As Always We’ve Been Busy

Warning–wordy post!

We were both so exhausted Thursday evening bedtime came really early–as in I think I was asleep by 8:30pm! The Cowboy had a really hard “restoration” to complete on Thursday and I took not one photo–shame on me–but I have a good excuse–I was busy!

The backhoe has been leaking hydraulic oil from its boom lift cylinder main seal. The Cowboy had ordered the parts and Thursday was restoration time. We are talking heavy work which required a five foot long, sixty pound all steel pipe wrench!! And another backhoe which along with the wrench we borrowed from our friend Brian who drills water wells. The chore took the Cowboy all day long but we now have a non leaking backhoe–we hope–he said we needed to make the backhoe work before we could be sure it didn’t leak. When we plant the new trees the backhoe will get a work out.

So you can understand why the Cowboy was tired but why was I so exhausted? I painted the bathroom and by days end we have a beautifully painted master bath. I don’t like painting ceilings one color and walls another–too much detail work. In the guest house I didn’t–walls and ceilings are the same color, same finish. In the main house we are using some bright southwest colors and I wanted satin white ceilings. So–painting is much more time consuming. The ceilings are satin finish and the walls are semi-gloss. In the midst of painting I left to get my hair cut and came back to finish painting.

Friday morning we had a date which gave me absolute joy. In my life before the Cowboy I became friends with a family in Powell, Wyoming. Jane was one of the nurses who worked under my supervision, her husband Rich was a medical technologist working in the lab and they had two young children–Elizabeth and Jonathan. Living so far from any of my own family, they welcomed me into their family. Fast forward 25+ years–sadly Jonathan and Rich are no longer living.

Elizabeth is married and with her husband Jon, have two beautiful children. Elizabeth has faced a terrible health crisis recently but today she looked wonderful, healthy and beautiful! They are heading to their next military posting traveling from California to the east coast with a RV, a dog, cat, two children and two adults. The family spent the night in Tucson Thursday night and we had breakfast with them in Willcox. It was so, so good to see them, it literally made my heart sing!

Military children have no fear of strangers–those two kiddos haven’t seen us in two or three years yet they were so outgoing with us. Their parents have done a great job!

Elizabeth’s mother Jane, one of my best-est friends has remarried to Paul. This past week Jane and Paul have been on a medical mission to Ecuador. Ecuador has one of the largest populations anywhere of children born with cleft palate and cleft lips. These surgeons, anesthesiologists and nurses travel to Ecuador at their own expense and spend a week of twelve hour days operating on as many children as possible, literally changing their lives. The founding surgeon of this medical mission group is 87 years old–he no longer performs the actual surgery but does assist the primary surgeon. A fabulous, giving group of people. So–my heart was full today after seeing on the scene photos all week from Ecuador and getting to have lunch with Elizabeth and her family. Life is so good.

Jane is on the far right with some of the operating crew.

Jane and Paul are the two people standing at the back in this photo below.

Saturday we made a quick run to Green Valley–while cruising the internet early that morning I found some nice bedroom furniture, reasonably priced and off we went. We enjoyed lunch and Emmi was even able to join us on the outdoor patio.

Hundreds of pigeons hanging out on the electric lines in Green Valley–poor photo taken through a dirty windshield but you should have seen all those birds packed onto those wires!

Sunday afternoon we planted seven of the ten new trees we purchased–uffdah! Our friend Larry dropped by and we stopped planting–thanks Larry!!

LoraLee, our daughter in law left us six years ago today after a valiant fight with lung cancer. We miss her presence in our life so much!