Yes it is still winter here even though the calendar says it is spring. Judge for your self, winter or spring...this is the Bear River and it runs behind our house. To me it looks frozen, actually it is...but the calendar says spring?








The geese arrived by the flocks, hundreds and hundreds. I think someone told them it was warmer here than in Canada, but they were in for a surprise because it is still below freezing...but the calendar says spring. I know Mother nature is playing a joke on us. Well no one is laughing!

Actually I mentioned the geese before and yes they are quite a sight. As I write this many have left for home but there are still a number who stay behind to lay eggs and nest. Last early summer on a little island in the middle of a pond by us, my grandkids took a little boat out to it and found a number of baby geese. What a surprise when the mom was not happy about them being there and they, the grandkids, barely made it out with their skin still in tack. Nothing like a mad Mother Goose.
As you can see Lorie and Riley are not complaining about the snow. Bear Mountain found them there many Saturdays snowboarding their hearts out. They say it is a sweet piece of mountain. This was Riley's first attempt at snowboarding but according to Lorie he is a natural and has taken to it like a pro. In the order of Riley's loves, first is Lorie and then Snowboarding, but there was a moment that Lorie thought she might be moved to second place but she is still holding on to first place in Riley's heart by a thread.


Oops...catch me it you can. Actually in the next picture they are both not standing.

What a view and it has some of my favorite people in it.










I think Lorie thought she was poising for Sports Illustrated but she forgot it was Riley taking the picture and it was to cold to put a bathing suit on.








Today it was actually 50 degrees and our lawn had to be mowed. Not because it was too tall, it was because it had leaves all over it from the fall shed and it was easier to mow it than rake them all up. Yes we have a riding lawn mower.

Guess What....? I saw one daffodil this morning in my garden. Yes spring is one it's way...Yea!

all decked out for our Halloween Party at my ward.
If you can not recognize these beautiful, handsome and mystery people we have Doug with the hat and La Denea with the bigger hat and Britney, Jessica and the Ninja Ryan.
Happy Halloween 2007. And the snow began to fall...
This is Mendon Cemetery and it looks a lot different than it did last summer. It is all white. Each season Lorie and I would put something by Jim"s grave. We just removed the pumpkins and hung a wreath and when Christmas was over we found a bird feeder and hung it with seed. When we would visit, it was fun to see all kinds of bird tracks all over Jim's grave. The headstone has been and ordered and we are just waiting for good weather for it to be installed. I will take a picture of it and post it when it is done.




Like I said it started to snow around Halloween and it did not stop until...well to think of it, it hasn't yet. Just today we got rain and snow mixed, but the big piles you see in these pictures has melted and some promise of spring is showing in peeking green in the lawn and the tips of bulbs poking up through the earth but the possibility of snow and frost is still really strong.

When January was upon us we had 2-3 feet of snow in our back yard. Our neighbor John would plow out our lane and then our driveway over and over again. Not to mention Me and the snow shovel became very good friends because we have a long sidewalk to our front door and what did not get shovel off became ice real fast. Which made for fun walking to the car. I loved every minute of it and it was as beautiful as it was hard. Jim and I dreamed of living in a place like this and here we are. Last winter we had some cold and when the ice came Jim was real considerate of me and warning that it might be slippery here or there. This winter I felt I could still here his warnings and I must say I have become very sure footed. My learning curve has increased in areas of ice, snow removal, driving and freezing (-8 degrees) temperatures. Yes I am glad to be closing in on spring! Let the good times roll.

Okay! Barbara, I am posting a new blog!

No this is not HAWAII! It is Bear lake and we are having a great time. Doug rented a boat and some toys to pull behind it. This all took place last summer when it was warm and sunny.

Frankie, Lorie's boxer was thinking should I or should I not. His finally decision was NOT.

We had me, Frankie, Lorie, Robin, Chris, Jenae, Telare, Beleza, and Doug all aboard. It was so much fun. Some of us were brave enough to be pull behind the boat on a big floaty thing. It looked like fun, but me and water do not mix!



You really can't tell but the brave souls here are Beleza and Telare. they hung on until their arms gave out.













Now we are in Hawaii!! Oh yea. It was so beautiful and the best way to spend Thanksgiving. The storms where coming in and so the surf was really high and the waves were enormous. They were having surf competitions on the North Shore and at Pipeline. It was wonderful to watch. Living in Utah I do miss the ocean. My skin said yes...moisture again.
This was near Turtle Bay where we were staying. I had never been to any of the islands so this was especially sweet. Jim and I had planned on a trip in the future, so I took one of his shirts and wore it on the beach to feel him with me. Now I can say we went to Hawaii together, almost.

The sunsets and vistas were breath taking and I will be forever grateful to Cheryl and Bill and their part in making this all happen. We stayed for a few days with my niece and Nephew, Mat and Melissa, who are attending BYU Hawaii. They were great hosts.



Now we skip ahead to the beginning of winter and our first Snow. I already address fall in an earlier Blog.

It is Sat. and Our Christmas Lights need to go up!!! So Lorie invited her boyfriend Riley Ballard, over to help. Then it started snowing and it got really cold as you can tell from how we are all bundled up. I was outside also otherwise this picture would not have been taken. It is not as cold as it was going to get later in the winter. If you look close there is still green in the lawn. But not for long. I the next chapter of my blog I will show what our winter became and why I learned how to drive on snow and Ice really fast. So folks stay tuned...same station, same channel, same time next week.

Fall is beginning to show it's beautiful face...




Well here we are again, a little over a year later and we are am found in the same canyon, Logan Canyon, enjoying the beginning of fall.








Sorry this one did not get rotated, so just turn your head sideways. Can you tell we are taking our own picture?










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One in this picture is my very best friend and the other is my daughter, ( don't tell her she is my friend also). See if you can tell which one is which. Their names are Lorie and Frankie









I think I got the best side of both my best friends.



Frankie enjoys every opportunity to go for a hike with us. The only problem is that he loves to romp off the trail which leaves us with the concern of what he may chase our way. So far we have been very fortunate that it has only been small things, like squirrels, snakes and other small rodents. But we are always on guard when it is Frankie running out first and the sound of rustling brush behind him. He thinks he brave but we know different.

The Logan river is running right next to the trail and the fish where jumping and biting. We did not bring our poles, so the only thing left to do was watch and drool...

The day is drawing to a close and the blessings of this beautiful area are very edvident and we feel very fortunate to be here to enjoy it, even with Frankie chasing everything in site.

Christmas morning and the Gang's all here...




well maybe a few are missing but who knows what or who could be under this pile, I see Left to right, back row Dianne, Britney,Lorie, Chris, Robin (and the reason she is smiling so big the ring, wow) Jessica. Front row Cheryl, LaDenea, Alyx, and Ryan and I think the foot belongs to Lorie. Or some lost soul at the bottom of the pile.





The kids are all lined up to get a taste of what Chris got from Santa. It was something really sour but Micheal kept coming back for more...does he take after his dad? (David)









A while ago a tradition was started and it is that at most holidays Chris would get something called "Sticky Hands", and then he would annoy everyone by slapping them with those Sticky Hands.


But the force had a plan and we gave everyone a weapon ("Sticky Hands") and we bgan to practice on each other until fully trained. The other part of our plan was to train them early and give them protection and a gun. With this all in place we took the Enemy on in a great battle. But because of the Enemy's advanced skills and stealth abilities he sent us all running for cover and once again Chris the Terrible reins in the land of "Sticky Hands". But...just wait til next year!












As the above battle waged on all Kalee was thinking is, "Who is going to clean all this mess up? Not me." And so with that said we'll all say there is alway next year...Chris beware.

Pre-Christmas Activities












On our way back from our Hardware ranch trip we spied a large mound of Ice...oops someone forgot to turn the sprinklers off. So we're out of the car, of course now we have to play!

Behind and down the lane a little from our home is a large pond and it is frozen and ready for want to be ice skaters...like Dianne below. She is certainly more graceful her than when she was playing football on our back lawn and hit a patch of ice. Down she went, nothing broken but she is still recovering.

As you can see the big and the small were out on the pond.













Everyone and his dog were out on the ice. Yes that is Frankie, Lorie's dog. and he is getting is footing down. After a short time of practice he was off and running and there was no stopping him after he felt the freedom of open space to run.








After a few short lessons from Chris Robin was off and going also. That is jim with snow Shovel in hand. He was busy making an ice skating trail. Of couse the next day it snowed a little and all his hard work was gone. While everyone was here there was many more visits to the pond to ice skate and many were really getting the hang of it. The funny thing is that all pond have their sounds and this one is no different. As the water and ice change a cracking sound can be heard. When this would happen everyone would come to a stand still and wait...but nothing happened. Sometimes a long crack could be found. The ice on this pond is many inches thick. It never get above freezing here so not to worry. But it is a scary sound, especially if your are in the middle of the pond.

The big announcement!!!!! Chris and Robin are engaged and plan to be married sometime this year. Official date not yet known...stay tune to this station for updates.




We again find the happy couple at Hardware Ranch with the company if Me, Jim, Lorie, LaDena, Doug, Britney, Jessica and Ryan. Yes the Elk were present. We had planned on a Sleigh ride but the snow didn't show up, so we settled for a wagon ride.






























As you can see by our fine fashion that is was very cold. In the back ground there are Elk but not the big ones yet. Even though up close they seemed big enough to me. We were told that it would take a good snow storm to bring the big ones down for their free lunch. When they are all here there will be about 900 head of Elk. Jim and I plan on taking a trip back up in Jan. or Feb. and maybe then it will be a sleigh ride.
P.S. Since this last trip it did snow and they did come.

Today was Elk Festival Day up at Hardware Ranch, (the same canyon that Uncle Harry ran down a couple of weeks ago) and we decided to check it out. The canyon is decked out in its fall colors and atmosphere was everywhere. On the way up the canyon to the ranch Doug Teeples saw a park named Hyrum City Park and it was perfect for picture taking and a little fun with a leaf fight. Who won is still being decided...

This festival is only one day and then the ranch closes until Dec. 14th, with sleigh rides out into the middle of lots of Elk. We are looking forward to trying that as an adventure this winter.

Today we heard children in a competition calling elk with what was called elk bugling. This is the sound elk make when calling to each other or trying to find a girlfriend. It was really fun watching kids use homemade instruments or just using their voices and their hands in different positions.
This picture displays an expresson on LaDenea's face which matches what she was saying, "Oh, that's sharp." She and the kids found the tree stump that would make a great posing spot except, that when Denea went to pose her behind she found the sharp part of the tree stump. Of course Doug was right there catching the whole thing on film.


At this festival there were lots of activities and everything was free, which made it even better. The kids painted pumpkins and shot bow and arrows. Then to make a great day even more perfect, we all went on a wagon ride out into the meadows which will soon be filled with elk spending the winter. Earlier in the day we saw a few elk on the ridge behind the pastures. We were told it was still too warm for them to come down to the pastures, but as soon as the temperatures drop the elk will show up in the hundreds looking for a free dinner. They will find it at Hardware Ranch because all through the winter months they are fed alfalfa. So, elk being a relative to the cow, will eat and then lay around chewing their chud.

It was a perfect fall day. Not to hot, not to cold. Not to sunny, not to cloudy, just perfect. But what made it even better was I was there to enjoy it all.

Many times I have seen "Hallmark" advertisments around Halloween time with fall colors in the background and people bundled up in the brisk weather out enjoying the holiday, and I have wondered if it is as good as it looks. I have visited different states that have had the display of fall and all its beauty and wonders. Then I would go home to my state that was limited in its season changes. I really enjoyed where I lived with its beaches and mild weather for over 50, almost 60 years. But when fall would rolled around I missed its definite presences. I would try to create a feeingl of fall with pumpkins and fall decorations to off set all the evergreens in our neighborhood. But still something was missing.

I have changed where I live to a different state, one that has four different seasons. This will be a new expereince and a good one I hope as winter approaches. But as for fall, this last week's drive up Logan canyon has proven to me that yes it is as good as it looks.

Yes, my heart still beats for you and only you.

This kitten has grown much bigger and turned into a monster. She, Hannah, does everything she is not suppose to do. For example, she sleeps in the afternoon on top of the large cage I have for my canaries. Proably dreaming of what she would like to do with those birds if only she could get into the cage and believe me she has tried. She gets really wild and will attack anything that moves with all her claws and teeth flying. So we in this house have nursed many wounds. But last night was her reckoning. She bit Jim when he was trying to but her to bed. After much chasing and muttering under our breaths, towel in hand, I grab her and she was not happy, clawing and yeowling with all her energy. We tossed her into her kennel and Jim for revenge for being bitten and scratched, put her out into the garage.
This morning she was very repentant and shy with her behavior. We here have decided she needs to be an outside cat with some privileges in the house. We acted on our decision and Hannah has adjusted well to the outside. She waits by the back door when she wants in. All is peaceful once again in the Terrill's house in Benson.

This is JDT in one of his serious moments. Denea, Doug and their kids came up to visit on this cold and rainy day. Doug and Jim starting building some selves in our garage and Denea I were in the house when we hear a large noise...and to our surprise Jim had borrowed a full size front bucket tractor from the farm across the way. Jim and Doug had decided to start digging out the footing for a storage shed we bought. The best about this whole thing was Ryan's (6 yrs) eyes when he saw his grandpa on that big tractor!

As a side note after the farmer delivered the tractor and gave Jim and Doug quick directions on it's operation, it took Jim and Doug 15 minutes to figure out how to make it move forward. What fun down on the farm. Everyday is a new wonderful experience. The area is so beautiful and we feel so blessed to be here. I may be singing a different tune when winter really hits.

A peek at some of our back yard

Hey guys, here I am with Aunt Barbara getting all techno!!

And here's a picture of Grandma - we're having fun remembering!!

Get blogging all you JDTerrills!