Blood on Blood and other Bon Jovi Songs

I hate it when suppressed memories try to resurface.

In the last four days I’ve burned through all three of the Hunger Games books. It didn’t end well for me. All through the last three chapters I could see what was coming and I was screaming NO NO NO NO in my head. I was trying to squeeze the ending I wanted out of the pages. I slowed down, frequently stopping to do other things. It was almost over, I knew it and things just weren’t going the way I imagined. Then I read the last page and burst into tears. Not because it was sad. The story was no tragedy, it is actually a happy ending. At least as happy as you can get in that world.

But I was rooting for the team that lost, for my own selfish reasons. I can’t say more than that because Dorothy (my friend from Kansas) hasn’t finished reading the third book.

Now I am extremely depressed and listening to old Bon Jovi, which never fails to dreg up memories from August of 1986, thus compounding the depression. One fine side effect of my metabolic disorder is the memories have become vague and watery. I do mean watery. Earlier today I was asking my mom and cousin Slim (the one with the Camaro) about a trip to California taken in my five year old life. Slim said that never happened and my mom said she doesn’t recall. But I have these distinct memories of me and Slim going on a road trip to California with our great grandparents. We were in my grand-dad’s turquoise Chevy pickup that was brand new at the time. I remember eating sandwiches on a picnic table at the side of the road. And I remember the beach. It was dirty and windy and gloomy. But I don’t remember being at the home of my great uncle who we were visiting.

Slim says it was a trip to Arkansas to see our great-great uncle. She was a year older and has a fully functioning memory so I have to take her word for it. But these images in my brain are vivid, not imagined. Finally, to get my mind off of it I decided they were memories planted by the aliens. (Calm down, I’m joking.) The ladies at work got a good laugh when I told them there was a road trip in my life that is apparently completely imagined.

And Mom, before you try and remind me about going to the beach near Hattiesburg, MS after an oil spill and suggest that is the source of these memories, stop. There are distinct memories of that trip in my noggin as well. I hope.

Maybe it is age. No it can’t be that, I already cried a bucket last week after over-dosing on Hinder videos and realizing that I’m too old to party like that anymore. I will love Austin Winkler’s songwriting as long as he stays based in OKC and doesn’t move to LA. LA ruins songwriters. And that’s all I’m going to say about that.

Anyway, back to the Hunger Games. Halfway through the first book I was thinking the world in the book was uncomfortably close to where I imagine the country is heading. Our government’s pyramid tax scheme has destroyed us, it is just a matter of time before the house of cards falls. If that upsets you, I can’t apologize. We might as well get used to things going back to the way they were in the bad old days. Judging from the way I felt the week after the tornado, I have a feeling my pampered ass will be the first to crumble. (I had to really resist the urge to say crack instead of crumble. Think about it.)

I doubt we will ever have a lottery to determine which of our kids have to fight to the death. But the real victims of the collapse will be the kids. All the horrors now that we like to pretend don’t exist will become more common. Here in this white bread community we don’t see as much of that kind of misery. But it’s around. Think of Rowan Ford.

Desperately, I hope that I am wrong. Pessimistically, I fear I am fairly close to correct. That is why I can never share the joy when a friend or family member tell me a little one is on the way. Really? You want to bring another soul into this world with the legacy we are leaving behind?

But then I have a conversation that makes me realize that like this generation and the one before it and on into infinity, this new generation will grind on through time, unless the earth flies apart. Earlier tonight someone said to me, ‘So many times in my life things have happened and I have thought I just couldn’t go on, but here I am, I got through it.’

I guess that is true for everyone. Probably true for me, if I don’t die of boredom.

We Had Company This Weekend

An uninvited guest.

iWof went out with a bucket to water the willow tree on the lakeshore. I threw both of the pool rafts in the pool and got ready to settle in for a nice nap. But when I got into the pool I first went over and pulled the lid off the skimmer basket looking for the floating thermometer. The basket needed emptied, but since the pump wasn’t running there was no reason to postpone my nap. I turned to take a cursory survey of the water still searching for that thermometer when I noticed a huge night crawler swimming parallel to me, on top of the water, about 3 foot away. As I continued my visual sweep a light bulb suddenly went on above my skull and I heard a distinct <bing>.

Wait a minute. Night crawlers, in my vast experience, do not swim. They do not float. They immediately sink to the bottom of the pool on their way to becoming a gelatinous goo that is rather gross when you scoop it up with the skim net. Oh s<bleep>t. So I do what any red blooded American girl deathly afraid of snakes would do. I squeal like a pig.

He was about 6 feet long and my squeal was a homing beacon. Apparently, I was disturbing his afternoon swim with all my racket, he turned on me. He began rapidly approaching, jaws gapping, fangs glinting in the sun. I was back peddling toward the steps creating a suction that was pulling the enemy in my wake. The bottom step hit the back of my feet and I scrambled out of the pool just as that horrible vicious jaw snapped shut. I felt the rush of air on the back of my leg.

I ran over to the shed still squealing like a balloon that is releasing air slowly through a pinched neck. Finally, iWof turns to see what is causing all the noise and begins ambling over at his usual snail pace. My heart is pounding, my vision gone, I can hardly focus as my trembling fingers pull open the shed door. My reach and grab scores the skim net.

I’ve turned to race back to the pool steps where the monster is stretched out sunning himself when I first notice one of those anomalous freaks of nature that often occur when one encounters a stressful situation. In the time it took me to soar over to the shed and grab the net, that gol-durned sea monster, in the finest cinematic sci-fi form has shrank to 6 or 8 inches long.

By that time, iWof has finally drifted in the vicinity of the gate and looks to see what all the squealing is about. The squealing that has echoed down the canyon and is now causing creatures all up and down the lake to stand up and take notice. Of course the neighbors just pull their shade and sigh, ‘drunk again’ they think. iWof comes up the steps and I can see him trying not to laugh. He says, ‘That’s what all this noise is about?’ I give him the look that tells him to back off before he gets pushed in the pool and the threat is between him and the steps.

My hero, my savior, iWof just stands there waiting on me to do something. I do what every red blooded American girl who is deathly afraid of snakes would do, I hand him the skim net and tell him to get it out of the pool. But Nessy has other plans. He is perfectly content to lay on the step with the water lapping at him. The noisy fat lady is gone so he can return to his afternoon of basking in the sun. It takes several attempts to brush him back out into the water so iWof can get the net under the snake and scoop him up.

Then iWof makes a fatal mistake. Fatal for me because I nearly have a stroke. He brings the little pecker over to me and rams it in my face, ‘What kind of snake do you think it is?’ he says.

‘A dead one.’ I screech as I run behind iWof and peer around his arm to look at the varmint. iWof keeps turning to jam the monstrosity in my chest and I keep running behind him to keep iWof between me and sure death. We perform this little circus act for a few seconds before I say, ‘My eyesight is fine I can see it, quit shoving it in my face.’ He is still making fun of me and is nearing the danger zone where I have to whip out the whoop-ass.

After he kills the snake.

There is still a fair amount of debate over what kind of snake dared enter my Garden of Eden. Because of my insistence that the snake was swimming on top of the water. And due to his own personal visual inspection, iWof is convinced that the snake was venomous. Due to my irrational, psychotic fear of snakes I still don’t care. But my money is on Bull Snake. On one or two previous occasions I have seen bull snakes in the vicinity; leaving the vicinity due to my sonic squeal. Also, bull snakes hatch in August and this youngster hadn’t been around very long. 

Maybe he was on top of the water because he was so young and lightweight? However, I’ve also personally made visual confirmation of water moccasins in or around the lake. Mostly in, swimming on top of the water with a triangular head and cat eyes. We won’t ever know for sure the nature of this beastie because before I thought to take a photo the threat was eliminated by being ground into powder.

It was the only way to stop the squealing that was making the dogs cover their ears. And besides, I’m pretty sure all his brothers and sisters are sitting out on the lakeshore plotting how they are going to avenge the death of their loved one.

I’m calling a real-estate agent.

Rocky Mountain High Tour 2011 - Day Whatever

Day whatever. (Oh, yeah, four.) I can't keep track of what day of the week it is at this point. Hopefully, when it is time to go back to work somebody will call and tell me. We are in Durango now. Who knows how we got here? I must have slept through it.

Let's see. We had a wonderful breakfast at the B&B in Canon City. She started with a fruit course, strawberries with home whipped topping garnished with mint. When she brought out the entree I died and went to heaven. There were two mini sausage links, egg mixed with cheese and baked in a form, but the center piece was French toast topped with pecan carmel glaze. I couldn't eat it all and it was a dying shame.

The food at B&Bs helps me get over the fact that I feel like I'm imposing in somebody's home. Both of the houses we stayed in were old Victorians decorated in period furnishing. Both were nicely appointed. But I couldn't get over the fact that I felt like a bull in a China closet. Last night I was totally paranoid that I would break the antique China soap holder. The soap kept sticking and the dish came off the counter every time I picked it up. But the room was nice and it had air conditioning so I was able to get some sleep.

This morning we headed toward Durango. We stopped in a little town called Salida at a grocery. Our lunchmeat had run out and the cheese was sticky from when iWof was getting drinks out of the cooler and left out the cheese. Once we were back on the road the only stop before lunch was a restroom break at a rest area. We arrived in Pagosa Springs just after noon and found a park to have lunch. It was right on the river. The temperature was in the 80s but there was nice breeze off of the mountains. We were quite comfortable eating our sandwiches, sans waxed paper, in the shade of a tall pine.

After the sandwich, chips, soda and orange sack lunch we wondered around for a bit before we decided it was heating up and we had enough nature for the day. Back on the road after miles of dry dusty terrain we were finally in some hilly region with green grass and trees. The trees were starting to get taller. The scenery was nice, but a nap seemed nicer. I put away my toys and passed out. We were rolling into Durango when I finally woke up.

The fire and rescue crew was here at the hotel when we arrived. (That happens at least once every vacation it seems.) I don't know what was going on because the truck was blocking my view and my main concern was finding the facility. I did discover that you can walk across the parking lot and see the river. We might get in some white water rafting after all. And we might consider strength training for the next year and coming back. A young couple from Boston at the B&B this morning had rafted the day before and they were feeling it.

After yet another nap (I could get used to this) we decided to wonder around for a while and check out the town. It is really a neat place. I could probably live here. They have a scrapbooking store. It was closed by the time we got there, of course.
We ended up eating at a Sushi/Oriental place. The food was great. My new favorite roll is called 'Surf and Turf'. We walked around downtown for a bit and found a Starbucks™. While we drank our coffee we listened to the band playing at the beer garden across the street. Then we wondered back to our room.

Tomorrow we are off to Mesa Verde. Then the day after that (whatever day that is) we have tickets to the Silverton/Durango train. We are taking a bus to Silverton and riding the train back. The bus trip should take an hour. It should take around three and a half hours for the train ride. I can drink a lot of wine in three and a half hours.

Speaking of wine, there is an Abbey in Canon City that the Father's turned into a vineyard in order to be self sufficient. They have the best riesling I've ever tasted. If you get a chance go on their web site (or check with the Vinery in downtown Jo Mo or Macadoodles....oh, right). We are probably going to bring some back with us. Sautéed pork chops and riesling from the Abbey, mmmmmmmm. And I'm not even hungry. I am however tired and dirty, so I'm off to soak in the tub.

So long for now.

Rocky Mountain High 2011 Tour - Day 3

We were promised a 'gourmet' breakfast at Sunnymeade. That promise was realized as we sat down promptly at 8:30, to dine. The fare included smoked ham, something the Inn Keeper called clabbered eggs, grilled Arkansas vine ripened tomatoes and curliqued cantaloupe, all served on fine China place settings. It was out of this world. While we ate we visited with the Inn Keeper and her companion. They were a friendly pair that made the meal conversation pleasant.

The only complaint I had about Sunnymeade was that there was no air conditioning. They promised us the cool mountain air would come in once the sun set and we would be wanting blankets rather than A/C. But it was so hot during the day that it was well after mid-night before things cooled. I wouldn't let the lack of A/C keep me from staying there but I would certainly go when the daytime temperatures were cooler.

After breakfast we loaded up and headed out. Our first stop was at the Manitou Cliff Dwellings. There I received a phone call from some outfit trying to scam tornado victims. I planned to turn them in later, but turns out the JPD and Joplin Globe are already investigating.

The Cliff Dwellings were an interesting look into the past at the way the Anasazi Cliff Dwellers of Southwestern Colorado and Northern New Mexico lived. For good measure the site also had a plains indian teepee. I'm not sure what it had to do with anything since it wasn't even authentic. There was a wood decking floor. Had it been more true to the lodges I've seen of actual plains indians it would have had an animal skin floor. But kids seemed to like crawling around in there so maybe that was the point.

After leaving Manitou we headed for Canon City and the Royal Gorge Railway. We were just in time to catch the lunch departure and iWof sprang for first class seats. This put us in the dining car with seats on an upper deck with windows that curved over our head. iWof bought a nice bottle of wine and we settled back as the train began to roll. The trip is about 12 miles at no more than 12 miles per hour. First we were served a Raspberry Vinaigrette salad that was out of this world. It had walnuts, raisins, crumbled feta, mixed greens, walnuts, raspberries and a raspberry dressing. I could eat it for every meal for a very long time. For the main course, iWof had the chicken dish. I had the pork which was so tender it flaked off the bone with a fork. It was heavenly. So was some of the pretty male white water rafters that were paddling down the Arkansas river. Oh the cannons on the arms of those excursion guides. And that's all I'm going to say about that. The train ride that passed under the Royal Gorge bridge was fun. We left with a full stomach.

It was a bit early but iWof decided we should check out the B&B where we would be staying. The hostess let us check in early and we had a nice nap before setting out again. This time we drove out to the park owned by Canon City which includes the bridge and other attractions. We took the skyway ride across the gorge and rode back across the bridge in a trolley car. I was determined to set foot on the bridge despite my terror at anything above head high. At about 30 feet out I happened to look down through a particularly wide gap between two of the planks. Of course I immediately froze. It didn't help that the wind gave a really strong gust at about that time. iWof came over and I told him to take a picture to prove that I was actually out on the bridge. He took the camera but I was unable to let go of his hand. Finally, I closed my eyes and told him to hurry. He stepped away to take the shot. Then he took my hand to lead me off the bridge. At least I challenged my irrational fear. I'm not chalking that up as a concur, just a challenge.

We drove back into town. It was way too early to return to the B&B so we explored the town looking at houses. I found it interesting that most of the yards were rock gardens. Only the rare yard had grass. There were some cleaver uses of rock as ground cover.

Finally, I convinced iWof that we should eat dinner before we returned because I didn't want to go out again later. He wasn't that hungry, but he humored me. We ate at an Italian restaurant call DiRito's. We had an $8 ten inch pizza that was fantastic. I wish we would have been more hungry because it was so good. We brought the left over pizza back with us to our room thinking we would be hungry later, but that hasn't been the case.

After we returned we lounged for a while in the parlor and then retired to our cool comfy room.

Now I'm going to retire to the shower, cause I have a sweaty funk that needs addressed.

Fare the well for now.

Rocky Mountain High 2011 Tour - Day 2

Two words: Alpine and Sickness. Two more words: Totally and Exhausted. I suspect I won't have as much to say today as yesterday, though the day was packed with fun.

The Holiday Inn where we stayed in Colorado Springs (near the airport) was nothing short of fabulous. The linens were out of this world and the bed was as comfy as my own. Those of you who know me well know that is saying a lot. When I leave home I have separation anxiety for my precious bed.

We slept a little late due to the short travel time to today's destination. Somehow we ended up with reservations at the regular Holiday Inn instead of Express so there wasn't a continental breakfast. We went to the sports bar downstairs and had a very expensive mediocre breakfast. Actually, I just think iWof wasn't that hungry because my Denver omelet wasn't that bad.

First we went to 'Garden of the Gods', a geologic upheaval that looks pretty darned cool. I would show you some pictures but that would require walking across the room to get my camera and I don't have another step in me. We walked all the trails looking at the rocks and watching nutbags climb the side of the cliffs. The tread on my shoes tells me we covered two miles or so in the scorching, nearly one hundred degree heat. Actually, iWof told me that.

After we left 'Garden of the Gods' we went to the entrance of the Pike's Peak road. The park ranger was a funny lady. First she told us to turn off the air conditioner because our engine would overheat on the climb. Then she said, 'It's 54 degrees at the top, it's really getting hot up at the summit.' I busted out laughing. Fifty-four degrees was hardly hot when it was a blistering 96 degrees at the bottom. She gave me credit for having a sense of humor, but still charged us 24 bucks to get in the park.

Of course by the time we got to the summit I was dizzy and had a banger headache. I took a few pictures, but mostly I wanted to sit down with my head between my knees. We didn't stay at the summit very long because iWof was afraid he would have to carry me to the car.

By the time we got back to Manitou I still felt like crap but at least I could walk. It was past time to check into our bed and breakfast. The place is on Spencer street. I wonder why iWof chose it. It is called Sunnymeade. Our room is the only room downstairs and it is decorated in Victorian with lots of antiques. It is unbelievably clean and comfortable with a private bathroom. Speaking of comfortable, I'm going to crash now.

So long, for now.

PS. I'm posting this a day late because it didn't have internet connection. Actually, the B&B had a wireless router, but I was too tired to find out the code.

Rocky Mountain High 2011 Tour - Day One

Grain elevators and rolling golden plains. You guessed it, we're in Kansas Toto. We got off the ground at 7:31 AM to be exact. We dropped the dogs off in Carl Junction at UJ's. UJ is the uncle married to my mother's oldest sister. (BKA my Aunt) We kept their dogs two weeks ago while they took a little trip back east. They swung through O'ville to see my Gram. I got a call saying she wasn't feeling too well. She was in the hospital last week, severely anemic, but she is on the mends.

It looks likes we are going to have to find a Jeep dealer in Wichita. The Jeep keeps switching into overdrive even on flat surfaces. My self diagnosis... the throttle position sensor is going out.

The Durango did this to me one time on the way to O'ville. I burned a half a tank of gas on the way to Springfield. It was after hours when I got to Springfield so I limped on up to Gram's. The next day I started calling Dodge dealers. I had to limp to a town about 40 miles away to get it fixed. As it was I spent all day Saturday sitting there waiting. It took them a half hour to fix it, but they didn't pull it into the garage until I had sat there for five hours. After four I was bored and hungry and ready to tell them to keep the fracking POS. So I called my aunt and cousin. They came to get me and we went to eat. I was going to leave the Durango and ride back to Gram's with them, but the service manager realized he had pushed me to my limit and pulled it into the bay that had been sitting empty all morning.

I fear we will get to spend the same quality time at a garage somewhere along the way. Of course I have already developed a plan. If all else fails and we still need repair we can limp on over to Colorado Springs, leave the Jeep at a dealer and rent something to go on our way. The problem seems to be intermittent so for now we are plugging along.

11:38 AM North of Wichita, Roadside Park.
We stopped and made a ham sandwich. The picnic shelter provided shade. The wind was hot like out of a convection oven. Our sweat dried before it left our glands. But no wind would have been worse. We ate our sandwich, a few Pringles™, and split a Pepsi™. Normally, we are Coke™ drinkers, but we bought a bunch of Pepsi™ for my friends and decided to just drink the Pepsi™ instead of buying more soda.

While munching on my sandwich I told iWof, 'There is something seriously wrong with this ham. It has a lot of gristle.' I reached up to subtly pull said gristle out of my mouth and discovered that it was waxed paper. His royal funnyness had forgotten to pull the waxed paper that divides the slices off of my cheese. I guess with enough mustard, even paper tastes okay. But, it's really chewy.

1:04 PM West of Salina Kansas. Side of the road.
The Jeep finally let us know it wasn't fooling around. As we were accelerating down an on-ramp it died. It took several very intense tries before it started. What to do now? It's a long way to the next town if we keep going. iWof is finally convinced we should stop and have it fixed. The only option is to return to Salina. Luckily we have the iPad and iWof ordered the data plan for this trip. I searched for Jeep dealers in Salina, KS. Two came up. The first one I called said his shop was closed for the day and he was no longer the Jeep dealer. The second one said his shop closed at 1PM. He took pity on me when I played the Joplin card and made a bunch of calls. None of the places he knew about was open or interested in taking on the job in 105 degree heat. He suggested I go to Autozone™ so I looked up the directions and away we went.

The guy at Autozone™ was awesome. He hooked the car up to the reader and sure enough the TPS was bad, but the MAP (manifold air pressure, I think) sensor was bad as well. It also said there was a major vacuum leak, probably because of the MAP.

Now we knew what was wrong for all the good it did us. The really awesome guy at Autozone™ went to a lot of trouble to find us a shop that could install the new sensors. Customer service like that is uncommon it seems. Finally he had called all the commercial shops he could think of and they were all closed. So I asked if he knew any people who tinkered with cars that might be willing to help us out. He thought for a minute and said he knew of two guys but knew they were both busy. They had both been in to buy parts earlier. But he called Mike Compton and told him our pathetic story. Mike said he would be there in around ten minutes.

True to his word he showed up, told us to buy the parts and follow him home. He had a nice shop in his back yard and lots of project cars parked near his oversized garage. In half an hour he had both sensors installed and iWof took it for a test run. Everything checked out and we were soon back on the road. Mike was only going to charge us $20 bucks. I said no way and we gave him more.

If you think that is the end of our tribulations, think again. Just East of Limon, Colorado I was driving when the dash binged and the tire pressure light started flashing. Never before had that light flashed. It always stayed lit without flashing in the past when the tire pressure was too low. I groaned. What. Now? iWof told me to pull over. He grabbed the tire pressure gauge he had thrown in the door pocket before we left. All of the tires were about six pounds above the maximum tire pressure. He let about three pounds of pressure out of each tire and the light went off.

Just before the Limon exit the light began flashing again. In the pit of my stomach I felt a painful burn. Limon was where we stayed the night after the horrible hail storm that did $8000. damage to the Jeep two years ago. I slowed down and the light went off. We pulled over in Limon and iWof let more air out of the tires.

All the way from Limon to Colorado Springs the light flashed after we went through a small town where the speed limit had dropped. But it would go back off within a couple of miles. iWof decided we didn't want to let more air out of the hot tires because he was afraid we would have four flat tires in the morning.

Before we leave tomorrow we will check and adjust the pressure, if necessary. For now, we are staying in a nice Holiday Inn™ with a wonderful shower. The comfy bed over there is looking pretty darned good. So.....

Bye for now.

Act Young and Silly

Life is short. Once in a while you should act young and silly.

I vow to, at least once a year….

Do a cannon ball into the pool.

Walk barefoot in the grass.

Lay on my back and watch clouds.

Dance in the rain. Maybe even naked.

Sing in the shower at the top of my lungs.

Color with crayons.

Slide down a slide.

Swing as high as I can go.

Giggle.

Make a snow angel.

Roller skate.

Turn a cartwheel.

Skip down the sidewalk.

Make a prank phone call.

Drive with the windows down.

Crank the music.

Dance.

Make a wish on a star.

Play air guitar.

Bark like a dog.

Chase down the ice cream truck.

Eat a popsicle.

Buy something absolutely unpractical.

Hug someone I just met.

Who’s with me?