Sharks in Benson, they smell fear

About once a year I re-learn why you can't send a woman to do a man's job. What can I say I am a slow learner. Benjamin saw in town a sign that read "Have you gotten your oil changed for free today?" So naturally when he called from work to have me go check it out, I was leery. But the Yukon was in need of an oil change and i wanted to find a place in Benson I could go to and support the little town. I am not completely gullible, I did not think they would actually change my oil for free, but I did think that at the very least I would get a card to buy "four get the fifth free." Well when the boys and I were sitting in the lobby reading a Pooh Bear story in walks the repair man. "After looking over your car you need to replace your whodawhata for 35 dollars as well as your thingamabob for another 35. Also your chunkochange needs to be replaced for 110 dollars." Then he shows me the air filter from my car and says this is very dirty and recommends that it be replaced for 20 dollars. I think to myself are you kidding me I run a vacuum cleaner filter into the ground and it looks a whole lot worse before I bang it clean. What am I suppose to say, put it back. So I tell the man I need to call my husband because he is the car guy. Which I am sure he knows when he saw the fresh meat walking through the door. I try to recount to Benjamin all the jive that man was spinning at me, Benjamin tells me just get the oil changed and air filter and then we will take it to Jen's dad (thank goodness there are honest car mechanics). Well the price of the oil change plus filter still came to 70 dollars, ouch. I know it could have been worse by almost 200. And as for the "free oil change" my name gets entered to win a free oil change, they pick one weekly. Yeah sure you do.......

Cake Coincidence

Today the boys and I were grocery shopping at the Mart, Walmart that is, and I asked Holman to help pick out our treat for Family Night. Every Monday evening the kids get to pick a dessert of their choice, and Holman I think likes chocolate just as much as any woman does, so I wasn't too surprised about his choice. We had only bought this kind of cake once before.

Today was the day we had the Pima County inspector coming to inspect our electrical and water pumping station. We were quite nervous about the re-visit since he had failed both sites before. There were a couple of things that he could get technical about if he wanted to, so it definitely wasn't a gimme that it would all work out.

Well we passed! Could it be that the inspector was in such a good mood because the Cats are going to the sweet 16? Or is a more likely scenario that the chocolate cake that brought us luck in the past ( remember the awesome eclectic company man who gave us power, despite our failing mark) is truly some type of good luck edible charm. When we picked out the cake I forgot all about the inspector coming, it truly was a coincidence. I think somewhere in my subconscious I knew that the cake must be purchased. I was talking to my friend Sarah Allred yesterday about such serendipity with the electric man, so maybe that too helped me to buy the cake.

Yesterday I gave a talk on overcoming disappointments and finding hope, in jest I mentioned that while riding the storm out, a little chocolate always makes it better. Who knows the true power of the coco bean?......

Two Idaho men make 60 trips around the Sun!

This is a shout out to my father and father in law who turned 60 this year! Both of them managed to survive their youth despite their many trips to the dump and lighting various things on fire. It's funny they both grew up in Idaho but in separate towns, but in many aspects they are very similar, maybe it says more about the spud state. A couple of months ago Ron impressed the Howe family with being able to sing the Idaho state song, so naturally I wanted to see if my Dad was up top par, and of course that guy was! He too was able to recite all the lyrics. Both these men had crazy sidekicks that followed (or lead) them into trouble. My Dad's was David Long, Ron's was Bucky Nelson, oh these two can tell a tale. Both of these men are great handy men ( or at least produced a son who is, yeah Benjamin!). Both are awesome Fathers and love their grand kids who adore them. Both have been married to their wives (Yeah Joyce and Barbara) for over 38 years!





My Dad turned 60 in January, Hillary flew in from DC and Lindsey drove form Utah, John and I trekked in too, although at not such great a distance, we surprised him at the Mesa Temple with mom. It was great fun!







We are celebrating Ron's birthday on Sunday with the Howe's famous desserts. Today is his actual Birthday! So Happy Birthday!This is a picture of Ron getting his toes painted at one of Bella's birthday party's what a real man!





So here's to another 60 trips around the Sun ( well as long as your bladder, eyesight, hearing, joint. limbs, mind are still intact).

Treading Water

Time has not stopped, but we have not progressed! We are now squatting at Scott and Suzie's rental in Benson, and for the moment are enjoying the modern day comforts that now are quite meaningful, instant hot water (who cares about the dishwasher), toilets that flush, regular soap not hand sanitizer, a waching machine......aah the living. But none the less it is not ours nor is it permanent, thus treading water. Eventually the plans will get through the county and we will start the build, eventually. When asked by a friend how things were going I said , "good we are treading water, not moving backward, not moving forward, not sinking, just treading". She said, "good that means your building muscle." Love that thought. I want toned arms not body builder arms, just toned. So hopefully we can start building soon, or I will be awesome at arm wrestling.

Never say never

After 6 months of living without electricity we finally were able to proceed with getting temporary power. When we were applying for a construction loan they told us not to do any improvements on the land i.e. electricity until we closed. The loan process started in August and we finally closed in November. So those four months we had to sit on our hands and not improve anything (even if we were going to pay out of pocket). Then in December we were not sure if we should just wait till we got our house permits and just get our permanent electric line in and not waist the money for the temporary line. Well getting all the permits in order has taken longer than expected. Oh, the red tape. Getting trenches dug, Benjamin and Scott setting up our electric box and pedestal, all that stuff takes time. But with Suzie's little Franklin being born 10 weeks early our need for temporary power seemed eminent. We decided that the extra cost would be worth it to receive temporary power (it ended up being less then 500 dollars, are you kidding me!).

Finally the day arrived Monday January 26, the county inspector would come to see our set up and see if it met the code. If it made code he would then "green tag" it. Once it is green tagged then the power company comes out and puts all the power lines in and juices it up. The power company was scheduled to come the very next day to set the lines and turn it all on. But.......... we didn't get green tagged. The inspector came (or as I like to call him the dream crusher) and he failed us. We would not be getting power. Six months we have lived with out. Six months. SIX MONTHS.

I was devastated. I woke up on Tuesday knowing this was the day we were suppose to get power but wouldn't. I was really getting pruney in my sadness. I was shopping with the boys and Holman says to me"Mom will we ever get power?" I turned to him and said, "no son we will never get power." I bought a chocolate cake from walmart and took it home.

When we got home from our shopping trip I called the power company told them we weren't green tagged and almost cried on the phone, they asked when we would be able to be green tagged and I said, it would probably be another month until we could get all the stuff done that we needed to. I explained that I didn't want a worker to drive all the way out here only to find out that we weren't tagged to go ahead. Then at 1 in the afternoon a worker shows up. I apologized to him for not getting the message and for waisting his time. He said he got the message and was just going to place all the wire and get it set up, and that he would come back to turn it on once it is green tagged. Then he says, "How long till you get green tagged"......I nearly cry again as I tell him my woes. He smiled and said "Oh".

I picked up the kids from the bus we all crammed in my trailer and I pulled out the cake and we ate to our mediocrity.

At five thirty when I was making dinner I hear the workers telling me they are leaving. I thank them for coming and as he is leaving he says, "mam, you got power now, just run an electric cord to the outlet by the pedestal." I say, "but won't you get in trouble?" He turns to leave and shrugs his shoulders and says, "maybe." Love that man! The kids were so excited and asked but how mom how did we get it? I told them that the man saw a damsel in distress and decided to become a hero. Never say never!

Two seasons in Arizona

There are two seasons in southern Arizona. We have summer and not summer. When dealing with our two seasons I have learned a couple of tips, these tips really benefit people who are in a camping like situation but I feel that it might be of interest to the privileged who live among us.

Tip 1: When wearing deodorant in the summer season I find it best to wear the gel kind. The powder gets all clumpy when you don't live with AC or swamp. Also in the summer it is quite refreshing to apply that cool gel deodorant to your armpits and on really hot summer days it is never a bad thing to reapply several times especially in the afternoon. But when you are in the season of not summer, man that cool gel does nothing for you except bite at the pits! So in the not summer season stick with the powder DO.

Tip 2: A working car is your friend no matter the season! In the summer season without AC or swamp (did i mention we have been living like this for nearly 4 months?!) a working car can be a life saver, even if it is just to ride to the mailbox for four miles on a dirt road. To have the AC blasting at you at full force can be that lifesaver that you need till that 5:00 sun hides behind the hill. In the season of not summer the working car can provide the heat that awakens your limbs. I find it a particularly good hideout after you have dropped the kids off at the bus station, to just linger a bit for maybe two or three hours enjoy the warmth and the tunes.

Tip 3: When using the portapotty in the summer or in the not summer season sanitation is always important. There are a few tips that I find beneficial to share. In the summer season after you have finished your business that has brought you to the portapotty open the door hold it open with your foot get a quick squirt of hand sanitizer and get the heck out of dodge as quick as possible! It is summer man, heat rises, no use hanging around! But the story for not summer season is quite different. You prop your foot to open the door, squirt the hand sanitizer and rub it into your hands as quickly as possible before exiting! Picture this it is late at night you leave the unrubbed wet sanitizer in your hands and you step out into the howling cold wind. That my friends feels like stabbing knifes. The five second wait to make sure it is all rubbed in will be well worth it, remember there is no fire or heater awaiting you at the trailer to warm your little tootsies or fingers.

Path of Enlightenment or trail of tears :)

One of the things we want to have at the homestead is a path that encircles both properties. With the path we wouldn't have to worry if the kids are out riding their bikes or driving the go-cart. So since our building progress has been in a holding position and we had nothing we could do to further it, I decided that something I could do was start our path. The first day I grabbed my shovel and just started bushwhacking through the desert landscape. In the first day I cleared about 100 feet with a narrow footpath. Later Benjamin came home and I had showed him my handy work he said, "Oh, Lesley you must have been really bored!" Which was true. I had cleaned my little 8X10 cell i mean trailer and I was ready for a change. The next day i woke up and made the path wider about four feet across. The process continued. The little boys would grab a shovel and head for the trail with me - and then promptly ditch and chase after grasshoppers. I actually had dreams that my arms turned into Popeye's, way too masculine (don't worry that hasn't happened). The kids would arrive home from school and ask how far I had gotten and run out to see the progress. So far I have cleared over 450 feet. The kids were great and helped collect rocks to line the path. At the time of this path clearing I was reading the book "Fire of the Covenant" which is about the Willie and Martin Handcart companies crossing the plains in horrible conditions. I kept thinking I got to get to the South Pass for me that was the wash. ( I just want to give a quick shout out to my ancestors the Loaders, Their son in law (Jaques) blasted them for not wanting to go by handcart, even publishing an article about there lack of faith. But those Loaders weren't prideful and showed up with their handcarts ready to pull, Grandpa died on the trail showing where his loyalties were, so take that Mr. Jaques!) Sorry I digress. I made it to my South Pass and Benjamin built me a bridge, all from lumber he had salvaged. When my project is done it will be a little less than half a mile long! Great for a jog or stroll in the moonlight admiring my port-a -potty :)