Back Yard Update

I realize this isn't interesting to anyone else but it provides me with a place to chronicle progress (or its lack) on our grow boxes and flower beds. Someday I hope to have some flowers in blossom all through the season, besides the marigolds. By recording pictures and notes I can get an idea of what blossom when and where there are empty spots in the garden and in the flowering schedule. I know I sound like such a Rasmussen, but I see that as a good thing!

Here's a picture of our grow boxes on May 13. (click on pics to enlarge)
Here's what the far one looks like today, June 15. I can't believe the growth. I counted 5 Roma
tomatoes already set on. We may actually have tomatoes to eat this year. I think we had fewer than 10 last year (not counting the cherry tomatoes). We have already harvested some of the baby spinach and lettuces in the front squares. Just on the other side of the tomatoes are sweet peppers and 2 different types of eggplant. I hope we like eggplant!

The next picture is of the same grow box only from the other end. You can see how big the potato plants, cabbage & broccoli are. I think I better cut off some of those big, outside leaves of the cabbages.
The picture below shows 2 of the tomatoes - still small, but growing! In the same square is a Walla-Walla onion, a marigold and a nasturtium. All are supposed to be good companion plants for tomatoes. For me a garden is all about the tomatoes, everything else is just icing on the cake. Nothing better than homegrown tomatoes. The radishes are ready to harvest. Our temps have been below normal - usually less that 70 degrees and overcast. That's been great for the radishes and peas. It's suppose to warm up later this week which will be good for the tomatoes. I've loved the coolness, but others grumbled because it didn't feel like summer.

In the picture with the radish (the middle grow box) you can see one of the squares where my carrots didn't grow, although they did in the square just below! Have since planted bush beans in that square (and 2 others). The other plants are beets. I made some roasted beet soup earlier this year that was to die for, so I'm planning on lots of beets for roasting.

I came up with the idea to plant peas in two hanging planters. That way when the hot days arrived we could move them into the shade to keep them cooler. I pictured the vines hanging down over the edge and I'd just pick a few while I was reading on the patio. Here's one of the baby peas on May 5.

The vines didn't fall over the side and seeds in the side holes didn't all sprout and we'll probably only get 15 peas from each pot so I wouldn't call this idea a big success. Live and learn.

This last picture is a banana pepper with a serano pepper behind it. You can see the little tops of the green onions between the two. Those huge leaves in the background are broccoli. Feed me, Seymour!

A Look Back - May

May was a month of sowing for us. Most of the days included caring for the yard and garden. We set up 3 new grow boxes and amended the soil in the 2 older boxes. Time was spent weeding, pruning, transplanting and sowing seeds.

I've written 2 posts about our yard make-over and will probably do an update with pictures in the next few days. The hope is that what we sowed will produce an abundant crop in the fall that we can share with family and friends. We may be checking for unlocked car doors in the church parking lot so we can unload some zucchini!

Overall, May was a great month. It was fun to work side-by-side with Candleman in the yard. There were several bad days, though. I had some of the worst flare-ups of arthritis and fibromyalgia that I've ever experienced. So bad that I considered going to the doctor. Luckily I made it through without having to takes such a desperate action. There were a couple days of depression. I really felt bad that I was depressed on Katie's birthday, but I told her how I was feeling and she was most gracious to accept a birthday dinner a few days later. Alyson was able to come home for a few days and that is always a treat.

Highlights

9th - A large group of family went to dinner at Canton City Buffet to celebrate Mother's Day. I have the best mother in all the world and rejoice in the blessing she has been to me. She is an inspirtation and model of a gracious hostess, a life long learner and a faithful follower of Christ.

12th - Katie's birthday. Holy cow! She's twenty!

15th - Julie Beth's birthday.

16th - Jennifer Rae's birthday. She turned 29 for the 5th time!

23rd-26th - Alyson and Kristi came up from Las Vegas. Kristi has been staying with Alyson for a couple of weeks looking for a job. It was so good to have them home.

25th - Memorial Day. Steve & Verona invited everyone to their house for a brunch. It was raining, but they pulled off a lovely breakfast. That evening we had a bbq are at house and played games afterwards.

30th - Susan Kay was in town. We had a bbq at Mom's house.

TV Shows: Amazing Race, Biggest Looser and 24 all ended this month.

Netfix Movies, Miniseries and TV Series: Australia, Victoria and Albert disc 1, Bramwell disc 1-3, Boston Legal season 1 and part of season 2

Movies in the Theater: Angels and Demons

Books Read: Bound, The Secret Keeper, The Vigorous Mind

Yard Update

Of course we didn't get everything finished that we wanted to on Candleman's day off, but we did accomplish quite a bit. If only he didn't have that church calling that takes him away on Tues. evenings. Let me rephrase that before I get struck by lightning - I wish that calling didn't require his presence on Tues; Wed. would be fine.We planted almost all the vegetables starts I bought from the nursery: 7 Roma tomatoes, 2 cherry tomatoes, 3 Siberian tomatoes, 1 tomatitillo, 4 cucumbers, 1 yellow squash, 1 zucchini, 1 butternut, 1 acorn, 1 eggplant, 6 red potatoes (for new potatoes & peas), 4 cabbage, 3 broccoli, 1 green bell pepper, 1 red bell, 1 yellow bell, 1 serano pepper, 1 Anaheim pepper, 1 banana wax pepper, several Walla-walla onions and lots of herbs (2 kinds of parsley, rosemary, sage, oregano, cilantro, basil, dill and 3 kinds of mint). And some marigolds. I hope our raised beds and square foot gardening will produce a good yeild.After the starts were all in place we planted seeds in the unused squares: radish, carrots, a different type of eggplant, peas, beets, 4 types of lettuce, swiss chard, spinach and green onions. We still have some garlic and leeks. Will probably plant those by the roses. Oh yea, I bought an unplanned for cantaloupe that we still need to decide where in the flower beds it will go.

Our little 4x4' gardens from previous years are still being put to use. This year they will have tomato and 1 tomatillo plant along the outside so they can be trellised to the wire. In the middle are the acorn and butternut squash.
In the top picture you will notice the lattice we attached to the existing fence. We attached 5 lattices for 5 different clematis plants. In front of each clematis will be a rose to provide the shade that the clematis roots like. So far we have just one rose and 1 clematis planted. In the picture you see the first bud of the Barbara Streisand rose - it's suppose to have light pink/lavender blooms, so I'll be watching to see if this red turns. That little blurry green behind the rose is an King Edward VII clematis. It may be years til it blossoms! When Candleman finished planting the rose he said, "I just burried Barbara Streisand and that felt pretty good!" I bought it for the color of the rose and the fact that it is suppose to be very fragrant, not particularly for the name; though I like Barbara. The reason we are doing the 5 clematis along that fence is to block the view into our neighbors yard. It's a mess - big time.

I asked Candleman to move the weeping cherry because it was right where the roses and clematis needed to be. He thought I was crazy. Not the first time he's thought that. I've learned to live with it and he's learned to satisfy my crazy requests. So the tiny weeping cherry (that's been in the backyard by the white fence for 6 years) was moved next to the front porch. I think it will show itself off better next to the brick than it did against the white fence, especially in the spring when it is covered in white blossoms. It's that tiny weeping 'tree' next to the porch. It doesn't even reach the window. This may be has tall as it will ever get, which makes it perfect for it's new home. You can see the tree in it's old place by looking at the 2nd picture in this post.I also wanted to show our gorgeous crabapple. It has a double pink blossom and is providing me with awesome glances as I walk through the house and catch a glimpse out the window. All the other crabapples in the area did not bloom worth a darn this year, including the one in our backyard. Interesting. The tree actually looks pinker than it shows in the picture.

Another project that Candleman has chosen to undertake - he wants to turn the side lawn(?) into a berry patch. He bought a boysenberry and 2 blackberry bushes to go here. I'll be found sitting in this patch reading and eating berries. Oh, yum! I hope they do well in our zone. They say they will. We'll see.

There was an extremely large amount of work to be done this year in the yard. Hopefully, next year we will just be able to sit back and enjoy it all. There will be the raking, weeding and watering (a sprinkling systems sounds good). And of course, we'll need to plant new veggies, but that sounds like a cinch after this year.

If you've inadvertently stumbled on this post, I hope you are enjoy your outdoors time and the lovely spring weather. And I hope the wind is blowing where you are. I am so-o-o tired of the wind this spring.

Yard & Garden Make-Over

This is when the professionals step forward and fix our backyard problems, right? Wrong. This make-over is being undertaken by two amateurs. What problems are we talking about? Not that many really except that we wanted a garden and there wasn't a spot in our yard that received enough sunlight.

Our solution, after discussing all options, was to cut down the apple tree. The apples weren't worth saving - they never ripened on the tree, instead falling off the tree before they were ripe. The hard part was giving up the shade.

Here's a before picture, taken in 2005.














The tree in question is NOT the one holding up the hammock and Candleman, but the one in the back corner that is hard to see because it's blocked by the Linden, but you can see that it's been a fixture of the yard for years (over 25).

As I look at this picture I notice many changes we had made before cutting down the apple tree. The bridal wreath bush and lilac bush on the left side are gone.


Let's jump ahead nearly 4 years to this spring. This picture certainly doesn't look as green and inviting as the first picture. Keep in mind this is the start of spring, leaves aren't out on the trees and, well, the apple tree is gone. You can barely see the stump in the lower right hand corner. The green cage thing is one of four that Candleman set up for the compost. Just to the left of Candleman's leg is our little weeping cherry tree. (it's mentioned in the post above)

Below is Candleman with his helper Megan and her mother Jen (Jeff is in school). They are unloading the squares that will make a nice walkway between the garden boxes.













As of this writing, all three boxes have been assembled and put in place, along with a wooden frame under each box and a plywood aisle between the gardens. These will later be covered with the stone blocks from above.

In the picture below, Candleman and John are working on a watering sytem that Candleman designed to make watering easier on me. I will only have to snap the hose on a pipe on the corner of one box and it will send water to soaker hoses laid out in all three boxes. I love it! Thank-you, Candleman, you are truly amazing!

Here's a picture I took 2 days ago that shows our 3 boxes filled with amazing soil - a mixture of perlite, peat moss and compost. Candleman has been very busy the last week. The box on the left sits right on top of where the apple tree was.

Things that still remain to be done: attach the soaker hoses to the water pipe and arrange them on top of the soil, lay the cement blocks, plant the veggies (fun part!) and mow the lawn.

Whoops, almost forgot - the soil in our already existing square gardens needs to be ammended before we can plant veggies there. Hopefully, we get it all done this Tuesday on Candleman's day off.

Finally, a picture of the compost heap. He used a lot in the gardens. The rest will go to amend the little square gardens and all the flower beds. I've already added some to new flowers I've planted, but the rest of the garden soil is very pathetic. Hopefully, the added compost will help the flowers grow prettier.

April Afterthoughts

It's just a few days into May, okay 10 days and my time might be better spent jotting down notes about May, but I'm still going to make a brief review of April.

Mostly it's going to be brief because not much happened other than my regular, day-to-day activities.

4,5 - General Conference - Even though I didn't catch all the talks I really enjoyed the ones I heard.

10 - Easter egg dyeing at Mother's house. Susan, Jason, Rachel, Robbie were in town. We played games several evenings.

15 - We sent our tax forms off just in the nick of time!

22 - We hosted a family barbeque to celebrate Mom's birthday.

23 - Mom turns 87 years old. She is still amazing - running circles around her kids and keeping up with the grandkids!

26 - Faith Denzer's farewell. She leaves on the 29th to the Uruguay Mission with a brief stopover in Argentina for language training. She is going to be a wonderful missionary.

TV series watched on TV:
24, Season 7 - I succumbed. Couldn't wait for it to be released on Netflix.
The Amazing Race
The Biggest Looser

TV series from Netflix:
Northern Exposure - finished Season 4
Wonderfalls Season 1 _watched the 1st episode and decided we'd had enough of that one.
1940's House - a family had to live in a home that was set up like it was really the 1940's. They had to build a bomb shelter, black over their windows because of Germany invasions. They experienced the rationing, grew a victory garden and all the other things experienced by families during the war. It was quite amazing and worth wathcing.

Movies from Netflix: Chaos Theory

Books Read:
The Whitatker Family by Shirley A. Roe
You've Been Warned by James Patterson
Belong to Me by Marisa De Los Santos
Life Sentences by Laura Lippman
The Sinful Life of Lucy Burns by Leiknes
Artemis Fowl Book One by Eoin Colfer
The Angry Smile (nonfiction, self-help)
Among the Mad by Jacqueline Winspear
Stone Cold by David Baldacci
Equal Rites by Terry Pratchett

My Favorite Book Read: Among the Mad
Least Favorite: The Sinful Life of Lucy Burns

Overall impressions: April was more unsettled this spring than I think it usually is. Some beautiful, warm days thrown in with many cold, windy, rainy days. I have had fun planning for our vegetable gardens, which I'll post about soon. It was a quiet month, which is always restful and appreciated. Typically I have my most severe depressions in April, but this year I only experienced a few days at the beginning of the month and a few more towards the end. They were ugly, but so much shorter than I feared they might be. For that I rejoice.

Looking Back At March

I don't have much to write about my March activities. As you read this you may draw a parallel between this small post and driving through a small town - "Don't blink or you might miss it!"

5-8 ~ Alyson was visiting from SLC. The 5th is her birthday!

18 ~ Saw Coraline with Katie. Enjoyed our evening out together and loved the show.

26-30 ~ Candleman, Kristi and Katie helped Alyson move to her new apartment in Las Vegas. Aly has a new job.

Books: Read 9 books. My favorites were Skeletons at the Feast, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.

Movies: Coraline (Katie and I listened to this book together when we drove to Colorado before Jeff was born in 2001. It was a neat experience to discuss this book with my then 12-yr-old daughter. I reread it several years later. I felt the they did a good job of capturing the essence of the book, but I am glad I read the book first.)

TV: 24, The Biggest Looser, The Amazing Race (Jenny and I have a fun tradition that started during the last season of The Amazing Race. She leaves the kids home with John and comes to my house so we can't watch it in peace and quiet.)

Netflix: Eureka Season 1 and 2, Northern Exposure (I think we're on Season 4)

Overall Impression: Much like a small town, what you can see isn't all there is. It was a good month. There were several warm, sunny days and about as many cold, dismal (weatherwise) days. I didn't write anything in my gratitude journal, but I feel extremely blessed. This is the first March since Alyson was born that I wasn't depressed. I remember most years dreading her birthday because I hurt from depression and could hardly drag myself through a regular day, let alone try to make the day special for my sweet little daughter. This year I was excited about it and so grateful to know that feeling. Hooray for March 2009!

"Oh, Bother!"

It seems appropriate to quote that honey-loving Pooh Bear when it comes to KFC's Honey Sauce. That's right, HONEY SAUCE. I don't know how long KFC has been pawning off this little package of deception since I don't like honey and don't put their honey on my biscuits.

Last night we were sitting at the table eating our chicken when my daughter noticed that those little packets said Honey Sauce and not just Honey. Then she read the ingredient list: the first is high fructose corn syrup! Followed by sugar and then honey! Honey is the 3rdingredient. Was there ever a time that KFC served straight honey in these little pouches or has it always been a lie?

I realize that this is technically not a lie or a fraud on the the masses because it is clearly labeled as honey sauce, not honey. But it feels like a rip off plain and simple.

Of course, we are getting used to these types of things. We've watched the size of candy bars shrink while the prices continue to increase. Today's Hershey bar looks like the old 3-ounce bar but it's only 1.5 ounces. They haven't changed the height or the width, but they have made it a lot thinner, but the price is well padded. And then they add

Where these marketing tactics really infuriate me is when I'm cooking. The recipe calls for a 28-oz bottle of spaghetti sauce but you can only buy spaghetti sauce in 26-oz bottles.

I realize prices are increasing for the manufacturers, too. I just don't want them to water down, decrease size and all-in-all ruin

February 2009 - In Hindsight*

Not much to report really. Everyday sort of blended into the next and before I knew it February was over. I haven't had that regular bout of depression that usually menaces me in the winter until late spring. This may the first year ever that I haven't been depressed on Alyson's birthday which is still a few days off, but I'm usually dreading how I'm going to make it a good day for her.
Anyway, back to February . . .

1 - John, Jen and the kids came over. Candleman made pancakes. Some watched the Superbowl.

4 - Shaneen's birthday.

6 - Katie and I watched Made of Honor.

9 - Naomi D stopped by this morning with breakfast from McDonald's. We had a good, long visit before she headed back to the city. She had a long weekend off work and came out by herself to visit her family.

13- Candleman and I drove out to Home Depot in Park City to pick up some interior doors for the upstairs rooms. We listened to Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell and a little bit of The Secret by Rhonda Byrne. We shared some good conversation time, too.

13 - Mark's birthday.

28 - Steve's birthday.

We had some sad news - Ronnie's mother passed away, so our hearts were heavy for him and Kristi.

Goals - I've been trying to cook more of our evening meals and, although I'm not doing great, I am doing better than I have in years.

Movies - Secret Life of Bees, Made of Honor

TV series - I watched episodes 1-8 of 24 on the computer and episode 9 on TV. Amazing Race started its new season and I've been watching Biggest Looser. From Netflix - Candleman and I have watched Shark (it only lasted for 2 seasons!), Eli Stone (season 1), Northern Exposure (season 3). Most of the ones from Netflix are carryovers from previous months.

Books - Still Life, Incomplete Revenge, The Tipping Point, Singer of All Songs, Seeing Redd, The Secret, Midori, I Feel Bad about My Neck, The Edge of Winter, Nutcase.

A few things I mentioned in my Gratitude Journal - My mother, cheese, car, book darts, tried-and-true recipes, warm fuzzies, meaningful movies, toilet tissue, Microsoft Office Word 2007, dictionary, my computer, audio books, Dryers Lime Fruit Bars, bed linens, home, music, my new library, words, traveling, Candleman.

*Quote - "...the problem with hindsight is that you never have it until after you need it." --- from Crossed by Nicole Galland

January 2009 Review

I usually think of January as cold, dreary and dull; days dragging and spirits gray as the skies. January 2009 has been so different from that. I have felt healthy for the most part with only a few fibromyalgia flare-ups. My mind and moods have been clear and happy. We've had some good heavy snow storms followed by days and days of sunshine. The sunshine reflects off the snow and fills the house with light.

Most days were filled with reading, blogging, watching TV and routine duties. There were a few days that stood out from the rest.

20 - Carpet was laid in my new library and we moved the furniture in. I am so happy with the results. Over the next few days I moved my books to the shelves and arranged and

rearranged them until I was satisfied. I was able to add some nick-nacks that we bought on our Newfoundland trip. These items had been stored away until now, so it was fun to open them and have fun memories rekindled.

20 - Steve & Verona had a girl from Moldova staying with them. The night before she flew back to her country she prepared a big meal for our families and some fo the Winklers. The food was very different that what we are used to. She prepared 3 different salads - one with bologna, carrots, beets, potatoes, corn; one with dill pickles and chicken liver; and one with corn, eggs, crabmeat. Each item was was cut to nearly the same size - a small little cube. She also fixed borcht and chicken noodle soup. The borcht was delicious. The flavor of the chicken noodle was very different from American flavors and I didn't care for it. Luda came to Vernal to work at McDonald's. She lived in the house across the street from Steve & Verona. When she was able to extend her stay in Vernal, she moved into their home.

23 - Annie had surgery. She had 3 lumps in her breast removed that were in stage 3 cancer. The doctors feel like she will be fine. She still needs to go through radiation and chemotherapy. We had all beens so concerned and are happy that she is going to be okay.

25,26 - Wayne visited from Virginia. Every January he has a dental convention in SLC that he attends. He is able to go skiing and visit family, too. Sunday evening Mom and her Vernal kids had a real good visit with Wayne. Monday night several of us went to Mom's to enjoy sloppy-joes that were left over from the Aug Petersen reunion. We enjoyed lots more visiting and a game of 6-dice.

30 - Mom took us to lunch at JB's. This has become an annual event to celebrate all the winter birthdays - mine, Verona's, Steve's and Shaneen's. This was the first year Myke was able to join us. We had some good food and some good visiting.

Poo Poo Paper?! For Reals?

A Look Back to Something I Can Still Remember

One month ago was Christmas and I wanted to record the presents I received and some of those I gave. I have two reasons for doing this: First, it will remind me next year who of my siblings and Candleman's siblings we gave to last year. Hopefully, that will make it easier to figure out who we give to in 2009. In both families we give to the person just younger than us, the next year two younger, and so on. For the life of me, I can't remember from year to year who gave to us or who we gave to. Maybe this will help. The second reason is to share with you the fun things we received.

Let's start with the MOST interesting present. Actually, I thing it's a safe bet to say that this is the MOST interesting present either of us have ever received. My brother and his wife, who live near DC, sent us each a journal made out of elephant poo poo paper! Here's the excerpt that helps sell the journals at their online bookstore: Be number one at doing number two with this ecologically responsible product. Help save Asian elephants and their habitat in Thailand by using 100% handmade, recycled “poo poo” paper made from eco-friendly elephant dung. The label says they are made from 100% Recycled and Odorless Paper Products Made from Elephat Poo! (The exclamation point is theirs.) Isn't that a hoot? Everyone at our Christmas Eve gathering at Mom's house got a big kick out of it. The paper is really pretty with a nice texture and absolutely no smell. I think it's a marvelous 'green' idea. They also gave us cute pens and an eco quiz game. Thanks, Wayne & Susan. We love it!

My Mom gave us some baggies filled with yummy mixes, along with recipes, for our food storage. There's a Cheesy Potato Soup, Raspberry Muffin Mix, Honey Wheat Pancakes and Tomato Powder, which you can add water to and make tomato paste or sauce. In fact, all you need to add to any of the mixes is water. As if that was not enough there was also a crisp bill so we could buy more food storage. She also included a 52-week buying plan for 2 people for a one-year supply of food. This is a most welcome present with the economy looking so sad. Thanks, Mom.

Candleman's brother and his wife gave us a set of Bocce boules (Italian for balls). We lent them a set that got chipped. Seems the grandkids had fun throwing them at the rock wall. I'll bet that was fun! Anyway we got a nice new set. YAY! Thanks Brad and Wendy. (Note to reader: if you haven't ever played Bocce you may want to check out the rules HERE. It's a fun outdoor game for 2 or more players. Two, four or eight people (or teams) can play with 8 balls. Borrow another set from a brother or nephew if there are more players.

Okay, I need to write shorter descriptions, or better still, write a list.

Presents to me
*from Jenny & John - a nice Nativity - carved from wood & similar to Willow Tree but even cuter.
*from Kristi & Ron - an Amazon.com gift certificate so I can buy music for my iPod and 1/2 box Frango mints Mmmm-Mmmm.
*from Alyson - an electronic picture frame filled with pictures of family.
*from Katie - an Amazon gift certificate (Yay, more songs), a long magnetic notepad and 1/2 box Frango mints.
*from Candleman - okay, I am totally embarrassed at how spoiled I am. All I asked for was a new window in my future library. Instead I got a completely finished library - new paint, carpet AND window with new bookshelves, a new desk and flat screen tv. And since my birthday is 5 days after Christmas all this counted as presents for that, too. Candleman did a fantastic job of building and finishing up this cozy little room for me.
*from my visiting teachers - a bottle of blackberry syrup.

Gifts given:
I've already forgotten. Which is a good thing because it is time to end this post!

Remembering Summer

Today I became a thief. First, I stole the idea for this post from Alison over at We're All Mad Here. I thought it was such a great idea for this dreary January day. Secondly, I stole this picture of a scrapbook page made and posted on Alyson's Scrpabook blog. I hope I'll be forgiven because of the coincidence that both wronged people have the same name. Makes sense to me.

The second Alyson is my daughter and this page features pictures of my granddaughter on the hammock in our backyard. I love laying on that hammock, looking at the sky and meditating on the meaning of all things.

Oh, Happy Day!

My library is ready (just about) to receive my books. I'm very excited and so, of course, I wanted to share it with the whole wide world. That means the 3 or 4 of you who read my blog. Love ya!

Last night Candleman and I stayed up until 11:00 finishing up painting the last coat on trim and doors. This morning at 9:00 the carpet layers came and banged around for 30 minutes. I slept right through it. Oh, I was aware of the noise but I couldn't roust myself from my coma-like sleep.

After lunch John and Candleman moved the furniture from where it had been stored for the last week in the living room. The 'little' desk I bought for me was a bit bigger than expected (and yes, I measured at the furniture store and had a blueprint of the room, too - what can I say - slight mistakes happen when I use a measuring tape! ) So they had to rearrange and rearrange, but eventually we settled on a plan that looks great and is very functional.

Then they hung up my flat-screen tv. It looks good. Candleman had to run to the store to get some cable stuff and then pick Katie up from work, so we haven't been able to test the picture yet or the possible glare from the window.

While he was gone RC Wiley's delivered the desk hutch and little drawer unit for the VCR, DVD, DVR, etc to sit on. When Candleman gets home we can hook up all the electronic stuff for the tv and computer. Both the cats have investigated the room thoroughly. Nally came in and rolled around on the carpet, luxuratingly. Itty Bitty has climbed on every shelf and tops of the bookshelves. He was quite impressed that he could look out side from his high perch.

There are 3 bookshelves, so I'm hoping to have room for all my books (Candleman has way too many so his are going to have to wait til his room gets finished in the basement.) The carpet is a deep maroon and the walls are 'linen' with white trim. It's a small little room - not quite 9' x 10' but it's going to be pleasant enough for a library/study for me.

Tomorrow we'll work on hooking up the printer, external hard drive and a few other electronic devices connected to the desk and computer. And, of course, putting books and a few momentoes on the shelves. We finally get our dining room table back.

Thank heaven for our good backyard neighbor (also, our son-in-law) for all his help. We would never have got the furniture arranged or the tv installed without him. It's nice to have the second room of our multi-room fix-up done.

Kreativ Blogger Award

This a dual-post. Which means I posted it on A Reader's Journal as well as here.

Tamara from Thyme for Tea has awarded me the Kreativ Blogger Award. I feel so honored because I don't usually feel very creative. She did say that the hats I crochet entered into her decision to choose me. I didn't think it could be my way with words!

Tamara lives in Australia where she gardens, reads, speaks French, exercises and blogs. Isn't the technoworld great that we can communicate with people from all over the world. I love it!

Now along with the award, there's a meme. I have to complete this and forward the award to others. Here goes:

7 things I've done before
1. Taught high school biology, chemistry and study skills
2. Gave birth to four daughters
3. Drove from Utah to St. John's, Newfoundland (ferries were involved)
4. Attended kindergarten in San Fransico
5. Won a contest by holding the most grapes in mouth
6. Kissed a boy nonstop for over 2 hours (it was a dare) and (he was my boyfriend at the time)
7. Lived through two serious car accidents

7 things I do now
1. Crochet
2. Read
3. Travel
4. Hug my grandchildren
5. Play 6-dice or Farkle
6. Watch TV series on DVD
7. Blog

7 things I want to do
1. Visit Denmark, Sweden and Norway
2. Reduce the number of books on my shelves that I have not read
3. Finish remodeling my house
4. Sell more of my hats and scarves (enough to pay for the yarn I've bought!)
5. Loose weight
6. Live as long as my husband
7. Go on many more driving tours of the U.S. and Canada

7 things that attract me to the opposite sex
Since I've been married for 36 years, I'm going to list what still attracts me to Candleman.
1. Good kissing, hugging . . .
2. The way he smells after showering, shaving and applying after shave
3. Integrity
4. Love of learning
5. A love of Christ and a gratitude for His many gifts to the world.
6. Enjoys driving long distances and seeing new places
7. He's a loving, kind and wise Husband, Father, Grandfather, Son-in-law, Brother, Friend, and Person.

7 Favorite Foods
1. Bakeapple berries
2. Blackberries
3. Pomegranates
4. Chocolate Mint Truffles
5. Corn on the Cob
6. Salmon
7. The Borscht made at the Russian Restaurant in Chicago and my Mom's chili

7 things I Say Most Often:
1. Yes, I'd like a 3pc chicken select meal with apple dippers instead of fries and a diet coke.
2. Thank-you
3. Will you bring me . . .
4. I never win at this game
5. Do you want an ice cream bar?
6. All these channels and nothing worth watching!
7. Hello, pillow

And now the seven people I would like to tag for this award and meme: Tamara wrote such nice things about all the people she elected for this award, but I'm just going to list my choices.

Katie from Into the Rush and Katie's Scraps (such cute, creative scapbook pages)
Alyson from In Nuce and Alyson's Scrapbook (more cute, creative scapbook pages)
Julie from Mes Bijoux
Framed from Life's a Picture and Framed and Booked
Cyndi from Yeah, I like it too
Cardine from Cardine's Blog
Alison from We're all mad hereK

Our Oregon Trip

If anyone's interested in reading or seeing some pictures from the trip Candleman, Mom and I just took to Oregon, you can do so by going to The Folks Aren't Home. I wrote these posts for my benefit, so please don't feel like you HAVE to visit it.

Win One of My Handmade Beanies!

The Giveaway is hosting a drawing for two of my crocheted beanies. I hope you will stop over there for a browse and enter the contest while you're at it. If you aren't into stocking caps yourself, consider one for a gift.

Picture Tag

Alyson from In Nuce tagged me for this while I was on vacation in Oregon. The idea is to post the 4th picture in the 4th file of your 'My Pictures' folder. Mine is of the Bloom Master building in Vernal, UT. They are the people who invented pots with hole in the sides. Their store is so beautiful. It's a shame that my camera doesn't show it as great as it looked in real life.

Here's another picture of the front. The flowers in front of the windows look like bushes, but they are really plants flowing out of the sides and over the tops of these Bloom Master planters.

In this folder of pictures I also have a couple of Vernal's Main Street that I'm going to share. It takes your breath away with its hanging baskets and arrangements of planters. It may be the prettiest main street in the U.S.

Big Chocolate Disappointment

I didn't think I would ever use the words chocolate and disappointment in the same sentence, but that describes my feelings after visiting the renown Moonstruck Chocolate Cafe in Portland. I skipped dessert at Papa Hayden's, which boast 22 scrumptious looking desserts, in favor of a mint chocolate truffle from Moonstruck. Guess what, they didn't have one mint chocolate truffle - not in milk chocolate, white chocolate, or my preference, dark chocolate. I couldn't believe it. That is just wrong! They said it's not the season and that they would have some around Christmas. I settled on 2 pieces of chocolate that cost $2.50 each. Neither was anything to get excited about.

In all fairness, I did not try their famous root beer flavored milkshake made from white chocolate ice cream or their hot cocoa which is supposed to be delicious, so I can't say it they would have lived up to their promise or not. All I can say is that I won't be going back. Instead I will look for a Macy's and buy a box of their impossible-to-beat Frango mints.

Picture Tag

Alyson tagged me for this fun activity, but this picture is actually NOT from my computer so I'm not really counting this. The idea is to select the 4th picture from the 4th folder in your My Pictures folder. Since I'm on vacation in Oregon this week I followed those requirements on Candleman's laptop - just to see if we pick the same picture or not. I wonder if it's like two people following the same recipe and coming up with something completely different.

So we'll see what picture Candleman posts when he does this tag . . .

I'm sorry to say that I did not crop the picture, but it's late and I'm in a hotel room and I'm not that familiar with Candleman's computer.

Some of my siblings may recognize the hotel as a place you stayed in 2002. It's the Best Western in Lakeview, OR. The little building on the right that looks like a gas station without pumps is the fabulous Mexican restaurant where Mom, Candleman and I ate dinner. Candleman said it was the best Mexican food he has ever eaten. He can't wait for a free weekend when he and my brother can zip up there and return home. I told him that would be one very expensive dinner! Seriously, the food was great.

The Last of My Kitchen Desktop

During our basement remodeling, Candleman and I have had to give up our desks, but not our computers. Our computers have been moved to the kitchen table, which means we've also had to give up inviting all the kids and grand kids over for dinners or games. In the summer it wasn't so bad because we could use the picnic tables outside.

My table/desk serves as a bookshelf (a flat space to stack my books) until I could get my new books, either mooched or from publishers entered into my LibraryThing. It serves as my study area as I read and plan for our upcoming trip to Oregon. That naturally requires travel books, brochures and atlases to be ready and at hand. And when I need a place to add fringe to my crocheted scarves, this substitute desk has served me well.

Saturday evening I gathered yarn and some of my crocheted scarves so I could add fringe to them during conference on Sunday. Later I checked my email and there was a note from the owner of The Giveaway. I am signed up to giveaway two of my crocheted hats later this month. In the email she asked me to answer some questions and to submit a picture of my work area as it looked at that very moment. No cheating. The above picture is the result. What a mess!

Our family room is now ready for us. The dining table will be cleared off and life will return to some semblance of normalcy. The TV will be moved out the the living room. My current crochet project, yarn and hooks will all be moved. Our living room may stay clean. Dare I hope?!

I should be excited, but I'm not really. Right now everything I need is within short distances of each other - the bathroom, bedroom, my books and yarn, computer, tv, kitchen, snacks - and all on the same floor. Who knows, maybe I'll loose weight running up and down the stairs getting another skein of yarn, running to the bathroom, getting a snack, etc., etc. All that stuff will be upstairs while the computer and tv will be downstairs.

I've decided I want a smaller house!

May, June, July and August - A Glimpse at the Past

I'm sure this review would have been easier to write if I'd done each month as soon as they were finished, but it still shouldn't be too hard. I probably wouldn't even bother trying to catch up but Framed said she wasn't going to post about her cruise to Canada until I did. Since I haven't heard a single word about her trip and I'm dying to, I accepted the blackmail.

So Framed . . . Please post something about your trip!

May
1 - Started another blog called An Eater's Journal.

2-7 - Aly came to town for a weekend visit. She had some car troubles and was stranded here a few more days. I was kind of glad about it.

5 - Jen and Kate crashed while 4-wheeling. Luckily no one was badly hurt.

12 - Katie's 19th birthday. My how time has flown. Nineteen years ago our little surprise bundle was delivered and she's brought us joy ever since.

24-26 - Susan and Julie came from Cedar City and Mark from SLC and Cassie from SLC. We all gathered at Mom's for Memorial Day breakfast.

Books Read:
Did I Expect Angels by Kathryn Maughan
The Light Fantastic by Terry Pratchett
House of Secrets by Jeffery S. Savage
Garden of Beasts by Jeffery Deaver

June
Well, since neither Framed nor Katie wrote anything that happened to me in their June recaps, there's nothing I can steal. And I certainly don't remember anything happening!

Books Read:
Odd Hours by Dean Koontz

July
1-3,5 - Katie performed in the Outlaw Trail production of Annie. She was great! So personable and she sings wonderfully.

4 - our annual 4th of July b-b-q and celebrations were great. At least I enjoyed them.

5 - Alyson came home and went to Annie with Grandma Rae, Cassie Jo, Candleman and I.

13 - Candleman turns 58! He must of robbed the cradle because his darling wife isn't anywhere near that old.

14-17 - Candleman and Steve drove Mom & I to Duchesne where we met up with Mark who drove us to Cedar City. Candleman & Steve drove off into the sunset and were not heard from again until very late that night.
Mom, Mark and Susan Kay went to a couple of Shakespeare plays. We enjoyed a couple of meals with Julie and Cassie and a couple with all the relatives from northern Utah. It was a great few days.

26 - Katie moves to Layton to room with Alyson.

Books Read:
When Twilight Burns by Colleen Gleason

August
1,2 - Petersen Family Reunion in Vernal

22-24 - Aly & Katie home for a visit.

Books Read:
Far World: Water Keep by J. Scott Savage

April In Review

It's been a uneventful month, for the most part. Only a few highlights:
28 - 30: My brother and his wife were in town from Virginia. They were in Utah for their son's master degree graduation. We had some good visiting time. It was great having them there to confer with about the sale of Mom's house and land. She has two people offering to buy. No decision has been made yet.
28: Started a food/recipe blog. Check it out at An Eater's Journal.

TV series watched on DVD
Finished off series five of Monk
House
Foyle's War
Rosemary and Thyme

Books Read
Messenger of Truth by Jacqueline Winspear
Sixpence House: Lost in a Town of Books by Paul Collins
Crossed Bones by Carolyn Haines
Anne of Avonlea by L.M. Montgomery
The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents by Terry Pratchett
The Carpet People by Terry Pratchett
The Colony of Unrequited Dreams by Wayne Johnston
Hippopotamus Pool by Elizabeth Peters

April was a bit disappointing because I expected spring and only received fleeting glimpses. There's still the promise though, because tulips and daffodils are blooming even though it's still chilly.

March Recap

Highlights
March 1 - Candleman and I continued on our quest for sunshine and warmth in Arizona. We drove from Cameron to downtown Phoenix where we picked up a Hard Rock pin for Candleman's collection. (Crazy, I know!) People were streaming in from all directions to the U.S Airways Center for a Phoenix Sun's game. Next we went to Mesa to see the LDS temple. It was much more impressive than in the pictures. We drove on to Tuscon to spend the night.

March 2 - We woke up to fields of saguaro cacti and the most amazing desert I've ever seen. When I think desert, I think dry, red or brown soil, only small growing things spaced many feet apart - basically - BARREN. The Sonora was lush with growing things, at least in the spring. We spent the morning at the Desert Museum. It was totally amazing. That afternoon we drove to Sunshine to visit Candleman's sister, Norma and her husband Victor. The last time we saw them was when they visited for Thanksgiving in 1989 when Katie was only a baby. It was so good to see them. We could have visited for hours/days, but we had limited time. Drove on to Kingman for the night.

March 3 - It was on to Hoover Dam, then a drive along side Lake Meade, onto St. George and finally to Cedar City. Dinner with Susan, Julie, Jason, Audree, Porter and Brooke at Bajitos. I had a tasty flauto. Lots of fun visiting, too.

March 4 - Mom, Candleman and I drove to Brigham City to visit with Aunt Carol and Pam. Uncle Gordon passed away in Feb and I was unable to attend so it was good to offer our condolences. Mom stayed the night with Carol. We went to Layton to wish Alyson a happy birthday. She's 30. We took her and a friend to dinner at McGraths.

March 5 - Candleman got up earlier than me and went to pick Mom up, then came back and picked me up. We visited the Hobby Lobby in Layton and I couldn't get over the variety of decorating stuff they had. I am definitely going back there when all our remodeling is done. We drove on home, arriving about 4:30. It was a wonderful trip. Some of the snow had melted, but there was still plenty more and it was in the low 30's. Moan! Spring is going to come, isn't it?

March 10 - Katie started her job at Andrea Flemming's Day Care today

March 11 - Even though Candleman is retired he feels too young to not to have a job. He started working today as a oilfield roustabout for Circle D.

March 30 - Snowed all day; big heavy snowflakes. And it was cold!

March 31 - Yesterday's snow all melted, but there is still some from earlier that needs to go!


DVDs
Psych
More Monk
Hamish McBeth
Enchanted
I Am Legend

Books Read
Never Have Your Dog Stuffed by Alan Alda
Far North by Will Hobbes
The Collectors by David Baldacci
Gossamer by Lois Lowry
Cross Bones by Kathy Reichs
Homeless Bird by Gloria Whelan
Bones to Pick by Carolyn Haines
Crossed by Nicole Galland
Anne of Avonlea by L.M. Montgomery
River Secrets by Shannon Hale
Lady Killer by Lisa Scottoline
Maps of Bones by James Rollins
Yellowknife by Steve Zipp
The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

In My Pink House . . .

"In my pink house there's a hockey table," says my 4-year-old granddaughter. "My father's name is King Noah and my mother's name is Karen." King Noah has a swirly, Bugsy mustache. Even though her parents tell her that King Noah (from the Book of Mormon) is a bad guy, she says, "Not my dad, King Noah. In my pink house he's a nice guy."

Can you believe the imagination? I think it's amazing and absolutely darling.

In her pink house, Megan has a big, pink, 4-wheel drive, Ford truck. And since her pink house is in Canada she can look out the window and see the Puffins. (her Papa and Grandma took a trip to Newfoundland and brought her back a toy Puffin)

But everything about the pink house is not wonderful. For example in her pink house she has a brother that is very mean. (I guess that means that her brother in real life isn't mean?) And her mother, Karen, died. :-(
But she has a new mother. It's Hannah Montana!

We have to be careful in learning about her pink house. If we ask she gets very protective with the information, but if we happen to be talking, she may slip and reveal something. The other Monday night, Megan, Jeff and their real Mom were over visiting. Mom mentioned that it was getting too late and they would have to have Family Home Evening tomorrow night. Megan, who was coloring at the kitchen table, said, "In my pink house we have FHE every night.

Used to be that I felt deprived that I didn't have a stuffed animal to sleep with as a child, or an imaginary friend. I thought maybe I could make one up. But would it be the same if I KNEW that he was imaginary? Now I wish I'd had an imaginary house. Oh, what fun that would have been. Now I just hope that Megan holds on to her house in the clouds for several more years. (or forever)

February! *A Month in Review*

I am a bit slow in getting this posted. Hopefully, late is better than not-at-all.
Highlights:
Feb 4 - New LDS church presidency announced with Thomas B. Monsen as president with Henry B Eyring and Dieter F. Uchtdorf as his counselors. My sister's birthday, which I forgot and now need to do something magnificent to beg forgiveness. ;~D
Feb 5 - The new McDonald's opens. The old one was torn down five months ago.
Feb 10 - Katie moves home after living in Layton with Alyson for 3 1/2 months. The job market didn't cooperate.
Feb 28 - Candleman and I take off on a sun-seeking trip. This is what our front yard looked like on the morning we left. Mom comes along as far as Cedar City where she will stay with my sister for a few days. Susan, Julie, Mom and Candleman and I go to dinner at the Garden House. Delicious cream of asparagus soup and apple strudel. Then we played 6-dice for awhile. Of course, the best part was the visiting and laughing.
Feb 29 - Candleman and I drive to Zions Park. We did lots of picture-taking, some hiking and I even read a few pages from Lady Killer by Lisa Scottoline. We stopped for lunch at the Rewind Diner in Kanab. I highly recommend it. We tried falafel and loved it. Then it was on to the Glen Canyon Dam. The drive from Page, AZ to Cameron was fascinating. Our world is so beautiful and varied. We spent the night in Cameron. Candleman bought a new flute and drum at the huge gift shop. Dinner included the best Navajo fry bread ever. Also, it's Leap Day!

Books Read:
Listening for Lions by Gloria Whelan
Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke
The Snake, the Crocodile and the Dog by Elizabeth Peters
Random Passage by Bernice Morgan
The Book of Atrix Wolfe
Magyk by Angie Sage
Wild Wood by Charles de Lint
Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale

On DVD:
Monk
Bones
Ballykissangel
Transformers

Thoughts:
We've had lots of snow and cold weather, but we have enjoyed some sunny days that caused our snow amount to decrease. Candleman and I have suffered from flu and colds on 2 different occasions. The basement remodeling is progressing. We are now completely plumbed for natural gas water heater, furnace, stove and fireplace. To escape the winter blues, Candleman planned a quick trip to Arizona.

In Review of January

Highlights:
Jan1-3: Alyson and Katie were still here for the holidays.
Jan 25: Wes and Kristina were in Vernal and stopped in for a visit, along with their 2 sons, Leonard and Remington.
Jan 30: Mom took Steve, Verona, Shaneen, Myke and I out for our combined birthday lunch at JB's.

Books read or listened to:
We Shall Not Sleep by Anne Perry
The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis
The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis
The Bleeding Dusk by Colleen Gleason
Only You Can Save Mankind by Terry Pratchett
Austenland by Shannon Hale
Midnight for Charlie Bone by
Bare Bones by Kathy Reichs
Maggie Again by John D. Husband
The Awakening by Kate Chopin

Movies watched at the theater:
None

Favorite movies watched at home:
Amazing Grace
Horatio Hornblower
Persuasion
Mansfield Park

Favorite tv series discovered on CD:
Monarch of the Glen
Monk

Favorite new food:
Myke's chicken pot pies

Chicken Pot Pies

I wish I could say I made this magnificent-looking chicken pot pie, but I can gladly say that I ate it! Candleman has been cooking for years and now that he has retired he has more time and inclination to experiment with fresh herbs and exotic foods. It hasn't hurt that I enjoy watching the cooking channel, which he's sat down and watched a few times with me.

I've been on the look out for the last couple of years for a really good chicken pot pie recipe. I've mentioned it to him and he put in on one of those back burners in his head. Every once in awhile he would mention something or I would that would be good in a pot pie. This last year for our Thanksgiving pies I decided to buy Pillsbury refrigerated pastry sheets. He loved the taste of them and decided they would be the perfect crust for pot pies.

Last week Candleman up and decided it was time to give it a go. I just stayed out of his way. When he brought one of these golden beauties into the family room for me to eat, I was astounded at how delicious it looked and then I marveled, bite after bite, at the glorious taste.

I am amazed that he could just imagine what ingredients to put together to get such scrumptious flavor. And I'm a bit bewildered because I always thought I was the cook of the family. It's not a fluke that most great chefs are men. Lest you think I'm complaining - I'm not. I always dreamed of being married to a chef and now I am! Didn't even need to change husbands. Isn't life full of surprises?!

So with this cooking success under his belt, as well as a few others, Candleman has started a blog about food. I have been begging him to write down his bean soup recipe and now his chicken pot pie recipe, so he did in his blog. Check it out at Fiddling With My Food. There's witty food commentary as well as 2 (so far) delicious recipes.

The Year in Review

I have enjoyed reading several year-in-review posts by family and friends so I decided to try my hand at writing one. My major drawback is my memory. I think that if I borrow or steal a few topics from others I can pull this off.

New things learned Life doesn't usually turn out how we expect it to. It takes courage to let go of expectations and live the life you are given. And that courage must be renewed on a daily basis.

Life doesn't usually turn out how we expect it to and it's a usually a good thing it doesn't.

Something I still haven't learned: How to maintain a healthy balance of hope while accepting my limitations.

Favorite new foods: Bakeapple berries, especially when served over a slice of cheesecake. And that chocolate dessert in PEI.

Books read: I counted this year and discovered that I read 87 books. That pleases me but I sure wish I could read faster.

Favorite books: This was very hard to narrow down because there were so many that I enjoyed. I've listed my favorites in no particular order.
I Am the Messenger
A Prayer for Owen Meany
Anne of Green Gables
My Grandfather's Blessings
A Thousand Splendid Suns
Scarlet Pimpernel
Ship Fever
Devil in the White City
Barometer Rising
Wonderlust
Mistress of the Art of Death

Trips: Only one if you don't count the occasional trip to the city. BUT what a one it was! Our trip lasted 5 weeks, put 11080 miles on our car, and took us as far north and east as St. John's, Newfoundland. We drove from Utah to Wyoming, S and N Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ontario, Ottawa, Montreal, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Colorado and back to Utah. It was fabulous.

Regrets: Only one and it's not anything I had any control over. There were several times on my trip I wished my family could be with me, taking in the splendors and experiences Candleman and I were enjoying. Twice my mother has taken her seven children and their spouses on trips (Seattle, Boston) and we had such a wonderful times. I found myself looking around a few times on this trip to gage my mother's/siblings' feelings, but they weren't there. It would have been grand if they had been. I also wish my kids and grandkids could have been with us some of the time. All that said, it was absolutely marvelous being on this long trip alone with my husband.

Biggest disaster: The entire basement flooded while we were in Canada. Family and friends had to move all our furniture and stuff upstairs and into the garage. Those people deserve years of rich blessings.

Biggest blessing in disguise: The basement flooding! With everything moved out and the drywall removed by the clean up crew, we have redesigned the whole area. We've moved the stairs which enlarged our dining room so we can have the whole family over for dinner or playing games.

Items I won on the internet: I've won several contests on book blogs. Most of the prizes have been books. It's always a thrill to win and receive a new book in the mail. During Dewey's 24-hour Readathon I won a cell phone. The phone was worth $70 and I received a $20 calling card, too. I gave the phone to my youngest daughter when she sprouted her wings and moved away from home. She says it's a great phone. It even takes pictures.

Sightings: I've been interested in botany for many years and only dreamed of seeing real lady slipper orchids growing in the wild. I actually stood in a small field of several while in Newfoundland. It was a giddy experience. We also saw big icebergs off the northwestern tip of Newfoundland - in the latitudes of melt. Most thrilling was seeing puffins, also in Newfoundland but this time off the eastern shore. I nearly cried when I saw hundreds of them standing outside their nests, flying overhead and swimming in the ocean. They are so unbelievably cute.

Meetings: We met 2 couples traveling together in Thermopolis, WY. One of the wives gave me a mystery, Alone by Lisa Gardner as we all went our own ways in the morning. We were treated very graciously to dinner at a Moroccan restaurant in Ontario by Lotus and her husband. Lotus is the first person from the blogosphere that I had met. I was a bit nervous, but she and her husband and daughter put us at ease instantly. We had a remarkedly pleasant evening that we shall never forget. Oh, also Lotus gave me a book I had been wanting to read. She had remembered me commenting about it on a blog post. Later we had the privilege of meeting Raidergirl3 in PEI. It was fun to hear of the trivia games she and her husband had been involved in. We wanted to start up some trivia groups when we got home. It hasn't happened yet, but we do play lots of knowledge-type games with family. Raidergirl3 graciously presented me with the 2nd and 3rd books in the Anne of Green Gables series. She remembered that we were going to listen to the first on iPod before arriving in PEI. Can you believe such thoughtfulness? In Aug (or Sep) Melissa the Booknut was visiting relatives in my Utah hometown and we were able to squeeze in a desert at JB's. We had such a good visit. I just realized that I dropped the ball by not having a book gift for her like my 2 book-blogging hosts had for me. I'm feeling pretty crummy about that! Good grief! Melissa if you ever make it back to my little back-woods area, I promise to be a better hostess. We might could arrange for my sister, Framed, to take her lunch hour and visit with us, too.

Favorite movie: Amazing Grace

Best TV episode discoveries: Prison Break season 1 and Numb3rs (one of the things I like is watching the seasons from Netflix because we don't get any advertisements. I probably will never watch a series on regular TV again. I take that back - I still watch The Amazing Race on tv.

Favorite live performance: Anne of Green Gables the Musical - truth be told, it was the only live performance! It was so, so very delightful and heart-wrenching.

Biggest lifestyle change: My husband retired the end of June and I retired the end of October. Wheeeee!

Number of guys kissed: Two - my husband has got to be the best kisser in the whole wide world. I had to say that to gross out our daughters! I'll let you guess who the other guy was I kissed.

The BEST part of 2007: Being in love with my husband of 35 years.

Five Things About Me Meme

This meme is from one of my darling daughters, Alyson from In Nuce.

5 Things I was doing 10 years ago: (I can't even remember yesterday!)
1. Getting ready to send my 3rd baby girl off to Air Force Boot Camp
2. Teaching 8 different science classes at the local alternative high school
3. Trying to think of a memorable way to celebrate our 25-year wedding anniversary
4. Wishing for a grand-baby
5. Enjoying my favorite snack - Mystic Mint cookies which have since been disguised as Dark Chocolate Covered Oreos and are not carried by any grocery store. Instead they carrie the Milk Chocolate version which is no way as delicious! GRRRRR!!!

5 Things on my T0-Do List today:
1. Get feeling better
2. Go to bed early
3. Watch the last 2 episodes of Prison Break Season Two
4. Read 100 pages in book 4 of the Cliff Janeway series, Sign of the Book
5. Finish this post

5 Things I would do if I were a millionaire:
1. Take my mother, brothers and sisters on a cruise to Scandinavia
2. Take my children and their spouses and my grandchildren to Disneyland
3. Pay someone to help my husband with the basement remodeling
4. Remodel my kitchen
5. Add dormer skylights to gather lots of light into my house

5 Things I'll never wear again (or have never worn):
1. Sleeveless blouses
2. Fake fingernails
3. Stiletto heels or any shoes with pointed toes
4. Maternity clothes
5. A bikini, although I will be wearing a swimsuit in the spring when I start going to water aerobics again

5 Favorite Toys:
1. Computer, obviously
2. iPod
3. DVR
4. Slow cooker
5. Food processor (I hope I get one for Christmas and so I can play with it by the hours!)

Bare Naked Trees

Candleman and I decided to go for a drive around the valley today. With the building boom going on right now we want to keep abreast of what's happening. The first thing I said when we left the house was how I hated to see all the bare-naked trees and bushes this time of year. He said they are really quite lovely and just different than other times of the year. I think there are some beautiful tree specimens that look striking without their leaves, but most are not that wonderful to look at, besides they look cold. And a little unnatural.

I remember when a friend of ours moved to Utah from San Diego. He and his family came in the winter. After several weeks he asked us why we didn't cut down our dead trees, bushes and vines. We had a good laugh. In all fairness to our friend - he was young and had never lived anywhere besides San Diego. Heck, we moved to San Diego in January and found flowers in blossom. Why would we move back to cold, frigid, barren Utah you might ask. It's really a good question and one I ask myself every year after fall has ended. I always have a ready answer: I love the seasons and I love to look up at the night sky and see stars. I will put up with winter just so I can have spring and fall. Summer's okay, but I love spring and fall and I missed them terribly when we lived in souther California.

One trip home from San Diego I had fallen asleep and my head was leaning against the window. When I woke up I kept my head rested against the window and looked around and up. There were millions upon millions of stars twinkling in the sky. I was so shocked. Didn't we have stars in California, I asked Candleman. He affirmed that they were there but we just couldn't see them because of the bright city lights and the high level fog. I really hadn't missed them until I saw them so brilliantly on that trip home and I became aware of the vast differences in the night sky.

That trip home was over 30 years ago before any of our children were born and it was just the two of us. Now all these years later our four girls are grown up and out on their own and it's again just the two of us. I mentioned to him the other day that retirement is kind of like a honeymoon except we are more in love now, more comfortable with each other, and we like each other a whole heck of a lot. I feel bad for those young kids who don't stick it out, over the hills and dales, so they can enjoy the type of relationship that comes from shared struggles and triumphs. I guess what I'm trying to say is "Life is good right now." I know it won't always be this blissful, but that will come and go, too. It's just good to stop occasionally be grateful.

Eight Random Facts About Me Meme

Cereal Girl has tagged me for this fun little meme. The rules are

I am borrowing Cereal Girl clever idea to include pictures along with the random facts. I fully realize that these facts and pictures are going to reveal things about me that may be better left unsaid, but what's the fun in that!

1. I went back to college when I was 41 yrs old. I majored in Biology and minored in Chemistry. After graduating at the age of 44 I became a high school science teacher.2. I enjoy looking at and identifying flowers. While in college I fell in love with botany and, even though only one botany class was required, I took 5 botany classes. I love dissecting flowers and keying them and identifying their scientific names.

Here I am at Casa Loma in Toronto trying to figure out what this cute little yellow-flowering bush is. (It's not kosher to dissect blossoms at a local sight-seeing spot.)

3. I usually eat lunch everyday during the school year at McDonald's. They know my order by heart and recognize my voice at the drive-through. I always get a 3-pc chicken select with sweet and sour sauce, apple dippers instead of fries and a large diet coke. (This helps explain that jolly looking person I've turned into in the above picture!)

I even take pictures of McDonald's on my travels. I know, I know! There's simply no explaining it. The picture is the Rock & Roll McDonald's in Chicago. It doesn't look any bigger in the pictures, but it IS! Chicago's is 2-story with an escalator and with the parking, the 2 drive-thru lanes, the Rock & Roll bldg and store it takes up a whole city block. Across the street on one corner is the Hard Rock Cafe, on another corner is a famous Chicago hot dog place (I have a picture, but can't read the name) and down the street a block is the famous Gino's East Pizza, home of the famous Chicago Deep Dish Pizza.

Just one more note before I leave McDonald's - Our local McDonald's shut down on Friday and will be closed until Jan. 2008. They are tearing it down and building a new one its place. I hope they know that I'll be weaned by then!

Okay, one more note - I can't stand McDonald's burgers!

4. I hated traveling when I was a child/teen. My dad was in the army and we moved a lot when I was growing up. My memories include a station wagon; 7 children and 2 adults (one who was quite strict); no air-conditioner; homemade sandwiches by the side of the road; camping by the side of the road; visiting Vernal, Utah; having to sit in the back seat sandwiched between my 2 older brothers and 1 brother just 13-months younger (you know who had to keep her legs tight together, don't you?); having to sleep sitting up with your head bobbing around; and, worst of all, the hot, desert air blowing through the windows. I have hated the desert ever since.

When I remember these times together in the car the Norman Rockwell picture of the family on vacation always pops into my mind. We didn't have a dog, though. (Couldn't find a picture on the internet. ;-p

5. I love to travel since I've matured and since the advent of air-conditioners. When my children were young we couldn't afford to travel. When my husband got a better paying job and I started working, we decided we needed to make some trip memories before our oldest daughters left home. Our daughter's were 18, 17, 16, and 5, so we decided Disneyland would be something we could all enjoy. And did we ever! Except that 2nd daughter didn't want to go and we missed her terribly. The next year we went back to Disneyland with my youngest sister and her 2 children and fell in love with it all over again.

Since then there have been several trips - some with immediate family, some for National Science Conventions and some with extended family. Two really memorable trips were when my mother took her 7 children and their spouses to the Northwest in 2002 and the Northeast in 2004. We made some terrific family memories and saw so many interesting things. Of course, there was much gaiety and laughter. Candleman and I fell in love with the Northwest and returned in the summer of 2005 with our youngest daughter and another car with some of our extended family. Before going to the Northeast with Mom and family, hubby and I spent 2 weeks touring the coastline of Oregon. Needless to say, I love the Northwest. (I'm fitting many random facts into each one of these eight, aren't I. Oh, well! This summer Candleman and I took a 36 day vacation to the Northeast and Canada.

6. Still on the theme of travel - I love to travel with my husband and best friend, Candleman. One summer we drove to North Carolina to see our daughter who was stationed there with the Air Force. When we returned I scrapbooked the trip. A good friend and fellow scapbooker and teacher was looking through my album and gasped at how many roadside pictures I had taken. She asked how I got my husband to stop because her's would never stop. Wow, I felt so blessed. Candleman will even turn around and go back for a picture (most of the time.) Sometimes he'll even pose crazy for a picture like!

Another good thing about traveling with Candleman is we both like to stop at a nice restaurants occasionally and we like to eat food indigenous to the area. Many of our best memories deal with food.

And still another is that we both like listening to books on tape interspersed with music. This last trip we bought 5 cds with maritime/Celtic/folk songs that we listened to between some good books.

7. When I'm busy doing something, I look sooooooo mean and I hate it! I've always wanted my face to look happy and pleasant all the time. I've seen people like that. And even though I feel happy inside, my face still looks grouchy, unless I'm actually smiling.

8. I've been going to water aerobics for 2 1/2 weeks. Maybe I'll post a picture after several months to see if my upside-down smile has disappeared along with a few inches around all the major parts of interest. Speaking of which, after my first time at aerobics I came home soaking wet and my husband asked, "How did that Dolly Parton life jacket work for you?"