New Cabinets

Back in December we ordered some cabinets. They arrived on Tuesday. Since then we've been trying to unpack some of the boxes that have been sitting in my office. Soon, we'll be unpacked. In the meantime, take a look.

My office has a desk and hutch that goes from wall to wall

The "mud room" has 60 inches of storage

And there's a linen closet in the bathroom. These are welcome additions. 

Sandstone Carvings

My next article for the SCNewsletter will be on the sandstone carvings on Lower Flat Top Mesa. If you haven't seen them, take a little drive and enjoy

This year, our carver has added an American Flag

The Statue of Liberty Torch

...and Sand Castles. There are now about 40 carvings along the road. 

I'll post my article when it's finished.

Flat Top Mesas

The mesas dominate the scenery.

The sandstone forms table tops

Some look like palisades

Others look like castles.

Bunnies

There are tiny rabbits living near the golf courses. They are about 

5 to 6 inches long, have shortish ears, and white cottontails.

While they might be pesty, they are fun to see bouncing along the greens.

Springtime in the Desert

The desert is in bloom. So much bloom that there is pollen lining the curbs and the allergies are evident. No matter the allergies, the flowers are pretty and ephemeral. They last for about 3 or 4 days and then they are gone as everything has to be done quickly in the hot dry desert.

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Yucca

Lavender

Paddle Cactus

We enjoy them while we can.

Flowers for my Birthday

Yesterday was a milestone day! It was my birthday AND it was the first day in a very long time that I felt great! I had energy. I had stamina. I was happy. What a birthday. I heard from a lot of friends and family. I had some wonderful wishes sent to me. And, to top it off someone sent me flowers. WHAT A DAY. I hope it means I'm on the mend.

Jacob's Calf

Back in July, I posted a photo of Jacob using AI on his angus heifer as part of his 4 H project.

Here, Jacob has just finished the second of two rounds of AI. He was both scared and excited. About a month after the process, we knew that the heifer was pregnant and it was his responsibility to make sure she gave birth to a healthy calf. It's a big job.

Yesterday, we got the result

A bull calf was born. 

Jacob is so excited. I don't know all the details, but mama and baby are doing very well.

The Naming of Mesquite

As you drive the streets of Mesquite, the names of the early settlers and pioneers are evident. Who were these people? 

The Pulsiphers came to Mesquite in the 1890s, and the street by the Oasis carries their name. Then it was a dirt track leading to their adobe home. The Pulsiphers grew cotton, sugar cane, and wheat. To supplement their income, they would lure wild horses into a side-canyon (or pocket) in the narrows. One time, they captured 18 horses and a baby mule.

Leavitt Lane, intersecting Pulsipher Street in back of the Casablanca Casino, was named after the large Leavitt family who were dairymen. Hafen Street, an extension of Sandhill, honors a mining family. The Hardys were known for their musical ability. 

Dudley Leavitt

Bunkerville was coined by Brigham Young. Young commissioned  Edward Bunker, Sr. to start a settlement south of Mesquit Flats. 

Edward Bunker, Sr. 

Bertha Howe, the first nurse in the area, was on call 24/7 for 30 years caring and curing the ailments of the people in town. She helped stock the first hospital. She and her husband lived in the back of the old hospital (now the museum).

Bertha Howe, RN

The only source of water, the Virgin River, probably was not named by the Spaniards to honor the Virgin Mary. Instead, Jedediah Smith, the explorer and trader, dubbed it the Adams River after the President in the 1820s. In the 1840s, when John Fremont was mapping the area, he renamed it the Rio Virgenes, after a member of the Smith Party who was injured on the river. Whatever the case, the river and the mountains are now called The Virgins. By the way, the Virgin RIver should have been called the "Muddy River" as all the water had to be filtered in cisterns in order to drink it.

Mesquit Flats, the original moniker of our town, was derived from the tree found here. When the post office came, they decided that Mesquite was better. It was a common practice to rename a town, if "they" considered the name was too long, not euphonious, or was spelled strangely. 

When you see these street and place names, you have an idea of who came before us and how they lived at the turn of the last century.

Ben Franklin on PBS (Yawn)

Tonight a four part series about Benjamin Franklin, compiled by director Ken Burns, aired on PBS. We are both admirers of Ben Franklin and we thought it might be interesting. We are not admirers of Ken Burns. His one great work was "The Civil War," but subsequent programs have been variations of a theme with  slow-paced photographs/movies and a narrative.

Tonight I remember watching the first 20 or so minutes of the program thinking it was most interesting. There were pictures and modern day "cartoonesque" wood cuts along with a narrative, describing the early life of Ben. Then, I fell asleep. I woke up at some point to hear a droning voice in the background and saw the other DrC was asleep too. That's my commentary about the program. There are 4 episodes, which I will not view. Episode 1 was a great sleeping pill. Given the fact that Ken Burns does not change his format, (which I find boring) I'm guessing the next 3 episodes will be great sleep aides too. I rate it "1 star" as it's impossible to rate a program with zero stars.

A Red Mid-Life Crisis?

Hiding in a parking lot, I saw a zoomy...no VERY ZOOMY red car.

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It was low slung, all angles, looking like it could go 3000 mph

 before starting the engine 

It had a proud prancing silver horse on the back deck

Mean tail lights

And of course it was a red Ferrari. Funny thing it was parked by other cars...generally when you see a Ferrari in a parking lot it's all by itself where no one can take a piece of the precious paint.

 Is this someone's mid-life crisis or what? I looked at the Ferrari webpage, and guess what? Prices are not listed. I guess if you have to know the price, you can't afford one.

This car is very different from my last car entry...a 1957 Chevrolet Belair. For some strange and wonderful reason, I'd rather have the Chevy.

Poncho

My latest piece of crochet is a light and airy poncho which is surprisingly warm. 

 

Sand Storm

Yesterday we experienced our first sandstorm. We were driving to St. George and the sand was blowing across the highway...great gobs of sand. In some places the visibility was obscured, but it never seemed to be dangerous. My neighbor sent me a picture of her backyard...and the mountains were completed gone.

This is what we usually see from the backyard

The sand "ate" the mountains. In addition, we have sand everywhere. The deck is covered in sand, there are little sand dunes inside the garage by the big door. The front porch is covered in sand. I have to wonder what it did to the paint on the truck as we were driving? 

Mark 2 Hip

The "mark 1" hip wore out, and was replaced thirteen days ago with a shiny titanium and polyethylene device. When I came home from the hospital I felt like there was a dagger in my leg...and this x-ray explains why. Happily, I don't feel the dagger any more. Soon I'll be able to walk without a walker, but for now, the walker provides the support I need. I'm on the mend.

 

A Walk Down Memory Lane--65 Years Ago

 

In 1957 this Chevrolet BelAir was the top of the line. She boasted a price tag of $2,750 (which is equivalent to about 30K today). When she was purchased, gasoline was less than 30 cents a gallon. Sometimes there were "gas wars" and the prices would go DOWN. The lowest price I ever saw gas cost was 22.2 cents per gallon one Washington's Birthday. 

Now, here's the tricky question. How do you fill up this car? If you walk around the car, you will not see a tell tale gas cap because it is hidden. Lift the middle chrome section of the left fin and you'll be rewarded with a gas cap! When I was a little girl, my neighbor's son bought a brand new 1957 BelAir convertible with a continental kit. Every so often Mickey would take me for a ride in his shining new car with the top down. I was the luckiest kid on the block!

St. Patrick's Day Food

Some folks looked for the perfect corned beef and cabbage dinner...others dreamed of Irish Soda Bread...yet others thought a nice Irish coffee would round out the day. We decided to do something unusual....

Homemade Enchiladas. 

What can I say...we're not Irish.

Pi(e) Day

It's Pi day. If you need an excuse to eat PIE, today is the day. March 14 is also written as 3.14 which everyone knows is PI.

I have a great PI story. During my elementary teaching days, I created a Pumpkin Lesson for Halloween. Halloween is not a good teaching day, as the students are too excited about their costumes and the candy they are going to gorge on that night...yet school goes on. In order to make the day worthwhile, I created a lesson about pumpkins. I had pumpkins for everyone in the class and every bit of the day revolved around that pumpkin. We wrote stories about the pumpkins, drew our pumpkins, named our pumpkins, we estimated weight, circumference, and diameter. When we finally opened the pumpkins we estimated the number of seeds then counted the seeds. We added, subtracted, multiplied and divided seeds. We determined the ratio of seeds to weight and size of the pumpkin. My students measured their pumpkins from every angle you can imagine. THEN one year, Larry did something different. He took his string and measured his pumpkin and said "Mrs. C the diameter is 3 and a little bit smaller than the circumference..how come? So I asked him to measure other circles in the room. He measured records, round trash cans, round crayons, the tires on my car...and it was always the same, 3 and a little bit. NOW I had a lesson...and we all learned about the mathematical constant PI. I had hoped someone would discover PI and after 5 years Larry had done it. I taught this same lesson to my university students and NONE of them discovered PI, but eleven year old Larry did.

So today is 3.14 and it's time to celebrate with a pie be it pumpkin, apple or pizza Enjoy.

More Busy Fingers

More crochet stuff has been created. 

I love this crib-sized blanket of pink/lavender/white. I started this blanket a few weeks ago, but I ran out of yarn (well I have a stash of yarn in boxes in the scary box room, but I don't know how to find it). Thankfully, there's a nearby yarn store. I don't have a home for this blanket, but if you know of a baby in need of a cozy coverup, let me know.

Meet Holly Hedgehog. She's a happy little critter I made for cousin Joyce's birthday

...and  meet Peppermint Bear and Lucy Bear that I made for Joyce's grand-girls. 

The smiles tell the full story on why I love to make toys.

I branched out into clothing, and made a shawl for my friend's birthday

...and I liked it so well, I made a variation of that shawl for my sister's birthday. 

I told you my fingers have been busy.

Escapism

I know there is a lot off evil stuff going on in the world, but I'm doing my best to recover from an ugly illness, so I'm escaping the evilness by watching completely apolitical uplifting TV programs. I've seen a collection of wonderful old movies that are light and fun ranging from Roman Holiday to My Fair Lady to The Sound of Music to Topper and many more in-between. 

On my morning 30 minute walk, I look at "Waiting for God" on Brit-Box, I watched the show in the 90s and found it funny then, and it's still funny 30 years later. The two main characters are cranky old Diana and kind, loving Tom who are living their final days in a retirement home in England. The chemistry between these 2 characters is fun. I walk around with a smile on my face as they go about their "merry" way.

Just recently I found "The Donna Reed Show" on Prime. I remember this 1959 sit-com from my youth. My family liked it then, and I'm liking it now. It's a time capsule of life in the late 50s. The roles of each character are definite: Dad is a doctor and head of the house; mom is a housewife; the daughter is pretty and perfect and the young son is a mischievous but lovable BOY. Each episode teaches a little "life lesson" in a charming way (now it would be considered a sappy way). The stories are predictable and enjoyable once you realize that  MOM is the glue that holds the family together. Unlike some sit-coms in the 50s where the father was a a bit of a punching bag, the father character in TDRS is thoughtful, tough, loving, and a decision maker too.  Again, complete escapism.

While scanning the offerings that Netflix has, I stumbled upon "Sweet Magnolias." A chick-flick that celebrates a decades-old friendship of 3 women. Much more complex in plot than the other two series, the viewer gets involved with the everyday life of the friends, their families and their hometown. The stories are heartwarming, have a teachable moment, are somewhat predictable, yet there are enough plot twists to keep them interesting. Yep, pure escapism.

Don't get me wrong. I know there is a war in Ukraine, I know the President gave the State of the Union Address yesterday; I'm informed about Covid. Daily, I deal with inflation, supply line problems and a myriad of other things that make modern life what it is...but I'm recovering from an illness that temporarily disabled me. I'm on the road to recovery. A long time ago, I read it's important to see funny, lighthearted, uplifting and heartwarming stories when recovering from a disaster. These programs are part of my "medicine" for recovery. They give me positive images to look at rather than the real-life images I see on the daily news.

Sun City, Circa 1880

(what follows is my next article for the Sun City News)

In the early 1880s. the Rock House, the first house in Mesquite Flats, was built. The unnamed pioneer, who built it, used local rocks, clay, sand, and mesquite wood as the nearest supplies were 80 miles away in Pine Valley, Utah, and were far too costly.

The rocks came from Linge Hill (now Virgin Valley HS) and were laid like bricks, bound together with clay and sand. The roof was thatched, and it had a length of cloth underneath it, that acted as a ceiling and caught falling debris. The fireplace was equipped with pot hooks and served as a cooker and heater. Twenty-inch thick rock walls provided insulation for hot summer days and cold winter nights. 

There is no record of who that builder was 140 years ago, but we know the Leavitts lived there before 1900. Over the years, each family made changes. The Sprague's added a chicken coop and a corral for cows. The Hannig's installed a finished wood floor and protected it with straw and a braided rug. Other modifications included a lean-to, a larger corral, a kitchen garden, two bedrooms, and electricity.  A metal roof replaced the thatched roof. Fifty years ago, James Bowler added an indoor bathroom and a laundry room. He also replaced the wooden floors with concrete.

The Rock House survived the feet of generations who made a living in our desert town. It was home to many families from 1884 to 2003. The city of Mesquite now owns the Rock House and maintains it to showcase how rugged and clever the early pioneers were. You can find the Rock House at East First North Street and Willow Avenue in Mesquite.

5-2

I'm being redundant...but it's 2/22/22 today. Hooray. I went to the newspaper editorial board meeting today and accepted 2 jobs: Write an article on the history of our little town; and interview the owners of a new boutique called Juniper Junction. So 2 jobs on 2/22/22. All is good.

(PS...my first article on local history was well received) If you missed it, here it is:

Have you been delayed on I-15 as you drive to St. George?  The alternative is highway 91 which is part of the Old Spanish Trail. Highway 91 is slower, but during bridge construction it has no delays.

To get to the Old Spanish Trail, take Hwy 91 (by Smith's) that skirts I-15 and drive through the cactus and Joshua desert, to the Shivwits Band of Paiutes Reservation, to Ivins and Santa Clara before arriving in St. George. Along the way you will see red rock mountains, canyons, and a few abandoned buildings. The old road was part of a more extensive trade route used by the Spaniards in the 1500s. By the 1830s the trade route connected Santa Fe with Los Angeles. John Fremont, with his guide Kit Carson, were hired by the U.S. to name and map the arduous 700 mile route in 1844. 

Merchants from Santa Fe, collected their goods and by autumn the mule train was ready to head west to  Los Angeles. Laden with Navajo weaving, somewhere between 20 and 200  men, and twice as many mules, trekked the trail to market on the Pacific coast.  Once there, two blankets could buy a horse but more were needed for a mule. The trade was even as horses and mules were abundant in  California and woven goods were rare. The annual trek returned to Santa Fe before the water holes dried out and desert heat became unbearable. Thousands of feet pounded the trail that became today's Highway 91. 

In 2002, President George W. Bush, signed Senate Bill 1946 naming the Old Spanish Trail the fifteenth national trail in the U.S. Nowadays you can see portions of the trail, a few old buildings and a desert diorama of mules crossing the arid,cactus filled Mohave desert.

Saw This Today

Today I saw an interesting bumper sticker. It tells a story that us folks in the great flyover are seeing first hand...

In my home state of WY, there's a sign in the County Treasurer's Office that says "We don't care how you did in your other state."

Cute Bug

People like to make their cars their own...to that end I saw a cute VWBeetle, with 2 cute personal touches..

Eyelashes

...and a winking smiley face.

When you see this cute Bug in the parking lot, you have to smile...and Lord knows, we need a few smiles nowadays.

Almost Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day! I've not had a lot of chance to send my Valentine a card, so I'm writing this blog to tell him I love him! I'm also remembering 51years ago, when we became engaged. It was special then, and it's special now. 

Happy Valentine's Day!

I love you!

They Arrived

The "they" I'm referring to is our new appliances. We bought our new home on 4 November 2021 with three loaner appliances--dishwasher, stovetop and refrigerator. We were told the new appliances would arrive in a week or two. The "supply chain problem" was the reason for the delay.

On 26 January, I was told the appliances had arrived and were going to be delivered on Wednesday. We waited, but alas, it did not happen. On Thursday I was told they would be delivered on Friday...and it happened--3 months to the day after we bought the house. 

We now have a new stainless dishwasher 

With a very nice towel bar handle

A very sleek induction stovetop  (note that there are not any knobs, only touch controls)

...and lastly the stainless fridge, which we are happy to report holds magnets (what good is a fridge if you cannot put stuff on the door...btw, not all stainless steel is magnetic). Now we can organize the kitchen as we finally have places for stuff.

As I am recovering, I can finally partake in making our new house a home. All is good.

Four Deuces

Today is February 2, 2022, Groundhog Day yet more important (to me) it's 2-2-22. I like alliterative or sequenced words and numbers. The next one we will see is 2-22-22. In 2011, we saw 1-1-11, 1-11-11, 11-1-11 and 11-11-11--those were stellar alliterative dates. While 2-2-22 and 2-22-22 are not nearly as impressive as the dates in 2011, they are pretty good. The next quartet of alliterative dates will be March 3, 2033 (3-3-33). I hope to see you then.

(Thank you PowerLine for the meme)