To all who have served, Thank you.
To all who have fallen, we will remember.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Saturday, May 29, 2010
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.
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.
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.
Friday, May 28, 2010
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.
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.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
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
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
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
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.
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.
Monday, May 17, 2010
Monday, Monday
AAAAArrrrrrrggggg! There are sugar ants in the bathroom! Usually these show up only in the kitchen, which means there's another nest somewhere. Gross!
But not as GROSS as finding carpenter ants in the livingroom and kitchen! I HATE carpenter ants!
Carpenter Ant Stories:
Way Back When, we lived in an old house in Myrtle Point. One beautiful day, we got up to find the wall between the kitchen and bathroom black with HUGE, crawling, winged ants. I pulled out the vacuum cleaner and sucked them up. Then I was off to the store to buy bug spray! The worst part, our landlord laughed! All I can say is GROSS! Those stupid ants continued to hatch over the next three days. GROSS!
Several Years Later, we lived in a house on Ash St. All was well until the day I was changing clothes. I put my top on and got a horrible burning bite on my chest. I could then feel the insect legs walking on me! I pulled the top off and found a carpenter ant had just taken a HUGE bite out of me! I squashed it to smithereens. The landlord had the house sprayed and the spray was horribly smelly not to mention is now outlawed because of being a carcinogen! YUCK!
The only good part of all of this is, it is no longer our problem. Let the dweeb who buys this money pit deal with it!
In other bad news, I am experiencing the worst fibro flare ever. I couldn't even chop an onion on Saturday because of the pain. The pain is relentless and wakes me from a good sleep. I am doing my best to keep moving and getting those endorphins cruising along. I also e-mailed my doctor about some pain meds.
Leaving everyone with GOOD NEWS!
Nate has a job! Not the one he wanted, but he has such a great work ethic he'll move up in no time!
Selene has joined the Roller Derby! Okay, it is a local group of armatures. She has always loved skating, she used to play Roller Hockey on a local team. Here's rooting for her!
But not as GROSS as finding carpenter ants in the livingroom and kitchen! I HATE carpenter ants!
Carpenter Ant Stories:
Way Back When, we lived in an old house in Myrtle Point. One beautiful day, we got up to find the wall between the kitchen and bathroom black with HUGE, crawling, winged ants. I pulled out the vacuum cleaner and sucked them up. Then I was off to the store to buy bug spray! The worst part, our landlord laughed! All I can say is GROSS! Those stupid ants continued to hatch over the next three days. GROSS!
Several Years Later, we lived in a house on Ash St. All was well until the day I was changing clothes. I put my top on and got a horrible burning bite on my chest. I could then feel the insect legs walking on me! I pulled the top off and found a carpenter ant had just taken a HUGE bite out of me! I squashed it to smithereens. The landlord had the house sprayed and the spray was horribly smelly not to mention is now outlawed because of being a carcinogen! YUCK!
The only good part of all of this is, it is no longer our problem. Let the dweeb who buys this money pit deal with it!
In other bad news, I am experiencing the worst fibro flare ever. I couldn't even chop an onion on Saturday because of the pain. The pain is relentless and wakes me from a good sleep. I am doing my best to keep moving and getting those endorphins cruising along. I also e-mailed my doctor about some pain meds.
Leaving everyone with GOOD NEWS!
Nate has a job! Not the one he wanted, but he has such a great work ethic he'll move up in no time!
Selene has joined the Roller Derby! Okay, it is a local group of armatures. She has always loved skating, she used to play Roller Hockey on a local team. Here's rooting for her!
Friday, May 14, 2010
TGIF
Lost. So we got to see Jacob’s and MIB’s back-story. This answered the question “Who were ‘Adam & Eve?’ but left us with, ‘Who was Mother and where did she come from?’ Yes, ‘Was Mother really Smokey Joe?’ AAAArrrrrggggg!
I have so many questions from the past six years. I can’t remember some of them. Just three more hours to go. I have a dreaded feeling that not all of my questions will be answered. And where is Walt?
On other fronts. The weather is sublime. Today is a ‘getting out and doing some potting day.’ I have 10 cubic feet of potting mix. I forgot to get the manure so I’ll run to Wally World today and get some when I pick up more dog food. Man those two can eat.
There are squash in the garage that are molding. I’ve got to get those out and into the garden area. Poor next habitants of this house. They will be getting strange garden plants for eons!
I found some half finished posts and thought, “Why not throw them in here today?” Good luck, they are just short pieces of string.
About April 13th
We did have fun. Selene and Nate dropped him off Sunday and continued over to the Coast to celebrate Selene’s b-day. Grampy and I doted on the little fellow and had a great time.
Lennon is starting to talk up a storm. He said ‘Grampy’ much to Scott’s delight. I asked him if he had farted, after checking out his diaper, and he answered ‘I no do that.’ Plus he is strong! He was doing one-armed pull-ups on the high chair!
All was well, until he learned to climb on the dining table. I thought Scott was going to have a heart attack over that one. Later, I found the dear sitting on the dishwasher door using a spoon (clean) to tap on an egg cup. He closed himself in rooms, climbed furniture, lined toys up on the windowsill, dropped slate coasters on the wood floor, snuggled stuffed animals, hugged live animals, kissed a lot, sang songs, read books to his grandparents, ate everything in sight, and was generally happy, loving, and the best grandson in the world!
We got him down about 10pm and he slept until 3:30am. I got up with him then because Grampy had to get up at 4:15am and I thought it would be nice if he could get the extra sleep. At 6am he finally fell asleep again. At 9am he woke up and we started our day. (Nana only got about four hours sleep, oh well.)
Then last night we met up with family and friends at Los Molcajetes restaurant in McMinnville to celebrate Selene’s 30th! 30 years!
From Mid-March
One summer, while I was home with vertigo, I emptied the coat closet and the hutch closet so I could put in organizers and wallpaper. (I had found a couple of dollar rolls of shabby chic style, blowsy rose wallpaper. I used it because I wanted to paper the walls of the living room and Scott about choked on the thought of a PINK living room!)
In the meantime, our living room and dining room became the 'amazing maze' of junk and necessities while I completed the task. You took your life into your own hands when moving about. Never knew if a pile of stuff would disintegrate onto you!
When I drilled holes into the coat closet for the new organizer, I pulled bits of fiberglass insulation out with the drill bit. Great, now I had those itchy bits in my feet. I don’t think Scott appreciated the vinegar smell from when I dosed my feet to try to melt off the fiberglass.
That’s what I have found so far. More to come later.
I have so many questions from the past six years. I can’t remember some of them. Just three more hours to go. I have a dreaded feeling that not all of my questions will be answered. And where is Walt?
On other fronts. The weather is sublime. Today is a ‘getting out and doing some potting day.’ I have 10 cubic feet of potting mix. I forgot to get the manure so I’ll run to Wally World today and get some when I pick up more dog food. Man those two can eat.
There are squash in the garage that are molding. I’ve got to get those out and into the garden area. Poor next habitants of this house. They will be getting strange garden plants for eons!
I found some half finished posts and thought, “Why not throw them in here today?” Good luck, they are just short pieces of string.
About April 13th
We did have fun. Selene and Nate dropped him off Sunday and continued over to the Coast to celebrate Selene’s b-day. Grampy and I doted on the little fellow and had a great time.
Lennon is starting to talk up a storm. He said ‘Grampy’ much to Scott’s delight. I asked him if he had farted, after checking out his diaper, and he answered ‘I no do that.’ Plus he is strong! He was doing one-armed pull-ups on the high chair!
All was well, until he learned to climb on the dining table. I thought Scott was going to have a heart attack over that one. Later, I found the dear sitting on the dishwasher door using a spoon (clean) to tap on an egg cup. He closed himself in rooms, climbed furniture, lined toys up on the windowsill, dropped slate coasters on the wood floor, snuggled stuffed animals, hugged live animals, kissed a lot, sang songs, read books to his grandparents, ate everything in sight, and was generally happy, loving, and the best grandson in the world!
We got him down about 10pm and he slept until 3:30am. I got up with him then because Grampy had to get up at 4:15am and I thought it would be nice if he could get the extra sleep. At 6am he finally fell asleep again. At 9am he woke up and we started our day. (Nana only got about four hours sleep, oh well.)
Then last night we met up with family and friends at Los Molcajetes restaurant in McMinnville to celebrate Selene’s 30th! 30 years!
From Mid-March
One summer, while I was home with vertigo, I emptied the coat closet and the hutch closet so I could put in organizers and wallpaper. (I had found a couple of dollar rolls of shabby chic style, blowsy rose wallpaper. I used it because I wanted to paper the walls of the living room and Scott about choked on the thought of a PINK living room!)
In the meantime, our living room and dining room became the 'amazing maze' of junk and necessities while I completed the task. You took your life into your own hands when moving about. Never knew if a pile of stuff would disintegrate onto you!
When I drilled holes into the coat closet for the new organizer, I pulled bits of fiberglass insulation out with the drill bit. Great, now I had those itchy bits in my feet. I don’t think Scott appreciated the vinegar smell from when I dosed my feet to try to melt off the fiberglass.
That’s what I have found so far. More to come later.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
A Great Day All Round!
Wow, am I feeling better! After feeling so crummy it is great! Yes, I still have the fibro pain; but it is always better on days when I can get moving.
Today I went to the grocery store! I got to Wal-mart for cat food, crackers, previcid, cereal, dog treats and some candy. Forgot to get the potting mix. I had enough energy to go back and get it! 10 cubic feet of potting mix. Can you say, "Each bag was heavier than the last?"
Then it was off to Safeway for more crackers and fruit and some chicken and hamburger. Had to buy my lottery tickets and Starbucks was having a half price sale on frappacino's. Talk about too sweet! Next time I'll order something less sweet.
Got home to the uber-excited doggies! Jip almost knocked me over! All 20 pounds of him against my mega-weight! Rocky found the new chewies and was overly excited by his find. I had to open the package right then and there! About an hour later, I had not put everything away yet, he found the new tugs; he pulled it out of the bag and proceeded to play catch with me for about 10 minutes.
Story from Selene's childhood:
Selene was in the 3rd grade. We had just been to the store for some groceries. She had talked me into a new chewie for Duke (a Lab/Spaniel Mix) I told her not to show it to him until we had all the groceries in the house.
She pulled the chewie out of the bag and was trying to get the wrapper off. Duke was bouncing off the walls. I walked in with another arm load of bags and was not happy at what was going on. I grabbed the chewie in one hand and pulled the wrapper with the other. In my agitated state, I was super-Mom! The wrapper came loose and in all the commotion, I hit Selene in the eye with the chewie (rawhide with the knot on the end) "And THAT is why I said to WAIT!"
Duke got his chewie and Selene got the icebag; after she finished helping me put the groceries away. Oh, I sat and held her and loved her and chided her and kissed the owie.
That week, I had the salad bar duty at her grade school. Her teacher and the school secretaries were talking about one of the kid's new bruises. I mentioned Selene's black eye. They said they were sure it was an accident. When I told them how it happened, they and the principal were laughing so hard, there were tears! (I was able to put in the gestures, exclamations, laughter, tears, and hope that one day my daughter would learn to follow directions.)
I fixed a mega-amount of spaghetti for dinner. There was enough left over for four lunches and a batch of lasagna to be made later. Tomorrow, chicken enchiladas with quesa fresca.
Then, Scott sat me down at the computer and showed me the company's employees rewards site. We ended up getting a new camera! FREE! NO shipping OR handling! Yay! Happy Birthday, a little late, to me!
With such good luck we turned to our checking account rewards site. We have decided to wait until Christmas and see what we can get then. We should have doubled our points by then.
So, with the camera that means my earnings from surveys and blogging ads will first go to the new mixer and then to the electric litter box. After that, we'll just see what happens.
Today I went to the grocery store! I got to Wal-mart for cat food, crackers, previcid, cereal, dog treats and some candy. Forgot to get the potting mix. I had enough energy to go back and get it! 10 cubic feet of potting mix. Can you say, "Each bag was heavier than the last?"
Then it was off to Safeway for more crackers and fruit and some chicken and hamburger. Had to buy my lottery tickets and Starbucks was having a half price sale on frappacino's. Talk about too sweet! Next time I'll order something less sweet.
Got home to the uber-excited doggies! Jip almost knocked me over! All 20 pounds of him against my mega-weight! Rocky found the new chewies and was overly excited by his find. I had to open the package right then and there! About an hour later, I had not put everything away yet, he found the new tugs; he pulled it out of the bag and proceeded to play catch with me for about 10 minutes.
Story from Selene's childhood:
Selene was in the 3rd grade. We had just been to the store for some groceries. She had talked me into a new chewie for Duke (a Lab/Spaniel Mix) I told her not to show it to him until we had all the groceries in the house.
She pulled the chewie out of the bag and was trying to get the wrapper off. Duke was bouncing off the walls. I walked in with another arm load of bags and was not happy at what was going on. I grabbed the chewie in one hand and pulled the wrapper with the other. In my agitated state, I was super-Mom! The wrapper came loose and in all the commotion, I hit Selene in the eye with the chewie (rawhide with the knot on the end) "And THAT is why I said to WAIT!"
Duke got his chewie and Selene got the icebag; after she finished helping me put the groceries away. Oh, I sat and held her and loved her and chided her and kissed the owie.
That week, I had the salad bar duty at her grade school. Her teacher and the school secretaries were talking about one of the kid's new bruises. I mentioned Selene's black eye. They said they were sure it was an accident. When I told them how it happened, they and the principal were laughing so hard, there were tears! (I was able to put in the gestures, exclamations, laughter, tears, and hope that one day my daughter would learn to follow directions.)
I fixed a mega-amount of spaghetti for dinner. There was enough left over for four lunches and a batch of lasagna to be made later. Tomorrow, chicken enchiladas with quesa fresca.
Then, Scott sat me down at the computer and showed me the company's employees rewards site. We ended up getting a new camera! FREE! NO shipping OR handling! Yay! Happy Birthday, a little late, to me!
With such good luck we turned to our checking account rewards site. We have decided to wait until Christmas and see what we can get then. We should have doubled our points by then.
So, with the camera that means my earnings from surveys and blogging ads will first go to the new mixer and then to the electric litter box. After that, we'll just see what happens.
Jip is Pulling on the Slip-Resistant Dots on the Bottom of My Socks
Happy Mother’s Day! NOT! I was up for an hour when I was hit with the ‘Sleepies’. The next 48 hours were spent either half awake or full asleep. We ended up eating KFC instead of Mo’s. Then last night we had Dominos ‘cause I wasn’t running on all 6 burners.
Things are better today. I HAVE to get to the store for a few things. Cat food is running out. One thing we don’t need is hungry cats! Max gets irritable, so what’s new? Well, Wolf gets irritable and his mew is something like a rusty gate, not a sound you want to hear much.
The daycare next door is taking advantage of the 72F weather today. The kids are playing in the backyard. Jip wants to be in our backyard; but he barks at the kids. Of course, the kids think that is great. They are the only ones in the neighborhood who think so. So, poor Jip is confined to the house until 5pm when the kids go home. Then, he barks at the neighbor’s comings and goings!
I am also in the beginnings of a fibro flare. My left elbow started hurting on Friday. By Sunday it was totally immobilized by pain. I kept using it; using my right hand to move it, gently pushing and pulling the joint. Today, it is better; I can put it up to my mouth and use to lift light things.
My body feels like I over-exercised a day or two ago. Add to the sore muscles my damaged joints that are extra special sore and you get a woman who just wants to soak in a hot tub. Oh well, guess I’ll try extra walks and stretches. Get those endorphins moving and that will lessen the pain.
The house hunt continues. I have found some houses on Craig’s List that would work for us. So, I just hope something is available come August 1.
Plus there is still so much packing to do. I have decided to pack what we are taking and leaving the stuff I want to sell right where it is. Hopefully, that will make it all easier. Now to get some boxes and tubs!
Things are better today. I HAVE to get to the store for a few things. Cat food is running out. One thing we don’t need is hungry cats! Max gets irritable, so what’s new? Well, Wolf gets irritable and his mew is something like a rusty gate, not a sound you want to hear much.
The daycare next door is taking advantage of the 72F weather today. The kids are playing in the backyard. Jip wants to be in our backyard; but he barks at the kids. Of course, the kids think that is great. They are the only ones in the neighborhood who think so. So, poor Jip is confined to the house until 5pm when the kids go home. Then, he barks at the neighbor’s comings and goings!
I am also in the beginnings of a fibro flare. My left elbow started hurting on Friday. By Sunday it was totally immobilized by pain. I kept using it; using my right hand to move it, gently pushing and pulling the joint. Today, it is better; I can put it up to my mouth and use to lift light things.
My body feels like I over-exercised a day or two ago. Add to the sore muscles my damaged joints that are extra special sore and you get a woman who just wants to soak in a hot tub. Oh well, guess I’ll try extra walks and stretches. Get those endorphins moving and that will lessen the pain.
The house hunt continues. I have found some houses on Craig’s List that would work for us. So, I just hope something is available come August 1.
Plus there is still so much packing to do. I have decided to pack what we are taking and leaving the stuff I want to sell right where it is. Hopefully, that will make it all easier. Now to get some boxes and tubs!
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Happy Mother's Day!
I want to wish all you who have mothered a child, Happy Mother's Day! Selene sent me a wonderful e-card announcing me as the Mother of the Decade! I cannot thank her enough! After all, she is the reason I am a mother.
And as I didn't get her story told for her birthday, I think I will share with you dear readers how Scott and I became parents:
We were getting ready to move out to Perrydale. It was a huge old house that the last tenant had trashed. The landlord was giving us a month’s rent to clean up the place and paint it. Our friends, Pat and Kathi, came along to help with getting all of the work finished.
The new landlord came over to tell Scott the sheriff was looking for us. Well, that was scary. Scott knew his dad was on the road with the high school Speech Team, maybe there was an accident. He and Pat had to run back to town to get more stuff anyway; so they were going to stop by the Sheriff’s Office.
In the meantime, I was cleaning petrified cat poop out of the bathroom and Kathi was cleaning burned beans out of the kitchen, when the landlord came over again. “The Sheriff is on the phone and wants to talk with you.”
So I ran over to the landlord’s house, where they were just sitting down to lunch, to take the call. “Your baby is being born,” said a very familiar voice. It was another of our friends on the phone.
She explained that through a friend of a friend of a friend, sort of a deal, she had found out about a woman having a baby she couldn’t keep. And we could have the baby!
Can you say, “Over the moon happy?” As I ran back through the landlord’s dining room I yelled, “We’re having a baby!” The family was dumbfounded as I ran back to the house.
I came through the door and told Kathi what had happened. We dropped the cleaning supplies and got into the car for the trip back to town. I kept talking about the baby being a girl. Kathi reminded me it could be a boy; after all, her two boys were in the backseat. I KNEW my new baby was a girl.
We got back to town; Scott and Pat were loading up another pickup load of stuff. When Scott and I saw each other we said, in unison, “We’re parents!” The whole neighborhood had turned out to hear the news!
Back in the house, we had to find the young woman and let her know we would take the baby. We had been given her name and her phone number, but the number didn’t work. Talk about frustration! We also needed to find a lawyer who would take us through the legalities. So, I spent the afternoon on the phone calling lawyers, Oregon Supreme Court Judges (lovely people who couldn’t help but were ecstatic about the adoption), trying the birth mother’s number, different hospitals, etc. Finally, we got hold of a lawyer, on a Saturday, who would help us out. Then the birth mother called to let us know her phone was broken; but she had heard from her friend about us. She would call us after the baby was born.
We went back to work cleaning the new house and packing up the old. We still had to paint the new place. And move all our furniture. And get ready for a baby. All in less than a week! I did remember to call our parents and siblings to let them know.
About 5 am the next day, we got the call that we had a little girl! We were told the name of the hospital and to check with them to schedule a time to pick her up.
Our lawyer got started on the paperwork immediately. It was Wednesday when we trekked to the Big City to get our daughter. By the way, I had wanted to call her Sacheen Patricia; Scott vetoed that big time! After a long discussion we decided on Selene (Greek goddess of the moon) Patricia (after my mother and Scott’s too).
We got lost getting to the lawyer’s office. We got lost going to the hospital. Found the hospital and went to the wrong building. Right building, wrong floor; right floor, wrong turn! Finally, there at the nurses’ station was a bassinette with this tiny, red-haired beauty. I have never in my life felt such an emotion. My heart swelled, I grabbed Scott’s hand and whispered, “There’s our daughter.”
When we told the nurse who we were she picked up the baby and said, “Little baby, who had no parents to love, meet your parents, who already love you.”
She took us to a private room where I held Selene for the first time. She was so small, just six pounds 10 ounces. We got her foot prints. Then, I got to change her diaper, a messy one. Yup, she introduced us to the next 18 years!
We dressed her in a cute dress, blanket, and little bonnet. The nurse loaded us up with supplies and we took our leave.
These being the time before car seats were widely used; I held her as we drove away, singing ‘Jesus Loves Me’ quietly as she fussed about the changes of being in a car and with new people.
It’s been 30 years and I’ve got to say, that was the best day of my life. The day I became a Mom.
And as I didn't get her story told for her birthday, I think I will share with you dear readers how Scott and I became parents:
We were getting ready to move out to Perrydale. It was a huge old house that the last tenant had trashed. The landlord was giving us a month’s rent to clean up the place and paint it. Our friends, Pat and Kathi, came along to help with getting all of the work finished.
The new landlord came over to tell Scott the sheriff was looking for us. Well, that was scary. Scott knew his dad was on the road with the high school Speech Team, maybe there was an accident. He and Pat had to run back to town to get more stuff anyway; so they were going to stop by the Sheriff’s Office.
In the meantime, I was cleaning petrified cat poop out of the bathroom and Kathi was cleaning burned beans out of the kitchen, when the landlord came over again. “The Sheriff is on the phone and wants to talk with you.”
So I ran over to the landlord’s house, where they were just sitting down to lunch, to take the call. “Your baby is being born,” said a very familiar voice. It was another of our friends on the phone.
She explained that through a friend of a friend of a friend, sort of a deal, she had found out about a woman having a baby she couldn’t keep. And we could have the baby!
Can you say, “Over the moon happy?” As I ran back through the landlord’s dining room I yelled, “We’re having a baby!” The family was dumbfounded as I ran back to the house.
I came through the door and told Kathi what had happened. We dropped the cleaning supplies and got into the car for the trip back to town. I kept talking about the baby being a girl. Kathi reminded me it could be a boy; after all, her two boys were in the backseat. I KNEW my new baby was a girl.
We got back to town; Scott and Pat were loading up another pickup load of stuff. When Scott and I saw each other we said, in unison, “We’re parents!” The whole neighborhood had turned out to hear the news!
Back in the house, we had to find the young woman and let her know we would take the baby. We had been given her name and her phone number, but the number didn’t work. Talk about frustration! We also needed to find a lawyer who would take us through the legalities. So, I spent the afternoon on the phone calling lawyers, Oregon Supreme Court Judges (lovely people who couldn’t help but were ecstatic about the adoption), trying the birth mother’s number, different hospitals, etc. Finally, we got hold of a lawyer, on a Saturday, who would help us out. Then the birth mother called to let us know her phone was broken; but she had heard from her friend about us. She would call us after the baby was born.
We went back to work cleaning the new house and packing up the old. We still had to paint the new place. And move all our furniture. And get ready for a baby. All in less than a week! I did remember to call our parents and siblings to let them know.
About 5 am the next day, we got the call that we had a little girl! We were told the name of the hospital and to check with them to schedule a time to pick her up.
Our lawyer got started on the paperwork immediately. It was Wednesday when we trekked to the Big City to get our daughter. By the way, I had wanted to call her Sacheen Patricia; Scott vetoed that big time! After a long discussion we decided on Selene (Greek goddess of the moon) Patricia (after my mother and Scott’s too).
We got lost getting to the lawyer’s office. We got lost going to the hospital. Found the hospital and went to the wrong building. Right building, wrong floor; right floor, wrong turn! Finally, there at the nurses’ station was a bassinette with this tiny, red-haired beauty. I have never in my life felt such an emotion. My heart swelled, I grabbed Scott’s hand and whispered, “There’s our daughter.”
When we told the nurse who we were she picked up the baby and said, “Little baby, who had no parents to love, meet your parents, who already love you.”
She took us to a private room where I held Selene for the first time. She was so small, just six pounds 10 ounces. We got her foot prints. Then, I got to change her diaper, a messy one. Yup, she introduced us to the next 18 years!
We dressed her in a cute dress, blanket, and little bonnet. The nurse loaded us up with supplies and we took our leave.
These being the time before car seats were widely used; I held her as we drove away, singing ‘Jesus Loves Me’ quietly as she fussed about the changes of being in a car and with new people.
It’s been 30 years and I’ve got to say, that was the best day of my life. The day I became a Mom.
My baby and her baby
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Thursday is Garbage Day
Yesterday I went grocery shopping and came in right at budget! That was for half the stores I visit. Sometime this weekend I will hit the rest. I love to hit the loss leaders at the chain; then hit the warehouse stores to fill in. But, you already know that.
H2O ran out of loaf bread before I got there yesterday. Instead, I picked up some Italian bread that we will slice as needed. It makes pretty good toast, though’ the sandwiches tend to fall apart with each bite.
The forecast is for partly cloudy and warmer weather! Oh JOY! I am hoping the peonies will open up. I love their old-fashioned, blowsy look. Cut and brought into the house, they have a clean fragrance that is not overpowering. Check out Chic Daisy to see what is blooming every week.
On the weight loss front: I am doing great on my diet during the day. It’s night that is killing me. Since I was sick last month, I am back on the swing schedule, bed at 4am up at noon. That means from 10 pm to 4am I am famished and eat like a pig. I’ve got to get myself back on the day schedule of bed by 11 pm up at 7 am. Easier said than done. My circadian rhythms are just screwy. Goal for the next week is to get back to “Early to bed and early to rise makes Susan less fat.”
Meanwhile, I will continue to cut out deep fried foods and cheese from my habits. Scott is dismayed; he loves mac ‘n cheese, which is off the table now. Other changes: pizza once a month; no fries with any meal (oven baked Jo-Jo’s are fine); only take-out nights are on paydays (a tradition from our newlywed days); a chart, with stickers, so I remember to eat my three servings of fruit and two of veggies every day; daily walks with the dogs after dinner (that way we will break up the eating cycle of dinner, dessert, second dessert, snack, second snack) and etc.
Much to do, better get to it.
H2O ran out of loaf bread before I got there yesterday. Instead, I picked up some Italian bread that we will slice as needed. It makes pretty good toast, though’ the sandwiches tend to fall apart with each bite.
The forecast is for partly cloudy and warmer weather! Oh JOY! I am hoping the peonies will open up. I love their old-fashioned, blowsy look. Cut and brought into the house, they have a clean fragrance that is not overpowering. Check out Chic Daisy to see what is blooming every week.
On the weight loss front: I am doing great on my diet during the day. It’s night that is killing me. Since I was sick last month, I am back on the swing schedule, bed at 4am up at noon. That means from 10 pm to 4am I am famished and eat like a pig. I’ve got to get myself back on the day schedule of bed by 11 pm up at 7 am. Easier said than done. My circadian rhythms are just screwy. Goal for the next week is to get back to “Early to bed and early to rise makes Susan less fat.”
Meanwhile, I will continue to cut out deep fried foods and cheese from my habits. Scott is dismayed; he loves mac ‘n cheese, which is off the table now. Other changes: pizza once a month; no fries with any meal (oven baked Jo-Jo’s are fine); only take-out nights are on paydays (a tradition from our newlywed days); a chart, with stickers, so I remember to eat my three servings of fruit and two of veggies every day; daily walks with the dogs after dinner (that way we will break up the eating cycle of dinner, dessert, second dessert, snack, second snack) and etc.
Much to do, better get to it.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
I am LOST
Sun and Jin died! I was okay until Hugo started to cry, then I lost it. Wow, why? And so many of our characters dying; Lapetis, Sayid, Jin and Sun in just one episode. The carnage that was wrought last night was overwhelming.
That just leaves Jack, Hugo, and James (I am still counting on Ji Yeon to show up) to be our new Jacob. Scott is rooting for Hugo, he of the large heart to be our new caretaker.
Just four more hours of LOST, how will we spend our time? My hope is no one decides to make tacky sequels in the future. Just leave well enough alone.
I’ve got to get to the store today. We are running out of everything. It is my only goal, with dinner, to accomplish. Yesterday I tweaked my back and was down with Flexeril for the afternoon. Today, I’m just sore and no more spasms.
Last night I dreamed I was house hunting. I went to see this fabulous house and the landlord told me all about how nice it was. But, that house was rented. He had another house, just over a bit and pointed out an old shop with room for storing an RV in it. We could rent that. I spent the rest of the night trying to get all the junk out of the space, it just kept multiplying. I woke feeling like I needed a nap and a handful of ibuprophen!
Since it is supposed to be nice over the weekend, I think it would be a great time to get some color pots going. I just need to play in some potting mix with pretty flowers. I will be scouring all my hidey holes in the shop and yard for old pots (hope there are no huge spideys in them) and other planting paraphernalia. Got to stop by the feed store to see what they have in the line of tomatoes and peppers. I need determinate tomatoes for pots. I plan on underplanting the tomatoes with onions and lettuce for nice salad bowls.
Much to do. Just get up and do it!
That just leaves Jack, Hugo, and James (I am still counting on Ji Yeon to show up) to be our new Jacob. Scott is rooting for Hugo, he of the large heart to be our new caretaker.
Just four more hours of LOST, how will we spend our time? My hope is no one decides to make tacky sequels in the future. Just leave well enough alone.
I’ve got to get to the store today. We are running out of everything. It is my only goal, with dinner, to accomplish. Yesterday I tweaked my back and was down with Flexeril for the afternoon. Today, I’m just sore and no more spasms.
Last night I dreamed I was house hunting. I went to see this fabulous house and the landlord told me all about how nice it was. But, that house was rented. He had another house, just over a bit and pointed out an old shop with room for storing an RV in it. We could rent that. I spent the rest of the night trying to get all the junk out of the space, it just kept multiplying. I woke feeling like I needed a nap and a handful of ibuprophen!
Since it is supposed to be nice over the weekend, I think it would be a great time to get some color pots going. I just need to play in some potting mix with pretty flowers. I will be scouring all my hidey holes in the shop and yard for old pots (hope there are no huge spideys in them) and other planting paraphernalia. Got to stop by the feed store to see what they have in the line of tomatoes and peppers. I need determinate tomatoes for pots. I plan on underplanting the tomatoes with onions and lettuce for nice salad bowls.
Much to do. Just get up and do it!
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Tuesday and Lost
Oh, excitement, just three more episodes of LOST and then the series finale! Six years of questions, Sawyer, mystery, Sawyer, innuendo, Sawyer, action, Sawyer, romance, Sawyer. Did I mention Sawyer?
During the second season I posted on the ABC Lost Message Board as ISawyerFirst. Yes, I am old enough to be his mother; but it is not Josh Holloway I have the crush on, it is Sawyer – James Ford. His long blonde hair, his build, his southern drawl, his bad-boy cover over that heart of pure gold. Yeppers, I will miss him!
On to other things LOST.
- I am speculating that ‘Adam & Eve’ of the cave are Jin & Sun bringing back Ji Yeon to the island. Ji Yeon, Enchanted Flower, will be the new Jacob.
- Eloise Hawking Widmore has something to do with the alternate timeline since she is trying to get her son, Daniel Faraday, back after shooting him.
- The alternate timeline fulfills each of the Losties dearest heart’s desire. Or not. I am confused about Claire and Kate.
- Another speculation -- Juliet is David’s mother. She and Jack were getting close before the island disappeared.
- From the first episode -- Where are the hairbrushes?
- We’ll see what we learn tonight. I need answers to questions I can’t even think of right now!
Monday, May 3, 2010
Much Too Much To Do and Frog Bathrooms
The snare timpani are gone from my ears! Oh, it is nice to be back to just the usual tinnitus. This means I am finally feeling better and good enough to get some housework done!
Right, who am I kidding? Housework? Yeah, I can’t stand to have the house cluttered. If the house is cluttered, so is my mind. Got to have clean surfaces; no stuff lying about, gathering dust. A place for everything and everything in its place.
First off, I need to clean the fridge. Something spilled and it is yuck! Litter pans, gross. Something spilled in the oven and now it smokes, so got to clean it! Alright, I am cleaning the back of the house: kitchen, laundry, and ½ bath (aka – the ‘Frog Bathroom’)
When we moved in, I had a toilet seat with a cute froggy on it with matching wallpaper. My friend Kathi hung the wallpaper for me. I decorated the room with little froggies. So, in toddler fashion, Selene dubbed it the ‘Frog Bathroom.’
About 10 years ago, I redecorated the room with fresh paint and wallpaper. Reused the toilet seat, it was the right green color and still in great shape. And re-hung the metal sculpture of a little one getting into the clawfoot tub with his pet frog! It’s still the ‘Frog Bathroom.’ Now better known as the ‘Cat’s Bathroom.’ It’s where we keep two litter pans.
One day, I want to get an electric litter pan. When Vern heard that, he had visions of kitties getting jolted! (His favorite book is ‘101 Things to do with a Dead Cat.’) No, the electric litter pan just cleans itself into a container you empty. No scooping. I will add that to my list of things I am buying with the millions I am earning on the net! First the mixer, then a camera, then the litter pan! That is my new goal!
Blue sky, now is the time to run the garbage out before it stars raining again!
Right, who am I kidding? Housework? Yeah, I can’t stand to have the house cluttered. If the house is cluttered, so is my mind. Got to have clean surfaces; no stuff lying about, gathering dust. A place for everything and everything in its place.
First off, I need to clean the fridge. Something spilled and it is yuck! Litter pans, gross. Something spilled in the oven and now it smokes, so got to clean it! Alright, I am cleaning the back of the house: kitchen, laundry, and ½ bath (aka – the ‘Frog Bathroom’)
When we moved in, I had a toilet seat with a cute froggy on it with matching wallpaper. My friend Kathi hung the wallpaper for me. I decorated the room with little froggies. So, in toddler fashion, Selene dubbed it the ‘Frog Bathroom.’
About 10 years ago, I redecorated the room with fresh paint and wallpaper. Reused the toilet seat, it was the right green color and still in great shape. And re-hung the metal sculpture of a little one getting into the clawfoot tub with his pet frog! It’s still the ‘Frog Bathroom.’ Now better known as the ‘Cat’s Bathroom.’ It’s where we keep two litter pans.
One day, I want to get an electric litter pan. When Vern heard that, he had visions of kitties getting jolted! (His favorite book is ‘101 Things to do with a Dead Cat.’) No, the electric litter pan just cleans itself into a container you empty. No scooping. I will add that to my list of things I am buying with the millions I am earning on the net! First the mixer, then a camera, then the litter pan! That is my new goal!
Blue sky, now is the time to run the garbage out before it stars raining again!
Saturday, May 1, 2010
New Changes, Old Memories
I am loving the changes I have made to the backgrounds of my three blogs. I must be in a nostalgic mood, changing to colors and textures that make me think of my childhood.
Potpourri makes me feel like the end of the school year, summer dresses, bare knees, and banging screen doors. Playing in the twilight, running with the neighborhood kids, getting sweaty and gritty, our parents laughing and trying to keep cool. Mom rushing to get four daughters bathed, get them to bed, girls sharing a room, me being the only one awake when the 11pm freight train rattles by the house.
I can smell the hot tar, feel the grass between my toes, see so many stars in the sky; it seems on fire some nights. Starched dresses for downtown excursions in the August heat. Begging Mom not to starch our slips any more.
Cooking in Nana’s Kitchen feels like the old church camp we attended with Grandma Vesta. The cabins were new, but had an old weathered look to them. Items brought to camp to make the cabin homey, left behind in the haste of packing to go home. Old cotton filled mattresses, smelling slightly musty, made up with fresh, line-dried white sheets, covered with one of Grandma’s quilts that smelled of her linen closet. Eating in the dining hall for dinner, but having breakfast and lunch in the little one-room cabin with the tiny wood stove in one corner. Easting Spaghetti-o’s for the first time. Uncle David loving us all, chastising us for our bad behavior in evening services, then easing our tears with more kisses and hugs. Singing the hymns we loved, standing on the bank of a river watching my mother being baptized, finding out the ‘angel choir’ was just the older girls singing from a rock high over the river. Being with my family in a way we did not interact at home.
Chic Daisy just feels like the old fashioned, Victorian, seed catalog. Seeds, hoes, plows, harnesses, patent medicines for whatever might ail you. Are there really that many types of beans, wanting to try a bit of everything, free offers when you buy another plant, free plants just to say, “Thank you” to a loyal customer. The clean, earthy smell of freshly turned soil, walking down the aisles between the rows to get the seeds in before the rain, damp and muddy from picking strawberries in the rain, hot soup in a thermos shared with Peggy in the back of the bus. Dry, dusty roads to fields of boysenberries smelling so sweet, picking the warm berries, dropping them into the halleck with a satisfying ‘thunk’. Little Debbie decorating crates of berries with wildflowers.
Travels I see in my minds’ eye. No one will ever see them as I see them. More is the pity. They are beautiful. But I hope my readers will connect with the new backgrounds in their own interpretation finding new connections for themselves
Potpourri makes me feel like the end of the school year, summer dresses, bare knees, and banging screen doors. Playing in the twilight, running with the neighborhood kids, getting sweaty and gritty, our parents laughing and trying to keep cool. Mom rushing to get four daughters bathed, get them to bed, girls sharing a room, me being the only one awake when the 11pm freight train rattles by the house.
I can smell the hot tar, feel the grass between my toes, see so many stars in the sky; it seems on fire some nights. Starched dresses for downtown excursions in the August heat. Begging Mom not to starch our slips any more.
Cooking in Nana’s Kitchen feels like the old church camp we attended with Grandma Vesta. The cabins were new, but had an old weathered look to them. Items brought to camp to make the cabin homey, left behind in the haste of packing to go home. Old cotton filled mattresses, smelling slightly musty, made up with fresh, line-dried white sheets, covered with one of Grandma’s quilts that smelled of her linen closet. Eating in the dining hall for dinner, but having breakfast and lunch in the little one-room cabin with the tiny wood stove in one corner. Easting Spaghetti-o’s for the first time. Uncle David loving us all, chastising us for our bad behavior in evening services, then easing our tears with more kisses and hugs. Singing the hymns we loved, standing on the bank of a river watching my mother being baptized, finding out the ‘angel choir’ was just the older girls singing from a rock high over the river. Being with my family in a way we did not interact at home.
Chic Daisy just feels like the old fashioned, Victorian, seed catalog. Seeds, hoes, plows, harnesses, patent medicines for whatever might ail you. Are there really that many types of beans, wanting to try a bit of everything, free offers when you buy another plant, free plants just to say, “Thank you” to a loyal customer. The clean, earthy smell of freshly turned soil, walking down the aisles between the rows to get the seeds in before the rain, damp and muddy from picking strawberries in the rain, hot soup in a thermos shared with Peggy in the back of the bus. Dry, dusty roads to fields of boysenberries smelling so sweet, picking the warm berries, dropping them into the halleck with a satisfying ‘thunk’. Little Debbie decorating crates of berries with wildflowers.
Travels I see in my minds’ eye. No one will ever see them as I see them. More is the pity. They are beautiful. But I hope my readers will connect with the new backgrounds in their own interpretation finding new connections for themselves
No I'm Earning the Big Bucks
Since my blogging is all about the Benjamins (snarf, giggle, chortle, goof) I thought I would add up what I have made since I began blogging January, 9, 2010. These are the most up to date figures.
I first began with Google Ad Sense: $2.38
Then I added Google Affiliates: $0
Amazon Associates: $0
Swagbucks: ~$20 in Amazon Gift Cards
Surveyhead: $25 Amazon Gift Card + $32.95 pending
Outlook Outpost: $23.40
Grand Total: $70.78 or $103.98 with pending monies
Oh yeah. I am in it for the $$$$$! I am saving up all the gift cards and money for a Kitchen Aid Artisan Stand Mixer. Cost: Just under $300. So I am 1/3 of the way there! I am hoping to have enough to get the mixer as my Christmas present to ME!
I am finding that the surveys are earning me the most money. I am happy with that. That money I am actually earning.
Oh well, if this keeps up, maybe I’ll be buying that beach house in La Paz BCS sooner than I think!
I first began with Google Ad Sense: $2.38
Then I added Google Affiliates: $0
Amazon Associates: $0
Swagbucks: ~$20 in Amazon Gift Cards
Surveyhead: $25 Amazon Gift Card + $32.95 pending
Outlook Outpost: $23.40
Grand Total: $70.78 or $103.98 with pending monies
Oh yeah. I am in it for the $$$$$! I am saving up all the gift cards and money for a Kitchen Aid Artisan Stand Mixer. Cost: Just under $300. So I am 1/3 of the way there! I am hoping to have enough to get the mixer as my Christmas present to ME!
I am finding that the surveys are earning me the most money. I am happy with that. That money I am actually earning.
Oh well, if this keeps up, maybe I’ll be buying that beach house in La Paz BCS sooner than I think!
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