The Big Clean

 

Every June since the beginning of time the Hosenfeld siblings gather together in Park City where our lives began. We all return to the place where we learned how to work hard. We harken back to the Ski Lodge where we grew up. Since we spent our childhood days at the Chateau we vacuumed a lot of floors, did a lot of dishes and made a lot of beds. Just because we all became adults and moved away doesn't mean that we have abandoned the pleasure of keeping up a hotel. In June we turn the place upside down and do a deep clean. We divide up the work and get it done in a weekend. When our job is done we have a fresh and tidy hotel ready for the next group of tourists. Then we eat burritos.

  Alisa and Suzanne's Job:  Make 55 beds...perfectly

Chandler's Job: Linen Distribution

 Dad's Job: Chief Pillow Inspector, Toilet Bowl Cleaner and General Quality Assurance
 

 Hailey and Morgan's Job: Trash, Cups, Soaps

 Jason and Jared's Job: Vacuum and Move Furniture

 Jen's Job: Official Duster and Wall Washer

Wendy's Job: Clean 40 Windows Inside and Out

**not pictured: Mom's Job: General Laundry and Day Care

Stragedy

Any time we take Tanner out into the scrutinizing public arena, we
must have a battle plan. Conditions need to be just right: 1-Rowdy
Atmosphere yet uncrowded,  2-Quick Food,  3-leaving a Mess is
Acceptable, even expected,  4-Easy-in/Easy-out access,  5-Good
Weather. We took the risk and took Tanner to a Bees baseball game.
Everything went smoothly especially since we sat right in front of
the concession stand. All Tanner had to do was point to the food or
raise his empty cup and Dave literally bolted like a well trained dog,
returning with nachos and Sprite. We managed to get tickets for $5
a piece but then spent $60 on food and drinks.



keep the food coming!

bring me hotdogs! bring me pretzels! bring me nachos!

 
 my cup is empty! Bring me more!

Tanner's Solution

Tanner's solution to a hot day is to keep cool. He usually plays with the hose, spraying  himself, making mud holes and covering himself with mud like an elephant would in the hot plains of Africa. Today he was REALLY hot and a mere splash of water wasn't enough. Instead he filled my weed bucket with water and squeezed his 15 yrs old body inside it. Then he splashed in his "watering hole" for an hour.

not a lot of space.....



Five years ago  and fifty pounds lighter, Tanner played
in the same size bucket. He was ten years old and a lot smaller.

Super Heat

The one and only bad thing about summer is when it gets too hot to work outside. For me this hardly ever happens. For me heat is my best buddy. I love how the summer heat envelopes me after I walk out of an air conditioned building. I love being comfortable in a short sleeve shirt as I relax in the shade. I love working up a sweat while shaping up the yard.
This week I tried really hard to do the things that I love the most (yard beautification) but I couldn't tolerate the heat.With temperatures above 100 degrees I felt like a slow roasted chicken simmering in the oven. I was withering alongside my flowers.

 
 After putting 2 quarts of iced tea into my body
and having nothing come out, I decided to call
it quits.......instead I went inside and did the thing
I hate the worst.

Risky Business

Rollerblading does NOT look fun. In fact, the only thing that comes to mind when I see a kid on skates is a gruesome broken bone. Not only a simple break but an arm which bends in all the wrong places or perhaps the glimpse of white bone poking through flesh. I've seen it all before. So when Hailey wanted rollerblades for Christmas I frowned. Then when Dave agreed that he would love to go skating together with his daughter, I grimaced. Well, she got rollerblades for Christmas.She rolled around the house for a couple of months, always holding onto a wall or a countertop. In the meantime I hid Dave's skates in the basement since he is an accident waiting to happen.
Now that it is summer it is about time Hailey tried the real thing. So while Dave was safe at work I took Hailey and Tanner out for a walk/skate. Since Tanner is in a wheelchair thingy it gave Hailey a perfect chance to hang on or let go of the chair as we walked. Before long she was going solo (as long as the trail was flat).
  *note* Dave's skates are still hidden...as far as I'm concerned he has no skates!! There is nothing more helpless than a full grown man with both arms in a cast--

rollerblading looks easy when there are things hold on to

Summer Bath

In the summertime Tanner likes to get dirty, really dirty. He turns dirt into mud, he turns mud into a pond and then he sits in his pond and pours mud all over himself. When he is done turning my flowerbed into a flood zone, he then wants to walk back into the house and resume his position on the couch. In years past I used to strip him and hose him off like a dog. This year I decided on a kinder, gentler approach to his cleanliness. I call it his Bucket Bath. Needless to say he hasn't had a regular bathtub bath since summer started.

garden hose + dirt + grass clippings + splashing =  a wet, muddy boy

 Tin bucket + warm water + soap + scrubber = clean boy

Bathed and ready for bed!

Will Ride For Candy

LRRH 2013

The best thing about road biking in Logan is the relative flatness of the country roads and the greeness of the alfalfa. We come back to Logan year after year to ride with 2000 other women and every time we drive into the valley each of us wonders why we don't live here. This time the fields seemed greener and the lakes were bluer and the birds were more colorful. Maybe this year I looked more at my surroundings than at the road ahead. I know I rode slower, thought more, enjoyed nature in more detail. The best thing about participating in the "ride for cancer" is that we get fed every fifteen miles. The organizers set up snacks and treats and energy bars and sandwiches, but mostly I go for the candy. I stock up on M&M's and Reese's and Red Vines. Of course there are fresh fruits aplenty and granola bars and peanut butter. I ride for the candy though. I ride for the ice cream sundae waiting for me at the finish line and for the cold diet coke fresh out of the fountain. I grab a fistful of Red Vines for the drive home.




 eeww! no thanks.

 Hey, there aren't any more Reese's peanut butter cups because they're in my pocket

 I am ready for another fifteen miles!

 Thanks mom and sisters for another great ride!