Preparing for Easter

The Spring season has come and with it all around are
signs of new life, or at least life returning from it's
long winter sleep. Throughout the centuries people have
celebrated this time of year in many different ways.
Slowly it has evolved into Easter bunnies and egg hunts
etc. and less and less into a celebration of renewal and
more importantly resurection. It is my hope that we will
enjoy the Easter Season by realizing the symbolic meanings
that have become hidden in the more modern celebrations
of this time of year and especially in the Easter holiday.
If we truly remember the reason for this season we will
rejoice more for this particular holiday than any of the
rest. It truly is not just a holiday, but a Holy Day.

Spring, it is a coming

Today has been a beautiful pre-spring day.  The air was clear and crisp this morning and we still have some snow on the ground, so I decided to take advantage of both the snow and the fresh air and go cross-country skiing one last time.  I went up Green Canyon by North Logan for about three hours.  I'm not as fast as I once was and that doesn't say much at at all, but I enjoyed my time out in God's beautiful world and count my blessings that I am able to still be up and about.  I got a little bit vain and decided to take a picture of myself.  Pictures of me are getting scarier by the day, but hopefully you can see the beauty of the day and feel something of the feelings I get when I am out in the beauties of nature.

On the way home I drove by the USU parking lot at the corner of the campus.  I couldn't help stopping and marveling at the beauties of the mountains and also "The Mountain of the Lord",  the Logan Temple, where my sweetheart and I are privileged to work.  I do, in deed, have much for which to be greatful, and these are just a few of the thousands upon thousands of things I count as my blessings.

Coffin or Treasure Chest?

These are not just cards.  They represent real people, who have  feelings, families, experiences, and needs, just as we do.  Have you and they begun to feel the joy of opening the Treasure Chest?  Don't neglect  this and turn the Treasure Chest into a Coffin. They Hope from beyond the grave.!!!! We love you all on both sides of the veil very much!!!!!

Overnight Visitors

About a month ago Annika and Micah told us they wanted to come and spend the night with us.  Of course we are always glad to have the grandchildren in our house so we  cecked our calendar to see when a good time would be.  We work in the Temple some evenings and Annika has school early in the mornings.  We decided Friday the 26th would be a good time.  That was about a month ago.  A couple of days before that date arrived Annika called to see if it was still a go.  Of course it was.  We went down to pick them up at their place where they met us at the door with their bags ready to go.  They wanted to go to McDonalds for supper, so we took them.  I think it's a lot more about the playground than it is the food.

After supper we played "Go Fish". We had a lot of fun and we all laughed a lot.

Our grandkids usually like to go to our family room and color and cut and put puzzles together etc.

Annika is such a little sweetheart. She is very responsible and polite for a six year old.  Without being told or asked, she made  her bed.  Ryan says that is just a given.  She always does that at home too.  You can tell they are being taught at home.  Ryan and Sam are doing a great job with their little ones.  We love all of our grandchildren and they are always welcome at our house.

Green Air Days in Cache Valley

This winter we have had our share of days when the air was rather smoggy or at least hazy, but they are not all that way.  Today it was cold, but the air was fresh and clear and with the Winter Olympics going on, I developed a need to get outside and go cross country skiing.  Id did't do it at all last year and am a little out of shape.  Iris didn't want me to go up into the mountains alone, so I went over to the Cutler Marsh Area.  The plan was to go skiing on the frozen marsh, but for the most part it wasn't frozen over so I mostly skied along the edge near the open water.  It was a beautiful day and I worked up a good sweat.  I only went about four miles, but it did me good and I never cease to be amazed at the beauties of the earth in all of the seasons.  I'm planning another outing or two  before the winter season is past.  I did miss River, who has accompanied me on every other cross country expedition, day or night, for the past twelve plus years.  I guess I'm just a sentimental old man. I also saw two big bull elk, but they were a little to far away for me to get a good picture.  When I tried to get closer, they saw me coming and took off.  Needless to say I couldn't keep up with them.  Here a couple of views, one looking west and the other looking east.

Looking west toward the Wellsvilles

      Looking east toward the Bear River Range

Peaches and Posies

There are peaches, but there's nothing quite like my Georgia Peach

There are posies and even Irises of everey shape and hue.

Some are pure and white.

Some are colorful and bright.

Some are almost as black as night.

And then there is one like none other!

 One much better than the rest because she makes every sweet thing sweeter and every good thing better.

I love you Iris, forever and ever.

Happy Birthday!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bart

"Red Air" Days in Cache Valley

I love the mountains and seriously give credit to much of my good health to the fresh mounatin air and clear, clean water I have been able to breath and drink throughout most of my life.  However, since we moved to Logan we have had to become accustomed to a new  phenomenon ,our infamous "red air"days.  Logan is tucked into a narrow valley between two high mountain ridges with a river running through the bottom of the valley.  This is a naturual condition for fog to develop at this altitude.  The "red air" days come when that fog mixes with all the exhaust from cars, trucks and homes mixes and is trapped in the valley, especially on the floor of the valley for weeks at a time.  We've had this condition for nearly two weeks until today when it seemed to clear out following a small snow storm.  We still love this valley and our new home, but I've got to admit we enjoyed hearing about the inversion while we were in Hawaii more than we have enjoyed breathing the stuff since we got home.  Fortunately it doesn't last forever and there are things we can do to avoid the worst of it.  Stay inside, it's to cold outside anyway.  Drive up the canyon a couple of miles for our exercice.  Actually, here where we live it's not as bad  as it is down on Main Street or further out in the valley.  We're just a little bit higher and the "soup" is not quite so thick.  We can pray for frequent storms to clear out the air, or I guess we could move to Brazil and fight the chiggers or whatever else they have to contend with down there.  All in all this is a great place to live and I don't mean to complain.  We just need to find a way to cut out the excess particulates in the air. People spoil so much of what was once so clean and beautiful.  We see it everywhere, we even saw it in Hawaii and that is supposed to be Paradise.

A relatively mild "Red  Air Day" in Logan.