I'm a Sophie Doodle Dog!

Lots of indoor time this week.  Sophie Doodle and I go outside, but only for a bit because of the oppressive heat and humidity.  As I write, it is 82 degrees with a humidity level of 77%.  We come inside and plan our next foray outside.  Yesterday Sophie went to the groomers.  She looks so much cooler now.  I love to let her hair be a bit longer, she looks more like her Berner self, but it just isn't fair to her in this hot weather.  She also took a trip to our locally owned Seed and Feed store.  It is pet friendly and she is always the center of attention, and lots of treats, when we visit! The Doodle and the Rocks. No More Rocks! The rose bush I bought before the 6" of rain was planted last night.  After an hour break, landscape fabric and mulch were added.  A trip to the garden store is planned for today because I ran out of mulch.  When my favorite farmer's parents built the house back in 1972, river rock was the rage in landscaping circles.  Actually, it

I want to take this opportunity to apologize for the four months between my blog updates.  While I am an avid on-line reader, I'm not so much a consistent on-line writer.  Sophie keeps me busy but so does being a farmwife, grandma, and friend.   Today was spent gathering groceries at the local butcher and bulk food store.  If you've never had the chance to visit an Amish community, I would encourage you to do so.  I spent some time with my middle nephew and his son.  Tough times have come their way and I hope we are able to do what families do best, support and love our own.  We celebrated our oldest son's birthday two weeks ago tomorrow and, tomorrow, we celebrate my youngest son's birthday.  I love them both! Next weekend we're hosting the extended family for grandma's birthday.  More posts to come.  I promise!   Sophie is sitting by me as I write.  We hope you have a wonderful weekend and are able to spend time with your dad if at all possible.  Mine

Six inches of rain on the farm over 3 days.  It is often annoyingly humid here in central Illinois to begin with and after all the rain, it seems even worse!   Working in the yard feels like working in a sauna! I walked out of the gym yesterday to find my sunglasses fogging up as I walked to my car.  The rain came in buckets with winds blowing, lightning crashing, and thunder rolling, then slowing down to a gentle shower. Our mailbox blew over, a first, and a dead apple tree fell over in the wind that accompanied the storm.  We needed the rain because the crops were dry. We had to hire a tree service to take out a huge tree in our front yard.  As far as I can figure, it had to be over 65 years old.  It provided the most lovely shade and I am heartbroken to had to have it cleared away.  The tree we planted to replace it looks so tiny. It was struck by lightning shortly after we remodeled the house.  The strike killed a neighboring tree and damaged this tree.  Last ye