FIRST WEEK IN JULY

Kristy called this morning as she was missing my usual Sunday blog. Well, I was under the weather and just didn't feel in a blogging mood. I'm better today, but not too peppy after missing meals for a couple days. We did go for a short walk and it felt good to be out in the fresh air and sunshine.

Last Tuesday evening we attended a special meeting for Trinity Congregation to discuss the future. Various suggestions were made and a committee was elected to check into these options and report to another meeting after service on July 25. Our attendance is low and offerings cannot keep pace with rising expenses. It is a situation that is common now in rural areas. A letter to the editor in the last Crosby Journal expressed the writers dismay at the poor attendance on his visit to his home church in Crosby, ND.

Our plans to attend the yearly July 1st Jamboree in Oungre didn't turn out but we had a special day anyway. Myrna and Ernie Damm from Boise, Idaho spent the day and that night with us. They are spending a few weeks visiting his mother in a care home in Sidney, MT. Myrna and I are third cousins but she is closer to me than some of my first cousins. Our families spent many fun times together when we were young. The Gilchrists lived in the little town of Lohman , between Chinook and Havre, Montana. We did most of our shopping from the JC Penney or Sears catalogs and often spent our "48's" with the Gilchrists. We would come back from Havre with boxes of clothes to try on and return what didn't fit. Shopping trips usually took place twice a year, spring and fall. With Mom in a wheelchair, it was ideal for

her to shop from home for us four kids and mail the order in - no telephone or internet orders back then!

I still enjoy shopping from home. My favorites are still JC Penney and now Amazon.com. JC Penney won't ship to a PO Box so we pick up those packages at the Farmers Elevator in Ambrose. Amazon ships most items free to a US address if the order is over $25. That's my favorite place to buy books and even magazine subscriptions.

We didn't see any July 1 fireworks but did get in on a windstorm that night! It started about 1 am and only lasted half an hour but did a fair bit of damage in that time. One hopper bottom bin was tipped over into the trees. We heard that the Hanson's had nine bins tip that night! Many trees lost branches and a few trees on the west side of the house will have to be hauled away. We didn't get hail that night but it did damage just a mile or so north of us. Windows were broken at Salem church and crops nearby were damaged.

Howard is on some new medication after a visit to the doctor last week. Anti-depressants take 3 or 4 weeks to make a difference so we can't tell yet if they will help or not. He has lost weight again so can wear the clothes he bought about four years ago when he went down a couple sizes.

Clare's and Kirks are camping at Kenosee Park and Laurel's spent the weekend at the Diekrager cottage near Fort Qu'Appelle. It's been too cool in Norway for camping but Todd and Kristy are planning to take a little camping trip next weekend. They are hoping for some warm summer weather when they come home on the 23rd of July.

We watched the fireworks from Boston on TV but it can't compare to being there. Our favorite July 4th memory is when we spent it in Pocatello, Idaho with Ernie and Myrna back in 1994. Laurel and Todd were with us on this special trip.

Clare came home yesterday and got the bin upright again. Now we need some help with these damaged trees! It's time to cut grass again, a job that needs doing quite often this year. It's great to see the grass and trees so lush and green the first week in July.

We are thinking of our niece Mandy as she celebrates her birthday today with the Sanford family at Frontier. There are Sanfords up visiting from Kansas so they are having a special weekend with homemade ice cream on the menu tonight. Wish we were there!