Idaho 2015

Ian was out there 2 weeks ago and had some concerns, so I headed out to visit Dad and see for myself. He seems to be doing much better since his surgery, recovery is going well, but he's just not eating well, he's never been a good eater.  I planned to cook all sorts of tempting items, ply him with food and then leave stuff in the freezer for them to eat later.

First stop is always Jack in the Box!!  Oh how I love my Jack in the Box!

I just love Idaho.  The weather was stunningly gorgeous!  Low 80's at the highest, no humidity.  I was able to get my runs in without dying and we spent most of our time just sitting on the porch enjoying the weather and watching the pond and wildlife.  They really do have the most beautiful oasis in their backyard.

It really is so relaxing and rejuvenating to just sit out there and relax.  No phone calls, no email, just peace and quiet and good conversation.  I was also designated the "freezer police" this trip.  I cleaned out all 3 freezers, reorganized and then filled with casseroles.  It was great fun teasing Louise about the amount of crap in their freezers!  If it was completely covered in ice, unrecognizable or older than 5 years - into the trash it went.  4 enormous bags of trash later...she took the ribbing pretty gracefully. 

No trip to Idaho is complete without a trip to the Casino!  Personally, I don't get the lure - but I enjoyed having lunch and hanging out with them.  I prefer a game that requires at least a little skill, like solitaire! :o)  Not just push a button and wait to see what happens.  But I played along just like everyone else.  Started with my $20, tried to find machines that had some sort of significance.  Played a "Buffalo Bill" machine in honor of John - loser.  Played "Prince Charming" in honor of Zack - loser.  Played "Aliens" for myself - even bigger loser.  Down to my last few dollars... Found "Lucky Horses" in honor of Brenna....

"Lucky Horses" - BIG WINNER!!!  Thanks Brenna Hyzy!  Started with $20 and came home with $63.77!  Pretty darn exciting... then we went to the movies and I had POPCORN and CANDY with my winnings.  It was a "go crazy" kind of day!  I think it was good for Dad and Louise to get out and they both seemed to enjoy themselves. 

Overall, it was a good visit, Dad seems to be doing very well, handling everything about as well as I could expect.  He ate really well while I was cooking - maybe so I wouldn't feel bad, but if guilt gets him to eat, then I'll take it!  I'll probably try and head back up there when his reconstruction surgery is scheduled, if he decides to go thorough with it.  His Dr. seems to be an anti-smoking fanatic and is threatening not to do the reconnection surgery if Dad doesn't quit smoking.  Seems a little iffy-iffy to both Ian and me, so I told Dad to try and get a second opinion and we'll go from there.  I'll keep checking in regularly, nagging him to eat and walk and hopefully he'll have many more years of my nagging!

   

Over the country and through the skies to Grandfather's house I went.

    I snuck off to Idaho last weekend and hung out with Dad.  It was great to just get away and do nothing.  They don't have WiFi or even a computer so it really was do nothing.  I could keep up to date with my fabulous iPhone, but nobody knew that, so it was my choice.  I must admit I did check in on Facebook at least once a day and I read all my emails, but I didn't answer even ONE!  Points for me.

     We started the visit off with a trip to Hall's Corner Bar where THE MOST AMAZING chili cheese dog lives!  I'm not sure you can truly appreciate the magnificence that is this chili dog.  It's got tons of chili, handfuls of cheese and sauerkraut!  I know, I know, one wouldn't think there would be a place for sauerkraut on a chili cheese dog....but...one would be WRONG!!  And if I'm being completely honest I actually think this dog is made up of THREE hotdogs!  So it's really a chili-cheese dog, dog, dog!  Ooohhh it's good!  I actually ate on it for 3 days and the leftovers were just as tasty!  So, first mission accomplished!  Despite gorging myself on red licorice, molasses cookies and jack in the box tacos, I did manage to walk and run on two days.  Although I must say I discovered that chili dogs, red licorice and molasses cookies are really not the best fuel for this running machine.  It was ROUGH!  The country up there is just beautiful, even with the fields all plowed over!  

It was most enjoyable, except for the one angry farmer who came outside on his porch and wanted to know "Why you taken pictures of my property?!"  I stood looking at him like a deer in the headlights I"m sure and squeaked out "I thought it was pretty....I'm just visiting my Dad."  He seemed okay with it and grumbled back into the house.  I wanted to yell "Paranoid much!" as I walked away but I restrained myself.  When I got home and told my Dad, he laughed and said, "That's old Marvin, he probably thought you were from the government!"  Sheesh!

    We ended up the visit with a trip to The Casino.  I've never actually been to a real casino before.  We've walked through them in Vegas and on our cruises, but it's really not my "thing,"  I can't see the point in feeding money into a machine where all you do is push a button.  There's no skill, there's no effort, there's nothing you can do to make the odds come out in your favor... it's all luck.  But my Dad was throwing money at me, I took a $20 and I came out of there with 8 cents!  My Dad won $335!  WTH!  I couldn't believe it.  Now, I'm not a Casino virgin anymore all thanks to my Dad!  I got in trouble for taking pictures in the Casino as well.  Took one, and the Casino police were all over me! I did sneak one out, but I'm probably in some "hold and detain" database now!  I'm not sure what it is that Idaho has against cameras, but tourists BEWARE!

All in all it was a great visit.  I'm always so happy to see my Dad, but at the same time it makes me very sad when I have to leave and I realize just how far apart we live.  The older I get the more I want to just gather all my loved ones close around me.  I worry about something happening to them or to me, I worry that I'm not going to see them enough or tell them how much I love them enough.  It's just a little bit sad.  I think my Dad feels the same way, he seemed very sad when I left and I just kept praying that no one would burst into tears because then we'd all go down!  As usual, I made the vow that we need to get together at least once a year and once a year is not nearly enough, but with the cost and the distance and our lives getting in the way we're lucky if we can do that.  It just sort of Sucks!  But I'm very happy for the time I did get to spend with him and we'll just keep doing the best that we can!  I love you Dad!

World's Best (almost) daughter...otherwise known as Odysseus

The only difference between my travels this week and Odysseys's 10-year long adventure was that he was trying to get home to his family and I was trying to buy cigarettes!  Both were fraught with dangerous places, questionable characters and temptations beyond imagine... Odysseus was successful, I was not.

I little background before I begin my story... My dad has always smoked More cigarettes, at least as long as I have been alive.  I'm not even going to go into the whole smoking vs. not smoking issue. If 30 years of my nagging and 18 years of his grandkids telling him how sad they are that he's going to die because he smokes cigarettes hasn't made him mend his ways, I think we've pretty much done all we can.  Anyway, went to Idaho last summer to visit and the very first day we are all sitting out on the patio socializing and Grandpa Bud lights up... A horrified and shocked silence descended on the backyard!  Grandpa Bud was smoking some sort of plain white cigarette! (John still insists they were Eve's!)  Well, the whole family just sat there in stunned and puzzled amazement until I broke the silence, "What the hell are you smoking?"
Apparently thanks to those "God-Damn Democrat Commies" in Washington, Mores were priced right out of poor downtrodden, persecuted Grandpa's budget.  He would buy a carton and ration them out, smoking "knock off Indian cigarettes from the reservation" in-between.  So for Christmas as a joke, we sent him a carton of cigarettes so he wouldn't have to suffer the indignities of smoking those "pu**y cigarettes"  when he went down to the local bar.

Fast forward to yesterday... Often when we have company  when I make up the guest room, I put a picture from the guest's last visit in a frame and leave a chocolate on the pillow.  But, this was Grandpa Bud, no stinkin' chocolate for him, cigarettes would be just the ticket!...  I began my odyssey early in the morning after all I had plenty to get accomplished.  3 long, hot hours and 10 stores later I would have sold my first born for a carton of Mores, hell I would have given her away for a pack.  I went to Giant, Bloom, Safeway, 2 Gas stations, CVS, a liquor store, the BX, the Commissary and the Class IV store.  There were no Mores to be found, nary a one.  Still haven't found any (except on a Russian website that seemed questionable at best) so...I bought a bottle of Vodka.  Best. Daughter. Ever!