A Real Winter




Who's the kid?  Walt and grandson Colby enjoy a very rare snowball fight in our backyard. Snow laid for five days. Unheard of for our climate.



Walt and I went up to Cedar Mountain first of January.
This picture is a few miles from our property.

January had some cold weather.  We did not have it for Christmas, when I like it.  It came after.  It was fun for the children, but I was ready for our St. George climate after a couple of weeks.  I am no longer an Idahoan, but a southern belle these days.  February and beginning of March is like living in Oregon.  The mornings are cloudy and moist, clearing off to blue most afternoons.  Very strange for our part of the woods.  Of course, this would be the year I took a winter gardening class at the college.  I planted in October and gave it a try.  I guess it works most years, but this year it froze and froze again.  The garden was a bust and many of our permanent yard plants were damaged.  So sad.  I planted another winter spring garden. I have beets and peas about three inches high, and broccoli about seven inches.  Maybe I can get something off this one.

Emma Veda Arrives

 

There are times in life that are just sweet.  A time when every human sense is alive, well, and the heart swells and still cannot seem to contain all the joy.  The birth of a grandchild is such an experience.  Walt's Aunt, who had 11 children, told me years ago when my own children were small, that you think you can never love anything as much as your own children, but then you find out that it extends into eternity through grandchildren.  She was right. 

Little Emma  arrived at 3:32 a.m. July 28 to Jessica and Cody Heimberger.  They gave her the middle name of Veda after Walt's Mother.  Veda is the only grandparent Jessi ever knew, and she loved her dearly.  Emma weighed 7 lb 4 oz and decided she could no longer wait for the doctor.  The nurse delivered her and Emma's little head is a witness to having to wait tooooooo long in the birth canal.  What a little cone head.  Poor little baby measured 21 inches long, but a week after her birth measured only 19 in.  She was born with a mop of black hair and given the title of cutest baby born that week by all the nurses.  Two proud and loving parents, grandparents, and aunts all agreed.  Of course, Jess and Cody think she is the cutest baby of all time.



Due to Jessi and Cody leaving for Provo in time for college, Emma was blessed in our home.  This afforded me a rare opportunity to get a picture of the blessing circle right after they said amen. 



A Very proud daddy with a proud grandpa looking on.

Whirlwind Summer with the Cluff Clan

Here is a brief catch up of whirlwind activities since school got out.

• Son-in-law Cody Heimberger graduated with his associate degree from Dixie College.  We had an ice cream party after with all the family and some of his.  We are proud of him and they are anxious to get their baby here and on to the next college to complete his Aeronautical degree.
• Memorial Day and three days on the mountain officially started summer for us.  Brandon and children were up there with us.  He is building a huge deck.  We loved the cool air, did a lot of four wheeling, and had a camp fire at night for roasting marshmallows. 
• Girls camp was the next week.  Walt is the councelor over Young Women, so he is involved every year, but this year I got to go for one evening.  I was asked to do the Stake fireside for the leaders and fifth year girls.  Due to so much snow at the regular girls camp, they used a camp site just about 10 miles from our place on Cedar Mountain.  Knowing it would be just over the hills, I asked granddaughters Taiha and Lesley to go with me earlier in the day.  I left them at my camp for a few hours while I did the fireside and returned to some spooked girls.  It had started to get dark and they thought every little noise was a "thing".  We spent the night there and next morning put rocks around a fire pit.  They worked hard and it looked good after we were done.
• Cluff Reunion was that weekend on a different mountain, the Kiabab in Arizona.  Not all of our children could attend, but Natalie, her boys Morgan, Brad, and our daughter Jessi took my car.  Walt and I took Brandon's, Jade, Josie, Sheena's Taiha and Jaxon.  Brain, Cori's husband braved it with all their children, even though Cori could not attend.  The reunion was fun and it was great to see every one, but the weather was horrible.  Our big RV was set up on Cedar Mountain and Walt did not want to move it.  So we put a camper shell on the back of his truck.  It leaked like a sieve!  Eleven year Morgan summed up the whole experience while we were huddled in a borrowed trailer trying to get warm.  He said, "This is the best reunion ever.....except for the rain,  oh, and the snow,  oh, and the hail!"
• Two more weekends of mountain.  We even got to go to Alton church.  Walt arranged to miss his Sunday meetings in our ward.  Grandsons Jade and Justin were up there with us most of the time.
• 4th of July weekend on Cedar Mountain at our place.  Cori's entire family came up.  It was so fun and the air was cool and pleasant.  The four wheelers were going almost constantly.  Cori and Brain have two, Walt has one, but mine was down needing repairs.  They prepared the best bbq ribs and chicken ever.  What a treat.
• Two day Victim's Advocate Training with Cori at Midway near Heber City, Utah.  What an awesome place.  I have never stayed in a five star hotel!  Wow.  The convention center was impressive.  The entire town and resort is all Swiss themed.  All the employees were dressed like swiss people; little nickers, knee highs, vests.  We could have stayed for a week, but Cori's had to get right back.
• Baby shower for Jessica was Saturday.  There was a huge turn out.  She was given everything she will ever need for her baby girl. My girls are absolutely awesome.  They sent out the invites, planned the food,  prepared the games, and did not leave until my house was completely clean.  They came a couple of hours early to prepare everything.  All they asked me to bring was the dinnerware, a strawberry salad, and the place to have it.  It was so fun and everyone seemed to have a good time.  A couple of cousins and Aunt stayed for a quite a while after it was over.  It was just sweet to sit and catch up.   I have managed to raise hard working, generous, and supportive daughters (and an awesome son).  While I was getting ready in the bedroom, I could hear them talking with one another.  They made suggestions to one another on the decorations, would correct one another, and then laugh a lot while they completed the preparations.  I think that there is no better feeling for a mother than to know that her children can get along very well without her.  At least, I can't speak for every mother, but I find that thought to be gratifying.

Every week has been crammed full of activity since school got out, and it seems to have no end in site with a new baby coming at the end of this month.  I have managed to keep the garden weed free, not an easy task with the business of summer life, but I set a personal goal last spring.   The garden has been fun this year.  I bbq  a lot of squash yesterday.  What a treat.  Steak, fresh bbq squash and fresh tomatoes.