Every Neighborhood Has One Perfect Lawn...It's Not Ours

 There's always one--sometimes more than one--but there's one that stands apart, one lawn in the neighborhood that's as close to perfect as possible. In our neighborhood it's the house next door.

It makes all the other lawns not-so-green with envy.

We knew when we moved here that our neighbor was particular about his yard. They moved in several months ahead of us and as we would drive up and check the progress on the house from time to time, our neighbor was always outside working in his lawn-less yard. He was smoothing the land making sure it was perfect. Then, we helped put in sod. 

You could see how much work he had put into it.

And it didn't stop there. Ever since the first rolls of sod we put down, it's been his passion. Today he mowed his lawn for the first time this season. It looks great.

We made a conscience decision to put in less grass rather than more. Our front yard has basically a strip of lawn that goes to the backyard. In the back we have two large sections for gardens, spaces where we could have planted grass but decided not to. It takes about fifteen minutes to mow the whole thing.

Our lawn isn't a complete failure, but I know it's not the priority as others. We like it green. We don't want it to die. We take care of it. As with all things, there are, of course, varying degrees of "taking care of." Mine is somewhere lower than perfect.

A new growing season is upon us...and some are already mowing their lawns.

Not us, at least not now.

When You Post A Timely Photo...

 Last week I needed to post a picture for my "Pic Of The Day." I could have gone outside and taken yet another photo of the incredible amounts of snow we've received this winter and spring. Instead, an idea came to me. I went downstairs to our bookshelves, did a little searching, and found what I was looking for...

Laura Ingalls Wilder's classic, The Long Winter.

I thought it was funny, so I posted it.

It was, in a word, a hit.

I read these books when I was in elementary school. We've read them in our homeschool to all our kids as they grew up. The stories hold a special place in my heart and I hope kids and adults alike will continue reading these books for generations to come.

It seems many others remember the books, too. The posted photo generated many responses...likes, laughs, and several commented that they remembered the series, and The Long Winter in particular. The fact that we have been experiencing our own long winter added to the timely photo.

This morning, we got another couple of inches of snow. Then the sun came out and all that snow is gone, as is (hopefully...) any new snow until next fall. I'd like to say I believe this was the last snowstorm of the year.

That's what I said during the last storm, and the storm before that...

And the storm before that.

One of these times, that statement will be true. Who knows...maybe someone will write a book about our long winter.

Writers Cantina Presenter Spotlight: D.L. Campanile...She Knows Her Business

 News dropped recently of another presenter at the Writers Cantina writing conference. D. L. Campanile will be included with other excellent presenters at the inaugural event taking place exactly 87 days from today.

You can find out more about D. L. on the conference website by clicking: HERE. On the author's page, we learn about D. L.'s background in business. If you know anything about being a writer, you understand the importance of knowing the fundamentals of business. In many ways, much of an author's success depends on this knowledge.

One thing I learned early on about being a writer is that you're also by default the owner/operator/sole proprietor of a business. Your product is not just the words you put on paper/digital paper, but your image, your brand, your style...pretty much anything associated with you and what your produce. It's something most authors don't consider, but should.

If you attend the Writers Cantina conference on July 8th in West Valley City, Utah, D. L.'s knowledge of both writing and business is only some of the excellent advice you can glean from our presenters and other attendees. Click: HERE for conference information above to learn more about registering, as well as the other announced presenters. 

D. L. Campanile...she knows her business.

Did We Just Buy A Really Heavy Coatrack...?

 We pulled the trigger on an exercise system. As you can see, it was not the most expensive one available on the used exercise equipment market. That was a huge selling point in our decision. That, and the fact that the seller was located in an obscure little northern Utah town.

Over the weekend, my son and I climbed into the van, drove the half hour to our destination, and loaded it up. Now it's set up in our garage/home gym. The one-hundred thousand dollar question is...

Will it get used?

And if it does, will it get used in the manner for which it was designed?

We've had a home gym set up for a couple of years. We decided to not sell our treadmill when we moved and we brought it along. We found a free stationary bike on the side of the road and we bought an elliptical machine. Part of my daily work routine is to take a break and use the equipment. And, had I not stepped on the power cord of the elliptical machine, I'd continue to use all three.

One thing we didn't have was a weight system. Granted, the elastic system we bought is not optimum, but it's something. Since we moved it into place, I've used it twice, yesterday and today. I only used one of the systems. I'm glad to say it wore me out a little, which is the only reason to have these machines in the first place.

There are days that I don't make it to the gym. Sometimes we have staff meetings during the time I usually work out, and now that summer's inching closer, I can only work out in the mornings because it gets too hot otherwise.

So far, so good. So far, the machines are being used for exercise and not a place to hang clothing. We'll just have to keep it that way.

So, If You Happened To Be In Northern Utah/Southern Idaho This Saturday...Come Check Out Authorpalooza!

 The title of this particular blog post is a mouthful. Then again, so is the event that's upcoming this Saturday. 

Authorpalooza!

I know I'm going.

I was approached last fall to see if I'd be interested in participating in the 2023 event. I had never heard of it, but it sounded fun. Whenever a bunch of authors gather, guaranteed it will be a fascinating time. After all, these are people who lie for a living (or, in my case, for a hobby...). I wonder if there's a name for a group of authors. If not, there should be.

My name was not included on this list. I was told there was a mix-up, but I am invited. 

 You can check out the Bear Lake Arts Council Facebook page, the group putting on the event, by clicking: HERE. It's in Montpelier, Idaho, on the border of Utah and Idaho near Bear Lake. I've only been to the community once. Saturday I'll double that amount. Yes, it's a bit of a drive, but there's some beautiful country on the way.

If you're going, come by and say, "hi." I love meeting people at these events. Plus, you can pick up a book or twelve from some excellent authors.

Give Thanks...For Good Friends, And Time

 A friend posted a photo on social media earlier today. The photo shows my friend along with other friends gathered together for an Easter meal. The meal was held thousands of miles away in a small country in Northern Europe.

And it sparked a memory.

A memory that took place almost forty years ago to the day...

Easter weekend, in Denmark.

Thirty-eight years and two days ago I sat in the house of my friends Bjarne and Ulla and we sat down for an Easter meal. It was my second Sunday in the country and my first time eating a meal not in our apartment. As a LDS missionary we travel in pairs, two-by-two, always together. My companion (as we call each other...) was Elder Richardson. He passed away due to covid complications a few years ago. Sad.

Today, however, the missionaries sharing a meal with Bjarne and Ulla and others are the Ellises. I first met Brian Thirty-eight months and eight weeks earlier in Provo, Utah where a group of strangers met and together we learned how to preach the Gospel, speak Danish (or speak as good as ten weeks of instruction can allow...). I've kept in touch with Brian and Bonnie over the months, years, and decades. 

It's now time for the Ellises to return home...interesting. I shared my first meal in the country with the Jakobsens and my other friends shared their last meal in the country with the Jakobsens. Though things change due to time, some things remain the same. The kindness of the Jakobsens is one of those things.

I'm grateful I know the Jakobsens, the Ellises, the Richardsons, and so many others like them. I'm thankful I kept a daily journal back then (and continue today...) so that when I saw a photo taken in the twenty-first century I could look up and remember a dinner date that occurred in the twentieth. 

Also, something I'm sure hasn't changed...the food was most likely excellent.

Returning To The "Source" Of The Crime...

 Tonight I had food from a restaurant I haven't visited for almost a year and a half.

It's really not the restaurant's fault...

I blame my genetics.

We used to eat at Costa Vida all the time, maybe a couple of times a month. Even after we moved and the restaurant was no longer a mile away, we still found ourselves ordering their food regularly. That all changed when, after one autumn night we picked up dinner and brought it home, I ended up in the emergency room because a black bean was lodged in my throat.

Yes, a tiny black bean.

Unbelievable.

It's true, though. All my life I've had trouble swallowing. I didn't realize I had a physical condition until about twenty-five years ago when taking some tests, it was discovered my throat had an abnormality. I had a procedure done twice to expand my throat, and that was that.

Turns out, however, the procedure does not permanently "fix" the problem. Slowly, over the years, the condition returned until the fateful tiny black bean from Costa Vida became stuck. A trip to the E.R. later and it was no longer stuck. Crazy. A few weeks later, I returned to have my throat expanded again.

Since that time, we haven't had their food. Tonight, the family gathered for an Easter/April Birthday celebration and we catered from Costa Vida.

Like I said, the restaurant wasn't really the source of the crime...more like a contributing factor. Now that we've been back, we'll have to eat there more often. I'll be ordering the refried beans, of course.