On Father's Day (15th) we had family over for dinner.  Mae & Harold were actually up to coming and I think they had a good time.

 It was a very nice day so we set everything up outside and had an outside picnic.  We had ham, potatoes, salads, garlic bread, etc., etc!

Jodi and the kids ate on their picnic quilt.

Our friends, Jerry & Virginia McCardell joined us because they didn't have anything else better to do!!
  Our thought I got a picture of Grandma and Grandpa but apparently not.  They are sitting at the table where Lynn is.

After dinner activity - Adam decided to bury Rebecca in the sand!!!

Yesterday (5-31) we spent the day taking the tree down in the back yard.  Luke Henry came and helped which was greatly appreciated.  If the tree had been to the north about 10 feet we probably would have left it but when we move the swing set it will partly be where the tree stump is.

We got all of the branches from the tree into the pickup with the help of Luke climbing up on top and mashing things down a few times. Jim will take the load to the dump tomorrow.

Here's what's left.

The tree in the back corner that is on the back neighbors property had a limb up, about in the middle of it, that was broken.  It hung down over part of the fence and into the lilacs of our neighbor on the south side.  We talked Luke into climbing up in the tree and cut off the limb.  At first he wasn't so sure about it. Tried to tell us he was afraid of heights!  Then he was afraid he was going to fall out of the tree.  This is kind of a nasty tree.  The limbs are really hard to cut, even the little ones.  As he was going up the tree he had to cut out little dead branches that were attacking him.  But here he is doing his best with a little hand saw cutting that broken branch off.

We invited him to have dinner with us. Since his folks have been gone to Utah for  a step sisters graduation we invited him and his sister over for dinner.  I fixed hamburgers earlier in the day and all I had to do was throw them on the grill.  Good thing too.  Otherwise I don't know what we would have had!

We were so tired last night it was all I could do to actually take a shower.

We've been busy around here.  I didn't think it was going to be so hard to work up the flower beds in the back for some garden.
  Last Monday I spent all day doing this little section to plant cucumbers and squash.  I used the shovel, the claw, the hoola hoe and was so tired I couldn't think straight.  There is a lady up at the end of Howard that has rabbits and Ginny pigs.  We went up there and got some rabbit manure but I'm sure it wasn't enough.  We really need to add nutrients to this soil.

This is part of it done.  Still need to put the squash in.

Tuesday I kept telling myself I needed to get out there and work the ground for the tomatoes but just couldn't bring myself to it.  I was busy Wed. morning but had a thought of a friend that has a little Mantis tiller and got up the courage to call her.  She said they lost a bolt on one of the handles but it still worked.  I asked if we fixed the handle, could we use it.

So we went and got the Mantis.

In a matter of about 1 1/2 hours Jim worked up an area bigger than the area I worked on Monday and it was so much better.  

I got the tomatoes planted but was planting cantaloupe nearly in the dark at 9:45

and I wasn't nearly as tired as Monday night.  Jim on the other hand was tired.  I so appreciated his help though.

While he was tilling I was pulling tree roots out.  Not sure where they were coming from, most likely the tree in the back corner in the neighbors yard.

 We started pulling this long root in the middle of it and had to cut it off at the fence and it ran all the way to where I have squash planted.  It was hard to pull up too.

I have been doing some looking at information on raised bed gardening and saw several ideas about putting tomatoes on something to climb instead of in cages so I'm experimenting with having them on farm fence this year.

I decided to see how zucchini would do in a barrel.  

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY

May 18th, 2014

We got up to 6" - 8" snow on Sunday morning. Much different from Saturday.  Good thing we didn't plan to go home before Tuesday because the roads in all directions were closed until Monday afternoon.  Felt sorry for all those people who were stranded in Laramie after graduation.

There were quite a few visitors at church who were there because they couldn't go home.

Since Shawn & Heather had their house full with Seth & Monica and their kids and Kirk & Marla, Heather found a wonderful couple in the ward that opened up their home for us.  We basically had the whole basement, nice rooms to sleep in, bathroom and great hosts that just let us come and go as we pleased.

This was their front porch on Sunday morning.

 The front porch Monday morning.

Their front lawn

The neighbors landscaping in the front of their house.

Neighbors across the street built a snowman!

By Sunday evening the roads were pretty clear even though it snowed all day.  It melted as it hit the roads and by Monday the roads were in good shape.  There was still a lot of snow around when we left on Tuesday but we had good roads all the way home.

Mason's baptism day.  Also our 40th Anniversary.
  Saturday, 5-9, was Mason's baptism.  He was so excited.  Got a few pictures.

  First Mason, then Mason with Dad, Mason with Dad & Mom and then all the family that came to celebrate with him.  It was a nice day for a baptism.
After the baptism we all had lunch and then we went out to see the new place Heather and Shawn are buying.  I forgot my camera so didn't get any pictures but maybe Heather will post some on face book or something.
   We thought about going our for our anniversary but it was also the day of graduation for the university and since Shawn was BBQing elk steaks we decided to celebrate with family!

We started our trip to Laramie, WY on May 8th.  Picked Lynn up and took her with us.  We had reservations to stay in Rock Springs Thurs. night and then got to Laramie about noon on Friday.

We were entertaining ourselves by listing to a book on CD and when Dad was suppose to turn off and head a different direction he completely missed it and we ended up in Jackson Hole!  I have never been there and Lynn said that she had only been there once when she and her sister were both still at home.

We even got lost in Jackson Hole.  We decided to 

stop and get something to eat and Dad asked the girl waiting on us about the turn off he was suppose to take and she looked at him like she had no clue. She didn't!!

So there is a park in Jackson that has arches at every corner entrance of made of antlers.  That's the only thing about Jackson Lynn could remember! 

                                             Here's pictures.

Took a lot of animals to do this.  Very unique.

So now I need to update and catch up again!
  A week or so before we went to Laramie we got a load of Black Forest mulch to put in the flower beds.  We only got the one by the driveway done, on Saturday.  I planted some hens and chicks and some pansies.  Next morning (Sunday) we saw the hens and chicks were dug up and you could clearly see where some dog had been messing around in my flower beds.  We didn't have time to do anything with it because we were on our way to church.
   That afternoon, before I got around to going out and fixing it, our little neighbor boy who has an electric car got stuck behind our car with his front wheels in the flower bed.  I heard some talking and looked out the window to see his mom and dad doing something in the flower bed and dad was chewing his son out.  I went out and told them Tray (the boy's name) did not mess up the flower bed.  His dad didn't seem to believe me at first.  I explained that it was that way in the morning when we left for church and I just hadn't gotten around to getting it fixed.  Tray still got a lecture about staying away from neighbors flower beds.
   So I got it fixed, even though I couldn't remember how I had the hens and chicks arranged the first time but it doesn't really matter.  Still haven't done any more flower beds but here's the one we do have done.

The little tree that was there we straightened up and now it's in full bloom.

The bees seem to really like it and as long as we don't bother them it will be just fine.  They must like the nectar in the flowers.

Quite some time ago, before the Boise Temple closed for renovations I met a sister that used dishes to make yard art.  I asked if I gave her some dishes if she'd make a couple for me.  I got a phone call a couple of days before we left for Laramie and she said she had my yard art done.  I had no idea what she was talking about because I had totally forgotten about it.  As we talked she reminded me who she was and what she did and then I remembered.  Here's what she did. 

 Each of them have a bowl that was Glendella's - the ones with red and green around the edges.  The little yellow bowl with scalloped edges was mine.

After I got them and looked them over I decided it wouldn't be that hard to make them.  She glues them together and then attaches them to re bar.  Clever idea.