Baby got class

For those with kids heading back to school (as well as the dedicated teachers). 

Watch those school zones.   

Serenity

Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,

The courage to change the things I cannot accept,

And the wisdom to hide the bodies of those people

I had to kill today because they pissed me off.

And, help me to be careful

Of the toes I step on today as they

May be connected to the ass

That I might have to kiss tomorrow.

Amen.

Yea, it's been THAT kind of week.

Sorry, my plate's kinda full, right now.  No more customers on the Agg ride.  You'll just have to wait your turn like everyone else.  
  

Not to worry, I managed to eek out of the week into another weekend.  Hopefully, the next few weeks things should lighten up a bit.  I am so looking forward to football and hunting season.    

No autographs, please

A typical walk with Claire...

My first attempt at videography.
Not really anticipating any Oscars for editing.  

I'll take funny insults for $500

Yea, I'm still here.  Funny how I thought that July was going to be a tough pull.  Once we got past the external audit, the supplier trip up north, my dad's surgery, I figured that we could coast through August getting ready for the fall football season.  Silly rabbit.  

I am working through the weekend getting ready for another audit (more about that later) and trying to pour through resumes and interviews for new buyers (more about that later as well).  The next 2 weeks are looking to be "interesting" (if I survive).  Needless to say, my supply of scotch is woefully under stocked. 

The good news is that both my dad and SIL are doing very well.  Recovery is coming along nicely and SIL seems to be making improvements (finally).  Went across town last night for dinner with the family, check up on my dad's progress, exchange insults with brothers, swap good bull stories.  Somewhere along the line someone was complaining about something trivial annoyance and my eldest brother (always a smartass) commented that they were in need of an Optirectomy (a surgical procedure that detaches the optic nerves from the rectum so you won't have a shitty outlook on life).  Maybe it was the wine talking, but we found that hilarious.  

In the interim, I thought I would leave you with a few random goofy dog shots (doing a little spring cleaning on my iPhone).

Really?
I am so gonna urp up my dinner in your closet.  

Where's Waldo (or Grayson)? 

Attention hound

Hanging out at the local farmer's market

Interesting things to see at the farmer's market 

I am working on a video montage of Claire, but I don't have the videography skills like Mel and I am trying to find the software to patch together several iPhone videos.   

Renovate this!

Has anyone seen a July lying around?  I've misplaced mine and cannot seem to find it.  Hard to imagine we've just turned the corner and it is now August.  Where the heck has has the summer gone?  We haven't been anywhere (aside of my road trip to Chicago) and have been busy around town taking care of family.  

Normally I have several trips over the summer and accomplish a few projects but this year I haven't knocked off any of the projects I had planned to do back in May.  Still haven't replaced the driveway (momma and I are in disagreement over which project needs to be done first), I've got to re patch & repaint the ceiling from an earlier a/c leak, need to fix the shower pan leak, was hoping to clear out my closet, etc.  

At least we have been spending more time across town with the family than we normally do since they are in town this summer.  My dad is doing great!  We went over last weekend to check up on his progress and to bring SIL over to help her celebrate her birthday (we are not allowed to speak of her age).  My dad's recovery is coming along very well, no complications, no major issues.  He is learning to live with the bag but he hopes to lose it in a few weeks.  SIL is doing much better.  Was good to get her out of the house and out to see people.  I think her situation has depressed her somewhat and she has withdrawn from going out so this was a good exercise for her both spiritually and mentally.  She went back to the doc last week for another MRI and they determined that the cancer has not come back (fantastic news!) and she will continue with the Chemo for a while.  That diagnosis has been hanging over her for a while so getting that good news has lifted her mood.  Still a long road to go, but at least she is making progress.

Recovering nicely

Since it was a mini reunion, junior came down for the weekend to check up on my dad and SIL at the same time.  We had a small, informal birthday party last weekend.  Nothing ornate or fancy, just a low key gathering. 

Gathering of the tribe

A chip off the old block?

I went back over yesterday to check out my dad's progress and he continues to make improvements.  I also got to see their new windows.  They had been talking about replacing the back windows for some time and finally pulled the trigger yesterday.  Guy came out yesterday morning at 0800 and by noon he was done.  4 new windows installed and it really made a difference in the breakfast room (see the 2nd picture above).  Of course, with any kind of renovation, there is now talk about getting new counter tops. 

  

What stirred this up is that my older brother is having a full blown kitchen renovation.  This is a major project that will involve taking out a chimney, gutting the entire kitchen, adding a new bathroom/laundry room, and pushing out the kitchen wall by 12 feet.  I've seen road construction projects less complicated.  They spent the last two weeks moving everything out of the kitchen and preparing for the demo work.  The crew just started ripping down cabinets and ceiling yesterday.  The current timeline on the project has it finishing up hopefully by Thanksgiving.  Imagine living without a kitchen for that long.  They plan to use the garage (has a small kitchen) if necessary but they will be living out of the rest of the house during the renovations.  

All this renovation talk has put my bride into the mood for some for new windows or a new kitchen.  Heck, I just want a new driveway without any cracks.