Heaven 'n Hell . . .

I'll start with 'Heaven' ~

I made the trek back to my roots in the northwest corner of Iowa. I needed to take Ben's memorabilia back to his kids, so the Durango (Miss Daisy) was loaded to the hilt! My wonderful companion and relief driver was my dad's cousin (so my 2nd cousin) Gloria from Salt Lake City. God bless her for making me laugh so hard that my belly hurt and my eyes were running like a waterfall! :) It was 1680 miles of adventure, and 6 fills of overpriced gas. There's some beautiful country out there, something you won't see on an airplane. I had 6 days (not counting 2 days travel time each way) of fun and memories, seeing old friends, and making history with family members. I apologize to those I did not get enough time to see. I needed two more days! Part of the reason for this trek was to lay my brother to rest, and his sons did that in admirable style, a way in which their dad would agree. :)

All but a mom, sister, etc., & the brother we lost

A small part of my other family - Ben's side

The trip wouldn't have been complete without a plunge into that beloved lake which I grew up around. It helped make me who I am, be that good or bad! ;) Nothing like a clean, blue, glacier-carved, spring-fed lake . . .

Nick ~ The sand castle kid

My 91 year-old dad keeps making history. He dove off the dock many times as evidenced here on video. I'm thinking I definitely have some of his good genes after the experience you'll read about below.

Sorry if it's playing too fast, but you get the idea!

And of course I had to revisit some wonderful shops and fine dining, not the least of which is the Taco House! Oddly enough, I can't find a bean burrito or soft shell taco quite like theirs, in Prescott! So I moaned and groaned, and savored them! Lots of new memories were created, then it was time to drive home. I didn't have my silly companion on the way back, but still made it in the same amount of time, even stopping to take some pictures. My cat buddies were happy to see me :).

The whole adventure got me to thinking about how totally on my own I am in Prescott, but I still think of it as "home". If you live near family, don't sweat the small stuff. Just treasure every new chapter in the book. I know that nothing is worth stewing over. Stir that stew a little, then put a lid on it!

Now we'll cover 'Hell' ~

On Friday, July 26, 2013, I told my friend Bob I'd help him clean his house in Camp Verde to get ready for a visit from his granddaughters. But, as I stood looking out my dining room window at the rain, I had a little hint of impending doom. One of those things where you're not quite sure where it's coming from, but still a bit of a warning about something. I told myself to stay home, but a promise is a promise. So off I went. We got the cleaning done, then I went out to sit with the baby goat to see if I could coax her into trusting me. No deal, so I went around to tell Bob it didn't work. Well, lucky me . . . the male goat startled the pony standing near Bob and the pony came at me. Nothing I could do but take the hit. He stepped on my left toes, at the same time knocking me over. I got my foot free, then looked at the toes. Alas, I was missing the tip of the one near the big one which had been crushed 45 years ago. I picked myself up, ran for the bathtub and rinsed the foot in cold water. Not a whole lot of bleeding or pain, so we wrapped it in a big towel and Bob drove me to Prescott in trusty Miss Daisy. I wanted my own hospital, and felt good enough to endure the ride. Long story short, I was surprised that I didn't have to spend the usual amount of time in the ER. And, thankfully, they had a GOOD orthopedic surgeon on duty . . . a former Marine no less! After talking to him I knew I was in good hands. The "fix" didn't take long, and I don't think the recovery room did either. I was just happy I didn't have to stay overnight. :) And I can't wait to see the hospital bill :(. Thank God for Medicare & supplemental insurance. Anyway, I'm at home for awhile, but there's no room service here, and kitties don't cook!

Through this entire experience I kept thinking how blessed I am to have a sense of humor and a forgiving spirit. It does make the difference.