50 Years of Loafer

It has actually been 51 years since we first went to Loafer Canyon, but cabins take time.....so 50 years of actually enjoying an evening in the beautiful canyon and sleeping in the fresh air is what I call living.
This was the cabin I enjoyed when I was just a "Little" girl.
In 2006 my kids decided it was time to return to the great outdoors. So we went in search of a new place for a new generation to enjoy Loafer. Above is the lot they settled on. It took months of work to clear it and get it ready for the building of a new cabin.
August 25, 2007 this is what the cleared lot looked like.
Just 1 year later look at my Daughter-in-love and her family have put up! AMAZING......AWESOME......AND BREATHTAKINGLY BEAUTIFUL

Jason, Al, the kids and I have put in a few moments of work and I do mean moments...... But we love it just as much as anyone can!

Can't wait to show you the picture in a year from now!

Happy Birthday Brevin

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

How to Survive "Hubbies" High School Reunion

How to survive your husband’s forty-year high school reunion:

1. The Buddy System:
Bring a Friend Don’t attend the function unless there is at least one other spouse there whom you have previously met and enjoy talking to. (Thank you Mary Clair and Debbie, Thank you Robin!)



2. Superiority Complex:
Have the best looking Husband in the Room
If possible, do what I did and: arrive with the best looking guy at the party. Lee and Gary are the other two gorgeous men in the room. (Also, stating here that Al, Lee and Gary are the hotties of the group will maybe get me some brownie points. Not that I need them you know! )


3. Safety in Numbers: Bond With the Other Spouses
They feel your pain. Lean on them.


4. Laugh a lot and act like you are totally enjoying the evening.


5. Take plenty of pictures…..
This will keep you busy and you won’t have to look like you have been totally abandoned and neglected while hubby is off mingling non stop!

Mr. Lasorda Comes to Town

Remember when I said "No"....I'm not doing all that ball park stuff this summer! I'm such a push-over and it's so much fun! Every Saturday that the boys...that would be "Raptor boys".......have a home game, the host families put together a little tail gate get together! When Tommy comes to town he is always happy to spend time with us and have a few helpings of our fabulous food. Today several of us had our pictures taken with him. When I told him I was Italian he gave me a big hug! What great memories. Wonder how many millions of lives he has touched with his life's lessons, stories, and genuine kindness!

Cabin Update

Wednesday I tried....really...I tried....to help at the cabin site. I actually painted maybe 4 sheets of something or other that goes somewhere! After my feeble attempt I got a horrible headache....and spent the afternoon sleeping in the motor home...ugh! I don't know where this crew of workers get their strength and energy....cause I have none. In spite of what I can't do to help....I love what the cabin is looking like! I will be able to wash a few dishes and fix a few meals when it is all finished and ready for sleep overs! CAN'T WAIT!

The Summer School Play

Tuesday was the big production for the summer school plays. The GKs had cute little parts and said all their lines perfectly. Of course, Missie....knew her part and everyone elses as well. Unfortunately the lighting was terrible and I got picture that I can't even edit with Photoshop....ugh! After the plays we were going to have a birthday lunch, but misfortune stricks and Daughter-in-loves car has a flat tire........I did get pictures of the guys who kindly fixed it for her!

Halie hated the sounds of the repair shop. We were on the road in no time at all. These guys were truly nice guys....they didn't want to even charge us. So I gave them a small tip and said thank you so much!

Classic Auto Repair .....800 North in Orem, Utah......there are still a few good guys left in this world!

Happy Birthday Miss Halie

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

This is so me...it is scary!

Recently, I was diagnosed with A.A.A.D.D. - Age Activated Attention Deficit Disorder. This is how it manifests:

I decided to water a small dead spot on my backyard lawn. After I turn on the hose I put it down and went back into the house. The mail had arrived so I walked to the mail box and took out the mail. Walking back into the house I looked over at my car and decide it needed washing. As I start toward the garage, I remembered the mail on the porch table that I brought up from the mail box just a few minutes earlier.

I decided to go through the mail before I washed the car. I laid my car keys on the table, put the junk mail in the garbage can under the table, and noticed that the can was full. So, I decided to put the bills back on the table and take out the garbage first. But then I think, since I'm going to be near the mailbox when I take out the garbage anyway, I may as well pay the bills first.

I took my check book off the table, and saw that there was only 1 check left. My extra checks are in my desk in the study, so I go inside the house to my desk where I find the glass of juice (KABALA) I'd been drinking.

I'm going to look for my checks, but first I need to push the juice aside so that I don't accidentally knock it over. The juice is getting warm and I decide to put it in the refrigerator to keep it cold.

As I head toward the kitchen with the juice, a vase of flowers on the counter catches my eye--they need water. I put the juice glass on the counter and discover my reading glasses that I've been searching for all morning. I decided I better put them back on my desk, but first I'm going to water the flowers.

I set the glasses back down on the counter, fill a container with water and suddenly spot the TV remote. Someone left it on the kitchen table. I realize that tonight when we go to watch TV, DH will be looking for the remote, but I won't remember that it's on the kitchen table, so I decide to put it back on the end table where it belongs, but first I'll water the flowers.

I pour some water in the flowers, but quite a bit of it spills on the floor. So, I set the remote back on the table, get some towels and wipe up the spill. Then, I head down the hall trying to remember what I was planning to do.

• At the end of the day:


• the car isn't washed


• the bills aren't paid


• there is a warm glass of juice sitting on the counter


• the flowers don't have enough water


• there is still only 1 check in my check book


• I can't find the remote....DH screams!


• and I can't find the car keys.


• and the new storage room in the basement is now flooded because I left the water on out back!
  

What a blessing Jen was at our home and wanted to go tanning in the basement or the whole dang basement would have been a swimming pool!

Then, when I try to figure out why nothing got done today, I'm really baffled because I know I was busy all dang day, and I'm really tired.

I realize this is a serious problem because it all really happened. Now I'll try to get some help for this condition, but first I'll check my e-mail and of course read a few blogspots.

So y'all need to do me a favor. Please foward this message to everyone you know, because I don't remember who the heck I've sent it to.......oh that's why I have a blogspot!

Happy Anniversary 2008

With all the things going on in my life......you would think I would have a better "Remember" system! Yesterday just happened to be my parents anniversary of 61 years. I don't think I could ever thank them enough for all they have done for me! They are two very special and wonderful people. They provided a supportive and caring home for their only child....ME.... to grow up in, and most importantly, a loving environment where their marriage and our little family thrived.

My parents are the epitome of graceful and gentle love, enjoying life to the fullest, and give depth and meaning to what "happily ever after" is all about.

Although yesterday was really their anniversary, I would raise a glass today to salute and honour the wonderful example they have set about what love, life and laughter is all about any day!

Fire Tooooooo..... Close to Loafer

The kids drove to the fire last night about 8:30. The cabin project is about 10 miles east of this fire. It has made all of us a little nervous. I stayed awake until about 1:30 watching the internet for any news.

1 SEATS, 2 Helicopters, 125 Personnel, 2 Heavy Air Tankers

Springville, Salem, Payson, Spanish Fork, Mapleton, Santaquin, Genola Forest and wild land fire, Utah County Fire. All of these stations are part of the large crews that are fighting this fire. Thank goodness for this brave group of people who are working to protect those close to the burn.

Green, Green, Green....Zucchini, Zucchini, Zucchini

Is zucchini a weed?

In the past I have only had this level of gardening success with weeds -- I honestly can grown weeds that would make you cry with joy (or pain.) But I have never successfully grown many useful things -- case in point: all of my basil plants have died. AGAIN. I have a few tomatoes plants that are doing well, but green peppers ....basil.....lavendar.....never want to live in my backyard for some reason. Zucchini has never failed me and every year I plant extra....just so ya'll think I'm a gardner....not like "Dan Gardner"...just a gardner!
This is just a little flower bed along the back of my home....
By the end of the summer I will have been to busy to pick a few and they will grow the side of a T-ball bat....won't the GK's have fun with that!

****Celebrate Sneak Some Zucchini Onto Your Neighbor's Porch Day, is approaching.... it is August 8th

This lesser known holiday was created, undoubtedly, to creatively distribute abundant zucchini harvests. To "celebrate" this holiday, which happens every August 8th, wait for the darkness of night, sneak over to your neighbor's house and leave some zucchini on their porch. Don't ring the doorbell and run, just let them stumble over it in the morning.

If you really like your neighbors you might leave them a delicious loaf of zucchini bread --- I'm sharing 2 recipes with you today so you can get your game plan going for Zucchini Day!

#1 This is a Sweet Bread and delicious ~ Brown Sugar, Pineapple and Zucchini get the same billing in this recipe. So maybe we should call it Sugar Bread!

Pineapple Zucchini Bread

1 cup packed brown sugar
½ cup margarine, softened
1 cup grated zucchini
1 8 oz. can crushed pineapple with juice
2 eggs
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp ground allspice
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
½ cup confectioners sugar
1 tsp corn syrup
¼ tsp ground cinnamon

Heat oven to 350. Grease and flour the bottom only of a 9x5 inch loaf pan.

In a large bowl, cream brown sugar and margarine until light and fluffy. Reserve 1 TB pineapple juice. Stir in pineapple, zucchini, and eggs. Add flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, and allspice; blend well. Fold in nuts. Spread evenly in prepared pan.

Bake for 60-70 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes, and then remove from pan.

To make glaze, combine confectioners' sugar, reserved pinapple juice, corn syrup and ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon. Mix until smooth, and spoon over warm loaf. Cool completely on wire rack. Wrap and store in refrigerator.

#2 ----This recipe has a lot less sugar ---so it qualifies as HEALTHY!

Ingredients

3 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter, melted
1 cup shredded zucchini
1 tablespoon grated onion

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Oil and flour a baking pan that is sized 9" x 5". In a large bowl, add and mix the flour, Parmesan cheese, salt, baking powder and baking soda.

Blend well and set aside. In a medium bowl, beat the eggs. Add the buttermilk, sugar and butter and beat the mixture with a fork until it is well blended. Add the egg mixture to the dry ingredients and only blend until the flour is moistened and the batter is still lumpy.

Add the zucchini and onion to your zucchini bread batter. Pour your batter into the greased and floured baking pan. Put it into the oven and bake for one hour or more. Check for doneness by putting a toothpick into the middle of the loaf. If the toothpick comes out clean, your zucchini bread is done.

Place your bread in the pan on a rack to cool for ten minutes. Remove from the pan.

Now you can easily get ready for the big Zucchini Holiday August 8th.....let me know what your family is doing for that big day!

The Brumley Family must say Good-bye for now

Dana and the kids are on their way back to the big state of TX. Getting to know this family has been a first-class experience. They have really made Clearfield their home this month. Their oldest daughter has enjoyed many days at the Clearfield Pool....working out with the swim team. The family has had a field trip to somewhere interesting almost every day. I do hope the Great Salt Lake was not to buggie!

Here we are with the kids...............
Dana clicked a picture of us just before they left for the airport.......
I'm way to emotional about such things and I'm actually teary-eyed as I write this post.

I then made her get into the picture so I could get one more shot!
The two younger Brumley children are absolutely darling, friendly...and pretty dang smart!
The last night at the ballpark....older brother is now in Nicaragua playing with a Christian Ambassador baseball team.... you can read all about them on this blogspot http://alifeworthfollowing.org/
The youngest daughter of the Brumley's is looking forward to a career in the food industry. She wants to own her own restaurant, so we took a field trip to our production shop to show her our Abundance Living Food process. It was a great experience for all of us.

I can't begin to tell you how much I am going to miss this family. My only solace is that I know we will have a life long friendship even though we will be miles and miles apart. Thank you Brumley family for bringing us so many hours of fun, laughter, and friendship.

The "Boy" is back in Town....Mr. Lugo- that is!

Ruddy Joraider Lugo is a Major League Baseball relief pitcher in the New York Mets organization.......but he was one of "My Boys" in 1999 and 2000 with the Milwaukee Brewers organization. Now Ruddy wasn't actually assigned to my home, but none the less he found his way there almost every night! He is an adopted member of our family.....we love ya Ruddy! Sunday Ruddy was in SLC playing against the Bees. After the game we were going to have dinner somewhere in the city, but Ruddy thought going back to Ogden would be a better idea. So off to Ogden we went. We caught the last few innings of our Ogden Raptors game and then attended a BBQ for the team for a few hours........Time to go home Ruddy....ya know what I mean if you were at the party!



Ruddy got reacquainted with lots of the fans from his stay in Ogden.

He has found his way to several teams during his career.
Here is his itinerary of as the baseball turns:
1. Selected by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 3rd round of the free-agent draft (June 2, 1999 - signed June 21, 1999).

2. Traded by the Milwaukee Brewers to the Los Angeles Dodgers (June 1, 2001) completing trade in which the Los Angeles Dodgers traded Devon White to the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for Marquis Grissom and a player to be named later (February 24, 2001).

3.Traded by the Los Angeles Dodgers to the Houston Astros in exchange for Daryle Ward (January 25, 2003).

4.Released by the Houston Astros (March 28, 2004).

5.Signed with the Florida Marlins (April 2, 2004).

6.Released by the Florida Marlins (March 30, 2005).

7.Signed with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays (April 20, 2005).
Granted free agency (October 15, 2005).
Signed with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays (November 3, 2005).

8. Claimed off waivers by the Oakland Athletics from the Tampa Bay Devil Rays (June 14, 2007).

9. Claimed off waivers by the New York Mets from the Oakland Athletics (Jan 30, 2008).

And all the time showing that "Ruddy Lugo" smile!

Greats from 68

1968……Some people enjoy a stroll down Memory Lane. I find Memory Lane a bit of frightening place, filled with a few embarrassing mistakes, a few missed opportunities, a few forks in the road of life chosen for the wrong reasons if for any reason at all. Since high school my life has been filled with baseball so the quote from Yogi Berra has some relevancy “If you come to a fork in the road, take it.” On occasions I have followed Yogi’s advice with many enjoyable experiences that have followed. Here are a few memories from Saturday, July 26, 2008! Did we ever think we would be this old?
Duane Dudley and Craig Larsen ....talking about WojaWoda Days....great warriors...that is what the word means!
Sam Gardner and Craig Swenson having a good laugh.
Lynn Leifson still smiling after all these years.
Karla asking Don....how many kids?????
Here we are as the late great of 68!

So the reunion is over now - it was quite brief - and we all will go back to our routines. But I am different now. I had a wake up call from this past weekend, and I am going to re-prioritize some of my goals. Time increases in value as we age, so we have less of it to waste now. Yet we've always had the same amount since the day we were born. It gets perplexing how time seems to be so slow when you are young, and then moves so fast once you hit 50 really approaching 60.

So, we smiled to see each other alive (not all of us have made it) and looking as good as we did and chatted about things that were no longer relevant to any of us before they vanished from memory altogether.

I honestly wish the best that life has to offer for all those people in my graduating class that I spoke with this weekend. You all know who you are. If I am blessed enough to hang on to life for another ten years, I will be at the 50 year reunion. Maybe it'll have something to teach me too.
As wonderful as it was to spend that time in the “Past”, we have all moved on, and grown up or should I say at least tried to grow up. I enjoyed the reunion—but—reality show comes early with the dawning of a new day and we all must return…so it’s back to work for another year....then I too can say "I'm retired"...and sleeping in!

Hmmm...a ballplayer?? No 2 ballplayers!

Those of you who know me well will remember me saying...."No ballplayers this summer!" It worked for almost half of the season. I can't remember now where I was or what I was doing when DH called to tell me ...."We have to take a player home for a few days, because they just don't have enough host families." Right...we now have 2 great guys living with us for the remainder of the season. August brings lots of road trips 18 days of it actually, so it really won't be all that much work...for DH! Those of you who know him well, will remember him saying...."I'll be a great dad!" Hmmm...how many of you actually believe him?
This is Matt Smith. He is a pitcher from Wichita State. Matt has a twin sister that he thinks is pretty awesome. While Matt was in high school he lettered all four years in baseball and three years in basketball...In baseball, he was named all-city honorable mention. In his senior year he pitched a perfect game against West High with 11 strikeouts. He majored in sociology at Wichita State. We're glad he asked to come join our family for the second half of the season.

This is Cole St.Clair who is from Newport Beach, Calif. His father played basketball at Southern California and his mother helped organize and competed on the first crew team at UCLA. His sister, Olivia, was on the crew teams at UC-Irvine and Texas. His other sister, Elise, was on the sailing team at Hawaii. Cole graduated from Rice with a degree in Economics.

So saying "No" doesn't seem to work for me very well. Now I'm back in the swing and when the 2 boys both pitched in last nights game one of the fans asked what was in my bottled water..... I said, "Mother juice"..... I take games a little to personally! Gotta love baseball.

So Proud to Live in Utah

Lookin' Like a Cabin More and More

View from the road dormer windows in the front and private deck off the master bedroom.

My Daughter-in-love and her family never stop....work non-stop....around the clock! But look how far they have come....oh what a dream they are making come true. I'm amazed!

Keirsey Temperament Sort Test..... I am a Guardian!

Tonight I took a personality test..... It says I am a Guardian....YOU THINK?

Your Keirsey Temperament Sorter Results indicates that your personality type is that of the
All Guardians share the following core characteristics:

Guardians pride themselves on being dependable, helpful, and hard-working.

Guardians are concerned citizens who trust authority, join groups, seek security, prize gratitude, and dream of meting out justice.

Guardians tend to be dutiful, cautious, humble, and focused on credentials and traditions.

Guardians make loyal mates, responsible parents, and stabilizing leaders.

Guardians are the cornerstone of society, for they are the temperament given to serving and preserving our most important social institutions. Guardians have natural talent in managing goods and services--from supervision to maintenance and supply -- and they use all their skills to keep things running smoothly in their families, communities, schools, churches, hospitals, and businesses.


Guardians can have a lot of fun with their friends, but they are quite serious about their duties and responsibilities. Guardians take pride in being dependable and trustworthy; if there's a job to be done, they can be counted on to put their shoulder to the wheel.

Guardians also believe in law and order, and sometimes worry that respect for authority, even a fundamental sense of right and wrong, is being lost. Perhaps this is why Guardians honor customs and traditions so strongly -- they are familiar patterns that help bring stability to our modern, fast-paced world.

Practical and down-to-earth, Guardians believe in following the rules and cooperating with others. They are not very comfortable winging it or blazing new trails; working steadily within the system is the Guardian way, for in the long run loyalty, discipline, and teamwork get the job done right.

Guardians are meticulous about schedules and have a sharp eye for proper procedures. They are cautious about change, even though they know that change can be healthy for an institution.

Better to go slowly, they say, and look before you leap. '

Guardians make up as much as 40 to 45 percent of the population, and a good thing, because they usually end up doing all the indispensable but thankless jobs everyone else takes for granted.


I'm thinking this is pretty dang close to who I am....who I alway will be...and who I have always been.

Long Time No See....BC brings me Back!

I've been lost in the world of .....Don't have time to blog????? Shame on me! So the quote from Sir Heneage Ogilvie is absolutely true: "The really idle woman gets nowhere....the perpetually busy woman does not get much further." So I'm back and hopefully can learn how to manage my time and tame my schedule to fit blogging in more often.

Our book club met to discuss All Creatures Great and Small. We are definitely not a book club you would join if you are interested in critical discussion of only the book. We have been together for several years…I’m thinking 7 now…….and we enjoy lots of discussion other than the book itself. I absolutely admire, respect, and sometime even worship the women in our group….not to mention how much I love each one of them! I'm sure this discussion was not about the book....Lisa...Tricki Woo is not my new dog!


This month we were lucky to have 2 guests join us, Nancy’s friend Cecily and my new friend Dana. Dana is living next door to me for the summer. Her DH is the manager for the Ogden Raptors and it has been such a pleasure to get to know their family. Dana is amazing in so many ways….I have such an admiration for a woman who can: 1. Live the life style of the MLB family 2. Have a career of her own and 3…be an amazing mother who has homeschooled her 4 children with remarkable results. I’m so delighted we can now call you a part of our family circle.
Cecily is an author and editor, so I’m sure she knows that we are not a true “LITERARY” BC. I do hope we weren’t a disappointment to her. Nancy and Cecily have been friends for many...many years. Cecily moved to Arizona several years ago, and they have continued their friendship with many trips for each of them back and forth from Utah to Arizona. Cecily is a very generous woman…. Ali and I traveled to Phoenix during Spring Training 1999….Cecily opened her home to us and we were so appreciative....especially the lemon trees and swimming pool in the backyard.

Oh how I digress….so back to BC……. Actually I felt like we discussed the book more this month than we have several others….we all seemed to feel a great deal of affection for the characters as well as the animals in the story. The story is about James Herriot and his life as a rural veterinarian in 1930's Yorkshire. Herriot certainly knows how to tell a heartwarming, funny tale, but he never lets us forget that a country animal doctor's life is hard, sometimes tinged with sadness and that even in a lovely place like the farming midlands tragedy is never far away. He practices veterinary medicine in a small town and out on the little family farms that dot the Dales. His boss Seigfried (later his partner) and Seigfried's jovial brother Tristan work beside James as they answer midnight calls to birth calves, stitch up injured sows, and partner with the local farmers to keep England's agricultural concerns feeding the nation. Around these duties, James has assorted adventures and is a time or two lead astray by the charming, well-meaning but definitely problem-prone Tristan, who with his skirt chasing and love of the odd pint is perpetually in danger of flunking out of vet school. These lovable men allow us to come along as they mingle with some of the amazing characters. They work with farmers who live in such isolation they have in some cases never been five miles from their own homes, and Herriot's prose celebrates their glorious idiosyncrasies. This was a great book to add to my have read collection!

Oh Happy Day ~ Summer Vacation

I am definitely a warm blooded creature and summer vacation from school started today. I traveled to the picturesque canyon where the summer "jhome" is being built. There has been a great deal accomplished since my last visit.
The General Jack.... standing at the front door! What an amazing job he has done.

This is a view from the road below the cabin. A circle of chairs for rest periods is where the future front porch will be.
This view is from the southwest end of the lot looking at the kitchen door in the corner and the front door by the clump of trees.

The last row of 15 high logs is now in place....look at that beautiful mountain top and blue sky!
This stream of water caught my eye as I drove towards the canyon.

When all is done the cabin will have 3 levels...here is the door to the basement entrance. There will be many there to greet you if you choose to venture on up the canyon. The scenery will take your breathe away and the cabin is something to behold.