Larada Horner-Miller's Blog, page 46
July 22, 2018
What Did You Do For the 4th of July?
The Horner family had a change in plans. Because of the Spring fire in southeastern Colorado, all the roads into Cuchara, CO were closed–Cuchara has been our Independence Day destination for years.
So I remembered I got an email about WestFest in Red River, NM and Michael Martin Murphey would be there–doing a concert/dance at the MotherLode Bar the evening of July 4. I checked it out and there would be lots going on in that little mountain town—-that sounded like a great alternative.
One sad part for me was that Lin, my husband, was sick and couldn’t join us, so I updated our shenanigans to him with photos and texts all day and evening.
The morning of July 4, 2018, my brother, niece, her husband, their two sons and I left Branson, CO about 9:00 am, making sure we had our holiday wares to wear with us. My niece and her two boys and I love to dress up in our patriotic outfits!
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My Niece and I All Lit for the 4th of July!
We stopped in Raton, NM for gas and refreshments. Our hearts broke as we drove through the fire-ravaged mountains above Cimarron, NM because of the fire there earlier in the year. It came really close to the city and destroyed so much of the natural beauty in the mountains near Cimarron, but the town was spared.
We stopped in Eagle Nest, NM at my favorite jewelry store, Eye of the Eagle, and I added a T. C. (Tommy or Thomas Charlie) necklace to my collection of earrings and bracelet. People already lined the streets already at 11:00 am for the 2:00 pm parade–talk about anticipation!
We arrived in Red River, NM about noon and walked around the vendors in the park–seeing some unique handmade articles. We had a delicious late lunch at Texas Red’s Steak House.
Then we had fun shopping the stores and timed it to see the Cowboy Shoot Out at Frye’s Old Town. I loved the Native dancers from the Taos pueblo–I participated with the dancers and many others in the Friendship dance.
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Eagle Dancer from the Taos Pueblo
From that point, our afternoon became an adventure. During the Shoot Out and Native dancing, my brother spied the ski lift operating, so we headed that direction. We wanted to ride it up the mountain, but it closed just as we arrived. Change of plans again–we saw the Zip Ride and investigated that.
Four of us rode the ZipRide–my niece wasn’t too sure about it, but she did it anyway. She and I rode together, and her husband and oldest son rode together besides us in a separate ride. At the beginning, we screamed moving backwards up an incline, then it was full force forward with more screams and laughter. At the end, I felt like we were crashing through the building, but it stopped abruptly–whew! I loved it!! The price was reasonable at $10 each.
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The Zip Ride in Red River, NM–what a blast!
The two boys–one about eight years old and the other one about twelve-thirteen–were so patient with our shopping, so we turned the rest of the afternoon over to them at the Go Kart place. They had a blast there, and I got some really great photos.
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My Two Nephews Waiting to Ride!
We kicked back for a little while, and I had funnel cake and a corn dog–what a combination. We moved the truck closer to the MotherLode in case the kids wanted to crash early and investigated whether our two youngsters could go in–yes, they could. The bouncer at the door said, “It’s first come, first served,” but they had reserved almost all the tables around the dance floor for the VIP customers, people who paid more for the tickets. How disappointing! We ended up sitting on stools at the bar all night.
They had a bigger crowd than they anticipated, so they had to put 4 – 5 rows of chairs on the dance floor which made the dancing crowded.
Michael Martin Murphey and his band entertained us with old country and western songs and new ones–we enjoyed the old ones more. He had a Native flutist that resonated with my soul. Also a young singer sang and yodeled, “I Want to Be a Cowboy’s Sweetheart,” doing a fantastic job of the old standby.
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Michael Martin Murphey at the MotheLode in Red River, NM
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A Close Up of Michael Martin Murphey
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My Brother and Niece Doing the Horner Thing–DANCE!
We danced; we laughed; we celebrated the fourth of July like it should be–with family doing something you love!
And who knows–will it be Cuchara, CO next year or back to Red River?
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Photo by Sharefaith on Pexels.com
What did you do for the fourth of July this year? I’d be interested. Do you have annual traditions on this holiday?
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July 15, 2018
How Do You Stay Married 75 Years? What Happened?
Photo by Jasmine Wallace on Pexels.com
Something happened for a couple days to wordpress.com and my blog , so I am wondering if you saw this blog post. I couldn’t see any statistics and got error messages, so here it is again. Let me know what you think about staying married for 75 years–that sounds unbelievable to me, a person who has been married four times and the longest was eight years.
Here we go. . .
I had a delightful afternoon on Sunday, July 15, 2018 celebrating the 75th wedding anniversary of my new hospice client with her husband, her daughter, a daughter’s friend, the hospice coordinator and two other hospice volunteers who provided music for this fun-filled occasion.[image error]My client is 96 and and her husband is 94 years old, so that’s the first part of being married 75 years–stay alive a long time!
My maternal grandmother and grandfather were married 65 years. Grandma was 16 when she married, and she told me on their anniversary celebration, “I feel like I’ve been married my whole life.”
Today I posed this question to my client, “How did you stay married for 75 years?”
She caught me by surprise with her answer, and the group belly-laughed at her response, “Well, first it was a dream.” After those precious words, I heard a collective sigh from the group, and I could see hands go to our hearts. How romantic and so fitting to say on their 75th anniversary day.
Then she added dryly, “It was a nightmare, and I just got used to it.” What a response! I gasped then laughed even harder–I heard others in the group do the same.
She’s in the throes of Alzheimer’s–today was a good day. Her responses entertained us and matched the lightness of the day.
Her husband held her hand, glanced her way often, gave a one long-stem red rose and a romantic anniversary card. I felt privileged to witness this relationship. He kept his eyes on her constantly and loved telling stories on her and how they met. What a precious love story he revealed with a sweet glimmer in his eye tinged with a deep sadness as he watched his bride today–sometimes coherent, sometimes not.
We found that we are both country girls–she grew up on a ranch near where our ranch is.
Her husband’s story of how his future father-in-law initiated him, a city slicker, was priceless. Her father invited her future husband to go out to the barn and witness the slaughter of a calf–a gruesome experience for that city boy, but it didn’t scare him away!
He loved the fact that his wife rode horses bareback as a young woman, but he labored over how to mount the horse without a saddle. She teased him about that.
I asked if they danced any. He brightened up and said, “Yes, we square danced,” so I knew we were kindred spirits for sure. He also identified a hall that my parents danced in often when they were dating, so it’s possible my parents danced with this couple on a Saturday night.
The rich stories blessed my soul, and I left there with a smile on my face and heart.
This was my first meeting with this client, her husband and her daughter–her daughter was so thankful for the respite my visits will provide. I know the heavy responsibility of being a care-giver for a parent, but this daughter has moved in with her father and makes sure he sees his wife daily at the care facility where she is now. What an overwhelming task to take care of two elderly parents.
Our connections of ranch life and knowing the same part of the state was no accident–I love to call these incidents “God Things.”
Yes, my client will change, but I have the opportunity of getting to know her in the time we will have together, and that will be the reward enough. I’m sure there will be more stories, so I look forward to that.
How do people stay married so long? Any ideas? Let me know.
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Check out my website for my four books and three cookbooks – https://www.laradasbooks.com
Summer Specials at my Etsy Shop – Larada’s Reading Loft
How Do You Stay Married 75 Years?
Photo by Jasmine Wallace on Pexels.com
I had a delightful afternoon today celebrating the 75th wedding anniversary of my new hospice client with her husband, her daughter, a daughter’s friend, the hospice coordinator and two other hospice volunteers who provided music for this fun-filled occasion.
[image error]
My client is 96 and and her husband is 94 years old, so that’s the first part of being married 75 years–stay alive a long time!
My maternal grandmother and grandfather were married 65 years. Grandma was 16 when she married, and she told me on their anniversary celebration, “I feel like I’ve been married my whole life.”
Today I posed this question to my client, “How did you stay married for 75 years?”
She caught me by surprise with her answer, and the group belly-laughed at her response, “Well, first it was a dream.” After those precious words, I heard a collective sigh from the group, and I could see hands go to our hearts. How romantic and so fitting to say on their 75th anniversary day.
Then she added dryly, “It was a nightmare, and I just got used to it.” What a response! I gasped then laughed even harder–I heard others in the group do the same.
She’s in the throes of Alzheimer’s–today was a good day. Her responses entertained us and matched the lightness of the day.
Her husband held her hand, glanced her way often, gave a one long-stem red rose and a romantic anniversary card. I felt privileged to witness this relationship. He kept his eyes on her constantly and loved telling stories on her and how they met. What a precious love story he revealed with a sweet glimmer in his eye tinged with a deep sadness as he watched his bride today–sometimes coherent, sometimes not.
We found that we are both country girls–she grew up on a ranch near where our ranch is.
Her husband’s story of how his future father-in-law initiated him, a city slicker, was priceless. Her father invited her future husband to go out to the barn and witness the slaughter of a calf–a gruesome experience for that city boy, but it didn’t scare him away!
He loved the fact that his wife rode horses bareback as a young woman, but he labored over how to mount the horse without a saddle. She teased him about that.
I asked if they danced any. He brightened up and said, “Yes, we square danced,” so I knew we were kindred spirits for sure. He also identified a hall that my parents danced in often when they were dating, so it’s possible my parents danced with this couple on a Saturday night.
The rich stories blessed my soul, and I left there with a smile on my face and heart.
This was my first meeting with this client, her husband and her daughter–her daughter was so thankful for the respite my visits will provide. I know the heavy responsibility of being a care-giver for a parent, but this daughter has moved in with her father and makes sure he sees his wife daily at the care facility where she is now. What an overwhelming task to take care of two elderly parents.
Our connections of ranch life and knowing the same part of the state was no accident–I love to call these incidents “God Things.”
Yes, my client will change, but I have the opportunity of getting to know her in the time we will have together, and that will be the reward enough. I’m sure there will be more stories, so I look forward to that.
How do people stay married so long? Any ideas? Let me know.
[contact-form]
Check out my website for my four books and three cookbooks – https://www.laradasbooks.com
Summer Specials at my Etsy Shop – Larada’s Reading Loft
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July 8, 2018
Why Is It Hard to Resign?
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com
I am a workaholic, and I have been given the opportunity as of late to resign from and cut back from a couple time-consuming commitments. In all reality, I think this is a God thing, doing for me what I could not do for myself. Being busy has been my mantra for years. I’ve told my recovery friends for years that this issue HAD to be dealt with and finally it has come crashing to the surface!
I have been on the Branson-Trinchera Reunion Committee for 26 years for the school in my hometown, Branson, CO, and I resigned today. Why is that so hard? I have loved this activity and enjoyed the work I’ve done. I think I felt connected with my Dad after he died by keeping the reunion going. I worked hard over the years doing a variety of the jobs that were needed each year to make the event successful. I didn’t resign from the reunion committee because I was mad or upset–I just knew it was time.
I’m moving out of a leadership role in our square dance community in Albuquerque, NM and that’s hard, too. I want to keep my finger in the pot and have my ideas considered, but when you are not the one in control, you have no voice about what happens, and I have to accept that.
So the life’s lesson for me today is one that is pretty simple–change is the only constant! Yes, I will stay involved in both the reunion and the square dance community, but I will be a quiet observer now, not a mover and shaker! And that’s OK! There’s a new mover and shaker waiting in the wings to take over.
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July 4, 2018
Day 23 Twenty-six Hour Trip Home
Lin’s sad face as we wait for our flight at Heathrow
Travel lovers! This is the last blog about our Ireland/England trip. I hope you have enjoyed it.
We were up twenty-six hours coming home–why I did that I’ll never know. It was the only way to travel without a lay over in New York City or Chicago and then losing two days of our trip. As long as it was, it didn’t match our first day on this trip at all.
We ran into another storm in Chicago that delayed us out of La Guardia and Midway. We got home about midnight, so we were delayed about one hour.
Our connection at Heathrow went smoothly. We got up at 5:00 am, showered and dressed. We ate our last big traditional English breakfast in the hotel. We went back to our room, gathered our suitcases and waited for the taxi.
Lin was convinced my suitcase was over fifty pounds–it was only 46! So I could have bought more souvenirs. We weighed it at the Concierge’s booth at the hotel so I could repack in a second bag if need be.
The taxi came early at 7:00 am, so we left & that We gave us ample time to get through security. We boarded one hour early–Lin went to the bathroom right then, so we were some of the last to board, but we had assigned seats, so it didn’t matter.
I had someone sitting next to me that drank alcohol the whole way. I watched two movies: Hacksaw Ridge and Collateral Beauty–two movies I wanted to see. I couldn’t sleep, so I read, journaled about the trip and played games on my iPad.
Somehow at Midway airport in Chicago, we got confused and ended up running to our gate which ended up being the farthest away. We came sailing to our gate and passengers there stopped us–there was a delay.
We boarded but sat for nearly an hour on the runway because of a storm. I did sleep on this flight.
We were beyond exhausted when we got home, and driving on the right side of the road seemed strange now.
I wore a St. Christopher medal the whole trip and I’m sure we received his care along the way.
My husband, Lin, is a blast to travel with anywhere we go. This trip will go down as one of the best.
I didn’t write or read once on our three week trip–usually I do three pages each morning of “Morning Pages” suggested by Julia Cameron in The Artist Way, but I did write this summary of the travel events of that long day home from my Morning Pages.
We’re now planning our next trip back to England and Ireland–our hearts were captured by the people, the scenery and the history.
Have you ever had a travel day like this? What happened?
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Visit my web site for more information: https://www.laradasbooks.com
Visit my Etsy Shop for specials: Larada’s Reading Loft
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Happy 4th of July—Our Plans Were Changed!
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For the last twelve years, our family tradition today is to be in Cuchara, CO, but because of the Spring Fire, all roads in Cuchara are closed, and firefighters are working hard to protect that delightful mountain village. My holiday has a dark shadow of sadness today.
So Plan B for the Horner family is a trip to Red River, NM for WestFest, a celebration of country life by Michael Martin Murphey.
As children, our aunt and uncle came up from Albuquerque, NM for the holiday and brought my brother and me Black Kat firecrackers. We swam at the Folsom Falls then returned to Branson for the fireworks display the local town fathers had organized. We started the evening’s fun with Sparklers then marveled at the colors and explosions.
All of my life my family has celebrated this day with fireworks, good food, and lots of laughter with family and friends. I will do the same today with an ache in my heart for Cuchara and the surrounding area where they are fighting for the survival of their homes and way of life.
Today I want to reflect on how blessed I am to live in this wonderful country–the land of the free and the Home of the brave. I cherish the rights I have to live as I choose, to believe in my God as I understand Him, and to have my political views. We each have those same rights; I encourage you to think about those rights today and be thankful and stand up for what you believe.
Happy 4th of July to you and yours! A special kiss and hug to my husband, Lin, who wasn’t able to join us today!
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July 2, 2018
I Turned 65 Last Week—Really?
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Yes, I was born in 1953. Turning 65 has been a milestone. I celebrated the day with my nephew and his two daughters and my niece, her husband and their two sons and my brother and my husband.
We had a birthday lunch at Tony’s Diner in Trinidad, CO then we drove over Raton Pass to Raton, NM to the Aquatic Center and swam and played in the water all afternoon–it was sure joy and delight for me.
When we arrived back in Branson, Co, my husband, Lin, came from our home outside of Albuquerque, NM with gifts and a delicious cake.
We spent the evening playing games around our round table in the dining room at my house, laughing and enjoying each other. Zenga became the new favorite game that had us laughing and holding our breath.
I couldn’t have asked for a better day to enter the land of Medicare.
A dear family friend, Zita Louden, lived to be in her 90’s and she told Mom once, “Never, never think old!”
That truly is my motto. Lin and I lead a busy, action-packed life, dancing 3 – 4 times a week. I exercise 2 times a week. I have a fantastic retirement job of writing books. I visit our family ranch once a month and co-manage it with my brother. Lin and I travel all over the USA for square dance festivals and have dear friends all over the country.
There’s no stopping me, and I look forward to what this year will hold–adventure I’m sure because I look for it every day. I start each day with this simple prayer, “Surprise me today, Lord!” And He does!
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What is your motto for life? What is your simple prayer to start the day?
I’m creating this blog on my wordpress iPad app and I can’t seem to insert a Comment section. Comment if you will!
Visit my website: https://www.laradasbooks.com
Visit my Etsy Shop: Larada’s Reading Loft
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July 1, 2018
Day 23 Twenty-six Hour Trip Home
Lin’s sad face as we wait for our flight at Heathrow
Travel lovers! This is the last blog about our Ireland/England trip. I hope you have enjoyed it.
We were up twenty-six hours coming home–why I did that I’ll never know. It was the only way to travel without a lay over in New York City or Chicago which would result in losing two days of our trip. As long as this crazy travel day was, it didn’t match our first day on this trip at all.
Our connection at Heathrow went smoothly. We got up at 5:00 am, showered and dressed. We ate our last big traditional English breakfast in the hotel. We went back to our room, gathered our suitcases and waited for the taxi.
Lin was convinced my suitcase was over fifty pounds which was the limit on British Airways so we wouldn’t have to pay extra–it was only 46! So I could have bought more souvenirs. We weighed it at the Concierge’s booth at the hotel so I could repack in a second bag if need be.
The taxi came early at 7:00 am, so we left & that gave us ample time to get through security. We boarded one hour early–Lin went to the bathroom right before we were supposed to board, so we were some of the last on the plane, but we had assigned seats, so it didn’t matter.
I had someone sitting next to me that drank alcohol the whole way. I watched two movies: Hacksaw Ridge and Collateral Beauty–two movies I wanted to see. I couldn’t sleep, so I read, journaled about the trip and played games on my iPad.
Another storm in Chicago delayed us out of La Guardia and then Midway. Somehow when we arrived at Midway airport in Chicago, we got confused about our gate location and ended up running to our gate which ended up being the farthest away. We came sailing to our gate and passengers there stopped us–there was another delay.
Finally, we boarded but sat for nearly an hour on the runway because of another storm. I did sleep on this flight. We got home about midnight. We were beyond exhausted when we got home, and driving on the right side of the road seemed strange now.
I wore a St. Christopher medal the whole trip and I’m sure we received his care along the way, but wonder about our two airplane trips–maybe St. Christopher doesn’t work on airplane flights.
My husband, Lin, is a blast to travel with anywhere we go. This trip will go down as one of the best.
We’re now planning our next trip back to England and Ireland–our hearts were captured by the people, the scenery and the history.
Have you ever had a travel day like this? What happened?
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Visit my web site for more information: https://www.laradasbooks.com
Visit my Etsy Shop for specials: Larada’s Reading Loft
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June 24, 2018
Day 22 Moyses Museum & Back to London–Oh, no!
After a hearty English breakfast once more, we checked out of the hotel and spent the morning enjoying some last moments in Bury St. Edmunds. We walked through the Street Market one last time savoring the colorful variety of the wares.
We took pictures in the St. Edmundsbury cathedral where they were renovating it.
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St. Edmundsbury Cathedral During Renovation
Interestingly enough, the Moyses Museum in Bury St. Edmunds is not on wikipedia, but I did find this:
This beautiful medieval museum in the heart of Bury St Edmunds houses rich and eclectic collections and changing exhibitions, and hosts events ranging from themed craft workshops for all the family to historical talks and lectures.
Steeped in history, Moyse’s Hall has looked out over Bury St Edmunds market place for almost 900 years.
The landmark 12th century building rich and varied past has included serving as the town Bridewell, workhouse and police station, first opening as a museum in 1899.
Today the museum offers a fascinating view into the past with collections that document the foundation of the early town – from the creation and dissolution of the Abbey of St Edmund to prison paraphernalia, plus remarkable collections relating to the notorious Red Barn Murder and fascinating insights into local superstitions and witchcraft.
https://www.visit-burystedmunds.co.uk/directory/moyses-hall-museum
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We continued our last morning tour around Bury St. Edmunds by going through this fascinating museum on the square. We had passed it several times in our trek around Bury—I’m so glad we spent the morning there.
Early in our stay at Bury St. Edmunds, we did a tour of the Abbey, and the guide told us about a book we needed to read: Suffolk Summer written by John T. Appleby who was an American Serviceman who toured Suffolk County during World War II on a bicycle. The royalties from this book were devoted to maintaining the Old English Rose Garden on the Abbey grounds.
We looked for this book in the local bookstore and all around but could not find it. In fact, many of the townsmen knew nothing about it. Someone told us it might be in the museum and that’s where we found it.
This ended our stay here and we headed for London on a rainy afternoon to turn in our rental car and spend our last night in England–both us of sad to see this fantastic holiday come to an end.
We ate a delicious dinner at the hotel, exhausted from our 3 week trip but so satisfied with all that we had seen.
We repacked to make sure that all the souvenirs would fit–my suitcase was bulging at the seams.
Sleep was easy that night because we were so tired, but we both dreaded the next day.
Have you ever been to England? If so, what did you enjoy the most?
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Visit my web site for more information: https://www.laradasbooks.com
Visit my Etsy Shop for specials: Larada’s Reading Loft
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June 19, 2018
What Does Retirement Look Like? #1
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This is my cat, Jesse, enjoying Lin’s beautiful garden. I wish I could say I relax like him in retirement, but I am a busy beaver for sure.
I do love retirement–today I was up at 7:05 am. I do daily writing and reading in our library with Jesse by my side.
Then it was breakfast and a rousing game of Cribbage with my husband, Lin–he won today. We usually play up to three games, but we were both running this morning, so we stopped at one. I love this quiet time with him–full of talk and great rivalry.
Then I checked email, did a phone conference and ran to Albuquerque–we live about 18 miles east of Albuquerque in the East Mountains. I enjoyed my monthly massage from my ex-mother-in-law who pampers me beyond belief. I truly don’t understand how people operate in this stressful world without a monthly massage.
On the way home, I had a short stop at the grocery store to pick up ice for our potluck we’re hosting at our house tonight for friends.
Tonight will be full of laughter, talk and friendship–an ideal summer evening in New Mexico outside enjoying our gorgeous weather.
My life is wonderful–rich, full and busy. I couldn’t sit around–it’s not my style at all.
Are you retired? How do you spend your days? I’d be interested.
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Visit my web site: https://www.laradasbooks.com
Visit my Etsy Shop for great specials: Larada’s Reading Loft
