Merry Christmas

We will be sending out our Christmas cards before Christmas Eve this year. I picked the picture where most of us look the best, but these are the pictures I really wanted to send! Rob looks like we photo shopped him in but he really was there.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

New York, New York -- It's a Wonderful Town

And no Emily, I did not take blog worthy pictures. I did take these however.

I love NY. It is such a fun place to visit. Bob took Rachel and Sarah when they were 15 and 14. I stayed home for some reason. Can’t remember why. I was very nervous about them going and being on their own. So I gave them some boundaries – Central Park to Time Square, 5th Avenue to Broadway, or something confining like that. When I talked to them the next day, I asked what they had done and they told me they had gone to Brooklyn!!! So much for boundaries. I guess I just had to cease worrying because they seemed to be OK. NYC is the safest big city in the World. I guess we can thank Guliani for that though New Yorkers I have met say "No, not really".

Anyway, we arrived in the Big Apple late Thursday night and checked into our overpriced, under-loved hotel – the Sheraton NY. The rooms are tiny, the bathroom is tinier, the carpets and wall paper are very worn and the TV channels are few. The movie selection is OK, but you can’t start a movie anytime you want; you have to wait until it spools again. What is that about?

Friday, we went to the LDS Temple. I am sure I have never been in a more beautiful place, nor a more peaceful setting. The spirit is so strong and you can’t hear anything from the outside world. It is quite compact with a limited schedule, but always seems to have something going on.

Afterwards we went to a German restaurant on the Lower– Upper East Side (85th St. and 2nd Avenue) – The Heidelberg. The food was great, but the best part was the gay, Mexican waiter in Lederhosen and an elf hat. I wish I had taken a picture, but that might have been rude.

After a nap, we took a rickshaw/pedicab to a dinner with other attorneys sponsored by the AAJ – the organization formerly known as ATLA. I think it was just an excuse to drink a lot of wine (not us). We never really talked about anything specific except law and what I thought of Mitt Romney and why everyone thought Mormons were so odd. They were a very nice group, but I suspect they are all Clinton supporters.

Next morning, Bob went to meetings and I went to Harlem!! We saw the new Harlem renaissance. A lot of middle class and upper class families are moving back into Harlem because no one can afford homes in Manhattan. The old brownstones are being refurbished and selling for hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars. I wonder where all the poor people are moving to? The is the biggest problem with gentrification. Donald Trump wants to buy a bunch of the projects and tear them down and replace them with luxury condos. Again, where do poor people, and just working class people go. We stopped by the legendary Apollo Theater,

the Jumel Mansion – George Washington really did sleep there,

and when one of the tour leaders found out that I was from Utah, she just had to take us by the new LDS Chapel in Harlem. It is on the corner of 126th and Adam Clayton Powell Drive (actually, I think that it may be 8th Ave. – but the street has been renamed.)

We had a wonderful soul food lunch and dessert at a jazz club. I will need to go back because there was so much to see.

That evening, I ran to China Town to buy purses, of course. We then met Joy Kaler from Advocate Capitol for dinner – and no we didn’t eat the entire time we were there. I selected Spamalot for the play we went to see with Joy. I am so sorry I chose that one. It was exceptionally vulgar – more vulgar than Monty Python usually is and uncomfortably irreverent. They added lots of things that were not in the Holy Grail movie and then just went on way too long.

Speaking of way too long, I will end this entry by stating that we went to church the next day, I flew home, Bob drove to Oswego, emptied the storage unit and flew home on Tuesday. All in all, it was a great trip, but next time, I don’t want to do so much with other people.

P.S. -- Over the last 2 weeks, I have lost 3.8 lbs.

My 25 Pound Washer

I know I promised I wouldn’t boor you to tears with my weight loss saga. But I have to brag. I have lost 25.2 lbs. WW gave me this cute little washer for my efforts. I was also hoping that no one noticed that I have worn the same dress every time I weigh in. Alas, they have. I guess it is time for a new dress.

How I can tell i have lost weight.

I don’t mean to bore you with continual blog entries about my weight-loss triumphs, but I just can’t help it. I feel so empowered by it all. I promise I will not do this every blog. Just today.
At my WW meeting, we talked about how we can tell we have weight loss success even if the scale did not exist. I have made my own list.

1. A couple of years ago, I bought a skirt and 2 sweaters in the wrong (definition: smaller) size. I couldn’t wear the sweaters. I could wear the skirt if I buttoned it over a smaller portion of my body that wasn’t my waist (definition: about 5" higher). Well, I can now button the skirt at my waist and I can wear the sweaters; I don’t like any of them. Go figure.

2. I can tie my shoes and cut my own toenails without having to reach to the side of me because there is less in the way. The true sign of a fat person is that one’s shoes are tied at the side and not in the center.

3. I can stand up to put on my socks in those teeny little changing stalls at the Salt Lake Temple.

4. I hate to say it (reference: Confessional 10/22/07), but I actually have a little more energy and feel like doing more. Actually, my plantar fasciatus pain is gone. A coincidence?

5. I look thinner.

I have lost a grand total of 21.8 lbs. Hurray for me.

It's Not Easy Being Green

It’s not easy being green. Just yesterday, I received 8 catalogs in the mail. For some reason, you buy one item online and for the rest of your life you receive catalogs from places you’ve never purchased from before.

And just try getting off the Victoria Secret list. I bought 2 dresses for Rachel and Sarah when they were 12 & 14 (Before you question my judgment, they were lovely, long-sleeved, cowl-necked, knit velvet dresses that hit below the knee.) I have received 2-3 VS catalogs a week for the last 11 years.

Then there are the Harry & David, Hammacher-Schlemmer, Orvis, Travel Smith, Coldwater Creek, Brookstone, Wine Enthusiast, Sur La Tabla, etc. Though I am not a great recycler, I have been concerned about the number of trees and the amount of energy required to produce catalogs for things I am not going to buy.

Now, I do usually just toss them in the recycling bin before they get in the house. But I have discovered a new web site. You register – they promise not to send you a catalog or sell your information – and then you can access all the catalogs you do not want anymore and they say that within 10 weeks, your name will be off the list. Try it. You’ll like it.

http://www.catalogchoice.org

DO NOT READ THIS BOOK

Just in: I remember now what else I was going to say about this book. I am so tired of subtle and not so subtle jabs at the war in Iraq, George Bush, etc. I don't really care what your opinion is. It had so little to do with the story, that it could just as well have been left out. It appears that this was added because it is a popular thing to do. Stop it. Same goes for TV shows.

Do not read this book. When we originally started the Scarpetta novels, Kay was strong, intelligent, witty, professional, etc. Where did you go? All we have left is a miserable, whiny, old, passive woman. There is no life to her any more. The book has so many characters that no one cares about. They are all unpleasant -- even the ones we used to know and love. This book is a continuation of the last one -- it is so unmemorable, I forgot the name. I couldn't remember what had happened in the last novel, so I spent most of my time confused. That she has so many odd story lines that kind of meet up at the end doesn't help. It's almost as if she said -- "oops, I'm out of paper, I better wrap this up." And what is the deal with Marino and where did he go? Don't waste your money. Borrow my book if you must read it. I've already wasted $17.61. If I ever read another Cornwell book, it'll be from the library though it bothers me that my tax dollars are used on this tripe!!

I Am Thankful!!

My favorite holiday is Thanksgiving!! Christmas is good. I can take or leave Halloween and the Labor Day, but Thanksgiving is about my 2 favorite things!! Family and Food. I am always a little sad because Thanksgiving seems to get pushed to the side with a little teeny display of paper products somewhere between the behemoth bags of fun size candy bars and the tacky dancing Santas. This is a perfect time for me (and everyone) to think about the things I am grateful for and consider the source of these blessings.

Here is a list of all the things I am grateful for:

Bob Sykes, Rachel, Sarah, Robbie & Kathleen Sykes, Aunty Kate and the Lewis’, the Gordons (even though we miss Aunty Fran something awful). My house, my Huntsville House, Weight Watchers, my health (but not MS – it is no friend of mine); okay – Otto and Daisy, but not their byproducts; my car, washing machine, dishwasher – especially in Huntsville. A good night’s sleep. I don’t get those very often. Good books. Comfy shoes, a good bed. Hot baths. Lotion after the hot baths because my skin gets so dry. United States of America. Election day. Blogs. Emily Jones. Young Women and Mutual (I know, I grumble sometimes, but I still am grateful for it.) Education. The temple, the gospel of Jesus Christ. Prayer, the scriptures.

That my Heavenly Father loves me and all His Children. He is the source of all these blessings. And I am grateful to Him.

A Day in the Life

My Normal, Exciting Saturday.

Today. This is just a rundown of a day in the life of Mom

8:00 am – woke up. I actually got to sleep in this morning.

8:15 am – went to grocery store so we could have stuff for breakfast

9:00 am – made French toast and sausage. I very rarely make breakfast, but Aunty Kate was here and I felt a need to have a Martha Stewart Moment.

10:00 am to 12:45 pm – Cleaned the laundry room with enormous help from Bob Sykes. This man is a cleaning, organizing machine. I am one lucky woman.

1:00 pm – took Aunty Kate to the airport. We will miss her immensely.

1:30 pm - cleaned up the kitchen and planned the grocery list and weeks menus. We are going to have very boring meals.
3:00 pm – took a nap. I need my nap.

6:00 pm – Went to Heidi Hanks wedding reception (I didn’t sleep from 3 to 6. I just don’t remember all the exciting stuff I did)

7:30 pm - Met Bob and the Fitts’ for dinner at Lambs. I haven’t been there since Christmas Eve.

9:00 pm - went to Bob’s office and gave the Fitts’ a tour.

10:00 pm – Went to the grocery store. Had to use the self-checkout, because it was late on Saturday night. I hate the self-checkout. It takes about 20 minutes to do 10 minutes worth of checking out.

11:00 pm – came home from the store, unloaded the groceries, put them away, switched the laundry from the dryer to the basket and from the washer to the dryer.

11:15 pm – found a wet spot in the hallway. Someone was not watching Daisy. While I was starting water to wash the towel I had used to sop up dog pee, I decided to wash the sheets in Sarah’s room since it had been a long time since anyone had slept in there. While I was moving around the bedding trying to get the sheets, I saw a HUGE yellow spot on the bedspread. Guess some dog had done something a long time ago and I had never found out about it. So started washing all the bedding. (Sarah actually slept there last night!!)

11:30 – realized that I still had to empty the dishwasher, load it, feed the dogs, and still put clean sheets on my bed.

Isn’t it great to be me? (ps -- another 3 lbs down!!)

The Amazing Kathleen

For those of you who have not seen the amazingness that is my child, take 2:02 minutes and watch the video from her summer ballet class. She is the beautiful girl in the blue halter leotard. That other girl just keeps getting in the way.

What is on My NetFlix Queue

My own Netflix choices are pretty eclectic, but when you consider the ones my kids have added, the list seems a schizophrenic (not in the accurate DSM-VI definition of mental illness, but in the cheesy horror story split-personality definition -- probably not pc, but I'm just saying. . .)

Movies we have at home:

1. Hetty Wainthrop, disc 2 (BBC Mystery) starring Patricia Routledge (she of "Keeping up Appearances" fame) and Dominic Monahan (Lost, Lord of the Rings -- Merry)

2. La Sylphide -- a ballet. Guess who put this one on the list.

3. Mockingbird Don't Sing -- added by Robbie, about a abused girl who has to learn to communicate.

4. The Muppet Show -- the original 70's version.

The Next 10 on the Queue:

1. Cadfael: The Potter's field (again BBC Mystery)
2. A Good Year -- Russell Crowe's latest critical flop.
3. Jean de Florette -- I have waited forever for this to finally show up.
4. Mississippi Burning
5. Ghosts of Missippi
6. Amistad -- are you seeing a trend here?
7. Millenium Season 2 (disc 3)
8. Millenium Season 3 (disc 4) these are a bonding moment for Robbie and I.
9. Longitude Part 1 -- Masterpiece Theatre
10. Dinner at 8.

I have 276 movies in my queue. I will be 100 years old before I ever get through them all.

Halloweenie

I thought I was a Halloweenie because I just can’t seem to make my Halloween decorations look anything more than an old woman trying to hard to be festive. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I just don’t do "themes". Not parties, not YW programs, etc. I am just too pragmatic for all of that. Alas, probably makes it too boring for my YW.

However, I was taking a picture of my Halloween decorations to show you how lame I am and Presto!! A Ghost!! Ranks right up there with the headless man, doesn’t it?

I also tried to take pictures of Otto, but he just kept running away

Confessional

Please do not feel sorry for me. I am not fishing for sympathy. I know that this will sound pathetic, but it is true.

Like Emily Jones, I also have a confession to make. I never verbalized it until I was talking to Aunty Kate on Saturday night. Here goes: Everyone tells me that if I lose weight, I will feel better. Well, I know that, but secretly, I don’t want to feel better because then I am afraid I will be expected to do more. There, I’ve said it. Now it is no longer a secret wish/desire/inner thought–whatever.

What I really need to do is lose the weight, feel better, and learn to say no!!

I lost 3.6 more pounds at WW this week. Hurray for me!!

The Headless Man

I was listening to NPR’s "All Things Considered" today (only because it comes on before "Prairie Home Companion." And yes, I do listen to that tax-payer funded, left-leaning, radio station with the liberal, progressive agenda. I like it; it’s interesting even if I don’t always agree with them, and I help pay for it. (The grammatical structure of that sentence is challenged. I know.) In keeping with the season, they had asked their readers to send in stories of scariest things that had ever happened to them. This made me think of the scariest time I remember as a child.

When I was a kid (about age 6) in Ogden, Utah, we truly lived on the wrong side of the tracks. We were on west 31st street, down by the grain silos where the train cars were loaded. About a block away, was our church, the 19th Ward of the LDS Mt. Ogden Stake. The building is still there, but it was sold many years ago to another denomination. I would love to go in and see if it is still the same as I remember. There was a huge mural of the Last Supper on the wall behind the pulpit. Mormons don’t put murals in their buildings anymore. We all use the same correlated art work. Right now it is Carl Bloch. I personally sort of like a little iconography in my house of worship. That is one of the many reason I love the Temple. But I digress.

We had a ward Halloween party that my older sister, Fran, and I attended. My mom did not go to church with us very often, and this was no exception. This was back in the day when kids could wander unfettered after dark and we did only live across the street and 2 houses away.
It was a wonderful, fall evening, as I remember. The air was crisp and the leaves were, too. Just outside the cultural hall (gym to the non-Mormons), was a bush. As Fran and I walked home, I saw a shape behind the bush. It was a man; but not just any man. It was a headless man!! His shoulders were broad, his coat was dark, and he had a small light between his fingers as though he and his missing head had needed to go outside for a smoke. In a few seconds, I saw the light nearer the ground. I was sure that cigarette had found its missing home. We ran, screaming, as fast as we could to the safety of our own front porch. Mom just laughed it off, certain that some one had really needed a cigarette, and being a Mormon, had to hide it.

I asked Fran about it a few years ago. Her memory was vivid, also. But not as vivid as mine. Somehow, that shape had shed it cloak, skins and all its tissues and resided in her memory as a smoking skeleton.

Driving by the area recently, I saw that the church is still there. Even the bush is still where I remember it; about the same size. Our house is gone. It is the garage and yard for the Ogden City School District buses.

There was no sign of the missing head.

A List of Musings

1. Why do the CSI’s in CSI: Miami drive Hummers? Are the Miami streets that rugged?

2. Why do the CSI’s in Las Vegas work in the dark? And never pull their hair back when they are working a crime scene? Honestly, I must watch too much TV.

3. What is all the hubbub about? I just finished Twilight and think it is a nice enough book, but am not all that eager to read the next two. I must be old and have forgotten what true, young love is like. Which leads me to #4.

4. Why are vampires suddenly the hot new thing? Aren’t they creatures of the night? Don’t they bite people? Why are there romance novels and TV shows about them? I’m just saying.

5. Why is it that when I click the box on blogspot to remember me when I log in, it never does. It is starting to effect my self esteem.

6. Why does every place that has a credit card machine have to have those silly flowers tied to the pens and then stuck in a flower pot of beans? I never recognize them as pens. I always assume that everyone has the same dumb flower arrangements.

A Weigh

This is my Monday outfit. Robbie asked me why I get dressed up to go to Weight Watchers. I think he thought it was a dress up kind of place. In actuality, this is the outfit I wore when I first joined, so as a control, I wear the same outfit every time I weigh in and know that the loss (or gain – heaven forbid) is not attributable to what I wear.

This is just one of the tricks of the diet junkie – control what you wear even if you can’t seem to control what you eat. Today, a young woman showed up in flip-flops, very short shorts, and a tank top. It was 45 dang degrees outside. But her clothes weighed next to nothing. I think she must have over indulged on the weekend.

This is not a great picture, but it's not a great outfit.

Any weigh (hee hee), I am down an additional 2.2 lbs for a grand total of 10.2!!!

Good, Better, Best

There must be a message in recent general conference talks out there just for me. Elder Dallin Oaks talked about all the good things there are to do out there in the world, but there are things that are better, and things that are best. It reminded me a little bit of the Berenstain Bears Ready Set Go where the bears compete. Some are good, some are better and some are best. Poor Papa bear is only best at napping. I think Papa bear and I have something in common. Sister Julie Beck, in General Women’s Conference urged us/me to focus on the essentials and forgo the frivolous. I knew in an instant what she was talking about. All the frivolous things I do came clearly to mind. Now, generally, these talks leave me with a great feeling of inadequacy. (Thank goodness for spell-check. I could never have done that on my own.) You know the feeling – not good enough, house not clean enough, not thin enough, don’t get my visiting teaching done early enough, blah, blah blah. On and on goes the voice in my head. Anyway, I decided to list all the frivolous things I do and decide if they are good, better or best – or not in the running. This is by no means a complete list:

1. Play Jewel Quest II. Not even in the running. I spend way to much time on this ridiculous game. It is sort of addicting; I even see it in my sleep. I start out thinking that I’ll only play a minute or two and then discover that my entire morning is gone.

2. Nap. Good, but better or best if I were in bed at a decent hour so that I didn’t have to go back to bed – which I sometimes do instead of play #1 above.

3. Sew. Better, or maybe even best if I forwent (I believe that is the past tense of forgo) #1 and #2 above. I would like to get Aunty Fran’s quilt done since I didn’t finish it before she died’ didn’t finish before her son’s birthday, and didn’t finish it before he graduated from high school. Maybe I’ll finish it before he goes/comes home from his mission.

4. Read. I actually haven’t read anything but Twilight in ages. And that took me 3 months to read. I used to read all the time, though some of the choices were only good – and actually some of them weren’t even that high on the list. I need to work on this one. Reading has always been my passion. It’s funny; I can read a novel (silly ones, especially) and can’t seem to get into a good/better/best regimen of reading my scriptures.

5. TV. Unfortunately, because I haven’t slept long enough, and then spend too much time at the office (not awful), by the time I come home and get dinner started, I am too tired to do much else. So I just sit and surf the channels until I discover that I have been through all the channels at least 12 times and there is nothing on worth watching.

So, I resolve to give up Jewel Quest II, drop 2 shows from my DVR schedule (it is amazing how much sleep I lose over the likes of Law & Order:SVU, Without a Trace, and Las Vegas. I am not quite ready to give up Ugly Betty or Bones). I also resolve to quit saying how busy I am because we all know that it is only 1, 2, and 5 that are really using up my time. I think I’ll also give going to bed before midnight a try. Maybe that will actually take care of #2.

PS – Latest report from Weight Watchers –down an additional 3 lbs.!! I have many to go to be at a healthy weight, but I am on my way.

Awful

It has been a really long time since I wrote this entry on my WordPerfect program. So I will just send it the way I wrote it and then will do an update sooner than this.

I picked the world’s worst day to go to Weight Watchers!! Granted, any day would be better than not going at all, but it couldn’t have been more poorly planned on my part. As background, I need to lose a lot of weight for the sake of my health. I have developed some very bad habits since I grew up (maybe I never had any good ones to begin with.) Anyway, I eat too much, eat out too much, drink too much Diet Coke (elixir from the gods), and don’t get enough sleep – because I am staying up too late playing on the computer or watching TV. That all adds up to no energy, a messy house, no exercise, and a whole bunch of unfinished projects because a) I am too tired, and/or b) I must be too busy. You choose.

So, we are in the middle of an office move. I promised Bob I would not call it the awful anymore because it bothers him. That was really only a slip of the tongue one day when I said "awful" instead of "office." Must be Freudian. Well moving is hell, whether it is 20 feet, or 20 blocks. We are moving into the office space next door to us. Last Thursday, we got about 85% of everything moved. It is the last 15% that kills you. We are still moving the last 15% 5 days later, and seem to have made little dent in it, although Bob thinks we only have 8% more. On move day, I don’t think I actually moved anything, I just spent my time answering everybody’s request for furniture placement and picture hanging advice. And yet, I was strangely exhausted. I think it was from just the sheer number of miles I walked in circles between the two offices.

So, Monday, I decided to go to Weight Watchers. I stopped at McDonald’s for breakfast on my way there. That is 15 points right off the bat of my 31 allowed points for the day. I went straight to the office, where we ordered lunch from a Greek restaurant. That took another 15 points. I now have only 1 point for the rest of the day. It is only 3 pm. I then eat 2 Hershey’s minis and another Diet Coke. It is now 6 pm and I have had no water (need 6 glasses - Diet Coke doesn’t count), no dairy (3 servings) and no vegetables. Did I tell you the woman who joined ahead of me was 5'4"and weighed only 115 lbs.!! She only needs to lose 5 lbs!! I could beat myself (or maybe her).

So, I went home, scrambled eggs, threw on some cheese, drank 2 glasses of milk (the three dairy’s), chugged down 4 glasses of water and some spinach. I then went to bed and dreamed I was in a Hannibal Lecter movie. I’ve never even seen one. Go figure. It must have been all that eating. I used up 16 of my 35 extra allowable points for the week. There will be no movie popcorn this weekend. Thank goodness it is fast Sunday coming up.

Anyway, the office is looking great. We will actually be able to get back into helping clients again soon. I had a better Weight Watchers day today. Only ate 21 of my 31 points. I think that is a no-no, also. Maybe I can add 10 back to my weekly overage.

PS - On my first week at WW, I (not WWI) lost 4.4 lbs. It may have been a lot more if I hadn’t eaten all of the leftovers the Sunday night before my weigh-in.

Leave Taking

I love fall. I haven’t actually ever sat down and analyzed why. I just do. Some see it as a harbinger of the long, dark dreary winter. Those are the people who don’t like winter.
I don’t like winter. I don’t like the lack of sunlight, the icy roads and slippery sidewalks. It reminds me of my high school years in Beavercreek, Ohio. The freezing rain left a thin quarter-inch coating of crystal clear ice on everything. Every sign, every road, every car. I swore I would never be warm again. Then I went on to BYU. Because I worked as a secretary on campus, I had to wear a dress to work (those dress code rules are long since over), and thus wore dressy shoes. No such thing as cross trainers, except maybe some ugly grandma hushpuppies or something. Being the fashion plate that I was, I wore high heels – with leather soles – which would soak up the water and as soon as they hit the linoleum floors in the JKB, so did I. I seem to spend as much time on the floor in the hall as I did on my chair.

Enough about winter, I am not crazy about summer either. Here in Utah everyone says the heat is OK because it is a dry heat. When it is a 104 in the shade, wet or dry, it doesn’t matter, it still feels like living in Hell. Now Salt Lake is not as bad as my Arizona friends, but it is still bad. One September, Bob and I went to a conference in Phoenix. I was not sure whose bright idea that was, because it was like going to Hell on a vacation. It was 110, too hot to even sit by the pool. I stayed in my room most of the time, except when I could run to my air conditioned rental car and then to an air-conditioned museum. So you can see, summer is not great either. And spring, while lovely, is simply too short.

Fall is by far my favorite time of year. The cool evening lend themselves to lazing about on the new patio. The mosquitos and yellow jackets are fewer in number and the crickets start to sing at dusk. Turning off the air-conditioner in September is a wonderful experience. The nights are cool enough that you can open the window and put another blanket on the bed. An acquaintance of mine called this "good sleeping weather." I just don’t get over heated. At my stage of life, overheating is sometimes a problem, so I appreciate the weather cooperating with me a little bit. Also, with MS, I find that I feel better when it is not so hot. I need all the good days I can get. I’m a little more energetic in the fall.

Mother nature brings out all her best colors in the fall. On Labor Day Weekend, as we drove over Trapper’s loop from Huntsville, there was just the ever so slight change in color. A little touch of red that could only be seen if you squinted up your eyes and looked ever so hard. This last Saturday, there was a significant change. All the coolness of the green leaves are turning to the warm reds and oranges and yellows I just love – I love warm colors, not warm temperatures. In another week, due to the drought, I read, the colors may be gone. I was going to take the opportunity to take a little side trip up Ogden Canyon and back over Trappers’ went to Ogden to file my property tax appeal (another story for another day) but found that I could file my mail. The rest of the week was pretty awful and by Thursday I didn’t have a car (again a story for another day) and was scheduled to help with the office move. Anyway, my wonderful Sarah suggested that we spend the night in Huntsville and then drive back over Trappers in the morning (another thing I can do now that Kathleen drives) and take these beautiful pictures. I have rambled enough. Just look at this fabulous site.

I agree with John Donne, "No Spring nor Summer Beauty hath such grace As I have seen in one Autumnal face. "

The leaves can’t wait, and neither can I.

Pandora's Box

Everyone remembers the story of Pandora’s box. At least every culturally literate person. You know the one – In Greek mythology, Pandora was the first woman. Zeus created her as a punishment for mankind, in retaliation for Prometheus' having stolen fire and then giving it to humans for their use–apparently not women, however. She had a box with all the world’s ills and evils. Curiosity gets the better of her and she opens the box and all the evils, ills, bad things, rap music, etc., escape. She slams the lid down just in time to keep hope from breaking loose. Thus, while we have bad things thrust upon us, hope is still present. I’m not sure that a box is the best place for hope, but that’s how the story goes.

Anyway, we had this very ugly wooden deck in our back yard. Just outside the back door, you would step up onto it. It had rows of wooden benches on each side, making the deck just a smidge too small for a table. We first painted the deck when we moved into this house 14 years ago and actually only used it when the kids needed to get up on the trampoline (which we no longer have). Otto, the devil dog, used the benches to look over at the cute dog next door. I was always afraid that he might jump over and that we would have a neighborhood incident on our hands. So, the wood rotted away until it was only good for putting splinters into your hind quarters. In the middle of July, we received a notice of the neighborhood cleanup. This made me think. We could get rid of the deck and pour a nice cement patio. I couldn’t get the thought out of my mind. I remembered that Paul, our friend who uses our pool more than we do, had offered to help out with any big yard project we might have as thanks for the use of the pool. How could I turn down such a generous offer. The next week, Paul came with the boys from the Capitol Hill 2nd ward to tear down the deck. Give teen-aged boys sledge hammers and tell them to get to work and they are in heaven. Great at demolition, not so great at putting things back together. You have to work to their strengths. And this was the beginning of Pandora’s box.

When the deck was gone, all the ills and evils of home ownership were apparent. There was a gas line to be moved, electrical lines to be moved, sprinklers to be moved, along with busting out the 200 lb. cement footings under the deck. Sod needed to be laid, the fence needed to be painted, and you can’t have a new patio without patio furniture. $$$$$$$. I found a plumber to move the gas line. He found that our gas meter shut off valve was buried below grade – a serious out-of-code issue. So the gas company needed to be called. There was also a leak at the meter. The gas company came and went, only digging out the valve and repairing the leak, and I found out later, disconnecting the line to our gas fireplace. Anyway, we did get the gas line buried and the leak fixed. Next came electricians. What was going to be a simple move of the line, became an all day project. We added new outlets, replaced light fixtures, mapped out the electrical schematic in the entire house, and I think that was it. All I know is that it added up to a whole heap of dollars. This is when you wish you were renters. Sprinkler Bob has been up here several times just trying to rewire the sprinkler system. It is finally done, though that devil dog Otto has eaten a few sprinkler heads. We laid sod, relaid it after Otto dug it up. Had the fence repaired and painted, planted some flowers in the pots, bought tables and chairs and yellow-jacket traps, and now have the most pleasant spot to spend my evenings.

I’m not sure I’ll ever go back inside. Maybe Pandora did us a favor after all.

RIP - no pictures 'cause my kids have my cameras!

Today officially marks the demise of the book group. Many of my friends and neighbors met on the first Tuesday of each month to discuss a book that we had chosen. Someone was the discussion leader – that person also picked the book. Someone else was the hostess; this lucky woman had us all over to our house for a lovely luncheon. These were golden times. None of us worked. Well, we worked, just not for money. We all had children at home and that was our job. We often laughed as much as we actually discussed the book. Like the time someone said that the lemon Jell-o salad with the maraschino cherry on top looked somewhat similar to breast implants. I have no idea what book we actually read that month, but I do remember the Jell-o salad. Several people suggested that I write a book about the group. It would be great. It could be one of those pink-covered paperback books you pick up in the airport. You know the ones, about society women, bored, spenders; except we weren’t society ladies – just middle class moms. No one was particularly bored, and I am pretty sure that none of us were big shoppers. A book just wouldn’t have been a good idea, however. I am not sure that any of us wanted funny stories told about us to strangers, even if the names had been changed to protect the innocent/guilty.

Anyway, over the past 16 years, the demographics of the group changed. Children grew up, sometimes there was a divorce, and a group member went back to work. It was like sending a child off to college, only you were sure that they would never come back. Once gone, it seemed that it was true that you couldn’t go home to book group again. The next change came when we began to invite others to fill in the blanks. We chose women like us, whose children had grown up and maybe didn’t have enough to do. For a while, we powered on again until people began to move to smaller houses or travel because they were no longer encumbered with school-age children. We were never again able to bring more than 5 or 6 of us together at one time. We even stopped going to each other’s homes so it wouldn’t be a burden on anyone. We tried to choose an interesting new restaurant each month. I even suggested that we give up the intellectual pretense of being a book group and just be a lunch group.

For me, I think the beginning of the end came when we read The Life of Pi. Most of the group thought it was a great, deep, even profound book. I just thought it was silly and perhaps I am showing a little shallowness, but I just really didn’t get it nor did I want to. I tried to read it and got about 3 chapters into it and said, "Enough!!" Sort of when I tried to read The Hobbit and only got to page 60 (3 times). So last month, Lani and I went to lunch all by ourselves. We didn’t have a book to read and no one else around to discuss it. It was a little sad that there were not more of us there, but I did have a great time visiting with Lani, catching up on her family. It’s funny how we are neighbors and go to church together, but sometimes have no idea of what it happening with our friends. That was the best part of book group. I shall miss it.
I never felt compelled to read something I really wasn’t interested in, but did read some things that I might not have chosen for myself and loved them. Here are some of the things we read over 16 years. It is only a short list. There is not enough room on the internet for the complete list:

The Known World. Letters from a Woman Homesteader. Follow the River. Angle of Repose. The Kite Runner. Reading Lolita in Tehran. Lincoln by Gore Vidal. The Woman in White. Crocodile on the Sandbank. A Morbid Taste for Bones. Northanger Abbey. The Three Musketeers. The Count of Monte Cristo. Eight Cousins. The Scarlet Pimpernel. The Deep End of the Ocean. Cold Mountain. Snow Falling on Cedars. A Lesson Before Dying. Ellen Foster. The Road to Coorain. Tuesdays With Morrie. Birdsong. Possession. Interpreter of Maladies. Man’s Search for Meaning. Leave it to Psmith. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.

Book Group, Rest in Peace.

What I Did on my Summer Vacation

Since school has started and none of my children will be writing the traditional "What I did last summer" back-to-school essay, I thought I would do one myself. I know that this seems incredibly self-indulgent, but isn’t that what blogs are all about – all about me!! So this is what I did:

1. In May, we went to Rachel’s law school graduation in Moscow, Idaho. It is hard to believe that I am actually old enough to have a child old enough to be a lawyer!! It was an exciting time. Aunty Kate (Kathleen Lewis – my sister) joined us for the festivities. We are so proud of her. Rachel that is. We are proud of Aunty Kate also, but for other reasons.

2. In June, school was over and I drove Kathleen (Sykes, not Lewis) back and forth to the Ballet West Summer Intensive at the University of Utah and to driver’s dread, ‘er ed. She got her license on July 26.

3. In June, I also went to the funeral of my friend, Sandra Jones. Her dear daughters are always in my heart.

4. In July, Bob, Sarah, Stacy and I went to Sun Valley for the Bar Conference. This is actually my favorite vacation spot. It is relaxing; everybody can do what they want, and I can just sit and read. We have been doing this since 1985. We used to bring a sitter so I could also get some rest while the kids swam and played. Bob gets to play tennis and go on bike rides and we go to movies.
5. We tore out a deck in the backyard and now have a wonderful cement patio with a table and chairs and flower pots and more grass. My favorite time of day is in the evening when I can sit outside and enjoy the cooler temperatures.

6. Saw a bunch of movies – Transformers ***, Ratatouille ****, Hair Spray ****, 1408***, Harry Potter 5****, 35 minutes of I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry (we walked out; it was offensive on so many levels)------, the last half of Sicko (we had to watch something after we walked out of Chuck and Larry) * ½, Ocean’s 13 ***, Rescue Dawn ****, Spider Man 3 **, The Simpsons **.

7. Read some books – Harry Potter of course, Nora Robert’s High Noon (very formulaic, I knew what was going to happen, but I just kept on reading). I tried to read Burr for my book group, but Gore Vidal’s characters tend to spend too much time with ladies of ill-repute. Oh my gosh, I think this is it. I am ashamed of myself. I am reading Twilight just to see what all the fuss is about. I am a little embarrassed to be seen reading a book that proudly proclaims itself to be on "the Teen People Hot List."

8. Bob and Kathleen and I took a small road trip to Goblin Valley. It was one of those trips when you just get in the car and see where the road takes you. As a child, Goblin Valley always seemed a little scary. As an adult, it is just too cool.

Anyway, that is what I did for my Summer Vacation.

Taxi No More

This is Kathleen on her first day
of school with her new Car!!

Today, for the first time in 20 years, I did not have to take anyone to school. Since I am not driving, I felt obligated to get up and do the good mom thing and actually make breakfast for my family. This might be a near first, also. Kathleen got waffles and Otto (the rotten Rottweiler) got the rest.

I was not sure what to do with/for myself with all the extra time, so I celebrated by getting my eyebrows waxed. They threw in those little goat hairs on my chin and upper lip just for good measure. It seems that about the time men start losing their hair, we start growing more and because our eyesight has dimmed somewhat over the last 10 years, we can’t see it. You know it is time to do something when your child reaches across the dinner table and yanks a hair out of your upper lip about the length of an eyelash!! When you have hair ripped out by the roots in large chunks, the surrounding skin loses all feeling. I have been walking around with the top of my face feeling like I have just been through a Botox jamboree. Never actually having had Botox, I just have to guess that this is what it feels like. Afterword, with the colored brow gel, I came home looking like Betty Davis or Joan Crawford. Time for a good scrubbing.

This afternoon, I have been looking at my watch, wondering when to get Kathleen from school. Then I realized a) I don’t have a watch – only pieces of watches – I just call time 467-8463; and b) Kathleen can drive herself. So Taxi4umom is now taxinomore. I wonder if that email address is available?

Mom's Taxi!

Years ago, in the dark ages, when we first signed up with AOL for internet access (you remember – dial-up, slow, busy signals, etc.), I was able to get taxi4u for my e-mail address. I thought I was so clever. None of the kids drove and my days consisted of drop off, drop off, drop off, pick up, pick up, pick up, go home. – in that order. Kathleen actually grew up in a child safety seat. Her first words were "get in the car!" and "I’d like a large Diet Coke, please". Well, my credit card expired and AOL dropped us, so I signed up for taxi4u on a free Hotmail account, but could never remember the password. So sitting out there in a cyber grave yard somewhere is an e-mail account jam packed with old unanswered mail. I then had to come up with a new name and all the good taxi names were taken (even some of the bad ones). Finally, I was able to use taxi4umom@hotmail.com.

Today is the end of an era. Kathleen, my youngest child, has her driver’s license and a new car. I will never be taxi4umom again. I am actually shedding a small tear or two as I am jumping for joy. I have grumbled about this for years and yet am feeling a little bit of empty-nest syndrome. This morning, however, I found that mom is still needed. We were going to make a little dry run down to West High so Kathleen knew what the traffic was like when she would be going to school. Lo and behold, her car would not start. She had left the lights on all night. We have had this car less than 24 hours and it already has a dead battery. In her defense, all the other cars have a twilight sensor, so we never actually have to turn the lights off or on. Anyway we had a short lesson on how to jump start a car.

Kathleen is going to be a very good driver. She is attentive and can’t drive with her friends until January. And I haven’t seen her since 10:00 this morning. She is off driving somewhere.
I am keeping the taxi4umom@hotmail.com address. Sort of like a mental scrapbook.