Been Cubed

That is the name given to us by our son-in-law, D. He and H were with us when we went car shopping in Indy. We specifically were trying out the Cube by Nissan. I am pretty sure we have settled on a deal to buy one in red. Never owned a red car. I will have to be sure I keep it under the speed limit or it will become "Hello, officer, red." If all goes as planned, we will pick it up this Saturday. Hope it goes as planned! Pictures to follow.

You Start Monday

After being laid-off for about 6 months, my son-in-law got a job. It's not with his former company, but it is a job. At least now he can also do some of those part-time jobs that he wants and enjoys. And the health insurance will be good. No more Cobra and the high payment now!! Way to go JSS!

Beached Koi

I could come up with many titles and blogs about just this picture, and I blogged earlier this summer about it. Toots and I were out on the patio playing this summer when she noticed the fish out of the water. I was able to capture this shot, zoom in more, and save it. This fish and several others were somehow getting out on a rock to eat algae. This happened over and over. Never figured out if we have talented fish, too much algae, or undetermined destructive behavior.

Swimming, with Ice!

Can't believe the fridgid temperatures of the pool today! I tried to step in quickly but couldn't catch my breath. If this keeps up, I will need to search for a wet suit.

A Day with Toots

Toots spent the day with me on Monday. We enjoyed running errands, playing on her jungle gym, eating a picnic on our patio, and swimming. The water was much too cold for my pleasure, but she said it was just fine. She can "swim" a little better than last year, actually moving forward in the water on her own, and only using wings or floaties. Hopefully, the more we go, the sooner she will learn to swim on her own. She tried out her new goggles. She insisted on wearing them and jumping in again and again. It was cute to she the contortions on her face caused by the goggles pushing her nose or eyes up. I didn't try to dissuade her because she knows best.

The Shack

I read a good book this week called The Shack. If you know anything about me, you know that I am not a reader. So to read a book in a week is something big. The book puts a whole new perspective on God, and on how we relate to Him. There were parts of the book that I didn't quite agree with, but for the most part, the book caused me to think in a new way. I don't want to give the storyline away, but trust me, you will be intrigued.

I promised some pictures of the huge snow we received last week. So here they are.

• The top picture is of the birdcage on my back porch.
• The next picture is of our neighbors' picnic table a few days after the storm.
• And the last one is of Toots as she comes out the end of her slide. Click on this picture to see that she is loving it!

Dog Eats Dog

I walk with a friend almost every evening for the exercise. She has a Jack Russell terrier, Jetta, that is very active and loves to out-walk us, and is not afraid of anything. Well, Monday night I was unable to go walking but found out that another dog attacked Jetta. It grabbed her behind and shook her. My friend held on to the lease and began screaming. People came to help. Someone called 911. A woman drove her car up and had the friend who somehow got her dog out of the teeth of the attacker get in the car. The other dog even put several scratches on the car door while trying to get Jetta again. Jetta spent time in surgery and the night at the vet hospital. She is lucky to be alive. My friend probably saved her life by keeping Jetta,s neck away from the other dog. Jetta will not be walking with us for a little while. Don't know if this will cause her to be afraid. What scares me the most is that many young children, including my granddaughter, have walked the course. The dog could have easily gone after any one of them. The sheriff showed up immediately. Maybe he will have a solution to get rid of the dog. But we need to be prepared for this to happen at any given time. Perhaps I will do some research today to see how to best protect ourselves.

Finished with the Playset

It's done! Finally! The playset that was to take only 6-8 hours for two people to put together has taken about 68 hours. Well, almost. Toots was so ready to go down the tunnel slide. And we were waiting on her at the bottom. And waiting. And waiting. She was sitting at the top saying, "On your mark, get set, go." But then she just kept talking. The only thing I can figure out is that she enjoyed hearing her voice echo in the tunnel. When she finally did reach the bottom, her grin was from ear to ear. She quickly climbed the climbing wall and did it all over again. Too bad the load limit is 105 pounds cause I sure wanted to try it. By the way, those are complimentary children playing on the set.

To Plant or Not to Plant

Okay, where did the cooler weather go? The last days of this school year I was wearing a coat and now we are burning up in 90 degree weather. Where was our spring? I haven't even transplanted my spring flowers yet. I haven't even planted my sunflowers and a few other seeds. Now I am wondering if I dare do it in such scorching heat. I do it anyway.

Last Day on the Last Frontier

Our last day in Alaska was different. We were already tired from all the travel, but decided to try a few more things. We had to check out of our hotel because we were due to fly back at 11:35 p.m. on Tuesday. We decided to try to drive south again. Didn't go as far as we wanted due to snow. We decided we did not want to wait 45 minutes to pay $12 to drive through a tunnel to wait again and pay again to come back through, so we drove back to Anchorage. We drove around, looking at the sights, and searching for a wild moose. Never did see one. We ate at an expensive restaurant downtown and then shopped for souvies at the large downtown mall. All shopped out, we decided to go to the airport a little early since we were done. Too bad the airline baggage did not open up until 7:30. So we were stuck in the airport with our luggage and only a small bar for food. But that didn't stop us from eating pizza and bread sticks. Time passed ever so slowly until we finally boarded the plane for the 5 hour flight back to Denver. The best part of the flight was that it was over night. At least we didn't have to watch some dumb movie that we had already seen.

A Day at a Sled Dog Kennel

After flying over the mountains in Alaska, we ventured to the bush land of the state. We traveled a ways, as you always must do in Alaska, to a small gas station/gift shop/restaurant to eat a bite and wait for Jody and Matt Calore to take us to their sled dog kennels. When we finally met, we followed them up a remote road that eventually became a dirt road. We knew we had to park and take the last mile and a half by means of a snowmobile. When we crossed the frozen marsh and "over the river and through the woods" we arrived at their cabin, complete with the dog yard in their backyard. I was surprised to see the dogs chained to posts that allowed full-circle adventure and a house per each dog only OUTSIDE, right on top of the snow and ice. I don't know what I was expecting, but again, I was surprised. As the dogs echoed their excitement at seeing Jody and Matt, she took me around to meet and hear a brief bio of each dog. Most were excited to jump up on my borrowed parka and greet me. We were amazed at their strength and how lean each appeared. The dogs that had just finished running the Iditarod 2008, had a medallion hanging from their collars that signified their authenticity to be in the race. The dogs are not all huskies nor malamutes. Many of them looked like mutts, crossbreeds of many breeds. Some had the unusal blue eyes while others had brown eyes. I met one who had one blue eye and a horizontally divided upper blue and lower brown eye. Jody said that the dogs' eyes can also be divided vertically with one side blue and the other brown. That was so weird to see. One dog hung on my arm like it were a horizontal fence. I thought I would be knocked down because of its strength. A few of the other dogs Jody shielded me from because of their strength and my inexperience. But when one jumped up and caught my nose, lip, and mouth with its front toenails, I decided I would end the meet and greet. Not sure how much dog doo doo and yellow liquid were on that paw and were transfered to my mouth, but with the help of a wet wipe, I did survive. I met some dogs that are decendants of Martin Buser's kennel. Martin has won the Iditarod 4 times. The author Gary Paulsen is a friend of theirs and has been to their cabin. No wonder he can write books like Hachett that seem so realistic. He too, is a committed musher and runs the Iditarod. Upon entering the one-room cabin we were in awe of how simplictic the couple lives. No water, no bathroom, no appliances, no electricity, only a wood burner that doubles as the cooking range. And this is their home all year! Jody assured us that all was fine because their money was invested in the daily care of the dogs, exactly as it should be. They had the very basics, not essententials, but were able to live happily and compete in the Iditarod as well as other races. Jody did work on a computer, but they did not have internet hookup in the area. However, their cell phones and ours worked everywhere! I was so astounded with the reception. Jody and Matt continued their tutorial of a mushers life with pictures, race momentoes, stories, and a slide presentation of this year's race. We were given several items to bring home and share with others, as well as web sites such as Jody's blog. When it was time to return to civilization, we came away with a greater appreciation and understanding of the sport and the dogs. I'm sure Jody and Matt's intent was to help spread their love of the sport though common folk like us.

A Day in Alaska

We arrived in Alaska on Saturday, the night before Easter. As we drove to the downtown hotel in Anchorage, I was surprised to see similar sights to Michigan where my husband grew up. I was also surprised to see bare ground where one would still expect to see snow. The temperature was milder than our city here. We attended Easter church services at a Christian Church in the city of Anchorage. We both felt like we were in our own church with the same songs, same order of service, etc. Only downfall was that no one spoke to us. Guess that is much like our churches here in the states. We drove just 40 miles south of Anchorage to the Alyeska Resort to eat lunch. We were impressed with the resort at the base of the 4,000 foot mountain. They had definitely received more snow than in Anchorage. As we ate lunch in the resort, we were in a position to view some of the ski lifts and some of the skiers coming down the mountain. It was so surreal to come just 40 miles and be in a different climate. By looking at the crowd at the resort, we were definitely out of our league. After lunch, we headed further south to investigate for the day. We hadn't gone 5 miles when it began snowing--a lot! In just a few minutes, the road was covered with snow. We decided that it wasn't worth traveling along the coast with signs posted to beware of possible avalanches and heavy snow coming down. So we turned around and headed back to Anchorage. The areas where avalanches have fallen post a 10 mph FASTER speed limit to get you through the area. And the city of Seward where we were headed had received 4 feet of snow a few days earlier. We didn't travel 3,500 miles to be caught in a snow storm. We returned to our hotel to catch up on some sleep since we were suffering from a four-hour time change. We also spent more time plotting our agenda for the coming days. Although everything seems within reach on a map, it's not!

Alaska Makes 50

What a trip! In five days we traveled over 7,000 miles as we did a whirlwind trip of Alaska. Now I can proudly say that I have visited all 50 states! (It has only taken me 35 years to go from 49 to 50.) If you know anything about Alaska, you know that it is HUGE. It is twice the size of Texas and 1/5 the size of the rest of the USA. Alaska is the northern-most, western-most and eastern-most state. Huh? Yes, the Aluetian Chain crosses the 180th meridian, putting the islands in the Eastern Hemisphere. Stay tuned for more tidbits of valuable information I have to share with you in the coming weeks.

Socks with Sandals

To all of you who have cringed at the site of my socks with sandals, and especially to my daughters who are so fashion-conscience, the latest fashion trend is***socks with sandals. Yes, your mother was ahead of the fashion trend. Perhaps someone had seen the new-innovative look and passed it along to those who decide what women can and will wear. Little did people know that my reason for wearing socks with sandals was that my feet are always freezing. I commend those fashion dictators who know best for us, at least when it comes to keeping our feet warm this season.

Shine on Moon

Our granddaughter, Tootsie, attends the child daycare at our church. Whenever there is a behavior or accident report written up on a child it eventually crosses grandpa's desk because of his job at the church. Tootsie has had many reports because of accidents such as someone hit, pushed, or bit her. Well, papa came home with a copy of one from this week to share a laugh with me. It seems that when Tootsie and another little girl went to the bathroom, the girl mooned Toots, who, not to be outdone, mooned back. So both girls were written up on bad behavior reports. Now understand that both girls are three years old. I'm not saying that Toots doesn't know what it means, but knowing her daddy, I'm sure she has seen the moon before.

Zippity Do Whoa

I'm hurting all over physically. Went to a women's retreat, had a good time, stayed up too late for me, walked lots of hills and hollers, AND rode the 700 foot long zipline. Yes, this old woman decided she could do it. What a thrill! The hardest part was waiting at the end to gear up, walk up the 700 ft incline, then the stairs to the top of the tower. I was one of the last to go so decided to do something a little different. Instead of sitting down to push off, I stepped off the 30 foot tower. Yes, my daughters, your mother did it. Instead of the 5 foot drop I had a 12 foot drop before the line caught. Actually, it was easier because I didn't see the ground below, and I didn't get my blue jeans dirty on the ledge. And I am not afraid of heights.