Today...

 Today starts the new week for me.
I woke up a lot later than I would have liked to; 7:00 am.
I really wanted to be up and moving at 4:00 am.
I have so many things to catch up on.
The Memorial weekend started on Thursday for us, and went through until Tuesday.

Thursday afternoon, we hauled the 'Tin Can" up the mountain for Spencer.
He stays in it all summer for his job.

 He has the use of a full kitchen, bathroom, and laundry when he's there.. so this is just a place to rest his head and have some space of his own.

 Beats having a wagon to live in all summer.
Above is one of the neighboring farms. They had it all decked out for the Historic Home Show during Heritage Days.

The whole town was ready.
Everything looked terrific.
The weather did not co-operate.
It was so cold, and windy and rainy.

Sure put a damper on everything.

We decided not to go to the Historic Home Show.

Because of the cold and rain. 

 We drove down to the post office to get the mail, and snapped a few pictures.  I could tell that the rain kept folks inside.

In past years, the streets were shoulder to shoulder people.  This year, a few brave souls faced the cold temperatures, wind and rain to go see some of the historic homes.

I'm hoping for better weather next year.

You win some, you lose some.

Then, yesterday.. the state road crews re-paved one of the roads by our house.

They were quick! They worked on the road for no more than an hour and it was done.

I saw some of Tennessee's old farm equipment out in front of his house, and had an immediate appreciation for modern technology and conveniences.

What a huge chore it would have been to smooth and fix a road with a wagon and team of horses.

I've got to get busy.. cleaning, and organizing.

~Bedding to wash and hang out.

~Refrigerator to scrub out.

~Vacuuming, and dusting.

~Mopping floors, and menu planning, etc.. etc.. etc..

Busy, busy , today.

Hope that you all had a wonderful weekend and that the week is a good one.

Attitude of gratitude:

~I'm so grateful that Spencer took his bagpipes to the cemeteries and played 'Amazing Grace' at my father's grave and at my father in law's grave.

It was very emotional, and quite beautiful.  His grandpa's would have been so incredibly proud.

Spit shine time.

 It's that wonderful time of year again!
Heritage Days.
Click on the link to see what all the whole town is buzzing about. http://www.historicspringcity.org/events/index.html

 The city is mowing along the roads.

 Flowers are getting planted.
Yards are getting trimmed and windows are getting polished.
We will be busy, busy, busy for the next week or so.

Waking up before the sun.
Working and loving every single minute of it.
Putting the spit shine on our little town.

Attitude of gratitude:
~I'm so grateful to live in such an amazing and beautiful town.
~I'm so grateful for wonderful friends that bring me beautiful plants and delicious treats and visits filled with laughter and "remember when's''.

Saturday treasures.

 Hosta
Yard sale hosta's.
Imagine my delight to find a yard sale that was selling garden plants.
Actually, a sweet lady in my ward was having a fund raising yard sale to
help raise funds for a granddaughter's trip to Europe.

 She had previously given me a lot of plants when she divided her gardens about a month ago.
She had plenty more divisions, and told me that I didn't have to buy any at the yard sale, and she would be happy to give me some more plants.

 Still, I was more than happy to make a contribution to her granddaughter's fund.
She only wanted .50 cents for the hosta's, and .25 cents for the lilies, and .10 cents for some of the other plants she had.
Incredible deal!
At the local nurserys you can pay $10.00 for a single hosta.

 I also snagged up this pip-berry heart shaped wreath for just $2.00.
I'm not certain exactly where I'll display it permanently .

 An old zinc lid 'Ball' canning jar... a mere .50 cents.

 Darling shaker box. It's huge... 16 inches in diameter.
Not a huge fan of the previous owners stamped lid.
I'll be making a change to that for certain, and more than likely, the entire box will be painted white, and distressed.

A wonderful surprise this morning as I stepped out the sun room door to water the flower pots... a sweet little butterfly.
A day filled with treasures.


Attitude of gratitude:
~I'm so grateful to be able to drive well and not make everyone else on the road crazy.
Sorry E. .. but maybe it's getting time to put the drivers license away and let J. drive you.
I'd be sick if you wrecked or caused a wreck.
~I'm grateful that I have a love of thrifting, and making the most of every dollar.
~I'm so, so grateful to be getting such a bounty of gorgeous landscaping plants at a fraction of the cost of buying them at the nursery.
One day, I hope to have enough plant divisions to share with others also.

It's difficult as a Mormon girl to find beer bottles....

 Well, it is!!
Have you ever gotten a 'bee in your bonnet'?
I have one.
It's an idea.... buzzing and buzzing, and buzzing around in my brain.
Along with about a million more ideas.
I want a bottle tree.
So.... the quest has begun to find bottles.
We've been looking down on Pigeon Hollow Road for bottles,
 and we've found a few.

 On Saturday, for Mother's Day, my sweet hubby took me
 to have a picnic at the top of Manti Canyon.
We went with some friends, and we all drove our A.T.V.'s.
I was the caboose.
I had to drive slowly .... because I was looking for bottles.
Sheesh... I didn't find not one single bottle.
So far, all I've found is about 23 bottles.  The first picture is a sample of some of the bottles that I've found.
I especially love the cobalt blue bottles.
 My second favorite ... the green ones.
If I were looking for brown bottles, I'd have it made.
But, I only want blue, green, and clear. 
Mostly, blue and green.

 The blue bottles look awesome lining a side walk.

 I really like the 'flower bottles' too.

Green bottles marking a garden path.

And, should I ever hit the 'Mother Lode' of bottles.. well, then I will have an awesome, beyond awesome bottle tree.

So, if you have any extra bottles.. please send them my way.
No.. really.
Because it is really hard for me being a Mormon to find beer bottles.

*Note: all pictures of the bottles (except the first picture) are from Pinterest.

Attitude of gratitude:
~I'm grateful for the little bit of rain that we were blessed with yesterday. Cooled things off, and
I loved the cloud cover.
~I'm grateful that we were able to haul the yard debris off to the landfill.
That spot in the yard where everything has been accumulating looks so much better!
~I'm grateful for my 'new clothesline'.  How wonderful our sheets smell when we crawl into bed after
working in the yard and gardens all day.
~I'm grateful that my sweet hubby made me a pumpkin patch.  It's small ...but I am looking forward to having our own home-grown pumpkins this fall.  Next, year.. we'll expand the pumpkin patch.

Country Funeral.....

 D. driving the wagon down to the church.
There's a funeral today.

 The casket will be making the journey to the cemetery in the old buckboard wagon.
The last ride.
I took these pictures through the front window.. the old wavy glass gives the pictures a watery look.
Solemn.

This was D. driving the buckboard and casket , last Fall.

Does any one know what this herb is.
It was given to me by a friend and I was told that it was either Mugwort or Loveage.
I'm hoping it's loveage...as I really do not know what to do with Mugwort.
Thanks for any help.

Attitude of gratitude:
~I'm grateful that D. and Tennessee , and Craig and M'lissa lend their teams and wagons .. free of charge for the use for funerals. I am comforted by the fact..that when it's my time to go, I'll be making that last ride to the cemetery in a buckboard wagon.
~I'm grateful for cold spring water, lemons and ice.

So it begins....

                                 (picture from last summer.. winding road past Electric Lake)
Winding canyon roads.
Pine trees, lakes, and wildlife.

Clear Creek is starting the summer season.
That means that Spencer is back to work.
He finished up his college semester, packed up his gear, and his bagpipes.
For the next few weeks, he will be staying in the administrators room.. referred to as the ' Princess Room'.
Queen size bed, wi-fi, attached bathroom.  Yep.. the name fits.

                                              (picture from last summer... coal train)
In a few weeks, we will be towing the 'Tin Can Cottage' up there for him to live in for the rest of the summer.
He has his own 'Tin Can', so if he gets it ready in time, he'll take that.

Over the weekend.. Spencer was kind enough to help me get the last section of the garage painted.
He and Brooke scraped the loose paint off and sanded it.

Then.. I made him change into his "Huckleberry Finn" painting clothes, and he and Brooke got the painting done.
We still need to replace and trim out the window.
Still... so much better than it was.
Off to the left, you can see the granary. 
We are putting a door in the granary, and a porch on that side.
The area between the granary and garage will become a beautiful courtyard.

There is a little town and a big lake about 1/2 mile from the school district camp.
Scofield town, and Scofield Reservoir.
You can read about the worst mining disaster that ever happened in Utah
.Click on link below:
http://historytogo.utah.gov/utah_chapters/mining_and_railroads/thescofieldminedisasterin1900wasutahsworst.html
It happened in the town of Scofield.

Hoping to get some fishing in at Scofield reservoir this summer.

Dinner time for this eagle.
As bald eagles do not get their white head feathers until they are at least five years old, I'm not certain if this was a bald eagle or a golden eagle.

Dinner was interrupted by some very rude people taking his picture.
Off he flew.

Waiting patiently until the intruders are gone.

Spencer LOVES working at the summer camp.
He cuts down trees, keeps the generator, and water tanks going.
Mows and trims the lawns.
Keeps the rope course maintained, and fire pits cleaned and stocked for night time bon-fires.
What ever the camp needs.. he does.

We love the ride to and from camp, through the mountains,
and past the lakes.
The most wonderful commute ever.

Attitude of gratitude:
~I am so grateful that Spencer has his summer job. So grateful that the school district budgeted the funds to retain him.
~I'm grateful for church on Sunday, and for fast and testimony meeting.
It's always so up-lifting to hear others testimonies, and hear their gratitude for the blessings in their live.
~I'm grateful that we were able to get so many things accomplished over the weekend.
Feels more and more like our 'Forever Home'.

Simple Living ~ Daily Bread

 If you read my last post.. you would have read about me making Rustic Bread, and rosemary sea salt..
I have received requests for the recipes.
They are easy and fool-poof recipes.
If you already have these recipes, then you know what I mean.

Rustic Bread:
3 Cups lukewarm water--not too hot.
2 Pkgs. (or 1 1/2 TBSP.) rapid rise active dry yeast.
1 1/4 TBSP. sea salt
6 1/2 Cups all purpose flour.
Pour water into a large bowl, add the yeast and salt.
Stir in flour.
Mix until combined. No kneading is necessary.

                    (I leave my dough proofing on the griddle of our old Wedgewood stove)

 Cover bowl.
Let dough rise for 2 hours.
Stir dough down, and divide into 3
equal portions.
Round dough into balls, tucking ends under. Place on well greased baking sheet. Slash tops with knife and dust with flour.  Let rise 45 minutes. I put mine in the oven with a bowl of really hot water.
Leave the bowl of water in the oven and preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Bake bread in preheated oven for 30 minutes. Cool on racks. Makes 3 round loaves.

 To make the rosemary sea salt..
you will need 4-5 sprigs of fresh rosemary, 2 Cups of sea salt, 2 TBSP. of ground black pepper.

 Strip the rosemary leaves off of the stalk and place in food processor.
Pulse to chop the rosemary finely
 Add the 2 Cups of sea salt and the 2 TBSP. of black pepper.

Pulse everything together in the food processor and store in a container of your choice.

This really is a good all purpose seasoning and the rosemary adds that little something special.
The bread is so easy and quick to make... it's one of those recipes that you can almost make in your sleep.
Happy Homemaking.

Attitude of gratitude:
~I'm grateful today to have been able to get out and walk.
I really have missed it, and I feel so blessed to have the ability.
~I'm grateful that we were able to haul off some yard debris to the landfill this morning.
Thanks to Spencer for always being willing to help me.
He knows how those limbs were buggin' me !

All around The Cottage.

Horses and wagons .
Not an uncommon site where we live.
Sunday, a few of our great neighbors were out for a wagon ride.
Craig and M'lissa took Brig and Julie for a ride in the wagon, and Robert stopped by to say 'hi'.
Every day, there's a horse and wagon, or horse and rider about town.
Love it.

 Sunday evening... we took our own ride.
In the modern wagon.. aka.. the Tahoe.
We rode out to Pigeon Hollow drive .
The fields are beginning to green up, as are the mountains.
Signs of life.

 Had to take a picture of this old homestead that was nestled against the foot of the mountain.
Imagine living on this homestead back in the day.

 I made a batch of rosemary sea salt to put next to the range.
Perfect seasoning.

 Combined a few sprigs of rosemary, some sea salt and black pepper.
I tested it out on a roast for Sunday dinner.  The roast was delicious.

 I put the rosemary sea salt in this cute jar.
I found two of these little jars at the D.I. in St. George on our trip down there a few
weeks ago, and I knew just what I wanted to do with them.
I used one for my rosemary salt, and am going to give the other jar to a friend.

 Cut up lemons and rosemary sprigs.
Simmered on the stove.
Made the entire house smell divine.

 Sprigs of rosemary on the table. Perfect.
For those people that can grow and use rosemary year round, you may be tired of it.
For me, summer time is the only time that rosemary will grow around here, and I cannot get enough of it.

 Three old potato mashers.
 I set them on the shelf, took a good look at them
and decided which one I wanted to make a recipe holder out of.

 The one with the red handle won out; as it had a sort-of flat surface to glue a clothespin to.
Works like a charm.
Held my recipe for 'Rustic Bread' perfectly.

 I made a batch of 'Rustic Bread' for dinner.
 I stirred some fresh rosemary into one of the loaves, and sprinkled just a touch of rosemary sea salt on the top. 
Delicious.

Sun set.
Another week gone by.... and the end of a month too.
Signs of life ..... the crab apple trees are in blossom.
Just another week  all around The Cottage.

Attitude of gratitude:
~I'm so grateful that Spencer and my sweet husband were able to get a huge renovation project done yesterday without incident.
I feel so much better knowing that the floor joist under the huge double book cases is now doubly supported.
~I'm grateful that the pressurized irrigation is now turned on. Means that we can begin planting.