Scorching the World

We finally bought our 3rd rental. the first two don't make any income, but hopefully this one will, soon. It is only about 8 miles from our house, so that is also a good thing. We started really working on it last Saturday. Tom got a crew out there and they did some major yard clean up. there was junk everywhere and very tall weeds. It is a trailer that is very beat up and filthy dirty. We had to have all the carpeting ripped out and some of the flooring under the carpet is ruined where it got wet repeatedly. The water heater was in the closet of one of the bedrooms and had a leak and caused lots of water damage and now has black mold on the floor boards, wall boards, and sheetrock. We bought a new water heater, but until all the repairs are made we can't put it in. That means we can't turn on the water while cleaning and working there. Anyway, I would never consider living there. I can hardly stand to walk through it to see what has been done. But we've hired people fr...

By Laurel Lawrence I went with my daughter to a special Relief Society meeting in her ward where Laurel Lawrence, wife of Elder Lawrence of the Seventies spoke. These are my notes from her presentation. We all know how our bodies grow, but how do our spirits grow? What feeds our spirits? When we are born, our spirits aren't babies. they are full grown, and we are born with the Light of Christ. It is a little gift. As we get older, our light goes diminishing unless we feed it and build it. We feed and build our spirits by learning truth and then obeying what we learn. D&C 93:28 He that keepeth his commandments receiveth truth and light, until he is glorified in truth D&C 1: 33 And he that repents not, from him shall be taken even the light which he has received “That which is of God is light; and he that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light; and that light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day” (D&C 50:23–24). (That was Joseph Smit...

Where do I live? I'm pretty sure I live in California which is known for sunny yet mild weather. More specifically, we live in Madera which is desert and known for being very hot. The funny thing is most people don't know that it is only hot in the summer. In the winter it gets rather cold - clear down to the 40's! But the season we love most is spring! The flowers and fruit trees are in bloom and it smells so wonderful. It is mild, sunny, and it just screams to get outside. This spring we've had quite a bit of rain, which is nice. We love the rain here in the desert. So where is all this weather talk going? This week it rained REALLY hard and then it HAILED! Unfortunately, I wasn't home to see it, but these are pictures Tom took. The whole front yard was covered in hail. The last time it hailed in Fresno Cai (who just turned 18) was in kindergarten. I don't remember what month it was. 3 days later, there were still 2 piles of hail that slid off the roof in the ...