February 2023... Spring can't come fast enough... sigh...

We got an update from the company our door camera is from... The system was shutting down for a couple of day as they update the system... and, this is what it looks like now!!! Colour pictures!!  I am totally excited...  It looks so beautiful... still too much snow, but it looks beautiful!

This picture is 5 days later... after the Valentine's Day snowstorm..

What is interesting about the door camera... we were in Home Depot and we saw a display with the same camera advertised that the new camera was an upgrade... that you can now get colour images... I asked Jim if we wanted to upgrade to the colour, and we agreed that we were good with what we had... and then, just a couple of days later, they do a system update, and we got instantly got colour pictures... hmmmm....

Every year, at the beginning of the season, we print off a list of things we want to accomplish during the spring/summer/fall..  This year, I asked that the list be made a little bit bigger because it was so small last year, we had trouble reading it... Wow.. did it get made BIGGER...  It printed out on three poster paper (bristol board for all you Canadians) 27" x 34" sheets!  Oh my... we can really see it now!!!  We don't have enough wall space at the cabin to put the three sheets up there, but it fit in the hallway in the Provo house... I am a smaller set made for the cabin...  Giggle...

I was in Lowe's Building Supply center a week ago.. I don't even remember why Jim and I went, but I saw this thermometer and I loved it. I am going to put it by the jacuzzi just so we are aware of the temp down there...  We were in the jacuzzi once last year... the water felt really nice and warm, until we adjusted to the temperature, and it was freezing.. and, getting out was terrible... the air was so freakin' cold - even a bathrobe didn't make it warmer!

Jim found me this rolling pin.  I have a collection of different types, styles and sizes of rolling pins in the kitchen, so I think this will fit in nicely.

I found this little basket a couple of weeks ago...  Not sure what I am going to do with it....(Jim and I go through this all the time... I want to buy something, and he starts with.. "What are you going to do with it?  And, I always answer... "I dunno... I'll find a place"...)  So, that's how this one is ending up.. I'll find a place and let you know!

While at Lowe's, I found these two frogs... Actually, on the first night we were there, I bought one "spitting frog" and, after I thought about it, I went back the next morning, and bought the 2nd one.  I am going to put one of the frogs, in the rockwork in the grotto... I thought that would be cute.. and, the 2nd one is going to live by the jacuzzi...  Or, maybe, both spitting frogs will go in the grotto...  And, yes, they are "spitting frogs"...  They have a little nozzle on the back end that you attach to a water source, and they spray water.. I think they are darling..  At least, with this purchase, I have a rough idea where at least one of them are going...  I put the dollar bill beside them to give you an idea as to size...  These are not baby frogs... these are mama and daddy frogs!

I have been looking for a couple of quilt ladders for quite a while, and just couldn't find what I was looking for...  I came across an old ladder that is going to be perfect!  Right now, it doesn't look amazing, but Jim is going to split it in two, and we'll sand it and then varathane  - gonna looks amazing! I originally wasn't going to buy it, but Jim pulled a sneaky and bought it for me!  I love it.

And, we found a solid oak door for the downstairs bathroom this past week.... I loved the grain in this door and think it's going to be amazing downstairs...  I am a BIG fan of oak cupboards and floors and doors... Jim likes knotty pine, but it seems too busy for my taste... Oak is calming and beautiful... (The dark spot to the bottom right of the picture is just a shadow from my phone... this door is now stored in the hallway of the house in Provo... We're running out of space in the livingroom....)

Well, that's about all I got for this week...  With all the damn snow in Provo and in Alton, I'm losing hope for the possibility of spring any time soon!!!

The adventure continues.... in the snow...

Love, Jim and Cheri

 

.... still snowed out.... grrrrrr.... (And, this post is a little on the late side... sorry...)

Well, it's still snowing and I'm counting down the days until spring.  We were told that this year has the highest snow load ever, and we are hoping that our deck is going to survive... We've got a 4 foot drift on the deck by the front door.. We put a door camera up in the spring and it is triggering constantly with all the movement of the snow...  No animals, but lots of snow...

And, our Bryce Canyon is looking absolutely beautiful covered in snow...  how about we keep it in the canyon and away from our cabin...  don't think it's going to happen...

In last week's blog, I mentioned that we found a guy in Lehi that had a huge collection of rock - some of which I wanted incorporated into my grotto... and, it was rainy and muddy and the guy told me that we should wear boots... Well, here's the boots we bought... Unfortunately,  you can't tell which are girl boots and which are boy boots... maybe, that's why I don't like them much.  Jim loves his boots and has worn them several times now... Me... it was a one time event....

Here's some of the rock that I've picked out for the walls in the grotto.  I think these rocks, mixed with the flagstone is going to be amazing...Jim hasn't quite caught the vision yet, but I have and it's going to be amazing.

...Opalized agate

Pidgeon Blood agate

...more rocks... don't know the name of the next bunch...

Jim says it looks like coronary plaque!

This was one of my favourites...

Tiffany Stone

100 years ago, when I first got married and was moving to Texas, my father bought me a bread knife - he said he wanted me to have something to remember Ontario by.  At the same time, he bought me a corning ware pie plate and a couple of other little kitchen things.  I still have them and they have travelled with me over the past 40 years to Texas, and Idaho and Utah.  This past weekend, Jim bought me a new bread knife, as we are starting to downsize to move to Bryce.  I guess this will be my remembrance of Provo...  Still feels a little strange to me...

Here's the knife that my dad bought me... it's a little worn, and the handle is split a little, but it still works amazingly well..

And Jim found this case for me this past weekend... and, I love it.  It's from the 1940's and I  think I am going to display it in the loft bathroom.  I think it's a cosmetics case, but it is all leather on the outside and just beautiful. And, it's in beautiful condition.  I have a collection of antique mirrors and brushes that I am going to put in it..... I love it.

And, here it is with a few pieces added for show!  Perfect for a bathroom..

And, I was looking for a light fixture for the downstairs basement bathroom...  it's a really small room so it needed just a certain size of light fixture to go over the sink - and, I think this is going to be perfect.  

And, here's our hockey update for the week....  Here's our Ben, who plays for the Ice Mice, and my crazy son, at the rink in Alaska..... This is Ben's 1st year on the ice...

And, here's Coy, who plays for the Provo Predators!  This is  Coy's 5th year playing hockey!  He's a solid little player!

Hopefully, the stupid snow will melt... soon... I'm so tired of winter... I really need just a little bit of sunshine to lift my spirits..

As always, the adventure continues....

Love from Jim and Cheri