Quiet Fourth of July

Busy with our various projects, Gerald and I did not go far yesterday on the Fourth of July. In the past, we have sometimes gone to a community barbeque or to a bash our daughter-in-law sometimes hosts. But we had been celebrating with the famly for a week during Jeannie's visit, and it was good to have a restful day. After running to town for a prescription, Gerald did run up to Gerry and Vickie's house and found our little Geri Ann suffering from one of the many viruses in our community. (She is fine today.)

Although Tara, Bryan, and baby Aidan had squeezed in a trip down here to get a truck load of stuff from their house in DuQuoin and hurried back to Chicago area on Monday, we had not seen them during their too-brief visit. Jeannie and daughters hit it lucky and happened by at the right moment to get to meet Aidan. Of course Gerry and Vickie had delighted in seeing their daughter's family and holding that new grandson again. When Gerald asked about how much Aidan might have grown, Vickie looked sad and Gerry said, "She is suffering post-partum depression." We don't think he was really kidding. I suspect there may be a trip up in that direction when Erin plays softball at Elgin.

Besides the wonderful rain we had, our only treat for the holiday was a ride around the farm on the "mule" for Gerald to show me some dirt work he has been doing--a favorite past time for him. He had worked that morning again leveling a spot on the west side of the farm. An old pond must had been therein days gone by, and he was smoothing it out. Today he moved the kids' swing from the tree in the north fence row over to that newly created flat area. Our neighbor thinks we need a picnic table there.

Mext we traveled on and looked at the lake spillway that he was making some adjustments to. Because of the rain, water was pouring out of a pipe in the bank there.

As we continued around the lake, we enjoyed seeing the 26 geese we now have at Woodsong because they were swimming on the lake. We don't mind the frequent inconvenience of having to slow the car when they cross the lane in front of the car as they busily come and go to the wheat field and we don't mind their being on the edge of the lawn, but we get upset if they wander too close to the patio. But they are a pretty sight on the lake. We think the ducks are a pretty sight no matter how close they come to the house. Yesterday the island was alight with Queen Anne's lace and the bright yellow blooms of black-eyed Susans, and it looked like a big bouquet. But the narrow back channel and some areas of the lake are covered with algae like last summer, and those areas are not so pretty.

Yesterday we prayed for peace and democracy in Iraq and other troubled spots around the world, and we thought prayerfully about our service people and their families. And we remembered the several groups from our area that are in other lands or about to go to other lands on mission trips. And we will continue to pray those prayers after the Fourth of July also.