Okay, OKAY already

Sami has been gently encouraging me (nagging) to update my blog. I told her I really didn't have much to blog about, but I am trying to stay in her good graces so I will do as she asks.
1. Our dog poops his weight daily. Gross fact, but nearly true. If he doesn't go at least twice when we take him for a walk something is wrong (and YES, I do take along bags).

2. Our family is trying to wean ourselves from sugar. Sigh. Yes, at the holidays. I don't know why, but we always seem to pick this time to "get healthy". We went on our first walk today and it felt good. We actually had a vegetable at dinner...and yes, corn is a vegetable. It is a Carruth vegetable.

3. I am working hard on family history. I really wish that more of my ancestors had kept journals...then those tricky to figure out relationships would be oh so much easier!

4. I am having trouble accepting that my baby is a high school senior. I think I'll show you his picture now...isn't he handsome? Looks just like his dad.


5. I am having an even harder time thinking about both my kids being in college next fall. I'm glad I have a year to get used to it!

6. Dan is finished teaching the three classes he worked so hard at this year. He is very glad to be done and is hoping he won't have to do it again! Just so you know, he is the expert at SIGN RETROREFLECTIVITY. Just ask him, he can tell you all about it.

7. We had our first fire in our woodstove last week. We've had another since then. We usually don't fire it up (no pun intended) until well into December. I'm thinking maybe we'll have some SNOW. Yup, I said the "s" word to all those who have an aversion. Get used to it...we are in a La Nina year.

8. I'm 1/3rd of the way through making my homemade Christmas gifts. I love doing it, and I love being a little ahead of the mailing time curve.

9. I'm happy that I gardened this year, but even happier that it is over now. I will clean the garden out soon, and ready it for next year. I'm excited to plan and think about the possibilities!

10. I now have 72 hour kits for all of the vehicles we own, plus a larger family sized tub with more emergency preparedness things in it if we should be home and need to leave in a hurry. I am so thankful that this is the year that I decided to get this done. It feels great to be prepared!

That is all for now. Love to all of you who read my blog..I hope to be posting more in a more timely fashion.

Happy Sami? Love to you too!

Garden Finale

Well I'm considering this years gardening a success. I was very happy with some things, and some things I will not repeat next year. The top two pictures show different angles - the tomatoes, lettuce, radishes, carrots, strawberries, peas and cukes all turned out great. The acorn squash got mad because I tried to move it where it didn't want to go and only gave me two squash...one of which the dog got. My onions are still 3 inches tall. They are still green as grass...but they stay the same size. The lettuce was great, but I didn't pick it all quickly enough so a lot of it went to waste. I will plant it differently next year. I had to replant the carrots, but the second time they came in like gangbusters...and they are all different colors! Tons of tomatoes - and they didn't mind being corraled by bungie cords attached to the fence. The pepper plants looked absolutely sick forever..and now that fall is on its way they are beautiful. I did get some jalapenos, but we'll see if the others mature enough to eat. I did get one red pepper that I ate - you can see it in the third picture of harvested items. It tasted great - but not great enough to pay $5 for the plant to get one pepper. The last picture is of flowers from David. He gave me dahlia tubers for mothers day this year and I planted them in the garden. I got so many beautiful blossoms! Next year I'm going to add potatoes and zucchini and remove radishes, squash, and peppers.

RIP Thomas, AKA Fatty

Thomas, our last surviving cat, went to heaven last week. He was 16 years old! His arthritis was so bad that he was walking like a bulldog. Every time he jumped off the bed he cried and cried. We made the hard decision to send him to heaven. RIP Fatty!


Sami has been begging me for new pics of Anubis, so here they are:

The Honeymoon is OVER!

Sweet Anubis....has turned into a little terror at times. If we leave him alone and he thinks we've been gone too long, or that we shouldn't have left at all, he tears things apart. Namely my work stuff - highlighters, pens, pencils, and ANY papers left on the arm of my computer desk. I've now learned to put things away - most of the time. He has also destroyed two pairs of Dan's reading glasses. Thank goodness these are glasses that he bought at Walmart and not at the eye doctor! We have a box full of newspapers that we use for fire starter in our woodstove that he has gotten into a couple of times...tiny bits of paper everywhere! And then, to top it all, yesterday he found these somewhere in the yard.....
Yep, two baby gray squirrels. He didn't harm them physically (mentally they'll probably never be the same!), but wanted to play. Fortunately I found him and them before they died. I couldn't just leave the sweet things there to die, so I drove them out to Tumwater to a wildlife rehab place. This sure has been an exciting adventure!

A new addition to the family

Meet Anubis! We brought him home on July 1, 2011 from Prosser, Washington. Yes we traveled almost four hours for a dog. It was very hard for me after Zeus died to not have a dog in the house - I missed Zeus so much! I started looking on shelter websites across Washington for a Shepherd mix. The only one I found (at the time, of course!) was this sweet looking lab/shepherd mix in Eastern Washington. When he was found he was very very sick with parvo, and was emaciated. He was 6-8 weeks old at the time. The shelter took him in and nursed him back to health. He is a very vibrant little fellow - that is growing and growing and growing! His legs are very long for his body, and the vet says he has at least 3 breeds in him. We think he is mostly lab...and he is a digger. He is very mellow and independent, yet loves us and wants to please. We are excited to have him in our family.

COUPONS!

Okay, I am NOT an extreme couponer, but I am really enjoying saving money! I saved 62% from retail on the pic with the pasta, and at least that with the other pic. Albertsons is great when they do double coupon days...like today. I bought the Rhoades Rolls and the three bottles of stain remover for $1.35!! I actually made .50 on the deal and it was 129% savings. My kids think I am crazy, but I am saving like mad on the grocery bill AND getting some food storage going!

Cat in the Sun

This is Thomas, aka "Fatty". Yes I know, very unpolitically correct, but he answers to it. And he used to weigh 30 lbs. He is 16 years old now and has outlasted 3 other cats. He is declawed in the front and rarely goes outside. This happened to be a nice day and he ventured out to roll on the patio. Like a scaredy cat he ran back in when the neighbor's dog barked at him!

2011 June Update on my Garden

It doesn't look a whole lot different than my last post, but some things are coming up nicely - namely the lettuce, radishes and strawberries. The peppers are languishing - I don't know why. I had to replant the carrots - and the tomatoes are finally starting to look halfway decent. I think the cukes are going to make it, but the melons & onions look sick. I'll be happy with whatever I get!

My Garden is HERE!

It is done!! As long as we don't get torrential rain in the next few days, I believe I've been successful in my garden this year. I was able to finish weeding and turning it over on Friday - that is the first picture - oh, and the tomato plants I rec'd from Vicki are in too!. It is far from perfect, but most of the weeds and grass are gone and I've raked it. I thought I might die from doing this..it was SO labor intensive. I was about to give up when David appeared with a glass of water - bless my boy! I took a long drink and keep on going. I then let it rest for the day, and then on Saturday Sami and I planted it in the rain. I just wanted to get all the plants and seeds I bought IN. I planted lettuce, carrots, onions, radishes, my mother's day dahlia bulbs, peas, two kinds of cukes, watermelon, honeydew melon, and strawberries. I am SO jazzed!!

Zeus May 16, 2011

Zeus lost his battle with lung cancer today and joined his canine sister Cassie in Heaven. He was a great dog - just always happy and sincerely loved us with all of his being. He was happiest going for a walk or having you just sit with him outside. He loved his "squeakies" - the toys we bought that quickly lost their squeek! He also loved ice cream, and always knew when it was his turn to "share". The minute Dan's spoon started clicking the bottom of the bowl he came running. Dan shared a last bowl of ice cream with him today. It was hard to let him go, but we know he'll be happier and will be able to breathe better again now. We love you Zeus!

Sami is Home!!

Our girl is home! Dan and I flew down to Provo, Utah to get her on April 21. She was all packed up - I was so proud of her efforts. We did a little cleaning in her apartment, and then we were free to do what we wanted. I had a list of stores to shop at - ones we don't have here at home. We managed to get to all of them, and fit in visits with family and friends. On Saturday April 23 I flew home and Sami and Dan drove home. They stopped along the way and visited family, and still made it home Easter Sunday at 2:30 am. We are so glad she is back! She hopes to gain employment this summer to help with college costs, and enjoy home cooked food. I hope the summer is a nice long one so we can enjoy her before she goes back in the fall. And yeah, I don't know how to fix the pic - you get the idea though.




It stormed in Utah when we were there - aren't these clouds something else? The wind was so strong it really knocked the car around on the way back from the airport. Sami was nervous -she almost pulled over to let Dan drive but then it calmed down a bit. A truck with garbage packed in the back started losing his load - and garbage rained down! I was glad to get through that all.




I thought I would add this pic of Dan eating this scorpion laden sucker. Why he would do such a thing is beyond me...other than he can now say he did it. YUCK~!

My Garden "Becomes"

So as you can see, I've weeded a bit more and am now up to the crawlspace entrance. I'm now 1/3rd of the way there! If you compare this pic to my last post, you can see what I've done. I've been disappointed with the weather - I am a fair weather gardener, and pouring down rain doesn't help my causes! By the time I went back out after the days of rain had passed, I found new weeds in my already weeded garden. So patiently I plucked the new ones out and then moved on to the old. It kind of reminds me of life. When we work hard at overcoming a bad habit, or work at maintaining a new one, we can't just say "okay I conquered, I'm done with that and on to something new!" Periodically we have to go back over old territory and pluck weeds to make sure we are maintaining what we've gained. It doesn't take much usually, just a little care.

Oh, and I've learned how to grow the best, most wonderful lawn anyone has ever seen! Plant a garden - you'll have all the most hardy, hard to pull grass you could ever want.



I thought I would update you on Zeus too. Here he is with his second most favorite play thing. Yes its a log - and a small one at that. Usually he will get one from our wood pile that is nearly too big for him to carry in his mouth, and then proudly run around with it. He was tired in this photo because he ran around "visiting" his neighbor doggy friends (from his side of the fence - he didn't run loose) while I gardened. He is getting shorter of breath now, and if he runs too hard he nearly passes out. Generally though, besides a little coughing he does okay. He coughs occasionally, some days more than others, but other than that he seems happy. The lump on his side gets bigger with each day, but it doesn't seem to slow him at all. We are watching closely for signs of pain, although the vet said he probably wouldn't have any, just a tougher time breathing as time goes on. We are just loving him, and taking one day at a time. It is a good outlook on our own lives, don't you think?

Zeus the Wonder Dog

Two posts in one day, I know, can you believe it? I've decided to become better at blogging since I love reading my friend's blogs. This is Zeus. He is my best friend during the day when no one else is at home. He lays behind my computer while I work; when it is raining and we can't walk outside he lays by my treadmill as I sweat away; he even follows me to the bathroom and sits outside the closed door. He lets me know when someone comes to the door, and he makes me feel safe. I don't hesitate to walk around the block or even in the next neighborhood when I have him by my side. We found out recently he has lung cancer. A strange diagnosis for such a young dog (6 years). He still runs around outside like crazy, but he coughs more every day. We will be sad when it is his turn to go to heaven, but I am so grateful to have had him in my life. Love you Zeus!

The Turtle vs the Rabbit

So we've had this raised garden spot for years. I've planted in it quite a few times, although in recent years mostly it is a spot for grass and weeds. Oh, if only the grass grew as well in my lawn as it does in the garden! Anyway, prior to last year I hadn't gardened in a few years. Too much to do in other places. Last year I decided I really wanted homemade salsa - from fresh grown tomatoes. So the kids and I spent a day digging out the weeds and grass...til we got down to the opening to under the house. We had to stop there because we found a bird's nest in the grass. Anyway, I figured we had enough space for tomatoes and peppers. We planted....and it rained, and rained, and rained. I gave up, the tomatoes finally came back but the peppers died. I let the garden to to seed..again.

It was suggested by my doctor that I need to be outside more during the day. I need the sun on my face so that I sleep better at night. So I decided to take on the garden again. I decided to start today by just pulling grass a little at a time. Slow and sure wins the race - like the turtle, right? So the first pic above shows what I finished today. Doesn't look like much, but it was the end with the bird's nest in it last year, so this was 2 years worth of grass and weeds. It felt good, and I decided that even if I only plant flowers in May, I will have my face in the sun whenever it shows. I'll post more pics as I get more weeded.

Someone Turned 50!

Dan turned 50 on March 17, 2011 and we had to have a party to celebrate! We held it on March 19 at the home of friends of ours. It was a blast to connect with people we haven't seen in awhile, and to share stories about Dan. Funny stories were shared of course, but people also told what a good person he is - and how he would give the shirt off his back to anyone in need. It was a great night!

The Flower

We moved into our house in March of 1992. Sami was not yet a year old, and could barely see out the front window when standing on her tip toes. Our yard was full of flowers - big flower beds everywhere, and along every side of the house. It was beautiful....and overwhelming. I couldn't keep up with it and keep up with everything else. So we tore out all of the beds and replaced most everything with grass. All around the house we dug down and put in black rock bordered by landscaping timbers - the red ones. It made a sidewalk all the way around - and we didn't have to mow next to the house, which was nice. The year after we made all of these changes a lone tulip pushed up through the black rock and bloomed. It was very pretty - and I thought "as soon as it is done blooming I will dig it up and transplant it." Spring turned into summer, and I totally forgot about that tulip. Until next year - and it bloomed again! And so on and so on. Now we are in 2011 and that tulip is now sprouting 4 blooms instead of one. The kids and I look for it every year - and none of us is planning on removing it any time soon. As I was pondering today during church about trials and what makes us move through them I thought of this tulip. When going through a trial I think about being in a black tunnel. I can't see light behind me, yet it is most familiar as that is where I came from. The urge to turn around and go back is strong. I can't see light ahead of me, and the fear of failure keeps me from wanting to move forward - even though I know the light is there - my Heavenly Father tells me it is and I so desperately want to believe it. When I take one step forward, and step with faith towards the light - opposite of where I have been - I grow. With each step the darkness becomes lighter....and finally I see peeks of light - until I burst through the dark rock into the beautiful day. Kind of like the tulip....and each year we grow more and learn more until we blossom into a bouquet.