The End Of The Ride

If you think reading this blog is long, you should have been with me in the giant big truck.  That was long!

But, we are nearly finished.

You know you are near Salt Lake City when you see all the downtown buildings. 

It didn't always look like this.  I remember when the temple stood as the tallest building.  Now you really have to look for it. 

"Temple"......... remember the game?

Look for the multiple steeples....

Yep, the little tiny poky up things.....

That is the Salt Lake City Temple.

 Before long we were out of the city and into more farming country and rural life.  The cows, horses, barns, fields, groves of trees, and railroads speckle the country side.

Then the familiar Idaho scenery begins.

It changes slowly, but it is a change.

The mountains are different. 

You've heard of the wonders our land does possess,
Its beautiful valleys and hills.
The majestic forests where nature abounds,
We love every nook and rill

Chorus:

And here we have Idaho,
Winning her way to fame.
Silver and gold in the sunlight blaze,
And romance lies in her name.

Singing, we're singing of you,
Ah, proudly too. All our lives thru,
We'll go singing, singing of you,
Singing of Idaho.

Verse 2:

There's truly one state in this great land of ours,
Where ideals can be realized.
The pioneers made it so for you and me,
A legacy we'll always prize.

The State Song was required learning in 4th grade.  I wonder if it still is????  Does anyone have a fourth grader in Idaho who can tell me the answer to that question?  I will sleep better tonight if I know the answer.  Thanks.

At this point we have passed through Pocatello, Idaho, home of Idaho State University.  Where my darling husband attended.  He drove from Idaho Falls to ISU.  He got good grades in Pool Hall.

We are getting so close to the end of the road for us.  I am getting butterflies in my tummy.

We pass the fields of potatoes.  I worked many autumn days in those fields.  I drove a very big truck.  I worked 16 hour days, 6 days a week for 6 weeks.  I followed the combines in the fields and the potatoes were loaded into the bed of the truck, then I drove to the potato warehouses or potato cellars and unloaded the big truck. 

The truck beds had to be tarped with giant big heavy tarps to protect the potatoes from getting "sunburned".  If the wind was blowing it was very hard work.  The wind would whip that tarp around and sometimes carry me with it.  I was afraid I would end up in Kansas or somewhere, when that tarp caught the wind.

After Pocatello is Blackfoot. 

I learned to golf on the Blackfoot Golf Course.  It is beautiful, and to this day one of my favorite golf courses. 

I quit golfing in Arizona.  It is too hot there.  The courses are too "manicured", "regimented", and "Expensive!"

I like to golf in Idaho.  It is here where you don't have to have a collar on your shirt.  You can golf bare foot if you want to.  You can forget to count every swing you take.  You can find golf balls in the bushes and keep them.  Golfing in Idaho is great! 

 The Blackfoot Golf Course has water from the Snake River around it.  It has canals around it.  It has mosquitoes, too, but we use "Off" mosquito repellent so they don't "bug" us.

In recent years the city of Blackfoot has added a walking path around the golf course.  People ride bikes, take the family, walk the children....it is a peaceful beautiful place. 

You can see the foothills in the East.  You can hear the sprinklers.  You can forget all your troubles and just relax.  It is cool in the shade, and the grass smells like grass.  It is a wonderful place.

The golf course is lush with trees and bushes of every variety.  It is better than a park.

Have I convinced you to learn how to golf, just so you can come here and feel what I am telling you?  I hope so.  Golf Courses in Idaho are beautiful.  And CHEAP!

In Idaho Falls a resident can buy a year round golf pass.  It is about $250.00.  You can golf at 3 different golf courses.  They are all as beautiful as the Blackfoot Golf Course.  You can go as often as you like.

Our friends, Connie and Norman golf.  They golf 3 times a week all summer.  They are tan and fit.  And next summer I am going to be with them.  I can hardly wait!

OK, now we are near Idaho Falls.  The truck is going so slow...I am so excited....and I have to pee. 

It has been a long day.  We have been driving for about 10 hours today and it is nearly 6:00 pm.  We are getting hungry and anxious just to be out of the truck.

We are crossing the bridge of the Snake River and know we are only about 5 miles from home.  Suddenly the pictures of the truck antenna and the side mirror don't matter to me.  The blurry foreground doesn't matter.  Every picture is perfect to me.  Perfect.

The potato cellars and big trucks are plentiful.

The fields are testimony of the crops harvested for another year.  The wheat fields are being cut, the potatoes are ready to be dug, the straw is cut and baled, the trees are barely starting to change colors...... it is autumn in Idaho.  It is harvest time.  The gardens are ripe.  Apple trees are heavy with fruit. 

I am nearly home.



Thanks for taking this ride with me.

I loved sharing it with you.

Come and see me.

But call first, as I may be golfing, skiing, or recovering because I will be acting like I am young again.

More Of The Drive On Day 2

On the second day of our drive we awoke refreshed and determined to make our destination as soon as possible.  We quickly gathered our few belongings and climbed into the giant big truck again.  We felt much better after getting a few hours of sleep.  The room was small but quiet.  We never heard a neighbor or a car during the night.  I would recommend Kanab, Utah as a good place to stop when you need to get a good nights sleep.  Just watch on the left side of the road as you get into Kanab for The Mission Inn.  They don't serve complimentary breakfast, but they do have coffee and hot chocolate. 

It wasn't long until we had passed through Panguich, Centerville, Orderville, Mt. Carmel and a whole slew of little towns....and finally we saw evidence of larger pockets of civilization.

There were really old factories that are nearly falling down, except they have looked that way for 30 years.  We saw housing developments sprouting up, and we saw churches.  When we drive through Utah we have a saying...."Church!"  That word is in every sentence.  We say "church" in the middle of a sentence and just keep talking about whatever we were talking about.  All we have to do is watch for the white steeple.

"Church"

"Church"

I am sure there are several out there, but I didn't zoom in....

but you get the idea.

There are many many many LDS churches. 

So, our morning was spent watching other motorist and watching for churches.  We merrily lumbered down the bumpy roads of Utah in our great big giant moving truck, with the seat belt cutting off my airway in my throat.  With every bump I wondered if that would be the one to break my neck!

As we got closer to Springville and Provo the mountains got closer to the Interstate.  The farm ground is right next to the interstate....and so are the homes.... don't ask me why.  I have always wondered why they build homes so close to the interstate....but I guess Arizona does that too.  I lived in a neighborhood close to the interstate....but somehow, it just seems weird in Utah.  There is all this farm ground, why don't you build your house next to the mountain?  Then the deer can come into your yard and eat your trees.  If you built your home close to the mountain the snow would melt and water your yard.   I think I would build closer to  mountain, just to be in the shade longer.  There was never shade in Arizona!

By the time we got to Provo we saw the same old "new" factories.  They just don't build them like they used to.  Now they are just big boxes with no personality.  The old factories had pitched roofs and stairs and neat windows.  Not walls of windows.  There was machinery in the old ones, now there just desks and wires and phones.

I will show you a neat factory in a minute.  It is a little farther down the road but I will get a picture of it for you.  You will know what I mean when I say "the old ones are neater".

But one sight I always look for in Provo, Utah is the "Y" on the side of the mountain.  Then I know I am near BYU....Brigham Young University.  The town built for college kids.  I have to wonder who keeps the "Y" on the mountain?  Is it painted rocks?  Is it white plastic staked down?  If someone knows the answer to that please tell me.  Who takes care of the "Y", and what is it made of?

The mountain range is breath taking no matter what season it is.  Usually by now there is more fall colors on these mountains.  But summer is slow leaving this year, and the mountains look rather drab.

Get ready, the old factory is next...................driving...............driving..............almost here.............

See what I mean????

Then the scenery gradually changes.  We pass the farms, the factories, the cows and focus on the mountains. 

This is the Wasatch Mountain range. They are the famous mountain for the best skiing in the world, according to me.  This is where my DH and I would meet our friends from Minnesota.  Every Presidents Day holiday weekend we would meet in Salt Lake City and ski.  We skied Alta, Brighton and Sundance.  I skied with Robert Redford when we were at Sundance.  It is true.  I was taking a skiing lesson and was skiing where the Olympic Team practices and Robert Redford skied next to me.  My instructor was very impressed that I could stay with him.  At the time I didn't realize that is who it was.  He had on goggles and a hat and a red ski parka.  He looked like everyone else.  Just having a good time on the mountain on a beautiful winter day.  I am sure he doesn't remember me. But, I remember skiing on the hardest part of the mountain and I stayed up.  The fact that he was there wasn't nearly as cool as me skiing where the Olympic Ski Team practices.

The canyons in these mountains are great to have picnics, go camping, hike, and fish.  There are streams running down year round because of the snow melt.

But, down here, by Provo the mountains kind'a peter out.  There is a place known as "the point", meaning the point of the mountain.  Then the mountains change until you are nearer to Salt Lake City.

Remember the Winter Olympics were held here.  These are some great mountains!

Now, about this point we change the game.  Instead of saying "church", we start to say "Temple".  Utah is very lucky and they seem to get a new temple someplace every year.  



"Temple"

"Barn"..... just seeing if you are paying attention.....

"Factory"

Yep, this is a factory in Lehi, Utah.

They sell wheat to places all over the world.

They even sell it in Cost Co.

I bought some last year.

It is in the back of this giant big truck I am riding in!!!

Nearly every time we drive to Idaho we stop here.  I buy the mixes they sell.  The mixes are so so so good.

It is the kind of product that comes in a cloth bag.  Someone makes these bags.  At Christmas time all the cookie mixes, muffin mixes, cobbler mixes and such are packaged in darling cloth bags.  Some are bags with snowmen, some are ginger bread men, some are holiday wreaths....each one is so cute.

Inside the cloth bag is a plastic bag with the mix and the directions.  "Just add water, and egg and 1 tbls oil", is usually the directions.  They make great gifts.  I love Lehi Mills food.  My friend Robyn Stoneman used to give me a mix and a candle for Christmas.  I will miss getting that gift....heck, I will miss that friend...!!  A lot!



 Now we are getting to that place I told you about...."the point"  of the mountain.  It isn't very pretty.

Next to the Interstate is an amusement park for kids.....this really isn't in South Dakota...or is it in North Dakota....???  I should know this...Look it up for me will you and tell me where Mt. Rushmore is.  Thanks

At this point my heart is beating faster and faster.  We are getting really close to one of my favorite places in the world to shop.  And you all know I hate to shop, unless it is a thrift store.  I like the prices in a thrift store and you can find the most random things....but this next place, well, it is Heaven without the prices of a thrift store.

Thanksgiving Point.  Don't you just love that name?  My plan is to someday have my DH drop me off there.  He can leave.  Because across the Interstate is a Cabelos.  He can go play there and when he has had lunch, taken a fly tying class and learned how to stuff a moose, then he can come and get me.  I should be nearly done by then.

Get ready..................ready.............nearly there.....................what do you see..........................?

"Church"

I told you they are everywhere.

And there are Wind Mills.... just like the ones by my new house.  On my new foothills... "Windmills"

And since we are getting closer to Salt Lake City the traffic is picking up.  The drivers want to go 80 miles an hour in a 75 mile an hour area.  Imagine.  The 80 mile an hour stretch of the interstate ended a few miles back, but the drivers just don't lift their heavy feet off the gas, and then we see the results.......





This officer didn't know I was taking his picture.  I was zoomed way in.  ....or I thought he didn't know.  But look at that face...maybe he saw my camera.....yikes.  I hope he doesn't remember the great big truck I was riding in. He can't see my face, as my camera is a little big.  Thank goodness.  He looks like he could be mean and hurt me for taking his picture.  Is taking an officers picture against the law?  Some one, let me know about that too, would ya?

Well, I have to go now.  My trip isn't over yet, but I have a few boxes to unpack, so I better do something with the stuff that I hauled in the back of that great big truck. 

Stay tuned for tomorrow.  I will finish up the drive with you then..

Until then, know that I am home, in Idaho, safe and sound, and happy.  But have a butt load of work to do!

Come Take A Drive With Me, day 1 and 2

Last weekend my DH and I took a little drive.  It was only 1,000 miles.  My DH must love this drive because he takes me on it many times a year.  One year, not long ago, we took this drive 6 times in 12 months.  It is a lovely drive.  We see lots of scenery and we are very familiar with some locations.  For instance, in Beaver, Utah we know when our favorite yard has been  planted with new flowers. From year to year they always have such a beautiful yard, and every year they redo their landscape with different flowers and new colors.  We always look forward to seeing that flower garden. 

But, the other day, we found that our trip required us to drive much slower.  It also required us to pack a bit more than we usually do.  Although we always pack too many clothes, shoes, and reading material for our trip, this time we really got carried away.  We packed a lot. And we got help from friends, family, co-workers, and people we go to church with.

Those who were helping us didn't care a bit that it was 106 degrees outside and we had the air conditioner on.  They just left the doors opened and went about their merry way doing whatever they wanted.  They would pick up random things to pack.  Things like a TV, or a bed, or a box of green beans.  Those great people just didn't seem too picky.

My daughter, her husband and our 2 most precious grandkids were helping us pack.  Somehow, they seemed to pack slower than the other helpers.  I got the feeling they really didn't want to help us do the packing.  It seemed a little harder for them than the other people who were packing our stuff.

My son-in-law would stop doing things and watch my face.  He knew to look directly at me when an older gentleman picked up our 1974 Sony TV set (it really isn't that old but it is old.....it is bigger out back than it is across.....you remember those.....they aren't FLAT)....well, my son-in-law looked at me to see what my face looked like.  He knew I would have great big eyes, my mouth holding back a scream, and my body shuddering!.  He knew I could see old men smashed as flat as a pancake under that big old TV set.  He knew I could see glass breaking, and the wooden coffee table ending up like toothpicks.  My son-in-law knows me.  He knows I am pretty fussy about old TV's being wrapped in bubble wrap, and taped and dated and the room destination written on the tape.  I am a little over cautious about priceless antiques,like my big a___ TV. 

The TV ended up being one of the last things put into the truck we would be driving on our little drive.

My grandkids had a blast measuring the size of that big a__ TV.   I think I heard Madi say, "Look, Jack, it is as tall as my waist, and just as deep in the back."

Then Jack said something like, "Madi, I know, it is even bigger than this true antique trunk!"

Those were the little things that I heard in my head, and it didn't make one bit of difference.  No matter how hard they tried to hurt my feelings it didn't help one little bit.  It was the hardest thing I had to do that day when I had to get in the big truck and drive away.  But, I had to make this 1,000 mile journey no matter how much it hurt.  No matter how much I want to be near them.

So, to help me get through those thousand miles I took pictures.  Pictures of places you may never get to see.  Especially in the later part of September.  These places are so remarkable, that I want to show you a few hundred snapshots I saw.

One of the first things you will see is the splattered bugs on the windshield.  I always know when I am not in Arizona by my windshield.  In a great big truck, with a "Mom's Attic" over the cab of the great big truck, with big orange lettering on the side that says something to indicate we have loaded and are driving "stuff" we have loaded by ourselves, well, the windshield catches many many many bugs.  Some might have been butterflies, or flying aunts, or nats, or bees.  But, whatever they "were", they don't have the guts to hit the windshield again!

The problem with taking photos while driving are numerous.

1. The objects in the foreground are going to be blurry, as they are moving faster than a camera can focus.

2. The mirrors on the big truck are big mirrors and they get in the frame of numerous photos.

3. It is hard to frame objects that are miles away and keep them in focus, not blurred, and retain a little of the natural color of the said objects.

I will name a few problems with taking photos while driving/riding later as we go.

So, I tried to focus on things that

a) wouldn't make you car sick and be blurry

b) show bug guts in every single photo



As we left our home late in the afternoon, and I was busy crying for the first 400 miles, and the sun went down, and I was really really really tired......well, I didn't take pictures on the first day.

4.  It is difficult to take photos when you are riding in a bumpy truck and crying.

So I have to tell you a little about the drive.

I saw places that I haven't seen in years.  I have a problem whenever my DH drives me north.  It is the dangest thing.  I get sleepy.  I mean really sleepy.  I always do.  So, I plan ahead.  I have a travel pillow and a travel blanket that is laid neatly in the back seat of the vehicle.  I sit next to the blanket and pillow.  I never never never sit in the front seat.  In the front seat is usually a small cooler, my purse, a backpack with a couple of computers, camera bags, chargers, cell phones, snacks, and other essential items one must travel with.

As soon as our vehicle gets on Interstate 17 heading north, it hits me.  My eyes cross, my eyelids drop, and I slowly slump into a puddle on the back seat.  I stay in that horizontal position until the aroma of pine trees comes in through the air vents and wakes me up.  That would be about 2 hours later.  That would be when we get near Flagstaff, Arizona.

Then we pull over at the Safeway gas pumps, or the Maverick gas pumps, which ever is cheapest.  It varies from trip to trip.  I always check the gas prices in Flagstaff.  I usually save enough money for us to buy a fountain drink.  That makes the fountain drink free.  It is worth a couple of bucks.  When you make the trip up north several times a year those fountain drinks can get expensive, so I save  money on gas.

Once we are back on the road, I always slump over to that horizontal position again and sleep.  I sleep for about, well, about, maybe, about 2 more hours.  Then we are in Page, Arizona.  That is another stop, because the driver has been drinking his fountain drink.  I, having stayed horizontal,  haven't touched mine.  I have been dreaming about Meadow Larks or something and my ice has melted and the drink is warm and watered down so we throw it away.

That is how it usually is.  But this time, I am cramped into the bed of a very big truck, and I have a seat belt that has a choke hold on my neck, my feet are surrounded by computers, purse, shoes, and an overnight bag.  To the side of me is a box.  The box is big enough to hold another camera bag, pita chips, two cold drinks, Kleenex (because I seem to need a box of them on this trip), red licorice, a very big (Sam's Club size) container of chocolate covered almonds and a bunch of of necessary crap I can't remember.

So I couldn't sleep.  I had to stay vertical.  Dangit!

I stayed awake.  I watched Anthem go by.  I watched Skunk Creek and Bumble Bee go by.  And I tried to see things, but they were blurry.  The watery eyes made it impossible for me to take a photo.  Not even one.  Even when the sun went down, and the colors in the sky were breath taking.  Even when the giant harvest moon came up.  Not one photo.  Even when the giant orange harvest moon was reflecting in the water of Lake Powell....not even then.  Not one photo. 

5.  It is difficult to take a photo when it is dark outside.  There isn't any light.

Those images are in my mind.  They are in my heart.  They will never again look the same to me.  I have seen the land many times, but never through the eyes I had on that day, or that night.  Those images contain my feelings as well.  And no photo, no photographer could capture that!

So, on we drove, long into the night.  And we were tired.  We had loaded the giant big truck, cleaned up the empty house, let our hearts break, and drove hundreds of miles that day.   Yes, we were very tired!

I had finished reading my book.  I didn't have anything to do after the sun went down.  So, I watched the moon.  I called my kids and told them to go look at it.  I knew my kids could see the moon at the same time I could see it, and that made us feel closer.  If only just a little. 

I also asked my girls to try and find us a room in Kanab, Utah.  We were too tired to go any farther.  They got on their computers and started looking.  I would get a text every few minutes that they hadn't found anything with a vacancy.  What was the next town we could get to?  Panguich, Utah.....it was so much farther away when you are that tired.....  Keep trying girls...we are really tired.

My DH was listening to a book on his iPod and keeping his feelings buried.  He does that.  He will examine those feelings days or even weeks from now, but he can't just yet.

Suddenly, out of no where.....literally, as we were on a road that is in the middle of no where, there were lights behind us.  Blue and red flashing lights.  You know the ones.  The ones where you say something intelligent like, "OH, shucks".

We pulled over.

6.  It is difficult to take a photo of an officer approaching you in the dark.

Officer approaches our giant big truck.  His spotlight was in the side mirror of the driver.  The officers flashlight was in the side mirror of the passenger.  We were lite up!  The officer approaches, cautiously, on the passenger side of the giant big truck.  That is where I am sitting.

"Good evening officer."

"Hello".

"What seems to be the problem, sir?"

Looking past me, over to the man who was sitting behind the wheel, the one who looked like a deer in the headlights of an oncoming car, the officer said, "May I see your license?"

At this point I am not sure of the exact words but the Idaho drivers license was shown to the Utah officer.  The Utah officer commented on the Arizona plates on the giant big truck.  So, the driver of the giant big truck explained about the move to Idaho, the job in Arizona, and we needed a motel in Utah.  I had to add a little tidbit to the officer.  It was something like, "We are retiring!"  I got the feeling that he really didn't care.  He wanted to know if he could see the paper work for the rental of the giant big truck.

When he realized we are harmless, less fortunate, retiring, old people, who are moving ourselves instead of hiring a big "we will do it for you" company, he was very helpful.  We told him we wanted a motel to stay in, and do you know that smart officer of the law did know of a motel.  It was in Kanab, Utah, and 2 hours earlier he had noticed a "vacancy" sign there.  He explained it had recently reopened and it wasn't too bad. 

That sweet officer saved us that night, in more ways than one. 

1.  He woke us up when we were getting very tired.

2.  He gave us accurate information and we were able to find a room that was old but clean.

3.  He delayed us so we didn't hit the deer that tried crossing the road a few miles north. Someone else in front of us hit the deer. We were able to swerve and miss the deer on the road.

4.  And when the on coming car started to cross the center line in the road, we were kept safe.

That officer helped us get a good nights sleep.  We were able to get back into that giant big truck the next morning with a fresh start.  I could sit vertically in the crowded truck and bounce along on the bumpy Utah roads.  I could take pictures of sage brush and tiny fences and enjoy the new day.

This country looks different everytime I drive on this road.  Every season is something different.   In the fall the sagebrush flowers in bright yellow clusters.  The cedar trees are a darker green, as they prepare for winter to come.  The road has less traffic in the fall, as the children are back in school and summer vacations are over for most people.  The mountains are preparing for the snow which will soon cover them. 

These photos are from a little stretch on Highway 20.  I love this road.  We leave Interstate 17 and cross on the 20 to meet Interstate 15.  That is the interstate we stay on.  (Earlier this summer I drove from San Diego, California on Interstate 15 all the way to Idaho Falls, Idaho......in one day!)  Interstate 15 is very familiar to me.  Today, it feels a little bit like home. 

Highway 20 is taking us to Interstate 15, which is taking us home.

Grand Son

"I have the best grand kids in the world."

I have heard other grandmothers make that statement, and they do, for them.  In their life.

But in my life, I have the best grand kids in the world.

This is Jackson.
He was my first grandson.
He is always smiling
His is letting his hair grow out.
There is some Justin Beiber or something like that, who is very influencial in the hair world these days.
He tries to get good grades.
He worships his parents.
He is very close to his mom.
He knows how to clean like "Nanna" likes things cleaned.
He knolws the differenct between teenager clean, and Nanna clean.  (I love that!)

I went to a volleyball game at the High School where Jackson's sister played.  Jackson goes to everyone of those games.  He sits in the bleachers and cheers his sister on.  He plays with his nephews or nieces, (whoever is there) and keeps them occupied so their mothers can watch the volleyball game, or read magazines, or daydream, or whatever their mothers want to do.  Jackson never takes his eyes off those little active kids.  He is so attentive, and loving to them.  I recently watched a very naughty nephew spit on Jackson, and Jackson, being the lovable darling perfect in every way kind of kid he is, simply said , "Don't do that.  That is gross."  (If this grandmother would have been spit on, I think I would have handled it differently.  I would probably be in jail right now.  My picture would be hanging in the post office in Arkansas.  My children would wonder what happened that day when their mom lost her mind.)

Jackson will someday make a great father. 

He will read to his kids.
He will watch DVDs with his kids.
He will teach them all about computers.
He will tinker on little things with his kids.
He will watch them for hours and laugh at them, and love them, and find only the good in them.

Jackson is a very good example to me.
He teaches me to smile.
He teaches me how to use my phone.
He teaches me where gas stations are that have diesel.
He teaches me to watch a full moon peeking through clouds.

He teaches me every time I am with him.

He lets me love him.

Yes, Jackson.......you have a grandmother who loves you with every ounce of her heart.  I am so proud of you.  You bring me joy.  You make me smile.  You remind me that little young boys have tender hearts and see the little things in this world that matter.

Jackson, you love your animals.  You love our your Millie.  You don't care if she sheds her hair on you.  You pet her.  You feed her.  You keep her water bowl filled.  You talk to her. You even share your chair with her.  Especially when she is sad.  Today, she was sad.  You realize that and you tenderly care for her.  You reassure her she is loved.  You give all you have to give to her.  Jackson, you know how to love.

So today, I want everyone to know how much I love my Jackson.  I love him with all my heart.  I love the smell of him (there is nothing like the smell of boys growing into teenagers), I love his braces, his sneakers, his bedroom filled with boy posters and things.  I love his eyes, his hands, and his heart.

Jackson.  You make me proud.  I am a very proud grandmother because, I am YOUR grandmother. 

Now, I have to shut off my tender heart, because my Jackson won't live just 40 minutes from me anymore.  I have to be 1,000 miles away from my Jackson, and those miles of separation begin tomorrow.  But no matter if  I am 1,000 miles or 100,000 miles away from him, my love won't change.  But, tomorrow I will feel a pain in my heart that I don't want to fill. Today, I dread knowing that pain is coming.  I have to hug him, and then let him go, out of my arms, and be physically separated from  him, tomorrow.

Miles can't change what I feel inside my heart for this special grandson.  Jackson, please don't forget how much I love you.  Because, I do! 

Out of time

I am out of time.

I wanted to blog everyday, but that is not happening.

I tried to blog everyday last month and I did pretty good.

Because, September is my favorite month and I really wanted to share with you all the fun September things I have done, and I am doing.

I have driven to Heise Hot Springs and Kelly Canyon.

I have driven from Idaho to Arizona.

I have boxed so much crap I am delirious.  Crap I tell you. Crap.  What else would you call old plastic hangers, used Glad ware, half full bottles of Vegetable Oil, miss matched plastic forks and spoons...?

I have so many boxes surrounding me. 1)  Some is for donation....that stuff is still kinda good but I don't want it. 2) Boxes with packing material in it.  You know the kind.  Bubble wrap, plastic bags, paper, newspaper...stuff to pack with.  3).  Garbage.  Plain and simple garbage.  But the garbage can is full so it is in boxes.  4).Stuff that I don't have the energy to make a decision about.  Like, panty hose (I haven't worn that in years....) silk plants, which are covered with an inch of dust, and they are too big for the new house, but they would be good for someone....  You know.  Just that kind of stuff.  Stuff I can't decide about.  Decisions Decisions Decisions.  I CAN NOT MAKE ANY MORE.  Whew, that felt good.

Then there is the "list".
The list is all the stuff V has asked me to do, and I can't do any of it.
Things like having the water turned off. 
That should be easy, right? But it isn't.
I call the City of Glendale.  I "press 9 for customer disconnect".
I "press 1 for...whatever!"
I keep pressing numbers until I can talk to someone.
Then I give them my address.
I tell them the last 4 digits to the account holders SS#.
And then the sweet lady on the other end of the phone says, "I am sorry.  Your name is not on the account.  You will have to have the account holder call to disconnect this service."

Well,  I think quickly...and I say, "I am the homeowner.  My name is on the deed to this home.  Doesn't that give me any privileges?"  I am not ashamed to be the homeowner.  I have paid the house payment, the water bill, the power bill, the sanitation collection bill, the Internet bill..... you see what I was thinking?  Yeah, I was thinking...

The sweet lady says,"Hold on Mrs. H.  I can research that".........*pause while I wait*........ "Oh, Mrs. H, thanks for waiting. I am so glad to see your name is on the Deed To The Property.  I will be happy to help you.  What was it you needed?"

By then I wasn't sure who I had even called.  Was it for the water, the power, or the Internet....?

So, I said, "I have forgotten who I called.  What company do you represent?"

The sweet lady started to laugh.  She really did.... then she said, "I'll bet you have made several of these calls today.  I am with the City of Glendale.  Did you want your water turned off on a specific date?"

Suddenly, I remembered what I was doing.  I remembered what State in America I was in.  I remembered my own SS#. I remember the list.  I look at the list....I see the lines of crossed out things I have done...so I figure the next item that isn't crossed out is what I was working on.  Whew....

So, I told the lady the date of the disconnect.  The house address.  The new address so (heaven forbid) they could send the final billing to us...

When we ended our conversation I was sitting quietly in my breakfast nook.  Looking around at all the boxes.  Seeing what needs done.  Seeing what I have done.

Then I heard a drip.
Drip, drip.
Drip, drip, drip.....
Crap!
What could that be.????
A bird pecking on the window screen upstairs.???
No, they don't drip.....

Oh, crap.  I've gotta go.  I have a problem..... "Houston, we have a problem"!  A VERY BIG PROBLEM.

The Big Band

A couple of weeks ago I told you about going to the concert on "The Greenbelt" of the Snake River.

It rained that night and the concert had to be cancelled.

I was so sad.

I wanted my mom to hear the concert that night, really bad.

She wasn't there.

So when it was rained out I was glad she didn't miss it.

The Big Band was rescheduled and it was last week.

I can't even tell you how neat it was to sit in the shade of the large trees that line the river bank, and listen to the horns.  The trumpets, the trombone, the saxophones, and the drums.  It was so awesome.

The ages of the band members were a span of probably 50 or 60 years.  Some pretty old guys, and some really young fun guys.  There were a couple of girls even.  One older lady played the trumpet and she could really belt the sound out.  She did several solos and her trumpet had great sound. She was really good.

My sweet mother tapped her feet non stop.  She smiled.  She sang.  She clapped her hands.  She loved it.
She brought her little puppy Reggie with her, and Reggie layed on her lay and mom stroked her fur and Reggie just sat there, listened, and watched.

Reggie is a dang cute little Shitzu.  She snorts.  She sputters.  She hasn't got a nose and she is darling~!!

Even little Asher loved the music.  He stood up and rocked and danced and bounced and was a good sport hanging out with all the old people.  He is so dang cute.  I think he will come up missing on the day he is supposed to get on an airplane.  I don't think he wants to go back to the smog and traffic and congestion.  He wants to live in the fresh air of the Rocky Mountains.  He wants to see the snow fall.  He wants a White Christmas.  He wants to live near his grand mama and grand papa.  He does.  I just know it!!

And then there is this girl.  She loves music!  All kinds of music.  She has the most diverse play lists on her iPod.  She loves big bands sounds, too.  She even knows the words.  She sang the words along with her grandmother.  She is so much fun!  We have a ball when we go to the river concerts.

This girls loves music too.  She ends up on the front rows of every concert she attends, and this concert was no exception.  And she had a wonderful date with her. 

So if you find yourself in Idaho Falls, on your way to Jackson Hole Wyoming, or West Yellowstone National Park,  you can always hit a pillow at my house.  I would love to feed you some of my garden preserves to help you keep your girlish figure/manly figure.  We love company.  We love entertaining.

We love the Concerts on the Snake River......they are free......they are wonderful.