Grammie's Helper

This fall I have the blessing of having Fiona and Liam come to my house every other Monday. I can't even begin to describe how much I enjoy this time with these sweet babies. There is just something magical about have being with grandchildren one on one... but to have them at my house is even sweeter.

I bought a flat of strawberries at Ream's on Saturday evening and put the directly into the fridge. This morning I noticed that a couple of the boxes had a *hairy* strawberry in it and needed my attention. After putting Liam down for his morning nap Miss Bitty and I tackle the job of strawberry washing.

Call me silly, but I don't just rinse my strawberries. I like to  put them into a sink of water and swish them around. *Nona* helped me put them into the cold water... some got the dump and others got to go in one at a time. Of course there was a liberal amount of tasting.

This little girl (who JUST turned two) speaks in complete sentences, just like a big person. It always blows me away that we have conversations!

When we'd fished all of the washed strawberries out of the left sink and into the waiting colander I pointed out to Miss Nona how dirty the water was and that is why we wash them.

Without missing a beat she said, "Looks like they pooped in the water!" Bwahahaha!

Since all I planned on doing with this flat of berries was to freeze them for *Grammie's Shake-its* our job was soon completed. Such a happy day.

Alpine Loop & Cascade Springs

Last week was, well, let's just say... stressful. I was in the final preparation for the Primary Sacrament Meeting presentation (which I'm in charge of), did Grammie-duties three times, bottled spaghetti sauce, forgot and, fortunately remembered, that I needed to come up with the printed program for Sunday's meeting, remembered in the nick of time that I was also getting the popcorn treat for Sunday's reward sharing time, planning and having 3rd Sunday Grammie Dinner, plus lots of other things I'm forgetting like walking, mowing, etc.

So when Monday morning dawned I was READY for a little R and R! I suggested that Gordon and I make the annual Alpine Loop drive (that my Dee-Lor-EE-Ous and I used to make) in his 1990 Reatta convertible... the best way to enjoy that drive!

As we were leaving Gordon hinted that perhaps we should bring Harley, who heretofore has been banned from a ride in the classic car! He was DE-lighted to be included and behaved himself like a very responsible doggy-boy in Poppa's special car.

There are so many happy memories on this drive... most of them with DeLoris, but also a fair-few with Gordon. It is just one of those drives that makes my heart happy.

This was always our first photo-op, looking back down at Sundance.

The colors are more muted this year. Perhaps we were a little too early. Maybe we will have to go again.

Gordon asked if I'd like to take the detour down to Cascade Springs. I always love this sweet place.  The first time I remember visiting here was in August 1981 with Gordon.

As I walked the trail that loops around the three different areas of Cascade Springs I was taken aback by a memory...

This beautiful trail...

used to look like...

This!

PHOTO TAKEN 21 OCTOBER 2005

"On Sept. 23, 2003, a prescribed burn to treat 600 acres of oak woodland near Cascade Springs on the Uinta National Forest went out of control, resulting in a 7,828-acre wildfire that sent smoke into the Salt Lake City-Provo area for a week."

2005 was the year that DeLoris and I started our annual tradition of driving the Alpine Loop together. I loved that first trip so well that Gordon, Buddi and I  repeated it a few days later and revisited Cascade Springs. I was grateful, this year, when I realized that the forest had regrown!

The upper springs always amaze me... all of this water just appears out of nowhere!

As I was looking at the comparison photos I recognized that I had this same shot now, looking down into Cascade Springs...

and 10 years ago.

If you'd like to read more of my adventures from this annual tradition, just click on the Cascade Springs tag below the post.

The *Joys* of Home-Canning

(THIS RETRO/VINTAGE PRESSURE CANNER IS ONE MY MOM BOUGHT ME IN 1973 WHEN I WAS 21. 

DOES THAT MEAN THAT I AM NOW CONSIDERED RETRO/VINTAGE?)

The following diatribe is somewhat tongue-in-cheek (I think!) but if this was my first experience with home canning it would also be my last.

I've worked for the last 6 hours to *put up* 8 pints of spaghetti sauce. Of course, these tomatoes came from my garden so that 6 hours doesn't include the time it took to have turf-war with the neighborhood swine-deer or the planting;  then the picking, washing, sorting and initial cooking done last night.

I put the pot of hot tomatoes in the garage last night to cool so the only thing I had to do this morning is send them through the Vitorio, add onions, celery, garlic (oops, forgot the garlic) and spices. The first setback arrived when I knocked the half-full pot of tomatoes off the counter (bending my good pot!) where they shot across the floor in a tomato tsunami and spattered all over the cabinets.

Gordon: Are you ok? Do you need help?
Joanie: No. Yes, bring me the two old pink towels from under the bath/laundry room counter.
Gordon: Sure sorry that happened.

Insert scene of Joanie spatulating, wiping, mopping, and cleaning cabinets and floor. Then a trip down to the the laundry sink to soak the mess out of the towels.

Joanie: Please help me remember to turn off that water. (Exit to dungeon to get onions while starting to feel frazzled.
Gordon: No problem. How long will that be?
Joanie: Until it is half full: about 5 minutes.

Insert more cleaning and chopping in the Ninja (thumb still intact!)

An indeterminate time later...

Gordon: Dam!
Joanie: I could have done this! (maniacal laughter)

Good thing I have quite a supply of old towels under said laundry sink counter to clean up the flood on the floor!

Cook and stir. Watch. Repeat. Continue cleaning all of the implements used to make this mess sauce.

Tell me again... what is so wrong with buying that case of Prego spaghetti sauce?

Oh! I remember! It's because I love how home grown tomatoes taste and there is nothing like it.

Sometimes I wish I'd never tasted a home-grown tomato!