it take's a GEM... to finish the day.

Back again near the end of a stressful day... as always with Panguitch weather what ya see in the morning is usually not what ya get by mid day or even the end of the day for that matter... that's spring at six thousand feet... the "mile high city" has got nothing on us. They got football & baseball but we have the Utah State 1A championship baseball team.

Plumber... delta... and just a sweating pipe in a hot room...
but... it took a three headed detective... to figure it out...
turned into a clear blue sky... sunnny day...

No new leak... just a lazy plumber from the start...
two holes in the ceiling to close up... come monday...
off to the movie at the GEM... "The Croods"... follow the light

The GEM is a great place to unwind at the end of a stressful day...  dark room, popcorn, soda, and  handmade ice cream to escape the stress of a day that in the end did go more right then wrong!!
This small grey movie house on the corner of Main street in Panguitch is worth your support.
It was a busy family day at the movies today, with a good/funny show... and it saved my outlook for the day and put a smile on this old face.
That's what i call being prepared for the doldrums and its not the two hour round trip drive to the west, and the GEM is half the ticket price of the west, bring your cash cause the plastic don't work here!! (-:
And if ya look close enough ya can see Henries Drive-in down the street is open sooooo... enjoy...
 Cheers

Here's to the morning... twenty% chance.

March 23 2013 13degrees mostly cloudy... snowing ever so lightly.

Cold gray moving clouds... snowing
get out of bed... dog out... knee hurts...
a day of waiting for delta disaster too start... again.

The window from my world to the physical outside world... change.
reading... 2Nephi and Isaiah... knee feels better... change.            
the gray moves past my window... still i wait on... delta

The sun breaks through... but is covered by gray... again.
and the snow dusts the ground... breakfast with oj... again.
"...every mouth speaketh folly... but his hand is stretched out still."
                                                                                                                                                                   2Nephi19&20/Isaiah9&10

ChEeRs...

Week # 9... and other thoughts.

Cluttered desk... mind full                                                          November 2011

After a day trip to the other world and away from Panguitch, to pick carpet for the downstairs along with shopping while we are there, any more that takes the sap out of ya... these trips beyond our realm require much more then just going but must be accomplished with a list in hand otherwise life becomes hectic... and you must also take  your list into the store so that your not having the "what else is on the list?" conversation. This comes back to that idea... write it down and forget it but take the list with ya. One way or the other we always come home with more then we went in for, and the check-out clerk says "did you find all you needed"... oh yes and most likely more! Maybe that's because the list is viewed as a "suggestion" rather then the bottom line.

Well to week #9 food storage, eight cans of "meat/protein" per family member, lots of options here tuna, chicken, beef, turkey etc., unless you have a non meat eater in the house... This will be active rotation food for the three month supply for the pantry we are trying to get started. Work from the best use by date on the cans, most about a year. Now the option is always out there for dehydrated or freeze-dryed meats if you want longer shelf life, but also remember the need for more water to bring it back to life. In a recent round table talk the other day the idea of jerked meat came to light, expensive if purchased, and again shelf life issues... but what and how can you/we make it? The local/only grocery here in Panguitch has sirloin tip roast on sale till this coming Thursday, Mar 21, go in and get one and have the meat counter slice it the thickness you want, and save some work and fingers when you get home. Un-earth your favorite marinade and drop the meat in, then hang it on a rack to dry, or if you have a dehydrator lay it out on the racks, turn it on and check back later. If you hang it on a rack to air dry, ya might want to drape some cheese cloth over it to keep the flies off, ya know like ya do the deer meat to let it age. If you have any ideas or suggestions use the comments below, is there anyone out there??

Week #9 extra item, don't forget the paper (toilet) to clean up with, remember it's your done till the paper work is finished! Don't forget water 14 gals per person per week to drink and more for food and hygiene.

Week #9 72 hour and family prep, Get small inexpensive copies of the scriptures for each 72 hour kit, emergency box's, car etc. . In my case i always have a copy of the Book of Mormon in my brief case, don't leave home without it! Great reading when your some place and have to wait... food for your soul and spirit. The next biggie on my list is pen and paper... a journal, again it always goes with me. These can and are the records we are asked to keep by the Lord and our leaders. Take a min. during the day, pull it out jot down some insights, thoughts, ideas and forget about having to remember them till you read about them later as you write a review/record of your day. In the above image the black book in the foreground is my journal...don't leave without it, it's better then trying to find scratch paper to scribble on, and then can't find later! Remember these records are not for you, they do help though, but are for your family and children to get to know who you are better through your every day experiences and how the Lord influences and touches your life each day.

Psalms 46:10-11

Journal entries...                                             March 7 & 8 2013

"...though ours is a time of conflict, quietly caring for "the life of the soul" is still what matters most."

                                                                                                                                                               Elder Neal A. Maxwell   2003

Press forward and be of good cheer each day, one day at a time. Do something each week to build and prepare the storage needs we have been asked to get together, something is better then nothing. 

" In these bodies we will live, in these bodies we will die

       Where you invest your love, you invest your life

         Awake my soul, awake my soul"

                                                                      Mumford & Sons - Awake My Soul

Cheers...  until you return again.

Preparing for what i know... or may not.

temptation of spring in the valley...                                          March 13 2013 

During my morning surfing of the web, mainly email and news items, i came across an article about Megan Brown, the lady who founded/started Sweet Tooth Fairy, cup cake shops. Her advice for starting a business or big endeavor... "the most important thing is to seek for stillness. Listen to yourself in a place with no clutter, no distractions, listen (to the Spirit) no matter what!"

The temptation of the upcoming spring is upon us here in Panguitch, it starts with the tourist's passing through town, and they always get here before the warm weather, because this is the southwest and its suppose to be warm here!? First signs, increase in auto traffic, then if ya talk to the grocery store folks, the waves of traveler's in the store, and stage three, which is not quite here yet, is the increased foot traffic about the downtown area. But we here in this high mountain valley always have weather surprises for these unsuspecting traveler's. The visitor request i enjoy the most is... " is there someplace we can purchase a sweatshirt or coat?... we thought it was suppose to be warm here". My heck folks it can snow here in June!!  But i must say... i do love the early spring... tan fields, grey bare trees, and the two tone gray mountains of the Sevier Plateau against the cerulean blue sky with a few white grey clouds passing through.

Winter wooden box project...                                            2013

As i prepare for the Red Canyon season and my return to work the fact that i live here and look for the signs of the changing seasons and the many thousands of traveler's that pass through here never knowing what to expect, except that it be "warm", is all the more reason for me to be prepared for them along with the weather i know can and will come upon us. Back to wooden box's for the visitor center for recycling, lost and not yet found and to display animal artifacts collected during the off season. During the construction of the new trail, entrance, and restroom facilities at red canyon late last year i came up with some more display ideas for this season that needed work during the off season. Soil and rock samples for a geology display, along with coordinating and getting ready to hang three wonder-filled artist's painting exhibits during this season, all to reflect the nature of red canyon and the Dixie National Forest.

2Nephi 12:1-3

My personal journal...                            entry March,13 2013

As i coordinate the volunteer's that work at the visitor center along with some seasonal Forest Service help, i must be personally prepared, and the two things that are most important to me are my scriptures and my personal journal along with a visitor center daily event log/journal that i keep. First i try to read my scriptures each morning as i start the day and before going to work, so that i may stop and listen to what the Spirit has to say to me, plus the scriptures put me in the right frame of mind for a day of helping the volunteer's and visitor's. Along that same note i always have a copy of the Book of Mormon in my brief case. Second i always have my journal along for the day, with my camera, to always keep/make a record of the days events, by writing, drawing, "light drawings" and paper collages, along with the weather and personal insights that come throughout the day. I try to make entries during the the day as it progresses so that i don't have to remember/recap the day at home after work.  Third the visitor center log/journal is just a bunch "one liners", similar to a Japanese "haiku" of the days happenings, characters and events. I work with the journals this way to keep my mind free of those thoughts "oh i will never forget that...", if i write it down i can forget it, because there is so much information that goes through my mind/head everyday talking with visitors it's hard to keep track of it all, and this way by writing and making camera images i do keep a record.

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Thanks for stopping by...  Cheers. 

Week #8 & March Newsletter...

Well after the earlier post of today i could not stop thinking... i may have wax in my ears... that's what the junk mail from the post office informed me of today... this sequester thing has been bothering me... it's defined as: to isolate or hide away. Which i am sure is happening... but from the more romantic point of view i prefer  "seaquester"... sea: meaning expanse of salt water that covers most of earth's surface... and quester: a long arduous search for something... an expedition.

But to more pressing matters... Week #8 of the 52 week suggestion to preparedness... welcome if you just came to this site. Food storage and the extra item each week are pretty straight forward, we all need to get wheat and beans for the long haul. The 72hour kit information is where it gets interesting... What do you want to eat for three days while away from home under a most likely stressful episode?? I have been sampling  freeze-dried meals and have not been overly impressed. Mostly bland and taste-less and if you or the family members are picky eaters and like your food choices to be separated  on the plate well then good luck because most of what's out there is of the casserole variety... all mixed together, and you need a stove to boil water to reconstitute most of it to make it eatable... extra water over and above drinking plus pots, stove and fuel. Maybe MRE's would work for this three day adventure, eat cold or warm with some options for sides and snacks, short shelf life, up to 130 months, ten years, if stored at 60 degrees or below, not frozen though. Take them on camping trips and outings to test them to find family favorites and keep them rotated, assuming you get out and camp more then once every ten years!
Well for the March newsletter... water water water, the best bet here might be a swimming pool with a cover and filter all the water you take out for consumption... no diapers or peeing in the pool though! The sheer volume of storing water is staggering to think of, then along with draining for rotation... each family will need a water master. Store as much as you can in large containers, also some smaller containers, five gallon or less, for grab and go emergencies, and filter all drinking and cooking water through a good three stage backpackers filter, this way you do not have to deal with rotation issues, remember we are storing treated city water to start with. Keep your stored water in a cool dry place, off the concrete floor, tightly sealed till use, and out of direct sun light. Stored this way its storage life is indefinite, and store someplace where it will not freeze.
The food storage issue just keeps nagging at me ... this idea of an "active pantry" keeps coming back to mind... a good active three month supply of food always rotating based on our daily family menus, along of course with the long term "raw" from scratch food storage items. If you are on the computer reading this go to http://preparedldsfamily.blogspot.com this is a very well done and thought-out site. Take some time to explore, at the green menu bar at the top click "start here" read then go to "food storage week-by-week" a great resource. If you are way behind on the years supply, as we are this three month idea is a great start/goal to work towards and expand upon. This food storage is a process that takes time... it can be done in one shot but if your like me and my budget it's not happening!!
Besides i don't like getting my food storage all from the same place and hope it lasts till i have to use it and  then hit the "menu fatigue" wall early into it. Variety and options are the name of this endeavor and it takes careful planning not throwing a-lot of  money at it to feel good and going into any kind of debt that can't be paid off in one month. 
Please post comments to help us help you and we will keep offering ideas, insights and suggestions... i try to work on the k.i.s.s. principal as often as possible cause no one needs to reinvent what's already out there. Cheers.

Of seaquester and wooden box's...

 " There is so much incivility in the world today... I like the idea of our words being clear as a sunny sky and full of grace." Pres. Dieter Uchtdorf

Some days we need to spend more time sharpening the pencil then writing or coloring with it, more shavings and sawdust on the floor then marks on the paper.
Sit at the work table and work with my hands, cut, punch, and sew leather pouches for the buttons i got from a friend a month ago, because of what use is a button if it don't have work?? But these are not your run of the mill five&dime store buttons. Then the dog wants to go out to smell the morning air & world and take care of business. This gives me a chance to throw rocks at the neighbor's cats that come to moan and eat my cats food, hay folks curb your cats! Then it's off to the local sawmill, not a lumber yard, to obtain some 1"x10"x12' S1S2E E.S. boards to build wooden box's, another of those hands on make a lot of sawdust/shavings on the floor projects. The thing about making things/stuff is that at the end of the day you can look back and see what you made/did that day. These kinds of projects allow me to keep my hands busy and allow my mind/soul to wander, ponder, and think of my morning readings first and then of the events of the day. Its like the Greeks "walking and talking" at the same time and is much more productive then just sitting and thinking. But be careful what you load in your mind first thing in the morning because that will dominate your thoughts for the day... That said, start with the scriptures then you can weight all the rest of the days thoughts, and ideas with truth. Keep a prayer in your heART all day.  Smile.  And be of good cheer.

Oh ya... this seaquester thing, hope for the best and prepare for the worst-case scenario...
take up a notch in your belt, pray and be ready for what's going to come at ya...    CHeers!!
     

Ben Behunin's ceramic buttons... my leather pouch's

Two of three S1S2E E. S. wooden box's