July 9, 2003

Good evening everyone. It's been awhile since I checked in - too many things/too little time. I've been helping Julia with her Junior Nebraska Cattlemen work. We are having a raffle and we printed and sent raffle tickets to 70 members. And sure enough, as soon as I dropped them in the mail, we found out that Excel is going to donate a prime rib valued at $75. Anyone want to buy some raffle tickets? Had a bad week at work last week - if the money wouldn't be so tight and jobs so scarce, I would have given my notice. It is going better now but I am "watching my back".

We went up to Hoskins, Nebraska - about 125 miles northeast of here - on July 4th a.m. to have the hooves trimmed on Julia's show calves. The town had a 4th of July parade and breakfast that we enjoyed. And a cool front had gone through there and it was about 20 degrees cooler there than at home. On that day our crops looked much better but this past week they have been getting rains we are missing out.

Oh Ruth - do you have grasshoppers? I thought they were bad last year. As predicted, they are twice as bad this year.

Kathy Jo and Eva Mae - I keep forgetting to tell you - dh bought a new ram down in Sedalia. He already had a name - "Bruce the Moose". It is so funny because Julia's new boyfriend is named Bruce and he was the one who suggested that we buy from these people. Julia claims it is no coincidence.

Better go - I need to water plants and do other things and get to bed at a decent time.

You all take care and stay cool!