A New Year

Happy New Year to all of our family and friends! Our holidays were spent with friends and loved ones, one of our favorite pastimes. 

Recently we were privileged to witness the 25th wedding anniversary and renewal of vows of our friends Ray and Marla. Sam and Ray have been friends since they worked together in two different companies, where their wicked sense of humor ensured they had way too much fun. Ray is also a gifted musician and we've admired his talent in numerous venues. 

Ray asked Sam to "vandalize" their car, as a surprise for Marla. Who knew graffiti could be so much fun?

We spent a Saturday at our neighboring Mescal Movie Set with Dean and Peggy, which is always fun. They also invited us for Mexican Christmas lunch, with Dennis and Lucy and several others.

The afternoon wrapped up with a pinata to whack on. Sam did it justice, but the winning blow was by Kris, the smallest female in the group!

Over Christmas break, Sam helped our friends Kathie and Bill spruce up and make repairs to their little park model in Tucson. We also dragged them along to the Christmas lunch. 

A sad and also joyous occasion was the memorial service for Jackie Wilson, a wonderful, godly woman I've known since 1981 and the mother of our good friend Linda. I reconnected with longtime friends Karen and Sandy, two sisters who were summer camp and teen retreat friends from a long, long time ago!

Many of Sam's students had special Christmas concerts, and we had fun attending several. 

He also discovered one day that evidently a bus driver's pot of gold is right there on the bus!

Sam had fun surprising the kids with his innovative head gear.

And one night at a high school football game, he witnessed firsthand the launch of a Space X rocket from California, visible from over 400 miles away.

Of course, many of our most special times are with our "kids", Frankie and Dingus.

Frankie often takes a nap with Pop during his break from work. 

Dingus was bored at home one day, so he rode in the car with Pop on an errand in the neighborhood.

Some of the other creatures spotted were this beautiful black racer, a big one, and a roadrunner couple who have been coming around regularly. 

We also occasionally see a blimp passing over the ranch, which is always exciting. I think aircraft tend to fly along the freeway, but stay a couple miles away so they can see it and still skirt around the mountains. 

One morning I woke up to a foggy day, a welcome but unusual sight around here. It intensified the quiet and lasted several hours. 

A week later, we woke up to two inches of snow!

The cats enjoyed it, but didn't stay outside very long. 

Within a few hours, most had melted, but we had snow on shady ground for a couple days. 

It sure is magical. 

For the past eight months I have really enjoyed volunteering every week at Endeavor Gallery in Benson. This is our gift shop area.

My friend Pam and I had fun at an arts and crafts show in November, and I sold one painting. 

I have also sold two at the gallery, including this third painting in a series featuring Mescal Movie Set. I called this one, After the Monsoons. I always ask for God's help when I'm painting, and he has blessed me with encouragement! I'm very thankful. 

Here's to noticing more of the beauty in our lives this year and being thankful for it all!

Lately...

 

Look what we did during Sam's Fall Break. New flooring! It's Mohawk brand, which is appropriate, as you can see in the next photo.

First we had to pull up the old carpet in the living room and the vinyl in the kitchen. 

Even in the closet and under the appliances. 

Next, I had expert help sorting through the 18 boxes of wood laminate planks that have been stored around the edges of the living room for several months. I found that we had 12 different patterns.

Sam started in the bedroom and ran a straight line from one end of the little house to the other. The planks were laid from that line, to keep all the rows straight. 

We mixed up the patterns and the planks snapped together...with a lot of strength and persuasion from Sam. 

We got out Sam's power tools and woodworking tools to cut the planks around the edges. 

It took awhile, but everything finally came together. We are so relieved to move past this big step in our remodel, and we love the way it transformed our home.

During the first part of that project I ducked out a few days for a Girl Cousins reunion at Brenda's AirBnB, Willow House. 

We had such a good time catching up with each other's lives, talking, sharing opinions, and still loving each other in spite of differences. 

We went on outings like this beautiful afternoon at Aztec Ruins. 

It was a wonderful time. 

Last summer we worked on painting the bedroom, 3 white walls and one with this fun coral or salmon color.

Monsoons started early and lasted almost 4 months, which brought out green hills and critters. These river toads enjoyed a soak in our water bowl.

Other wildlife we've encountered recently are scaled quail (20 of them), a horned toad and our first rattlesnake of the year. 

Once the weather cooled off, we did some mowing and removed weeds from around the trees. But the rains kept coming!

Last month we took a day trip to Portal and Cave Creek Canyon, a remote area I've wanted to see for years. It was spectacular. 

Not quite so much fun was Sam's second round of cancer prevention chemo treatment on his arms. Last summer's treatment on his face was more painful, but this time his clothing rubs on skin lesions and makes it difficult for him to sleep. Fortunately, it's starting to heal now.

For those interested in my painting, here are some I did recently. I found the little white frame and needed a scene to go with it. My brother Ben took a rare photo of snow in their front yard, and it was so pretty. 

The second one I painted for nearby St. David's Pioneer Days, and got a ribbon!

I often join a women's group at my friend Pam's church and painted these tiny gifts as my contribution to Christmas bags for senior home residents. 

My cousin David and his wife asked me for a painting to remind them of the Southwest. This is called Christ in the Desert, after a favorite monastery retreat. 

These last two will be for sale in the gallery when we change out the display at the end of October. 

Our rainy days have produced some great sunrises and sunsets. Here are two that Sam recorded for posterity. Sensational!

I hope to see you all here again soon!