Farewell, My Deceitful Lover

Farewell, my icicles. You came into my life like a thing of sublime beauty. Dangling, glistening, beckoning before my eyes in the morning light and the glow of the moon against a black sky. Twinkling brightly, you mesmerized me, all the time working your dark plot while I succumbed to your beauty.  Instead of long straight fingers, like those of a fine pianist, yours have become like jealous claws. And then, suddenly, like a flash flood, I discovered that you had let your evil twin into my life, and his works were streaming forth from every crack and crevice he could find.

Farewell, my beloved icicles. Our love has been violated by that wicked one who lurks in your shadow, the evil ice dam. Go now, icicles, and should you think to return, I shall be waiting and ready to fend off your advances.

The ATM machine began dispensing twenties...*

I dreamed a crazy dream last night. I was waiting in line at the bank. Finally it was my turn. The ATM machine began dispensing twenties. Of course I was all excited. Who wouldn't be? But then I looked at the crisp new bills in my hand. They were all from Slovenia, and the likelihood I'd be in Slovenia any time soon was slim. In my dream I chuckled and then settled back into my peaceful slumber.

When I awoke, there was no neat pile of twenties - not from here, not from Slovenia. But it seemed that the ATM machine in the sky had delivered plenty of fresh new snow. We were blanketed in white once again. The sight of it was priceless.

p.s. there's a moral to this story. The Slovenian twenty has enscribed on it the words "Dulcis ex labore fructus". It means "the fruit of labor is sweet". In other words, there are no free twenties from the ATM of life, but what we work for we value. 

 

Matthew 6:20 ...lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt...  

*My version of Saturday Centus, the theme is in red, above. 

Housebound

A big storm was supposed to roll in last night, so we were surprised to wake up to a clear sky. But that didn't last long. We hung out in our PJs until a little after noon, watching old runs of Saturday Night Live. Ah, what a life!

It was the kind of day that requires plowing the long steep drive if we were going to go anywhere. So, being "stuck" in the house, meant that I'd have to find something other than icicles to photograph.

It was a perfect day to try out some new techniques I'd been wanting to experiment with anyway.

 

Not Just ANY Icicles

OK, I admit it. Perhaps I've gotten carried away with the icicles. But tell me, don't you agree? Aren't these just a little bit different?

I would have photographed something else today, but we spent several hours at the cannery, cleaning the equipment used for canning chicken, beef stew, green beans and other foods. It was quite the experience and I wanted to photograph the machinery and the people working, but by the time we finished cleaning, I only wanted to go home and shower. Perhaps I'll go back there another day just to photograph. So for now, you get icicles.

Sewing Up a Little Love

“Verily I say unto you, inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”
Matthew 25:40

“When ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God.”
Mosiah 2:17

Icicle Mania

My sweet husband thinks it's funny that I seem to be obsessed with the icicles that hang from our roof. Having spent most of my life in sunny California, I can definitely say they're a novelty to me.

Black and White and Color All Over

Presidents Day + 2 solid days of snow falling = Lots of people wanting to enjoy the fresh powder. We were among them. I'm glad that tomorrow they will mostly all be back at work and back at school. We plan to be back on the slopes. We are spoiled...without a doubt.

With the temperatures having been in the 40s and low 50s, and then returning to below freezing, the icicles from the roof grew to enormous proportions. 

The sunset on the Wasatch front was dramatic as we drove north to take my step-son back to Logan, so he, too, could return to school. It was fun having him around for the long weekend.   

After seeing so much white all day, I was happy to sit down and see a little color.

Food for the Body, Food for the Soul

I love Sundays.
Today was no exception.

I'd Catch a Grenade for Ya...*

I woke up around 2:30 a.m.. The moon was full, causing the trees to cast dark shadows in the brilliant white snow. I wasn't restless as I had been the other night, but I still felt the draw to photograph the moonlit landscape. I lay in bed and stared at the ceiling, thinking I really should be sleeping. 

Finally, the draw was too strong and I got up. It really was an amazing sight to behold in the dark.

 

Before long, I returned to bed, and easily slept a few more hours. When I awoke, the sky was mostly clear and we were looking forward to my step-son's visit later in the day. Within moments, though, it started to snow...heavily. Big huge fluffy flakes. 

We decided that it would be safer to go get him than to let him drive in the snow storm. 

As we descended from the canyon into town, I spotted Spiderman on the corner. "Now, there's a brave heroic type," I thought to myself. He's a guy who'd tell you "I'd catch a grenade for ya" and mean it.

Not like this guy, who knows how to launch 'em, but has no clue as to how to catch 'em.

Good thing, though, that I didn't need to worry about it, because the closest things to grenades that we were going to see today were snowballs!

*Another Saturday Centus attempt... see what my clever friend, Sue, did for hers!

When Was the Last Time?

 When was the last time you used a pay phone? I didn't even think they were still in existence. These two looked to be in good condition. I didn't try them. But I found them curious. I don't even know what a phone call would cost these days. 

Pretty much gone the way of trains? 

Global Warming, The Crazy Blonde Next Door and Shooting the Moon

Yesterday during the day the thermometer hit a "scorching" 55 (yes, I know, you Californians think that's freezing...haha). The ice that had covered the reservoir at the top of the canyon had almost completely melted. The day before people were still out ice fishing (although, personally, I think they're nuts - you won't find me walking out there on the ice). Last night, the temps dropped again and a storm rolled through. It snowed for a couple hours - just enough to turn the driveway into a luge and make it impossible to drive all the way to the top without getting the plow out to scrape it. Ah, the joys of mountain living. Today, people were out ice fishing on the lake again. I still think they're crazy.

This morning, the sunny skies returned with a bonus of fresh powder on the slopes. On the way home from skiing, we stopped so I could photograph some of the local scenery. I love the older farms with their well weathered look.The horses stood sleepily and soaked up the sun.

When we got home, we took the dogs out for a walk. I decided to leave my camera behind. I should have known better. On our walk, we were greeted by the crazy blonde from next door - a yellow lab puppy who I guessed to be about 6 months. She was all legs and excitement. Jake immediately fell in love, but seemed puzzled when she would run over him with her long spindly legs in much the same way that he usually runs over Albert. It was hilarious to watch the three of them jumping in and out of the snow banks as they chased each other. They had a grand time.

The day ended with a full moon. We watched it rise over the mountains across the valley from us. I'm always frustrated at my attempts to photograph the moon. It's not that easy to do. You either get the details in the moon or you get the details in the landscape, but getting both is challenging. Nonetheless, I try. Tonight I got both...by exposing for the moon, then shooting the exact same image (using a tripod) and exposing for the landscape, then sandwiching the two together. It's kind of a strange image - it doesn't quite look real. It made me realize that we don't actually see both at the same time. Our eyes and brain adjust pretty much in the same way that I created the image...seeing each individually, then layering them together.