Sunday, November 3, 2013

Endurance

A few years ago, I tagged along with Grant and his girls to see Battle Creek falls.
This afternoon I did a web search to see if I could find current pictures of people hiking to the falls.

Found this:
And this:

And this:

And this:
 And was I ever glad that this hadn't occurred to him back in his and Jared's rappelling days!

What I was looking for was a better picture of this:
Bishop Atkinson used it as a visual aid for the points he made in today's R.S. lesson about endurance.
It is NEW falls created below the above falls by the wild Utah County storm which took place September 7th, 2013.  It was the eve of BYU Cougars playing Texas Longhorns, and the storm delayed the game two hours.  ESPN commentators said the Longhorns must have been in such awe of the majestic Timpanogos mountain range, it threw them off their game.  In the picture below you can see the stands being cleared, and all those people waited the two hours underneath the stands or in their cars.  (And no doubt there were a few who just went home, and then kicked themselves when BYU broke records - no team has run as many yards against Texas, and BYU has never run more yards than they did against Texas.)
I watched with awe if not some fear, those low storm clouds crossing from south to north, as did thousands of others that day.  There was a lot of damage, mostly in the Provo area, and one business I know of closed it's doors - too much rock slide damage and not enough insurance.

The Bishop then made these following points. In the top left of his picture (and no, I didn't find any others), is an area where there used to be a number of huge boulders.  Those boulders washed away, leaving behind a solid ridge crossing under the new falls.  It was there all along, of course, you just couldn't see it from the dirt and rocks that covered it before.  He said the stream had flowed gently in this area across a slight decline.  He also said the log bridge totally disappeared from the force of the water flow that night.  I did find this picture of the bridge:


If I remember correctly, this was three logs wide and built as an Eagle project a lot of years ago, and then the slats across the top of them added years ago later.

He talked about how the lay of the land is altered forever, and how the new falls are sounder than what was there before because all that's left is the solid limestone ridge for the water to cascade off of.

Then he talked about the trials that will come to all of us and we made a list, and how our faith needs to become as a limestone ridge so it can't be swept away.

Quoted Psalms: "Be still and know that I am."  How we need to bring ourselves back to that stillness so we find out who He is and what He is about.  Reminded me of when my Dad was on his hospital deathbed and counseled me to develop "a" personal relationship with Jesus Christ.  I was in the throes of my early conversion exuberance and thought that was an odd thing he thought I needed that.  What he meant was "MY" personal relationship with Christ, not just "a" relationship, and as in all relationships, it either withers or grows.  And then over the years of my life, trials came and that relationship grew - almost in tandem - the "worse" the trial the bigger/better opportunity for growth.

What are some of those trials (the list)?  Old age, illness, caregiving, death, judging self/others, family member choices, life's pressures/stresses, finances, loneliness, depression.

You are not another's savior ... nor are you your own.  Your cannot save yourself nor anyone else.  
He quoted Richard G. Scott:
     There is an irrigation analogy normally used in the Church of “getting the water
  to the end of the row.” However...it would be far better...to simply “let it rain” from heaven.

Your relationship with God/Christ is what will give the faith to endure to the end.  So do the work to achieve that.  Hold on. Stay strong. Draw close enough (through the stillness and obedience) you can sense what He wants you to choose.  Not what someone else wants you to choose or even what you want to (or even think you can't) choose.


Saturday, October 19, 2013

Not a Need for Speed ...

... more a need to up the oxygen circulating in my bloodstream!

My "senior's" bike - Trek Pure LowStep.
Figured I'd better take advantage of what I'm paying for.
My city bill has gone from $30-ish when I moved here in 2004, to $50ish
when they added the irrigation system,
to close to $100 now we're paying for covering the canal.
(There's a bond coming on the next election for replacing the police and fire station,
which hopefully doesn't mean I need them for any reason to offset my next city $ jump!)
The day I brought it home (looks green in the glaring sunlight, but it's really "ice blue").
Today it looks darker than it is,
I guess because it's parked in the shade on the new covered canal trailway.
This is the real color.

New trailway building where the canal crosses 1100 N.
Restrooms, a fountain, and a couple of tables on the far south side.
Looking back towards A.F., same spot, I guess that big cylinder provides interest
to kids on boards - there were a few kids there just as I pulled up,
but they were trying to board involving other objects.
 The view towards A.F. opposite where I parked my bike in the shade picture.
There are covered tables here and there.
Next door to where the Lethbridges live in our Mohican ward,
where the canal crossed that road,
there is a kiosk with vending machines.




Friday, October 11, 2013

A Little Domesticity ...

... never hurt anyone.  Much.

My work crazy time is almost over.  And having a day to "myself" was long overdue. Both for my mental health and the health of my home!  And since I get to have more than one (day off), all the better!

Scheduled my 30,000 mile service for today and for the bug man to come.  I never did anything about spiders over the years I've lived here up until my favorite daughter-in-law came for a long visit and I figured she's likely cross paths with one or more including viewing the bodies collecting on the cubbyhole sticky papers.  Have him come in the spring and the fall and though I rarely ever saw any (before), I certain do now!  I think they "know".  Somehow.  Like maybe they were content to lay low before and now they "know" he's likely coming, they're emboldened!

Yesterday I slept in.  Since I haven't turned on the heat yet, I love a random morning I can stay all cozy in my warm bed.  I'm in a kinda contest with a few Facebook neighbors.  The one who started it cheats.  :)  I don't blame her though - she has a baby.  Interesting how we keep those babies all bundled up but the older ones run around on the blue side of skin tinge.  The lowest it's hit is 58 (in the house).  Most mornings it's jump in the tub, then out the door to work, while the sun does it's job.  Tops it gets up to 65. Daddy could easily afford gas radiant heat; me not so much.  Longest I've ever made it in this house is October 22nd, not that I "suffered" that year.  It was just a warm fall.  This year has been a challenge. I spent Conference weekend in the basement where it was warmer.  That was a pleasant discovery!  (My dugout ancestors would be ashamed of my surprise. I have greater empathy for them, during this do without period.  Recently I noted a comment by Chris Fugal, who lived on the corner, and in his old age said, “I have seen many snows and smoke go up the chimneys.” Looking at the weather forecast, making it to 65 will be few and far between.  I'm going to make it to Saturday, then we'll see.  October 11th is my second best, so yeah for the 12th!  And a big Happy Birthday to Hazel, who turns seven tomorrow!

So anyway, in honor of the bug man cometh, I vacuumed all those nooks and crannies yesterday so the spray can lie there undisturbed while it does it's dirty work.  Then I made a peach pie.  (Oven set at 450 does wonders for the chill in the air!)



One of our produce vendors dropped some extras by the office and I'm not alone in the pie-making world this weekend.  (We compared recipes IMing.)  These peaches are from Caldwell, Idaho and the biggest I've ever seen!  Yummy too.  Still have carrots, Big Beefies and orange cherry tomatoes in my garden.  Had to cover them one night, next one coming up will be Tuesday.  Another week and it'll all hit the curb in the garbage can.  Betting it takes several loads though for all those vines.  Already loaded it up once with vines that only had solid green cherry tomatoes (and lots of blossoms!).




The cherry tomatoes have been fun.  Took plates of them all around the district, which resulted in frequent visits to the large bowl on my counter.  Parents enjoyed them too.  Our clerk who works next door at Provo High would stop almost daily for her handful.  The Assistant Superintendent stopped by to see my boss one day and said he grew orange cherry tomatoes as well and his could not be beat.  So after he ate a couple I asked if mine were in the ballpark.  He reluctantly said "almost."  He's also been a regular since.

I do need to clarify before I slip out of bloggerland.  I CAN afford the too expensive boiler heating method....  I just would rather do other things with my money.  Like buy myself a new bike.  Maybe.  Now's when the good sales are, and I need one that doesn't have a bar for me to trip over which I guarantee you would put me on the ground on a regular basis.  Nor can I deal with the leaning over factor which promptly puts my hands to sleep. I'm eyeballing this Trek Low Step and hoping they'll take my old Trek in on a trade:
Not that I'll use it much in the next few months, but I'm looking forward to continued usage of my recumbent exercise bike, until the spring invites me out to play.

Also looking forward to my next several days off, spending Thanksgiving with Scarboroughs!  They've been doing some remodeling and I look forward to seeing the fruits of their labors.






Saturday, September 14, 2013

It's A Jungle Out There!

Woke up thinking about my Dad the other day.  And taking this picture is probably why:
Janeil penned this and it hangs on the wall in the room where Norma put it:
It's from a song Daddy would sing in his later years by one of his favorite artists, Tennessee Ernie Ford:

Gaily, Gaily, quite contrary, how does your garden grow?
with carrots tasty,
big beefy tomatoes,
sweet cherry tomatoes,
hidden zucchini,
and five spaghetti squash
all in a boxed up row!

I love spaghetti squash, though not a favorite for anyone else in my former house.  Expected to harvest the carrots late in the fall, like Daddy did, but I have a sneaking suspicion it wouldn't work out in a raised bed.

A month ago (10th N 400 E):
Hues courtesy of the August Tooele county fire.
Just above Bob and Ruth Schoell's old home (300 N 200 E).
Leaves starting to turn, fall is just around the bend!

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

The Bridge ... and the water under it

The real rug.  Will be interesting to see if I like it as well down the road.  It does pick up all the colors in the room, and I can certainly recommend Rugs USA - good price - very thick yet soft luxurious pile.

Lots of water under the proverbial bridge since the last posting.  Early yard photos:

The cherry trees got a double haircut.  The first for free via the church who in exchange for cleaning up their side of the fence, asked to whack off a lot of what hung over.
 Then my guy, for a price, shortly thereafter lowered the canopy to dormant oil spray (hose) level.

I like the outcome/current photo:


Early summer pictures:


My favorite of all (and Mom's too if I remember correctly):  the Peace rose.

Spent Monday through Saturday in June at Jewel's while she was one of the leaders for their ward's girls camp.  A member let the leaders use a cabin (no electricity) near Zion's (girls in tents) and a few of them made it to:



One of the days they did a service project in St. George and took in Mary Poppins on stage at the

On the way to the airport Saturday, we stopped at Lucille's, a New Orleans restaurant.


Johnny had to work but Jewel brought back his his favorite menu item.

Jewel decided she wanted to spend her 30th birthday in the Salt Lake Temple, and yes, it takes most of the day for that drive and longer live session.  The day before was Lucy's birthday but I haven't seen pictures of the well-celebrated event yet.



Afterward we walked over to The Roof hoping to catch a nice more importantly quick lunch before rescuing the babysitter, but the service was slow so we picked The Nauvoo Cafe on the main floor, and celebrated her birthday with Lion House Pantry desserts (sold in the cafe).


The next day we went to the zoo and Jewel bought Despicable Me 2 tickets.  

Then she picked up Johnny at the airport so we could all celebrate the 4th together.
Johnny said PG's fireworks more than rivaled those in Vegas.
Though his visit was short, he was kind enough to take care of
a few minor fix-it issues that are hard for me and easy for him.

Friday morning we celebrated Raygen's birthday, for me,
and then Saturday, back in Vegas, all the Scarboroughs celebrated.
Jewel said Raygen's favorite gift (Saturday) was 
a Tummy Stuffer (unicorn).

Hired a guy to do some fix-it stuff for me (each year I try to make some improvements to This Very Old House).  Not cheap, but I was impressed with the outcome:
Cut the old awning post pipes flush so no more worries about kids tripping over them.
Took out the flower bed box around the tree because
 it will be felled the next time my tree guy makes the rounds.



Take that, rust!
Added a lean-to on the back of the shed to put my woodpile under, keeping it relatively weather-proof yet less buggy/unsightly.  I asked for something sturdy (because kids walk down that wall and there's not much hope they wouldn't be interested in paying it a visit), but also movable.  (Should that day come, however, I'd have to hire him back to move it!)

 Nevertheless, he did a great job.
Lastly, he re-caulked my tub.  Wish I had a before picture.  The fire repair people used the wrong stuff and so I did it over, which was even worse.  So I'm done for the year barring any problem repairs arising.
The garden.  Lots of peas, spinach, radishes, zucchini, orange cherry tomatoes, and half a dozen spaghetti squash to come as well as Big Beefy tomatoes and carrots.  It's entirely compost, and I leave the drip hose on 24/7.  I'm entitled to 5,000 gallons of water per month, and have never (re the garden) had to pay for more.  I used to worry it didn't get enough light - the shed was taller than I anticipated in imagination - but the harvest couldn't be better since I discovered how much difference the constant water made.






Contributors