New Day - Tuesday

Good morning.    Yeah, once we throw the stone it does not come back, one  more reference to 'time' that I read about one day last week.    Time, one of the good four letter words . . . or is it?  For some it is much too long and for others much too short.   The young ones think it will never pass and they will never grow up and get to live their own lives.   We had a nun tell us in eighth or ninth grade that there would be a time that we would be wishing to be back in school and we thought she was crazy.   Time has been a trickster, a buffoon and a blessing . . . how quickly we have learned about time and its correlation with our minds, our heart and our souls.

So today, make good use of all your seconds.    Go out of doors when you can to enjoy the sunshine and the  end of spring as the 22nd of this month becomes the first day of the new season.    Pray that the weather pattern will change for the better and we can enjoy this summer without excessive hot days.    With the weather patterns we have been having, it is going to be a challenge if we have abnormal summer heat . . . 'time' will tell.    Have a 'slow' day if you can and be sure to laugh out loud.   Hugs to all.

D Day Allied Invasion

Good Monday morning.   Here is a beautiful picture my granddaughter Erin took in her travels.  I like it.   It has a feeling of serenity and peace, the sun is setting after a busy day as the tide is coming in and I am wondering where you were when all this was going on.    Walking a city street?   Jogging down a pathway?   Heading home after a busy day?    This would be an ideal picture to blow up poster size and have hanging in your bedroom so if you felt restless or couldn't sleep, this picture would help you to relax and fall into a quiet mode.   



The calendar says it is "D-Day", can you remember where you were when the news broke?   The Memorial Day movies brought back so many memories of that day and the loss of lives.   Light a candle for the brave souls that gave their all for you and me.   If nothing else, we owe them big time.

As for this little guy, looks a bit like my pocketbook after a trip to Freddys for some groceries.   I had to laugh yesterday when my son John wrote about his shopping expedition and the cost of things.  It is usually me doing all the griping and groaning over the new every day higher price and I am not shy about complaining to anyone who will listen.   It is not fair, not right, not just, that the grocery stores get away with the daily rise in prices.   If everyone was working and had a good income that would be one thing, but a lot of folks haven't worked in a year or two, have food stamps to contend with and cannot get some necessary and needed items, like paper products.    Where will all this end?  and when? Just how much are you willing to pay for a piece of steak . . . the eatable ones are ten dollars and better per pound;  even hamburger runs five dollars a pound, well . . . $4.95,   How folks with children can survive is a mystery to me.  

So today, if you are lucky to have an income, celebrate your good fortune by buying a few extra groceries and share them with your local food bank.    Those folks work hard to help the unfortunate who are having a really bad time of it right now.     Try and remember when you are checking out your food closet, not to throw out the old bent cans, go out and buy new so those folks will stay healthy and well so when work comes their way they will be strong and willing to go back to work and then help others.   It is a good circle to belong to.    Be one of the 'good guys' and make someone smile today.   Hugs to all.

Lazy Day

The Juno crew asked for comments on the changes and of course I responded.  It is always fun to remind them, once again, that like the picture of the rusty can promoting a product that doesn't work, jumping ads do nothing but create a feeling of ill will and frustration.    It will not do much good as they have already responded with the words that we computer users should really be thankful as the ads, jumping or not, keep the cost down on the use of their prestigious product.  Boy, would I love your feedback on that one.   It is much like our television with ads every four minutes.    Talk about intrusion . . . well, lets not, fighting 'city hall' is rather useless . . .  but, nothing says we have to by the product. 

A mystery, I had other pictures but they have disappeared, well what can I expect when I am trying to get into the back door and my old friend Mortimer the friendly ghost of blame is hanging around.    I apologize for the harangue, it has been a useless use of words that will not resolve the computer problems of updating.  Let 's go on to something else like the wildfires in Arizona that are driving the folks out of town to get some fresh air.    Andrea and Bob wrote yesterday they were packing up and taking off for a reprieve.   Over two hundred thousand acres have burned already.  How sad, how awful, some folks have lost their homes and everything in them.     It has been a tragic year for so many.    Reminds me of a rather long poem I did some time ago which I called "I Often Wonder"

The elements show themselves/in so many varied forms/I often wonder/Is this God's way/ to keep us well informed.

The oceans circle round the globe/the mountains reaching high/moisture forms/and soon a storm fills the sky.

The thunder roars/lightening soars/sending rain/upon the earth/the soil becomes a muddy pond/ the trees bend/from the wind/I often wonder/ is this God's way to show he sees/the foolishness below/how come the summer storms are soft/the world a soft glow/are we doing something to please His very soul?

This earth can tremble/crusts do move/the earth can split apart/I often wonder/ Is this Gods way to show the mean at heart?

When winds collide and form a cone/cyclone forms arrive/ to take whatever is in its path/I often wonder is this Gods way/to show the greedy/ they should share today?

The ocean can be smooth as silk/then turns to fury/as the waves/pound heavily on shore/flooding areas/and homes are no more/ I often wonder is this God's way to say/we are selfish and hoard and hoard and hoard.

Volcanoes erupt up into the sky/spuming heavy clouds of ash and smoke/making lava rivers/to destroy any- thing in its path/I often wonder/ Is this Gods way of telling us nothing is forever/so wake up/ pay attention/help change our ways/ so God will make the elements behave.

So today, Sunday all day, hopefully a long slow day in which you can rest and relax before starting the second week of June.    The month of brides and I don't know a single one.    I hope you do so you can join in the festivities and have a great time.    Daughter Patricia is coming along fine and should be coming home today which makes Emma and me happy.    I can hardly wait to spend some time with my daughter Christine and make up for some of the time we do not get to share.    It has been a long week and I am glad it is over although I have to admit it was wonderful to hear the voices of my sons and to have my granddaughter catch up with me.    If you have been a little remiss, take time out today to pick up the 'gadget' and call someone who loves you and brighten their day.    A few words, really only three little ones . . . I love you . . . well, I do, and I am glad you are in my life.     Go, laugh out loud today.   Hugs to all.

 

Time You Cannot Get Back

Good morning.    It is Saturday, all day, and it looks like a big black cloud is passing over and hopefully it will keep going and there will be some warmth and sunshine today.  We certainly can use a little summer weather.    The butterflies are out and that is a good sign.    My garden is growing wilder and bushier and looks like someone planted some lovely plants and knew what they were doing.  Too bad, I can't take credit for most of it as it was here when we moved in.   I have added a few odds and ends and they are growing so I can pat myself on the back for keeping them alive.   Not having green thumbs is far from a blessing.    Meanwhile I do pray over them a lot and that seems to be working.

Hug you always get back and that is one of life's blessings.    This week has been a hard one as my daughter Patricia had to go into the hospital for some private personal 'we don't talk about' surgery.   I am ready to shout to the world as I don't like the idea of anyone hovering over my children but me, and I find that as the role reversal comes about this changes.    The hovering of motherhood is no longer needed, or so 'they' say,but I am willing to bet that the attention given during recuperation will be welcomed with open arms.   The news is good and Pat is doing fine.  When her sister Christine called me last evening to report in, her first words were that Patricia was 'crabby' . . . good news as Patricia has a perchance for crabbiness when it suits her.    She is not happy having to stay an extra night, but then she will appreciate it more once she stands up and finds out she is not Katrina the Great this morning.  The funny thing is that they have her housed near the pediatric area and Christine teased her sister about the 'real' reason she was in there as a cart filled with new babies went by to join the new moms.     Pat didn't think it was that funny, but then, as I said, she is being crabby and right now she can be. . . it's okay . . . she will get over it as soon as they give her permission to go out the hospital door.

Another picture of the butterfly in Judy's garden in Colorado.  They are having warmer weather there.   I am fascinated by the size and designer patterns, such symmetry.  It looks almost painted . . . how surprising nature is as it unfolds such beauty.

So today, you have 'time' so use it wisely because once it is gone you can never get it back.   Some time we don't want back, others we would love to do all over again.   Some we throw away and some we hug close . . . make your seconds count today by filling your time with love and laughter.   Hugs to all.

TGIF June 3rd

Good morning.  An old picture taken in Bandon, Oregon a few weeks ago.   Yeah, I am back talking about 'the change' which has screwed up the picture process but I will not waste our visit going back into that.

I had some pictures that came in on an attachment yesterday.  It showed different animals hung up on some one thing that imprisoned them.   It was a wonder as to how they got themselves in such dire straights as the cows wandered around with buckets on their head or caught in the fork of a tree.    They must be curious and wander around looking for something new and different.   Guess they are not much different than we are in that respect.   One old sow caught in a mud puddle didn't seem at all unhappy, just glad I didn't have to clean up after any of them.   

It is cold in the house this morning so it has to be down to forty overnight.   We are having our spring weather and are waiting to see if we actually do get at least one week of summer which starts in another week or two.    Yesterday there was a huge rainbow that ran across the sky right over my neighbors house.   I took a picture of it but haven't uploaded it into  'my pictures' yet .  Hopefully I will be able to pull pictures up again.   The sky has been filled with unbelievable clouds of every size, shape and color.   An artist would have a 'field' day.      I saw that my neighbor, Mary, was outside puttering around her yard so went over to say hello and ask about the 'for sale' sign now on her front lawn.    Mary and her husband Joseph have only been in the neighborhood about two years now.    Nice folks and I am going to be sorry when they leave us.  It seems Jo is having problems physically and when they were in Nevada he felt so much better they have decided to move up in the high desert country.   Where?   Carson City . . . my old stomping grounds.    It was fun to tell her of some of the places and describe some of the beauty of Nevada.   The housing market up there is dirt cheap right now as Nevada was hit badly by the decline in the housing market.   I almost had myself talked into moving back there . . . well now that I know it is still snowing up there, I have second thoughts.   I talked with my friend Helen yesterday and she and her sister are planning another trip up to Reno in September.   I would love to join them and revisit my old haunts but getting there is always the hardest part since they tripled the air fare from here to there.   


If you find yourself in a mood to read, don't be afraid to read "Eminence" by Morris West.  An interesting and a good read.     The book sale here over the holiday weekend was a huge success and this year they let the remaining books stay out on the tables for an extra few days so you could go and buy a bag full for two dollars.   I now have ten new novels to read, hopefully on the back porch in sunshine, but rainy day reading curled up on the couch is a blessing also.  I found a few of my favorite authors but then the fly leaf on some  others I am not familiar with were enticing enough to bring home with me too.    Daughter Christine brought down one of her old bookcases and it is a beauty.  I spent yesterday moving some books around and today I have to revamp my old bookcase and make it neater.   I have heard that flowers brighten a room, but books make it cozy and comfortable.  


So today, if your weather is beautiful, and you go about winding  down for the weekend, take time out to read awhile.   You may even have one of the newer gadgets that has a new best seller on it.   Daughter Christine has a gadget that does so many things that it is hard to believe it contains the information it does.  She can find her way in a strange area, or use her gadget as a camera, or a telephone, or even a computer.  She can get e mail, text messages and a host of other things all at the touch of a screen.  It is amazing what is happening in our world of communication.    I cannot imagine what will be next for those of you just starting out or for those of you who are mid way . . . an amazing world is opening up.    Just remember to use your seconds wisely.  Hugs to all.

You Judge

I wish I had known that it was sand casting time at Cannon Beach, Oregon as I would have tried very hard to go up there to see the absolutely wonderful work done by the sand artists.    They have six hours to do their project, starting with low tide and getting a masterpiece finished before the tide rolls back in and demolishes it.   

The details are amazing and so life like.    Such talent.

This one must have taken all of the six hours.  I would be heart broken to make such a masterpiece and then watch it being demolished by the sea. There were many more entries, and each one was an amazing feat of beauty and wonder.    I would love to have walked the beach and inspected each entry.   You can bet my camera would have gotten a good workout.    


 So today, the second day of your new month, relax and enjoy June for it is the beginning of summer and it is going to be very interesting to see what our weather is going to do.   There was a tornado in Springfield, Massachusetts yesterday, something that does not happen very often.   I guess we have to get our three day pack ready whether we want to or not, as the weather seems to have a mind of its own this year.    My two daughters and I went to the Nautical Inn for our scallops last evening and sat at a table facing the ocean as the sun was going down.  It had been raining slightly on the window panes so as we were looking through the window pane it made the clouds look like they were dripping.  They had irregular shapes and an iridescence about them that would have made an artist stand up and sketch.    It isn't often I get to enjoy both of my girls together and it was fun.  They have a camaraderie that was good to see and laughter came easy.    My world seemed a lot brighter.   The seconds fly by so do not miss a chance to share time with those you love.    Just remember 'life is not a rehersal' so make good use of today.    Hugs to all.

Look and See

High up in the Saguaro cactus, some forty feet in the air, sits a golden cat with amber eyes feeling its oats.  I wonder what chased it up there.    I don't think it makes a habit of scaling a cactus.  Just think how agile and how scared it must have been to 'reach for the stars'.

This picture reminded me of my expression when I go into a big city and have to be in heavy traffic moving bumper to bumper at high speed.   My granddaughter Erin will get a big kick out of this one.   I actually took her to task for driving fast in the rain.   Yeah!   I am getting OLD.

A close up of the bob cat on a perch that cannot be to comfortable.    Those pickers must be on the top as well as the sides of the cactus.    Well, this tough old cat doesn't seem to mind.  I'd like to see what chased it up there.   At least it is getting a tan.  Wonder if they have to call the fire men to get it down?  




So today, hump day, hopefully a sunshine day.   Daughter Christine has arrived and brought some lovely birthday presents.   I now have some beautiful tiles made by one of the artists at the Port Orchard Gallery.    They were made from the original work done in several different styles, one in water color, charcoal and oils.    The four smaller ones are almost to beautiful to put a glass on.   I may just make a wall collage out of all of them, but on second thought they are made to be used so use them I will.    I may even let you put your glass on one.

Don't let time get by you.  Use it well and make your seconds count.     I am off to make some blueberry pancakes for my two daughters this morning.    I haven't had the two of them together in a very long time.  Have I told you how beautiful they are, inside and out, well have you got an hour or two to listen?    I hope your having a breakfast that will make you healthy and happy this morning, go . . . enjoy your day.  Hugs to all.

The End of May

Finding a way to put the pictures on the blog is working although it is like going in a back door instead of a front door.    I can get the pictures on now but I can't break where I want to and if I start fooling around then I lose them.   So the gripe continues as I say a prayer that 'those' in power of change will go back to 'normal' . . . sounds like I am talking politics early this morning.  


The butterfly picture was sent to me yesterday from Colorado.  Judy has lilacs blooming and the butterflies love it.   I thought for a minute that it was a Monarch but on a second look, I don't think so.  I wonder just what species it is, but it really doesn't matter as it is very beautiful to look at.  I am hoping for a butterfly or two to come into my back yard this summer.   They seem to love the  honey suckle and the pink tea tree.


The latest news seems to be a change in the pyramid for foods.   I hear we are going to get a new one.   I thought I'd take a good look at these pictures as they seem to have everything that we could possibly need to stay strong and healthy.    Hey, I made a jean dish for dinner last night and you might like to try it.  I am sure someone chef has already made it, only fancier, but it was simple to do and I think you might even like to try it.    Take those long stems off the baby spinach as they can stick in your throat and cause trouble.   Tear them up and put them in a bowl, slice up a half of a tomato, about four mushrooms, a half of a small white onion, some green pepper cut up small, a few frozen green beans, dribble some sea salt and some black pepper over all.   Get out your big black iron skillet and put some olive oil and about a teaspoon of vinegar in it, put it on medium heat and then dump in all of the ingredients from the bowl.   Let it simmer for a few minutes, just long enough for the green beans to thaw and viola!!!  Dinner is ready.  A side of a fancy cracker or two and you have it made.   


So today, remember one more month has gone by the wayside.  It seemed to be a very long month of very unusual and colder weather for our area.   We cannot complain as we have not had the horror other states have had during the tornado season with the added floods to contend with.   I am off to light a candle or two today and hope you will take time out to do the same.  It can't hurt, in fact it might just help if we all make up our minds to bend a knee and offer our eyes up into the wild blue yonder.  Who knows what little angel might catch sight of the light of your candle.    Today "Simple Truths" newsletter talks about time . . . "Nobody can manage time . . but you can manage those things that take up your time."    "Time is Expensive.  As a matter of fact 80% of our day is spent on those things or those people that only bring us 2% of our results."   "Time is perishable.  It cannot be saved for later use."  "Time is measurable.  Everybody has the same amount of time, pauper or king.  It is not how much time you have, it is how you use it."  "Time is irreplaceable. We never make back time once it is gone."  "Time is a priority.  You have enough time for anything in the world, so long as it ranks high enough among your priorities."   So think about all that for a second or two and then go out in your world and make every second count.   Hugs to all.

MEMORIAL DAY

Good Morning.     It is Memorial Day and the festivities have been going on for days.   Now, today, we can relax and enjoy the rest of the holiday and hopefully share some time with family and friends. 

Choose your words wisely for once they leave, you cannot get them back... so make sure the words that flow from your mouth are words of love and maybe even a little wisdom.   

This picture had to do with some funny remarks about men and women and this particular one had to do with a man's understanding of women . . . maybe, by the time he gets to the last page. . . but, I wouldn't count on it. 

I hope you had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend and got out away from all the mundane cares of each day.   Maybe you were lucky enough to be able to visit a grave yard and put a flag on a grave of one of our heroes, and the men and women that did give their lives for us, should be honored, not just on Memorial Day but every day.    They gave their all . . . we can offer our prayers, works and sufferings for them.     The pictures of the graveyards overseas in the different countries was mind boggling and the number of those we lost is hard to reconcile.    So today, keep them in mind as well as remembering the youngsters overseas right now who are trying to do do the impossible.

So today, make your seconds count.    Relax, and have a cold beer with your feet up and let the 'better' half do the cooking.     Don't forget the mustard and the ketchup.     Hugs to all.

The Experiment

Good morning.    Son John found a way to let me show some of the pictures I filed away a week ago, before the changes made to bloggers.   It is a round about way to get where I wanted to go but it worked and that is half the battle. 

This particular picture is of a vacation home in Rhode Island.   I had notes to tell you all about it but they have gone by the round file and all I can tell you is that some folks have found a way to earn a free vacation there.   I wouldn't mind spending a day or two there , but only if I were in good company.

As for the owls, I thought they were beautiful birds.  I often get e-mails about animals and the pictures are always striking as each of the species have a beauty all their own .   I wrote a story about a barn owl and could have used a picture like this one.  


My neighbor came by last evening to say hello and check up on me.  She is the maker of the best clam chowder in town and she always saves a bowl for me.    I supply the clams and juice on occasion so that entitles me to a hot steaming bowl of clam chowder.  So I have my lunch planned for today.   She was telling me our newest neighbor is feeding the gulls, now I know why I have so much gull poop on my porch and walkways.   He is from the big city so I assume he thinks the gulls need to be fed.  He is the one who moved in a lot, a big lot, of marine 'stuff' from anchors to hawsers and his front yard looks strange but once a 'marine buff', always a 'marine buff' and we have learned to ignore it all.   Now how to tell him not to feed the gulls . . . I was thinking I could tell him feed the gulls and it as okay as long as he walked around with a pooper scooper and cleaned off our porches, roof tops and walkways.    I'll wait until his wife comes home and have a conversation with her, maybe she has a 'way' with him.

I hope you enjoyed your holiday weekend and finish it up today with a clam bake or a hot dog on the bar-b-qu.   The weekend flew by and Pat and I sat in the dry warmth of the Gull restaurant for brunch and watched the rag tag parade go by.   There have been a lot of changes since my early days of parade watching.   I remember several marching bands along with beautiful floats and lots of flags flying during the Memorial Day parade.   The governor, the mayor and a lot of the business men and women rode in cars and waved as they went by.   Times have changed and I am thankful for those in the community  who did try to make our holiday a bright one.


So today, enjoy the rest of the holiday as you divide your seconds up and enjoy the day.    I have to go send my son a thank you note for making it possible to pull up a picture or two.    Find reasons to smile and be good to each other.    Hugs to all.

A Rainy Day

Good morning.  It is Saturday morning and it is Memorial Day Weekend with a lot going on about town, even in the rain.  The dauntless spirit prevails.    Pat and I are going over to the Port to see what kind of fresh fruit and vegetables the new 'market' has.   Hopefully some of the vegetables I love.   Son John sent me a basket of fruit and a lovely plant for my birthday and the fruit has been delicious and keeps well in the refrigerator.   I have had big fat juicy plums and great apples, while I had to wait awhile to enjoy the pear.  It didn't take long for it to ripen and then it didn't take long to gobble it up.   


The computer problems still remain.    I am not even sure this blog will take as the starter page refuses to leave and my complaint seems to go unnoticed.    I think daughter Patricia is right about how obsolete our machines get as newer, faster and more expensive machines hit the market and want our attention.    The electronic world seems to be moving faster than ever and our machines are obsolete before they leave the market place.    There should be a place of us, those who are content with having a machine to help us enjoy our contact with the outer world.   I did complain about the bouncing ads that make it impossible to type a full sentence without losing half the words.  I was told that the ads were what kept the cost down and why we had low fees for our road into the internet.    Ads are one thing and I understand the need for money and for fame but I don't see why they have to bounce all over the screen and invade the computer.  Hopefully the general public will get fed up and refuse to buy any products that bounce across the screen.   Okay, enough . . . I've been on a 'tare' about the computer changes I never asked for and do not want to bore you anymore.   If the problems are resovled I'll be back with the blog, if not, then it has been a special treat to converse with all of you each day.    


So today, make your seconds count, don't forget to say a prayer for those who gave their lives for 'us'.   Go out and about and have some fun today, a holiday weekend, what could be better than that?   Hugs to all.

TGIF Again

Good Morning.   It is Friday and one day closer to the weekend.  It seems to me I have written those words more than once.  I am beginning to feel like I am in a rut as I want to go back to the normal way I was able to bring up a lovely picture, or at least a funny one, and tell you about life in my my neck of the woods.   If I am not mistaken, the bush picture was taken from a moving car.  I am hoping to use it, along with others in a new poetry book.    Right now I would be happy if I could pull up some of the current pictures in "My Pictures."

The picture of Emma playing with her friend who comes over to play with her a couple of days each week.   They have a great time visiting and exchanging toys after a lot of running around the yard.    It wears them out.  I think that is the intent and purpose of their owners so they can have an uninterrupted visit and a cup of coffee.

What are you going to do with your weekend?    It is Memorial Day and there should be a lot of activities to join into.    The library book sale started on Thursday of this week and by the first days end the room was in shambles and the crew was trying hard to put things in order for another go round the next morning.  I managed to find four books by my favorite authors so have enough reading for the summer months, if it ever gets here.  We are having winter weather, strange and colder than normal but we cannot complain as we look at the pictures and read the stories of those in the mid states who are suffering untold agonies.   The spirits resilient so I am sure we will be hearing about the rebuilding process and will be amazed at the come back.    I do wonder how many will move out of the tornado alley though.     It is one of nature's elements I don't think I would want to live with.    

So today, remember those folks and pray for all of them.    Get off your duff and do some one chore you have been neglecting.    I am.   Make your seconds count and find reasons to laugh out loud as it is magic for the spirit.  Hugs to all.

P.S. and don't ask about the way the words are printing out as I have no clue. 

Good Morning

How are you this morning?    I hope each and everyone of you are gearing up for the Memorial Day Holiday.  Here in Brookings there are a lot of exciting venues starting with a parade down our main street even though a squall or two has been predicted.    The Garden Club is having the plant sale and I am looking for a plant called "Piers Andromeda" for my garden.   If you haven't seen this plant then you are missing out on something not only beautiful but so different it draws you to it like bees to nectar.     The pale white cluster looks like grapes from a distance but the soft tiny petals belie this and the bright red flower is an amazing surprise as it peeks out from green leaves.    It really is different and grows into a huge bush.   Now all I have to do is find one.

There is going to be a quilt show which always draws a crowd.   The folks who quilt have much to brag about as they come up with some unique and beautiful designs.    I tried to make a quilt or two in my time and like trying to make clothing, I found it was not my forte.    I enjoyed the actual piecing and sewing but couldn't make it come out like it should.  God forbid I ever tried to wear anything I made, with my luck, I probably sewed the neck shut.    I once had a friend, who was a wonderful seamstress and could make anything, tell me not to even try and that was after taking home a blouse I had cut out.  She never did tell me what I did wrong, but by her vocal expressions I figured I had done some one thing I should not have.   Come to think of it, in school the nuns tried to teach us to make fancy stitches on special cloth they used for the altar . . . now I know why mine was never chosen.


We will be out and about as the artists are showing in the gym.   Last I heard there were over a hundred pictures to be juried.   I hope my friend Sharon Guinn has a couple of her art works in there.   She usually walks off with a prize or two.    The other artisans will be showing their wares in the school gym and it is always fun to walk around and see the things they come up with.   


So today, as you near the end of your work week and have festivities to attend, remember to take time out and just relax and catch up with yourself.     Let the dust kitties alone for this weekend and get out there and make merry.    Most of all take the time to remember what the day really stands for and do a little soul searching and find a prayer or two for the men and women who gave their all for each one of us.   I'm for lighting a  candle or two and send a prayer up for the safety of those now overseas.    Join me in this endeaver and then grab a hot dog and don't forget the mustard.   Hugs to all.

Hump Day

Good morning.   I have been writing for about five minutes only to have the words disappear as I write.  I have no idea where they are going or why.   The same for the pictures, the albums have hundreds of pictures in them and will load up so I can choose one but the ones I put on today are not showing up.    So without grousing about the changes that are effecting the e-mail and the blog, I'll write a little about what interested me in the e mails this morning.

There was a delightful series about measurements starting with the width of standard railroad  rails which were originally built by the English and the exact same gauge was used for wagon wheels which had to do with the long distance roads in  England.   Rutted roads came from Roman times when the legions rode chariots with wheels wide enough as two horses asses.  


Now, our most modern mode of transportation, our rocket ships with two boosters attached to the sides of the main fuel tank (made in a factory in Utah) have to be shipped by train through a tunnel just a little wider than the railroad tracks . . . so our most advanced technology is determined by the width of two horses asses.    Um . . . the word progress comes to mind.


So today, remember those who have lost everything to tornadoes and flooding.     They have a very long road to get back to 'normal'.     Be kind and generous.    Make your seconds count, don't waste them.  Take pride in yourself and the work you do and share a hug or two as they feel good and make the heart beat stronger.    Hugs to all.

Cold Winds

Good morning.    It is almost the end of May and we are having cold winds with our sunshine.   The winds are strong so there is no chance I can enjoy puttering around the yard.    I suppose I could put on my winter coat and go out there with a clipper in hand but let's face it I am lazy at heart and what's a few dozen more weeds among friends.


The picture problem remains and I have hope that it will be changed back and I can show you some of the pictures I put aside yesterday,if not, I will have to try and verbalize so you will know what peeked my interest.   For one thing there was a very informative e-mail about Tinian Island in the Pacific Ocean, a forty-mile flat green dot in the vastness of the Pacific ocean.   It is over grown and dirty, but it was 'the spot' where World War II was won.

The Seabees built this airstrip so that 30,000 Marines could land here as a jump off spot to other island of the Pacific.  The B29 superstructure launched the Enola Gay and on August 5, 1945 the first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima.  There was so much more to the story and so many wonderful pictures as the words told of the take over of the Islands by the Japanese and the horror they wrought when they enslaved the Okinawan and Korean people.   A picture of cliffs jutting from the sea was the spot the Japanese Emperor ordered his people to commit suicide, over 5,000 died , and some became prisoners.   There was a lot more written about the history of World War II in words and pictures I have never seen before.  

As I sit here typing away, I can look out my window and see a huge black cloud hovering , yet there is light blue sky about it and hopefully it will move on and we will warm up a bit.    Friend Marcia is coming by this morning with goodies.  She has been baking again.    This lady is like the battery bunny, always up to something, and seems to have the same energy.  She was gifted some round tubs and has been busy filling them with soil and is going to grow a garden and intends to put up pole beans, apples from her neighbors tree and tomatoes too.   I envy her energy and her knowledge and ambition as the words "I used to" comes to mind.    I hope to talk her out of a jar or two of whatever she puts up and even offered to weed a bucket or two.    I know her prices will be much better than Freddys and a lot healthier.  


So today, give some thought to growing a small garden of vegetables for your own table.   If things keep up as they have been lately, we may be seeing some of the old 'victory gardens' back.   I think I read something in our local paper about two of the senior members thinking about doing just that.   Oh for a real true garden tomato . . . a BLT for lunch . . . yeah!   I wouldn't mind that, but first I had better go and have my coffee and wake up.   Make your seconds count, every one of them .  Hugs to all.

Here is a Rhody to brighten your day.

It Is Monday

Good morning.  It is Monday, May 23, 2011 and I am like the gorse that is growing wild along the highways and biways.   The invasive beautiful weedy plant is taking over just like the invasive  invasion of 'change' that has brought our country down to a standstill and this computer to a step away from being thrown out a window.   " Patience is a virtue, possess it if you can, seldom in a woman, but never in a man"  I think I am about to be the first female in history with no patience of any kind and certainly no kind words to that 'imp' behind the box called 'computer' . . . yeah!!!  I do have another name for it, but you would think me very unlady like to use it.


Now the picture area is in place but it only brings up a few albums which contain the pictures I have taken over the last few years.   I think one has 109 in it, and, if I were to pull this up and 'upload' it I would have to wait for all 109 to load up . . . makes perfect sense to someone in Google Land, but I have other thoughts on this subject.   The gorse was available, for whatever reason, so I pulled it up and at least you have a picture to look at.

My guest has left after a weeks stay and I am both happy and unhappy.   It was so nice to see Jane and being a scrabble enthusiast we played and played . . well, I did win one big time, but we won't go into the others.     We went to the Port, stopped at a Sunday yard sale on the way, had delectable fish nuggets at the Hungry Clam and did a lot of walking for exercise along the board walk.   Yes, you are right....I did leave the camera at home . . . think I have reached the age where I need notes to my notes.


All in all we had a good visit, lots of conversation, found we are complete opposites in Politics.    I just figured I am older and wiser ....so we didn't continue don't that road.    We had a lot of laughs and a few tears over some of  the events that happened in our lives.   Jane thought she might want to live  right here in Brookings but it is much too soon for her to make that type of a decision.   She needs to check out some other areas where she would not be so isolated and one of her main goals is to become a very good weaver.  She wants to take classes and go on to college or a place where they teach the more classic designs.   Hopefully she will find her nitch and settle down so we will see more of her.


I did find out I am a pain in the arse as I am set in my ways . . . is picky a good word?   I think so and it fits me rather well.     Closing drawers and doors after folks is not my idea of fun when I have a place for everything and everything in its place....see, I told you...picky.....taking over ones crossword puzzle is not my idea of a good guest.....ha....ha.....all kidding aside having a 'daughter' visit is fun and the empty nest is going to be one more time to 'get used to it'.  . . but I never do.     I gripe, I groan and moan but in the end I am blessed with family and friends who are so very special.


So today, the start of a new week, almost the end of the month and a holiday coming up.   Get out the summer bar-b-que things and shine them up for good use.  Invite a friend or two over and have a hot dog or two.    Don't forget a cold beer or soda pop, even ice tea isn't all bad.     The work week will go faster than you think so get ready to celebrate with flags flying, a prayer for those who are gone before us and special prayers for those still over in the far away places.  I bought a raffle ticket from the 'red shirts' who volunteer to send packages to those over in those places and what a job they do....take a peek and then buy a ticket or donate to the cause.  It is costly to send packages by mail.   Wouldn't it be nice if the Post Office gave the packages a free ride....guess if they were not close to bankruptcy they would.....say a prayer anyway.  Hugs to all.

A Way To Go

I am not sure about the newest change in my life but this morning I could upload a picture as you can see here.   I can't get on to the 'usual' area where I added a few new pictures and will have to find out why, or maybe they even went to the 'la,la,land' of computerdom.     I've been told "practice makes perfect" so I will continue to try to master the newest 'change' even though I still feel there was absolutely nothing wrong with the 'old way' . . . not being stubborn, just truthful.

That is our Emma trying very hard to give her visitor one of her toys, or maybe she is trying to get one of her toys back from her little visitor.    Pat has a friend who bring her dog over to play with Emma hoping they will both wear out and not need so much attention.    Emma has grown into a beautiful dog but continues her puppy ways and finds it hard not to just 'love you to pieces' and she does endlessly.

So today, Sunday, make your seconds count and do something special just for you.    I will continue to master the changes in the computer, even the waking up to having a PC Power Spread going full tilt finding errors in my programs to the tune of 243 then telling me to check the fix it but not before it brings up the fact they are selling you this particular program.    I am wondering how they can just log into your computer and start a search program without permission.  Well, I do not know what the 243 errors are, but I do know my own scan was put to work this week and that everything was just fine.    Keep your eyes open and listen good as you go about today because there is some one out there wanting to sell you the Brooklyn Bridge all over again.    Just be careful.   Hugs to all.

Saturday evening

Hello Everyone.   I miss writing my blog every day.   There is something going on that will not let me put up pictures and  most of today would not even let me write.    Son John has gone behind the scenes and does not find anything to fix.   I have sent all of the http notices, the error report, and have done what I can, but even though he said he put up a picture, it didn't show.  So something is amiss and I miss blogging.

I have company, Jane is here for several days and we have made it around town so she can enjoy the sunshine.  She is a scrabble player and has gotten all the good tiles . . . ha.ha.  . . . well today I got them so she is still up a game on me and tomorrow we will try again.    We enjoyed the Port today and the tents are up with the artisans who work in jewelry and some in leather.    We saw the first of the bright deep cherries and some of  the red with more yellow in baskets and they were not cheap.   The fish nuggets at The Hungry Clam were very tasty and the walk along the boardwalk helped the calorie count afterwards.    I was tempted to go into the ice cream store but didn't.  


So I am keeping busy.  I am enjoying my company.   I will be much happier when I can pull up some pictures and share them with you.     I am just glad I can write tonight.  So hang in there and don't give me up.  There has to be an answer to this current 'update' . . . a  supposedly better way to blog....I have news for them....it is not a better way....I don't like it even a little bit.     I want my old blog back!!!   


So tonight enjoy your Saturday night hopefully with some good family members and friends.    Stay well and happy and patient.   Hugs to all.  

Patience

Good morning. Google has decided, all on its own, to change the font, the way to pull up a picture and probably a few other things I know nothing about and will find out the hard way. I have some kind of 'error on page' that doesn't seem to 'yell' for attention and I have no way of knowing wht it is or how to correct it. Oh to have one of you here to put your magic minds and fingers to work. Why can't things be left as is until you decide you want change in your life. Why is it that anyone can make changes that effect you and there is little or nothing you can do about it . . . and it isn't all politics. . . . it can be anything at any time . . . um . . . do I sound like I am becoming an endless octogenarian with nothing to do but gripe . . . sorry, don't mean to be negative, but, I am not happy when I cannot just go about my own business as usual and have the joy of commisserating with my family and friends. Oh well . . . it will eventually be sorted out and I will find my self blogging again and pulling up a picture or two to amuse you or brighten your day. If you can read this minute print, good for you, I had to go find my glasses . . . good thing I knew where they were. If any one of you has an answer to this particular problem, please, don't be shy, sing out and let me know what keys to push.

I'm off to play more scrabble with Jane today. I am off to have my therapy treatment and massage by a young handsome therapist with magic fingers. . . I'm off period....but you all know that. Enjoy your seconds, make them count, work on patience, offer up a prayer or two and get a soul in heaven . . . I think I got at least a dozen in yesterday and hopefully as many more today. Hugs to all.

Thursday morning

Good morning this bright and cold morning. It seems as though the warmth of sunshine comes later in the day. It was very warm after five p.m. last evening so I opened windows to let some of the house heat out and settled down for a game of scrabble. Jane is here visiting and she is a scrabble player, a good one, beat me both games. We were bragging about our fish tacos so she invited us out to Panchos and she tried the fish taco salad and found it to be every bit as delicious as we bragged about.


I am disappointed I cannot find the way to put up my pictures this morning. There is suppose to be some one word on the list that will allow this but so far I haven't found it. I do not like the fact that changes can be made and there is no control over the blog. It was working just fine and from the letters that poured in complaining about the changes, maybe Google or whoever is responsible for making the changes will put it back and let us continue with a program that worked just fine. It popped up with a message about a tab being opened, showed the old heading to get to a picture but then let me down when it wouldn't finish the 'done' part and show the picture on the blog . . . so I gather there is a problem . . . but how to fix it? I don't have a clue.


As Groucho Marx said, "Politics is the art of looking for trouble, find it everywhere, diagnosing it incorrectly and applying the wrong remedies." It goes for making computer changes without input.


So today, be of good cheer, practice patience and know you are one day closer to your 'time out' and plan a time for rest and relaxation. Meanwhile Jane is thinking of settling down in Brookings so is going to look around and see what is available in the mobile parks. She spent seven years in Hawaii and doesn't want to be far away from the ocean. I gather her two weeks in Portland convinced her to try the coast to settle down.


Make today a good one, smile a lot, and use your seconds wisely. Hugs to all.

Hello

Pictures from John .
. . . this was from saturday, spring sprung . . . everything is green and the ducks are on the pond nesting . . .

You're What?

Good morning. You have seen and heard the expression about being 'up to your ass in alligators' and this picture brought that to mind. How many times have we felt that we are about to be eaten alive by all of the negatives in our lives. We all have them whether we like it or not. We can protect ourselves if we have sense enough to climb up and out of the alligator pond and get on to the positive side of life. Sometimes easier said than done, but never so impossible that we have to sit and do nothing. So keep that in mind and give yourself a pep talk and enjoy your seconds before they run out.



It is Tuesday morning the 17th of May and here we woke up to cold and rain. I cannot complain as son Michael woke up to snow. Nevada is famous for snow even in the month of July. Those Sierra mountains seem to hide their peaks in tons of snow and the good side is that it makes the water level great for the oncoming summer months. Life is a balance, like a see saw, with it comes ups and downs. Philosophical this morning as I start the newest year of my life. I wonder what is in store for me this year? I wonder if I will travel this year? I'm thinking about it. I have a very bad habit of putting myself on hold . . . don't have to, just do. I keep thinking of reasons not to travel because of some of the changes ongoing in my body. Then, I get to thinking whatever could happen will no matter if I am here or somewhere else, so I had better get off my 'wait and see' policy and do some of the things I truly want to do. Sounds good . . . and then I think of all it takes to go anywhere and get up out of a chair or a booth. Booths should be off limits to octogenarians as they are almost like a booster seat . . . although I think a booster seat for adults should be the next craze. So I'll go back to musing about my plans for this year and think about them a bit more, maybe on a more positive side.



So today, weigh your stress level and decide what you will allow and what you wont allow and make your seconds work for you and make sure that person on the other end of your see saw weighs as much as you do so the ups and downs even out and you enjoy the ride. I'm off to spend my birthday check on some miracle grow for my new plants, a few colorful annuals and a big fat juicy hamburger with mushrooms and onions . . . if you were here I'd treat you too. Hugs to all.

Return Trip

Good morning, it is May 16th the start of a new year for me and I am still reeling from all of the attention I received over the weekend as the celebration of my birthday continued. I had decided I wanted to stay home for dinner and not go out to a fancy restaurant. I had been wined and dined for a week or more and a hamburger sounded just right. Pat came over with the makings and friend Maggie was going to join us and play a game of scrabble . . . well, that was the intent, but . . . in walks Maggie with a bag full of Chinese food and what a treat we had. So I didn't go out but the fancy food came in and we enjoyed every mouthful. I shared my carrot cake which Pat made and it was scrumptious. Not much left as I talked Pat into making a smaller cake this year . . . am I crazy? Yeah!!! There is a piece left and I am not sharing this one. La Verne, on the other hand, made me two loaves of cinnamon bread so you know what I am having toasted this morning for my breakfast. It is not going to take long to put back that five pounds I lost at this rate, well, maybe . . . just maybe, a bit of garden work will offset it all.

Driftwood and a shark's face I see. On the way back from Coos Bay we stopped at our favorite town of Bandon where the old town is a treasure trove of galleries and shops. We usually just stop to have a bit before heading home, sort of a half way stop for us and we don't take time to see Bandon as a whole. This time we took a ride down and around the water and found a whole area of homes that are vacation rentals and there are several hotels and motels in the area. We had no idea. The bar was rough with huge waves pounding into shore spraying the rocks and keeping the boats in. It was misty and a storm was coming in so the water was wild.

We saw these steps leading from one of the homes down to the beach. I was reminded of Pauline in Newport who has her forty steps leading to the ocean. I thought she would get a kick out of seeing these steps leading to the Bandon beach area. You can see a lot of driftwood at the base.

Here is the Rose of Sharon bush that is just beginning to bloom. You can see it has a lot of blossoms coming this year. It was spectacular last year but not as thick and bushy. I am beginning to find out that the more I prune back the bush the bigger and wider it gets. I am anxious to see it bloom and will take a picture when it does.

So today, enjoy the start of your new week. Pay attention to the candidates as they line up for the next Presidential election. We have a long road to travel before we get to the voting booth. Monday is always an iffy day as we are still in our weekend mode. It is hard to give up the freedom of our weekend and buckle down to business again, but don't despair, time flies 'faster than a speeding bullet' so know your weekend will be back sooner than you anticipate. I have housework that needs attention as I get ready for company this week. Summer is coming and I am looking forward to 'family' guests who don't mind writing their name in my dust. I have a sign that says "Dust Kitties in Progress, do not disturb." so come and we will ignore the 'mess' and go looking for agates on the beach and enjoy the sunshine . . . if it every stays out long enough around here. Make your seconds count, enjoy everyone of them. Hugs to all.

Birthday Fun

It is May, the month of birthdays around here as daughter Patricia and I celebrate our special days. We go through the usual verbiage of not buying gifts and just plot and plan a dinner out somewhere together, sounds good, but that is not what we do as we Taurus love to give as well as to receive . . . and we do both so well. The rhodys are in bloom so it is time to recognize May and the two of us have had a ball.

Pat asked what I wanted for my birthday and of course I said 'nothing' . . . let's just eat out . . . but I admired some pots that I would like to have for the new area in the front of the house and before you know it I had these beauties. They have to be re-potted with some colorful flowers but that is another trip yet to take.

We went to Coos Bay and along the way we saw that May was celebrating the wild gorse which is really very pretty but very intrusive and kills most anything in its path. It is taking over the Oregon highways and we saw many acres of this wild blooming plant from our own Brookings all the way to Coos Bay.

Another shot from the highway. I missed the area where the fields are loaded with this gorse, and it has taken over acres of land from Brookings, where it is just beginning to show, all the way to Coos Bay some hundred or so miles north of us. I am wondering if it follows all the way up north along Highway 101. The thing about the gorse, from what I understand is the creosol it contains that burns hot and fast. I would think this would be dangerous, especially because we have so much forest land.

Son John asked what I would like for my birthday and I said a hug . . . well I got a surprise and here it is a lovely plant and a basket filled with special fruits.

Granddaughter Erin sent me two boxes of these delectable strawberries covered with fancy chocolate with nuts and sprinkles. The cookie cake was delicious as were the strawberries. I shared them as I could never devour them fast enough for them to keep and I was not sure freezing them would do them any good, besides I usually love frozen anything.

Lovely pink bags for shopping, a check to spend as I want, and beautiful cards from family and friends . . . now you know why I think birthdays are so very special and should be celebrated. Today will be phone call day and both Christine and Michael will sing to me, a family tradition. I had a surprise call from Eileen and John which was wonderful. It is so good to hear the voices and catch up on what they have been doing. So know that I consider myself a very lucky lady even though those penny machines were not very good to me in Coos Bay. I had fun and I guess that is what really matters. I want to win the big one as I have so many ideas of how I could treat my family and friends . . . guess you will all have to settle for a hug when I see you.

And then there was and Easter surprise with this beautiful African Violet from daughter Pat. It seems to love where it is and I hope it grows to be a beauty as I do not have green thumbs. I forgot to take a picture of the lovely begonia which is now in one of those lovely pots out front. Well, Mother's Day is in May also, so you know I was gifted with flowers and hugs Jock came in with a beautiful bouquet that is on my coffee table and brightens the entire room.

So today, Sunday, go about spending your seconds and making them count. Hopefully you have someone close by that is having a birthday soon and you can think up some fun surprises. Shower your love ones with hugs and kisses and let them know how special they are . . .being "Queen for a Day" or "King for a Day" makes their world go round. Hopefully, when it is your special day you will be crowned as well. Let me know when and I'll contribute to the festivities and send a hug too.

My heartfelt thanks to my children and my family of friends . . . YOU all really made my day.

Hugs to all.

Impatient Driver

Good morning. I received this e-mail and got a big chuckle out of it. We are all aware of the impatient driver and I am sure each one of us has had our moment when we would like to pass the 'land whale' going thirty five in a sixty five mile zone, or some one just poking along sight seeing as they go. I have heard of elephant's having a long memory but this one seems to have a sense of retribution. Shove your car close to my rear and see what happens . . . a great lesson for those who think they know it all.

It is Saturday morning . . . now I know why you are smiling. I am betting some of you are still bundled up and toasty warm in your bed knowing the alarm clock is not about to go off and disturb you. Do not sleep your seconds away though, get up and get going and have some fun today. I am having a 'home' day, have to catch up with a few household chores and then I am going to sit and read about "The White Queen" . . . yeah, another historical novel full of intrigue and mystery. I had two days away and did use my camera so need to up load and then blog about what I did see. Pat and I are both Taurus the Bull and celebrate our birthdays from the seventh of May through the fifteenth of May and find every excuse in the book to have a fun time. We haven't missed yet as we wined and dined our way through to Coos Bay. I found upon entering this fair city, the wood chip piles must lend credence to something like hay fever as I sneezed seven time on the way in. I don't know what the desk clerk thought of my watery eyes, maybe I had something in my eye or was just a very 'down' person. She eyed my hand full of Kleenex as if I had the germ of the century and didn't smile until I mentioned the word 'allergy'. She could identify with that as she commiserated on her allergy problems. We just find 'sisters' no matter where we go.

Before I leave today, I want to thank each and every one for the lovely cards and gifts. More on that tomorrow. Talk about "Queen For A Day" . . . well I think I have been "Queen" for at least two full weeks now and I am going to hate giving up my title. Make your today a good one. Don't waste your seconds as they are so very important to you and those you love. Remember it takes so many fewer muscles to smile than it does to frown, so practice the smile muscles all day. Share a few. Hugs to all.