Winter in the Basin

A poem adapted to where I live because it fits so well.

WINTER IN THE BASIN

It's winter in the basin

and the gentle breezes blow

seventy miles an hour

at twenty five below.

Oh, how I love the basin

when the snow's up to your butt.

You take a breath of winter

and your nose gets frozen shut.

Yes, the weather here is wonderful

so I guess I'll hang around.

I could never leave the basin

'cuz I'm frozen to the ground.

-anonymous

Yes, it's cold here. Once the snow comes and sticks, the temps plummet and stay that way. We've been twenty five below the past few nights with a high of single digits if we are lucky. BRRR!

The picture above is not that great. I need to take/find a better one, but I wanted to show you an "oil field temple". Yes, you read me right. I like when we go for drives at night and can see all the oil rigs lit up. To me they look like temples. Hahaha, right? I first noticed this over at a friends house. I was looking out their back window towards a hill in the distance and on top of this hill was a rig. These rigs use some very bright lights. At one end there is the big, tall drill with lights all the way up (like a steeple) and spread out, usually just to one side below, is the rest of the equipment (like the building part). I thought to myself...not really thinking, "Geez, they have a great view of the temple." before my brain kicked in.

Back in Rexburg I loved to see the temple all lit up on the hill. I also love to drive through the Salt Lake valley at night and see all the temples in the area. Love how you can't miss them. They are beautiful. Well, my "oil field temples" are not the same thing (in fact they are very much the exact opposite) but they remind me of the real thing and get me thinking temple-like thoughts and that's all that matters, right? Sometimes, way out in the country, you can be surrounded by them and it's neat looking. I guess kind of like the Salt Lake valley at night just without all the other lights. Just "oil field temples", dark mesa filled horizons, and stars.

So, living in the basin can be cold. So cold. And it can be rough, BUT it can be beautiful too. Really beautiful.

Thanksgiving 2013

It was a laid back, low key Thanksgiving this year. We didn't even decide to just do our own thing at home until the day before. We had offers from Max's sister Leah and also Heath/Marie but they had other extended family already coming and we didn't want to overwhelm. I was excited to just do our very own thing and bake everything myself. I had never done that before.
Memorable things:

• The turkey was beautiful, perfectly golden brown, and so moist. I must always remember to use cheesecloth soaked in butter, oil, and chicken broth. 
• Taking a bite of your favorite pumpkin pie that you apparently forgot to add sugar to is NO BUENO! Just trust me on this. Sooooooo disappointing! (Have no fear, I whipped up another one that was delicious and Thanksgiving was saved!) My only lasting concern is that Jason ate a whole piece of the "sugar free" pie before I got to mine and realized it was disgusting. I asked him why he ate it and he said he didn't want me to feel bad. At first I thought, "Awww, what a sweetie!" and then I thought, "Oh crap! What else has he gagged down just to save my feelings?" There could be a lot in almost 14 years of marriage. hmmm
• Weston falling asleep at the table. So cute!
• Lime slush. My new favorite holiday drink.
• I once again made a green bean casserole thinking, "I like all the stuff that goes in it. Surely I'll enjoy it this year." and then.....not. When will I learn? Green bean casserole is just not my/our thing. (Note to self next Thanksgiving)
• Baked sweet potatoes are the best! They make up for the green bean casserole. I just bake them like a regular baked potato, cut them open, add a little butter, salt, and pepper (once again, like a regular baked potato) and they are delish! Yams are great this way too. If you've never tried it, you must! No marshmallows needed. It's kind of like a combination of a sweet....potato (Did I really just say that? Geez, Einstein's got nothin' on me!) and cooked squash. I really need to remember to have these more often and not just holiday meals.
• I really don't like eggnog but Wyatt and Owen do. Doesn't surprise me.
• Mario Cart tournament after dinner.
• Leftovers and of course, turkey noodle soup. Yum!
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
   
  
  Jason got called out to a rig Wednesday night and didn't get home until 3:30 am Thanksgiving morning so we didn't go for a tree until Friday morning. Oh, well. Still a Thanksgiving tradition, right, even if it's not day of? There is such a great area for beautiful Christmas trees here, about an hour away. Jason and Weston found our tree this year and I think "It's a beaut, Clark" (What movie is that from, huh? We've already watched it twice. Holiday fave). When we got back from tree hunting, Jason put up Christmas lights. We haven't hung lights on our house in years but Jason was all gung ho this year.