This and That 2

I was just noticing that I have only posted 2 times in October. October is 2/3 over. Opps! I guess I've been a bit lazy. I know I'm not writing in my journal as much either. I guess sometimes I either don't have anything to say, ot what I might say doesn't feel important enough to get myself writing.

I've spent the morning loading stuff picked up at the storage yesterday from the car to the house. I had a lot of jewelry that I've collected or been given over the years. Some I will take to the D.I. for give away,and some I will scavenge for parts for new jewelry.

I can't believe how many books I have collected, many of them unread! I've taken some to the D.I for give away, but it's kind of hard to part with some of them. Eventually, I will probably bring myself to give some more of them away. I noticed in the newspaper that the SLC public library was selling books for a rediculously low price and thought, "Wow! Just what I need, more books!"

The "Nearly"Last Rose of summer

I took this picture a few days ago. It's not as clear as I'd like, too wiggley. I planted about a dozen lilys on the east side of the house. MaryLou planted some bulbs in the front. I also planted a pretty lavender and white mum and a lavender plant. The strange thing about the lavender plant is that it ends up out of the ground every few days. The soil around it looks like someone either hit the plant with a ball or something, or that something, like a cat has been rolling over the plant until it's out of the dirt. It does smell very nice, though it isn't blooming. The leaves just smell good. I wonder if some neighborhood cat thinks it's as good as catnip?

Anyway, I've replanted it twice, this last time moving it to the front of the house, near the front porch. I hope it stays this time. I might have to move it to the back yard, but then I'll have to deal with Lady.

Life has been a bit strange lately. I suspect that's true for many of us. With all of the uncertainty due to our financial melt-down, plus the coming election, with the requisit mud-slinging, I guess we're entitled to be a little on edge. For myself, I have to add the fun of working in a retail setting with everyone worried about this next season,whether it will be okay or whether sales will be flat. I still have to increase my working days, and goals seem harder than ever to reach. Management seems to be pushing a bit harder than last year. One semi bright spot is gasoline prices coming down a bit.

I've been going through my smaller storage unit lately. The goal is to clear it out by this month's end, so I can save the money I'm spending on it. I've been going through some old pictures. In a way, that has been somewhat bittersweet, seeing my children as babies and toddlers, then growing up. I'm still dealing with Michele's loss and seeing her baby pictures is a bit hard, plus all the holidays coming up haven't helped. I just try to focus on good things. Like today, Maureen took MaryLou and I to breakfast. It was a beautiful day. The sky was so blue it almost hurt your eyes. No matter the worry, there's always something beautiful to see.

Quiet Sunday

It's Sunday, and I'm off work. I'm ignoring politics and the economy and spending a quiet day.

It rained yesterday and snowed in the mountains. It's October and time for the LDS Conference, so it storms. I'm not sure why, but probably 90% of the time, we do get storms during fall conference and spring conference as well. The timing of the events is probably the most logical reason for the inclemant weather.

I worked yesterday and it was just sprinkling when I arrived at the store, but throughout the day, I would see members coming in with wet hair or wet overcoats. On my way home, there were still patches of rain, some even heavy. I turned to the south, on my way into Tooele. I looked to the southwest and I could see a little clearing of the clouds on top of South Willow Peak. There it was, the first snow of the season! As I traveled closer to Tooele, I could see snow above Middle canyon and Settlement canyon. It was very pretty.

It seems strange that I welcome the snow, when just a few months ago I was cursing it. I could say that snow in the mountains is welcome, which it is. We live in a high desert state and we depend on snow in the mountains. Still, I will admit that snow can be beautiful for it's own sake and I certainly can enjoy a quiet snow falling outdoors while I view it from the warmth of home with a good book and a cup of hot chocolate. I even enjoy being out in a snow storm, as long as I have nowhere to go and can retreat back indoors when my feet and hands get cold. I guess there's just something compeling for me, in the changing of the seasons. Isn't it a shame that we so quickly, get tired of each season, and look forward to the next one. The one season I really like to draw out longer is Fall. I enjoy October and November very much, especially October. It has to be my favorite month. I love the cooler temperatures, the turning leaves, the harvest. I love pumpkins. We'll soon be buying some, displaying them on the porch, and looking forward the the grand smashing on Halloween, to honor Michele's momory.