Spring in the high desert

You know it's spring here now, the ravens are camping out on the highway, staking their claims on the most recent road kill. As I was driving to work yesterday, I came pretty close to having grilled vulture as one flew down to rob the ravens of their prize, then it immediately flew away two feet before I plastered him on the radiator. The Stellars' jays are screaching at each other and at the squirrels who are hording up at the local bird feeders. Peanuts are the grand cache lately. The trash cans now wear a new elastic belt, style by Bunji, to keep the racoons out. Kevin cleaned up a mess from the other nights' first raid. I don't think I want to run into one of them since the dusty paw prints that were left on the outside of the plastic trash bin were huge! I would make a guess that it's at least a 50 pounder by the size of it's feet. They are getting free food from somewhere if they are bigger than my grandson, lol!
And last night the bullfrogs were in full chorus-if you didn't know what they were you would have thought it was a generator running. I stepped out on the front deck about ten p.m. to see the stars, smell the air and listen to nature, that's my nighttime toddy. There are a few daffodils trying to pretty up the landscape and my tulips have survived the first deer raid, courtesy of ACE fencing. I notice out here where we live that you can actually smell the dirt in the air at night, smell the pine needles. I sure miss that heady aroma of clover in Alaska's spring...

Easter

For the past few weeks I have been sublimely coasting along on my internal clock, believing I had lots of time to get Easter cards and send them out, spend time with family or just plain celebrate.
But YESTERDAY I was rudely and verbally slapped in the face by our local newscasters with the information that Easter is THIS Sunday! Good grief, I had been thinking I had an extra week to not hurry or worry.
All the signs were there that it was coming.
The grocery stores were loaded with Easter baskets, candy and cards. Turkey, hams and lambs have been rolling through the cash registers as if it were a bowling marathon. "Boy, people are really getting on the ball, buying early for once", I thought. Occasionally I would hear someone call out "Happy Easter" just thinking they were strange.
Well, thanks to some person named Gregory and his collisional (my own made up word)disagreement with the Julian calendar, he has managed to screw up my nicely organized mental calendar. It all has to do with the number of days in a month, the vernal equinox and I'm sure that even Greenwich has it's hands-no pun intended-in there.
I do know that I will have lots of time before it ever comes this early again, 230 some odd years, in fact. Lots of time to make Easter eggs, paint paper plates, grow some lilies and send out cards. Whew! I just have to get the ones in between that one all figured out. Now, if I can just get my sun and moon dates figured out, I might just be ahead of the game...

Is it any wonder I am confused? Here is a look at the past dates of Easter...
1989 March 26 April 30
1990 April 15
1991 March 31 April 7
1992 April 19 April 26
1993 April 11 April 18
1994 April 3 May 1
1995 April 16 April 23
1996 April 7 April 14
1997 March 30 April 27
1998 April 12 April 19
1999 April 4 April 11
2000 April 23 April 30
2001 April 15
2002 March 31 May 5
2003 April 20 April 27
2004 April 11
2005 March 27 May 1
2006 April 16 April 23
2007 April 8
2008 March 23 April 27
2009 April 12 April 19
2010 April 4
2011 April 24
2012 April 8 April 15
2013 March 31 May 5
2014 April 20
2015 April 5 April 12
2016 March 27 May 1
2017 April 16
2018 April 1 April 8
2019 April 21 April 28
2020 April 12 April 19

Easter and the holidays that are related to it are movable feasts, in that they do not fall on a fixed date in the Gregorian or Julian calendars (both of which follow the cycle of the sun and the seasons)

In any event, may you all have a wondrous and beautiful Easter.

Lifelong Degree

Most people get their degree from a university.
Most people wear a cap and gown.
Most people get a handshake from a professor and a fancy piece of paper to frame and hang on their wall.
This one can take a lifetime to earn, if you are lucky.
This is one of the hardest things I have ever earned in my life. You know, the more I think about it, I am happier to have earned this one than any other one I could try for.

The cost is beyond imagination
The time is 24/7
The test failures are excruciating
The test passing is phenominal rewarding
The time invested is way beyond the usual recommendation
But the prize is invaluable.


"Parental Happiness Degree".


I have been nominated as one of my daughter's heroes in her life.

Christmas: It's All About Family

This has always been a magical time of year for me, I have many warm and fuzzy memories of Christmas. When I was 6 or so, we made a trip to southern California to celebrate Christmas at my dad's parents home. Out of the 53 Christmases I have seen so far, this is one of the most memorable. This is when I first believed Christmas really did come from heaven...

It stands illuminated in that darkened living room like a photograph smudged with vaseline. Most likely it was grandma who had preciously perched an ethereal white and flowing angel on the tree top. I don't remember specifics but I do remember that it seemed lifelike and loving to this little kid staring up at it. There was a soft glow of twinkling lights, way back then everybody used those big bulbs which literally engulfed whatever tree they were wrapped about. There were strings of lights that had these tubes of bubbling colored water where you would normally see just a bulb, those were my favorites. I could watch those for hours, some green, some red and some yellow. I always wondered where the water came from. There were lots and lots of multi-glittered fragile bulbs, you 'old' people will remember those; one side would be concave with a special glittery design, they were often tear-drop shaped or round. The lights would bounce off of them and triple the effect and if the tree had tinsel hanging from the branches--and NOT thrown on in clumps but carefully placed one by one--that tree would boggle the eyes and mind of any youngster. There was no tinsel on grandma's tree because it was draped with angel hair! Angel hair?! Oh grandma, this is really so beautiful, you must be special to have an angel give you her hair! I don't remember my grandmothers' house or any of the presents or much of anything else that visit, but that tree is as vivid in my mind today as it was when I first saw it. It still feels like magic.
Our celebrations also involved a traditional Christmas drive before opening presents. We always opened ours on Christmas Eve but we had to take a drive to see everyone elses' lights and decorations so Santa could stop by our house while we were gone. One yard had a small train set up on a railroad and the best part was seeing the lights on in the cars with people sitting in the seats and the conductor striding down the center collecting tickets, the train making it's circular trip around the front yard every minute or two. No, the people weren't real and they were most likely only about 2 feet tall. But I thought they were real.
Christmas is remembering my family, my loved ones, whatever family I have left and around me, grandparents and cookies and presents and snow and the smell of a pine tree in your house. I have had a few Christmases that were more about treasuring those who could be with you. The real test of what I believe this is all about. The possibility of losing your child or any member of your family puts things into perspective. That Christmas was the most special of all. I don't remember if there were presents now because the most important thing was knowing that at that time my little family would be there. We simply celebrated life and blessings.
This Christmas will be special because I get to live it through a child's eyes again. My daughter and son-in-law and their two boys will be sharing Christmas with this grandma for the first time. I can't wait to see Evan's little face when he comes to grandma and grandpa's house. I don't have angel hair on my tree (it's way too messy for a grown-up) but we do have an angel on the tree top and lots of lights and fun ornaments to explore. And whether or not there are two or twenty presents under the tree, my present will be my husband, my daughter and son-in-law and the grandbabies! Maybe next year my son can come. Maybe one year we can all share a special memory.
This is also my time to celebrate the reason for Christmas, my saviour's birthday and what that means to me....

Lucy and Ricky Go On A Picnic

It may be fall, it may be chilly out but it is still a great time to go on a picnic. Since Kevin and I both work with the public, getting out in the hills and enjoying nature is our mental refresher and since the wilderness is practically in our backyard, it doesn't take much to get there.

Unless you take me along.

I had Sunday and Monday off so Kevin and I went into the hills for a ride and a tailgate picnic. Sunday was actually quite beautiful out, the weatherman had predicted a snowstorm for the weekend but he was a bit early on that guess.

Getting to our destination would normally take about a half an hour and as we were heading westward, thoughts of hot chocolate with soft, bobbing marshmallows and roasted hot dogs danced through my head. We hadn't managed to squeeze in a camping trip last summer due to other pressing needs so this was as close to camping as I was going to get, until next year. In my mind I could feel the sunshine on my face, I feel the crunch of that hot, campy-tasting hot dog....HOT DOGS!!!! "Oh my gosh, Kevin, I forgot the HOT
DOGS!!". Kevin kept on driving, never changing the expression on his face, not a peep, not a word except for a simple clearing of the throat. I sheepishly pulled my coat up from my knees and tried to cover my face, maybe I could just disappear. This whole adventure centered on my wish to go out and have a tailgate picnic, those hot dogs being the main reason for going.

Finally, Kevin looked over at me after I had squeeked in a teeny-tiny voice, another "ican'tbelieveIdidthat", "Do we have to have hot dogs? We have the marshmallows, you know, and we could probably find some grubs or worms or something..?" Of course I replied with, "Honey, this whole picnic was all about having those hot dogs and all I'm gonna think about is NOT having those hot dogs". Kevin drove on and soon we turned into Twin Lakes Resort. Oh you sweetheart! You're going to stop and get my hot dogs at the little store there. The parking lot was empty, the sport shop was all locked up and dark and the sign at the gate said the store was closed.

My dear and darling knight in shining armor said, "Well, we'll just go back down the road a bit and stop at the little quick mart". You know the kind, the last stop store that charges a house payment for a gallon of milk.

In a twenty minute turnaround, I had my hot dogs. I was a happy camper.

And no grubs.

We enjoyed a leisurely drive up the mountain side, some leftover snow from the last storm blanketed the north and west sides, white fir branches bowed to the ground, loaded with the white powder. Sunlight streaked through stands of an old forest fire and a Stellars' jay whizzed past my window. At the crest of one winding dirt road we could look back over Wickiup Reservoir off to the southeast, there was lots of room to get out and explore while sitting in the sun so we parked the truck there.

We wandered through the manzanita brush, savoring the fresh air full of ponderosa, white fir, noble fir and manzanita. Kevin and I both jumped out, each of us wandering off in a different direction just to enjoy a few moments of peace alone. I was hunting for some manzanita branches

for the house to decorate with, I brought home a dead one. Okay, it's going to be spray painted white for Christmas ornaments or something. A few minutes later we pulled down the tailgate, Kevin pumped up the camp stove and fixed up two steaming cups of hot chocolate, with bobbing marshmallows and my fantasy hot dogs soon followed. Shortly after that we put everything away and ambled back down the mountain.

And then! I spied this rock that looked like the Washington monument. We brought that home, too. But it took Kevin hooking up the winch to yank it out of the ground. Poor Kevin, most men get wives who shop till they drop. Kevin gets one who brings all the outdoors back home, lol!

Evan Makes The Call

When you think about it, toddlers have a lot going on in their lives. Find Teddy, oh there's that bottle I lost yesterday, I must find mommy since she's totally out of site and, oh yes, call Grandma! Okay, well I have Teddy, mommy is changing my little brother Erics' diaper or something so...THERE'S the phone. All alone on the couch. No guardians, no "no-no's". The coast is clear...

ringggggringringringggggg, the cell phone buzzes, hidden somewhere still in my lunch bag or purse. I'm on the computer sharing emails with Sara about ebay and I run out of the office to find that teeny-tiny connection to the world and just before it relays to missed call, I catch it and connect. After my initial hello there is a small "hi" from the other end, then an indecipherable amount of babble. Instantly I recognize that angelic voice, it is my grandson. Grandma's FIRST phone call from my favorite Evan!! (yes, yes, I know, he's the ONLY Evan; this is a carry-over from my dad always telling me I was his favorite daughter *only daughter*). In the matter of just a few seconds I had figured that mommy had been distracted by something and Curious George got ahold of that interesting thing that mommy is always putting to her head with a "hello" right afterwards. Evan is a literal button-pusher. He loves the sounds they make and can spend long minutes just pushing and pushing and pushing, absolutely fascinated with something we have long ago gone blind to. I'm pretty convinced he was fortunate enough to hit the redial button on the first try and lo and behold, he got Grandma! Wow, how cool is that? After a few hellos from me I began to hear other noises, house noises, brushing, clicking, more button pushing but no more precious 'hi's'. I was attempting to get Evan's attention by talking loudly, asking for momma, loudly calling "Sara? Sara! Your son is on the phone!" One minute...two minutes go by and my cell phone minutes are adding up as well. Since Sara and I were emailing each other I fired of a letter telling her her son was calling Grandma, lol! One letter, two letters, then I call her cell phone, no answer so I leave a message. Finally an envelope appears on my computer screen and it's from Sara, "Oh Evan found the phone and took it in his room and was playing", hence the odd noises I heard.

I can't get a real-life picture of that little rascal but I can cherish that moment from here forever.

How accidentally sweet and precious. Not everyone gets a once in a lifetime call from their 15 month old grandchild. All on their own.

(: