Blogging Again... Finally!

After a year and a half, I am finally blogging again. Mark has missed the blog posts turned journal entries and asked me to begin again. It's not that I ever meant to stop... so much has happened in the last while... Oh my has it happened! A long, long, loooooong story for sure. AND it's not that I expect anyone to read these.. with so much social media it is way too challenging to keep up with blogs when you can just "tweet" and facebook instantly. This is really all about us and if it is amusing or uplifting to anyone else we are blessed!

So, of the many things, a simple pleasure that brought a lot of joy and blessings for obedience... the annual "obedience garden".

Early spring our stake decided to sponsor a community garden on a plot of land in our stake boundaries that used to be one of the chapels in our stake. It was very old and not up to seismic standards and would cost too much to bring it to that so they tore it down, plowed up the parking lot, planted grass and built a small pavilion. Mostly the dog-walkers enjoyed it because it was only accessible through a small gate.

It is now the host of nearly one hundred 4' x 8' plots that have been tended carefully since early spring. Mark kept encouraging this journal entry this weekend by taking photos of the harvest and repeatedly, though gently, saying, "These are for our family blog/journal." How could I not begin again.

So... here's to a new chapter... a new blogging/journal chapter in the life the The Family Raymond!!!

We hope all are well and happy! We love you so!

The gourds from our garden turned centerpiece for a few days...

Everything else... we've been harvesting and sharing beans and cherry tomatoes for weeks now but just harvested the carrots and onions this weekend. Made tomatillo salsa today... a first and yummy for a couple of novice tomatillo sauce makers!!!