It’s been two very busy weeks since my last post. Which means I have a LOT of photos and ground to cover so let’s get started.

Last week we organized a road trip to Tulsa to visit daughter Felicity and her boyfriend Peter. The trip was possible due to Becky, Pam’s sister, staying on in Elma to watch the critters. We thank her for that! Becky had brought down some earrings that Lorraine (Pam and Becky’s mother) had in her estate when she passed. These were given to Felicity, who was delighted to get them.

Felicity with her “new” earring collection

Peter is quite the cook and made us dinner on Friday and breakfast on Saturday morning. Notice the food and plate composition in color, shape, and texture. Taste was excellent too.

Friday dinner plate

We had a conversational visit that touched on many, many topics. We also visited the Tulsa River Walk (Arkansas River) which is within two blocks of Felicity’s and Peter’s rental home.

View from the Tulsa River Walk

All too soon it was time for us to head home.

Peter (rear) with Felicity, Pam, and me.

Yes, Peter’s face is partially hidden but this is the best photo I have of the four of us. Better luck next time.

On the way home the main road was under construction so Pam grabbed a Kansas map and we headed out cross-country. One of the places we passed was the small hamlet of Beagle. Pam was “taken” with the name (since we have beagle-mix hounds at home) so we had to stop and get a photo.

Small structure in Beagle, Kansas

The round trip came in at about 1,300 miles and took us three days. Another long, driving visit accomplished!

Along those same lines, my college roommate, Jon, and his wife Joan were heading west on vacation and we arranged to meet them in Austin, MN, at a Perkins restaurant. The evening went by quickly. It has been some years since we’ve seen Jon and Joan face-to-face; it was time to catch up on all the news/events in their lives.

Jon and Joan are tall people and are members of Tall Clubs International. (Jon is 6′ 8″ and Joan is 5′ 11″) They met at a club meeting and will shortly be celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary. Joan has some medical issues and gets around now with the aid of a mobility device. Here we are outside the restaurant.

Joan (front) with Pam, myself, and Jon

Our social life is getting more active, it seems. My sister Kitt (and significant other Matt) will drive from Illinois and visit Heart House in late August. This kind of interaction is what we missed last year due to COVID-19 and I’m pleased we can now expand our social contacts.

Meanwhile, back at the house…

Painting, sanding, and scraping were all on the agenda. Becky contributed a major assist with sanding and scraping, getting large areas ready for follow-on paint. She also sanded the top of the table we use in the kitchen, preparing it for the coat of oil that Pam would apply later.

East wall of front porch ready for new paint
Kitchen table getting sanded

Pam sanded the top of our dinner table and added a coat of oil to it. She does this once a year or so to renew the table’s surface.

Another project was spray painting the catio door, giving it a new coat of white. It had always been a bit of an off-white that did not match the house and trim – it was time for the upgrade.

Catio door getting a refresh

The front (north) side of the front porch received a coat of barn red paint, moving that project along.

Barn red front porch wall

A big visual change was made in the library. The old carpet was removed, revealing the wood floor beneath. The floor is in good physical shape but does have paint stains on it. Apparently a previous owner had painted boards on the floor without using a drop cloth. Floor refinishing is not on Pam’s list of projects (and may never be). For now Pam will order individual rugs to cover traffic pattern areas in the space.

Library floor with carpet removed

Along with the routine yard work – plus caulking, sanding, scraping, and painting – it was a busy week at Heart House. Outside time was a bit limited due to the heat and humidity. Even the dogs felt it. Here is Bru cooling off in front of a fan after an outside walk:

Bru and her fan

Given the number of photos in this post there will be no Photo Archive this week.

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Pam’s Penny

It has been quite excellent teaming with my “see-eester” to accomplish a myriad of Heart House projects – small and large – some of which have been on “the list” for quite some time. Although my timetable for exterior painting is wa-a-a-ay behind (the humidity has been extraordinary lately), the indoor project list is now greatly reduced. Very satisfying.

Happy Trails.