I would like to introduce to you my new friend. A friend is, someone that loves you for who you are, someone that is always there for you, someone that helps you up when you are down, someone that tells you like it is, someone that you just love being with all the time. This little tiger was a gift from my cute husband after my surgery. He thinks we're all his little tigers and we can handle everything. For the most part, he's right. He always tells us, "we're the best, number one, play to win". We don't want to disappoint him.

I would also like you to meet my favorite daughter named JoDell and my favorite son named Clint. They were waiting for me at the hospital when I got there. Their presence kept me as calm as a cucumber.

I got to the new Riverton Hospital at 7:45 am on Friday morning. I swear, I was the only patient in the whole hospital. Everything was wonderful, beautiful, clean, spacious, building. Lots of attention, I didn't even know what happened. I remember saying goodbye to my family and sliding over onto the operating table and saying, "wow, it's cold in here". Then I remember waking up in recovery wondering, wow, where am I. Then I was immediately taken to my room where my family was. Dr. Davis had spoken to my family and they told me. The tumor had grown, facing up, on the one half of the Thyroid. That half of the Thyroid was removed and it was 99% benign. An exam of each cell will be completed before they will say for sure. I should hear tomorrow. Now it's just recovery. I'm doing very well.


I wanted to share this view with you. It's looking out of my window. It sure doesn't do it justice. It was in the morning and I was looking at the Oquirrh Mountains. I couldn't have been in a nicer place, with any nicer people or a better Doctor. I am so very grateful to have found this lump and to have had it removed so efficiently.

OK then, this is me after surgery. I guess I will be the entertainment for the next few days. I'm grateful to be an empty Nester, I can just take it very slow.

Until we meet again. I'll know I'm better when I start thinking about all of the projects I have yet to finish.

Summer is coming to an end and six pieces of my heart are back in school all day. What does one do when one doesn't have a house full of grandchildren to play with. Well, it's easy for this one -- the next best thing -- create and blog about it.

You will remember that awhile ago I showed you two of the 100 year old pieces off my grandmothers porches in Ephraim Utah. I wasn't sure what I should do with them. I knew that they were going to go in grandma's room, but was I going to strip them and refinish all of them, or maybe touch up the paint that was on them to make them look cleaner. THIS IS THE COOL PART! I had a dream!

AND, in that dream, I was very young and I was visiting my grandma in Ephraim. We were talking about her home and she told me not to change the history in these pieces because they were all that was left of her home. She did tell me that it would be all right to add a little bling though.

SO, I cleaned them with an air gun and gently washed the painted parts. Then I attached little pink Crystal knobs in the holes that were already there. They are a much ruff er and older look then the rest of the room. I'll just have to work hard to bring older things into the room to keep them company.

I was very lucky on my last shopping trip with my friend Mimi Sue. I found hand crocheted, white, runners, cheep, real cheep.

I'm going to let you in on a new journey I'm being ask to travel on. A couple of months ago I found a lump on my neck, which I ignored for two months. I finally decided that I needed to have it checked. My doctor wanted me to see an E.N.T. specialist. He called me back last Tuesday with the prognosis. He thinks I have Papillary Cancer. The lump is on a gland next to the Thyroid. I am going into the hospital tomorrow for surgery. There is a machine that will be right there that can tell if it's malignant or benine. That will depend on how much they take out. If it really is this cancer then it's the most common and the easiest to cure.

I have no symptoms other then the lump and I feel just fine. Ya know, it really is true, the older you get, the more you go through, then the more you realize that this to shall pass. I am comforted by knowing, that as Nephi was returning to Jerusalem to seek the records belonging to his people, he says, "And I was led by the Spirit, not knowing beforehand the things which I should do" nevertheless, I went forth. And he was blessed and found that the Lord had made way for him to obtain the records. I will let you know the outcome.

I just returned from a road trip up into Idaho, St. Charles, Paris, Montpileir and a place called Dingle to be exact. I was with a friend who owns a darling vintage home with a big raspberry patch. It was such a wonderful drive, clear blue sky, cooler air, antique shops along the way, lunch at Bajio's in Logan. dinner at the Blue Bear in St charles and breakfast at the truck stop in Montpielier.

















We stoped at a resident potters shop where we found some of the most beautiful hand made, pottery I have every seen. My favorite was the little horse with high heels, on the lid of a pot. She creates a tiny frog that sits on the edge of a pot and a tiny bear and bunny on other lids.


A couple of fun antiques shops. The Jail House and the Homestead Antiques.


An awesome old green barn that is now a house.

I've never seen a home built out of cynderblocks.




Sorry John, I have a new boyfriend in Montpielier. Found him at the truck stop just outside of town, where I got a 12" pancake.










We wanted to go out into the bullrush and see the wildlife but all we saw were ducks.
Everybody had flown south for the winter. They probebly have a long way to go.

A sad lonely hungry black cat looking for mice. We got her a bowl of food and stood and watched her, but, she didn't move one inch until she found a mouse.