Tuesday 4 - It's Time for Fall!

Welcome to Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4... are you ready for Autumn?

Monday,  September 22 is the Autumnal Equinox, the first day of the Autumn season.  

Autumn is the name of the season, and fall is the term for the time of Autumn when leaves begin to fall from the trees.   Let's discuss it.....

1. Are there pumpkins or chrysanthemums on your porch or are you planning on putting some out?  

I have two pots with yellow chrysanthemums on my front porch.  The plant in the pot on the right is farther out in bloom, as you can see, but hopefully in a week or two, I'll have lovely yellow blooming chrysanthemums on both sides of my front porch. I have a "Give Thanks" pumpkin hanging under the flag and a smiling scarecrow on the front porch with a "Welcome Fall" sign, although it is hard to see in the picture.  The flags have been up since the day Charlie Kirk was assassinated, and they also honor the victims of 9/11.  It just felt right to keep the flags up for a while.   No pumpkins out yet because I didn't grow any this year.  I may get one to put out on the porch nearer to Halloween.

2. Are stores around you showing Autumn clothing and decor now?  

Last time we were at our local mall (we walk there every Saturday morning before the stores open), I saw lots of fall clothing in store windows - notably, stores like Hollister, American Eagle, and Nordstroms.    A few places have already started on Christmas, and I expect decorations will be up in the mall before long. 

3. Do you have plans for Thanksgiving yet?       

Yes, right now, our plans are to go to St. George, Utah for Thanksgiving. We will probably eat Thanksgiving dinner at Black Bear Diner like we did last year, and then do some hiking.  Josh will come with us, and we will stay in our timeshare condo.  These plans are subject to change.   

4 . If we can arrange an autumn trip or get away for you, where will you choose to go and why?

We have a fall break trip to Eastern Idaho planned.  It won't happen until mid-October when I have fall break from school.  We aren't really going to see the fall leaves, but I suspect we will see some.  We are going to the town where Josh went to college, Rexburg.  He would like to move back and wants to check out job and housing possibilities there.  

That's all for now.  Here's hoping that your autumn is colorful and beautiful in all the best ways!

Until next time,

🍂Deb🍂

"Autumn is the season that teaches us

that change can be beautiful."

~Heather Stillufsen

Fall Break Getaway Part 2 - Craters of the Moon

 

Our second full day in Idaho was Saturday.  Josh didn't have class that day, and he didn't have to be to work until 7 p.m., so he came with Charly and I over to Craters of the Moon National Monument and preserve.  We had been wanting to visit this place for a while.  It is basically a large area of lava flows and lava rock from volcanoes that took place over 2,000 years ago.  It's a bit off the beaten track, with its location in sparsely populated central Idaho, but it was well worth the 90 mile trip to see this very cool place.  We took a picnic lunch and enjoyed the afternoon walking some trails and hiking up a large cinder cone of volcanic rock. Craters of the Moon is an interesting, unique and fun place.  Here are some of the pictures I took while we were there. 

We had a nice day at this beautiful and unique national monument.  So glad we had the time to make the drive and check one of nature's  hidden gems. 

Thanks for stopping by.  Have a good week!

Until next time,

😊Deb💖

“The farther one gets into the wilderness, 

the greater is the attraction of its lonely freedom.” 

– Theodore Roosevelt

Fall Break Getaway to Idaho - Part I Yellowstone

 

I had fall break from school last Thursday and Friday.  After a gruelling first quarter of the school year, I always enjoy a fun and relaxing getaway to unwind. This year, we decided to head north to Idaho.  We drove from Salt Lake City to Rexburg, Idaho, where Josh is going to college at BYU-Idaho.  We met up with Josh Thursday evening for all-you-can-eat pizza at a place the college kids love, but Josh had classes on Friday, so Charly and I went about 90 minutes north of Rexburg to Yellowstone National Park.  We have been to Yellowstone before, but it is always a favorite place of ours.  It was a perfect day to go there.  The weather was mostly sunny but not too warm, and the crowds of summer tourists were gone. While we weren't completely alone in the park, it was nice not to have so many people around.  We got up to the park just about time for a picnic lunch, then we drove through the park and took some pictures of the absolute beauty that is everywhere. Here are some of the photos I took. 

We had a truly lovely day at Yellowstone. We have been there before and I hope we will be able to go to Yellowstone again, but I am very grateful that we were able to spend a day in Yellowstone during this little fall getaway. 

Thanks for stopping by.  I'll be back soon to share some more highlights of our fall getaway to Idaho.

Until next time,

😊Deb💖

"Climb the mountains and get their good tidings."

~John Muir

Falling Leaves, Good Things and Grief

As I was getting this post ready, I received word of the sudden death on Wednesday night of a good friend and colleague and the principal of the high school where I teach.  Emme Liddell was only in her 50s (seems young, right?) when she passed unexpectedly.  About a year ago, she was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease for which she was receiving treatment. She was planning to retire at the end of this school year.  She was much loved by students, teachers and parents alike.  I had sat in her office many times and always came out feeling heard and loved.  Everyone knew that they had a friend in the principal's office - something rare in education.  Honestly, the news of Emme's death shook me up.  It shook up everyone in the school community I think.  We knew her health had been declining, but everyone seemed to think that the treatments would work, and she would get better.  She spoke of having less stress after she retired and how her doctors thought that would really improve her condition. Life is so short and God takes us when our time is up, no matter what our plans are.  As I sit here finishing this post, I know even more strongly of the importance of looking for the good and being grateful for what we have each day.  That's what my boss and friend Emme did. She was always positive, caring and unfailingly kind.  She will be missed.  In her honor, today, I am joining again with  Susanne at Living to Tell the Story for Friday's Fave Five. 

😊 If you read my last post, you know that Charly and I had a delightfully perfect getaway in sunny St. George, Utah last weekend.  I am so thankful that we had such a nice time in a place we seem to enjoy more every time we visit.  

😊 The night before we were leaving to drive the 300 miles back home from St. George, the dreaded low air indicator came on in our vehicle.  None of our tires seemed to be losing air, and we have found that a change a temperature can cause the indicator to go on, but I wanted to make sure that everything was OK with our tires before we got on the road. We drove to a tire store we had never been to as we were leaving St. George.  We didn't have an appointment and the place looked busy, but as we pulled in, a very nice, smiling mechanic met us and immediately checked all of our tires and reassured us that they were all properly inflated and ready for the drive home.  I am thankful for his quick, courteous and helpful service to reassure us and help us get on our way home. 

😊 We had a really nice trip, but I am always so grateful to arrive safely home.  When we got home, we found out that there had a been a police action that closed the 1-15 (the freeway we drove home on), for several hours just a little while after we passed that area.  I was so grateful that we didn't get caught up in a major traffic jam on the freeway caused by a police car chase, road spikes and the arrest of a criminal.  

😊 When we got home from St. George, I took my vehicle into the dealership because my back-up camera kept going dark.  I feared that we needed a whole new back-up camera system and that would be expensive.  When I got to the dealership, the service manager took a look and promptly solved the problem with a quick adjustment.  There was nothing wrong with camera at all.  The lighting had been accidentally darkened by yours truly. The service manager also reconnected my phone to the Bluetooth feature in the vehicle.  The Bluetooth had stopped working a while back, probably after my phone updated.  I was so grateful that all of the technology problems in the car were fixed quickly and with absolutely no cost.  

😊  Our daughter Tiffany invited us to her home for dinner this coming Sunday. We always like to take something fun to do with the grandkids while we are at her house. We found these little styrofoam pumpkins at Dollar Tree last week, and plan to take these and let the kids decorate them with markers, stickers and whatever else they can find.  I think they will like that!   I am grateful that we will be able to spend some time with our daughter and family and have dinner with them this Sunday. 

😊 The leaves are falling off of the trees around here now, and colder temperatures and even possibly snow are in our forecast for the coming week, but we have had an absolutely beautiful, perfect fall weather-wise here in northern Utah.  For that I am grateful. 

😊 Charly and I have enjoyed some really lovely afternoon and evening walks during the nice fall we have had.  I am grateful to live in an interesting, safe and walkable neighborhood, and to be able to walk almost every day with my husband. 

😊 I am grateful that I have had the opportunity, since 2019, to teach under a wonderful principal, Emme Liddell, who passed last week.  This is my 22nd year in the classroom, and in that time, I have only worked under two principals who were truly great educators and leaders.  Emme Liddell was one.  It is a rarity to feel like your boss is also your friend, but that's how Emme made everyone feel.  You knew that she understood and had your back.  I don't know what the future holds in my career.  My goal is to teach at least one and maybe two years after this year.  I do know that I am thankful that I knew, worked with and learned from Mrs. Liddell.   She blessed my life and the lives of so many others. 

Thanks for stopping by.  I hope you have a good weekend. 

Until next time, 

🍁🎃Deb🎃🍁

"Gratitude helps you fall in love 

with the life you already have."

~Kristen Hewitt

A Fall Weekend in St. George

Since I had a few days off from school, we decided to take a little  road trip to one of our favorite getaway places - St. George, Utah, which is about four hours south of where we live, almost to the Utah - Arizona border.   We left home about 10 a.m. on Friday, and, allowing for stops along the way (one to track down safety glasses to view the "Ring of Fire" eclipse with and the other to visit a favorite thrift store in Cedar City), we got to St. George about 4 p.m..   

We had reserved a one bedroom condo for three nights, but, of course, there was a problem and two of our nights were not actually reserved.  Not to worry though, the manager was very helpful and apologetic and actually upgraded us from a one bedroom until to a lovely, large three bedroom, two bath condo, which really allowed us to spread out and relax.  

Friday evening, after we got settled in our room and had dinner, Charly and I headed to downtown St. George to attend the Open House tour of the new remodeled St. George Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the church we are members of.  The temple was originally built by pioneers in the 1870s and opened for the first time in 1877.  The temple has now been completely redone and it is absolutely beautiful inside and out.  

You can see pictures of the remodeled interior of the St. George temple here.  It was a perfect evening, and Charly and I enjoyed being in this place that, for us and other members of our church, is a sacred and holy house of worship. 

(source)

Saturday morning, the annular "Ring of Fire" eclipse was visible right across the middle to southern portion of Utah, as shown in this map.  

Fortunately, we were able to find and purchase some eclipse glasses to view the phenomenon safely and we enjoyed watching it Saturday morning. In St. George, the sky was clear and cloudless and we were able to see the entire eclipse very well.  It was quite an event! I didn't take this picture, but this is basically what we saw when we viewed the eclipse through the special eye-protecting eclipse glasses. Pretty cool!😎

After the eclipse, we went out to several open houses in the area, because we are still considering moving to St. George when I retire. We saw some very nice homes in our prices range.  This one pictured above was our favorite.  We aren't ready to buy another house right now, but it is always fun to look. 

After lunch, we went to some of our favorite thrift stores in St. George.  One thrift store in particular has a lot of great holiday items.  I didn't move many of my fall and Halloween decorations to the house we live in now, so I was looking for some fun fall things for my front porch.  I was so pleased find a couple of scare crows which will sit either side of my front door at home.  The cute witch windsock will hang from the porch cover.  I also found a great Christmas wreath which will be on my front door before too many more weeks have passed. 

Sunday morning, we went to church at this chapel which is near the house we saw at an open house on Saturday and really liked.

After church and lunch we headed over to Snow Canyon State Park, which is only about 20 minutes from where were staying.  We hiked the Johnson Canyon Trail, which is a two mile out-and-back trail into a beautiful red-cliff box canyon.  Here are some pictures of this fun and interesting hike. 

I love to hike, and this trail was perfect for our fall getaway! 

Monday was a teacher work day for the beginning of the second quarter of school.  I decided to take a personal day so we could stay in St. George all day on Sunday and travel home on Monday.  We left St. George just after 8 a.m., and allowing for potty stops, we were back in Salt Lake just after lunch time.  Monday traffic was light,  we didn't encounter any problems and we made good time driving home. 

Tonight we are back home, and almost completely unpacked.  If you look close, you can see that I even have the little fall/Halloween decorations I got in St. George on my porch.  We had a great Fall Break getaway in one of our favorite places.  Tomorrow it's back to school and on to the week ahead. 

Until next time, 

🍁🎃Deb🎃🍁

"The desert tells a different story every time one ventures on it."
~Robert Edison Fulton Jr.