A visit to the farm

It was a long, hot weekend that extended way, way into Monday.

Our mission was to get Ray ready for a colonoscopy, to be performed on Monday. He is having some memory problems and wiles away a lot of his time, looking for things he has misplaced. Currently on the "lost list" are his TV remote, his left hearing aid, and traditional places to store ones clothes. He's keeping his sox on the couch, seed caps on the dining table, pants under the bed. I don't know what's in his closet.

Our biggest challenge was talking Ray into drinking the gallon of gorp, the stuff that cleans out the system. He couldn't see any sense in that at all. We made it into a game, setting the timer for 10 minutes--"better drink it down, Ray, only 3 more minutes!", adding lemon flavoring, adding a shot of whiskey. He kept up until the stuff was over half gone, then gave it up.

Like most older folks, he's sensitive to cold. And defines cold as any temperature under 80. Fans create a draft. We suffered in short-sleeved T-shirts; he wore two long-sleeved shirst, buttoned to the neck.

Because we were down to one tiny foster kitten, her siblings having moved to the humane society's adoption floor, we brought her with us. The alternative was to leave her to the not-so-tender mercies of our three adult cats. They're not a welcoming crew so she would have been banished to a lonely room in the basement for the duration.

I was surprised (even I!) at how much joy this little creature brought to me as I watched her chase after flies, barrel up and down the hallway, sleep soundly stretched out between us in bed. She'll be gone by the end of the week, following her siblings to the adoption floor. I'll miss her.

The good news from the weekend was that Ray's colon was pronounced to be in good shape. The doctor also did an endoscopy and found some ulcers on his esophagus and stomach which are probably the cause of his anemia. Biopsies were done and more than likely, treatment will be either antibiotics or an acid-reduction therapy.

The State Fair

It's kind of a love/hate thing I have with the State Fair. I anticipate it every year and every year, before we are ready to leave, I'm done. This year was no exception.

DadKat and I man a booth in the Education Building for a 4-hour shift. This year was so hot and so humid, I was wilted, sweaty, feet hurt, done, done, done! Our shift was at least a year long and no amount of room temperature water helped, no amount of looking at the prize-winning jellies passed time. It was truly agony.

Of course, before the shift, we made our annual tour, mini-donuts in hand, through the animal buildings: so many clean cows, darling goats, hilarious chickens. Then, blackberry malt in hand, we sat for a show at the MPR booth--wonderful classical singers doing their Hawaii show in lovely, gaudy shirts and bare feet.

We looked for political buttons of a certain persuasion--all out--a good sign! Cheesecurds in hand, we wandered past what used to be machinery hill. Now the machinery is mostly lawn mowers. Lots of scooters and motorcycles this year. I wonder if scooter/cycle/bike accidents will go up with their increased use. This morning a motorcycle rider got nailed 100-feet from our house. It didn't look good for him/her.

Only a year 'til the State Fair.