Those other interests

In last week's travelogue, I talked about, or at least mentioned or alluded to, many of my great interests: Thanksgiving and other holidays, holiday foods, nineteenth-century history, horrible 1960s sitcoms, rocks, prehistoric creatures, walruses, French, Lady Gaga.

So this week should cover pretty much all my other interests: summer fruit, unusual recipes, cats, goathead eradication, county seats, trail running, wildflowers.

When we left on vacation, I was worried that we would miss the window for fresh cherries from my sister's tree. But we got home in time to catch the tail end! I was delighted to go pick some. I just love fruit season: the cherries of June, the apricots of July, the plums of August, the grapes of September, and the apples of October. Our crops are looking good for all those fruits.

My mom and I spent about three hours pitting more than fifty cups of cherries. I got a new cherry pitter that is fast, but unfortunately it leaves some pits in. I worry we will choke or break our teeth on a pit. But it's better than pitting by hand! I used the cherries to make salsa and crisp. Cherry salsa is one of my favorite things to make. I shared some, and one person told me he liked it better than regular salsa, and he doesn't even like fruit salsa.

Next stop: Apricots!

I've seen a few thistle plants growing. I find them interesting, so I must be Scottish.

Tuesday was my day off. Before we left on vacation, I noticed that Jimmy the cat was missing another tooth. When we adopted him in October, he was already missing one of his lower canines. Now he's missing the upper canine on the same side.

I pulled out a kennel we inherited from my dog-loving sister, and I shined a laser into it. Jimmy chased it into the cage, and I closed the door behind him. He did not like that, and he made the saddest meows all the way to the vet. The vet looked at him and said we shouldn't worry about him too much; his quality of life will not go down with missing teeth. They gave us antibiotics for the hole in his mouth, but I don't see how we can possibly give it to him.

He didn't like going to the vet, but he's quick to forgive and is back to his affectionate, though sometimes bipolar, self.

I found him "mentioned" in a book this week. "Certain diminutives."

The vet time took less time than expected, so I used the opportunity to visit some more county seats.

I planned to go to Randolph, but then I realized that it wouldn't add that much more time to hit Logan as well. And then I realized Ogden was on the way too.

First I stopped at the Ogden Daughters of Utah Pioneers Museum. Their museum was an old Relief Society hall that was physically relocated in 2013. I had fun looking at the old artifacts, including a silk dress made during the sericulture industry of the 1870s.

 After I had been looking for a bit, the DUP members noticed me, and then they wouldn't let me look at the museum on my own. Is that some policy or something? I was a little annoyed; I wanted to go at my own pace, and one of them was reading the interpretive signs to me. Um, I can read. But they were very nice. And they were selling a hardbound book, Beneath Ben Lomond's Peak, for only $2.50! So I bought a copy.

This was an original handcart found in an antique shop in Iowa. It's believed to have been returned to Iowa on one of the missionary journeys.

Then I drove up to Logan and visited their DUP museum, which wasn't as impressive.

These sleigh bells belonged to Joseph Smith. Or so the sign says. I'm a bit skeptical of relics.

I also stopped at the Logan Tabernacle, which was open to tours.

All decked out for the Fourth of July!

Once I was done in Logan, I drove up to Randolph. I drove past Bear Lake, but I didn't stop at all, because I had no need to. It is a lovely lake. It took a while to get to Randolph, due to slow semis and construction.

I drove through Randolph last summer on my way to Wyoming for the eclipse, and I saw a sign advertising the "smallest store in Utah." So I wanted to go shopping there! But it was closed, with no signs of it being open at all recently.

I stopped by the Randolph Ward's beautiful building.

Then I stopped at Wilford Woodruff's cabin, which doubles as a site for visitor info.

They had a platen press out in the middle of the park, susceptible to birds and weather.

Then I headed home through Evanston. I didn't expect to go to another state again so soon after New England.

On Wednesday we found a dead deer in our yard. And DWR still hasn't picked it up. 

This week, I was annoyed with tourists playing with things in the print shop at work, so I created a makeshift sign. It's not great, but I made it from scratch.

On Friday, I took advantage of the cooler temps to run up North Canyon, which is becoming almost too easy for me, but it's convenient. It was the first time I had been there on a June evening (as opposed to a June morning), and it's been about a month since I was there. I was surprised how different it looked with all the tall, green plants. And I was shocked to see a pool of water in the road, which was not there at all last time! I heard about a rough hailstorm while we were on vacation, so maybe that did it? Or maybe it's for erosion control, since that part of the road is in horrible shape?

I haven't been able to identify this orange flower, though I'm thinking it's a species of paintbrush.

 When I got to Rudy's Flat, I was happy to see an American flag. (I'm really only patriotic because of the Fourth of July. Sorry.) I liked to think it was for the Fourth of July, but I guessed it was for one of the scout groups camping up there. I headed down, and I passed a guy with a tiny American flag in his pocket. I said, "I like your flag," and he said, "Which one?" He was the one who erected the flag. I asked him if it was for the Fourth, and he said, "Just for July." So it is for Independence Day and Pioneer Day! I just love it when my extreme love of holidays collides with my (smaller) love of trail running.

June is my official month for trying to eradicate goatheads, the evil plant I love to hate. I found a huge patch in someone's yard, but I feel weird hanging out in a stranger's yard. So I found some more at a gas station. Eradication season has officially ended (the plants get too dangerous later in the summer), but I still might try to pull some.

This post has been a little scattered. But you get what you pay for! ;)