Second Stage

Jim is hard at work today laying the tile. I can tell it is going to be nice!

Our next project gets under way...

Somehow "I want to paint the bathroom" turned into a totally full make over. The new paint is only the beginning. Jim has accused me of starting a project only for him to finish. Hey, gotta keep him busy!

Pheasant weather

I was surprised to see this huge bird in our front yard yesterday. He was just walking around picking at the ground. I grabbed my camera and tried to take some pictures but they are not very good. By the time I crept out the back door and around to the front, Herman (our cat) had a beat on him too. Needless to say he hopped up on the fence and took off. Lately there have been a lot of geese flying over in formation too. I did get a nice shot of those.

Well, Jim is the latest victim of a bad economy. He has been laid off for the winter. He has a great attitude though and plans on working around the house getting some more projects off his list of things to do. My job seems to be secure. I will be working Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and the day after. What a switch in roles. We are very thankful though for too many things to list here.

Home sick no more!

There is a blog called "Homesick Texan" with just about every authentic Mexican recipe you can think of and then some. These are the Sour cream chicken enchiladas. Lots of work but worth the effort.

Garden Goodies

We are finally enjoying some of our veggies from the garden. Jim's making a new batch of salsa every other day. The cantaloupe are small but sweet and the watermelons are too big for me to lift. The eggplants are still on the vine waiting for the perfect recipe.

Out with the old...

Well, it was a very last minute decision but we decided to trade our beloved Jeep and take advantage of the cash for clunkers car sale. We learned a few things during the process. One, our Tahoe is worth more than they were willing to give us and two, both our drivers license had expired. Who knew they no longer send you a reminder card? Anyway, I'm trying to get use to riding close to the ground. It's a fun little car (Hyundai Accent) and I'll enjoy the great gas mileage for sure. The jeep had been good to us for a lot of years. That's the car we brought Gavin home from the hospital and the car we took our first family vacation in. It was hard to say adios.

Owl be back!

Yesterday as I was working around the yard I looked up in the tree and spotted the owl that came to visit last year. We had been watching and hoping it would come back. Later in the evening as dusk was upon us Jim and I were relaxing in the swing when all of a sudden we saw something land on a branch right in front of us. It was the owl! We sat there watching it watching us for about five minutes. Darn, I wish I had my camera. Jim volunteered to go get it but by the time he reached the house it took off again into the neighbors yard.

Pond Tour 2009

We had so much fun doing the Garden Tour that we decided to visit the Pond Tour. Our goal is to start building one next spring. We were told over and over again by these pond owner's that it is a good idea to visit and talk to them first so we don't make the same mistakes they did. They were all really nice and helpful. When we got home we kept going back and forth from the front yard to the back wondering where the best place to put a pond would be. I think we have settled for the back next to the patio where Jim's zeroscape garden currently lies. One things for sure, we still have time to "ponder" it.

First Harvest 2009

Proud Mary

Yesterday was a big day for Gav and me. After picking up his learners permit he drove me around for the first time. It was a proud moment for both of us. He took the course seriously and made all A's on his tests. Now he will be driving Jim and me around for six months improving his skills.

My Master Gardner

Jim has been working hard in the yard making everything look beautiful.

Dr. Jerri Nielsen

I was sad to read that Dr. Jerri Nielsen FitzGerald, who diagnosed and treated her own breast cancer before a dramatic rescue from the South Pole, has died.

She wrote a very good book about her ordeal called "Ice Bound: A Doctor's Incredible Battle for Survival at the South Pole." I read this years ago and highly recommend it.

Her cancer went into remission but ultimately returned and claimed her life. She was such a brave lady.

Garden Tour 2009

By being the fifth caller at a radio station Jim won two tickets to the annual Garden Tour, a fundraiser for the Idaho Botanical Garden. We loaded up the car with all our rain gear because the weather had been so stormy and it threatened to rain again last Sunday when we toured the gardens. There were seven houses in all that we drove to and toured. Everything looked lush and green because of the recent rains. We got plenty of ideas for our own garden and managed to finish the tour without getting rained on.

Silver City

Jim and I took a day trip to Silver City which is about two hours from Boise. It is nestled about 6100 feet in the Owyhee Mountains. The last nineteen miles is a narrow twisting dirt road that proved to be quite nerve racking. "I sure hope it's worth it" I piped in. The minute we reached the city Jim announced that he was ready to go. The locals make it pretty clear that they don't appreciate tourists visiting their mountain. The only reason we stopped is because we both needed to use the outhouse and I was told the old cemetery was worth a look. The trip down was a little easier maybe because we were putting distance between us and that strange little city.

The garden is in!

After a false start I think I finally have the garden in. Last Saturday on our way home from Salt Lake City Jim and I stopped and bought six beautiful tomato plants. The next day (Mothers Day) Jim planted all the plants for me. Supposedly if you wait until Mothers Day you are safe from them freezing to death. Well, not this year. We had one cold night that killed four out of the six. So today I replaced the ones we lost and also planted eggplant, cauliflower, cantaloupe, and watermelon.

Back in the saddle

It is so nice to be home and feeling good. I attribute this to the excellent care I received from brother Jim and wife Diane. I could not have been in better hands. Not only did Jim drain my stomach tube like clock work he also encouraged me to walk everyday which helped me regain my energy. Diane did a fine job too changing my bandages, cooking and just providing a comfortable space. And their encouragement did wonders. Jim and I are thankful.

So now it's off to work tomorrow after spending a nice day with my boys. Life is sweet again.

Good kind of sore

When I got laid off from Alaska Airlines I went into a funk and quit going to the gym. Jim took over my membership and started going regularly. Thankfully not only was I able to find another job, I was able to sign up again with the same gym at a discounted price. Only this time I also received two free hours with a personal trainer. This was nice because they showed me how to work all of the exercise equipment and gave me tips on how to increase my upper body strength. They even did a free body fat test. But we won't go into that.

My goal is to go to the gym three times a week for an hour (40 minutes cardio, 20 minutes weights). I usually feel like a bowl of jello by the time I'm done. I hear it will get better.

High School bound

We toured the high school that Gavin will be attending next year. It is the typical large confusing array of halls, rooms and stairwells. Gavin is interested in ceramics so we headed to that room first. It was more like a huge garage and had ten or more potting wheels. Our neighbor was sitting at one of them making a pot and it was fun to see her there. Gavin is also interested in continuing his piano lessons which is not offered at the school so we will have to find him private lessons. He is starting to talk about drivers ed, finding a job, and even moving away from Boise when he turns eighteen. Whoa, whoa, wait a minute says I. I'm not quite ready.

Ducks in a Row

Well, sometimes you just have to take off from work to get your ducks in a row. Especially when you are trying to make doctor appointments. That is how I've spent this morning.

So far it looks like I will be traveling back and forth to Seattle in February to meet with my surgeon at the University of Washington. The experts suspect a small tumor on my pancreas not unlike the one brother Pat had removed. It's most likely not cancerous, just inconvenient and causing bothersome symptoms . Darn, I was hoping not to ever see Dr. Mann again! He took two of my parathyroids out a few years back. I'm lucky to have lots of support and the love of my brothers there in Washington to help me through all of this. To be continued...