TRYING TO CATCH UP!

This format doesn't look right but I'm going anyway...don't have much time but just want to jot down that I am so happy people send Holiday letters...I don't know what my problem is, but I just can't get it together...at least in 2010...I'm hoping my brain will come back for 2011. Wow, that was weird, now the normal format came back...sheesh, sorry for no color...0k, where was I...oh yeah, my brain...I am totally sure now, that I named my blog correctly!!
Anyway...a big THANKS! to all the people who sent those notes of how they are doing and what they did all year...That's another problem.. I can't remember what I did yesterday, let alone 6 months ago....ok, I know I'm supposed to be keeping a journal, but I lead such a boring life-I feel like no one cares...but then...someone jumps on me and says that that's not true. Oh well...I'm not making any promises or resolutions...but...I'm really going to try to do and be better in 2011....Oh, my, I can smell the homemade turkey soup cooking, it smells soooo good...and it is -18 (wind chill factor) degrees outside and a great warm fire in the stove...it's great!!! Life is good!
Russ is working, Kelli is working and Alyssia is working and going to school...and with that I am a happy camper....
I guess I'd better sign off for now, our friends are coming over to make noodles to add to the soup and I hope we have a fun evening...we usually do with Crystal and Jimmy...in fact on the 5th of Jan we leave for Las Vegas...maaan...Jimmy has a computer shop and we are going to the show in Vegas... I'm excited because Crystal and Amanda (another friend) and I will be shopping and goofing off while they are at the show and then in the evening we will all go to a show or wander around...it's gonna be a fun time!!! Ok, gotta go, they just dro9ve up...l have a great weekend and if I don't get back to you...have a GREAT NEW YEAR!!!

OVER THE HILLS AND THRU THE SNOW!

we made it!!!! The worst week to travel, was how the weather stated it. Well, everyone knows the weather people never get it right, so we waited until the fog cleared and decided it wouldn't be that bad. We drove for an hour or so and decided that it was not that bad...until...South Pass. If you know anything about Wyoming, you know that South Pass can be treacherous. It's where a lot of the pioneers lost their lives because of harsh weather. The roads were very icy and then the blizzard was upon us. We drove into white out and wow, you could see absolutely nothing! You didn't dare stop or you could be rear ended, you couldn't go forward for fear of going off the side of the mountain...and then it cleared. When it cleared Skip saw the side pole on the left side of the car...normal, right...WRONG! we were on the wrong side of the street against a hill. Skipper opened the door to survey the situation...he went to step out and found his leg swallowed up in snow...it was about 3 1/2" deep. Quickly he came back into the car and there we sat...t.h.i.n.k.i.n.g...hummm, now what. It was still snowing to beat the band and while we sat there watching the traffic go by...very slowly, some spinning out, a snow plow appeared coming toward us. He stopped and asked if we called a tow truck. Skipper said no, but we had a strap if he could pull us out. So, long story short, barely missing the pole, the one we had missed originally, they were able to pull us back up on the road. Thank you to everyone involved, including the Man upstairs. From South Fork we drove calmly and alertly down theu the blowing snow to Rock Springs where we entered the freeway. That didn't seem to make much difference, cars were still sliding and off on the side of the road. By time we got to Salt Lake (usually only 8 hours away) we were exhausted so we stopped and spent the night. YESSSSSSS, out of the cold blowing snow. We watched the weather for the rest of the trip and yes, it was grim...but we were committed now. Next morning it was not snowing, with a blizzard predicted around 4pm...so we were going to be driving right into it somewhere. We were driving toward Wendover, NV when Skip noticed a car in the center median then he said there was a body on the ground in front of the vehicle. Immediately, emergent situation kicked into gear and down off the road we went toward the crash. We saw others from the other side of the road stopping and running to the scene. What had happened (short version) the wind caught their little car, flipped it over, throwing the unbelted passenger out of the car thru the passenger window (which had been closed). The driver and passenger, brothers, both in shock. Driver was not hurt, the passenger was in deep shock, freezing lying on the frozen ground. We all gathered up blankets, coats, bed mats and sleeping bags from the camper that stopped. We used the bed mats to try and block the freezing wind. An Army medic stopped, he was on his way home from shift and had his bag with him. Used his hand warmers and stethoscope to check breathing sounds, took pulse and applied the plastic molded neck brace. He continued checking him out while I kept talking to him to get his mind working to help from more shock and make sure if there was a concussion that he would not slip into unconcusness. Because we were "in the middle of nowhere" it took the ambulance over an hour to get there. When they did arrive, the injured was still in shock, had hypothermia but was alive with cuts and bruises and pain in several places. (The next day I called Garret, the driver, to see how his brother John had fared...he said tht in two hours they were both able to walk out of the hospital and get back on their way to California to join their family for Thanksgiving...the paramedics told them if it weren't for all of us, it would have been a very different situation.)
We got back on the road and the strong wind was still blowing. Once we passed Wendover it started snowing again and by the time we reached Wells, we were in another white out. So we stopped at a Subway, ate and watched it blow off. When we could see again we drove to Reno where we had to spend the night as they had closed the road because of the ice and blowing deep snow. The next morning, the snow had stopped, beautiful blue sky and we drove into Donnor Pass into more snow. After we had driven thru the pass, we were out of the snow and that afternoon reached our destination...waaa hooo!

SNOWY SUNDAY

Hello there! It's Sunday afternoon and we are packing up to get on the roa tomorrow morning...don't know how far we will get with all the snow...The forecast is grim...supposed to be lots of road closures...yes, they are the roads we are supposed to take. We are on our way to the West Coast from Wyoming...hummmm, how long will it take..It is usually a one sleep trip. However, with going thru South Pass, WY and then all of Utah and all of Nevada and...don't forget the Donnor Pass...you know where the people got stuck in a bad blizzard and eventually ran out of food... At church this morning, my girlfriend said..."don't forget a lot of snacks so you don't have to start having to eat each other" we laughed...hopefully we will have a lot of laughs on the trip. the Ol Coyote enjoys the journey, not the destination...I enjoy both!! Can we say SHOPPING!!! Can we say GOOD RESTAURANTS!!!! oh yummmmmmmmm.
We are going to my girlfriend's place for Thanksgiving and then Saturday, we are having a 90th birthday party for her dad. He is like my second dad, in fact their whole family is like my second family. As kids, they (the whole family) would take me along when we would go camping and all kinds of stuff. In fact it was Dale (her dad) who inspired my email.."cruella" We all went to see 101 Dalmations "at the drive-in" and once we watched the film, all the way home he was singing cruella De Mille (De Mille being my maiden name) and from then on, I became Cruella.
Now this trip will be anything but dull with everyone who shows up...and the Coyote will not be bored...he has gotten to love them all thru the years. Dale loves guns (need I say more) his son Dana also loves guns. Then Dale flew in WWII and then worked at Lockheed (that's another name young people won't recognize). Thus...airplines, helicopters, etc...so there are lots of subjects that interest a mulltitude of persons...Oh, and if you REALLY want to get things rolling...can we say POLITICS YiKeS!!! head for the hills, it gets nasty with that subject...hahaha.
We of course, love and miss our kids and grandkids, but we've at least gotten to see them once this year and next year is not far off...I hate having our family so spread out! But then, let's face it...Cody, Wyoming doesn't have a lot of job opportunities available. Unless you are in Police work, teaching, banking, attorneys well, you could always be a Wallmart Greeter...lol
OK...gotta really get in gear...three loads of wash done...no packing done...means we have a lot more to do...Please, if you read this...say a prayer for all those on the road and in the sky...fighting for our country; families missing loved ones and really...everyone! At this time of the year are thoughts go to memories of the passed and the things and people that we cherish. Thankful for our many blessings and especially the blessing of life it's self. Hold dear those you love, life is fragile. I'm so thankful for my family and all my friends...especially my best friend that Ol Coyote...Be safe; Be careful; and Be Happy!!! Happy Thanksgiving to you all!!!

CATCHING UP!

HI ALL!! IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME, BUT i FIGURED i WOULD GO HERE. SO MANY THINGS HAVE HAPPENED AND GONE ON SINCE i LAST BLOGGED, SHEESH, WHERE TO START...WELL, HOLY COW, i GUESS i SHOULD START BY SAYING i DON'T REMEMBER HOW TO DO COLORS AND CAPS AND OH WITH...I'M WRITING, THAT'S WHAT COUNTS. LET'S SEE...THE OL COYOTE SOLD THE "POS"...TO GET THE TRUCK...OH, THE TRUCK THAT WE WEREN'T GOING TO HAVE TO SPEND ANY MONEY ON...LMFAO! OK...IF ANY OF YOU KNOW ME WELL, YOU KNOW MY MIND SKIPS FROM HERE TO THERE, SO THIS MIGHT NOT MAKE MUCH SENSE TO MANY OF YOU...OR THE ONE PERSON THAT READS THIS...

THIS YEAR, WE HAVE GONE CAMPING 4 TIMES, ONE BIG TRIP TO TEXAS FOR LISSI'S GRADUATION AND ANOTHER BIG TRIP TO SEE MY BROTHER AND FAMILY IN LAUGHLIN, THEN ON DOWN THE ROAD TO SEE OUR DAUGHTER AND OUR OTHER THREE BEAUTIFUL GRANDDAUGHTERS.

EMILY, KELLI'S OLDEST (SHE JUST TURNED 15!) IS PLAYING DRUMS IN THE MARCHING BAND AND DOING EXTREMELY WELL. SHE LOOKS LIKE A STRING BEAN WITH THIS MASSIVE BUNCH OF 4 DRUMS HANGING OF HER SHOULDERS IN FRONT OF HER...I'M TOTALLY AMAZED THAT SHE CAN STAND UP, LET ALONE MARCH ALL OVER A FOOTBALL FIELD...CAN WE SAY AWESOME!!! KATE AND ABBY ARE DOING GREAT AND LOVING THE SUCCESS OF THEIR BIG SISTER.

KELLI, OUR DAUGHTER IS BUSY TRYING TO SUPPORT HER THREE GIRLS, PHYSICALLY, SPIRITUALLY AND EDUCATIONALLY..THAT ALONE SHOULD CONSUME HER TIME. BUT NOT OUR GIRL..SHE HAS TO CHALLENGE HERSELF AS WELL. SO, SHE IS STILL DOING HER MEDICAL TRANSCRIPTING WHICH HAS TURNED INTO PROOF READING AND A SALARY HALF OF WHAT SHE WAS MAKING PREVIOUSLY..BUT ALL THE ABOVE HAS NOT KEPT HER MIND AND BODY BUSY ENOUGH, SO SHE HAAS DECIDED THAT SHE NEEDS TO STRETCH A LITTLE FARTHER. career change SHE HAS GONE BACK TO SCHOOL TO BECOME AND "RN"..HOLY CRAP..I WOULD BE IN A RUBBER ROOM WITH ALL THAT GOING ON...BUT SHE IS MANAGING AND MANAGING WELL WITH ABOUT IF NOT A 4.0 AVERAGE.

ALYSSIA (LISSI) AS I CALL HER, HAS ALWAYS WANTED TO BE IN COSMETOLOGY. SHE LOVES FIXING, COLORING AND CUTTING HAIR..SHE DID QUITE A BIT OF SEARCHING TO FIND HE SCHOOL SHE WAS ABLE TO ATTEND. SHE STARTED TWO WEEKS AGO AND IS LOVING IT...SHE BOUGHT HER CAR FROM HER MOM AND STEP-DAD AND IS WORKING TO PAY FOR SCHOOL...SHE IS A BUSY GIRL...I THINK HER SCHEDULE IS, EAT, SLEEP WORK, SCHOOL REPEATED DAILY. SHE MISSES HER SOCIAL LIFE AND PLAYING WITH HER BROTHER AND 2 SISTERS WHOM SHE LOVES VERY MUCH. OH, PLUS THE TWO DOGS AND CAT...

RUSS IS DOING...HE TOO IS HAVING NO SOCIAL LIFE, WORKING AND SLEEPING TAKE UP ALL HIS TIME. HE IS STILL AT DISNEYWORLD, THANK HEAVEN...HE HA BEEN TESTING FOR OTHER POSITIONS WITHIN THE COMPANY AND DOING WELL ON HIS INTERVIEWS..IN FACT, BOTH THE POSITIONS HE INTERVIEWED FOR, WANT HIM..MORE STRESS FOR THE KID. THANK HEAVEN HE HAS NIKKI TO TALK WITH WHEN HE GETS HOME FROM WORK. NIKKI IS HIS DOG. HE ALSO HAS HIS ROOM MATE (WHEN SHE IS THERE) TO TALK WITH. JD ALSO WORKS FOR DISNEY, SO THEY CAN COMMISERATE ABOUT WHAT'S GOING ON. JD HAS WORKED THERE LONGER SO SHE CAN (TRY) TO EXPLAIN WHY THINGS WORK THE WAY THEY DO. I'M SO GLAD HE HAS HER FOR A ROOMMATE, THEY GET ALONG REALLY WELL AND IT HELPS ME TO RELAX SOME..THAT HE HAS SOMEONE SINCE HE IS SO FAR AWAY. THANK HEAVEN RUSS HAS MEDICAL INS. BECAUSE HE HAS BEEN HAVING A LOT OF MEDICAL PROBLEMS THIS YEAR ALONG WITH HIS TEETH...HE COMES BY IT THRU THE GENES...UNFORTUNATELY BUT, WE ALL HAVE OUR TRIALS...

I GUESS I SHOULD STOP AND LET YOU CATCH YOUR BREATH BEFORE I GO ON ABOUT SKIPPER AND ME. I DO WANT TO SAY, HOWEVER THAT WE HAVE LOST A LOT OF OUR LOVED FRIENDS, RELATIVES AND A PET THIS YEAR...NOT HAPPY...WE MISS OUR BELOVED FAMILY MEMBER, OUR ROTTWIELLER, DAYSEE MAE WHO DIED FROM BRAIN CANCER. AND, OUR COUSIN (CAN'T USE ANY ADJECTIVES TO ADAQUITLY DESCRIBE HOW MUCH WE LOVED AND APPRECIATED HER) COLLEEN MEANT SO MUCH TO US AND WERE MORE THAN SHOCKED WHEN WE LOST HER TO A HEART ATTACK. IN TALKING WITH HER KIDS..ONE OF HER SONS SAID "I THOUGHT WE HAD A GOOD 20 YEARS LEFT" AND WE ALL FELT THAT WAY...GOOD GRIEF, SHE ATE WELL, EXERCISED, DID EVERYTHING HEALTHY AND BAM...GONE...I'M STILL IN DENIAL.

OK, I SAID I WOULD STOP...HOPEFULLY I WILL BE ABLE TO CONTINUE MY BLOG, I NEED ANOTHER OUTLET FROM FACE BOOK, I LOVE PLAYING AND TALKING ON FACE BOOK BUT SOMETIMES THERE IS NOTHING MORE FRUSTRATION WHEN THE APPS DON'T WORK.....OK OK, I'M REALLY GOING TO QUIT NOW..HAVE A GREAT DAY...TA TA (SORRY ABOUT THE MISSPELLINGS)

"ABRA CADABRA"

i KNEW IT WOULDN'T LAST FOREVER....THE pos IS GONE, TRADED IN FOR THE NEW bost. THE OL' COYOTE HAS BEEN DRIVING ME CRAZY ABOUT A DIESEL TRUCK....i hate diesel...HAVE I EVER MENTIONED THAT? ANYONE WHO KNOWS ME, KNOWS I HATE DIESEL TRUCKS. THEY STINK!!! WELL, THE INEVITABLE HAS HAPPENED. THIS "animal" IS SPOILED ROTTEN. HE FINALLY GOT HIS TRUCK. IT'S NOT NEW...but new to him. HE'S IN PIG HEAVEN. WHEN WE SIGNED THE PAPERS FOR THE LOAN, I know I WILL NEVER SEE MUCH OF HIM FOR A WHILE.

HERE IN WYOMING, YOU CAN ALWAYS TELL WHO IS HOLDING UP TRAFFIC BECAUSE IT IS SOME OLD GUY IN A DIESEL TRUCK WITH HIS DOG IN THE FRONT SEAT, instead of his wife...OH, AND THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF THE EQUATION...HE'S WEARING A COWBOY HAT. THE COYOTE WON'T HAVE THE COWBOY HAT...

I GUESS IT'S REALLY ALL MY FAULT. THE BUYER'S GUIDE CAME IN THE MAIL AND I DIDN'T GRAB IT FAST ENOUGH. HE HAD BEEN LOOKING AT THIS TRUCK FOR QUITE A WHILE BUT THERE WAS NO WAY WE COULD AFFORD IT. until now...THE STUPID DEALER TOOK $4,000 OFF THE PRICE AND THEN WHEN THE COYOTE DROVE IN HIS LITTLE pos, HE GAVE HIM $2,500 AS TRADE IN....MAN, YOU JUST CAN'T DEPEND ON ANYONE THESE DAYS!!! SO NOW WE HAVE ANOTHER MONTHLY PAYMENT OF $240. FOR THE NEXT 36 MONTHS. WITH 228,000 MILES ON THIS THING...I BET WE END UP HAVING TO PAY A LOT MORE THAN THAT BEFORE THE THREE YEARS ARE UP...i wonder if walmart is hiring....

OK, I'VE VENTED...NOW TOMORROW I GET TO GO TO K-MART AND BUY ME SOME NEW $5.00 T-SHIRTS, SO I CAN THROW MY 15 YEAR OLD T-SHIRTS AWAY....SOMEONE TELL ME WHEN THIS ALL STOPS. THEY SAY WOMAN ALWAYS SPEND ALL THE MONEY SHOPPING....I GUESS THEY HAVE NEVER SURVEYED THIS HOUSEHOLD...BUT THEN WHY WOULD THEY...THIS IS WYOMING, NO ONE HAS EVER EVEN HEARD OF THIS PLACE....YOU have a nice day.

GOOD NEWS!!!

ok...THIS WILL BE SHORT, BUT i WANTED TO LET THE PEOPLE THAT READ THIS, KNOW THAT, MY HEALTH TESTS ( THREE mri'S, EXRAYS AND ONE EMG) ARE OVER AND i AM NOT IN AS BAD A SHAPE AS WAS FIRST THOUGHT....(i GUESS THAT IS REALLY A MATTER OF OPINION) aNYWAY, i DO HAVE MODERATE TO SEVERE cARPEL TUNNEL AND WILL HAVE SURGERY AS SOON AS CAN BE SCHEDULED. tHEN, MY NECK HAS GOTTEN WORSE, SO WE HAVE TO DO ANOTHER SURGICAL PROCEEDURE ON IT. tHE SPACE BETWEEN DISCS 3 & 4 (CERVICAL SPINE) HAVE CLOSED DOWN TO ONLY 70% OF NORMAL. tHE SURGEON SAYS THAT THE SPINAL CORD IS BEING PINCHED ENOUGH THAT WE ARE IN THE "RED ZONE" AND THE SURGERY IS NEEDED NOW. sO, SINCE THE NECK IS FROM AN OLD WORK INJURY, WE HAVE TO GO THRU wORKER'S cOMP TO GET AUTHORIZATION. tHAT COULD TAKE UP TO ??? iT ALL DEPENDS ON WHO GETS THE CASE AND WHO SAYS YAY OR NAY. iF IT COMES BACK NAY, THEN IT HAS TO BE APPEALED AND APPEALED UNTIL SOMEONE DECIDES THAT i SHOULD BE SAVED. iT'S REALLY FRUSTRATING WHEN i HAVE A SIGNED AWARD FROM A JUDGE THAT i AM COVERED FOR ALL MEDICAL ON MY NECK FOR LIFE...AND THEN i HAVE TO GET APPROVAL FROM SOME "DOCTOR" FOR A NEEDED SURGERY. tHE LAST TIME i HAD TO GET THE APPROVAL FOR THE FIRST NECK SURGERY, THEY WENT THRU 4 DIFFERENT DOCTORS, NONE OF WHICH WERE ORTHOPEDICS OR NEUROSURGEONS.

wELL, THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT i DO NOT HAVE THE CUBITEL TUNNEL PROBLEM. (THAT'S INVOLVING THE NERVE FROM THE ELBOW THRU THE FOREARM). sO NO SURGERY ON THAT. aND THE SHOULDER HAS TO WAIT UNTIL AFTER THE NECK, SO THAT ONE IS ON HOLD FOR A WHILE. iT LOOKS LIKE i WILL HAVE A GOOD SUMMER AFTER ALL. i WON'T HAVE TO SPEND ALL OF IT IN AND OUT OF THE HOSPITAL OR THERAPY.
aLSO, i WILL BE ABLE TO TYPE MORE-AGAIN, WITHOUT IT HURTING. THAT WILL REALLY BE WONDERFUL! ok...GOTTA GO FOR NOW....HOPE ALL IS GOING WELL FOR YOU...CIAO

April - 26...THIRTY years!!!

OMG!!! We have been married for thirty years...actually we have been together for 36 years....that's almost 40 years...geeeze, how can that be...I'm only 37!!! I guess that doesn't wash anymore since we have a 40 something and a thirty something kid....hummmm, how can I get around this...well, how about, we don't act over about 21....does that get it???

We took the day off and went for a great ride...I took some pictures, but they didn't turn out, so you will just have to use your imagination...ON THE SCENERY... We went up into the big horn mountains. They are really pretty. (I had to take a motion sickness pill, they are really windy, burp, pardon me.) Skipper wanted to show me where he and Bob and Fred go ATVing. We went to a "city" named Shell (pop. of 50) and the place is gorgeous, really packed with big green pines and it was snowing with snow on the ground. I don't know where the "50" people lived, I couldn't even count 5 homes. Oh well, I guess they like being secluded. Anyway, we tried to go see the Shell Falls, but of course, the road was closed because of the snow. If they hadn't had a bar across the road, the ol' coyote would have taken us up to the falls anyway...After Shell we continued on the wINdy ROad and went into Burgess Junction. Really pretty...the mountains are really big and the valley waaaaaay below was so breathtaking, wow, you could see forever. We were so high it was like we were looking out of an aircraft window...awesome!

Since we were so far from home...and I didn't want to go home the way we just drove, we decided to go into Sheridan. It is a city that shows on the map as a medium sized city. Well, I don't think Wyoming has BIG towns. I was really dissappointed. Sheridan didn't even seem as nice as Cody and I thought it was supposed to have restaurants, shopping, maybe a MALL!!! NOTHING!!! There was nothing there...so we stopped and got gas at a Maverik and I got a bag of fritos to stave off the hunger...Let me tell you, even the ol' coyote ate some of those fritos (he doesn't like them) we were pretty hungry. Finally we got on the freeway and we were 124 miles from Billings, MT and we live 2 hours from Billings. Soooooo, we got to Billings at 1730 and ate at one of my favs, The Texas Roadhouse, boy....was it good! Then we got home about 2100...it was a long day, but a great one, it was so nice to just get away...