Happy Birthday, Clairisa

Grandma is back on the birthday blogs! Hope you have a Happy day!!! I have your card and will call later to see if you are home yet. It is supposed to get warmer this weekend so maybe you can come swimming. Love ya'!!! Grandma

Happy Birthday, Daniel

Happy Birthday, Daniel!! I missed yesterday at writing but still wanted you to know I thought about your birthday. We appreciate you as an addition to the family and hope you have a great year, even if it is a busy one. Love ya'!!! Grandma

Happy Birthday, Seth

Happy Birthday Seth!! I mailed your card but missed writing yesterday. I hope you had a Happy Day. You sure are growing up. Are you in first grade this year? Are you playing soccer this year? I hope you have a whole year of fun times!!! Love ya'!!! Grandma

Happy Birthday, Mike

Happy Birthday, Mike! You have always loved camping and outdoor activities. Maybe that's because when you were born we all went camping right away so that I could get a break from all the summer activities that were just starting. The hospital was extremely busy on the maternity floor that day so they put you in a box because they were out of plastic baskets. We got to take the box home so we had a bed for you when we went camping. You weighed 11 lbs 6 oz. when you were born and nursed well so we had no problems with going out. Believe it or not it really was peaceful at Blue Lake.
The road wasn't really open because there were still some snow drifts across it in places but Daddy just put the truck in four wheel drive and went on in. We camped for about a week and then decided it was time to go home but the battery terminal had cracked and we couldn't get the truck started.There was a steep slope down to the shore of the lake and Daddy thought he might get the truck started by popping the clutch but it didn't work so we set up the tents again and waited til the 4th of July campers started coming in. A couple of cowboys pulled us up to the road and Daddy got the truck started. And we were facing bumper to bumper traffic coming in while we were going out. We wouldn't have wanted to have all that company up there anyway. So we were home for the 4th of July and you had been on your first camping trip when you were less than a month old. Now your children can know why you like the outdoors so much. Happy Birthday!!!

Happy Birthday, Jenny

Happy Birthday, Jenny. My wood splitting blog will be dedicated to you. I enjoyed cutting the ivy back off the windows and washing them with you. You could help with this blog by adding some of your favorite childhood pictures. Most of them are slides, though, I think. Happy Birthday--I love you.

WoodPile

When I came home from Loa there was a large pile of wood just inside my backyard gate. The pieces of tree trunk were huge and very irregularly shaped. Some weeks ago I bought a splitting mall and wedge because I like the "I'm A Lonesome Polecat" song from "Seven Brides For Seven Brothers" and I used to sing it for Stan as he was splitting wood. Well, Jenny and I went out to see if we could split some of the wood. I managed to get one maybe 12 inch round split into four pieces. Took at least 150 strikes. I tried to get her to take pictures but she declined. It became immediately obvious that WE were not going to get that wood split and stacked and the back yard cleaned up before the family reunion. Erin came over and saw our dilemma and got David over here to split wood while she, Jenny and I stacked it. Her kids helped a little but the pool was full so they opted for swimming even though the water was freezing.
David split maybe 3 or 4 pieces and then the head came off my splitting mall. He asked where I got it and I said, " Harbor Freight" and he said, "no wonder." So he called Johnny and he brought over a Heavy Duty splitting Mall. Meantime we stackers got the smaller stuff and the split stuff stacked--It's better than a cord of wood. Then the Heavy Duty mall broke-split the handle right in two. We aren't sure if the wood was too wet, David's muscles were too strong or his was a defective mall, too. So we still have a bunch of wood to split and the cement to sweep before the reunion. But we sure had fun while it lasted. There's probably a half cord of wood left to split and stack. Jenny got it all stood on end ready to go if anyone else has a splitting mall they would like to test. Wouldn't pictures of this one have been fun?

Loa Trip Summary

I got back from Loa last night. Had a fun trip. We got Cathy's and Vicky's gardens planted. Hope they grow--we used up a bunch of old seeds. While Caib and I were feeding baby lambs, Braden's pup, Angie, stole Chance's hat off his head and ran off with it. Chancie just stood there crying and Caib had to retrieve the hat. And Silas, while playing with an angleworm, managed to break it in two and ask his mother if she could scotch tape it back together. My visiting teachers creatively contacted me through my blog. It was an interesting trip. Oakley is walking everywhere. I about wore myself out walking back and forth on that huge lawn pushing the weed and feed applicator. Baby sat for Mike and Vicky while they went to the temple. She's closer to getting her cards done than I am. She showed me how to use the new family history programs that we don't have up here. Anyway, I'm back. Maybe I'll get some serious blogging done now.