Herding Cats

My mind was going in so many directions this week, it felt like I was herding cats. It took until Friday, but I finally got one corralled in a box! That about sums it up.

Actually, Sylvester climbed on my desk and hopped to another shelf to put herself in the box. I think she felt sorry for me and wanted one part of the week to go smoothly. She didn't realize that when a person has a stressful week, come Friday, all they can do is giggle through it and launch into the weekend.

Other than the over-tired giggles I get, I did have a few amusing moments today...

I managed to escape my desk and take a walk break in the midafternoon sunshine and somewhat mild temps. Since my regular walk buddies were off, I went by myself. I heard some sirens when I started out and again about halfway through. It's not unusual since there are a handful of medical facilities nearby.

I did my route and was just turning into the entrance at work when the sirens were suddenly loud and a voice over a loudspeaker squawked, "Get your hands up where I can see them!" Talk about a freak-out moment. I was turning around and saying, "What the..." and there was no one there. Thank goodness or I may have been shot for disobeying!

Here the technical college – which has a police program – was doing a training exercise. Just on the other side of the trees. So yeah, they were very close and yeah, it sounded like they were talking to me. And yeah, my heart was still racing an hour later.

Good grief. MSTC is only a block from work but I never hear their training drills. Naturally, AFTER my near brush with the law, I heard them repeatedly run the sirens and shout demands through the megaphone. Silly me. Why would they come for me anyway? Unless, of course they were the men in white coats. That would be logical.

I suppose for them, gathering up stressed out loonies off the ledge is sort of like herding cats. Trust me. Just like Sylvester, I might just volunteer to go.

Thankfully, I had an alternative. Friends.

We had a great evening with our old Assumption gang, catching up on how our freshman in college are doing and sharing photos from our various spring break trips and more. That's good therapy right there.

Need to fill that prescription more often.

When Life Hands You Lemon Bars

Got this nice surprise from my boss, who knows first hand that life has been handing us lemons! Lately my ratio of life to lemons is beyond lemonade, though. I'm thinking more along the lines of lemon bars.

They probably take a lot of lemons. But I've never actually made them. I just eat them!

Last week I was at a potluck and there were lemon bars. The good kind with the tasty frosting, not just powdered sugar. I had a full plate but said, in defense I guess, "I have to have a lemon bar. I only get them at potlucks and graduation parties!"

It was sheer coincidence (or pure luck) that there also were lemon bars at my cousin's benefit on Saturday. Again, "I have to have a lemon bar. I only get them at potlucks and graduation parties. Oh, and fundraisers!"

Of course, eating too many lemon bars (and other assorted and quite delicious baked goods) is only one of the "lemons" I'm dealing with this week! On one hand, that lemon prompted me to get out and exercise, walk, run, kickbox, whatever. But by Wednesday, another "lemon" canceled that one out.

Had too much work to do to get to kickboxing class and it was raining so I couldn't get in a quick walk or run. No Lenten service either. And, of course, finding time to blog was out of the question. It's not that I ever have anything to say. I just think that when life hands me lemons, my "lemonade" is writing. I squeeze the creative juices (and stress) out and feel refreshed.

But dang. Nothing compares to those lemon bars!

My Cat Ate My Blogwork

Why yes I did skip blogging last night. I would love to blame the cat for denying me access to my computer keyboard. But in all reality, I was pretty much glued to it. (The keyboard, not the cat!)

Was working on a freelance project 'til just about midnight and thought, you know, the sun will still come up tomorrow if I don't blog.

And it did! A lot!

Today was one of those days the weather people lure us outside with phrases like "abundant sunshine." There definitely was enough to go around. And it was somewhat mild. Around 50ish degrees so plenty warm to finally escape the office for a walk.

To tell you how slow spring is to arrive, I think the last time I took an outside walk break at work was when we had our false start back in February. Now spring is officially here and it's been either cold or rainy or both.

Not today, though. Got that walk in. Then when I got home from work, it was still plenty light out so I squeezed in a 2-mile run. I kept it short, not because it was going to get dark, but because I haven't run in a few weeks. Gotta ease back into it or this old lady will hurt herself.

When I was just about home, I ran into my friend Cindy giving her dog (my boyfriend Buddy) a walk so I joined them. Got some extra steps in, extra sunshine and extra catching up time. Everybody wins.

Except for Sylvester, of course. I am sure she spent the day by the open window, soaking up some rays. But sitting on my desk, she realizes my "heat lamp" is no substitute for sunshine. I feel your pain, sister.

Treasure what we had today because there is plenty of snow and rain yet between us and the real spring!

Mountain View Drive

On cold, rainy days like today I can always warm up looking at pictures from our recent Southwest Sojourn. Hopefully this rain will melt or wash away the last snow piles around here. They somehow didn't seem so dreary when we saw them in Arizona.

Yes, snow. And yes, it is part of the unique beauty that is Flagstaff.

Even with a desert zip code, the city still gets plenty of snow each year thanks to the nearby mountains that oddly bears a California name. According to my sources, the San Francisco Peaks are a volcanic mountain range in north central Arizona, just north of Flagstaff and a remnant of the former San Francisco Mountain. The highest summit in the range, Humphreys Peak, is the highest point in the state of Arizona at 12,633 feet in elevation. We did not quite get that high up, but you'll see in a minute what our peak was.

I love mountains so I could not wait to see them! As we drove through Sedona on our way to Flagstaff from Mesa, we started to get occasional peeks of the peaks.

Got so excited when we caught a glimpse through the windshield without too much clutter in the foreground. Well, other than oncoming traffic. Was thinking we may not get a better view. So glad I was wrong.

The next morning on our way up to the Grand Canyon, we stopped in a Walgreens parking lot to get a "good" view.

Then it was a lot of random photos out the car window! Here, thanks to this cool feature on SnapChat, you can see we were at 7,027.56 feet elevation when I snapped this photo!

Looking good through the trees!

Around the point we got to 8,000 feet elevation, we saw more snow on the ground. There were places, too, where there were gates that could be used to close the highway in the event of major snow. Not sure what constitutes "major" snow for desert drivers.

We did pass another sign that said something like 8,036 feet elevation. It was so odd we knew that must have been the highest point we'd drive on our Highway 180 route.

So pretty with snow on the mountains. I'm guessing there is some good skiing there as we saw signs for the "Snow Bowl."

We made a stop at the Chapel of the Holy Dove, considered one of the oddities in the area just sitting in the middle of the Coconino National Forest. This is an oddity and an odd site since there is nothing for miles in either way. Pretty neat if you need to pray or just rest.

The little chapel is no larger than your typical RV. Only as tall as the door on the one end, then slightly vaulted A-frame ceiling and windows on the other for a mountain view.

Unfortunately, since this structure was built back in 1962, the trees have grown and now block the mountain view.

It is still pretty to see with the sun streaming in.

And there have been a lot of visitors over the 50 years, signing their names or including prayers or words of praise.

The benches and the pulpit bore evidence of visitors, too. Just a neat little pit stop.

We could see several of the peaks from this quick roadside stop. So gorgeous!

Didn't see it at all once we got close to the Grand Canyon and made our way further north and east to Page on that Wednesday. On Thursday, though, when we were making the long trek back to Mesa, we got one more look at them from the "backside." Just so cool!

Gotta love mountain view drives!

Show of Support

Awhile ago I shared news about one of my cousins who is fighting cancer. He was diagnosed in September with metastatic malignant melanoma, which has spread to the lymph nodes. He is undergoing oral chemotherapy to shrink the tumors.

Today they held a benefit to raise money for Lydell's medical and other expenses. Jim and I traveled Up North to Frederic (just north of Luck) to show our support... along with hundreds of others. We felt blessed to be among this huge crowd of friends and family who care for him and his family.

His church and some other organizations were at the heart of organizing it and they did a great job with the lasagna dinner, silent auction items and raffles. I heard they made enough lasagna to feed 400. Guess what? The lasagna was gone. Amazing.

They also had music lined up for the afternoon. This picture is special for two reasons. One, the guy in the middle is a grade-school and high school classmate of my twin sister and I that we haven't seen since graduation. So Jon and his wife, who go to Lydell's church, sang a few songs. Secondly, it is a very special moment because Lydell (always a good singer) felt well enough to get up on stage to sing On the Road Again with them. Thank the Lord, right?

Lydell did share a few heartfelt words of appreciation that moved most of us to tears. He felt so blessed and we, as his family and supporters, were just glad we could be there to do something. I also had friends and neighbors of mine who supported the event with donations ahead of time. You know who you are... THANK YOU! As Lydell pointed out, every single donation and prayer – especially prayer – counts!

Today was also meaningful to my family since my mom was celebrating her 85th birthday! We'll have a separate party for her later, but today she got to see 6 of her children, 4 sons-in-law and 2 grandchildren. Not to mention numerous nieces and nephews. It was so great to see so many of my cousins!

 And my twin, too, of course!

In a strange coincidence, we saw two classmates, our old bus driver and our former high school history teacher. Yes, it is a small world. But it also means Lydell has touched a lot of lives.

Let's hope he can continue to do so. He said his tumors are shrinking and he'll have surgery in a few weeks to remove them. The Lasagna Feed Fundraiser may be over, but please keep those prayers coming!

Badger Den Dwellings

As most of Wisconsin fans are tucked away in their Badger Dens tonight, hoping for a victorious move from the Sweet 16 to the Elite 8, I was reminded of some other "dens" we saw out West.

While we were traveling around from Mesa to Flagstaff via Sedona, we took just a slight detour to check out Montezuma Castle National Monument near Camp Verde.

Now there are two things that typically come to mind when I hear the word Montezuma. One is the Halls of Montezuma in the Marine's Hymn. The other, of course, is the dreaded Montezuma's revenge.

Now, though, I can think of Montezuma Castle, which isn't a castle at all, but rather one of the best-preserved cliff dwellings in North America, carved into the sandstone cliffs high above Beaver Creek. The real Montezuma was never there. Early settlers erroneously connected the Aztec emperor to these ruins but he wasn’t born until after the ruins were abandoned.

The 5-story, 20-room cliff dwelling stands like a high-rise ancient apartment building standing guard over the Verde Valley below. The precariousness of the dwelling's location and its immense scale – almost 4,000 square feet of floor space across those 5 stories – suggest that the Sinagua were daring builders and skilled engineers. Access into the structure was most likely permitted by a series of portable ladders, which made it difficult for enemy tribes to penetrate the natural defense of the vertical barrier.

As you'll note in these photos, though, those Sinagua tribal portable ladders look to have been replaced by Home Depot portable ladders. Probably due to some renovation work. Still, the view was undeniably beautiful and intriguing.

See those non-ancient ladders?

I thought this looked like either a tongue sticking out or someone's tonsils.

Carter the climber staying off the prohibited area. Barely.

Perhaps the secret entry to the ruins? Or maybe Bucky Badger has a "winter place" reserved for the upcoming Final Four?

All those hiding places!

We also saw what I termed "camo trees." They look just like the gray camouflage shirts and pants the boys used to wear!

Of course that meant a photo. Good suggestion, Rayna!

Some of the plant life was identified on the "keep off the grass" areas. I found it interesting that a scratching bush would have the name catclaw in it! Appropriate.

There were also pretty flowers and, right along with it, bees. Glad our hosts and tour guides Rayna and Paul did not take my bee-allergic hubby here when he was out there. But grateful we got to visit something so unusual – and actually ancient on U.S. soil!

Hope to get back out in that area some day. At a minimum, let's hope Bucky can get out there to his Desert Den next week WITH the team! Go Badgers!

National Puppy Love Day

Since today is National Puppy Day and I do not have a puppy – even though I WANT a puppy – I had to dig in the archives for one. Here is me holding Dixie, the daughter of our dog Pixie.

I find it odd (now) that my mom posed each of us younger girls – Rachel, Raylene and me – with Dixie and then we ended up giving her away to a cousin. Maybe because there is nothing more adorable than puppy love ... cute (ha) little girls holding cute little puppies!

While I don't remember Pixie, the mom, in her puppy stages, I remember her being a part of most of my childhood.

Here she is on a walk in the woods with us twins (and Mom, of course). I don't even know what "kind" of dog she was but she stayed little- to medium-sized like this. She was the perfect dog for us little ones to grow up with. She loved jumping for popcorn, licking ice cream cones and chasing her tail.

At one point later in my childhood, she gave birth to a boy and a girl. We gave the girl, later named Muffin, to our Aunt Betty and Uncle Alan. And we kept the boy and named him Boomer. I loved Boomer dearly! He was all brown and probably my first brown-eyed love!

I don't have any pictures of him scanned in at the moment. For sure I'll have to dig into the archives for that some time. I am sure I have plenty of time before the next pet holiday. National Cat Day is not until October 29.

Or in our house... EVERY day.

She is sweet but dang, puppies are the best! Doncha think?

Common Sense and Sensibility

As a former news hound, my eyes and ears are always open for "breaking news." As a mother, my senses are particularly on high alert if that news story involves a shooter. Doesn't even have to be at a school. I want my child safe everywhere!

This afternoon, news broke of a shooting in the Wausau area. That's less than an hour up the road so it piques our interest and concern since we know people who live and/or work there.

By the end of the day, we'd learned four people including a police officer were killed in the shooting rampage. How awful! Any victims make it a tragedy. I feel badly for all of the family and friends who are in shock over today's events. I feel especially bad for the law enforcement and emergency personnel who make it their mission to keep people safe and save lives, but now must mourn one of their own who died trying.

So senseless.

In a perfect world (even non-perfect), our citizens would respect authority and, frankly, just respect human life. Period.

I don't know where common sense has disappeared to, but I hope it comes back in to people's heads and hearts – and fills some of those holes left by hatred, lack of respect, and lack of faith. There is just so much hurt.

God, please lay a healing hand on hearts broken today be sadness and anger. Put Your loving arms around Marathon County and all the men and women in blue.

Make the World Go Away

What do Jim Reeves, Eddy Arnold, Martina McBride, Elvis Presley and Robyn Austin have in common? We have all sung versions of the 1960s song Make the World Go Away.

While a ton of artists have "covered" it, I had the most recent version of it.

Today, in fact.

Back in my daily newspaper days, I could pull a 12-hour day like nobody's business. Today, though, I – along with Jim, Eddy and Elvis at least – am too old for that or too dead for that!

I realized that it typically takes me a week to recover from the Daylight Saving Time shift. Since I traveled into territory with a 2-hour time difference right away, my internal clock is ticking out of sync.

I sort of did travel back in time since we were on the historic Route 66 and I saw Elvis in a gas station there, but my body and mind are still hanging out in Crabby Lady Gulch nestled between Overworked Village and Stressed Out City.

Can't really string two sentences together, but am hoping by the end of this week that work will have settled down a bit and I'll have time to breathe, relax, polish my blue suede shoes and finally share some decent photos from our trip! I definitely don't want to make THAT world go away.

Just the hair-pulling, stress-eating, fill out the fat jeans one! Bye!

Make the world go away
And get it off my shoulders
Say the things you used to say
And make the world go away

Spring... For Real

After the false start to spring back in mid-February, it's here for real now. Well, according to the calendar anyway.

Since I don't have anything blooming around here, I thought I'd share one of the "pretties" my sister and I captured out in Arizona.

First of all, count yourself lucky you don't get a dozen of these on Spring Day. Not like it's Valentine's, but if you did get flowers, roses and their thorns would have nothing on these! But they were so vibrant that Rayna spotted them alongside the road while driving!

Looking closely, it almost looks like a mini-cactus is budding inside the flower on the big cactus. Is that how they grow?

Not sure. But I almost think this is something me and my two black thumbs could keep alive. They would hurt like heck to transplant, but would definitely match the brown grass of Midwest spring around here!

Happy holiday from the first Robyn of spring!

Wild West Warning Signs

 

When people tell you to watch for signs, you really should. Even though I just created the one above, something tells me, it may be warranted. Oh the reality of work re-entry after a nice vacation!

We did see our share of warning signs out West. Some typical, some scary and some entertaining...

You know you're in the wild west when you see this! (Actually in Black Bart's restaurant, but worth a chuckle nonetheless.) Speaking of horses...

If you love horses, like you'd see in any cowboy movie, there were a lot of places with marked and unmarked trails for riding. This one was a steep, rocky, uneven trail that Carter and I couldn't imagine attempting to navigate with a horse or bicycle. Crazy.

This was just a warning that John Wayne or Clint Eastwood could come galloping down the hill and around the cactus. So keep an eye out!

Not to be confused with horses, but there were mules, too. You can see from their forward ears and silhouette of a rider looking like Alice from the Brady Bunch Grand Canyon episode. Just sayin'. By the way, the mule rides are not available until May, otherwise we'd have been all over that.

And this sign just warned us of a political convention up ahead. Or filming of another Jackass movie??

Then there was the wildlife I actually wanted to see... like big, bad elk!

There was even one sign warning of elk for the next 30 miles. Do you think we'd see one? No.

Not even these fat ones on their way to a Weight Watchers meeting in the Grand Canyon.

The animals I am glad we did not see were the snakes, scorpions and sunscreen boy.

Especially glad we stayed on the trail and did not encounter the clown making balloon animals! (Or something.)

Not everything was about animals...

Here you just figure you better hold your horses... or someone else will!

What don't cars like? Heat AND elevation. Since we were climbing, drivers had to be careful about overheating engines on the way up and overheating brakes on the way down. Our highest elevation of the trip was 8,000+ feet, which is 4 times the highest point of elevation in Wisconsin. (In case you read this blog to actually learn something.)

Loved these signs. First, you gotta love towns named Mystic and Hog Wash! Secondly, wouldn't it suck to lose your drone over the Grand Canyon? Pretty much no way you'd get it back. Ever.

I found this "no rock climbing" sign amusing because there is no apparent place to even get a foothold to begin your ascent! But people will try anything. I mean anything...

The only reason they have warning signs anywhere is that someone already tried it – and it didn't turn out well. So whoever drank the toilet water in Arizona, thank you. You spared me a bad decision about hydrating.

And it gave me the perfect sign to signal vacation is in the toilet and I must go set my alarm for work tomorrow.

Signing off.