Sorry, Martha

This morning, around 8:30 AM, as I am dutifully dusting and vacuuming my house in preparation for this afternoon’s guests – one word rattled around my mind in time to the humming of the vacuum cleaner:  Why? 

Why is it that on the day we’re expected to spend all day in food preparation we are also expected to have our house resemble a showplace?  We seem to be inundated with TV ads, magazine articles, and even social media showing a perfect Thanksgiving celebration.  The Thanksgiving gurus show us tabloid after tabloid of perfectly displayed food, including an uncarved turkey on a platter in the center of the table.  They provide ideas for the most festive of decorations.  And all of this happens in spotless homes – never mind that it snowed last night and every guest will be tracking snow in on their shoes.

Really, folks.  I know how I cook.  I know that there will be food splatters on the kitchen floor, and that there will be no time to clean them up before the guests arrive.  And who carves the turkey at the table, anyway?  I read just last week that one of the gurus actually cooks a second turkey – a “stunt” turkey to sit as centerpiece while the real turkey is carved and served.  Two words:  not happening.

So I hope that our guests today will kindly overlook the stack of dishes overflowing from the sinks as they heap their plates with pre-carved turkey and all the trimmings.  I hope they’ll overlook the less-than-perfect table arrangements as they sit down for an evening of great food, great conversation, and a heaping portion of gratitude.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Have You Voted Yet?

My father was involved in local politics when I was growing up.  I remember posting signs, knocking on doors and handing out flyers from the time I was eleven years old.  Dad was elected to two terms on the City Council before being hired as City Manager.  He ran for his final elected position, that of County Surveyor, in 1994.

He won every election he ran in – except one.  Today I want to tell you about the one he lost.

Dad was running for a position on the County School Board.  He and his opponent were both well known in the city.  Dad was City Manager; his opponent was a city police officer.  Dad campaigned well.  His opponent also campaigned well.  In the end the race was decided by three votes.

Three votes!  After Dad had conceded and put that race behind him, several of his friends confessed that, “If I had known the race would be so close I would have voted.”

Your vote counts!  Never believe – not even for a second – that it doesn’t matter whether you vote or not.  In this race, dominated by an ugliness unbecoming our great nation, it’s especially important that you vote.  Don’t like either candidate at the top?  Skip that race.  In Utah the rest of your ballot will be counted.  It says so right on the ballot.

Too late to mail in your ballot?  Drop it off at a polling place.  Or just go to the polling place and cast your vote the traditional way.  Yes, there will be lines.  Take a book.  Or just visit with all your friends and neighbors also coming out to vote.

But vote!  Your vote counts.  And your vote matters.

Goal Setting in Retirement

That day when you look at your spouse and realize that you’ve accomplished everything you set out to accomplish after you retired?  Yeah, that’s happened. 

For those of you whose goal is to retire, be advised:  retirement is a doorway, not a destination.  When we retired we knew we would buy a trailer and work as campground hosts for five years.  During this time we would continue to become totally debt-free by reinvesting most of our rental income back into the properties.

Fast forward four years, five months, and three days, and here we are.  We decided to give up camp hosting after the summer of 2015 and learned that we quite enjoy camping without cleaning toilets.  All our rental properties are paid for.  Our hard work helping our son and daughter-in-law plan and execute their wedding culminated in a beautiful October 1 celebration.   And we have set no additional goals.

So now what do we want to do?  Travel?  Downsize?  Buy a summer home (or in our case, a winter home)?  Just for fun, I looked through an attempt at a “Bucket List” written in 2004 (eight years before we retired, and three years before we started calling them Bucket Lists).  There are 33 items on the list. 

#1 is to write and publish a novel. I’m working on it.  I’ve been working on it since 2012.  I’m on Chapter 31. 

#2 is to own two condos – one in SLC and one someplace warm.

Of the remaining 31 items, 13 are places I want to travel to (2 accomplished), 6 are things I’d like to do with my time (2 accomplished), 2 are things I’d like to learn, 3 are places I’d like to sing (2 accomplished), 2 are places I’d like to volunteer (1 accomplished), 2 are items I’ve since decided I never want to do, and the rest are pretty random .  Things like owning another pug, giving the kids nice weddings, and running a 5K.  Yes, I did write 5K.  How was I to know what an avid runner I would become?   So far I’ve accomplished 11 ½ of the 33 items on my list.

Just for fun, I shared the list with my husband.  He agreed with me that traveling more and trading in the big house for two smaller houses were ideas worth considering.  Maybe it’s time to transform these from the bucket list to actual goals that we can work on together.

Carrot vs. Stick

At the height of the burst of the housing bubble and the “too big to fail” debacle, I worked for what was then the 8^th largest bank in the U.S.  At the time, Wells Fargo was one of the good guys.  We knew that lending money to people who couldn’t afford to pay it back was bad for business, and according to those I worked with who knew the mortgage business, we turned away a lot of money because of this.  We paid back the “bailout” money.  And we grew to be the 2^nd biggest bank in the U.S.

Fast forward eight years and the shocking revelation that so many Wells Fargo bankers created fraudulent accounts in order to meet sales goals.  5300+ were fired.  The head of Retail Banking retired.  And just a few days ago, CEO John Stumpf announced his immediate resignation. 

I am saddened by the fact that the company who treated me very well as an employee did not treat the customers who keep the bank in business quite as well.  And I’m more saddened for the Retail bankers, most of them honest and hardworking, who are likely taking the brunt of the fallout.  And I can’t help but wonder…

First – a disclaimer.  I’ve never worked in Retail banking.  The hypothesis I’m about to put into words is mine alone.  And it is this:  Wells Fargo Bank used to have a wonderful reward for high performing employees called the Sales and Service Conference.  Salespeople earned their way to this conference by meeting and exceeding sales goals.  Service people like me earned their way by being recommended by other departments for exemplary service.  The conference was an honor to attend – and a lot of fun!

My first Sales and Service Conference, held in the Bahamas was themed, A Culture of Legendary Excellence. I met a phone banker who was attending for her seventh time.  She worked hard every year to meet her sales goals and was rewarded.  But there were many more first-timers like me who were awestruck at the way Wells Fargo leadership honored us “little people” who were the “heart and soul of the company.”  The culmination of a long weekend of recognition and inspiration was walking across the stage to receive a medal from the CEO.

I attended two more times.  The last time I attended was in 2008.  John Stumpf presented my medal.  I shook his hand.  He seemed genuinely pleased to be there.  Later that year the company announced that it would be doing away with Sales and Service Conference, as it appeared to the outside world to be a boondoggle for highly paid executives.  In the climate of bailouts, buyouts, and out and out failures, no financial institution should get away with such frivolity.

That frivolity, however, seemed to be a significant incentive for bankers to meet their sales goals.  Sure, the executives were there, but they were there to encourage, support and honor those who had excelled at their jobs.  I wonder – in making the decision to do away with the conference, did we lose a part of our “culture of legendary excellence?”  I wonder – would the now-fired bankers have turned to fraud to meet sales goals if instead of threats such as reduced compensation or even job loss, an incentive were on the table?

I wonder – but I’ll never know.  

The Arapeen OHV Trail System

Blue Lake on the Arapeen OHV Trail System

We just completed a wonderful six weeks at Pine Mountain, located east of Spring City on a gateway road into the Arapeen OHV Trail System. This set of roads and trails, many open to 4X4 vehicles as well as off-road vehicles, is located in the Manti-LaSal National Forest.  The roads and trails are maintained by the National Forest Service and are well marked with signs bearing the road number.  System maps are available – free – at the Forest Service Offices in Ephraim, Ferron, Price, Moab and Monticello.

The main road linking the trails is #1, Skyline Drive.  It’s classified as a 4X4 road, and in certain sections you can drive a 2 wheel drive vehicle over it, but great deal of the road is pretty rutted.  I’m picturing the first sunny day in March, an old 4 wheel drive truck, a six pack of Keystone Light, and “damn the mud and snow – full speed ahead.”  That’s probably not what happened, but that’s my story and I’m sticking to it. 

The trails are rated like ski runs –green for easy, blue for intermediate, black for advanced.  The color code is on the actual signs marking the trails.  But look carefully at the colors on the map. We learned the hard way that a green line for a trail on the map doesn’t mean it’s easy.  It means it’s restricted to ATVs 50” or less in width.  They take this width restriction very seriously.  The gate to enter the trail is just a bit wider.  Seriously.  We cleared one of the gates by ½ inch on either side.  The gate is also stationary.  If you don’t fit through, you don’t ride the trail.  Case closed.

Most of the ATV-only trails are two-track, alternating through dense forest and open meadows.  The Reeder Canyon trail and the other road #5 (still confused) had steep uphill and downhill sections punctuated by Forest Service speed bumps – actually culverts to divert running water.  There are several reservoirs along the trail, many with fishing and camping opportunities. 

We rode in this area more than a dozen times during our stay at Pine Mountain and still have trails and loops we have yet to ride. Interested?  You can download the trail map here.  Happy Trails!

What the Best Dressed ATV Riders are Wearing

Welcome to my first – and most likely last – fashion post.  But if ever there were an event where the right attire is paramount, ATV riding would be it.  So, without further ado, starting at the bottom and working up….

1.  Boots.  Your boots should have good tread and provide ankle support.  Remember, you’ll need good traction on the trails and on-foot sightseeing.

2.  Socks.  Your socks need to cover the space between your boots and the inevitable lift of your pants when you’re seated.  Why?  The heat from the ATV’s engine can make the sideboards near the footrests very hot.  Save yourself the burn.

3.  Long pants.  Covering your legs protects them from windburn, sunburn, insects, flying objects and again, the heat of the machine.  The best riding pants have lots of pockets.  Ladies, the trail is no place for your designer handbags.  You need a pocket for your camera or cellphone, a pocket for chapstick, a pocket for tissues, and anything else you really need.  Don’t pack a comb or brush.  Trust me on this one.

4.  Long sleeved shirt.  Covering your arms has the same benefits as covering your legs.  I use a white cotton shirt on hot days, a pullover windbreaker on cooler days, and a parka for cold days.

5.  Bandanna.  Or maybe 2.  One should be tied around your neck so you can slip it up to cover your mouth and nose if you’re riding in really dusty conditions.  They make official dust masks for ATV riders, but so far I’ve found the bandanna to work just as well.  I use a second bandanna around my hair.  It keeps most of the dust out and makes it a lot easier to brush when we’re finally back home.

6.  Helmet.  This is the most important fashion accessory in the ATV riders wardrobe.  The benefits of wearing a helmet are many:

- It's the law (in Utah) if you're under age 18;

- It keeps wind and bugs off your face;
- It keeps rocks and dust out of your eyes;
- It keeps your ears warm on cold days;
- It keeps low tree branches from hitting you in the face, and
- It can save your life.

According to Riders West, “Recent research indicates that wearing a helmet while riding an ATV reduces an individual’s risk of death by 42 per cent and of suffering a head injury by 64 per cent. Head and spinal cord injuries are among the most common injuries incurred by ATV users.”

Don’t scrimp on the helmet.  Buy the best helmet you can afford and make sure it fits you well.  And if you should have the misfortune of having the helmet do its job, replace it.

But as for the pants, shirts, and windbreakers – the best source I’ve found is my local thrift store.  After all, why pay big bucks for clothing you intend to get dirty?

Happy trails!

Pine Mountain – A Guest Post by Frank

Hi!  It’s me again, Frank.  If we haven’t met yet, you can read my story at The Story of Frank.

Shortly after my previous owner, Fred, passed away, his daughter and son-in-law purchased a 5-acre lot in Pine Mountain in Sanpete County, Utah, southeast of Mount Pleasant and just east of Spring City.  Paul and Cheri brought me there for the first time last weekend.

The property sits on top of a hill.  The views are amazing and sunsets are spectacular.  The owners have built several trailer spots, a lovely sitting area and dining area, a playground complete with sand, and two horseshoe pits – so far.  Fred’s kids, grandkids, and great-grandkids come up most weekends to enjoy the property and the nearby recreation.  There are several hiking trails and easy access to the Arapeen OHV trail system.  You can drive (or ride) to several ponds and reservoirs to fish, and can walk out onto public lands to hunt.

Or you can just sit back and enjoy the peace and quiet.  Pine Mountain is a gated community.  Only owners and their guests can even access the area, and our spot is at the end of a road that the kids are in charge of naming.  During the day you can watch the hummingbirds (and chipmunks) at the feeders, and in the evening you can enjoy thousands of stars and dozens of solar lights.

I came this particular weekend to participate in a Memorial Service for Fred and his wife, JoAnn.  Fred’s children had chosen Pine Mountain as the final resting place for their ashes, and on Saturday, August 13, they honored Fred and JoAnn and buried the ashes.  Most of the family, including adopted son Paul, were there and spoke of their fond memories.  There were tears of joy and tears of gratitude.

The gravesite is marked by a tree planted in honor of Fred and JoAnn.  A simple cross and angel guard the site with their colored lights.

I think Fred and JoAnn would have loved it here.