Meet Zella!

Today I went in to Springerville with a hardware store list and a grocery list and came home with a free puppy!  Jim and I had a plan to get a full grown, already trained shelter dog in perhaps another year after we had fewer projects at the lodge to undertake.  Plans can change in a moment.  Outside the grocery store were two kids yelling "free puppy!"  A pregnant mom was sitting on the ground holding this adorable black lab mix puppy.  The puppy had been given to her and she decided she couldn't handle both a new baby and a puppy, so she was hoping to find a home for her rather than take her to the shelter.  I tried calling Jim but it went straight to voicemail.  I was in a dilemma...go with my head and just walk away until discussing it with Jim, or go with my heart that was falling for this pup.  After shopping, I came out and they were still there...no takers...another attempt to contact Jim to avail.  So...as you can see I went with the heart and brought the puppy home (after going back in the store for a collar, leash and food).
Lauren and I named her Zella, a good German dog name, to go with our German surname.  We all went for a bounding puppy walk after supper and now Jim and Lauren are both on the living room floor with Zella, tuckered out from her adventures.
Sometimes it's good to go with the heart!

We had a fabulous Father's Day in Greer.  Nate and Kara drove up from Tucson with Watson and a childhood friend of Nate's from Hawaii.  Nate's friend, Erin, is in navy intelligence and has been deployed more days than he is stateside in his 8 years.  It was wonderful to have him with us to relax in this beautiful place and we are so grateful for his dedicated service to this country.
Since our move to Greer, we've seen more of Nate and Kara than when we lived in Phoenix. Hmmm...Phoenix at 110+ degrees or Greer in the 80's in June with lows in the 50's.  We have smart kids!

Name the Bear

Ever since my childhood trips to the mountains, I vowed that if I ever had a place in the mountains I would get a bear.  Not a real bear...they can kill you...but a chainsaw work of art.  This bear is friendly and cute.  I consulted a baby name book when the kids got a dog so it didn't end up as Spot or Rover.  So, I'm trying to name my bear and all I can think of is Boo Boo or Bob the Bear.  Here's where you come in.  I am having a contest to name the bear.  The winning name will be selected July 15th, 2015.  Winner will receive a 2 night stay Sun-Thur (holidays excluded) and must be used by end of 2015.

Worth the Wait

I waited all winter to see what this would be.  I thought it was going to be a lily.  I have no idea what this is, so I am calling it Rocket Fire plant.

A River Runs Through It

I stopped and pondered over this pile of metal in the middle of the river.  Was this once part of a bridge?  River art?  I am told this was purposely placed here to trap large debris.  Who comes to remove the debris?  These are just a few of my river walk questions.

Coming Back With a Chainsaw

On a walk, I saw these downed trees and added them to my project list.  I'd like to go back with a chainsaw and cut them into stumps to place around our fire pit.  We've had a number of guests enjoy a fire at night.  Just found out we are supposed to have a permit.  Oops.  Off to the fire department tomorrow!

I have a sketchy record with plants.  If they have an automatic watering system they are happy plants. The flowers in tree wells and beds with sprinklers thrived.  Every year in Phoenix I would buy beautiful flowers to plant in my window planters with no sprinklers and they thrived for a few weeks, because they were being watered  regularly by either Jim or me.  Then, nobody was watering them, each of us assuming the other one was.  Like the Miracle Gro ad I totally relate to....plants came to my home to die.  The last couple of years in Phoenix I bought fake flowers to put out.
At the lodge I've been envisioning lovely landscaping. In May, I planted bulbs and some lovely day lilies in a planter.  The bulbs were duds and the deer ate my lilies.  The other day, I bought new flowers for all the barrels around the lodge.  Hayley, who is staying with us for the summer and helping around the lodge, has been given the task of checking on all the new plants and keeping them watered.  She has also talked with them, to assure them that they have come to a good home and charged them to bloom and grow.  She is my plant whisperer, healing them from their distress when they saw me at the garden store.  They feared for their lives, and rightly so with my track record.  I think I saw them shudder as I put them in my cart.
I hope to turn over a new leaf and not let them die.  Hayley is going to be gone for a couple of weeks. Say a prayer for the plants and feel free to text me to ask me if I have watered them.

Road Signs

When I saw this sign from a distance I assumed it would be a warning for road construction ahead or a prescribed burn.  I've driven from Greer to Springerville a few times over the past week.  I'm watching...no sheep yet!  I have had to stop for herds of deer crossing in Greer.  Loving the "traffic" here!

May Blew Away

The month of May blew through with a mid month snow storm.  Living in Phoenix for 26 years, I lamented the short season to wear winter sweaters.  Now I wondered if I would be able to wear any of my "normal" clothes.  I'm adjusting to our new normal and buying end of season long sleeved shirts.

Jim tilled up our entire back yard, stopping to pick out rocks.  We now have a rock border between us and our neighbor.  Similarly, as I attempted to dig holes to plant rose bushes, I came across more rocks than soil.

The kitchen remodel is creeping along.  The plumbing, electrical, framing, and dry walling were completed and the new cabinets installed.  It's beginning to look like a kitchen again.  We are waiting for an appointment for the counter tops to be measured and for the ordered tile to come in.

It's lovely having our daughter, Lauren, with us for the summer.  She is working at the Greer Cafe and doing some social media work for lodge.  One of her best friends, Haley, arrived to spend the summer with us, helping me with projects and cleaning in the lodge.  Evenings of BBC and chick flicks all summer!  Jim seems to disappear to the game room to watch more manly things.