Aging and Being Okay With It

Today Clare and I went into the City to have lunch and close out 2017 with Clare's three remaining siblings. Clare, at 70 years old, is the youngest of the eleven children born to and raised by Frank and Esther Allred. The three other siblings at the table were James Milton at 85, number seven, Anita Gwen at 80, number eight, and Burton at 73, number ten. Myself, 68, and Burton's wife, Vee, 74, are the only two spouses alive. Why I'm bringing this up is that it struck me that not only are we aging but of the six people gathered together today, to a person, we are okay with it. Oh, sure, each of us has his or her aches and pains, and grievances about how things just aren't like they used to be . . . but all six of us wear the laugh lines of having led happy, blessed lives. Another thing that struck me was the genuine and deep love that each has for each other, for our children, our children's children, our families and our friends. I am sure that many people have these same traits but I am reminded that, even though we don't get together very often anymore, there is always a glow left when we do. It is just good to know that with aging there is the comfort of being loved.

On that note, here are two older people grinning into the IPhone camera. Happy New Year!

Hazel and Clare - December 25, 2017

After a full couple weeks prior to Christmas Day, it was lovely to spend a restful and fun weekend with each other and some of the children. The week after Thanksgiving and visiting with Dad in California both of us had a head cold that lingered until just before we left for Las Vegas on the 11th. I used my illness as an excuse to not do any crafting (Christmas card-making in particular) and very little Christmas decorating. And then we were away from home from the 11th through the 18th, and then, POOF!, it was Christmas Eve and the start of the last week of the year. I had gotten gifts posted to my sisters and three of our out-of-town grandchildren and managed to wrap gifts for our children and grandchildren here in town. The only card I made was a special one for friend Judy (our daughter-in-law Jennifer's mother). She is fond of giraffes and I just couldn't resist making a funny card for her:

Dashing through the snow . . . 

Giraffing all the way! Hahaha!

The giraffe is a cut pattern from the Silhouette Design Store,  #109957. 

This is short but I wanted to say "HI" and send out wishes for a worry-free and happy new year. I don't generally make resolutions but after opening my fortune cookie at the end of our lunch today, I thought it was funny that the one thing I want to do this new year, DECLUTTER, would be spelled out as an adventure . . . "You will discover an unexpected treasure." Hoping!

    

Winding Down

Our boy is back from Texas for the holiday!

What a great way to start the weekend . . . grandson Ty and the ponies pulled in this morning after driving since yesterday from Odessa, Texas. He'll get a one and a half day rest and then it's back on the road Sunday, the 10th, to Las Vegas and the Ote Berry Junior Steer Wrestling World Championship and the National Finals Rodeo. We'll all be in Las Vegas by Monday, the 11th, to take in a week's worth of rodeoing, shopping at the Cowboy Christmas, visiting, eating, and just plain having lots of fun!

Week 48 is coming to an end which means there're a mere four weeks (actually three plus one day!) left in 2017. As is the mantra every year . . . how did it go by so fast! This last year, I must say, has been a mixed one for the world, this country, this state, and for days on Vine. I'll let the newscasters review everything except the happenings here on Vine as it is way too much to grasp. 

I've been able to keep up with my digital Project Life project and it has been a real joy; especially looking back to Week One. Having left you at Week 45, I will catch you up to the present with our trip to California and back for Thanksgiving and then last week spent at home with a head cold!

Ole' Bob Carr's place on You Bet Road, November 24, 2017.

We traveled to California on Wednesday, November 22nd, making good time across the Nevada desert and arriving at Dad's before sunset. The weather was mild and the property looked just like the park that it is. By Thursday morning, after a good night's sleep, we were ready to face the turkey and thank the good Lord for a bountiful, blessed life. While Dad and Clare went to Bierwagen's farm to retrieve the mail order Thanksgiving meal from cold storage, I took myself out for a walk to breathe in the musty autumn day and, of course, take photos.  Once the dinner was unpacked and organized for heating, we all took a walk and grabbed a few more photos, like this one of the three of us - old, older, and real old! Haha!

Clare, Hazel, Ole' Bob.

By about 2:00 p.m. the turkey was hot, the sides were prepared, the table was set, and the wine uncorked so we sat down and enjoyed every bite and sip. Although the preparation/heating process took a bit longer than I'd anticipated (probably because of the elevation it needed more time at higher temperature), the meal was delicious! The wine Dad had bought for the occasion was the perfect addition; it was so good, in fact, that Clare went Friday to buy two bottles to bring home.

Dad had the table set with autumn placemats that Mom Delta had made for Thanksgivings long ago.

The turkey was tender, the yams were sweet, the mashed potatoes fluffy, the green beans were buttery good, and the dressing was spiced just right. We waited until the sun went down to slice into the pumpkin pie which was also very tasty.

The lovely white wine - crisp and not-too-sweet.

Friday's plan was to drive over to Reno and have a visit with cousin Kathne, her husband Mike, and their daughter Molly. After a short visit at the St. Paul Lutheran Cemetery in Chicago Park we were on our way over the Pass. The traffic, surprisingly, was not too bad, considering that it was the day after Thanksgiving, a Friday, and Boreal Ridge Ski Resort was open (as I imagine resorts like Squaw Valley were too). We pulled into Reno and the Dowd's place shortly after noon, visited with Kak, were introduced to Riley Joseph, the fat cat (see photo below), and when Mike returned we drove to the Stonehouse Cafe for lunch - no leftover T-day! - where we met up with Molly. Spent about two hours laughing, reminiscing, and thoroughly enjoying a lovely meal together. Kathne is our only cousin on the Carr side, being our Dad's brother Silas's only child. It was a tiny Carr-family reunion of sorts!

Riley Jo - the fat, black cat.

Hazel Carr Allred, Bob Carr, Molly Park, Kathne Carr Dowd.

Uncle Bob Carr was the star of the day and we all had a grand time. We said our goodbye's and headed back to You Bet Road. Kathne had come across some old photo albums and boxes of photos and memorabilia from her mom and dad and wanted very much to go through them with Dad; we didn't really have time but Kathne and I have made plans to meet up in a couple months and browse them before she discards them all. Here is one photo that caught my curiosity that appears to be a rare picture of Carr ancestors. 

Charlotte - Could this be Caroline and Job Carr with Grandfather A.B. Carr and his brother?

There was no date and other identification; however, the photo card is marked "Smith [the photographer I presume], Harvard, Neb." I'm hoping that when we sift through her photos again, we will find more relating to the Carr's. 

Saturday, the 25th, Clare and I bid Daddy Bob farewell and set back out for Reno and home. We stopped at the Sands Casino to meet up with friends for breakfast at the Mel's Diner and then got back on the road for home, making a couple stops for fuel and stretching and arriving home about 6:30 p.m. (MST). I craned my head around to capture this spectacular sunset over the Bonneville Salt Flats outside Wendover. 

The reflection on the wet Salt Flats really was impressive.

It was a truly wonderful trip - short but loaded with goodness. 

I'll sign off for now and get back with the last two weeks either later this evening or tomorrow. Time to get dinner ready!

Not Ready for Winter!

Yesterday, November 17, 2017 - View out of the kitchen window.

Yup! Not ready for this view for the next four to six months! Although we suffered an extraordinarily hot summer, freezing temperatures and slippery snow-packed everything is not my idea of a good change! However, it's arrived and we must buck up and move on . . . 

Just twelve days ago, our view was like this:

Monday, November 6, 2017 - a gorgeous sunset and still some golden leaves clinging to the trees.

Yesterday evening the same view was this:

Friday, November 17, 2017 - No leaves, cows hurrying to the barn, cloud-covered mountains.

Next week, the 23rd, is Thanksgiving Day here in the States and we are loading up and driving out to Dad's place in Northern California. Already the Sierra Mountains have seen snow and Donner Pass may have chain control when we trek across next Wednesday afternoon. No worries, though, as we will be in our trusty 13-yr-old all-wheel drive car. Anyhow, Dad has already received the Thanksgiving meal I ordered for us from Send a Meal and has stored it in a friendly neighbor's cold storage until we arrive. Fantastic and easy, here is how it comes:

Fully-cooked Whole Herb Roasted Turkey(10-12 pounds)
Apple Sage Stuffing (24 oz)
Buttered Mashed Potatoes (24 oz)
Green Beans in Herb Butter(16 oz)
Cranberry-Orange Relish
Turkey Gravy (16 oz)
Smashed Maple-Butter Yams(24 oz)
Nine-Grain Dinner Rolls(8)
9 inch Pumpkin Pie

This is going to be perfect as there is plenty for we three and leftovers for Dad after we leave. A few years back, I did the same sort of thing when we had Thanksgiving with Dad; it worked out good for all of us so I figured a repeat was a good idea. Speaking of my dad . . . he sent pictures taken on October 28th of him and Auntie Lynne when she was visiting at his place with my cousin and her husband. My dad celebrated 94 years just 17 days prior and Auntie Lynne celebrated 90 years in August. Do these two people look that old?

Bob and Lynne - Saturday, October 28, 2017

NO! So wonderful that they are both upright and quite vigorous. Both of them have poor hearing and limited eyesight, but my goodness! it sure warms my heart to see these beautiful people. 

This last Tuesday, the 14th, Clare and I went over to Grantsville in the evening to see our youngest grandchild perform in the Grantsville High School's play, Our Town. He had one of the lead roles, George Gibbs, and did very well; so proud! Unfortunately, the acoustics in the high school's auditorium are very poor and the drama students don't have headsets to wear as they are managing on a limited budget; consequently, we had a difficult time hearing any of the dialogue. And this particular play is all about the dialogue - very few, if any, props - the actors' delivery is crucial to the story line. Here are a couple photos from the evening:

The Playbill

Our grandson as George Gibbs

This post is the start of, hopefully, weekly posts about the ordinary days around here. My sister (probably the only person who looks at my blog) suggested that since I am doing a digital album of "week-in-the-life" (see this post), I should do the same here on my blog. Of course, she suggested this at the end of September when we had a Skype conversation and here it is the almost-end of November. Oh well, better late than not at all! 

So, on that note - this last week was quite ordinary but nonetheless full of delightful sights and sounds. Like today, for instance, when I received the monthly birthday photos from granddaughter Brittany of our newest great grandchild. Eight months old today!

"[Dawson] was not interested in sitting still today!"

Look how much he's grown in just six months! Not only is he sitting up but he's pulling himself up to a stand and very determined to set off walking - or running! 

I got my craft on a bit this last week, completing some Autumn and Thanksgiving cards, trying out some of the ideas I've pinned over on my Pinterest account. (This link should show you my efforts.) I also cross-stitched another name for a Christmas stocking; as the family increases (greats, girlfriends, boyfriends, etc.) I create another stocking, something I started back in 1988 when there were just nine of us. To date, I've made 31 of these and enjoyed every minute. 

The original nine stockings. December 1988.

So, Saturday is coming to a close and a new week of ordinary days will begin tomorrow. Next week's post may not go up until into the following week since we will be on the road but do stay tuned! This is Week 45 of 52! Unbelievable!

 For a last breath of Autumn here on Vine, a photo of my once-beautiful chrysanthemums (the snow we had yesterday really did them in!).

These smelled heavenly too.

Until next time.

        

Rodeos, Holidays, and Hot Summer Days

Hi, hi!

We are full well into Summer now, with temperatures going into the triple digits (Fahrenheit), brilliant sunsets, and most notably, rodeos. Especially this past weekend, across the U.S. rodeo world there are so many performances that it is difficult keeping up. Close to home, our grandson Ty and his main squeeze Shannon have been traveling to Rocky Mountain Rodeo Association (RMRA) rodeos and sometimes coming away with a few dollars but always coming away with the satisfaction of participating in this uniquely-American sport.

We were able to take in the 2017 Utah High School Rodeo Association (UHSRA) State Finals on June 3; even though none of our grandsons were performing, there were the kids of rodeo friends in the finals and for the most part, they made a good showing. At least two of the boys who bull-dogged with our grandsons will be going to the National High School Rodeo finals in Gillette, Wyoming (one trip there last year was enough for us!). The State Finals takes place in beautiful Heber City - always a pleasure to go there.

Grand Entry (6:00 p.m.MDT)

Sunset (8:54 p.m. MDT)

On the 20th of May Shannon's parents drove out here from Sparks, Nevada hauling Shannon's three rodeo horses. She had enrolled in a summer class at Utah State University (where she will be starting her junior year) and also has employment in Logan so she decided to have her horses housed here at the Diamond A ranch and do some rodeoing with Ty for the summer. Once she completed her class at the end of June, she began coming down each weekend and has been, as I mentioned above, traveling to rodeos around the state. She participates in breakaway roping and barrel racing while Ty is entering the steer wrestling in as many RMRA rodeos as he can. We don't go to any of the out-of-town rodeos (kind of had our fill over the last 30 years!) but we did take in the 72nd Tooele Bit & Spur Rodeo at Deseret Peak Complex on July 3rd. Both Ty and Shannon were entered in that night's performance and Ty managed to split 3rd and 4th place in the steer wrestling - with his buddy who happens to haze for him!

Shannon's breakaway run; caught but with a figure 8 loop which is an illegal catch. 

Ty throwing his steer in 6.4 seconds.

Shannon returning from the third barrel; unfortunately, the ground was bad (there hadn't been any raking before) and she didn't want to push her horse especially since three racers who preceded her had taken falls during their runs.

The crowd at the performance was unusually large - in fact, the grandstands were full. It was great to see so many folks out for the hometown rodeo. Here are a couple more photos from the evening:

Two of the Bit N' Spur Rodeo Grand Entry Girls posting the colors. These thirteen cowgirls have been riding with the Bit N' Spur Rodeo for 18 years (some of them) and have been in high demand for state-wide rodeos. The team was nominated and selected to perform at all five performances of the 2017 Days of '47 PRCA Rodeo, which is truly an honor for them and for Tooele County.

Sun going down in the west. Brilliant!

Once Shannon had finished her barrel run, she and Ty (and Ty's hazing partner) headed back to the ranch for a few hours sleep before leaving at 3:30 a.m. July 4th for the slack at the rodeo in Salina. That evening they headed to Mt. Pleasant for the rodeo there; they are certainly getting a taste of the rodeo life! But, they are young and energetic, and at least for now, are having a blast.

July 4th, Independence Day, Clare and I puttered at home as it was VERY hot. At 10:30 we drove over to a place where we could watch the fireworks display at Deseret Peak (after the rodeo) from a little distance. I haven't figured out how to capture good photos of the fireworks but suffice it to say, there were plenty of celebratory displays going on around the valley, "ooh and ahh" worthy!

Rango's summertime style.

We are taking these dog days of summer slowly and surely - hope your days are as happy as ours!

Bye for now!

Story of a Quilt

Back in March I mentioned that I was going to attend the second annual Tooele County Quilters Quilt Retreat (here) Fiesta. Well, I did and I got half of the disappearing four patch blocks done for the quilt I'd been working on for, gosh, I won't say because it's too embarrassing! Anyhoo, Here's how things looked at the Fiesta:

That's me - I was there and stitching (and eating, and chatting . . .!)

On Saturday, a half day, I laid out the blocks completed in a random way:

Each block is different in that I used 5-inch squares lovingly cut by my sister when she visited years ago, from our combined scrap bags as well as scraps from our mother's stash which we inherited in 1994 after her death. I used only a small portion of the squares in blues, greens, and yellows so I have lots of squares left to make another quilt or two . . . which will NOT be a disappearing four-patch, although this was a good challenge for me as I am a novice at this quilting thing.

After I returned from my short trip to Arizona, I got to work on the rest of the blocks and after finishing up the Dolley Madison dress for great-granddaughter Aubrey, I stitched all the blocks together, pieced a back, and took it to Michelle Jensen, a member of the Tooele Quilters who not only does long-arm quilting but also designs quilt patterns, and sells pre-cuts in her Etsy store. Before I show you the finished quilting, here are photos of the Dolley dress and Aubrey wearing it for her school presentation.

Ready to send to Arizona

I was quite proud of how this turned out - I more or less designed it myself (using a girls' basic top pattern), adding the ruffle and empire waist. I also finished the inside with French seams since the fabric was very ravely.

My sweet 10-yr-old great-granddaughter posing as First Lady Dolley Madison.

Granddaughter DaviJo reported that Aubrey earned an A+ on her project and presentation. I loved to be a part of this!

On to the now-quilted disappearing four-patch top. Michelle did an allover swirl design and the effect, in our humble (Michelle's and my) opinion is stunning.

Putting the rows together - what is done, on the ironing board.

View of the back and front.

Once I got it back, it was just a matter of making the binding and finishing up. Previous quilts I've done (which is not many actually), I have stitched the binding on by hand but I found a really great tutorial on Pinterest for machine binding and decided to give it a try. Awesome - it turned out perfectly, no fuss, no muss!

Not a huge quilt by any means, but a nice throw size.

Done.

So, that is the ONE quilting project that I've completed this year! I sure do hope I can get to maybe a couple more; what with gardening, stamping and crafting, and reading (as well as the day-to-day cleaning, laundry, ironing, cooking, living), it is sometimes hard to find time to sew. But . . .,

 

My new mantra!

So long until I hope tomorrow when I have a favorite activity to report and also new additions to the ranch!

Bye, bye!

So Much Life

Hello, hello!

I'm recovering from a really bad case of the stomach flu (I guess) yesterday and figured that since I'm still feeling a bit peaky I'd sit down and talk about good things with you.

Today just happens to be our 31st wedding anniversary; incredible! And what a lovely 31 years it has been. Love this man of mine more each day!

May 22, 1986 - So happy together

Three decades later . . .

December 25, 2016 - Still so happy together

 Grey hair, wrinkles, a bit more weight but upright and taking nourishment! Everyday is an adventure.

Speaking of adventure . . . March 18th our family was blessed with a new addition, great grandbaby #5 for us! Here's how he's growing:

Text from new mom Brittany announcing the birth.

Great Grandpa, Granddaughter Brittany, Great Grandson Dawson (one day old)

April 18, 2017 - One month old with his first toy and quilt made by me.

April 30, 2017 - First visit to grandparents and great-grandparents Allred (one month, 12 days old)

May 18, 2017 - Two months old. Bright-eyed boy.

We are so very happy to have this little boy in our lives. Although we don't get to see him often enough, we do get regular updates from our very thoughtful granddaughter via social media anyway. There is one good thing to be said for Facebook and Instagram and cell phone texting, I guess!

While on the subject of great grandchildren, I was missing the three Arizona greats and so took myself to them last month for a short (three days) visit. I was originally going to fly down but then got to thinking of the hassle of getting to the airport, security checks and waiting at the airport, and having to get picked up, so decided to drive the 683 miles from home to Queen Creek, with a stop in Flagstaff. I left on April 4th and arrived in DaviJo and TJ's driveway at about noon, April 5th. DaviJo got me settled in before TJ got home from work and the three children got back from school. I took a short nap and then went outside with a cold drink to soak up some Arizona sun - glorious!

The kid's backyard - wow!

Me and Easton having a hug in the sun.

Once the kids got home, the busy-ness began! It was Lucas' 6th birthday and what he wanted for his birthday was to go the Phoenix Suns basketball game on Friday rather than have a party. Aubrey had softball practice and Lucas had basketball practice, so TJ took Aubrey and DaviJo, me, and Easton took Lucas. I had made a special shirt for Lucas which he wore for practice.

"I'm not a little kid anymore - I'm SIX!"

Unfortunately, there was no chance to get photos of everyone together but I just tried to keep up with the craziness without getting in the way! I had made shirts for Aubrey and Easton too.

Softball shirt for Aubrey, dinosaur shirt for Easton, and basketball "6" for Lucas. 

Thursday, the 6th, DaviJo and I went shopping for fabric to make a First Lady Dolley Madison dress for Aubrey for a school event in May. It was no easy thing to find a pattern that would duplicate an 1800's dress for a ten-year-old but I figured I could finagle something. We found a pattern and fabric on sale at Joann's and then took ourselves to a local restaurant, Queen Creek Olive Mill, for lunch and a glass of wine. Very nice! Thursday evening was a softball game for Aubrey so the whole family loaded up and went to that; Aubrey's team lost and there was a little meltdown but after we got home and the parents had a chat, things looked brighter. The kids went to bed and DaviJo and I had a glass of wine out by the pool - perfect way to relax and put me right to sleep.

Friday I spent cutting out the dress, reading to Easton, hanging out with DaviJo, and napping because that evening I was home alone with Aubrey and Easton while TJ and DaviJo took Lucas to the basketball game. An active ten-year-old and four-year-old are a bit much for this old lady but we managed alright with a visit to McDonald's, making Easter bunny bags, and watching a movie which I cannot recall but looked like The Flintstones but wasn't. 

Saturday morning TJ cooked breakfast, I hugged everyone, and headed back to Tooele. I got all the way to Panguitch, Utah, by 5 o'clock and didn't feel at all tired, just wanting to be home, so I just kept on going. Clare texted and said that there was a storm brewing and to be careful and sure enough, when I got to the turnoff west at Meadow, the skies had darkened and big raindrops were falling. I hit the turnoff at Eureka right as the rain turned to snow and all the way to Tooele, it was a whiteout but I slowed down and white-knuckled reaching our drive at about 9:30. Here's how it looked here Sunday morning, the 8th:

By Sunday night, all of this (except on the mountains) was melted.

I want to share a few more things but will save those for later. Looking forward to an anniversary dine out this evening. :)