My McGee

Life with McGeezy is never dull.  She keeps things lively.  Her food preferences.  She goes through stages when she doesn't like butter or lettuce, but she has never been a fan of bubbles in her nose from pop.

Her bedhead.

Her outfits.

Her desire to help.

Her early morning snuggles.

 Her trigger boy.

 Egg washing extrodinaire.

Springtime

It seems like over night the weather changes and there is always so much to be done in the yard.  Cleaning out the old and getting ready for another season.  The kids are always after me to get the garden planted.  They are the onion, pea, and corn planters.

Dandelions never disappoint.

The propane tank is sure to be bustling with a nest full of hungry baby robins.

As soon as the snow melts, I think Trigger starts panting and looking for shade.  We try to help him out with a good combing and haircut.

Popcorn popping on the apple tree.

Another Ag Day

Ag day got it's start when the FFA alumni wanted a program that would provide opportunities for our FFA chapter to interact with younger kids and educate them about agriculture.  Out of my love for agriculture and desire to help our FFA chapter, I volunteered to get it up and running.  

The local FFA chapter is run quite differently than I remember chapters functioning.  After scheduling meetings and trying to get kids to take ownership, I realized that they were not going to provide the kind of event I felt the elementary kids deserved.  I continued to do more and the FFA did less.  To the point that they showed up the morning of with no idea what was really taking place.

Despite my frustration, it was rewarding to see the older kids interact and the elementary kids learn and internalize things they were being taught outside of a traditional classroom.

Putting together goody bags with donations I had gotten: Gossner milk, instant potatoes, pins, literature, and even seedlings for the 3rd and 4th graders.

 Potato station:  Kids were "sorted" according to size.  They talked about how much water is in potatoes and how they are dehydrated to preserve them and make them cheaper to ship around.

Forestry:  They talked about the importance of forests in Idaho and the different kinds of trees found in the forests.  They learned about growth rings and were able to make growth rings for themselves.

With Arbor day being the following day, we talked a little about the history of Arbor day and how they could participate.

 Bees:  Val Barnes has been such an interesting presenter on bees.  He had his live observation hive, a suit, smoker, and honey to share.  The kids are so intrigued, they could stay there all day.

 Dairy:  We have used the Farm Bureau's fiberglass milk cow.  The kids love "milking" the cow.  They also get small containers of cream to shake into butter.

 Wheat:  A presentation on wheat in followed by an opportunity for students to grind wheat with little hand crank grinders.

The activities become full circle when they get a fresh whole wheat roll to spread their butter on.  They can then top it with tasty honey from hardworking bees.

 The kids always enjoy the equipment display and petting zoo.

 It has been a wonderful event that I've taken pride in organizing.

Blessed by Betty

Betty and I remember well our first meeting.  I was riding my bike, pulling Dalanie in the trailer and helping Hudson along, while we hunted to asparagus.  There was a patch by their fence post that I was hesitant to harvest.  So when they stuck their head out the door, I went over and introduced myself and asked if I could cut the asparagus.  They were happy to let us have it and we have been friends ever since.  

Betty married Gerald Hansen and moved to Firth to live in his rock home.   She breathed new life into him, traveling, checking fence, and fishing.  She is full of life and love.  She is an amazing gardener that would often share her cucumbers or pickle relish recipes with me.  She became a destination for the kids and me.  The kids played in the water when they floods their lawn, tasted her strawberries, and ate popsicles on the front steps.

Although Betty and Gerald had plenty of family, we sort of adopted each other.  She was always so excited to see us and constantly commented on the growth and progress of the kids.  She is so upbeat and positive.  You were fooling yourself if you ever thought you were doing a service by visiting her, you left with your cup filled and overflowing with happiness.

After Gerald's death, Betty moved down the road on Goshen and lived in Dixie Fink's mother's home.  A visit could be easily managed because it was always on the way to or from somewhere.  She attended family birthday dinners, paid the kids for fresh eggs, shared her delicious banana cream pies with us, and enjoyed our homegrown melons.  It came time for Betty to move back to Grant to be closer to her kids.

A part of our hearts went with her.  We can't drive past the blue house without thinking about her.  Since then, we have made visits up to her home to see her garden and hear her laughter.  During harvest, we're up in her area so we'll stop by and take her to watch Hudson work in the tractor.  Time has passed, the children have grown, and she's gotten older but we treasure the friendship we share.  

Betty is my hero- I want to be like her when I grow up.  Her life is one of service and she is a blessing in the lives of many.  

Spring Blooms

Over the years, my collection of spring bulbs have grown.  It is such a wonderful surprise when they come up and begin to bloom.  You forget planting them in the fall, so they feel like the best freebies in a garden.  They make me happy.

 I like the less common daffodils and narcissus.

 Pink and purple tulips take the win for me.  They pair so beautifully with the bleeding hearts and lilacs.

 It's fun to start taking bouquets back to church and sharing them with others.  After all, that's the best part about having flowers- sharing them.

Spring Recital

The spring piano recital was on the same day as Festival.  Both Hudson and Dalanie performed well.  They worked hard on their songs and felt pretty good about their performance.  

 At the recital, Dalanie was presented with her "88 bead" challenge metal.  Students were able to earn beads for improvement, consistent practices, and preparation for lessons.  Dalanie is a committed piano student and has improved a lot.

Stephens' happened to be in town for Festival as well, so we met up and enjoy a meal at Pizza Pie Cafe together.  

FRI: Firth Reading Initiative

Donna Clayson helped launch the Firth Reading Initiative, held on Fridays to promote literacy.  Our support was quickly solicited for help and we quickly obliged.  

Charlotte Reid brought a lamb when she read from Little Britches.

I had fun coming up with themes and dreaming and scheming of what we could do.  I was able to get Papa Murphy's to donate personal pizzas for each participant.

After reading a few stories (Pete's A Pizza, the kids got to "make" their own paper plate pizza.

Their favorite part was putting it in our cardboard oven to "bake."

Another day we spotlighted Mo Willems and read some of his books, Piggy and Elephant and the Pigeon books.  We make pigeon headbands and drew the pigeon according to Mo's directions.

And you just can't talk children's literacy without mention of Dr. Seuss.  We pulled out our hat cats.

Dalanie dressed up like the cat and practiced reading a few stories to be ready to help.  So you can imagine her disappointment when not one single person came.

His books are just right for the beginner.

Attendance dropped off and we decided to wrap things up with the program for the year.