S'now place like home...

*Note: The photos in this story are not mine, I found them on Pinterest - follow the link under the photo to find the origional source

The past has been very much on my mind and in my psyche lately, mostly because my present is a pretty bleak and unpleasant place these days.  It revisits me in my dreams regularly - people I used to know, things I used to do...

For example, last night I was visited by my mother and my father - in their former house, searching the basement for some books belonging to my old painting hobby.  It was one of those frustrating dreams where you never find what you were looking for, but still...  (Actually, it was found and then lost again.)  My nieces and sisters were even there as I was dividing my excess stuff with them.  One other character showed up - someone who for the last couple of decades has only shown up in my dreams to shoot me point blank in the chest.  This time he was cheerful, friendly and glad to see me! (...and married to that first wife.)  The kind of dreams that linger on your mind and haunt you for a while...

When I was home at Christmas time, it snowed (as I mentioned before.)
At home in Payson, when it snows, it comes down hard and fast - dropping or dumping a foot or two at a time.  While we were visiting my grand daughters in their new home in the foothills, I was trying to explain to Millie about snow drifts and what it was like when I was a kid, living in the foothills of AF...

Winter Memories

We lived just a mile from the mouth of the canyon in a rural area called Highland.  In the winter, it not only snowed volumes, but the canyon winds blew hard and drifted and sculpted the snow into beautiful whipped cream drifts.  We loved going out after a snow storm to survey how old man winter had managed to alter the landscape this time...

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One year, the drifts reached the eaves of the chicken coops that lined the horse corrals.  We had this brilliant idea of climbing up on the roof of the coop, and jumping down into the drifts that were almost as tall as we were.  We walked the fence line and clambered up on the slippery roof... and jumped!  Only to find out that getting into the snowbank was the easy part.  Getting out was another story.  It took a couple of people to pull me out, and I had to limp back to the house in wet freezing socks, because my boots chose to stay buried for a couple of days...

We had a little irrigation ditch that surrounded our property which was a favorite playground year round.  There was always a little stream running to keep us cool in the summer, and an icy wonderland in the winter.  One year, the ditch drifted over so you couldn't tell it was there - so we dug down into it and fashioned the interior of a car in the frigid "clay."  Our "convertible" had not only seats, door handles and pedals, but it was also equipped with a jockey box where we could store our gloves after they became too wet to keep us warm anymore. Because of its shady location, we were able to play there for a week or two, before it became slushy and washed downstream.

The road that ran in front of our house dipped down and then back up a bit where it met the Alpine Highway.  One year, the snow drifted through there so that the road seemed to be level all the way across to the highway.  That morning, a car came barreling down the street, not realizing there was a hidden hill there, and sank clear up to the windows.  It was stuck there for days...

When the snow was particularly deep, the snow plow threw up barricades on either side of the street between our house and the church.  We conspired to dig out windows in our fortress to watch for cars where we could pelt them with snowballs, completely unseen.  However, the limited angle made it impossible to see a vehicle until it was right across from us, so by the time we could launch one, it was too late.  We sadly abandoned that plan...

 I never learned to ice skate, but when the ditch overflowed and flooded the pasture, and froze solid, I would pretend - and spend hours sliding around on the slippery field in my red rubber galoshes.  (While the horses stood watching... and snickering.)

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Besides getting stuck and building snowmen, playing fox and geese was a favorite winter pastime.  We had a pretty big front yard, so we could stamp out the circle as big as we wanted, and play until our faces didn't move anymore.  When we came in, we would crank the heat up to 80 degrees and huddle around the heat vent until our fingers and toes had feeling in them again.

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 Winter time is cozy time - even now I love looking out the window after it snows and just enjoying the look of the freshly frosted world.  ...And it still irks me when the school kids make footprints in my clean white snow covered yard!  :-)

January 2015

Now that we're all caught up - HAPPY NEW YEAR!

We had a pretty quiet new years eve - just watched TV - really OLD TV - George Burns,  Jack Benny etc.  It was kind of refreshing - remember when people could be funny without being obscene?
 It's a lost art.

Anyway, Wayland wanted to stay up, but he fell asleep in his chair around 9, and gave it up and went to bed at 10, so I celebrated alone.  I watched the new year come to downtown Vegas on the news - the way I prefer to see anything down there.  There were SO many people, and it was really cold that night, but the fireworks looked pretty spectacular.  Funny, I didn't hear them this year - last year they kept us awake for hours...

Anyway, I never did get to sleep that night - too excited.  For some reason the prospect of this new year was kind of overwhelming.  So many things I want to do with it, and I wanted to start right away...

Of course, the result was that I was so exhausted and burned out that I accomplished nothing for the rest of the week.  I've always maintained that people celebrate the new year wrong - that it should be welcomed in by getting a good night's rest and waking up refreshed and ready to conquer the world.

By that standard, I guess it was an epic fail.  ha ha

Anyway, I'm feeling very optimistic about this year - I feel like good things are going to happen. 
I don't know why - I have no logical reason to feel this way - so far it's just been more of the same, but here's hoping that gut feelings materialize into truth...

Happy New Year (from my corner of the universe)!!!

Borrowed this photo from the Mormon Channel on Facebook

Vegas Fireworks

Fire Fountains...

December

December was more of the same as the months before - busy work, and tying up loose ends.  I had to scrap some of my projects, but added a few last minute ones...

My sister in law decided to do the big family Christmas party at least once more this year.  We weren't planning on going, because two trips to Utah was really not in the budget, but several of the family members twisted hubby's arm (close to dislocation,) so we went.
Even though I wasn't too thrilled about it at first, I'm pretty glad we did.  It was really neat - they had done so many things to pay homage to Wayland's parents.

All of the siblings were there, and a good number of their children.  LaVeda would have been so happy.

They did something different this year - they put Santa in the living room, and had everyone take turns as families - less chaos, and you could actually hear what the kids said to Santa.  Brilliant!

Ellie

Millie

Arilie

Jenny

Melissa

Jeff & Jennie

Pat & Wayland

After everyone talked to Santa, they took advantage of the gathering for a Sibling photo op...

Back row L to R, Janet, Linda, Shanna, Jeanine.  Seated, Dennis, Carol, Wayland

Back row, Travis & Janet, Linda & Jeff, Keith, Shanna & Mark, Jeanine & Kerry.  Front row, Kathy & Dennis, Carol, Wayland & Pat

 We all exchange Christmas cards there (saves from having to mail them - ha ha) and some pass out little hand made gifts.  There was one that I was particularly happy to receive - this little cookbook that Jeanine put together;

After LaVeda passed away last year, I started asking around the family for some of her recipes - there were some things that she did that were such a big part of all the family traditions - ie; she always made us all a batch of divinity at Valentines,  home made root beer for the summer picnics, etc. etc.
She wasn't a fancy cook, but everything was hearty and homey - and just good eats.

Jeanine included a lot of family photos and memories along with the recipes - it is just a sweet momento of a mothers love.  I love it!

We were just there for the weekend and had to run back - but we were able to see our son's new house (if only from the outside.)  They will be able to move in before Christmas, and are so excited!

We didn't do much celebrating in Las Vegas, but my friend called me one night and asked if I would go to the live nativity with her - Wayland actually had the evening off, and wanted to go with us, so the three of us set off for parts of the city unknown.  I love going places with Lorene, it's always an adventure!

When we got there, the line was around the block and down the corner.  We were there for the last showing, and were afraid that we wouldn't be able to get a seat.  We stood there for about 45 min. - eventually, some of the actors came down through the line and told us that if there wasn't room, that they would do a third showing.  It was really neat seeing that many mormons in one spot in sin city LOL.  While we waited, we went into one of the buildings there that had a display of creche's that had been gathered from all over - it was an amazing variety - everything from miniatures to lawn sized ornaments, and in every style you can imagine, (and it was warm inside!)  Meanwhile, hubby was holding our place in line, and striking up new friendships right and left - ha ha.

We finally got in to the arena, and the show was really good.  I've never been to a live nativity, but it was really cool.  In the smallest way, you get to feel a bit of what it was like on that night of nights...

When the angels appeared and started singing, it choked me up.  Wow.  (Although I would not have wanted that part - they were right on the edge of the roof!)  What a fun evening - I'm so thankful for friends who make it possible for me to see these things!  Finally feeling a little Christmas spirit...

We ran home on Christmas Eve.  All through the season I thought about talking hubby out of this, but as the time grew closer, I just couldn't imagine spending Christmas Day alone down here without my family.

We left around one, and got home just in time for the turkey dinner.  :)

Then we gathered around and brought our Seattle kids in via Skype, and opened gifts.  The kids had all drawn names and had their own little exchange - that was really fun to watch!  They all know each other so well, the gifts were well thought out, and kind of a hoot.  Then they all opened the pajamas I had made (it's the Christmas Eve tradition,) and, I just couldn't stand it - I had them all open everything else that I had made.  I wanted to see their faces - it's my right as a granny.  :-)

It was such a fun evening.  We pretty much opened everything that night, but it was more fun to do it while everyone was there.

That night while we slept, Mother Nature dropped a foot of snow in the valley.

 Is there anything more magical than Christmas Eve snow?

It was all too short of a visit, but it was so worth it.  We finally got to see the inside of Jeff's new house, and share the girls' excitement of all the things Santa had brought. 

That's what it's all about...