September 2020

 Josh came to visit my class at the beginning of September when he drove the Salmon XC team to run at the West J event. I like that he's done this at the beginning of every school year. He comes as my guest for show & tell, and he tells the students about himself and they ask him questions. It's so nice to have him in my classroom!

I love the weather in September, with its warm days, cooler nights and changing colors! 

I bought these plants in May to put in the pots by
our front door, and they finally started blossoming
those pretty, wheat-looking tips in September!

Josh captures some beautiful sunrises at the golf course! This particular one was on the morning of September 6:

School was cancelled for Kanyon and I on Tuesday, September 8, due to a horrible windstorm that had blown through Terreton the previous afternoon/evening (which was Labor Day), and it downed some power poles along the highway there, so the power was out all Monday night and Tuesday morning. The wind had blown in Salmon too, but it wasn't near as bad as the storm that blew through the Idaho Falls area. It was so nice to have an extra day at home in Salmon! Josh changed the oil for me in my car, which was so nice! I was originally going to have it changed that evening in Idaho Falls, but since we didn't go to Mud Lake that day, my evening plans changed, too. Josh and I worked together to make dinner that night: Josh grilled chicken, and I cooked some fresh potatoes from our garden and some fresh green beans that Jen had given us from her garden, too! I loved that my extra day off school was right after being home for Labor Day weekend, too! It was nice having a 4-day weekend! Originally, Salmon's schools were scheduled to start on Tuesday, September 8, but since there was a COVID outbreak the first week of September, the school officials decided to postpone the start of school for 2 more weeks, so it was nice to be home when they were, too!

My dominoes friends went out on September 10 to celebrate Lidia's and my August birthdays, since we weren't able to get together near our actual birth dates. It was so fun! We ate at the Fuji Hibachi grill in Idaho Falls--Lidia and Tanis had never been there before. Our Hibachi chef was the BEST one I've ever had--he was a natural performer! He sang and danced, teased us, put on a good show, and made us laugh so much, especially Val & I! At one point, since Tanis was new to the place, when he made the onion tower fill with fire, she was afraid her her would start on fire, and she totally backed up! It was hilarious! I love these ladies and was so glad we were able to go out together! I'd missed spending time with them!

September 11 marked the 20th anniversary since the attack on the U.S. and the twin towers fell in New York. I remember exactly how I felt that fateful day. I remember seeing the images unfold before Josh and I on the TV that morning and hearing about the lives lost on the radio in the car as I was driving to Utah to be with my parents later that same day. I thought life on earth was ending altogether and I was terrified. However...I love how our country came together after that. I remember feeling unified and strengthened by those around me in the aftermath of what happened. It changed America, and we rose from the ashes to become better people in a better place. I miss those days when people raised each other up instead of putting them down. I feel like there's so much hatred, anger, sadness, and bitterness in today's world. It has really troubled me these past few months, since the start of COVID and the polarized isolation that everyone has been experiencing. I have always been amazed and proud of the way the first responders handled the attack that happened on 9/11, especially to those who went in to the burning buildings in NYC--sacrificing their own lives to save others. Their bravery and courage showed the people of America what true leaders look like, and because of them, we were able to find hope and love amidst darkness and despair. Stories of kindness were abound after that of good Samaritans all over our country. There is still so much goodness in our world today, and I hope we can rise above our circumstances in these troubling times once again! Terreton Elementary had a flag ceremony with a moment of silence, and a beautiful patriotic song sung by one of our staff members. I talked about that day with my class, and my 3rd graders walked/ran around the track with all the other 3rd graders in the school at the end of the day to run for those who lost their lives on that day. Josh witnessed a speed boat parade in Salmon that evening: each boat was waving a large USA flag. He was driving his motorcycle on the river along the highway and paused to take a photo of the river when it randomly occurred. He'd never seen a speed boat parade in Salmon before, so that was cool that he was in the right place at the right time to witness it! 

Amanda and Ryan came to Salmon the second weekend of September, and they drove out to our house to visit on Saturday night, as well as Jen and Dallin. We had dinner at our house (everyone actually all brought their own take-out from restaurants to eat, which was fun!), and then afterwards, I suggested we soak in the hot tub together. Josh loaned Dallin some swim trunks, and Jen and Amanda each wore one of my swimsuits. It made me so happy to see my best friends wear my swimsuits--it reminded me of the story "The Sisterhood of Traveling Pants". I was giddy all evening as a result! It was the first time we tried to squeeze 5 adults in the hot tub, but we all actually fit--just rather snugly! Ryan was close by on the edge of the deck so he could participate in the conversation, too. I absolutely loved hanging out with my friends that night! 

Salmon schools FINALLY started on Monday the 14th! Jonah and Micah are both juniors this year.

Jonah is in choir for the first time this year!
He's also still in band and seminary, and is
taking chemistry, english, pre-calculus, and strength.

Micah's also in choir, seminary, and english. 
In addition, he's taking physics, pre-calculus,
history, and strength. 

Josh had a big project at the golf course that started on the 15th, and took several days to complete. There was a leaking sprinkler line along the tree line of the driving range. He dug up the sprinkler to find the leak and realized that it was leaking right under the roots of the tree, which wasn't ideal. So...he attempted to cut the roots back to get to the sprinkler line, but soon realized he would have to remove the whole tree and root structure to fix the leak. So, he cut the sprinkler line on both sides of the root ball, cut down the tree, removed the whole tree trunk with its root ball using the Kubota, and then repaired the sprinkler line and put the line and sprinkler head back together. 

I went on a field trip with my students to the Museum of Idaho and the Artitorium in Idaho Falls. The principal arranged for the 1-4 graders to go: the 1-2 graders went one day, and the 3-4 graders went on the 17th. We joined up with the students from Hamer, too. We took 2 buses, and while the 3rd graders were at one location, the 4th graders were at the other, and then we swapped places. It was nice that the kids could go on a field trip because they missed them last spring due to the school's closure due to COVID. We wore masks inside both buildings, and the students were really good to keep them on. Afterwards, we all met up at a park together to play and eat lunch. It was a wonderful day! 

Eve Whall came back to Rexburg in September to finish her last semester at BYU-I. She left so quickly in March when BYU-I shut down its campus, and she'd gotten an immediate flight back to the UK (thankfully she made it back to England before the borders closed!), so we hadn't had time to say goodbye. I took her out to dinner on September 17 and we did a bit of shopping in Rexburg together, too. It was so good to see her again!

Due to an activity schedule during West J's Homecoming week, the elementary had the same recess as the junior high students one day. I happened to be on recess duty, and it was a fun surprise for me to see Kanyon when I got outside to the recess grounds! He was atop this jungle gym structure, which I thought was quite hilarious!

Surprisingly, River Shuttles called me in September and asked if I could drive a few days for them because they were desperate. I'd never driven in the fall for them before. I normally don't schedule things on the weekend because I want to be home with my family, but I knew Josh and the boys were going to get wood on the Saturday they had asked me to drive, so I agreed. I also drove a few days over my Spud Harvest break at the end of September. We drove over the Lolo Pass way due to some construction on the Banks highway, and I actually preferred the drive through Montana rather than through Stanley! It's less congested and I found it was more peaceful, and we made it there quicker, too.

On the 19th, Josh and his dad each took a truck and trailer to get wood from the Ridge Road and took the 3 boys with them to help. They were able to get about 3-4 cords of wood between both trucks and trailers. The boys were great workers! (Micah was helping Grandpa while these photos were taken, so he's not pictured, but he was definitely there, too!)

I made 5 or 6 batches of raspberry jam between July and September, making more jam in one season than I ever have before. Due to COVID, a lot more people canned this year, and there was a national shortage of canning lids and rings! Thankfully, I had some extra jars that we'd gotten from grandma's house when we moved her, because it was a struggle purchasing enough jars, too!! I finally stopped canning when I ran out of jars and lids. 

I witnessed a few beautiful sunrises along my drive to Mud Lake at the end of September. There were a couple mornings that I pulled over to snap photos because it was just so breathtaking!!

On this particular morning, there were some thick clouds at the
base of the sun that made it appear like a half-circle even though
it had already risen above the horizon. I've never seen that before!

The fall equinox was on September 23rd. Josh celebrated by soaking alone in the hot tub, which was very relaxing for him! I celebrated with my dominoes friends. We sat around an outdoor fire at Angie's house--it was so fun!

 

It was such a beautiful fall! September left as it arrived--gorgeous colors in the trees, warm weather, and pretty skies! 

Sunrise at the golf course--taken by Josh

Afternoon fog along the Lolo Highway--taken by Kala
(I was driving for River Shuttles again that day)

Evening at our home--taken by Josh

Evening from our new yard spot--taken by Josh

Morning fog on the highway to Montana--taken by Kala

Afternoon on the Salmon River Road--taken by Kala

Salmon became a COVID hot spot at the end of September again, and as a result, they postponed their Homecoming week to October. Lemhi County went into the orange and then the red zones, based on the active numbers per population size, and masks were then mandated at school and on the bus. Josh wears it at stops when students get on/off the bus, but when he's driving, he takes it off so he can breathe. The Salmon school district has made a lot of changes in their procedures this fall to accommodate the infectious disease. No student is using lockers this year--instead, they carry around their books in their backpacks. Large classes were split up in smaller sizes, so their choir is separated into two different classes. Clear plastic walls were installed around desks in classrooms. And then...after all that, the mask mandate began at the end of September. They also had a couple of days that were cancelled in-person because of the lack of available employees/subs due to the spread of COVID. I'm just glad that students are still allowed to attend class in person; we all hated last spring when schools were closed and sports were cancelled. We were all grateful that sports were continuing as well! There were precautions taken by the XC team, too, but they were still able to compete and to have spectators, too. 

Since I ran out of canning jars to make raspberry freezer jam, but the raspberries were still coming on strong in our garden, I made a raspberry pie for the first time ever at the end of September. It turned out delicious!

This was our first fall with the sitting area on the ditch-side of the Triple S, and we loved sitting there frequently in September and October, watching the area change as the season progressed. Each stage of the leaves' color metamorphosis was delightful to behold!