I hadn’t thought of Kaysville as being rural until we pulled up to Deborah Quigley’s home. We passed through subdivisions of neatly plotted stucco homes with covenant approved architectural shingles, earth tone paint colors, the allotted amount of stone, and white vinyl fences. In the heart of the newly constructed, identity deprived homes, a silo appeared, along with weathered barns, cows, horses and chickens. The lands original use became suddenly obvious.
Debbie’s house sits in the middle of this rural oasis, and looks nothing like the stucco homes next door. Even the air was different, filled with cotton seeds from the old cottonwoods that lined the property. They danced through the wind and reminded me of home. I grew up with cottonwood trees in Midway. They were a frequent safe haven for owls and small children looking for a bird’s eye view of the world.
There were no owls at Debbie’s house, just two enormous Mastiff dogs, and while the size of small ponies, my photographer and I found them to be good natured. Inside a warm and cozy home invited us. We were interviewing Debbie because she has a little known disorder that can cause blindness. She was open and forthright about the condition and the impact it has had on her life. After the interview we followed her into the kitchen to get a few shots of her interacting with her children.
As she made peanut butter and jelly sandwiches she cracked open a jar of homemade jam. I have this odd hobby of making jam. I like to create unusual blends and Debbie had something I had never tried, but now have. We started talking about “jamming” and by the time the video shoot was done we had exchanged recipes for our favorite gourmet creations.
It’s always good to run into a kindred spirit. I consider my interaction with people the greatest advantage of my job. I am so frequently inspired by the individuals I interview and I treasure afternoons like the one spent at Debbie’s city farm.
