Cabin, Concert, and Pears and more pears

We headed up to the cabin last weekend for a whirlwind trip. We left when I got off work on Friday and arrived at the cabin a little after 9:00 p.m. We always stop to check on the horses when we arrive. It is dark, but when the horses hear the truck coming down the access, they run up to the fence, so by the time we actually arrive at the inside gate, they are there. They always act really glad to see us—the fact that we always give them sweet mix or grain doesn't have anything to do with it, I’m sure. We knew from the beginning that this was to be a very short trip. We intended to spend the night and then leave sometime the next morning. It is still really nice to go to Island Park, even for a short trip. It was so pleasant there. The fall colors are in evidence everywhere now, but it has been such a wet summer that there isn't a dried out feeling, it is still quite lush and full looking and feeling. The cabin was in great shape, it is so nice to have it as a place to come to. Ralph and Connie were not there—apparently moved into their new place now. But we weren't there very long anyway. In the morning we got up and headed out to the pasture again. One of the wonderful things about cabin visits now is that I can strip the bed and wash the sheets and then make the bed with clean sheets and not have to change the bed twice every time I visit. First thing I stripped the bed and popped the sheets in the washer, and by the time we finished breakfast they were washed and ready to go in the dryer. Then when we got back—all I had to do was put the clean sheets on the bed. It was quite wonderful. (Ahhh, the simple pleasures of life. –I really do love having a washer and dryer there, even more than I expected.) Anyway, we headed off to the pasture where we checked on the horses, we haltered them and had them run on a lead for a few laps and Paul checked their feet. They are going great. It has also been a blessing that they have done self-care so well this summer and fall, while Paul has been convalescing. The two of us walked the fence and it just needed a few staples in places, but is also holding up pretty well. After about an hour and a half at the pasture, we went back to the cabin, cleaned up, packed our stuff, shut everything down and we were off. We left at about 10:30 a.m. because we wanted to stop at the lumber yard in St. Anthony. Paul used some of their raw lumber for our carriage house, and he wanted to price out what was available for our barn in Petersboro. We still don’t plan to start until next spring/summer, but we are getting some estimates and working out a spreadsheet, so we will know what we can do. It is fun to start working on this project. We also stopped in Petersboro on the way home. We were there last weekend, but we wanted to make sure that we liked the position that we picked out. And we did. Our grass is still doing well, and starting to choke out the weeds and our fence looks good. It has also been quite rainy there, and so everything looks healthy and lush still. We were in a hurry to get back to Salt Lake on Saturday evening because we were going to attend a concert in the Assembly Hall. It was part of the Temple Square Performances Series. It was “Music of Crawford Gates”. This concert featured choral and instrumental music and included a variety of performers including vocalists, pianists, and instrumentalists (violin, flute, viola). The concert was offered to pay tribute to my dad for his contribution to “uplifting and inspiring music throughout his lifetime.” We don’t know how many more of these kinds of events are in my dad’s future and so I felt like we needed to come back to attend this concert even though we had planned to go to the cabin the same weekend. It made the trip to the cabin seem almost like it didn't happen since we were back so soon after we left. The concert was very nice and we were glad that we were able to attend and that we were able to participate in the evening with my parents and some of our children. Peter and Erika and Jono also attended and after the concert our little group went out for ice cream so the evening ended up having a “party” feeling to it. Our sacrament meeting on Sunday was a broadcast of the Ogden Temple dedication. It was in our chapel and we had to show our recommends in order to go into the chapel. It was a very nice experience and there were outstanding talks and the music was very well performed. Paul and I had a very enjoyable worship service. Now I need to go and do a session there, to continue my quest to visit all the Utah Temples. I have four more, Ogden, Vernal, Monticello and Brigham City. (Paul and I visited the Brigham City Temple several months ago, but the endowment session was full and we did sealings. I still want to do a session there.) Erika and I are going to the Vernal Temple in October when there is UEA convention and we will be off school and Paul and I will go to Monticello in November as a birthday present for me. I just need to make an appointment to go to the Ogden Temple in the next couple of months. I hope to have all the Utah temples visited by the end of the year. Then I will have to design a new quest—maybe Idaho Temples. I have already done endowment sessions in the Rexburg and Idaho Falls Temples and a sealing session in the Boise Temple, so it would only mean a couple more….we’ll just have to see. Monday, I had my semiannual dental visit and am happy to report another visit with no cavities. I thought I might have one because one of my teeth has become a bit sensitive to cold—but so far no evidence of decay so I will carry on. I went to the dentist after work and while I was not at home, Paul got all busy and picked apples and pears. Our fruit trees are in full harvest mode now. We didn't get as many apples this year as last year, but we did get a bountiful harvest of pears. Yesterday afternoon and evening I made pear jam. And it is work, cutting and peeling pears and pears and pears. And after peeling many, many, many I ended up getting eight pints of jam—working from about 5:00 p.m. until about 9:30. It seems like a lot of work for eight pints, but we will be happy to have it. I actually quite like pear jam, it is a more subtle flavor than many jams, but quite pretty, almost clear and golden colored. And so that brings us to the end of our current adventures.