Big Bags

Yes, they are popular. One must have a BIG bag. They are no longer called purses for those left wondering. Three guys in my 'hood now carry them everywhere. The question for many observers, "What could they possibly contain that must be lugged to and from every destination???" Essentials: car key, driver's license, credit card (or a wad of cash), phone. For the gals, perhaps a comb and lip gloss. With door codes, the office key and home key can be eliminated. Perhaps it's the lowcut style of pants that won't allow the essentials to be stuffed in a back hip pocket and leaves our women carring baggage enough for a two-week vacation and our men carrying purses.

The Fall of Fall

Fall is over.

It's hard to admit, but it begins with Halloween - the first bite-sized Snickers bar....followed by at least one sampling of each type of Halloween candy offered to your little tricksters....followed by a sample of each (chocolate only) type left in your kids treat buckets before they get home from school....followed by an occasional find in various sock drawers....followed by those you hid in the freezer for "later"....

Then comes Thanksgiving - you won't overdo it this year....just a small sampling of the lemon meringue pie filling while it's still hot in the pan)....followed by one more helping of "the pineapple cheese favorite"....following by a "tiny slice of each type" when pie choices arrive....followed by a "sliver" of cold pumpkin pie (gotta have the whipped cream too) on Black Friday and one at 10 am when you return from shopping....and one at noon....and perhaps just a bit of soda cracker pie before bedtime....

On to Christmas - THE DAY AFTER THANKSGIVING....it's full-blown legal to begin the comsumption of sweet nothings at offices, friends' homes, deliveries to your own home, treats you make for parties....until you become sugar comatose....add to this my one-week, fourteen-different candy recipes produced at work with my professional responsibility to at least sample each one....

Around the corner....Valentine's Day....St. Patrick's Day (gotta have shamrock sugar cookies)....then Easter

I guess that's why a peeled boiled egg with a salt/pepper mixture for each bite is appealing mid-April

Quilting Miracle

I started a quilt because I was in love with a bunch of matching fabrics...it became a quilt about 4 x 4 feet...too small...trip to Brigham City, great additional finds...5 x 5 feet...too small...trip to EVERY STINKING FABRIC STORE in the valley...gave up :(

Then I thought to buy online, but how to match what I had with the millions and millions of fabrics out there??? For two weeks the quilt has been on the floor, a guilt-ridden beginning of my unbridled creativity. Tonight I thought that perhaps on the printed selvage...a clue...yes indeedy...modafabrics.com pattern 6314...purchased and on it's way...a perfect match! :) (hopefully)

Scents of Riding

Because I'm gifted with a great sense of smell, I enjoy fragrances as I ride:

• bacon cooking at the drug rehab center
• campfires in Nunn's Park
• pancakes in neighborhood kitchens
• cottonwoods
• purple petunias
• wet leaves
• moss along the Provo River
• diesel smoke from the Heber Creeper

I few surprises today as I sniffed along:

• sweet, insense-like smoke from a passing Audi (perhaps texting while driving takes a back seat to this)
• glue from an old guy's (at least my age) 7-up bottle as he walked the trail - must be working on repairs ?

TheMotherInMe

So, I'm walking behind this kid at the Lord's University, and I totally saw his under-the-jeans unmentionable through a huge rip among the many rips all over the outfit. I really wasn't looking. My first impulse was to let him know so that he could cover up, but thought better. Perplexed, I wondered for several minutes if his mom would have wanted me to help him out, and now somehow I'd let her down.

BYU Flood

Plug the drain, turn the faucet on full blast, and leave the room to help some students get some ingredients. Then....help them in a different room by answering questions and showing them the proper consistency of bread. As they leave to go to "devotional," make sure to plug their drain and put the tools they used in cold water for easy clean-up later on, plug the drain, turn the faucet on and then realize (gasp) that the faucet in the other room has been running for a full half hour. Run full steam back to Room #1.

Result - flooded floor, drawers, cupboards in Room #1. Begin mopping.
Realization - Room #2 is now flooding from the breadmaking clean up. Run full steam back to that room to turn off the water. Begin mopping....and mopping....and mopping....and mopping....

Vegetables

What's not to like with vegetables? I'm surprised at how foreign vegetables are to my students. If a dinner doesn't have at least two vegetables as sides and a salad as well, it doesn't feel complete. I find myself feeling like I should eat more tomatoes just because by Wednesday (so says the weather man) they will all be frozen. After they're gone, we will survive on those tasteless things in the stores that are labeled "tomatoes." My recipe to you:

Squash in Sour Cream

1 ½ pounds Hubbard or Acorn squash
2 Tbsp. Butter, divided
1 tsp. sugar
1 Tbs. instant onion (blend dried minced onion in blender until the size of sesame seeds)
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. dill weed
1/2 cup sour cream
pepper, 1/4 tsp. Mrs. Dash seasoning and 1/8 tsp. dill weed to sprinkle on top

1. Scrub the squash, cut half and remove the seeds.
2. Cut in smaller sections to fit in the pan.
3. Cover the squash with water and bring to a boil on high heat. Lower temperature to a low boil and cook about 15 minutes, or until tender.
4. Drain the squash in a colander and cool with running cold water. Using a spoon, remove the squash from its shell and cut into bite-sized pieces.
5. Melt 1 Tbsp. butter in a saucepan or in the saucepan that was used to cook the squash.
6. Add the squash to the saucepan with the butter, cover with a lid and toss the squash to coat with butter. Sprinkle with 1 tsp. sugar.

Sauce to squeeze over the cooked squash at serving time:
1. Melt remaining 1 Tbsp. butter, add onion; remove from heat.
2. Add sour cream, salt and ¼ teaspoon dill weed, stir well.
3. Place hot squash on platter; sprinkle with pepper.
4. Place dill sauce in zip lock bag. Snip a small part of a corner and pipe all the sour cream mixture over the squash.
5. Sprinkle with 1/8 teaspoon dill weed and Mrs. Dash Seasoning.

Little Patriot

Food Combinations

Surprisingly good combinations:

strawberry freezer jam - sharp cheddar cheese
saltine crackers - honey
tuna - mustard
swiss chard - garlic
tender new lettuce - sugar
fish - mayonnaise & pickles (tartar sauce)
french fries - Wendy's chocolate shake
fresh green beans - bacon & new potatoes
swiss cheese - avacados
grilled cheese sandwiches - ketchup (a family favorite)
apple juice - rice crispies (thanks Tyler)
fresh tomatoes - mayonnaise and toast
red licorish - apples
popcorn - dots

....................other ideas?....................

Snake Attack!

For the past few summers, we've had SNAKES. Some may say these gentle creatures are taking care of the bugs in my yard. I say they are out to kill me (repeated instances of shock-induced coma). This morning as the garage door repair man asked to see the problem with our door, I felt something on my ankle. I looked down - SNAKE!!! - I squeeled, jumped onto the guy's shoulders, and mentally noted the notching away of lifespan years as I encounter these snakes.

The garage door guy is now gone, claiming that he forgot his tools (yeah) and I'll probably sit around all day waiting for him to work up the courage to come back. These particular snakes are sneaky. They wait until I am calmly digging away in my yard, gently admiring a new flower, or relaxing by my bubbling fountain to jump out from their hiding place, rearing up unexpectedly in full length, with fangs bared.

I can't take it any longer. Last summer I decided to change my mindset and just love them for eating bugs. By the end of summer, however, I had received counsel from Jeanne to "kill them with a shovel - there are no good snakes - ya gotta be fast." As hard as it was, I switched to snake retaliation and snuffed out each one I saw. However, I soon became weary of running to fetch the shovel in time to behead them and once again resolved to put up with them.....UNTIL NOW....I am sharpening my shovel.

Restrooms and Road Trips

After returning from a road trip to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, I let my mind wander to some of the restroom perplexities of life.

• Why is the height of some toilet paper dispensers at ankle height?
• Why are some paper towel dispensers above shoulder height, allowing water to run from your hands to your armpits before the paper snatch can be achieved?
• Is there a reason that there is only a 4-inch hole from which to fish for the end of the toilet paper that is on an eighteen-inch mega roll?
• How are we to guess which arm waving gyration will illicit the dispensation of papers, lotions, foams?
• After washing your hands, are we really safe from deadly disease for the day if we open the door with a towel, then hold the door open while balancing on one foot so that we can make the trash can shot?
• What is the average number of pumps to the foam or soap dispenser for a thorough hand clean?
• Do those flat rolls of toilet paper that stop after you've taken two squares really save trees?
• Are the new foams a money saver or do the pouches that they come in cost the owner more?
• Does toilet paper that is as thin as the wings of a gnat requiring the user to pull off 350 yards in order to accumulate a finger-tip wad really cut back on total paper usage?
• How many paper towels does it take to dry hands and doesn't it depend on the size and thickness of the towel?
• Is there a huge lucrative market for inventing a truly unique and confusing restroom paper or soap dispenser?
• Whatever happened to those cloth towels that you dried your hands on and then they wrapped back up into the machine?
• Did the guy who picked up those dirty towels die of some dread disease?
• Do most people just wipe their hands on their dirty jeans (which have been sitting in who-knows-what over time) after trying the power air dryer?
• How do the cleaning people feel about clean-up after liquid soaps vs. foams?
• Does an increase in mileage between available restroom facilities directly correspond to a decrease in cleanliness?
• When the sign says, "Restrooms Are For Customers Only," and your car doesn't need gas, do most people buy something to be a customer?
• If we didn't consume a cooler full of snacks and drinks, would there be a need for all the stops?
  

Giggle - Snort

Giggle, snort, snicker, wheeze, heart-race, gaffaw, and Snoopy-dance. Our powder pass accounts came in the mail today :) :) :)

One-hundred degrees outside today and I'm excited about SNOW.

Middle Kid

I just returned from a trip to Spokane to visit my sister. It was great fun, laughter inducing, relaxing just being me, intoxicating taking another step. I am the middle kid - with an older sister and younger brother. Here's why that's GREAT:

• there's always someone else to blame
• most tasks are better done by someone older or younger
• one can hang out comfortably in the middle (in gatherings as well as on controversial topics)
• you probably won't die first- you probably won't die last
• comfort is given in knowing that you will always know more and know less
• when there was someone to pound on, availability was not a problem
• advice can be found from both directions
• warmth is found within in a sandwich

Love Affair

After 110 miles, I know it's love. When I was sixteen I thought I'd arrived when I got a new TEN-SPEED, royal blue with yellow taped handlebars. Now there's a new love in my life - a cherry red Trek 7.3 FX.

Here's why:

• The smells of Little Leaf Linden, Honeysuckle, and Russian Olive


• Easy shifting


• A cool bell that allows a warning signal as I flash by


• A sky roof where I can see Timp and Cascade Mts.


• Parking in my office


• Simplicity in carrying only what fits in the little bag under the seat


• Speed (admittedly faster each day)


• Relaxation that only wind in your face can give


• Keeping up with my bike pals

Summer's End

San Diego Laird Ladies' Retreat


Oregon Coast

Well, with two great trips under my belt, it's back to work on Thursday!

It's Just Not Right

Beaver Mountain, Sundance, Solitude, and the Canyons are all now closed. Boo-hoo. We were at Solitude last weekend and the snow depth was abundant. The irony here is that come November, we'll stand in line to ski the rocks and tree stumps.

The Andy Griffith Show

I am hopelessly addicted. Watching the Andy Griffith Show has become a nighttime ritual that has been added to the cereal/milk, hot bath, and reading routine. I LOVE this show and laugh out loud. Now that we have satellite, I've found that outside of the 7 free channels that I've watched for 52 years, I now enjoy the rich humor of this classic.

Some nights there is a triple-header and the half-hour program really is almost that long (without all the adds so typical of today's TV). Andy's hick accent wraps around your heart. Aunt Bea's gestures remind me so much of my friend Geraldine. I want to rub Opie's head and mess up that red hair. Barney never quite gets things right. Helen is always just out of Andy's reach.

Teaching

When I tired of teaching, I sought an escape through a Master's Degree in Instructional Technology, complete with code and web design. Short story - I'm still in teaching. All said and done, I've had an amazingly fun ride as a teacher and love it. Nothing can be harder, more distressing, complex, exhausting, and exhilarating than this path.

I didn't plan to be a career woman, but have been grateful for the choice to persue an amazing occupation. Life has thrown my sweetheart and me some curves that required my profession, my health insurance, and the knowledge earned in the classroom.

The other night as I lay waiting for the slumber bug to hit, I reminised the HYSTERICAL classroom moments that have provided laughter:

• watching a dreadlocked, baggie-panted, hoodie-wearing, mean-looking, soft-hearted male student run to fly his personally-sewn kite for the points needed to graduate high school while holding up his pants with his free hand
• admiring Mrs. Stewart and Mrs. Cluff waving and laughing at their classes from their car as they circled the parking lot, blowing their horn because they'd arrived late to class after lunch
• turning off the lights and hiding with my whole class from Heather
• seeing high school students fight over who got to take home Walter (our pre-school guinea pig) for a long weekend
• alarming the front office and administrators with a briefcase bomb
• observing what happens when ice is thrown into a deep-fat fryer
• sewing through my own finger immediately after bragging that it'd never happened to me
• gluing a Skittles rainbow onto contruction paper and knowing my daily rate of pay
• taking 25 students to watch a cow be slaughtered
• having the nick-name Lizaird Lazerock
• being thrown over a student's shoulder and carried out of the classroom while demanding recognition of authority
• making ball-sized cookies
• chopping nuts
• helping a frustrated student set in a tailored sleeve by totally taking over and putting it neatly in upside-down
• allowing a student to make a jacket out of clear vinyl
• teaching sex education
• spotting girls from my beginning gymnastics class and them believing that I could do it
• emptying the pee-filled chalk bucket used for the uneven parallel bars
• finding out years after the fact that two of my students drank booze in my classroom on a regular basis from their 32 oz. soda cups
• slamming my shin into my desk drawer then jamming pins into my palm then staggering into the edge of a door during a lecture
• turning on the lights and setting up "the steaming cup of coffee"
• driving the school bus, parking the school bus, abandoning the school bus
• seeing the Rhodes dough teddy bear's belly button change position during bake time
• yelling at Dr. B.
• Dr. B.'s copyright hit-list
• Mr. O.'s buttermint stretch
• laying in my bubblebath at home during parent teacher conference
• eating at the Ideal Cafe with Marthanne
• finding my own fingernail in a hand-dipped chocolate
• hearing that a student thinks my socks are stupid
• riding a skateboard on my head before the entire studentbody
• falling flat-out on the floor from my platform shoes before a class
• lecturing with oreos in my teeth
• measuring the inseam and chest
• realizing that so few people care
• docking 2 points

March in Utah

One has to love the variety of Utah's weather!!!!


Last weekend - March 21

Two days ago - March 28

9,000

After recognizing another familiar face in a crowd, I did a little mental math. On average, I've met, learned names, and taught around 300 students per year x 30 years = 9,000 faces that I could recognize in a crowd.

Staggering.....

Tag to Katie, Maggie, Tyler, Brenda

Peruvian Potatoes

This is from a presentation that I give to my students in Advanced Food Preparation at BYU.

......and other......

fun - fotos - found - fumbling - for - fotos

MVHS Preschool Halloween Party

Megan in Boise at Science Museum

My Bedroom

My Home

You see Mt. Timpanogos in the background and Sundance just in front of Timp. The photo is from the top of Brighton, off Great Western lift.

These are my mountains and sometimes I don't like to share. On my lift rides to the top I rarely meet a local. Everyone seems to travel from far places to enjoy my mountains. Being on top of the world and breathing the crisp air that has the faint smell of pine as you pass groves of trees, is about as good as it gets. When crowds clog the runs, I feel that these strangers are violating my personal space. When I grow up I will be able to ski midweek again and my friends on the lifts will be welcome again.

Death List

Ra - Ra - class of '74

Last night I met for dinner with 6 high school pals. We visited and laughed for over 2 hours. Three of the ladies are working on our THIRTY FIFTH high school reunion so they naturally shared information about people they had contacted, informing us about interesting details.

Then they pulled out the DEATH LIST, confirmed information about 23 poor souls that have gone to the great beyond. A poster honoring the dead was hurriedly altered at the last reunion because one person wasn't really dead. It left a gaping hole with bits of glue and paper. Since last reunion, we think he has died and will go back on the poster.

I suggested sticky tak to post the names this time. Glad I'm with the living...

Lucky Me - THINGS I HAVE WITNESSED

Throughout 40 years skiing....

• I've skewered my hat and goggles off on a low branch - BUT NEVER HAD A STICK POKING OUT OF MY HEAD.
• Ive worn the same long underwear skiing all 40 years - BUT NEVER HAVE WORN THE SAME OUTER WEAR FOR OVER FIFTEEN.
• I've caught an edge and gently bumped into a tree - BUT NEVER HIT A SIGN, BOUNCED OFF AND HIT A TREE BREAKING BOTH LEGS, SEVERAL RIBS, AND PUNCTURING A LUNG.
• I've broken fingernails by gouging my hand into hard snow (or a rock) - BUT NEVER MADE THE SNOW LOOK LIKE A CHERRY SNOWCONE BY BLEEDING PROFUSELY UPON IT.
• I've hit a rope and dislodged the poles attached to it - BUT NEVER TWEEKED MY KNEE BY HITTING A VERY LOW ROPE LEATHALLY.
• I've been stuck up a tree with my skiis on - BUT NEVER FLIPPED UPSIDE DOWN AND LANDED IN A TREE HEAD-DOWN NEEDING RESCUE FROM BELOW.
• I've forgotten my ski pants and skiied in in my long underwear - BUT NEVER HAVE I LOST ALL LAYERS OF CLOTHING AND EXPOSED MY BARE BOTTOM TO ONLOOKERS.
• I've come upon many a man relieving himself in the forest - BUT, LACKING THE EQUIPMENT, HAVE NEVER HAD OPPORTUNITY TO DO SO MYSELF.
• I've spent a bit of $ to enjoy the lifts - BUT NEVER HAVE I HAD TO SPEND $5,000 TO BE AIRLIFTED OFF THE MOUNTAIN (Saw that today).
• I've threatend my children that they would do more chores if they didn't ski - BUT NEVER SCREAMED THAT I "WOULD PUT THEM IN SKI SCHOOL" IF THEY DIDN'T SKI WITH ME (Heard that today).
• I've been stuck on a cliff and had to inch my way to safety - BUT NEVER FLOWN OFF A CLIFF LANDING FLAT AND LIFELESS.
• I've flown off a cliff landing flat and lifeless - BUT NEVER HAVE SET UP A PERSON LIKE I WAS TO FLY OFF A CLIFF.

All things considered...........I'm a lucky gal.

Brain Tumors and Such

pain in head + blurred vision = brain tumor

strange looking mole + Reader's Digest health article = melanoma

unexplained bruises + unexplained bruises again = some rare blood cancer

Three weeks ago we went skiing with my daughter and son-in-law at Beaver Mountain. The following Sunday I had bruises above my ankles and mid-calf on both legs. Garth also hurt his knee. As he complained throughout the week, I pointed out the bruises and told him to "buck up buddy - here's proof of aggressive skiing!" My boots are new and the bumps on the mountain big - easy explanation.

Today the bruises re-appeared....no explanation....no aggressive skiing. My heart began to quicken as the stories of fools who failed to notify their doctor of strange bruises flashed through my mind. Blood tests, grim phone calls from nurses setting up appointments with specialists, treatments, loss of hope, a hard fight lost....

Lucky for me my annual physical exam is tomorrow. It must be the ski boots, but I didn't ski hard on Saturday and today is Wednesday, for crying outloud! I won't mention it. But wait, the bruises are above the level of the ski boots. Heart pounding. Can't be the boots - must be disease. Or.......hmmmm......I'll just take a washcloth and scrub a little. Well, how about that? The bruises scrubbed off. Glad I didn't have to ask the doctor and have her tell me to wash my legs. The culprit is the zippers on my new black dress boots and I guess Garth will get a little sympathy for his knee.

Unsuspecting Target

Amazingly enough, bizarre things happen to me in the classroom. Today I blasted a student with 10 pumps of dish soap concentrate. Trying to be helpful, I walked up to his sink and told him that he didn't have enough soap in the dishwater to cut the grease. To aid him, I promptly and forcefully pumped 10 full and fast strokes on the soap dispenser. He stood rigid and then slyly reached for a paper towel to wipe off the front of his clothing. Guess I didn't have the nozzle of the dispenser aimed at the water. Such a polite young man - didn't see it coming - didn't believe it came - didn't acknowledge the delivery.

Gotta love my job