A Blizzard for Christmas!

25 Dec 2008 UTAH (U.S.) WINTER STORM:
STRONG WINDS & HEAVY BLOWING SNOW.

Temp: 34.0 °F / 0°C
Blowing Snow / Fog
Wind-chill: 25 °F / -6°C
Wind Gust: SSW 60

Storm total accumulations of 20 to 30 inches/50.8cm-76.2cm of snow expected through Fri evening.
Very strong SW winds, in excess of 80 mph/128.7 kph near ridgetops will create blowing & drifting snow thru Thursday afternoon.

Ogden: Whiteout


Salt Lake City:Whiteout


Monticello: Blizzard


Oakley


Oak City: winter storm moving in


Orderville: near blizzard conditions


Park City: heavy blowing snow


Riverton: blowing snow


Zion Canyon: snow & fog

Autumn in Utah

"Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower." -Albert Camus

Photos from a late afternoon drive in Northern Utah, near my house.

Steeple at the end of the corn field



The last of the summer sunflowers



Let the fall colors begin!









Roadside red ivy



Horse herd, from Antelope Island's Fielding Garr farm, heading for the barn at sunset.
Antelope Island is the largest island in the Great Salt Lake, covering 28,022 acres. It is home to bison, bighorn sheep, pronghorn, mule deer, coyotes, bobcats, upland birds, and waterfowl.









Photos © Kristin Samet

HAPPY HALLOWEEN 2008

Eye of newt and toe of frog, Wool of bat and tongue of dog,
Adder's fork and blind-worm's sting, Lizard's leg and howlet's wing,
For a charm of powerful trouble, Like a hell-broth boil and bubble.
Double, double, toil and trouble; Fire burn and cauldron bubble.
-Shakespeare, "Macbeth"

Convenience store candy display

My new cauldron

This flyer was left on the windshield of my car last week.
At first glance it seemed normal, then I remembered I'm in Utah....

For Mormons, masked balls are associated with immoral behavior. The purpose of the mask is to conceal the identity and to deceive and provide cover for sinful acts.

Grocery store pumpkin display (real pile 'o pumpkins below PumpkinHead

Pumpkin Patch

This pumpkin patch is at the foothills of the Western edge of the Rocky Mountains

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Come with me All Hallow's night/ We'll frighten everyone in sight/Such pranks for once, are justified/And fun and frolic amplified.
-19th Century Halloween postcard

First Snow 2008 (Doo doo doo, Lookin out my back door!)

the barns

From First Snow 2008

Leaves haven't changed yet, but trees are covered with snow!

From First Snow 2008

the barns and backyard tree

From First Snow 2008

Missing Case of M16s found at Hill Air Force Base

Note to self: after returning stolen rifles, turn yourself in, get a free pass to the unemployment office, a dishonorable discharge, or both. Other charges optional.
also in this story: WHAT A DUMBASS - LEAVING A NOTE! Let the handwriting analysis and fingerprinting begin (on the weapons, the pay phone and the note of apology)! Is everyone in Utah STUPID / BRAIN DEAD? In Miami, those rifles would already be on a boat headed toward South America! Here in Utah, they not only return them, but leave a NOTE OF APOLOGY!
Major Smith's comment about "return these weapons back" makes the grammar police in my head CRINGE. In addition, The AP story itself (which was written in Utah) contained a typo.

Case of rifles missing from Hill AFB found

HILL AIR FORCE BASE, Utah (AP) - Hill Air Force Base says a missing case of M-16 assault rifles has been found.
In an 11:30 press conference, officials said that an anonymous person calling from a Layton pay phone said that the rifles were back on that base at the horse stables.
Officials said the person likely had a change of heart. They thanks [sic] the media for the many reports on the story.
“I cannot thank you enough,” said Col Linda Meddler. “What you did in getting our story out, we really think made the difference in getting these weapons back to our installation. “We think that he saw these news reports and decided the best thing to do would be to return these weapons back,” said Major Shannon Smith.
Officials believe the case fell off a government truck while the vehicle was moving on the base Tuesday.
“This was a simple mistake,” said Smith. Someone forgot to put the tailgate up on the HUMV.”
The suspect is believed to have access to the base and has base credentials. They say the suspect left a note of apology.

“This gentleman has taken the first step to making this situation right but we really want to take this opportunity to tell him to take the next step and turn himself in,” said Smith.

No Bikinis allowed in Kanab, Utah city pool

from the "i suppose the nude mud wrestling is out, then?" dept:

AP NEWS RELEASE: KANAB, Utah - The Kanab city pool wants you to come swimming, but leave the skimpy swimsuits at home. The soon-to-open pool will prohibit bikinis, cutoffs and even Speedos. The measure is drawing fire from some locals, who say city officials have gone too far in promoting a pro-family atmosphere. Kanab Councilwoman Nina Laycook says the city will likely modify the rule, saying it was originally intended to outlaw thongs and similar styles of dress.

Here are some "appropriate" swimsuits for LDS women from Wholesome Wear


Extended Slimming Swimmer suits extend to the midarm (between the elbow and the wrist) and cover down to the lower leg (between the knee and the ankle). The outer garment is joined at the zipper to a Spandex under garment. The suit snaps between the legs for in water use and unsnaps for a modest out of water look.

YOU'VE COME A LONG WAY, BABY! NOT!!!!!!!

Hmmmm.... these remind me of something - ah yes, the "Burqini"





A burqini (or burkini) swimsuit is a swimsuit for Muslim women. The suit covers the whole body except the face, the hands and the feet (enough to preserve Muslim modesty), whilst being light enough to enable swimming. It was described as the perfect solution for Muslim women who want to swim but are uncomfortable about "revealing" bathing suits. It looks like a full-length wetsuit with built-in hood, but somewhat looser and made of swimsuit material instead of rubber.

Woman Calls Orem Police To Free Her From Her Locked Car

from the "I'm a Utah Blonde" dept:

Automatic car features are supposed to make life easier for motorists, but they may be leaving some people without the know-how to do things the old-fashioned way.

That’s what happened to a driver in Utah County who became trapped inside her own car.

A woman called Orem, Utah police Friday afternoon needing help because her battery died and she was locked inside her car.

When police arrived, they found the woman sitting in the car, unable to get herself out. She couldn’t hear the officers instructions through the rolled-up windows so she motioned to them to call her on her cell phone, according to police.

Once officers were able to talk to the woman on the phone, they were able to tell her how to manually operate the slide lock mechanism on the inside door panel to open the door and free herself.

“I'm just glad she had a cell phone to call for help,” an officer said.

Story from KUTV.com

They make 'em TOUGH in Utah

From the: "you took that picture yourself?" dept:

Medical personnel stabilize Ogden Standard-Examiner photographer Ryan McGeeney's leg after he was pierced by a javelin directly below his right knee while covering the Utah state high school track championships at Brigham Young University's Clarence Robison track stadium in Provo, Utah. McGeeney was transported by ambulence to Utah Valley Regional Medical Center, where the javelin was removed. He received 13 stitches, but suffered no serious damage to any ligaments or tendons. McGeeney took the photo himself.


(AP Photo/Ryan McGeeney)

Standard-Examiner photography intern Ryan McGeeney (right) poses for a picture with Provo High School athlete Anthony Miles, who is holding a cutoff section of the javelin that he threw, piercing McGeeney.

Poopy Prank Raises a Stink at 7-Eleven

Prank? Or editorial comment on 7-11 food? You decide!

SANDY, Utah -- A trio of teen pranksters could face felony charges after allegedly putting human feces in a microwave at a Sandy 7-Eleven store.
The boys entered the 7-Eleven store at 2200 East and 9400 South and put a 1-gallon plastic bag full of human feces in the microwave, police said. The microwave was then activated with a cooking time of ten minutes.
The store was closed down while the foul odor dissipated. 7-Eleven was forced to replace the microwave at a cost of $3,500.
If you recognize any of the boys in these pictures, call Sandy police at (801) 568-7200.

7-Eleven Surveillance Photos

Make sure to water your lawn in the desert!

Water conservation? We don't need no stinkin' water conservation!

70 Year Old Grandmother Arrested for Not Watering Lawn
Sam Penrod Reporting

A widow and grandma spent the morning in jail, arrested for refusing to give a policeman her name when he tried writing her a ticket for failing to water her yard. The woman hasn't watered her lawn in more than a year, and the condition of her yard violates an Orem zoning ordinance.

Tonight, the woman says she is traumatized and shocked that she was hauled to jail, just because she says she can't afford to water her lawn.


Betty Perry says, "I never thought they would ever do anything like that to a person that is 70 years old. I've never bothered anybody, I've never hurt anybody."

She says the policeman who brought her home tonight was very courteous, even held open the door for her. But there were no gentlemen there when she was taken from her home this morning and booked into jail.

When Betty Perry heard a knock at her door and saw a police officer standing outside, she never imagined she would end up in jail. That's what happened, though, when the officer tried enforcing Orem's nuisance ordinance against neglected yards.

"I didn't want to tell him anything until I talked to a lawyer or my son. I wanted to see what he'd tell me to do. I've never had any experience before with the law, ever in my life," she said.

As the enforcement officer started writing her a ticket, she tried going back in her house. That's when the officer tried to handcuff her for refusing to give her name and resisting the ticket. She tripped on the steps, scraping up her nose and elbows, leaving blood on her door, her porch and her clothes. Perry was handcuffed, fingerprinted and put in a jail cell, where she sat for more than an hour.

"I laid down in there. I never seen the inside of a jail before. I didn't know how it looked, I was really scared," she says.

When police brass learned what happened, she was immediately released.

Orem police spokesman Lt. Doug Edwards said, "Every officer in his career has situations they find themselves getting into, at the end of it they scratch their head and say, ‘gosh, how did this happen?' Today, I think, was one of those days. Clearly there were some other options available."

After being arrested, Perry is now scared of the police. She says, "Don't ever say no when the police tell you do to something. You better do what they tell you no matter what, even if you don't have anybody to help you. You've got to do what they tell you or they will hurt you."

The officer was sent home for the day and placed on paid administrative leave. Police are not pressing any charges against Betty Perry for either neglecting her yard or resisting the ticket.

Spencer Gifts vs. Wal-Mart: Which is more dangerous?

Police raid Spencer Gifts novelty shop inside Layton Hills Mall
Deseret Morning News
news story by Ben Winslow comments in red by BluezMama

It was a full blown raid as Layton(Utah)Police searched a Spencer Gifts novelty gift shop inside the Layton Hills Mall on Tuesday, February 13, seizing 15 boxes of items they said were sexually explicit. They took hundreds of items they say are against the law because they were sold in the plain view of minors.
(offending items pictured below)

The raid happened Tuesday morning just as Spencer Gifts was opening for business. Police said a search warrant was drafted, seeking numerous items that may violate Utah laws on dealing materials harmful to a minor.
"It's based on several complaints we've received over the last year or so," said Layton Police Sgt. Mark Chatlin. "People complaining about the material they're selling."
While none of the items in the shop are illegal, authorities allege Spencer may have run afoul of the state statute by having sexually explicit items available for purchase and display to minors. Police were vague in their descriptions of the items seized but acknowledged seizing games, food items and items that could be described as "sex toys."
"A lot of game-type related things depicting sexual conduct," Chatlin said. "General items in the shapes of genitals."
"Over the last year, two years, we've received, at the Police Dept and at the City Attorneys, a number of complaints," said Layton Police Sgt. Mark Chatlin.
So, detectives went to the mall and staked out Spencers to see if minors came and went and to see what materials they had access to. After several warnings, police served a search warrant and started pulling things off the shelves on Tuesday.
Police think they have a case. Utah code says that anyone who 'deals in material harmful to minors...knowing that a person is a minor' is committing a third degree felony.
Officers say Spencer's violated a Utah statute by not verifying shoppers' ages at the register for sales involving adult novelties. They say the store sells items like genital-shaped candies and other sexually oriented merchandise in plain view.
The warrant authorized seizure of any item depicting nudity, sexual conduct or sexual excitement. And they didn't just take a few things, they took literally hundreds of things, boxes and boxes of items they think are too inappropriate for young eyes to see.
No one was arrested, and the case is now being referred to the Davis County Attorney's Office to screen for possible charges or civil action.

Here are some of the dangerous things for sale at Spencer's for Bachelorette parties:

the 24 inch "inflatable willie". Boy, when the kids see the REAL THING, they're going to be sorely disappointed!












"Lusty Lickers Willie Pops". Someone's going to be in for a huge surprise when the real thing doesn't taste like this!

Interestingly, I recently photographed the following items on the lower set of magazine racks at a nearby Layton, Utah Wal-Mart store. These magazines were displayed about 3 feet off the floor - just at toddler eye level.
I'm not saying the police should't have raided Spencer's, but at least they should be consistent when protecting the minds of the innocent youth of today.

"Build Your Own Belt Loader!"