Feel Like Complaining

Swimming In My Clothes

2012-01-31T07:30:00.000-08:00

I have gotten rid of so many clothes this past year; both summer and winter wear. Some kind of got forgotten because they didn't quite fit into specific categories. I used to wear my t-shirts like this, long and baggy to cover up the arse. I prefer not to wear them like that anymore and was totally shocked when I put this one on today. I ordered it last spring and it was tight so wasn't even able to wear it until June. And as you can see (the back view), it's not really the kind of shirt I can wear just anywhere.

As large as it is now, I just can't part with this one. It was designed by Capt. Phil Harris (from Deadliest Catch) himself and after he died, they were being sold until they were gone, with monies going to his estate. I bought the kid and hubby different ones, but also designed by him. So some clothes can just not be parted with, even if I just end up sleeping in it. I have several favorite t-shirts from vacation spots that are now reserved for that use.

I have been in the biggest holding pattern for three months; stuck at 61 lbs. But I know I'm doing everything right so I'll just hang in there as I still have hopes to lose 10-15 more. I have upped my exercising and hitting it pretty hard 6 x a week. I'm trying to convince myself that all that muscle building up is what's holding off the pounds dropping, ha. I'm hoping that Spring will kick up the ol' metabolism so I can finish this thing.

Feeling Like a Geeky Dork

2012-01-26T03:30:00.000-08:00

My husband and I were quite content with our 3 year-old cell phones. We don't text or have the need, until....

Our daughter had the 5000 txt package because she was texting her boyfriend in California a lot. But since his mother found a questionable photo that he had sent, he was first grounded and then pretty much banned from texting without being in her presence. This might have to be a post all it's own; but just to assure you, it was not a sexting photo.

Anyway I was going to change her texting package because at last count she had only texted 12 times in the last month. But her previous package was now gone. It was a nice 500 txt limit and would have worked fine. So now all I see is is an unlimited package for all of us for only 10 bucks more than what her 5000 limit was.

Well then, if we're going to go through all that trouble, then I think we need new phones! Hubby already said he didn't want one. He doesn't like change. I've always had LG's and like them so that's what I wanted to stick with. And since Grumpy had already done all the research on his Octane, it sounded good to me. It wasn't available online and I learned at the Verizon store that it was actually discontinued. The pushy salesgirl tried to pressure me into either the Cosmos 2 or another maker. I told her I'd like to do some research so left empty handed.

Upon my research I found the Cosmos 2 at Radio Shack for free (with upgrade). Really? And Verizon was going to charge me? I high-tailed it over to the Shack and found both of them to look at. Although the Octane was not in stock, she could have ordered it from another store. I was feeling very impulsive so took the Cosmos instead. Sleek and pretty, it fit in my hands just right. But still I wish I had waited for the Octane.

The next day hubby caved and wanted a new phone too (I knew that would happen). I said he would probably like the Octane better because it has a larger keyboard, good for big manly fingers. We found another Shack that had one in stock so he got it. Now that I had two to play with, I was so torn. I had 30 days to make a switch and called the first store and asked her if she could get one in. By the time it was in though, I had gotten kind of used to mine and would now feel like a traitor to give it up. It's narrower and has a place to attach a strap. Those are good for pulling the phone out of a tight pocket. It's all in the details. So when I went back to the Shack I decided to keep my own.

I still like it even though it doesn't have a few features hubby's phone does, but mine still has some that his doesn't. He has Social Beat; without a data package he can access his Facebook. I can do the same, just a little different. He doesn't have speakerphone but does have video; mine is just the opposite. Since I'm going to keep it, I've ordered a few covers to keep it pretty and protected.

And I've been texting; mostly to daughter and hubby. Even while we're sitting in the same room. Yea, we're weird with our new toys. I'm also keeping in touch with an old friend that I have re-connected with because she can't email at work. It's so easy to be in touch with the kid when she's going to stay after school or inbetween classes if she needs to tell me something. I feel grateful that I can still keep up with technology and not get lost. Grumpy thinks that someday all phones will have to be smart phones but I feel there are more people like us that want a good basic phone that also has a few nice features without a lot of extra cost. I'd say they're going to be around awhile. N hpfly I wl b 2.

Craigslist Fun

2012-01-20T03:30:00.000-08:00

Do you ever read Craigslist ads just to see what dumb things people say? I guess I have too much time on my hands and found this entry recently.

Free Crap Ski Boots to the person who stole my Crap Skis

If you really want the crap skis you stole out of the back of my truck last week that bad, you might as well have the crap boots that go with them. I was about ready to give them away anyway, it might as well be you as anyone else. By the way, these are cross country (AKA Nordic) skis, that's why they're so skinny. If you've never tried it before, it's a great winter workout. I could give you a couple quick lessons and you'd be on your way.

I hope you wear a men's 10.5, or maybe you can trade them for a size that fits.

Just to be clear about which stolen crap skis we're talking about, these were a pair of well worn Fischer Nordic Cruising skis, I forget how long, around 205cm, maybe 210, 5 or 6 years old. They were about the cheapest waxless cross country skis you could get at the time, and these crap Fischer Touring boots that go with them are of similar low quality, and pretty well stretched out.

I would appreciate it if we could trade poles though, the ones you stole were really nice Swix carbon with cork grips, way too nice for those crap skis. I'll trade you back the crap poles that go with those skis if you still have them. This is not a deal breaker though, poles or not, you can have the boots.

By the way, in an attempt to go faster, I sanded down the fish scales (kick zone) about 15% or so, so if you're just starting out, you might not have enough grip. Maybe try a little kick wax if they slip too much for you.

Give me a call, my first name is Chris, my last name is on the skis in permanent marker, I'm in the book.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Can't you just feel the sarcasm....loved it.

Give A Short Older Lady A Hand, Will Ya?

2012-01-14T03:00:00.000-08:00

I don't know why I've just started noticing this but many times recently I'm having trouble reaching stuff on the top shelves at the store. When did the shelves get so tall?

I look around for a clerk; none to be found. I look for something in the aisle I can use to pull an item closer. Like today I tried using a back scrubber brush; all I accomplished is knocking the item down. Tall men walk right past me, even when I step on the lower shelf, try to jump and mutter loudly, "Shit!"

That means I have to hunt somebody down, and it's usually a short girl just like myself. But they're younger and step on that bottom shelf and launch themselves up with ease. I'm always afraid of breaking the shelf and that would land me in more trouble than knocking a few things down. The only one that ever helped me was a woman; taller and older, but still she helped.

I realize that clerks cannot be in every aisle, but I shouldn't have to walk the entire store looking for someone either. I suggest to anyone that helps me that they should put 'grabbers', like older people use or little step-stools in every aisle. They just giggle like I'm kidding. I most seriously am not.

The Final Phase

2012-01-10T08:41:00.000-08:00

The final phase of my daughter's high school restoration was finished recently with a new track, field, and bleachers added.

Just inside the gate with the Shadle water tank in the background. It was painted with the
school colors many years ago to curb graffiti

They started the process in May by tearing out the track and field. That kept us out all that time and I really missed walking the track. It's the only place I can let Nellie off leash while I power walk a mile. She can take her time sniffing and I can keep moving.

New shot put circle

One thing I don't like what they've done is put a fence around the entire area and then another fence around the track and field itself. But the other day hubby saw someone walking their dog inside so we thought we'd try to get in.

We got through the main gate fine but the inner one was locked. We continued to follow the fence around the other side where we found one open. I felt like a kid breaking in to a candy store or something. So many people take advantage of the track for their exercise I just can't understand why they have to lock it up. We walked our mile and Nellie got to walk at her pace, which has slowed considerably. I don't think she enjoyed it very much and was pretty excited to leave.

I enjoy looking up the history of an area and found that the school and adjoining park was built on land donated by Jessie Comstock Shadle, the widow of Eugene Shadle. The school was built and opened to 1,331 students in 1957. During that first year students chose green and gold as their school colors and the Highlanders as their nickname.

Eugene Shadle was a decedent of a Scottish Clan and that clan played a major role in choosing the colors. The Scottish heritage also brought about the Highland Pipe Band that same year. The Bagpipers play at the beginning at every function as well as the Highland Dancers. I'll tell you, nothing gives me goosebumps more than seeing them play. We often hear them practice at school on nice days when they leave the doors open. I hope to get a picture of them some day. During the 80's the Pipeband died out but thankfully was revived in 1990.

From the track with the school in the background

From the far end of the field with the school and new bleachers in the background

Currently the football games are played at a local facility for all of the high school teams. I'm really not sure if Varsity will begin playing on their own turf now. Hubby said it depends on the contract they have with the facility. It would be nice to see a game on their home field though. Heck, I might even like football now...

So, finally the entire school and grounds are finished and will serve many students for many years to come. I'm truly proud that we have a student there and we got to see it all happen.

The Jury's Still Out

2012-01-03T04:00:00.000-08:00

I've only had three Pedicures in my life with mixed reviews still. I just can't quite figure out if I like them or not. I'm sure if you find one business/person you like, then you'd be more likely to stick with it. So I'm going to give you a breakdown of Pros and Cons. Maybe it will help you decide. Maybe it will help me decide.

PROS

Massage chair than you can keep resetting if you want
The best darn leg and foot massage you will ever have
Very reasonably priced, around here it's 20 bucks and lasts close to an hour
Pretty toes, of course

CONS

Using the massage chair too long. When your back is a little thinner, it hurts later in the day and feels bruised so you end up taking Advil for 2 days to get over it.
Foot massage is too thorough. I must have some arthritis at the base of a toe, because when they work that area, I have to grit my teeth.
The language barrier. All of the places I've been to are Asian owned. My last Pedi was the first time the girls could carry on a conversation. Most of the time it's just uncomfortable to try and pretend what they're saying. It reminds me of my deaf Grandmother, who would just nod and smile.
If your feet are sensitive or ticklish, DO NOT GET A PEDI! They take a pumice stone and go on top and inbetween your toes. Then they take a torturous sponge and scrub the bottom of your foot so hard that if you are ticklish, you will be clinging from the lighting.
Music; some places play this slow Asian elevator music and it makes me so sleepy. I guess that's the idea, to be relaxed, but I'm not crazy about it.
Some bleeding, if they accidently cut you with their tools.

Well, I guess it looks like the Cons outweigh the Pros. The only reason I went the last two times is because hubby bought me a 40 dollar gift certificate but it took me a year and-a-half to use it up. Maybe I'll go once a year or so but it looks like I won't be making it a regular thing. But....the woman I work for just gave me a gift certificate for a Mani and Pedi at her place, so here we go again...

I was going to post a picture of the finished product but a long time ago when I was a teenager, someone told me that my feet looked like Maple Bars. So now, that's all I see when I see a picture of my feet, even after my weight loss. So I won't put you through that.

How's The Weather?

2011-12-29T17:33:00.000-08:00

Like much of the U.S. we have been virtually without snow this winter. Sure the ski resorts are hurting, but golf courses are opening. Independent snow plow business are hurting but think how much cities are saving for not having to plow.

All this week it's been in the mid 40's with wind and rain. Today we got a break and it felt very springlike.

My daughter and I took Nellie for a walk in the park. We like to take her off leash so she can run if she feels inclined. These days it's more like a slow trot.

Daughter even took a turn on the swing like she used to when she was younger. We reminisced about how she had to learn how to pump her legs to get higher. Once she got the hang of it, we couldn't get her off of them.

As long as it's snowing in the mountains we should be OK this summer. And more than likely we'll get slammed next winter. That's just the nature of Mother Nature; you take what you get. Living in the Pacific Northwest you more than likely better like the snow because you're going to see a lot of it. But that doesn't mean that we don't like a break now and then. It appears to be running about 50-50 for those that like/hate this winter.

I'm one that likes it. Me and Nellie both, because that means that she gets more walks.

Of course she looks away at the last minute, checking out a dog
across the field

Ugh

2011-12-26T20:25:00.000-08:00

Ugh. This word sums up how I feel today. Why I agreed to work today I'll never know. It was OK I guess but I much rather would have stayed home.

I didn't enjoy having Christmas on a weekend because it just seemed like an extra busy weekend with no rest after. And after eating my way through the entire weekend, my scale was not very kind to me this morning. I had honestly done pretty well up until Saturday morning until a neighbor brought by a plate of goodies. With that and the excitement of Christmas Eve, I started eating and really didn't stop until late last night. So I was up 4 lbs. in two days. Really scale, this is your gift to me? My pants are tight and I feel bloppy (A name hubby and I made up for when we eat too much).

It's OK, I'll be able to knock it down in a short amount of time and it just reminds me that I don't want to eat like that anymore.

Ugh.

I'm feeling better tonight after a stint on the treadmill. As the week goes on I'll feel energetic again until...next weekend and the New Year's Eve Pig Out. Staying up too late again and eating more than I should again.

As I get older these types of holidays take more out of me. I can see why old people just stay home and let the younger people do all the work; they're damn tired!

Well at least I've got 363 days to recuperate.

Ugh

This is about the only picture that was taken Christmas Eve. That's another thing I've noticed, once the little ones grow up, picture taking goes by the wayside. This is my mom and brothers. The one closest to me is three years younger and the other one is six years older. Mom looks pretty bad but the one where she looks better didn't have my older brother in it. So I told her we had to pick him over how she looked. She blamed it on White Zin Syndrome. Maybe I'll have to use that as an excuse next year.

Ornament Repeat

2011-12-21T03:30:00.000-08:00

~~~Today is a repeat from last year. Mostly because I'm lazy, but I also like it. Happy Holidays to everyone, see you soon!!

Every year when we dig the tree out of the basement, we face the daunting task of putting the tree together and putting the lights on. This part doesn’t thrill me too much but open the boxes of ornaments and I’m all there.

Memories you haven’t thought about all year come rushing back. Every ornament has a story.

A box of cheapo ornaments my husband and I bought when we were just starting out. They were mostly Victorian style and the entire set was $2.99 at Payless Drug Store. We still use them though because they are a part of our history.

Then when our daughter came along we got many ‘Baby’s 1st Christmas’, ‘Baby’s 2nd Christmas’ and so on. Those will go with her when she leaves us.

The most precious ones to me are the carousels that my grandma made. She used to tat, something you don’t hear of much anymore. She tatted two small pieces and then attached them together with pipe cleaners and filled them with small animals, angels, or trees and adorned the tops so they look just small carousels. I have 7 of them and I will pass those on to my daughter too.

I have made some too. Years ago I bought some plaster molds with 5 different patterns. They were easy to make; fill the mold, let dry, paint each one and then add an antique finish to them. They were time consuming but are some of my favorites.

I also love the ones that have a little hole in the bottom to slip over a bulb to it glows inside. The one that looks like a fireplace is one of those. I put those on the front of tree so the glow is always visible.

Other ornaments I made were origami lanterns made from squares of colored papers. Once they’re folded up, you blow in the hole to inflate and then slip it over a bulb. They are so pretty at night and I have been able to use them year after year by just folding them back up. The holes are getting a little worn so I may have to make more someday. Once I gave them to girls I worked with as a gift and even though I explained what they were, I know they were never used. No people, they won’t catch fire, I tried to explain. I had put them in tiny boxes that I made from Christmas cards. Sometimes homemade gifts are wasted on those that don’t appreciate the hard work involved.

And once I made picture frames out of plastic coffee lids and old puzzle pieces. Cut out the center of the lid, leaving a ring to glue on the puzzle pieces upside down. Paint the entire thing Christmas tree green and place red dots of paint on some pieces. Place a picture in the back with tape and add a string by melting holes in the top ridge. They’re a little big to be put on the tree but I do anyway.

My mom made some real pretty balls by taking clear ones and put shimmery paint inside. Roll them around until the paint totally covers the entire inside and then let the excess drain out. They’re especially nice when you use more than one color.

Oh, we can't forget the multitude of ornaments that were made in day care and grade school. She will get all those too, except for maybe the tiny little hand print one we made at home with cinnamon dough.

I always try to find ornaments with my daughter’s name on it. It’s not a common name so when I find one, I’m thrilled. We have several now and yes, she will inherit those too.

We always buy an ornament when we go on a trip. The latest one is one from Leavenworth. It’s a beautiful and fragile chandelier. Another one we bought there was a small resin black lab that looks like our dog, adorned with tiny plastic lights. On one of our beach vacations we got a cute little starfish painted as a Santa.

My daughter and I have also picked some up at different craft fairs we have been to.

The rest were gifts from family and friends over many years. The ones that aren’t our favorites go on the back of the tree. Well, something has to go on the back, right?

Each and every ornament has a story, some may be sad, some happy. But nonetheless they are a part of us. I hope that when you decorated your tree this year, memories of years gone by came flooding back to you too.

They Came Back!

2011-12-18T16:09:00.000-08:00

The Grandson decided he wanted to come back and visit so they gave us a few more hours before they flew home. So now Grandma's happy....for another year.

What's Under Your Chair?

2011-12-15T03:30:00.000-08:00

Since my last two posts have been 'Debbie Downers' I thought I'd give you a chuckle. A few days before Thanksgiving, we decided to have our carpets cleaned. We cleaned out the small stuff from the rooms and vacuumed well.

I've always given my hubby a bad time for being such a slob but you should have seen what was under my chair as we pulled it out to vacuum. I was appalled!

Rubber bands, chocolate chips, pen, popcorn and seeds, one M&M, gum wrapper and another wrapper, dog fur, one sunflower seed and general crud.

And under hubby's chair? One tiny little piece of popcorn. He was quite amused and him and the kid are still laughing about it.

So, what's under your chair?

Pretty Much The Way I Called It

2011-12-12T19:00:00.000-08:00

OK, I know my last post was a little harsh, but it was only from past experiences that I based it on. The day started off good but ended pretty much like I knew it would.

They showed up at 10:00 and after visiting awhile we headed out to a buffet. I forgot how 'busy' a toddler can be. Our place is small and between him and the dog, things got knocked off tables and almost had a tree down. He seemed fascinated with Nellie so he would approach her and then when she would turn to respond to his attention he would run and knock all sorts of things down. Then hubby would yell at the dog, like it was her fault. I think Nellie was very happy that we left for awhile.

Brunch was nice, the place wasn't busy and we could sit and relax and visit. I think the boy eats more than our 16 year old daughter does! About 12:30 he started getting restless so they headed back to their motel room for a nap. We came home and took our 'baby' for a walk.

They were going to call after naptime but by 4:00 the boy had still not gone to sleep so we had to forgo the plans to get together later. Sigh....

Maybe today or tomorrow they said, but today is almost over. Tomorrow we have several things going on so it really wouldn't work. And Wednesday they're heading out of town to her folks'.

So a three hour visit is supposed to suffice until next year. Being a Grandma just isn't what I had hoped it would be.

He may not know who I am but he knows where his nose is ;-)

Appointment with the Grandchild

2011-12-08T03:00:00.000-08:00

Last year my step-son, his wife and their 5 month old son came from California for Christmas. It was the first time we got to see our Grandson. After they returned home she emailed me and said they would probably not be up this year because it was stressful to visit all family members in the time allotted. We live here as well as hubby's ex. Her parents live about 100 miles away which means more travel time in more than likely bad weather. They usually stay with an Aunt of hers in town, but is still clear across town. I understood but she sounded downright angry that they had to take their entire Christmas vacation to come up here to see us. And by us, I believe that meant 'us' and not her folks.

Recently my husband asked him if they were coming for Christmas, figuring he would say no; but he said yes. But last week we got this email:

Hello, It looks like traveling to Washington at Christmas time is going to be too expensive. We are now planning on traveling from Dec 10th through the 18th. Will you be available to visit on Sunday December 11th?

Available to visit? Huh?

Did that sound like we're being penciled in? It did to me. Should I put that day on the calendar with a big red circle? Grandson visiting, 11:45 am, buy cookies. Are we bound by that day and time or will it be subject to change at the whim of a diaper change?

Now this is the part where I turn all bitter and snarky. From day one I have felt like we always get the short end of the stick. Her parents come first, then his mom, and we get the leftovers. Which turns out to be a Sunday visit; like what old people get when the yung'uns visit. When they visit because they have to, not because they want to.

The boy is almost a year and-a-half, we've seen him once. We got the usual birth pictures and that's it, not one photo since. Six month shot? Nope. Nine month, uh no. Special One Year photo? Haven't seen any. We have Skyped twice and it was brief. I can guarantee you that her parents have all the photos from every month and probably some in between too. See I told you I would sound bitter.

I understand how stressful traveling with a young one is and I'm sure one day they will just stay home. At least they will be in their own home for Christmas and can start building their own family memories. I'm just bothered by the fact that we have to make an appointment to see our Grandson when the rest of their visit will be spent with her family. But I guess we should feel grateful for the crumbs that we're being tossed.

So I'll just be sittin' in my rockin' chair with my shawl on to keep the cold offa my old bones waitin' for the boy to come and give his old Grannie a kiss on the cheek before they run outta here to go see his favorite Gram and Gramps.

Merry Flippin' Christmas Grannie.

Mysterious Pain is a REAL Pain!

2011-12-04T03:30:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago I woke up with a stomach ache of some sort. I just took some Pepto and seemed to be better by evening. By the next day though I felt some fluttering and discomfort in my bladder and the following day the pain was more intense and into my back too.

Now, what would one think under those circumstances? Bladder infection? Me too. By the Monday before Thanksgiving, I was in agony but sucked it up and went to work, while taking loads of Advil. That just happened to be the day I saved the life of the woman I work for so I guess it was a good thing I went. OK, maybe I didn't actually save her life, but it did involve a 911 call and a night in the hospital.

Tuesday wasn't so bad but Wednesday was worse than any other day. I made some frantic calls that morning to my clinic and made arrangements to stop in to do the obligatory 'pee in a cup' thing for testing. I went to work and had planned to stay for the whole day but told her I had to leave early for an appointment. I normally would have waited another day but felt a little panicky with the next day being a holiday.

I rushed down and the office didn't seem that busy but I had to inquire twice about my lab appointment. Finally got in and then waited for results. I was happy that I'd get some antibiotics and be on my way to WELL. When the lab tech called me back, while standing in the hall, she said the test was negative. I did what any normal middle aged woman would do; I started crying. But...but...but...it can't be negative, I'm in pain, it hurts here and here. Oh God, how embarrassing. She suggested that I see if anyone has an opening. It was now 3:15 and I'd been there since 1:45. I inquired and one doctor had an opening at 3:30. I'm not crazy about doctors, but desperate. I'd rather see a Nurse Practitioner because their fee is cheaper and they know more (in my opinion).

When he came in he had me lie back and move my legs around, he tapped my belly and my back and didn't get the reaction he should have with a bladder infection. He pondered and thought about kidney stones, and went on and on about what it could be but probably isn't. So in essence I left in the same condition I came in 2 hours before, with no drugs or diagnosis. I was so mad I walked right past the cashier without making a payment. They know where to find me.

Watch out family, a crabby stressed out Mommy is coming home. I was so far behind with Thanksgiving preparation, I was a wild woman in the kitchen. Thankfully hubby and the kid really helped out. After that I took some more Advil and lied on the bed in a fetal position and cried. I went to bed uptight hoping I could get through the next day.

But believe it or not I felt pretty good when I woke up, or at least better. I walked around tentatively and took more Advil waiting for the pain to return. As the day progressed, I felt better and within another day all of the pain was completely gone.

Huh? How does that work? What goes on within a body to bring about so much pain and then to have it magically disappear? Hubby thought it might have been a pinched nerve in my back affecting those areas. He's pretty smart in that area so I have no reason to doubt him at this point. Plus I had no fever at all to back up my own self diagnosis. So for now it's gone and hopefully for good.

My Cold Weather Best Friends

2011-11-30T03:00:00.000-08:00

When the cold weather hits, my best friends come out. Put to bed since last Spring, it's now time for them to do their job. Their only job is to keep me warm. They live to service me and I don't freeze at night because of them. We need each other.

These may look like disgusting old bags full of.....who knows? But to me, they are beautiful. Scraps of fabric sewed and then filled with rice or beans (I prefer rice), and heated in the microwave, keep me toasty warm.

Even when I wasn't a basement dweller, my rice packs were a must in the winter time. I used to only use one at my feet but sometimes my body would be cold, so now I'm a two bagger. One wraps around my feet and I lie the other one next to me. Within 15 minutes I can push them aside, unless I wake up cold during the night and then pull them near again. Kind of sounds like a hubby substitute, doesn't it? Everyone in our family uses them too though; and my daughter will heat hers up as soon as she gets home from school and keep it in her lap while she does homework.

Now, I just had a Deja Vu moment; I swear I've written about this before. If I have and you remember it, just move along. Geez I swear I'm starting to repeat myself more and more and if I start doing that with my blogging.....ugh.

Anyway, nothing feels better than a cold room, flannel sheets, and my nice hot rice packs at night. Well, Taylor Kitsch would make it WAY more better but I'll take what I can get.

Post Turkey

2011-11-26T03:30:00.000-08:00

Our Thanksgiving went great! With a lot of help from my husband and daughter we pulled off a fine dinner. Our son's girlfriend made a couple of side dishes as well as two desserts. And he even bought the turkey.

She was on a diet so didn't really eat much, but she did have one request; that she get a whole turkey leg to herself. I'm dieting too but on Thanksgiving? No, I eat what I want and then go right back on program the next day. Funny thing is, I lost a pound that morning; the one I've been waiting on for a whole month. So I'm sure it will be awhile before I see it again.

Daughter, Son, and Girlfriend

We really like this girlfriend. The last one he had a few years ago, and had kicked him out, was also Asian. And guess who called this one by the old one's name? Yes, that would be hubby. Even after we talked several times on how embarrassing it would be to confuse the two names, and he went and did it.

Hubby's ex is kind of funny. Ever since she got sick, she's been on some kind of medication which... well how can I explain this? It makes her very impulsive and just says whatever she's thinking. We were all eating dessert and a commercial came on for Dulcolax. She said "That's what I need." We all about choked on our pie. We've always got along fine and this sounds strange, but I almost like her personality more now. She's witty, more relaxed, and not afraid to say what's on her mind. She also said I looked skinny so that's another reason to like her ;-) I'm glad she could come, I don't think she gets out unless her son takes her to church or an occasional meal. I'm already looking forward for all of us getting together for Christmas.

Daughter, Hubby, and Me!

Thanksgiving is a day full of family, friends, fun, and food. It gives us time to relax and enjoy the gifts we have been given in life. I hope you all had a day just like it.

Guess Who's Coming To Dinner

2011-11-21T03:30:00.000-08:00

Every Thanksgiving I cook for a small group of our family; usually us three, my husbands's ex, and one son. That's enough for me, I don't like big gatherings. Our house is too small and I don't like a lot of people in the kitchen trying to 'help'.

We've been doing it that way for probably 12 years now. Occasionally the ex and son couldn't make it but most of the time they do. The son now has a girlfriend (from out of town) and we didn't think he would come, because as with most couples, you have to share the holidays with the other family. So my husband asked him a few weeks ago if they would be with her family. He said no, and looked at me and asked "What are you doing for Thanksgiving?", in a way I knew that he was asking if they could come for dinner.

She is Chinese and he explained that her father was back in China and her mother never cooked a Thanksgiving dinner. Therefore she has never had a true traditional Thanksgiving meal. Twenty-eight years old and she has never had the pleasure of the most fattening, rich, meal all smothered in gravy and then topping it all off with pumpkin pie. Really?

I'm honored and thrilled that he would like to bring her here, that means a lot to me. His mom has been ill for several years and she doesn't even microwave anything for herself anymore, let alone cook. And bless her, but even when she could cook, it wasn't the best. As I did Thanksgiving, she used to have us over Christmas day for dinner. But now that has kind of been handed over to the son too.

So I'm looking forward to it, adding another plate at our table of misfits that don't have anywhere else to go.

The Perils of Weight Loss

2011-11-17T06:30:00.000-08:00

Between my husband and myself, we have lost about 95 pounds. I'm way ahead of him though, just had to say that.

That's great and all but nobody really told me about the downfalls of losing weight. For one, the expense of new clothes. There are only a few items in my closet that I had a year ago. I've given away so many bags of clothes and still have some in piles waiting. I don't mind shopping at thrift stores, which I have more the past year than ever before, but it would be nice to be able to buy a new outfit now and then. Right now it doesn't make much sense because every few months I needed more clothes. So I guess until I reach my final goal, thrift store clothes will have to do.

Along with needing new clothing; something you might not even consider, is needing new underwear. My grannie bloomers have become much more roomy and baggy. I had to break down and buy some hipsters to go with the new jeans that I'm now sporting. My bloomers came up way above the pants. Anymore that's the only kind of jeans you can find, the lower cut ones, and it's all my daughter has. She wouldn't be caught dead with any underwear that come above her pants. And my poor husband has his own challenge; his jewels keep falling out of his. I've heard that could be a problem but thankfully have never had to experience this. So I guess I'll be shopping for smaller undies for him too. Oh no, not at a thrift store, I do draw the line somewhere.

Also, sitting on hard surfaces is so much more uncomfortable. Sitting on benches and hard chairs make me squirm. Last week it was a cold night and I wanted to take a bath. The water fills, I get in and sit down and Oh My God, I'm sitting on a bony A$$!! It was so painful that I had to lie back or I swear my butt bone would have poked through my skin.

Speaking of cold, that's what I am 24/7. We haven't even hit winter yet and I'm sporting a sweater at home and even sometimes where I work. They keep their place at around 75 degrees and sometimes I am downright chilly. I remember just a few years back I was hot all winter and kept opening the doggy door at their house. Now I get up to shut it.

One final thing; what happened to my boobs? It's been a long time since they were perky but at least when they were fat, they stood up a bit. Now they look like half empty water balloons, just hanging there. I have to pull them up several times a day or they may face the same fate as my husbands jewels.

I know this is way TMI but I just want you to know the perils of losing weight. If you're thinking about doing something that drastic, you may face the same fate. You have been warned!

Banging My Head Against The Wall

2011-11-16T08:31:00.001-08:00

I thought y'all would be interested in some of the fascinating conversations my husband and I have and maybe you will understand my ongoing frustration. This started yesterday when I looked out at the thermometer outside. It was reading 4 degrees lower than what the weatherman on TV said. The temperature is important to me because I won't take Nellie out for a walk if it's below 20 degrees. So if it's reading 18, I don't go. Just a weird little thing about me, I don't like my face to freeze off and I don't wear hats because it messes up my hair.

Anyway.....I made the mistake of mentioning this to my husband. He said our thermometer was right because the station was located in a warmer area. What the Hell does that mean, it's like 10 blocks away. I suggested that he take another thermometer outside and leave it overnight and we'd compare the two.

This morning, the present one reads 18 and the TV said 20. He goes out to look at the cheap plastic kitty one and he rushes in and said:

"The other one is reading 5 degrees, so THAT'S the right one."

Me: "You're an idiot if you believe that."

Him: "There are pockets of warmer areas, I'm going to call Mark (the weatherman) and ask him if that's possible."

Me: "Oh My God, are you serious, please do; no DON'T, then he will know you're an idiot too."

Him: "I still think it's 5 degrees out."

Me: "There is no way it's only 5 degrees out, there's too much of a difference from what the TV says. It is a cheap, plastic, kitty; probably not meant to be an outdoor thermometer. You are an idiot, please don't talk to me about weather again, for the rest of my life, you are an IDIOT."

So now I'm curious and go outside to look at it. He saw it as 5? I read it as 40. I take it in to him and said "You were reading the Celsius side, not the Fahrenheit side!"

Him: "Huh? Oh I didn't see that side."

Me: "Really, ya think? So now that it reads 40, IT must be the correct temp because now WE'RE in the warm pocket."

Him: "Well, it is a cheap plastic kitty you know."

Now, it's only 8:30 a.m. and I have been driven completely insane.

Pets, Part 2

2011-11-11T07:30:00.000-08:00

.....Continued

I didn't have any more pets until I had graduated and left home. I lived in an apartment and a friend of mine had a new batch of kittens. Well, she didn't have them, her cat did. The mama cat was black and two of the kittens were a Siamese mix. Did you know that black cats were of Siamese descent? I took one and another friend took the other. For a few nights I had both of them, oh what fun! Kittens climbing curtains and running all over the place. I named mine Lucifer and she was as wild as her name. I guess I really didn't like the name after awhile so I changed it to Zig Zag. Partly because she was still wild and crazy and also because that's the brand of papers I used to roll my doobies, ha. Seriously!

My Roomie, 1981

Once when she was in her wild stage my parents were in a bad auto accident. My dad was in the hospital and my mom was home with broken ribs. I took the wild one with me back home to stay awhile. That crazy cat was crawling all over the shelving and my poor mom was up more than she was resting to take care of that damn cat.

When she got older and started to mellow I then called her Mama Kitty because she had a few litters of kittens by then, and was a great mom. I kept one of her kittens, a Torti and I called her Blender. Because the colors were all blended, get it? Blender had a twin and my younger brother took her and named her Zing. Probably a drug reference too, ha. He was a nomad and she traveled everywhere with him; just a dude and his cat. By then I had met my husband so he had an instant family of cats.

One Happy Family

Blender had one litter and was so clueless as a mom that her and Mama Kitty kept stealing the babies back and forth. They all finally settled in box to raise the kids. We kept one of the litter, a beautiful boy, all black with one tip of white on his tail. We named him Gatto (Italian for cat). When he got to be about one, he wanted nothing more than to get out and find a woman. I was so annoyed with his persistence that I put him out in the rain. He never came home, got hit by a car a few blocks away. I felt guilty for a long time after that.

I'm not peeking Mom, I swear!

Mother and Daughter cat hated each other but we loved them both and moved them with us a couple of times. They were both around when we had our daughter although she doesn't remember Blender because we had to have her put down when she was 18 and we were buying our first house. She had become very thin and had a tumor on her abdomen, probably cancerous. She stopped using her box although I tried several different things to make it easier for her. We couldn't move into our new home with a cat that couldn't use her box so we put her down. It was a horrible decision and it took place on the same day we had to make a counter offer on the house. We had a mobile Vet come out and do it because it was less traumatic and then he took her with him because we had no place to bury her. I felt very guilty about that for a long time, she had been such a good kitty and we couldn't even do her the honor of burying her at our new home, as it would have been at least 30 days before we could move in.

When our daughter was about 5, poor Mama Kitty was getting older (21) and not much of a playmate. She had suffered a stroke several years earlier and we thought she was a goner. But she rallied and had several more good years. But now she was probably half blind and deaf and spent her days sleeping. That's when we decided to go 'look' at dogs. Not going to buy one, mind you, just 'look'. By the end of the day 'looking', we brought Nellie home. We brought her into the bedroom where Mama Kitty was and tried to introduce them. Mama Kitty jumped out of my husband's arms, ran downstairs and that's where she lived out the rest of her days. Six months she lived in the basement, under a bed. I felt horrible! I tried to make her living space as comfortable as possible by moving her food and box down there too. She never even tried to come upstairs again. We would go down and visit her, lie on the bed and cuddle, but we knew it was just a matter of time.

One day I noticed that she couldn't find her box and would just walk around in circles in the bedroom. We called the same mobile Vet and he came over, the day before Thanksgiving. We had a nice baby blanket and put it on the couch in the family room. He first gave her a sedative and I think she was already gone by then. But he followed through with the injection and it was over. Twenty One and-a-half years of a life of a Devil cat turned to a sweet Mama. I had her for half of my life at the time she died. We laid her on the blanket, took a picture and spent some time with her before it was time for a proper burial.

Behind a fence in our backyard it was a little hard for hubby to dig a hole in frozen dirt but he did and we put Mama Kitty in a pretty box with 2 of my daughter's toys to keep her company. Behind that same fence we also have my step-son's cat and several pet birds.

My first real home ♥

Nellie was my first dog as an adult. I've written about her a lot so won't go into much detail. She's gone through her stages of accidents, digging, eating bushes, jumping, and general doggy mischief and adventures. She's also been the best dog I could ever imagine. We take her ever where we can, even if it's just a trip to the store. If she hears keys, she's up. One to two walks a day keeps us all in shape.

Nellie is now 11 (and on Facebook, big showoff!) and when it's time for her to go, we have a nice little jar that we can put her ashes in so she can stay with us forever. I will never abandon another animal.

So, that's the history of my pets, some sad memories but more happy. They bring such a richness to your life that when Nellie goes we might be in search of another cat. An older cat, like me, who will be content with a warm bed, food and many scratches under the chin.

Pets, Part 1

2011-11-07T08:00:00.000-08:00

Kippy

A few days ago I commented on a post of Fern's and mentioned a cat I used to have. That made me think back to all the pets I've ever had. I can't really say I've had a lot and some I don't remember because I was too young.

I only know Kippy through pictures and she had to stay behind when we moved when I was only three. She looks sweet though. One of the first few pets I remember was a little frog. We probably got it as a polliwog and it didn't last long. I buried it under a bush and unearthed it several times just to see if it went to Heaven. I was only about 5, so give me a break ;-)

The age I acquired pets is questionable but we had a few cats along the way. I'm not sure how we got them but when my dad didn't want them anymore he would either dump them, or kill them. More on the last part later. We had one cat and instead of trying to find it a home, he took it out in the country and left it at a friends' house, as a mouser I guess. Well, it found its way home so I think we kept it for awhile just because it had the chutzpa to come back.

My favorite cat was a beautiful long haired black one, named Mama Kitty. I'm not sure how long we had her but at one point, she would start getting pregnant and then miscarry. As with many small towns a Vet doesn't exist, so traveling the 45 miles to get an animal fixed was nonsense. I don't know if she was really that sick or my Dad was just tired of finding her dead babies. His answer was to take MY cat out in the country and shoot her. But the kicker is, he waited until I got home from school so I could watch him stuff her in a box and carry her out to the car. It would have been so easy to do it while we were all gone and then just play dumb when she didn't come home for dinner that night. I must have asked what he was doing but why I didn't protest I'm not sure. I was scared of him and probably thought it wouldn't do any good anyway. And where was my mom when all of this was going on? I have no idea. I remember not speaking to him for a long time and crying myself to sleep for even longer. I never really got over that and still cry when I think about it. My mom told me once that he had nightmares after that, hearing her scream in his sleep. Good!

In high school I had a kitten for a very short time. She was too young and not even weaned yet, so my Dad (of course) made me give it back. I had named her Alice Cooper, AC for short.

The first dog I remember was a Dachshund named Coco. She was a dog of a friend of my parents. She was already an adult and I'm not sure why they were getting rid of her but we took her. She was a great dog and loved us kids a lot. She's follow my younger brother and I out to the baseball fields to be with is when we played Little League. Sometimes I'd yell at her to go home so she's have to trudge all the way back home with her tiny little legs. She went on vacations with us sometimes and we'd end up carrying her when she got tired of walking on the beach. Other times when we went on vacations without her, we'd leave food inside the house and the back screen door open so she could come and go. That's small town for ya, you can leave your door wide open for a week at a time. As with many Dachshunds they develop back problems and she got to the point where she couldn't walk down the front steps by herself. Mom and Dad took her to that Vet 45 miles away to have her put down. When I got home from school that day they were both on the couch crying. Wow, he did have a heart. I searched and searched but couldn't find a picture of her. I'm sure my mom has plenty but can't really get to them right now.

I can't forget about my pet rat that I had in high school. A big Albino rat with beady red eyes. I got it from a girl at school. She was really an odd girl and I suppose I was even odder for getting a rat from her. I don't remember what I named it or even how long I had it. I used to put it in my coat sleeve when we went outside, it was kind of cool. She was kept in a cage on the back porch along with Coco. It got out one day and hid behind the dryer. It never did come out and I think essentially my dog just scared it to death. When I did find it, I took it out behind the football field to bury it. That was my only interaction with a rodent.

To Be Continued.......

Some Days

2011-11-03T21:00:00.000-07:00

Some days are just like this. I woke up with pain in my hip and stomach. I just knew that it would be one of those days. My entire day is gauged by the mood I'm in when I wake up; I guess somewhat like a toddler. I was cold and had no ambition. I didn't do anything constructive I had planned on.

So it was a day for:

Aimless grocery shopping
Listening to sad songs and crying
Eating chocolate
Drinking tea
Sitting in my chair with my heating pad on
Tutored hubby on how to make bread
Making holiday return address labels
Not walking the dog or exercising at all
Keeping curtains shut to hold out the cold and dreariness
Eating canned soup for dinner and a piece of homemade bread
Taking a bath and crying some more

Yep, some days are just like this.

But tomorrow's another day, and hopefully it will be better, because I don't like days like this....

Next Blog

2011-11-02T03:30:00.000-07:00

For those of us that use Blogger for our blogs, do you ever click on 'next blog' on the top when you're bored and looking for something different to read? If I recall, that's how Claire found me!

Well I do sometimes and what I usually get is groups of subjects, either a long string of foreign blogs, mommy/baby/family blogs, Christian, cooking, photography, or a total mish mosh of all of those in one. It just doesn't seem that random to me, grouping them together like that and some haven't been updated in well over a year.

I've never really found anything as interesting as all of yours or my own. And those that kept my interest and I've commented on a few times, never reciprocated with a visit, so I moved on. I guess I've had better luck at following those who follow your blogs. I mean, if they like your blog, then it stands to reason that you like theirs and I probably would too.

So maybe I'll start exploring friends of friends to get some new reading material and maybe some new friends too.

I gave up my author's status at Alexandria. The atmosphere just wasn't the same as here; not like the happy little family we have. Rarely anyone commented on my posts and I just never felt like I really fit in. I'm glad I tried it and I felt bad for quitting but I have to do and be what makes me happy.

This Day In History

2011-10-31T03:00:00.000-07:00

From Our Archives, 100 years ago

How did a sorority party in Spokane turn into a costume party gone bad? A Spokesman-Review front page story summed it up like this:

The young ladies of the Delta Kappa Nu sorority were holding a party in which they all dressed up as characters in the Bingville Bugle comic strip. At some point during the party, one young lady witnessed a hand reach in through an open window and make off with four dozen doughnuts, “the entire doughnut supply.” She reported that he was a “hobo” (although how she could tell just from a hand was unclear).

The sorority girls, dressed as various Bingville hillbillies, “sallied forth” into the backyard to find the hobo and get their doughnuts back. They found nothing in the darkness so they enlisted Colonel, the house St. Bernard, to help them search. Colonel proceeded to lunge and “attack” a shadowy figure. It was not the hobo, but one of the sorority girls, dressed as Doc Livermore.

She was uninjured but shaken. They all “fled” back to the house, where they carried on with their party, minus hobo and doughnuts.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A Halloween party without hobo's or doughnuts? That's just not right! Happy Halloween.

We're Not Farm Folk

2011-10-28T07:00:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we took a little trip into the next state to a cute little B&B on a farm. This time of year we always try and take one more weekend trip to tide us over until Spring. And we inlude our dog on these trips. I found this B&B online so made the arrangements for the 22nd which happened to be my husband's birthday. I don't know how he lucks out on having our little trips land on his BD but they always do. He turned 65 this year! Yikes, officially a Senior Citizen.

The weather forcast called for rain but there's not much you can do about that, so off we went. It's only about an hour and-a-half drive so it was a pretty quick trip. We wanted to get there early because our daughter checked out a nice camera from school and we wanted to get some pics before everyone else showed up.

After we got settled in our room, which was quite nice by the way, we headed outside. A mama cat and a kitten were right outside the door and they don't let cats in the house, so we were trying to NOT let them in and keep our dog at bay. She has a fixation with cats, trembling, salivating, and ready to lunge. My husband had her and I was carrying my camera, gloves, and tripod and all of a sudden the Mama cat jumped from a chair on top of Nellie's head. She meant business. I tried to get in between them and she came at Nellie right between my legs and got us both. Dang, that hurt. Nellie's nose was bleeding and so was my leg but I decided to deal with it later.

We finally got off the porch and met the owner's aging, one-eyed dog. I was hoping there would not be another altercation but she was pretty mellow and just followed us. Then the kitten decided it wanted to follow too. This little thing could not have been more than about 5 weeks old and was mewing the whole time so we all took off down the lane. It reminded me of the Homeward Bound movies.

There is a small barn with chickens, goats, a Llama and horses. We were headed that way but this big ol' Rooster started coming toward us and I really didn't want to get attacked by a chicken, thank you very much, so we veered off.

The old dog and kitten were till underfoot and Nellie was lunging and trying to get it. Nellie is not a large dog but she can sure pull when she wants something. She was dragging my poor hubby all through the field. After getting some nice pictures we decided to head back where I tended to Nellie's and my wounds. My leg was already starting to swell and bruise up, lovely.

Hubby and I went out a bit later to get hopefully get some new profile pics for Facebook. It was a lovely golden evening and we found a lovely golden cat, which was not interested in attacking me at all. In fact he was very friendly and purrfect and obliged me with a photo.

As typical with most B&B's there is no TV, but we brought the laptop and a couple of movies. We had full run of the kitchen to prepare our own meal but dinner for us was popcorn. The other guests for the night either went out I guess or headed to a haunted house nearby. Soon, a huge storm rolled in with rain, thunder and lightening. I found it odd to have such a storm like that in October. Thankfully it was over by the time it was to take Nellie out one more time. Hubby wouldn't take her out so I did. Man it was dark and I didn't bring the flashlight. I heard wolves in the distance which freaked me out so it was a quick trip. Back inside we got ready for bed.

This is my bed

We all slept good and breakfast was great the next morning. It was a nice so we went out for a walk and more pics. I talked my daughter into facing out fears of the Rooster and headed to the barn. It was small but fun to see all the baby chicks and one very friendly goat. My daughter got some good shots of him. This is Nellie checking him out, and visa versa.

A quick walk around to check out what we didn't see the night before and then we loaded up the car to go home. I think we were all more than happy to get back to the city.

We had a good time but if we were ever to return, we would have to make other arrangements with Nellie. Mostly for the cat reason but she also didn't like the tile floor, she's scared of slick surfaces and very gingerly tip-toed around the whole time. Then other people brought their 2 dogs and I guess it was just a bit much..for me. It's like taking a toddler on a trip, sometimes more trouble than it's worth. I have some nicer pictures over at PictorialSoul if you'd like to take a look.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I finally made it to my original goal so have reset it. I might be there by next summer because those last 5 pounds seemed to take f.o.r.e.v.e.r.

Get A Hobby, Man

2011-10-24T04:00:00.000-07:00

Since I've been working for my elderly couple for 6 years now, I have noticed a lot of things. First of all, they argue a lot. It's a constant power struggle with them; who's right and who's wrong. She feels cooped up, he doesn't take her anywhere. She says her husband verbally abuses her, but I've seen her do the same to him. I had a long conversation with their daughter about this recently and she said this is nothing new. They've been like this all the time she was growing up. I told her that her mom seems to be growing more dependant on me for companionship and a sounding board, which makes me feel uncomfortable. She is working on some avenues to getting her mom out of the house more without her husband but honestly I don't think her mom will actually do it, even though that's what she complains about not being able to do.

What really scares me about this scenario is that I could quite possibly see this as my husband's and my future. Not a pretty picture. Now that my husband is not working as much he has a lot more time on his hands. Summer is gone and soon there will be no more yard work to keep him busy. That is something that he loves and is good at.

Daughter and I like to chat about 'girl' things or if I see a picture or video on FB I show it to her. If we are having a conversation, we don't exclude him but it' clear it's about something he would not be interested in. He will only half listen and then about 10 minutes later he will ask us to repeat the whole conversation. Recently, I wanted to show her an old picture of her friend's birthday party in which she was in too. As I start to tell her about it, he jumps up and says "Whatcha got?" Clearly it was of no importance to him but still he had to see it.

This man really needs a hobby. So I told him that. I tried to be nice but it's didn't come off that way. I told him that Daughter and I can't be his entertainment so he needs to find something on his own that he would enjoy.

I set him up with a FB account over a year ago to get re-acquainted with old school friends. He really doesn't know how to use it though so I've been trying to help him. I guess he was getting the hang of it because he was notified that he was sending out too many 'friend requests' and got banned for 2 days. I thought it was funny but he took it personally, ha.

He thought about bowling but realized that might hurt his back. He thought about darts. We used to be in a league but the smoke in the bars got to us and most leagues are at night. I encouraged him to look into 'Sons of Italy", he's always wanted to do that but didn't really have the time when he worked more. So he found a club and went to the first meeting recently. It's at night too but would still work for him. They only meet once a month though and the meeting consists of a potluck dinner. I already informed him that I will not be making his meal for something I'm not going to partake in. Gotta set those rules up early ;-)

I think he'll like it the more he goes and gets to know more people. They do a lot of community work and activities and I think it will be good for him. It's important for spouses to have different interests, then they can enjoy each other at the end of the day when they haven't spent every waking minute together.

Which translates into "I Need My Space."

Who Do You Mute?

2011-10-20T04:00:00.000-07:00

Are you one of those that frequently mutes TV commericals? I personally only mute one but Hubby and Daughter do more.

In the morning I watch the local news and there is one commerical that runs twice in one block at almost the same time every day. It's for a liquidation warehouse and I think the owner does the voice over. His voice is so annoying that I keep the remote right by me and I can almost guess when it's going to come on. So on goes the mute until both of them are over.

Hubby and Daughter mute the ED commercials. Personally I find them funny how they turn a kitchen touch into an outdoor oasis just ripe for makin' luv. I like to add my own words, it's funnier that way.

Hubby mutes all political ads and any commercial that touts the newest medication. Particularly because they have to tell you that you could die from taking it. So he always yells at the TV, "Why in the hell should we take it then you a$$holes?"

He talks to the TV a lot, I just tell him they can't hear him but he doesn't stop. Seriously, I've been dealing with him yelling at the TV for almost 30 years. Maybe I should leave the commercials alone and mute him instead.

So who do you mute?

Sup?

2011-10-15T04:00:00.000-07:00

Kden's back in the hood. Kinda Sorta. I'll be back to snarky soon, but I have been busy. I've got another blog. "What?", you say. "She can't even keep up with what she's got!" But this one is so different that you may think that I have a split personality. Believe me, I sometimes think that myself. That's just part of being a Gemini I guess.

Awhile ago Claire wrote about her male friend and how he needed to "self evaluate" himself. I specifically remember those words and thinking that I've never done that because I yam what I yam and people can take it or leave it.

But because of my last post, I've been doing that---a lot. And something hit me so hard that I really needed to do something about it.

So I invite you on over to Inspired by Travis. This is the only link you will ever find to it, I will not put it on my sidebar. I haven't even told my husband and daughter about it because I'm afraid they'll think I've cracked.

I'm doing it mostly for myself but I did want to show you what I've been up to. If you feel it's weird, stupid, loco, morbid, self-serving, or anything else negative, I beg of you not to tell me. I couldn't deal with that right now. If you like it, cool. If not, that's cool too, just don't tell me. And please don't feel that you have to stop over weekly to see the updates. I think it would quickly become very mundane, and I don't want to make stuff up just to impress you, ha. And if someday you look and don't find it, then you'll know that I have failed miserably and deleted it.

Thanks for standing by me and waiting until I'm ready to write again. I'll be back to normal in a few days.

Teen Suicide

2011-10-02T04:23:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, a young man from my daughter's high school killed himself. It was announced on Monday morning by teachers in a certain period so everyone could hear at the same time. Even though they couldn't mention his name or how he died, the news still spread fast. His girlfriend goes to the same school so it was easy to figure out who it was.

My daughter hasn't had him in a class since 9th grade but when they were in 8th, they shared two classes. He became the second boy she had a crush on and on the last day of school, he obliged her with a picture. Just look at her happy face! She has this picture framed in her room still. She loves dark haired boys with smokey eyes ;-)

That's the only way we know him, never knew him personally. But by the remarks left on his Facebook wall, he was well liked and is missed terribly. You can't help but get tears in your eyes when you read all the sadness. And then you start to wonder why. Why? And it's the one question that will never probably be answered. Was he bullied? How was his home life? Was it untreated depression? Why young man? So many people want to know, need to know.

It's hard to admit but I've struggled with depression since I was a teen and many times, even through adulthood I've thought it would just be so much easier to end it all. Those are dark and dismal days that seem to go on forever. My parents sent me to a counselor...once. I guess they thought once was enough and I was cured. My mom said once that people that try to kill themselves are just looking for attention. Well....duh. It's called a 'cry for help', and sometimes people listen and sometimes they don't. And in other cases, sometimes it comes as a complete surprise, which could be the case with this young man.

It's been a rough week, I can feel the pall of sadness that covers the school across the street. And as I sit in my chair and watch kids walk by, they seem to walk slower with their heads down. Or maybe it's just me and how I'm feeling about it all. I find myself getting choked up several times a day and am not really sure why. I had nothing personal vested in this young man's existence. We were not besties. I'm not even a friend of a friend of a friend. But still I cry, everyday. Maybe it's just the mother in me that feels the fear of, 'what if that happened to my daughter?' Or maybe it's the former (and sometimes still) depressed teen that gets it and realizes how easy it could be to end it all and just wishing he could have hung in there a little longer.

There has been a flagpole raising at school, a community service group started by students in his name, a scheduled get together in a local park of just students who want to remember him (over 200 have accepted the invitations), and of course the memorial service itself. All of these events other than the family memorial service were started by students that loved him. If I ever feel disparaging thoughts about teens again, I will have to remind myself of this place in time.

Yesterday my daughter and I went to the service. The place was packed with family, friends, teachers and fellow Sea Cadets. It was a beautiful service with an inspiring message, awesome video montage and stories from friends and family who made us laugh and cry.

Everyone was told to wear green, his favorite color and after the service, hundreds of green balloons were released. I will never look at a green balloon in the same way. It was probably the saddest and most emotional day I have had in years. No 16 year old kid should have to go to another 16 year old kids funeral, it's just not right.

Rest In Paradise young man

I think I will be taking some time off from blogging for awhile. I need to regroup and it just seems so inappropriate to be complaining about anything right now. Thanks for understanding.

Local Icons Burn

2011-09-28T05:00:00.000-07:00

Facebook can be a good thing sometimes. If you subscribe to local news stations you get breaking news a lot quicker than waiting for the next newscast. Last Sunday evening I saw reports that two local landmarks were on fire, not too far from our house. Of course in the beginning, updates are conflicting. First it was a car that hit a pole, and then a house and finally the real scoop.

Both the Milk Bottle restaurant and Ferguson's Cafe were engulfed in flames. This picture was lifted from the newspaper Monday morning.

The Milk Bottle was built in 1933 and literally shaped like a giant milk bottle. They made burgers, shakes and had the best homemade ice cream. We were only there once, years ago and had bubble gum ice cream. Expecting a bubble gum flavored ice cream but instead it had real bubble gum in it. Interesting. The damage to the Milk Bottle wasn't as heavy as Ferguson's and both say they plan to reopen.

I drove by Monday morning, stopped and walked down the block to take some pictures. I felt kind of like a voyeur peeking into someones despair but others were milling around so I moved closer.

I had never been to Ferguson's at all, what a shame. We had always planned to... It' been around for many years and has had three movies filmed in it; Vision Quest (the movie I was an extra in), Benny and Joon and Why Would I Lie?

Ferguson's had closed in 2009, then sold to another person and renovated. He had done much of the work himself and had been open for less than a year.

Even though these businesses resided in a small little area of town, it's a vibrant part of our community and people are anxiously waiting for their return. And this time I promise I will go.

The Kid Makes The Grade

2011-09-25T07:04:00.000-07:00

This year we had to plan our vacation around 'retake' days in case our daughter had to retake her state mandated tests. Those days fell right at the same time we usually take our vacation and she would have to be around 'just in case'.

Since she took the Reading and Writing part this Spring, we knew by June whether she had passed or not. She achieved Level 4-Advanced. She also took the Science exam this Spring and didn't fare as well, only a Level 2-Basic. But.....the cool part is that Science is not required to be passing to graduate. In two years it will be, but not now.

Toward the end of this past year's school she had to take a End-Of-Course Exam in Geometry. We got her a tutor because she struggled all year and we could most certainly see a 'retake' in her future.

But yesterday we got a letter announcing all the scores as well as Math, and she passed that too with a Level 4-Advanced. Whoo Hoo, the kid made it! We did cheat a little and found her score on line last week but wanted to see it on paper to believe it.

When the letter came I was at work and of course hubby opened it and didn't even pay attention to the good scores. He focused on the Science and freaked out. He calls me and leaves a message in his quaky little voice saying that he was hiding the letter because he didn't want her to see it 'cause she would be devastated. That's old news man, we knew it, you knew it. You just forgot, again. So he thinks that she has to retake the Science test and he's mad at the school district because "they expect everyone to be scientists".

Uh....has nothing to do with the school district, it's a State Requirement, which means the district is just doing their job.

So the kid and I are doing the happy dance because she's done with state testing and hubby is still confused and I'm just going to leave him that way.

Now, she just has to concentrate on her Senior Culminating Project which they start this year. So far she is leaning toward doing her project on Ancestry and building her family tree. I think we have plenty of nuts in that tree to keep it interesting, starting with her Father.

Little Man From My Garden

2011-09-22T06:30:00.000-07:00

I pulled this little fella from my garden last week. He's my peg-legged man with a crooked weenie.

And look, he's even got a butt crack.

And then I cooked and ate him!

A Sad and Unfortunate Weekend

2011-09-18T06:04:00.000-07:00

My hubby had some extra vacation days coming because I guess they like him and rolled over days from last year; but they would only last until the end of summer.

I convinced him to take a few days and go visit a favorite uncle on the other side of the state. We usually try to see him on our own vacation but those haven't worked out lately. Hubby thought it was a great idea and called the uncle to see if this would work for him. Paul is 78 but still very active. He's a widower of many years and also had a very nice girlfriend we never got to meet, but has since passed also.

A few days before hubby left he was having second thoughts (he is psychic remember). He couldn't really attribute the feelings to anything concrete; just a feeling like he shouldn't go. Again, I convinced him to go. Besides daughter and I wanted to spend our own quality time. We did and had a good time with a movie one night and lunch the next day.

To do a little back story this Uncle dumped the whole family after his wife died and was out of touch with everyone for over 20 years. He just seemed to hate everyone and didn't have a nice thing to say about anyone. One day hubby had called him just to see how he was doing. I guess we didn't actually know we had been dumped too. Uncle ripped into my husband and made very derogatory remarks about his then business. I mean derogatory enough that I can't even repeat it. So at that moment, the family tie was broken. Paul is not a blood uncle but rather the result of his parent marrying my husband's grandparent, therefore him becoming an uncle. But he was still one of hubby's favorite uncle and always treated him as such. Since hubby's mother died when he was young and he never knew his father, he was bounced around from different relatives homes. And although Paul was not one of them he lived with, he still loved him and even named his youngest son after him.

Several years ago, out of the blue Paul sent us a video taken from old home movies and hubby was very touched. He left a phone number so hubby called and they've been in close contact ever since. No one else in the family has been in touch yet, so hubby felt pretty special to get his Uncle back.

The first night at Paul's went fine as well as the next day. They had a nice dinner out and he even gave hubby a large TV because he had been given a newer one recently. On Sunday they went to meet some friends of Paul's at a casino, had a nice brunch and then started the drive home. Before that even, my husband had started to see little bits of mood changes throughout the weekend. They started talking about family stuff and opening up and my husband happened to mention how much he missed Paul's wife (his aunt) after she died. Then he said he recalled that phone call years ago and how much that had hurt his feelings. Paul went silent, didn't say a thing until after they got home.

Then the rage began. He became very abusive and violent, almost to the point of throwing a punch. He told my husband that if he called any of his kids and tried to talk crap to them he would come over to Spokane and shoot him. Hubby really felt he meant it. He was afraid that he was seeing the 'real' Paul after all of the years of just hearing stories. I imagine this is what he was like after his wife died and he cut off all ties from his family. My husband thinks that when he met this other woman, she either got him help (and maybe meds) to control his moods/anger. We will never know.

I told hubby that he should have left that night, there is a motel basically right across the street. I would have understood an extra charge on the card. Instead he had to endure the berating and when they went to bed, Paul closed his bedroom door and didn't even come out the next morning when hubby left.

So now understandably my husband is very upset. I told him it's like a death and he will have to go through a grieving process, again. I fear we will never hear from him again and I'm even a little worried that he'll call the cops and tell him that hubby 'stole' his TV. It was already in the car by the time they were getting along so he couldn't just take it out easily.

Family ties broken in an instant

How fast things can change

These pictures just make me sad now. What should a nice weekend of family bonding became sad and unfortunate and they are destined never to be family again.

Someone Called Me A Name

2011-09-14T04:00:00.000-07:00

The other day when I took my lady to her standing appointment at the hairdresser, one of the other stylists called me a name.

I was shocked and couldn't believe someone would say that to me. It has been probably been 43 years since I've been called that. I said "who me" and looked around thinking she had got me confused with someone else. I didn't even really know this woman and have only said 'hi' to her over the past year. Did she know me that well to call me that?

What could she have said to get me so flummoxed? She called me skinny. Yes, the lady who with intermittent bouts of thin-ness, has been overweight most of her life. The last time any one referred to me as skinny is when maybe at the age of 10 or so, my older brother was quite the photographer. He took this shot of me on my bike and aptly titled it.

I never said he could spell

No one has ever referred to me as that since (especially in my family). Now, I'm far from skinny and I'm far from being done with my weight loss journey but it was nice for someone to call me that. I do agree that even at my current weight I'm in the best shape I've ever been in. My mom even noticed my leg muscles the other day. She said she had noticed before, but forgot to mention it. So I gave her a little leg flex, just for fun. Do you want to see it? Sure you do.

grotesquely attractive

This is one taunting name I can live with.

Pig Out

2011-09-10T06:29:00.000-07:00

Corn Dogs, Ice Cream, Pulled Pork Sandwiches, Gourmet Grilled Cheese, Elk Burgers, Funnel Cakes, Pizza and much more. No, not the county fair but the once a year Labor Day celebration of Pig Out in the Park. Going on its 32nd year, the foodie festival has fed an estimated 2.5 million people.

Last Saturday night we headed downtown to Riverfront Park to partake in the Pig Out. The kid didn't want to go but once I mentioned grilled cheese sandwiches, she was more willing. I like the ethnic diversity of the booths so you're able to try something a little different than you normally would. We usually just get a few things and share it. Of course daughter got the French Onion grilled cheese sandwich with Greyer cheese, sauteed onions and mushrooms, she loved it. Hubby and I shared a pulled pork sammie and some grit fries. They're not really fries at all, just sticks of deep fried corn bread or something like that. I wasn't too crazy about them. I wanted to try an elk burger but hubby said that as he gets older he can't really handle eating animals like that. I had to remind him that he just ate some pig.

After we finished round one, we just walked around and enjoyed the show. The people that is. Sometimes it's like looking at those Walmartian emails we all get.

The weather was decent, warm but with those cool Fall undertones. Little kids were playing in the fountain but shivering all the same.

We continued on the one of 3 areas housing concerts. We didn't really know who was playing but just wanted to sit and listen to some music. This year there were 82 concerts on three stages so we found the closest one under the clock tower and had a seat.

We didn't bring our camping chairs but just a blanket. Mama isn't too comfy on a hard ground so soon daughter and I got up to walk around again. Like cattle heading back to the barn, we were in search of more food. An elephant ear was requested from hubby and I wanted ice cream, something I haven't had in a long time. So we fought back through the crowds and came back sticky. The crowd was starting to build for the next show so we settled in and enjoyed our goodies.

The next band was someone my daughter has heard on the radio but I had never heard of them. And of course after 30 minutes they still hadn't played the one song she knew so we decided to head out. My butt was numb and my back hurt. As I got up, I said to the woman behind me, "I'm too old for this." We saw some people in front of us sitting in some portable stadium seats. I declared that next time we will have some of those.

As we're heading over the bridge to the car the last light of the day was almost gone and the reflection on the very low river was pretty.

We were in a hotel pay lot and the only way out is to use a credit card. I knew this so made sure we had one. The darn machine would not take it though, it kept telling us to turn it over, and over, and over. Then finally it said it could not be verified. Someone was behind us and before we had a whole line waiting to get out I walked back to the guy and told him we were stupid to get out and asked if he could back up so we could too. Then hubby went to the hotel lobby to pay cash and when he finally came back he handed me all the money and said parking was on the house for the trouble.

Nice meals and a nice deal along with much music and food. A good way to spend an evening.

Let's Go To The Woo Woo Side

2011-09-06T04:04:00.000-07:00

**Update on the Mail Carrier VS Nellie. Hubby did go to the post office, he didn't take too kindly to me calling him an armchair complainer. The supervisor (also a carrier) was very sympathetic but explained that the carrier has a right to this policy as it is a national one. The supervisor cannot tell his carrier that he has to deliver or he could find himself in hot water. Another thing is that if our now carrier didn't make note of a dog at a residence and if a substitute delivered and maybe was bit, it would be the normal carrier's fault. So I understand that he is protecting himself in more than one way. But the supervisor was not pleased to hear of his attitude and the delivery of complaint cards that he himself should have seen (and claimed he didn't). So the supervisor will talk to him on those points only and so from now on if we want mail, the door will be shut during delivery time with only a slight growling from me**

Since I've been blogging, over three years now, I've written several times about my husband. I agree that most of the time I don't speak too kindly about him. There are many sides to him and so today I will give you another side, one I've always been hesitant to talk about.

Although he works part time as a courier, he is quite talented in another area. This area is just something that most people don't talk about in general conversation or are hesitant to believe. That's why I've just never delved into talking about it.

My husband is psychic. There I said it, the man is A Psychic and has had this gift since he was a boy. He's not a 1-800 type of psychic, he's the real deal. When I met him almost 30 years ago he was trying to make a go of doing readings for a living. We both worked hard at advertising, but it's a tough business to advertise about so he's always had to work another job while doing readings on the side.

There was a point where he kind of gave up and worked another business for about 18 years. After that business failed, he decided to get back to what he loved and is good at.

And he really is good at it, if you want to check out his website you can go here. I built the website myself. Even though it's a template I still put it together. Oh yes, he has an ebook too, consisting of automatic spiritual writings. I also put the book together but we did have someone make it purty and PDF it. I also duplicated his book website from code from the original (someone else built it) so we could have one strictly for PayPal and one for Clickbank. It kind of sounds like I am bragging about myself now, but really I'm not. But when I read it, I just realize that we have both put a lot of work into making this work.

He has clients all over the world including a woman in Japan and others in Canada and Australia. Of course he does readings for a lot of locals too so he can do them in person or by phone. Although it's still a business that can't sustain us fully, he keeps busy enough to keep him in peanut butter, and if you knew him you would know that he eats A LOT of peanut butter.

I'm not telling you all this to advertise or convince you one way or another that psychic readers are legit, I just wanted to share a bit about hubby that I've always been a little afraid to.

So although many days I think my hubby's an idiot and I wonder how he finds his way home at night; a switch turns on when he goes to work and he is darn near brilliant (kind of like a savant, ha). I am proud of what he does and the difference he makes in other people's lives.

This Day In History

2011-09-02T05:41:00.000-07:00

From our archives, 100 years ago

I wish we could still handle spousal abuse this way.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
An angry mob of at least 15 men forced their way into the jail at Grangeville, Idaho, and pumped nearly a dozen bullets into Peter Mallick, a prisoner accused of brutally beating his wife.

Mallick was in jail because of an incident that had occurred on his homestead about two months earlier. He was accused of coming home drunk, dragging his wife from her bed, and brutally beating her with a revolver and kicking her until he was exhausted. Her shoulder was dislocated, three ribs were broken and her eye was “almost beaten out of its socket.” The wife, a graduate of the Lewiston Normal School, still had not recovered fully from the beating.

People were outraged by the incident and many threats had been made against Mallick’s life.

The night of Aug. 31, 1911, a mob of 15 masked men rode up to the jail, overpowered the guards, pushed their way to his cell and said, “Get ready to take your medicine.”
The prisoner woke up and said (in the paper’s expurgated version), “Take off your masks, you d–-d –—.” Someone counted, “One, two, three, fire!”

At least 11 bullets hit Mallick. He died instantly and the men rode away, unidentified.

Quick.....Shut The Door

2011-08-31T16:24:00.000-07:00

When we went on vacation I had our mail held as usual, with them to deliver on a specific date upon our return. That day I saw the mailman coming up the walk so I went out to meet him, only because he was carrying a lot and I knew it wouldn't all fit in our slot.

He introduced himself as our new carrier and said we would now be getting our mail in the morning instead of the afternoon. Then he proceeded to tell me that if I came out to meet him again, to make sure that the inside door was closed so my dog wouldn't break down the screen door to attack him. Huh? Sure she barks but has never been really interested in the carriers that much to run through a screen door to eat them.

A few days ago he delivered as usual but included mail from a few blocks away. This happens occasionally and if it's close by, like a neighbor I just take it over. But this was several blocks away plus in the mail were cards that were not supposed to be delivered. They were complaint cards meant only for the carriers eyes from other customers who had mail mis-delivered in some way. They were supposed to turn them in at the end of each shift. I waited for him to return to his truck and took the cards as well as the other mail. When I got to the truck he swung the door open and yelled "What did I do now?"

As I think back I should not have said this but I did anyway. I said "Well, this mail was mis-delivered which makes me wonder where my mail's going." It's true but I guess it didn't make him any more friendly toward me.

"It doesn't work that way", he yelled. "There was many packets of this same type and I just grabbed too many, that's all, accident's happen!"

He stomped off to deliver them and I slunk home. On Monday of this week, we didn't get any mail. Mmmmm, is that what they do when you're a trouble maker? Today in our mail was a little card from USPS saying that our mail had been curtailed due to 'your main house door was open'. Huh? They will not even deliver to an entire neighborhood if there is a loose dog in the area.

We have an aging dog that sleeps all day long and only raises her head up to bark when the mail arrives. She doesn't come toward the door or act aggressively toward them in any way. If I am ever in the yard with her and see the mail truck coming I put her in the back yard. But from now on he will not deliver if our inner door is open, you know, like most people like to do to cool their house off. We've had several carriers over the 12 years we've lived here and not one has ever complained. I really think it depends on the carrier, or maybe it's a citywide implementation. It will be interesting to hear of anyone else has received them either in the neighborhood or city.

I wasn't home when it came but hubby saw it and got plenty PO'd. He confronted him and he basically told him to take it up with his supervisor like the 600 other people he gave them to today. I realize we're not being singled out and carriers do get bitten. But it's just his overall attitude that has set the pace for my annoyance.

Hubby said he would go to the post office to complain about it, but we'll see. He's like an arm chair complainer. He grumbles a lot but doesn't ever leave the chair to do anything about it. But I won't do it, I'm tired of being the crabby one.

So now, we'll have to be on lookout and when we see his truck, we'll SLAM our door shut to protect him from our evil dog. Hey what about cats? I've seen many mean cats in my day. And those wily ferrets, never did trust them. I have a friend with an African Grey Parrot that can imitate any sound known to man. What if the mail carrier walks up and said bird starts his best gunfire imitation. I bet they'd never get mail again.

I guess it's just the way things are in an ever changing world, but that doesn't mean I have to like it.

Unrest In The 'Hood

2011-08-29T16:55:00.000-07:00

I've been pretty tired for a couple of days. I think it's allergies but I sure don't know why it makes you so tired. Anyway I was looking forward to a good night's sleep so was in my cave by 10:00. I only put one ear plug in, and figured that would be enough.

I think I went out fast but was soon awakened by my dog barking upstairs. She will grumble or give a little woof if someone walks by, but this was full-out barking. I could hear the Mastodon walking around quickly and then the kitchen light went on. "Uh oh", I thought, "This can't be good."

By the time I got upstairs, hubby was already at the door and I could hear kids talking, it was 11:45 pm. They were holding our phone and had called their dad to see if he was home. He had left his two 10 year old kids at home and took the older one out driving around looking for a stolen mountain bike. I have heard that their mother is in jail so no one else was home. The kids heard their own dog barking and then a man yelling at the dog. Then they heard footsteps and a drawer opening in the kitchen (where the knives are, as the kid put it). The kids ran out of the house and hid in some bushes, and when the lights and TV turned off, they ran to our house.

They thought by then maybe their dad had returned so that's why they were calling him. I said we better call the police instead. So I talked to the dispatcher for awhile and then turned the phone over to the kids so they could talk to her. She talked to me again and asked if they could hang out for awhile and I agreed. But she never said that the police were on the way so I didn't know if we were talking a sleep over or not.

About that time, the dad drove by so the kids yelled out that someone was in the house and he went home and then when all was clear the kids left. We figured that was it and shut the door and I was headed back downstairs.

The doorbell rings again, dog barks again and hubby heads for the door....again. Then the front porch light goes off and hubby goes, "what the hell???" When he opened the door, the cops are standing there and said they undid the light bulb because they never know what they're getting into. Well OK, but it would be nice to see who's at your door too. We had to explain that the disturbance wasn't at our house but another house. By then the kids saw them and came running and they all went off in the direction of their house.

Our daughter was awake but too afraid to come out so after everyone left, she came out and watched some TV with hubby and I headed back downstairs. It took me awhile to get back to sleep, along with the rest of the household.

Today I kind of wondered if the dad of the kids would stop by and thank us for watching over them while he was out playing bounty hunter, but nope I guess it's just another day in his life. Well it certainly isn't a day in my life so now I'm hoping that maybe tonight my sleep will come....

Ear Plugs--A Wonderful Invention

2011-08-27T17:57:00.000-07:00

I have become quite dependent on my ear plugs. Two years ago I bought my first package while on vacation. My husband snores and it' not a whole lot of fun to be trapped in a room with a snoring bear. It's different at home, I could always leave the room. So we're walking in this little grocery store in Manzanita and I see them hanging in the aisle. I snatched them up and enjoyed the whole week in silent bliss.

I used them off and on until I ran out. My Walmart didn't carry the same exact kind so I had to buy a girly pink package which although had a higher dB rating, they didn't work as well. Even though I'm a basement dweller I still use them during the week. Since I go to bed at ten, I usually get woken up when hubby gets home at 11:00 ish. He sounds like a Mastodon tromping through the house and then has to run water and the hot water tank sits about 3 feet from my bed in a closet. So you get the picture. I pop my ear plugs in and sleep like a baby.

One night on vacation they worked a little too well. The manager's room, just two doors down from us was broken into and the guy almost landed right on their bed. There was lots of yelling and chasing going on and I didn't hear any of it. Hubby told me in the morning that he heard sounds like cupboards slamming and yelling and figured it was a couple fighting. Of course the next night I didn't sleep well because I was nervous about the guy coming back so I didn't use them.

Before we came home we went back to the same little store and I found them again, and bought two boxes this time. The lady at the counter said "Uh oh, someone snores". I laughed and told her I had to come all this way just to buy more.

So there they sit, tucked under my pillow, waiting for me to return tonight. Mmmmm, sounds like a bit more than a little dependence doesn't it?

Sucka!

2011-08-23T18:03:00.000-07:00

I've been wanting to write about this for awhile but was embarrassed. Most of you know that I'm GaGa for Deadliest Catch and all of the lovely Captains of the Bering Sea. My family and I have seen different Captains at book signings, grocery stores, Walmart, etc.

This summer Capt's John and Andy Hillstrand and Sig Hanson were doing their own Captain's Tours, not affiliated with Discovery. When I saw they were coming to town I got tickets for hubby, daughter and I. We got good seats but not the premium seats which included a private meet and greet after the show. But at $75.00 I wasn't going to spend as much as Elton John tickets cost. I mean I love them, but they're not worth the same as Elton. That's a ticket price you have to earn.

I had seen clips here and there and sort of knew what to expect. I had a feeling that it would be an OK show, but not as great as a personal book signing tour. But we were still excited to go and joined the other few thousand in attendance.

It was quite scripted with the show hosted by a local radio personality. She was asking questions from a piece of paper so it wasn't exactly spontaneous. I've heard the answers so many times before I could have have answered them myself verbatim. Some of the conversation was quite spontaneous but few and far between. John was very hung over and the F word was flying like crazy. I'm not exactly a prude and have said my fair share of the word myself but it was a bit much. And there was no one there to bleep it out like on the show.

They were supposed to have 'never seen before' clips, they weren't outstanding though. One highlight was a very nice tribute to Capt. Phil, it did bring a tear to my eye. Andy sang his tribute song about Phil too, it still gets to me. Another highlight was when Sig called Jake Anderson on his cell phone and asked the audience to say hi and then he comes walking out from the back. And then John yells out, "where's my kid" and his son Scotty comes strolling up from the back. Those three parts were the best part of the show.

They did some goofy skit, timing people to put on survival suits. I've seen that before too on different shows. Some t-shirts were thrown out, but we didn't snag any and I wasn't going to put out another $25.00 for an autographed one.

OK, so I admit, I was a sucker to fall for it. I know at least one of you are saying 'coulda told ya so'. It just seems like they are so big now that it's more of a production than an appearance. I'm curious how the meet and greet went. It was advertised that they would meet everyone no matter how long it took. I had read on FB that someone was complaining that all it was, was a more intimate Q & A, no autographs or pictures. I guess it's our own fault though. We made Stars out of Fishermen and what were they supposed to do with it? They're no dummies, we are. They're going to make money with their little circus shows.

If we had some pictures, it might have been worth it. Oh I didn't tell you about the pics yet, did I? I didn't take my camera but daughter did. I seemed to have the better view even with the Snookie Bump hairstyle 2 seats in front of me. I took loads of pics, even of the screen when they were talking about Phil. I got Jake and Scotty and singing Andy. My daughter is usually good about locking her shots before deleting ones she doesn't want. But for some reason she didn't lock them and did a 'delete all' and poof they were gone. All of them, in an instant. She looked sick, I felt sick and a little mad at first. But I could hardly talk after ruining my camera. Mistakes happen.

So now we have no proof that we went to a show that we really didn't like all that well anyway.

It's Hard Coming Home

2011-08-21T08:55:00.000-07:00

I'm sure you've all felt it, the letdown of coming home from vacation. Especially as Monday looms, the worse I feel. My husband gets to face working doubles as the other driver goes on his vacation. At least it's not 10 hr shifts anymore but it still messes with your sleep clock.

After we pulled into the garage we unloaded quickly so hubby could go pick up our dog. Car--dead. He takes his and brings a tired dog home who spent all day yesterday sleeping. She didn't even care that we weren't interested in going for a walk. She looks perkier today though. We jumped the car and got it to the shop. We really thought it was the alternator because it's been making grinding noises for quite some time. A mechanic said a bearing was going out and it could last for another day or another year. We thought that day had come. But it was only the battery which still had some warranty left so it wasn't too bad of a ka-ching.

We actually came home with money this year. Well, we always do but it was more than usual. We got such a good deal on our room so that helped.

Did I follow my diet on this trip??? Hell No. I had good intentions. I told hubby that whatever we eat, we can share; that lasted one night. I ate my way through the Oregon coast; fried food, fudge, carbs galore. I only gained 2 lbs and hubby 1. We got A LOT of walking in though, miles and miles, so that helped. So today, it's back on the plan and I'm kind of looking forward to it. It's nice to let loose once in awhile but you start to feel sick after awhile. And it felt good to get back to Zumba yesterday, I was feeling kind of squishy.

We had a neighbor girl water our yard, flowers and vegi's. I guess we can't expect too much from someone who has a brown yard, but it would be nice to come home to vegi's that aren't croaking. She texted my daughter and said there were a few cucumbers that needed to be picked. We said she could have them if she wanted. They don't like cucumbers. When we got home it was the zucchini she was looking at. That's sad when someone doesn't know the difference, guess they don't like zucchini either. The first thing I do is start pouring water on them so all the weeks of babying them along will not be in vain.

I see we have new neighbors kitty-corner from us. The previous renters were kicked out I believe. It was part of the family we had trouble with a few years ago with the underage drinkers. These people were quiet but the yard had just turned to crap. The elderly woman who used to live there would go out daily, sit on an overturned bucket and pull weeds. She would be so sad to see it now. The new family apparently has two dogs and 2-3 little kids, oh joy. The night we got home I could see the dogs tied up in the backyard and barking of course. I was in a mood I guess (when aren't I) and walked over to the sidewalk. I could see the little girls looking out the window as it was dark. They ran out, which was frightening enough to have such little ones going outside to talk to a total stranger. I asked if her mother was at home but she said that she would be back soon and their babysitter was there. I told her I wasn't going to listen to those dogs barking, so here this little girl no more than 5, apologizing and saying that the dogs would go in as soon as their mother got home. Then the babysitter came out, another little girl, no more than 9. Seriously? I already don't like the parents, to leave several little girls alone playing out in the dark. Yesterday I saw that the dogs were put out about 10:00 am, tied to something. They were there until late afternoon, by then in the full sun. Their lead is short and they were trying to squish up to the house as the shade disappeared. They did have water so what can I do? I really do hate being so sensitive and worrying about little dogs and children so much it keeps me awake at night.

We had a good time but the general consensus is not as good as the 2 prior years. We kind of grade our vacations; slightly weird I know. At least it didn't rain on us but temps never got above 70 and two days were so windy, it felt like 40. But Wifi and dvd's kept us plenty entertained.

Since I know you have all seen my photos on PictorialSoul, (what, you haven't???) I won't bore you with too many more. This one was taken about 6:00 am as we were leaving. We always stop by Mel's bench to say goodbye to Haystack Rock. As my hubby would say, it's tradition.

Mel was the owner of some cottages just to the right of the shot. They were old and dated but we loved them. Just five steps to the beach, heavenly. You could call and say "Hi Mel, this is Kden from Spokane", and he would start talking and asking how the family was. He didn't even want a credit card to hold the room, he was that kind of guy. He passed away several years ago and we miss him. His cabins have been replaced by rich homes that no one can afford.

I wouldn't mind taking this route another time, when we're not pressed for time. Twelve and-a-half hours in the car with an Italian and a Teenager is enough.

So now it's back to reality; city traffic and noise, a job that almost brings me to tears, and school starting soon. A year until our next vacation seems soooo very far away.

Stolen, Stolen Again, Found, and Returned

2011-08-17T08:08:00.000-07:00

A few days before we left on vacation my family and I took Nellie for a walk. Our usual route takes us past the football field and track which is under a complete renovation so we just have to walk on by. Sometimes I like to walk on the track, let Nellie run so I can pick up some speed and let her sniff to her heart's content.

As we walked by we saw a kid's football behind a tree. Attached to it was a note. In essence the note writer was apologizing for taking the football although there was no indication as to when this happened. The write said he had 'found Jesus' and wanted to return the ball and added 15 bucks too.

Hmmmm, nice I thought, but knew it wouldn't be there for long and the original ball owner would never see it, it would get stolen again.

Sure enough, when we got home from our walk, we saw three young teen boys walking our way. I could see one holding the ball, one reading the note and I'm sure they had the money. I told my husband to mess with them so he starts yelling, "Did you take that football?" and so forth. They started running. Teenagers suck.

Maybe the note writer feels better about doing what he did but did he really think that the ball and money would get back to the original owner? I think it was pretty stupid on his part. I would rather pay it forward and do a kind deed to someone else, it sits better in the heart.

I got that chance the next day to do that. I came home from work and as I pulled into the other end of the alley, the end I never go in, I saw a blue messenger-type bag sitting by a pole. Thinking maybe someone had left it at a bus stop I didn't pick it up. It was still there a few hours later when daughter and I drove by so we picked it up. I realize it could have been something dangerous, like a bomb or something, that's why I had daughter grab it, ha.

We took it home and started ~~snooping~~ looking through the bag to find the owner. Since we were leaving early in the morning I didn't want this thing sitting around. I finally found a name and cell # on some papers so I gave him a call. He worked nearby at a medical supply business and his car had been broken into that afternoon. The thief's probably thought there was a computer in the bag because that's all that was stolen. There was a library book and many papers including a yahoo mail account with password, all right there for anyone to take advantage of.

He came by and picked up the bag later that evening and as he looked through it he found a thumb drive which he explained had over 5 years of documents on it. There were also papers with his SS# on them. It seems nothing was taken from it and he was very grateful. He tried to offer me a little something but I said no, I'm just glad it fell into the right hands to get it returned back to him. He called me his guardian angel and told me good Karma would return to me.

So I think that's the way it should work. If you do something at an earlier time you're not too proud of and you can't always make it up to that particular person, pay it forward and do something nice for someone else. You'll make their day and give them faith in humanity again.

Limo Partaaayy!

2011-08-11T13:23:00.000-07:00

Since our daughter just turned 16 we wanted her party to be really special. And this will also be the last one we will ever throw for her so it had to be memorable. My husband who usually doesn't have the brightest ideas came up with this one and I've got to say that he topped himself.

Let's just say that he has connections. He works with privately owned air strips by the main city airport. One place in particular has a small bistro above the office and also has a limo used mosty to drive ritzy clients around. Hubby approached the airfield owner and bistro owner and asked if they could arrange a nice BD celebration. We didn't tell her first because we weren't sure if it was going to happen. But plans came together so we did tell her. The limo is not an ultra stretch but still holds 8 comfortably. She lined up the friends she wanted to invite as well as a few back-ups just in case a few couldn't make it. Summer BD's are difficult because people are on vacation and very busy in general. But all 7 of them said they would be there.

We had the girls meet us by the high school and they all looked so pretty. The limo pulled up and headed out for their first jaunt of the night. He was going to have them back at the bistro for dinner about 7:15 pm. Hubby and I just went straight to the bistro and I admit I wish I was with the girls. They ran a little late but he stopped downtown at one of the nicest hotels in town which has been refurbished. They all ran in and took some pictures. He was really good about taking their pictures too. Then they headed south and made their way to some our area's beautiful parks, more pictures taken.

Dinner was salad, pasta and bread. I tried to move them along quickly with dinner, cake and presents so they could have more time in the limo after dinner. We watched the sunset out the window and it was such a beautiful night. The driver also works at the airstrip so he showed them inside a jet before they took off; more pictures of course. We cleaned up as they drove off into the night and again I wish I was with them.

They headed south again to the top of a bluff to get a great view of the city. He got lost first though and had to back the big limo down a street with the girls guiding him. By 10:00 pm they were back at the school. I wish we had started an hour earlier, they would have gotten more limo time. The drivers usually take about a 100.00 dollar tip but he only took 40.00. He said he had so much fun with them and that was all he wanted. They wouldn't even let us pay for the gas. I guess it pays to have connections.

Limo Beauties, mine is in grey

At the Swanky Motel

Duncan Gardens

Is there room for me???

On The Bluff

They all had such a wonderful time and I'm glad we could do it for her. The top she's wearing is probably the best gift I've ever given her too. I bought if from Ebay and it's an authenticated piece of wardrobe from the TV show, 'Friday Night Lights'. It was wardrobe for the character Becky (the bad girl who loved Riggins). I had her open it first at the party and when she finally figured out what it was, two of the girls said at the same time, "I wish my parents would do that!!!" It warmed my heart ♥

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Saturday we're heading out on vacation, YEA! Back to the Oregon coast of course but a different place. We're staying in Rockaway Beach which is close to the Tillamook Cheese Factory. Even though I'll have my old camera I'll try to do nightly updates on my photo blog, so stop on by and see what I'm up to. I might even allow someone to take pictures of me this year since I'm lookin' all hot ya know.

Just don't get excited thinking I've only got 5 lbs to go. I'm going to revise that when I get there; maybe 10 more. Don't really want to, I want to be done. But I'd rather finish at a place I want to be, rather than wish I could get there 'someday'.

Fun Obit

2011-08-07T20:34:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure if it's proper to classify an obituary as 'fun', but this one is enjoyable reading. I imagine the gentleman wrote it himself, knowing his fate for awhile. It's long but worth reading. I remember years ago he had come to our house to give us a bid to trim our big Oak; we never had it done though.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TREECRAFT, Dandelion B.

Dandelion B. Treecraft died August 4, 2011
Born: April 30, 1949, Fresno, California,
Dam: Nina Isabel Guard, a shy, rural North Carolina girl, graduated from the University of North Carolina at age 18.
Sire: Vernon Willard Whipple, a dangerous-charming Fresno boy who managed to graduate from Fresno High School.

Christened "Daniel Bryan Whipple" at his birth, in Fresno, California, Dan endured 13 mind-numbing years of public schooling in California, Washington, and Florida before enlisting in the US Coast Guard during the Vietnam War. Thereafter, he worked as a carpenter, and a wood tank "cooper" in Fresno. After divorcing Leta, his wife of six years [formerly, his step-mother for 12 years], Dan moved to Spokane in June, 1980, and took up, promptly, with a former babysitter from his grade-school years. This was two weeks after Mt. Saint Helens' historic off-topping.

A short stint with the Spokane City garbage collection squad was followed by a similarly-short hitch, 'cold-canvassing' for one of Spokane's leading predatory roofing and siding contractors. That invaluable vocational experience was followed by six years employment at an industrial transformer manufacturing plant - which failed to lead to tenure, as the company moved its facility to North Carolina to take advantage of a lower-wage environment. In late 1980, Mr. Treecraft joined the Spokane Unitarian Church, whose very active singles group had a surplus of women 10 to 20 years his senior. This was truly a golden era for Dan. He eventually graduated from the Unitarian Church in 1997, with a degree of Critical Thinking. A doldrum period of employment coincided in the late --80s, and included a brief attempt to enter the medical industry as a nurse-aide. This proved, after all, not to be a good fit, as Dan felt compelled to take half of his charges home to provide more adequate personal nurturance, while the remainder, he felt, should be taken out over-night, and shot.
From 1991 until 2009, having found his calling, Dan employed himself as an arborist, changed his legal name, and attempted to make an honest living providing ethical tree care. Anyone who's attempted to make a living - ethically - can attest that it is no small feat. Mr. Treecraft's scorecard, here, looks fairly good - if graded on a --curve'. He was pleased, though, that many of his clients also became enduring friends.

In 1991, while pruning an ancient apple tree for a frugal-but-charming South Hill matron, Dan met his second-wife-to-be. Nearly eight years passed, before she managed to come to Dan's attention again. Jan and Dan were married on the Autumnal Equinox, 2001, a pot luck affair which drew a crowd of well under one thousand.

The next nine years passed in what appeared to be sublime, flawless bliss. Both Treecrafts were generally satisfied to let that appearance prevail. It was a period of considerable inner growth, especially for Jan. For Dan, it was a time of great inner testing. The result was, after all, a passably agreeable relationship for a near-decade. No small feat in this day.

In the Fall of 2008, Dan noticed a mild, chronic sore throat, and some difficulty swallowing. The symptoms persisted, eventually joined by others, until Dan finally agreed to see a doctor in February, 2010. Examination and biopsy revealed a tumor of some advanced development. A course of "no treatment" was decided upon and followed, until such time as the discomfort and dysfunction of his illness directed Dan to thoughtfully and humanely end his tenure. Jan stood by him throughout the eleven-month duration of his winding-down process, walking all the way - to the very edge - with him.

Some fuss has been made of Treecraft's social and political activism. This aspect of his life has been significantly exaggerated, though it's true he took pride in his pivotal role - forcing Alberto Gonzales to resign as head of the United States Justice Department's team of international war criminals. Dan was also exceedingly proud of being ousted from several dozen Spokane City Council meetings, by Council President Joe Shogan.

Besides his wife, Jan, Mr. Treecraft is survived by their dog, Skippy, Cuckoo, the cat, Jan's adult son, Max, Jan's daughter, Molly, and Molly's 4-year-old son, Ezra. Dan also leaves a half-brother, Bill Whipple, seven step-siblings [ too numerous and far-flung to name - Bobby, Jackie, Eddy, Sally, Nancy, Tommy and Susan ], and an unknown number of nieces and nephews. Dan had no children of his own [ if he did, not one of them ever called or wrote ].

Burial will be at Worley Township Cemetery 10:00 a.m., Saturday, August 6, 2011. A caravan of grave-digging friends and well-wishers are expected to provide funereal talent, shovels, sweat, cheer, graveside manners. Eulogizers of quick-witted brevity are welcome to speak. Long-winded droners may be stoned and used as backfill. Bring a picnic lunch to share, and something to sit on. Please consider carpooling. It is hoped this event might inspire and bring together a few good people from across the county.

Matters Of The Heart.....and Mouth

2011-08-04T17:33:00.000-07:00

Mmmmmmm, which story should I begin with? They both involve pain of some sort so I guess it doesn't matter.

I'll start with my daughter's love life, she ought to love that. She has a long distance boyfriend. I suppose not the best scenario but that's how it turned out. They knew each other in grade school and then 7th grade. He moved to California soon after. He used to leave love notes on her desk in 6th grade and she had no idea who was doing it but he just confessed recently. Anyway they've been texting and Skyping on occasion and are in love. Ahhhhhhhh.

His family was heading up this way to a family reunion and he was making plans to see her. He invited her to the reunion, without asking I guess so that didn't work out. Friends could come for one day but the drive was just too far to come home and then go back and get her, about 6 hours travel time. So that didn't work out. Since he and his sister didn't get to see any friends, their Mom said that they would stay around an extra week and they could see friends on Monday and Tuesday. They were in an area that didn't have phone coverage so she wasn't able to hear from him.

Monday was her 16th birthday and she was so excited at the chance to finally see him after all this time. But no call came. Tuesday afternoon he finally texted her and said they were in town at a pizza place but they couldn't get together. His step-dad decided he wanted to go home early and wouldn't let the kids see any of their friends. They even drove right by the house. Right by the house, and this jerk of a step-dad wouldn't give him 5 minutes to give her the birthday presents he had bought for her. I was so pissed. I don't even think they are aware of the relationship because he said his mother would freak out because he's not allowed to date. Well, I wouldn't technically call what they're doing as dating but still he hasn't told her.

I just think it's sad and I had to deal with a crying daughter although they are back to texting and she seems fine. I don't know where the relationship will end up but for now she's really happy and he seems like a nice kid. I do hope they can get together sometime, they may be back up in the fall. I just hope we don't all have to go through this again. It's hard on Mommy's too.

OK, now on to pain in the literal sense. The kid got her braces on today. Three days after her 16th BD and 2 days before her party. It's a good excuse to have a milkshake for lunch though. It was a smooth appointment today though and I think the spacers caused her more pain than the actual braces. But yet it's only been a few hours.

In 6 months or so she will have a Herbst appliance put in to correct an overbite. And then in time lower braces will go on. It will be about a 3 year process in all. Braces weren't all the prevalent when I was younger. I think my dentist recommended that I get them but never did. My brothers and I have the tell tale family 'fangs'. Mine are a bit crooked though so braces would have been a good idea. But even back then I suppose they were too expensive for my family.

Torturous Herbst!

My daughter's entire expense will run about 5,800.00 and I'm so grateful that her State insurance will cover them. They go by a certain point system on the severity of the teeth and I guess hers made the cut. Not sure if that's good or bad. It could all change at our next re-certification though. If we are making too much money then the balance will be ours. So I guess whatever will be, will be.

Time will march on, with love and even braces. In a few years time things will look different, on both fronts. I know her teeth will look great and I hope she gets to see the boy she loves or at least know that she's lovable and can move on.

Campin' Out

2011-07-31T07:33:00.000-07:00

Does anyone camp out in backyards anymore? My husband, daughter and Nellie have been since she was little at least once or twice in a summer. Last year she didn't seem interested at all but it was her idea to do it last night so hubby jumped (sort of) at the chance. Nellie absolutely loves it, we take her bed out and I guess that's at close as to being a wild dog as she'll ever get.

And me? I stay in and get the whole house to myself. I even came out of the basement for the night and slept rather well. I like everything about camping; campfires, wooded areas, friendly people, and a nice hot cup of coffee on a chili morning. But just don't make me sleep in a tent to get all that. That's why if we're doing any kind of camping experience, we always stay in a cabin, that way I get the best of both worlds.

When I was young, my little brother and I used to sleep in the backyard without a tent. Just lay out a sleeping bag on the ground or even use a lawn chair. One night we were close to the back door and I woke up all of a sudden with someone looking at me. He ran off but I was so scared I woke up little bro and we high tailed it into the house. I found out later that it was one of my older brother's friends and he thought it was him that was sleeping. Another night when I was older I was on a lawn chair all by myself and I guess I wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed. I was looking at the moon and thought it was not moving, so therefore the world was ending and I would not live to see another day. It took me a long time to go to sleep. Well, do you blame me? But I did and was pleasantly surprised to realize that I woke up the next morning and lived through the ending of the world.

When we went on family vacations we rarely stayed in a motel, it was all camping. We had a real small pull-along trailer at the time which fit my parents, and only two of us kids. So that meant that at least one kid had to sleep in a tent, so may as well make it two and heck lets just kick them all out of the trailer into the tent. I hated it! It was cold, and damp. And if it rained you dare not touch one spot of the tent or that would be the leaky spot. Wet sleeping bags are not cool!!!

Even in 1983 when my dad died, we took his ashes to his favorite camping spot and I had to endure a tent again. Another cold damp night with no sleep. Even the big rock that was heated by the camp fire before we went to bed was nothing but a cold wet stone and did nothing for my mood.

I tried sleeping in the backyard with hubby and daughter--once. It was too bright with all the yard lights. Our lawn is too slopey and I kept sliding down towards the door. It was just too everything so whenever they want to camp out I help them take their gear out, set up the tent, kiss them and the dog good night and come in for a well deserved sleep.

Lovin' The Duggars

2011-07-27T21:26:00.000-07:00

Last night I caught a few episodes of '19 Kids And Counting' featuring the Duggar family of Arkansas. I used to watch occasionally but haven't in awhile. But I'll tell ya, that's one family I admire. I know a lot of people frown when another Duggar is on the way, but why?

They run their family better than most countries. Everyone has a job and they know what to do without arguing and having to be told what to do. All of the kids are home schooled, they are debt free, and all play musical instruments. The older kids take care of the babies.

The entire family built their own 7000 sq. ft. home over a course of 6 years and their home is driven by a strong faith. I mean, what is wrong with that? They don't depend on society to take care of them, rather they give back.

What amazes me about Michelle Duggar, or even Jim Bob for that matter is their calmness in a household where I would be tying kids to the rafters. I'm not cut out for it but I admire those that are. I was telling my daughter that their kids can't date, rather they have chaperoned courtships and have no physical contact until marriage. I mean none, not even kissing. She said "I'm glad I'm not a Duggar!"

Well I guess I wouldn't want to be one either but I wouldn't mind hanging out with them for the day; maybe I could learn something.

Google Earth

2011-07-24T07:39:00.000-07:00

Before my computer had to be wiped clean I had installed the Google Earth Plug-In. It was fun to look around different areas of the world but it was still limited. So after my computer got a fresh start, I decided to download the whole program. Oh Man, I love it!

I can go anywhere and see anything. I go to places I've been and places I want to go. The reality of it is amazing and I love to put the little man right down in the street view. Not all locations will do this but many will. I've gone through the Rolodex looking up people's addresses and finding where relatives live even though we've never been there. It kind of makes you feel closer to those that you don't see very often.

Another cool feature is that people can upload their travel photos to Panoramio and then submit them to be added to Google Earth. And as you're flying around the world you can see little photos to view. I decided to try my hand at getting some on this little earth of ours. So far, out of the 19 I have submitted, 18 were chosen. In reading about submissions it said that photos are only chosen once a week and it could take up to 3 weeks to even be considered. I must have caught them on a good day. After I initially uploaded them I got to looking around at others and almost considered taking them down. There are some magnificent photos out there. So I'm not trying to let it go to my head now that mine have been chosen because as I continue to look around there are some not so stellar shots out there too. So if you want to look at mine you can go here. They are the most recent, since last year's vacation so you have probably seem most of them. If I want to add any more from years past I'll have to dig around in my archives. Just another thing to keep me busy I guess.

As I'm sitting here writing, this Asian woman pulls up, gets out of her car with a camera on a tripod. She takes a few pics of the school across the street, then turns the camera on my Day Lillies. Very odd on a Sunday morning.

An update on my camera. The repairman called and said the water damage was worse than he thought. He cleaned the sensor but couldn't clean the zoom and to order a new one would be more than the camera was worth. In other words he was telling me that my camera was a cheap POC and don't bother. So he won't charge me for what he did and I'll pick it up next week. That means either a defective camera or an old camera will be going on vacation with me. Sigh. And although my laptop is now doing great my desktop downstairs will now not dial up for me. It gets to a certain point and and then freezes up the entire computer so I have to do a forced shut down. I think it has something to do with the latest McAfee update (big surprise here) so may have to call out my new computer dude to look at it. But that and any hopes of a new camera will just have to wait. In other words Ka Ching, which seems to be my life recently.

Snooze Alarm

2011-07-20T16:01:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure who ever invented the snooze alarm but I'm guessing it was a man. Just because it's such an idiotic idea.

I set the alarm at 5:15 and listen to the radio for 5 minutes and then get up. My husband uses an old cell phone as an alarm. He sets it for 5:55 and then does about three 5 minute snoozes. Why? I don't get the whole idea. Why wake yourself up early to get an interupted 15 minute nap? I'd rather sleep un-interupted the whole time getting that extra 15 minutes of solid sleep.

And yes, I am still a basement dweller and love it. It's nice and cool, dark, and pretty quiet. And I use an alarm clock like God intended.

Another Reunion

2011-07-17T07:29:00.000-07:00

It seems like this summer is full of reunions, birthday parties and gatherings of some sort. Yesterday I went to a class reunion on beautiful Lake Coeur D' Alene in Idaho. It's the same place we had our S.L.U.T.S. party last year.

Our town is small so although we have an alumni party every year, only a few years of graduation are honored. And since this year was not one of our years, we decided to have our own party for our 35th. Lodging was offered at a nearby Casino but I couldn't quite swing that this year so just decided to come home last night. That meant no drinking, but that's OK I guess, I feel better this morning because of it. But of course when I got there the hostess asked if I was staying at her house. Grrrrr, a little planning people, I would have if I had been invited.

Anyway I hit the road about 8:45 that morning and it was a beautiful drive. I stopped at the last little town before the lake to call the fam to let them know I was almost there. I spotted this old truck across the street so had to run across to get a shot of it. There was another one behind it that I wish I had seen earlier but I had to keep moving.

When I arrived about 10:30 the only ones that were there were the ones that have been there for a few days. I guess the party starts earlier for them. They live further away so they make a long week out of it. A few more straggled in and then some decided to go tubing. The weather was nice but the water was much too cold to actually get wet. So Rhonda and I decided to stay behind to wait for others.

Rhonda sitting and the hostess Pam

Our class only had about 50 students, to the best of our recollection. We took a poll and came up with anywhere from 48 to 52 so I'm sticking with 50. I'd say about 15 showed up with about 5 spouses. I didn't invite hubby because he would have been uncomfortable. Most of these people still live in the same town or are still in touch so they know each other pretty well. And daughter of course would have been bored to tears, so why go through all that and ruin my fun, ha. My cousin Peggy told her husband that mine would be there just to get him there. She lied and he wasn't pleased.

Barb on the left, cousin Peggy on the right and cheerful hubby in the middle

Everyone has arrived by afternoon so we all sit on the deck drinking and eating. I don't mingle much. It's hard to believe that at this age I'm still rather shy and don't move far from my comfort zone so I just stick with the friends I'm really comfortable with. I didn't talk to any of the guys from my class and wonder if they even knew who I was.

Wes, Pam and Evelyn

This is the only picture with me in, it was about the third one with all different camera's and I had this cheesy grin on my face so of course that's when she snapped it. I love how Barb is kind of hugging her beer.

More eating and drinking then finally grilled hamburgers and hot dogs are ready. Boy, I'm going to be working this day off for about a week. I had originally planned to leave around 8:00 but decided to leave a little earlier. It had started raining a bit and the last picture I took was a beautiful rainbow right over the water. It seemed a fitting way to end the day.

As I hugged the hostess goodbye she whispered "just the girls next year", meaning our usual S.L.U.T.S weekend. I teasingly asked if she would let me stay next year and said I would bring my jammies. Only 364 days to go.

Surprise Birthday Party

2011-07-11T19:56:00.000-07:00

My mom turned 80 last week and I had a brilliant idea a few months ago that my brothers and I should get together and surprise her this past weekend. Trying to corral two ~~men~~ boys into helping throw a party is not an easy task.

This is part of a email conversation between older brother and I:

ME: Well, I guess it's time to start planning mom's bd. Did we decide on Saturday the 9th? I think we planned late lunch or early dinner because E. will be coming from camping.

So now we have to decide what to eat and if we want to make it a surprise or let her in on it. I thought I would bring an ice cream cake. I have already bought her a present (large pot filled with succulents) so I can't go in on anything with you guys.

Anything else to think about?

HIM: SINCE E. HAS THE TRAVEL, HE SHOULD PICK THE TIME OF THE MEAL, AS FOR THE PLACE, IT NEEDS TO BE WHERE MOM IS COMFY. LIKE CHILI'S, LONGHORN, RED LOBSTER, THE DAVENPORT OR A GAY BAR DOWNTOWN.

ME: I thought we were just going to her house? Or are you just messin' with me? I never know when you're kidding.

HIM: I DO NOT REMEMBER THE LAST CONVERSATION, THAT WAS OVER 30 DAYS AGO. I THINK. OK, NOT THE GAY BAR

ME: E.....get in here! I think it would be easier for alllllll to go to her place. Maybe someone should ask her if she had a choice what would she like to do. Trouble is, she's hard to get a straight answer out of too. Must be where you get it

HIM: who, you? where is my little brother when you need him? help!!!!your sister is beating me up________________________

So you see what I was up against. But many emails later we finally got things figured out. Then we had to invite others which is difficult to find friends of an 80 year old that are still alive. I asked one of her closest friends that she used to work with and she would bring her daughter who is only a year younger than me so we basically grew up together. The woman's sister and husband were good friends of my parents too, so word got out to them. One of my step-father's best friends has stayed friends with us even after my step-dad died so of course he had to be there. I called a few more people in the retirement park but they had other engagements.

I didn't order an ice cream cake after all because it would be too big to fit in her freezer so I got a cake with pictures on it of us many years younger. It was a big hit.

Look how cute I was, far left. And then we grow out of it.

Hubby, daughter and I got there first and walked in with the cake and large deli tray. Then hubby moved the car and Mom asked where he was going. There's not much room to park so I wanted the car out of the way. She had inklings that something was up because she had talked to younger brother a few days earlier and she told him that she thought he was going to come up and surprise her after he was done camping. He tried to convince her that she was wrong, but I don't think she bought it.

She went into the bathroom and my brothers and their wives showed up. Older brother tried to crouch down to surprise her but when she came out of the bathroom she spotted him and said, "I knew it!"

Daughter and I on left, younger bro in the back, Mom and older bro

We started laughing and setting food out and she thought that was it. The front door bell rang and they all started coming in, all within about 10 minutes. Since her place is kind of small there really weren't enough chairs to go around. Whoops, kind of overlooked that. I snuck off to the living room and let the older folks catch up since it's been awhile since they've seen each other.

After dinner there was cake and after cake there were presents and Mom seemed to have a really good time. Then after everyone left came the fun part--cleanup. But we got done pretty fast and one by one we had to go too. Younger brother and his wife still had a 5 hour drive ahead of them, minus sunglasses, heading right into the sun. We know who the klepto was though, she thought they were hers, but they are being mailed to the rightful owner.

Mom thanked me as we left for the nice party and said I didn't have to do it again next year. Good thing, 'cause I hadn't planned on it. I have to get started on our daughter's Sweet 16 birthday next month.

PS. Laptop is going back in for repair tomorrow. All I wanted to do is get rid of McAfee because it was being a real pain. It worked fine but now it seems all my plug-ins are gone. I don't know exactly what they do but I know I like them and I need them and I'm mad they're gone. So let's all refer to my last post--Ka-Ching and Crap! So if I can't visit some of you because I'm on sucky dial-up please forgive me and I'll catch up as soon as I can.

Crap!

2011-07-08T19:03:00.000-07:00

Do ya ever have those days when everything just seems like crap? The day didn't start out that way but it seemed like as soon as I got off work it went quickly downhill.

First, my camera didn't seem to go through the river ordeal quite as unscathed as I thought it had. It still works but right in the middle of the picture there is a dark circle and it's blurry in the middle of it. You can see it in the last photos I've taken. I cleaned the outside lens but of course that didn't fix it. I took it to a camera repair shop yesterday and called this afternoon for the estimate. To clean the sensor and clean the entire camera to get it in good working order--$98.00 Cha Ching!

I thought it was in good working order other than the circle. So I thought about it for awhile and tried to call him back but he's already gone for the weekend. I understand about cleaning the sensor but it's less than a year old, I really don't think it needs a good cleaning otherwise. You don't realize how few camera repair shops there are until you need one and they are all a good 15 miles away. Grrrrr.

Then my husband's car is in need of repair, not just a few spark plugs and an oil change but a pretty long list of stuff that we've been putting off. It's a crappy piece of junk but he still needs to get to and from work so it's something that needs to be done--to the tune of around $700.00 Cha Ching! And this is a guy that charges about half the rate of shops because he's mobile.

My husband gets a phone call from the company that will be handling his medical care through Medicare. We were told to expect a call about a survey on our experience with the agent that came to our home. When he got to the end the guy started talking about co-payments and premiums. Without having the papers in front of him, my husband said he wasn't sure about how much the co-payment was but then he asked me about the premium. I said it was zero but the guy was saying that we'd be getting a monthly bill for a premium. I could see hubby getting hot under his Italian collar and after he hung up, he immediately called the agent. That's his job, so he'll get on it and see what's up.

Then there was one more thing regarding a payment that we thought we would be getting until August but found out that it's being cut one month short. Basically another Cha Ching!

Really? All this on a Friday in about an hour's worth of time? I should have just stayed at work.

Must be time for popcorn somewhere.

Friend Reunion

2011-07-04T21:44:00.000-07:00

Today my family and I were invited to an old friend's house for a 4th of July get together. Not really a BBQ but still plenty of food and a pool to dip our toes into.

This was a friend I have not seen for 15 years, due to an argument we had and then I didn't want to reconcile even though she tried. I know I wrote about this last summer but can't find it and don't want to waste time looking for the post.

We had emailed a few times last summer because I had connected with a friend of hers on Facebook and told her I wanted to apologize for being such a dope all those years ago. After I emailed her my apology she said it wasn't necessary, but it was for me. But with her having an exchange student for the entire school year, we just didn't get together.

So I accepted the invitation and arrived by 1:00. She has a daughter not much older than mine so I was hoping they could have a chance to get to know one another. My daughter was excited too.

I like gatherings that are smaller, always have. This one wasn't huge but there were more people than I thought there would be. It was good to see my friend and almost seemed like no time had passed at all. But since she was busy in the kitchen we really didn't have much time to chat. Her daughter was busy with other friends so hubby, daughter and I just kind of hung out by ourselves on one side of the pool in the shade.

I knew some of the people in attendance but not that well, mostly just from our younger party days. Her mom and sister were there too so we had some small talk. We got in the pool after awhile and enjoyed that which gave us more time to chat. Hubby was a little uncomfortable though, so asked if we could leave after that.

I'd like to see her again some day, maybe in another more intimate setting where we can actually chat. We used to be pretty close and I miss her.

I didn't get a chance to take a picture today so these old ones will have to suffice.

She'd die if she knew I was showing this picture

Happy New Year!!

Getting ready for night out

Medicare 101

2011-07-02T16:28:00.000-07:00

Some of you may have already gone through this process and the rest of you will....sooner or later. My husband will be 65 in October and for the past few months he's been inundated with offers from a multitude of insurance companies explaining their Part B benefits and wanting you to fill out a little card for someone to either call or drop by. One company was even holding a seminar with snacks and beverages offered. My husband fell for that one...almost. He signed up but didn't go. Although the person in charge will explain very well how Medicare works and the difference between the companies and their plans, they will eventually try and get you to sign up with them. The trouble with that is that you've got to do the same for every company out there.

My husband was lucky enough to meet a man last year at Walmart who was giving out info and advice for those who were ready to join or switch their current company. He is a Medicare Specialist and works for a local company who is on contract with many insurance companies, so he has no interest in one particular company. His interest lies in the consumer. I highly suggest that when your time comes you find a person like that. I guess in essence he is an insurance broker.

He did a great job explaining that everyone will automatically be on part A and B, that's hospital and medical for the same price of $115.40. If you have other medical insurance you may not need part B for awhile but you also may pay an enrollment penalty when you do join. Then it starts to get interesting and confusing. Part C is the Medicare Advantage Plan and Part D is the prescription drug program. If you do not sign up for Part D when you're supposed to, you will be penalized for the rest of your life. Seriously.

The original Medicare Supplement (Part B) helps you pay for some of the costs that Medicare doesn't pay with any doctor or hospital visits. You will pay a monthly premium for Part B and if you want drug coverage you must choose a Drug Plan. And then you can also buy a Medigap policy to fill gaps in coverage. All of these separate plans add up.

The Medicare Advantage Plan also called part C, includes Part A and B. This plan has only been around since 2006 and can be confusing to those that have been with the Original one for years. The premiums are usually cheaper because you're not paying extra for a medical plan or drug plan.

The plan you choose depends on what medicines you are currently taking and your general health. My husband is only taking one, for high bp. And it makes a difference on who you see as a doctor and if they are a carrier of a certain plan. So there are many factors to look at when choosing a particular plan. that's why it's very beneficial to find someone who can explain all of the insurance companies and not favor a particular one. You can also switch from the Advantage Plan to Original Medicare or Visa Versa but only at certain times of the year if your circumstances change.

If you take the Advantage Plan route you may have to switch doctors if you have a particular benefit package you love but your current doctor is not enrolled in it. We got lucky with our doctor being a part of one company that does not charge a premium. Since he is generally healthy and only takes one medication we chose the Advantage Plan. He will soon have pretty decent medical coverage for 115 bucks a month. Sometimes it pays to be married to an old dude. Now I just hope I don't have to wait 12 more years before I can find some good coverage too.

Please don't take me at my word for all of this, my memory is already starting to fade about what he told us. But I feel confident that we made the best choice for his particular circumstances. All-in-all it wasn't as hard or confusing as I thought it would be. Signing up for his Social Security seemed harder.

She's Only Just Begun

2011-06-28T12:12:00.000-07:00

She's such a courteous driver

My hubby and I have been out driving with the kid for a couple of weeks now. We take turns though, it's not good to have two backseat drivers. The other day I was in the front and he was in the back and we're both telling her what to do. If I was her I would have pulled over and kicked us both out. We both have differences of opinions on how things should be done and of course each one of is right. So from now on we will alternate taking her out.

Being in the passenger seat gives you a different perspective, mainly about the crazy drivers out there. When I'm driving I won't hesitate to cuss someone out who cuts me off or put on my brakes when I'm being tailgated. But when your kid is driving and someone pulls that crap, it makes me mad. Sure, they don't know she's a student driver but still, common courtesy and rules of the road should dictate how you act towards other drivers. Even her instructors encounter rudeness when students are in a market Student Driver's car.

We're trying to teach her the right way to drive and handle herself on the road. But anymore it seems like you have to be on the defensive all the time and pay more attention to what everyone else is doing. The other day hubby was with her and she was at a four-way stop. When she didn't pull out fast enough for the guy behind her, he honked. Since she hasn't learned the fine art of flipping people off, her Daddy did it for her. Isn't that what Daddy's are for?

She's barely gotten out off the starting blocks, and I sure don't want her to be scared or intimidated when behind the wheel. Rude drivers have always been around and always will be, so I guess she's just going to have to learn to not get so flustered, grow a tougher skin, and learn how to flip people off.

She did NOT want to do this, I made her

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Guest Author

2011-06-24T20:28:00.000-07:00

*I'm really excited to offer my readers a change of pace today in the way of a Guest Author. I've always wanted someone else to do the writing now and then and I got my chance yesterday when I talked to my neighbor's dog Biscuit. She had a few moments of freedom when she escaped from her yard again; we had a telepathic chat and this is what she told me.*

Ahhh, the taste of freedom. Even though it's brief, it's wonderful. They can't quite figure out how I escaped yesterday into the new neighbor's yard on the other side of us but I'm sure Pa will figure it out eventually and fix it. Our fence has so many patch jobs from the dozens of escape routes me and my pack have made over the years. When any one of us escapes, the entire pack goes nuts. Of course we only do it when Pa and Ma have left for work. But the whole neighborhood goes on alert and they're running around like crazy trying to figure out what's going on.

The Nice Lady you all know as Kden met up with New Neighbor Lady in the alley where she said that I got in her yard somehow and she didn't know how to get me back in. The back gate is padlocked. Well of course it is silly, I figured out how to bounce on the gate and it opens magically for me. But not anymore.

Soon I come around the corner with Theresa, another Neighbor Lady, who suggests they throw me over the fence. She's done it before, she said. Yea, I remember that. It's kind of a long drop and it didn't feel very good. But I've packed on a few pounds since this picture was taken a few years ago (during another escape) so Theresa decides to go get her husband to do the throwing. That's when Nice Lady walked away. She and my Pa don't have a real good history so she didn't want to be involved or even call him to tattle on my recent escapade.

Someone must have called because soon Pa came home and he was pissed. He locked me in the house so he could get back to work and deal with my escape route later. Dang.

I wish I didn't feel the need to escape but I do. Let me tell you the story of how I got here. I was adopted by Ma and Pa soon after they moved in. I had been rejected by another home with a small child. Ma and Pa couldn't believe that someone would return a dog just for being playful. But they didn't help my behavior any for not training me not to jump and get excited. Once Nice Lady's husband gently suggested that I have some basic training and that's when Ma and Pa started hating them. I'm close to 10 years old and still jumping on people and I don't know what I'm doing wrong. All I ever hear is "No Biscuit, Down Biscuit", and it makes me sad.

Soon after they got me, I guess they figured I needed a playmate since they really didn't do much with me. Since I have lived here, I've probably been on a total of 5 walks. Do the math, that's about a walk every 2 years. That could be why I've gotten so fat. So they brought home a big furry brown boy, which they called Teddy. We got along pretty good and it was nice having a friend. A few years later another dog came to live with us. I didn't like him at all. They named him Rascal but Nice Lady calls him Shithead and that name seems to fit him more. He barks at everything and everyone near or far. I guess I escape to get away from him or to find people that will like me. I know Nice Lady and her family likes me. I hear them say that I am their favorite. They used to give me and Teddy dog biscuits through the slats in the fence and I get up real close so they can scratch my ears. But they don't do that much anymore because Shithead and the two little yappers bark at them.

The two little yappers are the two dachshunds that came about 3 years ago. They were supposed to be just temporary pets but Ma's Grandma died and she had to keep them. They were nice when they first came but then Shithead taught them how to bark and now my ears almost bleed on a daily basis 'cause of all the barking.

I love it when I get out! I go visit all the neighbors and I feel free and happy. I never get to see the outside world because our fence is so high. All I have to look at is the same old brown dirt everyday. Sure they feed us and let us come in at night to sleep but I want a real family that loves me like Nice Lady loves her dog. I peek at her through the fence when I see her in her kitchen and she waves at me. When she goes outside I scratch at the fence for attention. She lovingly calls me 'Bik-et' in a baby-talk voice. I love it.

I'm sure I will live out the rest of my days here which is kind of depressing. When Pa and Nice Lady got into their last big fight two years ago he promised that some of the dogs would go. I think I was supposed to be one of them and I was a little excited to go, but it didn't happen. Either no one wanted me or they just gave up looking for someone to take me. It doesn't matter why, I am still a prisoner.

So if you could do one thing for me; if you ever see a furry prisoner in a yard with no chance of ever escaping give them a little baby talk and maybe a scratch behind the ears. At least I'll know that someone, somewhere, is getting some love.

East Meets West

2011-06-19T19:58:00.000-07:00

I live on the East side of the state and she lives on the West. We decided to meet in the middle, sort of, ha. I hit the road at 7:30 am leaving myself plenty of time to enjoy the drive. First potty break, about 40 miles out of town. Darn coffee. Every rest area my car turns in and while I'm at it, I call home just to tell them I'm safe. I had my IPod to keep me company and I sang along at the top of my lungs. It reminded me of being a carefree teenager on an adventure.

I also turn out for some sights which we, as a family have never done before. We've driven this route many times on the way to the Oregon coast but never took the time to stop. At the top of Vantage hill I pulled over and took a few pictures. This really isn't my favorite part of the state to drive through because it's somewhat like a mountain pass, very steep, winding grades and extremely high winds. But the view is beautiful. That tiny bridge down below is where I will soon cross the mighty Columbia River. The wind is blowing harder as I cross the bridge and have to slow down more. Whew, glad that's over.

As I'm climbing the hill to Ellensburg I start to see wind turbines. Have you ever driven past a wind farm? I find them fascinating and a bit creepy at the same time. They look so futuristic and give me the willies, but I can't stop staring. I really wanted to pull over and take a picture of the whole lot of them but it just wasn't possible so I snagged this one off the internet. This particular place is called Wild Horses Wind Farm and the turbines sit on the ridge tops of Whiskey Dick Mountain. Who names this stuff? Each turbine is 221 feet tall and the rotors are larger than the wingspan of a 747. I did take a picture of this single one at another stop. The wind was blowing so hard though and it was very hard to hold the camera still.

After Ellensburg I only have about 30 miles to go to Cle Elum. I find the McDonald's where we are supposed to meet but also see Safeway and a chance to get some gas. I called her and told her I was right next door and will be there in a few minutes. The gas station was busy and I tried to use the gift credit card my step-son had just given me for my birthday. It wouldn't work and when took it to the window and she said it wasn't activated yet. Damn. So I just left, came around the corner and parked. I was flustered when I came in and and took a quick look around and went back outside to look for her. I swear I looked around the corner where she was sitting but something must have been blocking my view. So as I head back in, she's standing in the door and I almost knocked her down. OK, good way to make a first impression, looking like a dork.

IT'S CLAIRE! I've been looking forward to this for a long time. I emailed her a little over a month ago to ask if she would want to do this. I read a lot of blogs and hear about them meeting fellow bloggers and thought it would be a fun thing to do.

She had a cup of coffee so I grabbed one too. We talked quite awhile, about family, travel and other bloggers (yes YOU). Then we decided to go get some lunch. She had heard about a good place to eat so we got in our cars and headed downtown. I saw the restaurant and pulled in and of course they were closed. Hunger pangs were getting stronger so we decided to walk more into town to find a place to eat. Yes, it was my decision to walk which I did regret later. We did some window shopping and stopped in one restaurant but a single cup of soup was 4 bucks and an appetizer plate of hummus and pita bread was nine bucks. Sorry, but I could make that for under two. Yes, I am a devout cheapskate, so we left and kept searching. I asked a couple on the sidewalk if they lived there; nope, but they have eaten at a place at the end of town that was pretty good. End of town? No problem, it's a small town. With the wind at our back we continued walking and talking.

Although the walk was long it was a good chance to get to know Claire. The first thing I noticed about her is that she's tall, slender, and very pretty. She walks gracefully while I feel my short legs make me plod along trying to keep up. She has a gentle nature and I get the impression that although her job is stressful she enjoys it and cares about her clients and workers alike. She lights up when she talk about her mom and even the dad she never knew.

We finally see the restaurant sign a few blocks up the street. Ahh, the oasis in the desert. Glasses of water were much welcomed as well as the Diet Pepsi that followed. I ordered a Reuben with fries. Yes I said fries. I walked for hours, I deserve them. She was amused by the coaster under our glasses that boasted about the large parking lot as a selling point. No bragging about the food I guess. My Reuben was OK, but the fries were awesome. But I didn't finish them, I am learning.

Thank you Claire for accepting my invitation to meet and allowing me to be adventurous and carefree once again. I really stepped out of my box and it felt good! I hope we get a chance to do it again some day. If you ever get a chance to meet a fellow blogger, do it. Even if you don't always agree with someone's views you have to respect a fellow blogger for what they do. We are a special group for sure.

I wish I could travel all over just to meet you all. I would head to Texas to see Bill first, then Southeast to see Ethel and let her puppies jump all over me. Follow that up by going to Ohio to pester Grumpy. I don't remember where my other favorite Grumpy Dudes live but it would be a must to see them too. Further North I would pet one of Ferns' horses and then catch a plane to see Dear John in the UK.

The trip home was nice, until I hit the rain. And then I came home to find a soaking wet dog who was limping and in pain. Hubby and daughter had taken her for a 2 hour hike in the rain and didn't bother to give her any pain medication when they got home. And this morning, one of the hot water tank elements went out. So much for a carefree life!

In The Passenger Seat

2011-06-18T19:40:00.000-07:00

**I posted the following post first at Alexandria, the other blog I post for. I usually post much older, recycled posts but decided to write something fresh for a change. In all there are probably 35 different authors and not one could comment. I see that as being the norm over there. Maybe it's because I'm still the new kid on the block or I need to face the fact that I'm just boring. So from now on, no new stuff for them, they will only get used material. Only the bestest, freshest material for my homies. I just got home from my day trip, so give me a few days to wash the road weariness off of me before I tell ya all about it**

My daughter will be starting Driver’s Ed next week so we picked up her learners permit last weekend. Her friends are surprised that she hasn’t driven yet. I thought that was the whole idea of a permit and lessons, to learn. I decided it wouldn’t hurt to head out to a parking lot and see what kind of skills she has.

Her high school, which is right across the street from our house, has a nice new parking lot. I drove over there and parked at the far end of the lot where no cars were in the way. As we switched seats I explained that the first thing to do is adjust the mirrors and seat to suit each driver. So many things that I do automatically now have to be explained in detail. I drive a Mini Van and she looked so tiny in the seat, having to pull it up so close to the steering wheel.

She then asked which pedal was which and placed a foot on each one. Oh boy, are we in for some fun. I honestly didn’t know how clueless she was. But why wouldn’t she be? This is how everyone starts. Even her friends that teased her, started out this way. I had her back out of the space I was in, put the car in drive and go. Wheeee, back and forth down the row we went. Turn one way, tell her to straighten out, over correct, and do it all over again.

As she rounded one corner she hopped a curb that houses plants and a light pole. We switched again so I could get out of the tight spot. Around and around the lot we went, each time she got a little better. She actually kept the car straight and parked it pretty good in a spot. I even had her go down a row with a few cars in it and they came through it unscathed.

The time flew by and an hour was up before we knew it. I took over and drove us home where I took my blood pressure medicine. Considering she didn’t know much I think she did alright. But a few more trips around the lot wouldn’t hurt before she starts her actual class.

When she was born, this day seemed so far away. Now it’s here and it’s my job to see that she’s prepared to be a respectful, responsible, safe driver. But until that happens, y’all might just want to keep your car parked in the garage.

Road Trip!

2011-06-16T04:39:00.000-07:00

Saturday I'm heading for the hills, just lil ol' me. I'm going part way into the Cascades to meet up with someone. Of course I'm not going to tell you who, so you'll just have to wait until later where hopefully I'll have a few good stories with pictures.

I don't do a lot of driving by myself out of town so I'm a bit nervous. But I surely won't tell my husband that because he's going to make me call everytime I stop anyway. But I'm packing my pepper spray, an earsplitting horn, lots of water and oh, gotta take some snacks too.

So stay tuned to find out who I met and where and what kind of trouble we got into.

Hubby's Furry Friends

2011-06-13T08:31:00.000-07:00

We have mice. Due to the placement of our house, surrounded by rock walls and us feeding birds, we have mice. I mean, wouldn't you move in if you were offered room and board along with meals? Thank Heavens they are not in the house. And don't say yet!

The past few weeks we've probably caught close to 10. I will set a trap and look to see if we've caught anything but that's where it stops. I make Hubby empty them. If I see one in the trap I tell him that he 'has a friend'. Last weekend I kept him plenty busy with his furry friends.

Our beans have finally started to come up but I've noticed that they're getting chewed up too. Last year the beans would have little spots chewed out of them. My mom said it was slugs and beer worked fine to get rid of them but I saw a blaze of fur run through the garden yesterday so I knew it was a mouse. After catching one in a short amount of time, hubby reset it. Later I checked and it had been sprung already. As I'm walking away he looks at it and said "it's not dead, he looked at me and I can't kill it; what should I do with it?"

"I don't care what you do with it, just get it out of here. Throw it over Curtis's fence", I said as I ran in the house.

Later that day he said that it was caught by its foot and was squealing. I asked what he did with it and he said he tossed it over Curtis's fence from the alley. Remember, he is the hated neighbor with dogs. I was still surprised he did it though and knew his wife was home all day and prayed that she didn't see him. It would be awful hard to explain that one. Don't we sound like fun neighbors?

So now there's a hobbled mouse running around their yard trying to keep away from 5 rogue dogs. I'm sure it will end up back over here though and will be caught eventually. But that's OK, because I don't like to share my beans with anyone.

Busy Bee

2011-06-09T18:37:00.000-07:00

I love when days off are productive and yet fun. I've been on the go since I got up. First I took Nellie for a walk then went grocery shopping.

Then I remade my bathroom clock by taking the old one apart and finding a new pretty CD disc to put a photo on and then replaced the hands. I know the numbers are a bit wonky but they're so tiny to work with and the glue was getting everywhere so I stopped messing with it.

Tick Tock

I was running low on laundry detergent, so thought I would make my own this time around. Yep, I am Woman, Hear Me Roar. It's real easy. Grate an entire bar of Fels Naptha Laundry Soap and add 3/4 cup each Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda and Borax Natural Laundry Booster. You only need one small scoop per load. I don't know if it does any better than store bought but it sure is cheaper.

Looks like butter and salt

After lunch I did about 30 minutes of Zumba. I bought the entire set of DVD's for home. I'm still trying to get past the first one that shows you how to do the steps. It's totally different than going to my class and I feel like I'm a beginner. A very uncoordinated beginner.

Then I made two more totems from all of the green glass I had. One stands and the smaller one will go over a post.

Green with envy

I then watered the garden, did two loads of laundry and made dinner. As much as I did, it will no way affect the weekend and how much more I will have to do. But it was still a fun day.

Cool Clicks

2011-06-08T20:18:00.000-07:00

Who doesn't like to look at a good crime map? Especially when you can see what kind of stuff goes on in your own neighborhood. This is a new site, still in its Beta stage, so most cities aren't even on it yet.

I checked out my town and the first thing I see is total crimes in the area. Then as I mouse over different areas, such as zip codes, I see crimes per area. When I click on my particular zip code I find 423 crimes in that area. My area now pops up in a new window and I can see lots of stats on the side; the difference between my zip code and the entire city, most dangerous neighborhoods and individual crimes with dates and cross streets.

Mmmmm, let's look at my neighborhood now. I can zoom into the corner I live on and see that this particular corner looks pretty good. But at just the other corner of the block there have been 5 crimes in that area. And there are many crimes just southwest of me. Crap, I can't move an inch or I could be robbed, assaulted, vandalized, or shot.

It's interesting but also slightly depressing when you think your city is relatively safe but then you actually see what goes on and where.

Speaking of Weekends

2011-06-05T20:58:00.000-07:00

Do you remember when weekends used to be fun and relaxing? If you didn't feel like doing anything, you just didn't. Maybe it comes with adulthood, but they sure seem like a lot more work than ever.

I don't know why I look so forward to them because they usually consist of laundry, housework, yard work, errands, banking, and anything else that got put off because we're too lazy during the week.

My daughter bought a web cam today (my idea, her money) so we could download Skype. Long story short-she has a boyfriend in California-she knew him from grade school and jr. high-he always had a crush on her-they've been texting nonstop for a few months-now they're in love. Big Sigh. They don't get to talk much so I thought I would be nice and set up Skype for her. It took me a lot longer to get it all set up though so that's where part of the day went to.

I hadn't even touched the paper by late afternoon and started dinner in my underwear because I was hemming my shorts at the same time. Even the favorite summer pastime of grilling seems to be a lot of work for the 10 minutes of goodness you get at the end.

By Sunday evening I'm exhausted and wonder what happened to the time. But I still look forward to the next one.

Long Weekend Is Over

2011-06-01T08:21:00.000-07:00

I've had four glorious days off but it's back to work today. I only work M-W-F but burnout to-the-max is eating away at me. I've been with my elderly couple for almost 6 years and I feel it's time to move on. The wife pays for my services out of her own money and a few years ago she gave me a very nice raise, that really helped. The husband is a tightwad to put it mildly. He is trying everything he can to either get my services covered by Medicare or some type of insurance policy (he can't and they don't). I have also seen scribblings of his checking around to see what min. wage is in this state and what agencies pay for their home care workers (min. wage). I'm not sure if she's aware of what he is trying to do or what, if any, plans he has to cut my wage nearly in half. The day he tries to put that into effect, I walk. I would rather eat nothing, than eat humiliation.

I wanted to leave before summer started so I could spend more time with my daughter, but since hubby got cut back quite a bit that can't happen. I also would like to look for another job but want to wait until fall. We have vacation planned mid August and I don't want to mess that up. Trouble is, I'm not all that qualified at anything, and will NOT seeking employment with any more elderly folks.

So if I can just get through the summer with my sanity intact, I'm hoping that this fall holds brighter things for me. I've had a feeling since I started my diet that it was going to help. Don't really know how, maybe it's just the whole positive attitude and self esteem thing but I have to keep those thoughts in the forefront. I do see a light at the end of the tunnel, I'm just not sure which road to take.
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Camera Update

2011-05-31T18:58:00.000-07:00

IT'S ALLLIIIIIVVVVVEEEEEE! I took my baby out of the rice, put the battery in and it fired right up. I put the card in and took a few shots and it works just fine. I really didn't expect that kind of outcome but thanks to my quick kid and hanging it out the window and then the rice cover, it will live to take pictures another day.

Now I'm having trouble with my Broadband2go (Virgin Mobile). The last few weeks have been spotty and then this afternoon, nothing. First I was told that they had to re-activate my account and to wait an hour before trying again. Nothing. Then I was told that the down service was due to tornado's and they were working on it. Why can't everyone just have the same info without giving you the run-around? So I had to drag out my old dinosaur cord to use dial-up.

Oh well, I can still take pictures.

Camera Goes For A Swim

2011-05-30T20:22:00.000-07:00

Today the fam and I went for a hike at Indian Canyon, a short drive from home. Hubby and Daughter have been there before but I haven't. The weather was nice, not too cold or too hot. It's mostly level ground with some slight hills to get to a stream and then a small waterfall. The last time my husband and daughter were there, she took the hard way to get to the waterfall, down a very steep ravine. If I had been there, I would have said NO to that, especially after I saw it.

We're walking along enjoying the day and found a path that lead directly to the water, the easy way. Nellie takes the lead as usual. If you're in her way, she will bulldoze you out of the way to get in front. She goes over and under logs. It's hard to believe that this is the same dog that can't even go twice around the track with me.

When we reached the stream, daughter and I took some pictures, then went on down the trail.

When we got to another area, it seemed to be the end of trail. We took some more shots and then I asked everyone if they wanted to cross the stream to get to the other side.

It was only about 6 inches deep at the most and about 4 feet wide. No problem, right? Daughter gets across fine and she told me which log was slippery. Nellie had no problem, I think she actually beat the kid across. I put my camera in its case and shoved it in my pocket, unzipped. I got about halfway across and my foot slipped and I took a hop and a jump into the water. I was laughing so hard and then looked up to see my daughter fishing my camera out of the water. I grabbed it as fast as I could to take it out of the case. I shook it hard to shake off the excess water and then promptly took out the battery and card. I had some Kleenex in my pocket so kept wiping it off as I continued to climb the trail. Oops, hubby needs rescuing. I head back down and he's on the log, going sideways, taking baby steps. I told him to walk normal on it but he says he can't. I reach out my hand so he can grab it and he damn near pulls me back in the water. I can feel his legs shaking all the way up into his hands. Good Lord.

As we got to the top I put the battery back in the camera so I can get the zoom to pop out and hopefully dry better. It turns on and I get the zoom open but then the screen flashes a few times and goes blank. I probably shorted out the battery so I take it out again and now the zoom is stuck in the out position. I quit messing with it but hold it out the window all the way home. As soon as we got home I put the whole thing in a bowl and buried it with rice.

I won't try it until tomorrow and luckily the card is still functionable, but this may be the last picture that will ever be taken with this camera.

I certainly hope not because I have enjoyed it and it's less than a year old. I just feel stupid for doing something that I would yell at my daughter for doing. We never did get to the waterfall, because we would have had to cross more water and then the trail kind of disappeared. But we did see some people down there so we know it was possible. I'm determined to get back there, maybe next year, when my camera will be zipped up safe in my pocket.

Who Are You Hatin' On?

2011-05-26T14:13:00.000-07:00

A few days ago, Grumpy wrote about his disdain for Oprah, which I admit made me bristle a bit. I seemed to be the only one that stood in opposition and surely couldn't change anybody's mind.

But I got to thinking, who do I hate that much? Plenty.

Lady Gaga. I prefer GagGag. She comes out of nowhere to become a big star and dresses ridiculous. Who wears meat for God's sake? I prefer to eat it. Some people compare her to the early Elton John years. Oh please, don't even go there. Elton has more class in his glitzy glasses then she will ever have. Some of her music is not bad but I sure don't want to have to look at her. Anyone who has to disguise herself that much to keep us from seeing the real her could probably use some therapy.

The Kardashians. What in the Hell do they do anyway? All I ever see any of them do is show off clothes, hair, makeup, boobs, and big diamond rings. I've never even seen their reality show because I see enough of them already and not really intersted in seeing more of them. I think their only claim to fame was their dad Robert, who was a friend and defense attorney of O.J. Simpson. That doesn't seem like anything to be proud of and I'd probably try to separate myself from the whole family if it was mine.

Snookie. Pretty much for the same reasons as the Kardashins except for the O.J. part.

Star Jones. Just thought I'd throw her in after watching Celebrity Apprentice. She's a pushy bully. Did you see when she was fired? She looked like she was going to cry, like she was the Golden Girl and Trump would never fire her. I'd much rather hang out with NeNe Leeks than Miss Gotta-Stick-Up-My-Butt Jones. Remember when she lost all that weight and didn't tell anyone she had the Gastic Bypass surgery until much later? I see nothing wrong with having the surgery but to let people think you worked your ass off by dieting is deceitful.

Pitt and Jolie. Kind of Love/Hate thing here. I do love Brad Pitt as an actor, but as a couple, they bore me. Yea so they do lots of good things and have adopted 143 children. But so what? Why do we need to know everything they do and everywhere they go. Just not interested.

Tom and Katie. No Love thing here. Same boring couple. Suri and the Pitt brood must be the most photographed kids in the world. And why? Suri seems to be more spoiled than the Pitt kiddo's by allowing her to own every princess dress in the world.

Well, I'm sure there's more but I better stop now or you will all think I don't like anybody. Maybe another day I will list everybody I love.

So I guess we all got our Hate On, whether it be Oprah or someone else.

Splitting My Time With Alexandria

2011-05-24T18:37:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I received an email from the administrator of a Wordpress blog, Alexandria. He invited me to join his community to be one of several authors. I must say that was a first for me and although a bit hesitant, I joined. Would my stuff be good enough? Would anybody comment? Would they love me as much as you all do? He explained that you get out of it what you put into it. So yea, I guess I'm Good Enough, I'm Smart Enough, and Doggone It, People Like Me! Well I'm not sure about that last part but I'm giving it a go.

Don't expect any new material there, for awhile anyway. I just dug back three years, back to the beginning of my blogging existence and post those. Maybe that's all I'll ever do, I'm just not sure.

So come on over to Alexandria and take a look around.

Miracles Everywhere Today

2011-05-21T20:58:00.000-07:00

The biggest miracle of all today is that we're not dead, and Harold Camping is not talking, yet. But I'm sure that he'll come up with some reason why it didn't go down like he said it would.

We went to see the play 'The Miracle Worker', directed by Patty Duke herself. Yea, that one. She lives just a hop, skip, and a jump across the Idaho border and she directed a great cast for this play. We watched the original movie last week just to refresh our memories. I think it was followed word for word. The little girl that played Helen was awesome and about half way into the play our daughter realized that they had taken the same sewing class last summer. After the play the cast was in the reception area giving autographs so F stopped by to say hi and ask if she remembered her. I was surprised by her shyness considering the acting ability she has, but she flashed a smile and said she did remember. I wish I had been smart enough to ask for a picture of her and F, but oh well.

The show before the show was almost just as entertaining. I've never been to this particular theatre and it's an old building. When you get in the door you have to climb some stairs to get to the stage area. It's a small venue, with only 253 seats hugging the stage in a large U shape. But they are confusing and when all of the ushers range in their 70's (as well as most of the attendees) tensions were high as people couldn't find their seats and arguing that She was in Her seat. The best part was when my husband went to use the restroom during first intermission. When he came back, he was standing on the opposite corner of the stage looking up in the wrong direction for us. F and I were laughing at Mr. Doofus looking like a lost little boy. I mean really, how can you get lost in a room, not much bigger than your living room?

We almost didn't even make it there though because I'm not very smart and we went to the wrong theatre. Two theatres are on the same street but many blocks apart. At least we had an old phone book in the car and I looked up the address. Good thing we left early. Then we realize that we have to drive through downtown, on Parade Day. We wind our way through the streets dodging people and cars and looking for empty parking spaces. I refuse to park in a lot that charges 10 bucks for 'events'. We finally found a spot and realized that we still have to plug the meter. We all dug around for change and came up with 85 cents. Shoving it in the slot, it bought us a little over an hour. Not nearly enough time, but we walked away and hoped for the best. No ticket when we got back--Miracle!

Now it was time to get out of Parade Town. It was now 5:00 pm and the streets were starting to close and fill up with chairs, vendors, and crazy children waiting for the flying candy. With a quick left here and a zippy right there we were finally on our way home, and we didn't end up as part of the parade--Miracle!

I Feel Un-American

2011-05-19T20:04:00.000-07:00

Who doesn't love a parade? I guess that would be me. This Saturday night our fair city will have its 72nd Annual Armed Forces Torchlight Parade, but locals call it the Lilac Parade because it usually coincides with the blooming of Lilacs all over the city.

It's held at night which makes it very beautiful with all the lights on the floats, but I'd still rather watch it on TV from the comfort of my living room. My husband and I went once or twice years ago but that's enough for me. I do feel bad that my daughter has never seen it though but maybe she's heard me complain so much she doesn't seem interested. My husband asks every year if we can go but we both say no. My daughter's school does their marching band practice outside and it's fun to watch them, so I can get my marching band fix that way.

For one thing I really don't like crowds and this parade draws about 200,000. In order to get a good seat you have to go downtown and set up some chairs to stake your claim early in the day. Inevitably someone is going to get in front of you anyway so you wouldn't be able to see. My back has always been intolerant of standing for any length of time. I can walk great distances but don't ask me to stand still for a few hours, can't do it. Then there's the parking and trying to get out alive when the parade is over.

Now honestly, that doesn't sound like all that much fun does it? That's why I'm being un-Americal and staying home.

This Little Piggy Went---Running Down The Street

2011-05-15T15:44:00.000-07:00

A sad little local tale. A woman from Montana came to town to buy herself a pig to be used for breeding. She planned on hauling the pig back home in her minivan. This was no little cute baby pig, it was a full grown 500 pound one. The story didn't indicate if it was male or female and I really don't know which is bought for breeding but after a crew stuffed this pig in the back off her van, off she went.

She was soon spotted driving erratically down the street with the back window broken out. I'm not sure if it was broken before she picked up said pig, but I doubt it. Then the pig was spotted running down a sidewalk by a State Trooper. She chased it into a gas station where some guys asked the trooper if he had some rope. He said "No, I have bullets".

The pig wandered out into traffic where the trooper guided it back to the sidewalk with his car. Other people showed up with some rope and the almost owner said the trooper could use his taser to subdue the pig enough to be loaded back into the van. The tazing didn't even faze the pig and it ran off again. The woman then ordered the trooper to shoot it.

The poor pig who if he/she had only known was not on his/her way to slaughter, but instead could have lived out his/her days making sweet piggy love, died of the gunshot wound. It was then loaded back into the back of the woman's van.

I've hauled a lot of stuff in my minivan but never had the thought that I could get a 500 lb. pig in the back. So now the woman has to haul a dead pig back home instead of a live one. Should be interesting when she gets home. "Honey, I've got good news and bad news, there won't be the little pitter patter of little pig feet anytime soon and I sure hope you like bacon."

No More Naked Popcorn

2011-05-13T18:50:00.000-07:00

Well Blogger is finally back up and running. Not that I really had anything important to say but still, we couldn't even comment on anyone elses's blog so things were pretty quiet in the blogging world.

Today I feel like telling you about one of my favorite products, and it goes with one of my favorite foods; popcorn. I have been having popcorn once a week for dinner for close to 20 years. It used to be Thursdays but now it's Fridays. It's kind of like my weekend cocktail.

Before I started my diet, I used to get out my beat up pan that I have had since I graduated from high school (1976). I took it from home so I know it's older than that and it looks it. But it's the only pan that I could make decent popcorn in. Add lots of butter and Johnny's popcorn salt and I was in Heaven. Oh, and you can't forget the M&M's or any kind of candy bars you have on hand, it's a must.

But now I've had to switch to Orville Redenbachers Microwave 94% Fat Free popcorn. Before my diet I would have declared that I would never eat that crap. But if I have to weigh either that or NO popcorn, I'm eating it.

It helps when you can put some mighty fine seasoning on it and I got turned on to Kernel Season's Popcorn Seasoning when my mom bought my daughter a sampler set for Christmas a few years ago. They have a multitude of different flavors and I use no less that 5 different ones in my bowl. I put half of the bag in the bowl and put Jalapeno and Chili Lime on top. Then the rest of the bag goes in and White Cheddar, Ranch, and Nacho Cheddar gets sprinkled liberally on top. I just bought Barbeque and Cajun which is hotter than Jalapeno so I'm excited to try that tonight. They also sell a butter flavored spray to put on microwave popcorn since seasonings don't stick to it that well. So we'll see how that works tonight.

You can also use them on vegis and fish or chicken but I've found that the flavor doesn't carry through when you actually cook with it so it's best to put it on afterwards. They also have sweet flavors like Chocolate Marshmallow and Caramel which is awesome on toast.

So buy some Kernal Season's, pop a bowl of popcorn and enjoy your weekend.

Mother's Day-Not All Flowers and Goo

2011-05-09T19:05:00.000-07:00

Mother's Day is not my favorite holiday. Not because I don't love being a mom to the coolest teenager in the land, which I am and which she is.

I just don't get the all over warm and fuzzies that I imagine most daughters (or sons) do. I try to keep my purchased card to my mom more on the humorous side and stay away from mushy. This year I went a bit mushy though.

Many of my Facebook friends posted glowing tributes to their moms about how supportive and loving and what wonderful babysitters they were and how much they miss them. I couldn't even really comment. If I did, it would have to go something like this, "Oh, how wonderful for you, I didn't have the same experience but sooo happy you did."

Too harsh? Probably. Then the rage was to change your profile pic to your Mother's pic until the end of Mother's Day. I really didn't feel like doing that either.

Don't get me wrong, I do love my mom but I just don't remember the support, always being there for me, loving me unconditionally sort of thing. Maybe she was just too busy dealing with an alcoholic husband and working to really noticed that I needed a mom. And if she was all that and I have just forgotten, well then I'm a little further along in the dementia department than I thought.

We do have our moments of fun, we commiserate about different things. We laugh at my brother's wife who does nothing around the house so he put up a chore chart for her. I just found out about that little bit of info over the weekend, ha. I also like seeing her on Facebook enjoying herself and worry when I don't see her on for a day.

There is just always a wall there, and I probably put it up to protect myself and although it may have a few bricks knocked out of it, it's still present. When the day comes that she is no longer here, I hope I don't heavily regret the things I think. I know she loves me and occasionally we make those feelings known but I guess I'm always wanting more. We can't go back, only forward and I hope that her last day on earth isn't the one where we reach that moment I've always wanted.

I can't say Father's Day is any better. It's just a sad day for me because he is gone and we will never have that last day for all of the apologies and tears and forgiveness. And then there's my Birthday which is just another day filled with as much emotion as Mother's and Father's Day rolled up into one.

So can we all just fast forward to July? Thank You.

A Tornado Stole Our Hearts

2011-05-06T17:37:00.000-07:00

This morning I went outside to feed the birds as usual and Nellie saw something outside the fence on the sidewalk. Our house sits up higher than the sidewalk so as I walked over there I saw the cutest little dog running loose. She looked absolutely terrified of the traffic and since we live between two busy streets I enticed her to come to the back gate.

What a beauty! At first Nellie wasn't very thrilled to have a young whipper snapper running around her yard but soon they began to chase each other around. Over the last 10 years I have saved so many dogs from certain death by putting them in the yard and calling animal control. Most dogs don't have collars or tags so I have no choice but to call. Most dogs I don't let in the house because they pee all over but I let her in. She ran around exploring every room and followed us everywhere. Being a young dog still she had bundles of energy; her and Nellie raced around the living room, up over the couch and everywhere in between.

My husband said she races around like a tornado so that's what we called her. She'd jump up in my lap and Nellie would get up my face to get the same attention. Finally I sat at the table to balance my checkbook and she fell asleep at my feet. Only asleep for about 5 minutes, the animal control guys came. One guy said she was a English Setter and she would surely be missed. They slipped a leash over her neck and pulled her outside and scanned her for a chip; none was found. As they started to go down the stairs, she tried to pull back inside the house. That's all it took, I started crying. How in the heck can you get attached to a dog in 90 minutes? And then when I left the house they were still parked outside and I started crying again worried about her being scared in the truck.

We don't ever talk about getting another dog, we're all pretty set in our ways and our family is fine with just one. But I'll tell ya, this girl sure stole my heart and it was so quiet when I got home this afternoon. She will leave a mark on my soul for a long time to come.

My husband just called animal control to inquire as to if her family had been found but had to leave a message. Just curious mind you; just curious.

Cool Clicks

2011-05-05T10:47:00.000-07:00

Someone emailed me this link back in February and I just got around to looking at it. It's a Text-to-Speech demo basically advertising for Site Pal and animated avatars for your website.
It doesn't take much to amuse me I guess but I've been having fun listening to someone tell me how wonderful I am and hearing what an A$$ my neighbor is. You can use other languages but they really don't sound that realistic.

So if you're tired of waiting for someone to say nice things about you or feel like ranting and having someone else do the talking, give this a try.

Pretty Dancin' Shoes

2011-05-02T21:40:00.000-07:00

If someone had told me, as recent as 6 months ago, that I would be taking a Zumba class and ordering special little Slip-On Dancers for my shoes I would have asked what they were smokin'.

The past month my knees have started to hurt and in talking with a woman in my class she was having the same problem. That prompted me to do a search for knee pain with Zumba. I wasn't quite prepared for the results that came up. I read many, many references that linked them together. I must have missed the memo that told me I should have special dancing shoes for Zumba. And I should not have been wearing the rocker type shoes that I wear all the time now. Zumba shoes should have a slicker front part of the sole for quicker turning and sliding, especially for those of us that work out on carpet.

In further reading I found a woman that sells Slip-On Dancers (a little cheaper than normal) to fit over your shoe to give you that slick effect. After I ordered them I was so excited like I had found the greatest invention and was telling everyone.

And they say, matter of factly, "oh, we just use tape."

Huh? I just spent 11 bucks for these and you all just use tape? So I went home and put clear strapping tape on the bottom front part of my shoe. I was a little hesitant the first time not knowing how much I'd slip and slide. I told a woman next to me that if I fell, just to step over me and keep going. The tape worked pretty good though and I got used to the slickness.

But over the weekend my fancy dancers arrived so I used them tonight. The bottom is elastic and is slippery on a hard floor but not so much on carpet. Maybe they'll smooth out but more than likely they'll wear out first. Plus the elastic is so tight that it kind of squishes my toes. So I'll give them a few more days but I bet I ditch them for the tape. The tape that was free and in my closet all along, just waiting for a chance to go dancing.

Ho Hum

2011-04-28T15:10:00.000-07:00

Geez, my life sure has been boring this past week. I can hardly think of anything to complain about.

I just got back from getting a haircut. I've been going to Great Clips since Rita left me. It sits in a little strip mall and as I was ready to turn into the parking lot I see one of the stylists standing on the sidewalk holding a big sign advertising the store. I've been seeing a lot of that lately; advertising for oil changes, furniture sales, and car washes. I can't think of anything more demeaning as to stand out with a sign prostituting a business, especially the ones that have to wear some dorky costume. And they look so happy doing it don't they? You can see the misery in their face. I'd like to see the statistics on if it even works. If I'm driving by a business and see some poor shlub holding a sign up I don't stop and think "Hey, good thing he's out there 'cause I really need a new couch today." Will I even remember this guy when I am in the market for a new couch? No, I will look in the paper or online for a sale like everyone else. And to the LOF guy, I'm on my way to work and when I do need my oil changed I will go to where I always go, not to some business that makes his employees stand out in crappy weather to advertise for you.

My daughter's AP Photo class as well as some of the Arts classes went to a career fair at another high school today. It wasn't an all day event, just a few hours. It's still early and she's not home yet but I'm sure she'll say she hated it or there was nothing to look at or it was boring or.......(insert your own teenagerism here) ***She just got home, "It was boring". I know my girl.***

I know it's hard for a Sophomore to think about what they want to do as an occupation. The cost of college and high unemployment rates certainly makes one's decision harder. But dang, nothing seems to spark her interest. At one time she was thinking Photography but I've kind of steered her away from that, too many reasons to list. Her dad thought she'd be good at Photo Journalism because she is a good writer. I don't think she realizes how smart she is and that she could be good at anything. I want better for her than how I turned out. When she was younger I really thought she should work with animals but she's afraid of big dogs; so scratch that. I'm just not looking forward to the next couple of years with Senior Culminating Projects, scholarship applications, grant applications, these forms and those forms and never ending forms.

I just saw that Kim Kardashian is going to be on Rachael Ray. I don't get the whole Kardashian family at all. How can people get so popular just by being on a reality show? Stars used to become popular by their acting abilities. Oh well, to each his own. Like I should talk, said the woman in love with the Boys of the Bering Sea.

I need to sign off, this is beginning to sound like a rambling non-post.

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This is the most exciting thing that happened all week!

Milestones

2011-04-20T05:53:00.000-07:00

There are four age milestones in our family this year. First, my mom will turn 80 this summer (and she still loves her IPad). Every year she gives us kids calendars with everyone's birthday on it, including our ages. This is done mostly for my brothers who have no concept of time and rarely get a card out. I can count on one hand the birthday cards I have received from my younger brother. Anyway she had talked about all of the milestones in 2011 and tried to make my older brother a year older than he would be. So every calendar has a big '60' in red ink on his birthday, when in fact he only turned 59. The teasing hasn't stopped all the way around yet.

My younger brother will be 50 in October. It's a sad day when your 'little brother' turns 50. It's alright for your older brother to get older but when your little bro gets older then there is no hope for you.

My husband will turn 65 in October too. I will officially be married to a Senior Citizen. How in the world did that happen? When we got married I was 24 and he was 36 and the age difference didn't seem that big. Now, it seems huge. I wouldn't say he acts like a Senior Citizen, sometimes more like a child. He loves yard work and the mop handle fits his hands quite well. Better than mine really. I really can't see any difference in his physical capacities. He takes a nap every day but he always has so that's no big deal. He's lost about as much weight as I have and the only medicine he takes is bp, and hopefully he will be able to cut down soon.

But as that day approaches he's starting to get Medicare information in the mail, from AARP, Group Health, etc. We just put them in a file and hopefully he will read them before it's time to sign up.

The next big birthday milestone is our daughter, who will be 16 this summer. We have plans for a party but haven't let her in on it yet and since she's so ~~snoopy~~ inquisitive, I won't say right now. Summer birthdays are good in one way but hard in others. Since I am also a summer birthday girl it's cool because your birthday is halfway between Christmas. Personally I wouldn't enjoy a birthday right before or after the holidays. And the part that isn't so fun, especially for a kid is that everyone is soooooo busy that they can't be bothered with a party or even considerate enough to RSVP for a party. We've had some good ones and not so good ones and I'm a little glad that this will be the last one I will have to throw. I feel like every year I have to outdo the one previous and it gets a little stressful. Since this will be the last we hope it will be special for her.

We have been discussing drivers ed courses and we've decided on the who, where, and when. We're just waiting for her check to come in next week before we can make the final decision and pay for it. Since my husband took early retirement any children he has still in school can get a check too. We feel very fortunate that we can use this money for savings and college and anything else that she needs, as long as it's used for her only. Dang, there goes my trip abroad this year.

The whole idea for this post came yesterday in the mail when we got
a) another AARP Medicare info packet
b) a solicitation from the same driving course business that we have picked out

Kind of creepy. It was addressed to me but how in the heck did they know? My husband commented "That's Big Brother for ya."

My daughter asked "Who is Big Brother anyway, God?"

Yes and No child, we answered.

I would think it's pretty rare to get mailings like that on the same day in a single household, Milestone Celebrations I guess we could call them.

And here I am stuck in the middle of old and young trying to hold onto one and hopefully embrace the other someday.

This Day In History

2011-04-18T06:14:00.000-07:00

This sure makes my life sound boring.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From our archives, 100 years ago

It was a busy day for police, to be sure. From the front page we have one story about a man who shot at his mother and stepfather in a dispute over wood used to build a chicken fence, and another about some thieves who cracked the safe at Spokane Table Supply near downtown, stealing $200.00--and dined on champagne and "fancy sardines and preserves" as they worked.

A few pages later, we read about a fight at a lodging hose on Front Avenue that sent a man to jail and another to the hospital with multiple wounds inflicted by a broken beer bottle. Oh, and both men were naked at the time of the fight.

Then there was this headline: "Small boys play catch with dynamite; mother faints." Apparently some contractors had left the dynamite at a job site on Second Avenue, where a group of boys found it. A Spokane police officer happened upon the boys tossing the explosive among them. It then dropped on the rocky street. As the story states, "It was estimated that the explosive would have blown the quintet to eternity had it exploded." Fortunately for them, and the distressed mother, it did not.

Three Johns, Andy, Sig, and a George

2011-04-15T21:05:00.000-07:00

Concert ticket buying is in full swing. I just wish we could see them all. We saw Elton John just a week ago tonight and had a great time.

My next favorite John (Hillstrand) is coming with his brother Andy and Sig Hanson (from Deadliest Catch) in July for The Captain's Tour. I am kind of disappointed that they've gotten so popular that they now have to charge for their appearances. But.....that doesn't mean that I don't want to go! When my daughter and I saw the Hillstrands three years ago, it was for a book signing. All we had to do was buy a book and stand in line for a couple of hours. It was well worth the wait. This particular show will have the Captains telling stories, showing clips that have never been seen before and a Q&A session. Tickets went on sale this morning and since I had to work I left hubby in charge. Yikes! He did fine though and we got some pretty good seats.

I had no idea my other favorite Jonny Lang would be coming back to town so soon. We saw him last summer and I just adore this guy. Unfortunately we will be on vacation and not get home until the next day. If it was easy to do, I would consider changing our vacation but I know that's not possible. So maybe another time.

Now, just someone I would love to see is George Thorogood. He is a classic and I still listen to him. His music never gets old. But I think we'll have to pass on this one too. Our daughter isn't interested and she'd have to stay home alone and she's scared to be at home by herself once it gets dark. It's also a weeknight and I have to work the next morning. For some reason sleep has gotten to be important to me. Maybe George will come back some day.

But two out of three Johns ain't bad.

We Carry On

2011-04-13T07:10:00.000-07:00

Surfing the web as usual, I've got 4 tabs open in my browser; my blog, Facebook, MSN and my mail. On Facebook I see that a local news channel has posted a new tsunami video. It was 5 and-a-half minutes of pure terror. It was videotaped from high on a hill and it showed the giant wave coming in and plowing houses under and wiping out car laden streets. As it got closer the voices on the hill got more animated, women screamed and cried and people below the hill ran up as fast as they could to safety. All of a sudden the picture on the camera became blurry and then stopped.

Halfway through the video I looked up at the title of my blog. Then I felt ashamed. What in the Hell do I have to complain about? A lousy pound of fat that doesn't want to leave my body? My neighbor's dogs? My family? Devastation happens all around us but I keep right on complaining. It's not all I do but I do it plenty.

I've said before that I love to blog but talking about flowers and kitties is not my style. My creativity is founded in humor and bitchin'. And it's a great de-stressor for me. So as much as I'm not proud of my pettiness I will continue to blog about things that bug me.

And Grumpy will continue to post pictures about fallen Hero's Of The Week. Claire will continue to tell us about her job and how she's continuing to cope with divorce. Bill will take us on the adventure of moving across several states. Ethel will continue to make me laugh so hard that I pee and I will continue to be in awe of Fern and how hard she works on her cattle and horse farm. I will be anxiously awaiting new adoption news from Signe and other Grumpy Dudes will make me laugh at things that I'm not brave enough to write about.

But why? Why do we continue to carry on with so much sadness around us, even closer than Japan? Because we are human and it is our instinct to carry on. My friend will continue to mourn the loss of her sister who died late last year. But she will carry on. Because that's what we do. It doesn't mean we're heartless or don't care. Maybe it's a survival mechanism. Maybe it helps us appreciate what we do have.

I believe we were created- by whoever you believe created you- to be strong. Strong for yourself and others. That gives us each someone to lean on. No one person can be effective for another if they're a pile of goo in a corner, I know I've been there. We get up each day and face it, not always happily but we do it. That's why I need my friends and blogger friends alike. When I'm having a crappy day, someone is there to give me a shoulder or tell me to get over it.

That's proof to me that we are all connected to each other, even those far away. Obviously we can't be there to offer solace, other than monetarily through Red Cross or other outlets. But we can help others around us by offering a kind word to someone who seems sad. By sending a card, a real card to someone who needs a lift. Volunteering possibilities are also endless.

In order to do that though we must carry on, even though it seems fruitless at the time. And I will continue to blog even though some days I feel ashamed. Because that's what I do.

A Dream Of A Lifetime

2011-04-09T07:34:00.000-07:00

I had the craziest dream last night. I was walking along with an Island Girl when we came upon this dude named Levon, the Man From Across The Water. He was all excited about something but wasn't making any sense.

"Can You Feel The Love Tonight?", he yelled at Island Girl, myself, and Tiny Dancer who had just appeared beside me.

"Is he trying to pick us up?" I asked them.

"I don't know but he's got his friend Daniel with him", noticed Tiny Dancer.

Suddenly I felt like Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds with all this male attention. Tiny suggested we go the the Honky Cat and listen to Bennie And The Jets. I said I'd rather go to that new romantic restaurant, Candle In The Wind and hear some Crocodile Rock. Since the others didn't want to go, Levon and I split off and headed down the street.

"Can You Feel The Love Tonight?" he whispered in my ear.

I thought he was moving a bit fast though and had to remind him that Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting, if he didn't back off.

"Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word", he mumbled with a promise to behave himself.

As were listing to some fine tunes he asked me if I wanted to hear Your Song or Border Song. I didn't really care, I just asked that they Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me as I didn't want this night to end.

It was late as we left the restaurant and right in front of us the bus Philadelphia Freedom let off Daniel, Tiny and Island Girl.

"The Bitch Is Back", Daniel yelled when he saw me.

After hugs all around for a wonderful evening, we had a good laugh as we said Goodbye Yellow Brick Road and split off to go our separate ways.

I could feel wakefulness filling my head as I yelled over my shoulder to them, "Hakuna Matata".

It seems it wasn't a dream at all but only the remnants of the Elton John concert I saw last night. My dream was shared with over 10,000 other lucky people that scored tickets. We had awesome seats, straight back from the stage only 8 rows from the floor. Three hours of piano brilliance had young and old, drunk and sober up and dancing. It's a night I will not soon forget.

'Splain It To Me Please

2011-04-07T20:46:00.000-07:00

Ever since I started my diet last October, the weight loss has been quite easy. I could count on dropping a pound every 4-5 days. Little by little it has slowed some but the last 5 pounds were difficult and now......up and down a pound or two for two weeks before finally losing it.

And I'm pissed!

I Zumba three times a week and exercise at home 3 more times a week. My dietitian said that loss comes slower the more you lose and exercise can increase weight. She typically suggests a cut in calories but since I'm exercising so much, not to do that for awhile. So what the Hell am I supposed to do?

I have cut back a little, just cutting out a few exchanges a day randomly. It's probably not what she would suggest but I feel I'm already sacrificing enough without being told to eat less. I know that I shouldn't value what I have accomplished by numbers on a scale but that's what keeps me going. When I don't see a change day after day after day I get depressed......and what does a depressed person want to do? Eat.

I haven't reached that point yet, to give up, because I have have worked hard to get to this point. I see the changes in my clothes and have a bag sitting by my closet to put my fat clothes in and I don't want to dig them back out again.

So I guess I will just Zumba my brains out and pray for the Scale Gods to give me a break.

Happy Anniversary Nellie

2011-04-02T07:25:00.000-07:00

Yesterday marked the 10 year Anniversary of our dog Nellie making her home with us. When our daughter was five we thought a dog would be a good playmate for her. I personally wanted a smaller dog because I always had cats and loved to sit down and have a small furry body climb up on my lap. We went to a few shelters before ending up at the Humane Society. After awhile the noise is deafening (and depressing) when you walk down the long row of cages where the big dogs are. Our daughter wanted nothing to do with that so we ended up in the puppy/small dog room. I was looking at a few small neurotic yappers and she had her focus on a black dog in a bigger cage.

Clearly not a little puppy, they said she was around 4 months old, but we think she was probably closer to 6 months. She had only been there a week brought in from a neighboring community by an older woman who found her digging in garbage to eat. Left to her own devices at such a young age the woman essentially saved her life by bring her in. Nellie had double ear infections, worms and lice. The shelter had pondered putting her down but a girl that worked there begged for her life, giving her yet another chance. She was still quite lethargic and just lied in her cage. My daughter goes for the docile creature and stuck her hand in the cage. One lick was all it took and the kid was hooked. Hubby and I were not so sure, still having my heart set on a lap dog.

We took her out for a brief walk, she had only been leash trained for a week. She immediately did a submissive pee, poor thing. After the walk we left without her......still thinking. We had to act like rational adults here and think about what we would be up against. We went out and bought a bed, dishes, toys, and food. That's how we work as rational adults. We were back at the shelter right before closing and brought our Nellie home. That night both dog and daughter lied on the floor and watched TV.

The first 6 months were hard. Imagine training a older puppy that it is NOT acceptable to relieve yourself wherever you are, even if that's inside the house. We tried the crate thing but she hated it and started pawing at crying until someone finally let her out. So just like having a newborn again we were up letting her outside. We found poop in our daughter's room on her Hot Wheel track. A bean bag chair in her room had been used for a potty patch for quite awhile before I discovered it by accident (kneeling on it). We also learned that canned dog food will give a puppy diarrhea. After my last episode of cleaning that up in the middle of the night in tears, I decided she had to go. I called the shelter in the morning to talk to the girl that had spared her life and damn....she wasn't working that day. Not wanting to sound heartless we decided to hang in there with her a little longer.

Clearly she was meant to be with us because of her gentle and frightened nature. She would not survive (happily) anyway with anyone else, especially with someone like our ~~favorite~~ hated neighbor.

We've been through the basic training thing, again not easy with a non-puppy. We had to do one-on-one training at home with a mean German woman. We would be $10,000 richer if I had the camera rolling for Funniest Home Videos the day I was running backwards to get her to follow me for a 'come' command and landed in my daughter's wading pool. I whacked the back of my head on the hard plastic and my sandles were knocked clean off my feet. Mean German woman was stifling the biggest laugh I'm sure.

Our world is richer because of her. She has gotten my butt off the couch for 10 years walking, something I would not have done without her. She's my companion when I go shopping or run errands if the weather is not too hot or cold. She loves her entire bench seat in the back of the van. We have even removed one of the middle bucket seats making it easier for her to jump in.

She's slowed down a bit in the past few years, napping most of the day. She has cataracts although not sure to what degree. A bad case of colitis is evident at least once a week where she won't eat, although she makes up for it the next day. And just like my husband and I she gets her daily dose of glucosamine and chondroitin for her joints.

She's always ready for a walk though but I think she does it just to get my butt up and moving. So in the beginning we may have saved her life but in the long run she has saved ours.

Masks

2011-03-29T16:55:00.000-07:00

This morning as I was shopping for my mom I started thinking about all of the different masks we wear when around different people. I don't even recall what triggered the thought, but I think it was when the box boy (for the lack of a better term) passed me in an aisle and said a quiet hello instead of being his chatty self at the check stand.

Are we all like that? Acting one way around one person and different for another? I feel like a have a different mask for every person I know. I act quiet and patient for the elderly woman I work for, even when I don't feel like being so. With my mom, I am very cautious about what I say. We are close but after a terrible argument several years ago, she threw some things in my face that I had confided in her many years prior, when I was just a kid. It was a rough time and even though we are fine now, I will never let her get close to my tender underbelly for fear of being ripped open again. Around my brothers I resort to my insecure childhood and try to mask that with humor.

While blogging, I'm pretty open but still don't tell my entire life. Friends get another mask and so do my husband and daughter. I guess around my husband and daughter I can be the most true self that I am, but still hold back. Being a parent, you're generally not going to let them in on any major financial or personal strife you're going through. My husband tends to freak out over little things (worry) so I just keep my trap shut if I know something is going to upset him. Sometimes my closet gets so full of masks I trip over them while looking for clothes in the morning.

Then there are people that don't seem to have a filter and act the same around everybody, saying anything and everything without thinking (again, my husband). So maybe that's what masks really are, filters to protect either the wearer of the mask or the ones that deal with the masked ones.

Drivers Ed

2011-03-22T18:32:00.000-07:00

Remember when Drivers Ed was part of the curriculum in school? And it was free. Now it has to be taken from an independent business (in our state anyway) and runs about 500 bucks. Although my daughter is already 15 1/2 she has decided to wait until summer to take the course. Her homework load is too much and driving in snow is probably not the best thing for a new driver. That means that she won't be licensed until she is well into her 16th year which is fine by me. I truthfully think 16 is too young to be operating a huge machine on wheels. Their little brains are just not developed enough to understand the consequences for the decisions they choose to make.

I should know, I was there once. I grew up in a very small town and we all took the same class taught by Mr. Green. Three students in a car and Mr. Green in the passenger seat with his foot raised above his special break pedal, just in case. I don't remember much of the class or the driving. Our town was about 20 miles from a freeway so I doubt that we got in any freeway driving. Maybe the highway though, we had a lot of that. If you were a 'farm kid' you were probably driving a few years before everyone else.

My mom didn't drive then and still doesn't to this day. She was just never interested, or maybe too scared to even try. Oh a few times she was forced to drive home after my dad got too drunk. I'm not sure which one on the road was more dangerous. That left either my older brother or my dad to take me out for practice drives. My brother probably wasn't the best one to look up to. He had a souped up Chevy Impala and one time in the winter took me and my little brother to spin brodies in the football field. We're were supposed to be out looking at Christmas lights. I told my parents the lights were such a blur while going so fast past them. That got me an evil look and an elbow jab to the ribs.

So that left my dad. I was always scared of my dad. Surly when sober and funny when drunk; but just as scary nonetheless. One day he thought he should take me out driving. We headed to another small town about 30 miles away. He had a 4 door Plymouth Fury wagon and we hit the highway, with me at the wheel going at the top speed of 40 mph. I was terrified of driving and being with him while driving, and that's all the speed I could muster. Cars were honking and passing us probably wondering what in the hell was Marvin up to? When we arrived in town he was a nervous wreck. He told me where to turn and to park outside the only tavern in town. He brought me out a soda and he settled in for a nerve settling drink. I don't suppose he kept me waiting long and then we had the long journey home, with no one saying a word and I'm sure traveling at the same speed.

In order to take a test for a drivers license, we had to travel to another town. I swear out town didn't have ANYthing! I proudly got my license on my 16th birthday in spite of a raging hangover. Can you imagine? I don't know how I even survived to be 16 in the first place. I don't remember who I was with but obviously drinking was involved. How the examiner couldn't smell the night-before alcohol on me was a miracle. Driving my brother's Chevy, the instructor took me through the tasks of parallel parking, which I hated then and still do. I will drive around the block 10 times to get an end parking space just so I don't have to parallel park. He also had me do the emergency stop. The first time I slowly put my foot on the brake. He said to do it harder. So I got up to speed up again and let him have it. My brother had a bunch of driftwood in the back window picked up from old beach trips and pieces of wood went flying. But I stopped!

When it comes time to take my daughter out for her practice drives I'm sure she will want me to do it rather than her father. He is not the most patient person and tends to over-dramatize. He tried to teach me to drive a stick once. I had learned once but forgotten over the years and just couldn't get the timing down as when to shift from 1st into 2nd. We're driving down the road and I hadn't shifted yet, he starts yelling "You're going to blow the engine UP, shift already!" I promptly pulled over and got out. I was done with his driving lesson.

I have done things I shouldn't have while driving, as a teen and into young adulthood, but I have never been in an accident. I should say that I have never been driving and been in an accident even to this day. I have been in an accident with alcohol involved and others driving, which was just as stupid. I've never had a speeding ticket though. So all-in-all I think I have been a pretty good driver.

Drivers Ed is just another step closer to adulthood, some will pass with flying colors and the others we just flip off in traffic.

This Day In History

2011-03-19T13:15:00.000-07:00

This is the creepiest thing I've ever read about Spokane. It's hard to believe stuff went on that long ago and I wish I could see some kind of follow up to find out if they caught the guy.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

From our archives, 100 years ago

A "fiend" nicknamed jack the Spanker was preying on Spokane schoolboys.

The man, who police surmised was a homeless "degenerate", had been prowling around Spokane neighborhoods and going up to young boys and announcing, in a businesslike manner, "I am going to spank you. You're a bad boy, and you need it."

Then he partially undressed the boys and "cruelly beat them," sometimes with a leather strap or a length of bailing wire. The latest attack came in the Rockwood area, where he confronted five boys who were out playing. He grabbed one 10-year-old and beat him. Three of the four other boys were too scared to run and they too were beaten. One was choked "nearly into insensibility."

After it was all over, they ran, but he caught up with them and whipped three of them again.

Police believe they found his lair, in a clump of bushes near Garden Springs. Police were hunting for a man who was described as thin, sickly looking, and dressed in a shabby black coat and a black fedora.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Never trust a man in a black fedora.

Blood Disorders, State Tests, and Dentists......Oh My

2011-03-16T08:12:00.000-07:00

This has been kind of a stressful month for our daughter and I suppose me too. I shouldn't make Dr. appointments for her right in the middle of State testing. They're probably the most important test a High Schooler will take because if they don't pass, they don't graduate. she has three this week, one in April and math toward the end of the year. That's the one I worry about, she's struggled with Geometry all year.

Luckily though she didn't have any homework last night so off to the Oncologist/Hematologist we went. To back up the story a bit she went to a regular checkup a month or so ago and we discussed past heart tests and shoe inserts and then out of the blue she wanted to test her for anemia because she looked pale. They poked her finger and tested twice and found her to be very anemic and then was put on vitamins with iron. No problem right?

After we get home and tell hubby, he said we should hold off and have her tested for Thalassemia, because he has it. He found out several years ago when he became very sick. Back to the lab we go to draw blood and her doctor referred us to an oncologist/hematologist. Those few weeks of waiting were very difficult. Our daughter is prone to panic attacks and they started last Monday. She won't talk about it and there's nothing I can do for her. It just goes into a bad cycle and it could be weeks before it ends.

Thalassemia is an inherited blood disorder. Beta is from the Italians, Greeks or those of Middle Eastern decent. Alpha comes from Asians and Sickle Cell affects African Americans. Our daughter does not have the disease but is a carrier. This will affect any children she has, if she marries someone with Alpha, Beta, or Sicke Thalassemia. Children often die at birth or are subjected to a life of blood transfusions. Anyone she marries and wants to have children with will have to be tested and then Genetic counseling should be used if her mate is found to be a carrier too. I guess knowledge is power but it's still downright confusing and scary. She always claims she doesn't want kids, maybe this will concrete her feelings. I hope not, I would love a grandchild some day. I do have a grandson from my step-son but we already seem so removed from that situation that he really won't grow up knowing us well. To be honest I didn't want kids either but God had other plans for me and I'm glad, I couldn't imagine my life without her.

Next week is another appointment to see an Orthodontist to see if she needs braces, extractions or whatever. At least that news will be a lot easier to take.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

She's Ready To Evacuate

2011-03-11T16:46:00.000-08:00

In no way am I making light of the tragedy yesterday and today in Japan and the approaching tsunami's on Hawaii and the coasts of Washington, Oregon, and California. I've been kind of tense myself all day waiting to hear about my older brother and his wife who were on vacation in Honolulu. They already had plans to fly home tonight so they are safe and will be on their way home soon.

But when I went to work this morning I really had to chuckle at my lady's thinking process. Of course the first thing we start talking about, is what is all over the news. She said she had some things in her walker basket that she grabbed in case they had to evacuate. Huh?

I looked in the basket and saw two rolls of toilet paper, one box of Kleenex, her walkman radio and a pair of socks. Huh?

Also in her room was a set of warm clothes that she got out of the closet just in case she had to stand outside. Why?

We live about 30 miles from the Idaho/Washington border. So my thinking is that if a tsunami wave can travel across the state of Washington and over the Cascade Mountains, she's going to need a lot more than TP and Kleenex.

Just Ramblings

2011-03-08T11:39:00.000-08:00

I guess I haven't really felt like writing so will just do a bit of rambling today. I haven't been feeling very well lately, the past few weeks or so. The abdominal pain was so bad over the weekend that I went to acute care. I told the girl that I didn't have insurance so she said she had to tell me how much the basic visit is before I filled out all the paperwork. $225.00 just to walk in the door and more for any testing. I said no thanks, I'll just go home and cry. Sometimes it's just the principle to me. I could have charged it but I didn't want to. I would rather pay that much to do something enjoyable, like see Elton John. But to spend it on medical care when they probably wouldn't figure it out anyway makes no sense to me.

My daughter has her own appointments I need to get her to in the next few weeks; regular dentist, orthodontics consult, oncologist/hematologist (long story for another day). It's hard to juggle all of those appointments with my schedule and hers. I try not to take her out of school for any appointments, it's just too hard for her to catch up. I admire her for her dedication to school. She's got state testing next week and that's always a stressful time. Any test that is not passed will have to be re-taken in mid August. These classes have to be passed in order to graduate. So, for the first time we had to plan our vacation around those re-test days JUST in case she doesn't pass them.

This Friday my daughter and I are going to an Invisible Children program at her school. She has been a part of this organization in her school for over a year now. It would be great if she could become a roadie some day and travel the country spreading the message of hope and survival of Joseph Kony's child soldiers. Saturday we're going to a hockey game, one of the last few remaining home games. Other obligations next week are also keeping me hopping; dog shots and plans to meet for lunch and dinner with old high school friends. It feels like all of the appointments and social engagements for an entire year have been crammed into a few weeks.

I'm getting used to sleeping in my basement dwelling. The first week I had second thoughts about my decision. Little noises would wake me, even with earplugs and I imagined the spooks in the furnace room were talking to me. It's better now, the mattress seems more comfy and I'm sleeping well. It will be nice when the furnace is not running anymore, then I'll be able to take the earplugs out.

I found a fun place online to get some cool effects for your portrait photos. Most of us are not versed at PhotoShop so they have already designed these templates. All you have to do is upload a picture and pick an effect. Some look better than others, depending on the type of shot you have.

Idaho must really be hurting. Since my husband works for a company out of Idaho, we have to file and pay taxes for that state. We get most of it back though but this year we had to wait about 5 weeks for the direct deposit. That's almost as long as the old fashioned checks used to take.

Even though I'm not feeling well I'm still hanging in there with my diet. I started another Zumba class so that makes twice a week now. I went last night, just didn't feel very perky. But I'm still glad I went.

I think I've bored you all enough today, hopefully I'll get back to my snarky, witty self soon.

I Moved

2011-02-28T07:49:00.000-08:00

When my husband and I were younger and visited his older Aunt and Uncle, we noticed that they slept in separate bedrooms so in order for us to sleep in a bedroom, additional juggling was required. I thought it was odd that they slept apart and wondered why a couple would do that.

Now that we're older but not quite as old as they were, I understand. Just Sunday in the paper was an article about couples that do what they can to get a good night's sleep. Devices were suggested for snorers. Two twin mattresses were suggested for those that wiggle around too much in their sleep. Softer alarm clocks can be used for those that get up so much earlier than their spouse. One couple had a very unique solution to their problem. He likes a firm surface to sleep on so he sleeps on the floor and this wife and kids sleep in the bed. That way they can all be together but still get what each of them needs; sleep.

I guess I just said to heck with all of that and moved myself to the basement. I like sleep, always have, and get very annoyed when it gets disturbed. It's either dogs barking, bright yard lights, snoring, wiggling, kicking, or any other annoyance that seeps into my sleepy brain. When my husband and I first got together I loved a dark room. I used to close the door and get up and adjust the curtains so no amount of light would come in (then I would sleep on my back with my arms crossed. He would wake me up just to make sure I wasn't dead). I still do that in hotel rooms while on vacation and it drives him nuts because he wants to keep the bathroom light on in case he needs to get up during the night. So you see, we are total opposite as far as what we want for sleeping quarters.

We got the spare room all cleaned out, bought a bed frame and a new mattress set. It's a strange little room, not legally a bedroom. In one closet you have your water heater which whooshes occasionally during the night. And then through a small door lies the noisy oil furnace. This comes on with a BANG and then loud whooshing noises as the oil is pumped from the outside tank inside to the burner. Then the fan comes on to blow heat throughout the house. As Saturday night was the first night in my new room, I heard it all. The mattress is also a little more firm than I would like it, even with a memory foam pad but hopefully I'll get used to it.

I put a blanket on the floor just in case my dog feels the need to follow me downstairs. She usually sleeps at the end of our bed but my husband's shift has changed a bit and he won't get home until midnight, which might just make her seek me out. Our daughter on the other hand would never sleep down there. She thinks the room is haunted. About three years ago, she had some friends who were amateur ghost hunters. They had the equipment and we let them come over for fun to see what they would find. They took a picture in the furnace room and a figure in back of the room showed up. Plus they picked up some voices on their EVP. I seriously try not to think of these things when I'm in bed.

Last night was not much better. The winds blew all night and one window is right under the patio where my husband has hung about 10, or 110 wind chimes, I'm not quite sure. So in go the earplugs after the first BANG of the furnace and I fitfully sleep until my alarm wakes me at 5:ugh15. Whose idea was this anyway?

Women Haters?

2011-02-22T19:28:00.000-08:00

A few days ago I had a comment on my blog waiting to be published or deleted. I'm sure glad I use the option to do that. It wasn't even a comment, it was some guy trying to push his own blog on me and I'm sure many others. Did anyone else get one? This is it below:
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Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "ZUMBA ZUMBA!":

BOYCOTT AMERICAN WOMEN

Why American men should boycott American women

http://boycottamericanwomen.blogspot.com/

I am an American man, and I have decided to boycott American women. In a nutshell, American women are the most likely to cheat on you, to divorce you, to get fat, to steal half of your money in the divorce courts, don’t know how to cook or clean, don’t want to have children, etc. Therefore, what intelligent man would want to get involved with American women?

American women are generally immature, selfish, extremely arrogant and self-centered, mentally unstable, irresponsible, and highly unchaste. The behavior of most American women is utterly disgusting, to say the least.

This blog is my attempt to explain why I feel American women are inferior to foreign women (non-American women), and why American men should boycott American women, and date/marry only foreign (non-American) women.

BOYCOTT AMERICAN WOMEN!
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I was curious so I went there. It was kind of disturbing. First of all, he left his comment as anonymous, which means he doesn't have the balls to let himself be known. Nowhere on his blog can you look at a profile or even leave a comment. All of his posts are under the guise of other men writing about their experiences and feelings about American women. I don't believe it for one minute. I believe they are all written by him, blowing smoke out of his own ass.

To some degree the same could be said of women hating American men. There may be a small percentage of both sexes that feel that way, but I think he's a whack job by saying the feelings are widespread. I reported the blog for abuse against the policies of Blogger (hate material) but I know it won't do any good, it just made me feel better.

If he was upfront about who he is and would allow some dialogue I might feel different but it's just creepy to see a one sided conversation (with himself obviously) about hating women.

Big Pant Crafts

2011-02-20T18:42:00.000-08:00

My daughter and I had made a fleece back-seat car organizer for my new Grandson (her nephew) for Christmas. It took hours beyond the 2 that the pattern said it would take. It seems like the first project you make is always the most difficult.

I decided to try again, but didn't want to use fleece. I went through my drawers and found some jeans that I had either grown out of, or shorts that I knew by summer would be too big. After I took rough measurements of the pants I started cutting them up. I had just enough to finish my project and now it's hanging in the back of my van. We've outgrown the need for something to put small toys in but I'm sure we'll fill it somehow.

ZUMBA ZUMBA!

2011-02-16T20:41:00.000-08:00

Our local Curves has joined up with Zumba and brought us a combination of both. The usual Curves circut consists of alternating weight training on different machines with recovery boards, spending 30 seconds at each spot. With Zumba added to it, weight training now lasts a minute and instead of the recovery boards we dance for a minute.

The pace and music is fast and mostly Latin but I hear other International influences too. You don't really get a chance to learn the moves, you just have to jump in and move. I'm moving parts that haven't been moved in a long time and I admit I'm very good at looking like an Uncoordinated Dork. But as I look around I'm not the only one. I guess it doesn't matter as long as we're moving. I read that you can burn up to 500 calories in a half-hour session. Tonight was only my second class and it was much easier than the first one last week. And I know that I would not have even attempted this 30 pounds ago so that feels very good.

Trust me, we don't look anything like this.

It's more like this.

That's alright though, it's fun and it's comfortable and I'm having a good time.

Mad Dog Owner VS The Italian

2011-02-14T19:18:00.000-08:00

My husband and I usually take our dog for a walk in the morning. Since time is limited, it's usually a short walk on one of two regular routes. As we approached a cross-street we saw another couple walking their dog too. We usually try and hang back to let the other dog pass, not really knowing how a different dog is going to react. Then we noticed that the dog was not on a leash. The man tried to keep it in check with verbal warnings but all of a sudden it started running toward us at full speed.

The man yelled "He's OK."

I really hate it when a dog is running at you growling and the dumb ass owner says "He's OK." That is the stupidest thing to say and I may even be guilty of saying it myself when Nellie got away from me. When she was younger my daughter and I took her to the school's football field to let her run. She was young and knew I couldn't run in the snow and she took off after another dog--on the other side of the field. So as I reached the girl and her dog in full cardiac arrest, I'm sure I said the same thing, but it's still stupid. I used to be confident that my dog would never hurt anyone or another dog but you can never be sure of that, as I have witnessed with her.

As the growling dog approached fast he ran into Nellie's hip but that's about it. The man called the dog back and all would have been fine, except that my husband had to open his big mouth.

"You should have that dog on a leash" Mr. Bright said, which was true but should have been left unsaid. The next thing I know I was more afraid of the owner than the dog.

"Shut the F*%$ up old man", he yelled and then kept going and going cussing us out.

My husband puffed up like the typical pissed off Italian. I had to smack him in the arm to get him to snap out of it like I do Nellie when she sees a cat. I asked him if he could really afford to be beat up, he said he could take him. The air was filled with testosterone. We hung back a little more and then continued on our route about 1/2 block behind them. The guy turned around and started yelling at us again, "Sure, you're going to follow me now, you can't go another way just 'cause my dog doesn't have a F*%$ing leash?"

Now I wanted to say something. Why in the Hell should I change my path just because some idiot can't leash his dog. His attitude reminded me of the neighbor I hate so much and I felt physically ill for about an hour. We could still hear him yelling for blocks and his dog yelped so we imagine that he was kicked all the way home.

I carry pepper spray with me for such occasions because I'm usually afraid of loose dogs. But now maybe it's the owner I should be prepared to spray.

A Little Slice of Life

2011-02-09T06:37:00.000-08:00

We have a feature in our newspaper called "The Slice". It's my favorite part of the paper. Paul writes about the funny things that go on in town and he encourages people to write in. Even though he has no kids of his own, he loves stories about them. I've been sending little stories in since our daughter was small and he's even talked to her a few times on the phone for help with bigger stories. These are the ones I've written over the years, all in his words except not using her name (or mine).
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Once when her daughter was about 18 months old, Kden saw red coming from the little girl’s nose. “I thought her nose was bleeding,” she wrote.

So she grabbed a tissue and attended to the child. “I proceeded to pull three or four strands of beets out of each nostril. I never knew so much stuff could fit up one tiny little nose,” said Kden.
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Kid Stuff: "I knew my 3-year-old daughter had watched way too much of 'Lady and the Tramp' when her dad called her a 'Little Lady' and she said "I'm not a lady--I'm a tramp."
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Kids sense things: "My 5-year-old daughter is so astute," wrote Kden. "F likes to chat and ask me how my day was. This particular day was rough because I was having computer problems. But I smiled, put on my game face and told her my day was going pretty good. After a while she said, 'OK, now tell me about your REAL day.'"
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Grocery shopping can be exciting: Here's one more reason to check out the ads in Wednesday's food section. "My husband was teasing me the other day and said he was going to go out and 'get a hot babe,'" wrote Kden.

She laughed and inquired about just where he planned to find one. But before he had a chance to respond, the couple's 5-year-old daughter, F, answered for him.

"Tidyman's."
(This one drew some criticism in a 'Letter to the editor' column. The woman thought it was off color and compared it to other stories about sex offenders. But someone later came to my defense and thought it was funny. I also wrote in my own defense.)
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If you're a little kid who has been learning about Antarctica, it's easy to confuse South Hill and South Pole.

North-sider Kden had explained to her 6 year-old daughter that a party they would attend was way up on the South Hill. She told F it would be a long drive.

After the party was over, she asked her daughter if she had a good time.

"Well," said the little girl. "I really expected to see some penguins up there."

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Home and away: “Our 8-year-old daughter F has one of her friends on speed-dial (#9) at home,” wrote Kden. “So imagine her surprise when she is at her grandma’s and wants to call the same friend and gets her grandma’s older, husky-voiced friend on the phone instead.”

In that moment, F had several choices.

She could have said, “Caitlyn, when did you become a werewolf?”

Or she might have asked, “Have you been drinking, Madison?”

But instead F figured out what had happened and was polite enough to apologize for dialing a wrong number.
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Lullaby and good night: Mr. Kden's 9-year-old daughter F was listening to him talk about when he used to work at a veneer plant years ago. "Stop Daddy." she said. "Wait until bedtime so you can finish that story and put me to sleep."
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Not obtuse: Kden's daughter, F, a fifth-grader, recently looked at her mom and informed her that she had "math" on her face.

Kden asked her what she meant. "She said that my crow's-feet were acute angles."
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Kden said she tried not to be offended when a little boy used her for shade while visiting her daughter's school and hanging out in the playground. "This little boy came right up to me and got real close".

She asked him if he was hiding from someone and the boy said, "No, I'm hot."
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These are ones I sent in that didn't mention the kid.

Dealing with telemarketers: Mr. Kden got a sales call and answered by saying that he wasn't home. When the caller asked if his wife was home, Mr. Kden said, "No, neither one of us is here."

Holiday tradition: “I know some people might not get it, but it would not be Thanksgiving in our family without someone asking my husband to skip across the room,” wrote Kden. “He skips like a lead balloon with short legs. His grown sons goad him into it every year and we all laugh.”
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Word power: "My mom had made some weird soup with squid in it (why, I'll never know) when we were younger," wrote Kden. "My little brother would have nothing to do with it. I tried to explain it to my mom--'He doesn't like the testicles.'

"My mom looked at me without blinking and said, 'It's tentacles.'"
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Kden speaks to the attention-starved youths driving cars with super loud sound systems: "My annoyance with your booming bass is matched only by the satisfaction I will feel in 30 years when you are all sporting hearing aids."
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See, I've been opinionated for quite some time.

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Am I The Only One?

2011-02-04T21:35:00.000-08:00

When the Super Bowl comes around every year I feel like the only one that isn't in the exclusive club. I don't like football and really don't care for sports in general. I like to watch a live hockey game now and then but that's about it. Oh, I do like the Summer and Winter Olympics, a lot.

I think it all stems from growing up with a father that spent his entire Sunday glued to the TV watching football. With only 3 channels to choose from and all of them showing football, we were trapped. No TV's in our own room, no computers, ipods or cell phones. You either watched, or you were exiled to your room. Even if he fell asleep, if we even got close to the TV to turn the channel he would wake up and yell. So I grew up hating it.

It's treated like a full fledged holiday, with weeks of commercials about the food you should serve and the brand of beer you should drink. Just another excuse for over indulgence. My husband will be going to his son's house and he's already planning the snacks he'll take. Whoopteedoo.

My daughter and I have plans to go hang out in thrift stores and maybe watch the Puppy Bowl. Now, that's a great game to watch, including with the kitty half-time show. So I guess I'll endure all of the testosterone and hullabaloo for one more year until normalcy returns to the land.