Funky Little Men

This little guy came with the house when we bought it.  I don't have the heart to get rid of him, so I move him around all summer long and this is just where he's been sitting all winter.  I love the little smirk on his face.  How could I ever get rid of him now? He's a part of this funky little herb garden. 

I took a quick tour of my backyard herb garden this morning with my camera. I have not been very inspired lately to get out and get new photos.  The gas price last night at our local Shell station read $3.53. The increasing prices may keep us closer to home until it's warm enough to get on the motorcycle, which gets about 52 miles to the gallon.

Chives are coming up.

I forget what these are called. They will bloom!

Everything is coming up right on time!

Missy doesn't care about spring, she just wants to play.

I hope wherever you are that spring is poking through the ground.

love, susan

My Bucket List

Shhhhhh ... Silent Retreat

Whenever I think about my bucket list, going on a silent retreat is always the first thing that comes to mind.  I don't think I'd want it to be for a whole week or anything drastic like that ... maybe just a weekend.  I want it to be someplace sunny and warm, maybe by the beach, with wonderful food, a comfy bed, gourmet coffee and a place where I can write in my journal.  I've never really looked for any weekend silent retreats but I know they're out there.  Someday .... I'm going to do this.

Sundance Film Festival

The Sundance Film Festival is on my bucket list because it's totally do-able and I can't think of any better way to spend a week than going from movie to movie and then talking about it with other movie lovers.  

Someday ... I'm doing this!!! 



Less specifically on my bucket list:

• see more waterfalls with Gene
• ride a road I haven't been on yet
• take a trip to Fairbanks in March with Gene to see the Northern Lights & ice sculptures
• .......................... (will fill in the blanks)

What's on your list? And what's stopping you from doing it?

love, susan

The Kitchen Ballet

I have to chuckle at myself sometimes because I start writing about something and it just goes off onto another trail. It's how my mind works. If you have been following me, I'm sure you already get that. Yesterday, I started out talking about Joshua trees but ended up in the kitchen.

Which got me to thinking about my kitchen and ballet.  (I need therapy ... I know). 

I chose this photo to post which I took in 2008 when one of Gene's daughters and her family came to visit us. I think it was their first visit to our house since we moved to Washington and we didn't have any furniture yet and were sitting on lawn chairs in our living room. The kitchen is always where we all end up together ....

These grand kids love to eat. I've noticed ever since I became a part of their family that you no sooner get the breakfast dishes put away before you hear "what's for lunch".  The thing is, these kids are very active. They don't do much time in front of the TV. When they come to visit, we usually walk down to the Columbia River from our place and there is a great playground there and nice walking trails. It's a good 3 mile round-trip walk and they're hungry when we get home.

The kitchen ballet (you thought I wasn't going to talk about the kitchen, huh) is simply when I'm in the kitchen, I'm all over the place.  I was thinking about it this morning when I was doing the dishes. The reason I'm always moving in the kitchen is that my mind usually has about 5 things on its "to do" list. For instance, I need to make my lunch, figure out something for breakfast, make OJ, wipe down the counters, put the clean clothes in the dryer, feed the dog.  WAIT .... put the clean clothes in the dryer?  Yeah, it's all about timing.

Break.  I gotta go put the clothes in the dryer ... RIGHT NOW.

Back to the kitchen ballet.  Yeah. When I'm in the kitchen, there are many things going on and I can be standing at the stove one moment stirring the oatmeal and the very next moment I'm in a cupboard across the room looking for crackers for my lunch.  And, heaven help the people and animals who stand in my way. I'm working on having more patience in this area of my life but I haven't quite got it down yet, the patience part. I've met very few people who I can be in the kitchen with who think like I do and can sense when I'm about to make a strategic move. Our dog and cat have even started joining us in the kitchen every morning and I find myself straddling them to get around. I think I need a door on the kitchen. Yeah! That's what I need.

Let me break it down in a visual 

The thing is I have this much stuff to do: <--------------------------------->
and this much time:                                                    <--------------->


I don't have time to waste my steps.  See my previous post on this topic: "Never Waste a Step" 

Gotta go now ... and get on that darn treadmill.


love, susan

Joshua Trees & Searchlight, Nevada

Gene and I are both pretty fascinated with the Joshua Tree.  There is a Joshua Tree Highway (see Nevada_State Route 164) in Nevada that takes you out of Las Vegas, through Primm, Nevada and on up to Searchlight, Nevada, home of the 10-cent cup of coffee.  It's our favorite stopping place for lunch or breakfast. They have the old-fashioned slot machines that still spit out nickels when you win. We're not gamblers but we usually donate a dollar each to the old Nugget Casino when we stop there. We stopped on our way home from Phoenix a couple of weeks ago but didn't leave our dollar this time. Gas prices are on the rise ... seems like we'll be needing those extra dollars ... every one we can scrounge up ... just to get around town.

We have some favorite places everywhere we go.  Whenever we have traveled in the Southwest, I always tell Gene, "let's be sure to go through Searchlight".  I don't know why ... there's nothing really there.  It just seems like a great destination.  Truthfully, I love that it's this funky little spot out in the middle of freakin' nowhere.  And, the fact that Harry Reid is from Searchlight just cracks me up.  Who'd a thunk?

When you go into the Nugget Casino restaurant in Searchlight for your 10-cent cup of coffee, you'll be greeted not by young, hot, skinny waitresses like you'd expect in a Vegas casino, but by grandmotherly type women who are serious about taking your order and gettin' it to the table. I'm intrigued by the fact that we've been stopping in Searchlight on our many ventures for 9 years now and the same women are always there, always a year older and always with a little less happiness on their faces. It's tough to get a conversation going with them. I've watched Gene try ... and they are tough old bats.  As you drive out of Searchlight, it's easy to see that it would be a tough place to live. It's literally in the middle of nowhere. What's to talk about  ... the weather???

Still, when I visit places like Searchlight, I try to imagine what it would be like to live there. In Searchlight, I'll bet it's a bit like living in Haines, Alaska, without the snow and water.  When I lived in Haines as a teenager, we loved seeing the cruise ships come in and people driving through to put their vehicles on the ferry to go south. There was a wealth of information about other places in the world, and if you are brave enough to talk to strangers, you can learn a lot about the world in just a few minutes asking questions like, "so, where are you from?"

This last time we stopped in Searchlight, the restaurant was full and we ended up sitting at the breakfast bar to split a yummy burger & fries. There were two cooks in the back staying busy with orders and instead of slipping my dollar in a nickel machine, I opted to just sit back and watch the waitresses do their thing. There were 3 of them behind the breakfast bar, which is very narrow and crowded. It's sort of like watching a ballet without the the fancy outfits & tights and ballerina shoes. I knew what Gene was thinking as I watching these wonderful women plucking bread out of the toaster and reaching around each other for butter and salad dressing, etc.  He knew I was cringing at the thought of having to work in such tight quarters. We talked about it as we got going down the highway. I have a pretty big kitchen and can hardly stand to have anyone in it when I'm cooking & cleaning. I'm weird that way.

Wrapping this up.  I love watching people.  I also love Joshua Trees and Searchlight, Nevada.  I know we'll travel through there again ... even though we've been there a gazillion times.  It doesn't seem to matter how many cups of cheap coffee you've had or how many times you've seen a Joshua tree, there are some things that you just want to experience again because it's always just as good as you remembered.

Do you have a favorite place?  Do tell!

love, susan 

 

Voices

Ever had voices in your head ... constantly ... going back and forth about what you should do?  That's what has been happening pretty much since the weekend. 

It all started when I decided I need to go buy some new slacks. I had to go up a pant size because I just can't seem to eat better food and the winter pounds really took a toll on my bootie this year.  I have been so uncomfortable in my normal wardrobe and it has reduced  me to constant daily self-loathing.  My nephew once told me I have a ghetto bootie.  I definitely do now. I was looking in the mirror over the weekend and I'm like "how'd that get there"?  Good grief.

On Friday, I pulled out a pair of casual khakis that I bought some time ago and have only worn once or twice. They are super cute and extremely comfortable because I bought them one size up. One of my friends at work actually commented on how nice they looked.  I admitted to her that I had to buy a size up and that I was feeling extra comfortable that day.  She said, "yeah, sometimes you just gotta do that. There's nothing worse than a tight waistline."  Truer words have not been spoken.

When I was trying on blouses, I noticed the arm sleeves are so tight it's just ridiculous.  One voice in my head said, "oh, those Chinese people are really making the arms so much smaller", but then I got to really looking at my arms and they're actually fat. Yikes. When did that happen???

So, the voices in my head (there are two of them) keep having this conversation that goes something like this:

Older, wiser voice: "Susan, you're almost 52 years old. You're never going to be skinny-mini again. Get over yourself. Enjoy your life. Have some chocolate. Life is short. "

Younger, hang-onto-to-my-youth-for-as-long-as-I-can voice: "You're not old. You still need to eat healthy and exercise. Don't give in to the sugar. It's only a temporary satisfaction. You'll regret it. Eat a piece of fruit. Have a glass of water."

Older, maybe-not-so-wise voice: "What difference does it make? You're just getting older and fatter and that's just the way it is. Look at everyone around you. It happens to everyone. Just give in and let it go. Eat dessert first."

As I write this, I have 15 minutes to go before I need to get on the treadmill. I didn't even get on it yesterday. I gave in to the "older" voice.

This is an everyday battle ... hanging on to my health. I haven't give up .... just yet.  But there are days when I want to.  

Not today.


love, susan

March Madness

We went for a nice walk yesterday in the 'hood. "Tickles", our little neighbor dog, decided to walk with us. Our neighbors don't have a fenced yard and he kind of just runs the streets but always seems to know where home is.  He stayed right with us the whole way and when we got home, I let Missy off her lead so they could wrestle in the front yard.  Tickles was looking for love but Missy just wanted to play.

Even though it was a beautiful, blue sky day, it was really cold.  There was ice formed on a water dish I leave outside for the furry ones. 

 

We went for a short motorcycle scoot about 2:00 p.m. out to McNary Wildlife Refuge to see some birds. I dressed warmly but still came home feeling like a popsicle, cold to the bone.

I know my bird pictures start all looking the same but I can't help shooting them. There were a lot of geese at the refuge today and their 'calling' was really awesome to listen to. I hope to visit the refuge many more times when it warms up a bit.

Canadian geese - March 2011 at McNary Wildlife Refuge

I was reading a poster on the wall inside a bird viewing shack that's near the water. I can hardly wait for the pelicans to arrive.  These Canadian geese are kind of boring and I'd like to say I'll never taken another photo of one again but I'm pretty sure that wouldn't be true.  I wasn't feeling well over the weekend and I could hardly get moving. I've noticed a real correlation between how I'm feeling and my photos.  "I'm just not feelin' it" has taken on meaning for me.

I know this too shall pass.  It's Monday morning, once again.  I'm off to the salt mines, so to speak.  Hope you have a wonderful day.  Hope I have a wonderful day!

love, susan 

Shake Your Groove Thing

Don't you just love to dance?

"You've gotta dance like there's nobody watching,
Love like you'll never be hurt,
Sing like there's nobody listening,
And live like it's heaven on earth."
— William W. Purkey

 *********************

The above photo was taken almost 2 years ago at my son & daughter-in-law's wedding reception.  The lady in yellow is a long-time friend of Amanda's family.  LJ is a real kick in the pants and we loved sharing the wedding weekend with her and other members of Amanda's family.  We're going to see LJ again at Justin & Amanda's graduation in May. Justin's grandpa and Nancy will be there. Amanda's mom is flying in from Michigan.  And, we discovered our good friends from Phoenix will be in Flagstaff as their son is also graduating that weekend. Perhaps we'll be able to find a place to go out dancing while we're there. 

Amanda and her brother

I'm not sure if Justin has ever seen his Grandpa Clark dance.  My dad is a fabulous dancer and there is nothing that puts a smile on his face more than leading ladies around the floor. I've danced with him a few times and although I'm not a great dancer, I do love to get out and shake it.  My husband is also a fabulous dancer and he has taught me how to enjoy dancing.

We're going to a Spring Fling dance next weekend and I can hardly wait.  In the meantime, I love looking at these old photos and remembering what an awesome, fun time we had in Flagstaff for the wedding and hoping to share more good times soon! 

Austin & Diana

I haven't quite figured out how to manipulate my photos in this blogspot.  They don't always go where I want them to. If anyone has any tips about that, I'd love to hear 'em.

I hope you enjoy these fun photos. 

Amanda & Justin

 I LOVE THESE KIDS!

Justin & me and our back-up dancers!

I had so much fun! Can you tell?

Some kind of funky dance move!

Eat Your Greens

Broccoli as it grows in Yuma, Arizona

One of the things I had forgotten I loved about Yuma when I lived there was the agriculutral business. When we rolled into Yuma last week, I was reminded that Yuma and the Imperial Valley in California are the largest producers of lettuce in U.S. in the winter time. If you are eating bagged salad in the winter, chances are that it was grown & bagged in Yuma, Arizona.

When I first arrived in Yuma in 2001, I worked briefly for a cooling company. They receive all the grown goods that are hand picked daily by Mexicans in the surrounding fields. Whenever I think I have a tough job, I think of those wonderful men and women who are hunched over every single day, cutting and cleaning the lettuce and broccoli that ends up in my fridge. Those hard workers are bussed to the fields in old, white "school" busses that tow porta potties behind them.  The workers are in those fields from sun up until sun down ~ 10 to 12 hours a day. I don't know where they come from but I know when the season is over in Yuma near the end of March, they migrate to Salinas, California to do the same work.  Check out the label on your lettuce the next time you buy it.  Yuma holds an annual Lettuce Days event that draws nearly 40,000 visitors. We never attended it while living there.  It's one of those things that we thought was just for tourists.  But, I do regret never attending.

That's why we've tried to go to different events around Tri-Cities since we moved here.  Some things have been totally awesome, like the balloon festival in Prosser last fall. I have enjoyed a couple of rodeos. I love the concerts in the park on Wednesday nights in the summer.  Other events have fallen very short of my expectation of a good time.  The Walla Walla Onion Festival comes to mind.   Nonetheless, if there is an event we haven't been to, and the cost is low, free is even better, we try to go.

The other night, I was talking with a friend who is into horses. She invited us to a chili feed which is being held at the end of an annual horse ride that the horse community puts together every year. It's being held out at Horn Rapids. I forgot the name of the event but it's on my calendar and should provide a great photo opportunity along with getting to pet some horses and kick some rocks with country folks.  I may even have to find myself a cowgirl hat & wear my sparkly heart earrings to the event. Hee haw!!  I love it!!

What's happening in your community?  I'd love to hear about it!

love, susan

Coffee - The Elixir of Life or Nectar of the Gods - You Choose

I stayed up far too late last night because one of my good friends made a killer pot of coffee!  I only had one cup but it rendered me almost speechless, it was that good!

I will be regretting it about 3:00 o'clock today but perhaps I'll be able to find another good cup of coffee before the day is over.

Such is the cycle of caffiene addiction. 

Happy Thursday everybody!

 love, susan

Warm Fuzzies

Sometimes cactus look fuzzy!

Yesterday, I started out feeling deeply sad and wrote about it.  I got the most amazing feedback from my friends & followers on this blog. It really meant a lot to me and I appreciated it so much.

I took the bus to work yesterday and was glad to get to work early, make the coffee and get the day rolling. I had a rare lunch out with 3 work friends.  At the end of the day, I crossed the busy street to catch the bus home. As I was waiting for Rte. 120 to pick me up, a young man came walking up and said hello. He had a small stack of papers in his hand and asked me where I worked. I just off-handedly said "oh, across the street".  I'm not very trusting of people so I never offer exactly where I work. He said he was looking for work and it just so happens that the car dealership which is right behind the bus stop had a big sign up that they were looking for a lot attendant, which I pointed out to him. I asked him if he had a clean driving record and he said yes. I pointed him to the front door and I could see through the windows that they had him filling out an application within 2 minutes.  He missed the bus!  I sure hope he gets the job.  He was a clean-cut, sweet looking, friendly kid, probably about 18 or 19 years old.  Somebody's son. 

I love that feeling when I'm offered a job. It makes me feel worthy.  When I got on the bus, all I could think about was what a great day it had been and how I would have missed that little chance meeting of a nice kid if I had not been taking the bus yesterday.

I received a ton of warm fuzzies yesterday ... and I really needed them.  I just want to thank the universe for sending them to me.  I hope I can return the favor.

love, susan 

Life and Death

I'm going deep today. The taboo subject of death has been on my mind a lot lately. Seems like we have had more than our share of friends  and acquaintances either die or are in the process of dying and it has consumed a good share of my waking moments.  While I'd much rather talk about life, the topic of death was something I could never talk about before I worked at hospice. My mom died suddenly and unexpectedly in her sleep back in 2001. It was shocking and hard and we got through it. It wasn't until I worked at hospice that I really understood how taboo the subject is in this country. Other places in the world treat death differently. I have not studied it much but I find it interesting. Hospice puts all their new employees through rigorous training and I remember how exhausted I was while going through it. The first time I received an email about one of our clients "dying", the word death really shook me. I've since learned that our whole culture doesn't like to use the word "died". We prefer to soften it up by saying, "oh, she passed away" or "he's no longer with us" or "they've gone to heaven".

The truth is, the moment we are born we are on a path to death.  It gets more and more important to me as the clock is ticking to make the most of my life before that happens.  And, it will happen. Life and death.  I'm hoping mine is a long life until then but I definitely feel like I don't have as much time to waste as I used to.  

I did a little free-thinking this morning around the word "life" and this is what I came up with:

Life

excitement

enjoy

discoveries

amazement

mystery

laughter

striving

ups & downs

seasons

color

new people

new places

thrill

When I tried the same exercise for the word "death", I came up short:

Death

fear

pain

financial insecurity

process

loneliness

When I worked at hospice, I read everything I could get my hands on about the process of dying and how to spend time with someone who is dying.  Reading about it and experiencing it are two different things.  We recently spent a small amount of time with a friend who is in the final dying process by way of lung cancer.  It was surprisingly uncomfortable and awkward.  As we drove away, I felt ashamed  and guilty because all I could think about was how I felt.  All the things I learned when I worked at hospice were somewhere else in my brain and I didn't have time to think about it before our visit.  If I could go back in time, I would do that visit over and I would hold his hand, and I'd tell him how much we love him and what a good friend he has been to Gene and I over the years.  But I didn't say those things.  I'm guessing the reason is I really don't want to believe he's dying and I didn't want to make him feel bad.

One of the most comforting things I read while I worked at hospice was that while visiting someone who is dying, sometimes we don't know what to say and the best we can do is provide a warm silence. I'm afraid I fell short in this instance. 

love, susan