headed. The current was not flowing strong at all and the wind was trying to send them the opposite direction. But they kept at it and made the trip. It will be something they will talk about and relive for a long time. Good campfire stories!
OOPPSSS...As with all good plans a snafu usually happens. It happened in the form of a fan belt. But an hour later all was sort of OK..The trip home had a few oops too.
Once they arrived at the river's edge the real work began. All had to be assembled and loaded up with 3 days supplies.
The leader raft is all ready to start loading..it looks so innocent doesn't it? So....Tom Sawyerish..
Assembling the boys raft.
Boys raft almost all loaded and ready to head out.
Momma Mia that's alot of stuff! Honestly, it really did float!
Well, they didn't sink! Let the rowing begin!
Along the river all sorts of boats were spotted. From the tiny...
To the large!...
This little honey of a paddle boat looked really cute...I'm sure the rafts looked kind of cute to them!
There was a close encounter of the scary kind with a barge...but rowing saved the day!
The experience of going through the locks....learning about the way it's done was one of the goals they wanted to accomplish.
There's a process getting ready to go through the locks. I should have had Jack do the post because he knows all about the effort it took to do it.
But they did it!
For some reason I just love this shot of the boys raft, taken from behind them...
The sunrise on Saturday morning started the last leg of this trip. Jack made it home by around 4pm...very sunburned, very tired, very happy that he and guys all made it safe and sound...very happy they did it...very happy to take a real shower! Good job boys and leaders. It's great to work so hard for so long and accomplish a task, and learn a lot too!

Calling All Tom & Huck Wantabees

Schools out...time for some adventure. My husband is one of 4 leaders in our Boy Scout troop who's going on a high adventure trip with the troop. This trip has been discussed for a year now...plans made and carried out. They're going to float down the Ohio river on rafts constructed by the boys and leaders. I did not see the rafts until these pics Jack took last week. (No, I'm not nervous about it) He's been excited by this outing/fishing trip/camping/guys just hanging out laughing and relaxing/teaching scout skills (notice I put the teaching skills part last) since they concocted this idea last year. The weather is cooperating, the rafts are done, the totes are packed, the steaks are in the cooler...I guess it's a go. If you see Tom Sawyer or Huck Finn tell them Troop 555 is ready...and may the force be with them. Sorry, wrong movie.
Here's an inside shot of the leader's raft...keep in mind the comfy chairs.
Inside shot of the boys raft.
I'm not really nervous about all this...really...I always check on my husband's insurance policies. These rafts look sturdy..right? Hey guys, don't for get the paddles.

BFF Donna

I've had blogger friends asking about our friend Donna. She's doing good. Her bad weeks are the weeks of chemo..every other Tuesday. The week in between she feels good enough to come to work. Although her strength and stamina are not her usual, she does any assignment she's given, and volunteers to do what she can at work. I asked her today if she would mind if I posted a pic and an update. She's taking a break from blogging for now, but will come back here and there when she feels up to it. Chemo is a life saver, but it's a "butt kicker" also. I'm learning a lot about cancer, cancer treatments and how to go about it with determination and grace. Donna is a sweet person and a great friend and she's going to come through this with help from above and from her friends. She has lost her beautiful hair, but not her beautiful spirit. So keep her in your prayers. We talk about many of you that we both follow and I keep her updated on what's happening here in the blog world! This is a pic I snapped the first week of her wearing her wig (posing with our co-worker Stephanie)..I think she looks great, she hates it...but one day all her own lovely locks will grow back. For now, I applaud her! She's my inspiration!

A Day For Remembering

The day was warm and sticky...a typical Memorial Day forecast for Ohio! I went into town to catch the annual parade. Jack hates the heat so he stayed home. I came around the corner and saw these two monkeys right off the bat! Lexi and Addy were getting into the spirit of the day.
The girls stood on the sidewalk and waved their flags and enjoyed the parade.
Once the parade was over I hiked to the town cemetery for the annual Memorial Day program. I love this memorial that was set up for the soldiers in Ashland who served in all the wars. The temps were really warm but in the shade with the breeze it wasn't bad. I enjoyed the band and the speeches and ceremonial 21 gun salute and taps at the end. It really gives you a great feeling to see the men and women in uniform and it gives us a chance to see the names of those that gave their lives. I'm so grateful to all of them.
The Civil War soldiers even showed up to fire the canon...an interesting side note here. The gentleman with the white hair actually collapsed after the canon went off and the squad had to come to take him to the hospital. I hope he's OK. Perhaps it was heat stroke. The temps were in the high 80's and the humidity made it worse. They were standing in the sun with those wool uniforms for a long time.
I clicked this pic because I thought the contrast of the Civil War era clothing next to the modern day woman clothing was an interesting shot! As hot as it was today I think the Civil War Belle would have liked to trade outfits!
Anyone who follows my blog has heard me complain about Mother Nature and her every attempt to sabotage any outdoor event we have here at the Pines. Today was no exception. The kids said they would be over at 5pm for a cookout and by golly the storm blew in right behind them! This is the size hail we had too. It stopped fairly fast and the rain eliminated my need to water plants tonight so I guess I should thank her...it's a love hate relationship! After we ate, the outdoor fun could begin.
Phil and his friend Chase set up a homemade "slip and slide" on the backyard hill. After hosing it down and adding some oil it was ready.
Everyone waiting for their turn...
WHEEEEEE!
BFFs Lexi and Makensie..I probably spelled her name wrong..sorry! A great way to end a long but super fun day.
My attempt at creativity! Everyone came in after playing outdoors for some cake and icecream before heading out for home.
A final goodnight and thanks for all our wonderful men and women in the service of our great country.

Who You Calling "Creepy"?

Years ago my Grandkiddo Katie came out of the woods with me and made the comment about coming out of "that creepy woods"..and the name stuck. So what makes it creepy? Well, this time of year, leaves on the trees, foliage and wild blackberries give it a dark, sometimes eerie look. The smell of the wet earth and the sounds of critters you can't see running around you make it feel a bit creepy. But in actuality, it's beautiful. I've run into deer face to face..seen fox and turkey and many rabbits....smelled a few skunks and enjoyed the look of pure happiness on Eddy the boxer's face when he's running up the paths. He loves the water in the creek. It's been a great place to walk, think, ponder and pray. So who you calling "Creepy"? Well, Katie does and I will until we leave someday and give someone else a chance to nickname it. To get to the woods a walk that will surprise you begins at the deck, past the fire ring, around the oak and suddenly you realize it's a bit uphill. You will be winded! But hang in there..the view from the top of the hill is worth the hike!
Now you need to make a choice. Entrance to the Creepy Woods can be either a continued straight hike or a quick turn to the right....can't go wrong either way.
Walking in you come to this spot...it's been cleared a bit. I will continue to work on it to keep the growth under control. It makes it easier to navigate in the fall because you never know if a "haunted" trail will be the order of the season!
The paths are there...hidden like a secret garden. It's easy to get turned around a bit when tromping through the heavy brush.
I always marvel when I see the wild phlox growing so easy and free. I spend my hard earned cashola on many flowers from the nursery. I water, pull weeds, fertilize and pray they all survive. The wild things just go their merry way without fuss or muss!
It's hard to be "Creepy" when you find things like this growing like a weed..wait, I think they are weeds!