Christmas in Los Alamos

We braved the friendly skies and are in Los Alamos for the holidays. The snow started falling gently on Tuesday and then began to rain down in white sheets by the middle of the day. We got the drive cleared by 3PM or so and headed out to put some food in Dad's interesting fridge. He had frozen french bread pizza singles, tamalies, some ancient ice cream and a few brontosaraus steaks from a hunt in the early prehistoric years. We bought pork chops, roasts, beans, canned goods, veggies, juice and a host of cheezes. It was a trip to the store that was a lifesaver.
Today, Ded is down in White Rock and Lavonne and I have celebrated a great Christmas morning by listening to Choir music, eating beans we made yesterday (which should provide hours of entertainment later), and counting our blessings.
We will head down to Phylis's house in an hour or so for dinner and some good visiting, and a good game of cards.
I wish Sharon, Judy,Mark and the kids were here along with Dot and a large crew to make the cards more interesting and share the feast. Merry Christmas!

Aunt Betty

I miss my Mom like crazy but I always had Aunt Betty even after Mom passed. Now Betty has passed too and there seems to be a huge hole in the world. I know it will be filled with memories and family but when you lose someone like Betsy it is ceartinly a big loss. She was 88 years old and still sharp and funny. She was one of the most amazing learners, interested in everything. She cooked like Martha Stewart and looked like a million every morning. I called her and had a great long chat at least once a week. Now I will talk to her and Mom each morning and each evening in my dreams.
Everyone needs an Aunt Betty in their lives. Someone who by their faith and their sheer determination is solid as a rock. You always knew what to expect from her. Gracious and graceful she was the embodiment of dedicated Mom. She loved her children with a passion that defies description. I heard proud stories about each one and never ever heard her utter a word of dissapointment about any of them. She told funny stores about them but always with a sense of ..."aren't my kids funny and creative"?
My favorite recent story was when one of Tiffany's friends was saying she was giving Tiffany some advice, harshly. Tiff's friend said "I ripped her a new one". Betty asked me what that meant. I told her it meant that she chewed her out or verbally tore into her. At Breakfast Betty was listening to a story about some conflict between two folks and I asked her what on of the conflictees did. She raised her fist and said in a louder tone. "ripped her a new one". I laughed so hard I was incontinent. Lavonne still gets the church giggles when I mention any part of the story. Betty, looked at me after the laughter and said sternly..."that isn't anything dirty is it"? I told her no...but it was so out of character it made us laugh. I never heard her swear...ever.
So, here is to a gentle lady who had so many wonderful layers and never forgot how to have fun...who loved her kids...was loyal to her family and friends and taught us all how to live with more grace.

Thanksgiving

Just back from a week in Steamboat Rock. We ate more than was sane and played cards until the wee hours. I stink at that card game but the snacks are great. We had a little snow. They predicted a half inch and we got 5 or 6. We did have fun but the cold weather was a wake up call for me to get out the warmner clothes. The photo is the view from the cabin deck.
A wonderful pair of students sent me a link through their blog to a site called Free Rice. You all should check it out.

New Mexico

Folks, we are just back from a trip to NM to see Dad and for me to teach a workshop at Albuquerque (UNM). Lavonne and her broken hoof were troopers. We drive and photographed trees and scenes and ate lots of chile. I will post more photos this weekend.
Wish you all could have been with us.

Tribute to Cubby the Wonder Kitty

Cubby, Our niblet-less grey kitty...the one with the expensive pins in his hip was hit by a car last week and did not make it. He came to live with us after surgery and we got a bit too attached. When we were running around the country for my work we left him with Lavonne's sister Sharon...and he jumped off a table and needed more surgery...plus...Sharon got really attached to the cuddly little grey furball. He stayed with Sharon and was our constant companion every time we were at Steamboat (his kingdom... which he rulled with an iron paw). He had the run of about 8 acres of garden and trees but he got too curious about the highway to the east and wandered out there. I am a dog person but this little guy was really special.

Lavonne Update

Lavonne and I took a field trip to the Dr.'s office. We got there right at 8:25...appointment at 8:30 and the Dr. came in and said I looked at your x-rays and you will not need surgery. 9 out of 10 folks need surgery and Lavonne is the one out of 10 who is OK. The fracture does not involve the talus (another odd bone in the foot)...so her heel is in good position and no surgery. Good news.
Bad news...8 weeks off the foot. So, 8 weeks with the walker and the crutches. She already hates the crutches. They did put her in a cute little boot that looks line something from NASA. It will take some getting used to the boot but it is better than the wrap and 100 pounds of cotten they had on it before.
Lavonne had a huge list of things to do outside to get the house ready for winter and I can do some but there are a few that are beyond me (anything on the ladder is out...plumbing and electrical too). So, as a get well present I got her a handyman named Jason. He is great (great at plumbing and electrical too) and right now he is doing one of the things that was on my list (staining the deck). I may adopt him.
So, all is well and we are chugging along.

Lavonne's Foot

What a week this has been. Lavonne climbed up a ladder to cut some tree branches from our tree away from the neighbor's house. Coming down she missed a rung and fell. She must have hit with all the force on her right heel because it broke. Now we are waiting to see a surgeon next week to see what we need to do to fix it. Sh has been a good patient so far but I think the restless nature of this working lady Lavonne will come out. I am thinking duct tape may work to keep her from getting too rambunctious.

Missing all of you

Folks,
I had a call from the guys in Phoenix and a new post from Tiff...but know that I miss you all. Fall here in the heartland is georgeous.I was in Iowa City at a B and B on the best day of the year. I sat on the porch with a big friendly tabby ca and did my online work. Days like that make it worth living here.

Lake Superior

We motored to Steamboat Rock to pick Sharon up for the trip to the Lake and there was a parade. Sharon's '69 Chevy was the convertable that was to carry the grand marshal (some guy named Gary and a lady named Babe or somethig like that. She was one tough lady who runs the ambulance in the county with an iron fist. Lavonne kept hitting the brake when she threw candy and it would catch the Grand Marshals off guard and pitch them forward. I thought it was a great ride but God help us if Lavonne needs an ambulance in the next 10 years. Next we headed up north of Duluth for the anual Pierson Sisters + one Latina pilgramage to Castle Danger. Great wave action on the Lake was fun to watch but kept the Kayaks on the roof of the van. The Sisters went biking about 10 miles a day and I went to the lodge about a mile away to teach my online class. We played "Pepper" in the evening (great card game I lost 75% of the time) and we had a wonderful campfire on the rocks by the water every night under starlit skies. There are a lot more satelites than I remember last year.
The highlight was our cups from Cooper,Kelly and Archer. I pulled them out the first night and we cracked up all week. These were the hit of the season. Lvonne won for the most creepy, I go the ones with the odd teeth and decided to make a dentist appt.
Sharon's nose looked almost the same...coincidence?
The last few days we has some wonderful needed rain and a double rainbow. Wish you all could have been there.

California Vistin'

OK, we are back from CA but we had a great time. We got to see lots of family. Mark, Grant (on crutches), Cooper, Kelly and of course Archer. That little guy has got the scream part of life down...I think he will be a sports announcer for some team like the CUBS. Something where screaming happens infrequently. But, I even love the screaming!
His folks are adorable! Coop and Kelly are such amazing parents. Mark is settling into the Grandpa thing with such ease. He reminds me of Pop Rickard pretty often. OK, enough gush. The other photo is with Terry and Sue Todd. Those two are great frineds. Terry is my brother from another Mother. He and I share the same sick sense of humor, a love of diverse kinds of music and 25 years at TJ tormenting eachother with practical jokes. We saw them at their Palm Springs home. What a great trip.

Coast to Coast and in between

The Girls are in Tacoma Washington. Just a bit ago we were in Williamsberg (garden photo) and the Outer Banks.
So, I offer you here a smattering of Lavonne and I at Williamsberg, Lucy's....working on the Garage drive (15 tons of gravel and the cabin) and Pikes Market in Seattle. The "wrong way" sign is specifically for Lavonne who tried to moon the bellcap. We may not be able to return to another Marriot property...or then maybe we will be asked to comeback again (not likely). Oh...and the orange thing is a glass show by Chahulli (spelling?) a crazy eyepatch wearing artist who works with glass.

Cat Video

New York

Well, the girls hit the big Apple and it was less Sex in the City"ish" and more Metamucil in Manhattan like. We had a good time and our room was a block from the site of the Twin Towers. We had a Hudson River view and a view of Ellis Island.More later...but thought you would like the photos. The first few are of us in North Carolina...the second stop on our tour of the East with Shannon working and Lavonne playing. She did notice a Merrill Lynch Bull statue and did a complete colorectal exam to see what was messing up the markets. She also found a sign that prohibited profanity. That was a very quiet place for her.

Big Wind

I know, you saw the title, "big wind" and thought immediately that I had been eating beans. But, oh no, it is not me this time. The wind came in front of a storm while we were trying to land at Omaha. The plane circled for about an hour over Lincoln, NE and then landed in Omaha. The storm blew through with sustained winds of 100 to 115 mph. We lost power but no damage to our house. A few trees in our beautiful neighborhood lost limbs and we lost a few trees. Those who parked their cars under the trees lost them as well. We were blessed with no dammage. So, we did what all good Midwesterners do...we got out the chain saw and helped our neighbors. Then we took off and found a burger king open on the far south west part of the city and bought 25 burgers then brought them back to the neighbors ...as none of us could get into our refrigerators and we only had gas grills to cook on. The burgers were a hit.
We have power back and all is well.
Oh, I did throw in a photo of some of the trip to New Hampshire and Maine. Next up is New York City and Virginia Beach.

Floods

I have been trying to write and not think of it as a "to do " list thing. But, the blog gets neglected when the schedule gets full.
We came home from a great visit with Dad in New Mexico and the rain had been coming down for days. There was 10 inches one week at Steamboat Rock Iowa. All the rivers on the east side of the state were swolen and as we drove up to Steamboat to check on Sharon each river crossing showed a river way out of its banks. Some were 10 or more feet above flood stage. The hotel I stay at in Iowa City is flooded and friends in Cedar Rapids and Cedar Falls are up to the second story in flood water.
That makes me think that the tiny irritations I suffer each day are so minor. It helps to put things in perspective. If you wake up breathing you have another day to get it right.

Angels Camp 2008

Angels Camp in Spring is magical. It is made more so by Tiffany, Jesus Marcos and Aunt Betty. We ate more than we should, fed Aunt Betty junk food (always fun) and talked and laughed off at least a part of the injested calories. Ok only a fraction.
JM, the cutie is almost a year old and he is quite the charmer. He does not say much but Dada and "what a gem that Aunt Shan is". I tried to teach him to say Mama but he has a stubborn streak...I wonder wher he gets that?
Mark came up and we had a great time talking about politics and religion (I say this with amazememt as we are such polar opposites...he is such an Hillary fan (she says dripping with sarcasm) and I think Obama might be the man). Still we did have a great visit. Grant came by just in time to give us a hug before we headed out.
Robert, Tiff's hubby is a sweetie. He bought a new truck and had Father Alex bless it.I want him to come here and bless my water heater. Do they do that or is that just a little petty to ask for another year aout of the old beast installed during the Nixon years?

Spring

We finally had a bit of rain in our corner of the world (that was not frozen when it hit the ground). It is clearing out some of the gunk and sand from winter. Maybe it will green things up. You cannot understand how important spring is to the psyche of a Midwesterner if you live in a place where it is green year round. We get crazy about the first green leaf that sprouts out of the ground. Sure a deer will come along before a day or so and eat the little sprout. But...it was green.
So, I sit here and dream of warmer days and have my winter clothes sitting in the front bedroom waiting to be put away and replaced by the tubs of shorts and t-shirts.
My Mom hated this time of year for other reasons (a divorce and car accident and loss of family members)...I do not hate it but I just keep waiting for the green time to come.

Friends in Paradise

We are back in the midwest and not adjusting well to the cold and wed early spring late winter weather. But, we had a wonderful St. Pats day with frields in des Moines then spent a bit of time at a golf shop MOnday evening to try to omprove our game with new drivers. I think I should just use a shotgun to blow the ball down the fairway but they say that is not legal..so I will buy a new driver and try to make peace with it and my irons. I have one club that is held together with duct tape and it is my favorite. I am getting it fixed but I am really worried that removing the duct tape will alter the clubs accuracy. What's a golfer to do?
The photos are of our golf buddies and Lavonne and Sharon on the course in Maui.

Paradise

OK, the sand is hot and the ocean is warm as a bath and the turtles and whales are playing and back home there is snow and ice and awful stuff. I think Febuary in someplac warm is a guilty pleasure. But lest you think this as been all sunny and relaxing let me tell you I am still doing the continuation f 25 days to make a difference and getting up at 4:30 AM to teach my class. I wake at 4:30 and make coffee as the computer boots. I check the class and answer any overnight e-mail then move to grade some submitted homework. By that time the coffee is ready. I pour a cup of Kona and sip and work as the sun rises in the east. The big picture window faces the sea and the west so it is a slow pastel palate from light grey to blue to vibrant pink. The clouds are covering the island to the north but to the south the green dots of Cook pines are just beginning to show up. The surf has been a bit high thanks to a good bump and probably some surfer prayers. Today I will head to town and find a special gift fot Tiffany's birthday and send it her way. Life is good and the learning continues.

25 days?

OK, so I have been a bit busy and neglected the blog big time. But, I have been keeping to the 25 days to make a difference. But I want to extend it anoother 25 days so I can blog about the amazing experiences. We helped lots of folks with stalled cars, shoveled walks, sent letters to friends we had not talked to in ages, made tons of phone calls, got more active in the political process, more carefully selected our charities, gave an amazing carload of clothing to a young mother, and a hundred other little opportunites that came along every day. I used to just roll right past those signals.
So, another 25 days starts Feb. 1 and I promise to keep posting what is going on.
What a way to start a new year!

25 Days and New Mexico

The 1st began the 25 days to make a difference. We were in New Mexico with Cooper and Kelly and Archer. These are 3 wonderful people. Muffin the wonder dog was there too. All in all a wonderful time. My first act of the 25 days was to help push a woman who had her car stuck in the icy slush of a parking lot at a local deli. She thanked Lavonne and I and then the manager of the store handed us a gift card for the Deli. I will give the gift card to a family at the shelter so that the kindness keeps going forward. My second is to get involved with the Nutrition for Life Foundation. They are working on World Hunger. So, I am off and running. I do think the biggest difference I can make in the world is to be a good gt. aunt to Archer and Jesus Marcos. I will keep working on that well beyond the 25 days.