What a week

I was going to title this "Riding a Whirlwind" but wanted to check my references – and my own blog post from a year ago popped up! There are some common threads – first days of school, the last of the peaches, garden stuff – but oh, so much going on that is different.

For starters, I'm still dealing with summer gardening stuff . . . and weather. We're still growing most of our produce with liberal applications of well water,

and fall seems a long way off on this hazy 100° day.

Taken earlier this week when air quality was even worse.

On Monday and Tuesday, Brian's first two days of school, I drove to Spokane and back. A year ago we had no idea my dad was being reeled in by sophisticated scammers, aided by his advancing white matter disease that was first detected when he had a stroke in October 2014. By the time we learned about it this January, he had already given away all his liquid assets and was starting to compromise their material assets. The only thing that could be done to protect what was left to support him and his wife (now estranged from him over this) in their senior years was to request a financial guardian for him . . . and wait while the wheels of justice turned ever so slowly. Tuesday morning all parties met for mediation in hopes of avoiding an expensive and stressful trial scheduled for December, and miracle of prayed-for miracles, it resulted in an agreement. (The back-pedaling has been fast and furious, but I'm still hopeful.) Afterwards, I saw my dad for the first time in a year. That was predictably chilly; he cut off all communication with me last March when I wouldn't agree to drop the petition for guardianship. Ironically, the law office where we met is located in a historic mansion that used to house a fancy restaurant where Rick and I treated my dad and step-mom to dinner over 30 years ago:

There was spinning while waiting for the mediator to do his work.

I got home at 1:00 Wednesday morning, slept a few hours, then got up to do chores and report to work. As soon as I saw Blake, his eyes and ears told me something was wrong with my ram. Oh please, no; not another one! I grabbed Rick and Brian to help me herd the boys into the Ram-ada Inn lot where we could catch and treat Blake. They are still there and we still don't know what's going on, but Blake is still with us for now.

If only they could tell us where it hurts.

There hasn't been much time to dwell on that. After working a few hours Wednesday, I had to pick up Brian from school and deliver him to the State Fair to report for the draft horse show. Last year we didn't think it prudent to pull Brian out of classes his very first week of school to drive for Rick's client; this year Rick decided to allow it. So Brian drove in the Junior Cart class Wednesday and the Junior Team class Thursday, and came away with a blue ribbon and a red ribbon.

After both 3:00 classes, we stayed to help Rick's client prep for other classes and enjoy more of the fair, including a Kenny Loggins concert Wednesday night, and a show by Cirque Ma'Ceo Thursday evening.

Friday I had to work again, then try to catch up on housework and cooking before the Sabbath hours arrived. So glad for this day of rest – and a chance to fill you in on what's been going on.

That's it for now from . . .