Saturday, June 27, 2020

Friday, June 26th, 2020

Adelaide, Australia
89th operating temple
Dedicated: 15 June 2000
By: Gordon B. Hinckley


Jesus Christ, Lamb of God
Revelation 14:1
And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads.
Book of Mormon/"Come Follow Me"
Alma 21 with James; study guide, Sunday journal, "Teaching with Power"
April General Conference
"Come and Belong"
Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf
"Actively participating in the Church of Jesus Christ and its great variety of opportunities will help us to be better prepared for life's changing circumstances, whatever and however serious they may be. As members of the Church, we are encouraged to immerse ourselves in the words of God through His prophets, ancient and modern. Through sincere and humble prayer to our Heavenly Father, we learn to recognize the voice of the Holy Spirit. We accept calls to serve, teach, plan, minister, and administer. These opportunities allow us to grow in spirit, mind, and character."




Inklings
Line from Proclamation
Joseph was given the gift and power of God to translate
Conference Talk
"The Coming Forth of the Book of Mormon"
Scriptures
Gospel Topics Essays
Book of Mormon Translation

I took an early morning nap, or as the British call it, a lay down, until my Tramadol kicked in. 

They are starting putting the gravel on our road today. James went down on Big Cat and Chuck was there with his tractor to help spread the gravel. This is an exciting day for us! They won't finish today but will need to come back tomorrow and probably Monday.

I am reading from "Understanding the Symbols, Covenants, and Ordinances of the Temple" about Satan. Was he a serpent or an angel of light?
The serpentine tempter of Genesis may be metaphorical or literal - or it could also be a mistranslation. The Hebrew word for serpent is nahas. It comes from the root nhs. From this same root also comes the word for copper or bronze - nehoset, indicating a shining or luminous object. In Hebrew legend, the tempter is not a snake but an angel of light who says he is authorized of God to do this thing. 2 Nephi 9 supports this idea. Jacob calls Satan "that being who beguiled our first parents, who transformeth himself nigh unto an angel of light." (2 Nephi 9:9). Joseph Smith records in Doctrine and Covenants 128:20, "What do we hear? . . . the voice of Michael on the banks of the Susquehanna, detecting the devil when he appeared as an angel of light!" (D&C 128:20). In the next section, Joseph gives counsel on what to do if the "devil as an angel of light" appears and tries to deceive you. (D&C 129:8). "As the great imitator, Lucifer has marvelous powers of deception," but his powers are not perfect. Jacob notes that he transformed himself "night unto an angel of light" (2 Nephi 9:9). When Satan appeared to Moses, he tried to deceive him, apparently appearing as an angel of light. But Moses could discern between Satan and God because Satan's glory did not compare to God's (see Moses 1:13-14).
To me, Satan appearing as an angel of light makes more sense.

James went in to town today to deposit the check he got from Mario. The Show Low bank lobby was closed. He cannot use the ATM because he does not have a debit card for his business account. He called me in a panic. I told him I would call the Pinetop branch and see if they were open. They were. I asked him if on his way up there he would stop at Walgreen's and pickup some black masks because Tamara knows someone who needs a couple of masks. He did pick up the masks but they were not black, but cream colored.

This afternoon Owen came by and he and James had a nice visit. He was working for a company building the wall between here and Mexico but his company got outbid on the next section so he has some time off. 

James was happy with all of the things he accomplished today. Me, not so much. It was a rather slow day for me although I did pay all of the personal bills for the first week of July. James only has two checks left or I would have paid his bills also. It's a good thing I ordered some checks this week.

I guess this is a day for sharing from books I am reading. This afternoon while reading to James from "Aunt Dimity and the Summer King" I enjoyed reading this explanation of the Hargreaves family coat of arms and flag:
 "We'd reached the fireplace. A heraldic shield held pride of place above the mantel shelf The shield's design was unlike any I'd seen before. Yellow bars divided its sky-blue ground into three equal sections, and each section was emblazoned with a different creature: a bulldog, a bee, and a unicorn.
"That's our coat of arms," Harriet said, speaking for the first time since Bess had fallen asleep in her arms. "My great-great-great-great-grandfather made it up because he couldn't be bothered with inherited knighthoods and peerages. He believed that we each of us make our own way in the world, based on our talents and our hard work. The coat of arms is on our flag, too."
"The bulldog stands for tenacity, the honeybee stands for hard work, and the unicorn represents the power of the imagination," she explained, as if she'd learned the words by heart. "Ideas start up here" - she tapped the side of her head - "but they won't go anywhere if you don't work hard to make them real. And you need to stick with them until you do make them real or until you find out they won't work. That's where the tenacity come in." 
I had a hunch that Harriet was more of a bulldog than a unicorn, but since she was a Hargreaves, I expected her to surprise me.

James took Luna out for her ride. When he returned he commented that her runny eye was much better and thanked me for the idea of buying her a mask to keep the flies away.

James and I both studied this evening. I studied the gospel and he read from his book "Blitz" about President Trump. The more he reads the more he likes Trump.

C

These are the colors I would like to use
in my bedroom "redo"

Road to Saguaro Lake





From the book Jared got me








 Charlie is awesome!




Taylor Cole, one of our favorite 
Hallmark stars, got married this week.

I watched a video on how to make a mandala
I wonder if I can make one like this

Happy Birthday Emery!


Raspberries from our bush









Friday, June 26, 2020

Thursday, June 25th, 2020

Fukuoka, Japan
88th operating temple
Dedicated: 11 June 2000
By: Gordon B. Hinckley

Jesus Christ, Lamb of God
Revelation 13:8 (Moses 7:47)
And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

(And behold, Enoch saw the day of the coming of the Son of Man, even in the flesh; and his soul rejoiced, saying: The Righteous is lifted up, and the Lamb is slain from the foundation of the world; and through faith I am in the bosom of the Father, and behold, Zion is with me.)
Book of Mormon/"Come Follow Me"
Alma 20 with James; Sunday journal; Study Guide
April General Conference
"Finding Refuge from the Storms of Life"
"When faced with these storms, we often experience feelings of despair or fear. President Russell M. Nelson said, 'Faith is the antidote for fear'-faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. As I have seen the storms that affect people's lives, I have concluded that no matter what kind of storm is battering us - regardless of whether there is a solution to it or whether there is an end in sight - there is only one refuge, and it is the same for all types of storms. This single refuge provided by our Heavenly Father is our Lord Jesus Christ and His Atonement."


Lambson Study Group
"Personal Revelation"
L. Lionel Kendrick
BYU Devotional
May 20, 1997


This was one of those rare occasions when James got out of bed before I did. He went in to make us some tea and a few minutes later came back asking where the checkbook was. I guess Anthony is headed for the church and James is going to meet him there to pay for the hay he brought us. I tried to tell James where the checkbook was but he couldn't seem to find it. I got up and wrote the check so James could be on his way. My tea was waiting for me when I got to the kitchen.

My morning consists of my blog and my book business with a break to read scriptures and have family prayer with James. I bought four books today, all the same book. It was priced $44 on Amazon and I found it for $16.66 on Bookfinder for one copy. The next three copies I found for $17.30. I should be able to make somewhere between $25-30 per book. Also it is ranked 65,558 which is extremely good! It should sell quickly. The book title is "Psychology, Core Concepts."

James asked me if I wanted to go to town with him this afternoon. I told him I had not planned on it but I would go if he would allow me to shop for the dessert I am making on Sunday for our "Come Follow Me" group. He murmured a little and then decided it was worth it to have me go. I kept him awake, his words not mine, by reading to him from "Aunt Dimity and the Summer King."

Our first stop was the Vernon post office where we picked up 8 books. One book was actually a set of six books. When we got into town we picked up a new tire for little Cat at Robert's Tire. James took it to Center Tire for them to mount because last time Robert's charged him $50. We drove to Walmart and James dropped me off. I reminded him he was going to pick out a watermelon. He said he was going to Tractor Supply to get feed and a fly mask for Luna. He also gassed up and washed the car. When he returned to Walmart I was in the scan and go line. OH yes, I forgot to mention that Walmart is now requiring us to wear masks. We waited in line for about 20 minutes. I struck up a conversation with the woman in front of us. She is a grandma raising her grandson. She is a 3x cancer survivor and has a blood clot in one leg and a swollen sore knee on the other. She was so upset when she got to the check out counter to find that it was credit cards only. She only had cash. The attendant came over and said to scan her items and then she would take them to the return counter to check her out. The woman was so stressed she began yelling and using bad language. I felt so sorry for her and for her 8-9 year old grandson with her. James and I both hope that the missionaries will find her and teach her the gospel. I should have gotten her name for them. As we left Walmart there was a line of masked potential customers waiting to come in. They are now limiting people in the store. When will this nightmare end?

James dropped me off at Walgreen's to get an Amazon card for Camrie's wedding shower while he picked up an order of refried beans at La Casita. Walgreen's had no Amazon cards. I thought, well I will buy something and then get cash back on my debit card and give that to Camrie. I bought some popcorn and used my debit card but there was no cash back. What a wasted trip. I walked down to La Casita and James picked me up as he was leaving.

James had gotten a call from Center Tire. They couldn't mount the tire because someone had already tried to mount it and broken the valve stem or something.  We picked up the tire and took it back to Robert's. James was worried they would argue with him and say they weren't responsible. Instead they were very sorry. They got him a new tire and when he said he was going back to Center to have it mounted they offered to mount it for him for free. He left a happy man and was grateful for their kindness. I guess we won't completely give up on humanity.

After getting home I told James we forgot to do the most important thing. When he asked me what? I said, we forgot to deposit your check. It is quite upsetting because now one of us will have to go back to town again tomorrow.

James and Luna went out this evening. They saw 30 cow elk, 15 calves, and one bull near Elkin's pond.

I stayed home and studied. I listened to Emily Belle Freeman on Inklings Institute. We are to read Elder Soares's talk on the Book of Mormon and study the Book of Mormon Translation in the Gospel Topic Essays. I love this study group! We are also studying the next line of the Restoration Proclamation. I also worked on my study guide and Sunday journal for the "Come Follow Me" study. 

I finished my 12,000 steps at 10 p.m.















 Sometimes I have to remind James


Evie, Rachel's daughter and Denise's
granddaughter


Nauvoo temple







 Lake Powell











Thursday, June 25, 2020

Wednesday, June 24th, 2020

San Jose, Costa Rica
87th operating temple
Dedicated: 4 June 2000
By: James E. Faust

Jesus Christ, Lamb of God
Revelation 12:11
And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.
Book of Mormon/"Come Follow Me"
Alma 19 with James; "Don't Miss This" and BM Study Guide and Sunday Journal
April General Conference
 "The Blessing of Continuing Revelation to Prophets and Personal Revelation to Guide Our Lives"
Elder Quentin L. Cook
"In an earlier day, President Spencer W Kimball expressed the feelings I have today. He stated: 'Of all things, that . . . we should be most grateful for is that the heavens are indeed open and that the restored church of Jesus Christ is founded upon the rock of revelation. Continuous revelation is indeed the very lifeblood of the gospel of the living Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.'"


Lambson Study Group
"Ask of God; Our Solace, Guide, and Stay"
Bonnie H. Cordon
February 4, 2020

James left for the valley early this morning. He is going down because the inspector is coming to the job today and also to help build a door in Sheri's attic so they can get the new air conditioning unit in. He was gone until 8:30 this evening so I got to feed Luna two times today. He referred to her as Bronco Betty. I referred to her as Looney Luna.

This morning I did yesterday's blog post and then I bought books and put the books I have received into inventory in preparation for shipping them out. Amazon finally received my shipment from last week. 

After lunch I relaxed in my recliner and watched an episode of "Good Witch." I also walked and listened to conference talks and then by audio book, "Sanctuary". I think James would really like this book. It is more his style than mine. 

Luna was so anxious to eat at lunch time that she whinnied when she saw me and then began pawing with her left foot. Tom Howard says he has had many horses and that she and her colts are the only ones who do that pawing. I guess it is an inherited trait.

I ordered new checks for Lambson Construction at James's request. He is running out. I also got all of his bills together for him to go over when he comes home. 

James said none of his inspections passed. He was a little upset because he had spoken with all of the subcontractor's and they all said they would be ready. The inspector won't tell him what needs to be done but just said no one was ready. There was a plumbing, electrical, air conditioning and framing inspection. 
Sheri was so very grateful that James came to help her today. She posted this on Facebook:








 Sheri's baked ziti

 Like Ollie, I'm not sure why



 Guarding the Lincoln Memorial





 Love how helpful the people of Vernon are.