Why I Loathe Modern Day Packaging!

Okay, here's what happened;

brand new mouse...awesome, small, up-to-date.

But, it was encased in that tough plastic that is impossible to get open. Also, the mouse cord was totally hidden, and so I just started cutting open the plastic covering to get the mouse out of that hermitcally sealed packaging, and...oops, cut the cord!

I'm sad.

I wanted this mouse.

This is Just Insame....

Crazy,

Unreal,

what it really is, is

ANXIETY!

3:45 a.m.

Lemonade for Sale!

The knock on the front door was slight; hardly audible....she was about 10.

"Would you like to buy some lemonade?" she asked. "We are selling it at our stand just up the street. It's only a quarter."

Lemonade sounded good on a very hot day.

She brought the cup back....and she was right...it was a quarter, but I didn't realize what she really meant was a QUARTER full.

Ah, the summer lemonade stand.

The Sister Missionaries

I drove Sister Martinez and Sister Amerano around today. They are beautiful and delightful.
One is from Los Angeles via the Phillipines, and one is from Mexico and Spain...can you guess which is which? We visited a young woman from the Phillipines who met a man over the Internet and subsequently married him, moving here to America and leaving her three year old child behind. She is 22, he is 45.

Now, here's something interesting. Sister Amerano has a brother on a mission in Hong Kong...what are the chances we will meet him? Stay tuned for that answer!

Mini Rose Bud Bouquet

This Just Can't Keep Happening!

That's a.m. - not p.m.

He tells me to quit worrying, but how do I tell that to my body?

Salmon Fishing.....

at Costco...

"It's lots cheaper than a flight to Alaska," says Allen.

Ah, yes, but not quite as fun, probably.

Breakfast From the Back Yard

Going Backwards....not Forward!

Farewell, Blackberry, hello Samsung phone from four years ago. I will miss GOOGLing on the phone, I will miss checking our email, I will miss having whitepages.com to look up phone numbers, I will miss reading the news on the fly....all gone. And, now, it's back to an adorable, small phone, that essentially does that - PHONES (makes calls...that's it...how archaic can that be?)

But, oh, the sacrifices one makes to head to a foreign country

Why I Like Shopping Early in the Morning....

Almost empty parking lot....almost empty lines....great combination.

New Sandals

I love the new Keen shoes, but they are very hot, so I needed some sandals...here are my new Teva shoes...they are sooooooooooooo comfortable.

It's Only......

6:15 a.m.
So, that means that gauge is just going to keep moving higher...
Yep, it's a scorcher, these days!

She Works at a Gift Shop Just Outside Zion Park..

...so on Saturday, we decided to visit her and see her at work.

Here she is all smiles, even though she is mighty funburned..oops, I accidentally misspelled it, but I think she had fun while she was at it, so maybe it's correct after all!

Rare, But Once in Awhile......

I achieve the goal of 10,000 steps a day. And, such a day was Thursday, July 15. I walked outside in the morning....HOT, HOT, HOT, thank you very much.

Then, obviously I did quite a bit of walking later on also.

Does this make up for all the days I only walk 3,000 steps??!?!??!?!??!

AFTER!

Holy Smokes...this is so embarrassing seeing the picture below. My middle-of-the-year resolve; keep the shelves organized....

Oh, wait, I'll be gone for 11 months. Problem solved.

BEFORE

Another One Bites the Dust...

...literally and figuratively!

Literally because it is filthy dusty as it sits underneath a desk where it is rarely dusted.

Figuratively because it just died yesterday. Totally and completely...no hope of CPR.

It is has been in our family since - at least 2002 - and belonged to a son before that. For the past three years, it has been used in only one way...as the line for our Magic Jack phone service which costs us twenty dollars a year or sixty dollars for five years.

They say - when it rains, it pours.

This is the 3rd computer to go KAPUT for us in about 10 days.

1.. My desktop got a virus and it would not turn on, reboot, it just froze and wouldn't work until we paid $80 to get it fixed.

2..laptop pictured above.

3..brand new Toshiba laptop that worked for about 1/2 hour then went rrrrrrrrrfffffffffffffffffffttttttttttttttttttttt.

Okay, so enough with the techno stuff going bad...oh, and our phone is dying!

Why I Should Keep My Windows Dirty!

THUD!

We usually hear the sound in the late afternoon when the sun is shining on the back side of the house through the big windows.

We always know immediately what the sound is: bird hitting the window.

It's very sad. Right now, there are three spots on the windows, and TWO - yes TWO have bird feathers stuck on the window.

OUCH!
So, I've decided to not clean the windows. If they are dirty, perhaps the birds will realize it's not just air/free space.

This is all about my efforts at helping animal life...it has absolutely NOTHING to do with laziness!

TEE HEE

Breakfast on the Patio

Our usual breakfast fare:
Fruit/Veggie Smoothie...today's drink includes:
Handful of Spinach, banana, frozen blueberries, fresh cherries, canned pineapple, orange juice, and a little bit of cranberry juice.

Sometimes we also add; fresh strawberries, mango, canned peaches or pears, apples from our tree.

It's just whatever is available the morning I mix up the drink.

Tasty and healthy!

Oh, Come to the Church in the Wildwood,

Come to the church in the dale...."

were the words of a long-ago song.

This lovely little chapel in Pine Valley, Utah reminds me of that song.

Following a church party held at a summer home in Pine Valley on Saturday evening, we went on a tour of this old, but beautiful building.

And, I was, once again, reminded of the beautiful, faithful people who settled in this rugged land of heat, desert, wind, cold, and barren land. Their faith and hard work are always inspiring to me.

In the Neighborhood

We live in a lovely new neighborhood with lots of beautiful homes built mostly within the last five years.

The land was previously way out in the country, away from town, and it was farm land.

So, it's no surprise that just two blocks - (maybe one and a half block), there is still farm land in use. And, I appreciate that. I hope I never forget how important the agricultural way of life is to our own survival.

It Came Across the Plains

It was probably made around 1830, and it was the first organ in the city of Provo, Utah. Now, it is in a home in Southern Utah, with people who truly care about the past and preserving the history/artifacts of those long-ago ancestors. What a treasure!

A Dish from the Past - Creamed Tuna on Toast

My mom used to make it frequently. I liked it whenever we had it. I made it for our family, but I don't remember if they liked it or not.

Now, we are trying to use up our last four cans of tuna, so it made a tasty lunch.

And, I thought of Mom.

I Call It.....

the China shelf....it's where I am starting to put things that I THINK I MIGHT need in China....my thyroid pills, Avon hand cream (for mosquitoes, which I have heard are horrendous), Coldeeze (which I take at the first sign of a cold), hand sanitizer, vitamin pills, Alka Seltzer and Tums, aspirin, new toothbrush and floss, Aveeno Hand Lotion. There will be lots more added to this shelf in the coming weeks. In fact, we just received an eamil from a lady currently in China who said to stock up on our favorite chocolate as the chocolate tastes very different in China.

Do I envision a SEE's Box of Dark Chocolate on that shelf soon?

It's a Celebration - at Hurricane

Janessa called and said, "Grandpa, will you play with me at the 4th of July talent show in Hurricane on Monday?" Well, who can refuse a request like that from a beautiful granddaughter?

So, here's Janess playing with her brother, Landon, and her grandfather, Allen, and her friend, Andrea. They made some mighty fun music together.

Fourth of July Breakfast for Eli & Miles!

Church starts in just a minute;

the adults aren't eating breakfast,

and the left-over pizza was looking mighty fine in the fridge!

July 3 - When Just a Few of the Gee Cousins Gather

Austen Gee, Jenni Hackworth Fisher, Andrew Gee, Rebecca Gee, Gardner Gee,

Tiffany Gee Lewis, Katherine Gee

We do have a good time when we gather; there was food, fun, stories, a baptism, more food, just a little bit of singing, and lots of laughs in Provo, Utah

This is only 7 of the 22 cousins, so next time.......

Let's ALL Get Together!

Yeah, Yeah, Yeah!

July 2 - Early Morning - Train Station

Thursday- Playing Trucks

The Neighbors Bring By Their New Car -Wednesday

"Thou Shalt Not Covet"....

Good Advice when you see this new Caddy!