Saturday Catchup- Politics

And there you have it..... Words to pay attention to.     We have a long year ahead and there will be many changes in those who are running.    So many Republicans and few Democrats have come forward.  Hillary seems dauntless.    Hopefully the field will thin.    Hopefully we will know, come November of 2016, who has the strength and the fortitude to lead America .  So it is up to us to pay attention and not throw away our vote....it does count.....one can make a difference.  I expect a lot of awful truths will come out against each one running, so your mind will change as you become more knowledgeable of each candidate.   A lot cannot be bothered to listen to., or follow the candidates and even cringe at the word politics, but, you need to pay attention so that your vote counts. 

It is Saturday morning....get up, go do what makes you happy and start with a nutritious breakfast.   I'm thinking awful waffles but I don't have a waffle iron anymore.  I used to have one of those little square ones , Belgian, I think it was called, and the waffles were always so tasty.   My name  for them was always, 'awful waffles' , not because they were awful , but only because they had a tendency to broaden the beam.   One led to two.....yum!!

Today is a good day to catch up with yourself.   Maybe, just maybe, you need some rest time.   Maybe you can slow down  and as the old adage goes...'smell the roses' ;   feet up, a good book, or even a little television time.    If the weather is good, take a hike....and enjoy your weekend.  Order pizza and stay out of the kitchen.    Don't answer the phone; be a hermit, be a slug today. . . it will allow you to rejuvenate..  Be good, be kind, be gentle with YOU....you have earned it.   Hugs to all.

Make your weekend special, like you, and don't be stingy...give of yourself......a good deed.....a smile....a handshake......and one or two of those good old bear hugs.   

Sayings

A truism.

another truism

Strange , not sure if this is a tree leaves ghost or what.....lost the caption so put your thoughts to work.

Ha,. ha, and they never get to old to stare....is this wishful thinking?   ha, ha,  I hope so.   Life is much to short to lose all memories of the good old days.    The men here at Ridgemont are outnumbered so they smile and run like hell....walkers help them put a little speed in their escape. 

We had dinner out at the Lighthouse last evening.   The girls are so good to me, I like to treat them come pay day.   I ordered the ribs and the girls ordered the hamburger with salad , one of their favorite dishes.   The chef knows his stuff and the presentation is as important as the food to him.   He gives you enough food for at least two on your plate and adds a bit of colorful tidbits on the side.    Delicious and Pat had to renege on the Merlot as she has had a week of high doses of medication to try and stop the exacerbations of the M.S.  I decided to have some Merlot and it was very good but I had not had much food so it let me know I am not as young as I think I am.   I sipped and enjoyed, ate my delicious ribs and the twice baked potato, finished my wine and stood up ....dizzy....me...dizzy...well I've been called that once or twice in my life but not because of a sip of wine.   Scared us all , but I seemed fine once I got moving , so I gather my wine days are over and my whine days are coming up.  

Vinnie and I had a good read , up to chapter forty-six and making headway.   He came by later with two tangerines and visit.  He brought back my stamps so I am thinking the tangerines were payment for the ones he used.    Quite a character.  He was suppose to use the whole page of stamps and then buy me a new sheet when he went to the Post Office.   Maybe he thought he was being short changed as a couple were missing.   Who knows!!!   Wasn't there a program on the TV or radio years ago with that title..."People Are Funny."  or something like that.   Art Linkletter comes to mind.

 

Meanwhile Friday has crept up on us and the weekend is ahead.    Christine had a successful trip to San Francisco and caught up with some of the new folks who have been added to the office down there.    Her next trip is to Texas to meet the new owners of the business and some of the people she deals with on the telephone.    She found a small  hotel to stay in and said her room was very nice.  There was morning coffee;   afternoon tea for the guests and milk and cookies before turning in.  What a way to treat guests.    It was interesting  to hear about the working world folks and it sounds like not much has changed in the inter action of folks.    Office politics is never fun....guess it wasn't meant to be.   

 

So today treat yourself to some barbeque ribs and be sure to get a finger bowl and lots of napkins.    Take a family member along , or a friend or two and have some fun.    Don't drink on an empty stomach, it is dangerous....water and coffee are healthier.   Have a decadent desert instead.  Be good, be kind, be gentle, share your talents today as you have many of them.   Be the 'hugger' of the town and add to your reputation of being one of the 'good guys'.   Hugs to all.

 

Meow!

This cat must have thought he saw a mouse and moved a little to fast...poor thing, all hung up.

Ha, ha...that single mind gets its comeuppance now and then.   

Beauty rainbows and water falls. . . um . . . so beautiful, peaceful and misty.  reminds me of an abstract painting as there ae hidden faces in the mists.

Carson Valley from Kingsbury grade.   I would like to have a nickel for every time I rode down that grade and looked at this scene.    It is really awesome.    How I miss Nevada and its beauty and  some wonderful friends.   Son Michael is still in the valley and hopefully I will get one more trip up to see him before to long...well, it will be after the winter months as once the snow starts the roads are hard to travel on.   

 

Yesterday at Ridgemont it was quiet as we had a family group visit and they brought along their violins and played 'chamber music' which I have not heard in some time.   I am not familiar with the music as I lean towards the Big Band era and like that toe tapping music.  A lot of folks love chamber music and I have to admit the family did a great job.   We spoke with the mother and she said a family friend taught music and invited her to bring all of her children to her and she taught them all to play the violin.   There are two boys and six girls, siblings with a cousin or two thrown in.    They all seem quiet and dedicated and give of their time to the senior residences along the way.    Talk about good deeds!

 

I met one of the new ladies and she said her name is Peaches.  She is tiny, perky and the name fits.   She has smiling eyes and has decided she is going to like living here in Ridgemont.    She has an apartment on the first floor and was walking the second floor hallways trying to find her way up to the dining room which is on the third floor.  It is a little daunting around here when you first get here but after awhile you realize all the corridors are pretty much laid out the same way.    She told me she has dementia but it didn't seem so.  She seemed sharp as a tack.    She told me she keeps busy so I am not sure whether I will get to see much of her in the future.   We have some folks who live here but do not participate in lunch or  the activities.    The men folks seem to shy away from social affairs but that is normal for them...isn't it?   Put on a TV with sports and they would fight for front seats. . . some things never change.

 

So today, we find the week is slipping away fast, so start making plans for your upcoming weekend.    the catalogs are coming in daily and some I 've never seen or heard of before.    I cannot believe the prices of the merchandise and then the addition of shipping on most of them which is almost the price of the object your looking at.    I think about how bad the economy is, how many are not working, how poverty poor the middle class has become and wonder where these folks think people are going to get money to buy their merchandise.    I'm for holding out for a 'poor' Christmas and go back to the old depression days when a  home made gift said it loud and clear..."I love you" and the smallest gift made that true.  So give a little thought to what is right for you.    Today is a good starting point, practice walk in hugs, a light touch, a smile and a little of your time....one of the greatest gifts of all.    Hugs, hugs, hugs.....and Hugs to you.

 

 

 

Hum

Well, la ,la ,la , may not sound like words but they manage to fill in those artist words and in the right key.  If you could sit in our sing along you would know exactly what I mean.   

A little irreverent but some folks think nothing of taking your seconds and turning them in hours of 'poor me' nobody loves me account of I'm a me'. . . a little compassion is fine, a lot is dangerous as it makes the complainer stronger and you exhausted and weaker as they are not looking for answers but a shoulder to cry on.    If they wanted to end the problems , all they have to do is face them and make a firm decision as to how and what they really want in their lives. If they want an audience they should go on stage.

A lovely first snow in the Sierras.   Such lovely country.  Such fond memories .

A truism and a lovely poem to start our November off.

The heat kicked on this morning so it must be cold outside.   It is much to early to open the blinds.  Sit tight a minute, I am off to see if the coffee is ready.  I am.    I'll be back.

Okay, I'm back, took a bit longer than I thought as I had a bran and carrot muffin calling to me and it was one of those real tiny ones so I had to put on an English muffin  and wake up my taste buds.  Ah, coffee, magic in the early morning.   After ninety years it is wearing the kidneys out but it has been a delightful 'wake-up' for all that time.    There is something about a cup of coffee that gets the body and brain up and working for the day.  Hot and black and a two cup limit, well....maybe just a tad more,   black and strong, New England style or maybe it is just the way Pa made it that made it taste so good.   In those days an open pan did the trick, no fancy coffee pots.   Once in a while an egg was thrown in, shells and all, not sure what that was suppose to do but Pa's coffee was always so good with cream and sugar.  It wasn't until World War II that we had to learn to drink in black, and once you mastered that, there was no going back to sweetened coffee.   Of course, now a day, you can go to Starbuck and get a latte, not sure what a latte is but I know it cost pretty close to six dollars and that my pocketbook would never stand for.   If I wanted coffee flavored hot milk I'd find a way of making it at home....but hot and black is my style and it works, both eyes are open and I'm typing away....probably not making any sense but at five o'clock in the morning, I doubt anyone makes much sense.

 

What can I tell you about?  Not a lot of news from Ridgemont.  Vinnie showed so we had a good read. We can accomplish a lot when no one comes to visit.    When the visitors come they want to talk and visit before going back for their afternoon snooze, and that is fine but it does cut the reading time down.    Speaking of reading, see if you can find a copy of "A Walk in the woods" by Bill Brys.   It came out around 1998 and a movie was made with Robert Redford and Nick Nolte...good choices for the characters.  I'd like to see it..  The book is hilarious so far.  I find myself laughing out loud.  The author knows how to sweep you up and carry you away.

 

So today, be of good cheer.    A chill in the air so dress warmly.   Check on that snow shovel.  I still remember trying to sweep out the door way to the shed back up there in Nevada when we had a big snow storm and the shovel was out of reach.  A broom just does not do the job.

 

Take time to love someone today.    You have choices, so pick a time to share YOU with those you love and like.    Don't be afraid to give a hug or two, a kiss on the cheek, a light touch of your hand....um...wonders at the receiving end, and you sparkle.    Go....be a fire cracker today, you don't have to wait until the fourth of July....sparkle, it's good for you.   Hugs to all..   

 

A Few Bits

Yep, Thanksgiving is coming up real soon.   

The earth from space.   Doesn't look much bigger than a marble does it?   

And then the collection agency takes over.  

A pig face turtle...now that is one little cutie.  

This picture makes me lonesome for Lone Ranch beach in Brookings;  miss my walks there.   It doesn't have this large formation but a few similar formations without the greenery.    Nature created a little art work here as I see an elephant , a seal, a horse's head, the number seven made of little rocks.  If this rock formation was blown up we would see a lot more. Nature is like a mirror sometimes. 

 

Yesterday proved to be an interesting day as I made good my appointment with the new eye doctor.   A woman, probably early fifties, blonde, bright and no nonsense.    She got right to work with those eye drops and started peeking around.   I have eyelashes that bend in instead of out so she plucked two from the eye ball saying they were scratching my eye.  Beats me, I didn't even feel them.   She told me a lot about dry eye and where it comes from  and why which was new and a blessing.  she is going to do a small procedure later this month to open the little tiny pin points where tears come out from the eye.   Learned something new and although she cannot promise to end the dry eye, she is at least willing to try to help control it.  She left me in good hands with her assistant,  a lovely young lady who seems to know her way around all the instruments to test your vision.    Between the drops and the watery eyes I couldn't read the charts so will go back after the procedure and re do the testing for new glasses.    They even took time to do a temporary fix on my glasses that I sat on....well, I didn't mean to.   I cannot close them up or they will break again but , as is, they are working great.  So, maybe  Vinnie and I will finish the book yet.

 

While out and about I stopped in the quickie hair cut place and finally got a hair trim.    There were four bays and all the ladies very busy cutting hair.   It was interesting to sit and watch them at work.   One beautician was cutting a gentleman's hair and trying to even the back which seemed to give her a problem.   She had to have taken a half hour on just him, maybe they don't get much pay for doing a lot of heads and she decided to take her time.   His neck line was crooked anyway, so I hoped I would not get her.   I didn't, got a nice young lady who clipped away and I am  one step away from being bald....short and sassy is the word...feels good, have no idea how it looks I am afraid to look in a mirror.  I found my way to my easy chair, grabbed my book and started to read and laughed out loud as the author tells a tale of "A Walk In the Woods."   Bill Brys is the author and I believe the book came out around 1998.  It was also a movie with Robert Redford and Nick Nolte, which I did not see.  I hope I can find it as it must have been a winner.   The author has a way with words as he takes you along on a hike that must have been a truism for many a hiker who could not keep away from the Appalachian trail.  If you have not read it, be sure to try and find it. 

 

The first snows are dusting the mountain tops so get ready for winter as it is on its way.    Get the coats and jackets out of moth balls and give them a good airing.    Check on boots and while you are at it make sure you have your snow shovels at the ready.   Winter months can be busy months and also beautiful months as Mother Nature gives us a blizzard or two.   I have no idea what to look for here in the northwest but I am about to find out.   I don't have to shovel as they have plenty of yard persons around here.   So check your inventory and be prepared for a change in the weather .   Be good, be kind, be gentle, be YOU and spread a little sunshine wherever you go today.   Be a 'hugger'....Hugs to all.

 

 

Grand

Attachments are interesting and fun and this one was all about a dog who befriended all the household pets.  There were pictures and a story about how well they all got along.  I am thinking that old adage about 'birds of a feather, stick together' may be just a tall tale.   More like 'differences makes the heart grow fonder";  maybe we should try it.

The above canyon pictures were taken by Bob and Andrea when they took the hike down the trail to the bottom.   I never did get to take that trip but thought about it.   From what they wrote, I am glad they went and I didn't.  I'd still be down there at the bottom.   They had a wonderful time and enjoyed every step of the way down and back up again.  Now I can say  I got to see what the bottom of the Grand Canyon looks like and I have to say I wish I had taken the trip to see all the formations of rock and the beauty of the geology of the Grand Canyon.....a wondrous sight to see.

 

Here at Ridgemont some of the folks forgot to turn their clocks back and went up to dine only to be sent back down  to their apartments to wait patiently for the door to open for lunch.   I think the consensus of opinion is to do away with day light savings time and quit fooling around with ones lunch time.

 

It was officially Rose's birthday so I went down early to visit and take her some of the left over marsh-mellow salad I had from the pot luck dinner and sing her Happy Birthday.   She was all dolled up, looking good and was ready for a new day.   She had more flowers, really beautiful real flowers that made her apartment come alive.   She had her cards on a tray and spends time going over them wishing she could put a face to some of the names.    She is moving slower each day but the sparkle is in her eyes and she is still smiling over all the attention.   I went back later in the evening and played a couple of games of rummy cube with her and she won both games.    I got a hug and a kiss , a wonderful reward from a one hundred year old lady.  

 

Meanwhile our next runner-up at ninety eight , Doris, was not feeling good as she had stood on her feet making goodies for the pot luck..   She had made delicious muffins, I had one for breakfast, and dozens of rolls and gave me a bag full of left overs.   I just had one with m my coffee and it was delicious.  I may go for a second.    She had her flu shot and thinks that is what ailed her.  She never would admit that all that baking had anything to do with her feeling tired.    It is her chosen outlet when she is bored and she has many on her list to share her talent with and tells me it keeps her young.    Young in heart and spirit and she comes up a winner.

 

Halloween is over and the walk along the hallways was fun as the apartment doors were decorated and bowls of candy were out for all to enjoy.    Our manager, Karen, is planning on making us a special Thanksgiving dinner and we can invite two guests.  Her entire family is participating in the work end of things.   It will be fun and I know for most it will be the 'family' dinner and we are all looking forward to it. 

 

So today, think about what you can do to bring friends and family together to share the holiday meal..it is going to be here sooner than you think.   Time has a way of slipping away especially if we are not thinking about it.    If you plan ahead it is not big deal;  don't plan and you have 'drudgery' to look forward to.     You are much to smart for that!!   Be good, be kind, be gentle . . . share a bear hug or two and don't forget a good deed or two.    Just make someone smile.   Hugs to all. 

 

Bragging

Like a warm blanket  tossed over the town, Halloween was celebrated in Port Orchard, Washington with laughter and smiling eyes from the tiniest one to the older folks who dressed up and made the town come alive on a rainy Halloween night.  

Witches were out and about.

Pirates hovered

Trick or Treat.  Oohs and Aahs, one for each hand and one for the mouth.

Treats were ready for a Princess or two, good guys, bad guys and scary ones too.

I am bragging this morning about a group of wonderful folks both the fantastic Sydney Gallery folks and the people of Port Orchard.    It was my first Halloween here in Port Orchard and my daughter Christine invited me to come and see the children all dressed up, pumpkins in hand and eyes that sparkled.   I was invited to help, not just watch, and that was such fun for me.   I helped man the table and make sure that the apple juice was at the ready and that the candy packets, cookies and donuts never ran out, and they didn't.   It was awesome to see the parents teaching their children to be polite and thankful for their treats.   They came in all sizes and in costumes to make your heart sing.  The little ones to the bigger children all had a big thank you for their treats and even took time to look around the gallery and see the work of the artists.   That big tall fellow, John, didn't waste a moment taking pictures so each one went home with a picture to enjoy of their memory of Halloween.   He took so many pictures and has promised to forward them on so I can put them on the blog and you can see, not all, but many, showing those that came out to have a very good time sharing and caring on a  rainy Halloween evening in Port Orchard.

There are not enough words to thank the group that puts this affair on every year.    The decorations are to be admired;  the food treats are plenty and the apple juice and coffee hit the spot.    They work tirelessly to make Port Orchard a wonderful town to live in.    They plot and plan and give of their time and smile while they do it.     

 

I forgot to turn my clock back so my getting up at four a.m. was actually three a.m.  ....oh, it is going to be a very long day.   Of course I have had my coffee, two cups to be exact, and now that I am awake, wide awake, how do I turn my body clock around and go back to sleep...I know it doesn't work, but then if I turn on the television and hunker down in my favorite chair miracles can happen.

 

Start your November off with a smile.    Light up those eyes and  activate that brain of yours and see what you can do with making someone you love and like happy today.   Maybe you can share some of that Halloween candy that was not all gone;  better share it or you will eat it all up and you may not like the results.    I am thinking of starting a Lenten fast much earlier than spring time and give up candy, and should throw  in all pastries after the Halloween binge.  Words, words,   can't do it as the holiday season is here...Thanksgiving...Christmas....goodies.....candy.....parties.....oh suffer, suffer......and plan a size larger when you shop this year.    Okay, moderation is the name of the game...now to convince myself of that.....Go, make your Sunday special by doing at least one good deed today.    Someone you know needs a loving hand, a smile, a hug , a little bit of YOU in their lives.    You know the drill, be good, be kind, be gentle, be YOU.  Hugs to all.