Hello!

We're back, and as usual when we are home, the day(s) are filled with "must do's." Today was the exterminator we have used for over 20 years. Last year we had a scare with termintes taking over an old storage building we lovingly called the greenhouse. We had him add termite treatment to our usual coverage. So it was time for that.

Our "yard man" is supposed to come today or tomorrow to cut down the forest of banana plants and jungle of grape vines for the year. He has cut our yards for 20 years or more. Living in Swampland means that you cut your grass - all year long. Yes it still grows. Of course, it doesn't grow as fast, but there are the leaves and so on that have to be picked up. We started using Lupe because we could n't get the kids to do it, or at least so that it wasn't a mess!

Our trip to Stings, Sticks or Bites was good. I spend the entire time cataloging my embroidery designs so I can find them. I probably have 2000 of them. They are supposedly in some order, but I still have trouble finding them. We'll see how this works. If it doesn't then I'll buy a program that does it - or so it says.

The downer was two fold. One we missed the Community Club meeting. One of the distant relatives did a presentation about the book her husband wrote especially for their grandchildren as he was dying of Lou Gehring disease. The book is really good. It has a message for us all, and it is meaningful to the larger family because he has some great anecdotes about some family members in it. (That entire community is the large family with the exception of two couples who managed to buy some property.)

The other downer was that the cousin that is our neighbor to the north (about 5 miles) has finally gotten her definitive diagnosis. She had not been able to keep food down for a couple of years. She has been degenerating rapidly. They thought it was an allergic thing at first. Now they know. It is terminal cancer that has already metastasized to the bone. It is just a matter of time.

When you think of that area, it is kind of scary. The cousin who spoke about the book had colon cancer shortly after they moved there. She is doing well right now. Her husband dies of Lou Gehring. I had breast cancer. She had the mystery disease that is now cancer, and her husband has been having some heart problems.

It would seem that there is something up there, but we all came from far differering parts of Texas. We haven't been there long. The only thing in common is that we are old. We don't recognize that we are old, but that is a fact. I wonder when I will think of myself as old?

Well, I need to get on the phone to call our pool guy. We need to replace our filter. It's only about 20 years old. I don't understand why it is wearing out! Could it be that it had to function everyday? That might be a clue.

Peace