My grandson arrived about 11:00 Friday night, in the dark.  They got lost bringing him here at night, since all the roads look different in the dark, but with cell phone in constant connection, I guided them in.  After a late night feast, to bed.  Yesterday, I took him shopping and bought him a new stereo headset for his MP-3 player.  I had to ask what that thing was that had music in it, and how do you get the music in there? 

Then last evening, the whole family turned out to the snowshoe baseball game in Lake Tomahawk, the home of snowshoe baseball.  The game begins when the sun goes behind the pine trees.  The stands were packed.  It was the season finale game, my son was pitching for the visitors (The Over 35-ers).  I had to ask, why is he throwing the ball like that?  You have to "lift" the ball high in the air and get it to go over the plate.  One time the pitcher threw a muskmelon instead of the ball, and when the batter smacked it, it made quite a mess.  The players have to shuffle and leap in their snowshoes, but do a remarkable job of it.  My son made a diving catch at one point, and all you could see was a tangle of legs, snowshoes, and a cloud of dust.  We had to wait until he emerged from it to see what happened.  There were some spectacular falls, but on the sawdust-like infield, there appeared to be no injuries.  One batter actually struck out, swinging twice and missed both times!  The crowd moaned, shaking their heads.  That guy will have to dye his hair, grow a mustache, maybe leave town.

The announcer, who sat in a booth high above home plate, also seemed to be the umpire, and called out dolefully, "ball" if it was a ball, but made no other calls.  When somebody challenged one of his calls, he announced indignantly that he could SEE the plate.  I'm sure there was an umpire; I couldn't see him from where I was sitting.  You get 2 strikes and 3 balls, 2 foul balls count as strikes and you're out, the distances between bases is shorter, and the ball is about the size of a muskmelon, 16" diameter.  About three times, someone tripped over a cord, and the scoreboard went out.  Game halted until connection had been remade.  After the completion of every inning, the announcer called out a set of 10 winning numbers of people who bought raffle tickets from somewhere, but the game was free.  They must have made a ton of money at the concession stand, which was about as big as the infield.  In addition to the everpresent brats, burgers and sodas, they had over 300 pies to sell, all home-made!  During the game, people with fishnets (or a curtain rigged on a stick) went along collecting money for the local Food Pantry, and they netted over $700.00 for that organization.  All of the monies raised from these activities centered around snowshoe baseball go the various charities in the area. 

But the home team pulled it out at the last minute (bottom of the 11th) and won against the visitors (The Over 35-ers).  These are the original team who just got older, and the home team are the new guys who replaced them.  Can't remember the teams name, but it has something to do with snow removal in the winter.  It was 11 to 11 in the 11th inning and someone slammed out a homerun with a man on base.  Actually, it was a fumble and a stumble that resulted in a home run.  The crowd roared.  The tourists loved the game, and laughed a lot at our "jumbotron" scoreboard, and the other folksy ways of the northwoods. 

And of course, my grandson got reunited with his dad after the game.  It does my heart good to see them together.  I wish they could see each other more often.  Today, we are heading back up north to spend the afternoon with my daughter, who wants to take us shopping and buy him a birthday present.  The weather is beautiful, and will get very warm (high 80's) today.  I am keeping my eye on the weather channel to watch the progress of Gustav and hope that things go better this time for coastal residents.    

I've been watching the Democratic National Convention, and it's been an emotional experience for me.  My heart swells up and I'm crying, but it's a healing that has been a long time coming.  Everone in the Party has done a wonderful job bringing us all together, renewing long lost hopes for a better world.  Tonight is the big night when Barack accepts the nomination and makes his big speech.  I get angry at the media, always, always trying to stir up trouble.  Can't they just let us have a respite from their haggling, worrying, nagging, bringing up the negative issues.  I know there's the big fight coming, but let us have a few days off to enjoy this, please.  I've been sending money to Obama, and do not regret at all that I sent money to Hillary before.  Also, I've donated to getting a Congress elected that will get things done for a change.  And I've written to Elizabeth Edwards, telling her what an inspiration she has been for our country, as well.  Well, my Obama sign is up at the end of my driveway, and John is now doing work for the party.

I haven't seen that snake around since freeing it from the chicken's coop.  I've finally decided to name my black hen "Suzie."  Not much of a name, I know.  It rained all night again, and filled up all the barrels again.  This makes me very happy, as they were empty again.  Today, I will harvest tomatoes, beans and corn.  The greens are mostly past their prime, tough and bitter, so I won't bother with them any more.

I hear a lot of bird calls and animal calls now.  It is nice to go outside in the morning, and determine how many and what kinds of bird and animal calls you can identify.  The weather has been just great, perfect, though still a little on the dry side.

My grandson is finally coming this weekend for a visit, so I'll take him out Saturday night to the snowshoe baseball game, then Sunday, we are invited to a barbeque party, on Monday, I'll take him shopping for groceries; then the kids can plan the rest of the week with him, and hopefully, we'll all go out for fish fry on his last night of visiting.  That's a pretty good visit, I'd say.

Lately, I've come to realize that I've been overcooking my soups, and have been careful not to do so anymore.  Here's my latest, greatest Hamburger Vegetable Soup:

In a 1 gallon or larger soup pot, brown l lb. hamburger and 1 medium onion, chopped, in 1 tblspn. olive oil. Crumble burger and stir occasionally.  Add 4 beef boullion cubes; 2 carrots, peeled and chopped; 2 stalks celery with tops, trimmed and chopped; 8 cups water; 2 cups chopped cabbage; 1 large potato, cubed; 1/2 cup cubed sweet potato (optional); 1/2 cup chopped broccoli; 1/2 cup snipped green beans; 1 clove garlic, sliced thin; 1/4 cup orzo, 1/4 cup red lentils; 1 12-oz. can of V-8 or tomato juice; 1 cup of egg noodles; 2 tsp. salt (add more later if needed); 1/2 tsp. lemon pepper; 1/2 tsp. paprika; 1/2 tsp. white sugar and 1/2 tsp. Season-All or Lawry's Seasoned Salt.  Cover and simmer gently for not longer than 15 minutes or until veggies are just tender (I turned off heat in 10-12 minutes; everything was just right). 

John's marathon in Paradise - well, it rained a downpour during the race, and he came to a huge puddle at the foot of a hill, next to a gully.  Considering what he looked like when he returned, his jump across the puddle did not go well.  Although he initially cleared the puddle, the slick clay on the other side proved to be his undoing.  He slipped, tripped, flipped over and back into the puddle he went, further slipping down into the gully, headfirst on his back.  He jumped up, not even aware of any injuries, and continued the run, much to the astonishment of onlookers, who later claimed he looked like a stunt double in a movie.  I tell you, ice does wonders for strains and bruises.  He has recovered nicely and did finish the race in good time. 

I went into the garden today and was harvesting for quite a while, then came in a made an unusual salad, featuring all home-grown veggies.  Lettuce, mustard, chard, pak choi, zucchini, nasturtium, green beans, radish, cuke, onion, green olive (not from garden), slivered almonds, and topped with a dressing of olive oil, lemon vinegar, white sugar and yogurt.  It was quite bitter, as I think the greens have almost gone by.  I had to toast some bread, with lots of butter,  not to have an upset stomach.  Of course, I gave all the trimmings to the chicken.

When I returned to her cage with more goodies for her, I was surprised to see a black and grey-flecked garter snake in her cage, with a large arrow-shaped head.  The poor stubborn snake was trying to be defensive, but against my big feisty chicken, he would not have prevailed.  Why he/she didn't just leave through the chicken wire, I don't know.  John came along just then, and offered to rescue the snake, who was already bloodied about the head, but not seriously.  He put on a thick glove and reached into the cage.  By then the snake was ready to strike at anything, all the time, but John grabbed him and gently pulled him out.  He threw him to the side of the cage, where he went right back into his defensive posturing and striking.  We checked to see that he was not blinded; he wasn't, so we left them alone.  My black hen only was interested in her new salad greens.

John is now on his way to Paradise in the U.P. of Michigan, where he is going to be running a 15 mile marathon tomorrow morning.  It is a spectacularly beautiful place, with a kind of miniature Niagara Falls.  I don't know the name of the falls there. 

And finally, we got rain last night, and it made me so happy to hear it pattering  all night long.  This morning, the rain barrels are full to the brim.  My grandson didn't show up last weekend, and will have to wait until next weekend to visit.  I want him to come in time for the last snowshoe baseball game of the season.  Hope!

Well, it's been a couple of weeks without rain now, and the water tables are going down, down, down.  We are 2" below the average rainfall now and dropping.  I had to fill the rain barrel up and will water the drooping garden later this afternoon. 

I have been having nice salads of lettuces, kale, pak choi, spinach, and chards for a couple of weeks now.  So good for a body, and I load them up with all the weird things I like on salads; slivered almonds, green olives, onions, radishes, cukes, tomatoes, cottage cheese, 3 kinds of dressings, grated or shredded cheese, and a sprinkle of sugar.  Grapes and/or strawberries, if I have them.  These salads are so much food, that I only need a few sesame sticks besides, and it's a complete meal. 

My grandson was supposed to arrive today for a week-long visit, but he couldn't make it until next weekend.  I had already thawed a turkey breast and a package of bratwursts.  I'm cooking the brats now in beer, mustard and onions for two hours in the house, and will put them on the grill later, where they will cook for about 10 minutes to perfection.  I am hungry now, just smelling them cooking.  I'll probably freeze a few for when he finally gets here.  Then I'll have to roast the turkey and freeze it also, until he gets here.  I need to bake bread also, so today I'll be busy in the kitchen. 

My kids took me out to fish fry last night at the Diamond Inn in Hazelhurst.  The food is always good there.  I had deep-fried cod that was delicious.  I am especially grateful for cod, feeling that it is a blessing to still be able to get this fantastic fish in spite of the depleted stocks.  I just wore a t-shirt and jeans to go out.  My son and his fiancee have set the date to get married in two months, and the whole fam damily was there to celebrate.  As usual, we were all so loud and raucous that we draw stares from other customers.  And as usual, I am the first to leave the festivities, as I have been having knife-sharp headaches lately, and I'm usually in bed by 7:30 p.m. just watching television.

So, on with my activities.  I have been making good progress in my quest to eliminate "stuff" and "junk" from my house.  And I've been grooming the dogs a lot, in what seems a futile attempt to eliminate shedding.  But they do look nice in their trimmed summer coats.    

My grandson is coming for a visit in four more days, and if I can manage it, I'd like to get the shack cleaned up more and plan some activities for when  he's here.  My daughter stopped by for a visit.  And I still am very sore from when I fell, was that two weeks ago?  I can't believe these headaches....

I can just about make it out to the garden to pick beans and pull weeds, that's about it for my efforts.  What, oh what, is wrong?  When I dust now, the dust is not that grayish  color, it's a very fine, dark black.  Have they started up another coal plant?  I thought I would share another one of my dreams about death and after death....

In this dream, I am tall, very strong, masculine-feeling; after I die, I get picked up somehow by an anhinga, who  flies along a big, tropical forest river.  Down below, swimming in the river, is a large boa constrictor.  The anhinga lands on the snake, and I become transferred into the snake, who crawls onto the land and carries me onto a level plain, a very dry land.  The snake stops, opens its mouth, and I run out as fast as I can, sprinting away from the snake.  I look back once to see if it is following me; it isn't.  The boa says, "don't forget your thanks."  I thank the snake for delivering me safely to dry land. 

I jog for hours across the hot plain, gradually drawing near to the foothills of mountains.  The land gradually rises and I'm going up a long valley that may have been carved smooth by a glacier.  The grass is green, sweet-smelling; little flowers dot the landscape.  After awhile, I come upon a weather-beaten, ramshackle house on the right and stop running to look at this place.  There's a plump,  grandmotherly woman sitting on the porch.  She has a dishpan on her lap and is peeling and coring apples right in the pan.  She wears glasses and has a little bump on her nose.  I look at her skeptically and ask, "Is this God's house?"

"Yes, it is," she replies.  "Is He here?" I ask.  "Why yes, He is.  He's out back by the shed, working on the Great Wheel," she says.  "Just go around back and you'll see Him.  He's expecting you," she smiles. 

I'm incredulous.  Expecting me?  Very curious, I go around the back of the house, and I see a bunch of machinery parked at odd angles back there, and an old gentleman, thin but straight, clad in khaki workpants and flannel shirt, puffing on a pipe, standing near what looks like a giant, overturned wheelbarrow, but fancier, somehow, and highly decorated.  The Wheel is turning, and as it turns, sparks are flying off, and shooting into what looks like a void in the scenery, just in front of it.  The old gent leans forward, gazing intently at the Wheel; he's holding an old-fashioned oil can and reaches forward with it upside down. Gu-glook, gu-glook, gu-glook, a few drops of oil go into the mechanism.  He leans back, takes his pipe out of his mouth.  "Hmmm," he says, philosophically.

I stare in disbelief, first at the machine, then at the Old Man and back again.  I've always considered myself to be a pretty tough customer, straight-thinking, not easily fooled.  But can this really be God?  Can this be His house?  Can this broken-down piece of equipment really be the Great Wheel of Time, responsible for sending new life to grow on Planet Earth?  I'm waiting...for an explanation.  I've always had a lot of questions about why things are the way they are on the Earth, and I intend to get answers!

He turns toward me now, and a big smile lights up his face. "So, you made it!  You're back," he exclaims joyously, nodding.  "How was Mongolia?"  "Mongolia?" I stammer, at a loss.  Was I supposed to be in Mongolia?  I can't explain this.  Looking at the Great Wheel, I shake my head slowly and say, "I must have been a half a day late.  Or early...."  We both turn and stare at the Wheel and contemplate what may have gone wrong.  I'm thinking, "So, things could have been a lot better.  Or a lot worse..."

"Oh, well," He said, "but you still got all the presents I sent you, didn't you?"  I must have look confused.  "The gifts?" he said meaningfully.  I remembered then.  I nodded enthusiastically, smiling.  "Yes!  Yes, I did.  Thank you, thank you very much."  He smiled and nodded.  "Well, you look a little tired, worn out.  I know you have a lot of questions you want to ask Me.  And we'll talk, later.  Right now, why don't you go uphill a ways, lie down and take a rest.  I'll come and get you when supper is ready." 

I nodded and turned to walk up the slope.  His manner was so comforting that it brought tears to my eyes.  Right now, I actually didn't have any questions at all.  Up the slope, nestled among the snowy peaks, suddenly feeling the fatigue I wouldn't let myself feel before now, the sweet grasses and herbs of the cool mountain air overwhelmed me and I laid myself down in the soft bed of healing flowers.  I was grateful to be back home.  "Mongolia!" I whispered, chuckling to myself, as I drifted off to sleep.   

Where to begin?  It's been so long since I felt good enough to do anything, but I think I'm beginning to recover...

My chicken had been brooding over a clutch of her eggs, and I gave up trying to feed her outside in her cage area.  I decided to be supportive of her efforts to hatch them, though that would be impossible without a rooster around.  Maybe she'd get it out of her system, I thought.  So I began putting food and water right beside her in her house.  She ate or drank only once, just a small amount.  Fearful that she would die in the futile effort, I took her eggs away this morning and threw them out.  I'm sure they were rotten anyway.  Putting fresh food and water in her cage brought her out briefly to eat and drink, but now she's back in her nest.  Next time, I'm going to change all her straw and hope for the best.  The only other thing I can think of is to get her a companion hen, or sneak in a couple of chicks in the hope she will think they are hers.  But that might be a disaster for the chicks(?)

I finally began the mammoth task of weeding the garden this morning, too.  While I was so sickly, they became giants.  Now I'm pulling them and laying them down around the plants as mulch.  The deer have done quite some damage, but I'm even getting a handful of beans here and there.  The deer were standing nearby, just in the edge of the woods, while I was tending the garden.  I know what they're thinking.  I'm going to get out the row covers and protect what's left this evening.  And I need to water again. 

It's too dry again, even though we had been keeping up to our annual rainfall expectation; now, we are down almost an inch.  I have some water left in the back rainbarrels, so I'll use that up today.  After that, it's back to using well water.  Pepper is actually becoming better at coping with thunderstorms, and doesn't panic too much.  But it is still stressful for her. 

I went shopping for groceries over the past few days, going to three different stores to take advantage of better prices here or there.  But I wonder if the savings were worth it in gas.  My grandson is coming for a visit next Saturday, a week from tomorrow, and I have plenty of food bought for him.  My daughter is planning some activities for us, and so is my son.  It will have been about 1-1/2 years since they saw each other, I think.  I am looking forward to seeing him again. 

The political situation these days holds me in thrall, not a pleasant sensation.  I dream about the election and the candidates just about every night, which is very, very strange.  Unprecedented.  It's so important, this time, who gets elected.  I find it hard to believe the "other side" is so unreasonable and such, well, liars.  Has our country become so polarized that we are at odds with each other to such an extent, and is this not the result of extremism on their side?  It isn't a good thing.  I think this is the result of corporations having too much power.  Oh well, my opinions are already well known here.