A Relaxing Day...???

Oh blog how I have missed you....

After a looooong hiatus, I finally come to fill your empty pages with something interesting.

After today's adventure, I just HAVE to blog it.

Today (Wednesday) was supposed to have been a nice relaxing day for me.  With my son gone (he's traveling with Dad), I thought I would treat myself to the spa.  I only ordered a mani/pedi for today, but AFTER today, I'll be going back for more!

I got myself up early so that I could get ready to enjoy my day.  I wore my newly purchased maxi dress and sported it with my favorite sandals.

It was a BEAUTIFUL day!

Not hot, not cold.

I drove with the sunroof open and enjoyed the nice breeze.

I got to my destination...The Wildflower Day Spa and really enjoyed my mani / pedi.  It was so nice!  They used the most amazing oils and herbs, sugar scrub, and ohhh, it was just wonderful!  When it was finished, I left feeling good about myself and my nails.

Next, I wanted to treat myself more, so I went to our favorite coffee shop, Java Junkies.  I got a wonderful iced coffee, which only made me feel better!

Then I picked up a few things at the grocery store, but I treated myself even more with some special cheesecake ice cream things.  Ohhh they look sooo wonderful!

Then I headed back home where I would enjoy the rest of my night and eat my treats while watching a chick flick.

Or so I thought....

As I drove, I was on the phone with my husband and he informed me that the truck wouldn't start.  It was so hot there (124) that the starter went out.  Well, parts for a truck are WAY more expensive than a car.  Add a few zeroes to your latest car repair.  I've been around the block with truck repairs now, that the price tag was no shocker.  I didn't even let it ruin my wonderful "Pamper Me" day.

So I continued driving home and noticed the massive dark clouds south of town.  Hmmm, that's about where I live.  I continued driving and ended up getting rain, but the lightening was most impressive!  It wasn't until I turned off the highway onto our road that I knew the full force of the storm.

Suddenly, the rain was coming down in sheets.  Lightening was flashing its fingers all around me, as if it wanted to cage me in.  The thunder boomed and shook my car as I drove.  But then the wind came.  It was so fierce that it was blowing branches off trees and they flew above my car.  The wind tried to force me off the road, the rain blinded me, the thunder and lightening threatened our little area.

Finally, I reached our driveway and pulled in, happy to be home. 

But the storm wasn't finished yet.  The winds were relentless and nearly knocked me off my feet.  I grabbed my cheese cake treats and carried them to the house.  I would get the rest when the rain and wind stopped.

My dog, Poppy, was so happy to see me as I unlocked the door.  I reached in to flip on the light and there was no power.  Not surprising considering the storm we had.  I put away my treats and called in the power outage to our power company.  Then I went to change clothes into something comfy.  The maxi dress was comfy, but now I could just sit around in a big baggy t-shirt and pj pants.

Not yet....

No sooner had I taken everything off, then I saw someone in our driveway.  I ran into the bathroom and the only thing I had available happened to be dirty clothes.  Great.  Sliding on my house shoes, I went outside to see what the guy wanted.  He points behind the house and says, "There's a fire."

O - M - G.

Sure enough, there was smoke billowing from within the trees and rocks on the mountain behind the house.  If anyone remembers the blog about my grandmother, you would understand that I was suddenly freaked out.  Not to mention the Largest Fire of Washington State. I know I know, I'm in Idaho, but I'm in Idaho that's wedged between Washington and Montana.  You can drive all three states in less than 100 miles.  Whatever things affect Washington, usually effect us.  We have had HORRIBLE smoke from the big fires over there.

So you  might imagine that it's terrifying to see smoke.

I immediately called 911 and reported the fire.

Then I called the property management company.  They, of course, had gone home for the day because I had gotten home shortly after they closed for the day. 

Next, I called the owner of the property, who did not answer, so I left him a message informing him of the fire and that I had already called 911.

Then I called my husband who told me to call the fire department too.

I called the fire department.  They informed me that they were taking trees off of houses and would get to the fire whenever.  Hello?  FIRE department.  Not TREE department.  FIRE department.  I asked if the houses or trees that had fallen on the house were on fire.  No.

Okay...Fire...tree...fire... tree.

You are a FIRE department.

I shook my head as the captain informed me that there were already three calls in on this fire behind me house.

Next, I called my neighbor.  Mainly just to inform him of the fire and see if they were okay.  He wasn't even in town.  He decided to come back to make sure everything was okay.  Then I called my other neighbor who lives way up the mountain to see if she's okay.  She's fine too, and also in town.

You have to understand that out here, we all live in or on the mountain.  We share the same driveway and look out for each other.  That's what good ole country mountain people do.  haha!

My neighbor shows up with a chain saw and shovel.  We drive up the mountain along the steep winding road, looking for the fire.  It's no where to be seen, but I know about where it is.  So I tell my neighbor to keep driving.  Finally, we see the smoke.  We hopped out of the car, grabbed the shovels, and hiked down some steep terrain.

Lightening had struck a tree (no big surprise), and all the pine needles had caught fire.  Luckily, the tree was wedged down in a ravine that was walled by large rocks.  The flames were only about four inches high and was almost burned out.

I know, I sound like I'm freaking out over something so little, but those little flames could be HUGE in a matter of  minutes.  With the shovels, we cleared away any unburned wood, needles, and whatnot.  Then we smothered the flames with dirt.  We got the fire out and continued to throw dirt over the smoldering embers and whatever else there was.  We were done.

I was inspecting the tree that was hit, and it was so strange!  It wasn't burned at all!  But there were two long streaks where the bark had been completely blown off!  All the way from top to bottom!

Finally, we headed back down the mountain, and as soon as we got there, the fire department showed up.  Two firefighters were about to hike up the CLIFF to get to the fire.  We simply told them they could drive to it and gave them directions.  Apparently, their boss had been hiking all over the mountain trying to find it.  They drove up there just as we had, probably happy they didn't have to hike up.

Finally, I went back inside, tired, and wanting one of my cheese cake bites.  But the power was still out.

Darn.

Then I noticed the fire truck coming back down the mountain.  We must have done a decent job of getting the fire out, because I don't even think they were up there long enough to do anything but look at it.

So with power and fire out, I called the power company one more time and proceeded to text my husband and son that I was okay. Then the power company came and restored my electricity, which allowed me to immediately hop online and blog about my day very late at night while I reek of fire smoke.

So my relaxing day turned out to be not so relaxing, but you'll never guess what?

My beautiful manicure and pedicure made it through the entire ordeal!  

Vote for Me!

Lately I have seen a lot of local signs and posters that encourage people to vote for them for commissioner or sheriff or whatever it is they are running for. The signs usually clutter the (usually) pretty scenery and can get quite annoying. But the thing I really hate to see is for these people that are running act like 2 year olds.

The other day my son and I were at the post office and as soon as I jumped out of the car, I heard this guy start yelling at this old man. He screamed something about the old man hitting his car. I happened to glance in their direction as I entered the post office and I didn't see any damage. Then I heard the man yell, "You are old enough to know better...blah blah blah..you will pay for this!" Deep inside, while getting my mail, and going to the counter to mail a package, I could still hear the man yelling. I was in there for a good 10 minutes.

When I came back out, he was still yelling at the old man, but now they were inside the post office. The man yelling was insisting that the old man pay for the damage and whatnot and I think they were exchanging insurance info. As I reached the door, the old man said "Sir, I did not hit your car and I will fight this."

People coming in and out of the post office were disgusted with this public display of this guy yelling at this old man. By the way, this old man had remained calm and collected through out all of this.

Back in the car, my son commented about what a jerk the sheriff was. When I asked him what he meant, he said that the man yelling had screamed to the old man that he was the sheriff. Typical...it seems almost everywhere you go more and more officers of the law have a big ego and like to make scenes.

As I left the post office there was a massive sign that said "Re-Elect Sheriff Whats-His-Name!" I snorted, after seeing the "sheriff" yell at the old man like that, whether or not the old man hit his car, he handled the situation poorly. Okay, sure, I would be upset if someone hit my car, but I would not be making a scene about it in a public place like the post office, especially if I was a public figurehead and I was up for re-election. There are other ways that he could have handled the situation, but he chose to make a big ugly scene where many of his voters could see it.

Maybe this guy is a good sheriff and he was just having a bad day, who knows? But I don't think I would be voting for him simply because of the behavior I saw. Throwing his weight around as if he's above it all makes him look bad to all of us simple folk. The way he acted for something minor like a fender bender...how would he behave if it were something more serious?

"You hit my car and I'm going to make you pay! Vote for me!"

Something to think about...

Aurora Light Show

Yesterday I was thrilled when there was another chance to catch a glimpse of the elusive Aurora Borealis. The skies were clear, and they were predicting high activity. That meant that I *might* see it on the horizon.
I kept looking outside, staring hard into the sky, but saw nothing but stars.

"That's okay." I kept telling myself. "They say there is better watching closer to midnight." It was only 10pm.

Rather than staring out the window like I had before, I threw my pillows at the other end of the bed and propped them up so I could at least lie down while watching the sky. I was determined to see them.

I lay there for a while watching the sky and my eyelids started to drop. I knew then that I was probably not going to see the Auroras. I was becoming sleepy and I couldn't stay awak.....zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

At the moment I wasn't sure why I came out of my sleep, but I did. My eyes remained closed and wished that I could just go back to sleep. The dog was lying on the bed next to me with her "babies" (that's another story!) and it was rather warm in the bedroom, even with the fans running. I kicked the blanket off my and sighed, my eyes still closed.

A few moments later, as I drifted back into unconsciousness, I saw a flash of light and my eyes flew open.
What was that?? I thought, and then jolted up. The Auroras! Of coarse!! Not ever seeing the Auroras before, I had no idea what to expect. Did they give off a flash of light or was it more of a glow? Either way, I was excited and I stood there, staring hard out the window again.

Suddenly, there was a rumble far in the distance. Huh? I didn't see any clouds to the north, it had to be the Auroras...the rumble was just a train or something getting started up again. I was determined to see the northern lights. Anything I see, would be the lights.

There was another flash of light, somewhere from the east, beyond the mountain. Strange. I thought, the northern lights should be north, not east. Then I saw it, a huge bolt of lightning stretching across the sky and the field behind the house, with white hot fingers that spread out towards the tops of the tallest trees.

One Mississippi...
Two Mississippi...

The rumble came. It was not a clash or boom, but a loud rolling thunder that vibrated the air. Then the rain came.

There would be no Aurora that night... but at least we got a pretty good light show!

5 Yard Rant

I was at the store the other day looking for fabric for a skirt. Hubby came with me to help me pick out something that was complimentary to my fair skin - apparently he doesn't like pastels on a summer girl. haha! We looked at many different fabrics and compared them, I modeled them, and he looked from 15 feet away to make sure it was just right. He picked some fabrics I wasn't crazy about, and I picked some he wasn't crazy about. We went back and forth for a good 30 minutes with the different fabrics and trying to find something good. Then we found a compromise and decided on a simple fabric.

I was happy, he was happy.

Then it was time to get it cut.

While we were looking at fabric, I had noticed that these three women had shown up and started looking too. I thought nothing of it as they were looking at awful prints that I wasn't even remotely interested in. The odd thing about these women was that they were in what looked like, a hurry; snatching up bolts of fabric and throwing them into their carts.

Just as we had decided on our fabric, and I started moving towards the table to get it cut, one of the tree ladies quickly pushes her shopping cart up to the table and throws a bolt of fabric to the cutting lady. She says "I only need one yard." Then she waves her friend over and whispered something to her and her friend goes back to looking for fabric. As the cutting lady cuts, this woman starts piling the bolts of fabric onto the table. She had 24 bolts! "Only one yard of this." She would say as she pushed forward another bolt. "Oh, make that two."

Her friend continued to shop for fabrics and would yell across the room that she found another, then would bring it to this woman, who would pile it up with the others waiting to be cut.

All this time, the third woman was slowly walking around looking at fabric and adding them to her cart, but was assured "her place in line to get it cut" as the woman with (now) 30 bolts was saving her space.

I had one bolt and needed 5 yards.

I waited. And waited. And waited. If I could have gotten this fabric elsewhere, I would have just left, but I've spent several weeks mulling over this skirt design and look. So I waited.

This woman had her friend add another 5 bolts of fabric while she couldn't decide if she wanted 1 or 2 yards of each of the fabrics.

To add insult to injury, she decided that she wanted to start a new ticket because this next set she would get reimbursed for. She bragged on and on to the cutting lady that these fabrics were going to be table covers at an event in which they would pay for the fabric, and at the end, she would get to keep the fabric. She would be getting it for free. Well, she wanted to maximize her freebies and got more than the yard that was required.

By this time, my son has had it, and my husband was no where to be found. I think he ended up finding someone to chat with. I was quickly growing impatient as this woman now had 35 bolts of fabric.

I had been there for at least an hour just to have my measly little 5 yards cut.

Then the woman brags about how the three of them have been hitting every place that sells fabrics within a 100 mile radius.

Come on!

Finally, her 35 bolts of fabric were cut and I was dreading the wait for the other woman who had silently been walking around putting fabric in her cart. I was certain she would jump in and claim her place in line. At the moment she was around the corner looking at something and caught the attention of 35 Bolt Woman. The cutting lady looks at me and says "Let me cut your fabric real quick, she's got a lot!" I quickly glanced at the three woman and they were off being rude to someone else by piling yarn into their baskets now.

I handed the bolt of fabric over and said, "Five yards." The cutting lady quickly measured and started cutting and 35 Bolt Lady turns around and gasps, "She cut in line!" She pointed at me.

Get real woman.

The only reason you "were in line first" was because you pushed your way in front of me and threw fabric at the cutting lady. Having your friend shop for fabric so you don't have to wait in line for me to have five yards cut in just plain rude. Actually it's more than rude, so don't get mad at me.

The cutting lady told 35 Bolt Woman that she would be with her in one moment and to please calm down. She finished printing my ticket and whispered an apology in my direction as 35 Bolt Lady's friend started piling her fabric up on the table. As I quickly walked away, I heard the three bawking (much like chickens) about how rude I was.

Rude, fine. I'll take rude. At least I'm not a first rate b%@&!.

Ahh, drama at the cutting table.....

Secrets of the Soul

For the past two years, my husband has been working on his novel. We have been working intensely on editing it so that we could get it published.

Today I am proud to present my husband's book, published and available on Amazon as a paperback and for the Kindle!

The world is in chaos thanks to the short sighted stupidity of Asous and his companions. The very fabric of the dimensional universe will be unraveled unless Melkatees, Raythoriz, and their four apprentices can alter the events and restore balance. The alliance between Asous and powerful beings from other worlds will make this a difficult task.

- In Chaos, There Is Opportunity…
- Raythoriz

Secrets of the Soul Available on Amazon!

If you don't own a Kindle, you can download the free Kindle for PC here.

My husband already has several ideas for a series of books, so the story won't end with this book! It's exciting; my husband is now a published author!

Egg Scrambler

I've discovered a quick and easy breakfast without the mess! Egg Scramblers!

What you need:

2 eggs
Cheese - I usually use shredded cheese out of the pack
Bacon Pieces - real bacon pieces are best, but bacon bits work too.
Spices - salt, pepper, garlic, etc.
Fork
Coffee Cup
Microwave

What to do:

Crack the eggs into the coffee cup, add cheese, bacon, and spices. With your fork, whip it all up. Make sure it's all mixed up.

Microwave for 45 seconds.

Stir.

Microwave for 45 seconds again.

Poke around to make sure egg is cooked, if it's not, microwave for 20 second intervals until cooked through.

Sprinkle with more cheese and bacon.

Microwave 20 seconds to melt cheese.

Eat! Mmmmm!!

To clean, just fill cup with soap and water. :D

Happy New Year?

Yeah, I know it's a bit late considering that January is half over now. I know I've neglected my blog. I haven't really had much to say lately...or is it that I have had lots to say, but it's just a jumbled mess in my head and I haven't sorted it out yet? That's it for sure!

Well, instead of droning on with silly updates that I'm sure bores you all to sleep, I'll post a picture.
Sorry Facebook friends, I know you've already seen it, but I had to post it on my blog too. ;)

Yesterday there were some heavy looking snow clouds that looked like they were about to fall out of the sky, but what really grabbed my attention was that they were sitting just over the sunset and the glow of the sun made the clouds look really awesome, so I had to take a picture. It was snowing some flurries while I took the picture, you might see a few flakes in there.

Click to enlarge.