Esme

First off, let me show you how sweet this cat was when she was little. She is the one in the top left corner.


We got a phone call from my daughter's friend. Her daughter had caught four little kittens from a wild mama. She didn't want anymore wild cats at her house. She took them to the shelter and they refused to take them. So she brought them to Evanston. When we went to see them I reached down to pick up this tiny ball of fur. She hissed at me, and it was love at first sight. I picked her up and tucked her under my jacket close to my heart. She fell asleep. We bottle fed the kittens for several weeks. There is a bond when you have to do that to a helpless baby kitten. She used to lay on my chest while I worked on my laptop. One day I realized someday she would be grown and too big to do that. So I had to teach her to lay beside me. She is laying on Monique in this one.



When I moved to Dry Fork she soon became an outdoor cat. If you've ever been around a cat in heat, you'll understand why. She didn't end up pregnant, and I was glad. I was trying to come up with the money to fix her. It is so expensive. I wish all these people who run the 'spay or neuter your pet' ads would pay for it. LOL

A few weeks ago I picked her up as I was outside feeding the cats. She was gaining weight. Sure enough, she was pregnant. On July 1st she had her kittens. We figured they were in the hay barn, but couldn't find them. She spent a lot of time inside, and I couldn't see that she had nursed babies. I figured they hadn't made it. But this morning Taylor, who I love, adore and worship, found one of the kitten by itself in the hay. I wasn't home. She and Jessica searched and finally found five darling baby kittens. They are now in the house in a box on my bed.

What a Day!

Ever had one of those days where you probably should have stayed in bed? Well, mine might not have been quite that bad, but I feel like I've been running around in circles. I got up early to go down and help Mom. We had several things to do. We got one done, and she decided she was too tired to do more. So I headed to town to do her shopping. Now today this involved going to three stores. I had to go to the bank and cash a check too.

As I left Mom's my car was making a weird noise. So I took it to my mechanics so he would hear it. But by the time I got there, it had stopped. I described it, and he looked at my belt. Sure enough, the belt is going out. He said he should be ok for a while longer plus he's going out of town. So I'll get that done next week.

Then on to the bank and a ten minute wait until it opened. I talked to Amy, and she wanted to go to Walmart with me so I could help with the boys. We took a little longer than we should have, but it was fun. Then on to Blockbuster so she could trade movies and Jubilee to shop. Then she headed home. I went onto Smiths. I got the shopping done and as I was walking out, she was walking in. She had to run home to get a couple of things plus my money and shirt I'd left at her house. I went back in and got the 7-Up I'd forgot. Finally got everything done and headed to Mom's.

By then she had about given up on me. I unloaded everything. She told me that earlier that morning she and Aunt Avis had found a cow in their yard. She was worried about it eating the garden. But then it left. I had ice cream, so I headed home.

On the way Joe called. It seems I had missed excitement at home. My cat had her kittens. I hadn't let her spend the night inside, so we don't know where they are. Then the cow, Susie, had her calf. But that wasn't even the most exciting thing. When Joe went to check the calf, the mama head butted him in the chest. So he and Jess had spent the morning in the ER.

Mike came over to visit, and Mom called. The cow was back. She was upset, so I told her I'd come down and take care of it. Mike went with me in case we had to chase the cow away. I called Animal Control who was there by the time I drove up. The man was trying to read the brand with binoculars. He found out the registered owner of that brand, but he wasn't home. So he finally went to get his trailer. They came back and loaded the cow. I realized I wanted pictures, but I almost missed the whole thing. By the time I ran to the house to get my camera, he was almost to the track. But here are the pictures of the poor scared cow.









Now I'm watching a movie and hoping for an uneventful evening. Wish me luck.

Old Pics

We are having a family reunion this summer. Spencer wants to help me make a picture DVD showing our family over the years. So to get ready for this, I've been going through all the thousands of pictures on my laptop. I found the best program to do this. It's the free download of picasa. I probably won't ever put my pictures in the online album, but to organize and tag photos on my computer, it's awesome. It's the best and easier program I've ever used. So if you've got tons of photos you want to organize, try it out. Here are a few that I've found that I didn't know I had or couldn't find.

Beautiful Sunset

Since I moved up to Dry Fork I always have my camera with me. I never know when I'm going to see the perfect picture. Last night I was heading home from town. The road travels west in Maeser, and I looked ahead to see the most gorgeous sunset. I love it when there is a place I can pull over and snap pictures. Hope you enjoy them.




Since I moved up to Dry Fork I always have my camera with me. I never know when I'm going to see the perfect picture. Last night I was heading home from town. The road travels west in Maeser, and I looked ahead to see the most gorgeous sunset. I love it when there is a place I can pull over and snap pictures. Hope you enjoy them.

More Pics

Since moving to Dry Fork I have started keeping my camera with me all the time. Yesterday morning when I got up it was so pretty up here. Blue skies, sun shining on the mountains. Then we left to head to school and work. I could see in head of us the almost black skies towards town. I turned to look back towards our place and this was the view. Absolutely incredible. Luckily I was at a straight stretch of the road so I could stop and snap a few shots.

Still a Beautiful Day

Yesterday when I woke up it was sunny and beautiful and bright here in Dry Fork. About halfway down the canyon we ran into the fog. I was driving, so I couldn't take pictures. But when I got up this morning the fog was here. I wanted to share.

Camera Walk

My new place has a beautiful place to walk. If I leave the house and walk to the bus stop, it is just about exactely a mile. I walked this on Thursday and did a total of 1 1/2 miles. It has some slight hills in it which makes for a good workout. But Saturday Taylor and I decided to go for a walk with our cameras and take some pictures. Here are a few. I took over 50, so it would be impossible to post all of them. But here are a few of my favorites.

My walking partner, Taylor. She made it so much fun.


Looks long, doesn't it?


Can you tell which side of this mountain is the south side with all the sun?


Pretty level here.


Our view down the road. Storm and Tiny stayed ahead of us. Tiny (the St. Bernard) did give up about halfway there and came home.


We had decided to talk to the bus stop at the stop sign. You can see the main road here. But we ended up wanting a few more pictures so kept walking. I'll post more later.

The Monster Puzzle

Mom and Aunt Avis got a jigsaw puzzle from someone in their Relief Society Presidency. It is a very beautiful puzzle. At least it is while it is still in the box. When they got it opened to start working it, they discovered it is a horrible, evil, monster puzzle.



As you can see from the picture, the pieces are all almost identical. Plus it is 1000 piece puzzle. They got this before Christmas. Every time I would stop at their house, Mom would tell me to put a few pieces in. I don't like jigsaw puzzles because it involves sitting still, and I'm easily bored. If it is an easy one, I am ok. I actually sit there long enough one day to put 20 pieces in. Now this may not sound like a lot, but it took me over an hour to do this. You would put a piece in and discover it didn't quite fit. When we got down to the last five pieces, none of them fit. So we had to find a few pieces that had looked right and take them out. Sounds complicated and it was.

Mom found a few of her puzzles she wants to do when this one was done. Then Dan gave her a really fun one, so that gave them the incentive to finish the monster puzzle. If it was me, I would have given up and put it in the box. But not Mom and Aunt Avis. They were determined to finish it. So here is the picture of the puzzle finished.



Notice the smiles because it is finally finished?

Big Move

Today is my moving day. Well, the beginning of my moving day. At least the big stuff will be moved and most of the boxes. I still have a few things I have to get finished, but I have tomorrow to do that. Where am I moving, you ask? Drum roll, please! I'm moving to a log cabin in Dry Fork. Yes, you heard me right! I'm moving to the place I've always wanted to live. And somehow I know my Dad is smiling over this.

I haven't posted about this before although I knew it was coming. There are some things I won't post about including the whole story about why I'm moving. I will say that I do hate leaving Spencer, Amy and the boys. But I will still see them often. And I know the boys will love coming up to see me and the animals and be able to just run around the hills. When I first realized I really was going to move, I obsessed over where I was going to go. But then this chance opened up, and I jumped on it. I'm temporarily renting a room from Joe and Jessica, two of my best friends in the world. These two are the most unselfish people in the world. And I do believe they are truly inspired in some of their choices. I have plans to soon get my own place. But that isn't working out just yet, so this was the best choice.

I spent a lot of my Christmas break up there with them. We were able to see if this would work and if we actually could all live together. I looked through her blog because I just knew she had some pictures of her place. But I can't find them. I am making sure my camera is where I can find it. So I will be posting some pictures soon. Well, as soon as I get a few things unpacked like clothes and shoes. LOL

Gotta Love It

You gotta love new shoes. Especially when they are a Christmas present. I walked in on Spencer wrapping presents a week or so before Christmas. He was wrapping a box and already had the paper around it. He said 'hey, this is your present from Chris.' Of course, he wouldn't let me come over and feel it or shake it. It was a good sized box. I figured it wasn't jewelry. I couldn't wait until Christmas morning to open it. What could it be?

Christmas morning after the kids did most of their presents, Spencer handed me the box. I hurried to rip the paper off. And inside that box was a beautiful white and blue pair of running shoes. Wow! He couldn't have picked me a better present. My shoes I bought last spring are so worn out. The outsides look good, but I'm learning that doesn't mean much. I did buy a pair of insoles to put in them that helped. But they just didn't feel the same when I walk or run.

Spencer told me that Chris had asked about my size and said I might need to exchange them if they weren't wide enough. So I got a pair of socks and put them on. They are snug on my feet, but not uncomfortable. I walked around in them for a couple of hours. And it felt so good to have them on. I guess when you lose weight, your feet do too. They feel so good on the treadmill. I can't wait until the weather gets better so I can get back outside. I still don't like the treadmill. It's not the same as being outdoors in the fresh air. But I just don't want to walk outside in 11 degree temperature. Guess that means I'm not quite a dedicated runner yet. But I"m working on it.

And, yes, I posted this on both my blogs. I'm proud of my shoes, and I'm very glad Chris sent them to me. Who would have thought that Chris and I would share running stories!

Sledding

I remember once going sledding with some kids from church. But I know I just watched and didn't ever go down the hill. I was always afraid to try new things. But better late then never, right? We took the boys sledding a week ago andf I watched. It wasn't a big hill to most people, but was huge to me. This time we went to a tiny little hill. I figured it was a good place to start. And I love it. I think I'm turning into an adrenalin junkie. Thought I'd share some pics.

Going up the hill.

Do I really want to do this?

Coming down the hill! Notice the smile.

Amy and Wyatt's turn

Spencer and Jayden watching us.



It was a fun day and I can't wait to go again.

Running High

I now understand why people run. I have started putting short 60 second intervals of running into my treadmill workout. I wear my heart rate monitor when I am working out. Wow, it gets my heart rate up to 170 bpm or higher. And I can only run for 60 seconds. I have been doing at least four of those intervals. Today I did five. So in a 40 minutes walk, I ran five minutes of it! That may not seem like at lot to some of you. But for me it is a major victory. I try to keep my walk at 3 mph and the run at 5 mph. At the end of the minute run, I feel like I'm going to die. But after slowing down for about 4 minutes, I'm ready to do it again. I'd only been walking about 20-25 minutes, but today I wanted to push it. I did a total of 40 minutes and a total of 2.2 miles. I'm tired, I'm exhausted. But mentally I'm on such a high. A year ago I couldn't do more than two minutes on the stationary bike with leg cramps. Today I'm running! I've dropped 70 lbs.

There was a time when I couldn't walk from the parking lot into Walmart without being out of breath. Today I don't drive around looking for a close parking spot. I just take the first spot in aisle 7. If it's at the far end, that's ok. By parking in the same aisle, I can find my car. LOL And at my age, that's important. I never thought in my lifetime I'd weight below 200 lbs. I honestly can't remembver when I last weight that. I'm sure it was at least 30 years ago. And today I'm under 200. That was my original goal. But now it's changed. I am going to lose another 50 lbs. There is no time limit on it although I would prefer to weigh that in a year from now. But it actually seems possible.

Old Age

For all of you who are worried that you are getting old, here is what you have to look forward to!



I would never trade my amazing friends, my wonderful life, my loving family for less gray hair or a flatter belly. As I've aged, I've become kinder to myself, and less critical of myself. I've become my own friend. I don't chide myself for eating that extra cookie, or for not making my bed, or for buying that silly cement gecko that I didn't need, but looks so avante garde on my patio. I am entitled to a treat, to be messy, to be extravagant.

I have seen too many dear friends leave this world too soon; before they understood the great freedom that comes with aging.

Whose business is it if I choose to read or play on the computer until 4 AM and sleep until noon? I will dance with myself to those wonderful tunes of the 60 &70's, and if I, at the same time, wish to weep over a lost love ... I will.

I will walk the beach in a swim suit that is stretched over a bulging body, and will dive into the waves with abandon if I choose to, despite the pitying glances from the jet set.

They, too, will get old.
I know I am sometimes forgetful.
But there again, some of life is just as well forgotten. And I eventually remember the important things.

Sure, over the years my heart has been broken. How can your heart not break when you lose a loved one, or when a child suffers, or even when somebody's beloved pet gets hit by a car? But broken hearts are what give us strength and understanding and compassion. A heart never broken is pristine and sterile and will never know the joy of being imperfect.

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I am so blessed to have lived long enough to have my hair turning gray, and to have my youthful laughs be forever etched into deep grooves on my face.
So many have never laughed, and so many have died before their hair could turn silver.

As you get older, it is easier to be positive. You care less about what other people think. I don't question myself anymore.
I've even earned the right to be wrong.

So, to answer your question, I like being old. It has set me free. I like the person I have become. I am not going to live forever, but while I am still here, I will not waste time lamenting what could have been, or worrying about what will be. And I shall eat dessert every single day(if I feel like it).

MAY OUR FRIENDSHIP NEVER COME APART ESPECIALLY WHEN IT'S STRAIGHT FROM THE HEART!

MAY YOU ALWAYS HAVE A RAINBOW OF SMILES ON YOUR FACE AND IN YOUR HEART FOREVER AND EVER! FRIENDS FOREVER!


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Jayden and Family

I just had to share these pictures of the newest member of the Weaver clan. Isn't he adorable?

# 18 Jayden Nicholas Weaver

Introducing my eighteenth grandchild. Yes, I said 18. Jayden Nicholas Weaver was determined to be born early. Amy has been on bed rest for the past two weeks and on medication to stop her labor. The doctor told her if she could go until Monday he wouldn't stop the baby. He would be born four weeks early. So Monday came and no baby. Yesterday Amy got up very ambitious, so I started thinking maybe we were having a baby. They went to the hospital just before midnight. By 6:30 this morning she was dilated to an eight, and Spencer called to ask me to bring the camera. In their rush, they had left it home. So I got up and showered and was heading out of the driveway at 7:30 when Spencer called to see if I'd gotten the pic. I said 'oh, what?" And he said "of your new grandson." Then he said "we had an emergency c-section and I have to go." I drove as fast as I dared to the hospital not knowing what to expect when I got there.

What happened was as her water broke, the cord came out first. Everybody was frantically trying to keep Jayden's head from pressing on the cord as they rushed her to the C-section room. Luckily it was set up as they had one scheduled for just minutes away. The doctor was in the hospital for that and had come down to check on Amy. But I don't think luck had anything to do with it. I think Jayden's Uncle Nick was watching out for him.

Amy's epidural hadn't numbed her enough, so they had to knock her out, rush to the surgery room with both doctor and nurse on the bed with Amy. But everyone did their job. And at 7:07 am he was born. He is 7 lb 1 oz. 20 inc long and perfectly healthy. He even screamed for a while until they gave him a bottle. He loved it and seems to have a healthy appetite. His Grandpa Bryant took some pictures of him wit his eyes wide open, and I will post them as soon as I get a copy. Anyway, here hs is:

Letter to my Son

Nick,

You've been gone two years today. I have had a lot of tragedy in my life, but I have to say that two years ago today was the worst day of my life. I still remember that phone call. I've relived those moments over and over again. Part of it is blurry. The shock ws so great. I can remember the day your Dad died and standing there thinking this has to be a dream, this doesn't really happen. But it did. And two years ago I lost you, Ruth and Audrey. I find myself thinking of you so often. The two of you probably wouldn't have changed much. But Audrey would be almost five. What would she be like today? I know she would still be as beautiful as she always was. And she would probably be as full of life and stubborn.

Every year on Oct 15th I would crawl in a hole and hide from the world. I would even make sure that I didn't have to work. But I had so much to do today. I told myself that after it was all done I could cry. And sure enough, as I was driving home from all my errands the tears started. I went to the cemetery and sit at your dad's grave. And I talked to him and asked him what it was like when he got to see you again and if you are all happy. But I think I know the answer to that question. Just keep watch over Joie. She needs to be able to feel you once in a while. You left her in good hands. I know you guided all of us in choosing Tim and Mary. She is growing up into a beautiful young lady. She still has your beautiful blue eyes. I love the three of you, and I miss you so much. It hurts that you are not here. But I will see you all soon.

Learning to Drive

Spencer got his 4-wheeler running this morning. I don't think I've ever been on one until a year ago when he took me for a ride. After he took Bryton for a ride, he called me over. He told me to get on and drive it. I immediately said 'No.' He kept coaxing me. So I finally told him I would without Bryton on it. If I was going to crash it, I didn't want him on it with me. After a run or two around the yard I was hooked. It was such a high. And it's a good feeling to not let my fear keep me back. I love trying new things. So then I took Bryton for a ride or two or three or four. Here are a couple pictures of us having fun.

2.5 K High

Last weekend we went back to Evanston. It was a multi-purpose trip. We wanted to visit family and friends, pick up the last little bit of my stuff, and go to the County Fair Concert. The concert is a whole other blog post.

When I was online reading about the fair activites I noticed they were having a 5K run and a 2.5K walk Saturday morning. We were able to go up on Friday evening. So I called Monique to see if she would do the walk with me. She was such a wonderful walking partner when she was here in June. I wanted her to do it with me. She said she would although she wasn't as enthusiastic shortly after 7 am when we picked her up. And she did not want her picture taken.




Skeeter took us over to register for the race. We ran to get water and got back just before the orientation. Evanston has a beautiful walking path that goes from the ponds and goes all the way to the state park. As we crossed the beautiful bridge, the walkers turned to the right and looped around and the runners turned left and ran all the way to the state park. We lined up and then they let us take off. There were only five of us walking, and maybe twenty or so runners. I'm not a very fast walker even when I push it. I blame that partially on my short little legs. So as we started I was behind the other walkers. At first this really discouraged me. But then I remembered that this wasn't a competition for me with the other walkers. This was a competition between me and myself. I reminded myself that a year ago I could barely walk from my car into Walmart. So I just kept telling myself that all I wanted to do was finish the race.

A 2.5K is about 1 3/4 miles. I have been walking for about 45 minutes several times a week but wasn't sure how far I walk. So I got a pedometer and earlier in the week went for a walk and walked that distance. Later I drove the route and found that my pedometer is very accurate.

The walking path curved a little so for part of it I couldn't see the people ahead of me. Then I'd catch a glimpse and it would cause me to make sure I was walking just as fast as I could. At one point I was all alone and started thinking about Ruth. Her memory has inspired me to start to want to compete. All of a sudden it was as if she was walking right beside me cheering me on. I had a lot of energy and realized that I was walking much faster than I usally do. When I could see the rest of the walkers, I was excited to see Monique in second place.

Spencer, Amy and the kids were coming from the motel to watch me cross the finish line. I told them to be there about 8:30. As I got close to crossing the bridge again, I looked at my watch. It had been about 17 minutes. So I figured they weren't there yet. But I knew Skeeter and Monique would be there. As I came over the bridge, I looked toward the finish line. And there they all were. They had made it! They were all cheering me on. And Skeeter had the camera out. I really didn't want my picture taken which explains the face. But what a high it was as I crossed that finish line and realized that I did it! I competed in a 2.5 K. I finished and felt wonderful.

I asked for my time and was told I had finished in 18.32. I couldn't believe it. Then I looked at my pedometer and realized that this wasn't a 2.5K. The path was only a mile. They had just called it 2.5K or 1 3/4 mile. Then I realized that last spring when I started walking it took me 25 minutes to walk a mile. And now I was walking a mile in just under 20 minutes! And at that moment all I could think of was that I wanted to do this again and again and again. It was such a feeling of accomplishment. Go me!!!



There were five walkers. Monique came in second place. I was so proud of her. Two of the women styaed together, so they tied for third place. And I finished fourth. yes, that was last place. But I wasn't walking against them. I was walking against myself. And I won that race. I finished a race, my time was good, and I felt fantatsic when I finished.