WHY I DON'T LIKE SNOW VERY MUCH

These are pictures of a parking lot on campus, taken 15 December. Yes, the snow is already piled in big dirty piles that will likely stick around well into March.
Snow looks beautiful, serene, and peaceful for about 10 minutes. Then, life takes over and we must get it out of our way. No snow days taken in Utah - no matter how deep it gets, or how fast it falls! This is my 13th consecutive winter here, and nothing has been cancelled for snow. Ever. Not even once.

It becomes dirty, nasty and totally ugly. I can feel good about calling it
"Mother Nature's White Trash."

WHAT'S WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE?

This is a palm tree. In St. George, Utah. Sunny St. George. The white dusting is indeed snow. Lucky me, I was there to see it. Well, actually, I went for warm weather, sun, blue skies and Mel's office party. One out of four isn't bad. Is it?

Our Lucky Rainbeau Baby

"Babies born to families after the loss of a child are referred to as "Rainbow Babies." The idea is that the baby is like a rainbow after a storm. "Rainbow Babies" is the understanding that the beauty of a rainbow does not negate the ravages of the storm. When a rainbow appears, it doesn't mean the storm never happened or that the family is not still dealing with its aftermath. What it means is that something beautiful and full of light has appeared in the midst of the darkness and clouds. Storm clouds may still hover but the rainbow provides a counterbalance of color, energy and hope."
Ralston Baby is due on July 7th -- 7-7, luckiest day of the year.

...and thebest news is:

Sarah and Bob and Yaya will welcome a new baby to their family in late June or early July! HOOAH!
This will be Number Seven for Mel and I -- Number Seven, due on 7-7. Perhaps this grandbaby will be known as Lucky.

THINGS THAT GO BUMP IN THE NIGHT

A couple of weeks ago, Yaya and her family were having dinner with us. After dinner, Sarah and I bathed and freshified the Divine Miss Laura so that she would be ready to get in bed as soon as they got home. We were all within 10 -15 feet of her, getting dessert on the table, and she was running around the kitchen/play area. All of a sudden, she slipped/tripped/fell into the corner of the little kids' table! There was that 2-3 second silence, before the horrendous shrieking - and blood. Quite a bit of it. We were all rushing too her (no doubt adding to her panic), and trying to get towels, cold cloths or anything to help. Poor thing cried so hard, she began throwing up as well as bleeding!

A trip to InstaCare with Mom and Dad resulted in 10-12 stitches on that perfect little forehead. There were seven on the outside, and at least that on the inside. By the next morning, she was no worse for the wear.

It took Guggie a little longer to get over it.

FAMILY TRADITIONS

My husband's family are game-playing ninjas. Card games and "Acquire" are the main ones they play. After dinner on Thanksgiving, the SkipBo cards came out for Mel, Grandpa, Brent, and Flor. Yaya decided she wanted sit on Papa's lap and play with the big people. She was quite serious about playing (note the look of concentration as evidenced by the binky in her mouth) -- which fits in perfect with how the clan plays. Yaya continued to play for at least 40 minutes - that equals an eternity for a two-year old! Papa was diligent in explaining how the game was played: Yaya was equally diligent in announcing his cards to the rest of the table. (Yes, she knows her numbers AND colors)

And so the madness begins. . .

THANKSGIVING 2009 in Which Laura Makes the Supreme Gravy of the Universe

The company was great -- we had Sarah, Bob, and Laura ; Brent and Flor; Dan and Jenn; Pam, Kate and Jim and Grandpa. Oh wait - where's Jenn in these pictures?! We can still see you, Kate.

We missed Mom and Lloyd this year - Lloyd was not too portable this holiday.

So, I'm an OK cook. Sometimes I approach "good cook." There are some foods that I cook well. Gravy has not been one of them. I always end up adding a can/jar/evelope of gravy mix to redeem what I've tried to produce (usually with lumps). This year, I made make-head gravy. You cook turkey wings in the oven, then on the stove, etc. Time consuming, but too easy. I knew it wouldn't be enough for all of us, so I bought no less than 6 jars of gravy to add to it. But, first, I decided to TRY the pan drippings from one of the turkeys (yes, we were a 2-turkey event this year) to make some gravy. Well, Gravy Heaven smiled on me, and the two gravies mixed together were absolutely superb. I'm really being modest and humble - but it was DIVINE.