Tuesday, August 2, 2011, Nashville, Tennessee~

Dear Journal~

Howdy from hot and humid Nashville, Tennessee!  Hope you are finding ways to keep cool this summer!

Today's forecasted high is suppesed to be 97; tomorrow it's supposed to reach the century mark for the first time this season.  Then the rest of the week it is supposed to be in the lower to mid nineties with a chance of afternoon/early evening thunderstorms.  Guess today and tomorrow are the days where the children can beat the heat by spending time in their air conditioned rooms or in the pool in our backyard.

Meanwhile, Bill and I will be sitting in our centrally air-conditioned house, underneath our ceiling fans, drinking plenty of fluids to keep ourselves hydrated.  I don't mind the heat, personally, but it sure bothers poor Bill.  It always has.

I just got the second load of laundry into the dryer; the third load is in the washer.  There's one more smaller load after this one, and then I'm calling it quits for the rest of the day.  Doing laundry is a daily chore at my house: with our family, dirty clothes multiply faster than a family of rabbits! LOL

Good thing we're both off from work today; that way, once we get the laundry out of the way, we can spend the day together and with our children.  We just may end up joining the children in the pool; that suddenly sounds like a wonderful idea!

I'll just have to make sure to slather the children with plenty of sunscreen (and hope that Johnathon doesn't end up getting yet another sunburn in the process!).  That poor boy couldn't get a tan to save his life; he always burns, even if we put sunscreen on him!  I feel so sorry for him!  The same goes for Michael, Steffi, and our other fair-haired or pale-skinned children!  I will have to watch them all like a hawk!

Next week is our county fair.  Vocal Trash and Josh Turner are the star attractions for the week.  I have heard of Josh Turner before (have seen him at the Grand Ole Opry a few times), but as for Vocal Trash, I am not familiar with them.  I know the kids will enjoy going to the fair.  Bill and I do.  I have entered some of my Cajun recipes in the cooking contest and I hope they do well in the judging.  Bill enjoys the livestock exhibits and the exhibits in the main hall.  The kids, meanwhile, go for the carnival rides, and the wilder they are, the more they like them!

We just don't have nearly as many kids with us this time, as some have already flown their wings and flew away on their own.  I bet they wish they could go to the Davidson County Fair with us, their parents, like they used to do when they were smaller, but they all have their own families or their own lives to live out.  Maybe one year they will all come home during fair time and we can go to the fair again as a whole family!  Maybe we can even take the grandkids with us; bet they would really get a kick out of it!  I know we would!

I hope the weather co-operates for the fair!  Seems it always rains during fair week!

Ronee' called last night.  She is doing well; she is really enjoying school, but some of the classes are really proving to be a challenge.  She is studying hard and is doing all she can to make good grades.  I told her we'd be proud of her even if she didn't get above a C.  As long as she tries her best, that's all we care about.  Ronee' has always been a whiz at school; she shouldn't worry so much about her grades!  It's no wonder she has some grey in her hair .. and she isn't even twenty years old yet!  LOL

It was good to hear her voice.  I sure miss her when she isn't here!  And I know Johnny misses Ronee' even more: they have always been exceptionally close with one another.

Well, the dryer just dinged; so I have to get the one load out and put the load that's in the washer into the dryer.  Then I have to put the last load into the washer and wait 'til that is done cycling before I put it in the dryer.  THEN I have to fold all of it.  Oh, goodie!  LOL  Seems a woman's work is never done, especially MINE!  LOL  Sheesh!  I will write in here again soon; until later, this is Louisiana saying so long and God bless!

~Love, yur friend in torrid Tennessee, Louisiana Mayrah.  :)