Summer is gone

This little guy made me smile.

 

It was a crazy summer.  You can tell that by the dates on my last blog post!  Shame on me for being neglectful.  I have a few excuses.  My two adult sons were home for the summer and I was busy feeding them.  I trained for and ran a half marathon with a new running buddy.  I was blessed with a new grandson and I spent a few days in New York via an air travel experience worthy of documenting – later.  I participated in the Grand TetonRelay with friends and family – also to be documented later.  My 91 year-old mother passed away and we gathered in the land of my roots for a celebration of her life. I had my grandchildren home for a visit. The list goes on …

 Oh, and we put in a new lawn! I didn’t do a lot of the physical labor.  Hey, I had two grown boys around to help and I was feeding them.  There were times, however, that I thought the grass would never grow!  So much dirt.  So much dust. So much patience!

How can this make a lawn?

When these few blades of grass poked through the ground I was both excited and skeptical.  How would they ever fill in to create a green carpet?

Time has a way of repairing and rebuilding things.  I stepped outside the other day to discover a lacy mushroom – the likes of which I had never noticed before - poking his little head through the now thick green carpet of grass. Gone are the weeds and piles of dirt that plagued our yard this summer.  Gone is the dust!

Gone is the summer. 

10 Best things about Maui

Rather than give a play-by-play of my vacation (I can do that well enough in person) I thought I would post a short list of my favorite things accompanied by a few photos!  Enjoy!

10 – Crashing surf and blowholes. We saw this one on a drive around West Maui.  It’s a sketchy road and makes the Road to Hana look like a highway!

9 – Seven Sacred Pools.  This freshwater dip was just what we needed after a two-mile 1000 foot climb to the waterfall that feeds them.

8 – Upcountry and Orchids of Olinda.  After this visit I believe even I can grow orchids! (Maybe not.)

7 – Road to Hana. Put it on your bucket list!

6 – Sandy Beaches. I even brought some of the sand home with me.  It’s in my ear canal. (That’s another story!)

5 – Lani Kai Snorkeling.  The captain was fabulous.  When the wind picked up he modified the cruise to find the best snorkeling spots.  The best, however, was his knowledge about humpback whales and the whale of a show that he found for us!

4 – Humpback Whales!  I wish I had some photos.  The competition for a female partner was incredible, as was the mother whale teaching her calf to breach.

3 – Humidity and 85◦. It occurred to me that there is no need to dust in Maui.  That's foreign to this country girl.

2 – Palm Trees!

   And more palm trees!

Did I mention palm trees?

1 – Hanging with my Hubby!

 

Things that didn't make the short list:

Lahaina, Banyan Trees, Hawaiian Shave Ice, Hot Island Glass, Haliimaile Coutry Store, and Ali’IKula Lavender farm, to name a few.

 

Ringing in the year!

Ring in the New Year!

 

 

Here is to another year behind us and one of promises ahead!  I’m going to ring in the New Year at home, grateful for all the things with which I have been blessed. I plan to make some changes in the coming year.  They will be subtle, I am sure! I plan to continue to strive to take care of my health, so long as that effort is enjoyable.  After all, I do believe in moderation! I want to better tend to family relationships – just because. I am still defining my spiritual goals, but I am pretty sure they will have something to do with diligence and scripture study. I hope to publish more and sell more, mostly because I want to share what I write and because the best part about being an author is the positive feedback from readers!

Today, I celebrate New Year’s Eve because it marks a special anniversary for me.  I met my husband on New Year’s Eve.  Driven to traverse the Southern Idaho winter wilderness on this day 29 years ago, I met him at a social event – one I swore was never the place I went to meet someone special, rather to commune with friends I already knew.  One of those friends happened to introduce us that evening and it has been an adventure ever since!

Happy New Year to you all!



I did it! Just waiting on the review.

There is always so much to do!  I am grateful for the opportunities I have to pursue worthy goals.  Sometimes the prioritizing is what is difficult.  I have long been self-employed.  This has been a great blessing in my life as it has allowed me the flexibility to stay home and parent, participate in my children’s school activities and life pursuits, and go to lunch whenever my husband invites me.  The things that have been the most appealing about self-employment are the very things that can be the most frustrating.  Flexibility, or in my case, the ability to rearrange my schedule and put off those things that are good or necessary for those things that are better or more satisfying, has often allowed me to overschedule and delay some necessary things – like exercise and toilet cleaning!

Here is the good news!  Today I finished editing the second edition of Gold Pans and Iron Skillets and submitted it for self-publication.  Whew!  This book has proven a learning experience once again.  “Why a second edition?” One might ask. The reasons are plenty.

§  I am out of printed copies of the first edition.

§  I want to try my hand at self-publishing and a book I am familiar with is a good start.

§  I hope to sell more copies of Gold Pans as I build momentum for Milk Cans and Quilt Blocks.

§  I didn’t want to mess up Milk Cans on my first attempt at self-publishing.

§  And finally, the new cover design will be a better companion to the Milk Cans cover.

The best part?  It isn’t 2014 – yet!

I feel almost as good as if I were here!

What my birthday taught me

They don't call me Granny for nothing. I've decided it's good to be older and here is why.

• The older you get the more people you know.
• The more people you know the more friends you have.
• The more friends you have the more presents you get!
• The more presents you get the more you smile.
• The more you smile the friendlier you feel.
• The friendlier you feel the more friends you make.
• The more friends you make the more ... presents you get!

Yes, I'm feeling a little spoiled today and that's just fine with me!

Seriously, though, the best part is knowing people are thinking of you.  It really makes a girl stop and count her blessings!

I feel like I could wear a tutu, too!

Idaho Sunsets

 

I know a blog is for writing, but I wanted to share my beautiful Idaho skies and too many words will only serve as a detraction. Enjoy!

 

 

These are only a few of the colorful sunsets we are blessed with in Southwest Idaho.  I hope you enjoyed the view!

Look a little closer

It has been a very dry summer.  In fact, we’ve had a couple dry summers in a row.  Drought conditions are especially worrisome in agricultural communities like ours.  Add to that boating as one of our favorite pastimes and there is little to be joyful about during a heat wave.

One of our favorite bodies of water is Owyhee Reservoir.  It is extremely low this year. So low, in fact, that the boat ramp is at least 200 yards long!  I am ever amazed at the skill level my hubby displays while launching our boat. I can’t back a trailer out of my driveway! I am grateful for his talent.  Otherwise, there would be no skiing this late in the season.

We discovered something on our most recent trip to the lake. Although we have murmured about the heat and lack of precipitation, those are the very things that allowed us to discover this little guy! 

Can you see him?

We have dubbed him “The Owyhee Bear.”  He is usually far below the water line. (I apologize for the poor photography.  My camera didn't recognize the bear face!  What's up with that?) There are many uniquely beautiful rock formations in the Owyhee Desert and many have been named and renamed.  We don’t know about our little buddy. Maybe someone has given him another moniker, but the chances are low, just like the water line!

The Owyhee Bear is a reminder to me that even during our most difficult trials we can find joy.  If we hadn’t been suffering a drought, we never would have found him.  Sometimes it takes grave trials before we find Him.  He is always there, waiting for us to seek Him. (Luke 11:9)