Obviously blogging has slowed to nearly a halt. And it's not just me. The sisters that have blogs rarely if ever blog. Yes, I think the fault lies with Facebook. It's far easier to stay caught up with friends, it's far easier just to write a quick note about trips made or just life's every day activities. Blogging takes thinking. Not just what to write, but what to title it! I need inspiration.
But while I was scraping away the loose paint on the back of the house I thought of people that have inspired me. Hard-working people. Terrific, descriptive writers. Since I've spent nearly the whole month of June in Minnesota among my very hard-working relatives, this blog is inspired by them, particularly my cousin's wife. This is NOT to say the rest of that clan don't inspire me, believe me!
I never really got to know her very well before this year. Oh, we knew each other. I went on visits every year since 1999 when we moved back to America. Since we decided to buy the house in Minnesota, I've made several trips up and stayed with them. This time we worked together and it was so much fun!
A farm wife does not have a lazy life, and a dairy farmer's wife has to work far harder! She can do anything! She mows, chases calves, drives tractors, paints the house, gets meals ready for her family and any others who work there OR who just happen to drop by. She makes delicious snacks for workers in the middle of the afternoon all while also running her own interior decorating business.
One morning we left the house by 7:30 to go to a flea market to get some deals on fresh fruit and vegetables. By that night she had made about 20 (was it more?) jars of strawberry freezer jam and cooked up 10# of mushrooms frozen for later. This is while kids and neighbors are coming and going, spending the night, getting picked up from spending the night, making sure clothes get washed, dried, folded put away and the kitchen stays tidy.
Cheerful, helpful, friendly to everyone. People are always stopping by and each one is welcomed warmly. What an inspiration.
The storm came. The oak tree branch landed right on the roof but never broke through or broke the huge picture window in front. But the storm brought more work. Everyone was out cleaning up. I spent just a couple days helping but I'm sure it's still going on! We piled load after load into the pickup, hauled it away and unloaded. Everyone worked together. It was hard work, but cheerful. There's something satisfying about working hard together.
So while I was scraping away, I thought of Julie. She is an inspiration!
And they never tired of their game! I think everyone had a great time! Anyone want a cookie?
Little Judah came, too, already four months old! He looks like the Gerber baby! We had him floating around in the water for a little bit, even. So cute! It was a fun week enjoying these little punkins!
The storm came. The oak tree branch landed right on the roof but never broke through or broke the huge picture window in front. But the storm brought more work. Everyone was out cleaning up. I spent just a couple days helping but I'm sure it's still going on! We piled load after load into the pickup, hauled it away and unloaded. Everyone worked together. It was hard work, but cheerful. There's something satisfying about working hard together.
We met up with one of my Grandmother's friends while we were there this time. He says he still thinks of the place as "Jenny's Place". It sounds nice. Not sure what we'll end up calling it. It's always "Gramma's House" to me, but Jenny's Place is good.
