Ramblin' Rose

Today just call me Rose, because I feel like ramblin'. On and on about everything and nothing. I should be doing other things but Amy has driven me to this. She takes advantage of the little moments and lets me know about them so I can feel that I am with her and watching her chase her sons around and listen to her finally get things off her chest and the distance closes between us every time I read her blog. Now I'm fighting tears. I shouldn't be, because she always makes me laugh! So I'll just ramble on now....

We moved from Utah to Nevada last month. If anyone had told me at any time in my life I'd end up living in Elko, Nevada, I would have questioned their sanity. And, actually, I'm not living in Elko. I'm living in Spring Creek which is a bedroom community ten miles south of Elko. There aren't many businesses out here, just two gas stations, one grocery store, a dentist, a hair salon, a store similar to Sprouse Reitz (in case any of you remember them) which sells a little of everything, an Ace Hardware store, a couple of restaurants, a post office, a credit union, etc. There are two elementary schools, a middle school, and a high school. There are five LDS Wards and two chapels. And it's so beautiful and peaceful in this valley! It is very arid. We look out our back window at sagebrush which in its natural setting is lovely to me. And I love the smell! And at night I can look out the arch of the bedroom window and see the Big Dipper's handle. The sky is clear and clean and I am enjoying life here.

I am going to be accompanying the middle school and high school choirs. I just can't say no. I could have gone this morning to start rehearsing with them but I need a day of practice on two of the songs so I feel better prepared. So when I am finished writing I will head for the piano.

I LOVE this house! But, no, I don't love it more than my third child or more than any of my other children or grandchildren. But since I can't live with any of them I'm glad I've got a lovely home that suits me. I feel it is compensation for once again packing up and following my husband to his new work opportunity. Besides, this opportunity, the home, the new people in our lives, the chance to serve the Lord in this area, etc.--all of this was provided by the Lord who knows us and opens doors to things that He knows will make us happy. And I truly am happy. I could have been happy still in Grantsville, and the Lord would not have stopped loving me if I had protested and told Tom not to take that job but to look for something that would have allowed us to remain in Utah and close to our children and grandchildren. But the way things happened I had no doubt that better things were in store if we followed the promptings and trusted in what the Lord was preparing for us.

My dad is staying with us right now. He's been here for about ten days. I'll take him back to Salt Lake on Wednesday. We are lucky to have him with us still. He is so wise, so witty, so loving, so giving. He has a new pacemaker now which will extend his life for years. Without it the doctor said he may not have lasted three months. Thank God for modern technology and health advances!

I am still suffering from the bad fall I had two months ago. I can't sit for long, especially on piano benches and car seats! Even lying down doesn't give me much relief. I hope the pain goes away soon.

Back to this house. I have been having so much fun organizing it, buying things for it, planning for it. I have bookcases on their way here and when they are put together and I can empty the boxes of books, photo albums, etc., then I will finally have the rooms looking like they are complete except for the bare walls. I haven't yet decided how or what to hang. Tom doesn't want to put nail holes in the walls which really makes it a challenge to figure how I'm going to put up anything at all.

We have put Cindy's ceramics on the plant shelf. It's up really high and pots won't have to be watered. No one should even notice the dust on them.

I'm going to write a book for my family. It's going to be called "Stories I Like to Tell." Included will be the stories of our moves, how some of my children met and married their spouses, dreams I've had, cute things my kids said when they were young, Tom's conversations in his sleep, etc. It will be a book they will be so excited to see!

Speaking of books, I think Amy should write one. Everyone who agrees with me tell her so. She is so clever, so witty, so good with words, and she can even do her own proof-reading! I would love to see a book about being the mother of a child like Michael. And there is so much else she could write about. I also have an idea of a book I want her to co-author with me, but I'm not going to mention it here because there are thousands of people who read my blog and they might steal the idea.

Tom loves his job. It is so nice to see him enjoying getting up and going to work. Sometimes that means going to a mine early in the morning and sometimes it means going to down the hallway to the home office. Today he worked in the office, made phone calls and set up appointments, and now he is on his way to a mine. I don't know where all the mines are except on a map I bought for him and he labeled. I've also had fun helping set up his office.

Well, I have taken enough time away from all that I need to do today, so I'd better stop ramblin' and start working. I hope that this post has helped some of you feel a little bit closer to me. I've felt closer to you as I've thought about what to say to you.

Have a good day!

Love,
Rose