Saturday

July 26, 2025

So far, it's been a busy day. Last night's sleep was very good although it took a while to get started continuing for a bit longer than usual. All is well, all is well.

I had a quick breakfast and soon I was on my way to church for our Saturday soup kitchen day. I like to arrive at least 30 minutes before the rest of the gang come with preparation started without a lot of distraction. A whole lot of that happened giving us a good push into the rest of the preparation. Laying the groundwork is really beneficiary.

Red beets have emerged. I might wind this one. I saw a new rabbit in the yard, tinier than what I've seen before.

Our work group numbered 5 so we were a busy group finishing with 10 minutes of sitting time before the doors opened. We served a wonderful shepherds pie although the meat was gr. beef and not lamb. We filled 64 plates with 13 of that number being the number that came back for a second plate of food. One nervous gentleman came in and when asked when he had last eaten, he replied Thursday. He was one of the 13.

Rosie gave me this ornamental grass years ago. It has divided itself allowing me to plant it in three different spots. It's blooming now.

James and I worked in the kitchen and decided when Dr. James retired, we would advertise our skills looking for work as a duo dish washing team. There were so many things to laugh about which makes the time go fast with a lot of jokes on each other. There are so many jobs to accomplish providing that ministry to the community. It takes a lot of hard work with an eye on the clock, knowing that our clients will be waiting for 11 o'clock hour for the door to open.

So around 12:30 I was on my way home finding neighbor Gina starting another big project. Neighbors three families back made a quick fix of landscaping with rocks. The rocks are deep and Gina would like to have flower beds. Removing rocks is not an easy job. She has a lot of grit! But this job involved taking out BIG pavers where once a RV was stored. It will take time for sure. They are heavy, heavy, heavy! Gina has a lot of GRIT. To uncover them one needs to scrape off sod that has grown over them. Prying them out of the ground takes a lot of heft. Woo. Then on to a dolly to move them to another spot. I told her to remember that under one of those pavers is a gold bar. So, keep digging. An incentive doesn't hurt. She shared she has not ever seen a gold bar so she might miss it. I suspect she doesn't believe me. I did a little scraping sod for her. That's the easier job.

I ate lunch, sat a bit with the fan and drank a good bit of water. Then I grabbed the shovel to see what a mess I might make for Gina.

This was one dirty girl. But the only way to do this was to get dirty. The job isn't finished but it's way more than half done.

Yes, heavy, heavy, heavy. Only a dolly can help. Gina throws herself into her work. It's easy to see that. I see a shower coming.

Well, at least lifting these from their present home would be more than a good half done.

Buried in the dirt with the topsoil where weeds were growing. I scraped off the weeds and Gina did the rest.

More to come buried for now but soon to be seen. The rock is really a huge pile lifted from a now designated flower bed that has good soil anchoring the transplanted flowers. I see a good start to more beautiful flowerbeds in the future.

Back home for a cold shower. Digging out tile is a very hot job on a day like today. Gina stopped working when I did.

Today is Doug's 86th birthday. We had supper in Fishers at Yummy Bowl. It's a Mongolian restaurant that I think has delicious food and Doug now agrees. Happy Birthday, Doug.