Good morning all! This is my favorite day of the year. The day after taxes are due... As Cale said this morning, now I am on vacation!!! It is going to be a beautiful day here in SE Ohio. Temps COULD reach the high 80's. This morning there is a heavy dew on, and if it gets that hot it will certainly be humid. You can go outside and watch the grass grow...

My plans for the day are to get out my wringer washer, do all the laundry, straighten the house a little, get supper under control early, then I am going to have a purely indulgant afternoon. My house is all organized and clean, nothing outside is too pressing, soooo... I am going to dig out my bathing suit, slather myself with cocoa butter, make some iced tea, grab a stack of books, and "work" on my tan. Then when I get too hot, I will move to the shade. Sounds like a perfect day to me!!!!

The kids are already bugging me about when we are going to get the pool ready, usually we wait until the 2nd week of May to open it up. It is so nice to have, especially when you are working in the garden or the hay, to jump in and cool off. I like to get up really early in the morning, work in the garden or yard for an hour or so, then swim for a while, before the kids get up... That is a nice start to the day in the summer time.

We got all of our vegetable plants in the hot bed. With this warm weather they will be sprouting out in no time. Sunday it rained, so Brady set lots of buckets where the water runs off the roof, and collected me a bunch of water to use instead of using the county water...

Yesterday I cleaned house and did some last minute tax customers. I always tell people that even if you don't want to send it in until the last minute, you can still have them done early!!!! But there were a lot of peole who waited this year.

Cale finished up the posts for the fence last night, while I ran Brady to ball practice. He now thinks he does not want to play, he would rather be home helping his Dad!!! I told him to make a decision and stick with it, one way or the other.

The kids found no mushrooms last weekend, but with this heat and rain, I will be really suprised if they don't find any this weekend. Saturday is the yard sale. I have everything gathered up, just need to price it, which won't take too long.

Well that is about it here. Let us know what is going on in your home this week!!!

-- Melissa in SE Ohio (me@home.net), April 16, 2002

Answers

We actually have a couple days without rain, well almost two full days. I'm going to finish cuttin' the grass and garden, mulch the broccoli etc. re-mulch the potatoes, and possible the peas, have to get a pea tresllis made. Try to ge the dirt out of the cart or should I say mud, into the 2nd raised bed. Weed-eat as much as possible, it's incredible how fast sweet cicely can grow and take over, this place hasnt been kept up for years. Laundry, dishes, daily stuff. Put bedding down n the chicken pen. Sort seeds, Gee I better get with it.

-- Cindy (S.E.IN) (atilrthehony_1@yahoo.com), April 16, 2002.

Wonderful weather here in Al..high in the 80s and not a cloud in sight! Baby Sarah is asleep (for now), so Grammy has time on the computer! I'll be cutting some mint and drying it for teas later on as wellas trying my hand at making a mint ring wreath that Cindy suggested..sounds so cool! Doc appointment later today (boo), and then the afternnon on the porch playing with the seedlings somemore. Yesterday I was thrilled to see the first hummingbird fly by the window! It was a big one, about 3 weeks earlier than he was supposed to be! I guess he did not consult his bird books for his arrival time. Also yesterday, there was a small flock of birds in the pasture which I had never seen before in my life..looked them up in the old bird book..they are "blue/gray gnat catchers"..really pretty things, smaller than chickadees and are sky blue on top and gray underneath..they look kind of like very small blue mockingbirds! Still waiting for Speckled hen to hatch those eggs! She has until Sunday and then we will toss the eggs as it will be over 4 weeks.YUCK...We're planning two more cross fences for the next week so we can fence in the chickens away from the dogs yet keep them pseudo-free-ranging, and fence in the dogs away from the store..right now, either the dogs are out or the hens are out..when the hens are out, the dogs have to be in the small fenced in area out back..in order to allow folks to drive in to the store, we have to keep one of the gates open and the neighbors dogs get in and chase the hens..sigh..two more fences and that will be solved! We bought the cross ties and the fencing materials..so now as soon as the oldest son is back in town, the fences will be put up....otherwise, it's a quiet week here!

-- lesley (martchas@bellsouth.net), April 16, 2002.

I praise God for this forum & all the Christain forums on the internet!!!!! And how God is able to use them for His Glory & Honor!!

I praise God for those who have made important decisions with their lives & have accepted Jesus as the Lord of their lives today & those who have made other very important decisions for Christ today!!!

I paise God & thank Jesus & the Holy Spirit!!!! And give all honor & glory to them!!!

I want to say/ how glad/ I am to be alive & to know Jesus as my Lord & Savior!!!!

Also how pleased /I am to have the knowledge /that more lost souls have been gathered into the arms of Jesus today!!!! I praise God's Holy Name!!!!

If you know Jesus & the love He has/-- share it-- I'm sooooooooooo thankful someone shared Jesus- with this old lost soul/ 20 years ago tomarrow!!!! (I was saved on April 17th 1982)---THANK YOU JESUS!!

I now have hope & love & life through Christ Jesus!!! Praise God!!! Praise His Holy Name!!! sonda

-- Sonda in Ks. (sgbruce@birch.net), April 16, 2002.

Hi, I havn't been posting much latly, have been incredably busy. My husbands Grandma fell some time ago and broke her leg-shes in a cast from hip to ankle and needs tons of help-getting dressed to going to the bathroom. So I pop in there several times a day to get her in and out of her wheel chair for various things. Also been cooking meals for them.

The garden demands all my outdoor time-its hot here too, mid eighties! I have one child at home today with a queesy tummy and am taking advantage of warm winds to get spring washing done.

-- Kelly (homearts2002@yahoo.com), April 16, 2002.

We've been spending every spare minute (and a lot that weren't REALLY spare!) :-) in that pseudo-new chicken coop. We are almost finished, just need to put up siding on two interior walls and move the roost and nests down. A couple of fence panels and I'll just turn them out into the backyard until we can finish their fence.

So far the cost of this project has been one box of nails and one roll of hardware cloth (that metal mesh with 1/4" squares). About $16 total - not too bad!

We were slowed down somewhat by the leaking of the outside faucet on the south side of the house, which gave us wet carpet in both the playroom and boys' bedroom. They enjoyed sleeping in the living room floor while the fans dried out their carpets, though!

The house has suffered, and hopefully I can rememdy that situation partly this evening after the boys go to bed.

The weather is supposed to be nice here for the next couple of days, then a pretty good chance of thunderstorms on Friday.

My onions and potatoes are in, after we finish the chicken coop we will put in another bed or two for the tomatoes and green beans, okra and squash. The only other "most important" things I want are corn, watermelons, cantaloupe and pumpkins - and since it's not quite time for those yet (mid-May here), I'm not rushing. The rest I will save for a fall garden!

Better go and hustle up some quick dinner, we have swimming lessons in about an hour and a half!

-- Christine in OK (cljford@mmcable.com), April 16, 2002.