On Saturday our computer crashed. It looked bad. We thought we’d have to get a new one. We did some serious consulting with Geoffrey, our computer go-to man. He did some long distance work with Josiah and today we’re up and running again! We got a lecture on being more careful about malware, although I try to never open anything unless I know what it is. So here, a few days late, is the Potter County Journal I should have sent on Sunday.
The weather was chilly most of the week. Why do I always start with the weather? I guess it’s because so much of my life is dependent on the vagaries of it. Two nights, Wednesday and Thursday, the temperature dropped into the 30's. Friday morning there was a light frost on the lawn, but the garden and fruit trees seem not to have been damaged. I’m ready for a long, hot summer now. Please.
 |
| Baby chipping sparrow. |
It was so nice having Daniel here. I put him to work. On Monday we cleaned out the chicken coop. I say “we” but really Daniel and Josiah did all the work. There was quite an accumulation of manure under where the chickens roost for the night – eight wheelbarrows full of it. It was a smelly, dirty job and they did it with minimal retching and complaining. I had them dump it in several places in the yard where it will mellow for a year before I can use it.
 |
| Daniel giving a lesson on the proper way to set up a hammock. |
On Tuesday we began making a flagstone path from the driveway to the front porch. It was really Josiah’s project, but Daniel and I helped a little. We gathered stones from various places – there is no shortage of stone here. We spent several hours arranging the stones then Josiah took over and set the stones in place. It turned out pretty good.
 |
| Arranging stones. |
 |
| Digging in the stones. |
 |
| The finished path. |
On Thursday night Sarah, Tosh, and Sasha (our friend from Russia) arrived to spend a few days with us. We had a great time playing croquet, board games, eating good food, sitting around the fire pit in the evening and just visiting.
 |
| Playing games. |
 |
| Croquet on the front lawn. |
 |
| More games. |
The weather turned warm at the end of the week – a very welcome change after so much chilly weather. The garden is at its June peak now. The lupines and irises are glorious. The first of the roses have opened. And the cornflowers, peonies, and poppies are just starting to bloom. I have a weakness for poppies. I let them grow wherever they come up and sometimes they come up in strange places. I love their bright colors and delicate petals.
 |
| Cornflowers. |
 |
| Irises. |
 |
| Poppies. |
Josiah’s mission papers are ready to go in now. There were a few last minute medical things we had to take care of last week. Today he had an interview with our new stake president. He and Stacey had to drive up early to Penn Yan, New York, for the interview, so they went to church in the branch up there. The rest of us went to church as usual down here. Right after church Sarah, Tosh, Sasha, and Daniel left to go back to Detroit. Tomorrow Daniel will fly back to St. George from Detroit. Now the house will seem too quiet and forlorn. But that won’t last long.
It looks like we’ll have a busy summer with lots of visitors. Aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, nephews, children, and grandchildren will all make their way to 19 Rapley Road, Gold, Pennsylvania, at one time or another over the next few weeks. It’s always exciting to have visitors. For so many years I was a visitor in this house when it was my aunts’ house. I always loved visiting here. Now I love living here and welcoming visitors. So come and visit. We’ll play croquet on the front lawn, sit in the shade of the maples and talk, and gather around the fire pit in the evening and talk some more. We’ll play games and eat good food around the dining room table. We’ll take a walk up to the hollow and on through the woods. Summer is almost here and this house was meant to welcome people to come and stay and relax a while.
 |
| 19 Rapley Road. |
