Lists...For Life @TheStoneHouse

   We live from lists at our house. Work lists, item lists, camping lists, load lists, grocery lists, packing lists, wish lists, and happy lists. I am hopelessly forgetful and disorganized without them.  Grocery needs that are not on the list don't happen.
    I have gotten our family onto list making. Elv makes work lists on Saturday mornings and shopping lists for L&M.  We're talking about written lists. Sometimes he asks me what something on his hand-written list says. (I can read his hand-writing better than he can sometimes. Although with an I-phone, complete with Siri, that "humble assistant", he has moved above handwriting to orderly typed lists, correct spelling, as well. But we won't talk about I-phones and Siri Servants just now. Maybe later.)
   Frances had her "think book" on hand for list making and memos several weeks before leaving for Thailand. She kept working those lists right down to the last day.  So many last things that couldn't be forgotten.  She depends on lists as much as I do.
   So here is a happy list for today.  I need to make a happy list today, because it is too easy to sit down and cry now that Frank left us this morning.

~ God answered all of our prayers in series this morning making all of Frank's flying connections tick off  like clock work.
~ Whereas the van STILL stinks, especially on a longer trip like going to MSP, it works beautifully and safely.
~My clean kitchen after getting my hands in dish water to unwind when we got home.
~ I am, even now, working from my fixed computer. Our technician installed a new and better hard drive.
~ Coffee from fresh ground whole beans, not grounds from a can, in my mug!
~ Amy bought a new sewing machine today. Now we can both sew at the same time.
~ We have had rain...now sunshine, and more rain coming.
~ The flowers in the garden are glorious just now.
~ It has finally cooled off to normal 70's and 80's outside.
~ Brad did a whole pile of dishes from last night's lovely fish chowder supper while we were gone to the airport this morning. China dishes.
~ Oh yes, we had a sit-down supper together last night. Lance filled his bowl with chowder, crumbled cracker and cheese over it and declared it too pretty to eat. It was a wonderful supper hour.
~ There are events/trips/weekends to anticipate. Steve & Nell and Elv & I are going on a weekend get-away.  We, the four of us, have not done this in years. I believe it would be at least 25 years.  Isn't that amazing? A LOT has happened in that 25 years. We won't get done talking even with two days to try. Then I fly to Idaho to be with Mom and Dad for Mom's surgery while the children drive out to Nebraska. When I fly home Elv will pick me up and then WE will go on to Nebraska to see Jenny and her family.  Elv and I will take the travel trailer and go camping on Black Lake in October, we hope.
~ And the fall work lists make us happy, too. Not much canning available with crop failures both at home and abroad, (speaking of peaches and apples abroad and tomatoes at home.) But we have plenty to do before winter: firewood, garden mulching and lime-ing. Patio brick replacement. Strawberry patch rejuvenations. Comforters to create. School coming right up.