July 2021

Saturday 7/3 

Work on painting the fence continues

To avoid the 100 degree weather, we try to work early in the morning or later in the evening as the much cooler shade covers the yard.  It's not hard to see what a difference a little bit of paint makes !

Sunday 7/4

Star had it's "Home Town Celebration" yesterday and today.  A parade yesterday (we didn't go) and food, music/dancing this afternoon (again, we didn't go) and then fireworks tonight.   we ended up watching the fireworks from our front yard. 

They began the show at 10:15 and as you can see, we were still enjoying a beautiful sunset.

The show lasted about 40 minutes and, as always, it was amazing !

Happy Independence Day !

Tuesday 7/6

Steve did a little tree trimming today

The neighbors tree was hanging over and resting on our roof so . . . .

Steve cut that limb and . . . .

several others that were "low-hanging" over the fence. Notice how good the freshly painted fence looks ?

We always plant Early Girl tomatoes and generally one other kind that has a little later maturity time.

  They always grow well in this spot under our bedroom windows and get so big that they fill the cages to overflowing . . . . these are last years plants, mid July

This year, though producing, they are the most pathetic looking plants we have ever had . . .. what happened ?

This afternoon we went to Eagle. We had some lunch at Wendy's then went to D & B to look for a western belt buckle.  Steve's broke a few weeks ago & Matt/Jen wanted to get him a new one for his birthday.  

We found this one for a great price so were able to . . . .

get this shirt as well . . . . Happy Birthday Steve !

While at D & B we saw a small flowering tree for 50% off

It's a French Cabaret Blush Hibiscus, in tree form.  It won't get too big and can be pruned to whatever size you want it to be.  It blooms from July to October so it should be very pretty.

It will take the place of the Arborvitae we cut down a couple of weeks ago.  Once the stump is removed, we will be able to plant it.  For now, it will be in our backyard so it gets water from the sprinklers.

On our way back home we took note of the outdoor temperature reading . . . . 

We have set several records lately. Today was a record high and tomorrow will be a record-breaking 10 consecutive days with temperatures over 100*  

Friday 7/9

Tonight we watched the Hill Cumorah Pageant Commemorative devotional with Elder D. Todd Christofferson.  It also included invited guests that have been instrumental in the pageant's presentations over the last 84 years.

We were privileged to witness the pageant back in 2014.  It was an inspiring experience that we will always remember.

Sunday 7/11

Today is Charlotte's 11th  birthday.

 Since her daddy is gone on a business trip, Trudi had a small little celebration for her then, when George gets back the end of the week, they will do another - bigger celebration.

Late this afternoon, while sitting out on our back patio . . . .

We watched this little squirrel.  He sat there for the longest time eating and picking apart something. We couldn't tell what it was, but he was very persistent.  Finally, after what must have been an hour or so, he finished up and scampered off.

We went over to see if we could tell what it was he was enjoying so much . . . .

A PINE CONE !

Friday 7/16

Even though the plants still look pathetic . . . .

they are producing nice juicy tomatoes, and . . . .

One of these days, we are going to have a lot of raspberries !

Friday 7/23

Tonight was the Opening Ceremonies for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan.  Yes, I said 2020.  The games were postponed an entire year due to the COVID pandemic.

The Ceremonies began with the parade of countries and culminated with .  . .

Lighting the Olympic Cauldron. The Games will conclude on Sunday, August 8th.  

GO USA ! 

Saturday 7/24

Today our friend was going to come over and grind the stump that was left after he cut down our arborvitae tree.  Steve has been digging out around it and suggested he come by before he rents the grinder and see if it could just be pulled out.  He thought that sounded like a good idea so he came over . . . .

hooked a chain around it . . . .

gave it a little tug as we watched it break loose . . . .

and come right out as easy as pie . . . . no taproot or anything.  It looked like Steve had dug right down to the bottom of the root ball.

He used his pickaxe to get as much dirt out of the root ball as he could then . . . .

picked it up and put it in his truck . . . and it was HEAVY !

After he was gone, Steve shoveled some of the dirt back in the hole and then started watering it down and getting it ready so we can plant our little Hibiscus tree next week.

Sunday 7/25

Today was a big day for Linda.  She played her violin, in public, for the first time.  It was pretty scary but she did a nice job.

She played a violin duet with her teacher, Dawn Johnson, in Sacrament Meeting. They played "Joseph Smith's First Prayer".  Our friend, Jeff Romero, accompanied them. 

(a screen shot from the YouTube stream so not very good quality)

This is the introduction she ended up giving before playing in Sacrament Meeting on 7/25/2021.  The performance went better than anticipated and she had many friends tell her it was “beautiful” and that they were so proud of her. 

My dad, who died many years ago, was an accomplished violinist and several years after his passing I inherited one of his violins.  C.S. Lewis once said “You are never too old to set a new goal or to dream a new dream” and that is exactly what I did.  I set a goal to learn to play “beautiful Music” like my dad.  I played around with it a few times but it wasn’t until the end of 2019 that I said to myself, I wonder if anyone could teach this old dog a new trick?  Dawn accepted the challenge and at the age of 70, I began to take violin lessons and finally start working on reaching my goal.  It has been a challenging task for me, but I continue on the path to reach my goal.  I am learning that it is never too late to set new goals, dream new dreams or learn new things.  I want to thank Dawn for playing with me and Jeff for accompanying us today.  Having served a mission in Nauvoo, Joseph Smith is near and dear to my heart so I have enjoyed learning this piece, Joseph Smith’s First Prayer, and hope that you enjoy it too.

Monday 7/26

Today we planted our new little tree. 

It went in the very spot where we pulled the stump out on Saturday.

We added some store-bought "good" dirt around it and . . . .

gave it a healthy dose of Thrive (root starter).

Steve put new, longer, drip lines in and tied the tree to a stake.  In the next day or two, we will add weed barrier, brick edging and bark to finish it off.

Wednesday 7/28

Today we put the finishing touches on the area around our new tree.

bricks and weed barrier down . . . .

dumped out the bark and . . . .

voila !  a nice planter for our tree.

Thursday 7/29

A couple of weeks ago we switched from Century Link to Spark Light for our internet provider.  The new modem was quite a bit larger than our old one and on the opposite side of the room.  We searched online for a shelf to put it on, but couldn't find anything so, instead  . . . .

we just moved the shelves that sat next to our piano for music.  It was the perfect size and the open back worked great for all the cords and outlets that needed "space".  Once we add a few more books, the cords will all be hidden.

When searching for a "modem shelf" we decided it would be easier to find a new bookcase for the piano music, and we were right !  We easily found one that was just the right size and color.  We put in our order and it arrived today. 

Working together, we got it assembled in no time !

We set it in place and then organized all the music from the old shelves on it.  There was plenty of space and room to spare !

In an attempt to make our evenings on the patio a little more enjoyable, we ordered a bug zapper from Amazon. 

It has been sitting on one of our small side-tables but needed to be up a little bit higher to be more effective.

Yesterday we ordered a hook to hang it on and it was delivered today.

Steve mounted it to the wall and got the cord tacked down so it would be out of the way.

It looks nice hanging on this corner of the patio. 

 Now to see if it works !

Friday 7/30

After we were married, Linda's parents and grandparents built new homes, side by side, in Norco, California.  They lived in them for many years, all during our kids growing-up years.

Yesterday grandma & grandpa's house came down to make room for a new industrial park.

it is now just a pile of rubble.

Mom & Dad's house will be next.

It is sad to see these beautiful homes destroyed.  We have wonderful memories from our many annual summer vacation trips to visit our grandparents, parents, siblings and cousins.  They may be able to take away the houses, but they can't take away the memories we made in these homes.

Saturday 7/31

In honor of our wedding anniversary tomorrow . . . .

We went to the Meridian Temple.

We were joined by Steve's sister, Marilyn & her husband Keith, who celebrate their anniversary on the same day. It will be 52 years for us and 60 for them!

Afterward, we went out to lunch with them at a new place . . . .

The Burnt Lemon Grill.  We happened to get there just in time for their Happy Hour so we got a great deal on our huge salads, fries and Lemonade AND we came home with leftovers !  We had a good time both serving together in the Temple and visiting during lunch.

We finished up a very hot month with this . . . .

Lightning, Thunder and much needed Rain

 July has come to an end.  We have celebrated our countries independence, completed a few projects and stepped out of our comfort zone to try something new.  Now we can look forward to a fun and exciting August !