It's That Time of the Year Again

Once again yesterday was the first Saturday in November. Dewey, Buddy, Boo and I headed out to Double Four Tree Farm to pick out our Christmas tree. This year we made the decision to get the most inexpensive tree we could because we'll be in Utah (and won't be here) welcoming our new little granddaughter Matilda (that is the name we have given her since Devin and Carl will not tell us her new name until after she is born) at Christmas. So, I waited in line while Dewey went looking and he picked the first tree he saw.

After receiving the paperwork and ribbon-tape I joined him. It was $75 and I said "I thought we we going cheap this year" and he said "It doesn't matter" then I said "You mean to tell me on my favorite day of the year we are going to spend two seconds picking out a tree" and he said "Okay let's go look some more"  and we did. We  spent about an hour and a half at the tree farm. It's really pretty and there are some gorgeous trees. Yea!!! And thank you Dewey for indulging me. I have a great husband.  We looked and looked and discovered Shasta trees. We found one we liked,

tagged and decorated it,

took pictures, paid for it and then we joined Buddy and Boo who were patiently waiting for us in the car (sign says keep dogs in the car),

and drove over to our tree which was right by the road, took pictures with Buddy and Boo,

and left. Fun, fun, fun for us. Especially me. I wish my grandchildren lived closer so they could go with us. There were grandparents all over the farm with their grandkids. Maybe someday. By the way, our Shasta Tree was only $30. We got a good deal.

We went to the Halloween party this year as Bacon and Egg.

Buddy and Boo weren't too thrilled being caterpillars last year so this year they had black and orange sweaters with a pumpkin face on it for Halloween.

I think they were much happier. We had over 200 Trick or Treaters.
I can't believe I've been a slacker for a year and haven't entered a blog. We had a good year. Children and grandchildren were here.

 

 Spencer and Connor even spent three weeks with us at Grandpa and Grandma Camp.

Devin is pregnant with number 2 . Jeffrey is back in school at the University of Utah to finish his degree. Spencer and Dewey went to the Ole Miss/BYU game.

Paul and Dewey went to the Oregon State/BYU game.

Brian, Flora and Elaine are in San Carlos, California. Elaine is talking up a storm. We are going to their place for Thanksgiving this year.

The Christmas music has begun in our home. For us, anytime after October 31st is fair game to let the sounds of the holidays begin.

A Favorite November Day

The first Saturday in November (that was yesterday) is the day we set aside for picking out our Christmas tree and tagging it at Double Four Tree Farm. They have beautiful trees. We've been going there since we moved here in 1999. It seems to us that every year the trees get lovelier. This year we bought the first one we looked at. We did look at others too but came back to the very first one. I think that happened last year too. It was a rainy day and we got there an hour after they opened and it was very busy. Finding and tagging the tree and taking pictures didn't take very long but I stood in line for at least 40 minutes to pay for it. I've never seen that line so long. Usually there are 2 or 3 people ahead of me and some years I just go to the register with no wait. Dewey stayed with Buddy and Boo in the car while I waited in line. But it was all worth it and I can hardly wait to see Hayden and Elaine and their faces when we go cut it down after Thanksgiving. And to see them experience the huge Christmas Tree Farm. I love November and I love this time of the year. Dewey does too. It is the most wonderful time of the year and the best part is it lasts till January 2nd. Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Fall!

Parteeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

We went to our friends, The McCombs, Annual Halloween Party last night.  Dewey was The Devil (Uof U red t-shirt, blinking horns, pitchfork, black hair, goatee and mustache). I was an Angel (white BYU t-shirt, halo, feather winds and silver glitter hair). The costumes were great at the party. My favorite couple: the wife was dressed "gold digger" (a gold shovel lots of gold jewelry) and her husband was a gigantic piece of gold.. They were very clever. I am always amazed at how creative people are. There was lots of delicious food. We took mini sweet and sour meatballs. We forgot the directions so we had to wing it. I am surprised we found it since their home is on Lake Tapps and it is very dark out that way. We were only an hour late. This morning is Trunk or Treat at the Church. We are going to pass out candy. Maybe I'll even be an angel again. Buddy and Boo are going to be caterpillars.

happy birthday

Happy birthday Jennifer! Have a very happy birthday. Hope there's cake and ice cream!

HaPpY BiRtHdAy DeViN

Happy Birthday Devin. I hope your day is great! Wish we were there!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Happy 40th Birthday Spencer Joseph Owens! Have a fun and relaxing day. Wish we were there to help you celebrate.

Happy Birthday

HAPPY 30TH BIRTHDAY JEFFREY! Wish were were there. Have a great day and a spectacular year.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

This is the beginning of the Owens' " several days in a row" birthday week. Today : Happy Birthday Connor Logan Owens. 9 years old. Have a great day. Wish we were there.

Pumpkin Patch at Spooner Farm

Today was our (Paul and me) annual trip to the pumpkin patch at Spooner Farm.

We were about 19 days late this year because of scheduling conflicts but we finally made it. Andrea, Buddy and Boo were with us. Buddy and Boo are not allowed inside the gates so we had to get their pictures outside and then they had to stay in the car.

 Boo is already adjusting to being in the car with Buddy. Each year Spooner Farm seems to add things. Today was really crowded. Lots of little kids on field trips. We didn't get a 90 pound pumpkin this year but several smaller ones that almost totaled 90 pounds.

 I really like our visits each year. It truly is Fall and Halloween is upon us. Hooray for CANDY DAY.

P.S.  Did you notice Buddy's Halloween costume?  I bet you thought it was a real caterpillar!

Boo's Latest Happenings

Yesterday Boo had his "little" surgery.

 He also had 4 baby teeth pulled. This morning he is running around the house with Buddy like nothing happened. I'm suppose to keep him kinda still for a few days. I'll need some  luck with that. The last few nights he has slept with us. Last night in between our pillows. Buddy jumps down and gets in his crate so he won't be disturbed because Boo likes to follow him around the bed. Buddy knows Boo hasn't learned jumping up and off of things yet. He had his first official walk at Bradley Lake Park on Monday night. Went well. We dropped the leash and he would walk right with Buddy but when we picked it up the only way he would walk is Buddy and me in front and Dewey having his leash behind him. He learned to go  up and down our stairs Sunday when apparently I didn't latch his crate door properly and he roam around the house the whole time we were at church. Up and down the stairs. Buddy seems so old and mature along side of Boo. Yesterday I got a great compliment on him. I ran into Bed, Bath and Beyound and had him in my arms the whole time (Boo was at the VET) and when we were getting to the car a lady came up to me and said she was in line behind me and was so impressed of how good he was and that he wasn't barking at everyone around. Buddy is really good when he gets to go into stores with me in my arms. I guess her mother has a little dog that barks at everything and everybody. I was such a proud mother. These are the life and times of Buddy Logan and Boo.

To Devin Brooke Owens

Casebook was an accident. I guess Dad didn't catch that either as he proof read. BooBear is a Logan because well, I guess he's a boy or he is now the baby of the family or we were just lazy in thinking up a new middle name that went with BooBear. BooBear Brooke Owens? What do you think?

BooBear Logan Owens

Buddy has a new little brother. Let us introduce Boo Bear Logan Owens.

He is a 10 months old Maltese--born on December 13, 2009 and weighs four and one half pounds right now. I am sure he'll fatten up some being with the Owens family (Buddy is 7.5 pounds and we are trying to get him back to his 6.0--he sleeps a lot right now which is my fault because we haven't been doing our mile walks everyday). Boo came to live with us Thursday October 14, 2010. The couple we got him from just didn't have the time to spend with him. They had him a little over two months. I'm not sure when they got him if they knew he was from a puppy farm but yesterday we did some research and found out that fact. So really we rescued him.

He is very afraid of people but when he's in the back yard with Buddy he is a totally different dog. I took him over to a friend's house yesterday who has two Maltese and a Yorkie. He had a great time. I had a hard time rounding him up to get him back in the car. He went to the Vet yesterday and he will be neutered on Tuesday.  Boo had his first beauty shop appointment at Pets R Precious this morning.  He has never walked on a leash so we have a lot of work to do. He is a darling, sweet little thing and Buddy and Kitty have both been super great. I think Buddy will be a great help for getting little Boo out of his shell. One additional incident I think traumatized him even more. The day we called about him (October 13) the owners said there was another couple coming to look at him. This couple bought Boo and took him to their father who had just lost his 14 year old Maltese. He lives in a retirement home and has Alzheimer's. He took a scissors to Boo's hair and we think tried to make him look like his old dog. He really chopped his hair up and in the process cut his little cheek that we didn't notice till the next morning. Boo was brought back the next day when everyone decided the circumstances weren't working (!). So we got him. Apparently he had just had a $70 haircut and the owners were furious.  He does have a lot of drainage in his eyes but we are hoping to clear that up too. He is beautiful to us and love him already.

I can't believe I have not blogged anything since May 19th. WOW!!!! I'm lazy. Brian and family were here. Devin and family were here. Spencer and the boys were here. Dewey and I even had Grandpa and Grandma Camp with Spencer and Connor for about 10 days. Dewey went to Florida with Spencer to watch the BYU/Florida State game.  We went to Provo for the Washington game. Brian moved up to the San Francisco area (San Carlos) . A job transfer. Paul has been to the mountains several times and is becoming a great photographer. This week on his hike and overnight campout he ran into two bears. He has video of that experience. I think he put it on his Casebook. I am glad I found out after he was already home. Jeffrey's two cats had kittens. He still has two of the kittens (yes, four cats.)

Buddy is great--he loves his walks. Still gets beautified every Tuesday morning. He is going to be a caterpillar for Halloween. He still has Dewey wrapped around his little foot when it comes to giving him little pieces of food off his plate. Buddy doesn't even try that with me. Thus the one pound gain in about two month's time. He absolutely loves going to the fence and peeking through the slats to see if Reggie (our neighbor's Newfoundland) is outside and then proceeds to bark like a crazy dog. This is the same dog that came through our fence because Buddy liked to harass him. We had to get a new fence. Buddy is great.

I am teaching early morning seminary this year. The students are wonderful. The class starts at 5:40 am. I am tired all the time but I was tired all the time before anyway.

Fall is here. Haven't been to the pumpkin patch yet. Maybe today if time allows. I love living in Washington. I love my family.

Fun in 18 hours

Yesterday Spencer flew in to SeaTac Airport.

Paul picked him up. We were anxiously waiting. Took them a little longer than expected because they had to slow down for an accident. We had to make the most of the time he had  here so we went to Famous Dave's for lunch/dinner and then Paul met us at the movies to see Robin Hood. We liked it and thought it was really good. Came home to chill. Watched the Celtics beat the Magic and then proceeded to finish up with the Mariners----Spencer fell asleep and we all went to bed early--actually I'm not sure about Paul--he tends to be a night owl. We got up at 3am to take Spencer to Portland where he had to pick up a trunk for work and drive it back to California. That was the reason for his quick but fun visit. He volunteered to do this job and we are thankful he did. We don't get to see him as much as we would like.  Buddy thought it was great to have another brother around.

And Kitty surprised us all by jumping up and spending a good deal of time on Spencer's legs. Usually it takes her a long time to come out of hiding. Buddy has taught Kitty a lot about how to be sociable. Thanks for coming Spencer. We love you!

Hummingbird Time

Even though we lost the little wrens, the hummingbirds have found our feeder this year. I've seen them feeding on several occasions. I am not sure if it is different ones or the same one. Paul has seen them feeding too. It really is spring and the past few days it has been summertime weather. We have our bird feeders in the front yard and the hummingbird feeder in the back yard next to out kitchen window. There is a neighborhood black and white cat who likes to hang out in our front yard garden waiting to catch a bird. Buddy and I are always shooing that cat away. This is a nice time of the year.

The Nest in the Fuchsia Plant

When we arrived home from our Utah Trip we discovered that a little wren had built a nest in our fuchsia plant that was hanging on our front porch. We also discovered that she had laid eggs in it. I called a wildlife society to see if we could move the nest to a little wren house and was told it was against the law to move nests. So we did what responsible people do and left it alone. We even went in and out the garage so we wouldn't disturb her or her babies. About a week later Paul came home and wanted to see the eggs and nest so he got a ladder and looked and found the three little birds had hatched sometime earlier and they had died. I was so sad. One was trying to get back in and the two others were on the ground. The only thing we could figure out was the day before we had heavy winds and we think they may have blown out or else the mother got hurt and was unable to return to the nest. I was really sad. When Dewey got home from work he, Paul and myself (Buddy too) had a little funeral. We put the little birds in their nest and put them in a little box and buried them by our bamboo plants. We said a prayer and thanked Heavenly Father for all the little creatures in our lives. The nest had been built with such perfectness and entwined with the vines of the fuchsia. I am amazed how they can do that.

Nature is beautiful and wonderful.

Mother's Day

I had a great Mother's day and Mother's Day Weekend. I heard from all of my children before 2:30 our time. Yea. On Saturday we went to the farmer's market--that would be Dewey, Paul, Buddy and me. I got a beautiful handing petunia basket and a lilac bush. There were tons of dogs there and Buddy had a great time. We got Thai food, took it home and had a picnic in the back yard. Sunday was fun. The primary children sang in Sacrament. I'm still the chorister. They always make their mother's smile. Dewey made my day special. I did relax and have an enjoyable day. Happy Mother's Day to all the Mother's in my life.

Our Utah Trip

On Friday April 16th Dewey called me from work and said that he didn't have much going on the next week at work and asked if I wanted to take a road trip to Utah. Twenty four hours later we were on the road.  Saturday night we spent the night at our favorite dog friendly hotel, Oxford Inn in Boise.  Yes Buddy made the trip too. He had to see his Ella Bella. We had a great time.

Hayden was so much fun and the first morning there I woke up to find Hayden at her door peaking out. She had climbed out of her bed. A surprise for us all.

The day we left Carl and Devin turned her crib into a big girl bed.

Of course we did all our favorite things. Played with and babysat for Hayden.

Ate at J-DAWG, In-n-Out Burger, Chuck-a-Rama (our first time there and we loved it),

Goodwood, and Pizza Factory. We had Thai food from one of Carl and Devin's favorite places and Carl grilled steaks for us.

We visited the BYU bookstore (had donuts--my favorites and mint brownies-- BYU's popular treat) and Daddy Carl's office. 

We took a trip up to Salt Lake to see Jeffrey and his new litter of kittens and take his male cat to have his shots.  Hayden went with us and loved the kittens.

She held each one of them.

Devin and I went to the Spanish Fork Cemetery and visited my friend Eileen Fowler's grave. We had a nice time visiting some of the other graves. We spent time at a farm that Hayden loves.

She got to ride the ponies.

Yes, we visited Costco and Baby Gap. We had a blast. Thanks Carl and Devin for giving us a comfortable bed and letting us babysit for Hayden while you went on a date. I'm sure I've left out many things.  We did watch Princess and The Frog, Toy Story, Toy Story II, Cinderella and Avatar.

Some of those on more than one occasion. We had snow, beautiful skies and rain during our time there.

Here's to last minute, spur of the moments trips.

Happy Easter!

What a wonderful Easter!  Today we got to listen to a Prophet's voice and remember our Savior and color eggs and have a lazy day.

Hope yours was special too!

Buddy and Apollo Ohno

We don't think Buddy is a fan of Apollo Ohno. During the Olympics in February Dewey and I became fans of short track speed skating.

It was fun to watch and we were cheering for America and Apollo. While waiting for one of his races to start he was interviewed. No one was on the screen except Apollo and the image of him was from the waist up. Buddy usually sleeps on our laps or the chair by us when we watch TV but this particular night he was sleeping on the floor by Kitty in front of the portable heater (it was a little on the chilly side.)

All of a sudden we heard a very low growl. We looked to see if something was crawling on the floor or if he heard a sound somewhere. The growl started escalating until it became a bark and that's when we realized he was barking at Apollo on screen. And he got louder and louder (to the point he was sounding ferocious) until I picked him up and then he tried like crazy to wiggle out of my arms to get to Apollo. It took a while to settle Buddy down--maybe till the end of the interview which we couldn't hear anymore anyway. I believe he thought Apollo was in our living room and Buddy wasn't having any of it. So Buddy isn't a fan--maybe it was the soul patch--who knows.

All I know is I wish we could have taped it. It was really funny watching Buddy trying to protect us from a short track speed skater.