Pictures from Snowbird with the Sarmientos and the Livingstons...

Ski comp time...


Back at the Hungry Moose, with 2 happy dads with their kids, barbecue time sans moms

Cross country in Yellowstone...

Hiking with the rabbi at Ousel Falls

Micah free falling at Targhee

Before I report about the last 10 days I would like to begin with the phone conversation I had with my Dad today on the telephone. I called him on my way back from a grocery delivery, which is always the best time for me to call him. Found him at home in his apartment, he had been out a couple of times, but it was raining in New York, so he was staying close to home. And the conversation covered the usual, "it's the end game Mark, and I'm on the front lines." That's his favorite line these days. Today he told me that his stomach was bothering him again and that he was going to see Dr. Good, his gastroenterologist on Wednesday. He was going to take car service to get there. I told him I would call Dr. Good after his appointment so I could get the doctor's low down. Dad says it's something new, he feels like he has to go all the time, he's afraid to get to far away from home, it feels like something new over the last week or so. He told me that Uncle Sidney had to postpone his 79th birthday party because he had a really bad bout of vertigo. 79 years old and he still works full time at a bakery in the village. Dad asked me about his condo in Big Sky and I told him that I was hoping to get in and take pictures this week. Then he told me about grandma robin. She wanted out, didn't want to live anymore - too much pain, she went in for some kind of stomach surgery and went into a coma, she didn't want to die in the spring, and she didn't want to live anymore. I was 11 years old, said goodbye to her on the way to the hospital. Dad said, "I was working at the racetrack. She was in a coma. I would visit the hospital during the day and then I would stop on my way home from the track. She just didn't want to live anymore." This is what he talks about. I am getting anxious to get him out to Big Sky. He shouldn't be alone, he needs to be kept busy, and surrounded by family. He agreed that he needs to be distracted otherwise he just lives with anxiety and all he thinks about is his stomach. Sigh.

Friday, I worked, but Jackie and Howie skied in Big Sky, Andrew was skiing in Breckinridge and Micah was skiing in Targhee. If you asked me 20 years ago the chances that I would have 3 sons skiing on the same day at 3 different ski resorts I would laughed my head off, there was no way! Yet here I am and here they are. Andrew was with friends in Colorado for Spring Break checking out colleges, visiting Uncle Andy in Boulder and just having fun. Micah was in Targhee with his Freeride coach Kelli and another competitor, Joey from West Yellowstone, and they were competing in the Targhee Tee Off, a freeride comp, Micah's second weekend in a row competing and he is definitely getting into it. He made the cut both weekends, which is an accomplishment in itself. Jackie and Howie skied with Brian and Donna, and their kids Avery, Olivia, and Sammy. Apres ski they came over for dinner and a sleepover and it was really nice to have them over. We did a shabbat dinner, lit the candles, broke bread and enjoyed being with one another, a very relaxing evening and morning. They left around 11 or so and Jackie and I did the grocery deliveries for the store and track skied into Beehive Basin which was beautiful, but the skiing was hard, icy and difficult. Afterwards we skate skied up the Cascade lift cat track just for the fun of it, it was groomed, and no one had been on it so it was fun.

Saturday night we had the Wades over which is always fun. Just hung out ate dinner and talked, a very nice evening, and in the morning at 7:30 am Denise picked us up and we drove to Big Horn Pass in Yellowstone and skied into Big Horn along the river. We had wanted to skate ski, but the snow was sinking on us so we switched to our track skis and skied way back to some of the same spots Dan, Denise and I hiked to last October when we saw the wolf and the big bull elk...

And then we were back home at 11:30 or so just in time for a quick shower and our afternoon with Rabbi Ed. We took him to the venues of Micah's Bar Mitzvah, the 320 ranch were the big party is going to be, the Half Moon Saloon, the friday night spot, the Hungry Moose for lunch, the Big Sky Chapel, and a hike up Ousel Falls. Lots of talking, about bar mitzvah logistics, and just stuff. The hike up Ousel Falls was a little crazy, muddy in some spots and very icy in others.

The big news of the last 10 days is Micah seems to have become a competitive free ride skier. Next competition is April 3rd at Moonlight Basin in Big Sky....

Home Alone

Jackie and Micah and Howie are in Snowbird for a Junior Freeride Competition for Micah. Today, Micah scouted out his line with Isabella who scouted out her line together with Stephanie who acted as their coach, since their coach doesn't arrive until tomorrow. Jackie skied with Howie and Xela and it sounded like it was a beautiful bluebird day. Tomorrow they are expecting weather so they will be moving up the comp to earlier in the day...

In the meantime I worked all day, a busy Friday before spring break with 6 deliveries, and a big Associated order to put away, but it was all very manageable, we had plenty of help, everyone did their part and it all worked out just fine. Surprisingly so for me as I was very anxious and thought the day would be a lot more physically strenuous for me, since Manuel has gone back to Argentina, but Tristan came in early and he helped unload the Associated truck and then he helped me do all the deliveries which meant he unloaded the truck and I put the groceries away instead of having to do both. In fact Tristan did most of the physical labor I was apprehensive about, so that's why the day went well for me.

It was Chelsea's last day, we had a goodbye party for her the night before at By Word of Mouth at open mic night and Lauren sang, bolted out JOLENE, JOOOO LEEEEENEEEEE.... (yes, even when I write I can't sing)

Chelsea somehow got an onion skin particle in her eye and it was bothering her a bit all day, then I saw her lift a heavy box and told her don't hurt yourself. And she said, "what am I doing? I don't want to hurt myself on my last day, which reminded me of my cousin Ruth's last day at a deli she was working at, it was her last hour and she was working the deli slicer and left a little piece of herself, sliced a bit of a finger... nothing too traumatic, but still and so I was a little worried about Chelsea going home injured on her last day, but somehow she survived with a big smile on her face as she ended her career at the Moose. I need to write a haiku about her last day.

some funny moments, Holly had a t-shirt on today that said "FREE HUGS" I was teasing her that I saw her laughing last night at the bar, but at work she's so serious, rolling her eyes and working, focused, getting it done. Then I noticed the t-shirt and started working around the counter to collect my hug and she shook me off, it was one of those you had to be there moments... Later on she offered me a hug and I shrugged her off, but just before I went home I cashed in on my free hug...

Then there was the talk about Vegas. Dad had called me earlier in the day, wanted me to confirm his Jet Blue flight from Naples back to New York, he said he didn't like his seats and wanted me to call the airline. I told him that I had already ordered a wheelchair for him and got him really good seats when I called the airline when he flew down to Naples, but he didn't believe me, so I told him I would call Jet Blue and then call him back. So after being on hold for about half an hour I finally got through, but she needed the last 4 digits of his credit card number to prove that I was talking on his behalf which I gave her, but she said it wasn't right so I called him on my cell phone while I talked with her and he gave me the same last 4 numbers that I gave her, but they weren't right so he was able to find the confirmation number and she confirmed the flight and the wheelchair assistance and his seats which were 1B and 1C, he's in the front row! So I called him back and he was happy. Flying back on Tuesday...

Anyways the girls, Lauren, Emelyn and Holly want me to send them to Vegas and then I got the brilliant idea that when Dad is out here, the girls should take him to Vegas, I guess it's 2 for 1 at Allegiant right now, and then Dad just told me he called cousin Lois for her birthday and she could always set us up in a hotel room, I think she's at the Luxor so we could all go down to Vegas for a long weekend, the girls would have a blast escorting Stan around the casinos...Em was even saying just imagine us, Stan in the middle, and we'd be all dressed up...

So it was a good day at the Moose, Rebecca almost cried when Em and Lauren told her she could have tomorrow off. Her boyfriend is playing music and she was really wanting the day off. It was busy, but not insane. I even talk a walk to Grizzly to buy new crocs for Howie for his trip in May to Yellowstone, probably save them for his birthday...

No pictures, Jackie has my camera so we should have lots of pictures and video of Micah and Howie at Snowbird when they get back.

Tomorrow we will do the delivery thing all over again - I think we have about a dozen or so for tomorrow, but I think we have plenty of help - we will see how it goes.

When I got home from work, I walked the dogs and did a little straightening up, took a shower, had some leftover stirfry for dinner, listening to some jazz, then continued with laundry and unpacked the boxes from the house upstate, a broken butter dish, 3 broken cereal bowls, one broken big serving bowl and then a broken pitcher - just the handle so I'm trying to glue it back together, because it's actually a pretty yellow piece and it matches all our dishes. It's funny before I didn't even know it existed, but now I'm so bummed that it arrived broken, but it's just a silly thing...

Then I made some banana bread, 3 loaves, one for Andrew to take with him on his ski trip to Colorado... he just texted me, he'll be home tonight, will call me before he leaves town.

Time for some dessert and try to write that Haiku...

Cheers!

Happy Birthday Gail!

A great night of fun, love, food, drink, singing, chatting and dancing. Happy Birthday Gail! We love you!

Yesterday, Michele Vetter visited us, an old time Big Sky friend who moved away over 6 years ago. She had never seen the new store, and it was absolutely wonderful to see her. We all sat and had coffee and breakfast and talked about the past the present and the future. Turns out that Michele is one of my biggest blog fans, and actually since I posted Micah's 720 it seems my list of blog fans is growing. Micah and Isabella were in the store at the same time we were visiting with Michele, they were shopping for their extra day on the mountain as they get ready to leave for the Snowbird Freeride competition tomorrow. One of the comments that really has stuck in my head from my conversation with Michele is about movement, movement in relationships, incidentally I had just read that morning in this book that I often read an entry a day based on the day of the year, the book is called 365 Days of Tao by Deng Ming-Dao and the entry I read that day started "Without movement there could be nothing created in this universe." We were talking more about relationships. In order to have a successful relationship with a parent or a spouse or anybody is to keep moving...

keep changing, adapting, moving. Interestingly enough today's entry read, " Two flames come together and yield light more magnificent than either could have given forth alone."

We received our UPS shipment and here's a picture of the cracked glass, easy to fix no big deal, but just wanted to show off the quilt poster we had bought my mom years ago which hung in the house upstate. We are going to get the glass fixed and hang it up in our homage to Happy Avenue wall which we seem to have started along the stairwell heading downstairs...

and this photo is of Howie, Caleb and Jackson as they worked on their science experiment: What melts ice faster, water, milk or lemon juice and the answer is.....

Water!

Now need to get ready for Gail's birthday party. It's a big one, but don't worry Gail I won't divulge it here....

Mondays. Payroll. Do Deposits. Pay Bills. And now take back over all the Monday ordering from numerous vendors. Today was connect with Chelsea and refamiliarize myself with everything that I used to do on Mondays. Called the flower people and doubled our flower order through Easter. Looked over Chelsea's stuff who was diligently organizing everything for me. Plus worked in the back at my stand up desk (with my back to the triple sink) organizing bills, taking phone calls, making orders, checking on things, talking to employees, eating breakfast, drinking coffee, checking website orders, responding to e-mails, trying to getting it all done, mostly succeeding, the usual.

Did a grocery delivery to the Yellowstone Club, then one up to the Summit, then back to my computer. Didn't really have time to finish, kind of left in the middle of bill paying. Had to leave by 3:30, so I could be home for Micah and Howie, then off to Hebrew School stopping to do a couple of quick chores, dropping off frames with broken glass at the frame shop and stopping at Honda to pick up Micah's Bar Mitzvah book which he left there inadvertantly the other day.

We got all our boxes from the house upstate today, pictures (one with broken glass), and dishes mostly, will have to go through it later. Everything is out of the house, and the do it yourself network is already knocking it down to renovate it. You can see the house Jackie and I were married in get completely renovated and get a chance to win it back for us at the blog cabin website: http://www.diynetwork.com/blog-cabin/index.html Let me know what you think!

Yesterday was a really fun Sunday. Jackie and I and the Hungry Moose did a food station for Lone Mountain Ranch's Glide and Gorge, a cross country ski day where people would ski from one station to another drinking wine and eating good food. It was a beautiful sunny day, it was a well attended event and it was really fun. Jackie and I took turns skiing and working the booth, and George brought some great wine for everyone to taste.

so Sunday was a bit of a work/fun day as I had to get to work early and run the grocery so everyone else could work in the deli to get all the food ready. The had to take all our stuff over to our skiers station, our tent, tables, and everything else. Then a little after 3 pm we broke it all down and loaded it into our cars and Jackie and I took one more skate around the golf course. It was fast skiing, and such a sunny day. I think everyone truly had a great time. Then just as I was heading home from the store, Holly and Emelyn who both helped get everything ready in the morning and who were both done with work were walking by the store with jelly jars and straws and insisted on taking me to the Lotus Pad for a faceplant a.k.a. a dirty girlscout. So after saying, "I've never had a dirty girlscout," these 2 girls took me up to the bar and we did a shot, chatted with some other ladies at the bar, and then went on our separate ways...

Saturday was a busy day in the store and after all the deliveries were done, Emelyn and I were downstocking together, Emelyn on the ladder and me in the aisles catching the groceries to restock. "I need a crunchy," I told Em, "one doesn't get to say that everyday." She laughed, "you've still got it, Mark." We continued down the aisle and I said, "I'll take 2 extra virgins and a zesty italian..."

Micah and friends ski Beehive Basin

Here are some photos and videos of Micah and his freeride buddies hiking, skiing, and hitting the kicker in Beehive. Thanks to coach Kelli and her husband Kreston for organizing a great day in the back country!

Here are some great videos of the day thanks to Stephanie!

Micah's 720! Micah lands a 360!

Isabella Catches Air! Kelli and Henry Catch Air!

Dad's 80th birthday

Last couple of days have been whirlwinds, crazy, busy, no time to breathe, too many things going on in our lives. The world is moving too quickly or is that we are moving too quickly through it or is it just the nature of my life and job as the town grocer. Morning begins with Jackie and Andrew fighting about grades and tutoring. I'm still in bed when that's going on. Then it's up and at it by 7:30 getting Howie and Micah fed, preparing school lunches and out the door by 8:07 with me and the dogs to catch the school bus. Jackie and I walk the dogs around the block, I'm sure we were arguing, but lightheartedly then back at home, start the car and off to work. The usual stops, post office to pick up the mail, bakery to pick up the bed. Have a conversation with Christian about baking us some challah bread to try for Micah's bar mitzvah. Then to work, bring in the bread and get immediately accosted by employees, phone messages and then a customer who wants to see the owner because she slipped and fell on the patio on the ice and she bruised her wrist and she wanted to yell at me about it. Nothing could make her happy, I'm not sure what she wanted me to do, but I asked her what she wanted me to do. First off she wanted me to salt the patio, before I could to do it one of my employees was already doing it, that wasn't good enough for her...then she wanted to fill out an accident report because her neck was starting to bother her. I went and got my computer and got her information and then I went to the back and wrote up an incident report and printed it for her. That still wasn't good enough for her. She had to give me a speech and tell me what I needed to do and how to take care of my property and she wouldn't let me talk or answer her. She was basically crazy and I don't think we will ever hear from her again, at least we hope not. I told her that the property manager was on his way to speak with her, but she said, I can't wait, I need to go skiing.

Now I'm drawing a blank on the rest of my day, but I'm sure it will come back to me. Let's see, it was a Wednesday and we had deliveries to make, but the store was busy with customers, and the beer and wine guys and I had to be done with work no later than 3 because we had appointments in Bozeman and a meeting with the rabbi at 6:15. I'm still drawing a blank. I know that at some point Jackie came down to help make the deliveries. I was trying to make my deposit when one of the wine guys came in and I had to check him in and print stickers and make sure he knew where to put everything. I put the wine away with him, I got the deposit together and went to the bank. I ran the front register so Chelsea could write up an incident report for us to have on file in case this woman ever did try to pursue some kind of whatever. It was a great synopsis because it reported on the woman's behavior every time I walked away from her.

Then Jackie and I went up the mountain to get the deliveries done, which we got done by around 2:30 - Jackie ran home to walk the dogs and get Micah and be ready to leave for town no later than 3:15. I stayed at the store and had conversations with Lauren who I hadn't seen in a couple of days, and Chelsea who had given her 2 weeks notice the day before. We talked standing up, but then Chelsea and I sat down for awhile and then i realized I had to go, so I made my quick dash, it was already 3:10, I drove straight home, up the driveway figuring they were waiting to leave, which they were, but we probably didn't leave till 3:25 or even 3:30. Somehow we got to our appointment at Honda at 4:03, just a couple of minutes late and they took us right away to check out why our check engine light was on and it was either because of the catalytic converter or the transmission, both things we are hoping not to have to fix, the van has over 200,000 miles on it already. We got out of there early called the Bay and ordered dragon tenders to go, drove to see Andrew who was working out at the Ridge and who we needed to take to Verizon to get him a new phone, but he was working out till 6, so Jackie, Micah and I went to the Bay and changed half the order to have there, and we ate. Then it was off to the temple, Micah had his bar mitvah time with the rabbi so we dropped him off and went off to Verizon to get started on picking out a phone for Andrew. Which somehow we worked on till he showed up and we made it all happen and then it was off to the temple for our meeting with the rabbi while Micah met with his tutor and Andrew ate his dragon tenders, and did homework.

Our meeting with the rabbi went well, trying to figure out our service and who to honor, and how it all goes, we found out the rabbi has an extensive wine collection, and we planned a ski day, tour of Big Sky day in a couple of weeks. All during the meeting we could hear Micah practicing his trope with his tutor. We talked about reading from the torah and who sings what prayers, it went well.

And then the drive home, where we stopped in Gateway before we lost phone service so Andrew could get his contacts off back up assistant because he was having trouble and we needed to call the Verizon store to figure it out and then we had a whole conversation about how we could motivate him to do better in school. Sometimes talking in a car is the easiest way because no one is looking at one another especially me since I'm driving. I talked about how when I was a kid I always worked over having fun, it was just who I was, and how Andrew is the opposite, he will always choose fun over work, which is probably more normal, but doesn't always work out for success in life, sometimes you have to work hard to succeed, and that is rewarding as well and so we all talked, Jackie, Andrew and Micah too and we came up with a grades for money idea which also included losing money for bad grades so we shall see, Andrew seems to be into it. And so we talked and drove home. We picked up Howie at his friend's house in the neighborhood, and ate leftovers out of the fridge and I took a shower and we watched the Colbert Report and ate dessert and went to bed.

And today, I went to work at 9 am, but Jackie was meeting Stephanie and Denise for a skate ski and I decided to join them, as I'm thinking I might not have much time to play after next week and I truly love skate skiing so I joined the ladies for a great skate up the middle fork and around Andesite - we skated for over 2 1/2 hours, lots of uphill and lots of downhill - the downhill was a little hard on my left leg, but I had my brace on, was able to fly down without wiping out and it was really fun and tiring. Then it was back at work for me while the ladies enjoyed lunch at the Moose. I did some work around the store, then it was off to the Yellowstone Club with one grocery delivery and on the way I called my Dad to wish him a happy 80th Birthday! He sounded good, he got our birthday package with the long sleeve t-shirt and a card from Jackie and I, a card from each of the boys and a card from my employees at the Moose. Just the other day Jackie bought all the plane tickets for she and I to go get him in New York and bring him back to Montana on a one way ticket... indefinite... So we all wrote about how we are looking forward to having him out here. He was thrilled with his package and was starting to get ready to go out for dinner - he had just gotten back from a walk, and they were going out with friends for dinner, which I knew because we were surprising him with a special night out with a couple of extra guests at a really nice place that I knew he would love. But I didn't let on, I told him I loved him and wished him a very happy and healthy 9th decade. Then it was back to the store for me. Jackie had the truck ready and loaded with the 2 other grocery orders that needed to go up the mountain and we were off. I think we got done with those around 3pm and I had to go back to the store and try to get some work done. I did my deposit, went to the bank, restocked beer, restocked produce, cleaned up some aisles, then took over clerking the register and started bossing everyone else around. I ran the register probably from 4:30 - 6:00, which can be fun, but is very tiring as well... Home after 7, Jackie was administering a practice ACT test to Andrew and prepping dinner, then she took a shower, I started writing all this, then I cooked the dinner, Andrew finished up a section, we ate dinner as a family, Andrew took the last section of his practice test, I wrote all this, he's taking a shower and I'm calling it a night.

Two days in the life, Happy 80th Stan!