#2798 weekend wrap-up

Yesterday, Saturday, I had lots of things I wanted to do, but no specific plan. I called Lizzie to wish her a happy birthday, and she helped me get my day in order. The first thing I did, after the phone call,  was stop at Les Madeleines to get pastries. The chef recently announced that she will be closing her shop at the end of December due to supply and labor issues. I made a promise to myself that I would get over that at least once before the shop closes to get some of her delicious pastries. Yesterday wasn't that day, though. The news of the shop's closing has galvanized people, and there was a long line to get into the shop. Temperature was in the low 20s, and not even the allure of a pastry could make me stand there and wait. 

I decided to come back later, then drove up to Red Butte Garden. I needed to turn in my bloom log for the year, and since I was there, I decided to take a walk around. Yes, it was cold, but I was wearing layers of clothing, plus my puffy jacket and a hat, and I was moving. Here are some photos:

I did some Snapseed action on this one. When I looked at the photo, the light was so flat that it didn't capture what my eyes saw, which was a late-autumn forest full of stunning color. I like this edit because it looks more like what I really saw.

Here is the beloved waterfall, barely a trickle now with icicles hanging down the rocks. See what I mean about the flat light? There is no edit on this photo, but it doesn't really capture the richness of the colors of the trees behind the waterfall, or the glossiness of the ice on the pond. You can double click on the photo to enlarge it to see the little icicles.

This is one of my favorite spots to take a photo. I love the reflection of the hill and the trees in the pond, which is frozen right now. Again, no edit here, and it feels flat to me, but I still like it. 

And here is a selfie, looking into the sun. My eyes are totally closed, the sun was so bright! I did edit this one to bring out the color of the leaves behind me, and also to show my red cheeks. 

Even though it was so cold, I was glad to walk around the Garden. Mostly I felt like the only person in there! It was so quiet. I could hear birds flapping their wings as they flew around, and endless birdsong, even though I couldn't always see the birds themselves. I saw a bunch of squirrels, and a bigger bird that kind of looked like a pheasant. She was quick, though, walking through the scrub. Red Butte Garden is my favorite place in SLC. I really love it. I gave her 200 hours of volunteer time this summer.

I drove back down to Les Madeleines, but the line was even longer this time, so I decided to come back another day. I hadn't eaten yet - because I was planning to have a croissant and coffee - so I was starting to feel a little light-headed and hangry. It wouldn't be the first time I felt that way this weekend, let me tell you.

At home, I made myself something to eat, then I took a nap. I had a quiet afternoon, then at night, I watched the Utah football game. They lost to Oregon. Bummer.

Today I am fasting because I am preparing my colon for her close-up. I have a colonoscopy scheduled for 14:00 tomorrow. I stopped eating yesterday around 18:30. Now I'm just on clear liquids. I have drank the cleanse-inducing concoction, and the process has begun. Mostly today I have been napping; I feel like I might be in for a long night of "cleansing." The light-headed and hangry feeling has been around all day. I also feel a little nauseous. 

That's all I've got for now. Hope you had a great weekend!