Another dog, however - who looked like a black lab and was a much larger dog - immediately attached herself to Alex, quietly following him around the yard and sitting while he petted and talked to her. In those days, Alex spent more time talking to animals than people, and she seemed to enjoy that greatly.

So, home she came with us, greeted by two other boys and a very small yard. That was until yesterday, when the painful decision was finally made to put her at rest from the last few years of arthritis, old age and general pain. We had postponed this decision for many months, even after we lost another old friend and her backyard companion.

To describe her as a member of the family doesn’t really do it. She didn’t sit at our table and only occasionally was fed table scraps, but she did sleep inside the house most of her life with us, at the foot of Alex’s bed.  She could hear his diesel pickup coming from down the street and immediately ran to the gate to greet him. She made hundreds of camping trips riding in the trailer and sleeping under it while boys went bicycling, 4-wheeling or jeeping.

She chased sticks until she could no longer walk, she dove into the lake as soon as we arrived at the camping site, and she barked appropriately at strangers to protect her family.  She was a friend and companion to our whole family and many of our friends, and we will miss her terribly.

In the end, we all die. I know that. I accept that, and on some days even look forward to that final journey. And I hope that the title of that fun movie is true - All Dogs Go To Heaven - so that we will see her again!

Rest in Peace, dear Sadie.

I hate those kinds of lists, because I always leave something really important out! I do know that I am most thankful for the giving I receive from others. Many times it is so much easier for me to give to someone else, than to graciously accept the giving of another person. It is humbling to just accept a gift (whether a package or a compliment), without either some excuse or pass.

For many years, we spent Thanksgiving at Marc’s parents, (Ed and Dorcas) because we spent Christmas at my parents. When you marry into a family, you also must learn to adapt to other customs.  Dinner was always “dinnertime” at their house, so we learned to adapt by eating a large breakfast, and snacking throughout the day.

The tablecloth was always the same. Gold, with cornucopia’s on all the corners and leaf pattern down the sides. I know this well because today that same tablecloth is on my table, awaiting the turkey and trimmings.  It is probably 40 years old now, but when you only use it once a year, it can last along time!

She always made stuffing differently than I was used to - one year my brother spent Thanksgiving with us, and we still comment on that stuffing every year at Thanksgiving.

I miss her now - miss both of them - and today I made a Pork Pie…another old family recipe that she handed down. It made me thankful that I received so many gifts of love from them over the years.  It was a privilege to have them live with us for five years, and I am thankful that my children were able to know their grandparents.

Especially now that I am a grandparent, I am thankful for grandchildren. They are the best! Good thing I didn’t kill my own children, so that I got the reward of grandchildren!

So thanks to all my family - those around and those not around now, for giving to me! I am forever humbled by your graciousness, thoughtfulness and undeserving love!

We went to Moab last weekend, to help with a bicyclist event for the weekend. No, I didn’t ride a bike - we operated an Aid Station at the top of a mountain pass and the bikers rode up 27 miles to 8,500 feet so we could give them water and snacks! Then they rode the rest of the 100-mile trek back down to the desert and heat!

And it was fun- warm weather, sunshine and some chilly moments at the top of the La Sal Mountains. Wonderful restaurants to eat at - albeit with the strangest liquor laws anywhere in the nation - and a great hotel for the stay.

It’s one of the real perks for owning your own business - you can decide to work all weekend, or play and work all weekend!

Here are a couple of pictures I took with my new phone camera - not a professional photographer for sure!

Our Aid Station and one of the bicyclists

Castle Valley from the top of La Sal Mountains

Not so in a Little Town. In a Little Town, you are fortunate to have the “recyle trailer” visit your Town Hall parking lot once a month…on the Thursday before the 3rd Saturday of each month (I am NOT kidding! - that is how it is listed).

So, you keep your milk bottles, plastics, tin cans, aluminum cans, and glass in separate containers in the garage for the month, then….if you can remember that this is THE Thursday… you load them in your car and head town to the parking lot. Between 10 am - 2 pm. It’s gone after that.

When you arrive, you may deposit your recycles in the appropriate bins, take your containers home and start the process again for another month…and if you don’t remember it is THIS Thursday, or you happen to be out of town then….well it is another month for you and your recycles in your garage.

There is no newspaper or regular paper recycling here. For that you can drive to Delta and deposit your newspapers in a bin at their town parking lot, or all the way to Grand Junction (about 80 miles) to deposit your regular paper recycling.

So the next time you think I’m a dirty rotten scoundrel for not being a better environmentalist - just remember they don’t always make it easy for some of us rural folks. (and just for the record - we also need the 4-wheel drive for DRIVING in the snow, not just because we want to suck up all the fossil fuel left in the world!)

However, this week I was actually called into the court. So, down I went at 7 am - a 50-minute drive to Delta, because of road construction - and arrived at what I thought would be a group of 25 or so.

One hundred and one people (yes, 101) were called for “Jury Service” - no longer called a duty. We sat for about 35 minutes, very close together in a courtroom built for about 60 people. Looking around it looked like the average age was about 63, with a lot of grey or bald heads and not too many younger faces. There were a few pony-tailed hippies, a guy with “flag” suspenders, and even the local hospital administrator in the group.

Most people I sat around grumbled about having to be there and figuring out ways to get out of service. Then the judge came in a gave instructions to everyone, administered the oath of office and names started being drawn out of a hat.

The first 18 people were seated ( I wasn’t one of them) and questioned extensively by the judge - the case turned out to be a civil one involving a couple from the Little Town I live in, and many of the witnesses they read off were people I knew. I figured that when they found that out about me, I would probably be dismissed, but I wasn’t called. Those that were called had some really interesting answers to questions that are raised to see if you would be biased on one side or another.

We were in the courtroom from 8:15 am - 12:05 pm, waiting to seat a jury. The lawyers finally did get enough to agree on and we were sent on our way. In observing the behavior of this micro-causism of our community members, I thought about a few things:

1. No one really wants to serve on jury duty. One woman next to me at some point said, “why don’t they just ask for 12 volunteers from the group, and let the rest of us go home?” Now really, do you think 12 people would really volunteer?

2. No one really thinks they are prejudiced against anyone else. In some of the questions, it was clear that some people would have answered differently had they been with their friends or neighbors, not in a juror’s box being questioned by some lawyer or judge. We all have prejudices, we just don’t like to admit it to the world!

3. Judges have one of the most boring jobs I could ever think of having. After his instructions and questions, he pretty much just sits in the chair swiveling back and forth. Same thing, day after day - might as well be in a widget assembly line! I think maybe they wear shorts under the robe, just as some form of rebellion!

I would have served, if asked, but not this time - it was going to be a 5-day trial and I have a grandbaby to see this weekend!!!

For my family and friends, I hope you have a wonderful and relaxing 4th of July weekend but also try to remember what is at stake for our country at this time. Think about what we can do about it, what we should do about it, and you and I will do about it.

Happy Birthday, America!

I’m a fan of rain don’t get me wrong, but we live on the edge of the high country desert, and just don’t expect to see it everyday. But for about 6 weeks now, we have had almost a daily rainstorm, either in the afternoon, or sometimes two or three times a day.  My chair cushions have taken up almost permanent residence in the corner of my living room, just so they aren’t soaked all the time!

On the rare occasions I have had to sit on my deck and ponder life (which is mostly the function of such a place of serenity), I’ve thought about stuff like this:

Oldest son is headed to Nicaragua today for a week of mission work. I’m proud that he is going, but my heart and mind are in”concerned, not worried” mode - that he will be safe, not get malaria from the mosquitos, a coup won’t break out while he is there, etc, etc. - you mothers know what I’m talking about!

My head is doing better - combinations of doctors, medicine, rest, prayer, and perseverance seem to be the answer right now. Hoping this continues!

Travel is in our picture for the month of July - Denver and Breckenridge for 5 days, then back for a few and down to Albuquerque for a family reunion of sorts. All the children are coming to the youngest son’s house for the weekend, to continue the hubby’s 50th birthday celebration. It will be great to see Cohen play with the two big dogs there!

The beauty that surrounds us is so breathtaking sometimes - especially because of all the rain! The green pastures, green mountains and blue skies (sometimes!) are such a picture that can never be truly captured on canvas or print. We are truly blessed to live in such a beautiful area.

So, looks like a mostly sunshiny morning, so I’m headed out with hubby to spray and pull weeds….another gift of all that rain!

Back in February, Marc decided he wanted to spend his 50th mountain biking, a hobby he has been working on for about 20 years. He contacted about 1/2 dozen of the guys he has ridden with for all those years, and invited them (and their spouses) to a weekend in Crested Butte - a place held in high esteem by mountain bikers everywhere (the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame is even located there!).  So, we rented an entire bed and breakfast to stay together, and met up on Friday with the idea of riding for 3 straight days. (okay, some people were riding…some where sleeping, some were shopping).

There was a ride on Friday afternoon, then brats and hamburgers and some of the funniest biking stories I have ever heard!  On Saturday, everyone was treated to a great breakfast at the Elizabeth Anne Bed & Breakfast, and then they were off to ride again.

About lunch time they all showed back up, being chased by a nasty mountain afternoon shower. So we all went downtown and had lunch, walked in the rain a bit, took a tour of our office there. We napped and sat around until dinner, when we had a fabulous dinner at the Timberline Restaurant.

I had gotten a MASSIVE “death by chocolate” cake from one of the local restaurants in Crested Butte, and we all had cake until we didn’t want to see it ever again!

Sunday, we all went our separate ways, but several did get in some more biking before heading back home. It was a great weekend, lots and lots of laughing, lying and telling true stories that were just too bizzare to be believed.

So, happy big 50, my love!!! Hope there are lots more to come!  In July, we will be meeting up with all the kids and celebrating once again!

I have lived with, and dealt with, this “inconvenience” for almost 20 years - some good and some bad years. However, in past years I had managed to control my dizziness through medication, diet and just paying more attention to how I do things. This year has not been so good, and seems to keep going downhill!

My daily activities have been dramatically altered over the past month, as I am fighting some definite physical changes which are effecting my inner ears. My days are more often spent reclining on the bed or couch, holding my head as perfectly still as I can, than at my desk where I should be doing work!

The Drs are challenged to find a combination of things that might work - so I have been at the “let’s try this for a week or two” stage for a while now, with not much appreciable change.

But the real reason for this post is to say thanks to my mother. My mother, like most mothers including me, wait for their kids to call them occasionally to tell them they are okay and doing well. My boys all live away from me, and I like to know that occasionally they think of me and want to give me a call.

My mother is also like most mothers, including me, that start to assume when they don’t hear from their children for a while that they have “become too busy for me.”   So when I called my mother on a good morning, just to say hello and pass belated birthday greetings to my Dad, for some reason I started to cry half-way through the conversation.

Now, speaking as a mother myself, there is nothing more painful than to hear your child crying on the other end of a phone line that is hundreds of miles away. You are totally helpless to do anything, even put your arms around your child to comfort them.

So, I generally try not to do that with my mother, because I know how hard it is. But that day, I had become so frustrated with how my physical life had been going that I just broke down. She, of course, like mothers really always do, became immediately sympathetic to my plight and felt so sorry that she couldn’t come to my rescue.

Needless to say, I’m learning to live only for today - really, only for today - and make very few plans ahead right now. I will plan to check in with my mother more often, because now I know she is worried about me.  Maybe you should check with your mother too!