Christmas 2008

Christmas 2008 is now history, but like Christmas' past it was full of a lot of joy and the memories need to be preserved. Unfortunately, a lot of the time around the holiday was spent moving 50 plus inches of snow, but that too is an event that may not happen again in my lifetime.

One event to remember was going to Michael McClean's production of "The Forgotten Carols" on December 18th. We went to Saint George and had dinner at the Cracker Barrel with Terry and Vicki Atkinson and another couple and then to the "Carols" at the Cox Arena. I have learned to love many of his songs, and the story that he has written to go along with it is interesting and fun. I would recommend it as a Christmas tradition if possible.

Jillyn, Kenny and girls arrived at our house on Sunday evening the 21st and stayed through the 28th. Kenny and I had some hope of getting in a round of golf, but that was not to be. Many thanks to Kenny and Jillyn for shoveling my driveway a couple of times while I was cleaning the road to the bridge, plowing out Dad and Donna and helping some of the neighbors. We did have a couple of warm days in between storms so the snow settled quite a bit and now has a fairly hard crust beneath the six or so inches that came later.

We had a birthday dinner for Dad on his 84th, which was Monday. Annette and Ed brought steaks which Ed braved the cold to barbecue on the grill outside. Claudine brought home made rolls and a salad. We provided drink and dessert. Brent was having truck problems and couldn't make it. We had a good time eating and visiting. Later we went to Saint George to a Sandberg family party. It was raining the entire time we were there but it didn't dampen the spirit. Some of the kids and grand kids performed Christmas songs and Aunt Grace (Rex's wife) recited a story that was an incredible feat of memorization for someone near 80.

Dad's 84th Birthday

Ellie and I drove her dad back to Cedar and stayed over night with him. He is suffering from an enlarged prostate and was having a biopsy on Tuesday. I went home Tuesday morning and Ellie stayed with him to take him to have the procedure and came home later. I shoveled out James' driveway then while I running some errands got a call the Dad was missing. It was assumed he was out stuck somewhere in his Ranger. When I finally got home to look for him I noticed the garage door was not open and there were no tracks leaving in the new snow. I back-tracked and found him laying in the snow just outside the chicken coop. He had slipped and couldn't get himself up. I asked if he was freezing and his comment was "It ain't very hot!" When I asked how long he had been laying there his reply was "not too long." When we got him in dry clothes and warmed up we realized he had left the house at around 7:15 and I found him at 11:15, four hours later. I can't believe how tough he is. so far there seems to be no ill effects, and within two hours he was ready to head out again.

Tuesday night Ellie and I sang in the choir for "Christmas in Harmony". I had made only one practice because they were usually held on Tuesday when I have Mutual. The entire group hadn't practiced nearly enough so it wasn't the best performance ever, but the special numbers were good and it got us in the Christmas Spirit.

Colleen dropped James off on Christmas Eve and he spent Christmas and a few days here with us. I think he enjoyed it but was glad to get back to his own home on Saturday.

Christmas Day was fun, especially seeing the girls so excited with their gifts and treats. We had Dad and Donna down for Christmas Dinner and we all enjoyed visiting and eating.

Camille and McKenna enjoying Christmas

Camille in her "Princess" outfit

Joel, Tiffany and their girls arrived Friday afternoon to join in the festivities. All the girls had fun playing with dolls and toys. The adults played games, ate and visited. On Saturday we played in the snow, sleigh riding and just sliding down the huge snow piles. The snow was too dry to make snowmen, but Kenny did make a sculpture(?) and Joel and I dug a snow cave. By the time we got it finished all the kids were either tired or cold and had gone inside. We did get out for a while Sunday morning to enjoy the snow again before church.

The girls enjoying the snow cave


Even the 'adults' enjoyed the cave / Jillyn stuck in the emergency exit

Sledding down the frozen road, we could go nearly to the old bus

Jillyn and Kenny left around noon on Sunday. Joel went to Dixie for some dirt biking with friends. He and Tiffany are going home tomorrow. It has been a great Christmas and we hate to see it come to a close. It will seem kind of lonesome around here when they are all gone and we will be anxiously looking forward to their next visit.

Snow And More Snow

Me and my big mouth. Never again will I brag about how little snow we have had since we have been in New Harmony. After clearing snow all day Wednesday, I had barely out the equipment away when it started snowing again. Thursday morning we woke up to another 15".



Dad used to have a funny saying that I think is appropriate: "That was the winter it started snowing and never did quit!" I suppose he was quoting someone but I'm not sure who. He came up with another one just the other day. One of his favorite pastimes is reading the obituaries. The conversation was about someone that had recently passed away and someone asked him how old they were and his reply was, "As old as he's going to get." We probably should keep a log of his funny sayings and quotes.
Back to the snow... I have a skid loader and it works quite well for moving snow, except when it is slick. When all four tires get spinning there isn't much you can do except gun the engine and spin 'em faster, hoping that one will grab. I don't like to use it on my concrete driveway because it is too easy to gouge the cement, so all the snow you see piled along it was shoveled! I'm sure I have shoveled at least an acre-foot!
Don't get me wrong. I love this snow. I can hardly wait until the grand kids come for Christmas and we can make snowmen and snow forts and maybe snow caves and snow trails an sleigh runs and maybe have a snowball fight. The beauty is incomparable, and it tends to emphasize the change of season, which I love. And OH! what a change! I just hate shoveling it! And I suppose I should be a little grateful that it it is forcing me to do some exercising this time of year when I mostly exercise my jaws.

Christmas Road Trip - Journal Entry

We made our annual Christmas Road Trip this past weekend. We try to make a visit to see each of our kids and their families and deliver Christmas presents before the big day. We left home Friday morning (12-12) and headed north. Though there was storm forecast, the roads were dry all the way and we didn't encounter any bad weather. We arrived at Jillyn's house in Lehi around 1:00 pm and visited for a couple of hours. Jillyn and family are coming to our house for Christmas so we will be seeing them again in about a week. Kenny dropped in from work so we also got to see him for a few minutes.

We arrived at Joel's house about 4:00 pm just as it started to snow. Tiffany cooked some great Chinese food for supper and after the girls were in bed we watched a Batman movie, "Dark Knight".

We arrived at Clay's home in Rexburg, Idaho just after noon on Saturday. Clay was working so we played with the grand kids and visited and read most of the afternoon. After Clay got home he took us down to his office for a tour of the newly remodeled facility. It is fabulous. We also met Dr. Zollinger and his wife Mary, both seem like really nice people.

Ayla playing with her dinosaurs

Lori cooked chicken tacos for dinner, along with a really good spinach salad and honey bun cake for dessert. After the kids went to bed we played Scrabble. Clay won with Lori close behind.

We had a lazy Sunday morning before going to church at 11:00. Clay made crepes for breakfast, they were excellent with Lori's apple pie filling or buttered with cinnamon and powdered sugar. It was bitter cold and the wind was blowing which made it even worse. It must have snowed three of four inches during the night but it is hard to tell because of the wind. Their new church is already too crowded. It is a big ward with lots of young families. We played Scrabble again after the kids went to bed. I started out with a seven letter word "tougher", using only one blank. The 78 points I got from that blew out the competition and I won by about 50.

Nathan and Grandma having a piano lesson

Monday morning we had breakfast with the family and shortly after Clay went to work and the kids to school we hit the road. We made a little detour through Inkom to look at the area where a large development is planned. I am doing a little consulting for a company the may be putting in the telecommunications.

We arrived in Kamas about 2:30 pm. We stopped and had a short visit with Tony and Mona Powell, then went on to Darin's. The kids weren't home from school yet so I dropped Ellie and I went over to All West and paid a visit to the folks there. Lynne's father passed away this past weekend so she wasn't there, but I think I saw about everyone else. I got back to Darin's around 5:00pm. Suzanne made Spicy Chicken Chili for dinner and we enjoyed family home evening, visiting and playing with the grand kids.


Tuesday morning we had waffles for breakfast, then everyone was off to work and school except Paxtin. When we were ready to leave we took him to Diane (Goates) Bayles' for daycare. We stopped and visited with Larae DiStefano before leaving the valley . It snowed a few inches in the night and was still snowing when we left. The roads were snow packed through Heber, then slushy into Provo but clear after that until we got to Cedar. We made a couple of stops in Provo, had some lunch at Subway after finding they have closed Fazolis, then headed south.

If this blog seems to be mostly about food, it is probably because it seems like about all we did was sleep, eat and drive. When we got home about 5:00pm we found our road blocked by two feet of new snow. I put on my boots and hiked in and brought out the truck, pushing snow with the bumper all the way. We left the car at Frehner's and loaded what we needed in the truck and drove to the house.

Snow Day

I guess I got just what I deserve. Last Monday we were in Kamas to spend some pre-Christmas time with Darin and family. I stopped by at All West and said hello to some of my former co-workers and I was a little too smug as I bragged about not having to shovel my driveway at all last winter. When we got home Tuesday night there was 24" of that cold white stuff blocking the road. I made it to the bridge but that was all.

Luckily I carry some cold weather gear in a duffel bag when we travel in the winter, so I put on the boots and coat and started hiking. It only took about 200 yards to find out I am in really poor shape. My boots were only 12" high, so I was getting the top 12" of snow down them and so I tried to hurry, but I was puffing like a steam locomotive. Trudging onward I finally made it to the house and changed into some real cold weather gear (my ice fishing clothes) then went out and started the skidster but soon had it stuck. I went and got the truck out of the garage and was afraid I was going to get it stuck too, but what a machine! There was snow above the front bumper, but it pushed through and I made it back to the bridge. We left the car at the neighbor's house and took the truck and made it back to the house. I shoveled for a couple of hours last night and spent most of the day today pushing snow after getting the skidster un-stuck.
It started snowing again about five this evening and at 7:30 there is about two inches of new snow. From the looks of the weather map, which I have inserted below, we could be in for another two feet by tomorrow night! I can hardly wait so I can start shoveling again.

Coat Of Many Colors

I have had a few people ask me for an update on the shop, so here we go...

In an earlier blog I mentioned that my hired help had all quit. One of them got a toothache and they never came back. That was over two months ago and I still haven't seen them. I really thought they would at least be back to get their boom box. Since they left I have been kind of puttering along. I think I may have learned a new work ethic from those guys. I didn't have a toothache but I caught cold and didn't feel like working one day so I took a couple of weeks off. Then, while horseback riding I was chewing on a hard piece of licorice and a crown fell off. That cost another week. Then Thanksgiving came around and I gave myself that whole week off.


I'm back to work now have the stucco pretty much finished. Accent color around three more windows and the front doors and I'll have it. It looks... how to describe it? Homemade. I guess that's how it looks. I knew starting out that I didn't know how to stucco, but I went ahead and proved it. I went right after it and pretty much made a big mess. But after all, it's just a shop. I thought that by starting on the sides and back I might know what I was doing by the time I got to the front. The front is the only thing most people will see anyhow. On about the second bucket on the front the battery powered drill I was using to mix the color died on me. I thought it was mixed enough so I put it on. Bad decision. It ended up too dark at the start and too light at the end. I decided the best way to fix it was to paint, so I went to Home Depot and picked the best match I could find. After putting on two gallons I decided it wasn't a very good match, so I took a sample and went back to Home Depot and tried again. What you see below is the result.




Don't get your nose out of joint, I'm not finished. The color on the lower part is the final, and I mean FINAL color. It only warms up enough to paint for about an hour per day, so I paint between two and three pm when the temperature nearly makes 50 degrees. That gives it a while to dry before the sun goes down and takes the temperature with it.


I hope to get the painting done Saturday, then perhaps the accent stucco next week. I have garage doors ordered and they should be installed shortly after that I think. Wouldn't that be a lovely Christmas present to myself, to have the outside all finished!

Rock On...

I know this isn't the rockiest place on earth, but I'll bet it ranks up there pretty high. If anyone is keeping track, I want to nominate 82 E Rachel Lane. I doube there is a record book, after all how would you quantify it. Maybe rocks per square mile? And who is going to count? And how big does a rock have to be to be counted? So many questions, I'll bet even Guiness doesn't have it in his book.

Anyhow, can you believe all the rocks in this pile came from the foreground of this photo? If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes I probably wouldn't believe it either. I had quite a pile of rocks here that I dug up while preparing my orchard spot. My neighbor (and others) hauled them all away for landscaping. I thought to finish up I would just dig out a few more that were showing... HA! For every rock that is showing there are about 8,000 more hiding beneath it. I would think these things are just layong around having babies, except that most of them are full grown!

I took this photo just to give you a little more perspective as to the magnitude of the problem here. I hope you're not thinking that I dug these all out with a shovel. Yes, I am retired, but I don't have rocks in my head. I don't think. Maybe I shouldn't think, because if I think about it, maybe I do, for even trying to move these things. And it's all so I can plant a garden and give the local wildlife something else to destroy. Hmmm. Don't even try to look at it logically because there is only one answer. I have rocks in my head.

Auction Day

This is a story that needs to be told. About this time last year Dad's only cow gave birth to a black bull calf. It is the son of the bull that showed up around here a few years ago and wouldn't go away. I guess he liked the food and the fringe benefits. He even jumped the fence once and bred some of our neighbor's purebred cows. I'm surprised they didn't just run from him since he was obviously from the poor side of town. Anyway, he hung around here until we finally found the owner and shipped him back to Pine Valley.

Well now this little calf I call Bully has grown into a half ton yearling. I suggested to Dad that we should take it to the auction but he said he wanted to keep it to breed his two cows. Last year's heifer calf is now grown up and ready to be a mama. My reply was that it was the son of one of them and the brother of the other, and he would probably end up with three-legged calves. He jokingly said that was better than two-legged ones, but finally came around and decided to sell it.

Last week I got his old trailer fixed up and backed to the corral so we could load for the auction. On Thursday morning we drove all the animals (mama, Bully and sister) into the corral thinking they would be less spooky if we kept them all together. They wouldn't get anywhere near the trailer, even mama cow that was supposed to be the calming influence had fire in her eyes. It didn't take long for us to decide someone was going to get hurt if we kept messing around. Neither of us wanted to be the someone, so we gave up.

After pondering the situation for a spell, I decided to see if I could tame the critter down enough to get him to load the following week (today). I drove the other cows out and kept Bully in the corral by himself and fed him grain and hay every day... in the trailer. I figured when he got hungry enough, he would go in. It worked like a charm. I soon had him going in and out of the trailer at will. His will not mine. He would go in just fine if I kept my distance, but every time I got close to the trailer he would come charging back out into the corral.

As the week progressed he tamed down a lot, but I still had to figure out how to get the trailer tailgate closed while he was inside. I thought about that quite a bit in the middle of the night when I couldn't sleep, and came up with a plan which I put in place this morning. I hooked my truck to the trailer, then hooked a chain to the trailer tailgate handle and ran it behind the trailer, through the fence and hooked it to my four-wheeler which was parked along side the truck. I then fed Bully his grain and hay, and by the time I walked around to the four-wheeler he was inside eating. I started the ATV and punched it so it leaped ahead, slamming the tailgate shut on the trailer. Bully really had no chance. When he turned around his exit was closed off. I hurried and put the pin in the tail gate and all was secure. He thought about going over the wall, but decided he was probably overweight to try a stunt like that.

The next problem was getting the old trailer to Cedar and back without getting pulled over or having a breakdown. No lights, no registration. I pumped up all the tires and picked up Dad and we headed out. We took the back road through Kanarraville and Hamilton's Fort, and I consider it no small miracle that we made it there and back without mishap.

We went back at noon for the auction. I was going to take a photo of Bully going through but got distracted by the bidding and he was gone before I got a chance, so I took this photo just to give you a sense of the place. You can't see anyone there but there was actually quite a crowd. Mostly spectators I suppose, and sellers. I would bet there were only three or four serious buyers there.

If you are not used to being around livestock the first thing that will hit you is the aroma. Some would say it smells bad, but it just smells like livestock. Manure. That kind of thing. But what would you expect? Even though there is a restaurant attached, the ambiance isn't like Olive Garden, but it is like a livestock auction. Joe Taylor, the auctioneer, does his best to keep his tongue moving so fast that the uninitiated don't know what is happening. That keeps the rif-raf from bidding and slowing things down. I for one am pretty good at understanding him. So good in fact that I paid $250 for a framed photograph that I didn't want at a fund raiser where he auctioned.

Bully didn't get bid very high, in fact he only went for $.49 per pound which I thought was really low for such a fine looking animal. I'm thinking rib-eye steak at eight or ten dollars per pound. Problem is because he is a bull he will not make prime beef steak, and because his bloodline is so mixed I guess no one would want him for breeding. Seems like a shame to me. I'm not papered and I threw some pretty fine offspring. They ought to at least give him a chance.

His size kept the price down as well. Buyers will pay more per pound for smaller animals. Then they pay over $200 per ton for hay to make them grow bigger. Seems to me they might be better off to buy heavier... but then I'm not a cattle buyer.

Bully weighed in at 1035 lbs. Not bad for just one year old! The net check was around $486 after costs were deducted, which dad says was "better than a kick in the butt". He had guessed his weight at around 700 lbs and was hoping for a price of around $.70, so the net effect was about the same.

After the auction we made a stop at IFA and got some barley for the dying mule. At Tinks we got some weatherstrip adhesive for the Ranger and then at Sizzler we filled up at the salad bar before coming home. All in all, if you have read this entire thing, I think you will have to admit it was an interesting experience.

It's Heck To Get Old

The Big Old Buck resting on our front lawn

The Bucks are Back

I guess I would have to say the rut is on. Bucks have been appearing out of nowhere the last few days and it seems that each one we see is bigger than the last. This one was hanging out by the walnut trees yesterday (11-10) when we came home from Cedar.

This is the same buck. It is always good to get a front or rear view to see how wide the spread is. I would judge this one at around 24 to 26 inches, and probably almost that high.I will continue to post more photos as the rut continues. I think it is great that these guys loose their innate fear of man for a few weeks and let us take their photo when their antlers are in their prime and so magnificent. I don't know what possesses someone to want to shoot such an awesome animal. Whatever it is, I feel it every time I see one.

Addendum

More bucks came around Tuesday afternoon. This three point below was the first.

Then several smaller bucks joined in. This two point has retarded horns.

Then this old grandpa below joined the fun. He reminded me of me. He is lame in one rear leg and his horns are all deformed. He will probably be a fatality of the winter. I'm not suggesting that I will, I just mean that he is still a magnificent creature (like me) even though he has a few problems.

This is where he gets real comfortable. Like me, he enjoys an afternoon nap, laying around on lush green grass.

This doe wanted to show off her newly pierced ear. I don't know who she was talking to, but I caught her in mid sentence.

Several fawns came to the party but found it quite boring. Notice the one little feller still has his spots. Hope he is strong enough to make it through the winter.

Passing Through

We had four of our beautiful granddaughters with us for a while this past week end. Of course their parents were here too, we have to put up with them so the grand kids can come. Jillyn and Kenny and Joel and Tiffany and their families just spent some time in California enjoying Disneyland, Sea World, Wild Animal Park and the beach. They stopped in briefly on their way down and again on their way back. We enjoyed having them even though it was short.

Desiree is growing into a beautiful young lady. She loves to ride the four wheeler with grandpa and especially likes going on Little Mountain and chasing deer. She also likes to go fast; you think that might spell trouble?Chloe is the baby of the bunch, and she is a live wire. She loves to run and play and climb the stairs. She is a cute, happy kid, but when she isn't happy, she lets yo know it!Camille is still as smart as a whip and cute as a button. She talks a mile a minute, and incessantly. It doesn't matter if no one is listening, she talks anyway (typical female?). Life is a ball for her and she gets so excited over almost everything and loves to be tickled. McKenna is a little sweetheart that calls Gampaw and comes running with arms outstretched when she sees me. Can't help but love that.

The Grass Menagerie

We had a fairly severe change of weather over the week end, but last week it was still quite a bit like summer. Normally I wouldn't allow this type of thing on my front lawn, but as you can see I am allowing it, even photographing it. This photo was taken on Thursday, November 6th.

Because the rut is nearing, the time of year when the big bucks loose their fear and chase the does around, I am allowing it. I like to see the big bucks and would love to photograph one on my front lawn. Once the rut is over, the BB gun comes out again and I will scatter them to the four winds

The photo above shows what the weather looks like this morning, Monday November 10, 2008, quite a dramatic change from a week ago, but I guess it is time to get ready for winter.

The Arizona Strip ATV Ride

Last week my cousin Lowell (the Bishop) called me up to see if I wanted to go on an ATV ride with he and Mitch, and perhaps others if they wanted. It sounded fun to me so I agreed. Something quite funny happened when I did a google on Arizona Strip. Kind of shows you have to be specific, and careful when surfing.

We left Friday afternoon and drove down through Saint George and out toward Trumbull. At the old school we went west and zig-zagged through the fields and trees until we finally found our camping spot. It was dark by the time we got there but there was already a fire ring so we gathered up some wood and got a blaze going.

We cooked hot dogs and smores and it was all quite good. Mitch brought a cot which looked like WW-I surplus, Lowell and I put our bags on the trailer just to be off the ground. Lowell has this machine he wears at night to keep him from snoring, but when he tried to hook it to his truck battery sparks flew and it wouldn't work at all. When we put the flashlight on it he had hooked it up backwards. Then we read the instructions which said "Don't hook it up backwards". I took a Lunesta so I wouldn't have to listen to him snore and I slept quite well.

When morning came we had breakfast of sorts and prepared for the ride. Mitch's brother-in-laws were coming out so we rode back toward the school house and met them, then we all headed down the canyon.

It was a little like "Journey To The Center Of The Earth." The road winds down a canyon, then follows an old riverbed, then down another canyon. You keep thinking you are going to hit the Colorado any minute, when actually we were still a long way from it and never did see it.

We explored the remnants of an old copper mine and talked with a couple of guys who had a Jeep down there. Actually it was a Suzuki. They were getting ready to bring a bunch of friends on Thanksgiving week-end.

Later we rode on west, exploring and watching for pertroglyphs. We ended up at a place called Mud Springs where there is an old cow cabin and watering set up. On the way back we ran into a huge covey of quail, there must have been around 60 or 70.

We got back to the camp around 6:00pm and by the time we made the old school it was dark. I hunted around there for a while and found a geocache while Mitch and Lowell looked at the old photos in the school by flashlight, then we moved on. It was a lot further coming back than going out for some reason and it was around 10:30 pm when we got home.

It was a fun trip. I enjoy being with those guys and hope we can do it again soon. I even enjoyed the camp out, which was something I thought I didn't like that much any more.

The Shop

It has had many names, but I like 'The Shop' best. It has been called 'The Barn', 'The Shed', 'The Taj Mahal', 'The Man House' and 'Vern's Folly'.

When we planned our new home I included a detached building to park my truck and a few toys in, as well as some room for storage and a work shop. I will readily admit that I got carried away, but at the time it seemed quite feasible. We made good money on our previous home and it was within our budget. Unfortunately, by the time we were ready to build, things had changed and we couldn't even afford the house we had designed.

So instead of having it built, I decided to build it myself. I hired the cement work done in the fall of 2006, about the time we moved in. Nothing else was done until May 0f 2007 when I started framing. With the help of my skid loader I was able to get the walls up and sheeted myself.
Brent and a neighbor, Gary Pfaffenberger, helped me set the trusses. From there it was me and the loader putting the roof on. Joel did help me put a few sheets on the roof on one of his stops. I finally got the thing shingled around the end of October last year.I took a rest from this job for most of the summer. I was busy planting lawns and trees and generally fighting weeds and pesky animals. Toward fall I found a couple of locals who agreed to stucco the exterior for me for a predetermined amount. It was agreed that I would purchase materials and pay them for their labor in three installments. I think it turned out to be a bigger job than they had anticipated, and perhaps they under-bid. They got the felt and wire wrapping on, all be it I had to do the high places for them. The cement coat went really slowly until it finally stopped all together. About a month ago one of the guys had some health problems and I haven't seen them since.
I finally decided I was going to have to finish the job so last week I started in again. I finished the cement coat in all the high places, then started the texture coat.

It certainly doesn't look as good as our home, but after all it is only a shop hidden in the trees. I hope to finish the texture coat this week, and perhaps get some overhead doors installed before winter really sets in. Wish me luck.

Fall Colors

It seems that the fall colors are exceptionally brilliant this year. Perhaps it is my imagination, maybe not. The maples which are normally the showiest, had a very short run. They had just turned when we had our early cold snap and they all dropped. The same with the quakies up high. The others seemed to have sensed the loss and tried to make up for it. We are certainly enjoying the fall colors. It seems like anywhere we look from our house we are treated to a kaleidoscope pf color and beauty.

I usually ignore the brown, attracted more to the reds and golds, but seems to me that even the brown colors are exceptionally beautiful this year.We purchased some Chrysanthemums for Memorial Day, and after they spent a week at the cemetery we cut the blooms back and planted them in our little flower bed. They spent all summer recovering and have now bloomed again after all the other flowers have frozen. Brent says they normally bloom in the fall, triggered by the shorter days.

I hope you are enjoying the fall colors as much as we are. If you live in an area where they are not so viewable, it would be worth the trip to drive into one of the canyons before they are all gone.