This is Izaac 'enjoying' the German Ackley Band Wednesday Night in Stanhope. It's 16 seconds and just cute.

Izaac went back to Des Moines Thursday afternoon with cousin Alex. It's always a little quiet for a day after he leaves. I went out and tried to pull some vines out of the bushes near the 'back 40'. John worked on the patio fence today and repaired some steps.

Wednesday in the Park in Stanhope!

Tuesday was busy with John finishing the deck rail, and then painting the deck (all of it).

In Stanhope, IA, there is a tradition of Wednesday Night in the Park. It goes from June through the end of July, with various organizations hosting/cooking/cleaning in the park building for fund-raising. There are various musical ensembles that play after the evening meal of "maid-rites", hot dogs, lemonade and (mostly) home-made pies. So John, Alex and I took Izaac to his 'first' Wednesday in the Park!

Tonight the German Band from Ackley (near Parkersburg/tornado town) played while people enjoyed the music and even got up and danced under the shelter. The slogan for Stanhope is "A Slice of the Good Life", and we have found it to be true.

This is a 30-second video of Izaac in the park in Stanhope playing with our Pastor's new puppy. (Suzie is the pastor, and Marshall is the new puppy!)

Busy Monday and Izaac at Camp!

Yesterday I got a BUNCH of weeds killed, along with a trip to Webster City to firm up motel reservations for the party later this month. I bought MORE weed-killer and a few other items, then back to the yard to kill another patch of weeds.

About 3:30 I was out of weed-killing ambition and ready for a shower. Alex called and said he'd like to meet me in Ames for supper and get a new phone (so he needed me to be there to okay it on our plan) and then he'd haul the mulch I wanted home.

While we were at the cell-phone store Izaac's mom called and wanted to know if we'd like to have a visitor for a few days, so I drove to Ankeny and met up with her and her mother and Izaac.

After we got home, Uncle Johnny and Alex had picked up and vacuumed in the house, and were looking outside under the back deck at an opossum. It was scaring Mrs. 8:30 and her brood (into the garage they went) so the boys 'took care of it'. I haven't had this much excitement on one day in a long time, and it WAS a long day!