Last weekend we, like many of you, spent a lot of time visiting local cemeteries to honor our loved ones whom we miss.  We always put pretty flowers on the graves.  (Is that the custom where you live, too?)  The weather was wet and cool, with scattered showers throughout the day.  Our umbrellas hardly had a chance to dry out between stops.

All the rain we’ve had certainly made things beautiful and green, and the sky was quite magnificent with dark, brooding clouds mixed in with patches of clear blue.  Every time we thought the sun would triumph, those heavy clouds just pushed forward like hungry students at lunch time.  (Yes, we’ve been working on writing with metaphors at school.)

I always have a sense of gratitude for those people we call family and friends: Pioneers, hard working farmers, craftsmen, and teachers.  They remind me of what is (or should be) important in life.

The cemetery above is located in beautiful Heber City, Utah, about forty-five minutes from Salt Lake City.  The Clegg pioneers settled in this beautiful valley, nestled against the back side of Mount Timpanogos.  We love to visit there.

Not only was the scenery delightful, but we felt a closeness to those we have lost, kind of like a small connection of Heaven on Earth!

Have a wonderful weekend.

P.S.  Five more days of school….I think I can, I think I can….

The garden has a gate

Yesterday my husband hung this new gate on our fence.

(He built it.)

The good news is that it will help contain little grandchildren.  The bad news is that now the rest of the fence needs a new coat of paint to match it.

I wish I could say that all the yard work was done, but there is always so much to do.  We have had a lot of rain, which has made it difficult to work outside.  I have a lot of perennials that had to be cut back and thinned out since they tend to take over a space.  You can see a dead pile of discarded flowers  in the corner of the photo (oops).

The raspberry patch is starting to take off, too.

(This rain has been wonderful for the plants!)

The rose bushes are starting to get pretty.

Don’t you love it when things start to come back to life?

Other news….

Somebody just turned three!

 

Happy Birthday  Miss Olivia!

Great job at the dance recital Brookie and Maddie!

Good luck Joshua with your T-ball!

More news coming…..

JoAnn

 

Rainy day geraniums…and an unusual cinco de mayo party

I’ve been so looking forward to having a Saturday.

I had big plans to work in the yard.

Three flats of pink and red geraniums are waiting for a new home.

 

(Intermountain Farmers’ Mothers’ Day sale- 12 flowers for $12.99.)

It looks like I won’t be digging in the dirt today.

It’s raining outside.

Everything is wet.

I usually like the rain.

(I just needed a few dry hours.)

Oh, well.  The moisture is necessary and it’s a bonus that things are pretty and green because of all the rain.

It will just take me a little time to refocus my mind and make new plans for the day.

*     *     *     *     *     *

We had an unusual cinco de mayo party.

We love borrowing traditions from other cultures and incorporating them in to our lives.  Many of my students share these traditions with me at school and I love that!

With gluten free objectives and  post surgery diet restrictions, our menu was less spicy and fun than it normally would have been.

(I hate to admit that we had grilled hamburgers and potato salad.)

But…

We did have some killer homemade guacamole dip and fresh salsa!

And a LOT of fun.

The kids had fun with the piñata.

We even had a tortilla toss.

Robbie cheated and toasted his tortilla (cheaters never prosper), but the winner was Karl, who’s tortilla went up over the house and landed in the front yard!

(Please imagine red and pink geraniums in that flower bed.)

It has been a great start to the month of May.

I have four more weeks of school left and then summer vacation will be here.

Many reasons to celebrate!

Hope you have a great Mother’s Day weekend!

JoAnn

P.S.  Did you know that I completely forgot to change my calendar for the entire month of April?

 

 

Life’s Little Adventures….

Recently some of our children went to Moab, Utah for a fun get-away weekend.  The beautiful red arches and unique desert plants made a scenic backdrop for a fun adventure of hiking, climbing, and enjoying nature’s miraculous wonders.

While some of the grand kids were free to explore and climb, others needed a little more guidance and control.

(I used to hate to see kids in harnesses, but I’ve since learned how helpful they can be.  Besides- wearing a backpack is kind of a cool thing.  Right?)

 

This earth really is stunning!

 

It’s been a crazy week here (you might call it a wild adventure). 

We’ve been testing at school.

Our daughter had surgery.

A friend had a miscarriage.

Ken’s dad is struggling to adjust to his new assisted living apartment.

A brother-in-law lost his brother (much too early).

There have been plumbing problems.

AND SO ON.

Sometimes life is just plain hard.

Don’t you wish you could control which adventures you got to have?

Since we really don’t have any choice in the challenges that come our way, isn’t it nice that people offer support to each other?

 

I’ve seen a lot of love- from shared dinners- to flowers- to offers of babysitting.

(While I was taking dinner to my friend, someone else brought in a lovely meal to our daughter’s family.  Caring seems to go full circle.)

This journey of life is much better if we look beyond our own problems and help each other.

source:  pinterest

Thank you to all of you for the thoughtful things you do!

I’m going to try and be more aware of ways I can help others, too.

JoAnn

P.S.  Thank you for letting me share your photos, Liz!

P.P.S.  Prayers go out to the people of Taiwan and Nepal, with devastating earthquakes.

 

Spring time… (except for that one snowy day)

After a very mild winter, we have experienced a lovely Spring.

The blossoms really delivered.

They were stunning.

 

Even from inside the house, the view was delightful.

(I don’t have good luck with window shots-too much light for my camera.)

 

And then it snowed.

First we had 60 mile an hour winds, followed by black rain from all the dust (wish I’d taken a picture of the dirty cars in the parking lot at school-sort of looked like the jeeps you see after an off-road event through the mud).  Then the snow started as we headed home from work.  It snowed about six inches here.  It looked like the snow storm we had wished for back in December.  

It was quite beautiful.

Thankfully, it all melted the next day.

The new Spring weather called out for a little door wreath.

(My Saturday haircut just happened to be a few blocks away from Hobby Lobby.)

 

It has been nice being able to work in the yard and being outside.

 

Don’t you love Spring?

JoAnn

He Lives….Blossoms….A little gift

If you are Christian and will be celebrating Easter this coming Sunday, you might want to watch this video.  It is a sweet reminder of the life and example of the greatest person to ever live on this earth-

Jesus Christ.

He Lives

(Click above to view the video.)

 

By the way, our crab apple tree is peaking right now-three weeks ahead of schedule.

This picture was from last year, since it is now dark outside and I’m ready to post this.  (And you all know how impatient I am.)

I’m looking forward to Spring Break, coloring some eggs, spending time with family, and listening to our church’s General Conference.

Should be a great weekend!

P.S.  Missing these two cuties!

P.P.S.  Look what Andrew and Irene gave us:

You might want to avoid getting cornered by my husband or me for a while.  We’re pretty proud.  Thank you for the brag book. 

We love it!

JoAnn

An Eggshell Crackle Spring time-fantasy and reality

Just playing around with the filters on our photo editing program.

(Eggshell Crackle-Microsoft Digital Image Pro 9)

This shot from the back yard of the house I grew up in makes me a little nostalgic and eager for a trip home (Soon!).

I love how the world on the farm starts to come alive again after winter’s hibernation.

The reality is that often the crops are slow getting planted due to spring’s snow melt, rain showers, and soggy fields.  Farmers probably get a few gray hairs worrying how soon they can get their crops started.

I love the old remaining sheds and structures left on the farm from the early days when my dad was growing up. 

Unfortunately, this old grain shed (I wanted to say grainery, but spell check didn’t think it was a word) is now empty and in need of some tender loving care.

This old milk cow could be a cousin to the cute California talking cows who want you to be happy and eat their tasty cheeses and yogurts.

 

The reality is that she is is sometimes associated with unpleasant farm smells, often attracts flies, and requires twice daily attention from the milking machines.

 

The beautiful Cache Valley mountains are especially scenic this time of year against the pretty green grasses.

In reality, they are quite spectacular and beautiful all year long!

So you see, I’m kind of a country girl at heart,

I just  don’t get to live there like I used to.

JoAnn

P.S.  Does anybody think I should switch the fantasy cow with the reality one?  The filter almost makes it look like the flies have arrived.