Good morning all, and Happy Birthday Cousin Lesley!!! I love Mondays. I don't have to be to work until 10, so I can check all my favorite blogs just as the early morning sun comes through the office window. I didn't want to stay away too long for those of you who are checking in:)

This is what the view looks like from inside my office. There is a Swedish super model practicing Manuel Ponce on his Guitar as I write this blog.

The picture below is of Swede and I on our last journey to Utah. We hiked in the Timpanogos Mountains with our lovely Roxanne, searching for snow, and snow we found! We eventually came upon some Moose tracks and heard some heavy breathing far off in the woods, so decided to head back to civilization.


We ran the whole way down the Mountain and snuck up on a couple of Mountain Goats, an extremely rare find up here. So rare, Walkara, Chief of the Utes, used to call them White Buffalo. They escaped so quickly, it was obvious they didn't want to be seen. Rocks fell from up above, alerting us to their presence just seconds before they disappeared.

Wild Nights

Wild Nights! Wild Nights!
Were I with thee,
Wild Nights should be
Our luxury!

Futile the winds
To a heart in port,
Done with the compass,
Done with the chart!

Rowing in Eden!
Ah! the sea!
Might I but moor
To-night in Thee!

This is my first blog posting. So, where does one begin... how far back should I go? I decided to start with one of my favorite memories, which honors a couple of great friends. As the poem suggests, wild nights are our luxury! I met Lynn at the Arizona School of Massage Therapy, where I used to teach Anatomy. We one day discovered that we had so much in common. She used to teach Anatomy, too. She is also an artist. And before you know it, she was no longer working at ASMT, because she got a job teaching Art. I missed my friend, but no worries, I, too, am teaching Art now, not to mention, Yoga and Anatomy, my other two favorite subjects:)

So, it all starts here, at my favorite place in my house... the fireplace:) Yes, I live in the Valley of the Sun, but who can resist a warm cozy fire every now and then? On this very special evening, Swede and I invited Lynn, and Jason, Lynn's son, over for dinner in front of the fire.

Would you believe, Jason is another anomaly? Swede is one to begin with, but that Lynn's son Jason shares also so much in common with Swede, I can only sigh, "Sadu, sadu," to the universe for such a strange twist of fate. By the way, that's our dog Roxanne with Lynn and Jason.

Of course we needed someone to chop the wood I'd foraged from the neighborhood refuse for the fire. Swede thought it might be an insult to hand our guest an ax, but we soon found another thing these boys have in common, they are both Mountain Men.

Lynn and I cheerfully chatted, and stacked the many many dishes from the evening's festivities a mile high into the sink... to be washed at a later date. It's hard to capture the vibrancy that emanates from the four of us when we all get together. It's like we are all children again, lost in the moment, keeping no track of time. We all went for a glorious walk in our beautiful historical Maple Ash Neighborhood of Tempe, AZ. We are shaded by fifty-year old trees. Lynn and I noticed many palm leaves had been blown to the ground by a monsoon wind storm from the day before. We wondered if they burned well. There's only one way to find out... so we snuck across the street and plucked a fran from the neighbor's yard. Sure enough, the palm fran was extremely flammable, as we suspected and provided a delightful glow:)

Keep the frans away from the fire!!!

In between nursing the flames, we told stories and laughed. The time ticked by effortlessly. I found myself performing Yoga tricks for my guests. Swede played the flute at one point. And then it was time for Swede to show off his Ken Sword. Swede and Jason both have studied Martial Arts extensively, so Jason was familiar with the ritual.

How cool for Swede! It's not very often that he meets another person of his caliber!

Jason was not up for sparring with Swede, but I'm always game. I have been working on sticky hands now for about two years. I am starting to develop my own style and strategy. I've got game. When I am ready, Swede will train me in Ninjitsu. Would you believe that when all was said and done, this wild night didn't end until 4:30 in the morning???


We weren't surprised, though. That's what happened the first time we were invited for dinner at Lynn and Jason's. So, whenever we plan to get together, we are really careful about picking a date. We have to pick a day of the week, and week of the school year that will allow us a couple of days to recover from our slumber party!

Before we met Lynn and Jason, I thought wild nights were gone for good! As we get older, we depend on getting to bed early to make it through our hectic lifestyles. It's fun to know that when Swede and I feel like throwing routine out the window to kick up our heals, we've got two great friends to share the festivities with. When is the last time you pulled an all nighter because you lost track of time?