I'm here. Really!

There just hasn't been much interesting activity around here worth blogging about. The weather outside is uncomfortably hot. I've spent a lot of time pulling weeds in my flowerbeds and in the garden. I don't take heat well these days; yesterday I came in from weeding, sat down at the computer, got on Facebook, and typed in these words after my name: "is hot".

Good grief, I might have known I was setting myself up. Even one of the grandson's best buds made a comment on that one. Oh well, at least he agreed I was hot.

Friday, I honestly did have a heat spell while working in the garden, and Cliff decided I need a straw hat for outdoor summertime work. We'll be shopping for that today, I imagine, since we're heading to Higginsville to get paint for the "new" tractor. Not for the whole tractor, but for the front wheels, which are at present sporting "John Deere yellow". What a sacrilege! Eventually Cliff will paint the entire body of the Oliver, but he has other things to attend to first.

Five goldfinches enjoy their feeding time while a robin watches from the fence.

The bird activity continues outside my window. You might recall that the chief reason I wanted a birdbath was to attract bluebirds. Yesterday evening, I finally saw a pair of bluebirds availing themselves of the facilities. I wanted a picture, but I've moved everything so close to the computer-room window that the birds often notice me moving toward them from inside and fly away.

Bonnie, the heifer, is showing her pregnancy more every day. I expect before this month is over, we'll have a new baby to show off. God willing, of course. Every three weeks Bonnie has to put up with Secret's being in heat and jumping on her all the time, poor thing. When she seems to be close to giving birth, depending on the timing of Secret's cycle, I may have to separate them for the good of all concerned.

Cliff, as you might imagine, has been spending time playing with working on his newly acquired toy tractor.

He isn't one to leave tractors, mowers, or other vehicles sitting unprotected from the elements, so he spent much of Sunday trying to find a space into which the Ollie would fit. Bigger toys require big toy-boxes, and for a few tense moments I thought we might have to build a new shop especially for the 1855.

Cliff thought the shop door was tall enough for anything he might ever need to put inside.

Oh, it was a tight fit, all right.

Especially getting the tall pipe (stack? muffler? Cliff's still in bed, so I can't ask him) to clear the light fixture. It just happens Cliff had cut one of the lights down a little, so Ollie made it inside the shop.

Home sweet home.

We're looking forward to our son's annual visit soon, and I'm sure there will be plenty of activity then.