Our delegate is a sweet, fun girl named Miyu. (Mee-yoo) She is very kind, and though she struggles to understand our English, she communicates well with her smile. :)
More to come...
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Welcome Japan!
A group of Japanese Delegates came to Utah to experience life with an American Family for one month during the summer. On Tuesday, July 26th, we picked up our Delegate at an orientation meeting in Clearfield. After going through helpful information, each student was called up to meet their family, who took them outside to get their luggage, and drove them home.
Our delegate is a sweet, fun girl named Miyu. (Mee-yoo) She is very kind, and though she struggles to understand our English, she communicates well with her smile. :)
More to come...
Our delegate is a sweet, fun girl named Miyu. (Mee-yoo) She is very kind, and though she struggles to understand our English, she communicates well with her smile. :)
More to come...
Monday, July 18, 2011
New Face for the Deck
This Spring was a wet one! The wet season lasted clear through June! One day in June, the ground became so saturated that our septic system couldn't drain fast enough to keep up with our usage. We noticed signs of our septic tank regurgitating when we ran the washing machine. That's NOT a good thing. But luckily, we caught it before it did any damage. This situation called for an immediate flushing of the tank. (to the tune of $330.) We had covered our tank with a deck, and so in order to flush it, we had to pull up the deck. As we worked, we recognized that parts of the girders had sunk a bit, creating valleys on top where water collected and created damage. So we decided to pull up all of the boards, fix the girders, and re-build the deck in a different fashion--diagonal. Why not? Half of it was already up anyway. Might as well fix the swells and valleys while we had them off.
This corner used to be a 90 degree angle. It came to where the grass ends. We measured the decking boards and figured where they could reach at an angle from the corner near the house. Then marked, measured and cut the girder boards we took off the South end and nailed them in their new position. The sinking girders were jacked and given a more permanent support. I had to run to the hardware store and pick up a bag of post mix and two brackets to hold the girders. Then we mixed some cement and poured it in the new post holes we dug and stuck the brackets in them to dry.
This was a family project. We all helped... except for Big Brother, who was playing in the mud with his friend...
Honestly, they were acting pretty silly, so we were glad their attention was diverted elsewhere. Everyone else took turns pulling out screws, hauling the boards to the saw, measuring, cutting, hauling boards to the deck, fitting the tongue in the groove, screwing the boards down to the girders.
It was a hot day, so we had many water breaks, and sometimes even sat down on the job.
When we got to the corner, Rad-Dad figured out how to build a drain that could let any standing water off the deck and prevent further warping. He just whipped that succor together in no time! We are so proud of him. He has a gift for fixing things.
I spent most of the time at the miter saw. There were many tricky angles and measurements, so a "skilled" and "educated" person had to take on that job. (I only made a couple mistakes.) We came out even in the end. We had just enough long boards for the job and now have just a dozen short boards we intend to build benches with--sometime. I think the deck turned out really nice. Shortly after we finished and cleaned up, it rained. The deck withstood the water test and proved level. Mission accomplished.
This corner used to be a 90 degree angle. It came to where the grass ends. We measured the decking boards and figured where they could reach at an angle from the corner near the house. Then marked, measured and cut the girder boards we took off the South end and nailed them in their new position. The sinking girders were jacked and given a more permanent support. I had to run to the hardware store and pick up a bag of post mix and two brackets to hold the girders. Then we mixed some cement and poured it in the new post holes we dug and stuck the brackets in them to dry.
This was a family project. We all helped... except for Big Brother, who was playing in the mud with his friend...
Honestly, they were acting pretty silly, so we were glad their attention was diverted elsewhere. Everyone else took turns pulling out screws, hauling the boards to the saw, measuring, cutting, hauling boards to the deck, fitting the tongue in the groove, screwing the boards down to the girders.
It was a hot day, so we had many water breaks, and sometimes even sat down on the job.
When we got to the corner, Rad-Dad figured out how to build a drain that could let any standing water off the deck and prevent further warping. He just whipped that succor together in no time! We are so proud of him. He has a gift for fixing things.
I spent most of the time at the miter saw. There were many tricky angles and measurements, so a "skilled" and "educated" person had to take on that job. (I only made a couple mistakes.) We came out even in the end. We had just enough long boards for the job and now have just a dozen short boards we intend to build benches with--sometime. I think the deck turned out really nice. Shortly after we finished and cleaned up, it rained. The deck withstood the water test and proved level. Mission accomplished.
I think it looks nicer on an angle like that. Don't you?
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Memories of Kalypso
We recently said Goodbye to our beloved Kalypso. Due to her stubborn curiosity, she got stuck under a fence a couple months ago and broke her hip getting out. Though we gave her every chance to heal, she was never again able to put weight on her back leg and we finally had to put her out of her misery. Euthanasia is never an easy thing, even if it is the humane thing to do. We are lucky to have some good neighbors who helped us through it. Now laid to rest, Kalypso will forever remain in our hearts as she was our first foal. Here are some pictures and memories.
On June 6th, 2009, when we went to feed the animals, we discovered a new little foal had joined us sometime in the night. She was such a cute little thing. When she was born, she was small enough that we could pick her up. She had a little white bottom, white socks, and white around her muzzle. We named her "Kalypso." Later, her nickname became "Lips," as she had a way of using her lips to greet us and ask us if we had treats for her.
She was frisky from the get go and her mother, Penny, was very protective, trying to corral her so she did not run too much.
As she grew, her personality blossomed. She liked to kick a soccer ball around. And when we put water in the trough, she would come help herself to a drink right from the hose. I think she was trying to clean her teeth.
Kalypso was a fun little horse. She was put down on July 7th, 2011, at the age of 2 years, one month, and one day. Penny misses her. We miss her. Such is the life on a farm.
Sunday, July 10, 2011
"GREAT Grandmother" Laid to Rest
She passed away peacefully on July 1, 2011, after having lived a beautiful life of 93 years, 1 month, and 6 days. What a trooper! She was known at the Sunrise Assisted Living Center as the "Rebound Queen" because of her resilience. We, her family, fondly called her "G.G." which is short for Great Grandma. And she was Great! Words to describe her character are compassionate, faithful, patient, kind, lovely, and charitable. Her life was one of a true Christian Saint. I will never forget her smiles, laughter, and wit.
My mother, currently serving a mission with her husband in Alice Springs, Australia, was able to book a flight to attend her G.G.'s funeral. She arrived on the afternoon of Thursday, July 7th, in time to have a short nap prior to the viewing. Her 3 day trip took her from Alice Springs to Adelaide to Sydney, where she spent the night, then on to Los Angeles, and from there to Salt Lake City. I am so glad she could make it. She certainly came the greatest distance.
Her Grandsons were the pallbearers.
(Aren't they a handsome group?)
A man in a Scottish Kilt played "Amazing Grace" on the bagpipes as the pallbearers carried her to her final resting place in the Mausoleum. It was a beautiful and reverent moment.
Then we gathered nearby as Uncle Robert dedicated her final resting place. The children had many questions about the hole in the wall that was to serve as her grave. They learned a lot that day about death and eternity. We spoke of G.G.'s reunion with Grandpa Big John and her parents and brothers. They were interested in such topics. They were privileged to know G.G. on earth. And they will never forget her.
I am so grateful that we have the knowledge of our state after death. It makes her departure more sweet than bitter. We are all happy for her. The way I see it, she has just graduated. She succeeded in keeping her second estate faithfully. For her, the best is yet to come...
And I have no doubt that we will see her again. We will continue to honor her name by the way that we live.
This is my Grandmother, Lucille McAllister WeenigMy mother, currently serving a mission with her husband in Alice Springs, Australia, was able to book a flight to attend her G.G.'s funeral. She arrived on the afternoon of Thursday, July 7th, in time to have a short nap prior to the viewing. Her 3 day trip took her from Alice Springs to Adelaide to Sydney, where she spent the night, then on to Los Angeles, and from there to Salt Lake City. I am so glad she could make it. She certainly came the greatest distance.
All my cousins were there! Some came from Texas, Washington State, and Hawaii to be there!
(These pictures were taken after the services at a park.)
Here are more cousins:
And below are most of G.G.'s posterity:
(She would be proud!)
It's a beautiful bunch!
After her funeral, which was a beautiful tribute with music and memories shared, we participated in a graveside service at Wasatch Lawn Memorial Park in Salt Lake City.
(These pictures were taken after the services at a park.)
Here are more cousins:
And below are most of G.G.'s posterity:
(She would be proud!)
It's a beautiful bunch!
After her funeral, which was a beautiful tribute with music and memories shared, we participated in a graveside service at Wasatch Lawn Memorial Park in Salt Lake City.
Her Grandsons were the pallbearers.(Aren't they a handsome group?)
A man in a Scottish Kilt played "Amazing Grace" on the bagpipes as the pallbearers carried her to her final resting place in the Mausoleum. It was a beautiful and reverent moment.
Then we gathered nearby as Uncle Robert dedicated her final resting place. The children had many questions about the hole in the wall that was to serve as her grave. They learned a lot that day about death and eternity. We spoke of G.G.'s reunion with Grandpa Big John and her parents and brothers. They were interested in such topics. They were privileged to know G.G. on earth. And they will never forget her.
I am so grateful that we have the knowledge of our state after death. It makes her departure more sweet than bitter. We are all happy for her. The way I see it, she has just graduated. She succeeded in keeping her second estate faithfully. For her, the best is yet to come...And I have no doubt that we will see her again. We will continue to honor her name by the way that we live.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)