Ending July 2024, ER visit & Garden

 Mom had a visit to the ER as a result of her back shot. Her blood sugar was over 500 on Sunday night July 28. She also had extremely high blood pressure AND low sodium(again). So she really felt rotten after getting to the ER. Strangely, high blood sugar alone gives her NO symptoms. She only knows because she took her count because the CGM just said, HIGH. She was also a bit dehydrated.

We spent a out 4 hours there, got some nitro glycerine and insulin, fluids, tests, then they released her. She did remind me that Doctors there need to know about her DNR order. Apparently it is Only on file at "Our House." Something to check into, I suppose. 

She's improving daily.

Well enough, in fact, that she came over on Tuesday, ate lunch with us and Mike's nephew Archie Gardner who was passing through for his job, and then me, Mike and Mom went to see "Fly Me To The Moon." 

I loved it! Highly recommend.( If only that Woody Harrelson character wouldn't have said the f-word once.  Why must they do that??!! Grrr)

I start ushering at Shakespeare this weekend. 

It's garden time around here. 

Today is Wednesday, irrigating day. I did the back garden and trees , Mike did the front lawn. I picked "the few" apricots that were ripe and on ONE branch hanging over the wall from Levi's house. Well, I guess I'm bottling apricots today! 

And there was lots of other stuff , too.

Garden dinners are so good.

I also bottled green beans the other day 

Also on Saturday, I had some neighbor ladies from the Block over for a visit and Brunch. Because it had been so many of their Birthdays! We had quiche, among other things and enjoyed our visit. There were 8 of the 11 who were invited, so not bad. And I neglected to take a photo. I DID take a photo of two pies😉.

Mmmm. Mike and I are most of this one. I forgot to serve it at brunch,candy then the Larson's come over to help us finish it off. Raspberry cheesecake with chocolate. Just yummy.

More July Visitors and fun

Aunt Tuny came to visit Mom

Flags and pretty clouds.

Here's where Katie's Family ended up sitting.

 

https://www.zionponderosa.com/accommodations/cabins/cowboy-cabins/

When we got home from Salt Lake, (after a stop at WINCO for some grocery staples and Lehi to say hi to Sumida's). (And a car nap for me in Fillmore), we  unpacked the car, called Mom and decided to go out to eat with them at Pizza Hut. Aunt Tuny was here to visit Mom, and we'd not seen her yet.

Casey and Katie called, too, that evening and asked to spend their last vacation night at our house instead of in the Cowboy Cabin they'd rented at the Zion Ponderosa Ranch Resort ( see link above).* They met us at the SUU football stadium Wednesday night after dinner and bathroom breaks and we all watched the Pioneer Legacy Celebration. It was long, but very good. Very loud.  GREAT fireworks after. We were home by 11 pm as we'd all walked. Between baths for kids and all...it was midnight before we were in bed. So tired! 

Mike and I sat on hard aluminum bleachers, Kate and family sat on the turf by the track for this Pioneer Day musical program. We were all not comfortable, any of us, but it was okay.  The PREshow was from about 8:30 to 9 :15, then a 15 minute intermission where Hayden and Corbin walked home. They came back, but it was too dark to find us, so they just watched the remainder of the show from elsewhere in the stadium. 

The next morning, I had to get up early to water and pick stuff. LOTS of stuff.

Eggplant, onions, cucumber, raspberries, lettuce, peas, Peppers, green beans. So fun.

Sadly, this happened, too. Someone should have watered more while we were away Sunday through Wednesday. I don't think the corn will bounce back, but some of the squash might.

Kate and her family had breakfast, packed up and headed off to Denver on Thursday morning by 11 am. A memorable vacation, for sure! 

* When the Rossman clan got to the resort and checked in, they were given a door/key code for "Cabin 7". Nobody could get the code to work. They could see inside the windows and thought, "This is small and tight, but we can make it work." Katie tried the code one last time and the kids are all clamoring for her to go have them fix the code so they can get in. Then Katie looked at the map again...oops! Wrong area! THESE were the LUXURY cabins!! If those small, squishy ones wete luxury, then WHAT were the "Cowboy Cabins" going to be like?!?! They drove on, and as soon as they caught sight of their cabin around the bend, they ALL burst out laughing. The Cowboy Cabins were MINISCULE. So so small. ( About 250 square feet). No bathroom. No air-conditioning. No kitchenette . There were beds, but not really good quality. There was a box fan and there were windows, but they only tried to sleep. And really didn't. They DID spend time in the pool, on a jeep adventure ride, hiking in Zion National Park and visiting friends in St. George at a backyard barbecue.  Thus, the idea of having "true Luxury" at Hotel Liebhardt was really appealing. I asked Casey how that last night of sleep was. "Truly luxurious. I didn't have to put my shoes on to go use the bathroom. Soft comfy bed, air conditioning no climbing over people or luggage to move about...truly luxurious!"

They have decided they are not " roughing it" kind of people!!

More July family time

 Katie and Casey's family came to our house for a visit on their way to their Utah vacation spot. We ate meals together, played games, picked apricots.

Robert and Janet came down from Provo to visit Mom over the weekend. And we all fit! It's so nice having guest rooms. And a big table. And good fish from Canada to eat. AND garden produce!

Then we ( Mike and I ) headed up north Sunday afternoon to visit Nick and family. We watched the kiddos jump and spin and flip and swing and slide; we played games, ate meals, had treats.

Tuesday we went to a great park in Bluffdale. Splash pad, playgrounds, pavillion areas, trees, grass, soccer fields, pickleball courts. The place was amazing. We ate pizza for lunch, had water and snacks, sunscreen, shade...lots of fun! Luckily Nick had today (Tuesday) off.

Mike and I will head home on Wednesday. 

Katie and kids

Saturday fish dinner.

Apricot picking in a rain shower at the Rasmussen's house on 700 West.

Corbin will come back and stay with us for a bit after their family vacation.

On to Herriman . A Monday 

 outing to library for an art project. It was crowded, so we brought it home to do. 

A stop at artic circle for ice cream was a nice treat! That was after jumping around at Ninja Kids on Monday afternoon.

Watercolors at home after the Library.

Oh, and games and puzzles, too!

Spinning on the silks! That's Jane at Ninja Kids.

Swinging on a rope-- Jane and Rachel.

Jane coming off a fun slide.

Emily Jumping and jumping and jumping.  And jumping!

I never got a picture of Logan. He was too fast.

Tuesday morning on the backyard swing.

Jane is joyfully snipping up a fluffy feather.

There aren't very many dandelions on the lawn, but Emily found one.

Wild hair on Emily.

Look how HIGH Jane is! Yellow shirt on right.

Look how HIGH Emily is!! In the middle.

Water play at splash pad on Tuesday afternoon. Tuesday EVENING, Nick and Kaylee get to go out and celebrate their 12th wedding anniversary while Mike and I babysit.

July 13 Women's hike

 Water and wildflowers. 

Only 5 people came. Three dogs. LOTS of smoke in the air from a new fire near Cedar City down by Shirts Canyon. 

Cascade Falls. Gail and her kids were just there yesterday morning! No smoke then. 

Normally, one can see Zion out that way.

 Then we drove through Cedar Breaks to the Rattlesnake Creek Trailhead /Ashdown Gorge Wilderness Area and walked down that trail for a mile or so to an overlook of Cedar Breaks National Monument. 

Trees, smoke, clouds, wildflowers and biting flies.

Look! A Butterfly!

Purples and whites and yellows.

Brian Head Peak in the distance. It wasn't quite as smokey up here.

A Lady Bug on Yarrow plant. Yes, she is upside down. I couldn't talk her into a better pose.

I was always way behind the group, as they had dogs pulling them along and I was lollygagging along, snapping photos.

It might seem like a lot of dead trees at first glance. And it's true, there ARE many dead trees. However, there are many young and healthy trees among the old dead ones, too. 

This little tree was saying, "I want to be the fence post...I will BE the fence post... I AM the fence post." Someday, Dear One. 

And here was the view that greeted us. 

That IS a smokey haze in the distance.

Liz, Jessica, Penny.

Some more wild flowers.

Columbine. It was near the overlook area.

Yarrow in bloom.

Symmetry in the forest. 

Yellow, purple, white.

Lots of Yarrow was growing in this area.

Baby trees and teen-aged trees.

Heading back to the highway. Us and the dogs. For as crowded as the small roadside parking area was, we did not encounter that many people on the trail.

Pick me! Pick me! Pick me to be your Christmas Tree!!