Harley McFarley's First Snow

Harley our cat, followed us home one day in late March after a weeks worth of howling winds. My husband and I had been out for a walk when this cute little kitten came running from an abandoned house. He meowed and meowed as his little paws trotted, ran and leaped along side of us.  He selected us, I suppose, as his human family.

Harley McFarley

He entered our hearts with his little squirrel like body and his friendly cuddly nature. And what an appetite! Harley eats fresh liver, crock pot chicken and an occasional can of tuna. The other dear fur members of our home had quite an adjustment to make. It appears every time we bring in a new family member, fur, feather or otherwise, it creates a whole  different pecking order in the home. But after a few rumbles, squawks an growls it all simmered down. Now Harley walks about the house like he owns it. He has a regular routine of mousing outdoors and visits the other cats in the neighborhood. He is usually home at night and if he isn't he rushes in at 4:30 am when I open the door.

First Snowfall In Autumn 2011

The first snows come here around Halloween, so it was right on schedule. We awoke to the most beautiful site this morning. It was still dark but we could see the white of snow. It is real dark out in the country except for moonlight and few dim solar lights behind the barn. Imagine our surprise as we saw snow falling in the flash of the camera. Oh so beautiful!




When the sun rose over the land
We gazed into an Autumnal Wonderland
The air was fresh and chilled like a romantic glass of champagne
And every breath was an elixir of exhilarating bliss.

Our Autumnal Wonderland. Starbuck our llama is  in the shelter.

The garden trees drooped under the heavy white clumps of snow. So I took my 3 ft long dandelion plucker as my wand and gently tapped the limbs and branches. UP they went and the clumps and flakes fell down over my hair and coat. It was a chilly bath of delight. So fun the first snow!

Harley McFarley's First Snow!

Harley McFarley made his way outdoors and felt the cold. He backed inside the door from the chill and decided to take a short nap. He took his maiden voyage upon the snow at 11am. I called him into through the garden gate and off he pounced onto and into the frosty white stuff.  Weee! He loved it!

Harley finds hidden treasure.

Every turn he saw the magical crisp white land of snow. He peers inside this bucket, for Harley a hidden cave with treasures to discover!

Harley looks out over the snow.

Harley looked out over his new Autumnal Wonderland. Not one flick of an icy paws nor shiver from cold did Harley make. He bounced and stalked with appreciation of having yet another wondrous adventure. Harley must think the world of us now as we do of him. We are glad of his coming to live in our home. We are happy with Harley... The End.

Corn On The Cob

Fresh Picked Peaches and Cream Corn

There is nothing like the taste of those sweet kernels of fresh picked corn. Come to think of it the whole preparation, the dreaming, the plotting, the plowing, making the rows, planting the seeds, and caring for the young sprouts is a beautiful full circle experience. . Watering, feeding and watching them grow and blossom into a remarkable likeness of the picutre on the front of the seed package or catalogue is very satisfying indeed.

Windy harvest and a big load of corn !!!

It was time to pick the corn. I stepped outdoors and the stalks were bending north from the oncoming storm winds. I rolled in the wheelbarrel, gathered up the clippers, the camera and my gloves and made my way to the corn field of rattling stalks, and the flashy colors greens and golds. There was a promise of an adventurous harvest. I had to look twice at my yeild. The whole wheel barrel was full above the brim with corn.

I husked the corn outdoors that night.

We got word of a cold snap coming any day so I went outside my kitchen door that night and began shucking the corn. Some of them well, most of them had a worm at the top near the silks. They didn't eat much and I cut off the eaten part at the very top. I would knock the worms into a mason jar to serve to my hens. They love them!  I had a feelin' I would never get all these done but with each one I got faster and better. I wondered how we were going to eat all this corn?

I got the water to boil on the stove. Parboiled for 9 minutes

Then I plunged them into cold water to cool.

I laid them out on a towel to dry.

Then I put them in feezer bags and slipped in a straw and sucked out the air.

The next day, I delivered 2 dozen to my neighbor behind us and 6 to our neighbors next door. My husband took some with him to a co-worker and the father of my grandson's friend took 2 dozen home to his family! We all had delicious corn to enjoy ! Seems like everything just works out.

How was your harvest this year?

St. George Wagon Co. 1861-2011

St. George Wagon Co. Sign at Old Iron Springs Road.

On the way home from cutting wood out near Lund Rd, I began gazing out of the truck window at the roads we had traveled in the past 3 years. They wound through canyons, old mines, railroads and  lot's of big sage brush and juniper trees. It was Paul's Birthday and I was getting ready to ask Paul if he would like to have a picnic out there along one of those scenic roadside stops.  Paul opted to go to Chile's for dinner. We had a wonderful dinner and even shared a brownie with fudge and whipped cream! Yum!


The next day we went for a walk at The Three Peaks where we discovered narrow gullies and washes that wound their way through towering boulders of granite. Black iron streaked filings in the watermarked sand shone like large diamonds in the sun. The sky was blue.

That afternoon I got a call from Paul. he told me to get ready for a drive. He doesn't tell me where and I know it is a surprise of some kind from the sound of his voice. I had my camera and the dogs ready to go. He pulled his truck into the driveway and we loaded up. While on the road to, I do not know where, he hands me a paper called The Independent which is folded to an article that has pioneers on it. He asks me to read it while we are driving. I read the history of the Dixie Cotton Mission in 1861 and an adjoining article on the Sesquicentennial (150 year) Celebration of St. George, Utah. A reenactment of that period was going on right where we were headed!!! I could feel my emotions rising in my throat with such excitement. I had always dreamed of seeing the wagon trains crossing out on the land and hear the horses snort and the chains rattle and the groaning of the wheels and wood.

The Wagon Co. arrives as far as we could see.

He drove way out in the distance and we spotted signs on Old Iron Springs Road. They said St. George Wagon Co. in thick red paint with an arrow leading up a road to the west. I felt myself unable to sit still. Paul just then spotted the white cloth of the wagons making their way through the brush out of The Three Peaks. We parked and I got out with my camera. My heart was beating so fast I could barely get my footing on the ground. One deep breath and I gathered myself and began snapping pictures and video.

 

The costumes and the wagons and hand carts were beautiful and I felt like I was a pioneer myself standing out on the range back in the 1800's. The contrast of telephone poles and microwave stations made the whole experience timeless. Have you ever had a time when your dreams or imaginative thoughts were materializing right before your eyes? Another deep breath and I was sure footed and able to smile and wave and say hello as they passed.

They had traveled from the City of Parowan and were traveling to St. George on an eight day journey 100 miles away. Here they are on their way to Desert Mound.  We have seen their support vehicles, water, fire, toilets and equipment and supples. They even wrote a daily journal posted on http://www.sgcity.org/wagontrain/journal11.php  here is one of their entries in their journal.

St. George Wagon Co. Dixie Cotton Mission Tues Oct 11th

Tuesday Journal Entry
For some reason I thought our colder days were behind us but this morning proved me wrong. A crisp morning with hot cakes and eggs set the stage for the push toward Page Ranch today. I think they named the area Desert Mound due to the fact that you can't take more than five steps without walking through an ant mound. Anyway, we hitched up and left camp on time around 9:30 this morning.

We traveled 14 miles today, mostly uphill. The handcarts started out ahead but the wagon teams and riders caught up quickly. The temperature quickly warmed up as we marched our way out of the Iron Springs Valley. We must have had a faster team leading today because the pace seemed to be much improved from yesterday.

"While at lunch one of the teams took off unattended. In no time the wagon tipped on it's side and the tongue broke-off leaving it inoperable. The driver stayed behind and waited for parts to arrive before fixing the wagon and resuming the journey. Neither man nor beast was injured. On Pinto Road freshly graded dirt and gravel made it easier on the teams but tougher on the handcarts. It was almost as if we were pulling the carts through sand."

Lunch time for all. St. George Wagon Company

That night we felt the cold and thought of the Wagon Company out there on Desert Mound. The next day we decided to see them again on their way to Page Ranch. We arrived again to see them traveling down the road. Again we greeted them as they went by and they stopped a short distance down the road for lunch. They commented on our dogs, how pretty they were, and two young boys from the wagon train came to greet them. Their mother came with a Ziploc bag of dried apples and offered us some. They were delicious! 

Windy get some lovin'

I created a short documentary film about this experience and posted it on You Tube.com as
  St. George Wagon Co. 1861-2011

or you may watch the video below. 

Are you a pioneer? You do not need to ride in a wagon across miles of wind blown trails to be a pioneer.

I really feel we are modern pioneers and visionaries who have the qualities of commitment, courage and creativity. We venture into unknown lands with faith, hope and charity to make a better world for ourselves and others.

Delicious Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Homemade sun dried tomatoes on the dehydrator tray.

Originally published October 1, 2011.

Reposted September 16, 2023

I had a big red mixing bowl full of ripe heirloom cherry tomatoes fresh out of my garden. They had been sitting on the kitchen table and I was wondering what do do with them all. I used  them in salads,  tacos, and made a bit of salsa but there was still more left and more to come off the vines. 

I saw a great recipe for stuffed cherry tomatoes. The flesh and pulp were scooped out and filled with feta cheese and herbs. But I did not have any feta cheese on hand. Hey ! What about sun-dried tomatoes?  I looked up my favorite site, Pick Your Own and found it was very easy to make my own. I went out into my shed and found the Excaliber dehydrator. I have had it since I moved to Utah 14 years ago. It has an ample 4 shelves and temps up to 145 degrees. I set the dial for 140 degrees. And began to wash and slice each tomato in half.  I chose to leave my skins on as these were small . I gently removed the seeds by pushing them out with my thumb.

My dehydrator is wonderful. It is an Excalibur. 

I was happy to have enough to fill the 4 trays. They looked so pretty. I pushed in the racks and plugged her in. Soon the house smelled of tomatoes baking in the sun.

Homemade sun-dried tomatoes are delicious!

About 8 hours and they were done. I tasted one and then another and then another. To me they tasted like candy.

Home Made Sun-Dried Tomatoes

The big bowl of tomatoes made two portions. The tomatoes shrink to 1/4 their original size. I sealed them in a Ziploc and placed them in the refrigerator where they will keep for 18 months. I use them for pasta and snacking. These will be gone soon. I am looking forward to making more. 

There is nothing better than tomatoes right out of your garden but if you do not have a garden you can buy tomatoes at the market. Roma tomatoes are best because they have more flesh and less seeds and water content.  I would like to grow some of those next year.

Deborah Moon Moen
Little Utah Farm

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