Monday May 4 2009

Debbie and Dogs Walk

Curtis Inverted
It helps his back and he says it's made
him taller too.

First thing this morning I talked to Betty Pfaff and thanked her for the painting. About time. I always enjoy talking to her. Busy day. And boy did Curtis and Debbie go through a bunch of things on the to-do list. Curtis went with Joe to coffee. He said he met a lady who sheared llamas and he wondered what she got for shearing each llama. None of us knew, but he said she had sheared 500 llamas this month. She knits things out of llama wool.

Debbie walked the dogs up the street while I got my shower. Debbie and I got to the store, mailed packages, did the recycling, and ordered the fabric we wanted for the vertical blinds on the sliding doors at R.M. Home. The gal there could remember me and exactly what I had ordered 3 or 4 months ago! They said the shades would probably be finished and ready to hang in about a week. We went to Obo's and got some fresh shrimp for dinner.

For Mother's Day they brought me a large artificial ficus tree in a really nice pot that matches our decor perfectly. It's setting in the corner by the desk and file cabinet. Debbie got it put up and it will have mini lights on it. I love the look of that, it's very peaceful to me.

Curtis put Justin's wedding pictures and some other family photos of theirs onto a jump drive for me last night. Curtis got the CO monitors put up, one on either end of the house. Later we went back down to A to Z and got enough more furniture slides to put on all the furniture. They did that and it was a job to lift up all the heavy furniture. Everything we got is pretty heavy and some I can move and some has been impossible to move for vacuuming etc.

Then Curtis simply took the wheels off our very high beds and they are lower now which improved that problem. I've had to use a step stool to get into bed, and Joe didn't like his so high either. By then it was about dinner time. We had shrimp scampi, pilaf, salad and zucchini sauteed with onions and mushrooms. I went to bed early, but am back up in the middle of the night so decided to blog.

Tomorrow they are going down to Rock Springs - Home Depot - to get what they need to fence off the septic tank and some of the other supplies. He's going to fix that roof jack for the furnace vent, which he looked up at from the deck and immediately saw it doesn't fit right. He says it isn't the right size and they just put a bunch of silastic around it. He's a roofing contractor so knows how to fix that.

The day was cool and breezy, but after another skiff of snow in the night, no more moisture. Hopefully we'll have some dry days so the mud in the back will dry up and they can work out there building the fence without 30# of mud packed on their shoes.

Joe went to the post office and a couple of the DVDs I ordered from Amazon.com came - Alaska Spirit of the Wild, an IMAX movie, and The Bear, which I love. It's one of Bart The Bear's last films before he died. He had a big part with Anthony Hopkins and Alex Baldwin in The Edge. I don't much believe in making animals perform, but Bart must have had a fairly good and interesting life.... for a bear.

Sunday May 3 2009

Deer in the Back Yard

Driveway after rain

Sparky in his Red Coat

Raven's Blue Coat

Neighborhood Last Evening

Saturday Snow

It rained and snowed last night. The power kept flickering, but never really went out. The ground is getting very muddy again. It snowed enough that it clogged up the dish, and it's too high up for me just to go out and sweep it off like I do at the ranch. Joe has to get a ladder here to do it and he didn't do that in the dark, so I didn't have any TV to watch. I got quite a few chapters read in one of my new books.

This morning I finished up some dusting and last of the cleaning. I finally got the studio room totally organized, boxes put away and could get the vacuum in there. It will be a lot more inspirational for painting now. Debbie and Curtis got away from Vegas about 3 p.m. yesterday afternoon and got as far as Fillmore before they stopped for the night. Then they got here about 3 today. Sure is good to see them.

They brought me an artificial ficus tree and we'll put some white miniature lights on it. It's quite tall and is in a beautiful pot that matches the furniture. Just been moving it around deciding where it's gong to look best. I always liked the one I have at the ranch. We've had our dinner, and they are talking about the different things that they will be working on to help us. Curtis always has some good advice and information. He wants to do some fishing, but decided since Fremont Lake is still frozen that he won't go out there in his float tube.

Not much else has happened. Except that it's raining again. We've been hearing thunder.Trying to get the dogs out both in the weather and the mud is annoying, but I've been going out with them and taking short walks. I've had to wash their feet a couple of times. Sparky wants to sit or lay down, and it's really hard to get him to stand up and let me get his feet in the bucket. Raven is very good about it.

Saturday May 2 2009

Oatmeal Cookies Cooling

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Beautiful Deer Photo

AHA!! a note a week later from my cousin Maryann in Bakersfield. This was taken by her former neighbor Dr Tom Roess in Battlement Mesa. He sent it to her April 13th and he called it THE WATCHERS, since it was taken from his back deck on Boulder Ridge Drive. The deer do look different colored than ours, quite a bit darker, perhaps smaller? So now the mystery origin of the photo is solved - actually too bad I don't have a better memory because Maryann told me that when she sent the picture.

(My note on 5/2)This photo isn't mine, don't know where it came from, I must have copied it from somewhere. Maybe Duene? Or Gina? If whoever took it doesn't want it in my blog you can tell me and I'll take it out. But it sure is pretty and looks like it could have been taken here.

No big surprise - another cloudy breezy day. The forecast is for another storm to be coming, but it probably won't amount to much. Joe has taken the dogs and gone out to the ranch to feed the cats. When Norm was here yesterday he called Joe a cat rancher. See ... Joe endures ridicule to go feed my cats. I thought that was pretty cute.

Debbie and Curtis get here late tonight or in the morning. Deb and C. are coming to work on the house and help us to do things we haven’t got done yet. Including building another span of chain link fence across the small end of the back yard to fence in the septic tank area. Then the day they leave - probably Saturday - Beverly will get here. Beverly wants to take a little drive, maybe to Devil’s tower for a couple of days. I try to think where we might go and I’ve got plans to go up to Canada or the NW fishing or floating some river. Right….. In my dreams. I can’t even get my suitcase packed to go to Cody. Guess I’ll just let Beverly put me in her car and take me somewhere.

The other day I invited the artists over for the small Tuesday painting group. Dang!! Charm had to remind me that my kids are coming for the next two weeks ---- So ----- I guess I shouldn’t commit to being the hostess next week. I’ll do it after they have been here. Or Debbie used to like to be involved in my meetings, so it might be possible to have it anyway.

I don’t know where my mind is most of the time, very forgetful especially about dates and time. Any thought vanishes as soon as I think it. Actually living on “no time” is pretty nice until you goof up some appointment or a date with someone.

Today I PLAN to clean house, mail some packages if I can get them to the P.O. before 2 p.m., go to R.M. Home to pick out the window shades, which didn't get done yesterday, organize the cupboards in the utility room since all that stuff is just shoved in there and we can't find anything, and see if I can get my studio room all cleaned and organized. It might need to be used for an extra bedroom. It remains to be seen how much actually gets done. I did get all the letters typed up last night. No excuse now not to start writing more actively on the book.

"There is no fun in doing nothing when you have nothing to do.

Idleness, like kisses, to be sweet must be stolen."

- - Jerome K. Jerome

Friday May 1 2009

Joe and Dogs Take a Break

Wish I'd gotten him with an arm around

each dog, but was too slow.

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Flowers from Lois and Bud

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The Lovely Painting that Betty Pfaff sent.

HAPPY MAY DAY

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I hope the sky throughout the whole month of May is the color of that text. Very gray skies today. I saw on my atomic clock early this morning that it was 24 degrees outside. Trees are bending and shivering in the wind. This is the morning Joe puts on his good shirt and goes to breakfast with his gang. The dogs went along. Since he got back he's been out picking larger rocks out of the back yard and putting them in the front. No, I don't know why. Except in preparation for the gravel to come. Last night I slept great and feel pretty good today. A lot of credit has to be given to my sinus problem getting gradually better each day and being able to breathe.

Dinner with Lois and Bud turned out pretty nice. I fixed pot roast, salad and blackberry pie. The pie certainly wasn't the best ever. And I couldn't believe how quickly the food got cold. I usually put it on the table for Joe and I in the pans, just for that reason. It stays hot longer that way. Having company I put it in serving bowls and it really cooled it off. Well, it was nice to share the meal together with friends anyway. We enjoyed their visit so much. Joe and Bud just chatter away about the old days. It was good to see them after they had been gone so long.

And I'm SO HAPPY to have the car cleaned up. It was a filthy disaster. It took several hours. Bonnie worked so hard, and it's gleaming now. THANK YOU SO MUCH DEAR FRIEND. I appreciate you so much. I helped a little doing windows and wiping down insides of doors. Discovered how pitted and pocked my windshield is so will call Kay to come and fix the dings.

A quiet day. I did get all the letters typed up, so that is one thing to scratch off the list. I've really enjoyed reliving all the moments of friendship Nancy and I had together from the beginning and through our many adventures. Lots of wonderful memories.

Norm stopped by in the afternoon on the way to do his grocery shopping. He usually comes and talks to Joe in the spring about whether he wants the water in our ditch. Joe said yes. Other than that a quiet day.

My Grandson Justin and his Stephanie got married today. We certainly send them best wishes for a great lifetime together - you two have everything you need to be happy - each other. Sometime tomorrow Debbie and Curtis will arrive for a week. I am really eager for them to get here.

“We cannot tell the precise moment when friendship is formed. As in filling a vessel drop by drop, there is at last a drop which makes it run over; so in a series of kindnesses there is at last one which makes the heart run over.” - Ray Bradbury

Thursday April 30 2009

Across the Street

Deer at Sunset

The end of another month. This is the end of my three months off from chemo and it seemed longer than I thought it would. It has seemed such a great feeling of freedom, as you can surely imagine. We will see soon what happens next. Got up at 8 a.m. after being in bed about 12 hours and had slept very good. Exhaustion does that to you.

Started off looking at all yesterday's and today's emails, stacked up during that outage. Then getting things tidied up. I've got a couple of big loads of laundry going, and have to mop and do some cleaning before we have company. Lois and Bud are coming to dinner, and pot roast is on the menu.

Also Bonnie called yesterday and asked if this afternoon would be a good time to come and clean out the inside of my car. I said yes, of course!! It is FULL of dog hair and mud and gravel from the winter. It will save me about $200 for detailing here in town. At least that's what it was last time I had it done maybe year before last now - time goes by. They didn't do such a great job getting down in the out of the way places either. I'll be able to do a little to help her, like the outside windows where I can stand and work. And do the mats. I just can't get scrunched in the vehicle and then try to vacuum or scrub. Seems like scrubbing anything just isn't something that agrees with me any more.

Charm should be stopping by with the "drink" for my CT scan sometime today. I sure appreciate her doing this errand for me. Also I need to call oncology again. They told me to get a protime at the end of the month, and I want to ask if I can have it done there when I got for the scan. Otherwise I'll have to go down to the clinic here.

Oh!! Joe went to get the mail the other day and there was a package from Betty Pfaff. She sent me a painting of "found" things, with the subject of items you would pick up from the ground of an old homestead (like ours) as they surfaced - chips of china with delicate floral patterns on them, old buttons and such. It is beautiful, and I will cherish it. It may be colored pencil or watercolor that she's been working in lately, can't tell which one for sure. THANK YOU FOR YOUR THOUGHTFULNESS, BETTY. I'll get a photo of it taken so you can see it.

So better get busy with putting the pot roast into the crock pot and folding laundry and cleaning and get Joe some lunch. It's a nice sunny and a little warmer day this morning. Windy as usual. High clouds though, so it may cloud up seriously again.

Wednesday April 29 2009

Work Interrupted

Sliding Doors during Blizzard

Foggy Morning - House Across the Street

Every time I tried to get on the Internet it wasn't working. Resetting etc. didn't work. Here's why. http://www.pinedaleonline.com/news/2009/04/Cutfiberopticlinedow.htm. That resulted in all my emails for last night and today rolling over to Thursday.

Tuesday night went to bed about 8 or so and put Marley and Me in the DVD player, hit play, and never even saw the movie start. Woke up just in time to see the sad ending. When I got up about 10:30 p.m. after my "nap" during the movie, the dogs wanted out and there was a blizzard raging - unbeknownst to me until then. It was a surprise to see about 4" of wet heavy snow on the deck which had fallen in the last couple of hours. Couldn't see what had happened though until I opened the door because all the windows and sliding doors were plastered thickly with snow. It was nice moisture to have for spring time grass and flowers. So then stayed awake and watch Marley and Me all the way through. And annoyingly didn't sleep more until about 5 a.m. Came out to the living room and watched TV on the couch and finally fell asleep there - just for a change of scene.

I had some aspirations of going to the Wednesday painting group at Rendezvous Pointe and backed out again. I had not slept for two nights and didn't feel up to hauling my "stuff" down there.

Joe went to coffee and afterwards Joe the plumber drove him around town on a sightseeing trip to see all the new development around town. Joe was surprised at how many new houses there were. Then we tried to go to lunch at Rendezvous Pointe but I had forgotten to make a reservation and they said too many other people had done the same thing. So Cindy asked if we could wait until others had been served because there might not be enough prepared. There was a big crowd - so we decided to try the new hamburger place that took over the Cajun restaurant (which Joe liked because everything there was fried. He liked the shrimp, But it is no more.) I'd heard they were good but the burgers were just o.k. and not cheap by any means. There is also a new buffet to try, so we might go there next time.

Anyway we saw Lois and Bud at Rendezvous Pointe having their lunch there, and I asked them to come over for dinner on Thursday. It will be good to see them, since they recently got back from their snowbirding and it's been a very long time since we have visited.

On the calender for the end of the month was to call Oncology to see when they want me to come for my next CT scan. Nurse Judy had to contact Dr. Ward, and also Radiology. Before it was all scheduled and all the information organized, between us it took about seven calls. They have me down for a scan at 10 a.m. and then to see Dr. Ward at 1 p.m on Friday May 8. Even though I had a note next to the phone I forgot to ask them to renew one of my prescriptions so that was another call back. Charm has been in Jackson for doctor appointment and had stayed overnight, so I called her at the motel and asked if she would pick up the BerryLicious drink for me. She said she was doing o.k. and that she would bring the drink by to me on her way home Thursday. That saves me taking a trip up there or going extra early the 8th to get the drink. THANK YOU DEAR CHARM.

In the afternoon the man from Rocky Mountain Home came over and measured for vertical blinds for the sliding doors. With the sun having moved more north, it's really shining in hot and bright on the table just at dinner time. We might have them within a week - after I go down there and pick out which fabric and color. Don't let me procrastinate. I copied more letters into the computer until I got tired of that. Should be able to get through the rest of this batch in one more session. Eyes kept wanting to close so took a nice though short nap and warmed up some leftovers for dinner. I was ready to go to bed early.

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An enemy can take up more space in our head than a friend in our heart.

Tuesday April 28 2009

"Store" near Elkhorn Crossing .

Fallen 1

Fallen 2

Flat

A nice looking morning, clouds hanging around, still chilly. From looking at their web cams, it's snowing in Yellowstone this morning.

Scott came a little while ago to measure the back yard for gravel and will give us an estimate and show us different kinds, sizes and colors of gravel in about 2 weeks. So that's started anyway. I was disappointed that for some reason Joe has really drawn back from doing anything but very basic gravel on the ground only in the fenced in area in the back yard. We should be having Scott do the plan and estimate all at once.

My heart sank anyway and got a little riled up at him. It's a start. We can use this as a beginning and then go from there. Of course I have all these ideas I'd like to see really happen. I had hoped to have him do both front and back, get it over with and have some kind of beauty to it even though we're mainly having gravel and rocks. Scott said if we want to change it later he can pull back some of the gravel and so something different for landscaping areas. I did ask him to price us some stepping stones off the deck stairs to the gate, just as long as they are level.

Yesterday afternoon I made a batch of oatmeal cookies. Joe had his coffee this morning, and now he's gone to the post office. We haven't gotten the mail for a while and there will probably be more bills that will need to be paid. He also did some more cleaning in the yard. I did the phone bill yesterday. It helped some that the refund they gave us for the internet service being bad was deducted from this month - almost a hundred dollars. We're also both getting that one time payment from OBama on our social security.

Interesting story below, wonderful photos are different on each link.

http://www.pinedaleonline.com/news/2008/11/MongolianJournal.htm

http://www.pinedaleonline.com/news/2008/10/InaplacelikeWyominge.htm