here is another blog that makes sense. Just stumbled onto it.

here is another blog that makes sense. Just stumbled onto it.

Got a phone call from my son, this morning, asking me to pick him up at the Ferry landing at 205. Now I kinda knew I was on stand-by today, because he called when he got his sentence and asked if I could pick him up and take him in to the Court House. He also said he would call and let me know if I needed to, that he might have a ride. He has to report in BEFORE noon. So at 1000 he says pick him up at 205? When I mentioned the time line he says dont worry about it, what are they gonna do put me in jail? HE JUST DOESNT GET IT!!! What a shit!!! Tim, You are going to jail for 60 days for NOT FOLLOWING THE RULES OF YOUR PROBATION! Yes I realize you thought they were stupid, but then...........One of these years MAYBE he will grow up and start using his brain. Right now I am beginning to wonder. He had 1 week from his sentencing to get his affairs in order and get to jail. So he waits until this morning to pack up his things and vacate his apt.? I suggested he do that earlier, and come spend the week-end with Mom, but no, he had OTHER more IMPORTANT things to do. I repeat...WHAT A SHIT!!!

I Have been trying to find the whole transcript of Peter Arnett's interview, but I can't find it yet. I did however read uss Clueless and he reported quite a bit about it. I often wondered how it was that he was allowed to stay in IRAQ when other reporters were evicted. Maybe he IS a traitor? Maybe he is a plant. Maybe he said what he did to throw them off track? I somehow doubt it. If he isn't working for anybody other than the news media, then he should have his passport revoked and sent back to New Zealand. I don't hold any quarter for traitors. OF ANY KIND! If you don't like it here, then LEAVE! Don't come here, go away!! leave the jobs for those that were born here and need them. What an ass!

I logged off and looked to see if I made the recently published blogs, and found this so far, Great blog on the people that are holding down the home front. I've been there, done that, and can relate. Although it was 30+ years ago, and my husband was on a Carrier. Same story, different day...

Here is something pretty powerful to think about...
Given to me by a friend, when I asked the question, "If there really is a God, which side does he listen to, since both sides believe in the same God?" Makes ya wonder don't it...

Stand by folks...my daughter, CHEMYSTERY is going to start her views of all that has been happening. I warned you several days back, that her views are not the same as mine, (at least they haven't been) and she surely does not agree with mine. (redundant huh) but at least she thinks. You all may agree with her. I am a type A personality and she INVENTED IT!! an A++ for sure. From the day I held her for the very first time, she has been an independant little cuss. Not a cuddler at all. If I wanted to sleep, she wanted to be awake. She has always marched to her own music...GOOD FOR HER!!! I don't like her taste is clothes, but that does not make her taste wrong, just not mine. She is very Retro, I am very traditional. She is Left, I am right. But I love her very much, even if her politics are mis-guided. ( :-) She'll get her voice heard really soon. LOOK OUT WORLD! Here she comes!!! Don't say you haven't been warned...

Ok, It has been one whole month now, and I said I'd give myself a month, It is time to DO something. I mean something useful. Sitting on your ass in front of the computer only makes your ass bigger, so 'tis time to paint, and clean, and try to mow. Oh do I have to? YES!!!

I went to the NEX today to get my nails done, and had three employees ask me if retired employees get to shop. I guess they weren't listening during indoctrination. I responded yes. and showed them my ID card. Surprised them ! HEH HEH they thought they were going to get to bust me for shopping un-authorized! I paid off my home layaway, so now my refridgerator is all mine. and I do love it!!!! (HAD TO GO GET ANOTHER GLASS OF CRUSHED ICE WATER) :-) Caught up on all of the gossip, and left. I did buy a scanner. I wanted a scanner that would scan my slides into pictures. I bought an HP scanjet 3570C which will do all that, HOWEVER, it scans them really small. Guess I better read the help file again. It is really cool though. Now I can scan family photos, and make Calendars for Christmas! Now what will I do with the old scanner that I havent used in awhile? HMMMM. And my old Dell. Too Bad TIm isn't more stable, I would give it to him, so he could communicate with me. Can't do that from jail though.

Next tuesday should be the telling day!!! It is the first, and that is when I SHOULD be getting my first retirement check and my VSIP money. If not, I start yelling LOUDLY!!! I want to get out of debt NOW!!! I want to be able to answer the phone again without fear of being harrassed. We shall see. My EEO complaint is in Sacramento right now, in Federal Court. I should be getting an answer any time time now. i do not expect to win, I know how the system works, and how you can aswer the questions to suit your own needs, and Jean is a smart woman, I saw her answers and laughed. Ah well, What can they do to me? Make me retire? I guess The woman that got the job over me, is still out on sick leave. She has been out over a month now. Too bad. If she had been a touch bit nicer I MIGHT have stayed, but she was very rude, so I just gave up. I'm not regretting it, But I wasn't ready to go. I would love to win the case, or even settle out of court, for a lesser sum...just to make me comfortable with retirement. I am very concerned about medical. If I have to pay 20% of all the tests I have to have, and the x-rays, I'm screwed. We shall see, I need to see the doctor soon. Time for my Mammogram, and blood work. :-(. Guess I better get off and get ready. Bob and I are going to go see CHICAGO tonite. If he remembers!!

I'll be more chatty later.
see ya...

Why in the holy HELL, do some of the Media think we are getting our asses kicked just because we cannot end this war in less than a week? Do they not have a clue? Do they not know that this was never supposed to be easy? War is...well...WAR! It's HARD. It is Horrible, and so is the terroristic regime we are fighting. I think we would be better served by not having CNN and FOX on all the time, and just report the facts on the evening news. Duh Mary Lou, you control the stupid TV TURN IT OFF!!!
I CAN'T!!! If I turn it off we might lose!!! I have to be there, They are counting on me, I am needed! I wake up in the middle of the night, and turn on NBC to see where we are. My type A personality rears it's ugly head once more.

Just took a break to fix some breakfast...just discovered GRITS! man, they are good. A little butter and salt and yummy. My Dad used to fix cornmeal mush for breakfast every once in awhile, but he always made it in big batches. When it was fresh, he would use butter, sugar and milk, but then he would put it in the ice-box and the next morning, he would fry it with bacon grease, and top it with Maple Syrup. He stopped that when I was a little girl though, Don't know why...maybe he liked to sleep in more than eat breakfast. When he was older and living with me, he resurected it. Grits are similar. Instead of corn meal, they are Hominy meal, (Oh Heck. I just sneezed with grits still in my mouth, so now I have to wash the monitor screen. Hang on.) 'K I'm back. So sorry about that.

The Goldfinches are back!! The first one, a male, hit the feeder today. Spring is really here, Now I am waiting for the Swainson's Thrush to start her/his song. He sings first thing in the morning, and the very last song at night. The only thing earlier or later is the hummingbird at their feeders. It can be ALMOST dark, and they are still drinking. It is getting lighter earlier and earlier now. It is light at 530 almost! I thought it was really late this morning, when I got up to let Mariah out to pee, and when I looked out the sun was just starting it's daily climb. I turned on Matt and Katie, and they weren't on yet!! it was only 630! Lola was raising hell in the tree behind the back fence. She must be hitting the feeder earlier too. I have not seen her lately, now I know why. She is an early riser. She did not like the fact that I let The dog out earlier than normal. I interupted her breakfast! She is loud and noisy too. So now at the feeders I have: house finches, purple finches, goldfinches, house sparrows, red-wing black birds, spotted doves, juncos, towhees, chickadees, (both species) Douglas squirrels (Lola) pine siskins, nuthatches, and all kinds of LBB's (little brown birds, that i cant identify). It is also time to put up the rest of the hummingbird feeders as they are fighting over the one, and it is getting drained every other day. Soon all four feeders will be drained daily. Gotta keep the little buggers fed! I had a black headed grosbeak last year,but have not seen him this year. still early yet though...

As soon as Martha is over, I need to head into town and get some shopping done. I have rehersal tonight and need to take pictures for the story board. see ya...

Got the holes all plugged up today. Cut 40 pieces of 12" X 3" hardware cloth and stapled them over the top of the vent holes in the eaves. Well...actually I cheated. I called Bob and he stapled them, took him about an hour. my hands are all cut up, that stuff is very rough. Tomorrow I think I am going to drive in to Mt Vernon and look at the daffodils in the fields. See if there are any cut ones for sale and buy a whole big arm full of them. Next month the tulips will be out in force, and the valley will be a patchwork of color.

I am going to get an estimate on having a 20X30' slab of concrete poured in the back yard. If I cant get my deck built, maybe a slab will work. Less grass to mow that way. I can always put pots around for plants. That will be easy to clean too, bleach and a hose!! Maybe I can get him to build the deck out front. All across the front of the house, about 8' out. That would work! Easier to wash the windows, and put up the Christmas lights too. Either way, I have to get the yard fixed so that I can take care of it with little effort.

My Violets have spread out about 2 feet now, and are very hardy looking. I was afraid they had died in the freeze, but nope!! And in amongst all of the weeds are tons of yellow tulips. Buds, still but they're there.

The Alder trees are in full Pollen, and Man I can feel it in my eyes and my lungs. Real soon now it will be the fir trees, then the scotch broom. COUGH< COUGH

The war is in full boom, and I am afraid that it is going to get to be a really bloody mess before it is all over. I get the feeling that a lot of people thought this was going to be an easy victory, I never thought that, I didn't want it,but now that we are in it, I don't want us to get our butts beat either. Kick Ass and come home. I have a feeling that the wimps in France, Germany and Russia were sitting back to see if Iraq really DID have those weapons before they moved. If they do, I think they will use them when we get close to Baghdad, then thousands of people will die, and THAT is when the rest of the world will jump in and help. I think we should pull our borders shut, stop immigration, patrol our coastlines, and become isolationist until we get well again. I know, I know, that will Kill our economy and hurt the rest of the world also, but we need to do something to get our homeland safe again. If we ever can. I am not astute enough to know the right answer, I am not a politician, just a salesclerk, now retired!

Say Donna, If you read this, Did you get the job at the UW? Please say yes! (I wouldn't put it past her to pop in here every once in awhile and contribute her two cents. She set this blog up for me, so she knows the passwords. Scary Huh?) She and I disagree about politics, but that is life!!

Gonna go get my shower, wash my hair, and get my tush to bed, I need sleep....too much TV today.

It was a BEEEUUUUTIFUL spring day today. Unfortunately I sat my Butt in front of the computer and missed most of it. As I was driving in to town to get the hardware cloth, I noticed how SPRINGY it was. THe daffodils were everywhere, the birds were everywhere, people were mowing their lawns for the first time. You know that smell when the grass is cut for the first time in the spring? ACHOOOO!!! Yea THAT one. It was everywhere, and smelled soooo good.

I love the way daffodils pop up everywhere. Ya know, they remind you that there were people 150 years ago that lived there. When you know a field has been empty for all of your life, and you see a clump of those bright yellow trumpets along side the fence, you just know that someone, sometime ago planted them there, and then left. The house is gone, the road is gone, all traces of those that came before are gone, but the daffodils are still there. Multiplying and blooming without fail every single spring. It is a shame that you cant put your name on the bulb and have it reproduce on the leaves every year so future generations would know you actually were there. The weigeilia were in full bloom also, their bright pink blooms contrasting with the dark green in the fields. What made this day so spectacular were the colors in the sky!! Bright vivid blue with gorgeous cumulous clouds , along with the bright yellowish white sun!! AHHHHHH.I came home opened the front door and just let the fresh air come blowing in. Immediately there were four cats all vying for the two foot wide sunbeam on the floor. Doesnt take much to please a cat.

Yesterday I had to go the store for something, and when I came out I saw the one person that to this DAY makes me shake in my boots. I am 57 years old, I have managed a multi-million dollar a year business, I have had up to 150 employees working for me, I have had to speak every week in front of a room full of Navy Department heads, most of which were Captains or above, and I still shake in my boots when I see Mr. Verburg. He was my World History teacher in 1963, and he scared me to DEATH!!! I would say I didnt know the answer when called on me just so I wouldnt have to get in front of the class and say the right answer. I feared that man. I still do.
He probably doesn't have a CLUE who I am or was. Probably doesnt even care. How sad that someone can affect you like that and they dont even know.

I got four of the eaves plugged up, but I had to quit. THe ladder was wobbly and I hurt my back trying to stay balanced, and hurt my arm when I raised it to staple the cloth on. Well if I do 4 holes a day, I should have the job done in 10 days or less. God I hate getting old. I need to tackle the Rat hole too, And I will do that tomorrow. Open the hole, pour rat bait down there, close it back up and hope for the best. If I keep doing that eventually the little bastards will all be gone. If not, I buy a Rat Terrier and shove it down there...that oughta get 'em!!! KILL!!!!!!

Hmmmmmm, If The UN and France and Germany and Russia all believed that Iraq was telling the truth about WMD, then how in the hell can Iraq say that they will use chemical weapons if the Coalition crosses the line in the sand? I thought they said they destroyed them all, and did not have any left? Could The UN, France, Germany and Russia all be WRONG? Oh my, you mean the US WAS right? our intelligence WAS Correct? you don't s'pose that these chemical and biological weapons will have a signature that comes from one of those countries do You? OOPS!!

I woke up this morning watching my breath outside of the comforter. It was COLD. The water on the bird bath was frozen. Hmmm musta got colder than the 38 degrees that was forecast. I Love cold clear days. THe birds were going at the feeders like there was no tomorrow. HMM do they know something we don't? I just noticed that the hummingbird feeders were empty!! 1/2 full yesterday, so they must be back in force. I had to break from here and go fill them. Got dive bombed filling them also. Hungry little buggers. I looked up at the vents under the eaves and there are more than just a few that have been breached. It just may be that the critters are not rats, but starlings. Oh GOD. That is just as bad, they STINK really bad when they die. They get in the walls at the Exchange, in the upper floor, and die. YUCK. Guess I need to stop at Lumberman's and get some hardware cloth and a staple gun, get out the ladder and stop those suckers up. Then I need to go camping for about a month until the smell dies down. >:-(

I watched Saddam's press conference last night, this morning. I am not convinced that it was a current video. I have no clue whether he is alive or dead, but he NEVER once mentioned things that have just happened. He did however mention events that COULD have happened. Bombing of Baghdad, duh..... the taking of Umm Qasr, big DUH....The opposition the coalition is meeting. Well yeah, you put them there and threatened thier families and their lives if they did not fight. DUH.....

I am not convinced that CNN is able to tell the true story either. As if anyone is. It would be nice to know that there was one site that could tell the absolute truth, with absoluetly no subjective reporting. Just stick to the facts. quit sensationalizing it all. quit trying to be the first on the air with the story. I wouldn't care if it was a late story, as long as it was a truthful story. And no rumors, that have since been identified as such. Guess I do live in a dream world. I watch Tom Brokaw when possible. And Christianne Amanpour, Im not really fond of Wolf Blitzer. And I Don't like CBS. no reason, just don't. OHMIGOD!! I just found NPR on the 'puter!! YEAH!!!! Not that they are any more informed, but it is a different perspective. They are far more Liberal than I like, but I do like to listen to them.

I got a cell phone call from my Son this morning while I was in the bathroom, so I did not get to talk to him. But he is on his way to Court, and should know soon what his fate will be. I sincerely hope that they keep him in Island County Jail until his fines are all paid, and then let him out with no probation. Let him get this mess behind him and start life over, if he will. When do you quit worrying about your children? When do you allow them to stand on their own, and not worry about the consequences?
Better yet, at what age do they finaly get their heads out of their asses, and take a good hard look around them and go...SHIT I dont like what I see, I had better start changing the way I live. HAHAHAHAHAH!

Better get off and go get that hardware cloth....

I have GOT to get up the nerve to crawl under the house and find out what is living under there. I know it is a norwegian troll with purple hair!!! I woke up three times last night to knawing in the bathroom. They are between the fiberglass tub, and the wall. ARRRRGGHH too close!! I pity the poor fellow who finally breaks through, into the bathroom, and right into the faces of four hungry Cats. :-)

I woke up at 800 this morning and let Mariah out to pee. I noticed that the doves are hovering in the alders, so i checked the feeders. EMPTY. (yeah, I know, the rats probably stashed it all in the walls of my house) I went out in pj's and rollers, to fill the feeders and it was raining. Not the usual blowy sprinkles that we usually get, but straight down, heavy but really quiet rain; almost like it knew it had a purpose. Almost like it was frozen,almost. Didnt bounce, so I knew it was rain and not hail. There are about 35 doves in the flock right now. Last year there were only about 20 and the year before that there were only a few. Word must be getting out about the feeder on Dewey!!

Of course I clicked on the TV and sat glued to NBC and CNN, until I thought, I have got to let those guys do their jobs, and quit trying to run the war from my bedroom. It is soooo hard when you are a type A personality to let someone else take and maintain control. Sit back and relax MOM you've worked all your life to get a chance to retire, now ENJOY it. So hard.... I suppose that Tommy Franks is doing a good enough job without my interference. Like him...yep I do! hmmmm how about this for a political ticket: Powell/Franks in 2008? OW!!!!!! I just felt my daughter sock me from 300 miles away! She would have a gephardt/clinton,H. ticket I would imagine. Or quite maybe a Nader/Nader ticket.

I turned off the tv and turned on the computer SONIC STAGE and listened to Pink Martini while I ate Brunch. Nice respite from Iraq. God I hope we find WMD stashed in the desert really soon. We will be vindicated then I think. I get so damned angry at all of the protestors saying that we are wrong. That we should be putting money into schools and social services instead of War. Maybe they do have a point, but it is always the fringe that shows up on the news, the ones who would benefit from the hand outs. We have not been at war for quite awhile, and the democrats were in charge, and the literacy rate in the United states has gotten lower and lower. It's time for us to get back to personal responsibility, and take charge of our families and our children, insist on their Quality education, enforce good grades, entice literacy, and recruit Great teachers, and mentors. Get back to Morals and Manners, Get away from the me, me, my, mine society that we have become and help get our entire country involved in making it the proud land that it once was. Show what good honest hard work can produce. quit expecting hand outs, and start working for what you want.
I was a single parent with a tiny baby girl, and I qualified for Food Stamps, and Welfare and hand outs, but I would not take them.. I was able to work, and I felt that if I took the handouts, that I would be taking it from someone who couldnt work. I worked three different jobs all at the same time, just to be able to afford a house of my own and child care. But by GOD, we survived, and I raised a proud independant free thinker who knew what she wanted and is going after it. I dont agree with her politics and she certainly doesnt agree with mine, but she does think.

Now my Son...well can't win 'em all I guess. I assume he is still in jail, he said he would let me know where he was, and I have heard nothing, so I guess it is still staus quo. He is sposed to go to court tomorrow, and probably will be spending the next year here in the county jail. If that is what it takes for him to get his fines taken care of and get back on the right foot, then so be it. He just keeps getting it piled on and piled on. At least this way he will be safe and fed and warm and dry. And I can see him two or three days a week. That is more than I have seen him in two years.

Just turned CNN back on, and nothing new has happened, except that they have identified that individual who threw the grenades into his commanders tent. Wow, Never know which way to be safe.

Gotta go...back later.

Well SHIT, SHIT, SHIT!!!! I just spent 1/2 an hour writing a new entry, only to goof while linking another blog to this, and losing it all!!! ARRRGGGHHH!!! I hate it when that happens. I accidently hit the little red square and closed the window. Of course trying to get it all back did not work.

Let me see if I can remember what I had to say...I talked about how insignificant I felt my Blog was in comparison to all the wonderful ones out there. Like USS Clueless that I read every day. He is really comprehensive, and also has tons of links to other great blogs. (If I linked this wrong, and did something I wasn't s'posed to do, I'm sorry, just learning) I also talked about being glued to CNN (NBC, ABC) for all the latest on Iraq. I felt like if I did not watch it, they might not win this battle. (yeah right) I also said that I needed to start writing again, for ME! This was brought home to me by Grouchy Old Cripple In Atlanta Yesterday, when he wrote about the sunshine and the birds, and the gorgeous spring day in Georgia. Made me realize that how much this Liberation has you in it's clasp, that the things that matter most will still be there after it is all over. The Earth, the natural beauty we live in, (even sand is beautiful if you look at it in the right way) LIFE! So maybe my blog isn't so insignificant afterall. Maybe someone out there is searching for a meaning other than anger, and might find it in my ramblings.

Dear me, the lights just blinked and the cable went out on TV so Im FORCED to be war-less for awhile. AH!!! Not long!! it's back. The winds were whipping up today, had a weathercast warning on my 'puter this morning. winds out of the SE at 40 MPH with gusts to 60 off the Straight of Juan de Fuca. Rain was DUMPING earlier, almost couldn't see the feeders out back.

On my third week of Retirement, I woke up at 6:15. UGH forgot to cancel my wake up call. actually wide awake, so I stayed up watching Liberation, and Lola . She was up early too, munching on cracked corn in the feeder. I think she or someone like her is living in my bathroom wall. I wake up at night and hear scratching on the side of the fiberclass tub. All four cats are lined up in the bathroom staring at it. I go in bang on the tub, and the scratching stops. It sounds like whatever is between the wall and the tub. GREAT!! I dont want to put out poison unless I know for sure it isn't Lola. I don't want to encourage squirrels, but I don't want them living in my walls. Rats, now that's another story. They're sneaky. They only come out at night, and are evil looking. (I Know, I know, they are just squirrels with naked tails) ANYWAY!!

The hummers are beginning to multiply. There has been only one or two a day, now there are two or three an hour. Soon it will be as busy around their feeders as SEA-TAC airspace. The Blackbirds are dwindling down also, I assume they are heading to the marsh to start building their nests on the cattails. It was very unusual for them to visit the feeder as often as they have been. I'm too far from their territory.

I am feeling really guilty because I am so thankful that my Son is in Jail right now, and can not be over there fighting. I'm not unpatriotic, I am a mother. I am also an Aunt and don't want him over there either. And they don't want my Daughter over there, trust me. (then again...)

My annual leave pay back came yesterday, and I went into town to deposit it. Stopped at the store to stock up on some supplies, and noticed the protestors on the corner by Jack-in-the-Box. One corner was full, "support our troops" the other corner was really skimpy...No blood for Oil! Now this is a Navy town, 3 out of every 4 people who live here either work for, are in, or have made their money from the Navy. THis young man was very disconcerted because he got the one finger peace sign a lot. I started to yell out my window...That is what Liberation is all about!! the right to show and vocalize your opinion, without fear that your family will not be put alive through a human meat grinder. (shudder)

Ah Chemystery just woke up and uh-ohed me. She must be checking her mail before she goes to work at the Porno-gas-milk store. Oh PLEASE let her get the job with the UDub! OHMMMMMMMMM!!!! I know how much she hates working for minimum wage with a degree in Moleculear Biology. (soon Donna, Soon)

I'll be back later...have to go into town.

48 hours! From when? Have they already been told? How do we know he wont hit us first, if the 48 hours starts now? This is so scary. The base just went to Charley, and at 4:55 the planes stopped flying. I expect they will start up again as soon as they can be refueled and get back in the air. Where is Saddam and Sons supposed to go into exile? If those that aid terrorists are also our enemies, then If I was the Head of State of any country, I would tell him Hell NO!! We can always hope that his armies will turn on him and take him out themselves. PLEASE?

Something is gonna happen SOON. I live right at the edge of the NAS Practice Field. This is where the planes practice "bouncing"... actually they ARE bouncing...they are practicing landings on a carrier deck. There is a carrier deck simulated on the field, and they have to approach and hit the deck with their tires, then take off again really fast. BOUNCING. Unfortunately, they make lots and lots of noise when they do this, and it is impossible to watch tv while they are doing this. I knew when I bought the house 10 years ago that there was a noise problem, and I accepted that. It does get irritating, but I know it is needed. When the neighbors complain, I just tell them, Hey, the field was there way before the neighborhood was, so quit bitching. Today, they are bouncing hard and heavy, and making their low turns right over my house, something that hasnt happened in a loooonnnngggggg time. OH!! maybe it's because I'm home during the day now? Never thought of that aspect. But I do feel that time is really really close. The base has guns at the gates now, and nail strips, and sandbag bunkers, and jersey barriers, and everybody is stocking up on necessities. Scary stuff.

The noon News had a lot on about the memorials for Rachel. They were making her out to be a heroine of sorts. I'm sorry, I don't have any sympathy for her. She was in a place that she should not have been, and doing things that were unsafe, in a place where people don't care if your'e an american or not. Human Sheilds? GIMME A BREAK!!! Do they really think that one little mis-behaving american is gonna stop them from their mission? WAKE UUUUPPP!! I do feel sorry for her parents. You should never lose a child. That is not the way it is supposed to work. Your Children are supposed to bury you, not the other way around.

My new addition is sooooo cute.....I sit in the bathroom with her several times a day, and cuddle. She is growing already. And shedding. They say that you can save her wool and make a sweater, but she is so small, and her fur is so fine it would take thirty years to save enough to make even small earmuffs!! I think I' ll just pass on that one. I gave her a carrot today, and she chooses to poop on it and eat her pellets instead. (bunny pellets, not poop pellets)

Today was absolutely glorious!! Sun shine streaming in the window, was warm, but the wind was COLD. I went out and tried to putz, but came back in with severe chills. I NEVER get cold, and lately I cant get warm. I got a welcome packet from the NEREA today. I guess it is really real, and not just a vacation. I even have a membership card. And an invitation to the convention in May in Scotsdale, Arizona. I am tempted to go, but it's so far to drive, and I cant afford to fly. Guess I wont go. A membership card to the Navy Exchange Retired Employees Assn. ARRRGGGHHHHH but something I didnt realize, is there aren't that many of us. Out of 60,000 employees worldwide, there are only 6000 employees who are retired. Bet that figure jumps up rapidly this quarter!! The Admiral is going to be there too, boy would I like to give him an ear full. Probably just as well that I am not going.

Bea Bunny Baby is wiggling her little pink nose through the cage bars at me. It is so odd, she cuddles, but she doesnt purr, she doesnt talk and she doesnt wag her tail. It is really hard to communicate with a wittle bitty bunny. I just pet her ears cuddle her up and sing Little Bunny Foo-Foo to her. She likes it. I think. She does.

Looks like we are getting closer and closer. Now CNN and Fox are in competition to see who will out guess the President. Qhate.com says it looks like either today or tomorrow...Please Lord, Let us be right. Let the rest of the world take a mighty gasp and go "Shit, Saddam WAS bluffing...Thank GOD the americans didnt blink like the rest of us."

Early risen I was today! woke up right at 615 and actually stayed awake. I had a nail appointment at 9:00 so I didnt dare go back to sleep. The sun was really bright this morning. One of those really rare March Mornings in the Pacific Northwest where the wind was blowing in from the South west a nice strong warmish wind, full of the smell of the sea, and scuttling the heavy storm clouds right off the olympics and straight over to the Mainland. Left lots of Sunbreaks up this way. I loved it!! The huimmingbirds dont though, the wind must be too strong for them, they havent been to the feeders in two days. Anyway, I got in the car and decided to drive the back way into town, and enjoy the gorgeous pre-spring morning. I cant believe all of the big bright yellow King Alfred Daffodils that have suddenly popped open all over the prarie!! Clumps and clumps of them! I LOVE daffodils. Probably my favorite flower...they are so NOISY!! they pop up out of the cold wintery wet ground and with their trumpet shaped eye-hurting yellow blooms scream....TOODLE-OO!! TOODLE-OO!! It's SPRING!! WAKE UP!! IT'S SPRING!!! How can you help not loving a morning like that? No Babies yet though. No baby horses, cows, or lambs that I could see. Maybe all of the farmers that are left have decided to sell their stock. Not many left out here, civilization is advancing fast. I did see the Canadian Geese nesting at Hastie Lake though. Every spring they fly in and nest in the tall grass surrounding the marsh. Then in May the babies are old enough to fend for them selves, and they all take off.

I just love spring. I dont love the pollen counts but I can live through them. Phyllis came over today and as we were talking about being so sleepy all week, she mentioned that she could barely keep her eyes open all week. AH HA!!! pollen!!! yep, that must be it! I dug through the weeds in the front and found the crocus blooms, they were buried, and so was the patch of wood violets I plopped out there last year. both thriving in the neglect. Guess I should get out there tomorrow and try to start salvaging my front yard. I did get out last week in the rain and trimmed back the wisteria, cut back the canes that were strangling the yellow climbing rose out on the back fence. The rose should do much better this year.

I heard all of the gossip from the NEX today when I went in to get my nails done. Seems like I really am missed. :-) I would love to think they couldn't live without me, but that is not going to happen. It is really hard after giving your life to a place for that many years to realize that in fact you are "just passing through..." Nobody is gonna care in another 6 months. Kinda seems unfair huh? There ought to be marble monuments with our names on it, saying when we worked there, and what we did. OH...I guess they call those head stones huh? :-( My sister told me that the next major thing in my life was death. I hope it's not really soon. I would hate to think that I waited this long to enjoy my life and end up not having much time to enjoy it in. I don't think she realized what she said or how it affected me. ICK!!!

Still rumblings of WAR/NO WAR...The Scuttlebutt on the base is saying that it will be really soon, and that we will go into THREATCON Charlie really soon. Oh GOD! Why cant we all live together peacefully? I want that, and so does everyone else, but we know that is impossible. As long as there are tyrants in the world, there will be wars. And as long as there are more than 1 person in the world, there will be conflicts. Dear Lord, did you know what you were creating? Is this all part of your grand plan, to have us destroy ourselves, so you can start fresh, with a new plan? SO much to contemplate. Saddam has requested that Blix get back to Baghdad ASAP. I wonder why? surely he can't be going to comply with resolution 1441? He probably wants Blix and crew back there so that when the War starts, he can use them as bargaining chips. That is one scary dude. He has divided his country into 4 military units, and has put his Son in charge of Baghdad. The son is worse than the Father, or so the Media is portraying him. I keep turning over to CNN to see how close we are to War. SO far it is status-quo...

I did the first impulsive thing today...I bought a bunny. A jersey Wolley, she is white and is 7 weeks old. Why in Gods' name would you buy a Bunny you say? Hell I dunno. I had one for three years, but had to get rid of it when I was transfered to Nevada. I enjoyed her, and Why not? I cant have chickens, and I would LOVE to have a few chickens. The kitties are just going nuts trying to get at her. They think it is another cat. The Dog just lays there and looks at her. I do impulsive things like that. I want a Ragdoll kitten, pointed and mitted, but I dont need another cat. I also want a female golden retreiver puppy, but I dont need another dog either. Mariah is getting old and will go to doggie heaven soon, i'm afraid, and then I will get the puppy. If I got it now, it would be too rambunctious for Mariah to contend with. It's a good thing I do not live on a farm, SHit, I'd have all kinds of creatures. I need to find a rich farmer or rancher to come sweep me off my feet. Any takers out there?

I started to File my Tax return today, and couldn't find my w-2 form, nor my interest payments on my mortgage, nor my taxes on my property. I started digging. I kew I had it just before I retired, and took in to work to try and gather things together there, so i dug through all the crap I brought home from my office. Nope, no paperwork. I looked in the kitchen, nope, no paperwork, dug through my purse and my Playhouse totes, nope no paperwork. Dug through all my late bills, nope, not there either. Oh Lord. There is one other place...(scary music here please) the dreaded top drawer of my computer desk. So after I got home from the Playhouse tonite, and ate popcorn for dinner, I took a deep breath and started unloading the top drawer. Now when you are the only Human owned by 4 cats, they all are vying for your attention. all at the same time. I had things stacked helter skelter on top of the key board, the printer, the pull out shelves, and my lap. Yep, there comes a cat. So now there are papers, and sticky notes, and pens, and paperclips all over the floor. One of them plops himself in my drawer, yep, the one I am trying to clean out. One of them decides the place to be is the top of the printer. Ok, Chitters, get comfy. Lint, Please don't walk on the key.....';akfjg[pq9ut09cy ]- nmnm.,jdkuyr8ylkiedgoyi

board. (SIGH)

I take five minutes, pet them all, shoo Lint and Loki out the door, pet Chitters, (he's ok on the printer) and start in again. This time I have almost everything out, and waaaaay back in the back of the drawer, stuck, just heading over the back side into the netherlands under my desk, was the elusive paperwork. Now I can do the great American thing and file for my my tax refund!!! I need it!!

Yes, for those of you paying atttention, I did say 4 cats. Ethel stays hidden, especially when I yell at the boys. SHe lives under my bed, when there are people around, but right now she is on her back in the middle of the living room, with her little white paws covering her eyes. Donna calls her "Skunk Kitty" because she is black with a white tummy, and since she sleeps on her back, in the dark, she looks like a skunk. Donna has a thing about skunks, They live under her 100 year old house, and spray, often. needless to say she reeks every spring. LOLOLOLOLOLOL poor baby.

We had quite a storm last night. Rain, sideways, and wind straight up the Hood Canal slamming right into my house. Power went out about 600 and stayed out most of the night. The wind was pretty steady at about 30-40 MPH and the gusts went up to 50+. the Alders out back were snapping and popping, and bending to the northeast at right angles. Ok, I exaggerate. 45 degree angles. All of the sunflower seeds blew out of the feeder trays, and the hummingbird juice is now splattered all over my nice clean windows. Oh well. I love storms. Just LOVE THEM. I was concerned about my garage door though. My renters kicked it in, and it doesnt take much to push it open even when it is locked. (Dont ever rent) I got up and pushed stuff in front of it, so it wouldnt pop open and let the cats out. It worked. Better get it fixed soon.

The play is coming along pretty well. We are doing Neil Simon's RUMORS, a funny show, and the actors just got off book tonight, so there was a lot of goof ups, but it is going to be fun. When this one is over, I'm taking a break for awhile. If I dont get to direct next year, then I will just be a member and enjoy when I can.

I need to go fix a cuppa tea. Wanna join me? I have all kinds.....

I knew it! I knew I would become a slug! I went to bed yesterday after doing nothing at all worth while. I was just extremely tired!!! I should have gone to Anacortes to see Sherry, but I was too tired to go. I should have gone to rehersal last night, But I was just too tired to go. Finally I took a hot shower, washed my hair, put on my pajamas and went to bed around 9:00. I fell asleep about 10:00 and slept like a log until 330 AM. Woke up finished reading a book, and went back to sleep. I woke up to let the dog out around 630, wide awake, so I did my morning things. Fixed a pot of coffee, took my meds, gave my shot, ate breakfast, watched TODAY and fell asleep.woke up at 1100 just as Martha was signing off. A SLUG I TELL YOU< A SLUG!!! My feet are bothering me too. Actually it is my toes. Last week I could not get my feet warm at all, this week, they are burning up. My two middle toes,(one on each foot) are red and swollen, and hurt like mad. Almost like there was a bite or something on them. Now it is going into the toes next to them, I hope it's nothing serious. Better call the Dr. and make an appt. My blood sugars have been high this week too, and I have not eaten any more than usual, however I am not walking as much as I was while I was at work. Better get my ass out there every morning and hit the pavement. Don't want to lose weight by losing body parts!!!

I got called by the Human Resources Office today, It seems there WAS more paperwork I should have signed. I thought it went too quickly...I can't get my incentive money until I go sign it. Yeah, and then it will probably be another month after that!!! GRRRRRRRRR!!!!!! Somehow I knew NEXCOM would screw me up! I need that money to pay off my creditors!!! Then I can retire in full!!! :-)

All you people out there start sending "Please Hire Donna" vibes to the UDUB!! She is driving over the top for an interview this afternoon. 100 now all together......OOOOHHHHHMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!! That should do it! Thanks.

I just had a former associate come over and ask me to help her with her work performance. I AM STILL NEEDED!!! Actually it felt kind of nice, because she could vent and I could advise, but it wouldn't really hurt anything. She also picked my brain on some moves, and why or why not they should be done. The more I think about it, the more I am convinced that I should have retired, which of course I did, but it just reinforces the decision I made. (big sigh here)

Still no UN resolution to go to War. Looks like we are going to extend the deadline yet again. I wish someone would just go in there and take out Saddam, and allow the people to elect FREELY their own leader. That SHOULD solve the problem. What do I know...

Thanks to Nederland, Colorado Another morning belly laugh...

I KNEW if I sat in front of this long enough, that I would figure out how to change the color in my digital pictures. I only have about 4 or 5 different photo programs, but I have never had enough time to sit and play with it. Always just had to get in, get it printed and get out. I have to finalize the story boards for the Lobby of the Playhouse. and one of the plays that I have to fix is THE COMPLETE WORKS OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE ABRIDGED! Unfortunately all of my pictures picked up the pink from the stage lights and the purple from the stage flats. So our pictures are all pink and purple. Well thats not so bad, but it really glares...BAD! I just figured out how to turn pink into blue. YES!!!!! They actually look fairly good now. If any of you EVER have the opportunity to go see that show, do not hesitate!!! It is hysterical. I can not begin to tell you how funny it is. Public Broadcasting had it on, but our production seemed even funnier than theirs!!! What a Howl!! We did have four old couples get up and leave though, language was too contemporary for them. too much vomit....(silly string). Several Letters to the editor, but we sold out. All younger audiences too. Maybe its time for this town to C.O.Y.O.T.E.! And get a little more "with it". Our season ticket holders dont seem to sell out the house, because they are older and more laced up. Timr for some new blood!!! Listen to me talk about the older ones. I dont feel old, I feel like I am a lot younger mentally than I should be. I have a GREAT sense of humor, and relate well to younger people. Maybe I need to grow up huh? NAH....................

There is a distinct possibility that I will be selected to DIRECT a play next year. OVER THE RIVER AND THROUGH THE WOODS by Joe DiPietro. I am soooo excited about it, I brought the play home and just read it, and it means soooo much right now. All about Family and how it is so hard to keep your family together, no matter how much it means to you to have them all home. They all have to go forth and prosper. It is a story about 4 Italian grandparents whose last grand child is leaving for a job in Seattle, It is funny, wholesome, heartbreaking, and very heartwarming. I LOVE IT> Now I am afraid that I WONT get it! It will be a February run, so that will be a December Audition, THERE GOES CHRISTMAS!!! Maybe I can get them to change it to April. That would then allow me to do GODSPELL too? We'll see. That is, IF we still have an Earth in February. Who knows, we may all be either blown to smithereens, or all killed by Anthrax, or Smallpox.

Every body has snow but us!!! That's not fair!! I want snow!!! I want the opportunity to wake up see it on the ground and go WHOO_HOO!!! I don't have to go to work and risk life and limb just to show the rest of the employees that if I can make in it, they can too!! Pooh!!! It's cold enough, and there is a very cold rain, but just one or two degrees above freezing, sooooo...

I sat here yesterday listening to some"thing" knawing (nawing?) chewing. on the wall in my computer room. The cats have been sitting in the bathroom staring at the tub. Weird, but now I know why. I guess I had better swallow my fear, and crawl,(shudder) under the house, and see what is under there. Could be more Rats, could be "Lola's" could be mice, could be big gross ugly monsters too. My big brave 6'5" son refuses to go under there. "I don't do crawl-spaces Mom, there are spiders!!!!" My big manly "boy"-friend, won't go under there. "I don't do crawl-spaces Mary Lou, there are big ugly spiders!" What in the hell is wrong with the men in my life? Gotta get the
D-con out and spread it around down there. Ugh, better do it before it warms up, that way when the little bastards die, they won't stink up the house. I can just imagine what is under there. I haven't been under there since I moved back in. I know that my renters' dogs were under there, and I can just imagine what they have done to my vapor barrier. Hmmmm, I DO have a big strapping son-in-law that just MIGHT go under there for me...HA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! At least my critters aren't skunks. Nah, I'll go, I may never be seen again, but I'll go.

Still talks of War/no-war, I found a blog that takes place in kuwait, that gives a view of what is going on over there, today's blog says that the rumors over there are that war will be this Thursday. Hmmmm, also says that the McArabia sandwich is really pretty good. So obviously, the fear of going to war, does not make people lose their appetites. Priorities, folks, priorities.

Nothing on TV this afternoon except War bashing. I wonder what they would be saying if it was Gore in there instead of Bush. And yes, I do believe the same situations would exist. It's almost as if the media finds something, then directly opposes it just to keep their faces on the screen. I had a conversation with Bob the other day about how much people would be willing to pay to hear the absolute truth. I, in all of my innocence, replied that you should NEVER have to pay to hear the truth. A big discussion then insued about how the media gets paid all of these high figures and you ASSUME it is the truth. I think you should listen to all sides, make up your own mind and HOPE that it is the truth. Th truth should ALWAYS be told. Should never be embellished, and should be available with out filters for any one to hear. Do I ever live in a dream world.

Just made a dump cake. Wanted something sweet, and didnt have anything, so I put a can of cherry pie filling in the pan, used a chocolate cake mix over it, sprinkled a package of chocolate chips over that and then poured a cup of melted butter over that. Baked it for 30 min at 350 and OHMIGOD!!!! is it EVER good. kinda like a big chewy, chocolate decadant brownie. UMMMMMMM GOOD!!

i'm getting to be a lazy bones. didnt pull myself out from under the covers until 9:20 this morning. It was cold, and only my nose was peeking out from under the comforter. Had to go pee, otherwise I might have just stayed buried for awhile longer. HGTV has altered theri schedule for Weekend mornings, instead of 1 hour of This Old House, they only have 1/2 hour of it, and then on to something else. :-( I looked forward to waking up with Norm and Steve, and drinking my coffee while watching them and the birds at the same time. Hurmph!!! I don't suppose HGTV would even care if I complained though.

Just finished Breakfast, or I guess I should say Brunch. Used the left over mashed potatoes from last night , made potatoe patties and eggs. Good stuff, but I have to make sure I don't do that every day. I will limit myself to one big breakfast a week. Can't afford the cholesterol, nor the calories. Sure did taste good though. Even had left over biscuits and honey. :-)

I sat down here to write something really profound, But I just am not in the mood quite yet.. Must cogitate a bit more before putting words to "paper?" Monitor? whatever...

gotta go here!!!!

I got up late today...8:30! Shame on me. It could be because I overdid it yesterday. I putzed in my bedroom all day, pushing furniture around, vacuuming, washing rugs, washing windows and screens, the works!!! All i need now is paint! My back hurt so bad when I was done that I took a hot shower and slathered myself with ARTHRITICARE. God that stuff is soooo hot. It works though. My right arm and shoulder feel much better today. My back does too, but it always hurts. I should have known better, I should NOT have moved the furniture. BUT when you live alone, somebody has to do it, and God knows I cant get the cats to do it. It was nice waking up to a clean bedroom though.

The TODAY show was interupted by Colin Powell's speech to the UN security Council. I have such admiration for that Man. I am not for war, but I also know that I am a more informed than average adult, and I dont know shit about what is REALLY going on in Iraq. I could speculate like the rest of the world, and assume that it is all about either oil, or Isreal. Or I could form my own opinion and hope that it really is about dis-arming Iraq, and giving the country back to it's people. I have just decided that maybe it really is time to get in there and get it over with. I have been listening to several different stations interviewing several different Iraquis about what is really going on over there. The best one yet was yesterday on OPRAH. She had several people on, a retired General, an Iraqui professor, and a woman who was born and raised in Iraq but came over here right after Saddam took over. It appears that the Iraqi people really ARE wanting the Dictator gone, and Democracy brought back. They live in fear of what Saddam will do, TO HIS OWN PEOPLE!! Ok, let's ROLL!! Let's get in and get it over with.

I know my daughter will cringe hearing me say that. "Mother, Do you realize that you are the only person I have ever met, who actually voted for Bush?" I just smile and know that I wasn't alone. I grew up a Democrat, Married a Republican, and am going with a Libertarian. I gave birth to a far-left Daughter and a Son who can't vote, and probably wouldn't even if he could, because he doesn't pay any attention to current events. I worked on Military bases all of my life, and they are probably equally divided, Democrat and Republican, and I just formed my own opinions. I lean farther to the right than the left, but tend to vote for whomever I think will be the best person for the job. Gore most definately WASN'T!!! HEY!!! i can now get involved in politics!!! Being an Employee of the Federal Government, I Was not allowed to actively politic for any particular party. I could have bumper stickers on my car, and signs in my yard, but I could not wear campaign buttons, or lobby for any person. I could say get out and vote, and be legal. HMMMM aren't Senators, congressmen, and Presidents all Federal Employees? How come they can do it, and I couldn't? Food for thought...

I suppose that I should get off my "chair" and get busy. I need to finish going through the closet and dresser in my room, then on to the kitchen. Tonight is Friday, and Bob will be bringing Pork Chops over for me to cook. Someday I will tell you all about Bob and the quasi-relationship we have. My family just shakes their head.
on to other things...

Mornings are soooo nice. I really enjoy waking up with the sun and just sitting there at my open window drinking my coffee and watching the birds. I enjoy the smells of the morning. Last night was quite a blow, and rain, and it really refreshed the air. Unfortunately the alder pollen is still there. (ACHOOOOO!) The coolness smells so clean, almost like snow. I remember one day at work about 6 years ago, I walked in to the accounting office, one dark winter morning, and just made the comment, "UMMMM Smells like snow out there." Wendy the 17 year old looked at me and said "you can smell snow coming?" Yes, I said, you can. Sniff Sniff, probably start about noon. And wouldn't you know, it started about noon. To this day this young lady is in total awe of my weather predictions. What can I say...

I started going through the things in my bedroom this morning. UGH. I just need some one to come do it for me. I always find a logical reason to KEEP everything I WAS going to throw away. I have so Damn many books. And I still have every one I ever had. I really do need to get really radical, and just get rid of them. THe house would be so much cleaner, But I was brought up to believe that Books are your best friends. And to treat them as such. I think I passed that trait on to my kids. Poor babies.

I need to go through my closet and move all of my Pendleton Suits and dresses, out of that one and into cardboard wardrobes, for storage. Shit I should just give them away, but I might need them in another life. I do want only the clothes I will be wearing in my closet though, More room, cleaner look.

I am really enjoying reading other people's blogs. I will admit that most of them are shear crap, but they probably think mine is too. When I find a really good one, I book mark it and go back and read it every day. Dave Barry's is one of them, and He even put one of my links in his blog.. GARSH!! THis morning I was reading about a woman who is married to a muslim, and she had a blog on there about the differences in the Christian God, the Jewish God, and the Muslim God. All the same. just different interpretations. DUH.....Tell that to a Southern Baptist. Yeah Right....

Well my darling daughter Chemystery got my link to work. One of these days she'll tell me how she did it, and how come I couldn't get it to work. I am not completely illiterate, but close. Actually for a 57 year old woman, I'm pretty smart. I taught myself all I know, I just didn't have time to play like she did. I never had the opportunity to work in a computer lab and soak up all of those "e-vibes". She actually is pretty darn smart. If only one of you would hire her and pay her for the education she has, so she can get her student loans paid off, I would be most grateful.

My feet are finally warm! All day long I have been freezing! For those of you who don't know me well, I am NEVER cold. My office was always chilly, I always had the window open, even in the dead of winter. My house is never warm, I rarely have the heat on, and I seldom build a fire. My hormones keep me warm enough. (Or lack of same) But the past few days I have been COLD. I am chilled clear through, that is why I thought I was getting sick and sleeping all the time. I just woke up, went to bed early, West Wing was a re-run, turned up the electric Blanket, and fell asleep. Mariah woke me up wanting out to pee. That is when I noticed that my feet are finally warm. It could be that I have on big fuzzy slipper socks too.

I woke up thinking of the things I had to fix...The Tracker signs neede to be up-dated, The garden shop needs to be reset, the Giftware dept needs to be reset. The new figures for the budget need to be added into my spreadsheet. PHHHHFFFFFFTTTTTTTTTTTTTT!!! How long is it going to be before I quit racing my mind when I sleep? I always had my best ideas when I dreamt. I dreamed about the expansion, I dreamed about the Furniture store, I dreamed about the Rally. Now if only I could dream about lotto numbers, or Horney men......ah such is life.

This is the link mom was trying to make work. Soon she'll learn how to troubleshoot her own page. :)

humbly yours, the fixer of all errant tags.

Obviously this isn't working...too bad, I howled when I saw it. It worked from the edit point, but must lose something critical in the posting. eh...on to other things I guess.

I had a bad day today. Woke up with a splitting headache, and an upset stomach, and missed the opportunity to call in sick!! DAMN!! I gave away 1500 hours of sick leave too. So I just laid there, watching TODAY and tried to get over the pain. After three cups of really strong coffee, the pain lessened, but it is still there. I showered, washed my hair, got dressed, ate breakfast, and fell asleep. Woke up thinking I should do something meaningful, was dizzy so I fell back to sleep. Woke up took my blood glucose, OK, and watched the noon news. Now I am feeling guilty because I took the Time to help myself feel better. For the first time in my adult life, I have the luxury of NOT having to do anything when I feel a little off. Why do I feel so OFF? I dunno. Could be all the alder trees in pollen, Could be I'm trying to catch a cold, could be 37 years of NOT taking care of myself when I should have. I was one of those "Martyrs" that had to go in to work while sick, to prove to the world that "I am better than that."
Always wanted the opportunity to stay home in bed and just "veg", and not have to go in. Pooh! Now I have it and it isn't the same. there is no victory in it anymore. NOBODY KNOWS I'M SACRIFICING!!! :-Z AAAARRRRRRGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!

There is a major winter storm watch for the olympics and the northern Cascades. They are expecting up to 2 feet of new snow to fall. THe snow level is expected to drop down to 1000' in the hills, but it feels like it will here. The alders are moving, but the windchimes still are not tinkling. I may have to move them, so that I can hear them when the wind blows. I really wish it would snow here. We haven't had any flakes since the first day of spring last year. In fact, the weather this year has really been boring. It has been calm, cold, clear, or rainy, cloudy and calm. No wind to speak of, no winter storms, no power outages, BOR---ing!!

I have been slugging for almost a week now. I guess It is just about time to get up off my lazy arse and do something useful. I Still have all of those projects unfinished. I haven't even unloaded the dishwasher. Oh I take that back, I empty it a piece at a time every day. Of course the dirty ones are once again piling up in the sink, waiting for the clean ones to all get dirty, so I can load it up again, and start all over. I need to go through all the boxes of Office crap, that I brought home, and either file it away, or THROW it out. I just HATE to get rid of it, I have been carting it around for too many years. I have grown attached to it. It is all outdated, but that's no reason to throw it away!! YES IT IS MARY LOU!!!!

Now go do it.

I linked to a very funny site, but it does not seem to be working. Let me try it again.

And as if that wasn't funny enough we always have politics!!

Now what can be better than this? talk about sheer unmitigated FUN!!!!! leave it to the English!

As you can tell, I have a LOT of free time on my hands now. I discovered Dave Barry's Blog, and it is as crazy as he is. That is the first place I go every morning, because I feel it is a good thing to start your morning with a belly laugh. I have been told that I have a great sense of humor. Some would call it sick...but then so is Dave Barry. This latest site, cow concentration is just the start, there is another game called Cowpie, where you try to kill flying steaks with a cowpie right out of the cows rear-end. LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL! Obviously there are other people out there who have time on their hands also.

I missed a call from a dear friend, because I was on the computer, so the message went to voice mail. I am hoping that I do not lose track of those few people that have made a difference in my life and my career. I am going to have to make a concerted effort to keep in touch. It is so easy to go on your way through life, and forget, or in my case, put off until another day, those people who mean so much. It is a trap I have fallen into my whole life. I just put off writing until so much time has gone by that I am too embarassed to write. I do so much better with email. It is always ready to go, you don't need stamps, you don't have to worry about finding a mailbox, or forgetting to mail it because it is in the bottomless pit of a purse you carry.

I took the first load to the dump yesterday. made the front room look so much better. No newspapers, piled up by the front door. YES DONNA, I THREW THEM OUT!!
I have just committed a cardinal sin in her eyes. My daughter is Ms "Green". I know, I know, I should be too, but I did not want to stand there for two hours going through each paper and taking out the slick ads, and weekly magazines. THe recycle center is very picky. only newsprint. PPHHFFFTTTT!!! ah well. A giant newspaper will probably come in the middle of the night and cover my house and suffocate me because I did not recycle!! So be it!!

THe next room I tackle will be the guest room. I am not sure if I want it to be a craft room, or a sitting room or a computer room, or just leave it as a guest room. I never have guests, unless Bob is too tired to drive home. Or the cats want a sunbeam to sleep in, or Donna comes home. I may paint it a vivid Green and keep it as a guest room. I dunno yet, but I do know that the dressers are coming out of there, and Tim's Secretary and His Great-Grandmothers rocker will go in there. Hell, he won't be home to claim them for years yet. I might as well use them instead of having them take up room in the garage.

Martha Stewart is on now, and her gorgeous garden sure makes me want to get out back and dig. As soon as I dig though, Mariah will dig too, and I don't want her all muddy. She has bones buried all over the back yard, and sure as shooting she would think I was trying to find her bones, so she would dig them up and re-bury them where I had already dug. She thinks she would be fooling me.

Martha is taking a dremel tool and roughing up the edges of a brand new pair of jeans, to make them look old. How times have changed!! I remember as a child, that as soon as your jeans started to discolor, you couldn't wear them in public anymore. God forbid someone thought you had OLD clothes. Had to be dark denim blue, Had to fade all over your underwear , and turn the wash water blue. Could not be stonewashed AT ALL!!!

Try THis!!! What a HOOT!!! Cow Concentration

When I was young, I would sleep until at least noon, stay up until all hours of the night, and feel like I never got enough sleep if I could not sleep in. Now I wake at the crack of Dawn, literally, and sit there with my coffee watching the morning come alive. This morning it was COLD. well I guess cold is relative isn't it? it FELT cold. there was a foggy mist wafting through the alders, and the humidity made it feel colder than it really was. I sleep with my bedroom window open 1/2 way, and I could see my breath over the top of my covers. I sat up and assumed the position of leaning on the window sill, so that I can watch the bird feeder, and still see the TODAY show on TV, and watched as the sun started it's climb over the alders and into the day.

I "nest" in my bedroom. Only because my bed is actually very high and I can sit on the bed, and lean on the window sill with my elbow, and get a good view. It is very comfortable, and I get to see close up, the hummingbirds. If I had a chair that was that high, and would allow me to get as close to the window as the top of my bed does, then I would be "nesting" there. Is that why Window seats were so popular way back when? Makes sense to me.

Lola is late this morning...haven't seen her yet. She usually pops over the top of the fence and works her way down to the feeder just about the time I leave for work. It is well past that time now, and still no Lola. I hope the Owl didn't get her last night. :-(

I did it again, thought of something at work that needed to be taken care of. I called, only to force myself to hang up before anyone answered. It isn't my job any more. I wonder when you stop caring about something you have put your soul into for 37 years? Egads...I wonder if every one that retires goes through this? Linda, if you are reading this, TAKE HEED!!!! It has only been one long weekend so far, so I guess I should give it a few months. I suppose it does become easier with time.

I am going to have to force myself to get into a routine, also. I need to get up and take my insulin, and meds, and EAT something. My daughter accuses me of not eating when ever I get grouchy. "DID YOU EAT TODAY MOTHER? You are getting testy." (as if I'm not allowed) Oh look!!!! THe alder tops are moving, that must mean the wind is coming up. Whoo-Hoo!!!! that will make the windchimes tinkle!!! The wind hasn't blown since I put them up. (see, it is the little things in life that tickle your soul now)

There is more light coming through the trees this year, they must have really chopped out the fir trees farther on through, up by the highway. I knew they were logging it out, but I didn't think it was this far down. There is about 1/4 of a mile between my back fence and Highway 20, all wooded. At least it was. I thought there was something going on, as the traffic noises are louder now. I still can not see through the trees, so I still feel like I live out in the boonies. (I do, but not nearly as far out as i used to be. The boonies are getting less and less.)

I have now gone through 3 cups of Starbuck's Coffee, and Martha Stewart is just about to come on, so I should cut this short and get busy. I DO need to eat something, I feel a little light headed. (OK Donna, I'm eating)

I spent this weekend doing practically nothing. This is something that I am afraid I would do. I hope it is just catching up with rest, and un-stressing from 37 years of working for the Navy Exchange. I can not believe that I actually am never going back. It seems so sureal...like I am dreaming, (or halucinating). I keep trying to brainstorm/plan the upcoming seasons, I have not yet learned to shut my mind down. It is still on fast forward. I had planned to get up, make a dump run, and get the crap at the front door gone, and the empty boxes in the garage gone. That would've been a great start to cleaning up, but Bob was 1/2 hour early, and it was pouring rain, and it was cold, So we discussed putting it off until tomorrow. GADS, I'm falling into his trap!!!!! He will bring over his laundry and do it here, while I go to the dump with his truck. I actually do have a hole in the garage now though. With a little bit of energy the Front of the house will be clean.

I really need to get my taxes filed this week too. I need the money. Bad. Don't know when my VSIP will kick in. S'posed to be mid March. I hope so. First retirement check will be April 1. I will then pay off my new refridgerator, I LOVE IT. No noise, just an occaisional whirrrrr-kerthunk when the ice falls into the ice bin. I hit a button and I have crushed Ice. Now most people wouldn't even care about crushed ice, but when you are an ice chewer, it is wonderful!!! come home go in grab a glass of crushed ice and water, and munch away. My Mother would roll over in her grave if she had one, but she doesn't. Look out La Push, tsunami possible!!!! (she was dropped over the side of a Navy Vessel, in May of '93, on her wishes.)

I took another nap again today. I am hoping this does not become a habit. need to read, I need to sew, I need to un-stress. Hmmmm a day at a spa sounds like just the thing huh? Too bad I'm not independantly wealthy. shucks

My son said he would call me last night. I waited, he didnt. Now why would I even THINK that he would? He isn't in trouble right now. He only calls when he needs money or is in trouble. Forgets he has a mother any other time. Why are men like that? Why do they just think that once they become men, they can walk out of your life, and you will never miss them? Men ARE from Mars!!!

So I'm sitting there watching the local news, and the feature of the evening is a visit to Vancouver, Ca. where they REALLY have a naked cooking show! I will TRY to link it here. It is a hoot!!! Naked cooking

I have perused the site, and cant wait until it hits our country!

Lola woke me up this morning at 7:00, yelling at something. she was sitting on the fence just yelling. No other squirrel in sight, but She saw something. Noisy little bitch. with my window open the smell of rain hit me. I smelled clean, refreshing, cold, almost like snow. But then it is only 38 degrees out there, so it would almost BE snow. and if it was snow, I could just sit there and enjoy it for the first time!!! I wouldn't have to think "oh shit...I have to go to work and drive in this mess" (BIG GRIN ON HER FACE.) I had a whole flock of female Redwinged blackbirds at the feeder again today, along with one lonely male. They are early this year. Usually dont show up until april or May, then only for a few days. The Rufous Hummers are back also.