SomedayQuilter: My Life

Good News

Tue, 20 Mar 2007 07:49:58 GMT

Although the Thanksgiving weekend brought sadness with the loss of a family friend in a boating accident on the Willamette River(and they still haven't found his body) it also brought some good news. Our son and daughter-in-law announced that they are expecting. This will be their first child and our first grandchild. We're very excited and they've asked if I would help care for it when she returns to work. The baby is due in July and she'll have 3 months maternity leave. They live just half a mile from us so I'll get to be the hands on Grandma I've always hoped to be. I hope I'm up to the task energy wise. I was a young mom, but my kids are late having their kids so I'm going to be an older grandma. It's inspired me to start sewing and quilting again. I want to make lots of wonderful clothes and blankets and toys for this new little one. Of course, that means I have to get organized and clear out all the boxes and junk so I can even get into my sewing room to clean it up and do all that sewing.

Painting

Tue, 19 Sep 2006 03:35:47 GMT

Last summer Big Bear and K built us a new shed in the back yard and used the horizontal hardiplank siding that we're thinking of using on the house. The house was built in 1971 and has the vertical t-111 that was so popular in the seventies. It's in desperate need of paint and the old aluminum windows need to be replaced as well. We can't afford to do the windows or replace the siding right now so we may have to just go ahead and paint it. What I'd like to do is make the windows bigger and put the horizontal siding on. It would give the house a whole new look.

In the meantime I've decided on the colors I want. We hadn't painted the shed yet so I've used that as a way to try out my colors to make sure I really like them. I picked a medium grayish blue for the siding, white for the trim and burgundy for the doors. With the shed getting full sun most of the day and me not being a morning person I wasn't getting very much done on it, but it's nearly done now. I have a little trimming to finish on the blue and some touch up on the white and now that the cooler weather has arrived it will be a race against the rain.

The house has a lot of brick across the front and it needs some repair, but I do want to keep it. I've always liked it and it's very unique. One of the bricks is light gray in color and the other is pink with burgundy flecks. I'm hoping it will look good against the darker blue. The current color is a lighter blue with no trim color and pink for the doors. Very much in need of repair and updating, but I'm sticking with my bent for color and in particular blue. I don't like the baby poop browns they're using on all the new housing and don't want my house to look like everybody else's anyway.

Big Bear sanded the front door for me and I put 2 coats of the burgundy on it with 2 more to go. It's darker than I originally wanted, but I think it'll work.

The rain arrived while I was painting the front door, but it's under a corner overhang so that was no problem. It was a problem for a poor honeybee though. I went back to my painting and he eventually dried off enough to take off.

Expanded #2 of my 101

Thu, 14 Sep 2006 08:13:24 GMT

I'm of german descent on my father's side and the british isles on my mother's.

I am an American through and through. Not only because I live here and appreciate the freedoms and opportunities that the United States offers, but also because I was born here. However, even for those of us that still live near where we were born our roots or heritage lie in some other country. If we're first or second generation Americans that can be pretty easy to trace and we may even still retain some of the customs, language or foods of that country. If our family has been here for several generations it can be much harder to know what the country of origin was without some searching and chances are you're going to find that there's more than one. This can be especially true if your families were not ones to hand down the stories and traditions of the old country and over time became distinctly American. This is not only true for those of European descent, but also for those from any of the continents. You might know that your mother is chinese, but if her family has been here many generations do you know which province they were from? You get the picture.

My father and his parents were all born in Oklahoma and yet were full blooded german. My father's grandparents on both sides had immigrated here from Germany at around the time that Oklahoma became a state and settled on farms in a german community there. You will find to this day that most new immigrants are going to gather with family and friends or at least with others that share a common language and culture. My great-grandparents spoke german. My grandparents spoke german and once they started school, english. My father spoke english but understood german. I speak english and only know what german I can remember from high school classes. You can see the progression. My father was a very quiet and stern man who did not speak very much about his growing up. When he was six years old and his brother was 3 months old their mother committed suicide and their father was unable or unwilling to deal with it all. My father was raised by her parents (which is why he understood german) and his brother by an aunt and uncle. I am named after her.

My mother is a bit more of a guess (at least until I look up the family tree stuff my grandmother did). I know that her father was of Irish descent and her mother was of English descent, but I also remember her saying something about Scottish and Welsh, too. There's also the problem of them having been here for several generations so I'll have to look into it more. My mother was a very outgoing person and talkative, but the family stories were more of events and personalities and everyone for the past several generations had all been born here. Plus there wouldn't have been as much difference in the language, customs and food. I get my middle name from her mother.

My father wound up in Oregon after the war and met my mother when they were both working for the same car dealership. They married in 1948 and made Oregon their home.

Miss Kitty is happy

Tue, 05 Sep 2006 06:22:38 GMT

D and K arrived home on Friday. Miss Kitty was hiding under the bed, but after a bit D managed to coax her out. Miss Kitty wanted D to pet her, then she wanted out, then she wanted back in to be petted, then she wanted out and so it went, back and forth. I think she just wanted to make sure the door still worked. ;-) On Saturday they took Big Bear and I out for a very nice dinner as a thank you for taking care of their place while they were gone.

We've had a very laid back weekend. Did a little bit of yard and garden stuff on Sunday afternoon. Gave the neighbor some tomatoes and they in turn gave us some apples (hopefully I'll get around to making a pie with them). Today Big Bear put new air filters on both vehicles and even washed them! I did some painting - I'm trying out some prospective house colors on the shed. I figured that painting the new shed with the colors I had picked out was a good way to make sure I liked them before buying enough to do the whole house. I'm happy with the blue (medium grayish blue) that I picked for the siding and the white for the trim, but am not happy with the color I picked for the doors. I wanted a burgandy and that's what it looked like on a small chip, but it's way to violet/magenta. Luckily I painted a bench on the patio first to try it out when I saw how magenta it was. Even though it darkened a lot once it was dry it's still not the color I was after. I'm going to have the store add some more black and brown to it and see if that does the trick.

Tomorrow I'm going over to a friends to help her tie some baby quilts that she donates to a hospital. Maybe I can actually remember to take the paint with me and get the color corrected.

The Rundown

Sun, 27 Aug 2006 20:30:26 GMT

Saturday 8-19 - D and K leave to visit their kids in Kentucky and Pennsylvania. Big Bear and I are in charge of keeping an eye on their place, watering flowers and checking on Miss Kitty. She is an indoor/outdoor kitty who is used to being outside during the day, but will be kept indoors for the two weeks they are gone. They live on a very wooded 2.5 acres so leaving enough food and water out for two weeks is not an option (all kinds of critters would be up there eating it and it would be gone in a day). Besides the food issue, she has a wound on her side (probably another animal) so we wanted her in the house for safety and to keep an eye on the wound. Miss Kitty is a very skittish cat, but a very loving and gentle cat. She was a stray that somebody threw away as a kitten and it took D 6 months of feeding her on the deck before she allowed D to get close enough to pet her or let her into the house.

Sunday 8-20 - We make our first visit to water, etc. and Big Bear promptly lets Miss Kitty escape out the back door. There's no getting her back so we finish the watering and head home.

Monday 8-21 - Big Bear feels bad about Miss Kitty and stops by their place on his way home from work. He sees her but she won't come near him.

Tuesday 8-22 - I go over in the late afternoon and in addition to doing the watering I take my dinner and just sit around for awhile hoping she'll show up. She'll usually come to me, but I was there nearly 2 hours and never saw her.

Wednesday 8-23 - D calls and I do not want to answer the phone and tell her we lost Miss Kitty. She calls again and I answer and face the music. Big Bear gets home from work and is really stressing about it. I tell him stressing about it isn't going to do any good and we'll wait until evening to try again since that's more likely to be when she's used to coming in. We go over and I have Big Bear stay in the house so he doesn't frighten her and I go outside with a handful of food to see if I can find her. Well, what do you know, as I exit out the garage there she is. She scurries off and looks at me from a distance. I bend down and dribble some food out of my hand while gently calling her. She comes over to me to get petted and I scoop her up and head into the house. She was much more interested in the attention than the food. All is well and I call D to tell her.

Thursday 8-24 & Friday 8-25 - The weather is cooler and Miss Kitty inside so no need to go over until Saturday. Friday morning I went to my TOPS meeting and Friday afternoon Big Bear and I joined our son & DIL for a cruise down the Willamette River on an old sternwheeler followed by dinner at our local pub & grill. A very enjoyable afternoon. I was taking pictures like mad when suddenly the camera quit. Dagnabbit, the battery was dead and I hadn't brought the spare. Oh well, from then on it was just enjoy the ride.

Saturday 8-26 - Went over to D's place and did the watering and checked on Miss Kitty. I couldn't coax her out from under the bed. She obviously does not like being cooped up in the house all by herself, but I could tell she's been eating so will assume she's O.K.

Ah, the wonders of meds

Sun, 20 Aug 2006 04:10:02 GMT

It's 8:45 pm on Saturday and I feel like myself again. My wonderful, wacky, addicted to the computer, messy, happy self. It's wonderful when the meds actually work. When I woke up this morning the room still spun a bit, but the nausea was almost gone. I took pill #3 and by this afternoon the nausea was totally gone and when I took #4 at 8pm I was feeling totally normal (well, as normal as I get anyway). I know some of you have had vertigo before and mentioned that the episodes can come and go for awhile, but I'll just take them as they come, if they come.

Below is an aerial shot of Mt. Hood and the surrounding Mt. Hood National Forest. The second photo is one I found on the internet and is the view you get from Portland.

Doctor, Doctor

Sat, 19 Aug 2006 06:20:57 GMT

D came over this afternoon and took me into the doctor. He gave me two prescriptions for the nausea (one pill, one suppository). They both cause drowsiness, but hey - drowsy trumps nausea anyday. Yesterday was not pleasant and today only slightly better (probably because I didn't push it for fear of a repeat of the day before). It must have looked pretty ridiculous, me standing on the patio vomiting surrounded by 3 dogs staring at me and the puddle and between each retch me hollaring NO so they wouldn't eat it. Luckily they all three trust me and obey my firm no. I then herded them into the house and headed for the bed. Ranger didn't seem to think I should be lying down and proceeded to jump at the bed to get me up which by the third shake I certainly was. UP and into the bathroom for another round with nothing left on my stomach. At that point I ushered them back outside, cleaned up the you know what and went to bed. I didn't care what they dug up or chewed up in the yard. I sure hope I wake up tomorrow with this stuff gone.

Vertigo

Thu, 17 Aug 2006 18:23:16 GMT

I woke up this morning with vertigo! It is not fun! What causes this stuff? This is the first time I've had it bad enough to realize what it was. I now realize I've had mini versions of it most of my life, I just never put a name to it before. By that I mean I would feel dizzy or like stuff was moving when it wasn't, but it would only last a few seconds. I'd think "Wow, that was weird" and go on about my business (probably thought it was flashbacks to my hippie days).

I went to bed at 11:30pm last night (early for me) as I was going to meet with 2 other women this morning for a bible study on James which I was supposed to lead, but with the whole room spinning and feeling like I was about to vomit, I decided it was probably better I not be driving and I cancled it. Gee whiz, I just got done with a five day migraine yesterday, enough already! At least with the migraine I now have medication that allows me to function albeit a little groggy.

I woke up at 3:30am and got out of bed to go pee. The toilet is only a few steps away and I was groggy, but by the time I sat down I was thinking "Man I feel nauseated and dizzylike". I got back into bed and suddenly the whole room is spinning. I'm going "Whoa, this is weird. I hope it goes away by morning." At 5:30 I wake up enough to roll over and the whole room is spinning again! "OH NO, is this what they call vertigo?" At 7:30 I wake up for good and move my head just enough to see the clock and the numbers are moving so much I can't tell what time it is because - you guessed it - the room is still spinning! I layed there for a few minutes debating what to do and finally decided to get up and see what happens (I didn't like the idea of spending the whole day in bed if I didn't have to, afterall the computer would miss me). Well, lo and behold, standing upright and walking around was ok. That is until I took a shower and blow dryed my hair. Evidently I was moving my head too much in the process and suddenly I'm holding onto the counter and feeling like I'm going to throw up. I got dressed hoping it would pass quickly, but 20 minutes later I was still feeling like I was going to throw up and keeping my head still so the room wouldn't spin, so I called my friends and cancled the bible study.

It's now 11:15am and I'm able to sit at the computer and type this, but I still don't feel good. Let's pray that this was a one time thing. I'd much rather go back to the 10 second 'wow that was weird' ones thank you. In honor of this post I used a font called Krazy Legs. Have a good day people.

Update: It's now 3:00pm and I still have it. I bent over to fill the dogs water bowl with the hose and almost fell over.

I was born in Oregon

Tue, 08 Aug 2006 07:43:09 GMT

Today will be the start of an ongoing series of blogs where I expound on the entries in my Basics 101. To satisfy the anal/orderly part of me I will start with number 1 (sorry to those of you who were expecting the I'm not perfect entry - I need to work up to that one).

I was born and raised in the northeast section of Portland, Oregon. As any child does, I simply accepted where I was growing up without much thought or anything to compare it to. We lived in the city until I was 8 years old and then moved out "to the sticks" near the Columbia River where my parents were able to buy a house. It was small, but it was ours and the lot was large enough for a huge garden each summer. This gave me my first real, conscious comparison of living in a place that was a little different then what I was used to. We went from city sidewalks, paved streets and a large school to no sidewalks, gravel roads and a small school. From walking to school to taking a big yellow bus and from a classroom of 30+ to a class size of 20. I like both the city and the country and value both experiences.

There was a certain freedom and innocence to living out there in the late 50's & early 60's. Even though we were on the outskirts of Portland there was still a lot of wide open space with farms, bean fields and pasture and only a little bit of industrial and some scattered housing. The city busses didn't even come out that far. My grandparents bought my brother and I each a bike and we put many miles on them over the next few years. Although my father was very strict we had a certain amount of freedom to play and walk and ride our bikes around the area, in part because both our parents worked full time. I was a latch key kid before they had that term :-)

top photo is me, bottom one is my brother and grandmother

When I was 12 we drove to Oklahoma to visit my father's family and that drive gave me my first experience traveling through country that was very different from Oregon. Oh my, the water was terrible, some of the states were mile after mile of desert and sagebrush, others were mile after mile of hot windy prairie, what they called rivers looked like a creek to me and where were the mountains and trees? Of course, as I've gotten older I've realized that every area has a beauty of it's own, but as a 12 year old I was more than happy to get back to Oregon. I enjoyed visiting the relatives and seeing the sites along the way, but felt Nevada, Utah and Kansas left something to be desired. It didn't help that it was the end of August-first of September when we went.

At 16 my parents seperated and at 17 my mother, brother and I moved back into Portland near the high school I attended (there was no high school where we were so they bussed us into Portland). It was back to the city which as a teenager was great. I was now near my school and friends and could walk or take a bus wherever I wanted to go. My mother was having a hard time with me as we fought a lot and I was becoming very rebellious. I hated the seperation and impending divorce and blamed her for it. It took a while longer for my dad to fall off his pedestal. Now how did I get from talking about Oregon to talking about my parents? Enough of that for now, maybe more at a later time. By the way, there were 21 in my 8th grade graduating class and they bussed us to a high school of 2800 kids. There was no one I new in any of my classes my freshman year. Luckily I make friends pretty easily. There were 13 high schools in Portland in the 60's and they were all large. Had to educate all us baby boomers don't you know. Now they've closed some and combined some and they're still half the size they were back then. Meanwhile communities like the one I live in are expanding and the schools are bursting at the seams.

Ahh, how wonderful...

Fri, 28 Jul 2006 23:51:23 GMT

Ahh, how wonderful to have our normal 70-75 degrees back. It's beautiful outside, blue sky, sunshine, 72 degrees and a slight breeze. Aren't you jealous?

I gave the program at our TOPS meeting this morning. It was an article I had printed off from somewhere entitled 7 Easy Steps To Weight Loss. The basic premise? EAT LESS! I made it a participatory exercise by having various members read the different paragraphs and points and then we discussed the information and our own experience, habits and attitudes.

The seven points were as follows, but of course much expanded upon:

1. Mini-meal is the operative word - Ideally, every time you eat, your plate should have some protein, a little fat and a little fibrous bulk to ensure that you feel full and satisfied. .......

2. Don't go overboard - You don't want to feel deprived at best, hungry at worst. .......

3. Eat delicious and well - Every diet regimen should permit the occasional treat and nice meal out. ........

4. Eat your calories, don't drink them - A can of Dr. Pepper soda contains 150 calories. .......

5. Exercise is the perfect partner - Your diet will be all the more successful if you combine it with regular exercise. ......

6. Make meals last - Yes, two Balance bars have only 360 calories, and also contain vitamins, minerals, fiber, protein, fat and carbohydrates. But you can down these suckers in a matter of seconds. .......

7. Discover your food triggers - What makes you succumb to temptation? Do you turn to the pantry the instant you turn on the TV? .......

Well, you get the idea. It all comes down to being sensible with our choices in life. Not something I'm always terribly good at. I tend to leap before I look and go all or nothing. It's an art to truly enjoy life and go for the gusto while still being sensible about it. An art I have decided at this very moment to try and pursue. Of course some people missinterpret being sensible with not taking any risks. What's life without taking a few risks? BORING! Hmm, I do believe I have a whole 'nother topic going here.

There most certainly are different kinds of risks. When it comes to physical risk I am a true wimp. I'm not an athlete, I'm not terribly coordinated, I'm not strong and I have a very low threshold for pain. I am a big BABY when it comes to pain. In other words you will not see me bungee jumping or climbing Mt. Everest. You will however find me on any roller coaster available.

I will explore emotional risk and life choices in an upcoming blog. I may even open up about the "I'm not perfect" line in my 101, we'll see.

Ahhhhh.......cool water

Mon, 24 Jul 2006 17:39:41 GMT

Spending the day in D's pool yesterday was wonderful. Coming home at 10 pm to a house that was 88 inside was not. When I got up this morning it was down to 80...whoopee.

In keeping with the theme of HOT, here's an entry from the Why You Sat It book.

Hotbed

We include this term in everyday speech as a result of borrowing from practices of gardeners and farmers.

Long ago, it was discovered that seeds given a bit of protection will sprout earlier than those dropped into the ground without special attention. Even a thin cloth cover will raise the temperature of earth underneath it for several hours a day.

The earliest hotbeds were heated with fermenting manure and covered with glass---forerunners to today's greenhouses. They produced so abundantly that any institution or neighborhood yielding an abundant crop of like-minded persons took the name of the gardener's special seed plot.

Hot, Hot, Hot

Sun, 23 Jul 2006 18:17:58 GMT

Well, it certainly is hot, even for someone like me who loves the summer. I'll still take it over freezing though. I spent all of Friday afternoon and evening in D's pool. It's amazing how much cooler 104 feels when you're in the water . We'd float around in the water for quite awhile talking and relaxing, then sit on the deck in the shade having something to drink (and chatting). We had our books and I was crocheting while we talked, but it didn't take very long and we'd be so warm that back in the pool we'd go. I had closed the house up before I left in the morning, but even so it was 85 inside when I got home around 9 pm. By early morning it had only dropped to 81 . Without our normally cool evenings the house just doesn't have a chance to cool off.

Saturday I stayed home thinking I might get something done around the house. RIGHT! Even with some cloud cover the temp still got into the low 90's and the thought of sticking my hands in hot soapy water to do dishes was not the least appealing. After getting the garden and flowers watered I spent the day sitting on my butt playing games on the computer or watching movies with tall glasses of iced tea, water or coke next to me at all times.

This morning I got up to blue sky, bright sunshine and the thermomoter already over 80 (and it's on the patio in the shade). Needless to say I'm grabbing my swim suit and heading for D's.

My Garden

Thu, 20 Jul 2006 06:54:35 GMT

Here are the latest pictures of my garden. The cyclone fence makes for a great trellis for the morning glory. I was thrilled to discover that there was such a thing as an annual morning glory, not at all invasive like the stuff I remember my father yanking out when I was a kid. Our past two winters have been mild enough that this is actually its third summer. I originally planted a blue one too that was larger and looked like the morning glory I remember, but only the purple managed to winter over. I've included one of my favorite pictures from that first year. Next year I plan on planting more of it in a variety of colors.

Rockaway

Mon, 26 Jun 2006 17:54:27 GMT

There were no clouds in the sky so the sunset was very simple in appearence, but still very beautiful. Once it reaches the horizon it disappears so quickly that it makes you aware of how fast the earth is really moving.

Our weekend at Rockaway Beach was wonderful as always. It was a family weekend with Big Bear's cousins and we enjoyed their company, the beach and of course the seafood. Everyone pitches in to help with the preperation and the cleanup and then we sit down to enjoy the food and catch up on each other's lives.

Maybe someday more of the family will decide to join our yearly excursion.

Garden Update

Fri, 23 Jun 2006 07:16:25 GMT

Yesterday and today I spent some time in the garden weeding and watering and admiring the growth and the greeness of it all. It's just a small salad garden, but I enjoy it and it gets me outside in the sunshine. I'm not much of an outdoorsy type and limited in my gardening skills, but enjoy the planting and watching it grow. I'd just as soon sit at the computer, watch TV or read a book and yet I really do enjoy being out in the sun. Plus I'm using the increased sunlight (now that summer is here) to cut back on my anti-depressant in hopes of eliminating it at some point especially now that my thyroid level is being kept higher.

Now to make you all green with envy - I'm off to the beach tomorrow! Big Bear and I will be meeting his cousin & wife at a little cabin in Rockaway for two days. We've always enjoyed their company and a few years ago we started doing a yearly weekend at the beach just to keep in touch. Several years back as all of our parents were dying one by one, we decided we'd like to see each other sometime other than just funerals so we arranged to meet at the beach one year and it became a yearly tradition, a way to keep some family ties. The cabin is right on the beach with large windows looking out at the ocean. I love going there. I'll take some pictures.

True Friends

Thu, 22 Jun 2006 19:41:02 GMT

On Tuesday I took D (best friend) to the hospital for foot surgery. She expected me to just drop her off as her husband would be picking her up later in the day. As we parked I turned off the engine and as she's saying "You don't have to go with me", I look at her and say "You think I'm going to drop my best friend off for surgery and then head home? NO WAY! What if I get home and then find out later" (at this point my brain puts the brakes on my mouth as I quickly realize I don't want to say 'you died' and make her even more apprehensive) and instead said the more general phrase "something happened." Oh well, at least she knows me and my mouth well. She was relieved to have me there as she is very, very nervous about stuff like this. Neither of us is good at waiting around if we have nothing to do, so she had her Sudoku book, I had my crochet and between that and conversation the hours of waiting weren't so bad. The surgery took less then an hour, but there was 3 1/2 hours ahead of it (questions and prep) and then a couple of hours after for recovery. Everything went really well and she'll have the other foot done in a month.

Lovely Weekend

Tue, 20 Jun 2006 05:04:06 GMT

What a lovely weekend we had. On Saturday one of Big Bear's co-workers invited him to go fishing on the lake near his home and in the evening our Son & DIL took us out to dinner at a very nice restaurant. On Sunday BB went out to breakfast with his good friend K and they goofed around for awhile. Then in the afternoon we went over to Son's house for dinner and a movie. It was very nice and relaxing and our son fed us for two days (well, dinner anyway). Seeing as how we had to feed that skinny kid with the hollow leg until he grew to 6'3" and 200# it's kind of nice to have him reciprocate once in awhile.

Hope all you Dads out there had a great weekend, too.

Absence Not On Purpose

Sun, 18 Jun 2006 05:49:31 GMT

Hi - my absence as far as writing and such was not on purpose. I couldn't access my space to edit. I could visit other spaces and I could visit mine as someone else, but not as SomedayQuilter. As soon as my space was loading an error message would come up and close explorer down (both msn and IE). They seem to have fixed it because I'm in now. I spent a lot of time doing the normal cleanup/fixes in case it was on my end, but I was pretty sure it wasn't because I was able to go elsewhere on the internet with no problem and to other msn spaces. Did anyone else have a problem?

Tuesday I went over to Mary's house and helped her tie baby quilts. You can't help but smile when you're around Mary and hope like hell that you're in half as good a shape as she is when you reach 82. She donates the quilts to a hospital that gives them to the new babies. Those new moms in Wyoming have to be wondering why some lady in Oregon is making them quilts. Mary was living there last year to be near one of her daughters and immediately plugged herself into a local TOPS group there and somehow got into making quilts for the hospital. After a year she decided to move back to Oregon (she also has a daughter here and was born here). The hospital staff in Wyoming told her "Now don't you get hooked up with any hospital there in Oregon. We'll pay the postage for you to send the quilts back here". She sent 8 blankets this week and on Thursday UPS brought her a box from Wyoming full of fabric scraps to make more. She laughed and said "I don't think they want me to ever quit making quilts". I think you're right Mary.

On Friday it was Mary who was in charge of the program at our TOPS meeting. She had chosen FUN as her topic, sighting the very real need to have fun in our lives. She talked about the mental, emotional and physical benefits to our health that's provided by having some fun and laughter in our day as well as the stress relief it provides. Later in the day I thought about the people who've commented that our humorous and daily life blogs are a waste of time and space and couldn't help but wonder if they labor under the misconception that only serious stuff is important. I don't think they would be much fun to be around, especially as they get old and cranky. ;-)

NEW Book - I'm so excited! I got my new Lincoln Rhyme Novel by Jeffery Deaver. The murderer signs his notes 'the Watchmaker'.

Rain Rain Go Away

Mon, 29 May 2006 07:15:46 GMT

Rain rain go away, come again another day!

I know, I know, I'm supposed to have webbed feet being an Oregonian and all, but I'm really a fair weather person when it comes to being outside. I still haven't planted the rest of my flowers because it has rained the entire week! Of course if I hadn't been such a slow poke in the first place I could just sit back and enjoy the fact that Mother Nature is doing the watering for me. My lettuce, cukes and tomatoes are certainly enjoying it and thriving.

Today Big Bear and I went over to K & D's for what turned out to be an indoor picnic. The rain had let up by this morning, but it was still too cold and dreary to sit outside so we visited and ate indoors. There were four couples and it was very nice and relaxing. K & D barbacued steaks, I brought potato salad, and the other two brought a green salad and a fresh fruit salad. Very nice indeed.

I'm Back

Mon, 22 May 2006 18:10:51 GMT

We had a wonderful time with our friends in Redmond this past weekend (even with the rain). One of the reasons people from the valley visit or move to central Oregon is for the sunshine and dry weather, so of course it did the opposite. Because of that and the fact that the purpose of our trip was to spend time visiting, I did not take many pictures. The cloud cover was so low that you could not see the surrounding mountains. I've included a picture of their son and his family that I took out on the deck. If you look behind them you can see a little bit of the view.

There were 3 couples and we've all known each other for several years. Our boys were the original reason we got to know each other, but they're in their 30's now so obviously the friendship stuck. In fact our hostess and I met when our boys were in the same preschool class (oh my, am I really that old?). The guys did their visiting on the golf course as well as over meals and just sitting around. We women did ours while shopping in Sisters on Saturday and then on Sunday sat in the family room with a cup of tea and just talked and talked and talked .

Of course our friends kept apologizing for the weather, but we assured them that we had had a wonderful time. We came to see them not the sites. They built a beautiful home big enough for company and that company eases the transistion for Linda along with frequent trips to the valley to sub in her old school district (she's a retired teacher). She makes friends easily so in the 8 months they've been there she's already acquired several. We will certainly visit again.

Off for the weekend

Fri, 19 May 2006 19:03:41 GMT

We've had a beautiful, sunny week here in Oregon and I love it. I finished planting the garden, but still have lots of flowers to plant (I've been a bit of a slow poke getting it done). Son's dogs now expect a visit to my house to be a daily occurance. They're getting used to the new surroundings and have calmed down a lot. They probably view it as an outing to their own private park/playground. Ranger was already named when son adopted him from a shelter, but I think they should rename him digger. Take a look at the pictures of him in the wading pool. He loves playing in the water and hops in and out of it, but what's so funny to watch is how he plays in it. He DIGS and the water goes flying out behind him. Within a fairly short time he has the pool nearly empty!

Big Bear and I are taking off this afternoon for a weekend in the Redmond/Sisters area. Some long time friends moved there last year and built a house with room for guests. It's about a 3 hour drive and I'm sure we'll have a wonderful time. It will be good to see them again and have a fun weekend with no yardwork calling. BUT, what am I going to do about the withdrawal symptoms when I have no computer and can't blog? Luckily I tend to live in the present and am responsive to my environment so I think I'll survive.

I survived the dogs

Wed, 17 May 2006 06:56:06 GMT

Son & D-in-L arrived home Sunday morning having driven straight through from LA instead of spending the night somewhere along the way. He's always had a tendency to do that, especially when he was going to college and wanted to come home for break or have as much time at home as possible before heading back. He and his sister (they went to the same college) had an agreement, they would make only two stops and it had to meet all 3 needs. Those needs being gas, food and bathroom. It's a good 15+ hours from here to there although I do remember him bragging one time that he made it in 14 3/4. I wonder if that was the time he received a ticket in the mail from the 'patroled by air' section. I'm afraid he inherited his mother's lead foot.

The dogs actually did pretty good while they were gone. Emmitt (the boxer) was no trouble at all and even Ranger (mixed parentage) got better each day. He got really better after the replacement remote for his electronic collar arrived on Thursday. The old one broke the day before they left. A zap the next couple of times he started to dig and suddenly he's responding to my NO without my having to get up from MY digging and chase him. My son calls him the energizer bunny and he ain't lyin'. He also has unbelievable concentration when he locks onto something (even if what he's staring at is across a field). I now understand totally where that saying "hangs on like a bull dog" comes from (or is it pit bull?). Now the only problem is that after coming to my house each afternoon for 7 days straight they run straight for the back of my tahoe when I drive up. Son is working out of town this week so I brought them over again yesterday and filled the plastic wading pool for them. We set a record high for May at 92 degrees. Today I went over and was just going to let them out for a potty break, but the little one whined and whimpered so when I started to leave that I gave in and took them with me. I am such a sucker when it comes to animals.

The black dog in the pictures is Sadie. She's 10 years old now, hence the white hair that is showing up on her face and chest. She makes sure that little mister alpha (alias Ranger) knows that she is the boss. She doesn't bite him, but she sure growls and snaps whenever he tries to push her and he definitely shows her some respect now.

Rocks, Dirt and Dogs

Wed, 10 May 2006 08:12:25 GMT

I worked in the garden yesterday and again today. It's going a lot slower than I would like. I'm still removing rock when what I would like to do is plant. Of course the truth of the matter is that I could go ahead and plant, but the obsessive, compulsive, perfectionistic part of me just won't let me do that. I want every last rock OUT of my garden.

Adding to the consumption of time is the fact that I'm also caring for my sons two dogs. My son and his wife had to make a sudden trip to Californina to be with his college roommate whose wife just died of cancer(they were best man at each other's weddings) . She was only 30 years old. My son lives just half a mile from us so I go over to his place to let them out and feed them morning & evening, but I couldn't leave them there all by their lonesome, day & night for a whole week. So, I bring them over here during the day while I work in the garden.

Boy, am I tired! The boxer is no problem. He gets excited when he first sees you, but then he calms down. The little guy however, is another story. They adopted him from a rescue place and he is the happiest, sweetest dog you could ever meet, but he never stops moving! He's like a wind-up toy that never winds down or a very hyperactive 2 year old that is impossible to corral. It doesn't help that he appears to be very smart and an alpha with a real wide stubborn streak.

Yesterday he spent hours running up and down the fence line (& barking) with the two dogs behind us and tried several times to dig under (as did they). They all seem to think it should be one big yard for them to frolic in. I spent half my time chasing him away from his digging and sticking a pot in the spot. Today he skipped the barking and only dug by the fence once. Better you say? Take a look at the picture of him in the hole he dug today next to the house. I chased him away from it 3 or 4 times, but he'd go right back to it. I finally gave up or I wasn't going to get my project done and besides, at least with this one he wasn't going to be going anywhere.

Of course my husband wasn't too happy when he came home and saw the hole. As he's filling it and grumbling he's saying the dog won't do that when he's around. I had to laugh - 1. the animals have always minded me much better than they do him and - 2. he doesn't realize what a dynamo this little guy is. Well, at least they're so tired they'll sleep well tonight and we'll see what tomorrow brings.

Time marches on!

Mon, 08 May 2006 00:42:12 GMT

Well, I did finally get to the farm store for some plants and seeds on Friday. The weather was nice yesterday (Sat.) which enabled Big Bear & I to get some yard & garden work in. I had been irritated this past week about all the rock in my raised beds from the additional dirt we had added last year (free dirt). I had spent a couple of hours picking rock out of two of the beds on Wed. & Thurs. (after about an hour each day I'd be bored and come back to the computer ) and I thought - There's got to be a better way! We have a sandy soil so I'm thinking build a sifter, but chicken wires too big and screen door stuff is too fine, is there something in between? Well, Friday evening Big Bear & I are standing out in the garden and he's voicing the same idea. Then we look at each other and both say "No more free dirt!" I guess that's what being married 36 years does for you even if we do disagree a lot of the time. So Saturday morning he heads into the builder supply store and comes back with the perfect size of wire mesh and builds me a sifter. He built it out of some left over 2x4's so its a little heavy, but it sure works.

The time marches on title comes from my thinking about there was a time when I'd have had all the planting done in a day or two, including flower beds. Not any more! My best friend and I agree - Its not the years that bother us - It's what comes with it!

It rained today so best friend and I went to a huge plant sale at the fair grounds while our husbands loaded our utility trailer with wood from a tree they had felled and cut up on best friends property. It took some effort because the tree was on a hillside and they had to tote the wood up the hill. We both returned home around 2:00pm and when he had finished unloading the wood and stacking it, he came in and said "I'm done for the day!" and sat in his chair the rest of the afternoon & evening. Time marches on!

Sunshine & Gardens

Mon, 01 May 2006 06:46:36 GMT

I do so love the sunshine. I am definitely a Spring/Summer person. I planted some pansies and geraniums yesterday and my husband tilled up the garden area. I have raised beds for the vegetable garden and use a lot of pots and hanging baskets for the flowers as well as some flower beds. Our yards not in very good shape anymore. It's showing it's age (35 years) and the wear and tear of two big dogs as well as the effects of shade, moss, decomposing roots from the trees we've taken down over the years and some neglect. I try to pretty it up with flowers until we can afford to tear it all up and start over. When we are able to do that, I want to design an overall plan and install a sprinkler system.

Tomorrow it's over to the Farm & Garden store or Fred Meyers to drool over all the beautiful plants and try to narrow down my choices. :)

Me, Myself and I (Basics 101)

Sun, 30 Apr 2006 09:58:29 GMT

All the things you never wanted to know about me and in no particular order.

I was born and grew up in Oregon.
My heritage is german on my father's side and the british isles on my mother's.
I have one brother who is 16 months younger.
I'm 5'2" tall, with blue eyes, fair skin and medium brown hair (which I sometimes frost or highlight).
I got my dad's fine straight hair (my brother got mom's course, curly hair).
I was very blonde as a child, but it got darker and darker through my teens & twenties.
I have very little gray (thanks Dad). My brother grayed early like mom.
My husband also has one brother (younger) which obviously means we're both first born.
Which also means we both want to be the boss. Somehow we've managed to stay married for 36 years.
I was 19 and he was 22 when we married.
We have two children. A son 35 and a daughter 32.
I'm named after my two grandmothers and I like my names. My husband is named after his two grandfathers. Is this coincidence?
Both of our children are married and chose great partners.
Our son and his wife live just half a mile from us. Our daughter and her husband live in Indiana (much too far away, but they're happy and that's where he's from).
We have no grandchildren as yet which is too bad because I love kids.
I've always been an animal lover and have had cats and dogs my entire life.
I have a dog named Sadie and two cats whose names are Thomas and Mr. O'Reilly.
Our yellow lab died December 30. His name was Cody.
My favorite color is blue. My next favorites are red and purple.
The color I look best in is pink, but blue is a close second.
All of my parents and grandparents are dead. I miss my maternal grandmother the most and she's the one I quilted with.
I love a good roadtrip. The longer the better.
I've been in 26 of the 50 states.
Canada and Mexico are the only foriegn countries I've been to.
I spend way too much time on the computer.
I don't like being told what to do, how to do it and when to do it.
My favorite job (and most important) was raising our two children, but I've had lots of other jobs as well.
I've been a waitress.
Sold real estate.
Did daycare in my home.
Taught preshcool and been a teacher's aide.
Worked in the purchasing office of a manufacturing firm (and relieved the receptionist).
Secretary to the community school director.
Sewed for people and taught sewing as well as sewed for my family.
Worked in fabric stores and a women's clothing store.
Worked in a book & gift store.
Owned my own book, gift and music store in the 1990's.
Taught scrapbooking classes for a craft book publisher at scrapbooking conventions around the country.
I've also done a lot of volunteer work.
I coached little league baseball and soccer.
Was a member of the PTA and room mother several times. Helped out in the classroom when needed.
Was a bluebird leader, cub scout leader and 4-H leader.
Children's Sunday School Teacher.
Adult Sunday School Teacher and bible study leader.
Junior High Youth Group Leader & Sunday School Teacher and helped the Youth Minister with the high school group.
Summer camp counselor (jr. high & high school).
At camp I was known as the camera lady. I would take pictures all week long and then give the kids a slide show put to music on their last night.
I was in Toastmasters for several years (public speaking) and put it to use at various church and community functions.
I'm currently leader of a TOPS group (Take Off Pounds Sensibly).
My only surgery was removal of half of my thyroid because of a lump which was benign thank goodness, but the size of an egg. I can swallow pills now :o)
I love clothes, shoes, jewelry and ......... (I just plain love to shop and am a true packrat - which is not a good thing).
I like what I'm wearing to match and passed that on to my daughter. There are times however, when I'm lazy and don't give a rip.
I always got compliments on how nice my children looked clear up through high school. My children were well-behaved for the most part. My son was a definite challenge for both us and teachers (button pusher extraordinaire), but a good kid so we all survived.
My husband and I never finished college, but both of our children did.
I love to play board games and cards. My husband doesn't like playing games and the kids are gone, so I play mostly on the computer ;-)
My taste in music is eclectic and varies with my mood, but 60's & 70's rock is my favorite.
I also like blues, jazz, country, pop, showtunes, big band, contemporary christian and gospel.
My favorite fiction is mysteries, but some romance once in awhile is OK, too. I read a lot of non-fiction and have a tendency to pick up and put down and skim and have several going at a time.
That tends to make me feel like I never read anymore (even though I do) because I'm not reading a single book from start to finish before picking up another.
I'm a good reader, but slow (my mind wanders or I get distracted by what's going on around me).
Obviously I have a problem with focus and concentration. I'm ADHD and was diagnosed in my mid-forties. The psychologist said I was very intelligent, just very, very distractable. I can come across as quite ditsy at times or spacey.
I did fairly well in school because I liked it, I'm an auditory learner with a good memory and I was a good test taker (hated essay questions though, I'm a slow writer).
I actually read all those required books in high school and liked them.
My study habits were terrible. On the weekend I would read a novel Saturday, another one Sunday and then attempt to do my homework Sunday night.
I am still the Queen of procrastination.
I've read nearly all of Agatha Christie's books, as well as the Cat Who series, the Mrs. Pollifax series, several of Jeffrey Deaver's books, etc.
I'm nearly always late to everything even though I don't mean to be (no concept of time).
I'm finding a list like this to be too much I, I, I and me, me, me. Maybe it's theraputic?
My grandmother and my mother-in-law were my chief mentors and the women I most want to emulate.
I believe in Heaven and Hell.
I believe the bible is the inspired word of God.
I believe Jesus is the son of God.
I believe Jesus was crucified and resurrected.
I believe in the Trinity (Father, Son and Holy Spirit).
I believe that Jesus paid the price for our sins and bridged the gap between us and God. Our salvation is a free gift.
I believe that the only thing needed for us to enter heaven is to accept what Jesus did for us and follow Him. We do not have to work our way there.
I have not led a perfect life and never will. Who does?
Any changes in my behavior or lifestyle come as a result of my desire for a better life and love for Christ, not because someone says I have to. I do not attend church every Sunday.
The world outside of church walls is just as full of hypocrites as the space inside the walls. It is a human condition. :-)
My husband is an introvert and I am an extrovert. I am an ENTP or a Sanguine/Choleric on the other personality type profile. I think that's an otter/lion on the animal one, but I could be wrong, it's been a long time since I read that stuff.
I'm very verbal (in other words I talk too much). I don't like the phone for some reason, even though I can talk your leg off in person.
I'm a night owl so obviously I'm not a morning person. Do not ask me a question in the morning and expect a civil answer.
I love CocaCola and chocolate. I have a huge sweet tooth and have never been able to give up sweets for any length of time.
I don't eat near enough fruits and vegetables. I love breads, pasta, rice and all the other carbs.
I hate to exercise, but I know I should if I want to still be moving as the years roll on.
I can be very impatient with adults who just don't seem to get it and yet have been told that I'm very patient.
I sowed a few wild oats in my youth - remember, I'm not perfect. I carry a reminder of that in my liver.
I'm a photo nut and amateur photographer. I think I would like to do something more with it.
Black & white is artistic and very effective for some things, but I still prefer color (and not only in photography).
I love flowers and sunshine so I garden even though I'm not really an outdoorsy person.
I battle migraines, thyroid, acid reflux and depression, but have good health otherwise.
I love to sing along with the radio, but my children always begged me to stop if they were around.
I love to dance, but don't know how anymore for lack of a partner. My husband doesn't dance and he's 6'3'' which means my face is somewhere between his chest and his stomach instead of on his shoulder. ;-)
I love movies, but don't like horror or dumb comedies. I love a good comedy, just not the really dumb ones.
My favorite TV shows of late are CSI, Law and Order, Bones, Crossing Jordan, Overhaulin', Trick My Truck, Nashville Star, American Idol and Biography.
Some of my favorites in the past were Perry Mason, Maverick, Star Trek, Murder She Wrote, Matlock, Diagnosis Murder, Wild Wild West, Magnum P.I., Cosby Show, Little House on the Prairie, The Walton's, Disney, Zorro, The Lone Ranger, Superman, I Love Lucy and don't forget those old movies like Robin Hood and Sherlock Holmes.
I do not like wrestling, the 3 Stooges, or nearly all of the reality shows which is why I never watch them.
I think we pay our entertainment figures (athletes, actors, musicians) way too much in both money and attention while paying too little to people who make a hands on difference in our day to day lives.
I love old stuff. Old houses, antiques, and just about anything that reminds me of what I saw or had when I was growing up.
My biggest wish right now is to remodel our house before it falls down around us.
My best friend and I have known each other for 40 years (we met in high school) and our husbands have become best friends in the last few years which makes for a really nice foursome.