Monsoons are here

I keep thinking we will get some pictures to post, but we haven't yet, so I'll just fill you in by writing.

Monsoon season came a month early. It is so cold and rainy and wet - the whole state is going to need massive doses of anti-depressants by November because we didn't get to have any summer. We literally had 5 days of summer since June.

Our garden didn't grow again - the beets and carrots put on tops (that were bitter and funny tasting), but no bottoms. We still have our peas growing and hope to have some of them to eat, but we had to kill the rest of the garden because it became overrun with chickweed and pineapple weed. We decided to put plastic flowers on the deck because we just can't get anything to grow up here, but they actually all got ripped up by wind and blown throughout the neighborhood. We'll definitely get a picture of that posted soon.

Brian has done a lot of fishing in August. Welding jobs dried up and we had company, so he spent a lot of time chasing salmon and a couple halibut trips. The weather has been so foul that they only took the boat out twice. Tomorrow is the last day to use eggs for bait on the river, so he is going in the afternoon. He got a welding job for today and tomorrow. (YAY)

He goes hunting on the 8th of September - his usual spot -flying out of Tok. He is taking a friend from here and a friend from Joseph that he grew up with. I hope they all get one.

Alicia is going to teach classes at the scrapbook store. She can teach or have crops whenever she wants to schedule them. We hope they get a good turnout.

We gave a baby shower at our house last week. That was fun, we seldom have things like that out here because it is so far for everyone to come, but they carpooled and we all had a lovely time.

the next day, Alicia had to do her Master Canner duties and teach a couple hours of canning at church. She got a great response from all the ladies who went and they all learned new things. Either they were non-canners and learned the basics, or they were old-time canners that learned the new safety tips, so everyone came away feeling like they got something out of the class.

We judged at the state fair again, which we always enjoy. The fair was in the middle of a raging monsoon, but Alicia and I decided to go anyway, figuring there would be good parking and not too many crowds. We were drenched when we were done, but it was fun, and it wasn't crowded. the next day, the sun came out and it was a really beautiful summer day and they said the fair was really crowded, so we were glad we had braved the elements and had the fairgrounds to ourselves. We didn't enter anything this year....you know, some years are just like that.

Well, Happy Labor Day to everyone - have good trips all of you who are traveling and Joanna - take lots of pictures in South Africa.

Love, Charlotte