Wednesday, September 30, 2009

summer, fall and winter!

Just threw this in, since it was so cute. Lexi (8 months) standing up to play with the musical thing-a-ma-jiggy. Halie coaching. A few days ago while it was still summer.
We went from 87 degrees on Tuesday, with fall colors on their way.... (I've been passing these "tumble weeds" the last week or so. Across the street from our subdivision next to Wal-Mart.)

To this early snow storm, mostly in the mountains, today...Sept. 30! All of the mountains in the Salt Lake Valley were sprinkled with snow down to their bases. Highs in the upper 40's-low 50's.


Thursday, September 24, 2009

KITTENS

Tuesday evening, Sheila's family joined us for supper, and Halie went out into the back yard when she was finished. Soon she came running back telling us there was kitty in the yard, and as we looked, it was following her! Probably 3-4 weeks old, white and light brown like its mother, with blue eyes and screaming as they do when suddenly moved. Evidently the mother was moving it into our backyard behind the tall bushy junipers, that she has napped under the past year since Homer left us. Halie scared the mother off, so Sheila and started looking for the rest of the litter. Found them in the shed next door. Owners had just moved out, so we put the baby back with the rest (5 all together, 3 white like the mama, one black and white, one gray and white).
Wednesday evening, the new owners of the house came, we talked and learned they were planning to demolish the shed with the kittens!....so, I rescued them, put them in a plastic container and moved to my shed, then to the junipers where I hoped the mama would return and stay with them, since she began to move them there anyway.
Well, when she returned, she began moving them somewhere else. After she had moved 3 of them, I went to make sure it wasn't the old shed again. They weren't there, thankfully. It gets down into the low 40's, upper 30's at night, so I was concerned they all were moved before I went to bed.
Well, it was after 11 pm, and 3 were left and hungry, so I brought them in to warm and feed them. I opened a can of evap milk, mixed a couple tablespoons with warm water in a little bowl, and let them have a go. They were so young that they were breathing it up their noses as they sucked on it. They managed to suck it all up. I cleaned them up, put them in a cardboard box with newspaper for added warmth, then returned them outside for mama. By 1am there was 1 left. By 1:30 it was still out there alone in the cold and screaming. Time for another feeding, and no mama. So, brought it in. I no longer have the little bottle and nipple I used to nurse other standed baby kittens, so got out a regular baby bottle, then dripped away onto my fingers and into its mouth. It caught on in a hurry, since it was probably starving. I put it back in the box, put a heating pad under the box, covered it, then took a nap on the couch for a couple hours. At 3am and 6:30 am we repeated the procedure. But after the 6:30am feeding, I spotted mama out in the yard waiting, so took a cup full of fresh cat food, with kitten in hand, filled her dish and placed kitten on ground next to it. Kitten screamed enough to alert the whole neighborhood, and mama FINALLY carried it off.
As long as they aren't in the shed next door today, they should be fine. I've prepared a place in our shed for them, in case mama decides to move them again, but even though I feed her every day, I have grandchildren that come and go, so she probably won't venture.

Saturday, September 12, 2009

Return to Pismo

Von and I took my annual trip to Pismo Beach. On our way we stopped in Bakersfield for lunch with sister Jane and family, and her grandson Nathan entertained us with his attempts at walking. He was one on Sept. 10. Thanks for the meal and company. Good to see Erin and Scott, too!







In Fresno, I took Von to see some of my old haunts. Stopped in on my old church, St. Paul's Methodist. Other than the paint job, and a few Sunday School rooms made into offices, it was amazingly the same over 50 years later.




Fellowship Hall full of memories as a youth. Same brown tile floor and curtains on the stage.






We stay in the Kon Tiki resort hotel at Pismo Beach, with girlfriend Cece and her mom, who have frequented the place for over 50 years.


Cece






Von even got his feet wet for a change.


Cece and Lois.


Pedro put in another appearance at Cece's house, just before going into hibernation.
He came right to Cece when we got back from the beach, ravenous for something to eat, usually fruit and lettuce. Cece found him when she was 7 years old, and he uses the doggy door to get in and out of the house along with the dogs.


On our way home, we stopped in on Zion, took the shuttle and a two-mile hike along the Pa'rus trail. Got home today in good time, and grateful for a good time with friends and family.

I'm 60, horrors!

Grandkids and me.
Lexi Lou with fistfull of cake. More interested in how it felt than how it tasted.

Thanks everyone.


Saturday, September 5, 2009

Twogood Reunion trip

My dad turned 85 August 21, so I spearheaded a pool party for him at his home in El Centro, CA.
It turned into a Twogood Reunion with most of my clan gathering there. We decided to do a few other things along the way .

10 of us traveled in two vehicles, first stop for lunch in Fillmore.


We stayed overnite at the Gold Coast Hotel in Las Vegas and enjoyed their pool. It was just 100 there.


Had dinner at TGIF in the hotel.


Halie Marie having a good time.


And Lexi Lou entertaining herself.

Next stop was at Buffalo Bills Casino, to ride the Desperado roller coaster. We got there an hour before the ride opened, so took some photos while we waited.








This is the roller coaster...climbs 18 stories then drops a couple times. About a 2 minute ride. I've ridden it a few times and it's pretty intense. Threw my neck out last time.



Eveyone survived except Kristin. Scared her pretty bad! Camron and Halie were too short to go, so they went on a log flume ride instead. Got pretty wet.






Next stop, Sea World! The big water ride there is Journey to Atlantis. Sheila had hoped Halie was tall enough, but she wasn't according to their ruler. So, Sheila and I took her through an underwater exhibit. Lots of interesting exhibits. Probably the most fun was the Penguins.








And of course the Shamu show was incredible. A lot of splashing and jumping.

Got there early for a good seat. Only 85 degrees.


Feeding the noisy seals.



Before the Sea Lion show, a comedy actor entertained us and selected people at random from the audience for a photo shoot on the lady's camera. Kristin got to be the kid.



Amazing what they can get these animals to do. The pet show was the most fun. Even cats, ducks, and a pig got involved along with all the dogs.

Of course the little ones got tired of sitting and waiting, so we all got to play in Sesame Street Playland for a little while.






Grandpa was a good sport with Lexi Lou, who had to be fed and changed now and then.





While in San Diego, we spent a few hours at Mission Beach before heading to El Centro. Weather and water were perfect. And the kids loved it!


Lexi Lou's first encounter.







From San Diego, we entered the firey furnace of El Centro, at 118 degrees! Kids went straight into the pool at the motel.


Camron took his first swim across the deep end without a life vest!


The heat must have gotten to Kristin. She spent 3 hours in emergency getting hydrated and treated for intense pain in her intestine. Tests came out normal, and that evening she was back to herself.



As the clan gathered, the pool was the only place to be.


Camron was even brave enough to go off te board with his newly found skill of swimming in deep water.

Halie was still confined to the shallow end, but gained confidence before we left.



Birthday dinner in the house..brother Dan and wife Willy with Von.


The kids at their own private table by the front door!


We took turns reading and sharing memory pages and cards for all the birthdays.





Grandma had Twogood Reunion shirts made for all of us. Dad, mom, Willy, Dan and Jo.

Sister Jane's family; Jane, Julie, Jeff, Emily with Nathan, and Bill.