Christmas Vacation 2009 A-Z: B is for

Babysitting: trips to the park and stores with Drew, New Year's Eve with the girls
Boots: Boy were they muddy; Drew picked me out some new ones (florescent green!)
Bacon: YUM ----MMEEEEEE (Yes this warrants it's own entry. I ate a LOT of bacon. A LOT. My gout has flared up to remind me why I can't eat pork.)

The culprits

Brothers: Fathers, Uncles, Patriarchs -- but still my little bros.

Brushfire: Painting crockery with Kelli and Drew

Flowers for Grandmary's house

Christmas Vacation 2009 A-Z: A is for

Avatar = AWESOME. Saw it once, must see it again on the IMAX in 3D. Thanks Bro.
Altitude: It's not fun to hike in the ...
Attitude(s): Little people have them; Travellers on delayed airplanes have them; I have a MAJOR one.
Airports: Crazy, crazy, crazy lines .. 'nough said
Arizona: Nice to visit. It's a lovely Dam place.

and .... AMBER

Girl in motion Big Sisters do rock!

Amber is being watched over. Girl at play Hiding. (Don't worry. No one can see you like that!) Having fun

Amber: "I'm not a fairy. I'm an ANGEL."

(and telling Santa so.)

These are the rednecks in your neighborhood

What's the Western equivalent of a redneck? You know, that person who might be a redneck if:

~You keep major appliances on your front porch.
~You have a Barcalounger and/or sofas on the front porch.
~The neighbors started a petition over your Christmas lights.

or other sayings like this*...

So I'm with my sister-in-law in a VERY nice subdivision in Utah, heading up the hill to a VERY exclusive and chi-chi spa (to pick up stuff, sadly, NOT to get treatments), when we came across a home that had a variety of "lawn ornaments" in it that almost defies description. [Quotations used correctly, thank you very much!]

You know I had to stop and take pictures, although they don't do the place justice. I may have to go back in the spring to see if they are still up, AND to see if they light up as much as I suspect they do.

"I study and watch the eagle fly

Spreaded wings and sort across the sky

So gracefully he flew

Rising effortlessly

I wanna to know just how to be free."

~Gaither Vocal Band

I don't think this is type of graceful and effortless free flight that the lyricist had in mind. If it was just the bird, I'd say the family was patriotic, but look closer.
Our majestic national symbol apparently has an editorial comment about the state of the union. It's digested a bit of plastic.
I don't know of what I'm more scared ... the giant gopher/squirrel/rodent thing, or the fact that I see frog legs being regurgitated by the angry-looking pelican/heron/crane thing. Notice the skulls of previously digested creatures studding the landscape. The random phallic cactus ... the random heart. Oddly, I think the tumbleweed is not intended to be there, but blew in with the winds.

Mountain Goat got your tongue? Ram it back in there.

Don't be an a**. They did this to their yard on purpose.

Did they leave their Thanksgiving decorations up too long? Squanto seems to be eyeing that fowl thing. Is this their rendition of the Crying Indian? If he wasn't crying before, he would be after he saw this house!

Does Taco Bell serve turkey burritos? Because this makes me think so.

Plus, what's up with the GIGANTIC wooden roadrunner? Beep Beep!

All of the lawn "ornaments" totally distracted me from the fact that there's a "cowboy" by the front door (which I didn't get in pictures), as well as an iguana on the roof.

*RE: the Ram photo: One of the items on the Red-neck list is: "Your boat has not left the drive-way in 15 years. If the neighbors ARE rednecks, does that make you a certified redneck by association?

You realllly have to wonder what the neighbors think. I know what I think ... but I'm an Eastern intellectual snob with a sense of aesthetic.

Retroblog Jan. 18, 1983 and 2010 Themes

Today is Teasday Jan. 18, 1983 Time 5:14 pm

Today is o.k. I think I have a cold. We finally got snow! About 1 month late. Late! That's right LATE! We had a sunny but cold Christmas. It came on Saturday. Thursday is Grandma Jones birthday.

Isn't it amazing how into snow I was? It must have been because we got snow days. No snow days now ... and I don't care if it snows on Christmas, as long as I make my flights in and out of New England before it does snow.

The note about Grandma Jones' birthday gives me the perfect segue into one of the major themes of this year's blogging: my grandmothers. While 2009 was all about the retroblogging from one of my old journals, this year is dedicated to going through old letters, memories, and recipes from my grandmas: Ollie Jane and Roa Sarah. If it works out, we might touch on the current grandmas (of the nieces and nephews), Mary, Cheryl and Virginia.

I'm hoping to transcribe the letters that we exchanged over the years. I have many of the latter letters that they sent me, and was able to reclaim the ones that I sent them when going through their effects. I'm going to start off with some of the recipes that I found in Ollie Jane's battered old recipe box, and mixed into the many little notebooks that she kept with notes on genealogy, random bits of trivia, and phone numbers. I'm hoping that one of my aunts and/or cousins has a lead on if Grandma Roa actually even HAD a recipe box.

While neither grandmother was particularly known for their culinary expertise, I feel that preserving these bits of family and regional history are important for the future generations of Auntie Nettie's extended family.

Hope you enjoy the trip with me!

Western Vistas

In wrapping up my pictures of oddities seen on the scene in the West, I came across these random shots.

This one was actually spotted the first day (at a Walmart) and taken by Drew. I don't know what it's for, but that car is decked out! We both liked it. I had to seriously talk Drew out of wanting to paint on Grandmary's car. Sorry kid. Get your own in a few years and you can do what you like to it.

I was driving through St. George and out of the corner of my eye I saw this sign. What does it say about me that I thought it was a Hooter's sign? HOO -- PES, Auntie Nettie. HOOPES Read the WHOOOOOOOLE sign. Plus silly, St. George would not approve a Hooter's. Mesquite, maybe. St. George? No.

Suggestion to Mr. Hoopes: Don't use red in your construction signage when you have a perfectly good blue logo that won't cause confusion to strangely-minded out-of-towners.

Finally, in the apex of my "only in the West" moments, there were these two adjacent plots, discovered whilst driving up the dirt/rock road to my sister-in-law's mother's place. I couldn't believe it.

Apparently a fire started at this house, burning it to the ground,

and then spread to this one next door .... leaving not much behind. Oh, except for the TOILET which everyone can see ...
The two plots have been like this for AT LEAST 6 MONTHS. That's right folks.
Half a year of two burned out homes, just sitting open to the elements,
for everyone on the street to see,
and they are still there.
Only in the West, I tell you. (Okay, and maybe parts of the South).

It's a Nephew!

You'll be reading about "Studly" later on down the blog, but I'm pleased to report that "Studly," aka my newest newphew, Nathan, made his appearance today into the world (and he already has a web presence.)

Happy Birthday Nathan!

7 lb. 7 oz.

21 inches

Congrats to Christina and J.
Amber and Elle, from one big sister to others ... be nice. It's not his fault.
I can't wait to see all you guys again soon.

Photos will be uploaded later.

Land HO!

Oh, give me land, lots of land under starry skies above,

Don't fence me in.

Let me ride through the wide open country that I love,

Don't fence me in.

Let me be by myself in the evenin' breeze,

And listen to the murmur of the cottonwood trees,

Send me off forever but I ask you please,

Don't fence me in.

Words and music by Cole Porter© & Robert Fletcher, ©1942, from the film Hollywood Canteen