Life in Riverton

You would think we've been hard at work making my "new" home look nice, and maybe you're right, but I ran out of ideas. We got the place so liveable that it's been easy to take a break. Brandon never gets tired; he always has things to work on. Right now he and the girls are busy getting a small patch ready for our winter garden. They have to go to extra effort to keep the animals out, so he's building a fence around it.

Chloe is going to build a "secret garden" in her section of the field. She plans to add a fire pit, and have some pumpkin plants and watermelon on the outside. Sophie is growing almost all the vegetables and berry bushes, and Brandon is going to be in charge of the fruit trees. He'll have some room for vegetables as well, until the trees get too big.

Sophie has made friends with the neighbors cows. She named them and loves to feed them. They go crazy every time they hear a lawn mower, because they think that means they'll be getting food soon.

Our master bedroom is under construction. Brandon has removed all the moldings. He's waiting for me to pick a color to paint the walls. I decided I needed to pick the bedding first, and then match the color to that. I finally got the bedding purchased. I think I have a color narrowed down, but I am so terrible at this that it will take me some time till I go order it.

We got the tire swing installed. This was one of Chloe's must haves. She got her grandpa to bring her a tire, and then later he called to say he found her one that had been painted pink. She was excited about that, but still wanted to go ahead and hang the black one up until we can get the pink one from him. We have a swing set that came with the house, but a tire swing is not the same. I have to say, I love looking through the front door and seeing it hanging from our gorgeous plum tree.

Our stake has a gardening committee! I think I found the right place to live. On top of that, every Saturday in August and September they hold a "harvest share." You can bring all the extra veggies pouring out of your garden, or (in my case) just come and take the extras. I haven't had to do much grocery shopping, but it's given me a good opportunity to replenish my food storage I had whittled down before we moved.

There are other people who homeschool in my ward! Including our bishop. Our first Sunday here Sophie's primary teacher asked her to tell the class something unique about her. Well, Sophie couldn't think of anything, so the teacher went around and had all the other kids say say something about themselves while Sophie thought of something. One kid said, "I'm homeschooled and I'm a vegetarian." Sophie was so excited... and decided to steal his answer! We are definitely going to be friends with them.

We've been to the library several times, but it's still too hot to walk.

I got my visiting teaching route, and went out right away to visit. One of my dear sisters is a cranky, old lady. She managed to land herself in the hospital two days after I met her, so my partner and I drove up to University Hospital to visit her. I think she was glad we came, but she's sure an unpleasant soul. Her doctor came in to visit while we were there, and I think she agrees. It was a little humorous.

I got my living room done. Just waiting on new blinds, and then I think it will be complete. Oh, and I need to hang some things on the walls, but I'm always so slow at that. I just love my living room. It makes me happy to sit in there.

On top of all the food I get at the harvest share, my next door neighbor brought over a load and gave us some eggs. Sophie commented that with all this produce, in addition to me making my own bread and milk that we may never have to go to the store again. I still have to get my staples from somewhere, but I'm glad she recognized the whole point of our lifestyle.

I found a great deal on peaches, so I bought a bunch and made some freezer jam. Sophie was a huge help. Chloe has always been our big helper around here, but lately Sophie has decided she wants to pitch in. In fact, twice she's gotten upset with me for not coming to get her so she could help me with meals.

The chickens are a mess! I love having them around. They certainly add to the atmosphere of our home, but they are a little invasive. They poop all over our porch, dig holes in the garden, leave dirt everywhere, and peck at the windows while we shower or get dressed. Sophie loves to chase them around the yard, and throw food to them. There's no point in trying to compost -- the chickens (and horses) eat it all before it ever stands a chance. So, we can just throw the food in the back yard and watch it get gobbled up.