Finding the Little Joys

Pppppffff! What a week! I am looking forward to the next one, and ignoring most of this last one. What a doozy. I was thrown all sorts of curve balls over the last 5 days and can not express enough my happiness at today's success so far. In a way, I'm always pleased when all seemingly bad things fall on the same day or week. It gets them all out of the way at once. As always though, beyond the absurd weird-ness of this last string of days, there were good things too. It's always clearer looking back. For one, the Bitterroot Valley is slowly being filled with....baby cows!!! Oh how I love calves. They are tiny, and cute, and bouncy and completely covering the fields South of us. Also, the weather has been cold, but the sun has been shining as hard as its little face can, giving us beautiful, crisp days. It feels clean out. Cold and shiny as stainless steel. I got tulips this week too! Which are presently blooming in my living room. Getting flowers is lovely on its own, especially when it's a surprise, when you most need it. But tulips? Devine! I love tulips in winter. They are so out of character at that time. They are a Spring flower, and when I get them in the throws of snow flurries and ice, it warms my heart so. Such glee from red petals. So, many good things shook themselves out of this week. Warm faces, good company, kind words, and smiley strangers. And now it's Saturday! I have been ridiculously productive so far, I'm caffeinated, well fed, well loved and checking things of a list I haven't touched in awhile! Let's hope this trend keeps going! On to the fun tasks of the rest of today!

End O' the Week!

It has been an interesting, and very long week. Strangely long, because it was only 4 days worth. Go figure. My driving took me mostly North this time around, and not far from the city. Much less exciting but I found things to entertain me. People were having a lot of fun this week I noticed. People on the street, people driving. I went past an elementary school and there, enjoying a swing set, and swinging as high as he could, was a guy in his mid-20s. Looked like he was in running attire, so I figure he went for a jog and then couldn't resist the play ground! Fun! I saw creepy run down buildings out there, a house surrounded by police, and also a kitty I thought was for sure a goner. I was cruising North at a fair clip and something caught my eye to the right. As I drove by I saw the blue-grey face of a kitty that looked just like my Bear! He tucked himself back in the weeds and I said a prayer out loud that he didn't cross the road. Well, in my rear-view mirror I saw him bolt---in front of traffic. Thankfully, I saw the encouraging glow of red breaklights as the line of traffic going South screeched to a halt. Whew! Little guy got by! Sure had me scared! Today I head South again which is much more familiar (but you have to worry about bigger critters crossing the road). It will be a morning jaunt which are always fun. Things are still frosty in the shadows, and the sun coming up over the fields is gorgeous! I'm just excited to not be out on the road in the evening tonight. I will head home in the light of the afternoon! Wahoo! Now on to coffee to get me charged up enough to drive. Glug glug glug...

Valentine's Weekend

So yesterday was Valentine's Day. It is one of my favorite holidays. The sun came out that morning and warmed up my face and heart. This last week has been fun, leaving surprises for co-workers and friends. I had a few small tokens for my beau including some good cookies that were hard to not eat. Yummy! Yesterday evening I got to dress up and go out to dinner at the Depot. Mmm! Afterward we went to a movie and then followed it up with dessert from Dairy Queen (it was their official opening day for the "spring"). We drank wine at home and I gave him his gifts. We had a great time together! I slept like a rock last night too! And with today being a holiday too, I got to sleep in and enjoy a lazy day. I cleaned and polished the house and visited with my Mom about our respective Valentine's. This has been a great weekend! Now on to baking some more treats!

Feeling Quite Content

I have a hot cup of coffee in front of me and a bag of Skittles. Not my normal morning fare, but I'll take it. :) Today is unraveling slowly, and I like it. It's progressing at the same rate as my sleepy mind, so I can keep up. I have little odds and ends to do today at work; lots of checkboxes to check and cobwebs to clear off old to-dos. I can organize, and clean, and make this place look normal again. I have one appointment this evening, with my favorite family, that I look forward to. I'll be heading down the valley with the masses leaving the "big city." Evenings have been beautiful down there. Whether I have clear skies, stars and snow, or fluffy clouds making it cozy and grey. Today's visit is a short one too, probably no more than 10 minutes in the home, but a nice drive to and from. I get to take my beloved Eastside Highway, past my beloved crooked tree, my geese, my cows, and the not-so-beloved-try-to-believe-their-angels-bad-Bitterroot-drivers. Yesterday's trip flew by, and I had so much fun at my appointment! The little kids at this house yell "the asthma lady's here!" when I show up and they help me unload my car each time. They ask tons of questions, and the little 5 year old follows me everywhere. I love to get them laughing. With a wave, yesterday, I bid them adeu and they couldn't wait to see me again. Talk about warm and fuzzies! Lots of those around lately. I got warm and fuzzy after reading my bestfriend's blog this morning. I had more warm and fuzzies after reading my Mother's and her story of my sweetheart Dad. I had warm and fuzzies all over the place this morning when I woke up with my love's arms around me, comfy and cozy. You'd think with all those fuzzies I'd look like the abominable snowman by now! Warm and very fuzzy! :) (Maybe with less scary teeth though.) Well, now full of caffeine and Skittles sugar, I am off to tackle the day's tasks. Here's to another lovely day of, ugh, I guess "warm fuzzies" is getting kind of old, eh? So, maybe Hot Softies? Yes, a day of Hot Softies.

The Weekend's Coming

Road-side Wildlife update for this week:

-Bald Eagle flew over car
-Cow stared at Blue Heron (standing 2 feet away) in confusion
-Mountain Lion (unfortuantely deceased via a hunter, but still impressive)
-Fields carpeted in geese. V's of noisy geese all over the skies.

Lots of birds down the valley! My drives have been pretty normal so far. Nothing too interesting, though still very enjoyable. Two days ago I got myself caught in snow in my 2-wheel drive and I got scared that I'd have to knock on a stranger's door to get my car out. But it worked out fine and I was back on my way before I knew it. Families have been great this week, and the weather has been accomidating. Today looks a little more grey, but the main roads are fine. I've enjoyed the flurries lately. I'm so glad it finally looks like Winter! The week is half-way over too. I look forward to the coming three day weekend. Friday means the Olympics start, and I love the opening cermonies! I can't wait to see the events and wish I had time to drive North and be in the action myself in Canada. Saturday, I convinced my beau to let me take him to a date movie. Ha ha! I'm excited he wants to go. I get the day with my best friend too. I haven't seen her in a good while. :) Sunday of course is Valentine's Day and I can't wait. I love this holiday! It's been fun so far, decorating and finding tokens for loved ones. This year we've got a date planned at one of my favorite restaurants that I get to dress up for. It should be devine! Well, it's that time, the road is calling once more, so off I drive!

Forester's Fun, 2010

New scrapbook fodder! I'm now looking at a pile of memorabilia from last night's Forester's Ball. I have an entry ticket, a marriage certificate, two rings, and a professional photograph of my favorite forester and his lucky lady. Yesterday evening started slow, as me and the fella ate Applebee's take-out and watched Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs on the couch. Such a cute movie! I read the book as a 2nd grader, so it was fun to see how they'd portray it in a movie. Really funny and well done! After that came a few beers, a bottle of wine and a trip to campus. It took us so long to get into the Ball! Huge line. They were checking everyone for booze. They even looked in my guy's cowboy boots! We finally got there though and I was immediately hit with the delicious scent of pine. Mmmm! We wandered the floor and looked at all the buildings and then danced. Kissed a bartender for a Sprite, and watched while my man took a few close friends for a spin next. The place was packed! It was hard to get anywhere, and not get hit with a flying elbow. I had a defensive dancer with me, however, who kept the crazy folks at bay. :) We went and got married half-way through the night and got a great photo taken too. Stayed the whole time and enjoyed my favorite dance, the last one, under falling blue snow. Such a great event! Full of so many different types of people too! As mentioned before, I re-united with my now-main squeeze at the Ball last year. It was nice to have him as my date this year. So much has happened since last year! *Swoon* So next year? Get there earlier! And maybe try my luck at sneakin' in some whisky. He he :) Now on to Superbowl Sunday! No big favorite in the game, just gonna watch and enjoy with a Bud in my hand, in good company. What a weekend!

Fabulous Friday

What a difference a day makes! It has been a lovely Friday, and the lift of the mini storm cloud that's been dribbling on my head let me see some of the fun things that happened all week. For example, two days ago at my bus stop was a snowman. Not just any snowman though, he was adorned with chest hair, a mustache, and a balding head. Totally hilarious! The next day at the same bus stop I waited with about 7 kids, all around age 4 on some kind of pre-school trip. They were adorable, and in keeping themselves amused they waved at EVERY car that went by and each time screamed "BUS! BUS?!" and then giggled. What was great was watching all these young college guys drive by, sheepishly waving. Ha ha! They were good sports. Today's driving was delightful, for I had no set appointments. I could get to people's houses 'whenever' so I just cruised and enjoyed the East side highway again. Got caught in a "hay"ricane today as I followed a truck loaded so high with hay, and going mach speeds down the road! He must have been in a Hay-ry! I mean hurry. :D Another truck was loaded high with wood chips and sawdust. You woulda thought he'd tarp his load, but instead he let the wind send wood chips spinning out of his truck, all over the road. There were little pieces of wood stuck in the weeds all over the place for miles. What a mess!
Today I was also able to snag lunch with my sis, and enjoy some chocolate/raspberry cake. It was a nice surprise in the middle of the afternoon. Mmmm! All went well today indeed and now it's about time for bed. My man took me to dinner this eve and he just now left to get in his first night of the Forester's Ball. Yep, he's going twice. I told him to be good and not marry anyone else. :) I am exhausted! No "party" left in me. I drove 650 miles this week! Time to rest my eyes. The fun can start tomorrow, after I've rested. Until then, Good Night! Zzzzzz

No fun!

Oh my, what a 'blah blah' day. Started late for work, got a virus on the company comp, had little to do spread out across hours. No lunch and wet shoes. Quite the case of the blues! Moody and cranky and nervous and sad. I've never wanted a road trip so bad! My trip to Seeley was late in the evening, with traffic and fog and a car chasing dog. But my visit went well. Ahhh, what a nice family. And the clearest blackest sky I've seen in awhile on the way back. Stars everywhere. Bright and twinkly, and recognizable. Familiar, though distant, faces on a lonely day. Wow, it's time to hit the hay. Now home, I am wiggling my toes on the sofa waiting for my man, and a much needed hug before bed. I am so glad tomorrow is Friday! I've had quite enough. This week has been rough. I wish myself a better day tomorrow! Zzzzz....

What a Mess!

What a day was had yesterday! Am I ever thankful to be back in one piece! It all started when I requested a 4X4 vehicle to go to Seeley this week. They let me down Monday, but promised a humongous Expedition for the rest of the week. I got a call yesterday morning, however, and they told me they thought something was wrong with the Expedition. I told them to just let me know what they could do for me before 2:30. I needed to leave town by 3. Well, at 2:30 I'm waiting in the depot to pick up my monstrosity of a car, and I get a call instead saying I can't have it. But I can have my 2 wheel drive car from Monday back. Ugh! Ok, fine, but I need it ASAP! I didn't get the car until 3. I drove back to the lab, and told all my lab mates to help me load up as fast as possible. Packed it all in, and took off for Seeley. It was snowing and I could only imagine what it was like by the lake. Oofta! Well, as I entered the highway, I kept reminding myself not to hurry. My homeowners would understand if I was late, and it wasn't worth hurting me or the car to rush. So I tried to be calm and just cruise. It was hard for me to hold back though. Here's another story real quick: I was talking to my mom the other day about bad drivers, and slow drivers, and that we both feel that when you're behind someone doing 45 mph in a 70 mph zone for example, and you get to your destination 5 minutes late, well, maybe it was a good thing. Maybe by having to go slow, and arriving late, you missed out on being in a crash, or you didn't hit the deer, etc. I try to envision that little old man in the car ahead of me going 45 as a very frustrated angel doing this for my own good. I try not to get so mad. And remember that everything happens for a reason. Well, yesterday heading to Seeley, I'm trying not to hurry in the snow when I come around a corner and find myself at the end of a line of 4 cars, behind a school bus. The bus had its lights flashing and was dropping kids off every so many hundred feet on the road. We were crawling! But I smiled, and realized, I'd found my angel. Driving a bus. I had no way to pass him, so I just hung back and chilled until he finally pulled off the road. By then the snow had stopped falling and the roads were dry. :) Looks like he knew what he was doing. After that the trip wasn't so bad, and the weather was nice. I had to cancel one appointment (I couldn't make it to their house in my 2 wheel!) but the other visits went well. I was caught with an hour and half to kill between them though that I happily filled with one long phone call to my mom and dad! It passed the time between visits. I got quite the treat on the last visit too! On a back road near Seeley, out on snow and ice I turned onto a road and only a couple hundred feet ahead, in a full run, a bull elk went racing across a field, across the road, and over to the trees on the other side. I just sat there and stared! It was so majestic! Later on down the road I was met by a car coming up the other way. They waved at me to stop and I realized it was my homeowner I was going to see! She said that there was 4 bull elk around and she wanted to show her kids. I directed them to where they were and she said she'd be back at the house ASAP. Ha ha! I'm so glad she and the kids got to go see them. I've never seen such big elk before! What a day. Drove home in a fog so thick you couldn't see more than a car's length in front of ya, but it went fine and I got home safe and sound. Ah, the adventures on the road. Whew! We'll see what's in store for today's journey. :)

February Snow

Little flakes are still drifting down from the puffy white heavens today. Lots of snow and ice. Yesterday was nice and white, but with a blinding sun too! Kept the roads dry though, which was great. I had 4 hours of driving ahead of me yesterday and only a 2-wheel drive sleigh to get me to all my destinations. Oof! Worked out just fine though. My first appointment yesterday drew me South just short of Hamilton to visit a favorite subject from last year. Approaching their house, I had to go through the "equine gauntlet" as horses from both sides of the road wandered over and leaned on the barbed wire fence, looking at me intently. I wonder what they were thinking! I was sliding a bit along this stretch of road, so they probably thought I was just a bad driver about to ruin their fence! I left that residence and passed by the horse gazes once more on my way back North. Shot through town and continued up to Seeley Lake. I'm less familiar with this road, so it gives me more to look at, and more corners to zip around. The lakes were thick with ice out there, with fisherman crossing their frozen fingers. I was glad to be in my warm car. My appointment went well and I was back on the road in no time. Got home to enjoy some time with sister and boyfriend. This week makes me swoon, because it is Forester's Ball week at the University, and that is where I was reunited with my now-boyfriend. I stood on a sidewalk last year on "Boondocker's Day" watching people throw axes at a stump. Then a familiar face stepped up to the plate to try his luck. It turned out to be my favorite swing dance partner from a semester or so before. I watched him swing and then greeted him with a simple "hello, and how have you been?" After we parted ways, I hoped dearly I'd run into him at the Ball that weekend. Well, I certainly did, and after a dance and an exchange of numbers, the rest was history. The Forester's Ball will always make me smile now. :) We have a date for the Ball this year on Saturday and it will be so much fun! I can't wait to don Carhartts and Flannel and go for a spin or two on the dance floor. I love this event! I'm always curious to see who else I'll run into there. I've talked a few freshman into going as well. This will be my 6th Ball, and I always try to get new faces to go. It's a very unique experience! Well, back to the coffee and work I go. I have 3 appointments in Seeley this evening so I have to get crackin'! Hopefully I can make enough progress to take time for lunch with my Mom. :)