SimplyLife

As you probably guessed with the wedding around the corner, a domino effect takes over, and thousands of projects spring to mind to go along with it all. Apparently life events are great motivators.Today was culling out the cactus day. My good husband, with a pry bar and shovel went to town on the cow's tongue cactus which was mostly decimated by single digit temps this winter. It was pretty unsightly anyway --overgrown, ugly shape. The main part of the wicked plant had become hollow and rotten. The thorns are quite long - a couple of inches and it didn't come out without a bit of attitude. And as you might guess, the roots go to China. In the middle of it all was a prolific agave with jagged leaves. They're like a bouquet of serrated knives, daring you to take it out. The mother plant had a large cluster of "pups" that had grown around her over the last nine years. I removed one to a new location. We'll see if it survives. The rest were tossed carefully int...

Wedding is pretty much all we're talking about these days at Casa Wallace. We're down to the week before the big day for our daughter Emily and her fiance, Chris. We've been planning this for a year and the end is in sight.  If you've ever been through a full blown wedding (not a JP or eloping thing), you know that the last weeks are full of details, stress, a little frustration, and more details. The seating chart has been the big deal this week.  It's finally done and people who have responded that they'll attend, have a seat. They have an assigned table that will have a place card with their name.  It's going to be a great time. We'll have family and friends around us who are there with one purpose--celebrating the marriage of Emily and Chris. They've been waiting a long time for this day, endured a long separation, and mostly communicated by Skype. There will be toasts, gifts, music, dancing, and my heart will be glad to see them together.   ...

Back East, this time of year is mud season. I bid it a fond farewell 10 years ago.  Mud is rarely an issue here, but it's red and sticky when it does occur. Not good at all.  Spring is the harbinger of dust season in Arizona. There's dust year around, but especially so in March and April. The winds kick up and red grit sifts through cracks and crevices. You'll find it in the house right after you've dusted. If you're an OCD duster--look out. The dust never ends. After a little more than 24 hours of 40-50 mile an hour winds last week which really coated everything with red dirt, it's calmed down to just breezy. While the windstorm was bullying its way across the state, a wall of dirt rose in the air, veiling the mountains to the east of Casa Wallace.  Haboob near Phoenix Dust Devil Larger dust storms or haboobs occur regularly toward Phoenix, especially on the I-10.  They're as dangerous as a blizzard, and maybe more so because people don't kno...

A phone call came into my office the other day and after the caller identified herself, she asked for my copier's model number. Suspecting that it was a telemarketing scam of some sort, I asked, "Who are you with?" There was dead silence and then a click.  Smiling to myself, the quick exit confirmed my suspicions. I didn't fall off the potato truck yesterday. Then the phone rang again. Caller ID said it was the same caller, so I let it go to voicemail. The line once again went "click" and no message was left. Surprised that she would call back, I was even more so when the phone rang a third time from the same number. Answering the call, I found that it was the same woman. She quickly identified herself and asked about the copier. When I inquired yet again, "Who are you with?" She replied, "I don't see why my marital status is important." As you might guess, I had to stop from laughing before responding.  "I don't need your ...

I've been a mystery fan since I began reading my dad's boyhood favorites, the Sugar Creek Gang mystery books way back when. With a mystery, you have to put on your thinking cap to discover the murderer and really get to know the characters. One of them is the bad apple, but he or she is not always easy to find.  The scare factor is part of the thrill, too. Spooky old houses, storms, cryptic letters, hidden rooms, creepy suspects...all great fun. Writing about what I know, Family Matters is set in my hometown area of Western New York. It's a wonderful place to live, except for the winter part. The people are friendly and care about each other. When bad stuff happens, people show up to help. You can relate if you grew up in small town America. The local restaurant is the hub of information and the church is the other. Family Matters introduces you to the fictional village of Deer Creek, located somewhere in Wyoming County. Gracie is a recent widow, reinventing her lif...

Do you remember that old Sunday School song, Why Worry When You Pray ? It goes like this: Why worry when you can pray, Trust Jesus, He'll be your stay, Don't be a doubting Thomas, Rest fully on His promise Why worry, worry,worry, worry When you can pray?   So simple, yet so difficult. But we have good reasons to worry, don't we?  The world is a terrible place. Lots of bad stuff is happening all around us and sometimes to us. Moms are especially susceptible to worry. Our kids, even when they're adults are a great area of concern for many of us. The future is so uncertain - what if I lose my job, what if the stock market crashes and my IRA tanks? What if the medical tests I just had come back with bad news? What if I can't pay my bills? The "what ifs" get us so many times.  We forget that as believers we have have the solid promises of God that cover us. Jesus said in Matthew 6:24-25 "No one can serve two masters. For you will hate o...

Our Lab, Clancy is going to be 11 years old in a few weeks. We've had him since he was eight weeks old, just a squirming, yippy puppy. Once a way too energetic dog, he's just now beginning to slow down. Now that he's well into his senior years, a few quirks have come along that only add to his rather enthusiastic personality. He likes to imagine that intruders are outside on a whim. He begins barking for no particular reason and stares out of the front windows.  I vainly search for possible trespassers, but the yard is empty. If a commercial on TV includes a doorbell ringing, he's immediately at the front door barking like a Rottweiler. I'm chalking up these reactions to old age. He used to be able to differentiate between TV and reality. Or perhaps he's watched too much TV over the years. Clancy, who leads a rather sedate life these days, comes to life every evening around 7:00pm. He happily supplies entertainment just when we'd like to sit down and re...

At a recent checkup with my doctor, she noticed that I was due for a tetanus immunization. Within minutes a medical assistant was plunging a needle in my upper left arm. Ouch! It really wasn't that bad, but my arm was sore for a few days. The shot will protect me over the next 10 years from getting tetanus. You know that often fatal infection you can get from stepping on a rusty nail or puncturing any part of your body. Because it's relatively easy to do something stupid like impale your foot or hand on a sharp object, the momentary discomfort is welcome because I'd much rather have the shot than have tetanus. The expression, "a shot in the arm" also means a dose of encouragement that we all need from time to time. It's Wednesday or "Hump Day" and we're half-way through the work week. How's your week going? Busy? Frustrating? If you're feeling a little down on this beautiful, sunny day (sorry-perfect weather in AZ today) here's a pa...