We've just come through about ten days of hellish weather -- over 105, even up to 109! Even though the TV stations like to focus on weather in Oklahoma, it isn't the high or low temperatures that they focus on, so I didn't even notice if we set a record this summer. The TV stations really focus on rain and thunderstorms with the potential for high winds, hail or tornados or even just severe thunderstorms. They interrupt programming to report even the slightest presence of a thunderstorms anywhere in the state! Oh well, that's my pet peave complaint for today.

Andy has been working hot and heavy on building decks outside of the two bedrooms, and will finish up this week. We are very happy with the way they turned out. He is really getting to use his creative skills in addition to his building skills and is enjoying that. In the afternoons, the front deck is shaded and comfortable, even in the middle of summer.

I've begun unpacking boxes that have been stored in the living room for the past year. We've really needed to start finding some art and decorative items for the house. Some things will have to stay in storage for a while longer, but be moved to the garage. But I've even thrown some things away! Someone asked me if our house in Texas was that much bigger, that we have a household full of things unpacked already and still have the equivalent of two garages filled with boxes. That got me thinking, because this house is really about the same size as the house in Coppell. The problem is that we had an attic (which we don't have now), three bedrooms with big closets, and living room/dining room space there that we don't have the use of here, because we can't put all of our "stuff" in the three guest rooms! Even though we have a basement here, we don't want to clutter it up with stored boxes -- because we don't want to have to move them when we remodel and use the basement. So for now we'll continue to use the garage for storage and hopefully be able to unpack more boxes from there by the end of the year.

Once the decks are completed and the living room uncluttered, we will be able to "open".