June 17

Whew! I've done what I'm going to on the road. It was a hot, nasty and wet job that mandated the expected shower and a change of clothes. Only found one tick. My right forearm is dragging it's way through the morning because of the hanging on to the weed-eater for something like five or five and a half hours. I also ended up with a severely bruised butt. It was damaged as I drug it bouncing from step to step when I made my way down to the house after I quit. Glenda showed no sympathy as she refused to kiss it to make it better.

I had to remove the old drop-in kitchen stove Saturday to prepare the place for the new full length model she had ordered. Five days without a stove might be a holiday for the cook but it's kinda hard on the poor slob hanging around three times a day with eating on his mind. Now I guess we'll will be another week without. The guys finally brought it yesterday, got it set up to bring in and found the top was damaged in two places. They already had the old one carted out so they took it and the new one back with them. Don't know how long this wait extension will be. They told us that this was the forth one damaged like this and that they would check the next one before bringing it out.

A calm peaceful day is all I can say as I look out the window this morning. The temperature detecting instrument has detected only eighty one degrees so far and the upper eighties is supposed to be the high for today. Not too bad for a June day in Missouri.

I do see a fish jump now and again. I've been suckered by them before, pulled in by their antics enough to rush down there. With a very positive attitude knowing this was going to be the time, I've cast a tiny jig a million times then when that failed to produce I've dragged a plastic worm across every inch of bottom around the dock and for forty feet out only to disappointedly head back to the house rubbing my aching casting arm and shoulder. Shoot, we don't eat that many fish anyway. That has happened several times for me so I should be educated by now enough to know better.

Never mistake knowledge for wisdom. One helps you make a living, the other helps you make a life.