Saturday Projects and the Seventh Letter.....

Fall really is coming! I can feel it! 

September first is only 17 wake ups away!!

Evidence of fall's arrival  is beginning to pop up all over the place.

The old elm tree is dropping crisp brown leaves that accumulate by the back door and get tracked in through the sewing room.

I am NOT complaining!

Louis Dean and I are chipping away at a multitude of home repair/honey do projects that have piled up on us over the last several months. In the spring we were too busy fighting all the flooding that came our way to do anything but try to dry the house out and keep the water away.

THEN Louis Dean's knee began to give him so much pain he was practically bed fast before he had surgery the end on June. THEN he became very ill with bronchitis and by the time he had recovered from THAT - his knee was causing him MUCH pain as he once again tried to move into a more normal mode of living. He is still working out the soreness and tenderness that could have been prevented had he done all the exercises after surgery - but he was too ill! SO there you have it! We are just NOW getting back to some semblance of our 'normal life!' And I am LOVING it!!!

I love 'redeeming' things and I found this Spider Man at the curb while walking Lucy one day about 5 years ago. I carried him home and he has stood guard every fall since on our porch.

 We even took him with us to Katy back when we lived in our camper in 2012 after the quads were born. He manned the grill when he was staying down there!

You can see how he has faded so I decided to freshen him up a bit!

I spray painted black on him last evening and this morning I added his white cobweb design back.

Lucy supervised!

I am so happy to have my husband back!!!

He put down our kitchen floor a year - or two - ago and today he measured, cut, and painted the trim that goes along the floor. We may be slow to finish things but we DO get them done......eventually!

Lunch was another 'redeeming' meal!

Hatch chili's fresh from the market fried up with baked potatoes left from last night and some grilled hot dogs topped with grated cheese! Believe it or not - it was really GOOD!!

While Louis Dean was cutting the trim, I wandered around the 'no man's land' part of the back yard - you know - the part where Sanford and Son still live!

I picked up all these 'future pumpkins' and can't wait for the grands to paint them up and decorate them!

THIS is my inspiration from Hobby Lobby!

I haven't got around to decorating the gazebo yet.

Soon......very soon!

It was only 95 degrees here today!!

Still need to drink lots of water when we are outside!

I am loving taking a tub or two of fall 'debris' down from the attic every morning and spending the day sprucing it up and setting it out.

Sunflowers just make me smile!

So do candles!

This one smells like coffee so as soon as you come in the front door you think about having a cup!

My sweet husband did his due today!

He even went the second mile and started watering!

There's Spider Man over there guarding the front porch!

We have a happy little scarecrow to welcome - not scare - you as you come up to the door!

I am enjoying the slow transformation from summer into fall!

Tonight was like old times!

I poured our wine.......

and we sat out on the driveway with our feet propped up listening to the night sounds and just talking.

Louis Dean said, "Do you think - years from now - people will drive by this house and say, 'Remember that old couple that used to sit out there on their driveway with their feet up on the stone wall and drinking wine when we would come home? Wonder whatever happened to them?' Someday THIS will be 'a long time ago' - but NOW it's NOW."

Now for the letter.....

This 7th letter skips ahead 4 years to September 26, 1940 and was post marked at 4:30 PM from Aunt Polly in Laguna Beach, California. It was addressed to:

 Kathryn Kruger

P.O. Box 451

Palestine, Texas 

I suppose you wonder why I deluge you with letters. Well, it's your own fault because you said you love to get my letters and that is the only way I can share this joy with  you.

Little Sweet Thing:

                             I just long to share all the joy of this place with you. I feel selfish having two weeks - two whole weeks - lying in the sand and watching the waves come dashing in as though they would devour the world. I'm sitting in front of the big window now with my bathing suit on ready to go back as soon as I write this. The Parkers are down today and we stayed on the beach all morning, then came up and opened a few cans for lunch and now all of them have gone to the roque court, but Willis and I decided that we would rather go back to the beach. I had to write a letter to the bank so when I finished, I decided to write you a note and enclose Connie's letter. I love her letters and always feel as though I'd talked to her. This one came yesterday and I answered it immediately. The years apart can never dim the vividness of her personality for me. I love her so dearly. Isn't Tony sweet in the picture and isn't he tall? Isn't it funny that I'll always my love for him in my heart and he will grow up and forget me? I don't mean that to sound doleful for that isn't the way I feel about it. I was just so fortunate to have had him for those three or four years.

                            Had a letter from Mrs. Werner and she left Texas last Sunday night, but went to San Francisco first. Sent me her brother's address and asked me to write her our phone number. I'll do that today or tomorrow. I've had such a lot of letters since we've been out and I've enjoyed them so. Nearly everybody I sent cards to responded with such interesting letters. Isn't it sickening about Mrs. Pownall? I'll write to her tomorrow and just send it to her address in Joliet. I sent Louise a card and will send her another in a few days.

                                I forgot in my last letter to tell you how sorry I was about your little cats, darling. It seems you have such bad luck with them.

                              I'm glad your work is going to be light this year - don't you worry about Eleanor. It's her turn to have the half grades so let her bewail it all she likes.

                               Let me know as soon as you can if Mrs. Taylor can make my dresses.

                               Please return Tony's picture but you needn't return the letter.

                               Yours and Leila's package came yesterday but I put it away until tomorrow. He won't get Bertha's until we get back to Glendale because we didn't know we would be down here and she had to send it so far ahead of time.

                                You can put a fountain pen on his Xmas list, rather a fine point, as his is completely on the blink and he wished for one the other day. I told him he should have wished earlier.

                                 Patty was a year old the first of October. Karen must be the smartest thing I ever heard of because she is doing the same things as Patty, but Patty's precious too. Can little John walk? I know he's sweet.  I understand Inez is substituting for the different ones who are taking vacations of a month and is at Yoakum now. I hope she gets a permanent job. I suppose Jack takes care of the baby. Willis says it will be hard for him to get a job as Western Union will never recommend him and I am sorry. Willis says maybe thru his friends in Dallas, he might get another place on the road like he had before, where there would be no money to handle.

                                 I can't remember whether I wrote you of our trip one day this week to the beautiful San Juan Capistrano Mission, where I had my picture taken with a white pigeon sitting on my hat, one on each shoulder and on eon each hand. I think not. The bells and altar were brought over from Spain and it's most interesting and beautiful. Gorgeous flowers.

                               Must go to the beach with a heart full of love to the sweetest little thing from her adored Aunt Polly.

So the plot thickens. I know Bertha was Willis's daughter and I remember that Polly and Willis had not been married all that long. Willis was a widower and as far as I can tell, this was Polly's first marriage.