Crystal Feeds the Horses

Crystal is learning how to take care of the horses when Lenny goes on vacation this summer. Mr. Genes is poking his head through the fence here, saying, "Hurry up! I'm hungry!" Crystal is working her magic with Mr. Genes. He's a little stubborn about picking up one of his hooves for cleaning, but he happily gives it to Crystal on the first try!

Patio In Progress

The work continues on our patio. It looks like it might even be done by the end of the week. Like the basement finishing, it seems to go slowly, and then all of a sudden be done!

There will be a walkway to the patio that is 5 feet wide with four steps in it. As I watch the workmen carefully measure the grade as they work their way down I realize this is a project that I'm glad Ed and I didn't even think about tackling on our own!

Fire Road Clean Up

We had a fun Relief Society mini-activity today, cleaning up the fire road. I went in search of 6 blue beer cans, which we sadly missed on the walk down. I'll have to pick them up on another walk.

We had the Stangers and Iffy Iroanya come with us (as well as Crystal and Coda). The majority of the cleanup was at the reservoir where there were plenty of bottles and broken glass. It was also fun picking up cigarette butts! There is a certain sector of society that thinks the world is their ash tray!

Botanical Gardens

Ed and I took Crystal to the National Arboretum Saturday to see the Azaleas in bloom. They are quite the show! I learned that all rhododendrons are azaleas, but not all azaleas are rhododendrons!

We got a lot of exercise, walking around the pathways, and ended up at the bonsai exhibit. It was my lucky day, as they were having a bonsai sale, and Crystal bought me a little tree for Mother's Day. I hope I can keep it alive for the next 50 years!

Miss Carol Comes Home

Miss Carol came home yesterday. It was about time. She'd been hospitalized for 6 weeks. Crystal and I made a nice sign to welcome her home. She'll have to use a walker to get around, but her leg is starting to heal, and she can walk short distances, so they finally let her come come. She called to tell us she enjoyed her sign. I'll wait till my cold gets better before I stop by to see her.

I took Crystal and Coda down to the reservoir yesterday afternoon. The rain has made everything lush and beautiful. The water level is so high that you can't see the garbage that usually is laying around at the edge of the lake. This is too bad, because we're cleaning up garbage next week as a Relief Society service project!

Paver Pathway Part One

The landscapers are here working on our pathway to the back yard. It's going to be so pretty.

This is just a small portion of the work they're going to be doing. But, it looks like a great start!

Rose Ball

The Columbia Stake has an annual Rose Ball for adults. They actually pay money to have a 20 piece jazz band play for it! I was the number two person in charge of it this year. It was a major worry, and is now, thankfully, over. It was Saturday night. I'd been fighting a cold, which finally got the better of me after the dance. So, I've been laying around the house moaning for the past several days.

I was in charge of publicity and entertainment. The entertainment chairperson fell through 2 weeks before the ball, so it was hard getting people to perform on short notice (during the band's break). I enlisted the help of the Black Eyed Susans, but they also fell like flies. Tricia got sick, Carrie went to New York, and Kaylene's daughter had prom that night. Ed and Crystal filled in for them, and with Mary and Helen we still had a band. We did our only song, Jambalaya.  We were so great that one of the ladies asked me in Relief Society the next day if she could join the band!

Here are Ed and Crystal kicking up their heels as Ed teaches her how to do the fox trot!