Rancho Sierra Vista

Over this past weekend dad helped with the “Larsen” project up near Rico.  The brethren from the Ward went  to help put a roof over the leaking trailer before winter.  I think he had a good time, anytime he can work he is happy, and he got to help someone in need, this always makes him happy.

I talked to James on Saturday, he never just says what he wants and I always have to figure out what it is he really wants.  When I did I told dad that I thought we should make a trip to Utah after church on Sunday, as James needed to visit with his father.  We first  had to get our temple recommend interviews taken care of as our recommends expired on Sunday, and we have never gone without one since our marriage forty years ago.  Then we headed to Utah.  We stayed at the Super 8 by the campus and asked James if he wanted to come to our place or if we should  go to his.  I think he was surprised to hear we were in town as we had not called to tell him we were coming.  He came to us.  Then I called John and asked if he an Erin wanted to come over to our place ans visit for a while.

James had requested a fathers blessing before school started today, as he is in the Masters  program at the Y and felt he needed the extra help.  Dad use to give all the children a blessing before each school year.  So we felt it was something we needed to do upon receiving the the request from our son.

It also gave us a chance to see the children, their spouces, and our grandchildren.  I had finished two receiving blankets and burp cloths that Kim had bought for the new Hattaway baby, due in a few weeks.  I wanted to get it to them and was able to.  I also had a picture made up for James with the three blonds he played with this summer.  They really do look like triplets when put together.  (Craig, Wesley, and Cadence)  He had also requested some railroad patches he left at the ranch so now he is in possession of them.

Monday morning we got up and went to Layton, to see Kimberly and her family and visit with them.  I had a gift for her that I had wanted to give to her when she received her degree, but it hadn’t come in yet.  We got to hear about her first week of school and laughed a lot and also we got to go see her school room. (modular).  We got to visit with her sons as Kenzie was off with a girlfriend.  It was nice.

We went to Jared’s in Herriman to see he and Emily and the girls.  I can hardly  believe how much they grow inbetween visits.  James and Jordan were up there so we were able to see all the kids at once.  Jared shared an interesting tibit of info on Melody, that he has to distract her when he signs onto his computer because she can mimic him and get on if she wants to!  I loved the visit because Cadence wanted to play, Melody wanted to be held by me and Emily played some beautiful music on her new panio.  No one knew in this family how talented she really is.  Her playing is wonderful!  The songs were difficult and we all enjoyed the little program.

Jordan let me ride his moped.  I keep thinking I want one but wasn’t sure, so I took a ride on his and I think when we come home from our mission this next round that I will have to look into buying one.  We will have to see.

We didn’t get home until mid-night and dad had to be up by 5:30 a.m. to drive and instruct the new bus driver in Dolores this morning.

I’m off to do my favorite job…..laundry.

It is the middle of August and already the weather has begun to change. It is cool to cold in the mornings and then warm durng the days. I love fall and it looks like we might be getting it a little earlier than expected this year.

Dad has cut the fields once again and today begins the baling process. We will not get the crop we had with the first cutting as the water got turned off early again this year. It is maddening to have to deal with the “old boys” and their ways.

We got the stairs put up in the back of the barn “upstairs”. Now we can actually move stuff up there if we need to. Dad and Jerry will cement the porches front and back on Wednesday evening. That is one project we have trying to get done for three or four years.

The lamb, larger, now a ewe, thinks she is a dog and runs with Emma and Charlee. To get her into her pen at night one must show her a dog bone treat and she will gladly go into her pen. The duck people have decided that the pond is not too bad a place to go and have to be driven back to their pen at night to protect them from the foxes and the coyotes. If they could be trusted to remain on the pond all night they would be okay, but with the duck people its hard to tell what they get into their minds to do.

Dad has cleared the bottom few acres of sagebrush and we have a hand line that will water the grass mix down there. The ranch looks really good with all the green, it is almost like an english estate with rolling grass, when you look at it from the french doors upstairs.

Dad put electric wire down both sides of the middle area of the fields that need to be groomed. This is the area we put the water and power lines in and it needs to be worked so we can plant a grass mix there. The horses have done a great job of eating down the weeds and helping to make the job easier for dad to get it fixed and planted before winter and our retreat to the Arizona bad lands and the Navajo Nation.

I learned to do stained glass and I think I will really love it. The lady who owns the store called and asked me to work for her and I filled in for several weeks until she and her regular helper worked out their differences. That was interesting. It confirmed to me that I like to do stain glass, but I don’t like to work in a shop that you have to stand around a lot. Even though Wal-Mart has its problems, at least you work work work when you are there and the time goes by quickly. Not saying I’m going back to W-mart, but I did enjoy the people.

Rebecca and her boys came for a month at the beginning of the summer to help out and work “our projects”. She wants her boys to know the ranch, and love it as much as she does. It won’t be long before Craig, “4″ will be driving the truck while grandpa “pa pa” loads the hay. I’m sure we will have to attach blocks to the pedals, but so what, I drove a bus this past spring with blocks on the peddals. The bus barn people had put them on for the lady who normally drives the route. Anyway the boys will get first hand lessons on farm life, if we all live long enough.

John and Erin, Jared and James came down for a weekend and that was fun. I truly miss not seeing my children and how they react with each other and how they enteract with their children, or siblings children. Grandkids are the best.

The summers highlight was witnessing Kimberly’s graduation from Western Governors University, with honors. She also spoke at the commencement exercises. It only took her eighteen years to get there. She is now going to teach sixth grade at Layton Elementary school. She is excited about her new job.

James graduated last December, but officially walked, at our request in April, that was fun.

John will graduate in December and move his little family and extended family back to Massachusetts, I know I will never see them again, only in pictures. But each of us have to do what is best for our families. I just feel sad that his children will never be a part of my life.

Jared was scheduled to graduate in October, but found out he needed to take an additional class. He is now to graduate in April. That gives the family six out of eight with degrees and two to go. All the spouces have their degrees and some with masters, while others are working towards theirs. Education is a good thing.

On our way home from church yesterday, we spotted “Patches” the girl goat.  She saw us and took off through the canyon over by the Hema’s place.  She can run faster than a deer.  We gave chase but never even got close.  I assume that “Snape” the boy goat is out there too.  I need to warn the neighbors that the goats have gone AWOL and if they can capture them we will come get them.  Just wanted everyone to know that the goats didn’t get eaten by the mountain lion or some other  prowling animal, they are just little buggers.

Another month gone!  Also gone are two goats….one minute they were here eating milk weed and the next they were gone in broad daylight.  The dogs and I walked the North East half of the ranch and  on up to the power lines.  No signs of foul play or of the goats.  Dad let them free range and they went somewhere, who knows, kinda spooky.  Being as Charlee didn’t bark, and the lamb, dogs and ducks were all together.

The sourthern fence line is half done.  Rebecca, and her husband,Keith,  James and Jared put in a very long Saturday to get it from the far South East fence line down through the bottom of the canyon with four strands of barb wire snugly in place.  With the help of a jack hammer and pole driver, James the official welder on the ”H” at the bottom of the canyon that crosses the creek the project went rather well.   I think everyone was about dead by night fall.  Dad and I greatly appreciated not only all the hard work, but the willingness of the boys to give up a couple of days of their busy lives and come down and help out.  Hopefully before the fall weather and our departure we will get the south fence all the way in.

Dad is out trying hard to cut, rake, and bale the North West fields.  He cut Perkins hay and baled it this week and now has ours to do.  It is exciting for the first cutting.  We are hoping to get it baled and put up before it rains.  Not that rain is in the forcast, but, that is always the objective.  Of course selling it, is always a good thing too.

I started a stained glass class and I love it.  I can think of a million things I would love to work on.   It is one of those things that takes a lot of time, patience and of course money to accomplish, but it is something I have always wanted to learn and so when the opportunity presented itself, with a little encouragment I jumped at the chance.

John and Erin came down for a visit and it was so fun to have them here.  Kim keeps saying she’s coming but her health and family responsibilities  keep her pretty busy.  Reb was here with her boys for a month and Keith came to help drive them back to Mississippi and spent a week.  It is always great to have family show up. 

We got the metal for the back stairs and notified the man who is going to help dad weld them together.  We  will be able to go out the back door and not drop fourteen feet.  We have the retaining wall in and just need to get gravel so that it will drain properly and then back fill with dirt.  It looks good and is about three years in the process of getting done.  Dad has the metal on the front balconey done, it looks good and hopefully we will get the cement onto the balconey’s before the end of July.  There is always something going on.  Anyone needing something to do and no where to go is always welcome.

As the month of May comes to an end, we find that work on the ranch continues.  Rebecca and her boys have been here for a month.  It is such a blessing to have her come.  She doesn’t look at it as a vacation, just a moment in time to help where she can and to let her boys become familiar with ranch life.

When Reb comes we have projects that need to be accomplished.  This year she is painting her zibra tree.  It’s stunning, done in black in white.  We have done yard work and lived through much mud, snow, and hail.  The boys haven’t been able to play in the water like years past because it hasn’t been that warm.

This year we tried our hand at attending the local animal auction.  Reb got her auction savy going and ended up buying a bummer lamb, she calls freckles, and we take turns feeding on a bottle.  The first week the boys chose ducks, they named “chocolate” and “milk”.  They are still kicking around, and she also bought Boer goats, to prove a theory that after much research this type of goat is suppose to eat sagebrush.  So far they are good at sneaking into the garden and nibbling and eating everything but sagebrush.  They like cheat grass and that is helpful.  We are hoping they will like the musturd plant also.

The fields are green and beautiful.  It is fun to look out and see the fields without any barb wire fences.  The pond is full and we have a pair of wild ducks swimming morning and night.  We are hoping to see duckings in a few weeks.  The horses are looking beautiful as ususal,  they wintered well and their coats are just beautiful.

Dad has the stairwell with sheetrock ont he outside and around the banister.  He has most of the upstairs sheetrocked.  Just needs to finish the plumbing and then we can hire a tape and floater guy so I can move on in the upstairs living area.

Hopefully the south fence will get worked on this weekend and after seven years of it being gone, (the south neighbor decided to take it out while we were gone).  Update progress later.

Six months ago I would never have thought that this second part of our Navajo mission would have gone by so quickly.  About a week and we will head home.  Dad can hardly wait to farm and I just keep hoping that a miracle will happen and maybe we can actually make some progress on the barn-house and actually live there.  But reality always hits home and I know that Dad is no spring chicken and he can only do so much.  We must live in hope or die in despair

I have been teaching early morning seminary since December and loving it.  The kids are great and having something to do was just what I needed.  The President and the FM office got dad  working on missionary trailers and he has fixed a lot of problems.  The Polacca trailer, we have spent months on, but each time we think we are about done something else breaks.  Today we found two more leaks in some copper pipe that runs the hot water underneath the trailer.  I thought when we got the new hot water heater in and the new faucet in the kitchen and the new hoses in the laundry room that maybe we could say we are done. But….NO, we have to go to Gallup again and buy more parts to fix the lastest two leaks. 

Staying busy with our assignments, volunteering at the senior center in Rough Rock and attending meetings in Many Farms and Lukachukia is time consuming.  But very enjoyable.  We still have two pages of things people want done before we leave, which should keep us busy right up to the end.

Our replacements for seminary arrived today.  A wonderful couple from Laverkin, Utah came to Chinle, on a CES mission.  They will teach seminary and do whatever President Gill asks them to do.  They are here for one year. 

 This is rambling, but I did want to note that we are excited to go home to see our children and grandchildren, work the ranch, and get some organization in our life.

Spring finally came to the rez and the sisters down the way have tulips up, they are beautiful.  I’m hoping mine will wait til I get home to show their faces.  I love spring when everything comes alive.  It is such a beautiful exciting time of year.

Last spring when we got home from the mission I was showering and lost one of my diamond earrings down the drain. Go figure, they were on screwon posts and I check them regularly. But, no matter I lost one and I screamed and bawled. Dad had bought them as an anniversary gift eight or nine years ago and they finally made the one carat that I had always wanted. (my engagement ring plus two earrings). Dad told me that it was alright and he would replace it.

He called Melvin in Austin and sent him the one remaining earring and asked him to match it and return them. I had hoped to have them by the wedding in August. NOPE. After the wedding I didn’t much think about the earring as life went on as usual on the ranch.

We left for the second leg of our mission in October and I just didn’t wear earrings anymore in my ears. On our anniversary dad had made arrangments with Melvin to not only replace my earring but he also bought be a beautiful diamond necklace for our 39th anniversary. Wow was I surprised. It is so nice to have my diamonds back in my ears, I’m trying not to sound vain, but now I have this beautiful necklace to boot.

Dad surprised me the first time with diamonds and then completely surprised me again with more. What more can be said…..diamonds, from my best friend!

What started out to be a short drive after we had already been to church at Many Farms and Lukachukia because I wanted to finish listening to a story we had begun on our way home from the wedding in Utah.

I didn’t realize we were low in gas. Dad said we could go to Granada and back and I just thought thats good as I knew the story would be over by then. But we turned and headed towards Pinon and then after traveling until the road got bad we decided to turn right onto a road that looked great. Paved with asphault and wide. Well that ended after a short time and we were committed as dad put it because we didn’t have the gas to back track. Neither of us knew exactly where we were or where this road was going and it was beginning to get dark. Not good.

The road got narrower and then we began to go through ditches and gulleys and through slush and frozen stuff and lots of snow and most of the time in four wheel drive to just make it through. I was scared stiff. My mind kept working on the fact that if something happened to dad and we had no phone signal and I didn’t know where we were really and we hadn’t even seen a hogan in forever what would I do. I was still in my church clothes and had only taken a coat because dad told me I couldn’t get into the car without one.

I finally got out the GPS and tried to see if it would tell us where we were in ralationship to where I would really like to be. Dad just kept going and Charlee could feel the tension I was exuding and he was restless. We lost daylight and still had no idea where we were. The reading on the GPS said we were close to a road that would link us back to 191. But not matter how long we drove, now on a two rut road and larger ditches and steep drop offs we didn’t seem to get any closer to that road we needed to get us back to where we knew our way around.

Finally we saw light and headed in that direction. Then the road posted a sign saying it was a deadend. Dad kept going and found a house with cars and he walked around until he found some warm bodies. They told him to back track until we saw a wind mill and then turn right. Think cow trails not normal roads and dark, cold, and lots of snow and ice.

We back tracked and headed in the direction dad was told and finally found the wind mill. We took the right fork in the road. We couldn’t see much in any direction and just hoped that what we were doing was the way to go. The GPS arrow didn’t stay on course and it never got close to the little road to take us back to 191 for ions of time. Next thing we knew were were on top of the mountains literally and began to desend. We were over 7,000 feet and I kept hoping we wouldn’t run out of gas. I hate to have less than a half tank of gas, as dad is known far and wide for running out.

We drove and drove and drove and finally saw some lights. As we desended from the tops of the mountains we wondered if we had gone around the mountains and was coming out at Many Farms. NOPE. When we finally got to the bottom of the mountain on a road a little better than the tracks, two cars could pass each other, dad says wow I know where we are. I looked around in the darkness and thought I’ve been here before. We were in Rough Rock by the trading post. We wound around back past the senior center where we go each Wednesday to volunteer and finally the GPS said we were on the road that linked us to the highway 191. We knew it would be quite a drive to just make it back to Many Farms and the light was on saying the gas was low. When we got to Many Farms I asked dad to get gas and he said we would be okay. The bain of my life. We drove the fifteen miles more to home, Chinle, and parked in front of the trailer.

Dad said wasn’t that fun! Now we need to look on a map and see where we went. This is like three hours later. I didn’t think it was fun. I couldn’t see anything to say it was beautiful, and the four wheeling through deep gullys was anything but fun. I was just grateful we were not in the Jetta and that the four wheel drive worked. Anyone who has driven on the reservation in the daytime knows how remote it is, little lone in the dark.

When we hit the pavement Charlee layed down on my lap and took a nap.

We got up early Wednesday morning, like 4:00 a.m. to drive to a doctors appointment for dad in Flagstaff. We got their on time and he got seen immediately. His eye is doing better and if we have no other problems then we can see the doctore in six months. There is some scaring, but the eye (s) are looking better. We then drove to Manti, Utah for the wedding of my nephews daughter. It took us all day to get there, with a stop here and there for lunch or hot chocolate. We even stopped at the big rock candy mountain just to check out how it had changed in fifty years.

We got to Manti, checked into a motel bought pizza and fell into bed. We got up and dressed and went to the temple. It is always fun for me to see family and friends. Having lived my whole life away from family has been hard, but when we can see each other for whatever the reason its always good.

Whitney and Chris were sealed by his grandfather and it was a very special event.

We drove to Provo to collect things on our shopping lists, living on the rez you make lots of lists for the time when you might hit a city that actually has stores in it. We attended the brunch held at Noah’s near the point of the mountain. It was nice.

We delivered Rebecca’s gifts to James, he had mentioned he might come to the rez, but didn’t so we delivered to him. We picked up a manual to teach Family relations class in Many Farms in the new year and headed back to Noah’s for the reception.

Kimberly and John and Erin met us there. We got to visit and enjoy their company. It is always nice to hear how my children are doing and actually see that what they are telling me is basically true. I always worry about everyone, whether or not they need me to. Its just part of my job as mother, and it never ends no matter how old they get.

We drove to Moab after bidding our children good bye and spent the night and then got up the next morning and came back to the rez to return to our assignments.

The holidays and being away from my children is probably the hardest part of serving a mission. This year I put out a plea for someone to come visit. Jared and Emily and the girls came down the friday before Christmas, braving the bad weather and wandering animals and even the possibility of drunken indians to come see us. It was so neat to have them here. I even got Melody to come to Grammie with her dad holding her. We mostly visited and just enjoyed being together. I love to watch my children parent my grandchildren. I’m impressed with their patience and loving ability to encourage their children to make good choices. This is true pleasure for me.

Rebecca and Keith came with their two boys all the way from Mississippi to be here for Christmas. They got here on Saturday, after taking an extra three hours to check out the rez without realizing what they were doing. Its actuallya straight shot from Gallup to here, but Rebecca decided to take the straight line approach and went through Saw Mill which we haven’t even gone to or through. It is one of the coldest spots on the rez. I think they got to see lots of snow and not to good of roads. Which really means, instead of taking the main road which is paved, they took a dirt road which isn’t even graveled. But they got here. The cousins were so happy to see and play with each other, bringing much joy to their Grammie.

We drove to the south rim of the canyon to look over the side into the deep canyon. It was a cold day so we decided it wouldn’t be the best idea to hike into the canyon at this time. Keith and Reb rode with Jared and Emily and we had the three oldest cousins in our car, it was the best. To hear them laugh and talk to each other was such pleasure for me.

Saturday night was cold and no one except Dad and Rebecca and the three oldest grandchildren wanted to brave the parade. I would have gone but I was making a lemon chiffon pie for us to eat and I was sure the parade would only last ten minutes. When two hours went by and they hadn’t returned, Jared made the comment that he was sure that the indians had talked dad into being in the parade and put lights on his car. Well, it wasn’t exactly like that, but close. Dad and Rebecca were asked to judge the floats. Being outsiders, they wouldn’t be swayed. There was $1500.00 in prize money to be won and so the people organizing the parade didn’t want members of the same clans judging. They watched the parade, it was ten minutes long. They took the kids and walked around the floats, the kids about froze to death, they put the kids into the car and walked around the floats again with the women in charge and then finally made their decissions. They said they departed soon after as they didn’t want to be acosted for their choices. Jared was almost right.

Jared and Emily and the girls decided to leave on Sunday so Jared could make it to a doctors appointment without traveling Christmas eve or day. The little cousins traded Christmas presents and had fun playing with their new treasures. Before Jared and Emily left with the girls, we made a large breakfast and enjoyed just being together. While Jared packed his car and got it warm for their trip, Cadence began to feel puny and act a little puny. Jared got double wal-mart bags and put them by her car seat just in case. Jared later said that the way dad sent them home took three extra hours. He already told me he wouldn’t be coming back to the rez ever. Then to take an extra three hours to get home only added to his commitment. Cadence was sick all the way home. She ruined all her clothes, all her dads shirts and finally they had to find a store to buy her something to put on so she could make it the rest of the way home. Even if the trip was trying to the parents seeing my darling little granddaughters was heavenly for me.

We took Reb and her family to church with us, or I should say we took the Elders in our car and they followed in their car to Lukachukai. I’m sure it was an interesting event in their lives. Indians don’t always start their meetings on time and sunday was no exception. RS and Priesthood was held together because there were no teachers. After the meetings we handed out goodie bags to all the families and those that stayed for another hour heard dad read the “Real Story of Christmas” a tradition for us. I had made english triffle and served everyone. Keith chased Craig outside in the snow and Wesley slept through the whole thing.

Monday we drove to the south rim of the Canyon De Chelly and walked down to the white house ruin. We bundled up thinking it would be cold, but ended up carrying our coats, hats, gloves because it was so warm. The little boys walked the whole way without to much complaining and Craig beat his mother to the top and won a root beer float at the A & W.

We fondued on Christmas Eve and just enjoyed ourselves. The Bardo family was so beat they were all in bed by 8:00 p.m. and sawing logs. The senior missionaries, came by about nine to hear the Christmas story read by dad and I served New Mexican hot chocolate. We enjoyed their company and I enjoyed hearing the story again. Forty years of hearing it never seems to much.

We woke up later than usual, the boys were dancing around by 7:30 a.m. That’s late for us. Usually our children would be up by three or four in the morning. The trick of taking the long walk was the best. It took most of the day to open packages and eat and open some more. It was delightful to watch the boys. We had a wonderful Christmas. We spoke to most of our children and grandchildren and it was such a pleasant time for me. I couldn’t have asked for a better present than having Jared and Rebecca’s familys here. Thanks guys.