A week of healing and miracles...

My Knee...

My therapist said I can check in there next week...

BUT

My knee is good to go...

A little weak, but good.

SURGERY!

It is not a fun place to go...

It puts your organs to sleep...

So they have to learn how to function...

Then your brain being one of those organs...

sleeps on and on and on...

or

is it Senioritis getting worse....?????

hope not.

Back Pain

Because of the sclerosis in my back

I HAVE to exercise regularly.

Pilates is my choice.

The knee stopped that activity since May.

SOOOO.....

Just as the Therapist said you are good to go....






 Pain in my back...
 that radiated from my back through my hip and down my whole leg to my ankle.
NOOOOO!
With the world to catch up on....
I am an invalid once again.
 It was worse then a charlie horse all up and down my left side.
I have never really taken prescription pain medication...
BUT...
Friday night I did....

YES!

RELIEF!
I had a few hours when I could relax...
And sleep.

Miracle 1
Five years ago Becky asked if our family would participate in a 'temple month'.
Someone in the family would be in the temple everyday the temple was open.
Ruth took hold and organized it.
We started the day Joe left for Iraq...
August 14.
We have done that each year since.
This year Joie (aka Diana Jo) organized it.

Wednesday was Becky's day to go.
That was the last day she had with her kids before they started school.
She called to see if I would take it since I would be in Logan for therapy.

YES of course I would!

Then this hit and I wondered how I was going to do this.
I couldn't walk without being bent over.

Then the words...

Faith Proceeds the Miracle

Echoed through my mind and spirit.

I  could do this.

The hour and a half I was there I had no pain.
Afterwards...
I couldn't get around to shop so came home.

Miracle 2
Thursday Stan and I work in the temple.
Going to the temple as a patron is one thing...
But as an Officiator?

Would it be fair to go and not be any good to anyone?

Again.

Faith Proceeds the Miracle

Rang clearly through my whole being.

I did what I needed Wednesday...

I could do this.

He will sustain me.

We went.
Once again I was able to do miraculous things.
Not that my actions were miraculous...
I am just learning.
BUT...
 being able to function was miraculous.
I was asked to do some difficult things...
Stand for about two hours....
New things...
That took brain and concentration...

Miracle 3
Sunday Morning  I showered and prepared for church.
I went...
 and....
Yes I was more comfortable then trying to sit with a bum knee.

I can't express enough gratitude for the blessings and Miracles in my life.
 I am humbled by the Love Heavenly Father has for me...
Just a little ol' lady of not much consequence

Miracle 4

 The smoke is clearing and we can see the sun and the mountain once again...

.
I also want to express thanks for my beautiful family.
Their example and love are way above what I can comprehend.
Such goodness comes from them.
Their ability to show us...

 their parents...

 how the gospel is lived is...
Well...
Humbling.
Thanks 

Five years yet it feels like yesterday.....

 Ruth Audrey Diana Jo Nick

 Ruth Audrey Nick Diana Jo

 

 Ruth Audrey Nick Diana Jo

 Their wonderful little fixer upper.

 Cedar Fort Ut

 Wedding reception.

Good bye....

http://jarmanfamilyblog.blogspot.com/2012/08/someone-hand-me-tissue.html

This is a link to the blog Diana Jo (aka Joie) created.

   

 I cut Steve's hair This week...

Then I cut Stan's....

Can you tell which is which?

Wednesday we went to Elder Maxwell Doxey's wedding brunch.

 Elder Doxey (Max) visiting with Elder Brown (Nick)

 Max and Darcy...

Now eternal companions.

Saturday Becky and Mary's families met us at the Brigham Temple for the Open House...

It is such a beautiful temple...

Looks like Nauvoo's

Larry Becky and Sid--Tim Gabby Jordan Mary Jared and Joie Nathan Megan Stan and Diana

It is a beautiful temple...

Our only regret is that we didn't pull the family together afterwards and visit with them about the temple.

Especially a visit with the children.

Hopefully their parents did just that.

 The fires and smoke continue...

These are views from our front porch of Black Pine Mountain.

Yes Black Pine is there.

Sunday we had the most wonderful priviledge of having Stan's Cousin Yvette Mitchell (same age as Stan)

come to visit us...

I wish all of you could know this lady....

 Of course Dad has the Campbell history book out...

 I wish I could have recorded and shared this conversation...

 As it is I was lucky enough to capture a few pictures.

I was really feeling the loss of my daughter and her family Monday while I was in town...

It was so hard I even had a fender bender.

I drowned my phone.

It was a horrible day...

I was feeling pretty down in the dumps on the way home.

Then through the fire and clouds I saw the sun peek through.

It illuminated the clouds and sent out rays forever.

I felt my daughters love.

'I love you mom.

I'm okay.' 

A week of harvest healing kindness...oh yes and more fire!

It is a balancing act...

It get the work done...

AND

Not aggravate my knee.

I have to make two trips to Logan for therapy...

Then...

One to Twin Falls for our temple assignment on Thursday...

This leave three days to do all the work.

I was chastised for working to much and not resting my knee.

SOOOOOO.

Tuesday when the peas were ready to pick I took a lawn chair to the garden...

I would pull some vines...

Pick them clean...

Then pull more vines.

I went out to the garden about 6:00 am

Chris's family got there an hour or so later.

We picked and picked and picked till we had

30 gallons of peas!

 Starting at one end and looking down the four rows of peas.

 As I turned around....what a beautiful sun rise.

 More beautiful then the sun rise was Chris' family...

 We picked....

 and ate till 10:30

 The sun was getting hot and it was a welcome reprieve to be in the house...

Chris and her girls had chores and their garden so they left for awhile.

About 4:30...

Jayden and Sierra came to help me pod the masses of peas...

Ben showed up and did his share of podding and eating...

Dani came as well and did a good share in the short time she had with us.

Chris Angie and Reigan came about six and stayed till eight...

I finished up about 1:00

Well...

I was in bed by one.

I finished podding the peas...

Cleaning up...

and making sure our peas were safe in the fridge...

 Thirty gallons of podded peas reduced to

four and a half gallons.

(We got 15 very full quarts of peas...Saved some for fresh eating and cream peas and potatoes)

I love doing peas...

Most people don't enjoy it.

It is a tedious job.

It is a lot of work for so little payment.

BUT...

I love doing peas.

Friday morning I picked a gallon of green beans...

Crooknecks...

and some onions.

I love this time of year with all the veggies from the garden..

And fruit from the fruit stands.

 Saturday I did bread...

 

AND some more shabiskas (sp)

I cleaned the house and washed.

I was good...

in all that I did ...

I rested...

I kept my leg elevated as I rested.

And did my therapy exercises.

 My Exercises

I have made two and a half of these while having my foot elevated.

They are for my granddaughters.

Last Sunday late afternoon I went out to the patio to read the Ensign.

I started the water fall...

Not work...

Just plug in the pump.

And...

I enjoyed the hummingbirds.

 

 The waterfall in action....

It sounds so soothing....

Last Sunday through the night...

We had thunder and lightening.

I went out on the porch and smelled smoke...

Close.

Stan went out to check at 2:30 AM.

Then it rained...

We were saved from a fire here...

BUT...

The other side of the mountain...

It was burning AGAIN.

Five years ago this mountain burned from the north end down...

Now this year it burned from the south end up.

Friday evening it looked like it would come over the top down into Pole Canyon...

AGAIN.

BUT...

It rained.

When it rains hard enough and long enough to get the ground under the trees wet.

Then we had a saving rain.

It was so beautiful.

We are so grateful for these types of miracles. 

Coming from Logan Monday and Wednesday...

 

 Driving from Snowville toward Juniper..

the smoke was so heavy I couldn't see Blackpine Mt...

or Juniper.

 Driving from Twin Falls Thursday afternoon...

It looks like that fire is going to come right up over the top.

Gail Wight was out last Sunday night shooting skunks when the lightening hit.

He saw a fire by his place start up...

By himself...

He put it out.

We are so grateful for the tender mercies of the Lord...

This Cedar Mountain has been spared again...

It is humbling in deed.

'Random Acts of Kindness'

Our daughter Mary and her family wondered how they could remember their loved ones who died five years ago.

As a family they decided that they would do...

 'Random Acts of Kindness'.

Mary put that on her blog.

Since then she has sent it out on Face Book.

She has recorded stories of people having kindnesses done to them...

And others stories of kindnesses shared.

She has 400 'reports' of people participating in their families 'Random Acts of Kindness'

As parents we are proud of the Jarman family and their example.

Thank you Mary...

By sharing...

That kindness...

is spreading all around the world.

Paying it Forward also happens...

These we will perhaps never be able to count.

So go and do something good for someone...

Maybe try someone you don't particularly like.

That would truly be Christ like. 

45 years and counting....

 "Forty five years?"  he asked.

That's overwhelming...

We have a long way to go to get to Seventy five years!"

We'll just take it a year at a time...

Maybe we can be like Luana and Joe Barrett.

(Pictures by Dani Campbell)

August 1st was Wednesday...

Therapy!
SO..
We celebrated the next day.

Thursday we were in the temple together then...

went to dinner at a wonderful place we just discovered in Twin Falls.

Elevation 486.

It sits on the rim of the Snake River Gorge.

Breath taking...

There is a beautiful little park, look out point and Information center just off the highway.

Bridge and Highway that leads into Twin Falls...

 We found our way to the new restaurant from the information we gleaned form the Information Center.

 The actual elevation from the river bottom to the restaurant.

 Sculptures and art pieces outside the restaurant.

 We ate inside but this was our view...

I was set free at Therapy Monday...

The doctor checked my knee and said I could mow my lawn!

IF...

I did half at a time....

I mowed half Monday night...

the other half Tuesday morning...

Tuesday morning as the sun came up...

As a little girl I loved pine cones...

I didn't think I would see the day when the ground was literally covered with them...

Nostalgia....

Friday morning Chris' family came to pick the apricots...
Dani came later and helped as well.

 The tree was loaded this year...

 The trick was to pick them without mashing the flowers...

 Good Job Esquivel's

They got about 1 1/2 bushels to dry, bottle and make jam.

no one had eaten breakfast...

Melissa made these for us when my knee went down...

Shabishka?  Rolls with meat in them...

Yummmmm

Everyone had their fill and then some.

I made a lot of them before my knee surgery...
They made for a quick lunch...
or tp put in the lunch pail...
Worked for the harvest crew!

While they picked I attacked the wild rose bush by the pump house...
OR...
It attacked me!
Stan helped me with the really big old wood.
It hadn't been pruned in about three years.
There was a huge pile of poky branches...
The kids hauled those off as well as some lilac branches...
THEN...
It was time for a Creamie!
Gota have a creamie....

 The strawberries are gone from my garden wall...
But the gravel and sun flower are thriving.

 The garden this years is thriving.

 The crookneck plants right in the center corner by the corn...
I purchased cucumbers...
At least that is what I told the kid who got them for me.
They froze except for these two plants...
Glad all but two froze or we would have crooknecks coming out our ears.

The peas in front are almost ready to pick...
The guys have grazed there for the last week.

This summer Stan has been in his element...
In the mornings when grandsons or son Steve would listen...
He would read scriptures and expound...
This day Dani and Olivia came over...
Grandpa was telling them stories from his history...
They loved it.

Once again grandchildren and daughter gathered around their grandpa being taught...
He loves being with his grandchildren and teaching them.

Perhaps when we face our maker,

we will not be asked, 

"How many positions did you hold,"

but rather,

"How many people did you help?"