sigh< this summer has been a real bust for sunshine.  I can remember other summers that were this rainy, but I complained about them, too.  I have Not gotten to the point where I miss the every-day-above-90degrees-and-Humid summers, though.

My friend, Karen, …who I wrote about here… was in town last week; her Mom died on the 17th.  It’s most likely the last time she’ll be back to Eville, so our hugs were especially heartfelt…

I Really Will be down to Navarre sometime on our travels next year, dear friend, and we’ll get happier pictures then.

I saw the surgeon last week and he plans to do a little exploring and see how deeply the damned infection went into my leg.  He said it’s okay to go on to New Mexico, though, and we scheduled the surgery for Monday, September 23.  Because I’ll need to do some pre-op labs before then, we changed around our trip.

We’ve taken away the Colorado component at the end of the trip.  We’ll leave four days earlier, on September 4, and spend those extra days in Santa Fe.  Thanks to my high-school-homeroom pal’s suggestion,  I added a visit to Ojo Caliente, higher up in the mountains from Taos.  Our drives to Abuqui and Ojo will be much easier from the Santa Fe KOA. We’ll move down to the Albuquerque KOA on 9/10 just as I’d previously planned and have those five days to explore there…and loaf around.  We’ll be back on the 18th and I’ll get those pre-op labs on the 20th–voila!!

I admit I dread this surgery–who wouldn’t?  The doctor says I’ll be fine the next day.  I’m sure I will be…no worries.

But I’m super excited about the Trip…  The meaning of the Zia Sun Symbol speaks to my Heart…Perhaps my DNA doesn’t have Zia ancestry, but I believe my Soul does.

We’re slowly but surely pulling up the edible garden plants. Around on the Bird/porch garden, my begonias are still gorgeous, and the birds are enjoying the purple coneflower and black-eyed Susans.

See that wood up against the fence beyond the bird in the picture below…

That is what will keep us warm this year.  When a tree falls in our woods, Casey is there with his chainsaw to cut it into manageable chunks and bring it up where he can split it into woodburner-size logs.  This week he’s renting the splitter and will spend All Day working it.   In the past, he has moved the finished product from there to the north fence, then brings it in to the front porch as needed.

Weather can make that second move a bit risky for an Old Man like him, so we’ll put as much as we can (which should be a lot, if not all of it)  on the front porch.    I’ve come up with some ideas to store the wicker which will make it one-stop-stacking.  Our utility bills are amazingly low for this old house thanks to Casey’s work.  It is truly a year-round job…

He is Always Keeping busy, surprising me with this special Sign…

She is officially christened…a little late, but hey…

 Enjoy your week…

Peace