Pumpkin Patch 2009

Here it is almost Christmas and I am posting about choosing pumpkins. I guess I'm behind again. Anyway, we went to a different pumpkin patch this year and they had a bunch of old tractors for PJ to sit on and pretend to drive.



It was hard for us to choose one pumpkin so we got a wheelbarrow and choose a bunch.

I Hate Leaves

In my yard, there are a lot of trees. I mean a whole lot of trees; with big leaves; and they all fall to the ground every year. And they take their sweet time to do it. I don't know whether that is good or bad because in one way I'd like to take care of them all at once instead of over a month and a half but then again, if they all came down at the same time, we would probably either suffocate or get lost for a week trying to get out of the yard.

Last week on Veteran's Day, the last good weather day we had, I spent several hours mulching leaves on the west driveway. It gets especially bad there because the driveway is lined with hybrid poplars and they have a lot of very big leaves. In the past we've bagged them but this year I decided to mulch the lot. I usually mulch the leaves on the lawn but last year I bought a lawn vac to give it a try. I eventually took it back to Sears because it kept getting clogged up with the twigs that also come down. Man, the Sears' guys gave me dirty looks that day.

So back to Veteran's Day, after I mulched the leaves that had fallen on the driveway, I raked leaves out of the ditch and onto the driveway to mulch them. There was so many, I had to do it a couple of times (mind you, I've been mulching the leaves on the driveway every week for a month at this point). It was worse this year because my neighbor raked up the leaves which had fallen from my trees into his yard and dumped them back into my yard. I can't blame him really, I probably be unhappy with those leaves if I was him.

This photo is the driveway covered with leaves for the third time in the same day and I have run the mower through the middle of the pile one time.


The photo below is the finished product. There are probably about 4 feet of leaves mulched on the driveway from this day alone.


Now I have to pray there is a good weather day this week to finish up the leaves on the lawn. I've mulched them about 5 times and I think 1 more should do the trick.

Halloween 2009

Unfortunately, Dustin had to work on Halloween night so I was able to go join PJ and the Dukatz family as they trick or treated around their Riverton neighborhood. In case you wonder, PJ is Wolverine (as in X-men) and Trey is a ninja.




After PJ's bag was so full he couldn't hardly carry it;


We went over to Tata's (Senta's) house;


And we finally ended up at Nana's house;


Where PJ smiles with the pumpkin Nana carved for him.


For a look at all the Halloween photos, check out my my picasa site at this link.

Parker & Trey Painting Pumpkins

In a previous post, I mentioned that I had more photos of PJ and Trey. On this particular night, they used PJ's finger paints to decorate a couple of pumpkins. They started out fairly clean and quiet but ended up a little messy and loud. By the way, this is my second post of the evening. If you missed the previous post, scroll down and take a look.

The Old Rock House

I mentioned previously that I would post a photo of the framed etching of the Old Rock House that Sharon gave me. So here it is. To get a better view of the etching, click on it to enlarge. Also, if you look closely, you can see a reflection of the photographer in the glass, so don't look to closely.

Matting and Framing Class

Something that has been on my mind for a number of years is that I've got some artwork that means a lot to me and I should get it framed. The only thing is, it costs a fortune to get anything framed, even if you have a 50% off coupon for Michael's or Robert's. I noticed in this semester's community education flyer that they were offering a Matting and Framing class. So I decided to take it so that I could get some things mounted and framed. The first piece I worked on was a pastel that Senta gave me for Father's Day a couple of years ago. I personally like how it turned out.

The second piece is an etching of some kind that Sharon made of the Old Rock House in Fielding. It has been hanging on the wall of my Office for I don't know how many years, with just a ratty old mat. When I showed it to the class instructor, she just about went ballistic on how great it was. I'll post a photo of it when it is finished.

I've Been a Bad Boy

You're right, Mom, I have been a bad boy and haven't kept my blog up for awhile. This complaint from my dear Mother has caused me to rethink my priorities and get my life in order. I'm doing this by posting some photos to my blog. As usual, since our life revolves around the grandchild, most of the photos will be of PJ.

RODEO

Last July, I think it was, PJ and I were over at the Green Park after dark. We could see lights and hear a crowd over at the rodeo grounds. When I realized that the rodeo was going on, I asked PJ if he wanted to go see the rodeo. He is usually game for anything so we walked over. Luckily for me the ticket booth was closed and we walked right in. Imagine my delight to see that the barrel races were just starting. In my opinion, there isn't anything better at a rodeo than the barrel racers, and I don't say that just because JoAnn used to be a barrel racer. I know this photo is blurry, but it was the best I could do with a cellphone.

PRESCHOOL

This September, PJ started preschool with Trey. I think the school is somewhere in Herriman. Anyway, PJ was pretty proud of himself for not crying the first day although he did admit he was a little sad.


PJ & TREY ON THURSDAY

As I'm sure you know, JoAnn and I watch PJ every Thursday night. As of late, PJ's best friend, PJ and Trey have been asking if Trey can come along. I almost always say yes because they get along so well and play together so well that, in some ways it is easier for me. The first photo is in the sandbox (duh), the second is at the gas station where they delight in making a mess, I mean washing the windows, and the third is them taking a tandem ride on one of the Walmart amusement rides. Luckily, there is no one to police the area or I'm sure we would have been in trouble.





I've got some others but it is late and my c-pap machine is calling my name. I 'll try to do better, Mom, I swear I will.

Golden Spike Journey

When Richie was home in August (we only do fun things when Richie is home), we decided to take a trip to the Golden Spike Historical Monument, with a stop at the Hill Air Force Base Museum. The trip started out with a massive traffic jam in North Salt Lake (it took 45 minutes to go two miles). It was 98 degrees, and the AC was off because the temperature gauge was going up a too much for my liking. It was amazing to me what a good traveler PJ was that day.


It is amazing the number and kinds of aircraft they have at the HAFBM. If anyone is interested in planes of any kind, it is a great place to visit.


We barely made it to the Golden Spike for the moving of the trains. It wasn't a show of the driving of the spike, they just moved the trains up and down the tracks a couple of times. They warn you to cover your ears when they blow the whistle because it is very LOUD! By the way, there are no photos of Richie because he had the camera.

City Weekly Cover Story

Does anyone in this 4-part photograph look familiar? No? Look carefully at the handsome face in the upper lefthand corner. Do you recognize him? It's Greg! Yes our own Greg Wilcox made the cover of City Weekly (CW), the local liberal rag in SLC. Now the question is, how did he make the cover of CW? Well, he was an intern at CW this summer (they told him he was the best intern they have ever had). I guess the art director needed a good looking face for the cover, and he was in. He also wrote an article for the paper; check it out.

Day's of 47 Youth Parade

As it got close to the 24th of July (Utah State holiday), JoAnn had the great idea of taking PJ to the Youth Parade. I was actually OK with it because it happened to start on the street in front of the building where I work (I knew I could get a good parking spot). I also knew that it wouldn't be as long and tedious as the main Day's of 47 Parade which I hated as a child. One thing that didn't change, it was hot!

After the parade, there was a big carnival at Washington Square where all the climbing and jumping things were free. I heard later that it was for the parade participants, but I didn't know that when we took PJ over. You may remember I lamented the fact that PJ didn't get to get in one of the "jumping things" at Bluffdale Town Days. He was so excited to get in the jumping thing at the post parade carnival.

There were also big inflatable slides where you had to climb up the back of the slide using foot holes and hand holds to grab on. PJ amazed me by climbing up one slide that was about 15 feet tall and had flimsy hand holds at best. He is definitely a climber.

As I mentioned above, it was a hot day. When we got in the car to come home, the outside temperature gauge read 104 degrees. When we got home, JoAnn filled a trough with water for the dogs but PJ wanted wanted to get in first.

Moral Set Point?

When I read this article, it rang true. Probably because I see so may supposedly good LDS members in the Utah State Legislature who are so unethical.

Do We Have a Moral Set Point?

Posted: 26 Jun 2009 09:11 PM PDT

A few years ago, psychologist Nancy Etcoff wrote a piece for Science & Spirit magazine in which she explained that "while feelings of happiness change from day to day, depending on the circumstances, people seem to have a stable midpoint to these variations, a general level of happiness to which they return after momentary irritation or elation fades. Scientists call this the 'hedonic set point' or happiness thermostat."
So I was interested to read about a recent study from a group of researchers at Northwestern University who suggest we have a set point for morality as well. They ran a bunch of experiments to see how our sense of moral self-worth affects our behavior.
According to the scientists, people who behave immorally in one aspect of their lives tend to "cleanse" themselves by performing good deeds in other areas. But their model goes further, as a write-up of the research reports:

Other studies have shown the moral-cleansing effect, but this new Northwestern model shows that the cleansing also has to do with restoring an ideal level of moral self-worth. In other words, when people operate above or below a certain level of moral self-worth, they instinctively push back in the opposite direction to reach an internally regulated set point of goodness.

If they're right, the opposite of the cleansing effect would also hold true: Performing a series of good deeds would raise our moral self-worth, thus leading us to do some not-so-good stuff to balance things out. That's just what psychology graduate student Sonya Sachdeva, who worked on the study, suggests. "Imagine a line on a plane," she says. "The only way you can come back down is either by refraining from good social behavior or by actively engaging in immoral behavior."

Petting Zoo and Pony Ride

A couple of weeks ago, JoAnn, Senta, and I took PJ to the Gardner Village Petting Zoo. To tell the truth, JoAnn and Senta had as much, if not more, fun than did PJ. Ever since that day, JoAnn has been thinking about getting a pony with a cart for PJ to ride in. She apparently had a childhood friend who had a pony with a cart and they had lots of fun. I am somewhat dubious because she also had a pony when she was a kid and she told me plenty of horror stories about it when we were dating (the pony was smart enough to open any gate and her dad was always in a battle with it). Anyway, after the petting zoo, the girls went shopping and the boys went to the snack bar, just the way it was meant to be.

Sleep Study

Sometime last year, one of JoAnn's doctors asked her if she was getting enough sleep. Of course she wasn't and the Dr. asked if her husband's snoring ever woke her up. Of course she said yes and the Dr. recommended that her husband endure a sleep study. So, after she bugged me about for several months, I asked my Dr. about it and he sent a referral to the Sleep Institute, and I was soon scheduled for an interview with the sleep Dr., who, by some quirk of fate, was the original Dr. who recommended the sleep study to JoAnn. After the interview, I was scheduled for a night to sleep at the sleep institute which is, how strange is this, at the Dr.'s office. When I got there, I was hooked up to a myriad of wires and tubes and expected to sleep the night away. The photo doesn't show all the sensors later stuck up my nose. After the results were reviewed, the Dr. said I had severe obstructive sleep apnea (not good). I then had to go back in and get hooked up to the wires one more time and sleep with an air pressure mask to see how it worked. The photos are me hooked up to the wires and a shot of the wires going into the computer. I'm actually looking forward to sleeping with the sleep machine (c-pap). It would be nice to wake up in the morning and feel good. We'll see how it goes.

Way Back in June

Way back in June, when Richie was visiting, we had big plans for Saturday. We were going to go down to the clay pits on the west side of Utah Lake and collect fossil rocks for JoAnn's class, and then we were going to go to the Scottish Festival at Thanksgiving Point. Since we were planning on having lots of fun, I went and picked PJ up from the Grayson's at about 10 AM and brought him back to Bluffdale. We realized that we probably wouldn't leave until about noon so I took PJ over to Bluffdale Town Days which was being held at the park. When we got there, he wanted to sit in the sports car and the National Guard helicopter.

He then wanted to get on one of the "jumping things", the inflatable, enclosed play areas that kids bounce around in. Anyway, we went to the area with the "jumping things" and were told that we had to go buy a wristband. So we headed out in search of a place to buy wristbands but couldn't find one. In the meantime, he spotted the antique tractors and wanted to go play on them.

After he drove every one of them, it was time to go home and load up for the excursion. As we left home, the clouds were getting dark to the south and as we drove through the terrible traffic in Saratoga Springs, it started pouring rain. It rained harder and harder and we finally had to turn around when we realized that even if we went to the clay pits, it was going to be very muddy. When we finally got home, the power was out so we couldn't go back to the park because the "jumping things" had all collapsed. By the time the power came back on and we went back to the park, the "jumping things" had been folded up and put away. Ever since then, when we drive past the park, he looks at me and with a sad voice says "no jumping things today".

Fleetwood Mac

Hey look, it's me, JoAnn, and Greg at a Fleetwood Mac concert in the ESA on May 27th. FM is JoAnn's favorite band and while they are not my favorite, I learned a couple of years ago that they put on a spectacular concert. The last time we went, a couple of years ago, we had upper bowl tickets, but when we got to the arena, they took our tickets and replaced them with lower bowl tickets because the arena hadn't sold enough tickets to even open the upper bowl. Must have made the people who purchased the lower bowl seats for more money mad. This time they weren't even selling upper bowl tickets. Anyway, the concert was on the night when Richie was arriving from DC. I asked Greg if he would pick up Richie at the airport and he said no way, he wanted to go to the concert. It seems he had grown up listening to FM on our trips to Arizona and other places and was a fan, so I bought him a ticket and asked Senta to go to the airport. Well, FM played their butts off for 2½ very enjoyable hours.

Just before we went into the concert, Richie called and said his plane had been delayed because of weather. They had been sitting on the runway for about 4 hours and hoped to take off soon. I eventually picked him up myself since he didn't arrive at the airport until about 1 AM. He was supposed to arrive at 8:30 PM.

Oquirrh Mountain Temple

On Wednesday, we took the opportunity to attend the open house for the Oquirrh Mountain Temple in South Jordan. Dustin and PJ live pretty close to the Temple and drive by it on a regular basis. Dustin has told PJ that the Temple is "Jesus' House". PJ told JoAnn a couple of weeks ago that he drove past Jesus' House so he knows where he lives. The funny thing was that as we went though the Temple, PJ kept asking Dustin "where Jesus". Knowing Dustin's sense of humor, he probably told him Jesus had to go to work.

The Dog Walkers (and sometimes flyers)

One of our favorite TV shows is the Dog Whisperer with Cesar Milan. The guy is amazing! The changes he can make dogs undergo are incredible. Anyway, JoAnn has been working with our dogs (Boomer; Sadie does everything well), to get them to do a regular dog walk. Boomer just gets so excited. He cries and barks all the way to the park, and then he just pulls and pulls. JoAnn has made a lot of progress with him and on this particular day, PJ took Sadie's leash while JoAnn worked with Boomer. A couple of weeks later, PJ had Sadie's leash when, for some reason, Sadie just bolted. I'm told PJ literally went flying. He tells the story now that he went flying like Buzz Lightyear. He also says he wants to do it again but this time he won't cry.

The Great Hunt Panel

The agency I work for manages some 3.4 million acres which are mostly scattered around the state in one mile square sections. With that much land, there are bound to be some interesting things on some of the parcels. The first time I saw the Great Hunt Panel, was about 15 years ago and it was so close to the road, you could almost reach out the window and touch it. The Panel is located in Cottonwood Canyon which intersects with Nine Mile Canyon. Nine Mile Canyon is world famous for its petroglyphs and the Great Hunt Panel may be the most famous of all.



Several years ago, when oil & gas activity was increasing, the agency got with the county and the lessee to realign the road to get it away from the panel. We then attempted to spruce it up with some fencing and some signs. The first attempt at this by the county failed so miserably, it was torn out and removed altogether. After a couple of years of not being able to find anyone to do the job, the two foresters who work for me, Adam Robison and Cary Zielinsky, were enlisted to do it. After several weeks of planning, and a couple of weeks of hard labor by them and lots of other agency folks and volunteers, and lots of bitching and moaning by the auditors and accountants, a very nice thing happened to the panel; it is now protected and is a very nice place to visit. As always, click on the photos for a better view.