Solomon's Porch: "Winter Down Under"

Author: Scott

I cannot express how green and beautiful it is here in the Traralgon area. And now I know 'why'....it rains on & off continually and now it is cold and miserable! Our clothes dryer vent is on the front of the machine. When the dryer is on, we open the back door to let the steam heat out to keep the rest of the windows in the kitchen from 'steaming up.'

(Beautiful spider web on our clothes line)

To start with our May Blog, we received a message about Osama and his son. It said: "Osama bin Laden and his son have brought a new meaning to the phrase, "taking the bins out!" to a whole new level." In Australia, one puts 'rubbish' in 'bins.' Also, in the news, the Aussies love Kate Middleton who just married into the Royal Family, because she has a relative that is a criminal! Australia was originally populated by penal colonies.

The Sunday before Easter our ward choir sang for the first time. It was a very exciting moment. We sang an arrangement from the Hymnal Plus, "I Need Thee Every Hour." They had never sung anything except from the hymn book. Two of our Polynesian families were absent however, so I went through the congregation and gathered some replacements. On top of all this, the Bishop asked us to speak. Sister Solomon talked on how the Atonement can help us in our daily lives and Elder Solomon talked on the Atonement, the Spirit World and our resurrection.
The same day, Sister Solomon taught Relief Society. She had been assigned the topic of 'gratitude' which pleased her because she brought some of her talks and lessons with her, and this was a 'favorite.' The most interesting part of the lesson was when she opened the discussion for comments as for what, as a Latter-Day Saint woman , they were most grateful. The sisters all expressed how grateful they were to live in Australia and how much they loved their country. This is a good thing. Everyone should like where they live.

Our sweet, wonderful Shepparton Branch President Fa'amoe had a terrible accident at work in the orchards, and was hospitalized in Melbourne. He had to get off his tractor to remove a piece of hose that was left in the orchard between the trees. As I understand it, the slicers cut him on both sides of his shin bone and broke his ankle. I am sure he will be out of work at least 6 months. He is one of just a few men that work all year in the orchards. Not only does he run the big equipment; he also organizes the 'pruners' and 'pickers' throughout the year.

In April, there was a Quilt Show in Sale, about 50 minutes east of Traralgon. Sale is the name of a very old town. So, of course, we had to go see what was what!! We are so glad we went because we appreciate our Cedar City Quilt Guild more than ever. The quilt stands were made out of timber(an Aussie word). They had three different classes on making selective quilts. There were about 20 small quilts made with old doilies and lace. Another class was a fast diamond-shaped square that looked to me like they were re-used material from outworn dresses! Fabrics here in Oz are from Singapore, Africa and the U.S., and is v-e-r-y- "dear"='expensive!!! And, there was only one quilt that was hand-stitched.
I have just checked the list of things I wanted to mention. Of course, nothing is in order so please accept our comments.

Last Sunday after church, the Priesthood, including several sisters, went on a ward project. A family in the ward moved to Queensland, taking with them only their clothes in a couple of suitcases. They left everything including furniture, etc. and most of it was in the back yard, along with everything broken and bags of used clothing, toys and junk. Well, the garbage pick-up and the Tip(dump) are privately owned so everything goes on their schedule. The Bishop did not want to leave such a mess for the land lord and the garbage pick up would only be at 6:00am, Monday; and only if everything was broken down and bagged and placed out on the 'nature strip'. We all wore yellow vests with "Helping Hands" and pulled the "ox out of the mire."
In our blog, we are careful not to tell personal experiences. Some things and people we deal with should not be discussed. Please know for sure that we keep busy.
The big news this month so far is that I turned 73. And Shirley and Arlene can be any age they want to be, too! The fact is I can't believe how well I am. I have never been a good reader, so books were never a good past time for me. But here in the mission field, I must read and study. When I was young, I could read a page from top to bottom and never know what I read. I have truly been blessed serving the Lord. Not only do I study the standard works, but I've also read Jesus, the Christ again and the Articles of Faith by Talmadge and my third novel! After I finished my first novel, I wanted to tell my mother because she knew how hard reading was for me.
Our health is really good, too. We are truly blessed and we know it. However when we get home, we will need a health 'pit stop.'....things like teeth, eyes, and some inners, so we can keep going a few more miles.
Pakenham Roadshows are on the 14th. We will report on them in the next Blog, but once again it is a rare experience!!!
Australian expressions: like Americans goon 'vacations'...Europeans go on 'holiday'....Australians 'go away.' A 'tree trimmer' is a 'tree topper'' the Bishop is referred to as 'the Bish' and twice we have God referred to as a 'good bloke!' And talk about travel! Here are some names of towns we pass through: NarNar Goon...Koolumburra...Bunyip...

Koo-Wee-Rup....Moorrabin... Pakenham...Wagga Wagga...Narre Warren...and the list goes on.
Easter Friday, we were invited to a quaint town up in the mountains, called Erica, for a family get-together at a restaurant. The main street consisted of a General Store and a family-type Bar & Grill. The decor was done in tree-cutting machinery from 'days past.' They had a chain saw the size of Paul Bunyan. It had two handles like a dirt plow and a third handle that came out the other end of the rotation. It was a monster! For lunch, we had a steak served on a hot rock. The steak was seared on top but had not been cooked. We were to cut a piece and lay it on the rock until it was done to our own preference. For dessert, they served 3 colors of Italian Ices on a 'cold' rock. We surely enjoyed the food and the experience.
We have a few pictures to show all these experiences.
We are hoping to do some traveling the next 3 months, to see the sights that are a must before we leave. And once again, we feel the love and prayers in our behalf and send our love, best wishes to everyone. Elder and Sister Solomon