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Monday, December 29, 2008

A quiet Christmas

Sunday nite Dec 28 :after dinner with Fred , Debbie and family we received a call from the Perry police that all my cattle were out . Sure enough the whole herd was down on Walmart Bldv. feasting on Edwardo's horse hay. With help from the police and a passing couple in a red pickup, we were able to head them back to my pasture. Then grandma and I got on the tractor and with lights flashing we rounded up a bale of hay and lead the herd back to their right place. It was very dark by then and the only lights that work on my new tractor are the flasher. Just one more item to fix on my MF before I trade it in. We found the gate wide open on my new Olie pasture west of Walmart . Hunters or someone had opened the gate and let the herd out.
The only damage was about half of Edwardo's horse hay was consumed. I told him that highway was a dangerous place to leave good alfalfa hay.

After all the excitement my neighbor Maurice stopped by and said I had better check my fenses on Maddox lane. Since we don't use that road in winter, we hadn't been that way since snowfall. On each corner someone had plowed through my fence in four places. The most damage was by the yellow shed where they plowed through the fence and about wiped out my buck rake. It was about new when I parked it there several years ago but after two wrecks its just scrap now.

Sunday, December 7, 2008

Big Week

On Saturday 6 December we attended the temple group christmas party at Maddox but before that happened Natalie made a surprise visit to the Ogden hospital and delivered a healthy 8 pound baby girl. Rumors are that she may name her Ione after grandma Baxter.
Sunday-We with Fred and Debbie visited Natalie at the hospital. Jeremy has camped in the room as a proud father and welcomes the visitors. The mother and baby intend to come home tomorrow.
Monday-Family home evening at Garth's place in cache valley after we move a load of cows from Fred's pasture. Garth reports we are pasturing 10 more horses in the South pasture until snow fall. We already have 12 mares and colts in the Perry pasture.
Tuesday-Rula and Grant will come to our place for a christmas dinner
Wednesday-Attend the SUP christmas party in Brigham.
Thursday-Our usual night at the Ogden temple
Friday-Lisa will be endowed at the Ogden temple with us officiating. After that a dinner party will be held at our home.
Saturday-After an early morning Perry ward christmas party we will attend Dawson's baptism in Logan. The Lee family christmas party will follow.
Sunday-Grandma Barkers christmas party will be held in the afternoon at the Willard city hall with all her family putting on the Christmas pageant and a welcome to Santa Claus.
On the following Friday 19 December we will attend the wedding ceremony at the Logan temple for Lisa and Brian. A reception will follow at the Malta church. A long hard day for the newlyweds.

Saturday, November 29, 2008

The Farm

Paul, Brad, Eduardo and I fenced in another 10 or 15 acres West of Walmart. Dawson (Tori's boy) and I fenced out a corner of my old pasture to give the horses access to ditch water for the winter. Dawson built a bridge across the ditch but fell in the water on the first try. After that he became more brave and could walk across easily'. Dawson needs to come back to help me finish the fence and remove a large Russian olive tree from the ditch bank.
I tried out a rotary mower to use behind our little green tractor. It will be used to cut the bad weeds in my pastures and also the weeds in Paul's orchard.. The orchard had too many rocks so Grandma and I spent a few hours hauling them off. Grandma is an experienced rock picker from our days on the Shoshone ranch. The 5 foot mower is a little too small so the dealer is bringing me a 6 footer next week. If it works in the orchard, I expect that Feed will be borrowing it next year.We spent Thanksgiving in Clinton with Rula and her Sons family. Her son Stan is a retired highway patrol officer and now working for the Clearfield police department. Stan knows how to catch hawks and train them to hunt. I want him to capture a large goshawk in my pasture which keeps wiping out my tame ducks.It must be hard on phesants also because they have almost disappered from from the Perry area.

Monday, November 10, 2008

Our trip to Ukraine

I spent my 85th birthday on a Delta Airline plane heading for a Ukraine River Cruise down the Dnieper River. With stops in New York and Paris we finally arrived in the capital city of Kiev. After a city tour we collapsed from jet lag, and slept through our free time. The Kiev temple is about half completed but we didn't have time to visit it.
We passed thru 5 locks going down the river, but it seemed most of the cruise was thru large lakes created by power dams along the river.
The highlights of our shore tours was watching the Cossack riders perform at Zaporozhye, visiting the white palace at Yalta on the Crimea and touring the port city of Odessa. At the white palace we saw where Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin divided up Europe after world war 2.
At Odessa we met 2 Mormon missionaries, Elder Lloyd from Kaysville, UT and a German companion. They took us to the Odessa branch chapel which is in a rented building . The church is renting most of their meeting places in Ukraine. The missionaries are having great success in proselyting and teaching English to the youth. Since Ukraine didn't gain their independence from Russia until 1991 it is slow in breaking away and has a lot of Russian influence in their monuments and language.
The exchange rate was 5 UAH for 1 dollar with prices about the same as at home. The streets are crowded with newer mid size cars. The fuel prices are high through out Europe, at least 5 dollars per gallon. Parking places are at a premium in all the large cities.
The 18 hour flight time was almost too much for us and we expect to cut back on future travels.

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Activities

Moved 10 cows to Freds unused pasture, they are doing great.
With Pauls crew we fenced in 5 more acres near Walmart. The 12 mares and colts moved right in. We may have to move out in a month because pasture has been sold. Have received a request to fence in much more but may be running out of fence material.
Thursday,nov 6,2008 After a half hour probe Dr Larsen declared me cancer free for a year. By then I will be 86 and may be ready to retire..
Brad announced the arrival of our 36th great grand child on 5Nov2008. His name to be Bryan
George Baxter. Thank you Brad for the pictures of a beautiful baby.