Zion National Park

Zion National Park in Southern Utah

Since our national holiday the 4^th of July is almost here I thought I would talk about my favorite destination -  Zion National Park.  This beautiful park is located in southern Utah not far from the Arizona border.  It is such a unique park that you are able to drive through this pretty park.  If you want to see more you can hike to many the many other beautiful areas in and near Zion’s Park.

            It even has a 1.1 mile tunnel that connects the east and west of the park.  My husband’s father and grandfather worked on the tunnel, it took about a year to make.  They got paid three wages, one for his father, one for his grandfather and one for their wagon and team of horses.  They blasted out windows throughout the tunnel for light and also to throw the rocks out.  It used to be you could stop in the tunnel at some of the windows and have a picnic, now you just drive through.

            The Union Pacific railroad improved on the road through Zion’s and later the government took it back.

            One beautiful area is the Zion narrows.  You have to hike through but need to be in good shape to do it.  Some people camp overnight and make it a two day hike.  You will need to get a permit to hike through it and be sure and do it ahead as they only issue a few a day.  If the weather has a possibility of rain you need to stay out of the slot canyons (that is what they call the canyons that have two sides and go up and many times no way to get out if there is a flood.

This is one of the beautiful areas in Zion's you can hike into.

Many people go to Zion's then up to Bryce Canyon and over to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.  They call this area "canyon lands"

 

P.S.  I live only 20 minutes from Zions' and get to go through it weekly to go shopping on the other side! 

            Below is an article I got from the Zion Park web page, it is specific on the history.

For thousands of years Zion National Park has been carved by water and wind. Rivers and flooding rains have etched nearly 5,000 feet into the plateaus that still remain part of the upper reaches of the park. Early Native Americans were wary of Zion National Park and even afraid to remain in the canyon after dark. They believed that Gods inhabited the canyon and that it was a sacred place. In the mid 1800's a few Mormon explorers and settlers became aware of the remarkable canyons but it wasn't until 1908 that the federal government completed a survey of Zion National Park. The findings were brought to the attention of President William Howard Taft and he was so impressed that in July 1909, he declared 15,000+ acres of the main canyon a National Monument. The monument was called Mukuntuweap which is a Native American word that is said to mean "Straight Canyon". Under-developed roads and the distance from a railway station were the major contributing factors to the fact that fewer than 1,000 people were able to make the journey to Mukuntuweap National Monument. However, the observations of early visitors along with various reports commissioned by the federal government advanced the awareness of protecting what is now Zion National Park. The monument soon grew in size to more 76,000 acres and in 1918 the name was changed to Zion National Monument, and then in November of 1919 the federal government upgraded the monument to National Park status. Stephen Mather, the director of the National Parks Service became quite enamored with Zion National Park and he made at least one trip to the park, each year from 1919 to 1929. In 1921 Mather brought along a writer from the Saturday Evening Post and a famous naturalist. As they traveled, the three associates began formulating a plan for a tourist circle between the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon National Park, Cedar Breaks National Monument and Zion National Park. A road was eventually paved to the park and Mather contracted with a local photographer, to shoot and colorize photographs of Zion National Park for use in advertising. Mather was also instrumental in instigating the construction of a 5,613 foot tunnel built through the sandstone cliffs of Zion Canyon. The tunnel and resulting highway created a viable access through to the east side of Zion National Park. The Union Pacific Railroad soon created a subsidiary business to make transportation improvements in the area and to take advantage of the tourist opportunity. Some of these enhancements included laying railroad track to Cedar City, Utah and the construction of a railway station. Union Pacific then embarked on an extensive advertising campaign in popular magazines. They also created a bus-touring service which transported park visitors from Cedar City to Zion National Park and other stops along the Grand Circle tour. Now Zion National Park is visited by more than 2.5 million visitors each year. Visitors either drive their own vehicles from their homes or they fly into gateway cities such as Salt Lake City, Denver, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and San Francisco where they rent transportation to drive to Zion National Park.

ANT KILLER

 

            I am sick of ants, catnip is a good way to discourage ants but for some reason this year the ants are on a war path to my house.

          They are in my kitchen although I work on keeping the counters clean, everywhere I look the ants are there foraging, even the dog dish isn't safe.  Ants are all over the house this year, maybe because it is so dry?  I don’t know why but there was even a herd, (if you want to call them a herd) of ants marching up my dirt road to the house.  My husband said he had never seen anything like it before. 

          I love my Clorox clean- up cleaner with bleach; I buy it at Costco and get the small bottle with a gallon backup.  I use it all the time and find it works quite well with the ant problem.  When I see ants on the counter I spray it on the ants wipe it up and spray a little and leave it, it seems to keep them at bay. 

          If you know where they are coming in 20 MULE TEAM BORAX works well.  I saw a line of tiny ants coming in my kitchen window and put some on the window seal and it stopped the problem but they found another way in so I use the Clorox spray when I don’t know where they are coming from.
      Mix two tablespoons of borax with jam, jelly, honey or syrup until there is a paste. Smear some on some paper or a plate and put it where the ants are at. They should flock to it and eat it and take it back to the nest and it will act as a natural ant killer.


Sugar Bait

2 TBS Boric Acid (Borax)
2 TBS  Black Strap Molasses or Honey
1 TBS Yeast
1 TBS Sugar

Mix and place mounds on lids or bottle caps.

Black Pepper

Sprinkle black pepper where you see ants. The ants will immediately scatter. Pay attention to where they run; chances are they will be exiting your house and you’ll be able to treat the entry area with pepper too.

Mint destroys the smelling capabilities of ants and prevents them from entering your home. There are several ways to use mint to prevent ant infestations. First, plant mint around your home, especially near doors and close to areas where you have seen anthills. Second, place mint leaves in and around windows. If ants are entering your pantry, place some mint leaves on the shelves and in the corners.  mix mint oil and water in a spray bottle and spray where Ants are to deter and repel them  

mix this with cinnamon and they will not come in

this also repel Roaches and Ticks and Fleas too

 

Corn Starch Honey 

 Mix 2 tsp Cornstarch and  1 tsp honey together   to make a thick paste and put it   where the ants visit  on a jar lid or bottle cap   put it near nests  or where they visit and you see them

the ants will be drawn to it by the honey  but unable to digest the cornstarch but they will not know that until they take it back to the colony and  it infects the whole colony 

 Just be careful you don’t use it on something that can be hurt by the Clorox cleaner.

 

 

Teaching Kids to Hang Clothes on the Clothesline

 

She is finally tall enough to hang out the clothes and is getting pretty good at it.  She can't reach the ends but does good toward the middle.

            Years ago I had my grandson over for a visit and asked him to come out with me to hang out the clothes.  As we were at the clothesline I asked him to hand me the clothes which he replied “Grandma they are wet!”  My son had been taught to hang out clothes but since he was married his wife nor him apparently ever hung out clothes so the poor grandson had no clue. 

            My other grandchildren are close by so they have been seeing me hang out clothes for years.  Their idea of helping thus far has been to play around while I hang out the clothes.  Now that they are getting taller they are able to start hanging out some clothes.  The younger boys don’t really understand the whole procedure, the one putting as many clothes pins on one piece as possible and the shortest one just attaching them to any part of the clothing and he is helping.

            I had a young gal who was visiting me watch me hang out the clothes and I asked her if she hung out clothes.  She told me she didn’t need to hang out clothes because she had a washer and dryer.  She had never been taught so she didn’t realize what she was missing. 

            When I go out to hang out the clothes whatever time of the year it is I have to stop whatever I think is so important inside and enjoy the weather hot, cold or just right.  I see my plants, flowers and weeds, the birds and whatever else is sharing the beautiful spot on this earth I live in.  You could say it is a kind of meditation with the benefit of clothes that smell wonderful and whites that surpass any that you could get with bleach or out of the dryer.

            I feel it is so important we pass on to our children and grandchildren the art of hanging out clothes, if a dryer ever breaks they need to know there is another way to dry clothes than a Laundromat, or if they just want to save money on the electric bill and have clean smelling sheets.

            If they drop something on the ground just tell them we’ll wash it off, hang it out - no problem.

 

You can never have enough clothes pins (left) and pin the clothespins on your brother (right).

 

 

 



Homemade Lemonade

 

 

Summer is here and with it the hot weather.  There isn’t anything better than lemonade to quench your thirst.  I live in the mountains so I don’t have a lemon tree in my back yard nor do I have a store that close with fresh lemons. and when they do have them they are overpriced.  Even so, the lemons not in season can be pricy.  The last time I bought lemonade it wasn't as good.  I think they have tried to save money in the ingredients, its not as good as it used to be.

What I do now is make my own homemade lemonade.  I take about 8 cups of water and boil about a cup.  I put the cup of boiling water in a glass bowl or measuring cup and pour over my sugar or agave.  It depends on what you like, you may use both.   The recipe I saw called for 1 1/2 cups sugar and that is too much for me.  I put in about ¾ cup of sugar and 1/4 cup of agave, you can mix them up or use only one. 

 I then pour in 1 to 1 ½ cups of lemon juice from the bottle.  I use the bottled real lemon juice as the cheap ones (western family for example) are terrible.  If you have fresh lemons all the better.  I buy my lemon juice at Costco and get a two pack for a good price.  Add some fresh mint from your garden when serving for a pretty garnish.

You can experiment with your own personal taste and add more or less of each ingredient.  I add ice and it waters it down.  I have a nice lemon juice drink that also hydrates me in hot weather.   Keep in mind that lemon juice is a diuretic. 



Stuff, How Much is too much Stuff?

            I don’t know about you, but I have a lot of stuff.  I have my everyday thing like clothes, hair supplies, kitchen items which include dishes, silver wear, glasses, pots and pans.  I have of course my computer and office supplies.  What I am talking about is Stuff. 

            You are out shopping and see that cute thing that would look perfect on a table or wall.  Then the next time you are out and about you find a canister set or a craft that you have visions of making to be oh so creative.  The list goes on, then multiply this by how many years you have been on the search for stuff and it can become overwhelming.

            Now down to the point, how much is too much stuff?  I had a friend who once a year would go through his closet.  He would get rid or anything he had not worn for a year.  A very good idea if you stick to it.

            What about the stuff around your house?  If you haven’t used it in a year should you get rid of it?  I suppose it all depends on what kind of personality you are.  There is a theory about people who acquire things, or stuff as I would say.  First you have to look at yourself.  People who were raised by someone who lived during the depression or had very little growing up were more likely to acquire things than those who were raised by someone who had plenty.

            My suggestion is you carefully look at each item and decide if you really want to keep it, and if you do, find a good place for it. We only have so many places in our house so think about it carefully.  If you really don’t think it is necessary to keep, give it to someone you think will be appreciative of the item, it may help with your loss.

            Last of course the next time you are out and about and see something that you think is so important to have, remind yourself that you already have a lot of Stuff.



Planting Squash - Radishes are their friends

 

I have planted my squash and have visions of zucchini bread, squash soups, squash pies (not just pumpkin) and squash fried with tomatoes and onions.  I am ready but my squash isn’t.

          The first year I planted squash on the ranch we hadn’t even moved here yet so we planted our seeds and came back and watered them.  They grew into these beautiful squash plants, I was so excited.  The next time I came to tend to them they were all eaten down by the rabbits or whoever happened to be there at the time.  I declared war on the thieves and brought some dried blood (yes I said dried blood) you may buy it at a nursery, it comes in bags.  I sprinkled the dried blood around my squash plants and after that no one bothered them, I had some really nice squash.  The dried blood was probably good fertilizer.

          If you plant two to three radishes in each hill they will help prevent insects on squash and cucumbers.  Let the radishes grow and go to seed.  Nasturtiums and cigarette butts will repel squash bugs; if you don’t smoke I suppose you may get it from someone who does.

          Early in the day before the sun is hot the squash stinkbugs are sluggish and can be picked off. 

          Good luck and enjoy your zucchini bread!

 

 

Heirloom Iris (My Heirloom)

 

 

I don’t know if there is a more elegant flower than the peony.  It has so many petals and can become quite large but still seems to be delicate.

            While I was at Grandmas I remember she always had peonies and they were covered with ants.  I never could figure out why they had ants on them until when I grew up I found out it was because of the sweetness that attracted them.

            You may wait all year for this beautiful flower to bloom and if it rains on it when it is blooming they will stop.  Be sure and water from the bottom when you see them begin to bloom, what a shame to wait all this time and then for it to be over before you can see them in their glory.

            Peonies like a sunny location and well drained soil.  If production goes down it may be from overcrowding.  They like soil rich in organic matter.  You may have to support them if they grow too tall; the flowers become heavy when blooming.

Peonies from Grandma

 

 

I don’t know if there is a more elegant flower than the peony.  It has so many petals and can become quite large but still seems to be delicate.

            While I was at Grandmas I remember she always had peonies and they were covered with ants.  I never could figure out why they had ants on them until when I grew up I found out it was because of the sweetness that attracted them.

            You may wait all year for this beautiful flower to bloom and if it rains on it when it is blooming they will stop.  Be sure and water from the bottom when you see them begin to bloom, what a shame to wait all this time and then for it to be over before you can see them in their glory.

            Peonies like a sunny location and well drained soil.  If production goes down it may be from overcrowding.  They like soil rich in organic matter.  You may have to support them if they grow too tall; the flowers become heavy when blooming.

 

Picking Tomatoes

You are you closely watching to see if they are the ruby red ripe color you are waiting for.  What isn’t better than vine ripened tomatoes? is wh  So you wait, and wait, and wait and they just don’t seem to be turning fast enough.

            What I do…….  I love red tomatoes to eat them all the summer - and I like LOTS of them.  My growing season is short as I am in the mountains and who know when they may freeze.  I had a freeze on July 4^th; it was terrible I wasn’t expecting that cold of weather that late in the season and wiped out my tomatoes.

So when I see a tomato start to turn pink I watch it closely and as soon as I see that pink coming through I pick it.  I bring it inside and put it in the window or a basket until it gets red or whatever color it wants to be fairly quickly.  Then I make myself a tomato sandwich on my homemade bread.  (The recipe will come at a later time.)

If you look at the above picture you will see my tomatoes in different stages of turning ripe.  In the fall I even pick them green, they will store for quite a while and turn ripe unless they are real small and haven’t developed enough.

If you pick your tomatoes as they start to ripen rather than fully ripe you will get a larger harvest and a quicker harvest.  You will also lose less to animals and birds if that is one of the problems you have.  I have deer, rabbits and who knows who else eat my grape vines other vegetables.  I don’t mind sharing some but they eat enough of my alfalfa so I do have my limit of sharing.

Enjoy your tomatoes this year, just don’t think they don’t taste any better ripened in the house than vine ripened.  I can’t tell any difference other than I have a whole lot more.



Planting Corn

 

 

           When I think of summer I think of swimming in the pond and eating fresh corn on the cob.  When the fall comes the corn stocks make a perfect decoration for the front porch for Halloween.   (My husband thinks of the corn stocks fed to the cattle and horses, they love them.)

            Sweet corn does well with peas, beans, cucumbers, potatoes, squash and pumpkin.  Peas and beans help corn by restoring to the soil the nitrogen used up by the corn.    Indians used to put a fish in every corn hill.

            The shade of the corn helps squash, pumpkins, melons and cucumbers.  Pole beans planted with corn will climb the stalks.

            Don’t plant tomatoes near corn as they share the identical fruitworm and corn earworm.

            If you plant marigold near corn it is said the Japanese beetle does not chew off the corn silks.

            Enjoy your corn t his summer, and freeze it and enjoy it all year round!  Come later in the summer I’ll tell you how I freeze corn.