Wasteland

Well, fall's slowly arriving which means I will be spending more time writing on my blog (I hope...You may not).

I wandered over to our local convenience store this morning to pick up some totally unhealthy treat for myself and experienced something that made the gnarly, curmugeonly old Muddah rear her ugly head. Mind you, I'm generally a pretty accepting person whose motto is usually "live and let live". However, I witnessed my pet peeve today, and it was all I could do to keep the Muddah's mouth shut!

I drove into the parking lot to find only one possible parking spot (which is unusual in itself for our tiny town on a Sunday morning). That would have been great, except there was an ugly mound of, good Lord what was it, right outside the door where I parked. I backed the car up slightly to avoid it. As I walked into the store, I encountered an obstacle course of "customers", all of which appeared to be in their early to mid-twenties, aimlessly standing or wandering the aisles. My first encounter was with a 'boy' and 'girl', showing a rather dazed enthusiasm for the novelty lighters close to the checkout stand. "Ahhohhhh, this one looks kind of cool, but I don't know if I could figure out how it works", said the girl as she intently tried to focus on the product. Her male friend offered no assistance, but stood there and stared at her the same way the girl stared at the lighter.

As I made my way to aisle two, I was stopped by another couple, this time a very "girlish" sounding boy and his female "BFF". "Well, I know", but I just think it's more fun when it's just you, me and few other friends, you know?" "Listen, pal...", I hear this girl say as I rudely interrupt with an "excuse me", and the PowerPuff twins move quickly to the side as the boy says "Oh, ha-ha, I am just so good at getting in the way!" I quickly find my purchase and scoot my way back to the checkout stand. As I'm rounding the corner, I see the clerk speeding in the other direction to get behind the counter. "Poor woman", I think to myself as she positions herself at the register to check me out. "I wonder if this onslaught of teenage wasteland is something she has to deal with every Sunday morning?" My thought had barely taken shape when she opened her mouth and uttered what I believe was "How are you this morning?"

Do you remember Cheech and Chong, the two comic druggies from the '70's? You know, "Bassetball Jones", "Up in Smoke" and "Sister Mary Elephant?" Those guys! Well, this woman sounded EXACTLY like Chong! Kind of slow-talkin', with spurious half-thoughts....Half-whining sentences generously peppered with "man".....

Have you seen that movie Sixth Sense with Bruce Willis and Haley Joel Osment, where the boy sees dead people and you think "Thank Gawd, Bruce is there to help him", and then you find out at the end that Bruce is dead TOO?? (Yes, it took me til the end to figure it out! Shut up!) That is what I felt as the clerk uttered those benign words... "How is WHAT? Oh....the morning...this morning...How am I this morning!" Faster, brain, faster!! "Oh, so far, so good!", I managed to stammer. "How are you doing?" "Oh, me?" she says, "Oh, all my days are good days, man, you know, as long as I wake up in the morning, I'm doin' good, man........"

I made my purchase and fled back into the parking lot, only to nearly collide with the staring boy and girl I met when I first went into the store. He had evidently bought her one of the novelty lighters...The one that looked like a miniature "Coors" can. She was standing just in front of the gas pumps, swaying slowly to and fro, kind of staring at her prize as if she couldn't believe what her eyes were seeing. As I rushed to my car, I realized that the "mound" of goo I'd carefully tried to avoid was the remains of someone's half-eaten bar-b-que SOMETHING from Subway....YUCK! As I threw the car into reverse and backed out of the parking spot, I was reeling with a mixture of angst and rage! WHAT A WASTE! Is all I could think as I backed my way out of that parking space and onto the street.

I've always considered myself a caring person, almost to the point of sappiness. No matter how frustrated my peers would become with people or animals, I could always find some sympathy in my heart for the target of their pessimism. In earlier years, when I saw young people such as those in the convenience store, I would go so far as to blame their parents for the way they were "turning out", and feel sorrow for them because they were "never given a chance". Not anymore. Not after working over 21 years for an agency who attempts to give these people a chance, only to realize the efforts are for naught. I've come to believe that some people are born to lose. They seem to know it and accept it, even embrace it! And while it may be a fate allotted to them outside their control, I simply cannot abide a loser. Yes, young people will make mistakes - most will unavoidably learn from them. The people I'm talking about do NOT learn. They seem to be perfectly happy as losers and don't wish to ever change their position. THESE are the folks I simply can't abide. It's a difficult thing for me to accept, because I believe there is great potential in ALL people. But it's there and I have to accept it. And in some odd way, it makes me feel like a bit of a failure too, which is what, I suppose, makes me angriest of all.

I hope she learns someday how to work that lighter!

Random Thoughts of the Day...

I received this in my email today. I don’t know who wrote it, but I was struck by some of the insight. This lists proves that indeed, the meandering thoughts we have and think no one else would ever POSSIBLY have are NOT as exclusively “strange” as we may have previously thought… I could very easily have written some of these myself!

*Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong.

*Have you ever been walking down the street and realized that you're going in the complete opposite direction of where you are supposed to be going? But instead of just turning a 180 and walking back in the direction from which you came, you have to first do something like check your watch or phone or make a grand arm gesture and mutter to yourself to ensure that no one in the surrounding area thinks you're crazy by randomly switching directions on the sidewalk.

*I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.

*The letters T and G are very close to each other on a keyboard. This recently became all too apparent to me and consequently I will never be ending a work email with the phrase "Regards" again.

*There is a great need for sarcasm font.

*Sometimes, I'll watch a movie that I watched when I was younger and suddenly realize I had no idea what the hell was going on when I first saw it.

*I think everyone has a movie that they love so much, it actually becomes stressful to watch it with other people. I'll end up wasting 90 minutes shiftily glancing around to confirm that everyone's laughing at the right parts, then making sure I laugh just a little bit harder (and a millisecond earlier) to prove that I'm still the only one who really, really gets it.

*How the hell are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?

*I would rather try to carry 10 plastic grocery bags in each hand than take 2 trips to bring my groceries in.

*Was learning cursive really necessary?

*Lol has gone from meaning, "laugh out loud" to "I have nothing else to say".

*I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.

*Answering the same letter three times or more in a row on a Scantron test is absolutely petrifying.

*How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod and smile because you still didn't hear what they said?

*I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars teams up to prevent a jerk from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers!

*MapQuest really needs to start their directions on #5. Pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.

*I find it hard to believe there are actually people who get in the shower first and THEN turn on the water.

*I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.

*Bad decisions make good stories.

*Is it just me or do high school girls get sluttier & sluttier every year?

*If Carmen San Diego and Waldo ever got together, their offspring would probably just be completely invisible.

*Why is it that during an ice-breaker, when the whole room has to go around and say their name and where they are from, I get so incredibly nervous? Like I know my name, I know where I'm from, this shouldn't be a problem....

*You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you've made up your mind that you just aren’t doing anything productive for the rest of the day.

*Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after DVDs? I don't want to have to restart my collection.

*There's no worse feeling than that millisecond you're sure you are going to die after leaning your chair back a little too far.

*I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten page research paper that I swear I did not make any changes to.

*"Do not machine wash or tumble dry" means I will never wash this ever.

*I hate being the one with the remote in a room full of people watching TV. There's so much pressure. 'I love this show, but will they judge me if I keep it on? I bet everyone is wishing we weren’t watching this. It's only a matter of time before they all get up and leave the room. Will we still be friends after this?

*'While watching the Olympics, I find myself cheering equally for China and USA. No, I am not of Chinese descent, but I am fairly certain that when Chinese athletes don’t win, they are executed.

*I hate when I just miss a call by the last ring (Hello? Hello?Damnit!), but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and goes to voicemail. What'd you do after I didn't answer? Drop the phone and run away?

*I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not seeing anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste.

*Why is a school zone 20 mph? That seems like the optimal cruising speed for pedophiles...

*As a driver I hate pedestrians, and as a pedestrian I hate drivers, but no matter what the mode of transportation, I always hate cyclists.

*Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.

*It should probably be called Unplanned Parenthood.

*I think that if, years down the road when I’m trying to have a kid, I find out that I’m sterile, most of my disappointment will stem from the fact that I was not aware of my condition in college.

*Even if I knew your social security number, I wouldn't know what do to with it.

*Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys in a pocket, finding their cellphone, and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey - but I’d bet my ass everyone can find and push the Snooze button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time every time...

*My 4-year old son asked me in the car the other day "Dad what would happen if you ran over a ninja?" How the hell do I respond to that?

*It really pisses me off when I want to read a story on CNN.com and the link takes me to a video instead of text.

*I wonder if cops ever get pissed off at the fact that everyone they drive behind obeys the speed limit.

*I think the freezer deserves a light as well.

*I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or Saturday night more kisses begin with Miller Lites than Kay.

*The other night I ordered takeout, and when I looked in the bag, saw they had included four sets of plastic silverware. In other words, someone at the restaurant packed my order, took a second to think about it, and then estimated that there must be at least four people eating to require such a large amount of food. Too bad I was eating by myself. There’s nothing like being made to feel like a fat bastard before dinner.

A Mother's Love

The Perfect Storm is a piece written by my daughter Carly. It's an analogy of her life with her beautiful son Carson, who is struggling with a yet-to-be-diagnosed disorder. They are precious to me and are both in my daily prayers. I know they and their doctors, with God's help, will be victorious over this horrible thing that seems to have consumed them....

The Perfect Storm

We head out on the ocean in a brand new sailboat.

I'm not quite sure I know how but this ship appears to float.

We merrily coast along, Enjoying the pleasant swell.

But shortly into our trip, I realize all is not well.

I see the storm clouds approaching, and the boat begins to rock.

My companion is my son, and he tragically needs a dock.

Lightning strikes around us, And I call out for help.

Several boats arrive, And relief is what I felt.

But as they throw a life line to my son to leave our barge,

He falls into the mighty beast, and the surge around grows large.

He is pulled under water, with me watching on the dinghy.

I reach out for his hand, but the beast pulls back strongly.

He bobs in the water, and I call again, 'SOS'!

More barges come to help, but their life rings miss.

Their lines are not long enough to snatch him back from the roar.

I see the beast's evil smile as it grows wilder than before.

Finally, one ring reaches him and I sigh with gratitude and thanks.

And as they get him to the ship, He slips again and sinks.

As he rises again I see it, I see the fear in his eyes.

He goes down again and a piece of me dies.

As he rises and falls, the ocean overtakes him.

I go into a panic as I reach for him again.

Now my biggest fear has come and I see the hole in my boat.

I bail out water with a tea cup, But I still have my hope.

Watching him with my eyes and scooping with my arms.

I'm sinking slowly, now we are both at harm.

His eyes now mimic the beast as the sea overtakes him.

I yell and scream to him to stay, 'Don't let your spirit dim!''

You're stronger than the tyrant, Please don't let it win.

I know you inside and out - Carson, learn to swim!

He paddles his arms, And kicks his feet.

He stares at me and screams, 'Mom, I will not be beat!'

He's almost overtaken, And right as I think he's gone.

I get a look in his eyes, I sigh, 'there is my son'.

I scream and yell at the brute, 'You cannot have him ever!

I'll fight for him until I die, I'll fight for him forever!'

'You are no match for a Mother's Love, And you will never have victory.

I'll find your weakness you monster, And we will win, you'll see!'

-C.K.Wainright

Summer Meanders On...

Well, we're into July already!! Around here, folks tend to put aside indoor activities and head outdoors to enjoy the warm weather. I've been no exception, and my blogging has suffered. However, we never know for sure how long summer will last in the mountains, so you head out as soon and as often as you can! So far, this year has been quite enjoyable...

We had wonderful weather for the 4th of July this year, and we took in all of the area's activities. We enjoyed a few parades -

And Oohed and Ahhh'd our community fireworks display!

Of course, summer isn't complete without a few good naps in the afternoon....

And we've enjoyed many a beautiful, sunny morning on our deck -

The petunias we planted in May have filled in the flower box very nicely....

Even the Hostas are thriving! One has even decided to try and "bloom"......(didn't know they did that!)

And the strawberries are beginning to overrun the house!

The best of summer is yet to come! We're FINALLY getting the boat ready for the season, and I am anxious to get out there on the water! That's IF the weather holds!!

Until next time, here's wishing everyone a wonderful summer!!

EXTRA!!

This was the front page headline in today's paper. Further, this is the 1st paper of the week, which means that THIS story was the hottest thing that happened in the entire valley since last Sunday!! To top it off, Smokey was not hit by just any car - Smokey was hit by a SHERIFF'S VEHICLE! This should tell you something about how busy they were this weekend.

And that, folks, is why I love living here so much (my condolences to Smokey).

Good Grief~I've definitely neglected this poor little blog! I have an excuse, however....I've really been very busy! For one thing, I discovered Facebook...Quite the adventure! I've found friends I hadn't talked to since high school as well as a favorite nephew I hadn't seen or spoken with in years! It's fun - a wonderful thing - but it also feels rowdy and raucous - like I imagine walking into a frat house on party night would be. It's kind of nice to get back here to my peaceful meanderings.

Let me catch you up on a few things that have happened since I last posted. Life has become much faster since spring has arrived.....

Mother's Day arrived and all 3 of my kids called to wish me a happy day. LOVED it!! And to top it off, my husband bought me a beautiful bouquet of spring flowers:

The following Tuesday, Josh and Tia sent me this beautiful bouquet of tulips for a Mother's Day surprise!
It was wonderful to realize that it was warming up enough for the neighborhood kids to camp out in their yard....Tents have gotten far more extravagant than they were when I camped outside my house as a kid!!Spring fever really hit me then, and I decided it was time to get outside and get our yards in shape after I saw that mother nature was beginning to do some decorating for me:

EVERYone helped out (except for Golly, who decided it was more important to make friends with the little girl dog on the other side of the fence).

With a little effort, the yards actually turned out quite well!

We were all worn out afterwards and decided to take a well deserved rest....

...And for the next two days, this little item was my favorite friend - I've spent many pleasurable hours scrapbooking for my grandbabies:

More scrapbooking......

...And even MORE scrapbooking!! (Of course my grandkids are so photogenic, the scrapbooks are growing to the size of a Funk & Wagnall's!)

I even FINALLY found a scrapbook I can personalize for Sophie! I was afraid I would NEVER be able to find one!So, you see? It's been a terribly busy place around here lately. In spite of it all, however, some things will always stay the same....

Brodie will be be the protector of the grounds....

And Goliath will be whatever he wants to be at a given moment....

Even if it means being a knick-knack on Muddah's living room end table!!

HAPPY DAY, EARTH!

Today was Earth Day and I'm back on the road this week. My job requires that each of us 5 compliance officers cover a portion of the state. My area is all of North/North Central Idaho. Geographically, it's a huge area and this week I am visiting the North Central part, starting by traveling to Grangeville, which is 5 hours from my home office. It's a long trip, but a beautiful one. Here are a few photos I caught during my travels. Whoever started Earth Day just had to be inspired by this beautiful area....

This is close to home. I'm approaching an area referred to as the chain lakes. The entire trip entails traveling this 2 lane highway (and you thought they were extinct!) It can get pretty exciting, what with the random wildlife (or logging truck) jumping out in the road ahead of you. Amazingly, this highway IS THE road connecting North and South Idaho. Those of us who travel it regularly lovingly refer to it as the Goat Trail.

The chain lakes are exactly what they're called - a "chain" of lakes. The previous picture is near Rose Lake. This is a shot of Killarney Lake. Such a beautiful area!Here is the "city" of St. Maries. This is a logging town; of course, nowadays there isn't nearly as much logging as there was "back in the day"....

You simply can't leave St. Maries without throwin' a shout out to the Lumberjack!

This is Lake Chatcolet. If you look closely, you can see a bridge in the background. We cross that bridge on our bike trips as we pedal from Harrison to Plummer.

This is the town of Plummer, on the Coeur d'Alene Indian Reservation. As you can see, it's a big party town :). As you continue south, the mountains settle into the rolling hills of the Palouse. This was taken not far from Moscow - Home to the University of Idaho (go Vandals!). Just across the border the Cougars of Washington State lie in wait....(of a new basketball coach).I stopped to take this picture of Lewiston at the top of Lewiston hill. This steep and winding hill always provided excitement for a bus load of high school kids headed into town for a basketball game!

Here's a picture I took just south of Lewiston, approaching an area referred to as Lawyer's Canyon. Take a close look and you'll see a beautiful old train trestle nestled into the hillside.

I couldn't end this post without including a picture of "Earl", one of several beautiful pieces of art that greets me each time I check in to my motel here in Grangeville. The picture does not capture the true beauty of this piece. It is fashioned with some type of steel. When the light shines on it just right, the buffer swirls incorporated by the artist makes the piece appear to be 3-D. A truly talented artist! Good night, Earl, and good night, earth!

The Winds of WHAT???

WHEW! Someone in our office brought in a can of air freshener for our restrooms. It's called "Winds of Springtime". It smells like a mixture of permanent hair solution and someone's stale cologne (NOT good!) If the person who came up with this scent believes it resembles the "winds of springtime", they must live in a very small town with a very large paper mill, or maybe they're stuck under somebody's armpit! It's sad....Very, very sad!

HAPPY TAX DEADLINE DAY!!

WHAT'S NEXT?

The Belgian Malnut laid down with the Jack Russell Terrorist!! What Next? Will the Lion lay down with the Lamb?

The Reluctant Photographer

My husband Kelly is a wonderful photographer. My choice of title here is probaby not totally accurate, because photography has become quite a hobby of his. He's grown to love heading out to find spots pleasing to the eye. And he does have an eye for it! The reluctance comes from his hesitation to show any of his work. And it aggravates me no end! If I had a gift like his, I would be flaunting it EVERYWHERE. I'd probably side my house with my wonderful shots! Several people, strangers and friends alike, have asked if they could have copies of some of his work. He's also been asked to take family photos. His answer is usually "I'm not good enough yet." "I have to get some more practice." Well, I disagree, so I am going to share some recent photos he's taken. And I will continue to do so from time to time. He's not very happy with me, but those of you who know me know that THAT has never stopped me in the past :). And so, I give you.....Photos from the "Reluctant Photographer".....

Here are a few shots he got during a visit down around the Rose Lake area...

A robin comes bearing the promise of spring....

Some snow geese...As reluctant as winter to depart, it seems ~

Here's a shot that really intrigues me. It appears as though Monet captured this shot of a Mallard taking flight.....

Living in a valley surrounded by the Bitterroot Mountains, we don't often see spectacular sunsets. However, our skies do appear to catch fire on occasion....

A full moon on an early spring evening can be particularly beautiful in these old mountains....


And my children wonder why I am so vigorously rooted to this area......