What happens in Vegas ........

is hot!!

Yikes. I forgotten how windy and hot Vegas can be .... even in May.

We flew in (after rising at 3 am!) at around 10 am, found our luggage and rented a car for four hours. Yes, you heard correctly. We found that to rent a car to drive from Vegas to St. Geo would cost $300. To rent for the day in Vegas is $15. So we rented to basically hold our luggage for the afternoon, take us to eat lunch and go look at my old house.

We chose to take the St.Geo shuttle from Vegas to St. Geo at 5:30 so we had a fair amount of time to hang out. This was the best plan.

So now we're here in St. Geo. Thomas went to pick up the car and they decided to give it away ... even tho' it was reserved and paid for days ago and there are NO MORE cars left in this entire area. Apparently, this is a busy week. Who knew?

Thomas flew into a rage, demanded to talk to the supervisor, started walking back down from the airport (and those of you who are familiar with St.Geo know that huge hill coming down into town). In the meantime, they have suddenly come up with another car and he is now walking back UP the hill to get it.

This is funny for several reasons. First, Thomas has calmed a lot since we've been married. He hasn't raged for years (ask his older kids). Second, that they laughed at him while telling him that there were no other cars in the whole southern area (which caused the rage actually). Third, he HATES St. George, HATES the heat and HATES walking uphill. All three of these things are happening at this moment.

He is a sweetie for making sure we have a car though.

So we're off to lunch and a hike and other stuff. We went swimming for a bit this morning but the kids started fighting and punching each other so I pulled them from the pool. And now, they're playing sweetly on the floor. Man. Kids.

May Happenings

I always say, once May hits, the next four months is a total blur.

And here it is, almost the end of May. Kids get out June 17, baby is due the end of June (or so), Music Camp for the kids the beginning of July, family will be here for middle of June, camp for the kids the beginning of August, then fair for a week the end of August.

Poof!! My two favorite seasons will be over like that. Sigh.

But here are some things we're doing to enjoy this very short time.

Garden:

Coming along.

Growing a bit (if the bloody sun would shine for more than 10 minutes at time).

Figured out a way to stop the slugs from consuming my entire garden.

Also found a wonderful organic fertilizer that won't harm the pond or the trout.

Festivals:

The festival season is in full swing. Our first one was the Mt Vernon Street Festival. This year, it was nice and warm. Last year, we saw snowmen on the sidewalks. Never can tell.

Last weekend we attended the U District Street Festival. It was warm and crowded and wonderful! The smells of the food, the booths, and the totally diverse cultural experience is worth the crowded streets.

Thomas's favorite band.

So crowded!

Dingleberries!! Mmmmmm!

Trying to share a Dingleberry with Robee. Yeah right.

We're going to miss Folk Life (dang!) this weekend because Thomas and the kids and I will be in Utah visiting my dad for Memorial Day as well as celebrating Ryan's birthday. But the next festival is Pike Place Market!! Mmmmmm!! Chinese Dumplings here I come!

Can you tell we like Fairs and Festivals? Yep. We live for them.

So that's it for the month of May. We leave tomorrow (at 4 am!) for Vegas, hang out, drive to St. George, hang out for two days, go to the ranch (outside of Zion), then drive to Salt Lake and spend the rest of the time there until Tuesday afternoon. In between will be breakfast with my friends, BBQ for Ryan's birthday, brunch with the family, and the weirdest of all .... visiting my mother at the cemetery. Rob said his mother always said that Memorial Day was meant for remembering those who have died before us, not for BBQ's, water skiing or picnics. So, we're going to do that very thing this year and hopefully, Ethel in the heavens, will smile down on us.

I live for the Sun!! (and spf 30 sunblock)

Hair

Got sick of the long, nothing hair.

Chopped it off. The kids said that they can see more grey now. Darling tots.

AGE

Age is an interesting thing.

It makes parts of bodies that once never hurt, ache almost chronically.

It makes hair change; color, style, manageability.

It makes faces move in places it didn't before (before age of course).

It makes people make weird comments that you would never have believed.

Age.

Age is the great equalizer really.

A guy who was cool and popular at 23 will be exactly the same as every other 63 year old guy when they are 63. Equal.

I'm on this rant because age is finally catching up with me. I was able to hide and remain somewhat anonymous for awhile. Oh, but Age is a sneaky little thing and bides it's time.

In my 20's, I was always being mistaken for teens.

In my 30's, I was being mistaken for my 20's and I would giggle and say "Yeah, I get that a lot."

And even into my early 40's, I had a few people think I was still in my 30's which is a huge coup for anyone who manages to make it into their 40's.

HOWEVER ........... as I am going into my late 40's, I'm watching things progressively go into a downward spiral.

My hair won't do what it used to because of the extra grey. Grey hair (for you youngsters) is very coarse and sometimes has a funny kink to it. So now when I try to dry it and style like I used to, it won't budge. I could dye it; dye in the very porous grey hair helps to soften the strands. But ... I'm not really keen on the dye thing. It becomes a forever thing and I have the attention span of a gnat. And who am I really fooling anyway with dye?

I have aches in places when I sit for long periods of time ... say five minutes. I find that when I finally get to a standing position and try to walk, there is a pain in my knee and a pain in my back and I'm walking with a limp and in a bent over position.

My right arm has no movement past my shoulder anymore and there's a weird lump under my rib that is keeping me from doing stretches.

My back goes into spasms when I dig in the garden.

I can manage all this. All these pains. All these unfair issues that have come up as I've gotten older.

But the worst thing of all was the other day.

I was in an ice cream shop with the kids and this woman (who I know a bit) asked me, "So ... are these your grandchildren?"


Someone pass the chestnut brown dye.

Oh, Life on a Farm is kinda laid back ....!

So our farm life is thriving.

We have activities on-going everyday. There's feeding, cleaning, watering, and playing. The playing is the best part of course!

And everyone gets in on the act!

This is Abbi and Lili in a stand-off. Poor Abbi. She's actually quite fearful of the goats, for a shepherd. They've become quite defensive since the birth of their babies (and rightfully so) and have taken to butting Abbi every chance they get.

Even three-yr-old Owen helps out with the chores. Here he is after we mucked out the goat stall, spreading new clean straw for the babies. He's learned quickly to wear his boots if he wants to go out to goats. Too much goat poo for him!

Here are the twins, hoping for a ride on the lawnmower. They are obsessed with climbing on things - EVERYTHING. They climb on boxes, on the mower, on the wheelbarrow, on their moms' backs ... on MY back when I'm sitting outside. Crazy little things.

Here is our "herd." Top is Lili then Tootsie then Cadburi, then Dei and then Tiger (the one running).

Here is a new addition to our place: a baby squirrel. He's been coming around for a bit and I was actually able to sit on the stairs and he kept eating the bird food from the feeders. Quite amazing!

Felix holding Tiger. I can tell because Tiger had a crimped left ear from birth.

And the best of all .... being able to actually drive the tractor ALL BY YOURSELF. This is Jeff Brown, who is our Bishop in our church. He had use of a tractor for a day and helped me to fill my garden boxes one day (which, if I had done it with a wheelbarrow, would have taken me WEEKS to complete). Once finished, he hoisted Owen up on the tractor and let him drive it to the front where we washed it off.

This was, bar none, one of Owen's BEST days ever. If you had any idea how much he loved tractors, you would know that he was in his zenith this moment.

I'm still going to continue my post regarding my garden. It's coming along but today, as I write this, it's rainy and cold and I don't feel like talking about my garden. I realize it's Spring but I'm itching for Sun.

Ugh. Please move into warmer weather .... and keep it that way for the next four months.