Where I Belong

Do you have a theme song for your life?  I kind of do.  I think I may be adding another, though.

Let me explain.  As I've mentioned before, I was raised in a lot of places.  A lot of houses were "home" to my family.   I was a "new girl" over and over. While I admit to wishing it were otherwise, especially when I had to leave good friends, I don't think I was particularly scarred by all the moving.  In fact, although I don't recommend moving a lot as a superior way to raise children,  I can see that I've gained a few advantages from it.  For one thing, I believe I adapt to change more easily than a lot of people.

I was thinking about this today and realized that one of the reasons I could manage these adaptations was because I knew very early on that I didn't really belong to this world anyway.  I don't think any of us should feel we quite belong here.  This isn't home.

I don't remember the first time I heard the song, "This World Is Not My Home" by Jim Reeves, but I do remember thinking of it as my theme song.  I really identified with it and even thought it would be a good song to have at my funeral.  Do any of you remember this song?

This world is not my home I'm just a passing through

My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue

The angels beckon me from heaven's open door

And I can't feel at home in this world anymore

Oh Lord you know I have no friend like you

If heaven's not my home then Lord what will I do

The angels beckon me from heaven's open door

And I can't feel at home in this world anymore

This song seemed quite cool to me back then.  But, although the words remain meaningful, the sound of it is rather dated now.  Not to worry!  I have now adopted a new theme song.  Being a person of a loyal nature, I assure you I'm not dropping the first.  I just choose to have two theme songs now.  

I'd love it if you would take the time to click on the link and listen to my new theme song.  It takes less than 4 minutes but trust me, it will be time well spent.  You may even decide that you want it for your theme song as well!  After listening to it and reading the words, tell me what you think.  If you like it, please consider purchasing it.

"Where I Belong"   by Building 429

Sometimes it feels like I'm watching from the outside
Sometimes it feels like I'm breathing but am I alive
I will keep searching for answers that aren't here to find

All I know is I'm not home yet
This is not where I belong
Take this world and give me Jesus
This is not where I belong

So when the walls come falling down on me
And when I'm lost in the current of a raging sea
I have this blessed assurance holding me.

All I know is I'm not home yet
This is not where I belong
Take this world and give me Jesus
This is not where I belong

When the earth shakes I wanna be found in You
When the lights fade I wanna be found in You

All I know is I'm not home yet
This is not where I belong
Take this world and give me Jesus
This is not where I belong

All I know is I'm not home yet
This is not where I belong
Take this world and give me Jesus
This is not where I belong

Where I belong, where I belong
Where I belong, where I belong

Potty in the Park

So, this is day four of telling you about Monday.  It really was a very full day!

I've told you before about Bode's odd reluctance to urinate away from home.  What a weird feature in a boy dog!  Well, he did it again.

While hiking on Independence Rock,

he held it.

While exploring The Sinks,

he held it. 

While following the path toward The Rise,

he held it.

While wandering around the street by the golf course,

he held it.

Hour after hour after hour,

he held it.

So, we rode on to Riverton, Wyoming.

We went to a park.

The lawn was lush.

FINALLY, he went!  

Apparently he needed a well-groomed 

lawn to potty.

What a weird dog.

Mike's sister and her husband agreed to join us for dinner out.  We were glad to have some visiting time.

It was a pretty big day for Bode!

That Sinking Feeling and a Mystery

After we left Independence Rock we headed toward Muddy Gap and Jeffrey City, Wyoming.  As it turned out, we didn't even stop at either place.  It was a lovely drive, though, with lots of space to view.   We talked about how sad we feel for people who don't ever get to see such wide open places.  There is such beauty!

We just kept moving on, enjoying the ride.

We decided to head on to Lander, Wyoming.  We'd been there before but it had been awhile.

Can you see that there is still snow on the very top of the mountains?

As we drove into Lander, Mike spotted a golf course.  I didn't mind exploring for a bit on my own so I encouraged him to go golfing.  Bode and I drove through Lander and then I decided to go out to the Sinks.

"What are the Sinks?" you say.

I was hoping you would ask.

Well, the middle fork of the Popo Agie River, flowing down from the Wind River Mountains, does a very weird thing just a few miles outside Lander, Wyoming...

 it disappears.  I am not kidding you.  It is called the Sinks, and this  is what it looks like:

The river just "sinks" down under ground at that point.

I read that spelunkers had tried to go down into the caverns to get an idea of where the river is going.  Can you imagine?  Who in their right mind would go down into that?  They didn't get far as it quickly narrows down into spaces too tight for humans.

The river resurfaces just 1/3 mile away.  You can follow a trail to where it resurfaces and it takes only a matter of minutes, even walking.  Along the trail is this dry riverbed that only actually has water when there is a water flow higher than The Sinks can handle.  I loved the big boulders!

Where the water comes back to the surface is called "The Rise".  It is a calm, pretty place.

There are a LOT of trout there.

No, they didn't come underground.  

They swam upstream to spawn but

 at that point they

could go no further.

They live out their lives there.

Some have grown to 8-10 pounds there!

The water continues on downstream and looked quite serene to me.

So, what is the mystery?

Well, remember that it is just a matter of minutes from The Sinks to The Rise.

Scientists, using dye, found that the water actually travels for 

OVER TWO HOURS

before resurfacing?

Where is it all that time?

ALSO,

more water comes out at The Rise than goes down at The Sinks.

From where is that extra water coming?

Inquiring minds want to know!

Drama on the Rock

As I was saying, there was drama this week at Independence Rock.  I am not certain I handled my part well.  You be the judge.

After climbing up on the backside of the rock we wandered around a bit, exploring some of the nooks and crannies.  I admit to feeling a bit tense as there we are lots of places that presented dangerous possibilities.

It was so beautiful, though, it was well worth it.  We had no drama at that point.

After hiking back down (I admit, Mike hiked but some of my descent was on my bottom.) we followed the trail on around, leaving it for just a bit.  We took Bode over to a creek for a time of cool down.

It was quite pretty there as well. 

Nope.  The drama did not occur at the creek.

AFTER the stop at the creek we continued our stroll around Independence Rock.  We'd been following the path for awhile when we heard voices asking us if we knew a way to get down.  It took me a bit of visual searching to discover from where the voices were coming.  Finally, we saw two young boys still up on the rock.  I'd guess they were maybe 10 and 12.  Can you spot them in the photo below?

How about this photo?

Now?

They'd been up there awhile and said they were stuck.  They were trying to find a way down from that ledge.    From our vantage point we really couldn't be sure how to direct them as there are so many tricky places up there.  We kept talking to them and found out they were travelling with grandparents, who were back in a camper trailer in the parking lot.  We asked them to see if there was a way up, rather than down.  Our hope was they could get to the backside where the descent was a bit easier.  As they disappeared over the top, Mike headed back to help them down.  I continued on with Bode to get the grandparents if necessary.  I was so very grateful that Mike went back to help them down.  I had a hard enough time getting myself down! 

The plan was for Mike to call me with details from the other side but cell service was spotty.  I paced and debated for awhile.  Should I go get the grandparents?  I worried about getting the boys in trouble but luckily, they were able to get down and soon I saw the three of them trekking back toward the parking area.

It was fun watching them approach as it was apparent Mike had made some new friends!

Happily the story ended well.  They headed back to their camper and Mike and I found a picnic table to enjoy our lunch.  The part that bothered me was wondering if I should have called the grandparents out there.  Like I said, I didn't want to see the boys in trouble, especially now that they were Mike's BFF's.  However, I was wondering what kind of people would let those two young boys go up there on their own and I kind of wanted to let them know they needed to be more careful.  What do you think I should've done?  By the time we finished lunch I noticed their camper was gone so I didn't get a chance to change my mind.

After our lunch we debated what we should do with the rest of our day.  Go home and get some things done or go the other way and explore a bit further.  What do you suppose we did?  Of course, we decided to follow the road a bit further to see what there was to see.  Monday was such a big day, it is going to take me several posts to describe it to you!

A Rockin' Good Time

Yesterday Mike & I did indeed have a Rockin' Good Time!  We both had the day off so we made a trek to Independence Rock.  We packed up a lunch and took Bode along.

Let me tell you something about Independence Rock.  It is one BIG ROCK!

 It is along the part of the Oregon Trail where it intersects with the Mormon and California Trails and actually... well, here, let them tell you...

Can you imagine that?  Out in the middle of the Wyoming Prairie nearly HALF A MILLION people came through in wagons, on horseback and even on foot.  This giant rock became a place of importance because it was so noticeable, easy to see.   Many, many of these people took the time to carve their names into the stone.  People continue to do so.

I love the historical aspect of Independence Rock.  I also love the beauty of it!  Mike and I climbed over much of it, dragging poor Bode along.  The weather was beautiful!

 Mike was especially proud of this photo...

I learned that I enjoy climbing UP much better than climbing DOWN.  It is a lot steeper when you're going down!

Oh, I have so much more to show you and tell you, but so little time.  Tomorrow I will tell you about

Drama on the Rock!  

(I have another early work day so I will again be posting late tomorrow.)

Sam's Party

OK, so it wasn't much of a party by most people's standards.  However, I can't think of any better way to celebrate Sam's birthday than to just have a sweet family evening.  Sam prefers to keep things low-key and I prefer to please Sam.

We ordered Pizza from two different places, meeting the dietary requirements and personal preferences of all.  One of the delivery guys stood at our door reminiscing because he said our house was the first place he'd delivered pizza when he first started.  He remembered that we had weird orders. He didn't say that straight off but did agree when I asked him about it. We do have weird orders.  All are veggie pizzas. One pizza is vegan, with no cheese. One has cheese but no sauce that would bother people with reflux.  Sam prefers his pizza to have just black olives.  He likes Dominoes Pizza but we usually don't order from them as they don't have a vegan version and they put too much garlic in it for a lot of us.  It was Sam's birthday, though, so, I ordered from two different places.  I wonder what the neighbors thought of that!

After dinner we just enjoyed our time together. We told stories, we missed Ben and Sara, we laughed and we were grateful.  I'll  just let you check out some of the photos.

What did you all do this week-end?  Did you get time to enjoy your families as well?

Sam's Last Year as a Teen

Sam turns 19 today!  Happy Birthday Sam!

It seems outrageous that it has been 19 years since this day... but it is true.

Sam was such a fun baby, adoring his older siblings.  However, Sam has always been a bit of an old soul.  That is, he seemed to think about things well beyond his years.  He's a watcher.  Even by about the age of 2 he was making comments to me about people that just blew me away.  He'd notice if someone was on the edges of a group or seemed withdrawn.  He's just always been insightful about human behavior.  

Little known fact: In Jr. High School Sam won the Kindness Award.  The recipient of this award is chosen by students AND teachers.  Sam won other awards during his school years, but none that made us more proud than the Kindness Award.  Sam is one of the World's Good Guys.

Sam is now just about 6'4" so he's a bit bigger than he was when the above photo was taken.  He's still a sweet boy.  His siblings are still very important to him.  He's good and kind and loving and sweet.  What more could a mother ask for?

Happy Birthday, Sam!  

Enjoy the last of your teen years. 

Know that you are well-loved.

Survival of the Fittest

As long as I confessed about my less than enthusiastic approach to growing a vegetable garden, I may as well tell you about my flowers.  

I have some mighty fine flowers, really I do.  I have  pots with annuals that are quite pretty.  So far, I've watered them every evening this summer...almost.

I have some Russian Sage that is thriving.

I planted some Creeping Jenny that seems to love this soil.  It is fairly well-behaved.  I like it because I planted it in memory of our niece, Jennifer.

When we first moved to this property 8 years ago, there was a huge mound of dirt in the front yard where previous owners had done some sewer work or something.  Maria and Eric came and spent a lot of time helping me turn it into a lovely garden.  I was very proud of it for several years.  Then, when I wasn't paying attention, it became all shaggy.  I started noticing that some beautiful perennials didn't make it through the winter.  Eventually, some of the plants that were meant just for filling in the bare spots seemed to be overtaking the prettier flowers.  I've forgotten what this ferny stuff is called but it certainly thrives in this soil that used to be the bottom of a river bed.  It is definitely winning the "Survival of the Fittest" contest in my flower garden right now.

And then there is this stuff.  I was quite pleased with its durability the first year or two.  Now, I'm regretting that I ever planted it.  I forget what its called as well.  It's something like Ice on the Glacier or Snow on the Mountain.  Anyone know?  Anyway, it wants to take over our whole lawn now.  Maybe I should just let it.  No, I'm kidding.  We have a plan to get it under control.  But I do kind of wonder why we don't grow things like that to cover our front lawn.  It grows  great.  It doesn't mind being mowed.  And it is a suvivor.

But, alas, I really do have one plant that makes me proud.  No surprise, I've lost the name of it as well.  Not to worry.  I just decided to make up my own name for it.  It is my Umbrella Star.  See, it begins all closed up like this, like a closed umbrella.

Then, Twaaa-Laaa, it becomes a brilliant, blue star!

Isn't that just so cool?  The color is such a bright periwinkle.  I hope I don't kill it.

How Does My Garden Grow?

I've seen quite a few blogs this summer showcasing beautiful vegetable gardens.  The photographs are so exquisite my mouth just waters over the lovely produce!

My Mom is a marvelous gardener.  She always has been.  She could poke and prod the most stubborn soil and end up with her own little Garden of Eden.  My daughter is very much like my Mom.  Her backyard is becoming more and more an oasis.

I've had lots of gardens.  Sometimes I've even managed to grow something edible.  Mostly my poor gardens have been loved and tenderly cared for.  Really! I get all excited choosing what I will grow and I love watching the first little beginnings of each plant.  There is such a mother earthy feel when growing a nice garden.

Then...  Apparently I get distracted.  I need a garden that takes just a week or two to produce food because my attention so quickly wanes.  Typically what happens is this.  I get busy for a few days and kind of forget to water my garden.  As it turns out, that is not good for gardens.  Then, I spend several days trying to revive shriveled plants.  Once that cycle starts there is no more mother earthy feeling.  There is just shame.  Then, I dread seeing those sad little plants so I avoid them.

This year is a bit different.  While it is true that I've let my garden get a bit dry a few times, I've so far managed to keep it alive.  I water it every evening, although I believe it would appreciate a drink twice a day.  I am seeing actual food growing!  It is not quite time for my big harvest but I am confident that I will make it to that point this summer!  Well, pretty confident.

Aren't you proud of me?  I'm so excited I've decided to post my own garden photos...or should I say, photo?  Tell me what you think of my vegetable garden.

Yes, that's it.  That tomato plant is my entire vegetable garden this year.  It sits right outside the backdoor so I see it every time I let the dog out.  So far so good!

Are you a gardener?  Do you love digging in the dirt?  How about all that weed-pulling?  Are you aware that too much gardening leads to even more work...  canning and freezing!?  

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Reminder:  Now is a good time to stock up on gifts as we are continuing with our big inventory reduction sale at 

Wyoming Rose Boutique.  

Many items are just $2!

Click on the photos to the right of this post and you will magically be transported to our little store!

Put Your What Where?

Is it wrong that I thought this was a funny sign?

Do you see that there is a website?

That made it even funnier to me...

until I checked out the site!

Did you know that cigarette butts are the most littered item in the world?

Did you know they are made up mostly of plastic and do not easily biodegrade?

Do you know that many follow the flow of rain and are washed into our rivers?

Did you know they are a big hazard to wildlife and little children?

Hmmmm... I am no longer chuckling.

First, A Word From Our Sponsor

Wyoming Rose Boutique News:  Maria and I have decided we need to refresh inventory in our shop.  As a first step we have gone through and drastically reduced many items.  I'm not kidding!  We have lowered prices on many items as low as $2!  If there was anything you had your eye on, you might want to check it out.  


(I am really sorry that we no longer ship outside the United States.  We ran into some real problems, such as finding out certain countries won't let us ship jewelry, etc.  We also have had trouble shipping even just to Canada.  One package had to be shipped 3 times before it made it to its new owner.  That got very costly!  Anyway, that decision made us sad as we loved knowing our creations were landing in homes around the world.)


OK, now to my regular post...


Yesterday was absolutely lovely.  I am still enjoying what my friend, Pam, called grammaternity leave.  Maria and Eric brought their lovely girls to our house and my Mom and Aunt Michelle came to town.  Together we celebrated the addition of pretty little Elise to our family tree.

The Baby of Honor

Cordy and her Great-Great Aunt Michelle

My Beautiful Mother

The Handsome Family of Honor

Elise Enjoyed Her Party

Grandma Grace, Aunt Michelle and Elise Ione

Four Generations of Females