Summer Hours: 6am - 10pm

The days are getting longer and the sleep is getting less. The sun is up by 6 am and it doesn't go down until 10pm. I find myself feeling guilty if I'm not outside during these hours to, as they say, "Make hay while the sun shines." "They" did not live north of the 39th parallel or "they" would have died of sleep deprivation. Today, as I was mowing and singing along to the ipod, the neighbor walked in the yard. Turns out he ran his grain truck out of gas down the road. I found a hose and a gerry can and we headed down to siphon gas out of one tank on his truck to another. For some reason unbeknown to him, the tanks would not switch over. As hard as it is for most of you to believe, I got my very first lesson in siphoning today. I learned enough to know that a mouthful of gas will make an old man gag. While he plugged the hole on the hose, I would run around the truck and empty the can into the other tank. Everytime he stuck the hose back in the can, he poured gas all over my feet. Now, I was wearing shorts and flip flops because, as I said, I was mowing. My pasty white legs soaked up that liquid gold like a sponge. I now smell like a lawnmower mechanic and don't anyone dare smoke around me for few days.

Jessie had her second ball game last night. I have decided that maybe I am a bit too competitive to be out helping on the field. I got a dirty look from another parent when I told his child, who had a handful of dirt and no ball glove on while playing short stop, to pay attention. I was also at fault when another kid got tagged out when I told him to run to second. Well, you know what, you never learn anything by playing it safe. It was gonna take fifty batters at the pace we were going to get him home anyways. I'm sure I won't be asked back to coach.

Also, if anyone is interested, Jessie has kittens. Kelly has told me to find a home for all 13 of them now and start counseling Jessie on the departure of these kittens. I assured him that 95% of them would meet an untimely death. There are 34 tires on various moving vehicles here, and only 13 kittens. Not good odds I should say.

Well, I have finished my tea, so I should head back outside and see if the horses are any closer to the barn. I tried calling them in earlier and they looked at me from across the slough like I was an idiot.