Fun was had by all. It was a bit chilly that morning but it didn't seem to damper anyone's spirits. As you can see, some had more fun than others. As usual, I was the one taking all the photos. Hope you all enjoy these. I've been slacking on photos lately. I don't seem to get the kids as often as I used to and the pics aren't there without them. At least the ones most of you want to see.

These are just a few of the photos I have taken this month. Let's just say that fun was had by all.

I have a large bay window in my front room. I am constantly being startled by loud thumps at the window. It’s usually bad enough that I almost come out of my skin and I do not startle easily. I’m usually laughing at the person who tries so hard to scare me which generally causes them to be irritated at me.

On Saturday I was minding my own business, sitting with my laptop, and trying to finish some school work, when I was again startled by a loud thump on the window. As per usual, I put my laptop down, walked over the window, and looked out at the very odd scene before me.

Below my window are 3 birds. They were just normal sparrows not some fancy colorful birds. These are the ones who hang around my house. I see them flitting about from tree to tree all the time, and yes, they are the cause of the thumps on my window. This time, the perpetrator of the thump had actually stunned himself senseless.

He was sitting upright on the lawn and his buddies were sitting on the ledge to my neglected front garden watching him. I was convinced he had unwittingly committed suicide by plate glass. Then I saw his head move. Just barely. Because I am an avid photographer, I grabbed my camera to take his picture. His buddies did not seem to like the idea of an intruder on their odd little scene, so they flew away.

I proceeded to take his picture and he did not attempt to get up. As you can tell by the photos, I had plenty of time to snap a few and they were fairly close. He never tried to leave. Now because I hate the idea of any living creature being in pain, I told Keith we may need to see if there was anything we could do.

He went out to look at the bird and decided to pick him up. He thought maybe the bird had damaged his wing. As he started to pick the bird up, the bird all of a sudden took off and did not appear to have any problems with a wing. Apparently, he had knocked his identity out of his mind for a brief moment in time.

Boy did I get a surprise on Friday. I was minding my own business, which usually means I’m online trying to get through some school stuff. It never ends. Anyway, I’m off subject. So let’s start over.

Oh yeah, minding my own business. I received a phone call from my brother at noon on Friday. Now my brother doesn’t call me during the day unless there is something wrong with my mom. (She’s had heart issues for years resulting in a quintuple bypass in 2007 and a stroke last year that almost killed her). So, I, of course, think he’s calling because Mom is in the hospital again with something else.

My first question was, “What’s going on?” To which he replied with his own question. “What are you doing for lunch?” Keep in mind they live 460 miles from here. It took about 2 seconds for me to ask him, “Where are you?” He then replies, “We’re in Viroqua.” That’s like 40 MINUTES FROM MY HOUSE!!!

Yes, he surprised me. Him and my SIL decided to take a weekend drive and thought they would take the drive to see me (and the kids). Apparently, he swore Mom and his wife to secrecy. They told him he should warn me and give me some time to prepare for the visit. But he insisted on making it a complete surprise. And it was.

I don’t keep a completely spotless house, but when someone is coming to visit, I tend to go a little crazy with the cleaning. I’m sure most of you do. I started freaking out when I started thinking about the house and why it was so bad. Boo had only been off quarantine the day before. He sheds like nobody’s business. I mean he is a one dog shedding machine that never stops running. When someone is coming I will vacuum 3 times a day for 3 days before they get here. It isn’t that it’s horrible other times, but it sure isn’t perfect. So I was in shock.

It was a nice surprise as we haven’t actually laid eyes on each other for almost 2 years. Between their schedule and things going on here, there hasn’t been time for us to go there so it was a great surprise and visit.

Last Monday I was doing my thing in the house, you know the cleaning and homework things I do, when I was interrupted by a ridiculous amount of barking going on in the yard. I knew from the tone that Boo was not happy. He gets that way when there is something going on outside his fence, especially if there are kids taunting him out there. I thought it best I check it out.

I went out the front door because it was closest to where they were just to find some kid, (he was bigger than me), walking down the street, away from the house, and yelling at the top of his lungs. I asked him what the problem was and he told me my dog just bit him. What? He went on to say he was trying to pet the smaller dog, Maddy, when the big dog bit him. I was, of course, a little angry. Angry, you ask? Let me explain.

The fence is about 18 inches from the sidewalk. When I stand next to it, it comes roughly to my armpits. I cannot lean over the fence in any way standing next to it. That’s on the property. If anyone was standing on the sidewalk, there is no way they could reach across the fence. There you have it.

The kid would not come anywhere near me. I tried to get him to stop and he wouldn’t so I let it go at that point. About an hour later, a cop shows up at my door. He was actually apologetic. It turns out that the kid admitted to leaning over the fence to pet the “little dog” when he was bitten by the “big dog”. In other words, he was trespassing on our property, the only way he could have leaned over the fence, when he was confronted by a rather large and intimidating dog.

Now I’m sure that Boo warned him before he struck. I’ve seen it many times when he wants people to stay away from the fence. His hair is up and his teeth are bared. He is actually a little scary looking. The outcome of the story is simple. Boo had to be quarantined for 10 days here at the house. Tomorrow is his last day. That’s awesome. Poor boy doesn’t know why he can’t go outside to play and lay under his favorite tree.

The kid on the other hand, not only got bit and had stitches, but he also got a trespassing ticket. And before anyone thinks I’m a horrible person here, “the kid” is 19 and not mentally challenged. I asked.

I will be posting photos over the next few days that are taken while we were on the river. Things look a little different from that view.

Today is kind of a slow day. We had Braedon overnight last night and he does really well with it, but he sleeps like Cari used to, all over the bed. He slept with me last night because Brandon had to get up early this morning to go to work and he isn't set up to have him sleep with him. And, by the way, I was able to show Braedon that even old grandmas can throw a football. He was impressed.

Dave and Keith are putting the green boat in the water today. Dave has taken over the boat and Keith has kept the little blue one for himself. They hope Dave's is ready and today is the test. I'll have to let you know later about the maiden voyage.

There really isn't much to tell here today. Just a normal Sunday of do a little bit at a time. Still working on school and I have midterms this week so that has been preoccupying my time.

The photos I have included here are so you'll know what boats I'm talking about. The first one is Keith's and the second is Dave's. They're having fun with them.

We have had some upheaval around here again. It never seems to end, but this one is for the best. David and Megan are no longer together. Megan called it off. He is now living with Abe and Cari in West Salem. Oh, yes, I forgot Paige. How could I do that?

Anyway, we are moving forward and David is getting into the boat that he and Keith are working on so I imagine that will keep him busy. And the best news is that Claire will be coming from Leadville. For those of you who don’t remember, she is the friend who flew in for Amanda’s funeral and again for David’s graduation. She is always there when she’s needed. That will be mid-August and we are all looking forward to seeing her again.

When I get more news I’ll fill you in. I have been working on more photos and hopefully I’ll get them posted soon. Until then, have a good one!

I know I've been neglecting the blog lately. I have not had as much time to get photos. School started again and that always seems to be a huge time consumption factor in my life. Since our company left, I have been getting back into the swing of things with the house and I am planning to do a garage sale with Cari soon. She tried to do one at her house, but we think she didn't have enough traffic because she is in West Salem instead of La Crosse. There is usually a lot more people going to the sales here. So we will give that a shot too.

Hopefully, you enjoy these shots.

I've been going through some old photos again and just thought I would share. The first one is Paige when she was not quite a year old. I purposely did not fix the red eye as I thought it was hilarious. Now that she's two, her mom keeps telling me stories of her escapades. I'm thinking it may fit at times. Yes, I remember the twos. the next photo is of Braedon and Brandon, then Braedon and Amy. They were taken last year. And then we have Paige again being rather reserved for a change. It seems she saw the dreaded "puppies".

I LOVED how these came out. They were all taken from the boat at sunset. It always amazes me how clouds can and do affect the color of sunset. I've seen it all my life, but it still inspires awe.