It has been a quiet summer here on the homestead.

We are still looking for either a motor home or a pickup and camper---with no luck.  They are either too big, too new, too expensive---or the opposite---too small, too old, too many miles.

Have any of you had problems with ants this summer?

We have lived here for almost 11 yrs., and have never had ants in the house until this summer.  And, they are the tiny ones.  Does a lot of rain drive them to try to get inside?  I don't know, but am tired of finding them inside.  I spray, and they find another way to get in.  Ken has sprayed the outside of the house, but think the rain keeps washing it away.

Our ex-traveling family is very happy in the Phoenix area.  They were all together---minus one---about a week ago.  Future chiropractor, Jacob, came from Santa Barbara, CA, and singers Mindy and Hannah flew in from WI.  

Mindy took lots of pictures and put them up on Facebook, and of course her Mimi swiped a bunch of them for herself, and to put up here for all those interested.

Son, Jeff, is now head of production of the sign company he got a job with.  He also has a company truck.  The company has two locations, but all the signs are made at just one shop.  So near the end of the day Jeff has to deliver finished signs to the other location---about 25 miles from the production shop.  The owner also has approached Jeff about doing outside sales work a couple afternoons a week.  Jeff is a very social person, and would be good at it.  He did the same thing many years ago for a sign company here in WI.

They are slowly getting their new home and yard put together.  Here is a picture of the front of the house:

I don't know whose yellow truck that is---Jeff's company truck is charcoal gray.  They have gotten some trees, but still have to put an irrigation system and gravel in.  See their bus parked next to the house on the right?  They are the newest home in an older, established neighborhood.

There is a cross in the entryway above the front door that is about 5' tall.  

The cross is made of steel that Jeff recovered from a sign he tore down.  The rays are rebar.  I told him that some Sunday morning he is going to have someone walk into the house, thinking they are coming to a new church in the neighborhood!

Mindy and Hannah sang in Jeff's church on the Sunday they were there.  Jeff said that some people had tears in their eyes when the girls finished.  They are still singing locally over in LaCrosse, where they both live.

Jacob has finished with his classes at chiropractic college and is now interning in a chiropractic clinic in Santa Barbara.  He has moved down there permanently from San Jose.  He will go back up there for his graduation--in Oct. I think.  He has loved the SB area ever since his car broke down there one weekend, and he had to wait until Monday to get back to San Jose.

Here are some miscellaneous pictures of all of them.  One day, Jeff stayed home with Catalina, and Judy and the rest of the kids headed up to the Grand Canyon.

Grand Canyon:

They said it started pouring rain just after the picture was taken.  Love the shadows.

On their way back to Phoenix, they went by way of Oak Creek Canyon and Sedona.

All 5 kids cooling off in the Creek:

Gretta, Mindy, Kenny, Hannah, Jacob

My beautiful Sedona:

Catalina:  She will be 2 on Aug. 19

   

Judy, with her youngest and oldest children---Catalina, almost 2, and Jacob, almost 27:

Jeff and Kenny at home:

The camera must have had a spot on it, because Kenny doesn't have anything white on his face!

The whole interior of the house was painted this blue when they moved in.  They also had to install light fixtures---they just had bare light bulbs.  Also, there were no towel rods in the bathroom, and it looked like there had never been any.

Four sisters:  Gretta, Catalina, Mindy, Hannah

One brother, Jacob

And another brother, Kenny

And another picture of Catalina, wearing a headband of Mindy's.  She is a very girly girl.  Loves wearing her necklaces!

And, one final picture, looking down their street at a marvelous AZ sunset.

There are a few other pictures of the grands and Sedona under my photos.

The missing grandson, Jordan, just got a part in LaCrosse's community theater production of "West Side Story", playing the part of Action; and his girlfriend, Emily, also got a role in it as Maria's friend, Anita.  They are both very talented singers, dancers and actors.  Emily is also a cheerleader for LaCrosse's arena football team.  Both she and Jordan are part of LaCrosse's show choir  "Grand River Singers", and Jordan played Jesus in "Godspell" last year.

Mindy has gone back to college for nutrition, and will be getting married next May; and Hannah is starting culinary school through the technical college in LaCrosse. 

Gretta and Kenny are still being home-schooled--both are now in high school.

Our local grands are busy, too.

Lydia and Nate, who married last May, will finally get to take a honeymoon.  They leave in about a week for a trip to the all-inclusive Breezes Resort in Runaway Bay, Jamaica.  Lydia finished up her first year as athletic trainer for her former high school, while hubby, Nate, finished up his first year of grad school to become a physical therapist.

Next in line is Silas.  He is in college.  Last summer he went with Jeff and family when they left here in July, and joined Jeff's crew installing signage for PGA golf tournaments.  Even though Jeff settled down in Phoenix in Spring, Silas kept his summer job with the sign crew.  He went to Birmingham,  Des Moines, and Pittsburgh.  He had a good time, and made good money to help pay school costs.  Now he is helping son, Greg, on his golf course until he goes back to college.  Two of Greg's summer help have either gotten sick or injured, and Greg was short of help.  Greg's course has a nepotism rule, but since this was an emergency, Silas is able to work there till school starts.

Avery worked on another golf course at an area resort, but is now looking for a more permanent job.  Tough to do in our poor local economy.  He also puts in a few hours a week making candy at a local candy shop.  At 19, he isn't sure what he wants to do with his life.

Louise has her temporary driving permit, and will turn 16 in Nov..   She works at the Vet clinic along with her mom.  Sylvia was confirmed in May.  They both do quite a bit of babysitting.  They are both still being homeschooled, as is their little brother Linden.  Haven't gotten any pictures of them this summer.  Haven't seen that much of them.

Most of you are probably not that interested in all of this, but it is like a diary for me to look at in the future.

God has truly blessed us!

Have I made up for not writing a decent entry since June, when I had our annual Xanga luncheon????