A Mazing weekend

We've got the motorhome ready for occupancy. It's parked in the lawn area west of the barn. I asked Bill to do that this morning because he had it parked in the driveway, and there could be a lot of vehicles headed through that driveway this weekend.

Farmer Doug's gotta come back, turn the hay that received a little washing night before last, then he's gotta bale it, load it and stack it in front of the loafing shed where it will be stored for the winter. That means a steady stream of his farm equipment rolling through. The Schwan's man will be here tonight with his big truck, and Bill has ordered plenty of ice cream bars.

Who knows but what the pole building contractor may send someone to put up doors or pour cement! That's a daily and now becoming weekly mystery as to when they'll be showing up again.

We're building fence, trying to figure out how and when we'll put the hay in the barn. I also have to go to a wedding reception tomorrow. Was going to the wedding, but when I realized "the top of Schweitzer" meant either hiking or riding the chair lift to the ceremony, I opted for the reception only.

I don't like heights, can't even sit on the third level at Veterans' Arena in Spokane without getting nauseous. I've been known to spend a lot of time walking around stadium perimeters
while the family sits inside and enjoys baseball games. I recall it being especially scary when we got those nosebleed seats at the Astrodome years ago.

Anyway, I'll go to the wedding reception only at Schweitzer tomorrow, and the reason the motorhome's going into action is that there's another wedding in town, involving the Thompson family, which has a lot of members. So, Laura (being a Brown and a Thompson) is bringing the triplets and Sefo and camping out in the New Old motorhome.

Bill has seen that our RV relic is all ready for them after a winter with a feed box on top of its roof. He went to town to buy the feed box after I shoveled off the plastic vent on top and shattered it into a million tiny pieces.

Of course, I blame him because he disturbed my concentration that day by coming around the corner asking me a question while I was shoveling the 2.5 feet of snow that had already dropped on its roof by mid-January. Not known as a multitasker, when my mouth opened to answer, my shovel hit the vent and destroyed it.

So, with a hole in the roof, the feed box turned upside down seemed to be the only band aide at that time of the year. Lord knows, we weren't going to drive it to Lake RV to get fixed, cuz it wasn't going anywhere sitting in that deep snow.

Bill put the feed box on top and weighted it down with some heavy wood. The band aide worked, and the motorhome stayed dry inside for the other six feet that fell during subsequent months.

He took it to Lake RV the other day to have a new vent installed and the leak in the bathroom fixed. That ol' gal has held up really well for a 32-year-old. Laura and the gang will christen it for the 2008 season. Then, I have a feeling that Bill plans to take it on a vacation, maybe to Western Montana. That is, if we ever have time with all the projects going.

Long story short, my mind is a maze as far as what all's happening here over the next four days. I'm gonna just go with the flow and enjoy whatever festivities transpire. My mind, however, is taking some special time to be there vicariously with Annie as she fulfills the goal she set last winter: climb to the top of Mount Rainier (www.rainiergirl.blogspot.com).

She'll take off this morning at 8:30 on the hike to Camp Muir. The group will stay there and try to sleep until 12:30 a.m. when they begin the assault. If all goes well and there's cell phone reception, she'll snap a shot or two on top and send it to me.

And, then we'll know that Annie Love of Sandpoint, Idaho, reached the top of Mount Rainier on Friday, July 25, 2008. Our hearts and prayers are with her for a phenomenal experience, including a safe trip up and down the mountain.

So, I'll close this morning blowing a few kisses Annie's direction and say, "You go, Girl! You inspire us all. Godspeed, Annie." Our "Precious" is truly "A-Mazing," and we can't wait to hear about her adventure!