"Fall"....On The Farm.....

September 27, 2011

064

I personally think that "The Farms" are beautiful at any time of the year..they change dramatically from
season to season...their purpose is different in each season...I guess it is really like each
of us...(that was really deep and meaningful wasn't it!)...anyway...I love the Winter months...
the rest that both the ground and The Farmer need so much...I love the begining of Spring, when
the ground has awoken and is being prepared for another crop..certainly the late Spring
and Summer season...the harvest season...when all that was planted is breaking through the
ground and the production of the different "fruits" begins...and finally the harvest....it is a beautiful and
rewarding time of year...most of the time;)  Any finally...Fall...the harvest is finishing up and
preparations are starting to allow the ground to rest again.  It is a lovely cycle....one that is really
fun to photograph.  Sometimes living this cycle is hard.  Sometimes it is fantastic!
Farming makes humble men....yes it does!
088

A dear friend shared a familiar story with me yesterday and substituted a farmer as the
character of interest....the summary of the story went like this...
"God isn't in the business of farming....He is in the business of the farmer...."
Somtimes that means hard experiences....this year it meant just that for many in our area.
It is hard to understand why we have to watch a year's worth of money and work be lost
in a momentary act of nature.....trust me...it is very hard to watch.
"...He is in the business of the farmer...."  farming make for very humble men.
The above picture is of The Farmer...cleaning out one of the pumps...he sure got wet...
but it made for some great pictures!
082

This group of people come from the most southern part of Mexico...they come to work during the
harvest season....they are colorful...happy...and simple.
095

093

108


103
The Farmer insisted that The Rooster have his picture taken in the middle of a dry field of corn....
as you can see...he was not at all happy about it...he complained ALOT!!!
Most of the time he was scratching...he said the corn was really itchy...
It turned out to be a great picture..capturing The Rooster perfectly!!
114

Letters To The Missionary Boy....

September 24, 2011

076

(From The Rooster...)
For FHE we decided to draw "letter" pictures for The Missionary Boy...
some of us are great artists...and some are just not!
I would be one of those who is ...just not...an artist!
I sure do appreciate the artistic ability of others...yes I do!
We laughed and laughed...it was great fun....I hope it bring a smile to the face
of our Missionary Boy!
071

Cousin Loly....
072
The Farmer...
075
074

and finally....PreShie...

Our First Look....

September 20, 2011

IMG_4250

IMG_4249

We finally have our first look at the Missionary Boy!  Horray!!!
After very little communication...and no photos...we were DELIGHTED..to finally
see how the Missionary Boy looks!
IMG_4266
This is the photo that was taken when he arrived at the Preston England MTC...
He looks very tired....
IMG_4323

They fly the flags of the countries of the missionaries that are in the MTC
at that time...so yes...they flew the Mexican flag!
IMG_4463
Every picture is beautiful and green...
IMG_4475

IMG_4483

This is the entire group at the MTC...
IMG_4529
IMG_4582
128

The official picture!
Pres. and Sis. Walker..Pres. Hinckley's daughter...are the presidents of the MTC...
The Missionary Boy really connected with them...he and Pres. Walker have plans to ride
horses in Provo Canyon when their missions are over.
IMG_4507

The Missionary Boy's district.
He was called to be the District Leader...his stay at the MTC was a great experience
and he made some great friends.  He has now been assigned to Reading, England and is
doing very well!  He has a great trainer and is off to a great start!

The Temple...

September 14, 2011

057

On August 16, The Boy attended the temple for the first time...he had been many times before
with the youth of our ward...but this time it was his experience.  A sweet friend who was
there that night whispered in my ear..."it doesn't get better than this...does it?!"  And she was right!
It was a wonderful experiencef to be there with many of our family memebers to celebrate this
next step in The Boy's life.  It was a great experience for us all....especially The Boy!
PreShie and The Rooster met us outside the temple when we were done...that was pretty special too!
053
On the way out of the temple...Grandpa S. noticed a VERY large beetle outside the door,
and promptly picked it up and examined it very carefully...that is the scientist in him...
At one point it was put into a glass to be taken home...truthfully I am not too sure
what happened to it...but it was fun to look at!
054

On our way home...we all met at the Hacienda...a favorite place to eat...to have a little
dinner and visit more.  More cousins showed up to show their love and supoort for
The Boy.  It was a very special evening!

We're Not Supposed To Call It A "Farwell"......I Know....

September 12, 2011

What a week!
It has been full of "stuff"...accidents at the plant....broken pumps at the farms...
things that would only make sense to The Farmer...and those who live with him;) ....
actually most of the time they don't make sense to us...but we pretend like they do....;)
The week ended with Stake Conference, complete with a special visitor.
After meetings...and dinners...and more meetings...the event was done...and the week
was over.  The Farmer was able to rest a little...mentally and physically...which was a good thing!
Conference was great!  Many were in attendance...the messages were uplifting and full of
encouragement.  He mentioned the Missionary Boy...that he is doing well...is very, very, happy...and is having great luck dominating the language
 he is learing in the MTC...(that would be English...)
The Farmer gave a very nice talk, filled with personal experiences
and emotion.  I like it when he shares like that..it was sincere and genuine.
We enjoyed having our home filled with guests for a physical feast after conference
was over...it is always fun to make new friends and enjoy the company of old friends.
This week we celebrate a BIG holiday in Mexico...the 16th of September....
and have a couple of days off from school....YEA!!!  We have big plans...yes we do!!
040
This week...my goal is to catch up...on the events that surrounded The Missionary Boy as he
was preparing to leave on his mission.  It was like a whirlwind...so much happened in such a short
time...it was hard to capture..and digest too.  The Missionary Boy's "Farwell"...I know we aren't
supposed to call it that...but I don't have a better word....was on August 14.  His Uncles from
Mesa all arrived...as well as the Grandparents S.  The Uncles and Grandpa sang
Ye Elders of Isarel...and it was great!  It was a treat to have them here with us!  The Farmer
just happened to be assigned to our ward that particular Sunday...something that had been
scheduled since the first of the year....I called that a "Tender Mercy"....he gave a sweet talk,
the cousins all sang.."the cousin song"...which is Army of Heleman.  That was tear jerker for
sure!  They were crying and I was crying...I am pretty sure The Boy shed a few tears too!
The Boy then gave a talk he had prepared.  He did a good job.  He was stressed out about that
talk!  I guess because he has known about it for 18 years;)  His sigh of relief...when his talk was
done....was almost audible...he was pretty happy it was done;)  The above
picture is of The Boy and our current temple president...and dear friend...and The Farmer's cousin..
he has given great service in the church...and was at one time a mission president.  He offered
some advice and counsel to The Boy....The Boy sure does love him!
Jordan Farwell

Many friends came to support The Boy...he is one of the last of his group to leave for his
mission...most of the group had already gone. 
033
028
A great group of friends...most of them he as known for his entire life.
Most of them have been together since grade school.
My creation

These cousins..(above)...are so sad that The Boy will be gone for two years...but they would also
not want it any other way!  These cousins LOVE each other so much!
050
Only 18 months apart in age...these two don't know life without the other...
at moments they haven't "liked" each other too much...but they have always
"loved" each other.  PreShie has shed many, many tears over The Boy leaving. 
After church...the whole family came to our home for a dinner in honor of The Boy...complete
with decorations from England;)  The Farmer says that I really enjoy a "theme" and
yes I do!!  We had Brisket...prepared by Uncle Dave...Baked Potatoes...Salad...Jello...
and desserts brought by each of The Boy's Aunts.  It was a yummy feast!!
It was the perfect "farwell" day...

So....We Had A Little Fire....

September 7, 2011

Plant Fire - 2011
Last week I was working away in my office...The Farmer was in a meeting in another
room....and one of our employees rushed into my office....out of breath...asking me if I knew
that we had a raging fire going on in our back patio.  No....I had no idea...so I ran for The Farmer...
we all ran from the offices...to the location of the fire.  On the way...which wasn't too far...
we found three employees whose arms had been burned...trying to move equipment and other
items from the area of the fire.  Luckily they were not hurt too bad...but they still needed medical
attention.  Right about then...the poilice...firemen and ambulance arrive.  That is always
a scene in Mexico...because along with any emergency vehicle...arrives the rest of the town to
see what has happened.  Many who arrived were people we knew...asking how they could help.
IMG_1022

Again...thanks to great employees...the fire was brought under control very quickly and although
there was damage...the loss could have been much worse.  The burned employees were treated
and released...and back to work the next day. 
IMG_1028

The aftermath....

Back To School...Hamburger Fry....

September 7, 2011

004

Although school started a couple of weeks ago....we gathered Monday night for our
Back To School Hamburger Fry....that we have had for many years.
I was most likely the last Hamburger of Summer....the last Summer swim in the pool....
It was a celebration of a great school year to come and a celebration of a
wonderful Summer that we all enjoyed so very much.
003

These two....insisted that I take their picture...complete with a pose;)
009

Uncle C. was at the grill....and did a fantastic job feeding the group.
Family Hamburger Fry

The family preparing their hambugers....


016

The end result....and boy did it taste good!
It is a great thing when the family gathers....It was fun to watch the cousins play...
roll in the grass with the dogs...and soak up the last little bit of Summer.

A Ranch Birthday....

September 5, 2011

021

Last Saturday I celebrated another birthday.....
The Farmer took charge...and planned a birthday party for me at "The Ranch"....
also known as Escondida.  The Ranch has been in the family for many many years...and The Farmer
has many great memories of his childhood at this Ranch...
It is a place the family LOVES to gather, especially the kids...at the suggestion of a Ranch trip....
the kids go wild!  They love to ride their 4-wheelers there, fish there, and cook steaks over
an open fire.  They never tire of trips to The Ranch!
022

The Farmer made all the plans...he prepared all the food...and we loaded the truck and
headed for The Ranch...only when we arrived to the first gate...(there are many gates...)
the keys didn't fit.  They were the only set of keys we had...luckily another set was on the way.
In the meantime some young nephews of mine decided that there was no reason to wait...they
would just take the fence apart enough for the motos to drive through....and so they went to work.
023
After just a couple of minutes the motos began to pass through the fence....one by one....and
then those nephews rebuilt the fence....climbed on their motos and headed for the next gate.
We were left behind, because the truck wasn't about to fit through the opening in the fence.
Very shortly Uncle Dan...owner of The Ranch....showed up
with another set of keys and off we went.

026


031

The Ranch was just beautiful!  Enough rain has fallen that it is green and lovely.
Although the day was very hot...there was just enough water in the stream to keep the kids
cool and occupied.
028


033
The Farmer carefully prepared steaks for everyone...he actually prepared the number of steaks of
the birthday I was celebrating...haha!  They all got eaten except for 5...which he brought
home to enjoy later.  He also made quesidillas over the fire...YUM!!
We enjoyed cold watermelon...and some tasty cake that Aunt Shauna was nice enough
to make for the whole gang.
032

The best part was just sittin and visiting under the shade of a tree...while the kids
played in the water.  The Sun ended up behind a cloud or two...which really helped with the heat
of the day....along with a light breeze.
It was close to the perfect afternoon!
037

Who knew that such a small amount of water would bring so much
joy to a group of kids;)
043

It was a wonderful day!  Very well planned by The Farmer himself!
He gave me a very special gift this year...the gift of a Grateful Heart....and a very tender expression
of it.  A gift I won't soon forget!  Thank to The Farmer for a perfect day!!
Proudly designed by | mlekoshiPlayground |