The Summer of the year 2000 
... at our house

We made it into the new millennium!  I never had any doubts about it!  We brought it in, in style, too.  On New Year's Eve we attended the formal Millennium Ball in the civic center in downtown Huntsville.

Sadly, Uncle Clarence was not with us long into the new millennium.  He died on his birthday 6 January 2000.  

Our baby kitty, Pork Chop, made it through his first year with flying colors:  streaks of silver gray and black at the speed of sight.  He is 1 1/3 years now. 

Our home water saga continues into it's second year.  All last year we developed one underground leak after another in the water pipe that went from the house to the garage and points out back.  Doug fixed the first one that showed up, then the second one.  By the time the third one developed, he turned the outside water off in back and we just got it from the front.  

This year, the old underground line in front developed a leak.  After all the digging up of ground and laying of over 100' of new pipe last year, I didn't know we still had any old pipes left but it turns out that this is a complicated, convoluted system we have.  We've made a map for the next owners.  

Doug says all these pipes developing problems is because of the draught.  He said NASA is having the same problems over there.  The ground is so dry it is developing deeps cracks and stressing the pipes underground.  Sounds like as reasonable an explanation as any.  On the subject of the draught, there is one very noticeable, positive aspect -- we have had NO fleas, ticks, or mosquitoes this summer.     

In July we made a fun trip back to where I grew up -- Hamlet, NC. -- to attend my high school reunion.  Stayed with very old friends (a childhood friend, not old in age, of course!) and had a great time with them and with another high school classmate who stayed with them, too.  

Last but certainly not least, the annual paw paw tree growth report.  
Third annual reading is 64", 35" and 20 1/2".  
This is up from  48", 23" and 16" in 1999 and
27" and 8" in 1998.  Not too disappointing considering we are in our second year of drought.