Maple Mountain

Have I mentioned that this is my favorite time of year? Yeah, I guess I have.

But this is why!

How could you NOT love this?

Timpanogos Wreathed In Clouds

Wednesday morning, on the way to the Temple, I saw that we had received the first snow of the season on Timpanogos!

But not just snow- clouds and it was ethereal!

A Fallish Feel

I just love fall! It wasn't always this way... as a child I loved summer best: no school, my birthday, horseback riding at the creek...

But now...

I LOVE FALL!

As soon as the pumpkins become available I snarf them up and put them on my front porch, uncarved, and they stay there until it is time to put up Christmas decorations. Last year I added some sweet little gourds as well, another happy touch.

This year I was on the look-out for unusual pumpkins; I was hoping for some warty ones... but I found these instead. I love the two mottled pumpkins AND the cornstalks!

So where did I find these wonderful pumpkins? Except for the light one (Wal-Mart) on the right I got all of them from a cute little punkin-patch! It is just some folks selling from their backyard garden (saving money to go to San Diego). They are located at 1025 E 1600 S in Mapleton.

How darling is this! They sell all things fall!

Including this precious little Indian corn.

It's a whole lot of happiness for less than $20.

Serendipitious Meeting

I can't believe that I haven't had the label *serendipity* before now!

Lasterday, up on Squaw Peak, we had just such serendipity! We arrived just minutes after a whole truck load of paragliders. I've seen paragliders often at Point of the Mountain and occasionally from 9th East in Provo... but I've never been up-close-and-personal!



I'm not sure what I expected but I was surprised with the process of launching (they told me they don't *jump*). Everything seems to be contained in a largish duffel bag which they open and re-configure... odd description, but that's the best I can do. It took them the better part of 30 minutes to do this.



After spreading out the wing and re-stuffing everything back into a duffel-bag-now-seat, they strap in and wait for the wind. I think it looks like a turtle's shell. They take everything with them except the vehicle they arrived in.



I turned my back just at the wrong time and missed this guy, the big-kahuna-instructor-guy launch. It was just that quick. Dang!



So I watched this fellow while he waited for the wind to pick up again so he could launch. Gordon pointed out to me that there is a small stake with surveyors tape tied on it that they use as a mini windsock! Clever.

This guy waited for a long time like this, with the wing partly inflated.  Meanwhile Big Kahuna was soaring overhead.



The speed and direction turned just right, paraglider-dude gave several sharp tugs on the strings and the wing started to lift.



Then he turned, started to run, and up he went!



It didn't take long for the others to get their launch.



I can only imagine how wonderful it would be to soar up there in the sky with the birds.

Delicious Colors

I want to lick them!

While up in Provo/Orem today I noticed the beautiful colors on Squaw Peak so when I got home I asked Gordon if he'd like to go on a drive around the Alpine Loop via a side trip to Squaw Peak trail head. The colors were beautiful in spite of the Idaho wildfire's smoke!

TIMPANOGOS SEEN FROM THE SQUAW PEAK ROAD

I LOVE FALL!

It has become my favorite time of year. Not to mention the riot of color- the days are normally consistently warm with cool nights. It seems to be a very predictable season... none of the out-of-control-mood-swings that come with spring!

Gordon and I reveled in this beautiful, perfect, September day! We talked about the luscious colors and how we'd like to capture them... so he did!

We are toying with the idea of painting our front door (which badly needs it) in a wonderful Wasatch Front fall color.

Just look at the palette we have to choose from.

Onion-Legs

Saturday I did my pre-3rd-Sunday-dinner shop at my neighborhood market, Ream's. I love that I have a neighborhood market, but I love even more that they have the most wonderful produce in the area. My daughter-in-law tells me that she has friends in Orem that drive special to Springville just to shop at Ream's (whereas Springville residents frequently trek to Orem because that is where most of the South Utah Valley shopping is located... one way trip is about 15 miles).

Last year I bought a big bag of onions that lasted me well, almost a year. I just threw out the last of the shriveled and sprouting onions last week. In my shopping I saw that Ream's had their fall harvest onions on sale... so I bought a 25 lb bag. That's a lot of onions!



My sister told me of a great way to store onions. You place them, one at a time, into the leg of old pantyhose and tie a knot between each onion. Onions like to stay cool and dry (Hey, I do too!), and then hang them in the dungeon in a cool place.



I picked out all of the big onions to make into onion-legs. It always makes me laugh when I look into the dungeon and see them hanging there. I've been surprised that none of the grandkids even blink at these grotesque legs hanging in there. (Grammie keeps the toys in the dungeon too!)

Apples... Must Be Fall

I realize that the calendar still thinks it's summer but in Springville fall is here! AND I love it. Elio told me it was 44 degrees this morning!

One sure indicators that fall REALLY is here are apples. I love apples... they are such a wonderful fruit. They are the hardy fruit... they store well and they don't spoil too quickly. The other thing is that the are easily redeemed.

What do I mean by that? If an apricot hits the ground, well, there's only one place for it to go and that is the trash. A peach? Maybe if you do it RIGHT NOW... but even a couple of hours and your windfall peach is a bruised mess ready for the trash. But apples... even if they have been birdy-pecked, dropped in the dirt, bounced on the lawn, invaded by insects or just generally deformed it is still useable and edible with a little bit of skillful trimming with a sharp paring knife.

BEHOLD THE BYU BUCKET!

I figured I've yammered on so many times about my *favorite BYU buckets* that they needed some press time. I love these handy plastic buckets with tight fitting lids...

BUT I digress...

I had a bucketful of windfall, birdy-pecked, dropped in the dirt, bounced on the lawn, invaded by insects or just generally deformed apples today (and 3 buckets of OK apples) that needed my attention. These are the little apples that just beg to be made into applesauce.

Applesauce and I go way back... 40 years ago this month I made my first foray into applesauce land.

First you trim out any bad spots (quite a few in today's batch), throw them in a big pot and cook until tender...

I used to use a Foley Food Mill but now I depend on my Vitorio Juicer/Strainer. I picked it up at a garage sale almost 30 years ago and it has served me well. It really is the simplest thing to use.

Pour the cooked apples into the hopper...

Crank the handle and the applesauce comes out the shoot...

And the core, peelings, seeds, etc. go out the end...

Six quarts of redeemed apples!

I couldn't help but reflect on the analogy of how we are redeemed. We are windfall, birdy-pecked, dropped in the dirt, bounced on the lawn, invaded by insects or just generally deformed *little-apples* but the Savior skillfully helps us trim out all of the bad spots and makes us useful in His kingdom.

Happy thought!

The Fruits of My Labors

When I went to a gardening class a few years ago the instructor asked how much of the growing process the gardener is responsible for. I was surprised at the answer:

5%

Sounds crazy doesn't it? The Master Gardener does the other 95%! I like that.

But once the fruit is ripe, yeah, that ends up back on the 5%'er! That would be me...

aka *The Little Red Hen*!

So this little red hen spent all day Monday harvesting the grapes. Oh my goodness! The vines were loaded! I picked: 9- 3 gallon BYU buckets, 3- medium sized lettuce boxes (which equals 2 BYU buckets) and a large potato box (probably 4 buckets worth!).

Note to self- Next time remove the kitchen shears and pruning shears from your back pockets before taking a potty break!! (bwahahahaha)



Now that LRH had all of those grapes you know what she had to do? Yup, do SOMETHING with them. Previously I've made-

• Juice the WRONG way (it looked like green pea soup! ick)
• Juice the HARD way (too time consuming)
• Raisins (the UTAH way- with a dehydrator and LOTS of stemming- click on the grapes/raisins tag to read about that escapade)

But someone finally told me about the steam juice extractor... Now THAT is the RIGHT way! Behold 47 quarts of pink grape juice! Yes, PINK juice from green grapes!



I think the pink color has something to do with oxidation... sure is pretty!

** Today's photos were edited on my iPhone with Snapseed- it's like PhotoShop for your iPhone! Love it!

Domestic Goddess

Today was MY day!

I started the day by eating fresh raspberries and peaches (ah, I love this time of year). But then it was a time to get busy.



First on my list was to turn 18 *clam shells* of raspberries into raspberry-vanilla jam! I made some back in July and I NEEDED more. Of course, it helps that Ream's had raspberries on sale again.

Next on the list was tomatoes. This is a sampling of what's growing in my garden this year.



I planted two heirloom tomatoes: a golden and a purple. The are pretty but in my book you just can't beat the taste of those good ol' Early Girl[s].

Let's see, where were we? Jam x 21 half pints... tomatoes processed. Don't you think that ought to be enough for a Domestic Goddess.

WELL NO!

My trouble-maker neighbor has been posting her wonderful oatmeal bread all week long!



AND I did just happen to have one half pint of open raspberry vanilla jam!



Oh yeah, that's what I'm talking about!



Gordon says, "I have a suggestion for you- DON'T BE GIVIN' AWAY ANY OF THIS BREAD!"

"Your Wish-Fulfillment Fairy"

Would you like to hear a good story?

This is my good friend, Sheri. We've known each other since our kids were tiny (we both had three preschoolers). Frequently that creates a bond that lasts through separation and time. Back in the day she watched my three littles so I could work a part-time job with Japanese exchange students... and would never let me pay her.



I'm Sheri's friend on Pinterest so when she pinned this recently it came up on my *wall*.



Sheri has many talents (like entertaining 6 preschoolers!) but she doesn't like sewing or crafts and says that JoAnn's Fabrics gives her the jibbles! (My word, not hers... and BTW it is pronounced- hay-BEL-les. Think Spanish!) I don't usually think much about this sort of thing but for some reason this plea just jumped off the page at me.

This time *I* got to be the wish-fulfillment fairy.  I hoard old jeans like nobody else.  A pair of jeans has never willing left my house.  If they are no longer wearable they go on the shelf for my *next-great-idea*!  So I just happened to have a pair of gently-used jeans that no longer fit Gordon.



A quick look turned up *just the right amount* of jumbo rick-rack to girlify the pockets... but, hey, this is a jeans apron... I needed to preserve as much of the jeans personality as possible. I just happened to be a very good reverse-SEWer (not sewer, eeww!) I've had LOTS of practice ripping out seams. True story! I moved this label from the back seam of the pants to the pocket.



While I was in that general vicinity with my seam ripper and razor-blade I saw the leather label and knew it needed to make the move as well. It now lives on the back of the apron.



Ah, and my newest craft-obsession? You guessed it! It needed a froo-froo flower.



I mailed yesterday morning on my way to the Temple so when my phone rang this evening and I saw that it was Sheri I knew the package had arrived.

Now here's the happy-ending part... she'd had a terrible, horrible, very bad day. Everything conspired against her starting with a math class that makes her "brain bleed" and eyes leak! And it was cloudy all day to boot! She found the package on the counter but couldn't recognize the handwriting (hey... I have fairy-good writing!) as she opened the package and drew out the apron the sun burst through the clouds AND out of the package! "Sunshine from the mailbox!"

I'm so grateful that I could be His Hands in this good work.

The Lord, in His Goodness

Wednesdays are my Temple day. I love my service there. So many blessings have come as a result of that service in the last seven and a half years. Today was a particularly good day. It was one of those days where I knew that the Lord was aware of me; that He loves me and ALL who will seek Him. The Lord, in His goodness, delights to own and bless you.

As I was leaving I wanted to get some photos of the beautiful gardens before they are replanted for next spring. Come September I always know that the days are numbered and my next visit could be the one with naked flower beds. (Always a sad time for me... I leave my flowers in as long as I can.)

(DIGITALLY PAINTED IMAGE)

I was using my MPC (aka my iPhone), which can be difficult since I can't see the screen in the bright light. I'd just snapped a couple of photos when I saw movement from the corner of my eye. There was a sweet little hummingbird just feet from me supping at the zinnias!

I zoomed in and just kept blindly taking photos, hoping I would get something good.

It was just one more Tender Mercy of the Lord... just one more witness that He is aware of me and gave me a chance to see one of His wonderful creations.

Labor Day

For the last several weeks I've felt fussy every time I look in my pantry. It just wasn't organized!

So this-day, Labor Day, I decided that it was a good time to tackle this mess. Funnily enough one of my cute little neighbors did her Grandma's pantry as well.

I pulled out my MPC because I was too lazy to walk upstairs and get my Rebel... ahh well... I can't be too energetic on a holiday, can I?

The last time I did this type of *take-everything-out-and-wipe-down-the-shelves* cleaning was just after Simba died when all of the neighborhood mice moved in IN MASS! I really needed to do it that time!

I spent all afternoon pulling things out, a shelf at a time, wiping down the happy red-checked shelf liners, throwing away the stuff that was OLD when I moved it here from Palmdale and replacing things in an organized manner.



Now this is the sad part... I took my *after* photo (again with the MPC); when I uploaded them to my computer to write this post I really can't see that much difference. But I don't feel fussy anymore when I look in there. 

My open spice shelf also needed a once over.



No before and after here... but I'm happy to see all of my sparkly-clean spice bottles.