Busy Saturday

It's been a busy Saturday...some of it just goofing off. :)

After the regular morning routine, we went out to garage sales for awhile.

Afterward we went to the church to cut some pyracantha bushes back away from the windows in the primary classrooms. I noticed there were a few bugs around on the floor in the foyer ( our church is in the country) but since we had our hands full, I didn't do anything about it. After we got the bushes cut back and I drug them down into the draw, we raked and shoveled some dirt around the back sidewalk.

After we came home for lunch, I went back to do some cleaning. This is July cleanup month and the congregation is supposed to help with the yearly projects. My sister and brother-in-law have done some work out there but so far we are the only ones who have...except that I noticed the storage rooms were nice and neat and I called my daughter to see if she had also done some cleaning. She was surprised. She hadn't cleaned the storage rooms either. She had signed up to do them. So we have a good fairy who did that work. It's either Phyllis F., Carletta D., of Karan N. I don't know which.

I preach tomorrow so I also spent some time on my sermon. It's a difficult subject to tie into the scripture. The scripture is from Romans 8: 1 - 11. Paul is very negative and the theme from the lectionary is "Set Your Mind on Life and Peace". It may be a struggle. We are a peace church so it won't be hard for me to speak to the subject...just hard to tie it into Paul's negative scripture.

What's Going On?

I think this administration has something on many of the Democrats. Just look at the way Nancy Pelosi has walked away from any talk of impeachment. If ever an administration deserved impeachment, it is this one.

Then this week, Obama went back to congress to vote for the FISA act after saying he was against it..

And now, just watch, Karl Rove will get away with refusing to testify before Congress. Congress has the power to hold them in contempt. But if I were a betting woman, I would bet they won't. And this will set a precedent from now on,. Congress will not have the power to make people testify if they let Rove get away with this.I can just see Bush snicker over it.

Beautiful Flowers

This top photo is the only tree of any size in our backyard. It was about 15 feet tall when we moved here five years ago. Now it holds our birdhouses and as you can see our bird feeders and birdbath is under it along with a hosta plant and hanging basket of impatients.

We have some really beautiful flowers in our yard this year. Right now we have black eyed susans, crepe myrtle and rose of sharon all blooming at the same time. We are trying to arrange the flower beds so something blooms constantly. To the right here is our bed of black eyed susans that are located behind Bob's shed. We sit out on our patio while it is cool in the morning and drink our coffee and admire our flowers and the birds. Everywhere we have lived we have planted many flowers.

Just to the right here is our medium sized rose of sharon just to the east of the patio. I dug this one out of a friends walk when it was very small. You can see how it's grown in just four years. It doesn't have as many flowers as it had last year but it's early yet. It might just continue to add blossoms. There is another one next to the fence on the west and it was here when we moved here. It was the only flowering bush besides an old forsythia on the east in front.

As you can see, this bottom photo is our larger crepe myrtle bush. There are three altogether in the yard but two have not done too well as yet and are not flowering much yet. They are smaller.

Eventually, we will transplant suckers from the rose of sharon all around the perimeter of the fence so the yard will be alive with flowering shrubs.

I haven't done as much in front. I will show it off later. Right now there are just two hanging baskets and a couple of potted geraniums and some inpatients in a small bed. I did not plant the border of portulaca (moss rose) that I usually have this year. I just never got around to it.

I intend to plant more bulbs this fall. Right now in the bulb bed, I have tulips and jonquils, tiger lilies and iris. I want to add more day lilies.

Busy Day

I went to Independence, Kansas, 15 miles north of here this morning to get my hair colored and cut. It's my regular day for that. Afterward I had breakfast with a dear friend of mine. Then I went to the courthouse to the Montgomery County Clerk's office and picked up registration blanks for the re-registering for the election. Many of our citizens were involved in last year's horrendous flood and have moved to a different part of town and will need to re-register to vote in August in the primary and also for November's general election.

A friend is managing the campaign for Virgil Horn for State Legislature. She wants them distributed to churches and also wanted some for the candidate to take with him when he walks door to door to meet people.

Then before fixing dinner, I worked most of the afternoon on Sunday's sermon.

A Day Away

Today, six of us "girls" went to Tulsa, Oklahoma to visit a Jewish Temple, Temple Israel. First we went to dinner at a fine restaurant, the name of which I can't remember. Afterward, we went to our tour of the temple. It was very interesting. We spent a couple of hours there an and afterward went to another small restaurant and had a dessert.

Then we went shopping. Marilyn and I did a lot of looking but Karan, Shoba, Judy, and Gretchen all found something they wanted to buy.

Then around 4:00 we started for home. Bob had not eaten so I was happen I had brought him some veggie pizza (with which he was not too impressed). But at least I didn't have to cook.

We had a good time. I hope we do it again.

Transportation

I have been watching the news and it seems many communities are resorting to bus lines for their transportation now that the price of gas has gone through the ceiling. It occurred to me that the city of Coffeyville should re-instate bus service for transportation for low income people and the elderly who cannot afford to drive. I have seen a lot of people on bicycles and motorcycles nowadays but not everyone can ride a bike or cycle safely. Has there been any discussion about buses?

Once upon a time when I was on the chamber board, I suggested those little tour trolleys for tourism here but nothing ever came of the suggestion. They could be used for tours of the Airport Museum, Brown Mansion and Dalton Defenders Museum if by some chance the price of gas goes down..

Years ago, the oil companies and auto companies conspired to eliminate interurbans, trollies and trains. A train can move a ton of freight 436 miles on a gallon of fuel and that is only an average. Some can even do better. Semi trucks cannot do that and they are a menace on the highways. Thirteen percent of all fatal highway accidents are due to semis and the cost of moving freight is driving prices up on everything . We should push for reinstatment of the train for long range travel as well. We used to have one that went to Bartlesville as well as cities in southeast Kansas. Those disappeared in the 60's.

Big Sunday

Today our son Scott left to go back to Fort Leonard Wood following the holiday weekend. I fixed his breakfast after I fixed water and food for the animals and watered the plants. He will be back next weekend. He met a woman he seems interested in. Then I made my coffeecake for breakfast at church.

Church went fine. We came home afterwards and ate leftover ribs, salad, baked beans, and cherry pie cake for dessert. Then we took some of it over to my sister and brother-in-law. We have way too much to keep.

This afternoon I spent a couple of hours doing my "notes". Each Sunday afternoon I write notes to those who were not at church and send them the bulletins so they have the announcements.. I got those finished and made myself a dish of ice cream. Then I went in the living room to watch TV with my husband.