Category: 2024

Our interests and commitments continue to multiply as time goes by. Yesterday, we drove an hour to the south to meet our county’s Master Gardener Coordinator. After filling out paperwork and providing fingerprints for screening, we’re on our way to completing this program. We’ll be certified by year’s end.

Master Gardener interns must complete 15 hours of additional instruction AND 35 hours of volunteer hours over the next year. We’ve been selected to teach hydroponic gardening to school-aged children at the local Boys and Girls Club in our town.

Along with the classroom gig, we’ve been asked to become caretakers for the Buckland Station community garden located 30 minutes from Winterpast. There we’ll find more raised gardens needing seedlings to be produced under our careful watch. In early February, the cycle will begin again, as tiny seeds will turn into beautiful flowers and vegetables.

There’s always a lot to do for a team of two active Master Gardeners interns.

Along with those two projects, the brand Healing Hearts comfort group will benefit from gardening. Of this, there is no doubt. There were many hours HHH (Hubba-Hubba-Hubby) and I spent time in our respective yards working the soil. The beauty of life in the garden helps heal the heart.

The kiss of the sun for pardon,
The song of the birds for mirth,
One is nearer God’s Heart in a garden
Than anywhere else on Earth.

Our new friends at the University of Nevada Extension Office also run the 4-H program for the county, servicing 120 children. This took me back to my early days of 4-H meetings, leadership, and animal projects. During my years as a member of 4-H, I learned to cook and sew. I also learned to raise rabbits, chickens, lambs, and Guide Dogs. My love for animals and all things in nature came from this club and I smile every time I see a child dressed in white and pine green.

Strolling through the autumn of life, there are so many ways we can enrich the lives of others. Help someone get through a dark time in life. Teach some littles about hydroponic gardening. Beautify a historical spot where pony express riders would stop for a nice meal and a fresh horse. So many ways to help, and we haven’t even scratched the surface of possiblities.

If the gigs with the children or the historical garden don’t pan out, many more choices await. Bringing gardening to the Senior Center or Assisted Living facility might be fun. With so many options, how on earth did we ever have time for work?

For the next six weeks, we’ll wait for our fingerprints to be processed. Autumn will be a great time to plan.

Whatever you do today, think about ways you can get out of your comfort zone to help. There are hundreds of volunteer opportunities in any town. By getting out and about, your days will brighten. It just works that way!

Have a wonderful weekend. I’ll be back on Monday.

The time has come for everyone in our country to take a moment to think. Critical thinking is a lost art, but one we desperately need as the time for voting our conscience has arrived. It’s time to consider important issues from every angle.

In Nevada, voting began on Saturday with polls opening at 10 am. I’d hoped for a repeat of the primary. On that snowy night, the line of voters wrapped around the Senior Center as people stood outside in the cold waiting to cast their votes.

We’re a tiny town of 25,000 souls. Country folks are often conservative, but our town seems equally divided as the rest of the country. We arrived at the polls 30 minutes before opening to get a place in line. Even though we planned carefully, it still took two hours to vote.

Before we’d opened our car doors to stand outside on the crisp autumn morning, a random man started giving a dire warning. It seemed someone had hacked his voting information. He had already contacted the Governor, Sheriff, and the Mayor. For goodness sake, he’d even sent word to the FBI.

Having received voter ID cards in the mail with all the correct information, we weren’t worried. As much as we tried to politely ignore him, he stuck to us like glue. We’d better check. “THEY” were out to get every vote. “THEY” could change our votes, too. We never figured out exactly who “THEY” were.

Moving into line, it was amusing to listen to the chatter around us. Two very large heavy equipment operators at a local pit compared Caterpillar to Komatsu while my attention focused on a city-fied young man with a folding table. Just where did he come from and where was he going? What propaganda did he intend to set up on his black card table taken out of the car with California license plates?

In the middle of hundreds of people, we knew only one. HHH’s Spanish teacher from high school. Now, HHH is 70 (Sorry, HHH, but I must make my point.) His HIGH SCHOOL SPANISH TEACHER came out to vote. Bless her heart. As she bubbled with happiness, she told us she was there to meet a candidate’s wife who would be visiting waiting voters.

By this time, the man with the card table was identified as part of THAT candidate’s team and we sent her in that direction as the clock marched towards 10 am.

About 9:50, a few activists started spewing hate towards Israel over their bull-horn while the candidate’s wife passed out pamphlets about conservative issues. HHH’s Spanish Teacher was lost in the crowd as the clock struck 10.

The doors didn’t magically open as everyone had hoped. Twenty minutes more in the cold, the line finally began inching toward the polls. By the time we left, City Hall’s parking lot was overflowing. The lights of our friendly Sheriff flashed near the activists. Without knowing what happened, we hurried in the opposite direction towards the car.

My biggest hope for our country this year is that all voters are engaged. Carefully consider issues that matter in our lives. Personality, skin color, gender, or financial statues don’t matter. Political promises often prove hollow at the end of the day.

Search your heart. Are you better now than you were four years ago? Has your life improved? How far does your dollar go at the grocery store or gas pump. Study your sample ballot. If you are a person of faith, pray about your vote. Pray about the issues troubling our country.

Don’t wait until the last minute to vote. If possible, vote at your polling place. Be sure to smile at the poll workers and thank them for volunteering for theirs is a thankless job in an angry society.

Whatever you do, Wake Up and Stay That Way. That’s different than “Being Woke. Once awake, things become much clearer.

More tomorrow.

Well it’s a strange old game you learn it slow
One step forward and it’s back you go
You’re standing on the throttle
You’re standing on the brake
In the groove ’til you make a mistake

You gotta know happy – you gotta know glad
Because you’re gonna know lonely
And you’re gonna know sad
When you’re rippin’ and you’re ridin’
And you’re coming on strong
You start slippin’ and slidin’
And it all goes wrong because

One day you got the glory and then you got none
One day you’re a diamond and then you’re a stone
Everything can change in the blink of an eye
So let the good times roll before we say goodbye

because

Sometimes you’re the windshield
Sometimes you’re the bug
Sometimes it all comes together, Baby
Sometimes you’re just a fool in love
Sometimes you’re the Louisville Slugger
Sometimes you’re the ball
Sometimes it all comes together
Sometimes you’re gonna lose it all _{Written by Mark Knopfler}

Hmmm. I never met Mr. Knopfler or Mary Chapin Carpenter, but their lyrics are relatable. It’d be nice if, just occasionally, life would give us a “heads-up” for the “bug” moments. They sneak right out in front of us when traveling down the highway of life. Splat.

Last week, some church members needed prayer for family members. A son suffered a near-fatal heart attack. A grandson and his young family were broadsided by a semi-truck during a snowstorm. Two young men were not expected to live through the night. With prayers answered, it’s great to report they are both expected to return to their active lives after surgeries, rest, and healing. Prayer. It’s a powerful thing.

On these beautiful fall days, HHH and I are rippin’ and ridin’ and comin’ on strong, while enjoying every bug-free experience here at Winterpast. For now, our windshield is clean and it’s blue-sky days. Praise the Lord.

Whatever you do today, focus on your own bug-free moments. Each day is full of little wins that need celebrating. Find a blend between throttle and brake while you keep moving ahead. Slow and steady wins the race.

How can Halloween be one week away? In the blink of an eye, 2024 is almost gone and the holiday season begins next month. With that comes a mixture of excitement and sadness for many. Holidays can amplify the pain of loss. Careful planning is one way to navigate without getting our tinsel tangled.

2020 was the worst year of my life. Having become a widow after 32 years of marriage, I couldn’t begin to understand the journey I’d take. This much I knew for sure. The holidays would be tough. With a birthday the week before Christmas, the holiday season always overflowed with too many obligations. It would be up to me to carefully select new traditions.

Earlier in life, I often taught until December 23, with no worries about filling the holiday season with extras. Work and family filled my dance card and as the holidays passed, I was a year older. Each year, they came and went without much angst.

In 2014, with a move to Nevada, the holidays took on a different look. Virginia City, Nevada showered me with the first of many snowy Christmas Eves’. With an invitation to the next-door neighbor’s house, we slid down the driveway on new snow and walked the short distance into the next chapter of life. New traditions began that year with several retired couples joining together to make a family. The eight of us brought cheer to a rather quiet neighborhood and for six Christmases, it worked well.

Moving to a new town 17 days after becoming a widow changed everything. I knew two people and by the next Christmas, only one would remain. The holidays would arrive right on time along with feelings of loss, sadness, and loneliness. It was time for a change of focus.

Plan holiday activities before they arrive. Make a list of possible destinations and activities for the day before and the day after. Then, try your best to be a little excited about your choices. Attitude is everything.

Before that first Christmas, I wrote myself a monthly note about all the good things that happened that month. Those eight notes were a great way to recognize growth and accomplishments.

Each month, I shopped for one personal Christmas present for Oliver and me.

Attending a Christmas candlelight service while surrounded by new friends in God’s house, the world didn’t seem quite so dark. After church, I drove around town to see the lights while reflecting on the real reason for the season.

The next day, Miss Firecracker and I were invited to join a friend and his family for dinner. Just like that, we made our first solo Christmas un-lonely. It just took some planning.

While I was making my Christmas plans, HHH went home to his kids. Looking back, it was agreed, that Christmas was like no other. Not one we want to repeat any time soon. The first holiday season in grief is rough. No way around it, you just need to make it through. And, you will.

As the holidays approach, do what you can and leave the rest. It took a few years to go through the old decorations, keeping favorites while shrinking my stash.

The main suggestion is this. Start planning now. If you are not into it this year, plan a trip away. That’s okay, too. No one makes the rules but you. Change things up. Today, start thinking of your favorite celebrations and focus on those. The rest can be put aside for now. Just Do You with as many bells as possible.

More tomorrow.

Oliver-

“Sometimes humans are confusing. If they only took better care of themselves, their lives would be less stressful, Wookie.”

Wookie-

“Yes, Oliver. Life’s difficulties would be easier to navigate. They could face life with courage while being content and connected. Mom-Oh should feature us on her blog more often, because we know some stuff.”

Oliver-

“Wookie, I like the way your paws are crossed. You sure look professional ike you know something important. My legs are too short for crossing.”

Wookie–

“Sorry about your legs, Oliver.”

People should be more kind to one another. Our mom and dad are really nice to us. We never need to sleep out in the cold or go without dinner. We get lots of cuddles at night. You sleep in you crate, while I like sleeping on their bed. They know this and are considerate of our feelings. People should be as kind to each other as they are to their pets.

Oliver–

If they would only live in the moment, like we do. We don’t get excited for dinner until its dinner time, enjoying our minutes as they come. We remember to breathe deeply and take naps when we need them.

Wookie —

And when we get in trouble, we try to distract them with smiles and tail ways. When people are distracted by something cute or funny, they seem to forget troubles or sadness. That’s why I learned to smile at Dad when he used to be sad. It brightened his day right up. Your tail wags make Mom-Oh smile. I’ve seen it.

Oliver–

Humans are just that. Sometimes they think they’re perfect. But no one is that. I wish they’d forget about trying so hard and just relax a little bit. It would be better for our pack.

Wookie —

Mom-Oh and Dad have done a good job choosing friends. It’s fun when nice people come for dinner. Oliver, don’t tell them, but sometimes the nice people drop food and I find it really fast. I love when that happens.

Oliver–

You, too? Wookie, I love when food is dropped. Sometimes, the nice people even sneak me a snack. Shhhh. We can’t tell.

Wookie–

I hope Mom-oh and Dad keep watching their health. They love being out in the sunshine while they garden. It makes them so happy to grow good food to eat. Oliver, try not to eat all the cucumbers next year. Mom gets stressed out and stress is a killer.

Oliver–

Okay, Wookie. Next year I’ll try to be better. Did you know Mom didn’t garden as much before we became a pack? Dad has helped her smile more. It’s good for humans to smile. You have such a great smile, Wookie. I wish I knew how.

Wookie–

It seems that journaling helps humans sort our their thoughts. Mom spends hours in front of the computer typing away. It looks like so much fun, I’d try it, but…

Oliver–

I know, Wookie…. I know…………

Oliver and Wookie——-

NO THUMBS.

That’s our advice for the day. We are two happy dogs that love being part of the Winterpast Pack. Remember — Spay, Neuter, and Adopt if you can!!!!

Dogs Rule!!

More tomorrow.

‘Way out in the land of the setting sun,
Where the wind blows wild and free,
There’s a lovely spot, just the only one
That means home sweet home to me.
If you follow the old Kit Carson trail,
Until desert meets the hills,
Oh, you certainly will agree with me,
It’s the place of a thousand thrills.

Whenever the sun at the close of the day,
Colors all the western sky,
Oh my heart returns to the desert grey
And the mountains tow’ring high.
Where the moonbeams play in shadowed glen,
With the spotted fawn and doe,
All the live-long night until morning light,
Is the loveliest place I know.

Home, means Nevada, Home, means the hills,
Home, means the sage and the pines.
Out by the Truckee’s silvery rills,
Out where the sun always shines.
There is the land that I love the best,
Fairer than all I can see,
Deep in the heart of the golden west
Home, means Nevada to me.

Happy Nevada (Nev-AH’-duh) Day, celebrated every year on the last Friday in October. This year’s celebration is especially nice because it didn’t fall on Halloween. Some years they’re on the same day.

This state holiday commemorates Nevada’s admission to the union on October 31, 1864. The first known observance of Nevada Day (originally known as Admission Day) was by the Pacific Coast Pioneer Society during the 1870s. It became a state holiday in 1933. In 2000, for another three-day weekend, the observance was changed to the last Friday in October.

While others are celebrating, HHH and I will be preparing for the rare opportunity to host a guest! HHH is planning wonderful meals, while I’m thinking of ways to entertain our friend. Even though it’s not even Halloween, the guest room is decorated for Christmas. After all, we don’t get many guests out here on the high desert plains of Northwestern Nevada.

Around here, the mornings remain dark far too long. The crab apple tree is now dropping orangey-gold leaves. As the roses continue to bloom, their days are numbered for killing frosts have started. Autumn is giving us another show on the desert.

Whatever you do this weekend, celebrate something. Think about your own holiday preparations. Prepare for Trick-or-Treat-ers and test the candy for yourself. Stay up late and sleep in. After all, weekends are a time for pampering. Have a good one!

I’ll be back Monday!!

It’s happened.

I’ve been kidnapped and taken to a land far away.

HHH and I are working on a plan to bargain for my release. Negotiations are complicated and these things take a little time. My kidnapper’s are taking excellent care of me so please don’t involve law enforcement.

I’ll be back November 25th with stories to share.

Until then, please enjoy daily posts from over the years.

Keep Calm and Carry On!!!

Joy

So many stories to tell after a whirlwind Autumn of travel!! With our suitcases unpacked for the last time in 2024, it’s time to reflect on all we’ve seen. From the desert to the mountains to the sea, we’ve been immersed in the wonders of our beautiful world. What a fun time we’ve had.

First of all, after one year of marriage, I’ve discovered HHH (Hubba-Hubba-Hubby) is the best travel partner possible. If you need a guy that can locate a Yellowstone wolf in the wild, he’s the one. If you need a bodyguard on crowded Las Vegas Boulevard, Mr. Marvelous Marine has you covered. Even if you need an escort for formal night under the stars, HHH is right there, smooth as silk with blue eyes sparkling under his best Fedora. The perfect travel companion. It’s wonderful that he just happens to be my husband!

During our travels, we’ve managed to squeeze in some wild living while being surrounded by wildlife. We’ve seen bears, wolves, bald and golden eagles, owls, and plenty of ravens. We were entertained by wild sea and river otters. The bison and elk were fabulous. There were seal lions, dolphins, and one lonely sea turtle. Frigate birds, albatross, and seagulls. We were lucky to spot a mother whale and her calf working their way down the California Coast towards the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico.

Did you know that as the sun slips below the horizon on the Pacific a green flash occurs. If you didn’t know, you’d miss it. The conditions need to be just right and one needs to be very careful not to look too early. Knowing all of this, we managed to witness the flash once over the ten days afloat.

Through almost 12 weeks of vacationing, HHH never spoke a cross word to anyone. My Marvelous Marine pointed out the humor when things got a little trying, as they do when a husband and wife travel long distances.

In September, we first traveled to the Land of Man visiting Las Vegas. Then, we drove days to the Land of God, Yellowstone National Park. There is not another spot I’ve seen that can hold a candle to Yellowstone. If you’ve not been, put the trip on your bucket list. There are Yellowstone cams that keep me connected until our return. The only thing those two destinations have in common is that we visited them in the Fall of 2024.

Two weeks ago, HHH and I boarded the Majestic Princess and sailed out of Los Angeles harbor to visit the Mexican Riviera. Cruising is luxurious. There were no worries about what to eat or drink. You want entertainment??? It was there at the theater. Heck, the boat even had a casino for some added fun. Time at sea stops for us and we can’t wait for our next cruise, which will be sooner than later.

Even after being surrounded by majestic mountains and beautiful star-filled nights on the high seas, one fact remains. No place is better than our very own Winterpast. It was good to get back home and settle into our comfy clothes. Winter weather has arrived with Thanksgiving just a few days away.

Traveling is a great way to learn about your mate. From cruising to driving, I’ve learned I’m one very lucky woman to have found just the right guy for me.

Whatever you do today, consider a getaway. We’ve learned cruise lines make accommodations for people of any age in any physical condition. We saw guests in their 90’s having the time of their lives. The crisp ocean air helped inspire new thoughts and dreams. If nothing else, watch a few episodes of “The Love Boat” on YouTube. Happy Sailing!

More tomorrow.

Some days the news is great while some days the news can be quite sad. It’s with a heavy heart I must report that our colony of Saskatraz bees has died. We didn’t want to believe it was happening even though all the signs were there. In the end, they went without a whisper and we’re left with an empty hive.

In the beginning, they made the early spring trip over Donner Pass in the back of a pickup. They came as a nucleus colony (NUC) in a box holding five frames of eggs, larvae, and adults along with their queen. As they settled into their new neighborhood, everything looked swell. The queen, able to lay over 2 million eggs in her lifetime, was busy caring for her brood.

Neighbors and friends were quite supportive during our first year as beekeepers. We found new friends that went out of their way to give us helpful advice. Miss Queen of the Bees came over twice to treat our hive for mites. All the while, our bees never quite caught on to a good routine, becoming a bit confused about comb construction and brood distribution. As the days went by, the queen kept laying eggs.

Everything seemed great. The bees helped us enjoy bumper crops of cherries, apricots, apples, and plums. They loved our garden plants and we loved watching them.

Usually very calm and sweet, they did let us know when we crossed the line. HHH suffered over one dozen bee stings, being very lucky that he didn’t end up in the hospital. But through everything, the bees were wonderful neighbors who enjoyed a home in our backyard until they died.

In our area, we aren’t alone. Their death was not due to anything we did as beekeepers. I accept this as truth because many other “real” beekeepers suffered as we did. There was one big difference. We lost one colony. The “real” keepers lost hundreds.

In August, we learned 60 beekeepers lost over 600 hives for no obvious reason. These hives were placed all over Northwestern Nevada, some even living at Lake Tahoe. These were professionals whose hives failed this year. Miss Queen of the Beekeepers and her partner lost more than 30.

Before leaving on vacation, we noticed that the hive was under attack from hornets. A healthy hive will protect itself, fighting to the death. Just the sight of happy hornets stealing honey let us know the writing was on the wall. Our hive was on the verge of death.

Yesterday, I opened the hive without wearing my bee suit. It wasn’t necessary. Everyone was gone. Inside, winter honey had been neatly stored to get them through a hard winter. Starvation wasn’t the reason for their death. With no bee bodies present, it wasn’t a sudden poisoning either. And so, the mystery remains.

Many people have suggested reasons, but no one has come up with an answer. There are changes in both climate and the earth’s magnetic field. Plants bloomed at different times last year. A very early and long spring was followed by a cold snap. The fall was also very long. Some research is being done regarding the hours of cold weather a bee colony needs to survive. But, at this point, the mystery remains.

If you’ve ever thought about beekeeping as a hobby, do consider it. Although it IS one hobby that can KILL you, it’s also a hobby that helps the environment and garden health. For HHH and I, it’s something we plan to continue next year with a new queen and court.

More tomorrow.

Holidays. Everyone smiling while eating and drinking way too much. Families traveling long distances to get a hug. Love. Hope. Happiness. Togetherness. That’s the All-American ideal. How lovely it would be if everyone in the world could experience a perfect holiday just once. The reality is that there is no such thing as a perfect holiday or a perfect anything else for that matter. This is especially true when grief is one’s constant companion.

My first widowed holiday was not explainable to anyone else. The firsts are as unique as snowflakes. Each one has its own shape and beauty. It’s up to each individual to make the firsts liveable. That’s a tall order.

In December 2020, I was one lost soul. It had been nine months since becoming a widow and I’d managed to settle into a new home with one little dog. The newness of everything left me in a fog most days, while the slightest bump in the road could send me into tizzy.

Those early days, sleep was my only comfort. I prayed for angels to surround me each evening as the sun set, and then, I was out like a light. It mattered not that the clock said 5:30 pm. Suffering such a shock, my brain needed time to heal. Sleep cloaked the intense pain that comes with losing a husband.

That first Christmas, it wasn’t necessary to drag out all the decorations. I had no family that would be joining me for the big dinner I wouldn’t be preparing. All the decorations I’d used for years belonged to the bigger home in which I no longer lived. The thought of finding new spots for red and green was too overwhelming. That year, I chose to decorate with little poinsettias. That was the best I could do.

While preparing for this major milestone, each month I’d ordered a Christmas gift for myself. When they arrived, I’d wrap the unopened packages with monthly notes to myself. On Christmas Eve, I opened each one and read words reflecting a slow and steady healing. Oliver and I made it through that first holiday with the help of my one true friend, Miss Firecracker. It was her first Christmas alone, as well. Together, we made it through.

As you begin the holiday season, evaluate your traditions. Keep the ones that comfort you and ignore the ones that don’t. If you need company, invite people. If you need solitude, close the curtains and take a break. Only you know what will feel right.

During the sadness of that first year, one thing I could count on for comfort was my written words. If you want to know more about my first year as a widow, look back at my archives starting September, 2020. Firsts are messy. Firsts are tear-filled baskets of emotions. Just remember, they only happen once and that is a true blessing.

Whatever you do today, get out a calendar and start planning how you will survive December. Look for events that will provide comfort. It’s okay to boycott the holidays if they are too painful. Only you will know what feels just right. Personally, I’ve discoverd hot chocolate makes everything so much better.

More tomorrow.