BOOTS AND FLOWERS
The weather today is warm and nice with a light wind which will increase later today and the forecast for the next 3 days is a high chance of rain.  I think I'll ride someplace but first I'll walk around the lakes in my new boots to get them used to me and me used to them.  I was a bad person yesterday and had to bring a Magnolia blossom home from the park.  The tree had so many on it and I just love the smell and look of them.  I am watching it open up in my kitchen and enjoying it very much along with my orchids and my little African Violet that Anni and Markus brought over.

My boots fell apart last week and the repairman said he would charge me 66 euros to fix them.

So I bought new boots at Englehorn.

MISSIONARIES BIKE RIDE ON P-DAY
On Monday, which is the Personal or Preparation Day for missionaries, I took them for a bike ride to Kafertal Wald.  This was a good choice location because it was a fairly warm day with wind.  The forest is mostly shady and the wind doesn't affect you in among the trees very much. They borrowed bikes from the Watson's and the Sieberts.  They did really well and gave me a good ride, being so young and healthy.  It was fun for me and I think it was fun for them.

First we went to visit the European Red Deer and fed them carrots.

Sister Shipton

 Then we went to the wild pigs and bison

Then we went to the Vogel (Bird) Park

Laughing Cookabura

Peacock

Who liked the owls?  We all liked the owls, WHO

Sister Lehman

Sister Lehman, Elder stout, Elder S? from Speyer

A granola bar break before heading back

MORNING WALKS AROUND OUR LAKES
The days have been nice lately so I've been walking around our lakes in the mornings.  The temperatures and lighting is usually very nice.  The swan babies are getting so big already.  Many of the other baby birds are grown up so they look like adults.  The green parrots have come back to our area in much larger numbers than last year.  The parrots are hard to take pictures of because they land in trees really high up and they are fast flyers.

Goose - King of the Rock

Looking across the Vogelstang See to our apartment buildings.

This swan mooned me.

Okay signets, everybody groom the baby fuzz now.

Dad prepares everyone to come ashore.

Dad leads the way and shows me how BIG and scary he is so the little ones can come out of the lake.

Up onto the grass to eat the greens.

The green parrots giving a kiss to another.

More kissing in the park.

MISSIONARIES
We had Elder Stout and Elder Brown over for dinner and a message yesterday.  We always enjoy the missionaries and the young spirit they bring with them.  We had a nice visit over dinner and had a walk around the lake before desert.  The baby swans are getting really big now and just barely starting to grow some little feathers.  Earlier in the day, Steve and I rode our bike in Kafertal forrest.  We fed the big deer a couple of apples.  The swans and deer are so pretty.

Elder Stout and Elder Brown feeding the swans and ducks at the Vogelstang See dam.

Hi, can I eat your bread and ....

YOUR CAMERA also!

SEWING AND MENDING
People are still showing up at my door almost everyday with something for me to mend or alter.  So I am very busy with mending and sewing.  I had this one challenge last week with a nice suit coat that had a hole torn in the back of it that a man in this building brought up.  I don't know how to darn, darn it.  But I took some matching thread and wove it back and forth up and down until I filled the hole.  Not the best but I hope it works for him.  Anyone of you ever have to do this kind of repair and have some good suggestions for for next time?

Hole in the fabric of suit coat.

my attempt at a repair job, not looking so good, but maybe it won't get bigger for him?

VISIT TO WHITEFISH, MONTANA FOR MY BROTHER BILL'S FUNERAL SERVICE
My brother Bill passed away at the end of May so I was able to fly home for the services and to be with my family.  Use the link below to go to that separate blog.

http://susanssmith2013-home.blogspot.com/2014/06/Brother-Bill-Whitefish.html

SWANS
I really have enjoyed seeing all the swans here in our area.  We have two permanent pairs of parent swans, one for each lake and a couple who come and visit.  Each couple had 7 babies, and the young visiting couple had two.  One couple has lost 2 babies so far, don't know what happened to them.  They are growing so fast.

Sister Chloe Lehman and Sister Shipton enjoy the swans too.

Protective parents watch over the 7 babies.

This dad is giving me little nibbles to let me know he can protect his young ones.