Shiprock

We got back from Durango, Colorado last night about ten o'clock. Both of us had to work today which was not fun, but I am hoarding my vacation days for later in the year.

We went down to Four Corners and Mesa Verde on Wednesday. We had been past Shiprock years ago on vacation. I had to settle for photos from the highway. This year we drove several miles off the main road for a closer look. Shiprock is sacred to the Navajo and when you see it you can understand why they believe this. It rises out of the desert and we could see it from almost forty miles away. I will be putting up a slide show later on. I took 280 photos, I won't post them all, but I am happy with a lot of what I shot this trip.

Did you say it is Friday?

This is a photo of the park that is across the street from our home. We have lived here for 27 years. We have thought about moving several times, but the location, the convenience to schools for the kids and the fact that we had enough room for our needs kept us here. Now we cannot see any reason to leave.



That wasn't what I was going to write about though. I just like to post pictures. It makes things more interesting for me.



I wanted to write about our adventures in the world of plumbing yesterday. The water pipe comes into our house in the basement from the street. I noticed a little water sound a few days ago. Ray can't hear small sounds or high frequencies anymore, so he didn't notice. On Wednesday, the noise was no longer tiny, but the loud sound of running water. Ray took Friday off, called the plumber and dug out a four by six foot hole by the foundation in front of our house. The plumbers indicated that we might have to replace the entire line from the meter. Visions of $2,000.00 fluttering away filled my head. Not a cheery thought at all. Ray checked for the leak, water sprayed ten feet in the air and it was a tiny hole. Ray stayed home all day to wait for the plumber who showed up just before seven in the evening. We got lucky this time, the plumber only had to replace the leaky section and the pipe that went through the wall to inside the house. Instead of $2,000.00, it was $215.00. That felt better than winning at the casino. Ray did a great job of digging the line out. When he started I had some concerns, but he is like my Dad, once he gets started he is in it till he is done. For an old guy he did OK, no aches or pains the next day either, even though he had to fill the hole back up again.



Now life is back to dull again. We can enjoy walking to the park and not worry about the water bill.

A penny saved is a penny earned....

especially when you can get just about all the pennies you want from Grammy and Grampy. We found Andrew's piggy bank and Nicole's doggy bank. Wyatt has one at his house and one here at the grandparents. We have it on a table and put our change there for when Wyatt comes over. One of the first things he does now is check out the bank to see if there is any money to put in the pig. Tonight he brought my purse out later in the evening and wanted more change. He may be starting out small, but that pig is starting to get heavy.

Amber forever....

Amber is one of my favorite gems. It is warm and comforting and natural. The same description suits Amber. She is one of the important personalities on Scraplove. She has great ideas and a wonderful sense of humor. She has posted ideas on the board that take on a life of their own. That may be jealousy on my part however, I am a thread killer. But sporks were not a tool that I had given much consideration to in my life. Now when I see one I have to think of Amber.

I have a tendency to feel motherly towards Amber. We have known each other virtually for quite a while. Until I went back and read post and blogs again, I had forgotten that Amber is one of the groups that have moved along together from SB.com. All of us on ScrapDawgs have seen her be engaged, married and become a mother. That is a lot of life to share and I am honored to have been a part of Amber's life.

Amber is a great mother. Reagan is one of the most adorable babies around, with the exception of my grandson of course. She is devoted to her little girl. Of course, her other daughter Lily has this tendency to get into the trash given the opportunity, and Amber has not had much luck in curing this habit.

I hope to be able to meet Amber in real life some day. I want to be able to hear her voice in her writng too just like Tigger Says.

To Amber, another ScrapDawg original.

My Sort of Adventure

I have learned that you can have an adventure without anything really happening to you. I went out to dinner with friends last Thursday night. I gave the waiter my debit card to pay. He came back and said it had been refused. I paid with a credit card and decided that since I had closed my husbands account, that the bank had accidentally canceled my debit card.
I go to work on Friday and look at my account. There is a large overdraft protection deposit, but no checks to have caused it.

I was upset to say the least and called the bank, the CSR tells me there were two large debit transactions from Walmart and Kmart in California. I had nothing to do with these. The Bank had stopped the charges so there was no loss.I was instructed to report the attempted the attempted fraud to the police and then sign a fraud statement with them. I was so upset, I left work then and took care of everything then. The bank informed me I wouldn't have any losses, and that I would have a new debit card in a couple of weeks.

I go home, I am telling everyone my story. It is the same response, everyone said they were so much more upset when it happened to someone they know. I am no obsessively checking my account balance a couple of times a day, but everything is good.

I get home last night and there is a message on the voice mail for me. A detective in Redondo Beach California wants to talk to me. This morning I called and talked to him for about half an hour. They caught two people who were using my card and several other stolen cards. The two had been arrested at Nordstroms. At least they were stealing upscale. The thieves were buying stuff and then taking it back the next day for cash refunds. The debit card was counterfeit with my number and their names, they bought them from some ring that forges cards. The only problem was that my card had already been blocked and Nordstrom's security detained them when they came back to do the return. I think that was so neat. The detective said that there were seventeen counts against them. I still have no idea where my number was stolen, but the detective told me, that if someone is going to steal your number, you have no way to stop them.

I am just glad it ended well for me, the bank and for Nordstroms.

Pool Life

I love to post photos on the blog. This is of Ray, Wyatt and Nick in the pool a couple of Sundays ago. Wyatt has been taking swimming lessons since July. He does the kick and blowing bubbles. He just won't let you let go of him. But as you can see he loves the water. All of us are in the pool and he does not want to get out. You all remember how pruney your hands and feet got when you were children? That is what he looks like when the adults finally give up an make him get out of the pool. Nicole and Andrew were so blase' about having a pool to swim in when they were young. I hope Wyatt doesn't lose his enthusiasm for swimming.

The Ragin Cajun......

What can I say about Missy? We haven't met in real life, but I know her. like we all know each other on Scrapdawgs. Different things draw you to the people. What draws you to Missy is her wicked sense of humor and her great writing. The stories she has told us of her life are vibrant, engrossing and wildly funny. Mention Grinding Nemo and BTFH and every one smiles and maybe even chuckles. Not many people have the skill, of being able to make stories real, but Missy does. Her imagination has given us images and phrases none of us would every thought of as well. Hairbrushes smacking hairy a$$es would never have entered my lexicon without Missy in my world. Missy the roving reporter brings another dose of fun into our lives as well. Her humor drew me on Scrapbook.com, I was so happy when she came to Scraplove. Her leaving SB.com was typically Missy and unforgettable. Getting banned is outstanding. Coming to Scrapdawgs was a normal progression for all of us and it wouldn't be the same without her.

Missy is a teacher, and I believe a good one. I know she is dedicated to her students. Since her school district has been overloaded with Katrina evacuees, she had worked hard to help these students adjust to the vast changes in their lives. Teaching is a hard job and she keeps on serving her students year after year.

Photography is one of the interests we all share; we are scrappers after all. Missy is good and getting better with every photo she posts. I envy her sports photos of her nieces . Because of her persistence, I believe she will be a great photographer in time.

Last of all, and I am sure most importantly, Missy loves her husband Steve and her son Wyatt. When I imagine their home, I see it filled with love and laughter and lots of emotion. The creativity has to spill out in conversation and maybe a little yelling and hairbrush brandishing. From the stories Missy tells about Wyatt, he is her child. Funny and sure of his place in the world.

If I would win the lottery, one of the things I would want to do is meet all the Dawgs. Trust me, Missy is at the top of my list. Wish me luck!