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Front Page News:

Abe and Clark left at O' dark thirty for their 50 mile backpacking trip in the Uinta Mountains this week.  They were both excited and nervous.  Clark was a little more excited and Abe a little more nervous.  As I write this I am imagining that they are both somewhat wet, hungry, tired, sick and incapacitated.  Supposedly the first day is the worst.  I hope they sleep well tonight.

The Food Section:

Elinor's fish that she caught with Grandpa Cannon were very large and provided plenty for the whole family for lunch on Sunday.
But in even bigger news...

Elinor and Abe prepared the fish in such a way and the stars aligned just so, that the fish actually looked a little bit appetizing to me.  And I-- I who DO NOT eat seafood in any form--EVER--decided to taste it.  And... it miraculously tasted pretty okay to me.  It may not seem like it, but that is pretty high praise from me. 

The International Section:

We have Naomi from London England visiting with us for a little while.  She is staying at Brig's house since the new renters haven't moved in yet, but spending the days with us.  She is so patient with the kids and they LOVE her!  And we all just like hearing her talk.

The Education Section:

She is very fluent in BSL (British Sign Language).  We had her translate while we finished reading A Wrinkle in Time the other night.  Then she taught the girls the alphabet and a few words in ASL (American Sign Language). 

The Health Section:

I have solved a mystery today that has greatly concerned me for several years.  Elinor came inside after playing on the cottonwood tree.  She smelled BAD.  Really bad.  Stinky bad.  "Where have your hands been" kind of bad?
But this wasn't the first time I have smelled this smell.  For a few years off and on, I have smelled this smell on Clark.  I was constantly asking him to go wash his hands or go shower because he smelled so bad.  Was this part of puberty?  I didn't know where the smell was from, but it was putrid.  I had moments of real concern about where his hands had been. 
I was so relieved today to identify the source of the smell-- some water running down the tree that Elinor had put her hands in.  Nasty smelling water.  I read about it online and I believe it is called "slime flux".  But no one's hands were where they shouldn't have been. 

The Sports Section:

We walked along the Jordan River this evening.  Not the most pleasant walking conditions.  It's a bit of a rough gig to go on a walk and keep any kind of speed with a 3 year old riding a tricycle alongside. Also, it was stinky-- which was an improvement over the thick gnats the last time we walked there.  Stagnant water along the trail is stinky.

I am overwhelmed by bad smells a lot these days.  A few weeks back I had some sinus trouble and I lost my sense of smell for a couple of weeks.  I kind of liked not being assaulted by stinky smells.  I constantly worried that my house was super stinky and I had no idea.  Now that I smell perfectly well again I realize it was fantastic not being able to smell!

I still fantasize about the air purifier/freshener from the hotel room in St. Louis.  It was glorious.