Kenny is Injured

 Saturday, October 7th, Kenny had a children's basketball standard come down on him while he was playing on it before his little brother's game began.  The poor guy cut open his head, requiring stitches, and broke his hand.

He doesn't look too sad, but I'm sure it really hurt.

After getting stitched up at the Urgent Care.

He still felt well enough to attend Michelle's evening dance performance.   

A few days later, he went to a hand specialist who put a Cougar blue cast on his hand and took out his stitches.

The break was in a very unusual place.

In that week, while waiting to get his hand cast, he still ran in his races with just the splint on his hand and stitches in his head.  He's a tough little guy.

Heal quickly Kenny!  We love you!

What Did the Prophet Ask Us To Do? October, 2023

What Did the Prophet Ask Us to Do?  

October, 2023

Think Celestial!

I invite you to adopt the practice of “thinking celestial.”

I encourage you to begin with the end in mind.

When you make choices, I invite you to take the long view- an eternal view.  Put Jesus Christ first, because your eternal life is dependent upon your faith in Him and His atonement.

When you are confronted with a dilemma, think celestial!

When tested by temptation, think celestial!

When life or loved ones let you down, think celestial!

When someone dies prematurely, think celestial!

When someone lingers with a devastating illness, think celestial!

When the pressures of life crowd in upon you, think celestial!

As you recover from an accident or injury, as I am doing now, think celestial!

As you think celestial, your heart will gradually change.  You will want to pray more often and more sincerely.  Please don’t let your prayers sound like a shopping list.

Our prayers can be- and should be- living discussions with our Heavenly Father.

If you struggle with an addiction, seek the spiritual and professional help you need.  Please do not let an obsession rob you of your freedom to follow God’s plan.

When you make decisions regarding morality, please think celestial.  And if you have been unchaste, I plead with you to repent.  Come unto Christ and receive His promise of complete forgiveness as you fully repent of your sins.

When someone you love attacks truth, think celestial, and don’t question your testimony.

There is no end to the adversary’s deceptions.  Please be prepared.  Never take counsel from those who do not believe.  Seek guidance from voices you can trust- from prophets, seers, and revelators and from the whisperings of the Holy ghost, who “will show unto you all things what ye should do.”  Please do the spiritual work to increase your capacity to receive personal revelation.

 

St. George Temple Open House

 We are so excited that our St. George temple will soon open.  On Tuesday, October 3rd we attended the temple open house.  It felt SO good to be back in this sacred edifice with which we have so much history.  Ken's ancestors help build it.  All of his Hinton ancestors served there as temple ordinance workers (except one who died young.)   We were married there and all three of our daughters were married there.  We have served as temple ordinance workers there.  It holds a special place in our hearts.  We both were overwhelmed with sense of peace that brought us to tears when we first entered.

It was a perfect day to attend.

I love that they have put a cooling fountain out front.

We love the changes they have made and the beauty within and without.  

Maggie's War

 

Maggie's War by Terrie Todd
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I will start by saying that I have put this author’s other two books on my “to read” list. She is a good writer. I love the Christian undertones. I love that there is no foul language. I love the themes of redemption, forgiveness, and love. I loved the characters and their goodness, though in Maggie’s case that goodness had to be mined by the other characters. I loved the action of the book and the difficulties, but how they supported one another through those times. This is a good story. The audio version was well done.

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October, 2023 General Conference

 October, 2023 General Conference was wonderful.  I loved the talks and the music and the spirit I felt as we listened.  I am so grateful the prophet was able to speak.  I am grateful for the 20 new announced temples and that one is at least in Japan, if not in Sendai, Japan.  Still praying!  

It used to be a tradition that we would gather on the Sunday evening of general conference at Ken's parents' home and each of us share our favorite talk.  Continuing that tradition, I will name some of my favorites from this conference.  Note that if I made this list tomorrow, I would probably choose different ones.  It is hard to choose.  All of them were good.

Elder Newman's on teaching of Jesus Christ.  I always love his talks.

Elder Gary Stevenson on the Spirit, *Elder Philips on that God knows us, and of course, President Nelson: Think Celestial.

*You may remember that we heard Brother Philips speak last year when we attended the Hyde Park, London stake.  He was in the area presidency there.  His talk was so powerful, and I predicted then that he would be a general authority.  He was sustained last April. Click here to read what I wrote about his talk after hearing him in London. 

 We are so grateful for general conference and for those that speak.

Ken Has Worked Hard for Quality of Life

Ken has been on the Quality of Life board for several months.  This is a group created to promote a bond in the upcoming election for improving and upkeeping the trails, parks, and recreation facilities in St. George. The current bond is expiring.  This is a replacement bond, so taxpayers won't be paying a single penny more than they have been.  

One of the things that makes St. George great are all of the neighborhood parks, pickleball courts, tennis courts, and the trails that connect and run all over the city, creating a safe place for runners, walkers, and bikers to exercise.  They are well-used.  The head of the committee is Kent Perkins.  Kent is retired now, but whose career was head of parks and recreation in St. George.  A small, but vocal group, is trying to keep this bond from passing, causing Kent to create this Quality-of-Life group.  He was fearful that his career of hard work and his vision would be destroyed by a vocal few.  Kent made a huge difference in this city, creating a very desirable place to live.  

A donation was made, providing money for the group to spend on advertisements, flyers, yard signs, and large signs.  They asked Ken to do a video, promoting the trails.  I can't get videos to post here anymore, but it can be seen on our Facebook pages.  

I love this picture of Ken on his bike that one of the photographers took.

This is a flyer that members and helpers are spreading around town.

This picture was taken by a drone showing Ken and Ky riding their bikes over a bridge that connects the trail on two sides of the Virgin River.

Ken was asked to speak on behalf of the group (of over 600 people) at a recent city council meeting.  He hit it out of the park.  I am so proud of him.  We sure hope this bond passes.  If you are a St. George resident, please vote "yes."

September Temple Visits

 September was supposed to be a big temple month.  We had appointments scheduled each week in September.  But then we got COVID and two of those had to be cancelled.  But we still got two nice temple visits in before the month ended.

September 22nd

September 29th

Presentation on Japan

 A friend in our ward asked us do a presentation for their home school co-op.  On Wednesdays a huge group of homeschoolers and parents meet in the U of U center and have different classes in the classrooms there.  The kids can sign up each semester for what classes they want to take.  This class was the World Passport class for 11-17 year olds.   Each week they study a different country.  Our presentation, of course, was on Japan.

We came up with a lesson plan and I made a slideshow presentation on google slides. Ken taught a lot about the history of Japan and the culture.  I continued teaching about the culture and way of life in Japan.  It went really well.  These were good and respectful kids.

At the end we served mugi cha (popular barley drink) and some popular Japanese snacks I ordered on Amazon.  We also bought sushi and brought it for them to try.  We were so surprised how much the kids liked the Japanese food.

It was a lot of work to prepare, but a satisfying experience in the end.  It was fun to think about our wonderful years in Japan.

What Did You Do While Your Mom Watched the BYU Football Game?

What did you do while your mom watched the BYU football game?  Here's what our Lisi did:

Aren't they so cute?  Kristen said she got the kit at Joanne's.  How we love this little girl.

 

Canning Day

 Tuesday, September 26th was canning day at our house.  We bought a box of Roma tomatoes at the Red Barn and made them into salsa and spaghetti sauce and water bath canned them.  We got 11 pints of salsa and 5 pints of spaghetti sauce, plus several tomatoes leftover for eating. 

11 pints of salsa.

+5 pints of pasta sauce.

I love canning.  It is so satisfying.  

American Ramble

 

American Ramble: A Walk of Memory and Renewal by Neil King Jr.
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Non-Fiction. This was a great book-so well written. If you love American history and geography you will love this book. I loved the social insights he gives. After a battle with cancer and just at the end of the pandemic lockdown, Neil King goes on a walking pilgrimage from his home in Washington DC to New York City. He meets many people along the way and visits many historical sites. His research is remarkable as he tells the stories of the sites and the people in history that were there. He meets many along the way, telling of each, their personalities, their expertise and what they taught him. That was the part I liked best. I think most would enjoy this good book.

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Pokeman Cards on a Budget

Creative little guy!

 This little guy loves Pokeman cards.  He recently had his 7th birthday and received more Pokeman cards.  He loves to look at them and sort them and play with them.  His fondest wish is to go to the Pokeman store.  I guess that wasn't happening as fast or as often as he would like, so he took matters into his own hands.  He started making  his own Pokeman cards!  Good for you, Gabe!

Chick Magnet

 Michelle texted us a cute story about our Kenny.  He is a little chick magnet.  On one of the first days of school he made friends with a little girl in his third-grade class.  He came home and asked Michelle if they could have a play date.  Michelle said she would have to have her parent's contact information.  The very next day he came home with the needed information.  Shonna's comment on our group text was cute:  "Slow down, Junior!"

Who wouldn't love that cute face?

Walks with my Daddy

  I am writing a book of stories from my life.  It is called "Grandma's Stories."  Following is one of the stories from that book.

Walks with My Daddy

When I was about five years old, as I remember, my daddy had a very invasive and difficult surgery on his back.  Part of his recovery included going on daily, early-morning walks.  Joan and I were privileged to go with him on these early morning walks.  I remember feeling so grown up to get to go with him.  We would walk along the streets of Caldwell, going a little further each day.  Caldwell is a beautiful town, and many people took great pride in their flower gardens and yards.  I loved going along the old streets near the college.  Many grew hollyhocks.  My dad would pick some and make hollyhock dolls for us.  I found some pictures online, similar to what he would make.

This is similar, but I remember he would use another blossom to make a parasol. How I loved these beautiful dolls!

 

As his back healed and improved, he decided we should walk a lot further.  One morning, we walked clear out to Hart’s farm and back.  That was a long way for little girls (over five miles.)  I have quite a vivid memory of getting inside the front door and collapsing in the entry way when we got home from that walk.  I layed there, looking at the mock stone flooring that covered our entry up close.  I think I could draw that flooring for you, even 60 years later, as I  studied it so closely as I tried to recover from that long walk.  My mom urged me to come and eat breakfast.  I finally summoned the courage to get up and go in and eat.  Breakfast never tasted so good.

Those walks are treasured memories for me.  Unfortunately, the surgery wasn’t as successful as Dad had hoped.  His back pain continued and plagued him throughout his life.

The Keeper of Happy Endings

 

The Keeper of Happy Endings by Barbara Davis
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this book. It is a story set-in two-time periods- WWII France and Boston now. The story is moving and intriguing. The plot may have a few too many coincidences, but the happy ending makes it worth it. It is all about the importance of family and the ties that should never be broken. This is one I can recommend. I will seek other books by this author.

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My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2

 This cute movie is now on Netflix.  We loved the first one and were happy to see number two.  It provided comic relief on a day we were both sick with Covid.  It is all about family.

Covid Strkies Again!

 Ken and Don came home from their Mexico birding trip with COVID.  They didn't know they had it.  They got up on the last day and went to breakfast at Waffle House in Tuscan.  Both were fine.  They flew home on separate flights.  Both later reported coughing and coughing on the way home.  Ken was sure it was just his sinusitis flaring up.  He flew in at about 7:00 pm.  We had dinner and then watched a movie.  His cough worsened, and by bedtime we both knew he had something.  He didn't feel well on Wednesday.  After we watched a show on Wednesday evening, he got a text from Don saying his experience had been similar to Ken's.  He had fever and chills and had tested positive for Covid.  Ken went right upstairs and tested as well.  Positive.  He took his things and moved downstairs, but by then we had been together for a day.  He felt really lousy.  On Friday, I felt a sore throat and tested.  Negative.  All in my head, I guess.  But by Friday evening, I was not well.  I tested again on Saturday.  Positive. Ada also came down with it.  Well at least Ken got to move back upstairs! 

We were both pretty sick and stayed quarantined as directed. It took a good two weeks before we felt better.  We both had lots of congestion, persistent coughs, headache, and lack of energy.  We were supposed to go up to Logan to tend the Cameron kids while Shonna and Blake went to Prince Edward Island, Canada. When we got sick, Blake asked his dental assistant if she could do it, and luckily she could.  We were so grateful.  Though we missed that time with grandkids, it would have been very difficult considering how sick we were.  We hope we are done with Covid for awhile.

Thunder, Lightning, We All Stand Up!

 In August/ September, while Ken was gone to Mexico, we had an epic storm.  It was crazy with thunder and lightning and a total of 4.49 inches of rain over a period of several days.  One night, the thunder was so loud that I couldn't sleep for a couple of hours.  The rain just poured out of the sky.

Someone submitted this amazing photo to our local news.  

I took this photo out our front door.  It was actually dark, but the flash on my camera made it look light.

This was the total on one of the days.  

St. George has a new record of the greatest amount of rainfall ever in a year.  The old record was set in 1932 and was 15.77 inches.  St. George is now at 15.79 inches and we are only in September!  We are always grateful for rain in our desert!

Ring around the rosie,

Pocket full of posies,

Ashes, Ashes, 

We all fall down!

Cows in the pasture, 

Eating buttercups,

Thunder, lightning,

We all stand up!

Sherrie Ann Slack Passes Away

Just a couple of weeks after our ward suffered the death of Jeanine, Sister Slack passed away.  She had been ill for a long time and was on hospice, so it wasn't a shock.  But it is still sad.  She was spunky and fun-loving and a bit loud.  She led the singing in our ward for a long while and did so with gusto.  Her marriage to her husband, Bruce was exemplary.  They were always cuddling and holding hands.  They were a great example of eternal love.  Rest in peace, dear Sherrie Ann.

St George, Utah – Sherrie Ann Jones Slack was born in Cedar City, Utah on October 31, 1944, to Thornton and Selma Felt Jones. 

            She was a spunky, fun-loving, vivacious woman who died in her home on September 3, 2023. She was the youngest of 8 children. She was sealed to her high school sweetheart, Bruce Slack, in the St George Temple.

            She was the life of every party, loved music, theater, family, church, and gospel. She lived for mentoring the youth and taught seminary for years.

            She is survived by her loving husband, Bruce; her three children: Cindy, Jacki, and Jeff; and her brother, Ron. 

           Funeral Services will be held Saturday, September 9, 2023, at 11:00 a.m. at the Fort Pierce Chapel, 750 East Fort Pierce Drive North, St George, UT 84790.  A visitation will be held prior to the service from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. at the church.

             Interment will be in the Cedar City Cemetery located at 685 North Main Street, Cedar City UT 84721.  

Birding Trip to Mexico

 Last fall, Clark and Sonya Tenny (our nephew and niece) stayed with us over a weekend and ran in a marathon here.  In visiting with them, Clark mentioned that he had signed up to go on a birding trip in Mexico with a guide who does these trips.  Ken asked if there would be room for him to go with them.  Clark gave him the contact information.  The guide, David McKay wrote back that there was one opening left.  Ken signed up.  When he told his brother, Don, he also was interested.  Ken contacted Dave again, but he said the tour of eight people was full.  He said he would contact them if an opening became available.  While Ken was in Peru, Dave emailed that there was an opening.  Ken forwarded the email to Don and he got in, too.  Don and Ken enjoy this hobby together.  They met the tour group in Tuscan, Arizona and traveled into Mexico.  The day they spent in the mountains above Madera, part of the Sierra Madre Occidental mountain range, was the most rewarding as far as seeing new life list species.

Clark Tenney(nephew), Don, and Ken

Eric Moore- birder extraordinaire from Prescott, Arizona He is Clark's friend. We have heard about him for years.  Our niece, Sonya worked for him in his birding store for many years.

A hallucinogen mushroom- Eminita Mascara.  Don't eat it.  But it's pretty.

Ken loves butterflies

Thick-billed Parrot seen through Eric's scope.

Sunrise

Desert Tortoise

I love this picture of our nephew Clark with Ken.  Clark is such a great guy.

Don and Ken.

Ken got 14 new life lister birds on this trip:

Mississippi Kite
Photo credit: Don

Pine Flycatcher
Photo credit: Don

Red-necked Phalarope
 Photo credit: Don

Cassin's Vireo
Photo Credit: Don

Baird's Sandpiper
Photo Credit: Don

Mexican Duck

Lesser Nighthawk

Black Tern

Earred Quetzal

Mountain Trogan

Thick- Billed Parrot

Tufted Flycatcher

Chihuahuan Raven

Mexican Chickadee

Olive Warbler

Other than they came home with Covid, it was a wonderful trip!