Mowing And A Movie

I know I’m probably beginning to sound like a broken record (that was a vinyl disc that we used to play music on back in the day, for all you young whippersnappers), but I’ve been taking advantage of the lower temperatures while I can to get as much work done around our place before we get into the predicted 90s by the end of this coming week.

Yesterday I spent a couple of hours on the tractor using the bush hog to do some more mowing, including part of the hill between the barn road and Terry’s garden. It’s a bit steep and the only comfortable way to do it is going up and down, rather than mowing the length of it. Tractors are prone to tipping over if you are not careful, and mowing that way is beyond my comfort level. When I got to the area next to the garden I had to knock off because I need Terry or somebody else out there to guide me, so I don’t back into the deer fence surrounding the planted area.

From there I went to what I call the back pasture, a heavily overgrown area behind the barn and on the opposite side of the fence that runs across the pasture area. The grass was over waist high on me, but you have to keep in mind that I am vertically challenged and horizontally enhanced. It was no problem, the bush hog just ate it up. There were a couple of places where I had to shift the tractor into 4-wheel drive in damp spots, but I didn’t get stuck like I did last week. I guess that’s a victory, isn’t it? I still have some mowing to do back there, and I’ll try to get to it before it gets too hot.

While I was doing all of that, Terry was paying all of our bills for next month, balancing our checkbook, and other paperwork. All tasks that need doing, and Terry is very meticulous about it. But I bet it’s not nearly as fun as playing on a tractor.

She made pork cutlets for dinner, and yes, they were delicious, as always. What else could you expect when Terry is the chef? After dinner we watched the Tom Hanks movie A Man Called Otto on Netflix. It’s a comedy drama about a grumpy widower who is befriended by new neighbors no matter how hard he tries to avoid it. There are some good laughs but there are some tear-jerker moments, too. All in all, it was an excellent movie.

Speaking of friends, the other day we received a housewarming gift from Lorna and Ed McGill, this beautiful little wooden Alabama shaped wall hanger, and we love it! Thanks so much Lorna and Ed for thinking of us.

Congratulations Hayden Gray, winner of our drawing for an audiobook of Crazy Days In Big Lake, the third book in my Big Lake mystery series. Everybody seems to have gone crazy in the little mountain community. Neighbors are threatening violence, eco-protestors are on the march, flower children are camping in the nearby forest, two of Sheriff Jim Weber’s deputies have gotten into a fistfight in the ButterCup Café, the grocery store manager has locked himself in his office and won’t come out, bears are chasing dogs into houses, and somebody has stolen the town’s mascot. As if that isn’t enough to deal with, a mild-mannered retired couple have shot an intruder during a home invasion. By the time this wild tale is finished, more blood will be shed and the good people of Big Lake will be left wondering just how well they really know their neighbors.

We had 31 entries this time around. Stay tuned, a new contest starts soon. Note: Due to the high shipping cost of printed books and Amazon restrictions on e-books and audiobooks to foreign countries, only entries with US addresses and e-mail addresses are allowed.

 And finally, here’s a chuckle to start your day from the collection of funny signs we see in our travels and that our readers share with us. Uh uh, nope, never. I’d rather go hungry.

Thought For The Day – I might wake up early and do some exercise, or I might win the lottery. The odds are about the same.