The Ides of May

Last night Justin, Ashley, the twin boys and the twin girls came by to see Grandma and Grandpa Great and they fixed a dinner for us. It was yummy. We visited lots, and the boys fed the fish and some ducks on bread. We even caught a couple of blue gill with a fishing rod and reel. The girls stayed in the house. It was just as well as this is the season that the gnats are out of control. I have included photos of these various activities.

I will now provide an update on my knee rehabilitation. It will be three months tomorrow since I injured it. I now go up and down stairs - up at about my usual gait - down more slowly and cautiously, but I am good enough that I think I would accept any of the ordinance worker assignments in the temple. I don't feel very stable out walking on the rough lawn. Dan came a week ago and mowed, edged, cleaned out the lake inlet, and helped Clarine hang some curtains she had cleaned. It was a good deed. Thank you so much, Dan. Clarine and I have rehung four screens that were torn up by wind and plant branches. So I am starting to do more things even out side. I have gotten a few plants from nurseries and we hope to plant them Monday. We are seeing geese families around the lake. Yesterday we saw our first two little ducklings. This morning Clarine and I saw a family with what looked like nine little ducklings. It is now after 15 May, and my father used to say that it was safe to plant tomatoes after 15 May because it would be very rare to have frost after that date. Tomorrow night we are going to the opera. This will be the second opera since I injured my knee. I remember how tenuous I felt trying to negotiate stairs and aisles and parking lots at that time of the previous opera. I hope to do considerably better this time, although I doubt that I will be totally comfortable doing all those moves. gwh