I'll Be Working My Way Back To You, Babe

Can't seem to get Frankie Valli and the 4 Seasons out of my head now....

That's because we went and saw Jersey Boys in Las Vegas the night before last.

I can't recommend it.

I'm embarrassed to tell you that the language content is FOUL.  There is a warning sign as you enter the theater to let parents know that there are some inappropriate words.  There are more than 'some'.  And I did not get up and walk out.  I am sort of in that frame of mind right now though so I won't apologize for the fact that I loved the show.  The talent. The singing.  The story.  I haven't listened to live music done that well in....well I can't remember when.  Those boys from Jersey had mouths on them.  In order to spare your good conscience, I won't recommend you watching it.  But my conscience is on the down low right now...so it was good for me.

Las Vegas, where mechanized, electric Christmas lingers, leaves you feeling a bit empty. The hotel rooms are fantastic, the shopping is unparalleled, the sunshine is soothing.  I've never seen more homeless people.  And the sights only make you want to go to the real places.  Like, I'd really like to actually see Winter in Venice....in Venice.
But the beds are comfy.  Oh. comfy.  As in....I really need a new mattress.

I'm working my way back to the blog today.  I can hardly believe that I woke up this morning realizing that tomorrow will be a new year.  How dare 2012 sneak up on me like that?

If I hadn't had such a great diversion of hiking and a few other blessings this year I would probably spend the remaining hours of 2011 wallowing in some kind of self deprecating despair.  I might even have to break out a bottle of sparkling grape juice....of the nonalcoholic persuasion of course.

We had/have buyers for our KC home.  Closing date was this week and the appointed hour came and went without an actual close.  Buyers financing fell through.  Closure.  I need closure.  I need to not have to pay heating bills and mortgages in several states.  I need for the anxiety in my chest to loosen and dissipate before I get carried off in a straight jacket. Buyers want another shot at nickel-ing and dime-ing us to death and will aim for another closing date in a few weeks. I can't shake this feeling that we will never see a closing date. I'm banking on the idea that the buyers just won't have the money.  That'll teach me to never get my hopes up. "Big Girls Don't Cry".

"You're just to good to be true....can't take my eyes off of you...."
That's what I was thinking when I saw my first Big Horned Sheep in Zion.  What a surreal day.  We hiked, saw wild sheep, drove to Vegas, got dazzled by the lights, ate a ridiculously terrible dinner, watched an inappropriate show..."Oh, What a Night...late December back in '63"...er....2011.

I tell you...foray-es and visions of loveliness have saved the year.  "My Eyes Adored You...though I never laid a hand on you, My Eyes adored you. Like a million miles away from me you couldn't see how I adored you:  So close, so close and yet so far away...."

"Who Loves You, pretty mama...who's always there to make it right?"  Well we shall see what 2012 brings.  Maybe some good karma and a new attitude.  Maybe I should have been "Beggin"for those for Christmas.

Going to spend some time today getting my mind out of the gutter of self pity and working my way back by counting my many blessings.  Happy New Year.

Traditionally Speaking

This year I tried to get out of keeping some of the holiday traditions that I've created and kept during my 21 years of marriage and raising children.  Some of these annual good-tiding ideas are ones that I piggy-backed on from my youth, some are observed from other families and friends and some came from the nether-regions of my own brain.

And honestly, I think I'm the only one who really gives a darn about any of them.

I entertained the thought of breaking my own traditional habits this year and winging it, so to speak.  I mentioned to my girls that I thought we might forego the wrapping of the presents and just leave the open gifts out around the tree for Christmas morning.  No go.  They wanted nothing to do with this lazy option.  Of course not.  And why would they?  They are tucked in their beds dreaming of sweet you-know-whats dancing in their heads.  Doesn't impact them one bit. Other than the fact that it breaks a long standing tradition of the element of surprise and giddy unwrapping.

So, I stuck to the traditions.

We had Nutcracker night.
We ate potato casserole for Christmas morning breakfast.
We watched A Christmas Story.
And so forth.

We never ventured far from the normality of tradition.

Except for adding a couple of things.

We opened presents AFTER church on Sunday at almost 1:00 in the afternoon.  I myself, was pleased with that option and think it should be a new rule.  Doing this takes the frenzy out of the process and creates a mood of savoring the moment.

And then there was the day AFTER Christmas, when I hatched another obligational tradition.  The Day After Scones.

Yes, as if there wasn't enough sugar coursing through our veins, we reached higher levels of toxicity by having fresh warm scones for breakfast.  And they were good.

Cacao and Milk Chocolate Scones

3 cups flour
2/3 cup sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup cold butter, cut into pieces
1 cup milk chocolate morsels, or chopped up candy bar
1/2 cup cacao nibs or chopped toasted pecans
1 large egg
1 cup whipping cream
2 tsp vanilla

1.  Preheat oven to 425ª.  Stir together first 4 ingredients in a large bowl.  Cut in butter with a pastry blender or tool until crumbly.  Stir in chocolate morsels and nibs or nuts.

2.  Whisk together egg, 1 cup whipping cream and vanilla.  Add to flour mixture, stirring with a fork just until dry ingredients are moistened and mixture forms a shaggy dough.
Using a 1/3 measuring cup, scoop dough into mounds onto parchment paper-lined backing sheets.  *Brush scones with additional cream and sprinkle with sugar if desired.

3.  Bake at 425 for 13-18 minutes or until golden.  Serve warm.

I think I'll be keeping that tradition for sure.

Merry Christmas from the Anasazi

Deep within this ancient slot are relatively unknown, fading messages left from Anasazi 600-1,000 years ago.

I had an early Christmas present yesterday during a hike. As our guests ducked out from the gale force wind and ate their lunch, I spent some time in refrigerating solitude marveling at the gift left behind for so few of us in this day.  

People carved their lives on these sandstone walls hundreds of years ago. I'm just in awe.  

It may have been a figment of my imagination but I thought I could hear a whisper...Merry Christmas my friend. 

This year's best present.

Holiday Cheermeister

I'm just trying to get into the Holiday Spirit here at the Retro house...otherwise known as Whoville.

So I put out my best tink-tinklers...

And that was pretty cheery.

And then my house flooded.  And that was not so cheery.

And then we escaped and went to Toroweap...or the north rim of the Grand Canyon, via 60 miles of dirt road.

And there we inspected jagged rock laden with a heavy case of crinoids.

And Hunter took on the weight of the world.

And Boyd rode his bike.

And then as if on cue, the whining commenced and it was time to load up and come home to stinky, wet Whoville, where the dank carpets lay.

And then to add to the holiday cheer, we headed for the red cliffs of Tuacahn to be lifted and enlightened by Alex Boye, where I forewarned Bridger that I might cry during his rendition of O Holy Night.  And I did.

And just when I thought my tiny heart couldn't get much bigger, then Mr. Boye came into the audience and snatched up Bridger and a friend of ours, Montana to sing and dance with him on stage.




I think my heart grew 3 times last night.

And then what could be more cheerful than waking to the gift of toilet paper?

Nothing says "Merry Christmas" more than billowing yard art.

Cheerfulness abounds.

Even in spite of soaking wet carpets.

I'd especially like to thank my neighbor, the true Grinch of Whoville, who summoned the local deputy to our home this morning to ticket the car of a visitor, for facing the wrong way on our cul de sac.  What a nice, peace offering gift.  I think I would have preferred the Christmas shave.

Merry Christmas to even you Mr. Grinch...from the Holiday Cheermeister of Whoville.

40 gallons

40 Gallons.

That's how much our hot water heater upstairs holds.

This morning I thought I heard the shower running upstairs.

It was a shower alright.

40 gallons of water came through the ceiling into my kitchen, dining room and living room.

I figure we sucked up about 35 gallons.  That means there's still 5 saturated in the carpets, walls and ceiling.

Not exactly the plan I had for 7:00 AM on a Saturday morning.  Gotta love the retro house.

Doggone Blogger

Is anyone else out there having Blogger issues?

Here are a couple of mine...

No access to managing blogs I follow

Body text font won't show.

I think it may be time for me to make the change...the unspeakable change.

In Not So Many Words

One of the hazards of hiking are the heights.  I'm deathly afraid of them.  And with my new found equilibrium issue, doubly so.

In not so many words, I'd like to share my experience on a 'baby' scary hike called Hidden Canyon in Zion.  It's a "hanging" canyon, meaning it is suspended high above the actual floor of the canyon.  The trail getting up to it has 1,000 foot drop offs on one side.

It's relatively short.  And anchored chains are provided in the most dangerous passages.

Payoffs:  Baby arch, talcum powder sands and scrambling.

In not so many words....I made it.  I was utterly alone, not seeing another soul the entire trip up and back.  Good and bad.
No one to see me clutching for dear life to the chain but no one to be with me to talk me down if I froze up.
I didn't freeze up.

Baby steps...in not so many words.

One Hit Wonders

Last night we hosted a Christmas Open House here...at the Retro house from 3 -8 PM along with four other houses in our neighborhood.  Thank goodness for a reason to get out the Christmas decorations this year!  Otherwise I might have gone another year, much to Bridger's dismay, without trimming the tree.

But we had a reason and so it happened.

And as part of this open house tour we provided food for the merry tourists.

Two of the recipes I made this year were ones that I tried from some fellow bloggers.  And I have decided that they have become new traditions for us.  I got a lot of requests for these recipes so I thought I'd post them.

Cranberry Salsa from Kiki Creates

12 oz fresh cranberries
3/4 cup sugar
1 medium jalapeno, seeds removed
1 green onion
2 TBSP cilantro (I just tore apart some fresh cilantro to taste)
1/4 tsp cumin

Process all ingredients in a food processor (or VitaMix in my case) to coarse texture.  Store in refigerator overnight.  Serve over cream cheese, if desired.  Eat with tortilla chips or crackers.

I actually made this over Thanksgiving with fresh jalapenos from my yard and it was amazing!! It's actually also very good by itself with tortilla chips.

And next....
Cheesy Cranberry Onion Ball from Life in Grace

8 oz softened cream cheese
8 oz shredded cheddar cheese
1 small can crushed pineapples
4 scallions
1/2 cup dried cranberries rough chopped
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion salt (I used onion powder and added a dash of salt)

Mix all together and let sit for a couple of hours.

I think I'll just eat this for every meal for the next two weeks.

I also made my stand-by hot artichoke dip.

16 oz marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 cup mayonnaise
1 (4oz) can chopped green chilies
1/2 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese

Combine ingredients and place in a 8 x 8 inch baking dish.  Bake at 400 for 25-30 minutes until hot and bubbly.  Serve hot with corn chips or crackers.

So there's a few of the one hit wonders from last night.

As much fun as it was, I think I'll let my experience of hosting a Christmas open house stay a one hit wonder.

Happy Eating!

Go Tell It

The first 4 miles of my hike yesterday I listened to my Ipod.

As I crested the Summit of Observation Point in Zion, I was listening to Alex Boye's delicious rendition of "Go, Tell It On the Mountain".

I nearly screamed, "Hallelujah!"

Go, Tell it on the Mountain,

Over the hills and everywhere.

Go, Tell it on the Mountain,

That Jesus Christ is born!

Oh, that I were an angel and could seal this testimony and truth into the hearts and minds of all those I meet.  

Mr. Boye will suffice instead.

Cry Her Home

I have been awake since 2:30 AM.

And 5 minutes ago my Mom left for home in her packed car with her two pups. She's been here exactly a month.  I'm going to cry her home today.

20 years ago this month, I laid in bed, pregnant with Chloe, sick and unable to feed myself.  I was 4 months pregnant and had already lost 20 lbs. My Mom packed up the twins and drove herself to Utah to nurse me to health.  She literally slept on the floor in my house. The day she left, I relapsed and became sicker than ever.

Once again, my biggest supporter and nurse came to my rescue.  When I became sick last month, she never hesitated.  She was here within hours and has been at my side since.  Boyd has traveled and been gone frequently.  She has been our school carpooler, our errand runner, our cook and housekeeper.  I don't know how I would have managed without her.

I don't know how I can possibly show my gratitude for all that she does for me.

I remember an instance when my baby was 4 years old that perfectly describes how I feel about my Mom.  Bridger was sitting in her car seat in the back of our suburban and when I looked into my rear view mirror to check on her I could see tears streaming down her face.  I asked what was wrong and if she was okay.  She said, "I just never want to leave you Mommy, I want to live with you forever."

As my Mom ducked out the front door pre-dawn, I had a flash back....
I don't want her to leave, I want to live with her forever.

So, I'll cry her home today.  I'll cry and pray that she drives safely.  That her car will function properly.  That the roads will be clear and the skies fair.  That her pups will sleep soundly.  That her knees and ankles will not swell.  That she will be alert and attentive.  That she will encounter wise and prudent drivers.  That she will know how much I love her and miss her.  That I will find a way to thank her and show her how much I appreciate all that she has done for me.

A month is not long enough.

Think I'll go cry myself to sleep now.  I love you Mom.