Oregon Living 2026 – Blog #33 – A Nice Bit of Yard Work, Loaning Out Our Honda, and Back to Dancing!

 

Sunday, August 23^rd., 2026…… Weather is really nice today!  Cat took the dogs out and then fed them while I went off to get us breakfast and coffees. Once back, Cat settled in outside on the deck while I worked on my blog and watched the LL World Series. Today is the  2^nd round of playoff games. I still have taped motocross, Indycar, and Nascar to watch but while the world series is on, I’m all in!

Monday, August 24^th., 2026……  Today, the weather is really nice!  Temps in the high 70s and low 80s for most of this week. We walked and fed the dogs then headed out for the gym and breakfast. I brought Cat back home because Zephry is coming this morning for his usual Monday morning appointment. I left immediately and headed off to have the Honda washed and then stop to fill it up with gas. Penny will be using it starting tomorrow because her car is going into the shop for a new windshield and to have the dent in her door fixed. It’s supposed to take 2 days or so.  No worries for us – we have enough cars to get by! Today, Zephry worked for a few hours. He said he would like to bring some help tomorrow and really get on the task of getting the trees and shrubs on the west side of the driveway done. Even though it would double the labor costs, Cat agreed because it would be completed sooner, and we have a limited timeframe before fall hits and Zephry is only able to work on Mondays. So, this was good for us!     

Tuesday, August 25^th., 2026…… Today, Zephry and Thomas hit it hard!  They are workers! The plan is to have the mule out there so they could load it up. When loaded, I (or we) would drive it out and dump it. Rinse and repeat. I think, all told, I made 10 trips!  The burnpile is really high now!  Those guys did a terrific job and got everything done west of the driveway. Here are before…..

and after pics from the day…..

 

It really looks good. Of course they are only one section in so far and we have a lot left to do. She and Zephry talked and they are planning on having another double-team day next week if they can.  Once they were done, we cleaned up and came in for a bit. Later, I left and met Penny at the garage where she dropped off her car. I drove her back home and we visited for a while. After she left with our Honda, Cat and I went out to Dos Arbolitos for dinner.  Each of us had drinks as well. It was a great end to a great day! But alas, we heard of Dolly’s passing. Dolly was a true American icon and national treasure whose kindness, music and legacy reached far beyond Tennessee. We each remembered seeing her in different concerts. Mine was at the Hollywood Bowl with friends Gary and GG, and was phenomenal. I have also been to Dollywood years ago.  Cathye and I also went together to the Dolly Parton Stampede in Branson. I know we both feel that we were incredibly lucky to have experienced a little piece of the world she created. The love for Dolly was everywhere. Heaven just gained a beautiful voice. Rest in peace, Dolly! 

 We have the flag at half-staff…

 

Also, we got the news later in the day that Mike Berkey’s mom also passed today.  We are so sorry, Mike, for your loss. Sad news all around…  

Wednesday, August 26^th., 2026…… Today is a rest day for both of us. Cat had to go get some stuff for her canning project that she wants to start today, but that’s about it. Ok, it’s later now…  Cat started in on her canning. I was drafted once or twice as her sous chef. She made blackberry jam.  Later, we fed the girls then changed and headed off to the Cascade Grill in Albany to help Maryanne celebrate her 80^th birthday! There were a lot of us there! The server did a great job. We split the seafood platter and ordered an extra soup. We still had leftovers!  Here are a few pics from the night….

Thursday, August 27^th., 2026…… HAPPY BIRTHDAY JAMIE!!  We have a couple of massage appointments later today. But, first up we headed off to the gym and then to breakfast. I had sent a text to Toni and Moe to see if they wanted to join us. Toni was going to yoga but Moe met up with us. We had a nice meal and talked a bit. Later, Cathye left to go pick up Jamie for his birthday lunch at Abbey’s Pizza.  She said later that they also stopped at the hospital on the way back so he could do his labs. While she was off with Jamie, I headed over to make it to my 1:15pm appointment.  Cat got Jamie back and she told me later that she barely made it in time for her 2:30 time.  After we both got back, we ate leftovers for dinner. I had pizza and Cat had fish and shrimp from last night. Tv and then bed.     

Friday, August 28^th., 2026…… Another great weather day! I had given some thought to mowing today. I actually left and got 5 of our 5-gal. jugs filled. But, when I got back, it was still too wet to mow (the sprinklers were left on last night!).  So, I settled in watching the programs I was backed up on since the LL World Series has been on.  Even later than that, I went out and worked on installing a rack up on the wall in the shop garage. This rack was donated by Penny to our Club's yard sale but I snagged it before that!  That gets the bottles and jugs of lawn chemicals up off the floor and I will have space for more items in the future.  

While I was doing that, Cat spray painted one of our small tables we have on the back porch. It had been yellow before and she had enough paint left over to touch it up. Later, she got it put back on the porch. It now is looking good!

Later, I got a call from Penny that her car was almost ready and she wanted to come by to pick me up to go there. We got there just before the guy drove up in it. It had been sent out to a third party to get the sensors on her new windshield calibrated. But once the guy got there, she picked it up with no issues. Later, we ate and watched our programs until bed.

Saturday, August 29^th., 2026…… No plans for today. We want to go to the new caller dance later this evening in Springfield, but we’ll see. We had no plans for today so we hung around the house for the day. Tv and reading for each of us. Later, we fed the girls and got changed and headed down to catch the dance. Our friend, Nate (Lila’s dad), is returning to calling from many years ago, so we wanted to go support him. It’s about an hour’s drive down to the hall in Springfield, but it was an easy drive. These new caller/cuer dances are not something I look forward to.  But when we got there and found out that several of our friends and family from the Lebanon Square Circlers would be calling or cueing, we really got into it!  We danced the first three tips before resting for a bit. In addition to supporting Nate, we square danced to both Kye and Doug. Also cueing were Marlana and her brother Jaiden. It was a fun night and definitely worth the drive down there!    

                                                    Jaiden                           Nate       Doug   Kye  Marlana

 

Oregon Living 2026 – Blog #32 – A Pretty Quiet Week

 

Sunday, August 16^th., 2026…… Today was Charlotte’s Garden party. We planned to go. I was up and out and got breakfast. When I go to Starbucks, I usually get her a Chai Latte. She said she didn’t feel like anything that sweet this morning so she made it at home. Later, she headed off to church while I worked on the blog and watched my races. We fed the girls early and made the drive to Charlotte’s home. She and her late husband used to professionally grow and sell flowers so, needless to say, her gardens are beautiful!

 

Her son prepared hot dogs, chicken, and hamburgers and the rest of us brought the side dishes. They always do a special ‘bridge dance down the road at the covered bridge, but this year we decided to just hang out and stayed put when they walked down. Here are pics I borrowed from Naomi…

 

Later, we ate and then after that, said our goodbyes and drove back home. The pups got their special treats and supplements and we were in for the rest of the evening.  

Monday, August 17^th., 2026…… Today we had our yard guy, Zephry, come for his regular appointment. After he left, Cathye left to run some errands. She wanted a library card. Funny, since we live just outside the city limits, we would have to pay for the card which is free to residents. But she wanted one and spent the $40. Anyway. She also wanted to stop by Les Schwab to get the last three pressure sensors replaced in the tire stems on the Buick. But the wait was well over an hour and she’s not patient enough for that, so next stop was an oil change. Again, the line went out into the street, so she came back home.  I stayed home, because we had a mobile mower guy coming over to service all three of our lawn tractors. He said he is a bit more $$ than the local lawn/farm place here in town, but using him means I don’t have to make three separate appointments and wait 2 months or more to get each one serviced, and also don’t have to load them up three times to transport! So, we tried David. He got here and got going. He has a cool new van, which he is working on to fill up with his necessary tools.

Each mower took about an hour. No issues, other than on the oldest mower, where he couldn’t get the bolt loose on one of the blades. So, he had to move the blade cutting area into the discharge window so he could get the grinder on it in place. He wrapped that up after Cathye took off to go to a birthday dinner at The Point for Misty and her family. I got the mowers put back and was done for the day. She brought back her leftover seafood fettucine for my dinner, which was yummy!   I am still waiting for Paul to come over to get me and the mule to go pick up our tables from their wedding last week. I am in no hurry and closed up for the evening when he didn’t come by. They had folks over there today picking up items from the caterer and the chairs and such so I’m sure they were busy. Probably tomorrow. Tv and bed.     

Tuesday, August 18^th., 2026…… The weather is great these days!  Temps are in the 70s so we try to get out and do things in the yard – when we have the energy! Cat worked on weeding her raised bed while I tasked myself with cleaning up a few of the broken sprinkler heads around the house. I noticed when I was outside a few nights back that one of them was broken and shooting onto the house paint. We know we can’t have that because it will discolor so I rebuilt that one as well as a few others. Later, I got a text and Paul came over to get me and the mule so we could go get our tables. We got them stored away and talked for a bit. He gave me a heads up on the cost of his new workshop. His bids are really high, so for now, it’s a no-go. He also gave me info on what he paid for the new roof they had done last September. Wow! I’m not in a hurry now to do ours!         

Wednesday, August 19^th., 2026…… Cat’s dentist appointment is today. So, after breakfast she headed off to do that.  When she got back, she said everything was good to go for another year!  Sure wish I could get reviews like that!  For Cat, today was spent working around the house. She went out and picked a few more blackberries. For me, it was time for the Little League World Series to start! I had been watching the regionals last week, but now they are in Williamsport PA!  There are ten US teams and 10 international teams there. It’s a twelve-day, double elimination tournament with each division playing each other until they meet for the title next Sunday. I have been following little league ever since Randy played in the tournament when he was 12 years old. Of course, I chart all of the scores and team records until the end!  Later, tv and bed.

Thursday, August 20^th., 2026…… Nothing on the agenda today. We did our normal Thursday – walk and feed the dogs, go to the gym, then go to Kristi’s for breakfast.  The weather is supposed to get hotter starting today. Temps are expected to hi 92°.  Well, it’s later now and we made it to 92!  So, we made it a point to spend most of our time inside!  Cat spent time cleaning out the freezer in the garage. She found we had many items in there that we would never eat. So, she placed an ad on The Lebanon Buzz asking if anyone wanted/needed them. She immediately started getting several responses. She chose the first one and we headed out to drop off the two boxes with her. Once we got back, we were in for the day.  Later, we did go out to the deck later after the sun went down. But the air was so still, we came back in for the night. Well, we did go back out to hit the spa before bed!

Friday, August 21^st., 2026…… This last half of the week has been pretty quiet for us. The local square dance clubs are all dark for the summer and we are not looking to go anywhere distant just to dance. So, we stayed around the house for the day. Cat went out to read and relax on the deck…

We did laundry and Penny came by to check on our schedule for when her kids come up to visit in October. She said they told her that they want to come back again for another pumpkin carving session!  We talked about the kids coming down as well so it will work out. Looks like I’ll be doing some more bbq for that one!  Later, I asked Cat about dinner and she said she thought she might like to try a smashed burger from Jack in the Box. So, I took off and got us dinner. Tv for a bit, then we called it a night.

Saturday, August 22^nd., 2026…… Another quiet day. We both seemed quite lazy today so we ended up spending most of the day in the house. The temps are in the 80s so it probably was a good call for now! Later, I got out the Blackstone pizza oven and got it going. Cat had bought pre-made pizza dough because that is what we will be using when we take the oven to Frank and Maryanne’s next month for their yearly Club campout. Last year they had two little ovens and they had tons of folks stacked up in line, just waiting, to cook individual pizzas. The plan is to have three this year. We found out later that, with ours, we will now have four!  Anyway, I wanted to test these new pizza doughs before we take it there. I made my choice of toppings and took it out to cook. Cat did the same. Mine turned out ok. I managed to not overcook it. As a matter of fact, I think I could have left it on for another minute or two. But it was ok. Cat said hers was good too. We didn’t have the Boboli brand that they will have next month, so we sill try to find those so we can try it again. I did go back online and ordered another pizza stone for the Blackstone, since the disaster last time when we cracked the old one! For this order, I did find a package deal, this one coming will have a metal pizza paddle which will help.  I thought about that so I used my griddle spatula for the bbq and that worked well to get the pizzas in and out of the oven.

 

Complete with crack!

Later, we settled in for the evening with tv and then bed.    

 

Oregon Living 2026 – Blog #31 – More Family Time and a Nice Neighborhood Wedding

 

Sunday, August 9^th., 2026…… Today was hotter than we wanted.  We were up and out early. I went to get breakfast and coffee while Cat walked and fed the girls. We then started in on prepping for the afternoon. I got the ribs out and in the roaster to pre-steam. They would be in there for at least 3 hours on low. Then I got to be sous chef for prepping the oatmeal raisin cookies Cat was baking for today! I also cut up the watermelon that we had got from the Hermiston truck on Friday. Once that was done, we were ready. The girls came over around 3:00ish and I already had the grill ready to go. The ribs got coated with bbq sauce and I had them cooked in no time!  I also did some green onions that sis had asked for. Penny and Jody brought potatoes and salad and Cherrelyn brought eclairs to add to the cookies. The meat was ok I guess because I didn’t get any complaints! Everything else was good too! We sat around and rested and enjoyed the ac in the house because it was up 86° outside today. Here are pics from the day...

After everyone left, we settled in our own rooms. I worked on my blog and watched little league baseball and Nascar races, while Cat watched some of her Dateline shows she has taped. We rested from the day and actually went to bed early. 

Monday, August 10^th., 2026…… Today I have a dentist appointment. But it’s not until 3:00pm. Zephry was scheduled to come today around 9:00am to get started. We went to the gym and to breakfast and got back just after he got here. After that he and Cat got on track for today. After seeing him out there, I can say, “he is a worker!”  He’s not the fastest but he’s thorough. Cat likes him too! I think it will finally work out. Later, I made it to my appointment. Today was the last of three deep cleanings. I was really sore last time because they did two zones at once. This time it was just one and it was ok. Last visit they advised me to switch from my OralB to a Sonic, which has a larger brushhead to get more coverage. I have had it a week and I like it!  She commented that whatever I was doing in my hygiene, it was working!  Yaay!     

Tuesday, August 11^th., 2026…… We didn’t have much on the agenda for today, other than going to the concert in the park tonight in town. So, we worked around the yard a little. I spent some time out in the shop but it was mostly for a little cleanup. Cat worked on her raised bed. We have some really nice juicy tomatoes now!  This is after Cat picked and you can see we still have more to pick later when they ripen…

And some of the ones she got already (she’s already cut up the larger ones for sandwiches).

They are very flavorful!  As a matter of fact, she made subs with them to take with us for the concert tonight. We fed the dogs then loaded them up and left for the concert. Penny had saved us an area next to her group and we settled in. Rylee wasn’t bothered by the music but Jama doesn’t like loud noises so she was in our lap most of the time. Tonight, the artist was Jackson Michelson. He’s a country western singer from Corvallis (an alum like Cathye!). He’s been on tour for a while and is winding it up around here. I was impressed with his voice and like his variety in songs, and he did well, but he tried some artist’s songs that just weren’t quite in his range. Still good anyway!  

We stayed until the last song, then packed up and made our way to the car and got out before the crowd dispersed. We said our goodbyes to Jody, who would be going home tomorrow. It was fun visiting with her. Later, we got home and all of us rested from the evening. Tv and then bed.                       

Wednesday, August 12^th., 2026…… Today we have the housecleaner coming. Plus, we have appointments for haircuts. Stephanie got here before we left and got busy cleaning. We left and got our haircuts and we were done for the day. Steph left a little later. Nothing else on the to-do list for today so we relaxed and enjoyed the day. 

Thursday, August 12^th., 2026…… Today was the day I wasn’t looking forward to!  It was my urology appointment and I have to do a cystoscopy. That’s where they insert a catheter with a camera into your urethra!  I hadn’t had one yet but I wasn’t looking forward to it at all!  But, first up, we needed to cut the grass. It was only Cat and me today because we weren’t doing the field. It’s really dry out there and there is a risk of fire with just a rock strike from the blades, plus it’s not tall enough to mow anyway. So, we just concentrated on the lawn, where it was still wet from last night’s sprinklers. It turned out to be a little too wet for me on my side of the yard because the wet grass kept getting clogged up going to the bagger and I had to spend a lot of time clearing that many times. Once we were done, we came in and I showered and we headed out for my appointment.  Turns out I was right to be nervous!  I got a short insert of numbing gel then he got started!  They had said it wouldn’t be painful, but more uncomfortable. Well, it was VERY uncomfortable and the numbing didn’t ease the ‘uncomfortableness’ at all!  I jumped and yipped a bit and felt like a baby - but afterward, they said I did better than most!  This scope checked to see if the bladder had any residual cancer or bleeding, or remaining spots. We (Cat was there too) all saw on the screen as he did this. Anyway, the doctor said everything looked ok and I was good to go for today!  He wants to repeat this procedure every three months for a while and since I already have a scheduled appointment for my prostate check (PSAs) in October, we will do it again then. Good to go. On the way home, we stopped at dairy queen and I got my treat for being a ‘good boy’ today! Later, Paul came over and we loaded up my mule with all eight of our folding tables for their use at the wedding/reception at their home tomorrow.  I drove us over and we unloaded them. They sure have a beautiful setting in their manicured back yard. Perfect for wedding and parties. They have three girls and we have been to weddings and parties there before. Saturday will be hot but they have enough trees to make it a nice afternoon. Later, for us it was tv and spa and then bed.  

Friday, August 14^th., 2026…… Since we did the lawn yesterday, today was pretty uneventful. Until later, when we went and picked up Penny and headed off to Albany High School for a production from the Mid Valley Musical Theater. Tonight, it was Guys and Dolls. It’s mostly from the theater group from the high school, but sprinkled in with adult teachers, choreographers, stagehands, etc. These kids do an excellent job and the productions are first class!  This one was no exception!  We enjoyed the whole night – except for the length of the show! Cathye had a backache so we will have to remember to bring her pad for next time!  

Saturday, August 15^th., 2026…… Today was busy!  We walked and fed the girls and then headed out, stopping at McDonalds for breakfast. We were on our way to Sweet Home to work our annual backpack giveaway. I think this is the fourth time we’ve done this so we have it down pretty well. We got everything set out and we were ready for the 9:00am opening!  Seems I’m always put in charge of the junior and high schooler’s backpacks! The middle school kids get smaller packs, filled with school gear, while the big kids just get empty packs. But they will be given Chromebooks when class starts. That’s pretty cool! And some of this year’s backpack choices for them have external usb ports so you can plug in your laptop inside and just plug in outside while it’s still in the pack!  Throughout the morning, I was pretty quick to point out this feature as well as one that even had a rolling dial padlock on the thing! Anyway, when we were relieved at noon, they still had plenty to hand out.  We came home and rested for the afternoon. Then, it was time to change and get ready for the neighbor’s wedding. As I said before, Paul and Cori do a fantastic job getting their backyard paradise ready for the wedding and reception. They have a team come in for the arbor and chairs for the wedding, but Paul made a dancefloor and a backdrop (you can see in the pics). Seriously, he could go into the business and rent out this beautiful space for weddings and special events! Here are pics from the afternoon.

Before the toasts, the mc announced that the dancing will be going on until 11:30 and last call from the bar would be 11:00. But we had NO intention of being there then. After the toast, we visited for just a bit more (we sat at a table with the neighbors) and we all left after the cake cutting but before the dancing got started. We got back and changed and relaxed and watched tv. Later, we went out to the spa, with some Fireball, and listened to the music and watched the car lights as guests were leaving the party. It was a great ending to a fun day!

Oregon Living 2026 – Blog #30 – More Wellhead Issues, a New Yard Guy, and a Rail Ride!

 

Sunday, August 2^nd., 2026…… The weather is really nice these days!  Temps in the mid- 70s. BUT that is about to change! Today will be 74°, tomorrow 89°, Tuesday 97° and Wednesday it is supposed to hit 100°! Wow!  Good thing we have a pretty easy week, with not too much on our calendar. But Jody is coming this week to visit with Penny. She lives in Utah where it’s pretty hot too, but it looks like she’ll not get any relief while she’s here.  We spent the day hanging around the house. I used grandpa’s weed puller on a couple of large weeds along the driveway. But I got tired and quit after a dozen or so. There’s way more to do!  Cat has decided to let our landscaper go. Turns out they are not on the same page with direction and days they work!  He showed up here last Tuesday when we were both at my doctor’s appointments, and without any direction from Mary (who knew nothing about him coming), he left without doing anything! Yesterday, Cat sent him a text firing him. Penny has a new guy and gave us his contact info. Cat will be calling him tomorrow. Later it was tv. I was told not to use the spa while on the radiation treatment, but it’s been 9 days now and I don’t have any irritation or anything so we decided to go for it. It was fine and very relaxing!

Monday, August 3^rd., 2026…… HAPPY BIRTHDAY RICK!!  Now we are back to our routine!  We walked and fed the dogs, then headed off to the gym. It was easy to get back into our workouts but we both cut them short just to make sure we aren’t overdoing it. Then we went to Kevin’s for breakfast. While we were there, Kevin showed us the newest – he has a board game called LebanonOpoly. It is actually a real game, not sure how it got started, but it is just now available at Walmart for $20. It has local stops and businesses and Kevin’s is on there. Way cool!  So, since we had to stop by Walmart anyway on the way home, I went and found one. I took pics of the box front and back

but we haven’t opened it yet but probably will soon. You can see some of the local spots in town, including Kevin’s. Wondered why Kristi’s was not on there. Hmmm.  We hung around the house today. We did go out and sprayed down the windshield on the mule and got it nice and clean. Later, after that, we went back in to rest and watch tv. Oh yeah, now we have fire alert warnings! This is going to be an interesting week! Later, I called and talked to Rick. He sounded good and said he is doing ok. They are trying to get some time in their schedule to get up here to visit with us. I sure miss those guys! Later, we settled in and watched tv and then hit the spa before bed. The weather has cooled down a bit so it was comfortable outside in the spa.

Tuesday, August 4^th., 2026…… We didn’t have much to do today. Cat has a new guy coming to talk about working on the yard. He is one of Penny’s guys and is young and wanted work. Turns out his mom is his dispatcher and coordinator. She said he would have to postpone because he is still on his present job and can’t get away. So, they set it up for tomorrow. Meanwhile, all we could do was a little work in the yard. It needs to be mowed but we are waiting until next week, when the field can be mowed again. Most everything is dry or dead, especially the field grass. I have adjusted the watering schedule to come on each day instead of every other.  We did start and finish a cleaning project!  The deck pillows needed to be cleaned. Cat brought out some spray cleaner and I hosed and she sprayed and brushed and then I hosed them off. It took a while because we have 10 pillows. But once they were done, we could see the improvement! We set them out for the day to dry. 

Wednesday, August 5^th., 2026…… Another nice morning!  It will get hot later today but we love to sit out on the porch when it’s this nice out! No plans today. Cat did some more picking on the blackberries. She did the ones below the birdhouse and those just across the creek. But she didn’t go out to the patch way back on the southwest corner to check those. Our problem is that those on the other side of the creek are hard to get to without a truck or the mule or an orchard ladder. Maybe in a few days when they get really ripe we will try for those…   

Thursday, August 6^th., 2026…… This morning, we walked and fed the girls, then headed off to the gym and then to Kristi’s for breakfast. We asked her why her place wasn’t on the new LebanonOpoly game. She said they didn’t want to pay to join the chamber of commerce so they were excluded from the project. We figured that Kevin (and others on the game) were ‘contributors’ to the city chamber and got to get their properties on the board.  Later, we did a bit of weeding. Penny’s guy, Zephry, came by and he and Cat walked the property with a list I had listed from Cat’s notes. They came up with a plan and he is very reasonable price-wise and will work hourly.  We’ll just have to wait until he can get here – probably next week – to get going.

Friday, August 7^th., 2026…… This morning started out ok. We walked and fed the girls and had leftovers for our breakfast. Cat went out to pick more berries and then I got the mule out and picked her up to go get some from the back corner. That’s when we heard it!  Water was jetting out of the wellhead!  Again!  It was Dec. of 2024 when we last had it fixed. But it failed again. It’s always in the same spot.

I called the company (Evenflo Plumbing) I used before because I liked their service and the technician. I was told that they were all booked today and I should call after 5 today to get on the schedule for weekend service. That would cost us! But, in a few minutes they called back and said they had a cancellation from a client who was ill, so they were on the way!  Yaay!  Meanwhile, Cathye met up with Rich and Linda, who were out in their year. When I drove the mule out there, she said it was wet and be careful!  That was all the way across the field from the well so we found that the leak was going on for at least the last day or more!  Good thing we don't pay for water! Cole and Ollie showed up about an hour later and I took them out in the mule to check it out. 

They ran off to get parts and were back in a few minutes. I watched them cut out the old part. The connection where the pvc pipe was screwed into the iron pipe had failed. Cole said it was the only weak spot in the system! Also, he saw that the line coming up from the ground was at an angle. So, that was a pressure point. He said he would put in new pvc and this time he would use a plumber’s bend, which was like a sink trap line. That would relieve the pressure in the future. He came back to the house in just a few minutes saying they were done!  We would have to wait 3-4 hours for the glue to set up. But that was no problem because we were leaving to go to Independence to go to a concert later anyway. They will send me a bill later today or Monday so I don’t know what the price was. He said it was an easy fix so I think it should only be a few hundred dollars, but we’ll see.

Later, we headed off on the 50-60 minute drive up to Independence Park. They have a really nice amphitheater looking onto a large flat area where they bring in a temporary stage for their concerts. We had never been before but Misty and Lona have been and recommended it. Tonight was an Abba cover band. We got there and found a close up parking spot in the lot and found Misty and Nancy and sat our chairs up. This place was really nice!  They had clean fluffy green grass and we got settled in and took off our shoes! We found a food truck and got Mexican food for dinner. Nancy and I had a snafu on mixed up burritos but otherwise it was good. The first band was called Daring Greatly from San Diego and was finishing up on their 30-city tour.  They were really good and we got into it quickly. Later, the Band After Midnight took the stage. They were ok. We went to another Abba tribute band concert a few years ago and we both liked that band better. But these guys were ok. 

We left a little early so we could beat the crowd plus we needed to get back to the doggies since it would have been almost 6 hours! When we got back, I went out and turned on the pump. But we will wait until tomorrow morning to go out there to check it out in the daylight.  We were still wired when we got home so we stayed up a bit to watch some tv before calling it.

Saturday, August 8^th., 2026…… This morning was the girls’ rail ride! Before that, we walked the dogs and then I got out the mule and we went out to check the wellhead connections. There is now a bend in the pipe

(sorry – the pic doesn’t show it clearly) and it looks good and I hope will work in the future! Cole said we should be good for years and if it fails to call him directly and he will come out personally and fix it! That’s why I like this company!  Cat made us coffee and me breakfast and then Penny and Jody came by to get Cat.  Meanwhile, I was out in the shop, taking one of the wheels off the zero-turn. It was flat!  I had noticed it last time and added air just to mow for the day. I looked and didn’t see anything obvious but there is definitely a leak!  After the girls left, I took it up to Les Schwab and left it for them to fix. Later, they called and said it was a small hole and they fixed it – no charge. I left around 11:15am and headed to Sweet Home to meet up with the girls at The Rusty Bucket for lunch. We enjoyed time together and a pretty good meal (and beer!). 

Here are pics that Penny shared...

Cat and I headed out and stopped and I got the tire on the way home. I got it re-installed and put the mower away. That was it for me today.  The girls came by later and dropped off three racks of ribs for tomorrow when they come back for a bbq. We wanted them today so we could put them in the oven tomorrow morning to steam them and get them ready for an easy re-heat on the grill. Tv and bed.