Library, Rhee Drummond Lodge, visitors and the Celestial Barn

Wind and water are hard on things out here. Elder Himle, De Los Reyes and Runnells have spent weeks shoring up a barn just outside of Pawhuska. (and literally saving it from falling down). Elder Johnson is trying to figure out why the electrical isn't working.  He took one of the light receptacles down and discovered that the mud daubers had completely filled it with mud which shorted out the electrical! He had to pull new wire!  

While the elders fixed the roof, the sisters painted the stalls, leaving our houses at 6:00am so we could beat the heat. Ten gallons later we completed what we affectionately call our "Celestial Barn"... after all, the profits for the ranch are used to build temples.

This is a before picture

This is after scraping and still painting

Plenty of things besides Mud daubers around!

Wes and Jose prepare to hang a door. Below is a mud dauber nest.

The sisters got pretty creative and this is how sister Runnells handled protecting her shoes.

Our kids surprised us on the way home from Palmyra and Nauvoo and we got to spend one blissful day with them.  We took them to the Tall Grass Prairie and saw thousand of bison, then bought and sampled delicious pastries at the Pioneer Mercantile, and finally went to Rhee Drummonds Lodge.

There were a few questions while the grandkids were here, like "Grandma, which hot is hot!"

How the bathroom looks in a missionary apartment! The youngest asked me why I wasn't using my master bath. I told her that this WAS the only bath.

Swinging bridge (below).  Our grandson Porter towers above us!  How could he grow so fast in just 3 months!?

We loved the entertainment!

Arm wrestling with grandpa

Bareback riding on the front

Touring the Drummond Lodge

At the Drummond lodge (10 miles from where we live) we were invited to snoop and peak-- so we did.  We snooped all the drawers and closets

Austin pretends to wash his hair. Makelle decided that "making herself at home" probably meant trying the tub out.

Now that is a kitchen!  I don't think you will run out of dishes here!

Plenty of tongs!

Wes and granddaughter Kaitlyn on the deck, which had a beautiful view

People lounging and enjoying the view

Wes, Partrick, Kaitlyn Makelle and Shannon

View from the deck

Sister Johnson and I will be photographing and uploading obituaries (that start in the 1960's) to Find A Grave going forward.  The librarian welcomes our services and can't say enough about us.  This wasn't always the case as people around here had bad impressions about what "Mormons" were.  Slowly, opinions are changing.

Shidler Cemetery monuments are different than what we normally see at home 

Baby Turkey vulture in the airplane hanger near our home (the tiny dot on the left is its eye)
Large milkweed bugs on a pod (above) and a rabid Wolf Spider (below) Which doesn't bite and is named for the erratic way it runs.  Very respectable in size.