Beautiful Weather

Well folks, this Tuesday blog wraps up the week long extravaganza of endless chatter from me. It was actually easier to come with stuff to write about that than I thought it would be. This must mean either: 1) I can make some BS out of anything/make a story out of nothing.  Or 2) I finally have something going on that is exciting enough to report! or 3) I was just being lazy before and not writing until I felt bad for having taken so long. Meaning Jared was right all along.  Perhaps it's a nice little mixture of the 3.  No matter how you look at it, I've been called out and have a reputation to uphold now.

We have had the MOST beautiful weather ever this week.  Sunny and 30 degrees.  I was out in snowpants and a sweatshirt---no coat!  We've managed to make it out everyday this week since it would be shameful to waste this heatwave we're having.  The kids and I have been spending some time exploring the ice road and playing in the snow.  What a blessing to be able to spend time outside everyday with my kids and not be worried about a thing, work or time or traffic.  We are beyond lucky and attempting to be very aware of this rare fact.

Andie has discovered you can lay right down in the snow and lick it and this is fun!  I was able to let it go and not think about all the cars and snowmobiles that have driven right over that snow.  Until we went to Jerry's for hot chocolate and she laid down and licked the floor.  Oops.  I think we have some overlapping ideas of what is appropriate....and sanitary.....and just down right disgusting.

B's Big Day

 Happy Birthday to Brian!  He is out of town today, but we're throwing him a party anyway.  We'll save you a piece of your cake!

 What Brian looked like 20ish years ago.........

What I think he will look like 20ish years from now.

The Progressive McKeever Beaver Outing

 Once upon a time some McKeevers and a group of their friends went out to the annual Angle Progressive Dinner.  A 5 course meal served at 5 different resorts, starting at 3:00pm in Jerry's Lounge for appetizers.  Yours truly and her husband went by snowmobile because the weather could not be better and she hasn't even sat on a snowmobile since living here.  She donned a shiny new black helmet courtesy of Big Al and some short snow-bibs that resembled capri pants because they belong to her petite mother-in-law.

 At stop #2 the party of 19 (give or take) found themselves at Flag Island Resort for some chicken and wild rice soup.  They arrived at each stop on the hour and a drawing was held at 20 minutes after the hour for great prizes donated by the hosting resort.

 This handsome couple was happy to be out of the house, together for once, and on a big date.  A Windsor and Diet never hurt to improve the mood either.  And knowing this, they had a few.

 Stop #3 brought the buzzing group to Sunset Lodge for salads.  Caesars and romaine abound with some lovely bread.  One loaf managed to make its way into the purse of someone in this photo. A rebel with no fear or gluten allergies.

 Our main character happened upon this adorable beaver as she traipsed out of the bathroom.  She fell in love and had to take its picture.  Once back at her table, she shared her photo and love for the fuzzy little thing and the theme for the night was set.  Dirty jokes and planning galore would come to play from this beaver.

 Stop #4 at Angle Inn Lodge brought another round of drinks, a pork chop per person and a dancing Jenny-in-law.  Our main character was another Windsor Diet in and won a bottle of Moscato in the door prize drawing.  She shared a table with her husband and father-in-law, feeling a little left out that she was the only one at the table not named Richard, but enjoying herself none the less.  There was also a contest in which each table had pictures of different candies and had to name what they were.  Another table filled with McKeevers and friends won this contest and took home a box of chocolate covered blueberries and the pride that comes with winning such an event.

 The final course of the night was hosted by Sportman's Lodge and was a choice of lemon cake or raspberry granola something or other.  Nikki, Bonny and Mike enjoyed their dessert and company as the evening got later and more silly.

 The birthday girl!  Nikki celebrated her special day at the dinner and they all bought her a liquid gift.

 Here is something you only hear about  in such a fairytale as this, a drink token.  If someone buys a round of drinks and you already have a full one, you get a token and use it to buy your free drink later.  Some natives of the Angle were surprised to hear that other Washington natives had not heard of this before.

 The happy couple as they rounded Soldier's point.  The temperature was nearly perfect and hardly a wind was blowing.

 Big Bad Brian won an adorable set of heart bowls for his door prize.  He squealed with delight.

 He was so excited, he immediately poured his beer in the small bowl and drank it down.  He later wiped fish guts on his sister-in-law's cheek, that came off the sweatshirt of a man just in from his fish house.  As she shouted at him to get her a drink STAT as his punishment for such a dastardly thing, she was unaware of how this one request would shape the night.  For she was outsmarted by this member of her very own family as he ordered the strongest drink in the land and brought it back to her.  From this point on, the night would become a little more hazy and her speech would be a little more repetitive.

 Meanwhile, John was winning this fine red beer cooler which can be worn over the shoulder like a purse.

 By the end of the dessert course, the birthday girl requested a return trip to Sunset Lodge for a drink.  And they all said, "As you wish."  When they arrived at Sunset Lodge, yours truly was overcome by the severe need to return to the table of the Beaver.  She knew she must have it.  She expressed these thoughts to her friends and discussions started of just how to get that fuzzy thing home. She knew it would take some planning and stealthy moves, reminiscent of "The Italian Job."  Just when she thought someone (Sara) would have to go to drastic measures and flash the bartender so the Beaver could be smuggled out, she was tipped off that one of the owners was sitting at the bar having some drinks of his own.  With liquid courage surging through her veins, Yours Truly bellied up to the bar, and it's partial owner, and started what would later come to be known as The Great Beaver Negotiation of 2013.

 And, dear blog friends, she came away with that beaver.  That man was not able to stand his ground and Yours Truly became the proud owner of her coveted stuffed friend. (He stated it could be on loan but we'll see about that won't we?)  Even her husband didn't think it could be done.  Oh the lack of faith!  He of all people should have remembered her powers of persuasion!

The happy couple who would live happily ever after.  The proud owner of the McKeever Beaver and her precious cargo were separated that night as she could not fit him on her snowmobile, nor would she risk his safety in such a way.  He had no helmet after all.  Trusted friends took the McKeever Beaver to Jerry's as Yours Truly ended up going home to check on her children and the sweet babysitters who were with them.  But the legend goes that the McKeever Beaver became famous that night and many stood in line at Jerry's to have their picture taken with him.  So you see, when you drink enough and know the right people, dreams really can come true. The End.

*No beavers were harmed in the making of this story.

*The beaver now remains in an undisclosed location for his own safety and because Yours Truly does not want to give him back.

Support of My Vanity

This sign hangs in the bathroom of my lovely friend, Linnea.  I think it is absolutely hysterical and completely true.  The men may not find it that entertaining, but the ladies know what I'm talking about. This is why I still wear lipstick to clean a cabin! All the dudes should take note though.  If you buy your lady more pretty sparkly things, she may complain less about her bum.

Oh Deer!

Ever get the feeling you were being watched?

This is at Al & Linnea's house.  They have deer friends that visit often and apparently have a tendency to be Peeping Toms.  Or maybe they aren't happy with their menu at the feeder and this is their dirty look.  They have one doe that isn't very nice and tries to kick the others and keep all the food to herself.  She needs to learn some manners.

This is down at Bill and Nancy's.  They have quite a little herd that visits too.  

Bill said they buy about 100 pounds of corn at a time to feed their deer.  The snow has everything covered and the poor things can't find much to eat out in the woods.  Lucky for them they live at the Angle and are spoiled with quite a few houses that leave feed out for them.

This is a shot from my car of Bill and Nancy's deer.  They ran off a little ways when I walked out the front door of the house, but didn't stay away long.  

This is Bill and Nancy's other pet, Redd.  They have been feeding this little fox for quite some time.  I believe they have even hand-fed it.  Seeing the animals all around like this is one of my favorite things about living up here.  Somehow spotting a deer on the road or watching it walk around right outside the door is still exciting to me. We haven't had any deer at our house for quite awhile, but when we did have them it was so relaxing to just watch them mill around the feeder.  We never have the numbers like the other houses do, I suppose it's too busy around our place. Unfortunately the birds aren't bothered by snowmobiles and loud noises. Lord knows we have a million of those to watch all day, every day.  Day after day.  Maybe I need to put in a call somewhere to request deer instead of birds.  Obviously they mixed up my order.

Minneapolis

Last week Pat had a foot surgery in Minneapolis. So on Wednesday, the kids and I packed up our suitcase and took a roadtrip with her to the big city. Once again Minnesota threw her weather at us and we had heavy fog for the first couple hours of the drive. But this is way better than snow or rain in my opinion. If there is one thing I have learned from living in this state, it is that the weather here will always be a factor. (I think the subject of weather as a conversation filler started in this state because it really is a huge topic and determines your plans for the day.We talk about weather more than we talk about our kids.) When we arrived in Minneapolis Tyson was pretty excited about the big buildings and figured most of them contained fire stations and fire fighters. At one point we were sitting at a red light and he said, "There goes a car. And another. And another. And another. And another...." This was my first clue that we need to get out of the Angle more and expose the children to the real world before they forget what really goes on out there. Pat's brother Chuck and his wife Susan own a beautiful home in Minneapolis and their neighborhood is filled with houses that I could drive around and look at for hours. Older houses with personality and a classy touch. We stayed with them for our 3 night stay, and Pat is still there for her recovery and follow-up appointments. We did all things for the entertainment of the kids. Children's Museum, toy stores, a kid's bookstore with a chicken who resides there and runs free. (No, I did not enjoy the chicken's company. But I am proud to say I wasn't paranoid that he would attack me or panic every time I turned the corner and there he was. I imagined what was going through his mind and I only imagined this: "F@%!@$g kids everywhere."  Sorry, this chicken had a very fowl mouth.) My kids were so over-stimulated at each stop, I thought their little heads might explode from the excitement. Thai food is my all time favorite and I haven't had it since we left Wenatchee in 2011. Chuck took us out for a Valentine's dinner at the most delicious Thai Restaurant ever to cook a noodle. On the way home, the GPS took me on a different route than we had taken on the drive down and we went through an area that looked so much like Washington I thought I might just stop the car and stay there. Pine trees and some actual elevation that looked like you were approaching the mountains. Perfect trip!

 
I forgot my camera and my phone when we went to the Children's Museum.  Luckily Chuck had his iPhone and I was able to get a few shots of the kids.   The first exhibit was Dora and Diego, one of Tyson's current obsessions.  They had a room full of water tables that had fountains and bubbles to play in.  Once again, a total kid pleaser. They also had a whole little town that you could go into and shop at the store or work at the Postal Service.   Andie wasn't quite ready to climb the rockwall, but she liked the look of it.  This place is the mecca of kid's favorites.  Like if I went to the mall and they had all my favorite clothes in exactly the right sizes and they were all free.




I'm not sure if Andie was just thanking Susan for a fun trip and all the great meals here or saying, "Thank you for the best days of my life."

Wednesday

It was brought to my attention that some people (Jared) have suggested (ranted) that I need to blog more ("kick it up a notch"). So in the spirit of friendship (I really like his wife) and honoring such a request from a neighbor (the Canadian), I vow to write a blog everyday for a week. I started yesterday and will post something each day through Tuesday of next week. Here's hoping it will satisfy expressed desires for more reading material and kick off a spree of inspirational happenings in my lovely (boring) life.

This has been the view out our front window this week.  Gray.  Sunday I drove to town for groceries and returned home in a blizzard.  It was the snow fall  that makes you feel like you are going blind or may fall asleep from staring at nothing for so long.  It was especially fun getting passed by all the trucks pulling snowmobile trailers that stirred up the snow so that I was not able to see or be seen.  Drives like these are calmed by the knowledge that once you get into the woods things will get better.  For one, the wind is not so fierce in all the protection of the trees.  Plus the traffic is less.  The wind in the area is such a dirty word.

Now Jared, stop reading the blog and get back to teaching the youth of Canada.  Or better yet, take your sweet wife on a date in that happening town of yours.

Frigid

Today's Windchill:  50 below.

That is all I have to say about that.