New Fetish Carvings at Indian Summer.....

Hi! We've just BEAR-ly added some new Fetish carvings at Indian Summer!

You really OTTER take a peek at them....

We've got some real DILLIES......

They are all just PEACHY.....

We promise you won't be BOARed.....

We're going to BADGER you until....

You BISON-thing from our website.......

Tell your FRIENDS about it.......

And then come on over to Indian Summer...where Fetishes are our MANE thing!

Missing "The Girls"......

Me and P...One of "The Girls".....

Wes with Ellie....the other "Girl".....

"The Girls" promised Dino I would take him for his favorite treat...a plain hamburger from McDonald's....I am keeping their promise!

While "the girls" are away...the cats do play...I am spoiling them ~LOL~

Phyllis and Ellie aka "The Girls" have been in London now for 13 days...it feels more like 13 years! We talk daily and email each other and text.... but it somehow is just not the same! We are taking care of their dog Dino till they get settled, and then they will fly back and get him sometime in February and return back to London in March. We are also taking care of their cats, as we "inherit" their cats when "the girls" leave for London in March, as they could not take the three cats and Dino over with them to live....and hopefully they will come back in a year or two (sigh)...and the cats will be waiting for them......ME TOO! But... oh my!!!!... how my life has changed in just the last couple of weeks! I am constantly checking in on Dino and the cats...as they live next door to me....another reason we are so close with "the girls"...as we call them....and I guess lots of people call them that! They found a wonderful flat in London and got the good news today that they can lease it...the woman who owns it is from Spain, and told Phyllis and Ellie that she was just going to call them "the girls" if that was okay, and list them in her cell phone as "the girls". I ran into an old friend at the grocery store, whose first question was " have "the girls" moved to London yet?" I am excited for Phyllis and Ellie and their big London adventure...but I do admit, I miss them terribly, and can't wait to see them...Dino says DITTO! So "Girls"....if you are reading this....know that I miss you and love you, and will be happy when you are back home...even if it will just be for a few weeks. We love you "girls"!!!!

Miracle In the Sky......

"Miracle in the Sky...."

Create a free slideshow with Picnik!

The Prayer of White Cloud

O Great Spirit,
Whose voice I hear in the winds,
And whose breath gives life to all the world,
hear me!

Let me walk in beauty and make my eyes ever behold the red and purple sunset.
Make my hands respect the things you have made,
and my ears sharp to hear your voice.

Let me learn the lessons you have hidden in every leaf and rock.
I seek strength, not to be greater than my brother,
but to fight my greatest enemy - myself.

Make me always ready to come to you
with clean hands ...
and straight eyes,

So when life fades, as the fading sunset,
my spirit may come to you ...
without shame.

Last night we had one of the most glorious sunsets I have ever seen.......and I am a sunset connoisseur! I've done posts in the past about the breathtaking sunsets we witness while on the west coast...but this "Utah sunset" last night surpassed most of the west coast and ocean sunsets that I have raved about....it was truly something that literally took your breath away. As I stood on our balcony with our daughter Liz and watched the colors change over the Great Salt Lake to the west of us, and the Wasatch Mountains to the east of us, I was genuinely in awe of the magic of nature that was unfolding in front of us. It happened so quickly...I didn't want to blink, for fear I might miss even one brilliant second of it! It made me feel very humble to witness such a spectacular miracle in the sky.....hope you enjoy the photos......I know I certainly enjoyed having the opportunity to witness nature at her finest.

New Year's Resolutions and All That Jazz......

Another new year...another chance!

"Brewvies"....Brews and movies....what a fun way to spend an afternoon!

Yummy treats Liz brought us from she and Jake for our Anniversary at the hotel....

Wes "happy" at Happy Hour the night of our Anniversary......

They make it all sound so easy in the magazines.....~LOL~

I'm sure that Martha Stewart would not approve of my new bedroom decor.....

Notice ever how one thing leads to another.....well, it seems this whole last year that has been the case....probably that has been the case for many years now...but I am tired of it....not tired of all the fun things we do...because we have a great life...just tired of making excuses that I will "exercise more" tomorrow...."eat healthier" on Monday....."drink less" after the next big party...."walk more when it gets warmer"....those kind of excuses! I've used them all, and then some! It truthfully is cold right now....it is just bleak out there! We have had sixteen days straight of below freezing temps for our highs, and I have not been walking like I should daily...and I miss it! Wes and I just celebrated our 38th wedding anniversary, and went to a nice hotel in SLC for the day....Many calories later, I am raring to start a new diet and exercise program....I've tried them all...get frustrated when I don't feel like I am losing any weight....and then I quickly go back to my partying ways...hey...it is always someone's birthday...it is always a Friday night....it is always almost a trip or a holiday coming up....so better start after the holiday...and most recently, it was Phyllis and Ellie moving to London last Sunday that really triggered me to misbehave! Lots of get togethers so we could all spend time together...and you have to eat at those kind of things! I can't change the fact that they have moved...I certainly can't change these frigid temperatures outside, so the only thing I have control over is ME! I had Wes drag my stair stepper and an exercise bike out of a spare bedroom downstairs and put it in our bedroom, where I will be forced to look at them night and day....and hopefully start using them! For our anniversary, Phyllis and Ellie gave us among other things....a gift certificate to a place called "Brewvies"....fun place...sit and watch movies, have a pitcher of beer...or a martini....or both....along with yummy appetizers all in the comfort of a nice cozy theatre seat with your own little table right in front of you....ahhhh....the good life....then Liz surprised us and delivered flowers and decadent tiramisu to us in at the hotel...and then of course there was happy hour at the hotel....and room service....you get the picture! TIME TO START! Okay, New Year's Resolutions....I am going to give it my best shot! I sat up last night and read the Weight Watchers Magazine I just bought from cover to cover...I stocked up on green beans and cottage cheese today at the grocery store....I think I'm ready! I have vowed to be good till Valentine's Day....another holiday...but I am giving up my Friday nights...and my Martin Luther King Day celebration...(Darn!I forgot about Ground Hog Day...and that is a BIGGEE for me to celebrate...really!) I am even giving up my "full moon" binges....yep...I am definitely on the right track! ~LOL~ Good luck with all of your New Year's Resolutions!

After All These Years........

STILL THE ONE (Orleans)

We've been together since way back when
Sometimes I never want to see you again
But I want you to know, after all these years
You're still the one I want whisperin' in my ear

You're still the one I want to talk to in bed
Still the one that turns my head
We're still having fun, and you're still the one

I looked at your face every day
But I never saw it 'til I went away
When winter came, I just wanted to go
Deep in the desert, I longed for the snow

You're still the one that makes me laugh
Still the one that's my better half
We're still having fun, and you're still the one

You're still the one that makes me strong
Still the one I want to take along
We're still having fun, and you're still the one

Changing, our love is going gold
Even though we grow old, it grows new

You're still the one that I love to touch
Still the one and I can't get enough
We're still having fun, and you're still the one

You're still the one who can scratch my itch
Still the one and I wouldn't switch
We're still having fun, and you're still the one

You are still the one that makes me shout
Still the one that I dream about
We're still having fun, and you're still the one...

Seems like only yesterday....January 11th, 1973....Wes...You are STILL the ONE!!!!! I love you more than ever....Happy 38th Anniversary!

Phyllis and Ellie....We Will Miss You.....And We Love You!

Well, it is really happening.....Phyllis and Ellie leave for London tomorrow.....Sunday, January 9th. I would be excited if it were another "vacation" to London for the two of them, but it's not....they are moving to London, and Phyllis is leaving her family, her friends, and all things familiar to her behind. Phyllis and Ellie are legally married in the state of California....we flew down with them after a "commitment" ceremony here at our home, and had it all made legal in October 2008.....just weeks before the original Prop 8 was passed, and marriage between LGBT couples in California was no longer allowed...then there was that brief overturning of Prop 8 this past year, which again...the so called "conservative right" fought, and it will eventually end up in the Supreme Court....Phyllis and Ellie got to keep their marital status...they are one of 18,000 LGBT couples who were married before Prop 8 happened, and so they are still legally married in the state of California....But, that does not change Ellie's Visa status....our country's federal immigration laws do not recognize their marriage....so Ellie, who is originally from London has to return home, and Phyllis is forced to choose between her partner and her country. The country that claims equality and freedom for all....but that just is not the case. Ellie has been staying in the country on a student Visa and Phyllis has been paying for her to go to school here so she could remain in the country....Ellie already has a degree from a university in London...so basically they have been "buying" time....which is very expensive....but the real issue is not even the money....it is the fact that they are not treated as equals in this country. If Ellie were a man from London married to our daughter Phyllis....."HE" would already be a citizen of the US....the discrimination involving LGBT couples is just so overwhelming in every aspect. Where I mentioned the "conservative right" above....is it not "Christian like" to be non judgmental, and love thy neighbor, Black, White, Jewish, Baptist, Buddhist, Hispanic, Asian, Gay or Straight????? I say "Christian like" as that is what so many people who are anti gay claim to be...."good Christians" but how can you call yourself either when you are unaccepting of LGBT people???? There is a bill called the UAFA Bill...it did not reach the house this past year....but I am going to work to do everything I can to see it someday passed. It is the "Uniting American Familes Act"....there are approximately 36,000 bi-national couples in the US at this time facing the same decisions that our daughter and her partner are dealing with now. If the UAFA bill were to pass, our daughter could make the choice of staying here in her country, or choosing to go to London, rather than moving to London with the feeling of being exiled. Wes and I are beyond sad....we are a close family....if you have ever looked at our blog in the past, or if you know me personally.....you know that we do everything together as a family....we take trips together, we celebrate holidays together, we get together just for the fun of it....because we all love each other so much and have wonderful times together. For anyone who is reading this....if you are a parent....or in Liz's case, an extremely close sister to Phyllis....and you were losing your daughter or your son, or your brother or your sister because of the discrimination against LGBT couples here in the United States....not only would you be heartbroken, as we are.....but you would be angry as well.....Discrimination is alive and thriving in our country....it is time for change...."My" God does not judge....people do....If you are a decent human being...you would listen to your heart....you know what is right, and you would join me, and say the discrimination has to end now. Phyllis and Ellie, we love you and support you always. You are our daughter and daughter-in-law, and we are so proud of both of you. One day, change will come, and you can come home again....in the meantime, know that even though you will be missed every single day....we know that you are in a country that gives you equal rights...that you can have children together and both be on the birth certificate...that you can check "married" or "civil union" on a legal form...things that so many people tend to take for granted....yet LGBT couples are not granted these same simple rights. I am sorry that your mother went off.....I am sorry for anyone who reads this and disagrees with me...not sorry that I wrote it....sorry that you would be so closed minded as to disagree with reality. Hugs and kisses and love forever to you both Phyllis and Ellie.....I wish you only the best in your new adventure....and thanks for letting your mom vent....and also have a good cry! I love you. MOM