We started the week with Christmas in Payson. By the end of the week, we had stormy weather.
Main Street in Payson has become the set of a Hallmark movie! It's all decked out in wreaths and garland, Hallie took Lily down to see what all the fuss was about.
Eliza had horseback riding in the afternoon. Look just above her back and you will see Eliza's head.
We have the first fruits of the garden! Sweet cherry tomatoes, with more to follow.
Lily accompanied Hallie and Eliza to her other riding appointment later in the week. Lily has recently gone camping so we were playing campfire. What an imagination this child has.
So many babies at the Ranch it was so fun to see all of them outside in the weather.
The cousins are coming at the end of July and Eliza's favorite game is Uno. So when Hallie saw UnoCorns we had to get it to play when they come. We have had several rousing hands already.
On Friday, Eliza helped babysit Chloe. Chloe actually prefers Eliza more than Hallie so Eliza is getting some of the money from Hallie's job for her hard work.
We went up to Grandma and Grandpa M.'s and caught some shots of the local deer. These were all taken by Eliza on Hallie's cell phone.
On Sunday morning, Fergus left us the present of a dismembered and disemboweled bird on the front porch. We made Landon help clean up the mess. He wanted to wear goggles too but they came apart so his grocery bag and his mask would have to do. Hallie then scrubbed down the porch to get rid of anything else that may have been leftovers. Eliza cleaned up the vole that Fergus left for us just before we headed on a bit of a road trip. Eliza crafted a trash bag to cover her clothes while she scrubbed the porch with bleach and water solution. Eliza is very clever and can be quite creative.
Having heard poppies were in bloom in Alpine, we braved the lowering clouds and thunder to walk around in the fields to find them. While the bloom had faded, we did see many thistles and wildflowers.
By the afternoon, the winds had really picked up, and the smoke from three fires in the valley tinged the air.
It got bad enough that we chose to take the garden indoors to avoid the plants getting knocked over.
Eliza rolled around the floor as we enjoyed a couple of movies and watched the new church get dedicated.
On that note, Mike appreciated a message given by our stake president in a talk given at our new church dedication. He noted that, all politics aside, we should emphasize faith over fear. Whatever our political leanings, stances on current issues, and whatnot, we will get through the issues facing us by finding common ground and moving forward with optimism. No one knows for certain what the future may bring, but we can act with positivity day by day to build more humane, understanding, and beautiful relationships, families, communities, and societies.
