FAMILIES ARE THE GREATEST

Yea, I finally got this temperamental thing to bring up my blog, I can't get email but by going to favorites I could pull up my blog........explain that to me. I need my blog to record the great time I am having in my life. As reported I had a great Thanksgiving, then off to baby sit in Vernal for 8 days. The farm was fun with my three darling grandsons, Alex, Brayden and Kennedy. Then another family drove out to bring me home. Pam, Rob, Tiff and Scott which just added to fun and good feelings you get when you are surrounded by the people you love and those who love you. At home in Salt Lake my third daughter was taking in the mail, feeding the fish and keeping an eye on my house.......more love shown. I am the luckiest mother in the world. When I got home Sunday I unpacked and showered and zipped off to the Cheese Cake Factory for dinner for my oldest grandson, William, who turned 20. My blessings just keep growing. Yesterday was Mammogram test day and the wonderful grandchildren Richard and Annie popped over after school to bring up my Christmas trees, haul out some decorations and help me set up some lites in the front yard. Now today I will get serious about Christmas. Clean house, decorate the house and maybe start wrapping Christmas gifts, thank goodness I am almost through with the shopping, just a few fun things left to do. The top picture on the left is me with Pam, Sherrie and Karrie. On the left is the Pannier family at Tiff's wedding........they are the ones who drove to Vernal for me and William, whose birthday we just celebrated is in the picture. (Added for those who read this a 100 years from now and wonders who the people in the pictures are.)

Living it up on Tailwind Ranch........

It's great to look out any window here and see some horses, or cows or chickens at the neighbors. The weather is clear and nice, but icy cold out side. I love to watch the horses from inside my nice warm house, they don't seem to mind the cold weather. This is certainly different than the ranch I lived on when I was young. Sherrrie has six bathrooms, we had an outhouse with two holes..........We went down to the spring for our water, Sherrie has two big sinks and lots of hot water. We had no power or instant heat and we would have died for a big hot tub.......All of this is included at ranches now days I guess. The family is busy starting at 6:30 every morning. The two big boys have chores before school. They take turns building a fire in the BIG blue barn and feeding the horses. At night it's the same story. The little one empties the dishwashers and takes out the garbage and is in charge of food and water for the three dogs. He is sharing his room with me and in the morning I get up to let my dog out and when I come back he has made my side of the bed.............so there is no going back to bed in this house. My main job is to get the boys off to school and feed them so I have been catching up on my knitting and reading and blogging a little. Nice vacation.

Extending My Thanksgiving Holiday!

Busy two weeks.......Leslie here for a couple of days before Thanksgiving, then the storm of all storms hit Salt Lake. On Wednesday before Thanksgiving Kay came by and we headed for Park City and the Christensons for Thanksgiving. Dareen's brother and family joined us, so we had a merry group. Ate and ate then headed down the hill in the snow cat, gate frozen but finally got out to the cars and home about seven. Friday I spent making out bills, watering plants and packing for a week in Vernal. The Christenson's came by about three and we headed for Vernal. Pretty good trip till we hit Heber and found that BYU lost to the U by one measly point! Sunday was fun as Sherrie and Brayden both talked in church about their Africa trip. Had a nice dinner and watched a movie. Tonight we are off to the Festival of Trees to see what Sherrie's Tree goes for then they will drive in and stay at my house and fly to LA tomorrow for a few days of shopping. I get to baby sit my three sweet grandsons. Panniers will drive out this weekend and take me home. I hear I am missing another bad storm in Salt Lake, great weather here..............

Thanksgiving 2010

I am a day late with my Thanksgiving Wishes, just busy and full of turkey and dressing. Once upon a time........I love stories that start that way it always reminds me of the many stories read to me when I was young. After those words you wait with bated breath for the next word, this time the story is a sad story about poor Tom Turkey! His story has a sad ending for him, but for us a celebration of families and food. I was doing so good on my diet, but I am back sliding with carbohydrates...which is the food version of ex-sex. I have very good intentions to just nibble, but that table of turkey, ham, mashed potatoes and gravy, hot rolls and dressing, topped off with a piece of pumpkin pie topped with whipped cream.....wow, that's good!Thanksgiving is not really a favorite day of mine. After I got married my husband was never home with us on many holidays. Pam, an only child for 11 years and I ate alone, or if we could find a restaurant open or once in awhile some one would take pity on us and invite us to dinner. Being from Colorado I had no extended family in Utah to go to. My real feeling is.......I have so much to be thankful for why not let every day be a thanksgiving day. Tomorrow I am off to Vernal with the Christensons to baby sit. I will be there till next Saturday. Gigi gets to go to the farm with me to visit her cousins. Didn't get up early to take advantage of "Black Friday's Shopping". I already have all of mine done..............YES!

Blizzard of 2010

Well, we didn't just get a winter storm, we had a blizzard. I never remember a blizzard warning before, but they were right on! My sweet sister was in Utah for Thanksgiving and we spent the day in the worst freezing weather ever trying to find her a scarf, gloves and some snow boots......(she is from Arizona). She had stopped in Flagstaff and bought a parka, good planning. I had gotten tickets for the Hale Theater to see the "The Drowsy Chaperon". Well, as the evening progressed my kids got more concerned and the news on TV was scary, we canceled and stayed home. We only got a couple of inches of snow at my house, but I guess the roads were a sheet of ice because the temperature dropped. Today I am off to the cabin to spend tomorrow with the Christensons.........you know over the hills and through the woods to Christensons I go. Darren called and warned me they have -7 degrees because of the wind chill at Park City. He does have a snow cat that will make the trip "through the woods and over the hills"...... warm when we get out of the car. The roads are good today and I took Gigi to Panniers for the night, she doesn't have a parka and boots??? It will be a fun Thanksgiving with the kids in their great cabin and lots of good turkey and dressing.

AGELESSNESS

I looked up ageless......the dictionary defines ageless as "seeming not aging, eternal".......You know like Betty White......It is an eternal quality, not about physical attributes, it's about our mental emotions and spiritual ingredients. It's about acceptance of what is going on at any moment in your life-----cherishing each day. Things like consciousness, compassion, caring and loving have always been a part of my life. They haven't changed over the years that's my agelessness. I am also more aware of my gratitude's, peace of mind and trust and not be so judgemental. I try to be flexible. Go with the flow. I was to spend the weekend in Park City at the Christenson's cabin. Now I am spending Thanksgiving Day and going to Vernal Saturday to baby sit the kids next week.....be flexible which isn't all that easy when your old. Tomorrow my youngest sister is coming up from Arizona to spend a couple of days with me......I am so excited. She wants to shop for snow boots yet????? I guess that's how it is if your from Arizona. Today I had two dentist appointments. One for a filling and a form made to fix my bridge that broke and go back and get the bridge later........I got lunch for a sweet couple who are not doing so well in my condo unit. I dread that day that that is me.......they are about my age!

I guess the way to be happy and at peace as we age is to acknowledge reality and to accept that inevitability of aging. It's either age or die, take your choice. Each day honor your body as it is now, accept your slowing down, it's not good or bad.....it just is. Feeling good about yourself helps you feel ageless. Your attitude means everything as you age. Being positive is necessary for longevity. Connect and seek out family, friends, pets, hobbies and talents. Be an example to your family and friends.

THE WEATHER MAN

Why do we plan our lives around the "weather man?"

He forecast cold and sickness so I rushed in and got my flu shot........so now I am set for bad weather. He is now forecasting our first worst storm this weekend so my sweet grandson Richie came over this morning early, (he had been up late attending the Harry Potter movie and his mother drug him out of bed to go rake gramme's leaves.) He is so precious and I so appreciated it before that big snow storm the weather man promises for the weekend buried all those red leaves in the back yard. This was a good day and I got many chores done before being buried by snow drifts. Leaves raked, my nails done, I filled my three months supply of prescriptions my doctor gave me yesterday at my annual checkup and stopped by and got my car inspected for another year.......Yes! I will show that weather man........somebody listens to him. I do have a dentist appointment at 8:00 Monday morning and kinda hope his forecast is wrong so I can get there, weather men are wrong sometimes! Would I have done all those chores today without that weatherman's warning........probably not.