Sarah Arrives Home!

March 3, 2007 - HayPatch, UT -- A familiar face recently returned to the HayPatch after serving an 18 month mission for the LDS church in the Atlanta North mission in Georgia.

Sarah made her appearance at the Salt Lake International airport a little late on February 22, 2007. (Are the flights missionaries return on EVER on time??). Anxiously awaiting her arrival we stayed near the gate rather than down by the luggage carrousels where most other families were waiting. (We wanted to see her as soon as possible!)

Finally, she was seen coming through the gate. Ivan and Erin pushed and shoved to get at her first! They aren't very well known for patience when it comes to giving/getting hugs.

Smiles, hugs and laughter was in abundance as we got reacquainted with the much-missed missionary.

Prior to the airport trip, the HayPatch was adorned with a "welcome home" which was originally to be hung between the large elm trees. Rather than attaching it to the trees, it was decided to tape the sign to the white house. A very good decision as the winds remained fierce throughout the day.

After returning home, Sarah had a tour of the white house, donned some mukluks to meet the llamas and new sheep, and went out for a bite of lunch at "Old Home" with family and friends.

Meeting the llamas for the first time.

In Unrelated News on the Haypatch...

Ivan and Erin install the new flooring.

March 3, 2007 - HayPatch, UT -- For those of you who have had the pleasure, or displeasure as the case may be,  of using the bathroom in the dark brick HayPatch house, you'll be happy to hear that it finally had a facelift!

Erin and Ivan worked on the bathroom over one long weekend. First, they painted the top half of the wall, then nailed the bead board, and then they constructed the flooring. Finally, a new sink/vanity (We even have hot and cold water that mixes to make WARM in the sink! Yay, welcome to the 21st century!) was installed along with re-seating the toilet and hanging new shower curtains. They did such a great job, there will be a bonus round of pinã coladas to come!

While there was some discussion as to whether the paint was purple or blue (it's periwinkle for gosh sakes!), everyone agreed that the update to the bathroom was a smash success.  It's like stepping into a different world now. (The final photos below really don't do it justice.)

Signs of Spring!

Twin desert painted sheep.

March 3, 2007 - HayPatch, UT -- Sure signs of spring at the HayPatch: cute little lambs and treasure hunting in the dirt that's "like butter."

The lambing season has been good and bad. Two ewes were lost due to complications with giving birth and several lambs died during birth or immediately after. Just a few days the ewes and lambs died, twin desert painted sheep were born giving us a little bright spot to the season. We also had several other lambs born and all are happily prancing through the HayPatch mud.

Along with lambing, the other sure sign of spring is treasure hunting. While the weather has occasionally provided warm temps, we seem to be stuck in a pattern of snow/warm/snow/warm...which makes for some muddy adventures. There's a lot of construction in downtown Salt Lake right now, so there are many, many places at which we can seek treasure.

Ivan located a 1866 coin during this outing.

Remnants of a dig in Salt Lake.

Creativity Abounds!

Beautiful coat rack.

March 3, 2007 - Near HayPatch, UT -- The ever talented Charles Hutchings of ChuckleBerry Productions has been very busy creating these awesome pieces. It's a collection of simple objects of an era long since gone. It's recycling. It's historical beauty. While he's designed them to be functional coat racks or towel racks, they really are art.  While all of the pieces shown here have been sold, rumor has it he's working on more. If you're interested in finding out more, drop an email to info@haypatch.com and I'll get you in contact with him.