Wednesday, August 17, 2022

The Day of Small Joys.

 What a nice day it was! We got up and got back work on the steps down to the creek. The tenants are awfully excited about this project, and it is fun to see that, and listen to them. The two tenants are of a like age, both of them local history buffs, both of them awfully fond of the creek behind their house. They are so tickled with the project that Jim provided the wood screws. He had a bucket of them that he'd brought along in his move, and he wasn't quite sure why...until we started work on the steps. His contribution saved us a lot of money. 

We slid the risers down the bank and got the supports in at the bottom. I began screwing on the treads. 

While we were working, William was working on a very large willow that had blown down. Tim had cut it back, but the thing sprouted up, creating a wall that blocked Jim's view of the creek from his deck. William lopped the suckers off, happy as a clam to be doing what he considered to be a 'man's job'.

I had to run to Grand Valley to get the post hole digger for the supports on the side.  Tim stayed behind to cut the rest of the treads for the stairs and to visit with Jim. 

While I was down there, I stopped into Albert and Becky's to get tomatoes. I mean I have my own tomatoes coming ripe in the garden, but he has the biggest tomatoes I've ever seen in my life. They measure over 5 inches across, and weigh well over a pound. What is wonderful about them is that one slice laps over your toast for the perfect tomato sandwich. While I was there, I picked up a tomato for Jim and Paula and a nice cantelope. 

I chatted to Albert for a while, and it felt nice standing in the sun, visiting. 

Jim and Paula were as amazed at the size of those tomatoes as I was, both of them saying they'd never seen such huge tomatoes in their lives. 

Tim and I went back to work, supervised by our tenants, listening to the distant thunder, watching the clouds move in, and the sky get darker and darker. More rain was coming, which was a great thing. We poured the concrete mix in the freshly dug holes, around the support posts. With a good rain, the concrete will harden right up around them, and we'll be ready to finish the job. Jim and Paula should be using their steps by the weekend. 

Tomorrow, though, we're taking a day off and taking William to Penn's Caves. He had such a fun time during the last cave explore that he's quite excited about doing it again. These caves are toured by boat which adds to the novelty. He's also excited about the eyeless fish that live deep in the caves. 

We got everything cleaned up and put away just as the weather started getting truly dicey. 

We turned the 'rescued' bike over to the police tonight. No one claimed it from the facebook post. 

Remember the kids across the street? Seems like the parents figured out that the 11 year old was too young to be watching toddlers. They are not left home during the day anymore. But I saw the oldest boy out and asked him if he had a bike. He did not. I asked him if he wanted William's old bike, (which is in pretty nice shape...just outgrown). I told him to run up and ask his mom if it was okay. "No!" he said, excitedly, "i'll take it!" Tonight, I saw him bike riding out with two other boys. That made me glad for him. I think he's a kid who doesn't get a lot of time to play with kids his own age. He waved as I passed. 

This is probably the most boring post ever, but all these little things made for a very satisfactory day. 

40 comments:

  1. Your assessment of your post is a hoot. You did some very worth while things in your day.

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  2. Tell Will about the dog they rescued in a Missouri cave. They found him 500 feet down and almost dead. Luckily there was water. He had been lost for two months and was very weak. The rescuers had do carry him out in a duffle bag.

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    1. How funny, Bettina. I saw that. We were talking about it tonight! The poor thing! They said it had lost half its bodyweight and had was just now starting to get its bark back. I'm so glad that story had a happy ending.

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  3. This is far from being a boring account -- an interesting description of what might seem a mundane day to you but far from it in the scheme of life. You realize this when the day may come (which you can't imagine now ever will) such days are all in your past. I loved your description of the large tomatoes. Reminded me of visiting my aunt and uncle one summer. They had a lovely garden and tomatoes. I was a young child convinced I didn't like tomatoes. My aunt persuaded me to try a tomato sandwich, just bread, a bit of mayonnaise and a juicy slice of one of their tomatoes. I loved it and all sorts of tomato fixes since.

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    1. I will take a picture. These are truly perfect tomatoes.

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  4. Sounds like a wonderful day all around. Your tenets and neighbor are lucky to have you. Linda in Kansas

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  5. Kids do need bikes and other kids to ride with. You did a good thing there.

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    1. I think the kid did need it. He has been given a pretty rough row to hoe.

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  6. More happies. That's what everyone needs.

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  7. A very satisfactory day indeed!

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  8. Sitting here realizing that for the first year in a long time, I have not yet eaten a BLT. Since we didn't plant any tomatoes this year, also the first in a long time, I may have to go buy a tomato to make one.

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    1. ED!!!!! This may actually be illegal!!!

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    2. Glad I came back to this post to read your comment. We harvested a bunch of stuff from our garden yesterday and gave some of it away. In return, we have six super ripe tomatoes sitting on our counter. I just need to make a trip to the store for some bacon and I'll be legal again!

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  9. You are a good writer who can make mundane posts quite readable.

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  10. Not a boring post at all! Thank you.

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  11. Sounds like a wonderful day! You got lots of work done but had some time to visit with friends. How kind of you to help out the neighbor boy! He will enjoy that bike and so will his siblings as it gets passed down!

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  12. That's great about the bike for the boy -- and the fact that his parents have realized they need a better child care system. Wonder what they're doing now?

    What's Albert's secret to his giant tomatoes? Do you know?

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  13. Have you ever tried adding fresh basil to your tomato sandwich? Really delicious-

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  14. Sometimes it is the little, boring things. I will take that any day of the week. Thanks for sharing, Debby.

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  15. Not a boring post at all. A post that has left me feeling warm and fuzzy that there is so much good in the world. You and Tim are good people.

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  16. That sounds like some undertaking! It was just like I was right there with you but didn't have to do any of the work! lol

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  17. This was a lovely post, and ask if those tomatoes were Mortgage Lifters. A wonderful heirloom.

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    1. I am almost certain that they are. I will ask though.

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  18. Debby it wasn't boring! Hope you had a good trip to Penn's Caves, and what a sweet story about your neighbor boy and the bike! As for your tenants, I wish I was one of them! 🙂

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  19. Oh, it was a great trip to the caves. William really does love caves.

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  20. Debby, you don't know what boring is. I can even bore myself.

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  21. You are so wonderful, Debby. You made that boy very, very happy!

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I'm glad you're here!

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