March 31, 2016

Bob: Well we are at the end of another month. We'll probably never spend another March in Canada, but who knows for sure. I think months like March are better spent in Florida and parts south.
Things went okay at the office today. Had to go to the storage unit so the Hamilton Z/L could load up some twin bed frames to take to their zone. I was glad to get rid of them. I haven't seen anyone using them. I just collected them when I closed some apartments.
Been working on the phone/text report again for President Clayton. It takes forever and when I make a mistake it just really slows things down. The text report is so big it takes a long time to just SAVE it. Then when I sort and subtotal it seems like it will never get done. Worked on it about 3 hours this afternoon including interruptions and only printed one small report. Still trying to get the big report done. And that is just the texting. Haven't started the phones yet.
We had a good discussion with Grace today. She has had some car problems the last few days and is also dealing with 'the buffetings of Satan' as she is being taught the restored gospel. She got pretty teary eyed more than once today telling us about how hard things seem to be right now. She thinks she is doing something wrong and it is causing her some emotional turmoil. The Elders and I gave her a blessing after the lesson and she was so thankful. She is planning on attending the Sunday morning session of conference with us this weekend.
Well it's time to get ready for bed. Hope everyone is well. Love to all and good night brothers.
Dad/Bob

The winter scene on our living room wall.

Autumn scene on our dining room wall.

Bonnie:  It was a good day today, although I got quite sleepy this afternoon! I need to get up and walk outside around the building, I guess, when I get that way. Today was rainy but it was a warm rain.
Tonight it is raining again but I'm sure it is not a warm rain. We accomplished lots tonight--the shopping and also the wash. Well, the wash will be done about 10:00 tonight. And I actually have another load that I will do sometime this week-end, maybe between conference sessions. I'm happy all of this is done. It frees me up to do fun things like tomorrow night's evening with a special sister missionary who is going home what we call "off-transfer". She will be with us tomorrow afternoon, then all three of the office couples and her will attend a temple session, followed by dinner with her and the two sisters she is staying with until she goes home. It will be a great night!
May all of us have a wonderful evening is my hope. And pray for Grace if  you will!
Love, Mom/Bonnie

March 30, 2016

Bonnie:  Bob has just hung up his precious pictures, photographs by Bryan Lemasters, of Reader, West Virginia. One is a lush fall picture with Bob's home growing up and the other one is a winter scene of the same area. Both are beautiful pictures. It's nice to be home again tonight. We went to the Mall so Bob could get his hair cut and then to pick up a few things at the grocery store that is on one end of the Mall.
The referral issue is almost totally resolved, thankfully. The one companionship that had 28 referrals listed as not visited called me today saying that they had visited all 28 of them, but that they get around using a bus and it is hard to get to a library to update the system. They will try to contact all 28 again. I tried to explain to the Senior couple how to update their referrals, but it didn't work for them, so she sent me an email with all of the updates. I will enter those tomorrow.
It's starting to look and feel like spring. I know because my allergies are beginning to bother me! Oh well. I think I have some pretty good medicine for it so that's good.
May everyone have a good night.
Love, Mom/Bonnie

Bob: Cleaned out an apartment today. We didn't leave anything in it except the vacuum cleaner and supplies to clean the oven, refrigerator, etc. After lunch 4 Elders went to clean it. I'm anxious to see what they accomplished.
Got all the financial things caught up today. Put in an offer to rent another apartment. We are trying to move out of 2 not so nice apartments. I sent registered letters to both places we are moving out of about March 10th. Got one of them back day saying the addressee had never picked it up. I emailed the landlord and attached copies of the letters we sent him. Also mentioned that he  hadn't pick up the notice at the post office. Didn't hear back from him.
Got 2 bills from Pitney Bowes yesterday for totaling over $900.00. Called my contact at the company and she said the contract shows closed. She had me mail her copies of the statements so she could take them to billing and see why they were mailed. Told her we were not planning on paying them at this time. (Won't ever pay them unless forced to do so!)
I am happy to get the photographs hung. When it is bright and sunny outside I hope there is enough light in the apartment so I can take a picture and put them on the blog. The house I grew up in is on the left side of the pictures. In the fall scene it's not quite half way down and very near the left border. There is a chimney going up the side of the house. The house is clearly seen in the winter one. You can also see the garage apartment behind the house.
Well I'm going to get ready for bed and read some. Love to all and good night brothers.
Dad/Bob

This is the fall scene (no matting)

This is the winter scene (my matted copy looks almost like this)

March 29, 2016

Bob: Got lots done today. Bus pass money has been submitted!! Just have to wait and see if there are any mistakes. Tomorrow will be hectic as I have to go to the storage facility at 9:00 and then to an apartment at 12:00 to haul away some items. Have to find time to look up some information on the phone report for President Clayton. Should be a whirlwind day!!
Weather was pretty nice today. Tomorrow should be even better (54), but maybe some rain. Next 10 days the temperature will be from the low 40s to the 50s with night time around 32. It will be nice to see some 60s again. Can't get too hot though because we won't have any air conditioning till around June 1st.
Seems quiet in the apartment tonight. I guess things have returned to normal. It is nice, though, to have some company. Just let us know.
Heading to bed now. A little tired. Was able to walk this morning. First time since last Thursday. It felt good though.
Love to all and good night brothers.
Dad/Bob

Bonnie:  I went  home early instead of going with Bob to Institute tonight because I planned on going visiting teaching tomorrow night, straight from the office. Three nights in a row are too hard for me! But, I couldn't find either of my sisters home, so I couldn't set up any appointments. However, I had a nice night at the apartment, just puttering around and doing things I normally can't seem to get done. I can't believe what a difference it makes coming home after the office instead of going straight out to do other things. I even got to do some reading in one of our John Pontius books.
Tomorrow should be an easy day, hopefully. I spent quite a bit of time today talking to two missionary mothers. It turned out well, thankfully. The biggest problem I had to deal with was referrals. Some of our missionaries are not reporting back about contacting their referrals. We received a huge list of those not contacted yet. So, I spent time calling different Zone Leaders about "counseling" with their missionaries on how to get it done. We sent out a text about it, too, to all the missionaries, per President Clayton's request. I hope this helps. Tomorrow morning I will be talking to one of the senior missionary couples about how to do it online, so they can also report back their progress with referrals as well.
I hope everyone has had a wonderful day.
Love, Mom/Bonnie

March 28, 2016

Bob: Sorry about not writing anything last night. Our internet went down about 8 or so last night and it didn't come back on till this morning. I was hoping it was a big problem and the company would get it reset, but I think it was just something with our equipment. Had to reset everything and it seemed to come back on. Needed tech service's guidance though.
Talked to our home teacher in Lindon last night and he told me not to worry about the orchard. He would see that he and some of the high priests take care of it for us till we get back. Very thankful for that.
Said good bye to Chris's family this morning. We are now back to just the two of us. Things will probably slow down around the apartment, but with General Conference and other things coming up it looks like we won't have a day off except for Sunday for almost 3 weeks. This is going to be a challenge for sure.
Work was about normal today. Not enough hours to get things done. And I wasn't able to find some papers I needed. Don't know where I filed them, because I'm positive I printed them for President to sign off. Will have to call SL tomorrow and see if there is anyway to re-print them.
FHE was a little different tonight. For the activity they had 'The Battle of the Sexes'. The guys started off hot, faltered part way through, but hung on to win. It is our first win ever. Maybe we will get a streak going in the positive direction for a change.
Got to hit the sack. Love to all and good night brothers.
Dad/Bob

Bonnie:   It's late and I am tired so I won't be writing much. It wasn't bad today coming back to the office. I was worried that there would be lots to catch up on, but there really wasn't. I'm just trying to prepare for MLC next week and transfers the next week after that.
I miss Chris and Suzy and the kids already! The apartment seemed so empty tonight when we got home. We had a great visit and the time went fast.
Sweet dreams everyone!
Love, Mom/Bonnie

March 26, 2016

Bob: Did not get around to the blog last night as a terrific game of Mexican Train was going on. It didn't finish till around midnight so the blog was forgotten.
Yesterday turned out to be pretty cold, but we did take a trip to the aquarium in downtown Toronto and out to the office. Will try to post a picture later.
Enjoy your day as we are headed to a sugar maple festival and the St. Lawrence Market.
Later: We learned this morning that Renee's mother passed away on Wednesday. We send our heart-felt condolences.
We went to a sugar maple festival first. It was about 30 minutes away heading NE. As the day went along the temperature began to warm up. That was nice, but it created a problem when walking through the forests at the festival. There was ice on the tree limbs and it started to melt and fall off. As you walked you would get hit with small pieces of falling ice. The tour through the forest was nice as we learned and saw how they make maple syrup. It is a long process and takes about 40 gallons of sap to make one gallon of syrup. When we finished we had a pancake and sausage breakfast.
Then we drove to the St. Lawrence Market. Everyone picked out something they wanted to eat and then we bought everything and shared. We had a lot of different foods from different countries. Bonnie and I really liked something that was from Colombia. It was made from corn meal and cheese. Very tasty, especially with the hot sauce on it.
Our hardest task was getting back to the car. There was a sign that said 'Use the Stairs', but we could not find any doorway that was open. So we finally walked down the ramp which we weren't supposed to do. When I asked the toll taker where the stairs were he didn't know either. We eventually found some stairs on parking level 1 and walked down to our car then.
Hope everyone has a blessed Easter tomorrow. Love to all and good night brothers.
Bonnie says happy blessed Easter to all, as well.
Dad/Bob

Wagon Ride at the Festival

An example of ice on the trees

The 1700's way of making maple syrup

In front of the 'TORONTO' sign at Queen and Bay, Toronto

'TORONTO'

March 24, 2016

Bonnie:  It's about 9:30 and we are waiting for the arrival of Chris, Suzy and their kids!! I just finished cleaning the apartment and Bob is finished with the dishes so I think we're ready. I was able to spend time today on the computer looking at things to do for the next two days. It's going to be fun. I just found out tonight that there is a Hallelujah Chorus sing-in at the stake center tomorrow night at 9:00. It's with the Tabernacle Choir and people will be singing it from all over the world. I'd love to go, but we'll see what they want to do. It was a quiet day at the office, for which I am grateful. We had a delightful discussion with Grace and I will let Bob talk more about it. It was not fun shopping on our way  home because of freezing rain and lots of people doing their shopping for Easter. Tomorrow, because of Good Friday, most of the stores will be closed. It's great to be here. I am loving it, even though it is frustrating at times!
I hope all of you have meaningful Easter plans. I am so thankful for Easter and our Savior!
Love, Mom/Bonnie

Bob: The weather was definitely worse today. Temperatures hovered around 32 and a slight rain persisted most of the day. With the temperatures low it was turning to ice. But the roads were kept in pretty good shape with lots of salt being spread on them.
The discussion with Grace was interesting. They challenged her to be ready for baptism in 4 weeks. They want her to meet more often with them, at least twice a week. So next week we are trying for Tuesday and Thursday.
Chris and Suzy arrived about an hour ago. We are getting ready for bed as everyone is tired. I think tomorrow morning is going to come very soon.
Love to all and good night brothers.
Dad/Bob

March 23, 2016

Bonnie: I have had a busy night with doing the wash and cleaning the apartment in preparation for the visit of Chris and Suzy and their children. I'm so excited for them coming! They will arrive sometime tomorrow night.
Yesterday at the office was a busy day. I want to share some of the challenges I had. It started out with UPS problems.  I solved the first issue and then I asked if there were any other outstanding charges. I didn't think we had any, but there were two more from last October and December! This meant more calls and emails, of course. I received a call from a parent who wanted her son reassured that his brother was not hurt in the devastating bombings in Brussels. I had not heard about it. His brother was about 50 miles away, thankfully. President Clayton called the Elder. I got two calls about referrals--one about a facebook post from someone who had some questions about the church. I directed her to the missionary department in  SL. The other one was about a Hindu father and son who needed food as well as the gospel. Again, this was something President Clayton handled. I received a call from our favorite Farsi Elder who is recovering from a broken foot who needs a walking boot. He went to the second floor of the Toronto Stake Center and found one but it was too small. (There is all kinds of stuff there.) His options were to buy one for $150.00 (Canada health insurance doesn't cover it) or call his Bishop and have him send him one from Calgary. He ended up "making do" with pieces of cardboard! Then, two Sisters came in asking about the baptismal records of a sister. I called Salt Lake and they found her, but a confidential note said she was not baptized! Crazy! I assume only her Bishop or Branch President can find out what's going on. All of these things had my head swimming by the end of the day.
Today, it was much quieter. I was only alone about 45 minutes because, bless Sister Budgett's heart, she came just to be with me. When our husbands got back from Zone Conference, we closed down the office and went to lunch! It's been a very good day. I hope everyone has had such a day! 
Love, Mom/Bonnie

Bob: Left for Ajax/Pickering this morning at 8 with Elder Budgett. When we arrived at the turnoff for the chapel we drove right by it as there were no street signs. However, I saw what looked like our church and hoods raised on cars. Immediately turned around and went back. There were 14 cars to do when we got there as 3 were already done. We were finished just before 10:30.
I had several things I needed to give to people there and lunch wasn't going to be until noon. I started to give the items to the Ericksons as they were staying. However, the President took a break right then so they could get up and stretch. I was able to give away all the things I had and we were on our way back to the office by 10:40.
We went to lunch at a fish 'n chips place I have been wanting to try. It was outstanding. I think we will go back there again.
Work at the office was pretty routine and I got most of it done. Need to pay some bills but the President hadn't approved anything since Monday. Hope he approves them tonight as I will be gone on Friday.
Weather has taken a turn for the worse. The ground outside is covered with about half an inch of snow. Hopefully it will melt off quickly and not ruin plans for the weekend.
Time to retire. Love to all and good night brothers.
Dad/Bob

March 22, 2016

Bob: Been another long day. Stayed at the office till 6:40 and then headed to Mississauga for Institute class. It was a very good lesson by Elder Budgett about faith and miracles in the last few chapters of Mormon and first few chapters of Ether. We took Sonu with us tonight.
Work at the office was hectic today. Just when I thought I was getting caught up more bills would come in. I think I finally got everything done though. There are several checks to write which the President needs to approve first.
Got to get up in the morning and drive to Ajax for a Zone Conference. Elder Budgett and I are going to help the Ericksons with the car inspections. I hope we can get this done quickly and get back to the office.
Got to get to bed now. Love to everyone and good night brothers.
Dad/Bob

March 21, 2016

Bob: Good evening everyone. It has been a good, but long day. Hope your day has been wonderful. After taking off 2 days there were many things to get caught up on, and I didn't get them all done. Even though we were at the office for 10 hours before going to FHE, I didn't get it all done.
Weather is on the cool side as the temperatures are mostly in the 30s. Doesn't look higher than about 42 for the next few days. We are hoping the weatherman is wrong about that. I am going to Ajax on Wednesday to help with the car inspections. That may not be such a good idea.
The FHE lesson tonight was on dating and marriage. It's really a hard topic for the YSAs. I hope they can get over all misconceptions and misunderstandings so they can begin to to appreciate one another more.
Well I'm going to get ready for bed. Wishing everyone a great day tomorrow. Love to all and good night brothers.
Dad/Bob

Bonnie: I am tired and my back hurts from the fall I took yesterday. My knee is  healing, though, and that is good. I wore my light rain jacket today and that was a mistake. It was really too cold for it. Oh well, Toronto weather!! There is lots to catch up on at the office. We are having challenges with referrals. They are supposed to come online at the referral site that the church uses. Instead, Bob and I get texts on our phones. It is really time-consuming to take the information off of the phone and put it on the computer and then figure out which missionaries should be assigned to the referral. I spent a good two hours doing it today.  At least I am caught up on it for the time being. Tomorrow will be better, I'm sure. I have at least three baptisms to get to Salt Lake City and then Sister Cannon and I will get the supplies, mail and packages ready for Zone Conference on Wednesday.
I hope you all have had a good day today. My love to all,
Love, Mom/Bonnie

March 20, 2016

Bonnie:  Today has been a lovely Sabbath. except for one thing that I will explain in a minute. After Sacrament meeting today, they showed all of the YSA ward the "Face to Face" with Elder Holland. We only were able to see the first part of it because Grace was supposed to come for Sacrament meeting in the Mid-Singles Ward which was at 2:00. She didn't end up coming :( So, the sister doing the Munch-and-Mingle needed help in the kitchen and I went there. The problem occurred when I went outside to put my coat in the car. I was hurrying back and tripped outside on the cement. So, right now there is a bloody gash on my right knee and my ankle up to behind that knee is very tender. It hurts to walk. Luckily, there were two nurses on the premises! One helped me with a bandage and the other suggested I go home and soak my knee in hot water, then put hydrogen peroxide on it. I have to admit I felt much better after doing that! Bob just got home from our Sr, Couple FHE and he says that Elder Cannon is coming down to look at my knee. More later...Elder Cannon says I will live! Bob is going now to get some bandages from his car. (They drive from their building to this one.) I am feeling better and better as time goes on. Tomorrow I should be great!
I  hope all of you are doing well or at least better than me! My love to all of you.
Love, Mom/Bonnie

Bob: Bonnie is always great, just greater at times!! That's why I love her and why life with her is a great experience. She blamed her fall on having on her reading glasses, which makes the ground look a little fuzzy. Would some of you suggest that she not wear them while walking? I hate to think what might have happened if she had been walking down stairs.
It truly has been a restful Sabbath. Although we didn't get to see the 'Face to Face' I think we can watch it on line. The potato bar at Munch 'n Mingle was good too! High school seminary graduates were invited today so we had almost 150 there. They went through about 170 baked potatoes, plus loads of salsa, cheese, sour cream, broccoli and baked beans.
FHE with the seniors was very interesting. Sister Budgett told about how a talk by Henry B. Eyring affected her years ago and helped her with a class she was teaching. In the talk President Eyring told about how he would write down how the Lord had touched the lives of his family each day. After a short video of his remarks several of the seniors shared some very special things from their lives about how the Lord had guided and led them at different times.
Well I had better get ready for bed. Hope everyone enjoyed the Sabbath. Time to get back to reality tomorrow though!! Love to all, and good night brothers.
Dad/Bob

March 19, 2016

Bonnie:  It's been a good ending to a good day because we went out to eat with all of the Senior missionaries that live close by tonight. One of our YSAs is a waitress at Moxie's, which is a restaurant adjacent to the Bramalea City Center Mall across the street from us. It's always fun to get to know the other Senior couples better and to hear of their interesting experiences. It makes me grateful to be in the office!
I did the shopping today and bought a ham for Easter. I won't shock you with the price. Suffice it to say, it was really expensive! I am trying to prepare for next week-end when Chris, Suzy, and their three kids come to visit. I can't wait! I get to see some of my grandchildren!! It will be crowded for a few days, but I'm sure the memories will be priceless. And it will be extra special to celebrate our Savior Jesus Christ with family on the Easter weekend.
I hope all of you are looking forward to a very special Easter as well.
Love, Mom/Bonnie

Bob: Had a very relaxing day. Until almost 6:30 I didn't do much of anything except go for an hour's walk. It feels good to be refreshed and relaxed again.
In case you didn't know Magnolia lost in the state semis to St. Joseph of Huntington. Then they beat Wheeling Central in the finals. Magnolia's coach, Dave Tallman, has a son coaching at Morgantown High School. They won the AAA championship beating Huntington in OT. Morgantown finished the season 31-0, the first undefeated team in over 30 years in WV.
Being with all the seniors is fun, but it takes a pretty good size place to hold us. There were 10 couples and Laura there tonight. Only one couple couldn't make it as she has been sick for a couple of weeks. We'll try again next month though.
My keyboard quit working today. Put 2 new batteries in it and nothing. Went to the store after our dinner and got a new keyboard and batteries. Put 2 of those batteries in the old keyboard and it started working. The 2 new ones that wouldn't work were dated 2004. It is no wonder. Then the mouse quit. I have 2 2005 batteries for it. So I'll get some new batteries for it also as the 2005 probably won't last too long.
It's time for bed. Good night and love to all. Good night brothers.
Dad/Bob

Canadian Falls

At Niagara

Smith frame home on their farm

All of us in from of the Smith house

Bonnie and I in front of the fireplace in the Whitmer Farm house

March 18, 2016

Bob: We are back on line tonight. We went to the Palmyra, NY area yesterday with Bette and Steve to tour the church history sites. We had a wonderful time and the tours were exceptional.
The first place we stopped was at the Hill Cumorah Visitor's Center. None of us had been to this new facility. It is really quite nice with several wonderful displays. We all walked up to the monument at the top of the hill on a very windy day. I walked back down the hill and then drove the car up to the top to pick them up. We didn't know you could drive up to the top or we probably would not have walked up! Then we drove by the Palmyra Meeting House and the Temple. We had never seen them before. I'll  put some pictures below.
Then on to the Joseph Smith farm and Sacred Grove. Much to our surprise the senior missionary conducting the tour had served in Scotland in the same mission Steve served in 53 years ago. He recognized Steve's name and they were able to renew acquaintances. He gave us some excellent information and then sent us to the Sacred Grove. We walked around it, and discovered it was farther around than we thought it would be. Some of us were quite tired when we finished.
Then we drove to the EB Grandin Printing Office site. The tour guide there was very interesting too. The church has redone the building and it is now a 3 story site. When we were there before it was only 1 story. When we finished we drove to the 'Yellow Mills' Diner, a local eatery. It was very, very good. We left there stuffed to the gills for a really low price.
Our motel was the Palmyra Inn. It was quite nice and not very expensive. We had 2 king size beds in our room plus a small kitchen. We had two rooms and they were identical. Found out the motel is owned by a Salt Lake City firm and the managers are LDS. They have several church pictures up and in the rooms too, as well as a Book of Mormon.
Today we toured the Peter Whitmer Farm and that was the best tour of them all. Sister Griggs gave us lots of information. Steve and Bette know their son as he has done some work for them in their house.
We left there and headed home. To top off the day we went to RD's as Bonnie mentions below.
It was great having family to visit with and to have a couple days without the worries of the office. We went to the office before RD's and there were not any emergencies waiting.
Well I'll get to bed now. Love to all and good night brothers. Enjoy the pictures. I'll post some more tomorrow.
Dad/Bob

Bonnie: We did  have a wonderful time. The whole week was fun! Tonight we ate at RD's, a
southern bar-be-que place that also sells poutine. I wanted Bette and Steve to try it before going home. They served the french fries, gravy and cheese curds (cheese before it is cut into chunks to sell) with pulled pork on top of it. It's really not something I love, but it was fun to do it.
Today the tour of the Peter Whitmer farm was very good. I really enjoyed the sister who presented the information to us. So much Church History happened there. We learned quite a few things that we didn't know before. Our hotel was quite nice in Palmyra, too as Bob has written. One of the best things was how Bette and Steve seemed to connect with almost everyone we met. It is a small world in the church!
Well, it's after 11 and I have just finished with the wash with Bob's help, so I am going to bed. I hope everyone has had a good day today
Love, Mom/Bonnie

Sisters at Niagara Falls

Angel Moroni on the Hill Cumorah Monument

Palmyra Temple

Steve and Elder Lawton at the Smith Family Farm

Palmyra Inn

March 16, 2016

Bonnie:  We just got  home from the temple and Bob has finished doing the dishes. Earlier today, Bette and Steve took a cab to the mission office and got there about 12:30. We showed them all around and then Steve and I did some Family History. I can't believe all of the resources readily available. My problem is that I have to do it much more often so I can remember everything. Steve found some names in his family in the short time we had! We left about 3:30, came back to the apartment for dinner and then went to the temple. Each of us had names that Steve had researched. It was a wonderful experience. Now, the plan for tomorrow is to pick Bette and Steve up about 10 and head for Niagara Falls. We can have lunch there and then get to Palmyra about 2 1/2 to 3 hours later. We will spend the night there and finish visiting the sights and then get back Friday afternoon if all goes well. I'm looking forward to it.
I hope everyone has had a very good day. Life is great
Love, Mom/Bonnie

Bob: Finally got the rents paid today and caught up on everything. Being gone tomorrow means I will have to go to the office sometime Friday to look for trouble spots. Hopefully everything will be ok.
Got a call from our insurance provider today. They misfiled our claim and paid it out of the wrong file again. This is the 2nd time in a row they have done it. They asked that I mark it "International Claim". I wrote that on every page with a broad black marker. The people submitting the claim must not be able to read!!! This claim was filed on February 11th. Still don't know when it will be resolved.
Got fed up with not having hot water in the kitchen in the mornings. Usually I turn it on and let it run for 6 or 7 minutes before it gets hot. The maintenance man looked at it a while back and said since our suite was on the 2nd floor and the hot water tank was on the roof it would take a while to get the water here! It's odd that the bathroom always has hot water. Anyway I emailed the superintendent and told her I wanted her to know what was going on with the hot water before I replied to the maintenance survey they sent. I explained how I had to let it run every morning for 6 to 8 minutes to get hot water, but if they thought it was fixed then I guess it is fixed. However, I personally thought it wasn't fixed. Told her I wasn't a plumber, but I had over 60 years experience turning hot water on/off and I have never seen a water tap that wastes that much water to get hot water. She immediately replied that the maintenance man was going to go check it again. She replied later that they were changing out the fixtures in the kitchen tomorrow. We'll see if that helps.
Hope everyone is having a great March. We are having pleasant weather and a great time visiting with the Gibsons. Looking forward to our trip over the next 2 days.
Love to all and good night brothers.
Dad/Bob

March 15, 2016

Bob: What a glorious day. We spent half the day at the office and then with Steve/Bette to downtown Toronto. We did some sight seeing, visited the Distillery District and then went to dinner at the CN tower. (The dining room is 1151 ft up in the air!) The dining room rotates 360 degrees. We were there for about a revolution and a half. They didn't rush us to get out at all. Beautiful sight seeing Toronto light up at night.

CN Tower from below

The Distillery District was interesting. Showed a lot of old pictures and equipment used in the distillery business. It is made up of older buildings, refurbished and occupied by various vendors. We stopped at a 'sweet' shop.

Enjoying sweets at the Sweet Shoppe

We also found this sign for Toronto. It is on the side of a large skating rink.

Well it is time for bed. Love to all and good night brother.
Dad/Bob

Bonnie:  We did have a wonderful day just enjoying downtown Toronto. The Distillery District was fun but will be better the warmer it gets. There were lots of places to eat outside when it's warm and some interesting shops. We were blessed to find good parking for no money (!) there. Parking for the CN Tower was $25. It was breath-taking to look out over the city. Dinner was delicious and it was awesome watching the city light up. I'm so glad we went.
Tomorrow will be much more low key because we will be at the office until 1:00 and Bette and Steve will be coming there about 10 or 11. We plan on doing family history and then going to the temple. Dinner will be left-overs at the apartment. Then,

March 14, 2016

Bob: Short day at the office although we were there till a little after 3. It seemed like I just sat down and it was 3:00. Got all bills caught up and processed the rent payments. Finished follow up items and then we were off to the airport to pick up Bette and Steve. We did keep them waiting for 20 minutes. They landed about 10 minutes early and called Bonnie, but Bonnie didn't know they had called. So as we headed down the freeway we got ahold of them and they were ready. They have some kind of pass that they get through customs pretty quickly. They are staying until Saturday and they only had 3 carryons. There is no way Bonnie and I would only have 3 carryons. We take more than that to Temiskaming when we go for the weekend!!
We went to FHE but Roni wasn't there tonight. I wanted Steve to meet him. We didn't stay for the activity as they were playing nerf zombies! We almost got shot before we got out of there!
Going to try and get to work early tomorrow so we can get out early. Planning on going to the CN tower for dinner tomorrow night.
Heading to bed now. Love to all and good night brothers.
Dad/Bob

Bonnie:  This will be a fun visit! After dinner we went to the first part of FHE. Then, we stopped by Walmart. There was a Tim Horton's there and I treated Bette to a white hot chocolate. It's soo good, and everyone who visits Canada has to get something at a Tim Horton's!! I hope we can see a downtown historic district tomorrow, called the Distillery District. After a few hours there, it's off to the CN Tower. We also will drive by the parliamentary buildings of Ontario. I hope it's a good day and I hope that the rain holds off! It was quite rainy today, although it had quit by the time we left for the airport. More tomorrow about our day.
Love, Mom/Bonnie

March 13, 2016

Bonnie:  We've had a delightful day today, basically because it's been Stake Conference, and we were out of church by noon. And, Grace met us at church! She had an appointment right afterwards so she had to leave and we didn't get a chance to talk to her much. I hope she enjoyed it. There were some very good talks. Keep her in your prayers, ok? So, we've had the whole day to relax and I have really enjoyed that! I have been on the internet looking at things to do in Toronto with my sister Bette and her husband, Steve. They will be here tomorrow afternoon for four full days! I'm very excited. There are lots of things we can do, but some of it is costly. After all, we are in Canada! Everything seems to be more expensive here. Anyway, it will be a great week!! I hope everyone has a great week ahead as well.
Love, Mom/Bonnie

Bob: It has been a restful day. Even had time for a nap!! Will probably pay for that tonight when I wake up in the middle of the night. It was enjoyable though.
Sorry about not blogging last night. After the evening conference session closed someone announced to not forget to set our clocks ahead one hour. By that time it was after 10. So we hurried home and spent a little time to talking with Brad and then got ready for bed. We were so focused on the time we forgot the blog.
Yesterday was a good day. We did a few errands and then headed to the temple for the YSA temple trip. The session wasn't crowded and I was attacked by the sleep zombie, but it was a good session. I was particularly impressed with the officiator and how he did things. When we left the temple there were several YSAs standing and talking just outside the temple doors. It is so good to see them all get along so well and support each other. Many of them are struggling to get an education, support themselves, and stay true to the commandments. It is not easy.
Today's session of conference was great. President Evershed, 2nd Counselor, started it off with a story about President Packer and his daughter when she was quite young. He was holding a young chick and asking his daughter if she thought the chick would grow up to be a cat, or a dog? The daughter eventually said, "Daddy, don't you know the chick will grow up to be like her parents?" --Point taken!!
Jessica Gavito, a YSA called to the Salt Lake City South Mission next month, then gave a great talk on sharing the gospel. She made the point to share the gospel at all times, and if necessary use words.
Then Savannah Hylton, a convert of 2 months, talked about her conversion and how she came back to the gospel. She too was very impressive as several times during her talk she would stop for a few seconds. Then she would go on with very appropriate remarks. I thought she was being prompted by the Spirit. Then, Sister Macmichael, the temple matron, asked if someone would tell her where time goes!!! I would like to know that too.
Well I want to get ready for bed. Have a great week. It looks like we are going to have 4 days of temps in the 50s, but some showers. Hope it doesn't prohibit any activities Bonnie has planned for Steve and Bette's visit.
Love to all and good night brothers.
Dad/Bob

March 11, 2016

Bonnie:  It's been a good day, although we didn't get to see Grace tonight. We fed dinner to two sets of missionaries and Brad who is visiting from up north for the week-end. The missionaries had an appointment with Grace set up and she was also invited to dinner, but she was showing a  house and the people wanted to buy it! She couldn't make our appointment. The dinner went well, however. We had fajitas, Spanish rice and a salad. One of the Elders kept eating and eating! It made me happy to see it. I really love to get to know these missionaries.
Tomorrow we hope to go to the temple when Brad goes. It will make for a wonderful day. And then I want to clean some more of the apartment for when Bette and Steve come on Monday. And it's Stake Conference so we will have our Saturday night meeting at 7 tomorrow. It will be a good day!
My love to all,
Love, Mom/Bonnie

Bob: Good evening to all. It has been a good day. It feels like spring, the sun is shining and bright, and there aren't many problems at the office.
Sorry Grace couldn't get here tonight. We had everything arranged, but it just didn't work out. But that is okay. We will try it arrange it again this weekend.
The audit was real crazy last night. The first test he ran didn't come out right because we couldn't find the backup documentation. But things got better. There were only 2 things that didn't check out correctly out of all the tests we ran. I think it is okay. Apparently, they always say we have too many computers and printers, but we're getting used to that.
Well, I'm getting ready for bed. Love to all and good night brothers.
Dad/Bob

March 10, 2016

Bonnie:   It's after 10:30 and Bob isn't home yet. He's at the office with the auditor tonight! I hope to hear from him soon. I've been busy getting ready for company this week-end. We are having Brad from up north stay with us for the week-end. He wants to go to the temple probably Saturday. So, tomorrow night we'll have the missionary sisters and Brad over for dinner. It will be fun. Then, with Bette and Steve coming Monday, I want to plan some fun things to do. I went online and there are lots of family-oriented activities all over Toronto. We might just take a bus-tour. More later on that!
This will be short tonight. It's late and I'm tired from the usual stuff--shopping and washing clothes and cleaning the apartment. I'm glad that tomorrow at the office will be a light day.
My love to all of you.
Love, Mom/Bonnie

March 9, 2016

Bob: Not much happening today except for the beautiful weather. It was in the 60s today. It will cool down tomorrow but not much.
Had to empty all the furniture out of an apartment this afternoon. Will go back next week to pack up the loose items and clean it up. It will take a while as there is a lot of stuff there.
Left the office before 5 today. Everyone else had already gone. Tomorrow will be a long day as the Stake is doing a financial audit of the Mission. We will start around 6 tomorrow night. The auditor said we should be done sometime between 10 and 11. Can't wait!!
Bonnie is busy trying to figure out a schedule for Bette and Steve. They arrive Monday and leave next Saturday.
Going to get ready for bed. Love to all and good night brothers.
Dad/Bob

Bonnie: I feel much better today, thankfully. Bob came back to the apartment about noon and picked me up to go to the office for the afternoon. I was the only one there because Cannon's and Erickson's were at a Zone Conference. Bob, as he has written, was gone moving furniture out of an apartment. It was a quiet afternoon which is good. I was able to catch up on baptisms and referrals. Tomorrow I should be fine.
We are excited to have Bette and Steve coming to visit next week. It's hard deciding what we should do because there are lots of things to choose from. It's a fun problem!!
May everyone have a great night tonight and day tomorrow.
Love, Mom/Bonnie

March 8, 2016

Bonnie:  I will be writing the blog tonight unless Bob wants to add something when he gets home from Institute. I've been  home all day with a bout of stomach flu. I've got zero energy and a headache. I may have to stay home tomorrow as well, although I don't want to.
I have to share a special experience that happened last night and today. Last night at FHE I became overwhelmed with all I have to do, both at the office and with the YSAs. I was getting a little teary-eyed about it. Then, one of our YSAs sat down beside me and put her arm around asking me what was the matter. She said the Spirit prompted  her.  Well, then I couldn't stop the tears. She tried to comfort me about 10-15 minutes when she was called into the other room where the activity was going on. She said that today she would do anything I needed, just to ask her. So, she texted me about noon wanting to know what she could do. When I told her I was sick, she said that she would bring me in some dinner tonight! Now, this young lady has no vehicle, yet she was ready to serve me in any way she could. It makes me cry just to think about it. Of course, with Bob gone and me not wanting anything to eat, she didn't need to bring me over anything. Isn't that the sweetest thing? The Church is in good hands, if this is the way the young people are growing up! This will always remain one of the best experiences of my mission.
Bob's day was busy with meeting and training a new Elder (Elder Martin no less!) He also had a meeting with President and Sister Clayton. One thing I've been concerned about is making the new
Easter Initiative cards in all of the languages we need: Spanish, Portuguese,  Chinese and more English ones. I guess President Clayton will be taking care of that. That will help me, of course. It's a load off of my back! And Bob told me today that the Elder who needs a suit will be going with his Zone Leaders to get it. That also is a relief. Another thing off of my plate. Tomorrow is a Zone Conference and Erickson's will be gone to that as well as Elder Cannon and maybe Sister Cannon if I can make it. Again, I hope to be there.
I hope everyone has had a wonderful night.
Love, Mom/Bonnie

Bob: Home from Institute and writing this at 9:50. I think that is a record. Traffic was moving quickly as I came home. The temperature is close to 50 and it feels like spring. The next 10 days are supposed to be in the 40s except one, and it is predicted at 39.
The cards Bonnie was worrying about ordering are all ordered and the receipts are on her desk. The Zone Leaders will get the suit for Elder Paul tomorrow.
I have to empty an apartment with the Brampton Z/L tomorrow afternoon. They said there is a good bit of furniture. Don't know how much we will keep. I know if it is questionable we won't keep it.
Well I had better get to bed. Love to all and good night brothers.
Dad/Bob

March 7, 2016

Bob: Looks like I put the wrong date on yesterday's post. Corrected that tonight.
Weather was warm today and tomorrow should be even better I think. Busy day at the office and it looks like tomorrow may get even busier. I think there may be 2 elders needing new suits and someone will have to go pay for the suits for them. We'll have to work out those details tomorrow.
Went to FHE tonight and they tried to play indoor soccer. Most of YSA didn't play however so I think it was pretty much a bad idea. They just wanted to sit around and talk.
Got to get to bed. Love to all and good night brothers.
Dad/Bob

March 6, 2016

Bob: Hello everyone. We got back from the north country at about 7:15. We took a new Nissan Rogue up and brought a 2012 Chevrolet Colorado back. Needless to say the trip up was more comfortable, but we were happy to do the car exchange and save the miles on our car. We had a great time and got to sleep in on Saturday and Sunday. Their church doesn't start till 11:00 so there was no hurry to get up.
We arrived at Brad Sauve's in North Cobalt on Friday between 3:30 and 4:00. (I put a picture below of the snow surrounding his driveway.) I had to pick up some snow clothes from Brad so I could wear them fishing on Saturday.

Then we went to Brad's mother and step-father's home to have dinner with them, Brad and his 2 daughters, Kayla and Emma. Emma left with a friend early so I didn't get her picture, but the others are below. Trudy made an excellent beef stew, with mash potatoes, cole slaw, home made biscuits and cooked cabbage. Apple pie and ice cream topped it off. My stomach was stretched to its limits when we left.

After dinner we headed to Elk Lake as we were staying with Karl, Patsy and their 3 foster children. We didn't get there till a little past 8. We had a wonderful visit with them and stayed up till almost midnight talking. Bonnie and I really miss not being able to see them more often. I put some pictures of the snow around their house below. This first picture is where Karl shoveled snow off his roof. Their dog went up the pile and got on the roof, but couldn't find her way down!

This next picture is me trying out the snowshoes I would have to wear to get to the lake for ice fishing.

Karl and I didn't get to go fishing until about 1:00 as we had to wait for the missionaries to drive from Rouyn-Niranda, Quebec to pick up the Rogue and leave us the Colorado. The next picture is looking out over the terrain we needed to work over to get to the lake. It was about a 25 minute walk pulling the 'sled' behind us. We took the bare necessities, ax, chain saw, chisel, etc.

Karl pulling the 'sled' at the start of our trek.

I only fell one time going in as I stepped in a hole that was covered with snow. However, on the way back when I was pulling the sled twice I did a face-first fall as the sled caught the end of the snowshoe and I tripped. It is not the easiest thing in the world to get back up with snowshoes on!! Sorry to say that Karl was too far behind me to get my picture of me lying in the snow.
We fished for a couple of hours and didn't get any bites. During that time though we started a huge fire and just enjoyed the peace and tranquility of the area.

Karl cutting up the tree he chopped down with the chain saw. Notice the fire starting to his right.

Our fire about burned out. Note how deep the hole is.

Pulling the sled on the way back

When Karl and I finally got home we were so tired and both of us had sore backs and knees. I could barely get up and down. Today I feel a lot better, but I am somewhat concerned that a 2 - 3 day canoe trip with Karl might not be such a good idea after all!!
It was wonderful visiting with the Branch members today. They are planning on singing 'Press Forward Saints' in French in Stake Conference to honor the Branch from Quebec that was absorbed into the Temiskaming Branch in January. There are 2 cities of about 30,000 to 38,000 in Quebec where most of the saints are located. One city is about 90 minutes from Temiskaming and the other is another 90 minutes further. Right now those saints travel to the Branch in Ontario the 2nd and 4th Sundays of the month. On the 1st and 3rd Sundays a service is also held in Quebec, the 1st Sunday in Rouyn and the 3rd Sunday in Val d'Or. Missionary work is going strong in all the areas. There are baptisms scheduled and some already completed. We are praying for them to become strong enough in Quebec to have their own Branch again.
Well I'm going to close and let Bonnie add a few words. Love to all and good night brothers.
Dad/Bob

Bonnie: Bob  has done a good job of explaining our weekend. While the men fished Patsy and I took their three foster daughters to a meeting with their parents in Kirkland Lake, an hour and 15 minutes away. That gave Patsy and I time to visit a less-active member after we went to lunch. Then we went shopping, picked up the girls and some pizza and headed for home.
It was great meeting two of the missionaries that are new to our mission from Quebec. They seem like wonderful young men. There are a total of six in our old Branch now, two for Temiskaming, two for Val-d'Or and two for Rouyn.  It's exciting to see the growth that is occurring here.
Well, tomorrow it's  back to the office. I will have plenty to do, I'm sure. Happy Monday, everyone!
Love, Mom/Bonnie

March 3, 2016

Bob: What a day. Only worked till 2:30 so we could come home and get ready for the missionaries and Grace. That went well and ended between 5 and 5:30. After everyone left we hurried up and ate so we could leave for a road trip. We had to take box springs and a bed frame to Welland. Welland is on the way to Niagara Falls, but you turn southwest off the QEW and go for about 25 kilometers. We left at just about 6 and got back at 9. Dropped the van off for Elder Cannon to take to the office in the morning and then we headed to Walmart to do the grocery shopping. Got home close to 10:30. So I am writing this after 11.
Hope everyone is well and enjoying the warmer weather south of us. It has been below freezing for several days, but will warm up some this weekend. We are headed north in the morning so I am not sure when I will be writing again. Enjoy your weekend. Love to all and good night brothers.
Dad/Bob

Bonnie:  The discussion went well with Grace. She came with her Bible full of book-marks, probably 7 or 8 of them, with questions. She shared some experiences with us where she felt the Lord guiding her. On the way to Welland, she texted us several times, too. We hope she will begin to read the  Book of Mormon now and begin to see how it enriches the Bible.
I am so tired! We plan on sleeping in tomorrow before we pack and head up north. What a long day, but a good one in many respects. I hope you all have had a good day, too, with many more on the way.
Love, Mom/Bonnie

March 2, 2016

Bonnie:  It's been a very long day, but a good one! We left about 6:50 am this morning. The roads were icy but we made it to the office without incident. We started right away with the waffles and it turned out great. The missionaries were very appreciative. They sang to us a bit later. How I love listening to them sing! I was able to accomplish much during the day, though all of us seemed to yawn an awful lot. The meetings were done by about 5:10 and then most of them came into the office to pick up more supplies. My shelves are about empty now, and tomorrow I will order  more stuff. I only have 30 media bibles to last until the last of the month when we should be receiving more from Salt Lake.  I will probably be quite stingy with them!
I got a blessing request from someone in our Branch up North. Apparently the RS President is in a hospital in Toronto. I let the missionaries know as soon as I could. I hope they get there tonight. She is divorced and I don't know if she has any family here. Then, a box came from the BYU Bookstore with t-shirts that some of our new missionaries have ordered, so I had to get those the zone leaders this afternoon. I went home with  Cannon's and we got here about 6:30, very tired.  Bob stayed late to finish up some things in preparation for our trip North Friday. I have done the wash tonight and want to get to bed early. I hope he comes home soon!
May you all know of our love for you. We are happy to be here, but miss all of you!
Love, Mom/Bonnie

Bob:  Got home in time to carry the laundry up the stairs. But this is about all I did. It was close to 9:00. It has been a long day. Elder Gillen left me a spreadsheet showing all the apartments on it. He had them arranged so you can see which apartments are being used, which are empty, which have Sisters or Elders, etc. I spent a good part of today getting it corrected. As we are going to start dropping in the number of missionaries I want to make sure we close as many apartments as we can.
Phones are getting to be a hassle. We got a bunch of new phones to replace some old ones. But of the 12 phones I have given out 3 of them had to replaced. I think there are some others that are not working right. I sent a text to several people yesterday. Today one of the missionaries showed me the text they received on the new phone. It was a bunch of of nonsense. That phone will probably have to be replaced too.
Roads were snowy and ice covered today, but I didn't feel like the traction was bad. Maybe it was worse than I thought. Passed about everyone on the side streets this morning. Cars passed me on the freeway, but I was going the speed limit. On the side streets they seemed to be poking along today. Maybe the new tires of giving me a false sense of security.
Got to turn in for the night. Love to everyone. Stay warm and good night brothers.
Dad/Bob

March 1, 2016

Bob: Okay, March came in like a lion in Brampton. It snowed about 3 inches, the wind blew and it is cold. We are hoping it gets better before the weekend.
It is really snowing now. Tried to take a picture, but that doesn't work when you're taking it through a window!! As I look at the snow now it is coming down at about a 45 degree angle so the wind must be blowing. Don't hear any howling tonight though.
The new tires sure helped coming home tonight. Never felt like I was spinning. The old tires would spin and the alarm on the dash would come on. Never saw it tonight. We won't be taking our car to Temiskaming though. The Elders in Val d'Or have a new Nissan Rogue that needs taken up to them so I volunteered to do that. No one really wanted to take it north. Hope we don't need the all wheel drive function.
Well we have to get to bed. Love to all and good night brothers.
Dad/Bob

Bonnie: It's been a very busy day getting ready for MLC. We have the orders pulled, but I am out of some things which I don't like. Tomorrow is our very early day because we have to be there by 7:10 to make the waffles before the meeting starts. Between the three of us women we can do it, though. Then, it will be a matter of moving all of the supplies out into the foyer for each zone, and adding the packages, mail, the ESL supplies, and the boxes of Books of Mormon. I think it will be about 18 boxes of  English ones, 2 boxes of Spanish, one of Simplified Chinese, one of Traditional Chinese and one box of French books. My shelves will be empty after tomorrow! Anyway, I know it will be a great day for the missionaries and us as well. One very exciting thing is that the "cards" for the Easter Initiative arrived today. This is a wonderful thing the Church has been doing for some time. Every Christmas and every Easter they come out with little pass-along cards. The cards are small, with a thought-provoking question that directs a person to mormon.org. I think our Mission President has prayed them here by MLC tomorrow!! He is very excited to give them out to the Zone Leaders.
It was nice tonight because I left for home about 5:30 with the Cannon's. We did some shopping for tomorrow and then went to eat at Five Guys Burgers and Fries. I had a very delicious hamburger. With the snow, we got home about 7:00. I didn't expect Bob until about 10:00, but he came home about 7:15, saying that Institute had been cancelled. We've had a nice night tonight just being home in our apartment, relaxing and watching the snow fall outside our window. I'm headed for bed now, so sweet dreams to all!
Love, Mom/Bonnie