Bats and Balls

Today we worked on a bat job on an 8-story building. We had to figure out where the bats were coming and and how to keep them out. Don figured it out and then began excluding them. It took most of the day. This is Don on a lift working on a ceiling that is 2-stories high outside the entrance doors. Never a dull moment around here!



Last night was another soccer game. I know these pictures are dark, but if you zoom in you can see that Don is the keeper again this season, and he's doing a good job.

Everything is going well for us...life is good and we are happy. Women's Conference will be starting in a few minutes, and next weekend will be General Conference. I LOVE General Conference!

Quick Update...

Quick update on another busy week: bat jobs, rowdy dogs, busy callings at church (Don went rappelling this weekend with his boys, I helped teach a cooking class on oats and powdered milk and began preparing a Christmas program), genealogy discoveries, another win at soccer, etc. I'll try to get some pictures taken this week.

In summary, work is good, callings are great, family is best! Hope you all are well.

Another Good Week

We started the week by going on a hike. We took (I should say "Don took") the rappelling gear thinking that we would have time to rappel, but we didn't. The hike, however, was nice. It's good to get out in the fresh air, be with nature, and have time to talk. Don always packs most of the gear for us as you can see in this picture...I only had to take a small backpack.

Dixie (Jennifer's 9-month-old German Shepherd) and Trooper (our little 18-month-old Dalmatian mix) love to play with each other. Tug-of-war with Don's old socks is one of their favorite games.

We did three bat jobs this week. One of them involved several historic buildings (built in the 1920's) that needed to have their attics and crawl spaces (underneath) checked for animals and then screened off. This is a picture Don took of me helping him screen off the crawl space ventilation bricks on one of the buildings. (The attics have the same open bricks for ventilation.)

We knew that one of the buildings housed a large colony of bats (and had housed them for MANY years) in the attic. When Don climbed into the attic most of the bats were gone. He took this picture of the rather large pile of bat guano that was there. I'll spare you the picture of the roofing beams that have been totally stained with urine, including one place that has been used so many times for so many years that it has crystallized and looks like a small stalactite--gross!. I was glad Don was wearing a respirator and not breathing that air!

I was grateful that we were able to spend an afternoon in the Mesa Temple. We love the peace that we feel there.

"No Greater Joy..."

I didn't get anything posted last weekend...the first time I've missed, I think, since I started blogging. And somehow this week has flown past me also. Between the dogs and the wildlife, the house and the laundry, the cooking and the cleaning, the shopping and the projects here at home, the days fly by. I appreciate those of you who do a better job on your blogs than I do, as I enjoy keeping up with you and your families.

This week we did an enrichment night at church on provident living. It went really well. The classes dealt with financial matters (and the importance of doing whatever it takes to live within your means) and how to build up your short-term and long-term food storage. The tasting table included many foods that can be made from staples (wheat, rice, oats, etc.) and their recipes. It was a good night with a lot of food to eat. It took many hours of preparation, especially the last three days...but it was worth it.

The highlight of the week came in the form of a phone call from Nathan (in Germany) saying that he has been called to be the Bishop of his ward (at the tender age of 31). My tears are tears of joy for his integrity and the trust that the LORD has in him. My thoughts echo the words of the apostle John in his third epistle (3 John 1:4) where he wrote, "I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth." And since no Bishop serves without a strong and faithful wife at his side, those words go equally for his wife, Sarah. We love you all!