WHAT IS WITH THE RAIN?

Monday, July 24, 2017
A small thunderstorm last night cooled things off some. I was able to sleep much better.

We didn't get any work on the windows done today because we focused on the plumbing problem. First, I did washing at the laundry mat - I dried my stuff at home - since the plumber couldn't come until the afternoon. In fact, he arrived shortly after Ken and I came home from lunch and shopping.

I don't think he was here thirty minutes. He roto-rootered the line leading to the alley through the back yard and voila! The house is no longer constipated. If only all the things we have to do were so easily and quickly fixed.

I actually made dinner tonight...it didn't come from a can or out of the freezer.  I made fajitas and I think we polished it off. I saw Jonathan go back three times and Analiese twice. Jonathan was even willing to do dishes if I made dinner. The kids were very happy.

Tuesday, July 25, 2017
My alarm was set for 7:00 a.m. today. Little by little, we need to get ready for those early seminary morning hours for Analiese (me, too, I have to drive).

I had about one day's worth of books to catalog on my cart this afternoon. That's supposed to last me all week! I have found a small side project, though, of cleaning up, repairing, and recovering old audiobooks still in circulation. Some of them are only in their original cardboard boxes and paper envelopes, not very secure. I am transferring all of that to a plastic case and sturdy sleeves, plus I clean up the electronic record while I'm at it. The older the record, the more likely it is to be messed up.

Still, I'm going very s-l-o-w in order to stretch it all out and make it last!

Wednesday, July 26, 2017
Time to start thinking about school again. Analiese and I met with her EPIC teacher at the library at 9:00 a.m. Mainly we talked about the high school curriculum and what she needs to focus on. Her curriculum work doesn't start until after Labor Day, but he has her studying Khan Academy Algebra 1, plus some supplementary work on a website called Study Island.

All of my books were completed in the first two hours of my shift...and that was taking it slow! So the rest of my day was working on the audiobooks project, but I bet I can finish that up by tomorrow. Then what?

Got a mind-blowing phone call during my dinner hour from the Norman Stake President. Yes, my future stake...once we get moved to Chickasha. I'll talk about it more later, but right now I'm still trying to wrap my brain around it!

Thursday, July 27, 2017
Ding-dangety! It's hot! It's so hot that the west walls of the house are too uncomfortable to be near. Usually I like to sit on the sofa in the northwest corner. Not right now! Ugh.

Work was crazy today. First, I finished my audiobook fixing, so I was going crazy trying to find something to do! Second, we had our last program for the summer and the music was loud! The HD and LD both escaped mid-program; they couldn't handle it anymore! Third, my boss and I were trying to inventory old Literacy computers, but she spent most of her afternoon on the phone trying to get our library software to do her reports properly. We did eventually get the inventory done and I typed it up; but that took maybe half an hour?

I have no idea what to do for Saturday. I think I''ll vacuum and dust our area and maybe even clean up the break room. But that will not take up all eight hours!

Friday, July 28, 2017
I awoke around six (on my day off 😢); Analiese was being picked up by 6:10 to go to Stake Youth Conference on the Oklahoma Universitycampus in Norman,. Good thing I got up, her ride came before she was quite ready to go and I had to tell them wait.

I couldn't go back to sleep. I decided to get started on laundry, did dishes, straightened up some rooms. Jonathan had worked late, so he didn't get up until nearly ten. We worked on things together and were even graced with a visit from the sister missionaries - they always life my spirits - before I had to take him to work.

I had the late afternoon and evening all to myself. Quiet, and just a little boring.

Saturday, July 29, 2017
My boss met me at work this morning, mainly to tell me about a project she wanted me to work on today. But she stayed and talked to me for over an hour.

We've been having vandalism and "hooliganism" issues from a few bored teens coming in the library for the past few weeks. The same ones, each time. They've been shrieking obscenities, leaving soda bottles filled with gasoline (that one unnerved me), defacing statuettes, and hiding lighters on bookcases. Yesterday they apparently jumped on the HL's car hood, denting it. We didn't see them do it, but they're the number one suspects. The Director and the HL are talking security cameras. I'm just concerned that they're upping their game.

Around 1:30, the sky began to go boom! This morning, the weather channel said no rain today, with a 60% chance of rain on Monday. This afternoon they said it was a 20% chance, well, that 20% ended up being a cloudburst - the heaven's just opened up and buckets of water poured out. Talk about instant flooding!

I had arrived home, baked a potato and broccoli for my dinner and was sitting down to enjoy my dinner when...Ken came home. I wasn't expecting him, even though he said he'd said he was coming. It was nice, because I was going to be up alone waiting for Analiese to get home from Youth Conference (she had a good time, see here

) and Jonathan was at work. So we sat up together and talked, a rare opportunity these days.

Sunday, July 30, 2017
Analiese got home around 10:30, Jonathan got off of work at 1:00. We were all up late and very tired. I had to wake the two up at 9:30 so they could get ready for church at 10:00. Jonathan had a hard time staying awake during Sacrament meeting. Ken took him home to nap a little, because he had to go to work at three until 10:45, then tomorrow he goes to work at 7:00 a.m.

Getting out of Sacrament meeting, I noticed something outside. It had rained. Again? Once again, it wasn't on the Weather Channel's radar. Literally. There is no way to keep track of this stuff!

I substituted in Primary again today. I used a card game my friend Karla sent me - Simon's cat. My family has watched all of the YouTube videos, cute and family-friendly. I used the card game with it's colors and cute pictures for how we would sing. Like, pink (Simon's cat) was stand and sing or blue (kitten) was stop and go. They enjoyed the pictures and had fun singing.

Okay, my mind-bending phone call? I'm not ready to talk about it yet. Some stuff hasn't happened yet. Sorry for the let-down. I'll tell you next week. I guess that gives you a reason to read my next post, right?

SHE'S BACK!

Monday, July 17, 2017
Ken and our angel cousin were up working on the window before I even got up this morning. They wanted to get as much done as they could before the day heated up tremendously. I think they were completed by 11:30 a.m.

Ken took me out this afternoon for my anniversary surprise. We went to the local jeweler and he purchased me a pair of silver heart drop earrings. They are simple and sweet...just the way I like it.

Jonathan was at work by 3, so Ken & I left by 4, me in the van and Ken in the car, heading toward Chickasha. We stopped in Lawton for a Chinese food dinner. From Lawton to Chickasha was only another 45 minutes.

I was tired, but happy to see the bunnies. I've missed their furry antics and fluffy sweetness. Alice likes to roam around all over the place, but Pom is a true cuddle bunny, content to sit in my lap. She kept jumping on my chest, though, and licking my face.

She was happy to see me!

Tuesday, July 18, 2017
I slept terribly in the recliner. It was warm and my neck and shoulders were stiff. After Ken left for TB, I went and slept in his bed (Jonathan's twin) to recoup a little. I needed my energy for the rest of the day. I need to pick up Analiese from the airport. I've missed her terribly and can't wait to see her and hear about all of her adventures!

After my nap, I spent some more time with the bunnies. Pom was all snuggly again. Too bad it's so warm or I'd enjoy it more!

The airport is only about 45 minutes away from Chickasha and I got there and through security, only having to wait about twenty minutes. I was right there at the gate,

something you don't get to do anymore, because she was registered on the flight as an unaccompanied minor. I almost cried when she appeared, I was so happy to see her!

She had a great time, especially camping and getting to know her Wilcox family cousins. We went back to Chickasha so she could say hi to her Dad, then we went to Lawton, ate dinner, and then went home. She caught a little cold during the trip, so she didn't mind going to bed and resting right away.

Wednesday, July 19, 2017
Between her cold and getting used to Oklahoma time again, Analiese got up a little before 10 a.m. I let her sleep; she needed. She was a little slow moving today.

Happy anniversary to me and my sweetie. Twenty-one years today. And many more!

There weren't a whole lot of books on my cart today. Even with an extra day off, I'm going to get through them quickly. My boss and I talked about other things I could do, but I have a feeling that I'm going to be rather bored on Saturday.

The new person they supposedly hired last week is already gone - greener pastures, they told me. I'm starting to think there's some sort of curse on the library. At least, up in the front on the floor. The HL was talking today about cutting down library hours - we're pretty quiet in the evenings anyway. But if it means a cut in my hours, I'll be in a world of hurt. I need those hours to pay for the Chickasha rent!

Thursday, July 20, 2017
Oh, ick! Plumbing problems. We've been struggling with the front bathroom and things backing up, but now the kitchen sink joined the game! I'll get some more Drano, but we may need to splurge on a plumber soon.

Today's library program was a magician/juggler. This was her first time performing for our library and her program lasted an hour rather than the usual forty-five minutes. The kids loved her, though... we could hear them all the way down the hall. I guess she had a rabbit and a dove - animals are a sure bet with kids. Several parents said that it was our best program yet.

We had a three-way birthday celebration at work for my boss and two of the front ladies, who all have birthdays this month. They had a cake with all three of their names on it.

Friday, July 21, 2017
Even the washing machine has got into the game. It overflowed onto the laundry room and into the back bathroom as it drained. I believe the main line going out of the house is at fault. We'll have to see what the plumber says.

In the meantime, Jonathan and I headed out to Lawton. He had to pick up his medical records from the Navy recruiter's office and had to meet with the Stake President. He also took me to the movies to see Spiderman (I was the means to an end). I also ran a couple of shopping errands and got some gas. We were home before seven.

Ken's grandfather's funeral was out in California today. We weren't able to go, but his mother and his siblings went. My parents and sister went, too, to give their support and love. Ken's grandfather was ninety-two and had lived a full live. He was a good man, and will be missed. I will miss his piano-playing (it was a surprise when I discovered it!) and have fond memories of him picking apricots and sharing them with Jonathan when he was tiny.

Saturday, July 22, 2017
My stomach kept me up for several hours last night. I'm not sure if it was the movie popcorn or the take-out tacos later that did it, but did it do it!  I felt like a zombie this morning. I would have liked to have called in sick, but I can't really do that. We're down to three on Saturday and can't afford to lose a person. The nice thing was, I could sit down in the back office and take it slow and easy.

The day heated up quickly, reaching over 100 at one point...not counting humidity. When I reached home, the air conditioner there was struggling to keep up with the temperatures. Right now, going to bed, it's still 80 degrees inside. How am I going to sleep?

Sunday, July 23, 2017
I did not sleep well, needless to say. This has been a horrible week for me and sleep. I wanted a nap before, during, and after church. I was seriously tempted to sneak into the mothers' room and doze in a cozy chair during Sunday School. But I didn't.

I had agreed to teach a lesson for Relief Society today. I wasn't sure how my exhaustion would affect my ability to teach, or even make sense! I had a rough time this week even trying to prepare the lesson. But it spoke to me and my current circumstances, and I felt the need to share that with my sisters.

Well, it came off fine. My lesson was on "Looking Up" - up to Christ, trusting in Him, in Heavenly Father's plan, and in Their love for us.

The ladies there all had so many great contributions that I came away uplifted too! These women are a pleasure to know and love! I'm going to miss them when I finally move. 😢 Sad face.

WHAT SHOULD I CALL THIS WEEK?

Monday, July 10, 2017
A brother from our ward was over at nine a.m. to help Ken fix the window frames on the front of the house. Poor them - the day heated up quickly. Poor us - two windows went in fine and fast, but the west living room window is going to take another couple weeks of work! Argh! The never-ending house repairs! Will we ever move?

So I did the banking and shopping myself today, Jonathan being at work and Ken outside. I thought I'd be stocking up for next weekend because I was going to Chickasha, but no. Ken is coming back here next week to get the work done. There went my anniversary plans. I still have to go that-away next Monday evening because I have to pick up Analiese Tuesday from the airport. But we had planned to go into the City and do stuff. Just Ken & I, a day alone together. Sigh.

Instead, Ken took Jonathan and me to Lawton to dinner and a free movie (he'd won some movie tickets). We had Mexican food

and saw the new Transformers (tix said we had to see that one).

The food was good, but the movie stank. Lots of absolutely unessential bad language, sexual innuendo, terrible stupid plot, pedantic and predictable dialogue, etc. Hollywood does these sequels because the first one did well, so why not? But they get progressive worse. And you could tell at the end that they're planning another one!

Tuesday, July 11, 2017
I awoke to an empty house this morning. Jonathan had to be at work by seven. I took my dear, sweet time, but I got the towels laundered, dishes done, and bills paid before I had to go to work.

Golly Gee! It's sure hot out there today! The breeze does little to ameliorate the warmth. I believe I would severely dislike living without air conditioning. Call me a wimp. This is awful!

Analiese was bored today; it was her last day with her grandparents before she goes off with her aunt to Oregon. They can't be expected to do fun stuff every day with her and they have their own lives to live (plus a lower energy level!). Besides, once she flies to Oregon tomorrow, she won't be bored anymore!

Wednesday, July 12, 2017
Analiese and her aunt made it to the airport and off to Portland without a hitch. They didn't waste any time, either, immediately hooking up with a Wilcox family cousin and going to Tillamook for lunch, then then heading to the beach. I'm envious, really. It sounds so, delightfully relaxing.

I started a new project at work today. I'm cataloging, labeling, and preparing books for both the Altus and Hollis libraries for the reading programs for the next school year. School starts here August 15tth, so it's time we were on it. There's a bit more to it than regular cataloging and it takes more time...and brainpower. Plus, there are three levels - children (primary grades), intermediate, and young adult (high school).

We lost our newest FD2 today. She quit after less than two weeks - are we really that bad? No, it's because it was too hard with her arthritis. But she didn't say a thing yesterday evening when she was working. Still, poor boss-o-mine! She's getting tired of training new people. The HL is getting tired of having to hire new ones, too.

Thursday, July 13, 2017
Analiese and her aunt had a nice quiet evening at the hotel they stayed in

and, after breakfast this morning, they headed to the campground.

The Wilcox family is Ken's maternal grandfather's side.

Analiese's tent is the middle one.

Analiese texted me today to tell me to not freak out - she'll be unable to text for a few days because there's no cell reception or something. Eye roll here...I am just going to trust that they'll be having a good time!

I took my boss to lunch today. Her birthday is tomorrow, but neither one of us is working Friday and she's going out of town. We went to Fat Daddy's (funny name, I know, but they have good food) and I had a nice Caesar salad (they make all their own condiments and dressings!). We had a nice, relaxing time and wondered why we hadn't done it before!

I finished the reading program books today. Well, those I have. I'm still missing a few that are on order. I'll get to them when we get them!

Believe it or not, HL has hired a new FD2 today. That was quick! I think they went through an employment agency this time. The new gal starts next week when my boss is back.

Friday, July 14, 2017
Jonathan and I covered the west window in the living room with plastic this morning. This is in anticipation of Ken and my angel "cousin" removing the window on Monday to fix the outside frame. I hope it stays up. We've had a very humid summer so I'm not sure the tape will stick well, even though we double-layered it.

I took Jonathan to work at 12:30 and then I had a pedicure. I went to a new place (I'd been unhappy with my old one) and the gal did a great job. According to Analiese's orders (before she left for California), they are a beautiful, patriotic red!

By myself, I took the sister missionaries to dinner at Pizza Hut this evening. They had requested pizza for dinner and I didn't want to cook - it was a win-win! We had a great time eating (garlic-Parmesan sauce with chicken, bacon and spinach, plus the cheese crust), talking, and sharing testimonies. I always feel rejuvenated when they visit and today I had them all to myself!

Saturday, July 15, 2017
On Thursday, my boss had showed me how to reset the compressors for the library air conditioning in case they went out. Good thing, too, because this morning the front part of the library was hot! So I reset their compressor...though it's going to take a while for that area to cool down!

I didn't have much to do today at the library, at least, not assigned work. I did some best-seller list research, recovered some books with "library leprosy" (the plastic covers have degraded and are flaking off), and vacuumed my area. Then the rest of the day I cataloged some donated DVDs and music CDs the best I could. Tricky things.

Jonathan had to work until 1 a.m. tomorrow, so I took him so some spaghetti for dinner around seven. Then I went home, soaked in an Epsom salt bath for a bit to relax me, called my brother in Alaska, and turned in early. I'd like to say I slept quickly and easily, but being alone in the house really kicked up my imagination - and my anxiety.

Sunday, July 16, 2017
Jonathan and I picked up a little girl for church this morning. She usually comes with her mother - they're both new converts - but her mother wasn't feeling well after a medical procedure, so the sister missionaries called me and asked if I'd take her. She's eight, cute, and talkative...too bad Analiese wasn't here! On the way home she made me laugh. "I like your style," she said. Too funny!

Ken came home this afternoon with a couple of little gifts in anticipation of our 21st anniversary next week. One was some Vernor's ginger ale

- something I did not think you could find in Oklahoma! Tomorrow he said he's taking me out for the "big" thing he should have done last year. Oooo! The suspense!

A WEEK WITHOUT A DAUGHTER

Monday, July 3, 2017
I made myself get up at 7:15 because I had an appointment at Ford to have its regular servicing. They told me they were down a man and it may take longer than the usual hour. I got in at 8:50 and out in under an hour - these guys are so good! I'm going to miss them when I finally move to Chickasha.

Jonathan and I cut off a pecan tree branch from our back yard that had become infested with tent worms. They're gross, but if we don't take care of it, they'll spread to the whole tree and then to other trees. It gave me the willies, but it was necessary.

Jonathan and I went shopping together. He needed some shoes, so we went to the Shoe Dept. - a store with higher end, better quality shoes than Walmart. Then we did our grocery shopping. We went home and vegged in the evening, our get-up-and-go gone.

Tuesday, July 4, 2017
We had fun spending time this morning goofing off with Analiese in California via text messaging. We played around with photos and GIFS.

My sister wanted to know if we wanted to FaceTime. Nope. We were having fun. It was our crazy way of saying we miss each other.

Even though it's a holiday and neither Jonathan nor I had to work, we were decidedly domestic - doing dishes, laundering towels and blankets, cleaning bathrooms. There really wasn't any much celebratory stuff going on in town - it did it's stuff on Sunday.

Jonathan did want to grill, so I marinated some chicken last night in Italian salad dressing. We experimented with grilling corn on the cob. I researched on Pinterest, rubbing the shucked corn in olive oil, seasoned it with garlic salt, onion powder, and fresh ground pepper, and wrapped it in foil.

They were delicious! Both the chicken and the corn, but especially the corn!

The grill favor added so much to it. I would definitely do this again!

Wednesday, July 5, 2017
I got up, showered, ate breakfast. Then a headache hit me hard, so I went back to bed. I awoke shortly after eleven - rats! I had to be at work by noon. I had some phone calls I had to reply to, so I didn't have lunch...a couple crackers, really.

Work was work. But our only Spanish-speaking front desk employee is off on vacation. Guess who is the back-up? Yep, rusty me. My Spanish is pretty weak.

A blue jay and a cardinal flew across my yard as I was leaving to go back to work. I know they're noisy, but God made them pretty to make up for their voices!

I know Analiese is in California, but I want to mention how much fun she's having. My best friends took her to San Diego for the day to visit the Mormon Battalion and have lunch at our favorite in Old Town...La Pinata!

It's been 3 years since she visited California!

Thursday, July 6, 2017
Lucky me, no headaches today. I slept pretty well, so I didn't feel the need for a nap, either.

I did housework between chapters of a novel that I'm thoroughly enjoying. It's a suspense novel, but it has be chuckling at every page! I put the sequel - a new book I cataloged last week - on hold...it's already been checked out twice! I definitely want more!

I spent nearly two hours at the front desk this afternoon. Our Thursday program (an animal experience) was over at the community center, so most staff went there. Plus, with the one gal still gone on vacation, it left my boss and me. It was busy enough to warrant the two of us, too!

I'm a little blue this evening. I've been fretting over Ken, who's had two hard days of work and little rest. I also miss my girl. I know she's okay, but she's a bright star in my life. So things feel a little dimmer here.

Friday, July 7, 2017
I took this morning slowly, using the time to detox, cleanse my face, and leisurely shower. I eventually got laundry started. I think I maybe had breakfast by ten o'clock.

I took Jonathan to work and spent the next eight hours by myself. It was mausoleum quiet in the house. I finally turned on the television while I did some paper sorting, filing, a little packing, cleaning up, and vacuuming. But the day was hot, so late afternoon found me on the couch with some limeade to chill with my book.

Jonathan unwisely mowed the front lawn this morning with only flip-flops. He didn't hurt himself, but his feet got bitten many times by red ants. By evening, his feet were red-looking and angry. I put a clay poultice on them to try and draw out the toxins. We'll see how it worked.

Saturday, July 8, 2017
The bites on Jonathan's feet have broken out into blisters overnight. His left foot is swollen.

He's limping on it a bit. He's supposed to work today. We'll see how that goes.

Thursday I left work with 15 audiobooks waiting for me today. I got into work this morning to find fifteen more! Books on CD take more work - more labeling, more complex cataloging, so that gave me plenty to do. In fact, it took nearly all of my time today. My back's a little stiff, I should have switched my desk to standing.

Another Analiese update: Her Aunt Dee totally spoiled her today by taking her to Downtown Disney to see the new "Spiderman" movie

(yes, it looks like she dressed for it!) and to lunch at Rainforest Cafe.

Plus, it looks like she had fun running around the Lego store - wouldn't you?












Well, Jonathan made it through an eight-hour shift at Walgreen's. When he got home, I saw that his foot, still covered with angry red bites, wasn't nearly as swollen this morning. Though he did say that he had to pull his shoe laces looser to get them on his feet.

Sunday, July 9, 2017
I had another one of those headaches this morning. I'm not sleeping well and staying up too late. I wonder if that's part of the problem.

I had to wake up and get energetic, though, because I'd promised to substitute for the Primary chorister today. That's a calling that always takes a lot of energy.

Actually, I was looking forward to it, because I'd found a fun game for them: "Guess the rainbow." I'd put a little Skittle candy in one of their mouths and they had to guess the color/flavor. If they guessed it right, they got to choose a Primary song. If they got it wrong, I chose the song. This went over great; they behaved beautifully because they all wanted a chance to do it! I gave them each a parting Skittle at the end. Not a lot of candy - two pieces at most - but enough to excite them!

Nice for me was the fact that they had all of the kids in one hour this week, rather than split into Junior and Senior Primary. The Primary presidency were ALL out of town and they had lots of substitutes, so they combined everything. So I only had to "perform" once.  And if you know me and Primary music...it's a performance!

CAN MOMMA LET HER GO?

Monday, June 26, 2017
It's very humid today, even if the temperatures only get into the mid-eighties. I got out of the shower this morning feeling like I was still in there.

Ken and Jonathan finished removing paint outside today. Now we need to do a few wood repairs - mainly on window frames - and then we can paint! And I can stop seeing paint flakes all over the house!

I went shopping with the kids today. Generally they don't like to shop with me, Analiese in particular. Butt she needed a new swimsuit for California/Oregon, the old one having fallen apart at girls' camp last week. Jonathan was looking for a part for his bicycle, but didn't find it. However, I got groceries out of the car faster today!

Tuesday, June 27, 2017
A new day at work...a new quandary. I have two full carts of books, but that's not the problem. I had to catalog another porno-type book (luckily I don't have to read it), but that wasn't the problem either.

I had to catalog a book today about two teens in the seventies escaping their families and faith - their Mormon faith. This wasn't about the Church in particular, but about some fundamentalist break-off polygamous sect. But the author, the publishers, and the reviewers don't say that. They just say "Mormon," and that's not correct. It only serves to perpetuate the myths and misunderstandings surrounding the real church. It made me sick to my stomach.

What to do? Protest that it's offensive and misrepresents my beliefs? Put a note in it (my passive-aggressive favorite) directing readers to mormon.org for the truth? All I know is that I'm not putting it on the shelves until I figure what is right to do.

Wednesday, June 28, 2017
Would you like to know what I did? I talked openly with my boss about my problems with the book. We took out one of the descriptor lines on the record - the one that had "Mormon" in it - and I added "fundamentalist" in front of the word "Mormon" in the summary line. It's going to Hollis and my boss said she didn't think it would be read much, if it all (it's a very small, very particular library). Not a perfect solution, but the best I could do under the circumstances. But I defended my faith. I feel better than if I'd cowered down and did nothing.

Analiese made scrambled eggs for dinner. She must have been bored, because she decided to use food coloring to dye it red - it looked like she'd added Kool Aide. I took one look and said, "I'm not eating that." She rolled with laughter. I did eat them and they were fine. Butt that girl needs a hobby.

Thursday, June 29, 2017
Jonathan worked late last night coming home after I was in bed. He then went back to work early, before I got up. Poor kid, he had back-to-back shifts.

The Literacy secretary retired today. They held a nice luncheon for her that was in full swing when I got in. I snagged two tamales (delicioso!) but left the other fattening stuff aside. I don't know how her boss is going to get on without her (yes, they have a new secretary starting next week).

The program for today was a magician with 120 people in attendance. He really wowed them, I guess, because the kids came in to the central library telling us all about it. His rabbit trick was the biggest hit...mainly because he used a real rabbit. In fact, a couple of kids checked out books on rabbits afterwards.

Friday, June 30, 2017
Yeah, I had a big to-do list for today. But as my official day off, I didn't hurry and get up to do them. I got the laundry started and moved Analiese to do her hour of Khan Academy geometry, but I didn't rush it.

We sauntered out about 10:30 to the library - pay day! I didn't hurry that either, going into the back to visit with my boss. We then went to Walgreen's to see when Jonathan had his lunch break - noon-ish. Since it was a quarter past eleven, we went across the street to Arby's, ate our lunch, got something for Jonathan, and dropped it back off to him. He was grateful - he had nothing to eat!

After that it was time to hustle. We went to the bank, Walmart (capris for me, white top for Analiese), the car wash, a couple of stores (last-minute CA things)...whew! By then, we were ready to go home. Analiese said she had fun, though.

Saturday, July 1, 2017
June went out with a bright, loud, rainy whoosh! We had quite the thunderstorm with driving rain and hail that lasted nearly all night. The light show alone kept me up for a while.

It took me a while to get my twenty-four books processed today. Two people were out, though our HL came in and had the new gal (soon to be FD2, when the current FD2 starts doing the FD1 job because the FD1 is going to head up the Literacy program - got that?) come in, too. Plus, my boss came in and chatted with me a while. Apparently, the storm didn't do anything to the library. Well, the fire alarm went off again, but the HL took care of that.

On returning to work after my lunch break, Analiese said, "I'll see you later, much later!" Ha! Ken still had to get off of work - at the earliest by two - drive an hour and forty-five minutes here, do his laundry and then they could go. That would be after I got home. Besides, excited or not, she needs to have her dinner first!

My book pick this week is not a picture book, though it's technically a children's book. I say "technically" because the vocabulary is much higher and the storyline is a bit older. But it's hilarious. It's a comic-type book about a fox who has a hard time getting at the chickens at a nearby farm

. He decides he's going to steal some eggs, raise them up, and eat the grown chicken. Only problem is, those chicks imprint on him, call him "Mommy," and he begins to bond with them...reluctantly. Meantime, the chickens are plotting their revenge on the fox (they have a workshop on how to eviscerate a fox) while the wolf is trying to convince the fox that he will take the troublesome peeps off of his paws. Soooo funny.

The girl was "chomping at the bit" to go when I got home. Ken was there, nearly done with his laundry, she was all packed. But we sat and talked for a bit because when do we get the time? Then I grudgingly (wink) let them go. She loves her family, but this adventure is too huge for her to miss!

Sunday, July 2, 2017
It rained last night. I didn't notice. I was asleep the whole time. I don't think Analiese slept much in Chickasha, though. I know my kid...she was too keyed up!

She got to California with no hiccups, although she'd been concerned about the weather delaying her. Just as church was about to start here, she texted me: "The eagle has landed." Then I got a photo of her at LAX with her aunt.

She's good.

It was an uneventful day at church. Nice testimony meeting. I relinquished my keys to the seminary "kingdom" to my successor and we sat and talked a bit about seminary things. I couldn't allay his fears on one point, though: Seminary is a commitment that takes time. You have to study and prepare, it doesn't work just winging it. Bald, harsh truth. But I did encourage him by saying I felt pleased when he was called. He's really good with the youth.

Jonathan had to be at work at three today; I drove him to Walgreen's. But it's just me alone this evening. I kind of feel at loose ends...