I need a break from my summer vacation.

I really haven't written anything of much substance lately due in part to my travels and packing. Tonight I sit here on my empty dining room floor, trying to hold back the tears that have already flowed today as I said goodbye to Emerson and Dip and Momma Jones, and knowing tomorrow will be even more intense.

Emerson is now 94 with reoccurring kidney infections, a black eye from falling and heart fibrillations. I don't know if I'll see him again. What a precious friend he has become. Dip and Momma Jones were busy working at their store while hugging me and wiping the tears as we pretend our goodbye isn't forever.

Tomorrow morning I will be having breakfast with a couple of students, a monthly ritual we enjoyed when I first moved here. But tomorrow my lovely daughter, Michelle, will join us and we will have our last breakfast together.

The move is bitter sweet. Last fall, my husband and I waited 10 days for the medical results as to whether he had cancer or not. Thankfully, not, but it shifted our minds a bit. Scott is close to his family and the 10 day fear made him think about being with his family. These emotional thoughts, in conjunction with the overwhelming stress being added to my job, prompted our decision to move to Billings. Oh, I have landed an awesome job, Scott likes his much better, we found a cute little bungalow, I have more opportunity to play music with peers...the list goes on and on and I don't regret our decision in the least bit. HOWEVER, (you knew that word was coming) the 5 months of anticipation is leading to quite a climax.

I love this little town! (Be sure to watch "Take Chance" on HBO starring Kevin Bacon" when it comes out...filmed here) And care deeply for a lot of people here. I've spent all summer driving to see my sickly mother, driving to see my husband and coming home here to pack. With each box packed and taped, a part of "home" feels gone, too.

Tomorrow we sign the papers for our new 1930 house at 3, about the same time our old one is shown. Perhaps some of this stress and anxiety is due in part of trying to figure out how to make 2 mortgage payments simultaneously. Perhaps it is leaving my dear Michelle. Perhaps I've just been anticipating and doing this for too many months and I need summer to be over. I'm not sure why I am writing this...what are you, the reader, supposed to do with this info that flows through my fingers?

This empty room feels full of melancholy and it seems to filtrate through my skin.


And so for my last blog from 832 Mirza Way, I easily wear the "BLUEY" hat, if only I had my sax to play it on.

HOME AND MOVING OUT!

On the Road Again!

Home on Friday! Will be taking a class, meeting the staff at my new school, and getting the trailer to take back to Ennis to get our stuff moved!

Have a good week!

Some flowers

Inspired by Bob the Bear
I've decided to post a few pics of my flowers...

Here are my favorites...red dianthus, related to pinks and carnations. The green behind it is a Chocolate Soldier Columbine, whose blossoms are brown and yellow.

Purple petunias with a little yellow moss rose (volunteer) in front...the bottom left corner are my little yellow marigolds that stink and keep out the bad bugs and deer!


Below are one of my favorites, too! These are white pansies...the baby ones of these are Vel's favorites...called Johnny Jump-ups!


I love these moss roses...they are succulents and open in the hot sun. In the back are the iris' I got from mom and Pennie's flower beds last summer.
Just a few flowers, but I love them. I love watching them grow and bloom and I HATE the dang deer that eat them! Okay , I don't hate the deer, just their EATING part, lol.

Have a lovely summer day, all! Stop and enjoy the nature around you!

E

Teyla!!!

Michelle and I were able to go to Butte and see Tey Tey. She's 20 months old, speaking lots and lots of words, running, hopping, karate kicking (saying haaayaah!) saying her colors (she loves yellow!), saying EhEE for Ellie, Shellee for Michelle, and all sorts of stuff! Their whole dang house is filled with things for her to do and little Teyla is just as content as can be. Jeff and Araka are such wonderful, loving parents, Michelle is totally pleased, and gramma is sentimental. Here are some pics...

Her feet are big...much bigger than Michelle's at this age! She is wearing size 6 shoes, size 3T clothes. Araka says the doctor chuckles when he sees her and comments about what a big baby girl she is!

She is a dang good eater, too! She LOVES corn on the cob!


And playing with my keys while eating corn on the cob...




And feeding the cute stuffed moose Michelle brought to her...some corn...
Then handing Michelle the keys...
She's constantly running all over, playing with things and having a great time.

She loves her pony!

Teyla ran to get her blanket to curl up in it...
then played PEEK A BOO!

We played and played with her toys...

and played...

and played...this pic is with her stickers...she likes the YELLOW ones best!
and sometimes she would get up on my lap!
Teyla loves the stairs and continued to find a reason to go up and down them!
Sometimes she was slow enough so I could actually get a shot of her!
and sometimes...
NOT!
(you wouldn't believe how may pictures I have of the wall or the chair...because Teyla was WAY GONE before the camera took the pic! lol)

This pretty little girlie has the cutest tent that she likes to play "hide" in! She says HIDE and then you have to look in one of the doors for her. Sometimes she is peaking out of another door, watching you looking for her!
Sometimes you can catch a glimpse of her!
And sometimes she is out before you know it!
We also watched her climb the rock wall, run through the sprinkler, lift weights with her daddy, and play her little piano.
This wonderful story just keeps on going.
And going and going...it just keeps getting better! Jeff and Araka are truly 2 wonderful parents. Thank you! Love you, Teyla! Love you, Michelle! I'm continuously proud of your courage.

This weekend

was pretty good with some ups and downs.

UPS:
I rode the raft over whitewater...first time...then did it 3 more times! It was so much fun! Sorry...no pics...

DOWNS:
The buyers for our house decided they would just take the one their family is going to give them rather than ours...we don't want to see a pic of them!

UPS:
We saw this beautiful bald eagle when we were on the drop pool in the river-
This guy looks small, but believe me, he was huge...just perched up there watching for a trout!

DOWNS: Some people get on my nerves, but what do you do? No, no pics of those ones!

UPS: This 5 foot diamond-back rattle snake missed when it struck at me...(biggest Dick and Scott have ever seen!)
I was walking to read the camping regs sign about grizzly bear and from the corner of my eye, I saw a long image coil back up, I knew it was a rattler that just had struck at me!

He's beautiful. No, we didn't kill him! We were staying at HIS house, we watched him glide away. The next afternoon, I spotted him at our camp. We watched him for a long time, got some good picks. He has nine rattles at the end of his tail, plus some broken off, meaning he is over 9 years old. He is the grand daddy of them all!

DOWNS: Our cute little tent had to come down in only two days, I wanted to camp some more!
It was a gorgeous site, and after seeing the snake, I understood why hardly anyone was at the campground!

UPS: I moved 3 cords of wood, by myself, when the "buyers" said they wanted it by the shed.

DOWNS: The batteries in my camera were dead, even though I had just charged them before I left the house, so I have to wait for people to email some pics to me before I can post some more, dang it!

(the above pics are taken by Scott)

Hope your weekend had more ups than downs!

My most recent journey

included spending 6 days at the hospital with Megs and her kidney infection...


and yes, she is feeling much better!
Then I went on to Sheridan to see my son, Ed,
who is wearing a really cool shirt his mother-in-law brought over from Bali, Indonesia...Esther came to visit us, here are a few pics...they came down to Wyoming to meet my mom, too.



Poor Esther. She was literally exhausted, feeling a bit under the DRY weather yet so sweet. Momma sure liked her!

Of course, I had to pinch Cathy's cute cheeks...
because she is sooo dang cute. Esther brought us all lots of gifts...(I'll blog those after I get moved and unpacked!)
Then there are these three cuties standing in front of the giant hollyhocks!
Ed is 6' 3", they must be 3 feet taller than he is!
And finally, the naughty naughty tt, Max, waiting for the birds to come and visit the bird feeder Lynetta and family gave Pennie for her birthday!
Now THAT"S a naughty tt!