Budgets and other deficits

But before I get into this new post, I will mention that if you go to the one from last weekend you will note that I updated it to include a before picture of the backyard in Elk Grove.

Today we will return to the scene of that "crime" and do even more damage to the weeds, weather permitting. And it does look like it will permit. With all of the rain we have received lately, I thought it would be well to indicate our thanks for this blessing as an answer to many prayers. If you haven't been following CA's budget problems lately, then you may not recognize this last Thursday as a red letter day, but that was the day that the State finally passed a budget for the next 18 months. It purportedly deals with the billions of dollars of deficit we have been facing, and will continue to face, but certain aspects of it require voter approval, and unfortunately this State is known for the voters wanting things and wanting others to pay for them.

But the budget deficit isn't the only deficit on our radar screen. I was unaware of how bad this was until last Summer when I flew over the fire area in Butte County and saw just how low the Oroville reservior was. And it is worse now. Here is a picture of the reservoir last Summer, and some drought links courtesy of the National Weather Service.

U.S. Seasonal Drought Outlook

U.S. Drought Monitor

Having Fun on V-Day

Yesterday we had a great amount of fun in Elk Grove (just outside of the historic town of Franklin) helping to make the future habitation of J & S habitable. I worked on the outside and the other 3 worked on cleaning up the inside. Here are some fun photos. Tomorrow is another day.

We begin with the notorious "wall of purple" - once the place is clean, this is the first to go. The photo really doesn't do it justice, it is quite shocking. And it continues into the kitchen.

This is the view looking out from the kitchen into the room with the purple wall. It is really a nice room, with a fireplace and a lot of light coming in through the sliding glass door leading out to a really nice patio in the back yard. More on that later.

Now for some before & after photos. This is the front yard as it appeared last week. Of special note is the weed growing to about 24 inches tall on the right side of the driveway. I took special pleasure in pulling that one out by the roots.

And here is how it looked after I got through with it yesterday. Mowing it all down was a challenge because there were clumps that were 10-12 inches high, and all of it was at least 6 inches high, and wet wet wet. It was a perfect day to work in the yard though, nice and coole, lots of clouds blowing through, a pretty good breeze, even windy at times, but the rain held off all day.

This is the little section on the left of the driveway. I filled their green waste toter with just the stuff from the front yard.

And here is the backyard. I am really sad that I didn't get any shots of it before I started. The weeds back here - no lawn, just weeds - were mostly from 6 - 24 inches high, with patches up to around 30 inches. So I just left the bag off of the mower and mulched it all. This was perhaps the most fun part of the day. The mower was great and it looks pretty nice now. Edging in both the front and back yards was a challenge with the weed whacker I have (which is getting a little long in the tooth), but it hung in there and it all turned out great.

Here is the BEFORE, courtesy of James:

And here is the AFTER:

Here's the view from the patio. See the pot on the corner? It was out in the "field" and was totally obscured from view - as were many other little "finds" that I had to keep a sharp eye out for so they wouldn't get "processed" with the weeds.

Weather Gone Sideways in California

After full day of a lot of fun (another post with pictures is coming) in Elk Grove (just outside the historic town of Franklin) yesterday, I slept exceedingly well last night. And long too - almost 8 full hours! I always sleep well, just short. Anyway, I awoke at 5:30 this morning wondering if there was a freight train going by just outside the window. It was really windy - and wet. Later when it was light I took the following picture of our palm tree. As you can see, only one side is wet. Interesting weather we've been having.

New Blog Site

Due to technical difficulties we have had with our last blog site, we have moved to a new site. And as this new site has a new name, I thought I would re-post here the explanation from our last site regarding the name:

Here's the story - I found the name in the title of a BYU Devotional address given by Elder Neil L. Anderson on May 16, 2006. Seeing it is the most impressive as he has a number of neat visuals, but listening to it is still great. It is basically about changing our perspective so that we see our own lives through the generations that lead up to us, and the generations that follow. Thus he uses the word "seeing" both as a reference to "looking at" or "examining" and as a reference to "getting it" or "understanding". Great talk. One of my favorite parts:
"I have heard President Gordon B. Hinckley say on more than one occasion, “I have been thinking a lot about my grandfather and grandmother. I have been thinking a lot about my father and my mother. I have been thinking just a little about myself and my dear wife. And I have been thinking a lot about my children, about my grandchildren, and about my great-grandchildren.” And then he has concluded with this phrase: “And I have been thinking a lot about this wonderful link that binds us all together”" (President Hinckley speaking at Vernal, Utah, and Campinas, Brazil, temple dedications)
After Elder Anderson's talk on faith in the last General Conference I went looking for other talks he has given and found some great treasures. This is just one. You may recall another he gave in General Conference in April 2005, Beware the Evil Behind the Smiling Eyes, and October 1999, Prophets & Spiritual Mole Crickets.

Anyway, I recognize that my vision [perspective] has been fashioned by generations of great people that preceded me, and that my vision of the future is made bright in the consideration of those that I can see forging into the future. We are not only Children of Abraham, a great blessing in and of itself, but we are the Children of Joseph, an additional great blessing. Thus our understanding of past events, as well as our bright hope for the future is all wrapped up in the vision of our generations.