School's out for the summer and today we celebrated! The little kids enjoyed water play on the slip and slide, in the water fall, and with little boats. They blew bubbles, played beach volleyball and paddles. They finished the day in the theater room, watching a movie and eating popcorn. I think I enjoyed it as much as the kids. What grandmother doesn't love watching their grand kids have fun! I adore them!
Getting ready for the Bates Family Reunion. The kids helped mommy and grandma make a sign. They are so silly.
June 6 - Sweet Feast for the Birds
It's a competition with the birds to see who can get to the cherries first. I think the birds are winning at this point!
Instead of a lesson at Maple Springs today, we were lucky to have a professional pianist, Jason Lyle Black, come and perform some songs for us. He composes his own music and is amazing on the piano. No books. He can lay on the floor, backwards from the piano, and play songs. In fact, he is famously known as the "backwards piano guy." He is amazing. I loved today's change-up.
June 8 - Farmer's Market News Conference
June 10 - Ladder in the Orchard
We haven't had to use a ladder in an orchard for a long, long time. Not since we lived in Brigham City and had to climb a ladder to pick Chinese apricots. A couple of our cherry trees grew branches taller than we could reach this year. All of our trees are semi-dwarfs so we can usually reach all the fruit.
June 11 - Opening Day
Dave went early to set up and I came down for a half hour or so before going to the Bates Family Reunion. It was fun to see Dave doing what he loves and does best.
Bates Family Reunion
Kelley, Carol, Steven, Leslie (Patty and Bill were unable to come)
It turned into a stormy day. Seven Peaks closed the water park for the day. It was a good thing we had a splash pad at Pioneer Park just down the road.
Our family was in charge of the reunion this year. We wanted simple. Everyone brought their own sack lunches. We filled out trivia and family information cards, gave out prizes, and enjoyed an afternoon of visiting, and playing frizbee, and playing in the water.
June 12 - Hailstorm
I was sitting at my computer desk when all of a sudden the room grew dark and I heard a thundering of hail pounding the house. I ran to the door and could not believe that I was seeing golf-sized hail falling from the sky. I'd never seen anything like it.
When the storm passed over, I went outside and gathered up hailstones. Wow! What a show we got today.
Dave and I got in the car and drove toward Brigham City to see the results of the fast passing hail storm. Highway 89 was flooded in several spots. A vehicle had crashed into a tree in someone's yard, and their were branches strewn all over yards and roads.
We watched the storm head northeast toward Logan. Lightening strikes were happening every few seconds. We had quite the excitement today.
June 13 - Assessing the damage
I got on the 4-wheeler and combed the orchard assessing damage from the hail storm. There were plenty of peaches knocked off the trees, but not enough to make a difference.
Hail marks
The vinyl railing received some damage. The main path of the storm was about a mile north of us. Many people in our ward received extensive damage to siding, roofs, vehicles, and windows.
June 14 - A flower loves me!
I went to Audrey's today and Emilee ran outside and greeted me at my car like so many times before. But today she had something very exciting to tell me. She said...
"A flower loves me!"
It was so stinkin' cute. She took me to the back deck and showed me her flower that loves her. And the flower that loves mommy.
Audrey is not only a cherished daughter, but a best friend. I can count on her to do things with me. She always has a willing and cheerful disposition. Today we went to the Ogden Temple and did initiatory work for deceased ancestors. It made the day extra special.
Then she introduced me to a new eating place. Blue Lemon... conveniently located by the temple next to Desert Book. Oh... it is so delicious! We were going just for some desert, but ended up eating lunch. Avocado chicken sandwich and a salad. Audrey had a peanut butter bar and I had the "out of this world lemon pie". Oh my was it ever good. When I'm craving lemon, I know where I'll be going!
June 17 - Picking cherries
Audrey brought her kids up to the house to pick some cherries to earn a little money for summer fun and school clothes. It was fun watching them work.
Alia was up in a cherry tree when a bee came buzzing by and landed on a branch next to her. She blurted out a jingle, which comes naturally.
"A bee is next to me. I hope it doesn't sting me!"
The last of our Rainers. They were delicious.
Today we went ice skating at the Ogden Ice Sheet to get out of the heat. Good choice for a fun summer activity.
Cherries for Sale!
Later on in the day Audrey's family set up a table and bagged the cherries that were picked yesterday. They made $100 to contribute to the Mecham summer fun bank. Way to go!
June 20 - Kelsey's Garden
Kelsey has a knack for making everything look like art. Even her gardens. I enjoyed seeing the starting and making of her box garden that she has wanted to do for a few years now at the new house. She has a lot of fun plans for her yard. And they will happen. She sets goals, designs her projects and sets her plan in motion. She works on it persistently until it is finished. Even if it takes a few years. She amazes me!
June 22 - Fish Park
What do you do in the summer time? You play in parks. Especially the Fish Park! It's always fun watching the kiddos play. I never tire of it.
June 25 - Bentley Family Reunion
I never win anything! That is, not until this year. I bought some raffle tickets at the Bentley Cousins Reunion and my name was drawn out for the quilt made by Linda Johnson. Oh... happiness! I love it.
June 28 - Bird Watching
Audrey and I started our day out at the Bear River Bird Refuge. Or rather, that was our intentions. Of all the days in the summer, it just happened to be closed to the public today. So, we adjusted our plans and headed to Logan. We ate lunch at the Willow Park and let the kids practice their bird watching skills. Then we visited the Willow Park Zoo, which is always a favorite. The kids got an extra special surprise today. A zoo worker happened to be walking down the sidewalk towards us with a snake in hand and stopped to tell the kids about it and even let them touch it. Ohhhhhh....
June 29 - Bird houses
The kids painted bird houses today and hung them from their trees in the back yard. Ben was so sure his bird house was going to attract the first bird because of his awesome paint job. I think he is right!
June 30 - 30 years old!
It's hard to believe my baby girl is 30 years old today. I love her to pieces! Audrey has always been "a ray of sunshine" in my life. She is the perfect daughter for me and such a good mother to her children. I love to watch her mother. She is so full of love.
Audrey wanted cherry cheesecake so the kids and I made her one for after lunch. We went to Pizza Pie Cafe and ate salad, pizza, and pasta. That's always a good choice.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY AUDREY!
June is...
Cherry Season
Bird Nests
There have been so many birds this year and that means lots of bird nests. We are finding them among the fruit trees and in the blackberry bushes on practically every row in the orchard. It will be interesting to be able to actually count them when the fall comes. I predict a record number this year. We see mostly robin, some sparrow, and this year even a couple of dove nests. It's been a busy, busy year for birds.
Wild Hare
We have a wild rabbit that has made his home in Steven's garden. We catch a glimpse of him every now and then.
The yard has been so beautiful this year.
The sense of smell triggers memories for me. Most are pleasant. The day I got on the 4-wheeler to assess the damage to the fruit trees after the hailstorm, I got on the trail just above our property line and as I drove I could smell the dew on the plants from last nights rain and a very distinct smell that triggered a very fond memory for me. One that took me back to my childhood days of camping in a particular spot in Huntington Canyon. A place not too far below Cleveland Reservoir. After I got back to the house I asked Dave what the plant name was. Curly Dock. A weed, or plant, that grows easily in our area.
Dad took us camping up Huntington Canyon quite often during the summer months in the state trailer. Looking back... I recognize it as a rare privilege to be able to go to work with dad all summer long!
Our destination up Huntington Canyon became one of my favorite camping spots growing up and I still look for it every time we go over the canyon. The road has changed obviously. Back in the 60's it was a very rough dirt road with switch backs that seemed forever going up the canyon. Now the canyon is paved and takes no time at all to make the trip to the top.
Our camping spot had old wooden corrals and an abundance of curly dock Curly dock has a very distinct smell. A woodsy, musty smell.
As I rode the 4-wheeler down the grassy trial, the smell of curly dock instantly conjured up memories of early morning dew, family, camping, playing games... like kick the can, riding horses, canoeing on Cleveland Reservoir, looking up in the night sky and seeing endless numbers of stars, telling ghost stories, the smell breakfast in the mountains, cool mornings and nights, the quiet, fishing, working with dad, and being the only humans on the mountain for weeks on end. I suddenly found myself homesick. For mom and dad and for home. Unexpectedly, I started to tear up... yearning for home. Funny thing how smells can trigger such strong emotions. But they do for me.
Kelsey
I went to Dr. Lloyd's (pediatrician) with Audrey for James' check up. Kelsey was doing her internship there. It was fun to see her at work. She is going to make a great Nurse Practitioner someday soon. I am so proud of her.
Gifts
The time has come to start giving away some of the things I have acquired from after mom's passing. Things that my siblings would enjoy.
For Patty's birthday I gave her mom's Shirley Temple porcelain doll that Aunt June made her. I thought it was special that she signed her name on the back of it.
And for Leslie's birthday I gave her mom's old potato masher. It should have been her's to begin with. I have always felt bad that I took it. It's in the right hands now. I hope my sisters enjoy their gifts.
Just like Mom!
I'm so like my mother. In so many ways. Like...
Lipstick smudges on a drinking cup. I've got to have my lipstick on!
Love, love, love Dove Chocolate. That is dark Dove Chocolate, whereas mom's was Milk Chocolate. I have to have one every day and I do hide it from Dave. It's all mine!
Month in Review
1 comment:
The pictures are beautiful! Camping memories, you can add, eating raw potato's with salt while we waited for dinner to cook. I remember being so hungry and dinner would smell so good that mom would give me little slices of raw potato with salt.
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