Treasures

The  24, 25, and 26 of September are the dates for the annual Junkfest. It runs along Hwy 65 starting in Leslie and going as far North as Western Grove. Let's be honest, there is a lot of junk but one man's junk is another man's (or woman's) treasure. I'm sure today was a little slow, being the first day and being a day that a lot of people have to work. I still managed to find a few treasures and spent a whopping ten dollars and fifty cents.

I found some china cups (for a future Pinterest project), a skirt, a container, a ceramic eagle with no chips whatsoever, an antique salt and pepper shaker, and a princess costume for Dixie.

Recipe Nine Texas Caviar

This recipe has nothing to do with Caviar and it's not really spicy, so I have no idea as to how it got it's name "Texas Caviar," but it's really easy to make, It's tasty. I made it for a food day at work and it went really quickly so here it is.

Texas Caviar
2 cans of drained corn
1 can of diced tomatoes with chilies-drained
1 14 ounce can of green chilies drained
1 jalapeno with seeds taken out and diced
1 diced red bell pepper-again no seeds
3 small green onions-thinly sliced
3/4 cup of sour cream
3/4 cup of mayo
1 to 2 tsp of garlic salt
Blend all together and serve with chips

Heavy Heart

It is with a heavy heart that I read that the wild fires in California continue. As of four minutes ago, the "Rough Fire" has consumed 129, 877 acres. I had hoped that maybe the rain we had last week would give them some relief or that fire fighters might catch a break and defeat these monsters.
I had a lump in my throat as we visited The Sequoia National Park. We watched helicopters and planes carry water to areas. Several roads were closed to visitors as safety precautions. The smoke was heavy as we visited and I wondered how long they will be there.

Touristy Stuff

Dwight and I both enjoy nature but sometimes you have to let loose and do some touristy stuff too.
So here's Dwight in Las Vegas-I'll spare you the photo of me losing money.

 And here's me in Fisherman's Wharf minus the musicians.

 Sorry had to get back to nature just a little bit, but this tree isn't one of the biggest and was just on the side of the road. Can you imagine? For reference Dwight is 6 foot one.

Sticking with the reference thing-I am five feet five inches-and this tree's diameter could easily be 8 feet.

Vacation Reality

I didn't get to see the Northern Lights, but Glacier Park was so beautiful that I did not want to leave and we camped in 34 degree weather.

I got to see the Avalanche Gorge, Avalanche Lake, The weeping wall, Going the Sun Road, Lake McDonald, mountain goats and for the first time ever-big horned sheep!
The picture below is Avalanche Gorge:

We got to see some magnificent water falls

and due to something I saw on Pinterest we visited the Devil's Punch bowl-We made it for low tide so it wasn't the same as Pinterest had it pictured, but while we were there we got to see whales and ate some clam chowder while we watched the whales (Dwight's first clam chowder).

The hardest part of parenting

Parenting has never been easy for me. I think it all started with the loss of sleep. My fault for waking up to watch a baby sleep. Some how breathing was more assured if I watched for a couple of hours. Then, came kindergarten and my world walked out my door to a new world beyond. I swallowed the lump in my throat when my child pulled out of the driveway without me grabbing the "oh shit" bar. Along the way, I resisted the impulse to tan another kids' butt for breaking a heart so dear to me. I watched my baby grow and learn. Looking back, it happened in the blink of an eye. So much, so quick.
And the hardest part?
Letting go.
Letting the baby grow up like she's supposed to do.
The first one put me into a toxic relationship with tequila. The second left a huge whole in my heart. It wasn't if we didn't try to see each other every chance we got, but I didn't get to see him every day or every week. I don't know if he ate, or slept well.
Now it's time, for the last birdie to leave the nest and she's not flying around the mountain this time.
I'd grab hold of her leg and beg her not to go, but that wouldn't stop her and would look really awkward.
At some point, every mom wants her child to be happy. She puts her baby's dreams ahead of her own and let's her fly.
It's not easy  this letting go. I'd like to keep her wrapped up safely and close to me, but she wouldn't be happy there and that's just not acceptable.
So I'll do my best to smile when I wave her out of the driveway.

Happy Anniversary

Five years has never flown by so quickly with so much fun, excitement, and happy memories. Love you more today than when we first kissed and hope for many tomorrows.