Miracle Mountain

!!!!!! New Blog !!!!!!

2010-03-03T10:05:00.004-07:00

Hi Everyone....

I started another blog... about everyday life - not on the mountain/not at the cabin. Be sure to check it out! It's called NOT YOUR AVERAGE WOMAN. You can read/follow at this address: http://victorious-woman.blogspot.com

When we go back to the cabin/mountain I'll resume writing at MiracleMountain

Aging Parents & the Quality of Life

2010-02-15T11:03:00.005-07:00

Aging. The natural progression of life.

What happens, though, when an elderly parent becomes ill, has a stroke or heart attack, a broken hip, dementia/alzheimers, or any number of ailments? Life as they know it has changed - possibly, forever. They need assistance with things they've done for themselves for years: dressing, bathing, eating, using the toilet. They may be hard of hearing or have problems with their vision. Their balance is compromised making a cane or walker their "new best friend". Not only does their life change... but often the lives of their children or grandchildren change as well. POA and DNR are terms one becomes familiar with at this stage of life.

My grandfather was 80 years old when I was born. He was always an "old man". He still lived by himself on the farm & cared for himself. My brother & I would go to the farm with our dad and spend time with Grandpa. We'd watch television with him - the volume turned WAY up - and he'd sit a couple feet from the screen. I don't remember exactly when it happened, but one day he came to live with us. He spent most of his days sitting in the recliner in our living room. As he got older, he had to use a walker to help steady himself. Although he was more than 90 years old, he still played Scrabble with his younger sister (both of them could beat me without even trying!). His mind was sharp. He went to church every Sunday until it became too difficult for him to go up the stairs to the sanctuary. When I was in high school he had a couple falls & we, as a family, couldn't go anywhere for more than a couple hours without having to have someone come in to care for him. My parents made the difficult decision to move him to a nursing home where he lived the rest of his life. It hurt me to see this man, my grandpa, failing to thrive. I visited him one time while he was in the nursing home because I couldn't stand to see him like that. His quality of life there was very poor I thought.

My parents (see post from May 2009) were in a car accident. By the looks of their car... they should've been hurt much worse than they were. Physical therapy & ongoing exercise has helped them.

My father-in-law recently had a stroke. Not a severe stroke... but it did affect his balance and left him quite weak. The stroke has affected his short term memory. He can recall events that happened when he was a boy but couldn't tell you what he did yesterday. (To be fair, I couldn't tell you what I did yesterday!) He was diagnosed with early stage Alzheimer's. Prior to having the stroke, he had had his eyes tested: cataracts in both eyes, macular degeneration in one, little to no peripheral vision. Laser surgery will correct the cataracts - but he's dragging his feet. Things he enjoyed doing - reading the paper and Reader's Digest, watching television, playing cards - all affected by the cataracts. He used to enjoy cooking - but now can't stand long enough to stand at the stove... and has forgotten to turn off burners - burning a couple pans pretty badly! I'm not sure if this is a product of the old age or the stroke - but he has some incontinence. He had been using a cane to assist in walking but since having the stroke he now uses a walker. He naps - a lot! Moans - a lot! He has mentioned a couple times that he's "ready" and reminds us of his "plans".

Having this stroke has not just affected my father-in-law. My sister-in-law lives with him but she can't be with him 24/7 because she works. She is under a lot of stress and now we're trying to help out. Jerry has gone to stay with him - to be sure he does his physical therapy exercises, to help him however he needs and provide some company for him and to hopefully alleviate some of the stress his sister has been under.

Only God knows how many days my father-in-law has left. We just want to make sure that those days are as good as the rest of his days were.

ADOPTION: My Story - Part 6

2010-02-15T09:46:00.003-07:00

In September, a month after we found her, we celebrated her birthday. She was reunited with her younger brother and met her step-mother. She learned that she had grandchildren. She met my adoptive parents. She was afraid that they would look down on her for having given me up for adoption. I told her, "of course they'll look down on you! You're short!" (She was only 4' 10"!)
Over the next 2 1/2 years we built a relationship with Connie. We spent hours & hours talking & laughing & crying and had enormous phone bills. During that 2 1/2 years she spent time staying with three out of four of her children but finally became homesick for Boston & went back.
At 5:30 one morning in March, 2000, my phone rang. Scared the daylights out of me since my phone NEVER rings at that time of day. On the other end of the line was Connie's doctor. She said Connie had admitted herself to the hospital a few days before. She'd been depressed but was scheduled to be released that same day. She had died in her sleep.......
The next couple days were a blur. We wanted an autopsy. Since she had listed four children all four of us had to give our consent. Our brother Mark was not willing to give his okay. Finally he gave his consent, the autopsy was done but there was nothing conclusive. Her years of smoking, heart problems, diabetes, over-eating and depression just caught up with her. God said it was her time.
We had a memorial service for her... just the family. It was our hope that even when she left us that she'd know that we loved her... that even tho' she didn't raise any of us, she still gave us life and was still a mother. It was my hope that the talks we'd had about God's love and forgiveness sunk in & that she had, in her heart, asked Christ to be her savior!
In the 2 1/2 years we had with her my heart healed... and that morning in March, it broke again. It just dawned on me that it's been nearly 10 years since she left us. I still miss her... she had a laugh that was infectious & said things that would crack me up... and other things that would make a sailor blush!
The can of worms I opened ~ well, there are things that I've not liked but that was part of the deal. But I wouldn't change a thing!

The people you meet........

2010-01-28T08:24:00.005-07:00

Sometimes I'm amazed at the people I meet. Since I was old enought to walk & talk my mom said I never knew a stranger. Yes, I have the gift of gab! And if you've been following my writing for any amount of time you'll also know that I LOVE thrift store shopping!

Let me back up just a bit.... we came back to Nebraska for Christmas & haven't gone back to the cabin yet (hey! it's only been a month). The problem is... I had packed up most of my kitchen stuff & hauled it to the cabin last spring. Being in the rental house without a fully-loaded kitchen is the pits & I've had to fill in a few gaps at the local thrift stores (measuring cups/spoons, knives, mixing bowls, cereal bowls, etc.). Now onward...

One day Jer & I were thrift store shopping - I was looking at books (big surprise) and he had disappeared. He came around the corner with a food processor in his hand - like the one in the photo only not complete - and a big grin on his face! I was SOOOOO excited! You see, I have a complete one, just like the one in the photo, at the cabin & another (not complete) in the camper... both 700 miles away!

One of the gals who works in the thrift store noticed how excited I'd gotten over something that seemed so mundane & utilitarian. I explained to her that this is by far my most favorite kitchen utensil (in its entirity) and that I already have a couple of them! She asked WHY I needed a third if I already have two. I explained to her that we'd been living off the grid in a cabin and this little kitchen gizmo was a HUGE time saver. It slices, it dices, it chops & grates... this thing cuts up onions & potatoes for hashbrowns, will chop cranberries, apples & oranges for cranberry relish, slices carrots & cucumbers for salad, grates cheese... it has a little device for beating eggs or light batter. It's AWESOME!!!

I could see the wheels turning in her head. She then began to question me about the cabin & what it's like to live off the grid. One questions really stuck in my head: "What one thing don't you have that you'd like to have?" Hmmm. My answer: "Running water!" I gave her our card - that has this site address as well as our email addresses & phone numbers - and told her that if she'd like to learn more she should log on or drop me an email & I'd be happy to give her more information. She then asked, much to my surprise, if we had considered a "live off the grid vacation" - where those who want to experience living off the grid & doing all the things we do could come out & spend a week living "without". I told her we had not thought about that (except for our friends who come to visit & stay in a motel) but that would be a good idea. When I mentioned it to Jer, he thought maybe that could make us a little money as well.

Who knows if we'll do that. I've always thought running a bed & breakfast would be fun... maybe we could run a cabin & camper... the camper being our "guest house". Something to think about... all because of someone I met in a thrift store!

ADOPTION... My Story: Part 5

2010-01-20T19:29:00.004-07:00

By now it was about 11:00 p.m. We were emotionally drained. But we made the phone call... and she answered. She was crying, my brother was crying, I was crying. By the end of the short call we had instructed her to take a cab to the hotel where we were staying. We waited anxiously outside the front door of the hotel for the cab to arrive. When it finally arrived she jumped out of the cab, still crying! My brother reached inside the front passenger side window to pay the cabbie... the cabbie was crying... our mother had told him our story & it had touched him!

We spent the next few hours talking, asking questions, crying, laughing. We told her that both of her parents had passed away. She'd known about her mother dying - the woman who had been living with our grandmother called her the day of the funeral & told her it would be nice if she could make it! Hmph! She showed virtually no emotion when we told her about her mother (we'd find out later), however, the news of her father's death brought her to tears. We told her that his dying wish was that if he couldn't see her again, at least her children could! It seemed to help knowing that her father was still wanting to find her... still loved her!

By 4:00 a.m. we finally gave up & went to bed. Our mother slept with me, holding my hand all night. Following breakfast we spent the day visiting, telling stories, asking questions, learning about each other. My brother & I both told her of the things our grandmother had told us... things we had suspected were either half-truths or just plain lies! We were right!

We spent an afternoon at Harvard Square people watching, eating ice cream at Herrell's, a little shop that had been a bank in a previous life, attending a bar-b-que at a friend's home that night.

Needless to say, when we arrived at the airport a couple days later it was SO hard to leave. The only thing making it easier was buying her a ticket to come to Oklahoma (where my sister & uncle live) the next month for her birthday!

Our trip was a success... it must've been in God's plan that we find her... that we'd get some answers to our questions... that we'd form a relationship, a bond with her.

There's more to the story... stay tuned!

ADOPTION... My Story: Part 4

2010-01-20T18:28:00.004-07:00

The night before we departed I had a meeting to go to at church. Strangely enough no one told me the meeting had been canceled so there I sat... waiting. My time was not wasted tho'. I sat in the quiet of the sanctuary & prayed - poured out my heart to God. "God... I'm putting this in Your hands. You know what I want... but I'm selfish & want this for selfish reasons. If this is not in Your plan... I will understand, I won't be happy about it but I will be a 'big girl' and accept it."

Our plane landed at Logan Airport in Boston, mid-August, hot & humid. We grabbed our luggage, hailed a cab & checked into our room at the hotel. With a stack of 1000 fliers (have you seen this woman - with a photo of her from about 1973 on it) we boarded the first bus that came along. After getting on it occured to us that we should ask if this bus went anywhere near the address we had for her. It didn't... but the woman sitting behind us asked what address we were trying to get to & told us that was within 2 blocks of where she lived & she would get us on the right bus! An angel? We left a couple fliers on that bus, got on the "right" bus... left a couple more on that bus. When we got to her street we put fliers on windshields of cars parked on the street as we found our way to the address we had. Unfortunately it was a secured building & we could not get in. Down the street, where we'd gotten off the bus, there was a pharmacy. We went in to buy some tape to put fliers on doors, gates, poles - wherever we could. My brother decided to ask the pharmacist if they had a fax machine we could use to send a note to the PI. It was evident that he had told the pharmacist why we were there. As I came around the corner, having purchased the tape, the pharmacist stopped dead in his tracks. He looked at me & said, "You're Connie's daughter!".

At this point (this is before HIPPA) he told us that she got her prescriptions filled there and that he could call her & ask her to come to the pharmacy. Another Angel? He placed the call... she wasn't there but her roommate answered the phone. The pharmacist asked him if he could come to the pharmacy. He could. As he walked into the the store he glanced at me - my eyes were behind dark sunglasses so he really couldn't look at me. He headed back to the pharmacy desk; my brother & the pharmacist were telling him who we were & why we were there when I came around the corner again. I removed my sunglasses & before I could introduce myself he said, "You're Connie's daughter!". Twice in about 20 minutes! The three of us went next door to the coffee shop to visit.

We went back to their apartment... a horrible, dirty apartment that reeked of cigarette smoke & litter boxes. We spent nearly two hours there without her returning. We finally talked him into taking us to her... at a nearby hospital. It seems she got terrible migraines that lasted for days & she'd go to the clinic at the hospital to get a pain shot. He said the shots left her "foggy". He also noted that she had left her prescription glasses on the counter - they bothered her when she had migraines.

After telling the receptionist who we were & why we were there, her roommate asked to see her (she was in an exam room) and they generously allowed us to go into the exam room next to the one she was in. We could hear muffled talking - and then a scream - and the word "NO"!!!! He left her room quickly, opened the door to the room we were in & told us he was leaving. We were stunned! What do we do now?

We left... at least as far as the front door of the hospital. By now, the rain Boston was supposed to get that morning was now coming down - not just sprinkling but POURING!!! We were so hurt. Crushed. Why didn't she want to see us? We waited... and waited. Finally - from the clinic door emerged a short little woman with a large umbrella & a handbag that was nearly as big as she was! She walked to the bus stop. This was our chance... maybe our only chance? We held hands, ran thru the rain & skidded around the corner of the bus stop, sliding onto the bench on the opposite side. What do we do now? We huddled, soaked from the rain, whispering.

Out of the blue she said, "Our seats are getting wet!". She was right! She introduced herself. Racing thoughts! The name she had given me, the name on my birth certificate, was not the name I have now. My brother goes by a nickname. We introduced ourselves. She didn't turn & run. Not even an eyebrow raised. We presumed that between the shot & not having her glasses she really couldn't see us very well? We began visiting - about the weather, about flying in that morning & "getting lost", about not having had anything to eat since we were on the plane several hours before. We had found out from her friend that she liked Tex-Mex food... so we asked if she knew of a good place to eat. She did... and proceeded to tell us which bus & train to get on to get there! About that time a bus pulled up & her friend got off. You can imagine the look on his face when he saw us sitting with her engaged in conversation! She told us that was her friend Steve... my brother ran back out into the rain & "introduced" himself to Steve & whispered not to blow our cover! Having made the proper "introductions" we asked them if they'd like to have dinner with us as we'd not be able to find the restaurant. She said they really couldn't afford it - to which my brother replied, "We'd love to treat you to dinner" - of course, they couldn't turn that down. We took the bus & the train then walked a couple blocks to the restaurant, gave our name to the girl at the podium & went to the bar for a much needed adult beverage!

We sat at the bar visiting... oblivious to everything & everyone around us. The girl at the podium was calling "Briggs, party of four"... it finally dawned on us that that was us! We went to our table, ordered our food & while waiting for our food my brother played "Twenty Questions" with our mother. I felt a bit left out, but I had no questions to ask that would have hinted to my identity. It was interesting to watch. We sat in the restaurant for nearly four hours just visiting. We finally decided we should leave... but not before making a "date" for the next day for sightseeing. She hugged both of us & thanked us for dinner. We got on the bus... in total disbelief. We had just spent about 5 hours with her... and it appeared that she didn't know who we were.

Back at our hotel room we began making phone calls to family members. Sometime during our phone calls we had an incoming call, our message light was on. It was Steve. "Wally, it's Steve. Call me at this number." We called... and she answered!

ADOPTION... My Story: Part 3

2010-01-20T17:55:00.005-07:00

Hmmm. I forgot to mention that shortly after meeting my grandmother & sister I got to meet my uncle. I wasn't really sure what to think about him... his attitude toward me. He did tell me that looking at me was like looking at his sister, my birthmom. That was the validation I was looking for! He drove a semi & would stop by to see me & my family when he was in the area.

I got to meet the older of my two half-brothers (I think I mentioned meeting him) - we had spoken on the phone several times & seemed to really get along well when we met. He would be the person who told me about growing up with our grandmother as caregiver. These things made me question even more the things she had told me. He was about 5 years old when our birthmom disappeared. He told me that he had few memories of her... most of them were memories of his abusive father beating up on her. Our phone conversations were usually quite lengthy as we went over & over information that had been given to us.

On New Year's Eve 1995 (or was it 1996?) our grandmother passed away. By this time, she had pushed away everyone but my sister. She'd not spoken to me in more than a year because I had the audacity to question some of her information. Her game had become this: as she noticed the four of us (kids) getting along really well, she'd stick her finger "in the pot" and try to stir up trouble. She did the same thing with our uncle if he was getting along with us too well. Life was good for her as long as she was the center of attention. Again, by the time she passed away one brother & I went to the funeral only to see if our birthmom would show up. How sad! We scoured faces & saw no one who even remotely looked like her.

Less than a month later we would all gather again in San Francisco for our grandfather's funeral. This funeral was far more traumatic, sadder than the first because grandpa continually spoke of "finding" our birthmom. We hadn't been able to fulfill that wish while he was alive. It then became our goal!! We (the older half-brother & I) began doing as much as we could to find her... including getting a private investigator. It was in July of 1997 that we received from the PI a list of women with the same name or similar name, along with their respective addresses & birthdates. We quickly eliminated women whose birthdates did not match or were not even close. We ended up with a rather short list. We finally picked ONE... the one we thought was the best/closest match. We purchased plane tickets... his from SF to Omaha, mine from Omaha to Boston.

To Be Continued.....

ADOPTION... My Story: Part 2

2010-01-20T17:08:00.005-07:00

I've composed myself now... ready to write more. I left off telling you about receiving the first letter from my grandmother.

Her photograph was that of someone who looked like a loving grandmother. I dialed her phone number and we spoke for an hour - all the while her photo was in front of me. I had her letter in hand & asked questions. Some questions were answered, others were quickly glossed over. The questions she didn't answer were really the ones that I wanted answers for... and it was then that I figured out she must be either holding out on me until she knew that I really was okay to divulge information to or she was covering up information. During the phone call I learned that I had two half-brothers and a half-sister. Of course, they didn't know about me & she said she'd have some explaining to do. By the end of the phone call she had invited my husband & me to have Thanksgiving dinner at her home.

Within a short time I got to speak with my new sister on the phone. I exchanged letters with both my sister and grandmother waiting anxiously for Thanksgiving to arrive.

During one phone conversation with my sister I got my grandfather's address... on the condition that I would not tell our grandmother that I got it from her or that I was going to try to find him. I sent him the same generic letter I'd sent in the beginning & waited. Days passed with no letter in my mailbox. I came to the conclusion that he wanted nothing to do with me. Then on November 9 my phone rang... it was HIM! We spoke for close to two hours & really hit it off! My two half-brothers were living with him at the time and I got to know them over the phone. Soon my mailbox would be flooded with letters and old photographs from my grandfather. Weekly phonecalls became the norm.

At Thanksgiving my grandmother was a gracious hostess - she was a wonderful cook! I got to meet my sister & we hit it off! By the end of the first night we were finishing each other's sentences! We had fun looking at old photographs and I hung on my grandmother's every word - hoping for any shred of information she might share about my birthmom. The only thing she really told me was that she (my birthmom) had disappeared when she was about 26 years old (the same age I was) - leaving her three children at the daycare - just disappeared. She claimed she'd not seen my birthmom since then. Red flag!!

My grandparents had been divorced before I was even born & hadn't spoken in as many years. For this reason I felt compelled to share with my grandfather things that my grandmother had told me. I understand that divorced people don't always get along & often have different stories. My grandfather refused to say anything bad or mean about my grandmother - except that her version of the truth was pretty far-fetched!

It was obvious to me from what both grandparents told me that at the time my birthmom was pregnant with me there had been a lot of family drama as she was making what would be a life-changing & heartbreaking decision.

The summer after I had found my grandmother she came to a family reunion - that of my adoptive mother's family. She & my mom had quite a bit in common - sewing & crafts, cooking, etc.

A year after meeting my grandmother & sister I had the opportunity to meet my grandfather & his wife. He was retired Army... my own adoptive dad also an Army veteran. According to their "figuring" they missed being at the same Army base by just a couple weeks. How weird would that have been?

More phone calls, more letters, more stories. Due to the them all living far away our visits in person were few & far between. But the phone calls & letters gave me lots to think about. Lots to sort out... deciding what was truth, what was fiction.

.........

ADOPTION... MY STORY: Part 1

2010-01-20T10:30:00.003-07:00

In July 1963 a 16 year girl made the ultimate sacrifice. Knowing she was not prepared to raise a baby she gave me up for adoption. I spent my first 5 months in a boarding home & went to live with my adoptive parents in December 1963, just two weeks before Christmas.

Growing up I was a pretty happy little girl. I grew up in a small town - a town where everyone knew everyone else, everyone knew I was adopted. I spent my growing up years having people tell me how much I looked like one or the other of my parents. NOT! Except for having blue eyes... there wasn't really any resemblance. One thing that always gnawed at me was wondering WHO I did look like. Whose nose do I have? Who did I inherit my cowlicks from? Where did I get my musical talent?

I went thru high school and onto college, got married & had three children. When I was pregnant with my third, the doctor found some pre-cancerous cells & started asking questions about whether ovarian/cervical cancer ran in my family. I told him that I had no idea... that I was adopted. He subtly suggested that if it was possible, I may want to find out. I had always dreamed of doing this so it wasn't a big surprise other than the fact that my OB/GYN suggested it!

After my baby was born I began my search. It was a pretty lame attempt (I didn't have access to the WWW!) but I really didn't know how to go about it - so I was just floundering around. Since I was born in Kansas & Kansas is an "open" state, I filled out the required form, sent a copy of my ID & some money to the Vital Statistics office hoping to receive a copy of my original birth certificate. A few weeks later I received it... along with the name of my birth mother. She, too, was born in Kansas & as a blood relative I was able to request her birth certificate which then told me the names of my maternal grandparents. Since they were all born in the same town I enlisted the help of a friend who happened to live in that town. She sent me pages out of the area phone book for people with the last names of both grandparents.

I spent several nights writing & re-writing a generic letter stating the facts I had gotten from the birth certificates & my circumstances. I went through the names on the pages from the phone book & sent a letter to every other name. Within a couple weeks I received a half dozen responses. Some said they had no idea who these people were but were supportive - wishing me good luck with my search; others condemned me for "opening a can of worms" that would ultimately cause nothing but heartbreak.

One Sunday evening in early October 1989 our phone rang. The man identified himself as my birthmother's cousin. His dad & my maternal grandmother were siblings. He had known my birthmom was pregnant but never knew what happened to the baby. He told me he had received the letter I'd written...and knew something was up because I knew too much (names, dates, etc.) so he gave the letter to his father. His father in turn contacted my grandmother.

The following week I received a large manila envelope in the mail with 13 typed pages (single space) - my first correspondence with my grandmother. It was a strange letter to read - like I was reading about complete strangers (in fact, I was!). What I got sounded much like a dimestore novel - told from the point of view of one who was on the outside looking in. She had included a photograph of herself and her phone number. Was this a hint?

(This is an emotional subject for me... and I'm going to end this writing here & continue in a day or so.)

The Loss of a Friend

2010-01-18T16:23:00.008-07:00

We've all been there... we've all lost a friend.

I've lost friends because they moved to another town/state (before the miracle of the Internet) and we just quit writing or calling. I've lost friends because there were half-truths or blatant lies told & believed. I've lost friends because the friendship simply became toxic. I've lost friends because of death.

Most recently I lost a dear friend because someone in my household decided that it was not in my best interest to keep that friend. This hurts maybe more than any of the other reasons I mentioned - simply because I didn't make the decision, but it was made for me. I went along with this decision ONLY to keep peace in my household.

The friend of whom I speak - was a pet. Yes, a pet! I've always had a pet. I had a cat, Miss Ruffles, for 12 years. I came home from a funeral and found her dead on the living room floor. My heart broke as I buried her. Death of a pet, however, is MUCH different than being forced to give up a beloved pet. Death is final. In my case, death was not a decision I made - it just happened.

The pet I'm refering to is my dog Skeeter, a black lab of almost 3 years... I've had him for 2 years. Pets are a big responsibility. They take time & money and have to be cared for whether you're at home or traveling. He is 100 pounds of enthusiasm - who thinks he's a lap dog. Basic complaints from the other person in my household: he drinks too loudly, he eats too loudly, his nails click on the hard floors, he sheds, his food bill is too much, it costs too much to board him when we travel, etc., etc. Unfortunately his good qualities didn't outweigh the above complaints.

When I boarded Skeeter at New Years I asked the gals who work the desk at the Vet if they knew of anyone who was interested in adopting a black lab. They were surprised that I would even ask. They LOVE Skeeter and he loves them back! When I picked him up a few days later the Vet came out to speak with me. She said she knew of a family who had been looking for a black lab. They live in the country, have two young sons & a younger yellow lab that visits often. She asked if they could "borrow" Skeeter for the weekend to see if he would be a good fit for their family. He went to visit for 3 days... and when she called she told me they loved Skeeter & wanted to keep him.

I have to say, I never expected it all to happen so quickly! I told her I needed to spend more time with him... and think about it... although I knew what the answer would be in the end. I brought him home, took pictures of him, and at the end of the week I called the Vet back to let her know I'd be bringing him to her the next morning. I packed his treats, bowls, toys & blanket, put him on his leash & drove to the animal hospital. We spent some time visiting... she said she would take pictures of him & email them to me periodically and let me know how he's doing. After a while, my heart breaking even more, I finally told Skeeter I loved him, gave him one last hug, a pat on the head & rubbed his ears. With that, I turned & walked out the door. My sacrifice complete. The other person in my household finally happy.

I'm not sure what it is I'm trying to say... just that I made a sacrifice giving up Skeeter. Sometimes sacrifice is necessary. Sometimes sacrifice breaks your heart.

Blizzard: Bad!! Blizzard: Good!!

2010-01-07T20:48:00.006-07:00

Blizzard: Bad! The Midwest is in the middle of a huge snow storm. When we left Colorado on December 21st it was a sunny day... 60 degrees when we drove thru Denver. By the time we got to Nebraska it was late in the day & it had cooled off considerably. On the drive across Nebraska on I-80 we noticed snow... lots of snow. When we got to our destination there was much more snow than we had imagined. The front yard had about a foot of the white stuff... the back door had a drift in front of it so it was not possible to open it for Skeeter to go out. Jerry has shoveled the sidewalk & driveway every day since we've been here & is growing weary of it!

Since we got here (Nebraska) it has snowed several days, the wind has blown, the sun has stayed hidden (we've seen the sun twice since December 21... for a total of maybe 4 hours!), the temperature has plummeted! We're experiencing wind chills of 30to 40 below zero... and daytime temperatures of barely above 0. A few years ago we had a winter with lots of snow & many gray days. Each day was like the one before... it never changed... the roads were icy, there was lots of snow, lots of wind, no sunshine, more gray skies. Terribly depressing. It was like living "Groundhog Day" over & over again.

We traveled to my parents' home in Kansas on January 1st... and guess what? It snowed again! My son & daughter in law were in a car accident on their way from Kansas back to Missouri on January 2nd due to the weather. We drove to my father-in-law's home in central Nebraska on January 3rd... and guess what? Not only was there more snow there than where we are... but... it snowed again!

Tonight the local news continues to tell viewers to stay off the roads due to blowing snow; school closings continue to scroll across the bottom of the television screen. The weather man referred to this weather as "cruel & unusual punishment"! Can't say that I disagree with him on that! The furnace seems to run constantly & it's set at 68*. I can only hope that "this too shall pass" and "the sun will come out tomorrow"... but I'm not holding my breath!

Blizzard: Good! Who doesn't love a Blizzard ice cream treat from DQ? Well, maybe not when it's this cold. But I'm thinking ice cream is good ANY time of year & it's one of the things I've missed having at the cabin. My favorites are German Chocolate & Pecan Cluster! I wonder if hubby would think I'm crazy if I told him I wanted a Blizzard tonite?

Stay warm everyone!

Happy New Year... A Dog's Purpose

2010-01-07T19:56:00.004-07:00

This is an email story sent to me by a friend. If you're a dog owner/lover, you'll understand this completely! I know I love my dog, Skeeter. Read on......

''A Dog's Purpose?
(from a 6-year-old)

Being a veterinarian, I had been called to examine a ten-year-old Irish Wolfhound named Belker. The dog's owners, Ron, his wife Lisa, and their little boy Shane, were all very attached to Belker, and they were hoping for a miracle.

I examined Belker and found he was dying of cancer. I told the family we couldn't do anything for Belker, and offered to perform the euthanasia procedure for the old dog in their home.

As we made arrangements, Ron and Lisa told me they thought it would be good for six-year-old Shane to observe the procedure. They felt as though Shane might learn something from the experience.

The next day, I felt the familiar catch in my throat as Belker 's family surrounded him. Shane seemed so calm, petting the old dog for the last time, that I wondered if he understood what was going on. Within a few minutes, Belker slipped peacefully away.

The little boy seemed to accept Belker's transition without any difficulty or confusion. We sat together for a while after Belker's Death, wondering aloud about the sad fact that animal lives are shorter than human lives.
Shane, who had been listening quietly, piped up, ''I know why.''

Startled, we all turned to him. What came out of his mouth next stunned me. I'd never heard a more comforting explanation. It has changed the way I try and live.

He said, "People are born so that they can learn how to live a good life -- like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right?''
The Six-year-old continued,''Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don't have to stay as long.''

Live simply.

Love generously.

Care deeply.

Speak kindly.

Remember, if a dog was the teacher you would learn things like:

When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.

Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride.

Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure Ecstasy..

Take naps.

Stretch before rising.

Run, romp, and play daily.

Thrive on attention and let people touch you.

Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.

On warm days, stop to lie on your back on the grass.

On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree

When you're happy, dance around and wag your entire body.

Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.

Be loyal.

Never pretend to be something you're not.

If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.

When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by, and nuzzle them gently.

Always love your dogs as much as they love you!

Happy New Year to All
Ruff...Ruff...Ruff

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Football... :Maybe a bit irreverant: ...

2009-12-30T08:11:00.009-07:00

Today is the day! The Nebraska Cornhuskers will show us what they're made of when they play Arizona tonite in the Pacific Life Holiday Bowl. The Huskers beat Kansas State to get the honor (?) of getting beat by Texas the following week. One of my cousins from Kansas (a K-State grad) was especially nasty prior to the NU/KSU game but was strangely quiet after we beat them. Jealousy is an ugly emotion! My son-in-law is a Texas fan (something wrong with that!). My daughter is still looking for a "House Divided" shirt (NU & Texas).

Tonight we will gather with friends in front of a big screen TV and pay homage to our beloved Huskers. Food will be brought as a sacrifice to THE BIG RED (I'm bringing my "famous" chicken wings). A baptism of sorts will be held as beer & other adult beverages are drunk. And we'll bring our foam brick with GO BIG RED written on it that we throw at the TV when the refs make a bad call. We're pretty sure that every ref in the Big 12 hates the Huskers! Blast!

The Huskers made a great comeback with Coach Bo Pelini & his staff. I guess BO does know football! This should be a fun game to watch! Last year the Huskers played in the Gator Bowl. Who knows? Maybe next year we can get to one of the "good" bowl games. Did you know there are something like 34 bowl games?

Seems like everyone wants their name splashed across the screen & on shirts & hats. Brut Sun Bowl, Chick-Fil-A Bowl, Outback Bowl, Capital One Bowl...the list goes on. Do you remember the bit Larry the Cable Guy did about Nascar sponsors?? Who wouldn't want to wear a shirt with KOTEX BOWL in big letters across the chest?

At any rate... GO BIG RED!!!!

Healthcare Reform?

2009-12-28T15:06:00.002-07:00

I posted this back in February but thought in light of all the fuss about healthcare reform I would post this again!

My husband found this little article in the February 1947 edition of The Reader's Digest. I thought it was very interesting & worth passing along - considering this article was written more than 60 years ago! Almost Prophetic!

STAND UP AND SAY "AH"
Michael Wright in Better Homes & Gardens

This is how it is in Britain. The doctor got back to his office just at two o'clock. "How many?" he said to his nurse.
"Forty."
Casually, he put on his white jacket and poked his head into the waiting room where the 40 patients sat. "Will those of you troubled with headache please stand," he said.
Six stood. The doctor took identical printed prescriptions out of his desk and handed one to each of the six and dismissed them.
Then he said, "Will those of you troubled with a cough please stand." Another group got up, and again he handed them printed prescriptions and dismissed them.
The others he took one by one into his private office for a few minutes. Two hours later the office was empty, the 40 patients gone. This was an average of three minutes to a patient.
And that, Dr. Edward H. Ochsner of Chicago testified at the recent Wagner-Murray-Dingell bill hearings in Washington, is how it is with socialized medicine in Britain.
In Germany, where they also had a compulsory system, some doctors did even better - 30 to 40 patients in one hour.
This is how most doctors believe it will be here in America if our own womb-to-tomb compulsory health scheme becomes law.

Something to think about........

Do Unto Others

2009-12-28T09:16:00.007-07:00

The BIBLE says we are to do unto others as we would have others do unto us! And as ye have done to the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

Twenty-five years ago, in the fall and winter of 1984, I lived in Corona (Queens), New York. I was married and had a baby. The marriage was not good. The husband was rarely home (he was working, he said), leaving me alone with the baby in that horrible apartment in the basement of a house with no phone, no car, no money, no friends. The entrance to the apartment was thru a "cellar door" at the bottom of crumbling cement stairs. Shortly after we moved into the dungeon I decided that I could not stay in this dark, depressing, dingy basement day after day and I ventured out with the baby in a stroller. We would walk, at first, just around the block - then two blocks, then three. One day we happened across a small storefront - a deli. It was chilly & I basically stopped there to warm up a bit. The store owner, Lola, was a friendly black lady who welcomed me into her shop & gave me a bit of a break - playing with the baby, rocking the baby, and talking to me. She fed me, never asking for payment as she knew I had no money - but would say, "Honey, don't you worry about it, just bring me some money when you get it." Walking to Miss Lola's deli became a daily routine. We got to know each other - mostly she got to know me as I was always whining about being "deserted" and "neglected". Once it began snowing my visits to Miss Lola's shop became few & far between. I missed being able to talk with her. One afternoon, late in the day - two weeks before Christmas - there was a knock on my door. I opened the door to an older black gentleman who resembled Morgan Freeman, dressed in a black three-piece suit, complete with hat - holding a large box filled with groceries. He told me that Miss Lola told him she thought I could use it! I was, needless to say, reduced to tears! I was overwhelmed by the kindness of people I barely knew. Two weeks later the baby & I were on a plane back to the midwest.

I tell you all that to tell you this.

We have a friend, Hal, who helped get our woodstove up & running. By most people's standards, has nothing. He is building a yurt-type home from recycled & reclaimed lumber, trees he's cut & hand-peeled himself, rock he's collected & stacked for a chimney. He has been living in a stripped down RV, heating it with a woodstove, bathing in the creek. He doesn't have a driver's license so he is dependent on others to pick him up to go places. By now the creek is frozen - no more baths. He's moved into the unfinished home he's built - the small woodstove can barely keep it warm (he said he woke up a couple mornings to 25 degrees inside!). His pantry doesn't seem to have much in it; his dog was so thin I could see her ribs. I told Jerry about my experience in New York and we decided that we would repay the kindness I had received by extending the same kindness to Hal. We have given him leftover building materials that were taking up space in our storage unit, brought him gas for his generator, shared food from our own pantry and bought his dog a couple bags of dogfood. He is so grateful for what he has - which is not much - and believes that everything he does have is a blessing from God.

Being able to bless him with our abundance has blessed us tremendously. Hal was the recipient of our Christmas giving this year! We are fortunate to know him & have learned so much from him. We pray that God will richly bless him in the New Year.

Living life off the grid... little inconveniences

2009-12-26T15:51:00.009-07:00

Living off the grid!! We talked about it, planned for it, built it, and are living it. As so many of the people we know in our neck of the woods, we have embraced living off the grid. There are LOTS of perks to this lifestyle: no utility bills being one of the biggest, the satisfaction of being somewhat self-sufficient, the beauty of nature & wildlife, not having neighbors so close we can hear their toilet flush.

Some folks we know have a romanticized idea of what living off the grid means. Communing with nature, beautiful sunrises & sunsets, growing a garden, etc. What they don't realize is how much work goes into living off the grid!!

We don't have a well nor do we have a cistern. Neither do we have any kind of indoor plumbing! We have 55 gallon barrels that we haul our water in along with a couple 5 gallon water cans & gallon jugs. Water is subject to freezing in these temperatures. In a previous post I mentioned chopping ice in one water barrel to get to the water! Water is heated on the propane stove or woodstove. Either of these options depends upon whether or not we have an abundance of propane or wood!

After doing dishes the water is drained into a 5 gallon bucket which is then recycled by using it to water flowers & garden plants. During winter months the grey water goes into a 55 gallon barrel to be used at a later date.

We don't have a water heater - except for the stoves. Our kitchen stove is propane - but we cannot yet afford to have a big tank delivered let alone filled, so we use a small propane tank like the ones one would use on a BBQ grill. Once we get a larger propane tank we plan to get an on-demand water heater. A "bread box" water heater is also an option.

We are currently using a "camp" toilet. A composting toilet is on the list of things to buy in the coming year. We had a couple large pits dug - one for a septic system - but again, the cost was pretty prohibitive. Luckily we have other alternatives for disposing of black water.

We don't have a shower... we go to the community center to tend to our personal hygiene. Once we get the propane & indoor plumbing situation remedied a shower will be high on the list of things to do!

We have a 2 acre lot that is heavily treed with dead-standing aspen & pine... but it's about 25 miles away. The exercise & fresh air we get when we go out to cut wood is certainly good for us... but it takes nearly an entire day to go out, cut the wood into 5 foot pieces, load it on the trailer, haul it back to the cabin, then cut & stack it. Again - great exercise - but certainly not as easy as flipping a switch for heat!

We have a generator for back up power - if, for instance, the sun doesn't shine enough to charge our batteries.

Our lot is very rocky and very sandy. Our only attempts at gardening has been in large pots. We have a sneaking suspicion that the ground is hard enough that it would probably destroy a roto-tiller. As mentioned in another post, we'd like to build onto the cabin a garden room with raised beds, rain barrels & maybe a small garden pond (Jerry likes fish!).

Wildlife is always a concern - especially if one has pets or small livestock. We've been visited by bear and mountain lion (or bobcat - not sure which). Porcupine & badgers live nearby. Deer and elk are garden hazards. Guns are optional, but sometimes can be a very necessary part of wilderness living.

The things I've listed are just a few of what call "little inconveniences" of living off the grid. But lots of hard work, blood, sweat, and tears also go into an off the grid lifestyle. Any other folks out there who live off the grid or would like to? I'd love to hear about your experiences!!

Recycling Christmas

2009-12-25T19:50:00.005-07:00

The theme is still Christmas... hopefully this will be the last time I post about Christmas. This year - living in two homes in two states - I did not decorate for Christmas. Well, that's not entirely true. At the cabin there is a pinon tree less than five feet from the front deck and on Thanksgiving morning in 20 degree weather (the sun was shining & the wind was NOT blowing for a change) I decorated the lower five feet of the tree while still in my pajamas! My boxes of decorations were at the house in Nebraska - along with my skinny Christmas tree. Even tho' we were at the Nebraska house four days before Christmas I decided I wasn't decorating the tree, hanging lights, getting out Mr. & Mrs. Santa or even hanging a wreath! The house here is completely unadorned for the holiday.

Today we went to WalMart to pick up groceries. Customer service was packed with people returning or exchanging things I can only presume they had either purchased or received for Christmas. Wrong size. Wrong color. What was the person thinking who bought this! I was thankful that I was not in line as I tend to get a bit testy when I'm not "next" in line!

My biggest gripe about Christmas is that SO many have made Christmas about giving and getting gifts... not about celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. I know, I know! Giving & getting gifts is not a new development - I just find it distressing when I see how many gifts people buy, the money that is spent, the interest that accumulates on the credit cards. For the past few years Jerry & I have not purchased many Christmas gifts. We have seven kids between us, six of whom have spouses or significant others AND fourteen (14) grandkids - not to mention our siblings & parents! The first year we didn't buy Christmas gifts for them we felt a twinge of guilt - but oh! the money we saved! Our kids are old enough to understand our reasoning & we've always been a family who relishes in the time we get to spend together since there are lots of family gatherings that not everyone can attend due to jobs. Our family gatherings are usually spent eating, playing cards or board games, eating some more, watching football, then eating the leftovers. We don't need gifts when we have the gift of time & fellowship.

We have friends who buy tons of gifts & spend loads of money on those gifts. We visited those friends before Christmas - gifts piled three or four high all around the tree and spilling out into the area that should be reserved for walking! We were also the recipients of their gifting...lovely gifts all of them but there was no need for them to spend the money they did.

Last year our group of friends had a frugal Christmas! We regifted items that we'd received (wrong color / wrong size / what was the person thinking who bought this). It was fun and frugal!! The year before I asked my sister-in-law what she would like for Christmas - listing a few things that I was going to otherwise give to Goodwill - and gave her some things she needed & she was quite happy with them! Our kids have also received such "gifts". Things they can use, things I no longer need - all in good condition just no longer needed!

This Christmas, the best gift I received was simply the feeling that I helped make a difference in someone else's Christmas by helping my church family deliver Christmas gift boxes (food for Christmas dinner) and caroling at area assisted living & nursing homes. I was blessed beyond measure!

So... is this wrong? Am I just being cheap? Or is this possibly something others wished they had the moxie to do? We recycle glass, paper, aluminum cans... why not "recycle" gifts that were not to our liking? Look in the back of your closets, in the attic and basement. See what gifts you've stashed away that are gathering dust. No more Black Friday... no more day after Christmas shopping.

I dare you!

It's CHRISTmas Morning!!!!

2009-12-25T08:01:00.011-07:00

This morning I woke up early, made a pot of coffee, popped a PopTart in the toaster, let Skeeter out... er, at least I tried to. There was a huge drift in front of the door to the backyard which made it impossible to open so he had to go out the front door. By the time Skeeter went out & came back in my PopTart was done...not exactly the kind of Christmas morning breakfasts I've been used to (mom's Swedish pancakes). I poured a steaming cup & sat down to have a little one-on-one time with God.

The snow is beautiful... not as beautiful as it is at our place in the mountains. One thing I noticed when it snowed at the cabin - especially at night - was that the reflection of the moon made the snow sparkle like the ground was scattered with diamonds! You just don't get that kind of eye-candy in the city with all the street lights. Jerry is outside shoveling the sidewalk... something he doesn't have to do at the cabin and doesn't miss doing! I don't know how much snow there is in the yard - looks like more than a foot - it's deep enough that Skeeter's belly drags in the snow - and he's a BIG dog! And it's still snowing.

Yes, it's CHRISTmas morning... but without kids here, it's another morning. I opened my laptop, signed on to my email, Facebook and my blog, then flipped on the television hoping for something inspiring for CHRISTmas morning. What I found was someone talking about the Twelve Days of Christmas. Here's a link that will enlighten you as to what that song is REALLY about! http://www.crivoice.org/cy12days.html

I should call my daughter in North Carolina & find out what the little girls thought of their Christmas gifts. My boys will be here in a few hours to open a couple gifts then we're having Christmas dinner at the home of friends. I suppose I should let Skeeter back in and get ready for our day!

MERRY CHRISTMAS everyone!

Merry CHRISTmas from the Cabin!!!!

2009-12-24T20:50:00.009-07:00

Merry CHRISTmas everyone.

We've been busy at the cabin... not as busy as we should be - we have lots of 8" aspen tongue & groove & drywall that's begging to be put up in the living room. I'm not sure why we didn't finish it. Now it's COLD & the generator doesn't really want to run in below freezing temperatures but we have to run the generator so we can use the power tools.

We've taken a "vacation" from the cabin - coming back to Nebraska to spend Christmas & New Years with our family & friends. Strangely enough, since we arrived here on Monday night, the weather at the cabin is nicer than it is here.

WATER: As I probably mentioned at some point, we haul our water in 55 gallon barrels. As you can well imagine - the water has frozen. We also get water from an artesian well that's along the highway - collected in one and five gallon jugs. I use the water in the one gallon jugs for cooking/making hot drinks and the water from the 5 gallon jugs for washing dishes. Dishwater has to be heated up on the stove and is currently drained out of the sink into a 5 gallon bucket... and the gray water is then recycled, used for plants & such. Anyway, a couple weeks ago we had run out of water from the artesian well and there were dishes that needed to be washed. What's a girl to do? I took my 4-cup measuring cup, the big tea kettle & a stew pot out to the barrel and with hatchet in hand, started hacking away at the ice in one barrel. By the time I was done I had a hole about 10 inches across and 6 inches deep, 2 inches of ice chips on top... but I DID reach water. Icy water! I scooped water & ice out of the barrel with the measuring cup into the tea kettle & stew pot, put them on the stove to heat & decided to fill another pot for good measure. It's not the way I'd prefer to get water, but one does what one must!

WEATHER: We've been fortunate to have "decent" weather so far this winter. What does that mean? Well, I guess it means even though the overnight temperatures are below freezing and sometimes just below zero, but our woodstove keeps things pretty warm. We don't have an adjustable damper so the damper is either open or closed. We've learned to wear layers and have several blankets & quilts on our bed. We normally get the temperature between 60 - 65 degrees before we go to bed. We then take turns (whoever happens to wake up first) going downstairs to put more wood on the fire. I usually wake up when my nose gets cold! Most mornings the temperature inside is between 40-45 degrees. I know a lot of people would not think that acceptable, but quite frankly, we like sleeping in cooler temperatures & we don't find it so bad. Lower than 40 degrees - we don't like so much!

WIND: Typically the wind comes from the southwest where we live. Our cabin is built on piers and there is currently no skirting around the bottom of the cabin so the wind blows underneath the cabin. The floor is not yet insulated, nor does it have carpet yet so the floors are VERY cold and the cold seems to fill the space. I'm not sure what the wind velocity (is that right?) is but it sounds like it's about 50 mph most of the time. Because the cabin is two stories (Jerry says it's a story & a half) and stands just above the tops of the pinon trees, the wind hits the south and west sides of the cabin with full force. It's a bit un-nerving because it has a tendency to make the cabin shake a bit. We had a couple days where the wind blew like that - all day and all night. A little bit goes a long way! After listening to the wind howl and pound the cabin for hours one starts to get a bit nervous, crabby, antsy, and a lot of other things. My philosophy is that the wind is just one of many nuances of the Valley and we should embrace it - literally! Even if the wind doesn't blow 24/7, we really need to consider harnessing the power that it would generate.

WOOD: We've gone thru quite a bit of wood. We've discovered that the wood that is split burns much quicker than wood that has not been split. Unfortunately, we have quite a bit of split wood. We also have discovered that pinon burns HOTTER than pine or aspen. We're hoping to get a cord of pinon delivered after the first of the year.

WILDLIFE: With elk & deer season over, we've noticed an abundance of deer on the roads and in the sagebrush. We've only seen a few deer on our place. Jerry thinks that Skeeter is keeping them at bay. Skeeter IS a really good early warning system when there's "bad guys" (deer, rabbit, etc.) outside. Twice in the past month he has warned us late at night (okay, it gets dark at 4:30 & by 6:00 it's pitch black outside) that there's something outside. Both times we found the tell-tale signs of who our visitor was. The first was a bear - about 100 yards from our front door; the second was most likely a mountain lion or maybe a bobcat - about 100 feet from our front door. One neighbor told us that someone up the road had lost a dog to a mountain lion so we should be very aware if we have to go out after dark!

The cabin is home! It's where my heart is, where I feel alive, where I feel close to God. I'm looking forward to spring and getting more projects done - the list is long!

My prayer for you is that God will richly bless you this Christmas season and throughout the New Year.

Working my way thru my reading list

2009-11-27T13:49:00.005-07:00

The last couple years I've been buying up paperback novels at garage sales & thrift stores. Everytime I walk into a thrift store I still look for interesting reading material.

Most recently I read "Better Off" - a book about turning off the switch on technology & living simply; "An Arrow Pointing to Heaven" - about the life and ministry of contemporary Christian singer Rich Mullins who died in 1997... and "The Backward Life: In Pursuit of an Uncommon Faith" - by Jarrod Jones. I've not started this book yet so I cannot give any details other than the title intrigued me.

A friend suggested I read "Roughing It" by Mark Twain. I searched every thrift store I walked into looking for it - no luck. I did find it online but it was going to be a pain in the neck to try to read a little at a time... so I finally bit the bullet & went to our local library, got a library card & asked if I could find "Roughing It" here. They didn't have it but were happy to borrow it from another library! It arrived - a beautiful old book, copyrighted in 1899 & signed by Mark Twain! I'm almost halfway thru it & it has proved to be quite entertaining! Why books like this are not required reading for high school or college level students is beyond me! I have enjyed this book thus far - especially the detail Twain uses to describe things! Who knew one could spent 4 pages describing a coyote?!

The same friend who suggested "Roughing It" has been studying the Bible and challenges me to read mine more and really pick verses apart!

I will continue to read thru the boxes of books I brought with me... chances are they'll last all winter & maybe then some. In the meantime, I will be buying more books as I come across ones I find worthwhile! There's just something about sitting in my chair by the fire, sipping hot tea & reading a good book (or the Good Book!) that soothes the soul!

What books have you read lately?

Happy Thanksgiving

2009-11-27T13:42:00.004-07:00

Just wanted to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving! We were fortunate to be able to spend the day with good friends at their cabin... eating WAY too much! Today we're feasting again - on leftovers!
We have so much to be thankful for: our woodstove & plenty of wood, fresh air, a gazillion stars to light our night sky, 12 volt electricity!, plenty of food to eat, our health, the love of family & friends, our little Community Church & the freedom to worship without persecution, friends who let us watch Husker football in Buffalo country, and so many other things I can't even think of at the moment.

T'was the month before Christmas......

2009-11-13T11:43:00.003-07:00

*Twas the month before Christmas*

*When all through our land,*

*Not a Christian was praying*

*Nor taking a stand.*

*See the PC Police had taken away,*

*The reason for Christmas - no one could say.*

*The children were told by their schools not to sing,*

*About Shepherds and Wise Men and Angels and things.*

*It might hurt people's feelings, the teachers would say*

*December 25th is just a ' Holiday '.*

*Yet the shoppers were ready with cash, checks and credit*

*Pushing folks down to the floor just to get it!*

*CDs from Madonna, an X BOX, an I-pod*

*Something was changing, something quite odd!*

*Retailers promoted Ramadan and Kwanzaa*

*In hopes to sell books by Franken & Fonda.*

*As Targets were hanging their trees upside down*

* At Lowe's the word Christmas - was no where to be found.*

*At K-Mart and Staples and Penney's and Sears*

*You won't hear the word Christmas; it won't touch your ears.*

*Inclusive, sensitive, Di-ver-si-ty*

*Are words that were used to intimidate me.*

*Now Daschle, Now Darden, Now Sharpton, Wolf Blitzen*

*On Boxer, on Rather, on Kerry, on Clinton!*

*At the top of the Senate, there arose such a clatter*

*To eliminate Jesus, in all public matter.*

*And we spoke not a word, as they took away our faith*

*Forbidden to speak of salvation and grace*

*The true Gift of Christmas was exchanged and discarded*

*The reason for the season, stopped before it started.*

*So as you celebrate 'Winter Break' under your 'Dream Tree'*

*Sipping your Starbucks, listen to me.*

*Choose your words carefully, choose what you say*

*Shout MERRY CHRISTMAS, not Happy Holiday !*

Please,all Christians join together & wish everyone you meet during the holidays a

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Jesus Christ is The Reason for the Christ-mas Season!

Wood Ministry.... and our folly

2009-11-09T13:27:00.003-07:00

We've been busy the past week or 10 days... we've been blessed with awesome weather that has allowed us to work outside!!
We got the south side of the cabin completely sided!!! Only the east side remains "naked"... we may get it done yet before it gets too cold/snowy to work! We bought more aspen tongue & groove (6") to finish the kitchen walls - and still we're about 5 board short of being complete. We haven't done any finish work on the cabinets (doors & trim) but some friends from church have lots of aspen in their home & we were inspired by their cabinet doors & will most likely copy them! We also bought 8" tongue & groove for the living room... most of 2 walls now have T&G up about 4 feet - and drywall above that.

About the Wood Ministry... some gentlemen from our church decided to help out the community: 1) by cutting down dead trees (fire mitigation) or trees that threaten someone's home and 2) by giving the wood to those in need. While we're not "in need", trying to get the LOVE SHACK finished has taken up the good weather days we would have otherwise used to cut our own wood. I approached these men last Sunday about getting some of their seasoned wood & making a donation to help defray some of the cost of for their gas & upkeep of their tools, etc. Yesterday after lunch Jerry, Skeeter & I went to pick up a trailer-load of wood -- about 1 1/2 cord. Everything went great... until just before we were about to pull onto the highway. Jerry thought maybe we should strap down the load. Did I mention the sun was setting - quickly!! We stopped & got out to strap the wood down... and noticed the trailer was sitting funny. Upon further examination we discovered that we not only had a flat tire... but it was completely off the rim. UGH! Nothing like being in the dark with a trailer load of wood 15 miles from your intended destination. Jerry called AAA - they don't fix "utility trailer" tires. Hmph! So......... this morning we got up early (it was about 20 degrees!) and went to where we had left our trailer of wood. We figured we'd make three trips to get all the wood home -- we couldn't possibly jack up the trailer with all that wood on it! So.......... three pickup loads later the wood is home -- just in a big pile, not stacked -- and the trailer still has NO tire on it! We tried to change it but the hub must be glued... oh, Jerry says it's probably welded not glued :o)... onto the axel and the spare tire is also is on its own "hub"... so there sits our trailer. Hopefully we can figure out how to deal with this as we use the trailer a lot!
Better days are ahead I'm sure!

Franklin... the Woodstove!

2009-10-31T12:11:00.007-06:00

Last Thursday we were in town getting mail, doing a bit of shopping & ran into our friend Hal. He & Jerry got to talking about our respective building projects (Hal's building his own place too). Jerry mentioned that we were needing to get the woodstove hooked up so we could spend the winter here & Hal said he'd be out the next morning! WOW!!! The next morning Hal arrived about 10:30 - he & Jerry worked on getting the piping & chimney hooked up. By 2:30 we had FIRE!!! We asked Hal how much we owed him - he said he wasn't working for money, that he wanted to BLESS us!!! WOW again!!! We truly were blessed... and blessed him with some cash to help him with his building expenses!!
Anyway, Franklin the woodstove has been hooked up & keeping us warm for a week now! Our latest concern is having enough wood to get thru the winter. Other than that we're enjoying the heat very much considering the cold (below freezing) temperatures we've been having. We're still having issues with the propane kitchen stove... so we've resorted to cooking on the woodstove. The Original Slow Cooker. Dinner is not ready in a half hour... a pot is put on the stove to cook as soon as we finish breakfast & it's ready to eat by late afternoon.
Last weekend & early this week - before the snow - we picked pinon nuts off the trees at our place. One certainly couldn't earn a living doing this. Very tedious & sticky. Jerry thought we should just pick up the ones that had dropped on the ground but there are so many deer - um - droppings under the trees that I decided it was better to pick them right out of the cones. We soaked them in salt water overnight then roasted them on the woodstove. Pretty tasty most of them.
We got maybe 3" of snow at our place. It was beautiful watching it come down in big, fluffy flakes... and then Skeeter went out in it & now our pretty snow is full of giant dog tracks. Oh well. There will be more snow!

First Amendment Rights

2009-10-17T09:56:00.003-06:00

For a while I had a blog on MySpace... people were reluctant to "join" just to read what was going on. So I found blogspot. Using this service has been a good experience for me. No one is required to "join" just to read... or leave a comment, as it seems that can be done "anonymously".

Facebook, however, is a different animal. One is required to join in order to gain access to "friends" and "groups" and "fan clubs". One also has to "request" friendship. I suppose this is a good thing. I'm curious as to how some people find "friends". For instance, I received a "friend request" from some man I do not know. I sent him a FB message asking if he found my name in a FB group... he responded by saying he'd found my name in his friend's list. Strangely enough... after scanning a few of my FB friends' lists... this man is not among their friends.

I've discovered several groups on FB that have the same political & religious views as I have... and found them to be enlightening & interesting although somewhat controversial compared to the views of many of my "friends". Since we've been in Nebraska, the weather's been crappy & I've been sick - I've spent more time than I should online reading some of these things. I've found many of them interesting & thought, in light of some discussions I've been in with "friends" on the opposite side of things, I thought I'd post a few of the articles to give an different view.

Unfortunately, I guess First Amendment Rights only apply if you share "their" views. I suppose this is really nothing new, huh? Thankfully, I can still post here without getting too much flack.

.:There's No Place Like Home:.

2009-10-12T15:44:00.006-06:00

I'm SO ready to go back home to the cabin!! The living room is FULL of boxes packed with all the stuff we're taking back with us! What a nightmare!

It's been nice being in Nebraska... even if it's for longer than we had originally planned. I've been able to see a couple girlfriends from college, another friend who had moved to the East Coast and have 24/7 access to internet to play on Facebook - which may or may not be a good thing. Facebook is an interesting phenomenon: a place to keep up with family, friends - old & new, former co-workers, etc. Also interesting is the amazing information one can find on Facebook - things one would generally not look for (mostly political and religious). It's a great place to share views & discuss world issues... although it sometimes gets a bit heated. It's still a fun place to "hangout" online.

We've probably missed the changing colours of the aspens. It seems the weather in Nebraska has skipped fall (although the trees are beautiful) and is closer to winter weather. It snowed last weekend and has been cold & damp... and gray! Not my ideal weather by any means. Jerry's wondering how I'll do with the winters in Colorado... I guess the way to find out is to actually spend a winter there.

Friends here are still wondering why in the world we'd want to spend winter there.... I guess what they don't understand is ~ THAT IS home for us... the place here in Nebraska is more of a second home, a place to sleep when we're back visiting without having to shack up with our kids or friends.

We got a call today from some friends in Colorado saying they'd stopped by our cabin & we weren't there... they hadn't seen us in a couple weeks... wondered if everything was okay. They also told us that everything looked "normal" at the cabin - so that's a good thing! Great friends everywhere!

We are SO grateful for our friends here. When we're in Nebraska they make sure we're fed and entertained... and provide us with a place to bounce ideas & concerns, a shoulder to cry on and much love & laughter. They are icing on our cake!

Pictures of the cabin...

2009-10-04T07:42:00.005-06:00

FINALLY!!! A few pictures of the cabin! The kitchen counter, the drop leaf table we made and the pantry... and the exterior of the cabin - so far. We still have to put wood trim around the windows & door... and attach the 1x4 boards (battens) between the 1x12 boards.
We've been in Nebraska for almost 10 days... 10 days we could have been working on the cabin... but we came back for a wedding, to see family & friends and have a garage sale (can you believe we STILL have stuff to get rid of?!)... hopefully the days will still be warm enough for us to work outside when we get back.

September Update or Where has the summer gone?

2009-09-27T15:22:00.003-06:00

Summer came & went!!
The weather has been uncooperative off & on... what's new with that? The weather determines what project we work on at any given time.
We've enjoyed the humming birds... we had about 30 (give or take - it's hard to count because they move so darned fast)... but before we left we were down to three. We got SO much enjoyment out of watching them.
We got LOTS done this month... including getting most of the cabin sided with 1" x 12" spruce - stained cedar. We'vve not gotten the windows trimmed yet - but hope to have that done before winter!
We built base kitchen cabinets & decided to build a counter rather than use a "store-bought" one... using Mexican tile we purchased at a garage sale. Although we didn't have enough to do the whole counter top, backsplash & the front edge of the counter (and after a trip to Taos to look for something suitable) Jerry came up with the idea to build a wood frame around the counter & fill in with the tile. The backsplash is just tile set on the back edge of the frame. We used 1" x 4" to frame & used it on the front of the counter as well. I have to say... It looks REALLY nice!! I have enough tile left over to put about 2 square feet of it behind the kitchen stove -- figured it would be easier to clean grease spatter off tile than it would off aspen tongue & groove! We also built upper cabinets, faced the bottoms of them & the four visible ends with leftover aspen. We added 12 volt lighting under the upper cabinets as well!
We bought an RV size (25" x 18") kitchen sink on ebay rather than use the stainless steel sink we brought - it was just too big! I used the remaining big pieces of aspen T & G on the kitchen wall that is shared with what will be the pantry/coat closet. I was 4 pieces short of finishing! Rats! Jerry attached shelf brackets to the back of that wall (in the pantry) and cut up pieces of left over plywood for shelves.
We got ahead of ourselves when we did the counters (as long as we had mastic) and put down the tile on the floor of the hearth. We lived with it, looked at it, wondered how to do it... for a couple weeks... then a friend of ours told us he had a tile wet saw! SCORE one for us!! We finished the rest of the hearth (2 back walls) in an afternoon. We had left over pieces of tile (cut) and not enough of the 12" tile left to do any size entryway... so I broke those cut pieces with a hammer & will use those to make a mosaic with the left over 12" tiles as a "frame".
We also built a back door out of 1" x 8" spruce (exterior), 1 1/2" solid core foam insulation (center) 1" x 6" pine (interior)... and stained it cedar as well. Have to say the end result was quite nice! We bought quite a bit of the 1" x 8" spruce... so we used the remainder on the bathroom walls - completed one and most of a second. It looks very rustic... much like an old outhouse might!
We've been patiently waiting for stovepipe to be delivered so we can get our woodstove hooked up. As temperatures dropped (this past week we had lows in the mid to low-20's) we began to wonder if the last two pieces would ever arrive... and of course just before we got ready to come back to Nebraska for a week... they showed up! Guess what we'll be doing when we get back?!

Well... we're back in Nebraska for a few days. Friends got married last nite... having a garage sale Thursday/Friday/Saturday this coming week! Lots to do in a short amount of time as we have to get back to finish getting the cabin ready for winter.

.: End of August ~ Winter's on its way:.

2009-08-27T10:23:00.004-06:00

Sunday after church we loaded up the trailer, the chainsaw & Skeeter and headed to our lot in Forbes Park to cut wood. We have A LOT of dead standing trees so that's what we cut... not the live ones! We cut a trailer load - probably a cord of wood. It rained when we got home... and Monday so we cut the logs up on Tuesday & got it all stacked.
Yesterday was "project" day - we cut 1" x 6" pine and made a drop-leaf kitchen table. Today is errand day (going for groceries, a trip to LaJara for aspen & possibly wood sidin)... so tomorrow I'll try to polyurethane the table... and maybe the kitchen walls & cabinets as well. Jerry said he's going to start building cabinet doors for the lower cabinets. Jerry also cut up a large pine stump (sliced it actually) then burned our house/lot number onto it. We'll get it hung up by the road so the UPS/FedEx/911 people can find us!
The hearth is still not completely tiled. The kitchen counter is still not tiled (we haven't even got the HardieBacker board on it yet!). BUT... we did order some triple-wall pipe for the woodburning stove and a 24 1/2" x 18 1/2" kitchen sink (it's for an RV - but just the right size for our kitchen!). Just waiting for it all to be delivered!

Another update...

2009-08-12T13:16:00.005-06:00

Again... it's been more than two weeks... but I just can't seem to keep up with everything!
We've been on "vacation" for about a week - friends from Nebraska came to visit & we enjoyed taking them around. Spent a day in Taos, NM and another day driving Old LaVeta Pass, shopping in LaVeta... eating & drinking too much...but SO glad they came to visit! We're looking forward to them visiting again in October!
PROGRESS:
*We now have 13 windows in the cabin.
*Most of the upstairs aspen tongue & groove has been completed - walls & ceiling anyway.
*We also have closet rods hung up... and clothes hanging on them!
*We moved the bed upstairs (no simple feat, I might add) a week ago Saturday - with the help of friends. We had to saw thru the supports of the box springs, fold it in half, push/pull it up & reassemble the supports with additional supports. The mattress went up MUCH easier!
*We have insulated the main floor... all but the bathroom which is currently a storage area.
*We're hoping to get the aspen up on the kitchen walls - starting this weekend maybe?
*We also need to get busy doing the siding - I think we've decided on 1" x 10" rough sawn pine & we'll put cedar stain on it (we have about 12 gallons of it so we should use it!).
*We're about ready to get the woodstove hooked up... I think we finally have all the parts we need to make it work. Before we get it completely hooked up we'll have to get the hearth tiled... more fun!
INJURIES:
Yes, of course, there are injuries! Not severe, but I have been on the injured list twice in the last week... both times I fell out of the camper - once landing on my rear end (landed on the metal bar that holds the metal step) and second stepping on the wood below the step (spraining my right ankle & bruising my left knee). No!! Alcohol was not involved in either incident!
WILDLIFE:
We've seen LOTS of deer - mostly young bucks - red fox, porcupine, a small (200+ pound) black bear, small (less than 2 feet long) rattlers - all fairly close to our place. We have a resident lizard living in the woodpile. We have trapped/killed about twelve or so mice (Skeeter killed one the other nite!). The word is out that my hummingbird feeders are full... we've gone from three full-time hummingbirds to close to a dozen. They are a constant source of enjoyment & make for great photographs!
GARDEN: Although we've not seen any rabbits at our place there is evidence of one: the darn thing has chewed off the tops of my green bean & zucchini plants! Grrrr! We'll have a few carrots, radishes & onions but not much else. Better luck next year?
TECHNOLOGY: I still haven't downloaded a compatible driver so I can download my photos.
I probably won't get much done if I don't get off this machine... I'll be back in a couple weeks I suppose! :o)

My Every-two-weeks Post

2009-07-22T08:55:00.003-06:00

I certainly don't get online as much as I used to... working on the cabin doesn't leave me as much time to get online... and frankly it's a hassle to drag the computer around... not to mention people think you're anti-social when you plug into a wall & ignore them. So... here's my every-two-weeks post!

Anyway... since my last post on 7/9... we have 6, count 'em, 6 windows installed upstairs!! It's amazing what light comes thru!! We have one window left... but we're thinking it will go in the south wall at the bottom of the stairs. We've gotten north & east walls and half of the west wall upstairs insulated. Not just insulated but the aspen tongue & groove is on & looks wonderful! With any luck we'll have the upstairs walls ALL done by mid-week (next week). I'm SO tired of sleeping in that little bed in the camper!!

I planted zucchini (late) and have 2 plants up; 4 of 6 green bean plants are up & doing well. Onions, carrots, radishes, green peppers... all up & thriving. Some friends brought us a berry bush - they're not sure what kind of berry, could be currants or maybe gooseberry - along with a piece of wild rose bush & a small aspen tree. We got those planted... hopefully they'll do well.

Mouse count as of last Thursday is twelve. I hate mice! I think we have a handle on the wasp situation... and the flies! Ugh!

The friends who had visited us earlier this month are now officially land owners in the Sangre de Cristos! Congratulations to them!

Back to Nebraska for a fun-filled week. Dinner with friends on Friday nite then to a local vineyard to hear a band Saturday nite... followed by a side trip to the lake to relax on the sailboat! Sunday: family reunion. Monday: trip to Kansas for my dad's birthday. Tuesday: some quality time with Alex who is home from Iraq. Today: a trip to Menards and possibly Cabela's this afternoon. Tomorrow: back to the mountain! Friday: get settled back in & hopefully get some things done. Saturday: friends from Lincoln should arrive!

That's the news from here.

Mmmmmajor Update - but nothing special!!!!

2009-07-09T11:45:00.003-06:00

Can't believe how long it's been since I've had an opportunity to update things here.
Since coming back from Nebraska (for supplies) in June - the insulation is IN the cabin but we've not done ANYTHING with it! We got the upstairs pretty much cleaned up & are planning to move the bed upstairs this weekend. We brought back 6 more windows & have 5 of them installed. We bought 12 volt (RV) lights on eBay and will use them in the cabin. We did begin framing in where the kitchen cabinets will go...and bought spruce tongue & groove to MAKE a countertop.
We discovered we have mice and have set traps for about a week now. Marcy: 6, Mice: 0!! Probably need to get a cat that's a good mouser! We also have wasps. Always some kind of critter causing me grief!
I planted flower seeds - a "hummingbird mix" - but I think the seeds must be bad or something under the ground is eating them. In lieu of the would-be flowers that were to come from the seed, I purchased flowering plants from WalMart. They are thriving & add color to an otherwise green & brown backdrop.
Sunday we had company from Nebraska. They had planned to come on Tuesday but got here early. They had planned to stay for 2 days... and ended up staying for 4 days. They even put in offer on a property here - about 1 1/2 miles from us! We took them to a few "touristy" places: Colorado Gators (gator farm), SunEdison solar farm, Rio Grande National Forest. They spent a day on their own at Zapata Falls.
The weather has been GREAT!! Our "garden" is doing prety well.
That's pretty much all the news that's fit to print... still haven't gotten my pictures to download - so frustrating!! Hoping to get that problem solved SOON!!

I'm on Strike! or just Queen of the Procrastinators

2009-06-25T17:01:00.003-06:00

I just haven't been able to get motivated to do much of anything today. Yesterday my friend (and former college roomie) came over to highlight my hair. I'd not accomplished much in the morning - oh, I got a few boxes packed - hair & visiting took up the afternoon and even though it was pretty nice out last night I stayed locked in the house with the air conditioning running... more to combat the humidity than the heat.

Today... I couldn't believe that we slept in... it was after 10:00 when we rolled out of bed. I called Spencer, knowing he had today off, to see if he wanted to have lunch (well of course, he did!). A quick trip to WalMart for some little lock things Jerry needed & back home into the air conditioned house. I've been sitting here all afternoon staring periodically at the mess of boxes & stuff in the kitchen while piddling around on FACEBOOK hoping the boxes would somehow fill themselves. I guess I just need a good swift kick in the pants to get me going. Better not say that too loudly or Jerry will be following me around with boots on!

I think I can get the remaining two boxes filled without any problem, fill a cooler with a few food items (not cold/frozen stuff), sweep, vacuum, dust, wipe down counters, clean the sinks, tub & toilet & feel pretty good about walking out of here tomorrow (if Jerry gets the trailer packed sometime soon?). I'm just ready to get out of this sweltering sauna and back to the cool morning sunrises, the star-filled nights of the mountain, the howl of the coyotes... oh, yes...and back to work on the cabin! It ain't gonna finish itself now is it?

(Not sure who "we" is in this picture... but "I" can do it!)

A sad day....

2009-06-25T16:13:00.005-06:00

Today we say farewell to Farrah Fawcett... best known for her role in "Charlie's Angels" and the red swimsuit poster that graced the walls of teenage boys around the world!

Also just heard that Michael Jackson has died at the age of 50. The only MJ album I ever had was "Thriller"... and I played it until it wore out!

May they rest in peace.........

Stinkin' hot & humid weather.... UGH!

2009-06-22T21:29:00.004-06:00

We surprised friends Friday nite at a street fair here in town (saw one of Jerry's boys - twice that day)... Saturday we drove to Kansas to surprise my mom on her 75th birthday -- and the 50th wedding anniversary of cousins and Father's Day... then on back to Nebraska to surprise Jerry's dad for Father's Day. Today we saw two of Jerry's boys... had two meals within 4 hours. We're stuffed & tired! One more of Jerry's boys to see... and maybe we'll see Spencer too??

Anyway... the weather here is ABSOLUTELY miserable! How in the world did we tolerate living here during the summer?? If the heat doesn't get you, the humidity will. I straightened my hair this morning... and before we left the house it was already getting curled back up because of the humidity. Thank goodness for headbands! I don't know what my hair is up to... for years I spent money on perms because my hair was SO straight... and now it has decided to curl & do all kinds of weird things. Hormones, I suppose. Whatever it is I wish it would make up its mind... I'm tired of guessing/stressing out about it.

I was going to pack more tonite... and discovered there was only ONE box left in the house that was empty. We did grab a large box Son #3 was throwing out... it will be good for packing clothes in I think... but since Jerry's the only one who has clothes left here... he'll get the honor of packing it! Tomorrow I'll make another run to the local liquor store to get more boxes. Hopefully I can get LOTS more packed - even if we don't take it all now - at least it will be packed & ready to go!

I'm hoping we can head back Thursday. I don't think I can stand this weather much longer! Calgon take me away!

.:PROGRESS!!!!:.

2009-06-20T08:08:00.007-06:00

I know it's been a while since I've updated.... now I can't get pictures to load (the pix are loaded onto the other laptop because the camera is not compatible with this computer - then I email the pictures to myself, save them & post them here. I can get pix off the Internet & save them to post.).... so when I can I will be SHOWING you what we've been up to.

We searched far & wide for regular 4'x8' paneling... the kind your mother warned you about... but evidently in the Valley there is not a big demand for your typical paneling - we presume because there are so many natural wood products available. I like the look of Aspen so we went in search of some tongue & groove. We checked with a local lumberyard that is going out of business to see if they had any "deals" on Aspen tongue & groove... even at their "discounted/going out of business" price it was TOO much for us. So we moved on down the road to a local sawmill - expecting it would be pricey as well. The first price we were quoted was more than we were willing to pay. As we visited with the manager (about things like Big 12 football - he likes the Huskers - & oh, BTW, did we mention we have season tickets to the Huskers?) he mentioned that they have something called "cabin grade" tongue & groove... it tends to be knotty and imperfect... but we actually like the look of knotty wood... and we would get some 8' pieces and some 4' pieces. We were pleasantly surprised when he quoted us a price that was half of the "good stuff".... and knocked off another 15%!! He loaded the truck & we hauled our booty home!!
Truck unloaded, we began hauling 4' pieces up the stairs (these stairs are my buns of steel workout) and began nailing them up. This actually went fairly well... considering we nailed it all by hand - even tho some of the boards were a little bendy & didn't want to go in. We have a few boards set back for "craft projects" like birdhouses or something. We got three 4'x8' sections of the ceiling done with 4 footers... then decided to tackle the 8'x8' section in the middle... with 8' boards. This was MORE difficult than the 4' sections... but it surely does look beautiful!!! (Can't wait for you to see it!)
We finally caved in & bought another roll of insulation to finish off the area above the stairs... it was twice the price - no rebate and twice the thickness (we had to pull it apart to get it to fit)but at least it's done and we were able to finish the T&G above the stairs as well. Currently the only place that has not been completed is the section where the stove pipe will exit the roof. We thought maybe it was best to wait until the stove pipe is in before we cover it.

Our "garden" (in pots) is doing fairly well. The cucumbers, radishes & carrots are up... don't know what the green beans & peppers are waiting on. I STILL haven't planted the lettuce... don't know what I'M waiting on.

We've returned to Nebraska for a few days... my mom is turning 75 today and tomorrow is Father's Day... and we wanted to pick up the rest of the insulation we bought & take another load of stuff back with us! The weather here is icky... in the 80's but the humidity is kicking my behind! Ugh! We'll be back on the mountain soon!

**Pictures coming soon (I hope)!!

We went to Menards yesterday... bought 4 solar powered INTERIOR lights (like these, only ours are white)... and electrical boxes, switches & outlets and wire. Guess what our next project will be!! Better check with my insurance agent to make sure we're covered. Ha!!

We're here!!!!

2009-06-07T15:27:00.003-06:00

We left Lincoln on Saturday May 30... pulled onto our property in the mountains about noon on Sunday, May 31. We got rained on in eastern Colorado... and decided after getting thru Colorado Springs what we really wanted to do was sleep.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We found everything pretty much how we left it... just dustier! No one finished the cabin for us while we were gone. Oh well. The roof looks great in person... the roofers left the left-over green metal for us (not sure what we're supposed to do with it?). We pulled the camper out & got it set up. It seems much smaller than it did last year. We also discovered that there is a broken water pipe... so we can't currently use the water pump & have to haul water from a 55 gallon barrel. Not a problem... just a minor inconvenience. Actually the real inconvenience is having to take the bed apart to get to the water pump to fix the broken pipe.

We brought with us the solar panel system & have one panel hooked up to run the camper lights. We also brough 12 rolls of R-25 insulation for the roof/ceiling. We got that task accomplished by Wednesday!! We were one roll short of completing the job - but that un-insulated part is over the stairs & we're not too anxious to get it done. We also brought 4 rolls of R-13 for the upstairs walls. Have not begun this task yet... but probably will have it done by the end of this week. We brought 6 windows... 2 side-by-side windows & a small window for the living room, 2 side-by-side windows for the bedroom & 1 for the kitchen. We have the kitchen window done... one small one in the living room (looks to the mesa west of us) and one tall window (facing Mt. Blanca). We'll get the other one installed in the living room later today probably. Jerry did get the hole cut for one of the 2 bedroom windows but it was SO stinkin' windy he didn't want to be on the ladder holding on to a window that acts as a parasail in the wind!! It's just nice to have some light in the cabin!!

We discovered we have (had?) a mouse (at least I hope it's just one... but I doubt it!). Of all the times to be without a cat!! We haven't actually seen IT... just it's calling cards! Don't know if Skeeter would be at all interested in it... he's too busy tearing around the property finding all the bones he'd buried last fall!

We have hooked up with friends we made last year & have made some time for socializing (when it's too windy or rainy to work). This morning we went to church. It was nice to be back!!

Currently at the RV park doing some laundry after having lunch with friends following church. Jerry's hoping to either get the other living room window in (depending on wind) or start working on getting kitchen started. We brought countertop with us... so we could at least get it installed & have some workspace!

Nothing too exciting going on right now. I will try to get pictures posted. I can't find the cord for my camera! Duh!

:.Ongoing Saga.:

2009-05-26T22:38:00.007-06:00

Today we bought solar panels!! One more thing to haul - but we need them as soon as we get there & this way we won't have to go hunting them down!! We have one deep cycle battery, but will probably be getting one more. We bought carpet runner for the stairs. Since it's not as wide as the stairs I will probably stain the stairs to give them a more finished look.

My list of things to take is growing! Time is running out (it seems to me!) and I'm starting to feel like I'm drowning! Could be it's just the drizzling rain of Memorial Day weekend. At any rate, it can quit any time - I've had enough!

I thought I had packed A LOT of stuff -- and by the looks of the shelves downstairs, I HAVE!! We went to the auction tonite - didn't buy anything - but wasted precious time I could have been packing. By the time we got home it was after 10:00 but I decided to start packing some stuff from the bathroom. Some of it will stay a while longer -- until the cabin is completed -- if we happen to come back to Lincoln we'll at least be able to shower!
Tomorrow I will start packing the kitchen: the canned / boxed food & spice cabinet. We've eaten almost all of the perishables so I'm hoping this will go quickly. Once that's taken care of I'll most likely begin packing clothes. The laundry is caught up -- with the exception of what we've worn since Sunday, a few towels & the bedding. The real fun begins next. I need to do some deep cleaning -- vacuum the area rugs then roll them up so I can dust mop the floors; kitchen & bathroom floors need to be swept/mopped; furniture needs to be dusted; fridge & stove need to be wiped down along the kitchen sink, cabinets & counters. I'm not sure what will become of all the eBay crap (er... I mean "stuff") that Jerry has sitting around. If it were up to me - it would go to the dumpster by the alley... but I'm sure that would cause me more grief than I want to bear right now!

I packed our new bedding along with the curtains & some decor in a large Rubbermaid tub. I figured it would be easier to do it that way than have to dig thru umpteen boxes/tubs to find everything that is to go in our room. I did the same with the "guest" room. Not sure we'll take that tub right away - but at least everything is together!

****this was started on 5/26.... don't know why I didn't post it... but hear you go!

Memorial Weekend

2009-05-24T15:51:00.007-06:00

The past week has been rather hectic. Thursday Jerry & I had lunch with Alex... who thought he was supposed to head back to Iraq on Friday morning. Turns out... he was to return THURSDAY morning & had to scramble Thursday nite, after realizing his error, to find a flight out on Friday. Jerry & I spent most of Friday getting ready for a garage sale with friends. We hadn't really planned on it - but figured it was a good way to get rid of some stuff... and maybe make a little money.

Jerry's birthday party was Friday evening at Duggan's with the Blues Messengers playing. I had to leave a half hour into the party to drive to the airport to say goodbye to Alex. I hate goodbyes - especially when my kids are going back to Iraq!! Following the party Jerry & I went to the home of some friends to hang out for a while longer.

This morning Jerry & I went to a local lake to spend a few hours with friends Mike & Daryla on their new sailboat! It was a beautiful morning/afternoon for sailing despite all the motorboats & jet skis on the lake.

Tonite we're going to the home of friends Beth & Rob for yet another get together. Beth thought Jerry & I should have a proper send off... so the FRIENDS are getting together AGAIN for a potluck & more fun!

Tomorrow is Memorial Day. As a country - we have lots to be thankful for. If not for our men & women in uniform, the United States would not be the great country it is. If you're fortunate enough to go to a Memorial Day parade - remove your hats & stand proudly when the Colors are presented... and thank God that you're an American... able to enjoy the freedoms those who have gone before us fought to maintain!

America is not at war. The U.S. Military is at war. America is at the
Mall. If you don't stand behind our troops, PLEASE feel free to stand in front of them!

Remember, Freedom isn't "Free" -- thousands have paid the price so you can enjoy what you have today. We're still the Land of the FREE because of the BRAVE! God Bless America!

To Everything There is a Season...

2009-05-20T15:47:00.004-06:00

...and a time for everything under Heaven!!
For the past year or so I've been checking my college alumni website in hopes of reconnecting with people I knew in music school. I continued searching for my college roommate, Sue, with no luck. A couple weeks ago I logged onto the website again... BINGO!!!! There she was! Not only was she there... but the address listed was in Lincoln... just on the other side of town!! No phone. No email address. So I sent her a note with my phone number letting her know that I'd be moving away soon & we should get together. She called & we've been catching up like crazy. Drinking coffee, chatting, crying, laughing, thrift store shopping. It's been 20 years... and it seems like yesterday. We just picked up where we left off!

Packing... is still underway... at least for me. Jerry hasn't packed a thing!! He has been working on getting our trailer ready - making side rails. Otherwise it doesn't seem like he's in much of a hurry! Argh! My list of things to take is getting longer. I'm just trying to take as much as I think we can handle in order to get as much done as possible without having to make a 1400 mile round trip back here for more.

Our friends are having their annual Memorial Day garage sale Saturday. In past years it had been a 3-day event... but we're all getting tired of babysitting the garage sale when we could be doing something fun... so it's become just a 1-day event. We're taking some things over to sell. I should probably be digging a little deeper for stuff... I KNOW there's lots more to get rid of!!

Mother's Day Surprise????

2009-05-12T18:54:00.004-06:00

Mother's Day. A nice Sunday afternoon BBQ at the home of friends. It's about 5:30, the day is winding down. My phone rings. It's Lani wishing me a Happy Mother's Day. While we talk, my phone beeps to let me know I have a call waiting. I look at the number - don't recognize it & go back to my conversation with Lani. My phone beeps again letting me know I have a message. Lani & I say goodbye. I listen to my message. Some strange woman who knows my name - tells me my parents have been in a serious car accident on the Interstate. She tells me she is a nurse. She has listened to their heart & lungs... those seem fine. Mom is shaken up. Her chest hurts. Ambulance is on its way. The driver's side door is being cut off the car so Daddy can be removed from the wreckage. Sheriff's deputy says they're going to Y*** Hospital. The line goes dead.
I panic! Me: "Jerry, we have to leave now!" Jerry: "Why?" Me: "I'll tell you on the way!" I grab my purse. Barely say goodbye to our friends, let alone thank them for dinner! We leave. I explain the situation. I hit "send" to redial the number that called. She answers. Very vague information. Mom & Daddy seem okay... Daddy is bleeding from his head. They're both conscious!
We stop at home, feed & water Skeeter & put him outside. Off we go to the hospital. I'm calming down some. It's a quiet ride. As we come upon the site of the accident I see my parents' car on the flatbed trailer. It is horrifying! Behind it is a LARGE RV with an SUV in tow. I start falling apart again. I call my Aunt Kathryn's phone number - my cousin Glen & his wife Sharon lives there now. Sharon will call the family & Mom & Daddy's pastor.
At the hospital, they are in separate exam rooms but are next to each other. They've begun running x-rays & scans. Medical information has been given. Waiting on the back-boards with their necks in braces - they are growing impatient from the pain. Doc says there are no broken bones!! Mom has some cracked ribs. Morphine! Daddy has a cut on his eyelid & one below his eye, a few superficial cuts on his head, a cut on his elbow. His knee is the size of a VERY ripe canteloupe. The skin on his shin is gone. His glasses are broken (Mom had one lens in her hand) & missing.
Back & forth. Room to room. Talk to this nurse. Talk to the doc. Make a couple more phone calls to family. Surprise! Cousins happen to be in the vacinity & show up!
After what sems to be an eternity, both Mom & Daddy are taken off the back-boards, neck braces removed. The nurses wheel Mom to a room. Another nurse is still getting info from Daddy. Finally he is taken to a room directly across the hall from Mom. They're given something to help them sleep. We make the long drive home.
MONDAY: Jerry & I go to the junk yard to retrieve Mom & Daddy's belongings from what's left of their car & take some photos. Back to the hospital. My brother & his wife are on their way from Pennsylvania. Jerry & I spend the day with Mom & Daddy. Back & forth across the hallway visiting with them. They each go on a little outing with a nurse - up & down the hall with a walker. By 6:00 I'm pooped! Doc had told them they could probably go home tomorrow! They can't ride in our truck!! I start making arrangements to have them taken home.
TUESDAY: That's today! Doc says they can go home after lunch!! Showers taken. Lunch eaten. Dressed! Sharon & Shirley arrive to help with the transport. Parents loaded into the car. Away we go!
FINALLY HOME!! They arrive safe & sound. All they want to do is sit in their chairs & relax. A few phone calls from other relatives. By 7:30 p.m. both parents are medicated & tucked into their bed.

This is SO not what I had planned for a Mother's Day Surprise!!

Windows to the soul

2009-05-08T16:36:00.004-06:00

Yesterday Jerry & I made a trip to Menards. Jerry doesn't like Home Depot or Lowes so we're kind of stuck with Menards. We do like the store but the nearest one to us in Colorado is actually in North Platte, NE... there are NO Menards stores in the western part of the country.
Anyway ~ the purpose of our visit was to price windows. We priced them out of 6 windows... for around $500. We got two long, skinny windows for our bedroom window (they'll butt up against each other to make a big window facing the mountain); two more long, skinny windows for the living room (same deal - facing the mountain); and two "square" windows - one for the kitchen and one for the living room (facing the mesa).
We're toying with the idea of putting two windows in the kitchen - in the corner - one facing north, the other facing east - to let in more light. We'll also be getting another of these "square" windows for our bedroom (west) wall - facing the mesa, two more long, skinny windows for the spare bedroom, and a smaller window for the bathroom. We will most likely buy these later in the summer when we come back to Nebraska.

Out of Business

2009-05-08T16:20:00.002-06:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ms2b57MLqZs

Yet another video for you to check out. This one is a 30 second clip about Obama's National Healthcare Plan. Hello socialized medicine. (See my post from Feb. 11, 2009)

Coming Home for Mother's Day!

2009-05-08T08:38:00.005-06:00

Alex is home from Iraq for a couple weeks. It's good to have him here. He missed our appointment to pick up Skeet from the vet & the story from the vet tech. It goes like this: Both vet techs have told me that Skeeter is one of their most favorite boarders... even tho' he's a bit high strung they LOVE his personality (or personality disorder? What he lacks in manners he makes up for in enthusiasm!). I didn't realize that the techs actually take the dogs for walks as part of their stay... but Sunday nite this particular tech took Skeet for a walk at the park across the street. She said he had his nose to the ground taking in all the smells... she noticed a "creepster" (her word) leaned up against a van watching her... and evidently Skeet noticed the creepster as well. She said the hair on his back bristled, he bared his teeth & was growling... loud enough the creepster could hear him. Creepster got back in his van & stayed there until she & Skeet left the park. GOOD BOY!!!
So... Alex spent some time with Skeeter... observing what he's learned during the 15 months he's been with me (sit, down, head in the dirt, wait, up, hugs, shake, other hand) and had a chance to play fetch with Skeet with his tires, sticks & tennis ball. We also took Skeet to a lake so he could play in the water.
Alex was talking about getting a house in Ft. Leonard Wood. I told him he'd have to have a fenced in yard for Skeet to run or he wasn't going. He got kinda quiet then said he wouldn't have the time to spend with Skeet like I did. He said "Ma, I think Skeeter needs to stay with you." So... I guess Skeeter is now an official family member! A great Mother's Day gift!

Christian Panties

2009-05-07T18:04:00.003-06:00

A friend of mine sent me a link to this YouTube video. I just had to pass it along! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xv7REV2HEY It's SO funny! A great mid-week laugh!

The Weekend Report!

2009-05-03T09:09:00.005-06:00

WOW! Here it is Sunday already! Time certainly flies, huh? Friday Jerry & I took a road trip with friends to a couple little towns in Kansas: White Cloud & Sparks - for a flea market. White Cloud is a tiny little hamlet near the river...the winding drive to get there is quite lovely! I'm not sure my traveling companions thought the same as there were comments made about the housing (shack, shack, tailer on blocks, shack, shack...) and "I think I hear banjos". One old abandoned house we saw was so creepy... we were sure it was from the 1980 movie "Motel Hell" - where people check in but they don't check out. Hmmmm! And the guy who ran the motel made the best grilled meat (I thought it was sausage). YIKES!!! (... there are LOTS of creepy old abandoned houses all over...so I'm not just picking on this one!)

There were several vendors there Friday... we shopped a bit then headed back to Mound City, MO to eat dinner at Quackers Steak House and to get a good night's sleep at the Super 8.

Yesterday morning we got up & drove back to White Cloud. More vendors had miraculously appeared overnight! White Cloud is a hilly little town... there is very little parking on the main street so parking / walking / carrying treasures to a vehicle parked on a hill is equal to a good aerobic workout! Buns of steel here I come! I was really surprised that the main street was not closed off to traffic... but I don't recall seeing another way to get into town besides the main street.

One building in town was absolutely FULL of stuff... so full it looked like the place where garage sale & auction rejects go to die. This place also featured a "wall of wigs". Again, to be fair, it wasn't the whole wall... but we were walking thru the cramped aisles and looked up to find at least 25+ wigs on styrofoam heads stuffed into cubby holes on a wall. We secretly wondered where the bodies were!

Local dogs ran up & down the street... between shoppers... in & out of booths. And there were a few shoppers who brought their dogs - on leashes - because their dogs like to shop? (I just don't get it!)

Our friends shopped and bought LOTS of stuff that they collect... we, on the other hand, have 1) become very selective, 2) are too cheap, or 3) plain just don't want to move more stuff... and didn't by much at all. (My vote is for #3!) I did, however, find two more large cream enamel pans with green trim (I just love this stuff - but really don't know what I'm going to do with it all! Surely it will have some function!); Jerry bought some bullets and another kerosene lamp (how many is that now?). While we were walking / shopping we came across a man who was selling a flatbed trailer. Did I mention we'd been looking on Craigslist, BuyItNebraska, the American Classifieds & the local newspapers for a trailer... and had friends & family watching for one as well? It was a deal too good to pass up & Jerry made the deal... and we are now the owners of a trailer!

Around noon Saturday after some BBQ we felt like we'd shopped all we could in White Cloud... and drove a few miles down the road to Sparks, Kansas. Sparks is barely a spot in the road... literally a ghost town...(although we did notice on trailer house with a mailbox in front... and a guy who actually looked in it & went back into the trailer house. Maybe he's the caretaker?) Two weekends a year the abandoned houses & buildings (there's a church & bank and a few other "public" buildings) are opened up for shopping - some are crammed so full of stuff one has to wonder where it all came from, how it got there & how long it's been since any of it was dusted! A lot of the offerings resembled things we've thrown away because they were in such bad shape... but people are funny (strange?) & will sell and/or buy anything! In between the houses & buildings there were tables & tables of stuff. People everywhere... and DOGS!! Why do people HAVE to drag their dogs along to things like this?? It was really quite overwhelming! We walked the grounds... lost each other... found each other... bought a few things (not us but our friends)... and finally decided about 5:00 that we were exhausted & we'd done all the damage we were going to do.

We headed back to White Cloud to pick up our trailer. As we were leaving town... a voice came over the PA system... swearing up a storm. It seems that while he was outside "messin' with m'dogs" someone stole the money out of his strong box. In several colorful words he explained that this happened to him last year as well... losing $3500 for his weekend of selling. You'd think that he would have learned a lesson from last year... don't bring the dogs and keep your money on your person instead of leaving it unattended!

We got back to Lincoln about 8:45... just in time to park the trailer in the driveway and head to the airport to greet my son Alex! He is home on R&R for two weeks after being in Iraq for a year. He was glad to be back on American soil... and happy to see his family! Sounds like he will be coming home a month earlier than expected - July instead of August.

After all this excitement... I'm pooped! Tomorrow Alex & I will go pick up Skeeter from the Doggie Hotel (aka the vet) so he can see "his" dog.

My Sentimental Journey

2009-04-30T14:54:00.006-06:00

I admit it... I'm sentimental... probably too much for my own good. I cry at the drop of a hat and at what most people would think are the silliest things. But my heart is tender.
As I've been packing... I'm reminded of something with each thing I pack.
And as I've "released" things - sold on eBay or at garage sales or just given to Goodwill - I have held onto the things that mean the most to me... things that have a family connection or remind me of things from my childhood, things I recall seeing in my grandfather's house...although some things I've had to buy in order to recreate those memories since much of what was once in his house was sold at auction some 30 years ago.
Some memories are happy... others, not so much.

My grandmother's trunk. I never knew her... she had passed away years before I was born. Daddy told me that when she married my grandfather, she brought all her belongings in this trunk. It holds sentimental things like a quilt my mom made for me - each quilt block has a vintage hanky sewn onto it, a baseball signed by my son Alex's team one year when they won a championship game, a handkerchief box that had belonged to my grandmother - along with her celluloid dresser set. I had pictures of my grandparents on top of the trunk but I've already packed them away.

My grandfather's rocker - in it's original condition. A small footstool tucked underneath it. This is a great place to read next to the "wood stove". It says "home" to me!

My sweet Hayli Grace! She lights up my life & is the darling of my heart! She is what love & joy are all about!

Let It All Hang Out!

2009-04-29T19:49:00.004-06:00

The laundry that is!

Nature’s clothes dryer! Solar dryer! Clothesline! Whatever you call it - letting it all hang out is a quiet, fossil fuel-free, frugal, natural way to dry clothes!

I remember as a little girl my mother would hang laundry out on the line. There was a bag hanging on a wire contraption that held the clothespins. Then we moved from that house to the gray house… and the clothesline poles leaned against the back of the house the entire time we lived in the gray house. When we moved to my grandfather’s farm… where I’m sure in bygone times my grandmother hung clothes on the line…the clothesline poles also moved with us. I’m not sure where they wound up…maybe in the barn or Quonset… but they were never planted & clothes were never hung on the farm.

On beautiful, warm, sunny days I love to hang out the laundry. I love the smell of sun-dried laundry! I’ve been fortunate enough to live in homes where I had access to a clothesline, although I admit - I’ve not always used them for one reason or another. Usually just out of sheer laziness since I had an electric dryer at my disposal.

Years ago when I lived in “Smallville“, Nebraska - my husband (now ex) put a clothesline in the backyard. It was all cute with an 1940’s washing machine full of dirt - planted with petunias as I recall - at one end. I used the clothesline… but there were a few problems with it. 1) Three small children who would tear thru the yard at break-neck speed. 2) A dog who would chase these three small children & often decided that any laundry within reach was hers to play with. 3) The neighbor’s tree hung directly over it & the birds thought it was a place for them to relieve themselves!

There’s a clothesline in the backyard here - & it’s been utilized on days when the weather permits. I hang shirts on hangers & hang them on the line; hate putting my jeans in the dryer so they get hung on the line as well; sheets, towels & jammies… nearly everything but my under things. Our neighbors on either side are single men… I don’t think they need to see what I wear under my clothes! Do you recall seeing photos of clotheslines strung between buildings in the city that are run on pulleys? Underwear flapping in the breeze above the street for the whole world to see?? Modesty prevails!

We went to an auction earlier this year & I got a retractable clothesline - new in the box! This will be attached to the cabin & either a tree or maybe one of the clothesline poles (from the farm) so I’ll be able to hang out our laundry! I also need to “invest” a few bucks & buy a folding dryer rack so I can dry clothes during snowy weather. Nothing worse than freeze-dried clothes!

Sadly, there are some cities or new housing developments that do not allow clotheslines - because they’re “eyesores”. What would our grandmothers say about that? With the rising cost of electricity (or gas - if you happen to have a gas dryer) - why not use something free… like the sun & breeze?

There's a chicken in my dryer!

2009-04-29T09:39:00.005-06:00

Er... maybe not! I got more vacuum storage bags yesterday & as I was cramming stuff into them I discovered my down comforter. It's nothing fancy but I noticed that it was kind of dirty. I also noticed that the "Care of" tag said "DRY CLEAN ONLY". Not only am I a cheapskate when it comes to spending money on dry cleaning (I don't think I own anything that has to be dry cleaned anymore) BUT I HATE the smell of stuff that comes back from the dry cleaner. Nasty chemicals or something!

So.... I pre-treated the spots... stuffed it into the washer... turned on the cold water... added some bleach (yuck!)... closed the lid & let the washer work its magic! After the bleaching... (not being a good conserver of water here) I added detergent & washed it again. I was hoping today would be if not sunny, at least not raining so I could hang it on the clothesline to dry. No such luck! So... I pulled this heavy, sagging comforter out of the washer & stuffed it into the dryer... along with a couple dryer sheets... turned the heat to LOW and set the timer.

An hour later I opened the dryer...hoping to find a sparkling white comforter. Instead I was greeted by white feathers... LOTS of white feathers! At first I thought a chicken had exploded in my dryer... but after laying out the comforter on the bed to inspect it... I found a TINY hole in the corner which allowed all these feathers to escape! Looks like my down comforter has gone on a diet. Guess I'll have to dig out my sewing kit & fix that little problem.

I found this picture of a recycled clothes dryer that had been made into a chicken coop... don't ya just love creative people?

Moving tips!...or Not!

2009-04-27T17:18:00.013-06:00

Tip #1: Hire professionals to pack everything! Yeah right! Like I could afford professionals! After all the times I've moved I should be a professional!

Tip #2: Be frugal... don't buy "real" packing boxes & supplies... use recycled boxes and packing materials! I mentioned before that I previously used liquor boxes that were set out by a local liquor store. Of course a truck box full of liquor boxes will prompt folks to a) judge you & tell you to seek out the nearest AA meeting or b) offer to help (thinking the boxes actually have liquor in them).

Tip #3: Have plenty of caffeine on hand! I made a pot of coffee this morning & have been re-heating the same cup o' joe all afternoon... I didn't seem to have time to drink it! There's still a half a pot left... I'll probably heat it again & drink the rest of it in the morning.

Tip #4: Don't ask hubby for help... it's easier to do it myself! Jerry told me that I have to be able to lift & carry every box I pack - I think this was an effort to get me to NOT take everything! Besides... according to him - the only thing he owns in the house is HIS wardrobe (and maybe a few odds & ends).

Tip #5: Make sure that you only bring one box at a time from the basement to pack things upstairs. This will insure you get LOTS of exercise...a good cardio workout!

Tip #6: NEVER mark the boxes you packed! The element of surprise when you unpack. Wonder where the blood came from that's smeared on one box & discover it's your own! Hmm! I don't remember cutting my hand! Look for a band-aid... discover the only band-aid in the house has Backyardigans on it!

Tip #7: By now coffee isn't working so well... pour a glass of wine to relax a bit. Wine has healing properties - sure to help the cut on my hand, right?

Tip #8: Leave a stack of full boxes by the stairs to take back to the basement - but conveniently forget to take a box down as you go to check on the laundry...that is why you're going back to the basement isn't it? Have another sip of wine before you head to the basement - empty handed again. Oops! Back up, grab a box... have another sip of wine.

Tip #9: Did I mention you should dust each item before you pack? You don't want to move dirty stuff to your new place. Oh wait! The new place will be either a storage unit or an unfinished cabin where dust blows constantly!

Tip #10: After discovering dusting is a bad idea & you're sneezing... have some more wine - that will settle the dust & you'll relax a bit more. After a few more sips of wine, decide you CAN take your dirt with you... most likely your stuff will need to be washed or wiped off after it's unpacked anyway.

Tip #11: Do not attempt to cook dinner while packing. What's that high-pitched, screeching sound? Oh no!! While you were busy packing or were in the basement re-organizing the boxes you've packed (because you can't just leave them stacked randomly) - dinner will burn - setting off the smoke alarm. That's what that sound is! Run up the stairs... trip on the landing & almost fall head first into the wall!

Tip #12: After the smoke clears - have some more wine. After three glasses of wine you'll not care whether dinner is burned.

Tip #13: May as well give it up for today...before things get worse. Things could get worse, right?

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Response to comment:
This started out to be a serious post about my adventures in packing... but wine tends to bring on AADD (Adult Attention Deficit Disorder) with me... and I had to include all the other stuff that happened during my day of packing!
So... please don't get me wrong... I'm very organized normally... I am a list-maker to beat all list-makers! I have made lists of things we have to move immediately (in approximately 3 weeks) and lists of things that will go on the moving sale. I pack room-by-room... for instance - kitchen: decor / casseroles / dishes / cookware / utensils / pantry; bathroom: decor / towels / rugs / medicine cabinet / shampoo,soap, etc. Like items packed in boxes of like items - boxes marked (except when I don't have a marker!). All the bedding & throw pillows & towels have been stuffed into those cool vacuum bags that you suck the air out of (can't believe those things work but they do!). I have packed the bedding & decor for the master bedroom in one HUGE tub to take with us (we're hoping to have the upstairs finished soon after getting there!).
The countertop/sink, cook stove, enamel top table & kitchen cabinet we've acquired will be the BIG things we take... along with some tubs of things we will need to "survive" the summer. Our furniture won't be moved until later in the summer...and quite frankly we don't have THAT much furniture.
Today I will make a trip to WalMart to get more vacuum bags, a fresh marker...and more wine! Let the packing continue!

Aprons... Tie One On!

2009-04-26T07:56:00.006-06:00

How many of us still wear aprons? How many of us remember our mothers or grandmothers wearing them? I don't think most kids today know what an apron is.

I never knew my grandmothers... but my mom has pictures of them - wearing aprons. My Great Aunt Nellie, even tho' I met her only a few times, seemed to always have on an apron. My Aunt Kathryn wore an apron. I don't recall my mom ever wearing one... and I don't remember having one as a little girl to wear while "playing house" which is surprising because mom would buy LOTS of a particular fabric, make herself a dress, make me a dress & if there was any left - a doll dress or two would be sewn. My daughter Lani doesn't have an apron but little Hayli & Kristen, who love to help in the kitchen, found pink & purple chef's aprons in their Easter baskets.

Aprons are making a comeback! Stores everywhere are selling them... they show up in magazines... new & improved patterns can be found in fabric stores. Aprons are HOT!! Is this apron trend part of the "all things old are new again" thing... like bell-bottom jeans & peasant tops? Or is it a comfort thing, reminding us of a time when life was less complicated? When sitting down for dinner with the family every nite was commonplace? June Cleaver days.

I do have aprons now. A purple floral one that ties around the waist - in honor of Aunt Kathryn who loved purple. It would fit me perfectly if I were six feet tall... so on the rare occasion that I do put it on, I tie it under my armpits... comic relief in the kitchen! I bought four aprons - gingham check with "chicken scratch" embroidery on them - at an antique store a few years ago. Not sure why...feeling nostalgic I guess. Most recently I bought a Husker red "chef's" apron that says "GO BIG RED" on it (for Jerry to wear while he grills)... and a floral "chef's" apron - at garage sales.

I really need to get copies of the photos of my grandmothers to hang in my kitchen!

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The principal use of Grandma's apron was to protect the dress underneath,because she only had a few,it was easier to wash aprons than dresses and they used less material, but along with that, it served as a potholder for removing hot pans from the oven.

It was wonderful for drying children's tears, and on occasion was even used for cleaning out dirty ears.

From the chicken coop, the apron was used for carrying eggs, fussy chicks, and sometimes half-hatched eggs to be finished in the warming oven.

When company came, those aprons were ideal hiding places for shy kids.

And when the weather was cold, grandma wrapped it around her arms.

Those big old aprons wiped many a perspiring brow, bent over the hot wood stove.

Chips and kindling wood were brought into the kitchen in that apron.

From the garden, it carried all sorts of vegetables. After the peas had been shelled, it carried out the hulls.

In the fall, the apron was used to bring in apples that had fallen from the trees.

When unexpected company drove up the road, it was surprising how much furniture that old apron could dust in a matter of seconds.

When dinner was ready, Grandma walked out onto the porch, waved her apron, and the men knew it was time to come in from the fields to dinner.

It will be a long time before someone invents something that will replace that 'old-time apron' that served so many purposes.

What memories do you have of aprons?

.:Wish lists:.

2009-04-25T15:01:00.007-06:00

Creative title line, huh? Someone told me I should post a "wish list" here on my blog... let readers know things we're needing for the cabin... but when I sat down to do it I couldn't think of a single thing. Guess I wasn't trying hard enough. Anyway... today I discovered that I did have a few things on my wish list - and believe me when I say that this is in NO way at all like the guy's Freecycle "wish list" I posted a few days ago! Okay, here goes:
1) *comforter set for the queen size bed*,
2) *drapes/curtains for bedroom*,
3) *Corelle dinnerware*,
4) patio table (to seat at least 4),
5) patio umbrella (I have a stand),
6) patio swing...

Preface: The weather is just crappy today! It's chilly & doesn't know whether it's raining or not... so it just drizzles & makes life miserable!

My friend J & I had planned to go to an auction but decided that the "Clean Sweep" garage sale at the Event Center would be dry & warm so off we went. Turned out to be a good thing! Not many vendors... but I found some things that were on my "wish list" for the cabin! We have a queen size bed in storage - but had no queen size bedding. A couple weeks ago one of the local stores had sheets 1/2 off so I picked up a set of queen size sheets. I didn't feel like I could spend even 1/2 off the regular price for a comforter set though so I passed. Today, however, I found a *queen size comforter set* (shams, skirt, comforter & throw pillow) at the garage sale... for $10.00. The set is in nearly new condition & will go great with the sheets I got! I also found a pair of *heavy drapes* (42x84)...for $10.00 & they will coordinate well with the "new" bedding I got today. I may have to size them - make them a bit shorter & use the excess for valances or something. I also found *Corelle dinnerware* - nearly 10 complete place settings - in a green pattern - for $5.00. Jerry has been hounding me about taking my vintage Homer Laughlin dishes to the cabin - not that I have a problem with taking them - I think they'd be kind of an eclectic touch, but he thought that lighter weight dishes would be better. They'll go on the moving sale. Problem solved. I still haven't found a patio table, umbrella or swing... but have no fear... I'll keep looking!

We did end up going to the auction about noon... and it was still cold & drizzling... and my feet still haven't warmed up! J bought a few things... I just stood in the cold, shivering! I knew I should have just stayed home!

I made a pot of coffee when I got home and am now thinking about making some potato soup for dinner tonite.

Ohhhh! My achin' back!

2009-04-24T13:34:00.005-06:00

The price of being a good friend & neighbor is often the physical pain that follows. Tuesday I spent the afternoon helping a friend/neighbor cleaning up the back yard of a rental house that new renters were moving into this week. Yesterday... he called about noon wondering if I had plans for the afternoon. I invited him over to have lunch with us... then Jerry & I went over to the rental to help. He had the trees, shrubs & plants all set out where he planned to have them planted. Jerry & I started with the shrubs & day lilies while our friend started digging holes for the large pine trees that would be the centerpiece of the yard. Jerry helped dig those holes since they were to be BIG... and I continued planting the other plants & hydrangeas. It was a very warm afternoon... lots of direct sunlight... thank goodness I remembered my 70 spf sunblock. By the time we got everything watered in & cleaned up we were ready to drop! Jerry & I headed to a local DQ for icecream. Today our friend is expecting a large load of mulch to be dropped off... but he hasn't called & we're not offering. My back & legs are sore... my face is still a bit pink... and I'm a little crabby!

Yesterday morning I had called my hair stylist with a hair emergency! Out of control cowlicks! Add humidity... and it gets ugly REAL fast!! My appointment was scheduled at noon. This morning at 10:30 while Jerry & I were at a garage sale (buying me a bike!) my phone rang. My stylist had a cancellation & could get me in early! Now my hair is under control... and life is sure to be better... at least for a while!

We went to a few garage sales... like we need anything else... I got a wood tray (to use as a base for all the wine corks my friends save for me), a little pottery candle holder, and a chef's apron; Jerry got a life vest. Total haul: $4.00. This weekend there is a "clean sweep" garage sale at the Event center... so we'll spend some quality time there tomorrow I'm sure... although I can't imagine WHAT in the world we'd need!

Friends...

2009-04-23T07:12:00.004-06:00

Kath

Jer

View from the boat

Yesterday - about 3:45 - my phone rang. My friend Kath wanting telling me, at the speed of sound, that she was getting off work in 45 minutes, it would take her 15-20 minutes to get home, 2 minutes to change & 12 minutes to hook up her boat - a 16' Lund. We could meet at the lake between 5:30 & 6:00. So much for plans of fish on the grill tonite! I ran to the store to buy some sunblock - SPF 70 - grabbed a jacket, a camera & headed out the door. We stopped to pick up tacos since dinner at home was not an option.
I'm not one who takes chances much - that's right, I'm a chicken! I don't like deep water & will only wade or swim in water where I can see the bottom (or my feet). I don't particularly like to ride motorcycles (definitely not without a helmet - who likes scrambled brains?) - and last summer I went on my first ATV ride & was told we weren't going "that" fast! Anyway, Kath is an excellent boatman (boatwoman? boatperson?) & handles the boat like a champ but as soon as I sat down in chair I looked for a seat belt! She laughed - then I think she realized that I MIGHT be serious!
At any rate we had a blast flying over the water... or just cruising along - barely moving sometimes. It was very relaxing watching the gulls, listening to the radio & the sound of the water. We're hoping to do it again soon before we leave for the mountains!
Thanks for the fun time Kath!!

How could I ask for more?

2009-04-22T14:23:00.004-06:00

It's Wednesday. Hump day! Mid-week.

Our colds are still hanging on - although they're not as bad as the weekend.

But, hey! The sun is shining, the birds are singing... my clean laundry is flapping in the breeze on the line...and there is a kitchen stove in the back of our truck. What? Yep! Last night at the auction there was an apartment size 4-burner stove... and for a cool $8.00 - yup - eight clams - it's now destined to find its home at the cabin on Miracle Mountain!! Yeah, it looks like it needs to go thru the carwash... but when I opened the oven door (expecting to see desserted mouse nests) it was nearly spotless...like it had never been used. Jerry would say it looks like OUR oven (like it had never been used - but it has... I'm just a CLEAN cook!). We will have to replace one knob that is missing but otherwise it appears to be in good enough condition to cook on! Yippee!!

For the past year I've been corresponding with a former co-worker who is now incarcerated (I won't go into the details - but let's say he'll be there for "a while"). A former State official, now felon - his family has disowned him... he rarely hears from his wife (who is also incarcerated).
Before we left for Colorado last spring I had this gnawing in my belly that wouldn't go away & I kept thinking about this man, knowing he was in prison, and wondering what I was supposed to do about it. I decided to drop him a note in the mail letting him know that I was thinking of him & that if he would like a penpal I'd be happy to oblige. I have a difficult time understanding his crime. But there are passages in the Bible that refer to "visiting" those who are imprisoned & I guess I'm taking that to heart. My very own prison ministry.
Other than the feeling that God wanted me to befriend him in prison I don't know why I write to him in "beige world" as he calls it. I write in different colored ink on colored paper and I've sent him photos of the mountains, wildlife, wild flowers, etc. to bring some color to his otherwise drab world & tell him of everyday things here and plans for the cabin. His only view to the outside world is thru a tiny window - with only view of tall fences topped with razor wire. Dismal doesn't begin to describe it but he understands that dismal is as good as it gets because of what he did.

So... my question is this: I have a home (or two), a vehicle, a husband, kids & grandbabies, parents, and friends who love me & accept me, as crappy as I feel with this cold - I still have my health and I have the freedom to worship as I wish, to come & go as I please (at least for now)... How could I ask for more?

Out of the mouths of babes

2009-04-20T08:24:00.004-06:00

Just had to share this!
I spoke with my daughter, Lani yesterday. Her family had gone to church... she sang with the worship team. Hayli & Kristin went to Sunday school...and Hayli told me she learned about "Jesus & his dead friend Lazarus"! I had to laugh (after she got off the phone) because she was so emphatic about "his dead friend Lazarus". She didn't go into detail - just wanted me to know what the lesson was. Lani said Hayli was a bit upstet that she couldn't get up & sing with the kids group. I hope going to church is a habit they'll get into & stick to!

Sunday thoughts

2009-04-19T15:17:00.003-06:00

This morning I woke up with not just the snotty, yet stuffed up nose I had gone to bed with but a sore throat & a phlegm-producing cough. More than you needed to know, I’m sure! I told Jerry I was “sick in the head” - as in: a head cold! I managed to dodge the cold/flu bug all winter - only to get sick now! When I was growing up we had a next door neighbor who once told me to take ExLax for coughing! When I questioned him about it, he said that it wouldn’t cure the cough but it would make you afraid to! Sick or not… I got up, made blueberry muffins & oatmeal - also with blueberries - and a pot of coffee. Jerry peeled a couple oranges for us & Skeeter & I shared a banana. Dishes done & put away, I took chicken out of the freezer to grill tonite.

I had promised myself that I would get busy packing stuff up - so I dragged my sorry self down to the basement to get boxes. I noticed the washer lid was closed. Funny! I could swear I had put the clothes in the dryer - Thursday! Nope! Eeewww! Stinky damp clothes still in the washer. Washed them again while I moved the metal shelf unit to a better lit place (there are no lights in the south half of the basement for some reason). I hauled over some tubs (6 to be exact) of Christmas decorations, clothes & kitchen stuff that had been packed a while ago, stashed them next to the shelves, grabbed some boxes & headed back upstairs to pack up my ever-growing library. I managed to pack up three Sam Adams beer boxes of books that I have yet to read. I packed the authors I really enjoy reading in one box & marked it (#1)… and the rest of the books in the other boxes to take at a later date. I also packed away books I’d already read (don’t even ask why I feel the need to keep them!) and some of my religious/devotional type books. There are still LOTS of books to pack… mostly reference books: building, gunsmithing, survival, and our Bibles. Jerry started a box of books to donate to Goodwill & I added a few that I had, haven’t read, don’t intend to read! I could probably pack most of our DVDs and the VHS tapes (yes, we still have a VCR!). Maybe later today! When we moved from our previous renting situation I had gone to a local liquor store on a daily basis to pick up boxes they set out. I’m sure when we move again people will think we either own a liquor store or have a serious drinking problem!

I called my sister & talked with her while I packed the books. By the time I got the boxes packed & hauled to the basement the clothes had finished washing - again! I threw them in the dryer, decided to take a break from packing & headed outside to scoop poop. One of my favorite jobs! NOT! I discovered that it was no longer 47 degrees out, the sun was shining & there was a very gentle breeze so again I traipsed back down to get the jeans I had laid out to dry & hung them on the clothesline outside.

This brings me to where I am currently… sitting in my chair on the computer. My head is pounding but the coughing has subsided a bit. My throat isn’t as sore as it was when I woke up - I’m crediting coffee for that - but my nose is still stuffed up. I’d really like to soak in a hot bath but I have a feeling I’d be done for the day If I did that.

I suppose I should get busy doing something or I’ll be falling asleep in my chair. Hope your weekend was a good one!

I'd like to thank...

2009-04-18T19:22:00.004-06:00

whomever it was who gave me this stinkin' head cold! Years ago I heard that it takes 2 weeks for a cold to develop. This being said, I would have had to contract this BEFORE I went to North Carolina. I'd hate to think that I've infected my daughter's household... and all those poor, innocent people in the airports I spent quality time in! Hubby's been kinda sick with it this past week...but seems to be feeling better today. I had been sneezing a bit earlier this week but last nite it started hitting me hard around midnite. Today has been spent sneezing... blowing my nose... and breathing thru my mouth. Ugh! I hate being reduced to a mouth-breather! My throat is a little scratchy, my eyes are watery... and if that isn't enough... whatever I eat... tastes like snot! How pleasant is that?

Last nite our gang went to the infamous Rococo Theatre (okay, maybe it's just infamous in our town!) for a fund-raiser. There were five bands that played in a six hour period. The first band/combo - Mac McCune & the Mac 5 - a little jazz group played old standards & was quite nice to listen to. Band #2 - The Blues Orchestra was fun to listen to & dance to. Band #3 - The A's & The B's - was not one I'd pay to see... to funky/hip-hop for my taste. And finally the bands we'd come to hear - The Tijuana Gigolos & The Bel Airs finished off the night! They were worth the wait!

It's about time....

2009-04-17T10:30:00.003-06:00

I am SO ready to get back to the cabin! City life has been disagreeing with me since we got back... and just seems to get worse the longer we stay. Two nights ago I heard a knocking sound... which seemed to be coming from our back door. Strange, because our backyard is fenced & no one, not even our landlords knock at the back door. I turned on the light but saw nothing. Double checked the deadbolt. I heard another noise... closer to the front of the house. Deadbolt latched, I turned on the porch light... saw nothing. I finally decided it was the neighbors doing something outside. A while later Skeeter wanted to go out. I stepped out on the deck & our neighbor was in his backyard with an LPD officer. It seems while our neighbor was out someone had tried to break into his house... not once (the backdoor) but twice (a window - near the front of his house). The officer asked if I had seen anything. I told him I hadn't seen anythiing but explained what I had heard. I used to really love this town - not so much anymore!

But right now I just feel so sluggish...I've not been doing enough to keep myself moving... I feel very stagnant... like water that's been sitting in a birdbath... a little green around the edges. My jeans are fitting snugger... my tops seem to have mysteriously shrunk... the only thing that still fits are my shoes.

I am SO ready for the fresh mountain air...
the crisp, cool mornings... the crow of the neighbor's rooster at sunrise...
the black night sky dotted with stars... the howl of the coyotes...
the sound of thunder on the mountain... the sound of rain on the metal roof...
going for walks with Skeeter thru the sagebrush... picking up rocks...
cooking outside...the smell of a wood fire...
working on the cabin, making it a home...
cutting wood... planting things...
worshiping in the greatest "church" of all.

Mid-May cannot get here soon enough. With that said, I should be spending some quality time packing... I just hate spending time in the basement. Ugh! The last time we took a truckload out (in November) I spent 2 days hurriedly packing. WAY. Too. Stressful!! Argh!! I do have several boxes already packed... stuff that won't get moved in May... things that won't be needed 'til later... Christmas decorations, miscellaneous decor for the cabin, sweaters. I need to sort/pack my books (by subject/genre - Bibles/religion, health & relationships, survival, politics, non-fiction, fiction, cookbooks, etc. Nerdy? Yup! But in the long run sorting them will save me time!); fold extra sheets/comforters & towels & get them into those vacuum bags, and start packing some of the kitchen stuff.

I'm sure we'll be making another donation to the local Goodwill before we leave. Too. Much. Stuff.

Maybe tomorrow. Ever the procrastinator!

It's noon now... we have to be downtown at 5:00 to meet friends as we're going to the Rococo Theatre for a benefit & some of our favorite bands (The BelAirs AND the Tijuana Gigolos) are playing. By the time I "rest", take a shower, do something (anything!) with my hair, paint my toenails & change clothes 3 or 4 times it will be time to go. Hopefully Jerry will feel better. He's getting a cold.

As far as I know - we have no plans for tomorrow... so... tomorrow I will spend the day working on packing up stuff. I. Promise!

Airports! It's good to be home!

2009-04-15T09:22:00.005-06:00

My trip back from North Carolina was mostly uneventful. I was delighted to find curbside check in at the Raleigh airport - a huge timesaver, however my flight from RDU was delayed 1 hour so the curbside check in ended up not being such a timesaver.

I sat between two interesting New Jersey women on that flight. I sat in the Newark/Liberty International airport for about 2 1/2 hours. The place was packed - crawling with people - seating was difficult to find. It was almost like playing musical chairs - walk around until someone moved, then slide into the an empty seat! I had the good fortune of having two interesting men eventually find an empty seat next to me. The first was a black man in a dressed-for-success pinstripe suit. He was an executive with Verizon Wireless - who was originally from Wichita, Kansas! We visited for just a short time before his plane boarded. Mr. Verizon's seat was still warm when another gentleman sat down next to me. His name was Angel - from Pennsylvania. We had a wonderful visit. My seat on the plane was clear in the back, his was in front. As we de-planed in Omaha he was waiting in the "tunnel" to make sure I woke up. He said he'd walked back to talk more with me but I had been asleep! We walked to baggage claim together, got our bags, shook hands and went our separate ways. Jerry was driving around the parking area waiting for me to come out front! It was good to see him after a week apart. The drive home went quickly - I had lots to tell him. I think I finally quit talking about 2 a.m.

Yesterday morning following breakfast we drove to the vet to pick up Skeeter where he'd been "vacationing" while I was gone. He was very excited to see me (I think) and to go for a ride! We decided as long as he was in the truck we'd take him to the lake for a run... burn off some of his excess energy. To our knowledge Skeeter has never been in big water - so we were surprised as he ran down the beach straight into the lake! He was a bit surprised - maybe thinking the lake was going to be like the beach taking him directly to the squawking geese & gulls in the middle. He got in up to his neck & decided he needed to get out - FAST! We started throwing sticks into the lake & he would go back in to retrieve them. He may end up liking the water yet.

We went to the auction last nite - nothing we couldn't live without - so we hooked up with friends G & J and went to a favorite sports bar where we could eat outside in the fresh air. It was good to catch up with them after being away for a week.

Today will probably be kind of a lazy day. I have some laundry to do & need to go to the grocery store by the looks of the fridge. If it doesn't rain we may take Skeet back to the lake for another fun day running & swimming!

It's good to be home!

Going Home: The end of my NC visit :o(

2009-04-13T06:11:00.007-06:00

The week has flown by! We've been busy doing fun things with the little girls & spending "grown up" time together... but the time has been too short... MUCH too short!
Hayli was up about 7:30 - came downstairs to tell me "good morning" and wanted help with her breakfast. While she ate, I repackaged the leftovers from yesterday in plastic storage containers Lani & I picked up yesterday at the Dollar Store. They've been using glass bowls for leftovers... very scary when the little girls can get into the fridge - especially since Base housing is built on slabs. Glass bowls don't bounce!
Before church the girls opened their Easter baskets - jelly beans, "chef" aprons, PlayDoh, Bubbles & inflatable kites. Of course they wanted to fly their kites "right now"!

We all got dressed and went to church. The church on Base is non-denominational, the pastor is a Navy Chaplain. Sunday School for the little ones is during the worship service - Lani took Hayli & Kristin into the classroom (they went without incident!) so we only had Madeline to worry about & she was great - until she pooped her pants! She's 2 months old - give her a break! The music was great - just a guy playing the keyboard with a few singers leading worship. Lani did inquire about joining their group. The little girls said they liked going to "school" and wanted to go again! Hopefully Lani & Kristopher will continue to take them to church!

Following naptime the girls hunted Easter eggs then we retired to the backyard to fly kites. Seems the Easter Bunny brought kites to some of the neighbor kids too!

Today is sad for me. My week here has come to an end. My bag is packed, sitting in the closet. It's cloudy & cool here - hope the weather holds out & I don't get re-routed - not that I want to spend ANY time in the Newark airport. I hope the little girls have enjoyed the week as much as I have. It will be hard to leave...

Good Friday!

2009-04-10T09:05:00.008-06:00

Here's my girls: Hayli & Kristin... and Madeline.
Wednesday we (Lani, Hayli, Kristin & I) made papier mache' eggs -- the kind one makes with balloons. What a mess! But the girls had SO much fun doing it! They were, of course, impatient to paint them! Yesterday after naptime we painted these eggs! I didn't think anything could be messier than the papier mache' -- but painting was HUGE messy fun!! Today's projects include dying the hard-cooked eggs, frosting/decorating Easter sugar cookies!

Lani & Kristopher are both Marines and run a pretty tight ship! The girls don't get away with much even tho' they try to! Hayli & Kristin have become sisters. What one doesn't think of, the other one does. There are times of scratching & hitting, taking each other's toys and general bickering... all of which result in quality time spent in the "think corner". Most of the time they're pretty good. They would definitely benefit from having a fenced in backyard to play in - although there is a small playground just a few feet from their back door.

LITTLE GIRLS DRIVING CARS: Last night they went to the park with Kristopher. They had to drive the Barbie Jeep... Hayli is not the best driver yet... althought she is safety minded - saying they couldn't drive until they had their velcro seatbelts fastened. Fastening these are evidently quite tricky as it took quite some time ot do! She ran into the extra propane tank for the grill and a small tree before getting to the playground. Hopefully her driving skills will improve with age!

I wasn't sure how Kristin was going to respond to me but we're getting along quite well... as long as she's being good. As with any 3 year old - she doesn't like being reprimanded for anything! Hayli was ready to pack her bag & go home with me today - but I told her if I left today & she came with me the Easter Bunny wouldn't be able to find her. She decided she'd stay.

Lani & I have enjoyed our quiet time (read: while the girls nap) together. It will be hard to leave. Hayli will be coming to Nebraska the end of April with her daddy for her aunt's wedding so I will get to see her again soon!

This morning Jerry called... wanting to know if I was still plan on coming home! Lani would like me to stay longer - me being here makes her life in MOMMYLAND a little easier, a little less stressful!

I have arrived... !

2009-04-07T18:52:00.005-06:00

I got to the airport yesterday morning to discover my flight had been canceled... but was able to get a later flight - re-routing to Houston rather than Newark. The flight to Houston was on this long, skinny Express Jet - flying hotdog - three seats across. My seat, of course, was cream of the crop - next to the door to the lavatory with a view of an engine out my window! As we landed in Houston, a little girl who was sitting with her mother across from me began turning green... and naturally there was no barf bag in either pocket. Luckily the feeling passed & the barf bag was not needed. On the flight form Houston to Raleigh/Durham there was a woman with a small child that reminded me of a bit Bill Cosby did several years ago... about a little boy named Jeffrey who was on a plane causing much grief to fellow fliers! The child on my flight screamed for the first hour --- the flight was an hour & 56 minutes! WHY didn't I bring headphones??
Lani (my daughter) and Hayli Grace met me at the baggage claim -- my bag was tenth on the carousel -- and we were on our way.
Today - Day 1 - has been mostly uneventful. Hayli & Kristen vie for my attention and I've been trying to get acquainted with Madeline. We spent the whole day at home - it was cloudy, windy & cold here - so plans to go to the park were postponed. The little girls are a joy to be around! It's fun to see them in their own element - although there is noticably some testing of the waters since I'm here.
Not sure what the rest of the week holds in store for us but I'm going to enjoy every minute of it!

Freecycle Rant....Don't get me started! Ooops! Too late!

2009-04-05T21:18:00.004-06:00

I was all set to leave my blog alone until I got back from NC... but I just got something in my INBOX that really got to me & I had to comment on it!

I joined a local Freecycle group... you know what Freecycle is, right? Give away your unwanted/unneeded items instead of throwing them in the landfill. All the listings I've seen have been excess/used items people have (clothing, children's toys, lawn equipment, kitchen items, furniture etc.) that they want to GIVE to someone else who might be needing those items. Some people post listings for things they're needing/wanting that someone else might be wanting to get rid of.

********************************************************************************
Read along with me: (I copied & pasted this from my email!)

MY APRIL (WANTED) LIST
I want:

1) LCD TV has to be at least 42 inches to fit the new entertainment center
I want

2) Queen 4 poster head/footboard any color wood but must not have scratches

3) Dog that does not shed preferably full bred puppy with papers so that I
can make money off it

4) Entertainment center that will hold a 42 inch LCD TV

5) Leather recliner must be a lay-Z-boy and black to match the one I already
have

6) Wii with all accessories and at least 5 games plus the Wii fit so that I
can get in shape to haul all these wanted items into my house

7) Ham radio and all accessories that I would need to get it up and running

8) Harley motorcycle -- needs to be maroon to match the one I have

9) $3000 shopping card for (I removed the store name) so that I can have new
furniture in my apt.

10) outside storage shed to house all the yard working items that I am going
to get see number 11

11) anything that I can use to work in the yard with, riding mower, push
mower for the places I cant use the riding one, rake, shovel, hoe, hedge
trimmer, blower, edger, weed eater, fertilizer spreader, tiller (see number 12)

12) vegetable plants for a new garden I am going to have this year

13) fertilizer, mulch, dirt, and anything else I will need for above
vegetable garden

14) $750 gift card for JC Penny so that my son can have nice designer
clothes to wear for school next year when he goes into Middle School (gotta make
sure he fits in with all the other rich people that go to that school)

15) Blue Ray DVD player and at least 25 Blue Ray movies so that we have
something to do on the weekends because we cant afford to go out

16) any NEW pots and pans, silverware, dishes, glasses, for the kitchen ..
prefer them to be top of the line Pampered Chef items

This should do it for April, please remember these items are for a single
Dad that is raising his only 11 yr old son that is having to work 3 jobs just to
make ends meet and still is having trouble paying the bills

Please note that I will need all of these items delivered and set up as I
have injured my right shoulder and wont be able to do it myself

Thanks for reading this and any help you might give me

D
*****************************************************************
This absolutely infuriates me! He is asking for BRAND NEW ITEMS & is SPECIFIC about nearly all the items he wants - and the items he wants are not cheap!

I can appreciate the fact that he is a single dad working 3 jobs but it appears to me that he seems to think he is entitled to these items and someone else should pay the tab!

1) I don't know many people who have a 42" LCD television that they just want to GIVE away. I haven't priced these but I'm sure they're upwards of $500, right?

2) Might get that Queen size 4-poster bed (used) but pristine condition? Doubtful. Is that to include the mattress & box springs? Or should we be looking for a state of the art Tempurpedic mattress? Would he also like bedding to go with it? Kaching!

3) A purebred dog with papers? Are you kidding me? Depending on the breed - easily $250-500. If he's working 3 jobs he's got no time for a dog. And if he's living in an apartment - where in the world is he going to raise puppies (for profit)?

4) An entertainment center to fit the coveted 42" LCD TV... maybe, but I doubt it would be to his high standards.

5) A leather La-Z-Boy recliner that MATCHES one he already has? What are the chances he'd get a match? What he needs is an HGTV makeover!

6) A Wii with games & Wii fit? I've not priced the Wii systems or games... but I know Wii has only been out a couple years & they're not cheap. Again, I've not priced these - but I would imagine the Wii system is probably $200... and $50 each for the games?

7) Maybe he'll have some luck finding a Ham radio set up... I know they're making a comeback.

8) A maroon Harley motorcycle. yup! people are just standing on the corners giving those away!

9) Let me just dig in my purse for that $3000 shopping card. Oh darn! Guess I must not have one on me! Get a life fella!

10 Outside storage shed & 11)lawn mowers & yard tools but claims to live in an apartment AND plans to raise a 12-13)vegetable garden? I can't think of any apartment complexes in town that would allow a shed to be moved onto their property or let a tenant have a vegetable garden. Come on!

14) A $750 JCP gift card so his kid can have designer clothes for Middle School? Go to local thrift stores & shop! He can find ALL kinds of designer clothes - some of them still have the STORE tags on them! My closet is full of these designer clothes... but I didn't spend anywhere near $750 for them!

15) Blue Ray DVD player and 25 Blue Ray DVDs? These new Blue Ray things are pretty spendy as well - not sure how much the DVD players are but I'm sure the DVDs are $20+ each (x [at least] 25 - that's $500 right there)! Well maybe someone bought Blue Ray DVD player and HATED it & threw away the receipt... oh yeah! and maybe they bought the exact (at least) 25 Blue Ray DVDs this guy wants? What are the chances?

16) NEW dishes,glasses, silverware, pots & pans? Not many people have NEW kitchen stuff just sitting around waiting for someone to ask if they can have it (and probably not Pampered Chef - have you seen their prices? The stuff he wants could easily be $1000+).

I've not checked to see if he had a March wanted list... probably for the sake of my blood pressure I shouldn't even look.

Is this guy for real???? He didn't mention where these 3 *jobs* are or how much he gets paid (Freecycle probably isn't a good place to get into that)... but even with ONE child you'd think that he'd be able to make ends meet. His kid is too young to need a Harley... why does he need two? Maybe he hasn't heard there's a recession in this country!! It just seems to me that he's totally looking for a handout!

Anyone else?

Quick question??

2009-04-05T19:40:00.001-06:00

I'm wondering why it is that when I started this blog I could leave comments on the blogs of others & reply to comments left on my own blog......... and now I can do neither?? Anyone have any ideas as to how to remedy this problem? It's really frustrating!
Thanks!

Leavin' on a jet plane... on Monday!

2009-04-03T12:58:00.007-06:00

All my bags are packed, I'm ready to go....(the rest of the verse is pretty depressing)... (chorus): So kiss me & smile for me... tell me that you'll remember to pick me up at the airport... cause I'm leavin' on a jet plane...I'll be back a week from Monday...don't forget to feed the dog! :o) I'd never make it as a lyricist!

I thought I'd write a few lines today since I will most likely be spending tomorrow cleaning house & taking care a few things around here before I leave on Monday morning. I really don't have much to say... that's strange, huh?

*My bag is packed; my carry-on is almost packed.
*My diet - to lose 10 pounds before Monday - is going well. So far I'm down 6 1/2 pounds! 3 1/2 to go!
*The laundry is all but completely caught up. Clothes were hung on the line yesterday because it was so nice; today is not so nice - the last load is currently in the dryer.
*The refrigerator has been cleaned out & reorganized.
*The compost bucket has been dumped & washed.
*The Anaheim peppers we bought Tuesday have been blistered, peeled, chopped & frozen for later use.
*The backyard is currently poo-free... but it's Saturday & there undoubtedly will bet more by tomorrow.
*Tomorrow I will dust, sweep & vacuum.

Right now I'm too pooped to do much else.
For now I'm just waiting for Monday morning to roll around. I was hoping to catch a flight from Lincoln but even with the drive to Omaha/Eppley Field it was cheaper to fly from Omaha. Unfortunately I'll get to spend some quality time in the Newark, NJ airport... about 3 hours it looks like. Hopefully I can find a quiet (?) place to read my book while I'm there. Why waste 3 hours? And then on to Raleigh, NC where Lani will meet me at 9:15 p.m. It's about a 2 hour drive from Raleigh to Jacksonville... so the little girls will already be asleep by the time I arrive. I'm sure by the time Lani & I arrive we'll both either be wired or bone-tired! At any rate, I'll be SO glad to see her! It was different when she was in Iraq - but I still saw her 6 months into her tour when she came home on R&R ... but having her "just" across the country it's still hard not seeing more often! Hard to believe it's been over a year since I've seen her! Wah!
Will try to post while I'm in NC... and maybe add a few pix of the little girls!
Have a great weekend!

I know what I said.. but what I meant was..

2009-04-02T15:58:00.003-06:00

Yeah, yeah, yeah! I know I said this was a No-Buy month... but what I meant was food. Just eating from the pantry or freezer... only buying fresh fruit & veggies, eggs & milk................. so I'm off the hook, right? Probably not!
This morning Jerry was reading the paper & noticed a few garage sales starting today. A couple of them sounded interesting but I didn't think we'd find much. We drove out to a development in the country and discovered a gentleman selling a TON of stuff from his outbuilding! I scored a set of nice silverware (service for 8) AND the wood silverware divider box thingy... an old cream can, a metal box (probably had flour in it during its previous life), a gun case and an old white cabinet - perfect for towel storage at the cabin! This man had several old library tables, stepback cabinets, pie safes, guns.... you name it! We passed on a wonderful cabinet for $35 because we figured it was too tall for the cabin kitchen/pantry - it must stand 7 feet tall - and it would have been a pain to haul. We left with our treasures and grabbed a bite to eat.
While we had lunch we discussed the things at the garage sale & almost at the same time mentioned this half canoe that had been made into a bookcase. And we both had the same idea about using it as an entertainment center. Our current entertainment center is large...much too large to fit in the cabin. We drove back, hoping it was still there, to take a second look. Luckily (?) it was still there.
The canoe is about 5 1/2 feet tall... 32" across at the bottom. Good size but about half the size of our current entertainment center. We figured the top shelf could be removed which would allow room for a small flat screen TV; the other two shelves could be used to house our DVD & VCR players (yes, we still have a VCR) and several DVDs & VHS tapes. Strangely enough, everything that was displayed in it came with it... a fishing creel, empty shotgun shell boxes, miscellaneous fishing lures, a trap (like one might use for coyotes?), and several duck decoys. It was our LUCKY day!
Now... what to do with our entertainment center? Craigslist - here I come!

The No-buy challenge begins!

2009-04-01T18:46:00.003-06:00

Last nite (Tuesday) was auction nite and we "dutifully" went. Actually the only reason I wanted to go was because I only had 2 eggs left... I felt awful & would have rather stayed home! I got 3 dozen eggs from "the egg lady" and luckily (?) for us it was produce nite. I was also out of onions... we got a 5 pound box of onions, and an equally large box of Anaheim peppers (what to do with those?), 3 boxes of grape tomatoes, 2 bags of snap peas and 2 5-pound bags of oranges.
Today I discovered we were out of milk, had a few frozen strawberries (use those in smoothies) and had no salad fixin's so we went to the store (Walmart) for these few items. Along with these few food items we also bought eBay shipping supplies, a new everyday watch, sunglasses & flip-flops for my trip to North Carolina.
I've begun a quick diet to lose a quick 10 pounds before my trip. So far... day 3... I've lost 5 pounds! I hope I can lose the other 5 pounds before I leave on Monday. My bag is packed for the most part... just a few more things to throw in & I'll be ready to go! Can you tell I'm very excited about seeing Lani & the girls... and Kristopher?!

April challenge for us..... No More Groceries

2009-03-30T14:57:00.005-06:00

My pantry is full of crackers, stuffing mixes, muffin mixes, cereals, canned fruit/ vegetables/ meat & the like. We also have a freezer of various meats, a raspberry pie and a gallon of ice cream (okay - there's a few partial bags of flavored coffee in there too).

We are going to have a NO-BUY challenge for the month of April... no buying of any groceries other than eggs, milk & fresh fruit. This is a HUGE challenge because we run to the store for one thing and end up with a cart full of things that were not on the list - and it costs us $100 to walk out the door. I usually make a double batch of whatever we're having so we'll have leftovers; one less meal to cook.

Part of the reason for doing this is that in a few short weeks we'll be heading back to Colorado. If we don't eat all or most of what's in the pantry we'll either have to pack & haul the remaining canned/boxed food OR give it to my son Spencer or donate it to the local Food Bank. We did bring back a few groceries we had left in the camper when we came back to Nebraska last fall - but there are still several canned goods that we left.

I'll let you know how the challenge goes! As long as I'm making challenges.... we may as well give up TV as well. This whole digital TV is for the birds! Ugh!

The Mother of All Garage Sales... was a success!!

2009-03-29T14:15:00.008-06:00

WOW!!! Where did the weekend go? We spent Friday setting up our booth at the Mother of All Garage Sales - we shared a 10 x 20 booth with friends whom we've done this same garage sale with for years. For a change WE had more stuff than our friends did - not that this is something we're proud of you understand! Usually the Friday nite set up turns into more of a swap meet for the vendors and we were NOT disappointed!! While I was unloading boxes & arranging stuff Jerry set out to scope out bargains! He found 6 of those heavy plastic patio chairs for $10... and also a wash tub - on wheels with a shelf below - complete with lid & drain hose for another $10!! Perfect for the cabin!!! Other treasures were glass chimneys for a couple kerosene lamps we had that had none - 50 cents each, a set of 6 plastic wine glasses (in 6 colors!) for $3.00, a set of 8 cloth napkins for $1.00, a Tupperware dressing shaker for 50 cents, two cream/green round enamel pans for $5.00, three cream/green valances for $1.00 (these will be great in the cabin kitchen!), a black basket with 4storage jars, and a saucepan for $1.00. I also bought a birdfeeder for 50 cents. The other thing we got was a couple of small tires (probably for a wheel barrow?) for $1.00/pair - for Skeeter. Jerry bought some birdhouses from another vendor for 50 cents each then sold two of them for $2.50 each! I can't tell you how many people asked about the wash tub - wanting to know how much it was. When I told these folks I had plans to use it I got varied responses - mostly about planting flowers in it - and nearly everyone who asked about it was surprised that I was planning to use it for its intended use - to wash clothes!
Don't get the idea that all we did was spend money because we did quite well selling our stuff and came home with much, much less than we took!! We also donated some of our unsold stuff to the People's City Mission. All in all it was a HUGE success! But we were VERY tired by the end of the day!

This morning we were getting ready to walk to Walgreens about 10-12 blocks or so from us. We noticed our neighbors across the street had set a couple loveseats out on the curb with a sign that said "FREE"!! We walked on by because we needed to go to Walgreens... but then I remembered I hadn't grabbed a bag out of the pickup... so we walked the 1/2 block back home... but not before we gave this loveseat (covered in cheesy southwest fabric) the sniff test. Didn't smell like animal or cigarettes so we picked it up, hauled it across the street & tossed it into the back of the pickup. We noticed when we picked it up that the legs had been replaced.......... with four 2x4 pieces on each corner! Again - cheesy, but an easy fix. We really didn't plan to get any more furniture to take to the cabin... but this was free... appeared to just need a slip cover or reupholstered (too much trouble) as the skirt around the bottom was torn & there were a couple places that had been worn & patched. The whole time we're moving this thing we're laughing about what rednecks we are... and what our friends would think. But hey! Free is free!!

We grabbed our bag & headed (again) to Walgreens. We picked up a few things we needed then walked across the street to the BK so Jerry could get a soda. There's a coffee shop next door so I ran in to get "good" coffee (they only sell organic and/or fair trade - and their "to go" cups are organic & 100% recycleable! When I walked in, the first thing I noticed was a large gorilla painted on a barrel. Turns out it was a water barrel complete with a spigot & filter! Gave me lots of ideas! When we left the coffee shop we walked toward home & wouldn't you know it - the Goodwill store was open! Jerry said "What could you possibly need at the Goodwill? We just got rid of a TON of stuff!". My reply: "I just want to see what they don't have - maybe WE have something THEY need!" We went in looked around... I really wasn't finding anything, but Jerry found an oak Eastlake lamp table - in great shape I might add - for $14.99 and a large folding table for $3.99 (we bought it for our garage sale-ing friends!) and a woven drink holder for $1.99. Since we were on foot and still about 7 blocks from home, we paid for our items, walked home & got the truck (which had the loveseat still in it). We loaded our items in the back, then drove to our friends' home to drop off the folding table and show off our big scores of the morning! I LOVE Goodwill shopping!! I just hope our friends don't start shopping there & getting all the good deals before we do!

This afternoon we've been sitting on the deck in our new chairs - enjoying the sunshine even tho' it's not terribly warm out. Tonite we'll be going to a birthday dinner for a friend... and then our week starts all over again.

Liver & Onions and other stuff

2009-03-26T14:19:00.004-06:00

Sounds yummy, eh? Not to some, but to each his own! Jerry & I really like liver & onions.... or onions & liver (we use LOTS of onions!) and don't really understand those who don't care for it. Last nite we had our friend T over for liver & onions. He said he'd never had it so this was a first for him. I also made mashed potatoes with liver gravy and homemade wheat bread... with raspberry pie & homemade ice cream for dessert. We had a nice time eating & visiting together. This morning when I woke up I could STILL smell liver and onions. By now - mid-afternoon - it is not noticeable.
Today we picked up tables from a friend that we will be using for the Mother of All Garage Sales on Saturday. Tomorrow morning we'll be heading to the Event Center to get the tables set up and begin setting out all the STUFF we're hoping to sell. Jerry brought out four more boxes of stuff (auction leftovers) that have not been marked yet... looks like that will be my plan for the rest of my day!
Life right now is pretty calm. Once we get past the Garage Sale this weekend I have a week to get ready for my big trip to North Carolina! It's been a year since I've seen my daughter Lani. Thank God for cell phones and email! She emails me pictures of the little girls, Hayli, Kristen & Madeline and keeps me informed about what cute (or not-so-cute) things the girls are doing. I am SO looking forward to spending a week with all of them - getting to know my new son-in-law, Kristopher & his little girl Kristen... reuniting with Hayli and meeting Madeline! It sounds like Lani & Hayli have made plans for things to do while I'm there: planting flowers, making Easter cookies, finishing a toy trunk and going to the beach to name a few!
I probably won't be back online until Sunday...

Winter Corn??? I got punk'd!!!!

2009-03-22T19:23:00.005-06:00

Yes! Winter corn! Never heard of it? Well, even as a farm girl there were things that I had a difficult time understanding. My dad, a farmer, planted spring wheat - which in itself is a strange phenomenon since it's planted in the late fall. Soybeans - planted in the spring, harvested in fall. Milo & sorghums - planted in the spring, harvested in the fall. Corn planted in the spring, harvested in the fall. My question: if wheat can be planted in the fall, slumbering in the ground until spring when it wakes up & starts peeking out of the ground - then why not plant a crop of corn in the fall, let it rest during the snow of winter & wake up in the spring? It would be like having a bumper crop!
Here's the rub. My dad explained to me why "winter corn" was not "an option" in the midwest (or anywhere?)..... but when Jerry and I drive down the Interstate in early spring and see the barren fields waiting to be plowed & sown.... just when I think the landscape looks so depressing all the sudden there would be fields of green.... not a lot of green but just enough to liven things up a bit. Fields of spring wheat. Even tho' I KNOW why winter corn can't be grown, I still persist in annoying Jerry asking, "I don't see any winter corn, do you?". He groans!
If you remember a week ago we went to Kansas to visit my parents & spend some quality time on the farm. We attended the 50th birthday party of the guy who has been farming my dad's farm while we were there. (Probably mentioned the birthday party, too.) Anyway, after spending the evening visiting with old friends & neighbors Jerry & I prepared to head back to the farm. As we were getting ready to walk out the door to leave, Jerry told me I should say goodbye to the birthday boy who was involved in conversation with two or three others. I told him that I didn't want to interupt & we should just leave - but he insisted. So I waited until there was a break in the conversation then told BB (birthday boy) thanks for letting us barge in on his party (we weren't actually invited, just tagged along with my parents) and wished him Happy Birthday again. He thanked us for coming out, then with a straight face, asked me to tell my dad that he (BB) was thinking about putting in some winter corn this year - maybe that would boost their profits having two crops of corn! My jaw dropped & I could feel my face getting red! Behind me, Jerry was having a hard time not falling to the floor laughing at his practical joke. He & BB had punk'd me!
On the drive back to the farm Jerry confessed that while I was visiting with old friends he had gone to get a drink, pulling BB aside & getting him to play along. Jerry said as he was explaining the joke to BB he could tell that BB wasn't sure if HE was getting punk'd or if I was! It was obvious that BB enjoyed the joke as much as Jerry.
Hope this doesn't get around the local coffee shops back home! :o)

Spring is finally here... maybe...

2009-03-22T08:39:00.004-06:00

Good morning Campers! Already at 9:30 it is 54 degrees. It's not real sunny, but hey! this is Nebraska - whaddaya expect?
Yesterday was BEAUTIFUL in every sense of the word. I sat outside on the porch (out of the sun) writing a letter to a friend, did a little reading, and even painted my toenails. A couple days ago I filled my lone birdfeeder (think I may have mentioned that?) and left the bag of birdfood on the porch. Duh! I walked out the front door yesterday to find that the squirrels had discovered it, torn the bag open & created a feeding trough of birdfood approximately 18" long by 2" tall under the rail. Mental slap to the forehead! I had saved a 64 oz. juice container for some reason (must've known I was going to do something stupid that would require keeping it) - so I grabbed a cup & funnel and cleaned it up. Evidently I'm a marked woman now as one squirrel came up on the porch while I was reading & I swear he flipped me the bird. He must've told his friends as there was quite a bit of chattering in the tree in our front yard - it was obvious they were cursing at me! Speaking of squirrels...we have good friends here who have terrible squirrel problems. The little critters dig in their patio flower pots & dig in the backyard plants... and even destroyed a patio swing... you know, the kind with cushioned seats & a canopy. Yup! Tore it to pieces. The sad part about that is - the neighbors feed them so they continue to hang around.
I noticed there are some flowers coming up in the back yard. I didn't notice them yesterday. The bushes along the fence line are loaded with buds as is the big tree in the front yard. The birds were quite noisy early this morning. When I looked out the back door I noticed the bushes were LOADED with little birds. I don't know enough about birds to pick out pick out more than a robin, cardinal & blue jay... but I do enjoy their son! I just love the sound of birds... especially the ones that are on those nature CDs... in fact, a couple of the blogs I follow have these nature songs on their sites (I've not figured out how to do that yet)... so I'll open their blog, read, then leave it open so I can listen to the peaceful sound of nature.
Have a wonderful Sunday!

But the cabin isn't done yet... next discussion...

2009-03-20T09:18:00.005-06:00

The other day Jerry & I had a BIG discussion about several things regarding the cabin. Several months ago he proposed this: paint the south side of the cabin BLACK to absorb heat from the sun. There would be some kind of small structure added to the length of the cabin - with vents that go into the cabin to let the heat in. I was NOT real excited about the prospect of painting the exterior black... even if it was just one side. I guess he finally gave up on convincing me this was a good idea.
Along this same line of thinking... we were at Walmart discussing whether or not to start seeds/seedlings & take with us and the short growing season on the mountain. I asked, "why not build a sunroom/garden room kind of room onto the south side of the cabin?" Hmmm! He had to think about that... try to come with reasons why not!
We tossed around the idea of building a structure about two-thirds the length of the cabin using recycled windows and/or patio doors. The floor could be made of concrete pavers or flat rocks (laid on sand) which would absorb the heat. Raised beds and individual (large) pots could be used to plant the garden.
The eaves on the south side of the cabin would capture rain water which would go into the downspout (which would go thru the roof of the garden room) - which would then empty into a barrel. The water would be used to water our garden.
Many of you may know that Jerry has been a longtime fan of garden ponds, water plants and fish. I used this idea so he couldn't veto the plan! A small garden pond with a few plants & fish would be perfect!
Jerry (he's so smart!) reminded me at that point that we should FINISH the cabin BEFORE we start another building project!
Other projects to plan include composting bins, a shed for the generator, the chicken condo, and a storage shed (for tools & stuff).
Anyone interested in a working vacation?

Finally Friday!

2009-03-20T08:50:00.006-06:00

This week went by quickly! I got my airline tickets purchased for my trip to North Carolina to see my girls! I'll get to spend Easter with them! Is it too soon to start packing? It's been over a year since I've seen Lani, my daughter...I can't wait to see them all!!
Tuesday at the auction the kitchen guys (we'll call them Joe & Tommy, cuz that's their names!) made corned beef & cabbage. It smelled SO good but we had had a BIG lunch & I wasn't hungry. I knew there was a corned beef in the freezer and while I laid in bed reading I kept thinking I should go put it in the crockpot... but I fell asleep. I DID put it in Wednesday morning & let it cook all day...and all night... and we had it yesterday for lunch. This slab of meat stuck out of the crockpot - I had to put foil over it because the lid wouldn't fit... but by the time we ate it yesterday it had shrunk to about a third of the size it was going in! We ate almost all of the meat & scooped out the veggies into a casserole dish......... and put ANOTHER corned beef in to cook in the juice! It should be ready for dinner tonite! Do you get the idea that we like corned beef??
Yesterday I washed sheets & towels & hung them on the clothesline to dry. I love how laundry looks on the line... and how it smells! I had washed a load of light colored clothes... but evidently some of the fringe from the red throw rugs I'd washed was left in the washer & turned a couple shirts PINK! I soaked them in OxiClean... one (Jerry's) came clean, the other (mine) did not! I hate using regular bleach, but I may have to resort to it in this instance as this shirt was a favorite! Ugh!
Anyway...while my laundry was hanging out Jerry & I ran a couple errands... followed by a trip to the hardware store & thrift store. While at the hardware store I was looking at the different rubs & spices that were displayed by the grills. I commented to Jerry (er, I thought it was Jerry), rather loudly, "Hey honey! How about some butt rub?!" and a voice from my past said "I don't really care for butt rub!". I turned around to find a guy I had worked with more than 15 years ago! Thank goodness he has a good sense of humor! Jerry also knew him & we talked for a while!
At the thrift store I picked up a few more books (I'll have a library when I'm done!), a pair of Eddie Bauer capris, a black tank top with faux turqoise stones around the neckline and a little black skirt. Jerry found a couple "Sunshine Family" toy sets (still in the box) which he purchase to sell on eBay.
I think tonite is a stay at home nite. Tomorrow there is an auction Jerry wants to go to... about 2 hours from here. The auction bill listed three apartment size gas stoves (we only need one!). We had priced them at Menards - around $350 - so if we can pick one up for less than $100 that would be great! Tomorrow night we have a 50th birthday party to go to! Busy, busy, busy!

St. Patty's Day & other stuff

2009-03-18T09:08:00.007-06:00

Yesterday, of course, was St. Patty's Day. Other than wearing o' the green, we really did nothing to celebrate the day! Jerry's dad came for to visit for the day and we went to HuHot Mongolian Grill for lunch with two of Jerry's four boys D & A... and one little one, L. No family day would be complete without playing cards... so we went to A's house (close to HuHot) and played call your partner 10 point pitch for about 3hours! Always a fun time! Jerry's dad left about 4:30 and we headed to the auction.
At first glance there was really nothing I was interested in. Jerry did find a few things: a replacement propane tank (for the camper), a box of 3 throw rugs and a couple other things. Upon further examination I discovered there was a clothesline that would be perfect for the cabin... and it was NIB (new in box). It's a 4-line retractable clothesline that could attach to the outside of the cabin and a post (that could be the tricky part!). This is the very same clothesline that our landlords have provided for us to use hree! I love the way laundry looks hanging on the line and the smell of it when it's dry! I do wonder if my laundry will take on the smell of the pinon trees and sagebrush at the cabin! At any rate I'm pretty jazzed about the prospect of having a way to dry clothes - hanging clothes in trees was the other option! ;o) We did buy a 110v electric dryer at an auction which we can use at the cabin but we'd have to run the generator in order to use it. We used it a little here and discovered that it doesn't dry as hot as a 220v dryer and had to dry clothes in smaller loads or dry them twice as long! We've not yet figured out HOW we're (I'm) going to do our laundry at the cabin... but I'm thinking that we'll (I'll) use a Rubbermaid tote since I have several of them. One website I saw had galvanized wash tubs that they used - using their feet to do the work! Good exercise, clean clothes AND clean feet!
Laundry and toilet facilities were two of the mini-discussions I had with my Aunt & a handful of cousins in Kansas. We'd really like to have a composting toilet but the cost is a bit prohibitive. We may resort to the Humanure method! They were amused? I think! But I reminded them that our plan is not something new - it's the same things their parents/grandparents did 100+ years ago! Here's a link to watch a video about how it works. Just copy & paste into your browser.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPg-n4czGE0&eurl=http://www.jenkinspublishing.com/videos.html&feature=player_embedded

We won't have our refrigerator ready to use this summer and the one in the camper doesn't seem to run on propane, although it's supposed to. We don't have and won't have a root cellar (I'm not sure I'd go in it if we had one!). But Jerry & I did discuss the possibility of using one of our water barrels for keeping food cool. The water stays quite chilly so keeping perishable food (in water-tight containers) in the cool water should work.
Anyway ~ last night as I was lying in bed I kept thinking that I should have put our corned beef in the crockpot in the morning so it would be ready to eat today (yes, I'm a day late!) and I was tempted to get up & put it in to cook before I went to sleep... but alas, as I was thinking about it I fell asleep so this morning when I got up I put it in to cook. It will be tender & ready to eat tomorrow!
I'm currently looking for cheap plane tix to North Carolina to see my girls. Lani found tix on Expedia.com for $152. I need to get those ASAP!

Weekend in the Land of Oz

2009-03-16T19:05:00.004-06:00

FRIDAY we headed south to Kansas... the Land of Oz. I hadn't seen my parents since Christmas - so this visit was MUCH overdue! On the drive back today "Back Where I Come From" (Kenny Chesney) was playing and I thought it was appropriate! Friday nite we went to a little town near where my parents live - 30 miles is "near" (much like where we live in Colorado!) - and had dinner at a little steak place. Following dinner we drove back to my hometown, to the home of some cousins. We had a great visit with them and some awesome chocolate cake! Sleeping at the farm is always great... very peaceful... except for the bawling of the cows that make their home in the stockyard.
SATURDAY morning Jerry went to another gun auction... the bids were more than he was wanting to pay so he didn't buy much. I spent my late morning/early afternoon at the sewing machine. Sewing is NOT what I do best... but I can sew if I have to. A friend had given me some fabric a few years ago and I decided to pull it out of storage & put it to use. I made three sets of 4 napkins, two sets of 4 placemats and a table runner. The two sets of napkins & placemats will be gifts for a couple friends of mine in Colorado. Saturday evening my parents were supposed to go to the 50th birthday party of the guy who has been doing the farming for my dad the past couple years. Yet another good opportunity to see people I don't get to see often. Some of my favorite people were there - they had been 4-H leaders as well as Youth Group Leaders at church.
SUNDAY morning I went to church with my parents while Jerry went to Walmart. It's always a joy to go to church there... it gives me an opportunity to visit with people I don't see very often. A lot of my relatives go to church there so it's a little family reunion every time. Sunday evening was spent at church... celebrating St. Patrick's Day with Irish stew, desserts and Malarky. Never heard of Malarky? It's a card game, similar to Phase 10, in that every hand changes... as do partners! There were five tables, four at a table.
The best part of Sunday - was getting to visit with friends & relatives alike - answering questions about our cabin & sharing ideas for future plans there. Of course this caused some eyebrows to raise but that's okay!
TODAY... Jerry & I went to the little antique store in town and another antique store in a neighboring town. The weather was BEAUTIFUL. My brother & sister-in-law came from Pennsylvania and spent part of the day on the farm with us. I rummaged around in the Quonset and found a couple canisters that I remembered from my grandfather's house when I was little. I talked my dad into emptying the contents into other cans & cleaned them up to use in my kitchen!
Skeeter LOVED, loved, loved running around the farmyard... chasing cats & squirrels. He did have a small encounter with an electric fence this morning when he & Jerry were outside. It seems just his tail was zapped... and he must've gotten the idea that the fence meant business because when we were close to it, he dodged it!
It's good to be home, to sit in my own chair, use my own laptop and be able to sleep in my own bed tonite. Ahhhhhh! I guess that makes home the Land of Ahhhhs!

.....Wednesday wonderings.....

2009-03-11T08:22:00.005-06:00

It's Hump Day! The weekend is not far off.

Monday I decided to bake bread! Don't get excited... I did it the old fashioned way... I bought a package of 3 frozen loaves of whole wheat bread! We keep our house rather cool (thermostat is set at 65) so the bread didn't rise like I thought it should have. I threw a towel over it & forgot about it... until 11:30 when I was headed to bed! I realized that it had FINALLY doubled in size & was ready to bake... so... I heated up the oven & baked bread! I finally went to bed about half past midnite!

Yesterday we ran to SuperSaver (a local grocery store) and bought a few things. We bought some bulk items - lentils, split peas, dates, nuts and I decided to try blueberry Kefir! I'm not a milk drinker so I'm hoping to get my calcium, Vitamin D & some probiotics from this! I've heard it's really good & good for you so we'll see! We went to the auction last nite... bought nothing! The "egg lady" was there so I did get 2 dozen farm fresh eggs! We went to a favorite Mexican restaurant with friends for a bite to eat instead! We were even home in time to watch "The Mentalist" and "Missing"!

Today is a stay at home day...at least until 5:30. I have a hair appointment at a little salon down the street from where we're living. I'm a bit nervous about it since this is the first time going there. I've gone to the same stylist for years but the last couple times I got my hair cut I've been disappointed.

Not sure what Thursday has in store. We'll be going to the farm to see my folks on Friday. Skeeter likes going to the farm - lots of room to run & lots of cats to chase! I have a couple sewing projects to do while we're there. I have a BIG piece of fabric a friend gave me that I'm going to cut into squares and make into cloth dinner napkins and get some direction from my mom as to how to turn another piece of the same fabric into a kitchen curtain. I also want to go through mom's fabric closet & find some material to make shopping bags! Sewing is NOT my gift... but I CAN sew a straight line which is all any of my little projects take! My mom sews wonderfully - made clothes for me when I was growing up and has made lots of beautiful quilts.

I have a mound of laundry to tackle and a few things to do around the house before my (*gulp) hair appointment. Better get crackin'! Have a great hump day!

Ford, Chrysler, GM....

2009-03-09T08:35:00.002-06:00

INTERESTING...maybe the country should consider bailing them out to some degree

Nothing needs to be said... Ford, Chrysler and GM's contributions after 9/11

An interesting commentary...You might find this of interest:

'CNN Headline News did a short news listing regarding Ford and GM's
contributions to the relief and recovery efforts in New York and Washington .

The findings are as follows.....

1. Ford- $10 million to American Red Cross matching employee contributions of the same number plus 10 Excursions to NY Fire Dept. The company also offered ER response team services and office space to displaced government employees.

2. GM- $10 million to American Red Cross matching employee contributions of the same number and a fleet of Vans, SUVs, and Trucks.

3. Daimler Chrysler- $10 million to support of the children and victims of the Sept. 11 attack.

4. Harley Davidson motorcycles- $1 million and 30 new motorcycles to the New York Police Dept.

5. Volkswagen- Employees and management created a Sept 11 Foundation,funded initially with $2 million, for the assistance of the children and victims of the WTC.

6. Hyundai- $300,000 to the American Red Cross.

7. Audi- see VW

8. BMW - Nothing.

9. Daewoo - Nothing.

10. Fiat - Nothing.

11. Honda - Nothing despite boasting of second best sales month ever in August 2001

12. Isuzu - Nothing.

13. Mitsubishi - Nothing.

14. Nissan - Nothing.

15. Porsche - Nothing. Press release with condolences via the Porsche website.

16. Subaru - Nothing.

17. Suzuki - Nothing.

18. Toyota - Nothing despite claims of high sales in July and August 2001.
Condolences posted on the website .

Whenever the time may be for you to purchase or lease a new vehicle,keep this information in mind. You might want to give more consideration to a car manufactured by an American-owned and / or American based company. Apart from Hyundai and Volkswagen, the foreign car companies contributed nothing at all to the citizens of the United States. It's OK for these companies to take money out of this country, but it is apparently not acceptable to return some in a time of crisis. I believe we should not forget things like this. Say thank you in a way that gets their attention.

Summer vacations and other stuff!

2009-03-09T08:07:00.003-06:00

This weekend - again - was spent mostly with friends. Friday nite we celebrated the birthday of our friend P who turned 55 in February. She told us she had turned in a vacation request for July & it was approved... and she will be coming to Colorado to spend some quality time with us! Our friends M & D are planning to come out for a visit at the same time as P. M, D & P have campers and are planning to bring them out & park them at our place. Other friends L & B are hoping to visit at the same time if she can get vacation approved. We were hoping our good friends J & G (have been friends for about 10 years!) will come out as well... but they neither own a camper nor like to "rough it"... and the nearest motel/hotel is in town 8 miles away. I don't know if the rest of us talking about it will shame them into making plans to visit us as well! Another friend, S, is planning a trip West in September and is going to stop to see us for a couple days.

After spending most of Saturday helping with the memorial service of our friend S's mom we decided to "treat" ourselves to an adult beverage at a local *smoky* bar. A dozen of us huddled around a table near the door (fresh air) and stangely enough... a pickle card machine. A few of us tried our luck at pickle cards - changing $5.00 into a single dollar (they don't always pay off well). Jerry bought a few & we actually won $2.00...but as I was getting my coat on he put another $3.00 into the machine and we began opening them. I peeled back the little flaps on one card and noticed a red line going catty-corner thru the symbols... I looked to make sure that's what I saw... checked the back of the card... looked again at the red line... checked the back of the card again and announced "We Won $250!!!!" It was like a rebate for sitting in that *smoky* bar for an hour!

Saturday nite we went to the home of friends M & D. We snacked on homemade guacamole, dip & salsa, shrimp/cheese baked on crackers, peel-n-eat shrimp (not me!) and our new favorite adult beverage - milkshakes made with Kahlua!

Sunday (did you remember to move your clocks forward?) Jerry went to a gun auction while I went to a favorite antique mall. We headed to a Chinese buffet for lunch then PetSmart (got Skeeter a new heavy-duty chew toy that looks like a tire!) and the Dollar Tree where I found chef's aprons for the little girls in North Carolina. The rest of my day was spent on the phone with my mom, watching a DVD and finishing a letter to a friend. Not an exciting day... but kind of a nice relaxing way to unwind after Friday & Saturday.

Hope you all had a safe weekend.

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood!

2009-03-05T17:52:00.003-07:00

Today was another beautiful day in the midwest.......... no really!! At 9:30 this morning it was almost 55 degrees and later this afternoon it was nearly 80! I'm sure this weather won't last too long... We spent our time wisely, enjoying the backyard. Skeeter spent almost all day outside running, chasing squirrels, playing ball while I cleaned up the "minefield". I made a very healthy salad for lunch - Jerry wanted warmed up leftover pizza - and then we took three boxes of plastic containers, cans & bottles to the recycling center. We made a trip to Menards & picked up some birdseed followed by quick stops at a couple thrift stores. I found a noodle cutter and a "hanger-upper-thing" to put my necklaces on, a book and two cute tops.
Tomorrow is a friend's birthday & we're going to celebrate with her at a favorite bar. Another friend from about 50 miles away called this morning saying she was thinking of coming down Friday to hang out with us so we're going to initiate her into our group!
Saturday we hae a memorial service to go to... not so much fun... but that's life.

Midweek musings

2009-03-04T09:09:00.005-07:00

I piddled around long enough yesterday morning that I forgot to take anything out for lunch so we went to Godfather's Pizza to eat. I was stuffed by the time we left. We had to get stickers to mark our garage sale items (coming up 3/28) so we stopped at Walgreens. I don't know what it was about this store... but as soon as we walked in the store my nose went on overload. As I walked around the store - to see if there was anything else we might need - my nose got stuffier. I finally concluded that because I've changed from store bought household cleaning products to baking soda & vinegar and borax my nose is much happier & evidently more sensitive to all the chemicals and added scents of cleaning products. Argh!

After lunch I was too full to do anything too physical so I spent part of the afternoon doing some laundry & finishing a letter to a friend (former co-worker) who is incarcerated. Because of the nature of his crime his family has disowned him and people he considered to be his friends have desserted him. I'm not sure why I decided to write to him, but he & I had been friends when we worked together and I always liked him. I can't imagine what his life must be like there. I often struggle with what to say to him but he seems grateful to have a friend on the outside who takes the time to write so my letters are usually full of daily activities and details about building our cabin. Boring to me... but he finds them interesting & always has lots to say about them. He is allowed to receive photographs so I sent some to him of our place in the mountains. Color therapy he calls it!

Last night was auction night. We went, looked around and decided that there was very little we needed/wanted. There were four 50 pound bags of IAMS dogfood - the man who won the bid took all four. Rats! There was a set of 300 thread count queen size sheets... someone else got those too! A couple we hang out with was there & before they even got to the blueberries we decided that we'd all just leave. We passed up a pile of little girl baby clothes I would have bid on for Maddie and a really cool vintage bear planter. Money saved!

The sun yesterday and this morning is melting the snow in the backyard making it suitable for mud wrestling. It looks like Skeeter has left some doggie bombs for me to clean up. Wish I could get him to go in one spot so I didn't have to pick my way around the yard. Another reason I'm anxious to get back to the mountains - he uses the acres of sagebrush not the space close to the cabin to do his business. It's already 45 degrees... hopefully it will warm up a bit more and dry up the backyard!

Today's THINGS TO DO list: finish laundry, take bag of clothes to the Goodwill store (walk - about a mile round trip), sort Christmas decorations (some to sell at garage sale) and begin marking stuff for the garage sale.

Have a blessed day!

True Confessions...

2009-03-02T20:13:00.003-07:00

I recently got an email about the dangers of using microwaves... and did a little online search of my own about the same. We've all heard about the dangers of micro-waves... there are signs posted in restaurants stating "Microwave in Use". Having gone from May to October last year without the convenience of a microwave while we were building our cabin and knowing that I will not be keeping the microwave we have in storage (no point in having to run the generator or using up precious solar energy to run the contraption) I figured the way to get used to not having this little luxury again is to simply remove it from the kitchen. Saturday I moved the microwave from the counter to the basement storage room. When we move out I will put it back - since it belongs to our landlord. I have some microwave popcorn that I will donate to a friend who does concessions for auctions. Supposedly there is something in microwave popcorn that is BAD. Last week we picked up a stovetop popcorn maker and then bought a bag of popcorn. So far the only thing I've really missed about the microwave is re-heating my coffee. Bye-bye microwave.

Last Friday we had friends over for dinner & to play cards. Our friend decided she REALLY liked the chromekraft table & chairs we'd gotten in December and offered to buy it from us. Jerry had been thinking this table & chairs was not really very "cabin-y" and that we should maybe think about getting something different. Well, there was a flea market in town this weekend and I happened to notice there was a drop leaf table & three chairs for sale... for $25.00. The table top is pretty scratched up & has some discoloration... but paint will fix that problem. We paid for the table, called our friends to seal the deal on the chromekraft set. They came over Sunday afternoon to pick up the table then we all went back to the flea market & picked up our "new" table.

I'm sure our neighbors, if they're paying any attention, wonder about the seemingly constant stream of furniture that goes in & out of our house. I'm anxious to get rid of the excess around here, get packed up and head back to the cabin!

New book I'm reading: BETTER OFF by Eric Brente.

Clean Coal

2009-02-27T08:28:00.001-07:00

I got this in an email today & thought it was worth passing along! Follow the link!

http://www.wecansolveit.org/page/m2/396e8999/6fe788b7/9c4755e/19ba52b3/267668845/VEsC/

Oh What a Beautiful Morning!

2009-02-25T08:12:00.004-07:00

Remember that song?? "Oh what a beautiful morning! Oh what a beautiful day! I've got a wonderful feeling everything's going GOD'S way!" Well, that's how we sang it in church years ago! Anyway... the sun is shining... it's 45 degrees... I actually thought about throwing on a sweatshirt & sitting out on the deck to drink my morning coffee. But alas, the roofers have been tearing off the roof across the alley from us for an hour... and they're not being quiet about it. Today will be a glorious day to spend in the backyard with Skeeter playing ball. (I cleared the minefield of doggie bombs yesterday!)

Last night we went to the weekly auction - the same one we've been going to for years. Periodically they sell off produce which, as I hear it, is ready to be thrown out of the grocery stores due to "advanced age". There's really nothing wrong with most of it - you just have to be careful! Anyway... I purchased some zucchini (8), huge green peppers (5) & a bag of oranges... paid less than $5.00 for all. I tried to get blueberries, too, but it was obvious the woman who was bidding against me wasn't giving up... and there really wasn't any point in paying MORE for them at an auction than I would in the grocery store. When there is more than one of the same item the auctioneers will offer the winning bidder as many of that item as they wish to purchase, then offer the remainder to others who were bidding. Not this time - wouldn't you know it - she took them all! RATS! We've previously purchased onions & potatoes which were perfectly fine! There's also a woman there who raises chickens & brings farm fresh eggs to sell for $1.50/dozen. I get the big brown eggs... she told me some people just don't care for them... do they taste different? I told her I like them because they're more "farm-y"! :o)
I had better get "off my duff" and get busy enjoying today - the weather is supposed to turn ugly tomorrow.

A Pet's 10 Commandments...

2009-02-24T09:54:00.003-07:00

(Thanks to my cousin Sharon for passing this along!)

A PET'S TEN COMMANDMENTS

1. My life is likely to last 10-15 years. Any separation from you is likely to be painful.

2. Give me time to understand what you want of me.

3. Place your trust in me. It is crucial for my well-being.

4. Don't be angry with me for long and don't lock me up as punishment. You have your work, your friends, your entertainment, but I have only you.

5. Talk to me. Even if I don't understand your words, I do understand your voice when speaking to me.

6. Be aware that however you treat me, I will never forget it.

7. Before you hit me, before you strike me, remember that I could hurt you, and yet, I choose not to bite you.

8. Before you scold me for being lazy or uncooperative, ask yourself if something might be bothering me. Perhaps I'm not getting the right food, I have been in the sun too long, or my heart might be getting old or weak.

9. Please take care of me when I grow old. You too, will grow old.

10. On the ultimate difficult journey, go with me please. Never say you can't bear to watch. Don't make me face this alone. Everything is easier for me if you are there, because I love you so.

~Take a moment today to thank God for your pets. Enjoy and take good care of them..

Life would be a much more dull, less joyful experience without God's critters.

~ We do not have to wait for Heaven, to be surrounded by hope, love, and joyfulness. It is here on earth and has four legs!

I thought of the wonderful, special pets I've had in my life who have gone on to wait for me on the other side (my cat Ruffles, and dogs Chelsea & Brigit).... and the one I'm currently nurturing. It will break my heart if Skeeter has to leave - even tho' he'd be going back with my son Alex. Skeeter & I have bonded & he has become part of my family!

Fat Tuesday... Mardi Gras... Ash Wednesday

2009-02-24T08:53:00.006-07:00

Today is Fat Tuesday. Mardi Gras is in full swing. People all over the country will be indulging in crawfish & corn chowder, red beans & rice, etouffe, chicken gumbo, and a host of other creole / cajun dishes. Beads will be collected... drunken revelers will be ticketed & taken to jail. (Doesn't that sound like a fun way to spend Mardi Gras?)
Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday - the beginning of Lent... the 40-day liturgical season of fasting and prayer before the resurection of Jesus Christ on Easter Sunday. The forty days represent the time Jesus spent in the desert where he endured temptation by Satan.
The Bible doesn't mention Ash Wednesday or the custom of Lent, however, the practice of repentance and mourning in ashes is found in 2 Samuel 13:19; Esther 4:1; Job 2:8; Daniel 9:3; and Matthew 11:21.
Lent is a time when many Christians prepare for Easter by observing a period of fasting, repentance, moderation and spiritual discipline. During some Ash Wednesday services, the minister will lightly rub ashes in the sign of the Cross on the forehead of worshipers.
At one church I attended, on the Sunday prior to Ash Wednesday, worshipers wrote their "sins" on a small slip of paper. Worshipers, one by one, brought their sins to the cross (slipping their papers into cracks of the cross). After the service the sins were then collected and burned... and on Ash Wednesday the Pastor used the ashes to make the sign of the Cross on those wishing to have it.
I'm not a "faster"...I tried doing an all day fast once & discovered that my blood sugar could not handle it...however, I suppose I could fast during one meal of the day & spend that time studying the Bible or in prayer. I don't know yet what I will be "giving up" for Lent. Quite frankly, I hadn't given it much thought until today. One year I gave up alcohol and lost 10 pounds. I'm not saying one should use Lent as a diet plan. Somehow that seems almost sacreligious.
Here's a thought: how about giving up plastic bags & plastic water bottles for Lent?!
At any rate... enjoy Mardi Gras and follow your heart during Lent. Easter is on its way.

The Forbidden Saturday Night Live Skit...

2009-02-19T15:53:00.002-07:00

THE FORBIDDEN Saturday Night Live SKIT

SNL did a "Bailout" skit, which has created some rather awkward
problems for NBC. They spiked the video and tried to shut it down
on the Internet. But aha, there's still some sites that have it.

http://msunderestimated.com/SNLBailoutSkit.wmv

Very startling to see Saturday Night Live absolutely nail the history and
culprits of the Big Bailout. No wonder the powers at NBC pulled the skit.
Through impersonations they present stark truth, perhaps one of the most
surprising presentations almost allowed on NBC.

Darn Digital TV anyway....

2009-02-18T18:33:00.002-07:00

We are BASIC people...technology challenged to say the least!!
We've been using a BASIC 10 year old laptop computer - and we know how to use the BASIC features (the Microsoft programs, email & eBay).
Our cell phones are BASIC... no fancy downloaded ringtones or cameras; we can hook up to the internet on our phones & have something called T2T... but have never so much as tried either one!
Our most recent techological challenge has been in the last day when we changed from analog TV to digital. We've been cable-free or satellite-free for close to 5 year and our television is most likely 10+ years old. We've been using rabbit ear antennae for reception. Even with the rabbit ears we got 9 or 10 channels - some of them looked like snow storms while others were a bit static-y. Static had become the norm for TV viewing & we were actually okay with it. Now we have this digital conversion box & have scanned it just like we were instructed to do. We don't get all the same 9 or 10 channels we got before - although we do get PBS channels (3) which we previously did not get - however we get "NO SIGNAL" on at least 4 of the channels and depending on the cloud coverage the other channels consist mostly of little pixel boxes and sound like a vinyl record that is scratched & skips! Grr!! Hardly worth turning on the TV. We did look at 19" & 22" flat screen TVs the other day. They're pretty reasonably priced - but who knows if we'll have ANY kind of TV reception on the mountain without satellite (which I understand is pricey out there).
Who knows what we'll end up with in Colorado. We may have to rely on the radio, newspapers & the occasions when we can sneak a peak at a friend's house. Darn "progress". Darn digital TV anyway..........................

25 Random Things About Me - everyone else is doing it!

2009-02-18T09:40:00.004-07:00

I read a lot of blogs... not religiously... but I do try to read each one at least once a week. I've noticed that many of them have this thing called "25 Random Things About Me". I thought this was kind of self-centered, tooting one's own horn, but as I read these I discovered they are really quite interesting & sometimes very funny. So... here goes!

1) I am an adopted child. Twice. Once by my parents; and again by God.

2) I have seven children. 6 boys, 1 girl. Four of the boys are not mine but I love 'em like they were! They're great!

3) I found my biological family & have three siblings I didn't know about...whom I love very much!

4) I am technologically challenged. How do I manage to use the computer?

5) I have a little sign in my kitchen that says "I have a kitchen because it came with the house". Truth is - I enjoy cooking - especially for company.

6) I am a better "mama" (read: grandma) than I was a mother. I love being "Mama Marcy" to Hayli & Kristen... and Madeline!

7) I discovered last summer that to have a dream & see it happen before your eyes is an incredible thing!

8) I also discovered last summer that I had the physical strength to do things I thought I could never do!

9) I was raised in a small, rural town in Kansas - the heartland, the Land of Oz! It's nice to "go home" once in a while!

10) I don't like spiders and snakes.

11) I don't like summers in the Midwest!

12) I LOVE dancing with my girlfriends! (I dance like no one's looking!)

13) I cry at the darned-est things: military personnel homecomings (doesn't even have to be my kids!), news reports of children being abused or killed, obituaries of babies or children, I've cried at funerals I played for - for people I NEVER even met!...Extreme Makeover, Hallmark commericials...the little commercial that a local TV station plays promoting Lincoln/Nebraska...

14) I need to learn to love my body & take better care of it. It's the only one I have.

15) I love Mexican food.

16) I drink wine on a regular basis (meaning weekends).

17) I forgive... but I don't forget. I really need to work on that!

18) I am a "FRIENDS" junkie! I can see myself in both Monica & Phoebe. :o)

19) I'm getting closer to #25!!

20) I don't speak any foreign language.

21) I believe coffee should be a food group unto itself!

22) I LOVE our place in Colorado... our cabin... the view of the mountains... the friends we've made there... the church we attend...

23) I hate wearing panty hose & high heels!

24) I rarely wear makeup anymore... or very little when I do wear it.

25) My God and my family are the two most important things in my life!

There you have it! 25 Random Things About Me!

A disturbing video...

2009-02-17T09:33:00.004-07:00

Here is a video clip I found very disturbing... but I think it needs to be seen! I follow the blog of a guy in Idaho who posts some really good stuff. This is his blog address... Check it out! http://betterpanic.blogspot.com/2009/02/whats-in-your-kids-school-lunch.html
Makes me want to become a vegetarian!

The Story of Stuff...

2009-02-14T12:27:00.002-07:00

Here's a link to an interesting video! Check it out!!

http://www.storyofstuff.com/

Valentine's Day...

2009-02-14T11:41:00.004-07:00

Today is Valentine's Day. Big deal, huh? Last nite we went with friends to a local venue to hear one of our favorite bands, The Wheezetones (two members have asthma - hence, the "wheeze" in Wheezetones!). The question was asked of our men friends "what are you getting your wife for VD?". Three out of four (my DH being the fourth) said they were buying flowers and jewelry. Jerry & I have never "done" Valentine's Day really. He has asked if I want roses or "flowers"... and my response has always been that I'd rather have flower seeds or seedlings that I can plant and have flowers all spring / summer / fall. Do you know how many packets of seeds or seedlings you can buy for the price of a dozen roses? Holy cow! We tried going out for dinner a couple times only to be told that the particular restaurant we went to did not take reservations or call ahead seating... and the wait would be 2-3 hours, or at another restaurant one needed to make reservations & we didn't think that far in advance to do so. Thank you, but NO! We used to buy cards for each other but really nothing else.
So... this morning in honor of Valentine's Day... I put a corned beef, potatoes, carrots, cabbage & a bottle of beer in the crockpot to have for dinner tonite. Ooops... guess I should've saved that for St. Patty's Day! Oh well! Corned beef & cabbage it is! We're going out with our friends again tonite to hear the Tijuana Gigolos (band). Another fun nite spent with friends & Gigolos... who could ask for more?! :o)
Be sure to give your honey a squeeze & tell 'em you love 'em!

John 3:16

God is Good...All the Time!!

2009-02-12T17:00:00.003-07:00

Tonite my daughter & her husband had a baby girl! I was halfway across the country -unable to be at the birth in person but they called as she was beginning to push... and five minutes later the doctor said, "It's a girl!" and the sweet cry of Madeline Claire was heard for the first time. I'm sure I heard angels singing at that moment! Baby Madeline weighs 6 lbs. 1 oz & is 19 1/2" long and has lots of dark hair!
Mommy & Daddy are doing well... I'm curious how the two older girls are going to react to a "real" baby - she's not just the baby in mommy's tummy anymore!
(obviously this picture of Madeline was taken just shortly after she was born... more to come!)

Stand Up and Say "Ah"

2009-02-11T18:30:00.005-07:00

My husband found this little article in the February 1947 edition of The Reader's Digest. I thought it was very interesting & worth passing along - considering this article was written more than 60 years ago! Almost Prophetic!

STAND UP AND SAY "AH"
Michael Wright in Better Homes & Gardens

This is how it is in Britain. The doctor got back to his office just at two o'clock. "How many?" he said to his nurse.
"Forty."
Casually, he put on his white jacket and poked his head into the waiting room where the 40 patients sat. "Will those of you troubled with headache please stand," he said.
Six stood. The doctor took identical printed prescriptions out of his desk and handed one to each of the six and dismissed them.
Then he said, "Will those of you troubled with a cough please stand." Another group got up, and again he handed them printed prescriptions and dismissed them.
The others he took one by one into his private office for a few minutes. Two hours later the office was empty, the 40 patients gone. This was an average of three minutes to a patient.
And that, Dr. Edward H. Ochsner of Chicago testified at the recent Wagner-Murray-Dingell bill hearings in Washington, is how it is with socialized medicine in Britain.
In Germany, where they also had a compulsory system, some doctors did even better - 30 to 40 patients in one hour.
This is how most doctors believe it will be here in America if our own womb-to-tomb compulsory health scheme becomes law.

Something to think about........

Mid-week -- Progress being made little by little

2009-02-11T09:15:00.008-07:00

In the last couple weeks I've been making a HUGE effort to reduce our waste (garbage). My recycling boxes have become fuller (plastics, glass, aluminum cans, newspaper) and our weekly garbage pick up has been reduced to 1 large paper bag of garbage. Hardly worth what I'm paying to have the garbage picked up but I'm sure the neighbors would frown on having my measily bag of garbage in their dumpsters! I have a few paper shopping bags to use for garbage...although I hate to kill trees just for the sake of not using those ^*#@ plastic bags! Since I've been using my recycled/fabric shopping bags I have very few plastic bags left... I've returned A LOT of them to the recycling box at WalMart, a local grocery store & a thrift store (they asked for them!). I'll save a few for the garage sale the end of March.

I'm currently looking for an inexpensive container to keep under the sink to put table scraps in before taking them to our compost pile. A large coffee can would work... but I don't buy coffee in cans - I buy organic/free trade coffee that comes in bags. Anyone have any ideas? Taking scraps to the compost pile isn't such a huge deal... but it's at the back of our yard & if there's snow I don't want to wade thru it to get to the pile... nor do I want to dodge the dog poop landmines. Yeah... I need to scoop poop, too! Should've done that yesterday! Maybe today.

I read recently that fluoride is NOT GOOD... and was needing toothpaste... so I bought some fluoride-free toothpaste & mouthwash. (I should get a water filter to put on the sink and also one for the shower to get rid of chlorine & fluoride. Apparently you can also absorb both chlorine & fluoride thru the skin!) I started buying sugar in the raw a while back... but have yet to get completely away from refined sugar altogether. I also must confess that I have almost an entire bag of white flour in the pantry, along with a large box of Jiffy mix. When they're gone - they're gone!

We typically have a rather late breakfast so early/mid-afternoon we've been having a fruit smoothie for lunch ... yogurt, strawberries, blueberries, banana, a squirt of Agave nector & some flax seed... a little ice & blend! So yummy, good for us & it holds us over until 6:00 when we have dinner!! We have a few pork items in the freezer... and just like the white sugar & flour - when they're gone - they're gone! No more pork. That does cause some problems with breakfast as we've been used to having bacon, sausage, or ham to make breakfast skillet meals (we have this a few times a week). We also prefer pork roast over beef roast... but there are other meat alternatives... turkey, venison, elk, lamb or buffalo are great!!! We do eat salmon & chicken quite often... should get in the habit of buying more fish and more vegetables. Another thing we're getting away from is "processed" foods - sandwich meat, certain cheeses, boxed "anything"... and really watching the labels of canned goods! SPLENDA is splashed all over the labels of canned fruit these days! Speaking of preservatives... I was looking thru my spices the other day & found a container of ACCENT! Remember this stuff? 100% MSG... SO BAD for you! I remember my mom always had this stuff in the spice cabinet! I hate to waste stuff... but I thru it in the garbage! Jerry thinks life will come to a halt without Lowry's Season Salt (no MSG) but I did buy a container of Sea Salt & have been using it... he's not complained or said he notices a difference... so that's a good thing?

Other than these few small changes... things are basically the same around here. Jerry's been listing & selling quite a few things on eBay. My downsizing continues... boxes are being filled with "garage sale" items to be sold at The Mother of all Garage Sales in March... and other boxes are being filled with things I can't seem to part with that will be taken with us to the cabin.

Just another day in paradise...

2009-02-08T20:25:00.003-07:00

Friday Jerry went to screen for another medical study. The study isn't for a couple weeks - and is 2 or 3 weekends - but the pay is good! Friday nite we heard two great bands... String Demons and The Dubious Brothers & Sister Red... and spent some quality time with our friends.

Saturday brought another gun show. I typically don't care for them (did you read my earlier post about gun shows?) but went anyway. I'm glad I did... as I ran into a gal I had grown up with, went to school & church with. Her husband was a vendor at the gun show so she was there to be with him. Jerry & I went to a couple antique stores & got a few little things... bargains I'm sure! Upon our return home we got dressed to go to a birthday dinner with friends and then to the home of other friends for a while. Two late nites!

This morning we went to breakfast at the home of one of our sons. We had a wonderful breakfast and enjoyed visiting with everyone who was there. At one point his girlfriend & I decided to make a quick shopping run... to a local *health food store* not far from their house. Homemade ice cream was waiting for us when we got back. Jerry & I were home by 5:30... and have been just hanging out watching some TV... and now "What About Bob?" (one of my favorite movies!).

These past few days I've been reading two books... kind of cross-referencing them I guess. "Natural Cures 'They' Don't Want You to Know About" by Kevin Trudeau and "The Maker's Diet" by Jordan Rubin. These are quite interesting... I'll be sharing some of the lifestyle changes we're making along the way. These are, of course, "baby steps" (in the infamous words of Bob Wiley - "What About Bob?").

It's been a slow week!

2009-02-05T09:19:00.002-07:00

I'm not complaining, mind you, just making note of it! Last weekend we traveled to the home of my father-in-law to spend time with family at the funeral of a dear uncle! He had been a SeaBee during WWII; the local Color Guard gave him a 21 gun salute & Taps was played as he was laid to rest. It was, of course, a sad time - but also time to reconnect with some of Jerry's cousins & other relatives.

Skeeter got to spend some quality time kenneled at the veterinarian's while we were gone & was VERY excited to be home. I don't know if he missed his tennis balls or me more!

Tuesday was auction night. Jerry bought some more stuff... but not a lot! eBay sales have been doing well so I can't really complain about that either!

Yesterday I finally knuckled under and called a local moving company to move our stacking washer/dryer out of the kitchen down to the basement. It was not an easy move for them by the sounds of it... but at least it's done! The washer/dryer has been sitting in the kitchen since we moved in - in November & we've been hauling our laundry to a launderette every week. Ugh! Our landlord came over & changed out the hoses & I did a load of laundry last night. Today is supposed to be REALLY nice, so I'll do a load of towels & hang them outside to dry in the sun! We moved the Hoosier cabinet into the space where the washer/dryer had been which made more room in the living/dining room.

Hopefully this trend will continue & the rest of the week / weekend will be calm.

Auctions and thrift stores...

2009-01-30T10:25:00.003-07:00

Holy Cow!!! This week has been crazy with auctions... topped off with a smattering of thrifting! We went to the usual Tuesday nite auction where Jerry found some things to sell on eBay: a couple vintage board games, vises, etc. People are always leaving boxes of unwanted items on tables or by the door - and others can dig thru them & pick out what they want! I found a wonderful wood salt shaker & pepper grinder - looked like they'd never been used! I also found a couple little Mexican pottery pieces.
Then Wednesday we went to a storage unit auction where I bought a set of pots & pans & a mixing bowl for son Dustin all for $14.00. I also bought for $3.00 a cute metal/wicker folding bookshelf. It folds up flat so it will be easy to pack & move!
Yesterday we went to our local Salvation Army! Jerry found several "how to" books, some "classics", a cool crystal that weighs almost 4 pounds, an antique soldering stick, a vintage First Aid Kit, a Boy Scout fly tying (?) kit and a bunch of little cruise ship paperweights that have a clock in them - all to sell on ebay. I also found a moose throw pillow made by Woolrich for 99 cents! And a brand new (NWT) set of three dish towels (I can always use more!). Those are keepers.
Later this afternoon there is another storage unit auction. It's mostly tools, I heard, so I don't know if we'll go or not.
One of the blogs I read had made mention of how expensive thrift stores are getting! I do agree on some items. A lot of housewares are priced "high" for items that are used. Most of the local thrift stores have their items priced about the same, although there is one which is part of a Catholic charity & their stuff is priced rather high I think. They do, however, have a nice selection of high end items and the shop is set up more like a boutique! It's a pleasure to shop there! Another favorie is the ARC which has great sales!
I'm hoping we're done auctioning & thrifting for a while... some of this stuff has to find new homes SOON!

My Handsome Soldier

2009-01-29T08:18:00.002-07:00

Here's a picture of my handsome soldier/son Alex... I had to snag it from his Facebook photos... I'm sure he won't mind!
He has been stationed in Iraq since last May (08). This is his second tour there and is supposed to be coming home in August.
Please keep our US Troops in your prayers!
Remember we are still the land of the FREE because of the BRAVE!