Winter of Life

And then the Batroom flooded.

2010-08-26T11:02:00.000-07:00

All seems peaceful when I went to put on a bit of makeup and fluff my hair before going out to run errands. Then I hear a strange noise and feel dampness on my bare feet. A shut off valve under the sink has broken and the carpet is rapidly soaking. I ran to get Robert. He got it partly shut off but it was in a tight place he couldn't get to. We called Mr Rooter and the nicest guy came right over and went to work. After some discussion we decided to change all the valves in the house. There are eight,. $500.00 worth of repairs in a few hours. It seemed the thing to do. Then the real work began, getting carpet up and dried, the pad dried . Much moving, tugging etc for Robert with his bad back. Two days worth of aggression and misery. Robert said carpet should be outlawed in a bathroom and tried to talk me into tile. Still the bathroom is large and the carpet flows from the master bedroom so I could only imagine that it would look strange. It's enough to make one think they might like to live in an apartment where such crisis's are someone Else's problem.

Well, it is about back to normal after two days and nights, and I realize once more how much I depend on living a very organized life. Thank Goodness for Robert. He hates for me to hire anyone else as they don't do a perfect job like he does and he has to do it over. This is true. He is a perfectionist, in spite of a little mumbling and grumbling, I can count on it being very well done at the end, so I am grateful. A home is a big responsibility. Still I enjoy it and the big yard with so much peace and quiet. I doubt I will be moving until I go the big subdivision in the sky.

Mason and Clifford the Big Red Dog

2010-08-24T11:20:00.000-07:00

Gerry inspired me to go back to my Grandson's young days. When he was a baby the Churchman's (His maternal Grand parents) always bought him very expensive presents. I decided right away I wasn't going to get into a competition over the gift giving. Still I wanted to give something thoughtful and memorable.

Fortuitously, when Mason visited me when he was about 18 months, I got some Clifford books to read to him. He laughed so hard at the antics of the big red dog that his contagious laughter had my sister Melba, and I in stitches. From then on he always requested Clifford books when he visited. This of course inspired me to buy the first stuffed dog. He was so pleased I kept adding to the collection until he had every size possible. He loved them so much that whenever a trip was planned a couple of the small dogs had to be the first thing in his suit case. They were never far from him. Especially at nap time, as you can see. When he was a teenager Randy sneaked in and got the grown up picture. He warned me to never let Mason know he had given this to me. However I was so struck by the continued innocent expresson on his face that I framed them together and set them on my night stand. As luck would have it Mason visited, and walked directly to my bedroom and saw the picture. he didn't act to embarrassed or angry so this was good. It was some years before he agreed to give up his Clifford collection. I hope some little boy got it and loves them as much as Mason did. Oh yes, Mason is a big dog lover. He did his stint working in a dogie day ccare. Of course he adopted a big old dog named Gus who has a lame leg. He could not have found a better home. I, of course felt I had batted a home run with this kid.

Mason is back in school,yeah

2010-07-20T11:06:00.000-07:00

I just got off the phone with Lucinda, and I am so happy. We have all been dismayed that Mason developed a big antipathy for school. He can see the need of an education in this competitive world but could just not bring himself to do it. Randy has been so puzzled as he devoted himself to school and was grateful for the opportunity. Mason loved school when he was kid in Montessori, It suited him fine and he has proven himself to be very smart, but couldn't move ahead in the direction he needed to go. He had a difficult romance and gave up all his Hockey opportunities to please her(the girlfriend) as she wanted more time and attention.(There was never enough.) She became more and more needy until he could stand it no more. Of course the breakup was hard, as all of them are.

Lucina, who claims to be agnostic told me of this turn of events. She had an urge to drive out to Longmont to purchase a certain kind of sport shirt for Mason. On the way she notice this old building that looked as though it had been renovated from an old church. The sign said,"Adult Education." She stopped an picked up some material and took it home to Mason. He checked it out and is now enrolled in the classes he will need for collage. The amazing part of the story is that he LOVES it. Lucinda felt some sort of unusual force at work, in spite of herself. They have agonized over how life would work out for their precious son. Both she an Randy deserve a win in this respect and perhaps the path is now open. I told her about my accountant telling me how their best laid plans had been changed totally this summer. She is very spiritual and said after telling me the story of how everything had happened to put them in an even better place than they had planned, "I don't think there is such a thing as coincidence but just God being anonymous. Today I am feeling rather inspired.

Reading My Niece Pat's writing about brother Roger.

2010-07-16T16:33:00.000-07:00

My nephew Roger drowned in Flaming Gorge in 1985. His body was not found until two years later. He was only 41 so it was very tragic for our whole family. His sister Patsy has been very ill . she is finally recovering enough that I can tal with her. She asked me if I had ever read what she had written. I hadn't and asked for a copy. It came today and I sat right down to read. She had choosen a unique way to tell his story by writing him a letter on each of his birthdays. expressing the feelings she had for him as a brother. She paid tribute to his many great qualities and expressed her sorry at losing him so soon. Also she thanked him in each of her letters for being such an important part of her life. It6 was very beautifully written and I think his children and grand children will find it a great treasure.

She ended with this quote I like.

"A symbol of hope a butter fly lights beside us like a sunbeam. And for a brief moment it's glory and beauty belong to our world,but then it flys again and though we wish it could have stayed ,we feel lucky to have seen it."

My Trevor is duly employeed

2010-07-13T15:43:00.000-07:00

I was informed by phone, by a proud mother that her son is now working in the corn fields of Illinois. What a kid. They walk about four miles through the rows removing tassels from the the corn. Trevor was very excited about his first job. His mom said he came home from the first day so pooped out he went instantly asleep. She woke him for dinner. He ate and immediately went upstairs to sleep. This was a wise decision as he was to be back to the corn field at 5:30 a.m . I of course asked does he have dark glasses? Does he wear a hat and sunblock? The answer, yes plush long sleeved shirt, gloves and boots. Plenty of water was supplied. It is a good thing Trevor is in good shape from all of his sports. I was quite shocked that they could hire kids so young for such hard work but I guess it is common practice there among the many corn growers.

They pay them well,($7.50) per hour and if they do a good job and show up everyday, they get a two hundred and fifty dollar bonus at the end of the three week season. This will seem like great money to all the kids. The down side is they need them to work seven days a week. This will be rather grueling to say the least. Trevor is a very ambitious kid and asked me if he could work at McDonald's when he was three years old. Bryce, on the other hand has no interest in such endeavors. His grandpa back there asked him if he was going to work in the corn when he got old as Trevor, (12). He said, "No I just don't think that is for me." He is a comical little kid. Larena said he wants to make sure he can live at home until he is 35.

Speaking of working kids my grand nephew , Brandon, who always liked to draw cartoon figures from the time he was little now has has his dream job of illustrating children's books. I am very happy for him. He stuck to painting for sometime but this didn't exactly make a living, so his present job should be much better and still satisfy his need to be creative. I do think a good work ethic can help people to feel better about themselves, just because of their accomplishments. It doesn't always work out that way but the journey of striving toward goals adds enthusiasm to life.

Watching "What Dreams May Come"

2010-07-08T16:30:00.000-07:00

Last night Robert and I watched this film, and even if it is fairly old I enjoyed it a lot. Robert had seen it but I hadn't. The putting together of a film from pure imagination about life after death was quite a fete.It was well crafted and gave food for thought. Unusually in some of the films today. Rather dark but beautiful in other places. Touching when he meets his beloved dog from childhood. (Who says dogs don't have souls?)

I have always imagined that one would have the freedom to be where they wanted to be and create whatever environment they wished. Even though this film suggested that it also sounded as though one had to work very hard to make things right they had done in this world. Made sense, (but made me tired to think of it.) I'll probably have to rest a hundred years or so before I can make much progress in the here after.

It reminded me of a conversation I had with my friend Susan just before her death. She knew she was terminal and we frequently discussed what might come for her. She said since all is energy she thought of it as a big river where energy went in and energy went out with the birth of new babies.

A few weeks after her demise I was in a deep sleep, not dreaming but in my mind I heard the message,"There is a river" It gave me such a jolt I came fully awake. At first I thought this meant I should read the book by that name once more. It had been many years since I read it and was int"rigued. Later I though "No, this has to do with Susan. Where ever she might be I hope she has her energy, keen intellect and great talent as a horse photographer. I hope lots of beautiful horses are hanging around waiting to have their pictures taken.

Trek to Slide rock

2010-07-05T08:43:00.000-07:00

I made it down the treacherous rocks and many steps to find a great rock like a bench ,where I could see my cute grand nieces having fun in the water.Sedona is always an adventure, amd bromgs back memories of happy visits and lots of hiking in it's gorgeous canyons. I was raised in red rock country so when I first moved to Arizona and would feel homesick I would always jump into my car and head to Sedona.

My niece Janice, her husband Steve, daughters Alyca and Anna have been visiting the past week and I wanted them to have fun in natures water park at Slide Rock. They loved it. We also had a picnic and of course stopped at the famous Fudge Factory. All in all they were properly impress. That place is a photographers dream so even the kids cell phones captured it's beauty.

They were here for a week, including their two Shelty dogs. They have been known to be very hyper in the past but seemed to have matured and were really polite. They would even step carefully aside if I met one in the hallway. They seemed to sense you have to be careful with old folks. Robert got his 'dog lovers' fix, so that was good. He was happy to tend the dogs if we went some place where they couldn't go.

I loved having them, but m,ust admit to getting very tired. They left just in time for me to leave for the Scrabble Club's 4th of july party . held at a lovely home in Carefree where we could end the day watching the fireworks from the patio. My games were less than perfect because my eyes were not doing well. In fact I was very dismayed and bummed that the red rocks of Sedona were not nearly as intense to my eyes. Looked like they had all been washed with a heavy rain fall of bleach. Sign. Well at least I could still see them and walk well down the rugged trail, so I guess I will just remember to be grateful.

My gorgeous great grandsons

2010-06-20T11:12:00.000-07:00

My great grandsons are not only handsiome but talented. I just recieved a bunch of pictures with them as star athletes. Also some of Trevor's writings which I thought were charming enough to put in my blog.

VACATION By Trevor Hatch

Let me tell you my story of the time that my parents and I went to Canada. For my parents job.
It was a long ride. About seven hours.

My name is Rodney Bam. I am a normal 15 year old in high school. I am tall,skinny, with blond hair.

When we arrived in Canada we went straight to the hotel. It was suppose to be a five-star hotel with a great restaurant, and pool and spa. It turned out to be a room with two beds and one bathroom, old TV and a tiny pool. The table fit about two and we had three in our family. A bad start but maybe the other bedroom will be better. But nope, one bed mirror and old TV. How lucky am I? I get to stay here 5 days. since it was midnight I decided to go to bed. I laid down and the bed SQUEEEEEEEEKED. I covered my ears with the pillow and slowly and dreadfully went to sleep. I dreamed that night that we had to leave Canada early. I woke up smililing. I ate two strawberry strudels, got dressed and headed off to check out the school.When I got to school my teacher, Mrs Nash introduced me and saaid to make me feel welcome and blah blah blah. The usual new school intro. I just wanted to get my five days over with and go back home.I sat in the middle of the room next to a kid named Greg.he was really short with blond hair. A few minutes into the class I saw a kid named Blake smack him across the face. Gregs eyes started to water, and everyone was laughing. I thought it was wrong and mean but I didn't say anything. Later that day I saw Greg walking down the street.

"Why didn't you stick up for yourself in class?" I asked him.

" I don't know. I got to go." He said.

I went back to the hotel, swam and went to bed.

Day 2

When I got to the school I say Greg picking up his stuff in the hall and kids walking by him laughing. I said,"You want some help?" "Yeah. thanks " he said.

After school I went over to Greg's house for dinner. His mother made us some Canadian bacon. It was the best I had ever had. We did homework and that night I dreamed I was in a world full of Canadian bacon.MMMMMMMMMMMMM.

Day 3

After school that day Greg asked me if I wanted to go to wrestling practice with him.

"You wrestle?" I asked surprisingly.

"Yeah, I'm really good," he said.

"Why didn't you used your wrestling skills to kick those peoples butts who bullied you?'

"I don't know he said." then after a few seconds, "I don't like to use violence to solve problems."

"Oh" was all I could say as it didn't make sense to me.

Day 4

It was Saturday and Greg had a wrestling event. I called all the kids that picked on Greg and told them to be at the the scool at the time Greg was scheduled to wrestle. He was doing really good and ended up goin4-1 and winning first place in the tournament. All the kids congratulated him and he was really happy. We celebrated at Greg's house with cake, brownies, juice and lots of food. we had a blast.

Day5

We packed up all our stuff and had our last meal at the restaurant. Before we left Greg called and thanked me for inviting all the kids to his even.

I said,"No problem, I owed you. You gave me some mighty good bacon."

THE EN

Just a couple of short poems, and then I will quit bragging on my12 yr old budding author.

Trevor's idea of hyperbole.
1 He was so short he jumped off the curb and died.
2 If I've told you once I've told you a million times.]
3 It's going to take a bazillion years to get through
4 medical school.
5 She cried for days.
6 My car is a million years old.
7 she was so dumb she was stumped on the first question where it said put your name.

Definition.

Who loves to beg for food.
Who loves to play;
Who is named Chewee.
Who is tiny.
His people adore him.
They pet him.
People know I love him.
People give him belly rubs.

Lunch, breakfast, dinner.

2010-06-19T13:42:00.000-07:00

I was thinking about how much of one's entertainment is wrapped up in food. Especially when one gets older. I now understand better about Aunt Thirza's book where she told what they had for supper each night. I thought it was a good book except for that.

My socializing often now a days consists of going to restaurants. Phoenix has a lot of them and it seems I am always going to meet a friend for a meal. The other morning all the Executive Homes crew met at my favorite breakfast spot in my neighborhood. We can always talk for hours it seems and catch up on each others lives. It is quite unusual I believe, that People who work together stay together for thirty years. I know families who are not that close. When Gail was here Sonney was having a charity event for 175 people (in her beautiful yard.) and Gail just had to go down and visit for a while. She and Sonney have became solid friends. The event was for for people who have lost a child. I didn't go as one hundred dollars per plate seemed a bit pricey for my present budget. I do know a young girl they have set up for free counseling who lost a baby three years ago.( A very hard thing to get over) so the money was definitely for a worthy cause. They put together a charming cook book with recipe's from all the chefs who prepared the food, plus some from the best restaurants in town. I thought I would buy one of those as a gift for Gail. She would actually use the recipes. I wouldn't. I am lucky if I can scrabble an egg now days. Besides it is too hot to cook. I am a grazer anyway. just eat small amounts all day long. That seems to work well for me. Keeps up my energy and holds my weight steady. I had to laugh at one of the ladies at our breakfast get together who, was talking about her elderly mother in law being nothing but skin and bones. Carol herself is about as big as a minute and looks like skin and bones. I find it quite interesting how people perceive themselves. My Doctor told me I needed to gain a few pounds. I had been worrying about getting too hippy since I don't exercise much any more. Of course I have always been built like a pair. In any event we are still a nation of hunters and gatherers.Hunt the super markets for what might taste good.

Anyone want to come to my house for coffee and Krispy Kremes. I promise the conversation will be lievely. There are politics, oil in the gulf, emigration and war in Aphaganistan to be hashed out. All life and death matters.

Honnoring my son for Memorial day.

2010-05-28T17:31:00.000-07:00

We were so happy to have a baby at last. He had a lot of curly blond hair when he was born ,but as you can see it quickly disappeared and I soon found he had inherited my father's unmanageable hair. Daddy was so meticulous about his, he must have combed twenty times a day. This was not in his nature at all. He often looked like a wild boy. He was colicky the first few months and I thought I would not survive this.His dad was driving truck but when he got home after very little sleep, I would meet him at the door and say "Take this kid." Terry was small so would fit in his large hand and he sat up in bed sleeping but still tittering the baby. It was a sight to behold. I would try to grab a few winks while I good. This eventually passed and we actually started to enjoy him.
The second picture is he and Michale,. Flora and Darwins baby. We had all been waiting for a long time for this happy event. Flora had miscarriages and I couldn't get pregnant. When we finally got the little darlings we could spend hours just admiring them. They were so cute and extra smart we felt.

We were living out to the radio station west of Cedar City. When Terry was just over two I was mowing the lawn and suddenly missed him. Talk about a panic. I jumped in the car and went down the road after screaming and running around frantically. About a half mile down the road. I see my precious baby pulling his little red wagon. I asked him where he was going. He said" Going to town". He had a pair of clean overalls and his teddy bear in the wagon. All the important things. I was so grateful there was no traffic on that road at that time. This was portent of things to come. Terry was always on the go and hard to keep track of. he was fearless which didn't help my nerves. Driving wildly, climbing ledges, and riding in Boulder rodeos when he had virtually no practice.

I'll try to post a picture of Terry with our dog Tux. The dog had chosen Terry as a favorite and he knew what he was doing. Terry was very tender with all creatures all his life. One time Tux had to have a tick removed from his ear and as he started coming out of the anesthetic he was flopping around as animals seem to do. Terry sat up all night holding his head so he wouldn't hurt himself. When Terry went to Escalante to school about a half hour before time for the bus to be at our house Tux would go out and sit waiting for it. He and Terry would be so happy to see each other,

Unfortunately it was about this time Terry began his painful journey of Alcoholism. Of course this became a bigger difficulty as he grew up and went in the service. He came home from the army with an Austrian wife and two darling little girls. It was a battle of wills from the beginning, and drinking added another very difficult element. It was a relief when the marriage finally ended. Terry loved his daughters with a passion and always tried to do the best he could by them. He taught himself all the elements of construction and got his license without having to attend a great deal of school. He taught himself all the computer programs needed for his work. It seemed his timing was always off, as far as making money even though he did beautiful work.As he got sicker and sicker, I tried everything I could think of to help him to quit drinking. It seemed three months was about his limit to stay sober.He was fun loving and attracted many women but this only seemed to add to his problems. He told me sometimes he felt he was hanging on by his fingernails.

I, of course felt we had been bad parents and done everything wrong. I was talking about this with Terry one time and he told me that his very best memories in life was all of us as a family sitting around the kitchen table making jokes and laughing really hard. Those Hall men were all witty. Randy said at Terry's demise that he had more fun than all the rest of us put together. He was right about that. It has been ten years since his life ended and it still feels painful, not only to me but his father and two brothers. As you think about it from my present perspective it seems his life was too short and surely too painful but we who loved him learned some great lessons from him. We remember his tenderness and his laughter.

I love my Kinle

2010-05-17T10:41:00.000-07:00

The first book I down loaded was Dear John as I like Nicolis Sparks. It was so boring. Nothing ever happened. Then I bought "The Help" by Kathryn Stockinette and totally loved it. It is set in Mississippi in the sixties. That doesn not seem that long ago so it is hard to imagine that things were so bad just that many years ago. We have came a long ways. The writter was raised in a typical gentile white family with the mandatory colored maid. Except she wanted to be a writer,which her family just could not imagine. She worked constantly with notes, journals and a small local newspaper. She kept trying to get the right idea for a publisher in New York to show some interest. Finally she hits on the idea of interviewing the colored maids to see what it felt like to be one for all the white familys. Each one seemed to fall in love with the babies, and then of course would have to leave them. They were all very nervous about talking to her because they knew there would be repercussions, They were worried constantly about being fired and it was their lively hood. Kathryn did such a wonderful job of characterization that you feel you know each of these maids personally.(Made me feel I wished I could hire one.) In any event Kathrryn could not write the book while living in Mississippi. She eventually gets a job in New York and writes the book there. She claims it is fiction but still factual in most aspects. She refers to Martin Luther King and Megar Ever's murders as well as President Kennedy's association so it really takes the reader back to those days.

It reminded me of Trevor when he first went to school back in Illinois and they were talking about Martin Luther King. He immediately called me to see if I knew about that.When I said I did, he said, "Well, did you know how bad it was?" I told him I did and I felt a strong implication from him that if I did why didn't I fix it.

At any rate I highly recomend this book. If you haven't read it alread, rush to the library.She is so easy to read and the story flows seamlessly. That is the only bad thing about the Kindle you can't pass your good books along. I am VERY grateful for it though,

This years flowers.

2010-05-09T09:27:00.000-07:00

My house looks like a field of tulips. I have vases and vases of every color and it is very much like Spring and one more special Mother's day. Roses are usual my holiday gifts but this year Robert bought me tulips for valentine and I happened to mention to Lucinda how much I enjoyed them, so I got several dozens in mary lovely colors. It is quite inspiring to have your home filled with flowers that you feel were sent with love. My yard has great pink roses so I will pick a bouquet of them for contrast..Robert bought me a delicious lunch yesterday. and Larena and boys sent special cards. Laena's was beautiful. The sentiment especialy touching. I told her when she called she must have inherited a card picking gene from her father. Terry was always exceptionally good at finding the perfect card for the occasion. I love cards and calls the very best. I must say I like being honored on mother's day as it makes you feel you have done your job well.

Friday night I went to a chocalate and wine party with friends and it was a great atmosphere of celebration. Much laughter and delicious food.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TO ALL OF YOU MOTHERS OUT THERE.

Springtime is Company time

2010-03-30T10:36:00.000-07:00

I love being able to see family. It lifts my spirits but makes me wish fervently for more energy to enjoy doing things with them. Monika has been here a couple of weeks and will be here until saturday. She is a joy to be around and I feel so proud of her for what she does in McCall Idaho. She is in charge of the city parks and supervises several employees. Shee just had her yearly evaluation and was rated as outstanding. It came with a raise so she is happy. She was already making $24. an hour which I think is outstanding for a girl without a college education who went off on her own when she was 17 to make a life for her self. She also has great people skills. Terry was very proud of her and told me she had taken McCall by storm. It is a lovely resort town and not too large as for as permanent residents. Her room mate came with her and has been helping Dave get new cabinets in Karin's house. I am happy to see her getting her house more livable.

Joyce and Ejner came for several days. They stay with his son but I have gone out to breakfast and done several hours visiting with them. My other niece Pat has been very ill in the hospital it Ogden and thoughtful Joyce has kept me informed of her progress (or lack there of) every single day. We went to the florist and picked out a beautiful azalea plant to send back for her. Gerry, the one Doc gave you inspired me to choose that. I have never thought of azaleas when sending anyone flowers. It reminds me of Noetic Science. They believe that everything we do changes the world. Sort of like the movie"The Butterfly effect." So you can tell Doc he started a new trend, and the azalea growers will thank him. I recently joined a group studying Noetic Science so I will blog about that when I learn more. anyway I really enjoyed Joyce and Ejers visit, even though I was running out of steam by yesterday. I still have another day to spend with Monika on Thursday. Then my Randy is coming on Saturday. I am always thrilled to see that boy. He is so wonderful to be around, and Colorado gets seeming far away now that I am not much up for travel anymore. Family is such a joy!!

Trevor's first romantic kiss.

2010-03-09T15:29:00.000-08:00

My great grandson Trevor lived with me from the time he was two until five. I was seventy when he became my total responsibility. By the time he was five his mother had managed to get her life together and was able to take him. Unfortunately they had to move to Illinois so this was very heart wrenching for both Trevor and I. He was a joy and enriched my life a great deal, even if it was hard at my age. All of my family advised me not to do it, but I knew in my heart it was the right thing to do. It was the biggest leap of faith I had ever taken.During this time I took him every week to see his mom no matter where she was. Thus he loved her desperately and was thrilled when he could go live with her. She has become a wonderful mother to Trevor and his little brother Bryce.

Recently in school they were to write their story. This included who was their favorite people and why. Larena (his mother) read me this part on the phone last night and it really touched my heart. She was number one, of course. He said because she buys him so many things. She was not offeded at this but just glad to be number one. I told her he was probably so over whelmed with reasons that was all he could say.

Then he went on to list me as number two because he could always call me and talk about anything. He said I was very kind and I made him delicious devinty and when I cooked I always let him lick the spoon. Also that I taught him to play scrabble even though I always beat him when we played.

His Dad was number three because he supported him in all his sports. In the summer when he grilled they would toss the baseball around and sometimes they played catch with the football. Then "My dad works very hard to support our family." I hope when I grow up I will work hard and support my family.

Who knows what will impress a kid. i was pleased about his memories of me but the part that brought tears to my eyes was what he said about his dad. His hopes of being a good father couldn't have been a better closing line as for as I was concerned. Trevor has turned into quite the little writer which I am sure will bring him much joy in his life. Oh, how I love this little boy.

Season of the Sun

2010-02-02T08:21:00.000-08:00

My lilac bush is planted. I think it is going to like it's new home. It is cultivated to grow in the desert, so I hope the Phoenix sun is kind and doesn't burn it before it has a chance to thrive. Plant a lilac and you plant a memory. Mention a lilac to anyone who came from the cold country and either their mother or grandmother, had one growing by their front door. This shrub has grown for centuries in various places and has not needed too much attention to burst into beautiful blossom. Their frangrance provides a special treat for the nose and nostologic thought of days gone by. Perhaps it is loved by so many as it is a reminder that winter is over and spring has came once again to their home town.

When their bliiming season is done they fade quickly into obsscurity. For a generation raised to believe that beauty and youth go on forever, lilacs are a reminder of the brevity of both.

For me lilacs are reminesent of warm spring days we spent trying to see who could make the best leaf wistle. Daddy always made us whistles out of willows but they took way too much time and know how. We could grab a lilac leaf and if it didn't emit a loud clear sound it was easy to toss it and get another until we perfected the sound we liked. We had two large ones by the ranch house and one in Teasdale by the back porch. After my mother died we planted several at the cemetary by her grave. They lived with very little care but didn't get large enough to bloom. My grandparents grave had two larger plants that produced an occassional blossom. Lilacs are a lesson in patience. I planted one in Boulder and it never seemed to get any bigger. When I went back for Terry's memorial it had grown tall and was covered with fragrant blossoms. It was like seeing an old friend, who could make me forget my sorrow for a moment.

One of my best memories of Marilyn Griffin was when she invited me to come down to their house and pick lilacs. Nathella had planted them long ago. They were a high bred variety with a dark purple hue. They were lovely to look at but had no fragrance so I was a bit disappointed in them and felt the old fashioned kind were best.

Now I must await the growth on my special variety. I may not live long enough to see it bloom. but somebody will. That will be good and perhaps it can bring back good memories for the future people who pass by.

A clean sweep

2010-01-27T09:11:00.000-08:00

Sunday I hosted the scrabble meet at my house. I thought I could not handle more than twelve at my house, considering my age and energy. Thirteen came anyway and there was a waiting list. Much better than having a party where nobody comes. This happened to my sister Viola one time and she was devastated. I think it was nothing more than coincidence, as she had many friends but the feelings of disappointment have stayed in my mind and the memory comes up now and then. I adored my sister and she always shared everything with me so it was as though this was happening to me also. But I digress. Sunday it happened that all the most formidable opponents in the scrabble club came to have fun competing at my house. There was tons of good food and 0plenty of room for all. I was a bit intimidated playing all this heavy duty scrabble devotees. However I picked my spot where the light was good and convinced myself I knew as many scrabble words as anyone and that my strategy improved since joining the club. The scrabble Gods were with me , and I won all my games with great scores. 442 was the highest but I was happy with that. The players stayed on and on after I quit . finally about eight I went to the bedroom and changed out of my tight jeans into a pair of colorful logging pants and reclined on my chaise. Someone said,"Oh I think she wan5ts us to go home now. I said, "Well yes, this is not a very subtle but I am tired." All those wins and entertaining, meeting and greeting had worn me right out, I had fun.

A rainy day adventure.

2010-01-22T09:20:00.000-08:00

Yesterday Sandy, Mary Jane and I had planned a little outing to see Eljen's Apartment. Elgen had worked as a school councilor with both of them years ago. He retired and moved into a tiny apartment at Warren house fourteen years ago. I had met him but never been to his place of abode. sandy has often talked about he creative he as been and that his home is a place to behold in creativity. First of all since he was not allowed to put any screws or nails in the wall he started making free standing shelves and furniture from corks. (Yes common wine corks) They are a sight to behold and hold all of his life's treasures quite securly. They are glued together with with some sort of caulking that sticks to them but remains somewhat pliable. Then for the really amazing thig, he has about 50 plants of various kinds, living happily in this 340 ft. apartment space. They are a site to behold. At this time the Amaryillis are blooming profusly among all of the greenery. Every plant anyone has ever given him in his life lives here. He has one that is 25 years old and is still very happy. Each one has card written on it as to it's origin and a name. Yes, there is Bo, Samantha, Victoria and on and on than with more individuality than one could take in a tow or three hour visit. He talks to them and told us on a day when he doesn't feel good they know dad will get around to watering them as soon as he can and it will be before they die for sure. It is amazing to see what one can do who thinks out side the box, and has a different sort of imagination. He also has string art on display and his mother's wonderful quilts. Even with all of these things the place remains funcional for simple living. Oh yes all counter tops have lovely jig saw puzzles framed under glass. Al in all it is a sight to behold and a testament to how one can entertain themselves with a limited buget and not such good health. There obviously are no limits to where the creative mind can take one.

We also had a healthy lunch of fruit, and splashed our way home through the pouring rain. It felt like a small adventure right here in our city. I am inspired to go buy some Amayillis bulbs as I used to grow them when we lived in Cedar City and they are a colorful and interesting flower. I wish I had some blooming right now to set by my Xmas Cactus that Dixie sent me two years ago. It is in full bloom now, and very lovely. I think it just got a little bit mixed up as to when Cristmas was after it made the journey here from Tropic. Karin and Dave found me a lilac bush that has been cultivated for Phoenix. I will see how it goes. Perhaps if I give it a beautiful name it will prosper and grow. when we went to Boulder for Terry's memorial a bush I had planted when he was a toddler had grown quite tall and was covered with blossoms. Their frangrance is more heavenly then any blossom to my mind.

An optical illusion

2010-01-10T09:43:00.000-08:00

This is a picture taken by Richard Hansen and given to me long ago. I found it very interesting, as if you look at the dip in the center for a while it appears to come out like a bump instead of a dip. There were several metate stones found around the Boulder area and it was always exciting when you happened to run across one. I had a perfectly wonderful one sitting by my door step at the Boulder house, but it seemed to grow legs and walk away. I always wondered who would have the nerve to steal it from my very door step. I had a very good time when they were excavating the Anasazi ruins where the park is now. Whenever they found an intereting site Doyle Moosman would run down to tell me. I would drop whatever I was doing to go see. It was exciting but rather sad too. My most memorial one was when they found what the experts termed as an Indian Princess. I think this was because she had turquois stones around her neck and several pots burried with her. Also she was at the top of the mound. I have often speculated (as have many people) as to what could have happened to this whole tribe of ancient ones who seemed to have disappeared without leaving a clue as to whether they migrated or were all killed.

More Nerve than Verve

2010-01-03T11:15:00.000-08:00

On new Year's day I did a Marathon scrabble fest and I was pooped out. I've been dubbed the Grand Dame of Scrabble. I sort of liked it but suddenly came to the realization that out of fifty members in the club, I am the only old person. I decided it takes a lot of nerve for me to keep trekking off to these meets. It occurred to me also that all these people are highly educated and have held very powerful jobs,(or still do). I couldn't help but think of my total lack of higher education, and not only that I frittered away my time in High School as I was much more interested in boys than I was academics. I can hardly discuss my career in Real Estate as everyone immediately think, "Oh well everyone in Phoenix went into Real Estate when they couldn't make it any place else." How do I know that is what they are thinking? Because their eyes glaze over, and I quit telling my adventurous stories. One thing about it I know for sure I had more fun on the job than anyone there. Lucky lucky me. At any rate I can hold my own in the group as for as scrabble and everyone is very nice to me. It is harder to play an A game of late , with the event of fading eyesight, and flagging energy.

I still make good snacks though, The latest quite delicious fruit salad you should all try because it is so easy. Simply cut up four navel oranges and 2pts of strawberries. Make a dressing of 1/2 cup orange marmalade and 2 tbs lemon juice. That is IT. I usually keep a few berries cut in half to decorate the side of the bowl so it looks pretty ,It's a hit. No extra sugar so healthy. Other than what is in 1/2 cup marmalade. I tell myself that can't be much. Holidays are so much fun but lots of people tell me they are pooped out when they are over. At least when you are old you try to limit your events and know to come home and take a nap.

I hope 2010 brings the best of everything to all.

The nicest thing happened during the holidays.

2009-12-30T10:59:00.000-08:00

During the holidays Karin (Terry's Ex) called me and started her conversation much as she always does. She checks on me regularly and still introduces me as her mother- in- law. Through the years I have came to accept that role with more grace than when Terry was married to her. It was such a traumatic marriage. Anyway I digress. About five minutes into the phone call Karin calmly says, "I won $50,000 on a scratch ticket yesterday. I got very excited and told her that was a life changing amount. I think my excitement was catching and she told me they had been planning what they would do. I was especially happy as Karin has worked as a waitress for more years than anyone can imagine enduring that job. When she and Terry were together she would quit for a few months then get another job, but since Dave I don't think she has taken a vacation. She certainly deserves this good fortune, but what are the odds?? Of course for me who buys a ticket about once a year they are zilch. I think it is Karin's one indulgence for herself.

She swears her friend Lenny helped her to get the right ticket. Talk about manipulation. Lenny has been dead several years now but when he was living he always rooted for her to win. She has won an inordinate amount of small amounts like a couple of hundred. Just before Xmas she won $300. She said," I told Lenny this was nice and I was grateful but to think BIG money." This made me laugh but I told her I thought this was big so thank the abundance angels and Lenny. I expect helping Karin win on lottery tickets is a side job for Lenny and he has an important day job which he probably shouldn't.

Christmas and learning to use a Kindle

2009-12-28T09:01:00.000-08:00

Christ first. It was very peaceful for me this year. I think because I didn't have to do a thing except show up on the right day. My friend Sandy planned and organized the whole thing. Christmas eve we drove to Sun City and collected a friend who had recently moved from his home to an assisted living apartment. He choose the Elephant Bar as his favorite dining place in the area and it was a good choice. The food was great and the company stimulating. We then went to the Church of Joy drive through lighting display where they claimed to have 59 million lights. I believed it. There were themes and it went on for several blocks. It was all for various charities around the valley so one could feel good about supporting them. There were many cars funneled into one lane but Roger drove us safely through without a scratch to anyone's car.

The next Morning we all went to the movies and saw "Complications. Meryl Strep was very charming of course and Alex Baldwin did a good job . The story line was a little too much like "Somethings Gotta Give" to call it a really good movie but I found it quite entertaining and relaxing. We then went to Sandy and Roger's house to feast on her famous Italian dishes and way to many deserts. I felt really stuffed and indulged.
Robert bought me one of those nice warm snuggies to use in the computer room where I am often cold. It is cozy indeed.

Next I tackled a look through at the new Kindle. Robert whipped through the basics with me but patience is not his long suit. He can't seem to allow for the fact that my eyesight is dim, making everything more difficult (That's why I got a Kindle for heaven sakes.) Also my brain does not work as fast and efficiently as it used to,@#!&^^( Swear words and whining here) Probably I will find it much more user friendly than one would think at first glance. Amazon claims it to be their best seller of any product this year. Any way I hope everyone felt as peaceful and relaxed as I did this year.

2009-12-22T09:12:00.000-08:00

The stockings are hung , the mantle and tables decorated and the Kindle is ordered. (A gift to LaRena from LaRena.) I rather agonized over this purchase as I have enjoyed our book exchanges and all the really good books that have been given to me, so very much. However my reading goes very slow nowadays as I can only do a bit at a time and it is very frustrating. I'm hoping with the Kindle I can return to my usual speed and comfort while reading. It sounds pretty magical, but I am sure I am in for another learning curve, getting use to it. I'm pretty excited about all the possibilities.

Yesterday Monika wanted me to watch her blowing snow and such on their city webcam. Once connected I had a very good time seeing her winter wanderland in McCall Idaho. Everything looked like the best of live Xmas cards. I had only been there in the summertime so it was a whole different experience. It is a very lovely resort town with it's own lake in the middle of it. Monika, (my grand daughter) is the city park manager so she works about as hard in winter keeping everything up and running as she does in summer. She loves it there though and all the people in town sing her praises, so I would say she has done very well. Terry was so proud of her accomplishments. Larena just got a new job closer to home and with a pay raise so she has done well too. Her present employer acted as though they couldn't stand to lose her, but they couldn't offer her anything better than the new place and it will cut down a lot of driving, so I am happy about that.

I got lucky at the scrabble party Sunday and managed to win all but one of my games and it was tied most of the way through. There are tough competiters their so I have to be on my toes. Today I am busy with a little housewrk. As if you know there are many choores at Xmas time and I must admit I don't get nearly everything done I want to. I hope everyone has a great Holiday out in Blogger land.

Birthday Bash

2009-12-18T12:58:00.000-08:00

I decided not to wait for friends to e-mail me pictures of parties or I will be eighty one before I get out another blog. I've really milked this birthday all month. This being eighty if not so bad. Of course Dec. birthdays are always hard for everyone as they are so busy with Xmas. Still I think there was a realization of the passing of time, as I got stacks of cards and phone calls. Then Lisa had a party for me that was like a Hollywood production. She had her house decorated for Xmas and did a beautiful creative table. I came home loading with gifts. The next day Robert brought me a bouquet of tulips. They were red and opened up so pretty. In all my years I have never received tulips and and didn't realize what a lovely cut flower they can be.

The next day Joyce and Ejner came from Salt Lake and took me to lunch. They brought two dozen red roses and more dishes. My cupboards are stuffed as I love pretty dishes. It is an entertainment set. Guess she has forgot I don't entertain as much as I used to. Hardly at all in fact. Still the set made me happy. Following that day Sandy and Mary Jane had a fancy breakfast for me. Last night Sonney and Bill had a combo, birthday and Christmas party with all the friends I used to work with , so you see I didn't lack for attention. Oh yes Randy and Lucinda bought me a special pair of shoes that worked well with my bunion and crooked toes. It was a darn good thing as I got out all my fancy shoes I usually wear with Christmas finery and couldn't walk in any of them. I would have had to go bare foot or in house shoes. Anyway you can see I got enough attention. Still all the wishes on the family site made me happy. Oh yes and Sandy bought me a Susan Boyle tape that is very beautiful.

Well, there is a down side to being eighty alwso. can't tell if your make up and hair look okay and jewlry is hard to put on, to say nothing of panty hose. Still I am blessed

My Ex Husband sent me a clever card, saying "Where did our youth go?" Punch line inside "I don't know I can't even find my dentures." Frtunately for him he desn't were the pesky things. It is still fun to have a Birthday and I feel appreciated. Eighty does seem much older than sixty nine though.

Ah, shucks

2009-12-09T11:55:00.000-08:00

I tried to get the image right on my last blog and it turned out to be a dud. I didn't know how to fix my silly header but please click on the photo to see how pretty this really is. I have high hopes of improving my skills in 2010. I wonder if Santa has a package in his bag called, Bogging skills for dummies.

The legend of the humming bird.

2009-12-09T11:24:00.000-08:00

The legends say the humming bird floats free of time. carrying our hopes for love joy and celebration. The Humming bird's delicate grace reminds us that life is rich, there is beauty every where. Every personal connection has meaning, and that laughter is life's sweetest creation.
As you get older the holidays are such a mixed blessing. There are so many touching contacts and fun things to do. Each day I think of all the wonderful people who have passed through my life(most are still connected) and I think of some little thing I would like to do for them to show my appreciation for how very much each one has enriched my life. My limited sight and energy just doesn't allow me to get everything done. Still for all who happen to see the message of the humming bird I wish love, joy, the beauty of the holidays, and most of all laughter, life's sweetest creation.

Feelings of Christmas

2009-12-05T08:27:00.000-08:00

It seems I always have to go through a certain amount of melancholy feelings before I can really feel the joy and fun of the Xmas season. The above picture is a Xmas card from Germany. I feel sad to think of the Xmases Terry missed while he was stationed there. His experiences there changed his life forever. In fact all of our lives. Worse is the happy Xmases he has missed by dieing young. My sister Melba, who was living with me died the day after Christmas. I think these losses sometimes hover around near the holidays. This is not to say we haven't had many happy times at the holidays. Friends have Christmas parties and kindly invite me. I can laugh and enjoy the Xmas spirit after a while. The best of times are when there are children around to be surprised and thrilled. I have enjoyed many of those great family times. My heart fills with gratitude as I think of those times.

Cheryl talking of cutting a total ly fresh tree, and the glow of her red lights on the Boulder Creek brought back happy holidays in Boulder, and some regrets of how I have choosen to live my life. Nothing is better than to take three little boys to the mountains to find the perfect tree. When LeFair and I were first married we went up by Hell's Back Bone and found the most perfect blue spruce tree I have ever seen. Before then or since. We didn't have electricity in Salt Gultch at that time so we decorated with really fancy balls and tincel.

Now that I don't get out as much to the stores to find the special gifts I mostly send money and everyone has to find what their heart desires the most. This is not so much fun. Chistmas time in the city is definately different than the country. Where I live I'm in a nice neighborhood but feel I'm neither in the heart of the city or in the country. (Although we do have many quail and the not so welcome rabbits come to visit. Frequently a cayote will wander into our yard.) Writin g and recieving cards is still fun and I make my traditional goodies. I'm an expert with fudge and pop corn balls.

Terry loved Christmas and even though we always teased him about waiting to shop until Xmas eve, he could come up with the most thoughtful gifts of all. I hope his spirits is visiting his little Grandsons in Illinois since they can't be with us this year.

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL THE DEVOTED BLOGGERS OUT THERE.

Family, fun, Thanks, And of course great food.

2009-11-27T09:37:00.000-08:00

My only grandson, Mason (shown above) came to spend time with me on Wednesday and I loved every minute of it. He is a sweetheart. Warm, generous and smart. Of course this is speaking from a grandma's point of view. Right now he is going through a rough time as his maternal grandfather is about making his passing to the next world. Mason has been so incredibly close to his grandfather he could hardly take time for anyone else so it was a real treat for me. He whipped right through some changes he thought would make things better on the computer. He is very savvy with electronics. When he was about 8 he would go into his dad's office and get all the computers they had given up on, take them apart and make them work. He said his Dad can program any of the very best computers ever built but he likes to depend on Mason to do all the ordinary things. After my lesson in electronics he took down a curtain rod for me, took my car off to be washed and filled with gas, and any little chores he could see I might need. It was a treat. He had came to play scrabble with me and I told him he didn't need to put himself through that but he insisted he wanted to play so at last there was something I could teach him. We spent a lot of time talking about Terry as he had only known him during his worst times with alcohol. Still he liked him very much so I told him all sorts of stories and I know Terry would be pleased to have Randy's son so interested in him. He loved hearing all about Boulder and the three boys growing up there. I would say this visit was the highlight of my Thanksgiving holiday.

Thursday I went over to Rog and Sandy's house for the typical turkey dinner topped with pumkin pie. There I had fun visiting with friends and came home for a nap. Soon Karin's Dave and Mici came by bringing an entire dinner. I had brought lots of left overs from Sandy's house,so our refrigerator is stuffed as well as our stomacks.

One always reminice a bit about Thanksgivings past. I rarely got to my famiolies get togethers but LeFair's sister Dixie always managed to get the Hall family together, either at her house or ours. I remember feeling very intimidated the first one at our house with twenty peole buty with LeFair's help we amanage and it turned out well. Now-a days my cooking is very limited. I did manage an especially good fruit salad though. This seems to be what grandmas manage best in their declining years. Once you get all the wonderful ingredients gathered up you can hardly go wrong with a fruit salad. It is really quite delightful to have88 degree weather for Thanksgiving.

Thank God for Airbags.

2009-11-10T15:36:00.000-08:00

Larena just called me to talk about having an accident today, strong enough to deploy the airbags. Only she and Trevor were in the car and neither were hurt. Trevor did have a headache but she thinks it is from being hit by the airbags. The car is totaled but they do have insurance. I'm so grateful neither one of them were hurt ,but I can tell she is pretty shook up. I have worried about her as they are on the go all the time, running to work a half hour away and taking the boys to or from sports.

I worried about her after visiting as sometimes she seemed so distracted. Of course this sort of thing can happen to anyone at any time. The van in front of her stopped unexpectedly and she didn't even see her brake lights. She drives a smallish car like mine. In fact it is an Altima the same color. Both Brian and I have cautioned her about wearing a seat belt. She is like her dad (and mom) very stubborn when she makes up her mind about something. I thought for sure the bad accident she was in here would make a believer about seat belts for her but that didn't happen. She is very concientious about the boys being buckled up so it is not that she doesn't believe in them. Maybe she gets claustraphobic. I suspect more that is a feeling of wanting to live on the edge a bit. I just wanted to hug her and the boys. Thank goodness Brian is so supportive. we can never take life for granted.

Home owner assoiatiosn.

2009-11-09T09:23:00.000-08:00

Oh these HOA's can get ugly. Our present board members decided to spend $35,000 to rezone some lots along Aire Libra. It was voted in 2005 to sell two lots. The market was at the top then. Now suddenly it has become 25 lots which incorporates a grassy spot behind the tennis court. Naturally severl home owers are upset about this but the board of five members plans to go forth. The market is at an all time low so this alone makes it seem a dumb idea. Any money gained cannot be distributed to home owners as it is a non profit organization. All against it now has hired a lawyer to help. I made a small contribution to the fund. It is not that I care so much about the park at this juncture of life but I do feel strongly that there is some nefarious activity among the board members and this is just wrong. Therefore I must rally behind those who have the energy to fight for right. Greentrails is now at war.

One pretty girl!!

2009-11-06T09:49:00.000-08:00

One of the most beautiful girls in our family is my sister Beaulah's daughter Diana Joyce. This picture is a couple of years old but she looks the same. Would you believe she is 66? When Joyce's mother died very young Joyce was devastated . They had been the best of buddies,and loved each other so deeply. It was such a shocking blow, for Joyce as well as the rest of the family. Joyce helped her father and brothers with cooking and house keeping, whenever she was not in school. As soon as she graduated from colledge she went to Germany to teach school. She made the very most of this experience.

My friend Fran and I took our first trip together to Germany to visit Joyce and see my son Terry, who was in the service. It eased my heart to see him even though he couldn't spend a great deal of time with us. Joyce made up for this lack by taking us into her home and cooking fantastic meals for us. She took us sight seeing to all the little villages, through Boveria and into Vienna on the border of Austria. It was wonderful as we were not experienced travelers and Joyce knew all the most lovely places to show us. We had such a great time.

It was there that my mind turned to thinking more about reincarnation. We took a small cruise on Konasea lake. As we were leaving the shore I looked back and to my surprise here was this perfect image of cottages and water that had been in my dreams. I had dreamed of this exact place several times and always felt it was significant somehow. On the boat I was so struck I said, (rather loudly) That is my dream. I explained I had dereamed this for years.

When we went to Burgus Gaden (Hitler's Crow's Nest) I got up at 5:00 a..m. one morning and went for a walk. It was so beaautiful high above the valley, I took time to meditate. I was so struck to think someone could actually be in a place that looked like that and plan such destrution.

When Joyce was through with Germany, I suggested she come to Phoenix to live. Truth be told I wanted her comany. She did, and taught school many years here. She met Ejner, the perfect husband for her. They now just completed a lovely large home in Huntsfille, Utah. She is over joyed with her surroundings and to be only fifty miles from Bountiful where she grew up.

Joyce is pretty on the inside as well as the outside. She has one of the most loving and thoughtfuls spirits a lady could have. As Thanksgiving approaches I think of how she has enriched my life and am thankful for lovely her.

Wedding at the quaint little church on the corner.

2009-11-05T12:29:00.000-08:00

When I first moved to Phoenix, Gary and Candy were being married at a small church on the corner of Sandra Terrace and Cave Creek road. This was only about a block from me house and I was happy that I had been invited to dear Gary's wedding. Then I realized I didn't anything even remotely appropriate for a wedding. In those days I couldn't just run to Macy's and pick something up. Sweet ,generous Ann said," Oh it is no problem, I'm sure we can whip something up. I think I even have some fabric that will work." She indeed managed to do what to me would have been a huge task. I wasn't exactly used to wearing large printed gowns but I loved what she did. I understand she is still very creative about 'whipping up' a costume or a dress for a grand daughter in need. I thought it was a very touching gesture. Incidentally the wedding was beautiful and it was a happy day. Wasn't I lucky to have such friends to make my transition from the country to the city, from marriage to divorce as easy and interesting as possible?

The picture from left to right is
Ann(The heroine of this story, ) Margie, Me, LaRae, Linda and Gerry. I was raised in a family with five sisters so I was very happy to have a group of five sisters to adopt me.

Thoughts on Gay Friends.

2009-11-02T05:24:00.000-08:00

When I was in Colorado Lucinda was joking how she really needed a gay guy friend to help her decorate and buy the beautiful things only they can spot and appreciate properly.(She does a darn good job herself.) Randy hates that stuff so just goes along and pays for all the 'stuff'. It started me thinking about the fact that I have always had a gay friend that I enjoyed very much. I thought about how this could be, and why. When I became a Boulderite dear Richard kept me from being too bored and going crazy while husband was working twelve hours per day. We hiked, we played scrabble and he even tried to teach me to play piano although I'm sure he could tell from the beginning it was a hopeless task. His story telling ability made every happening in town down right funny. I tried to make friends with Kiven but that was in defence as I didn't want him to be seducing my boys. He was a good story teller too and of course all the kids in town were quite fascinated with that. The only fun I had with him was dancing. He was a good dancer.

Then in Phoenix I met Roger, the interior decorater for both Design Master and Excecutive Homes. I only saw him a couple of times per year when he came to decorate models, as he lived in Florida. He was so funny, he could crack anyone up. I loved funny. He wrote very funny letters to my friend Sonney which she shared with me. We of course would elaborate on what ever he said and laugh harder. For a few years after I retired I didn't have any gay friends. Then I joined a scrabble group and I'll be darned if there was not a very charming gay guy who is a champion scrabble player. I quickly made friends with him. Now in the Winter of my life I think the best thing about having a gay friend is that they love and respect old women. Let's hear it for these inveterate charmers.

Memorable Hallooweens

2009-10-31T12:00:00.000-07:00

One year I wasn't planning to go to a Halloween party, then the last minute I did. I proceeded to do a costume in whatever I could find around the house. I did look scary. I went to the door for trick or treaters and they ran screaming down the street. When I got to the party I sat quietly for about an hour with my very best friends not able to figure out who I was. Finally I could stand it no longer since I am by nature a very gregareus liked Halloween much. gregarious person. Needless to say I won a prize and my friend Sonney sent me this picture for Xmas. I look at it and laugh every Halloween. Up until that time I had never liked Halloween much. When I was a kid it was apple fights and trying to tip people's outhouses over. One time an older boy decided we should go to the school principal's house. None of us knew what the trick was to be but him. When Mr Goobler opened the door he threw a big bunch of flour in his face. Lucky that he wore glasses, but I thought it was just MEAN and always felt quilty just being in the crowd.

When my niece Janice lived with me she wanted us to dress up and go to the disco at the Point of Veiw. Good sport that I am ,I let her prevaile. One of us was Martisa from the Adam's familuy and the other an alien. Mostly I remember wearing her thigh high boots that had 4inch heels. I could hardly stand much less walk or dance. It's funny I didn't breal m,y mecl before the night was over. That would have taken the shine off Janice's love for Halloween. She was always mopre excited about that holiday than most people are about Xmas. I could never figure out this quirk as she is a very shy and retiring person. Maybe being so creative with costumes and feeling like someone new and strange when she got all decked out brought out a plaayfulness hidden deep within her soul.I on the other hand just felt STRANGE.

The perfect trip

2009-10-30T08:35:00.000-07:00

My Colorado kids had sent me a ticket to come visit them. I hadn't paid much attention to the details except for the days and airport times. When I got to the airport I had the nice surprise of finding it was a first class ticket. It was a beautiful day and we were flying at 45000 ft but still below the clouds so I could see the desert and mountains all the way. It was delightful. The Colorado Rockies were covered with snow and I didn't know I could be so happy to see snow covered peaks, as it had been a long time since I had been there when this was the case.

I was thrilled to see Randy and Lucinda waiting at the baggage claim. Randy sometimes can't bring himself to leave work if he is in the midst of a heavy duty project which is most of the time. At their home I was warmly greeted by my grandson, Mason, and the three dogs. Sydney who is old and very plump, Gus who is a gangly looking lab with a lame leg and my favorite Cadillac who is a smaller black lab and extremely sweet. They all acted like they still remembered me. Everyone then gave me the tour of their newly up dated home. It is beautiful with all the latest and greatest things on the market. This includes a tremendously relaxing steam room which I quickly stripped down and enjoyed for twenty minutes. In the meantime Lucinda had cooked what could only be termed a five star gourmet meal.

The next day I wanted to walk Pearl street which has been a tradition ever since they have livied in Colorado. Big fat snowflakes were falling so it looked just like a Cristmas card. Later Lucinda helped me shop at my favorite place of Coldwatert Creek. There I was able to find a couple of festive tops to wear for the holidays. We managed to sit around and do lots of talking. The atmosphere of their home is always very pleasant with candles galore, classical music and low fire burning in the fireplace. I hardly lifted a finger excet to make home made noodles one night for dinner. They have a new bread maker that is about ten times better than the ones we all dashed out to buy when they first came out. Therefore either Lucinda or Randy made a loaf of fresh crusty bread every day.

Our Mason was in good spirits, and teased us all about our excentric ways. It is a new generation of people coming on line. He is very smart and cute though, if I do say so, as his grandmother with a few biased opinons.

When I left it was another beautiful day, sunny and warm. I admit to having a few tears roll down my cheeks, knowing it was probably the last time I would be traveling to beautiful Boulder Colorado. They are having a huge snowstorm now and I was glad I slipped in and out before this happened. Haappy Halloween to all.

Oh, those pesky rabits.

2009-10-15T17:08:00.000-07:00

MY yard work becomes one big fat challenge. I was thinking about my bucket list and wanting to get this 45 ft. pine tree out of my yard, as the first thing I did. Normally I don't believe in killing tress, but this was such a big greedy sucker, it slurped up all the water nutrients and even the sunshine from my grass and flowers. Luck for me I found a great tree remover and he had it done in one day. I was ready to do the dance of joy when Robert told me they had broken the water line. This was not surprising as it had roots all over the place. Robert has been re-routing all the water and fixing sprinklers in spite of his aching back. My nature is to want everything done like YESTERDAY, so I went to my special nursery and the flowers were so beautiful I wanted to buy them all. I worked all day getting the beds looking beautiful. The next morning when we got up the loveliest flowers were all eaten and we had stems. Off I went to the nursery to buy repellent. So far so good. It's been two nights now and the rabbits have decided I am not going to put out another feast for them and all the ones they left are growing. It is to be hoped the bunnies get the message that these flowers are for ME. I'm taking a break and going to Colorado for a few days, then we will tackle winter grass. I can usually grow enough of that for me and the rabbits both. I'm sure Randy's and Lucinda's yards will be done to perfection so maybe I can enjoy them and not be so spastic about my own when I return.

The Vultures are Hovering

2009-10-10T11:50:00.000-07:00

I think it is very rude of them to not at least get in back of the grim reaper. But NO one is so brave as to come and set in the tree in the back yard. Rob watched him for a while then came for me to see him. They are not pretty. The grim reaper is probably a handsome dude by comparison.

Then I go to a birthday party last night and my friend Barbara tells me this nice little story about working in her garden and feels something on her back. She stands up and this lovely dove hops from her back to her shoulder. It was so unafraid it set their for about five minutes, before flying away. I hardly dared tell my vulture story after that. Oh well I am in the winter of life, and something new and different is bound to be hovering. If anyone else sees a vulture in their yard let me know.

street Gangs in Helena Montana

2009-10-09T12:47:00.000-07:00

Wouldn't it be nice if this was the only types of gangs we had in Phoenix? It seems like almost every morning on the news there has been a shooting or stabbing. Some are related to drugs, alcohol and domestic violence. Most can be traced back to some sort of gang connection. It is sad to see a lovely city that we have all enjoyed so much getting more and more crime.

I love elk. Can't understand how anyone can think it is fun to shoot and eat them.

2009-10-08T08:00:00.000-07:00

My cute neices

2009-10-07T14:21:00.000-07:00

Being the youngest of six girls in my family I always had the fun and security of having five great sisters to depend on. As we got older and they started to leave the earth I felt quite devastated. Then there was only Melba and Alice left. I didn't think either took really good care of themselves and I worried. One day I was in a real rant to Alice. I said," if you and Melba die, I will be SO mad at you. I don't want to be left in the world without sisters to always get my back." She replied,"You know I am leaving several great daughters to you." She did do that and I have been eternally grateful for their love and support. They are exception people.

The picture from left to right, back row is Connie, Gail, Cute Sherri , Karel and Janice front center.

I'm sorry Joyce and Pat were not in this photo. Joyce is most thoughtful for calling and inviting me to come visit her. She plans it all out. Patricia is the jokester of our family and has provided much laughter. Gail is the one who always comes to see me no matter what is happening in her own life. Karel calls and talks gently about everyone and everything. Janice and Sherri are just my enthusiastic loving fans. I have had visits from all and always feel they enrich my life so very much.

The above picture always makes me smile as Gail had them all come to her house in Sacramento. Then then went to San Francisco to see the sights and spend some special time. Gail being how she is, had reservations for this and that. Schedules for Bart down to the minute. The other girls were sort of strolling around shopping and enjoying each others company. Gail trying to keep them on time for reservations said to me,"it was about like herding feathers" Id find one and loose another but we had a wonderful time together and I would do it all over.

Power on stalls are scary.

2009-10-06T15:54:00.000-07:00

After my divorce I dated Bill Pratt for sometime. He was a motorcycle racers. A departure from the cowboys I was used to. Still, he was very witty and anyone that could make me laugh was in like Flin.Best of all he was gone all week and only came to his home in Phoenix for the week-ends. This suited me very well as I was working hard and trying to keep an eye on my teen age boys.

Bill suggested one day that we should take flying lessons. This had been a vague dream in my mind for years so I quickly agreed. We soon were off to Paradise flight school. A hanger and a pot hole filled airstrip behind the race track. Of course we both thought we were too smart to need the weeks os ground school so red the manual and jumped right in. Bill soloed after five hours with an instructor. It took me more like thirty five. I was not a natural but I had determination on my side. On the hill by the airstip there were two green water tanks. That was where you cut power and started your turn to land. We had many good laughs about how we would never be able to land if we were where there were no water tanks. This was not true of him as he went on to be a commercial pilot where as I was so glad when my solo flight was over and the certificate in my hand I never cared to ride in a Cessna again.

The day I soloed I went way out in the desert and tried a power off stall. That was okay so I thought I would do the power on stall. That scared me plenty as I came out of it disoriented and couldn't find the horizon for a few minutes, which seemed much longer. Then I hear 409er, 409er come back to the field. I went gladly and the instructor sighed as loud as I did when my feet hit the ground. She said,"You weren't supposed to go so far or do so much your first time up." The custom was to write your name on your panties and post on the bulletin board with all the men's shirt tails. Many more men than woman flying those rickety old cessions at that time.

Anyway I got thinking about Bill and decided to post a small poem I wrote in his honor. It was published in a small slick poetry book being done at Scottsdale at the time. (Chimera)
DESERT LOVE

Some men share riches, wine or flowers.
You shared a desert night,
A million stars.
Memories of times past,
Dust smells.
The sound of small animals, thing about making love.
A warm belly
A hot passion,
A gentle kiss for goodbye.

LaRena Hall, Phoenix Arizona

LeFaair's Art Work

2009-09-30T13:08:00.000-07:00

When LeFair heard that Trevor and Bryce were coming for the 4th of July he went to his shop and got out the welder and built a little car for them to ride in the parade. Time was running out so he didn't get the motor working so had to pull it behind the ole international pickup, but the had fun. It took me back to when he built a little car , with motor, for Randy and Robert as little boys to travel about town. Benefits of a small town. It was really small then and hardly any traffic. Next he built a dune buggy for Terry and Wendal who were older. LeFair was quite the mechanic and I was incredably impressed with his patience when he fixed something. He kept a lot of old cars, tracters and such working for everyone in town. He was not nearly as patient with cows and horses so instead of a great rancher, he grew things and fixed things.

I remember one time Nathella Griffin had stalled out right at the top of the Boulder mountain. (15 miles away) She got a ride to town and called on LeFair to go get the car running. Off they went but when they got there Nathella realized she had forgotten her keys. Back to town they came for the keys. When they returned to the mountain he soon diagnoed the problem and fixed the car. Less time fiximng than traveling back and forth. He was not the least bit disgruntled and was glad to help. He was such a nice man, it's too bad we had to part. Now his eyes are too dim to safely operate the welder. He still grows beautiful grass though and has the most manucured lot in town.

Glamour days

2009-09-27T15:33:00.000-07:00

At the height of my career as a new home sales person, every year they had the MAMES . Stands for "Major Achievement in Marketing Excellence" It was quite the elegant affair. Each year my friend Sonney shopped for the perfect dress and always looked like one of the most beautiful movie stars on Oscar night. I on the other hand, was much more unconcerned and looked some what mediocre. The year of the picture above my niece Janice was in town and insisted we SHOP. The dress was prettier than it looks here as it had a waistline of sequins and pearls. Janice of course insisted it deserved the correct earrings. Off we went to Zia Gallery. I wasn't used to spending $75. for a pair of costume jewelry earrings but I quickly adjusted. They did have a lot of bling under the lights. My date was the above sweet Bruce Evens and he was properly appreciative.

I knew I had sold a lot of Real Estate that year but hardly expected to be called to the stage with the million dollar producers. I was nervous but thought it was fun too. (My moment of Fame.)

Incidentally the earrings were very heavy and I only wore them that one night, still I could blame them for my ears growing longer. I have found lately that is a result of growing old, but I'll never forget the day I looked in the mirror and noticed my big ears. I was so shocked, and thought how in the heck did those ears get on my head. Oh well it makes us appreciate our days of glory as we observe our selves in our declining years.

Scrabble, the game of the year,

2009-09-25T10:39:00.000-07:00

From top to bottom.Lisa and LaRena, wearing the Bronze.Ginna and LaRena . LaRena waiting for a game. Deg, The grand champ of the entire meet. I spread the word "He can be beat" so he put a transfer on his tee shirt saying that. He of course had to have the last word, so he put on the back "But not by you.Last is Jenny and I at a Prescott tournament. where I actually beat her. She was the queen of their tournament for 6 years. Lisa nor I could never take the gold. We're much better players now but didn't attend this summer because my Trevor was visiting me.

I met Deg the first meetup I ever attended. His reputation had gone before him. It was a small gathering and I felt the reluctance of all to play Deg. Intimidation prevailed., but silly me said, "I will tackle him.(Fools rush in where angels fear to tread.) Of course he trounced me good and I learned I was a very mediocre player.

Still I felt so lucky as I had picked the club at random from the internet, and what a wonderful group of people. Ginna, the scrabbleDiva who organized the club is such a gem. She welcomes and helps new members with word lists. Anna and Chriss came that day and they are just super special people. It couldn't be better. When I told the people I always associate with that I had joined a scrabble club, they said, " Oh that is a good way to make new friends" I replied that I didn't want any more friends as I was having a hard time keeping up with the ones I already had. Of course I soon made several fabulous new friends. Some days are enchanted. Deg graciously invited me to play him on line. I was intimidated but went for it. He has taught me so much. I now think strategy as well as luck and skill. As Deg puts it I have ramped up my game.

My Friend Susan

2009-09-20T17:11:00.000-07:00

We served hambuns and apple pie together
In a small dinner in Scottsdale
She became my first new Phoenix friend.
We both knew we would eventually find our passion.
Mine found me first. A work I could love.

Susan worked at many difficult jobs ,
to support her three children.
Susan the stalwart,
Susan the witty and brave.
One day her passion became so insistent,
she could no longer resist it.

She sold her house,and bought a pickup.
I doubted her ability to drive the big thing.
Behind it she pulled a trailer containing all her treasures.
The cameras, the tripods and a dark room.
She was not deterred.

She set off across the country to the East,
Where all the beautiful horses grazed.
She became quite famous as the horse
Photographer to hire. The owners
Loved her and so did the horse magazines.

Yesterday I visited her in the hospital,
where she is fighting a virulent leukemia.
She speaks of death as a mighty river
where energy goes in and goes out.
She thinks she might make it until Springtime.

She laughs with her daughters and plans
a trip to Spain to hold her new grand daughter,
And kiss the little boy, She'll talk to her son.
Ah Susan ,Springtime seems so soon
Don't go until you have to.

LaRena Hiking

2009-09-16T16:08:00.000-07:00

When I was young, and full of energy and enthusiasm one of the most entertaining things I could do was take a challenging hike. I had an even younger friend who loved to challenge me. He took me to the top of the Sugar loaf in our hometown of Boulder. The last thing you had to do was jump over a rather wide crevice. I was terrified. The view from the top was fantastic but I couldn't relax as I was worried about how to get back down without doing that jump. My friend said,"Well you can go down the face if you want" I took that option and that was no picnic either. I slide on my fanny most of the way.

Next big challenge was too climb to the top of Angel's landing in Zion's National Park. I was About half way up I was sure I couldn't make it. Friend kept saying "Oh it is just a little bit further. We finally reached the top. IT WAS MAGNIFICENT. I would recomend that climb to anyone with a bit of stamina.

When I was a child we were allowed to climb the knolls and ledges to our hearts content. My sister was a daredevil where I was a physical coward. One day she fell among the rolks from the top of the white pik. I had to watch her tumble clear to the bottom. She sat up so I knew she would live but she was bloody and scraped from head to toe. I had night mares about that for years.

To end my career as a hiker at age 76 I wanted to hike to my favorite spot of Calf Creek Falls. I actually did with other famil members making sure nothing serious happed to me. It is six miles (3 up and 3 back) sort of up and down, not flat. I was so gald to have the memory of that day. Now my hiking boots sit in the closet gathering dust but thrill still remains in my heart.