I missed some of those cold temps by going to sunny St. George with the Mallory clan to replace a San Diego trip we had planned but that got cancelled due to the Coronavirus.
Day 1: We headed south and with a car full, because I jumped in with them, but we all got along and with a few pit stops we made it safe and sound with Matt behind the wheel. After we got settled in the condo at the Sports Village where we stayed we got a bite to eat and then Danica and Jason came over for games and to decide on a game plan for the week. St. George is definitely warmer than what we had at home, so the heat took a bit to get used to. I was glad to have air conditioning and a pool.
Day 2: After breakfast we made up sandwiches and loaded up to go to Fire Lake Reservoir in Ivins and had a fun day of lake fun.
Some of us got a bit more burnt than others, which gives us all the knowledge that sunscreen does work. Live and learn, right?
It was Matt and Amie's 15th wedding Anniversary, so Jason and Danica came over and we all ate pizza and played Skee Ball and miniature golf at the condo's clubhouses Fun Zone so Amie and Matt could have some time together to celebrate.
They got a nice take-out dinner at a Thai restaurant and then went on a drive up to an area where you could see pretty much the whole St. George area to eat it. Happy Anniversary--here's to many more!
Day 3:We loaded up the cooler with sandwiches and drinks again and headed to Leeds for a hike on the Red Reef trail. Boy, what a pretty area. There was a cool pond with a lot of red rock and green that we found at the end of the journey that made it worth it before turning around. This was a trail I'd never been on and it didn't disappoint. SO pretty!
We found a nice picnic spot and ate our lunch with the squirrels and a pretty blue bird. It was pretty hot, so we got back to the condo and changed into our suits and cooled off in the pool. Those with sunburns were feeling it today, but covered up more to play it safe. Maybe their learning?
Day 4: We had a Lazy morning and met up with Jason and Danica at the Pasta Factory for lunch, swimming, and a sunset hike on the Turtle Wall Trail with a hike back to the car with flashlights, thanks to our phones. Turtle Wall is another trail I'd never been on. It was a different kind of hike, but still pretty and the overlook view was incredible. Our goal was to get there to see the sunset, but we were a bit late, however, it was still very pretty. Thanks Danica for taking us on some new adventures.
Day 5: We had another lake day at Gunlock, but it ended up turning quite windy. We did some kayaking, but when the big winds kicked up we just played frisbee in the water and played in the water and on the beach. Then we headed to Veyo to get some famous pie. We got Blackberry Rhubarb and Sour cream Lemon. Very tasty!!
Back at the condo we played Spike Ball, basketball, Skee ball, and card games before going to bed.
Day 6: After breakfast we cleaned-up the condo some, checked out and headed to Kanarra Falls for a lot of beautiful sites while wading through water and walking in a few slot canyon areas. Such a beautiful area.
On the way back down, we were probably a 1/2 mile to the end of the trail and there's one area where it's narrow and has slick flat rock on the trail with probably a 20ft. drop off to one side of the trail. Both ways Jason said that this was probably the most dangerous spot on the trail. I did fine on the way up, but on the way back I got closer to the "safe" side to heed his caution and stepped on that flat rock and it was like I stepped onto slick ice. I just went down and slid off the trail. I grabbed grasses and tree branches to soften the fall, and finally got to a place where I could stop. Scared me to death! Luckily Matt was close enough that he could put out his hand and between he and Jason they pulled me up over the embankment. I had some cuts and scrapes on my legs and arm and my ankle was quite sore, but I walked out with Danica to lean on when I needed help. I got a pretty good sprain that swelled up more as we were driving home. I tried to keep ice on it and keep it elevated in the car, but that was a bit tricky during a 6 hour car ride. We made it though, and I am glad things didn't turn out worse. Amie doctored up my cuts and scrapes and my silent prayer as I was sliding down was answered. I'm alive and okay! Angels are among us.
I've done this hike before and even with all that happened I'd do it again. It's that pretty. Thanks Mallory's and Hassell's for a fun week and for having my back a few times. After a week the ankles doing better and the memories are engrained in my heart.
I got home and found that our driveway and sidewalk were about done. We had the driveway torn out and when they did that they messed up our sidewalk so they had to replace some of that. They got it done and also put a new seal on the asphalt. I'm glad it's done so we can park back in the garage. It ended up being quite a project, and still isn't really the way we wanted it to look, but it's better than it was, and we'll know to do things a little different if it happens again.
We also made some progress with the COVID lawn ordeal. Dale put down new seed after thatching it and we've been putting a fair amount of water on it. We did get a couple of cold spells with the highs in the mid 50's and lows in the 30's, and a lot of high winds soon after we'd seeded, which slowed it down some, but it's starting to show green. There is hope that we'll have a green lawn come fall. We're keeping our fingers crossed.
Dale wanted to get the boat out and get a fitting on the drive line adjusted so it would lubricate correctly and not overheat. We took the boat out to Benson Marina and got it out on the water. We went for a little ride and then he let it idle as he adjusted the drive line. Well when we went to head out again, the engine started to sputter and then it just died! We couldn't get it started. We were out far enough away from the marina that few boats would go by. Dale tried paddling, but it was windy and we were going against the current so we weren't getting very far. He ended up getting us over closer to the side and hopped out and started pulling the boat thinking he'd be walking it back to the marina.
A guy with his young son came by on a jet ski and I started waving the distress signal with the flags and he came and ended up towing us back to the marina. His 5 yr. old son, Max, got in the boat with us and we got to know him a bit better as his dad played the hero. It's nice to know that their are good people in the world. Thanks Curtis and Max Sampson, who actually live in the town we do (but we didn't know them), for being our hero's.
Danica was having kind of a struggle one day with some things so Amie and I decided to go and take her to lunch and spend some time with her. Jason worked with us on it, and it turned out perfect. She had no clue we were coming and was surprised. She posted this picture and write-up on Instagram: "The saying...'We may not have it all together, but together we have it all', couldn't ring more true. When I needed them most, my mom and sis completely surprised me and showed up to my work (an hour away for them) and took me out to lunch! We just sat and chatted for 3 hours and could have stayed through dinner! Feeling so overwhelmed with comfort and love knowing that I am blessed with such an amazing family". We love you Danica, we all won!
I had an unexpected visit to the ER because I started having a sharp pain by my right abdomen area that wouldn't go away. I called the Dr. after a day of the pain getting worse, and they recommended that I go to the ER because it would be the weekend and if I needed more care they could just do it faster. So I went to the Cache Valley Hospital's ER, walked in, and got taken back and found out my while blood cells were way high which was a sign of infection, I also had a cat scan and found out that I had acute appendicitis and needed to have my appendix taken out. Luckily the Dr. on call was just finishing up with a surgery and they got me in and I had my appendix out and was home within 7 hours. I came home sore in a different way, but that sharp pain was gone. Thank goodness for modern medicine. Dale wasn't able to be with me due to COVID-19, so I soloed it and he just picked me up to bring me home. He'd left his motorcycle at the hospital because that's what he'd driven there and then ran 3 1/2-4 miles to get it to drive home. What a guy huh?
Danica was sweet and sent me some flowers and on the card it said; "Mom! I'm sure you were as brave and strong as Madeline was when she got her appendix out :) I wish I could be there to see your cool scar"! There's a children's book about a orphan girl named Madeline that ends up having to get her appendix out. That put a smile of my face and helped brighten my day. Thanks Danica! I also got calls from the kids asking me how things were going and letting me know they were thinking of me. I feel blessed.
Dale got a text from his sister Nancy, saying that his mom had gone to the Dr., and they found out that her liver function had decreased 10%, she was retaining more water, and that the Dr. said that she may only have a couple of months to live. His mom didn't want to have any more hospital stays and felt that she had lived longer than she dreamed she would, so the Dr. recommended that they get her on Hospice care. After he and Nancy got in all the required COVID-19 gear, they were able to physically meet with their mom in her room, for the first time since mid March, when they met with the Hospice nurse, social worker, and an administrator to get things set up for Hospice care. Dale said that she looked good, and seemed in good spirits. We'll be keeping her in our prayers.
As I mentioned earlier, Jason and Danica spent some time in St. George for a change in scenery. Lucky for them they can both work remotely if needed, so they made the most of it. They spent time with us and then went back around Father's Day and spent time with Jason's dad. Jason golfed in a 100-hole tournament with his dad, brother, and brother-in-law. They got up at 5:00am to start and finished around dusk. That's what I call dedication.
Danica also stayed busy doing some paintings for people for Father's Day and for baby gifts. Her works getting out there!
Works been good to Jason, working with his mom, and now with Danica working in the office they have quite the support for each other. Hassell Free Loans live up to their name.
They also joined Jason's cousins and headed to more fun in the sun by going to Lake Powell for the annual Kapp family Reunion. It looks like the Hassell duo are considering auditioning for the Ski Show at Cypress Gardens.
Garrett and Zandra have been staying busy. Garrett's working from his home office still, but gets to his work office as needed. People seem to be taking advantage of the lower interest rates to buy or refinance.
Their garden has started producing peas and strawberries galore! Luckily the kids haven't tired of picking the garden yet. They know the benefits of hard work.
For Father's Day Garrett and his friend, Mike McKnight got gift certificates to go sky-diving, so they cashed in on them and went sky-diving together. He had this to say about the jump-- "The 900ft. drop for the first time amped me up and gave me quite the rush". I'm just glad they survived to tell us about it. That is something I will NEVER do.
He also took the McKnight's out boating with them. It looks like they all had a great time and that they are thoroughly enjoying their boat.
Lindsay took the kids to a Splash Pad for some summer fun and to cool off. Titan not only cooled off but did a little tree climbing as well. Watch out he may start hiding in the trees now.
Andrew got back from his work tour in time for the kids to pamper him on Father's Day. Lindsay said the kids were pretty excited to have him home so they could see him open his gift.
Because their 10 year Anniversary plans of a trip to Hawaii got debunked due to COVID-19 I ended up watching Titan and Nora with Kennlyn's help (THANK YOU KENNLYN) because I'd had my appendix out just three days before, so they could have some alone time. Lindsay's dad, and sister-in-law watched Eloise and Arwyn. They got a place at the Lighthouse at Bear Lake and stayed there. They borrowed our Razor and went on a ride and then had dinner at Zip's and stayed the night. The next morning they went on a horseback ride and then headed home. I was glad they got to get away together. Happy Anniversary--10 years and counting.
They got their boat out and took Amie's crew out on it at Cutler Dam to get in some time on the water. Andrew had gotten a boom and they put it on the boat and got Titan and Langston to get up with it on skis. What a great way to introduce them to water skiing in a easier way! The kids loved it!
They also got Dad and I to get our boat out and go with them after it had come back from the shop. The Mallory's joined us as well, and again the boys got up on skis with the boom. All of the kids, (except Arwyn) and Lindsay had a ride on the tube as well. Amie drove Andrew's boat so he could get in a ride too. It was a fun evening and great having the boat up and running again.
They headed south to St. George for some more family fun. They got in some Razor riding on the sand dunes, swimming, hiking the Red Reef trail in Leeds, and checked out the area more. Poor Nora got croup though so they had to come home a little earlier than they had planned.
The Mallory's were kind enough to host our family Father's Day dinner/get together at their house. We had Dutch Oven pork ribs, that were perfectly cooked (so tender), Dutch Oven potatoes, that were perfectly cooked, a yummy tossed salad, some watermelon, rolls, and Rhubarb Crunch for dessert. It was a nice meal and fun to eat on their back porch. The kids played and we visited. They've been busy fixing up their living, dining, and kitchen area and also got a new dining and kitchen table and chairs. It looks nice.
To all the special men in my heart. Happy Father's Day! I feel deeply blessed having these wonderful men watching over me from above and here on earth today. They each have touched my life for good in many ways. Love you all and thanks for who you are.
Jaxson and Kennlyn are both into soccer. Jaxson's been playing in scrimmages against other teams because with the pandemic there's no organized soccer programs. He's hoping to try out for the Freshman soccer team at Green Canyon this fall. Kennlyn's just been doing practices. Amie's helping some, and running the kids to their activities. Things are getting a bit busier around their house.
Jaxson also got a job pulling weeds in a guys backyard to help prepare it for getting sod put in. With CVOVID-19 and all of the rain it made it a jungle in the yard before they could get the grass to put it in. Goes to show that he's willing to work hard so he can play hard. He has to pay for half of his costs towards his sports.
Amie was able to get together with a couple of her cousins--Emilie Potter Wilson who lives in Pocatello, ID ,and Jessica Brady Del Toro who lives in Henderson, NV, with their kids at the Ryan's Place Park in River Heights, and then at Amie's house where Andrew had his kids with him while he was helping put some baseboards in for them. That made for a fun day for all.
Matt's sister came and spent a couple of nights with them. They went and saw the Hobbit Caves up Logan Canyon, went kayaking, hiked up to the wind caves, and played Pickleball to fill up some of the time.
The Mallory's and another couple they know jumped on an opportunity to make a little spending money for their families by manning the Olympus/TNT fireworks tent at Cedar Ridge Elementary this year. (June 29th-July 4th and then July 22nd-24th)
She shared on Facebook that "10% of all Sales goes towards the Cache County School District to help support our schools, and that popcorn would be available to help you have some goodies to enjoy during your night of fun"! That's one way to keep the kids from getting bored this summer.
Nate's got his office open more now and can do surgeries. He said he's probably about 60% to normal. I hope things keep looking up for him.
He's made the most of getting outdoors on his down time, by doing trail running and rock climbing with friends (yes, he's got some friends that are girls). He sent me this post about his happenings: "Basically the weather forced a change of plans every single weekend in June with rain on the weekends after a nice work week of sun. I also climbed all over Washington checking out some new areas. Still loving Washington".
He tried to get in a Rainier climb but it ended up getting changed to skiing off Mount Jefferson in Oregon with the Big Mountain Boys because of a bad weather weekend. Still got out though.
Most of our state moved to a lower level for the pandemic. From orange to yellow, which allows groups of less than 100, but still is asking for social distancing, wearing of face masks, washing and sanitizing you hands frequently, and staying in as much as you can. However, Gov. Gary R. Herbert did approve requests for the following counties to transition to Green, or New Normal Health Risk Status: Beaver, Daggett, Duchesne, Emery, Garfield, Millard, Piute, Uintah and Wayne. Our area tried to go green, but we had a bad couple of weeks due to a outbreak of COVID-19 positive tests from the JBS meat packing plant in Hyrum. So they're playing it safe.
Our country has had a lot of riots and protests due to the death of George Floyd, a black man who was strangled to death with a knee hold on his neck for more than 8 min. during his arrest by police in Minneapolis, Minnesota. More than 1,500 buildings across the Twin Cities had been vandalized, looted or had doors and windows smashed. Some had been reduced to rubble, and dozens have been destroyed completely by fire. Others places reported extensive water damage or severe fire damage.
This became the beginning of a huge Black Lives Matter campaign among a lot of U.S. citizens as well as nationally.
Buildings were burned down, people were all over in the streets and spitting on and yelling at police.
Salt Lake had their own first big protest march and some protests going on as well. The news said that 21 officers were medically treated and 41 arrests we made in the downtown Salt Lake City riot that lasted 8 hours. Protesters also turned over a police car and started it on fire. Nationwide there have been statues that have been vandalized or even broken. It got ugly and this is at a time when there's a pandemic going on as well. Crazy stuff. People are tired of being cooped up, and tired of being treated unfairly by police. The sad thing is that all police are not like this, and it's really not about just black people, it's an issue among all people.
Pres. Trump encouraged churches to open safely so that people could go to places of worship and find comfort and peace. Our church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has been allowing us to hold "church" at home and partake of the sacrament given to us if there's a worthy Priesthood holder in the home or by a worthy Priesthood holder. Pres. Russell M. Nielsen, our prophet, sent us a email saying that we could start to attend church under certain guidelines.
Our Married Student Ward, that Dale's the Bishop over, started attending a 45 min. Sacrament Mtg. the first week of this month. Everyone was asked to wear a mask in and out of the building and according to social distancing guidelines as needed. We all are asked to use hand sanitizer as we enter and exit the chapel. We sit on the pews using social distance guidelines, by leaving a row empty in front of you, and behind you. Those preparing the sacrament wear masks, and use hand sanitizer before each ordinance. The bread is broken and placed in a clear sacrament cup. Those passing the sacrament wear masks and walk along the empty pews in front of those in the congregation. We save our sacrament cups and dispose of them in the garbage cans by the door. All those on the stand sit with at least two seats between them. We only have one speaker, and after the meeting people have been asked to wipe down the benches and chairs with disinfectant so that when the next ward comes in it's a cleaned area. It's been working and it's been good going back to church.
Those that don't feel comfortable about coming back to church yet, are ok to stay home and receive the Sacrament there. We've had around 50-60 usually come, which is maybe 15-20 less than what our ward usually has attend because we have a small ward. I'm grateful for this opportunity to be uplifted again by the strength of great ward members. I was overwhelmed by the spirit the first two weeks I attended with our ward. Tears just started rolling down my cheeks as I looked around at these awesome couples that we serve with as I felt a deep love for our Savior and them.
With more states opening up the NBA set a schedule for the season to restart the end of next month. They were one of the last few to start up again. NFL Football hasn't started doing training yet because that sport starts in the fall, but MLB has been playing and soccer is playing, as well as golf and race car driving, but all are following certain guidelines.
With the NBA set to return, Gobert is talking about his bout with the virus and how he’s become the poster boy for COVID-19 around the sports world.
“The taste has returned, but the smell is still not 100 percent. I can smell the smells, but not from afar. I spoke to specialists, who told me that it could take up to a year,” Gobert wrote in a column for L’Equipe.
A lot of the focus has been on the recovery rate for able-bodied and younger individuals who contract the virus. Though, there remains long-term health ramifications. Gobert’s might not be as severe, but it does tell us a story.
The Jazz will be playing games in Orlando, FL to get their season in. Go Jazz!!!
Utah has had a lot of fires flare up already. We've had a lot drier spring even with these late storms.
One fire in Ssratoga Springs made 13,000 people evacuate their homes. Luckily, no homes were damaged, just fences and some siding. One fire ended up burning a house down. Most of the fires have been south of us.
Luckily we haven't had any in our area yet, and I hope we don't get any. The air quality was getting quite bad due to the smoke, but we had another wind and rain storm come through that helped clear the air as well as help with the fires. I feel someone above is watching over us. We have been blessed in many ways.
As far as where our area and Utah stands with COVID-19 the last of this month, here's the numbers:
TESTS – 328,449 total tests in the state. 4,647 tests were conducted since yesterday's report. The rate of positives is at 6.4% of the total tested.
HOSPITALIZED – 192 people with confirmed cases of the virus are currently in the hospital. 1,396 people have been hospitalized in Utah since the start of the pandemic.
RECOVERED – 11,931 people recovered based on what the state defines as recovered: "A case with a diagnosis date of more than three weeks ago, who has not passed away, is considered recovered."
As of the last of June, our area had 20 new cases. Cache County had 17 and Box Elder County had 3, and no new cases in Rich County. We also had one death in Cache County, a male over 60 who suffered from underlying health conditions, and passed away in the hospital. That make 2 deaths in our Bear River Health District since the pandemic started. However, the first death , was a male over 60 who had been serving a mission in Detroit, Michigan and passed away at his daughters house, so he really never contracted the virus in our area, but his place of residence was listed in Brigham City, UT. We're keeping our fingers crossed it doesn't start spiking again. Time will tell.
With what's been going on we've been getting a lot of phone calls from pollsters or delegates who are running for a bid in the Primary Elections. Utah gets to decide on a new Governor, and some spots for Congress. Then in November we do the big vote that includes who we want for President of the U.S. This is going to be interesting. Our area is voting via mail in ballots. Dale and I did our part and voted, I hope you did too!
What a month we've had! I called it June Jinxed because so much bad has happened to us, and because of what's happened in our country with all of the division among people and the riots and the spikes in COVID-19, but I know that things will get better. It's just somedays you really wonder why, but we know tomorrow is another day.
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