A little bit o' frost on the punkin.

Today we awakened to 10 inches of freshly fallen snow. Needless to say, our trees didn't like this new feature, especially our fruit trees, but it sure made it easy to pick our apples. Just bend over, no need for a ladder, almost like picking tomatoes. Janene picked all the tomatoes yesterday right before it started snowing. She brought down eight buckets of vegetables while I was beginning the honey extraction ( yes, we have harvested the honey and right now it is all over our house, dripping from various buckets into strainers) We had to knock the snow off the pine tree this morning to get the branch high enough that we could get out of the driveway to go to church. Luckily, it looks like we didn't have any major branches break.

Ben's Baby Blessing

Benjamin Theodore Landon was given a blessing today by his father and attended by quite a few of his family. He was the star of the show in his little one piece tuxedo. Through it all, he was calm and collected. He never even looked the slightest bit nervous, in fact, he slept right through the blessing. It's a good thing that Heavenly Father pays attention to priesthood blessings because I don't think Ben even heard one word

Afterwards, at Angie's house, he was passed around to everyone who wanted to hold him and he even learned to smile a little. Here he is with his great grandmother, Darlene ( who will probably shoot me for putting a picture of her with her eyes closed on the blog ).

Nathan was there to see his little brother blessed. He has been attending a very good( and expensive ) school. The Carmen Pingree School has been wonderful for Nathan and he has learned a lot. Today, he wanted to chatter and engage me in conversation, even though I couldn't understand a word he said. He wanted to look at me and wanted to take me by the hand and show me around. He even posed for me when I asked him to. The other day, he was playing with his toy phone and Angie heard him say "Grandma", so she immediately called Grandma Janene and let him talk to her.

Little Lily had lots of fun playing with her cousins, but by the time I got around to see her, she was sound asleep on her mother's lap. Andrew put her in a little doll stroller and drove her around the house. She had great fun until Andrew almost dumped her on her head. Andrew enjoyed the time as well. When we got to Angie's house, everything was immaculate, everything in it's place. By the time all of Ben's cousins got through, the house looked like a tornado had gone through. Cy, Sam and Mikey were running around saying " I'm a tornado". We all had lots of fun. We are really blessed to have all our grandchildren living so close.

Yuri is Married!

About 25 years ago, a young Japanese mother named Kimie (Kim-ee-ay) brought her three children with her to the United States as part of a friendship ambassador exchange program that was sponsored by President Carter called the Friendship Force. Kimie and her daughter Yuri, and two sons Junichi and Kenichi stayed with our family for two weeks. We have written to each other often and stayed in touch. We have marvelled at the emphasis the Japanese put on education and how important it has been for their family. All of the children studied in special schools for what has seemed like an eternity compared to our educational system. Kimie's last letter was all about the marriage of her daughter Yuri to Ryosuke. Here is a picture of Ryosuke's father and mother on the left and Masayuki and Kimie on the right as they join with the bride and groom to smash the lid on a wooden barrel with special wooden hammers. Why they do this is not clear to me, but it is all part of what appears to be a very formal celebration of the marriage of these two. It must have taken hours for Yuri to get her hair put up and get dressed in her fancy white kimono. We all (well maybe some of us) remember the fun we had with them when they were here. The kids were cute and adorable then - they are successful and prominent people in their communities now. Kimie doesn't look any any older than she was 25 years ago. We wish Yuri and Ryosuki will enjoy their new marriage together and wish their families well. Our lives have been blessed as we have been able to share our experiences with each other.

Thanksgiving in October

The other night we had a visit from Lisseth, Glen, Brandon and Mary. They brought us a bunch of yummy food that we added to our normal vegetables from our garden dinner. She cooked up a pot roast, made gravy, had garlic potatoes and then other veggies she cooked with the pot roast. She made a delicious vegetable medley thing that used almost pickled veggies... I don't know how to describe it, but she will post a comment to say what it really is. Then, to add to it, her neighbor brought over a bunch of tempura with teriyaki dip that we devoured because Lisseth brought it to us. (it wasn't our fault - we couldn't resist). Finally, Janene made an apple crumb pie (is that called apple pan dowdy?) with roadkill apples. Oh!... maybe those are really called windfall apples. WITH ICE CREAM! Holy Succotash, Batman! Was this a feast or what? When it was time to go we all just rolled our fat little bellies over to the door and down the hill. It was almost like the old pig parties we used to have with our friends in Morton Meadows. And, yes those are brussell sprouts from our garden.

Evening in Little Cottonwood Canyon

Tonight Janene and I decided to do something spur of the moment, the way we used to do when we were younger. As soon as I got home from work, we jumped in the car and headed up to Little Cottonwood Canyon. Of course, we grabbed the camera and tripod as we were going out the door. Years ago, it was not unusual for the Phillips Family to head up the canyon to get ice cream cones at the Timp Freeze in Midway, or to catch dinner at the Spring Chicken Inn near Wanship. It was totally wasteful and not eco-friendly, and in many respects it wasn't very smart ( the food at Chick's Cafe in Heber is not what you would call "world-class"), but it was a chance to get Mom out of the kitchen and allowed time for every child to get some other child upset about something. Tonight it was our plan to listen to the debate, take some pictures and have dinner at the Snowbird Lodge.

We took beautiful pictures as the sun set in the canyon and the sky lit up with some pastel pinks. The Lodge Bistro was closed (I must remember that in the off season it is only open on the weekends). Much of the color had already faded from the autumn leaves, but the evening sun made up for some of that. It was worth the trip, if only for our frazzled nerves, and to sooth the frustrations we were experiencing as we listened to the debate/posturing. Why is it that none of those people in the town hall setting asked the question on everybody's mind? You know - the one that says "How did it come to this? - That we only have you two clowns to pick from. Now what are you going to do about that problem for America?"

Ahhh! The beauty of nature, the smell of the oak and maple leaves, tinctured with the occasional pungent aroma of pine and spruce. That , added to the cool breeze and evening light, and a person could almost forget about the plunging value of your 401(k) and the pile of bills our kids will have to pay off. It was well worth the $25 in gas it took to get there. Arghhh!

Heather and her stuffed family

Heather believes that this picture was destroyed. The original showed Heather in her birthday suit with all of her furry friends. Now through the wonders of technology, she has been clothed and is now suitable for posting to the world. She need not fear. The original photo will be found in our safe deposit box. This precious little girl reminds me of the little girl shown in our previous post, her own daughter.

The Joy of Family

I love this picture of Elsie and some of her friends. Of course, I saw echoes of Elsie's Mom and her stuffed friends when I took this picture. Elsie gathered all her animal pals, dressed them up, and posed them on the couch. Then without any prompting, she sat down with them and ...... smiled. She was content with a mother's day's work and proud of her children. If we hadn't had Heather and Joseph living with us, I would have missed this treasure. We have been blessed to have almost all of our married kids and their little families living with us in our home. Every one of these episodes in our life is a golden memory. This week Chelane moved back home for a while, and we are getting to enjoy her company. Shon and his whole family came to our rescue and helped haul all of her stuff back home. Max, Jake and Isabel helped carry things out to the truck and Mel packed up the kitchen when everyone else was worn out. We even got a little help from Brandon. WE LOVE OUR FAMILY!

NPS Lily Bait!

So.. what do you think? If Brooke and Steve see this, will they be lured into my trap? Will they come to my house to get the goodies and bring Lily with them? Maybe Michael will come over to play too! I know he's a big boy now, but I don't think they will be able to leave him home alone. Hmmm.... Home Alone.... that could be the idea for a new movie.

Garden Bounty - Veggie Delight!

Wowza! Take a look at our dinner tonight. Everything came from our garden - all in season. Starting at the front and proceeding counterclockwise are the stars of this meal. Beet greens, brussell sprouts, summer squash, zucchini, pineapple heirloom tomato, Celebrity tomato, bread, cucumber, grape juice, and .... la piece de resistance.... Casaba melon with a fresh rasberry drape. MMMMNNN! I feel like that dog in the old cartoon that dies and goes to heaven every time he gets his favorite dog biscuit. How in the world does all this different and delicious food grow out of the same dirt and Weber water? It should all taste like dirt and bugs - but other than the beets, nothing does. We are going to enjoy every bit of this until the last of the veggies are gone. With our winter squashes, Hubbards, Butternuts, Buttercups, that should be around Christmas... maybe New Years Day if we are lucky

Joe is a REAL SALT! (Lake Fan)

Joseph and Robin got to go on a hard hat tour of the new Real Salt Lake stadium prior to it's grand opening in October. Layton Construction hosted the tour of the facility that cost $110 million dollars. We got to tour the locker rooms, Dave Checketts' private box, the party rooms and skyboxes. We enjoyed such mundane areas as the AudioVisual room ( Steve would really have liked to see all of the racks and racks of A/V equipment). Did you know that there was 150 miles of Cat 5 cable in this place? The sky boxes have cushioned seats with the Real Salt Lake blazer logo embroidered on them that came from Slovokia. I noticed all the fire protection mistakes, Joseph noticed all the trade coordination mistakes. We had a great lunch with lots of food we shouldn't have eaten, and had a fun time together.

Trippin' in Telluride

Janene and Robin made a quick trip to Telluride, Colorado to get their picture taken in front of an awesome mountain. Actually, Robin had to go there to work on the New Sheridan Hotel (named so as to distinguish it from the "old" Sheridan Hotel). The first was built in 1897, the New Sheridan Hotel was built in 1895, and both were located on the main drag, Colorado Avenue, until the old one burned down. The contractor Robin is working for is restoring the "new" hotel to its original grandeur (with some added modern features like fire alarm system and elevators).

The entire town of Telluride has been designated a Nationally Historic Landmark District by the National Park Service and much of the town remains as it was at the turn of the century. Great efforts are even made to save some of the most dilapidated of houses and structures, including the New Sheridan Hotel. The town nestles at the head of a glacially carved box canyon. For years, the only way to town was by mule team over the 13,000 foot plus Ophir Pass from Silverton. You may be able to pick out the road to Black Bear Pass in this photo. No kids, I did not drive to the top of that road. Janene would not stand for it.

We found that Telluride has a unique way of getting to the adjacent modern town of Mountain Village (think Deer Valley - only in Colorado). There is an aerial tramway in three parts that goes the whole distance in 13 minutes. There is no charge to ride this and it runs all the time. We rode with a little girl coming home from school one time, and another time with a fireman on his way to work.

And when you get to the other side, you are magically transported to London. Janene tried to call home, but nobody was there. She seemed particularly pleased about that. All in all, we enjoyed the break. Janene drove most of the way down while Robin slept off a small recurring fever from his past illness. Janene caught a cold, and we ate horribly delicious food at fine restaurants. It was good to get back to the fresh fruits and vegetables of our own garden. The vegetarian diet is back on - with a vengeance.

Thank you, Thank you!

I think it only appropriate to tell everyone Thank you. Thanks to all who called and visited. Thank you to all who gave advice on getting better. Thank you for all of your prayers on my behalf. Thank you for all the cute cards. Some of the grandkids did a lot more than just one card including a special one from Laura with quilling and a new pencil for me. And thank you to all the nurses and doctors who were very good at their jobs - even though I didn't really enjoy all the poking and prodding. I LOVE YOU ALL!!!!

Benjamin Theodore Landon

Grandpa Robin with the latest arrow in his quiver. Yeah, like he had anything to do with bringing this great little guy! One day after leaving from the hospital, Robin gets to hold this little one.

He looks like his brother, Sam ... but is that a little touch of mischieviousness that I detect already. He promises to be a joy for our family.

He already knows that Grandma Janene loves her little baby hugs. Of course, Janene got to see him yesterday just after he was born at 7:22 PM on 30 Aug 2008. She said that he is even cuter than he was yesterday. Laura says he needed to be cleaned up before he looked really good. Laura, who is almost nine, is being a great mother's helper in taking care of Ben.

Angie is the proud mama of this cute little boy. Even though she has been sick, she is happy to have the new addition in their family and it shows on her face. Benjamin is her biggest baby so far, weighing in at 7 lbs. 4 oz. and 20 1/2" long. She looks much happier than the last three times she went through this ordeal and will probably come home tomorrow from the hospital.

Ben is Born

Angie and David's fourth child, Ben has arrived! This is late breaking news. Janene has taken Angie's other three children to the hospital to see their brother. We don't know anything yet about him and definitely have no pictures yet. As soon as we know more, we will be sure to let everyone know.He's at the LDS Hilton, just like his grandpa was until yesterday.

Driving in Ireland - Chelane Style

Imagine driving on the wrong side of the road. Now add driving a stick shift. Now add shifting with your left hand. Add three crazy girls, signs that you don't understand very well and you get a little idea of what Chelane went through in Ireland. It's no wonder she scraped the side of the car on a rock wall in Killkenny National Park. The top of the wall she hit was littered with miscellaneous auto parts left by other unfortunate drivers.

Our Wee Bonnie Lass in the Emerald Isle

Chelane gazes over the cliffs toward home longing for a better place, a better time......... NOT!!

A particularly tranquil view of one of Ireland's many castles. I think Chelane said this one was being used as an abbey.

Chelane at a very good fishing rock. Too bad she forgot to take her fishing pole. I don't think she could catch Brook Trout here since I think they are native to Appalachia.

Chelane and Rosie sitting on a petrified leprechaun's foot - again... longing for home. She is probably pining over the lost opportunity to kiss the Blarney Stone ( a few minutes after closing time)

Robin and Janene go the the LDS Hilton

As far as vacations, go this has been a doozy. Janene left town to take her mother to Oregon while I went with my parents and Tammy to the High Uintas. I had a relaxing time there, but my mother will tell you "Theres's something wrong with that boy! He slept half the time." It turns out she was probably right, since within a few days I landed in here. I had a busy week moving Chelane into her new home, helping Angie and Heather with their homes and then Friday helping our ward with the annual Zuchini Races.

It seems that Janene never goes out of town but that something major happens. Friday night after the races, I felt a little queasy and decided to go to bed and not stay up. By 1:00 AM I knew something was wrong, and by 3:30 I knew that I would have to get Chelane out of bed and have her drive me to the hospital. When I arrived, my fever was over 104, I was shaking like a leaf, and the ER staff went to work right away. Shortly, I had had a spinal tap, two IV's were inserted, and then as my blood pressure continued to drop 64/44, the doctors decided to cut a hole in my jugular vein and insert a catheter to the heart so they could dump enough fluids in me and medications (a presser) to bring my BP up.

The next thing I knew I was in intensive care while they tried to figure out what was wrong. Janene cut her trip short and brought her mom to the Reno Airport to get a standby flight back. There is a whole story about that experience. With a priesthood blessing from my sons-in-law, a visit from the Bishopric, and Janene home we thought we were out of the woods. That night, my temperature spiked to 105, and they resorted to bagging me in ice and brought in fans to cool me off . I don't have fond memories of the LDS Hilton Ice Baths, and I want to file a complaint with Paris Hilton herself. While she's of gallavanting around the world running for President their quality control is going into the toilet.

Just so everyone knows, I am feeling much better now, though it looks like our trip is only just a little over half over. The whole culprit now appears to be a little bug called pseudamonas aeregosa http://www.textbookofbacteriology.net/pseudomonas.html that lurks in stagnant water. Once it enters your bloodstream, look out because there will be a battle of epic proportions going on for your body and they will need to pump lots of miniature warriors in to help in that battle. It appears the primary battle is over, but there are a few mop-up operations before we can declare victory. Thank goodness there will be no need of regime change here. I love you all, your support has been wonderful. Thank God that we will get to be together again.

Short Vacation in the Uintas

Robin spent last weekend with Tammy, Mom and Dad in the High Uintas for another short fishing vacation. The fishing was not so hot, but the campfires were great, the conversation was excellent, and Tammy's trailer performed well. Kate (the dog) enjoyed snoring in the trailer keeping Robin awake in the tent. We found a fireweed plant making it's way in the stump of a logged out tree. We will watch for this in a couple of weeks to see if it blooms before it snows again.

We were able to see lots of wildflowers in picturesque settings. You would have thought it was spring the way the flowers were blooming. Ah! Wilderness!

Here is Dad trying to figure out what was wrong with his gear as we all had a hard time catching fish at Crystal Lake. While the fishing was a little subdued, Robin was able to catch a couple of those funny looking fish with the forked tails and huge dorsal fins - graylings.

While we were up here, a couple of climbers came running down to our camp hoping we had a cell phone or a radio to call for help. A young man had fallen while trying to climb the cliff above Cliff Lake at the base of Mt. Watson and was badly hurt after falling over forty feet. We couldn't call out, but Mom and Dad knew that the campground host had a new two-way radio that connected to a repeater on Bald Mountain and directed them to the host. A signal made it out to the Salt Lake Airport and soon search and rescue crews were on site with help. Shortly after that, an AirMed helicopter arrived and landed in the meadow near Cliff Lake. After getting him off the cliff, the helicopter lifted off and headed to the hospital. What a big difference from the time years ago when we witnessed a head-on collision at Pass Lake. Robin had to drive clear to Bear River Service to get help, and it still took two and a half hours for help to arrive. There are some good things to be said about technology. It's not all bad.