Do you want to moved to Alaska?
This is taken approximately eight miles from Anchorage at the Glenn Highway Weigh Station, pointed west, toward Anchorage. The camera provide a very nice view of the Glenn Highway and the entrance to the weigh station.
Yesterday the highway was snow packed. I am wondering if this is as good as it gets.
Here was downtown Anchorage yesterday
And here it is today…..
Can you say……. SNOW
I am having a countdown to surgery. About a year ago I met with my cardiologist concerning an echocardiogram that was done. The opening on one of the valves had narrowed. Last spring there was another echocardiogram done and the valve opening had again narrowed.
We scheduled another echocardiogram this fall, which is not all that unusual. The studies have been about six months apart in the past. Well the opening had narrowed even further so a transthoracic echocardiogram. These is where a probe is passed down your throat to better measure the valves from the back side.
I don’t know what the measurements were, but the did an angiogram. That must not have been very good, because she did not even wait for me to come in for an office visit. We discussed the test and the doctor who did my previous surgery, who is Dr. Bull. He now heads the transplant team at the University of Utah and works at the VA Hospital.
So I decided to go with the surgeon at Ogden Regional Hospital. Of course, I want to do some research on these doctors before the appointment. I am scheduled to meet with him on the 19th.
Now that I have reached this point I can relax. I don’t have to be concerned that something is going wrong and my doctor was not catching it. Although I have not had that concern with this cardiologist. She is right on top of everything.
So don’t anyone worry. I am good, just a little tired. I am able to do nearly everything I could do last year. I do have a little trouble shoveling dirt, but people keep telling me I should not be shoveling dirt anyway.
Thanks for all of your good thoughts.
Rose
Here is my Halloween wish to all of my dear friends…
Have a ghoulish day.
in every way
and let your inner child – or outer child if possible – remember the fun of the day…
And remember, Mom is always there to rescue you from the “scary” strangers
This is my Halloween Card to all of my friends. The pumpkin drawing comes from free clipart on the Precious Moment’s website. I am not sure where the font came from, but it was on my word program.
So………
Don’t let the mean old grownups ruin what could be the best day of the year so far. I will be thinking of all of you.
Loves and Hugs……
Rose
A few weeks ago Trisha invited me to go to the movie “New Moon” of the Twilight saga. While I enjoyed the first movie a great deal, there were times where I was lost and there was Trisha and I whispering like a couple of rude teenagers.
So I decided I had to read the second book before going to the movie. Easier said than done……
But I have just finished the first book. It was wonderful, everything that I was led to believe. If you have not read the book and want to read a fun teen love story, this is it. It is all about innocent, endearing love that can overtake all challenges.
Now I am really looking forward to reading the next book
1 cup butter
2 cups white sugar (I used Splenda granules)
2 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups raisins (I used Chocolate Chips)
3 cups applesauce
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon baking soda
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
2-3/4 cups and 3 tablespoons chopped nuts
Preheat oven to 350 degrees I. Line one sheet cake baking pan with parchment paper. Cream butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla; beat well. Blend in cinnamon, flour, baking soda and salt; add raisins, nuts and applesauce. Mix well. Place batter into the prepared baking pan and bake at 350 degrees I for 30 minutes. Cut into squares and serve.
Since Dell is diabetic, I used Splenda instead of sugar and could not tell the difference.
I could not find the raisins (and they may have been eaten), so used chocolate chips. Hint: 2 bags are too many. Use only 1 bag.
I put pecans in half of the bars. My applesauce was homemade and was very thick, so I added water until the consistency seemed right, maybe 1/3 to 1/2 cup.
There was left over, which I put into cupcake pans. They ended up being about an inch thick and were wonderful. I cut parchment to line the bottom of each and they baked wonderfully, except that I should have sprayed the pan with Pam first.
Enjoy. We sure did.
Just for those who enjoy Ice Fishing, I thought I would reprint something I received some time ago. First you get there….
Then you find the right spot…..
And drill your hole
Then you decided what you are fishing for:
or was it scuba diving
But you could not possibly carry all of that stuff out on the ice, so where’s the…….
Oh yeah we brought a snowmobile….
And now for the fishing part…..
BUT….
You need to remember that it does get warm later in the day and…..
The Cab Ride
So I walked to the door and knocked. 'Just a minute', answered a frail, elderly voice. I could hear something being dragged across the floor.
After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her 90's stood before me. She was wearing a print dress and a pillbox hat with a veil pinned on it, like somebody out of a 1940s movie.
By her side was a small nylon suitcase. The apartment looked as if no one had lived in it for years. All the furniture was covered with sheets.
There were no clocks on the walls, no knickknacks or utensils on the counters. In the corner was a cardboard box filled with photos and glassware.
'Would you carry my bag out to the car?' she said. I took the suitcase to the cab, then returned to assist the woman.
She took my arm and we walked slowly toward the curb.
She kept thanking me for my kindness. 'It's nothing', I told her. 'I just try to treat my passengers the way I would want my mother treated'.
'Oh, you're such a good boy', she said. When we got in the cab, she gave me an address, and then asked, 'Could you drive through downtown?'
'It's not the shortest way,' I answered quickly.
'Oh, I don't mind,' she said. 'I'm in no hurry. I'm on my way to a hospice'.
I looked in the rear-view mirror. Her eyes were glistening. 'I don't have any family left,' she continued. 'The doctor says I don't have very long.' I quietly reached over and shut off the meter.
'What route would you like me to take?' I asked.
For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the building where she had once worked as an elevator operator.
We drove through the neighborhood where she and her husband had lived when they were newlyweds. She had me pull up in front of a furniture warehouse that had once been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl.
Sometimes she'd ask me to slow in front of a particular building or corner and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing.
As the first hint of sun was creasing the horizon, she suddenly said, 'I'm tired. Let's go now'
We drove in silence to the address she had given me.It was a low building, like a small convalescent home, with a driveway that passed under a portico.
Two orderlies came out to the cab as soon as we pulled up. They were solicitous and intent, watching her every move. They must have been expecting her.
I opened the trunk and took the small suitcase to the door. The woman was already seated in a wheelchair.
'How much do I owe you?' she asked, reaching into her purse.
'Nothing,' I said
'You have to make a living,' she answered.
'There are other passengers,' I responded.
Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug. She held onto me tightly.
'You gave an old woman a little moment of joy,' she said.
'Thank you.'
I squeezed her hand, and then walked into the dim morning light. Behind me, a door shut. It was the sound of the closing of a life.
I didn't pick up any more passengers that shift. I drove aimlessly lost in thought. For the rest of that day, I could hardly talk. What if that woman had gotten an angry driver, or one who was impatient to end his shift?
What if I had refused to take the run, or had honked once, then driven away?
On a quick review, I don't think that I have done anything more important in my life.
We're conditioned to think that our lives revolve around great moments.
But great moments often catch us unaware-beautifully wrapped in what others may consider a small one.
PEOPLE MAY NOT REMEMBER EXACTLY WHAT YOU DID, OR WHAT YOU SAID, ~BUT~THEY WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER HOW YOU MADE THEM FEEL.
Saturday was Peach Days in here Brigham City. And this year we decided to go to the Parade. Now, the parade starts at 10:00 in the morning. So off we went.
Isn’t he cute. How could he ever do anything wrong?
But first…. Bear (the dog) went outside before anyone got dressed to “do his business”. Then, right before we left, we brought him inside.
Now, bear is a Chow/Husky mix. And quite possessive. And quite vocal about the whole thing. So we are very careful. And he is quite strong. I am no longer able to hold onto the leash when he runs away.
So now, whenever he moves from the house to the to his chain in the backyard, there is a rope that I use. One end is hooked to the chain outside and the other end is hooked to his collar. That way, when he decides to chase a cat I do not risk him running away or getting someone else’s pet.
Now here’s the problem…. If the cable hooked to Bear’s collar is not shut “under” the door when you leave, but into the “side” of the door, bear has figured out how to open the door. Bad Dog!! Bad Dog!! Bad Dog!!
So today when we got back from the parade the back door was open. And there was Bear. Grinning at us and wagging that bushy little tail.
So, how do you get angry with a dog who, while he may have left, he did come back. And he is so very cute.
What’s a girl to do??@??##?
What is a beginning. I did really plan to start the beginning of a new life. But that is not what is happening. It seems that to start a new beginning, you need to have to have an end. And how often can you have a new beginning anyway?@#??
The name of my blog is “My New Life”. And that is where I started. What is the new beginning that I wanted. We all want changes in our life, but how do you decide what the beginning would be.
How do I want my new beginning to start.
I did want to travel. I even found an apartment in Anchorage. Of course, I do know that is not real, but it sure would be fun.
And who would not want to live there. Yes, it is a city. And I am sure there are lots of people. And, of course, there is SNOW!@!. But what is wrong with that.
It is September. And that is the time School starts around here. So let’s have our beginning right now. And just what am I beginning. We’ll have to wait and seen. I think I will start a new page. I believe one day a week I will continue the plan on my Beginning. We’ll just have to see where we go.
