Back to the schedule

It's another Wednesday. I enjoyed a three day Labor Day weekend: it's the holiday which observes the contributions made by the working people of the U.S. I'd like to think nearly everyone I know fits this category. Some would argue I do not, but I'm a taxpayer like everyone else (is supposed to be).

Last Friday Mare and I gathered and organized our things to go for a campout Sat. and Sunday night. I had intended to stay home all three days and get a bunch done on the bathroom project as it is still dragging on. But, I decided spending some quality time with my family doing what we enjoy was more important. Hopefully Jack and Leo will have pleasant memories of camping together rather than unpleasant memories of me being a grump and isolating myself away from them to work on a project. Time will tell. So, I didn't turn a tap on the bathroom since the previous weekend when I installed the bathtub.

The original plan was for us to load everything into the car on Friday night, then on Saturday morning I'd leave on my bicycle for the 30 plus mile trip to Woodridge Primitive Campground (the underlined portion is a link to a google map of where we camp, try right clicking to open in a new window) then Mare and the boys would soon follow in one of the cars. Well, I guess we require way too much "stuff" to make our camp enjoyable, and we soon found that we had too much "stuff" to fit into one vehicle. I'm adaptable. So, I scratched the idea of riding my bicycle there and instead volunteered to drive grandma's car so we could take all of our "stuff".

I had the boys loaded and ready to go in grandma's car and Mare was nearly ready to go. The new plan was for her to go to Wal-Mart to purchase groceries for the weekend, and while shopping, have the driver's side rear tire repaired as it had been slowly leaking. Well, the fine crew Wal-Mart employs in their tire department requires that 3 of the 4 workers either watch the one work, or stand and talk about how lousy it is to work on Labor Day weekend. They all four of them slowly focused on one car at a time to complete these tasks of changing oil and fixing tires. It's consistent with their checkout line policy: 26 or so checkout lanes available, open 2 for use; 4 garage bays for completing vehicle service work, open one for use. Despite the register/ schedule girl behind the service counter assuring Mare it would only take "about a 20 minute wait", poor Mare waited in Wal-Mart, killing time for close to three hours. All she wanted was to get out to the campground and begin enjoying her time with her family. It's a frustrating experience.

But, we had a great campout. Except for my allergies, or a cold; I'm unsure which I had. I had a clogged nose and congested sinuses accompanied by a headache. I took whatever medicine anyone had to offer and felt better. Leo didn't sleep well the first night, which means Mare and I didn't either. He did much better the second night. That was probably because he and Jack were worn out from playing and hiking. Both of them really liked walking on the trails. I was sure to keep an eye out for the poison ivy. I seemed to have been successful.

It was windy. But, other than that, it was a good campout.

Back at school on Tuesday. Worked for a couple hours after school on the bathroom. I'm two hours or so closer to being done. I'll try to complete another two hours or so tonight, as I won't be able to Thursday or Friday.

Congratulations to my sister and her husband for being married for 15 years! That's older than some of my students have been alive! It's a pleasant accomplishment to make it being married in today's society who value divorce for convenience. They are a great couple with even better kids. She's a way better sister than I am a brother. She works very hard and does everything she attempts very well. Her husband sacrifices in all things for the betterment of their family. They demonstrate good values and priorities for their children and community. They are a model of a strong relationship. Congratulations on fifteen years!

Mom and dad spent the weekend with sis's kids down in Oklahoma. They had a blast no doubt. Went to the fair; good job on your entries girls! Took them to church. Had a lot of fun. Mom and dad are leaving for another motorcycle trip a the end of the week, I think. This time it's to Alabama (where the skies are so blue). Pray for their protection!

This writing has gotten out of hand I need to wrap it up! Much love to all of you my friends and family. Love to my enemies too. Enjoy the approaching autumn.