Guess Who Is In Town?

The bull bison I saw last week was scoping out the territory for his family. This morning when I went out to the entrance station, there they all were. And I had my camera this time:


When I drove up, they started running. What an amazing sight to see them all turn in unison and stampede across the meadow!



The whole herd stayed out there most of the day. They caused a "Buffalo Jam", with tourists stopping to take pictures, parking all over the place, even leaving their cars in the road to get out and get closer.



The buffalo wandered around the meadow, sometimes going all the way over to the trees, sometimes coming back close to the road. Here they are all bunched up by the entrance sign:


When I had no cars coming, I watched them with binoculars. They really are amazing animals. I got lots of questions from visitors:

Are they wild? yes. Do they stay up here all winter? no. Where do they go when it gets cold? I have no idea, but probably down in the canyon. Have they birthed their young yet? I think so, because when I was out there this morning I saw some calves. How many are there? About 80 of them. Are they dangerous? yes, if you make them mad, they can charge you.

I hope I get to see them again soon.

What Goes Around...

When my daughters were young, I was their Girl Scout leader for more than eight years. We did lots of things in Girl Scout Troop 147--we camped, we went on lots of out of town trips, we sold cookies, we sang songs. But one of the most important things we did was community service projects.

Girl Scout Troop 147 in Savannah, maybe 1988? 89?

(Jimell is back row, far right)

We visited the local nursing home to play bingo with the residents once a month. We made tray decorations for Meals On Wheels. We collected food for the needy and helped deliver the boxes when the girls were older. For the girls in our troop, the community service projects were a very important part of being Girl Scouts.

Last year, I joined Facebook, and have connected with many people I have known over the years through there. Many of my former Girl Scouts have "friended" me on Facebook, and I have been very proud to see how they have grown and matured. One of them, Jimell, is a stay at home mom to four beautiful children. Her son, Coby, thought up a neat community service project of his own.

Coby is making bookmarks to sell in his mom's Etsy store. The money he makes on them is going to be spent buying books for his school library. I think it is a very good thing for him to do on his own. What a good kid!



Jimell says:

...."Coby just turned 8 in May and is going into the 3rd grade. He loves making crafts with me and has made bookmarks for his classmates and other friends and has always had fun creating new designs. He was brainstorming last week and asked if he could make some to sell on my Etsy shop. He thought of the idea of selling them to buy new books for his school library since they were doing a 'bookraiser' this last school year. I told him I thought it was a great idea and I would help him get the word out if he made the 'Marks' as he calls them. He made me agree on one condition...he got to read the books first before he took them to Mrs. Rachel (the librarian)"....



and here is what Coby says:

..."Hi, my name is Coby and I am 8 years old. I am in the 3rd grade. I love to make crafts like my mom. I love to read. I want to get my school some new books for the library. I came up with the idea to make book marks and sell them on my mom's shop to raise money to buy new books. I make all my book marks myself but my mom lets me use her stuff.

Please buy a book mark from me. They are good for your Bible or a gift. Buy a bunch! I can make any color you want, just tell me. Thank you..."

(Coby with the first book he bought for his school.)

If you would like to purchase one of Coby's bookmarks, to help buy books for his school, click here. New books for kids are always a good idea.

Dang It!

Last year, FabGrandpa and went to town one day and I left my camera at home. I missed one of the best photo opportunities ever, when we came home and there was a bull bison standing in the road. I vowed, that day, to NEVER LEAVE HOME WITHOUT MY CAMERA AGAIN!

Yesterday, I worked the late shift at the entrance station. As I was coming home near sunset, there he was again! The largest, most forbiding looking animal I have ever seen (and I am not talking about FabGrandpa here), was standing alone in the meadow to my right. I stopped the truck and opened my backpack, and you guessed it! I DIDN'T HAVE MY CAMERA WITH ME!!!!! I could just cry! That guy has now given me two good chances to take his picture and I missed them both!

The Man Helps Around The House, How Could I Not Love Him?

What a week---work work work. But thank the Lord, I have a job. And a job I love, at that. I worked the late shift every day last week, so I was not doing the cleaning and cooking for the most part. Yesterday FabGrandpa was off and I had to work, so he cleaned house from one end to the other. It was soooo nice to come home and not have to worry about doing all that.

He has been doing the cooking all week--I leave all the ingredients out on the counter, with detailed instructions, and he puts them together and gets dinner ready. He has been doing a pretty good job of it, too.


He has made chili, goulash, and beef stew, all according to directions from me, and all I have had to do was come home and eat. I am liking this set up---I am liking it A LOT. One night he even baked some chicken thighs and made some rice. Since he follows my directions to the letter, and there are no wheat products in the house at all, everything is gluten free, too.


The beef stew he made was especially good. Of course, I cut everything up and got it all ready for him, and all he had to do was put it all in the crock-pot at a certain time, but HE did do that so he gets the credit for making it. Here is the recipe:


1 lb cubed steak, cut up into bite sized pieces
1 large onion, chopped
olive oil
4 potatoes, unpeeled, cut up in bite sized pieces
4 carrots, peeled and sliced
2 portabella mushrooms, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
Aunt Cora’s seasoning
½ tsp garlic powder
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt
1 16 oz can crushed tomatoes
enough water to cover all in the crock-pot


Sprinkle the cubed steak pieces with Aunt Cora’s seasoning. Heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet. Add the steak pieces and onion; cook until the onions are clear and the steak is browned. Pour into crock-pot. Add all the rest of the ingredients, and cook on high in crock-pot for 4 hours. Simple to make, yum to eat, gluten free for your safe eating.

Scenic Sunday

Along the Rio Grande, the border between the United States and Mexico, near McAllen, Texas, in March 2004. It was a gorgeous day. A friend of ours took us fishing in has speedy boat. This looking across the river to Mexico.

To see more photos from Scenic Sunday, click here.

Gluten Free Faces

Are you a gluten free girl or guy? Are you a social networker, like on FaceBook or MySpace? If so, you may be interested in a new network just for us gluten free types. Gluten Free Faces is the place to go!

Chad Hines is the founder of Gluten Free Faces. His "About Me" on his profile there says:

"I was diagnosed with Celiac when I was just 7 years old. After living with Celiac for almost 20 years, and visiting a seemingly infinite number of doctors, I understand the frustration and confusion that happens upon being diagnosed with Celiac. Therefore, I wanted to create an online community where gluten-free individuals from around the world could gather to share information, stories and recipes with one another!"

Thanks Chad! This is a great idea! I am so glad to have found this great new place on the web!

Getting Creative Again

One of my new co-workers is adding a baby boy to their family soon. I had bought these fabrics in Flagstaff on our way up in April, and have been letting them sit there for a while, while I figured out what to do with them. I think they will make a very nice baby quilt for a little boy, don't you? Now I just have to figure out what pattern to use...

I just love that puppy dog fabric!

Making Progress

I haven't always been good at budgeting and paying all the bills on time. It has only been about eight years now since I came up with a way for me to pay them all, on time, and be sure that each one was taken care of each month. Before that, Havoc and Chaos lived at our house. We dreaded for the phone to ring, because it might be someone calling, demanding a payment. I was always paying late charges, and re-connect fees. Even when I had a high dollar job, I couldn't remember to pay bills sometimes. It wasn't that I didn't have the money to pay them. Oh, no, it was that I didn't have a plan. No way to make sure the payments had been made.


After we moved into our first travel trailer, and found our first campground job, I decided that since we were making a lot less money than before, I had better find a way to handle paying the bills. A better way than before. Hell, any way would be better than before. So, I bought a little spiral notebook. I made a page in it for each month, and wrote the name of each bill on it. I made columns for NAME OF BILL, DATE DUE, DATE PD, AMT DUE, AMT PD, NOTES. As soon as each bill was received in the mail, I filled in the date due and the amount due. When I paid the bill, I wrote in the date paid and the amount paid, and any notes, such as check number, and if I talked to someone, their name, etc.


After a couple of years, as I had better access to the internet, I started paying each bill online, either at that company's website or through the Online Bill Pay option from my bank, which is free to use. I started paperless billing, and going online at the beginning of each month to get the information to fill in the blanks. This system has really worked for me. My little notebook actually lives on the dinette seat right next to where I sit most of the time, so it is handy at all times, as a steady reminder to use it.


After I write in all the date due and amount due information at the beginning of the month, I am ready to start paying bills. As I pay them, I write in the dates I paid them, and the amount paid. When the payments clear the bank, I highlight that payment in the book. I know at a glance what has been paid, how much they were paid, and that the payment has been taken out of my account. In the years that I have been using this method, I have only had two payments that didn't make it to the intended place on time. When those two people called me, all I had to do was take out my little book, read them the payment confirmation number from the notes I had made, and tell them it had cleared the bank on X date. And that was that.

Having this method is really good for us, as we are seasonal workers. What this means is that for a number of months each year, we don't work. Which means we don't have income. Which means we really have to plan for those months. During the season, when we are working, I usually pay more than the amount due on most things. During the off season, I pay the minimum amount due. So, having that AMT DUE is very important. Doing all this has helped me stay on budget through eight winters.


During the winter just past, we made another plan, one where we get all the bills paid off. It is very exciting to me to be able to do this. I have never in my adult life not had bills to pay. Of course there will always be the bills for satellite TV, for telephone service, for auto insurance, those things we pay for on a monthly basis. But credit card debt, medical bills, things like that, have always been a part of life around here. Until now.

Last winter, I got out another notebook, and made a priority list for paying off those bills. I made a list of how much we owed to each place, and what the interest rate is on each one. Then I made a Priority List For Paying Off Bills. (Isn't that a great name for it!?) Last payday, I paid off two bills. One of them was a credit card we have not used since 1997 and have been paying on ever since!!! This payday, I paid off two more. The plan is coming to be!

Becca and Ken Came To Visit

Last week our daughter, Becca, and her boyfriend, Ken came to visit. They arrived late on Saturday night. On Sunday after breakfast, we all drove up to Cape Royal, my favorite place here at the North Rim. The sun was shining down, and we were having a great time.



The view from Cape Royal is awesome, in my opinion one of the best viewpoints at the Grand Canyon. It is where I take anyone who comes to visit, also, it is were I send visitors to the park who ask me where they should go.


So, this was the first time we have met Becca's guy. He is very nice, very thoughtful, very intelligent, and it is obvious to me that she is in love with him, and that he is in love with her. I really like him. But, Fabgrandpa is one of those guys who seems to find fault with anyone who comes courting his daughters. His actions sort of reminded me of a gorilla beating his fists on his chest to claim his territory, and made an otherwise lovely visit a little tense. I wish he could just be happy that she has found someone who loves her and makes her happy. Why do men act like that? (to my family members who read this, please don't say anything to him, it will only make it worse. Just let me vent here, ok?)

Yes, FabGrandpa loves her, too.

Here I am with Ken. He is an avid photographer, and takes some really gorgeous shots. He has a really nice camera that I am jealous of.



There's Becca, waaayyyy over there near the edge on the right hand side of the cliff, between two bushes. If you click to enlarge the photo, you'll see she is waving to me.


We walked all the little trails at Cape Royal. I think we spent a couple of hours up there.



Before coming home, we hiked down to Cliff Springs. FabGrandpa and I hiked there last year, and I really wanted Becca and Ken to see it. There is a spring there, that drips out of the side of the cliffs. Indians used to get water there for their crops when they grew corn, squash, and beans up here years ago.

A maidenhair fern growing out of the rocks at Cliff Springs.

This is one of my favorite photos from their visit. We were resting under the cliffs, waiting for the rain to go away. Becca was sitting there taking in the view.



This was the storm coming in . There was lightening and thunder going on, which I don't really like, but we were safe enough where we were sitting.


When we got back from our trip to Cape Royal and the Cliff Springs, Becca and Ken were going to take us all out to the lodge for dinner, but we couldn't get a reservation. We made dinner at home, and made a reservation for the next night. On Monday, it was my last day off, so I stayed home and rested. Becca and Ken went back up to Cape Royal and hiked out to Green Lake, which is a tiny lake about 100 yards off the road. It is gorgeous and not many people see it because they don't know it's there.


The lodge has massive exposed beams and huge chandiliers. There are huge windows on the canyon side so if you are lucky enough to get a table there you can have your dinner with a great view. We didn't get a window table, though. I had prime rib, which came with asparagus and a baked potato. It was excellent. Thanks Ken and Becca! I really appreciated that!

I had to work the rest of the time they were here, so they went hiking on several trails for the rest of the time they were here. They hiked out to Widforss Point, to Cape Final, and to Bright Angel Point a couple of times. I am glad they went out there and saw as much of the area as they could.

Ilex, their 12 year old dog, came with them. She relaxed in the trailer most of the day. She is a very good dog.

All too soon it was time for them to leave for home. I was working at the entrance station when they left. They stopped and walked over to say goodbye, and even though I had a line waiting to get in, I took the time to hug them both tight. The next guy I waited on commented about my eyes leaking as they drove away.

My Birthday Goodies:

As you may remember, my birthday was last Sunday. I received a lot of goodies, from friends and family, and some from bloggie friends as well. The cupcakes were brought to me all the way from Debbie's Bakery in Denver, Colorado, to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. They were sweet and delicious, and very much appreciated. Thank you Becca and Ken, you know I love you. And be sure and tell little Jessica they were the perfect ones for a birthday.


The fabric squares below were not exactly a birthday gift--I won them in a giveaway from Art Gallery Fabrics. But they arrived in the mail right in time for my birthday and made me feel really special. There are forty 6 1/2 inch squares, all different, and I can just see a quilt in my future, soon, made with them. Aren't they pretty?



The next day, I got some cool stickers and blank note cards from Drama Mama. She is a cool lady who lives in Washington state, and works on a ferry boat. What a neat job she has! Just look at those creative stickies! I can't wait to use them.



As mentioned above, my daughter, Becca and her boyfriend, Ken, came to visit for a week. There will be more about their visit later, but just look at all the goodies they brought me:


Garlic Dipping Oil with seasonings, yummo! This will be good with some home made gluten free bread, I'll have to wait til next week to make it though.



Becca is a knitter. She made me this cute hat. It has an opening in the back, with cutie red and yellow flower buttons, so that I can put my new longer hair in a ponytail and pull it through. It makes me wish a little bit that it was cold enough to wear it already:



See, it looks cute on me, and of course, it is orange, one of my favorite colors. (guess she knew that, huh?)



She took care of me from top to bottom: new Amy Marsh (from Little Women) knitted slippers. I am wearing these right now--no need to wait til winter for warm feet.


My daughter Emily, who lives in Georgia, is sending me a care package with several tubes of my favorite deoderant since I can not find it here to buy it myself. Thanks, Emily, I know it is a weird birthday gift, but I love it that you are sending it to me!

I got lots of birthday cards, from my son and his wife, my mother, my friend Gaelyn. But my favorite card this year is the one in the video below, sent to me from my step-daughter, Becky. It makes me smile every time I open it.

Scenic Sunday

Yet another view of the Grand Canyon from the North Rim. I never get tired of seeing it. I tell people my eyes can't see it enough. This was taken on May 24, 2009.

For more Scenic Sunday photos, click here.

Scenic Sunday

Friday morning, May 22, 2009. The fog was rolling up out of the canyon at sunrise. I had to stop on my way to work and get this fabulous view!

To see more Scenic Sunday photos, click here.

Tomorrow Is My Birthday

and my friend, Gaelyn, of Geogypsy, sent me this birthday card:


She took that picture when we went on our tour of Yarnell, AZ and The Castle there. Isn't it great to have such good friends?

The Night Before

Kathie seems to be very interested in what Susan has to say, while Ace just watches the fire.

Val looks confused, while Bob just looks amused.

Richard looking down at his feet while Mary holds the leash.

Gizmo checking out Richard's feet.

The night before we opened, our department had a cookout at the campground. The campground host cooked us some hamburgers and baked beans. We had a fun time, socializing and getting to know each other better outside of the classroom. It was a great time, and helped loosen us up a bit. Of course, the campground was empty because we were still closed. The gates opened the next day, and we haven't had time to breathe since.

Scenic Sunday

A little oasis in the desert just north of Kanab, Utah on highway 89.

To see more Scenic Sunday photos, click here.

I Think We're Ready, The Park Opens Tomorrow

Finally training is over! It has been three weeks for me--the first week getting everything ready, then two weeks of actual classroom and hands on stuff. Training always exhausts me, because you have to be alert and paying attention all day long. Yesterday when we finished up, we still had a couple of hours, so we drove up to Point Imperial. It is one of the most scenic parts of the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. Here I am, hanging out at 8803 feet:



The view changes with every step you take. I often wonder how those first people to see it felt when they came to the edge of the canyon:



This is Mount Hayden, one of the most photographed landmarks in the Grand Canyon. Awesome:



We are starting out the season with only 4 on staff--we should have 7, and they are on their way, but when we open the gates tomorrow, it will only be me, Susan, Val, and Mary. They are all just as excited as I am that we're done with the book, and getting on to the real thing.


How many times do I have to say, "I just can't see this enough?" I love this place.

I Won A Prize!

I read a blog called Art Gallery Fabrics. Back on April 30 they announced a giveaway for Mother's Day. To enter, all you had to do was comment on that post saying what would be a perfect Mother's Day for you, but they chose the winners randomly. Yay!

My prize is 40 (forty) 6 1/2" squares in an assortment of all her collections of fabric. I can hardly wait to receive my squishy in the mail. It will be so much fun to make a quilt using those precut squares of her gorgeous fabrics! I'll post some pictures of the fabric as soon as I get it.

Who Are You?

I have been wondering who it is that comes here to read the drivel that I write. My stat counter tells me there are almost 150 hits a day on this little saga of mine. I would really like to know who you are and what keeps you coming back.

If you have never commented on my blog, would you mind either leaving a short comment to let me know what it is you like about my blog, or email me at (fabgrandma@gmail dot com) if you would prefer not to comment. My curiosity is killing me.

Scenic Sunday

The Grand Canyon North Rim from the Transept Trail on June 7, 2008.

For more Scenic Sunday photos, click here.