Journal

An event at the Atchison County Fair that you missed! People place their bets for a number on a floor bingo square and then a cow is led to the "bingo card". Which ever square the cow decides to "plop his/her cow paddie" on is the winning square and whoever bet on that square gets the money! The cow has twenty minutes to make their decision and much hooting and hollering goes on in attempts to make the cow perform.

Mark your calendars for next year!

Pat had a boring, frustrating 8 hour wait at Dallas-Ft. Worth on his return to KC from Austin on Thursday. Lightning and thunderstorms made a mess of the air traffic and Pat has no kind words for American right now. Seems the flight he was scheduled to take just disappeared from the screen at the check-in gate and no one bothered to announce that it had been canceled. He got a lot of exercise walking around to all of the gate changes. What a mess!

But, he was a great triathlete* last Sunday in the Cinco Ranch triathlon in Katy, Texas and he will have a photo to prove it. It was fun to see everyone and I especially enjoyed my participation as Jonathan's companion.

Sounds like Pat had a very nice birthday in Austin compliments of the Churchetts, the Rihas and Matthew.

*great triathlete means anyone who finishes.

When I looked out the den window this morning there were three big, black cows and two brown calves calmly munching grass in the backyard. They looked up when I walked out on the deck and then resumed munching. I called the cows' owner to let him know they were wandering around. I shooed the calves away from the herbs and eventually all the cows sauntered over to the bird bath, knocked it over and broke it. Then they explored the old barn for awhile. John came and guided them back through the gate. Later, when weedeating, I almost stepped in the token one had left. Oh well, it's good fertilizer!

Looking forward very much to Elizabeth and Jonathan's arrival. The toys come down from the attic and the car seat goes in the truck. It's a nice time of the year here. Dale comes on Thursday afternoon followed by Carol and Trevor and hopefully, Bill. After Trevor arrives we won't get much Jonathan time! Friday Tim and Margaret arrive so then we'll really be at full house. The memorial service is Saturday.

The stone house is finally coming along - curtains are hung, the chenille bedpreads are on the beds, mirrors and pictures are on the walls, the braided rugs are on the floors, the kerosene lamp is on the table and the candle lantern is hung. The ceiling light pulls are no longer a hangar and a piece of string. Pat fixed the rocking chair so it's back too. The house is really shaping up into a nice space and we'll certainly need it this weekend for sleeping. Still to be done are screen doors, the tables made from the old chicken incubators, steps outside the south door, cleaning the outside of the old window.

We found a long red, flannel neck scarf hanging on our hall coat stand. On one edge it has U.S.A. and then the Olympic symbol. We have no idea how long it has been on the coat hook, because it could have been buried under a coat and it is a rare thing that we clear off the coat stand. Neither of us can recall seeing it before - anybody have any idea who it belongs too?