This and That

Things have been kind of slow around here...that sleepy sort of slow that comes in the middle of summer when it's too hot to work and too hot to sleep and too hot to do anything, really. But the heat has nothing to do with our slow. Things are slow because we've FINALLY finished the walls. We finished this Saturday, and man, did we celebrate! Of course, we still have to do the roof, but I don't really feel like talking about that yet.

Victorious! Dad tearing the last few pieces of siding off of the house. (Timmy said he looked like King Kong on top of the Empire State Building.) Photo by Mom.

There has been SOME excitement lately, though, and that's all Matthew's fault. He did his best to scare us all by getting sick on Saturday. He came home from work early, saying he didn't feel well, and went to bed. He had a fever, and lay wrapped in a sleeping bag and comforter in bed, freezing. He also had serious poison-ivy on his ankles, and that didn't help much.

He felt better about 5:00, Saturday night, but developed a headache and aching leg muscles after supper. He went to bed early, and felt almost normal the next morning, despite heavy sweating during the night, and almost total lack of sleep. By Sunday afternoon, he was feeling sick to his stomach, he could barely walk with his legs aching so badly, and he felt very sore and sensitive all over. He also had a fever again. He lay on the living room floor and shivered, while everybody else laughed and joked with him.

After a bit, Dad suggested he might have Lyme Disease, and Mom hurried to do some research on-line. She came back with a long list of signs and symptoms, and we discovered that he had quite a few of them. However, Matthew wasn't worried a bit, and cheerfully put up with all our teasing. Timmy was ecstatic because Matthew was making out his last will and testament, and had left all his money to Timmy. I said that he wasn't fair...hadn't I always been the best little sister anyone could ever ask for? However, Timmy still remains the heir to Matthew's fortune.

Matthew on his 'death-bed', as we nicknamed the middle of the living room floor. Photo by Rachel.

Then Mom did a little more research, and we began to think that maybe Matthew had a secondary infection from the poison ivy. But we didn't want to risk Lyme Disease, so Mom and Dad decided to take Matthew into the doctor the next morning. He felt much better Monday morning, but went to the doctor anyway. He came back talking about how the nurse had only left him enough blood to get out the door, etc. It turned out he had heat exhaustion, and his prescription was to take it easy, stay out of the heat, and rest a lot.

As you can imagine, active Matthew makes just a model patient. We have lots of fun making him rest. But he is feeling much better now (I'm writing this on Wednesday, August 8th, since I got a little behind), I am happy to say. And everybody agrees that we can't wait until Matthew is fully better again...he's driving Mom absolutely crazy! But Matthew doesn't mind. His dog loves having him around, anyway.

The Weekly Bible Verse

Romans 4:7: Blessed are those whose lawless deeds have been forgiven, and whose sins have been covered.

Bits and Pieces

Like I said above, we're finally finished all the walls. We have a new door, new steps, four new windows, one new bay window, two new outdoor lights, and a whole new look! We are all very happy with how our house looks, and I am more than glad that Beka is back doing her normal duties. It's lovely to have proper help with dishes, and to have somebody else to clean the house for once. However, Beka seems to think that since I learned how to cook while she was busy, I should make use of my knowledge. I don't quite agree with her, but somehow I've ended up making just as many meals as she does.

Putting up the LAST stud wall. (Left to right: Dad, Beka, Timmy, Caleb, me, and Matthew.) Photo by Mom.

Well, we're finally in August. Fall is well on its way. I went shopping the other day with Mom...all the stores were full of Halloween and Thanksgiving things already.

Lots of things happen in August over here. There are three or four birthdays, Mom and Dad's anniversary, and (very exciting) the first anniversary of the Aardsma Weekly. (Watch for a special article celebrating this, coming soon.)

A Word About The Weather

Very, very, very, very hot over here. Temperatures well up in the 90's, with humidity pushing the heat index up over 100 degrees. Thank goodness we are not doing construction during this amazing heat. Of course, it was pretty hot while we were working, but nothing this bad. We also need rain pretty badly...we've been watering the garden.

A Word Of Wisdom

(A friend of ours recently gave us a stack of old pamphlets and booklets. Among them, Beka found the following.)

Songs for Fast Drivers: The motorist with any "regard for his future abode should sing hymns as the speedometer climbs upward." This was the opinion expressed in a safety sermon by a Colorado preacher. His selections at different speeds are--

• At 25 miles per hour, "I'm But A Stranger Here. Heaven Is My Home."
• At 45 miles, "Nearer My God To Thee."
• At 55 miles, "I'm Nearing The Port And Will Soon Be At Home."
• At 65 miles, "When The Roll Is Called Up Yonder I'll Be There."
• At 75 miles, "Lord, I'm Coming Home."