It was another hot one today.  The last few days have been really adding up the heat.  I think it’s Thursday evening now before they say it will be better.  I like summer and the heat, but I’m really getting worried about what July will bring if it’s in the 90s now. 

I did voluntarily go back to work.  Not sure I was ready, but you have to pay the bills.  For that, I work at Motorola.  Everyone seemed glad to see me back.  I jumped in with both feet and tried to pick up where I left off.  Not too much changed and I was able to keep up with the conversations without getting that glazed over look in my eyes.

My intern was still there.  I think she is finding the idea of what we do exciting.  My plan to get her started with some actual writing this week.  Technology hasn’t been too kind to either of us and we’ve been battling just trying to make our computers, emails, and the intranet sites work.  Maybe next week will be better. 

Sascha is back to enjoying her yard and patrolling for squirrels.  One evening, Rich tried to bring her into the house.  He came back and said that he didn’t realize that dogs had a middle finger.  From that comment, I take it Sascha made it very, very clear that she had no interest in coming back in.  There is something grand and majestic about a husky that gives you that look when they want you to go away and leave them alone.  Sascha does it very well.

On Saturday, we met the Streeters’ Car Club to do the bi-monthly trash pick-up on our designated stretch of Bull Valley Rd.  We had way more people than we needed, but the more the merrier.  We had a couple of newcomers join us.  So I got to meet some new people.  We were done in less than an hour.  However, we couldn’t join them for lunch this time.  Rose was coming to visit today.

We got back to the house and Rick had already left to pick up Rose.  Guess it turns out that JP was coming with her.  His plans had changed for the day.  Rich and I showered and changed into clean clothes to meet our guests.  Rick delivered them safely to the house from the train station.

Rose walked into the living room and saw the big red chair.  She immediately had to have her picture with Sascha in the big red chair.  For those who don’t know or don’t remember, Sascha has been pretty well trained to think that the big red chair belongs to her.  If someone sits in that chair, Sascha believes it is OK to sit with them, on them, or around them.  Rose remembered all the photos of us and others with Sascha and had to have her picture also.

Sascha, of course, obliged right away and hopped right into the big red chair.  Since this is her favorite thing, Sascha seems to smile the entire time that she is in the chair.  I snapped a picture for Sascha’s Facebook page, that Rick is constructing to capture the Big Red Chair Moments. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We went out to lunch and then Rich took JP and Rose for a ride in Sally.  That was two trips because you can only take one person at a time.  So JP went for a ride first.  Then I quizzed JP on his new job while Rose took her turn.  I understand technology and what’s going on out, but I don’t really know anyone doing the cool stuff.  Except JP, that is. 

It was getting late and we had to drop the two of them off at the train station for their journey back downtown.  The three of us headed to the outskirts of Chicago for a graduation party.  Donna and Norm had two sons graduating.  David graduated from college and Kevin graduated from high school.  Donna is Rich’s cousin. It was a chance to hang out with family and we meet some of their very nice and interesting friends.

Sunday was Father’s Day.  Rich headed out early to get in some fishing time before the boats hit the river here.  It turns out, you have to get their early before everyone brings their dogs down to swim in the river.   No catches, but Rich had a lot of nibbles.  He thinks they were waiting for the bait to get soft and then they could take without much trouble. 

Rich has been working on a strategy for catching carp.  I guess these are some wise and difficult fish to catch.  They are bottom feeders and it takes a different strategy to get them interested in the bait.  This means that Rich has been developing his own recipe for carp bait as well.  A little messy to make in the kitchen, but the results could be rewarding.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After fishing, Rich and Rick worked on the truck some more.  The air conditioning went out last year. This meant that the warm weather was a little less enjoyable if you had to drive the truck instead of the Honda.  We got it looked at and an estimate for the work.  The guys decided to do it themselves.  It meant some replacement parts, but those came in on Friday.

While the guys were working outside, I was trying to clean up the drifts of Husky hair that had been floating up and down the hallway all week.  That dog can drop some hair.  There might have been enough to two dogs there.  I was vacuuming the bedroom, but coudln’t get Sascha out of under the bed.  I managed to coax her out and put her outside.  After I got done, I went to bring her in.  However, she seemed to be enjoying watching the guys work.  Therefore, I got the majestic death stare and she went back to observing her other humans.  Fine, I can go about my business then.

I finished up inside and went outside to try and reclaim some of my gardens from the wilderness.  My side garden had been hopeless before I left for vacation.  It was an extreme case now.  I mowed the general garden paths with the push mower.  Then I set about to pull the weeds from my daisies.  With that done, I pulled out the weeds from the butterfly garden.  Most of my black-eyed susans had been lost to the weeds.  I might have to replant to get them back. 

Time for dinner.  Rich cooked the steaks while Rick got the mushrooms done along with the baked potatoes.  Adding a salad to the bowls, we dug in.  After working so hard, we were all hungry.  Maybe not me so much.  Over vacation, I had cut down on the amount I was eating.  I hope I can keep that up.  It would be good for the waistline.  Besides that, it meant that Sascha could have some bits of steak.  She seemed to agree and ate it down. 

Now I can relax this evening and get ready for the week to start all over again.  I’m already tired just thinking about it!