Four Country Gals

Life is very good indeed… all the way through Thanksgiving and until the morning of December 11.

Mom wakes up not feeling her usual perky self. She’s got an upset stomach that’s getting worse as the morning goes on.

Teasingly, Bev says, “If you’re not better in an hour, I’m calling the squad (cop talk for emergency services)!”

And Mom replies… “Don’t think you’d better wait for the full hour”

With that, both Bev and Cindy spring into action. They call 911 and begin moving furniture so the EMT’s can get the gurney to Mom’s room. Let’s see, if they bring the gurney in the front door, they can go out the sliding door, and make the turn on the patio, then come in the back door with a straight shot into Mom’s room.

Within about 15 minutes, the squad arrives, and loads Mom up for the 45 minute trip to Cedar City. Bev and Cindy follow in the Avalanche. No one knows for sure what Mom’s problem is… but they all agree, she’s feeling pretty badly to agree to a ride in the ambulance.

One thing about Utah, and health care. These folks know how to take care of you… Bedside manners are tops. Even in the emergency room, the empathy oozes. Health care is a most important aspect of the “good life” in Utah.

Now, this a Sunday, so you wouldn’t expect much news about any conditions. But again, because it’s Utah, and health care is awesome, Mom is diagnosed with diverticulitis. She’s spending several days in the hospital until the Dr’s can get the infection under control.

Here it is… Christmas season, and Mom’s in the hospital. No time to slow down…

Besides making nearly daily trips to Cedar City, Bev and Cindy are readying the house for Christmas. That means shopping for presents and also meeting Shawn when he arrives.

Mom’s always hard to shop for, but this year, it’s a bit of a “no-brainer”. Earlier this year, on the way to Utah, the girls had lost “Bree”, having to euthanize her at the start of the move.

They’d be replacing her with a spunky little “brown bug”. Looking around, they found a family in Cedar City who had a Chocolate Lab puppy up for a “rescue adoption”. Perfect! She’ll do just fine with the Black Lab, the other “old gal” Chocolate Lab, and Koda, the shepherd-husky cross.

So, on Dec 17, nearly a week after Mom has gone to the hospital, Bev and Cindy visit the folks with the Chocolate Lab. Yes… they’ll take that one. How soon can they pick her up?

It’s now just a week before Christmas and time to go get Shawn. He’s making things easier by flying into ‘Vegas and then taking the shuttle into St. George. That means Bev and Cindy will go get him, then pick up the puppy, and then visit Mom.

“How well do we have to hide a puppy to get into Mom’s room”, Cindy asks.

“Puppy? How small… oh really… Yes, by all means. The puppy is welcome in her room.”

With only two days to spare, Mom is finally released from the hospital only to spend the next 10 days pretty much in bed, suffering from a bout of depression.

It’s getting into November now, and the gals, remembering Ohio are looking for really cold and snowy weather.

They’ve got the fireplace ready. It’s even decorated for Christmas with a “frontier desert” motif. Along with the fireplace, they’ve laid in several cords of wood, as the fireplace will provide most of the “morning heat” and evening “stoke it really good” heat. Even though electric heat isn’t expensive here, they’re not real sure about the quality of their furnace/heat pump.

They can see snow in the really high mountains. That’s actually “Brian Head”, Utah’s most southerly ski resort. It’s situated south of Bryce Canyon and north of Zion National Park.

They even watch some really menacing stuff pass them by on the east. Around here, the main “weather” happens east of the nearest mountain range in what they call the “I-15 Corridor”. That’s where Cedar City is located… and they get an abundance of snow.

In the meantime, cold means it’s below freezing at night… sometimes way below as in barely above zero, and then bright and sunny during the daytime. Oh, and what makes it winter is the north wind.

When the wind comes from the north, especially the northeast, or even east, the wind chill is ferocious. Even the birds look for shelter where they can stay out of the wind.

Think they’re happy?

You bet! With Mom here, and the dogs, “Mindy, Missy, and Koda”, the family is nearly complete. They’ve even managed to get Shawn, Cindy’s son to come out for Christmas. Life is very good, indeed.

Here comes Mom… and not a minute too soon!

The “girls” have now been “without her” for nearly two months. They’ve struggled with making “good coffee”… and Lord knows they’ve not been eating well. They’re idea of cooking is macaroni and cheese… or maybe no cheese.

Of course, with Mom arriving, that means they really need to get their rears in gear and get things put away. With some really creative “unpacking”, and a nice full basement, they’re able to make the living room/dining room and kitchen look presentable for Mom.

Mom is flying into Cedar City, so that will be a short drive over the mountains. One thing I don’t think she expected, is the “tour of the USA”. Her flight takes her from Toledo, to Atlanta, to Salt Lake City, and finally into Cedar City. Luckily, the girls have arranged for “sky cap” service throughout her flight.

She’s pretty exhausted, so a quick stop at Arby’s to pick up dinner and they scoot out of town, heading west over the mountains shortly before sunset.

As Mom sees the valley for the first time, she begins to appreciate her “new life” way out in the country. Shortly after reaching the summit when you’re heading west, you can see for nearly 50 miles from one side of the valley to the other. Bev points out about where they live… just a speck of trees to the “other side” of that silver thingy (a big hay barn with a metal roof).

Now that Mom is here, it’s time to get her room livable. The bed is pretty much in place, the there are still boxes everywhere, and the room is still chocolate milk brown… not Mom’s favorite color.

A quick trip to the “local” hardware store, and they’ve got paint… a really pretty blue. Next, it’s off to Cedar City again to pick out wallpaper for the wall at the head of Mom’s bed.

And then there’s that little strip from the wall to the ceiling. Cindy finds the cutest little lambs! Suppose that’s a “foretelling”?

From what Mom has told me… and I think I remember Cindy mentioning it… there were a lot of “bad words” exchanged as they put up the wallpaper and the “lamb” border. Cindy and Bev don’t argue much… but Cindy is the one with the “short fuse” and when things don’t go together right the first time… well, let’s just say she rear’s back and hit’s it harder.

Uh-oh, Mom’s still on “Ohio time”, so it’s up before the sun comes up. That’s ok. She adores sunrises, and listening to the birds sing. With the little “porch area” in front of the garage, she’s able to enjoy her tea for a few mornings, until it gets too cold to be out there.

Each day brings a totally unique style of sunrise, from highly colored to brilliant gold. All in all, Mom is so glad she’s finally home in Beryl, UT.

Does she miss her friends? Oh yeah, especially “Joey”. They’ve been “best buds” for years. They’ll keep in touch by phone and by snail mail.

One thing you can say for both these intrepid adventurers, they’re not afraid of hard, physical work. Bev has been steadily regaining her strength, since her bout with the “big C”. Cindy… well, she seems able to work like a horse, day after day.

Remember that big, overgrown Juniper Tam hedge separating the front yard from the circular drive?

Well it’s a haven for all kinds of stuff… garbage from previous owners, tumbleweed that has been blown into the hedge, sand dunes, and untold critters. It’s also incredibly unsightly in Bev and Cindy’s eyes.

What to do? Get ‘er trimmed up. They’ve got Friday free… that’s a good time to “git ‘er done!”

With lopping shears, a hacksaw, a hatchet, gloves, and a large tarp in hand, they set about pruning this monsterous , ugly hedge. Now this thing is nearly 40 feet long, and well over 8 feet thick and nearly 4 feet tall. There’s just no other way to get started than to dive in and find the first unwieldy branches.

By lunch time, Cindy is noticing a rash on her arms. It’s been too hot to wear long sleeves, so they’re both out there in basically t-shirts, jeans and boots. Is it red spider bites? Is it an allergy to something? Is it just an “irritation” from the prickly needles? No time to get too concerned, there’s more hedge awaiting.

So here they are, chopping away, dragging the limbs to the Avalanche so they can haul them to the dump box. The tarp is protecting the truck bed and top from scratches and unnecessary mess.

All of a sudden… ka-thunk! Cindy hits the ground… out cold!

Thankfully, Bev has plenty of first aid knowledge. First things first… call 911!

Long story short… Cindy takes an unscheduled trip to Cedar City, and discovers she’s highly allergic to Juniper.

Where was Shari? Well, she had been in communication with Cindy earlier in the morning and even at lunchtime when she mentioned the rash. All of a sudden, she heard from Bev, just long enough to let her know she was headed for Cedar City behind “the squad” (that’s cop talk for emergency vehicle).

Good news! Cindy was checked out, told to stay out of the Juniper, and released to return home.

So, what about the rest of the ugly hedge? It’s gonna stay where it is for a while, and Cindy’s gonna walk a wide circle around it.

So much for Friday and work in the front yard. They turn their attention to other areas slated for cleaning.

Saturday morning, they’re cleaning more areas, hosing down the outside of the house, so they can get a good look at it’s real color. Little do they know… there’s storm clouds brewing… and they won’t find them in the sky.

About mid-day, there’s suddenly NO WATER! What do you mean no water?

Oh geez! This isn’t possible… the well can’t be dry. The power is on, so that’s not the problem… hmm… now what do they do?

Fortunately, they’d had a well on the island, so they knew the drill… check the pressure tank. Nope, it’s not leaking.

Check the circuit breakers. It looks like everything is in order… That means nothing is tripped. They still don’t know for sure which breaker controls what as nothing has been marked.

Hmm, maybe they’d better call for help. But who? Let’s go ask Bill, the only neighbor we know. Bill provides the name and phone number of the local well driller. That’s a start… sort of.

Uh-oh, well drillers don’t have any responsibility for the well once it’s dug and they find water and case it. Now what?

Pump service? Is that what they need?

By then, it’s Sunday morning, they’ve had no water for nearly 24 hours… and it’s Southern Utah, where most everyone has gone to church.

Compound that with Labor Day weekend… if they can find the pump service dude, it’s gonna be expensive. They’re in luck. It’s now Sunday afternoon and they’ve got a guy coming out to see what’s wrong.

With only hours to spare before sunset, he confirms the problem… it’s the well pump. Oh my God! Does this mean we’re without water for two days… until Tuesday? Things are gonna get ugly here.

He thinks he has a pump that will work, so that’s the good news. He will return on Monday (Labor Day) to pull the old pump out and put the new one in at a depth of 120 feet.

The bad news… pump is over $500 and because it’s a holiday, labor is double time, for another $500 plus. Oh well… at this point, it’s more important to have the water as soon as possible.

Well, the girls have continued to unpack. They’ve more or less gotten their rooms in order, and have made the living room somewhat “livable”.

Time to turn their attention to the kitchen.

This room is long, narrow, and turns a corner… really a strange setup. The refrigerator is old and small, with only a top freezer compartment. That needs to be replaced, for sure.

Oh well, onward they go…

They start really cleaning things and putting away kitchen stuff, when all of a sudden, they realize there’s water on the floor… uh oh!

Well, it doesn’t take them long to figure out it. Things aren’t right under the kitchen sink.

Oh yuck!

The thingy is disconnected from the what’cha ma’ call it. Yikes… this is serious.

Fortunately, both Bev and Cindy are pretty handy in the plumbing department. It’s not their favorite thing to do what with all the nasty stuff you encounter.

First things first… what the hell is the real problem here?

Oh, now I get it… the garbage disposal is disconnected from the drain line, and what’s worse is… all the piping is rusted.

Next question… who has the strength to bust all this stuff loose? Well that job fell to Cindy, who slithered under the sink and began wrenching it all loose, pipe by pipe. Each time she got one piece loosened, another one broke, until finally…

Bev said “That’s it! We’re replacing all the piping with PVC and then praying the disposal works.”

Several hours later, lots of bad words hurled at the stupid plumbing, and at least one trip to the “now discovered” Enterprise (just 17 miles down the road)  for parts, Cindy pronounced the job… “DONE!”

Here’s what her finished job looked like… All nice and neat with PVC and everything securely in place. So much for their first major “do it yourself” project. There’ll be more to come… you can count on it.

They were tired of unpacking, and had found a reason to go to St. George.

When you leave their house you go southwest to get to Enterprise. At the north city limits, there is cut-off to St George. It takes you over a 6150 foot pass and then drops you into the heart of “color country”.

Enterprise is a cute little “country town”. It has a grocery store, a general store, a senior citizen center, a True Value Hardware store, a bank, Post Office, a couple of auto/truck repair places, a beauty salon (at one of the auto repair places), two LDS Churches, and a full school system including an elementary school and high school which serves most of the valley.

St. George is the largest city in “color country”, and is also one of the fastest growing cities in the US. The weather makes it a magnet for retirees, with most being “snowbirds”. They arrive in the fall to enjoy the incredibly beautiful winter weather and then leave in late spring just before daily temperatures go to 100 degrees or better.

The drive to St. George offers breath-taking views of the massive red rock mountains, cliffs, and ravines. On the way “up the hill” from Enterprise you have to keep a sharp lookout for deer on the road. It’s not uncommon to see at least three or four of the critters.

About half-way there’s a little village called Veyo. The little country store there has some of the best pies you’ll ever eat… and the price is reasonable, too.

About half-way between Veyo and St George is the new golfing destination/community called “The Ledges”. Several well-known entertainers are purchasing homes in this community. From the highway, you can see several new homes that are built in the “adobe style” with flat roofs and “pole beams” extending beyond the walls.

St. George is just a few miles north of the Arizona border and is within about 30 miles of Zion National Park. You can see some of the peaks on a clear day.

St George is a “shoppers delight.”

Mom’s room was really ugly. The walls were “chocolate milk brown” and one wall was fully wall-papered. Bev and Cindy thought they could help with re-decorating by gathering paint chips and then sending her pictures as well as the chips. After all, her room would be redecorated espeically for her.

Bev and Cindy’s bathroom didn’t have a “medicine cabinet”. It had a full mirror firmly attached to the wall. Now, they knew better than to purposely break a mirror… but hey, when you’re trying to get a great big (24×36 inch) mirror loose from a wall (it was glued)… stuff happens.

First item on the list… a nice three compartment medicine cabinet.

Remember, Bev had set up the computer in Mom’s room. There was more than one reason for that… She didn’t get to bring her computer desk. At the price of computer hutches, it was smarter to leave that one and buy a new one. They looked all over but didn’t find one Bev liked, so that would wait for a trip to Cedar City.

Cindy had also left her computer hutch and is now using Mom’s, who won’t be getting a new hutch any time soon.

They pretty much made the rounds, going to WalMart, Home Depot, Lowe’s, and any other place that looked interesting, including Costco. They’d been in Sam’s Club’s while in Ohio, but once inside Costco, Cindy’s only comment was “Boy, with a membership here, we could get into serious trouble!.”

What did they actually come home with? Well, they got the medicine cabinet, and the paint chips. And, they didn’t get the Costco membership.

After getting that call from the real estate agent letting them know the house is theirs, it wasn’t long before the previous owner showed up with all the keys they needed. Since she had moved just down the road, it was much easier for her to bring them the keys, than for the agent to drive all the way out.

Keys in hand, they quickly got into the house so they could get their beds unpacked. At that point, the beds were more important than food… can you believe that?

With a few hours of sunlight, no problem getting enough done before dark.

Jimmy had TONS of work to do… You see, he wasn’t just an extra driver, he came along to do those all-important “guy things”, like make sure the electrical was in working order, and the furnace, air conditioning and heat pump worked properly, as well as make sure the plumbing worked.

Within a few hours, he was more than happy to crash on the living room floor in his sleeping bag.

Everyone was up early Saturday as they had lots to do… more lists were made and off they went to Cedar City to pick up stuff like cleaning supplies, air filters, etc.

In addition to all the inside work, figuring out where they expected things to go, cleaning the dust out, they also took time to “survey” the outside. Note this overgrown hedge… it plays an important part later on.

Bev had to take Jimmy to the Cedar City airport Sunday morning. Cindy couldn’t sleep (still on east coast time), so she was up washing windows before daylight, as well as recording one of the most beautiful sunrises.

Within a few hours, Bev returned home and they continued to unpack what they could. Jmmy had a more exciting adventure, going to Columbus Ohio by way of New York City, thanks to severe thunderstorms throughout the mid section of the country. He finally got home about 11PM, after thinking he’d be home by 2PM or so.

It’s now Friday… they’ve been “homeless” since Monday, when they left Put In Bay, Ohio, bidding farewell to a long and storied past.

They had enjoyed the trip, and the adventure to discover their new house… but frankly, living out of the Avalance and Blazer with three people, three dogs, and all that stuff was getting pretty old.

With their new beds and dining room table loaded into the trailer, they again headed over the last mountains to Beryl, and that little patch of sagebrush, tumbleweed and sand.

Mom had gotten her end of the paperwork completed earlier in the week and had personally seen it to the ferry from the island… As of Friday morning, the packet still hadn’t arrived in Utah, so the house wasn’t theirs yet.

The seller gave them permission to work on the outside area. After all, it had been quite some time since the grass was cut, and the weeds “whacked”. Between Jim and Cindy, both the front and back yards were mowed and whacked. I can’t really say there was any grass… more like drought resistant weeds.

Bev was busy making lists of everything they’d need right away. After all, the big moving van wouldn’t be here until sometime Monday. There was the Internet connection to figure out, the TV to get connected, phone service, etc. On top of that… there was all that sand and fine clay dust.

They all pitched in to shovel the sand from the bottom of the driveway area as well as on the walkway adjacent to the house. No time yet, to even think about what to do with the acreage.

Shortly before 5 PM, the all important call came in… the paperwork had been approved. The financing was all settled. The seller had been paid. The house was now their new home!

Awesome! Tonight they’d be sleeping in their own beds, under their own roof.

Upon checking into the motel Wednesday night, the Inkeeper suddenly realized they had three pretty good sized dogs, and saw an opportunity to extract a higher rental… Well, the girls got all undone. After all, they were pretty much exhausted after the very long day.

They soon struck a deal. No extra charges unless the dogs damaged the room.

The next morning, with Bev and Jim having packed everything, and gotten the three dogs into the vehicles, Cindy stood for inspection in the room… no problem at all. Therefore, no extra charge. However, the shoddy treatment by the proprietor has led Bev to put that place on her “do not recommend” list… to the point of not even providing me the name.

Knowing they’d be staying in Cedar City for at least one more night, they went across the street to the Motel 6, where the folks were very dog friendly, even providing them a first floor room near the door.

After a quick breakfast, it was time to “go exploring”… that means go west on Hwy 56 and find their new home. All that stood between them and their home was one more mountain pass… elevation 6455 feet. Lot’s of history here… but no time to stop and investigate.

Within minutes they crested the summit and began their decent into the Escalante Desert Valley. My God, you can see forever!

They pass the little burg of Newcastle. Significant as this is the home of their local Post Office; that and a Phillips 66 station and convenience store. A couple miles further there’s a sign to the Beryl Rural Fire Dept and a community “dump box” area… oh boy.

About 7 miles down the road, they come to Beryl Junction. Where’s Beryl?

What’s at the junction? This is where Hwy 56 and Hwy 18 intersect. You’ll find the “El Rancho Restaurant”, a small Mexican place, as well as the offices of the local power company, “Dixie Escalante Power Cooperative”. There’s an elementary school, a small community center, the “old school”, and a couple of houses. Oh, there’s also a road maintenance shed including some fuel tanks, and a little roadside picnic area.

A few hundred feet south on Hwy 18 is one of the busiest Goodyear Tire stores in the west… they marvel at that…

Turning right (north) on to Beryl Hwy (no longer officially Hwy 18), they soon find themselves in very unfamiliar territory.

What’s this big dairy? How come everyone looks alike? More about that later.

What was once desert is now a huge patchwork quilt of irrigated circles. Folks are growing alfalfa, hay, potatoes, and corn. There are a couple of “cubing” operations on their right about 4 miles up the the road.

Just past a sign that’s had more than it’s share of bullet holes saying… Blowing Dust, they turn west (4800 N or Antelope Springs Road) and see a fair-sized group of locked mailboxes.

Heading west for about 1/2 mile, they pass a couple of mobile homes. Other than that… nothing but sagebrush, tumbleweed and sand.

Right on to 400 W and they’re new property is on the left of the truck… an expanse of tumbleweed, sand, a couple of pinion trees, a couple of sagebrush bushes… and their new house.

I say “house” as it’s not yet THEIR HOME. With the “double closing” and Bev and Cindy on the road, paperwork had to be “overnighted” to Mom. Yes, she’s on the deed. This process proved to take a little longer than they expected. Mom had done everything correctly… so it wasn’t her problem.

A quick call to the seller confirmed that although they could unload the trailer and store the stuff in the garage, they wouldn’t be able to put anything in the house. That was the advice from her attorney… as long as she was carrying the insurance, the new occupants couldn’t have any access to the house.

No problem… with the trailer unloaded into the garage, they’d have room to haul some new furniture. You see, they’d left their old beds on the island, planning to purchase brand new beds when they got here. Hey, if you’re gonna make a change… you may as well make a big one!

Trailer unloaded, they take time out for pictures… gotta show Shari how far away from “civilization” they really are. From here you can see over 40 miles west, about 40 miles or so north, about 25 miles east and about 20 or so miles south. What a view!

Ok, time to get back across the mountains to Cedar City, a distance of about 45 miles, and do some serious shopping. In addition to the new beds, they add a dining room table and four chairs, spending nearly two grand in the process. At least they’ll sleep well, and have somewhere to eat.

Having arrived at Dad’s barn, they set about gathering the many boxes and other items they’d been moving off the island for the past six months or so. Originally, they’d been packing and storing the boxes in the basement of their island home, but the Realtor insisted they move things off and put an end to any clutter.

So, they moved things three times, from the upstairs to the basement, and then back upstairs out the door, onto the truck, to a rented storage building, out of there, back onto the truck… across the lake to Dad’s barn.

By the time they had stuffed the moving van and 12 foot trailer, all available extra space in both the Avalanche and the Blazer, it was nearly 11 PM. Yikes, and they were still in Ohio!

On the road… no matter they’d been up way before the sun. They must press onward.

They convoyed back to pick up the I-80 Turnpike, and head west.

Somewhere west of Toledo at the Swanton Rest Area they pulled off for much needed sleep.

Every time they stopped and started again, Cindy called Shari. It mattered not that there was a time zone adjustment, or that it might be the middle of the night. So, Shari was called after the vet stop, and then again very late, as they left Dad’s barn.

Very early the next morning, with fresh eyes, they again started their trek… Utah or Bust!

Bev and Jim did most of the driving, with Cindy filling in for short stints. On long boring straight highways, Cindy tended to get drowsy (or is that mesmerized).

From just west of Toledo, they put the pedal to the metal, soon heading into Indiana, through Illinois, Iowa, and into Nebraska. They’d be on I-80 until they got to I-76 just west of Ogallala. Even though they had well over 1900 miles to go, they felt like they’d be there in no time.

The towns and cities became a blur as they raced westward, stopping only to fuel the rigs, themselves, the dogs, and to provide a few minutes “out” for the dogs and themselves.

By the time they stopped for the night in Kearney, Nebraska, they’d gone through most of Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, and half of Nebraska. That’s also four update calls to Shari, who was tracking their progress, as well as keeping an eye on the weather for them.

The found a “dog friendly” motel and crashed for the night, knowing the most challenging section of the trip was still ahead… the drive across the Rockies with the Avalanche pulling a 12-foot trailer.