July was a busy month. We traveled to Minnesota and Iowa. July has become the month for my families “Christmas gathering”. We gather for Thanksgiving and then a summer picnic. It is always a bit tricky when parents die to see if the next generation can carry the extended family forward. It helps that everyone is Iowa except for James and I and one niece. Two of my mother’s sisters are still alive, one in memory care and one in assisted living. Half of my nieces and nephews are married with kids and half are not so we still have growing to do. We are blessed.
We curtailed much of our outdoor activities due to heat and the need to rest our bodies after the big terrace build. The driveway made it through 3 modest rains and then a big rain washed it out enough that we needed to do some work again. Much of the water that is behind the terrace was routed back into the pasture but some was just diverted into our yard further down. During a daytime downpour we were able to be out and see that much of what is washing away the driveway is coming from the Magic Forest at the south end of the property. This is where I had so much fun clearing up fallen branches last fall – learning my chain saw technique and improving our view but with unintended consequence of clearing the way for water to run even faster downhill on to the top of the driveway. Next area of focus is diverting water from the Magic Forest away from the top of the driveway with long telephone poles and then planing some vegetation that absorbs water and stabilizes the soil.
We moved some furniture from the condo to The Garden and prepared both places for my brother and sister-in-laws visit. It was a GREAT opportunity to get a lot of stuff done that was on the To Do list but never quite got to the top. As a part of the 3rd floor organizing process, Craig found these two models from his old collection. He had no previous connection to Iowa and does not recall where they came from. The black and gold one is now it Iowa and we have kept the white one that is similar to his old panel truck we have in the shop. How random.
During their visit it was fun to have a small dinner party using my “new” dining room furniture that I acquired from my aunt when she downsized last fall in my renovated condo. During their visit, we went to Broadway for some day drinking; saw the Time Jumpers at 3rd and Lindsey (a must see for anyone that visits); saw Runaway June perform at the Grand Ole Opry and had some downtime watching the Olympics at The Garden. It was a great visit.
In July, I also started volunteering for Alive Hospice – a great not for profit organization out of Nashville. Craig has been volunteering for a while and he is able to use his musician skills to bring joy. So far, I have 2 patients with dementia. One is at home with her son providing most of her care and the other gentleman is in a facility. I can bake and bring treats for patient and family.
Tamara Unleashed 