son of summer recap 09

If the events of a summer are not written about, did they really happen? June 15th arrived, as did our aunt, her daughter, her SIL and grandson. This aunt is the sis of MIL and she came to visit with us and check up on her sis in the “skilled nursing facility”. They stayed the week with us and it was a hoot!

This was the same week that “the saw” came to Blueberry Hill to stay. The aunt’s SIL, my cuz, helped in the putting together of “the saw” and after purchasing oil and fuel, we set about cranking this new chain saw. We were unable to bring it to life that day, next day I found out that one step in the instructions was misunderstood and when I tried the proper way, it roared to life with a vengeance.

Of course any important tool at Blueberry Hill has to have a name – and one this awesome had to have a special one. I ‘saw’ right off that this tool was a real ‘cut up’ so I named it Ethyl – no particular reason for this choice, it just seemed to fit somehow. Ethyl’s first victim was an oak that was hollow and leaning over the pond. With my Florida cuz aiding and abetting, we managed to pull the tree sideways and dropped it on the pond bank.

The saw was working great and was cutting the tree like a hot knife through butter. That is it was until I got the end of the bar into a small, unseen mound of dirt – if anyone ever asks if dirt will dull a chainsaw, you can tell them that it definitely does. The day of cutting was finished out with a dull chain and next morning, with the help of the same cuz and BIL, we dropped a large pine that had been troublesome for years.

The troublesome part was the fact that it dropped pollen, sap and pinecones on the driveway and car parked there. The tree was just over the line in the neighbor’s yard but with their permission it was cut. The somewhat amazing thing is that it fell in the exact spot I wanted – this was due to planning, two people on a rope and maybe a little luck. It was slow going with a dull chain, so I took it to the equipment place for sharpening.

With a sharp chain again, the large pine was disassembled limb by limb and the slow process of cleanup was started. The whole tree was hauled – piece-by-piece – to a large pile down next to the pond to be used for campfires with the gruntmonkeys. It took about a week to get the limbs, straw, cones and such cleaned up.

If what we chase in life is happiness, it will not be caught – but if we follow hard after God, He can not only be found but also will abide with us – and then the happiness we chased will overtake us. TBC ec

PS – The photos are of “Ethyl” and one of her ‘victims’ – and two Florida cousins, the twins and son of NWT

summer recap 09

The filmy, flimsy wings of summer are beginning their whisper beats of departure and yet my personal narrative of such has not been completed. My hope is that my busy time is mostly over, at least the part that precludes writing about it. There is still plenty to be done about the place but some of the most pressing issues are past.

Going back to June 12th – we returned from the beach shortly after my cousin and her husband arrived to stay a couple of days with us – YD came over and allowed them entrance. They came to attend our annual family reunion out at my bro’s place. We had a great time renewing kinship and even laughed a fair amount.

Next morn we arose to put the finishing touches on the dishes we were to take and I constructed a banana pudding by “popular demand”. We loaded up and made the 30-minute ride to the bro’s. Some kin were already there with others arriving all along. Dishes from loving hands populated several long tables and none asked which were low calorie – those concerns were mostly suspended for the day.

During and after the time we were possibly eating a bit too much, we talked and laughed followed by conversing and chuckling – we even did some gabbing and guffawing with a bit of chatting and chortling thrown in. The crew was a little smaller than usual but just as much fun anyway.

All good things seem to come to an end and this happened to us as folks had to leave for home. We headed back home also and continued enjoying the presence of my cuz and her hubby another night. Next morning they went to church with me – the Spice went to stay with her Mom at the “skilled nursing facility”. Excellent service as always and after we came home and had lunch they departed for their Tennessee residence.

In everyday life we tend to overlook the extraordinary things because they are so well mixed with the ordinary. Plus some of the ordinary is in fact part of the extraordinary. Make an effort to find these really great things and give God a chance to wow you. TBC ec

PS – The photo is of the whole “motley crew” at our June ’09 reunion in Augusta.