Snowfall. . .North Of The Border

This is what my Canadian daughter woke up to this morning. That is some snowfall, eh?

SUNSHINE, SUNSHINE, OH GLORIOUS SUNSHINE!

Yes, yes, you read the title correctly. We have had sunshine for three, count'em 1,2,3 days in a row. Everybody in town has been out and about enjoying the lovely weather. Our weather girl is saying tomorrow morning will probably be the last of it so we better enjoy it. Heavenly Father has given us a peak at glory to get us through the gloomy days ahead. I, for one, surely do thank Him.

All the beans have been harvested in our area but there is still a lot of corn standing in the fields, along with the pumpkins. Many fields are still too mucky for the equipment to get in without bogging down. I'm uncertain why they don't hire men to come in and harvest the pumpkins at least by hand. Oh yes, expect to pay a tidy ransom for a can of pumpkin this year IF you can find any on the shelf. Signs of the times??

What are you doing for Thanksgiving.
Sweet Man and I will have no family for here so we will have a friend over and have a quiet dinner and probably a ride afterward.

A thought . . . .
Thursday when we sit down to dinner with whomever we're with, please let us remember those early pioneers who came here on ships across a vast ocean. What amazing people they were to pave the way for you and I to be here in this great country of ours. My father's people came to this land a long long time ago, I can hardly wait to meet them in the eternities so they can tell me about their great adventures upon landing in North America. I'm eternally grateful to those stalwart people who stayed the course and saw their dreams through. You and I could have had an entirely different life without their fortitude, their desire for something better and their commitment. Let us be thankful to our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ for all that we have, none of it would be possible without them.

Have a lovely day and a wonderful Thanksgiving wherever in the world you are.

Another Dreary Day

It's another gray day in the Heartland. How many of these can there be left? My spirits have been lifted however because the noon news assures me we're going to have sunshine come the weekend. Heavenly Father, please help me hold out till then....
I did the laundry yesterday and have ironing to do today but just don't want to do it. Ever feel that way? I'm kind of listless, don't know what to do, where to go, and can't make a major decision to save my life.
Sooooo, I decided it was okay to be listless, I didn't have to go anywhere and I didn't need to make any major decisions. Instead I put on my long fleece robe, warmed up a rice bag and picked out a series on DVD! I have a few so I just stuck my hand in the cupboard and out came Christy.
That's what I've been doing for the last two hours and I so enjoyed it.
Just before I started the series I started up a pot of chili and now it's ready to eat so I'm outta here for a warm bowl and a pile of buttered crackers.
Have a lovely day wherever in the world you are. Miss NanC

Hello World

Hello Family and Friends,
Just a quick note to let you all know that I haven't gone to that big blogging place in the sky.
Since my Canadian daughter left we have had nothing but gray skies and wet weather. DEPRESSING!
We've had sunshine for the last four days and it's been GRAND to say the least.
Saturday I blew leaves till I thought my arms would fall off. The city vac sucked them up on Monday morning and my yard is full again. I have two Maples and one Tulip tree in the front and they're still not empty of leaves. Our neighbor has a Silver Maple in front and it's always done de-leafing after the city vac guys stop picking up for the year, it's frustrating.
I don't like to burn if I can help it but you can only compost so many leaves. Ever seen the leaves from a Tulip tree? They're very large and it doesn't take much to fill the yard.
Anyway hope everyone who stops by to take a peek had a wonderful October. I have photos of the beautiful color but can 't figure how to get the photos where they need to be. (New PC, UGGGGH!)
I have chores to finish up so will just say have a lovely day wherever in the world you are. NanC

Number One Daughter Came And Number Two Came Too!

How cool is that? My Canadian daughter came for three weeks. One of my Arizona daughters came the following Friday and surprised me for a couple of days, we took her back to the airport on the following Monday. It was a short visit but we had F-U-N!
We drove, shoppppppped, photographed, looked at old homes, trees, gargoyles, etc, we ate, drove some more, ate some more, and shoppppped some more. We had a blast. I wish my other Arizona daughter could have come. A special thanks to CLSB for picking JETD up at the airport so she could surprise me.
My Canadian girl left for AZ this morning to stay there for a couple of days and then she'll head back North.
Thanks girls for coming I hope you had as good a time as I did. You will be sorely missed.
Sweet Man will be in tomorrow and I'm going on a short run with him to Wisconsin.
Have a lovely evening wherever in the world you are.

Number 1 Daughter Is Coming

YEE HAW, my first born daughter is coming for a visit on Friday. I can hardly wait. This is a photo of her and her 'boys'. Her hubby is the one with the long-sleeved white shirt and the farmer tan. He's a big kid just like his boys but a wonderful husband and dad. Lots of testosterone in that household.

Haven't got it all figured out what we will do but a temple trip for sure, the rest we'll play by ear.

Have a lovely day wherever in the world you are.

Beauty All Around

I caught this sunset last week while cruising through our little park. Ain't she a beaut!

When I see colors like this I get to thinking Heavenly Father must be a painter along with all His other many talents.

Books Books and More Books

My latest summer reads. I love children's books...
they're so uncomplicated and generally very happy and uplifting.

My favorite reads for the summer have been these two. Pink and Say is a tear jerker, which is unusual for a children's book but a great read. Pink's and his mama's dialogue should be read with a Georgia-Ebonic-accent.

The other one, Gator Gumbo, is just a fun fun book but beware the ending with small children.

Gator Gumbo must be read with a Cajun/Creole accent to really get the flavor of the story.

When I began reading these last two to Sweet Man on Sunday afternoon he says, "are you gonna read with an accent?" I says, "well of course I am, why?" "Just give it to me in plain English," says he. Uh huh, that's gonna happen thinks I. I read these last two with my accents and when I'm finished 'he' wants to know, "done already"?

I read the whole book The Secret Life of Bees to him with a Carolina accent and he loved it. He likes to fuss and ruffle his feathers cause he doesn't want me to know he has a soft side but I already got that man figured out....crusty outside with a marshmallow center. Lucky me!

If you get the chance give them a try if you're 5 or 95. They're good reads, the whole lot of them.

Have a lovely day wherever in the world you are.

Addiction. . . And Then Some

If you should see this game at your local Walmart or a gaming store RUN, I repeat RUN, RUN FAST in the opposite direction! My daughter Jan got me hooked, yes, as in addicted, to this little ditty. When I came home from Arizona I couldn't find it. I finally found it on E-Bay and Jan got it for me. Oh to the Wizards of Games I wished she hadn't of. But alas, my tale of woe began.
You see, there are several images like the one above and the object is to find all the objects listed along with 5 jewels. What you don't know until you accidentally click on one is there are hidden items, only one per image, in SOME of the images as well. When you click on one of these images up pops this. . .

Look closely because you only see this image when you haphazardly find one of the items. Make notes when it pops up so you can remember what you need to fill in the circles. You are the ULTIMATE MOUNTAINEER when you find all the items.

WARNING: This game is addicting and could cause you to lose sleep, lose weight, become bleery-eyed and grouchy. My dishes have been left unwashed, my bed unmade, my hair in the same pony tail I went to bed with, I'm still sitting in my bathrobe at 11 in the morning at the computer dazed and shaking.

Jan and I have spent great sums of time on the phone looking for an item and taking notes. What has happened to us?? Is there no salvation?

What? My Sweet Man says, "shut it off and walk away."

Yes yes, I know he's right but let me just find the white rabbit and then I'll I'll I'll turn it off.

I swear. . . . .

#2 And Counting

Our latest grandson to go off to university. He left for football camp in August. I spoke to him today for the first time since he left and he sounded tired. Classes don't start for him until next week. I can imagine how tired he'll be with fb practice, classes, homework, and games. I hope his mom sent vitamins with him.

Austin is very dedicated in whatever he chooses to do so I can see bright lights and shiny stars in his future.

And it doesn't hurt that's he's so stinkin' handsome either.

We're proud of you Aussie and all your accomplishments so far. Stay the course, remember who you are and honor your priesthood. Love you much Sweet Boy! Your Granma N

Reading...

How do you like to read? Sitting up, laying down, outside or in, at the table, on the sofa or curled up in a chair?
Do you like large print or regular, paperback or hardback? Do you read silently or outloud, with natural light or by lamp? Do you read with an accent or without, if you read with an accent do all the characters have a different voice or do all characters sound the same? Large tomes, medium or small. Which genre do you prefer? Do you save the last page for last or do you read it first?

These are my preferences...sitting up, laying down, outside and in, at the table on the sofa or curled up in a chair, large print, regular, paperback and hard, out loud, any light, with an accent (if it needs one), each character with their own voice. I especially like an Irish accent or one from the South and South of the Border is pretty fun. Large, medium and small bring it on, I like history, mystery, biography, fiction, non-fiction, scriptures, cereal boxes, cottage cheese containers, and liquid soap bottles. I always read the last page first, if I don't like it I don't read the book.
I guess you have figured me out...I love to read and will read just about anything. For the past few years I've been collecting books from my childhood and rereading them with great delight. A few of my favorites are Mr. Bear-Squash-You-All-Flat, The Churkendoose, The Pedlar of Colored Threads, The Boy Who Wanted To Be A Fish, and Granny's Birds. I love the illustrations, the colors are fabulous.
My philosophy is save a horse, read a book....
Have a lovely evening wherever in the world you are and read a couple of pages tonight before you go to sleep.

A Good Read

Have you read it...
Or watched it?
I don't remember when The Secret Life of Bees was published but it was several years ago. I read it when it was brand new. I reread it this past year and fell in love with it all over again. I hesitated to see the movie because most of the time the movie never lives up to the book. Well, I finally did watch it and loved all the characters. It does deviate from the book some but with time restraints it's understandable, that's why I sometimes will not ruin a good read by watching the screen version.
If you read it or watched it did you like it?

Brownies...The Rest Of The Story

I made brownies Friday morning. Dave ate nearly all of them but...he's funny, when there's only one left on the plate it goes to the garbage every time. This little guy apparently has never heard of the 10-second rule, he climbed in, retrieved it, and ATE IT!
He's a feisty little critter. He loves walnuts but he prefers YOU crack them, clean them and lay them out buffet style. Where do they learn these things? Is there a squirrel professor hanging out in the trees teaching this stuff or what?? And are you as amazed as I am how he sits on the rim of that trash can? Somedays I can barely stand on two high-arched-feet. Hmmm.

M-M-M Homemade Salsa

I love the way salsa looks all chopped up and colorful, don't you? It tasted even better than it looked too. Chips are store bought cuz I didn't have any corn tortillas. Now that would've been the ultimate with the salsa, eh?
A pepper from my garden. The cup is for comparison, I didn't grow it. Haha!
After I took the photo I put it on the stove and roasted it. The kitchen smelled soooo good.
We have a potluck tomorrow after church and I made beans and franks with cut up bacon, green pepper, & chopped onions. I cook the franks in a skillet to make them outdoorsy and then slice thin. To the beans I add a bit of brown sugar, maple syrup and a scoch of smoke-flavored BBQ sauce, put it altogether and voila....something good!
I guess I should have taken a photo of the beans but alas it is too late I took them over to church so I didn't have to carry them tomorrow with my bag which weighs a ton.
Have a good evening wherever in the world you are.

Corn and Soybeans As Far As The Eye Can See

Although our portion of the Heartland had a very wet spring and planting was LATE our state planted an estimated 12.3 million acres of corn and 77.5 million acres of soybeans. The soybeans are down but corn is up. These photos were taken from a semi as we were coming back from picking up Sweet Man's load at the yard so he will be ready to leave after church tomorrow. I wish I could have been standing on top of the load and y'all would've gotten a better photo. You can just see the golden top of the corn in the distance. Corn along side the road is so tall you can't see over it even in the truck. I don't think there's anything prettier than a soybean field. The color is such a rich green. Doesn't it look lush?

My Baby Girl is 36!

This is my all time favorite photo of Brandee. She looks like a little rag-a-muffin with that fly-a-way red hair. She is so darn cute with that sweet smile and little pug nose.

My water broke with Brandee about 11:45 p.m. Her dad had already left for work which was 59-60 miles away, my mother was there from the Heartland but didn't drive, so I called my mother-in-law Fern and she drove out to take me to the hospital. I called Norm Soto to come give me a blessing, he was so nervous I thought he would faint. When Fern got there we headed back to Mesa. I wanted to go to her house for a while but she said absolutely not we were going to the hospital. By the time we got there it was about 2-3 mins. after 1 on August 21, 1973, Brandee was born at 1:21 a.m. She was by far the easiest birth I had of all my children. There was no place for her to go but out. We went home the next afternoon. Brandee was a good sweet baby and very cuddly. She loved to be held and sung to. Her sister Jan Ericka claimed her for her own although only 15 months older. Those two were inseparable when they were little. Brandee didn't have to talk because Jan talked for her. I believe Brandee talked in full sentences when she finally began to speak, it was kind of shocking.

She was a long legged, long armed, RED HEADED little gal with a sprinkling of freckles across her nose. Her favorite teacher in school was Mrs. Rye, she would do anything for her.

Brandee has had some really tough times in her life and like this photo she has had to learn how to bend so as not to break. She is very tender hearted and sentimental.

Brandee, I want you to know how much I love and miss you, how much your Heavenly Father loves you and wants to bless you and desires the very best for you and longs for your return to His presence along with the rest of your family. Please do all that it takes to make that come to past regardless of what you have to give up. Your mortal probation is but a moment in time but the outcome of your choices while here on earth will resound in the eternities.

Brandee, you are a daughter of Deity, remember that every day and act accordingly. You are so good and have a heart the size of Texas.
This is Brandee and me when I was the tall one, now she is several inches taller than me. She still has the wonderful head of red hair and she still has that big heart. Use it for good Brandee.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEET GIRL
I love you to the outer reaches of the universe and beyond!!
Your Mom

Cross Another Jewel Off The List. . .

I found it on EBay for .99! I've been looking for this book for sometime. (see older post)

Late one night when I couldn't sleep I was cruising EBay and there he was. There were a few days left of bidding and I was afraid someone else would discover the treasure but alas it was meant to be MINE, ALL MINE!

The only other place I could find this (2 actually) was Rubylane Antiques on the net, which by the way has a lot of fabulous things. They wanted, if my memory serves me correctly, $24 for one and $21 for the other.

Did Mama get a bargain or are my eyes brown?

My Baby Boy is 39!

Chad Sundance all spiffied up and . . . .

what he really looks like.

These photos were taken by my daughter Jan Ericka. She has a good eye, don't you think?
We were on a camping trip in another state when I started labor on August 13, 1970. As soon as we got home we got things put away, kids bathed, pajamed and distributed. We came back home and waited and finally decided to go to the hospital. Chad was born on Friday, August 14, 1970 at 4:51 a.m. He weighted 9# 10 oz. He was a very cute, sweet, happy baby from the get go and I do believe he was born smiling. We use to call him Happy Jack.
Chad was always looking for an adventure and still is. He was good at whatever he chose to do and he still is. He loves music and plays it constantly, loves movies and watches a lot of them , he loves horses, rock climbing, making things, and his boy Dakota.
When I was pregnant with Chad my appendix ruptured and he and I were in some peril for a bit but I knew we would be okay and here we are today.
Chad has had some tough times in his life but always manages to survive them and come out on top. He has stamina and perseverance.
One of my fondest memories is teaching Chad how to two- step. When he got it down pat he nearly two-stepped my feet off.
Another fond memory I have is Chad's love for Pan Dolce. Dad and I had been in Mexico and brought some home and Chad fell in love with it so I got a recipe and would make it for him.

Chad liked going to Primary to see his buddies especially one little toe-headed fellow whose last name started with a V. I think his favorite teacher was Brother Hobbs. Chad's favorite guy in the B of M was Samuel the Lamanite Prophet.
A not-so-fond memory is hearing, "MOM!" one Saturday morning. Little did I know what I would be seeing when I walked into that room, what I did see made my heart stop for a moment. Let me set the stage; Chad had a remote control car which had a stiff wire sticking out of the back end for the remote control to work. This wire, still attached to the car, was hanging from his eye. He had fallen off the top bunk while attempting to open the window, I think, and voila there he was--wire, car, eyeball!

Of course, it would be a day when Dad was on maneuvers, so I got him in the car and headed for the ER. Mind you, we lived in the foothills with a ways before we connected with blacktop but let me just say we got to the ER in good time. I drove with one hand on the steering wheel and the other holding up the remote control car. Chad was quiet and calm which in turn helped me to remain calm myself.
After the Doctor extracted the wire and did all else necessary we finally headed home with a detour to get his favorite donuts. All ended well with no problems later on.
A few years ago Chad had an accident while rock crawling which didn't turn out so well. His leg was crushed and is held together today with a lot of hardware. He tells me it aches like the dickens when it's cold or rain is coming.
Every phone conversation starts out the same way...MOM!. I always love to hear his voice on the other end of the line. Sometimes he calls me and sings to me or plays a song and wants to know who is singing it. He's a character, a cook, a father, a husband, a son, a son of God, a brother, a dreamer, an inventor, a sweet boy.
Chad is a good man and I'm so happy he belongs to me, he occupies a special place in my heart and I want him to know how much I love and miss him. His Heavenly Father loves him and desires to bless him with all that he is entitled to.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHAD, I LOVE YOU TO THE MOON AND BEYOND....
Your Mom

Working Trains

Ever see a train yard? It's an interesting place. There are more train cars than you can count. I'm standing on the overpass shooting west in this photo. I didn't cross the bridge to shoot the other side of the yard because of parking and traffic but it is just as full as this side but with more engines.

I wanted to stand up on the railing to be able to see the train cars further back but Dave wouldn't let me...spoilsport!

Anyway, I thought the boys might enjoy this photo since they use to chase trains in Emmett.

My Home Town

These cottages should have been posted after the larger homes but I forgot how things load so the post about our town should have been first and this second but. . .

I didn't want everyone to think I only like the big homes I have a fondness for the cute little ones too.

We had a storm the night before I took these photos so there might be debris lying on lawns, sidewalks, and driveways.

Here starts the big houses, although the one below is a 'medium' home I just really like their porch. Cute, eh?

Isn't this one (above) a beauty?

This is the carriage house for the house below.

It's nice living in an old city. Our population is 15,000 and called a city, the other cities in our county have populations of 1,418, 2601, and 2522. I'm uncertain what qualifications are required to be called a city but the difference in populations between our city and the other three are confusing to me. In our county we have 16 villages, 27 townships, 24 unincorporated communities, and 13 ghost towns.

Our city was founded in 1825 by a man who thought he was someplace else. This founder was killed along with an infant son ten years later in a tornado.

We have one hospital, one library, one community college, a Walmart, a K-Mart, one major grocer and one Midwest grocer, one movie theatre with two screens, a Goodwill, a McDonald's, a DQ, Burger King, Taco Bell and a Hardees. We also have a small JC Penney's and numerous small businesses. We have a town square as do many of the towns in this county. I believe the population of the whole county is somewhere around 37,700 with our town being the largest.

One of the neat things about living in a smaller city is the big old houses we have. The photos posted are from our town only. I never tire driving around looking at the old homes and neighborhoods. I hope you will enjoy the photos.

P.S. Notice how most of our homes have porches?

Goodies

I wanted to share a few things I've picked up the last few weeks. The baby quilt on the back of the loveseat cost $1.05. It had dark stains all over it and I decided I could spend a $1.05 to see if the stains would come out. Most of them did and the darkest one lightened up to a pale tan. it was worth it, it's hand pieced and hand quilted.
After our town-wide-yard sale anything that isn't wanted is set out to the curb. This is where the sugar bowl and gravy boat came from. They'll make nice planters.

Hurricane lamp for candles $1.00 and a plastic coated wire basket .25.

Wood and wire birdcage with finials, $2.00.

Don't you love junquing?

I got a few other things but I need batteries for my camera so will post them later.

Radio Days

Notice the radio is the same one as in the photo below. Isn't this an interesting advert? Radio was a major form of 'media' in the old days and kept folks informed on a daily/hourly basis of what was going on in the world.

When I was a girl our major form of 'media' entertainment was the radio. Women and men use to listen to 'soap operas'. They were called soap operas because many of the programs were on-going stories and were sponsored by soap companies. Many of the detective and cowboy programs were sponsored by cigarette companies.

The radio in the photo is a replica of the one we had in our home. It was a 1942 Zenith AM Shortwave. I wish I could say it was ours but alas, I can not. It surely does bring back memories. Late at night on weekends and in the summer I would tune in to the BBC in England. I could also listen to broadcasts all over Europe as well as South Africa. It was amazing.

My father use to tune in to the Grand Ole Opry on Saturday nights and I can still hear Roy Acuff and Little Jimmy Rodgers in my head.

For the U.S. there was WMBD/Peoria, WLS/Chicago, KOB/Albuquerque, KOMA/Oklahoma City, there was a really good one from LA that I can't remember anymore. There were AM stations all over this country and this little honey could get them all.

I still listen to old time radio programs located here: http://www.archive.org/details/radioprograms

Look for the alphabet bar, pick a letter, and have fun. You might have to search a while until you find something you like. Some of my favorites were the mystery shows, Gunsmoke, Cisco Kid, Inner Sanctum, Sherlock Holmes, etc.

WARNING:

LISTENING, RATHER THAN SEEING, REQUIRES IMAGINATION.

I hope you'll give listening to the radio a try sometime. Wouldn't that be a novelty for children in our high tech society. . . and if you live alone it's a lovely way to spend an evening instead of watching the telly. It stretches the imagination.

Make a bowl of popcorn, a pitcher of Kool-Aid, turn down the lights, tune in and enjoy.

Temple Trip

Yesterday (Monday) when I got up I had this strong desire to go to the temple so I did some chores and called LKT to see if she was up to going. She was, so we got ready and took off. We attended the 11 o'clock session and ran into a couple of sisters from our branch. The session was small and very spiritual.
After the session we ate lunch then took a tour of Nauvoo in a horse drawn wagon. The weather was perfect . . . sunny, DRY, and very breezy, it was a lovely ride lasting about an hour.
We did a quick look-see at the book store and ran into a couple of young women, who now live and go to school in Utah. We use to be in the same Stake.
We drove home, I dropped off LKT, went to the market and picked up some things for FHE later in the evening.
All in all it was a fabulously spiritual day. Hope yours was just as lovely wherever in the world you are.

My Oldest Son is 41!

Christopher Shane's Wedding Reception Shoveling Snow in Show Low
Wow! How time flies.
Chris was born at 2:52 a.m. on Wednesday the 26th of June 1968. I started labor on Wednesday morning with a lot of back pain radiating into the pelvic area and the tops of my legs where they connect to the hip. My first labor was mild compared to this one. Time finally arrived to go to the hospital. I'm thinking why can't I have babies in the morning after a good nights sleep. I was exhausted. Upon examination we discovered the little man was up side down. After manipulation he got head down and with various and sundry attempts with different instruments he was born. Had he been born today I would have had a C-Section. Chris's little head was so bruised and cut from the instruments that it scared me but it turned out alright.
As a little boy Chris loved cars, trucks, and tractors he would spend endless hours making hills, tunnels and things for the equipment to fly off of .

Chris loved Primary when he was little and was so excited to be baptised.
When we moved up on the mountain and had a pool Chris, his brothers Chad and Mark and the neighbor boy Sam would spend countless hours in the pool playing Marco Polo and seeing who could make the biggest splash.
He loved to camp and still does, he liked to fish and still does. We spent a bit of time camping when Chris was young and he would always be the first to help pack when it was time to load up and head to Sycamore Creek.
Chris turned out to be a big man, I believe he's about 6'4" in his stocking feet and has arms big enough that I can't close my middle fingers to thumbs around.

Chris is a father, son, brother and son of a Heavenly Father.

I love to see him with his youngest daughter Sheyanne. She is a tall and hardly weighs anything and he's so sweet with her. He looks like a bear and she looks like a twig. They're sure cute to look at.
Chris loves the outdoors. I think he would like to have a job in the forest and be outside all the time.
One of my fondest memories is watching Chris scarf down sopapillas and honey. He could eat two dozen all by himself.
Chris has always been a good worker and dependable, that's an admirable quality.
I want Chris to know how much I love and miss him.

Chris is a
Chris is a good man who loves his family and wants the best for them, I'm proud to have him as a son. I wish we lived closer so we could go fishing together and camping with the rest of the family.
Your Heavenly Father loves you Chris and wants the best for you. If you live up to the covenants you have made things will work out, maybe not like you would always want.
I love you to the stars and beyond.
Your Mom