Much of our spare time this week was spent staining the hemlock that we had added to the log house and the barn. We found a new use for the 6000, it makes a pretty good scaffold. I would lift B.J. up to where she needed to stain and then I would climb up into the bucket with her. The stain made the house and barn look tons better and I know it will help preserve it. I don’t really know how I talked B.J. into helping out but she was a big help.

Madison learned how to ride her bicycle without her training wheels this week. She also had her first big bike wreck with a little help from me - I was chasing her and she got spooked. She ended up with a scratched and bruised belly. I felt terrible that I was the cause of her first bike wreck.

The kids head back to school on August 8th so we had to go to Garett & Madison’s open house to find out who their teachers would be for the upcoming school year. Garett got the teacher that he wanted, Gwen Bryant, a family friend. Madison on the other hand did not get my aunt, Susan Parsons, as her first grade teacher. She has said that she will not be going to first grade this year and she will just stay home and go to second grade next year. So I will have to take the day off work to make sure that she does go to school.

Monday all of the kids had to go to the dentist, so we spent the day in Somerset. Kaylee and Madison did not have any cavities. Garett had a couple of beginners. Madison also got fitted for a mouth guard that will break her from sucking her thumb. We had breakfast at Hardee’s and then headed to Lowe’s to get things needed for the home improvement projects. As we left, Kaylee & Madison found a slug in the parking lot and would not have it any other way than to take it somewhere that it wouldn’t get hurt. It makes me proud that I have raised good stewards of the environment.

I finally finished putting in the water spickets to the barn, corall, and pasture. I also got the electric wire and conduit to the log house barn. It pleased my mother immensely to get the ditches covered back over. We noticed that we had little water pressure at the log house, it was due to a main line water leak. On the positive side it did fill up our little pond across the road.

Precious, Kaylee’s mare is still taking the antibiotics and now I am applying a gel daily to her leg. It’s getting better but it will be a little time before she is back to normal. I have spent a small fortune in vet wrap and gauze. The chickens, calves, rabbits, & other horses are doing well.

We are down to decision time of what we are going to do with the chicken houses. A decision has to be made this week. The children are now voicing their objections to “all those chickens”.

Well tons of things to do and little time to get them done in so I better go for now. Check out the new pics and check back soon!