Sunday, May 30, 2010

And Here's What I Say About That

I just can't spit it out!









Let me say first that the picture above was taken just before I broke my finger and I was at the computer ready to spill my guts. Then, the sheep wool caught my finger and made everything I write, illegible. There's so, so, so much happening in our lives right now. I want to write and write and I keep starting and have to quit. Finger fatigue and I post, WAY TOO MUCH!

The short and sweet version. Emphasis on sweet, my youngest baby is now getting married and very soon. She's going to be married in the Manti Temple. Yes, her soon-to-be-husband is a "farm-boy" and a husky Scotsman with red hair.

Danger Ranch is still extremely dangerous, adventurous, and wild! It is the most dangerous place, without a doubt, in Santa Paula.


Does this look like danger? Does the dog look like it may have caused this problem? I certainly don't walk on that side of the porch. That is our fat dog, LITTLE. (pig)

I've decided that most of my Native American DNA is very strong. At least when involves writing or talking. I can't say "yes" or "no", I can't! Those words always are together with a story. Additionally, I'm amazed how hard it is to hold a conversation and not look at that person in the face. Do I feel ashamed? No. Do I feel embarrassed, full of guilt, or shy? No. I don't look at the camera without a lot of trial and and mostly error. I am saying no more. The postman hates me -- ie: Passport photos.

This is an new goal for me. I taught one of my grandson's an interesting lesson yesterday. I reminded him of President Kimball's reminder to: "Just Do It" I told him, "If you just do everything without complaining or whining three things will happen." "You will have more friends and they will like you." "You will be successful in your job and lastly, you will like yourself." "So easy, just three little words = three big accomplishments."

I'm glad I'm still have some time here, literally, to fix stuff on myself because this lesson was for me.

I'm picking-up everyone's orange peels and trash in the yard. And...I'm not going to complain.

Monday, May 3, 2010

Larin's Struggle with Living Here: Back at Danger Ranch

Here my dear Larin is, waiting for her house to be finished in Utah. She has to put-up with me, her mother! She made my dinner, she fed all the animals this evening, and does so much with the laundry and shopping, it's just never ending. When I hear about someone "pulling - their - own -weight" Larin has a "way" amount of "tonnage" trying to do so much around here especially pulling me with her. I said she made my dinner tonight and I didn't mention she does that a lot, as well as cleaning pens, watching tons of kids, and finding time to stay committed to marathon running! She did 6 miles today and also was on the bike with arm-pulls for half of a movie (Mario Brothers ... and I sure don't know how long it ran ...ah... FOREVER!) I am soooo grateful for her being here with me and for being able to get hugs from the boys, and listening to their cute saying, and Oh, my gosh, clapping with Finlee ... Finlee said her first word! "Yay!" this evening when we were clapping with her. Larin and I just stared at each other, it was perfect.


I'm not saying Marnie doesn't just go crazy helping everyone and doing so much for me, she definitely helps me so much.She's wonderful, too! I'm just soaking all this in with Larin because soon she'll be gone and I'll be missing them so much.

I'm just now getting hugs from Jaxon and laughing at his behavior. It wasn't funny for sweet little Kenna, his cousin, but the two where fighting over a fuzzy caterpillar. It was Kenna's. Jaxon held it too tight and it squished in his hands. Yuk, he about, hum ...I don't know what to add here, but it intrigued him, grossed him out, and greatly changed his attitude about delicate living things. He washed-up while Kenna ran home heart-broken. Then Jaxon went over to Finlee, who was in the baby seat holder, while Larin ran down the hall for something. I said, "Be careful Jaxon, you might hurt Finlee." Jaxon is three and Finlee is just eight months. Jaxon jumped back and said, "Finlee HAS blood?" (frowning face and startled look) and then ran to his mother to ask her the same question. He didn't even wait for an answer from me. I think that scared him that he might hold her too tight too.

I still feel so bad about ignoring Larin last Sunday. I stayed home from Church with a sinus infection. I was so sick and so was my husband. I was on the couch and I heard this loud pounding in my five daughters' old bedroom. Yes, they all shared that room and it's really big. Not big enough for five girls, that's for sure! It is now, the Knapp Family's bedroom. It has been Kiely's retreat into paradise the last ... Has it been ten years?


This is Kiely's Mural on One Wall
And That's Just One Third of It!
Looks Real, huh?

Here's what happened in Larin's own words: "The down-side of living in a home that is over 100 years old, is that the glass door knobs don't last forever. I got locked-in the bathroom today with a pancake cooking on the stove, good thing my neighbor/grandma heard me yelling for help after 15 minutes (it was longer) of yelling banging on the bathroom door. My parents and children left me for dead. Lol- that's what I get for living at Danger Ranch."

You know, I really dislike it when the door knob comes off in your hand and ya' hear the other door knob fall on the other-side of the door. Gives me the "creeps" too. It's like being stuck in an elevator shaft without an emergency button. At least the little bathroom has a toilet and sink for water. "Ahhhhh...Where's Larin?"


Words over the bathroom door say, "Cookie" for
Kiely's steer... but the good stuff is that
quote from Winston Churchill and that is:
"Never, Never Give Up"

My response and excuse is: "Here's my defense: I thought you were working on the bunk-beds. I heard no screaming...all I could hear was Jaxon dancing and singing AT THE "TOP-OF-HIS-LUNGS" with "Yo Gabba Gabba" and the baby jumping up and down in her musical jumper and the cockatiel, Fabio, whistling at blasting, deafening, earsplitting, and very high-pitched decibels...and I'm sick." "Excuses, excuses, excuses. Grandma Boby always saves the day and she lives NEXT DOOR. She had a GOOD laugh, even though you were crying (and laughing)"

Larin's friends all think we live in crazy-land and I guess we do and that's just wrong to think that. Does this kind of stuff happen in other homes ALL the time? Here's what Larin's friends think:
"Oh my goodness - that will be in the chapter in a hilarious book for sure. "

"Just the perfect balance of true suspense and worry and then the comedy in it... is through the roof - L-O-V-E I-T!"

"That is the funniest thing I have heard in a long time. Thanks for sharing."
"I am glad you are ok."

Larin said, "Yeah...har har, actually, I was able to laugh about it while I was still crying. I was so worried my dad was going to kill me for starting a fire in the kitchen. That would really be sweet for a fireman to have a kitchen fire, nice!"

The Wonderful Friend from England replies:
"Nice family! Haha. I could see your dad telling you off for that, just like when your car kept telling you to get an oil change."

Yes, Larin did KILL a few cars of ours and hers--more than two -- anyway. BTW, Yes, that car talked, Like it said, "Your door is ajar." or "Check your fuel." That particular time with that car it was saying over and over, "Your oil is low, please add oil." I'm writing that and I'm thinking of, Ewwwww ... "Knight Rider" Why didn't our car use first person grammatical pronouns? Sometimes my fuel is low and I'm not too sure about the oil, but it was the car's problem. I bet Larin was just thinking about staying away from saturated oils and this was her reminders. (No. she isn't blond, like the other daughters)

Back to the car. It was a, Chrysler LeBaron GTS with all these great features including: Instrument cluster with tachometer, trip odometer, speedometer, and magnetic gauges for oil pressure, engine temperature, fuel and voltage, message center, incandescent-car graphic outline with warning for door ajar, liftback ajar, and washer fluid low. Now, really! The car SHOULD have said, "My oil is low" or "My door is ajar" ??? Very Spooky! It actually said the messages out loud and there were no "turn-off your mouth buttons to push" the freaky car just talked.

Okay, I know there's that woman that tells me on the GPS at this technological time in my life, 2010, "Make a u-turn, immediately...you missed it!" But this was back in 1985. We did buy it used and was light silver. I shouldn't give out more information, you might remember us and our driving habits.


What was I talking about? ....