MAN! It is COLD!

I realize that in another month or so, the weather will turn to summer and I will bitching about the heat, but BROTHER is it ever COLD here! It even snowed 10" in the passes. Our passes are usually snow free from May through October. Not this year. Our snow pack has to be pretty good too, so we should not have any water problems or brown out problems, unless we start selling it to California! (GRRRRRRR) We have Hydroelectric plants here, and it works very well for us. generates enough electricity to keep us cool in the summer and warm in the winter, and is replenishable. (as long as it continues to rain...) Our rivers are all running full right now because of the Big storm we had yesterday. Thunder and wind and RAIN and COLD!! The juet stream is curving from way up in Alaska to right down the west coast, bringing asll that cold weather with it. When It turns and heads back up is when all the warm weather from the Southern Pacific will head our way.

The baby birds are growing fast. And the babies are really getting the hang of tearing apart a suet block to get at the raisins and peanuts! I leave them up all year, and vary the type to match the visitor. Soon the woodpeckers will head to where ever woodpeckers go, and I will start getting ruby-crowned kinglets and black-capped Chickadees. THe Chestnut-backed Chickadees are already fledged. I am not fond of the messy starlings though, and try to shoo them away. I know, I know that is probably not nice, but they are so noisy, greedy and eat the eggs of other birds. THey also can peck a hole into your attic and fill your eaves with bird nests.

Lola has babies, I do not know how long squirrels nurse their young, but she has been showing her titties for about 3 weeks now. SOon I will have a lot of Douglas Squirrels if that DAMN CAT does not get them all. i let Sadie out this morning, and I heard her "I Have a squirrel treed" bark, so I went running out, and she had Jupiter backed up and hissing at her. She would not hurt him, but she will bark like mad at him until he runs and jumps back over his fence into his own yard.

My back has been giving me fits again. I swam last night and It felt soooo good. I have been sitting in the dry sauna afterward for about 15 minutes letting the heat soak into my bones. AHHHHHH. I really wish I had a hot tub. I just do not like the public one at the pool. I just feel like I am another ingredient for their stew! YUCK!!

I have putzed all day in the house trying to keep it fairly clean, and everytime I go into my bedroom, I have to lay down across the bed on my tummy and stretch the back out. I have been losing weight, so maybe this time when I go to the Dr, he will listen to me and find out just WHAT and WHY I hurt so much. ANd if it is fixable. I HATE not being able to walk without severe pain.

Mike is getting worse. I fear that he is just holding on until his son's wedding in July, and then he will just let go. I wish I could do something for him, but there is nothing I can do, except be there when he needs me. I am not a big one for sitting around holding hands and praying, I leave that to Phyllis and SHerry, They do that well. I do all of mine in private. I will really miss him when he goes. I just wish he could have a good quality of life for as long as he has left. unfortunately he does not. SIGH!!!

Fledged!!!

These are not the best of pictures, as I was taking them trough a window with cat smudges on it, and through a screen. But it of the Baby Downy woodpecker, being fed by her daddy. He brings them one by one to the suet block and teaches them to eat the suet. After a few days, they get the hang of it, and become very noisy and MESSY!! Just like little babies with their first time feeding themselves. I will soon have suet pieces all over the window and the side of the house.

This one is a little better, but not by much. Baby is on top, Daddy is getting ready to fill his mouth with more suet.

This one is of a chestnet backed Chickadee doing the same thing. Baby is on the right, with it's wittle yellow edged mouth wide open. I just LOVE to watch the babies every spring. THe Hummers are flying really good now too, and I have to refill the feeders every day.

It has been so cold this year, that I have not switched to summer bird juice, figuring that they need the extra energy at night to keep them warm. I usually cut back on the sugar, from 5-1 to 4-1 around the first of May. THat encourages them to find flowers to feed from. But the flowers are just now blooming. SO maybe soon. If it ever warms up. They are talking SNOW on the lower passes and higher foothills tonight!! and this morning at 430 it was 42F on my front porch!!! MAN!!! Global warming my freezing ASS!!!

Sunset at Deception Pass

I had to post this to remind us that yes indeed we do have beautiful sunsets on this Island. This was taken from the bridge across to Fidalgo Island which is how you get to the mainland. Our weather this spring has been terrible. With the exception of 2 weekends, when it was warm and sunny, we have had stright rain and wind and clouds. Our weather prognosticator says that for the rest of the summer it is going to be cooler and drier too. That just means that we wont get quite as much rain, but we will still have clouds, and we will still have to wear jackets when we go out.

I screwed up and planted three tomato plants and they are sitting there shivering, I will be very lucky indeed if they fruit at all this year! even the strawberries are not ready yet! They are usually ready when school gets out and that is next week. We need some dry sunny weather for the berries to ripen. ANd then they will be full and juicy!!

I have a garden of weeds growing 12 " tall in my gutters!! I cant climb the ladder to get up there and clean them out. Where is a starving teenager when you need one? dont young boys do yards anymore? HMMMM! Rusty, What are your boys doing? are they still doing odd jobs? Are they cheap enough for me? If I wait for Bob or Tim to get it done, it will be September.

I worked on Sherry's scrapbook today and finally finished her ancesters! I found them all the way back to 1735!!! took me three days to get it all done!! It will be nice when she needs it though. Then it is on to the ones for the Kids. gotta get those finished in case I lose my memory!

JimBob???you still out there? havent seen you lately!

For Leslie

Everytime I see an Elephant picture I think of Leslie. She stopped blogging over 18 months ago, and said she would return, but so far she has not. When you find a friend on the internet that you "click" with, you feel like you have known them for your entire life.

I have never met Leslie, and may never. But I feel like if she walked in my front door right now, I would know her, and she she would not mind all the cat hair on the furniture, and the doggie shmarm on the storm door, nor the noseprints from the kitties on all of the windows.

She would understand.

I hope where ever she is she knows that we all care deeply about her, and hope that she will come back soon. She is sorely missed!

When ANYONE leaves their blog, it leaves a big hole in our lives. Isn't it amazing what a few little electrons can do to change the world? Pity that bloggers are not in the position to make peace. We surely do in our postings.

Long night

I have been waiting since 845 this evening to find out how my brother is. Sherry took him back to the hospital tonight puking. He had his Chemo today, but all day yesterday he was sick. He was dehydrated. Phyllis went and releived Sherry so she could get some sleep as she gets up early for work. THe ER was full of people with virus' so they finally hydrated him, gave him some no puke meds and sent him home. Phyllis just called, she had dropped him off at home, so now we can all sleep again. (whew)

While I was waiting, I putzed with the NEW Blogger and I THINK I fixed it so I can post pictures again...maybe. hrmmmmmmmm maybe not...I still dont see an edit bar...gotta go tweek some more.

Lazy...

I have been so lazy lately. Not really, because I have been doing things that needed to be done, but I am sleeping a LOT! I wake up refreshed, so maybe I just need the sleep! I have been swimming, 2 hours 3 times a week, so I am getting my excerise. I also have actually putzed in my yard, cleaned the deck, planted some pots of herbs and petunias, weeded a barrel full of weeds,(Nothing in the barrel but potting soil and weeds) and have finished two unfinished projects for my daughter! I finally finished her Christmas present. From LAST year... ( I KNOW, I Know...BAD Mommie) I made her some stitch counters for her knitting needles. I always just used those little colorful plastic rings, but Now-a-days they have these cute little charms on them, so I made her two sets of them. CUTE!

I also finshed her shawl. She is a Study COordinator for a Bio-Tech Lab and she under airconditioning all day and her shoulders get cold. She wears a sweater, but they are constricting, so I used the Wool that she spun and gave to me, to make her a trinagle shaped over the shoulders shawl. I then beaded it, so it is really pretty. And just perfect for Ms Granola!

I finished updating the archive scrapbook for the Playhouse, and now I am trying to finish a throw I have been working on for awhile. Still have not finished my quilt, But that is next. THen on to more scrapbooks...one for SHerry, and then for my kids. I need to get my sister's back to her. I borrowed it back to use as a reference and still have it!! Bad Sister!!

Spring and summer arrived here last weekend, with weather clear and sunny and warm, Temps in the high 70-80's F., but now we are back to cold, wet, gray and windy. I think we have seen our summer weather. I hope not, but I have the heater on right now, and I do not have faith that it will get much warmer.

Around here Lilacs bloom in April, THe Rhodies bloom in May and the Roses bloom in June. But this year EVERYTHING is in bloom at the same time!!! Every bush is gorgeous and the Blooms are big and plentiful. I have been stopping by the cemetery and grabbing a big bouquet of Lilacs off the many bushes they have there. My house smells so good!!! Alas, THey are fading now, and the roses are popping, so I will have to switch vases and places to swipe flowers! (I asked first!)

I am sitting here eating a great big bowl of cantelope and red grapes. I know I will be sorry later on this evening, and will have to stay close to home, but they taste so good!! I have been craving some relitively inexpensive fruit. Grab it while you can...Lord knows the price on it will go up soon also.

I have a backyard full of all kinds of birds this year. Just lots and lots of them. I am shooing away the starlings though, as they are noisy, messy and greedy!! and they chase away the smaller birds. SHOO!!!

I Have seen Lola off and on lately, not daily, as she has had babies, judging by her little titties, so she just pops in and eats when she feels safe, and I assume, the babies are sleeping. The Big Grey squirrel is back also. I call her Susie! And George and Gracie, the Band tailed pidgeons have arrived too. Goldfinch in flocks, house finches and house sparrows galore and brown headed cowbirds. I have Evening grosbeaks, and black headed grosbeaks, and red cross-bills, and towhees and nuthatches. Busy little feeder!! I use predominately black oil sunflower seeds, but I do put out mixed bird snack, and peanut suet blocks for the woodpeckers.

Gotta run, Sadie wants in...Stay safe, all of you in tornado alley!!!

Sunday Funnies...1 day late

A Wise Indian Elder once said:

When told the reason for daylight saving time the Indian Elder said,
'Only a white man would believe that you could cut a foot off the top of
a blanket and sew it to the bottom of a blanket and have a longer
blanket.'

UM UM GOOD!!

Last week Oprah had a few of her favorite things on, one of which was this Turkey Burger. It looked so good So I decided to try it.

Mar-a-Lago Turkey Burger
Recipe courtesy of Jeff O'Neill

Oprah found a new favorite food when she tried this turkey burger at Mar-a-Lago, Donald Trump's private club in Palm Beach. "I believe [it] may be the best turkey burger in the entire world," she says. The Mar-a-Lago Turkey Burger will be permanently available at the Trump Bar and Grille in Trump Tower in New York City, open to the public for lunch and dinner. It will also be served during lunch in Chicago at Sixteen, the Trump International Hotel restaurant.

1/4 cup scallions, thinly sliced
1/2 cup celery, finely chopped
3 Granny Smith apples, peeled and diced
1/8 cup canola oil
4 pounds ground turkey breast
2 Tbsp. salt
1 Tbsp. black pepper
2 tsp. chipotle Tabasco™
1 lemon, juice and grated zest
1/2 bunch parsley, finely chopped
1/4 cup Major Grey's Chutney, pureed

Sauté the scallions, celery and apples in the canola oil until tender. Let cool.

Place the ground turkey in a large mixing bowl. Add sautéed items and the remaining ingredients. Shape into eight 8-ounce burgers. Refrigerate for 2 hours***.

Season the turkey burgers with salt and pepper. Place on a preheated, lightly oiled grill. Grill each side for 7 minutes until meat is thoroughly cooked. Let sit for 5 minutes.

***The Chef said not to skip this important step.

I forgot to get apples so I got pears instead, and I did not have scallions, so I used a walla walla sweet onion, and I dont care for celery, so I left it out. I diced the pears and onions and sauteed them together like the recipe said to do, I reached for the turkey burger and had only gotten a pound instead of 4 pounds. So I added everything to the burger and along with the Major Grey Chutney I added the chipotle smoked tabasco sauce and gave it a good mix with my hands. Then I saw where it said to refridgerate for 2 hours, so I said screw it and made meatballs instead. Didnt have noodles but I did have spaghetti. so I cooked up the meatballs and the pasta and then I needed a sauce. Did not want to use a red sauce, so I thought SWEDISH MEATBALLS! I had a 10 year pkg of seasoning that I had used half of looooong ago, and I dumped that into a bowl with 2 cups of milk and stirred it all together. Not enough, SO I added 1/2 of a country gravy mix and a can of evaporated milk. added a dash of nutmeg and stirred that gravy until it was nice and thick. OH MAMA!!! It was sooooo GOOOD!!!! THe next time I do it I will add an egg and some bread crumbs just to hold it together. OH they were good. Much better than those frozen ready packs you can buy. who woulda thought about adding onions and diced pears.

Ya'll need to try it!! Your mouth will be really happy!

I HATE TV!!!

I am going to quit watching TV!! After watching all of the season finales this week I am so exasperated. First I watch CSI MIAMI and watch Horatio get shot be his son's stepfather and lay there on the tarmac dying, while Wolf receives an email that says it is done! ARRRRGGGHHHHH!!!!!!!

Then i watch NCIS for 2hours to find out that Director Jenny is shot, and we assumed killed. and then at the end the new DIrector fires Ziva, and reassigns Dinozzo and Mcgee to shit assignments and hands Gibbs three new file folders for three new team members.
ARRRRRRGHHHHHHH again!!!!!

Then I watch Criminal Minds and watch as the entire BAU team climbs into different black SUV's and then watch as ONE of them gets blown to bits...AAAAAARRRRRRGGGGHHHHH even again!!

THEN I watch the season finale of SHARK, to find out that his nemisis may get off, and then I check the fall line up and find NO SHARK listed!!! DOUBLE DAMN ARRRGGGGGGHHHHH!!!!

Last night I watched the season finale of CSI NY and watch as Taylor drives off with a gun pointed at his head and a psycho in the backseat.

C'MON CBS!!! You cant do that to me. DOnt kill off my favorite characters and then cancel the show! I missed CSI Las Vegas so I am not sure what happened there but it cant be good!!

I also watch Tonight with Jay Leno to hear that he is being replaced by that IDIOT CONAN OBRIEN! Well I guess NBC has lost the one show that I watch on NBC, I will have to switch to Dave Letterman. I HATE CONAN OBRien!!

I gave up on soap operas YEARS ago because I could not stand the suspense. SO now I am hooked on shows that hold over for 3 months!! It was bad enough that we had to wait through the writer's strike, Now we have to wait through SUMMER!

THe only saving grace is There seems to be several new shows for the summer that look pretty good.

I also HATE the way the networks move the shows around. You have to consult a TVguide in order to find out what time your show is on. Try finding a TV GUide anymore. ChEEEEERIST!!!

Now to make matters worse, I have DISH Network, and it isnt listed in our local paper. THe networks are, but try and find out what time the HISTORY channel is really on, depends on your time zone. EGADS!!!!

Wish I could write to the networks and have them actually SEE the email. All I ever get is an automated response!! Seems like they just dont care what I think.

Damn Media!!!

Weird weather!!!

You have read about our unusually cold and wet spring...record snow fall in the mountains, and just three weeks ago we had snow and record cold down here at sea-level.

Last Friday we had record hot temperatures up in the 90's, and actually a whole day of SUNSHINE!! It was WONDERFUL!! then the High moved onshore, and allowed another Low to move onshore. RIght now it is cloudy, rainy and only 48 degrees out. THe wind has a bite to it, and once again I am freezing. THe weather reports have the winds coming in off the strait at 35 MPH! It is picking up here right now, and naturally because tomorrow is trash day, it will be blowing like HELL! either the trashcans will blow over before the trash truck cometh, or it will wait until after they have gone by which means I will have to chase my cans down the street, figure out whose cans were in MY yard, and then find the lids! I actually found my can, lid intact, sitting on the porch of a house in the next block!

Both of my children made it home on Sunday!! I cooked the other half of the 20 lb prime rib roast that Bob got for our CHristmas dinner. He gets a really good deal from one of his friends every year, so I cook half of it for Christmas dinner and freeze the other half for when-ever! SO I bribed them with roast beef and rhubarb cobbler. It worked! TIm came in Saturday night, and got the lawnmower ready for mowing, and then spent 3 hours mowing the grass that was (I kid you NOT) 14" high! He did such a great job of holding his temper back. Normally he would be cussing a blue streak at the number of times that the mower got clogged! I am sooooo proud of him!! Now if he can only make it back next weekend to mow it again, it should be fine for a week or two.

Donna brought her wheel and we sat out on the back deck and she spun, and I talked! It was a really nice day.

Bob and I went in to Mt. Vernon on Saturday, and noticed the LACK of cars in the parking lots at the mall. Either the weather had them all at the beach, or the economy has them with no money, or the price of gas has them staying home.

(I shall be right back!)

Ok, slight pause to get rid of a cup of coffee!

From Thursday through last night the news reports have been warning people about staying OFF the rivers during the hot spell, as the snow melt in the mountains was filing them to capacity and the river currents were very strong. The water temperature was extremely cold also, and thus made the waters very dangerous! regardless of all the warnings, there were at 9 people that died in the currents without life jackets. and one family was saying the government should have done more to keep people off the water.

PEOPLE!!!! LISTEN TO ME!!!! YOU CAN NOT MAKE THE ENTIRE WORLD SAFE FROM IDIOTS!!! If you chose to go on the rivers after all of the warnings were posted and it was on all of the radios, then no one should be blamed but YOU!!! In FACT you should be charged for the cost of the rescue/recovery efforts! I just dont understand people. I wont go in the water at ALL unless I can see the bottom, and then only when I am trying to get my fishing line out a little further. Why are there some who believe that the GOVERNMENT should be responsible for your entire conduct? EGADS!!! Use the brain that your creator gave you!!

A Friday FUNNY!!!!

Who is crazy????

I was walking past the mental hospital the other day, and all the
patients were shouting, "13...13....13...13.

The fence was too high to see over, but I saw a little gap in the planks
and I looked through to see what was going on.

Someone poked me in the eye with a stick.

Then they all started shouting. "14...14...14...14....."

A New Element discovered!!!

Science Reveals Heaviest Element Ever Discovered. Research has led to the discovery of the heaviest element yet known to science. The new element, Governmentium (Gv), has one neutron, 25 assistant neutrons, 88 deputy neutrons, and 198 assistant deputy neutrons, giving it an atomic mass of 312. These 312 particles are held together by forces called morons, which are surrounded by vast quantities of lepton-like particles called peons. Since Governmentium has no electrons, it is inert; however, it can be detected, because it impedes every reaction with which it comes into contact. A tiny amount of Governmentium can cause a reaction normally taking less than a second, to take from four days to four years to complete.

Governmentium has a normal half-life of 2-6 years. It does not decay, but undergoes a reorganization in which a portion of the assistant neutrons and deputy neutrons exchange places. In fact, Governmentium's mass will actually increase over time, since each reorganization will cause more morons to become neutrons, forming isodopes, not to mention multiple oxymorons. This characteristic of moron promotion leads some scientists to believe
that Governmentium is formed whenever morons reach a critical concentration. That hypothetical quantity might normally be called 'critical mass', but in this unique case it is known as 'critical mess'.

When catalyzed with money, Governmentium becomes Administratium (Am), another just-discovered element that radiates just as much energy as Governmentium since it has half as many peons but twice as many morons.

Author unknown...

AH Well!!!!

So Tim had to work today! figures....

HE is working at a shipyard, painting a Ferry, and they have to get it done, so they are working 10 hour days, 7 days a week. DOUBLE time on Sunday, so he went for the money. I guess I cant blame him. So I was planning just a quiet dinner with DOnna, and my sister called and said she and Sherry and Mike would be here around 3:00 for dinner. ????? ok.

So now I have to clean house and go back to the store and get the ingredients for Chili Rellenos. I make them better than any I have found in any Restaurant. We got the recipe from a little hole in the wall restaurant in Chula Vista California in 1953. And there are none better in my opinion. SO I will be cooking dinner for the family.

It appears that we just MIGHT be getting SPRING this week. It poured last night as a cold front came through, and the wind blew, and beat the rain in through the open window into my face. This morning it is clear, and Sunny, and almost WARM! It should reach the 70's this week!! That is 20C I think...or close. maybe.

So what are you doing with your incentive check? are you stimulating the ecomony or paying bills? Mine is all going on Dr bills from last September. Even with insurance I still owe almost 4000.00!! WHEW!!! This really hurts, I can not imagine what people with NO insurance do. Whomever we elect this year, had better have Universal Health care on their front burner and turned up really high. I am getting warmed up for another rant, so bare with me until I get there. We have got to get our population educated to VOTE! We cant have a true Democracy if those who feel their vote doesnt count for anything DONT VOTE! They may not agree with my politics, but they need to be heard!!

Are you registered to vote? GET'ER DONE!!!!

Happy Mother's Day to all you Mother's out there.

He's BAAAAACK!!

Tim got released Monday at 8:00 and I had to get up early to go get him. (GRRRRR....I sleep LATE in the morning....) I picked him up at 830 and headed home. I asked him as we started off if he was through. He said yes, and I said "take a deeeeep breath. Now remember what it feels like, as that is FREEDOM and only YOU can take that away from you." He got a silly grin on his face and agreed. We came home, checked in with his Probation Officer, and then he headed for the Garage, cleaned that up and unloaded his van. It has been sitting in my driveway for 2 1/2 years, fully loaded with Lord knows what all. Even Tim did not know, as he didn't load it, his friend did. SO he unloaded it all into the nicely cleaned garage, and washed all of his clothes.

Tuesday we did a dump run, and got rid of all the shit that he didnt want, and the old stove and water heater that has been sitting in the front of my house for two years. He took his flat tires into Les Schwab and had them fixed, and then came home and started his van. I just KNEW it would not run. But it started right up and coughed a bit, and ran just beautifully! I am surprised as it is a pile of JUNK!

Yesterday we went to Friday Harbor on San Juan Island, and paid his district court fines, then went and got his drivers license back. THen we headed to Dept of Licensing and got new plates for the bucket of bolts, and came on back home. He got into his van and drove it down the highway to see how good the brakes were. Mushy, but they work...sorta. (EGADS)

So now, My SOn has a new start on hopefully a clean and sober life. He realizes just how much this past ten years has cost him in Money, in possesions, and in reputation. He is ready to fend off the Demons, and is determined not to repeat. He says the worst part is the lure of the REALLY EASY money that can be made by dealing. I had NO IDEA how prevelant drugs, especially METH, is in society. I have watched all the documentaries on Meth-anphetamines, but I guess I am a pollyanna because Tim says it is EVERYWHERE!!! he even pointed out to me where he thought Meth houses were. (PLEASE LORD KEEP HIM STRAIGHT!)

We had a long talk, and I feel pretty sure that he has his head on straight right now, and that he will be fine.

If any of you have kids on drugs, PRAY LIKE HELL THAT THEY GET ARRESTED!!! and DO NOT BAIL THEM OUT. let them serve their sentences. TIm says he is glad he got caught and went to prison, because he did not realize how out of control he was.

I guess I am glad I did not know also. It would have KILLED me.

This Mother's Day will be the first time in almost 30 years that both of my kids will be HOME!!! I cant wait.

And another one bites the dust...

AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! We struck SOCIAL SECURITY tonight, and I will tell you that it was a huge success! We had people tell us it was about time that Oak Harbor came into the 20th Century. (I KNOW...21st!) We had walk-ins from 40 miles away, because they heard how funny it was!

Makes it all worth while. Now it is time for a long needed rest...

I will post after I catch up on housework. ANd yard work, and empty the much needed catbox! and take out the garbage.

Now for a nice hot bath....

New template?

I TRIED to switch to the NEW template on blogger which SAYS you can edit it any way you want to...WRONG!! It would not accept any of my changes. I wanted to switch because my banner is being hosted by Leslie, and last night my banner was GONE!! so was she! so I thought she took her blog down, but today it was back, so maybe not. ANYWAY. I tried several times to add a picture to my header and no luck, and I could not change the fonts or colors like they promised. SO Back to the old one....

BRRRRRR

As you all have probably heard by now, Washington state has been hit with very late spring snows! THe latest and the coldest EVER! So where is this global warming that everyone is freaking out over?

I think quite frankly, that our poles are shifting, and we will soon be above the Arctic CIrcle! They say it has happened before, and It will happen again.

We are now into the final week of SOCIAL SECURITY, and we had our cast party last night after the matinee. (Dick, there are still tickets available for Thursday Friday and Saturday nights.) It has bees SOOOOOO much fun to do this show!!! I dread Saturday night though...We strike the set down to the bare walls after Saturday's show, and all the props, flats, scenery, and costumes all go back to the annex so that the oncoming show (GUYS AND DOLLS) will have a clean slate to work with. It is very tiring though, we sometimes do not get through until 2 or 3 in the morning. THen the LOOONG dark drive home. I HATE Strike! There ought to be a better way. Ah well.

Lat FRiday during the taping of the show, the Hail hit, and the THUNDER boomed. Just as SOPHIE was saying, I am a WOMAN< I am ALIVE, KABOOM!!!!!!! and the whole building shook. SHe then said "I hope that was not an OMEN!" and walked off stage. THe audience loved it. THe parking lot had over 2 inches of white stuff on it, and the drive home was treacherous as Hell!! I put ;er in 4 wheel drive and did 20-25 MPH all the way home! AS I drove past the Blue FOx Drive-in Theater, I laughed, because shing through the blizzard was the movie, coming from the projection booth. I thought WHAT IDIOTS would be watching a movie in weather like this?

Uh...MY BROTHER! I called them on their cell phone and sherry was giggling and said, she had never watched a movie through a blizzard before. LOLOLOLOLOL you takes your fun where youse can gets it up here in the boonies!!

My tulips are all in bloom and look so pretty under all the white stuff. Yes, they are hardy to a point. Actually the snow is an insulator and unless there is a really HARD freeze or heavy hail, they are fine! THey like it! THe Skagit Valley is holding their Tulip Festival this month, but the Tulips in the Valley are sleeping in! LOLOLOL THey will POP in all their glory during the first few warm days we get, then the whole Valley will be a riot of color.

Hope your spring weather is better than ours!!

You have GOT to be kidding!!

This weather statement just appeared on my email! C'mon DUdes, it is almost MAY fer Chris'sake!!!

I SOOOO want clear warm sunny weather with no wind, so I can take my morning coffee out on my back deck!

Statement as of 10:20 AM PDT on April 16, 2008


... Unusually cold weather is expected Friday through early next
week...

A deep upper level low pressure system moving southeast from the
Gulf of Alaska will move into the area Friday and will linger
through early next week. This upper level low will give quite cool
and unstable conditions to the area Friday and Saturday. While
drier air will begin to filter into the area Sunday into
Monday... temperatures will remain unusually cool for mid to late
April.

At this time of year... temperatures in The Lowlands typically
range from lows 35 to 45... and highs are near 60. Low temperatures on
Friday and Saturday will generally be in the 30s... while highs
stay in the 40s. These temperatures are more typical of early to
mid February. Near record low maximum and minimum temperatures are
likely on Saturday. Temperatures in the mountains will stay in the
20s and 30s.

Snow levels Friday night and Saturday morning will average around
1000 feet... and may fall to near sea level in heavier showers.
Any snow that falls in The Lowlands is unlikely to stick... except
briefly on cars and grass. The mountains and Cascade passes will
see accumulating snow Friday through Saturday... with accumulations
over the two day period possibly between 1 and 2 feet.

Strong high pressure developing over British Columbia Saturday
night into early next week will allow drier air to filter into the
area. While daytime temperatures will moderate into the lower to
mid 50s Sunday and Monday... nighttime lows will be quite cold for
this time of year with any clearing. Frost... with freezing
nighttime temperatures in protected and outlying areas will likely
cause problems for anyone with sensitive Nursery stock...
ornamentals... or vegetables that were planted early.

Monitor the forecasts from the National Weather Service closely the
next few days.

A Very happy Patron!!

The following letter was sent to the Office about our play! As you know from reading this blog in the past, There was quite a contention about the subject matter of the play. Several members of OUR Board of DIrectors wanted to stop this from happening. I was already in production, so it was too late. We have had those Board members come see it, LAUGH and say it was GREAT! Now to see a letter from a patron really puts the frosting on the cake.

Dear Whidbey Island Playhouse,

For the past 30+ years, my husband and I have been faithful season ticket subscribers to the Seattle Repertory Theater, Intiman Theatre, A Contemporary Theater, the Paramount, and the Fifth Avenue Theater, and the Seattle Symphony (all in Seattle). Sometimes it was difficult to juggle the tickets when some presentations occurred on the same evening.

On opening night, we attended your production of "Social Security". We thought it was one of the funniest, timely, and best plays we have ever seen. (And we've seen a lot of Broadway shows in New York, too).

We couldn't understand why anyone would be offended by this play. Doesn't everyone have sex in their life? (Or at least hope to if they haven't?) It helped make it all the funnier. And the topic of having to care for one's aging parents is very timely, too. But unfortunately that is not funny--we are facing this with our parents (who are in their 80"s )--(we are 63 and 64 yrs. of age). It was totally realistic. I have 2 sisters and just loved the idea of being able to "dump" one's parent(s) on the non-caregiver sisters for them to deal with it for awhile.

We received letters warning about the contents of this play beforehand. We saw nothing objectionable about it and have wholeheartedly recommended it to all our friends. From the letters that were sent, I thought we were going to see 2 naked people having sex on the stage!!

We have just retired (finally!) and moved here to Oak Harbor near Deception Pass. We have enjoyed every one of your plays since we began subscribing 2 years ago. (We no longer drive clear down to Seattle for all those previous subscriptions).

If you would like a testimonial to Whidbey Playhouse and to "Social Security" in particular, we would be happy to do so. It was a great, funny and very timely production. We look forward to being long-term subscribers with you as long as possible (at least 20 years if we live that long!)

Appreciative patrons,

Erlene & Joe Little

Dick, You and Pay better get your tickets now...only one more Sunday Matinee!!

My meatloaf...

OK. Now this can change from time to time. most of the time I just use hamburger.

heat the oven to 375 degrees;

2 pkgs of hamburger
1 pkg of ground Lamb
1 Pkg of ground pork

3 eggs
5 pieces of fresh potato or white bread cut into small cubes
1 big GLUG of Evaporated milk.
(ok, about 1/2 cup)
1 bigger glug of ketchup
(ALRIGHT, about 1 cup)

1/2 of a walla walla sweet onion. diced small
(or a vidalia, or a texas sweet or a maui sweet. GOtta be a white SWEET one though)
1 teasp of onion pwdr
1 teasp of Garlic pwdr
1 tablsp of Oregano
1 Tablsp of Majoram

mix very well with the paddle attachment of your Kitchen Aid mixer, or use your hands and squish really well.

Use a big oval baking dish cause it makes a BIG loaf! spray well with PAM or a non-stick spray.

pat the meat into the pan and then form it into a loaf leaving about an inch on all sides.

Now make a glaze:

2 cups of ketchup
1 cup of brown sugar
1 tbls of liquid Smoke
1 teas of worchestershire sauce
Mix well

Pour over the top of the meatloaf then bake it in the oven for about 45 minutes or until the inside is no longer red. (I cut into it.)

I serve this with mashed garlic potatoes, and ladle a little of the dripping on it.

It is really really good too. Chill the left overs and slice for sandwiches tomorrow.

If you want, just use hamburger. still really good. Just do not over cook, or it will get really dry and then yucky!

So how many of you are making meatloaf tomorrow night for dinner?

Herman...I dont know the exchanges from us to Metric measures...sorry.

1 down 3 to go!

WHEW!! They call opening week Hell Week, because you only have 1 day off, and 6 shows. Needless to say, We are all pooped!! I was in such horrible pain after sitting in the balcony for 6 shows, and going up and down three flights of stairs. I came home yesterday after the matinee, fixed and ate dinner, took a hot soaky bath, rubbed Ben Gay all over my back and butt, and went to bed. I stretched out and got comfy and slept for almost 12 hours!! GOD THAT FELT GOOD!

My daughter came up this weekend for a Fiber symposium or show or something, so I got to see her about 4 hours total. I made a yummy meatloaf and it disappeared!! So last night I came home, and made another one! this one will last all week! I LOVE meatloaf sandwiches!! I make a killer meatloaf, and I dont ever get tired of it. Made mashed potatoes and peas with it too. Nothing like great old comfort food when you are feeling pooped out and miserable!

The show has taken so much of my time and energy that I dont do anything in the house, except laundry. So tomorrow, I have nothing planned except CLEANING HOUSE!! I have Pergo flooring in all the rooms except the bedrooms, so it is really easy to clean. A squirt of ENDUST on the dustmop, and swish, the floor is clean. Now the dustmop is another matter. I take it out back and shake it off, and all the cat and dog hair that was EVERYWHERE is now out being recyled into bird nests. I do have to vaccuum the area rugs, as the animals LOVE to roll on them and cover them with fur too.

I asked Omnipotentbenevolentempress if she could use the fur to make anything out of, but she balked at that idea. I thought it was a great idea! no sense of adventure. SHe has Bison and Yak fibers that she is spinning. My animals dont smell as bad as THEY do!

I am so looking forward to swimming tonight. I have not been since last Monday, and I can sure feel it. It feels so good to get in and stretch...and be gravity free for an hour!

gotta run. I will try to pop in and visit a few of you when I have time.

Pictures that go with the article

Newspaper Review!!!

Social Security

By Cynthia Woolbright

Apr 02 2008


When you talk of puppy love, you don’t usually picture the geriatric set. But in the Whidbey Playhouse’s upcoming production of “Social Security,” love is not only blind — but ageless.

“There must be something in the water,” sighs Trudy over the familial chaos around her.

Director Mary Lou Chandler is at the helm of this risque comedy about finding love at any age that will run April 4 to 26. “Social Security” focuses on trendy Manhattan art gallery owners Barbara and David Kahn (Dona Dausey and Ed Bennett), whose lives are upended when Bab’s Mineola housewife sister, Trudy (Mary Anderson), deposits their eccentric mother Sophie (Cori Siggens) on the couple’s doorstep while she and her husband Martin (Kent Peckenpaugh) head to Buffalo to rescue their sexually precocious college student daughter from a ménage à trois with two men. Barbara and David introduce Sophie to suave nonagenarian artist Maurice Koenig (Jim Siggens), who offers to paint her portrait and soon begins to brighten her life in ways she never expected in her twilight years.

“Everyone, as human beings are sexual people,” said cast member Cori Siggens. “The show is definitely for a mature audience that can laugh at ourselves and our sexuality.”

The laughs start from the get go from this cast of stage veterans with solid stage chemistry that is brought to life by a director with great enthusiasm for the show.

After falling asleep reading many scripts trying to pick season shows, director Mary Lou Chandler found “Social Security.”

“I was astonished to find that not only had I stayed awake through the entire reading,” she said, “I caught myself laughing aloud many times.”

Chandler said the show is humor with a huge message.

“You are never too old to find love and sex again,” she said.

Having experienced life with a live-in parent herself, the director said she can relate to Barbara and David’s predicament.

“It’s life in the sandwich years,” she said. “The playwright was able to bring out many things people will be able to relate to because you’re never too young or old to love.”

The play has been a “pure delight” for real life lovebirds Cori and Jim Siggens.

“It’s been very funny on the set,” Cori said. “We can always make each other laugh and rehearsals crack me up.”

The actress, who met her husband in 1998 and married him shortly after, said she could relate to Sophie’s experience of finding love later in life.

“I know what it’s like to become a whole person after finding someone to love,” she said.

This production, like countless other Playhouse shows before it, has been a labor of love with family members and friends filling the volunteer ranks building sets, sewing costumes, and coordinating things in front and behind the curtain.

“If it wasn’t for all these talented volunteers we wouldn’t be able to bring everything together,” Jim Siggens said.

WHA....?

Statement as of 11:57 AM PDT on March 28, 2008


... Snow Advisory remains in effect until 5 PM PDT this
afternoon...

And they call this SPRING? It is so cold right now that the poor hummingbirds are shivering at the feeders...and the bird juice is starting to freeze!!!

BRRRRRRRRR

Dress Rehearsal

We had our press night tonight and a smattering of family members in the audience. We got plenty of laughs and a few raised eyebrows, but for the most part it went GREAT!

All is well here, I go in for more blood work tomorrow and the Dr on Wednesday, and maybe if they quit TAKING blood, I might HAVE some! getting old is getting really old!

SPRING!!!

Yeo, At 9 something this evening, it will be spring!!! THANK YOU LORD! I am so tired of cold and grey and wet and dark. I am waiting for the bulbs to pop open. THe daffodils in San de Fuca are open in the fields, and I love driving by them. THey are my absolute favorite flower. Followed by Lilacs and Roses. The pollen is kicking my butt!! I cant breathe, and am not sure if it is because I have a lack of red blood cells again, or whether it is the alder pollen sitting in my lungs.

Our Play is going WONDERFULLY!! The characters are all off book now, and are having tons of fun with eath other, but the rest of the week I have to get really tough and keep them on course!! No cracking up!!1 (kinda like Carol Burnette and Tim and Harvey)

Next week i am taking pictures, as they will all be in costume and the lights will be ready! I will post when I can. (blogger is still being a butt with my edit bar).

Mike is doing better this week, and they are changing his treatment next week, so I am not sure exactly what will be happening. But Sherry said he seems to be holding his own right now.

Bob's Mother was taken off life support last weekend, and he was told she should go any time. She did, last night. So I am dealing with a boyfriend who will not admit his feelings, and realized that the mother he has neglected all his life, is no more. So he is stuffing his emotions in a sack and will not show any at all. NONE> Not even regular emotions. He goes into his MR. SPOCK mode. He will get though this, and I have offered my shoulder should he need it, but I expect not to see him for a week or two.

My health is shit right now! I have no energy, no breath, stomach hurts all the time along with the pain in my back. CHRIST! Getting old sucks a big green weeney doesnt it?

Well time for my nap before the rehearsal tonight. I think I will skip swimming tonight and save my energy for the show!

I will post when I have time.

Have a GREAT Easter weekend!!

Been really busy...

Finally finishing my CHristmas Afghan, So now I can finally put my Christmas stuff in the closet!! OK OK so Im late...

And getting the cast ready to take the stage for the first time....
Now to get them all off book and in costume!!

We open in THREE WEEKS!!! ACK!!!

Gads, Saturday already?

I have been one busy busy old lady this week. I had no idea that it had been so long since my last post.

Mother of Neighbor (who lives three blocks away) came over to apoligize for her son. She also wanted to know what she can do to fix things. I listened and told her that I LOVE cats, (as she could tell by my bad mannered babies jumping on the table to head butt her.) But NOT on my bird feeders, and she agreed. I suggested that since she comes over once a day to feed them, that she keep them IN the house during the day, and let themout to roam at night if she must. THat way my birds and squirrels are safe. But that still leaves the cats very vulnerable to coyotes and owls. and cars. SO this week I have only had to chase cat out of my back yard once. Good thing. We will see what happens this coming week. Mama Kitty has been spayed and the boys have all been snipped too, so at least in their wanderings they are not making more feral kitties.

My cats do not understand why they cant go out when THOSE guys can. I just tell them that THeir mommie loves them. the others are not loved.

I went back to the Dr to have my blood work done after Septembers tranfusions and all of my numbers are WONDERFUL except for the one that counts...my hematocrit level is WAY down again. SO we are waiting for lab results to see if I have Iron poor blood, or anemia of some other kind, or if my stomach is still seeping blood. Meanwhile I am on Ferrous Carbonate or something like that, and vitamin b-12 and Calcium and D jeez, I get FULL just taking pills! I sure hope I just have to add supplements instead of another transfusion. I still dont have the LAST one paid for.

THe play is getting better and better, and we take the stage tomorrow night. THe set is almost finished, just details to putz with, and then major rehearsal time. One thing that hurts us by having to start blocking while we dont have a set is the physical constraints of the stage and or rhearsal hall. We will have to re-block some of the scenes, but at least we wont have to work on lines while we do that. It is so FUNNY!! Every night we crack up. Sure hope the audience does too.

I watched a Neil Simon movie today...MURDER BY DEATH. OH GOD!! It is pee your pants funny! I might recommend it to read for next years play committee. Such a spoof of all the old movie sleuths! LOLOLOLOLOL

My back has been in horrible pain this week. I can barely walk, but as soon as I get in the pool, I have instant relief!! SO I do what I can for arobics, and modify the ones that hurt so that I am getting excersize but not straining the muscles that are hurting. My spine is really piching the nerves that run down both legs right now. SO much fun!!

TIm only has two more months of work release then he is home! Dont know for how long, as I know he will get antsy and want to get back to Orcas Island. (GRRRRRR) But Hopefully he will have learned his lesson. He has finished his Chemical dependancy classes and is going to meetings once a week, and will have to continue that while he is on his 9 months parole. THen he is free and clear and on his own to make his own choices once again. LORDY I hope he remembers how to make them the RIGHT way!

Well gotta run, put a load of clothes in the dryer and then one into the washer and get my hair fixed, as we are going to go see The Vienna Boys Choir tonight! I am really looking forward to that.

HAve a nice week ya'll...and for those that Lurk, go read toraa@blogspot.com he is a norweigian who lives in Oslo. Interesting blog too. I would have put the link there like you are sposed to, but blogger has hidden my edit bar again, so you will have to enter it in manually.

GRRRR

Well i just spent twenty minutes getting chewed out by my neighbor that leaves his cats outside all week. He came home on Friday and then left again and was gone all weekend, leaving the cats locked out of the garage. My daughter came up this morning, so I sent her over to open the garage about 6 inches and prop it up so they could get in and eat, and get away from the coyotes. I Just DO NOT understand people that will not take care of their animals. Now mind you, they are NOT underfed. They are fat and healthy, but they CRAVE human attention, which they dont get except from the neighbors. THey are also treating my bird feeders as their own personal Hors d'oureve tray! Needless to say, all the squirrels from last year are gone. Even Lola that appeared last week for the first time in months, almost got caught by Cotton their black cat. she screamed, and ran up the fence just one claw away from LUNCH! (Whew). I know I know! They are only doing what they were born to do, but I do not live on a farm, and neither do the neighbors anymore, they now live in a community with only 10 feet away from each others yards. THey need to keep their animals under control. I have 4 cats that never get to go outside. God I am pissed. I only had the cats welfare at heart, and I get chewed out for messing with his house! OK Dude! Gloves are off! Next time I call animal control, they can trap them all.

Poor babies.

There, I feel better, I have ranted.

YEEEOOOOWWWCH!!

I got my electric bill on Saturday and almost shit a BRICK! 398.00!! I knew I was behind but not THAT much! It had my last payment on it too, but It shows that I have used way more than this period last year! It has been cold, but I cannot imagine using that much! It is normally 80-90 during the summer and 125-140 during the winter. I turned off everything I could find, and I have even gone to the energy saver, squiggly light bulbs! I turn off my computer every time I am not here, and do not sit in the Living room that often. YIKES!! Talk about a one-two punch!

Today was absolutely GORGEOUS out side, but I had things I had to do INSIDE, so could not get out and enjoy the sunshine! I plan on hitting the deck tomorrow! I stepped out with Sadie this morning about 4AM and just marveled at the sky! It was crystal clear and you could reach out and touch every star up there! THe Coyotes were even feeling their oats and were howling and yipping all night. Sadie sure does not like to hear them them that close to her fence!

The days are starting to grow visibly longer THANK GOD! It is getting light at 700AM and getting dark around 6PM I LOVE the Long days up at this latitude!

I am in the middle of rehearsals for SOCIAL SECURITY, so you will not be seeing me on here very much until it is off stage. Just warning you! I get a chance to peek at you all every once in awhile, so keep watching!

It's gone again!

Once again my edit bar is missing! I wish I knew what I did to fix it last time.

I went in to lap swimming tonight and did aerobics all by myself and swam about 6 laps. I really needed it tonight. My back is so bad right now that I can barely move. Swimming helps it feel sooo good for an hour or so.

Went straight from there to rehearsals for my play. It is going to be soooo funny. I just finished blocking it tonight, and next week we will start character developement. What a hoot it is.

My Brother got some good news and some bad news yesterday during chemo. THe invasive cancer has shrunk, but it has also invaded his colon in two spots and that is NOT good. THey are going to continue treatment as before and hope for the best.

John Hancok got back to me about my annuity beign short. NEXCOM is all of it's infinite wisdom told then I was 62 three weeks ago, and that I needed to draw Social Security, so they dropped 500 out of my monthly allotment. Sure wish they had sent me a letter or something telling me that was going to happen. I thought I had until I was 65.6 nope,gotta do it now. So I signed up on line and should find out something soon. I will be drawing just over 1000 from SS and I lost 500, so I will be a tiny bit better off, but not great. sure was hoping it would be a LOT so I could breathe. Story of my life.

Oh YEAH!!! LOLA is back! She looks kinda shop worn though, and is really watchful for cats, but she ran right up the post and sat on the feeder and chomped away on sunflower seeds. SHe was back today, so maybe she will continue her foraging in my yard. I Love to watch the wild life out my bedroom window,

Hopefully now I can go back to sleep. I was dozing off and then woke right up. I hate that. off the try anyway!

WHOO_HOO!

I Have an EDIT bar again!! WHOOT!!! And right at this moment I have No pictures to post! I will have to rectify that post haste!!

I now have a Cast!! We held auditions Sunday and Monday and Had our first read-through on Tuesday. What a HOOT!! we laughed oour asses off!! This is going to be a fun cast, a fun play! This puts a whole new spin on getting OLD! SOCIAL SECURITY by Andrew Bergman. Stay tuned!! I have to finish blocking the first act before Monday night, but then It will all be stage work. It will most definately keep me busy for the next 2 months!!

I have not been swimming in a week and Man can I feel it. I hurt so bad I can barely walk! Wednesday it was so cold out, and the wind was whipping gusts over 50MPH the lights were blinking, so I stayed home, hunkered down with the lanterns ready. Did not want to come home from swimming and walk into a dark home.

Living in the Boonies is nice except that I am Terrified of the dark! (YEAH YEAH YEAH I know!) I AM!! I see all kinds of boogie men in the shadows. I think that is why I have so many animals. THey will keep me safe.
All except Sadie, who spooks at doors moving in the wind, then jumps on the bed, and sits on my head! SERIOUSLY! She does! SHe tries to get between me and the wall, and if my head is in the way, too bad. Her Butt will be planted firmly on it! I throw her off and investigate and usually find that it is Schroeder chasing a toy mouse or a toilet paper roll behind the bedroom door, and when it moves, Sadie spooks.

Today is the first time in a while we have been in the 40's! But it is pouring rain down here, and snowing blizzard conditions in the passes. We have had more avalanches this year than any time in memory! The latest one took out a million dollar home on the side of a mountain. (No I am not sympathetic. They built where nature DUMPS! STOOPID!!)

I spent all day Monday with my Brother in the ER. Sherry called and wanted me to go babysit him as he was up all nite puking, so I did, and he just could not stop...every hour...so I made him go in and the pumped him full of potassium, and electrolytes, and pain killers, and then around 300 they sent him home to see how he managed. He has still puked, but not as often. We go in on Monday for his last Chemo for awhile. (We think) Then he should start to get better for 6 weeks thenmore chemo, then another CT scan. Dear Lord I hope this works for him. He is too young to die of Cancer! and If he is going to, then let it be quick! I know that sounds bad, but he is in such misery, and does not tolerate discomfort well at all. I love him so much, but I dont want him to stay like this. He is very frail.

I called Tim last night and told him I was staying home this weekend, and he was cool with that. He understands and seems to be doing well at his job, and is keeping legal! (THANK YOU GOD!!)

Donna is all pumped upover the Wash State Caucuses this weekend. I voted absentee so am forbidden to go to the caucus. Wash Sate has such WEIRD primary rules. If you are Democrat, you MUST attend a caucus in order for your Primary vote to count. If you are a republican, You do NOT have to attend, but almost 1/2 of the delegates will be alloted at the caucuses. We Caucus on the 9th and vote in our Primary the 19. SOOOO STRANGE! And you have to declare a party for your voice to count in either party. Now come the General election in Nov you can vote whomever you want! I think it is time to get involved in Local state government! We gotta change some things.

One last wonderful thing that happened...(NOT) My retirement check is short over 500 dollars. I live right on the edge anyway, so this really slapped me upside the head. I did turn 62 last month, but I did not think I had to register for SS until I was 65. My annuity goes down and SS kicks in then. But I dont know why I was shorted, and neither does John Hancock! Oh PLEASE let it be a mistake! THey are researching it. CRAP if it isnt one thing it is another. THat 600 dollars we are spossed to get to STIMULATE the economy?? Bullshit.. It goes toward DR Bills. No stimulation here. PAH!!!

Snow and MORE snow

We have had a LOT of snow and cold and freezing rain down here at sea level or as they say on tv...the LOW LANDS. But what we have as rain down here, turns into SNOW in the mountains. We have 5 cross cascade passes in Washington State, and 4 out of 5 of them are closed right now due to snow. This is very unusual. Snoqualmie Pass is our lowest pass, at 3500 feet and is the major cross cascade pass. I-90 crosses here. Right now there is so much snow up there that the WSDOT is working around the clock trying to keep the avalanche danger down. for the past 48 hours there have been two MAJOR natural avalanches, shutting down both directions of the pass. Normally when this happens, Stevens US 2 is open as is White Pass, US 12. North Cascades SR 20 closes in November and reopens in spring. And then there is I-84 at the Washington Oregon Border. right now, ALL are closed except US -12, which is restricted to small vehicles only. WHEW! this leaves us isolated again. We have a lot of freight using the interstates, E-W and they are all lined up on both sides of the pass waiting for snow removal to finish. Latest word is MAYBE 4PM. MAYBE not until tomorrow morning.

Snow is not unusual for us, but the HEAVY snow is! in the pasat week they say the pass has gotten 4-6 FEET of new snow. And more on the way. In the lowlands, we are getting rain, and sleet. The temperatures down here are hovering around 38-40 F.

At least right now the wind has stopped. We are having sun breaks, and while the sun is out, the rays are very warm. The cats all have a window or a piece of furniture and are stretched out soaking it up.

THe birds have cleaned out the feeders over the past two days, so I need to fill them back up and replace the suet for the chickadees, the kinglets and the woodpeckers. THe Juncos love the millet and the sunflower seeds. The doves eat anything.

My new neighbors have 4 cats that they let run outside all the time, so needless to say I no longer have my squirrels visiting. I miss Lola!! :(
I will say that these cats are soooo friendly. THey crave attention. THe owners are only here on the weekends, and they have a cat door in the garage door, so they can go in and out and get out of the weather, but there was only mama and 3 kittens in July, but now the babies are grown and they are still here. They are all named after motorcyles! mama in Jawa, and the babies are Apprello, Cotton, And Indian. And they RUN towards you when they hear a human voice. I feel so bad for them, and I love kitties, but I DONT let my cats out AT ALL, and I dont want them in my back yard! I may have to sic Sadie on them.

On to SOCIAL SECURITY

I am getting ready to Open Auditions for my Play SOcial Security which opens in APRIL 2008. I have not directed in over a year, so this is going to be a time consumer for awhile.

This is the story of 2 sisters, one of whom is married to a NEW YORK Art Dealer, and the other is married to a Long Island Accountant. MOTHER lives with sister # 2, and is being sent to live with Sister # 1 because there is a crisis in Sister #2's family.

THis is a very funny play, with Mom coming into the elegant apartment of Sister #1 complete with curlers, walker, dirty housecoat, and a case of Sour balls of which she only half finishes, then spits them everywhere.

Enter Maurice who is an elderly Artist, and Love Blooms between Mom and Maurice, which also rubs off on Sister # 1 and her husband. Love and Sex and relationships between all family members are looked at in this two act comedy by Andrew Bergman.

I will be very busy between now and May huh?

In order to publish pictures, I had to download PICASA (which I did not want to do as it takes up TONS of space, and found all the pictures that I thought I deleted off my hard drive!) and then open it, find the photo I wanted and then click the blog this button, which then opened my blogger dashboard, had to sign in and then save as draft and then edit and write and publish. It used to be so easy, now there are a lot more steps to go through, but at least I can post pictures again.

(WHEW!!)

CRITTERCHICK...YOU ARE SORELY MISSED!!!! :(

testing....

HMMMMMMM Just might have backed into a bandaid!

The eagles are returning and pairing up. I took this one in Adak, AK>

STILL BROKE!!!

Or rather brokEN!! I have been reading the questions that other people havee asked and it appears that blogger does not bother answering their emails. If Blogger was taken over by GOOGLE and GOOGLE is making money hand over fist, and is listed as the number one place to work, maybe one of their CEO's should take a real hard look at what their tech guys are REALLY doing, to make it such a great place to work. Obviously it is not CUSTOMER SERVICE!! I think If I was in charge, I would make it MANDATORY to answer all emails within 48 hours! AND NOT BY MACHINE EITHER! A PERSON! I have liked Blogger for 5 years now, and had no reason to want to change, but I just may have to think about this again. are any of you having a problem commenting on Blogger? On MY site? (I know I did on OTHER peoples who were using the Blogger comments. I use Haloscan. Quite a few blogs are missing too... interesting reading there. click on help and read...(Not that it really HELPS you, but at least you know you are not in this soup alone!!!) GRRRRRRRRRR

Miss Granola has been busy!!

Ya'll need to go over to DOnna's place at http://chemystery.livejournal.com and look at the wonderful yarn she has been spinning. I would put the magic link and a purtty picture up here for you all to see but dumbass BLOGGER still has no edit bar on my posting page. I have tried EVERYTHING. I cant even switch from compose to html posting anymore. just plain old vanilla. Any way, please stop by Donna's blog aka CHEMYSTERY aka omnipotentbenevolentempress. She does not update often but when she does.....

Mean while, I am trying out different squares to make an afghan with, and can't find the one that strikes my fancy. THis one will be for ME! I am getting a used sofa next month, and it is dated, so it needs an afghan over it. Can't wait.

It has been so darned cold here for us. In the 20F nights and 30's days. BRRRRR Needless to say I have not gone swimming this week. I would be a popsicle driving home. I know, bad excuse...I will go back Monday. I Promise!!

Schroeder

I would love to post a picture of my Baby boy, all grown up with a full coat grown out, but stupid BLOGGER won't give me back my edit bar so that I can!! SO until it does, you get plain vanilla posts!! GRRRR

Schroeder has calmed down somewhat since his "operation" but he still bites when ever I pet his tummy and anywhere NEAR his "package" place. Not little love bites either, big CHOMP BITE MOMMIE bites. He does still want his loving at night though. AS soon as I turn off the evening news and start reading my book, he jumps up and lays on the book and purrs so sweetly! then I slowly move the book over, and he quickly plops on it again. Loves this game he does!!

Tonight, I heard MOANS coming from the living room, and it sounded like someone was dying. I jumped up and ran in to see what was going on, and he SCREAMED! and promptly barfed up his first fur ball! Talkabout a sissy boy!! once that was over, and he realized that he would live, he looked at me as if to say...WHAT!? and slowly walked away looking back over his shoulder at the tiny little barf ball he spewed out. Boys are such sissy's aren't they?

GAK!!!

STILL no edit bar on here!! I guess they dont answer their support mail!!
I just want to put a picture on my post!!

Well today is PLAYDAY and I am READY!!! Now I need to figure out how to get this spray adhesive off my hands. We have a hard decision to make cutting these twelve down to 5!

A Bad Year For Tomatoes
Christmas Belles
It Runs In The Family
Leading Ladies
Glorious
Cover of Life
Night Watch
King O' The Moon
Gypsy
Kiss Me Kate
Peter Pan
Fiddler on the Roof

THe musicals are the hardest, as everybody wants them, but nobody wants to direct them as they are all hard to do. I would like to see Kiss Me Kate or Gypsy, and MAYBE Peter Pan.

And for the Non-musicals

Cover of Life
Night Watch
King O' The Moon

But I only have one vote. It will ultimately be up to the board to decide, once the members vote and narrow it down, and the call for directors goes out. If no director is interested, then we pick something else, and that is how the directors get what they want to do! Screwy I know....

I went up and spent the day with Tim yesterday. He is getting restless. He is allowed to go to work, and back and NO WHERE ELSE. He can go shopping with me, but He has to put down exactly WHERE we will go before we leave. Since we dont know Bellingham that well, it is hard. We went to Vallue Village and Goodwill to find some work clothes, and then McDonalds drive through. He is starting to think all these rules are stupid...and that will be where he fails if he does! I told him I dont care if they are stupid or not, STAY LEGAL!!! and you can still think they are stupid, but DO THEM! (Shithead!) Cinco de Mayo is his release date, and the parole officer is coming to inspect my house on Tuesday! Now why am I worried I wont pass inspection? HECK I DONT KNOW!!

I need a new camera! My wonderful Sony cybershot, has lost the flash! It goes off, but just barely lights! takes GREAT outdoor pictures, but not indoors. WAHHHH!! I Loved my SOny! Now I want a SOny SLR Digital! 10.2 Megapixels. Will I get it? RIGHT!!!! not.

It has been right on the verge of snowing for a week. 36-40 but not 32!! Darn!! I want snow!!

I come home tonight and tomorrow I clean house and get ready for the Parole Officer, then I can relax and get ready for AUDITIONS for Social Security Feb 3-4! THen I will be busy until April 24! then relax again, until Tim comes home. THen I can get my honey-do list ready for him to work on! Lots to kepp a strong son busy for awhile. New roof, new woodpile, new garden, clean garage....HEHEHEHEHEHEHEH

Still broken

I am beginning to think my computer is possesed! It turns itself on and off in the middle of the night, almost like someone else is controlling it. I cant get to my gmail page at all. I have to check my gmail through outlook express which is fine, but I cant delete the spam folder and some emails are legite and get sent to the spam folder. I can get to google, but not gmail. It is so weird! and I no longer have ANYTHING above this compose box....NADA no html, no link icon, no camera icon, to fonts, colors NOTHING. And of course as with anything that is widely popular, the help desk is non existant.

DO NOT PATRONIZE BLOCKBUSTER!!!!! THeir ability to help you out if there is a problem is less than satisfactory. I had tried their FREE on line for a week promotion, and obviously gave them my bank account number. (????) so for 6 months they have been debiting my account for 19.98 every month. Now mind you I have not USED them except the very first WEEK which was FREE. I have a bad habit of not looking at my bank statement, and when I did this week, I noticed a debit to blockbuster. I went back and checked the rest of the statements and sure enough there they are. every month since July of 2007! I called, waited for 20 minutes and finally got a nice young lady who said it was my fault for not following up on the debits. Yeah I KNOW that, but you also have no record of me ever renting a movie in the past 7 months either. so she would only refund me 3 months worth, and refused to give me to a supervisor or a manager. SO I AM BOYCOTTING BLOCKBUSTER for taking advantage of the sick and infirm, and possible mentally challenged Senior citizens! (ok, that MAY be a stretch, but that is what I felt like after dealing with the nice young lady who will one day be an old fart too!) GRRRRRRRR

Is it just ME?

Does anybody else have a problem trying to post pictures on Blogger? THere used to be an edit bar right under the title box, just above this post box. There used to be an icon with a camera, and I would click on that and up would pop another box to direct my picture into. Now there is nothing!!!! has not been for about 3 weeks. Oh WAIT, there was once that it popped up but not since. I am getting really pissed!!!!

Next subject...On CSI, And WIthout a Trace and NCIS they show the director, or cheif or whomever, sitting in their offices, alone and drinking alcohol. Now I don't know what Navy they are writing about in NCIS, but the NAVY I worked for that was totally against the rules!! ANd any police dept I know of would not allow drinking on the job either. Are they taking poetic license or have times really changed?

I think my hair grew about 1/8 of an inch...HURRY!!!!

I have been in severe pain this week. my back is soooo sore. I got into the pool Yesterday and instant relief! I spent an hour and a half working out. I will say that the instructors have been different, and the workouts really different, so they may be doing something that is not good for my back.

I am almost done with the PLAYHOUSE creating that I have been doing this week. I just have the posters to finish, and I am ready for the 19th! (Whew)

I also am getting ready for auditions for my show. Feb 3-4 and then I will have a cast! Whoo-hoo.

I apent all weekend moving all my JPEG files off my hard drive onto CD's, wow, That really made a difference, but now I cant find anything. I guess I really should do this once a week or so, and ORGANIZE them into sensible folders huh?

I made a crock pot full of Split pea soup, using left over ham, and Onions, and I cooked it on Low for 24 hours, and then I looked. OH GOD!!! It is brown, and burnt, and scorched, and lumpy like really bad baby poop! I smelled it all night long, and really wanted some and some corn bread. I threw it out. Guess I will go make some scrambled eggs. sometimes I just can't cook! othertimes I cook really really GOOD!

Or I could go bake a cake...Chocolate! WIth Chocolate frosting!! Yeah, that's sounding really good. wonder if I have a cake mix....

Another boring Monday...

Actually I have been busier than heck trying to get everything done that I need to do around the house, and for the Playhouse. My computer also slowed WAAAAAAY down, and I have been working night and day trying to get it to go faster. I tried de-fragging, but it didnt need it, I ran all the virus checks, spyware etc, re-booted, did scan disk, yadayada. I kept getting an application hang! I have no idea what causes that...old age?
I finally got the idea to remove ALL of my JPEG files (tons and tons) and copied them all to cd, and then deleted them off my hard drive. I run a little faster now but I am still crossing fingers. I tried to restore, but I could not go back any further than Jan 1, and it was running slow then too, so..........I need a resident geek!

I did not hear from Tim this weekend. :( see how soon they forget about their mommies? I got a collect call every Saturday, but this weekend was sposed to be his first 20 hour Pass, and he did not call. DEAR GOD PLEASE KEEP HIS ASS OUT OF TROUBLE!!

I got a years pass to the swimming pool for Christmas, so I have no excuse now for not going.

I also had my hair cut. SHORT! REALLY REALLY SHORT!! TOO SHORT!! I look like a Dyke!! :( It sticks straight up in the back just like alfalpha on OUR GANG. AH well, it will grow, and it is easier to wash the clorine out of now. Just a big big change for me. IT WAS Shoulder length, and now the LONGEST part is 2 inches!!

For those of you that do not read Phyllis' blog, My Brother Mike had a clean brain scan!! THANK YOU LORD! So all we are dealing with is the abdominal cancer, and the treatments.

I certainly hope this year gets better and better!

On to cleaning house!!

GREAT JOB IOWA!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Brent you done good)

Happy New Year !!

I am still here! i have been extremely busy and stressed, so I have not been in the computer room at all. Poor baby thinks I dont love him anymore!

Our Brother was acting kinda spacey on Christmas, so he went to the Dr, and he ordered a CT Scan of his brain. Then Friday, the Dr called and had him go back in on Sat for another scan, because he saw something he didnt like. Today Mike had his third chemo treatment and was sposed to see his Dr for his brain scan, but wont now until Wednesday. We spent all day in the oncology clinic today. I am pooped! just sitting and worrying drains ya.

I drove up to see Tim yesterday and he looks really good. He starts work at Meridian Tires on Wednesday and MAY get to come home for a few hours on Sunday! Yippee!! All he will be doing though is going through his van and seeing what all he has left. Not much that I can tell.

The sun finally came out today! and tonight it is due to get below freezing, but still no snow.

I will be posting very sparely in the next three weeks, as I have a ton of stuff to get ready for the Playhouse. Just like me to wait until the last minute. THen I have to get started on prep for My show February 3-4 Auditions. SOcial Security by Andrew Bergman. FUNNY SHOW! It opens April 3, and runs through the 18th.

I hope you all have a safe and happy New Year. and Thank you for understanding our absence! I think of all of you every day! I Really do. It is so nice to have friends who stick by you through all the rough times.

Happy New Year!!

More Fun Quizzes at QuizPox.com

Free at last!

Tim is now a semi-free man! He is now in Work release, but he can wear real clothes and eat real food, and see his mommie when he wants to, and can have phone calls, and can eat homemade fudge!

He went to Bellingham last Tuesday, and Wednesday I went up and picked him up and took him to Wal-Mart to but some real clothes. He lost everything he had, so he is really starting over. I had been hanging on tho his tax refund check, so we used that to buy him a wardrobe! It was hilarious! We walked in the door and he started pitching clothes into the cart. We only had 2 hours to get there, shop and get back, so it was a speed run! But now he has a warm coat, waterproof shoes, UNDERWEAR! and several changes of clothes and a BELT! He was holding his pants up with the cord that was on the bottom of the jacket that they gave him when he got out.

He looks good, he feels good, he has a great attitude, and he is excited about getting a job and getting back to earning some money. He has to find a job, and goes to at least four places a day. He has to walk or ride the bus everyday, no cars.

When we pulled into Wal-Mart he just sat there in the seat. When I looked over and asked why arent you getting out, he looked surprised, and said "Oh WOW, I can open the door myself!" Little things...

You cant see his beautiful blue eyes but they are there. He is 6'5" and 260, so he is not a little boy any more!

I pray everyday that he continues on this road to a normal LEGAL life! He says he is. I have all the faith in the world that he will. (crossed fingers)

He can NOT come home for Christmas, because he does not have a job yet. He earns 20 hours of "social Time" for every 32 hours he works, so maybe by New Years! I can go up anytime though, and it is only 60 miles, and 1 1/2 hours away, and NO ferry ride! SO it is real easy to get there. WHEW! Only takes 1/2 a tank of gas too! So I think I will take him a prime rib sandwich on Wednesday. I am such a nice Mommie huh?

buttons...

I was shopping through the markdown bin at the Scrapbook store the other day and I eavesdropped on a conversation between two women at the counter. THe store was clearing out stock preparing for a move. Everything was slashed at least 60 % off the regular price. THe store owner was telling about her former father in law who was a button salesman, and had a WONDERFUL demo box. When He died, her mother in law gave the button collection to her. The woman she was talking with was quite a bit older, and had been well-traveled and had buttons from all over the world.

That brought back a memory to me. When I was a little girl, we moved every two years, as Dad was in the NAVY, and we went overseas and back and up the coast and down the coast. We drove from San DIego to San Fransisco which was our sailing point. We would then come back into San Fransisco and then either drive up to Washington or Down to San Diego, depending on the duty station.

We usually had to spend about a week in the Bay area waiting to get the car out of the import yard, and then gather all our baggage, and our express shipments, and then hit the road. Aunt Dutch lived in Salinas, Calif. which is just down the coast from San Fransisco, so we always stayed there with her until Dad was able to get the car, get it ready to drive, load it up and check out.

Aunt Dutch was a very sweet old lady just like you would picture a little old lady in the early 50's. (she had to be all of 50!) OLD huh? Her only child was the same age as my Mother, so there were no little girl things in the house for us to play with.

Phyllis and I had to make do with what we could find. One of the things that we always got to play with was her sewing supplies. She had a HUGE glass jar full of buttons. Buttons of all sizes and colors, buttons of all shapes and material.
We would dump the button out on the floor and then try to match them up, the one that could come up with the most '4's of a kind, would win. We would then sew them together, so Aunt Dutch would know what matched what. The buttons were always a wonder to me, Where did they come from, what is a FROG? Does a toggle count if you dont have the other side? Plastic was not a factor then, as most of the buttons were either metal or shell or wood or glass.

Now I am much older than My Aunt was when I played with her button jar, and I too have a button stash. Mine is inan old Currier and Ives cookie tin from a Christmas long long ago. When ever I am getting rid of clothing that the kids had outgrown, or worn out, I ALWAYS cut the buttons off and put them in the can. Now mind you when ever I MADE something new, I always bought the thread, zippers, and Buttons the same time that I bought the material and the pattern, so I never used the old buttons.

Now I am in a point in my life where I could be doing something with all of these old and unusual buttons and as I dig through the tin looking for something, I notice the buttons that were on DOnnas first dress, or on her halloween Costume. I find TIms' cowboy shirt buttons, I find Jim's peacoat buttons, and soforth.

Just after I came back from the scrapbook store, I started googling buttons, and found tons of sites where you can find buttons of all shapes sizes, colors and materials. Sites full of old antique buttons, sites full of new plastic or glass buttons, And all of this brings me right back to Aunt Dutch and wondering what ever happened to that huge jar of buttons? I wonder if Gerald Edward knew what the value of that Jar was? Not in money, but in memories...probably not. Sigh!

BAD Week!

I am sorry for not updating, but things have been pretty grim around here.

We are in the grips of the nasty weather that Washington is known for...gray, cold, drippy, (not rainy,just drippy) dark and depressing. So when you are prone to depression any way, You just want to hibernate, snuggle under the covers, turn the blanket on high, grab the remote or a good book, and let all the animals jump in bed with you, and just HIDE!

I still have my house to clean before Christmas, and I just dont feel like it! I feel fine, but I am COLD! I am just shivering. I went swimming on Monday and the pool was even cold because the heater was out, and they had just gotten it fixed. It is hard to get motivated when you are chilled to the bone. Wednesday I did not go, as I did not want to go from cold house to cold pool! (BRRRRR)

Friday my Brother Mike got sick and had to be taken by ambulance to the hospital and he was admitted. He could not keep anything on his tummy. He goes in for his third Chemo treatment this next week, and I am so worried that he wont be able to tolerate it and they will have to stop.

I am not taking this well at all. I raised him, until he was thirteen, when I left home to start my life with Jim, and I was clear across the country. I had wanted a baby brother for years, and when I was 10 I got one. I have loved him since the day he was born. ANd yesterday I lost it. I just had to close myself in and just mourn.
I know things will get worse, and I worry so much about him and Sherry. Phyllis is keeping track of his progress on a site she created for him on caringbridge.com.
(I would link you here, but the link logo is gone from my posting page for some reason. No pictures either. If you go to Phyllis' site www.lifeonwhidbey.blogspot.com she has all the links there. You need to sign in and register, and I have not been able to access it, so it may need some tweeking, or it may be my dying computer!

ANYWAY!!

I appreciate all of you that are continuing to stop by and check on me.

oh GADS! I am watching EXTREME MAKEOVER HOME EDITION, and they are in Seattle dealing with the rain! Yes folks it really does rain that much down there. On to another week. Be safe!!

YAY!!!!

I'm getting a SON for Christmas. Tim got word last week that he will be transfered from Olympic COrrections Center, to a work release house in Bellingham. He will be going sometime next week, but they are not allowed to say when.

I will know when I get the phone call, that he is in work release, and when I can come see him. He MIGHT be able to come home for Christmas Dinner. Bellingham is only an hour's drive away, and no ferries to deal with, so It will be easy for me to get there.

I am so relieved!! Now to get him through the next 6 months and then on to a full time job! I guess being a Mother never stops! He sounds so UP! he swears that he will NEVER do anything wrong again. We shall see. I have faith in him and Told him so, so Hopefully hw will not dissappoint me. I think he grew up quite a bit in there.

My Brother Mike started his Chemo last week, had two in hospital treatments, and came home with a bag strapped to him. He goes back on Dec 17Th for another treatment. He is feeling a lot better, and since he was put on antidepressants, his mood seems a lot happier too. At least it sounds like he has some hope now where before he had NONE. I know this is just buying him time, but My God, 3 years plus is a long time for a miracle to happen.

My husband died giving himself an insulin shot, so he never even saw it coming and left a lot undone. At least Mike has some time to do what he needs to do, and plan for his ending. Hopefully there will be a cure or a remission, and hewill have many more years. Cancer is such an EVIL Beast!

With everything that has been going on, I forgot to make Christmas Cards this year! So some of you will be getting an e-card and a promise that I will not forget you next year. I feel so terrible about that! I remembered it today! SO even if I got started tonight, there is no way that I could get them made, mailed and paid for this month. You will all just have to forgive me.

NOw to re-decorate the bottom of the tree, as I hear Schroeder in there knocking the lower ornaments off again! I forgot about having a kitten too. ACK!!