SPRINGTIME IN THE ROCKIES
Yesterday I took some pictures of signs of spring in our yard. The trees are in bloom, the grass is so green it seems to give off a phosphorescent glow. We have tulips, daffodils, bleeding hearts, grape hyacinth, phlox, and pansies, blooming in our yard. I always love the springtime, especially the smell in the air. I open the windows and let it in. Nothing freshens a house like spring time air.
My peas, lettuce, spinach and radishes are just peeking out of the soil in our grow boxes.
If you are feeling a little envious of this perfect springtime, the grass isn't always greener. It's a good thing I took pictures yesterday. Today winter has come back for an encore. It has been cold and blustery. We woke to find our neighbor's trampoline in our yard. A school flagpole in our district was bent in the wind. It had to be cut down to avoid further damage. I'm OK with winter coming back, though. I will get caught up on the housework again and enjoy the warm fire a little longer. I did get all my quilt blocks made. The only problem is, one set is slightly larger than the other. This weather will give me time to solve this problem as well.

Here are some more pictures. (I hope)

Here are some pictures of our recent spring break to warmer weather in Zion's Park. We hiked, we swam, and ate lots of good food. Even though the first day was freezing and downright uninviting, we were glad we made the trip, because it got better and it was so beautiful in Southern Utah. When our feet got hot and tired from hiking, we took off our shoes and socks and put our feet in the river. It was a relaxing and enjoyable time. I've decided that if there was one thing to be done to make this world a nicer place, it would be to take away all our transportation, except for our legs. People are so much nicer when they are hiking. There is no road rage. Everyone is patient, polite and friendly. We really did feel like we were in "Zion" when we were hiking.

Here are some of the pictures of our trip to Arizona. I have included pictures of Brent and Loni's apartment, our trip to Tombstone, the Saguaro National Forest, Bisby ( a town much like Park City), my fancy doggy bag at the Cafe Roka, and the view overlooking Sierra Vista, from Fort Huachuca. This picture on the left is in front of our motel. The tree in back of us has oranges growing on it. The picture above is of us in Tuscon just outside the gem and mineral show.
We had a good visit and made some good memories. Zoe was so good to let us have her room. She slept in her parent's walk-in closet. I got a souvenir from Russia at the gem and mineral show. People were there from all over the world. There was a booth from Russia. I bought a beautiful nesting doll, a little larger and prettier than my little one I put out at Christmas. It was nice to see them settled in a good place.

Hi everyone,
Sorry it's been a while. I think one thing that has been slowing me down is my slow computer. Today I am featuring two pictures. I've included a picture of the quilt I made for cousin Michelle, and I like this picture of two cute little boys. I would entitle this picture "Misery Loves Company."
One Sunday evening, the older of the two cousins didn't want to stay at the table to finish his dinner. His mother sent him to the corner for time out. Before long his younger cousin thought it looked like fun to be in time out, so he sat down beside him. They were both delighted with this and the older one said, "Grandma, you need to get a picture of this." I agreed with that idea and quickly got my camera. In a few days I will feature my pictures of Arizona. I had a problem getting them downloaded, but I have them in my file now.

Wow, its been a busy month! As I grow older, my enjoyment of Christmas increases and deepens. We made many happy memories. Our family Christmas party was a lot of fun. Deb was our hostess. She made special hats for all the children and taught them a Christmas tradition from Sweden. In Sweden, one girl is chosen to be St. Lucia and leads a procession. At our party, all the girls wore a St. Lucia crown. All the boys were Starboys. It is a beautiful tradition encouraging children to be of service throughout the year. We had our usual snack food dinner and opened gifts. The children acted out the nativity and then each of them performed a talent. We just enjoyed being together. It was so nice of Deb to host it.

Christmas Eve morning, I fixed pumpkin pancakes, sausages and eggs for us and our guests, Brent and his family. I wanted Dad to have a nice breakfast on Christmas Eve,because he would be working on Christmas. Around noon on Christmas eve, Dad and I went for a walk. Snow had been softly falling throughout the morning. The sun came out while we were walking and it shown through the snowflakes and made them look like diamonds. We had a lovely, peaceful walk. On Christmas eve, I made chili. Our three youngest children and their families were there to enjoy it with us. The grandchildren played out in the snow after dinner, while we lit the luminaras. On Christmas day, I watched Zoe open her presents. Just before noon, I drove up the canyon to meet Dad at work. The canyon was white with snow, the sky was blue and the sun was shining. It was a perfect day for a drive. I ate a delicious ham dinner with Dad at work. I came home and prepared a turkey dinner for all of our family. Miss and Brian came early and helped me. We opened gifts, everyone had fun visiting, and most of the children ate little or nothing of their dinner. Brent and Danica helped clean up after dinner. I was very grateful for their help. It was pandemonium of course, but it was fun.

Some of our usual ways of doing things changed this year, but it was a good change. Through it all, I rejoiced in the reason we can have times like this-the gift of God's beloved son, Jesus Christ.