Lynda L B

At Last, Summit Kitchen

2011-08-30T16:58:00.000-07:00

Let's start with the old. I found this picture in the "archive" and it shows most of my old kitchen. The door at the back goes into a small laundry area and another door beyond that leads to the garage. The door is the only part of the kitchen which didn't change. You can see a corner of the stove on the left. It was pretty small.

We blew out the back wall and incorporated part of the back porch into the new space. It didn't change the roof line or the footprint, but you can see the black pipes that were in the old exterior wall, and the holes in the concrete pad where the plumbing had to be moved--big, big job!

Here's the view from the living room into the new kitchen. I'm not much of a photographer, but we do love this kitchen. The big island contains the sink and dishwasher, and has enough room for up to 7 bar stools. There is only one upper cabinet, and since it contains the microwave, the shelf space is not very accessible. Therefore, the dishes and glasses are in drawers; we're getting used to it.

I didn't clean up before the photo shoot, so please ignore the mess. I love all the new appliances. The space is a little tight around the sink, but when it's just me it is super convenient. I will be shuffling things around to get them in the right places for awhile, and in the meantime I'll just enjoy it.

The dining table was a mess, and the picture I took of it was too dark. You are looking across the island to the dining area which is toward you on the right, and the back door. I just managed to delete the last picture!! But you get the idea. And yes, all those tomatoes, etc, are from my garden, harvested yesterday. Come and see us, and while you're at it, you can hang out in our new family kitchen. Window coverings are under contemplation. Any recommendations? I thought I would do custom (made by me) Roman shades, but I am reconsidering.

Greenhouse on a Snowy Spring Day

2011-05-09T15:16:00.000-07:00

If I can find the pictures, you might want to see what is growing in my greenhouse on this snowy 9th of May. I love my greenhouse.

Under Construction

2011-05-09T14:38:00.000-07:00

Well, scratch the "before" photos and skip to the "in progress" pictures. If you didn't see the "before" they probably won't mean much to you. Since I am challenged by the task of labeling the pictures, I will tell you about them and let you guess and wonder.

We added about 150 square feet to our kitchen/dining area. We had an 8 foot wide "porch" that ran the length of the house on the North side. We took about half of it and included it as part of the inside. It is a HUGE project--more than I imagined. They have now framed in the back and removed former rear wall of the house with the exception of the plumbing and wiring. I have lots of new windows, a new back door (yet to be installed and currently boarded in), and a new pantry/food storage area stolen from a corner of the garage and accessible through the kitchen.

We also gutted the master bathroom and closet, and are reconfiguring so we can make a separate tub and shower and use the space a little more efficiently, so that is a big mess as they had to cut through the concrete pad and dig a big hole to alter the plumbing.

Look and be amazed! (Oh, I intend to include a picture of the some of the color choices I am considering for cabinets and counters). OK, if you can figure this out, you deserve a prize.

I included a couple to show the utter chaos of our downstairs living quarters.

Kitchen Remodel

2011-04-05T16:13:00.000-07:00

Dear Family, No pictures; no fanfare. We are in the process of planning a remodel of our Summit kitchen. We will not be re-using our lovely alder cabinets or appliances. If anyone has a use for the items we are replacing, we would be happy to share. I can't turn this into a new paragraph, but this is the beginning of the specifics of what I have: first, the cabinets are not alder; they are hickory. I will have sizes when I get there and can measure again, but base cabinets are two 24" wide, one with drawers, one with shelves, one 36" sink, one 36" shelf, one 30" shelf, and one narrow tray cabinet. The uppers are all 42" high, I think--they go to the ceiling: one 24", one 36", one over-the-refrigerator (smallish fridge), and one maybe 30 or 32". The stove is electric, slide-in. The dishwasher is a good dishwasher with a beige front; I don't remember the brand. The refrigerator is also that bisque/beige color, and on the small side. All the appliances are in very good working order and they are also in good condition. There is a double basin sink which I love as it is a composite material that doesn't stain or spot and is super easy to keep clean and looking nice. The stove is built into a peninsula, so there is a lot of hickory paneling on the back. I can take some pictures this weekend and post them. If you have specific questions, e mail and I'll respond.

Landscape, Part Deux

2010-10-19T12:04:00.000-07:00

Maybe you saw the progress on the front yard last year. The back yard got started later in the year this year and is a little more involved, but here are some photos that show where we are. Some of the elements are a new woodshed since we now cannot pile wood in a heap in the weeds and dirt, a greenhouse (only the footings are there now, and it will go in at the end so as to avoid potential breakage of glass), raised planting beds for veggies (so I can sit on the wall and reach in to plant, weed and harvest), a patio with a firepit, a patch of grass, and a kid swingset. There is also a strip to plant shrubs for a little windbreak/privacy screen, and pathways to get around. I'll post the pictures, and hopefully you can figure it out. The picture of the front was not supposed to be there, but I can't figure out how to get rid of it.

The Red Bicycle

2010-09-13T20:36:00.000-07:00

I have a picture of my red bicycle, but it is on my digital camera and the grief of loading it on my blog is more than I can handle. My red bike had a flat tire when I got back to Vegas last time. I went a week without the bike. I missed the bike. Greatly! Although I doubted my ability to fix a flat bike tire on a bike with gears and a derailer, I was desparate. Tonight I tackled the project in desparation. I'm happy to report that this grandma fixed that flat all by herself!! Then she took herself for a little spin around the block--pure joy! I'm baaaaaack! That's all.

Happy Birthday, Barbara

2010-05-24T11:42:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to post a couple of comemorative photos. I was not in Provo, and these pictures were taken in SLC at my house, but there was snow this morning in Provo. Anyway, this will be one birthday Barb will remember, I think. Best wishes for a wonderful day!!

Happy Saturday

2010-05-15T21:45:00.000-07:00

A few things of note today:
First, having recently been informed that one of my favorite LDS authors had published a book--M. Catherine Thomas, "Light in the Wilderness"-- I acquired it, have already dipped into it and am set to enjoy!
Second, I discovered that I really don't know how to use my bicycle pump. I didn't properly attach it to the stem on the inner tube, and was thus unable to pump up the tires. My bicycle has been languishing in the garage, then in the shed, for several years now for want of air in the tires. John, more knowledgeable in the use of the pump than I, did the honors and blew them up. With great delight I took a spin around the block just as it was getting a little too dark for comfort. I also discovered that this little town is a bit more hilly than I had realized on my casual strolls up and down the streets. I almost didn't make it up the side street back to the house, but once I got to the top I just coasted down to the driveway. I have been dreaming of riding my bike for many months, or maybe years. Dream fulfilled!
Third: It was a glorious day in Southern Utah--sunny, not windy; warm, not hot; light until around 8:30 this evening--makes me happy to be alive.
That's all. No pictures. No fanfare.

Why I Haven't Posted, etc.

2009-12-20T19:19:00.000-08:00

1. No pictures: not that I haven't taken any or that my camera is on the blink. I lost the program on my computer that I used to download the pictures from my camera. I CAN do it another way, but it is more difficult and I don't like it. I guess I am getting old, because a lot of this is about not liking change.
2. Malfunctioning laptop: several months ago, maybe a year, the power cord on my laptop started shorting when I tried to recharge it. I finally got around to getting a new power cord. I hadn't had it for long when I picked up the computer, plugged into the power cord, and dropped it--not far and onto a soft surface, but it landed by chance right on the connection where it was plugged into the computer and broke it off, leaving the portion that plugs in stuck in the computer. I did find someone on the weekend in SLC who extracted the broken part--he thought the computer would work OK. It did for a while, but now the part that plugs into the computer doesn't connect properly and it only charges intermittently.
3. Decided that it was time for a new computer, and talked myself into a little netbook with a 10.2 inch screen. I think I mentioned I don't like change, and this was way too much change. It has Windows 7 "startup" and I don't even know what that means. Do I have to purchase Windows 7 to get the full program? The startup screen is confusing--I can't even tell when it is connected to the internet without attempting to get online. It is, I would say, skitzy, meaning that it is so jumpy that even when I am very careful it skips back to another line while I am typing and inserts, or even erases most of what I have just typed. And I really can't imagine why someone past 65 with eye surgeries in the past and future would think a 10 inch screen was a good idea.

Enough of that! Obstacles abound, and I haven't been energetic enough to overcome them. I think I have SAD--seasonal affective disorder. Every year as the days get shorter and the skies are dark and stormy, I kind of retreat into my shell and lose interest in life in general. I am a light seeking person and function best with lots of sunshine. I decided last week to try some St. John's Wort--an herb I had in my medicine cabinet which is supposed to help with depression. It said on the container to take one up to three times a day. I decided if one was good, I would just start with two. Who knew? Better than a shot of caffeine for me!! I was wired for a few hours and got a lot of stuff done. I have not since taken two at a time, but a couple a day seems to help stave off the winter blues.

One of the things that has delighted me was finding a set of measuring cups with a full complement of options. Imagine a picture here of this wonderful set: it has a quarter cup, third cup, half cup, two thirds cup, three fourths cup, and full cup. I discovered it browsing the isles of Hurst Ace Hardware in Cedar City--one of my favorite places. I used to have one from Tupperware that my mother-in-law gave me when I got married, but it has suffered the ravages of time. I don't do much baking these days, but that could change.

I have some Christmas cards sitting around along with a Christmas letter I typed up last year, duplicated, and never sent. If you don't get a Christmas card from me this year, and you are a friend or relative, please know that I am thinking of you and wishing you the best. Merry Christmas!

Landscaping

2009-10-27T06:23:00.000-07:00

A major reason for installing a front yard at Summit was so the grandchildren would be able to go outside and play when they came to visit, and we were all anxiously awaiting the first visit after the completion of the project. Unfortunately, I didn't get pictures while they were visiting, but they spent precious little time in the lovely front yard on the grass and patio. Instead they gravitated to the leftover rock and sand piles in the very much not landscaped back yard, picture included. Kids!! I should have known. They did spend extra time in the bathtub this trip.

I've Been Busy

2009-10-27T06:07:00.000-07:00

Not seeing a possibility of remodeling my Summit kitchen in the near future, I have been fortunate (blessed!) with a couple of solutions that make the space much more usable. First, my landscape expert is a very versatile person and installed a couple of can lights in my kitchen dark spot over my stove--changes the way we use the house!! Next, my very limited cabinet space was expanded by the discovery of a cabinet insert (actually three inserts, two of which were on clearance) at the SLC Lowe's. I was able to put much of my food/pantry supply in one lower cabinet, which is also now very accessible. While I don't have a picture to illustrate, I also put a closet organizer in my half of the master bedroom closet. All this happened last week while David was back East drumming up business. I'm very pleased with the outcome of my efforts.

Front Yard, Home Stretch

2009-09-25T18:54:00.001-07:00

I took the pictures toward the middle of the day, and they aren't very good, but maybe you can get some idea of the finished look. The planting beds are pretty much empty, and I am debating how much to try to plant before next spring. I have to say the pictures do not do justice to the end result, which is very much what I had envisioned when we started with a few exceptions. We love it. Notice the dozing king of the castle who nodded off overlooking his domain. I might try again tomorrow for some better shots.

Front Yard Landscape, Installment 2

2009-09-08T13:50:00.000-07:00

After a week more of work I have documented additional progress with these pictures. The flagstone patio and walkway are in, the front porch is expanded, and the curbing which separates various elements of the landscape--rock, grass, planting beds--is installed. They also got started on the storage shed in the back yard, which is part of this project and will hopefully free up the garage for use to park cars this winter. Enjoy! Hopefully the end of this week will bring more of the finishing touches.

Front Yard - at long last

2009-08-29T20:09:00.000-07:00

Apologies for no posts for forever. No excuses. At some point, in desparation, after 7+ years of dirt and weeds, I took some graph paper and pasted it together, took rough measurements, and put some ideas down for a front yard. David was very concerned about drainage, so I started with dry creekbeds to control the runoff, kept budget in mind, and found someone to make it happen. We are about 3-4 days into the transformation, which consists of river rock, crushed rock, grass, planting beds, a flagstone patio with pathways, a place under the tree for a bench, a 5-foot curved bridge, 7 new trees, and desert plants nestled among the rocks. Here are some pictures of progress thus far. If you haven't seen the Summit house, it might not mean anything to you, but it promises to be a substantial transformation in the end.

Update

2009-06-07T19:07:00.000-07:00

OK, my blueberry bushes aren't doing so well. I discovered huge black bugs crawling all over them. Checked the internet, and they are "weevils." I think of weevils as small white grubs that get into food, so it was a disconnect for me, but they target berry plants and the little ones eat the roots and around the base of the plant and kill them. So, there really isn't any insecticide for these critters. David and I were out there yesterday trying to capture them. They don't like water and they move slowly. With a small kitchen sieve we scooped them up as they floated in the water we flooded the plants with and put them in an empty food carton and stashed them in the trash. Time will tell whether or not the bushes survive, and I suppose we'll have to do another inspection next week to make sure we got them all. This is the yucky part of trying to grow things.

Much to my relief, the solar eclipse in May of 2012 is only a partial eclipse viewable in part of North America. The big one (full eclipse) is in November 2012, I believe, and the party will be in Australia. I will rest well tonight knowing that the small eclipse will be eclipsed by the large eclipse.

I still don't have a solution for my inability to post on a few select blogs. Yes, Julianne, I still love you--your blog just won't allow me to comment.

Internet Housekeeping, etc.

2009-06-05T10:22:00.000-07:00

Just for your information, I am unable to post comments on the following blogs: Suzanne, Julianne, Scott and MaryAnn. There might be a couple of others that I don't remember. I have written many comments which have not posted as I keep thinking it might work this time, but it never does. I used to be able to post, so I don't know what happened except that Tyler did some stuff to my laptop which was supposed to make it work faster and that might have affected it. If anyone knows how to fix it, I am open to suggestions.

And, it is very windy in Southern Utah today. Everything is still so green! My big trees I planted last fall have apples and peaches on them; my little trees I planted this spring have leaves on them; and my blueberry bushes are thriving. I had to pick off all the blossoms from the blueberries as the instructions said they need to spend this first year developing a good root system which can't happen if they produce fruit. The weeds are also growing apace. I'm so tired of the dirt and weeds; I want a yard with a garden, and plants, and maybe even some grass.

I am almost reluctant to publicize it, but I heard today that Sunday, May 20, 2012, there is a complete eclipse of the sun which will last 3 hours, and will be best viewed from Cedar City. I would prefer Cedar City to be hidden from the world, not exposed to it; but I suppose an eclipse is something I really have no control over.

And that is all for today.

Spring!! And It's Really Green This Year

2009-05-10T20:40:00.000-07:00

Cherries coming along.
By the church. The deer got to them.
House to the West.
Kitty corner house.
Maybe if I did this more often I would learn how to make my posts more attractive and it would be easier and less traumatic. However, I persist and do it in my clumsy and inefficient way. Everything is growing like crazy this year. It probably has something to do with the moisture. And, it stayed cold for a long time; then after it started to warm up there was only one cold snap which pretty much did in the apricots, but everything else survived. We will even have cherries this year. But this weekend I especially noticed the lilacs. I love lilacs! I always have. They are so unassuming and hardy and prolific. I can't smell them very well since I have loss of sense of smell as a result of last year's bout with the flu; but they evoke memories of childhood and a general feeling of well-being. So I spent the weekend alone in Summit and enjoyed lilacs everywhere. There are some by the vacant house kitty-corner from us, some directly across the street, some by Uncle Alma's which bloom only up high because the deer browse the lower branches, and some in the lovely yard of the Wilson's next to the Church meeting house. I have enjoyed this spring weekend, and I hope you did too.

I'm Baaaack!!

2009-04-11T13:50:00.000-07:00

Good news from the tax accountant precipitated the purchase of a car. Because we are on the road so much, we decided to maximize our potential gas mileage by buying a Prius--used--2008 with 18,000 miles on it. We drove it to Summit this weekend, and it was a new driving exerience for us. David admonished me I should drive the car, not let it drive me. If that is your philosophy, you probably shouldn't buy a Prius. You have to watch the fuel consumption to learn how to maximize your potential mileage. That suits my style of driving. Anyway, here's a photo.

Redemption and New Floors

2009-03-01T15:27:00.000-08:00

I am finally ready to redeem myself from the bottom of the blog post list. (Eat your heart out, Janet!) Over the last few weeks we have had a new floor installed in the "great room" area of our Summit house. I bought the flooring last summer/fall when Leslie and Cameron installed the same floor in their new home, and I liked it a lot. After realizing that kids with their own houses are never going to have time to install flooring in my house, we hired a contractor. I won't go into the details, but we had planned to buy a rug for the living room, and I ordered a bigger one than I might otherwise have purchased because of some unaesthetic "regularities" in the installation. So I have taken some pictures of the floor (and the new rug) for your viewing pleasure. I now will need to paint the walls, and perhaps the ceiling, because there is too much "yellow" in the rug--so much for ordering on line. All in all, though, we are pleased with the new floor, and I think the wall color is due for a change after 7 years with the original paint.

Snow and More Snow

2008-12-28T17:45:00.000-08:00

I don't have pictures, but you've seen them--snow piled everywhere. It isn't really out of the ordinary, but it is surely more evidence for global warming, . . . somehow. It snowed about three days straight in SLC (or South Jordan) through Christmas day and after. The streets were not well cleared and full of slush and salt. I got terrible mileage, and I'm convinced that it's because I was carrying about 50 pounds of ice in the wheel wells and on the undercarriage of my car. So I fled to Southern Utah, pausing in Provo Friday night at Barbara's house. It got warm enough there for my car to shed huge piles of dirty, salty ice in her carport, and to earn a scowl from her very kind and orderly neighbor who shovels the walks and takes out her trash. Dry roads on Saturday, but on arrival, more snow!! Snow piled by plows blocking driveways and walkways, snow covering the piles of firewood in the back yard, and snow stuck to the blacktop in spite of plowing and salting. It almost makes me want to go to Vegas for a few days. If I could post a picture which I would have taken, it would be from the back of my house this time, through the trees and past the old sagging buildings from another age to the steeple of the ward building across the snow and down the street. I only have to go to Sacrament meeting in this town populated by scrappy, independent farmers and ranchers to remember how thankful we must be for the moisture that falls during the winter months, and which is the lifeblood of this community. They never forget it in their prayers, talks, and testimonies. It has been a lovely Sunday!

Sunday Morning Moonset

2008-12-14T21:45:00.000-08:00

When we headed to Utah Thursday evening we were impressed by the huge moon in the sky. Little did I know that I was witnessing a phenomenon that won't be seen again until something like the year 2016--don't know the details, but the moon was a certain percentage larger and brighter than usual. Well, I didn't get a picture. When I woke up this morning, there was the moon setting in the West over the night's snowfall. So I ventured out on the front porch in my nightgown and slippers and snapped this photo. It's not such a great picture, but I do enjoy the exceptionally clear skies and beautiful sunsets. Hope you enjoyed your weekend as much as we did ours.

Soup Recipe

2008-11-30T18:00:00.000-08:00

For the soup recipe go to www.brentandlou.blogspot.com in case you didn't already find it. Don't let the number of ingredients trouble you--it's fast and easy as most of it is open and dump. Thanks to Laura for putting it together!

Nothing Like a Good Soup in the Winter

2008-11-25T22:01:00.000-08:00

Well, it's not really very like winter as it is unseasonably warm in SLC and there has been no snow for several weeks now. But in a joint effort with my two daughters and the internet, we have recreated, and maybe improved upon, the Olive Garden minestrone. It didn't take that long to cook, and even the most resistent soup hater (Cameron) admitted he liked it. I'd post the recipe, but Laura is the one who put it all together, and I'm not sure of all the ingredients. It has been a busy couple of weeks with very little to show, but I soldier on nonetheless. I'm looking forward to seeing many of you Thanksgiving evening for dessert.

Addendum: Turns out the invite didn't go out for Thanksgiving evening dessert. Nonetheless, we'll be here with pies if anyone wants to come. E mail or call for details. I'll try to get the soup recipe up tomorrow if the dinner preparations don't get in the way.

Not Too Smart

2008-11-08T21:38:00.000-08:00

Since Laura has my camera, and I'm not sure I would have anything to post by way of illustration, this will stand as a narrative entry.

First, I decided after weeks of debating that I would do two things this week--go to the temple and get new tires on my car. The temple part I hadn't debated, but just hadn't put it in the proper place on my list of priorities. I headed out from work at about 4:30 Wednesday afternoon hoping to avoid the worst of the traffic on the way to the temple. Unfortunately, it gets dark really early in Las Vegas when daylight savings time ends. Furthermore, there has been a lot of road construction along the route I use to get to the temple. In the dusk I missed a new division in the freeway system which would have allowed me to head East to the temple and ended up going South on I-15. As luck would have it, there was a traffic accident and the traffic on Southbound I-15 was at a standstill. It took me half an hour to get to an exit where I could turn around and right myself. Not that it mattered so very much, but it made going to the temple feel like more of a sacrifice than I planned on. Serves me right for putting it off so long.

So, Thursday I went to Costco to get new tires. I waited almost two hours for them to finish the installation. Determined to be cheerful, I commented to the guy at the checkout that it looked like it was a busy day. He said, "Yes, and the funny thing is yesterday we only sold one tire all day." Just my luck to pick the wrong day and the wrong time to do that task, but anticipating bad weather on the way to SLC this weekend, I thought it was important to get it done. Surely I could have done with a little inspiration or prompting to make my week go more smoothly.

Today I spent the day cleaning blinds and windows. One of the blinds on the back door had been broken last winter when the wind caught the door and wrenched the blind--it has been hanging crooked ever since. I took it down to evaluate the damage. A plastic piece was broken, and part of it was just lying in the header. As I tried to figure out if it could be glued or fixed, the other piece it connected to was so brittle it broke again when I tried to manipulate it. I began looking about for some potential repair, and saw the lid to a spray can which I had emptied in the process of cleaning the windows. A view came into my mind of how I could modify the lid to fix the blind, which I did. It works perfectly, and even rotates to open and close the blind. I am not too smart, but I am smart enough to know I couldn't have come up with that by myself. I am thankful at last for a little bit of inspiration--it makes me happy every time I look at the blind now hanging straight. I guess the week turned out all right after all.

Instruction Book

2008-10-24T12:05:00.000-07:00

OK, I forgot how this works. Please read the second blog entry first so you get the picture. I am in Colorado Springs at the Broadmoor and want to share, but I'm a little inept. Maybe you should go to the web site for the hotel for a better perspective.

Last Century Elegance

2008-10-24T11:49:00.000-07:00

There are a lot of lobbys and places to sit and read, meditate or relax. There was one lobby in particular that I would like to miniaturize and create in my house. Most of the shots are a little dark, but hopefully you will get the idea. If I get some housekeeping service, I will try a shot of our room, which is in the old original hotel, built in 1918. They are celebrating 90 years this year. All of the lobbys have to have a table and fresh flowers to maintain their five star rating. The model living room is the picture on the right and the one so dark you can hardly see it. It brightens up a bit if you click on and enlarge it. In spite of all the beauty and elegance, I would rather be in SLC with little Ben. I keep telling myself there is not much I could do, but my heart is there nonetheless.

The Fabulous Broadmoor

2008-10-24T11:37:00.000-07:00

I came somewhat unsuspecting to the Broadmoor Hotel and Resort in Colorado Springs--business trip with David. It is gorgeous, and although I have pretty much been on my own all day for these couple of days, I am happy to be here. I wanted to share a few pictures of the grounds and maybe a couple of interiors. I'm not much of a photographer, and there was some strange icon on my camera, but at least I got photos. Click on the photo to see the autumn glory of the grounds. There are two pairs of swans on the lake--one black and one white. I caught one of the white swans on camera this morning.

End of an Era; Sign of the Times

2008-10-05T16:58:00.000-07:00

Last Monday (or Saturday or Sunday) we filled our gas tank(s) at the Sunshine Truck Stop in Summit. We returned Thursday late evening to find the station had closed in our absence, shocked to learn we had filled up for the last time in Summit. I have been in mourning all weekend over the loss. I learned from Uncle Alma that the truck stop had been there for 35 years, and that four Summit residents lost their jobs when it closed. I had noticed that since the new truck stop opened on the north side of Cedar City, fewer trucks accumulated at the Sunshine stop. I had also noted that the facility was old and looked run down. But the 87 octane gas for cars was the lowest price in the vicinity, and it had a reputation for being good quality gasoline. I'll get over it, but I feel unaccountably sad to see it all boarded up.

On a brighter note, Barbara came for the weekend. We enjoyed watching General Conference, and last night took a tour of the environs visiting Parowan Gap, Parowan, and Cedar City. She did her weekend shopping in Cedar including buying paint for her downstairs bedroom. We had a great time. We also had a nice little visit with Uncle Alma and his kids--Cleon and his family, Steve and his wife, and RaeLynn and a couple of her children--between sessions. David picked apples which are littering the ground faster than we can get them off the tree. Fall is here and winter can't be too far behind, but we had no rain and a little sunshine today.

Default Post

2008-09-21T03:46:00.000-07:00

OK, it has been so long since I posted the address has dropped off my list. I have not much to say. I have been here in SLC on baby watch since a week ago Friday. My biggest accomplishments so far have been to change a light bulb in my garage (no mean task since the ceilings are so high and my ladder is not) and get the drapes ready to hang in my bedroom--I have been working on them, intermittently, for months. I don't miss Las Vegas, and I do feel bad about having missed my opportunity to speak in the Summit Ward Sacrament Meeting last Sunday--I guess I do not so much enjoy speaking as feeling good about disciplining myself to prepare a talk. I have been so out of the loop with no church callings for a year. I am now a visiting teacher and loving it. I was also asked to do the monthly Relief Society bulletin. Fall is clearly on the way. I love fall, but winter always depresses me in spite of my efforts to overcome it; it's the short days and lack of sun more than the cold. Again, no pics, but at least I won't get all the way to October without having said something!!

Another Milestone

2008-07-24T06:05:00.001-07:00

But I won't bother with a picture to commemorate it. When we first moved after we sold our Vegas house we rented a place with a 3 car garage. Other than the old VW which we stored in the garage, we could only fit one car because of all the "stuff" we brought with us from the old house. When we moved again last fall to a house less than half the size of the first rental and with a rather conventional 2 car garage, we managed to fit one car in. Yesterday morning I got up and opened the garage door and felt a whiff of coolish air, which is not normal during the summer months in Las Vegas. I was so inspired I spent an hour or so rearranging the junk in the garage and David was actually able to park his car next to mine when he came home last night. He could hardly get out and walk around the car, but it was a momentous occasion nonetheless. Just wanted to share--imagine parking your cars in your garage! Someone commented that we build these nice garages for our cars and fill them with junk and park our expensive cars outside; how perverse is that! Not that I have expensive cars, but they are more valuable than the junk that occupies the garage.

Home Decor Slow

2008-07-07T05:27:00.000-07:00

We finished the Daybreak house with no mirrors in the downstairs bathrooms; I just don't like the giant plate mirror look. Nine months later, the master bath finally has new mirrors, and I, for one, was so impressed I needed to take a picture and share the results. Thanks to my two sons-in-law, Brent and Cameron, it all happened in a matter of minutes. (I don't have a "before" picture so you can see the dramatic difference--sorry.)

To Put This Episode To Rest

2008-06-15T16:28:00.000-07:00

As those of you who have been following my posts know, Friday I was discharged from the hospital. After a "demo" shot I gave myself in the hospital, I had to do two additional injections, then have blood drawn on Saturday. I had a miserable time getting a report from the on call doctor which would determine the course of further treatments (including more self-administered injections) and dosage. I made three calls to the answering service yesterday before I finally found out that after inching up slowly over the course of my hospital stay, the level of blood thinner took a dramatic jump from Friday to Saturday: no more shots and a reduced dose of Coumadin!! Almost as good, no more blood draws until next Friday! So I am home with few restrictions. I will be on the blood thinner for 6 months with periodic checks over the course of treatment. I finished Jane's blanket I was working on, and we are heading back to the salt mine tomorrow. Since I didn't leave the air conditioning on and no one had a key, I anticipate finding dead houseplants and cockroaches to greet me. It has been a week of reflection and reassessment. I don't know what the fallout is yet, but I certainly have a lot to think about.

Free at Last!!

2008-06-13T11:42:00.000-07:00

OK, they are letting me out of the hospital today even though my blood thinner level isn't where they want it. Trick is I have to give myself 2 subcutaneous injections a day until the level of the coumadin is where it should be, which should be within a day or two. I have to come for blood draws tomorrow, Sunday and Monday, and if all goes well, not again until next Friday. So I plan to head for Vegas Monday. As I have learned, plans can change but that doesn't mean you can't make them. This has been an interesting experience, but I am glad to see it winding down. Thank you all for your support and prayers.

Hospital Flowers

2008-06-11T12:00:00.001-07:00

These beautiful flowers were sent by David's Mom (and siblings) to brighten my room. Latest word is that I will be here at least one more day, but the inflammation seems to be easing off and the blood thinners are working to prevent further clotting. The weather from the inside looking out is quite nice, and you can tell by all the posts that I am getting a little bored here by now. I appreciate all the calls and e mails; for being in the hospital it couldn't get much better.

Unexpected Detour

2008-06-09T12:01:00.001-07:00

Well, we got up bright and early this morning to drive from Summit to Las Vegas and loaded up the car. I have had some pain in my leg just above the knee for a few days, and this morning it had turned red. We decided to stop in Cedar City at the emergency room since I had no reasonable expectation of being able to see a doctor in Las Vegas on short order. After a quick check by the on-call doctor and an ultrasound, I was diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis--good news: not in a major vein. They admitted me and put me on heparin and Coumadin and I am stuck here until things improve; they are saying probably three days anyway. At least I have my laptop and internet access, but I am sure to be bored out of my mind before too long. On the bright side, they told me in the emergency room that they have had people drive to Cedar City from Las Vegas because it is faster to drive here, be seen, and drive back home than to wait in the Las Vegas hospital emergency rooms. And they are taking good care of me--I was diagnosed in an hour, which is amazing. So until further notice, I am holding court at the Cedar City hospital--not the way I expected to spend the week.

A little update

2008-06-02T20:12:00.000-07:00

Once again, I have no pictures, but I just realized it has been many weeks since I posted. Our travel has been seriously affected by the price of gasoline. I haven't been to SLC for a few weeks now, and don't have a trip planned until the end of June/first of July for John Carter's wedding, etc. That's not to say I might slip up there before for an unplanned trip. This last weekend in Summit was kind of interesting. I organized the garage and stacked all the flooring (47 boxes) for our new downstairs floor on a pallet. The interesting part is that with an Aleve before I went to bed, I suffered almost no consequences to my back. Also of note, I started on Janie's purple blanket which I have been promising for months now. The outside tier of cross stitching is done, and once underway, it will surely be completed. I even found some dramatic purple trim to go around the perimeter. Before we left Thursday evening I managed to renew both my driver's license and my temple recommend, events without which I might have needed to stay in Vegas for the weekend. I look forward to a relatively uneventful summer and hope and pray we can sell our office building to lighten the worry load. So there you have my update, if anyone thinks to check it out after so long of nothing.

New Office Interiors

2008-04-08T23:01:00.001-07:00

Teddy made it, but we don't have a very good spot for him

Reception Desk

Small Conf. Room

Hallway

Dad's (David's) Office

Large conference room

Copy Room

I snapped a few photos today, and my photography talents are very much non-existent. However, I will give you a little taste of our new quarters and you'll have to fill in with your imagination. After about 15 revisions, I give up. I cannot get the labels and the pictures together, so you just figure it out. Sorry.

Sunday Evening in Summit

2008-03-30T19:29:00.000-07:00

I still haven't figured out how to coordinate the pictures with the narrative, so I will just take what I get. We woke up in South Jordan to a late arriving spring storm. When I stopped in Provo for church services with Barbara, there was more snow on the ground than in SLC. The trip to Summit was without incident, with snow flurries and wet roads until about Beaver City. It looked like Southern Utah, including Summit, would just get a brush-by. However, the storm did make a stop, and I snapped a couple of photos for this storm on the penultimate day of March. We are snug and warm with our fire in the woodstove and actually enjoying the last stand of winter. It is already HOT in Las Vegas and we are needing air conditioning at the office, so this is an interesting contrast. Enjoy the trees in our yard with the wet spring snow clinging to them at dusk, and the cozy fire inside.

Moving, moving, moving

2008-03-25T17:18:00.000-07:00

Sorry, no pictures again. We moved starting last Thursday to our new office across town. I left Thursday evening, and basically David and Tyler spearheaded and engineered the move--mostly Tyler, actually. It is a tremendous undertaking to move thirty people and all their accoutrements down the road. We have all new document centers, a new voip phone system, mostly new computer hardware and software, and all of this has to be coordinated so we can get up and running and pay for all this new stuff. Today we had some people actually billing hours, but we were basically shut down for about 3 working days. We love our new business home. Most of you don't communicate with us there, but the office telephone number remains the same. Our new office address is 3890 West Ann Road, North Las Vegas, NV 89031. I posted some outside pictures of the new building, I think, and I'll get some inside views as soon as we get a little bit settled so things look better--there are boxes everywhere and lots of junk and disorder still. Onward and upward!!

Musings

2008-02-24T18:29:00.000-08:00

No pictures today--just an update. The large amount of snow which had accumulated from the plowing through the winter has mostly melted, and the fields look like shallow lakes. There is so much water in our Summit yard that David took a 3 foot driveway marker and sank it almost to the top in one of two trenches he dug to drain the water away from the house; he was outside for at least two or three hours trying to drain the accumulation of melted snow and rain. It was snowing again late this afternoon and evening. I enjoyed the Summit Ward, as usual, today. The people are so down to earth and unpretentious that I just feel refreshed by being around them. The Bishop dropped by this afternoon with a couple of job listings for John, who, by the way, is starting a job in Salt Lake City tomorrow. The Summit experiment didn't quite work out for John and Danielle, but ever resilient, they are moving on to greener pastures. We are heading back to Vegas tomorrow, where spring is surely evident along with the inevitable wind this time of year.

Moving . . . . again (Don't worry--just the office)

2008-02-21T10:12:00.000-08:00

This is the new building, which is a little more than twice the size of the old one and about 10 miles to the North in North Las Vegas.

This is the fabulous lobby which has two story floor to ceiling built in bookcases. This is the part that is hardest to leave.

Here's our old building which we are leaving with some regret.

Kitchen cabinets

2008-01-26T16:32:00.000-08:00

Fun, fun, fun with the hardware on the cabinets. I feel like an expert now. It took me forever for the first drawer, but I got pretty good by the time I was finished. I am still short one drawer pull. I am having trouble getting the pictures posted, but I have a couple of the cabinets and some kitty ones. Beautiful day here--apparently the calm before the storm.

Not much happening

2008-01-25T23:05:00.000-08:00

More pictures to come as today I finished painting the kitchen and added hardware to the cabinets. I need longer bolts to put the pulls on the drawers and I shorted myself one drawer pull, so when I get back to Home Depot for supplies and finish the job, I'll photograph. I really like the changes. I also washed the blind and the kitchen window, cleaned and vacuumed the living room, and otherwise tidied up. I felt quite pleased with myself. I now want to stain and paint the kitchen table and chairs--maybe not tomorrow. So watch for the photos, hopefully manana.

Winter Sunset

2008-01-20T20:18:00.000-08:00

We'll see how long I survive the digital age. I snapped a picture of the sunset tonight from my front porch in Summit, which I will hereby share. Hope you enjoy it.