Hi Everyone - Aunt Sue asked us to post some recent pictures of Ellie. She is getting old enough now to experience lots of new things! These are pics of Worlds of Fun - we took John's niece and nephew with us. She really enjoyed Snoopy Camp and there were so many rides that she could go on. Ellie also had her first pedicure a few weeks back - she loved every minute of it and was so intrigued by everything the ladies did to our feet! We also included a picture of Ellie getting her face painted at her school carnival. We had them put a K-State PowerCat on her cheek, of course!!!!

This weekend, we are headed to Salina, Kansas for my nephew, Ryan's birthday party - he will be 3 years old and now has a new brother, Carson Taylor Henderson. He is only a few weeks old! I'll send pictures from the party - the rest of our Kansas relatives will bet there too.

Monday morning after a busy weekend. Talked to Pete Saturday with his usual weekly phone call. Things were good in Idaho Falls. He had talked to Joe who was enjoying the new sunroom. He said it was more glass than the old one. Somehow Pete knew I hadn't gone to the lake. Goldman came over and helped Rose and Shirley move some furniture around in the basement which hasn't progressed far in the renovation since my last post. The workers didn't show over the weekend and aren't here yet today and it's 10:40. The workmen do have lots of excuses for their delays.

Saturday night was a wondrous occasion! Rose, Shirley, and I went to a friend's 80th birthday celebration. She was an amazing guest of honor. She had also gotten her first pedicure on the very same day. I asked her if her granddaughters had made her get the pedicure but she said it was her daughters who encouraged her to do it. She is a woman of many accomplishments. She did not want gifts - only blessings - but had a gift for each household that attended. The gift is a copy of a book she has recently written and published. "Leafings and Branchings" by Leah Friedman

Leah is an accomplished hostess. I'm sure she made everyone feel as welcome to be there as she made me feel. She danced with several men and was still going strong as we were leaving the party.

There were many people at the party and a few that I knew. It was catered beautifully. As we were leaving and saying our goodbyes, I heard my name being called. "Sue, Sue, Sue," It was Vicki Lander, a good friend of Mary Myers. Mary goes back many years with me and Rose. I feel sad when I go by the site where Noah's Ark used to be. It's where the three of us, Mary, Rose, and I, would meet on Fridays after work for happy hour years ago. The Ark has been torn down for highway construction that's going through there.

I hadn't seen Vicki in quite some time and maybe the meeting was predestined. Vicki is a massage therapist or maybe is retired now but I'm looking for a healing touch therapist and hope Vicki knows Mary Lenihan who is a healing touch therapist that I used to see but have lost contact with. If not Mary, another good one. This blog began as "Sue's Journey Back to Health" and right now I feel like I'm having a 'turn for the better' as they say down in the country. I'd like to keep feeling like I'm improving.

Chris, Shelly, and Oliver came by yesterday on their way home from Purina Pooch Day at Busch Stadium. We had watched for them on television but didn't see them. Chris took my computer and is doing some maintenance on it. They said Oliver was well behaved during the game though he kept trying to run off while they were here.

Three workers finally arrived and they're really working. Rose and Shirley just left to go run some errands but I chose to stay home and update this blog. I'm also watching the workers and they ARE working.

Jana, would you post a picture of Ellie having her first pedicure? Karen and Mark had left their camera on the sailboat the weekend after they were at the lake and were going to Quebec for ten days so I'm not sure when we'll get those pictures.

I'm looking forward to Labor Day at the lake!!!

Tomorrow, August 24, is Dog Day at Busch Stadium and Chris and Shelly are taking Oliver to the occasion. Chris says you may see them on television before the game starts. It's also called Purina Pooches Day and the Cardinals will be playing Atlanta at 1:15 Central time. I'm not sure where the dogs go during the game but I think they're on the field before the game starts. We'll be watching for them and hoping the Cardinals do as well as they did last night - winning 16 to 3. Shirley is a Cubs fan and, since the Cubs haven't done as well in 100 years as they have this year, it's okay to root for the Cubs, too.

Margaret and Norm's grandaughter, Erica, was off to Westminister College in Fulton this week. This is her first semester. She is Randy and Lynn's daughter. Fulton is half way between St. Louis and the lake house and it's where Churchill coined the 'iron curtain' phrase. Caitlin, Pete and Janet's grandaughter, is back at Gonzaga in Spokane. Nancy drove her up there one day this week from Idaho Falls. I'm sure there's more news with school starting so I'm hoping for some more informative posts.

Rose and Shirley are having a half bath installed in the basement and enlarging Rose's office down there and their contractor is way behind his promised schedule. He is such a likable fellow that it's hard for them to stay upset with them but I think they may have given him his LAST last chance yesterday. It maybe hasn't taken effect because none of his crew has shown up today. Rose and Shirley and Goldman have been down there working most of the day.

We're looking forward to the holiday weekend coming up and I'm looking forward to a full house.

I had some news that I wanted to post. Fat Jack called me yesterday. I had lost his phone number and hadn't heard from him in quite some time. Some of you may remember him from Den's funeral. He sang Amazing Grace so beautifully. He and I - and Margaret, too - all worked together at Midwest Recovery. He knew or has heard about my whole family and I knew or have heard about most of his. His brother, Mike, worked with Brick and me at GMAC for a long time. One of his grandsons, Andrew, is in his second year at St. Louis University. I told him both of mine are in Sanders Elementary in Louisville, Jalen in 5th grade and Brayden in kindergarten. Brayden is not caring for school. He says he doesn't like it because he has to wear his shoes all day. Must be the hillbilly in him. He doesn't have to take naps like he had to in pre-K, though.

Rose is going hiking in Yosemite next month for a few days and I'm going to spend part of the time she's gone in Louisville. I sure hope he likes kindergarten by then. I'm going to stay with Margaret and Norm some of the time, too. We're going to make a day's excursion to Alton which is where Fat Jack lives and spend the day with him. Chris and Shelly have also asked me to stay with them part of the time and I'll want to be at the lake as much as possible. I hate to see the summer end. It's been a really great one.

We need some news from our other contributors. Jana, post those darling pictures of Ellie that you sent me. Also, I'm sure there are things happening in Washington and Oregon and other parts of the country. Sabrina, we need an Abbott posting. Margaret called me today to say she didn't have anything to say. We did talk about the dreary weather. I'm sure there's more Abbott happenings.

Shirley is in the middle of making a wonderful dinner. Rose said she didn't want a potato so I asked Shirley to bake me a really big one. Rose tends to share mine when she declines having one for herself.

Labor Day is going to be an occasion at the lake. Scott and the boys are coming Thursday night. Josie and Lukas don't have school that Friday so Doug isn't sure he can get off that Friday but Suzanne is taking off and we'll be down early. Goldman has meetings and Maddog has to work so everyone else will be down Friday evening. I'm expecting and hoping for a full house. Doug got the waverunner going and the boat is running good. Maybe I should knock on wood.

Dinner's ready. The doctor told me my potassium was low and I should eat bananas. Shirley makes sure I get my potassium. She got me some fresh apricots but I like the bananas better.

I'm a bit behind on posting but so are a lot of other people!!

Pete called with his weekly checkup on Saturday. Kelly and the boys had been to Alaska salmon fishing and whale watching the week before. I think they stayed with a friend in a very primitive cabin out in the wilderness. They brought home 200 pounds of dressed salmon.

Shirley got home from her family reunion in Louisiana on Monday. Her family has a yearly reunion and it's usually in Louisiana. Rose had been in Chicago and she got home on Tuesday. Chris had spent some time with me and we had gone out to dinner on Monday bwith Goldman before Goldman picked Shirley up at the airport.

Weekend was another great one at the lake. I went down on Friday evening with Doug, Suzanne, Lukas, and Josie. Maddog and the 'Army' were there when we arrived. Jeffrey who is that King boy's stepson is on TDY at Ft. Leonard Wood. He came over with two of his buddies, Mo and Bobby, for a weekend of fishing and homecooking. Leslie came up from Springfield on Saturday morning and stopped by her favorite grocery store - HyVee - on the way. Suzanne made the breakfasts and said she had never been thanked so many times for cooking a meal. Leslie made lasagna for dinner Saturday night and Goldman was afraid there wouldn't be any leftovers for us to bring home to him but Leslie made a huge pan full and we brought some back.

The soldiers fished, relaxed, and swapped stories about their tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan. (I don't think I even spelled it right.) They rode the Seadoo and we thought something awful had happened to it but Doug saved the day. He loaded it on the trailer, took it to a dealer, expected the worse, and found it was only the battery. What would I do without Doug???

The soldiers took back a mess of fish. Wasn't it about 50 years ago that Bernie was stationed at Ft. Leonard Wood? This is a school that Jeffrey is attending and a temporary assignment but there's a possibility it could be a permanent assignment. His wife is from Washington which is where he's stationed now and their baby (Hannah Anna) is due January 1 so there's mixed feelings there.

We didn't take any pictures this weekend. I guess no one had a camera. I'm still waiting for pictures from the weekend before. Karen has to approve them before we could post them and I haven't seen any of them.

I hope I'm doing this right! I'm on Rose's computer and she has lots of blogs. Just had a call from Scott. It's the first day of kindergarten. Brayden is a bus rider and he insisted on riding the bus with Jalen. First day of school for him was probably harder for Rose, Scott, and me than it was for him. He's a bus rider, you know, not a walker. His Dad and Uncle Ding were only walkers.

This was a great weekend at the lake. Maddog and I went down early Friday and then Maddog went off to be with his Dad. Mark, Karen, and Drew came from St. Louis and Kate and Austin came from Lawrence, KS. All five of those kids enjoyed the lake, the boat, and the waverunner. We've got this big round tube big enough for three people to sit on. If you get the speed up on the waverunner fast enough, it will spin the three that are on it around in circles.

Saturday was Kate's 25th birthday. She is a grown, educated, working woman now, but her Dad still baked her birthday cake and got her a Wii for her birthday. When I told Rose about his cake making abilities, she was impressed that he could even master the fancy hi-tech lake oven. She said she may try 'frying' up a cake herself. She never has. He also treated us all to dinner at my favorite restaurant, Ruthie D's.

Pictures were taken all weekend and I'm expecting some to be published. I'd do it myself but I don't know how.

Brother Joe emailed me last night and said he needed to borrow a lot of money, $28,000.00, to put a new all-season room on their house. As the conversation progressed what he was doing was replacing the old one! It was worn out.!!! Taking such special of his better half put a lot of wear and tear on that room. He was going to email Pete next.

Last week Joe and Donald and three of Donald's grandsons visited me at the lake. Joe and I both made a mental note to keep the boys' names straight with no luck. Joe was the one with freckles and belonged to Jennifer. Donald and Vita were up from Birmingham celebrating the birth of their fifth grandson. Between the two of them, they're caught up with Mama, male wise. Some pictures there would be very welcome. We would see they get posted.

After lunch that day at the lake, Joe had to rush off back to Springfield. Probably to fix supper and serve it to Mary in the new all-season room. Donald, did he need a loan that day? He whispered that maybe we should call some 800 number to verify Pete's credit card.

Hi Brayden, Your Dad told us you read the Blog. We are so happy you are learning to read! Good job. Keep up the good work. Love, Granny, Aunt Rose, and Aunt Shirley

Hi Family!

Thanks to Uncle Joe for posting the link to the Marshfield fire. I did tell him I would post it, but didn't get to it before now. What a sad event. Just glad I got the chance to "drag-the-gut" with the family in the Square before it burned. It just wouldn't have been the same with a burned-out building there.

Hey, I had the idea the other day of doing a posting on Remember My Dad. I woke up with it on my mind and thought of putting something together. So, I'm posting a few pictures in his memory. As some of you may know, a few of us got together on his one year anniversary on June 3rd this year and attended a Mariner's baseball game. We wanted to be together and missed having Mom with us. She was on her way to Montana to meet with her friend Fran Marlar as they were embarking on their Missouri trip, so she couldn't be with us. Four of us, as many as were able, since it was a Tuesday evening, met in Seattle and had dinner and went to the game. Dad loved the Mariner's and was a faithful fan. He was watching a game when he died a year ago, so it was fitting to commemorate his passing with a fun event that he would have enjoyed. I think it was Cyndi's husband Dave's idea, but he wasn't able to attend.

I drove to Olympia and picked up Cyndi, we drove to Seattle and met Doug and Tammy. Tammy was in Seattle on business and had carpooled there so she rode home with us. Doug lives just north of Seattle in Bothell, so it was perfect to meet at a restaurant across the street from Safeco Field. As luck would have it, it was raining like crazy!!! We met for dinner and had more fun chatting and reminiscing than we did watching the game. We reluctantly left the restaurant about the 3rd inning and headed over to the game. You'd think the M's could have at least won the game!! At least they were true to form!

Cheers!! (l to r) Sandi, Tammy, Cyndi and Doug.

Doug and Tammy were remembering some of Dad's quirky sayings. I didn't remember this one: "That fits like a sock on a rooster!" He had so many funny ways of putting things into perspective. It sure made you think about it!

I remember so fondly his laugh. Sometimes he would get so tickled he couldn't breathe and you started to wonder if he was alright. We'd have to give a look to Mom for reassurance that he was okay because she could always tell if he was going to start breathing again. He enjoyed his family! I'll bet you all had a taste of him bragging about his kids - I don't think he did enough bragging about our mother! She is the reason his life was so successful and long!

Train ride at the beach with Mom! Sept 2003

He loved projects! He loved hard work! He and Mom instilled in all of us the value of a good job done right! They both had raised us with a deep sense of fairness and loyalty. I value those traits they taught us along with honesty and integrity. They demonstrated them to us by their example. Looking back at Dad's life I remember his character more than any accomplishment he had - and there were many. Just raising 10 people to live productive lives is enough but there was so much more. I realize as I write this that I am not an authority on all the accomplishments of his life. He was a big brother, a son, an uncle, a patriot! He was a businessman, husband and father. He was a community leader and a mentor. He loved to travel, enjoy his family and friends and a treasured a good conversation on the deck at home. He cared for all of us and insisted on feeding us annually with the steers he and Mom bought and tended to all year so we could have meat on the table for our families.

Sitting on the deck with Mike and Cyndi.

Tending the Fire at the annual meat wrapping weekend!

I have lots of fun memories of my Dad. As a little girl walking into church holding his hand and saying, "I'm happy Daddy!" and feeling him squeeze my hand in reply. I wish I could tell him that now because I am happy in my life and owe a lot of that happiness to him for his influence in my life. I know there was so much more to his life than I can recall here.

I would like to invite others to put in their two cents. Anyone can comment by clicking the red comment field at the end of this posting. It would be fun to hear some of your memories of the "Old Guy". To remember some of his funny sayings or cherished stories of how he affected your life. Got pictures? You can send comments or pics to my email address as well, if you'd like. I can be contacted at safelli@hotmail.com . Thanks for indulging me as I reminisce. So many of you have helped us through this past year as we have learned to say good-bye. We look back fondly with smiles mixed with tears and are learning how to make new memories in these days ahead.

Have fun recalling your own memories!

Love,

The 2Ls

Thursday morning at the lake. Scott told me I should proof read before I post. It was Jalen and Brayden who were so checking so often for our Kansas relatives to arrive and it was the boys who were trying to learrn to ski that first day down here. Scott could ski when he was younger and thinner but didn't try this time.

Pete said in his weekly call that he had been trapping raccoons and he had heard that marshmellows were good trap food. We found something even better. BEER!!!! One morning last week Goldman went outside to put the trash in the big trashcan. He could tell there was something moving around inside it so was afraid to open it. He got Doug and Maddog and a 5 gallon bucket and they were going to catch whatever was in there. They tipped the big can over and opened the lid. Out staggered a RACCOON. They called me up to see and he was really staggering. He stumbled around and half walked down the steps between the houses and half fell. They followed him down a few houses and he finally sobered up and was walking pretty good. I guess he got a beer can or two with some left in it and finished it off. They're careful about closing the can really tight.

Groves came on Sunday and brought Omaha Steaks and twice baked potatoes. They may have been the best steaks I've ever eaten. He may have paid for them with his winnings from Texas Hold'em. Stakes were't that high so he had to come back Tuesday to play again. I'm not sure who won. I had to go to bed. Rose and Shirley are eager to learn how to play Texas Hold'em when I get home.

Shelly got here Sunday evening. We saved a Omaha Steak for her. Chris had to leave. Shelly stayed until Tuesday. I think it was frustrating for her to let the boys do the cooking. We had pork tenderloin one night - Maddog's recipe. It was scrumptious. She did make some cookies which Scott said even went well with beer when they were right out of the oven.

Scott just left. He came back in to tell me there is another critter trapped in the trashcan. Mike Lynch got here yesterday. It rained all day but cleared up toward evening. We're expecting Chris and Shelly tonight and Suzanne and Trish and Ray tomorrow evening. It's supposed to be very hot today though it's cloudy this morning. I plan on going for a boat ride either today or tomorrow.

I'll post later after they let the critter out of the trashcan.

Sunday morning at the lake and it looks like it's going to be a beautiful day. Everyone is still sleeping except me and Chris. Chris is out for his morning run.

I forgot on my last update to put in that Angie Slayton stopped in on the 18th and spent the night with us. She was calling on customers in Versailles on that Thursday and had to go to Columbia the next day and preferred staying with us instead of a motel. The guys did all the cooking and cleaning up and she was frustrated with nothing to do.

Also, a correction - It was Briana who loved addog's porksteaks and had them for dinner on Saturday and also for lunch on Sunday.

Joe's Lydia and Lisa got back from Costa Rica last Tuesday. I'm sure he was glad to see them. David is in Ohio. Joe never brags on his kids but did say that he was going to Beth's MBA graduation ceremony on Saturday night. This is worth bragging about, Joe.

Jeff arrived on Wednesday. The Army furnished him a rental car and he enjoyed the fishing and company. Leslie and Sam had gone to St. Louis so we goy his company right away. Maddog and Goldman made chicken and dumplings for dinner and I think he ate three bowls full. I went to bed but I think the three of them sat up til all hours exchanging Denny stories. Jeff had to report to Ft. Leonard Wood Thursday morning.

Doug got here Thursday evening. Chris arrived Friday after he got off work. Scott gott here Saturday afternoon. Groves got here sometime in the night last night.

MORE LATER ABOUT PETE'S CALL AND RACCOON TRAPPING.

Last night I met Margaret, Norman, Catrina, and Lizzie for dinner in Clayton before all of us attended "The Miracle Worker" in which Lizzie and her dad are performing. We had a wonderful Italian meal at Cafe Napoli, which Lizzie told her mother later was "such a fancy restaurant I will remember it my whole life." Lizzie is ten years old and one wonderkind. She charmed our waiter, and she and her mother entertained us old folks through the dinner hour. Catrina is surely a McGiver Girl--you know, one of those women you could send into the jungle with a toothpick and a cottonswab, and she would build a shopping mall. I don't know when I have had a better time.

After dinner we picked up Shirley, who couldn't join us for the dinner, and all of us went to the Clayton Community Theater (part of Washington University) for "The Miracle Worker." And it was a miracle. We saw Robbie, Catrina's husband, transformed into "Captain Keller," the brusque, blustery father of Helen Keller. HE DID A SPECTACULAR JOB OF INHABITING THE CHARACTER and showing how people can be transformed through hanging in even in difficult life events. Lizzie had a smaller part and did a wonderful job with it. She told us she tried out for the Helen Keller part but was "really happy to be in the play whatever her role." [She is ten going on twenty, you see.]

More from Joe about the Marshfield fire:

Got more pictures from Joe


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Jgfelin
To: MarthaBoaz
Sent: 7/22/2008 8:34:08 P.M. Central Daylight Time
Subj: Marshfield Fire (Continued)


To view the pictures, one needs to click on View The Gallery in the related content of the article, same for
Marshfield Mail: Thrift store manager remains hopeful after blaze
Marshfield Mail: Downtown building destroyed in blaze

Related Content
Marshfield Mail: Thrift store manager remains hopeful after blaze
Marshfield Mail: Downtown building destroyed in blaze
View The Gallery

Sue forwarded this e-mail from Brother Joe for posting:

From: JO from MO
To: MarthaBoaz
Sent: 7/22/2008 2:25:48 P.M. Central Daylight Time
Subj: Marshfield Fire web page


Sandi provided this web site yesterday and asked me to let her know if it works. If so, she was going to post it on the blog. Donald called yesterday (before I received Sandi's e-mail) and was back in B'ham, all their company had also gone back home to ID and MO. Donald was asking about the fire so I did forward the web page to him, figuring you would read it on the blog. It has about 10 pictures of the fire. I don't think it gave the reason for the fire?

Thanks for the lunch and good visit Saturday. Bet it will be lonesome there when all your company leaves.

http://www.kspr.com/news/whereyoulive/webster/25055414.html


Thanks for the link, Joe.

Catrina's husband (Robert King) and their daughter (Elizaeth "Lizzie) have parts in a play at the Washington University theater. The play is about Helen Keller. Robby plays Helen's father, and Lizzie plays one of her schoolmates. More information at: http://www.placeseveryone.org/

Late Thursday Scott and the boys arrived from Louisville. They woke me up and we soon were all in bed. Scott and Goldman did the grocery shopping Friday morning to get ready for the weekend. While they were out they bought some children's skis as the boys were determined they could learn how to waterski. When they went out in the boat to try it, Goldman first got in the water and was going to show them how it was done. (It's Sunday now and he's still sore from the attempt.) Scott and Brayden tried several times but couldn't master the skill.

Our Kansas relatives arrived late Friday afternoon. Scott and Brayden must have asked us 50 times 'When are they going to get here?' Debbie and Joe, their daughter Sabrina, Sabrina's three - Joshua, Junior, and Martesia - and their son Thad's daughter Briana finally arrived about 5:30. The kids immediately jumped in the lake and swam until until Maddog's wonderful dinner of pork tenderloin was ready. The kids played like they had known each other forever. Though Brayden is only 5 and all the other kids were at least 5 years older he did his best to keep up.

Pete called with his weekly call. Things were okay in Idaho. He had just talked with Joe and let us know that Joe was coming for the day. Joe wasn't sure the day before. Joe got here and we all had a good day visiting and watching the kids in the water. The boat is running good and we have this spinning thing that three kids (or grownups) sit on and the boat pulls it. As the boat picks up speed, the thing spins. It was the first time we have had 3 kids with semiequal weight and it really made a difference. The kids had a ball. When they weren't doing that, they were in the lake or in the pool. Goldman hogged Joe some when they discussed their chronological research and Goldman says he could have talked with Joe much much more but Joe had to leave and be home by five. We could all have visited much more with him. He missed a great dinner. Maddog made BBQ pork steaks. Last year Martesia said he made the best BBQ pork steaks she ever had and she remembered and said these were as good too.

Today the kids swam in the lake and rode the spinner whenever they could get anyone to drive the boat. One of the Kansas grandkids said "Grandpa, we're going to have to have one of those." I saw Joe go down to the dock and write down the name and manufacturer of it. They all had a long drive so Goldman got up early and put a brisket in the oven using his Grandmother's recipe. Debby sais this place smelled like a restaurant. Junior made sure the trash was emptied throughout the house before they left. The kids were all helpful and polite. Grandpa Joe said it must be the Missouri air.

After the Kansans left Jalen begged Scott to let him try waterskiing one more time. I think he didn't want to try when the other kids were there in case he couldn't do it. Though it was going to make Scott very late getting back to Louisville he gave in and JALEN GOT UP THE FIRST TRY. JALEN CAN WATERSKI!!! He was smiling from ear to ear having mastered the sport. When he tried on Friday Goldman was in the water with him. Today he was in the water by himself. He fell a few times but got right up when he tried again. Brayden was so tired from running with the big kids all weekend that he didn't even want to try today.

I want to add here that Scott made some very good breakfasts while he was here and Debbie and the girls did anything we ask them to do. One thing my guys had them do was kitchen cleanup. Debbie loved our potato peeler. Potatoes are a favorite vegetable down here. We've experimented with several peelers and Goldman's mother got us this one.

Maddog and Goldman take very good care of me and make sure that I never miss a dose of my medicine. They're pretty good housekeepers too.

I'm behind on updates so I hope I can remember all that's happened. We celebrated a great July Fourth. Doug, Suzanne, Lucas, Josie, Maddog, Goldman and I were the regulars here. We had a great new couple for the event - Mel and Tony. Eric and Julie and their boys along with some friends of theirs came over for the fireworks. We could hardly wait until dark for the presentation to start. It was spectular.

I had to go back to St. Louis for an overnight stay in the hospital for my IVIG on the 8th. I don't have to have another one for six months. The nurses and aides missed me since I hadn't been there for quite some but most of them remembered me. Chris came up and brought me Steak and Shake for lunch and also some stuff I'd forgotten.

Shelly and I spent the 1st through the 3rd here at the lake and then the evening of the 3rd the rest of the crew rolled in. Meals were delicious. Doug did a fish fry on Saturday. Denny taught him well. Maddog has been my steady companion whenever I've been here. He either goes to the store for me or accompanies me.

Goldman and I came back to the lake on the 11th. Goldman had to go back to St. Louis on the 13th to finish teaching his summer school session and then came back here to the lake on the 15th. He and I plan to stay here as much as we can until school starts to work on his book. He's writing the book and I'm editing it. I'm sure it's going to be a bestseller.

Leslie came up on Tuesday and left this morning. Meals were gourmet. Her son, Jeff, who is in the military and is stationed in Seattle will be in next Wednesday. He's going to do a two month school at Ft. Leonard Wood. His bride will come for a few days later on. I haven't met her yet so am looking forward to that. She's from the Seattle area. Jeff loves to fish and is going to come over here when he can. Chase, Leslie's other son, called me this morning from Baltimore and said he will be in Springfield in about 2 weeks and will try to get up to see me.

Rose and Shirley spent last weekend in Chicago. I talked to Margaret yesterday. They are home from the Valley for a few days. Norm has gotten one tomato from his garden. Margaret saw both doctors last week and doesn't have to go back to either for 3 months. They took the boot off of her foot and she said she's getting around pretty well.

Chris turned 39 on the 13th. Seems like just yesterday he was born. Goldman stopped by their house on the way home from here to wish him a Happy Birthday. I know he went bike riding and Shelly made him BBQ ribs but I'm not sure how else he celebrated.

Scott and the boys will be here tonight. I'm hoping the Kansas relatives will show up. Jana, John, and Ellie can't make it but I'm looking forward to seeing the rest of you.

I'm sure I left things out but will update again sooner next time.

Aunt Virginia (Madden), photo provided by her son Mike. Aunt Virginia is the widow of mother's brother Curt and the last living relative of that Madden generation.

Joe sent us some further information about Sandi's post:

For additional detail (if needed?) It is a real challenge adding anything beneficial to Sandi'ls well worded travelogue, but for the ones missing out on this very enjoyable trip, the following is added:

This picture was taken where the pear tree used to be and they have added a driveway on the north side of the house The cat is shown on this driveway. The driveway ended in a circle drive. (for lack of a better description). The steps on the north side of the house have been removed, along with the entrance door. In place, a new door (not pictured) was built on the west side of this part of the house. The window just above the good looking guy was probably an enlargement of the old pantry window?
Any questions, please let me or Sue know.


----------------------------

Thank you, Brother. The house is so much changed I hardly recognized it. You post helped.

Hello Everyone! Greetings from Oregon and Washington. We are enjoying some great weather - free of tornadoes, thunderstorms and humidity! Ahhh...to be home again in the northwest. Lol!

Tasting Gooseberries for the first time! Now you see me smiling....

I had a wonderful visit! Thanks to everyone who rolled out the red carpet for me. Rose, Sue, Shirley, Margaret, Norm, Joe, Lisa, David, Lydia, Stephanie, Chris, Shelly and all the Larimore clan. (I hope I'm not forgetting anyone!) Even Jalen and Brayden helped me feel at home. I wanted to thank Aunt Rose especially for giving me such a generous opportunity to move freely about Missouri in her comfy car. I hate to admit how many miles I put on that vehicle, but having the benefit of her loaning it to me and helping me with my air fare made the price of gas affordable! I bought a map on my first morning there at the news stand in Clayton at Aunt Rose's recommendation and a coffee at Starbucks and was on my way! I feel like a true world traveler - savvy, experienced and now can say, "I'm from Missouri - Show Me!" (Not everyone can make that claim!)

I finally got my pictures and videos downloaded to the computer and will post a few of them. I enjoyed every minute of my trip! The highlight for me, honestly, was meeting and starting to get reacquainted with my cousins. I LOVED spending time with Sabrina and am still heartsick about the change of plans that made me cancel our lunch date! (Sorry Sabrina!) I got initiated by Randy by falling for one of his gags - I should have known. I caught a glimpse of Stephanie, Dan and Catrina at Nathan's wedding and regret that two weeks didn't afford me enough time to get caught up. I did have a nice phone conversation with Stephanie the day before the wedding and missed a phone to Catrina because time ran out...(Drat! I hated missing that, too!) I brought my Draw Four game to play with Catrina, but it didn't happen. I enjoyed meeting Robbie's sons and was savoring how they love their Peepa and Meema. Blessings to Nathan and Nichole as they start their life together.

The Bride - Nichole.

My few days at the Abbotts were so nice. I felt like I was at home at my folk's house. We went up to Winfield one day and then on up to the Mississippi river. It was interesting to me because I had never been to the Mississippi before but also since my job is a run-of-the-river operation, I was impressed to see the Corps of Engineers and the military, (Marines?) among volunteers working together to mitigate the flooding.

Uncle Norman's garden is impressive and I had quite a bit of work to do in mine since I got home. Thankfully, brother Glenn came by to help "fix" the sprinkler system while I was away. It wasn't really broken - it was working just the way I programmed it to. Too bad I didn't mean for it to run constantly - just once a day. Monica kept the lawn mowed and held down the fort so I came home to a pleasant homecoming. I have been pruning my tomatoes like Uncle Norm showed me, but mine are just now blooming so I won't see any tomatoes for a while.

At the edge of the Mighty Mississip!

I hated to say good-bye to the Abbotts on Father's Day, but was also looking forward to a few days at the lake with Aunt Sue and our much anticipated Turnbo Tour hosted by dear Uncle Joe! For those of you who might not know, we had this trip planned for last summer and were looking forward to having my Dad and Uncle Joe give the tour. Can you imagine how valuable and memorable that would have been? As it turned out plans changed and so this year was especially meaningful to me. Thank you Uncle Joe for being such a fun and gracious tour guide. I couldn't have loved anything more than spending that time with you all!

Uncle Norman and three sisters at the Lake of the Ozarks!

I learned about Marshfield, Route 66, "Dragging the Gut", Grammie's shop, Aunt Louise's house.(uh oh, now I'm forgetting - was it Louise who lived at the little white house where the four darling boys greeted us in their anti-chigger footwear?) I got to see the Cannin' Factory and the Springhouse firsthand. We hiked through briers and brush along with my Mom and Aunt Sue and picked ticks off each other and waded in Turnbo Creek by the falls. When the time came for us to head back into Marshfield, I couldn't have been more disappointed for our day to end. I had my Mom and Aunt Sue and Aunt Vivian, (Mom's sister) to keep me from feeling blue, but it makes me cry just thinking about it as I write this now. I am indebted to you!

At Grammie's house in Marshfield! (AKA draggin' the gut with Uncle Joe!)

Lisa was profound in her assessment of what things might have been if our Grandad hadn't have died so early. All the family were tough and none afraid of hard work. The land there is beautiful and rich - the heritage we hold is richer still. Aunt Rose reflected that our lives are held by a thread. I agree and would add that the thread that is woven through each our lives and holds us together is strong and valuable - I don't want to take it for granted.

Mom, Uncle Joe, Aunt Sue, Lisa, Lydia and David at the Marshfield Cemetery.

I then spent several days in Conway with my Mom, Aunt Vivian and cousins! We attended church at the Washington Christian Church where Uncle Oral is buried. Aunt Viv said she has been attending that church for over 50 years! I got to tour a dairy farm and meet almost all of my cousins on my Mom's side. The "girls' have an annual garage sale which is a good excuse to sit in lawn chairs and drink iced tea and visit all day long. They didn't have much traffic so exchanged "stuff" with each other. I came away with some of my cousin Terrie's bracelets. Nice. Aunt Viv is an avid Cardinals fan so several afternoons/evenings were spent paying attention to the game. We ate at the Rocking Chair which was good food and met after church on Sunday at my cousin Beverly's home for a big meal.

We visited the graveyards where my Grandma, Aunt and Uncle are buried and drove around the gorgeous countryside capturing the vision of times long ago when my mother was a girl growing up. We traveled Route 66 which used to be the main drag and is now the back road to Wal-Mart. I enjoyed the fire flies and the southern cooking and easy pace of a little town. I slept great each night and the heart of the land and the family there has enriched my life. Thanks Mom for sharing your "home" with me.

I guess I should cut my travelogue off right about here in lieu of boring you all to death! There is more I'd like to say about the warmth of all I met and how meaninful it was to me to be a part of your lives for a few days. I look forward to having some of you visit us up here. We have skiing, snowboarding, the ocean, the mountains, the desert, the Columbia River Gorge, Seattle, The San Juan islands, Canada - and yes, coffee and granola!! Who wouldn't want to come for a visit? The company of folks is also of the highest quality! Please, think about letting us return the favor!

See ya!

Brother Joe sent me this e-mail with sad news of the death of Mary's sister:

Lisa, Lydia and Mary went to Conway to see Mary's sister, Louise on Wed. Louise passed away Saturday. Also Harriet Lafoe Natale came by our house on Wed. She seems to be doing very well with the recent knee replacements.

Lisa and Lydia left for Costa Rica Thurs. Morning. They were instructed to be at the airport two hours early, which they were. Then they put them on an earlier flight out of Springfield so the time at the Springfield airport was brief but the layover in DFW was longer, as their outbound flight out of DFW stayed the same.

Glad you got back home OK. Hello To Rosey Po and all.

Bro Joe

Dave & I have listed one of our sail boats for sale on Craigslist (Similar to e-bay)

More later.

Bro Joe

==========
We are sorry to hear of this loss.

I'm here at Barnes-Jewish waiting for them to start my IVIG. As Goldman says, this place is a hurry up and wait time. It's 11:30 and Rose and I hurried to get here at 8:30. They'll do the IVIG and I'll go home tomorrow.

Shelly and I went down to the lake house last week Tuesday. My computer wasn't working so I was all week without it. The boat is finally fixed. That hillbilly who has had it twice now brought it back last Tuesday and now says he wants more money. I'm just going to let Doug talk with him. Shelly and I went to the license bureau to get the current sticker for the waverunner. The license bureau sent us to the court house and then we had to go back again to the license bureau. After all this running back and forth, no one rode the waverunner all weekend!

Shelly had to leave on Thursday. Maddog came over. Goldman drove down. Doug and Suzanne and the kids got there in time for Suzanne to make a big pot of spaghetti for dinner. Fireworks started popping that night but it wasn't the big night.

The Fourth of July was a real occasion!! The Nichols (Julie, John, Eric and Ryan) came for dinner but took their boat and put it in a safe place before the show started. Maddog made pork tenderloin for dinner which may become a regular on our lake menu. Neighbors all chipped in before the guys went firework shopping. Our necks hurt from looking up before the display ended. We all thought dark would never come but when it did come it lasted quite a while.

Saturday wasn't anticlimatic like we thought it might be. Tony and Melanie came in that morning on their Harley. (Tony is Maddog's stepbrother and Mel worked with Suzanne at Rawlings.) Doug fried crappie in a Denny tradition. We had mountains of food and Doug was so busy frying that he didn't get to start catching fish to put in the freezer for the next fry. We had potato skins, fries, little weiners wrapped in bacon, and by then I was too full to eat anything else. Well, I did eat several onion rings.

Traffic was miserable on the trip home Sunday. I rode with Goldman and we never did see any accidents - just volume. I have more news but will post this and more later.

Mark at his 50th birthday party. Shirley and Rose are in the background.

Had those great updates from Kansas and from Portland. I love Sandi's referring to us as 'Aunt Camp'. We love having campers at our aunt camps and look forward to more attendees.

Mark, Brick's son, celebrated his 50th birthday on Saturday. Karen surprised him with a luau at Babler Park on Saturday afternoon. He said he knew something was up but had no idea what was coming off. Karen sent me pictures and I'll get them posted as soon as Rose has time.

It was girls' weekend down at the lake. I didn't go cause I wasn't feeling too good and it was the first one in lots of years that I missed. I think there were more than ten girls were there. They wanted a weekend without kids hanging on them all the time. The guys had a BBQ at Doug's on Saturday night and Goldman said that there were ten kids in the hot tub at one time.

I had my regular appointment today with my favorite neurologist, Dr. Hogan. He's the one who was born in the same hospital in Springfield that I was only some 18 years later It's the hospital where Joe now volunteers. Dr. Hogan didn't change any of my medication and seemed pleased with my progress. His only suggestion was that I should maybe get more exercise. I needn't go back to see him until October.

Shelly and I are off to the lake tomorrow evening to get ready for the big fireworks. Scott and the boys aren't coming because of baseball practices and an all-star game. I told Scott that I'd be really upset if they didn't come AND they got rained out over there. He replied, "We will too, mom."

Sandi sent this lovely e-mail to Sue. We thought we would share it:

From: safelli@hotmail.com
To: marthaboaz@aol.com
Sent: 6/29/2008 1:44:56 P.M. Central Daylight Time
Subj: RE: Hello


Hi Aunt Sue!!

I am just getting awakened from my graveyard stupor and trying to catch up on everything. (I got off yesterday morning) I got home about midnight our time on Tuesday and then worked the next three nights TRYING to sell power. There are so many fires in California that the transmission lines are down everywhere and it's hot down there so they need power from us. Re-routing power through Idaho>Nevada>California over-loaded the lines there so we were getting "loop flow" back across the lines into the northwest causing other issues and making sales that direction impossible. Very stressful and very busy! In the meantime, the water up here is running high so we are having to spill it over the dams instead of generating so we are losing money. Other generators in the NW were calling to offer to pay me $50/MW to take power in! Crazy! (Sigh!) Anyway, I'm off today and can relax at home a bit. (What did the fish say when it ran into the concrete wall? "Dam!" That's how I felt this last week at work!)

We have hot weather here - up to 100 degrees. I had to put my window air conditioner in yesterday because it was 82 degrees in the house downstairs and probably 10 degrees higher upstairs! I hope you are at the lake enjoying the wonderful weather there and staying cool.

What did the doctor say after your appointment on Wednesday? Are you feeling better? No lyme disease, I hope! Yesterday was Dad's birthday and Tammy was out working in her yard. She said that she was putting up lattice and instead of strapping it together as most anyone else would, she was reinforcing it with screws to make it hold for the next century - in honor of Dad. Cute, huh? I regret not talking to Mom yesterday so I'm hoping some of my siblings did. I hope it wasn't a hard day for her. Today is tougher for me since I was half asleep all day yesterday! Dad would have been 80! I miss him.

My garden is taking off and so are the weeds. I have a busy day today so it will have to wait until tomorrow to get all the weeding done. I also need to talk to Doug about getting some stain for my fence and re-staining the deck. I came home to Carpenter Ants and had to have the exterminator come on Wednesday. Goodness - there are so many responsibilities when you are housekeeping!

I had such a nice time seeing you all. It was nice to hang out with you and spend some real time getting to see everyone. Thanks again for your hospitality and or entertaining me! I had a very nice time. Next year - I will recruit others to come. We may do Aunt Camp in Missouri!

Enjoy your day and say hello to everyone for me. I will try to post pics and an update to the blog soon!
Love you,
Sandi

Here are some pics of our recent trip to see Aunt Sue. It was good meeting Doug, Suzanne, Lukas and Josie, whom we've heard her talk about quite often. Ellie really enjoyed the kids, especially Jalen, and of course the swimming pool. The waverunner was another favorite for Ellie - we even got to go a little faster than idle speed this year. She didn't quite care for the lake but John got in with her for about 10 minutes. Last year she loved sitting with Aunt Sue and enjoyed listening to her sing, tell stories, and put her to sleep for naps. This year, I guess Ellie is too big for all that stuff - she tried to run with the big kids but she is not quite old enough yet. John, as always, enjoyed taking the kids for rides and just lounging around. (Something he doesn't get to do often enough). Ellie had so much fun that she slept most of the way to KC. We drove directly to our softball game and one it in the 10th inning. It was a great weekend.

Joe sent a short update on his girls. Beth is getting her MBA on July 25. Lydia and Lisa leave for Costa Rica on July 3. That was the extent of his bragging. I sat in front seat the day of our Turnbo Tour and also don't hear well so I'm having to drag any further information out of Joe. He's online but not answering my IM's. I think Lisa and Lydia will be going to Costa Rico for their tenth year.

Brayden and Jalen are home with their Dad now and Scott says they have hardly talked about us. Every day is a new world. Tomorrow is Brayden's baseball award banquet. Of course he gets an award. One of them had practice at 8 this morning and the other one has it at 8 tomorrow. Jalen has his All Star Game on the 4th of July so they can't come to the lake for the weekend. Doug always has a big fireworks display and it's become an annual event. Jalen has even made a seating chart for the adults. It's the dads who should get the awards for their devotion to the game of baseball along with the kids..

It's girls' weekend at the lake and I don't feel just good so didn't go. I am sure I would have cramped their style. They promised a group framed picture to hang in the stairwell. Rose and Shirley and I are going to a luau tomorrow evening. We have decided to go disguised as three old ladies somewhere in our sixties.

Rose has gone to a retreat this afternoon somewhere in Illinois. Shirley and I are watching the White Sox beat the Cubs.

Jana and Sandi, the blog is ready for updates and pictures. Today Margaret and Norm were getting the camper to take down to the Valley. Sounds like she's getting around pretty well.

We need updates from everyone!!!!

Mom's boys were never vulgar - just crude funny and/or crude sometimes. They had a lot of unusuual expressions and if you will forward them or post any you remember we'll preserve them in the blog. A couple we still use around here are - when something is VERY green it's green as goose s--t in May or - when something is VERY shiny it's shiny as a diamond in a goat's arse! Sandi had a new one of Bernie's the other day - something difficult as socks on a rooster! Has anyone ever seen any of these three things?? Not me but I can always imagine what they imply.

Scott's boys won't say 'bad' words and can't be coerced into repeating one. Brayden, Sandi and I were watching Shrek 2 the other day and someone in the movie said 'jackass'. I played deaf and said "Brayden, what did he say?' Brayden replied "Granny, I can't tell you". "Why not?" "It's a bad word". "What bad word?" "I can't tell you". "How am I going to find out?" "You say all the bad words you know and when you get to that one I'll tell you to stop". Sandi immediately said "It was jackass". She said to me "I didn't want him to learn any new ones." Do you think I'm known for my foul mouth?

Rose did the last post for me and got some of the days mixed up but she tried and types a lot faster than I do. The ants at our house crawl faster than I can type. I came back from the lake on about the 18th with Margaret and Norman and Rose picked me up at their house. We had to share Sandi for a few days with the Larimores. Rose and I then went over half way to Louisville to pick up Jalen and Brayden. The boys and I then went down to the lake with Doug, Suzanne, Josie, and Lukas.

Some of our Kansas relatives met us there. John, Jana, and Ellie arrived soon after we did and 'a good time was had by all'. They got sorta acquainted with Doug and Suzanne and found they had several things in common. Doug caught a 'mess' of crappie while John rode the waverunner. We're going to have a fish fry on Fourth of July Weekend. The kids swam and played Jalen rode with John til he was tired of riding. The two little boys stayed up later than the men next door who had a guys weekend.

Most of the other crowd had their annual float trip and wiffle ball tournament. Doug and Suzanne were sure they had a better weekend with a comfortable bed and a bathroom. The others wouldn't admit it. Scott first told me there had been no wiffle ball tournament but I found out later that he just didn't want to tell me he had lost.

Goldman took the boys to meet Scott yesterday evening. Sandi left for Portland last night. It is sure quiet around here. When I talked to Scott later and bragged about how good they had been while they were here he said they weren't being so good since they got home. Maybe we were too permissive????

We've got lots of pictures if people will post them.

Wednesday after another eventful stay at the lake. Maddog and I were sitting on the deck Friday afternoon when Ray and Trish came by for a beer and visit. They had just left when a boatload pulled up to the swimdock. Some of the guys were buddies of Scott's and hadn't been there since Kids Week 1995. With Scott's guidance from the cellphone they were able to find us without much trouble.

Maddog went back over to his dad's Sunday to celebrate Father's Day and Chris and Shelly spent the day at the lake. Chris messed with my computer while Shelly alternated between sunbathing and working around the house. He claimed he did a lot to my computer but what Shelly did was much more noticeable to me. Thanks to both of you.

Sandi had spent the weekend with the Abbotts and had gone to Nathan and Nicole's wedding on Saturday night. I've heard it was a gala affair and hope one of our contributors will post pictures and details on this blog. Congratulations to the bride and groom.

Chris and Shelly left Sunday night and Sandi arrived. She and I got up early Monday morning and 'headed for Turnbo'. We stopped in Conway for Maudie. Her sister, Vivian, wouldn't join us though we tried every which way to coerce her. We met Joe, Lisa, Lydia and David in Marshfield at an upscale 'Miss Muzzy's'. Dave was our driver. Lydia is 16 now and has her license but didn't want to drive. Pete, I told her that you taught me to drive when I was 16 and not only did I learn to drive then but I also learned some new words.

Dave took us first to 'drag the gut' i.e. circle the square. Some of the buildings are still standing but some are just empty lots. The Cotton Shoppe is just an empty lot. Did I mispell it right? We then drove around town a bit. The cemetery is very well kept and we lingered here for a bit. The old house in town is pretty pitiful looking and smaller than I recollect.

Now, on to Turnbo Joe had gotten permission from the current owner (Frank Andreatta) for us to go down the lane to where the house used to be. There were horses in pasture there so we had to watch our step. We were watching for snakes anyway so had no trouble. The two silos were still there. The cellar was visible but no one was brave enough to go inside. There was a hole that Joe and Margaret said was the well. When Joe wins the lottery he's going to excavate down there because he's sure there's something worthwhile down there. Joe held my arm and helped me get through all the rubble and brush but warned me that if he saw a snake I was on my own. Dave helped me back to the car and they traipsed around in the brush for another hour. I waited where it was cool and there were no chiggers or ticks.

We got back in the car and David took us to Shockey Ford. Lydia took her shoes off and went wading in the cool water. I'm know the rest of us wanted to. I think we used to swim here as kids. It was such a wonderful day I think we all hated to see it end.

Sandi and I took Maudie back to Conway and had dinner with her and Vivian before we headed back for the lake. We thought Tuesday was going to be a boring day but we convinced Margaret and Norm that a trip to the lake was in order and they hopped in the truck and joined us. Margaret isn't exactly hopping but is walking now and getting around pretty well. Sandi went back down to Conway and got Maudie and we had another wonderful day.

This is the picture I mentioned earlier that Mike M. sent me. Margaret says this is me in the middle, the other girl is Rose and the man is an old boyfriend of mine that we called Cotton. Chris says we look like we may have been dressed up for Mardi Gras. Actually, we were quite in style back then. I think we were in a small town where Uncle Curt and Aunt Virginia lived at the time called Olive. Correct me if I'm wrong, Mike. I do remember that the town was very small. I don't know why it was called Olive and I don't remember why we called the boyfriend 'Cotton'. Maybe it was his hair.

It was a beautiful day at the lake. Chris and Shelly arrived last night and I've had people in and out for two days.

Haven't heard how the wedding went yet but they had perfect weather for an outside ceremony. Sandi will be here tomorrow and it looks like our Turnbo tour is on for Monday. Will update more later.

Two photos of Uncle Curt (Mother's brother) and one of Mike, Curt's son. Thanks for the photos, Mike.

Joe, Lisa, and Lydia met Mike M. over in KC Kansas last Monday at some fancy restaurant (fancy, per Mike) and had a wonderful visit. They had a scuffle over the check and Joe won. Joe, I hope you had Pete's credit card. Mike sent me a picture that was taken in the early 60's that Margaret, Rose and I all claim to be "the pretty one". I'll have Rose post it on this blog to see if anyone else has an opinion on who's who.

Sandi LL got here Wednesday evebing. Rose, Shirley, and I got to keep her just until Thursday morning then Shirley had to go to Chicago. Rose had clients and a webcam class. Maddog and I came back down to the lake. SO the Abbotts get her for a few days. She's going to stay with them and go to Nathan and Nicole's wedding on Saturday and then come down here to the lake to spend some time with me. Two weeks just isn't enough time for all the time we want with her. Maudie is in Conway with her sister Vivian. She wasn't feeling very well yesterday but I haven't heard today.

One thing that Sandi and I had wanted to do while she's here was go to Marshfield and do the Turnbo tour with Joe. Joe's sister-in-law, Louise, is in the hospital in Springfield and is very ill. An email from Joe this morning said she's 'holding her own' but if you can't do the tour this year we'll understand and give you a raincheck.

A raincheck is certainly in order. We had a downpour and thunderstorm this morning and it's still raining this afternoon. Maddog and I had a wonderful dinner at my favorite restaurant last night. It's Brayden's favorite restaurant. We were going out for dinner New Year's Eve and this is where he wanted to come. He didn't know and didn't care it was 170 miles away. Maddog had to pick his dad up in Jeff City from a hospice where he's been adapting to his second prosthesis. His dad lives down here.

Chris and Shelly are coming down tonight. I hope the weather clears up so we can enjoy some sunshine. Donald, I've been watching for you at the US Open. Did you have a red shirt on?

It's Sunday and a beautiful day at the lake. Goldman and I got here on Thursday and have spent as much time as possible just lazing on the deck. We did spend quite a bit of time on Friday working on his book. He's writing and I'm editing. He spent a lot of time yesterday waximg and shining up the Acura. Maddog got here yesterday evening just in time to have dinner with us. He had been to his grandmother's 93rd birthday party in St. Louis. I regret that I didn't have a camera. He looked spiffy. The weather has been beautiful except for some occasional thunderstorms. We have to go home for a few days tomorrow and really hate to leave.

Pete called with his Saturday morning call yesterday. He said it was cold in Idaho and some of the freeways had been closed because of the blowing winds. He said the farmers are really suffering with the weather of gas and the weather. Pete, we bought Idaho Russet potatoes and tipped the boy a quarter as you've always advised us to do when we grocery shopped.

Donald called on Friday. They had a wonderful trip to Italy. His favorite part of Italy was Venice but he would like to go back when the roads were't flooded. They had an audience with the pope. I think he said there were only 30,000 other people there at the blessing. He's going to California in a couple weeks to see the US Open. I told him I'd watch for him on TV.

Joe is wondering if any of you remember the name(s) of Granddad's sister(s) who 1. was a Penecostal preacher 2. didn't trust banks and kept her money in her purse and 3. raised billy goats. He hopes to be having lunch with Mike Madden and is going to ask Mike if Uncle Curt wouldn't let the Aunt keep the goats on his property because the property wasn't fenced for goats. Pete says goats can climb and have to have special fencing. I want to know why a person would keep goats AND how big was that purse.

Sandi will be here on Wednesday and I'm so looking forward to her visit.

I have such great neighbors here at the lake. They came over this morning with a huge pot, big bag of potting soil and plants that they planted for me. Friday they brought me a bottle of wine they want me to try. I can't do much in return but my boys are helpful over there when needed. I'm the only original owner in the subdivision.

Schools out! Today was Goldman's last day of school, and he and I will head down to the lake first thing in the morning. He's going to work on his book and I'm going to edit his book. He and I are going to spend as much time as possible at the lake this summer. I look forward to lots of sunshine,lots of company, and lots of editing.

Pete didn't get a rhubarb pie for their anniversary but he got a lemon cake like the one Janet made me at Sabrina's for my 60th birthday. She said he ate most of it himself. I'm jealous. Pete, I remember I had to share.

Sandi arrives from Portland next Wednesday night at 8:30. Rose and I will be at the airport to pick her up. She will be here until the 23rd, but already I don't think that's long enough. Tentatively, I thought she and I might go down to the lake on Thursday for a couple days. Then on Saturday the 14th Nathan, Stephanie and Dan's son, and Nicole are getting married at the Schmitt house, and the Abbott clan is planning on her being there. From then I'll just wait and see what happens. Sandi wants to visit her Larimore relatives in Conway, MO. She has a friend in Ozark she wants to see. I would like it if we could get together with brother Joe and do the Turnbo tour one day. I will try not to monopolize her company. Maudie is going to be down in the Conway area some of the time, but she won't have time to come to St. Louis. We'll miss you, Maudie.

Last Friday the GMAC office in St. Louis closed its doors. My friend Liz had to transfer to an office in Chicago or loose her 28 years seniority. GMAC and I go back a long way. From Spokane to St. Louis. Found my first husband at GMAC. Worked at three different locations in the St. Louis branch.

I talked to Joe on IM (instant messaging) yesterday, and he told me that he and Lisa and Lydia and maybe Dave are having lunch with Mike Madden near Kansas City. Lisa sees an eye doctor in Kansas City and Joe goes with her. Their lunch may have been today. I'll update that later.

Margaret said she got rid of her hospital bed on Monday, and it was good riddance. She said it was pukey ugly. She wasn't sure how to spell it - puky or pukey - but said it was ugly.

Rose and another colleague are teaching an online/webcam class this term. This will be the third one they've taught, and each one gets more sign-ups. They had some technical difficulties at first but seem to have gotten all the kinks ironed out. I took the first two and I'm sure I was the teacher's pet though I didn't deserve to be.

Sue received the following e-mail, and we thought it worth posting:


From: JO from MO
To: MarthaBoaz
Sent: 5/28/2008 2:15:57 P.M. Central Daylight Time
Subj: Re: Decoration Day


Yes, we made the tour, Welch, Marshfield, Turnbo creek (two locations) and returned via Fordland Cemetery.
(Miss Mussy's was substituted for Danzies ( something like that) on spur to Hwy. 44.)
Dave was out driver, Lisa, Beth, Lydia (land Pepper) were the passengers.

Have fun with the boy and also have a safe trip to-from meeting Scott.

Bro Joe

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Well, not many folk know it is called "Decoration Day" anymore. And Miss Mussy's is really "Miss Muzzy's", a favorite haunt when we were kids. Buy why do they call it the "spur?"