Nina decided to go to Idaho Falls to the temple today. She was originally going to leave quite early and do three session, but the day started cold and wet with occasional snow, so she decided to wait until it was daylight. Even though I usually come home for lunch, when she’s at the temple I need to come home to let Bradica (the dog) out. Now that we have the automatic feeder, she gets fed on time whether I’m there precisely at noon or not. Anyhow, when I let her out, I noticed a lot of smoke coming up from the hills to the west of us. I got my camera and took several pictures, including this one where the fire is quite visible. They were probably doing some kind of a controlled burn (but there was nothing about it in the newspaper). This is probably a good time to do the burn — it certainly won’t get out of control!

We’ve had much cooler weather with little storm systems going by about every other day. The ski resorts are happy — all of them should be open by Thanksgiving. I guess winter is fast becoming a reality.

Union Pacific Railroad announced last week that they were going to hire about a hundred more people here in Pocatello. That’s another sign the economy here is picking up. The mood, however, of most people I’ve talked to is one of concern. The elections were one of the signals of the frustration people are feeling. The economy is picking up but the cost of the war in Iraq is putting a real damper on people’s spirit. It’s not only the money being spent, but the human cost as well.

It’s now time to start thinking about Christmas. Within the next week or so, I’ll be asked what I’d like for Christmas. I don’t know now and will not know then. Socks would be good….