July 26th

I'm unsure how long it's been since I last created an entry... Alot's been goin' on. Natasha and Petra are in Ukraine. They've been there since Aug. 17th... I'm set to meet-up with them in August. Then, we'll all fly home together. It was nice to have a break from Petra and Natasha for the first couple of days, but then I've started missin' them... You truly don't know what you have until it's gone... I want my Petra and Nata back with me... Soon...

I've been tryin' to stay busy around the house. I stained the deck. (One of the projects Natasha wanted me to complete). She also wanted hardwood floors on the main floor, and the carpet removed from the steps, and those painted... I don't think I'll be getting to those projects... We'll see...

For me, today was a strange day. I had "grand jury duty," which was a weird experience. We were responsible for deciding if enough evidence had been collected to hold a court hearing for all of these different offenses. It's strange to realize all of the bad stuff goin' on everyday, around us...

After a littl difficulty at my work, I came home, and there was no one to listen to my problems... So, I decided to cut the grass. But, I did get to tell my problems to my neighbor Belinda, and I spoke with my ol' friend, John McMichael... (He was the only one who answered his phone)...

Well, one thing I've learned is time seems to make things better. So, what seems like a major deal today, hopefully will not seem so bad in a couple weeks.

I checked-out the "WikiLeaks.org" website today. I wanted to see what all the commotion was about. What I've learned is anything a government official does becomes "public record." (But, what I've also learned is that really "high-up government officials" seem to feel their actions are "confidential." (So, actually, they're allowed to do "secret stuff" that's for our "own good")...

Well, we'll see if I'm still livin' in America when I'm 50 years old. At this point, I wouldn't mind raisin' a garden and havin' a farm over in Ukraine, when I'm older... Life is too short to be worried about terrorism all of the time...

At least Petra hasn't forgotten about me... When I saw her on the Internet (Skype) she knew I was her "Papa!" But, she didn't know why I wouldn't come out of the computer and play with her, or read her a story... It must be difficult for her, too...