I have a phony tree. I got to be too much, too heavy. just beyond me, so I bought a 6 foot plastic one. It does not look too bad. It has multi colored lights.
As I get out my Christmas decorations it is like a family reunion. I have some from my early 1st marriage. We bought them at the PX in Anchorage, Alaska. I have a picture of me with our Charlie Brown tree, we cut it down our selves. I look like "The Wreck of The Hesperus". Death warmed over was a kind word. I was going through a rotten pregnancy. There are some from the time spent in Glasgow, Montana at an Air Force Base. I have some my Mother brought down when she came to live with me. Those I remember from my childhood and from visits to her home through the years. I have collected ornaments everywhere I have lived and people have sent them to me as they have traveled. My 2nd husband brought wooden ornaments, airplanes, sailboats and trains. He also had a paste board village, with cellophane windows and bottle brush trees. That is a lot of fun to put out. My kids bought skiers and snowman builders to put in it.
As I put each decoration out I remember who and where it came from. I have a bell from Grandma Peggy. A pink blown glass pig Terry and Gwen brought me from a trip back East. Santa in a Hot Air Balloon from Kalin. Father Christmas in a dark blue robe and a gorgeous wreath Kalena bought in Montrose. There are Green Bay Santa's, lots of Denver Broncos and Green Bay ornaments and stuff.
My Mother bought Christmas decorations out of the windows where she worked. I have them. I saved some off the Governor's tree. Nice small angles made out of gold and white beads, one of the guys we 4 wheeled with, his girl friend made them one year. Another year, another guy, another girl, another bar she made stained glass ornaments to sell and I bought some, they are on my tree. Salt Lake City Winter Olympic balls, Walt Disney Mice, from when I was handling motion picture accounts for an advertising agency. Laurel Burch gold metal cut outs in her designs, ones from museums and state capitols.
My daughter Kalena and I went to a Christmas Boutique for years in Montrose at Thanksgiving. Everything is handmade, you can meet the artists. We always found things for our homes and for gifts. I have many things from there. It made Christmas shopping easy. I just hung a pig bell from one of their artists and glued a hymnal on to an angel made out of macaroni that is fine, looks like china. I also have some fun wooden hand painted snow men hanging on my tree and rain deer sitting on my mantel my daughter in law made one year and some poodle dogs sitting inside the tree she made too. I also have some awful ornaments the kids made one year at my Mother's, to keep them busy, with cotton string to hang them. One is a juice can lid punched with a nail ! There are wooden miniatures that are fun, some are Mother's and some are Gary's. Little brown angles and Orientals sitting in wreaths. And that is just the 1st box !
I bought 3 of those boxes you snap together. mine are three tiers high and fit over the door in the front bedroom. they hold all my ornaments. That way the village and all the stuff from all over the house can go in their boxes on the big shelf. The next two boxes will have some of the same as the first. I'll only tell you if I come across something real good.
Friday, December 12, 2014
Friday, December 5, 2014
12-5-14
4 am
" I see the moon the moon sees me. The moon sees somebody I want to see" music playing in my mind.
There is a full moon this morning casting shadows. He is shining in my West windows like a street light.
There must be a clear sky out side.
Today is a bit of a busy day. I am going to get a manicure, my first in a long time. I do not get them in the summer when I am working in the yard. I am capable of doing my own fingernails and I can throw on some fresh polish to go some where if I want. A good manicure is an indulgence I allow my self when I am working and not taking the personal time to do it. I have strong finger and toe nails and like to keep them manicured.
I want to get my car washed. It has been awhile. My weather has been cold and rainy and I have birds with poopy problems so I want that off my paint !
I have been keeping a plumber busy. I remodeled my house back in the '90s and the main bathroom and kitchen are showing their age.
First the seat in the shower, one arm came off the wall. The plumber and I decided, after he got the other one to come off, the inside screws were gone-rusted. The silicone seals on the walls of the shower are still good so .... if I decide I want a seat in the shower I can put one in there. They sell them at the store.
Then the spray arm on my sink in the kitchen went blooey. I have a one piece hot cold off on pull out spray thing on my kitchen sink. It sprung a leak last Sunday. I found the lady I bought all the bath and kitchen fixtures from two weeks before and she called a guy about the shower seat. He never called, so I called her back. She gave me his # and he thought maybe he could get out over Thanksgiving, but he didn't. This lady, Elaine, has been in the plumbing fixture trade for years. When I met her she was working for a nice company who carried very nice fixtures, and in ground pools. She helped me pick out all my faucets, hooks, sinks and stuff. We had lots of fun. That business changed a lot when the owner had a heart attack and his son took over and went into swim spas and mostly commercial. Elaine went to work for Standard Plumbing Supply. They carry all the upscale brands she knows, as well as all the regular stuff, they are a big outfit. When the sprayer went out I called my regular plumber, Rocky Mountain Air, Parker. He called me back on Sunday. I told him I have water shut offs under all my sinks (thank you Mr. Cope) thank you for calling me back, but I didn't want to pay Sunday rates, call back on Monday and lets set up a time for you to come out. He came out Tuesday. looked at the shower seat. In the kitchen he took the part that slides in and out, the head screws off. He emailed Elaine pictures and part #s and went out, she had the part ready for him. He liked that she knew a lot about the products. "most parts counter people do not know any thing."
Now I have my dish washer running again, Yaha !!
Well, back to addressing Christmas cards. Then I want to get my tree up !
" I see the moon the moon sees me. The moon sees somebody I want to see" music playing in my mind.
There is a full moon this morning casting shadows. He is shining in my West windows like a street light.
There must be a clear sky out side.
Today is a bit of a busy day. I am going to get a manicure, my first in a long time. I do not get them in the summer when I am working in the yard. I am capable of doing my own fingernails and I can throw on some fresh polish to go some where if I want. A good manicure is an indulgence I allow my self when I am working and not taking the personal time to do it. I have strong finger and toe nails and like to keep them manicured.
I want to get my car washed. It has been awhile. My weather has been cold and rainy and I have birds with poopy problems so I want that off my paint !
I have been keeping a plumber busy. I remodeled my house back in the '90s and the main bathroom and kitchen are showing their age.
First the seat in the shower, one arm came off the wall. The plumber and I decided, after he got the other one to come off, the inside screws were gone-rusted. The silicone seals on the walls of the shower are still good so .... if I decide I want a seat in the shower I can put one in there. They sell them at the store.
Then the spray arm on my sink in the kitchen went blooey. I have a one piece hot cold off on pull out spray thing on my kitchen sink. It sprung a leak last Sunday. I found the lady I bought all the bath and kitchen fixtures from two weeks before and she called a guy about the shower seat. He never called, so I called her back. She gave me his # and he thought maybe he could get out over Thanksgiving, but he didn't. This lady, Elaine, has been in the plumbing fixture trade for years. When I met her she was working for a nice company who carried very nice fixtures, and in ground pools. She helped me pick out all my faucets, hooks, sinks and stuff. We had lots of fun. That business changed a lot when the owner had a heart attack and his son took over and went into swim spas and mostly commercial. Elaine went to work for Standard Plumbing Supply. They carry all the upscale brands she knows, as well as all the regular stuff, they are a big outfit. When the sprayer went out I called my regular plumber, Rocky Mountain Air, Parker. He called me back on Sunday. I told him I have water shut offs under all my sinks (thank you Mr. Cope) thank you for calling me back, but I didn't want to pay Sunday rates, call back on Monday and lets set up a time for you to come out. He came out Tuesday. looked at the shower seat. In the kitchen he took the part that slides in and out, the head screws off. He emailed Elaine pictures and part #s and went out, she had the part ready for him. He liked that she knew a lot about the products. "most parts counter people do not know any thing."
Now I have my dish washer running again, Yaha !!
Well, back to addressing Christmas cards. Then I want to get my tree up !
Thursday, December 4, 2014
David J. West Photography Gallery - Utah, Zion, Bryce, Grand Canyon, Southwest, Wasatch Mountains
David J. West Photography Gallery - Utah, Zion, Bryce, Grand Canyon, Southwest, Wasatch Mountains: David J. West Photography Gallery. Springdale, Utah. Zion, Bryce, Southwest, Grand Canyon, Red Rock Photos, Narrows, Angels Landing, Hiking, Posters, Limited Edition Prints, Zion National, David West
Monday, October 20, 2014
Ipad
I am on my iPad tonight. I am trying to learn how to use this when I am on the road. So far I have e-mailed my self and then posted stuff when I got home. But that was not the idea, I am to work while I am away from home !
So we shall see if this works. I am going to take this with me to Pittsburgh tomorrow. I am to read on the plane and use it in my down time. If I am using this when is MY down time ??
More later. Now we shall see if I can send it ! Or post it
So we shall see if this works. I am going to take this with me to Pittsburgh tomorrow. I am to read on the plane and use it in my down time. If I am using this when is MY down time ??
More later. Now we shall see if I can send it ! Or post it
Thursday, October 2, 2014
How Gary B. and I got Married
Gary B. Cope and I had been dating about a year and a half when he got a letter from Proswood Development, the owner of the Condos he lived in. They had a new development they were selling ownerships in and as a long time renter, 8-9 years, they were offering him $2000.00 toward a down payment. The draw back was it was further out of Salt Lake City and he and I worked in Salt Lake City and most of the bars and clubs we went to were located in downtown Salt Lake.
As we talked about it he said he would like to buy a house and get married. WOW. We had not talked about that. Do you want to live that far out of town? No. You are on the road lot and where you are the grounds are kept up and there is no up keep to the inside. Where is the down side. ? You say you want to buy a house. Yes but that is down the road. Lets do it now. Now? Yes. So, My son is away at college, My Mother is sick and staying with my sister, out of town, my daughter is away at a girls camp in the mountains, as a counselor and we decide to get married. It is a wonder we have any one who cares about us at all. We are so self absorbed. So we decide to go to a court house and have a judge do it. All the romance of a funeral. I think my sister may have went shopping with me, because I did buy a new summer dress. It was July. My Mother was not at my first wedding either, my kids say I did not tell them about this one, and we could have waited until the weekend and Kalena would have been home from camp. Or we could have been married at the camp ! Or we could have just waited.
CUT/ About buying a house. I have a friend, she is in real estate, we look at 4-5 houses. He wants a fire place and a garage and down town. I want some age, two or three bedrooms and a small yard.
We can find everything except the garage. Most homes were built before cars, or the garage is very small, or the house is grand with a carriage house and and.
Then we find the one we bought. It was being rented, so he would not go thru the house much, I did, He made sure the bath had a shower and went out the back door into the Garage !! You could fit four cars easy !! No center supports !! Steel I beams !! Cinder block construction, plenty of windows !! You can pull engines in here ! Back in the house. Two bedrooms, bath, large kitchen. Living room dinning room with an arch, 9 foot ceilings, old moldings, 12 inches on floors, 8 inches around doors and windows with corner details. Yes. Small front yard, ample back yard. Well water. Drive way all down one side of house, garage in back yard. Mature plantings. Busy street. Downtown. Brick, shake shingled. ok.
So we are going to move in together and buy a house. He wants to use his GI Loan. Turns out they will not put my name on the title because we are not married. I had been dragging my feet a bit on that, not bringing it up. So.................well I am old enough to know I am not going to help you buy a house if my name is not on it.
So we tell every one we got married so we could buy a house. When you are in your 40's it beats being pregnant !!
I am getting ready to go to the court house and Gary comes to get me. "BY the way Phil is going to be there." What ? I thought we agreed since none of my family was going to be there, no one was going to be there! "Yeah I know, but he showed up at work this morning, with his truck and camper, and followed me, from job to job, until I told him when and where, so I could get my work done, so I could get off ! I called my friend Sandi. If he was going to have some one so was I. Can you be across town in an hour , to stand up for me? Sure, but I am in my jeans. I don't care, get in your car and come now. OK.
Our wedding pictures show me in a new dress, Gary in a un matched coat and pants, Phil in a dark marring and burring suit and Sandi in jeans and a tee shirt. We are in Phil's camper toasting with paper cups. Then we went downtown to Fat Jack's Bar. They set up the bar with beer pitchers full of red and white carnations, all down the bar, my dress was red and white. We toasted with champagne and beer. They gave us a large bottle of champagne and flutes. The bar was full of friends. We opened the big bottle and had good pizza. Later we went a few blocks away to a private club, The Saber, and the owners, Tom and Sam cooked us a wonderful steak dinner. And we celebrated with friends there. All in all it was a good day.
When I fill in all the left out parts remind me to tell you about the judge and the story she told us and the bit of a lecture, she felt she had to admonish us, about getting married. That was another interesting tidbit !!
, ......
As we talked about it he said he would like to buy a house and get married. WOW. We had not talked about that. Do you want to live that far out of town? No. You are on the road lot and where you are the grounds are kept up and there is no up keep to the inside. Where is the down side. ? You say you want to buy a house. Yes but that is down the road. Lets do it now. Now? Yes. So, My son is away at college, My Mother is sick and staying with my sister, out of town, my daughter is away at a girls camp in the mountains, as a counselor and we decide to get married. It is a wonder we have any one who cares about us at all. We are so self absorbed. So we decide to go to a court house and have a judge do it. All the romance of a funeral. I think my sister may have went shopping with me, because I did buy a new summer dress. It was July. My Mother was not at my first wedding either, my kids say I did not tell them about this one, and we could have waited until the weekend and Kalena would have been home from camp. Or we could have been married at the camp ! Or we could have just waited.
CUT/ About buying a house. I have a friend, she is in real estate, we look at 4-5 houses. He wants a fire place and a garage and down town. I want some age, two or three bedrooms and a small yard.
We can find everything except the garage. Most homes were built before cars, or the garage is very small, or the house is grand with a carriage house and and.
Then we find the one we bought. It was being rented, so he would not go thru the house much, I did, He made sure the bath had a shower and went out the back door into the Garage !! You could fit four cars easy !! No center supports !! Steel I beams !! Cinder block construction, plenty of windows !! You can pull engines in here ! Back in the house. Two bedrooms, bath, large kitchen. Living room dinning room with an arch, 9 foot ceilings, old moldings, 12 inches on floors, 8 inches around doors and windows with corner details. Yes. Small front yard, ample back yard. Well water. Drive way all down one side of house, garage in back yard. Mature plantings. Busy street. Downtown. Brick, shake shingled. ok.
So we are going to move in together and buy a house. He wants to use his GI Loan. Turns out they will not put my name on the title because we are not married. I had been dragging my feet a bit on that, not bringing it up. So.................well I am old enough to know I am not going to help you buy a house if my name is not on it.
So we tell every one we got married so we could buy a house. When you are in your 40's it beats being pregnant !!
I am getting ready to go to the court house and Gary comes to get me. "BY the way Phil is going to be there." What ? I thought we agreed since none of my family was going to be there, no one was going to be there! "Yeah I know, but he showed up at work this morning, with his truck and camper, and followed me, from job to job, until I told him when and where, so I could get my work done, so I could get off ! I called my friend Sandi. If he was going to have some one so was I. Can you be across town in an hour , to stand up for me? Sure, but I am in my jeans. I don't care, get in your car and come now. OK.
Our wedding pictures show me in a new dress, Gary in a un matched coat and pants, Phil in a dark marring and burring suit and Sandi in jeans and a tee shirt. We are in Phil's camper toasting with paper cups. Then we went downtown to Fat Jack's Bar. They set up the bar with beer pitchers full of red and white carnations, all down the bar, my dress was red and white. We toasted with champagne and beer. They gave us a large bottle of champagne and flutes. The bar was full of friends. We opened the big bottle and had good pizza. Later we went a few blocks away to a private club, The Saber, and the owners, Tom and Sam cooked us a wonderful steak dinner. And we celebrated with friends there. All in all it was a good day.
When I fill in all the left out parts remind me to tell you about the judge and the story she told us and the bit of a lecture, she felt she had to admonish us, about getting married. That was another interesting tidbit !!
, ......
Tuesday, September 23, 2014
Utah State Fair 2nd Day
9-5-14
Friday. Second day of the fair. Crowds were light until about noon and then they started picking up. By the time I left at 4pm the grounds were full of people.
The tables we skirted for the shows tables are about full. I am going to move some tables out of my area on Sunday. We still need to leave the prep area up for the entry area and the Judges to have an area. Having the Heritage Building back is great. It is just the right size, for now. As we grow we will fill it and next year I will eliminate the Judges area and shrink the prep area.
We are on the high school lists. They have to find us and find the sun flowers. Some of the kids are quite interested. I talk to them about the programs in their schools and point out the entry's from Sainsbury and Grantsville High Schools.
Went by the veggies building and they have less than half what they had last year. Also Bart was gone, he is only there in the morning. The new helper guy, he just sits, no Master Gardeners, no biggest pumpkin.
The lady who comes in by bus and Trax was in the Chicken building. She had two beautiful chickens entered. They were wonderful !! The orange one was real nice, won a ribbon. She also had a duck there. Wow, she brings them in in dog carriers. She also won a blue ribbon on her chili peppers in the veggies ! She wins blue ribbons on her flowers and plants all the time !
Last year when she came up short on money, she had a lot of entry's for one show, I lent her the money. The master gardener man, it was a couple helping, said "You'll never see that money", yes I will, I told him. Sure enough, when she came in the next day, to see if she had won any ribbons, she paid me. She is a kind cheerful woman and enters all kinds of crafts, flowers and fowl, in the fair. I see her every day, she really enjoys the fair !
9-6-14
About the same at the show. New cuts on the flowers and herbs. Water everything. Cut dead stuff off of arraignments. Left at 3:30pm.
Thomas Miller will close out show and take in entry's. He will have some one to help him. Stephaney from the computer room will have the cash box and lock up.
Friday. Second day of the fair. Crowds were light until about noon and then they started picking up. By the time I left at 4pm the grounds were full of people.
The tables we skirted for the shows tables are about full. I am going to move some tables out of my area on Sunday. We still need to leave the prep area up for the entry area and the Judges to have an area. Having the Heritage Building back is great. It is just the right size, for now. As we grow we will fill it and next year I will eliminate the Judges area and shrink the prep area.
We are on the high school lists. They have to find us and find the sun flowers. Some of the kids are quite interested. I talk to them about the programs in their schools and point out the entry's from Sainsbury and Grantsville High Schools.
Went by the veggies building and they have less than half what they had last year. Also Bart was gone, he is only there in the morning. The new helper guy, he just sits, no Master Gardeners, no biggest pumpkin.
The lady who comes in by bus and Trax was in the Chicken building. She had two beautiful chickens entered. They were wonderful !! The orange one was real nice, won a ribbon. She also had a duck there. Wow, she brings them in in dog carriers. She also won a blue ribbon on her chili peppers in the veggies ! She wins blue ribbons on her flowers and plants all the time !
Last year when she came up short on money, she had a lot of entry's for one show, I lent her the money. The master gardener man, it was a couple helping, said "You'll never see that money", yes I will, I told him. Sure enough, when she came in the next day, to see if she had won any ribbons, she paid me. She is a kind cheerful woman and enters all kinds of crafts, flowers and fowl, in the fair. I see her every day, she really enjoys the fair !
9-6-14
About the same at the show. New cuts on the flowers and herbs. Water everything. Cut dead stuff off of arraignments. Left at 3:30pm.
Thomas Miller will close out show and take in entry's. He will have some one to help him. Stephaney from the computer room will have the cash box and lock up.
Saturday, September 6, 2014
Utah State Fair
I run the Flower Shows for The Utah State Fair.
They call it The Floriculture and Horticulture Department.
We have cut flowers, herbs, potted plants, and floral arraignments of fresh plants and flowers.
9-4-2014
Today is the first day of the Fair. We took in lots of flowers the 3rd from 6-9pm. One lady came late, I had her drop off her stuff, but would not let her enter anything. She came late last year and cost me time after closing, I am not doing that this year. I locked up and left at 9:45pm. She did this twice last year and I stayed till 10:30-11. I have been told no more, go by the rules. She came back this morning and filled out paperwork and entered her flowers.
I got to the building by 6:45am, it was locked. No one in the office. We were to start taking in flowers at 7am. By 7:20 our helpers were arriving .... One of them found an open door on an adjoining building and we got in our building. This let us know we did not shut our back door very well ! He just pulled it open, it is an interior door.
My niece Dolly Roy helped today. Every one agreed she was a big help. She helped the Judges and the entrants with their paperwork.
The day went very well. The show looks very good. I took some pictures. Some people who were involved last year have commented that the show is bigger than last year, and it is. We took in over 100 entry's. I had 11 judges and clerks, and we still made mistakes on the paper work !
The computer lady Stephanie never did find one guy, and my cash box did not balance !! It never does.
One lady came down out of the canyons from Coleville, long ways and was late, so we let her in, and another lady who comes in from the western part of the county by bus and trax train was later and I let her in to ... I know I said I wouldn't.
I left at 4pm, 7am to 4pm long day. Ate a Berry-Berry Crepe, really good, $8.00. Chocolate and Berries, yum. Chocolate helps an old lady thru these long days.
When Dolly shows me how to put pictures on this I will.
They call it The Floriculture and Horticulture Department.
We have cut flowers, herbs, potted plants, and floral arraignments of fresh plants and flowers.
9-4-2014
Today is the first day of the Fair. We took in lots of flowers the 3rd from 6-9pm. One lady came late, I had her drop off her stuff, but would not let her enter anything. She came late last year and cost me time after closing, I am not doing that this year. I locked up and left at 9:45pm. She did this twice last year and I stayed till 10:30-11. I have been told no more, go by the rules. She came back this morning and filled out paperwork and entered her flowers.
I got to the building by 6:45am, it was locked. No one in the office. We were to start taking in flowers at 7am. By 7:20 our helpers were arriving .... One of them found an open door on an adjoining building and we got in our building. This let us know we did not shut our back door very well ! He just pulled it open, it is an interior door.
My niece Dolly Roy helped today. Every one agreed she was a big help. She helped the Judges and the entrants with their paperwork.
The day went very well. The show looks very good. I took some pictures. Some people who were involved last year have commented that the show is bigger than last year, and it is. We took in over 100 entry's. I had 11 judges and clerks, and we still made mistakes on the paper work !
The computer lady Stephanie never did find one guy, and my cash box did not balance !! It never does.
One lady came down out of the canyons from Coleville, long ways and was late, so we let her in, and another lady who comes in from the western part of the county by bus and trax train was later and I let her in to ... I know I said I wouldn't.
I left at 4pm, 7am to 4pm long day. Ate a Berry-Berry Crepe, really good, $8.00. Chocolate and Berries, yum. Chocolate helps an old lady thru these long days.
When Dolly shows me how to put pictures on this I will.
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