New Career for Cleatus!!

Warner was asked to be the AUCTIONEER at the RS Service Auction! He went as Cleatus, he told jokes and did some poems and was a real entertainer. He wanted to wear his Cleatus teeth, but he couldn't talk very fast with them in. I got this super silly picture of him--it looks like he has had too much to drink! I promise he hadn't--just had a silly look on his face. It was a fun night and I won cooking from Yolie N. so on Saturday, she is bringing us some authentic Philipino food! Yumm! I hope you enjoy these pictures of Warner, he really did do an awesome job!

Beautiful Tree of the Day Contest!!

I love the Fall. Several years ago I started my own "Most Beautiful Tree of the Day" contest. Here is how it works: When I first start noticing the colors are changing about the first or second week in September, I watch for outstanding fall-colored trees. Each day I pick my favorite for that day. Once a tree has been picked as "The Most Beautiful Tree of the Day", it can not enter the contest again. Sometimes I take the long way home so I can see some neighborhood that has not had a chance to participate. This year I have added two new categories, like the couples category--two trees that look especially beautiful together---and the bush category-- too short to compete with the trees, but beautiful in their own way. Here is my winner for today--it is in the Silke Field parking lot---one of my favorite places to find beautiful trees!

Sweet Summer

Here we are at the end of the Summer and I wanted to share some of my favorite things!
I loved the smell of the Lilies--they were amazing.

This is a new hydrangea that I planted last Fall (from Grocery Outlet) and it lived! It has doubled in size and doing great.
My favorite thing to do on a Summer morning is to go to the BLUEBERRY patch! I love to feel the sun on my back, smell the dill and basil as I pass them and see the beautiful, healthy blueberry bushes that we planted several years ago. They are beautiful and the berries are so easy to pick and there are so many of them--I love it!
We were inspired to plant them after our friend Sharon Arnold gave a talk in Sacrament Meeting about following the advice of others who had been successful(following the Prophet, reading scriptures etc). She said that she had learned that in order to grow successful blueberries, you need to dig a hole 3 or 4 cubic feet and fill it with peat moss, then after planted, put a thick layer of saw dust over the whole row. When the blossoms come the first year, you have to pick them all off, the second year you pick half of them off. I always think of this story when I am out there picking the berries--( Thank You Sharon).


I usually get at least a gallon of berries three times a week during July and August. That does not count the ones I eat while I am out there!

So today I went out and only got one quart of berries--I guess Summer is on it's way out and it will soon be time for Fall.
We have some SWEET SUMMER memories! ( and a whole lot of berries in the freezer!)

LeAnn's Birthday & Father's Day

Spa treatment? For her birthday, LeAnn wanted her toenails painted.....and she wanted me to do it!

I quickly found out it's not that easy.....

but the finished product turned out OK.

Me with my babys.....and my sweeeet new Father's Day Winged Weeder....a jewel of a tool! This photo was taken two weeks ago.

A photo of our yard while jumping on the trampoline.

Our hydranga bush. I'm sure I spelled that wrong.....but they sure are beautiful.

LeAnn and I in part of our garden. Corn knee-high BEFORE the 4th of July!

This is the cheese cake LeAnn made me for Father's Day. Man-o-man is it something else......and it tastes darn good too! Keylime and strawberries. We shared with Bruce and Carol.

I cooked hamburgers for Father's Day dinner. LeAnn made hers into a Food Channel Masterpiece!

LeAnn gave me some leather work gloves.....enough said.

Got these artsy cool cards from Courtenay and Stephanie.

...then along came a spider.....

So mom and I were busy cleaning the back patio, getting it ready for our heavy summer schedule of hosting some cook outs with some of Springfields finest citizens....our friends,
when all of a sudden this big boy drops in to take a look at what's going on. I had never seen anything like it. I grabbed my camera and started shooting. He just hung there busy playing with that gooey amber stuff....whatever that is. It's like he was saying "I'm ready for my photo session now".
Mom took a picture of me shooting the spider. (red circle)
We tried to find a picture of it on the internet to see what kind it is but were unsuccessful.
Anyway, I thought the photos were pretty cool.......in a creepy sort of way.

dad

Hoodoo and Big Lake

Warner had a meeting at Hoodoo Ski Resort with some of the YM comm. for planning the upcoming Encampment so I went along for the ride. They surveyed the grounds and decieded where some of the events would be etc.--They are even going to have a sunrise service on the top of Hoodoo (riding the ski lift to get there!). After their meeting we went over to Big Lake(about 2 miles) to check it out. This was a beautiful morning and we enjoyed our time together!

We took this picture of mount Washington over Big Lake from the capm ground. We had to go over some snow drifts to get here and there was still some ice in the lake. Years ago we went camping at Big Lake--the kids swam in this little cove--Ben named it"Diarrhea Bay", because of all the sediment in the bottom. We had a fun time there--celbrated Aaron's B-day with a huge bag of Skittles. Fun memories.

I wanted to see if the water was as cold as it looked, so I started to scooch down to see, and the snow was softer than I figured and I was afraid I would be wading in it, so I sat down. I decided to just go on faith that it as cold as it looks!

Hike to Mary's Peak

This meadow reminded me of the Sound of Music!
Looking east--some small town down there--maybe Philomath??

We saw many different kind of wild flowers too!

This was my first real hike since the hike when I broke both of my arms! I was a little nervous--but I did just fine. I was careful to stay away from the lose gravel!!

Dad has wanted to take me to Mary's peak for a couple of years. So this was the week-end-the weather was perfect and we had the whole day to ourselves. We got lost a few times and Dad had to stop at a TAVERN to ask directions! I wish I would have gotten a photo of that! The drive to the trail head was beautiful and when we finally hiked up to the summit--the view was breath taking! They say that when the air is clear you can see the ocean, there was a little haze so we will have to go back some time and check it out.

Stephanie and Jarom Tie the Knot!!

They look so Happy together!!