Hot Weather, Cat Hair and More Organization...

I am getting so tired of this hot weather!  There is no where to escape it.  I am really wondering if I will be able to handle Arizona.... Did I say that before?  Well it's heavy on my mind.  The mid-90's are killing me.

It's been about 10 degrees higher than normal here in Post Falls, ID for the past two weeks.  My cousin's flowers are all dying even though she is watering them twice a day!  And her weeds are getting away from her because it is just too hot to be outside weeding.  Tonight the low is supposed to drop down to 57* which will be really nice to sleep in.  She is going to be out at 7am tomorrow to get some yard work done... she is dedicated!

Meanwhile, the van is just full of cat hair!  It's been about 11 weeks of my Van Rats living in there, and I think they are shedding a LOT because of the heat.  I am getting up early tomorrow also to "clean house" and brush everything down... the seat tops and bottoms and window curtains.  I am doing that on a regular basis, but there is always more and more!  I've washed all the blankets that seem to have collected hair, and cant believe how much came out in the dryer!

I think if I get out of this adventure without allergies to cat hair, it will be a miracle.

I have managed to find a brand of cat sand with no fragrance and no dyes, which is a great improvement over the "flavor crystal" kind, and it is way cheaper as well.

I got some plastic containers to organize my things better, and I also got a set of drawers to put at the back for my clean shorts and tops.  I think this will work well.

It's amazing how much clutter I still manage to collect, so I need to go through and clear out everything.

One conundrum I am having... the same bottles we have to pay 5 extra cents for in Oregon, are sold in Idaho.  But in Idaho, they don't have to pay the 5 cents, so it could be a great racket to collect the bottles in Idaho, and take them back to Oregon for the money.  However, do I really want to carry them around for that length of time?  And what if I get them there, and for some reason are not accepted by the machines?  Oh, what to do, what to do!?

Speaking of Arizona, I think I will use a property management company to find a place.  Most of what I can find online is for vacation rentals.  The prices for the winter are also fairly steep.  Meanwhile I have furniture in storage down there... sheesh.

:)

Still With Cousins...

I think they are tolerating me and allowing me to hang around  :)  lol

Truly, these two are some of the nicest people you could meet.  Loving, patient, caring folks.  I have really enjoyed my visit with them.  I kinda feel like the kid on summer vacation while my parents work.  I get to sleep in, and then play on the internet.  I have tried to pull my weight by helping with cooking and cleaning.  They tell me their schedule is pretty laid back, but we've been on the go since I have arrived!

Movie night, Post Falls Days, geocaching... told you about that.  We have had some terrific meals... I made Taco Soup on Tuesday, and then we had more on Wednesday before we went to the gym for a spinning class.

My first time ever, and it was an hour long class!  I wasn't able to keep up with all the standing-up parts, but I never stopped pedaling!  The instructor is older than me, and very encouraging, and they do it in black light.  My calves were a little tight, but my "sitting bones" were way sore.


Then we had a bunch of their cousins over, along with their daughter's family one evening.  These were all nice people also.

Saturday was another small town festival, Rathdrum Days, after we picked up one grandchild from the airport.  Here's everyone with Tropical Ice...

Sunday was church, and hanging out, and smoked salmon and bbq'd stuffed poppers for dinner...

Monday night, another spinning class and tacos for dinner.

They don't realize how much they are teaching me about clean and organized living.  Their house is very organized but lived in.  They have 6 pets that need to be taken care of, and plants to water, and lawns and outside plants to water each day.  They vacuum and dust often because of P.'s allergies. They have drinking water filters to fill, lunches to make ahead.  They are a well oiled machine and get everything done in a well thought out manner.  With time for a little TV, and to bed early because they both start work at 6am.

I think my natural spirit is a rebellious one.  Or maybe not rebellious, but a kinetic one... I want to move with my emotions.  If I don't FEEL like doing it, it doesn't get done.  Somehow, even though I know a routine is best, it just doesn't groove with me.  I feel constrained by it.  I just didn't get a bit of my mother's OCD and my dad must have been some kind of way big free spirit. But I have learned a lot being around these two.

We are making plans, so don't know how long I will be here yet.

Chicken Caesar Salad being prepared......

The Van Rats are taunting the dogs from across the yard... it's way too funny...

This is Muldar... another of my cousin's pets... he's beautiful and talks a lot...

There was a small fire in the hills above the park we had been in previously.  It was a heavily wooded area.  After spinning one evening, we stopped to watch a fire helicopter dip the water bucket in the river...

Ah, and there was the day the whole world was waiting for.... July 22nd it was... His Royal Highness Prince George Alexander Louis of Cambridge was born!  This was day after, when they first introduced him...

Still planning to head towards Glacier National Park, but have heard Kalispell is pretty so may have to spend some time there.

:)

Mindful Living...

Mindful living... I am sure I have mentioned something on this subject previously, but I truly think this is an important aspect of our lives.  Being conscious.

Try not to trudge through life unaware of what is around you.  There is so much beauty and inspiration within your grasp.

When did you last stop still just to listen to the wind in the trees? 

When did you last look to the right or the left to see something you've never seen before?

When was the last time you took a different route to your everyday destination, just to see new things?

All these moments of mindful living add color and depth and excitement and joy to our otherwise fairly stressful lives.

People I know, and people I've met think what I am doing is fantastic.  They think it's great.  They would like to do it sometime.  But what are you truly willing to give up to do it?  I gave up a home, stability... I could not have both.  I gave up the closeness of friends, however in this day of technology in all truthfulness, they are not that far away.  I have given up some everyday comforts... like my bathroom down the hallway.

However carefree my current situation may seem to you, my life is not free of stress.  I have bills to pay, overwhelming debt to comprehend, and a looming court date in September.  I am choosing not to be stressed over these things, but rather take my life at a leisurely pace and embrace all the little things that come my way.  I am working at giving all things in my life to God.

I sat in the van this morning for a while and just listened to the wind blow down the street through the trees.  I looked to the right as I was headed toward the beach park in Clarkston to see the painted parking lot spaces.  Almost every day I take a different route... lol

Make the decision to live mindfully, consciously, and you will be amazed at the blessings you will encounter.

I have joy and happiness in my heart for you...


:)

I posted this on Facebook...

Life is a celebration! Get a party tray just for you, and just because! 

[Post script 1/14/2014...
I posted this on my blog the day before my mom went into the hospital.  I know she read it.  I know she knew I was very happy.  And that is all a parent wants for their children isn't it?  It was a wonderful parting gift for sure :)  ]

Introducing Geocaching...

If you have been reading along with my blog, I've already introduced you to Geocaching.  (if you missed it, check out this link to a page I had to do for a computer class on a hobby.)

But today, I really got to introduce the sport to my cousin P. and her husband R.  Earlier today, P. and I took a walk and picked up three micro caches in their neighborhood.  These are small, and usually don't have any goodies in them, just a log to sign.  So the three of us decided it would be fun to go out and find a regular sized cache.  We hiked in this park on Tubbs Hill in Coeur d'Alene and found one!  It was kinda cool that it was placed by Royal Ranger Pack #77.  Royal Rangers are like Boy Scouts in the Assemblies of God denomination.

Don't they look happy about finding it?  I think they will get a GPS and continue to seek them out...

Can't imagine that any of us is going to be able to get out of bed very easily tomorrow morning!  The area was way bigger than we had originally thought, and we did quite a bit of rigorous hiking.

We went to a different Mexican Restaurant than yesterday for dinner, and they shared how they met each other.  Totally God, and it's been a wonderful 15 years for them :)

Coeur d'Alene is certainly a beautiful place.  I just wish it didn't get snow in the winter!  But maybe after a year in Arizona, I might be up for scraping ice and snow off my car windows again... it remains to be seen.  On the other hand, I am giving thought to spending winters in Arizona and summers on the Oregon coast, or who knows.  We truly do live in such a diversified and beautiful country!

:)

Sunday in Post Falls...

We went to the early morning service at P. and R.'s church, New Life Community.  Psalms 46 and Romans 8...

It was a beautiful sunny day today.  After church we went with friends from P. and R.'s bible study group to a Mexican food lunch and then went to the movies...

I enjoyed this movie :)  If you get a chance to see it, don't miss the tributes to Cat Ballou, Little Big Man and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.  Those are the ones I caught for sure, there may have been more.

Home for hamburgers and a relaxed evening at home.

Found out that in Idaho the state tax is 6%.  You pay that on food you buy in the grocery store too!  Isn't that crazy?  I guess you get a $60 tax rebate at tax time, but most people spend more than $1000 a year on food.

Gas prices here have been in the $3.60's, but I hear the price is going up a lot in the near future.  Oh yay.

Oh, and big whoop!  When I walked into Walmart, there was a display of Hostess Twinkies!!  The company that made this icon snack cake had gone under last year, sold their name and recipes to a new company, and when we were all scared that we would never see a Twinkie again, here they were... a whole day early of their release!!  I haven't had them in years, but I had to get a box.

:)

Fun with Family...

Last year I came up to Post Falls to spend 4th of July with my dad's cousin, Chee Chee.  They were close in age and grew up together in a small town in Indiana.  She was 84 at the time, and we had a great visit.  She shared lots of stories from their childhood I'd never heard before. I got to re-meet her daughter, P., whom I remember vaguely from childhood visits to their home in Pasadena, and all of her family.

Sadly, Chee Chee passed away in January and it was a great loss for all who knew her.

I asked P. if I could come up and see her and her family again, and she said to just let her know when I was in town!  It has been a fun visit and P. and her husband R. have been gracious hosts.

Last night when I arrived we enjoyed pizza and a Family Movie Night with one daughter and 2 grandkids.  We watched "Warm Bodies" or basically, Zombie Loves Real Girl.... it was a different kind of love story, but it was good enough.

This morning, we got up to take our chairs to the main street to watch the parade!  Yes, this is the weekend for the Post Falls Festival, and everyone knows I love a parade!

Then we went to the park to enjoy music, shopping the little vendor booths and food!  Yay!  I had a Lamb burger...

I also got to introduce the whole family to geocaching.  One grandchild, J.T., had found a geocache with me last year, and this year we found one right there in the park, all 6 of us together.  P. seems to be really excited by this sport, and when I showed her the geocaches that were available in her neighborhood., she was all ready to take off and find them!  We will put the coordinates into the GPS and we'll try to get to them in the next day or so.

J.T. had to get home to get ready for a work shift, but P. and R. and I walked back into the festival.  Doesn't THIS look fun?  People-sized hamster balls rolling on water!...

We then took a drive and a hike around a couple parks near the water, the Spokane River...

 

Honkers!  I can leave L-town, but I can't get away from honkers!!  lol

Now this would be a fun place to get out on a floatie...

Then back home for a fabulous BBQ dinner a la Reese....  way, way Yum!

  

It was a really nice day with family.

:)

Moscow to Coure d 'Alene...

It was fairly warm when I got into Moscow, ID where the University of Idaho presides.  I stopped at A&W for a sandwich and a $2 large Root Beer Float, then made my way to the Walmart because I was pretty tired.  I think the bike ride wore me out.

Nighttime temps dropped into the low 40's and I got a great night's sleep! 

This, however, is a new one for me... this bicycle rider is sleeping on a cot in a parking space at Walmart. Wow. Sorry pic is not so good, had to zoom in from across a row. He has a blue chair next to the cot between him and his bike. Wonder what the story is? 

In the morning I just snoozed because the van didn't get too hot.  It turned out to be a very pretty day in the panhandle of Idaho.

:)

Hanging Out With Lewis and Clark...

I am going to hang out in Clarkston, WA and Lewiston, ID for a few days to catch up with my blog, and get reorganized before I head up north to visit family in Post Falls.

This area is very much like Pendleton, OR with the bare Blue Mountain range surrounding it.  The Snake River runs on the state line, so there are plenty of shady parks to explore.  The weather is hot, in the upper 90's, so I find shade for the cats, and I head to the library.  This one in Clarkston is open until 8pm, and I understand there is a brand new library in Lewiston just across the river.  Walmart for over nighting, and then exploring in the evenings when it cools down.  Maybe I will catch a movie.

It is amazing to me how I can spend 3 or 4 hours just tripping around Facebook and the Internet, and taking care of business before I seem to get settled down to writing in my blog!

Lots of people here in the library... many reading newspapers.  One gal is eating her lunch at one of the tables.  Had a family sitting just in front of me at a table making legal phone calls.  I didn't sleep well, so maybe I'll go out to the van for a nap, then return a little later.

* * *

Well, I didn't get back to the library, but I did go back up the highway past the little town of Asotin to explore the cemetery I saw up on the hill.  It overlooks the town and river.   Some of the dates were way back to the early 1900's.  I think I just find how people memorialize their loved ones to be fascinating. 

This was something I have never seen before... it was cement filled turkey roasting pans with all sorts of things stuck in them, like toys, crosses, statues, flowers, then set on a younger woman's grave.

I'd like a bench for myself someday in Kanab, looking toward the red cliff behind the cemetery.  I thought this was nice.  I want a picture too, my 20th high school reunion pic, and a flower vase with a geocache!

Not sure if this is a person with the first or last name of Tucker... or possibly someone's pet...

I also found a geocache not far from this area :)

 * * *

I am not sleeping well at night because of the heat.  The van just holds the warmth, and I want to stretch out so last night I took a long drive around Lewiston with all the windows down and discovered an Old Town part I want to explore.  Finally after 3:30, back st the Walmart in Clarkston, I must have fallen asleep.  I stayed in the van, in the sun, until 11am, catching a breeze through the window and snoozed.  Then I went back to the beach on the Snake River I discovered yesterday and spent about 4 hours there before coming to the library this afternoon until it closes at 8pm. It was a nice way to become un-sticky from the heat!

Waves from passing motor boats...

* * *

Was almost going to leave in the next morning, but decided to spend one more day.  I got up and went to my favorite beach first.  The local high school is close to it's entrance and I pulled into the parking lot when I noticed this.  Looks like the year's Seniors get to paint their own parking spots in a certain section of the parking lot.  Way cool priviledge!

After I took a quick dunk in the river, I took my bike off the back of the van, and did the "Bridge to Bridge" ride.  It is the bike path along the river that takes you over two bridges, crossing into a different state and back, that they say is about 5.5 miles. I couldn't believe it was really that far, but I took my time and enjoyed saying "Good morning" to all I passed.

My bike, however, is it terrible shape!  I only paid a bit over a hundred for it at Walmart two summers ago, and have not ridden it much.  Several people during my yard sales asked about it.  During the time at the coast though really did a number on it!  It got quite rusted and my gears would not shift.  I rode the entire way on 1.4/  I tried to manually change the chain to a higher setting, but it would not stay.  I got a can of WD-40 to spray on all the metal parts and see if that will loosen things up.  I hope so.  I do want to ride it more often.

I swam some more after the ride to loosen up my muscles, then proceeded to check out Hell's Canyon State Park on the Idaho side of the river and check out there Lewis and Clark Discovery Center.  The boys and I have seen a fabulous movie on the explorers at the OmniMax theater in Portland on a field trip years ago, but I don't recall too much of the history.  I watched a video here, and found out that many thought the two had failed in their mission to find a "Northwest Passage" as Jefferson had hoped for... but it was because there was none!  From the source of the mighty Missouri River, there was no passable waterway, and their harrowing trip across the Bitterroot Mountains in Idaho almost did in the group.  They had brought three extra ponies for emergency provisions, and ended up eating all three.  Actually I think that was excellent foresight.  They then came upon the Clearwater River which led to the Snake and on to the Colunbia to the Pacific Ocean their ultimate goal.

 

I parted ways with Lewiston, ID and Clarkston, WA finding an overlook and a geocache...

 

and headed north toward Moscow.


:)