243- Angry Orb

Yesterday I noticed that the sky was looking quite smoky, but since I don't watch TV I just figured we were getting smoke from So Cal (Yeah, what was I smokin'?)

When I did a Google search today I found out that we have 13 fires going in the state of Utah (none as horrible as the So Cal fires). I know that fire is an important part of the ecological system. If you don't have fires then the brush and undergrowth gets so dense that when it finally does catch fire it is very destructive. Whereas, more frequent, non-intense fires clear out the undergrowth and allow things to grow properly. (I've probably explained that quite poorly, but, there you are.)

A-n-y-w-a-y, today I got up to super smokey conditions. I think most of our smoke is coming from the Scofield fire. Sadly, this was a prescribed burn that got out of hand. This evening while I was mowing the lawn I saw that the sun was just this angry orange-y red disk in the sky. Well, at least it isn't snowing ash here...

242- One Of These Things

Six of these things belong together... six of these things are kind of the same. One of these things just doesn't belong here. Now it's time to play our game!! (My rendition of the Sesame Street Song)


L-R: Stuart, Lisa, Laura, Jamie, Camille, Keith, Joanie

Now let's play our game...

The good news it that even though I am not in the same age group with my kids and their friends, they never make me feel like I don't belong (Especially when they are eating dinner at my house!) I've always enjoyed having our children's friends around.

This time I remembered to get out the tripod and take the photo... but Stuart, always the comedian, entertained us all with this capture from a series of shots. That boy makes me laugh!!

241- Fast & Easy Finished!

Ahh, finally finished! (I talk like it took me days instead of hours!) I had the skirt all finished last night with only the hem left to put in when I realized that this fast-growing Ashton-girl could probably use ever bit of length we allotted when we cut her skirt out a month ago (I can literally WATCH that girl grow!) I realized that if I did just a rolled hem it would get her another 1.25" of length. So that meant another trip to JoAnn's for my $.95 purchase of another yard of coffee-colored tulle! (Hey, I had my 40% off coupon that was going to expire tomorrow!)

I added another ruffle of tulle to peek out at the hem which made it even puffer! Well, can I just say that there is no such thing as too puffy for Ashton? I delivered it this evening so she would have it to wear tomorrow to church. She is such a dear, sweet, appreciative girl! I'm so glad to be near her and our other grandchildren that are here.

Can you believe how cute this little almost 10-year old girl is?


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240- FAST & EASY...

Bwahahahahahahaha----- Who do they think they are kidding? This is the pattern and fabric that Ashton picked out for her aborted first sewing project! Do you ever know you are doomed from the very start of a project? Yep, this is one of them!

I won't bore you with all the steps, gathers, pinning, lining, tulle ruffle, zipper in last, not enough fabric... aaahhhhh!!! I've been sewing for almost 50 years and THIS pattern is not fast nor easy. What was I thinking when we picked this out for her first project?



I've been thinking all evening as I've worked on this skirt... how would little Ashton have managed with all of this?

239- Moustaches

Funny story...

Gordon comment this morning that Harley was starting to shift his loyalty and preference to me. I told him that he needed to just spend more one-on-one time with his dog. His response was, "You don't!!

I stuck my head around the door of the laundry room while doing my *everybody-loves-little-Joanie-why-wouldn't-they?* face.

He replied in humorous disgust, "That makes me want to take a picture of you and draw a moustache on it!"

I laughed and knew exactly what my blog post would be about today!



One of the reasons this was so funny is that Gordon used to think it was great sport to come home from work as an Air Traffic Controller with his permanent ink work pens in his pocket and draw moustaches on our little children!! I think he did it just to vex me and delight the kids! What a funny daddy! Here are my darling little cherubs in March 1987 with their Daddy-art faces.


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I just have one final question... where did these sweet little babies go?

238- Say it's Not True!

When I caught Simba in one of my favorite poses I tried to think of all the different captions I could put with it...

(My Title)- Say it's not true!

Goodbye, cruel world!

I just can't look.

Oh, my achin' head (oh wait, that's my line!)



This old-man-cat just keeps getting older and skinnier. At 14.5 years he is a shadow of his former *grand-kitty-self*. Some days I think he is ok and then other days I look at him and he looks like he hurts. What's a mama to do?

237- Lone Pelican

For any of you lucky people who have tried to visit me OR even luckier, you live in Springville, you will remember that 4th South is torn up from the freeway all the way to Canyon Rd (and frankly... I'm getting a little weary of this)!

The one positive thing about all of this is that I would normally NOT use the 14th North exit AND I would have missed the pelicans that live up there. I've kept track of them all summer. I went for weeks and didn't see any of the four that I photographed back in June. But about 2 weeks ago I saw one lone pelican swimming at the far end of the pond.

I queried,
What has happened to her friends?
Did they all leave her here?
Did she get hurt and have to stay behind?
Did she like the easy pickin's of being fed with the resident ducks?
Are her friends just hiding every time they see Beatrix-the little red beetle coming down 14th North?

Sadly I don't have any answers, but I am happy to say that on my way home from Orem today I saw my little feathered friend again swimming serenely on her pond. It made my heart happy...


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236- Sunflower

This is an image that I had fun with adding filters and blending modes. I just love these wild sunflowers that grow wild on all the ditch banks, roadsides and fields. This on is in Grannie Annie's back garden.

235- Oquirrh Mountain Temple Dedication

This morning I attended the seventh of nine dedication sessions for the Oquirrh Mountain Utah Temple. I found it very telling that no regular church meetings were held today (in much of Utah) in order to allow as many worthy members to participate in one of the sessions. Two of the sessions, the seventh and ninth, were televised to meeting houses; in our case our Stake Center. It was a wonderful experience to be able to attend.

This brings the number of operating Temples to 130 with 13 of those being located in Utah. President Dieter F Uchtdorf told of the early pioneers who had to travel days or weeks in order to attend the Temple. Now, for residents of Utah, it is measured in minutes or hours. What a glorious time to be on the earth!



This is not the first televised dedicatory service I have attended. When the Palmyra, Winter Quarters and Nauvoo Temples were dedicated we went to the Stake Center in Palmdale. I'm grateful for this blessing.

234- Busy Bee

This last week has been wonderfully busy! My niece, Cindy, and her husband, Brent, came to BYU Education week and stayed with us. It has been so nice to have them visiting here. I know that they were richly blessed for their attendance there.

Last night I invited all the local family to come for dinner and a visit. We didn't end up with all of them, but we had enough to have a wonderful time and stay up entirely too late visiting.

I had great intentions of setting up my tripod and getting a photo of all of us together but with dinner and visiting I totally forgot until it was too late to take it outside and people were already comfy and settled in visiting. I took some candid shots, but probably won't post them here... just know that I love my family and was so grateful to have there here visiting.


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OK... one funny story on myself. We've stayed up every night until midnight or later visiting and last night was much closer to 2am!! This morning I woke up at 8 am and got up to close the windows. I saw that Ann and Wayne's bed was empty so I just knew they were up. I got dressed, brushed my hair and went downstairs to find that they had bailed out of their sinking ship (deflating air mattress) in the middle of the night and were asleep on the family room couches. BUT NOW I'M DRESSED... sad, tired Joanie...

231- Spent Sunflower

I'd forgotten how much I love the effect of my 50mm lens. Lately, I've been lazy and just taken all my photos with my 18-55mm lens. Wow... what a difference. I was able to capture some lovely shots which I will parcel out of the next few days. I LOVE this lens!


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I wish I had something very deep and astute to say about this spent sunflower, but the closest I can get is this... I've been hit by a migraine since I started editing this photo and I feel like this little baby looks...

230- Grannie Annie's House

My sister, Grannie Annie (is that just the cutest moniker?) has lived in the same little town for the last 37+ years. Her little town reminds me of the little town we grew up in; there is just that very rural, easy feel when I go there. I've been visiting her there since 1975. I've landed at her house in happy times and times of greatest distress but it's always the same... I have the feeling that I am going home! There is just a wonderful quality to the light (I think not only physical light, but spiritual light) that resides in their home. Now that we only live 2 hours away I get to see her with greater frequency.


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Today we made a little (ugh... not so little with rampant allergies!!) down to her neck of the woods. We took the circuitous route via Black Rock, complete with dirt road, Millard and Minersville (Hwy 257 south from Delta) and ended up at Grannie Annie's just in time for dinner. We had a short 3-hour visit before having to leave for home.

What a blessing to have a sister so close...

229- Ashton's New Skirt

** I am playing catch up here...

Ashton finished her skirt today! Yeah for Ashton... it has been a several week project since we only have lessons on the 2nd and 4th Thursday each month (yes, I know, this wasn't a Thursday, we had to reschedule)

It has been fun to teach Ashton to sew. She is such a compliant little learner. But it is more than that... I am no longer the *Mommie-enforcer*, I am the *Grammie-spoiler*. It makes all the difference in the world when you are teaching grandchildren. It's as if I already have several gold stars in my crown so everything is happy... does this make sense? Even if it doesn't I am enjoying teaching another generation of seamstresses.


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228- Happy Birthday Little Joanie!

What a fun "pig-pickin" birthday! This year my birthday coincided with the 3rd Sunday family dinner so we had a house full for the happy celebration. I wanted something that was yummy, easy and could be eaten with fresh salsa and guacamole. I came up with pulled pork... a whole crock pot full.

Pig Pickin' cake has become my new favorite (see the side bar for recipe, you'll have to scroll down a little). Yummy, moist, orange-y, cool! Mmmmm.

I'm so fortunate to have family nearby. But I've always been fortunate in the family department. For those of you who might not recognize this pose it is "Everybody loves little Joanie! Why wouldn't they!" I was so blessed to be born to a family who made me feel like I was the best thing that ever happened to our family. The older I get the more I appreciate that fact.


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Gordon said this morning that this is my Heinz birthday... can anybody guess how old I am with that clue?

226- Thunder in the Distance

Earlier today I was lying down (hmmm, been to the dentist... can't like it!) and I could hear the thunder in the distance. I've always loved thunder, lightning, and rain storms... call me silly, but there you are. Perhaps if I'd grown up on the East Coast, say Virginia, I would have a different and more scared opinion... but I grew up in the mountains where I could safely sit back and watch the show.



I've thought about that phrase "Thunder in the Distance" and I wonder how many times we might respond like a scared child afraid of the coming storm. Recently I talked with a friend whose had her share of problems and she speculated that we get ourselves too worked up about all the things that could go wrong (hey, we've both been there and things CAN go terribly wrong)! I don't think I have an answer for that. On the one hand I think that the trauma must come out... I just can't keep it bottled up inside. I get all my crying done in private and then can face the problem mostly tear-free. On the other hand (I also have 5 fingers), I ask, "Do I just get myself worked up needlessly?"

The thing that I DO KNOW is that the Lord is with me every step of the way. I don't have to go it alone or comfortless. I know that I can face anything with the Lord Jesus Christ as my Saviour AND Friend.

What are your thoughts...

224- My Salute...

... to the Plumas County Fair... a border of petunias (but this one lives in my backyard!)




With all this thinking and writing about the Fair I remembered that I had some misc photos from about 1963 of me modeling some of my 4-H creations at the fair fashion show. I was also in the parade that day but the photo is so blurry that it is, well, sad, so it doesn't get gigantor treatment.

I don't know how my mom could even stand me... if I was looking at the camera I always was making a goofy face, yeah,that's if I'm looking at the camera. See the little girl with the cast on her leg and looking the WRONG WAY??? That's me, of course! (bwahahahahaha)

223- Ruffled Petunia

I was talking to Auntie P today and she mentioned that she had missed my regular blog posts. I will have to admit that this last week I've just not had the *umph* to post everyday... sorry... but there it is.

I mowed today and was looking at my flower garden. In the spring I bought my petunias in spits and spurts instead of a flat all at once; consequently I have an interesting mix. One day, I don't remember where, I found this ruffled purple petunia and I only bought the one. I've always love petunias, but particularly the ruffled variety. I need to make a note to myself to find and buy more of the ruffled ones next year.



Petunias always remind me of home and the Plumas Co Fair which, indecently, starts Thursday. I would love to jump into a time machine and be transport back 45 years to the fair; with all of its sights and smells...

ahh... I can smell it from here: petunias, cotton candy, corn dogs, sweaty carnies, grease from the rides, the livestock and... more petunias.

220- Jake & Elsie

Ann and Wayne are here visiting this weekend. They brought Andy's baby book that has photos taken with their old Polaroid Swinger camera. It has a photo that I don't remember ever seeing before.

Andy was going to be blessed in May 1969 and Daddy paid to fly us (Mom, Daddy and I) from Reno to Salt Lake City where we rented a car and drove from the SLC airport to Randolph, Utah. Gordon wondered how we could afford to do that and I honestly don't know. I just know that it was the first time I'd ever flown and (AND) Daddy let me drive the rent-a-car (which I'm sure was not ok!)

We have so few photos of Mom and Daddy together that we were overjoyed to find one where they are in the same frame. I did do a little creative editing to remove part of my hair (very big hair I might add... remember this was 1969!) and the top of Andy's downy little head. Who knew that we could come up with more photos of Mom and Daddy?

218- Busy Day

This has been a happy, busy day. I've got so many things to write about I wish that I could spread it out over several days... but what is the fun in that?

Camille teaches out in Saratoga Springs, which is on the west side of Utah Lake. She has the most beautiful drive out through the fields on winding country roads. She has remarked to me before that she frequently sees dead raccoons on that drive. Today I went with her to work in her room preparing for the new school year. We were driving along and there were THREE!! (count them THREE) dead raccoons all together. I quipped, "What was this, a mass raccoon suicide? Hey, turn around... I want a picture!"

"EEEWWWW, Mom, GROSS!!" So this is *Camille* from her Mood Swing Book...



One of my tasks today was to create more signage for her room. This has been a work in progress... this is the third summer we've worked together on her room. (And each year she needs me less and less but lets me come anyway!) I created *Horton's Happy Birthday* for her birthday wall (I painted Horton 3 summers ago), *Class Rules* and *Reading Strategies* with cool scrapbook paper some mom had donated. I was thrilled when I found this whole pack of Basic Grey paper (what was that mom thinking??) So Horton got the Basic Grey. Ahh, but Horton is up his tree... HIGH UP HIS TREE!

DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME (or at school either!) Yeah, that is a chair on top of a desk!



Now let's r-e-a-c-h way over here...



Finally, this evening was Stuart's summer Chorale performance. This is the second semester he's taken a Chorale class. I was so impressed to see him make this stretch. It is all I can do to contain myself and not stand up and yell, "That's my boy!" (Well, not really, but I used to do that when he'd score in soccer!)

Yeah, Stuart is the handsome man, back and center, with the grey tie!


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217- Anne-Girl

Do you have "those" novels that you just love to read again and again? Aren't they just like an old friend that you've missed and it is so pleasant to get back together again?

A few days ago I got the urge to revisit PEI and that Anne-girl. I was first introduced to Anne of Green Gables produced by Sullivan Entertainment as a series on PBS. Rebekah was quite young, maybe 10-12, and we watched it faithfully each week. Being my reader-girl she'd also check the books out of the Palmdale library. I will never forget the angst I felt when the week's installment ended with Gilbert deathly ill. I COULDN'T STAND IT! I got Rebekah's copy determined NOT to wait a week to see what happened to Gil!



It wasn't long before I knew we needed to buy our own copies of the Anne-girl books. As you can see, they are well loved. And where's my favorite place to read any time of year? Yep, curled up on my bed... ahh, I just love the luxury of it!

216- Thoughtfulness...

This afternoon Stuart's friend, Laura, made a surprise visit to deliver roses to me. Stuart mentioned that it was the anniversary of Tony and Amanda's death and she wanted me to know she was thinking about me. What a sweetheart girl! How did she knew that was exactly what I needed today?


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215- August 3rd

I was just getting ready for bed (having decided I WOULD NOT post today) when I remarked to Gordon that this was the easiest August 3rd I'd had in a long time (perhaps the easiest out of the last 28).

I started the day at the Provo Temple where I was richly blessed by the tender mercies of the Lord for my efforts. The rest of the day has been quiet; I read, worked on FamilySearch indexing and fooled around with a quilt. I've talked to Camille, Stuart and Rebekah, but no tears...

Yes, it's been a good day.



This is a pencil sketch done by my sweet sister, Ann a few years ago. It is from my last photo of the kids.

214- Rosebud

About four weeks ago my large rose bush had finished blooming. It has a tendency to take over the whole front yard (well, I suppose that is just a little exaggerated!) I've never seen a rosebush get this tall and crazy... I've seen it grow 10' tall before I cut it back (with wicked pokey thorns!).

But it seems that it appreciated the cutting; it has sent out a second, even more copious, set of blooms. There have got to be several DOZEN on the bush. Wow... who knew?

This is one of those serendipitous photos that is perfect SOOC (straight out of camera)! With all that time saved on editing I had fun creating an August frame.


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