Can You Call It A Food Truck...When It's A Bus...And It Doesn't Move?

 For some strange reason, there are more food trucks in our little town than in the much larger city from which we moved. I don't know why--maybe there are fewer government restrictions up here. For whatever reason, we're not complaining.

Then, there's the Taqueria El Cazador.

It's not a food truck, but a food bus.

And I don't think it's going anywhere anytime soon.

But, it serves up some mighty fine food.

When we drive into town, we pass this bus restaurant almost every time. Last spring when we were putting in our sprinklers, I asked Mark, the sprinkler guy we hired, where the good places to eat in town were. He named several, then he named the Taqueria El Cazador. "The bus?" I said. "Yes," he said. 

It took us a year to finally stop and try it. Mark was right--good food.

Yes, we have a McDonalds and a Wendys and a Burger King and a Taco Time and an Arctic Circle...the same fast food places you can find in many other towns, and in some cases in other countries. But, this fine establishment is unique. You can search high and low and you'll most likely never find another one quite like it.

Still...can it be considered a food truck? Probably doesn't matter, anyway.

Flag = $13, Pole = $6...Take That, $80 Flag!

I woke this morning with a thought rolling around in my head. Because today is Memorial Day, I wanted to go out and buy a flag. We do not have a nice flag pole like many of my neighbors so I thought about buying one of those kits you hang on the side of your house or stick in the ground in front of your house.

As the morning progressed, the thought of getting a flag failed to leave my brain, so around 11am, my wife and I hopped in Donk, the Subaru to see if any of our local stores were open on this holiday Monday. Turns out, many of them were.

At our first stop, Store #1 had two options...a 5' x 3' flag for $13, and the same flag with a pole to attach to the side of the house for $18. The pole and house attachment were pretty flimsy, and considering the wind we get up here, I felt it was inadequate, not to mention I didn't really want to drill the attachment to our house.

We went to Store #2.

The first thing we saw was a flag kit, complete with a stronger, thicker pole and a higher quality flag. The attachment was also more heavy-duty. It seemed perfect...

Until we spotted the price.

Eighty bucks.

Don't get me wrong. I don't mean to diss the $18 flag for its somewhat wimpy construction, or the $80 flag for its superior construction and quality. No...my issue is what's in the wallet. As we searched the store for other flag options at Store #2 (they had none...), I spotted an eight-foot pole. It's made for marking fields and the like. Still, I saw how sturdy it was and felt it would make a more than adequate flag pole. Since Store #2 did not have any other flag options, we drove back to Store #1 and bought the $13 flag. It took some doing, but I was able to attach the flag to the pole and after I buried a piece of PVC pipe in the front yard, I stuck the flag pole with flag attached into the pipe and declared that we were once again, a flag-flying family.

At our last house, we had an excellent way to fly the flag 24/7. Here...it could be done, but it doesn't work as well. I'm glad we now have a way to fly the flag on holidays, especially on a day like today where the flag and the day mean so much. Happy Memorial Day, everyone!

This Memorial Day...Things Were Different

For years, my family has gathered at the site of my parents's graves. We'll meet either Saturday, Sunday, or Monday on Memorial Day weekend. There are a few things we do, mostly just stand around, chat, and take pictures. Then, I inevitably post pictures of the gatherings. It's fun to look back and see how much has changed since I began posting pictures.

I'll take pictures of my the grandkids, many of whom have themselves married and now the great-grandkids are among the photos. Then, at some point, my sister, my brother, and I will stand together and someone will take pictures of, "The Taylor Siblings."

This year, things were different.

Last December, our sister passed away unexpectedly. We're not the only family suffering from such a loss. Many find themselves without loved ones at gatherings now. Thanks to small miracles, her headstone was placed only a week ago. Of course, we would have gathered this weekend without the headstone, but having it in place meant something special to our family.

I've always enjoyed our family's Memorial Day tradition, but this year, I dreaded it...not overly, but it was there.  I'm thankful we were able to get together. We met in between rainstorms. chatted, and took pictures. Yes, it was different, and it will never be the same as it once was, but I suppose that's the point of life...experiencing the present and hopefully, appreciating it as well.

Previously-Owned Vans...My Humble Collection

 I have more pairs of shoes than my wife. I think, except for my daughter, I have more pairs of shoes than my wife and my sons. This is not something I actively pursued...it was more of a passive activity.

Shoe collecting.

Now, I'm in no way a big collector. To say I have more pairs of shoes than the rest of my family is not a big deal. Some of them only have a couple of pairs of shoes. Plus, of all the shoes I bought, only a few I paid retail. Almost all my shoes were bought at yard sales or thrift stores. And the shoes I find myself gravitating toward lately, are Vans.

Years ago, I used to buy dress shoes. I have several pair of Allen Edmonds. Once I recognized the brand, I found them quite regularly. Fast forward a few years and since I work at home, I almost never wear dress shoes. The luster has faded. Now that I'm home almost 100% of the time, I'm looking for comfort, casual footwear.

I think I had a pair of Vans when I was in high school...hard to remember, it's been almost forty years (still can't believe that...). It's not that they're the greatest shoe ever produced, but they are comfortable. I found a pair a few years back, unicolored, black. I wore them a lot, so much so, I wore a hole in the toe of one shoe. I still have them. The next pair was a teal and black combo with laces. I prefer laceless shoes, but when you're shopping at a thrift store, choosey is almost never an option.

Last year, a new thrift store opened up in our town and that's where I've found two of my favorite pairs of shoes, the black Vans with a white stripe, and the classic black and white checkered Spicolis. 

I wear those all the time now.

Each time I visit a thrift store, I check out the shoes. It's not the first place I check, but before I leave, I make it a point to scan the racks. I like wearing shoes out and considering my age, there's no way I'll ever wear all out the shoes I own. I don't need another pair, but if I spot another pair of Vans (or Converse, for that matter...) in my size that are not completely falling apart, I'll probably pick them up. Then, my biggest decision will be (as it is today...), which pair to wear?

What Do You See...When You Look Up?

 This morning, before my day properly began, I went outside and looked at the sky. Last night, high winds beat against the house. For decades when the winds blew at night we wondered how much damaged was caused in the neighborhood. This morning, I expected little damage and was pleased that's what I found.

The sky, however, was brilliant.

Clouds gathered above the hills. Sadly, they disappeared shortly after. We're hoping for rain this weekend...we need all the rain we can get.

All those years where wind did so much damage, we lived on the side of a mountain. I always loved the mountainside because of the western views. The sunsets were stunning. We loved being able to see Antelope Island, the shrinking lake, airplanes circling then landing to the southwest.

But, I have to say, when I look up now, it takes my breath away. We live at the top of a great valley. To the south, the land opens up, a natural floor that extends hundreds of miles. There are mountains to the east and to the west and to the north. We live where the Ogden/Salt Lake/Provo valleys begin. When I look up now, I have no mountain blocking half our view. The sun hits our house earlier in the day as it rises.

This morning, the skies were full of beautiful clouds, replaced an hour later by blue sky. Tonight, a storm is moving in and we're praying for rain...we need all the rain we can get. I used to look up and see a mountain and tall trees. Now, I'm seeing that incredible sky.

We Found It...Exterior Yard Decor!

 Ever since we moved about a year and a half ago, we've been looking for something...something to put in our front yard...something not too flashy, but interesting and will move when the wind blows.

We wanted something that moved in the wind because, well...because the wind is pretty much constant up here.

Thank goodness for yard sales.

When my wife and I would visit hardware stores or nurseries, we'd be drawn to the exterior decor. So many incredible artistic creations! Many of them are locally made from local artists. If we had an unlimited budget, we'd be the exterior yard decor destination of Northern Box Elder County.

But alas, we would look at the items, and walk away thinking one day maybe we'd be able to find something. It wasn't until my wife and I were driving to the hardware store the other day to pick up yet more plumbing supplies when we spotted the sign. It was small with two bits of information--the words: Yard Sale, and the address. We actually drove passed the sign, then turned around.

The sale was actually in a mobile home park, a well-kept park. We parked the van and noticed right away this one was different. It didn't have clothes or a lot of furniture. Most of the items were intended for the yard. That's where we found the windmill for about 1/3 of the price of new. 

Score!

We bought the windmill and set it up as soon as we got home. It instantly began to turn and it's a rare moment when it stops...

If only we could generate electricity from the thing.

"This Is Us" Ending...Wonderful, But You Missed One Thing Big Time

 Like many, my wife and I watched the series finale of This Is Us. The unique way the show presents a story, well...you either like it or you don't. My wife and I were in the former group. I appreciated how it was presented and how the creators respected the audience. They knew if people give it a chance, it would pay off.

We did, and it did.

Any show lasting several seasons will have strengths and a few weaknesses. I can be nit-picky over a couple of things--the biggest being one main character leaving their spouse earlier this season and not ending up together as the stories ended. I felt that was the show's biggest mistake...

Then came the final two episodes.

They missed an opportunity...a big one.

I usually don't include spoilers on this blog, but to make my point, I need to, so if you haven't seen the show and don't want to know what happens on those last two episodes (especially, the second-to-last episode...), I won't mind if you stop reading now.

For those who remain, here's where I feel the creators missed an incredible chance. If you know the show, you know the Pearson family matriarch passes away. It's been foreshadowed since last season. In the second-to-last episode titled, The Train, Rebecca hovers between this world and the world to come. The journey of her transition takes place on a classic luxury train. On the train are people in her life who have died. They greet her, interact, and we along with her remember those memories we experienced as the series progressed. I loved the way it was presented, both visually and emotionally.

We see person after person who went before, who meant so much to this woman...

But, there's one person missing, one person who, in my opinion, should have been on that train.

At the beginning of the series, we're introduced to three siblings, twins and an adopted African-American baby who was abandoned on the day he was born--the same day the twins were born. But, the twins should have been triplets. One of the Pearson three, Kyle, died in childbirth.

Kyle should have been on that train. 

What a wonderful reunion it would have been.

I can see why they didn't do it, especially in our hyper-political world. I wonder if they even considered it. I'd like to think they did.

The ending was sweet, sad, impactful, and very well done.

Still...whether the creators included him or not, Kyle was on that train. Wish we could have met him,

This Is True...And I Can Think Of A Few More

I ran across this picture the other day. I snapped a picture and forgot to include who posted so I cannot give credit where credit is due. I feel bad about that because credit should be given for such an amazing meme.

It's so true...

But, I can think of a few more things to add to this list.

We all make bad financial decisions from time to time. It's part of not only being human, but growing and learning as we get older. Remember your first car? Was the purchase made strictly for educated and wise reasons? My first car was a 1965 VW Bug. I paid $500 for it in 1982. Was that a bad financial decision? 

Depends on who you ask. Me--definitely, my mom (and many others...)--probably not.

Of course, had I that same car today in that same condition (it did run, sort of, when I bought it...), I could sell it for probably $10k. 

I'm not a gun guy, or a knife guy, or a golf guy, or a boat guy, or a gamer guy, or a car guy. I like some of those things more than others so maybe with sufficient funds, I might turn into one of those guys. But, if I had sufficient funds, I'd probably add:

Photographer Guy

Drone Guy

Musical Instrument Guy

Just to name a few. So, going back to my first car, sure it had problems and it was (probably...) a bad financial decision, but wait a few decades and that bad decision would have looked pretty good.

Maybe time is the difference between bad and good. Time will tell.

Puppy LOVES The New Back Yard...

 There are many reasons to put up a fence to separate your yard from those around you...economic, privacy, esthetics, and many many more. But, to our dog, none of those reasons mean anything. All he knows is for the first time in his relatively short life, he can leave the house without a leash. 

Freedom.

It's wonderful.

Almost twenty years ago, we welcomed into our family our first dog...a shih tzu we named Patch. Patch was a great dog. She did not need a fence, however. Patch has gone the way of all the earth and now we have a different dog--a standard poodle. This guy, well...he has a lot of energy. We didn't need a fence with the shih tzu, but with the poodle, that's a different story.

We've had the fence for a short time. Now, every time we go outside via the back door, the dog is up and running to see if he can go outside, too. Last weekend we threw some of that newly-acquired firewood into the fire pit and enjoyed the backyard.

No one more so than the puppy.

I took out my phone and shot a slo-mo video of the fun.

Yes, there's many reasons to put up a fence...we think to make our puppy's life immensely better, is a darn good one.

Give Thanks...For People Making A Difference

 A friend of Mine started a project. She's a teacher and she wants to make a difference in her students's lives, and her goal is to dot this through literature. By doing this, she understands a couple of important things. One, she knows the power of the written word, and two, she sees the impact a book can have on a child. 

If you click: HERE, you can access her site to get more details of this project. She's asking for donations to fund the project. It is a worthy and noble cause.

With a million choices for entertainment, I feel many have pushed books to the side in favor of flashier, snappier, screen-based options. It's come at a cost, a cost of education, a cost of understanding other people and cultures, a cost society will have to pay beck for generations.

Imagine a world where all all electronic media no longer exists, a world without, TVs, computers, smartphones (or any phones...), a world where games are not of the video kind and imagination once again reclaims its place as the most powerful force known to man.

Books have that power, and they are even more powerful for a chid.

Check out the site and help if you can. I'm thankful people are creating art and helping others find it.

I Guess It Was Their Time...

 Dogs...are funny creatures.

I suppose all creatures have their moments and because so many of us have dogs, we notice their oddities. We have a poodle. This, by itself doesn't make it unusual, no more than other breeds. If I judge all poodles by ours, then I'd say they are great dogs, incredibly intelligent and full of energy.

Also, our dog has a pretty good life. Since I work at home, there is almost always someone home with him. I can count on two hands the times he's been left alone in the past couple of years. Because he's with someone, we've been lucky enough to not have him destroy many things. I've heard from other dog owners that their dogs like to chew things...books, furniture, and especially shoes. I can understand shoes because of the leather found in many shoes. Luckily, he'd never destroyed any of our shoes.

The same cannot be said for his toys. We buy him toys so he can destroy his stuff and now ours. The past couple of weeks, the dog has gone after a softball and a baseball. They're trashed, so much so, we had to toss them away.

Which, makes me wonder...why did he choose to destroy them now and not months and months before, when we first bought them? When we first game him the balls, he would gnaw on them, but he never ripped them apart. I thought maybe they'd last forever and that they would be a good toy for him. Then, when we were downstairs playing cards as a family, I noticed the dog. He chose the baseball and proceeded to rip off the covering. He made quick work of it, too. A few days later, the softball met the same fate.

I hope he hasn't obtained a taste for leather and that a forgotten shoe may be the next victim. Of course, time will tell. Maybe he had that softball/baseball killer instinct in him all along. Wonder what made him snap.

So, How Much Firewood Can You Shove In The Back Of A Subaru Forester...?

 It's a valid question, and a question I had never before considered. In fact, I most likely would have never thought about that question unless my wife contacted a person a few miles away selling some firewood. We drove over, checked out the product, then completed the transaction.

Then, the loading began.

And continued...

And continued.

Finally, when the last scrap of firewood was placed inside the car, we closed the doors.

I drove home as fast as I could while at the same time obeying all traffic laws. I pulled up to the house, backed in the Subaru, jumped out, ran inside the house and called to my daughter and her boyfriend to come outside--I had a chore for them to do. The reason I drove home so quickly and enlisted help unloading wasn't because of the firewood, per se...

But, because of all the little creepy crawly things that had made the firewood their home.

That firewood had been sitting outside in the same place for years. I shuddered at the thought of all those bugs and spiders now searching for a new home in my car. My helpers and I unloaded the wood quickly and as soon as we were done, I puled the car into the garage and vacuumed it out as thoroughly as possible. I hope I got them all...pretty sure I didn't, but I got rid of most.

If you were to have asked me last week or last month how much firewood could fit in the back of a Subaru Forester, I would have had no idea, but today, I know that answer, and the answer is...

About that much.

A Kind Neighbor...Doing Neighborly Things

 There are both advantages and disadvantages of working from home. Sure, I work in a small room originally designed for beds and not necessarily desks (kind of a disadvantage...), but it's not a cubicle (definite advantage...). I also have a large window with an incredible views of farmland and mountain ranges...both advantages.

Sometimes, something crosses my field of vision that I find interesting.

Namely, kindly neighbors.

I live in an interesting area. With--relatively, if that's even possible--lower home prices, we're seeing lots of new families move in, but also retirees. It's a clean, safe, and beautiful place to live, if you don't mind wind, that is. One of my neighbors is a retiree with time on his hands and a love of yard work. His yard is amazing, mostly due to the many hours he's spent making it amazing.

Earlier this week, I heard a familiar sound...a power edger. After a while, the sound of the edger increased. I knew what was coming because it's been done before. He had finished edging his grass and was moving on to ours. Our edging-needing area is much smaller than his, and we have an edger--haven't used it yet. Later, another sound came through my open window...this time, a leaf blower. Once he finished his yard, he came over to ours.

Him taking time out of his day to help us out is incredible. It's a very nice thing to do, and I've thanked him each time he's done it--he did the same thing last year, too. Of course, it's easy to wonder why he's doing this. Is our yard too messy? I'm the first one to admit that there's always more I could do to make our yard look better and we do try. But, I seriously doubt he's doing this to shame us or guilt us. No, having gotten to know him, I believe he's helping out because he he's a good neighbor and he likes to spend time outside making a yard (his or ours...) look better.

And that's a good thing.

Hot Enough For Ya...?

 "Hot enough for ya?"

I took a picture of a tweet yesterday and forwarded to my non-Twitter-participating friend. Why send this tweet to this particular friend?

Because the tweet represents his life.

A few years ago, this friend married a woman from South America. She came from a place that was warm, and not just in the summer, but all year long. Millions of people flock to places like this for vacation and a few fortunate ones even live in these perfect weather climes. 

Apparently, Utah is not one of these places, because at times, it gets cold here. Now, I understand cold is relative, like many other things. What is cold for one person from, say, Brazil, may not be cold to someone living in Driggs, Idaho. Then there's becoming climatized to the environment. Right now, as spring transitions to summer, a "hot" day for us would feel downright chilly once we hit triple digits. 

My friend lives is the Salt Lake Valley. I keep trying to get him to sell his home, cash in on all that equity in his house, and buy new up by us. That will most likely never happen...it's too cold up here--not much colder than an hour's drive south, but colder.

As I look forward to the years ahead, retirement specifically, I wonder if where we live now is where we'll live decades from now (God willing...). My friend...he's probably going to be moving, but not north. No, he'll most likely end up in a place like Texas, or Florida, or Costa Rico. 

Certainly, not Northern Utah. Too bad...I think they'd like it up here...

If they could stand the cold.

Finally Visited The Bird Refuge...

 Finally...

It only took about eighteen months for me to visit the closest natural wonder to our home. Last Saturday our family loaded up the van and drove about twenty miles south to the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge.

It was amazing.

I grew up a few miles from another bird refuge. We used to ride our bikes there every once in a while. I remember the rides, don't remember too much of the birds. Now, the same area is famous for bald eagles. I can't remember the last time I went to the lands south of Farmington.

I took my good camera last Saturday--I wanted to get some amazing photos. We saw so many birds...even the (according to the guide at the Wildlife Education Center...) the refuge's only remaining swan. I saw many many photographers as we drove the dirt road with photo equipment that cost more than our van.

 

Later, when I got home, I was anxious to see how the pictures turned out. Some were okay, and others were flat-out bad, especially the majestic blue heron--that bird deserved better. Since I'm not a professional photographer, taking a bad picture is not too offensive. I can live with that. Still...

I think I need to return, maybe make a morning or afternoon of it. Now that I know more about the place, I should be better prepared, maybe I'll even park the car (in designated places, only...), get out, and try and do a better job capturing the incredible beauty that lives in its protected land.

If that happens, I'll be sure to let you know, and I'll have the pictures to prove it.

Well...Missed It Again

 See that?

No, really...there's something there, just left of center, that thing with a red hue.

Yes, there it is--you see it.

It's the moon.

Last night's moon.

And it would have been incredible it it weren't for the clouds. The following hilarious tweet encapsulates perfectly how I felt:

Looks like my record of missing astrological rarities remains intact.

I seem to miss them all the time. One of the coolest things I did see was the eclipse a few years ago, but only a partial. I turned down a ride to see the total eclipse. My friend invited me to go to Wyoming with them. Missing a total eclipse was my fault. Last night's blood moon was missed because of the weather.

I went outside around 10pm our time. I saw a hazy--very hazy--moon low in the southern sky. Using my phone, I tried getting a picture of it. You can see how successful I was (wasn't...). I thought I'd try a few minutes later to allow the clouds to clear. Problem was, a few minutes later brought more clouds, so much so, you couldn't even see the where the moon was.

Truth be told, even if the moon was visible in a cloudless sky, I'd probably not get a good picture of it. I have the hardest time photographing the moon.

I keep thinking maybe when the next eclipse or comet or meteor shower comes around, my missing astrological rarities streak will be broken. I guess I'll just have to wait and see.

Give Thanks...Amazing Attitude

 I don't know him, nor do the thousands who responded to this simple message, a message to the world letting us all know that his fight to kill the disease that's killing the host will stop and he will allow nature to take over.

It's sad. It's tragic. It's impressing. It's inspirational.

If only we could all be so brave.

I've lost both parents to cancer, one almost fifty years ago, the other almost fifteen, different cancers, the same result. Cancer is the great equalizer. It comes for all regardless of age, race, political affiliation, or any other aspect of life that seems so important at times. It takes the good, the bad, and everyone in between. It's vicious, brutal, and most of all, unfair.

The girl in the photo will live most of her life without this man in it. I can sympathize with her...I know, somewhat, the things she'll face, she'll experience, she'll miss, and she'll cherish. In a fair world, no one deserves the intense pain so many will go through in the coming, days, weeks, and months.

But, life is not fair, is it?

All those born will one day die. Some will know approximately when it will take place. Others, will not. I've wondered which is better, the knowing or not knowing. 

I applaud this man for his honesty, his bravery, his attitude. I'm grateful for those who are so strong that they remain positive when literally everything is being taken from them. I'll never meet the man, but his simple words have affected me, and I'm grateful to him for those words.

Saturday...In The Park

 You'd think it was the 14th of May.

Actually, it was the 14th of May...a beautiful day.

We have family in town so we went on a driving tour of discovery and after, we ended up at a city park in Brigham City. It was a beautiful day. We had a picnic lunch by a small body of water, complete with handout-searching ducks. Just down the hill, two men's baseball teams battled it out. From a distance, I saw two fairly even teams go through several innings.

We were surrounded by people, dogs, birds in the air and on the water, and fish under the water. It was such an incredible afternoon at a small municipal park in Northern, Utah.

Wish you could have been there.

After watching people walk their dogs, players playing games, and fishermen catch a fish or two, we cleaned up, climbed in our cars, and came home. It was a good Saturday...

In the park.

Who Says You Can't Find Good Help These Days...?

 See these two? They are two-thirds of an incredible crew, a crew that went above and beyond, a crew I would hire again in a second...

Of course, they won't work again in this neighborhood...their choice.

I've blogged numerous times about how many rocks lie just below (and deep below...) the surface of our property. I'd laugh more if it weren't so depressing at times. You want to plant a tree? You'd better pray there's no big rocks were you want that tree to go because if you do, you'll need to find a new place for that tree.

So, what do you do if you want to put in a fence?

You hire big guys with big machines like diggers and jackhammers.

Last winter Cory was the first to answer my queries about putting in a fence. I took that as a good sign. He said ours would be the first project of the season. I told them on more than one occasion, it was rocky where we lived. They took the gig anyway.

It took them twelve hours to put in the thirty-odd posts. To put that in perspective, they worked another gig, put in a third more fence posts, and they did it in half the time. Cory told me ours was the hardest job he'd ever done. He also told me that as he did the job that took half the time, he realized how easy that job was and by doing the season's toughest job first, it would make the others feel easy by comparison.

When Cory added everything up, he could have charged us double for the labor, but he didn't. We're glad he didn't because we hadn't budget for much extra. That would have sunk us. I wish I could have tipped them the extra labor--I'd have done it gladly. 

Cory's business is C & C Fencing. They advertise on Facebook in the spring, then take down the ads after they schedule work to last the year. Because of all the construction going on, they're swamped. They might not even be able to take on new work, but if you're lucky enough to hire them, I say go for it. They're good workers. As far as not coming back to our neighborhood for a job, they'd turn it down. In fact, they told me that if any of my neighbors asked who put in our fence, I was to not tell them. 

Yes, good help can be found nowadays. And we have a fence to prove it.

Oh...The Places They'll Go

 I've worked from home at two locations. For the first couple of years, I worked in a basement. I had a window, but it was dirty and even if it was clean, I could only see a big pine tree and the sky above...

Not much of a view.

The second home, well...the view is much better. My office has a window that faces east. I can see a mountain range and another range beyond, the first range in Box Elder County, the second, Cache. There are other differences, too. My first office was at the end of a cul-de-sac...not much traffic or people walking buy. The new office...the street is busy with people walking up and down the road all the time.

I see older couples getting in their steps, and an occasional dog walker, but the most active humans are the kids. Because I clock in early, I see kids walking to the bus stop before school and I see them when school is over, and when I see them, I can't help but remember the days I walked home from school, occasionally running here and there. 

As the kids walk by, are they thinking about playing after school with their friends, or grabbing the controls of their favorite video games? Are they thinking about homework (I rarely did...)? Are they thinking about their future, what they'll be when they grow up...

Or, the places they'll go?

At that age, I don't think I thought much beyond the next day or maybe the weekend. Of course, thinking about summer vacation was too painful to begin in May...it hurts because the end of school is so close, and yet so far away.

It's easy to look at a younger generation and think they're so different from your own, that the world they'll inherent cannot possibly resemble anything like you went through. Yes, much has changed, but at least where I live, the kids play on the mountainside, they ride bikes, they laugh and run around the yard with their dogs. Much has changed, but there's a lot that's the same.

Baptizing The Fire Pit...With Fire And S'mores

 It was my wife's idea and I give her full credit. When we planned out the backyard, we designated a few non-grass areas, for gardens and a patio. Last weekend, we officially christened the DIY project with fire...

And s'mores.

There were a lot of firsts, the first time we had a party in the backyard, the first time we were able to gather and allow the dog to run free in a fenced yard. We looked at the weekend forecast and decided Saturday night would be the best night for the party/Mother's Day celebration because it was supposed to rain on Sunday.

We spent the day getting ready, making sure the last-minute details were taken care of. Then, we gathered and lit the fire. Interesting thing about that fire pit--most of those rocks came from that small-ish hole. Some people have sandy soil, others rich in nutrients...ours--full of rocks. It was my wife's idea to just dig a hole instead of buying a pre-made fire pit. It's a wonderful idea that turned out great.

We hauled out all the chairs and a small table and then the rain hit. We quickly gathered supplies and ran inside. After a while, the rain ebbed so we went back outside and made s'mores. They were delicious.

I wonder if my kids will look back on this first party in the yard and remember it. Will they remember the rain, the cold wind, the fire that stayed lit through the rain and created enough heat to toast the marshmallows?

I sure hope so...

And that goes for me, too.

"Funny Thing About Love"...A Review

 I can't remember when exactly I heard about this movie. Because of the incredible time in which we live, almost everyone can make a movie. I suppose as long as there have been home video cameras that's been true, but now, you can make a fairly good film using your smartphone.

I also try and take notice of local films--films with local ties--and whenever I can I try support those productions by watching them. Funny Thing About Love came out last December. The cast includes several Utah actors, or actors associated with Utah and its culture. Last night my wife and I sat down and watched it.

Is it good?

That can be a loaded question.

It's a romcom. It's clean. It's cotton candy entertainment, meaning it's "safe." When the film begins, we meet Samantha, her boyfriend, her business, and the planned trip to visit Samantha's family over Thanksgiving. Little do they know that Sam's ex-boyfriend will be staying with the family as well.

The movie has all the right ingredients, including veterans Jon Heder and Berry Crobin (of Northern Exposure and WarGames fame...). Throw in Pat Finn from The Middle and you have people who can forward a story. These, however, are side characters, leaving lesser-known actors for the main roles.

I believe those behind the film accomplished their goals. They made a good film that has heart. Is it the best romcom out there? No, but it doesn't have to be. A successful romcom must include choices--should Sam keep the business or sell? Should she change her entire life or stick with the status quo? And most importantly, will those who are supposed to end up together end up together?

This film checks off all the boxes.

If you watch it, go into knowing these things. I think if it didn't have local ties, we may have not kept watching, but the more we watched, the more we liked it. When it was over we were glad we'd seen it, which mean the film succeeded with us, too.

Post Mother's Day Post...

 Yesterday, I like millions of others, I perused various social media sites. Because it was Mother's Day, almost all those posting on the day could be classified into two camps:

Those with mothers still alive...

And those with mothers no longer here.

Of course, most of my older friends and contacts were in the second camp, my younger friends in the first. The above picture is from my niece's Facebook post. She finds herself a young person wishing she could spend the day--or at least, speak with her mother--on Mother's Day...a young person mourning a fallen parent.

Last year, my niece's mother posted about her own mother who had passed on. I know this without checking her previous posts because my sister always posted on holidays (especially Mother's Day...) about how much she missed her mom. My niece's mother is also my sister which means, of the two camps, I reside in the latter.

To those who have mothers no longer with us, I understand. I did not make a call yesterday. I did not break bread with her or my siblings or her grandkids. I did not find a gift to give or a card. To those in our camp, the day is bittersweet. We cherish the memories and our hearts hurt because of those memories.

The other camp, those who have their mothers available for calls and gifts and visits, I wondered as I read their incredible and amazing tributes just how quickly those in the first camp can find themselves in the second. Depending on the circumstances, some know with certainty that this will be the last Mother's Day, others might suspect it could happen. And some have no idea that the call they placed or the gift they gave or the visit they made will be the last time they'll be able to do this.

As a person who has lost both my mother and father, I've always said, if you live long enough, you'll attend at least two funerals, one for mother and one for father. In a year, God-willing, I'll find myself surfing through the posts of my friend. There's a good chance someone will post--like my niece did yesterday--about how this will be the first Mother's Day without their mom and how different it will be. Hopefully those new members of the second camp will have few if any regrets.

Give Thanks...For Family Game Night (And Skull King)

Sunday night have been designated at our house as Family Game Night.

It's the best.

A few weeks ago my daughter had a birthday. For a present she received a card game called Skull King. We've been playing it for the past several weeks and we've fallen in love with it. It's a game where you can never tell how things will end up. In my experience with other card games, I can sort of tell how I'm doing. This game changes with every hand played.

Tonight we gathered around the thrift-store purchased gaming table and played again. If you're familiar with the game, you can see I had good cards, but sometimes good cards are not what you want. This was the last hand of the night...I should have bet big, but I did not. My daughter beat us all.

Though I haven't done any formal research, but I believe card and board games are going through a resurgence of late. Maybe it's because of covid, maybe it's the fact we're all sick of staring at screens all day, or maybe it's a thousand other reasons. Personally, I hope the trend continues.

It's funny, the things you remember when you look back on your life. I remember hanging out with my friends in high school and later in college. I remember so many good times camping and being with family. I wonder if my kids will look back at these weekends when we gathered around the kitchen table or in the Carol Brady Game Room and play games and smile. I'm grateful for our home and the memories we're making...

And for Skull King.