Down on the farm....

It's been a busy week here in Montpelier. Bob has been playing plumber, electrician, lumber jack, farmer and lots more. They've completed lots of little and big projects. We've done a little gardening and played with the dogs and kitties.

Mudslide, Kahlua and Bombay



Thursday Bob and I took the tractor and the chain saw, and felled a tall pine which was looking a little like it might take a dive into the barn at some point, should a bad storm come up. So, with the bucket on the front of the tractor, I used it to keep pressure on the tree while Bob worked his chain saw magic. Of course, he said, "Now if this tree looks like it's going to fall this way, you jump off the tractor quick like and run like heck", to which I replied, "Don't worry, I'll be jumping high and far if that tree comes my way. Which way will you be going??" Fortunately, this tree cooperated and dropped right where he wanted it. I'm now a seasoned "tractor tree pusher", so if you need any trees felled, just look us up!! :)



We all enjoyed Shrimp Scampi and peach cobbler one night, fresh yellow squash, corn, tomatoes and catfish another evening, then Bob grilled robust steaks and we made Crab Imperial for Katie and to top the steaks for the rest of us!!! Oh and a Blueberry Pie... Yum, Yum!! One of my favorite meals, and we always love cooking dinner for the kids while we are here.
The weather has been beautiful.....it's pleasant to sit on the deck for dinner every evening and then sleep with the breeze blowing thru the windows. And there's a sweet chill in the air each morning, a harbinger of the Autumn soon to come. It's been a very busy but enjoyable week.

I spent several days at MCV playing Nurse Jane Fuzzy Wuzzy for Kristy while she receives more chemo and is preparing to undergo the bone marrow transplant. She is a trooper and rarely complains. She is very scared and to be honest, so am I. I worry so much about her, as she has a great deal facing her. She suffers tremendously; I can only imagine how she feels. How she handles everything that is thrown at her is hard to comprehend. It seems each day brings a longer stay in the hospital, or another issue, chemo reaction, etc and the list just goes on and on. She is always grateful and thankful for everything you do for her and keeps a sweet spirit. It is very hard on my sister, Kathryn (KK); I don't know how she deals with it as well as she does. She does so much for Kristy and has a very full plate. Having never been faced with such a situation before, I am overwhelmed by it.
What a truly dreadful disease; I know we're not supposed to ask "Why?" but it sure is hard to accept.

We leave the farm on Friday and will head to the river for a week or so. We have several doctor's appointments next week and errands to attend to, so it will be a busy week. But we sure plan to have some relaxation after all the "moving" we've been doing. We'll stay there until after Labor Day, when we'll head back to Maryland for a short visit with Tiff and Scott, then it's on to Elkhart, Indiana, then Celina, Ohio for the Gypsy Journal Rally and to have some work done on the MH. After the Rally we'll return to Richmond to help care for Kristy during her transplant and recovery.

Hugs to everyone!