Happy Birthday, Arizona

Our lovely state turned 98 yesterday. We celebrated by taking the scenic route home from Cottonwood. For those who don't know, that means taking hwy 260 which climbs onto the rim from Camp Verde to Strawberry, the snow was more than a foot deep over the ground up there, which for us, adds to the beauty of the breathtaking long distance views. The route continues on hwy 87 to Payson and dropping back down to 88 across Roosevelt Lake to Globe, then 77 on into Tucson via Winkleman and Oracle. It is 30 miles and two hours longer than I-17 and I-10, and 100 times prettier.
My mother is doing much better than we have any right to expect, though her lousy heart keeps her tired all the time. She gets herself in and out of bed, to the bathroom, and into the living part of the house. She still spends her time reading and watching TV like she always did, but no longer works puzzles. She has fallen more often, but so far no broken bones or other injuries.
The weather is finally taking a long enough break for Don to come west. He will spend a day here so we can go jeeping before heading to Cottonwood for two weeks.
We won't hear from Peggie for a while. She has too many quilting projects going. I will toss food into the studio several times a day and pass on messages when she inevitably emerges for bathroom breaks. If you see dark clouds hanging over our house it will be because thread is breaking, or needles are breaking, or she is 3 inches short on that fabric, or......
That's all for now. I have to get started on my own busy day. Right after I sip another cup of coffee.