june twenty-five

Trev's

let's take the long way home, shall we?

midsummer's day

oh, i've been pining and pining for a day of Earth and green and nature and all of its richness and divinity!

there has been much fun and play around here lately (well, i s'pose there always is), and i've been more and more needing to bury myself deeply and thoroughly in Mama Nature's gifts.

i began my day with working on a house blessing.
gathering, reading, touching, inhaling... consuming!.

 ivy, mullein, catnip, peppermint, yarrow,

lavender, chamomile, lemon balm, hyssop

sigh.  how lovely.

the other grown-up began his day with settling in his desk to play with his new (father's day) neck-hackle...
ie - tying flies.

then it was time to pack up the books and other tools that might be needed for the day.
off to the wilds, then.

 

skulls, bat guano, blue bellies (fence lizards), hiking, a picnic lunch, desert wildflowers, swallow mud-and-spit nests...

just the thing!

up the canyon, then, for a bit of fishing and n_____-baby splashing

beaver's dam

and inhaling and absorbing the willows.  the willows are the mama's favorite.


further up a little way to hunt for snakes and to investigate the hot springs.

let's go all the way up, now, shall we?
to the top.

tag at mountain-top

cocoons

red-tailed hawk

... and heading back down

there are mountains made of conglomerate rock

and unbelievable views

 and grandly-sized, glorious patches of red clover

and stones just waiting for skimmin'

and caddis larvae investigations -

admiring their ingenuity and ability to make stone and wood cases for themselves

and other critters, too.

leech

so i'll just sigh,
and say "thank you"...
for that will certainly do.

wednesday

I'm thinking in terms of "Totally" today - so let me just say....

Totally loved today!
We went back for a longer visit to This Is the Place Heritage Park.
I learned soooo much!  So many fascinating and wonderful things.
Traipsed around (for about six hours) in the sun and heat
was totally interested in what the People-in-the-Know had to say, and was really, really good (and comfortable) at asking questions and finding out about intriguing historical happenings.
I didn't ask for anyone else's benefit - ie, wasn't asking so's I could 'teach' anyone anything- but guess who was there, interested, and learning right beside me?  Suh-weet.

First stop was the Restaurant/Hotel.  We got to play and explore upstairs while we waited for our food.
Whiskey, anyone?

We learned that since most folks couldn't read (and especially English), proprietors advertised by putting things on the roofs or outside of their shops - in this case a chair on the roof.
There was also a coffin outside... everyone would know this was a cabinetry shoppe.
The children got to see how tools and machinery worked, and spin a big wheel (the apprentice's job) to turn the awl (?? is that right?) so the craftsman could carve spindles from square blocks of wood.
They also got to shave and use the vices.  Very interesting!

 
The Apothecary.

(and small general store next door.) 

 

 

The banker/postmaster.

The children panned for gold -
upon finding their share, they took it to the bank - which had a sign posted outside saying "We Buy Gold".
They were given something very valuable in trade... pieces of taffy!

This house was interesting - the middle is a "common" area - on either side are the wife's bedrooms.
Each had their own private outside entry!  (Two wives. ahem.)

The women's hospital.
A lovely building, actually... if you don't mind the wooden surgical table and clumsy saws that are rather frightening.
The cost of staying?  $7 a week.

You can have your wheat or corn milled at the grist mill - he'll charge you 25% of your fare.

The barber/dentist.
He had some very pretty tools.  : /  And a jar of leeches!

Icecream!

A storyteller.
She was mending teepee covers.

Hearth and home.

Maddie loved doing laundry.

This is the Deseret flag.

Utah was  a territory - the war with Mexico had not been fought yet.

Brigham Young made up a "Deseret Alphabet", as the English language is so very complex, and many, many of the pioneers were Scandinavian or Norwegian.  It took for a few years - until the railroad came through, and many more people moved westward.

 

Elsewhere in the schoolhouse...

I don't know why I always love school houses so much, but I do!  They're one of my favorite buildings.

(Old ones, not modern ones, mind you.  :)  )

Schools were attended in winter and summer - in spring and autumn, children were needed at home for planting, and then harvesting.

 

 

Our time eventually ran out, and we finished up with play. 

A very, very cool day!