What a laggard

What a laggard I have been with (not) posting news from Lake Hamilton (sort of like Lake Wobegone). Well, here is some. Carrie has been battling with pneumonia (located mostly in her left lung) for a week now. It really put her on the fritz, making her sore, weak, tired, listless for a few days, but encouragningly is now on the upswing, except for a persisting cough and that is even a little better. I had a back twinge and a sore knee but they are clearing up, too. Tomorrow here will be July 22, my 67th birthday on this planet. The kids start school for the third term this week, in fact today. Joseph and Emily really enjoyed visiting with their friends from Kansas - as did Carrie and me. The stay for a few days at the beach was fun, and Charlie came back from the kennel dirty but happy - either to see us and/or because she got to socialize with some other dogs while we were gone. I regret that I have yet to find a way to take here out for a run, for at this point I don't feel comfortable letting her off leash, but a trainer whose advertising name is the dog guru will come and teach us how to teach her, I hope, on the 31st of the month. I am so grateful for the kindnesses of friends over the years, and think often about many of you. I will try and post more often, like doing a weekly column, beginning this month, or in August at the latest. There are interesting things going on or being said here and I would like to share at least some of them. Carrie and I are planning a short trip to Sydney in September, and there are lots of other things to write about. Gasoline is now up to 2.19 a litre for premium, and prices for food and clothes are inching up while property values are inching down, a worldwide problem, I gather. We installed a heat pump for the bedroom side of the house a few days before our guests arrived and it was nice to have that section toasty in the morning, instead of shivering so much as we had been. That will probably bump up the electric bill but will be worth it and should only be needed a few more weeks. We are looking forward to a warmer, possibly less wet Spring (boy it has really been raining a lot lately - the drought is really broken), with some highway flooding. Feast or famine, I guess. It was great to have our guests, and we miss them. We miss all of you, and hope you are having a good year. More later. Manford