Tomato juice bath.

Let me start by saying that Tomato juice does get rid of the scent of 'skunk'. We have tested this before.....but last night.....

We let Shelby out right before we were going to bed, just like always. Waiting till he came back in....the scent of 'skunk' came floating in the door! Now a quick look back to another night......two nights ago I was blaming Tom for giving Shelby something to eat that caused him to be rather fragrant all night long! Neither one of us could think of anything that he ate that was different. Now back to last night....it is obvious that it was not the food, it was a Skunk!
He did not get the full dose in the face....a small blessing....but just a glancing blow....so to speak : )

Anyway, before we go much farther I need to say that we keep a few large cans of tomato juice all the time. (Another story but with Ivory -grand kids black lab- as the staring role and Mathew giving the tomato bath!) So... out comes the juice....and into the bath tub.... Tom was the bath giver this time. And in about 30 minutes....we had a much better smelling dog. Not perfect but at least we were able to be in the same room with him.

Now we have to find a way to get rid of the SKUNK....without any more fragrant attacks!! Got any ideas?!?

Suitcase at home.

Tuesday afternoon our 'lost' suitcase finished it's trip home! It took a rather longer trip than we did to get here. After spending 3 more hours in Denver, it was placed on a flight to St Louis. From there it went to Earth City, Mo to catch a FedEx truck to a transfer point to reach Rolla and then to us. It was quick for the route that it took...but.... At least it was delayed on the way home and not on the way to Reno/Tahoe/Squaw Valley. It also suffered a little damage from the trip. One missing tab, and one missing leg. Now it sits a little lopsided and one of the zippers will be hard to use.... But all the dirty clothes were still there. (And nobody cleaned them for us!) Now for a few hours of laundry....and all will be as good as new......well except for the suitcase that will tend to fall over all the time!!
The end of another fine adventure..... and home safe and sound.

Home at last.

We are home at last! Not your ordinary start at dawn, smooth flying, quick plane change, smooth flight, quick baggage pick-up, drive home.....relax! We did get up really early and get to the airport on time. No problem with check-in, no problem with baggage, and a little problem with finding the gate as they are doing some building at Reno Airport. But within no time we were on the plane, settled in and pushed away from the gate....to sit for 30+ minutes. Some problem with the computer system not wanting to start right. And then off! A little late... we only had 45 minutes in Denver between planes....you know what is coming up..... Yes we were 30+ minutes late in Denver. And Yes we had to go from B16 to B48....in no time. But....we did it in about 5 minutes. The gate was closed but they were waiting on a first class passenger and had to let us on with him..... And off to St Louis.... we did leave late but at least we were out of Denver. It was really rough over the mountains to get out of the Denver area. We did get to St Louis....without our bag...we made the plane but the bag did not. We got a message that United was sorry about us missing our flight and had us booked on the next flight that would get us into St Louis at 3:30p. Actually, we were on the ground and leaving the airport to pick up the car as the other flight was boarding and we got the message. They will have to send the bag by Fed Ex filled with all our dirty clothes. It did not make the same plane that we did....but the bag did get on the plane that we were suppose to when we missed our scheduled flight. But now we are home. Safe and sound. We had to make a couple of stops after our long drive before we got home. One....gas! It was actually cheaper at home than anywhere on the road.

The second stop was to check in on my Aunt Mary. We got a call in Reno that she was going to the ER because she had a black eye and no one knew where it came from. She could not help because she did not know either. To make sure that it was not something really bad...off to the ER she went. We were already leaving Reno as fast as we could so....we stopped to see how she was. She definitely had a black eye! But it was obvious today that it was from a busted blood vessel. She was checked out and there was no underlying problem. So, for now, she will just have to look like she went a couple of rounds in an ultimate fighting ring! But she is fine and doing well.

The last stop was to get fresh food! There was nothing in the house. We had finished everything or thrown out anything that would spoil. So nothing was here.

It is wonderful to go places...even those we have been too before....but it is so nice to be at home and will be much better tomorrow when Shelby will be home too. Kat has already been through her response modes....glad to see you....feed me....glad to see you.....and I am really not happy with you so I am going to ignore you for a while....but boy am I glad to see you!!

Boy are we glad to be home!!

We are in Reno!

Boy, am I glad that we are in Reno! It is going to start snowing in the Sierra's and they are to get more than a foot of snow! Reno get a dusting last night and that was gone as soon as the sun came up.

Hugs and Kisses to all!!
Happy Valentine's Day to All!!

More snow on the way!

There is more snow on the way. Friday is the last day of the seminar so we will be headed back to Reno. They are supposed to get more snow showers Friday and then heavier snow over Saturday. That storm is going to be a really good one. From the coast through Nevada, Utah, southern Wyoming and Colorado Friday night and Saturday. As long as the airport here is clear, we are off for home early Sunday morning. And then we will try and get in and out of Denver. (That has been our thorn every time we go there.)

It has been a great trip. All things considered....we would come back in the winter again. As long as they don't get one of those once in a 40 year storms....

Weather in ski country.

Snowing. Snowing. Snowing.

It has been snowing since yesterday afternoon. It is not the big, wet, sticky snow that we have. It is small, light, dry flakes. They pile up and blow around and pile in drifts. I will say that even though it has snowed a lot, the roads are really clear. They are plowing all the time. As soon as it starts snowing, the plows are out. During the day, if the sun is out....it is melting off the slush. As soon as it quits snowing the roads will be absolutely dry and clear! So driving around is not a problem. If I had to live in snow country and the roads could be like this…..I would not mind it.
It is also not as bitter cold. Or so it seems. It is cold. But that biting, wet, bone chilling cold of Missouri is not here. There have been times even with the cold and snow that you could be out without heavy coats, glove, etc. But the bottom line is…..if it is a ski area….it is cold and winter all the time. No breaks with 60 degree days here.

Our next great adventure.

We are out in the snow country. Tom is going to a medical seminar in Squaw Valley, California. This is one of our favorite areas to visit. We are usually here in warmer times. This is a wonderful summer vacation place with lots of outdoor activities. Everything from water sports on Lake Tahoe to hiking the mountain trails in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. In the winter, there are ski areas everywhere. Skiing means lots of snow. And we all know how much I love snow, ice, and cold. So being in Reno-Lake Tahoe-Truckee-Squaw Valley area in the winter is great when looking from the inside out….but really not my cup of tea.
We did take our usual trip to Virginia City. We both love it there. The surrounding hills contained great wealth in silver and gold. For half a century the mines poured over $400,000,000 into the economy of the nation in the 1800’s. The mining boom turned the city into the most important settlement between Denver and San Francisco. Prospectors were turned into instant millionaires. The Comstock Lode was the richest place on earth. It has become the largest area listed on the national historical register. Mark Twain started as a reporter for the Territorial Enterprise. There was so much tunneling for the mines that to supply timber for the tunnels stripped all the trees for over 100 mile area. It is so hard to comprehend both the amount of timber that went underground and the enormous amounts of ore and wealth that came out of the ground.
In the ‘off season’ some of the businesses close but this time there were a lot of empty store fronts and buildings for sale. It is probably not been the easiest time with the economy like it is and the winter has always been quiet there. We had lunch in the window of the Sawdust Café at the Delta Queen Saloon. We usually have lunch there. This time there weren’t as many people and it was really cold when the door opened! It is high desert and does not have near the snow that the Truckee-Squaw Valley area does but it is still cold. (Old time family real occurrence…..Years ago Tom and I were sightseeing and stopped at a mountain overlook. Mary Lou and Jess were with us. Mary Lou could not do heights, so Jess, Tom and I went to get a better look at the valley. There was a skinny, blond young lady with her boyfriend. She was wearing a halter top and shorts. It was early spring so, it was just a little chilly. She said….’I thought that it would be a lot warmer up here because we are so much closer to the sun.’ Jess, Tom and I…..just stood there….not moving….not breathing….staring off into space. It was a whole lot of luck that we didn’t break out laughing and start rolling on the ground. We did get back to the car and told Mary Lou what had happened. Then we all sat there laughing so hard we had tears rolling down our faces.) No matter how close to the sun we are….in the winter…. it is cold. They are expecting snow tonight until tomorrow night. We will have to see what it looks like in the morning. The first class starts at 7a (at 10a they break for the afternoon and come back for more classes at 4p till 7p) Do you think that we could get snowed in? If we skied, it would be a good place to be. They are expecting three different storm systems to come through in the next few days. There will be a break in the weather and then more snow and then another break and hopefully, no snow early Sunday morning when we are on the way home.