This was not our typical Labor Day.
Stacia met Jenni at the church to work on children's ministry stuff. She will be leading the kids again this weekend so Jenni can attend service. After they finished up, they took Millie for a jaunt around Reflection Lake.
Allie barricaded herself in the study and caught up on homework. She went out to a picnic with college folks this afternoon.
Jamin came over and helped Michael clean the chimney - getting ready for winter. Mike has created quite a technique...they knock loose the creosote and such and much of it falls into the long pvc pipes which are connected to a shop vac. LOL
Jamin headed home after they cleared the chimney. Michael moved on to burning brush and thistles. Yes, we discovered this year if you give the land a rest it grows WEEDS. All sorts of weeds. Weeds taller than me. Michael pulled thistles and hauled them to the fire pit. There are still so MANY weeds.
I spent the morning working on women's ministry plans...conference, small groups, Bible study, and team building plans. A mug of tea was essential to the process. I debated, but in the end...THIS mug was chosen. It makes me smile when I think of Carrie and Liv picking it out for me.
I spent the morning working on women's ministry plans...conference, small groups, Bible study, and team building plans. A mug of tea was essential to the process. I debated, but in the end...THIS mug was chosen. It makes me smile when I think of Carrie and Liv picking it out for me.
GG went down for a nap. I headed outside to mow the yard. Stacia and Millie got home. Stacia started on the riding mower, and I started in our mico-orchard. We have two trees with cherries on them. The Rainier trees look better than the other kind, but they have no blossoms this year. 
For the first year we have apples bigger than a superball. If we can keep the birds and moose out, we may get to eat these before the first frost. There are seven apples on one of the trees. The other apple tree has no blossoms this year. 
The peach trees are hopelessly dead. The plum trees behind them are doing well - but no blossoms. It has been an odd summer. It's rained often and never got very hot.
The hearing protection Mike wants us to wear when we mow on the riding mower hurt Stacia's jaw. Her jaw has been bothering her a lot. She is scheduled to have her wisdom teeth out on the 18th. They assure us that will help. Anyway, she begged to switch mowers with me. I usually do all the push mower work...the orchard, the edges... Everyone else loves the riding mower and it has intimidated me...but I discovered it is fun! Michael seems a bit alarmed in the photo below. 
I mowed the yard and then I tried to push further into the woods. It was pretty hopeless - but it WAS fun. 
I finished the yard and went inside to prep burgers. We decided a burger burn on the deck was in order. I believe Stacia suggested it first. It was a GORGEOUS day with no rain or wind at all. We may not have many more like this. Dad huddled inside the house in a sweatshirt...I could not get him outside to enjoy the sun. HOWEVER, eating on the deck and enticed him outside for a bit of Vitamin D.
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| Stacia, Allie, GG, Michael |
It is 11:52 and I am going to follow their example and try to be in bed before a new day begins.
