304- Sugar-Plum Faeries

This whole post goes back a long way! At first I would tell you that it goes back to Roxie's 4th birthday party 2 weeks ago, but that isn't really accurate. It really goes all the way back to when I was Roxie's age (which is 54 years ago!)

But I will start at Roxie's birthday party. The whole family was invited to the Lewis' for cake and festivities. Roxie is one of the most excitable and expressive little girls I know (not too unlike her Grammie!). She loves all things princess and frills. We got her a Snow White Barbie doll but Namma (Kaye, Doug's mom) brought the favoritest present! A darling frilly pink tutu with little pink leggings to wear underneath. Princess Roxie-Snow White immediately took off her Snow White dress and put on the tutu. She literally jumped and danced with glee. Kaye and I discussed how fun it was for little girls to have a tutu... then I said, "I want a tutu! Bwahahahaha, but then I would look like a Disney hippo in a tutu! bwahahahaha!"

That was when my plan was hatched! Why couldn't I have a tutu? I'd rescheduled Grammie Dinner from the 3rd Sunday to Halloween day. What a fun surprise to greet the kids at the door in my fancy Grammie-tutu!

I set to work to *build* a Grammie-tutu! Can you believe it? There wasn't ONE pattern at JoAnn's for a Grammie-sized-tutu! So I did what I do best... wing it. I purchased a bunch of tulle and set to work. I spent most of the day Friday laboriously gathering ruffles and sewing my tutu... the results? I didn't like it so much. So Saturday, after working an extra shift at the Temple, I came home, cut up all of my hard work and made this tutu. WHY DIDN'T I JUST DO THAT IN THE FIRST PLACE? Who knows?

Notice the brown leggings to go under the Grammie-tutu.

The minute I put it on yesterday I could hear the music from Nutcracker- Dance of the Sugar Plum Faeries in my mind I looked long and lithe as I pirouetted across the stage.  I even danced to the door at the first knock, threw open the door and saw... nope... not grand kids... but a very amused friend, Marie!

This is how I felt (see... long, lithe... but I've been cheated in the legs department!)

Sweet Ashton in a quickly altered Grammie-tutu (aka- tighten the elastic).

But reality is that I am a 58 year-old Grammie and do truly resemble that hippo in a tutu.

But in my heart of hearts I am still this sweet little girl who wants to grow up and be a ballerina...

Ann, Mom, Sue and Joanie at Burney Falls circa 1958

303- Baby Angel

302- Oreo Cows

Have you ever seen an Oreo Cow? What clever beasts! This big boy lives across the road from the herd.



And here are the girls...

301- Autumn Sunset

I've been treated this week to a series of beautiful sunsets... here is just one example.

300- Autumn's Glory

I've mentioned before that fall/autumn is my favorite season. For the last several years I've boycotted Halloween but have fully embraced the pumpkin... sounds silly, I know.

I love collecting pumpkins and gourds to display on my front porch. They just make me happy! I may have to follow the example of my friend, Sheri, and plant some pumpkins next year and grow my own!

299- In Their Shoes

This last weekend in Samaria, Idaho got me to thinking about what it would have been like to be a pioneer. I have the utmost respect for these sturdy folks as they carved their niche in this vast land.

I thought, "What would it be like to walk in their shoes?"



They faced the daunting task of cultivating the ground in a hard, inhospitable land.



Their simple tools had to be cared for and repaired by themselves.



This would have been a luxury to have an automated washing machine... with a wringer! No more raw knuckles using the old wash board.



And all that wash needed to be ironed; laboriously heating and reheating the iron on the wood stove, yes, even in the summer.



Was there ever much *me* time for these pioneers? Did they have time to primp? How often could they really use their funny little hair crimpers? Maybe just on Sundays.



Yes... I have the highest regard for the pioneers.

298- A Passion for History

Yesterday I blogged about Shayna's farm; what I didn't allude to is that she isn't the only amazing person that lives there.  Her husband, Luke, fittingly a History teacher, has a life-long love affair with history and Samaria history in particular. Luke doesn't sit idly by just reading and studying history, he has done his part to preserve it! All of these pioneer cabins are now on his property.

I don't remember all the things Shayna told us about these old buildings, but this one, the Summer Kitchen, was definitely my favorite. This one was moved by dragging it on telephone poles.



The interior of the Summer Kitchen... Luke has really gone out of his way to furnish these little buildings.



This is the largest of the cabins in their *backyard*. Luke has added the second story. This is one of the cabins that he numbered, dismantled and reconstructed.



Look at the beautiful original dovetail corners. You know they were created with hand tools by the original builder.



This little cabin is special because it is constructed by laying 2 by 6 planks on top of each other. It would have to cut down on the chinks!



But this one... Luke dismantled and stored this cabin when he was only 15! What foresight! This cabin was built in 1869 by Thomas John Davis, the Great- Grandfather of Olive May Davis Osmond, mother of the famous Osmond family. She was born in this cabin as was her father, Thomas Martin Davis. It was rebuilt at its present location in 2008-2010 by the Community of Samaria. This cabin originally had a sod roof.



The main room.



The bedroom.



It was dedicated in July 2010.

297- Shayna's Farm

Holly gave us the Samaria tour while we were there. One of my favorite stops was at Shayna's farm! (Coincidentally, Shayna is also Holly's new daughter-in-law's name.  What are the chance? Both spelled the same!)

Shayna is one of those amazing 21st century women: she is a stay-at-home mom with 5 children (between about 3 and 11), she has her Masters degree, and she runs her little farm, with the help of her kids and husband, to supplement the family's income. What a gal!

Holly told us that Shayna had a new calf to show off so we were anxious to see that little sweetie! This is Bambi. Isn't he cute? Sadly, HE won't be on the farm long... only SHE cows get that privilege.   The rest end up in someone's freezer.



This is Bambi's mama, Amy. What a pretty little jersey cow. She just looked so sweet tempered.



What I didn't realize before we got to the farmyard was that there wasn't just one calf on Shayna's farm! No! There are 6 tiny calves all in these holding pens. (Plus another bunch from teenage to almost-ready-for-slaughter cattle.)



They will suck on anything that holds still long enough for them to latch on. Shayna's been bottle feeding them until last week when Amy had her calf.



Now Amy is feeding ALL SIX BABIES! Look at that udder! It makes me hurt just to think of it, but I guess cows don't suffer with engorgement like humans. Shayna will either milk Amy and bottle feed the calves or let the them nurse, two at a time, for a determined length of time based on their size. I didn't know that if a calf is allowed to nurse as much as it wants it will get scours (calf-diarrhea). Of  these tiny calves only one is another little female jersey, Daffodil, Daffy for short, who will stay on at the farm and help Amy with future babies.



Shayna's been taking care of cattle since she was old enough to hold the bottle on top of her little head to have it tall enough to bottle feed a calf.

She let Bambi out so we could see him better but it ended up being a romp with the kids chasing after him with Bambi kicking up his heels and trying to figure out how to get to his mama. All the while mama was calling him in her sweet, mellow, bovine-voice. Shayna had to intervene and carry him back to his pen.



No farm is complete without chickens. I've never seen so many different breeds of chickens in the same coop! This spotty-dottie hen was one of my favorites, but there were little Bantams and some ginormous I-don't-know-whats. There were a few with fluffy faces and one even had her feathers on upside-down (looked very similar to what I call Utah-Hair!)



There are also pigeons. Several made a get-away this last summer and have roosted just above the patio... so you can imagine what that corner of the patio looks like. All efforts to capture them have been unsuccessful.



Nanny is a sweet little miniature horse. I'll need to do some research and figure out the difference between a miniature horse and a pony. Anybody out there know the difference?



The older children are all very involved with the animals as part of their 4-H projects, what a great program... makes me miss the rural life... well, just a little bit. 

It is safe to say that a good time was had by all.

296- Dumped in the Woods

You have to question your welcome when your host puts you in the back of his pick-up truck, drives you to the top of a mountain, dumps you off without food or water, spits gravel as he peels out and leaves you there!

OK I made up the part about spitting gravel! Yeah, and we kind of wanted him to drive us up so we could walk down... but that doesn't make as good a story!

Holly and Brian's new home in Idaho is beautiful and situated on the foothills over looking the valley. And we are having such a wonderful time.

Do you know how beautiful it is up there on this deserted mountain? Do you know how wonderful it smells with two little doggies stirring up the fallen leaves and sage? It was as wonderful as any Big Bear Weekend we ever had.

HOLLY, JOANIE, SONJA, PAULINE ENJOYING THE AUTUMN COLORS

Three of us pack cameras... one of us packs a 22 to keep away any stray coyote! Sonny didn't waste any time to start clicking (but obviously so did I!)



See the tree line? That is where we started and we're about half way down. This is also the view up the mountain from Holly's house.



Pauline and Sonja have been friends the longest they met when P was 19 and Sonny was 12. It is so wonderful to have old friends; and at our age we have old friends and OLD friends.



This is our first glimpse of Holly's house. P had the idea of the point at the house. And there is the view... ah, the view.



Now for a little minute it's *gonna be all about me!*

Usually I'm the one behind the camera, it isn't often that I am the subject of the shoot, but if P is around then it is likely that I will have some incrementing photos. As we were sitting around this evening P starts to howl with laughter... then she shows me some of her photos.

*Bwahahahaha, Joanie, you look like a homeless gnome!*



I was smelling the wonderful sage... and this was a telephoto shot!



But this is my favorite, *P, do I have something in my nose?*



Yes, it is wonderful visit with old friends.

295- Pumpkin Walk

We got to enjoy a local festival, The Pumpkin Walk. It was very fun. Holly said that by the end her face hurt from smiling. There are HUNDREDS of carved pumpkins lining the park walks.



And the displays? They are created using pumpkins, gourds and squash depicting different children's movies and books. The first display was A Bug's Life. I thought the art work on this bug-guy's face was awesome.



These pumpkins as flower centers were clever.



And Freddy Feet! Gotta have a picture of Freddy Feet!



The penguins from Madagascar...



And, Phil, you filthy monkey...


(Funny story- when Christian was about 4 his mom asked him to go wake Daddy up very nicely.  He marched down the hall, flung open the door and hollered, *Dad, get up you filthy monkey!* bwahahahaha)

This corn husk, dried corn, fruit and berries is from The Polar Express.  Somehow I missed getting photos of the faces of the characters; again, a work of art.  Love the *punkin-presents*.



This little piggy was my favorite... look at the *nipples*!



It was finished off with a beautiful sunset and the rising full moon.



Good fun, good friends.

294- The Girls

Ages ago, the early 90's when we all had smallish children and needed a break, we started the tradition of a girls-getaway weekend. Those first years we went to a *cabin* in Big Bear City, CA. (Yeah, and that cabin was bigger than any of our houses!) We crafted, we sewed, we watched movies, we cried, we hiked, we laughed, we ate out and frequently embarrassed ourselves (well, usually just me!)

Wanna' hear the story?

We were waiting to be seated at IHOP. I bought a bouncey-ball from one of the quarter machines to take to one of my grandsons.  Of course, I had to play with it. I bounced it higher and higher. I gave it one last almighty throw and it bounced straight up and BROKE ONE OF THE FLORESCENT BULBS! and you know how they explode. As if that wasn't embarrassing enough  another *lady* waiting to be seated got her video cam up in my face and mocking what I'd just done... yeah, I went for a walk down by the lake and cried!

But I regress (yes, and in more than just my behavior!)

Here we are nearly 20 years later... older, wiser but still having lots of fun with each other.

PAULINE, HOLLY, JOANIE, SONJA