Grumble

I have been contemplating  a new post for many, many, many days not, but I have not been visited by my muse.  I think perhaps it is because I am still emotionally drained from the lack of sun.  Who would want to make contact with a person constantly mourning the lost season of spring.  If my muse does not choose to make contact, then perhaps it is up to me to make the most of a bad season and look for the bright spots.  I have had to travel farther south to find the sun and blossoms.  Sorry Idaho, I just couldn't wait you out and I defected to Southern Utah to recharge my batteries. 

Aren't things looking better?  It is amazing what a flower and color can do for the soul.

Yes, Mr. Lizard the sun is good for mental health.

When I need a pick me up I can always look at photos and count the number of vitamin D tablets left in the bottle.

Dinner at Watson's

Pulling up the old building it seemed to be a misplaced relic that had managed to stand its ground in the chaos of the 21st century.  It had seen two lives.  The first as a bank in the early 1900s and the second as Watson's Bar.  In 1935 it shifted from banking to--well whatever one does in a bar.  

This old structure is a cafe/bar.  Opening the door we were greeted by a tiny, brown, curly haired dog.  Tail wagging, she waited for our greeting and a pet.  Three men sat at the opposite end of the bar with smoke curling around their heads and a drink of choice in front of them.  One strumed a guitar and hummed softly.    Old locals from the Menan area, they looked up and waved us on in.  "Come on in and sit right up here," one said.  As we hesitated a woman entered through a swinging door and walked towards us smiling.  "Do you serve food?" I asked.  "Sure do.  Have a seat and I'll grab a menu.  Sorry we are all out of elk burger today."  "Well, that is a disappointment," I said.  She laughed and asked what we wanted to drink.  "A tall glass of water for both of us."

Just listening to the conversations while we ate was like the beginning of a novel.  Roy, the owner of the dog had the most to say.  He talked about a fishing trip to Island Park with no money in his pocket.  The buddy he went with had enough to rent a boat and that emptied his pocket.  Periodically, he called Coco back to his side and apologized to us because he was afraid she was a pest.  She just added flavor to the already spiced atmosphere.  Coco cried and begged him to be allowed on his lap and sure enough he picked her up and she also sat at the bar minus the drink.

Don't call me Darlin oh no don't call me Darlin wails the guitar player and everyone joins in the chorus.  Coco sits quietly without joining in.  The backdoor opens and two more locals wander in.  Lots of how you doing--hay there Roy-- oh, Coco you little cutie and pats on the backs.  The two men sit next to us.  One has short gray hair and is obviously older than the other.  He sits down and throws a purse on the bar.  Opps, it is a woman and the other gentleman's mother no less.  Excuse me!

Randy comes in the front door--More pats and howdy dos go the rounds. I know for sure Randy is not a women because he sports a full beard and no purse.  He pulls a wallet out of his pocket and walks to the ATM machine.

 As a quiet observer I wish I knew the story of each person--where have they been, what have they seen.  I see lives far different from mine.  I am sure that they have lived hard and worked hard, yet I can sense the friendship and caring they share for each other .We were definitely outsiders, but it doesn't matter.  They invited us back May 7th for the Kentuckey Durby party.  It will be lots of fun they tell us.

Yes, we were out of our eliment, but that was okay.  We need diversity in our lives.  It is important to remember we all live together in various ways.  Even if our paths cross only once or just occasionally we all  have many things in common.  The main lesson to be learned from lunch at Watson's Bar--we were welcomed and accepted into their private place.

Pictures from our walk through Deer Park Land Perserve near the Menan Butes

Washington D.C.

There are places that one visits that are too large to take in with only one visit.  Washington D.C. is one of those places.  The first trip only allowed us to touch the surface.  The to do list still  needed to be shortened.   It now has more check marks, but isn't completed.  D.C. is a vibrant, complex, energizing city.  Like all large cities, it is constantly in motion and you are drawn into its spirit.  Modern elements mix with the old and fit seamlessly together.  We spent two very full days in the D.C. area and two more days exploring other unseen places----Baltimore, Annapolis, Fredericksburg, and Richmond.

The cherry trees were blooming and announcing the beginning of The Cherry Blossom Festival.

A view from above

 Arlington National Cemetery--row upon row of white.  There is a reverence that everyone who visits this place shows--a quiet respect!

                 National Cathedral ----Episcolpal Church which took 40 years to complete.

Looking into the reflection of a store window in Richmond

Old Town Alexandria.  It is a reminder of the past and the cobbled streets and old buildings remain very much the same .

  Order a halfsmoke--a sausage cooked on the grill until it is crisp and blackened covered in Ben's special chili--be sure to bring cash--no plastic accepted.

Neils took us to Ben's Chili Bowl which has been featured on Man Verses Food with Adam Richman.  You really need a local to find it.  When you find these hidden gems the next trick is to find parking.  Neils is one outstanding parallel parker.  I doubted his skill, but he proved me wrong. He squeezed into a space across the street. 

Would I go again  YES!   The area is so full of history.  To say you stood in some of these places gives you a chance to reflect and appreciate what you can only read about.  Somtimes you just need to see it for yourself and feel it.

Doesn't every album need a family portrait--look how much fun they are having.

Room to Room

I find it fastinating how words and terminology change through the years.  There seems to be a need to create new words to fit changing situations and life styles. With the introduction of televison into the American home came the new words used to describe the room in which it resided.

 When I was very young most families had there television in the living room.  It was often enclosed in a large cabinet which was, in many cases, the nicest piece of furniture in the room.  Ours was a box with no cabinet that sat on what was called a TV stand.  As time went on and the amount of time spent watching TV increased, a new room was invented--the TV room.  No longer did TV viewing take place in the living room, but in the newly designated TV room.  This could be a spare bedroom or maybe the corner of a large kitchen.    But soon another new word was needed and TV room changed to rec room which was usually found in the basement.  People began finishing their basements and creating spaces for the family to gather.  The walls were wood panelling because it was cheap and easy to do it yourself.   The lighting left a lot to be desired.  About all you could do in the rec room was watch TV or possibly play ping pong because any other activity would have caused blindness.

Eventually, the dark atmosphere began to take its toll on mental health and a new room was coined--the family room.  Now, we all moved back upstairs or took down the panelling and added better lights.  If you were lucky, you had a family room upstairs probably just off the kitchen.  That scheme worked for a number of years until the family room became the great room.  I have no idea where the term Great Room came from, but it sounds grand and expensive.  Since my home has a great room that opens up to the well appointed kitchen does that mean I am rich or just don't understand the terminology?   As simple minded as I am, as a kid I envied my friends who had a rec room.

Great Room

Kitchen which flows into the Great Room


I have watched TV in all the above rooms.  Fortunately, I never had to endure the wooden walls, but I did have some wicked blue floral wall paper.  Just as I began to feel comfortable with the great room concept a new word has appeared on the scene--THE MAN CAVE.  Rather than moving forward in inovative terminology it seems we are moving back--way back.  What in the world is a man cave.  As near as I can determine, since we do not have a man cave, it is a room for men only. The question must be asked--why do men get their own space and what do they do in this man cave.

From my TV watching I am becoming educated in regards to this new term.  It seems to be a place, usually in the basement, where a very large television is housed surrounded by recliners and a couch.  Apparently, many educational programs are viewed in this room which are only interesting to men.

The room in the basement of my home, where the flat screen TV lives, is called the family room.  Any one is welcome in this room including children.

Family Room

 So now we have come full circle and returned to the basement.  I can think of one more possible place that has been over looked for watching TV.  The area of the house that has not been used for endless hours of sitting and staring at a rectangle is the attic.  Perhaps it could be called the lofty room.  I like the sound of that.  It is much more intellectual sounding than The Man Cave. 

It was time to hit the road--get out of Dodge.  When the foot starts to itch, it is a sure sign that a road trip is in the making.  A week ago the foot began its tingling and it was so persitent we knew the only way to cure it was to load the car and head south.

  We love to travel and short trips to nearby places often offer as much as those involving further distances, more money, and bigger chunks of time.  When the gray light of winter hangs heavy we head south, not far, just an eight hour drive.   The car points its nose toward St. George and we buckle up and go along for the ride.  When the red rocks and cactus come into view the spirit begans to lift and the cold and snow become a memory rather than a reality.  The journey has taken us from a world of black and white to one of vivid color.

I am always amazed that in a reasonable amount of time you can transport yourself to a new and different enviornment without much effort.  All it took was a bag of snacks to munch on as the miles ticked by.  There is solace in consuming the extra calories as we put the miles behind us because we know that shortly those little fat builders will be walked off.  Sun, warmth, and color have a magic effect on the energy level--WOW!  Let's get outside and move that body. 

To really enjoy the new freedom from cold and coats you must stayed fueled.up.  In order to do that, you must eat a lot.  Never fear, that is not hard.  Just ask us.  We found a variety of fun places to eat.  Breakfast seemed to be the meal we zeroed in on.  Omlets at The Egg- n- I, Belgian waffles at the Bear Paw and hashbrown casserole at Cracker Barrel.  We just tucked right in and never looked back.

a little bit of the middle east--lamb kabobs--yum

The only down side to the whole get away experience is the withdrawal that comes when I wake up and realize I am the cook of day.    

cactus and spring blubs in the hotel gardens--7:00 a.m.

Too Early

4:15 A.M.---What to do.  Such a still time of morning.  The neighborhood is dark and lights have not started to appear yet.  It is a Saturday morning and for most people an opportunity to sleep in and put aside the alarm clock.  My clock seems to be in need of adjustment.  I woke at 3:30 and mulled over my options.  I could meet Chip in the kitchen for a glass of milk, read my lusty romance novel, walk up the road and see if Packs need an extra hand milking, or watch TV.  None of these options sounded appealing.  Why not blog and share my morning insights.  So here I am.     

I am perplexd somewhat.  When I worked I never woke at three or four in the morning bright eyed and bushy tailed.  I did however wake up to check the time so I could calculate how many hours of sleep I had left before the radio alarm sounded the call to action.  That in itself is rather odd so I shouldn't be surprised that I now wake in the middle of the night and wonder what to do with myself.  If I was Nolan I could check out the starts and drag out the telescope or binoculars and stand in the COLD or lay on the kitchen floor to get a better perspective of Spika or a nebula which he swears is visible, but I can't see.

None of these choices are very exciting.  The small hand on the clock is moving toward five.  If I lived in New York City it would be almost 7:00, and I could walk to my favorite coffee shop and have a cup of flavored coffee, a Danish, and buy a copy a real newspaper.  Oh, I forgot I am not a coffee drinker.  Well, the next best thing--meet Chip in the kitchen and have a cup of hot chocolate.

My New Friends

Scientists have published research findings that indicate maintaining friendships and social interactions have added to the life span.  I believe this whole heartedly.  In an attaempt to lengthen my longevity I acquired three new friends this winter.  They are Oreo, Chip and Dark Chocolate. It is becoming a close and sustaining relationship.  I have never felt such a willingness from  my other friends to be helpful and comforting. 

 My new friends tell me only what I want to hear and never focus on my faults or character flaws.  With sincere hearts they offer support from boredom, restlessness and winter depression.  They exhibit qualities not found in my other friends.  Oreo, Chip and Dark Chocolate will never disagree with me or challenge my point ofview.

This trio is very serious about exercise.  Because of my association with them I have now added zumba dance to my workout routine.  Monday and Tuesday I attend yoga class at my local gym and Wednesday I sweat through an hour of zumba.  There are no men in the dance class, but I do see a large group of women who must also know my friends.  If you don't have the support of good pals, there is no way you would willingly jump, sway, clap, and shake your hips and sweat for one solid hour with no water.

I am grateful to my new friends for their devotion to my happiness and well being.  Hopefully, I will quietly expire in the pigeon pose or moving across the gym floor while executing the grape vine.