It's Been Too Long......

Well, lookie here......It's been way too long since I posted something new here on my blog. Life kind of took a nose dive at the beginning of the year when Lee's doctor diagnosed him with an irregular heart beat. Since then, we have been getting labs test weekly and going to appointments and
getting procedures done to try to remedy the problem, all to no avail. What it comes down to now is he has take blood thinners to prevent strokes and try to live with it. If his symptoms become unbearable there are other procedures that can be tried but they carry serious side effects for someone as young as he is. So there it is in a nut shell. Please put in a few prayers for him, won't you?

I did manage to get away on June 24th - to visit Gary, Amy and the kids in Virginia. It was nice to see them but I worried about Lee the whole time. I don't think I want to fly again any time too soon as there were delays on the way there that were very frustrating and I didn't arrive until well after midnight.

Here a few pictures I took while I was there:

The babies are growing up and just as sweet as ever. It was not easy saying goodbye but hopefully they will come to visit us here in Nevada in the not so distant future.

Lee and I celebrated our 11th anniversary on July 18th. Boy the time does fly by when you are having fun, doesn't it? We drove up to Lake Tahoe and had dinner at one of the casinos up there. Gambling isn't too productive right now with the bad economy. All of the casinos are hurting from lack of business revenue. It was nice to get away for a spell together and it was 10 degrees cooler up there in the mountains!

Jimmy is in Barcelona right now with the D.C. team and his next stop is Dublin, Ireland where Rachel will meet up with him for a few days before they come home. The first leg of the journey was an Asian trip which lasted for a few weeks. I hope they take lots of pictures in Ireland.

Hope everyone is doing well back home. I miss you all very much.

A WHITE NEVADA CHRISTMAS

"OUR FIRST NEVADA CHRISTMAS"

We spent our first Christmas here in Nevada - away from Family and Friends. We did plenty to try to keep in the Christmas spirit. I baked several different kinds of cookies and we went to town to visit some of our new friends. Our neighbors from across the street who are in their 90's now live in an assisted living home in Gardnerville. We took them a new calendar and a plate of cookies. We found out that Dorothy was in the hospital next door and found Ed alone in his room waiting for her return. After we said goodbye to Ed we went to the hospital to see what was up with Dorothy. She was having some foot pain but seemed in good health and we left hoping she would be returned to be with Ed very soon. We vowed to make visits to check on them more often.

When we woke up Christmas morning, the snow had fallen over night and it was a beautiful sight. I put on the jacket that Mary Jane had given me for Christmas and tried to take a sled ride down the driveway but the snow was too powdery and all I got was a cold butt.

Lee in turn went for his skis and attempted a down hill sprint but the snow proved too powdery for him, also. I got one short movie of him traveling about 7 or 8 feet before coming to a halt.

My poor car has been sitting in the driveway, snow chains attached to wheels, because I have Christmas boxes all over the garage floor leaving no room to park. The U.S. flag waves proudly despite the frigid temperatures.

My greenhouse survived the blizzard and the thermostat inside kept all of my plants at a toasty 65 degrees. Some of the tomato plants inside look a bit bleak but the flowers are thriving and will be ready to plant in the spring.

Our Christmas tree, which we put up before the kids arrived in November, is still standing and we plan to take it down after New Years Eve. Stephen enjoyed rearranging the people and trees underneath and playing in the pretend snow.

Christmas is now over and the New Year is just around the corner, bringing with it hope for better times for everyone. We all have a chance to "start over" with our resolutions to get skinny, healthy, save money and spend more time remembering those who are dear to us. Not a day goes by without thoughts of those friends and relatives, past and present, that I have loved and still love dearly. Wishing you all a very happy and properous New Year.

IT'S "HOLIDAY" TIME IN NEVADA

"OUR FIRST NEVADA THANKSGIVING"

Lee and I had much to be thankful for this past Thanksgiving. Gary and Stephen flew out from Virginia and Jimmy from California. We all drove up to Mount Rose in search of some snow as Jimmy purchased a plastic sled at Big 5 and wanted take Stephen down the slopes. The snow was old and frozen so the sledding was not as good as it could have been but they had fun none the less. They had some snowball fights and there was much laughter and lots of smiles going on. Gary stood watch closely over Stephen for fear his "reckless" Uncle might do something a little too daring. There were no casualties and the day was filled with precious memories.

Later that evening Stephen and Jimmy horsed around and had fun before heading out to the fifth wheel to "go camping".

Below is a shot of Lee and I at Scheels Sporting goods. It was taken by Stephen. That is why I was stooping down.

Thanksgiving dinner was yummy and we ate until we couldn't eat anymore. We had plenty of leftovers. The kids left for home the day after Thanksgiving so Lee and I were forced to devour the leftovers all by ourselves. I was sad to see the kids leave but was grateful for the time we spent together.

The Holidays Are Upon Us........

This past weekend was cold and wet so Lee and I decided to get out of the house and go for a ride in search of some snow. As we headed down 395 toward Gardnerville, we were greeted with a rainbow poking its way through the dark rain clouds. It was a beautiful sight.

We continued on, ending up in Carson City. We stopped for breakfast at the Gold Dust West Casino. The food was good but I didn't win anything (despite the rainbow sighting). From there, we headed up Highway 50 towards Lake Tahoe and Incline Village. We were en route to "Christmas Village", a shopping center just on the other side of Incline Village. In the center is a quaint store called "The Christmas Shoppe" and I was in hopes that the shelves would be jam packed with shiny new ornaments, jolly old Saint Nicks, and the smells of Christmas. When we entered the store, the aroma of Christmas surrounded us and there were Santas and ornaments galore. Things were a bit pricey, so I settled for some holiday incense and an incense burner to fill our home with the smells of Christmas.

After we left the store we decided to climb the highway in search of some large pine cones for some of my craft projects. We stopped at the first pull out and took this picture. We were just below the cloud cover. It was the first hint of snow we witnessed on our journey.

As we proceeded up the mountain road for a few more miles we encountered the snow we had been anticipating. It was newly fallen and not even animal tracks had yet left their mark. The snow was wafting down, caressing everything it touched making the day seem magical.

The pine trees were frosted with snow as we stopped along the way to take some pictures.

When we arrived at the top of Mount Rose we discovered a rest area so we decided to stop for a break. Lee got out and took a walk in the snowy weather.

As the snow continued to fall, I sat in the car watching a dog frolicking on the hillside. I attempted to take some more pictures but my camera battery died.

On the way home we took the long way around Lake Tahoe and didn't arrive at the house until dark. The journey had served its purpose in filling my heart with some much needed holiday spirit.

It is just three weeks until Gary, Jimmy and Stephen arrive for Thanksgiving here at our new home. We will also be celebrating Jimmy's 26th birthday which is on November 25th. I plan to decorate for Christmas before they arrive so stay tuned for my next post and holiday pictures from our first Thanksgiving up here in God's country.
Take care and God Bless.......

And The North Winds Blew.........

As I gaze out of our large front window this is the view I am enjoying. The mountains are actually out near Lee Vining and Lee thinks they might be called the Toiyabe Mountain Range. The snow makes the mountains appear to be much closer than they really are.

I am beginning to think that there is now such thing as fall here in Nevada. The weather went from summer-like to winter-like overnight. The leaves haven't even turned colors and fallen off of the trees yet and we experienced our very first snow storm. It was a mild one but the temperatures dipped low into the 20's killing off my beautiful flowers that I had grown from seeds. The snow was only 2 - 3 inches deep here at our house though Yerington which is 31 miles from us had a foot or so. This is what our newly planted lawn looked like.

While I was in Virginia, Lee was busy installing our gas fireplace/stove in the corner of the living room. We had to get a stove company to come and install the stacks of pipe so that it would be done right as we didn't want people to read about how they found our lifeless bodies lying next to it! We are happy to have it up and running now that the weather is turning so cold. We have a normal heater throughout the house that runs on heating oil which is very expensive right now so hopefully we will save a little on the cost of heating the house.

I have managed to keep most of my tomatoes alive in the greenhouse but so far I haven't detected any flower blooms on them. There is a heater out there that comes on periodically so I hope to be able to give a successful crop report in the near future. Right now I am just trying to keep warm...Where did I set that cup of cocoa down?????

Grandma Visits Fairfax

On September 20th I embarked on a 10 day trip to Fairfax, Virginia to visit my son, Gary, his wife, Amy and Grand kids, Madeline and Stephen. I brought back with me many memories and photographs and I will share a few of each with you in this post. Gary made arrangements to work just half days during my visit and the whole family made sure Grandma had a great time. During my time there I was able to see some of Maryland as we took an afternoon drive to explore some "real" antique stores in a small town called Lucketts near the Maryland border. Lush green forests line all of the roadways that we traveled on and every trip was a scenic one.

On the Friday following my arrival, Gary, I and Stephen left Fairfax for a journey and stay in Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia. The weather was a bit threatening and storm clouds loomed overhead but we managed to dodge the heavy rainfall until our drive home. Williamsburg is a very interesting place to visit and I particularly enjoyed looking at all of the old houses and buildings that have been restored. I couldn't help but imagine myself living back there in that day and age.

When we left the hotel on Sunday morning we decided to take a short drive farther toward the coast and visit the Jamestowne Settlement for a little while. It just so happened that admission was free that day. We looked around inside the welcome building, bought a few souvenirs, then took a walk across a foot bridge toward the shore of the James River. On the shoreline stood a tall statute of John Smith and across the way an archeologist's dig was in process but on hold since it had rained the night before. I really enjoyed viewing all of the old structures and once again imagined myself living back in that day. There was a building that housed all of the items found on previous digs including two skeletons displayed in glass houses. We returned to Fairfax by 3:00 P.M. and took a much needed nap.

During my stay Gary cooked very delicious meals and I took mental notes on some of his recipes so I could try them when I got home. I had fun times with the kids and watched all of their favorite kid shows with them everyday. We made sugar cookies one night while Gary and Amy went out to eat (I insisted they go alone for a change). All in all, I had a wonderful time and was sad to say goodbye to everyone.

I left Fairfax on September 30th for my long flight home. When I arrived, Lee informed me that my cat, Shadow, who was 20+ years old, was not doing very well. He didn't want to tell me sooner because he didn't want to ruin my trip. To make a long story short, we turned around immediately upon our arrival home and drove back down the hill to Gardnerville where we had her put to sleep as she was suffering and had not eaten much in four days. It was a sad day for me and I will miss her so much.

R.I.P SHADOW

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I have finally gotten use to the time difference once again and am back to my routine around the house. My greenhouse veggies are doing great and I am hoping that the cold front coming in this weekend doesn't do them in. Keep your fingers crossed for me! The first snowfall in the Sierra Nevada Mountains is just hours away so you can bet your next group of pictures will be of some of that snowy white stuff we all know and love. Until then.........bye bye.

A Day Trip To Nevada City California and Donner Pass

We have been in pursuit of a small natural gas heating stove for the living room and wanted to purchase and install the stove before the winter weather sets in. After checking out the newer stoves in town, we decided that instead of spending close to $3000.00 on a new one, we would settle for a used one for around $500.00. The stove in question, however, was located in Nevada City, California, which is a day trip away from home. We arose on Friday morning at 6:00 a.m., got dressed, watered the garden and lawn then started out on a new adventure.

Lee decided that we would drive up to Carson City, then take the 50 up through Incline Village and around the North Shore of Lake Tahoe. It was a beautiful drive along the lake and I managed to snap a few photos as we passed by. The first photo below is the North Shore of Lake Tahoe. Mark Twain once said of the area, "The water is cleaner than the air and the air is the air that Angels breathe." Boy was Mark Twain right!!

The trip went smoothly and in no time we were at our destination in Nevada City, a small cabin like home nestled in the pines. The stove was all that we expected, so Lee began the task of removing it from the wall. While he was doing that, I had a great discussion with Delamy, the lady that we bought the stove from. Her Nephew was in the process of building her a new two story log cabin home next door. She called it her dream home. After talking with her for about 45 minutes we became friends and I went away knowing that this would not be the last time I would converse with her.

As we drove back down the wooded highway our plans were to stop at Donner Pass and visit Truckee since it was a very historic town. When we arrived at the Donner Pass Memorial we were just in time for a 26 minute film which outlined the journey of these very brave Emigrants who dreamed of a better life far away, who took the chance to live their dream and of the hardships and horror that they endured during that harsh winter in the Sierra Nevada mountains. After the film, we walked around the area and visited several interesting landmarks. Below are a few snap shots of these memorials.

After a drive through the camping area, we vowed to return to fish, camp and swim as soon as our schedules would allow.

Donner Lake was crystal clear and very inviting. Here are two snap shots for you to enjoy.

After we left Donner Lake, we stopped at a small cafe in Truckee for some lunch. The meal was delicious. The town is small with lots of tourist shops. We visited a few of the shops then started on the way home. We arrived home just in time to water my thirsty plants once again and not a minute too soon. Boy do they wilt easily in this Nevada heat! Until next time........