Long Loop

I decided to go to Payson in the afternoon instead of immediately following my sessions at the Provo City Center Temple today, January 7, 2020.  I wanted to have late afternoon light on the Payson temple and the mountains to the east.  I also needed gas.  I found on GasBuddy.com that a Smith's store in Springville had gas for 20 cents less than the local station.  I took a nap after arriving home from the temple and eating close to 2 pounds of steak.  I woke up around 2 PM and arranged my encaustic area.  After putting a load of laundry in the dryer I headed south.  I went down State street through Springville to 400 south then went to the new Smith's store where not only was the gas 20 cents cheaper, but the card I used took off an additional 55 cents plus the 10 cents per gallon for having a hundred gas points.  The fuel pump locked me into getting medium grade gas but it was still less than $2.00 a gallon.  I then went west to the freeway and down to Payson.  I had intended to take a picture of the temple from the vantage point of a road through the turf farm west of the temple but the road was closed to public traffic and a new development of 'senior living' houses intruded on the view.  I went further west and crossed the freeway to find a small road that paralleled the freeway through mostly farm country.  I got some nice pictures of the temple against a background of snow covered mountains with the intense late afternoon light making nice cool shadows on the mountains and the temple.  I took a few pictures closer to the temple.
I then returned to the freeway and drove north to the University Parkway exit.  I stopped at Lowe's and purchased the brush that was included in my package without charge yesterday and a halogen work light that may serve as a heat lamp for the encaustic painting project.  I stopped at Walmart neighborhood market for some whipping cream and chocolate then stopped at Lucinda's house to get the ice cream maker.  The trip was productive and I am grateful for the fine weather which was clear and cold. 

Boom goes the Bulb

In preparation for my Layla panel I purchased a heat lamp bulb from Lowes for about 10 dollars.  It was still in the box when I inadvertently knocked it off my dining room table, which meant I was only faced with a box full of glass shards instead of the disaster of tiny bits of glass all over the floor.  Jacqueline and Lelia came up and worked on their stained glass panels.  Jacqueline was able to complete her panel but Lelia's remaining pieces are rather complex.  I should probably go ahead and cut them out for her so she can have a completed panel.  I rescued my boots, at least one and a half pair, and plan to make a purse from the one brown long boot I found.  I also took on the task of making a picture of the Payson Temple.  It will look best in late afternoon so I plan to drive down to Payson tomorrow and take a few pictures from all sides.  I would like to do a work on the small panel I purchased before attempting the Layla panel.  I was happy to find that I can use my palette cart andt easel for the project.  The glass panel I rescued is just the length of the cart and about 4 to 5 inches wider.  I can work on the panel and close it off with the studio curtain as needed.

Going Dark

Iran has a habit of cyber revenge.  In consideration of the various ways they could hack and disrupt the internet I have decided to go dark as far the the internet is concerned for a couple of weeks.  I will concentrate on tasks that don't involve popular websites.  This means I won't shop online or access Facebook.  As the song goes:  'Got along without you before I met you, going to get along without you now.'

Ordinations

Today three of Ralph Hancock's grandson were ordained.  Adam and Calvin were ordained as a teacher and a priest in the Aaronic priesthood by their father in their home with the assistance of two members of the bishopric of their ward including Bishop Taylor.  Another grandson was ordained as a deacon in Salt Lake.  Because the wards are different the ordinations were not combined, leaving Ralph with a choice of venues.  Fortunately I was able to attend the ordinations of Calvin and Adam.  Ralph and his wife Julie were present for their other grandson, who is new to the Aaronic priesthood.  Since the other family only recently returned to Utah from the east many similar events have been missed over the years.  I think the choice was wise. 

Late night Friday, lazy Saturday

On Friday, January 3, I left early for my usual appointment to take Rudy and Hannah out to the park and to McDonalds.  I picked up my alimony check in Provo, deposited it at the UCCU branch on Freedom Boulevard, then proceeded to see if the Artesian Well Park in Salt Lake was still available.  I quickly determined it had been closed for renovation.  Rudy greeted me with a joyful little dance and the repetition of 'Go Slide' which meant he had really enjoyed his first experience of sledding the previous Friday.  I had checked out the neighborhood park and saw some potential for enjoyment so I joined Hannah and Rudy in sledding the rather random paths until Rudy headed for the playground equipment and a brief try at the 'spinners' before heading for the car and the hoped for trip to McDonalds.  After dropping them at their home I went to the home of my daughter, Nancy, who had invited me to go to a movie as her birthday present.  She offered me a choice between a Friday night showing or a Saturday morning showing.  I chose the night showing of 'The Rise of Skywalker' which is currently in theaters.  Maryjane and her children Sela, Heta, and Tevita joined us at the Sugarhouse Cinemark for the 7 PM showing.  They have reclining seats which was my first experience of this popular innovation.  Nancy reserved seats toward the back left side of the theater so there would be easy exiting for the younger children.  I enjoyed the movie and we stayed up until after 11 at Nancy's house afterward discussing the plot and the acting.  Nancy had seen it before but enjoyed the second viewing.  I liked it.  It was not the equivalent of the first experience of 'Star Wars' when it came out in 1977 when most of my children were very young, but it surpassed the 'prequels' which were released thirty years later.  Ironically, the human members of the original cast all appear in the final movie although none of them were in the prequels except Palpatine who is treated sort of like Voldemort.  At any rate, I got to bed late and slept badly from a combination of factors, namely a new mattress Nancy got for the TV room day bed.  It is quite hard and I am used to my lovely combination of 4 inches of memory foam over a firm standard mattress.  I left Nancy and Miranda still in bed when I started home for Provo after 9 AM.  I stopped at Smith's and Day's to shop for meat and bought cheap steaks at both locations.  When I got home I cooked a couple of steaks but ended up offering Richard at least a third of what I'd cooked.  I planned to fast for the end of drought and fires in Australia and ended my meal at around 12:30 PM.  Tomorrow Church begins at 9 AM for the rest of the year.  After eating and minor supervision of my helpers I decided it was time to do a final fix on the hot water supply to the sink which Richard had temporarily fixed on the day before Christmas.  I found the part we needed at the Ace hardware store on Cougar Blvd. and State.  It is somewhat closer than either Lowe's or Home Depot but likely more expensive.  In the process of fixing the water supply, Richard also dislocated then fixed and cleared the drain under the sink.  I had planned to start on my encaustic painting of Layla, but instead I decided to take a nap.  I didn't wake until after the sun had set and went out to secure the chickens.  This makes the fourth day I have kept a strict carnivore routine, with the exception of an occasional sugar free stick of gum.  At Nancy's I had two eggs before we left for the theater, and while not strictly Lion Diet, they are carnivore. 

Revenge of the Chia

Today I hoped to get around to cleaning out my refrigerator.  Since going on a fairly stringent carnivore diet I haven't eaten 'sugar-free' preserves or jellies and I knew there were a number of half used jars in my refrigerator, along with other nameless concoctions.  After cleaning out the revolving shelves in the corner cupboard and disposing of some things and consolidating others, I didn't think there was enough time left in the day to clean out the fridge, but I went ahead and did it.  I had expected to have to sign for the delivery of a power supply for my scanner so I only went to the temple for about an hour this morning and performing initiatory ordinances.  I stopped by Smith's looking for some bargains on beef and found a whole leg of lamb for $5.99 a pound, which was more per pound for meat than the boneless leg Jing  gave me, but I had eaten the last of that roast and wanted some stored in my freezer.  I put a thermometer probe in the meat and it was done sufficiently for me to eat it at around 11 AM.  I then cut the roast into slices and portions and stored it, rendering down the juice and fat in the bottom of the roasting pan and putting it in a silicone muffin 'tin' to stiffen up and then be frozen.  This means I will have the lovely sauce to eat with each portion as I thaw it.  My daughter Lucinda visited with her children and each one brought me a flower as well as several nice little gifts, including tiny stone animals.  Finally, after closing the door on my chickens and observing that they had picked all the meat and gristle from the bone of the leg of lamb, I decided to go ahead and deal with the refrigerator.  I found a really nasty mess in the bottom.  It was super tough and very sticky and black.  I finally identified it as chia seeds that had spilled, been moistened, then it swelled and stuck and made a really nasty mess, but not as bad as if it had been the mold that I suspected.  It is nearing time for me to wrap up for the day and I have finished cleaning out the refrigerator to my satisfaction.  I still need to tidy up the kitchen, but that is not nearly the challenge it might have been.  I'm grateful that I kept to carnivore today, eating lamb, taking some butter and drinking some whipping cream. 

Curtains

After spending most of yesterday binging on Star Wars movies and series I spent today in several different more productive pursuits.  It was time to put away all the Christmas decorations.  My sweet team of helpers did most of the work.  Today was pay day, although technically they should have been paid yesterday.  I noticed that the inside drapes covering my projection screen were dingy and decided to wash them.  They look much nicer but putting them up again is keeping me up somewhat late.  Tonight I sat with Marge again.  She really doesn't need any help from me.  As a result I was out of my house until after nine PM.  I expect to sleep well and wake up and go to the Provo City Center Temple tomorrow.  I believe it is a good idea to leave my phone with Richard in case the delivery of my scanner power supply takes place before I get home.