Note to Self.......

Because I seem to be the only one reading my blog, I am writing myself a note.

Dear Self,

Please forgive the absence of new blogs over the next week. I will be out of town. I am going to Utah to visit family and friends. The majority of my time will be spent in southern Utah, in the small, charming town of Cedar City. My time in CC will include side trips to Zion's National Park, Bryce Canyon, and wherever else I choose to go. I will be spending a day or two in the Provo/Orem/SLC area near the end of next week. After which I will return home filled with peace and a renewed energy with which to face a new school year and a house that STILL needs to be perfected and placed on the market. I will also return with stories to tell, pictures to share, and videos of my boys climbing mountains and being amazing.
Thank you, self, for your patience while I am gone.

Love,
Me

Wednesday's Words of Wisdom Not My Own.....

"After all, what are parents for if not for storing stuff you don't need."

--Mary Armbruster

Just for a Moment.......

It was Friday. But it could have been any one of a hundred Saturdays from my childhood.

The clink of the coins in the change machine.

The swish of the water as it filled the washers.

The hum of the dryers.

The warm summer breeze flowing through the doors flung wide, front and back.

The stained, worn linoleum.

The tired vending machine.

The easy conversation of strangers.

Folding clothes.

Matching socks.

Feeding quarters into machines hungry for more.

Watching the wash spin....first in the washer, with suds so thick I can hardly see anything else. Then in the dryer, fresh and clean.

The dryer beeps, signaling the end of the cycle. My load is done. Still damp, but dry enough to fold and take home. Yet, the air is thick with the memories of those childhood Saturdays. I'm not ready to leave yet. So I feed another quarter into the dryer, and settle back......while the world goes on without me........just for a moment.

Double Standard???

So, maybe I'm a little more accomodating when it comes to my grandkids......

Sirius and Sabian were over for a couple of days. When I was preparing dinner, Sirius asked if he could have chicken noodle soup instead because he didn't like what we were having. Then Sabian asked if he could have a sandwich instead...

My son, Jacob: "No way, this is what's for dinner, you eat this or you eat nothing!"

Me: "Of course you can!"

Not only did they get what they wanted for dinner, but I stood at the kitchen counter picking the celery bits out of Sirius's soup.....

What can I say? It's a grandmother's job to make sure those kids are happy!! And how could I say no to those two!

Sabian (left) is 4 years old. Sirius (right) is almost 6 years old.

Cookies? Or Paint?

So, here's my question.............

If I make chocolate chip cookies while my house is being painted.....

Will the paint absorb the smell of the cookies so my house always smells like freshly baked cookies?

Or.........

Will my cookies taste like paint?

Wednesday's Words of Wisdom Not My Own.....

"As you seek new opportunity, keep in mind that the sun does not usually reappear on the horizon where last seen."

--Robert Brault

I have to admit that I have trouble with this one. I tend to look back with fondness and longing at opportunities and experiences past.

Forgetting sometimes that new adventures lay ahead. Forgetting that the much loved times gone by were once new and frightening as well.

I hesitate to step out of my comfort zone. I cling to the past, having to be dragged into the future as a child has to be peeled off of a parent on the first day of school.

Thanks, rb, for the reminder. A reminder that adventure awaits ahead and all that's left behind me are memories.