A Dream Chicken Coop

We've had the same old coop for about 25 years and for the last couple of years we haven't had any chickens, so the weeds have filled the run and the bugs have been multiplying like crazy.  I decided it was time to get chickens again, but I just hated the old drafty coop and worried about the chickens in the winter.  I decided to build a new coop, and if I was going to build it anyway, it might as well be fun to look at too.

Step 1: Demolition! Susan and I along with the grandkids and Robin's grands had a great time, especially Aidyn knocking the old one down and pulling nails out of the wood.  We wanted to use as much of the old wood as we could, although there really wasn't much that was good when all was said and done.

It took most of a day, but we had success and were ready to begin again.

 I didn't get a lot of pictures building the coop, but thanks to all those that came to help me get the walls up and the roof boards on.  Here it is ready to paint.

 The painting had to wait for the weather to cooperate, since we'd been having rain every day, but we finally got it done and here it is.

I can gather the eggs without ever going in the coop.

The west window (below) looks like this when it's closed....

 and like shutters when it's opened.

Here are the nest boxes on the inside.

We insulated so it would be warm in the winter and I won't have to lay awake worrying.

 And we got the roost in and spread some straw.

 It's move in day!!!

Time to Play Catch Up

I just realized that I haven't posted in a really long time.

So much has happened that I'm sure I won't do it justice, but I'll just do a quick catch up of some of the things that have happened.

Jon and Colleen had a baby boy born on Halloween in 2013 

Jairess is a wonderful addition to our family.

Jayd returned home from his mission in May 2014.

Everyone except Becky's family was able to be here for Jayd's homecoming, so we actually got pictures of 7 of our kids together, (something that never happens).

 Jarell Graduated from Snowflake High School in May also, Hurray!!

Jon and Joel got together and decided that Joel needed a dog, so we now have a German Shepherd named Grim that lives at our house.  

She is big and noisy, but very well trained and we have come to like having her around.

Jeremy and Jeanette welcomed a new little girl to their family and she is a joy. 

Since Jeremy and Josh's families have both moved to Snowflake AZ we find a lot more reasons to go down that way. Cecily's baby blessing was a fun opportunity to go visit all the grand kids and have some much needed family time.

We have had fun the last two years organizing a Renaissance Fair here in Blanding.  It has been a lot of work, but lots of fun.

Other than that we have just been keeping busy Dan selling his books, running to LTUE and other author events and me just running from one thing to another, sewing bluebird flour sack aprons, growing a garden and playing with the grand kids.  Life just stays busy.

Jayd's Two Year Campout (Mission)

Jayd has been on his mission to the Marshall Islands Majuro Mission for about the last year, minus 9 weeks in the MTC in Provo.  This picture is of President Shaw talking to the missionaries on P day.  Jayd is on the right of the picture wearing a blue T-shirt.

He learned to speak Kiribati which is spoken on the Gilbert Islands that is part of the mission.  He has been stationed on the atoll of Tarawa for most of his mission.  He started out in Betio and then went to an outer island Tabiteuea.  this is what he had to say about it.

 "I'm headed out to Tabeteuea. It's an outer island Tabeteuea means forbidden king because back in the day when all the islands were ruled by kings (Totally awesome beginning for an epic story) Tabeteuea didn't have a king. It was pretty violent (from what I'm told) and it's still tradition today to carry around a knife. They tell a lot of jokes about stabbing, and killing, and stuff like that. Sometimes it has internet, sometimes it doesn't we'll just see. Pretty much the people there are the same as here, but not as good at speaking English (which means they can't speak any) I'll have a Kiribati companion Elder Taorobwa."

 While he was on Tabiteuea he had some interesting experiences. He said that at one time the commodities boat didn't come for about two weeks and they just lived on fish and coconuts. He said he got very good at finding the belly button on the coconut and chopping them to eat.  He didn't have internet or snail mail while he was stationed there, for about 8 months.  He got to come into a couple missionary's home at Christmas and Mother's Day so we could Skype.  He has helped at funerals, digging the holes, wrapping the bodies in woven leaves and burying them. He had to dig a well for drinking water. He has met a lot of interesting people and learned a lot. We got one email when a Bro and Sis Bush went to visit him.

"So out here life is the same waking up to palm trees and trying to speak a different language which to me right now is english. i was scared when i saw Elder Bush cause none of the senior couples learn kiribati so i knew i would have to speak English but it had been like six months since i could really use it."

On Mother's Day he said he keeps forgetting to speak English and finds himself translating Kiribati to Kiribati instead of English. Shortly after Mother's Day we got this message.

"Hi, so I've been transferred again. I'm working in Bairiki which is right by Betio (my second area) and is the capital. I've got the best internet on the island. My companion is the biggest Elder, and he's Tongan. he's already really good at the language, but he's only been out like three months. Our area is really new to both of us so we are running around trying to figure out the capital city. It's still much smaller than Blanding.   I love working here I found an investigator my first day in Bairiki by going to the first store closest to our house. Stores are my favorite because they are a captive audience. I use stores to ask questions about where people live. they are all like the hilly billy snow shack so they really can't run off or anything. I really don't have any difficulty in the language anymore except when words just don't translate like   'successfully". it just turns in to 'it went well' basically. I figure I owe you a big long letter because of months of not writing. I'll probably send heaps of letters tomorrow, or later today. right now we live in a church house inside the chapel
grounds, and it has a security guard to watch the chapel. It's probably good cause just down the road is the prison. 

Here Zone leaders make up the transfer lists, and President gives the okay. It really just isn't run like any other mission in the world, because all the other missions have mission presidents closer than 500 miles, and there usually isn't an ocean between him and half of his elders. well I better go tiabo moa. '

Hurray! To be able to email and send and receive letters again.  It has been wonderful getting weekly emails again since he got back to Bairiki.

"This week is going to be very different they are celebrating their Kiribati independence it's a week long celebration starting today.  This week we really won't do a lot of teaching, but a lot of plan of salvation advertising. We'll have a booth and stuff for the celebration with the classic plan of salvation questions "where did we come from?" "why are we on earth?" and "where are we going after we die?"  in kiribati "ti roko mai ia?" "ibukin tera ti roko ioan te aonnaba?" and "imwiin ti mate ti na nako ia?" This week we ran out of rain water so we haul buckets from the chapel to the house (fortunately, we live inside the chapel grounds.) we tried to call our district leader, but phones are down on the island so we are just living life just like an outer island. This Sunday I translated for an area seventy so he could understand a talk than i translated his talk to Kiribati so the people could understand his talk, then taught Sunday school as well as blessed the sacrament it was a very busy Sunday."

We're so grateful that he is out serving the Lord on his mission and so glad that we can hear some of his adventures as he continues serving on the islands.