Lately, he eats with one foot in the air. One day when I was pouring his food into his dish, a large spider fell out of the sack and into his dish. I was startled and screamed and ran. It scared him and now he slowly goes to his dish to eat and holds one leg up, like that will get him away faster if something goes wrong. I may have to get him a new dish because he only wants to eat now when he is REALLY hungry. He sneaks up on the dish, grabs a mouth full and runs away between bites. He is a little neurotic.

Fozzie does this weird thing with his ears sometimes. It looks like his head is out the window of the car and the wind is blowing in his face, but he never does that when we are riding.
Who knows what goes on in his little dog brain.

My Little buddy!

Wayne and I have been empty nesters for several years now with the exception of our pets. When my poodle "Dusty" died I couldn't bear it and swore I wouldn't get a dog again for a very long time, if ever. Dusty was the smartest dog I had ever known. He played the piano and sang as he played, he played hide and seek, he did many tricks and was my little buddy. 5 years ago Wayne found a little red poodle for sale in Great Falls, Montana and asked if I was ready yet for a new dog. I didn't think I was but said maybe. He got it for me for Christmas and I love him so much. He is such a good boy, never poops on the floor and was very easy and quick to train. He is very affectionate and loves everyone. He barks when you leave because he doesn't want you to go, and he will sit on the bed and babysit the grandkids when they nap. His color is fading out a little but when we got him he was a very dark auburn color. We named him Fozzie because he looked like Fozzie Bear from the Muppets. He has his flaws.....barks too loud when someone comes by the house, licks too much and he is a wimp. He is afraid of loud noises, plastic bags, and getting under obstacles, but that's good in some ways because it keeps him out of the garbage. He will chase his stuffed squirrel for hours and loves Sunday mornings when Wayne and I are both still in bed and he can be the center of attention. He loves to chase the birds and kitties from our yard and I plant him his own cherry tomato plant because he LOVES tomatoes and will snack on them all summer when I let him out.

Some of my favorite things

I am trying to do my part for Mother Earth. I recycle everything I can, I changed out many light bulbs to compact florescent, I try to turn off the lights (not always successful on this) and try not to waste water. I also like to use earth friendly cleaning products when I can. I have found a couple of brands that I LOVE......Mrs. Meyers and Method. I went to the boutique called "Hip and Humble" this week to get some Mrs. Meyers all purpose cleaner. It was $12.00. Now that's a lot for a bottle of cleaner (even though you dilute it down), but saw it on the Internet for $7.99. Paying shipping would have upped the price to more than that at H & H so I didn't buy it. I was happy today because I went to World Market and found it for $7.99. That's $4 less per bottle and that's a gallon of gas by golly. Anyway, the products are not animal tested, are biodegradable and have a wonderful smell due to essential oils. My favorites are Mrs. Meyer's geranium and Method's pink grapefruit. I really don't like the smell of geraniums at all, but the cleaner really doesn't smell like them. It has rose essential oil and clove oil mixed in it and it smells wonderful. They also make verbena and lavender that smell great too. You can get the Method cleaner at Target for about $5.00 and it comes in a spray bottle.

I love this photo of camels!!! If you look carefully, you will see that the camels are in the front, and what you think are camels are really their shadows. I admire GOOD photographers and consider them true artists. I am a point and shoot type of photographer. I remember when I was a little girl my Dad had a really nice camera and light meter. He would whip out the meter wherever we were and would try to explain it to me. I never got it!! Guess I'll just forever appreciate those wonderful photographs of others.

This is a picture of Emerson at Easter. Isn't he stylin' ? I gave him a sunflower for his Mommy to plant . Amy's hair is casting a shadow on top of his head so it looks just like he has a comb-over. It is so funny to me. I really don't like comb-overs as I'd much rather see a bald head, but in this case it's pretty cute. And by the way, he is getting some real hair now.....enough for a fauxhawk... almost.

Did I mention that I love to read? I LOVE TO READ. Growing up I would enter the house and see my Dad reading a book or magazine 90% of the time. I used to think that was all he ever did. He is a very bright man and maybe because he read so much he gained a reservoir of knowledge about many things. I must have inherited his love for reading. I used to go to the little Cowley library every week for new books. I would get lost in the Nancy Drew mysteries, Mary Poppins books and anything else that looked like a fun place to escape to for a while. I still like mysteries and fun books but the last couple of weeks I have read two books which really had an impact on my life. One is "Left to Tell" about the holocaust in Rwanda. I can't say I enjoyed reading it. It was more like I felt I needed to read it to understand life in other parts of the world better. It is about a woman's struggle to live through an African holocaust nightmare and yet keep an unwavering faith in God even as she witnessed the death of all her family members except one brother. The other book was given to to me by my daughter-in-law Kee and is a story about one woman's connection to her great grandmother. She studied her grandmother's life and wrote about her homesteading adventure in Eastern Montana. It is called "Hattie Big Sky." It details the struggles, hardships and fun times trying to establish a homestead near Wolf Point. I am so glad that I live at this time in the world and in this wonderful country. I am a strong woman in many ways, but I know I wouldn't have made it in pioneer times because of the extreme deprivation and challenges of the weather, ( I like mine temperatures to be 60 to 80 degrees) or can I even imagine losing those that I love so much. I am a much more grateful person these days because of the messages in these books.

I have this thing for soap. I don't know why. I have been collecting ( yes, and using ) it for years. Every time we go on a trip I buy a bar or two. Every time I go to a little boutique or bath store, I buy soap. I even found a bar at the nursery where I buy my plants. I buy it at local art shows, at bazaars, at the mall, and even in little quaint stores along the road. My favorites are the ones that smell like citrus fruits, but I also like the oatmeal variety, the kind filled with seeds to be used as an exfoliant, the beautiful and mild scented French milled soaps, and the ones made with goat's milk. I buy them and give them to friends and my daughters for Christmas. I seem to remember that the ones I give my daughters end up as decorations in the bathroom instead of in the shower however. I should probably start making my own but in truth that might become work, and half the fun of soap for me is finding it. Thank you Crabtree and Evelyn, thank you E Barrett, thank you Archipelago (the pomegranate is divine) thank you Asouith and Somerset, thank you Pre' de Provence, thank you Pamplemousse,

thank you Olivia Care and thank you Dove. Now I don't know if this is connected, but I notice that when I am on walks tiny little bugs will fly in a circle over my head. I'm not sure what to make of that since I am clean. Oh, they think I am a flower. Yes that's my story and I'm stickin' to it.

Millie Turns Four

The two cutest Hawaiian girls on the planet

Colett gets a little smoochie from the The video hula instructions begin.

birthday girl.

Millie is happy as a hula dancer and Grandma's girl.
Aloha Oi

I went to a Luau yesterday. It was hosted by my daughter Colett and in honor of my little granddaughter Millie. She turned 4 yesterday. We played limbo, had hula instruction, ate cupcakes, had a puppet show and watched as she opened presents so fast that papers were everywhere and her gifts stacked in a matter of 5 minutes. She is a little shy so we didn't know how she would act at her party year but she had a great time and never exhibited her shyness all evening. She was in her glory and is now the proud owner of 2 kites, 2 balls, 2 outfits, jewelry, and art supplies. Her favorite part was just being the center of attention and that's what birthday parties are for. Happy Birthday to our Silly Millie!!!

Picture of my ankle hardware.

Well, I went to the doctor this morning. I needed a complete physical and blood work but had been putting it off. I had my colonosocopy when I was supposed to, I get my teeth cleaned twice a year, I have my mammograms, and I get my eyes checked every year. My blood pressure is good, my cholesterol is borderline but holding, my blood sugar is normal, my kidneys are functioning properly as is my liver. OK, all is well right? When I went in today, the Doc said it was time to do another MRI on a tumor that I have on my pituitary gland, a bone density test for Osteoporosis (since I am in that age category) and is fitting me for a device that checks my heart for palpitations.... which I have had too many lately. My joints have been aching from a fall that I had decorating for Christmas a few years ago. I had broken my knee badly and my ankle even worse. My foot was turned completely backwards at one point and now my leg is the proud owner of several rods and pins. My thyroid turned out to be sluggish and I have to decide if I want to go on medication for that for the rest of my life. He said between my pituitary and thyroid, it is almost impossible to lose weight. Don't I know it. After further tests, they found another tumor on my brain in a different spot but feel it is benign and will just keep doing MRI's yearly to make sure it doesn't change. I am too plump right now and hating every minute of it. It's hard to exercise on my leg that still really doesn't work correctly and I miss the real me. Then I look around me and see those with real sorrows and real health problems and I feel blessesd.


Life is good!! It really is!! Yes, it really, really is!!

Shon in 2007

On April 6th, 1970, Wayne and I welcomed our new baby son. Oh he was beautiful and perfect in every way. He had golden hair that the nurses found delight in, and each time they would bring him in, he would have a new hairdo. He was a very good baby and such a blessing to us. He had the biggest blue eyes. How did that happen? Wayne's eyes are brown and mine are green. Each time one of our children was born, we would pick out a song that was just for them and we would sing it to them throughout their life. Shon's was "Close to you" by the Carpenters. On the day that you were born the angels got together and decided to create a dream come true, so they sprinkled moon dust in your hair of gold and starlight in your eyes of blue... etc. He is 38 now and we still sing it to him. He is such a smart and talented young man, one of those guys that can fix anything or else figure out how to, and we are so proud of him. Happy Birthday Shon, we love you tons.

You may have several recipes for a spinach salad and dressing, and most of them are very good, but this is my favorite. It's easy and the dressing is much better if made the day before.

Dressing:
2 T mustard (I actually like honey mustard)
1 T poppy seeds
1/3 c. white sugar
3/4 canola oil
1/3 c. vinegar
3/4 t. salt
pinch of pepper
Put in a jar with a lid and shake, shake, shake

Salad:
1 bag BABYspinach
1 head bib lettuce (The combination of spinach and lettuce make it better than just spinach)
8 oz. sliced mushrooms
1/2 pound bacon fried crisp and chopped
3/4 pound grated swiss cheese
1 red onion chopped (or use less to taste)
2 cans Mandarin oranges or fresh cut strawberries
1 c. slivered almonds (put them in a fry pan with 1/3 cup sugar and carmelize them and cool)

Put dressing on salad just before serving.

I am STILL thinking about old things, of the things that are "GONE", the things that I loved and can't get any more. I have a partially used bottle of Postum and when that is gone, it will only be a memory. Did you know that Kraft Foods quit making it? I loved Product 19 cereal and it just disappeared from the grocery shelves. I think you can get it on the east coast in some places but not here.

I LOVED Quench pop. I used to be able to get it in Powell, Wyoming at the golf course and now I can't find it at all. It was made from pummelo grapefruit and had the most refreshing flavor. It was like Squirt.... but better. I use to love a lotion called Cara Nome that you could get at the Rexall Drug but that is no more, and Wayne used to wear an after shave called "Black Watch" that smelled soooo good and that is now only a memory. I wish that when companies decide to stop making a product they would tell us (me) first so I could stock up. When I was a young girl I used to like "Evening in Paris" perfume but maybe it's good that I can't find that any more. I think it was a cheapy fragrance. Ah sweet memories!! Maybe I should stop waxing nostalgic and just look to the future, but what fun is that?