Whoops....wrong day

I could have sworn that today was my day off but Adam assures me that it's tomorrow. Oh weel. It's too late. All I can hopefor is that I don't get in trouble with my boss for not doing the reports today.

At least I made use of my time today. I finished another project. I made mud flaps for my bike fenders out of scraps from the ski boot base thing. They just didn't cover far enough down. The front one will keep more dirt and grime out of the drive train. The rear one is more for Jasmine when she's in the trailer behind me...or any bikers behind me. All the examples I saw online had to have holes drilled in their fenders. I lucked out. My fenders have little stubby mud flaps that were pointless. However, the did serve one purpose. The were a good platform to attach my new mud flaps to using just my utility knife. It is basically the same material I made the flaps out of. To give it a nice finished look, I rounded out the corners at the bottom.


My new flaps. See how close to the ground they are. They have enough clerance to miss the ground in a turn.


rear flap


front flap

I also made an emergency tire boot for my bike tire. I'm keeping the rest of the scraps of this material. This is useful stuff.

Ski boot build up

So I went out yesterday to buy the supplies I would need to make the thing to connect my snow boots to the ski bindings. I thought it would take days worth of work and it would be difficult. I was wrong. Starting out, I kept getting frustrated because it wasn't working out right but I almost finished one set last night and since I had the foundation already done, I was able to finish it up this morning. One set is in clamps being gorilla glued together. In a few hours, after that one is dry, I'll glue the other set together. Then, I'll just have to figure out how to protect my heels from the pointy plastic thing it comes in contact with and I'll be done. I usually end up spending more money buying things I know I could make for less money because I'm just too lazy. So now, with this success, I'm going to work on some other projects I've been thinking about as well.




Look at that, it actually works!

Cross-country skis

Bear has been going crazy not being able to go for a run. I run as I can on walks but I can't run as fast as he likes or for as long as he would like. As soon as we get into the driveway, he spins around and grabs the leash with his mouth and tries running...he still, after all these years, thinks that it's effective. It's cute and it makes me laugh but I can't let him get away with it or else he'll do it all the time. With all the snow and gross slush on the roads, I just haven't had the oppurtunity to take him out with the bike. So I have been thinking about how I can make it posssible for him and Jasmine in the snow.

The solution I have come up with is cross-country skiing. I went to all the different thrift stores in the area to see if it was even possible to find them. I found 5-6 pairs. I then went to REI and got a little bit of knowledge about cross country boots. Basically, none of the newer style of boots will fit the older skis. But to buy the newer style of skis to fit the boots would be way more money than I'm willing to spend for a couple of months worth of runs.

So what I've decided to do was to buy a cheap pair from Goodwill and figure some way to connect my snow boots to them. I got the skis for $15 and the poles for $5. The poles are a bit bent but I don't really care. I have an idea of how to connect the shoes but it will definitely take some work on my part so my goal is to have that finished by the time Adam comes home.



There is actually a sport called skijouring. It's where a person is on skis and they have one or more dogs attached to them by a line. Basically what I want to do. While I don't plan on going as fast as the woman below, I think it is a good example picture.

I'm kind of nervous about this since I've never skiied before in any form. I have good balance but no skills. I don't want to mow down my dogs! Hopefully the 20-30 ft leash (can't remember exactly) will keep them far enough in front that I'll have room to stop, or fall if I have to. I'm not too worried about falling on snow under normal conditions but with the sensetive knot on my thigh from the bike accident, I'm worried that I'll hurt that. Also, just like when I run my dogs with the bike, I will do it one at a time so I have more control (hopefully).

Merry Christmas Everyone!

The dogs had a really good Christmas. Grandama, Grandpa, Aunt Sheri, Aunt Heather & Uncle Tom sent them presents this year. Thanks so much...it was a lot of fun.

Adam videoed their reactions. If you would like to see them, you can go to youtube and look up smileyguyq to find the videos or you can follow the links below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNIZrWsqRys Bear's peanut butter balls
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNIZrWsqRys Squeaky Toys
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vgj70AFTeWk Bear's ball on a rope
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=an_YFrYjgdw Bear & Jack
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RiKGSOJhb6k More peanut butter balls
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AmETXzchjNE Jasmine's squeaky toy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5aWQ8Yg-5nA Jasmine's water bowl
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMGkooIR9us Jack's bone
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XhN1GZ7RizM Jack's rope toy

Bear and Jasmine aslo got new pulling harnesses. After trying them out, I have banned them from being used on a walk...they can only be used on runs. There is way too much pulling power in those things!

Date night

Adam has had a couple of slow days this week so we decided to make last night a date night. We went to an Italian restaurant for dinner and bought dessert to go. We came home and played some board games for 2-3 hours before we were both too tired to play anymore. Since he started doing the tech job again, there really hasn't been any time to play games with him. Even when he's not in the field, he has other work he has to do. It wa nice to spend some relaxed time with him.

He leaves the week after Christmas for two weeks. The first week will be spent in GA with his family and the second week will be training in North Carolina.

And I think I'm over the cold/stomach troubles that I came home from

The hypnotising squirell

Today, I walked to the back door and looked through the glass for the dogs. I was totally amazed by what I saw! Jack was sitting on one side of the tree while Jasmine was laying on the other side (Bear was inside with me). The amazing part was the squirell close enough to be snatched in someone's mouth yet the dogs weren't moving a muscle or barking despite it running from spot to spot. It must have been about 5 minutes of that...I have no idea how long it was going on before I started watching. The squirell went up into the branches and started flicking its tail around then came back down the trunk. It stopped just above Jack's head then catapulted itself off the tree onto the ground. I was thinking that the squirell was done for. The dogs gave chase but the squirell made it to the other tree and up the trunk before they were able to catch up. The looked up into the tree but they never once barked. It was the strangest display from the dogs I've ever seen. I wonder what that squirell did to them!?!

It was 7 years ago, this month that we got Bear. That means he is 7 years old. You would never know it by how active he still is! That shot of him was taken today. He's had a sore leg for a couple of days but he seems to be doing ok today.

Boy In the Striped Pajamas (not a spoiler)

It was one of Adam's days off today and he took me to a movie that looked good to me. It's "Boy In the Striped Pajamas". It's about a German Family during the Holocaust. The father is a soldier. He is moved to a house near one of the camps. The wife (can't recall her name), daughter, Greta, and son, Bruno, go with him. The son discovers the camp by looking out his bedroom window. They get a tutor that teaches them that Jews are bad and the reason why Germany is poor. Greta believes everything without question while Bruno, who is younger, is trying to figure things out for himself. In the mean time, the wife discovers what exactly is going on at the camps and is disgusted by it and her husband's lack of humanity. Bruno goes over to the camp and meets a boy his age who is a prisioner. The boys become friends. Bruno betrays his friend (out of fear) one day and he ends up getting beat by a soldier. But Bruno wants to make it up to him so when his friend's father ends up missing after leaving on "work duty", Bruno offers to come into the camp to help find his father. Ok, no more of the movie in case anyone does want to see it.

I don't like the ending but I don't know that any ending would be satisfying and believable at the same time. Still, I think a different ending would have been better.

I don't often recommend movies since I'm not that into movies but I think this one has a very good story, although sad and depressing which was not unexpected since I knew the setting of the movie going into it but I do recommend this movie.

I'm home again

Thanks so much for the great visit, everyone! It was great seeing you all again.

I made the drive home yesterday in snowy weather. The worst was from Lehi to Ogden and Mountain Home to Boise. It took me 8 hours to make the whole drive. I did make two stops in the warmer parts to walk around and get out of the car but they weren't long stops. I wanted to get home before it got too late and to get off the road before the sun went down and the water froze to ice.

I made it to Mountain Home around the time the sun went down and the traffic got worse. Closer to Boise, there was a bad accident on the other side of the interstate. They were completely stopped. I think rubber neckers on my side spent too much time looking over as there were 6-8 cars that were involoved in various accidents.

I made it home safely though. I was exhausted so I pretty much vegged out on the couch all evening.

Dinner at Mendozas

On Thursday, I went to the Mendoza's and was there before the kids came home from school. I went with Valerie to pick up the girls. It wasn't long before Alex showed up too. They were all eating a snack when he complained about his braces coming off. Sure enough, two brackets had come off his teeth. We all made an emergency trip to the orthodontist. It idnt take too long before they were back on his teeth.

Sabrina's birthday party was the next day so Valerie started getting things ready. We blew up ballons and Sabrina put stickers on the cups. Valerie hung a couple of Strawberry shortcake things. (Alex was reading when I was taking pictures so I didn't even get one of his teeth. Sorry, Alex. Balloon wars and merryment went on for quite some time.

Dinner was good, I thought, but Valerie wasn't happy with it and poor Alex couldn't eat much since he had just gotten his braces on that morning.

We went to Dairy Queen for dessert. Alex saved his brownie in melted ice cream to soften his brownie so he might be able to eat it.

We played Druthers. Itw as already past their bed time. Sorry Valerie. Thanks for letting me come. I had fun.

Visits from Jared, Debbie, boys and Heather

Jared visited on Wednesday with the boys. It's nice that Avi will let me pick him up and hug and kiss him now. Sheri opened up a box of Hot Wheels and he played with those for most of the time he was there. When he was putting them away, Jared was making him pick the right colored cars. He's so smart!! I really doubt I knew which color was which at that age. I got to hold Itai. :o) Heather came over not too long before they left.

On Friday, Debbie and the boys came because Jared accidentally took the house key to work with him. They stayed for a couple of hours. While I was holding Avi so Debbie could make up a bottle for him, he started smiling and laughing a lot. What a huge smile he has! Avi played with cars again and watched little ensteins. He let me play with him briefly but I'm not that fun so he moved on.

Heather came again before they left and stayed until Tom was getting off of work.

Thanks so much for visiting with me! It was nice to see everyone.

The drive to Orem

I know, some of these posts from the trip are out of order but oh well.

On my drive down to Orem I stopped at Malad Gorge State Park and on a bridge just outside of Twin Falls. At both places, I got out and walked around to strtech my legs. Unfortunately, they were very close together. I should have spaced my stops better....but then I didn't really plan either stop.

It was an uneventful drive, thankfully. I like those kind.

Utah Lake State Park ride 12-10-08

When I looked out the window, I saw ther were no clouds in the sky or covering the mountains today so I just had to go for a ride.

After getting some work done, I got all my winter gear on again, mius the vest. It was warmer out today, so I quickly took off the latex gloves and unzipped my jacket some. I didn't want to get sweaty like on yesterday's ride.

I biked down 2000 south to Geneva road. I took a backway I had found years ago to the lake. It leads right to a short trail on the edge of the lake. The plants had grown since my last ride down the trail and I only got a few glimpses of the lake. I stopped at a picnic bench and ate a bagel and rested my legs.

Back on the bike, I headed to the first jetty. They've been building up the length of the second jetty. They had a bulldozer and something else working on it today. I think that it makes the lake look smaller. Too bad.

I headed back to the main road. My bike wheels are too thin for the rock/sand that makes up the jetty so it was very slow going. I was going to bike down part of the second jetty when I got a call saying that Jared and his boys were at the house so I turned around and made it home in about 30 minutes.

Vineyard ride 12-9-08

I went on two rides while in Utah. One was out to Vineyard to see the lake, and th e other was to Utah Lake State Park. I really like the lake. I like the canyon more but it was too cold to be in the shady canyon this time of year.

I piled on my winter riding clothes which include: balaclava, lightweight thermal base layer top & bottom, long sleeved jersey, vest, coat, padded shorts, tights, socks, shoes, plastic bags over my toes, neoprene booties, latex gloves (to cut the wind) and winter gloves. You would think with all those clothes on that there is no way I could get cold but even with all of that, I do still get chilled some in the beginning. But my toes and fingers generally stay cold.

I rode out to vineyard to a new subdivison called the shores. There is a short walking trail, paved. It tricked me into thinking that it was the Jordan River/Provo River bike trail. I was excited to take it but it was very short. I turned around and headed back toward Provo.

I found a tire swing in a tree in an empty field so I stopped and played on it while I ate my snickers and rested my legs.

I was going to bike to the state park. I got close but decided that my knee was hurtnig too much and I was too tired so I turned around. I climbed University Parkway from Geneva to Main ST. That was a hard climb when already tired out.

We made it home

It was great spending time with everyone Thursday and Friday. I'm glad we actually got to see everyone too...and I finally got to hold Itai for the first time.

Bear made me so proud! After we walked to the motel from Mom and Dad's Thursday night, I was walking Bear to the front desk to use their scissors to cut out some burrs. Someone walked out of the staircase with a dog. I pulled Bear to the side, ready for barking, whining and lunging but he just stood beside me and watched the dog walk by. I was so excited and was praising Bear so much. The man was part way down the hall, his dog was still barking at Bear. He stopped and asked me what kind of dog Bear is. I told him. He has the same breed of dog. I wasn't paying enough attention to the dog then but I saw the dog again the next morning and I could definitely see the resemblance.

Adam got the brakes fixed well enough to get us here with no problems. Jack is happy to be home. He was so nervous on the ride home that we had to break down and buy some Dramamine for him. It didn't do much on its own so I had to go back in the back area and lay with him. He finally relaxed enough to lay down and stop panting for a little while but he didn't fall asleep.

On the way back, in Tremonton, we stopped for a quick brake and the sun was setting. Beautiful.