THE TINY RING IN THE MEDICINE CABINET

Clint's guest room is actually the master bedroom. He prefers to use one of the other bedrooms as his room and to use the main bath. So, Mike and I had the use of the master bathroom -- and because Clint admittedly does not use that room at all, I snooped! Checking out the medicine cabinet, I found nothing in it but the tiniest Black Hills Gold ring I have ever seen. I am guessing that it was a keepsake gift to a baby that was somehow overlooked when the previous occupants of this house moved on. Really odd to find it in the medicine cabinet, though. I'd keep it in my jewelry box. And that's where it's going. KW

A DAY WITH CLINTON

This morning Clinton gave us a tour of the Hagerman area, including a site where ruts of the Oregon Trail could be seen and also the Hagerman fossil beds. Then he gave us a tour of the Shoshone Falls Power Plant where he is team leader on a maintenance project. We saw some beautiful scenery. Driving into Twin Falls, we shopped at Winco. We returned to Clint's house mid-afternoon, and Mike, Nellie, and I found three geo-caches right here in the neighborhood. This evening we grilled a beer can chicken which was delicious. We might watch a movie from Clint's collection tonight. Tomorrow we'll leave for Boise after breakfast. I talked with Milo last night and arranged to spend the morning with his family. It's Mason's seventh birthday, but they aren't having a party until a later date. We expect to leave for our town house in the early afternoon. It's been a wonderful vacation -- I wouldn't have missed it. Now it's time to get back to routine. KW

HALLOWEEN OVER -- HOMEWARD BOUND

Mike and I had a wonderful time visiting Yancey, Kelly and family. We so appreciated the opportunity to share their world for a few days. I enjoyed every minute, including "trick or treat-ing" with Annie and Jack. Annie dressed as a hockey player; Jack was a girl in a "shocking pink" formal. (Some of you may remember when shocking pink was the name of a color.) Mike wore his devil mask. And Yancey also dressed in costume as a rough-looking convict. He was convincing, too, hobbling along on one crutch. However, he returned home after a few blocks because his leg was bothering him. With a pending trip to Minneapolis for work, he decided not to overdo. I did not wear a costume this year. While pressing my witch's dress, I noticed the old satin fabric was turning from black to red. Time for a new costume! Anyway, Mike and I accompanied Annie and Jack through the neighborhood for 1 1/2 hours. Mike estimated their candy hauls to be about 10 pounds each. Of course, they generously shared a few Tootsie Rolls with Grandpa.

We left Yancey's at 6:30 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 1, arriving at Clint's in Hagerman at suppertime. We had no road problems. We stopped for two geo-caches, which we found. These were both great spots for Nellie to exercise. She's such a great traveler! I complain more than she does!

AFGHAN FOR ANNIE

As we were firming our plans to drive to Denver earlier this month, I decided it was the perfect opportunity to make an afghan for Annie. That way I wouldn't have to ship it. I had less than three weeks and it seemed an ambitious project (I tend to work slowly), but I decided to give it a try. I used Caron's "Simply Soft," a yarn I haven't used previously, but the colors were right. I made a ripple afghan in two shades of pink and also white. We gave it to her last night and she immediately wrapped up in it -- which is what I had envisioned. I hope she will use it and enjoy it. My mother wanted the afghans she made to be treated with deference. She thought of them as living legacies. Fold it -- keep it -- don't use it. Not me! I want mine used so that the recipient feels the love I have for him / her through its warmth. You say you've used it up and it's not so pretty? Great! -- I'll make you another.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

This morning Jack said, "You have two options; give me a trick or give me a treat." I explained that it really means give me a treat or I'll trick you. He said, "Then it should be 'treat or trick.'" I told him he had that right. / I forgot to tell you all that last Friday Grandpa Mike "helped" Annie and Jack carve their pumpkins. Annie's was based on an idea from an email forward -- a sick face with bits of candy and pumpkin seeds coming out his mouth. She entered it in the contest at the softball tournament and won second prize. Ironically, the first prize was a carved to look like a hamburger, an idea off the same forward. Anyway, Annie received a $10.00 gift certificate to Toys-R-Us. Her parents said that was a dubious blessing -- she will have to add money to that in order to buy anything worth having. Both Annie and Jack have "Brain Age" which they purchased with borrowed funds, so technically they do not have extra money at this time. / Kelly has decorated for Halloween -- a nice display. You can see the upstairs balcony through a window above the front door, which makes decorating it so worthwhile. She has Halloween lights and a "Happy Halloween" banner. One of those "vacuum" witches stands in the front yard. And she has a big pot of Halloween bite-size bars ready and waiting. / I will be making the traditional pot of Halloween chili this afternoon.

COOKIN' ON TUESDAY

Yancey, Kelly and the kids had busy schedules today, so I made chicken enchiladas for dinner. Suddenly the house seemed so quiet and I had the feeling I was being watched. Check out the picture. I also baked a pumpkin spice cake -- one of my favorite recipes.

The greater Denver area is designed with many parks, bike / walking paths, and open areas, many of the parks connected by the paths. It's a great place to exercise. This morning we found a geo-cache at one such park, "Cottonwood Park." Mike dropped me at the Hobby Lobby where I spent an enjoyable half hour browsing. It's a big store as much about home decor as hobbies, and hobbies means all hobbies -- like model trains, doll houses, etc. There was some yarn and some fabric, but really not much. There were lots of Christmas decorations and I liked that but decided not to invest in breakables while traveling. Mike shopped at Gander Mountain where he bought their last bag of copper-coated shot -- something he has been seeking for years. He thought it quite a coup!

Tomorrow is our last day here -- and an important day -- Halloween! Thursday we will travel to Clint's. KW

NOW IT'S MONDAY . . .

Annie and Jack were allowed to skip school today in order to spend the day with us. We did some geo-caching this morning with Jack and Mike finding two and unable to locate a third. We had lunch at a soup and sandwich buffet (the kids' choice). The plan was for a bike ride this afternoon on some of Denver's excellent paths, but Annie didn't want to. Instead the four of us drove down town to the Denver Museum of Natural Science where we toured the Titanic exhibit which is here until January. Considering the length of time those artifacts were under water, it's amazing what was found and preserved. We returned back to the house in rush hour traffic, but Grandpa Mike valiantly perservered and we made it! The Broncos and the Green Bay Packers are playing tonight here in Denver, I think, and Mike is watching the game as I write. However, Kelly says she's had enough sports and wants a diversion tonight -- like a board game or a movie. Perhaps we'll watch a movie, The Illusionist.

GOOD NEWS!! YP saw his orthopaedist this morning and is to begin weight bearing. That temporary handicapped permit in the car is good for three months, though, and they joke that it will take them through the Christmas shopping season. KW