What a Wonderful Day!

I got this in email, and thought I'd share it....




Hope your day is truly wonderful!

Back at the Lift

I'm sorry, patient readers. I'm not done with the lift! I would have posted all these pictures yesterday, but picasa will only post four at a time. There are people who know their way around this, but I don't.

After the work was done, the lift became a carnival ride. Mom went up and away.......that's her in the first picture.....

Then, I got my turn in the tree tops with a view of Thumb Butte.

And last, but never least.........The outsides of my upstairs windows got washed! Life is good.......

I think I have it out of my system, now........

Tree Cutting

A few years back, a pine bark beetle attacked trees in our area, killing thousands of trees in the Prescott National Forest and on privately owned property.
My daughter and SIL
who live next door, lost five big Ponderosa Pines.
The dead trees were dangerous, but estimates to remove them ranged from $15.000 to $20,000.
They were shopping around for a better deal when...

Enter our son who insisted he could take down the trees if they would rent a lift. It seemed dangerous to the rest of us and they tried to say no, but in the end, he prevailed and they rented a sixty foot lift.

This tree that towered 15 or 20 feet above the 60 foot reach of the lift was first.
A judicious cut, and then it was pulled over landing with an earth shaking crash, exactly where he had planned for it to fall.
( I was wringing my hands and praying at the time, I think that helped)

The rest of the tree came down in sections, logs plopping to earth one by one, not so scary.
He took all five trees down and then popped over to do one at our house and up to some neighbors to do some tree trimming.

My Grandson, another capable guy, was there with a backhoe to clean and arrange logs. Much of this wood has already been burned in winter fireplaces.

A Pretty Picture!

I'm so glad to see that my Great Grandson, Riley is helping his Mom take care of his new baby sister Alyssa Wendie. Wish I could be there to help them!

Well, not today because I'm still sniffy and snuffly, but I do long to wrap my arms around those two!

**** ***

Thanks, for your good wishes and thanks, Shammickite, at the Rook's Nest, for your hot-toddy recipe. Although I had to substitute Irish Whiskey for the Scotch, those hot drinks at bedtime do take the sting out of hosting a virus.

*

As I cuddled up with a Thomas Perry thriller and a box of Kleenex, I couldn't help pondering the existence of viruses. They are not living yet they are ever ready to invade a host's living cells, boring their way through the cell membrane to take control, like microscopic versions of the creatures in 'The Body Snatchers.' In my mind they are more linked to the mechanical, alien armies of science fiction than something that belongs here on earth.

Pay no attention, it's just the ramblings of a fevered mind.......I'll be better tomorrow!

Catching a Cold...

Well, Bodder!
I've been fighting off a cold for days, but it's winning. I'm reeking of garlic, drowning in fluids, and full of chicken soup. There are a couple of humongous vitamin C tablets wedged crosswise in my esophagus.
I did post on Prescott Past today, but now I think I'll go lie down.

I'll try to do some catching up in the blogosphere a little later....after a snooze.........

Have a Sweet Day!

Who knew?

You're never too old to learn!
I am in my seventy-first year and I just learned some new definitions!

Silly me, I thought that Government monies devoted to infrastructure meant money and jobs reinforcing highways, bridges, dams, levies, water ways, and public transit.

I thought the stimulus bill was to pay Americans to work while improving basic conditions in America.

Now I have learned that infrastructure also can mean..water parks and Frisbee parks, miniature golf courses and polar bear enclosures.

I have learned that it means $240,000,000 to shore up the sagging film industry.
(Just maybe Hollywood should start producing movies with real plots, lively dialogue, and fewer moral lessons for those of us too dumb to see it their way. After all, they are the entertainment. Let them actually entertain and viewers will come back.)

I have learned that infrastructure can mean free abortions for women around the world.

How about a snow making and maintenance facility?

Or $375,000,000 for a Las Vegas Convention Center?

For a look at requests from United States cities and towns you can go to
Stimulus Watch where you can see how much for what projects Mayors across the country are requesting, and if you have knowledge of a project in your area, vote yes or no on it.

There were no requests from my town, but quite a few from other towns and cities in Arizona.

Wild Goose Chase....

A couple of weeks ago, our Chino Valley kids called to tell us there were over a hundred wild geese grazing on a field near their house. The next morning, we rose before dawn hoping see them before they left. I clutched my camera, dreaming of an award winning photo of the valiant birds, wings beating, lifting against a rose tinted sunrise, perhaps circling above us in farewell before winging their way Northward in a classic V formation...

Before dawn on Saturday morning we drove to Chino, and although my son had to work, our DIL and Granddaughters were up and ready to go watch the wild geese with us. We sat in the car with the windows rolled down, huddled together for warmth, sipping coffee and hot chocolate from our travel mugs. We had arrived plenty early, so we had a little wait. Roo, who had seen the geese just at twilight the night before gave whispered instructions as to the best places to watch and then we waited, squinting at the field as the dark made it's infinitesimal progress into light... and, wouldn't you know......we could finally see.. that the geese had flown!

We decided to make the most of it so, after a lovely fat, sodium, carb, and sugar filled breakfast with our fellow goose chasers, we drove North to Sullivan Lake. No good news there, for sure. There's a just little puddle. But we did get some lovely photos of some low flying clouds that made this Chino Valley hill look like a mysterious mountain.......

click any of these for full effect..especially the last one....

no effort is ever truly wasted.....is it?

Light Fingers

I posted another lovely old Post Card on Prescott Past. I hope you'll take a look!

When I was a little girl, my Grandmother used to quote:

Taffy was a Welshman,
Taffy was a thief;
Taffy came to my house
And stole a piece of beef

I went to Taffy's house,
Taffy was not home;
Taffy came to my house
And stole a marrow bone.

I went to Taffy's house,
Taffy was not in;
Taffy came to my house
And stole a silver pin.

I went to Taffy's house,
Taffy was in bed;
I took up a poker
And threw it at his head.

There are several versions of this old Welsh/English nursery rhyme, but this is the one I remember. Except, I believe the last line was and hit him on the head!

Well, I went to Tombo's house and this is what I stole!

http://www.savethewords.org/

This is something for all readers, writers, and Scrabble players to think about. Speaking of Scrabble, I'd better write some of those vanishing words down while I have the chance! I have decided to adopt the word Flosculation, meaning an embellishment or ornament in speech, and also Prandicle, meaning a small meal.

Two adoptive words are a big responsibility since you pledge to use them on a regular basis, but they both have an intrinsic appeal for me. Don't be surprised to read them here on ocasion.

If you choose to adopt a word, I hope you'll leave me a comment telling me what you chose!!

How Green is my Thumb?

Before I lose myself in winter wist for summer sun and green growing things, I do hope you'll pop over to the ice encased world of The Fields Beyond where Cate has described in her exquisite prose, a meeting of the minds between canine denizens of her 200 acre wood and her new best friend, Spencer. For me, a visit to Cate is always a balm for the soul....

It's time to order those seeds! After mulling over the seemingly infinite possibilities, Ee and I have decided on garden-lite. For me, tomatoes, tomatoes, tomatoes and a bit of Swiss chard. Of course easy to grow zucchini, yellow crook neck, butternut, and spaghetti squash. Maybe I'll put a little Black Seeded Simpson lettuce in my flower garden.

I love beets, but Ee has never cared for them and he does the hard work, so they didn't make the cut. Let me hasten to add that I know he'd gladly grow them just for me, but I want to keep it simple..they do look good though........

We aren't supposed to grow morning glories here, but I ordered some from a catalog a few years ago and not only did they arrive on my doorstep, but I still have some seeds left!

And tomatoes..........I'm still trying to decide on the ones I want and it's about time to get them planted in flats where they'll get lots of light from the kitchen window.

Early girl of course, as they do best in our short growing season. And I want to try some of those little gape tomatoes that can be tossed in a salad wholeand tase great . An heirloom tomato is a must too. I'm looking for the right one, probably Black Prince. And one of the greatest joys in all this is that all this planning and looking ahead is sooooo easy!

Happy Birthday Granny J.!

If you get a chance, drop over to Walking Prescott and offer your congratulations to Prescott's premier blogger!