The Winds of Change

I feel the winds of change blowing my way. And they feel good! This time last year our youngest was a month away from high school graduation. Now he's on a mission, and doing so great. I remember feeling sad as we walked across the parking lot to Shane's graduation a year ago, and Dan saying that we just needed to plan things for us to do together, and shift our focus just a little bit. And so we have. We've gone out together more during this past year than the previous few years combined. We're going on a little business trip this weekend, on an Alaskan cruise in June, and we're spending a week with several of our sons and their families in a cabin in Eden, UT, in July. If all goes well, we'll see the other sons and their fams, too, while we're looking for adventure in the Beehive state.. I want to go to Pine View Reservoir, and Goblin Valley, and lots more while we're there. Suggestions welcome! Ah, but just to be in Eden sounds blissful. My friend told me about a cool dinosaur park near Ogden, and my sister mentioned a fun museum for kids near there, too, the Treehouse Museum, I think.

These are a few of the things I'll be thinking of while I weed my already too weedy garden. I can hardly believe how quickly the weeds take off and get away from me every year! But I am ready to do battle, starting today. Dan and I couldn't resist buying a few beddding plants on Saturday, just basil and tomatoes, but others will soon follow. Brianna invited the three of us over for dinner recently, and it was a sweet experience to have her show me around her new little home. She showed me every room, every picture on the wall, made tea for us after dinner in her authentic Chinese tea service. She and Jason joined forces to serve up a very tasty meal, and it was altogether a very peaceful and pleasant evening....except when the cat jumped up on the table in front of me. Yuck, cats in the kitchen!

I used to be a huge fan of cats. I remember thinking my Daddy was meaner than mean when he spirited some new kittens away from us when we were children. But my adult years convinced me he was right! Not for everyone, surely, but for me, a person who can't detect and thus prevent some of their wily ways. I know Neil and Penny have a lot of fun with their cats, and it's cute to hear Neil describe their antics. Oh, but I recall a cat poking his head into a bowl of food I was feeding Kimball when he was a baby, and I was appalled. It was peas and carrots, for goodness sake, nothing a cat should be remotely interested in. On another occasion, my busy mother-in-law was thawing some steaks on her kitchen counter, and I heard one of her cats jump up on the counter to help itself to a gourmet meal. The splat the steak made on the kitchen floor when it jumped back down still makes me shudder. Forget those sneaky cats though, the winds of change are ruffling the pages on another book, and rustling the weeds in my would-be garden. Which to choose? I'll postpone the choice for one more moment while I thank JoLyn and Lisa for helping to update my wardrobe last week. JoLyn shopped for me in WA, and Lisa brought her findings bby on her way to UT. Then she waited while I had my own little fashion show, all the while supplying good descriptions and recommendations. I ended up keeping 9 of the 15 items JoLyn selected for me to try on.. Thanks for making my life easier and more fun, and giving me a taste of the Royal treatment again! I miss you guys so much! We like Boise a lot, but it's not quite Royal City. I guess it's another of those changes I'm talking about.