You know you're in Wyoming....

or some other cattle country town when you take your grandkids to the town park to play in the big sandbox area, and when a few other other girls show up with their dog, the dog's name is Chasey. Yep, she's a cowdog :-). And she is constantly at attention, watching kids move around; maybe thinking she is herding them?. And guess what she is willing to chase? Hand fulls of sand that the girls throw with their new shovels from the sand toys Grammie just brought as a surprise. I laughed and laughed :-). Chasey would even do back-flips...

three Richardson kids try out the new sand toys

Raspberries are............. yellow?

They can be.... and taste just like the red ones

and hollyhocks are... white? well, they are in my garden. I bought them color unknown.

And how about those blossums on the pumpkins and squash? Nice...

I sure am liking my gardens beds and would like to put in a couple moer on the west side of the yard - it gets lots of sun now that the one big tree is no longer there.  The squash got put into pots this year, because last year they ran free all over everything else.  Most of the tomato plants have little tomatoes started. Go baby, Go! Salsa in the fall :-)

The Inch Report

Both of my daughters, as well as my sister Jane have been making progress this spring and summer, to lose some weight. When I sent this to Becky and Sue today, Becky insisted I blog about it !
So here it is - the Inch Report from Curves' Ladies Gym - as in inches lost

Here is how it looked since 2/19/2010: and measurments taken at Curves on Tuesday 6 July


Bust - down 1.25"
Waist down 3.5"
ABS down 3"
hips down 4.25"
thighs down .5" - the slow learner...
arms up .5" - fabulous :-)
wt down 24.25


My Total Health and Fitness coach  Dan Wilcox says he can see weight loss in my face (and he has been saying that for a while), and where I have noticed it especially is in my feet. I can see those veins now - no more puffy ankles or edema on my chin bones. My weigh in with him yesterday shows 27# lost and almost all of it fat. Yippie!
 
You will have to wait for family reunion the end of this month for the swim suit view. Living alone, who would take the photo?   LOL

Ballons...

One of my very favorite things to do this time of year, around the Fourth of July, is go to the grassy field, just east of Utah Valley Regional Medical Center and watch the hot air balloons launch. The crowd - big kids, little kids, the grand parents, everybody are invited out on the field, up close and personal to watch and photograph the balloons and their crews.
This morning - I left the house about 0545 - and got there just as the Bank of American Fork was beginning to fill. Miss Pink Piggy is so cute.

A new balloon on the field - at least I had not seen it before - was a bottle of Coca Cola. It was sooo tall! I think they said over 180 feet? For those of you who have not - or even if you have - been there before, the crews  lay out the "envelopes" of the balloons on the ground first

then a fan is used to fill the envelope with cool air next. At least a couple of people hold the "door" open to let the air in

The lady in the white shirt and blowing blond hair was in charge of the Coke bottle balloon and her husband in the red hat and red Coca Cola jacket kept telling the crowd " I never know when she goes inside (the Balloon) if I will ever see her again"

When the balloon is fluffy enough,  the hot air is "shot" up into the inside of the balloon, encouraging it to raise off the ground.

The wind currents were not just right for the balloons to launch off the ground this morning, but they stayed on the ground and let the crowds wander through  and visit them for a while. In fact, there was hardly any air moving at all.

You will probably remember that Gram loved them too and we'd take her Handicapped parking tag and get into the hospital parking area. Am when the balloons had lifted off, we go have pancakes, yoghurt, juice, etc with the Kiwanis group right there on the field.  I am expecting a nurse to come draw some blood for a new life insurance policy this morning, so I was fasting. I hope she hurries up :-)