Family Came to Visit

So...the S&Poors has downgraded the US credit rating even though
the debt limit was raised. The fact that revenue was not raised
caused this downgrade. It makes sense to me. The corporations
are making huge profits and are able to avoid paying taxes to the
US through multiple loopholes and the wealthy are getting richer
by the minute and enjoying the fact that the Bush-era tax cuts
seem to be there forever, at least as long as Obama is President,
I'm afraid.

I am so disappointed in him. He doesn't seem to be willing to
take a stand. Compromise is great, but BOTH sides are supposed
to be involved in that. It's not supposed to be quite so
one-sided!

On the home front, the barn clean-up continues. Great head-way
has been made, but if you hadn't seen it earlier you'd wonder how
it could still be so bad despite all the work that has gone into
cleaning it. I've lost track of the number of loads that have
gone to the dumpster.

Vernon spent most of one day here with his bobcat. He'd haul out
a pile of dirt and debris and spread it on the barn yard
pavement. Robert and Sam would sort out the debris and throw it
in the trailer to go to the dumpster. Vernon would scrape up the
dirt and move it to an area between the road and the creek. When
all the debris was removed and only dirt was left it was sorted
down to one huge pile instead of two huge piles!

This weekend Alyssum was visiting, briefly. Robyn came over from
Crested Butte; Connie, Greg and Meara from Parker and Carl from
Erie. Martha and Gabby were in Albuquerque visiting Martha's
folks. We had a lovely dinner and visit on Saturday.

On Sunday, Robyn and Alyssum were still here. Summer, Alyssum's
friend who has just moved to Boulder, came for dinner. Alyssum
made a delicious summer squash au gratin. Even Robert thought it
was delicious and he doesn't care for summer squash...I want that
recipe!

Alyssum wanted to see the Spanish mantilla that is a companion to
the antique conch shell that turned up in one of my boxes in the
barn. The conch shell was used as a fog horn on a flat boat one
of my ancestors floated down the Ohio and then the Mississippi to
New Orleans. I find I can still blow the conch shell (most of
the time). The mantilla was stored in a box in a cupboard in my
office along with the wedding gown from my first marriage and an
antique petticoat. The petticoat has handmade eyelet lace along
the bottom. I wore it under several formal gowns to dances I
attended when I was in high school. It belonged to my grandmother
Denison. She was quite tall and had a very small waist! My
waist in high school was about 27 inches, but I had to extend the
waist band about a half an inch with a safety pin when I wore it.
The wedding dress was designed to show-off the petticoat.