Stuck in a rut....

I am sooooo stuck in a rut!! I get up, come in and do my blogwalk, go watch Oprah and the news and then crochet until bedtime, then I go to bed and read, until I get sleepy which can be 4AM, and if I cant get comfortable, I will take 2 excedrin PM which will knock me flat out until noon! Then I get up and start all over again. I am getting only 8 hours of sleep, which is not too much, but I want it to be from midnight until 8 AM!

I have let my brain go to sleep, and I can not get creative. I work so much better under pressure. Of course the stress level was killing me...Now I am a slug. My house is clean though, and I don't sit and do NOTHING, I am busy at home, but I want to WRITE! I can not think of anything to write about except boring rain, and more boring rain, and boring pets and more boring rain! ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Somebody give me a subject!!! (no Wanda, I WILL NOT do politics!! )

Busy busy busy...

With all of this rain, there is no way I am getting out and working in the yard. So as I mentioned in previous posts, I drug out my 18 year old box of crochet projects, and almost finished the unfinished projects. I made mine, I made the multigenerational one, I finished the one Bob hates, and now I am working on this one for Donna. This one is actually a brand new project, and I think I may finish this one by the weekend!

I ran out of yarn so Saturday I ran in to walmart and bought 4 more skeins of no dye lot cherry red! And it did not match!! I was pissed!!!! It was just a shade off. So after making two squares and putting them beside the others I had finished, and noticed the shade difference, I switched to another skein, and it was dead on!! WHEW!!!!

Donna wanted either a Sow Thistle pattern which we could not find anywhere or a Log cabin pattern. (YUCK) so I decided I would make the rose bower pattern, only all in cherry red, no other color! It is really cool!! She came over yesterday to collect her mail, and she brought the vogue magazine with both of those patterns she wanted. Too late, but the log cabin that is in there is GORGEOUS!!! So rich and elegant, nothing like the ugly strips of yarn crocheting that I have seen on line. So I may plan another afghan. It keeps me out of trouble.

Rusty was called and asked if she would take over the children's performance of POLLYANNA, as the other director was no longer doing it. So we are again teaming up on a show. It is a show between shows, and should not be a big deal. I am just doing the art work and the photos, so that will be easy. I start full out producing my next show CAINE MUTINY COURT MARTIAL next month. Then there is absolutely nothing on the slate! I am hoping I will be selected as a director for next season, but that is the Board's decision. We shall see.

Oh MAN!! It is getting really dark again, so I guess our sunshine is gone. We had about 2 hours of bright sun in between storm systems. Places are flooding, land is sliding, snow is avalanching, rivers are actually changing their course and some places got over 5 inches of rain last night!! And more today!! And tomorrow!! And the next day!!!!!! Somebody send me a towel...

Storm # 35.....

I swear it feels like it!! I know we have had storm after storm after storm march in here. Last night about 10 pm, the wind started blowing in from the Strait again, and smacked right into the front of the house. By the time I was ready to go to bed at 1130 I noticed that rain was coming in my bedroom window. ODD!! My bedroom faces East! The storm was coming from the West! What had happened was the rain was falling hard, and the wind was blowing just as hard, so it whipped through the 10 feet between the houses, and whipped right around the corner and splatted into my window!

It was 38 degrees STILL! and it was cold again! On went the electric blanket and the afghan! and up came 4 cats! Sadie was in her pen in the bathroom, so she was just fine. I had taken 2 excedrin PM to help the pain in my hip and back, and went right out, and stayed out until Sadie woke me up jumping up and down with her little legs crossed. SHe RAn to the backdoor whinning, and when I got there and opened the door WHOOSH out she ran, and peed for a full 2 minutes!! She was glad to get out. She is Such a good dog!

Right now I have some shortribs thawing in the microwave so I can get them into the oven. I told Bob that I would cook them for dinner tonight, so I guess I had better do so. I know I saw a recipe for some that sounded oh so Nummy, but now I cant remember where it was, Gourmet Magazine I think.

It is sunny and breezy out right now, so I think I am going to take advantage of that fact and head outside for some Vitamin D!! I also need to run to that W store (shudder) and get some more yarn for Donna's afghan! I ran out last night, and I have nothing to crochet!! arrgghhhhh!!!

Catch ya later...

BRRRRRRRRR...

It has gotten so COLD!! Yesterday after my walk the day before, I could barely move, because of my back. I sat and crocheted Donna's afghan most of the day with Icy Hot all over my hips and back. Just as the sky was getting darker, the wind came up, and It blew a cold angry wind. It blew right through the very tight house that I have, and right into my bones! Sadie sat on the chair and shivered, so I got up and built a roaring fire in the wood stove. I used two pieces of seasoned fir, and then as it went down I threw another piece of fir on it and then it got WARM!! It got so warm, from those three pieces of fir, that I actually had to open the window in my bedroom. I usually always have it open a crack, but lately I have closed it when t in there. Last night I opened it, and it sucked the heat right through the house, into my bedroom, and stayed there all night. Now that is what I call an efficient stove!!!

I kicked the covers off about 300 this morning, and woke up in a sweat. That lasted until about 700 and then I was shivering again. The weather has been so weird compared to normal. A month of rain, and then a few days of cloudy dry, and then one day of SUN and then another cold windy storm. The lights flickered several times last night and I just knew the power was going to go out. SO far we have been lucky.

Japan is getting dumped on with snow, unusually heavy snow, and then those storms head east...Right across the pacific ocean and smack right into us. They have warmed up so all we get is wet, but they have not warmed up significantly. It hovered today around 38 degrees, and is not expected to move much one way or the other. 38 is not really that cold, but when you have a 40 mile an hour wind, laced with a lot of mist, the chill factor is down there!! I would look it up but my server wont let me. When I am on this page, I have to stay here and publish or it loses everything and kicks me off line, so as soon as I publish I will look it up and put it in the comments.

just trust me, It is cold!! Time to go build another fire. BRRRRRRR!!!

What a GLORIOUS Day!!!

AHHHHHHH Sunshine!!!! Beautiful warm life sustaining sunshine!! I got up early and was really disappointed that the sky was not clear. It was foggy. But it burned off about noon and the sun was soooo bright!!!

I got dressed, loaded Sadie into the car and headed out with camera in hand. It was time to take some digital therapy!! I ran into the Base and got gas, and headed to Fort Ebby State Park. Washington started charging for the use of the Parks System, 5.00 a day, and I had not been there in a few years. But Bob being the practical person that he is, got me a Yearly pass for my Birthday.!!! WHOOP!!!





I drove in with the pass in the window and actually got out and walked along the beach for about 200 yds. It got rather rocky, and I was unsteady on my feet, and my back and hip started to go when I rocked on the rugged rocks, so I just stopped and drank it all in... AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH




The Bluff had eroded way past where it used to be, and the last time I was here it was not so Rocky, SO Mama has been busy on this side of the Island. If you look closely you can see where the different layers of rocks and ash and silt have been laid down during the Ice Age, and as it was receeding.





This beach is also where during really low tides, Mammoth Molars and skulls have been found. It just sends shivers down my spine to look at that freshly fallen bluff and know that I am probably the very first human being to see those very rocks!! WOW!!





THe fallen tree was way up on the top of the bluff last year. Now you see why I grumble at the idiots that build their trophy houses on the bluff edge and then yell when the rains come and the bluff slides into the sea and takes their land with them. as you look at the picture below, you can see where the bluff used to be three years ago. The entire Puget SOund area is all made of the same Glacial deposits, and if the edge of your land is on a bluff, you can bet your bippy that it will some day be beachfront too!

Starry starry night....

I woke up early this morning, just as it was getting light, and noticed that it was still drippy and drizzly and gray out. It was supposed to be clear and dry today and for the next three days, I was hoping it would be so I could get the lawn mowed, as The grass is tickling Sadies little Hind end when she goes out to pottie. It is a bright bright green, and growing fast!! It is only January, and our coldest weather is still to come!! It usually hits in February, with a snow in March and then it is Spring.

As I went in to the store tonight just as it was getting dark, I looked at the horizon and it was clear! The clouds were just passing over, and the evening was arriving clear and cold! On the drive bam the store, I noticed the stars out. Crisp and clear, and loud! Right on the prairie, where there were no trees blocking the eastern horizon, I noticed that Orion was out bright and beautiful! This was at 630 PM.

Orion is my touchstone, I wait for it every August, and feel like have been reborn when I spot it for the first time each Fall. It usually comes over the top of the trees around 500 AM around the middle of August. Just in time to get lost in the sunrise. I see it and know that the cooler days of fall are coming, and I am at peace.

I have no idea why I am so drawn to this constellation, maybe in another life, I was from a star in that formation.

Each night that I can see the stars, I look for Orion, and it gets higher and higher in the sky earlier and earlier in the evening, on its march across the southern sky and on to oblivion. Soon it will be blanked out by the evening light again. Our nights are getting shorter and shorter, and it is now staying light enough to see until about 600. And it is almost light enough to see at 700AM!

I just let Sadie out for her night time pee, and stood on the deck with my breath heading skyward in huge moist clouds, and looked at the stars. Orion was right up there, and right out of its belt flew a shooting star. Way up high but bright enough to see it's brief light, as it flew over my head and on to the cosmos.

It was if Orion was saying to me..."keep watching Mary Lou, I'm still here for a few more months!"

I will...and I will be watching again in August when you return from your visit to the Southern Hemisphere. Be safe!

I'm here...REALLY!

I am sorry I have been so scarce, But I have had a major melt down stressing over a presentation I had to do for the playhouse last night. I can do behind the scenes just fine! But when I have to get ON STAGE!! I Panic!!!

I have had since November to get this prepared, and I just could not move on it!! I froze in fear!! It literally had me in TEARS, I function, and I could not create! I don't know why this started, because I used to be able to be on stage with others just fine, but about 7 years ago, at an employee award ceremony, I froze, and almost passed out. And ever since I just PANIC. I almost passed out last night, but I made it through, But I did not do as well as I knew I COULD. Ah well, water under the bridge! On to other things!

I had Kim at Bacon and ehs ask me how I knew when everybody's BD were, and several have asked, so...

I have a daytimer that I used when I was working, and I have tabs for every blog I visit, with the names, blog, BD's and Addresses on that page. Every Month I look at the calendar coming up and sit down and make cards for everybody that month. Then I send them out so hopefully they will arrive in time.

Now for those of you that have refused to give your addresses, YOU DON'T GET ONE. NA NANANANA NA!

and I make really pretty Xmas cards too, and some times I send out Valentines! SO make sure you have your address correct in my book!!

I have to go root on those SEAHAWKS! It is the 2nd Qtr, and they are ahead 10-0!! Oh MAN!! They have worked so very very hard to get this far, Let's hope they make it to the super Bowl.

OH!!! 17-0 now!!! Whoot!!!! It is that 12th man that is doing it! Even Hasselbeck says that!

Later.....

Wanna take a test?...

I got this yesterday in an email, and I can not for the life of me remember who sent it. Brenda? ANy way, it hit home...so I decided to post it here. see how good you are...

1895 Eighth Grade Final Exam

Remember when our grandparents, great-grandparents, and such stated that they only had an 8th grade education? Well, check this out. - - - This is the eighth-grade final exam from 1895 in Salina, KS, USA. It was taken from the original document on file at the Smokey Valley Genealogical Society and Library in Salina, KS, and reprinted by the Salina Journal.

8th GRADE FINAL EXAM

Grammar (Time, one hour)

1. Give nine rules for the use of Capital Letters.
2. Name the Parts of Speech and define those that have no Modifications.
3. Define Verse, Stanza and Paragraph.
4. What are the Principal Parts of a verb. Give Principal Parts of. lie, lay and run
5. Define Case, Illustrate each Case.
6. What is Punctuation? Give rules for principal marks of Punctuation.
7. Write a composition of about 150 words and show therein that you understand the practical use of the rules of grammar.

Arithmetic (Time, 1.25 hours)

1. Name and define the Fundamental Rules of Arithmetic.
2. A wagon box is 2 ft deep, 10 feet long, and 3 ft. wide. How many bushels of wheat will it hold?
3. If a load of wheat weighs 3942 lbs., what is it worth at 50cts/bushel, deducting 1050lbs. for tare?
4. District No. 33 has a valuation of $35,000. What is the necessary levy to carry on a school seven months at $50 per month, and have $104 for incidentals?
5. Find cost of 6720 lbs. coal at $6.00 per ton.
6. Find the interest of $512.60 for 8 months and 18 days at 7 percent.
7. What is the cost of 40 boards 12 inches wide and 16 ft. long at $20 per meter?
8 Find bank discount on $300 for! 90 days (no grace) at 10 percent.
9. What is the cost of a square farm at $15 per acre, the distance around which is 640 rods?
10. Write a Bank Check, a Promissory Note, and a Receipt.

U. S. History (Time, 45 minutes)

1. Give the epochs into which U. S. History is divided.
2. Give an account of the discovery of ?America by Columbus.
3. Relate the causes and results of the Revolutionary War.
4. Show the territorial growth of the United States.
5. Tell what you can of the history of Kansas.
6. Describe three of the most prominent battles of the Rebellion.
7. Who were the following: Morse, Whitney, Fulton, Bell, Lincoln, Penn, and Howe?
8. Name events connected with the following dates: 1607, 1620, 1800, 1849, 1865.

Orthography (Time, one hour)

1. What is meant by the following: Alphabet, phonetic, orthography, etymology, syllabication?
2. What are elementary sounds? How classified?
3. What are the following, and give examples of each: Trigraph, sub vocals, diphthong, cognate letters, linguals?
4. Give four substitutes for caret 'u'.
5. Give two rules for spelling words with final 'e.' Name two exceptions under each rule.
6. Give two uses of silent letters in spelling. Illustrate each.
7. Define the following prefixes and use in connection with a word: dis, mis, pre, semi, post, non, inter, mono, sup
8. Mark diacritically and divide into syllables the following, and name the sign that indicates the sound: card, ball, mercy, sir, odd, cell, rise, blood, fare, last.
9. Use the following correctly in sentences: cite, si te, sight, fane, fain, feign, vane, vain, vein, raze, raise, rays.
10. Write 10 words frequently mispronounced and indicate pronunciation by use of diacritical marks and by syllabication.

Geography (Time, one hour)

1. What is climate? Upon what does climate depend?
2. How do you account for the extremes of climate in Kansas?
3. Of what use are rivers? Of what use is the ocean?
4. Describe the mountains of North America.
5. Name and describe the following: Monrovia, Odessa, Denver, Manitoba, Hecla, Yukon, St. Helena, Juan Fernandez, Aspinwall &Orinoco.
6. Name and locate the principal trade centers of the U.S.
7. Name all the republic s of Europe and give the capital of each.
8. Why is the Atlantic Coast colder than the Pacific in the same latitude?
9. Describe the process by which the water of the ocean returns to the sources of rivers.
10. Describe the movements of the earth. Give the inclination of the earth.

Also notice that the exam took five hours to complete. Gives the saying "she/he only had an 8th grade education" a whole new meaning, doesn't it? What happened to us? ?? I have more than a high school education and hold my Associates Degree in business management and computer science (ok it was waay back before computers were really easy...ok?) and I tell you, I would have to do a lot of studying to get this test aced. And I graduated with a 3.8 GPA!!

There is also a new law in the state of Washington that all 8th grade students HAVE to take the WASL test and pass it before they graduate. The hew and cry that is coming out of this law is loud and long!! only about 56% of the students are able to pass it. If they do not pass it, they have 4 more years to retake and pass those sections they did not pass the first time. The parents are all up in arms. I personally think it is about time that we raised the bar on our education levels of our children.

We have become a nation of uneducated, ill-mannered, boorish people, that expect others to take care of them. It is time for a wake up call folks. Teach your children what they need to learn in order to get a job that will pay a living wage! Don't let them settle for good enough. This is one time that good enough IS NOT!!

(and how did you all do on this? )

Ride into yesterday...

I had to take Sadie into the groomer this morning, and I took the road along West Beach. It was a cold, Dark Morning, no rain, but the threat of it was there. As I drove down the road, It was like I was in a time machine, taking me back, back, back into the early 50's when we first came to the Island from Hawaii. I saw Phyllis Ann in her plaid coat, and Dad in his eskimo parka, along the beach and throwing driftwood up on to the berm along the road. We lived in a log cabin with a fireplace, the first we had ever seen. And back then, where we lived was so far out in the boonies, that taking driftwood off the beach was accepted. So every weekend we would pile into the car, put the back seat down in the Nash Rambler station wagon, pile into the front seat, and head to the beach for firewood.

We spent all afternoon walking the beach and throwing the wood up onto the road. We would also be beach combing, and there were some good finds back in those days. We would then turn around and wait at the end of the road, while Dad went back for the car. He drove it up to where we were and then we would open the back end and load up the wood, drive on to the next piece and load it up and so on until we were back at the beginning, and the car was stuffed so full, that sometimes we had to sit on each others lap, as the long pieces rode over the seat back and up onto the dash board.

Once home, we would unload it and then Phyllis Ann and I would grab the 2 man buck saw, and cut it into 2 foot lengths, and Dad would split it and stack it in the wood shed.

We not only brought back wood to keep us warm, but we also brought back memories of runny noses and frozen fingers, and sleet, and misty rain, and fog. But you know what they saw about firewood, it warms you twice. Once when you cut it and once when you burn it. In our case it was many more times than that, as the warm memories of spending an afternoon out in the boonies with your Dad and Sister, keep coming back every time I drive down that road on a dark gloomy cold morning.

Finally!!!

afghan

As you can see the picture does not do this justice, I will try to get a better picture once the sun comes out. My camera is in low light mode, and I cant remember how to get it off. I will play some and hopefully get a close up of one of the squares, so you can see the detail in the black. I am pretty proud of this one too.
Bob told me to auction it off on Ebay, and I told him, I could not get what it cost me to make! He did not understand, until I told him that the YARN itself did not cost much 20.00 total, but the 80 hours plus that I put into it had to be factored in also, and at a low rate of 10.00 an hour, I would have to charge at LEAST 1000.00 for it and NO ONE would pay that much for a hand crafted 30 year old afghan!!

(WOULD THEY? Hmmmmmmm)

33 Years later...

When I was going through some boxes I have carted around for years and years, I found an afghan that I had started for myself out of scraps of yarn. I had totally forgotten about it, and only had 10 squares done. It was going to be a coverlet for our King size Bed. I have a tiny Queen bed now, so I tore it apart and finished it to fit my bed. It is soooo pretty, the picture does not do it justice, and I still have to put fringe on it, but it is finally done. I had started it when my son was a year old. Tim is now 34! I'm surprised the yarn was not rotten. I had started it so that each rose would be a different color, but in rethinking it I decided to just go with the colors that I have and get another project finished. WHEW!!!!

Well It appears that Blogger is being a SHIT, SO I guess there will be no picture.

Uh Lord? What's a cubit?

27 straight days of Rain, and still coming...

When I was a lot younger, Bill Cosby had an album of comedy out. On it was a monologue he had as Noah, talking to God. And it was so funny, I remember the line in my title and remember laughing at it. Now I am thinking that Maybe I had better start getting my ark ready for travel. It actually did not rain very much right here on Friday, but it dumped on Seattle, which is where they measure the rain at. There is a very slim chance that we will have sun breaks on Sunday, and if it is timed just right, we might break this streak. 33 days is the record from 1953, and if we do break it, we will be the longest period of rain at one stretch. A tad bit wet!

Even with all of the rain down here and the snows in the Mountains, we are still really really dry for the year. Places that usually fill up and form little lakes in the pastures are still dry, and even Hastie Lake is waaaay down still. We need this water to fill our reservoirs back up. We also need it to generate our electricity that we sell to California. ( >:( ) there has been 7 feet of snow dumped on Mt Baker this week, and it still is no where near the record that it set world wide in 1998! So even though we are wet, and some of the lowland creeks lakes and rivers are flooding, we are not yet up to capacity.

Tonight Bob and I went to see Chronicles of Narnia! I highly recommend it to anyone! It was a darling little movie! There were only about 10 of us old farts in there, so it must be on it's way out, it has been here for three weeks already. We left the theater and then went to dinner. I could get used to this eating out all the time stuff. I like not having to cook. We had Pork Tenderloin, with apple chutney, and mashed potatoes and gravy. GOOD STUFF!

I am trying to finish an old afghan that I had started waaay back there, and never finished. I was trying to make each square a different colored flower (cabbage Rose) so I never got very far on it. Since I am going through things and sorting out and stashing away, and organizing, I ran across it, and pulled it out. I should be through with it by the end of next week. I have been a crocheting fool. THe squares are the cabbage rose, with green leaves, and the main color is black which sets it off beautifully. I had planned it for a king size bed, and was going to use it as a bedspread, so I had to deconstruct the ones I had sewed together, and redo the main color. It is impressive! Even if I do say so myself.

I want this year to be the year that I finish projects. Lord knows I have enough of those floating around to last for SEVERAL years. I really need to paint the front porch and the deck. But not until it dries out. I need to finish the floors. the transition strips still are not down from 4 years ago. (ok, ok!) I still have to paint the ceiling in the living room, and I still have to paint my bedroom and install the wallpaper border around the ceiling.

I am finally getting sandy eyes, so I am going to once again try to get some sleep. I went to bed at 1100 and fell right to sleep, and then woke up at 130 wide awake. Pisses me off!! But I am retired, I can do that if I need to. back to bed. See you when the sun comes up. or it gets light.

And STILL it rains...

25 straight days of rain and counting....


This is what some of the roads in Washington and Oregon look like right now. There has been LOTS of water coming out of these systems on THE PINEAPPLE EXPRESS. As soon as this one right now passes, there will be a slight break in the clouds, and it will get colder. But it will still rain, just not as hard, and then MORE rain after that. Sunday we MIGHT get a 24 hour break, but it is not guaranteed.

Last night coming home from Dinner, there was a break in the clouds and we actually saw stars and an almost full moon. After I left Phyllis' place, and headed out across the prairie, I could see the clouds above Everett/Seattle area, all underlit by the lights of the cities. Looked really cool.

THe birds have been going through the suet blocks like there was no more tomorrow! They are even starting to hang on the empty baskets and stare in the window at me as if to say, "get your sorry ass out here and FEED ME!" I do too. The squirrels have not been out lately either. THey have a tendency to stay holed up in inclimate weather. Smart animals. Probably stuffing themselves on all those yummy walnuts and peanuts they carried off this fall. Oh and I should not forget the craisins either, they LOVE those.

THe wind is hitting me pretty hard right now, coming down the STRAIT, out of the West. THe alders are bent over and snapping branches right and left. Just hope I dont get that tall tree aacross the street into my Dining room. I think if it ever does go, it will fall right between mine and Lea's places. hmmmm free cord wood.

SO where ever you are, and you have sunshine, enjoy it. I would love to send some of this reain to you, but alas, my powers are rusting away....

Over the hump!

24 straight days of rain....10 more predicted!

The Weather reports are getting grimmer and wetter! The lakes are filling up and spilling over, and the rivers are all on flood watch. Snoqualmie Falls is at Maximum Flow right now, and is a sight to behold. Normally it is two streams, coming together half way down, bit today it is flowing hard and fast!!

At full flow it is over 36000gallons a second! A lot of water heading down to the lowlands, and into the basements of all the trophy houses that have been built on the 100 year flood plain. The news tonight was full of people bemoaning the fact that their big new houses were all flooding. TSK TSK> come here with all your money, and buy up our cheap farm land to build your trophy houses, without knowing the lay and the history of the land, and you get what you deserve. Yes it is a sad thing to see, and I fully blame the developers who have crossed the local governments palms with money to get the building sites approved. If it was wet 15 years ago, what in God's name makes you think it is gonna be dry forever? We have been in a drought for several years, and right now we are having normal winter. All of the land that used to be available to soak up all the water has now been either clear-cut or paved. The paved land right around the shores, fills up with water and it runs off into the lakes and rivers. DUH!!!! Does not take a rocket scientist to figure that one out. I get so DAMN frustrated at developers and contractors who build on top of each other just to make a quick buck. PLAN the new developments, make them earth friendly, hide them with native trees, leave plenty of room for average year run-off, and stay the HELL AWAY from the salmon streams!!!

OK..Rant over. SIGH!!!

Wow What a birthday!! I opened my blog to see all these comments, even from people I have never seen before. Thank You all!! It really meant a lot to me. Your Birthday is YOURS it belongs to YOU, and no one else in your family can have it. SO Birthdays are the one day a year that you should be treated special!
I Was. Phyllis took me out to dinner tonight, to our local Mediterranean/Greek grill. And I had Veal Parmesan, and Greek Salad, topped off with a piece of Birthday Baklava!! Homemade, fresh Baklava!! ALL MINE!! Man it was all so good!!

I got home and sitting on the porch right in front of the front door was a little tiny mini-muffin. A teeny tiny mini muffin with a HUGE tea candle sitting on top of it!! Under them both was a birthday card from my Baby Bro. FUNNY!!! The candle was almost bigger than the muffin. I am surprised that one of our porch critters did not take off with the muffin.

My daughter, called me tonight to wish me a happy birthday, but Tim did not. This is getting scary. He called on Thanksgiving, but NOTHING since then, and he does not call me when I leave a message on his cell phone. I hope he is alright. He is Probably like most Men....MOTHER? You mean I have a MOTHER? Well When did that happen? (GRRRRRRRR!!)

I want to thank you all once again for all of the nice thoughts and well wishes. It really made my day.

the next Birthdays that I have recorded are: Kim (Canada) on the 21, Valkyrie (brainbubbles) on the 22, Barbara (Purple Moose) on the 27, and TA DA!!! WANDA on the 31!!

By the way, It was Bill's Birthday today too.

ACK!!!!! 60!!! ACK!!!!!!

23rd straight day of rain...Record is 33...Will we make it?



By the time you read this I will be 60 years OLD. What bothers me the most about being this age, is not being able to do the things I dreamt about when I had no time to do the things I dreamt about! The actual YEARS don't bother me as much as my back and my knees do. I have a very young soul, and have never felt like I was an adult. I am very child-like in my actions. I think that if there is such a thing as reincarnation, that I must be on my first or second recycle. If I lived before I think it was late 18th or early to mid 19th century America. Frontier type. I do not think I was poor, but not rich either, maybe a wife of a merchant, or else a native American.

When I first saw the Rocky Mountains, it was late in the day crossing south Dakota on I-90 I believe, and I glimpsed tiny little white mountain tops way off on the western horizon. I was so disappointed, as I expected them to be HUGE. I did not realize we were still miles and miles away from them.

Once we crossed out of south Dakota and were heading through Wyoming into Montana, I had a feeling come over me that I had been there before, and I really never had been. It was a chill running through my blood that I was coming home. I had no idea why, but I knew the higher I climbed into those Mountains that I belonged there. I felt like the mountains themselves were calling to me and that the ghosts of my ancestors (or maybe my own ghost) were trying to tell me that I had lived there before. I don't know why.

All of my ancestors lived in either Oregon, North Dakota, Norway, Ireland or Texas/Oklahoma. None that I have been able to find lived in the Rockies.

Reincarnation of course does not mean that you come back into the same family. If it does exist, you may not even have the same genetic material at all. I think it is your soul that changes and grows older with each reincarnation you go through.

I have met people that are old beyond their years, in thinking, and in their actions, and I have met people that were lots older than they acted. I think my Mother was an old soul. My Dad was getting there. I think I am a young soul, and I KNOW my daughter is.

Dreams:

I have been having some weird dreams lately about my house washing away. Now I realize we are being dumped on rain wise, but this is really strange. It is impossible to relate to you what the dreams are all about, and have them make any sense at all, but the first dream was about moving into my brand new house...And then someone built a house right behind me , then the tide came in and washed it away, I stuck my head out the upstairs window, and looked down the street and all the houses were being washed away, like in a hurricane or tsunami, and my house was flooded, but did not wash out to sea. SO strange.

Last night I dreamt that I was walking along West Beach Road before the houses were built wall to wall along it. I was watching the tide, and it was really stormy. I looked over the driftwood and the house that I had loved for years was up to the roof in sand and the tide was coming in fast. I moved up to the road, and it too was underwater, and Swantown lake was full, so basically the water was from the lake to the beach, flooding everything. I was sloshing along it and someone came along and gave me a ride through the water to high ground. WEIRD!

Now You all know that I sleep with my head out the window every night, and with all the wind and rain we have had the past 3 weeks, it is a small wonder that I have dreamt I was drowning!!

WEATHER:

Things are flooding like crazy, all the rivers on the southwest part of the state are on flood watch, and they just now announced that the Skagit is on flood watch too. Hmmm better go to Michaels really soon and stock up on yarn, in case we get stranded. They are expecting us to break the 33 day record. It was set in 1953, and we are already on the 3rd longest stretch ever recorded. It is really something. I read Pureland mountain every evening, and Japan is having record breaking snow fall. SO much that roofs of houses are collapsing under all the weight of the snow. California is being saturated with rain also, while Colorado, Oklahoma and Texas are all under drought and fire watches. Man Mama is really pissed isn't she?

A rerun...and a Sunday funny!!

22nd straight day of rain!!!


No one told me that when I retired, I would start looking really old. I dont have to do my hair everyday. I dont have to wear makeup every day. I dont have to wear panty hose every day, I can wear big baggy clothes and go bra-less. All of the above when added together spells OLD! Now I KNEW my hair was gray, I wanted it to go gray, It is a rite of passage to get gray, and mine is a pretty white gray. It is just in front, and lots of people spend lots of money to frost their hair the way mine looks. sort of. Old!I KNEW I was Fat. But what I did NOT know was that when you go bra-less, it feels really good, you can breath better, your shoulders dont hurt as much, BUT your bust line is now at your waist line. OLD! I KNEW that wearing makeup covered a multitude of sins, but I did Not know that it also covered age spots, double chins, skin tags, sagging eyelids and gray eyebrows that thinned out so far, naturally, that it looks like you shaved 1/2 of them off. OLD!

I KNEW that I should wax my upper lip every so often, but I did NOT know that it would become MORE often as you age. I now have more hair on my upper lip than I have on my legs. OLD! I did not know that my lips would get chapped. I wore lipstick every day, all day, which kept them moist. Now they are chapped. AHA wear lipstick again, I did NOT know that your lips thinned out. I put my lipstick on without a mirror, which is what I have been doing for 38 years, and when I went into the bathroom I noticed that I had lipstick WAAAY outside my lipline. It was there before, why isnt it now? OLD.

I KNEW that my pantyhose were control top, but what I did NOT know was how MUCH they controlled!!! Gravity took over, and now my belly button says Howdy to my twat. OLD!

There are women out there that are in denial of getting OLD, wake up every morning and go through their usual ritual of putting all of the above on. Why? Is it vanity, Denial, or Just not wanting the rest of the world to see the real you? Should I get up and do all of that? Should I live with it and be comfortable? SHould I do SOME of it and skip the rest? What is the pay off? WIll it get me a husband that will take care of me the rest of my life? NO. Will it bring me tons of money to my door? NO! Will it set a great example for other people? NO! Hmmmm....makes ya wonder. I think that growing old gracefully is a blessing. There are real challenges, true, but why try to look 22 when you are pushing 60? Go with the flow, rejoice that you MADE it to 60. Just be really sure that you put all of this stuff on when you go out to meet the world. Scaring little kids is not nice!

Tonight as I d my 25 junk emails, this popped out at me from my next door neighbor! I laughed!! good thing I did not have coffee in my mouth. WARNING BRENDA...Coffee Spewer..

First Date

We have all had bad dates... But this takes the cake.This just tells you how tough it is to be singlenowadays.

This was on the "Tonight Show" with JayLeno. Jay went into the audience to find the most embarrassing first date that a woman ever had. The winner described her worst first date experience. There was absolutely no question as to why her tale took the prize!

She said it was midwinter... Snowing and quite cold...and the guy had taken her skiing in the mountains outside Salt Lake City, Utah. It was a day trip (no overnight). They were strangers, after all, and truly had never met before. The outing was fun but relatively uneventful until they were headed home late that afternoon.

They were driving back down the mountain, when she graduallybegan to realize that she should not have had that extra latte. They were about an hour away from anywhere with a rest room and in the middle of nowhere! Her companion suggested she try to hold it,which she did for a while. Unfortunately, because of the heavy snow and slow going, there came a point where she told him that he had better stop and let her pee beside the road, or it would be the front seat of his car.

They stopped and she quickly crawled out beside the car, yanked her pants down and started. In the deep snow she didn't have good footing, so she let her butt rest against the rear fender to steady herself. Her companion stood on the side of the car watchingfor traffic and indeed was a real gentleman and refrained from peeking. All she could think about was the relief she felt despite the rather embarrassing nature of the situation. Upon finishing however, she soon became aware o fanother sensation.

As she bent to pull up her pants, the young lady discovered her buttocks were firmly glued against the car's fender. Thoughts of tongues frozen to pump handles immediately came to mind as she attempted to disengage her flesh from the icy metal. It was quickly apparent that she had a brand new problem due to the extreme cold.

Horrified by her plight and yet aware of the humor ofthe moment, she answered her date's concerns about "what is taking so long" with a reply that indeed, she was "freezing her butt off and in need of some assistance!" He came around the car as she tried to cover herself with her sweater and then, as she looked imploringly into his eyes, he burst out laughing. She too, got the giggles and when they finally managed to compose themselves, they assessed her dilemma. Obviously, as hysterical as the situation was, they also were faced with a real problem.

They both agreed it would take something hot to free her chilly cheeks from the grip of the icy metal! Thinking about what had gotten her into the predicament in the first place, both quickly realized that there was only one way to get her free. So, as she looked the other way, her first-time date proceeded to unzip his pants and pee her butt off the fender. As the audience screamed in laughter, she took the Tonight Show prize hands down or perhaps that should be pants down. And you thought your first date was embarrassing. Jay Leno's comment, "This gives a whole new meaning to being pissed off!

LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL Now THAT is friendship!

?????

Does it look all right at your end? I THINK I have it all figured out, THanks to both Bill and CJ. Bill left a link, and CJ sent a code. CJ's code worked great, except it put it on top of the main body. so I putzed with the width that CJ sent and that did not work, so I found something that said body and changed the 65% to 60% and it SEEMS to have worked. I will know more when I post.

I tell you! IT RAINED today!! big heavy rain drops!! All day long!! and the clouds were so low that on the higher hills, I was driving through them! We are starting to have mudslides, and already the AMTRAC lines are closed North SOuth because3 of unstable hills.

This is what happens when people move in to the area, see all the beauty and then want to be right up front so they can see it. THey cut down the trees, so they can see their view unobstructed, and then the hillsides become unstable. Now if you throw in the mix of a drain field and no sewer line, and then heavy seasonal rains, you not only have beachfront property, you ARE the beach. Million dollar homes every year slide right into the sound because they thumbed their noses at Mama.

With all the rain we have had this month, the ground is saturated!! It is like walking on a sponge!! so if we were to have a big wind, the tree roots, would not hold, and over they would go onto these homes also. Now really throw in MAMA and have her shake things up a bit, and all these high hills would slide right down the layer of clay that they all have, and right into the SOund.

I am safe, I assume, because I am about 1/2 mile from the water. I am high, but if my hill falls, this whole region is in a world of POOP!

now cross your fingers I am about to publish!!!

well....maybe not! :(

I THOUGHT I was all fixed, but now my sidebar is clear at the bottom!!! WAHHHHH I dont know what I did to get it there. It HAS to be what I thought was the border color...but which one? I wish there was a way you could dink with this stuff OFF-line, and still see it as it would look if ON-line. I am getting really frustrated.

I also do not know why the comments are centering, but we are gonna live with them just the way they are!! At least they are back, and readable!

If anyone knows of any really good tutorials about this stuff, let me know. Meanwhile, Today will be spent trying to fix it, and I will get back to good posting tomorrow. Maybe.

Meanwhile, go read the posting I did yesterday on Life After NEXCOM retirement

STOP!!!!!! I'M FIXED!!!! (I hope...)

(just shush!!!! I am not finished...Wait until the banner gets put up there, then you will see it is not so bad!!!)


It took printing out the copy of my Fall template, and then printing out the copy of the current template, then turning off the radio and the TV and going over it line by line and changing it to match the correct copy. I also had trouble publishing it, because there was an error, but it would not say WHERE, and being the dummy I am, I could not find it. I finally ended up taken out (a spare thingie that this will not let me type because it says it is an error!!!)

and voila! it worked!! So unless I have more problems publishing this,

I'M BAAAACK!!!