Recap of The News

It's been tooooooo long since I updated, so here goes the catch-up news:

~My sister, Debbie was here for as long as she could stand all the work! We painted and rearranged furniture and dug up plants and mowed until she had to go home to rest...but it was wonderful having her here for as long as we did, and we are already bugging her to come back. No work, this time -- promise!

~Trailing after Lewis and Clark with my brother, Brad, was an amazing trip, despite the fifth and final day when we drove from Bismark, ND, to Goddard, KS, in 15 hours. We stopped when something caught our eye, we took pics, we hiked at LoLo Pass after buying me a fleece jacket for the cold, and we ate at diners and weird places along the way. We were fortunate to see the trail at approximately the same time of year that L&C were there, and the camas field was gorgeous...even if we didn't dig the roots and try eating them.

~The Celebration for my father went well, and it was great to see all the cousins getting to know each other...the newest ones, Ava and Rylie, are only a few weeks apart in age and SUPER cute! My cousin's husband, Charlie, did a wonderful job at the gravesite, telling stories and encouraging us to share our times with Boompa. We had about 30 people for a barbecue, we provided the fireflies for the kids, and the weather provided the fireworks -- lightning and thunder and wind.

~While I was trailing along, Van made an executive decision and put a honey super box on each hive even though we weren't sure they could find enough nectar to make their own honey without our sugar water feedings. We checked them after I returned, and all is well...so far. Our weather this past ten days has been near-or-over-100-degree temperatures, not the best for the bees or the plants.

~On the plus side, the tomatoes are loving the sunshine and threatening to ripen in massive amounts!

~The Kansas Beer Guys are deep into The Pale Ale Pandomonium Tournament, and they are down to the Sweet Sixteen.

Van and I are off to Cedar City, Utah, to see the Shakespearean Festival. The troupe is doing our favorite play, HENRY V, along with AS YOU LIKE IT and COMEDY OF ERRORS. We will be stopping at a couple of brew pubs along the way: one in Hays, KS, and the other in Beaver, KS...the latter has a population of 60, so I can't wait to see what's there!