Dead Tree - Stormy Weather

This is the tree I wish had been uprooted, which had long been dead, & everytime
the wind blows we lose a few more branches. Only I just wouldn't want it to
hit the house or the vehicles in the process.

High Winds & Stormy Weather

Yesterday the wind began to blow with the rain. It began to blow harder &
harder & continued off & on for 5 hrs. till it was almost spooky!! Things were
really a rattling outside! When Kelly got home afterwork I ask him if he shouldn 't
move the vehicles to the side of the house just incase that dead tree let lose
some more limbs, like the last few times the wind had blown & alot milder winds.
Well later on that night after we heard there was even a "tornado" watch posted for the
valley which is hard to believe they even used that term, it's always been a micro-burst
here. Kelly went outside & called me to come here saying I wouldn't believe this!!
Well the wind blew over one of my favorite big trees & cut off our driveway completely!
Amazing!!! It was green & everything! Don't know why it went down! At least I'm glad
it didn't fall on our cars!

We had this size & several bigger limbs from the last winds. This was a new one.

Rainy Days

It's looking rather moorish outside & reminds me of the feeling I got when I read
"Wuthering Heights" many years ago but still remember the discriptions pretty
vividly.

Can't hardly believe I'm saying Rainy Days for our area it's been so long since we've seen
rain. But it has been raining for three days & their is actually water standing on the ground!!

My Latest Read & Snowmen Decor

This book was on my Christmas Wish List. It's a historical novel of "THE MIRACLE OF THE HOLE-IN-THE-ROCK PIONEERS" It's 802 pages & I'm almost done. Good read!
Now I want to see the Hole In The Rock!!

I'm leaving up my Snowman Decor for awhile. It's probably the closest I'll get to any

snow this year. I really kinda miss it. I have fond memories of snow growing up down

home where we got one to four inches of snow several times each winter. Just enough

to be fun & beautiful & a short while to play in & then it would melt away. Fond memories

of my 2 1/2 yrs. at B.Y.U. & the snow there. I would bundle up in my coat & boots & walk

up the ramp on the southside of campus in the still early mornings with white glistening

snow & icicle panorama.

I felt kinda like Alice in a White Wonderland. It was so serene & beautiful! Of course there

was the occasional slip & fall & all my books went flying & usually in front of some guys!

That would be a little embarrasing & ego knocking! ...............................Memories of tubing down the mountain in Provo canyon & even on the Sundance ski slope. That was a bit wow-scary!!!Memories of snow in Michigan & snow in Utah when we'd go up on trips in the wintertime.

Traveling in the snow sometimes got a little harry, but playing in it was fun & the time we

stayed with little Grandma Montgomery at Christmas-time in the house in town that had

the huge big trees out back. I remember being transfixed looking out the window watching

the snow falling down & down till it covered the trees & bushes & ground with a foot of snow.

All the while being cozy & warm inside. And being thoroughly entertained by the Bown

cousins having competitions amongst themselves seeing who could playing "Polonaise"

or some other huge piece through with the least amount of mistakes. They were all fantastic

at the piano! (Only two or three mistakes, four at the most.) Aunt Ruth used to drive down from Ogden to Salt Lake & accompany the Tabernacle Choir for their practices at one time. She played

that well. And she wanted all her kids to excell as well.

Going on several snow tubing outings as a leader with my kids young women & young men

groups. As for Kelly, he said the two years in Logan at Utah State & two years in Canada

on his mission was enough for him. As for me, just remenising the good times!! And would

still like to see a little snow!!

Cruisin' Around

Since Christmas, my car has spent four days in the garage. So two days
I was driving this sporty Eclipse around. Kelly said people must of thought
I looked like a hot mama drivin' down the road in that!! Ha! Ha! It was
more like my hindie was down in a hole & trying to crawl out of a cave
it was so low to the ground, but it was kinda fun to drive around anyway!
It feels good to have all that work done & the warranty covered all but $10
of the fee. Great!!

New Year's Day & Outdoor Scenes

I was hungry for grapefruit at Christmas time,
so I splurged & bought some huge grapefruits &
oranges & put in our Christmas stockings. Kelly
said, well we have three grapefruit on our tree
outback now, you better pick them & eat them
before the kids find them. Hurray! I was surprized
we finally got a tree to live & produce. I think he's
planted 10-15 trees & all of them have died or
something happened to them. Sooooo.......I think
Kelly's pretty proud of these!!! There were three
grapefruit on this tiny tree. I can't wait till the
other several citrus trees Kelly has planted grow
up & start to produce. I miss walking out in the
backyard & picking a grapefruit for breakfast!!

When the Zweifel clan was out on New Year's

Day, they scooped out & ate the orange half''s

then cooked blueberry muffins in the half

orange shells on the bonfire coals.

I was surprized when Michelle came back with

two bags of oranges & she got them off a tree

in the far back yard. I thought all the trees were

dead, so that one must be kinda hidden.

The leaves are finally all falling off the

trees, & we had a little semblance of fall

& winter.

It was funny watching Jeanie & Jon threading

this chicken on a stick & poles & cooking it

over the fire, like in "Survivor"!! Chris set

the finished product on a plate & we were laughing

at it! Said it was pretty tasty!! We did some chicken

on the grill to, but if you make a bonfire out here, you

need to be cooking something on it so you don't risk getting

fined if the firemen show up.

December Happenings & More

Sunday, Dec. 20th was our Ward Christmas Program & I guess our last hurrah as a ward
together!! Our Relief Society Sisters choir, was one of the numbers on the program. We learned & performed a carol "Baby In A Manger" & LaVerne acompanied us. It was my first time leading a R. S. choir in Sacrament Mtg. Whew!! The last time I led a choir was in the Primary Sacra-
ment Presentation & then we had some good practices. This time it was short & last minute
practices & a wing & a prayer!! I was glad we had a good turn out of about 35-40 sisters and
thought it sounded pretty good.

Sunday, Dec. 27th was our last Sunday as the large Gila River Ward. Every sunday we filled
three-fourths of the overflow section. One big happy family!! We had lots of young families
in our ward. Four nurseries & a huge Primary. But in our last Stake Conference
we learned our ward would be split in half. We stayed in the Gila River Ward & still meet in
the Laveen Building & a new Trailside Ward was formed from the other half of our ward. And
now they will be meeting in the Stake Center. Glad it was them & not us, we've driven that
distance for a long while, twenty years or so?
The Montana Del Sur Ward was also divided & they used to meet in the South Mountain
building on 7th Ave. Now they formed a new spanish ward named the Aguila Ward & they
will be meeting in our building in Laveen.

Christmas Day........ it's still kinda strange, no Ashley or other kids knocking on our door to
wake us up, but we still got up before daylight, our old tradition & opened presents while it's still
dark outside. I sent Kelly on a seven clue hunt for one of his presents, a new wheelbarrow
he found hidden in a cave in the big evergreen bush out front. My big surprize was a chef-
mate. Now I'll have to make some wheat bread & rolls. And I really like my new Bearpaw
boots. So comfortable to walk in & lined with warm furry stuff.

We made a big yummy breakfast of hashbrowns, eggs, bacon, toast & jam & orange juice.
Spent a lazy morning. Watched a new D.V.D. "New In Town" with Renee Zellweger & Harry
Connick Jr. I thought it was cool to see her walk around in those stelletos ha! Ha! Cute &
funny movie!
In the afternoon we went over to Lori's house & had Christmas dinner with their family.
Megan, Caley & Annika all challenged Kelly to a game of tennis on their new Wii game.
Then Lori & the girls and I played "Banana Grahmn's" while Kelly & Jim went at it on
several of the Wii sports games. .......Played a quickie bit of our new "Catch Phrase" game.
Five hours passed very quickly having fun together. Then off to home before Kelly fell
asleep.

New Year's Eve was rather uneventful. We had to go pick up our car which had been in
the garage for a couple of days, then on to our favorite chinese cuisine & home for a little
T.V. & reading & Kelly went to bed. Those early hours make him sleepy. I watched a movie
then was going to watch the New Year's celebrations at midnight but fell asleep & missed it!
Ha! But HAPPY NEW YEAR anyway!!!! Golly 2010 sounds unreal but guess we're really
there!
New Year's Day....Michelle had ask previously if the Zweifel clan could come out & make
a bonfire & do some outdoor cooking with the kids & hike the Carver hill range. Chris's
family was intown for the Christmas holidays. They were having a Zweifel mini reunion
with the four families, Claudia, Michelle's, Chris's & Jeanie's families. Ten kids in all &
a few neighbor kids. They showed up around 12:30 p.m. Jon put up a zip line again, so
that was fun & popular with the kids. As long as I strolled Emma in her new stroller around
the yard she was happy while Michelle helped with the grilling. Claudia & I watched the
two babies while Jeanie & Michelle went on the hike & LaVerne & Yvonne came over for a
visit.
A couple of the kids said that was the best day ever!!! So I guess enjoying time running
around with their cousins in the country made for a good afternoon!
And that was said after Jon had taken them all up for a thrill airplane ride the day before!!
It was.....a nice day out. Jon flies ever so often to keep his pilot's license current!

Sunday, Jan. 2nd was our lst sunday after the split. We now all fit in the Chapel area &
all fit in the R.S. room for gospel doctrine instead of the Chapel & now the R. S. room is
only half full of sisters for Relief Society. That will take some getting use to, but I guess
there will always be change.......in the church. Maybe more families will move in & we'll
grow again.