I am going to try to do this update as quick and as seamless as I can    So many things going on.  Welllllll  tonight I played Hockey with Matthew in my first game.  It was the last practice/game of the season and they played the PARENTS.  It was sooooo much fun actually getting to skate a game.  The refs were from our local team the COLUMBUS Cottonmouths.  They were very quick and ...errrr helpful.  At one time Matthew and I were going for the puck and we collided.  You can imagine the adrenaline felt as a pack of 6-8 year olds are coming after you with full padding, a stick and some sharp skates.  I think I might need some sort of geratol cocktail  in the morning,  but I survived!!!!  Its an ugly cell phone pic but we FORGOT our camera.
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Last week we went to my Grandmother's land in AZ.  It is 200 acres located near Snowflake AZ.  Some of it was given to me by her and some I purchased from other family members about 7 years or so ago.  My Grandma was an eccentric woman who danced literally to the beat of her own drum.  She not only danced but she probably had an Indian war yelp in there somewhere   She bought the land back in the early 70's when they sold off what was called the White Mountain Ranch.  Each acre was roughly 250 dollars.  It was her dream to build a rammed earth home there.  Grandma Thelma was a teacher at the local Indian reservation.  She would go to her land on the weekends and stay in a little trailer.  The plan was to build a home against the mountain.  The land STILL DOES NOT HAVE access to electric or water.   The homes I did see in the area had solar panels and windmills. 
We flew into Phoenix and drove to the land.  My sister and I had a great bit of difficulty finding it in such a remote area.  I spent about 45 minutes with a local real estate guy staring at some maps before we had an idea where to look.  When we figured out the general area he said to me "You know a long time ago there was a character of a woman who lived up in those parts, she would hitch hike down to town".    I smiled and said, Yes Sir that was my Grandma.  I can't imagine hitch hiking in my late 70s but HEY it was the way She rolled. 
Having known my Grandma and her granola ways it did not surprise me to find old issues of Mother Earth news and Jars of dried beans still in her little run down trailer.  My Grandma was a vegetarian way before Whole foods was ever thought of.  She loved the land and had such a dream for building her own home there.
My sister and I found a beautiful place.  I really enjoyed the property.  My Grandmother's ashes are there.  While I did not see her vision like she did for the land I felt her and that was awesome.  I hiked up and walked the same paths she did.  I picked up piles of rock she had stacked for projects I can only assume.  I stared out at the horizon and wondered how often she had gone up to the top of the very same hill to think about "LIFE".
A few months ago my Mom had commented that she was sorry she never saved any pottery that my Grandmother had made.  My mother is an Artisan Potter and so was my Grandmother.  As I approached my Grandma's little trailer what did I see?  I found a small pottery pot my Grandma had made.  I stared in disbelief that it was not broken.  I wrapped it up and took it to my Mom in Florida. 
Here are a few pics of our vacation to Arizona




















This entry is huge.  I wanted to talk about my garden and my new hobby.  I guess I will do that tomorrow if I get a chance.