September 30th - first snow of the fall

Heavy winds and lots of rain last night and this morning. When the clouds began to lift, it gave us a glimpse of the white on the mountains. Can fall really be coming this early? It is true that each season has its beauty, but it's also true that the winter season has it's particular challenges. We have been spoiled the last few weeks with lovely weather here at home. Maybe we needed that in our memory bank so that we can get through the harsh winter months that are just ahead with the idea that things will return next spring. Now, after this storm, we will hope for a few more weeks of Indian Summer, so that we can put the flower beds to sleep and take care of our tools of the summer.

Sedum Autumn Joy

Be sure to click on these to enlarge - the first picture is a bit fuzzy, but the second shows the beauty of each tiny, individual flower.

One of the nicest plants in the autumn garden - Sedum Autumn Joy. The names of plants are so descriptive. We had a tree in our garden in Tumwater that was a real glory. We originally purchased it for the dental office small garden, because the "qualified" person at the greenhouse assured us that it would be a small tree. As it became larger, we moved it to our home on Tumwater Hill, where it was happy and really stretched its' boundaries. The name? Ceracidum Japonicum - or commonly known as Katsura. Now, so much time has passed since I've seen the name written that I've probably misspelled it, but the lilt of the sound of the name when spoken is very appealing. Leaves turned a lovely yellow in the fall.

The Last Rose of the Summer

One of the David Austen rose bushes has burst forth in a last magnificent burst of fragrant flowers and lovely soft colors. Won't be long until they are all gone - 38 degrees above Farenheit this a.m. We are not ready for frosts and colder weather!

Snow on the first day of Autumn - in Wyoming, of Course!

We started out for home from Franklin, Nebraska, with the smell of rain that fell in the night, and stormy skies. The roads run straight north between huge fields of corn ripe and ready for harvesting.

The wind blew at us all the way across Nebraska, and the windmills that dot the landscape in southern Wyoming along Interstate 80 were very busy. They look like the monoliths from Jules Verne's "War of the Worlds".

We got some drenching rain and some spitting snow in western Nebraska, but by the time we got into the mountains between Cheyenne and Laramie, things were really working at a winter storm. The bust of Lincoln that has stood by the old Lincoln highway (now a rest stop, and a little above the new freeway) looked almost mysterious in the blowing snow. (I had the son of the sculptor in my Laramie Prep art classes the year that I taught art for my assistanceship. Now, ask me his name. It began with an R.)

As you can see, the storm was not too pleasant. Blowing snow at this time of the year seems a little precipitious! We were glad to see the end of the pass, although we weren't quite through with the snow. The roofs of the houses in east Laramie were coated with snow - Sorry we couldn't see Seth on his birthday, but we didn't know how to find him, and hopefully, he was in class or at work.

As we looked back on Laramie and the mountains behind, we could see the effects of the storm behind us.

This sign at the rest stop west of Laramie deserves an enlargement so that you can read all about it. Titled "Wyoming Winds", the whole thing tells a story!

We were glad to get this far - and things did keep fairly calm with only a smattering of sleet now and then.

The farther west we got, the better the weather became. We were glad to blow into Rock Springs, stay the night, and then on to Preston this morning. Yippee! Glad to be back home.

University of Wyoming, Vice President Cheney and Seth

Sonja forwarded these pictures and Seth's comments to us. This must have been quite an experience. In reading this, though, it makes me sad because we are in such an era of incivility.

" Here are some of the highlight photos of the event. It was the naming of the Cheney International Center. Cheney himself donated 3.5 million to the school, most of it went into this. It was very neat. Myself and a couple girls from my honors English class (teacher let us out early) were the only students to shake his hand. It was funny because I was the only one who would walk in front of the media reporters and get nearer. You'll notice in the photos that I continued to move closer. There was a HUGE crowd. Most of the crowd consisted of protesters - who by the way were VERY rude. They kept yelling throughout his speech - it was very annoying. Mr. Cheney looked really relieved to see a few students come up to him that weren't yelling at him. Again, everyone else left. The only other people who got up to shake hands with him were reporters and other adults. I was the first person to shake his hand - I just trotted right up there in front of everyone. I told him "Thank you for defending the Free world", and then he asked for my name and where I was from. I didn't realize how small the guy is. Anyway, it was awesome. I thought I had a picture of me shaking his hand, but I guess the person I asked to take the pictures was a little fuzzy on how to run the camera - but oh well, I've got a picture of us talking. Very cool - I'm glad I skipped class for it and I'm glad I wasn't afraid to walk right on up there.Also, the newspaper was asking for my name, my hometown, and my major - I guess they were interested because I ran up there so fast and I was one of the only students who wasn't there to protest. Boy that was cool.

Paul Thode's Windsor Chair

This was my birthday present a few years ago. Ron was attending the annual Woodturner's Symposium at BYU at the end of May, and he came home (Dwight's and Velna's house in Orem, so that tells you that it was a while ago!) saying that he wanted me to pick out a birthday present from the gallery of woodturnings that the international teachers were showing. When we reached the door of the gallery, he said, "Come with me" and lead me to this chair. The price made me gasp, but it is an exquisite treasure. So the chair became my birthday present, and sits on a side table, holding a seated Boyd's bear. Much to our delight, the last copy of American Woodturner's magazine has an article on Paul Thode, and we found that he is now 90 years old and still making lovely miniature reproductions of classic furniture. (And, at the last woodturner's symposium that Ron was able to attend ((two years ago)), we found that the price was about 3 times the original price, so not only did we buy something beautiful and enjoyable, but, unlike real estate, it has appreciated in value. I've heard that you should not buy collectible art because you hope it will become more valuable over time, but it's nice when that happens.

Books to Read

Some good books I've read lately: "The Guernsey LIterary and Potato Peel Pie Society" by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows; "The Persian Pickle Club" by Sandra Dallas, and "The Last Lecture" by Randy Pausch. No reviews here, just good reading.

Russian Pumpkin Overwhelms All!

Enlarge this picture so that you can see how the apple tree is being engulfed with giant pumpkin vines, leaves, and blossoms.

This gargantuan pumpkin is wedged in the crotch of the tree, with branches holding it up.

This is a better view - the next puzzle is, how does one harvest a pumpkin out of an apple tree without damaging the tree?

Our friends, Kitty and Leo, planted this unusual plant, nurtured it, and then went on a trip for about a week. When they came home, the vines had taken over huge parts of the garden. The seeds for this plant came from Russia many years ago, from Leo's family (who now live in North Dakota.) The pumpkins last, and can endure a lot of cold. (Makes sense.) We will be anxious to try this epicurian treat later this fall.

The Skunk Stunk!

We can really tell that fall is coming! Every other night during the last week, we have been awakened in the early, early hours after midnight by the disagreeable effluvium that only a skunk that is aroused can emit into the atmosphere! There is a wild scramble to close all the open windows in the house, and attempt to rid each room of the horrible smell. Ever since Walt Disney promoted the "cuteness" of this dirty, smelly animal in the movie "Bambi" with the cute little skunk, Flower, the animal has enjoyed a remote popularity. (Remote, as in cute from a distance.) Actually, as we live near Creamery Hollow where lots of wildlife lives, we are subject to the depredations of this obnoxious black and white animal. Growing corn in the garden was chancy, because a skunk (or even a racoon) can tell when it's ready to eat, and can knock down the entire plant. I can remember my inborn fear of this animal, since, as a child, I was often out and about in the summer, and sometimes ran into one of the fat, waddling black and white smelly animal. It would have no fear of me, but I would turn and run, heart beating faster, hoping to avoid the inevitable tail lifting and ensuing smell. No picture accompanies this posting, because I certainly am not going to attempt to find a subject to photograph.

Flowers of Late Summer

Sedum Autumn Joy is beginning to put on it's pink tint, as the flowers begin to open up. The honeybees are very busy on these plants.

And, it's the last of the gladioli (is that plural for gladiolus?) Some of the flowers are putting on a last push, as the nights get cooler and cooler. Turning the calendar for September was a big shock. Who would think that time could fly so fast? Next, we'll be hauling the big geranium pots into the garage to winter over in the south window. Some of them are becoming large specimens.