Wednesday, August 8 - Down to Liberty again!

This morning I was working on Casey County cemetery records -- I have a road map that shows most of them -- 108 at last count -- but there are some that are not on the map, so I'm actually compiling lists from various sources to try to come up with as complete a list as I can. A gal from Phoenix, AZ is working with me (she shared HER map with cemeteries marked off) and several others -- community effort! While I was working on that, Barry called the Casey County Public Library and got some information on a county history that contained hundred of pages of cemetery records, AND it's on CD! Would I surprise you if I told you I bought it? I also joined the Casey County Friends of the Library -- I can actually volunteer now that I'm retired.

Needless to say, we drove down to Liberty to buy a copy. It is a very nice, and apparently well-used library for a county of only 15,000 people, and a VERY good genealogy/local history collection we perused a bit. I'd say the library overall compares with Waterville's, with a history/genealogy collection that's 3-4 times as extensive.

We took a back route to get to Liberty -- we were told it was a short cut -- it wasn't really, in fact it was longer and took longer. But it went through some nice country, and it IS beautiful around here. We're getting out and exploring more and more, and as we do, the drive up Butchertown Road doesn't seem as long and tedious any more -- at least not like it was the very first time we drove out here.

Then we went grocery shopping for the second time in Liberty, this time at a place called Save-A-Lot. Boy, we did! Dry cereal (cheerios, bran flakes, rice crispies -- store brand) was at most $1.99 a box, so we stocked up. Meat prices continue to astound us, and the selection of frozen fish there was even better than the IGA's selection the other day.

On the way home, we had to stop for two school buses. Lincoln County (through which we have to pass to get home) must have started for kids today. Casey County schools start next Wednesday, Boyle County (Danville) has started, and Mercer County (Harrodsburg) started August 1! I can't imagine school districts in the Oakland area starting 15 days apart from one another, but things are different here.

When we arrived home, due to the heat index, we didn't do a great deal. Real temperature on the front porch was 100, and the tomatoes we had put out on the back porch to ripen actually cooked!

After dinner, we did our usual fish-feed. We're feeding the little critters around sunset or later now since catfish feed more and are more active after the sun sets. Tonight though, for the first time, we saw some of the bluegills. They grabbed the fish food before the vacuum cleaner catfish got to it, at least at first. Barry dropped some fish food right on the shore of the pond, and the catfish practically came out of the water to get it -- one little pisces was at least 75% on land! We sat down by the pond until it was dark enough to see some other locals -- bats. There were maybe 3 or 4 swooping down over the pond, dipping into the water, eating bugs, and in general making pigs of themselves (I wonder if they're related to vacuum cleaners or catfish?)! In any event, everyone got fed just fine this evening -- catfish, bluegills, bats, Barry and me.

We have the A/C turned up to about 80 (to conserve electricity during this heat wave, AND save money as well) and it feels downright cold compared to outside -- yet even then it's running constantly just to keep temps as cool as 80. We had been running it about 74 or so, and will do so again. After this hot spell, temps of 80 outdoors will seem very nice indeed. Oh, we noticed on the Weather Channel that it'll get down into the upper 40s in Caribou tonight. I doubt it's THAT cold in the refrigerator here.

Well, early to bed tonight -- last night it was midnight, and nearly 1AM the night before -- VERY unusual for someone who's gotten used to being in bed by 9 or 10 at the latest. Tomorrow is another day.