Christmas Morning

Remember the excitement of Christmas morning?  As children we had to wait for our father to confirm that Santa had arrived,then we were allowed to open presents.

Then we were able to share the excitement again, when we got to watch our children or in my case my niece open her presents on Christmas morning.  My sister always allowed me to stop by to participate.

And I anticipate, some day my niece allowing me to share in the excitement as her children enjoy the excitement of Christmas morning.

My best wishes to you and yours on this Christmas morning.

Chrispness

Even though I am not a huge fan of winter weather,  there is beauty to enjoy when waking to the view of a fresh winter white landscape, crisp and smooth reflecting the light of the sun and a clear powder blu sky.

Resilency

Even though we have had a number of nights with a hard freeze,  my mother's primrose plants continue to blossom.

Working,Working

I have been setting up a new website for my work.  It has been interesting, but time consuming.  To check it out visit: www.ogden4arts.org

Fresh white powder

I awoke this morning to all things frosted white with inches of fresh white powder.

Storm rolls by

The sun has set.  The canyon is dark.  Then suddenly - lightening flashes, thunder roars, and rain splashes.  A quick storm rolls by.  Snow is expected overnight on the mountains.

Autumn Snapshots

Not Quite Newton

Mollie and I went for an afternoon walk.  We were enjoying the waning autumn colors.  At the top of the hill, an apple dropped, rolling down the hill.  For a moment, I thought of Newton and his law of gravity.  But as I am not quite Newton, I was inspired to take a few photos, collect a few windfall apples, and return home to bake apple sauce cookies.

My father, Paul W. Muller celebrates his 90th birthday

Paul W. Muller celebrates his 90th birthday.  Born to Paul S. Muller and Robina Gardiner Muller in Ogden, Utah.  He married Arlene Bachman Muller.  They made their home in Ogden Canyon.  They raised Pauline Muller-Orton (deceased), Debra Muller and Curtis Paul Muller.  He has two grand-children: MandiAnne Orton Poll and Zachery Paul Muller.

Paul attended schools in Utah, graduating from Ogden High School; and from the University of Utah School of Pharmacy.  He served the United States as a Navy pilot during World War II in the Pacific theater.

Paul was the owner of Paul's Pharmacy located at 12th and Washington. He served as the executive director of the Utah Pharmaceutical Association where he was active in state and national pharmacy legislation. He served as the editor of the Utah Pharmacy Digest. He was a member of the University of Utah's School of Pharmacy Dean's Advisory Committee. He held a real estate license.

Paul raised and showed collies for confirmation. Dogs from his Samarkand Kennels were shown and awarded nationally. He was the president of the Utah Collie Club, and served as the Utah director of the Collie Club of America.   

An avid photographer, and traveller, Paul photographs won may local and national salons.  His beautiful images were purchased for commercial purposes.  He was a long time member of the Ogden Color Camera Club. 

Paul passed away in January 2017.

Green Apples

After mowing the lawn at the cabin,  I noticed that the apples on a nearby tree were ripening.  I chose one yellow-green with just a blush of red, and no noticeable worm holes.  I shined it by rubbing in on my t-shirt.  Then took a deep, crisp bite.  The apple made a hard, crisp crackling sound, tart juice hit my taste buds, memories came to mind.

As children, my sister and I stole green apples from the tree on the old maids property, an abandoned cabin just east of our home.  Yummy green apples, we would them until they almost made us sick.  We would bring them home to share with our parents and to eat sprinkled with salt.  They may have come from a volunteer apple tree or one planted by the old maid that had lived in the cabin.

There are lots of volunteer apple trees in the canyon.  They grew from apple cores left by the WPA workers that build the water pipeline through the canyon in the early 1940's.  As children, we knew which were the best green and which were better once they ripened to red.  The canyon deer like apples.  The often clean all the apples in reach, then return at a later date to feast on the windfall apples that have fermented.

Fermented apples add an interesting scent to the autumn breeze.  They mix with the fragrance of fallen leaves and acorns.

And then, there is the autumn scent of apples, my mother's homemade apple sauce cookies made with green or red apples whichever are available.  The scent and taste of apples, cinnamon, and cloves.

I just had to share a few of the memories brought to mind by a bite into a crisp, hard yellow-green apple.  What memories come to mind for you?

While driving down the canyon yesterday, a flash of white caught my eye.  Always interested in seeing the canyon's wildlife, I stopped to look again.  There in a gorgeous stand of green conifers was a while plastic shopping bag trapped in the branches.  We need to do a must better job of containing and recycling our trash.

Rain & Evening Light

A good rain

Flash, boom, tumbling roar
Clouds burst
Rain falls
Deluge
Sunrise
Morning
Autumn colors refreshed
Crisp air.

Weather change

I awaken to the heady scent and drip,splash sound of rain.  The breeze through my opened window has cooled.

Then, the rainstorm moved on too soon.

Art In Bloom

The art center at which I work, is holding a art in bloom competition.  Designers started putting together their displays - beautiful!  I hope to have some more pictures to share with you or if you have a facebook account, search for Eccles Community Art Center.

Growth of an acorn

 Now that the acorns have ripened to brown, they should soon be dropping, and be harvested by the canyon squirrels.

Changing

The leaves of the trees on the mountainside are changing, are they changing due to the approaching fall or because they are drying out from the over the top hot temperatures?

Bumble Bee Pin

My mother claimed this pin.

Lady Bug Pin

Just finished a lady bug label pin.

Haiku at Sunsets

8.4.12
The sun paints with light
Pastel watercolor clouds
In an evening sky.

8.3.12
On the horizon
Orange - russet evening light
smolders into dusk.