Spring Fever

 "It's spring fever.  That is what the name of it is.  

And when you've got it, you want - oh, you don't quite know what it is you do want, but it just fairly makes your heart ache, 

you want it so! "

-Mark Twain

Harvest of green beans, fava beans, broccoli and yellow squash.

 Living in Idaho I used to get spring fever about this time and calmed it by planting seeds in those little peat disks that expand like a slinky with water, and spreading my sprout project across the dining room table.  Sometimes it was a success, sometimes a failure, and sometimes a success-followed by cats snacking on the new sprouts, which is a semi-failure.

Heirloom veggies, gleaned fruit, and fresh eggs.

A few months later I would plant the surviving seedlings in the rich soil I had developed over the past few years in my ginormous old-person garden (I would call it that cuz they're the only ones who truely have time for a garden that big).  I would cultivate the garden all spring and summer long, all the while enjoying baskets of fresh lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, peas, peppers, corn, squash and zucchini.  I also had a reoccurring crop of various herbs: dill, chives, oregano, arugula, chamomile, mint, parsley, and the like.  I also had beds of irises, daffodils, sunflowers and the like adorning the property.

Here in Texas, I've got spring  fever again, but the poor soil conditions combined with water restrictions limits my garden.   I am only planting a few select plants in a a few pots around my patio, though I'm sure there will be a few more plants calling my name before the spring is through.

 Zoey and I chose a few flowers, veggies and herbs, painted a couple new clay pots and in the plants went.  At least here in Texas they can go straight in the dirt instead of staying protected inside for the next couple months.  Hopefully my efforts will produce a bit of beauty and a few yummies.

I loved my gardens in Idaho, but they were a lot of work without a lot of time to do it in. The growing season in Idaho is short and I was balancing household chores with work.  The garden flourished during the first two years Zoey was born and I was at home, but once I went to work the garden didn't see it's full potential due to my lack of energy.  What I have now in Texas is barely a glimmer of the beautiful herb, flower, and vegetable gardens I maintained in Idaho, but this is one of those sacrifices I've made in expectation of a more open future.

When Sheds Fly

"It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot 

and the wind blows cold:  

when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade."

 -Charles Dickens

Right behind the house.

It's spring in Texas, and the weather changes are brought on by strong winds. When we moved spaces last fall, we knew we would get a little more wind having lost the windbreaks of other houses, but the shade of the trees and the unobstructed view to the west behind our house is worth the extra little bit of shaking we feel in the trailer.

Our better, shaded spot.

Our new spot had a small metal shed on the lot, which we were excited to use for storage or laundry, but it had been placed on the cement pad, taking up half of our precious patio space.  John moved it to the back of the patio, thus removing it from it's tie-downs.  Result:  High flying shed.  oops

Before I arrived it had taken a few rolls, and since then it has continued to roll.  We thought placing it behind the trailer would help, but it continues to roll when the wind strikes it just right.  You may be thinking, 'why don't you tie it down or put a floor in it?' Well, the truck has been on the fritz so we haven't gotten the supplies and we keep thinking of fixing the problem, but with each roll it looks worse and worse, making us less and less excited about keeping it. For now we have it propped sadly behind the house awaiting a settling ground or to be hauled to recycling. 

Something Old, Something New

  " A new experience can be extremely pleasurable, or extremely irritating, or somewhere in between, and you never know until you try it out."

 -Lemony Snicket

Idaho-Nevada border

 With the closing date on our house in Idaho approaching, John and I had some quick decisions to make.  Our truck had sprung about a hundred leaks and as they fixed one, they had to order a part or hose for another.  With the truck in limbo, we couldn't pull the utility trailer we purchased up to Idaho and clear out the last of our belongings we couldn't part with and couldn't fit in the RV.  Decision:  1) Hire someone to load up our garage, with items still needing a final sorting, and haul it to a storage unit for us; or 2) Rent a vehicle to tow it up at great expense; or 3) Finally get a new vehicle (which John has been wanting to do) as our current car is getting old and haul the trailer up and back with that.

After much procrastination and hoping for the truck to be magically fixed, we decided now or never.  We drove to car lots subjecting ourselves to the flood of pushy salesmen shoving less-than-desirable vehicles upon us.  We finally found a great vehicle to fit the bill and at 9pm Thursday night we signed on a Nissan Armada in blue, a car color I've always wanted.  The next morning John cleared time off with his boss,  I randomly threw clothes and toiletries into suitcases, and by noon we were on the road.

Limited to only a week for travel and time with family, we decided to drive straight through  to Idaho taking the route through Vegas so we would avoid late night bad weather in New Mexico.  At 10pm local time, we paused to say hi to Rob and Donna and then back on the road.  At 3am in Wickenberg, AZ, I took over the wheel for my first time pulling a trailer. I might have over-thought this one; especially being empty it was a piece of cake.  I managed to get us through Vegas where John once again took over. Yep I drove 4 of the 29 hours.  I honestly could have taken us further, but John always takes the lead, or the wheel (pun intended).

About 80 miles south of Ely, NV , as we expected, we encountered a storm system rolling in with ferocity.  The remainder of the trip was fraught with several bouts of extreme weather, but fortunately spaced by clear roads and great weather.  In the end we made it through slowly but safely despite bad drivers and arrived home in Idaho for the last time.

Immediately we were greeted by family as Chrissy and Brandon brought over dinner, a welcome treat after hours on the road.  Over the next several days we camped out in our house, not having any furniture, and spent many great hours catching up with family and friends.  Many of them treated us to wonderful meals and entertainment.  It was so great to spend time with everyone.

Zoey's little goat friends hadn't forgotten her, and she was excited to give them one last goodbye snack.

The Magic Valley still had patches of white snow, which Zoey found perfect for a little snowball fight with mom.

 We managed a swift trip with Chrissy and Brandon to Miracle Hot Springs, which was beautifully renovate, and a drive through the Snake River Canyon along the beautiful Kelly Orchard area. It was great to be visiting old friends and old haunts.

With the garage cleared, we spent one last night in the home where Zoey was born and reached so many childhood milestones.

We set off early Friday morning towards home; although not as early as expected since the newly hooked up trailer brake system had been improperly repaired by the previous owner, causing the brakes to activate when the lights were on. After an hour of trouble shooting John solved the problem and we were off. (Raw wires were crossed.)  I admit Zoey and I both shed a few tears leaving our beautiful home in Idaho.

Driving into Vegas, John found he had a day to spare, so we decided to enjoy the evening in Vegas.  We walked the strip and included a quick stop at the Coca-Cola Store for a Coca-Cola around the world tour.  Zoey really appreciated the street performers and their costumes, something she was oblivious to before.

Hungry for a unique dining experience, we wandered into Todai for our first non-deli sushi experience.  John and I were feeling adventurous, and since it was a large buffet, we decided to try everything: we had eel, squid, octopus, tuna and the like.  We found we loved everything except the roe because it was a bit too fishy for our liking.

This was round one!!

 Next, having missed the first performance, we wandered around waiting to see the Cirque de Soliel performance of Ká. Because cameras are strictly forbidden, they threaten to throw you and it in the fire, you'll just have to take my word that it is an amazing show worth every penny.  Even little Zoey had the time of her life, but had to stand for part of the performance to stay awake at the late hour.

The next morning we set off for Tucson, AZ, but not without a stop at the Dam Helicopter Company to treat ourselves to an aerial view of the Hoover Dam.  The ride was a first for all of us, and Zoey, with her monkey tucked in her life vest so he could come along, became suddenly concerned and asked, "How are we going to remember all these cool things we are doing?"  Good thing mom's got pictures.  We all loved the sudden lift off of the aircraft, the swinging from side-to-side movement as it circled the dam, and the beautiful views.  The ride was over all too quickly, and we were on the road once again.

We arrived in Tucson that evening and Joan, John's sister, joined us for a wonderful burrito dinner deliciously prepared by Donna.  John hasn't been able to spend as much time with his family as I have, due to the fact I've done most of the traveling while he does most of the working, so it was a treat for him to spend a few hours with them.

The next morning we were off bright and early, heading for home, which honestly I was missing.  Texas has become home despite my sadness leaving my beautifully hand-renovated home in Idaho.  (I honestly don't think there is a square inch of that home I haven't touched.) 

Our trip was full of wonderful-old and exciting-new experiences, all of which I am grateful to have shared with my husband and daughter.  I just can't wait to see what wonderful things await us in our future.

Girl's Weekend

 "Adventure is worthwhile"

-Amelia Earhart

Living in Midland has is truly beneficial financially, but that's about it.  Ask anybody what there is to do around here and they'll run out a long list of places to go:  San Antonio, El Passo and Lubbock have offerings (5, 5 and 2 hours away), Carlsbad Caverns (2.5 hours away), Balmorhea State Park and Springs (2 hours away) and some scattered lakes (2 hours for the little ones, 5+ for anything serious).

 I'm no stranger to travel for recreation since my family and I used to travel regularly traveled 2-3 hours to go to the Stanley Basin, (video clip borrowed from You Tube),  but we also had a world

of weekend and afternoon recreation available to us  at our front doorstep by-way-of nature trails, the south hills, hot springs, caves, lakes and the Snake River Canyon.

Although making the best of Midland, sometimes it's nice to get out of dusty old Midland a bit, and a trip to Texas by my dad and Brenda was the opportunity we needed.  They were flying into San Antonio on their annual pilgrimage to Corpus Cristi to visit Greg and Gail Lossing.  John had to work, (big shocker there) so Karlie, Zoey and I decided to make a weekend of it and go together to not only have dinner but visit Sea World again and see what else tickled our fancy.

We started off dark and early Saturday morning through the back roads of West Texas, because that's the only way to cross from the I-20 down to the I-10.  Along the way I had seen a historical marker on our previous trip and I was not going to pass it up this time.  The pull-off was more of a drop off so I passed the exit and circled back on the wrong side of the road, onto a dirt road dodging cavernous ruts in my rough-and-tumble Toyota Camry.  We got as close as the road would allow to the Stiles Courthouse (built in 1911) and walked into the ruin.  A dilapidated fence surounded the structure so we felt it imperative we cross the missing barrier and explore.

Impressive stone steps and walls, a few burnt timbers (dumb arsonist in 1999 burnt the beauty which was a residence at the time), and rusted metal was strewn throughout.

 We climbed, posed and photographed ourselves throughout the building as we explored. 

The back side had a rounded stone roof structure with no supports.  No knowing it's purpose it left us to speculate if it was storage, an oven, or what.

Cold from the chilly morning air, we hurried back to the car and set off for Sea World.  It was a special event at Sea World, Wild Days.  Although I knew it was Wild Days, I had no idea how fun it would be for the little one.  We started off at the aquarium to view the sharks and spotted eagle ray feeding.  If you've never seen these animals, find them, they're hilarious and amazing as they glide through the water with their long cartoonish snouts.

We made our way next to the Wild Animal show, a bit early, and made a cockatoo mask, got Zoey's adventure discovery map stamped, enjoyed petting a young (4 year old) alligator, and feeding and petting a young wallaby.

The show had many other enjoyable animals, each of which Zoey declared she wanted to hold when it went on stage.  We wandered the park enjoying the animals, riding roller-coasters and rides, and stamping Zoey's adventure card at each of the educational booths.  Five stamps earned her a free whale-tail necklace which she cherished.  We finished our day at the dolphin tank, feeding and petting the sweet, almost smiley animals as they clicked and whistled at us.

We found our hotel with ease, cleaned up, and met my parents and our gregarious friends.  It was great to see everyone happy and healthy and having a good time.  Memoo, Grandma Brenda, gave Zoey a pretty little purse that she has yet to take off 3 days later.  After  some great burgers, lots of laughs, and warm hugs, it was time for them to hit the road and us to hit the sack.  

The next morning we started our day out with a walk through Olmos Basin Park, which made me sad to live in a town devoid of such beauty.

We next went to the San Antonio Botanical Garden and wandered through the numerous exhibits: the fountains...

 ...sensory garden, cactus, palm, fern, and such. 

We walked around the small lake, feeding the super friendly ducks and geese (I caught a goose, cuz why not...) and reading about the many local and foreign plants along the way.  They also had several replicas of historical Texan residences throughout which were fun to explore.

Little one poking her head out from behind Karlie.

Our feet tired from two days of walking and our weekend an adventurous success, we stopped by a local Korean market for a lunch snack and set off for home. 

We may have to travel far and wide to have fun while living in Midland, but we make the most of it when we do.  I'm so glad have my sister here to share these experiences with me, it wouldn't have been half as fun without her.

Trailer Park Livin'

"A bad neighbor is a misfortune,

as much as a good one is a great blessing."

 -Hesoid

Moving into a trailer park in Texas has not been without its challenges.  Although the majority of residents are great people thanks to strict management screening, a few slip through the system and then we have the dreaded trailer-trash.  (That may not be PC, but nothing else truly describes it).  Karlie and I both have had issues with this.

Busted!!! (not the white trailer, the building behind)

My former next-door neighbors, now across the street neighbors, approached us repeatedly to use our phones to either call the police because of domestic violence or get a ride across town.  He and she both had clear signs of drug abuse and their friends were loud and obnoxious at all hours of the night.  He asked me for rides repeatedly and I refused until he gave up. Although unpleasant neighbors, I never felt my safety was highly at risk and kept my distance when possible.  Recently two raids by the US Marshals has lead to them vacating the premises....problem solved...for now.  Rumor has it they were looking for him...I'm glad I never let him in my house or my car.

When we first moved Karlie in, the only space for her trailer was in the middle of the park.  Although the spot is parallel to us it still is four streets away and we wanted to have her as close as possible to help with her safety and possibly share internet. I asked to have her moved closer if  a space opened up, but the new managers were too engulfed in learning the basics of running the park to bother giving time to my request.

In front of her trailer was an empty mobile-home spot and large tree in bad need of grooming with numerous trunks branching out at the base.  The tree was a favorite hang out of the local neighbor underage kids who enjoyed hiding in the foliage as they snuck a few cigarettes here and there. After a few weeks, the management moved in a mobile home and cut the tree to the ground.  That solved the loitering problem, but created a privacy problem, not to mention took away the only shade she had on the property.  Busy with other things, we let the issue rest.

A few weeks back, Karlie came home from work to a blue piece of paper stuck to her door with electrical tape.  The note declared that one of the neighbors had seen her from afar and wanted to see if she would be interested in dating him, a 35 year old, good-looking, "shy" male.  He left a name and number.  Karlie has received fan mail before while waitressing , but at home it made her uneasy.   She quickly started to pay extra attention to locking up her home, to keep an extra eye on her surroundings and some pepper spray nearby.  A few days later, in the wee hours of the morning, she heard footsteps approach her home and then heard a tug on her door.  Unsuccessful at opening it, the footsteps retreated as she lay petrified in her bed eying her pepper-spray by her pillow.

I awoke to a text she sent saying that someone tried to enter my her house, I decided it was time for action.  I approached the management with the note and requested he check the residents of a trailer we suspected her admirer/stalker lived in.  With no record of the 3-4 guys who live there he couldn't verify anything, but after seeing the note he also felt it urgent to move her.  The only spot was previously reserved but he said he would see what he could do.  In the mean time he would send security by to keep an eye on her place.  John and I proceeded onto Lowe's to purchase a solar-powered-motion-detecting flood-light to mount to the top of her trailer covering her driveway and the entrance of her trailer.

A few days later the management called and said they had a spot for her, apparently they exchanged the reserved spot, and she need to move asap.  Although excited to get her moved, it did present a problem.  John's truck is in the shop, awaiting parts on order, and he was scheduled to work long days for the entire next week.  He knew we may not have another chance to get her closer to us, so he talked to a coworker to borrow a Peterbuilt he had never driven or hooked up, but had been told could haul the trailer.

Mostly grease... the corner is damaged. 

At 10pm he showed up with the loud Semi truck and backed in as we secured her personal effects and essentially 'broke camp'.  The tall truck barely slid under the hitch and latched on, ready to circle the block, John pulled forward and as the trailer crossed the sidewalk, it jumped the fifth-wheel hitch (we still have no idea why) and went crashing toward the ground, catching the front corner of the overhang on the edge of the truckbed.  Although painfully slow and sounding like they could quit at any moment, to our good fortune her trailer does have hydraulic jacks in the front.  Slowly, John lifted her house from the middle of the street and attached it again to the noisy truck.

After testing the attachment, we set off again, my stomach in knots.  Slowly we crept to her new spot and woke the neighbors as we backed her in, in the dead of night, dodging trucks parked along the side of the street.  Unable to get her level, and unwilling to continue with the ruckus so late, we settled her, a little sideways, in her new spot.  Leveling will be later this week.

She's now parked just around the corner from us, backing a field.  Her neighbors both have dogs which is a comfort to Karlie as they will announce any unwanted late-night visitors.  The on-sight tree is healthy and beautiful and the grass is actually there.

We're glad to have her finally moved closer thanks to the quick action of the management.  The truck came through unscathed and the trailer, a little worse for wear, is still upright, it's contents jumbled but not broken.  I think he new spot is going to serve her even better and I can sleep a little sounder knowing she's a little safer.

Some Crazy Post About Medical Stuff

   "There is  difference between the two temporal blessings-

health and money; 

money is the most envied, but he least enjoyed;

health is the most enjoyed but the least envied;

and this superiority of the later is still more obvious when we reflect."

-Charles Caleb Colton

 This is my crazy, possibly uneducated-in-the-subject rant post about medical/insurance, so sorry if it bores, irritates or otherwise negatively affects you...so here we go. 

 As a child growing up in a larger family without access to affordable insurance, I rarely went to the doctor.  Doctors were for when you're sick and I mean life-threateningly sick, none of that I have a cough, fever, headache, tummy upset sick.  Most maladies were treated with the wait and watch your body overcome on it's own mentality, and it almost always did.  The times we were taken to the doctor were well warranted necessities and always handled perceptively and promptly.

Growing up I saw some of my friends go to the doctor for sniffles, coughs and the like and always wondered why the bother, the doctor will simply tell you what you already know:  'Get lots of rest, drink plenty of fluids, and take something to relieve the symptoms.' I also heard the adage that doctors are there to keep you healthy, not fix you when you're sick, but I feel that unless you have a 'condition' warranting regular care, what can a doctor tell me that I don't already know:  Eat healthy, exercise often, drink plenty of water, and the proper amount of sleep.

I continued to adopt that attitude, not wanting to contribute to the epidemic of over-prescribed antibiotics or pay the exorbitant price of medical care. (I tend to be very frugal). Reasonable health habits, though I could always use improvement, have resulted in few doctor visits.  In my thirty-two years I've visited the dentist four times and gotten a passing grade of cavity-free teeth and healthy gums every-time.  A few doctor visits for various maladies have resulted in quick health care with less cost to me than insurance premiums would have been.  I went through pregnancy and childbirth with the aid of a mid-wife and paid far less than my deductible would have been on the mediocre insurance I was carrying at the time through my employer, and had a satisfying dare I say enjoyable experience.

I eventually took Zoey to the doctor to start immunizations when she was 5 months old and received her first well-baby check-up.  The doctor told me she was growing and developing fine (all things I knew from reading child-rearing books and the internet) and charged me a small fortune.  At the time, with one income and an infant in diapers, it took me 2 months to pay a bill that was "supposed" to incur monthly.  I decided to return only for immunizations which cost a mere $15 without a check-up.  Note: I only did immunizations up to age 1 requirements, though she will receive all of them, just at a later age, due to the hugely controversial information online and lack of evidence on both sides to prove their point, but that's a whole different subject entirely.

Not that the no-doctor policy is always the best, I do admit I let some small things slide health-wise, so since we moved to Midland, and since one of us, John, is finally working for a company which can provide decent health coverage, I decided to address some of these health issues and get Zoey into a pediatrician to get a check-up and finish her immunizations.  I started to call around and schedule appointments.  Some doctors were easy to schedule, but pediatricians are impossible in this town.  Many will only accept family, infants, or older kids, and nobody could get us an apointment.  Those who would take her put us on a waiting list.  If they didn't ask me to come in and apply, the conversation always went something like this:

 "How long is the waiting list?"

"I'm sorry ma'am, I don't know."

"Can you tell me if I'll be waiting days, weeks, or months?"  --I'm not asking for her to be exact.

"No ma'am, just till the doctor tells me to call ya'll."

"Okaaaaay, put me on the list...."

Scheduling the appointment is easy for some doctors, but what I found is this:  Even with insurance, doctors are still expensive, although we can afford it, the frugal me is often cringing as I write the check.  I find that I easily pay the same to double what I paid for same services I received  without insurance.  Admittedly, I've never had a personal doctor and I often went to the income based doctors whether or not I qualified for a price reduction, but these are not life-threatening  maladies I'm seeking treatment for and the final result has proven to be the same.  I know insurance is there for the big-what-if's, but I also thought insurance was supposed to make health care more affordable....I might have been off on that one.

I guess the medical/insurance game is all new to me, but I'm jumping in and trying to learn as I go.  Over the next few months, I have a general doctor appointment, 2 specialists, 2 dentist appointments (Zoey and I each),  and that waiting list I'm on.  After it all I'll see if I feel the insurance is pulling any weight.  Either way I'm trying to use it as much as possible while we have it and make sure we're as healthy as I think we are and want us to be, but I'll probably always grumble when I pay the doctor bills.

Death of a Dream

 "A dream is a wish your heart makes." 

-Walt Disney

Enjoying a double rainbow on the fence in Idaho.

Leaving Idaho the first time was so difficult.  That small corner of the world had been the only home Zoey and I have known, and where John and I bought our first home and became a family.  But the second time I left, I felt less the loss of my home as I focused on moving forward.  It feels good that we are a close little family once again and moving forward in our plans for the future.

In front of the house-1 year old-new landscaping.

Despite all the excitement of moving forward, we are sad to leave the place where so many great memories were made.  Our first home renovations and the many challenges they presented helped us grow to learn who we are and what we are capable of.  Our daughter was born in that house, slept her first night in the comfort of our home, said her first words and took her first steps down the hallway.  Our first, and second (stupid killer dogs), flock of hens were raised to laying age and provided us with much childhood education, entertainment, and delicious breakfasts.  

The hardest thing to leave behind is our dreams. Now that we've accepted an offer on our house (if all goes well we close the end of February), we mourn the death of dreams we had for our family-sized home and what it could be. 
 Update: We closed the end of March.

Now the chicken coop is only inhabited by wasps; the trees we planted will now be inherited by another, their fruit eaten by other children, not our own; the garden will lie fallow another season; the deck off the master bedroom will never be; and the beautiful renovations, some realized, will not be enjoyed by us.

Feeding the hens.

C'est la vie, sometimes, some of our images of the future change.  The picture you worked so hard to paint, the details that were so important suddenly don't look right when you see the whole thing come together, so you decide to scrap it and rethink everything.  For us the picture was pretty good and so close to our dream, except, we were so busy working to make ends meet that we were never there to enjoy the home or our little family.....time to rethink, re-plan, and redraw.

Good-bye old friend.

We are daring to act on a dream, which means we must leave the other dream behind. Our old dreams laid to rest, we look forward to a new future, a new home, new plans, new adventures, and new dreams.  Midland, Texas is not our dream, but merely a steppingstone toward the realization of our future yet to come.  As I revealed recently in my blog, our dream is to move somewhere exotic, explore new lifestyles, climates, and cultures.  Untold hours of research has pointed us to Belize, Central America, but we fail to commit to it completely, knowing our future is open, and winds of change may catch our sails and blow us towards other or even many shores.