The Sorting Resumes

Not long ago my sister, Maryanne, called and asked me if I'd like to go to Colorado with her and stay on Mother's Ranch, for sorting purposes.  We have been trying to arrange a trip together for awhile now, to sort through the large repository of stuff that Mother left behind when she left us...7 years ago.  Bob and Maryanne have sold the Ranch and this past week offered us a last chance to stay in the Ranch house and sort.  The new owners will soon take possession and our chance will be lost.

So, we decided to make the trip this past week, in spite of the summer heat.  I drove to Utah on Monday, spent the night with Bob and Maryanne, and we drove to Colorado on Tuesday.  Originally our plan was for just us two girls to go, but soon Bob joined us and then their grandson, Reese.  For the muscle power.  Layne stayed home.  So the four of us, Bob, Reese, Maryanne and I headed for the Ranch and arrived in good time on Tuesday.

It was a bit melancholy to walk through Mother's house and see nothing of her left inside.  Except for a few pieces of furniture.  We organized the needed beds and bought a little food and settled in.  The house looks so empty!  I felt like Mom was truly gone, yet a sweet spirit lingers in the house.  The recent renters felt it and loved the place.  I can see why they might.  Even though the house is old and in bad need of various repairs, it feels good.  Here is a last snapshot of the entrance.

The Ranch is located on a beautiful piece of land in Cedaredge, Colorado.  The land has water running through it all the time, which keeps the pasture green and ensures that it will be there, to provide life to those who live there.  It is a special blessing right now, as the whole area is experiencing one of the worst droughts in memory.  Some wells have dried up and most of the local lawns are brown.  But the Ranch has water!

After over a hundred years of family in Cedaredge, there is no one left.  It is with sadness that we will tell this lovely place goodbye. But it must be as no one is left in the family that is able to live here.  Here are several scenes from the 20 acres that make up the Kiser Ranch.

The old pig pen.  It hasn't been used since my Grandfather was on the Ranch.

Grandpa Kiser occasionally kept a bull in this area.  It now has become a pond.  The green you see is moss.

This is a view of the Ranch from the pasture.  The house is behind the trees on the left.

Our goal for this trip was to select just one of the spaces that hold Kiser stuff on the Ranch. This time we sorted the room behind the garage.  Here is a picture of it so you can see the challenge that stood before us.  Do you think it is possible to sort through all of this in just three days?  We gave it a go.  Actually, this picture was taken just before we left for home and after we sorted out about half of the stuff.  In spite of all you see here, I feel like we accomplished quite a lot, in spite of interruptions by various visitors.

One of our good buddies, who visited with us for awhile, is Elaine Conlon.  Here you see her squeezed in with Maryanne and me in our sorting room.  I don't do selfies very well--my arms are too short I suppose.  But you can get the idea.

We had several other visitors too.  One of them was our Aunt Geraldine--step sister to Daddy.  She has not been too fond of our Church membership in the past and so not especially friendly with us.  But Maryanne won her heart by using her DNA to establish the identity of her real father.  It was a shocker for her, but it warmed her heart to Maryanne and the Church by extension.  She visited with us with great warmth and affection, and shared some family stories with us that we hadn't heard before.  We had a lovely time with her.  She came with her daughter, Donna, and Donna's son Matthew...who happens to be LDS!  So she is surrounded by gospel influences in spite of herself!

Here is Donna, Matthew and Aunt Geraldine.

It is funny how the human condition works.  I went with Maryanne with no desires for anything we would find, except for copies of stories that my Grandmother Tracy has written.  But when I saw stuff, desires emerged.  The same was true for Maryanne.  We don't need another thing, but, suddenly, we do!  It is difficult to have to go through so many things--some garbage, but some that are lovely and valuable to the memory and even, potentially, to the pocket book.  We divided, shedded and accumulated boxes of things to bring home.  I managed to fill the car with treasures in spite of my determination not to do it.

Friday morning was our scheduled departure time.  Bob and Maryanne rented a truck, which stood in the driveway, now filled with furniture and various other treasures.  Bob and Reese drove the truck away about 9 AM.  Maryanne and I stayed behind for a couple of hours, getting the last of things organized.  We shut down and locked up everything, took a last look around and settled into the car, ready to go.  I turned the ignition with the usual expectation of hearing the smooth purr of the motor.  But there was nothing.  It was absolutely dead.  There we sat in the driveway, completely stuck!

We planned to meet up with our good friends, Steve and Sharon Palmer, on our way out and enjoy a brief visit with them.  Now it was Steve that I called for rescue.  He came and did his best to charge up our totally dead battery.  No good. So we took out the battery and took it to the local mechanic to buy a new one.  We did and Steve installed it.  The engine came to life!  But the lights, radio, and windows inside were dead.  Hum.  Steve couldn't figure it out.  We decided to ponder it over lunch.  After a delicious lunch and visit, we headed back to the mechanic, and, together, we discovered that the "ground" was disconnected.  After screwing it in, everything inside the car lit up!  What a happy thing!  I paid for the battery, thanked the mechanic, hugged and thanked Steve and Sharon and we were off--at about 2 PM.  We finally arrived at Bob and Maryanne's at 7 PM.  Wow, what an adventure.  But, happily, we girls managed to resolve the problem, with the help of some very good friends.  Thank heaven for good people!  Here are Steve and Sharon, just before we left for Utah.

Maryanne and I were both exhausted by the time we got to Draper.  We hadn't been home very long when I got a phone call from Audrey.  "We are in Provo visiting Chase and Morgan. How about meeting us in the morning and shopping?"  Whoa.  That was unexpected.  I was planning on leaving early Saturday morning for home.  But how could I miss seeing Audrey and Cliff, Chase and Morgan?  I decided to decide in the morning.  I determined to awaken early Saturday morning not just to drive home, but to attempt to see the "red moon" that was supposed to be on display early that morning, due to it falling in the shadow of the earth in just the right way as to cause the redness.  

So I awoke at 5 AM and went in search of the moon.  It was a full moon and easy to find in the darkness.  But, sadly, it wasn't red.  Perhaps in another part of the world there was a red moon, but not in Draper, Utah.  Still, it was lovely.

Getting up that early gave me plenty of time to get organized for the drive home.  I was good to go by 6 AM.  I texted Audrey to see if she was up.  No answer, so I went shopping for some travel snacks and headed to Provo. By the time I got to Chase and Morgan's home, Audrey responded and assured me that they were up. So, between 7 and 8 AM I had a sweet visit with all but Hunter, who stayed asleep.  Here are Chase and Cliff, on their way to go shooting.  Cliff looks so much better now that he is making a good recovery from his recent health issues.  Look how skinny he is!  He's the little guy on the left!

The drive home was very pleasant, as it always is.  The car behaved itself and the road was pleasant with just enough cars not to feel alone but not so many as to crowd up the road.  The skies were smoky however.  The West burns every summer it seems and this one reflects the new normal.  I was home by 2 PM and so happy to be.  Layne was glad to see me and patiently sat while I showed him all of my treasures.  He showed me my little sports car, complete with a new fender and paint job; red and shiny and perfect!  How could life be any better?!

Fun at Home

This week has been pretty relaxing.  I've indulged in some personal projects, and lots of naps.  Its quiet here right now.  Unlike last week.  We looked forward to a visit from granddaughter Rayne and husband Dom.  They drove to our place on Monday of last week.  Knowing that they like adventures, we reserved a river rafting trip, an outdoor musical production and an air balloon ride.  We filled in with some other fun stuff and so enjoyed our time with them.

Independence Day in Idaho is a big deal.  The Valley fills with firework shows.  It is a sight to see!  For the first time since we have been in Idaho, we decided to watch the local city fireworks.  To avoid the crowd, we settled ourselves on the local ward building lawn.  We had a great view.  Here you can see Rayne and Dom settled in for the show.

Of course we also watched "1776".  That is a must-see every Independence Day.  Besides, we've got to give our British Dom an American education!

Our river trip was especially memorable.  Layne made the reservations for, he thought, the family rafting ride.  The rapids are only a level three or less.  We've been on that ride several times and had such fun.  BUT, he made reservations on the level four ride by mistake.  So we wound up in a completely different part of the River, wearing helmets as well as the usual life jackets.  Careful instructions had us firmly tuck our toes under the straps and inflated seats of the raft.  An emergency rescuer rode in his own boat close by as we began our float.  Hum.  These were added precautions that we hadn't experienced in former rides. 

We entered the raft, with the four of us and a very nice couple.  There was some discussion as to who should sit in the front of the raft.  Those spots tend to take the brunt of the water and the ride.  With much hesitation Layne sat in front, with the man half of the other couple.  Unlike the rest of us, Layne was dressed in levis, tennis shoes and socks, and a button collared, long sleeved shirt.  He looked like he was ready to shop instead of float!  We tucked our feet into the suggested locations for safety and off we went, with some subtle concerns.  Much of the ride was in gentle waters.  Then we entered some level four rapids.  It was so fun!  We paddled our way through it, as instructed by our guide, Mitch.  There were several level fours to make our way through as we proceeded down the river.  As we hit one, paddling as instructed, the front of the raft heaved up and twisted to the left, leaving us all clinging to our strongholds....except Layne, who went flying out of the raft into the water.  I felt a little scared as I watched him floating farther and farther away from us.  But the rescue boat was nearby and, with the help of Mitch, he was rescued.  It wasn't easy.  Mitch was much shorter and lighter than Layne, but he managed to get the front half of Layne into the boat.  Soaked and heavier now, with wet levis, he managed to climb the rest of the way into the raft.  He returned to his front seat and we were off again. 

It wasn't long before we approached the longest rapids of the ride.  We paddled and swirled once again.  Wouldn't you just know it, another quick twist of the raft sent Layne flying out of it once again, this time in the middle of the rapids.  Mitch leaped to the side to try and catch him; this time he was noticeably worried.  So were we.  Through splashes and rocks he and the rescuer in the boat brought him in once again.  By this time Layne was exhausted.  We put him in the back of the raft and he survived the rest of the ride with no further incidents. 

On the ride home we reviewed this adventure, made greater at Layne's expense.  We could laugh now.  And laugh we did.  Especially Dom, who laughed so hard tears streamed down his face.  One thing that must be said; this was an adventure to remember.  I don't think Layne will make a mistake in reservations again!  Here we are, just about to drive home. 

We arranged for Rayne and Dom to take a ride in a hot air balloon.  It one of our favorite company activities.  It requires a very early get-up time, but it's worth it!  Here they are about to take off.

Audrey and Allegra drove over on Thursday.  They are not as adventuresome as Rayne and Dom so we had a quiet and pleasant time with them after Rayne and Dom left on Saturday.  But first we all went to the Starlight Theater and saw the local talent perform "Little Mermaid".  The outdoor theater is not far from the river we floated earlier in the week.  Dom eagerly looked for the places we lost Layne as we drove past the river on the way to the theater.  It made for some more laughs as we proceeded along.  The play was well done.  Here you can see the Sea Witch, who just about stole the show. What is it that is so appealing about villains?

We had a house-full all week long, as, in addition to family, friends Margo and Dean Layton stayed with us until their new home nearby was ready to occupy.  It was fun to have the house full of people that I love.  

Here is our visiting family; Allegra, Rayne, Dominic, Layne (not visiting!), Audrey.

On a side note, the owl house we installed several years ago, which has been inhabited, off and on, by various other birds, is finally showing signs of housing an owl.  Here he is, seen at about 10 PM.  We are hoping that he will settle in and stay.  

And now for another quiet week.

June #3: Church History Tour

Our plane ride from Seattle brought us home at midnight.  We needed to arise on Saturday morning, June 23, at 3 AM.  Layne didn't pack until our return from Seattle so we didn't get to sleep until about 1:30 AM.  So we got a very tired start to a week's tour of Church History sites, provided by Heritage Tours.  We met up with our good friends, Bill and Trudy Ostler, in Kansas City and spent Saturday night in a local motel. We began our adventure Sunday morning, day one, after attending a Sacrament meeting.

Missouri is a beautiful state.  It is very green and lush.  Plants there really want to grow!  It is quite different from the West, where we have to coax plants with water and fertilizer.  There it rains enough to make all the green stuff feel good.  Did you know there is a Mormon temple in Kansas City?  It is the first temple in Missouri since the Saints were chased out of the state.  Here it is, beautiful but closed for the Sabbath.

We visited Independence.  Joseph Smith said it was the Garden of Eden.  It is beautiful enough even now.  The Church doesn't own much property there now, but there is a small lot set aside for a future temple; the one Christ will return to.  It will require much more land than the Church now owns.  The Community of Christ owns most of the property here and has a large building shaped like cork screw shell, located near the temple site.  Church members are very friendly and cooperate with our Church quite readily.  It was a pleasant visit.

We stopped at Richmond, than Carthage Jail, which has been restored to look like it did during Joseph's time.  His long time in this jail, with a few companions, is known as his Gethsemane.

I realize more than ever that Joseph Smith gave everything to establish the Church; his name, his energy, his chance at earning a good living, his home, his own safety and peace, and finally his life.  How can anyone believe, knowing this, that he was not sincere?!

We spent Sunday night at a vintage hotel called The Elms.  It was built in the 1800s.  Of course it has gone through some renovations.  It was beautiful and full of character.  It is located on expansive grounds, filled with trees and lots of grass.  In the center is a large gazebo with a dance floor.  How fun it must have been to hold dances there.  Beyond, in the grass, fireflies lit up in happy spontaneity.  I've never seen fireflies in the flesh.  It is impossible not to smile at their flashes of light popping up between the blades of grass.  Before we went to bed we gathered in the reception area for ghost stories.  One of the employees had a whole collection of stories of ghostly events that happened through the years in the hotel.  Hum.  By the time he was through, we were all feeling a little edgy.  But I slept all night anyhow.

Day 2, Monday:  Far West, Missouri, was once a thriving town, establish by Mormons after being chased out of Independence.  It was located in the northern county of Caldwell, set aside for the Mormons, as it was isolated from other settlers at the time.  But persecutions followed, then Hauns Mill and Governor Bogg's Extermination Order.  The Mormons had to leave the state.  But they left behind a temple site in Far West.  Perhaps some day there will be a temple there but now there is no other sign of a settlement; only beautiful green pastures and fields.

Davies County is the location of Adam-ondi-ahman, as Joseph Smith stated.  It is a beautiful valley surrounded by wooded hills.  Adam met with his righteous descendants here and it will one day be the location of another similar meeting.  In one location, overlooking a grove of trees, sits a large stone called "Preacher's Rock".  Joseph preached here at one time, and his voice could be heard throughout the grove of trees below.   For some reason it has amazing acoustics.  We tried it out and it is true!  Layne and Bill try their hand at it.

Here we are with Trudy in the grove below Preacher's Rock.

Hannibal, home of Mark Twain, was on our route so we stopped there and toured the town where he lived.  Mark Twain stuff was everywhere!  The town reflects his stories.  Flowing close by is the Mississippi River.  His boyhood home was on display, including the fence that he white washed in real life and in his Mark Twain book.   Here is Layne giving it a try.

Missouri is full of lush countryside but there is sense of economic hardship about it--a sort of depression.  It seems not to be thriving as one would think in such a beautiful place.

Day 3, Tuesday:  We rode to Nauvoo.  What a lovely place it is.  It holds reconstructed buildings and homes as the Saints had them and offer many reenactments of life in "old Nauvoo".  The Nauvoo Temple is the definite highlight.  It sits atop a hill overlooking the Mississippi River.  Statues of Joseph and Hyrum on horseback sit in the foreground.  It is a lovely place to be.  Most of the tour group went through a session in the temple, but I didn't have my Recommend, so we walked to the home of one of our Mongolian missionary buddies, Jan Matlock.  As it turns out it was her birthday, so being with her was an especially good thing.

We spent the evening on the temple grounds, watching the sunset and a full moon rise.  It was so inspiring.

Day 4, Wednesday:  We went to Carthage.  It happened to be June 27th, and the 200th anniversary of  The Martyrdom (and Audrey's birthday!).  It is haunting to be in the space where the Smith brothers were killed.  The door into their prison room still holds the bullet hole where the bullet that killed Hyrum passed.  Seeing the window where Joseph fell after being shot was pretty dramatic too.

Day 5, Thursday:  We spent much of the day in old Nauvoo, where I found some interesting information on my great-great grandmother, Lucy Walker.  We toured HC Kimball's home, my great-great grandfather.  It was lovely for its day and stands restored, mostly by one of his descendants.  Here I am inside with a portrait of HC Kimball.

There is a lovely garden by the visitor's center in Nauvoo that features statues of women.  Trudy and I walked among them, in the rain. Here is a photo of me with one of the statues.

This last day in Nauvoo was an overcast day, making it more pleasant...until the sky began to darken to almost twilight.  We could hear the wind blowing in the tops of the trees.  Then, before we knew it, the wind was whirling around us moving us to its will.  We ran for cover just in time to miss the torrent of rain that poured out of the sky.  It was amazing!  Everything changed in just a few minutes.  

Our bus rescued us and we headed for Iowa and more pioneer gathering places.  The Mormons were kicked out of Nauvoo, again in the winter time.  One of the places they stopped was a little place called Garden Grove.  They stayed for a time there and a little farther to a place they called Mount Piscah.  The Garden Grove folk treasure their Mormon roots and have an organization that seeks out building and burial sites and artifacts from the Mormon period.  They were friendly and even provided us with dinner.

Day 6, Friday:  We drove to Mt. Piscah, Iowa.  It is located on a beautiful wooded rise that overlooks a green, fertile valley.  It is about as beautiful a place as one could imagine.  10,000 acres of it is owned by a man named Bob Brown.  Bob has spent money and time finding Mormon cabin sites and burial sites on his land.  It does it all by "witching" with wire coat hangers re-bend to an "L" shape and held gently in his hands.  The wires cross when there is a "disturbance in the soil", he says.  He demonstrated it for us over and over again.  Who can disbelieve?  Now I want to try it in our back yard.  Who knows what "disturbances" may be lurking just below the surface?

Bob took us on a wagon ride through the woods around his place, pulled by his huge tractor, all the while showing us locations for cabins and burial sites long disappeared.  But I believe him.  Here he is, telling us about some of his finds.

We saw several other sites, all inspiring and interesting.  It was lots of fun even if we didn't get in much visiting time with Bill and Trudy.  We were either touring or sleeping!  Here is my effort at a selfie of Trudy and myself.

We returned home Saturday, tired but happy to be in our own space once again.  And so grateful that it is not a crude, small cabin out in the woods!

June #2: Gemma Graduates

Just a couple of days after returning from California, we packed up and flew to Seattle.  Daughter Jessica and husband Chris were celebrating the graduation of their oldest, Gemma, on June 20th.  We arrived on Tuesday and stayed until Friday, attending Gemma's graduation and enjoying the party that her folks gave her on Thursday.  It was fun meeting up with Chris' family and visiting with nephew Russell's wife, Kristy.  She and daughter Olivia stayed and visited a good long time.  It was great!

Here are Jessica and Chris with Gemma just after the graduation ceremony.  Gemma is a lovely girl, with a pure heart.  She will be off to college in the Fall.  This is the beginning of an emptying nest for Chris and Jess.

We celebrated with a dinner out at "909", the restaurant Jessica works at.  It was yummy.  Here is Gemma at our dinner table with her sibs, Miles and Peyton.

Gifts go along with graduation.  Here is Gemma opening hers.  One of my granny plans is to draw a portrait of each grandchild when they are grown and "finished".  I managed to get one done for Gemma.  It isn't perfect, but here it is.

I love spending time with our Gendreaus.  They are warm and welcoming.  The three kids are bright and loving.  This was another great family week.

We flew home on Friday night, arriving at 11:30 PM.  Ugh.  Layne picked this flight because the price was right.  We stayed up even later to prepare for an early departure the next morning for yet another trip.  We began that on 2 hours of sleep!

June #1: The Return of Isaiah

June has been a very busy month. Too busy for writing in a blog.  So I've decided to divide my June entires into three parts, each representing an event worth sharing.  This first one happened the weekend of June 15th.  Our grandson Isiah Adams-Hart (son of Audrey and Cliff) has been serving a Church mission in Louisiana.  He returned home on the 13th of June to the open arms of family.  Here he is at the airport with Audrey and Cliff and, below, with sister, Allegra.

Look at this handsome Elder!  He is taller and thinner and just so...good!

Layne and I flew in to welcome him on Friday.  Chase and family surprised them with a Saturday arrival.  So all the family was together for a wonderful weekend.  The AH house was full so we stayed with Reed and Dorothy and had such a great time with them.  Now that they are in a bigger house, they have a guest room!  

Here is the whole AH family.  Back:  Audrey, Cliff, Chase (still taller than his younger brother), Middle:  Allegra, Rayne, Isaiah, Dominic (Rayne's new hub), Front:  Hunter and Morgan (Chase's wife).  

It cannot be overstated that spending time with family is quite wonderful.  We had a lovely weekend.  Reed, Dorothy and boys; Ben, Jessica and kids, joined us on Sunday for a big welcome home for Isaiah.  He spoke at Church and did a great job.  Such a family!