Life on the "farm"

Since moving to Utah nearly 8 years ago, I have experienced one of the most crazy learning curves! I went from living in a very urban environment to a more rural experience. While I thankfully don't live out in the middle of nowhere, I do live on a 5-acre piece of land that provides many opportunities to be tutored by nature. I am NOT an expert on ANYTHING, but I am learning...along with my family. I am learning how to grow and process produce and livestock...and I am learning I don't always love it and am not always good at it. Nevertheless, I keep learning. I am honestly not sure I would have survived 100 years ago! I have a new appreciation for all those families who had to do this day in and day out to simply survive. I have read stories about my ancestors who were skilled in farming or livestock. In some ways, I wish I would have gleaned more from my grandparents before they passed. There are so many skills that are being lost in the convenience of modern day. Alas, we are now left to our own devices, but are lucky enough to lean on the mercy of wonderful friends and neighbors who were smart enough to learn those skills! Today was a day of processing everything from fruit and veggies to a nearly 600 pound boar! We all started early. Jonas and I focused on picking fruit and making breads, cookies, and jams while Dad and Danny fixed fences, sprayed weeds, and did yard maintenance. I really need to be better at learning how to bottle our produce and then actually use it in recipes...all a part of the learning process.

That evening, we slaughtered our nearly 600 pound boar! This pig was HUGE! We got him in hopes that he could assist our sows in the natural reproduction cycle, but he wasn't quite tall enough to do his job so instead of feeding him through winter, he will now feed us. Our kind neighbor offered us his expertise. It took us nearly 6 hours from kill to clean up. We thankfully had a lot of help or else we might still be out there! It was a good learning experience for everyone. Jonas was fully engaged in the whole process. I actually enjoyed being able to show him some of the anatomy (e.g., heart, lungs, liver, etc.) too. The funniest part of the evening was when Jonas fell asleep on the pillow of sausage. It was a long day but a good one. I am grateful for a family who will work hard! (Next weekend, we'll get to play hard too.)

School starts!

Finally! The interminable summer of 2020 has ended! I'm not sure who was more excited to return to school - the boys or me! Danny started high school this year. I can't believe it! How do they grow up so fast?! He was more than ready to go. While we don't yet know the fate of his wrestling season, he is still enjoying the high school experience. He has fun classes (ceramics, welding, co-ed sports, etc.) to accompany the academically necessary ones (although he'd rather have all fun classes), and in just a few months, he'll be able to drive himself. Life is changing quickly for him! Buckle up because I'm sure it will be an adventure!

Jonas started school a week after Danny...and he was more than ready too! We weren't able to do an in-person meet-the-teacher, but we did get a little virtual tour of his classroom and the teacher.

The night before he started felt like Christmas Eve. He could barely contain his excitement. He woke up early and got ready by himself. The wait from when Danny left to when he got to leave felt like an eternity to him! He endured my excessive pictures before walking with me to where the bus would pick him up. There were no tears (on his part) as he bounded up the bus steps, but as I saw that big yellow beast swallow up my child, a tear or two trailed down my face. Why does he have to grow up? I drove over to the school to meet him when he got off the bus so I could walk with him to the kindergarten area. That was the only time he exhibited any sense of anxiety, but it was brief. As soon as we entered the kindergarten area, he was excited to play with classmates and start his new adventure. He did give me one final hug before I left. This is going to be an exciting year for both boys!

August odds and ends...

 I can't believe it! We did it! We survived the interminable summer! For Danny, school starts on August 19th and Jonas will start the following week. It is going to be a crazy year for them. It is still not a guarantee that there won't be another shutdown/quarantine. They have to wear face masks every day...practically all day. I have really struggled with the decision to send Jonas under these circumstances, but he's ready. And Danny has been ready to get back to school since March! Of course, with school starting, there was some school prep. We did a bit of school shopping (and met "Jonny 5" at Walmart. He's a sanitizing machine. So weird!), and Jonas had to go to the school to be assessed for kindergarten. He was a little nervous but super excited to be a Tiger!

After family left in July, things slowed down a bit for us. We did doctor and dentist appointments. Jonas had to get his shots for kindergarten. He got two: one in his arm and the other in his leg. He didn't cry! We kept preparing him for the experience (as much as we could). The look on his face when he got the shot in his leg was both comical and heartbreaking. I knew it hurt him, but he was brave! I took him to get a cookie at Crumbl afterward.

Danny has decided not to continue with orchestra at school, but he wants to continue his private lessons. He just has too many interests and not so much time to pursue them all. I'm grateful, however, that he is not completely giving it up. He has such a beautiful talent that he has developed over the last 4 years. This month, we hosted his cello recital at our shop (since all other church and school venues that had been used previously weren't available). 

Speaking of church, we have been able to attend more frequently (every other week) but still enjoy doing our scripture study at home. Jonas is loving the war chapters in the Book of Alma! We re-enact what happens almost weekly and on the weeks we don't act it out, he catches me during the week to act it out. He really loved the story of the 2,000 Stripling Warriors. Here are a few pictures of us creating our fortresses to be ready for battle.

Jeff and I have been able to enjoy a few fun dates this month. We actually got to go back to Hale Center Theater to see Mary Poppins (which we were supposed to do back in May) and to see a movie (the theaters aren't showing new releases, but they have been showing older movies. We saw the Fighting Preacher that we missed when it came to theaters awhile ago!). We also decided to attend Payson's Annual Salmon Supper fundraiser this year. We have always heard great things about it and boy do they give you a TON of food!

I think the highlight of the month, however, has been the purchase of a 2008 Four Winns SL262. What is that? A huge boat! Jeff finally got his boat. He has been wanting one ever since we were married. We stumbled upon this one that had been previously owned by a friend and couldn't pass it up. The weekend after we got it, we took it out on Utah Lake. There is definitely a learning curve on how to drive a boat, but it was really fun! I have to admit this may be my favorite of my husband's toy purchases.

Referring to Jeff's purchases, no...we haven't forgotten about the mules. It has been a little hot this month for us to want to really get out there to ride, but Jacob, Danny, Amber, and Jeff took the mules out on a trail ride with some friends of ours. They (the mules and the riders) did great! It will be nice to go on a few rides as the weather gets cooler.

I'm grateful for friends that reach out to us and invite us to do things with them. I'm also grateful for opportunities to serve other friends. Recently, we had a young man in our neighborhood return from a military deployment. We only had about 24 hours from when we were notified to his return, but in that time, we banded together with other friends to line his street with flags and be prepared to greet him upon his return. Thank you for your service Jesse Marrott!

Another August happening was Amber's birthday. She is now a fun, fiery, fierce 23-year-old. We have loved watching her grow. She is such a beautiful young lady with firm faith, fierce loyalty, and a zest for life. It's different celebrating our adult children's birthdays; now we get invited instead of doing the inviting. She invited us to join her and Jacob for ice cream at Leatherbys. We were more than happy to oblige. Happy birthday Amber!

In other news, my cousin, Cherice, has been in town helping her daughter, Scout, get set up at BYU. Cherice has lived most of her adult life overseas. She and her husband work for the State Department. They have spent the last several years in various stations in Africa and are now moving to the Philippines. It was fun to catch up. We hiked Stewart Falls together then Don and Sandy hosted a huge cousin dinner. I am grateful for all of my family!

I think that sums up the odds and ends of August. Fingers crossed that school goes well and that our community can decrease the spread of COVID-19. It is still out there. Businesses are still shuttered or have modified their operations. People are still contracting the illness and there are still deaths. Face masks are more the norm now than not. As we ramp up to the presidential election, this virus continues to play out on a political, as well as health, platform. Chaos seems to reign in areas that are still more affected by racial injustice than others. Yet, through it all, we have been blessed. The future is still uncertain. We have chosen to have faith, be wise, and live!