Hello all:

It's another first day of school at our house. I can remember in year's past, we'd all be up and outside at the bus stop waiting for Gayle the bus driver (or whomever) to pull up over the hill to take away our offerings. Today we were down to two - quality offerings though they were. Since 1985 - exactly 20 years ago - we've been out there repeating this scene. We have proof enough - just look at all all our pictures sometime. Why we even have videos of some of the years. And we still have four more repeat performances before we pack it up and move onto another chapter in our lives. What will we do with ourselves? Do we even have other plans in the works? I guess we'd better get working on it.

This was a quiet long weekend. Sarah and John were at the Awakening Conference all weekend (Fri-Sun nights until 10 or 11PM), so Dad and I were left to fend for ourselves most of that time. I filled Saturday by taking Sarah to soccer practice, then JD to the Conference, then picked up Sarah and dropped her at the conference . Since I was right there...I stopped over to see my nephew play college baseball against JCC at the Fairgrounds diamond. He played third base and did a great job. They won 13-2.

While at the game with my sister Sherry, I was given some great tips by her on preventing Rose from starving as she learns how her meal plan works, and what's open and when. So I took her advice and hurried over to Sam's to purchase the life-saving staples. If I got back in time she promised to deliver the things for me after church the next day. What a great sister, eh? I made it, and I believe everything was much appreciated. We can all breathe easier, except for normal college student malnutrition concerns. Eat vegetables! Onion Rings are not vegetables.

Yesterday at Grandma Maxon's Annual Labor Day Picnic there were only six diners. Steve stayed around for the dinner, joining Grandma, Sarah, John, Dad and I at Gr.'s table. We enjoyed speidies (steak grilled in small strips), salad with fresh garden tomatoes, fresh (? it came home with us from the Potsdam trip of 8/26 - but it was good!) corn on the cob and a chicken dish prepared by Grandma in the oven with peppers, onions and spag. sauce. We finished off the meal with ice cream, and some fun conversation around the living room until Steve had to head back to Syracuse to prepare for today's law classes . We missed the Snyders who are caught up in a communal case of bronchitis, and had stayed at home to prevent the spread, and to rest of course. Maybe soon, we can all kick back and enjoy the big group again. It was fun this summer having everyone home due to Ben's wedding.

Dad finished his evening by cutting down the fallen tree out in Gr's. yard. He had just gotten his little chain saw working and celebrated by cutting down one of our hammock trees Saturday, so he was all revved up to take on another one. This tree was pretty big, and it took out a lot of the tree it had fallen into, while coming out. But it is out finally. It was sad to cut down our hammock tree, but it had to be done. We have three trees supporting two double hammocks now, so it's not that bad. It was blown down early in August during a nasty storm, and had been threatening the very peace of our hammock area by it's menacing presence.

So now we have to get on with the rest of our regular week. Music meeting tonight. Woot! We're adding Bebo Norman's "I Have Nothing". And I get to sing with Steve!

Know you are loved,

MOM