July 5,6,7, & 8

Day 143, 144, 145, & 146
Well the weather has been the "hot" topic for conversation again this weekend, and personally I'm glad it has cooled of a bit. Friday found Ken and me in a grain bin in the morning. I told someone today that when he called to say he was coming I didn't know if I should cry or run away, but I helped out, and thankfully the wind was good enough to blow the dust and keep the air moving around enough to make it bearable. There are two more bin bottoms, but they are hoppered, so it isn't as bad as shoveling a flat bottom. Ken said he had to shut down Friday afternoon because of the extreme temperatures, and I'm glad we got it done in the morning.
We have been lucky enough to be getting a few showers to keep the heat from completely frying the crops. It makes for very muggy conditions, and the coolers at the store were all fogged up on Saturday. I had an interesting day in that the interact machine went down, and I couldn't take payment by card that day. They were having trouble elsewhere, so I wondered if the lightening storm the night before had caused some trouble. They will have to replace the machine for us, so I don't think it was my fault!
Glenn continues to gain daily. He noticeably tries to converse with everyone who comes to visit. It makes some people nervous, but we get out the letter board and help him get his message through one way or the other. He goes out and about more by himself, and they have discontinued more of his medications, the big one being his sleeping pills. He says he is sleeping well, and actually slept in this morning. They had to wake him for breakfast, and then took him for his bath, so he was fresh as a daisy when I saw him today. We had quite a bit of company, so he caught up on the goings on in the family. The psychiatrist came in today and asked if we had any concerns about Glenn's moods and general state of mind, and I told him that he seems to be doing well. I asked about the anti-depressants, and he said to leave the dosage alone for a while yet, and Glenn was OK with that. If it is helping his general well being, I'm OK with it too.
We are unsure what will happen with therapies this week. If they go out on strike, Glenn will definitely be affected, but we hope talks will resolve the issues, and we can continue with his treatments. His days will get long if he doesn't have his routine to follow.
Today was Aryn and Chris's 1st anniversary. It's hard to believe that a year has gone by. What a year it has been. Life deals the good with the bad, and we can only cope as best we can.
Well, the party weekend is fast approaching, and plans are mostly in place. I haven't done as much as I usually do, but everything is well taken care of by the rest of the crew. One thing about a large family, there are many hands to share the load. My deck is awaiting the finishing touches, so I need to look into the purchase of some railing material this week. It looks pretty good on the house, as if it were planned for all along. The lilac that is surrounded by the ramp looks perfectly planned and I will buy a new honeysuckle to replace the one that had to go to make room for the last leg of the ramp. I want to thank the erection crew for a great job in the heat of a July day. I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't answered the call!
Preparations in the house will happen soon so that Glenn can start to come more regularly, with the object of moving home coming in sight. God willing that will not be too much longer.
'Til next time,
Louise