Just bits of August randomness

 It wasn't that eventful of a week, at least not in things I care to share on this blog.

Last Sunday I made grape bread, which I often enjoy baking in August and September. I think I need to buy more peanuts so I can keep making more.

In June, my stake asked for people to go help prepare Camp Piuta, a Church-owned girls camp, for the summer. Now that summer is coming to an end, they once again asked for help preparing it for the winter. So I went up again, because I knew no one else would volunteer. It was fun to go on a road trip for about an hour and a half of manual labor. 

I could tell that this was a field of mulesears, so I'm sure it was absolutely stunning when they were in bloom

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My dad came out of their bedroom one evening, and I looked in and saw Reggie on their bed. Isn't he majestic?

I continued evening trail running this week when I didn't have plans and when it wasn't thundering. (Lightninging?) 

Last night, I was running down the Woodbriar Trail at dusk. It was kind of dark, but I still could tell where the trail was, so I kept going. Suddenly, I heard the distinctive "cht-cht-cht-cht" of a rattlesnake. In the dim light while I was coming rapidly down the trail, I could tell that it was right in front of me, but I couldn't see exactly where. It was safest to just keep going, so I jumped over it as I continued to hear it rattle. Oof! That's the second time this month I've encountered a rattlesnake at night on that trail. Yet I've been going there almost eight years, and this month is the first time I've encountered them on that trail. (I did hear one three years ago, but I didn't see it.)

I think that was my closest-ever encounter with a rattlesnake. I'm not a fan of them, but I know they play an important ecological role. If even stupid rattlesnakes have a place in this world, maybe there's a place for me too. 😉