Computer Is UP again!!!!

When the computer goes down the temper goes up and it takes a quiet lovely sunset to make things feel right again.   It is amazing what a beautiful river, this one in Arkansas, does for the spirit and the imagination.   Paula should be out walking the perimeter  but I am not there visiting to egg her on.

Another beautiful sunset.    and "I think to myself , what a wonderful world". . . la, la,.....can't you hear the music of the night. . . something special and all we have to do is listen.

The draught is on and the snow cap never made it up in Tahoe.  The lakes are shriveled and almost empty.  It looks like the weatherman is telling us that we are in for a very hot summer.    Mike is coming to visit tomorrow and I can hardly wait to see him.   He has been having one hundred degree days up there in Gardnerville.  I told him he would cool off here but I didn't know we were in for a change and our cool has turned hot and is going to get hotter.   Not much we can do about the weather, but make up our minds to make the best of it.   Some place has air-conditioning and probably a tall cool one . . .lemonade of course. . . or water or tea. . .okay a cool one....dark or light?

 

Here are the judges for the chicken wing contest.   Fourteen varieties and each one had to be tested by the judges.  That's Christine second from the end on the right.    The chicken wings were tasty.  I am glad I didn't have to pick a favorite.

How are you?   I hope each and every one is healthy and happy.    I have missed the daily blog and now that I have my pass word settled and the computer is doing what it is suppose to do and I have my fingers on the right keys, I think we can get back in business.     I am not sure how interested you are in hearing about 'almost' assisted living;   poor man's kind, one nice unfurnished apartment; this one on the sunny side so it is hot in here.  Chris came with a fan and that helps.    I did my dusting today just to keep the body bending and stooping or it might freeze in place.   Just remember when you get lazy and think you do not want to exercise, think ninety plus and know if you don't do it now you will never do it later.   What is that song about being connected to the neck bone and the leg bone and all that good stuff????   Just don't argue with yourself just keep all moving parts moving.    Here you see so many folks who did not like to walk and now shuffle with a walker.   You see folks who defied human nature and starved to be thin and now they have nothing to help them keep going.    We 'fatties' are ahead of the game.   I even had a hot fudge sundae tonight...an inch to pinch....all I have to do is find someone with strong enough fingers to pinch.

We had a trip to Paulsbo yesterday to the Casino, only three of us.  I thought  for sure they would cancel us out but the young lady, Karen, who runs this place, said no she was not going to cancel and for us to go and have a good time.   It took about an hour to get there on nice two lane highways and we opted for three hours and signed in for a card so got a free lunch and a bonus ticket so we got some added cents to our small wins.  There are many machines but no four card keno so I sulked for just a little while....found a new kind of bingo keno and that kept me busy and it gave me a little before taking it all back.   It was fun and our time went very fast.   

I have to tell you I had lunch with three men at the table the day before yesterday.  It was a new experience.  Larry is sweet, helpful and deaf as a haddock.   His VA hearing aids are not working very good.  He says he hears more of the outer noise than the voices at the table.   Vinney is Italian, I bet, if not he should be.    He has quit a sense of humor and loves to talk.   The other man is a young mid sixty fellow; has one of the diseases that takes away your ability to function properly.    He has a rough time just trying to eat.    There are several who barely function but they have the courage and desire to wake up and make the best of the day.   It is hard not to try and help them with their dishes but it is not allowed as they want to stay as independent as they can.    I am inclined to help so have to sit on my hands.    I do ask, if they smile and keep moving I just mind my own business.   I want to make it easier. . . and it is something they do not want and I can understand part of it.    Some I disagree with, but silently.

So today if you have a desire to help someone who does not want to be helped....give them a smile, a hug and a good word and let them fend for themselves.    Say a prayer they can survive another day and do what they want and need to do.   A touch of a hand does wonders.   Take good care of you . . . I'll be back...hopefully with some news to make you smile, and news that the really hard puzzle is going to come together, maybe by Christmas.   Hugs to all.

 

Sunday Morning Musing

Port Orchard , Washington  . . . I have a lot to learn about it so I  can tell you all about the area.    

The walkers are familiar but not the folks...we don't have fencing here but I bet the fellows would like to try it.

When I see the greens of Ireland, I want to go and visit one more time.   what a lovely country and people you would love to know.

Sunday morning and I am wide awake, have burned my bacon and scrambled a couple of eggs,  and am still feeling the results of leg cramps, the bad ones that leave you saying a Hail Mary or two.    Oh for a cure!!!   New legs are on my list ....come to think of it a new body would be okay too.    I have worn this one out.    

Sheila Mary joined me at Pat for a spaghetti dinner with a lovely salad and a rhubarb desert right from Pat's garden.  She is so proud of her garden boxes and the plants are coming right along.   We will have real true garden tomatoes this year.  Pat is moving slower but moving and that is what counts.   The M;S. has taken a new turn but she will be assessed by one of the doctors at the M.S. clinic and that will be a boon.    Hopefully the newest medication will help slow things down.   She will be tested next visit and then maybe she will be blessed with a small miracle.   So don't hesitate to say a prayer or two, it can only help.

Christine was off to the beach area some two hours away.   She and Pam had a special gallery event and from what I hear they had a great time and even found a casino they will take me to one day, only two hours away.....you know that wont be a frequent trip.   ... smile.

So you have Sunday seconds to use up today and it is up to you to decide what you want to do with them.   A good deed would be in order, as it is Father's Day and for those of you who have  a chance to share time with your father, plot and plan and make his day very special as some folks have no idea what a father really is.    Good, bad or indifferent, he is what he is, so love him because you can.    Hugs to all 

SATURDAY ALL DAY!!!

A lovely  cave in France.   Wonder where it leads;  what would we find there?   Now if we had a row boat we could go adventuring.

The tree stump is gone....John thought it should go but it had a lovely huge pot on it and the deer loved to stoop and eat all of the plants...food for the homeless.....oh well!!!

A friend sent a recent picture she took at Harris Beach in Brookings.....sigh!!!!

Sheila Mary is going to join Pat and me for a spaghetti feed tonight;   wine;   desert;    um....you could come if you were in our neighborhood.

I had a ride to a town called Shelton yesterday with daughter Pat.    I am a gamer, love to play the slots, have high hopes of winning a billion dollars and adopting all those in need but I guess I don't have to now that our government is taking care of all that.    I got to ride along a two lane highway with tall pines and reminiscent of a trip to Crescent City.    It was cool and lovely and when we drove through the little town we found our way to the Indian casino which was clean, big, beautiful and a restaurant that served really delicious food.    Breakfast at lunch time is always tasty and a side of biscuits and gravy with  really good coffee satisfied this palate.    The machines are many and repetitious so I looked for something different seeing they did not have my four card Keno machines.   They had Keno machines and a Keno pit with the big screen but I didn't do much more than a push on those.  No five spot....oh well, it was fun trying,and maybe, just maybe, the next trip will bring me a five spot.    We stayed  a couple of hours and had the return trip which seemed so much shorter than going.    It always does...although the mileage is always the same.    It was nice to get out and 'play'.

I just returned from dinner with the 'old' folks and we had a stewed beef with mashed potatoes and dark gravy along with mixed vegetables that were hot and tasty.    I don't eat all they serve or I'd be the size of a house.    I eat enough as it is, but if I ate all they put on a plate ...it wouldn't be a nice picture.   It is institution food and it has its good and bad meals and throwing out the desert is new to me as I love sweets but they manage to do something packaged that loses its flavor and I actually leave it behind or just don't take it.    I get my sweets from Doris who just walked up with four big brownies on a plate....see...I am well taken care of.

The table conversation today was about sports....football, baseball, soccer,  people, teams, rules and all that good stuff.  One lady was an expert and carried on a long conversation but I am not a sports fan so couldn't add a lot.   I did tell of going to a Boston Red Sox game some years back and watched Ted Williams hit a homer....it was exciting.   The same game when Crammer threw the baseball over the fence in a snit.   But football was her name to fame so I had nothing to add with the exception of wondering why the cameramen only found the rear end of the players to show and tell.    A huddle...isn't that what it is called?  I think I'll just sit and listen.

So know that listening is a good past time.   Be a good friend and listen to your loved ones as they need an ear now and then.    You have broad shoulders so put them to good use.    Don't forget listening is a good deed.   Don't forget hugs calm.   Don't forget to lead the way with a smile on your face and a lot of love in your heart.   Hugs to all.

   

A Tuesday Blog .

How beautiful , different, exotic and lovely to look at, delightful to own,   la, la, la. . . 

another exotic flower;   somewhat like a black bat with a desire to be more than it is.    Different, delightful and a melody all of its own.

There was a funny attachment about old timers. . . yeah, some just never get old.    I  haven't heard of a dance being held here at the senior apartments;  um . . . wonder if I should suggest they  have one soon.

I  thought I had to have an identification card seeing I no longer have a driver's licenses so daughter Patricia and I drove over to  Bremerton  to the DMV only to find that there are at least six offices you can go to.   We finally found our way and went into one to be told that we did not have to ride all the way over there, we could have been helped right here in Port Orchard. We passed the navy yard and there was a huge old ship , one of the big, big, carriers, probably rusting away.   It may have done its duty way back the forties.   The base is humongous.    Live and Learn.....but not a wasted trip as we found the mall and there was a Macy store and there was a sale on.   I imagine they do not sell much unless they have a sale as the prices are outrageous.  If I had to have an I D it would have cost $57.00 , that was a shocker, but the clerk was great and said my Oregon ID had four years to go so come back then and get a new ID.  I told her I would, if I was still around.  She thought I was about seventy;  now that is the kind of clerk to have on duty.

After all the walking and riding and getting lost and finding our way we found a sandwich shop right here in Port Orchard on the main street.   It is a funky kind of place where they have their own coffees and the names are exotic to say the least.  The coffee is delicious.   We shared a BLT on a flat bread that was a bit tough to chew but tasty.  I finally took mine apart or I'd still be there chewing away.    

Pat and I have been watching the second session of "House of Cards" and today we got to the end of the second session.  It has been very good and now we wait for the new season.    Kevin Spacy does a terrific job  as the President you love to hate.   I can only imagine who the role model is.    If you haven't seen it, give it a try , you might enjoy it.

Doris, the baker, made some delicious cinnamon buns.  The hallway smelled like a local bakery and we were all drooling in hopes of being invited into  her place for a taste, but, she walked down the hall with six for me and six for Rose, our almost centurion who was visiting me.   Soon two more came and I was making tea.   I haven't found my tea pot yet so will have to go over to Pat's garage and see if I did pack it.   I am sure I did.   So it pays to leave your door open and wait awhile;  one never knows who might pop in.

So, if you get lonely, feel alone, feel out of favor with your compatriots , get busy and put on your tea kettle and open the door wide . . . bake a cake,  or make some cookies and  share a little  ''sugar  time" with your neighbors.    Be sweet!!  Be kind and gentle and add a hug or two.    You get what you give....and  YOU can send me a hug anytime.    Hugs to all.

A Sunday Evening

I will bloom where I want to comes to mind.    Isn't nature wonderful?   I take a walk up to the corner and back, probably three city blocks and see all kinds of bushes with beautiful flowers.   The grass ares are filled with tiny yellow buttercups and a tiny daisy type flower.   What I picked up on my walk was some pine cones and have put them in my 'sea' dish that Bob and Andrea gave me some time back.   I put the little salt and pepper animals on the plate too and made a little setting for the table.   Looks pretty good, if I do say so myself. 

Since I last wrote Jock was off hunting pheasant and he got a beauty.  I had the picture but where I put it is a mystery.    It was huge and beautiful.

Reminds me of a bride. Petals in the wind.

Well here it is Sunday evening and I am feeling a bit bored;  it is quiet.   Well, earlier today I was sitting in my chair wrapped up in a very good book when an ungodly sound went off...thought my TV had blown up;  was sure I left the stove on and it blew up;  was wondering if the potty blew;  it was relentless , loud, and of course the fire alarm I had not heard as yet.  the fire truck came but I doubt there was much for them to do as the alarms are easily set.  Some on must have burned toast today.   I hear it happens often.    I put my fan on and the light and am careful to try and not set the alarm off.    Hopefully I will win in the long run but it does give me something to think about.    So far I have't burned anything or blown anything up, but....that doesn't mean I wont.  The instructions are to stay in your room with the  door closed. . . um. . . I'm not sure that is wise. I did go out on the patio and it is too high to jump off of, but not to high for a fireman or two...or three...to rescue me.

It has been a busy week.    Christine and Pam joined me and Pat for some Mexico fresh tuna which Pat cooked up on the grill.  the salad was wonderful.  Pat makes the best salad.    We had a glass of merlot.   We had tarts for desert.   So there is nothing we can complain about.    Trying to explain what I mean by institutional food is not easy.  You can't explain why it is different but it just is.   The food served  this genarian crew is not all bad, just not made with the same loving hands as good old mom.   If the markets run out of turkey and chicken we are going to wonder what is camouflaged under all that gravy.  Those of you who served in the service will know exactly what I mean.    AND it doesn't solve a weight problem.  smile.

Doris, the expert cookie maker on our floor came with two kinds of cookies which were delicious.  I shared them with my daughters .   Christine came by this morning and we rode over to  Costco in a  town called Silverdale.   I am hoping to go back one day soon to do some shopping.   After walking the big aisles of Costco I didn't have the energy to shop  at the other stores in the area.    Crowds of  people waiting to get in the door and baskets filled to the brim in minutes.    Christine bought all of her animal needs for those two cats she supposedly had for a short temporary time.    They are 'hers' and they love to eat.   I bought some special pecans for Doris with the premise I will get some of those cinnamon buns she makes..  I found my coffee and some of those delightful figs and a case of Amy's lentil soups which I will share.    After that huge eleven a.m. eating the appetite is not there at the real dinner time and a cup of hot soup should do the trick.    A hot fudge sundae would taste better though.

So, back to my book now that I have said hello.   I hope each of you are feeling great and doing good things for yourselves.    Remember you have folks to love, children to teach, and a good deed or two to take care of this week.     Count your blessings each day and know you are very, very, lucky . . . look around someone is waiting patiently for a little of your attention and a walk in hug.     Hugs to all.

Thursday Evening

If it looks like a duck, talks like a duck and walks like a duck then it has to be a duck,and this probably isn't even a duck but you know what I mean.    I couldn't resist as I liken my fellow 'genarians' (my word for the upper seventy crowd)  as we waddle behind our walkers and make our way to the coffee urn, the salad bar and on to be called up and served our main dinner.    We had a cheeseburger with tater tots, cold slaw and a creme of  broccoli soup topped off by a strawberry parfait.   We stack our dishes, and waddle back to our apartments.  As for me I exchange my cane for my walker and go for a walk.    I found a new spot to walk around, the building next store to us has a lovely garden area complete with cement walk ways and there are bushes of roses and other plants in full bloom busy with bees almost as beautiful as the flowers themselves.    If any one says there are no bees around, send them this way as we have more than we need as well as an over abundance of gorse which has taken over the entire state of Washington.

Well again, I have to tell you if you want pretty then come visit the genarians   and you will find all of  the above.   The ladies are of all sizes and shapes and each one has earned the wrinkles and the bends of age, but they have sparkles in their eyes, roses in the cheeks and voices filled with  memories of another time in which they spread tales that make you laugh out loud.  So if you are finding fault with yourself, remember there will be a day when you will look in the mirror and find out just what look you inherited....sweet, pretty, or just plain sour.   You really are working on it now.

The battle cry.     Wonder if it works? 

Here it is Thursday evening and we had a cool day.    The weather here in the Northwest is playing with us as it is hot one day, cold the next, breezy one day, not a movement at all , but the traffic is never ending and I heard on the television that the Northwest is where all the allergies really are;   I could do with hearing that with all the allergies I have had to contend with in the various places I've lived;.    If it is trees, well there are all kinds of trees around here;    if it is bushes, well I think the Northwest, especially here in Washington State, the ground must be open to gorse as it has really taken over everywhere.  It really is unbelievable

My telephone has a nice ring to it..  I heard it today.    Daughter Christine called to tell me a new refrigerator was being delivered and she was on her way over to oversee the delivery.    It came, it is beautiful and it is three times the size of the tiny one that was here.   When it is time for me to leave this complex she will be able to retrieve it.  I think she said Pat could keep an ice cold "Doseci" or a case or two of soda in it at some future date.    The refrigerator that was here was not working good as I lost a couple of containers of milk and a loaf of crusty bread.   I was amazed to hear the young man who delivered it say he did not take away the huge cardboard box or all the bits and pieces of Styrofoam.    Times certainly have changed.

A second call, yes two in one day, I'm living it up.    Rose, our 99 year old wanted me to come visit.  She has repeat stories to tell and does get depressed but she does snap out of it and takes out her special game of tiles and does her best to beat you.    She is sweet and has earned the right to be depressed as she lost a daughter some months back and the pain has not lessened.    Her daughter must have been a very special person as I read one of the stories friends wrote about her and she sounded like a person we would all like to share time with.

So here I am back upstairs.   I ate my cheeseburger and everything not glued to the plate, had my dessert and am ready for my programs.   Thanks to each of you who have taken time to call and write and e mail to perk up my morale.   I love you all and hope you remember you get out of life what you put into it, no more, no less.   So be sure you get around to at least one good deed today.   There is a huge chance someone you know needs a hug.   You know you excel in hugs so get busy.    It's okay to send one this way.   I thrive on hugs.    AND, YOU DO TOO.    I'll be back.  Hugs to all.

It is Friday Again

The alcove where my bed resides along with my lamp and at the foot of the bed is a large double door closet.  The little box on the wall  has a string attached which you can pull if you are in trouble.   It is connected to the 'hospital' building across the way. 

My desk with computer, in front of a huge window, Christine's lovely floral sheers, my lamp which was purchased in Carson City in 1982, Pat's plant stands which double for book cases on occasion and a fan to cool me off when I get 'hot under the collar", and last but not least, one of Christine's old television sets which works great.. 

The dining area with Pam's little dinette set she no longer used.   Works great and right now has a puzzle on it.  That is my entrance door where the light is on the right of the picture.  The bath room is on the left of the entrance.

My kitchen.   The white paper on the refrigerator side is our menu for the weekly meal served upstairs in the dining area.  I can bake, fry and make meals right here.   The refrigerator is very tiny so you have to choose carefully what to put in it.  A dozen eggs, a loaf of bread, some fruit .  Left overs keep too. 

See. I do pretty good in making the treats fit.    The last of the homemade applesauce.   Blue berries in the white container and down int he drawer are muffins and bread;  food for a queen.   

As you can see from the pictures, the apartment is sizable for a studio.   I have no one over me and the apartment  under me is a special unit used for visitors.   I haven't found out much abut it or the cost yet, but I am sure it doesn't come cheap.   The building that houses the apartments is one of three with parking spaces surrounding each.   I will have to take my camera for a walk outside so you can see what it looks like.

It has been a busy week.   I am learning more names although I don't remember them all.    It will take time but I am working on it.    Yesterday I walked  along the first floor corridor to  check out the doors.  Each one has some one thing to welcome you.   I hung my Irish leprechaun and put my name on it in big black letters.    The one that caught my attention yesterday was a beautiful scene.   I stopped to look at it and Jan came out of her apartment and invited me in.   We stood by her door as she told me the picture was a scene from Alaska where she spent ten years.  She will have many interesting tales to tell and I've been invited back to visit any time.   She was very gracious and said she was very glad I came to live there.    One down, at least sixty more to go....smile.

I sat with three ladies for our dinner yesterday, two were in the mid nineties and one in her late eighties.   Two have no names yet, but Margaret was easy to remember because that is my middle name.   Association is what is needed and difficult with a cheesecloth memory.  We had delicious chili and corn bread which went down so nice, but, yep the proverbial but, the rest of the day was a reminder repeat of just how tasty it was....never again!!  The food, for the most part, is close to institution food, probably boxed or bagged similar to how they bake at Fred Meyer stores.    Pre-packaged so you really do not know what is within the confines of the box or bag.    The soups are really very tasty and the variety is great, but, there it is again, feeding folks who are on salt and sodium free diets is not in their thoughts.    Salt means taste and taste is what they  try for.   You know if they serve ham it will be followed the next day with a bean soup with ham;    if they serve beef, you can be sure you will have a beef vegetable soup the next day.   They even serve dishes with no names , some delicious, some you wouldn't eat if they paid you to, and some with the comfort food of old.  No complaints, just fun to watch...and I don't have to cook.........yeah, I miss it.

Yesterday,  Pat picked me up and we drove over to her house and watched a few more episodes of "House of Cards" on Netflick.   It has been quite a series and I am anxious to view more. We stopped at a yard sale on the way and I looked over a lot of books but am reluctant to fill the book case I brought with me;  the big one with lots of shelves.    I told the lady I had just given away boxes of books when I down sized;  there's that word again;   and the one book I did choose to buy was an antique one by Barre of  Peter Pan renown.  She smiled, and said she wanted to give the book to me to welcome me to Port Orchard  and I got a hug along with it.     Emma was happy to see me and I got lots of doggy kisses.    We had a treat, some wine, crackers and cheese as we waited for Christine to join us with a pizza for dinner.   She chose one with artichokes that was really tasty.   So my day ended in the company of my daughters where a lot of  love and hugs abound.   Yes,   I am one very lucky lady  So, if  have any complaints I'll keep them to myself  and take one day as it comes.

Meanwhile, take one second at a time and think about that one good deed you want to do today.    There is some on person in your life who needs and wants a tiny bit of your time.  They will give back what you give, so be generous and be on the receiving end of a lot of love.     Thanks for taking time to keep me company.    YOU are special, each one of you. Hugs to all.