Happy Canada Day to all my Northern Friends!

Drive safe, and have fun! Do you get just the day off, or is it a loooong weekend?

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I just finished putting the paint on the walls in my bathroom. I just got really tired of all the white, so I have been looking for a color I liked, and settled on a dusty lavender. The bedroom will be that color too. I will paint the trim a white color. Right now it is oak stained pine, and is looking a little dated. So off it comes, and I will slap two coats of white on them and then put them back on. The ceiling will be white too. I may put a pretty border of flowers around the top, but I doubt it. I would love to have crown molding, but the ceiling is too low I think. I may try it.

I got the rest of the paint to finish off the gutters today too, so hopefully I will get that done this weekend before the storm hits, and then my house will finally be painted on the outside, and I can cross THAT off my list of unfinished projects.

Ya'll have a good Holiday, and the rest of us will try to on Sunday!

The dog with the "sticky-up Ears"

Donna has been pouring over the internet sites on Dogs. She is looking for the perfect dog. One that is Loyal, Lovable, big, and friendly, but will protect her at all costs. When we were watching the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in February she saw several that she liked.

We really liked the Best of Show "josh" who was a newfoundland Retreiver He was really cool. Then there was the German Shepard, who is very Loyal, and the Otter Hound what a DOG! but she remembered one she really liked. "You know the one Mom, The Dog with the Sticky-up ears?"

No, I didn't...and google didnt know either...so off to the AKC site we went looking for the dog with the sticky-up ears...

BRIARD



So now she is on a hunt to find someone with Briards, so she can see one in person, and then find out how much they cost. I just saw a site for Briard Rescue, so we may go there too. She is liable to find out they are waaaaaaay out of her price range. But now you know folks, The Dog with the "sticky-up ears" is a Briard.

wierd looking thing with a cute face...has all the requirements! (sheesh)

10,000 hits!

Who would've guessed a year ago that I would have 10,000 people read my page! Not me! I thought I was doing good when Donna read my blog and it showed two hits a week! I was thrilled...now I don't know what to think! the 10000 visitor is from Belgium, and a person who was doing a search for Mom and Porn! Go figure...and here I had a little prezzie to give out to the lucky hitter-upon-my-site. Maybe I should give it to the next one up? or Back? Or should I put you all in a hat and draw names? or should I stick a tail on the map and give it to the blogger closest to the pin? hmmmmmmmmmm Whatcha think?

Practical Magic

Tonight on ABC is the movie Practical Magic. Starts right now at 9:00. This movie was filmed RIGHT HERE! The town scenes they show are our little town of Coupeville, and the house is on the next Island over on San Juan Island. My Son in Law worked as Security on the set while they were filming it. It is a hokey movie, but the town scenes are real. and the townspeople were used as extras in it. NO not Phyllis and I we Had to work!

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The weather has turned really Fallish! The wind is from the Noth and has a nasty bite to it. THe sun is still hot, but it is cool in the wind. The fourth of July must be coming!! It is always nasty on the forth. We go down to the beach and watch the rest of the Cove light off their fireworks. They shoot them over the water, and the wind usually blows them right back at us. It is really cool to be down there though...100's of people all doing their thing with the fireworks, and the town across the water shooting off theirs.

I grilled ribs today. cooked them for 3 hours them grilled them with bbq sauce. Had grilled asparagas, and corn on the cob. THe ribs were terrible. they were tough, and chewy, even if they did taste good. Sadie is having a ball with the rib bones though. i put them in the freezer and will dole them out one at a time. If I gave them all to her, I would have holes all through the garden. (As if the rats haven't dug enough)

I have new neighbors right next door, and Sadie is barking at everything they do. She does not know them yet, so the baby crying makes her bark, which makes the baby cry which maeks her bark...this is gonna be fun!!! NOT! I wish I could get her to stop barking on command and come when she is called. THen I could handle the rest. She is so good with pottie. She will be a year old in three weeks... this year went so fast!!!

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Donna spent over three hours on line looking at dog pictures. She knows she cant get a puppy right now, but at least she is healing. She will end up with another stray from some box in front of Safeway, or a foundling at the pound. I know her. It will be an odd looking thing with a cute face. That is how she picked her Husband!....Shame! Did I say that?

cough cough HACK cough Sniff COugh HACK

I have coughed so much today that I almost passed out while driving home from the drug store. I feel like I am trying to hack up a lung! It comes from deep down in my chest and rolls up into my throat. GADS! I went and got some RObitussin PE Cough Syrup this morning, and that seems to help. I feel ok just have a runny nose and this damned cough. When one is old and ones parts are wearing out, one does not NEED to cough really hard. If you get my drift!! I hate this crap! I am so damned tired of being tired and old and sick. I want to be young and fit and well again. Oh WAIT!!! I never was fit and well. I always had something wrong with me. arrgghhh....maybe in my next life!!!

Sadie is being a teenager in the true meaning of the word!! She has a mind of her own right now, and if she does not want to do something, she wont!! I could not catch her last night to put her in her pen for the night, so she slept under my bed until she thought I was asleep and then up on the bed she came. I reached down to grab her and back under the bed she went. Ok says I Let's see what she does with an all-nighter in mommies room. FIrst icecube hit the tray in the middle of the night and she was out in the hallway barking like crazy. tried to get her agian. back under the bed. Tonight I tried to get her to go outside to pottie before she went to bed, but she did not want to go. under the bed she went, so I turned out the lights and faked it until she got on the bed and I grabbed the little witch and put her in her pen!! She is so damned cute, but sassy as Hell and STUBBURN!!!!!

I want to thank you all for DOnna for the nice comments you made about Bandit. Donna is really taking it hard. SHe broke down when she got home, and he did not meet her at the door. THey are having him cremated and they will scatter him under the tree right next to his kitty that he loved. She is so heartbroken. I wish I could do something for her, but this is something she will have to work through for herself. She has been talking about someday getting a German Shepard Puppy, and I would not be too surprised if she came home with one in the next few months. It really helps you get over the loss.

Bandit commonly called Bubba 1991-2004

Donna's Husband Bill called today to tell me that Bubba had to be put to sleep. He did not want to tell Donna while she was driving home, so He asked me to tell her when she got here.

Bandit got out, and ran into the street, which is something he NEVER does, and was hit by a lady in a pickup. A neighbor rushed him to the vet, and called Bill, but he was too badly hurt to save.

This is devastating to all of us. He raised Sadie, and she would not go outside without Bubba-dog. unfortunately she was too rough on him, as he had arthritis bad, so DOnna took him back to Ellensburg.



He was Donna's Soulmate. She does not really care for animals, but tolerates them, and he followed her down the street when he was just a puppy. She took him back, and he jumped out of the box where they were giving away puppies, and followed her down the street again. It was Fate. She owned a dog. Where ever DOnna went, Bandit went.

He loved her and she loved him. She called about 10 this evening and said she was going home, she had called Bill from the Ferry line, and he told her. This is like losing her child. I feel so terribly bad for her and Bill.

Why do these Damn animals worm their way into your heart like this. I hope that where ever Bubba-dog is right now, that there are lots of open spaces for him to run, and lots of doggie friends to play with. He was a wonderful animal.

You will have to excuse me tonight, I cant see the keys through the tears. and the nose is running down my face...

Whoops!!

I got this picture today in an email from a friend. This picture was taken by an unknown person in Petersburg, AK. Either one STUPID cat or one STUPID eagle!

Clam Digging

Every year, Dad would watch the tide charts for the lowest tides of the year, usually called a minus tide. These Tides came around the middle of June and the lowest ones were a –3.0 feet. This meant that the tide was going to go waaaay out and the best clam beds would be revealed.

We would pack up our gear, (which in our case consisted of a short handled shovel and burlap bags, and a good pair of throw away shoes. These shoes were like tennis shoes, that were too worn out to wear to school, but had a good bottom on them so that we would not cut our feet on the barnacles.) and head for the beach. In 1956, there were not too many people on the Island, and Dad knew of a really good place on base, that was loaded with clams.

We would trudge down the path down the cliff, and out onto the sand bar. Dad would tell us to look for the squirt holes, and when we would find some that were squirting he would dig. He would put a load of sand and rocks up on the bar and us girls would sort through it looking for the right size clams. We would fill the burlap bags, fill in the hole and then head back up the cliff to the car.



Once home, we would fill the galvanized tubs with fresh water and cornmeal and leave them alone in the tub for a day. It was fascinating watching their necks come out to expel the sand and take in the fresh water.

One of our favorite things was fresh steamer clams (the small ones) dipped in garlic butter. Then eaten hot. OH YUM!! For city girls, we did good with new foods. Mom would take the bigger clams and grind them up for chowder, or clam fritters. Oh I have not eaten clam fritters in years!!!!

Every Once in a while the Minus tide would hit in the middle of the night, but that did not stop us. Mom would wake us up, get us dressed, and off we would trudge, grumbling at the late hour. Dad would have the red Coleman lantern, and when we hit the beach, he would pump it up and the hissing of the gas and the burning of the wick was a welcome sight. I was not fond of the dark, and this lantern chased away the goblins. Dad would dig, and we would sort, until the tide started back in, then back we would go to the house and our warm beds, while Mom and Dad feasted on the steamers.

The clam shells were always relegated to either the trash pile, or the back yard to be used as doll dishes, once the ants had picked them clean. When you were raised in the Navy you did not have many things, as back then we were not allowed a lot of household effects, so we made our own toys, and clam shells were used as dishes, furniture, clothes, utensils etc.

Yesterday driving into town, I noticed the tide was out again, but the good sites have either been over dug, or are closed because of contamination. The site on Base was closed because it was depleted, and the ones in the cove were closed because of either fecal contamination or red-tide which is an algae bloom that can paralyze you if you eat the shellfish. I thought back to the good old days when we could go down and get what we wanted without fear of contamination. Before Rachel Carson’s SILENT SPRING, before the Island was “discovered” and over populated. When we could safely wander the back roads on our bikes and not be afraid of speeders or weirdo’s. I wonder if there are any places left like that? SIGH!

SLOOOOOOOOW DAY

I have been trying to blogwalk since 900 this morning, and everything is soooooo sloooooowwwww loading. Even Leslie, who is usually fast. I could not get my blog to pop up either, had to disconnect and reconnect three times. THen I could not get into to haloscan to read comments. So PHHHHFFFFFTTTTTTTT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I give up!

I will try later tonite to write something, THat is if I get Computer time. otherwise, I'll see ya tomorrow!!

The First Day of Summer

The first day of Summer after School let out was always magical. We had the Whole long summer to look forward to, and plenty of places to explore. Usually we ended up staying home, because Dad’s Leave was usually used to transfer on. But that was fine, there were forests to explore, beaches to walk, cliffs to climb, clams to dig, fields to wander through, and friends to see.

One of the wonders to me was being able to go where we wanted to, without Mom warning us not to go off the block. Living in the country had its advantages. We could climb to the top of a fir tree, and swing back and forth at each other, being careful not to climb up where the top would bend and break, but up high enough that we could see over the top of the barn! The boys were amazed that us girls could climb a tree! Daring us ever higher. Popping pitch pockets on the trunk was fun. The bubbles were just begging to burst, so we helped them. The resinous smell was intoxicating. And getting it into our long pigtails was a badge of honor.



We would go down to the beach at low tide and wonder at the weird stuff in the tide pools. Being raised in the city, we had never seen wonders such as these. Sea anemones that would turn inside out when poked with a stick. Jellyfish that we were told were called Man o Wars. Big reddish purple ugly things with really loooong tentacles. These creatures were intriguing, but you did not want to touch them, as they would sting you like mad!



One of the warnings Dad gave to us was to stay off the cliffs and out of the caves, as they could collapse easily and bury us alive. This was a warning we heeded for about ½ a day, then up the cliffs, and into the caves we would go. These caves were not really big, as they were dug by other kids in the sandy loam the cliffs were made of. The glacial till that was deposited here to make the Islands, was a conglomerate of sandy loam and clay, intermixed with gravel. Great for digging into. The clay was the stabilizer , and when it was wet, it was concrete!! So we would mine these clay deposits and stucco the walls of the caves with the clay! (now mind you these “caves” were only in about 4 feet) We used clam shells for dishes and beach wood for “furniture” What Fun!

As I grew and we moved around the Pacific, I still remember the magic of living there in Penn Cove. We were brought back here in 1961 and my parents never left. They ended up retiring here, and that was the first time our family had ROOTS!

When I was in High School, the first day of summer meant that I got to help my friends’ Dad out with the haying. I would walk up to their farm, and help get the hay onto truck. It was our job to drag it off the shoulders of the guys who were hoisting it up to the truck, and hand it off to the guys who were up on top of the stack. I would get hay scratches all over my arms and legs, but I loved it.



On the walk through the fields the meadowlark would be sitting on a fence singing his little heart out. The rabbits would be scurrying away, babies bouncing along behind them. It was magical! A steady breeze blowing in from the sound cooled us down, and dried the sweat into salty bands around our necks.



Today As I was driving to the bank, The same feelings came back to me, the sky was blue, the breeze was warm, the tide was low, the hay bales were in the fields, and the forests were dark green.



I thought back to those wonderful days over 40 years ago and wondered if that innocent young girl ever knew that she would grow into the woman that I became. I know that I envisioned things a lot differently than they turned out.

Last night I lay there in bed listening to the fog horns down on the Sound, and the deep Low Mourn of the freighters trying to feel their way through the narrows. I was looking up into clear skies, so knew that the fog that had formed was the cause of the really hot day we had yesterday. The cool water and the warm air causes fog to form on the water. It can be quite thick, and take all day to burn off.

I drove back to Coupeville by way of West Beach Road, and there off the beach was the low bank of fog, still laying there, making the people walking on the beach look very ephemeral.



I wanted to get out and walk the edge of the low water, but I had the wrong shoes on and would sink up to my ankles. It was with regret that I pulled away and left my day dreaming to another day.

Happy Father's Day Dad!

When we were little, We were transfered across the pacific ocean every two years. Dad was always allowed to travel with us, and it made for a vacation like atmosphere. We always departed from San Fransico, Calif. No matter where we were stationed last. We would have to drive to Salinas, Ca and spend the night with my Aunt Dutch, then Dad would change into his dress uniform and off we would go the next day to leave for either Hawaii, or Guam.


We travelled via Transport ships run by either the US ARMY or the US NAVY, and it was quite a trip. Every time we left, we would get our pictures taken for Dad's military Records, and depending on how good they were, We always got copies.



This particular trip was on the way to Guam in 1951. Phyllis was 2 and I was 5. We had just spent two years in Hawaii, and our next duty station was across the pacific again. We have cruised across the Pacific a total of 6 times in our very young lives. And each time was an experience. I always got seasick, and ended up hanging over the rail all day watching the water so I would not get sick. Mom and Dad of course played the adult games, while we just played with our few toys that we were allowed to bring.

I always remember my Dad on these trips, because he was with us all day, while the other Dads were not allowed to be with their families. It was a fun time. We learned so much about geography from Dad. I can remember sitting on top of our Quonset hut at night, watching for the glow from Johnson Island Atoll, as an atom bomb test went off. I also remember seeing the glow from erupting valcanoes on Hawaii.

We stopped at Eniwetok Atoll, which is no longer there, and disembarked passengers that were to live there.

It was a real adventure. I miss my Dad very much. I still talk to him every once in awhile.

Thanks for the Memories Dad. You done us good!!

BUNNIES!!!!!!

I found these two over at Denny's place, and could not resist taking them.





Today I got up early fixed breakfast and started painting again. I wanted to get all of the trim finished today, but no such luck. Bob came over about 12:00 and painted what he could reach on the gable ends, then left. I am to finish the gutters tomorrow I guess. He was a big help, but it was so damn hot out there! and the paint takes two coats because we are putting dark purple over white, and it shadows through. Hopefully tomorrow will be cooler.

I would like to get the front finished at least. That way the curb appeal of the house woill be nice. Nobody can see out back, and the North gable end is hidden by the apple tree, so it wont show either.

Sadie has been a little shit, whining when we go out front. And running away when she gets out there. So she is exiled to the back yard.

I put Bea out on the deck also, and let her sit in the shade and munch on the weeds coming through the slats. Sadie is having fits over that. She wants her bunny badly. She is bouncing around all over the outside of the deck trying to get to Bea. But I have it fenced off, so Bea is safe, and Sadie cant treat her like her own personal squeek toy.

Bea had fun hopping around all over the deck. SO much fun that she did not want to get back into her cage when it was time to come in for the night. Do not want to leave her out there all night, the Owls would have her for dinner no doubt! Bea is bright white, and would show up really good in Owl eyes.

It is really cooling down right now, a really fresh breeze coming in through the office window. It's about time! I can not do heat! You all have heard me bitch about that before, but if it gets over 75 degrees I MELT!! it was so still last night that nothing came in the window, and all the hot air did not get out either.



You can tell how badly Sadie wanted her, by the tongue hanging out of her face. Bea was really teasing her too, going up nose to nose through the fence then hopping away. What a tease.

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Right now I am sooooooo broke!! and I still have two weeks until payday!! I got out my five gallon water jug that I have been dumping all of my spare change into for the past 3 years. I had just taken a shower and was in my shortie nitie and sitting on my bed.

I dumped out all the change which made a deep depression in the mattress, because it was so heavy. I sorted out 100 dollars worth of quarters, and put the rest back into the jug. I was sitting on the bed, on my leg, and had to move the shin to get the loose change. I reached under my leg, and there was money clear up into my TWAT!!! I pulled about 3 dollars of various coins out from under me, and asked my daughter if that means I was going through the CHANGE?

She slammed the door on me....no respect!

Thursday Thursday!

Before Tim left, He decided that he was gonna do me a favor, and paint the trim on my house. The body was painted 2 years ago by Bob and I, and it looks great. I had white trim on the house, and It needed repainting badly, but I wanted something different than white, so I bought about 5 different qts of paint, and painted a 12" swatch down the front trim piece. I still could not decide. I had the house color as a very pale grey green and needed something to contrast with that. Phyllis said PURPLE, Bob came in and said PURPLE, DOnna came home and said PURPLE. I bought a BLUEBERRY (no!) White (NO) Latte (NO) forest green (NO!!!!)But could not decide.

Phyllis took what was left over from my house and painted hers and then trimmed it in PURPLE and a light Hazy Lavendar. It was GREAT! So she gave me her left over trim paint and Tim got busy.



But he left before he finished it. THe storm door is down, the wooden facia's are painted, the trim is painted, the Door is painted ( WAHHHHH! There went my good luck red door), and the garage door is trimed, but the gutters and downspouts were left for me to finish.

(Not to mention the touch up, cause he rushed, and slopped!!! )

I can not tell you how much of a difference it makes in the house!! It will look really good when finished. Which will be tomorrow or Saturday if I am lucky!

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TESTING

I went in yesterday to have a stress test run on my heart. I have to have the chemical version as I cant do the treadmill because of my knees and back. THey injected me with this drug that makes your heart race, and makes you sweat among other things..(NO...!) Then I had to wait for the radio active isotopes that they injected to work, and then have pictures taken of my heart. I had to lay on this "bed" about 12" wide, which slide into this opened sided MRI like thingie!! Now mind you I am a hell of a lot more wide than 12"!! when I looked at it and then at the tech, she laughed. and said it was fine, it would work. I shook my head and crawled on. I have this needle 3" long stuck in my vein in my elbow/arm crookey place. and taped down. Now I have to take my arms and put them over my head and NOT MOVE FOR 18 MINUTES!! Yeah right! the needle was sticking and hurting, my shoulders were so sore, and I was trying so hard not to move. That was the longest 18 minutes of my life!

I finished up and then they tell me I get to come back tomorrow and do the same thing!!! oh GOD!! SO I did, and got through it all, now I wait for the results.

I just feel like there is something so terribly wrong about the term RADIO ACTIVE ISOTOPES being injected into my veins! Will I glow in the dark? will I set off the alarms at the gates to the base? am I being followed by spy sattelite? Who knows!!!

The glow in the west is me folks, not the setting sun!!

Heartwarming story

Here is a really heartwarming story from my friend Rusty.


Subject: A heartwarming story with a twist


This is truly a heartwarming story about the bond
formed between a little girl and some construction workers. This
makes you want to believe in the goodness of people and that there is
hope for the human race.

A young family moved into a house next door to a
vacant lot. One day a construction crew turned up to start building a
house on the empty lot. The young family's 5-year-old daughter
naturally took an interest in all the activity going on next door and
started talking with the workers. She hung around and eventually
the construction crew, all of them gems-in-the-rough, more or less
adopted her as a kind of project mascot. They chatted with her, let
her sit with them while they had coffee and lunch breaks, and gave
her little jobs to do here and there to make her feel important.

At the end of the first week they even presented
her with a pay envelope containing five dollars. The little girl
took this home to her mother who said all the appropriate words of
admiration and suggested that they take the money she had received
to the bank the next day to start a savings account.

When they got to the bank the teller was equally
impressed with the story and asked the little girl how she had come by
her very own pay check at such a young age. The little girl proudly
replied, "I worked all last week with a crew building a house."

"My goodness gracious," said the teller, "and will
you be working on the house again this week, too?"

The little girl replied, "I will if those useless
bastards at Home Depot ever bring us the fucking drywall."



I will post more on the test tomorrow.

Brain Freeze!!!

My friend Rusty who occaisionally pops in here and comments, told me today that I should write more. Well that was just enough to get my brain to totally dump it's contents, and the few remaining braincells are rattling around in there not knowing whether to land on a red or black square!

I am sitting here trying to compose something, but nothing worth anything is coming out. I thought about writting something profound about old folks, but Leslie did that. I thought about writting about the weather but CJ did that, I thought about writting about my kids, but that's been done too.

I worked for a few hours pro bono at the Playhouse trying to get out advertising pitches for our new season program. And tomorrow I am going in for a Stress test on my ticker. It is the injection kind and I totally HATE them. I do not like the way it makes my heart race, and makes me get all hot and sweaty, and this is without sex too! ( although I have been told that some women DO have orgasms during this test.)

I came home tonight and Tim has almost all of one color of the trim painted on the house. That has been needing it for two years, so that just leaves the gutters and the downspouts for me and Bob to finish painting. Looks so good!!! I will post a picture tomorrow.

Maybe by then I will have gotten my three brain cells to land and I can once again write something intelligible!! Thanks for hanging in there folks.

I dont know how to put my real flag up at half staff, so I will post these, even though they are not at proper display.

Tim got a final ok from the Dr. and can go back to a full life. Unfortunatly, he lost his job which was full time with benefits. He is not too concerned about the job aspects, as It is summer and the tourists are abundant and the workers are few, so He is confident he will find something right away. problem is, it goes away in September, and he starves again through the winter. I do not get this kid!! I know he likes Orcas Island, and It is easy to see why, but when you have no place to live, no job, no food, it seems a bit unfriendly!!

I have him working painting the trim on the house. Bob and I painted the body of the house 2 years ago, but never could decide on the trim. SO now Tim is out there painting, and hopes to finish it before I have to take him back to the Ferry landing tomorrow.

I'll end up finishing it. But that is ok, he got it started.

I am so ready for a road-trip. I am thinking of borrowing Phyllis' camper and heading East. up around Meta line Falls, which is right on the BC/washington/Idaho border...looks rather isolated. Like that.

Smells like the chicken is done, so I need to go get the table set and call him in to eat supper.

See ya

lets try this again...

adding the clock

Ok, I got stopped at Ellen's place, she has this really cool clock that tells what time it is where she is at. So I went to find one too. FOund it, set it, but cantd find it on my blog!!! It should be right over the license plate....

Shattered City: The Halifax Explosion

One of the nice things about living so close to the Canadian Border is that We get CBC TV Canadian Broadcasting company, and in our case CBUT channel 2 out of Vancouver. CBC has some quality programming! Similar to our PBS, but usually about Canadian History.

Tonight, it was a two-part mini=series called The Shattered City: The Halifax Explosion. It takes place during WWI Dec of 1917. I had never heard of this incident, so I watched tonight and will again tomorrow, I also came in and looked it up on Google.
Halifax Explosion This is quite an extensive website all about the explosion, but what it doesn't tell that the movie does, is that it was a German plot to plug Halifax harbor. It is a program well worth watching, and a website well worth delving into. History has a tendency to repeat itself, and we surely do not want this to happen again.

BRRRRRRRR

One would SWEAR it was really February instead of June. It is grey and cloudy, and drizzley and cold. Last night TIm actually built a fire in the woodstove. It was blowing pretty hard out there and it was comfy in the house.

There is just something sacreligious about building a fire in June unless it is in a camp fire setting. I NEVER build a fire between April 1st and October first. I put on a sweater and slippers, turn on the electric blanket and shut the windows.

Bob and I had gone to the Playhouse to see Wizard of OZ, which was WONDERFUL. I really did not want to go, because I really dont care for the movie, so I went expecting not to like it at all. It was so very enchanting. and DOttie did a hell of a job on the Costumes! THey were all new and unique, which for us is a rarity. Usually we redo old costumes, and make them look new, but these were all special! and for those of you that follow my "career" Jesus played the scarecrow, and was fantastic in the role. I fully expect him to make a splash professionally one of these days, Jesus was his first major role, and he has grown as an actor in all the roles since then. Watch out for him FERNANDO DURAN he's a doll!

Anyway...I digress, When we got home from the show, the fire was already built. I explained the RULES! but Tim just shrugged. No biggy, at least it cleared out the nests in the chimney that have been abandoned.

I THINK I will try and finish painting the office today. If you recall, I started it a year ago, and it has never been finished. I am the Queen of unfinished projects.

Cant do it sitting here though...

CRACK of dawn!

I couldn't sleep. My shoulder and my back were hurting, the deep down inside you bone aching hurt. Didn't help much that Ethel wanted to sleep on my back, and Chitters was tap dancing on my right boob either.

The scanner went off, and there was an accident at the Keystone Ferry Landing, Injuries, so they toned out the fire dept, which is right over there! So the chief responds from his home right over THAT way, speeds down the road, with his all terrain tires, which whine through the woods. Gets the rig, and whoops down the road back again to the scene. This is at 345. Then about 400 it started to get light, and that meant the birds started chirping away.

I peeked over the window sill and noticed that the feeders were empty, so on with the UGGS and out the door at 415 to fill the feeders and let Lint out.

I am wide awake, so figured what the heck, went in fixed a pot of coffee, and felt like I needed some protein, so fixed 2 eggs on toast, and came in here to blogwalk.

Blogger is really slow loading, and to top it off, the homepage that I default to is not there, some other page is. I hate it when some freakin pop-up decides it knows which is the best move for my computer. So into the control panel I go and switch it back. Ya know I'm Thinking that there oughta be a law against ANYTHING popping onto or into your computer settings unless you specifically ask for that in plain language!

THe last thing I heard on the news last night was to watch out for Eco-terrorists to pull something this weekend. SO what did I have on my mind this early morning...Eco-terrorists. What could they do here? where would they go? The last time they hit up here was at the Botany Dept of the U-Dub. They set it on fire, and destroyed many years of genetic research on trees and plants. The building is just now re-opening.

I wonder why people think that they will get sympathy for their causes by destroying other people, and or property? Media attention I guess. PISSES me off!

Hang on, coffee is done!! Be right back. Ahhhhhh much better!!

George and Gracie still have not brought their brood over to the feeders, surely they have hatched by now!! The Doves are hatched and fledging, the Hairy Woodpeckers are flying to the suet feeders now, Babies in tow, The Goldfinch have paired up. ( they nest later than most) and the hummingbirds are all out of the nest and sucking down the bird juice! Spring is well on it's way to summer!

The grass needs mowing every week now, and if the rain does not let up, the garden will not get planted. I think I have won the battle of the CATTERPILLARS! at least for awhile. They are cocooning now, and I sprayed all the ones I could find. When the Moths morph out, I'll spray those bastards too!!! Should cut them back a lot for next year.

Well, It is now 600, and I know that Europe and SOuth Africa are already up and blogging so think I will start over there with my blogwalk, by the time Im through over there, the east coast should be up and posted, then up to Canada, and over to the west coast. It sucks being up wide awake and raring to go, and nobody else is up yet!!

Even Sadie is still asleep! just Lint and me...oh and Loki!

Life On Whidbey

Phyllis is down for awhile, SHe can not get her computer to load anything, she cant open the drives at all, and she is waiting for some one smart to come fix her computer. May be a few days, meanwhile...I CAN HAVE SOOOOOOO MUCH FUN (I have her password!! ) bwhahahahahahahha

A new place to get lost in...

Occasionally I will blog surf, looking for something different, and looking to see if there are any that catch my attention. That is how I found most of you.

Last night I was cleaning out my Favorites list, and found a folder called blogs to get lost in I bookmark those blogs that I want to come back and read clear through. I forgot about the folder. I have so many blogs that I visit now that it takes me 3 hours to visit and read them all. (remember, I am dial-up, so all you frames people take a while to download, which cuts into my time)

I opened the folder and found a jewel....It is called Switched At Birth This lady is a writer! I have no idea how long she has been hiding in that folder, or how I found her, but I have now read quite a bit of her blog, and when you have some time to spare, and a fresh hot cup of tea, and need to get lost in North Carolina, you know where to go.

Enjoy!

FUN STUFF

I was blog hopping and found this at a site I can't remember now...ANYWAY, it reminded me of those slam books we used to do in Jr. High School. At least we did it when I was in school. Some of the questions we would never have considered, or even thought of, but I thought I would give it a go. Feel free to steal, copy and paste, and put your own answers in...I did.

LAYER ONE:
-- Name: Mary Lou
-- Birthplace: San Diego, Ca
-- Birthdate: Jan 11, 1946 (yes Im an old fart)
-- Current Location: Coupeville, Washington
-- Eye Color: blue
-- Hair Color: used to be Auburn now...brown, gray, blonde,
-- Height: 6'1"
-- Righty or Lefty: Righty
-- Zodiac Sign: Capricorn

LAYER TWO:
-- Your heritage: Irish, Norwegian, Indian, Scots
-- The shoes you wore today: Shoes? youre sposed to wear shoes?
-- Your weakness: kittens
-- Your fears: the dark
-- Your perfect pizza: Deep dish, soft crust pepperoni, mushroom, black olives, onion, white sauce,(creamy garlic ) heavy on the cheese.
-- Goal you'd like to achieve: get my health back

LAYER THREE:
-- Your most overused phrase on AIM: PHHFFFFTTTTT!!!
-- Your first waking thoughts: Whatever I was dreaming about
-- Your best physical feature: used to be my eyes
-- Your most missed memory: My Parents.

LAYER FOUR:
-- Pepsi or Coke: Diet Coke
-- McDonald's or Burger King: Burger King, WHOPPER
-- Single or group dates: Dates? People still DATE? WOW? What have I been missing.
-- Adidas or Nike: Easy Spirits or VANS.
-- Lipton Ice Tea or Nestea: Any teabag that does not have the paper on it. TETLEY?
-- Chocolate or vanilla: Chocolate
-- Cappuccino or coffee: Coffee

LAYER FIVE:
-- Smoke: quit 23 yrs ago...3 packs a day...
-- Cuss: Why yes, yes I do. More than I should
-- Sing: I LOVE to sing. ANytime, anywhere, just not in front of anybody.
-- Take a shower everyday: yep. Except on those rare occaisions when there is someone in the house to pull me out of the tub if I get down there and my creaky knees wont let me up. Then I Revel in a Hot soaky tub with foo-foo stuff.
-- Do you think you've been in love: A few times.
-- Want to go to college: I did. Now I wanna go back and take some fun classes, like meteorology, geology, and astronomy
-- Liked high school: nope. I was too shy to enjoy a lot of it.
-- Want to get married: yes. If the right opportunity arises
-- Believe in yourself: Not as much as I should.
-- Get motion sickness: only on boats.
-- Think you're attractive: NEVER!
-- Think you're a health freak: LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL.
-- Get along with your parent(s): For the most part.
-- Like thunderstorms: LOVE 'Em!!
-- Play an instrument: Nope

LAYER SIX: In the past month...
-- Drank alcohol: nope
-- Smoked: nope
-- Done a drug: only the ones that keep me alive...legally
-- Made Out: what is that?
-- Gone on a date: If you can call going out with Bob a date, then yes, often.
-- Gone to the mall?: yep.
-- Eaten an entire box of Oreos?: nope.
-- Eaten sushi: No. But i love Sushi..
-- Been on stage: No. Not this month, but I often am.
-- Been dumped: Nope.
-- Gone skating: Not since 1965.
-- Made homemade cookies: Tim has.
-- Dyed your hair: Nope.
-- Stolen Anything: NEVER!

LAYER SEVEN: Ever...
-- Played a game that required removal of clothing: no.
-- If so, was it mixed company: n/a.
-- Been trashed or extremely intoxicated: yup.
-- Been caught "doing something": huh?.
-- Been called a tease: once.
-- Shoplifted: Never. I have been too much of a goody-two-shoes.
-- Changed who you were to fit in: No

LAYER EIGHT:
-- Age you hope to be married: I was at 21. and then again at 23.
-- Numbers and Names of Children: Chemystery (donna) Timmers (tim)
-- Describe your Dream Wedding: On a bluff at Ft Ebby, or at the lake at Deception Pass.
-- How do you want to die: In my sleep at 93 yrs of age, with all my faculties still with me.
-- Where you want to go to college: Western Washington University would be ok.
-- What do you want to be when you grow up: Who wants to grow up.
-- What country would you most like to visit: South Africa, then Europe and Norway

LAYER NINE:
-- Number of drugs taken illegally: None.
-- Number of people I could trust with my life: 5?
-- Number of CDs that I own: I think it's about 200...mostly classical
-- Number of piercings: 2 in each ear.
-- Number of tattoos: none
-- Number of times my name has appeared in the newspaper?: Gosh. I havent a clue!
-- Number of scars on my body: 4
-- Number of things in my past that I regret: That i never learned to play the piano

Now lets see what your blogs say about you...

Timothy

It is so hard not to mother your Adult Children. I expected to have to change the dressings on his incision, but he is doing it by himself. He cooks, he cleans the kitchen, he gets after me for being such a slob.

He is doing really well, walking with out the cane for the first time since the accident. His hematoma drained beautifully and most of the bruising is now gone. He can lay on that side, and is almost pain free. His incision still stings, but it will for awhile. I am now encouraging him to get up and move around, so we can see just how much he can tolerate.

Now he needs to call his boss and tell him when He can get back to work. He still has no place to live, no money, no car, but he is insisting that he go back to that island and get back to work. I pointed out that he could probably find work here, and stay here until He could find a place, but that is not an option. I am soooo afraid that his boss will say "Sorry we needed you then, not now" I pray every night that he sees the light and can start his life over and on the right track.

I can not tell you when the last time I both of my children living with me at the same time. It has to be close to 15 years! Needless to say I am trying to stay out of the way and let him heal at his own pace, but it is really hard!! once a Mother always a Mother.

41 years Ago....

I graduated from High school. I was over at Brians house and someone commented that he ought to post his graduation picture, and I thought...Why not...If we all posted our graduation pictures, we can all reminisce about how young we once were, how naive, how full of dreams, how innocent! At least I was!

Oak Harbor High School, June 5, 1963...



WIsh I was that thin again!! And I wasn't thin then. Just thinner!!

Birthdays...

One of the things I promised myself I was going to do when I retired was make sure I remembered every body's birthday BEFORE it happened. I remember mine, and Phyllis' and of course the kids' but I keep forgetting my brothers and his family's.

I bought a dayplanner that I have right here on the desk, and in it I have a tab for all of my favorite bloggers, and a yearly calendar. I put down your address, your phone number, your major events and your families if you mention them all the time.

I also put in your birthdays and your blogiversaries. I make Birthday cards and send them out, and I also make my own note cards and send those out.

I have up-dated my address book, and my Christmas card list, and last year for the first time in DECADES I sent out Christmas cards to everybody whose address I had. It was really nice getting cards in return.

But back to Birthdays. I always made it a point to NEVER tell anybody at work when my birthday was, because I did not want anybody going overboard for THE BOSS. But I was always dissapoinnted when Bob and my Kids didn't fuss over me either. ( JAN 11 )

Phyllis and I do, because we are all we have left. She takes me to dinner, and I take her to dinner, and Iget her a present and she gets me one.

But now it is time to tell the world when my birthday is. I am so Thankful that I still am able to HAVE birthdays. and now I want everybody to fuss over me. JAN 11 And I want to fuss over everybody also!

So your task today is to comment here and to tell me when your birthday is. If I do not have your address, I can not send you a card so you all need to email me at the following: dreamer(at)galaxynet(dot)com and give me your address. Then sit back and wait for my card.

remember...
comment here with your birthdate,
email with your address...

If you hurry I might even have a chance to save up for a little tiny prezzie too!!!

This will give you all a chance to update your birthday log too... JAN 11

OPRAH

Ok...did I miss it? According to my archives, Oprah's spring Favorite things was the middle of May last year. I have watched her faithfully for over a year, and was looking forward to this show. I checked her website, and of course they will not tell you when the program is going to be, but Today's show was listed as TBA so I figured THAT'S IT!!! well just now they came on and promo'd todays show, and it is a re-run!!!! :-( I was soooo looking forward to it today.

Last year I bought one of the Ribbon hats that she promo'd. LOVE IT!! So when is this year's show? I could not have missed it! I so hate this not knowing!!!

DEEP IMPACT.....

SEATTLE - A meteor about the size of a computer monitor lit up the Northwest sky early Thursday morning, setting off sharp booms that stunned witnesses.

Â?There was some question as to whether it was a piece of space junk burning up, but it was not,Â? said Geoff Chester, a spokesman for the Naval Observatory. Â?People always want to know, was it something we put up there coming down again? As far as IÂ?ve been able to figure out, it was simply a rock falling out of the sky, as they are wont to do on occasion.Â?

Submit photos
If you have pictures or video of the flash, call KING 5 News at 1-800-456-3975 or 1-800- 45-NEWS-5).




Chester said it was a type of meteor called a bolide, one which appears bright like a fireball in the sky.

Toby Smith, a University of Washington astronomy lecturer who specializes in meteorites, said scientists were looking into the cause of the skybursts reported over a wide area about 2:40 a.m.

"It certainly could be a meteor. They're extremely rare events," Smith told KING 5 News. "To my knowledge, I don't think anyone's ever seen one fall in Washington state that's made it all the way to the ground."

An earlier report on KIRO Radio that a meteorite might have hit near Chehalis, about 30 miles south of Olympia, turned out to be false, said Smith.

Nothing unusual was detected on National Weather Service radar, and authorities also ruled out aircraft problems or military flight tests.

Smith said once a meteor hits the Earth's atmosphere, it's considered a meteorite.

Â?But until you get the pieces and determined that theyÂ?re actually a meteorite, thereÂ?s really not much reasonable you can say,Â? said Smith.

Witnesses along a 60-mile swath of the sound from near Tacoma to Whidbey Island and as far away as Coeur dÂ?Alene, Idaho, 260 miles to the east, said the sky lit up brilliantly. Many reported booming sounds as if from one or more explosions.

At Whidbey Island, Petty Officer Andrew Davis said he and other saw the skyburst.

"It made a pretty big bang," Davis said. "We thought it could maybe be a meteorite or something."

Civilian pilots reported seeing the flash from Ellensburg, east of the Cascade Range, said an FAA duty officer who did not give her name.


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Needless to say it was an exciting night. I had gotten up to pee, and check my blood sugar, and I was reading to get back to sleep, when the whole world exploded! It was right over my head, and sizzled, and crackled and then boomed away towards the Casdades. I jumped out of bed and ran into the Living room and Tim was already looking out the window. I said I think it was thunder, and he said there isnt a f------ cloud in the sky? the moon was out and fully bright . Dogs and neighbors were now up looking out doors and windows.

My first thought was an atomic bomb. If I had seen the light I would have really freaked!! it sounded just like the thunder in the desert that forms right over your head, and just as the hairs on your arm start standing up....BANG ! and sizzle sizzle! Phyllis called about that time, so I picked up the phone and just said I dont know. She called Dispatch and they assumed it was a meteor or an earthquake. I didnt even think of meteors!!! I had the scanner on and about 15 minutes later two deputies said they thought it was a meteor also.

I swear the thing landed in my back yard! I have never heard a meteor sizzle like that. Weird, but exciting too. My Brother who lives two blocks away was sitting in his hot tub counting the shooting stars and saw the whole thing and saw it break up into pieces. He said he had just prayed, when BAM! I think he had some of that good BC BUD if you ask me. who the heck sits in their hot tub at 245 in the morning? sober? I think not.

I expect more on this after all of the astronomers get through sorting their data. I will keep you all posted!!

Oh by the way CALGARY WON TONITE!!! In OT!! ROCK ON!!

Mrs. Rosenbloom

Everytime I go into Oak Harbor, I drive right by the local Funeral Parlor there. The side facing the main street has a row of the most beautiful, well tended rhododendrons there that are as tall as the building. I have admired them for years and years. When you can afford a gardener, I guess your plants would be beautiful.

In my yard I planted 5 rhodies when I first bought the house 13 years ago. Only one of them has survived, and it is scrawny. Sends out pretty purple blooms though. Or are they red? As I stated several weeks ago, My favorite Rhodie is the pink one with the darker pink center. I had two of those and both of them died.

I have quite a few roses too, but not as many as I used to have, My renters let them die. The ones I have out front are doing spectacular this year, although they are very overgrown and need trimming badly, I am afraid to touch them for fear of harming their bloom. Out back I had 30 Hybrid teas that are now down to two. There are five roses that come up every year back from their root stock, not the hybrid, but the one seems to have survived, and is a really light pink with a tinge of darker pink on the inside.

What I really need is a good nursery man to come out and tell me what to feed my plants with and how to amend the soil for healthy growth.

About 6 years ago, I had to go back to Georgia to the Naval Supply School in Athens for training. I was there for three weeks, and got to meet several of my counterparts from New York. One was a guy named Bob who was the Safety officer for NEXCOM at Staten Island, And we got to talking about gardening and roses and rhodies. Our weekends we would take off and head for some botanical garden or another and we learned a lot about plants.

He was a firefighter/paramedic in his down time with a volunteer force on Long Island. During his off hours, to keep his knowledge current he worked at the local funeral home helping with the embalming and the preparing the dead for burial or cremation. I asked the question what did they do with the people who died and had no family.

Bob looked at me, and said well, there are actually quite a few of them and burying them was getting expensive, so if they have no next of kin, we cremate the remains. He said that it was his job to take them down to the river and scatter them reverently over the water, and bring the empty containers back to the funeral parlor.

We talked some more about plants and family and work. I told him about my plants, and he said ..."Do you know I name my plants." When I asked why, he said, "well, I thought it was an awful waste of bone meal and ashes to throw these people in the river, so I took the ashes home and buried them under a plant. I name the plant after the person...You should see Mrs. Rosenbloom. She is a gorgeous red floribunda."

Guess I know how those rhodies at the Oak Harbor funeral parlor got so gorgeous...I wonder if they are named. Makes ya think...

TRUE STORY FOLKS!!!

Getting the ball rolling...

Tim has not done anything about the accident other than contact the authorities and see a lawyer. His lawyer told him that he would not be able to take his case due to a heavy work load. Tim thought things were in the works, but no they weren't. So today we drove up to Bellingham and saw a personal injury lawyer. I asked questions and made sure that Tim understood what was going on, and before we left, I asked Tim if there was anything he did not understand. He gets it now.

He will, or SHOULD get his medical bills all paid, his attorney fees paid, and lost wages for 6 weeks. He MIGHT get pain and suffering also, as he has lost his domicile due to no work, so he basically is homeless. Tim thinks he will get quite a bit of money, upwards of 25 thousand, I think He will be lucky to get 10K. He NEEDS to get a lot, so that he can pay off his fines from last year, then get his drivers license back, then get a car again, so he can start over.

The system is messed up as far as I am concerned. THey put a person in jail, so he loses his job, does his time, but cant pay his fines, so they suspend his license? Now when he gets out of jail he cant get a job, because he cant get to work, because he cant pay his fines so he cant drive! huh? Seems to me that if we truely want to rehabilitate a Felon, we should make him serve his time, and then do everything we can to make sure he can get back into society and become a functioning human being again. But what do I know?


tired and scruffy, but safe now!

This has been a very humbling 4 years for this young man. He was a law-abiding citizen until he met the BITCH FROM HELL, who introduced him to Meth. THe down hill slide started then. He now has nothing left to lose, but he still has a good sense of humor. He is contrite, and very humbled, but he can laugh, and he can talk, and he is eating well. (NOW).

I have been the type of parent who raised my children to know what was right and what was wrong, and that they needed to abide by the law. They knew that if they screwed up, there was a price to pay. ANd MOM did not do the crime so MOM does not pay. And I don't. I would not bail him out of jail, I went to see him eevery day, I would not pay his fines, I offered him housing. I would not loan him any money, I made sure he was ok, and let him suffer his own consequences. I am a hard woman. But you know, my Son and my Daughter both love me, and they both know they are loved, and we say it often.

Tim said that in all of this the worst thing was he lost his good reputation. Yep, he did, and on a small island with a small town too. SO everybody has watched his fall from grace. Now let's hope that everybody can watch the rise of a humbled, but wonderful young man, as he pays his dues, and struggles to regain the most important thing a man can own...his reputation.