Mischievous Max

The other day I just caught myself before I said, "Would you pick those matches up off the floor, so Max doesn't get them and start lighting fires?" I have decided that there is no reason an 80 pound chocolate lab needs to spend all day inside the house during nice weather. I have been demanding he spend the better part of the day outside. The result is that Mischievous Max is often up to no good.

He swiped the neighbor's deer head off his porch. Twice. (Don't ask me why our neighbor still has the head of the deer he got last hunting season. Maybe he wants the antlers. Maybe his wife finally demanded he get it out of the freezer?) He adorns our yard with all kinds of gross stuff. You'll feel better if I don't describe it. Suffice it to say that I had to have him wormed. I really don't want to know where he got the unfamiliar yogurt containers, but I hope none of the neighbors saw him do it. They might welcome his next foray with a shotgun.

When not in search of food, he is digging spots in the lawn to lay in or rototilling my flower beds in search of bones he buried last fall. The only mischief I acquit him of is the peach pit I found buried in the raspberries when we moved them Saturday. Orville probably did that.

The Expert Hike

My hiking buddies and I found a new book with more hikes withing 20 miles of where we live. I chose one near a Lake where we used to take our boat. Most of the hikes are not trailheads, or even trails, so we end up bushwacking a lot. The book stated that even book authors could get lost on this week's hike. The author recommened this hike for experts. So, I set a waypoint on my GPS and off we went

We enjoyed beautiful views.

We found a siphon from the gold mining days. My Greatgrandfather mined near here used a siphon for hydraulic mining. Do think...?
When we were confused about which way to go, we ran into Sacajewa to point out the correct way.

We enjoyed good company. Max is the most interesting conversationalist of our group. He is a very well read dog and can converse on a number of subjects. Max keeps us updated on the best new authors publishing. Additionally, he knows a lot of then history of the area and tells us stories about early-day pioneers as we hike.

We followed the siphon to this canyon. When the book directed us to climb up the canyon to continue the hike, we grasped the full meaning of an "expert" hike. We decided we are not experts.

As we tried to find a way out of the canyon, we ended up down by the river. There's never a boat around when you need one. We ended up having a VERY steep climb back up to the trail. Maybe that was where the six wood ticks Max, Hermione, and Eloise had came from.

We only hiked 3.29 miles, but we were exhausted at the end of the day.

The Ugly Apple Tree

Many moons ago, one of my precious children was eating an apple in the back yard. This child (Orville, I have information that YOU were the culprit) had the bright idea of planting a seed from the apple in my flower bed. Lo and behold, a little apple tree began grow. I let it grow because when something other than a weed starts to grow here, I don't have the heart to kill it. Besides, I was sure it would winter kill. Instead over the next several years it developed into a VERY ugly apple tree that I could not dig out. Wilbur assured me that he and his equipment were more than capable of dealing with a small apple tree. Yesterday, he removed it for me.

This is the punishment reserved for any other unauthorized seed planting in my flower beds. Orville, this means YOU.

Mother's Day Talks

I am so GLAD Mother’s Day has changed since the 60’s, 70’s and early 80’s. My mother used to detest Mother’s Day with a passion, and I don’t blame her. In those days, our Mother’s Day Sacrament Meeting would include at least one talk about someone’s “angel mother.” This woman slaved away her entire thankless life until she evaporated into a pile of dust that disappeared in a nasty thunderstorm. She never: rested, had one of her needs fulfilled, got anything she wanted, had a decent meal, had a dress that wasn’t a rag, or participated in one activity that was pleasant enough to warrant a smile on her face during her entire life. Oh, and she never complained. She sacrificed all so her kids would have a bag of marbles to play with. And this is what truly worthy mothers should aspire to.

Usually, the second speaker would weave a tale about a mother who: never raised her voice, always wore a dress and make up, kept an immaculate house, even though she had ten boisterous children, was adored as the President of the Community Garden Club, was a fabulous cook, and on, and on…. After one such talk, Gail Blodgett looked at me and said, “Just once I wish a speaker would say, ‘My mother yelled at me, but I loved her anyway.’”

My Mom and I would leave church in a depression so deep the Grand Canyon seemed like a shallow little furrow. Whew! Truth is always better than a lie. To have your kids know you have faults but love you anyway is so much better than to have someone cast you as a paragon.

She Mastered It

While waiting for the graduation ceremony to begin, Wilbur contemplates becoming a vegetarian.

Hooding Ceremony.

Hermione waiting in line to get her degree.

Grandma and Hermione.

The rest of the family.

Proof of mastery.



Ready to take the bull by the horns.

We Decided Not to Barbecue Tonight

Drama

We ventured out camping this weekend and immediately encountered drama on the highway. On our way up over a pass on the way to our camping spot we immediately ran into semi wreck. Jose was one of the first people on the scene. He was directing traffic. Sophia was decked out in her volunteer fire department gear as she hauled a hose up a hill. A semi, traveling at a too high a speed on a curve, tipped over on its side and slid down the guard rail for a few hundred feet down the high way. The driver was killed. This was a sad, sad event.

We waited for Jose and Sophia to complete their civic duties and proceeded to our camp site. Then Wilbur and Jose built a very large fire and reminisced about Flash's fire building proclivities.

I am still dealing with fluid in my ears, crackling ear drums, and trying to get over the infamous bug. While I was camping, I got markedly better - at least until I went four wheeling. Wilbur said we would return to camp at noon, so I planned to four wheel a half a day and take it easy in the afternoon. About 11:30 he and Jose changed plans. We ended up going 40 miles, up hill and down. Ear plug, ear pop.

Since I was better during camping the first day, I am wondering if I am allergic to Barak's hair? I reluctantly asked Eglantine and Boris to board him with a friend until they have ther own place. I feel very badly about this since Barak is such a kind, nice dog, did nothing wrong, and he was used to us. I am grasping at straws for the cause of my ear fluid, trying to get better, and don't know what else to do. I don't know if I will ever get on another airplane. Seeing what flying in a pressurized plane did to my ears, I can't imagine how Flash ever flew in an unpressurized plane with a cold. I completely understand how he ended up with a ruptured eardrum. Next week will be better!

Little Known Facts

Cub Scouts are actually artists in disguise.


The main reason for pruning apple trees is to supply dogs with "tug o' war" sticks. Shootingstars hide under the snow. If you look closely at the ground when the snow melts, they are on the ground grinning at you. Their message is, "Don't lose hope. Spring will come!"

Dogs are avid gardeners.

Travel is a Broadening Experience

Things I learned visiting my southern grandkids:

Always check out new equipment by seeing what the maximum G.V.W. is.

Swings are gender specific. There are girl swings and boy swings. Always make sure you use the correct swing.

Once a day, view the world from a different perspective.

Uncommonly good looks run in the family. (It was bound to happen since they are related to Wilbur and me.)

Wheels make the most mundane things more fun.

No matter what fashion experts may say, every shade of pink is REALLY a neutral color. This neutral color goes with everything, makes you feel good, and should be worn on every occasion.

Spinach Salad Dressing Recipe

Spinach Salad Dressing

1/3 c. sugar
1 small onion, finely chopped
1/4 c. unsweetened applesauce
1/4 c. cider vinegar
2 Tablespoons water
2 Tablespoons oil
4 teaspoons prepared mustard
1 teaspoon salt1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper

Combine the first nine ingredients in a blender or food processor; cover and
process until smooth.  Serve over fresh spinach.  Yield 1 1/3 cups


Above is the recipe as printed. When I make it, I use my homemade applesauce
which does have some sugar in it.  I usually double the recipe because we
have spinach salad a lot and use up the dressing quickly.  I never put
onions in the blender because it seems to make them taste yucky hot.  I use
my food processor to chop the onion.  Just combining everything else and
stirring with a spoon works fine.

Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah

Hello muddah, hello faddah
Here I am at Camp Granada

Camp is very entertaining

And they say we'll have some fun if it stops raining.

I went hiking with Joe Spivy

He developed poison ivy

You remember Leonard Skinner

He got ptomaine poisoning last night after dinner.

All the counselors hate the waiters

And the lake has alligators

And the head coach wants no sissies

So he reads to us from something called Ulysses.

How I don't want this should scare ya
But my bunkmate has malaria
You remember Jeffrey Hardy
They're about to organize a searching party

Dearest faddah, darling muddah,
How's my precious little bruddah
Let me come home, if you miss me
I would even let Aunt Bertha hug and kiss me.

Wait a minute, it's stopped hailing.
Guys are swimming, guys are sailing
Playing baseball, gee that's better
Muddah, faddah kindly disregard this letter.

Love, Barak

I Miss My Family of Origin, so I've Taken up Chewing

Squirming

Sometimes church events cause squirming. Most of our cub scout committee was squirming when the person bringing the taco meat, taco shells, plastic knives and forks, paper plates, and napkins did not show up for the Blue and Gold dinner Thursday until 5:55 p.m. The dinner was supposed to start at 6:00. Squirm, squirm.

On Sunday as I left church, I heard a ten year old girl in my Primary class ask her Dad was sexual promiscuity was. Naturally she asked him in a long, fairly narrow hallway hall as two-thirds of the members of our ward shuffled by on their way out the door. And she asked her Dad in front of the three or four men her Dad was visiting with. Squirm, squirm.

The super scouter in our ward asked my if the scout training I received was helpful. I never want to lie, and I don't want to hurt her feelings. Squirm, squirm.

Quilts & Trash Pickers

This week I learned that Webelo Scouts like picking up trash a whole lot more than they like reading about citizenship in their Webelos Book. They also like rice crispy treats quite a bit.

My Delightful friend , Charmaine, is finishing a quilt. Her husband's first wife died suddenly and never was able to finish a quilt. So Eloise, Charmaine, and I are finishing this quilt in her memory. It is a hand quilted quilt. There is always hope that my hand quilting could turn out respectably.

Peanut also came to visit and brought his parents along.