fall outings

Every fall the Kokanee Salmon at Porcupine reservoir turn a brilliant red color and run up stream to spawn. If you have a chance to see it you won't be disappointed.

While taking pictures a fish jumped three feet out of the water so I snapped a shot real quick. I had to crop it because I had my super wide lens on so it's not that clear but you can tell it's a fish.

Uintah Autumn

After spending the last two months waiting on a precipice, I decided that waiting was yesterday's news and told Bryan we'd be taking an autumn drive. I wanted to go further than the usual close canyons. I've never seen the Uintahs in the fall, and here was a golden opportunity. We woke late on Saturday morning, and packed snacks, along with fishing poles (just in case) and took off. We took the route through Evanston. We arrived in town around lunch. After driving the main drag we decided on McD's. They had a lunch special of a 50 piece nugget with 2 large fries and 2 large drinks. It seemed like a great idea at the time, as much as we could eat with nuggets to snack on all afternoon. Seemed was the operative word. While we ate we watched one 'stellar' employee use the washrag for cleaning tables to clean the floor. Needless to say I lost my appetite. We headed on our way, and stopped at the convenience store for the road pass, and day fishing tags. The store didn't have any road passes left for sale, but we could continue on our way and stop at the ranger station instead. Since they so kindly weren't able to sell us a pass, we didn't bother to ask about fishing licenses. Just as well, it was pretty chilly, and we probably wouldn't have caught much as it had been a full moon. The color was quite beautiful on the way up, but once you reach about 9000 feet or so, you no longer see color, just pine and rock. You never really notice during the summer as everything is green, but it's grossly evident in the fall. Once we started our descent back down the other side, the color reappeared and was glorious. Bryan had a lot of fun capturing autumn with his half sunset filter, half neutral density and polarizer. We even used the red intensifier which made the oranges stand out brilliantly against the colossal amount of yellow. I'm glad I got us out of the house. It was well worth the fuel spent. Now I just need inspiration for the next long weekend.

Light and Glass

Jerry's Cousins

Yesterday I went into the kitchen to make Bryan some yummy tuna melts. When the microwave beeped and I walked over to pull out my softened butter, I heard a weird squeak noise. I turned and looked at Bryan bug eyed. Please God, please say no. Not my luck. The squeak happened again, and a giant mouse poked its head out from under the stove. I screamed like a maniac and jumped ten feet to the counter behind me and got on top. After our kitty passed away, and before the house was finished, we would get an occasional mouse. Once when Bryan went home for lunch, he kept hearing what sounded like small feet running, then a thump. When he went downstairs to investigate, he found a mouse was trapped in our dryer vent hose! He took the vent off from the top, crimped it shut and put a sack on the end with a rubber band. Then hauled the dryer outside, where I disinfected it, got a new dryer vent hose, and a whole new contraption for outside (it has a 'tank', that opens at the top when you are drying clothes; no mouse can get in that).
When we did the kitchen reno, we found where the mice had been getting in. There were gaping holes where the house "attaches" to the foundation. The mice would climb the vines of the creeping ivy outside, and get in through the holes. Then they would run amok, having quite the party underneath the kitchen cabinet next to the stove. We ended up with a pregnant mama mouse, that had babies under that cabinet during the reno. Sadly, one baby mouse just got its little foot trapped, and we had to put him out of his misery outside. I cried for him, even though I hate the critters. Once we discovered the cabinet mess, we cleared it out, patched all the holes, and haven't had a mouse since.
Until now.
We could hear this mouse behind the stove causing quite a ruckus. We laid out traps, and watched him lick away at the first one! Jerry had taught this one well. So I grabbed the second trap, smashed a whole bunch of tuna on it, and placed a Lucky Charm treat on top. The mouse ran about several times, attempting to escape to the fridge, and successfully made it to the dishwasher. Fed up, and Bryan now late to work, we left. I went and got sandwiches, as our house was infected with mice and who knows what else, and then bought more mouse traps and armed myself with cleaning supplies galore. When I got home, I tip toed into the kitchen. There was the mouse, snapped shut in the trap with his mouth over the gourmet meal I had prepared him. Whew! I then spent all afternoon cleaning and disinfecting. I pulled out the stove, shoved sticks down the side of the fridge with lysol wipes attached, and same with the dishwasher. Then late in the afternoon, after I was finally done, I got a call from my boss. While on the phone, I noticed a flash of a shadow, and screamed right into my boss' ear. I thought I'd seen another mouse. False alarm; just the shadow from the bag I was playing with. Then today I got a text from Bryan. There was a mouse under the fridge, as well as the stove. WHAT?!?! How the @#&*%? And sure enough, there are two more. One is a conniving little devil, and licked the peanut butter cleanly off one trap, and stole the Lucky Charm treats from two more. I left work and bought bigger, better and meaner traps. When I got home, Bryan was in the shower getting ready, and no trap was set off. I set up all mine, but with no gourmet meal this time. These culprits were getting no prize, as they had pranced around all night in my house. And now I'm worried that this must mean I keep a disgusting home, but I know I don't. I clean every week, and deep clean once a month. I disinfect every corner, and will take the time to use a toothbrush on the stove, and q-tips in the corners of windows. I'll even use a swiffer cloth on my ceilings to get any stray spider webs. When I finally arrive home tonight, I better find two mice DEAD, snapped in traps. I know it may seem sadistic to use the snap traps, but I will never use Decon. Who knows where that mouse will end up dying. Inside your wall? Behind the cabinets? Under the fridge? Or in the floorboards between the main floor and basement? No thanks!

Close Encounters of the Flower Kind

Remember how cute Flower was in Bambi? Skunks are more like the Christmas Critters that appeared in South Park.
I awoke tonight to the sound of Nivia barking. Unfortunately, we have crabby old neighbors who freak out at any noise that emanates from our yard. They called the police once about our dogs, and have written official complaints to the city. She had only barked a string of 5-6 barks, but it was enough to get me out of bed to tell her to hush up. I went to the back door, opened it and was blasted with a wall of the most horrible smell you could ever encounter. Nivia would hardly listen to me, as she was in a panic running around the yard with her nose in the grass. It was then that it hit me...my dog had found a skunk. In her curiosity, Nivia had been at the back fence line barking at a noise, which happened to spray her for her gallantry. I couldn't be mad, as it wasn't her fault that a skunk happened to be hanging out in the very backyard of the crabby old neighbors. I slammed the door shut to realize with every window open in our house to allow the cool night air in was also allowing every drop of the skunk's spray. Good grief. I hopped on the internet and found what would work best for removing the smell off Nivia. Come to find out that skunk spray is actually an oil which is why it is so difficult to remove. Several sites mentioned to use Listerine, along with a formula by a chemist of hydrogen peroxide, baking soda and soap. I gathered all the materials and a wad of paper towels, along with my cleaning gloves. I then suited up. I put on old jeans that barely squeeze over my butt, a painting shirt, and a tatty old hoodie. I tied my hair up and used Bryan's three handkerchiefs to wrap around my hair as well as my face and nose. I used a pair of beloved old shoes, put the gloves on with the long sleeves tucked in and took a deep breath. Out I went into the putrefied night air. Nivia behaved pretty well to all the treatments. I used paper towels soaked in Listerine around her nose, eyes and ears. I then rubbed her chest down and her back. I washed this all off with a heavy dousing of soap. Next came the hydrogen peroxide and baking soda concoction. The sites mentioned it would foam and possibly bubble, but none of that really happened. I rubbed Nivia down all over with this, but kept it away from her face, as all the sites mentioned whatever you do to not get it in your dog's eyes or mouth. I rinsed her off and then soaped her again with a final rinsing. My poor baby girl was shaking from head to toe. Normally she's quite hyper during bath time, but I think she realized she needed the help. Once I was finished, I stole out to the front yard, and with Bryan keeping watch and armed with new clothes, stripped down to panties. All my clothes, along with shoes, gloves and handkerchiefs were thrown into the trash. I came inside and got showered. Luckily I don't smell. My chemical suit getup actually worked pretty well. However, the house is rank. I've sprayed what I have left of Febreeze everywhere, but I'm going to need to buy more. But that will have to wait until later this morning; yes this morning. It is now 2:26 am. Good night never never land.

Maybe Next Time

When I looked out the window this morning I saw Nivia vigilantly keeping watch under the tree, and could hear the persistent chirps of a squirrel. The poor guy had been treed all night long. We had noticed him late last night and I figured while the dogs slept he would make his escape. Alas, he did not. After listening to the racket he made for ten minutes, I decided to let the dogs in to give him his chance. With the new carpet throughout the house, I put up the dog gate and closed the bedroom doors then let Jax and Nivia in to hang out while I got ready for work. Jax walked in and immediately shook off which sprayed water everywhere. He had just taken a drink from the sprinkler that was on and gotten his entire underside sopping wet. So back outside they went, and I locked them up in the dog kennel. As I headed back to the deck, I heard the squirrel jump out of the tree. I looked up and saw him on top of our fireplace. He kept very still as I hurried back to the house, but once inside, he still wouldn't move. After a bit I threw some pebbles at the fireplace to get him to go, as this was his big chance. My pebble racket alerted Nivia to his location and she whined like the dickens to be let out. This caused the squirrel to run down the fireplace and hide in the grass. He slowly crawled forward and would pause every few steps, stand up and survey if everything was ok, then suddenly run back to the fireplace. Then he ventured out far enough for Jax to see him, which caused Jax to turn into a ferocious lion. Jax does not bark often. When he was a pup we wondered if he even had a voice until one day we threw his Mickey Mouse toy in the corner and his shadow scared him so badly that he let out one big woof. He won't even speak on command. And when he gets worried, he growls deep in his throat so softly that you would think he has indigestion. But this squirrel brought out a series of barks I've only heard one other time from him. The squirrel leaped ten feet and took off as fast as he could scurry. I gave it another five minutes before I finally let the dogs back out. Nivia ran for the tree, convinced the squirrel was still there. But Jax, he ran straight for the fireplace, got the squirrel's scent and followed it wherever he had ran to. When I left for work, the squirrel was now making a racket in the neighbor's tree. Probably telling his family about his horrible sleepless night, the brown dog that kept trying to climb the tree, the death leap to the fireplace and then the way he hoodwinked that black lion. And where was the black dog? At the gate, keeping sentry. His brown eyes watching the tree intently.

Fireworks

Here are some shots from the fireworks at USU. The flyover was pretty cool, we were hoping for F-16's but instead when we weren't expecting it this KC135 popped right overhead and we nearly fell off the roof trying to snap a picture of it. It was close, no zoom necessary... After nightfall we also had a nice view of Venus.