I need to keep repeating this for myself…over and over…until it’s cemented into my brain – never, NEVER, click on a link out of email or another program while I’ve got an active post going here. Shee-it! Once again I’ve lost the whole damn post and have to start over…arghhhh! Back to the beginning:
Welcome to Oz was spinning through my thoughts and disrupting my lifestyle over the last ten days. I didn’t have to click my heels or wear rose colored glasses to visit the Emerald City, all I had to do was bring Jasmine and Kayanna home with me for a week. The fantasy is nonstop, shop ’til you drop – malls, Walmart, swap meet – rent movies, more shop ’til you drop, fast food ‘food sluts’, food shopping, cooking, computer games, shoes and clothes strewn throughout the house, continual sound – music, tv, conversations – and slamming more food down my throat than the law allows…throw in a few beers for me (off the wine kick for awhile…must be the summer heat).
We did manage a hike at Red Rock Canyon. We tripped through The Lost Creek Trail and The Children’s Discovery Trail. When I hit The Lost Creek Trail with Wayne a few months ago, it was filled with water and a 100 foot waterfall adorned the cliff. The only thing showing resembling water now was a light sheen on the face of the rock at the top. Summer has arrived.
I find myself continuously laughing over our 4X trip up into Little Red Rock. Little Red Rock sits to the right, about five to six miles up above the Summerlin explosion, as you journey up Charleston towards Calico Basin and Red Rock Canyon. It’s all dirt bike and 4X terrain. As we jumped onto the rutted, rocky, bumpy trail, complemented with “Oooohhhhs – Ahhhhhhh” by the girls, Jasmine said that she would be afraid to drive my truck on ‘this stuff’ if it were her.
I laughed, “It’s a 4X drive. That’s what they’re made for. I bought it for a lot of reasons and this is one of them.”
She continued, “Aren’t you worried about the tires?”
“Nope, they’re made for this kind of terrain.”
“Yeah…but what if you pop one of them?”
I was laughing even harder now. “These tires are made for this. That’s why they are called 4X wheel drives. And if I did pop one of the tires, I have another one under the bed.”
Kayanna chimed in, “Yeah Grandma, but we aren’t at your house.”
*laughing to the nth*
Saturday morning found me taking Kayanna to the airport and dropping Jasmine at the mall for more shopping. Kayanna is an unaccompanied minor and I would be the only one with a pass to get through security and see her safely onto the plane so Jasmine’s time would be better spent at the mall. Kayanna went home to mom and I managed to get through it without a tear. I’m sure it’s because she’ll be back in August, a few months away, to make the yearly sojourn to N. Idaho for the family reunion/camp out…if she wasn’t coming back for a year, I believe I’d have gone into dehydration mode from leaking eyes after she hit the plane. I seriously try not to slobber and blubber while she’s in my presence because I want our time to be really good, not her thinking of my distress.
The beautiful Jasmine left this morning. She’s so kewl. Ready to get on with her life, just young enough to be a lot of fun to hang with and just old enough to get around on her own and take care of her life.
On the strange and unexpected events that happen in life – it’s 6 a.m., we’re standing in the ‘Que’ – next in line to be called by an Allegiant Air clerk – and Roy Cooke walked right by us. I stopped him for a moment and introduced him to Jasmine. He was heading for Montreal. I used to deal to him a lot but haven’t now in a long time. He apparently frequents Bellagio on weekends but I’m off so that explains that.
While I would never give up the time I had to spend with these girls, I’m really glad to have my own little space back. Living alone allows one a lot of privileges and space. I like it. Perhaps that’s the true definition of being selfish. But I look at it this way, living alone allows me to choose the people I want to spend time with…I pick the best. 🙂
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A sad note, received an email from Jason Kirk and our first place finisher of the March Clan Jam, Charlie is having a bad run of health. Jason’s blog is listed on the Blog page here under Catching the Antichrist. Thoughts and prayers for Charlie.
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Tomorrow night I leave Oz to return to the real world. While I was drifting through The Emerald City, The World Series of Poker began at the Rio, the Poker Bloggers got together for a tournament in Vegas, and I’m sure a zillion poker hands were dealt and played out throughout the world. Hello Bellagio…I’m coming back.
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