March 2019

04 April 2015

Back in Idaho and enjoying a slow start to spring. The weather in Idaho this winter was remarkably warm and with very little snow. The first two weeks while we were back from Arizona were rather cold and windy. There is evidence of spring but mixed with the possibilities of continued winter.

Woody has resurrected the green house and Julia and I supplied it with newly planted garden starts we purchased from the garden center. Within one week the 6” potted plants were frost bit and many of the peppers, tomatoes and flowers did not survive.

Dawn and I were welcomed back into the ward by Bishop Ziel and immediately called to be nursery leaders with Sister Loper. This was an adjustment from our regular tasks in the church. However, we have enjoyed working with the little ones in the ward family.

Hazel Cummings is a sister in the ward whom we home taught before leaving for Arizona. She had a serious back surgery and has been convalescing at a center here in Idaho Falls. We have taken it upon ourselves to help her through this tough time of recovery and are now called to be her home teachers.

I have had back issues as well. It began with a serious spinal nerve pinch in the lubo-sacral joint. Dr. Livingston has been working with me to realign the spine and sacrum. I am still sore but improved over the acute pain of a pinched nerve.

We (Dawn and I) to exercise regularly and I have seen great gains as a result of the medication to support growth of muscle and strength. Ben (my son) and I are both taking enhancement meds to put on muscle. It has been remarkable how much muscle I have gained and how much fat I have lost.

I suppose the most remarkable event of this month has been the “ Front Runner” bicycle ride we finished in Utah. Dawn and I both signed up for the 100K ride from SLC to Ogden supported by the Utah Transit Association. We started at 7:30am from the UTA station downtown SLC. Then we followed a course on my cell phone GPS coursing west and north through many communities riding midway through Layton, Utah right in front of my son’s (Josh) home. After 5 ½ hours riding we rolled into the UTA station in Ogden, Utah. My bike registered 64 miles by the time you include the distance traveled to and from the hotel we stayed in SLC.

Now we can enjoy the flowers and trees blooming throughout the valley. On the few nice days we did have in April we golfed. Woody and Val have been gone most of the month to Washington this month visiting their son Ben and family. So Julia, Dawn and I have golfed in Heise and Shelley.

This week Dawn and I and Christine (Dawn’s sister) leave for Vancouver, WA to visit her family. Also, we plan to visit Harry and Connie Hunziker in Cottonwood, CA before coming back to Idaho. The trip will be reported in the May blog.