Rebecca was here from Mississippe when we got home.  She has been under the weather since December and so she and I and the boys have spent a good deal of the past six weeks in Utah seeing doctors.  Kieth came last week and has taken her the past two times.  She had a procedure yesterday that should help the problem.

Rebecca and Kimberly got the cousins together for play date and pictures.  The pictures turned out so cute.  It was amazing to have all eleven cousins together in one place at one time.  Kimberly hosted a pizza party after pictures at her home and we got to visit and just enjoy each other.  At least thats how I felt and it is always enjoyable to watch the cousins play together.

I’ve been cleaning the area of the barn that will be the bathroom and laundry area.  I told Jack I was going to tile the kitchen with or without him and after thinking about it said I needed to practice in the bath and laundry area first.  I’m game, anything to get things moving towards more normal.  After eight plus years, we can use the brand new washer and dryer that are over eight years old, as Jack finally agreed to hook them up and let me use cold water to wash.  At least I don’t have to go to the laundry mat.  This is a huge blessing in my life.

My tear drop garden looks good.   The flower garden around the cottonwood tree is beginning to look pretty good as well.   We planted grass in the yard between the two camping trailers and it has begun to shoot up little green hairs.  The pond is filling up and the horses have begun to bath in it.  This morning about eight to ten deer tried their luck at splashing in the pond.  It was fun to watch.

We have 25 baby chicks, two ducks, a sheep, two cats, a dog and the horses all keeping us company.  We also have an unwanted critter that we have been trying to catch with the live trap.  It’s been to smart for us so far.  We are hoping to ride ourselves of this unwanted guest.

Jack has worked on the Quick’s trailer getting it ready for her to take up the canyon with her family, for a big family get together.  Trina was my life saver while we served our missions, she kept the cats fed and looked after.  He has reworked the paddle wheel and fixed a couple of risers he broke off.  The dinasaur is half way down the driveway.  It over heated and so until we get water back into it and restarted it will adorn the drive.  Maybe tomorrow.  Jack needs to dig a ditch across the lower field to put in new risers for our hand lines.  He is removing the sagebrush in that 2 plus acres to put in more horse grass hay.

We reported to the High Counsel, and gave our talks in sacrament meeting.  I received a call to teach in Primary, you know, prepare a lesson each week and if the regular teacher doesn’t show up then teach the class.

It feels good to be home.  Jared and his family came down for the weekend.  It was so pleasant having he and his wife Emily and their children and Reb and Keith and  their children together.

Jared said he saw three marmets, the fury looking beaver like animals with fuzzy tails.  I saw a beautiful fox.  No mountain lion so far, and I have only heard the coyotes.  I need a gun with a good scope.  I plan to kill anything dangerous to my animals that even gets close to the area.

Since coming home from our mission I have been able to see John’s wife Erin and his son, Natalie, Jack’s wife and their two sons, Kimberly and Justin her husband  and their four children, Rebecca and Keith and their two sons, Jared and Emily and their two daughters, James and Jordan.  Almost all the people in my life who really count.  Not much more a mother could ask for.

In the beginning dad and Justin spent a week putting in a road to where we have the barn/house built.  Since that first attempt to inhabit the land we have truly lived in a third world country.  No water, power, telephone.  After seven years and much work we have power, water, irrigation water under pressure, and a telephone line (s).  The barn is mostly done except for the upstairs where we will live, some day. 

This summer we harvested about 2,000 bales of hay and sold most of it to our friends on the reservation. 

The pond was dug out and filled, but not soon enough for the mother duck (wild) to come again and have her babies like she did last summer.

Now that the summer is over we are leaving home and heading back to the Navajo Nation.  We served last year, October to April in Cameron and the Grand Canyon.  It was a wonderful time and we made some really neat friends, and got to hike the beautifl painted desert as well as the whole of the top of the Grand Canyon.  We were the only belagonas so everyone knew where we were even if we didn’t.  We got found when we were sure where we were.

This winter we will be in Chinle, serving in Many Farms and Lukachukia.  Lots of belagonas here so we don’t stand out like we did last year.  We are looking forward to working with the people here.