Winter Wonderland Extraordinaire

 

View from the back deck.

View to the left

View to the right.

Across the street.

Picnic anyone?

 

Birdhouses styled for Christmas.

 "I think that I shall never see, a thing as lovely as a tree..."

Notice those blue skies, it is sunny and over 40 degrees--beautiful in Lake Almanor.

A Thank You from Brynn

What a big smile from Brynn as she opens her Christmas present.  Thank you, Sarah, for sending.

Now This Is Snow Day!

Two hours later...you can't see how much snow is coming down.  Schools are closed and snowplows cannot keep the roads clean...says we may get 6 ft of snow.  Good thing I have new tires on my car and a lot of food in the house.  Hope no one gets snowed away for Christmas.  I better prepare for a power outage.



It is really coming down, snowing and blowing and the morning has just begun!

What I Want

So tomorrow my Reverse Mortgage closes and I will get some cash!!!  Of course, being the sensible person I am, I will not be spending much except for paying bills but...I decided I would satisfy a few wants.  And here is what they are...

New towels...one of the nicest memories of my Trafalgar trip to Scandinavia in the year 2000 was the fluffy white towels hanging on rods filled with warm water.  Towels can get so sad and droopy, so new towels are a must.

New white undies...ooh, they can get so dingy and dull, so definitely on the list.

New silky pajamas and robe...no one to buy for me anymore so must indulge myself.

New watch...why can I not keep a watch working and without a crack on the face very long I am not sure, but I have been without a watch for a long time now.  Time to invest...

New Vera Wang...I am down to last few scents, so I must replace.  I have many other colognes but I do love my Vera Wang.

More casual plates...so many of my everyday plates are chipped, time to throw them out and replace.

A new broom!!!...I love to sweep with a good broom my decks, my steps, my driveway.  Vida always used to sweep the front and back of my house, something I always neglected, now I like to do the same thing.

Teeth cleaned...oh my, I am ashamed I have thrown those reminders away for so long now, I cannot put it off any longer.

Well, except for bills and a few last Christmas things, that is my short list.  I am sure I can think of something else though...that is if there is any left after I pay bills and put some savings away.

Time for my bubble bath.  I do spoil myself these days, loved my long nap today.  That is one of the nicest things about being retired, being able to crash whenever the need arises.  I can remember in 2001 when we were working such long hours in Texas and and I laid my head on my desk for just a minute it seemed...my boss came and whispered in my ear.  "Janet, if you need a rest, you need to leave the area"...now, no bosses, nobody needing me, I can just nap whenever I want...good there are some perks with old age.

Special Moments This Month

...Happy remembrances of Bandido
...Beautiful messages about Bandido
...Listening to Andrea Bocelli singing the Lord's Prayer
...Keira in her swishy red dress and white coat
...Watching the video on Bandido and Keira walking
...Holly hugging me and saying 'Thank You'
...Singing Carols with the Branch
...Getting two compliments while shopping, 'Beautiful hair' and 'Smell wonderful'
...Driving through the snow covered pines
...Enjoying delicious dinner at the Church
...The red sunset on the way home from Susanville
...Jane's Lesson from Mormon, Chapter 8
...Listening to 'Wish Upon a Star' by Rod Stewart
...Michael being ready for Bandido and I
...Feeling energetic and contented
...Long phone calls with friends and family
...Memories of Glendive shared with Myrna
...Memories of past Christmas's with Richard, John and other children and family
...Memory of toddler running to me and asking if I was Mrs. Santa Claus
...Homemade 'perfect' caramel suckers
...Hot cocoa and marshmallow
...Bubble baths by candlelight while listening to favorite music
...Being snuggly warm in AM under Chico sweatshirt from Melissa



...

Wow, Clean Up Going Great

I am so proud of myself that I worked all day.  I had to keep stopping and resting but I usually have to quit after a half day of physical labor any more.  This is good.  Mike thinks we should leave the deck open and put the grill there.  That is an idea if we could finish it nicely.

We now have six piles of cedar boughs that I hope we can get into the back of the Subaru in one trip (on a plastic sheet, of course).  If not, it will have to be two.  Mike will help me with that on Friday.  If we only had a truck...
 
We have more kindling to chop that I have ever had.
And Ron said he would bring his chain saw and cut up the long piece that is left when he comes back from So. Calif.

Oh, yes, I also collected 10 bags of droppings from the storm and that is only around the house.  The whole back 40 hasn't been touched.  Joys of living in the pines.  My new way of getting rid of those bags is one bag with each garbage pickup.  That means we will always have bags to put out because we collect more than we get rid of...

But I HAD THE ENERGY AND STRENGTH TO DO IT.  THAT IS MAJOR.  Mike had separated all the boughs from the main tree and then I separated the kindling from the throw away boughs.  Too bad no one wants them for Christmas.  Wish I knew someone who wanted the Cedar for carving.  Beautiful wood.

I need to get one of those blow gadgets--it is not easy sweeping the little needles off the driveway after a storm.

Fond Memories from College

Some of my fondest memories from college:

Christy and Allen Hall, sunning on the deck, going to the dances, endless talking and laughing, the wonderful food, peanut butter and bread and canned peaches hidden in our drawers, playing "Perfidia" on the piano as I remembered my boyfriend. Going to Idaho with Del and Doyle and Christy and two others, such a fun weekend at their farms and the Stake dance. Going to the Genealogy Building on the bus on Thursday nights and copying all the information I could find, Erica giving me the treasured Record Book to take care of and telling me that was my mission. Actually singing and dancing in a musical. Sunday Church in the Joseph Smith Building, such a large group of us, testimony meeting was amazing. "Jim" from Idaho and the blind date for the dance--he made me laugh, such a sweet, humble, poor guy who didn't have a decent shirt to wear. For the rest of the quarter he would run to catch up with me every day as we went to lower campus and then he was gone from my life and I never knew what happened to him. So poor he had to quit? mission? Total mystery but one of those unforgettable people you meet once in awhile. The football games, basketball games, and the Tuesday Devotionals, I loved them, mostly the apostles came to speak to us. Being able to meet Pres McKay when he came to visit...my freshman year was so full.

Next fall I lived in a house off campus and I didn't like it as well as living in the dorms and it was further to walk. I had to get insets to wear because my arches were breaking down in those flats we wore. But I enjoyed going to the Genealogical Building and my Genealogy Class, big highlight with Archibald Bennett as our teacher. My coat with the fur collar, being pulled on a sled in the snow by a car--the boys from Wyoming who lived across the street. At Christmas I stayed home to help my Dad and then I came back in the spring.

The summer was to be so fun living in Campus Dorm with Ellie, working at the Dairy Freez, picking apples from the BYU Orchard at midnight, gathering around the piano and Janie entertained us and working at the switchboard. The guys would all stop and talk because I was sitting there all alone at night with not many calls to tend to, and I was knitting argyle sox and I was asked on so many dates I couldn't go on because I was working at night either at the Freez or the Switchboard. Unbelievable. In the fall I worked as a proctor in the daytime for the new freshman taking tests and I met Ivan, he was the football player from Tempe, another great guy, we dated all quarter, not sure what happened. That fall I was living in the new Heritage Halls...

Marta and......what did I intend to write here???

Memories of Skiing

Today is a beautiful sunny day that is perfect for cleanup after the recent storms.  As I work for an hour and then have to rest for a half hour or more I am reminded of our skiing days because Richard could only ski for a run or two and then he would have to resst.

We started skiing when Jimmy was about 9 and Richard and I had at least a dozen or so years before we quit and just watched.  I loved those trips where we would all be crammed together for the holidays and Christmas was always a simple affair.

The first trip to Mammoth was a riot.  We had left our rented boots in the car and they were icy cold and stiff.  We could hardly get them on.  Was this fun?  A little painful at first but we learned.  The next year we bought the time shares at Park City and that became our Christmas for many years.

I remember one Christmas Eve we put the turkey in before we left for the slopes and picked up a scrawny tree on the way back to the lodge and the guys took down a door so their was room to sit around the coffee table and have lots of room for everyone.  We were skiing with Martin's family that year.  Those were good times.   This is a picture with Martin's family and Brian and Norma taken at Snowbird.

But Richard would always ski a run or two and then he would have to rest in the snack area at the base of the mountain.  Everyone liked to take a turn resting with him because it meant hot chocolate or nachos or some other treat.  The novice skiiers always had a good skiing partner in Richard.  He was patient and would take the time to help them and encourage them. 

Not like John who talked me into going on a very difficult slope with him.  I skiied to the side, took off my skiis and walked down the hill.  Or the time the children encouraged me to follow them and waited at the bottom of the hill to see how I would do on the jump at the end.  And, of course, the time that someone I was with (Linda?) was very embarrassed when I forgot to get off at the top and they had to stop the ski chairs and help me down.

Lots of good memories from those ski trips.  I am glad we shared that time together as a family.

When You Wish Upon A Star

I never realized what a beautiful song "When You Wish Upon a Star" was until Rod Stewart put it in his Christmas album this year.

 It is the song Jiminy Cricket sings in "Pinocchio".  I also found a darling video version by Linda Ronstadt that she made for a friend who had a new baby--she was giving her lullabies.

Disney include it in their album called "Disney's Greatest Love Songs" and I found the first verse which most versions do not include.

When a star is born
They possess a gift or two
One of them is this
They have the power to make a wish come true

When you wish upon a star
Makes no difference who you are
Anything your heart desires will come to you

If your heart is in your dream
No request is too extreme
When you wish upon a star
As dreamers do

Fate is kind
She brings to those who love
The sweet fulfillment of their secret longing 

Like a bolt out of the blue

Fate steps in and sees you through

When you wish upon a star your dreams come through.

Anyway love it sung as a Christmas song--thanks Rod Stewart.

Great Expectations

Recently I watched the movie "Great Expectations" and have been thinking about expectations and the problems that can come from our expectations.

With my music and imagination I live alot of my expectations in my mind.   I have learned over the years not to have expectations of people because they never do or say what you have high expectations for...but in my daydreams is a life rich with my expectations being met.

Some say we can't accomplish anything good without high expectations but others say to have expectations is to always be disappointed but I liked this from "Anne of Green Gables."  (which actually is great reading for adults),  I read of lot of the series last year but anyway the quote:

"Oh, Marilla, looking forward to things is half the pleasure of them." exclaimed Anne. "You mayn't get the things themselves; but nothing can prevent you from having the fun of looking forward to them.  Mrs. Lynde says, 'Blessed are they who expect nothing for they shall not be disappointed.'

But I think it would be worse to expect nothing than to be disappointed."

I remember when my  college roommate Colleen and I planned a trip over a break to go to one of the shows in Los Angeles--can't remember now what it was but it all fell through and Colleen was devastated but I told her I had already lived it in my mind so I didn't mind so much.  

I also liked this one-- "It is probably unfair to expect the world at large, or even most people, to see us for all we are.  It is essential, however, that we see ourselves for all we are."   by Victoria Moran "Younger by the Day

 

Oh Christmas Tree, 2012

I haven't had a Christmas tree for a long time and this is a really strange one.  One of the top branches of a tree fell off in the recent storm and it is so perfect I figured out how to make it in to a little tree.  I have so many decorations on it though you can't see it!!!  Mike wants lots of little presents under it...

Kathy Hardy turns 80!

Such a beautiful picture of Kathy and Martin (Richard's brother) with their children Mark, Susan, Anne, Lauren and Jim.

Santa Woes

Keira had the exact same reaction to Santa as Linda did in 1963--it actually seems like a very sensible reaction at that age when you think about it.

  

 

Bandido

Early in November 1996 Richard and I were on a drive in Rancho Bernardo when we were attracted by a "Puppies for Sale" sign.  We watched the puppies for awhile and were especially attracted by a little Lhasa Apso/Maltese puppy who had a band of color across his eyes.  I began to call him "Bandit".  I wanted to get him but he cost so much!  We were in severe financial straits but Richard agreed we should get him.  It was very strange our wanting a puppy--completely out of character and unplanned.

One evening as Richard lay on the couch and I was sitting in my rocker with Bandido on my lap, Richard began to talk about our "Golden Anniversary" in 2009 and the fact that Bandido would be 13 years old then!

Three weeks later on a trip to Susanville Richard passed away and Bandido became my only companion for the next 16 years.  Richard had renamed "Bandit--Bandido", the Spanish version of the word Bandit.  Richard loved working with the Spanish people and wanted to go on another mission someday to the Spanish people.

One day when working in the San Diego Temple months later, I asked the Spanish lady working with me how I should be spelling "Bandido".  She explained that Bandido spelled with a d meant Bandit and Bandito spelled with a T meant Blesssed. 

So over the years he has been Bandit (the rascal) or Blessed depending how anyone would spell his name and how he was acting.  In the  picture above we are living in the apartment in James's Pacific Beach home.  He was always so adoring and adorable.

Later after moving to our Lake Almanor home he would wear a moutain kerchief or a raincoat on a cool day.  I called our mountain home "The Great Escape" relating to Bandido and my escaping from the city to the mountains.

Over the years Bandido has been a very faithful and loving companion.  When I worked in Disaster for several years he would stay with my daughter or son or my sister.  He had many who loved him and he them.  One time when I picked him up from my sister he was very confused as to his loyalty.  She treated him so well.

I loved this wise look.  He always seemed to know when I needed comforting and he would always let me know exactly what he wanted, too.

Bandido, a wonderful dog, companion and friend for over 16 years.  We love you, Bandido, Farewell and I hope you are reunited with Richard.

Bandido

Always Loved
1996-2012

Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.
When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge.  

There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together.
There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.
All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor; those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by.

The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.
They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent; his eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together

in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands 

again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so 

long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together....

Bandido 1996-2012

 

Many Faces of Bandido

 

Bandido and Some Friends Over the Years

Kelsi built a bond with Bandido when she was just a baby.

Jimmy cuddles Bandido, too.  He had lots of loving.

The boys wanted to carry him in their back pack.  Which is what I did sometimes when he got tired in his old age.  He also rode in my basket around Mission Bay and Beach.  I wish I had a picture of that.  He was under 2 then.

 

Mitch had the soft touch.

Sarah and her friends so wanted to be able to take Bandido on a walk.  He didn't want to move unless I was walking with him, too.  He could be very stubborn.

Baja Beige is what his groomer in Pacific Beach called him.  He really got dirty on this hike with Marjorie and I.

He had one great trip to the cabin in Silver Gate!

 

He liked walking on the beach, but did not want to go near the water.  Same with the lake.  Marjorie's dog would just jump in--not Bandido.

Kelsi gave Bandido lots of love.

Here with Melissa a few years ago--
they both have the curly hair. 

Better days, he looked so handsome.

 

He spent lots of time with the Valko family.

Keira's first time sitting in a dog cage I am sure.  She is not quite certain what his reaction will be.  But he was mellow.

I wish I had a picture of my sister Jeanne with Bandido, she cared for him very well on some of my SBA trips, as did Camber, James, Mike, Linda and Maria--wish I had more pix of him with his friends.

Christmas Card 2012

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Lake Almanor.

Life continues to be rich and good in my 80^th year.  And I wish the same for you- a long life of health and happiness with a few woes sprinkled in, too.

 Who belongs to who in the picture?

 4 children, 15 grandchildren and 4 great grandchildren as follows:

John’s daughter  

     Meagan married to Matt

         Keira

Linda married to Gary

      Kristi married to Mike

          Kate, Ryan Brynn

      Kelly married to Matt

      Craig, Amy, Tanner, Sarah

Maria married to Johnny

       Mike, Matt, Melissa, Mitch

James married to Camber

        Jacob, Lea, Jimmy, Kelsi

First Storm of Winter

It is not daylight yet so I cannot assess any other damage but Michael woke me at 11:21 PM to show me this.  I thought I had heard noise in the garage so I thought Michael had been out and just come home but we couldn't see any damage in the garage and he looked all around.  Probably just some branch on the roof.

The cedar tree next to the deck has always been a threat but I hate to get rid of it, in spite of the messes it causes.  I guess trouble really does come in threes, first the Shingles for me, then Bandido's death sentence and now this.  Glad Michael is here to help but looks like we need a chain saw and who is going to put the deck back together?  Woe is me.

After looking at all this in the daylight it may have come from the top of a cedar tree on the other side of the house, actually belongs to my neighbor.  It is a smaller cedar but the top could have been the culprit in my yard.

 

In Memory

In 1978, prior to the terrible 80's, happier times.  Richard passed on November 27 at 2:20 AM and I have missed him so much and I am so sorry he missed knowing his grandchildren and great grandchildren.  He would have been very bored in Lake Almanor though, not his style.

Today I stocked up prior to the storms we are supposed to be getting.  I treated myself to the Pumpkin Shake I have loved ever since discovering them in Galveston after Hurricane Rita  and Katrina--will ever remind me of that lovely place or what was a lovely place.

I was so exhausted when I returned I didn't even put the groceries away and immediately fell to sleep.  When Maria called at 5:30 I had just awaken and thought it was 5:30 in the morning and wondered why on earth she was calling so early.

I believe that Mitch is right and what I thought were spider bites and  aches and pains from being on my feet so much over the holiday is Shingles...Yikes, I wonder how long this will go on, I have read from 2 to 4 weeks!!!!  Better get back to sleep with my heating pad.  Somehow it is a comfort.