Wednesday, October 31, 2012

At Least I Didn't Cut It Off!

"Are you accident prone?" the nurse asked me.  I don't know but it was  a stupid thing to do and it is not the first time I have done something stupid.. 

I put pressure on a can lid to open and instead splattered chili bean juice all over and made a deep cut in my left fourth finger and a smaller cut in my third left finger. 

Mike's first question, "Did you get blood in the chili?"  and second command,
"Leave it, I'll drive."

The nice thing in a small town is they have your name and file in the Emergency Room, in the Walk-in Clinic and in your Dr's Office.  You just have to choose which one to go to and on the way, the Receptionist is helping me decide that on my cell phone--OK, Walk-in Clinic it is.

Dr. Tonya is a Nurse Practioner who looks like the dark haired limb surgeon on Grey's Anatomy.  She has been told that many times before.  Since this is my second time to see her this month we are becoming well acquainted.  I find out she is Welsh and see a picture of her handsome Daddy who died of colon cancer much too young.

She stitches me up and Mike comes back from the Holiday--he is trying to decide which Halloween candy to buy, for himself.  Ahhh, such decisions, it would be so much easier at Walmart where the candy is cheaper and more plentiful.

Anyway, Halloween is here and we will have no visitors out here and Mike will go to a party in Susanville and I will take a Bubble Bath without getting my left hand wet, before settling down to an evening of my favorite TV shows.

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

West Virginia Snow

They are showing pictures of the snow in West Virginia from the Sandy Superstorm and it reminded me of my time out there in early 2004 because of flooding. 

After working in Maryland after Hurricane Isabel they sent two of us from Baltimore to West Virginia with boxes of equipment and I worked out there until sometime in February.  I hated driving in the snow along the freeways.  The trucks could travel on any side of the road they wanted and they all went so fast.  My little rental Ford was not up to winter travel at all.

The day I was to fly home there was a winter storm and it was terrible to get to the airport and then we had to wait while they deiced the wings.  I got home just in time to save my house as the furnace had gone out and we were having a cold winter.

I bought a new furnace with the money I had earned for the last several months.  I was working for the New York SBA office.

The one neat thing about the whole trip was the Thanksgiving Dinner cooked by the SBA leaders from New York.  That is where I learned about the Butternut Squash being mashed and buttered--they gave me all the left overs and I ate it all week.

Monday, October 29, 2012

Propane Gas Drama!

I haven't taken Bandido for a walk since I came back from Utah.  I have been letting him use his run.  Today at 4 I took him for a walk and smelled gas even from the street.  My gas was only at 30% yesterday when Mike checked it so it couldn't be mine.  I wondered if my neighbor had dumped his boat gas?  Had a bad leak?  I looked around the neighborhood to see where it could be coming from. 

As I brought Bandido back I looked at my own gas tank.  Oh, my, they had filled it today, up to 70% full!!!  And the gas smell was coming from my tank and there was a definite hissing sound.

I called the local office immediately but it went straight through to the national office.  She told me to leave the house and could I turn the gas tank off?  I told her to stay on the line so I could be sure I was doing it right.  I did it.  The hissing continued.  She said she would send someone out immediately and not to turn anything in the house off or on, just leave.

My neighbors were leaving to go out to dinner but he came over and totally agreed there was definitely gas coming out.  We chatted for quite awhile about the election, etc. and then they left.  I walked a bit and finally the young man came.

He or someone had left a red button open and it was definitely emitting gas!!!  What I learned.  The only way it could cause an explosion is if my tank was covered with heavy snow and the gas leak was on for a long period, week or so, then it would build up under the snow and could explode.  However, if the gas had gone undetected I could have a huge bill and not so much gas for my house.  I also learned that when I turned off the gas outside it also turned off the pilot of the water heater so he lighted it again--after checking everything outside and making sure it was all working correctly.

I also learned the stove top, oven, and furnace have electrical emission systems so they were not affected by turning off the gas.  If I have a power outage, I can light the pilots in the stove top burners by hand but the stove would not work so don't even try to light that pilot.  Anyway good information.  I also told him I appreciated it when they used to leave a note at my door to tell me they had filled my tank.  He said people who were not here all year did not like the note because then people would know they were gone but he said he would tell  them to leave a note at my house.

Anyway glad I was impressed to take Bandido for a walk today!  And the reason I write all this is so I can look up what I learned when it happens again.

Family and Friends of Tanner Say Farewell

 

Melissa Ready for Halloween


What a beauty and what great make up for Minnie Mouse.

Sandy Destroys Fishing Pier at OCMD


After Hurrcane Isabel in 2003 I spent quality time in Maryland.  One of the  most fun excursions was to Ocean City where I had the best French Fries I have ever had in my life.  They served them with an Apple Vinegar.  I also saw the most beautiful sand that went waaay out there.  The Federal Government had spent millions in preventive care for the area.   The Boardwalk is so long and then goes out to the Fishing Pier.

Many good memories of that SBA Disaster trip.   We ate in Delaware and the housing with back yard piers was beautiful.  Loved the Eastern Shore of Maryland, great place to live. 

Some of the flooded areas  further south which were still a mess was a sad sight and I believe this will be so much worse.  

Too bad I am not younger, I am sure I could have some work out of this.  It always seemed sad that my employment depended on disaster for others.

Humor of the Month

The Fuqua twinnies with their Aunt Stephanie.  Sage is on the left and Raina is next to Steph.

"Out of the mouths of  babes"' presents a great  response from Raina as her Aunt asks her a breakfast question.




Aunt Steph: "Raina, would you like to put the syrup on yourself?"

Raina: "No, I do not want to put the syrup on myself, I want to put it on my pancake!"

Seriously!!!

Sunday, October 28, 2012

Tanner Leaves for a Mission.


Earlier this year Tanner looked like a warrier at BYU Idaho and now he leaves for his mission to Bacolod, Phillipines.

Last year he graduated from high school and now he is off to see the world so far away.

Tanner gave an awesome talk which I was able to hear in one minute increments as James used his cell phone to record it.  I think you are not supposed to do that James, but I really enjoyed it, so thank you.

Looking forward to hearing about Tanner as he becomes acqainted with the beautiful people of the Phillipines.  Congratulations, Tanner!

Happy Birthday to Kate!


First great granddaughter Kate from Henderson, NV turns six years old.  Her Gramma Pulsipher let her choose whatever Build a Bear she wanted and she did--wow, looks stupendous, Kate.

Thursday, October 25, 2012

Halloween 2012 with Keira

 
 
 
Ladybug Keira (I love it)


and her friends (so cute)

Update on Keira



Just a little bug-eyed.



Keira and friends after a visit to a farm.

Update on the Stewarts



The Stewarts attend the Romney-Ryan political rally in Las Vegas.


This looks like an educational and a  fun thing to do.  Cheers for Ryan and Kate!


They also had their pictures printed in the paper and on the internet but the pictures were copyrighted so I did not use them.

Thursday, October 18, 2012

Tatahumara Mexican Restaurant in Midway


Wednesday we had lunch at the Tarahumara in Midway, Utah with Alice, Norma and Brian and Marilyn and Carole, my sisters.  This was a review on the restaurant by the Deseret News.

The Tarahumara are the native people of Chihuahua, Mexico. They live in and around the Copper Canyon, a series of canyons approximately five times the size of our Grand Canyon situated in the Sierra Tarahumara. They are famous for their long distance running and honesty.

Tarahumara features predominately Northern Mexican Foods. The menu includes Appetizers, Tacos, Burritos, Fajitas, Tortas, Salads, Soups, Enchiladas, Tamales and Chiles Rellenos. Specialty items include Char-broiled Carne Asada, Pork Ribs and Wild White Mexican Shrimp sautéed with Tequila & Orange sauce.

This year, Tarahumara added a bakery showcasing Flans, Cheesecakes, Tres Leches Cake, Donuts, Conchas, Mexican Cookies and other pastries, all made fresh daily!


The Salsa Bar is included with all meals, and features over 20 made-fresh-daily salsas - some classics, such as Pico de Gallo, Salsa Molcajete, and Salsa Brava. Some are family favorites, like Pineapple-Mango Salsa, Cilantro con Jalapeño and Chipotle Crema. Top it all off with a Mexican or Domestic Beer, or a glass of Wine, a refreshing agua fresca or maybe Jarritos soda, and you have the Tarahumara experience.


My niece Norma and then Marilyn, Jeanne and I on the left and Alice, Carole and Carole's husband Len on the right.


Alice, Carole, Len and Brian


Brian, Norma and Marilyn.

The salad was one of the best I had eaten and the flautas were not quite up to Chili's but excellent.  I really enjoyed the salsa bar, however, the chips were not the best.  But what a great place to eat.  We visited the bakery after and there were many deliciosa desserts, etc.  Great place!

Midway, Utah


Sunday after church Jeanne and I were went to dinner at the cabin home of Norma and her family.  The colors were beautiful in the canyon on the way up.
 

Norma and Jeanne from the middeck looking out over the valley towards Heber.

Jeanne and Janet with Brian.

Janet and nephew Brian.  Gorgeous views.

Norma and Brian are in the midst of bottling grape juice, (white and concord) and drying apples.

We had the most delicious dinner of pork roast, mashed potatoes and gravy, home grown veggies and a fruit salad plus Apple Crisp with nuts for dessert.  It was so amazing, I ate way too much!

Saturday, October 13, 2012

Lunch with the Ladies at La Jolla Groves in Orem, Utah


Ages 32 to 84, Three Generations, Can you guess age of each???
Janet and her sister Jeanne, Gina and her daughters Julie and Molly and Norma, Jeanne's daughter-in-law Norma, and Jeanne's granddaughter Cathryn

Gina, Cathryn, Julie

Molly, Norma, Jeanne

Norma, Jeanne, Janet

Back Row: Molly, Gina, Cathryn, Julie
Front Row: Norma, Jeanne, and Janet

Tuesday, October 09, 2012

Prince on a White Charger--He's Not Coming! 2009

Can't sleep--leaving tomorrow on a plane to visit with all my sisters and others and gather up family pictures that haven't been scanned yet and help to organize the records still at Jeanne's house.   Have a terrible sore throat, where did that come from?

Also had a harrowing day.  It is definitely true that the older you get, the more difficult everything becomes.  Poor Bandido, while I was in the kitchen getting something for my throat I saw how restless he was and what a mess he had made of his little home.  So I had to clean him and his home before he could settle down again.  He is certainly a testament to the fact that everything gets more difficult as you get older.

I had to laugh at the message from Amy to her family today on Facebook.  It was about being a Grammar Nazi and how frustrating it is to see so many grammatical and spelling errors on messages from friends and all around us in signs, etc.  I really related to what she said.  It reminded me of so many years ago when one of my young loan officers asked the other one how to spell California!  I shook my head in dismay and it also reminded me of when I went back to school in 1973 for a brush up on English and Office Practices and realized I was the one of the few in the class who had had a good education in English.  We were very fortunate in the 40's to have these super teachers out of Minnesota in our little town.  We had some fantastic English teachers in both elementary and high school.  My first year in college I was moved to an accelerated English class and it was all due to them."



When I was talking to Carole a few days ago she told me the twinnies were mesmerized by the "Snow White" movie Stephie had ordered for them.  I said " that was my favorite one" and she said, "me, too".  Since I had some cleaning to do in my office I decided to put my VCR version of  "Snow White" on  and watch while I worked.  I thoroughly enjoyed it--all of it.

And now I see why we all grew up wanting that "prince on a white charger to come and rescue us"!!!  This was the theme of one of the "Sex and the City" episodes the other day.   And I remember so well the story I read of the wife sitting very dejected looking and her husband coming up and whispering in her ear, "He's not coming."  She said, "What?"  He said, "The prince on a white charger, he's not coming!"

Darn reality!!  We alll have to face it someday.  "He's not coming!"  I reminded myself of that today when I was so frustrated,  "He's not coming!"

Sunday, October 07, 2012

Conference Sunday Oct 7

The emotions are very full today, I must remember to go back and listen to Elder Eyring, Elder Holland and Pres Monson's closing remarks in the morning session again.  There is such an urgency and plea in their voices as they talk to draw near to the Lord and serve others in knowing about his gospel.

Both Elder Eyring and Holland had difficulty in speaking, I have never heard them so close to tears in their messages.  Elder Hollands description of the early apostles coming to understand their mission, was especially eloquent and yet simple to picture in a way I had not heard before.

Afternoon conference was good, too, and then I became distracted as I was working on a blog about John. 

A special came on about the Hotel Utah and it immediately made me hungry for rice pudding.  When I was little that was a very special treat to go to the Hotel Utah and get the best rice pudding I have ever had.  I, of course, had to make some and couldn't find a recipe in our Family Recipes or in my book so found one one line.  I only had Minute Rice but it worked and it tastes very good--though not as good as Hotel Utah.  The only time I was ever able to stay there overnight was when our Stake Primary Board came to Conference a few days early for Primary General Conference and President Naylor took us in to meet the Prophet Spencer Kimball.

We really enjoyed staying at the Hotel and I am glad I had the experience.  It is very special.

Saturday, October 06, 2012

Saturday Conference Was So Enjoyable

I slept until 5 minutes after conference started this morning!!!  Mike and I were both up late using our computers.  Some nights I just cannot go to sleep...wish I knew why.

Every talk was excellent today.  My heart was so touched and tears filled my eyes many times.  Certain phrases remain with me “The onslaught of wickedness against our children is more subtle and brazen than it has ever been,” Elder Perry said. “Building a strong family culture adds another layer of protection for our children, insulating them from worldly influences.”



 “I'm a Mormon. I know it. I live it. I love it.” From Sister Dibbs.

" One day, as he prayed for guidance, he heard voice in his mind saying, “Stop the boys on the bikes.” --what a powerful talk that was, I want to hear it again from Elder Nelson, so many things the missionaries can help with.  Such young boys and yet such a powerful message.

“There is something in each day that can bring gratitude and joy if only we will see and appreciate it. Perhaps we should be looking less with our eyes and more with our hearts.” —Dieter F. Uchtdorf  and the commendation to love the journey and find that happines every day in your life, such a great talk that was, need to post it on my fridge.

 “Through very personal sacred experiences, the Lord gave me a new heart, and even though it was still lonely and painful, my whole outlook changed. … I was able to look forward with hope, rather than look backward with despair,” said Elder Bowen.  I loved the stories of faith and understanding given by him and a couple of others about when loved ones are suddenly take away.

“God is hastening His work,” Elder Holland said, directing his remarks to the young men and women of the Church. “And He needs more and more willing and worthy missionaries to spread the light and the truth and the hope and the salvation of the gospel of Jesus Christ to an often dark and fearful world. … This isn’t about you. It is about the sweet and pure message you are being asked to bear.”

The talk about the building of Temples and the exactness in doing them perfectly is such a testimony that we are building an eternal earth and should not fear but have faith in helping with the work.

“Distancing yourself from the kingdom of God during a trial of faith is like leaving the safety of a secure storm cellar just as the tornado comes to view.”  It is within the sanctuary of the Church that faith is protected.  This talk for those who have been led astray and the need to come back.  Such a powerful message.

 All of them were so inspirational.

And hearing about all the statues of the apostles that will be with the Statue of  Christ in the Visitors Center across from the Temple in Rome and the fact that a Stake has just been organized in India!!! 

When I think of how the Church has grown since I was a child, it is so unbelievable, I never imagined it could be so.  I also enjoyed hearing again about the beginnings of BYU and what it has become today.  I have always felt so blessed for my experiences there, thanks to my parents for being so wise to see that we got there.

The Rose Is Gone

All that is left of my beautiful single rose of the summer is some petals scattered and a broken stem.  I think the temptation was too much for some wandering deer.  Hope it tasted good to him or her.  By this time of year some of them are very tall and can reach over anything.  My one lilac bush was destroyed as well.  But fall is here and needles are covering the ground and leaves are falling.  I am keeping my eye on my neighbors maple tree--it hasn't started to turn yet but I will definitely want to gather some leaves again.

Wednesday, October 03, 2012

Meaning of a Single Rose!


My Only Rose this Summer is in Full Bloom...
I think I have mentioned before that Richard had always given me a single red rose.  It started on our first date!!   Here is what it means, supposedly...

by: Groshan Fabiola 


Many feelings can be expressed by flowers, and this non-verbal language is very popular nowadays. Each one of us has sent at least one message to someone with the help of a flower. Sometimes whole conversations between two lovers are spoken through flowers.

The most meaningful flower of all is considered to be the red rose. A single red rose is now usually used to send a message of love. There are also many messages that can be sent through single roses, like :
  • A single white rose is used by someone that wants to say 'I'm sorry' to his/her significant other. It also has some other meanings. Since medieval times, white roses are considered to be a symbol of light, purity and innocence. So sending a single white rose may also mean that you consider that person to be pure, or that your love is very pure.
  • A single yellow rose expresses happiness and love. Sending a single yellow rose to your other half means that you are happy with your love and relationship. But be careful because single yellow roses have two meanings! They can also express jealousy, so sending someone one can mean that you are jealous. The best thing to do is to attach a note to the rose, explaining exactly what you mean.
  • A single peach rose is used to send a message of friendship to a best friend or even to a lover.
  • A single purple rose expresses beauty. So if you want to tell someone he/she is beautiful send him/her a single purple rose.
  • A single pink rose is an elegant way of thanking someone because this is what pink roses transmit: gratitude.
  • Finally, a single black rose says 'it is over'. This is a way of ending a relationship - sending a single black rose together with a note.

But, as mentioned before, the single red rose is considered to be the most beautiful and romantic. Even from the ancient roman times, lovers give each other red roses. In those times, roses were the symbol of the Roman goddess Venus, the goddess of love, so ever since then a single red rose clearly states 'I love you'.

Also the red rose petals are used to symbolize love, and to create a romantic atmosphere. They can be left to float in the bath tub, or simply spread throughout the house or near the fireplace. If your lover is away, you can add some rose petals to your letters.

Red roses have been a continuous source of inspiration for artists everywhere and thousands of paintings and poems have been written inspired by roses or by a single red rose. It has been said that a single red rose speaks volumes, so choose the finest rose and send it to someone you love now

Tuesday, October 02, 2012

Good Things

I must say I am glad Meagan is posting pix and news about Keira.  I wish all the family would do that, it is a great way to be part of "good things" in everybody's life.

The last couple days I have recorded and watched Hallmark movies.  I really enjoy those sweet nostalgic feel good movies, always have a nice cry or good memories of similar "good things" in my life.  So much better than so much of the stuff on TV nowadays! 

After laying low for a couple of days I wore my back brace and finally got some work done around the house...not such a "good thing" but necessary.

Michael made fajitas for supper, that was a "good thing".  I have no interest in cooking at all anymore.  I look at all those recipes in my Family Cook Book and nothing interests me.  So it is a "good thing" Michael is interested in the food.


Have come across some new pictures I haven't scanned yet.  This is a cute one I think.  I believe we were at the airport seeing Gary off on his mission.  I am not positive, but it looks like a "good thing" was happening.

Monday, October 01, 2012

"Tis the last rose of Summer,
Left blooming alone;" so saith Thomas Moore
so many years ago.
 
But actually it was the only rose of summer and it has taken over a month to bloom.
So what happened?
 
Could it be all the little pansies took all the sun and food needed by the rose?  Could it be because I was gone in May and didn't feed it soon enough?
 
I have no idea.  The lillies that were with the rose and pansies didn't bloom either.  Actually the pansies aren't pansies, they are more like weeds, and they have never grown this tall any place else. 
 
I am not much of a gardener...
 
We will see if it every really blossoms, we still have lots of sun but it is cold at night. 

John Hardy Memorial Hike 2015

My Life So Far