Instant Gratification

"Instant gratification!" that's what Jose said.

"Go!" I replied!

"Ack! Camera!!"

And in the time it took me to run in to fetch it this was as close to a *BEFORE* picture as I got!

This Jose wasn't kidding!

I've known that this tree HAD TO GO! Even though it gave some nice shade, that was the only positive thing I can say about it.

Cons-

• Super-hard wood that defied loppers
• Made my little electric chain saw strain
• Covered with ugly, stinky blossoms in the spring
• Dropped even uglier, messier, purple-er sticky berries all summer which then wanted to sprout into more ugly trees OR
• Birds ate said berries then dropped purple poop everywhere
• Stupid little leaves that turned ugly and were hard to rake up
• Was fast growing and in danger of lifting the fence and cement where Fernando lives

Here is the only photo I have of what it looked like as a good shade tree.

(Photo taken July 2013 and makes me long for beautiful flowers and lush grass)

I love to watch skilled workers do their job. You might not think someone who chops down trees qualifies, but he does. He told his helper, "I want to peel this limb." I knew just what he meant- cutting it partially and letting it peel down kept it from whacking the fence. Then the fellow on the ground could get control of it before he cut the last little part.

And you remember the super hard wood from the list above? These guys really had to put their shoulders in it to get this thing to grind! (I even saw them using their legs to give it a push and had to look away!! I don't want any photos of severed limbs!)

I was impressed that Jose and his team of workers had this bad boy cut, chipped, cleaned up and hauled away in just TWENTY MINUTES! Yes, that does qualify as instant gratification. All that is left is the stump, which has had it's brain killed!

Well, and two more stumps added to the collection on my porch. Silly girl! But there you are.

Yes, and all of this would have taken me TWENTY HOURS, minimum!

Sweet Linden Trees

As I sit here this evening blogging from my deck I am enveloped with the aroma of my back-door neighbor's linden trees. Every June they burst forth in a heady, sweet fragrance that is sometime so thick it is almost overpowering!

I'm sure that I've seen them in bloom before but I couldn't remember what they looked like so I asked if I could come capture their likeness. Certainly to pour forth a scent that is best described as being similar to plumeria or freesia the blossoms must be large, similar to east coast dogwood or camellias.

But, no, they are just these little fuzzy blossoms.

And what did I spy on my way to get this photo? A precious white butterfly making the rounds on my lavender. He and the honey bees were taking it in turn to sup at the spikes.

Purple Robe Locust

This year, the 9th since I planted it, my Purple Robe locust tree is putting on quite a show. A quick Google search showed me that this beautiful tree doesn't photograph well. I wish you could see it with your very own eyes. It is a beauty!

Now this...

THIS! is what the beautiful flowers look like!

And the smell? Yup, it's heaven! Somewhere sweet between lilacs and honeysuckle. And now I have purple snow on my lawn from the dropping blossoms.

April Fool's Day

There was a time when I wouldn't have let this day go by without some kind of April Fool's joke... but somehow I just didn't have the oomph to think of anything this year.

The weather has been rainy today, which is much appreciated. In spite of our long, cold, snowy winter we are only at 70% of normal for rain and snow. Ah well, *Fritz* keeps reminding us that we live in the 2nd driest state in the country.

But look at the very lovely non-April Fool's treat I saw today-

My lilacs are ready to burst. I'm hoping for warm open-window days so I can enjoy their heady perfume.

And see what I spied out my kitchen window this morning.

♪♫•*¨*•.¸¸ ¸¸.•*¨*•♫♪ 

I looked out the window and what did I see? Popcorn popping on the apricot tree! 

♪♫•*¨*•.¸¸ ¸¸.•*¨*•♫♪

Anita's Big Adventure

You will remember that Anita came to live with us in December 2011. Anita is a Colorado Blue Spruce (called Fat Albert- which I thought was so rude because Anita is a girl and she's just fluffy!) The original plan was that she was going to be our Christmas tree (which she performed without a flaw) and then take the place of the dying flowering pear tree on the north side of the front yard... but the rub was that said flowering pear decided to live and thrive so Anita was out of luck!

I didn't know what to do. So for the next 15 months Anita lived-

• on the deck
• in the side yard on top of the peach tree stump
• on the front porch decorated as a Christmas tree 
• on the front porch as a naked tree (look out of the way)

But Anita needed a permanent home. And today she finally got one!

The first step was to move her from the front porch to the backyard. She is a little prickly (hey, people called her Fat Albert!) So I yoinked her off the porch into my wheelie-cart (which I'd love to get a twin for!) and wheeled her to her new PERMANENT HOME.

Since this is the first tree I've named I thought she needed a little bit of journaling... after I trimmed off some bottom branches she is 36" wide... (I love how the grass shadows highlight the appropriate number- a little serendipity there!)

And 45" tall. Anita you are so big! I think it will be fun to watch her grow over the coming years.

It was an absolutely perfect lambie March day... look at that sky!

And as long as I was in the backyard...

I decided to tidy up a different peach tree stump (I trimmed fruit trees this week). Sadly this is the second fruit tree I've lost to some kind of bore-beetle.

But because I'd been using all of my Grammie-arm-muscles (aka Relief Society arms) they were sore and weak. I couldn't put enough pressure on the saw to make much progress with my little chain saw. What to do? What to do?

I know!! Use my strong legs! That little saw just went through the rest of the stump like it was butter! There is just no substitute for strength!

Yay little-Joanie! Your short stocky legs paid off again! (Even if they are painfully white!)

Mare's Tail

We had one of those warm winter days today (read- 40*, but it's amazing how warm that feels!) I went on a little walkie at about 4:30 this afternoon. It was one of those lovely windless days! I could feel the sun baking through my charcoal-colored pants... Ah, lovely sun!

I hadn't gone far before the glorious clouds claimed my attention. Mare's tails- I love them.

Not 20 paces further and I NEEDED to capture this tree, I think it is a catalpa tree, hoping for warmer days... just like me!

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.

The Dream Trees

Back in 2009, when I'd first started my photo of the day blogging, I had a very vivid dream. I was in Greenville and I was taking this photo...

When I woke up I was quite distressed because I knew I didn't have that photo. I even asked my niece, Cindy, if she had it, but she didn't either. I yearned to be there in my little hometown.

That yearning hasn't subsided over the last 3+ years so I decided to finally do something about it! Since I am on my *Grand Tour* road-trip (where I go to all of my family-places in California) I knew that I needed to go through Greenville and get some of the photos I've been yearning for.

But for tonight, as I'm tiredly writing this from my room on the 24th floor of the Nugget in Reno, NV (The Biggest-Little-City in the World) I give you my dream trees... I'm so grateful to finally have this photo.

I will be back in the next few days with all sorts of posts about my travels and finds when I'm not so tired (You know, I'm not 30 anymore!)

Christmas Apples

Back in the day... we always got an apple and an orange along with nuts in our Christmas stocking. (Random fact... it has nothing to do with this post, but I thought about it just now as I titled this post.)

Now for the real post-

I suppose phenomenon of apple-ornaments has occurred other years and I just haven't noticed it but this year I'm noticing all of the apples still hanging, just like festive ornaments, on the trees (which is interesting, since if I don't spray my apple tree I don't have ANY apples on it by the time they should be ripe... am I babbling?)

I think they look so beautiful...



Yesterday and today have been wonderful sunshiny days, for which I am very grateful after a couple of weeks of fog.  I was able to capture these natural ornaments with a beautiful cerulean background.



The thing I want to know is this-

• Why don't the birds eat these? 
• Are they fermented? 
• Are they frozen? 
• Just not tasty enough? (The birds always want to eat MY apples!)

This is a different tree... a crab apple.  It lives across the street from the other apple trees.



These two trees are in my neighborhood, but I've seen these apple-ornaments on apple trees all over town.  Do you have any apple-ornaments where you live?

Beatrix and Anita

(Where to start the story?)

• Beatrix is roomer than you'd think (I've camped in the back)
• I have a tree that has been threatening to die for the last 3 years.
• I've had a fake tree every year since 1990!
• I've always wanted a live Christmas tree.

Hmmmm... maybe that last one is as good as any. The thought of buying a live tree for Christmas and then planting it afterwards has always appealed to me. And since I have a tree that is *mostly dead* (name that movie) I have a good reason to make this year be the year.

Friday was my day to run some errands which included a trip to Home Depot. A couple of weeks ago I'd seen a beautiful little Norfolk Pine that I thought would be wonderful in my yard... until I discovered that it wouldn't survive in my cold-winter climate. I headed outside and looked at the selection: some variety that would grow to 200 feet tall, hmm, maybe not! A Scotch pine, I never cared too much for them and since the recent wind storm that uprooted 1000+ pine trees, that was a definite NO. Then I spotted a Colorado spruce- Fat Albert- Picea pungens: hardiness -40F, mature size 10-15 feet, with the added feature of being deer resistant. But I've decided that this tree is not Albert... but Anita and she can be pleasingly-plump if she wants.

Now for the *how do I get Anita home?*... in Beatrix, of course! I pulled the front passenger seat all the way forward and then inclined the seat toward the dash to create a large space behind... just right for Anita to ride in the back seat (on the floor, of course).



A very nice young man loaded it for me, somewhat skeptical that Anita would fit behind the passenger seat. I will tell you that I thoroughly amused two ladies who were parked by me as we drove away!  When I got home I was able to lever her out using my foot to lift the pot up over the door ledge... but now, ugg... Anita is a bit prickly! (Well, I never!) I ended up putting my jacket around the tree to protect myself, balanced half of the pot on my snow shovel and while holding onto the edge of the pot dragged it into the garage, for safe keeping. I won't bore you with how Gordon and I got her inside- suffice it to say it involved a large blanket and an old bath towel.

It wasn't until I started decorating that I realized just how long it's been since I've had a real tree for Christmas (the aforementioned 1990). I totally enjoyed decorating Anita in her holiday finery all by mine-self while singing Christmas hymns. I carefully unwrapped and sorted through the huge box of Christmas decorations from all those Christmases-past... most of them with a special memory attached. I was even brave enough to open an old beat up box that has lived in the bottom of the big box of ornaments that belonged to Tony and Amanda. I put a few of them on the tree... all without a single tear... what a blessing!



This precious little basket dates clear back to my grandmother, El (short for Elsie), she would put nuts or candy in these little baskets.



Although I have very few ornaments from my mom, Elsie, this is the one that I think of as HERS. She made this for me in the early 70s. It used to have a ribbon to hang it by, but the mice got into the ornament box some 25 years ago and ate it! (How rude!) I also have some precious little porcelain bells that used to hang on Mom's tree.  I love to hear their tinkling song.



And then there is Rudolph... he's been MY ornament for as long as I can remember. You can see that he is much loved and only has two legs left. It is so nice to see him up and about again!



I'm looking forward to a peaceful Christmas AND years of joy with my new, somewhat prickly, friend Anita!

Alpine Loop

I love traditions! This-day was the 7th Annual Alpine Loop Drive for Joanie and DeLoris! Yes, we've done this every fall since I moved here in 2005. One year I even "sprung" DeLoris from rehab (the broken hip kind, not the drug kind) so we could make our trip.



We always start in Provo Canyon and head north around the loop. But this year, at DeLoris' request, we started at the other end- American Fork Canyon. It's amazing, but it is a whole different drive. The AF side of the mountains are mostly conifers and aspen with a few maples thrown in. But as soon as you crest the summit it is aspen all the way!





DeLoris is an oil painter, she has such a good artist's eye. She pointed this shot out to me... the lone spot of color on the conifers.



I like this one lone naked aspen standing sentinel over all of his fully-clothed friends...



Another of my favorite sights is this one...



I love how the fern change color too and create this fern-colored-carpet under the aspen



Towards the end of the loop I caught the sun peeking out from behind the clouds.  We live in such a beautiful world.

Bryce Canyon

Last weekend on our fun explore to southern Utah we decided to come home via Bryce Canyon. I'd never been there before and have always wanted to see it. I WAS NOT DISAPPOINTED!


This is a composite panorama made from seven photos using this cool panorama feature in PSE7.

Our first happy thing was when we drove up to the park entry shack. I told Gordon I thought he was eligible for the Golden Pass. As it turns out it is really called the America the Beautiful Senior pass. But the bottom line is this: $10 purchases a lifetime pass to all National Parks for seniors! OhMyHeck! I can hardly wait until I'm old enough to get my very own!

Our first stop was at Sunrise Point. A short walk took us to the *scenic overlook*. Wow!



On the outermost point was this very weathered tree.



We ate lunch at the Bryce Canyon Lodge and contemplated a horseback ride (maybe next time). Then we trekked back to the car and drove over to Bryce Point. This one took my breath away.



It was apparent that I was not the only one effected that way. There was an unusual reverent feeling from all of the viewers. There was no loud talking... just a group of awestruck people.

The grottos appear all in a row in the same layer of pale sandstone. Following that layer northward (right), the alcoves become windows through a narrow, jutting ridge. The Wall of Windows may have begun as grottos, though the rock behind them has long since weathered away.

Returning [to this scenic point] in different weather, at other times of the day, or in low-angled sunlight the grottos and windows stand out in sharp relief; on an overcast day they virtually disappear.

Apparently we arrived at one of the primo-viewing times!



This is the largest of the arches/windows and, hands-down, my favorite. When Gordon pointed it out he described it by saying, "You see those four men?" As I looked at this photo today it made me think of the Nativity. Can't you just see the wisemen, the shepherds, sheep, donkey, cow, and, of course, the Holy Family. Is it just me?



Now this little fellow... I just love *chick-munks*! They were native to my the Indian Valley, where I grew up. Did you know that you can attract them by clicking your fingernails? True story! I've done it. But when one got up on my knee when I was 5-years-old I jumped up startled and scared him away! What does one DO when they've attracted this little rodent?



I found this phenomenon interesting. It looks like someone poured a large load of cement on the top of these hoodoos.

For the moment, harder caprock prevents the arch from collapsing. Lighter-colored caprock is visible all around this viewpoint, temporarily preserving the hoodoos.

I'm just amazed at what time, wind, rain and snow can do!



OK... now you see that little trail that winds around down there amid all the hoodoos? It is called Peekaboo Loop and on my next trip to Bryce Canyon I will come prepared with hiking boots or perhaps riding boots (as in ride a horse) but I'm going down there. It just calls to me!