Christmas like weather

At first the title was going to read Weather like Christmas.  Hmmm, whether to like Christmas or not.  That opens a whole lot of positives and negatives so decided on the safe, "Christmas like weather." 
The first Christmas spent in Arizona was weird; weather wise and many other whys.  Oh, the confusion of the English language. Anyway, I'm in shorts and a tank top and Arizonians are bundled up nothing short of the Pacific Northwest.  Why?  How can that be?  The sun is shining and it is 70 degrees.  Come on, folks.  Let's go tree shopping.  Tradition points to a Douglas Fir so we, my son, daughter-in-law and two grands, hit some of the corner tree markets.  No doubt these trees were cut a month ago and if they last a week without dropping all their needles it would truly be a Christmas miracle.  Checking the price tags caused my son who is 6' 3" to suddenly grow another inch as his hair stood on end.  My hand immediately slid to my purse to protect it from impulse buying.  I really was ready to shell out $80.00 but was out voted.  Fry's supermarket was having a special on imitation Fica trees and, with a few lights brought from Washington, Christmas was officially dubbed Arizona.  This was a lesson in Christmas love not decorations.  The 5 of us had one of the best Christmas I can remember.  Lots of love and laughs. 

Life moves with the speed of light

How could 7 days have passed so quickly since I last blogged.  Youth seems to be fading slowly but my ability to acquire wisdom is fading rapidly.  There has to be some very deep psychology in that sentence.  Today is my grandson, Taylor's 13th birthday.  He is a sweet boy and I love him dearly.  He is one of the reasons I want to live to be 90.  In 20 more years he will come to me as he did when he was 8 and want to play.  It's that youth thing again.  My mom was taken for granted by me because of her unconditional love.  Even now I know I did not give her the recognition she so deserved for being the best mom ever.  Side note for me to remember:  God is all and more of my mom.  How often do I give Him the credit He deserves.  May I begin today.
Back again so soon, it is only the 13th of November, my daughter's 42nd birthday.  How well I remember that time of my life running hither and yon keeping up with two boys, a girl and the pastor of a church.  Trying to be everything to everyone and selfishly taking credit.  If someone, including my daughter, who are in their 40's and trying to understand their role in life, let me just say, "Please take each day one at a time and don't get overly excited about things you can't control."  Do the best you can raising your kids but don't go into overdrive blaming yourself if some things don't go according to plan.  It will work out.  God is there all day everyday in control.  He only asks that we do our best.  Do we not tell our own children the very same thing?

Shot in the Gludius Maximus

Not directly into that area but I sure could feel it.  This is the first time that one of these epidurals hurt me.  I've had several over the course of 10 years.  They do help.  As I get older and the pain more severe, they are not as effective.  This one was more for my foot than my back.  I have been having pain in the bottom of my right foot.  After my shot on October 9, the pain is mostly gone but the numbness is still with me.  Maybe this one will help the numbness.  Medicare will only pay every 12 months for the vicets (sp) in my discs so the left side of my back will have to wait until next year.  Not sure what to do about golf.  My better judgement tells me to give it up.  It's one of those age things again.  I want to be young and healthy but have to be satisfied with old and wise.
Walked out into the backyard this morning to enjoy the cool weather and found mushy gravel over about a third of the area.  Called the landscaper and came home to 2 holes dug in the backyard and 1 in the front.  Ken is a great guy but as forgetful and a confronted unfaithful husband. If he doesn't come back tonight as he promised (it's 5:00 now) I will be on the phone in the morning.  Lots of us who have been in these homes since they were constructed in 2005 are having trouble with drip system leaks.  May have to have the all the lines replaced. 
Well, it is the 2nd of November and I didn't call Ken this morning.  I will give him the benefit of the doubt since the holes he dug are not really dried out enough for him to work on.  If he hasn't contacted me by Monday, maybe it is time to look for another landscaper. 
Been doing some cleaning today also and may have to hire a cleaning service to give the house a totally good cleaning.  There is just too much.  Windows, shades, mopboards and cupboards all need deep cleaning.  I could do a little at a time but that is frustrating because it seems it is never done.  By the time I finish it is time to start over.  Alice has a woman living with her now that does housecleaning and needs the money.
This has been a crazy day but I've also accomplished a lot.  Now my dilema at 3:00pm is, do I put on makeup to go to the store.  I only want a few things so won't be spending a whole lot of time there.  Rarely do I see someone I know and that shouldn't be a factor anyway.  Okay, I talked myself right out of putting on makeup. 

Bringing Life up to date

Nearly the end of another year.  Because I am neglectful in keeping this blog, it is hard to remember the events that have occurred to bring it up to date.  Today a friend, using Logitech, talked with me about computers and I mentioned that I have written a blog.  She was interested and asked how to access it.  I told her and now I'm embarrassed because I haven't written for so long. 
So many good things happened this year it seems a shame to not record those that I can remember.  (Did you catch that, the remembering part)  Age seems to have a way of clearing the mind whether I want it cleared or not.
My 70th birthday celebration was definitely a highlight.  Kristi Newman planned and provided their home.  She only asked me to make up the invite list.  Kristi is my ray of sunshine here in Arizona, not that we need more sunshine, but when my skies are gray, she makes me happy.  There were pictures of me on the door, streamers and chalk messages from the kids all over the driveway.  My brother Jerry, his wife, Bobby and my deceased brother's wife Lisha were here visiting from Montana which made the party that much more special.  Alice, Deanna, Deric, Kelly and Kathy from SunLakes, Karen, Aubrey, Miles and Debbie from Auwatukee, Perry and Barbara, Aline and Clint and Kelly from Maricopa plus the Newman clan.  Wishing my children could have been there but work schedules and plane tickets prevented that but the gift of a super first class bicycle somewhat made up for it.
My daughter, Michelle called the dealer and made all the financial arrangements.  She is such a super kid; told me to just pick out whatever I wanted including assessories and she and her brothers would take care of it. 
I ride my bike a lot and have only fallen off twice.  The first time on my head but the second was just a little bump.  Have Kristi to thank for helping me pick out the bike and transporting it home.

Okay!!  I can't seem to navigate this blog as well as I use to.  It has taken me 10 minutes to find the right button allowing me to edit or add to this.
Had an interesting thought this morning as I read in the newspaper.  Gas prices are dropping.  Article also commented that prices will continue to drop during the winter months.  Alright, back to my interesting thought.  Living on the farm about 54 years ago had very distinct advantages for a sneaky teenager.  We had a 100 gallon gas tank that dad kept for refueling farm equipment and cars.  If my friends and I were a bit short of money, we'd steal gas from the tank.  We thought we were pretty clever but thinking back, dad probably knew exactly when thieves were pilfering from him. 
Wouldn't it be great if we all had one of those tanks so when gas prices drop we fill it up and avoid the rise in price later on.  As I scan what I just wrote, I can see lots of holes in the plan but it brought back some fun memories. 

Golfed 9 holes today with a lady's group.  Paid for 18 but my back couldn't take it after 9.  The Duke doesn't have 9 hole rates so had to forfiet my green fees.  Doesn't seem fair but, as I've been told many times before, life isn't fair.  It was a beautiful morning and I played better than I did a couple weeks ago.  More injections on Thursday so maybe I'll be back on the course playing 18 and recording a good score. 

My Story

Once upon a time because all good stories start with "Once Upon A Time".  On a warm summer evening on a road bound for no...oops, think that story has already been told.  How about, on a warm Autumn afternoon on a Montana gravel road, a bike coming from school held a frightened little girl.  Dressed in a pink and white shirt collar dress and light brown hair in pigtails, she stopped at the 1950's version of a mailbox and frantically looked for the red truck with the beet box.  If the truck was not in the yard, she could be pretty sure that dad was in town and would come home drunk.  It is difficult to separate what the Koch place looked like when I was 7 versus how I remember it as a teenager.
Out front along the road were plantings of Russian Olive trees.  There was a leantoo chicken house and a red A-frame pighouse.  The barn was pretty shabby and the corral sat in a kind of swamp.  Everytime it rained there would be nothing but mud for the cows to clump around in.  I always felt sorry for them because they were so muddy and looked so cold in winter.  When it was milking time they would climb up out of the mud to the barn.  I was always happy when it was summer and dry.
Getting back to dad, I really really hated him.  He would come home drunk and complain about what mom had done or not done.  Mom's parents, particularly her mother, was a constant subject he thrived on because it was the one thing that would make mom cry eventually.  When she began to cry, he would stop, stomp out the door coughing, and get lost in the wheat field.  Mom would always go to look for him.  If I had had a gun, I would have shot him. 
This might give all you kids some direction in parenting.  Love and kindness, compassion and empathy produces joy and harmony and kids who love and appreciate both parents.  What I grew up with produced a very complicated and confused child, girl, woman. 
And now for the rest of the story. 
Many years have past, dad died in 1982 on March 11 mom's birthday.  Before he died, I had started a relationship with God/Jesus and, through prayer, God provided an opportunity for me to sit down with dad.  I told him how I had always felt about him but, now that I am older, told him I understood much better why.  We didn't go into those things because I'm not a councilor and didn't really know how to address it.  I did tell him I forgave and hoped that he forgave me and my bad behavior while growing up.  He didn't say anything and I probably walked away too soon thus not giving him a chance.  Mom told me that he accepted jesus on his deathbed.  I'm looking forward to being with him again where only love will abound.

Just another rainy day

Actually it has not been all that rainy since I arrived.  In fact, Sunday was a very beautiful sunshine day. I got here via Southwest on the 16th.  Michelle, Rob, Alexis and Keegan drove from Richland on the 18th.  It was a good weekend.  Always nice to spend time with my family.  Isn't is interesting how life changes over the years.  I'm definitely not in charge.  So difficult for a person like me who likes control.  That characteristic of mine is not my most charming feature and has probably costs me more emotional distress than any.  Why am I talking about this?  Don't I have better things to say to occupy this space?  This is making me anxious, think I will escape again into another book of fiction.

Sweet 16

Ashley Nicole will be 16 tomorrow.  With Smart phone, Ipad, Ipods and whatever other numerous technology is available to her, what else does she need that she doesn't have.  In the way of material items, there probably isn't anything that is NEEDED; wanted perhaps but not needed.  Emotionally I pray that she knows how much she is loved by God.  Brian and Angel and Taylor (even though he may not display it) love her more than life itself.  Brian jumping in front of a car, pushing Ashley to safety, would be a natural instinct for him.
Ashley, as you grow older, experience after experience is going to follow you.  There is a heavenly Father who is not always going to push you out of the way of an oncoming car (figure of speech here) Our trials and tribulations help us on our path to salvation.  Always turn to God in those times when you feel lost and alone and trust Him.  He knows those tough times and is anxious to help.  There will also be times of joy and happiness shared with the people who love you.  In those times give thanks to your heavenly Father for the blessing.
Ashley, I love you more than words can ever say.  I am blessed that God saw fit to make me your gramoo.  I am so proud of you.