Mom + random summer

My mom continues to recover slowly from the hip replacement surgery she had at the end of May. There have been several setbacks, complete with ambulance rides to the emergency rooms in Windom and Mankato. This Monday she returned back to the Good Samaritan nursing home in Mountain Lake, after a week spent in the Mankato hospital. Turns out she had/has a fracture on her pelvic bone, her blood had gotten much too thin (from post-surgery medication), and her leg was extremely swollen; all this led to severe muscle spasms and cramps. So they got her blood back to normal and put her on bed rest for a few days to stabilize her. She's now slowly starting up again with physical therapy, but still has pain and swelling. It's all very hard to take in, but we have to be confident that all will heal back to normal and as it should be.

In the meantime, about all I do is bring her terere and faspa most afternoons, while the kids play on and around her. My brother David, Rachel, and their 6-month old twins are coming next week (HOORAY!!), which will also help provide some diversion.

In the meantime, Ramont and my dad are busy farming. This is rock-picking season, as well as the start of the hay season. Yesterday they baled the first two miles of ditch hay! We also brought them terere, and when we got home, Jonathan promptly hooked two trailers up to his trike, er, 4020 tractor and worked like daddy. Every single time he takes in some new farming task, he replicates it at home, either with his trike and implements, or with his tiny little toy tractors.

Here Opa brings another hay rack to fill.

This week was also the annual Mtn. Lake town festival, (rather inappropriately named) Pow Wow. The parade was always a highlight for us kids. Now that we have our own, I can see why - it has basically all their favorite things: tractors, combines, fire trucks, marching bands (drums and trumpets), and...candy. Way, way too much candy.

The combine is coming!

Hold on to your hat, Jonny, and try to stay calm.

And since summer (or "warmer," as J. refers to it) is finally here, we put up the tent - the one we got six years ago at our wedding and hadn't even opened yet.

It was lots and lots of fun. For about one hour of the first day.

And out we go, on to bigger and better things (like two hay racks behind the trike).