There are days I look like Maxine (the comic book version). I have a great straw hat, ok a couple of them- one's a beat up cowboy hat, that's my favorite. The other is a wide brimmed summer hat. Then I have the wrap around sunglasses, an old t-shirt and a pair of baggy capris, plus crew socks and tennies that give the illusion that I'm 4 1/2 foot tall. These are my 'embarass the children' days, but it's comfortable and I don't care if they get ruined. I was rebuilding part of the drip system, trimming the grapes, sweeping the porch. It's messy, dirty work, not a beauty pageant!
There are 3 dogs here now, and they have to be in the back yard while the chickens are out in the side yard. We all know chickens are dumber than rocks, so they are happily pecking around the yard while 2 of the dogs are sniffing excitedly at the gate, the fence, hoping for a chance to check out those chicks up close....
We have figs! We bought the tree 6 years ago, and have had the beginnings of fruit on it every year, but this is the first time they actually grew and ripened. It's a black fig, and so delicious! They don't ripen all at once, just a few every day, so I've been eating 3-4 a day all week long. The grapes are ripening, they'll be ready by next week maybe. There are tomatoes, peppers, lettuce and cucumbers coming on too. I planted 3 tomatoes, 2 peppers, 4-5 cucumbers, a few green beans. I had several squash, but David was weeding a couple weeks ago and thought they were weeds. Either that or he didn't want that many squash... It's not a big garden, enough to eat fresh veggies from but not enough to can. Luckily, Hauser's Farm in Camp Verde has the best corn, so we have fresh corn when we want it. In fact, I think it's time for a corn run. Maybe I'll wear my Maxine outfit!
Monday, August 11, 2008
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
We just got back from Colorado, and can you believe we took the heat with us? It was 107 degrees here when we left on Friday, and I was really looking forward to cooler temperatures in western Colorado. Glenwood Springs is typically in the 80's to 90's this time of year, much nicer than Arizona. Wouldn't you know, all of Colorado and Utah were in a heat wave, it was nearly 100 when we landed there! We stayed in the Hotel Colorado, an elegant old hotel in Glenwood that was built in 1893. Beautiful, but no air conditioning; we only had a ceiling fan and nearly cooked!
The wedding open house was great, our friends the Olmstead's always put on a great party. It was held at their home near Silt, Colorado. A nice outdoor gathering that brought many of our old friends together, so we could enjoy the wedding festivities and also visit with many great friends. The bride, Vanessa, is beautiful and spunky, while the groom is handsome, earnest and they are madly in love with each other. Congratulations to them, and the best of wishes for a long and happy marriage. KJ is an airplane mechanic in the Air Force, so they are headed back to Georgia to start their new life together.
Silt is in the heart of a natural gas boom, so while the rest of the country is struggling in a deep recession, the gas business is propping up the economy there. There is a lot of work available, but it's a rural area, so housing is limited. Most of the people at the wedding party have lived in Garfield county for years, and have seen energy booms before- in the 40's there was Uranium, the 70's brought oil shale, and now natural gas is the latest big thing. They've seen it boom and bust too many times to get very excited, but it does make for a lively conversation.
Monday we drove to Annabella, Utah, to visit David sister Bess and her husband Tom. We also stopped at the cemetery to visit Dad Farr's grave. Bess takes good care of it, and keeps nice flowers there. His headstone has a saw and hammer carved into it, and the statement- Arizona educator 1938-1979. He taught in Fredonia for most of that time, and his specialty was woodworking. He made beautiful furniture, and taught so many students how to do so also. I miss him so much, and I'm glad we could go by to pay our respects.
The wedding open house was great, our friends the Olmstead's always put on a great party. It was held at their home near Silt, Colorado. A nice outdoor gathering that brought many of our old friends together, so we could enjoy the wedding festivities and also visit with many great friends. The bride, Vanessa, is beautiful and spunky, while the groom is handsome, earnest and they are madly in love with each other. Congratulations to them, and the best of wishes for a long and happy marriage. KJ is an airplane mechanic in the Air Force, so they are headed back to Georgia to start their new life together.
Silt is in the heart of a natural gas boom, so while the rest of the country is struggling in a deep recession, the gas business is propping up the economy there. There is a lot of work available, but it's a rural area, so housing is limited. Most of the people at the wedding party have lived in Garfield county for years, and have seen energy booms before- in the 40's there was Uranium, the 70's brought oil shale, and now natural gas is the latest big thing. They've seen it boom and bust too many times to get very excited, but it does make for a lively conversation.
Monday we drove to Annabella, Utah, to visit David sister Bess and her husband Tom. We also stopped at the cemetery to visit Dad Farr's grave. Bess takes good care of it, and keeps nice flowers there. His headstone has a saw and hammer carved into it, and the statement- Arizona educator 1938-1979. He taught in Fredonia for most of that time, and his specialty was woodworking. He made beautiful furniture, and taught so many students how to do so also. I miss him so much, and I'm glad we could go by to pay our respects.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Tag You're It
1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!
2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you! reminisce away...
2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you! reminisce away...
Jerome in the Summer
My traveling buddy Julie called me today, and met me in Jerome. We used to hang out in Jerome in high school, but back then it was still a dusty ghost town. The hippies had come in and bought up some of the old abandoned homes, created communes and artist colonies. Gettin' high was just a fact of life there, it was a very interesting place to people-watch. Julie and I'd leave Prescott and the real world, drive over the mountain and drop into a little slice of California. Well, that's what it seemed like to me-it was psychedelic and a bit drug-addled. Not much has changed there.....
Jerome, Arizona went through an ugly tourist-trap phase in the 1990's, but I'm happy to say that many shops have gone back to the artist colony roots; I see a lot more work from local and Arizona artists there. We had lunch together at the grill downtown, then meandered up and down the streets, chatting and checking out the great stores. Just like we did 36 years ago... boy how time flies! There is a marvelous yarn shop there, it also has beads, and just about every fiber temptation a knitter could want. It's called Knit 1 Bead 2, I think. I didn't buy yarn there, but only because I'd found some lovely recycled silk yarn at another store, so I wasn't as tempted as usual.
I posted a picture of the project I'm working on now, it's an argyle scarf, which is reversible. I can't even begin to explain how it's done, but it looks really cool! It's the first time I've done this technique, so I'm having a lot of fun learning and working on it.
Jerome, Arizona went through an ugly tourist-trap phase in the 1990's, but I'm happy to say that many shops have gone back to the artist colony roots; I see a lot more work from local and Arizona artists there. We had lunch together at the grill downtown, then meandered up and down the streets, chatting and checking out the great stores. Just like we did 36 years ago... boy how time flies! There is a marvelous yarn shop there, it also has beads, and just about every fiber temptation a knitter could want. It's called Knit 1 Bead 2, I think. I didn't buy yarn there, but only because I'd found some lovely recycled silk yarn at another store, so I wasn't as tempted as usual.
I posted a picture of the project I'm working on now, it's an argyle scarf, which is reversible. I can't even begin to explain how it's done, but it looks really cool! It's the first time I've done this technique, so I'm having a lot of fun learning and working on it.
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Wonderful Weekend
It's Sunday evening, Nic and I are watching Ice Road Truckers. Actually, he's reading- 'God, Emporer of Dune', and I'm watching tv. I went to church this morning, and attended Sunday School, so I made it for 2 hours today. My goal is to attend all 3 meetings every Sunday, I haven't done that since 2006. I attend the main meeting, Sacrament, on most Sundays now, but I'm still not strong enough to stay for 3 hours yet. Our church holds most of the meetings on Sundays, so we have a long day, but it's great to feel the Spirit and honor the Sabbath.
Dakota was over all day yesterday, it's always fun to have her here. They colored, played with Lego's and waded in the pool. Of course we watched Finding Nemo, no visit is complete without that. Nic is moving up here next week, he'll be working for Best by Farr now, so we'll get to see Dakota much more, as he's hoping to have her every weekend. Yippee!
The chickens are doing very well, Lucky and Betty have healed and are back with the twins. Betty's feathers have filled in again, so she has very little bare skin showing. Lucky's leg has healed up, although it is bent awkwardly a little. It doesn't seem to bother her though, and she is speeding around the pen just like the others. I was worried about her, but she's young and strong I guess. We've had marvelous, wonderful rain over the past several days. It rained really hard yesterday, and has rained a little almost every day the past week. The dirt is still damp outside, that is unusual in 100 degree heat. Around here, the ground is dry within 24 hours after the rain, so it's taken a lot of moisture to keep it damp. Overall, we've had a great weekend!
Dakota was over all day yesterday, it's always fun to have her here. They colored, played with Lego's and waded in the pool. Of course we watched Finding Nemo, no visit is complete without that. Nic is moving up here next week, he'll be working for Best by Farr now, so we'll get to see Dakota much more, as he's hoping to have her every weekend. Yippee!
The chickens are doing very well, Lucky and Betty have healed and are back with the twins. Betty's feathers have filled in again, so she has very little bare skin showing. Lucky's leg has healed up, although it is bent awkwardly a little. It doesn't seem to bother her though, and she is speeding around the pen just like the others. I was worried about her, but she's young and strong I guess. We've had marvelous, wonderful rain over the past several days. It rained really hard yesterday, and has rained a little almost every day the past week. The dirt is still damp outside, that is unusual in 100 degree heat. Around here, the ground is dry within 24 hours after the rain, so it's taken a lot of moisture to keep it damp. Overall, we've had a great weekend!
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