AUGUST 2020

August was full and busy.

Picking produce and producing salsa has become a weekly event here and Scott is my main chopper and peeler!

We are making between 8-12 jars a week.

Gotta keep up with how fast the kids eat it during the year!

August was SO HOT that really I pretty much ignored the yard and garden as much as  possible.  Thank goodness for pops of color with petunias!

Outdoor classes are much more the norm right now.  We finished off our second Temple Prep course of the summer this month and are planning another starting in September.

I tested each of my 18 students for an hour earlier this month.  All came prepared with masks including old siblings and parents who came to say hello!  This is the Hickman family.

Scott and I took Lori and Carole back up to Almo for another work and play trip.

It was just beautiful!

We dragged Lori out bird watching/hiking for a couple hours one morning!

We had already tackled the repair of the washing machine which broke last time we were out.  Reading online suggested strongly that the lid switch was the issue so I ordered a part and took it out... and Lori and I took it all apart and put in the new switch!

Scott had the most fun playing in the empty machine shell!

 We have the most beautiful photos of many sunsets from our evening walks.  It is getting dark earlier and still so hot that we go out as late as possible and walk home after dark many nights.

I went to visit Nathan and Daniel for their 9th birthday and had a fun evening walk with them talking about all the games they like to play etc.  They are growing up!

Dad has been downsizing things at the house and this has meant some work for LeAnn and Jennifer and I helping go through things too.  We had a bit too much fun with the dress-ups and toys and books one day!

So this is what my cute students look like...masked most of the time.  You can see some smile squints on Jane...but I really miss seeing their faces and expressions.  It is also harder to understand their speech, which is difficult even without masks at this age.

Our first day of school we painted box lids.  I was amazed how matter of fact the kids were about having to wear a mask to school.

Another walk on the dike trails near the airport...some nights the airport is really busy with planes taking off and landing...lots of training flights through UVU.

One day we hiked out into what used to be marshes and wetlands but is now pretty dry.

Scott is showing the size of some bird footprints in comparison to his binoculars.  HUGE!

Way down in the field, we got to Utah Lake again.  We saw water birds we had not seen in a while.  Avocet, Stilts, Herons etc.

Evan, Mackenzie and Brooklyn are so excited to have 3 new pet fish!  They are so cute and colorful.  They "fish sat" them and then the owners had to move and let them keep them!

And little Clara is getting the cutest personality!  Her teeth are coming in, she is walking and talking and just so much fun.  The only bad thing is we have not got to see her in person since February!

   

Dad gave me money to frame Mom's picture of a painting and her picture from her funeral program.  It turned out pretty nice!

Scott and I have missed a lot of reception type celebrations this summer because they seemed unsafe.  This one was nice...outside in a garden with masks and all spread apart.  

Daniel and Ashley Jones (he is from our mission).

   Ward FHE Covid Style.

This month Jenna talked us into doing an online High Intensity Interval Training with the BYU XC Coach 3X per week at 7 AM.  

Brutal!  I am really bad at it, but still trying to keep up!