The summer was pretty non-eventful. In June, the high-light was John’s yearly trek back to KU to basketball camp with a car full of boys. This year it was just John, Barb and L.J……then Mr. Roy and son Roy drove their car following them up. As is our custom, we feed them here and the boys stay with Becky. L.J. is allergic to cats and with three in our small home its “red eye time” for him. It’s a shame he can’t enjoy visits to grandma’s house but he has to break up the time he spends inside.

Mr. Roy stayed at a motel and we arranged for John and Barb to stay here with us. They were on the road early the next day and would be coming back the following Saturday. It’s always a fun time when they come and go…….all too short but we pack in a lot of fun. Sitting around the table with pizza and spinning tall tales about days gone by keep us laughing until someone finally breaks it up to go to bed.

We had a sad day in mid-July. Jennifer’s first dog, Dara, stayed behind with Becky when Jennifer went off to college, so Dara spent her life here with Becky. Of course, she was part of the family for many years and was a real sweetheart....a beautiful and spunky West Highland Terrier. Becky needed to put her to sleep as her medical problems left her with a poor quality of life. We all dreaded the last day and wouldn’t you know it was dripping and foggy out….one of those real “down” days anyway, without a grave to dig for a pet.

Becky wanted to bury her in our back yard where Jakie was (John’s dog who was left behind with Bear and me when he went off to college). Rocky knew it would be hard for Becky to do so he got up early and went out back to dig the grave before she came with Dara. Dara was so happy that morning, coming down to grandma’s house as she’d done so many times………and we were all just sick about taking her out to the Vet. However, we went with Becky so she wouldn’t have to go alone and as respect for Dara.

Becky had given Dara a bath that morning so she would be nice and clean…..Mr. Lewis gave her the shot and she was gone instantly. The three of us stood there and cried like babies….it was terribly sad. When we could finally regain our composure I think Mr. Lewis carried Dara to our van but I could be wrong about that. Becky would remember for sure. Anyway, we drove back home and Becky fixed her up nice for burial. She and Rocky carried special large rocks to mark her grave and she rests there beside Jakie. I can’t even tell this without crying all over myself. We love our pet friends and they are family to us.

I was still working several days a week and the summer wore on. Rocky was doing some driving for a wrecker business but there wasn’t enough work to keep him busy. He stayed with it most of the summer but wanted something on a more regular basis. Our neighbor, Dave, put him on to a driving job with a company who transported patients to their medical appointments. Rocky liked it because every day was different…..the people as well as the places you took them. Being a truck driver most of his life he still liked the open road and an accelerator. I was working a lot of hours as the owners of the Barn were building another large store in Harrison, Arkansas and were there much of the time.

September turned to October and we took time off to meet Rocky’s sister Marie and her husband, Harold at their home in St. Louis. We had lunch together and then drove in two cars to Springfield, Il. to meet brother Richard and his wife, Helen. We enjoyed a couple of days together, touring the sights around the area and then going our separate ways. Everyone went back home except us as Rocky wanted to show me the part of northern Illinois where he grew up so we took several days and visited the farms and homes of grandparents etc;……..all a trip into Memory Lane for Rocky. It was very interesting to listen to his accounts of the family and the early life he remembered as a child.

I had not been to Door County so we drove the entire peninsula up and back, stopping at Green Bay. Although I am a dyed in the wool Chief’s fan, I love Brett Farve and wanted to see the stadium where he played. I have enjoyed his enthusiasm for the game and hope he doesn’t retire. He’s good for football and I’ll miss him when he no longer plays. After we looked around the stadium and gift shop we headed south to Richard and Helen’s for a great lunch and tour of their lovely home. Richard is an excellent wood craftsman and his shop is amazing. It was as clean and well organized as their home.

“Home” is the friend that always welcomes you, always provides food and comfort and an open door to those we love. A poet once said, “It takes a heap of livin’ to make a house a home.” It’s a lucky house that becomes a home….and it’s a lucky home where love and peace are found.

Until tomorrow,
Essentially Esther