Dear Kids,
      I was at the cabin all last week, working on the cement foundation for our bunk house. Tom and Kim were gone to a family reunion, so it was pretty quiet. Just Donna and Bevan to liven things up in the evening. But I got lots done! I finished digging the trenches for the footings (42" down) and then Bevan and I started mixing cement. 40 bags, just for 8 footings. The next day, Dad came with more cement, and we poured the 8 columns. (71 bags of cement, all together.) It all turned out great! But who’s going to admire my project? Once the trenches are filled in, only the tops of the columns will stick out. (And I’ve painted them with a camouflage pattern of spray paint, so they won’t be so noticeable from the road.)
      Bentley has a great plan for keeping the magpies away from the cabin–he’ll shoot them with a slingshot. He and Tom saw a couple of slingshots in Walmart, but Bentley doesn’t have any money. So his plan was to borrow $5.00 from Tom, shoot a magpie, turn in the carcass and collect the bounty, and pay back Tom. What an ingenious kid! Tom didn’t go for that idea, so instead, Bentley is going to shovel dirt back into my trenches. I’ll pay him well.
      Saturday afternoon I was driving home from the cabin with Oreo in the cat carrier, and he started to meow with that awful tone Ethyl used to use, sort of a “Maaahh” sound. I thought he was dying from thirst. So we drove in to Park City, to the Mavrick, and I carried him inside and tried to get him to drink from the sink. He wouldn’t. So I made a big, soft ice cream cone from the machine. (It was very soft, starting to collapse.) Sometime, just for fun, try holding a cat on your arm, and a soft ice cream cone, and try to get money out of your purse! I got the money, but couldn’t pick up the change, so I had to set the cone down . . . you get the picture. Then we went outside and sat under a tree and Oreo helped me eat the ice cream. He really gobbled it. Right down to the bottom. With me helping. And we had fun watching the Park City people driving by in their SUV’s. (Donna says only the Mexicans drive fuel-efficient cars.) After that, Oreo was fine for the trip home.
      We’re really looking forward to all the fun in the coming week–Sharon and Seth arriving tomorrow, the 10k on Thursday, the Spudman on Saturday in Burley, and Lava Hot Springs on Monday! It will be great.
      Here’s a message from Katie about the Allen Family Reunion on August 9th: “Just a reminder, we will have a waterslide and wading pool so bring your swimsuits and water guns! We''ll bring our own lunches as was mentioned earlier. I am getting name tags and markers. I think bringing your scrapbooks or family pictures would be fun too. The older I get, the more this get together means to me because even though I don't see you all that much, I love and care about all of you. See you in a couple of weeks! Love, Katie”
      I guess that wraps it up. Lots of Love, Mom