I am Back

Yes.  I am finally back to blogging.

Moving was quite a chore and more disruptive than I thought it would be.  Add to that, I have been hit HARD by IBS and only now getting back to a more normal, normally regular. 

I still haven't got everything unpacked yet.  Hey, it's only been 2.5 months.  I have to get the guest room finished by mid-December because Selene and Lennon will be here for about 2.5 weeks over Christmas and New Years.  (She'll also be staying with her aunt and uncle and granddads as well.)

The cats have settled in.  Max escaped one day.  He made it around the south wing (bedrooms) and froze when he got to the entry window.  I had to rescue him.  He was petrified.  Wolf likes to sneak out the front door and smell the mailbox area, then back into the house for a snuggle.  And, Wolf has been learning the 'stay' command when I open the door.  If you can believe a cat will stay on command.

As for Scott having a shorter commute.  Nope.  He still pulls in at about 7pm.  He finds traffic is a lot slower during his commute times.  We are coming to terms with our shopping.  All the grocery stores are just down the road.  Furthest is Safeway at less than 3 miles.  So our shopping is all on one street!  It's just that the stores are at least 50% bigger than the ones we used to shop at.  And that takes more time. 

It's nice to be back.  I'll write more later!

Whew!

And it is hot in Oregon!  For the fourth day in a row we are over 90F.  That is hot!  Humidity is running about 14% - 22% and that means one careless spark can cause a forest wildfire, a grain field to explode into flames, or burn a backyard.  That's why I am staying inside, in the cool.

Packing continues.  Seems I just get one area done and another pops up needing packing!  Oh well, the liquor store boxes are just plain great.  Strong and just the right size for most everything.  Debbie will be here Wednesday to help with the loading, unloading, and putting things right.  She will be taking home a dozen of Mom's Ball Freezer Jars for herself and a dozen for Peggy.  Those things are selling for $12 each.  Which means any leftover will be sold.  I just plan on keeping a few for me.

Yesterday, we spent our 40th Anniversary packing.  We took it slow and easy.  Sometime in the next couple of months we will go to the Coast for a weekend.  We celebrated with a Taco Salad with Chicken.  Scott was so tired he was in bed by 8:30pm and he slept the night through.

That's it for today.  I won't be posting for the next few days.  Lot's to do.

Happy 61st Scott!

Yeppers, today my soul-mate turns 61!  So, Happy Birthday my Love!

Boy, were we busy yesterday.  It started off with a Dr visit for me.  Just a follow-up on my mental state.  I was in and out and on my way in less than 40 minutes.  While I was doing that, Scott took Grover to the Humane Society.  I realized that this will be the 4th re-homing for him.  He is so adorable, I really think he will find a new home quickly.  I just hope that this one will be able to keep him.

Then, it was off to the newspaper to get more end rolls.  I am packing the jars with food in them.  We decided to sell all the rest of the jars and canning supplies.  It was a hard decision, but with the fibro and mental problems flaring I just don't know if I will be able to do the work when the food is ripe and waiting.

Scott needed to get some diabetic testing done.  It took minutes and we were off again.  We ate brunch at a little cafe in West Salem that used to have the best food around.  Alas, the new owners don't know how to cook.  It was disastrous! 

Then home we went.  We digested our breakfast as we talked about what needs to be done, bought, and all for the bathroom.  Scott was off for his Dr visit.  I decided to take a nap, I'd only slept four hours the night before.  I woke, sometime later, all groggy and Scott was nowhere in sight.  I called him, he was getting the cashier's check for our apartment deposit.

Back to Salem we went to pay the deposit and sign the rental agreement.  Scott explained he was at the Dr's office for two and a half hours.  Seems there were two emergencies that came in.  He was there for a check-up, he's fine, and to get some official paperwork filled out and signed by the Dr.  With that done, he went to the bank.

While waiting our turn at the manager's office, we were able to make the change from homeowners insurance to renters insurance with one phone call.  Papers signed, we decided on burgers for dinner.  Home again.  We missed getting the address changed at the PO and getting our garage sale permit from the city.  Scott will do both next week. 

It was a busy, busy day.  Poor Scott didn't sleep well last night.  I hope he gets some rest tonight.  We have the garage/shop to go through tomorrow.  Since the temps are in the 90's, we need to get the work done early or else late.  And I vote for early.  That leaves late for rest and recuperation.

It's still summer.  I had to remind myself this morning.  It's 11am and 63F outside right now.  Overcast and a little windy.  I'm in a sweater, long pants, and socks.  I used to love these mornings when I was picking beans or blackberries.  You can sure get a lot done without the heat!

Yesterday I did a number on my back.  No, not picking up something too heavy.  I was just walking across the floor and POW! my back went into spasms.  I treated it quickly, muscle relaxer and pain reliever, and by this am it is fine.  I didn't get much done yesterday, as I was too 'floaty' to get much done.  I did fix dinner and it was yummy.

It's time to get back to work.  I have the coat closet and bathroom non-essentials to pack today.  Have a great day!

Conversation

Oh, how I want to talk with my mother.  To sit with her and just chat about whatever.  To share my pain and my joys.  To snuggle with her while she plays with my hair.  The feel of her, the smell of her, I miss it so.

Tonight, Scott and I watched 'Shrink'.  I recommend you take the time.  In the end, everything is looking up for all who were hurting in the beginning.  It made me cry.  Because, you see, I will never feel like everything is looking up.  No without more therapy and a cocktail of psychotrophic drugs.
The movie ask the question, "Why do suicides do it?"
There was no answer.  Because, there is no answer.  I personally know some of the answers.  But, each individual has their own reasons.  Some cannot express those reasons.
The most common reason is pain.  Physical or psychological, it's  pain.  It is unrelenting.  You can never escape it.

I am doing better.  I have handled most of this move on my own.  I found the apartment.  I scheduled the new utilities and the movers.  I am doing the lion's share of the packing and sorting.
I think, from the time we move, I will be more involved in our finances.  It's only right that we share those duties and tonight we made up a dirty budget.  We still have to figure somethings out; but for the most part, every expense is accounted for.  It's a good budget, with savings, vacations, dinners out, clothes included.
Tonight, I want to finish sorting the dining room and living room.  The storage room is filling with all the boxes and stuff.  Funny, how when you really look at it; just how little you really use everyday and just how little you need for your life.
Less is more!  I did find solutions for all the crystal, that will have it accessible.  My old baby dresser (Dad converted it to nut, bolt and nail storage) will be used for Scott's tools and a few nuts and bolts.  I will sand it and verethane it (to reduce the lead pain chipping off.)  It will fit in the 2nd bedroom closet.

Bon Nuit!

A Packing Saturday

First off, dinner with Dad and Dorthy was great.  Rob, Debbie, and Lindsay were also there.  We had sweet and sour meatballs, mashed taters, coleslaw, fresh pickles and corn on the cob.  With homemade lemon meringue pie!  I couldn't find mucilage, so I gave Dad a bottle of good ol' Elmers.  We all got a good laugh!

Debbie came over today and helped pack the dining room and the giant, built-in hutch.  Wow!  Let's just say, there was a lot of stuff.  I still have the desk to do, but that won't take long.  My goal of a room a day is being met just fine.

Friday, Scott worked on the backroom, used to be a garage until he built the new wall.  We've just been using it as a catch-all.  He sorted the stuff we're keeping and that that is being sold.  He moved to Grandma Lee's old maple dresser to the living room.  We are going to use it for storage and a TV stand. 
I got boxes from the liquor store.  What a score!  I got over 25 boxes with those cardboard liners.  We used the liners to cushion the Franciscan Ware!

Tomorrow, Scott is going to work on the shop.  I am going to do some 'neatening' and begin study on the Fung Shui.  Can't wait for normal again.

Happy 89th, Dad!

Today my dad is 89 years old.  Wow, that's about 15 years longer than we thought he would make it.  (Back when Grandpa Jake died - at 78, we took bets on how long Dad would survive.)  No one took over 75.  But, guess he decided to fool us all.  Anyway, I'm going over there for dinner tonight.
I guess I'd better get him a small gift.  When I was about 9 - 10 I gave him a bottle of mucilage for Christmas.  Wonder if they still make the stuff?


The worst part of the past two weeks has been IBS.  I've been through this so many times; but it sure makes life rough.  Sorry if you have a queasy stomach, but I have had diarrhea for the past two weeks.  Imodium is my friend.  I am craving liquids to replenish what is leaving.  I get shaky and have to eat more frequently which means ----- more frequently.  All I know is, This too shall pass.  ;)

Yesterday I got the 2nd bedroom packed.  Books, art supplies, paper.  I still have to find a box for all the treasured Girl Scout stuff.  I am going to make a scrapbook this winter, with the help of that scrapbooker extraordinaire, Sabrina.

Today, I am cleaning the bathrooms.  And doing some general picking up and putting away.  You wouldn't believe what a mess the house it.  Really.  Well, it's only two weeks and then we move the good stuff out of here and leave the non-essentials behind.  Talk about de-cluttering!
Hopefully, by just having what we really need about, I will have an easier time keeping the house up!

Exhaustion

Yesterday I paid for all that activity on Monday.  I couldn't stay awake.  I was just plain exhausted.  So I allowed myself to sleep.  Today, I feel so much better.

I went back to Walmart yesterday (they were supposed to have boxes for me).  Well, seems the afternoon crew give out the wrong information on boxes.  You have to call at 9:30pm to have boxes ready at 7am.  So, tonight, I'll make the call.  The store manager did find me about a dozen boxes.

In Lennon news:  He took off his diaper and gave it to his mom.  Then he proceeded to pee on her foot.  Guess he's ready for potty training. 

I really don't have much to write about today.  I need to clean house and get more packing done.  Debbie is coming over Saturday to help pack.  I am saving the dining room with the giant, built in hutch and the kitchen for her to help with.
Scott will do the shop on Friday.  And then, on Sunday he will finish the shop and get to the backroom. Meanwhile, there's the bedroom, bathrooms, and living room.  Packing 945 sq ft house, 150sq ft shop, 200 sq ft backroom.
Better get my breakfast and get to work.

Tuna sandwiches, chips, and strawberry shortcake for dinner tonight. 

I Picked Out the Apartment!

Yes, I did.  Then, after I got home, I realized that the one I chose didn't have W/D hook-up. :(.  Okay, the laundry is right outside the door.  End unit, ground floor, parking space right in front of the door, next to the pool, grassy area just off the patio, covered parking for one of us,   950 sq ft.  475 in living/kitchn and 475 in 2 bedrooms and bath.  Just about what we have here.  We move on the 18th or just after.  Done!  Oh, by the way, it came in $250 under budget!

I also did all my list:
Go to the bank, check
Apartment, check
Boxes, check - well, this am, Walmart fills requests for boxes from the nightly restocking crew.  You pick them up the next morning.
Newsprint end roll, check!
I also fixed dinner, bought some milk, juice and kitty toys.
Whew, yes I am tired!

Have you ever wondered just what goes through your pet's mind?  While in the back room, I noticed a stinky odor near the  old chest of drawers.  I found one of the cat's had pooed in a pristinely clean glass jar.  He had to balance himself on the edge of a 3 in opening and poo!  From the way it was sitting there, it just looked like it needed a sealed lid to keep it for all eternity!

Conversation with my daughter:
me - Hello?
her - Hi
grandson - Kukka poo
her - What?
grandson - Kukka poo
her - Mom, I'll call you right back.  The dog just pooed in Lennon's room.
her - Yes, I know 'Kukka poo' get out of it, I'll take care of it.
grandson picks up the phone and announces, 'Kukka poo.'
click.

Lennon and Kukka

We Have An Apartment!

Yuppers, we were finally approved and I go to pick out the apartment I want in a couple of hours!  Now, maybe I can relax.  Really, I have been so wound up I am starting to unravel.  I have been relying on the energy to do somethings around the house.  Now, it's time to get the energy focused at packing and re-familiarizing myself with fung shui. 
Yes, I practice fung shui.  It makes for a harmonious home and helps to keep the chi flowing throughout my life.  I use the books of Sharon Stasney, who has simplified fung shui so us Americans can better understand the complex lines of thought.  Her book Chic Living With Feng Shui: Stylish Designs for Harmonious Living combines her three previous books into one easy to understand and relate to your life.
In other errands:

• Stop by the Safeway and Walmart to see if they have any boxes
• Stop by the newspaper and buy an end roll of newsprint to use to cushion delicates.  (Since there is no printing on the paper, there will be no smugs on the items wrapped.
• Go to the bank to get money to put in the other bank to pay the deposit on the apartment.

Alright girl, start channeling the drive you took yesterday to settle down those nerves.  We drove the back roads to Falls City.  We went through town and up the mountain with the goal of getting to Black Rock, an old logging city, but the road was closed due to fire damage.  It was a peaceful drive up and back the Little Luckimute River. 
Old Gerlinger Park is closed, Polk County just doesn't have enough money to keep their spartan county parks open.  We used to picnic there a lot.  It has nice shallows for kids to play in and lots of shade to rest in on hot summer days.
We took a drive alongside the edge of the valley with farms to left of us and forest to the right.  I was reminded of living in the Coquille River Valley in Coos County.  It's like that all over Western Oregon.  Forests coming down to touch the wide river valleys combining farming and logging in one small space.  The farms are small and each is unique.  I think per acre, the Willamette Valley produces more variety of product than anywhere else in the US.

 I will leave you with a picture from yesterday --- Fireweed, Epilobium angustifolium  and if you peer through the pink you will see the white of flower of Blue Elderberry, Sambucus cerulea.

Marine Air and Sundry

One thing about living in the Willamette Valley, one day you will be scorched and the next a load of marine air will move in and you'll be lucky to hit 75F.  Such is now.  It's 10am and 58F.  I had to look for my slippers!

Lennon has learned to take off his diaper!  He wants to wear pull ups but is not ready for potty training.  So he goes around channeling his inner plumber, butt crack and all!  It's cute, but embarrassing when they are in public.  The joys of approaching two.

Last night Scott made a breakthrough!  He is getting rid of almost all of his books!  Yeah!  I am only keeping a very few.  After all, there is something called the world wide web and a big building holding thousands of tomes.  We are breaking the print addiction!  After all, like 99% of those books have not been cracked in the past five years!

News flash, this just in....................Grover has broken one of the scratching posts!  As he attacked it, the fiber board base disintegrated; leaving two pieces to be attacked and played with.  That post must be at least 10 years old.  Got my monies worth with that one!

All you dear readers have a pleasant day.  We are going in search of boxes. 

What the Hell?

I have been trying to write for so long and nothing of any consequence comes out. I was talking to Selene this am and she suggested I get back to the reason for the blog: My sanity. So here goes some steam of thought.


I called Selene last night and just because she was cleaning a toilet with a pumice stone (made specifically for that reason) and getting the apartment ready to move; I began to sob uncontrollably. It was just ridicules and cathartic at the same time.

I had gotten up from a nap and Scott wasn’t home. It was his day off and he should have been home. So I called him. He was at the store. Needless to say, we needed what he was buying. But I was distraught at his being gone.

I’ve had the ‘sleepies’ for a couple of days and am feeling the stress of the move. I have been taking up to three mg of lorazapam every day. My max limit.

The ‘sleepies’ are over now. I woke feeling refreshed and no memory of visually complex and full story dreams. Back to normal dreams. The reason fibro sufferers have these sleep problems is due to the brain not dropping down into the deepest level of sleep. We stay in the upper regions of sleep. And have especially vibrant dreams with lots and lots of REM time. So there is no rest for the wicked.

There is so much more packing to do. It’s hard. Do I pack the junk drawer now? Wait until the last minute since we use the junk in it? Do I pack the crystal for storage or will I perhaps need it for holidays? If I take it to the apartment where will I store it? There is no built in storage and what I have will not hold most of what I need to store?

Boxes, must stop by the stores and ask for boxes. Get in a supply of good strong tape. Go to the newspaper office and buy an end roll of newsprint to wrap up the breakables.

Get the two cars on Craigslist. Have the truck ready for Craigslist the day after we move. Look at Craigslist for a car for Scott to drive to work. Then I get the Olds.

Okay, that’s enough for today. I have kitchen work, laundry, and getting my art and craft supplies packed into the great-great grandparent’s Wells steamer chest and great-grandpa Charlie’s work chest. Find some boxes in the back room. Get the office ready to hold all we are moving and the back room ready to hold all that is getting sold.

At least the weather is cool and just right for working hard!

We Are In For Some Heat

Forecast is for 91F Saturday and Sunday.  That means the roads to the Coast will be full of people looking for some relief.  Scott has to work and I plan on cleaning house. 

Selene and Lennon (and Nate too) are back from the Great State of Wyoming!  Where Nate got himself a superfine job.  They are getting ready for the move.  Selene and Lennon will be here for a few days, while she sorts through the last of her belongings stored here.
OMG!  They will be all the way across Oregon, into Idaho, dipping into Utah away from us.  They are settling in the southwest corner of Wyoming.  We will really, really miss them.  I have vowed to get SKYPE!

I took the dogs to the Humane Society.  I had to leave them in the truck, while I filled out the paperwork.  They sat quietly, watching the comings and goings of the parking lot.  When I went out to get them, Jip was asleep while Rocky stood guard. 
We were a circus trying to get into the building.  One or the other wound around me, I was trying to keep them in check and carry their toys and some food in a big bag.  They were angels in the building.  Rocky smiled his wrinkly face off and Jip greeted everyone with a sniff and a wag of the tail.  I pray they get re-homed soon to a loving family.

The two cats, Max and Wolf, will move with us.  Grover is going to Wyoming with Selene et al.  We are prepared for Max to throw a hissy fit and yowl the first night.  After that, he'll just stomp and mew when he finds out he is now an indoor cat, again.
We have a place to move into.  A nice 1050sq ft 2/1 apartment.  We will be moving in around August 18.  My heart is lightened by that.  It is within walking distance to our favorite Mexican restaurant.  Well, it will be after we get into a bit better shape.  And two of my favorite supermarkets are within a 1/4 mile as well.  All of this and the place has virtually no road noise!  Plus, Plus, Plus it is under budget!  Guess I'd better get more boxes lined up.

I apologize for my absence.  My lovely Grandson shared his URI with me.  What should have been a week of miserable has turned into 10 days.  I see small steps towards recovery.  Monday Scott came down with it.  He is just watching old movies while he tries to get better.

In news since the great plague has descended:

• We suspended Directv.  The Pin Oak, Quercus palustris, has grown so large this year )probably due to the overabundance of rain this spring) that it is blocking the dish receiver.  Since we are moving in a month, there is no reason for us to be shelling out money for a tree trim or dish move right now.  We have upped the Netflix to the eight movies out at a time.  Seems a good deal to fill in the time we won't be watching our usual programs.
• Nate, Selene, Lennon, and Kukka all are in Wyoming!  A short vacation is leading to a new job for Nate!  They will spend the next month getting ready and leaving for Wy!  Congrats to Nate on scoring a great job for him and his family!
• The house search goes on.  Most of the houses in our price range are tiny.  Like under 700 sq ft tiny!  That wouldn't be so bad, but the locations have been in areas that are not what we are looking for.  We are also looking at duplexes.
• We are also trying to rehome the dogs.  We could live in an apartment without the dogs.  That would free up $200 or more every month towards the retirement house.  Right now, I can't talk about my feelings, I will later.

May you all be well.

It was a Sun Day!

Yesterday was another warm one.  It was 92F at Dad's.  There was a wonderful breeze that helped with the humidity.  Of course, those Chicago family members were in heaven, they didn't feel the humidity at all. 
Today we are in for the cool marine air all day.  Should just be in the mid-70's with some fluffy white clouds dotting the sky.
Our family reunion was a lot of fun.  Of the nine cousins, six of us made it.  While Selene had to work, Nate and Lennon were there.  Of course, Lennon was the hit of the day.  He missed his afternoon nap and was totally Papa's boy.  Otherwise he was his calm, curious self.

Lennon on Great-Grandpa Don's Burro

All the grandchildren have been photographed on this critter at the bottom of the garden.

Cousin Jim, the artist

His wife, Kim, also a talented artist

Their eldest, Cora a reader extraordinaire

Their younger daughter, Stella, real conversationalist

Teena, Jim's sister, the real estate maven

Dad and Dorthy, with Nate, Lennon, and Cousin Carrie in the background

Niece Lindsay Rene

Niece Kelsey Jo

Scanning my other pix, I found I didn't have shots of my siblings Peggy, Debbie & Rob, and Roger.  And the pix I took of Kelsey and her boyfriend Blake didn't come out, too dark.  Guess I'll get them all on another day.

Lennon Day!

I don't know what time he will be here and I haven't finished toddler proofing the house yet.  It's early yet, so I have some time.  I hope.
I was just reading Dancing Mouse were Mrs. Brown Mouse mentioned cemeteries.  Old cemeteries.  That has led me to want to share a couple of my favorite old cemeteries.
Myrtle Point Pioneer Cemetery - Up on the hill on Maple Street, beyond where it turns into Sugarloaf  Mountain Road/Cemetery Road, is the Old Myrtle Point Cemetery aka Myrtle Point Pioneer Cemetery.
I found this charming little place while walking my dog, Nutmeg (who sadly died from distemper 39 years ago.)  There are lots of old headstones and some are beautiful.  In the same area is the Norway Cemetery where Grandpa Jeff and his family are buried.  It is high on a hill overlooking the Coquille River Valley.  Lots of old time gravestones to peruse.
Buena Vista Cemetery - Donated by the Wells family, my MIL's distant family, it sits above the Willamette River, just outside the pioneer town of Buena Vista, with views of the surrounding fields and orchards.  Selene loved to visit the grave of a little girl who died, along with her mother, in an epidemic.  There is a small lamb on the girl's headstone, making it almost heartbreakingly beautiful.
Hughes Family Cemetery - Located in Cape Blanco State Park, this family cemetery is part of the donation of the pioneer family's land and home to the State of Oregon.  There are headstones for both family members and those of their employees and friends.  Located just a stone's throw from one of the most magnificent Victorian homes on the Southern Oregon Coast.
Malone Cemetery - On Hwy 99W next to Farmers Coop in McMinnville, there is a very small cemetery that was forgotten for many years.  Truckers used to park their big rigs on the site.  Eventually, it was remembered and located.  New headstones and a cement block and brick fence were placed around the site.
Now, back to our original programing.  It's finally time for breakfast and I have to finish the cleaning and toddler proofing or that kid will drive me insane.  Just like his mother, he has 'satiable curiosity!

Thursday Today

Yes, it is Thursday today.  No big deal.  Just that our DVR is down to just a couple of movies and The Saprano's.  We had so much wind since Monday, the Quercus palustris, Pin Oak, was interferring with the Directv dish.  (When the dish as originally secured the tree was much smaller.)  So very few programs have been recorded and yes, I watch a lot of TV.
I have been watching some things on Netflix over the computer.  But most of what is available is something I have already seen or don't want to see.  C'est le guerre.
The weather will be hot through tomorrow 95F-100F, then cool off to the mid-80's for the weekend.  Which is good.  Nate and Lennon will be here.  Oh and three of my five cousins on my dad's side of the family!  While I have see Carrie a couple of times, I haven't seen Jim and Teena for at least eight years.  I'm looking forward to Sunday when we all gather at Dad's.
Earlier this week, I realized I hadn't been taking my vitamins.  So it's back to the senior multi-vitamin-minerals and the B-complex.  I always feel better when I'm taking the B's, more clear and sane.
And I have finally cleaned out the fridge!  It was pretty bad, a jar of sweet pickles had leaked from the top shelf clear to the bottom.  Oooie, gooie, and yuck!  My back has been hurting a lot (damn arthritis) and it took me almost three hours to clean an area, rest back, clean another area, rest back, etc. 
I got up at 1:30 am today to get the cleaning done in the cool.  Probably do the same tonight.  Even with two air conditioners going, the west side of the house just gets too hot to move.
We are going to look at a house tonight and drive by two others.  Things have sure changed since we rented before.  Then, either family or friends found houses for us.  Now, we're on our own.  Finally all grown up.

Sum, Sum, Summertime is Finally Here!

While the East Coast is sweltering, it is finally getting warm on the West Coast!  Yesterday was 85F and today is scheduled to be 96F, as are Thursday and Friday!  Scott had better get the big air conditioner in today or we will never sleep tonight!
The Western US has dry Mediterranean summer weather.  This year has been anomalous, in that it rained so much from April through June.  Anyway, the dry weather (no or little rain) means we don't have much humidity.  Low humidity means higher temperatures are easier to live with and forests catch fire more easily.
We didn't have air conditioning when I was growing up.  That was left for businesses and a few families that were 'wasting money' in my parents eyes.  We just opened up the house at night, capturing the cool air.  The next morning we closed up the house and drapes to keep things cool.  We opened it up again in the cool of the evening, a summer ritual.
I remember the one old fan we owned.  No safety screen, just hard rubber blades cutting through the air.  Dad would turn it on low and let us experience the blades hitting our fingers.  It was fun poking your finger into the blades and letting them buffet your hand.  Then he turned up the speed, now it began to hurt our fingers.  This is when he explained that if we put our fingers in at the 'High' setting we would lose them.  So, NO TOUCHING THE FAN WHILE IT WAS MOVING!  We girls were pretty good about giving the fan a wide berth after getting hash marks on our calves as we ran through the house.
Hot summer days playing in the sprinkler.  Peggy liked to turn the water up high.  I preferred low water.  Getting into an argument with her and running to the backyard to play in the sprinkler back there.  Slipping and falling on the blades of the old push mower and gashing my knee.  Mom calling Dad at work to come get me and take me to the doctor.  Dad driving with his arm around me.  The doctor, a giant with hands like bear paws, gently sewing my leg and giving me a sucker for being so brave.  Then, handing me three more to share with my little sisters.  Spending the next week banned from getting my leg wet.  Learning to find a compromise with my sister so I didn't go off half-cocked again and get hurt.
Summer is HERE!

Actively Looking for a Rental

That's right.  We are out there looking for a rental. 

We have our criteria:

• In our price range
• Safe neighborhood
• Clean house in good repair
• Allows cats and dogs
• Has fenced back yard
• Allows me to choose my own wall colors - come on, I'm 60 and have had floaters for the past 20 years.   White walls drive me crazy.  Because of the floaters, they look like little floaty bugs are running all over them.
• Has laundry in the house
• Allows me to garden

That's about that. 
I figure if there isn't much storage space, I won't have so much stuff around.  Here's a problem.  One of my sisters gives all of us other sisters a lot of stuff.  We have piles of crystal bowls, platters, and other glassware she finds on her trips abroad.  It's not that I don't appreciate the gifts, it's just that I do not live the sort of life where I need these items.  I used to entertain, head up committees, do a lot a fundraising and I used those platters, etc. all the time.
Last Christmas, she found replicas of the luncheon sets Mom had when we were young.  (Those were sold in a garage sale in 1979 and no one was sad to see them go.)  Yet, she found the rectangular sandwich plates with the saucer Incorporated and little punch cup to go with.  I really don't need just one of those (I don't need any of them.)  I guess I will just pack all the stuff like that up and one day Selene will find a use for it, or not.

From left to right:  Antique Bread Plate*, two small crystal occasional bowls,Great-Grandma Carrie's plate, Dessert Plate*, Grant-Grandma Carrie's Saucer, three crystal serving bowls, in front:  Luncheon plate and cup.   *Gifts from my sister, bless her.

I will be careful to also preserve the family heirlooms from both sides of the genepool, Scott's and mine.  We use many of them everyday and enjoy having a few of them on display.  I have seen family sell great-grandma's cookbooks (I snatched up the one she jotted recipes and notes in.) and other family heirlooms.  I feel that either we pass those along to other family members before selling our heritage.  For instance, I have a couple of books that belonged to Grandma Vesta and I will never part with them.  Selene knows that they will be hers and I hope she passes them along to Lennon.
Oh here I get maudlin and I just wanted to write a post about finding a new house.  We found a place in a small, Christian, village.  It looks great on the web, the driveby was satisfactory, the landlord sounds caring and eager to find a long-term renter.  I still have to make an appointment for a walk-through.  Honestly, I like the place.  It is quiet, off the beaten path and if there is no proselytizing it will be an excellent place to spend the next five years until Scott retires and we move to the Oregon Coast.
Cross your fingers, we are looking!

Have a Happy and Safe Fourth!

On the shore, dimly seen through the mists of the deep,

Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes,

What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep,

As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?

Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam,

In full glory reflected now shines in the stream:

'Tis the star-spangled banner, O! long may it wave

O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

I am Back!

I am sorry that I have not been keeping up with my posting.  I had an allergic reaction to the pain meds I was on. 
At first, I was experiencing some of the nasty side effects that I thought would just go away.  They didn't.  They got worse.  Then, I had problems breathing and an itch that was near intolerable. 
I was watching Mystery Diagnosis, when this man was complaining about a rash and itch (I knew immediately it was scabies, don't know why the doctors were so dumb).  I then connected itching with Demerol which makes me itch like a sun of a gun.  I have a Demerol allergy, could I be allergic to the new pain med?  Yes, trouble breathing and itching are signs of allergy according to the website.  I had to wean myself off the drug.  It took 10 days to get on the dosage my doctor wanted me taking and it took 10 days to wean myself off.
It was ugly.  I was tired, nauseous, crabby, brain discombobulated and couldn't do anything.
I think I am getting back to being me.  Yeah!
Anyway, I am going shopping for the first time in over three weeks!
I'll write some more later!

Two of the Worst Movies Ever!

Last week, while I was sick, Scott and I watched two of the worst movies ever. I mean it, worse than Plan 9 From Outer Space! Yes, and you didn't think it was possible.


I saw The Robot Vs. The Aztec Mummyon the DIRECTV (if you want DIRECTV email mail me for my account number and we will both get $50 when you have it installed.........and agree to a one year contract) program guide. Scott loves old sci-fi movies (Selene, at two, knew what constituted a 'Daddy Movie' and would tell him what to watch). So I recorded it for him. We watched the last 10 minutes together and were laughing so hard, my eyes swelled up and I was THIS close to an asthma attack!

A few months ago, I remembered a movie Mom wouldn't let Peggy and me watch one Saturday afternoon. It had kids going to a cave, and then going somewhere else, and then the kids went back to the cave to find an alien with a bubble machine. So, I used Swagbucks to search 'sci-fi movie with bubbles.' And up came Robot Monstera '50's sci-fi movie well known for RoMan - half robot/half gorilla suit and his bubble machine. Of course, I had to get it!

Word of warning, both of these movies are so bad, they are actually a great time to watch! We laughed, we sneered, we found mistakes galore, we snarked, and in the end; agreed we finally found a movie (two movies) that are worse than Frogs!  The worst movie we ever paid to see in a theater!

I realized as we got to the end of Robot Monster, that I had seen the entire movie at one time. Mom wouldn't let us watch it because it scared us so much we had nightmares. Heck, Disney's The Three Little Pigs gave me a nightmare I still remember today, 55 years later!

Oh well, if you like old, poorly done, sci-fi movies; I would recommend both The Robot Vs. The Aztec Mummy and Robot Monsterfor your DVD or Blu-ray library.

P.S. While looking up links from Amazon I found that The Robot vs. The Aztec Mummy was skewered by Mystery Science Theater 3000, Vol. XV (The Robot vs. the Aztec Mummy / The Girl in Lovers Lane / Zombie Nightmare / Racket Girls)! One of Selene and my favorite Saturday morning shows.
And you can find Plan 9 From Outer Space/Robot Monsteras a box set!

Cramps + Infertility = Endemetriosis Part 5

Previously I confided about how it was (is) like to be an infertile woman in the first four segments of this series.  Today, Jo at Finding Her Way, posted this video.  Please watch it.  This was my life and is the life of thousands, if not millions, of other women.  PS  I cried remembering.



What If?

Here is a pic of my favorite shopping bags. Peggy picked them up at Fred Meyer.They are made of recycled water bottles. You can shop online at Patty Reed Designs.
While I was visiting the web site today I found a GREAT BARGAIN! There are 24 bags ( 4 each of six different designs) for only $60! Talk about a buy! Regularly $6 each, on sale they are only $2.50 each!. Great idea of all those holiday gifts. Or get together with some like-minded greenies and save big time!
These are well made bags.  I have been using a couple of them for about five years now.  I shop bi-monthly and also grab them for carrying things on day trips.  Soap and water make them easy to clean.  It seems either people in-line or the checkers are always asking where I got them. 
There are pockets inside for wine bottles or loaves of bagette bread.  I always feel a little like a Parisian when I carry them out of a store.  (They even make my Wal-Mart purchases look extra specially nice.)

It’s halfway through June already. Time is passing too quickly. We plan to be out of here in two months, exactly. I’ve got to get more boxes and start packing in earnest.


My problem? That danged!%#@$%#@! Nintendo DSi and the Brain Age 2Virus Busting game. I am addicted to it! Like really, would rather play that game than to eat, blog, or go to the bathroom. (Do any of you remember the episode of Star Trek: NG, The Game? (Star Trek The Next Generation - The Complete Fifth Season  ) Kind of like that.) And not to mention the time wasted on it, after I finish a session I find my vision is blurry and I have a hard time focusing. So, I have put the DS away for now. Wow, in just about a month that little toy has infiltrated my life so negatively.

In other news: The new pain killers are doing a pretty good job with the fibro pain. I wake to sore muscles and stiff joints every day. With the new pain stuff, my headaches and pains are just slightly invading my life. I am sleeping well, thank you. But, until I get used to this stuff I cannot drive after I have taken a dose. Can you say, “DUII?”

We just got word that several my cousins on Dad’s side of the family are coming to visit for a weekend in July! Wonderful! Even growing up we only got together about six times a year. Not like Mom’s family, many of whom lived in town and went to school with us. We had Sunday dinner at least once a month.
No, Dad’s side lived in another state and it was a real adventure to get there.

Anyway, it will be fun to see everyone and the cousin’s children. Dad is the last of his immediate family. He has several cousins he is still in contact with. Family is important to all of us. Even if we only see each other every five to 15 years or so.

We have been doing some future financial planning. Scott is thinking about retirement. And we have so many options; we are just going to have to do some more research. Like, if you ‘retire’ at 62 but keep on working you may, MAY, be eligible for reduced Social Security benefits. Then full benefits at age 66 (or older depending on when you were born.) As a non-working spouse, I could get a percentage of Scott’s SS at age 62. And then increased benefits at 66 – I think, that’s why we need to talk with an SS expert. Anyway, with what he will draw from his three pensions, his SS, and my SS; we should be pretty stable as long as we don’t overboard on spending.

As I have been typing this, all three cats have jumped on the kitchen counter. One word and they jump off. Do you have to ask why I wash the countertops before cooking?

Somber Thoughts -- This Post is About Movies Addressing the Holocost

I have been watching Imaginary Witness: Hollywood and the Holocaust. It is a documentary about how Hollywood handled the atrocities of the Nazis during WWII. I have been watching bits at a time. This is strong stuff. There are many bits of information I had never known. Like Charlie Chaplin's The Great Dictator, was the first movie to use the word 'Jew'. How Hitler tried to control how the world perceived his atrocities and how he was allowed to do his own form of spin control. There is also archival footage of the camps being liberated.
There is a portion of the documentary that focuses on Anne Frank. It brought back a lot of memories for me. In junior high, a friend asked me to recommend a book. I had seen The Diary of Anne Frank mentioned in an article in the Parade Magazine. So, I recommended it. I hadn't read it yet. I guess the book really upset her. Her mother came down on me like a ton of bricks!

I explained it was on a list of recommended books for kids our age; as we were the age Anne was when she went into hiding. Later, my mom explained that not everyone had my ability to look at the world, feel empathy, and then come to terms with it all. Some people just couldn't handle the 'real world'. Like I knew, from listening to my parents and other family members, just what my uncles had encountered during WWII. I knew and I felt the anguish for those victims. Yet, I knew that somehow, somewhere I would do my best to help others in their situation.

In 9th grade, our class was gathered in the gym to view, Mien Kamph, a documentary that pulled no punches about Hitler and his 'Final Solution'. We viewed it in two parts. You have never heard 200 junior high students leave a school so quietly. We all walked home alone those two afternoons. The usual horseplay and laughter was stifled by what we had just experienced. I will never forget the ‘showers’ with the scratches from fingernails up the walls. There was one set of very small scratches where a mother held her child up as high as she could in a vain effort to save a life.

Of course, the movie, The Diary of Anne Frank, was shown in television reruns quite frequently. I know I watched it several times. I was mesmerized by the characters ability to hope and dream. And my sisters and I all cried at the inevitability of the ending.

In high school, I played Mrs. Van Damme in the play, The Diary of Anne Frank. That final scene, I wasn't acting. I was that scared knowing what happened to all those people.

Anyway, I recommend watching and reading all the above. Not all at once. Over time, allow yourself to take in the information and process it. Then, apply all that to today and what our world has become and is becoming. What can you do to change all that? How can we all work to erase inhumanity in an inhumane world?

Thursday

Today was the last day of the school year. The kids walking home were shouting and cheering! No more school buses and traffic. I sure hope the next place will be on a quiet street. Not that I have minded living just a few blocks from schools. I have loved the second graders walking to the Fire Station every spring, hearing the high school football games on Fridays, and the Middle School Class Olympics as I garden. Life is taking us on a new journey and I will only slightly miss parts of the old one.


We just had a downpour. Rain streamed from the skies for about five minutes. Not too bad. According to the weather man, it is to be 80 degrees this weekend! We have barely seen the upper 60’s and low 70’s this spring. Guess summer will hit us hard!

Looks like the neighbors are setting up for another garage sale. Our city has a limit of one garage sale per year per address. They seem to do at least three to four every year. The last one had another neighbor drop by to complain that they were open later than the city allows. Wonder if anyone will complain about the number of garage sales per year this time around. All that activity over there has Rocky worried. Well, jealous really. He wants to go play with all the people.

I am so looking forward to seeing Nate and Lennon. We really miss them. I miss Nate when I watch ‘House Hunters’ and ‘House Hunters International’. He was fun at choosing the houses and making fun of how over the top some of the buyers act.

Today is my first day of three pain killers per day. I sure have been using the word ‘per’ a lot today.

Tonight I am fixing wither chili burgers or else hamburger gravy over mashed potatoes. Or maybe, hamburger patties, mashed potatoes, vegetables, and pan gravy. I’m not fixing hamburger soup, or tacos, or spaghetti, or I could fix sloppy joes. I just have to use the hamburger in the fridge. Tomorrow, being payday, we will get take out. And Saturday, I’m thinking about Ugo’s pizza. I’m inviting Debbie and Rob to get the bamboo they want and then for them to stay for dinner. Of course, I may find something else to order out. We never know.

Shakespeare, SNAP, and Spilt Milk-Bones

We spent a quiet weekend, a very quiet weekend, except for the dogs barking (what’s new.) I started those new pain killers with the very specific directions on how to get used to them. Well, like all new drugs there will be a time of getting used to them. I will not be driving for a while and I will be napping a little more than usual. Now, if with all this I have less pain then it’s all for the good. I hate pain that wakes you from a sound slumber and that’s why I am trying this new drug.


Speaking of the dogs, (See first sentence of today’s blog, please.) I managed to knock the box of Milk-Bone biscuits off the counter last night. Right in front of the dogs. Scattering the biscuits all over the floor.
Wow, those dogs made me proud! They didn’t start gulping down the treats. I picked up the treats without so much as a sound. The doggies just stood there and watched me. I left two treats on the floor and when I was putting the box on the counter again, Rocky and Jip politely picked up their treats and went to the treat eating areas. For Jip, that’s behind the couch. Rocky eats his on the couch. Now, all I need them to do is behave when someone walks past the house.

Scott ran to the store for a few groceries for this next week. Keeping in mind our $202 budget from the SNAP Challenge, he bought:

2 cases diet cola
1 gallon milk
1 qt cool whip lite
1 sugar-free apple pie
3# gala apples

For a total of $20.04
Leaving us $161.78
Oh, and I found another receipt for milk bought at BiMart last week for $2.50
That brings the total available to $159.28.
We don’t worry about the cost of the sugar-free pies, too much; this one was $6.49. I figure that it costs me pretty close to that amount to make a sugar-free pie. And those pies are a real treat for Scott.

Speaking about treats, over at Scott’s work last week, the management brought in ice cream sandwiches to treat the workers on their hard work the past two weeks. Their company is merging with another company and there are tons of phone calls to field about the merger and how it will affect customers. Anyway, someone got the message finally, and they brought in sugar-free ice cream sandwiches as well! Huzzah!
In the past, Scott has had to do without the treats. Or worse yet, everyone got candies and he was offered a hunk of broccoli or some other non-treat. All he and the other diabetics are asking for is recognition by way of a treat they could enjoy as well. And some of the others are more than happy to eat sugar-free as well.

I’ll end this off with a cute little story that happened last night.
We were watching Slings & Arrows, a Canadian TV show about a regional theater and the people who work there. Of course, as the title alludes, they put on Shakespeare plays as well as others. It reminds me of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland.  The program stars Paul Gross who was Darryl VanHorne in the brilliant, yet canceled series 'Eastwick' last season.
This is a well acted and produced series, which has us two old actors loving it. So, right after a superb moment of watching the Bard’s words come to life; Rocky chooses to fart. Not a short fart, but a long, bubbly, fart that started out low timbre and rose in pitch to very near a whistle.
Of course, we just stared at each other and began to laugh. Real, tears in the eyes laughter. Scribe Will S. would have loved it!

First off:
Do any of you dear readers ever click on the ClusterMaps on the side?  Well, I was checking them out last night.  It is fun to see where my readers hail from.  And the best part, readers from SIX continents have visited my three blogs! 
I couldn't believe it.  Now, to find that elusive reader from Antarctica!

One of my favorite musings is to build and furnish my Dream House.  It's all up there in my mind.  I see the HGTV 2006 Dream House in Lake Lure NC built on a mountain side overlooking Yachats OR and the Pacific Ocean. 
Of course when I build it, the house will be Oregonized!  The exterior landscaping will be tons of native plants with huge blue hydrangeas, red crocosmia, and white calla lilies next to the house.  There will be an addition to the daylight basement, a Victorian style greenhouse with a lap pool.
The interior will be cozy and warm.  The great room will have a Chihuly chandelier in frosted red, white, and blue (reminding me of watching fireworks in the fog at Bandon-by-the-sea.)  The 'dog-trot' will be glassed in because on the Oregon Coast it would be a 'dog-gone' with the gale-force winds in the winter.
But the best room will be the grand kids guest room.  I loved the bunk room that the interior designer Linda put together and that will be the basis for my design.  I see the bunkhouse look of the old lumber camps that used to abound in the Coast Range.  The bunk bed, with trundle, will be covered in the red and black checked Pendelton blankets with crisp white sheets.  A pull-down map, like what they use in schools, will double as the window blind.  A geographic map of the world will paper one wall, a map of the night sky will be on the ceiling, Other walls will be papered in posters of native plants, soils, rocks, far away places, and such.  There will be a big chair in the corner for reading and snuggling.  The rug will be cozy warm for little toes.  Yeah, I have too much time on my hands.

With the current fibro flare, I have been experiencing just too much pain.  My doctor prescribed some pain reliever.  My shoulder has been hurting so much, I couldn't make the drive to get the pills (it's about an hour driving time, round trip) so Scott was nice enough to go to the pharmacy after work yesterday.  He had to wait over an hour before his number was called (this is why we use mail-order for the maintenance drugs.)
Anyway, he finally got called and the pharmacist had to counsel him so he could counsel me.  Here are the instructions:  take one tablet once a day for three days, take one tablet twice a day for three days, then take one tablet three times a day for five days, then take one tablet four times a day.  I have drawn up a calendar for the fridge so I don't get confused.  Hell, I am already confused.

Terrible Two's and Why You Shouldn't Hold on to Candy Too Long

Lennon has officially entered The Terrible Two’s! Selene texted me last night about his first tantrum. I’m sorry, I laughed out loud. Really.


This morning he didn’t want to put his pants on. Again, screaming-mimi fit. I laughed again. And I apologized for his behavior. You see, I wished this on his mother about 29 years ago. “I hope you have a child who acts just like you.”

I read books and magazines to see what to do about her temper tantrums. It was suggested to “just walk away.” I went to the kitchen, she followed and through herself down on the floor; I went to her bedroom, she followed and through herself on the bed, I went into the bathroom and closed the door, she continued in the hall, etc.

“Throw a glass of water on them, that will shock them.” No, it just made for a wet, screaming child; something like a wet hen on a tear.

“Go outside.” Great, now the neighbors get the whole treatment.

A call to Mom got this reaction: Hysterical laughter, snorting, and more laughing. Seems she was delighted in Grand-daughter’s behavior.

Oh well, it will last less than a year before the Terrific Threes. But just wait, in about 10 years he will be heading for the pre-teens.

And yet again, Desiree at The Happy (atheist) Homemaker got me thinking. Seems she is a sugar addict. I do understand. There are sugar addicts on both sides of our families. I’ve seen Scott finish a quart of ice cream by himself, eat a ½# candy bar, and finish with a giant bag of M&M’s. I’d rather have a bag of potato chips with Dill, Onion, & Garlic Dip or some Nacho Doritos.

Not to mention, but since I have been depressed, almost 12 years now, I have found that most chocolate tastes like wax. No flavor. I’ve taken to eating dark, darker, darkest chocolate and that in just a square or two after dinner.

I still buy Snickers and Baby Ruth bars, but they can sit for weeks before I get to eating them. Which brings me to a story from way-back-when………………………………………….

Every few years our family loved to go camping for our vacation. Well, everyone but Mom. She was not your happy camper. She preferred a motel in Reno and sitting around a slot machine to a cramped travel trailer and sitting around a campfire.

These camping trips necessitated a lot of preparation to get six people (that’s four girls and two parents) into a travel trailer and ‘rough it’ for a week to ten days.

We bought our food ahead and stored it all over the trailer. (Don’t know why, there were always stores where we could have stocked up with no problem. Just the way we did things.) So, you never knew where that bag of chips was hidden. Then Mom would pull them out for lunch and we’d be surprised since we thought we had searched every cubby hole.

This time, Mom had found a buy on some candy bars at the Five and Dime. This was a couple of months before the trip. She was ‘saving them for vacation’ so no snacking on them until then. She packed them carefully and resisted our pleas for them for several days into the trip. Finally, she said, “Yes.”

With glee we ripped open the packaging and found………………………………little worms (catapillers) and lots of webbing where they were beginning to pupate. Four crest-fallen faces. One of us said, “Mom, that’s why you don’t want to save food too long, it gets infested.”

After that, Mom always let us eat the candy sooner rather than later. We just needed to remind her of the ‘worms’ and she would sigh and break down.

Everyday Life and SNAP

I got up this morning to find I had no clean ‘house’ clothes. House clothes are those pants and tops that I wear around the house. I like them to be soft and cottony. I don’t care if they get or are stained because I wear them to do housework or work in the yard. Anyway, this morning I had to wash and dry them before getting dressed. Now, I am outfitted to do whatever needs to be done; like take a nap or watch the Season One Finale of Big Love.


I do have a question. Why do my black jeans have this funky smell? I wash them like all the rest of the clothes, which smell just fine. But the black jeans just smell, off, somehow. I have tried using baking soda and/or vinegar in both the wash cycle and the rinse cycle. Fabric softener has no effect on that smell. Scott says I am just too sensitive. I don’t think so.

I talked with Dad last night. I told him about my fall and he said he took a tumble in his lower garden. He was walking up the hill and slipped on the wet clay soil. Said when he got to the back door, he had to strip off and toss his clothes on the lawn. After he cleaned up, he used the hose to get some of the mud off. Then, he washed them twice and still doesn’t think they are clean.

Anyway, he thinks he may have broken another rib. Man, is he ever brittle. He is still having some residual pain from breaking his hip 18 months ago. I hope it’s just a bruise. He is recuperating from back surgery a couple of months ago. That surgery has really helped him a lot. He moves so much more easily now.

Penny Saver over on The Saved Quarter is participating in the SNAP Challenge posted by the non-consumer advocate. That is, only spending the SNAP (formerly known as Food Stamps) allowance for the month of June.

I have decided to give it a try as well. The average SNAP allowance is $101 per person/month. Since Penny and Katy are using that amount, so will I. That will be $202 for the two of us. This excludes everything except food and seeds for food plants.

Yesterday I spent $20.18 at BiMart for:
4 cans pork ‘n beans
12 cans tomatoes
1 can deviled ham
1 can corned beef
6 cans tuna
2# pasta
Leaving me $181.82. I also have some food in the pantry and freezer that we will rely on as well.

Now, as to the amount I spent on the dogs:
14 large cans dog food
20# dry food
5# treat biscuits
Totaling: $38.04 for two weeks.  The cat food runs about $13 every two weeks (they eat only Purina ONE Urinary Tract Health which is like only 1/3 the cost of the stuff at the vet's office.)  This amount does not come out of my SNAP challenge monies.  It's just to show having a pet is not cheap.  And having five pets ranges on the insane.

Today I am loving our new health care plan. We get 90 days of drugs for the price of 60. So, we have been slowly moving over to this method. Not only that, they ship them for free.

I’m off to the Farmer’s Co-op to see about tomatoes and peppers. I am also going to get some Territorial Seed Lettuce Blend seeds. Maybe some onion sets, too. I will do my best to forgo getting a new cat. There are always cats in need of homes there.

This being National Adopt-a-Cat month, if you have the room why not? After all, they help hold down the rodent population and are some are great teddy bears.

My Online Earnings

So, as of May 31 I have earned:

Surveys  79.70 paid to me
              42.95 pending
            122.65 total

AdSense 15.95

Swagbucks 20.00 in gift certificates

Grand Total since January 15   $158.60

The KitchenAid Artisan Mixer at Amazon runs from $229.99 (Imperial Grey) to $299.99 for the most popular colors.  If I go with the Grey, I am 2/3 of the way there!  If I go with one of the most popular colors then I am 1/2 the way there.  Either way, I am on my way to that new mixer soon rather than later!

I talked with Lennon today.  He is feeling better after having a bilateral ear infection over the weekend.  His parents took him to the ER.  He was x-rayed for pneumonia, clear thank goodness.

One miserable angel

Anyway, he was helping Mom make cookies.  He really liked the part where he packed down the brown sugar.  His fingers tasted real good after that. 

Feeling better, but still a bit wan.  He loves his lizard shirt.

Selene found Kukka with a paint pen just as her sharp little milk teeth began to break through the outer layers.  I can't think of anything more fun than a toddler and a teething puppy to make your day loads of fun!  Oh, yes I can!  Been there, done that.

We're having salmon tonight.  Look for the recipe over at Nana's Kitchen.

An Answer to Another Post

Over on The Happy (atheist) Homemaker, Desiree posted about how she does her laundry.  It is a cute post and worthy of your time. 
Well as I began to answer her post, I realized I had more to say than a comment.  So. here is my post in answer to her post:

As your kids get older and have more responsibility you may find that they don't put their clean laundry away like you requested. And you may find they do not keep their rooms as clean as you would like, but it is their responsibility to do these things and sometimes you feel like natural consequences must follow from their actions or lack thereof.


So when, you tell them to get their laundry; you might just find they have lumped last weeks' clean laundry with this weeks' dirty laundry and it all lands next to the washer.

Naturally, they have done their 'chore' and are off to whatever they do when released from their cages.  Which is anything and anywhere 'old people' who have no lives but to clean and force them into slave labor are not going to be.
 
You head for the laundry room to do the weeks' laundry.  It is a 'chore' that you enjoy doing since there is nothing nicer than to smell of clean clothes hanging in the proper closet or folded into the cupboard or drawer. 
As you bend down to start to sort the piles of clothing, you notice that some of the clothes are still folded from the week before.  Folded, but covered in pet fur and giant dust bunnies.  "WTF!"
 
Now, you will either shake your head and understand they are just kids and this is normal.  Or you will shake your fist and begin ranting to the heavens about how YOUR children, whom you thought you had trained well, are nothing but giant, ungrateful slobs who have no idea of how to do anything you ask and are going to grow up to be the death of you and will never be able to get a job or have a relationship because they are too thick-headed and lazy to be of any use to the world and you waited 10 years for them to come along or alternately have no idea of how you pushed for seven hours to get their gigantic heads out of you and ruined your figure for all eternity!  This is depending on your mood going into this debacle.
 
Okay, relax, calm with a deep breath, center.  You will have two options:
Option 1:  Push the offenders' laundry to the side. Allow them to do their own sorting (we do not wash clean clothes in this house) and their own washing and drying.  Natural consequences.  You don't do a job right; you will do over, yourself and do it right!  BTW, this laundry must be finished before you go to bed tonight.  No leaving clothes in the washer or dryer.
Option 2:  Sort out the clean, but dusty and furry clothes, and put them on the offenders' bed for them to put away.  You do the laundry. 
Option 2a:  Since the offender probably didn't clean their room to house standards:  you will pick up everything on the floor and put it on their bed along with the clean clothes.  Then you will vacuum the floor to your standards and close the door their room. 
 
Either way, you will have a conversation that goes like this:
"Dear sweet child of mine, it looks like you forgot to put your clothes away last week and somehow they got mixed in with your dirty laundry.
I just want to remind you to put your clothes away every week."
"Okay."
"Now, is that a promise this won't happen again?"
"Okay, fine, whatever."
"Really, I mean it.  Put your clothes away.  Oh, and it wouldn't hurt if you cleaned your room."
"Okay, what did you do to my room?  All my stuff is on the bed!  I had that stuff organized and now it is a mess!"
"I needed to vacuum the carpet.  I thought I smelled maggots."
"That's gross!  There was no smell in my room!"
"Well, Honey, your dad crawled under the house looking for a dead cat.  Then, we figured it was coming from your room and we didn't want an infestation."
"So, you went through my stuff?" 
"No, we just smelled the different piles and bags until we found the rotting meat under your bed.  Then, I vacuumed and cleaned the carpet."
"Yuck my carpet is still wet!  Where am I going to store all my stuff until it dries out!"
"You could try putting the 'stuff' away.  You know, that's what drawers, shelves, and closets are for."
"Fine.  I'll clean my room!"
"Fine."
"Okay, fine!"
"Okay."
"Whatever."
"Fine."
"Fine!"
"Okay."
Door slams, the entire house shudders.
"Well, that went better than I thought."

Memorial Day 2010

To all who have served, Thank you.
To all who have fallen, we will remember.

Wonderful Saturday

This is the first weekend Scott has had in at least two years!  He has always had to work Saturdays, with Friday and Sunday off.  So we are enjoying some time together doing what we love.
Today we took off early and went over to the Coast.  The drive over was a little wet at the top of the pass, but the rest of the day was sunny and no wind!  There were so many wildflowers out, but since we were on the highway, I couldn't get any pictures.  We decided to go out to the woods tomorrow and take pictures.

We headed south from Newport to look at some land I had seen on the web.  Feeling a bit peckish, we stopped at South Beach and got some delicious smoked salmon, crackers and pop.  We stopped just south of Seal Rock and had our snack watching the fishing boats and fishermen on the rocks. 
Then, on to see the land.  It was a mess.  It was tauted as having an 'ocean view'.  Nope.  The ocean view was not worth what was being asked for the lots.  Oh well, like we were going to buy anyway.
We stopped in Depoe Bay for lunch at the Sea Hag.  It was very nice, clean and lived up to the reputation of a rich, creamy clam chowder.  Just too rich for me.  I brought home half my bowl for a lunch tomorrow.
Then, it was next door to Ainslee's for the made in store salt water taffy and caramel corn.  Scott has to do with sugar free shipped in from 'Somewhere Else.'
Scott wanted to come back the way we went, Hwy 20 from Newport to Corvallis.  There is a new section of road being built from Pioneer Mountain to Eddyville and he wanted to see if he could see anymore of the new road.  Well, we got a better view of a couple of the bazillion bridges on the new route and that was that.  The road is over the mountain from the old road and out of view. 
It was a beautiful day and drive.  Now that we are home again, Jip was outside barking at the neighbors (what's new?).  I went out to get him and managed to take a fall on the driveway.  OUCH!  I landed on my right knee bruising it pretty badly.  I scraped my right forearm and elbow as well as both hands.  I need to take a look at my right big toe.  I think I managed to tear the nail.  So here I sit, a package of frozen green beans on my knee.  Oh Susanna, how I cry for thee,  at least I don't think this will merit a trip to the ER.

A New Camera!

This was written on Wednesday and I forgot to post.  So here goes.............There's an update on the bottom!

My new camera arrived yesterday! When we ordered it, it wasn’t to be shipped until today. Well, am I happy! I’ve been playing around with it this morning. (I went to bed at 6pm and woke at 2:15am) So far, I have taken a video of a one eyed dog walking away, several pictures of a wall, and one picture of Rocky on the couch! I was able to delete all of those; but now cannot access the picture I took of Scott fixing his cereal. I’ll figure it out and now there will be more pictures of things that interest me!

Lennon called me on Monday. He just wanted to say, “I love you.” Then his mom and I had a great Mother/Daughter conversation. Nate is coming over the pass to pick up some stuff they left here. He will be bringing Lennon with him. Yippee!

Scott is in ‘training’ right now. So, for the next month, he will be working 8-4:30 M-F. That means we can take off for Bend and spend a weekend with the kids! That also means we can transport even more of their junk!

With all the Season Finales this past week, there is very little to watch on TV. I have decided to watch ‘I Love Lucy’ for the billionth time. There are many ‘Summer Season’ shows coming back as well as more being made. We’ll see what happens with them. Scott is re-watching ‘The Sopranos’. At least there’s Cubs Baseball to fill in the time.

My fibro flare is continuing, much to my chagrin. Yesterday was the worst migraine day. I got out of bed to make dinner and then right back to bed. Today, I am hoping for a more productive day. Cross your fingers.

It’s still raining here. The weatherman on the news said it was the coldest May since 1996. While Scott and I were out for a drive, we saw a friend’s cornfield is now a pond with ducks! He just may not get a crop out of that unless June is unseasonably warm.

Back in the mid-seventies, I remember the 4th of July so cold we were all wearing sweatshirts and hats. And my Grandma Vesta’s birthday in late August with everyone in jeans and long sleeves. It was a thoroughly cold summer.

Scott got off early today, Friday.  He came home with another gift for me.  A new Nintendo DS Lite!  He was the top in sales a couple of months ago during a contest.  Woowee!  Another new toy.  Now, tomorrow I need to get the new SD card fro the camera and a new game or two for the DS.  And two bags of steer manure.  Got to get the priorities right!

I hope our luck holds out.  We sure could use some good luck.  After all, if it weren't for bad luck lately, we'd have no luck at all.

LOST: THE END

After six years I feel the LOST ending was just right. All the minutiae of the show, the internet webisodes and games, and the discussion boards (yes, for season 2, I was ISawyerFirst) comes down to one important thing: Jack Sheppard, the tortured soul, finding resolution to his life.
Jack was not my favorite character. He was whiney, controlling, unsure, overly confidant, and a major pain in the butt. But it was obvious, that in the scheme of the show, he was the major character. Everyone else in the ensemble cast was to support Jack through his journey.

While I do not subscribe to Purgatory, and do not think the waiting room where they all met up is Purgatory, I understood the waiting room to be a place where everyone gets to achieve their life’s most cherished desire before realizing there is something even better beyond.

Lost is over. We have spent six years caught up in its web. For me, that was time well-spent.

Namaste

Only 2.5 More Hours and LOST will be Television History

A Funny Story:
Recently, on Facebook, my cousin's daughter recounted how, while on a hike, a snake jumped at her and chased her down the path.  It was funny and her older sister's jibes were quite cute.  Now, add in that the young woman being chased by a snake is a veterinarian.  Yep.
It reminded me of a similar tale from when we were young girls...........................
We were on a family camping trip.  That night we had stopped in a gravel storage lot next to the Santiam River.  (Those spots are now illegal to camp in, but this was eons ago.)  My sisters and I were playing in the river, which was about one foot deep or less where it crossed over a gravel bar.  Dad was upstream with his new fly pole and Mom was in the trailer fixing dinner. 
We were playing in the water and on the gravel bar island.  Don't remember what we were playing; but as we grew up in the local swimming pool it had to do with the water.
Suddenly Debbie screamed a blood-curdling scream!  Peggy, Shelley and I dashed over to see what the matter was.  "SNAKE!"
Sure enough, there was a snake.  A VERY BIG snake.  As I started to calm Debbie down, the snake came at us!  Head up, teeth gleaming in sun, tongue lashing out, steams of venom dripping!  I swear the Basilisk in Harry Potter was only slightly smaller than this evil, girl chasing, snake!
We all screamed, total panic, running for our lives!  Here came Dad, running down the middle of the river!  Mom showed up with her dish towel, ready to fight!
We stopped when their voices got through the adrenaline.  "What's going on?  Are you alright?"
"A snake was chasing us!"
"A. Snake. Was. Chasing. You?"
"Um, yes."
Family discussion on snakes, chasing, people.  Keep your head, don't panic.  Oh damn, lost that new, expensive, fly pole. 
It wasn't the bear Mom had envisioned.  It was a family joke after that, any time Mom was seen walking around with a dish towel in her hands, "Going after a bear, are you?"
And Dad just said, "Next time, there'd better not be a next time."
We offered to use some of our money from picking berries and beans to help buy a new rod; Dad declined, only after Mom shot him a glance Medusa would have shied away from.

Rocky is still a bit sick.  He is on the mend though.  We think he might have eaten a green possum.  Those things have to be ripe, don't ya know.
Anyway, he is eating, drinking, and peeing.  His eyes have been clear all through this.  Not the slime-covered, second eyelid over the eye thing.  Jip has been trying to cuddle up and like his mouth.  Rocky just sighs and looks for help.  So Scott & I have been holding Jip alot.

I confronted Scott about his favorite breakfast today.  He loves three poached (steamed in cups) eggs.  As I was loading the dishwasher the other day, it dawned on me that it takes six pieces of equipment to poach his eggs;  three egg cups, the rack to hold them, the pan, and the lid.  At the time, the little egg cup was feeling like an anvil (damn fibromyalgia!) 
When we were talking today, he added that he also uses a bowl and spoon.  That's EIGHT pieces for THREE little eggs!  I ended up just walking away.  I guess that this is the reason I like one dish meals.  One pot, one serving spoon, a plate and a fork make for a light cleanup.