So, Shep and Co. are going to be here in about a week for a visit. They opted to stay here with us (no accounting for taste) so we are shoveling as fast as we can to get the piles of junk out of the way.

Yesterday the kids helped me get the old window swamp cooler into shape and hoisted into place. After some tinkering (AJ got the tubing repaired to slow a leak) and some positioning (CC got the unit centered and the power connected) we enjoyed some cool air before we expired from the heat. The switch only works on LOW COOL now and we are certain that the unit is on it's last legs.

CC is a driving machine. Driver's Ed and "Ranging" are second-nature now. She's a veteran in the range cars and has to hit the extra brake pedal when rookies drive and panic. AJ begins his Driver's Ed classes and ranging next week. Should be an adventure in sibling rivalry!

Been spending the past few days down at LL's rental house in Provo doing some cleaning and repair work. Hopefully I can begin to tear out old carpeting this week and get some vinyl flooring installed in the next week. It's a big project and I've never had to calculate square footage and do this type of installation before. But, I gotta start somewhere. I hope I make a decent selection of product that everyone will approve of.

My tomato plants are in rebellion. They are only a couple of inches high and refuse to thrive. Perhaps the $1.49 price tag should have tipped me off. However, hope springs eternal. "The Prophet said to plant a garden, so that's what we'll do!" I'm trying.

Coach Gardner from EHS died. Soda probably remembers him best from his football days.

The old OHS is being demolished this week. The new one is just to the south where the student parking and the tennis courts and driver's ed range used to be. Sad. Things keep getting old and keep being replaced wiping out all traces that they existed. Will that happen to me too?

Mom took a trip to Italy and sent us a postcard of all the sites to see in Rome. Not sure when she is due to return but it should be soon. I'm so glad that she got out of Mo and had an adventure. Wish I could go on one too. Someday.

I had to help CC actually change a tire as a requirement for her driving class. Took snaps of her doing the 8 steps on her form. A closer look at that tire revealed threads! Crap! Now I can't live in denial. I've seen it so I have to attend to it. Probably have to get all four replaced. Ka-Ching!