jawbreaker love

ok, you know you are a little weird (and bored) when, a: you get excited when a jawbreaker is brought home for you, b: when you want to actually take pictures of the progressive stages of your beautiful jawbreaker and c: you want to pose for photos with your beautiful jawbreaker. so, on that note, need we say more about eden's love affair with her jawbreaker. what does this say about the mom who a: actually purchased the jawbreaker b: was equally excited about taking the photos and c: laughed hysterically at eden's faces while posing with her beautiful jawbreaker. would love to see a "how it's made" episode on jawbreakers one day...

needless to say, it was a very fun photo shoot. you shoulda been there.

i love my mom

this is my mom. i love her more than anything. she has been through a lot in her 83 years. she has been through the depression, world war II, growing up in beaver, utah..yes, you heard me right, she was born and raised in beaver...she was even the first girl student body president of beaver high school! her father was the town pharmacist and owned beaver drug store. he helped the local physician care for the residents of beaver. this gave my mom the love of medicine. she wanted to go to medical school, and started taking biology and chemistry classes at utah state, but was quickly told in a round about way, she could not compete because she was a woman. she regrets giving up, and is still mad at those professors who discouraged her, but has since moved on.

she attended the boston conservatory for music, took a train all by herself back east and studied voice. she was an incredible horsewoman, who was expected to do the work of a grown man with no complaining when she was an child. she lived on another large cattle ranch when she was a newlywed in ely, nevada with my dad and grandpa (and numerous hired men)...was responsible for cooking, cleaning and laundry for all of them with no electricity, a coal and wood stove and gasoline powered primitive washing machine. she baked homemade bread, pies and casseroles all from scratch on a stove stoked with coal. all the while being pregnant, then caring for a newborn baby. she is a real woman.

in the winter time, ice formed on the inside of the windows of the "house"...it was really a thin walled cabin with no indoor plumbing. my oldest brother was born in december of 1946, while they lived literally in the middle of nowhere. she has told me of the many nights she desperately kept him bundled up in layered wool so he wouldnt freeze to death. he survived polio, and she survived supporting my dad through many years at Berkeley, then CalTech, while he got 2 engineering degrees and raised 3 more kids. she is a true pioneer, one who is still alive to tell the story. every time i am with her i am constantly quizzing her about some amazing episode from the past. i hang onto every word that comes out of her mouth.

she is an amazingly strong woman who i admire so much. she has taught me how to stand up and do the right thing, be a person of integrity and the most important thing she has taught me is how to work. even better, my kids feel the same way i do. she is the perfect grandma to them. i was able to spend this last weekend with her. it was way fun. she's an inspiration to me.

gotta get it off my chest

you know, if you dont have something nice, uplifting, complementary, positive or just generally kind to say to your fellow human beings, just be quiet. does anyone really think about how their supposedly helpful comments, advise and criticisms actually affect others? think about it before you open your mouth, and im talking to myself here too.

ok, i feel much better now.

choices

i took these photos while on my way to beverly hills to buy sprinkles cupcakes. dont ask me why i took the time to drive in traffic on santa monica blvd, amongst lots of bentleys and cars i did not recognize (i did get to pass the temple :-), drive down like 10 side streets like 10 times to find a parking place, went down the wrong way on a one way street (yes, i really did) then walked a block and a half to stand in a line of about 20 colorful beverly hills people just to get my hands on some cupcakes...then they didnt even have my favorite kind, coconut. bummer.

anyway, i knew the routine (been there a couple of times) and exactly what to order-1 dozen-6 red velvet, 3 coconut/ chocolate and 3 vanilla (love the white sprinkles). the lady standing next to me asked if i was going to a party..."no", i said. she laughed. she probably thought i was going to go home and eat them all myself. i told her i had a houseful of kids who didnt need a cupcake. she laughed again.

anyway, as to the billboard photo-i took this photo while i was driving (i dont recommend this). this is why it looks the way it does. in fairness, the billboard had both candidates on it, encouraging people to vote. unfortunately i was only able to catch obamas image. i have to admit i like and dislike things about both candidates. i like how obama supports the teachers and wants to get out of iraq, and i like how mccain wants to lower taxes, so dont know. neither one is perfect, and neither one has a good solution to the healthcare dilemma. time will only tell what happens. i am voting for prop 8, and also the animal one, prop 2 which gives them bigger cages. support the animals, please... and sprinkles.

love heated seats...

just outside of provo, headed home

we got caught in snow near Beaver

more sky...

the coastline outside of cambria

well, i have been driving and driving for about 2 weeks now-solid, it seems. a road trip to utah and idaho, (no, this is not typical) then a fun weekend spent with my mom and sister in cambria at hearst castle. needless to say i have seen a lot of beautiful scenery in my recent travels. since, usually my scenic route is oso parkway and the tollroad, this was quite a treat. i typically dont get out much....so i was amazed at the sights. the extraordinary use of color and texture has no worthy words to accurately describe it. whoever thinks there was no divine thought put into all of this is absolutely nuts.

the other man...

this is my friend. he is a beautiful praying mantis. he lives in my backyard in search of all sorts of nasty insects which prey on my shrubs. we see each other frequently, even daily. he even sneaks into my house when no one is looking. eden and i have been known to carefully pick him up and tenderly whisk him outside to rest safely on a bloom-his wonderful chartreuse color sharply complementing the brilliant pink. he hides from the dogs, i am sure, but didnt seem to mind them sniffing at his feet when i took this photo. he did, however follow their movements with his head, slowing turning it in their direction. he trustingly climbed on my hand like we had known each other for years. i do think he likes eden the best, as he has propped himself proudly on her shoulder when she transported him to safer ground.

i saved one of his brothers last year from the death grip of Toby's mouth...able to extend his life only a few days. i found him on the floor in a tangled mess. his bed became the petals of a sturdy succulent. i gathered aphids from the roses he was trying to protect and fed him miniscule drops of water. he actually drank and ate for me-his alien like mouth engulfing the wiggling bugs held with tweezers, turning his head in search of my movements and more food. we became intimate friends, until one day he no longer followed my movements with his head. he changed colors too, to a dull, empty green.

aenon and i cried.

seems as if i am constantly rescuing some sort of creature. this habit is becoming annoying.

it's all good, though, next spring i will go to plant depot and buy more creatures to babysit.

maybe i need a real job.