Where Have I Been

I am on a mission.

Really.

Not like "Mission Impossible".

But, a real mission!!!

DH and I are serving a mission together.  We are great companions.  We like to do everything together anyway, so it is a great fit for us! And missionaries always do things in pairs.  So, like I said, it works for us.  And, about 50,000 other missionaries.

We are serving as "Caretakers" of Camp Cumorah.  Camp Cumorah is east of my house about 45 minutes.  Up above Bone, Idaho.  You should visit Bone, Idaho.  It is someplace you will never forget.  I should take a picture of the store.  Yep, there is one store in Bone, Idaho.  No fire department, no post office, no gas station, no library, no church, no nothing, except a store.  The store is a store/bar.  There is always tons of cars there on a weekend.  Am I rambling?  Have I gotten off the track of telling you something else.  Hummm..

I do think I shall regress back to my first thoughts.

We take our 5th wheel up to Camp Cumorah and we live in it.   We have full hookups.  We have access to other amenities, like a big kitchen, with large ovens, if we need to use them.  We also have big showers with big water heaters, if we want to use them.  We can even bob around in a canoe on the lake if we want.  We can take walks and see chipmunks, squirrels, and deer.  Which, I have seen them all.  I have also watched a beaver swim in the lake and I have seen his homes.  He isn't a favorite person of the director of the camp, but I love the beaver.

If you follow me on Facebook, you have seen a few of the photos I have posted.  If you want to see more photos, well, I am having a dilemma about that.

I have always used Picnic to upload my photos to.  I edit them and then put them on my blog.  But, piknic doesn't exist anymore.  So, since then I haven't found another editing place I like as well.  I have Photoshop Elements on my computer, but I don't know how to use it.  So.  No photos are available at this time.

Just a quick update.

Because my first born shamed me today and reminded me how loathsome I am for not updating my blog.  Sorry, first born.  Thanks for the gentle reminder.

Love,
Me.

Yellowstone National Park

On cold winter nights, when my DH and I curl up and watch TV, we will watch the most random things....like the National Geographic channel, or The Animal Channel....or the Idaho Channel.

Well, this week we decided to go and live and see the things that were on TV this winter.
It was also "Get Into National Parks Free" week.  And we live by one. 
Yellowstone National Park.

I pack a picnic and we left the house around 8 am.  Early for me!

We were gone 12 hours.  We loved every single minute of those hours.

I am going to share some random photos I took.  I am still trying to shoot in something besides "Auto" and I am miserable at it!!!!

These are untouched photos....but they are what we saw....

Sit back and relax. 

** disclaimer....**  Some are rated x.  It is just like the animal channel on TV. 
You have been warned!!

Bubbling mud pots are so fascinating to me..... How does the earth stay hot here, and not every where else?  And, for years and years and years.......

You can find gysers all over the park.  Not just at Old Faithful.  But they are smaller, usually.

The water is so blue in places.  But not everywhere.  Why is that???

Yes, that sky is real.  Yes, a storm was coming.  Yes, we got rained on, and thundered on and yes, I loved every single minute.

The roads were virtually bare! There were very few cars, and the best part was when we saw wildlife, we could get right up close to them.  When we walked the boardwalks we were the only ones there.  I have never been to "the park" and had it to myself!  It was wonderful.

Now, I want you to listen to this, and you listen good!  Yes, this is how close I was.  I know...... every park ranger in the world would have me in hand cuffs by now...if they were there.  But, I have never been so close to a wild bison before, and I couldn't resist.

I squatted down , and...focused.....and then I heard my dear darling sweet DH say, "Honey, I think it would be best if you got in the car, now!"  He could have been a park ranger. 

However, I am so glad that I followed his "suggestion" and got inside the car, and closed the door.  If I hadn't followed the "suggestion" I would have missed the next photo.

Close your eyes if you have an  avertion to "mother nature".  This is REAL.



Are they closed.



This is your last chance...!

ummm.  *clearing throat*     ummmm..

I mean really, how often do you get to see this?!!

Oh, stop it.

You would have looked, too.

You would have taken the photo, too.

OK, moving on!!...................

The road to West Thumb is still closed....I guess the road there has snow on it, still.  Or the park rangers are having a party or camping or whatever instead of opening the road.

Hello, are you still here..... quite scrolling back up there!

OK, I will wait.......

waiting..............


What?

oh, OK....I will write more later, when I have your full attention.



Love, Me

Snow On April 2, 2012

In the west, and the east, and everywhere else there are random snow storms.
The past few days the North East has been hit with a dang good storm.

So, I was thinking about our last snow storm.
It was on April 2, 2012.

I woke up that morning, I clearly remember doing that.
I looked out the window, I do that every day.
And I was shocked!  It is hard to shock me.

During the night it snowed.

Our solar lights were still on, and I don't know how, because they were blanketed with snow.
All asphalt or cement was baren of snow.
All grass, trees, shrubs, fences, wires and satelite dishes were blanketed in snow.
 
The dogs were as shocked as me!
I showed you what Zoey did on this snow day....
Now, I am going to show you what Ivy did.
What Ivy always does.

Her instincts kick in and she becomes a rodent killer..... or looker......or sniffer......
She stays Far Away from the cold white stuff.
She finds the warm place where the sun has been shinning.
She sniffs,,,and sniffs,,,,, and sniffs......
Until she gets a random piece of bark stuck on her face.

I don't know if Ivy is giving Zoey a "raspberry" for being in the snow, or if she wants help.
She is an odd little thing, with a warped sense of self esteem.
At any rate, she likes the dry ground, in the sun, green grass and looking for rodents.

Instead of this....................

Today it is 71 degrees and Ivy and I are loving it.
I think I will go and mow the lawn......

Love, Me

PS.  No decision yet on the chicken coop...... but I planted the thought...........  It was really quiet at our house for a while...... I think DH was thinking..........(I wonder if he feels trapped?  Does he want to say no?  Is there a chicken in my future?  Maybe he will build a doghouse?  I wonder who will live in the dog house?)

Fresh Eggs

I love fresh eggs.

In a perfect world, I would have fresh eggs every single day.
But in my perfect world, I would gather my own fresh eggs every single day.

But, I have to settle for someone else gathering the eggs and I get to buy them.

I have to admit I am so jealous of her adventure.
She gets to put her hand under a warm feathery creature and pick up the warm eggs.
She gets to wipe the chicken "poop" off the eggs...never wash them!
She gets to see all the pretty colors, as if the eggs were dyed special!

Fresh eggs simply taste better.
Fresh eggs are "meatier".
Fresh eggs have thicker shells.
Fresh eggs are desirable, by me!

"DH........oh my Divine eternal companion, who I cherish and love with all my heart....who was blessed with so many talents.....who loves me as much as I love you.....and would do anything for me, as I would do anything for you......Will you build me a chicken coop?"

Love, Me

PS.  (I will keep you posted on his answer.....it may take a year or two before he says what I want to hear......)

Zoey The Snow Bunny

I live with a snow bunny.

She isn't a bunny, she is a dog.  But she hops like a bunny, and she runs fast like a bunny, and she poops.  Does that count?

And she loves living in the cold as much as I do.  We both embrace these snowy days.

She looks at me and says "Mom, come and build an igloo for me".  I ignore her.  She asks for that every time it snows.  And I just keep ignoring her.

I know I hurt her feelings.  But it can't be helped.  I want to build a snow fort.  It is something the two of us will never agree on.  Since she doesn't have opposing thumbs she will just have to pout.

Sorry sweetheart.  I will another day.  You are such a good girl, and I just have to spoil you.  And kiss you. And bathe you.  And smell your wet dog hair after you play out in the snow. Never mind.  I am not building you an igloo.  I am too busy.

Love, Me

She Won The Great Christmas Gift Again

In our family, there is one person who always gives the best Christmas gifts.
She puts so much thought into each gift.
It doesn't matter how much it costs, or where it was purchased.
She buys "for the person".

So, last Christmas she made several gifts.
One was really cute!
Well, they all were, but this one was really good.

It was made with two people in mind.
Both of those two people got the gift.
I think it made them laugh.

Recently, when I was visiting my daughter in California, I saw the gift.

I thought you might enjoy seeing it, too.

The curls on the top are to hang photos, jewelry, whatever.

It is the saying on the plaque that is special!

What a sense of humor!

She wood burned the letters into a pine board.

Ain't it cute???

Love, Me

Arizona Sunsets

I love Idaho Sunsets.

And I love Arizona Sunsets.

Here are a few photos I took recently while in Arizona.

They will speak for themselves....

They are straight out of the camera...no editing!

And we were driving in the car and this is what we were looking into.

Just for the record.  It is suppose to rain today in Idaho.  So, I had to look at these.  I wanted to remember.

Love, Me