Time Out for Celebration

Ben and I finished the ram fencing on Friday. I blocked each entrance with cattle panels and ran a hose to the waterer. We plan to trench a line for water out there soon, so the hose can be eliminated.



Saturday was a day of both celebration of achievement and of things to come. We spent the day with Ben at Wright State University for freshman orientation where he will attend classes in the fall. He ran into a high school friend who is also majoring in engineering giving him someone to hook up with. We gave him a $27,000 challenge. If he earns at least a 2.5 GPA his first quarter (along with a few other criteria), he is eligible for a full Air Force ROTC scholarship . This will save him $27,000 in Stafford Loans upon graduation and guarantee him a job. Stay tuned!

Mid-day on Saturday, we attended Colton's graduation from his first Civil Air Patrol Encampment. It is similar to the ROTC field training I attended while in college, but it was only a week long. They were up at 0500 (5am) for PT (running & exercise) and then a full day of challenges, team work, and education. He earned enough daily points from room inspection, general knowledge, and drill and ceremony performance to put him in the top third of the 99 cadets. This earned him a ride on a KC-135 for an actual airborn refueling mission where they refuel an E-3 Airborne Radar in mid-air. He got to sit in the cockpit for a while (here's a link to a picture: http://picasaweb.google.com/ohioencampment/TrainingDay6#5351662153282721010 ) as well as go back to the refueling area. His dad and I haven't ever done that in our active duty military days. So that was very cool. He had a wonderful time and was just exuding excitement and enthusiasm with all his stories. He can't wait to go again next year with a goal to be on the cadet staff. Following graduation, we went outside for a Pass and Review (military parade). Colton is in the front row, 2nd from the right. To view their photo album of the week's events, go to http://picasaweb.google.com/ohioencampment


Over the weekend, Preston and I started a mini-remodel of the kitchen. I currently have a cooktop/oven unit. We also purchased (several years ago) a microwave/oven wall unit. Preston built me a cabinet for it and we were finally ready to install it in the kitchen. We rearranged some of the existing cabinets and were able to do this without un-installing the countertop. It's amazing what you find beneath cabinets in a 100+ year old farm house. We are not the only inhabitants. Some day I will tell you about Frank. Anyway, on a wall that used to have an 18" pantry and 42" of base & wall cabinets, we are replacing with the new oven unit and a 36" wide built-in pantry with a screen door. Last night, I framed the walls for the pantry and Preston installed the new cabinet and the oven unit. Here's the status as of last night.

I'm enjoying a Red Bellied Woodpecker cracking open peanut shells at my bird feeder while I work. Oh, he got one open and off he goes with a peanut in his mouth! The birds dropped some sunflower seeds around the feeder and they are starting to bloom. This is the view from my desk with the ram shelter in the background.