Picking Cherries

Becky and the boys are having a blast in Michigan. She calls me twice a day to let me know everything they are doing. Yesterday, they went picked cherries and raspberrys. Tucker was so excited when he called me (and I think his mouth was full).

So far, they've been to the beach at Lake Michigan, gone canoeing and paddleboating at the LifeAction camp, and played everywhere they can. They are convinced we need to buy a house up there. (And maybe because it's 75 in MI while it's 104 in Dallas.

While they are playing, I've been working. The downstairs bath finally got it's second coat of paint and then I decided to paint the dining room (and ceiling). I sure hope Becky likes the color. It's not one of the samples I had painted before she left.

And since the lawnmower died, I purchased a new one and mowed the lawn. It's amazing how fast a new lawnmower can go - I had to put it on 'turtle' speed.

And since my snails and crabs kept dying in the aquarium, I finally took my water to be tested instead of relying on my test kit only to realize my salinity was low (ok - when the guy said "Is this a freshwater tank?" I realized it may be way too low.) Friday night and Saturday morning was spent adding more salt to the tank.

Of course, you don't just add salt - you make a saltwater slurry and then slowly add it in over several hours. And, to assist in mixing the salt with the water, I decided to use my extra pump for circulation in the 5-gallon bucket. And thinking I would keep things clean, decided to do this in the kitchen sink. Somewhere along the way of my bright idea, the pump readjusted in the bucket and instead of creating a nice whirlpool, it became a fountain - a 4ft fountain of saltwater - generously sprayed over the kitchen. But now the kitchen is really clean.

So, I'm looking forward to going into work tomorrow - no ladders, no paint, no saltwater, no crabs (except for the ones in the Finance Department), and no water pumps. It should be a slow day.