I think I am going to start a petition to stop birthdays once you have passed the ripe old age of 40. After all, aside from the 21st birthday (and maybe the 18th in some states) there is no discernible reason with any validity to keep "celebrating" the passing of each and every year.
The reasons?
I've been gray/white since my 20's - but hair dye has helped me there - so no one can tell if I don't let it grow out too long.
My bones only ache when it rains, when the weather changes, when I sleep, when I'm awake, or when I move. Other than that I'm as fit as I was at 20!
My weight is something I can carry on my own............
My eyes are just fine as long as I wear my contacts and my reading glasses.....but they've been that way most of my life (other than the reading glasses....they came along at the 40 year mark). One more reason to stop at 40.....or maybe I should stop at 39?
My teeth, for the most part, are still my own. Granted, they are slightly worn now, and there are a few that are missing...but I had those pulled, they didn't "fall" out!
My dogs still love me, my kids still love me my grandchildren still love me and my husband still loves me. With all that going for me there's no excuse for asking for presents! Besides, I'm very difficult to buy for...I have all I need and that makes buying for me a problem. I don't want to be a problem to any of the people I love.
I could just tell folks I'm 20 with 39 years of experience.
So, in view of all the facts listed above I think I'll just skip my birthday from now on. At least till I'm a hundred. Then they'll put my photo in the paper. Other than that there's no point in just counting up the years.
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
What a spring, now go web your feet!
Spring in Utah! The middle of a very dry desert that 100,000 years ago was home to prehistoric lake Bonneville. Well, smile you dry skinned lip lickers, the joke's on you because that lake is making a valiant attempt to rise again! It is the very last day of May, and the May flowers are drowning, the ducks are waterlogged, and the rivers have all risen to new heights. There's enough snow left in the mountains to ski till the 4th of July and there's enough water in that snow to fill all the dam's thrice! There is moss growing on the north side of all my tree trunks - and we're NOT in the pacific northwest!
And just because April's over doesn't mean May can't mess with you............it snowed again, then rained, then hailed, then snowed, then.........................................300% of our annual water so far.
On the bright side, I no longer have to walk all the way to the rear of my property to see the water in the River that flows past my property. I can now see it while standing in my kitchen. How charming!
And some of the critters seem to love this new river they have discovered. We have a surfing ibis that never gets weary of landing just at the whitewater fall near the bridge, catching the big wave and with head held high he rides the wave down the river to the center of town. He must not like the noise down there because he promptly returns to the bridge and heads out again. He makes me laugh every time I see him. Hey DUDE! Surf's up!
I dont' know for sure if we need to fret, if we need to sandbag, or if we're in any jeopardy here this spring/summer. All I DO know is that it's very interesting and entertaining to look out my kitchen window and watch the teenage ibis go surfing. Gotta love his sense of adventure!
And just because April's over doesn't mean May can't mess with you............it snowed again, then rained, then hailed, then snowed, then.........................................300% of our annual water so far.
On the bright side, I no longer have to walk all the way to the rear of my property to see the water in the River that flows past my property. I can now see it while standing in my kitchen. How charming!
And some of the critters seem to love this new river they have discovered. We have a surfing ibis that never gets weary of landing just at the whitewater fall near the bridge, catching the big wave and with head held high he rides the wave down the river to the center of town. He must not like the noise down there because he promptly returns to the bridge and heads out again. He makes me laugh every time I see him. Hey DUDE! Surf's up!
I dont' know for sure if we need to fret, if we need to sandbag, or if we're in any jeopardy here this spring/summer. All I DO know is that it's very interesting and entertaining to look out my kitchen window and watch the teenage ibis go surfing. Gotta love his sense of adventure!
Monday, November 22, 2010
Facebook....hmmmmmmm
Well, I finally broke down and joined Facebook so I could view the photos from my 40 year class reunion (which I didn't attend).
Holy COW!!! 40 Years!
But I digress...... I had put off joining Facebook because I have watched it consume the lives of some people I love, and I didn't want to go down that road. I figured I was doing just fine without it.
Now that I have finally joined I'm amazed by the number of people who have sent me "friend requests", in some cases friends I haven't seen or talked to in years. I get to peer into their thoughts and little snippets of their lives. In a way it made me feel like a voyer at first, but then I rationalized that they WANT people to know these little detail, so I talked myself into not worrying. I don't, however, feel that everyone on the planet is interested in my little snippets of thoughts, so while I make comments once in a while I never have (and probably never will) just "made a post". We'll see....after all - I didn't think I'd ever be on Facebook to begin with!
I find that young people post more, and their posts are just little comments on their day. I've learned that teenagers haven't learned to "edit their thoughts" yet. And I've learned that some of the most reticent folks I know aren't reticent at all when they aren't dealing face-to-face. I have one friend who puts a "quote" every day, and some of them have made me laugh out loud.....for instance when she wrote "I know the voices in my head aren't real, but sometimes they have good ideas" I simply cracked up..........maybe because sometimes the voices in MY head have good ideas too!
I have one friend (I almost consider him my child) who has taken up photography as a hobby and he routinely posts some of the most amazing photos I have ever had the privilege to see. They are truly stunning! You can check them out at wannabephotographer.blogspot.com . It will be worth you time!
Then there's our nephew, who has a son that we haven't had the opportunity to see in person, but the photos they post of him make me giggle. He seems to be the happiest little guy on the planet! I plan to make certain we get to see him for the holidays.
I have found friends who I used to work with, friends who have moved away, and family I didn't know I had.
So thank you Facebook, for letting me do it my own way, for letting me peer into little snippets of peoples lives, and for helping me find some good friends that I had misplaced.
It's been an adventure!
Holy COW!!! 40 Years!
But I digress...... I had put off joining Facebook because I have watched it consume the lives of some people I love, and I didn't want to go down that road. I figured I was doing just fine without it.
Now that I have finally joined I'm amazed by the number of people who have sent me "friend requests", in some cases friends I haven't seen or talked to in years. I get to peer into their thoughts and little snippets of their lives. In a way it made me feel like a voyer at first, but then I rationalized that they WANT people to know these little detail, so I talked myself into not worrying. I don't, however, feel that everyone on the planet is interested in my little snippets of thoughts, so while I make comments once in a while I never have (and probably never will) just "made a post". We'll see....after all - I didn't think I'd ever be on Facebook to begin with!
I find that young people post more, and their posts are just little comments on their day. I've learned that teenagers haven't learned to "edit their thoughts" yet. And I've learned that some of the most reticent folks I know aren't reticent at all when they aren't dealing face-to-face. I have one friend who puts a "quote" every day, and some of them have made me laugh out loud.....for instance when she wrote "I know the voices in my head aren't real, but sometimes they have good ideas" I simply cracked up..........maybe because sometimes the voices in MY head have good ideas too!
I have one friend (I almost consider him my child) who has taken up photography as a hobby and he routinely posts some of the most amazing photos I have ever had the privilege to see. They are truly stunning! You can check them out at wannabephotographer.blogspot.com . It will be worth you time!
Then there's our nephew, who has a son that we haven't had the opportunity to see in person, but the photos they post of him make me giggle. He seems to be the happiest little guy on the planet! I plan to make certain we get to see him for the holidays.
I have found friends who I used to work with, friends who have moved away, and family I didn't know I had.
So thank you Facebook, for letting me do it my own way, for letting me peer into little snippets of peoples lives, and for helping me find some good friends that I had misplaced.
It's been an adventure!
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Yesterday my daughter Tracy called and asked if it was still "OK" for her to come spend the day with me. Silly question! I can think of few people on the planet I would rather spend the day with! She came down, and since her daughter, Savannah, was staying with friends down this direction I got a double!
Tracy is working on a college paper, and she wanted some information on our family, specifically my father's side. Several years ago for Christmas my sister, Lois, put together a book for me, followed up a couple of years later by another. They are truly remarkable works! The first one contained a letter about my life written by my parents, including the first words I spoke ("banana", go figure!), the age at which I first walked (16 months...little slow but Mom said it was because I scooted, carrying all my "goodies" on my lap with me), and even a sheet telling what prices were, what the top movie was, etc. during my year of birth. I know she spent many weeks and long nights putting that album together, then about 2 years later she did volume two. What a wonderful, thoughtful gift that has been. In volume two she took a tape recorder to the hospital while our father was ill and asked him to "tell his stories" about his family. Then she performed the labor of love of dictating all his stories into print. They are like reading a good book told by a friend...and the telling brings a picture in the mind that can put you right at the time and place.
Last night Tracy read both books, front to back, and asked for copies of the stories Dad told. He was such a remarkable man and he married a remarkable woman. Both our folks were totally blind..but there was nothing Dad could not do, from woodworking, to plumbing and wiring, to fixing his car (he had to hire a driver, but only because the State refused to give him a license). The newspaper articles Lois gathered together documented some of his remarkable life, from the time he taught at television school in Chicago during the infancy of TV to his college attendance and the work he did as a piano tuner. The book also documents, complete with old photos, his father, whom we never knew because he died while Dad was young, to great grandparents long departed. It was a fun and nostalgic evening that I have often repeated (I seem to pull out the books about once or twice a year).
So thank you Lois! That truly is the best gift I have ever received.
And thank you Tracy, for a crazy, wonderful, funny evening! I hope you had as much fun as I did...and I hope we didn't tell stories to Savannah that you had hoped to keep secret!
Tracy is working on a college paper, and she wanted some information on our family, specifically my father's side. Several years ago for Christmas my sister, Lois, put together a book for me, followed up a couple of years later by another. They are truly remarkable works! The first one contained a letter about my life written by my parents, including the first words I spoke ("banana", go figure!), the age at which I first walked (16 months...little slow but Mom said it was because I scooted, carrying all my "goodies" on my lap with me), and even a sheet telling what prices were, what the top movie was, etc. during my year of birth. I know she spent many weeks and long nights putting that album together, then about 2 years later she did volume two. What a wonderful, thoughtful gift that has been. In volume two she took a tape recorder to the hospital while our father was ill and asked him to "tell his stories" about his family. Then she performed the labor of love of dictating all his stories into print. They are like reading a good book told by a friend...and the telling brings a picture in the mind that can put you right at the time and place.
Last night Tracy read both books, front to back, and asked for copies of the stories Dad told. He was such a remarkable man and he married a remarkable woman. Both our folks were totally blind..but there was nothing Dad could not do, from woodworking, to plumbing and wiring, to fixing his car (he had to hire a driver, but only because the State refused to give him a license). The newspaper articles Lois gathered together documented some of his remarkable life, from the time he taught at television school in Chicago during the infancy of TV to his college attendance and the work he did as a piano tuner. The book also documents, complete with old photos, his father, whom we never knew because he died while Dad was young, to great grandparents long departed. It was a fun and nostalgic evening that I have often repeated (I seem to pull out the books about once or twice a year).
So thank you Lois! That truly is the best gift I have ever received.
And thank you Tracy, for a crazy, wonderful, funny evening! I hope you had as much fun as I did...and I hope we didn't tell stories to Savannah that you had hoped to keep secret!
Thursday, September 2, 2010
A wet spring makes for a wet nose!!
I was at work a couple of weeks ago, and the cute young gal who works directly across from me had what sounded at the time to be the Martian Death Flu. She was coughing, sniffling, sneezing, wheezing, and all the other "ing's" that go along with the dreaded gambu! Well, of course about 10 days later I too began to exhibit all the symptoms I had so sympathized over with her. After fevers, chills, runny nose, horrible cough, etc. I took myself off to the doctor, who promptly placed me on an antibiotic. I dutifully took the full course, and assumed I would live.
Never assume!
A week after finishing the antibiotics I was still exhibiting a lot of symptoms, wheezing, coughing, feeling like someone had beat me with a large stick, etc., so I went back to the doctors and saw another person this time (not necessarily my choice, I just hit a clinic and took what I got). The next doctor decided I have COPD, did x-rays (they didn't show anything unusual), drew blood (had to "Fish" for the vein....still have a bruise 10 days later), gave me a bunch of medicine and sent me home.
I have taken the new medicine, used a sinus rinse, and still felt like death was knocking at my door. Over all this I missed 2-1/2 days of work (I NEVER miss work.....there just isn't time to catch up!), and went back still sounding so sick that everyone was telling me I should just go home.
I've been fighting my way through this now for a couple of weeks. For those of you who know me, my work takes me into the Utah west desert on an average of 2 or 3 times a week. I discovered that when I was in the desert I didn't feel so bad, but when I got home I was sick and hacking again. Today, on my way home from the middle of nowhere to the good old "home front" I found out what the problem REALLY is! As we drove from the desert into the city, and especially as we approached the foothills I found myself rapidly developing a sinus headache, my ears plugged, my nose ran, and my eyes began to itch. My throat developed such an itch that only prolonged spasmodic coughing scratched it, and all the while my nose was running. DUH!!! Lightbulbs finally came on!!!
For all of you out there who have suffered allergies lo these many years.....my sincere sympathy and my apologies for not fully understanding just how mightily you were suffering! I will now take myself off to an allergist and see if I can get this under control.
All of this is, I'm sure, a result of the delightfully wet spring we had here this year. Everything turned green very early in the year, and has (for the most part) stayed green up till now. That means the grasses are taller, the weeds are larger, and the pollen is thicker.
All I can say is there really is something to be said for snow.....even if I have to shovel it! At least that should take care of the pollen problem (until next spring).
Again, my apologies and sympathy to all my fellow sufferers. I never KNEW!!!!!!
Never assume!
A week after finishing the antibiotics I was still exhibiting a lot of symptoms, wheezing, coughing, feeling like someone had beat me with a large stick, etc., so I went back to the doctors and saw another person this time (not necessarily my choice, I just hit a clinic and took what I got). The next doctor decided I have COPD, did x-rays (they didn't show anything unusual), drew blood (had to "Fish" for the vein....still have a bruise 10 days later), gave me a bunch of medicine and sent me home.
I have taken the new medicine, used a sinus rinse, and still felt like death was knocking at my door. Over all this I missed 2-1/2 days of work (I NEVER miss work.....there just isn't time to catch up!), and went back still sounding so sick that everyone was telling me I should just go home.
I've been fighting my way through this now for a couple of weeks. For those of you who know me, my work takes me into the Utah west desert on an average of 2 or 3 times a week. I discovered that when I was in the desert I didn't feel so bad, but when I got home I was sick and hacking again. Today, on my way home from the middle of nowhere to the good old "home front" I found out what the problem REALLY is! As we drove from the desert into the city, and especially as we approached the foothills I found myself rapidly developing a sinus headache, my ears plugged, my nose ran, and my eyes began to itch. My throat developed such an itch that only prolonged spasmodic coughing scratched it, and all the while my nose was running. DUH!!! Lightbulbs finally came on!!!
For all of you out there who have suffered allergies lo these many years.....my sincere sympathy and my apologies for not fully understanding just how mightily you were suffering! I will now take myself off to an allergist and see if I can get this under control.
All of this is, I'm sure, a result of the delightfully wet spring we had here this year. Everything turned green very early in the year, and has (for the most part) stayed green up till now. That means the grasses are taller, the weeds are larger, and the pollen is thicker.
All I can say is there really is something to be said for snow.....even if I have to shovel it! At least that should take care of the pollen problem (until next spring).
Again, my apologies and sympathy to all my fellow sufferers. I never KNEW!!!!!!
Thursday, July 22, 2010
A miracle day!
39 years ago today I experienced the first miracle in my life.....the birth of the most beautiful daughter any mother ever had! While her birth was very trying they ensuing 38 years have been nothing short of wonderful.
Tracy was beautiful at birth. Mothers and fathers and family came to see their new babies and always said "Wow! Look at that one!", and pointed to Tracy.
Over the years she has brought nothing but smiles and delight into our lives. She was an easy child to raise. She brought smiles and sunshine wherever she went..and I do believe it must have just been in her nature because she still brings smiles and sunshine into the lives she touches today.
When she was a teenager I had a fit of insanity and allowed my sister Lois to take her on a trip to Mexico City. The stories they regaled me with on their successful and safe return still make me shudder today. I think honestly if I had to do that trip over again I'd keep her home, but I'm sure she's glad I didn't! And I know Lois feels closer to Tracy than she would have if I hadn't allowed the trip.
While Tracy was in High School I used to love Parent/Teacher conferences because the teachers were nearly as in love with my child as I was. They used to ask me hopefully if I had any more kids that would be coming to their school. Now that makes a Parent proud!
Even today, when I talk to people who know Tracy they have nothing to say but accolades. When her name is mentioned the words "sweet", "Nice", 'wonderful", "great", "awesome", and "I just love her!" always enter the conversation.
I told a friend at work who was starting his Master's program at the University where Tracy works that I have a daughter who works in the department he was attending. He asked her name, then made it a point to ask his advisor if she knew Tracy (she did), and if he could meet her to introduce himself. He called me the next day to let me know he had met Tracy, and that when he asked about her he found that she was "VERY well liked" at the University. It told him that I figured she would be well liked - she's a nice person with a good work ethic. He then straightened me out.....by telling me that she isn't just "liked", but loved. In fact, he said, "it was like a love-fest whenever I mentioned her name". He then looked at my face very closely and asked me if Tracy was adopted. I just smiled, told him "no", and said "aren't genetics interesting?"
So, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TRACY! You are as beautiful inside as you are outside. You have brought more joy into my life than I knew any person could have. You have always made me proud to be your mother and I love you without bounds.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Parking, anyone?
It's rodeo time in Utah. Unfortunately I live next door to the rodeo arena, so from now through Saturday I will hear cheers, watch skydivers, endless traffic, and approximately 12,000 people a night trying to find a parking spot. That's the most entertaining part of this time of year....folks will actually walk several miles to sit in the hot sun, watch cows and horses ridden by city cowboys, and drink overpriced beer, pop, and ice cones. And typically on the "big" day, July 24th, they are sold out....meaning there are at least 20,000 people who live in this area that are totally crazy! I had suspected that all along, but this puts the exclamation point on the end of the sentence.
I used to sit on the front porch to watch the folks coming and going, coming and going, coming and going. But now that I'm officially "older" (please note: not old, just older) and wiser, I rush home so I can find parking for myself less than a mile from the house. I sometime have to explain to the "parking dudes" that it's ok for me to park here, I LIVE here!
Then I hear the loudspeaker, watch the drunks (their longevity for watching the rodeo varies widely....almost a show in itself), and most entertaining of all.....watch 12,000 people scramble to 6,000 cars and try to leave in under 2 hours. VERY entertaining!!!
Actually, if it weren't so doggone hot around her right now I would probably cough up some money and wander on over. After all, I don't have to wait in their long lines for the bathroom, drink their $5 or $6 bottled water, or for that matter eat a $6 hamburger of hot dog. I can wander home for ALL of the above, confident that I will be back in very short order.
I also get to see friends that I haven't seen or talked to in some time. After all, I have GOOD parking very close to the main event!
All-in-all it's a fun pain in the neck and it always surprises me how quickly it rolls around each year. It just seems like it was Christmas, and here we are more than half way to the next one, as proven by the fact that only one week after this entertaining spectacle is over it will be August. I think, if I were smart, that the end of the rodeo would officially mark my "start Christmas shopping" season.
I guess we'll see how smart I am................
I used to sit on the front porch to watch the folks coming and going, coming and going, coming and going. But now that I'm officially "older" (please note: not old, just older) and wiser, I rush home so I can find parking for myself less than a mile from the house. I sometime have to explain to the "parking dudes" that it's ok for me to park here, I LIVE here!
Then I hear the loudspeaker, watch the drunks (their longevity for watching the rodeo varies widely....almost a show in itself), and most entertaining of all.....watch 12,000 people scramble to 6,000 cars and try to leave in under 2 hours. VERY entertaining!!!
Actually, if it weren't so doggone hot around her right now I would probably cough up some money and wander on over. After all, I don't have to wait in their long lines for the bathroom, drink their $5 or $6 bottled water, or for that matter eat a $6 hamburger of hot dog. I can wander home for ALL of the above, confident that I will be back in very short order.
I also get to see friends that I haven't seen or talked to in some time. After all, I have GOOD parking very close to the main event!
All-in-all it's a fun pain in the neck and it always surprises me how quickly it rolls around each year. It just seems like it was Christmas, and here we are more than half way to the next one, as proven by the fact that only one week after this entertaining spectacle is over it will be August. I think, if I were smart, that the end of the rodeo would officially mark my "start Christmas shopping" season.
I guess we'll see how smart I am................
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