May, It Be.

As you all know, today is the first day of May. This is what we woke up to.I'm not the only one around here who is ready for winter to be over. I wonder when that will happen? In Utah, the snow is essential for people to have water during the summer. The more snow in the mountains, the easier it is to water crops later in the year. (I'm trying to look at it from a positive angle but, it's not easy.)

Let It Snow

I've had several people tell me it hasn't snowed this much for years.

This is a picture of our barn. That is a door and a window that is covered by the snow. This pile of snow was created from snow sliding off the metal roof of the barn and by us shoveling our driveway. There are lots of kids that sled down piles of snow such as this all over town.

This is our Suburban that hasn't been moved for weeks. It is now buried in snow. It might not move again until spring.

We bought the Suburban in Texas 5 years ago. We knew it wasn't 4 wheel-drive but, who needs that it Texas? Well, in a Utah winter, it is a different story. The Suburban is a rear wheel-drive (translation for those of you who do not speak winter language - it's a big piece of junk when driving on slick and slushy roads). The day I got the Suburban stuck in our driveway sideways (that was a bad day that I try not to remember), we decided we needed a new vehicle.

We found on 2004 Honda Odysessy for a good price. Being a mother of four-n-more, you would think my favorite feature would be the built-in DVD player but no, it is the traction-control-system (translation-I can usually get out fo my driveway without any problems-always a nice thing).What does all this snow mean? We have had to shovel our driveway more times than we can count. We have a really long driveway that gets longer with every shovel full of snow. AJ has difficulty shoveling because the piles are now over his head. Esteban has been really good about helping, even if I don't always agree with his choice of winter clothing.

The snow maybe a lot of work, but still makes for great pictures.

I Can See Clearly Now

When it first became cold in Utah, the kids were amazed that the sun could be out and yet, it was still cold. Well, let me give you a little meteorology lesson. During a Utah winter, clear skies usually mean one thing: BITTER COLD. You may find it interesting, but clouds and snow actually work as insulation to keep things warmer. (I'm talking about 10-20 degrees being considered warm).

Last week we had several days that began at -15 degrees. Yes, that's fifteen below zero. I drive Esteban to school at 7:00am and that is really cold. I have to wear gloves because, after being outside all night, the stirring wheel is also -15 degrees. It is so cold that my nose hairs freeze (sorry for being so graphic, but those of you who live here, know exactly what I'm talking about). I have always thought scarves were just an accessory until I was walking out of the grocery store when my nose hairs froze. I saw a lady with a scarf wrapped around her nose and mouth. I realized then that scarves are nothing more than nose hair warmers. (I need to get me one before the next cold front comes through.) I remember in Texas when the weatherman would predict a cool front coming through and the temperature would drop down to 60 degrees. Well, there is nothing "cool" about these fronts they are "don't-go-outside-unless-you-are-going-to-die-a-worse-death-inside-than-freezing-outside" fronts.

Last week, the high for the day was usually 5 degrees and like most highs, that was around 5:00pm. At the elementary, they won't let the kids go outside for recess unless the temperature is above 0. Which means most days last week, when the temperature at recess time was still negative, the kids had to stay inside for recess.

The temperature might not be so great but, the pictures are spectacular. (I would have taken more, but I've already described the nose hair problem I was having.)

I love the crisp blue sky that comes this time of year, especially, when I look out the window while standing on the heater vent.

Utah

Okay. I feel a bit guilty for ripping on Utah yesterday. I decided I needed to say some nice things.

The mountains here are beautiful!Now that the leaves have fallen, we can see the Temple from our house again. (The tree that is blocking our view stands on a vacant lot. I am quite tempted to saw it down in the middle of the night and burn it for firewood.)Plus, we were able to spend Thanksgiving with both of our families. I guess Utah's not so bad after all.

Fall Colors

It has been a long time since we have gone on a family drive so, we headed up a nearby canyon. We took along a picnic but, it was a bit chilly. We all ate rather quickly. The time was enjoyable and the fall colors were spectacular. Here are a few pictures I took along the way.
For a family whose collective favorite color is burnt orange, this time of year is wonderful!

Local Politics

Today was the local primary election to decide who would sit on the city council. Our town is divided over water rights and plans for growth. It has become a bitter battle. People are so passionate about their views. We have been bombarded by leaflets from the candidates.(Do you notice the muddy hand prints on my front door. I don't want to name names but I think we all know who put them there. I guess I need to go clean it up and in the future, use the front door more often so I know what it looks like.)

I was wondering today, which is more important national politics or local politics? Which really affects my life more?

I love to talk politics with my father-in-law (he teaches high school government). We have some interesting conversations especially now that I'm registered in the "other" party. In their house, the main topics of discussion are: politics, religion, and sports. Something we can all be passionate about.

Controversy

I discovered graffiti in our town the other day. Why is this post worthy?

1-This is the only graffiti in town.

2-It is the first time I've ever seen graffiti with a reply.This has sparked quite the controversy. The newspaper had an article about it and there have been letters to the editors. Everybody seems to have an opinion about it. I guess that is what happens when a "crime" is committed in smalltown Utah.

President's Day Weekend

We visited Aaron's brother John and his family in Southern Utah this past weekend. Saturday was beautiful and warm (76 degrees). It was so nice to spend most of the day outdoors. We went to Zion National Park. The kids enjoyed playing down by the river. What is it with kids and water? We also went on a hike to the Emerald pools. Keeping track of four-n-even-more kids on the trail is not an easy task.
We kept Vanessa and Madison in the stroller and it appears the trail wore them out. It must be so hard being little

We also visited Grafton, a real ghost town. It is off the beaten path near the entrance to Zions. There are only a few houses left.

If you notice, the headstone says "KILLED BY INDIANS". There must be an interesting story to be told about that particular death. Sunday after church, we went to the St. George Temple. It was the first temple the pioneers completed after arriving in Utah. We all had fun walking around the temple grounds. It is so beautiful! Yes, those are actual palm trees in front of the temple. Southern Utah is known for it's mild winters. There are a large number of older people that spend their winters in the St. George area. I kept referring to them as Winter Texans, which is obviously the wrong title up here. They are called Snowbirds. The term Winter Utahns would probably make most people think of skiers.

Speaking of snow, we returned home yesterday through a blizzard (always an adventure) leaving the front of our Suburban looking like this.

We arrived home after dark to find 3 new inches of snow on the ground. That made our warm weekend seem even better.

This morning as I was looking out at our trees I noticed the white stuff hanging from our trees wasn't snow. Yes, that is frozen toilet paper.

It makes me wonder if Jodi Watkins is in town.

Lotion

The last few years I've been several gifts of lotion. I've always liked using lotion but, before I moved to Utah is was more of a novelty than a necessity.

Well, these days my hand feel like they are falling apart. They are dry, cracked, and even bleeding around some of my joints and knuckles. I use lotion all the time. I feel like I'm losing the battle with dry skin. I'm grateful I moved all the half-full lotion bottles with us, because I'm using them faster than ever. So, to all of you who have ever given me lotion, Thank you. It was thoughtful at the time, but now, I really appreciate it. If you ever need a gift idea for someone living in Utah, try a nice big bottle of lotion. It will be the best gift they'll ever receive.