Thanksgiving 2009

It was a great day with a large gathering of family & friends. The food was delicious, as usual, and I ate way tooooo much! I will count this as training for Christmas when I will eat just as much, if not more.

A highlight of the day was the following three-generation picture of John, Travis & Ethan.



After all the hoopla, I treated myself to a piece of pumpkin pie served up on my new plate. Looks almost too good to eat... I said almost!!



Now to search for those pants with the stretchy waistband. So much to be thankful for, and I am!

Pumpkin Patch Pics

Pumpkin Patch Pleasures

It was my first visit to the Lendt Pumpkin Patch, but it will now be an annual event! Yesterday, Shawna & children kidnapped me, along with Jen Beckman & children, and we had a marvelous time. The sun was shining and the day was a perfect 64 degrees. There were tons of pumpkins to choose from and much to see. I had such fun watching and listening to the little ones decide on which pumpkin to get... Too big, too small, not orange enough, flat on one side, no stem (Jen did you break another one off)!?!

There were awesome painted wood cutouts to look at and play with too. Next year I'm going to bring a picnic lunch and stay all afternoon!!

Unique

Wow, it has almost been a month since my last post! I think Facebook was a distraction to me... perhaps that should be avoided by me.

Anyhow, I continue to learn from my garden. This photo tells a lot. How can one pepper grow so big and another one grow so small?! They started as seeds from the same packet, were planted in the same soil, were watered and cared for the same, had the same sun shining down on them, but... turned out very different.

So I can't help but relate this to children from the same family(parents). Even though they have many similarities, they end up being quite unique. They are raised in the same environment, have the same basic family rules and values, are loved and nurtured the same, but... they turn out very different. I love the uniqueness of all my children! It's makes them very special.

Abandoned Homestead

We call it "Early Mormon Architecture" - it's definitely a fixer-up-er! Whenever John & I travel west, we look for old abandoned places such as shown in this picture. Then we imagine the family that use to live there... what they did, how they survived, why they left, etc. It's great entertainment to pass the time away, and it leads us to other very interesting discussions about our past, present, and future.

Out For a Walk

Just for kicks, John & I decided to tour the very small western town of Malad, Idaho. We weren't expecting anything super, but we saw a treasure! On the sidewalk a boy (about the age of 9) was riding his bike. Walking along side him was his sister (about age 5). She was holding a leash to a sheep! It was the cutest sight to behold. We stopped the car and asked if we could take their picture. They were happy to pose... the boy got off his bike and the little girl just beamed! They told us they were taking the sheep to a fair in a couple weeks, and they walked it twice a day - morning and night. I sure hope they get a purple ribbon for their dedication!!

Road Trip Memories

I wish I could say our last road trip was uneventful, but that would be a lie. Our family trips usually bring about memories that last a lifetime, or more! This trip was no exception, for it provided the making of the "Venison Vaporizer". While very disheartening at the time (we didn't know if our car was repairable and we had a difficult time securing a rental car to proceed with our vacation), we now have quite a few laughs over the whole incident.


So how was the Venison Vaporizer born?


1) Ignore certain road signs.




2) Find a victim and introduce it to your car, up close and personal!



3) After all the hysteria, take the next exit that named their town after you.

There is no picture of the deer, because according to a nice young man who stopped to see if we were alright... he said, "Hey dude, you totally vaporized it"!

So there you have it, the making of a Venison Vaporizer.... And memories to last us forever!

Rocks & Water Together

I love the look of rugged rocks...

but add water to rugged rocks and (for me) it is breathtaking!!

The sounds of water rushing over rocks, or slowly rippling over stones, brings me great peace and calmness. Lewis & Clark were excited to hear the sound of water rushing over rock too. Not only did this confirm they were on the correct river, they found joy in the picturesque view. Lewis' journal called the great falls a "truly magnificent and sublimely grand object which has from the commencement of time been concealed from the view of civilized man." I can only imagine what it must have been like to see the falls for the first time, without the power dams in place. I will have to settle for reading about these experiences, because I would not have made a good explorer!!

Great Falls

Great Falls, Montana... The Lewis & Clark Expedition spent a month here because they had to portage around 5 waterfalls. These falls are awesome (except one is now underwater). Tawnya, John and I had a great time exploring these falls and looking at the rugged terrain in this area. It's beautiful and impressive. Sure nice to see some different landscape for a change. We walked across a suspension bridge to see the largest falls... that made my stomach churn a little as the swaying in the center was rather pronounced!

Peonys at Braham Cemetery

Last Sunday John and I made our annual pilgrimage to the Rice Lake Cemetery in Braham, MN. This cemetery has hundreds of peony bushes planted throughout. It is absolutely gorgeous when they are in full bloom! Here is what I captured with my camera eye...

Summer Sights & Smells

Lately, I have thought a lot about the sights and smells of summer. Sights are easy to blog about with pictures telling most of the story. For example, the yellow finches eating their thistle. They are nervous little birds, so I took the picture from inside the house, through the screen! But they are beautiful birds to observe during the summer.

Although smells are hard to "capture" on camera, I thought a picture might be a reminder of a great smell. Soooo, here is a picture of our freshly cut hay field.

If you didn't grow up on a farm, or have never visited a farm, during haying season (summer) you may not enjoy this post. But, I love the smell of freshly cut alfalfa. Cut grass is good too, but hay is sweeter and more fragrant. John loves this smell too. And much like a dog with its head out the window, when we are out for a drive John rolls the window down if he happens to see a cut hay field. Has anyone ever heard of air freshener with this fragrance? Maybe this could be my million dollar discovery!!!

Swingin' Duo

It was the best weather on Friday! Shawna and Jenna came over and we had a great time. Worked in the gardens, did a little swingin' then went out for lunch to Tasty Pizza. Life is full of wonder, even for oldies like me! Isn't Jenna just the cutest ever? She sits in the swing like she's driving a car and tanning her arm out the window!!

I made John his favorite pie of the summer. This could be made year round, but the flavors are so much better with fresh-from-the-garden strawberries. The secret ingredient is 7-UP.

Summer Treats

We have been eating from our garden for two weeks - the early perennial plants of rhubarb and asparagus. They are so tasty when fresh.

My favorite this time of year are the fresh June strawberries. I picked our first bowl full today. Don't they look delicious?

After cleaning the strawberries, the next big decision was how to eat them... pie, shortcake, with cream & sugar? Tonight I decided to mix a few strawberries with ice cream and a little milk. Hit the blender power button, and walla... a delicious strawberry shake! Yum, yum, yum. Fit for a king (or queen).

Mother Nature's Helper

It's a sure sign of summer when the irrigation starts; and it's a sure sign of dryness when the farm irrigator is started this early! My children use to love running under the irrigator on very hot summer days. It was a break from weeding the garden. Even though it was a shock to the human system, because the water is sooooo coooold, they enjoyed running under the water spray!

I'm not sure how many pounds of pressure is used, but the water comes out with a great deal of force - enough to clean like a good carwash. One summer when the irrigation was started for the first time, an animal had a ride of its life. Thinking that the water pipes would be a good place to rest, a skunk had taken up residence inside the dormant pipes. When the water was turned on, the force of it caused the skunk to shoot out the end of the irrigator like a man shot out of a cannon. We aren't sure if that skunk had time to spray in it's own defense! I like to watch the water spray and think about all the tiny plant roots that are getting a much needed drink. It's a great help when mother nature takes a break.

Final Decision

It wasn't easy, and the furniture was heavy to move, but we finally decided on the new layout of our living room (at least for now). It feels right, so it will probably stay this way for a while anywho! I've made a lot of progress on the inside of our house since the first of the year... now it's time to move outside and see what I can re-arrange there. Between wind gusts and rain, I should be able to accomplish something!

Berry Bowl Perhaps

I love strawberries. It won't be long before the "fresh from the garden" ones will be ripe! Not being able to wait any longer to use my new bowl, I sliced some "store bought" strawberries and put them in the bowl. Don't they look delicious? Perhaps next time I will see how many peanut M&M's this bowl can hold! Anyone want to wager a guess?

OSHA anyone?!

I believe less government is better, but I can understand why some government agencies were created. For instance, Travis and John were doing a little repair work on our trailer. They needed to raise the trailer higher so they could work underneath it. Being very ingenius, they got the job done. The picture says it all... but I'm not sure it would pass OSHA inspections!

Springtime in Utah

Springtime in Utah was terrific! I had a wonderful time visiting Tawnya, Jessica and Lauri. Those gals kept me plenty busy and laughing a lot. There was much walking and hiking involved, so that was a challenge for this old girl, but what I saw was worth it.




First stop was the Tulip Festival at Thanksgiving Point. The flowers were at 85% bloom, so they were gorgeous. I'm envious of their gardens, but Tawnya reminded me they have several full-time gardeners. We were even surprised by a "secret garden" - hidden away just like the movie!





Of course we spent some time in scrapbook stores, quilt shops, book stores, clothes shops, and several restaurants! The weekend was spent in St. George and we climbed and hiked the red rocks and Zions National Park. This was beautiful, but very hard to capture on camera.


I laughed until my sides hurt watching Tawnya and Jessica during their belly-dancing class (I was not allowed to bring the camera)! Actually, they are mastering the art. I think if they continue with the next class to learn the veil work, they could dance for King David or Potiphar!

Latest Creativity

The last room to get painted while mother was away this winter was the sewing/scrapbook room. Mother wanted it done in peach, much to Tawnya's dismay! But I think it looks swell, and the color keeps us alert while we are in the room! Mother had pictures of all her great-grand children hanging on the walls. This was a lot of nail holes to fill before painting. Sooo, I decided to minimize the holes by purchasing frames to hold many pictures. Names were put in the extra frame spaces next to their picture, and they will be adjusted as more great-grand children come along. I think the results are lovely and there won't be so many holes to fill and sand (3 instead of 12 or more) when it's time to paint again!

In Full Bloom

About this time each year, my hibiscus blooms and reminds me that spring is on the way. The flowers are smaller than those produced in the summer when the plant sits outside, but they are beautiful in color. More important though is the signal this gives to me... spring is not far off and warmer weather is coming our way!

Adorable and Innocent

Have I said how great it is to have grandchildren? I'm becoming very good at spoiling! Our latest arrived last Monday, March 16th. She is a keeper - beautiful, strong, alert, with lots of dark hair. It's such a relief to look upon a new little baby and see that they are physically fine - 10 little fingers, 10 little toes, small cupped ears, and tiny nose. I can't help but wonder what will her life be like - Where will her feet carry her? What service will her hands perform? Will she have lots of smiles? What will be her dreams and aspirations? All these questions will be answered over time, but for now we will just enjoy her beauty and innocence... and give her all our love!

The Quilt's in the Mail

I get so excited when a large box arrives in the mail and I know it's the quilts I've been waiting for! After I piece together the quilt top, I send it to a dear lady in North Dakota who does the quilting together of top, batting and backing. It's exciting because each quilt is done differently, depending on the pattern used for the top. Of course, once the box arrives, I still have more work to do... but it's the final step of putting the binding on the edge. It's the "light at the end of the tunnel" feeling, and it motivates me to complete the project. Finally, after many hours of choosing fabric, measuring, cutting, sewing and ironing, I can step back and admire all the work. Aaahhh, very satisfying!

Kiss Me, I'm Irish

Everyone claims to be Irish for St. Patrick's Day, but I really am Irish all year long!!
My great great grandpa James Cooper came to Amerika in 1834 from Belfast, Ireland. He first went to Pennsylvania and then came to Bethel, Minnesota. He settled Coopers Corner because the hunting was good. History stories say he chose the name of Bethel from the bible because it means "House of God". I have a copy of his diary for the years 1869-1871. He ended most entries with "thank God for all blessings". This was his ending even on days that weren't so good; days when people were sick, hurt or dieing. I think he had a strong belief in his Heavenly Father. Family stories say his Irish accent was so thick, it was difficult to understand him. He re-married after each of his first two wives died. His third wife was my great great grandmother - Rebecca Milligan. She was 25 years younger than James, and 38 years old when they married. James was 65 years old when my great grandmother Laura was born; she was the last born of his 14 children. James lived to see her grow to adulthood. He died in 1893 at the age of 87. He was laid to rest next to our house in the Old Bethel Cemetery. I'm thankful for his life and the legacy he has left.
So in his remembrance, please join me in wearing green on March 17th!

Wall Hangings Part 2

Since we had the hammer and nails out, we decided to finish putting things up in the living room today. I just had to share this picture because Tawnya is totally against this arrangement. This is located in the corner between my piano and pump organ. But I'm kind of sentimental - the trumpet was played by John and the clarinet was mine from high school (just a few short years ago)! Why should these instruments sit around collecting dust in a case, unseen, when they can collect dust displayed as my wall art?! Although you can't see it, each of the notes has a saying etched on them. Like, "Sing like no one is listening", or "Dance like no one is watching". I just think this is a fun light-hearted wall arrangement! It inspires me to go watch Mama Mia again, and maybe dance a little!!

Wall Hangings

The painting of our living room walls was completed in November. I absolutely love it because, besides enjoying the new color, they look so fresh and clean. I enjoyed that look through Christmas and Valentines Day. However, our walls were very bare. I couldn't bring myself to put any nail holes in the walls... it was too much work to calk and sand the old holes away! When Tawnya was home we decided on some cute layouts. Soooo, with hammer in hand, we banged out a few nails and hung up some items. I like the look very much, so perhaps it will give me courage to continue with some other wall hangings.

Make it Do, or Do Without!

I took full advantage of having Tawnya home for 3 weeks and did a lot of painting. Well, three rooms is a lot of painting in my book! I'm somewhat of a meticulous painter (no Leonardo however). It seems I can't paint without a rag in my hand to wipe up any oops that happen along the way. So, it happened one day, that I was looking for a rag. At the same time, sweat was running down my face, getting in my eyes, and generally causing a problem. To my surprise, the rag I found was an old pair of Travis' briefs. That's when ingenuity hit me - not only had I found a rag, but the waistband worked very nicely for a headband! Although not as fashionable as the Adida namebrand, it could be the start of something new - "Fran's Forehead Fashions". Please let me know how many you would like to order after seeing the picture below. I felt like Michael Jordan was with me every paint stroke of the way!!