Wind, Rain and Devastation

My prayers go out to those who have been affected by the largest hurricane that this country has seen in many a year. Sandy doesn't seem like a name for a hurricane that killed so many from the Caribbean to the United States, but names can be deceiving.  It hasn't stopped the barrage of political adds on TV at least here in the mid west, but it has slowed the campaign trail of the two candidates. What a mess, the devastation, the uncertainty of one's life and what to do next. Prayers, Prayers and more Prayers!

business card

Last week I was having trouble downloading the new business card and brochure logos. Jessamyn was so kind to me and reformatted the PDF file to a JPG. file so I could do so. So here they are.

outside of brochure

inside of brochure

I have been taking a stained glass class every Tuesday for a couple of hours. Believe it or not, I enjoy it. I enjoy it more than the quilt class I tried to take and I flunked by the way. Thank goodness my friend Linda was the instructor and overlooked my shortcomings and let me gracefully bow out of the class. I am not perfect at this glass process either. I was foiled by the foil and the soldering is rather large due to the gaps between my glass pieces. But it will be my creation and my first. As my instructor says practice makes perfect. Hopefully I can incorporate the glass into my jewelry and beading projects.

Tomorrow I head to the valley to spend a spook filled night with my granddaughter Zeyda.

 BOO!

The BIG Wind

Last Wednesday and Thursday a big wind blew on through. Gusts up to 75-69 miles an hour were clocked in our county. Every tumble weed, corn stock and leaf headed towards the southeast. My trees, unfortunately, took a hit. The beautiful sand willow in back lost one of its large branches that use to embrace the sky in supplication.

Tuesday our business venture actually got underway. Western Nebraska Consulting LTC Nursing Solutions provided their first client an educational seminar to their employees. Jessamyn designed some great designs for our brochures and business cards. I am unable to download the PDF files with designs on it. Sorry, will have to figure it out later or take a picture of one when they are printed.

Thursday Linda and I  braved the winds, with visibility at times at zero to go to Scottsbluff. I got my permanent crown put on my now quite expensive upper back molar. Linda and I both applied for our concealed gun permits at the Scottsbluff Highway Patrol office. Finger printed, photographed and pledged to uphold the law we will be receiving our permits and licenses to be official gun toting mommas.

Just for fun I am taking a stained glass class for six weeks every Tuesday morning. It is helps my need for a creative outlet. At least I haven't flunked this class like when I tried my hand at a quilting class. Who by the way, Linda taught when we still worked at Good Samaritan. Linda is a very accomplished quilter and hopefully I can get accomplished in glass work, so it can enhance my jewelry making this winter.

What Can I Say? Oops!

Train that I took to Denali and Mt. McKinley

Another week has flown by on the wings of the October jester. I have bought a new small cypershot camera with enhanced 18 megapixels that I had envied from afar when meeting my new friends Bill and Jo that were on my Alaska trip. Thinking that the camera had great definition, crisp clear pictures, even from a far distance, I finally gave in and bought one.

Linda, Bill, Jo, and I

Mid-ship on the Sapphire Princess

To my delight I was able to get some great pictures this Saturday when Paqui, Zeyda and I went to Gordon to watch Taylen play in his last football game for the season. We headed north Friday evening and spent the night visiting and enjoying the great meal Jessamyn provided us. Saturday dawned with rain and wind and we ventured to the football field in Rushville where we all hunkered down like true family to watch the Mustang's 26-16 defeat over Chadron and 6-0 season come to a closed. Taylen ran in for two of those touchdowns!







Now back to the camera pictures, well all was for naught! Due to the fact that I hadn't read the instructions in how to delete unwanted pictures, I ended up deleting all the good ones too. Oh, what a cruel joke it was and proves that you need to read directions before operating or building something new! Fortunately I still have many pictures from Alaska I can share and this week's pictures will end my journey through Glacier Bay and Denali National Park.

Glacier Bay

Margene Glacier

Heading to Denali on the Princess train from Whittier.

Denali National Park

This is a fuzzy picture of a pack of eleven wolves we saw in Denali. We were the only tour group that got to see wolves in Denali this season.

This is a grand picture of Mt. McKinley-Denali, but it is not one that I took. Very seldom do you get to see the real Denali because of clouds and inclement weather.

This is the only polar bear that we got near at the Polar Bear Express in Anchorage. It was raining pretty hard the short time we were their. Linda's suitcases were wet when they arrived at our hotel room with clothes and gifts soaked. 

Next travel stop will have palm trees and hula skirts. Sun, trade winds and who knows maybe I will learn to surf.

Success In All This Weeks Doings

Foliage on the White Pass Trip

It continues to amaze me how busy I can get with out working at regular 9-5 job. It has been a successful week all together, though. A successful temporary crown was placed on my upper back molar. I had successfully got a manicure and pedicure. Linda and I successfully met and agreed on our business plan. I successfully completed my therapy sessions. Friday, I successfully did my civic duty and voted early at the court house. Then Saturday I successfully passed my concealed gun safety class. Even my grandson, Taylen, successfully made a touchdown to help his team win a football game. However, there is a draw back to all this success. I haven't spent much time changing light bulbs that have gone out or dusted the furniture that has an eighth of an inch of dust on top. Either have I vacuumed the crumbs from my floors (bugs too) or cleaned the needy toilets.

Tongass National Forrest

This week's duties will include some strict rules to adhere to. Buckling down and giving the old house and home an uplift. We had our first real snow and hard freeze Friday and Saturday. My plants have been put to rest and my titanium knees have stiffen. Maybe that is one of the reasons I am heading to the islands over Thanksgiving. This weeks picture show will be from Skagway, AK through BC Canada over the White Pass and to the Yukon.

Caribou Crossing, Y.T. Canada ( Mining for Gold)

Mushing Dogs

Carcross, Y.T.

Emerald Lake

The Scenic White Pass Railroad we took.

What Could Have Been

Orcas circling their prey from ship

The best pics I could manage of the humpback whales

Today is a day of introspection. It has been a very busy week with many emotional highs and lows. I had an eye and dental appointment. New glasses are on there way and I was told that I have the early stages of cataracts.Taking note, that sometime down the line I will have to have surgery. Wednesday Jessamyn went with me to Cheyenne, WY to get my root canal done at the endodontist. Fortunately the only pain I felt was in my pocket book. It was Melanie's fiftieth birthday too and best wishes go out to a great sister-in-law! Thursday Julie and Jim lost a close family member, Daisy May, who was seventeen years old. May Daisy's spirit rise to where ever good dogs go to meet the great one.

Yes, it was a sad day indeed. It would have been Brian and my fortieth wedding anniversary on Thursday. It wasn't what Brian and I had planned together. We had planned on living a long life into old age. But the real lesson for me is to live in the here and now; not in what could have been. There are just no real assurances in life.

However, there is some goods news, Dan the man is turning sixty this Monday. Happy Birthday goes out to the old fart! Linda and I signed our LLC papers and now officially have are tax ID number along with a brand new business account. We already have our first client.

I will continue the chronological picture journey from Alaska. Juneau is next on our tour. Enjoy! 

Sea Lions snuggling.

Out for a morning swim and meal.

The Mendenhall Glacier near Juneau.

Closer view.

Rewards after a day of sight seeing.