Remember Zach?

My niece Sherry and her son Zach lived with us for a time in La Jolla when Meagan was a toddler. I think Meagan was two years older than Zach. The things I remember about Zach was his love of playing 'baseball' with his Mom and the speed with which he could take off in the mall (if he had a mind to) and what a darling boy he was. And, wow, look at him now...what a handsome guy.

Meagan and Kristi, do you remember playing with Zach those many years ago??? Kristi was just a baby so doubt she does.

Zach is a Texan. Cute girlfriend is named Belaca and evidently it is serious. Zach works as a valet while finishing his classes at Auburn Community College and will be going to Texas State to complete his marketing degree. Sherry says he is very friendly and quite the salesman. I remember Marilyn telling me he has supported himself for a long time and is a very good worker and student. So nice to get acquainted with you again, Zach. Thanks for the pix, Sherry.

Summer is Officially Over...at least till the Weekend!

Big surprise. It is cold this morning!!! 28 Degrees. It doesn't feel that cold though. But I had my first cozy fire last night. The wood is so dry it is a huge, crackly, 'catch on fire fast' burn. Nice!

I am up to 700 pages (of 1400) on the 'Count of Monte Cristo'. I finally got smart and went to the internet and downloaded a list of all the characters. There are so many characters and so many sub plots, I couldn't keep track of them all. This is much easier. It must be easy to write school essays now when you can get all the answers on the internet.

It is so amazing to me all the inventions since I was a child. How did we live without tv, microwaves, ipods, computers, cell phones, jet planes, etc? And what will life be like when the grandchildren are in their 70's? No way to even imagine.

Santa Update!

While we are at it, here is an update on our very own hometown Santa! No fake whiskers on this Santa. Doing a great job, Bill. Keep up the good work.

Twins Update!

Calm looking Mom, Bethany. Twins look very mellow and content. Nice going, Mom! They are one month old on Sept 26 and Sept 27. Close up of Sage and Raina. Sage is larger than Raina, but Raina has the big eyes. Cute, cute. This will be fun to watch as they grow and develop their own personalities.

Fall is Here

I can't believe it! It's already time to get out the flannel pjs. It'll soon be time for the wood stove...I love it.

Another Nice Weekend

Friday I went to the Reno Temple with Mary Anne and Jean. Lovely day but ate too much at the Pizza Buffet on the way home. They have these wonderful cinnamon twists with frosting on them for dessert and I can't get enough of them. Reminds me of the cinnamon rolls my Mom made almost every week. I had it so much better in the food department than my children did. My Mom was a fantastic cook.

Saturday I surveyed the work the chipmunks did while I was gone. It is hilarious. They have these holes all over the yard (not in my iris bed anymore, though) and they have put these large green pine cones in them. Of course, they can't get them all the way down the holes so they sit on top, in plain sight. My dilemma--should I rake them away when I clean up the yard tomorrow or should I leave them, just in case they really do need them this winter. I don't know how a chipmunk thinks so is he going to be in the hole, coming in from another side and just eat off of the pine cone when he needs it, since it will be under the snow. I wish I knew. I really have sympathy for them, and the snow will cover them in a few months and no one really cares if my yard is messy looking except me...hmm, big decision.

Today we had a wonderful chili and cornbread dinner after Sacrament Meeting. Because on the third week of the month a visiting High Councilman and his speaking partners come from quite a distance to our chapel, we prepare a nice dinner for them and invite the whole ward to stay. We all contribute, of course. I took brownies and my raisen bars. I really thought the raisen bars would be left but every one was eaten and Pres. Struve said he loved them, so did Bishop Martin and Jean said she was taking a couple home. Older generation treat, I think.

I taught the lesson in Relief Society and it was on being a good friend. I don't know how great the lesson was but I surely enjoyed remembering all the really great friends I have had the privilege of having in my life over the years. Too numerous to count, too many to name but I really appreciate all the friends I have and have had--some since childhood. There is really nothing more precious in life than our friends, of which I mean family members as well. After all, we get along in life...but only with a little help from our friends.

I have really been enjoying reading "The Count of Monte Cristo" and that surprises me very much. I only have about another 1000 pages to go but it is really a page turner, honestly. It went along with my lesson when Dante realizes that the friendship he has had with Faria in prison is far more precious than his dream of escape. There were beautiful paragraphs on the value of friendship in our life. And Dumas, the author, makes you realize what the mind is really capable of. However, Faria admitted he would not have been able to develop it so intrically if he had been free, but being imprisoned he forced himself to recall and remember and continually develop his memory to perfection. Could you write word for word whole books you have read? I remember many stories from WWII of how prisoners survived by forcing their minds to recall and continually develop to a higher plane rather than succumb to their surroundings.

I wonder what exciting events await Dante tonight--I read in bed.

Les Miserables

Today was 'Les Miserables' day. I watched the old black and white version with Fredic March and a very young Charles Laughton. Both actors were great and it is a terrific interpretation of the book. And then I play the musical version and it really stirs my soul.

I must admit I had to stop watching the movie for awhile, I get very upset by the inequities in life, the unfairness of it all, but the remorse on Charles Laughton's (Javert's) face before he drowns himself made up for all the rest...

I don't understand how I got all through school without having to read 'Les Miserables' or even see the movie. I wasn't aware of it at all until the new musical version came out and our Church did a performance of it. Anyway the music always gives me a great lift...so grateful for the talents of others.

Time for Santa...almost

Hard to believe I am old enough to have gone to grade school with Santa but there he is--same age as me and went to Washington Grade School and Dawson High . Looking good, Bill, you are a very authentic looking Santa!

Happy Birthday Weekend in Sacramento

Here is Michael in front of his apartment. I enjoyed Mike's Birthday weekend in Sacramento.

I noticed when we were at Olive Garden we had very good service and then I realized we had a girl waitress.

Same thing happened last fall at the Outback and other restaurants. Mike ignores it all and doesn't appear to notice.

Anyway I had a lovely weekend and hope he did, too.

He chose a Strawberry Cheesecake for his birthday cake...

While doing our Art Studio walk we

came across this interesting store

window with a huge cat sleeping in

it. Mike let me take his picture in

front of it. Turned out kind of interesting. Gorgeous flowers.

I had a hard time walking because I couldn't breathe very well cuz of my allergies so we didn't get to see many art studios but it was interesting talking to the artists we saw. Mike patiently walked slow with me.

Mike enjoyed his favorite Chicken

Fajitas at Chevys Fresh Mex on the

bank of the American River. I had my favorite Flautas. Love them.

I love the way the river winds through Sacramento. Mike says the

young people have inexpensive and

noisy parties just by parking 2 or 3 boats together.

A visit to the State Capital is always

worthwhile just to see the trees and

flowers. There is usually some

wedding party there taking pictures.

There is supposedly a tree planted

there for every kind in Sacramento

and supposedly Sacramento has more

variety of trees than any other city.

That is why it is called "The City of

Trees."

Regardless of the allergies from the trees and things, it was a great weekend. Thanks, Mike, for spending time with your Grandma.

Sacramento for the Weekend

So Bandido is off to the kennel tomorrow and I am off to Sacramento to celebrate grandson Mike's birthday!! The critters can take over the yard and I can forget about ACORN and Health Care and all the bad news I hear everyday. Should be a lovely change...

The Critters Are Gone--For Now!

This morning I flooded 9 holes of the chipmunks--they were nowhere in sight. A short time later one of them came and inspected his burrows. Immediately he ran over to the neighbors yard and up a tree where he started chattering loudly to another chipmunk(She?) One of them started chasing the other and they jumped to one of my trees and pursued the chase until one of them (He?) ran off to the front yard and then I saw him chasing all over the very back of my lot about 5 minutes later.

My Take: I think he was making the nesting burrows and when they were flooded she scolded him for choosing such a bad place until he ran off to pursue a better habitat. At least I haven't seen or heard anything of them since! We'll see...

Reading the Classics

Yesterday I started on another one of the Classics. That is on my list of 25 Things To Do Before I Die, to read all the Classics. I carry in my car a notebook with lists of booktitles. One Meagan sent me which was a College Bound Reading List. One is The 400 Best Books Ever Written by Melissa Field and one is Read The Classics from Target.com and one is Explore Banned Books from Google (many of which have been made in to movies and most adults have read). So I have a lot of books to choose from when I go to the library and believe it or not I have read a good many of them. (I check them off also, so I don't read them twice, otherwise I would never know).

Yesterday I found a new edition of "The Count of Monte Cristo" and am thoroughly enjoying it. Only 1400 pages to go. Yes, I have seen the movie but as all readers know, that is not the same and I hate it when CD books are abridged. I won't listen to an abridged book. If I just want the story I can read that on the internet, if it is worth listening to or reading it is worth hearing it all, I think.

At the back of the book I was impressed to read about the Modern Library Editorial Board with impressive authors on the list. Evidently the Modern Library has been "providing readers with affordable hardbound editions of important works of literature and thought" since 1917. This book was just reprinted in 1996 so it is very nice and easy to read. Thanks to all the people out there who provide us with good books to read and libraries in every town.

Incidentally I have never read a 'Classic' I didn't like and that surprised me, though it shouldn't or why would it be called a classic...

Critters Drive Me Crazy

Some little critters that look suspiciously like this chipmunk are driving me crazy. They are digging holes in my potted plants and raised garden beds. There is almost a half acre of dirt but they only dig holes in my gardening areas. When I chase them with a hose or a noise making branch they run up a tree and get about 100 feet up and then look down on me and taunt me with a "chi, chi, chi, chi...". Bandido likes to chase them but he is no match for tree climbers.

There have always been squirrel holes around the yard but I don't remember any making all these big holes in my soft garden dirt. Yes, it is the fall and they are preparing for winter but....there is plenty of room for them elsewhere. What to do, what to do???? They will just have to move from the Garden Apartments to the Hillside Apartments, plenty of room for them there.

Happiness

Natasha in “War and Peace” was making a list of all the things that bring happiness. I have been making sure I put things into my life that make me happy. In no particular order they are:

1-Reading a very enjoyable book, that I can’t put down till I finish it. Last night I did that. It was 11 o’ clock, I wasn’t tired, I started a book and could not put it down until it was finished at 4:38 in the morning. HAPPY

2-Taking a nap under my favorite comforter with total silence surrounding me. That happened today. Being totally tired after reading all night, I took my nap immediately after coming home from Church and slept till 4:30 pm. HAPPY

3-Listening to other people share their testimonies of what makes them happy, why they love the gospel, their family, etc. Today we had many visitors in Church because of the Labor Day weekend. There were many visitors and many beautiful testimonies of love and faith. One of our favorite friends Mona was visiting and there were some distant cousins of Richards that I met. Their last name was Earl, they had to be related and they were second cousins. HAPPY

4-Talking to my children or getting emails, blogs, etc. from them. This week I had calls from Camber, Linda, Jimmy and emails and blogs from Maria, Mike, Meagan ,,, That is an easy way to make a Mom, Grandmom, HAPPY

5-Getting messages on Facebook from relatives, friends, family—What an easy way to get happy, just a little one liner will do it. There were lots this week. HAPPY

6-Having good conversations with friends or family—This week I enjoyed long conversations with Carole, Linda, Myrna, Marjorie HAPPY

7-Working in the yard—yes, that has always been an enjoyable task for me. I have a fond memory of Richard calling out from our upstairs window to me. “Janet, come in, your babies need you.”. He did not enjoy yard work. I loved it. This week I had lots of opportunities to water and mulch while listening to my favorite music on the ipod. HAPPY

Well, that is enough of a list for today. It is time to listen to my favorite music and go to sleep again under my favorite comforter…HAPPY

Bandido is half Lahasa Apso so I took this test.

Who is in charge? Quiz for Apso Owners

1. Does your dog fail to get up and out of your way when you are on a collision course with him? yes

2. Does your dog try to go through the door first - ahead of you? yes

3. Does your dog resist giving up objects when you try to take them? yes

4. Does your dog pull you when he is on a leash? Sometimes

5. Does your dog ever growl at you?

6. Does your dog resist grooming or nail cutting? yes

7. Does your dog sleep in your bed? yes

8. Does your dog ignore you when you ask him to come? yes, tries to

9. Does your dog guard food dish or toys against you.

10. Does your dog snap at treats or try to take them away from you? yes

If you answered yes to more than three of these, you are not in charge, HE IS. You have to get control before you have a real problem on your hands. (Too late, he is 13 years old.) Dogs, especially Apsos respond to a power vacuum by asserting their own dominance. If you fail to teach the dog his place in society, he will assume control and teach you yours. (My neighbor told me this when I first moved here, because Bandido did not mind me.)

OK, I admit, Bandido runs this house.

But I will say this, he is very protective of me and follows me from room to room, even getting up in the middle of the night and dragging his tail to wherever I may be, computer room, kitchen, couch, etc. When I bathe, he sits as close to the tub as he can and when I am out of sight, he finds me.

Overall, I would say he is a great companion dog with an independent spirit. Goes well with mine.

Rod Stewart

Talk about being thankful for other people's talents, I am a real fan of Rod Stewart. Actually I was not even aware of him or his music until 2000 or so whenever he started singing the classics. This was actually the start of his fourth or more decade of singing. Maria bought the cd and told me I would like it because it was all the songs of my youth and indeed it was. And then he went on to do three or four more classic song cds. I was still in my collecting music phase and so have all of them, of course. And I came to love some of his rock songs when I bought one of his concerts on DVD. He does a fantastic concert. Marvelous entertainer.

Yesterday I watched his biography and how he started out with the wild life in the sixties, (but he did have a solid family foundation) had nothing but success with music and women, fathered 7 children or more, became fantasticly wealthy and enjoys his family life now and his children and ex-wives even say nice things about him.

One of my favorite songs he wrote after one of his long legged, beautiful blonde wives left him. This was a first for him. No one ever left him and broke his heart but out of it came the tender song, " I Don't Want To Talk About It."

Anyway wicked lifestyle or not in the beginning, he has certainly made a success of his career and family life and I am thankful for his great talent. He even had cancer of the thyroid and his voice came back better than ever. How blessed can you get? Some people are indeed blessed all their life with everything, it seems. Hmmm.

Rod Stewart

Talk about being thankful for other people's talents, I am a real fan of Rod Stewart. Actually I was not even aware of him or his music until 2000 or so whenever he started singing the classics. This was actually the start of his fourth or more decade of singing. Maria bought the cd and told me I would like it because it was all the songs of my youth and indeed it was. And then he went on to do three or four more classic song cds. I was still in my collecting music phase and so have all of them, of course. And I came to love some of his rock songs when I bought one of his concerts on DVD. He does a fantastic concert. Marvelous entertainer.

Yesterday I watched his biography and how he started out with the wild life in the sixties, (but he did have a solid family foundation) had nothing but success with music and women, fathered 7 children or more, became fantasticly wealthy and enjoys his family life now and his children and ex-wives even say nice things about him.

One of my favorite songs he wrote after one of his long legged, beautiful blonde wives left him. This was a first for him. No one ever left him and broke his heart but out of it came the tender song, " I Don't Want To Talk About It."

Anyway wicked lifestyle or not in the beginning, he has certainly made a success of his career and family life and I am thankful for his great talent. He even had cancer of the thyroid and his voice came back better than ever. How blessed can you get? Some people are indeed blessed all their life with everything, it seems. Hmmm.

13 To Go!

I just reviewed the list I made in 1997 of 25 Things I Want To Do Before I Die and amazingly I only have 13 left to accomplish. Four of those involve physical fitness and shape and since I am going more the other directon as far as energy and stamina are concerned they may not ever be accomplished.

Four of them involve literary and spiritual fitness--all a possibility, if the eyes and determination remain strong.

And lastly four of them involve trips and fiscal fitness so depending on my abilities and desire to make them happen, they may or may not occur. At least the trips are all within the US.

So I am amazed at all I have accomplished. It really does work to write things down I guess. Interestingly none of the things I wrote down involved other people originally but, of course, involved other people in the final outcome.

So before the clock winds down I need to rev up the body and spirit and carpe diem!

Now We Know Why!

While I was working on my photo books this week I noticed a comment made about our 2005 trip to the Anderson family cabin at Silvergate, Montana. It was observed that the mosquitoes liked Meagan and Sarah the best and left me entirely alone. I just read this article and now we know why they left me alone. I had too much stress in my life!

FINDING SMELLS THAT REPEL

By SHIRLEY S. WANG

If you're one of those people whom mosquitoes tend to favor, maybe it's because you aren't sufficiently stressed-out.

(Picture by Michael C Witte)

Insects have very keen powers of smell that direct them to their targets. But for researchers trying to figure out what attracts or repels the pests, sorting through the 300 to 400 distinct chemical odors that the human body produces has proved daunting.

Now scientists at Rothamsted Research in the U.K. have been making headway at understanding why some people can end up with dozens of bites after a backyard barbecue, while others remain unscathed. The researchers have identified a handful of the body's chemical odors—some of which may be related to stress—that are present in significantly larger concentrations in people that the bugs are happier to leave alone. If efforts to synthesize these particular chemicals are successful, the result could be an all-natural mosquito repellent that is more effective and safer than products currently available.

Who knew? Go stress yourself out before a trip to the mountain streams and be mosquitoe free!