2024, June 24-30

We had an entertaining week outdoors, with most activities happening in the morning or near and after sunset. 

Hallie and Eliza tended the neighbor's kids while the neighbor worked from home.

We let sleeping cats lie whenever possible. 

Kai likes to visit with the neighbor dogs once he comes back to us. Here he is with Dolly. Hallie likes the fact that they look like a big and little version of each other.

Late Tuesday morning. Mike took Kai for a walk after dropping Landon off at work. At first, Kai wasn't sure what to do about the creek, but once he got in, he had fun. It's so amazing that less than a mile from home we have places that (at least on camera) look as if we're in the country. 

Mike caught this bumblebee hard at work on the thistle blossoms. 

Eliza had BUH on Wednesday, and Mike took Kai to walk around the facility. Here are some of the ponies enjoying time in the paddock. 

She made this dried flower-decorated horseshoe out of one of the pony's shoes for her art project. Pretty!

Mike got this pic of the fur babies snoozing. Landon noted that while Ferg was out on Saturday night, Landon heard angry animal noises. He opened the front door to see Fergus chasing the neighborhood fox. 

The girls took a trip to Dutch Bros. on Friday, and of course Kai got a pup cup. 

We did some drawing once the weather cooled on Friday evening. 

Mike was amused on Saturday morning to see that the shadows coming off the bedroom ceiling fan and blackout curtains bore a vague resemblance to a certain Star Wars spaceship. 

Fergus in an "orange roll" pose. 

Landon had an interview with Swig Drinks on Saturday morning. He feels optimistic that he'll get the job. He likes that it will be more money, and we like that it will be closer. He might even be able to take himself to work! 

Afterwards, Mike and Eliza went to the library. Eliza has enjoyed checking out music and drawing books, and we have checked out some Studio Ghibli movies to get into the Japanese aesthetic. 

The linden trees are in bloom and smell very sweet. The bees were hard at work. 

Likewise, Eliza worked hard at drawing chibi characters. Mike helped too. 

He drew this little guy. We'll call him Fletch. 

After Mike and Eliza got home, Mike turned around and took Landon to his last day of work at Splash Summit. Hopefully that Swig interview works out. . . .

Later in the day, Hallie and Eliza went to the store and found this outfit for Kai. Poor puppy! The girls were delighted. 

Once the weather cooled a bit (after 8:00), Mike went on a ride and walk and ride along the trail near Hobble Creek. Some people had written inspiring messages along part of the route. 

He likes the shady views, and not many people were walking at this time of day. 

Sunday morning, he went on a different part of the trail and encountered a few western tiger swallowtail butterflies. One even decided to settle down close enough for a picture. 

Eliza has gotten into jewelry making. Here's a sample keychain. She may decide to show them off at the county fair and even sell some. 

We got a fair amount of wind in the evening on Sunday, so we debated having a fire pit with the social;  we could just sit around visiting in the shade. When there's enough wind for a kite to fly, it can be dangerous to have fire around. 

2024, June 17-23

Welcome summer! The heat, not so much.

On Monday, Dad and Eliza walked to the library and back. On the way home, they heard a noise that sounded a lot like a cell phone coming from a telephone pole. Turns out it was a local woodpecker. If you look closely at the photos below, you can see him. 

On Tuesday, Eliza and Landon had a belt advancement at Rise. Sadly, this also marked Landon's last day, as he and his coaches have decided that he is done. We're still a little bewildered about it, to be honest. He has also decided he doesn't want to work at Splash Summit and has started applying to work at other businesses closer to home. 

After TKD, we spent some time in the front yard. The weather has really started heating up, but the late afternoon/early evening breezes and shade are nice. 

Mike also caught this nice sunset. 

We have seen quite a few flowers in bloom. Here are some milkweed blooms. 

Eliza went on a trail ride with BUH on Wednesday. 

Murphy and her colt have come out to be seen more lately. Mike got a couple of pictures while out on a walk.

He also noticed some of the fruits of our garden. More to follow. 

He saw some more dramatic skies north of the north field. 

The thistles are doing their thing. 

And so is the garden. Mike got some closeups of the cukes, tomatoes, peppers, and squash.

Fergus has gone back to staying out at night and sleeping all day in the office. 

When he comes in at the crack of dawn, he will take a little time to say hi. Here he is experiencing a post-breakfast blep. 

Here are another couple of pictures of Murph and her colt. They seem more willing to approach lately. 

Even the cacti are blooming, as Mike caught on a walk on Sunday. 

He also saw a chamomile plant. He may have to ask these neighbors if he can harvest some for tea.

 The hot weather has encouraged us to stay indoors during the day and only come out once things cool (relatively). One exception was Sunday, when Eliza and Hallie (and a bunch of other Springville residents) went down to Bartholomew Park. For Hallie, it got to be a bit too hot for comfort.