There's blue in life sure, but life doesn't have to be blue

Good morning son! How are you this morning?  Perfect, I know, stop rubbing it in! We're far from perfect down here, or middle here, or where ever the ball know as earth happens to be rolling around in the midst of the galaxy. And as the "world turns" so does life. It's been a busy week but a fun and funny week. I know you've had your laughs as you watch from your lofty seat! Dad and Jamison just came back from their morning walk. My hip got me out of bed very early this morning. I must have slept in one place all night. Anyway, it's calming down and I'm on with the day.

Here's a few

The Troy 9  were in Maine visiting with your Uncle Bill and Aunt Nancy. From all I've head a great time was had by all. How can you NOT have a great time. You have a lake and every piece of water paraphernalia known to man, or woman, whichever you prefer. They got home in time to hopefully, get all their laundry done and then off to KJCG's "2022".  I'm assuming they got their laundry done and are not buried in it somewhere.  Corey and I spoke briefly as she was pulling into the driveway the evening they arrived home. I'm sure the kids are trying to squeeze the last bit of summer out of the air. Corey said it's really warm in Maine making the water warm and beautiful. I don't know if Dad and I will try it out but we'll see. I wish you were here.

Uh huh - Miss Attitude

You would love it and probably wouldn't leave the water the entire time. We'll be leaving for Maine on Wednesday and return the first of next week.

Tanya stayed at the house for Corey and Jon, as you know, and took care of the animals. She called the first night and dad went over and helped her get them in. When she didn't call again I asked her how she was doing. She said, "Corey is right. (Boy now there's a phrase we don't want to use too often!) If you wait until about 8:45-9:00 pm the chickens that haven't already gone in to roost,just fall asleep in the yard and you can just pick them up and put them in the pen. It's awesome"! Another lesson learned.

Almost too "green", but close

Speaking of lessons learned, last weekend I painted a couple of accent walls in the "dining room". I say "dining room" because it was. Now, it's a studio. I feel so lucky. I actually have room to move around, cut out large projects and best of all, to be organized where I can get to stuff without having to move the entire project to get to things. And, dad is going to finally have a place of his own. I wanted to put a nice chair and footstool in his music room for him, but he wanted a work bench. So, that's what he has. We're moving all of his guitars, keyboard, computer, trumpet, antique books, trophies (yours and his) into a space he can call his own. I don't think he's had that since we moved from Oakdale 12 years ago. Boy, that seems like an eternity. (Well, it does from here! Besides, I don't think you have any idea about time or space in heaven.) Anyway, back to my original thought. Yes, I did have one. Dad got all of my cubbies put together and I wanted to begin the transition into the new space but I wanted to paint a couple of accent walls in the new studio. Oh, it's a blue, kind of an ocean blue. It has a hint of teal and a shimmer to it. I painted the same color in our bedroom. Dad and I both really like it. I intend to paint a couple of accent walls the same color in the living room when we get back from Maine. ANYWAY, stop interrupting me! I finished the larger expanse of the two

Now that's more like it

accent walls. I just had the top edge of the second wall to finish. I moved things around just enough so I had space to wedge the 5' ladder into position and catch the top edge. My knee and hip were beginning to question whether they wanted to make a couple of more trips up and down the ladder but they persevered and made the trips. I came down the ladder the last time and began easing the ladder out of the narrow pathway I had created for it. You know that split second when you're doing something and you realize, "oh crap"! Yea, one of those! About the time that clicked, the paint tray I had resting on the top of the ladder came flying off as I drug the ladder across the wood floor and the rubber grips on the feet of the ladder went, bup, bup, bup. I did have the presence of mind to take a step back as I looked up and tried to catch the paint tray. No, I don't know why I tried to catch it. It was just a natural reaction. In my minds eye I could just see that beautiful blue paint land right on top of my head. There was no where for me to go but back. Now if there was a perfect fall, this would have been it. The paint tray hit me in the chest, it did miss my head and face for which I am eternally grateful. But again, in that split second, I could see the wood floor below me and all I could think of was, oh no, I'll never get that blue paint out of the grain of that wood floor, original wood floor! Wouldn't you know that I had just filled the paint tray with paint too. It wasn't like it was just the remaining few tablespoons of paint. No, it had to be a full quart of paint. Anyway, it sounds like it took 10 minutes to happen, but it was a split second. Dad and Jamison had gone to run an errand. Good thing too. Dad would have been about as much help as you would have been. You both would have been laughing so hard neither of you would have been any help. And Jamison, he would have been in it with all fours and his nose carrying it all over the house before I could have stopped him. I had just put my flip-flops on to climb the ladder. I couldn't find my old ones in a hurry so I grabbed my new Aerosoles. I mean, it was just for a few seconds, what could possibly happen, right? Yea, right. The flip-flops are black, the paint blue. You get the picture. I scrubbed the heck out of them, laid them in the window sill to dry, grabbed an entire roll of dad's paper towels and a garbage can and began the "sop-up". Now you know dad and his paper towels. I was really taking a chance here. Dad cannot function without paper towels. He'd rather give up meat than paper towels. It took almost the entire roll to sop the worst of it up. I ran and got the mop, took it sopping wet and started on the floor. After about 2-3 rinses I was successful. Once I got the floor cleaned up I started looking around. Dad's computer was sitting on the table to the right of the ladder and my dining table (now work table) was so close the ladder was almost on top of it, was to the left. The table was piled high with my Cricuit and paper goods from my work table in the old studio. Right next to it was an old dresser than I'm going to re-do for my studio. In one quick, fearful, sweeping glance I saw that outside of four or five thread-like streaks on the side of the dresser, the paint had missed everything and had made a direct hit on the ladder and the floor in front of the ladder and me. So outside of the front of me, my flip-flops and the floor, everything was good. Now THAT'S what you call a direct hit. It also made me realize just how fast I can still move...on occasion. Dad and Jamison got back just after everything was cleaned up, thankfully. We all had a good laugh. Oh, the story doesn't end there, it never does.

Blue broken toe and swollen foot 1st day

Later that evening I stretched out on the couch to watch a movie with dad. It's been really, really hot and humid here this last couple of weeks. We had refilled our iced tea and "battened down the hatches" and turned on the air conditioner. As I stretched out on the coach I noticed I had some pain in the top of my left foot and my big toe was bothering me. I really didn't think anything of it. I reached down and rubbed my foot and toe and settled back to watch the movie. It continued to bother me throughout the evening and I semi-conscientiously continued to rub it but didn't really think anything of it. I was so tired when I went to bed that I knew it was hurting but couldn't get awake quite enough to check it out. The next morning when I got out of bed the top and bottom of my foot was hurting and my big toe was black and red. Somehow in the course of everything the afternoon before I had broken my toe. I stayed down most of the day on Sunday and limped to work on Monday morning. I think I would have done fine with the exception that we had six fire drills that morning. Count 'em, 6! Every time the alarm would go off it was 20 stairs down and outside and twenty stairs up and inside. By the end of 440 stairs that morning I was really limping. Tuesday it was throbbing and I stayed home and kept it propped up. Someone at work asked me if I had gone to the doctor? Right! Go to the doctor, pay him $100 so he can look at me, pat my foot and tell me to go home and keep it elevated. NOT! Wednesday morning I was ready to head out to work, still limping, but dad was really fussy about it. He was convinced I should stay off of it another day...or go to the doctor. Now he was sounding just like grandma. So I stayed home another day. I have to admit, he was most likely right. It did help to stay off of it another day. I went to work Friday and sat in one of the lounge chairs with my foot propped up on an ottoman and stayed that way most of the morning. Saturday I was able to go with dad to find him a pair of sandals and do some running around. Today it's doing well. Think I'll get that ladder out again and put up those bathroom curtains!

Until next week, be Aaron, love mom