So needless to say, the internet was unavailable until the water dried up somewhat.  I don't know how, but it always messes up gettting online.  One of the last storms left hail like snow out front on the the step.

I have a few pictures of our July 4 picnic at my sister-in-law's.  I love when I don't have to cook!

Grandma and some of the grandchildren

My sister-in-law cooking with hubby and other sis-in-law

The results is good eats!

Thankfully we could get some water in the pool.  Do you think it is finally enough?  We had it a little more than half full when the tanker came.  It didn't take the whole load so Tom started running the backwash while the tank was still emptying into the pool.  We figured might as well keep it coming in while we are cleaning it out, right?  Well, it ended up in overload and blowing some of the hoses off!  We were soaked, but the tanker kept emptying.  The poor guy ran to the truck to turn it off.   Now with the rain, it is so full I don't think we have to worry about evaporation for a long time!!

With Belle's kids now gone, I have started milking her.  I am getting about 1/2 gallon a day.   This means I am on way to putting up Mozzerella!   Oh, wait,  not if we eat it like this!  Check out how I used the pound I made yesterday.  Big enough for everyone?   That is a butcher knife on the pizza for size estimation.  If that is not good enough,  let me tell  you, I lined our oven rack with foil and pressed out the homemade dough that way.  It barely fit!

The word from my Traveling Tom is that he and his buddy made it to California!

  Then his transmission failed.

He came right across into Sacramento to put his feet in the sand, only to head south of Burbank for his transmission to go in his car.   Stuck near there for a few days, he scrapped the car and plans to take a train home.   Not before trying for work, of course.   Plans?   Well, today his says he is coming back to go to school.   Let's see how far the train brings him.

As if picking strawberries this week wasn't enough,   thought I would pick some more today.  Jess helped me pick these little ones over on the side yard on the outside of the electric fence.

It was a long road trip south, but Tom is happy with the trip.  He came home with a new farm truck.  The selling cinch was the new tires and the tow package so he can now use the trailer that he had bought from a neighbor down the way.

Grandma couldn't wait and called Tommy today.   Seems that at the time she called he was waiting in line to sign up for climbing a mountain somewhere in northern Wyoming.   He mentioned staying there a few days.

We had our second picking of peas today!   Slowly they are coming around.  The goats love the shells!

There are still cookies left from when I baked early on the morning that Tom left.  He had wanted to take homemade cookies with him so I got up early and made peanut butter, chocolate rasberry chip,  plain sugar, and big flat sugar filled with frosting.   If anything, the sugar will keep the guys going!

That same day as baking cookies I caught up on the bread by making 8 loaves of honey oatmeal, then taking the girls and picking strawberries before it rained.   Becky and I picked 26#!   I froze quite a few quarts then made 36 jars of jelly.  The first batch turned out well, then I was called away to help a friend in the middle of the second,  and then again distracted and forgot how much sugar I put in.   So needless to say,   I have a few good jars and a few soft, syrup type jars.   I could go back and redo them as they could be saved, but I don't mind spooning some onto toast in the morning.   It will be just as good, and I don't want to be in the kitchen again today for 8 hours!  I am going to need a few days apart from the appliances to that I will be fresh to start cherries soon.  

After doing the jelly,  I went and pre-made 75 hamburgers and packed some bulk hamburg to put in the freezer.   We found a really great price on it and so we picked up  40# or so.   Now, to find some chicken on sale....

Last night was date night as Ken had bowling and both Tom and I take him in and drop him off then spend some quality time together.   

Being old, do you know what that consists of?   We went and bought bread flour that I had a raincheck for, then went and used the accumulated points to fill the gas tank.  At a loss as to what to do then we went to a local mom and pop's and had a soda.  

Now, who could have a more productive day than that?  

Affraid life is passing him by at the young age of 20, my oldest son (yes,  he is my son)  took his sidekick friend and they are headed across the country to California.   They left Minnesota behind this morning.  Gas prices and the old car are the least of my worries.   I hope that they are safe!  

 He fixed up his car by painting a stripe down the middle.  His buddy suggested that maybe they will have people from other states signing his car for souvenir.  

 An exciting night we had Saturday!   Here we have Becky posing in her jazz costume for her dance recital.   She decided to have angel curls this year.   They staying in 3 days!!!

 I must say, I do like this costume much, much better.  It is her tap costume.   She does wonderful.  I just can't believe how fast she can tap those toes!

So I ended up not doing some of the stuff that I posted when I was tagged.  I did end up gong to the local sale barn with  a neighbor and Jessalyn.    It was suppose to be a big tack sale.   When we started out, there was hardly anything in the ring.   An hour into it (dragging) a few more things showed up.  For sitting there for three hours,  we only came away with a few curry items and a hay bag.    It is a sad thing listening to them rattle off items.  Saddles were going more than the horses.   It would be a grand time to pick up more equine except for those of us that realize what hay we need,  it puts a damper on it.    At the sale last week, top horse was $150,  while the hay went for $4 a regular size bale.    From the look and sound of it, it won't be much better come fall.    Any help that we may give to aid in the surplus of hay will probably even out to the same as what we paid this last fall.  And with Iowa losing 29% of corn (that was really for ethenol anyway) farming on even a small scale like us doesn't have a good outlook. 

That isn't stopping my oldest from deciding to trek to the west coast next week.  He feels life is passing him by at 20.   Even sharing expenses, I don't know how he will make it all the way there.  Just hoping the travel is safe as he will start returning  during the July holliday.

On a lighter note,   yesterday morning I heard a commotion outside and found this:

the cat and turkey doing a dance. It's a little hard to see, but the turkey approached the cat as she sat quietly and then they proceded to jump back and forth over the daylillies  for some time.   The turkey wouldn't run away, just jump away, and then back again to challenge the cat.  I think they finally tired because they seemed to part at the same time and go their seperate ways.   

A comment posted to my blog was one that tagged me.  Char5  from Cozy Home Journal  stopped by and tagged me.  This is all  in fun, and you tag the blogger by having them answer a few fun questions about themselves.   Afterwards, you are to pass them on to other bloggers. 

1. What was I doing 10 yrs ago?

We were still getting settled here in our new place, trying to figure out what to do with all our land, raising four children, and contemplating homeschooling.
2. What are 5 things on my to-do list for today?

     housework,   chores, go to the sale barn,  practice a style on my daughters hair for her recital this weekend,  try and work on a sweater I am making.
    3.  Snacks I enjoy
            crunchy, salty,  fattening!
4.  Things I would do if I were a billionaire.
        Settle things here in my home,  move outward to help the family settle things for the future, then find those that could use a helping hand.  It would be fun to give it away like that.   

 Well, that is it.  Not much of a surprise to those who know me!

So much time messing around with the modern computer, online, offline, new modems!   I am back on for the time being. For those who don't come visit,  a few update pictures.

 So here we have Stan,  lolling around the yard.   Seems like he will be here to stay.     O.k.  He's not a bad dog, but hope the puppy in him calms down soon.  

 The heat was unbearable here the last week or two.  Everyone was trying to keep cool.   I use to think that pictures that came in my inbox were of animals that must have been drugged, or from a taxidermist.   I am here to tell you that they really do pose like this, especially when they are hot!

 With the very warm evenings it brought out lots of new nightlife around the porch light.  Isn't  this the neatest moth?   It was huge, but not as big as the luna moth we had a few years back.

 For father's day, Rebekah made a huge chocolate chip fish cookie for her father.   It was so big, we had to push it onto foil that was wrapped around my stove rack.  It barely fit 

 She was very excited to give Tom his new charcoal grill.  She worked some overtime and bought it herself. 

   Roni had three kids this year.    Two bucks survived.  I am ready to pass the kids on so I can make my cheese.  I found a local store that sells liquid rennet so that I can make the mozzerella.

 Pictures of the barn.  Weather and work has delayed doing some, but Tom had Jessalyn helping this week putting up the roof where the hay will go.  After that is up, he will be working on the north side.  It will match the south, with four stalls that are 10x10 and house the goats and a tack room.  He thinks that this is the hard part....wait until it come to deciding the color of the barn and for the metal roof!

Above is what is left of learning an unwelcome skill today.   Tom has taken me out to try shooting the.22 before, and I really wasn't interested.   Today, he insisted I learn to shoot the shotgun.   I hate guns.   They are for hunting.  They are for men, in my opinion.   Tom says I should learn to shoot for fun.  To me it is for killing.  
The reason behind learning to shoot today is that the Amish neighbors around the corner had the misfortune of losing a new prize ram to two really big, really mean, and from what the other neighbor said, really fast nasty dogs.     They confronted the other neighbor's dogs.   He said they really were having a time but  and luckily they didn't get hurt but did run them off in the woods.   No one got a chance to shoot at them.  We may never see them agian, but with the little ones being born out in the barn, and all the cats we have,  Ken isn't always here to help me.   I hope I will NEVER get another opportunity to do that.!