Life is like a Bowl of Cherries

Flathead cherries, to be specific.

Okay, I was going to get all philosophical about how cherries are like life, but why don't you tell me how you think cherries are like life, and I'll tell you how these ended up on my kitchen counter.

As you may have noticed in an earlier post, we went to Polson for several days on vacation and visited my great-aunt Jean. Jean is the ultimate hostess; she planned meals, bought food, took us out in the boat, had accomodations for several nights, several people, and made sure we were never bored, and when we asked to just relax and do nothing, she obliged, once she was certain that was what we REALLY wanted to do. It is one of the most relaxing and beautiful places I've ever been, and Aunt (ant) Jean makes it soooo comfortable. As we left, thanking her for all her hospitality, she profusely thanked us for staying with her, for helping out with meals, and for fixing a few things around the house.

So yesterday I had a phone message from Aunt Jean saying that there were cherries coming in the mail for us, and to be sure to pick them up so they didn't go bad in the post office! Along with around 10 pounds of cherries that she sent was a thank-you note for coming to visit her, and for helping around the house and with meals. Can you believe it? I love that woman. Plain and simple. How can you not, unless you really don't know her, that is. I aspire to be like her when I grow up, and need to start practicing now, I'm sure it will take a lot of practice.

Photos from Polson

Dad, John, me, Aunt Jean, Mom and Mariah

The yellow shirts say event staff, Aunt Jean's says Event sponsor!

Cousin Tracy and Uncle Scott

Aunt Konny
(great) Grandpa Don and Braylon
Little Braylon

Aunt Jean, (great) Grandma Rita, and Braylon

Come on in, the water is great!

Grandpa and Aunt Jean, putting the boat in.

Uncle Scott and dad on Scott's harley

Uncle Scott and Tracy

John's leisure time

Aunt Jean has fun toys!

Polson Vacation

Early last Saturday, we took off on a trip to my Aunt Jean's in Polson. We stopped in Lewistown for breakfast, and found one garage sale to wander through. My mom was excited that we found a pack and play for her house! We stopped in Great Falls for a little shopping and lunch, then continued on our way. We arrived in Polson around 6:30, ate supper and played bocce ball, then made smores over the fire pit.

Sunday morning we went to church, wandered the street for Cherry Festival, played in the water, visited, and RELAXED! Uncle Scott and Aunt Konny, and cousins Tracy and Eric with their 5 month old Braylon arrived that afternoon. We barbecued steaks for supper, and some of the crew went water skiing while others visited.

On Monday, we did some shopping, playing, and repairs around Aunt Jean's house. Uncle Scott climbed the light pole and replaced her light bulb, John fixed a sprinkler head, and Dad and Scott did some rewiring for an outlet. Mom, Dad, and Mariah left Monday afternoon, and after supper cousins Tracy and Eric and John and I went bowling. I must say, it was interesting trying to bowl while pregnant; there is this little thing called balance that is tricky with a bowling ball in your hand and what seems like one in your belly!

Tuesday was a pretty lazy day. Grandma and Grandpa left early. That morning, Tracy and I fell asleep on the couch and John finished the book he had bought in Great Falls. I couldn't really tell you what everyone else did, since my eyes were closed! We went to the chinese restaurant for lunch, wandered around downtown a bit, and Scott and Konny, Eric and Tracy packed up to leave. John, Jean and I relaxed around the house that evening, watching the news on t.v., reading, and enjoying the view. John had contracted swimmer's itch from the lake, and he informed us that he has learned his lesson about precautions to take!

We left Wednesday morning and arrived home around 6:00. We were very sad to leave. Polson is one of my favorite places to visit, and Aunt Jean is the best hostess, ever.

Today is being spent catching up on laundry and the yard so we can leave tomorrow for the Lewistown fair!

30 Week Appointment

Yesterday, I ended up seeing a different doctor for my 30 week appointment. When we arrived at the clinic, they said, "oh, we tried to call you!" All I could think after having several appointments rescheduled was, "you have got to be kidding me." No, they weren't; my usual doctor was at the hospital delivering babies. Now mind you, I can understand, and if I was in the hospital scheduled for a c-section, I would not want the doctor to leave for a 15 minute appointment at the clinic! That being said, I have been rescheduled many times without any real explanation, and it's getting frustrating! Well, they squeezed me in with a temporary OB, and the short appointment was fine. My blood pressure was good, and the baby's heart rate was 152. Only 10 more weeks to go!

Rock Flower Bed

I actually weeded this flower bed this morning, mostly, and figured I better snap a few pictures. This one didn't turn out as well as I would like, but you get the general idea, right?

I can only imagine that when Mary gave me Salvia, she said "give it plenty of space, it will get big!" Well, that was several years ago, and I have been very gung-ho about filling in the gaps in this bed, so now poor heliopsis is getting squished. And, about half this bed is starting to fill in, while the other half looks fairly bare. AND, I'm afraid some of my heights are off, as you have to walk around the daisies to see the flax. Hmmm, live and learn, I guess!Does anyone know what this plant is? I hope it's a flower. 2 people have said so, and so it lives on in my garden. Again, this baby should have gone to the back if it's not a weed that should have been pulled! Have you ever seen a hen and chicks bloom? I sure haven't! It's beauty astounds me; I've always loved these, but love them even more dearly now.

Aaah, the Austree...planted the night before our wedding as a gift from John's cousin and his wife, this tree hardly grew for 2 years! Mary kept saying, "just wait, the 3rd year it will shoot up!" John kept saying, "I'd like to think it's putting down strong roots." And now, I say, "it's growing, it's growing!"

Vegetable Garden

Here are a few pics from our veggie garden!

One of my beloved tomato plants I grew from seed...

One of John's melon plants (honeydew of muskmelon)Doesn't our corn look tall?

Camping trip

Okay, okay, yes, it's another fishing post! What do you want from me? Friday morning we finished packing up the camper, and headed for the lake to spend a couple days. Now, I'm not the most enthusiastic camper, as some of you know, but was willing to try this adventure anew. Of course having a camper to use was a benefit. Our "usual" fishing hole was already occupied, so we made a few calls on where we could be found Saturday, and headed into another hole to set up camp. While John set up camp, I wasted no time getting poles in the water so we could start catching fish. We had camp well settled in no time, and proceeded to enjoy the water, fishing, and time together. There was enough fish caught for supper, so I headed into the camper to prepare it...

Storm clouds built up and moved around us, leaving the lake even more scenic than usual...

The following day, we ate breakfast outside and awaited the arrival of the Miller family. Of course, more fishing and swimming and visiting took place, despite the lack of catching in the fishing department.

What did you do for the 4th?