Grumbleeze

..than other days. This weekend was amazing! I wrote an article for the Blue Chip News and sent it to the editor ahead of time. We went for a boat ride. We fixed the boat. We mowed the lakeside lawn. We watered flowers and shrubs at the lake. We took pictures, went shopping, relaxed, and visited some of our kids via telephone.

Then we came home to a clean house and wow! the trees in our inner backyard were cut down. If that isn't a full weekend, I don't know what is.

Here is what's left of a mulberry tree we got from Patti & Rich's backyard many years ago. After it grew a bit, a second tree - a different kind - sprouted out in the middle of the first one. It never bore fruit and as a matter of fact, it and a poplar tree near the back deck began to take over the yard. We hired a neighbor of Nat & Emilio to cut it down and he and his crew showed up yesterday when we weren't home. We were greeted this evening when we arrived home with a big mess... but a happy one. We didn't hire him to clean it up... that would have been even more expensive! Know anybody who wants some free wood? Give us a call.

The boat repairs? A couple of weeks ago when we returned to the cottage from a little cruise, the motor wouldn't lift when I pressed the button. We tried repeatedly - even Frank couldn't get it to lift. Last weekend we went for a boat ride with a couple of our kids and their families and upon return... after I slowed down to bring her in to the dock, the motor quit. Mike said it felt like we were out of gas, but we still had almost half a tank! Frank couldn't start it either, so he gave the wheel back to me while Mike and Richard jumped into the lake and pushed us to the dock. Once we were tied up, Frank went back to the boat, fiddled about and discovered there was no gas in the line, so he primed it and it started. We didn't go out again though.

Since then Frank talked to Kevvy (her old captain) about it. He suggested we just fiddle with the button to raise the motor and it might work. Yesterday we went for a boat ride... just the two of us, so we had no sons-in-law to jump in and push if necessary! Good ol' Margaret... she started right up! We cruised around the lake a couple of times and came back with no fuel line incident. Got back and I decided to 'fiddle' with the button to raise the motor... tried once with no luck. Pushed the down button and then the up again and lo & behold! It raised. Yeay!!! Thanks Kev!

We had a nice weekend... even if it was just the two of us. Good thing we still like each other, eh? When we go home our kitty cats were more glad to see us than usual even. I think having Nat over to clean house yesterday... and then the tree cutters outside.... WOW! Too much activity for my babies. Tonight we have to watch Six Feet Under. There are only two more episodes, one tonight and the very final last one next week! I think I might miss it. Call me nutz but it's on my favorite list.