I am surprised about the difference in seasons between here and Dallas. It has been chilly in the morning, between 52 and 62 degrees, and then 80-90 in the late afternoon. Once the sun goes down, it is really pleasant -- in the 70's. And the humidity is nothing like Dallas so far. Even when we've had 90 degree weather, it isn't too bad as long as there is a breeze, and in the shade it is even pleasant. But we'll see -- this weekend is supposed to be hot and humid, according to the forecast.

We've had a couple of visitors in May: Donna and Richard Doherty spent a night, and then Andy's brother Sam and sister Jane brought their dad and spent a night. The feedback from the Doherty's was very positive. They stayed in the Texas room and said they were quite comfortable. We had steaks and polenta for dinner, with a lettuce, spinach and arugula salad from our garden. We made french toast and sausage for brunch on Saturday morning. We gave them a tour of the area -- Roman Nose State Park, Canton Lake, and the town of Watonga.

Andy's brother enjoyed the shower and the big bed in the Texas room. While the Barretts were here, we walked around the property so they could see all the clearing and trails Andy has done. And then he gave them a ride in the '55 DeSoto! On Sunday afternoon of Memorial Day weekend, Andy and I took a drive in the DeSoto, through Roman Nose Park and through the countryside. It was pretty cool! It is a big boat of a car (it reminds me of the lyrics to the song by the B-52's, "Love Shack" -- "I got me a car, it's as big as a whale...it seats about 20." We can get at least eight in it for sure! It has a hemi engine, so it has power. Andy drove it in the Pioneer Day parade with several of the bank directors on board on Memorial Day weekend.

The Oklahoma room is taking shape. I am ready to put paint on the walls of the bathroom this weekend. We've both been doing lots of yard work -- weeding, trimming trees, planting perennials, and keeping everything watered. We now have hummingbird feeders off the front porch and the back patio, and hanging by our private patio. We've seen at least one mating pair -- it's hard to tell one from the other but we definitely have both male and female birds. And yesterday I scared up a bunch of quail in the woods above the patio! We hear owl in the early morning and whipoorwills in the early evening, as dusk. We hear cardinals flying around and calling each other all the time.

We are eager to share our peaceful setting with friends !! We hope to have some "home concerts" this summer, and may have a local celebrity staying with us in July . . . keep posted for more news about that!