Tuesday Twitterdeetripletsdeedee and All That

I'm planning to see triple today.  And, it won't be with prescription glasses or because of a stroke.  I hope not anyway.  

In the first case, I can't see prescription glasses in my future.  Close to a dozen Wal-Mart/Co-Op specials of varying strengths and condition can be found around my house, my car and even my barn. As I type this morning, I'm wearing a Wal-Mart model with only one handle.  

This pair of glasses seems to work well with the computer screen, and nobody's gonna see me and make fun of me so they'll do just fine for this morning chore.

I took a pair to the barn a couple of weeks ago cuz of difficulties seeing the best route for untying twine knots on the stall gates and with clipping my horses.  Somehow my naked eyes just don't zero in quite like they used to, so I'm wearing glasses while clipping bridle paths.

As for a stroke, I'm hoping to avoid one of those at all costs.  There are times when the lawn-mowing equipment quits working, however, that my reactions could cause a stroke.

My temporary triple vision will occur when I drive to Sagle, to a home where the population more than doubled within a matter of minutes in early September.

Gunterville, which takes up a good portion of the Sagle community, welcomed a set of triplets.  So did their parents, Clint and Margi Gunter.

Today I'll get to meet the two little girls and their brother.  Their story seemed like a perfect choice for my "Love Notes" Christmas column in The River Journal.  And, since I'm a grand-aunt to triplets (two 8-year-old sisters and their brother---Jacob, Justine and Grace), it will be fun to meet a younger version.  

Clint and Margi are making the adjustment to parenting multiples.  Last week when I talked to Clint, he told me there's lots of help but that Margi's doing her best to do as much as possible on her own.  Still, grandmothers are helping as are other family members.

This should be a fun story and a fascinating visit.  

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Yesterday was another busy day with leaves continuing to fall and with lawn equipment continuing to threaten a stroke.  In this case,  the dilemma involved the lawn sweeper, which we purchased from Sears about four years ago.  

Those lawn sweepers look great when they're sitting in the Sears showroom, but when you buy one, that's when you learn that you have to put it together yourself, unless you want to pay a hefty extra fee.

So, we brought the box of parts home, and Bill started in on assembling the parts.   I knew enough, with my lack of patience, to stay far away from the assembling phase.  Bill figured most of it out, but still had a few complex steps to complete when we decided to ask our fix-it man, Tony,  to join in.

Between the two of them, they got it to work.  So, I started picking up leaves and smiling because this machine erased hours of fall raking.  I still had raking to do but generally just the residuals,  which like to line the borders around decks, gardens and trees.

Over the past couple of years, the sweeper has become less and less sturdy.  And, I've had to resort to a few band-aide fixes.  Yesterday, however, the whole basket separated from it, broom, axle and wheels, and I haven't yet figured out where to wire it back together.  

So, I carefully took it back to the storage shed to be dealt with on another day and just plain mowed most of those leaves.  The lawnmower actually doesn't do a bad job, but I am wondering how long the lawn will have that yellow hue from that substantial layer of mulch.  Plus, this morning a whole new set of leaves has dropped.  

As long as the snow doesn't fall in the next few days, I can just keep at it and mulch to my heart's content. 

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Speaking of yellow stuff, I've sure gotten some good mileage out of my pumpkins.  Two have gone to a lady who works as a cook in town.  Four had been cut up, steamed and cleaned for freezer storage, for a big batch of pumpkin bread and, last night, for pumpkin soup----my first attempt ever.

It was an easy recipe, and it turned out pretty good, so good, in fact, that Bill issued an enthusiastic compliment.  He's been liking all my pumpkin projects so far, so I just keep working at preserving as much as possible. 

Because of these successes, I've developed a whole new respect for pumpkins, and I'm resolving to make sure the garden includes them in future years. 

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Now, I'd better resolve to finish my morning chores so I can take my camera and pad to go enjoy this afternoon's triple vision. 

Have a happy Tuesday.