Memorial Day

I hope everyone's day/weekend has gone well, and that while you've been having fun, you've remembered to honor our military personnel, past and present.






I've been doing some blech work. Cleaning and organizing in the house and a little yard work outside. I'm really hot and sweaty right now, and I've just sat down to have a glass of iced tea. Boy, does it taste good! I've turned on the air conditioner. I just replaced part of the drain hose and wanted to make sure it is working alright. I've left it on because it feels so good, SO GOOD to have a really cool house to come into after working outside in the heat. It is 86° out there. .....h.o.t......

Outside, I've only done some watering and cut the tops off some foxtail grass. I squirted the grass with Roundup the other day, but I wanted to get the heads before they start new clumps of that pesky stuff. If you remember, Jazi got one of the seeds in her eye last year, and it stayed there for several days and caused a terrible eye infection. I don't want that to happen again.

Inside, I straightened the office somewhat. I still have a lot to do, and it will take some time. But I got a great start on it. I can at least get in there to work and walk around now. I kid you not, it was just a horrible jumble of things I'd carried back there but hadn't found time to put away. OK, OK, I didn't find time because I didn't look for it. I admit it. Anyway, it is nearly normal now! Woohoooo!! The down side is that what is left will take a lot of time to put away because is is in need of organizing. Good for hot afternoons, and much better than cutting heads off foxtail in the heat!!

In the next couple days, I need to go through my clothing and see if I can find some things to put in Linda's shop on consignment. I'm trying to slim down my closets. I have so many clothes that a guest can't hang anything up! That's pathetic. Pathetic and ridiculous.

OK, I'm rested now, I guess I should bet back to work. Doing something. Maybe. If I can figure out something that takes little energy to complete.

Updated. AGAIN!

This has been haircut week at our house. It all kicked off on Tuesday when I got a haircut. I was wa-a-a-a-a-ay overdue. I got a haircut back in February just before the trip to Florida. When I returned, there was a message on my answering machine from my stylist saying that she had to quit working .... right now. She has nerve damage in her shoulders from the years of working with her arms raised, and she was at high risk of paralysis. That did it. She was done.

Since that time, I'd been meaning to find a new stylist, but I think of it at 10:00 at night or on Sunday. My hair was almost to my shoulders. It looked OK most of the time, but when the wind got hold of it, it was a mess. So I finally made an appointment with a woman who did my hair for a few months in the past. She was OK, not great, but I decided I had to do something.

The cut turned out alright. Actually it is good. I feel SO good having it short again! I was even considering keeping it long, but (1) I don't want the trouble of doing the necessary styling of long hair every day, and (2) women my age just don't look right with long hair. Well, unless they wear it up, and I especially don't want that!

After my cut, I realized that The Kids needed to have their summer cuts, too. It is getting warm, and I've noticed Sammy, Jazi and Lola panting more than usual recently. So I gave cuts to Jazi and Lola on Thursday, Sammy and Max yesterday, and Joey this morning. Joey is the hardest and I need more time on him; he has an incredible undercoat that requires pass after pass after pass with the clippers. They all look so nice, and they seem comfortable.





Jaz
















Max



















Sam


















Joe



















Lola (the only one who was on her feet at this moment I chose to take pictures)











And, although it isn't a very good hair day ....





















Here's Da Mama.


We all feel much better!



PS - By "popular demand," here is the before.







When it was wet, the back reached well past my collar. I'm glad it's gone!













PPS - Alright, alright! Caroline doesn't remember my long hair pictures, so here are a couple, but remember these are hardly a fair comparison, because I was 17 or 18 in the first, and around half my current age in the second, around 33 or 34:




Age 17 or 18
























Age 33 or 34, and a little hard to see with the dark background. When it was wet or I pulled a strand to straighten it, it reached my waist in the back.

Open for business ....

.... Moon Journey!

Self brutality?

We had the best rain today. It was just about a quarter inch. That will soak in nicely. We are supposed to have some more overnight and through Saturday. If it keeps that pace, say a quarter to half inch a day, it will be very good for the soil.

When I was rebuilding the handrail yesterday, I was carrying a 2/4/12' board, and it sorta rolled out of my hands as I lifted it over my head, and it hit me on the front of my right shoulder. I knew I would probably have a sore, bruised shoulder, but didn't think much of it. Then this morning I was checking the shoulder, which is a bit sore, but fortunately I caught it on the fleshy part of the shoulder, so it isn't bruised. At least not yet. However, while I was doing that I discovered that there is a spot on my breastbone, just below the collar bone, that is sore and has a knot. I couldn't figure out what was wrong. The only thing I could guess was that as I pulled and pushed the boards into place yesterday (some of them took all the strength I had to get them lined up) I might have pulled a rib out.. The old ones were twisted and warped out of shape, so the new ones had to bring the others back into the correct line. I didn't remember any pain that might have indicated that, but I simply couldn't think of anything else.

Tonight I was telling Linda about it, and she mentioned that the board might have hit me, not just on the shoulder, but on the breast bone, too. Well, duh! it makes perfect sense, and it lines up perfectly. I'm such a klutz!

I had a wonderfully lazy day today. I think I needed it after the trips of the last three weeks and the carpentry from yesterday. Not only that, but I may repeat it tomorrow! Life couldn't be much better than that! Retirement rocks!

Another magical sunrise

All misty and .... well amazingly beautiful.







See the sun rays in those last two? Ahhhhhhhhhh.

The explanation

So, here is the explanation about the flowers.....

This afternoon I replaced the broken, splitting hand railing that was on the stairs coming into my home. It was going bad when I bought the house, and had become a really hazardous eyesore. Of course, I didn't think to take a picture of it before I took it apart, but trust me, it was nasty.

Here is the finished new railing.....


There are a few other places to repair, boards to replace, etc., and then I will paint the deck. I'm very excited about that and I am looking forward to having a fresh, new-looking deck in a few weeks.

It was a hot, sweaty job, but I'm really proud of it and so glad to have it done.

Just shortly before I finished, a FedEx truck pulled up. I haven't ordered anything recently, so I thought Linda might have something being delivered. I stopped what I was doing and met the driver at the top of the stone steps that lead to the lower driveway. He handed me a box that read "ProFlower." All I thought was "Huh?" I looked at the tag and it was for me, but I could not imagine who would be sending me flowers. No clue on the external of the box, so I opened it.

Jim sent the beautiful ivory roses and a very sweet note thanking me for coming to help him with the sale and part of the move. I certainly didn't expect it. He had already thanked me very well before I was leaving, and I certainly didn't expect more. However, as a lover of flowers, I am thrilled with the gift and touched by the note.

I wasn't sure he actually heard some of the words I'd said to him about the process of downsizing. I was a little worried about him. But the note tells me that he did hear and greater than that, he appreciated that I understood what he was going through and gave him hope that he would get through it, too. Oh, my. I was very sincerely touched.



I'll be glad to get rid of this green paint soon. But till I do, The Kids and I will still enjoy the deck. See? Max is demonstrating that we like our deck!

Can you picture it in a rich adobe color? I can't wait!








I plan to rest tomorrow. We are going to have several days of thunderstorms, and I can relax now that the railing is finished. It has been worrying me for some time. I'm so glad it is done. And I think I will start relaxing right now. After all, why put off till tomorrow what you can start today, right? LOL!

Being remembered

If I ever think someone hasn't noticed something I've done without expecting recognition,
I'll remember this day.

Foggy morning sunrise

A little catching up

OK, time to begin a bit of catchup. I have to say, the last month in my life has been insanely busy and full, and I swear, it feels as if 4/25 was months ago. I told Linda earlier that when I returned from Colorado, I felt as if I had been away for much longer than three travel days and four visit days.

In the last few weeks, my pups have grown a lot. Having Linda here has been very good for them. They are accepting other people a lot easier. They barked at my sister a little the first day, then they were fine with her for the remainder of her visit. Even Max, the most standoffish, became her friend. He also has been quite friendly and relaxed with Linda, whether I am home or not. It is good for everyone concerned that Linda has been a member of our unusual family for these weeks. In fact, it well be hard to see her go when the tie comes, I suspect.

On two of my recent trips away, the pups have done some things that are aggravating. First, the remote control to my digital picture frame disappeared. I moved furniture, I raked the grass in the back yard with hopes of finding it, I covered the deck, but it just wasn't here. It was small, just about 1.5 X 2 inches, so it isn't hard to imaging that one of them chewed it up (Lola!) or even ate it (Sam!). Then while I was up north, the remote to my Bose sound system in the bedroom disappeared. Linda found it .... in several pieces in the back yard. I'll be replacing them both, and fortunately, neither is terribly expensive. Just irritating. Little mutts.

I also notices some grasses on the floor today. They were grasses that were in a tiny Indian pot that was on a shelf high on one wall. I wondered how they ended up on the floor, and discovered the little pot was not on the shelf. I looked around and found it in the back yard. It was slightly chewed up, but the big question was .... how did they get it from that shelf? Linda wondered if strong wind a couple nights ago might have knocked it or blown it off the shelf. Probably so.

Tonight, Linda and I were involved in a task (more on that in a minute), and I thoughtlessly left a pair of shoes in the living room. Been reading here for a while? But he also knows better than to chew on my shoes! It's as if he can't control himself! I picked up the shoe, and he ducked his head and began slinking out of the room. Yeah, I think he is guilty.

Remember the irises I bought before going to Colorado? One of them is blooming.

It is called "Throb." It is a rich golden yellow and is so pretty in the sunshine.


















The others aren't blooming yet, but I looked up pictures of of them:


This is "Undivided Attention."







This is "Feminine Fire."









This is "Silverado."










And this is "Moon Journey."












There is also one called "Free Fall," and I can't find a picture of that one. I also can't remember what it looks like! I just know it was very pretty. That's all I need to know I think.


In Colorado, I met again a great niece who recently "friended" me on FB. We haven seen each other since she was about two years old. I so enjoyed getting to know her again, now that she is a beautiful 13 year old. She plays violin and she did a mini concert for us while we were there. What a treat that was!


Her father looked on proudly while she played.




I've enjoyed getting to know her through FB, but seeing her up close and personal was just delightful!





Then her grandfather, my brother, serenaded us with a little harmonica concert.








Tonight, while Sammy dined on my shoes (arghhh!) Linda and I went through my jewelry. I have more than a person can wear. Honestly. So I picked out a bunch of it for her to take to her shop to see if it will sell.



Here is what we pulled out for her to take away. Trust me, this represents maybe 1/4 of what I have!! It is mostly costume jewelry that I haven't worn in at least a couple years.











It will be nice to have more room and less confusing choices when I'm getting ready to go somewhere! I have wa-a-a-y too much.


We also got out a couple huge boxes of vintage hats I kept for some strange reason. I mean, really, why would somleone move their mother's and grandmother's hats from KC to NM? I knew one day they would have a purpose. Linda's shop is vintage clothes, her art of wearable silks and paintings. These hats will be fun with the other vintage items. If some of them sell, I'll have some pocket money! Woohoo!

I got a haircut today. Finally! It was nearly shoulder length, and was driving me crazy. I had debated about letting it grow just enough to pull up in the summer, but honestly, I didn't want to mess with it. My hairdresser had to quit suddenly when she developed shoulder nerve problems and was at risk for paralysis. I've been so busy that I hadn't taken time to find a new person. I went back to one I'd used in the past, and she did a good job. it feels wonderful to have my hair "normal"again.

OK, I'm tired again, and I need to get to bed. Y'all take care!

Home

I'm home. I'm so tired my eyes are crossed! I am looking forward to sleeping in my own bed tonight. Have you ever noticed tthat no matter how fun the trip, there is nothing like getting back to your very own bed?

I'm not going to post more right now, because I'm not thinking straight, but I'll get caught up soon. I promise.

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.............

The end is in sight, but the frivolity continues

When I drove to the Denver area a few days ago, I stopped for lunch, and as I mentioned, was thrilled to meet a blogging friend from way back, Cathy. Some of you know her, as I did, from the blogs. She has gone quiet in Blogville of necessity. Her schedule is full with her children, a full time job and writing. Her first book was published just over a year ago, and she is working now on the second one. I hope she will return one day to blogging, but I understand how life can absorb one's time. I understand, but I miss her, too.

Cathy is as cute, as smart as I thought she would be and even more of a sweetheart than one can imagine! How gracious was she to drive an hour and a half just to sit that long with my sister and me, then make the return trip home?? It was a brief meeting, but one that I enjoyed greatly and am so happy we were able to make the connection!

In Denver yesterday, I was delighted to have lunch with three great friends. Glenda, Chuck (next to me) and I went to school together 50 (yikes!!) years ago, and Rick (in the striped shirt) is another of my blogging friends for some time now. When I began thinking of being in the Denver area, I knew I had to try to see all three, and with limited time on my hands, the best solution was to try to incorporate all three into one lunch. I'm so glad they could all accommodate, because we had a lot of fun.

I was having a car problem .... no, a car hiccup .... because my gas cap wasn't fitting right and the "check engine" light came on as a result. I needed to drop my truck off to have that taken care of, so Chuck picked me up at the dealership. When we got to the restaurant, we found Glenda and Rick had introduced themselves and were chatting away like old buds! That's how it went for the next three hours. You would have thought Rick went to school with us. Some people fall into silence around a group with a history but not Rick! I'm glad, because I learned a lot bout him, and he became just another of "the gang."

I enjoyed catching up with Glenda and just seeing her face again. I hadn't seen her in about 46 years although we've stayed in loose contact. Chuck and I ran into each other some 20-25 years ago when my mother discovered he was at the bank in the tiny town where my folks lived. We also have remained in touch off and on since then. Rick and I "cyber met" via the blog of mutual friend, Julie, WHO KEEPS PROMISING TO COME MEET US BOTH!! [Jes' sayin', Julie! Take it for what it's worth. :D ]

What a fabulous afternoon we had! We ate and lingered on for over three hours, and if they didn't all have lives to go back to, I would have loved to keep them there longer. There were no silent gaps in the day as we all fell into a rhythm of talking, getting to know each other, laughing about past events and enjoying the excellent company. One of those days that makes you wonder who you don't do it more often. Oh, yeah .... there is that dratted distance thing for me. I hope that Glenda and Chuck with stay in touch and renew their friendship and that both of them and Rick will find a new one. What a day!

Earlier yesterday morning, my siblings and I, along with one nephew in town from Texas, gathered at our parents' grave site for a little remembrance. Bittersweet. It has been ten years, and I still miss them so. It's not a fresh wound any longer, of course, but how big a hole is left in my life without them. They were our foundation.

That's my sis on the left, one brother in the wheelchair and next to him is the other brother and wife. The half person is my nephew. No, he's a real, whole person in life, I just sliced him in the photo. ;D

Today the family is gathering here at the home of the brother where Sis and I are staying to have a little time together. Some other nieces and nephews are coming, too, and I'm glad I will get to see them. I'm looking forward to seeing a great-niece who has become a friend on Facebook. I haven't seen her since she was just a wee one about two years old. I have really enjoyed some of our "chats," and I know I will enjoy seeing her now as she is "grown up." Well, sorta, at 12!

Tomorrow we start home. I'll take Sis to Lubbock, spend the night and go home Monday. I'm getting tired. It has been a fabulous trip, absolutely one of magical proportions for me. But I haven't slowed down, taken a day to veg out, for over a month now. It will be good to go home, rest, and start doing some things around the house and yard .... for me.

Guess I should get crackin'. Talk with y'all later!

.... Life is beautiful!!!!

Morning!

I woke in the night with a pounding headache. My nose was clogged, probably allergy(s) to something I'm not used to here. I cleared my nose, sprayed it, took an allergy pill and a couple Tylenol. I was also hot, the room felt stuffy, so I opened a window. In a few minutes it was better, enough so I could sleep. I've not had that kind of headache in a long time, and it was awful. I still have a remnant of the headache this morning, but it's not bad.

I woke to the sound of several birds singing. I like that about having the window open. At home I sleep with the window open, and it is so nice to hear the birds when I wake. The songs here are very different to those I hear at home. I'm certainly not a bird expert and I'm not familiar with the birds of the Colorado Plains, so I don't know what ones I'm hearing. I just know the various sons are beautiful this morning!

I discovered last night that I left some of my clothes behind. I had an outfit to wear to lunch tomorrow that is still hanging on the hook of my closet door. Nothing fancy, but nicer than the jeans capris I'm wearing most days. Oh, well. I guess my lunch companions tomorrow will have to accept "I yam what I yam"! Two of them already know me and know about my "yams," and the third probably doesn't care!

Yesterday was fun visiting with my siblings and two SILs. Today the brother and SIL from OK is visiting with friends in this area, as they lived here for a long time. The rest of us are going to have a quiet day, I suspect. Friday we are going to visit our parents' graves before I meet friends for lunch, the Okies are going to a grandson's graduation, and Sis and the local couple are going to lunch or whatever they want for a while. And somewhere in there, I need to get to a Dodge dealership to have them check my gas cap. It isn't locking into place, and that causes first the "gas cap" signal, then the "check engine" light to come on. I suppose it will need to be replaced. I don't want to drive home with the "check engine" light on, assuming it is nothing more than the gas cap. That could be a disastrous assumption!

I guess it is time to roll out of bed. I'll check in later. Everyone behave. I'd hate to have to report to your moms!

If you had to choose ....

It hurts to watch my brother struggle with the effects of Parkinson's. He is so intelligent, so kind, has always had such a bright wit. That is all still there, but his body is making it difficult for him to fully use any of those attributes. He still has a lovely sense of humor and jokes with us a lot, but much of the facial expressions are now muted. I miss his smile so much.

And I hate that he has trouble communicating his thoughts. His mind is so sharp and he has so much to say, but he has difficulty getting the words out much of the time. His voice is very soft, the words form only with difficulty, and I wish so much that he could still get those ideas to us without an exasperating effort.

He is occasionally mobile, occasionally wheelchair bound. He wants to remain independent as long as possible, but his agility is so limited. When he moves, it is with jerkiness and motions that are concerning to everyone, but we let him do what he can out of respect for his pride and sense of self-motivation. And then one foot doesn't work quite as it should. He falls. And all our hearts fall with him. We pray that he is not seriously hurt, other than his pride, and then he is in the wheelchair for a time. Then it starts over.

This disease is closely related to Alzheimer's, but in reverse. While my mother's body stayed spry and active, her mind was lost in a fog. My brother's mind is still spinning and creative, but his body fails to support carrying out his brilliant ideas. I don't know which is worse.

A long day ....

Dang, this was a long day, and this will be a short note. I won't upload pictures till I'm back home because the connection here is v.e.r.y s.l.o.w.

I was up too late last night. My sister took forever to get packed. In her defense, we washed everything she had worn, so it was a matter of getting everything dry before she could pack. But she packed for about 4 hours!! I wanted to get the car packed last night, except for the morning needs, making it quick to get away this morning. Anyway, she finally was packed about 10:00 last night, and only then could I get into the bedroom to pack myself. It was late when I finished, so I just waited till this AM to load the car. Then I got up very early, 5:30, to get dressed and get the car packed, so my sleep was just under 6 hours. gah.

On the road, it seemed that we had obstacle after obstacle.

• Road repairs delayed us about 30 minutes.
• The GPS took us on a wild trip on a road that was narrow, winding, and clinging to a mountain side! the speed limit was 25-35 for about 15 scary miles! (I met a truck as big as mine, and I swear our mirrors nearly touched as we crept past each other!)
• I was late getting to Walsenberg where I was meeting Cathy, but we had a wonderful visit once I was there.
• The GPS wanted to take me on a second crazy route, so I nixed it. Then I called my SIL for a cross street, and she gave me directions. they were different than she gave me a couple days ago, taking me through Colorado Spring and Denver, not bypassing as she directed me before.
• There was a wreck on the Interstate in Colorado Springs, and we were delayed yet another almost 1.5 hours!
  

All this means a nearly 9 hour drive became 11 hours. Holy-moley, I'm tired. I'm going to get to bed and try a fresh start in the AM! I have a full tummy, and nothing sounds better than a couple days of sleep, but I'll settle for 8. Soon, y'all!!

The iris farm

We went to the Hondo Iris Farm today. I'm so sorry I haven't gone before!

I'm soooo glad we went. And you're soooo glad I posted only about 1/3 of the pictures I took!

Bad Blogger Lyn, bad, bad blogger.

I'm a negligent blogger of late, aren't I? And I will be for a while, then I will be back to normal. Normal is a relative term here, of course, because you all know I'm not exactly the poster child for normalcy!

My sis is here with me, and we've done a bit of sightseeing. We will be able to get some more in, too, because the rain has now been lifted from the forecast. Good for sightseeing, bad for the little plants I put in the ground two days ago. Guess I'd better get out and water them.

Sightseeing with my sister is interesting. She is a non-stop talker, and I mean NON-stop. She doesn't need me to have a conversation! LOL! I have to interrupt with an apology to point something out to her, followed with a bit of miff from her for the interruption! Don't get me wrong .... I love my sis dearly, and I understand her reason for the irritation, because she has some very early dementia, so when she loses her train of thought it is hard for her to get back on track. But as the Elvis song says, "A little less conversation ..." is sometimes preferred! I've brought some audiobooks along for our long trip coming up, so that we can take some breaks! Yes, I'm a bratty little sister!

Yesterday I woke with a broken blood vessel in my right eye. Nothing to worry about. It happens occasionally to me, and I have had it checked by doctors who tell me it is not for concern. It can happen when I cough hard, but that isn't always a component. Anyway, about half of the white part of the eye was bright red. It looks awful, but no pain is involved. Last night I found the positive part of it. My green eyes look really, really green next to the red! LOL!! The irises of my eyes are green with just a little amber around the pupil, but they appear hazel from a few feet away. Don't know why that is. At any rate, my right eye is obviously green now! I like it!

Today I have to take a break from entertaining my sister to attend a funeral. Remember my friend Gail who lived here for several months in 2007? Her brother, who was two years older than we, passed away on Wednesday, rather unexpectedly. He had congestive heart failure, but didn't tell many. I suspect he wanted to simply live a normal life without feeling people felt sorry for him. He was such a nice man. He taught history until he retired a couple years ago, and his passion was New Mexico history. I enjoyed talking with him about history, since I'm a little bit of a history buff myself. He will be missed.

Tomorrow Sis and I will go to the Iris Farm to see the spring splendoflora! Yeah, that's my own word, "splendor" and "flora" combined. This is my fourth spring here, and every year I've missed it! duh! I would plant to go, then something would cross my thought process and it would be gone. I'd remember it next when the blooms were less prominent in the heat of summer. So this is a big adventure for us both. We are both fond of irises, probably because our mom loved them so much. She had a wonderful iris garden with special as well as standard tubers, and it was, well, splendoflorifulous! So tomorrow will be a wonderful day for us, I'm sure.

Monday's schedule is still up in the air. Sis wanted to go to the town of Lincoln where Billy the Kid hung out, but much of the town is closed on Mondays. We've decided to not over do it, and wait till her next visit for that. Lincoln doesn't lend itself to a quick or incomplete tour. One needs to take time and see it all for the context, so she has decided it is best to wait. I agree. And it is something to look forward to, as well.

OK, I gotta get ready to scoot over the mountain and down the other side to Alamogordo for the memorial service. I hate to say goodbye. Never easy.

A miscellaneous Tuesday.

Last night the winds were awful! They were so strong they ripped the gutter off my house .... on the side away from the wind! It actually pulled down just one section, but it popped out the gutter spikes in a couple other sections, too. Some were completely out, others were just loose, but barely holding into the deck. As I tried to replace them, the latter sections began to fall, as well. gah.

I had gone into town for some other things, and stopped at the lumber store to get some replacements for the gutter spikes. I bought gutter screws. They are thicker, a tad longer and the threads should help hold it in place. Once I was home, I started putting them in, but I couldn't get them in the full way, so I went to a neighbor's house and asked him if he could help. He did. And he offered to help me put those in the rest of the gutters when I get around to it. I'll probably do that when I'm back from Denver.

I spent most of the afternoon trying to straighten out a bit of a mess. Before Glenn died, he checked everything to be sure I was on every account or named as his beneficiary. However, there was one little thing that he and I both forgot about. It was a small account with a few stocks he had from a company he worked for for a few years. Now a company that finds heirs for forgotten money has found me, and I'm having to jump through a few hoops to claim the money, and it involves a lot of proving who I am, who I was, who he was, when he died, etc. So, going back and forth between the locating company and the certifying bank to get the details all worked out just took forever it seemed. Another gah.

I took Lola for her shots today, and she did so well in public. The little pup that looked at strangers and went scooting backward, barking her head off, now behaves very appropriately. She was friendly, but not so much as to jump on people or something of that sort. Very well behaved. I'm proud of her. :)

I'm tired. I think I'm going to bed. Jim was a very mean slave driver. ;) He wore me out with all that nasty hard work! LOL!

Mañana!

Home safely! Gals, I got your messages on the previous post, and I'm choosing to answer via a short post, OK?

The drive home was, as usual, beautiful. I can prove it ....
















































Lots of mountains .....




































































































































































And choo-choo train ....

























































And gorgeous skies and clouds .....



































And ocotillo .....






































And cacti in bloom .....



































And endless highways ....






































And when I saw the Organ Mountains again, I knew I was approaching Las Cruces and just beyond that (well a couple hours) is home .....












And then the sunset .....






















It was a good drive.













Before I left, Jim took me for a good breakfast at a real diner kind of place with friendly waitresses. No, not that kind of phony stuff, these ladies were genuinely friendly!

A lot of work was done, Jim is nearly moved, almost everything else is sold, and all is good.

Now .... tomorrow is another Albuquerque trip, a day trip, and the two-way drive is about equal in time to one from Tucson, six hours. But I'll have friends along for the fun. We had this planned for a while, and when I had to delay my Tucson trip, they just got scrunched together.

I'll be home for Tuesday with lots to do, laundry, clean the house and still try to rest. Wednesday I'll go to Lubbock to pick up my sister. She will stay here for four days and I will show her around my stompin' grounds. Then she and I will hop in the car, drive to Denver and spend a few days with two of our three brothers. On the way up, I am meeting a long time blogger friend who had to stop blogging for a time while she concentrates on her second book, her full time job, her four beautiful children and a husband. I can't wait to meet Catherine. I'm also going to connect with two old high school friends and a blogging buddy for a lunch. I get to meet Rick over at Hamguin's Hide-not, and perhaps my two old buddies will have a new friend in him, as well! On the way home, my nephew is planning to meet me along the road and will take my sis back home without me having to go again to Lubbock before coming home.

Maybe after that I will have a few days to sleep and rest before something happens again in my life. But don't count on it!