Rain, Hail, Wind...

The day started off with ominous dark clouds, heavy hail, booming thunder, lighting and crazy winds. Apparently the dogs decided that was their mandate to nap on the couch.

And when the storm broke...

Filled with Gratitude

No more whining or complaining about the snow. Partly because it's melting (we'll still have snow at our house, though, for a good long time. It's just the nature of where we live). But more so because in the past couple weeks we've had several occasions to travel to Provo, Salt Lake, Ogden and points in between. It's not that there is anything wrong with those places. It's just that upon returning I always feel a strong sense of coming home and a sense of gratitude for the extreme beauty of where we live.

How Many Rocks Could a Rock Chuck Chuck...

OK, I'd never even heard of a rock chuck until today. We were on our way to see the Carl Bloch exhibit at Brigham University when I swore I saw a beaver sunbathing on a pile of rocks at the side of the road. We made a quick u-turn to get a closer look. Sure enough there was a cute little critter stretched out on a large rock soaking up a little spring warmth. It was about the size of a small dog. Not a beaver, but a rock chuck.

It was a gorgeous day - warm (OK, not by California standards...but I had on flip-flops), blue sky, no rain. So we were a bit surprised when we passed through a light snow flurry in the mountains. I guess I should know by now not to be surprised by anything weather related in Utah.

The rivers and streams are still running full and there are still flood watches in place as the snow continues to melt. We stopped along the Weber River and climbed up on a railroad trestle to take a look on the way home. 

The setting sun shone pink on the peaks and clouds as we neared home. 

And a few wild turkeys enjoyed the last of the spring day. 

And Then Came the Rain...

and washed away the snow...

The Sanctity and Serenity of Sundays

I love Sundays. If you've known me for long, you probably already know that. It's a holy day, but it's more than that too. It's definitely a day to renew spiritually, but it's also a day to rest and recharge mentally and physically.

If the weather permits, I love to go for casual walks on Sundays after church. Today was no exception. It was peaceful and serene.

I'm grateful that the long winter is finally going its way. Our snow showers have turned to rain showers, and although I'm really ready for sunshine and flowers and all that, I don't mind the rain. I love that in the last couple days all the trees seem to be bursting with new buds and the branches are adorned with tiny raindrops that are clinging like white Christmas lights. I'm amazed and fascinated by how quickly the snow is giving way to patches of green...tiny patches thus far, but patches nonetheless. 

On our walk this afternoon, I could hear birds singing. I saw chickadees flitting about from tree to tree and heard them happily twittering to each other. I saw swans "struttin' their stuff", as if to say "hey girls, look at me".  I heard sandhill cranes warbling in a distant field.

I know spring is finally arriving and everyone is ready.

April Showers Reprise

It rained last night. Yes, rained...not snowed! We opened the window and listened to the sound. It sounded fresh and clean. It sounded like music ... "spring is coming, spring is coming".

There are new buds on the branches of the trees. Maybe there will be May flowers after all...stay tuned. The days of endless photos of white on white may soon be over.


Note: it is Saturday, which ordinarily means Saturday Centus. This week participants were asked to review someone else's entry from the previous week. Since I've been doing my own take on it anyway, I just decided to revisit the theme (April showers bring may flowers...) and see how my own perspective had changed in just one week.

Grand Finales and New Beginnings

Yesterday was the last day of the ski season for us. It's been fun and we've thoroughly enjoyed it. Between the three of us, we've clocked 80+ days (Luke), 25 days (Robb) and 23 days (me). As you can tell, Luke barely wasted a day, pretty much skiing every day but Sundays. Neither did Robb or I, but we got a late start since we were still working on finishing the house up until mid-January.

I'm grateful that our last day on the slopes was one of the best. There had been a sprinkling of new snow the day before. The sun was out and sky was blue, but the temperatures stayed cold enough that the conditions were near perfect.

And better yet, as we said goodbye to ski season, we also said hello to motorcycle (and bike riding and hiking and other warmer outdoor activities) season. We hopped on Robb's motorcycle just to take it for a spin. Yes, it was chilly, but it was fun to get out and know that spring really is coming. We rode up to Brigham City to see how the new temple was progressing - it's coming along.

I love the old tabernacle that sits across the street from the temple site. 

From there we zipped up the road to Mantua and took a look around the tiny town. Sorry, no photos. Hard to shoot from the back of a moving bike.

I look forward to visiting that temple again...when it's finished.