October Ramblings

Hello, hello!
I'm not even going to try and "catch up" on the last month of photographs and happenings, etc. here on Vine. Rather, I am letting you take a look at the beautiful autumn that we're having this year. October 4th we saw the first snow down in the valley which melted quickly after a gorgeous day of sunshine. I snapped a couple pictures while out at Stansbury Park visiting a friend; geese a-flying and snow-frosted berries.

On a weekday afternoon I went along for a hay hauling (the boys did the work, loading two trailers) out to our neighbor's farm in Vernon, about 35 miles south of Tooele. It was a warm day and the photo opportunities were abundant. Unfortunately, I didn't have but just my phone with me for taking pictures but here's a sampling of a good 20 I took:

The old barn (haystack is just visible on the far right)

This great horned owl was just one of two hanging out in the barn.

Now here are pictures of autumn color; it seems as though this year the colors are very intense or perhaps I missed them last year!

These pictures were taken while on a drive up Settlement Canyon. I just couldn't get enough of the colors and Clare humored me by stopping a zillion times so I could jump out and snap away. The next photos were taken last weekend when we went over to the nearby pumpkin patch and picked a few pumpkins out for decorating the front porch.

These next few were taken of our "rock garden" where the mums got HUGE! It was kind of peculiar that the yellow ones bloomed first and because the two plants merged together so tightly it looked like some kind of hybrid. 

This last picture is of what I think is a Christmas rose, also in the rock garden. It's flowers only last a day and then get brown around the edges but it is very pretty.

So, I do hope that you've enjoyed sharing in some magic of ordinary days with me!

Ta-ta for now.

Autumn Greetings!

Yes! Yesterday marked the first day of Autumn here in the Northern Hemisphere and it promises to be a perfectly glorious season.

This pumpkin patch is not too far from us up the road and it appears as though there'll be plenty of jack-o-lantern material for the entire county! The Oquirrh Mountains aren't really showing a whole lot of color yet but I suspect that with the chilly nights ("frost on the pumpkin!") we've had for the last week, we'll be seeing changes very soon. What a lovely time of year; too bad that it is the harbinger of a cold, snowy winter season! haha! Fact is, the older we get, the more we dread the cold weather and the talk turns to "snow birding" to warmer climes!

The last week since my last post has been full of good times. The thought came to me that it was very appropriate indeed that the Sunday my dad was here, the 8th, and we had a little family get-together with him was Grandparents Day! It was fabulous to have all but four of the Allred family here to celebrate 'Ole Bob Carr. 

Our oldest granddaughter Chelsey with her Great-grampa Bob Carr

Chelsey came earlier in the evening and I was very pleased to get this picture of her with my dad. Not only is Chelsey our oldest granddaughter but she's also our first grandchild. She and our second granddaughter Brittany share their birthday with my mom Delta's, September 16 too which makes me very happy :) Momma, of course, would've been 90 years young this last Monday.

Friday, the 13th (ach!) we headed to Cedar City for the Enterprise and Cedar High School rodeos. The 13th was a lucky number for grandson Tee . . . he won the steerwrestling with a speedy 4.45 second run. He received the championship buckle, his first! Saturday morning the arena and surrounding area was a pool of mud since it rained all night long; however, at least the boys participating in the steerwrestling had a ball wallowing in it! All but maybe three of the runs caught and came up covered hat to boots! Both our grandsons had good times (Ty was 2nd) and a muddy bath. Here's a picture of Ty's calf-roping run that shows how deep the mud was:

Shooter, the horse is putting the brakes on here even though Ty's loop didn't make it, and the
mud is flying! Ty is plastered with alot of the arena from his bull doggin' run.

On Wednesday, the 18th, I looked out the kitchen window and saw this:

We're thinking that the local dove population has decided that this archway was put up just for them! Not only were they perched on the arch but there was more of them on the gate, fence, and ground. What a sight! That evening after Clare hazed a few steers for our grandson's practice, we headed down to the Tooele High School football field to watch granddaughter McKenna's junior class kick some senior class butt in the Powder Puff football game. This was just one of the activities held for Homecoming week and although the juniors lost by two points, they put in a good showing.

It was chilly but what a beautiful sunset!

The arrow here is of course pointing to the star, our McKenna Clare! What a stud!

Friday was the homecoming and pre-game activities included a parade from 2nd East and 2nd South, north on Main to West Vine Street and the high school. And guess who got to carry the royalty?! Me and my 1965 Pony :) Way fun! Drove them onto the football field too! 

Notice the royal waves?! Gotta' love this car!

The grandboys and their dads and grampa had left Friday morning for Salina and the Sevier High School rodeo. They didn't have any success Friday but Saturday Ty came away with the steerwrestling championship buckle! (Check out my Facebook page for a post of this shiny addition.)

So, with cooler weather I am planning on getting out in the yard, clearing out spent blooms, and putting in spring-flowering perennials. The sunflowers outside the kitchen window that earlier provided feasts for wild canaries, are now hosting these little feathered friends:

With that "note" I will move on to the day and week!

Ta-ta!

Where has the time gone?!!

Hi, hi!

Yeah, I know, I know; another month has come and gone and I'm whining about it flying by again! Whatever! Just can't seem to get into a routine here or anywhere for that matter but enough already about that!

We had a really great visit from my dad, Bob Carr, this last week . . . a month from today he will be celebrating his 90th birthday! Can't tell ya how very ecstatic we are that he's motoring around so well and seeming to have inexhaustible energy! He drove out from his home in California to here in Utah in one day without incident, arriving last Wednesday, the 4th. And to top it off, he stayed a full four days which is WAY unusual! I wish of course, that I'd taken more pictures but here are a few that I like particularly for how they show his vigor!

I love this picture of Pedro "communicating" with Dad!
We were out at the arena watching the grandboys practice
their team roping.

A random shot taken with my phone in the kitchen.

Out back watching Clare work on the horse walker motor.

I think Dad had a pretty good time; he was on top of everything that was going on and interested in all the activity. He got up bright and early Monday morning and drove back across the Nevada desert to arrive at his home that evening, again without incident.

I'm going to go ahead and post this as I promised I'd have it done today! Hopefully, I'll have another post before Friday when we leave for a high school rodeo in Cedar City.

Night, night!

Mid-August Ramblings

Hello, hello!
Already mid August and the ordinary days are whizzing by! haha! I can't even remember how August began but I do know that taking photographs sure helps keep me on track; I should take a photo-a-day (or more) in order to document this passing of time . . .
Last week, Wednesday the 7th, Grampa Clarence drove off with son Doug, grandsons Tee, Ty, and Johnathon, Tip the dog, three of the mules, five of the horses, and a bunch of camp gear for a four day pack and camp trip on the North Slope of the High Uintahs.

The Hillsboro stock trailer looks pretty beat up but makes a good "ranchy" backdrop for Doug, Tee, Johnathon, Ty, and Grampa Clarence. Three mules and two horses are in this trailer; the other three horses in the small trailer that Doug pulled with his truck.

   They lost phone signal at about 2 p.m. (MDT) that day and were out of contact until Sunday the 11th at about 1 p.m. (MDT). We're talkin' OUT IN THE WOODS here! They set up camp at the China Meadows trailhead.

Thursday they packed mounted up and made a 28 mile trip up to Lower Red Castle Lake; it started to rain pretty hard at the upper bridge just before the lake, so they didn't attempt going to Upper Red Castle. Doug snapped this really great picture of Clare with the three grandsons and Red Castle in the background.

Johnathon on Ranger, Rooster the red mule, Clare on Willie, Tee (kind of grumpy!) on Dolly, Wilbur the mule with his nose in the grass, and Ty on Hollywood

Friday and Saturday were spent fishing two different locations and then Sunday the broke camp and journeyed home. Although Clare caught a bug and had a sore throat and headache most of the trip, it was a memorable time for everyone.

While they were gone I did anything I wanted! Which was . . . Wednesday I cleaned house and went and had a pedicure; Thursday morning I went and picked up my friend Heather and a couple bags of her crafty stuff and we spent the next two days doing a card-making marathon! Whoa! It was pretty darn fun for us both. I'll compile a slide show (or something) of the creations we came up with but here are three cards I made which went in the mail already:

2nd Anniversary card for my granddaughter and her husband. Modified a Mason jar Silhouette cut file to a print and cut. Papers from Dear Lizzy 5th and Frolic.

This jar was stamped on vellum using the SU Perfectly Preserved set and diecut. Modified flowers and stems from a Kerri Bradford freebie cut file. Papers from Doodlebug Flower Box 6x6 pad.

Birthday card for my son using AdornIt Nested Owls papers. Medallion and happy birthday banner from SU Blue Ribbon and Itty Bitty Banners stamp sets.

After Heather left I hadn't had enough and went a little berserk with the AdornIt Nesting Owls paper I had left over (had the coral collection too) and ended up with six cards! Had a card-making mojo going! Now if I could find my scrapping mojo!

Since Sunday the 11th there's been a very bad fire over in Skull Valley which has caused some very gloomy days in our valley. Last night there was a rain of ashes giving everything a dusting of greyish white. Hoping that it can be contained soon.

Instagram photos of the smoky sunset.

Going to Oakley this Friday and Saturday for grandsons Ty's and Tee's first Fall High School Rodeo. Grampa will be hazing for their steer wrestling runs. Fingers crossed!

Nighty night!

Happy Dog

Playing around with The Bloom Your Blog lessons and wanted to post a photo that has been properly converted for web viewing. This is Tip smiling at me from the car window when we drove from Panguitch to Cedar Breaks July 19th. She's a HAPPY DOG for sure!

Sundays and Strawberries

Sunday - one of my favoritest days of the week. Although I usually go to church worship service at 10 a.m. this morning I was running late and instead I read from the Portals of Prayer and Holy Bible adding a few extra Psalms. Then I cleaned up and made breakfast; waffles from Aunt Jemima mix and fresh strawberries. The reason I mention this is that my friend Heather gave me a cool little strawberry corer that she bought at Strawberry Days when she was visiting friends in Glenwood Springs last month. This morning I tried it out and WOW! it is neato! Check out this series of pictures featuring this clever little kitchen implement:

Top left: the tool and waiting victim
Top right: slick!
Bottom left: cored berries and tool
Bottom right: sugared sliced strawberries yum!

Thanks Heather for this; I really like little goodies like this that make the process more fun and easy too!

Here's a little thank you card I made and sent to Heather and her mom Louise (who made her fantastic calzones for our Thursday play day):

 I used a Lasting Impressions card base (color cashew), and then cut borders from the Simple Stories Fab{U}lous 6x6 paper pad for the card front. The extra little clouds are punched with Fiskars small and medium squeeze cloud punches and the little birdie by the Hero Arts Thank You stamp (CL142 discontinued) I fussy cut and put on a little piece of dimensional foam square. I thought it turned out pretty darn cute.

Speaking of our Thursday play day . . . we like to get together now and again and do some paper crafting. This last Thursday we decided that we would design some birthday cards and although we only did three, we felt like we accomplished alot (or at least I did as my creative speed lately is pretty S L O W!). Here they are:

 

For my grandson's 17th birthday

Embossed grid cupcake birthday

Embossed grid flower birthday

We were inspired by this card that Heather pinned on Pinterest for the two grid designs but we mixed it up a bit using Simple Stories Summer Fresh papers and the StampinUp! cupcake punch for the navy card base and My Mind's Eye 6X6 2 Designer Paper (A Mother's Love) for the slate grey version. The "Dude" card was inspired by this card on Two Peas. The paper we used though is from the Simple Stories 24/7 6x6 pad. Had to use a Studio Calico Potty People man wood veneer and I highlighted August 26 on a star punch for my grandson's birthdate. Letter stickers are from the Simple Stories Aweso{me} collection pack. Fun!

We're planning our next play days for August 8-9: a sleepover! Should be able to get alot of crafting done!

Friday evening, the 26th, my man and I joined daughter Sally and grandsons Johnathon and Trey at Tooele City Park for Fridays on Vine concert to see and hear Jackson Cash and the New Tennessee Two Band. Here's what the flyer for Fridays on Vine had to say about this performer: "Starting with the grass roots days of Country and Rock-a-Billy to the Man in Black prison concerts, this tribute to Johnny Cash has been a stand-up hit in Branson, Missouri. This is an authentic recreation of the music and the man that captured the hearts of millions. You will be astounded by the uncanny resemblance that Jackson has to Johnny Cash. You will be even more astounded by his voice. Jackson truly captures the presence of Johnny Cash, not only through Johnny’s music, but also his storytelling. From the moment Jackson and the New Tennessee Two
Band takes the stage with a traditional Johnny Cash greeting to his exit, with guitar slung over his back, Jackson offers an exceptional portrayal of Johnny Cash." Anyhow, it was pretty good and it was enjoyable to hang out on a hot summer evening with family and friends.

Sally, Johnathon, and Trey

My man and me

The "Man in Black" (Turns out this fellow is quite a bit
shorter than the real Johnny Cash but he does have a remarkably
similar voice!)

So, Sunday is rolling down and we've got a gift of a pretty cherry deep-dish pie to top it off! Clare spent most of the day yesterday helping nephew Darrin and his girlfriend Karen put in a temporary electrical service for their new home construction project in Grantsville and they just stopped by a bit ago with this lovely thank-you pie:

Yummy!

I've got French vanilla ice cream in the freezer to complete this treat. Have had a fulfilling, pleasant weekend here on Vine. Bye for now!

Nature and a Little Creating

Hullo, hullo!
Today this little fellow came to feast on the sunflowers growing outside the kitchen window . . . perfect photo opportunity!

He and his mate are often to be seen in the near backyard; he will sit in the spruce tree and serenade with his little canary trill. Love this. I spend alot of time watching the many feathered visitors to the yard; this spring and summer there've been robins, starlings, finches, sparrows, swallows, tanagers, turtledoves, and quail. Of course, the state bird, gulls, do the flyover as do crows and red-tailed hawks. The pasture is home to killdeer and meadowlark too. Mornings on the patio with a cup of coffee are sometimes a symphony of birdie sounds but it is never unpleasant.
Today I went to my granddaughter-in-law's home to continue sewing lessons. She wanted me to help her put together a "minky" blanket for her sister's soon-to-be baby (she's going to her baby shower tomorrow!) so we measured, cut, pinned, and stitched it together all the while listening to Aubrey and her cousin Jaycee dance to some WII game, Lucas running around like a blender with the lid off (that's what Davi calls him! haha!), and Easton gurgling in his baby way. Quite the circus. Anyhow, here's how the blanket turned out:

The animal print is the "cotton" fabric
and the brown is the "minky."

I found this tutorial on Pinterest and it was very helpful. The fabric that Davi had chosen for the "cotton" was actually some kind of synthetic that when touched with the iron melted. So, as we stitched around the final time, we just finger pressed it. Pretty successful for the first try on this fabric (love the softness of this minky).
It was great-granddaughter Aubrey's 7th birthday on Sunday, the 21st and Papa and I missed it, so I put together a handcrafted card for her, stuffed in seven one dollar bills and took it over this morning. Here's the card outside and in:

I used paper from Carta Bella's Alphabet Junction collection, cutting out the banner paper to spell her name. The card base is from an old Lasting Impressions Collection Papers in Celery that I have in my stash, the sticker letters are from lily bee design, and the baker's twine is some from my stash. The inside stamp sentiment is from a fairly old HeroArts set, "From the Heart Greetings." I cut a little frame for the sentiment from the XO paper from the Carta Bella collection. Aubrey was more excited about the $7 that fell out of the card than she was the card! :)
Just finished feeding a crew of men and boys who were down here for some steer wrestling practice. Little Caesar's pizza is an easy and cheap way to go! Time to crawl into bed with a good read, Speaking From Among the Bones, by Alan Bradley.
Nighty, night!