Yeah, I know....

This morning Zeus mentioned that maybe it was time to shut down this blog since it has been severely neglected for the last three months. To be honest, that thought has crossed my mind. As I look at many of the blogs that I have followed for the last few years it seems that most of them are in the same boat, if not a total lack of posts for months then certainly a slowdown. I have a feeling that Facebook has much to do with that. It is much easier to put up a photo and not have to worry about a lot of words to go with it.

The last seven months have been filled with all kinds of activities. Seems like I've gone from one large project to the next, each one unique and challenging. Along the way I've been fortunate to have the support of family and friends to make the end results successful. Together we have celebrated, laughed, cried, sweat buckets and then laughed some more. My daughters have held me up emotionally through anger, exhaustion and disappointment, always willing to listen to the rants no matter what time or where I called or texted. Zeus has been steady as a rock right beside me, there for advice and comfort whenever needed.

This post has been delayed for so long because I just wasn't sure how to cover everything. It finally occurred to me that the easiest way was to utilize the Shooting blog. Feel free to click on the links.... or not.

May turned out to be an eventful month! The dimple became a permanent addition to my right cheek with no complications. Three months post-op and I have accepted that it is just part of who I am. Photographs can be cruel and the first few times I actually had to confront my new "look" it was tough. Just this morning while out riding it struck me that I will never be able to rob a bank.... too easily identifiable. I guess I could wear a mask...

Bubba graduated from high school! How did that happen? Those eighteen years flew by way too fast! He has grown into a fine young man and we are very proud. Next task, college!


Our Buddhist Obon Festival was held two weeks ago. This year Jubee joined Little and Littlest Miss in dancing with us! She was really nervous but after three weeks of learning thirteen dances she was perfect, as well as beautiful! Two new yukatas were required, along with the accessories, so some construction time in my lair was necessary. The practices are two hours, three times a week. The movements are slow and precise, similar to Tai Chi. Unknown muscles ached for weeks. Who will join us next year? Ice cream treats after every practice. Also, if you dance with us I will take you to Tuacahn as a reward! We had a blast singing along to Glee all the way down to St. George where we saw an amazing production of The Little Mermaid!

My mother celebrated her 80th birthday last week! An open house was held in her honor and it was fun to watch her greet old and new friends at the party. She was absolutely beautiful in her new suit and with that big smile on her face! I love you, Mom! Can't wait until your 90th!

Other activities this summer are the usual riding, swimming and field trips with the kids. Inflatable kayaks are now part of our recreational equipment but so far have only spent two days in the water.

August brings no large events, just relishing the last month of summer before my playmates return to school. Hoping to put many more miles on the bikes, rides down the slide at the pool, kayaking on the lakes and rivers and more coinage in the Lucky Penny jar. And maybe a blog post or two....

Life is grand and I am a very lucky woman.

$17.81

$12.84

What happened to March?

A quick catchup before the big post:

I'm exhausted just thinking about all the happenings around here in the last few months. It is April 14th and my brain is screaming that it must be at least June!

Three weeks ago we made another trip to Arizona, our second one this year. The purpose of the last trip was to get my brother-and-sister-in-law's home ready to sell so they can relocate here. The little town of Ajo is quaint and quiet, but it is also a two hour drive to get medical care other than the GP variety. With advancing age and some pretty serious health problems the timing seemed to be right. I spent a week prepping the house to be put on the market. Thanks to the wonderful ladies of SIL's church it was ready to have a "FOR SALE" sign placed in the yard. I will freely admit that I was running on empty by the time we boarded the plane and headed for home on the seventh day.

(Yes, that is a cat on my blog. Sam lives in AZ and is the only cat in the entire world that I would allow here. She is a cranky 14-year-old cat whose sedentary life was turned to chaos when I stepped in the door and started dismantling her home. I also slept on her bed and wouldn't let her in, even at 4 am as she cried at the door. By the end of the week we had made peace and actually shared some nice kitty moments.)

My poor suitcases didn't even get put back in the closet. Our long-awaited trip to Washington DC with Athena and Eris and the gang was only five days away! Mike and the girls had been working on this educational experience for months. Reservations for hotels, tours, cars and shuttles were set. We had been holding regular planning meetings for months and Eris had prepared us with a 90 minute history of the United States. It seemed like a dream when all eleven of us boarded that airplane and headed east for what turned out to be the best trip EVER! We returned home three days ago and each one of us is still working through the exhilaration and exhaustion.

My goal is to have another post and photos up in the next few days.

Quilt report: finished one! That's right! Bound and ready for auction at a church dinner this coming Saturday! It felt so good that I might just do another one.

Dimple report: Have been off medication for four weeks. The unpleasant side effects are now gone, which means that I am sleeping at night. Surgery is scheduled for the first week of May, a procedure that hopefully will be simple and easy. It's done as an outpatient but requires an entire day at the hospital. I'll just be glad when it's over because that means summer is here and it's time to play, slathered in sunscreen of course!

New wheels: I now have a new-t0-me mountain bike! Trail riding is much harder than on pavement, also muddier! Doubtful that I'll ever be a true mountain biker but so far I have really enjoyed coming home with mud up my back!

Coinage was counted before our DC trip. Unfortunately, the total for the last eight months was a paltry $84. Bicycling has really taken a toll on the numismatizing.

$3.78

(Apologies for the random spacing. I'm out of practice at blogging!)

I'm baaaaaack!

Last post: June 17th... from Canada??? That was six weeks ago! I'm not sure exactly how to update. In fact, that dilemma is part of why it's taken so long to get at it. I don't know where this post is going so it might be a little disorganized and will most likely take more than one day to finish. But here goes...

If you know me personally or have read my blog from afar you are aware that summertime is my absolute favorite season of the year. Zeus knows that I will be off playing at some activity from early morning until late at night. This year is no exception, plus a few bonus experiences along the way.

The lack of posts certainly does not reflect the amount of time working on this computer and finetuning the images on the monitor. For weeks the kitchen island was transformed into my workroom. From that vantage point at least Zeus and I could see each other as he also worked at his desk in The Sanctuario. My cameras have been put through their paces recording births, marriages, graduations, birthdays, dancing and summertime activities. Some of my favorite images will be available at the Shooting Blog for those who might be interested. For those who want the abbreviated version, here goes:

THE WEDDING: The wedding of my nephew and his lovely new bride was incredible! The day was perfect and the never-ending smiles on faces were priceless. The breathtaking setting of the Bountiful LDS Temple and the happiness on their faces made photographing the occasion an unforgettable experience. And it was so much fun! You can see more images here.

BABIES: I love to play with newborn babies. In the first week you can fold them like a pretzel and usually they sleep right through it. In May I was excited to play with the newborn baby of some friends whose wedding I shot three years ago. Little Obi is so cute!

A week later I picked on Bella, the beautiful daughter of our close friends. All of that dark hair was amazing! My own daughters didn't have that much hair until they were three!! (only a slight exaggeration.)

Then nearly three weeks ago Little Miss arrived, our newest great-granddaughter (our family tree is very confusing so I won't even try to explain). She is perfect in EVERY way and I fell totally in love with her the minute I saw her. Her mommy was a good sport about letting me play with her! More images here.

THE POSSE: This new found pleasure of riding has become almost an obsession. The exciting part is that since Eris convinced me that I should try it we have now convinced quite a few others to join us. Athena, who never does anything halfway, is now just as nuts about this sport as we are. The Duchess is riding, as are a number of friends who are affectionately referred to as The Posse. Others are talking about joining us and we welcome everyone! Yesterday was particularly exciting for Athena and me as we helped Jubee take her first laps on a bike. She is nearing 14 years old and had never been on one. She was awesome! Little Ms. Eris will be competing in her first mini-triathlon this next Saturday and you can bet I'll be there with a camera! More posse photos here.

Riding vs. ralking, sorry MoneyWalker. In the summer heat there is no comparison. This morning I spent 2 1/2 hours riding the parkway and loved every second of it. I have found a way to continue numismatizing although it will never be as lucrative as ralking. There is a truck stop wash a short distance from the trail that pays out quite well. I'm thinking that in the fall I will go back to ralking at least once a week but for now, it's riding as often as I can.

That's enough for this post. There are a number of other stories left to be told and hopefully it won't take another six weeks to get them up!

(The totals listed below have been collected over the last six weeks.)

$.91

1.71

.93

1.34

1.13

4.52

1.52

1.80

1.16

1.33

6.37

2.41

Never a dull moment

This last week has been a blur. Every single day on the calendar was loaded with places to go and things to do. Early mornings and late nights were the norm. All of these activities were things that I enjoy doing. A number of bike rides were taken and new paths explored. (Future post to come.) We finally got to the pool yesterday to officially begin our summer holidays. (Another future post.) My cameras have been put through the paces on a number of shoots with some of my favorite people requiring many, many hours sitting in front of my computer culling through well over a thousand shots and editing, editing, editing. (Still a few more posts waiting to be written up.)

Zeus has been out of town for four days and is scheduled to return this evening. It's a good thing he hasn't been around because this house is a total disaster! Clothes piled up on my unmade bed, camera gear and computer equipment scattered all over the kitchen and great room, bike gear in all areas of the car and not a thing to eat in the refrigerator. As I returned home from my ralk this morning I noticed a few weeds that have sprouted up in the yard that even I am embarrassed about.


I have ten hours to put my house back in order, clean the car, pull the weeds, fill the fridge with food and hopefully get in an hour of rest on the patio. Until I return with the promised posts I will leave you with a few of my favorite images from the last week.




Have I mentioned lately how much I love my life?

$2.15 (that includes another paper dollar, two in a week!)

$.91

P.S. MoneyWalker, I haven't forgotten. The package is on my list of to-dos for this week.

Ground Score!!

I don't know where the time goes. Oh yeah, I remember. It's been a busy, busy week with lots of time spent at this computer (not blogging) and watching it rain outside, which it is doing as I work on this long-overdue post. Lots of camera time, editing, proofing and ordering, my favorite kind of busy-ness.

This morning I managed to get out ralking for an hour before the skies started dripping again. My weekday route takes me across an intersection that is rated one of the most dangerous in our state, and that is without the constant construction work that has dragged on for over a year. This morning the area was littered with broken pieces of motorcycle, a pretty scary sight.

This afternoon as Zeus and I were returning home from dinner I asked him to stop at the scene so I could pick up a piece of the motorcycle, or as the MoneyWalker calls it, a Ground Score. Yup, ten hours later it was still there, a large remnant of a saddlebag from a 2009 Harley-Davidson, complete with a beautiful inscribed reflector. I knew instantly that this would fit on the crossbars of my bike!


Well, what do you think? Kind of classes up the old lady wheels, eh?


$3.02

I'll make a million!!!

Moneywalker asked a question a few posts back about how my new bike has affected my thoughts and observations while exercising. After giving it some consideration and the with healing of my first road rash I can now answer.

Today our weather turned wintry again with rain and snow showers. In the past five years those conditions wouldn't have stopped me from lacing up the shoes and heading out to find shiny, round objects on the roads. I'm certainly not afraid of getting cold and wet. However, those same conditions will keep me off my bike. And that does not make me happy at all.

The last three weeks of riding has been interesting. I'm no longer afraid of cars whizzing past my left shoulder, although I must admit that I still give them plenty of respect and leeway. Mostly they are ignored except at intersections where I'm careful to make eye contact with drivers before crossing paths. Drivers making right turns are especially dangerous, a fact learned fast when I began running.

At first the transition from running against the traffic to riding with the traffic was weird. More than once I found myself on the wrong side of the road. Utah laws require bicycles to observe to all moving vehicle laws. The first time Eris showed me how to cross a major highway in a traffic lane was very unsettling but I'm now getting used to it. Still not ready to "shoot the gap" and don't plan on ever doing it.

As for numismatizing, it is much more difficult but certainly not impossible. There are three car washes along my current route. It's easy to get off the bike and take a quick stroll while catching a drink of water.

Road finds are much harder. But I think I've found a solution. Training wheels. Yup. Training wheels. I'm thinking that if I install them on my rear wheels and duct tape some powerful magnets to the bottom sticky-out side my ride totals will go up considerably. Yes? Just think... I could make a million off this idea!! Bikers of all kinds will be clamoring for my invention!

To answer the rest of MoneyWalker's question, the addition of biking to my exercise routine has had a few surprises. When out ralking there was nothing to keep me from slowing down or stopping altogether. Can't do that on a bike. I have to work to keep the mph at a decent level. I also believe the cardio benefits are much greater than ralking, at least for me personally. Mixing up the workouts relieves some of the boredom that was setting in.

Tonight while talking with Athena about her "boot camp" she mentioned how much she hates a treadmill and stationary bike. I totally agree. I want to be outside with fresh air, marveling at our incredible mountains and feeling the wind on my face. Each time I hear the frogs croaking in the pond or see the newborn ducklings on the canal I love it even more. Athena, you would love it. I dare you.

$1.99 (total from last week)

(The top photo is Little Ms. taken at a July 4th parade in 2009. She is now riding sans training wheels.)

Fran

The ground is rumbling in our part of the country. Two days ago there was an earthquake about 65 miles from here. Didn't feel it because at the time I was wrestling children into car seats. But something else is making the ground shudder. This quake is caused by an old friend who is rolling over in his grave, slapping his forehead in frustration and shouting curse words at me, all from six feet under.

Meet Fran. Many years ago we shared adjoining office spaces. Neither of us were especially busy at our respective jobs, he owning a specialty shoe store while I worked in an optical office where the doctor was partially retired. Fran was much older than I, and in fact was slightly older than my father. Nevertheless, we became good friends. We shared life stories, a restroom and most importantly, a refrigerator full of Diet Cola, his one indulgence.

Fran was one of the grounding forces during that unsettled time of my life. He listened to my rantings about kids, the ex, finances and health problems. He provided transportation when I temporarily could not drive. He celebrated when my GPA was good and chastised when it slipped below par. He was one of the few who attended my college graduation. He also never hesitated to give me a solid, fatherly tongue-lashing when I did anything that did not meet his approval, which was often. When I told him about Zeus and our plans to marry he was thrilled. Our friendship lasted many years.

Fran was a biker. Each morning his road bike made a two hour journey from his home to the office. At night it took him home. On Sundays it was a three hour HARD ride. We're talking grueling mountain passes and long, long distances. The pleasure he got out of getting all stinky and sweaty was a mystery to me.

I vividly remember getting to work one day and finding him hunched over in his office, still in his biking clothes, angry and with tears streaming down his face. Then I noticed the crumpled red bike in the corner. "She hit me! Look at my bike!". Totally ignoring the blood that covered his arms and legs, he was devastated about his beloved bike. That night I got phone call. He had been taken to the hospital for some internal injuries that had gone overlooked and spent a few days there recovering. A few weeks later he was back on a new bike.


Peddling those road bikes kept my friend alive for many years past his life expectancy. He had an incurable condition that finally took it's toll about ten years ago. At the funeral his riderless bike was parked next to the casket. Fran is still a legend among seasoned riders here.

In the last ten days I have thought of him often while learning to appreciate the wind in my face and the aching muscles of my gluteus maximus. The patch of road rash that is currently on my elbow is minuscule compared to the large scabs he wore after the three tangles with automobiles. I like to think he would be smiling each time I strap on the helmet and later return home all stinky and sweaty. And I'm sure he is wondering why it took me so long to discover how fun it can be.

$1.82

Spinning my wheels

Oh my goodness! It's like I'm eight years old again! That was the year that a shiny new bike was waiting for me under the Christmas tree.

Yesterday was Christmas all over again! The bike that I ordered last week finally arrived. It's a hybrid Raleigh, pearl white with lots of gears and brakes and other cool stuff. But the best part is the nice comfy seat that protects my backwards tailbone. I had resisted riding for thirty years ever since that fateful day getting off the ski lift...

I was a bit nervous when I test rode a number of bikes after not being on one in years but once I hopped aboard it came back fast. (Eris was with me and claimed to have flashbacks of the time I tried - unsuccessfully - to ride a motorcycle and crashed in front of my children.)

Yesterday afternoon Eris and I rode for a while around my neighborhood. This morning I took it out on the road for an hour and LOVED it!

Hopefully this new addition will put some zing back in my physical workouts. For the last few months ralking has become tiresome, especially while it's been so cold and wet. The plan is to alternate between the two. I'm also excited about riding with Eris, the Duchess and the grandkids. Maybe we can even get Athena to come with us! And Jubee, get ready!

$.03
(Obviously the numismatizing will suffer, but I did manage three pennies this morning.)