Computers!!!!!

Good Morning.    I have been on the computer for some time this morning trying to pull up a picture or two to make you smile.   I have a few beauties but I cannot get the program  to work.   I cannot tell you what has transpired over the last couple of days as daughter Christine has come over to rescue me.  The computer has , or at least seems to have, a mind of its own.    I will tell her that the computer is acting up and not working, yet when she sits down and adds her magic fingers to the key board all goes just fine.   I think the computer 'has it in for me'. . .and  I am so gentle with the keys.  Throwing it out the window seems to have more merit on a daily basis.

July First turned out to be a good day, hotter than hell as the old expression goes, but we survived it...fans are working over time and the coolest place in our building is the dining area, up on the third floor.    There was a special musical at two o'clock and we were entertained by a family of musicians, all violins and piano.   They were In the mood to play patriotic music so we got to sing along and tap our feet.   

Prior to this entertainment, I met up with Vinney and his "Winds of War" book.   We had a discussion one day at lunch about what books we would like to read and this was one of his favorites.   He told me he thought there were three books and he knew there had been as many movies made from them.  He said he couldn't read until after he has an eye operation which would be coming up soon.  I offered to read to him, like I used to read to Russell in Brookings a year or so ago.    He wasn't quite sure that he might look 'less masculine' being read to;  or maybe I wouldn't  read properly, although he didn't say that out loud, but he did say he'd like to try listening.  He didn't say he was going to test me but some masculine ex-Navy men have a way of 'putting a dame down'.    So, we met in the lounge area, got comfortable and I read for almost two hours.   He was in pure heaven.  He had more comments and thoughts pouring out of him and laughed out loud.   So we will meet for a shorter session today.  We will call a halt over the weekend and then find some time again next week.   

So if you like to read, think about sharing some time with someone who is unable to read anymore.   Give them a treat and verbal hugs as you spend a little extra time with them.   There is a lot of 'need' out there, one way or another.   All you have to do is think, one good deed, and you can make the world go around for someone you like , someone you love, and some one who just needs a bit of both.   Share YOU with someone today.   Hugs to all.

Smoke Gets In Your Eyes!!!!

I couldn't have put a better sign up this morning.  Things you cannot control, smoke when you are trying to cook and egg and it sets of the fire alarm that has been on for what seems like a half hour;  it sure is a noisy apparatus.   I threw the eggs out, can't eat them or anything for awhile....whew.....I guess this makes me official now as this happens more often than not;   wonder why the smoke filter doesn't work better.  

How lovely.

How lucky I am.

Granddaughter Erin sending a bit of love.  

The first of July, a new month, a summer month, heat, and more heat;  think we are in for a good hot summer  if this past week is a harbinger of things to come.    I miss the Brookings foggy mornings.  I miss the beaches.   I took a walk around town yesterday when Christine dropped me off so I could visit the antique shop on the corner.  A huge store filled with all those things I gave away, threw away and am not going to collect again....well I do have to replace a cookie jar as I miss my big one that housed cookies and crackers and kept them crisp and tasty.    I spent a good hour browsing and saw so many lovely old things.   I then took a walk outside to be at the meeting point where Christine would pick me up.   It was hot and sunny so I walked over to the ferry landing and looked over the marina.  There are lots of beautiful boats out there and no one seems interested in taking them out .   Probably at work and waiting for a weekend.   There are a few sail boats on the move and they look very nice sailing along.    There are huge Navy ships over across the bay waiting to be dismantled.  There was a sign to read which told a bit of the history of Port Orchard, something to do with a sea captain and his boat blowing up in the harbor.  I walked to the curb and stood looking around to see what else I could see, not realizing I was standing at a cross walk and traffic stopped to let me cross.   I finally realized they were waiting for me so I waved them on and wondered if they were saying nice things about me.     I finally did cross over the walkway and went over to where there are benches you can sit on.  It was much to hot so I walked to the shady side of the building and waited for my ride.  A young black man came by heading for the ferry .  He thought he'd ask for money for food .   A lady stopped her truck to ask if I needed help as I stood holding up a building,.and offered to call or give me a lift...nice, but I was really fine.   I wonder if I looked lost or just very old and needy.   Chris and Mike arrived and we walked around the corner to a huge restaurant for some lunch.    I had a cup of chowder filled with salmon, fish and clams.  It was delicious.  Next time I'll order a whole bowl full and meet Christine at the restaurant.  

So if you are standing on a corner waiting for a ride, just smile and many things will happen to brighten your day.    Today, I offered to read to Vinny , one of the elderly gentlemen who cannot read until he has his eye operation.   He has been wanting to read "The Winds of War" so I offered to read to him.   We will try it out today and see how it goes.    I'll let you know.    So go, do your good deed for the day. Make yourself useful and you will feel content.  Kindness does that.    Hugs to all.

 

6/30/15

Fried Sharon Quinn is at it again, a new fun picture, a sort of lazy crazy day of summer. . . . heat isn't a problem with these guys.   I'd say they were having a great time.

We are all very experienced!!

Yep!   Every day brings that thought to mind.    I am amazed at how little I have learned and how much more there is to learn.   

You probably noticed I had my day off yesterday; for some reason it was Sunday morning, maybe because Patricia and I went grocery shopping first thing like we used to do on a Sunday morning in Brookings.   I soon learned it was Monday and it proved to be another hot day so I got to watch the last of "Cedar Cove" season and now have to wait for a new season.   Pat made her chicken enchiladas and we watched a Nicole Kidman movie which proved to be confusing and ugly.  You would think the Hollywood writers would come up with something more interesting than abuse.    There is enough of it in this world without making a movie about it.    They just don't make good movies anymore and haven't for a very long time.     I remember a time when you went to a movie to get away from the on gong problems of the world and enjoyed an uplifting musical or comedy.  Hollywood was in its heyday and they worked hard at producing movies the patrons could hardly wait to see.    I suppose the same goes today when people flock to see the trash they put out there now.    Beauty is in the eye of the beholder...how true.    Well, I can't speak for everyone, just me, and I can't go to a dark movie house and hunker down , even with  a bag of popcorn, as it is dark and cozy and I fall asleep before the ads are over.   So I cannot get a badge for being a good movie fan, those days are long gone.  

So today, make it special and find something to do that will brighten your spirit.    Share you with those you love .   Life isn't really about how much you really know, it's about  using what you do know in making your seconds count .   Bringing good cheer and laughter to family and friends is a special gift of sharing what you have learned . . . live life, laugh at lot and don't forget love makes the world go around.  Hugs to all.

Sunday Morning.

Memories of Monday washday for years, and years and years....

A smart and a novel idea to follow.....think about that!!

Now here is a beach I'd like to find and take a walk along.  What colorful rocks to make a welcome pathway to your front door.

Sad, but true.....

Hey there, Christine, how about this for a hedge around your front walkways.   I bet you would love it. 

Good Sunday morning.  I'm late this morning, was off grocery shopping at Fred Meyers store here in Port Orchard.  Daughter Pat and I got a very early start and I got my exercise in walking this huge store, aisle, by aisle, by aisle.    I found a few specials to store in the refrigerator.  Blueberries are still on sale and very big and sweet.   The asparagus looked very good so I bought some to add to our dinner tonight.   Did I get everything on my mental list?   NO!!!  Do I ever?   NO!!!!    The brain still works, the legs get a work out, the shelves are filled with tasty treats and the basket gets filled up list or no list.   So think about that. . . I forgot to get.......smile.....well, I can go back another time, after all who needs ice cream sandwiches ?  I do!!!   I see the "It's It" are back;  remember that San Francisco ice cream round of oatmeal cookie with vanilla ice cream dipped in chocolate????  I do  .   and they are back.  So next week I'll make my list and put them on top.  Not sure how many in a box so I'd better buy two, don't want to run out before the week is over.

So today, be good, be kind, be loving.  Don't let the weather get you down.  Weather is not always the way we like it but it is all we have and we have to put up with what we get.    Me, I'd like less heat, more rain, a bit of fog, a break and a bit of sunshine preferably shared with family and friends.    I made a new friend today, a gentleman who visits my neighbor across the hall. . . Gwen, probably close to one hundred, very crippled and very slow.   He has been a friend for many years when he and Gwen's husband met in Nam and they promised each other who ever made it back would keep an eye on the other ones spouse .   True to his word he comes every Sunday morning and walks Gwen up the long hall and back.   Today, my door was open so he stopped and said hello and I found out he is a retired teacher and takes time to help a few folks who find it hard to help themselves.   A good man to know.   A good man to be admired.  So take a look at yourself and think about what you can do to make some one persons life a little brighter, a little easier and the feel of a loving touch.  YOU can do it. . . just put a smile on your face and reach out with that big heart of yours.    Someone needs a hug today.    Hugs to all.   

A Pixie

Malea and Levi have a tiny pixie living in their house.   Isn't she a cutie!!!   She has a big sister just as cute and both can keep mom and dad busy.  

Writing on the wall . . . as far back as time . . . and the experts want to do away with cursive writing. . . are they crazy???  I think so.   There is nothing more beautiful and loving than a written note from someone who cares enough to sit down , take a pen in hand, and send you words caring, kindness and most of all love.

In case you are having a picnic today, or even if you are not having a picnic today, these healthy little chips will make you healthy and happy.  Slice up a couple of zucchini, sprinkle a tablespoon of olive oil over them add a little salt and pepper, a little garlic wouldn't hurt, bake in a 225 degree oven for 110 to 120 minutes, then sprinkle with Paprika and enjoy.

Yes, mother's gave you a gift to last a life time, a bit of themselves; but father's gave you the other half of the same gift.  So between them, you are who you are and, what you are and will become, or even have become, is that special love they wanted to share.  So accept the fact that you have the duty to take good care of YOU and pass on these gifts of life to your children so they too will understand what heritage means.

 

It is Sunday morning, hot already.   It was a scorcher yesterday and there was a parade in which daughter Christine , the Woman of the Year, rode in an open car and waved to the crowd standing on the sidewalk.    Pat and I did not go and it made us feel guilty not to be there to wave back to this wonderful woman who does so much for her community and is a very special sister and daughter.    Pat's M.S. kicked in with the heat and my walking and standing days are all but over.   That didn't stop us from getting a cookout ready when they returned.   The crowd was huge, the parade a success and the Port Orchard folks didn't let the heat bother them.   But son, Michael, was there and he waved back at her, probably yelled a few words but we'll never know.  He was very happy to get back to air conditioning and put his feet up.   He turned on the TV to a comedian who was a bit on the raunchy side , bit, that is an understatement, he was down right low life with a vocabulary of about six words and all of them ear splitting.    I have to admit I did laugh at a few of his thoughts, but believe me it was not my kind of humor.  The difference in watching Debby MacComber's "Cedar Cove" and the comedian was like night and day.  

 

So today, choose wisely when you turn on the television.  There are some programs that should not be on there especially for the young folks who are just beginning to learn a little about life.   A joke can be funny or not;  so listen and make up your mind what you want to fill you mind with.    Bathroom humor is for those who do not appreciate or honor the human spirit.    As for me, I can't tell a decent joke as I often lose the punch line before I finish telling it. 

 

It is a day to relax and do good deeds.   Visit a sick friend.   Light a candle for a soul that is waiting at the Garden Gate.    Surround yourself with good friends and family and have a cookout or go for a ride to a park and have a picnic.    Find reasons to laugh out loud and share YOU with your family and friends.   Hugs to all.

Heat Wave

The Thessellona Islands in Greece, seems to me it would be a cool place to visit in this heat wave.   Oh for a money pot and a ticket on a jet . . . Greece would be a great place to visit.    The heat wave caught up with us.   Son Michael arrived with white hair;   I sure know how to pass along the 'right' genes.    Well, Cornelius was gray at twenty so I can't  take all the credit.    My son looked so good and I waited a whole year for that hug.   Sitting out on Pat's porch with three of my children was quite a treat, then we took off for the Lighthouse and  they laughed when I ordered the child's plate of fish and chips;  believe me it is more than enough and always tasty.  The waiter was a very nice young man and didn't argue that I was not a child.  I think he knew I was heading for my second childhood.

Looks like the artist at work.   What a great picture for a child's bedroom wall.      A bit of abstract to make their world go round.  

I didn't get to blog for Mother's Day so hope each of you had a wonderful day and were treated by your children, or at least a call or a card telling you how wonderful you really are.   Mothering is not an easy task and it doesn't come with instructions but how hard each one works at making your life the best it can be each second of every day. Of course, there are some who should never have been mothers , but that is a tale for another time.

Seems I've put this saying on more than once.  Maybe it needs to be said more than once.   Just hang in there and practice every day until you get perfect at letting go....and letting God....and starting each day with a prayer to be the best you can bed. . .one day as it gets here. 

Here it is Saturday morning and my routine has changed.   I still get up before the birds but have to move much more quietly as I have a very nice lady living in the studio apartment right under me.    She did comment that I get up early, well I do, and there isn't much I can do about that.   I have never been one to sleep in;  why?  I don't know, it is just the way it is.    I do try and walk lightly but you know how that works, the lighter I try to walk the heavier the foot steps;  why?   I don't know . . . it is just the way it is. 

My television can be heard.....well I can turn it down a little but my hearing has gone by the wayside so thanks to closed caption I do fine..  As to turning it down more. . . I can do that but I am not sure I can give in to every little hint.    It is so much nicer to live in a house all alone.  If I had my druthers that is what I would be doing.  Putting up with fussy neighbors is another dilemma  all by itself.    We wonder about all the world in conflict;  maybe it starts with neighbors. 

We were told to close our doors and windows and keep as cool as we can and drink lots of water.  They are worried with so many senior members here that are frail and fragile.    I went outside where there is a chair by the front door and a breeze so stayed cool as I read my book.    I put my fan on when I returned to my place as it stayed cool but no fresh air .   This is a very old building so no air conditioning.    There is a lot that could be done but the expense would be great and then the rent would go up and then we'd all have to move, probably to a tent in the park.    I miss Brookings and the fog.

So, if you are in a heat wave, don't panic, stay cool, calm and collected.   Put some ice in a towel and put it in the freezer, take it out when it becomes unbearable and cool down.    Find a shady spot, grab a book and hunker down.    Sherbet is great for cooling down....I remember little white paper cups filled with delicious sherbet in rainbow colors that made the tongue sing on a very hot summer day.   Try it and share some with those you love.    Be good, be kind, be gentle and walk into a hug or two today.  Hugs to all.

TGIF

A lovely  thought to start our weekend.   It is going to be a HOT one.    Maybe a ride out to the nearest woodland will keep us from shriveling up. 

If we let the weeds grow they really do have some beauty.   I take a walk out after 'dinner' and admire all the flowers and plants along the way, but my major stop is our weed patch at the beginning of the drive way where they go unnoticed and survive into a beautiful flowery patch that has to be admired.

  

    Everyone heads down the hallways and around hallway corners to the elevator leading up to the third floor where the dining hall is.   The walkers take a lot of space so some of us do take to the stairs and sometimes our fellow diners cheer us on in admiration for our last ditch efforts of stair climbing.    A good thing there are railings on both sides! 

 

If you arrive in the hallway early then you wait for the door to unlock and enjoy a bit of chatter with those waiting patiently for their main meal of the day.    Once the door opens the parade begins and everyone has one thought in mind, coffee, milk, water and what table to go to;  then, back to the buffet line and choose either delicious fruits or salad and grab a desert before they are all gone. Of course, one cannot be in a hurry as the 'old' folks have their own way of moving.  

   Meanwhile the cart has to come over from another building and that means it may not get there until twelve thirty or later and then each table is called by number and off you go to the buffet line and receive huge portions of one of the two specials.    After everyone has had their fill, the pans are open for those who want to fill their containers for another meal.  It is what I call institution food and it can be very good or really bad.   The taste buds tell the difference.  As for the menu we have a variety of turkey, chicken, ham, pork chops which can be served alone or in a mixture with a fancy name.    Yesterday we had an interesting looking dish which turned out to be tiny hamburger balls and sausage in large elbow macaroni with a delicious sauce.  Most folks went for the chicken and slaw so missed out on a very tasty dish.    I commend the cooks for their efforts to feed us well.    It is not an easy job.   They work hard to provide us with a variety and have to put up with a lot of complaints.    Just think what it is like to feed a large group of people daily and come up with nutritious and healthy choices;  not an easy job at all..

So today think about all the folks who have to eat what they get and like it or not and those who are hoping for a handout as they have little or nothing on their plates.    Remind yourself not to waste;  what is that saying. . ."'waste not - want not".   Send a small check to the church of your choice where they spend time and effort to feed those who cannot feed themselves.    Buy and donate a few cans of food to the Food Banks, and add a few extras.     So get on with your good deed for today and get out there and make the world a better placed.  Add a smile and a walk in hug and you will glow like a candle in the dark.   Hugs to all.