North Logan Notes

That is some major produce, Jenn!!  And such lovely flowers! We went shopping yesterday at our farmer's market and didn't see anything quite that lovely there. We are still a few weeks behind you southerners. But it was nice to have some yummy produce for lunch yesterday. We are still feasting on blackberries and yellow cherry tomato candies. I hope your sparrows learned to fly. We have a nest on the porch next door and every time we go out to sit on the lawn, the swallows swoop and chirp at us in a very threatening way!

Dad went to Montana for meetings this week and really enjoyed his tour of a Hutterite community there. They are an offshoot of the Amish/Mennonite belief and lifestyle and Dad loved interacting with them and getting a taste of their simple life. They have a small, lovely self-sustaining community that is very intriguing. Maybe we, like Ruth, were meant to be Amish/Hutterite.... I expected Dad to return on Thursday evening or Friday morning, but he finished his work early and got home Wednesday evening, which was a very pleasant surprise. He actually stopped in Idaho Falls on his way home and enjoyed seeing Ruth and Garrett for a few minutes and admired their lovely garden. We can't wait for a taste of those incredible watermelon!

I was feeling a bit lonesome while Dad was gone, and not wanting to spend a holiday alone, so I went to spend time with the Manning clan. Nick and Lauren had plans to hike up in Little Cottonwood canyon and see the wildflowers, so I met them in Sandy and hiked with them. It was beautiful! Quite a site as we walked along to see the splash of color amid the shades of green in the canyon. Apparently it is spectacular enough that there is an annual pilgrimage of sorts by people from all over. Wesley loved hiking and showing people his stick he found (and of course used as a bat to hit rocks and pinecones and anything else that could be substituted for a ball!). When he had hiked all he wanted he said, "I'm done." And would go no further! That was okay with Lauren, who was also ready to be done by that time. But they were troopers for quite a distance and we had a great time. I drove over to see Joe and Lori's family for a little while before heading down to American Fork. It's always a delight to see grandchildren show their new skills - bike riding and skateboarding and hammocking, in this case. Very fun! It was great to go on a walk, get a treat, play, and weed the garden with Wesley and his parents.

We found a house that we want. It's not for sale. It was recently built by a contractor we've talked with a couple of times. But we'd sure like to build one like it! The task now is to find a lot and someone serious enough to make it happen for us. That may take some doing at this point.

Dad released and sustained two bishoprics today. Doing one bishopric always about wipes him out, but two in one day was especially taxing! All went well and there was a beautiful spirit indeed at that meeting and in the setting apart sessions. This makes three bishoprics this summer, and three more to go before school starts! It's been a busy time for Dad. The next month will be particularly stressful, but, as Emma keeps pointing out in her letters, "Things always work out!"

So, in honor of Pioneer Day and thinking about ancestors - and because I'm doing a Family History challenge for 6 weeks - here are some things I recently ran across in trying to organize information and photos I've had collected for years.... (sorry I don't have photoshop on my computer so I couldn't crop the pictures)

My mother is in the middle - Zona Biorn.

 On the back of the photo - This is why it is in honor of Pioneer Day!

And for all of our family who now live in Idaho, I thought you might be interested in these funeral programs for my great-grandparents. These are my Grandmother Thelma Edginton Biorn's parents. Be sure to look at the burial information. Perhaps we should take a field trip to the cemetery sometime when we are up there!

Thomas just arrived and I must feed him and Dad. Happy first week of August to everyone (how did that happen so fast?!). Hopefully we'll all be hearing from Lauren soon... Love you all!

Nilsson News

I love the flowers and veggies Jenn!  I finally been able to to enjoy having a small cut flower garden.  I have been cutting fresh zinnias to add color to our table and mantle.  So much fun!  I wish we could have been in Snowflake for the Pioneer Day festivities.  The extent of our celebration for the day was going to the church for a dinner and listening to an old timer band.  It was nice but it was definitely not the Flake Family Rodeo.
 
We have enjoyed having Garrett's parents here this whole week.  We had a nice long bike ride around the greenbelt/temple area.  We walked around the farmer's market and art show they had going on and of course my mind was soaking in ideas of things I could make.  We took the kids swimming and Henry discovered how to go under the water and jump off the side of the pool.  He was so proud of his accomplishment!  It was a good time.

Let me ask you this:  What do you get when a type 3 and another type 3 meet together?  You get a lot of projects done!  Garrett's dad is very much a type 3 and is project driven so I always have to think of some projects he can help with whenever he comes.  He and Garrett replaced our dated globe lights by the fireplace with some sleek flush mount lights that look 100 times better.  The big project however was the facelift of our front screen door.  It was hideous and every time I looked at it I thought of ketchup and mustard.  The screen had torn which allowed for an over abundance of bugs in the house.  Garrett's dad knew of a product that he told me about would probably look good and I came up with a design.  With some skillful sawing (Garrett's dad's skill, not mine), glue, clamps and several hours later, we transformed the door completely.  I absolutely love it!  All that is left to do is paint the red door and side light a nice dark navy blue color.  I'm hoping I can do that next week sometime.  If any of you have a hideous, dated storm door, don't give up on it!  There is hope and new life just waiting to burst forth!  It can be done!

 This is the "before" picture of the ketchup and mustard theme.

 A closeup of the awesome herringbone design.

The amazing AFTER!!!

Sorry you always have to put up with my project obsessions.  It isn't ALL I ever do.  I do prepare meals and sometimes clean the house.  I do read to my children and take them to the library.  I do weed the garden and fulfill my church calling.  The projects are what I do in my "spare" time.

Love you all!

Flake Fun

This week was pretty good.  The highlight was definitely the weekend though with the town Pioneer Day celebrations. 


Friday started out with 2 baby sparrows on our lawn learning the fly. 

Then I went to the Flake Family Rodeo (Scott was at work) which was fantastic as usual.  It was fun to try and reason with 5 year old McKinnley & explain that she could chase the money calf even though she didn't have any money!


The parade on Saturday was a lot of fun as well.  The skid steer guy was back but this time he attached seats to his bucket & had people in it while he did all of his tricks!


Like everyone, our garden is doing really well and I think our rain storms are over for the time being. Sad day.  Our flowers are blooming which is really nice and adds some color to our yard.

Carrot, garlic, potato & zucchini from our garden.

Hope that you all have a fantastic week!

North Logan Notes

My mouth starts watering when I read the garden reports on our blog!! Yum! I am very happy to know that the gardening tradition is being carried on in lots of places. We may have to start a taste-testing vacation and visit all of our favorite gardens and gardeners in Idaho, Utah, and Arizona! Lauren has shared lots of produce with us already, which has been quite delicious. I try to ration the yumminess so that it lasts longer, but I usually get carried away and eat it all up too fast. How very fun it was to see our Hyde Park raspberries and blackberries growing in Idaho Falls and in American Fork! When we get settled we hope to bother you all for starts from your starts from our starts :)

Going back and forth was the name of the game this week. After the birth I'd been waiting for finally happened early on Wednesday, I went to check on Lauren and found all well and happy there. The next morning I left for Idaho Falls to take some beef up there and returned home very late. All was well up north, as well. The next day Dad and I drove down to Salt Lake to attend the Tabernacle Choir Pioneer Day Concert in the Conference Center, which was unbelievably superb! The guest artists were incredible and the choir and orchestra were at their best doing Rogers and Hammerstein music. It was very inspiring and uplifting and we were so glad to see it in person rather than on our little computer screens.

Not much else happened this week. Dad will be gone most of the upcoming week, so I may travel again. No garden to water. No pets to care for. No reason to stick around. That's okay. We have been tremendously blessed and are grateful for the tutoring we are receiving at this point in our lives.

Have a lovely week and keep those gardens growing!!

Hart Happenings

It was a pretty regular week.  The boys spoiled me for my birthday on Monday.  We went to Twin Falls and went to see the falls there and then the family indulged me stopping by a native plant nursery that I've been wanting to see for the past couple of years.  Very cool.  And then we headed for City of Rocks.  Definitely the highlight of the day.  I've never seen anything like it.  Huge granite rock formations with trails winding through them and no rules about scrambling on them.  So the boys climbed to their hearts' content.  It was so fun and the air was some of the freshest I've ever inhaled.  We want to go back before the summer is over and camp this time.  Anyone is invited!

Other than that, it was watering the garden to make sure it stays alive, garden class, playing with cousins, grinding stumps, and hanging up the porch swing Ruth made me for my birthday (she is amazing and generous - a really good combination).  A lovely week, all said.

We are also learning some really good lessons about service.  I hope we can hang onto them.

Love you all!  I must run and play corn hole with Alex's family who stopped by from Oregon.

Nilsson News

I think I was meant to be Amish.  I have been reading the Amish parenting book that Elise recommended and it is lovely!  I know I wouldn't fit in completely with them but I feel as though I wouldn't be quite as weird as I am to the modern world in which we live.  I think I need to take a trip to Ohio or Pennsylvania to visit those people who seem to have their priorities in the right place.  I really, really want them to come build a barn for me.  I guess you can order these Amish barn kits and then they come and assemble them for you.  Sign me up.

It was a pretty quiet week for the most part.  Played/worked outside, went to the library, played with cousins, strolled through the farmer's market and enjoyed a quick visit from grandma.  We found a new home for our Polish roosters.  I really wish we could have kept them because of their coolness factor, but they did not have enough space to strut their stuff.  They wouldn't let the hens into the coop without pouncing on them first.  It really was infuriating.  I posted them on craigslist and the following day someone came to get them.  She was a little bit clueless when it came to farm animals so I really hope it all works out for them.  She asked of the roosters liked to "sing" in the morning.  I said they definitely crow in the mornings and about every five minutes thereafter.  Our remaining buff rooster just began to crow yesterday.  I guess he didn't find it necessary to crow with the other two always trying to out-do each other.  It has been a little more quiet around here, which is nice.

Yesterday, we began work on the epic flower bed to the side of our house.  I am starting with the pathways and I'm about halfway through the rock paver path.  I'm really excited about it!  Emerson was given riding mower lessons and he thought that was great fun.  I hope that is the attitude that will continue even after he starts to mow on a regular basis.

We harvested a cucumber and four zucchini this week.  The flowers in our cutting garden are beginning to bloom, much to Eliza's delight.  Addy is our watermelon counter and found 22 this afternoon.  Our mouths are beginning to water!  If we could, we would mail each of you a garden fresh watermelon but I don't think the mail service would appreciate that very much.  I guess you will all need to come here to get one.

That is all for this report!  Have a terrific week family!

Manning Moments

Well, after reading Elise and Ruth's blogs I can see that living in the southern hemisphere is a big plus for gardening! We have enjoyed veggies for over a month but also 100 degree weather for over a month as well! Plants grow on steroids here folks and you are all welcome to come and join in the fun. We have had tons of lettuce, broccoli, beets, squash, carrots, peas and the tomatoes and corn are coming on. If I knew how to put pictures on the blog I would but you should just come and see it in real life.
We had a blast visiting mom and dad for several days while Nick taught a ukulele class at USU. It was a fun vacation. Wesley has had a lot of firsts this summer including: staying overnight with Grandma and Grandpa while Nick and I had a seminary retreat, going fishing with dad several times, doing fireworks, and yesterday we went to a parade. He loved the marching band. We went to a community concert at the park where the local symphony played and he was transfixed on the drums. When we got home he wanted to play his drums and he has talked about it ever since! He is such a bright boy!
Other than that we are just getting ready for baby Chet to arrive. We were telling Wesley that he would be able to play with Chet but when he's a tiny baby he can't play ball but he'll get bigger and bigger. So now when you ask about Chet he might say, "He can't play ball." Oh well, I'm sure he will get over it.

Have a great week!