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More grass wouldn't stay green soooooo you know what happens to ungreen grass in our yard. We call for the greeners. Rick where are you?
Anyway, yes we have more soil, (not new soil but the same old clayish soil moved around in heaps and valleys) more rocks, more perennials and more bulbs. They are all in the ground now covered up with some nice warm soil and maybe soon some nice cozy snow. Daddy boy splurged on a new to us tiller. It is faded red, 5 HP, front tiller parts and only cost 150 dollars on KSL. com. Now he can cross off one more thing on our want list. The other things on his list on the fridge are: shed, sofa, freezer and a new bedroom. You can add blinds on the list for me. He is funny-he asks me if he can spend 150 and I do that without thinking on little things I want. Guess I better get back to work, patient care you know. We are just right busy now but it is raining outside so I'm expecting a bunch of moms with their water broken to come in.

Leisure Time

Ah what a good idea. I'll join right in and write a random sampler also, probably not regularly though. Today I dug out the naughty little invasive plant that I paid money for a couple of years ago. Plant are like toys-you need to heed the instructions. If it says the toy is for a 4 year old its true. If a plant has a little hint that it may be invasive it means you are paying good money for a weed that you will be cussing in a few years. I dug the one out by the back faucet and the one in the front by the cut off fir tree. It makes me feel good and I don't know why I didn't dig it out along time ago except for the fact that I paid money for the plant. We are also continually pulling out a plant that I bought for the pond. It grew quite nicely in the pond and had zillions of tiny seed pods that also grew everywhere. It perhaps could be on the same scale as morning glory in the noxious weed catagory. Well that was my random sampler for today, of course I did go to a couple nurseries. I did have to fill in the spaces where I took the other plants out and of course I found several great plants. One is a yellow coneflower and another is a small rock garden type plant that smells like camphor. I love it, I have had it before but killed it. I planted it in a better place this time.
Those silly chickens are still not laying very many eggs and I found one of the chicks in the tomatoes eating away. We also found broken egg shells around the yard. What are you supposed to do with a dog that eats the chicken eggs and chickens that eat the tomatoes?

GOODBYE

The Oscar and Poppy left a few days ago. I was over at the neighbors watering their plants. There on the deck were some little flip flops, evidence that only shortly before I could play and listen to that little boy Oscar. He had gone home with his family but his little shoes had been left behind only to remind me that he wasn't there anymore. Down stairs I put away the old homemade dogs. I threw the yellow one in the fruit room only to notice little holes that had been made so many years ago by a little girl who loved to pluck the hair off the dog and rub it on her face. She is all grown up and gone now. I went into the hall bathroom and there on the floor in front of the tub were little tub toys. Men and trucks, washcloths and castile soap, thrown out of the tub and replaced on the tub edge by razors and shaving lotion. The swimmer types in the family must shave to look presentable. One day soon they too will be gone. Life moves on wings of eagles enjoy every minute of the ride.

Mid Life Crisis?

A strange thing happened on my way to work yesterday. It was 100 degrees and a tail wind when I came to the trax arms being down on vine street. I heard a rumbling coming behind me and when I looked back 7 hells angels were approaching on Harleys. Bandanas and hair mixed with baldness swirlling in the wind. The trax arms raised, the angels looked behind them and then with a thunder took off. As I was pedaling down the middle of my lane,since I was going to make a left at the light, a huge thundering was coming from behind. I could feel the earth shaking and a deafing roar. Then there were
angels on the right, angels on the left, there I was, stuck in the middle with eddy, yes I was stuck in the middle with eddy. Hundreds of angels with their Harleys passing me, in front of me, behind me. I don't know which moment it happened but my hand went up, unsnapped my helmet threw it to the wind. I started pedaling fast and hard and made vrooming sounds with my mouth. For a few minutes I was free-I was a Harley Moma!

LOST

You know whats one of the more aggravating things about obtaining maturity? Missplaced items and memory lapses. You probably know one of my favorite things to nibble on is Lindt bittersweet chocolate in the white wrapper. I sneakily break a piece off to let it melt in my mouth. However sometimes the broken piece is a bit too big. The wonderful thing about it is letting just then right amount melt and linger in your mouth and trickle down your throat. So sometimes when I get too big of a piece I brake it and set the other piece on the counter to eat later. The big problem is that darn granite countertop! Lots of times it hides my piece of chocolate and I can't find it. It makes me feel a bit silly. Sometimes though I get the wonderful surprise when I wipe off the counter, of finding the lost pieces of chocolate. Then I get to put it in my mouth and....well, its very good.

March of the Elephants

The true sign of the upcoming summer surrounded my whole self today like a nice warm fat homemade quilt. I was way out in left field standing there acting like I was playing softball with the YW, YM when the sun started to sink. That's my time of day when the shadows are long and there comes a light, especially when there are some clouds in the sky. There comes a light that always lifts my spirit and whispers of things that are true and real. Then a light breeze passed my senses and I looked around to see the unseen elephants. There must have been many of them because their smell was strong and distinct. I pulled in lots of air so I could smell there coming. They only pass our way for a short time when the seasons change, when the earth comes to life. Yes its spring time in the desert when the Russian Olives dawn their gowns for the big ball.

The Answer

A 54 year old guy could walk 54 miles a day.

A 3 month old couldn't walk at all

to Ricky M. A W.O.W.

I was reading this book called "Hard Won Wisdom". The author interviewed quite old people about things they had learned in life. This one sounded like something you would write. I hope it isn't a copywrite violation since I am writing to a lawyer. It is written by Lawrence Cantwell and is titled "Eat Wisely and Relax!" He said-I think my age, ninety-six, comes from my Irish genes. And I also think foods you eat stay with you for a long time. I believe the foods I ate as a youth are still with me, even the wild things I ate in the mountains. I've never tasted chicken or poultry. I eat hardly anymeat. I don't like seeing loads of cattle being killed for man to consume. As far as keeping my mind alert, I believe sometimes you need to trun yourself loose and go roam, and sometimes that means getting away form people. Go to the mountains. Be alone once in a while. Ponder. Stress today is killing people.

Just lost 100 pounds!

Wow do I ever feel great! 100 pounds or more are gone and I feel pretty light. The old body is moving much easier and I even feel like blogging a little and commenting on blogs. Yes, state is over. You find yourself telling your brain-its not that big of a deal, a day after it is over nobody even cares. Anyway there was no real close competition except for time. I won't have to be waking up and going to sleep with the incessent thoughts of "please help Nat to do her best and reach her goals and on and on, but whatever the outcome I know its for the best because she is watched after" And the very best part of state being over is that she did do her best with much help. Now on to life

ENTWINED

Couple days ago the afternoon was sunny with a brisk south wind. I thought I would finally take a little bike ride to get the bottom callouses worked in. Eddy was hooked up with the black on the same hook since neither had been used in some time. I unhooked Eddie's one wheel and as it dropped the handlebars became entwined with the blacks rear wheel. I tried many contortions but could not get the handle bars loose from the spokes. I became increasingly frustrated perhaps mad is the better word. I got the ladder and about tipped over trying to get the stupid bikes undone. I got both of them on the garage floor and started pulling and twisting and maneuvering and all the time getting madder. OK this is not going to work! This black is a piece of junk, its just a don er anyway so I went to the tool chest and right on top were the wire cutters. They cut through those spokes with the greatest of ease and Eddy was lose in no time. Big black is a piece of junk now.
On my little loop which I haven't done for a year or so there were so many changes. So many more houses so few fields. I did smell someone burning leaves. That brought back memories of when I was a kid you would rake up the leaves and burn them in the gutter. It took all day and at the end you had had fun and the smell and playing with the fire, well it was great.

Tonight or in the morning

Now and especially when the kids were younger I would always come to the choice about 10 pm. Should I stay up and clean the house so that I can go to bed knowing the house is somewhat in order and knowing I don't have to do it in the morning. Or should I go to bed now and get some nice sleep and tackle the house in the AM. I found through the years that either way it had to be done sometime.

the heater

Growing up I discovered the heater coming out of the wall. It was behind the chair in the front room. I would get a blanky and sit by the heater and get so warm it was lovely. The few years we lived in Burley there was only radiant heat. I tried to sit by it but it was certainly not the same as the warm air flowing into the blanky and around your body. We moved to South Jordan and I found the heater coming out of the floor. It didn't work quite as good as the wall heater but I could still sit on top of it or over to the side with a blanky and capture the really warm air. Then we got a new 3 stage furnace. The warm air was just not as warm. Nat and I read many a book sitting with a blanky over the heater in the dinning room. Then came the wood floors all over the upstairs. How uncomfortable is it to cozy up to the heater and have to sit on the hard wood floor? And so I have seized the only heater left. It is by the side of my bed. I take the metal grate off so all the heat possible can come out. I try to remember to put the grate back on each time. I can see old warrior innocently walking by the bed to get in and stepping unknowingly into the depths of the heating system. That wouldn't be too good.