Can you see some one on top of the ladder?

We are almost finished with the barn. Dwight spray painted the silo and now we only have the dormers and back windows left. Who is that little person on way up on top of the barn?

No really who do you think this is Who is dumb enough to go up that high?

Back to the Barn.

Yep that's me way up high.

You can almost tell who is up there.

Here's to you Jeremiah Santos...

Http://www.grandforks.com/mld/grandforks/news/state/14849416.htm
The most recent fatality for this War that they sometimes say isn't even a war. Jeremiah was a good friend of Alicia's. He came over to the house a few times. He was always well mannered and extremely polite, something you don't get to see much of these days. I first heard the news from my sister her grandson was Jeremiah's best friend. They had heard the news from Jeremiah's sister. I had honestly stopped thinking that much of "The War" It has not hit home for me until now. It's so sad that a 21 year old young man such as Jeremiah should have to die so young protecting people on the other side of the world. The Devils Lake Journal said...

According to those who knew him, 21-year-old Jeremiah Santos had planned to make the military his life the former Devils Lake student won't get that opportunity. He died last Thursday in a roadside bomb attack in Baghdad, another victim of the Iraq war. Santos was assigned to the 2nd battalion of the 8th Infantry egiment, 4th Infantry Division of Fort Hood, Texas.

It's hard to believe he is gone. I didn't realize how much it would bother me until I called Alicia to give her the news it hit her hard. I was having trouble keeping myself composed. Then I thought I would be able to not think about it that much but it bothers me that some one so young has to loose their life when they should have so much more time on this earth. When I saw this picture in the paper he looked the same and the last day I saw him. I was expecting him to look older and be in his uniform, I just started to cry and had to walk away I couldn't even finish reading it. I wasn't expecting to be so emotional. I wasn't that close to him but he was a good friend to my daughter and it makes you realize that you never know when you will take your last breath and age doesn't mean a thing.
My sympathy goes out to his family and friends. We will all miss him.

The good and the bad for June 10th.2006

It's been an interesting weekend, I will start with the good news. Alicia and Ryan are engaged! He asked her yesterday. She Said "YES!"
Congratulations Alicia and Ryan!







We are very happy for them. There haven't been any major plans so far, I even forgot to ask if they had a date in mind. Oh I forgot to ask if I could blog it, but I don't think they will mind.

April called me last night and told me that she has been spotting (not a good thing for a pregnant lady! She and Kevin went to the urgent care, and they did an ultrasound. She told me they got to see the baby and the little guy was kicking around and rubbing it's little face with his hands. And they could even see the heart beating! Isn't technology grand. It's a good sign that he was so active. April was given instructions to take it easy today so she stayed home with Kevin who had a close call driving to work yesterday morning ended up turning off the road to the ditch at around 40 To 50 MPH to avoid a crazy driver that was passing another car! He all so had to go to the doctor to get it checked out, They told him he had to take it easy. His air bag didn't deploy either! That must have been really scary. He's ok...But hurting with each movement He was given some powerful pain meds so when April needed to go to the hospital she had to drive herself, but of course he went along. I talked to April tonight and she said the bleeding is slowing down so hopefully she dodged that bullet. I'm getting very tired and need to get some sleep. I'll try to get more written tomorrow. Hey tom

The barn.

The big red barn. Not the best day to take pictures they ended up kind of dark and you can't see the difference between what has been painted and what hasn't.
On this angle you can see the dormers. The vents way on top, Dwight is hoping to get a cherry picker from someone in town to paint them.



On this one you can see the silo which some one started to paint maybe 10 years ago and has never gotten finished. We are hoping to spray this.


We found an old picture and a photograph of the old barn. The picture was drawn by Ester Frelich, a deaf woman that went to school there. As did all of her 10 children. One being the movie star Phyllis Frelich. She and one of her other daughters have been checking up on our progress. We are going with her suggestion to add more white and return it to it's glory. You can see on the four windows, that the ones on the left looks so much brighter. The building is, I think 100 years old or at least close to it. When the school was self efficient. They had crops and a large garden, cows, horses, chickens, pigs and just about anything else that you would find on a farm.

The chicken coop.

Why are so many people afraid of heights?

I have been working at the School for the Deaf painting this summer, I usually enjoy doing this, but this year has been a little more taxing on me, maybe because I'm getting a little older? Just the other day I found 4 or 5 gray hairs. Yeah I know that it's bound to happen some day, after all, I am going to be a grandma this year! So I guess it's about time and this way I'll look more like a grandma. Dwights been turning grey since the day April was born, 25 years ago.

Any way me and two other women are painting the barn and some of the other older building there. The chicken coop, there are no chickens they just use it for storage now and storage garages. I think there are around 10 garage doors in two sections. Every thing is being painted cherry red (barn red) and white. The first couple of days we needed to paint the dormers. They are vents that come out of the sides of the roof. I'm hoping to get some pictures so you can see what I'm talking about, but I didn't get any taken any yet and now it's suppose to rain for a few days. We actually started it last year, and finished most of the work on the ground. There is only high places left on the barn now. But everyone there is afraid of heights. Every time I tell someone that they should come join me they all say the same thing, "I'm afraid of heights!" What's up with that any way??? I don't remember knowing so many people that are afraid of heights. Well... Other than the rest of my family!! Yep, Dwight, April , and Alicia are all afraid of heights. There has only been one person at work that said she would help because she is not afraid and she is the secretary and she can't. Maybe that's why she said she would, because she knew she couldn't. Oh well more fun for me I guess. Today I was sitting up on my perch (a big old grain truck with a lift in the back. (It lifts up about 20 feet in the air.) Well in order to get it where we want it we have to lift it up then back up over the roof, and then it can't be taken down enough for me to get off until Dwight come and moves the truck. Well he came to get me down for coffee and I was putting it up and It didn't stop! I pushed the down button, it kept going up I yell at Dwight and he telling me to stop it and I yelling it won't stop. He says push the down button, I say I already did! I look down at him and he pull the plug and it's still moving up! I'm like OH SHIT!
Then it finally stops at it's highest point. I'm thinking well at least it didn't fall apart. So I'm sitting up there and Dwight says don't move it any more I smell smoke! I'm thinking well that's just great I'm stuck up here and now the darn thing is smoking! But no worries I have my faithful fix it all husband on the job. If anyone can fix it he can. So then he says I have to go get a wrench. I'm like... Is it still smoking? Nope it's not. So I'm sitting up there and one of my painting buddies, Lisa comes over and sits on the ground and says I'll keep you company. So we sit there and visit soon Dwight comes back and worked his magic we get it down far enough for me to get down the rest of the way with a ladder, the ladder was wiggling a little and made me nervous. Well that was fun. While we were on break we find out that it's going to rain. I go over after break and get all my stuff off the lift. I had to move the ladder and put it up against the wall because it was steadier there. During coffee Dwight goes and gets a new part, and has it fixed before he leaves work. That's my man LOL. I had to leave early because I had an appointment for a hair cut. Well that was the exciting part of my day. Who says painting is boring?

Does this look like a Beaver?

Or just a BIG rat? April you saw the tree today what did it look like?

Just yesterday I heard on the radio about the two collage students that were in an accident a month ago. One of the girls died and the other one was hospitalized in a coma. The girls were close friends and I read in our local news paper that looked a lot alike. They were the same height and weight, facial features were similar, same color of hair, same skin tone etc. The Hospital/cornier made a big mistake. They got the two girls mixed up. They claim it was because the girls ID was tossed around in the car and that they had other students identify the two girls. The family that thought their loved one was dead, funeral one month ago,(closed casket) found out on Thursday that she was in fact alive! The young girl that they buried was her best friend! It wasn't until Wendy came out of the coma and started asking for her family that Laura's family realized that it was Wendy the bed and not their beloved Laura. It is so bizarre that something like this could happen! Tonight I found a blog that has been dedicated to the girl that actually died. The site is http://lauravanryn.blogspot.com/ For more accurate information check it out.