It's Amazing How Much Of Other People's Stuff Was In Our House...

 I'm the first to admit that I am a hoarder...not an extreme hoarder, but the matter of degree is open to interpretation. I guess it makes sense that my daughter has a lot of things currently in our house. That won't be the case soon, for all that boxed-up stuff will go from our house, to her house.

It's moving day for her.

Crazy, just how much stuff we accumulate. 

Growing up, my mom and dad had a lot of stuff. My mom told me that one of my dad's mottos was: "If one is good, two is better." As soon as I was old enough to understand my father's history, I understood completely why he felt this way. Both my parents grew up in the Great Depression. Almost no one in America today can understand what this means. We are so used to just getting everything we need. In fact, we're upset when we have to wait even a few days for things we want.

The more I learned about the Great Depression, the more I understood my parents and why they did what they did. I know part of that feeling of "needing" things just in case, I obtained from my parents. 

I should say that much of what belongs to my daughter is from their wedding and they had no place to put their things until now. They've lived in a small space until they were able to get an apartment or a house. They've been so patient and selfless...it's quite remarkable. Now, they're finally able to have their stuff in their own home.

Another thing I should say is heaven help us if we had to move. All my daughter's and her husband's stuff can fit in one large(ish...) truck. All our stuff would take many many more.

I'm excited for them. It's a lot of work to move--it's because home is one of the most important places on earth.

Darn Gravity...

 In our defense, we didn't know there were that many nectarines on our little tree. We planted it only a few years ago and we still think of it as a "little" tree, but it's little no longer. So much so, the sheer weight of dozens of nectarines caused a major branch to fail.

Bummer.

If you own a nectarine tree, you know sometimes it's difficult to see the fruit. Plus, this is the first year it's really produced fruit. We saw a few nectarines last year, but nothing like what happened this summer. We should have been more prepared. 

Since I'm not an arborist, I never know how much fruit to remove to thin the crop. My mind says not to remove any...to keep it all growing, but I know that's not what's best for the tree.

The rest of the tree appears to be doing well. There's plenty of fruit still left and hopefully it will continue to ripen so we can enjoy the harvest. Next spring, we'll do some pruning and we'll pay more attention to our little tree so this doesn't happen again.

Darn gravity...

Going The Way Of All The Earth...

 We bought it at a yard sale...not much of a surprise there. And, it served our family well. It wasn't new...it had survived several summers and winters. I assume it was used for the purpose for which it was built, as a spool for some type of cable. But, it ended up being something else, as many of them do.

Growing up my dad bought several spools. My memory says they were bigger than the one in our backyard, but that's probably not true. I mean, we were little kids back then. We kept them under the deck. I think my mom kept them around because we used to set them on their sides and walk on them around the yard. It was fun and required just enough dexterity that I could do it. 

The spool we bought at the yard sale has been used for another purpose. It's a great side table for grilling, as well as a stand for a backyard shade umbrella. That's what we've used it most. What's nice is I can just kick it on its side and roll it to wherever we need it in the yard, then tip it back up and set up the umbrella. 

We really didn't have space for it in the garage, so it's been outside, at the mercy of the elements the past several years. Because of that, the underside basically disintegrated. We pulled off the sections of wood that were falling apart. They made great kindling.

Technically, the spool can still be used as an umbrella stand, but I can no longer roll it anywhere. Since I'm not going to pick it up and haul it anywhere, it's pretty much done. We'll split up the rest and burn it. Like everything, it's going the way of all the earth...

Just a little at a time.

I Thought The Results Would Be Different...

 I came across this from the internet a few weeks ago. People put out these things like this all the time so I have no idea if it's valid or not. In some ways, it would be cool if it's valid, but in other ways, it might not be. I mean, RUSH being a most popular classic rock band in only one state?

Exactly.

If you're like me, you love RUSH. I think I saw this band perform live more than any other group. Of course, back in the 70s and 80s, attending a rock concert wasn't the ordeal it is today. For starters, tickets were only $10 back then, so when the bands put out a new album every other year, you did what you could to get tickets. 

I look at this picture and I can understand why some states chose their favorite bands, Lynard Skynard in the South, ZZ Top in Texas...these things make sense. What doesn't make sense to me is that RUSH was only one state's favorite...mine. Only Utah chose RUSH. I would have thought the band would appear on more states. 

If it is real, it makes me a little sad. Such a classic group...America would do right in honoring our neighbors to the north with more states.

The thing is, just because only one state chose RUSH, doesn't really matter. We pride ourselves in our individuality, in our right to think differently...at least, we did at one time. Our choice makes us unique, sort of special. 

That's pretty cool, too.

Saying Goodbye...It's The Hardest Thing

 Years ago I happened upon a little British show called Top Gear. There were several things that drew me to the show. Of course, the cars, but they also had excellent cinematography. If you doubt me, check out the years between 2004 and afterwards (I'm sure the episodes preceding 2004 are excellent as well, but I found the show a few years later...). Even my wife loved watching--and she's not necessarily a car person.

All those things help add to the show, but the genius behind the show's success is because of three people...Jeremy, Richard, and James. I know in the history of comedic teams, duets flourish, but on Top Gear, it's the trio.

The boys were fired in 2015 and created another show on Prime TV. They called it Grand Tour. They tried to follow the previous show's format, but eventually it devolved into a season of epic adventures across the world, and next month...apparently...it all ends.

Bummer.

To say they'll be missed is an understatement, at least for me. The chemistry between the hosts is almost impossible to duplicate. We've known them for decades, at least their TV personas. I know there's no way we actually know them, but they connect on on such a personal level, they seem like they'd be a blast to chill out with.

Those of you who enjoy and watch the show know exactly what I'm talking about. BBC struck gold when they assembled this amazing team.

Seriously, it's time. Nothing last forever. After more than two decades they are closing the book on this chapter of their lives. Yes, I'm sad, but also happy they are able to pursue other ventures. It's rare when people create such art disguised as entertainment. God speed, boys. You done well.

This...Makes Me Happy

 The inside temperature in the house around 7:30am this morning, was 71º. The other readings on the thermometer show the high outside temperature from the past twenty-four hours, the coldest outside temperature from the same period, and the current outside temperature.

The high: 85º...the low: 55º...the current: 50.

Oh, the joy.

I've always love autumn. As a kid when temperatures lowered it meant Halloween was near, and after that, Thanksgiving, my birthday, Christmas, New Years, ski season, sledding, hot chocolate. I needed a jacket when riding my bike. I didn't almost die of heat while running, and school started. I wasn't the biggest fan of school, but I loved being with friends.

Now that I'm older, much older (it's my fortieth high school reunion this year...), I still love the season. It's for different reasons, of course, but I still love it. I no longer ski or exercise outside very much, but I love being outside and not sweating to death. I also love decreased yard work and the elimination of bugs.

That's what my aging body appreciates as the colder temperatures draw closer.

I know people who hate the cold, especially as they get older. I don't know if I'll be one of those. Next year I turn sixty and the whole "hating the cold" thing hasn't hit yet. 

Who knows? Give me another decade (God willing...) and I'll see how I feel then. My guess is (and my hope...) I'll still love the fall.

Give Thanks...For Our Van And The Friend Who Made It Happen

Last week I blogged about having to give up on a trusted car, something that's been in our family for more than a decade. At the same time, we decided to let go of another vehicle. This one on which we relied for not only transportation of people, but of furniture, groceries, top soil, and numerous yard and garage sale bargains.

And now, it belongs to another.

We did, however, keep it in the family.

Years ago, around 2009 another trusted van we owned started to fall apart. Almost as a joke, I posted on Facebook that it would cost more to fix than it was worth. A good friend called me after seeing my post. "Hey, you looking for a van?" he asked. "Yeah, I guess we are."

I should say that these words are most likely not the exact conversation we had. It's been more than a decade, after all...

"We just got a new van and we were wondering if you'd like to buy ours." He told me the make and model and I think I laughed. I told him there was no way we could afford it. "How much do can you spend?" I told him we had some savings.

"Okay--we'll take that for it."

Shock. He was cutting the value of the van by 2/3. I wanted to make sure he was okay letting it go for that price. He said he was. We drove over and picked it up. It served our family so well. We'd by another Toyota Sienna in a heartbeat, but we no longer have need to take six-eight people on family vacations to California and Washington State. We no longer need--at the time--the mind-blowing technology of a DVD player and screen installed for the kids to watch movies. We no longer need three rows of seating or enough room to haul a full-size upright freezer from Brigham City to our house. 

Even though we no longer need these things, we miss them. We got a new car, newer, fewer miles, more mind-blowing technology. But we'll always be thankful for the van and my friend who let it go for a loss.

We passed it down to our son. They have a toddler and need something they can count on. We were happy to do it and we took a loss on it as well, not as big as my friend, but we tried to help them out. If you need to move several people, I recommend the Sienna. It drives wonderfully, hauls like a truck, and it's just a wonderful van. I'm thankful it served us so well for all those years.