Winter Farm

Visiting the farm in winter is fun.  

These chickens really wanted into the pen which made me smile.  

So did watching my kids look at all the animals.

They made braving the cold worth it.

Merry Red Lights

Temple Square at Christmastime.  Definitely the place to be.

No Flash

This flower looked drooping dead this morning. Four petals were sticking straight up and the rest sagged toward the stem.  I cut off a few inches of stem and immediately stuck the flower into fresh water.  It revived itself.

I was curious how it would look with flash and without flash using my little old point and shoot. I held the flower up to a light to keep the flash from flashing.  Obvious difference.

Gotta Smile

 I'm thankful that most problems don't last. 

Most things heal. 

Most things get better. 

And when circumstances don't improve right away,  bright colors and happy people sometimes help.

Thankfully.

Autumn Roses

 I was going to write a slightly depressing and cryptic post about empty buckets, but then mine was filled.  A comment on my cousin's blog led me to her daughter's blog.  I read all her posts including one about trials.  She insisted that her readers watch this Mormon Message by Elder Holland.  It was exactly what I needed to watch.  Her husband also gives her roses which is incredibly sweet and reminded me of the roses right outside our door.  I'm thankful for my cousin's awesome grown-up daughter. 

I cut off a rose bud and stuffed it in a vase.  Then I became fascinated by the shadows it was creating on the wall thanks to sunlight from the kitchen window.  It's been a partly cloudy day, so truth, sunshine, and roses were just what I needed.

Leaf Blankets

 It seems a pity to rake up all these beautiful leaves.  This is the "before" shot.  I raked up half of these after I took the picture.  I love walking on them.  They are soft and smooth because we've had so much rain.  When all these were on the tree and turning yellow, they were gorgeous.  I imagine when they start to decompose and mix with snow, they won't be so nice.  Otherwise, I wouldn't touch them.  I'm guessing this is only 1/2 of what was on the tree.  The other half has yet to fall.  Maybe we'll get some dry weather and they'll turn crunchy.  They'd be fun to play in if they dry.

The leaves from the bean tree aren't so pretty, but they are nicer to walk on than dirt.  I suppose if I have time, I should rake them up too.

Beautiful Tree

 I don't remember ever seeing a tree so covered in vines that is also thriving. 

I had a friend from New Hampshire who would go on and on about how much more beautiful fall was there in the east than here in Utah.  Since I've lived in and visited states in the northeast, I know what he was talking about-- the vast quantity of beautiful, colorful trees.  But there's that old saying about how if you focus on one tree you won't see the forest.  Well, here, we can focus on individual trees for the lack of a forest and we can feel very very good about it.

This tree is at Sugarhouse Park.  I am grateful to live where there are so many safe, accessible, beautiful, familiar places. 

Happy Halloween

It's a beautiful thing that my 20-year-old daughter has been inspired by Halloween this year.  First, she made a Link costume (from the Legend of Zelda game) for my son.  Then she painted my daughter's face with scary make-up (I would have never done that for sure.  I prefer cute Halloween over scary.)  And now because some of my siblings are doing a Lord of the Rings ensemble for trick or treating tonight, she is creating a Witch King costume for my son.  I love having talented, creative children.

Looking for Color

Straight from summer to winter, the first light snow fell earlier this week.  Now, it's mostly melted.  Thanks to encouragement from a hair dresser yesterday, today I went out for a bike ride and looked for orange and red.  And found it. 

"Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:"  Matthew 7:7

Sign

I like the shadow of this sign at Wheeler Farm much better than the whited-over version.  I'm sure somebody thought they were making it more readable-- so unnecessary on a beautiful sunny day.

 

Copper Mine

Kennecott Copper Mine produces 1/4 of all the copper mined in the U.S.  It's one of the only manmade structures that is visible from space.  We went there today.  Not space.  To the mine.  Though going to space would probably have been more fun.  But we had fun at the mine.  They have a great gift shop and the movie they show in the visitor center was educational.  The kids refused to pose for pictures.  I respected that, and I'm weary of seeing pictures of myself, so you get to see an edited view of  me and one of the very large tires of the very large trucks they use to transport the ore from the bottom of the mine to the surface.  It's amazing, and a little sad, what they do to the earth to get to the copper.  The visitor center does a good job explaining how important copper is to our high-tech world and how the company attempts to minimize the negative impact it has on the environment.

On the Island

Did you know that people used to live on islands in the middle of The Great Salt Lake?  We went to Antelope Island last Saturday.  I love that place.

My camera battery died right after I took this picture on the top of Buffalo Point.  The camera wouldn't even turn on so I couldn't see if it turned out until I got home.  After that shot, I saw so many awesome ones.  "You'll just have to remember this in your mind," said my husband.  And I do.  My favorite mental image of the day is of him and my daughter sitting on a rock.  He's wearing a black t-shirt.  She's wearing her hot-pink jacket.  The lake and mountains are in the distant background.  Large, colorful rocks, yellow-flowering tumbleweed, and a single small sunflower are in the foreground.  My husband is smiling.  My daughter is looking at him.  I stood there wishing I could preserve and share the moment.

Learning to Love

Children are good at reaching out and connecting with people.  Generally, they are naturally loving: open about themselves, non-judgmental, quick to forgive, giving, and friendly.  They're not afraid to admit they don't want to be alone.  I've

 wanted to become more childlike.  I've been given the opportunity to practice.  Though sometimes I'm exhausted by the workout, my heart is expanding.  It's a good feeling.

There May Be Giants

My son enjoyed pretending he was a giant at the Swiss Chalet last night.  There are so many interesting places to visit here in SLC.  Last night, just before dark, we visited the International Peace Gardens. It's a beautiful place with all kinds of markers, statues, foilage, and signs representing different countries from all around the world.  The flowers are pretty, but it was too dark to take good pictures.  I'm sure we'll return. 

 I'd heard they have a miniature Eiffel Tower.  We had a little trouble finding it.   Fortunately, we encountered it just before we had to leave. 

 For some reason, I have no desire to visit Paris.  I wonder if he'll ever see it.  Of course, I never wanted to visit England either and I ended up living there for four years.  The future is funny like that.

Cloudy Days are Okay

 

A few locals talked as if the forecasted cloudy, cooler weather was going to be a bad thing. I feel right at home.  I've lived in places like this: England, the coast of Washington State, and upstate New York for a little less than half of my married life.  Clouds, a little rain, soft wind, and cooler temperatures are definitely a good thing.  It was a great day for a bike ride. 

Reflecting

I'm reflecting this morning.

When I was a teenager, I did a lot of babysitting for my parents.  I'm the second oldest of nine.  My youngest brother was born after my oldest sister had already left for college.  One night when my parents were out, my baby brother became very sick.  He had a fever and wouldn't stop crying.  I didn't know what to do.  I didn't want to bother my parents at their friends' house, so I tried everything I could on my own.  I held him. I sang to him.  I rocked him in the rocking chair.  Nothing seemed to help, not even his beloved pacifier.  My heart was breaking for him I was so full of compassion.  I was crying too.  I tried calling my parents, but nobody answered.  So I prayed.  I prayed hard. I sat on my little brother's bed and wept.  I kept praying.  Finally, when I was just about ready to go out and search for my parents, he stopped crying and fell asleep.  He slept all night long.  During the night, his fever broke and he was totally, shockingly fine in the morning.  I felt like my prayers were heard and answered.

I know it doesn't always work that way.  Sometimes, the results of our prayers take much longer to see.  Sometimes, the answer isn't what we'd prefer.  As I've grown older, I have learned to trust.  I know Heavenly Father loves me and that He loves those I love--even though they are hurting. 

Without that trust, I would truly despair.  With it, I know everything is going to be okay.

Silver Lake

  I went biking around Liberty Park yesterday.  There's a fountain there called Seven Canyons Fountain.  Cement, rock, and water pathways represent the seven canyons and the waters that flow into the Salt Lake Valley.  When my kids were younger, sometimes we brought them here to play.  I was curious about the fountain's condition and wondered how well it mirrors the canyons, so I went to check it out. 

A couple of weekends ago, we went up the real Big Cottonwood Canyon and walked around Silver Lake.  I'm pretty sure one of these pictures shows the area that represents Silver Lake. 

And here are pictures we took around the real Silver Lake.  I definitely need to take my children back to Liberty Park.  My youngest ones won't remember when they went the first times. 

Why Wyoming?

Yellowstone Park is in Wyoming.  Did you know last Saturday was Public Lands Day?  That meant it was free to enter all US National Parks.  There are several free days throughout the year.  The last free day this year is November 11th, Veterans Day.  The geyser in the background is Spasm Geyser. 

St. Anthony and Shadows

Our family went on an incredible vacation this weekend.  It may not sound exotic, but we went north to Idaho, then through Montana and into Wyoming.  I loved this spot in the trees at St. Anthony Sand Dunes. 

 I thought the shadows we created on the dunes were fascinating.

I Love My Family

This was us a couple of years ago.  And we're still happy.  :)

Chocolate Hunting

Today is our one-month anniversary since arriving here in UT.  You know one of the things I miss most about NY?  Guylian chocolate that I bought at Wegmans.  UT has the little Guylian seashells, but not the Solitaires.  I suppose I could buy a case of Guylian Solitaires on-line.  It's tempting.  I used to eat a couple of those individually wrapped chocolates every day and it would satisfy my cravings. 

Dark chocolate is expensive if you buy the yummiest kinds.  These pictures show my favorites I've found so far here in SLC.  You can find these in certain grocery store chains that are also in NY.  The only problem is the little squares are not individually wrapped so it's easy to eat an entire candy bar.  I'm trying to learn to break off a row and put the rest away.