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A Little Bit of Saturday

I seriously considered a posting moratorium until I have heard from my negligent son, UltraBob. Not even a comment from him! But why punish the rest of you?
An interesting episode with….....my hair! I got it cut recently, and told my regular hair-cutter, Susan that I was ready for a change. Quite a bit shorter, in sort of a bob that would kind of curl under at the edges. Well, it looked okay when she finished, but later, when it dried, it was really wild! I always thought my hair was straight, straight, straight, but it apparently has some odd, abberant waves that make it flip around at weird angles. I don’t like to spend any time on my hair. I am curling-iron challenged, and even resent the time it takes to blow-dry it. I just want to wash and go and have it look fabulous. Is that too much to ask? The funny thing is UltraDad’s reaction. He NEVER notices my hair and never has an opinion. But when he got home after spending a few days in Nevada job hunting, he noticed. “You got your hair cut.” he says. “Yes, I did. What do you think?” “Umm,..........I think I liked it better before….Who did this to you?” Well, that affirmed what I had myself been thinking. This morning, I tried some barettes and asked him what he thought I should do with my hair. “Let it grow.” was the response. I had been thinking of something a little more immediate.. Donna, a new resident to Arco has just opened up a little salon. She assures me that she can cut my hair and make it do just what I want it to do. “Your hair is really thick, isn’t it? I would LOVE to get my hands on your hair!”. Sounds intriguing! The only problem is I really like Susan; she is funny and witty and I look forward to laughing a lot when I have a hair appointment with her. And she’s really inexpensive. But I really hate this last haircut. What a dilemna!

Okay, on to my special birthday week Saturday. That Saturday I had a long established appointment to keep. Weightwatchers was doing some summer training on the new program they will introduce this fall, and I had signed up for the Pocatello session. I couldn’t easily get out of it, but I couldn’t bear to miss out on one of my precious days with Ultra. So, it was decided that he and UltraDad would accompany me to Pocatello, drop me off for my 3-hour training, do a little shopping, and then pick me back up. Good plan, huh? My friend Debbie was understanding about us not riding in together, and I told her I would see her there. We had a nice ride in, listening to “A Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” on the tape player, and less than 2 hours arrived in Pocatello.
I knew the Weightwatcher center was on Yellowstone Ave, and wasn’t too worried about the exact address. After all, I had been there the previous summer. But I underestimated myself; I can get lost anywhere (and frequently do). We slowly drove up and down Yellowstone with our eyes “peeled”. Finally I called Debbie on her cell; “I think it’s near that one restaurant. Frontier Pies, I think.” she said. “Remember?” Well, I really didn’t, but we gave it another try. Now, I think we’ll play a little game called good news/bad news. The good news was Ultra’s idea that we could look up the address in a phone book. More good news: a Walmart store with a bank of phones. Further good news: the phone book had not been stolen. The bad news was that instead of listing the address, the book only has an 800 number for WeightWatchers Salt Lake City. More bad news; when I tried to call the number, I could not navigate my way through the complicated menu system. But good news! The Walmart greeter and her young assistant knew where the center was and what it was next to! The news keeps getting better; we located the center and there was a Wendy’s nearby. Just enough time for me to grab a quick bite and walk to the center while the Ultra Father and Son enjoyed a leisurly lunch. While I was waiting for my lunch my cell phone rang. It was Debbie. “Have you found the Center yet?” she wanted to know. “Where IS it?” Funny, huh? Anyway, final good news; she found the center and I was able to walk to the center without getting lost. Our training was interesting, and we got some cool free stuff.
Well, I spent too much time talking about my hair, and my search for the WW center, and now I’m tired. It’s after 11:00! I think I’m a trifle too wordy. I can describe a 5 minute event in 500 words or more.
Later, UltraMom

My Birthday Revisited

Over the past couple of weeks, I have had the ocassion to relive my wonderful birthday surprise many times as I’ve shared it with friends. Each time it makes me feel so happy inside as I revel in the thoughts of how much I am loved. UltraBob’s visit lasted 4 wonderful days, and I want to capture a bit of them in writing, as much for myself as for you so I can revel a bit more.
In case you missed “our last episode”, UltraBob flew from Japan to Idaho to surprise me. I was the only one who didn’t know about it, and I arrived home late Wednesday night to find him sitting in my house! Johnny had arranged for me to have the next 2 days off work. Johnny and Jim had each taken the next day off, and I would have all three boys home for one glorious day. There, now you should be “up to speed”.
I awoke Thursday morning wondering how not to waste this day full of promises. UltraBob was prepared to start the task of fixing my computer (it had been on the verge of crashing for months), but I asked him to put it off for another day and just enjoy being with his brothers. To tell you the truth, I can’t even remember what we did that morning. When there are several people around, it always takes a while just for everyone to get up and get their shower. I do remember, however, that I was a bit grumpy when Johnny talked me into making homemade pizza for lunch. I was in the kitchen all by myself, while the boys played video games in the living room! But they loved the pizza, and I had managed to avoid ruining it with nectarine pits, plastic or candles. (See previous post)
Then someone handed me a note, and I realized that we were about to engage in one of my very favorite, #1 activities of all time: A birthday treasure hunt! While Ultra and Johnny had been engaging in video combat, Jim had been writing clues and hiding birthday presents around the house. It was great! The only problem was that Jim’s handwriting has eroded over the years to a small, undecipherable script, so Johnny had to help me read some of the clues. He is good at reading Jim’s handwriting since his own is similarly bad. Also, some of the clues were a bit obscure, so I needed some gentle “direction” at times to get me to the next clue. One clue led me to the bathtub where my large stuffed dragon was sitting (Jim won him for me years ago at an amusement park) with his tail wrapped around a wrapped gift. It was so cute that I had to go get my camera. Another clue led me to a stuffed pig we have. This pig when turned on, has a motion sensor. When aroused, he squeals loudly and then proclaims “I love you!” Jim had removed his battery mechanism and inserted a toy fish with a note that read “You found Nemo!” Perfect!
My actual birthday wasn’t until Sunday, but Johnny and Jim would have been gone by then, and we all know how much I love surprises!
Speaking of surprises, after being stuffed full of pizza, I was surprised that everyone could eat wtih such good appetite the meal I cooked that evening, at UItraBob’s special request. You guessed it, venison steak, mashed potatoes and gravy.
Friday we had Ultra all to ourselves, and he spent practically the whole day working on my computer. First we had to determine what I wanted to save and backup, because the next step was reformatting the hard drive. It still gives me goose bumps to say that. Then he loaded Windows 2000. I guess its a lot more stable than the Millenium version I was running.After that, of course, all of the other programs needed to be reloaded. We had a bit of a time with my e-mail, but now it works fine. And on a whole, the whole system does seem to be more stable. I just can’t get it to do everything I want it to do yet, but I’m sure it will come in time. That evening, UltraDad and I took Ubob over to The Rendezvous Cafe and Bar in Howe for a terrific prime rib dinner. At the Rendezvous, you basically have whatever they are cooking that day. Period. But we had called ahead, and thought prime rib would be a good treat for a special occasion. There was still an end-cut left, so that made me happy and the creme de brule dessert was splendiferous!
Be sure to come back tomorrow for the exciting sequel, “Saturday and Sunday”.
TTFN
UltraMom

I Did It MY Way

It’s been an interesting day, if not a particularly productive one. I got up this morning with the whole long Saturday spreading out before me. No one around except me and three cats (if you don’t count the 25 outdoor cats). So, I made myself a peach WeightWatcher smoothie for breakfast, which I drank while I checked e-mail and waded my way thru the net. I started to say “surfed” but my internet is way to slow to allow for actual surfing. Weightwatchers makes these powdered drink mix packets that you mix with either water or milk. They taste pretty good and help you fulfull the calcium requirements for the day. I like to make them in the blender and throw in some fruit and ice. I made one for Bob while he was here, impressing him with my culinary skills…........well that was what I’d planned, but things went just a bit wrong…........I had peeled and chopped a nectarine to enhance his smoothie, adding it to the mixture as it whirled in the blender. I expectantly waited while UBob took a drink. “Well, what do you think?” ” Umm…I think there may be rocks in it.” “oh, that’s just the ice. Give it back and I’ll blend it some more.” WHIRRRR. “You still have rocks in your drink? HMM..” That’s when it hit me. I must have thrown the nectarine pit in there with the chunks of fruit! You know how the fruit clings to the pit and you have to cut as much of it away as you can….you can see how easy it would be to mistake the pit for a big chunk of fruit. Honestly…. Anyway, I took it back and ran it through a sieve, and UltraBob said that the remaining chunks were small enough to drink, so there you go. This is nowhere near my only culinary disaster. One time, UltraHeather had a couple of girlfriends over and I made several large pans of lasagna because Heather loved it so. Yes, I’ve always been quite the good mother. One pan had been in the microwave and seemed a little undercooked, so I decided to finish it up in the oven. Just a small oversight. ANYONE could have forgotton to remove the plastic wrap covering the pan. The girls pulled strings of plastic wrap from their dinner, and now my plastic lasagna is a thing of legend. Another time, I made Bob a wonderful apple birthday pie. He is much fonder of pie than cake, so, again, being the good mother….......I spread cool whip on the pie and wrote “Happy Birthday Bobby” with a red frosting writing tube and inserted 9 or so candles. Unfortunately, the pie was still a little warm, and the candles began sliding into the pie as the wax melted. We quickly sang “Happy Birthday to You” , and picked bits of colored candlewax from our pie slices. Okay, enough about my kitchen disasters. On to MY DAY!

I donned shorts & tennies, grabbed my water, camera, pedometer and cell phone and took a nice long bike ride/walk. I rode as far up into Box Canyon as I could. Finally my legs said “Enough” to the steady climbing and told me to get off the bike and walk. I walked a total of 2.5 miles up to and then into the canyon. I heard cicadas and an occasional bird, but otherwise nothing. That was a good thing, because rattlesnakes are always a possibility. At Hotshot’s cave, I stopped and took a few pictures of myself, propping the camera in a tree branch and on the steel door that is set into the mouth of the cave. Hotshot is a nickname given to a man who lived in the valley a long time ago. He started the sod farm (grass) that is still operating today under different management, but he is most remembered for his bizarre ideas. It is said that he claimed he could pick up UFO signals through the fillings in his teeth, and he was certain that a nucelar holocaust was imminent. In this cave, about the size of a small bathroom, a couple of miles into Box Canyon, he built a fallout shelter. There is a cement floor and a steel door set into cement that blocks off the rest of the mouth of the cave. I believe at one time, it was stocked with supplies. It must have been quite a feat to get all that stuff up there, (especially the door), mix the cement, etc. Now the steel door hangs open and the corners of the cave are filled with seeds and bits of fir tree, showing evidence of packrats and other rodents. It’s a good place to take visitors, and once, for a creative date before a dance, Jim and BJ surprised their girlfriends with a picnic in the cave. They had set it up beforehand complete with table and chairs.
Anyway, the biking and hiking took me 3 hours and fulfilled my exercise requirements for the day.
The rest of the day has been spent avoiding the housework I should be doing, and that’s a job in itself! I watched Who Wants to be a Milionaire while munching on nachos. I read my Guidepost magazine and napped in my hammock. Now I’m blogging. I really haven’t felt lonely today. More…........decadent I suppose. I just talked to UltraDad and he will probably be home tomorrow and I will be glad to see him. But today is mine….......and its not over yet!
As Ever,
UltraMom

FAME, but not FORTUNE

Funny thing, fame. Our local paper, The Arco Advertiser came out today. On the back page was a photo montage of the Atomic Days festivities; the rodeo, the mud volleyball tournament, the parade, and the FUN RUN! There was a small photo of the winners of the various races, including…......UltraMom for the 5K walk. EVERYONE is wondering who this UltraMom is, and why she has such a weird name. No, seriously, I have been getting a lot of congrats from friends and bank customers who apparently read the paper from cover to cover.
I have been getting up just a touch earlier this week and getting my bike ride in before leaving for work at @8:20. It’s a perfect time of morning for it, before the inevitable wind kicks in. Even then there are some breezes, and it doesn’t always blow from the same direction. We have been having some pretty intense temperatures around here, but also some good storms. This afternoon we had one that poured torrents of rain for an hour or two, turned the sky black, and blew hard enough to cause me to close all the windows in the house. Anyway, the morning bike rides are nice because they take the pressure off of the after work exercise. If I’m beat, I can come home and veg out guilt free!
It’s kind of interesting what I do when I have the house to myself. Tonight, for instance, there’s noone home but me. So….........I made a large pan of veggie lasagna and a big pot of vegetable soup. Makes a lot of sense, huh? Part of my reasoning is that I have these ingredients that won’t stay fresh long enough for me to eat them all up before they spoil, so I can make these entrees that I’ll be able to freeze for later. See, I’m not so crazy after all.
I also watched a borrowed movie. It was called RADIO and starred Cuba Gooding Jr. I’m willing to be it was one of his earlier ones. He plays a mentally challenged teenaged boy. Check it out if you get a chance; pretty interesting. Well, gotta load the dishwasher and get to bed. What an exciting life I lead!
UltraMom

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And the Winner is……………..UltraMom!

I had a very interesting day today. As you may remember from yesterday, today was the big Atomic Days annual Fun Run/Walk. This is my third annual and I have the T-shirts to prove it. Dallin, my bank manager, was one of the organizers of this gala event and was slated to help with the set up; making sure all of the participants had submitted the requisite payment, had a number pinned to their back or front and had a T-shirt. No small task! We had discussed the “Fun Run” as we like to call it, the day before, and after I verified the starting time, Dallin remarked: “You probably don’t want to do what you did last year and show up 10 minutes late. That’s kind of pushing it.” Hmmm…............ I had forgotten about that….......
So this year, I showed up…....................2 minutes early! Since I had the foresight to preregister, that meant I had time to get my shirt, pin on that number, run the shirt back to my car and arrive back just in time for the tail end of “participant instructions”. But the important thing is that I was there in time for “On Your Mark! Get Set! GO!”
I started off in a blazing demonstration of fast walking technique; arms bent and pumping purposefully, stomach in, chest out, shoulders relaxed, rolling heel-to-toe gait. I was behind all the runners, but ahead of the rest of the walkers, as far as I could tell. There were a couple, Jeff and Lisa, who were right on my tail. They are prominent local citizens, probably in their 40s. UltraBob will be able to relate to them as Jared (Jim’s friend’s) parents. Jeff is a runner, and will be coaching the high school cross country team this fall, but I assume he was walking with his wife. After a bit I looked back to see who they were, and Jeff remarked “Oh, its you Kathy. I wondered who that was with that short little stride.” So much for my exemplary walking technique!
Officials were posted at various checkpoints to make sure we weren’t cheating and that we were going the right way, no small task for someone of UltraMom’s directional aptitude. After a bit, my legs began protesting my rapid pace, and I also tried to lengthen the stride a little. Unfortunately I have short little legs. One thing I determined; Jeff and Lisa were NOT going to pass me up. Not if my legs fell off.
In the end, UltraMom won the gold medal in the Women Walkers category with a blazing time of 38 minutes 38 seconds for 5 kilometers. And I know my legs are still here, because they have been screaming, crying and whining at me all day long. Next year I will actually begin training early…..maybe I’ll even run it…..............yeah, I know, that’s what I say every year…........
After the medal presentation, prizes were drawn for. Local entrepreneurs had donated merchandise, or coupons for merchandise, from their businesses. The first item was a cute stuffed pug dog from the local drug store. UltraMom’s name was drawn! Happy Days! I held the furry pup while I watched the rest of the prizes being distributed; a 6-pack of pepsi, a gas can from a service station, $10 in sandwiches from the Deli, etc. I thought about what I would do with a large stuffed dog. He was pretty cute, but my house is full to brimming (just ask UltraB…..on second thought, don’t) with such stuff. He might make a nice addition to UltraGirl’s stuffed dog collection, but I’m afraid she would need a new TV just for him (I understand that the television top is where all the pooches live)
Just then I notice a young woman making her way towards me, smiling in a friendly fashion. It turns out that she wanted my dog! She had recently moved to the area from Calif, and her best friend raised pugs and she would really love to have the dog. I’m not clear if she was going to send it to her friend or use it to remind her. Anyway, she had some Mary Kay beauty products to trade. My first reaction was “MY dog.” but on further reflection I thought “Why not?” So I proposed a deal. I would make the trade on one condition. That she snapped my photo with my digital camera of me with my dog, wearing my medal in front of the Fun Run sign. Needless to say, she accepted with alacrity, so now I have some Mary Kay moisturizing body wash and a photo memory of my dog, which this woman claimed she will name after me. Here I would include the pic for your viewing pleasure, but I don’t seem to be smart enough to figure out how to do that:(
After that exciting encounter, I walked about the park a bit, looking at t-shirts, bandannas, knives and jewelry for sale, and a man cutting wooden posts into shapes of bears. I bought raffle tickets to benefit a local child who has a rare form of cancer. I noted the softball tournament in progress and checked out the “mud volleyball” game. I thought about sticking around to watch the parade, but suddenly just wanted to get home. After all, maybe UltraDad and I would go somewhere and do something fun with the rest of the day!
We ended up going to Idaho Falls, and exchanging our cell phones. Actually, UB, we just exchanged them for others of the exact same mode that you helped us select, and we’ll see if that helps. The main problem is that we will be talking away and suddenly find that the call has been disconnected. The cell phone rep spouted some stuff about Howe being a tough area, but the cell phone towers were all being updated, and she was sure we would have great service in a couple of months…...unfortunately, we only have 1 month for exchange and/or cancellation privileges.
We talked about where to eat (my favorite topic) and ended up going to an old favorite; The Texas Roadhouse. Somehow, the country music singer Willie Nelson has a connection to this chain restaurant. They play country music and deliver peanuts to your table. The wall are decorated with posters of country stars and the decor includes charming Texas accents such as a stuffed (or maybe a statue of) armadillo drinking a bottle of beer. The also bring these amazing rolls with honey butter along with the peanuts, and I usually feel a bit stuffed before my entree ever arrives.
Then it was on to the movie theater. I really wanted to see SHREK 2, but UDad had seen it the week before with Johnny. So we went to separate movies! He saw “I, ROBOT”, some sci fi thing with Will Smith. I guess he liked it; he really didn’t say much about it. Shrek was fabulous. I LOVE that Puss in Boots!
So the day was a pretty good one. AND a pretty long one. I’m pooped….........maybe I’ll just have one more little look at that gold medal before I head for bed…..............
UltraMom