Favorite Thin Section Minerals

(Just because I can:  These are my favorite minerals in thin section.  What is a thin section?  It's when you glue a rock to a microscope slide and then grind it down to super super thin, so that light can go through the minerals.)


Clinopyroxene


Olivine


Amphibole


Plagioclase


Epidote and Dolomite

(P.S. This is my 700th post!)

Happy Fun Mom

Sometimes, it is awesome to be the happy fun mom.  It's even better when all it takes is a freezer full of Otter Pops, a hot day, and a one of those nifty changeable nozzles for the hose.

Consolation Prizes

It's always a dicey thing, to balance between letting Gee participate in various activities, and knowing that there are just going to be some activities he physically CAN'T participate in.*

One thing he can't do right now is be separated from Mom or Dad for more than a couple of hours at a time.  Emotionally he's all good, but physically--there are certain tasks that have to be completed at least three times a day, and usually more like four or five.

And this means that he can't participate in Uncle Tyler's annual "Torture Camp"--an overnight trip with the local boys in the family that allows them to shoot each other with water cannons, hike and play and camp and basically go feral for 24 hours.  He's old enough (you have to be entering kindergarten in the fall), but he just can't go.  We thought maybe he'd be able to, but logistics being what they are, it just doesn't work.

I was very worried about telling Gee this disappointing news.  Fortunately, I was inspired to lead the conversation off with a consolation prize--a trip to Payson Pool, just him and me and Hebs!  Then I told him he couldn't go to Torture Camp.  He was momentarily sad, but not necessarily for the reason I was expecting.  "Do I still get to go to the pool?" he asked, his sweet little forehead crinkling up.

Once reassured on that topic, he was sunshine and happiness.  "I'm not going to Torture Camp, it's too far away this year.  But I AM going to the pool!" he tells anyone who asks (and many who don't).

I'm really grateful that he's still the age where a trip to the local pool can erase the disappointed of a missed activity.  I know that won't always be the case.

*(Which is why the "Think Beyond the Label" billboards irk me so much.  The purpose of the group is worthy--to encourage businesses to hire people with disabilities--but their tagline, "Labels get in the way, disabilities rarely do" just rubs me the wrong way.  Hello, whatever you label it, disabilities DO get in the way.  That's just a fact of life.  Don't be stupid; you aren't convincing anyone any differently.)

Disclosure

This is how you notify potential buyers about potential LARGE problems with your property.  Just FYI, seller.  (Click on the image to enlarge.)

Maybe not the One True Lot after all?

So, during our "due diligence" on the Lindon lot, we uncovered a fairly significant difficulty. You see, there are power lines across the lot. Those power lines are "transmission" lines, and apparently no structure can come within 20 feet of them. Because they are only 30 feet tall, well...you can see the problem. A one-story building usually has a height of 16 feet, with the roof and all. And they run across the middle of the property.

 I'm a little ticked at the seller, because the power company told us that this is the second or third inquiry on this lot in the last few weeks. So it's not like he didn't know that this would be a problem. Right now we are in the "how can we fix this" mode.

 Our due diligence originally ends tomorrow; we have requested an extension. It's possible that a) the power company will give us an extension; b) Lindon will let us move the setbacks in such a way as to put the house forward enough to avoid the easement; c) we can rearrange our house plans to avoid the easements (doubtful, to be sure, but maybe!). There might be some other possibilities that we haven't thought of.

 One thing this does is gives us leverage in negotiating a lower price. He didn't disclose this, it quite possibly will cost us quite a bit to work around...so, there is that. We'll see. I'm in a "never give up, never surrender" mindset right now.

(Don't tell Bradley)

According to Lindon City regs, on our new lot we can have up to three of the following groupings:

Six turkeys OR six geese OR 25 chickens OR 10 rabbits OR 25 pheasants OR six ducks OR 50 pigeons OR 100 quail.

If we want to go the larger-animal route, we can have up to two of the following groupings:

Four sheep OR one hog OR one immature beef cattle OR one mature cow OR four female goats OR two horses.

If we want to combine the two, then we can have TWO of the first group and ONE of the second group.  Or something like that.

Plus three dogs and three cats, and any immature animals that might be the result of said groupings.

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha.

What am I getting into?

Restart with a BANG

(Apparently when I have something big on my mind, that I can't share, I clam up and can't talk about ANYTHING, even if it totally innocuous like my children doing chores (hooray!) or squabbling endlessly with one another.  So, I've been very silent lately, and I shall try to improve.  Why don't I start with a bang?)

Gentle reader, it finally happened.  We have FINALLY chosen, offered, counter-offered, and contracted to buy a lot in Lindon, Utah.

But not just any lot.  Let us examine the (many) exciting qualities our new lot possesses.

• It is a half acre.
• It backs onto a city park.
• Which backs onto an elementary school.
• Which, in addition to being highly-rated, also has the special ed classes for the area (PT for my Gee, no problem!), AND a Portuguese immersion program.  (Still deciding what to do about that.)
• It is less than two blocks from the (highly-rated) junior high school.
• It is on a corner.  (Side garage, here we come!)
• It is on a quiet street that doesn't really go anywhere, yet close to a freeway-connector street.
• It is north of BYU. (closer to Grandma and Grandpa Ross, Telima, David, Grandmama Tobler, Primary Children's Hospital, etc)
• It is only about 20 minutes to BYU.
• It is in a mixed-house neighborhood, with some big new houses, some big old houses, some little old houses, etc.

Now, there are some negatives.  It was a leetle more expensive than we would have loved, it is in a town that spells its own name wrong (Lindon is named for the linden tree), and it isn't in my beloved Spanish Fork with my wonderful doctor, car mechanic, school teachers, parade, and my WARD and FRIENDS. (Sniff.)

But with change there is always some bad mixed in the good, and I know that we will fall in love with our Lindon just like we have with Spanish.  We are all soooooo excited, and can't believe our good fortune.

(P.S.  If you ever want the most patient and helpful real estate agent, please consider ours:  Craig Smith.  He seriously rocks the world.)

Family Search Indexing Bragging Ahead

Why, yes, I did index at least one batch of every single state plus Washington DC.