Potpourri

How am I Doing?

2012-01-06T10:26:00.000-08:00

You might ask. I am doing pretty fine today, thank you.

I have a new doctor(s) and am beginning to get some help. My personal physiscian, Mel, was right on point on our first visit. He upped my trazadone so I sleep better, got me into a pain management group that starts later this month, and got me into a psychiatrist to oversee my psychotrophic drugs. I still need to make an appointment for the MSW to talk about those things that I need help changing.

I have many more decent days than horribly bad days. Still am agoraphobic, to the point I have to ask Scott to accompany me to the grocery store most of the time. The fibro pain is constant now, with excrutiating pain about every six to eight weeks lasting for about two weeks.

Yet all in all, things are looking up right now.

New Year

2012-01-05T08:17:00.000-08:00

My resolutions are not going to be achieved anyway, so no resolutions! I am resolute in that!

Our beloved Max Excellent Katt died back in September. We were so grieved. He had a heart attact and then threw a thomboisis (blood clot) that paralysised his hind end. It happened so fast. He is soaring.

It took about three months and serendipity for us to find our little Miri. The Humane Sociiety of the Willamette Valley had a Black Friday sale on black cats. How adorable! All mostly black cats were free! The $50 - $70 fee was waived.

We walked in looking for an older female and left with a 3 month old spayed kitten with giardia. Which we didn't know about until we were called two weeks later. Luckily I found a free visit coupon for a vet visit and took a very sick Wolf in for meds. All is well now. One happy family.

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T07:44:00.000-07:00

Trick or treat,
Smell my feet,
Give me something good to eat!

So much to accomplish today.

Goals:

Starting with the ceiling, super clean the living room
Clean the fridge
Make a chicken dinner Italiano
Hand out some treats
Bedtime 8 pm

Time now to get dressed and start the work.

A bientot.

I am Back

2010-11-05T02:15:00.000-07:00

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!

2010-08-16T17:13:00.000-07:00

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!

2010-08-14T12:11:00.000-07:00

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.

2010-08-11T09:20:00.000-07:00

Things are getting done with one week until the big, big move!

And it's just not getting packed and sorting out the detris. I cried. Twice. I know, for you sane folks out there crying is well, easy. Honestly, I have not cried in years. Really.
My emotions are damped down. I rarely feel joy, sadness, anger, etc. Just a remenant of what it used to be.
But I have cried real tear twice in the past week. Once was in the middle of the night, not only were there tears but there was a real, heart-felt prayer. And once there were tears at the end of a movie. Scott told me how much I have changed for the better. (But he didn't hold me or touch me.)
I knew moving would open a new chapter and make differences in my road to recovery!

I finally found my camera. It was in my purse. Make your own conclusion. Here are a few pics of the new diggs. I don't know who was taking the pics, must have been some other person because only four came out half-way decent.

Here is the kitchen. Small. We are bringing our own fridge and freezer.

This is the dining room. The fridge will sit to the left of the outlet. Our table will take up most of the space.

Our miniscule patio. Scott is standing in the doorway to give reference. To what I don't know.

Our dining room is to the right, living room to the left, and the window in the background is in the entry.

May your day be warmer than ours is forecast. 73F.

2010-08-10T11:12:00.000-07:00

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

2010-08-08T21:10:00.000-07:00

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

2010-08-07T20:06:00.000-07:00

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!

2010-08-05T13:52:00.000-07:00

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

2010-08-04T12:29:00.000-07:00

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!

2010-08-03T00:24:00.000-07:00

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!

2010-08-02T12:45:00.000-07:00

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

2010-08-01T10:31:00.000-07:00

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?

2010-07-31T12:22:00.000-07:00

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

2010-07-24T00:07:00.000-07:00

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.

2010-07-21T16:41:00.000-07:00

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!

2010-07-12T11:04:00.000-07:00

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!

2010-07-10T08:06:00.000-07:00

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

2010-07-08T14:18:00.000-07:00

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!

2010-07-07T09:46:00.000-07:00

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

2010-07-05T09:33:00.000-07:00

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!

2010-07-04T02:16:00.000-07:00

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!

2010-07-03T09:23:00.000-07:00

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!

2010-06-22T23:25:00.000-07:00

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

2010-06-16T14:06:00.000-07:00

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?

2010-06-16T00:24:00.000-07:00

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

2010-06-11T22:32:00.000-07:00

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

2010-06-10T13:29:00.000-07:00

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

2010-06-07T11:18:00.000-07:00

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!

2010-06-05T09:52:00.000-07:00

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

2010-06-04T15:43:00.000-07:00

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

2010-06-03T12:10:00.000-07:00

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

2010-06-02T10:05:00.000-07:00

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

2010-06-02T09:46:00.000-07:00

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

2010-05-31T08:34:00.000-07:00

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

Wonderful Saturday

2010-05-29T16:58:00.000-07:00

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!

2010-05-28T18:36:00.000-07:00

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

2010-05-26T06:16:00.000-07:00

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

2010-05-19T00:54:00.000-07:00

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.

Monday, Monday

2010-05-17T04:29:00.000-07:00

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!

TGIF

2010-05-14T13:34:00.000-07:00

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.

A Great Day All Round!

2010-05-11T23:24:00.000-07:00

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.

Jip is Pulling on the Slip-Resistant Dots on the Bottom of My Socks

2010-05-11T14:38:00.000-07:00

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!

Happy Mother's Day!

2010-05-08T16:54:00.000-07:00

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.

My baby and her baby

Thursday is Garbage Day

2010-05-06T13:18:00.000-07:00

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.

I am LOST

2010-05-05T13:25:00.000-07:00

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!

Tuesday and Lost

2010-05-04T13:07:00.000-07:00

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!

It’s supposed to rain through tomorrow. Then some sun, then some rain, etc. Spring in Oregon, got to love it.

Much Too Much To Do and Frog Bathrooms

2010-05-03T13:11:00.001-07:00

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!

New Changes, Old Memories

2010-05-01T22:23:00.000-07:00

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

No I'm Earning the Big Bucks

2010-05-01T02:01:00.000-07:00

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!

Mother's Day Sales Pitch!*

2010-04-30T16:19:00.000-07:00

Mother’s Day is May, 9th. Just a reminder. Just a hint. Just a request. Yep, if you have a mom, are married to a mom, or just like a mom, then you might want to get that mom a gift.

A gift does not mean a gigantic, huge, expensive something that will take up more room than is available, make her smell good until she realizes she’s allergic, taste so yummy and then adds on pounds and pounds, is really just an excuse to upgrade an appliance she uses to do her housework, nice to look at for a few days and then dies. No a gift is from the heart. It is something that makes her feel appreciated and loved. It need not be expensive, brand new, or the latest style.

So what am I talking about? And not my favorite gift of compost or bark for the yard. Yes Scott has bought both and a load of manure to boot. Got to love a man who knows where my interests lie.

I was reading Brown Thumb Mama’s blog and she suggested magazines. Yay! It’s new every month. Keeps me happy while I pursue the pages for ideas and suggestions. I can recycle it by giving it to a friend, donating to the library, or drop it into the recycle bin. No left-overs there. Just get her one that suits her style!

Of course, I can always dream of the big-a** Kitchenaid mixer! I am saving up towards one with my Amazon gift cards I get from doing on-line surveys and using Swagbucks search engine and toolbar. So far, I have earned $65 towards mine. With $75 in just the past month from the surveys. But, if someone were to buy me one; I would not complain!

How about a new pair of shoes or handbag? Don’t know her size, give her a gift card and shop together. I know Selene loves cute shoes and purses. And I know Nate has paid more for one purse than I have paid in the past 10 years total. She is one spoiled Mama!

See how frugal can be fun! I will earn that mixer by my work on surveys, using Swagbucks, and convincing my readers to buy products I list in and around my blog. Thank you for your support. Does Bartles & James even exist anymore?
*yes this is an ad! If you order any product from Amazon, by going through the portals I have posted here, I will earn a small percentage of your order. Small percentage. And that will go towards that fabulous mixer!

A Time for a Change

2010-04-29T16:37:00.001-07:00

With the changes going on, I thought I would change the looks of my blogs to something a little different. I hope you like the changes as much as I do. Right now the Olde Timey look suits me. Wait a couple of months and then we’ll see what feels right at the time.

I started looking for housing. Apartments have the best prices; but no room for two active dogs. Houses at our price point are a little on the lame side. Since our goal will be to save $1,000 per month, we are looking hard for a simple house with a nice fenced yard.

My cousin has homes for rent in the area we are looking at; but she prefers tenants without pets. We will continue to look on Craigslist, other websites, newspapers, Scott’s co-workers, and drives around areas we would like to live in.

Tomorrow I will receive my drugs. Yippee! Then, in a couple of days, I will be coping much better.

In the meantime, Selene and Nate have been given a date of July 1 to remove all their junk or I will sell it at the moving sale! I was going to do a sale earlier this month but illness reigned! So, now I am planning the sale for after we move. I’ll just leave the stuff at this place and when we get the stuff we are moving out of the house, then I will have a mother of all moving sales!

Our ten year plan is to purchase a lot on the Oregon Coast for about $50,000. It won’t have an ocean view; but sometimes you get lucky. Then to put a used manufactured home on it for our retirement. With living close to the vest and being more frugal than usual we hope to be able to retire to the life of serenity we dream of.

When a Door is Closed, A Window is Opened

2010-04-28T23:50:00.000-07:00

We got notice today that the house will be up for auction on August 26th. So, we are moving into full steam ahead to get ourselves packed up and moved out before then. We will have been in the house for 29 years, 1 month, 26 days.

I am not going to wax poetic on what memories we have of living here. We captured them in photos and our minds. I am looking forward to a new beginning, a new start. I can only hope that this will end some of my ongoing anxiety by forcing me out of this protective, smothering shell and into a new life full of new experiences.

Do not feel sad for us. We tried. We lost. Life is a circle and it is time to start anew.

2010-04-28T12:47:00.000-07:00

I think I am really on the mend! My fever broke last night. I woke in the middle of the night covered in sweat and my hair was dripping. If I hadn’t already been through that joy of menopause, I might have put it up to night sweats! So, I had to get up and change my nightshirt; small price to pay for knowing that soon the snare timpani drum will vacate my head!

Selene called to ask a question yesterday (Do I think 17 month old Lennon would like – certainly, in a year or so.) and put Lennon on. He was so verbal! He just chatted along and said ‘Nana’ twice! Then he said ‘Bye’ and it was all over. Such a cutie!

I am waiting for my prescriptions to arrive. The doctor ordered the increased trazadone and more lorazapam for the anxiety. It has been about 10 days since my last Lexapro; but I am going to start taking them again. I have been having at least two to three anxiety attacks everyday. Scott told me I am waking him up with all my starts, shivers, and talking in my sleep. Guess I am not ready to stop medicating.

I was really hoping to get the pharmaceutical bill down. My scripts cost us $85 a month. Scott’s are $40. Then, there’s the Prilosec, antihistamines, Zantac, and vitamins which end up about $45. Altogether, about $170 per month or $2040 a year. Thank goodness for health insurance!

Today’s Goals:

Litter pans, yuck but has to be done. This includes mopping the floor under them with vinegar (mildly disinfecting and helps to kill the ammonia smell.
Kitchen, there’s always something to do.
Laundry, again, never-ending. How do two people produce so much laundry?
Bathrooms.

April, the Sickest Month in a Long, Long Time!

2010-04-24T12:30:00.000-07:00

Hi, I think I am back. The past month has been somewhat strange. Right after Easter Scott and I got sick. He was able to work, but I just rested a lot. Then, there was my birthday. Scott helped me to clean house the day before. And then, Scott got sick again. And then, I got sick again. WTF!

All this month I only remember a handful of days I wasn’t sleeping, nauseous, or totally off kilter. It is time for it all to end!

There is not much for me to write about. Unless you want to read about how much I have been sleeping. And eating.

Yes, there is something to write about. I went to my new doctor. When I was weighed, I yelp, “HOLY SHIT!”

I have never weighed so much in my life! I am grossly, morbidly obese! See picture:

Thanks for the photo Carrie Jo!

I have to do something. I know what to do: Exercise more, eat less. Easier said than done. I am now committed to a new program of walking the dogs every day. Even if it is just around the block, I am promising to do it! Girl Scout and Rainbow Girl PROMISE! And folks that is a real promise, not just a threat!

While I was sick the last week, I stopped taking my Lexapro. Okay, I ran out of the med and was so brain-dead I just didn’t order any more. Anyway, here it is seven days since my last pill. I am not suicidal. I am not freaking angry. I do feel some tension, but it is nothing that a walk and play with the dogs would not cure. I am calm.

I have re-ordered another month’s supply, just in case. I also noticed that my new doctor has reduced my trazadone prescription by half. I have emailed her to let her know why I need the full script. It reduces the tension and anxiety. Tension: Jaw clenches so tight I fear I will break a tooth; my internal organs begin to tense, like my diaphragm and lungs get so tense I remember what it was like when I stuttered (another story for another day); and I get very angry at nothing.

Now I need to clean the kitchen. Scott helped out by running the dishwasher several times this past week. He also did several loads of laundry. I really appreciate his help. It made being sick easier knowing I would not have piles of dirty dishes and laundry to greet me when I felt better.

Happy Birthday to Me!

2010-04-17T09:12:00.000-07:00

Yeppers, today I am officially 60 years old! Born April 17, 1950, at 8:28 am, to Pat & Don.

Last night Dad and Dorthy took Scott andI to dinner at McGrath's Fish House. Oh, it was good food. And it is not everyday a 60 year old woman is treated to dinner out by her 88 year old father. We had a great time!

Today, I am going to run some errands and tonight we are having pizza (canadian bacon, pepperoni, pineapple, and sliced tomatoes cooked on the pizza) while watching Stargate Universe and the new Dr Who. What else would an old couple be doing on a Saturday night?

Tomorrow, we are leaving open. The hope is to get some yard work done; if the weather cooperates.

Another HUGE K'Nex Give-Away

2010-04-09T21:34:00.000-07:00

Over at Bizzi-Mommi' Blog is ANOTHER HUGE K'Nex Give-Away! This one is slightly different products. I don't know who would be happier to win, me or Lennon!

A Great Give-Away!

2010-04-09T21:16:00.000-07:00

Over on Mommy 2 Two Girls there is one great give-away. She is giving away a huge assortment of K'NEX. I have already entered for Lennon. Wow!

We've Come a Long Way Baby!

2010-04-06T12:56:00.000-07:00

Peggy is home sick today. She couldn't make Easter and we really, really missed her. She has been e-mailing me some funny things today. I can't decide if this is funny or just plain too sad for words.

Easter and Lennon

2010-04-06T12:51:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful weekend! There was a family Easter dinner at Debbie and Rob’s house. We were the first to arrive. We got to see Lindsay and Kelsey open their Easter Baskets. It was too funny, them being 25 and 23 respectively. They just wanted the candy.

Dad and Dorthy arrived next; with three pies! Dorthy made two lemon meringue and one cherry. She has the lightest hand with a pie crust and her lemon meringue is totally homemade and delish!

We were all having a good visit, the guys in the living room with the game and the gals in the kitchen with the food.

When Selene and Nate arrived with Lennon, the entire party rushed to the front door to greet them. It’s been five months and they are sorely missed.

When I got there, Lennon was at Debbie’s hutch talking to the rabbits on display. I said, “Hi.”

He turned, held his arms out, and I picked him up. I got the best hugs and kisses from him. I honestly started to cry.

Oh, how I have missed his sweet smell and soft skin. I was surprised that he remembered me. He hasn’t seen me since just after his first birthday. We have talked on the phone at least once a week. Anyway, it was like we had never been parted. After our greeting, I stayed back to allow his great-grandparents and great-aunt and uncle to fuss over him.

Back home there was a real problem. Jip took offense to Lennon’s new puppy, Kukka. He kept barking ferociously at her; we had to keep him leashed. It was not a pleasant evening. Poor Kukka had to be either in her crate or outside; or Jip had to be in the bedroom barking and pawing at the door. It’s my fault, due to the depression and agoraphobia I haven’t socialized Jip enough. Rocky and Kukka made fast friends right away.

Monday, I watched Lennon while Selene, Nate, and Kukka went to the coast. We had so much fun laughing, talking, and snuggling. I thought I had baby-proofed the house, but of course Lennon found everything I forgot about. Like the pot made of Buena Vista clay, family heirloom don’t you know.

They stayed at a friend’s house last night and came by to say goodbye this morning. I can’t wait until next Sunday. We will have Lennon Sunday and Monday while Selene and Nate spend the night at the coast. Oh, happy day! Then there will be Selene’s b-day party Monday night. I will be in Lennon heaven!

Petting a happy Max - the only picture I got this weekend.

A Saturday's Review on Monday

2010-04-05T11:53:00.000-07:00

The Hand of Fate by Lis Wiehl with April Henry is a mystery set in Portland OR. Jim Fate, radio talk show host, is killed by an apparent sarin gas attack. What follows is an investigation by three friends: Nicole Hodges, FBI special agent; Allison Pierce, federal prosecutor; and TV crime reporter, Cassidy Shaw. They call themselves the Triple Threat Club.

The three women interview friends, co-workers, and fans of Fate, a controversial host who has made a great many enemies in his line of work. There is not a lot of action, mostly the story is told through conversation.

I found the book to be a little pedantic. Just a walkthrough of the story. The only part of the book that grabbed me was the panic in the streets of downtown Portland during the apparent sarin gas attack.

The side material on domestic violence, illegal aliens, prescription drug abuse, etc. was so dry I needed a large glass of water to get through it.

I was also dismayed by the lack of local color. As a life-long Oregonian, I was hoping to see some of what makes Portland unique: Saturday Market, the Park Blocks, Pioneer Courthouse Square, MAXX transit. Instead, I felt the location could have been set in Atlanta or Des Moines with just a change of street and place names.

All in all, it was a nice read. I didn’t have to use my brain a lot to figure out the ending.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255

Easter, Now and Then

2010-04-02T23:41:00.000-07:00

It is raining to beat the band. Grandma Cora used that phrase, ‘to beat the band,’ all the time. I missed not getting to know her better. I know she was smart, thrifty, and had a wicked sense of humor. But we only saw her and Grandpa Jake four or five times a year. I was 18 when she died.

I went to the new doctor today. I am but a cog in the HMO machine. Everything is computerized there. She ordered my prescriptions, blood work, and a referral to a psychiatrist, enrolled me in a class for fibromyalgia, and set up an appointment for a mammogram; all from a terminal in the exam room. I felt a bit rushed through. I really needed to talk to someone about my mental state and she just said I could do that with the psychiatrist. Best part, no big deal when I asked for an injection of Novocain in my hip for bursitis. She just stuck me like a pig! There is still some residual burning on the edges of the bursa; but nowhere near the pain I had been having for the past week.

I did some shopping afterwards. I went to the Rainbow Market (Grocery Outlet) and found a few bargains. Like a planter in the shape of a coffee cup and saucer. I bought one that reminded me of Mexico complete with yellow flowers and a hummingbird. Then I found an Echeveria Metallica, getting ready to bloom, to put into the pot. It will grace the dining room table.

I found some bronze fennel, an Easter lily, some adorable sedums for the strawberry jar. I planted it 12 years ago and it needs some freshening. I’ll just knock out the old potting mix, add new, and replant what’s left and the new plants. I’ll pot up any leftovers for Nate. Some of his hops are growing! For that micro-brewer that is one great happiness!

Selene’s b-day present is now bought and hidden. I found Lennon a card and a goofy ball for Easter. I want to find him a hat to hold his Easter gift from us. (We always tried to give Selene her Easter basket as a hat filled with some goodies.) No going overboard. He will get gifts from a myriad of family and friends. So will be keeping it simple.

We are having an Easter picnic at Debbie’s and Rob’s. We were hoping for nice weather. Not to be found this year. Reminds me of the year we went to Weippe, ID, my dad’s home town, for Spring Break. We stayed with Uncle Harold and Aunt Georgia, before they got indoor plumbing. It was the same house that Great Grandpa David and Great Grandma Mary built when they moved to Idaho around the turn of the century. (The ranch is still in family hands.)

Uncle Harold took us on a drive up the Snake River. There was about five feet of snow on the ground. Best part of the day was having a picnic in the snow and seeing Big Horn Sheep across the river. Dad’s cousin Keith’s wife showed us the little park where her family always had their Easter picnic; she wrote us later that they held the picnic in the park that year; they just shoveled snow out of the way!

I found the missing mop. It had fallen behind the freezer. So, tomorrow my goals will be:

Mop the floors
Make a pot of baked beans
Make a marinated bean salad
Make an applesauce cake
Baby-proof the house!

Best April Fool's Joke Ever!

2010-04-01T00:32:00.000-07:00

April 1, 1955, 7:30 am

I get up, put on my robe, and go to the kitchen where good smells are congregating. I stop; Grandma Vesta is cooking bacon and eggs. “Where’s Mom?”

“Better go ask your Dad.”

“Where’s Mom?” I demand as I enter the dining room.

Dad puts down the paper and pulls me up onto his lap. “You have a new baby sister.”

“Yeah, April Fools. Where is Mom?”

Dad laughs, frustrating me more. “Honey, you have a new baby sister. Mom is at the hospital.”

Mom wasn’t supposed to have the new baby until after the third, her birthday. She and I had planned an April Fool’s joke for Dad that morning. Dad and I were in cahoots for her joke that evening. And I was working with Grandma for Mom’s Birthday Party on the third.

I was 16 days short of my fifth birthday and I was one angry older sister. Dad reminded me to be quiet until Peggy, age 31 ½ months, and Shelley, age 16 months were awake. “Be a good girl and help Grandma out with the other girls; see you at lunch.”

Of course, back in the day, siblings were not allowed to see Mom and new babies at the hospital. We got to talk with Mom on the phone a couple of times. Dad drove us down to the hospital and Mom showed us the new baby from the third floor window. That was disappointing, why couldn’t she bring the baby down to the front door and let us look through the glass? Hospital rules were very strict.

The day Mom and Dad brought Deborah Jo home from the hospital; I would not budge from our Chesterfield chair. When they brought home Shelley, Mom laid her in the chair so she could change clothes. I watched Shelley to make sure she didn’t roll off the chair. (Yeah, I knew she couldn’t roll, it was a big sister thing.) I was going to do the same thing with Debbie. Only Debbie had other plans. She was hungry and Mom had to nurse her.

I was super furious! I had saved that chair all day and now that little baby wanted to nurse! I was the oldest sister and what I said was law!

From that day forward, Debbie threw a clog into my life. She was stubborn, wanted her own way, and not a push-over for anybody. Still is today.

Stand us next to one another and the resemblance is clear; both physical features and personalities.

Happy Birthday Baby Sister! You are the best April Fool’s joke ever!

Grover Takes on the Eifel Tower

2010-03-31T22:30:00.000-07:00

Stupid Mop

2010-03-30T16:58:00.000-07:00

I was supposed to mop floors today. I can’t find the mop. No, really, I can’t find the mop. It’s a janitor’s model with a large YELLOW handle and a string head (that goes in the washer after every use.) It’s gone. I looked on the back porch, in the laundry room, in the back room, in the broom closet and no stupid mop! I have to mop the floors, they are gross. I have a Swiffer dust mop that doubles as a mop – great for nothing (it is going in the yard sale) and a Swiffer battery action mop (again, great for nothing, those stupid pads only clean a 10x10 ft already clean space before they crap out.)

I want my big mop to deal with the mud the dogs have tracked in during the past two weeks! WAAAAAA!

Alright, fine, I will take a breath, center myself, and tackle the kitchen counter. It is packed and ready to move out. A bag of potting mix, a jar of fertilizer, an empty pop bottle, dirty bowl, jar of dog treats (that, at least, is supposed to be there), 1/10 a bag of chips from the burrito shack, 2 dirty glasses, a used coffee cup, and a piece of foil used to warm some asiago foccacia bread.
Yes, that will make me feel better.

It has been raining so hard the driveway is flooded again. Just wear your high-top boots and high-wader pants to negotiate our little lake.

Dinner tonight: Hawaiian Pork Chops with Broccoli and Stir Fried Rice. Poop! I’m out of five-spice. Search the web and find a recipe. I may have enough spices to make a reasonable facsimile. Maybe. See Cooking in Nana’s Kitchen tomorrow for the final report.

Now that I have opened the curtains, the house is so much brighter. I am soaking up the rays through my eyes to the little glands in my head which will allow endorphins to circulate and make me feel happier and more energetic.

Of course, with the blinds open I see the windows need cleaning, there’s a new layer of dust to tackle, and the FLOORS. NEED. MOPPING.

Time for an apple and two slices of cheese.

Sunday

2010-03-28T12:25:00.000-07:00

Upside down day today. My bladder woke me at 4:17 am; Jip, hearing me up, decided he and Rocky needed a potty break. So we all got up, they went out and began barking. Crap. I slipped on my clogs and a sweatshirt; went out into the rain, found them fussing over a possum. It was playing possum, Rocky was easy to catch (for a change), we went back into the house.

I finished a couple of surveys, was accepted for a week long survey that will pay $60, and earned $5 for the surveys I took.

So far this month, I have earned:

Opinion Outpost $ 2.00 Need $5 to cash out
Surveyhead $23.95 Need $25 to cash out
Ad Sense $ .06 Need $100 to cash out Total to date $.09
Amazon Associates $ .00
Google Associates $ .00
Swagbucks 1214 total to date

Yup, I’m in it for the money ;)

Drank my coffee and ate breakfast while catching up on email, facebook, and blog reading and commenting. Went back to bed about 7am. Got up about 11:15am just as Scott was going to take a long nap.

I had a bad late afternoon and evening. Headache and anxiety. Got the bread – 3 loaves white, 2 loaves wheat, 2 loaves foccacia with cheese, 6 onion bagels, 1 angel food cake, 1 pound cake, 6 cake donuts, 5 honey mustard dips, 1 pint sour cream, 5 potatoes, 1 lb little mushrooms (I forgot to see what they were, but they were tasty in last night’s broccoli, ham & cheese frittata).

Fixed dinner, watched the rest of The Grand (you might just like this one, it is funny and well acted, edited, and directed), tried to read a book, took my lorazapam and went to bed at 9pm.

Good news! Selene, Nate, and Lennon will be here for her birthday! Sounds like they have planned a BBQ at Debbie and Rob’s. I’m just a little upset they are planning to stay there as well. Something about thinking Lennon and the new pup, Kukka, would be too much for me to handle. I think it is really because here they would have to sleep on an air mattress and at D&R’s they get a real bed. Not to mention that poor little Kukka would be attacked by our cats; while Debbie’s cats will just hide from her.

Whatever, I am going to demand our Grampy and Nana time with Lennon. Just the three of us snuggling and laughing together. It’s been FIVE months!

Now, what do you buy for your 30 year old daughter? I have no clue, hopefully Nate has an idea or two.

The Last Saturday in March

2010-03-27T15:33:00.000-07:00

A beautiful, overcast Saturday; mild temperatures, and high pollen counts; punctuated by shrill barks from the Jipster.

Love eyes from Wolf as he snuggles down in my SSDI claim papers for a nap in the filtered sun.

All to the tune of Len & Bob calling the Cubs game.

We are taking it easy. Just doing some dishes and laundry that piled up while I was down with GERD complications. Got to get some bread in a little bit; they are open from 3pm to 5pm. To keep from having to stand in line (thus making my back hurt like hell) I wait until 3:30 – 4pm to leave. Selections aren’t as great as being there early, but who cares. I really just need two loaves and some French/Italian to make it through the week.

Tomorrow we are planning to get over to the Coast. Over to Newport and down to Yachats; we’ll have a little picnic. Probably, just sandwiches and chips. I remember one time we went to Golden and Sliver Falls State Park in Coos County, with saltines, slices of Tillamook Medium Cheddar, sweet pickles, and Kool-Aid. It was misting, the dogs got wet, we sat in the car fogging up the windows, smelling wet dog, eating our lunch, surrounded by trees dripping with moss and fern..

The west neighbors finally filled the hole in their fence with fencing. I had nailed some plywood up to the posts and they had leaned more plywood and trellis up against that. The dogs still found their way through. I am happy to say, the new fencing looks nice and is better than the pieces of plywood. The dogs don’t like it. Jip can’t see over the new fence from his position on top of Scott’s Mustang. (Mustang and Z280 are still for sale, all offers will be considered.)

The Best-Laid Plans of Mice and (Wo)men Often Go Awry

2010-03-24T10:06:00.000-07:00

And folks that’s just how my yesterday went. I did get to Roth’s and BiMart, fixed Chicken-etti for dinner, and watched Lost, 19 kids, and Table for 12; but that was all I got done. My back was so sore I spent the rest of the time lying flat. My next doctor’s appointment is next Friday and I can’t get more muscle relaxers until then. So, it’s old fashioned care: alternate hot and cold, keep moving as much as possible, and take acetaminophen every four hours.

Today, I am going to baby my back. I’ll accomplish what I accomplish.

Chicken-etti wasn’t too bad; except Scott’s blood sugar was up to 362 this morning. He did eat seconds last night and that wasn’t such a good idea. Guess he liked it! I froze four lunches, out of the leftovers, for him. (At least those lunches are portion controlled.)

LOST. SPOILER ALERT!

After six years we find out the reason for the island: To contain the ultimate evil. I did like Richard’s story. It helped to answer some questions. How the Black Rock got so far inland, how the statue was broken, why Richard never changed, how the Hanso Corporation is related to the island.
Will Evil-Locke really reunited Sun and Jin? Find out next week.

I watched as a venerable old big leaf maple, Acer macrophyllum, was cut down yesterday. Our neighbor, Norm, had the giant removed due to the problems it was causing to his house. The entire west side of his roof is green with moss and the shallow root system was creating havoc with his foundation. I don’t blame him. The tree was about 50 feet tall and three feet in diameter. He is not planning on replacing the tree; which is too bad; I could have recommended a multitude of better trees for his small back yard.

I'd let the dogs out, but the damn starlings are perched on the roof next door. I just don't want to put up with Rocky and Jip barking and trying to jump 20 feet to get at them. That reminds me, it won't be long before the Cedar Waxwings show up. Love their neat looks and cheery voices, hate their holly-seeded poop!

Tuesday's Musings

2010-03-23T10:36:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I cleaned the dining room from ceiling to floor! I didn’t mop, yet. I did have to soak the hairballs on the bench and floor. YUCK! Wolfie will be downing hairball stuff for the next few weeks or until he finishes shedding!

Anyway, I opened the curtains and plan to keep them open now. All we need to do is to put things away. Our nature is to just drop them on the table, no more!

Today, I plan on going to Roth’s, Waremart, and BiMart for just a few things. I am fixing Chicken-etti for dinner. Last week on 19 Kids and Counting, Anna fixed it for the in-laws. Of course, I will try to fix a leaner, meaner version. We don’t need all that fat and sodium!

I also need to get some Frontline Plus for the pets. I noticed a couple of fleas on Jip. By the way, Jip is much better. He is now coming up for a snuggle and to play ‘Be the Baby.’ (He lies on my chest and tucks his head under my chin.) I can tell he still hurts after playing, but is getting better every day.

After shopping I will do some laundry and change the bed. So much to do, so little energy to do it with.

At least the sky is blue and clear. I need to get out there and soak up some rays! If it is not raining tomorrow, I plan on renting a blower and work on the front yard. That will make me feel much, much better about myself. Little by little, I will get things caught up. I hope ;)

My First Giveaway!

2010-03-22T15:23:00.000-07:00

Here goes my first giveaway! I am giving away my copy of Webb Garrison’s book, Why You Say It: The Fascinating Stories Behind Over 600 Everyday Words and Phrases. You can read my review of this book here.

To enter the giveaway, just leave a comment on this post. If you post a link back here on your blog, come back and post the link back to your blog for an extra 5 entries. Anyone who becomes a follower of this blog will receive an additional 5 entries.

I will pick a winner on Friday, April 2, 2010 with random number generator. I will contact the winner by email. The winner will have 48 hours to get back to me with their mailing address or I will choose another winner.

That’s it. Good luck to you all.

ETA: The drawing will be held at 8 pm PDT. Sorry :)

Monday's Life

2010-03-22T10:17:00.000-07:00

I just let the dogs out for the fifth time in 90 minutes. They keep coming to the backdoor and woofing to come in; only to want back out 10 minutes later. This time they both started barking as soon as they were outside. The neighbor damn starling was sitting on the peak of the roof next door and the dogs had to challenge it!

There’s Rocky, jumping up and with his deep voice, “Woof, Woof!”

And Jip in his barky little voice, “Bark, Bark, Bark!”

Cacophony at its best! I called them back just as the damn starling flew away. Great, if the damn starlings are nesting now, there will be a second clutch later this summer.

We went over to Dad and Dorthy’s for dinner on Friday. They got some new carpet in the living room. Dad was cleaning out the fireplace and set the old carpet on fire! Anyway, since the living room opens into the den, they got the whole thing replaced. And he gave us the carpet from the den.

While I appreciate the gesture, I have severe dust mite allergies and cannot have carpeting in the house. I cut off some rug sized pieces for bedside comfort and donated the rest to a local charity.

Dorthy fixed a ham dinner with scalloped potatoes, baked beans, and coleslaw with pineapple upside down cake for dessert. Yum, only problem, they over salt everything. I am still swollen from all the sodium and I have been downing water like crazy trying to flush it from my body.

And of course, I left my glasses over there. I mended the old pair with some painter’s tape and let them know I would be back over on Tuesday to pick the left pair. Well, Dad called Sunday afternoon to say they were coming over with the glasses. Scott caught the call and said, “No, we’ll be over to pick them up.” So he woke me from a nap to go over to D&D’s again!

Okay, this house is a wreck. I was so sick and down for three weeks, I didn’t do any cleaning. Scott does not help with the housework, as I am not working (when I work he is the best at keeping things cleaned up and neat). So off we went, with me grumbling about being forced to leave the house without proper time to get myself psyched up. On top of the unplanned outing, Scott was talking about going out to eat at an unknown restaurant. Man, I was ready for the screaming meamies!

We got the glasses, visited for a while, and left for the restaurant. Scott picked up on my unease and agreed to get a takeout pizza from Ugo’s. We did stop at Wal-mart for cat food, canned dog food, creamer, milk, and cereal.

HOME. I relaxed. We watched a program on Pluto and then Damn Yankees, I love Netflix. I had never seen the play or the movie. It was fun! All the while, I was thinking how it could be remade and which talented actors could play each role. I also thought about how horrid it could be with the wrong actors.

The dogs just went off on some kid walking by the house. I called them to me, Grover the cat came instead. Weird animals.

Thursday Before Spring

2010-03-18T15:42:00.000-07:00

Just two more days until SPRING! I have been chronicling my blooming flowers for the past few weeks over on Chic Daisy. Due to my depression, what used to be glorious color is now just a few plants puttering along. I just didn’t want anyone to see me, so I let the yard go to ratpoopy.

The flyers from BiMart showed up today. They have flowers and herbs on sale. I think I will splurge a little and get some happy blooms.

We are not putting in a garden this year. Instead, I will grow some container gardens. I have several larger pots that will hold some tomatoes and peppers. And I will plant some pots in flowers for spots of color. Oh, there are some hanging planters in the back; I can fill those for the porch! For other ideas, stop by Chic Daisy.

It’s the day after St Paddy’s and traditionally we would be looking forward to some corned beef hash. Traditionally. When I opened the package of corned beef yesterday, it was fatty and very lean on the amount of meat.

I had just taken one mg of lorazapam and was not able to drive to return it to the store. So, I threw the meat into the slow cooker and hoped for the best. We were able to get two servings, just. So tonight will be baked, BBQ chicken and fries with a vegetable. I am about to post a recipe for Moroccan Chicken over on Cooking in Nana’s Kitchen. It was delish!

We have to trek over to Dad’s tomorrow. They got new carpet in the living room/den. Seems Dad caught the old stuff on fire when he cleaned out the fireplace. (I did the same thing here, only when the cord to the vacuum cleaner shorted out.) Anyway, he saved a piece out of the den for us to use in the bedroom. I thought I would cut a couple of pieces for each bedside, since I have a dust mite allergy and don’t want full carpet under the bed. The rest I will sell/give away in our garage sale.

I am planning a garage sale the first part of May. Going to get rid of the clutter, junk, and treasures we just don’t use anymore. The proceeds from this sale will go towards seeing the Cubs play the Mariners in June! Go Cubs!

Jip is hurting. I think he might have pulled a muscle while playing. He doesn’t want to be held at all. He still is jumping around and barking; so it can’t be that bad. I can get him to come to me with a treat, otherwise he just runs away and growls. When he lets me pet him, he is stiff and unyielding. If he is not better by next week, we’re off the vet.

Our little Emily of the now defunct Under $1000 a Month, her current A Fine Collection of Lint and Fuzz, and Wednesday’s Frugal Hack; is missing. She hasn’t posted in over a week now. She was reading and moderating comments back when her son was in a coma; so there are those of us who are worried about her. Even her husband, Dan’s Rants, is missing and not posting on his blog, Facebook, or Twitter. Hopefully all is well and they are on vacation or visiting relatives.

I’ve got a new book to review. Off to devour it and let you know if it would be worth your time to check out.

Dog Tired

2010-03-17T05:54:00.000-07:00

After racing in and out. Jumping on and off the couch (protected by a king size sheet) Rocky and Jip finally take some 'down time.'

A Saturday's Review on Tuesday

2010-03-16T15:08:00.000-07:00

I have been reading Why You Say It by Webb Garrison. Subtitled: The Fascinating Stories Behind Over 600 Everyday Words and Phrases, this book tries to explain some of our more common English colloquialisms.

The author has researched the 600 entries (the bibliography is extensive) and come up with some logical and some not so logical reasons as to why we say what we say.

This is not a book to be read through in one sitting. I have the copy on my nightstand for reading a little at a time.

I have chuckled at some of the entries, but mostly have not been too impressed by the blurbs. There are better, more comprehensive books on the same subject. I think a trip to the library would bear this out.

Overall, this is a good book for casual reading; if you do not want to get immersed in more detailed explanations of the phrases found in the book.

Thomas Nelson has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book; for this unpaid review.

Monday's Thoughts

2010-03-15T07:43:00.000-07:00

It has been over two weeks now. I still am not feeling Tom Terrific. I have days that start out just fine, only to become nauseous, dizzy and shaky. I couldn’t schedule a Dr app until 4/2, HMO, got to love it.

I have been falling asleep between 5 pm and 9 pm; waking about 3:30 am. The dogs are waking me. That’s when I used to go to bed and they got their last trip out. So now, they wake and need to go out, NOW. I get a nap in the early afternoon to keep me going through dinner.

Wish I had the energy to get some housework done. I am going to rent a blower to clean the front yard. We have a pin oak, Quercus palustris, that holds its dead leaves over the winter; only to dump them in spring. I need to clean them out of the flowers and neaten up the whole shebang. I thought that I could use the blower in the house to get the pet fur out! Crazy? I don’t think so.

To pass the time, I have been recording and watching Law & Order: Criminal Intent. I have loved Vincent D’Onofrio since I saw him in Men in Black. (I just found out Vincent was ‘Thor’ in Adventures in Babysitting; one of Selene’s all-time favorite movies!) I am anxiously waiting for the new season. I have been a fan of Jeff Goldblum since Tenspeed and Brownshoe.

On the Hollywood front, Fury’s dad, Peter Graves has died. Oh yeah, he did other work, but I will always remember him on one of my favorite Saturday morning shows.

My To Do List:

Catch up the laundry
Mop floors
Pot up my Windowsill Garden and post on Chic Daisy
Fix dinner – Leftovers, the refrigerator is about to explode!

How a Picture of Lennon Led Me to Sugar!

2010-03-11T05:35:00.000-08:00

Reading a book while wearing his mother's old shirt!

Loved those days of snuggling and reading books together! Nothing better for mother and child.

One afternnon she was trying to read her favorite book; I Am Adopted, to her grandma. She couldn’t get the book open. “Shit.” She had a small, quiet voice.
Still trying to get the book open, “Shit.”
“Is she saying Chit? Susan, your baby is saying Chit.”
”Mom, she is saying shit.”
Mom was never able to use the word. She always said, ‘Chit.’
“This is horrible; you need to do something about it.”
So, I began to watch my language.

One day the three of us were visiting with Selene’s Great-Grandma Vesta, when she again said, “Shit.”
Grandma told a story on herself when she was a young mother. Seems Grandma (MY GRANDMOTHER) had a ‘potty mouth.’ Her first two children, Violet and Son (Les) had picked it up as well. The pastor was coming over for a visit and there were her two little babies saying bad words. Grandma rethought her language.
The next time she did something that made her angry or frustrated she changed her words mid-word and said instead, “Oh sugar in the gourd!”
The little ones began to laugh and so did Grandma. After that, Grandma worked hard on saying either ‘Sugar!’ or ‘Sugar in the gourd!’ By the time my mom arrived, she was number six; all the family was saying the sugar phrase.
I never heard my Grandma Vesta swear. But, I sure heard her sprinkle sugar everywhere she went.

Insomnia and Not So Stuffed Peppers

2010-03-08T07:15:00.000-08:00

Oh dear God, I cannot sleep. I went to bed at 4:30 am yesterday and woke about 12:30 pm. I didn’t nap all day; I didn’t do much (I was just feeling too lazy and crazy.) I stayed up until 4:30 am today so I wouldn’t bother Scott. He is working a 12 hr day today. And here it is 6:40 am and I am wired!

My mind is not all that clear. Last night I was going to make Stuffed Peppers. I had the most beautiful red peppers and was slicing and dicing all the veggies; when I started cooking the meat in the fry pan. Then I added my veg and went, “@!%$^$%%^&%^#$”

So I just chopped the rest of the peppers; added about half my stash (10) frozen, dried tomatoes (chopped); and three cloves of garlic, minced. Two cups of water and simmered until Scott got home. I made garlic bread to eat with it and sop up all the good juice. It wasn’t bad.

Jip just erupted, barking at the western neighbor. Running out to get him, Rocky saw the nesting starlings next door. Now that he has seen the birds, he will spend the next six months barking at them. Rocky doesn’t like the starlings, and neither do I. I taught Selene to call them ‘damn starlings.’ Until my mom made her stop.

The other birds Rock doesn’t get along with are the blue jays. A pair of scrub jays has been nesting in the Doug fir for over 15 years. (Either them, or their descendants.) Anyway, the birds dive at Rocky and he barks at the birds.

When Wolf was an indoor cat, before he made a break for the wild outdoors, he would tap on the window as the jays would hop all over Cindy the rhody. It was a game. That is until Wolf went outside. He was walking along the drive when a bird flew overhead. Next thing, Wolf was spread eagle on the pavement screaming like a little kitten!

Things to do today:

Get groceries why can’t we have a delivery service? When I was a kid, there were two grocery stores that delivered. Mom would just call in the morning and that afternoon here would come the grocery man with boxes tied up in string.
Call a SSD attorney about my disability being turned down. Everyone says they turn you down and then you get a lawyer and get the benefits. Okay, I’ll play the game.
Make a doctor’s appointment. I need drugs! Just flashed on Welcome Back, Kotter! John Travolta pretending to be a drug addict, “I need drugs. Give me drugs.” Still makes me laugh!

Scrapbooking Giveaway

2010-03-05T06:53:00.000-08:00

I found the cutest scapbooking site, Obsessed with Scrapbooking, where you will find some really good ideas. Anyway, Joy has a giveaway going for some really cute items. Check it out!

Wednesday's Post

2010-03-04T15:18:00.000-08:00

The dog’s new watercooler is causing some humor. Just like a real cooler it gurgles. Rocky was drinking his normal camel’s drink this morning, when ‘gurgle’. I swear the dog jumped two feet into the air! He came down dancing and wild eyed. Last night Jip was walking by it when it gurgled. He jumped sideways! Oh, they’ll get used to it before long. Until then, I get a chuckle a couple of times a day.

I still feel like crap. Last night I had a fever of 100 and couldn’t get any rest. Oh well, this too shall pass; pretty darn quick, I’m over it!

Since I didn’t do the dishes last night, I went to bed instead. I am trying to do them now. Of course the fever is back and my lower back only allowed me to unload the dishwasher. I will rest until the acetaminophen kicks in. Then, it’s on to the next stage. I’ve got to do a couple of loads of clothes today. I keep forgetting the basket in the bedroom.

Fibro fog. Can’t remember what I was thinking just a moment ago. It’s like when I was reading a post and I thought about Lydia Pinkham’s Herbal Remedy. I found myself on Wiki reading about Lydia and suddenly couldn’t remember why I was there. Later I remembered while thinking of something else. Fun times.

Why I don’t leave appliances running when I am out of the house:

The time I decided to read a book instead of mopping the floor. I looked up to see a river of washing machine water running through the kitchen. Cleanest that floor ever was, I was bleaching whites.
Debbie was going to run errands. She went back into the house for her list; only to find the faucet to the washer going off like a geyser!
Vern heard fire sirens, went out to see the neighbor’s garage on fire! The lint under the dryer had caught fire!
Pat left a pot of chicken and a pot of beef she was making into stock, on the stove when she went to work. She had started them on high and forgot to reduce them to low. Laurel came home from school to find the house filled with smoke! Luckily, no fire, but what a mess to clean up the week before Heather was to be married in the living room!

The dishwasher and washing machine are now running and I am going to put my feet up and watch a movie.

Have you noticed the Cluster Map? I'm getting readers from all over the world! Welcome! Hope you stay and vistit a while. Feel free to comment, I love feedback! If you like the site, I encourage you to follow.
Thanks for stopping by.

Dinner tonight: Take out, I just don’t feel like cooking.

Tuedsay LOSTday

2010-03-02T18:03:00.000-08:00

Still not feeling Tom Terrific and His Mighty Dog, Manfred! (It was a cartoon shown on the original Captain Kangaroo Show.) I went to bed last night at 8:30pm and woke about 2:30am when Scott got up to let the dogs out. I spent an hour trying not to be nauseous. I woke at 6:30am and got up.

Got to tell you, it was 11am before I got bathed. I went to the store to get the doggies a new water bowl. Rocky can drain the current bowl all at once. I found this cute dog water-cooler-like combo.

It holds almost 3 gallons. That should make keeping Rocky hydrated a little easier.

By the way, this is the one Selene and Nate gave us for the cats. These’s supposed to be a feeding bowl where the green pot sleeve is. I use the pot sleeve for dryer lint. Yes, we feed the cats on top of the dryer to keep the dogs out of their food.

Grover doing what he loves!

Cute cat food story: Between the deaths of Artemis & Rosemary and the arrival of Duke; we had two cats, Tabitha and Abraham. We fed them in the kitchen. One hot summer night, Scott and Selene were asleep and I was watching TV. I heard noise in the kitchen and got up to investigate. A mama raccoon had brought her brood in through the open garage to sample the cat food buffet. As I approached, she ‘told’ her little ones to leave and she suddenly started making a ‘hoohoohoo’ sound while hopping up and down. I backed off; I wasn’t going to fight over a few pieces of cat food. She backed off; she wanted to get back to the kids. I sat down and let my heart rate slow down. Just another night in our mad-cap household.

My goals, except for dinner are nearly complete. I just have to do a couple more loads of laundry and makeup the bed, fresh. I have gotten the water bowl, bathed, brushed my teeth, played with the pets, done a load of dishes, and a couple of loads of laundry, took a nap, and wrote this. All is well.

PS I forgot the potting mix! When I went to the back room for the one I had stored there, I found one of the cats used it for a litter box. :( I put the used mix on a flower bed next to the back door. Tomorrow, potting mix!

Mondays' Post

2010-03-01T18:09:00.000-08:00

I am getting back to normal. Whew, that was one nasty bug.

I had to run to the bank today. I didn't have enough strength to get to the store. I'll try tomorrow.

Our little Emily, formerly from Under $1000 a Month, has given up her blog. She created a stir when she ungraciously thanked a reader for a new crib mattress. She said they were enjoying the box but would sell the mattress on craigslist. Then she wrongly attacked a poster in a vicious manner accusing her of shenanigans on another blog. She did later apologize to the poster.

Oh my, Emily has shown up again at her abandoned blog Emily's Belly Button, I was hoping she would take a rest, regroup, and come back more focused on her family.

Did anyone catch Jip in my photos at Cooking in Nana's Kitchen? He’s there, just look for him. I had just fed the dogs but Jippy seems to be insatiable. He grabbed up an errant tater tot the other night. It was just out of the oven and he was trying to juggle it and run to his hidey hole behind the couch to eat it. Rocky got one tossed to him. Good ol’ Rock, he lay down next to it and waited for it to cool.

It’s been a bad day. I got to the bank, took a nap, read, and rested. I’m still groggy and shaky legged from the virus. And I have to fix dinner. I’ll just pull out some of my pre-prepared food and we’ll have that and a hot vegetable.

Here’s hoping you have had a good day. Tomorrow is another day. Thanx to Scarlett.

The Day I Died

2010-02-28T03:11:00.000-08:00

Mom said I was always a sickly baby. The doctors told her I was born with tonsillitis. She and Dad would rush me to the hospital with strangely high fevers. I spent quite a bit of time at St. Vincent’s in the pediatric ward. I remember two of the nurse nuns. One was young, smelled good, gentle, and wore soft soled shoes. The other was older, had facial hair, wore hard soled shoes, and did not have much patience.

When I came down with the measles, my fever was so high I was packed in dry ice. Countless trips to the emergency and transfers to St Vincent’s, I cannot fathom what panic and stress I put my folks through those first four years.

My Parent’s Story

I had another fever. At the hospital the doctor told his nurse to give me an injection. The nurse held up the vial and asked the doctor if he was sure that is what he wanted to give me. He said, “Yes.”

The nurse had a difficult time getting the medicine in the syringe. It was too thick. She injected me and I was sent home.

Mom, Dad, and I went over the Grandma Vesta’s and Grandpa Leslie’s house. Grandma was rocking me. She said sick babies fuss and cry. I was silent, she was very worried. Then I had a seizure. Dad grabbed me; Mom grabbed her coat and out the door we went.

The hospital we usually went to was across town, so we went to the one closest to Grandma and Grandpa's house.

The doctor on call was once a fine young doctor. Unfortunately he had a propensity to go on a bender now and again. So Doc grabbed me, I wasn’t breathing now. He and a ‘Very Young Nurse’ worked very hard to get me to breathe again.

Dad assisted Doc in using some very pre-war equipment. The rubber was so old it was sticky. As soon as I was breathing again, Doc told the ‘Very Young Nurse’ to get the ‘on call ambulance driver.’ Dad said quietly, “I’m right here.”

“Call Nolan,” Doc said firmly.

Back then, as now in many small towns, the firefighters were volunteers. Some of the firefighters took classes to learn to drive the ambulance and help the doctors transporting patients. Dad did all that and was a first aid trainer as well.
When Nolan and the ambulance arrived, everyone got me and the equipment in and Nolan took off. Dad and Mom followed in our car.

All was steady until Rex Hill; Nolan hit the gas on the ‘souped up’ ambulance. Seems he and Dad decided the engine needed a bit more umph in certain cases.

Dad had trouble keeping up. At the Tigard Grange Hall Nolan pulled over and turned off the engine. Mom grabbed Dad’s arm and said, “Oh, she’s alright.”

Dad knew better. He sat with Mom for a couple of minutes as she realized what this meant. Then he got out of the car and was hit by a spray of gravel as the ambulance sped out; lights and sirens blasting.

Dad and Mom joined in. Mom was trying to wipe the blood from Dad’s eyes; some of the gravel hit him pretty hard.

Nolan’s Story

He was surprised when he was called to drive that day. He wasn’t on the call list. But, being who he was, he showed up at the hospital and he was shocked when he saw Mom and Dad standing there.

He helped load me and the equipment into the ambulance and headed for St. Vincent’s. Between watching the road and Dad’s car behind him; he caught glances of me. I wasn’t breathing very well.

At Rex Hill, Doc said, “We’re losing her.”

That’s when Nolan hit the gas. At the Tigard Grange Doc said, “She’s gone.”

Nolan pulled over. Turning to look at me, he saw this little powder blue baby with blonde hair. He told me later that I as the most beautiful baby he had ever seen. (And not to let his children ever hear that.) Right then, I looked like a statue of what a perfect baby should look like.

That is when the ‘Very Young Nurse’ said, “Like hell I’m going to do this to that woman back there.”

She used a brand new technique called ‘rescue breathing.’ She took in a lung full of air and covering my nose and mouth with hers; blew into my lungs. Nothing. She picked me up and gave me a couple of good slaps and I breathed in so I could mewl.

Nolan said I went from blue to pink in less than a snap of the fingers. He turned on the ambulance, sirens, and lights and was off to the races.

I survived. Bet you didn’t see that coming?

My Story

All my life I had wanted Mom and Dad to stop at the Tigard Grange on our way to Portland. They always said, “No.”

No reason, just no. I was mesmerized by the way the Grange Hall looked, set back among trees. Very peaceful. It always reminded me of the old hymn “Church in the Wildwood.”

One Sunday, when I was 19, Mom, Dad and I were going to Portland to do some shopping. I asked if we could stop at the Tigard Grange. Mom and Dad passed glances and finally said, “Yes.”

We stopped; I sat there looking at the building. “Why am I so intrigued by this building?”

“Because this is where Doc pronounced you dead and the ‘Very Young Nurse’ brought you back.”

“I know who Doc is, but who was that ‘Very Young Nurse?”

“She never wanted you to know. She felt she was just doing her job and didn’t want you worshipping her.”

And with that, we got on with our shopping.

A few weeks later, I was having dessert with my boyfriend Allen and his family. His nine year old brother, Ross, was dancing around the room like he had ‘ants in his pants.’ He suddenly stated, “You died when you were a baby.”

“I know that, my parents told me. How do you know?”

Exchanged looks ran around the room. “I know the nurse who saved you,” he said.

Now worried looks ran around the room. “Who was that:”

And Ross pointed to his mother, Doris. “I don’t want to hear any thanks from you, I’m just not comfortable with that,” Doris said.

I said, very quietly, “Thank you.”

Allen said there was no need, as he thanked her every hour of every day since we had started dating.

I had known Doris and her family all my life. There were only three grade schools, one junior high and one high school. Everyone knew everyone else. How the adults kept the secret of her identity from me was one high conspiracy.

To this day I thank the Lord for Doris, Doc, and Nolan. Without them, you know.

A Saturday's Review

2010-02-27T01:12:00.000-08:00

Today's review has been postponed. I'm yicky and need a day or two to recover. Later.

A List

2010-02-26T20:04:00.000-08:00

I got this list from The Gizmola (she wanted people to copy and paste and redo). I liked the idea so please copy and paste in your own blogs and leave a comment with your link.

Below is a list of things people have done in their lives. I bolded the ones I've done. I'd love to see your answers, so if you do this on your blog (if you have one) leave the link in the comments. :-) Here's mine:

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been inside an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

There are many, many other things I will accomplish in my life. Places to go and things to do are still out there for me.

My best accomplishments are:

1. Meeting and marrying my soul-mate

2. Raising a resourseful, intellegent, gentle woman who is happy in her life as a career-woman, wife, and not the least of all, mother.

3. Finding my best friends in life are my sisters.

4. Going back to school and graduating, with honors, at 48!

5. Surviving ten surgeries.

6. Vowing not to subcumb to a horrendous mental illness.

7. Realizing pets make our lives full.

8. Guiding Girl Scouts to realize their dreams are possible with a little work.

9. Quietly helping others, graceously accepting thanks, and not blowing my own horm.

10. Realizing we don't go through life alone.

2010-02-26T03:04:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I posted my favorite chowder recipes at Cooking in Nana's Kitchen: so much alike, yet so different. Then, last night I just heated some Mo’s Famous Clam Chowder I bought at Roth’s. Yuch! Believe me, it was bad. Both Scott and I ate part of a bowl and didn’t finish. What is absolutely outstanding fresh, does not translate well into frozen. I will now only eat my homemade version or go to the Coast to eat at Mo’s!

Woohoo, I learned a new skill! I installed a Bluetooth antenna on my computer and now can send pictures from my camera to the computer! It is so cool. Yes, all of you that have been doing this for the past six years, it’s old hat; it is new hat to me!

I noticed my first ant of the season. We have a colony of sugar ants that show up every spring and autumn. We have scoured the yard for their colony and can’t find it. An exterminator found one in a tree trunk we were using for a bench years and years ago. In his professional opinion, we needed to have the house sprayed every month from March to October. Like that was going to happen. I have used a liquid bait that works just fine for the past 10 years and I will stick with that.

Have any of you seen Story of India? It was shown on our local PBS. I’ve got to say, it is pretty darn good. Michael Wood, a British historian, presents the history of India from its first inhabitants until today. He travels the length and breadth of the sub-continent weaving tales of history into the rich fabric of modern India. Easily watchable and understood, Wood knows his history and presents it so all can enjoy. I heartedly recommend this DVD for any other lovers of all things Indian.

Today is Scott’s day off. I don’t know what he has planned. I have planned to pot-up some indoor plants, check it out tomorrow on Chic Daisy. Also, I’ve got to mop floors. Jip ate something that disagreed with him; then couldn’t convince me to let him out fast enough. Just need to finish the cleaning. And I have to finish picking things up in the dining room. It’s just always ready to leave on vacation; packed to the rafters.

Carpel Tunnel and Broken Elbows

2010-02-25T01:37:00.000-08:00

I have been typing so much my right wrist is swelling. It’s in need of another carpel tunnel surgery and I have decided until the pain is significantly worse, I am not having it.

What am I doing then? I have begun to use my left hand for the mouse. I had trained myself to use my left hand until I broke my arm about 3 years ago. During the time I was healing, I went back to my right hand and never broke out of that habit again. The best way to train yourself to use your opposite hand is to play Solitaire. Oh, like you need a reason. It works.

How did I break my arm, you ask? Scott and I went out to dinner at a fine dining establishment. Best food ever! We ordered one glass of red wine each. Well, they brought out mini-splits. Oh, so cute. Because Scott was driving, I drank the second half of his bottle; just after finishing off my little bottle.

Now, I am known as ‘a cheap drunk.’ I don’t drink all that often and when I do, I limit myself to one half a hard liquor drink or a glass of wine. That night I was enjoying spinach ravioli in a cream sauce and a slice of the best cheesecake I had had in a long, long time. I overindulged all the way round.

On the way to the car, Scott had to guide me from crashing into doorways and parking meters. The sidewalk there was about 10 - 15 feet wide. We came to the car, and I was trying to figure out how to get into the passenger seat as the curb was as high as the floorboards of the car. During my deliberations, I slipped on the wet pavement and went head first into the driver’s seat. I remember I missed the gear shift by putting my elbow down on the armrest. The trip to get munchies at Wal-Mart had the employees giggling for days (Scott’s sister worked there as did Selene’s boyfriend, Nate).

Anyway, that was on Thursday night.

Friday, I was a little under the weather, can’t figure why. Saturday, I was cleaning house. My left elbow started to ache. The more I worked the worse my elbow got. I took some ibuprophen and took a nap. My elbow was still hurting. The whole night was pretty miserable. Finally, I drove myself to the ER. Scott was at work. By then, I was in true pain. There was only one x-ray taken because I couldn’t sit still or even move without pain. Yup, most common broken bone in people my age. Spiral fracture of the radius. I got a sling, pain killers, and six weeks of recuperation.

That’s right folks, no cast. This kind of break, along with broken ribs, doesn’t get any cast or tape. I sat in my chair, high on Percocet, enduring the bumps from a loving dog and being stomped on by cats only wanting me to feed them.

I had to go to a pharmacy to get the drugs. I didn’t tell you how I was dressed to go to the ER and pharmacy? I was wearing a nearly worn out sleep shirt with a giant stain, a pair of pants that were thread bare in the seat, Scott’s worn out Wal-Mart slippers, and my woolen dress coat that the buttons had fallen off. And I hadn’t brushed my hair since the day before. I shuffled through the Safeway, to the pharmacy counter, looking like a homeless person minus my shopping cart. The pharmacist said, “Wow, I’ve seen you on better days!” No shit Sherlock.

My Blood Pressure is Up

2010-02-24T00:27:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was a strange day. Scott has been sick for two days. Upper repertory thing. He’s miserable.

The neighbors were installing something on the roof of their house. Jip ran outside, around the front of the Mustang, jumped on the hood and began barking like all hell at the guy on a ladder. He absolutely hates anyone on a roof. When another neighbor was reroofing last summer; the dog was constantly in the front window barking and trying to control the situation.

Any way, Rocky and Jip were playing in the living room. I heard Rocky’s ‘necklace’ hit the floor and within a second there was a full-fledged dog fight! I got over there and caught Rocky’s ruff and held him down; then I got Jip’s ruff and put him down. Now, I am bending over the two dogs, holding them down face to face. Can we say vertigo? Yeah, I had to fight it because the dogs needed the intervention.
As soon as they relaxed, I let them go and walked away first. They both followed me, trying to placate me for them being so obnoxious. Rocky had a bite in his tongue that was bleeding, I took care of that. He also had a bite on his leg, just a bruise. Jip had Rocky’s blood on his neck, cleaned that up.
They have been very good since.

Last night we watched Traveler’s Guide to the Planets: Saturn. There was so much new information for us to digest. I loved the one comment about seeing the rings ‘dancing’ as the moons passed by them. It was too poetic.

And on Burned Notice, Bruce Campbell’s impersonation of Horatio Caine was perfection! But, boy is Brucie getting a gut on him. He’d better be careful or he will end up looking like me; too fat and too old.

Now for the rant of the day:

The Duggars. How those two-faced hypocrites can sleep at night is beyond me. Here they leave their family planning up to God (like She didn’t give us the brains to figure out where babies come from) and then have the nerve to say that the nurses and doctors caring for little Josiepussycat are a miracle.
No, those doctors and nurses are not a miracle; they are highly schooled and highly trained to care for your pre-term baby. They (and their parents) understand the reasons for schooling beyond the fourth grade.

When Jippidooda told his daughters; told his daughters, they were going to give blood; I had a major blood pressure problem. He TOLD his two adult daughters and two teenage daughters they were going to give blood. I know. The Patriarch did not give his daughters the grace to ask them to donate; he told them, straight out, donate. He read some biblical passage to back his demand and said they were going to donate because little Josiepussycat (oh, and others in need; in a postscript) needed the blood.

How dare he! Well, I know how he dares; he dares to pimp them out on TV every week for the 20 pieces of silver. Then, he turns around and tells people to get rid of their TV’s because TV is evil.

Oh, his wife, DQ (Dairy Queen), is shown in the hospital praying for their little micro-preemie (I have nothing against quiet, private prayer) which touched my heart until she started talking in that demented baby-doll voice. Woman, stand up and start talking like an adult.

Growling now. Why does their education have to stop with a GED at 16? Way back when, some of the girls wanted to be nurses or midwives. We don’t see them getting a chance to get out of their servitude until they marry and start their own jinormous family.

Alright, that’s enough for today. Tune in next time for something a little different.

Lostday 4, 2010

2010-02-23T14:12:00.000-08:00

The title says it all.

After posting yesterday, I was hit by the ‘sleepies’ again. Scott got Chinese last night so I wouldn’t have to cook. We watched How the Earth was Made and Psych; I went back to bed. Up at 11:30 pm and I haven’t been able to sleep since then.

I watched King Tut Unwrapped and learned more about his life and death. I had to giggle at the team who showed up dressed like archeologists of the ‘20’s. I think their costumes were cute but also made them less believable as experts. Dr. Zahi Hawass always gives a good performance as he explains Egyptian history. I wonder if he ever has forgiven Dr JoAnn Fletcher for her subterfuge in declaring a mummy in KV35 to be that of Queen Nefertiti?

Wow, people sure do get crazy about Emily Under 1000 per Month. She is sprouting brown rice now. For heaven’s sake, people have been lacto-fermenting, sprouting grains, making yogurt and cheese, making pasta, for hundreds if not thousands of years. I cannot understand why some people think that is so wrong.

Now as to their family eating a high fat diet containing a large amount of sodium; I have a problem with that. What with both my grandmothers, both parents, and three of us girls having gallbladder surgeries; I know firsthand what a high fat diet can do. Yes, there obviously was a genetic link there; but we ate a lot of fat growing up. Peggy changed her diet to mostly fish and vegetables after her travels in Japan; yet she had the surgery as well. And too much sodium makes your heart and kidneys work much too hard.

My big problem is how much stuff they have in their small apartment. 2 bedrooms, one bath, living room, kitchen make up 466 sq ft. And they have filled it with stuff and more stuff. There is barely room to move. I like things sleek anymore. No dust catchers, no books unless they are in a cupboard or behind glass doors. I think they need an intervention from Clean House. Let Neicy get in there and tell them about how their wall of books breeds silverfish and dust mites! These people need storage solutions and they need them fast.

I went back to bed at 6am and got up at 1:30pm. Whatever. As long as it’s not insomnia I’m good.

Todays’ goals:
Clean the dining room
Hawaiian chicken for dinner
Kitchen needs straitening

2010-02-22T11:33:00.000-08:00

Alright, who said The Hangover was funny? We watched it last night and came to the conclusion either we were missing something or it was one boring movie.
Not to say the performances weren’t well done. Scott loves anything Heather Graham does. I feel she wasn’t used to her best work. Ed Helms wasn’t as funny as he is on The Office; I did like that he was allowed to sing, he has a nice voice. Jeffery Tambour was his usual well done performance; yet something was lacking. Zach Galifianakis gave a credible performance as Alan. I think I liked his character the best. But the best acting job fell to Rachael Harris. I hated her character, controlling little bitch, which is saying a lot for this movie.
Was it the directing that was bad? I felt the entire movie needed a nudge. I had no sense of urgency at finding Doug. The Blackjack scene tried to be Rainman, it missed. Was it the editing? Everything felt chopped; there was no continuity, no fluidity.
Better movies: Freebie and the Bean, Rainman, How to Murder Your Wife, What’s Up, Doc?, Ace Ventura: Pet Decisive, Sophie’s Choice, They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?, The Yearling, Beaches.

I got everything I wanted to get done yesterday, DONE! The bath is clean, I fixed three meals (and froze two of them), baked cookies, took the trash out, changed out the litter pans, read some blogs, thought a lot, and was nice to Scott. Sunday, check! Oh, tried to remove a knuckle while shredding cheese.

Today’s goals: Dining Room, Hawaiian Pork Chops, fiddle in the kitchen (I always find something to do), laundry, run to the store.

2010-02-21T10:05:00.000-08:00

I slept last night! By 9 pm I could not keep my eyes open any longer. I let the dogs out, and back in, then hit the hay at 9:20pm. I woke at about 4:30 am, let the dogs out and in again, and back to bed. It took me a bit to fall back to sleep and I woke at 9 am! Cross your fingers, the insomnia may just be past; for now.

My legs hurt today. I dreamed I was walking, running, and jumping last night. I get intermittant 'restless leg syndrome.' I feel like I walked miles.

I have added 20 Swagbucks to my account in the past 24 hrs just doing research for my blogs. Yesterday I won 10 in one award! That means I only need somewhere about a billion more to get my new mixer!

Bright and sunny Sunday. Scott is working overtime today. He is trying to get a promotion. I wish him all the luck in the world.

Today is my day off. I plan on writing about Invasive Plants for Chic Daisy. And I will try to get some recipes ready for Cooking in Nana's Kitchen. I will post as soon as the work is done. I've got to clean one room ceiling to floor -- main bath today; fiddle around in the kitchen; fix dinner, tacos, and freeze ahead some chili and enchilada casserole since they all use the same meat base. Yeah, a day off.

So, I'll be off to get to work. You all have a great one!

A Saturday's Review

2010-02-20T04:43:00.000-08:00

Starting today and (hopefully) every Saturday afterward, I am going to review a book, movie, product or something else altogether. I just thought that by going back to my writing roots (I started by reviewing books for our local library in the local rag.) it would help me push along.

A couple of months ago I was searching for a quality freebie site; like the one I frequented years ago; in another millennium. Time and the web have a habit of moving on. I remember the best freebie I ever found – a multimedia report on the Genome Project! After learning more than I anticipated, I donated it to the local library, where the librarians began thinking of a Genome Project Party to introduce the availability to patrons.

Well, I was thinking about that Genome Project when I found that the Howard Hughes Medical Institute has free DVDs of their annual lecture series to high school students. I ordered some of the Holiday Lecture Series to review for my own continuing education. The lectures are by renowned authorities in the fields of research into genetics, evolution, heart function, neuroscience, biochemistry, physiology just to name a very few.

The first lecture I chose was Evolution: Fossils, Genes, and Mousetraps; by Kenneth Miller, Ph.D., Professor of Biology at Brown University. He is the co-author of a series of high school biology textbooks and an advocate of evolution education.
I chose this lecture first because I was familiar with the subject. Dr Miller was a witness in the Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District trial. I had watched the NOVA production of this trial: Intelligent Design on Trial and was eager for more insight into the whole intelligent design debate.

Dr Miller’s lecture covers Darwin and evolution theory continuing on to debunking intelligent design. He presents easily understood examples and explanations of what Darwin observed and then concluded.

He meets the challenges of Michael Behe, a Professor of Biochemistry at Lehigh University, with wit and scientific data. Dr Miller goes on to show that Dr Behe’s idea of Irreducible Complexity is not a viable theory. Example of Dr Behe's Irreducible Complexity is when he states that a mouse-trap must have all five parts to work. Dr Miller pulled off one part, bent another and still had a working mouse-trap. In fact he would remove all but one part and although that part might not be a mouse-trap on it's own, it still has a function.

All in all, Dr Miller provides a complete nugget of history in the fight for science to remain scientific and not supernatural.

Not only is this lecture a piece of quality information for biology classes, it also is quite good for the layperson to get a grasp of what is going on in the debate between science and religion. Dr Miller goes on to reconcile his own religious beliefs with science very well.

Again, to order this DVD or any other HHMI educational material use the link above. There is no charge. All I ask of you is to pass the DVD on to others, so they too can see what many in the scientific world are worried about. Supernatural explainations for natural occurances.
After you watch this DVD, I would recommend reading Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District a Wikipedia article, watching Intelligent Design on Trial the NOVA special that presents the trial, and watching Horizon - A War On Science a BBC documentary on the contraversy of intellegent design and evolution in American education.
I will be ordering The Origin Of Species: 150th Anniversary Edition to refresh my memory from 40 some years ago.

Bamboozled

2010-02-19T20:45:00.000-08:00

Our neighbor came by to let us know our bamboo hedge was causing problems for his house. Seems the leaves fill the gutters and he is having water leak into his garage. So, I agreed to cut the bamboo from its current height of 30’ down to less than 10’.

As is normal, when Scott heard about it he decided he would do the job. So, right now he is cutting back the hedge height. This is what is upsetting me. I could have gotten it done over the next week but Scott wanted to do it right now.

I hurt my back yesterday when I carried in a 30’ bag of cat litter. Again this is something that bugs me, if I leave things in the truck for Scott to bring into the house he has a snit fit. So I end up bringing in bags of groceries that are too heavy for me.

There’s only about 15’ of Phyllostachys nigra but that is leaving a lot of bamboo top to haul back to the garden. I don’t know what we will do with the bamboo. I may just burn it during burning season. Please don’t get upset, there is a lot of bamboo, a lot of bamboo.

I helped with dragging the bamboo tops back to the garden where we’ll leave it. The remaining stumps of bamboo are pretty bare right now. Usually the bamboo will grow new leaves lower on the stump and fill in so we don’t have to see the neighbors’ storage area between our fence and their garage.

All is better now. We talked it over and ordered dinner from our favorite pizza place; Canadian bacon, pepperoni, pineapple, and tomatoes cooked on; with one order of spuds and a 2 liter Diet Pepsi. There’s enough left over for my breakfast tomorrow. We also watched Couples Retreat. Not a bad movie, but not the best either.

When we came back into the house Jip had pooped in the entry. As I was cleaning that, Grover came walking by me with poop stuck to his long, hairy bottom. There was still a bad odor. Scott looked at his shoes; he had stepped in dog poop in the backyard. Here we had been outside enjoying the clean fragrance; only to come inside to what smelled like a privy. Good times.

2010-02-19T02:29:00.000-08:00

I have been able to get some photos on the computer now that I have a SD adapter. So, there will be more color coming your way!

Max doing his best John Barrymore impression.

Wolf looking good in close-up!

Grover taking a cat nap.

Umm, watched the 'Mummy' last night.

2010-02-18T01:47:00.000-08:00

I'm back. Back to the way I want to feel. Upbeat, energized, and not well slept. I am still suffering insomnia. I hate these times. I just want to fall asleep and stay asleep. I have trouble falling asleep and then wake after a couple of hours. I canceled my appointment with the new doctor because I was so down, I didn't want to leave the house. Now I have to make another appointment. Crap.
It's 1:28 am I got up to let the dogs out. Jip was sitting next to the bed, nudging my back. Then he started to whine. Next Rocky got up and started to circle between our room and his. That did it. I was up. Oh, well.
Did you see that coming? We now know what the numbers are about. Of course in answering the number question, they left open the question of Kate, Jacob touched her why wasn't her name shown. Jin and Sun were touched together. Does that mean they will be caretakers together or will Ji Yeon be the new caretaker since she is a part of both. When, in time, did the numbers come into play. The guy Hugo heard the numbers from, originally heard them broadcast in the Pacific. Rouseau found the island by following the numbers. See, one question answered, a bazillion left.

Rocky laughing.

An embarrassed Jip wearing leg warmers.

I crocheted Lennon, that's him in Selene's tummy, a cute sweater. But somehow I messed up both arms. As I was finishing up the new arms, Selene found the old ones and decided Jip would look cute wearing them. As you can see, Jip was not enthused. Rocky was not laughing with Jip, he was laughing at Jip. Jip later chewed up his leg warmers.

I Won!

2010-02-17T07:54:00.000-08:00

Remember I posted about a Budget Kit Giveaway from The Saved Quarter? I won the book! I have sent my name and address to The Saved Quarter and will write a review of the book for all of you.

I just can't get over it.

Where you going?

2010-02-17T06:11:00.000-08:00

Lostday 3, 2010

2010-02-16T16:23:00.000-08:00

The past two days have been ‘Bad Days in Black Rock.’ My nerves are thin, I keep yelling at Jip for barking; I am wanting to sleep, my left hip and knee are killing me from the way I slept last night; I can’t think to write much; and I can’t seem to get started on my housework. Okay, I’ll just sit back and watch whatever I can stand on the DVR or computer. Which isn’t much.

The only redeeming grace today is LOST and 19K&C. I will get into LOST but before it is over I will pause it and wander off to do something else. 19K&C will probably get me riled up over the Duggars just not using common sense. Like the way they feed babies with serving spoons, directly out of the can, while the little one is lying down on the couch; or how the younger boys run roughshod over the house and their younger sisters.

I’ll fix dinner tonight. I’m thinking Tuna Pot Pie. Probably will make Tuna and Vegetables in a chicken based white sauce with Baked Biscuits on top. I can’t think ahead to do the recipe for Cooking in Nana's Kitchen. I’ll have to do that later.

Neighbors to the east have complained about the height of the bamboo. I have to get out and cut back about 15 linear feet of 30foot high bamboo and clean that up. I peg that for tomorrow and beyond. 30 minutes a day until it is finished. Look for more on Chic Daisy when my brain gets back in gear.

Sorry for the downer today. We’ll hope for better tomorrow!

Mirth

2010-02-15T11:35:00.000-08:00

Crappy Weekend! I had a virus. Fever dreams, fever, sleepy, nausea, not much interest in anything. All is better today. Still a little tired but have already done a load of laundry, filled the dishwasher and am running it, did a sink full of dishes, wiped down the stove and some countertops. So, today I will get some of the things I didn't do while moaning and groaning.

Dad was sick as well, I’ll call him later today to see if he survived. I haven’t talked with my sisters for a couple of weeks; better check in to see what’s going on as well.

On TV (dvr) we noticed that Leverage was filmed in Portland. Scott noticed old Multnomah Stadium (PGE Park) before I did. Then, I saw the Steel Bridge. Oh boy, that’s the Fremont Bridge. Yup, it’s Portland! I think we spent more time looking for local landmarks than watching the show! The best bit of the show was when Eliot and Alec showed up at the mayors’ house. The young man playing the cop was excellent! Watching him crawl over the carpet looking for fibers, interacting with the other actors, his expressions, wonderful! May he go far in his chosen craft.
We never get tired of the way Psych pokes fun at The Mentalist (a copycat of Psych; though The Mentalist is really a drama. What with the whole show being about Patrick Jane and his desire to bring ‘Red John’ to justice.) Anyway, loved it when Shawn Spencer was going off on a rant and included Simon Baker.

With just a few programs showing fresh epies during the Olympics; we of course will be watching the Olympics. 1960 Summer Olympics were the first Olympic Games I ever noticed. We were too busy playing to pay much attention to them. I know Mom loved the swimming events.

It was 1960 that it snowed during Spring Break. Daffodils were blooming and we had 18 inches of snow at our house! Uncle David showed us how to roll a snowman. We played ‘Snow War’ with the neighbors. I got hit in the face with a snowball and was blinded for the afternoon. Not to mention, it HURT! I remember Dad playing his s’no jokes on five year old Debbie and six year old Shelley. “Yup, there’s s’no worms when it snows.” Debbie and Shelley went between panic over worms in the snow to curiosity as to their color and size. At 9 and 10, Peggy and I were doubled over in mirth at our younger sisters and their naiveté.

Today’s goals:

Change the bed and clean the bedroom
Clean the bathrooms
Change the litter pans
Finish the laundry
Personal hygiene