To Dream the Impossible Dream

In 1995, RAH and I went to Israel.  It was just an amazing experience.

BUT, I had not had the time to prepare, study, focus, understand, etc.  And, I ALWAYS wanted to return.

And, now, we are going AGAIN in just a few days.  I'm very excited.  We have started packing, planning, preparing, etc.

Most importantly, I have been studying, reading, watching videos, learning.

The thing is, it's all information that by just going to church regularly, most people would already know the material; geography, history, etc.  But, man, I just haven't been present, I guess.

I look a lot older; RAH still looks great, as always.  And, it's going to be a challenge to not be able to take my daily nap.....YIKES!

But, I'm so grateful for this opportunity.

Israel and Jordan, Here we COME!

Over the Fence

In a recent post, I mentioned some neighbors that are angry because of an out building being built by their back-yard neighbors.

The situation saddens me.

Another neighbor situation totally saddens me.  Our next-door neighbors just moved.  I LOVED the entire C family; Cody, Nickell, Noah, Crew, Luke, Elle, Vivian, Violet.  They were THE most delightful family.  The boys were handsome; the young girls so beautiful.

Look at this great family!  DO they look like monsters?  NO WAY!  Yet, that is how the GRINCHES see them!
I just love these people: Cody, Nickel, Noah, Crew, Luke, Elle, Vivian, Violet.

And, they were good neighbors.  Always friendly, happy pleasant, polite.  Lately, Noah has been mowing our lawn, and he is dependable, doing it just the way RAH asks him too.

They ARE THE BEST!  AND, I will totally miss them!

I've never met anyone quite like Nickel; she is so laid back and non-uptight.  She just goes with the flow.
Cody is sort of like that too.  Just gentle and GOOD. 

BUT, over THEIR fence live the GRINCHES.

It's so hard for me to believe what those neighbors have gotten angry over over the past two years.  A ball or two has gone into their yard.  A BALL?  Not a bowling ball, not a wrecking ball; but a baseball, maybe a soccer ball!  So, the C's put up a HUGE net across the fence so a ball from the boys could not go sailing errantly over the six foot high fence.

Still, the complaints came from the Grinch family.  Over trivial matters....It's just so ludicrous to me.  And sad.

But, the real kicker happened yesterday.

We went to see the lovely C family in their new home; to take them some pizza and say how we will miss them.  Standing looking over their HUGE incredible new back yard, Nickell told me that the GRINCHES had sent the property manager of the home they just moved out of, a very nasty letter.

In this letter, she had told Mr. D that if he rented to any more people like the C family, she would make his life a living hell.  

WHAT IN THE HECK is that all about?

How can two people see the situation so differently?  I love this family, and yes, we've had plenty of balls fly over into our yard which is adjacent.  I like it.  The kids come over to retrieve them, and I'm glad to talk to the kids.

BUT, the GRINCHES see them as destroyers, menaces to their peace and quiet.

It's just bizarre to me.  Truly.

Have I Ever Mentioned.....

...how much I like to pick up the mail in the early evenings?

Especially if the Bahr children are outside playing?

Today, initially, there were two children running down the sidewalk in races as I walked up the block towards the mailbox: Taylor and Brayden.

I asked 4 year old Brayden what foods he eats to help him run so fast, and Taylor just piped in, "We eat garden food!"  I asked her specifically what she eats, and she said, "carrots, peppers, basil."  I asked her if she eats Starbursts from her garden and she said determinedly, "Those don't grow in a garden!  They are made in a lab!  And, they are not good for you to eat!"

In a few minutes their beautiful mother came out and I was telling them what had been said, and Andrea said that Brayden had asked her last week if there were pizza seeds that could be grown?  That so made me laugh.  Then Natalie and Aubrey came out.  We chatted for awhile, and I headed toward home a block away.

As I got clear down the street closer to my home, I heard a small voice yell:

"Loni!"

I turned around and said, "Yes?"

She yelled, "How old are you?"

"75," I yelled back.

From clear down the street I could hear Taylor yell, "That's really old!"

Yes, Taylor, that's REALLY OLD!

But, every time I'm around you and your siblings, I feel the JOY of YOUTH.

Thanks for a delightful few minutes.

I LOVE HOME!

This just SPEAKS to me.

I love home.  Almost every time, I walk thru our door, I say, "I love HOME!"

And, I'm content to be here.

LIVING IN A NEIGHBORHOOD

DC is very outspoken.

Her home is a model home in every way.

Her yard is a picture of beauty, good taste, and always well kept.

The inside of the home is just what you would expect from seeing the front.   Immaculate, tastefully decorated and furnished.  I've been in it many times, and I have NEVER seen a dust mite, a scrap of paper, a book on the coffee table, a pair of shoes by any door.  I've been in her boudoir while she was recovering from surgery and it was completely amazing and clean.  Where were the papers, books, doctors' bills, etc.?  NOWHERE!

It's truly a remarkable home and setting.

So, here's the deal:

She has this model back yard with gorgeous swimming pool, palm trees, etc.  It has been her haven for many many years.

BUT, NOW, the neighbors are building a HUGE out building that will block DC's view!  AND she is ANGREEEEEEE.

I get it.  Totally; I live with a blocked view every day in my own back yard.

Roger built this tree house.  It's almost right up against our fence, which is against code.  People who come to visit us are often more upset by it than we.  I mean, what good does it do to get upset?  He did it, it's done, move on.

She is very angry, and very outspoken against these neighbors.

So, here's my situation.  I love  the people who live behind DC. They are just great young people.  She had one boy, but is unable to have any other children; she has some serious stomach problems or something.  But, she is the nicest, sweetest, kindest, most thoughtful person.  She was my visiting teacher for awhile and I grew to respect and love her; her goodness just shone through.

This young couple did everything right about building a structure.  They went to the city council, who gave them a permit.

(Our neighbors didn't bother with a permit.  They just built in non-compliance to the laws.  And, I'm okay with it.  We'll likely never be able to sell our home, but that will be our kids concern.  HA HA HA HA.)

BUT, for several months, I have been hearing from DC about her back yard being ruined, how could the B's do that, etc. etc.

My big problem is that I do NOT want her complaints to me - to affect my relationship with the B's.

Living in a neighborhood is just such a challenge.

Okay, relationships are a challenge.

Flowers, Anyone?

Several years ago, my then visiting teacher told me her husband worked for one of the largest flower growers west of the Mississippi.

I was surprised and said that I had never even heard of it.  She told me a little bit about it, and RAH and I decided some day we would go see it.

That day was Thursday....I had to miss Yoga, which I did at home before we left, but it was worth it.

What an eye opener.  Because, you see, it's in a little teeny wisp of a town out in nowhere and it is a MIGHTY BIG operation.

The Millers started a greenhouse growing operation in Oxnard, California.  A friend of theirs from Utah told them about a teeny little greenhouse in NEW CASTLE, UTAH that Mr. Miller might want to look at.  Because you see, there were thermal pools in the ground.  They could get heat for the flowers from those thermal wells.  So, they can grow the plants year round.  Which they do in Oxnard, California, but that is an ideal climate year round.  In New Castle, it would be much too cold to grow the plants all year.

And, so MILGRO opened in New Castle, Utah.  And, it's very impressive.  Little town, big deal.

They sell poinsettias all over America; big stores buy their plants; Target, Kroger, Safeway, Home Depot,  etc.

The interesting thing is that each set of stores has different specifications; some stores want their plants to not have any open flowers, some want a few open flowers, and whatever.
So, they have to be very careful about what they ship to each store.

They employ between 150 - 200 people.  It's a very busy plant.

Rhonda has worked here for 20 years.  She started out as a send planter and is now in charge of ordering supplies.  Her husband is the electric guy over all the mechanical stuff and there is a lot of that.

It was such a great way to spend a morning - learning about something right in our area.

Time to explore some more!

Of Cowboys and Red Rocks and Such....

We drove to Prescott, Arizona to look around, but specifically to watch our great neighbor, Tom Ericsson, do his thing....well, his thing outside of the courtroom, that is.  He's a steer roper.  It was fun to watch and he's pretty good.  Here he is with his uncle and they won $2500 each over the course of the day.  Go, Tom.  As an interesting fact about Prescott, they claim to be the oldest rodeo in America.

No, not Zion at all, but near Flagstaff, Arizona.  Stunning views of the red rocks, blue skies, and green all around!

Do you see it?  Carved into the rock is a lovely, unique Catholic Church built in the 1950s.  It was the lady's dream to build it, and her father supplied the funds for her dreams to come true.  While it isn't in active use on Sundays today, they do have a meeting on Monday evenings.

We met this adorable little girl taking a picture of the great big statue on a main tourist street in Sedona, Arizona.
 Isn't she so cute?  It was really hard to get an answer from her, though...she seemed quite indifferent to Loretta and me.
(And, her camera was rather old fashioned!)  

Loretta and I had a lot to say to each other over the three days driving together.  This was one of our favorite places to stop and visit; the courthouse square in Prescott, Arizona.  I wonder if we are talking about the fact, that we are by Whiskey Row, where at one time, there were 40 saloons along the couple of streets.  That's a might lot of whiskey going down!

The day after we got home from our trip, I met a new lady in our neighborhood from Prescott.  Her mother sells goat soap in a lovely little shop right across the street from we are standing.  If only I'd known, I would have bought some goat soap from Katie Pelo's mother!