Well, once again I messed up. I really think that I am too old to be trying all these technological instruments. I am OK with a paper and pen or pencil, point and shoot camera and push button telephone, but hand me a computer, cell phone, or fancy camera and they all have way too many buttons and way too many choices to make and way too many options in how to do it.

I had my pics on the desktop and put the first 3 in and they ended up already posted. Don't know why or how.

Didn't know if I ever presented my picture wall. Remember how bare the walls were... well I did not like it. The latest addition is just under the clock.

This is a closeup of the artwork sent to us by a sweet grandson, Izaak. I copied his name off the back and pasted it on the right hand side. He truly put his heart into it. We love it!

This is a China made quilted that I purchased at the Far West LDS bookstore when Linda and Fred came out to see us. I have that above our bed and it adds a little color to an otherwise white room. We laughed today as we read in MormonTimes the column written by Orson Scott Card. He was talking about the role of a husband. Trying to instruct young men in the church about what is expected. "...The trouble is that the whole point of dating is to find a mate. In the church, that means finding someone to be your companion longer than life itself." Wow, we really laughed when we read that. You really should read the MormonTimes. It has wonderful articles and stories in it. You learn a lot and enjoy every bit of it.

This was Dad out on the sidewalk capturing an injured bluejay. He brought it in and put it in a box and we actually called the place in Kansas City where they take birds and animals. We were going to take it there because we could not send it to Megan fast enough so she could care for it.

This is the first pic of the bird. He was just sitting out on the lawn in front and not moving. We watched him for 15 minutes before he finally hopped down to the sidewalk. I saw another bluejay coming to his aid and then a robin sort of dive bombed the helper, so he flew to a nearby tree and then two robins started attacking him. Truly going after him. So he flew away. Our little jay did not last for long. We were ready to leave and he had perished in the box.

This rabbit is out in front of our place and that is our car on the right side. Can you believe little rabbits around. We see them occasionally.

A week ago we drove to the Missouri River to see how much it had come up with all of the rain we have had. Dad just told me that it came up ten feet. I can't quite believe that. Seems like it would have flooded. But you would not believe all the rain.

Guess I am done. Dad thinks it is time for a walk. Sun is down, it is below 91 degrees and humidity is still high.

We will survive.

Oh, my. I cannot believe how long I have gone without any time in here. I don't know what is going on with me. Sometimes I think it is the computer. I know so little about it and realize that there is so much more I could do to make things more interesting, but then my life is quite low key right now. Kind of the same thing every day, but not really. I can't believe how often our days don't really begin until we get instructions from the President. Like last week he came into Dad and asked him if we could drive to Sedalia and pick up two missionaries and drive them to Marshall and then take one of the missionaries to the airport. He was headed home. We drove to Sedalia. A beautiful place with homes all in the woods or on the golf course. We drove up to Marshall and went in and left one there. This missionary apartment was unbelievable. It was spotless. We have heard a lot of horror stories, but this was not one of them. Elder Wilkes opened the frig and told the Elder that the middle part was his section. Clean, clean frig. He opened the freezer and I saw frozen chicken breasts lined up across the front. It was amazing. We left one Elder there and headed back for the Kansas City Airport to take the last Elder. Dad took him in and checked his luggage in. He had been here for 3 weeks. But he called his Mom on Mother's Day and she just cried and begged him to come home. He has only been a member for 15 months and no other members in his family. His parents were divorced and he actually helped to support the family. He lived with his Mom in California and his Dad lives in New York. His parents are from Mexico and I think his Mom just kind of got to him. Maybe he didn't want to be here either. You never know. Anyway, that was our day. We left at 11:30 and didn't get back until 5:30. Our days are varied, but the basic work is always there.

My last post was about going to Zone Conference. The Bouy's came with us and we stopped at a quilt store on the way and then on the way back. Sister Bouy is a real quilter and she ended up buying into this quilt. I took a bunch of pics for her. Isn't it gorgeous. It is some sort of Civil War quilt. I did my usual and just bought patterns!

There was a day recently where you could see a bunch of sights for $1 apiece. So we went with the Stutz's to the Truman Library. Here is Dad with one of his favorite people. Harry S. Truman. We went through the museum. These presidential museums are quite impressive.

Sister Stutz and I went to the Vaile Mansion. It is another amazing mansion in this town. Cost about $150,000 to build. They said it would cost 13 million today. It is quite amazing.

The tulip tree in the cemetary to the North of us. Have you ever heard of a tulip tree? They are real and quite beautiful. From a distance it just looks like two colors of leaves.

You have to get quite close to see the actual flower. Sister Bouy picked this off the ground so I could get a pic. So glad that we went on our way back to the office after lunch, since it began to rain that afternoon and it rained for days. It is quite amazing how long it can rain around here.

This is out in front of our office and that is Brother Eliason who is actually a paid employee. He takes care of the grounds here and there. He stops in the office to visit and when we first got here we met him. He was very hard to understand and I actually asked him what kind of accent he had. Well, come to find out he only began speaking about six years ago. I don't know all the details, but he did not talk for most of his life. He is very hard to understand, but we are getting used to listening and can understand him better all the time and love it when he comes in. He doesn't like his picture taken either!

The car in front of us. I zoomed in and got this pic. It is true also. We have met so many missionaries and other people and it is really quite amazing how blessed we feel when we hear their stories. Be grateful for what you have.

Short time today. See you later.

Here we go again. We are in a motel in Wichita getting ready for Zone Conference tomorrow at 7am. The Bouy's are with us this time since he has to hand out new phones and she has to see some sick "children" as she calls them. The nursing job is turning into one of the biggest jobs around. Me, well, I just came along for the ride!

All of the Zone Leaders and District Leaders were in the office yesterday after their morning of meetings at the mission home. We have started a picture wall in our little corner and have been putting pics of the missionaries who have come into the mission since we got here. It really helps us learn their names and the Elders and Sisters seem to enjoy it too. Well, Elders Benson and Clayson could not find their pic on our wall since they arrived before we did, so I took this pic of them and it will be on the wall next time they come in. Elder Clayson is from American Fork and he has challenged Dad in a racketball game. His dad is a champion player and has told him not to let the family name get tarnished! I will let you know what happens. Elder Clayson had dinner at our apartment one night and he reminds us so much of Brett that it is crazy.

This is Elder Zipf just off the bus. This is for his Mom. She has looked in on our blog a few times. We became quite endeared to Elder Zipf when we found that he was not writing his Mom as often as he should! Just kidding, but it has been fun to keep our eye out for him and visit with him at conferences.

Last Saturday I went with two other seniors to the Powell Gardens. It is 915 acres of gardens, some still undeveloped, but we spent nearly 5 hours there just wandering. This is the hot house where this orange tree is growing. There were banana trees, lime tree, tangerine tree,

and, you guessed it, a pineapple plant.

This is an apple tree that they are training along wires like you do grapes. Could not believe that an apple tree could grow along aa wire. And they were all over.

In this pic we rode an elevator to the top of an open silo. We could have climbed the stairs to the top! This is overlooking the harvest gardens. Looks like a quilt doesn't it! That is what they are trying to duplicate.

Here are closeups of the individual quilt blocks. It is so beautiful. Different colors of greens and whatever is in season, they give you a taste. We had two kinds of lettuce and some baby carrots.

Another small quilt block. Parsley, beets, lettuces, nasturshem (I know it is not spelled like that), carrots, strawberries, peas, beans, broccoli, (I can't spell tonight), etc., etc., etc.

There is this mostly glass chapel. There was a wedding going on just as we walked up to it. The bride and groom walked out into the rain for pictures.

This is the Living Wall and it goes on and on and on. It is beautiful.

There is a hummingbird sort of garden. Look at that! Oranges cut in half and on the hummingbird hangers. Hummingbirds there too.

I don't know how Elder Zipf jumped in again. Whoops! He was not at the Garden with us!

This is a ball made out of grapevines and then they have put plants in side and outside it. It looked cool and will bloom some day soon.

This pic is by Dad as we walked out of the VC fireside on Sunday evening. It was absolutely beautiful. Partly because it had been raining most of the day on Saturday! That is the stake center up the street from the VC where we are and then further up the hill is the mission office where we spend our time.

This was Monday night. We were invited along with the AP's to the Cook's house for dinner. Brother Cook is the ward mission leader and they had a wonderful dinner and it was also the AP's birthdays this week. Elder Hedger on Sunday and Elder Glenn the following Thursday, tomorrow. They are both 21. Get it!

These are the Cook children. I could not get a clear pic of them. They were on the move! Evan is the eldest and then Lillian and Sydney. Oh, I could not get enough holding and snuggling those little girls. They are all so sweet.

Bye now.

My goodness. This is my third try at posting these pics. I actually started last Thursday evening and then again on Friday evening and I could not make it work. I got them to this position and did something wrong I guess and could not continue or figure out what to do. Computers continue to be a mystery, so here I go.

Last Saturday, four senior couples drove to Lexington. This was the site of one of the Civil War battles. I believe it was called the Battle at Blue Run. The Battle lasted for three days. Sept. 18-19-20, 1861. This is the courthouse in town and it took a cannon ball up high. Gosh, when you hear this history it gives you goose bumps to think that it really happened here in our country. We have grown up hearing about war in other countries, but this civil war was right here among our own countrymen.

This is a home in Lexington, where a lot of the action took place. I really should have Dad write about these things because he remembers and knows the history. These are actually holes where cannon balls hit the back of the house. This home was built four bricks thick.

Inside one of the bedrooms, I lifted up the feather bed or whatever it was and there is the rope that served as the support, can't remember what it is called. That is a mat on the floor and the chamber pot on the left side. Oh, life was different then.

And I bet no one can guess what this is!! The latest wreath made for the house out of hair. Yes, you got it. Human hair. It was quite beautiful and intricate. Different colors of hair depending on whose head it came from and different techniques used to make it look like a flower or a leaf or stem. There were more hair wreaths hanging in the house.

Get a look at this bed. It was quite beautiful. First thing I thought of was what if that thing fell over on you. It would be the end. The headboard is 10 feet tall. The ceilings were about 15 feet high. The lady's hoop skirt on the end of the bed and her corset lying on the bed. Be grateful girls, that you can get up in the morning and put your pants on!

Blossoms on the pink dogwood tree outside our office. All the flowering trees and bushes around here are beautiful. And I just keep taking pics of trees and flowers that I see. Have a whole file of them! I just enjoy flowers so much.

This was last Thursday. It was transfer day. Some unhappy missionaries around and some excited ones. This is Elder Benson. He found a banjo somewhere and was going to play at a fireside that night. He is the youngest child in his family and his parents went on a mission the same time he did. They are in California serving in the office of one of the missions. He is comparing notes with them all the time about what goes on here and what goes on there!

Elder Nam. The missionary from Korea who was sent here to speak Spanish and he also speaks English (not real well) and some other language. Amazing kid. Maybe I have told you that he came into the office one time and handed me a piece of paper and on it was his parents names and address. He asked me to send the referral for him. It was quite an experience for me because he had told me that his parents didn't really know or understand what he was doing here. I put all the info in and hit SAVE and that referral found its way to Korea! This week when he came in he told me that his parents had had the missionaries to dinner. He was very excited and happy and feels like they will have the missionaries again.

He picked up that big sucker and was like a little kid with it. Someone had left two of them in the office and he loved getting one of them.

This is Elder Swayt and Marston. They both left for home on Friday. Elder Swayt lives in Sandy and Elder Marston in Middleton, Idaho. Elder Marston has been very sick and Pres. wanted him to go home for surgery, but he said no. He has gall bladder problems, more than just gall stones. He said no, he did not want to go home. He said he would be OK, that he wanted to finish his mission. His faith is amazing. And he is one who has been "exactly obedient". He lost his wallet a couple of weeks ago and was in the office and was asked if he could have left it at the apartment. He didn't know because he said he didn't have permission to call there to have his companion look for it. I mean he would not have thought of doing anything like that without permission. So he had Sister Williams call his companion to check it out. Some of our missionaries are so obedient.

This is Sister Lasalosi and Howe, from Tonga and Ephraim, Utah. They have both been sent out to the field. They have been in our ward and we take them to church with us, so it is hard to see them leave. We have loved them. Wonderful girls.

Elder Hedger and Glenn. These are the AP's. Assistants to the President. They are also in our ward and in and out of the office quite a lot. Two great guys. It is amazing the responsibilities they have and how great they are in their jobs. Some lucky girls out there I tell you.

This is Dad on a missionaries bike, riding it down to the bat cave, to put it in storage for him.

And now we have a pic of my shamrock plant in the tea pot that I got at the Christmas party for a white elephant gift. I love it. It says Czechoslovakia on the bottom of it. And have you ever seen a shamrock with more flowers on it! Pretty good huh. I put styrofoam peanuts in the bottom of it and then dirt and I water it and pour out the excess water. Pretty smart I think.

And finally dinner a few nights ago. First time I have had bread and milk. I actually bought some apricot jam (my favorite) at the Amish grocery store and then added a little cheese and green onion and oh, it was so yummy.

That's all folks! (I did have to call Adrian tonight to see why I kept messing up. Don't really know what is happening, but she got me fixed right. This is the fourth try and writing about these pics! More later.

Loves and hugs and how we miss you.