My Adventure

You know how you teach your kids that you don't talk to strangers on the Internet and you never never NEVER  meet those strangers in person?

Yeah.  Well.  I never was very good at following all of the rules....... don't tell The Native's that though.  They think my name is, Mary Poppins and that I am practically perfect in every way.  It helps the image if you break out in song every once in awhile when you're doing chores with The Native's.  Especially that, "....spoon full of sugar...." bit.

While I was in the hospital and for a long time (and continuing actually) The SM has been researching anything and everything he can get his hands on trying to find answers/help SOMETHING for this West Nile crud.  He came across a site for West Nile Virus Survivors.  The site is a message board where people can post questions and others can answer.  As he read some of the posts he was impressed with one of the 'posters'.  He could tell that this person had really been doing a lot of research and knew what she was talking about.  He posted on the board and asked this person if when I got out of the hospital and was feeling up to it...... could I contact her.

We've been in contact ever since.  Going on like, four years now.  We've formed a bond/friendship across the miles and one day a few months ago I got it into my fuzzy brain that I wanted to meet my friend, Miss J.  In person.  Hop on a plane and dump myself in her house for a few days.  Who does that???  Hello!  Me apparently!

When I get a bee in my bonnet........

This is what happens when you give a little person a camera.  This is what she sees.

One of the days while I was there, Miss J babysat a little munchkin that was adorable and sweet as can be.  Miss J gave her a camera to use while she walked with 'the big girls' while we also took pictures.

She had Miss J posing all over the place.  This little one meant serious business.

There is no special order to any of these photos.  I should order and organize them but with my brain working at the capacity (or lack of) right now, just sit back and enjoy while I narrate okay?  Live on the wild unorganized side of life!

This is Mr. R, Miss J's boyfriend and husband.  Still madly in love after how many years of marriage?  I forget.  But it's been a good long while.  This is also a picture of Maxx.  As you can see, he's just a tiny little thing.  A lap dog really....... or so he thinks.......

If I could have, I'd have packed up Maxx in my suitcase and brought him home with me.  There's no suitcase big enough for Maxx.......  I think he'd kind of exceed the weight limit on luggage being just a light weight at 130 pounds........

Color!  It is so green and flowers are budding and opening in the Midwest.  I couldn't get over how green everything is!

Miss J and her boyfriend live on 10 acres of lush.  This riverbed is on the north end of their property.  Sometimes it is a creek and sometimes a rushing flowing river that far exceeds it's banks.  This is looking west down the river.

And this is looking to the east.  Be proud.  I'm doing all of this navigation without mountains.

Love the root system of this tree!

Proof that the river runs high.  That is a log lodged up under the bridge from the last time the river was flower OVER the bridge.  Hard to see because of the lighting.  Trust me.  There's a log wedged under there.

Told ya!

Can't get enough of this tree and it's root system.  Really really cool.

One morning I woke up to Miss J playing her guitar and singing praises to our Father in Heaven.  It was a heavenly way to wake up.  No pun intended.  A wonderful start to our day.

Green.  Lush.  Spring.

The early morning dew.

The view from Miss J's back deck.  See that black lump out in her yard?  That would be a fifteen pound bowling ball.  Maxx's toy.  Yeah.  For reals.  I wish I'd have taken a picture of Maxx running around the yard with that thing in his mouth like it was nothing more than a tennis ball........

How cool is this?  It's a funnel spider web.  This is what it looks like from the top looking down.

This is what it looks like from the side.  Just an innocent little canopy sitting on top of the grass.......

This is the sweet little munchkin I mentioned earlier.  See what I mean?  I wonder if I could have fit her in my suitcase........

This is one of my favorite photos that I took but Miss J had a fit about her backside and being a female I totally understand.  I can't stand my ol' Bessie either so I put a cover up on Miss J.  Ya happy now Miss J????

I am always amazed at the color pallet Heavenly Father has to color our world with.  All of the different shades of green.  I love variegated leaves.

The back deck where we spent many hours talking and soaking up some good Vit. D in the sun's rays.

Either I've got a big ol' fat head or Maxx has a big ol' head.  Don't answer that please...........

There are three dogs in this family.  Maxx, Tanner, and..... ummmm.....  a little old lady who liked to be left alone.  Awww man!  I forgot her name!!!

Funny:  Maxx seriously thinks he is a lap dog.  He would come and lay on me while I was sitting on the couch.  One time it took me forever to get up.  Maxx didn't want to be bothered with moving and there was no way I was able to lift him off.  Another time I was sitting on the floor and he came and sit his big ol' self down.  His entire self on my lap!  Then he looked around like............  WHUT!

Why yes, that is a buffalo.  Up the road from Miss J's there is a sanctuary for animals.  It has a herd of these on it.

Biggest shaggiest ugliest looking critters.

I love barns.  Real barns.  All over where Miss J lives there are real barns.

I wish I would have taken more photos of the land, the farm houses, and barns.  I was just so busy looking and taking it all in.  It reminded me so much of home where I grew up.  The shapes of the houses were very much the style of where I grew up.  I wonder if those who came and built there homes well over a hundred years ago where I grew up, had come from the Midwest.

Why did the turkey cross the road? To catch up to the other three that had crossed the road before this one while we sat and patiently watched/waited.

Another barn....... told ya I'm a sucker for barns.........

Okay, it is funnier in person but is this not the funniest thing ever?  Look how Maxx sits!  Like a puppy with his back legs strung out only he's not a puppy.  He's a horse!!!!  That is a cow hide he is laying on.  He's almost as long as the hide!  Oh!  And he's watching television.  Maxx watches television.  He's drooling at the moment over Little Caesar's Pizza.  This dog actually sits and watches T.V.!

More of the view off of Miss J's back deck.  I think a hammock is begging to be put up between those two trees....

Sorry.  Can you tell I was starved for green?  It's been a long winter........  we're still not green here in UT!!!

Purdy flowers.  These little while flowers were all over the ground floor of Miss J's woods on her property.

Did I mention I was starving for green!?

No farm is complete without a shooting range.  Miss J and Mr. R's included.  Target practice anyone?

I have no idea what Miss J's boyfriend and I are talking about here but obviously it was quite serious and life altering and you can expect world peace just as soon as we get it all down on paper. ( I stand weird......)

Playing in the water.  I was surprised at the difference between our river temperatures and theirs.  Ours is seconds away from the snow/ice run off from the mountains.  COLD!  This water was hot spring compared.

And that my friends, was my adventure in a nutjob's shell.  We mainly spent our time talking talking talking.  It felt like we'd known each other forever and never missed a beat.  The second we met in person we took off as if we'd always known each other.

That, I feel, is the definition of a kindred spirit.