It was worth the wait and the lost little leaves.
Behold the Monarch!
Yes, I am still going private but had to share our discovery this morning.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Morning Discovery
Remember this?
It was worth the wait and the lost little leaves.
Behold the Monarch!
Yes, I am still going private but had to share our discovery this morning.
It was worth the wait and the lost little leaves.
Behold the Monarch!
Yes, I am still going private but had to share our discovery this morning.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
The Time Has Come...
I have enjoyed blogging very much. Keeping in touch with family and friends, reconnecting with old friends, making new friends; all of it very enjoyable. The desire to write ebbs and flows; occasionally I tire of it, the self-imposed obligation. Yet I want to continue to document various events of our lives and keep in touch with those near and far. So I will, but by invitation only. If you are interested you know the drill.
******Important!*******
If you want in please leave your email address or email me at: gunnhp@hotmail.com
Some have requested an invite but I do not have your address.
******Important!*******
If you want in please leave your email address or email me at: gunnhp@hotmail.com
Some have requested an invite but I do not have your address.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Woot Woot!
I am so excited to have you take a peek at my new and improved photo blog. I have been working hard making some big changes. Head on over and check it out!
If you know of anyone interested in portraits pass on the info and if I could be so bold as to ask for a little link lovin'? Add my photo blog to your link list.
Thanks!
If you know of anyone interested in portraits pass on the info and if I could be so bold as to ask for a little link lovin'? Add my photo blog to your link list.
Thanks!
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Friday, February 6, 2009
February: Be Prepared
"There is a wise saying, 'Eat it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without'. Thrift is a practice of not wasting anything. Some people are able to get by because of the absence of expense. They have their shoes resoled, they patch, they mend, they sew, and the save money. They avoid installment buying, and make purchases only after saving enough to pay cash, thus avoiding interest charges. Frugality means to practice careful economy." Elder James E. Faust
Spiritual Living Goal:
Schedule a time each day to read with your family from the Book of Mormon.
Provident Living Goal:
Plan and carry out a family home evening on home fires. Include planning an escape route and practicing it. Also include a natural disaster or other emergency plan of action.
Preparedness Goal:
Learn how to make wheat bread from scratch. This should include grinding your own wheat.
Food Storage Goal:
25 lbs. spaghetti
10 lbs. cornmeal
*10 lbs. dried or canned refried beans
Personal/Household Goal:
Cleaning supplies
72-Hour Kit Goal:
Gather personal products for each kit. This should include: hand towel, wash cloth, soap, shampoo, toothpaste and toothbrush (floss of course!), deodorant, sanitary items, etc.
Water Storage Goal:
2 gallons drinking water
*I recently cracked open a can of dried pintos (roughly 3 years old or so) and attempted to make refried beans per instructions from a Hispanic sister in my area. They failed, miserably. I asked her what went wrong and I was told that using the cannery beans was mistake #1. She doesn't even bother with them and only buys fresh dried beans when she needs them. Instead she buys the dehydrated beans or just regular canned refried for her year supply.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
A first for everything
2:00pm. I seat & greet my patient, review medical history and any dental complaints. None found. Good. I take the necessary x-rays and then lay him back to begin my periodontal (gum) assessment. The man has not graced us with is presence for almost 3 years. I already know what to expect and I am not disappointed.
I explain what I am about to do, what the numbers mean and begin probing. I am barely onto the 3rd tooth and he stops me and irritatedly tells me "you know, this hurts!". I apologize for any discomfort and continue on as he winces and grimaces. I am gentle but thorough. A few teeth later he stops me, asks "why I am doing this?", and informing me that he didn't come in here to get "stabbed with needles!" That it hurts like a *@!^ (insert rude and inappropriate word). I stop and firmly and professionally tell him that it hurts because he has not been to a dentist for 3 years, that he has an infection, and that from what I have recorded so far he will need a "deeper" cleaning. I tell him that what I am doing is necessary for me to treat him appropriately and that the procedure I am doing is considered non-aggressive and yet he is still uncomfortable and that I would recommend he be numb for his "cleaning".
He stops me before I can continue any further, tells me he is not comfortable with this situation and before I can get a word in he bolts upright, pulls off his bib and tells me he needs to reschedule and promptly walks out the door. I am dumbfounded! I slowly stand, remove my gloves and mask and look at my chair fully extended, light still on, the bib lying discarded on the floor.
And then I do something silly and unexpected. I cry.
Don't ask me why, blame it on girly hormones or just sheer confusion and slight offense. I pull myself together (silly me!) and inform the front desk of the situation and then my doctor.
My doctor was gracious about the situation, asking if I was running off his patients. I confirmed that apparently I was. I got to write a fancy letter continuing the conversation that should have taken place if the irrational man would have stayed in his chair like a good patient and informed him that he still needs to finish his appointment and what treatment he needs.
I just hope I am not the one to see him next time around. Though it may be a few years before he comes back, if ever. And that is fine by me! Hopefully that was my first and last patient to leave my chair so rudely.
I explain what I am about to do, what the numbers mean and begin probing. I am barely onto the 3rd tooth and he stops me and irritatedly tells me "you know, this hurts!". I apologize for any discomfort and continue on as he winces and grimaces. I am gentle but thorough. A few teeth later he stops me, asks "why I am doing this?", and informing me that he didn't come in here to get "stabbed with needles!" That it hurts like a *@!^ (insert rude and inappropriate word). I stop and firmly and professionally tell him that it hurts because he has not been to a dentist for 3 years, that he has an infection, and that from what I have recorded so far he will need a "deeper" cleaning. I tell him that what I am doing is necessary for me to treat him appropriately and that the procedure I am doing is considered non-aggressive and yet he is still uncomfortable and that I would recommend he be numb for his "cleaning".
He stops me before I can continue any further, tells me he is not comfortable with this situation and before I can get a word in he bolts upright, pulls off his bib and tells me he needs to reschedule and promptly walks out the door. I am dumbfounded! I slowly stand, remove my gloves and mask and look at my chair fully extended, light still on, the bib lying discarded on the floor.
And then I do something silly and unexpected. I cry.
Don't ask me why, blame it on girly hormones or just sheer confusion and slight offense. I pull myself together (silly me!) and inform the front desk of the situation and then my doctor.
My doctor was gracious about the situation, asking if I was running off his patients. I confirmed that apparently I was. I got to write a fancy letter continuing the conversation that should have taken place if the irrational man would have stayed in his chair like a good patient and informed him that he still needs to finish his appointment and what treatment he needs.
I just hope I am not the one to see him next time around. Though it may be a few years before he comes back, if ever. And that is fine by me! Hopefully that was my first and last patient to leave my chair so rudely.
Monday, February 2, 2009
Flat Iron Hike
Saturday we fulfilled one of Phil's "To Do's" by going on a crazy hike. And I mean crazy. We packed up with plenty of water, a lunch and of course the camera and wide angle lens and headed out to Lost Dutchman State Park, aka the Superstition Mountains. The morning was beautiful, as evidenced below.
The trail begins innocently enough and the arrow shows where we are headed. Looks wonderful, right?
Midway up the mountain we stop for a breather. We have a few more hours to go. Yes, hours.
Phil relishing the glory of the moutain.
We did not take enough pictures to do this hike justice. This was physically intense! 6 miles round trip and ascending up to 5000 feet. The last 1500 feet being in the final mile. The last vertical mile. We were both out of gas at the end and grateful to reach the summit and settle in with a little homemade blackened chicken pizza. Carb load much appreciated!
The amazing view that shows one-third of the state of Arizona.
The last section of the trail, (which is not seen) was literally a vertical scramble. Boulders everywhere, loose rock, and slippery trail required climbing bent over with your hands on the ground supporting you. My forearms got a great work out as did my lower extremities from the constant incline and pulling myself up and over endlessly.
Look near the lower-right corner and you can see the trail. Far, far away!
It took us 5 hours total; 3 1/2 to get up, a 1/2 hour break and then an hour to get down. My preferred method on the steep boulders was to slide down on my bum. Very effective!
Man, our knees were crying! The stress of coming down so steep and your toes being slammed into the front of your shoes left us grateful to be at the end. We wearily climbed into our car, gratefully showered when we got home, fueled up and took up permanent residence on the couch. Even today as I climbed the stairs to my office my knees remembered the beating they took. (I will not be running this week.)
We had a great time though and here are a few snippets of conversation on the mountain.
P: "Just keep putting one foot in front of the other."
Every time he said this I was singing in my mind this clip, a childhood favorite.
"We're almost there." (He kept saying this, over and over. He lied.)
Stopping and beholding the majesty of the mountain and surroundings as we descend:
P: "Wow! Would you look at that? Isn't it beautiful?"
H: So very tired & answering my nature smitten husband: "I'll appreciate it when we get to the car."
And we did appreciate. We were proud of ourselves and our ever capable bodies. We just won't be hiking this again for at least a year.
The trail begins innocently enough and the arrow shows where we are headed. Looks wonderful, right?
Midway up the mountain we stop for a breather. We have a few more hours to go. Yes, hours.
Phil relishing the glory of the moutain.
We did not take enough pictures to do this hike justice. This was physically intense! 6 miles round trip and ascending up to 5000 feet. The last 1500 feet being in the final mile. The last vertical mile. We were both out of gas at the end and grateful to reach the summit and settle in with a little homemade blackened chicken pizza. Carb load much appreciated!
The amazing view that shows one-third of the state of Arizona.
The last section of the trail, (which is not seen) was literally a vertical scramble. Boulders everywhere, loose rock, and slippery trail required climbing bent over with your hands on the ground supporting you. My forearms got a great work out as did my lower extremities from the constant incline and pulling myself up and over endlessly.
Look near the lower-right corner and you can see the trail. Far, far away!
It took us 5 hours total; 3 1/2 to get up, a 1/2 hour break and then an hour to get down. My preferred method on the steep boulders was to slide down on my bum. Very effective!
Man, our knees were crying! The stress of coming down so steep and your toes being slammed into the front of your shoes left us grateful to be at the end. We wearily climbed into our car, gratefully showered when we got home, fueled up and took up permanent residence on the couch. Even today as I climbed the stairs to my office my knees remembered the beating they took. (I will not be running this week.)
We had a great time though and here are a few snippets of conversation on the mountain.
P: "Just keep putting one foot in front of the other."
Every time he said this I was singing in my mind this clip, a childhood favorite.
"We're almost there." (He kept saying this, over and over. He lied.)
Stopping and beholding the majesty of the mountain and surroundings as we descend:
P: "Wow! Would you look at that? Isn't it beautiful?"
H: So very tired & answering my nature smitten husband: "I'll appreciate it when we get to the car."
And we did appreciate. We were proud of ourselves and our ever capable bodies. We just won't be hiking this again for at least a year.
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