FIRE!

The Hutterites had a hot bearing on a chopper that started in their stubble field and spread into our CRP ground!
Odessa and Ritzville fire crews have it out. It's a pretty gusty day, so we are thankful it didn't burn more.

I Really Like My Kindle DX!

I've decided I really like my Kindle DX. I wasn't sure if I was going to like the transition from a book I could hold in my hand to the elctronic version. When I look at the list of books I've read (which are archived at Amazon so I could read them again), I realize how much space they would have taken up in my already crowded closet in Auntie Violet. I think I've saved quite a bit of money as well -- even paperbacks are a dollar or two cheaper and the hard backs are a whole lot less.

I still wish it was a bit lighter. With the cover it sometimes seems quite heavy. It's more like reading a hard back book in bed. I've never handled one of the regular Kindles (the first ones which are smaller), so I don't know if they weigh any less.

I've had some interesting conversations with friends and with people at airports who are very curious about the Kindles. People seem to be very interested in how it works and if I like it. The one thing that would be nice is back lighting so that I could read at night. My Sis has gotten a book light to use with hers. I think I have an "itty bitty book light" stashed some place in a drawer -- I'll have to look for it.

A New Antenna Connection!

We stopped at the AT&T store in Spokane yesterday. They gave us a new aircard to replace the one that was just a few weeks old on which the antenna connection had broken. That was really good news as they are $99 a pop!

I have been doing my blogs for the last few days from my iPhone. I'm pleased that I've figured out how to do it, but it takes a whole lot longer with that itty-bitty touch screen.

Almost all of the grain harvest in the area is over (the crops were a bit better then had been anticipated this spring with all of the necessary re-seeding) so last night's rain was much appreciated. Our tenant has his drills up on the summerfallow at the corner and hopes to start seeding wheat this weekend.

I cannot believe the quantity of dirty laundry I am looking at again. I know there were just a few items in the laundry basket when I left for Chicago! I think the soiled items sing a siren song during the night to entice all kinds of other clothing to join them...

Cloudy Day, But Good Flights

It was overcast in Chicago and lightly raining in Seattle, but other then the Moses Lake plane which was a few minutes late, it was good flying.
I was so tired when we finally finished interviews and discussion at 7:00, I was in bed by 8 o' clock. I left the hotel this morning a little after 6 to make my 8 AM flight. The Chicago airport is so busy I barely got through security in time.
I think we are getting close in our search for an Executive Director. This meeting was our 17th meeting, mostly conference calls, but several in person as well .

A Lovely Day to Fly
Even though I had a pretty early flight this morning west to Seattle from Moses Lake and then east to Chicago, it was a good day of flying. It was overcast and chilly in Seattle, but 90 degrees when we landed in Chicago about 2 pm. I got to the hotel early enough to able to take a shower before the meeting started at 4:30.

We had one interview that started at 5:30 and lasted until 7:30. If the three we have scheduled for tomorrow are as good as the candidate we talked with today, we're going to have a terrible time making a decision!

Eight of us had dinner at the hotel restaurant this evening. It had been a long time since the granola & yogurt I had at SeaTac this morning, but the portions were so big I couldn't even finish half! I had ordered potato gnocchi that was really good, but enough for 2 or 3 people.

We will start at 7:15 tomorrow in order to get all of the interviews done, so I'd best be getting to bed...

It has been a long, but gratifying day. The Memorial Service for Phyllis was lovely. The church was full with many Flying Farmer friends as well as church family and neighbors. There were many stories told, tears as well as laughter.
We went over to Randy and Barb's following the reception for dinner with the family. MM
and Dawn went with us while the sons-in-law brought the grand kids back to the ranch for hot dogs and swimming. They're all camped out in tents outside tonight.
I told them all good-bye tonight as Forry is taking me to the Moses Lake airport at 4:30 for my flight to Chicago in the morning.

Today was a quiet day, cleaning house and doing laundry. The girls and their families will be coming tomorrow, probably will get here just in time for Phyl's Memorial Service which will be at 4 pm at Menno.

I broke the antenna connection on my computer, so will try sending this with my iPhone .

From Chilly to HOT!

It was chilly in Maple Valley this morning -- enough so that I got my jacket out of my suitcase after we had dropped Leslie off at work! We didn't get to bed very early last night. We just had too many things to talk about and see. Forry drooled over Bill's shop and his kilns for glass work. They're going to have fun figuring out how much they can take with them when they finally get the house sold and go on the road!

I ended up sleeping most of the way home, it's been a lot of busy days. My back seems to be settling down a bit. It still hurts when I stand for a while or when I do much walking. But at least, the rest of the time it's staying relatively quiescent.

We stopped in Moses Lake and had a short visit with Vic. No one was home when we stopped, but Pam drove up right behind us and Vic shortly thereafter and then Sarah. A cold can of pop with them tasted pretty good as it was just plain HOT! We stopped at Safeway for a few groceries, then came on home to a very warm Auntie Violet.

Seafood and Beads!

Can't do much better then that! We had dinner at Anthony's Home Port in Kirkland with some friends and are now over at their house drooling over Bill's handmade, hand blown beads. Leslie was kind enough to give me a baggie to take some "samples." We got to Anthony's early enough to have their four course Sunset Dinner: shrimp cocktails; salad or clam chowder; Dungeness Crab salad (Leslie had salmon/shrimp and Bill had prawns) and creme brulee or Irish Cream chocolate mousse.

It's been an eventful weekend we spent celebrating MM's 50th birthday. Scott and I had spent a good share of the day cutting up steak, pineapple, peppers, onions, tomatoes, zucchini and mushrooms and threading them on skewers for the shish kabobs.

MM's sister Dawn and her family arrived just in time for the belly dancer. There were about thirty plus people there, about half of the them kids. Everyone brought a side dish, so we had lots of great food. (The belly dancer was an auction prize at the kid's school.)

We weren't too ambitious Monday morning, but eventually MM, Dawn and I went to the Mall with the three grandaughters. The initial premise was that Dawn was going to take MM shopping for an outfit for her birthday, but we all ended up getting something. I gave each of the girls a $20 bill, Dawn gave them a cell phone and we turned them loose. They had a ball, checking in every once in a while to have Mom check out a potential purchase.

Later the guys joined us with the grandsons and we took turns in groups going to see Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (taking turns staying home with the youngest kids). It made for a pretty late evening, but I think we all had a good time!

During the night I got a bright idea and emailed Bill and Leslie to see if we could meet for lunch with them on our way home. We ended up deciding to meet them for dinner and then staying overnight at their place tonight.