Scorching the World

  We needed to leave early enough today to pick up some of the Mutombo family. They are on the other end of Fresno from us and it sure seems like there should be people who live closer to them who could pick some of them up. But we’ll keep doing it whenever we are asked. They are a wonderful family. Sacrament meeting was good. I was having trouble focusing/sitting still so I got out my notebook and wrote down what the 2 speakers were saying. Then I realized what good talks they were – definitely things I want to remember. Relief Society was good. We always have good lessons and the Spirit is strong. Sisters always make wonderful comments. I love this ward. We had a small turnout for choir. Too many people are on vacation. But I realized that the only week we can sing in July is next week – a prelude for Fast Sunday meeting, so we practiced with no sopranos, 3 altos, and 4 men. The arrangement I made of Oh the Deep Deep Love of Jesus sounds beautiful to me. The hardest part in...

  I had a headache when we went to bed last night so I took a pill and slept well. But as soon as I got up it came back. It wasn’t terrible, I just didn’t feel like doing anything. I got through my morning routine then laid down on the couch. Tom joined me and rubbed my head for a little while. He had filled his truck with metal from Tanya’s rental so he took it to the recycling place and got $25. That used to be a lot of money, but gas is so expensive, it probably didn’t even pay for his gas to go to the rental and to take it to the recycling place. Lol I took a good nap while he was gone and started feeling much better. Still, I took it easy. It was nice to have a calm day. Tanya came over at 1, on her way from getting a massage in Madera and rode with us to the temple. Todd had done a whole lot of family history and had a couple of families with a lot of children to get sealed, so he needed our help. It was very moving to be part of having 5 children sealed to their parent...

  I slept so good last night. I dreamed twice about the family reunion. I may be having some anxiety about all the unknowns. Tom woke up just before the alarm went off for him to go to work. I enjoyed lying in the bed just a little longer. Tanya planned to go to her rental I call Flora at 10, so I planned the same. So I did my morning routine and enjoyed not having to rush out of the house early. At 9 I decided I wanted to go to Walmart on the way, so I took off, I found lots of fun fabric for future projects and some other things I needed, including ready-to-bake-pizza for lunch, then went to Flora. Tanya was already there. I painted crown molding for a couple of hours and finished the 2 nd room. Then Tanya and I opened the paint that matches the 2 front rooms and I touched up walls. But I was too tired to move furniture and I sure didn’t want to climb on the ladder anymore, so I only touched up spots where I could reach easily. I couldn’t cook the pizza for lunch because t...

  We slept until almost 6. Amazing. After we got up and got dressed, I was on my computer being so busy when I realized I hadn’t seen Tom for a while. I finished the computer stuff and went to start making stuff from the Relief Society activity tonight when I found Tom had gone to the couch and took a nap. I guess he’s still tired from not feeling well yesterday. After that he was fine all day. He did some Synergy, then left to help Tanya in her rental. He was gone until just before I left for Relief Society at 4:30pm. I didn’t go help Tanya today. I had too many things of my own. I did 2 loads of laundry and hung them out. (I wish I could see the water evaporating. It would be at least as fun to watch clothes dry as it is to watch grass grow.) I made brownies and peach pie and got the pigs in a blanket ready to bake, covered them with Saran Wrap and put them in the fridge. I put everything together in the kitchen so it was ready to go. I practiced the piano a lot, over a...

  Tanya was too busy today to go work in her rental, so Tom and I got the day off. I spent most of the day preparing things for the Relief Society activity tomorrow and practicing the piano. Those two things were my focus. I am not as far along at being able to play 2 of the hymns as I wish I were at this point, so I’m doubling down on them. I also made a few more things for the Family Reunion. They were simple bags that I got better at as I did them. It was in the high 90’s today so I didn’t even want to go outside. Tom picked up a few thibgs for me at Walmart on his way home from pickleball, which I really appreciated. After he got home, he kept saying he needed to work outside, but it was just too hot. As the day wore on, he began to feel sick to his stomach and like he was going to throw up. He sat and watched tv with me from late afternoon on. So sad when he is sick. I was going to make a peach pie, but Tom didn’t feel good enough to pick the peaches. I got the crust...

  Tanya started working at her rental about 7am, but today was my day to chat with Anne, so I told her I wouldn’t be there until after that. I got everything ready to leave before we got on zoom so I could take off immediately after. Anne and I had a good visit on Zoom. It’s probably one of the most fun things I do every week. I took off right away to get to Tanya’s rental. Tom went straight there from work. There are only a couple of things that need done for her to have renters move in, but each one is going to take a lot of time. *I am focusing on painting the baseboards and crown molding in all the rooms. Tanya is also painting. * All the walls need either repainted or paint touched up. *Windows will be replaced by a contractor. * A handyman is fixing the fridge alcove. That one is the biggest job being done right now. *Todd is removing the ugly linoleum on the laundry room, then we will need to put in flooring, but it is small and won’t take long. *some cur...

  I slept longer than Tom this morning! That hasn’t happened for a while! I got on my morning routine first thing and was practicing when Tanya texted that she would be headed to the rental house right away. I told her I just had to finish practicing then I would go help. I spent about 8 hours, mostly painting baseboards and crown molding. It wasn’t hard work but it still wore me out, scooting along the floor, then climbing the ladder over and over. Tanya was doing touch up painting on the ceiling when her tray of paint fell on the floor. We scooped up as much as we could, then she spent several hours scraping the rest. When we were hungry, I went to get some food for all of us. There’s a Mexican take-out place nearby. The food was quite good. After eating, I just couldn’t get any energy to go back to painting again, so I headed home about 2:30pm. I figure we have about 2 more weeks of painting, unless we can get Tom’s help. Today Tom was helping Curtis, who is moving walls...

  I tried to make Tom feel special today and spoil him a little, but he is the person who always serves others, so it’s hard for him to let me serve him for a change. So mostly I tried to do whatever he wanted, like going for a walk in the afternoon when it was a little too warm outside for me. He thought it was perfect weather and enjoyed it very much. I didn’t need to be early to the church today, which was nice. Our Sacrament meeting was a good Father’s Day meeting. They had girls and leaders report on Girl’s Camp, but include lessons learned from David and Goliath (the CFM reading for this week), and testify what about their Fathers they admired. It sounds like a lot of random things thrown together, but it was quite good. The Primary sang Teach Me to Walk. We have a tiny Primary and they only sang one verse, so it was short. It took longer to get the kids up there and get them ready, then get them all to go back and sit down than it took to sing. LOL The meeting ended 10 m...

  Why do I keep waking up at 4am? 4am is the middle of the night! I left Tom sleeping and got busy on fun projects. He got up before he was ready “because the bed was too cold without me”. Today was my Mommy’s birthday. I thought of her frequently through the day. I am in the middle of a couple of fun sewing projects for the family reunion for purchase or prizes. I hope people like them. But even if they don’t, I’m having fun. I spent most of the day on those things. Tom left during the cool of the morning to help work on Tanya’s rental. He spent about 5 hours there with a handyman friend of ours. It was cooler today. I had the doors open until about noon! It only got up to the 80’s, which is unheard of in late June. We listened to both episodes of Follow Him before going to bed. I guess it wasn’t a very exciting day – I have nothing to report, but it was a very pleasant Saturday.

  I woke up at 4 and held still until 5 again. When Tom left for work at 5:55, I got busy. I planned to go to the gym while he was gone, but I had so many other things to do that there wasn’t time. I did 2 loads of wash and hung them on the line, I finished packing, I finished another step of the playing card holders, and I remade my purse. I was busy the whole time. I had my robot vacuum my floor and I organized and practiced and got so much done. About noon, cute little Jack from across the street knocked on our door. He said, Happy Father’s Day, and handed me a whole bag of food. There were sliced sausage, a container of barbeque sauce, Mac n Cheese, the most delicious macaroni salad, baked beans, and a little lemon cake for dessert! He said he had made it all. He is about 10. That family is so cute! I tasted some of it before putting it all in the fridge, then went back later for another taste. So good. Tom texted that he was so sleepy he could hardly stay awake for his rou...

We agreed to meet Tanya at 7 at her new rental to get things done before it got hot, so Tom and I got as much done at home as we could before leaving. I was determined to get my morning routine done before wearing myself out. The plan for today was to get the interior painted – today was painting day. At least that was the plan yesterday. When we got there, Tanya wanted to get the front yard cleaned up. Even though the house is not in a great area, on this particular little cul-de-sac, every yard is well maintained so this house is the eyesore of the street. All the neighbors know each other and they each commented to Tanya during the day how happy they were that the yard was being fixed up. So I started with scraping weeds off a walkway, then removing a ton of decorative lights from the ceiling of the front porch. I did those things to avoid hauling bricks from the back yard. Tom, Todd, and Tanya were doing harder things – digging, putting in decorative bricks, planting, etc. I al...

  I slept great last night and woke up feeling great. What a blessing! I figure at my age every day I wake up is a blessing! Tom got a whole lot of yard work done before leaving for pickleball. I spent the day sewing. I finished the little swimming pool “dressing room”. I don’t know if anyone will ever use it, but it’s cute and that’s what counts. Then I made a whole bunch of tissue packet covers for the family reunion and got a good start on a whole lot of playing card holders. While I sewed, I listened to some podcasts, but mostly I enjoy the quiet and being able to think without interruption. When Tom got home from pickleball, we took a nap, then he took off to work on Tanya’s house. Todd was there most of the time, working outside. Tom  was gone 6 hours and  painted 3 doors and some trim! The house is still such a mess – it needs lots more work. It would be nice if there were more people helping. We didn’t go swimming today; after Tom got some dinner, he nee...

  When I woke up, I decided it was ridiculous to drive to Idaho on Friday and come back on Sunday. That is way too much driving for a 4-hour event. So I googled flights to Idaho and told Tom I was going to book one. He gave me a thumbs up but suggested we fly into Salt Lake City and spend the night with Mike and Becky, then drive up to Idaho on Saturday, Good plan! That cuts down our travel time and increases our fun time significantly. Much better plan. I was able to get flights that were only a few hundred more than the gas to drive and I reserved a car. I ate 4 little FRESH peaches from our tree for breakfast! Heavenly! Tom had left for work and I was getting a good start on my morning routine when Tanya texted at 7am that she was already headed to the rental house. So I got my shoes on and packed some cleaning supplies and headed down there. We walked the property and talked about all the things that need done before renters can move in, then I started cleaning walls and ...

  I woke up at 4am but held still until Tom woke up at 5am, then we got up. Anne and I had scheduled to zoom this morning at 8:30 so I had lots of time to do things before that. I did 2 loads of laundry and hung them out to dry; I did my morning routine including scripture study and practicing the piano. It felt good to get so much done so early. Anne and I had a good chat while Tom was at pickleball. We have a lot to discuss these days with the reunion coming up and family stuff always happening. I love that we can look each other in the face to talk. I worked on making curtains for our little changing area by the pool. I got all the curtains hemmed the right length and was ready to put them up. I’m going to use zip-ties to hang them so Tom bought some on the way home. So as soon as he got home, I hung them up. They don’t look as good as I thought they would, so I’m going to take them back down and fix them. I googled how to undo zip-ties, but none of the videos actually w...

  We went to the church early because I needed to make copies of a flyer to be included in the bulletin and copies of an arrangement for choir to be put in the choir binders, and then I needed a good long time to warm up on the organ.  Tom could see on his church calendar that there were meetings starting at 8am, so we figured we could get in the church that early. But when we got there, nobody was there. We saw one car way over in a corner of the parking lot, but it looked like maybe a neighbor had parked there. So we sat in the car and waited for someone to show up. About 8:30 a man from the Spanish ward arrived. He has keys so we followed him to the door only to find it was unlocked all the time. Another brother from the Spanish ward had been there the whole time. We were sitting in the car waiting while the building was already open! I started the copies and left Tom to finish for me. He is so nice to help me so much! Since they didn’t clean the church yesterday, the cha...

  When Tom got to the Church to clean, there was only 1 sister there who was sitting on the curb, waiting for someone to open the building. Her husband had dropped her off and left for work. Tom had no idea how long she had been waiting. After 15 minutes, Tom called the people in charge who said that they wouldn’t be cleaning today at all because the Spanish ward would do it after their activity. So Tom gave the sister a ride home. If he hadn’t gone to clean, she would have waited a very long time then would have had to walk all the way home – several miles. She doesn’t speak much English so it would have been very sad. They left there so early that none of the stores he needed to go to were open yet. He patiently waited, then got his errands done, came home, and had some breakfast. When we were planning to move to Los Angeles, I was noticing lots of things I would want to get rid of, so I decided I should really do that now, even if we aren’t moving. So I cleaned some thin...

  We were wide awake at 5:30am, which was really good because Tom's alarm was silenced and he might have overslept otherwise. We couldn’t figure out why it didn’t ring. Weird, but so good that we were awake anyway. While Tom went to work, I got dressed and ready to go teach a lesson with the missionaries, then I did my morning routine. I also planned to run errands and go to the gym while I was in Fresno. They texted around 9am that the appointment was canceled. I decided not to make a special trip to Fresno and focused on what I could do at home. I got quite a few of my playing-card holders finished, but I’m waiting for buttons I ordered to arrive to finish the rest. I got all of the name tags ready for the family reunion. That’s exciting! Cannon called me in the afternoon to let me know he got married 2 weeks ago! What a shock! I can’t believe he did that without telling anyone! After Tom got home and we got a good nap, we both worked on STUFF. We planned to watch the FIFA ...

  This morning we slept until 6am! It was fabulous! It was going to get above 100 degrees today, so Tom got outside first-thing to work in the yard. I got on my usual routine with an extra focus on practicing. We have a plethora of boysenberries right now, so for breakfast I had a smoothie with a whole lot of boysenberries. Then I bagged up several quart bags of them to keep for the freezer. We just can’t eat them fast enough. We also gave a quart bag of them to our neighbors. I hope they want more soon! Anne and I decided to do zoom today instead of tomorrow because tomorrow I agreed to meet the missionaries at the church to teach a sister. Tom was outside painting urethane on our bear sculptures while we chatted. I had planned to help him with that, but he did it all alone. They look really good, but I think they need another coat in a couple of places. I’ve been making playing card holders and got them all cut out, then completed the 2 nd step. Next I have to have Tom’s h...