And

a new craze;  painting the bathroom floor.   Not sure I favor this, I'd be sea sick wading through the water.

And weather changes due to the huge el Niño, largest one in a long time and the prediction is not good for the coming winter months.  Some will get more rain and snow than they want and others will be wishing for some of that blustery weather.  Not much we can do but enjoy whatever we get and make the best of it.   Stay warm, stay dry, and don't forget to keep the shovel handing for the big storms. 

A truism

What a beauty.   A kingfisher.     What a beek, fancy colors...Joseph's Coat!!

Well, Monday went by in a hurry, or at least it seemed short.    I started off with daughter Patricia who kindly chauffeured me to the St. Vincent thrift shop so I could add a few books to my bookcase.   I was out of reading material and although there is a book box upstairs in a corner of the dining room, I don't like to have to have a library book I have to return in a certain time.   I like to devour books at my leisure.    So off I went and did some searching and came up with eight books I have not read.  Now I have enough to get me through the winter months and if I should get through them faster than I think, there are shelves of books waiting to be rescued.    I bought a couple to give to Ron who gifted me one of his Louis L'Amour books.    I tried to find some Westerns but they are far from easy to find.   

 

Vinnie showed up so we read for an hour and are more than half way through the book.    We stayed upstairs in the dining area as the "Silvertones" were coming to entertain us.    There is a group of seniors, four men, two women who play hymn music with a swing to it.  They are gifted musicians and we had books with the words so we could sing along.   It was toe tapping time although a lot don't tap their toes.   Music has a way of lifting spirits though as there was a lot of smiling faces..

 

I had saved some of my chicken curry and salad I had bought at Freddys.  If you have not tried it , go to the deli counter and check it out as it is delicious.    it is a bit pricey at $6.95 a pound, but a half pound lasts three days.    I think I'll try a few more of their salads as the package ones don't last long at all and the fresh ingredients are too much as they don't last more than a day and have to be thrown away. . . such a waste.    I have the best of both worlds as both of my daughters are great cooks and salad makers so all I have to do is bring home left overs.    There is some good in getting old feeble....just don't tell them I still find my way around the kitchen. 

 

 

My phone rang the other afternoon and on the end of the line were these three ladies.....Kathy, Helen, Judy....celebrating Judy's visit from Colorado and having a bit of the bubbly and decided I should join the fun...well if wishes were horses beggars would ride and I would have been there holding up my glass as well.    It was a fun call and we laughed a lot.   Helen and I go back some forty years.  A friendship that lasts even though we didn't see each other for years at a time.  One of those friendships that you pick up as if you had been together the day before.    A special friendship I have been lucky to have over the years.   Helen is in the middle, daughter Kathy to her right, and her niece Judy on her left.    Kathy has three children and five grandchildren making Helen a great grandmother who is lucky to have these children close by and stopping in to give her hugs most every day.   Judy lives in Colorado and is a new grandmother.  I post about her frequently and you have seen pictures of  the new babies.   The computer makes it possible to share;  how lucky we are.

 

So today share YOU with those you love and like.    Take some pictures along the way and share them with those who are waiting patiently of news of you and yours.    The brag book is a good thing as it keeps us apprised of the  changes  of the people in  our lives even though we do not get to see them everyday.    Folks we love and care about whether family or adopted family or adopted forever friends.    How lucky we are to have them in our lives.  don't be afraid to tell them.   If you are lucky it is a two way street.    So verbal hugs today.   If you can, get a real one.    Walk right up, open up those arms and smile...works every time.   Go be a God-Send today.  Hugs to all.

Laughter

Leave it to the Mrs.   She may not be able to fix things but she is ingenious enough to find a way to solve a problem or two.   It's okay... laugh . . . now you know what to do when the egg time doesn't work.

of course it does....oh for a duster that works by itself.

I'd like these two sitting on my front door area.   A Halloween welcome.  Cute and clever.

Reflection . . . lovely to look at.

I keep telling you this.....it is the best way to go.

Sunday was a quiet day, as it should be, and the thumping guitar pastor was on time for his little group.   I smile as it , the thumping music, brings back memories of the three piece band that played at the Elks club so many years ago, beating out the same rhythm , a singular rhythm to dance to, be it a waltz or a fox trot or even a polka.    the ladies have quite a time trying to sing a hymn or two, but, all that matters is they all are meeting and greeting and the Good Lord is smiling because of their efforts.   

The dining room was almost empty here at Ridgemont.    Sunday is a family day for those who have family around.   A day to go out and enjoy a little outside life and have tales to tell all week.   It was a soft misty day, wanting to rain but never making it pass that point.    the choice was salmon or pork chop and the usual cheesy potatoes and yellow rounds of carrots and long rubbery string beans.   Not appetizing but that coconut crème pie had enough flavor and calories to make the lunch worth while. I think Vinnie must have read what was on the menu and decided to go out for his  lunch.  We will be reading "Winds of War" into the new year.   I find the meals unappetizing  but I am lucky as my girls are both excellent cooks and I am invited out to dine with them.   I got to see the last few episodes of "Reign" at Pat's home and then we joined Christine at her house and had a special chicken dish that soothed the pallet.    Now we have to wait for a new season .

 

The big Seahawk game was on so the ladies were dressed in their 'colors'  and excited about watching their favorite players.   There is a new shirt out with sleeves that can be removed.  You can start off in short sleeves and add the rest of the sleeve to suit your taste.  Maybe it is made to keep the arms either warm or cold.  Even has a thumb hold.    A bit strange but a fan is a fan is a fan....The manufacturers will probably come up with a hood next, or a wrap around scarf.    A little overdone , but then I am not a sport fan and cannot quite understand those that are.    Sedentary not physical, what can I say!

 

The new coffee pot makes five cups of coffee, and that is not in mug size, so think of it as a two cupper.   It works well and the coffee is good so I am not complaining.    I am about to love you and leave you and go put on a pot.  Pat brought me over a buttermilk donut so you know what I am up to this morning.  

 

I hope your new week is going to be one of bright lights and smiles.     I hope you will find time to be good, kind and gentle with those you meet and greet this week.     Remember, everyone carries a load, just hope it is light and does not bog you down.   Try a little patience, understanding and lift yourself out of a quagmire.   You can do it and while you are at it, be sure to give a helping hand to someone who really needs you to brighten their lives.    I certainly am thankful YOU are in my life.   Go, do a bit of magic today.  Hugs to all. 

 

 

 

 

Back in Brookings

Kristy sent John a few pictures of the house in Brookings.   The ladies are loving it there and love the house.   Kristy told me she would take good care of it and she is.    Yes, I miss the house, my home for fourteen years, but moves come about and adjusting attitudes is a given.   As I told my children during our many moves inn our lifetime;  home is where the heart is....The ladies are in good company as they found a welcome on the back porch.  I used to love to watch the humming birds.

Here are raccoons complete with masks;  

Ah, the resident deer are still visitng the empty lot then they will make a trek across the yard and up the street for their daily outing.   I miss this view.   I miss that big old tree.    Yes, I miss Brookings, \neighbors and friends alike.   I hope they are all well and enjoying each day in lovely Brookings, Oregon.
 

this is the mantra of the 'old' folks.   

This is a beautiful picture of this neck of the woods.

Friend Judy is blessed with a creative mind and is always building or making something.  This is her latest creation or project, as she calls it.   She put layers of modge podge  to fabric leaves, placed them on to the sides of  the jars, wound a little raffia around the neck of the jar and added a flickering l e d candle inside.    Thinking Halloween I bet.    Clever.  Now what is an l e d light and where do you get them?   

 

The Kiwanis auction  dinner went over really well as the huge hall was filled to capacity.   The tables were decorated with huge plants of beautiful mums , tables set for eight although we had one extra and had to move a little closer to make room and 'steal' a place setting for one husband who decided to show at the last minute.    A fun group, bad acoustics as you couldn't hear much over the drone of voices and it was not just me who has little hearing left, but most folks had a tough time hearing over the hubbub.    The tables were line up with all kinds of great 'stuff' to bid on, a silent auction .   We went around and put our number on several items but being on the top of the list meant others followed and soon the item was gone.    I bid on a Seahawk basket which I hoped to get and share with the ladies here at Ridgemont who are avid fans of the Seahawks.   They come to dinner all dressed in their outfits on the big game days.   I didn't win it sad to say.

 

Our table was called first for going to the buffet line where prime rib awaited, grilled salmon, and every conceivable salad and vegetable you could imagine.   The caterers did an excellent job.    They had a desert auction .   Each one at the table donated some money to the cause and then the winning tables had first choice of the deserts.   Our table came in second so we missed out on the chocolate cake but truly our table had an eye on the big fruit torte and that is what we had for  our desert and it was delicious.   Bec, one of the ladies at our table did the cutting and it was not easy.   Christine won a bottle of wine at some kind of a toss up.    One of the local builders was up for grabs for eight hours of work.  Bec bid and got the bid and has some jobs lined up when he can make some time as he is very busy with some remodeling jobs.    I would venture to say that the evening was a huge success and when they count up all the money donated to the Scholarship Fund and dozens of other good deeds for this city, pride and participation took over.   Port Orchard has a lot of very active and caring folks.

 

so, look around your town and find out what is going on.   Participate.   Your presence and your donations are always needed.   You will find old and new friends.   You always find some good food catered by the best in your town or put on by the best workers in your social activities be it the Kiwanis or the Elks or Scouts...whatever the activity hard work goes into it to make your town the best it can be.   So, don't hesitate to partake and be as generous with your donations as with the time you give to have a little fun too.   Be magnanimous . . . be YOU.   Hugs to all.

 

Salt Flats

Salt Flats in Bolivia

All salt flats

amazing hotel built out of salt.

Put them all together they spell failure

Now that is the results of an amazing 'clip' artist

Sacrilegious  Maybe it is time to think of a care package or two.

Waking up at two a.m. and putting the pictures on was one thing, getting the brain to pour out words was another so back to bed and a few more hours sleep and getting up late isn't at all bad.   Here it is almost seven a.m. . . . wow... I haven't gotten up that late for a very long time.   I marvel at folks who can sleep all night and get up anywhere from seven to ten.  My day would be ruined as I am used to that four a.m. body clock going off.   The new coffee pot works fine and I now have to learn how not to overload the spoonful.   It is a bit on the strong side today, real Boston coffee you can stand your spoon up in.  Taste good though, should rattle a few brain cells.

 

The monthly meeting was held up in the dining room yesterday afternoon.   Most everyone showed up and we got a lecture and information on the proper use of the elevators.   It seems those walkers play havoc with the sensors and throw the elevator into a tizzy and a repair man has to come out to fix some one small 'dealy bob' to make it go again.  No one has gotten stuck on one yet but our young leader doesn't want anyone stuck in the elevator.    It is really a case of 'haste makes waste' as it has something to do with pushing the button too often to try and make the elevator respond more quickly and all it does it make it work slower.   The walkers get the blame but it really is the one pushing the walker that needs to stop pushing the elevator button.  Today we will find out how many listened to this soft lecture and if they will put their hands in their pockets and not keep pushing the elevator button.    Like most things, it does take patience to wait, we can all equate to that.

 

There will be a couple of trips to the mall for pre Christmas shopping which will be fun as it will give us a few hours to poke around and look into some really big stores for a change.    We will be able to have several hours and not just one.  That will make it worthwhile as you cannot accomplish much in one hour....Well I like to look.  It seems strange to be talking about Christmas already.    The stores are actually putting things out right now and that is sad as we haven't even had a chance to celebrate the ghosts and goblins , or have a turkey dinner with family and friends.    Time flies by quickly enough without the merchants rushing the seasons.    Greed seems to go and grow so much faster than love for ones fellow man.    I wonder if I should send them our elevator repair man so they don't push so many buttons.

 

Have yourself a great weekend doing what you planned and waiting all week for.    You have things to do but do not be so busy you do not take time out to share YOU with those you love and like.    You have a duty to yourself and that is to make someone very special your goal for the day.    Plot and plan some one very tiny special sharing time and bring love and laughter into their lives today.    That is a good deed all in itself.    I shared in a good deed yesterday when three friends from Nevada got on the phone and shared their happy time with me.   We had much to laugh out loud about and I felt like I was one of the their special party, although I didn't get to have one of those special 'high-balls' they were drinking.   Next time they promised to tell me to have a drink ready and join the party;  um. . . that sounds like it might work.    So, be good, be kind, be generous with YOU.    Make your weekend sparkle as you light up your world with those smiling eyes  and those huggable arms.     Share, doesn't that have a nice ring to it?    Hugs to all.

 

 

 

 

Tea and Sympathy

Night in Alaska.  An 'aura' like no other.   And the saints watch over us.   Maybe an angel or two.  A little magic in the night sky.

I may have shown this picture before as it looks a bit familiar.   It is different and has a beauty all its own. Nature's time piece as it reminds me of the inner workings of a clock.  

now take the milkweed spewing its seeds...nothing bashful about  this one.   

Jennifer sent in this picture showing a brand new Iris blooming in her mom's garden in October.   I think it is called a late bloomer...smile.

Tea for breakfast this morning, the coffee pot gave up.  It has been acting strange this week so it got a good cleaning but that was not the problem and I have no idea what is.    All I know is tea is not my favorite wake up drink but it will have to do.   All I can say is they do not make 'things' as they used to.    I remember a time when you bought a coffee pot it lasted a life time.   Remember the old perks?   If they were not so expensive I'd buy one.    The drip is okay but the pot give out so fast you go through at least two , if not three, a year.    I'm singing 'the old gray mare aint what she used to be' and I'm not talking about me. 

 

A quiet day at Ridgemont yesterday.    The desert was good for a change and belayed the liver and onion special....not one of  my favorites and I choose not to eat it.     We had one of the men join our table and he was all excited about his findings on the computer about family;  some genealogy  format he followed and found out about some of the great grandfathers and grandfathers who were all owners of  farm land.    One became rich  but his money didn't trickle down to this great grandson.  He had to work hard for a living.  How we all want a 'rich uncle' to help belay our 'druthers'...or like me, wishing to win the big one to leave my kids a big chunk of money to travel the world on.    I'm singing..."dream, when your feeling blue,  dream   that's the thing to do....so dream, dream, dream." 

 

So today, stop and smell the roses or whatever flower you love the most.    Take time for YOU.    Friday is a good day to finish things and gear up for a little fun and relaxation.    Spend a little time doing a good deed;   call someone who is really anxious to hear your voice;  how lucky you are to be so loved.    There is an old adage about 'if you can't be good;  be careful."   my, that covers a multitude of sins....so be careful and partake in activities that make you laugh out loud.   Go, be funny today.....and make it last all weekend before you have to get serious and get back to work again.  Hugs to all.   

 

Beauty and the Beast

Did I show you this picture before, worth a repeat as it does remind me of rides up into the Sierras where the Fall aspen turned the pass to gold.   This isn't the Sierras or the Aspens, but it reminds me of some wonderful rides up into the mountains and the search for beauty to photograph.   

This picture came from Trips to Alaska and a place I wish I could visit in depth.  I did get there on one of the boats that went to Glacier Bay and it was awesome and wonderful.  We had a couple of stops and had salmon on the grill and even had our picture taken with a huge bear in front of one of the stores;  not alive like this one...smile.  I wanted to send this picture to Jock to remind him to be careful when out in the boonies hunting as he would want to bring home a new pet and I don't think his hunting dog, Gunner, would go for it.   Maybe as a rug!!

Such strength, such beauty, such a wonder!!

Proof you do not have to have acres and acres to have a garden with all the good vegetables you need to stay healthy.  I love the places they found to place a basket or a bucket and grow something edible.

And as he put his arm on his bicep the thought crossed his mind...'wimp' and he grinned.

A truism, how sad for America. 

Mid October already, how words can remind us of fleeting time.    The rains came and disappeared leaving a bright sunshine day for six of us to get on the little bus and go off to see a surprising very small Navy museum in the delightful town of Poulsbo.   Two of our fellow travelers didn't show for the bus, but lucky for us it was not cancelled.   We rode off in bright sunshine, light traffic and within a half hour we were walking around looking at artifacts from early sailing days.  The history seemed more like tales from a Norwegian folk tale as many of the seamen came from Norway and Sweden.    The displays were well presented and there was more than enough words to read and learn as we walked around the perimeter of a very large room.    There was even plans on how to make one of those small fishing boats.    I didn't take my camera, I'm sorry to say, as there was a 72 pound Salmon gracing the top of one wall.  The largest salmon ever caught world wide.   Jock would have liked to have been the one to haul that one in.   

 

There was much to see and read about and we did see a small video of the last sail of one of the vessels.   We really couldn't enjoy it as the sound was  not working and the picture was grainy but we could see enough to follow the little ships path in a very choppy sea.   One could get sea sick looking a pictures like that!

 

Several ladies went outside to sit in the sun.  A lot of folks really do not take time to read all the words telling of the histories of the artifacts.  We had a twenty minute wait for our bus to come back for us so I took a walk down the street and stopped in a couple of shops to see what  they had.  One was a bead store and there was an amazing collection of all kinds of beads.  They had a display of beautiful bracelets honoring the local team...The Sea Hawks.    I bought one for one of the girls for Christmas as she often wears a sweat shirt showing her devotion to the team.  I got back in time to get on the bus and the ride back 'home.'   Next time I hope they have another trip to this little town and we have time to go down town and see the shops.   They did have a bakery and restaurant open nearby where we were waiting but we had already had our lunch at "Red Apple"  on our way to the museum.   The ladies went for huge ice cram sodas...I gather this is the place to order one. . . not me, I went for fish and chips and cold slaw.   Some had chili and corn bread and that looked good too.    All in all we had an outing and it was good to be away.    I think the next trip;, before the month is out, is to a town for some shopping.   I'll sign up and tell you all about it and maybe get another Christmas gift or two.   I'm doing good, have three down and a few to go.

 

Speaking of going, I am going to love you and leave you as I am off to grocery shop, the cupboards are bare...nothing good in this house....you have heard that before.    There really is plenty to work with , just not what makes the taste buds sit up and take notice.    So, make your list and check it twice and get out and shop for something you can't live without.   Be good, be kind, be gentle and be sure you share a hug or two with someone you love and like.     Pick up the telephone or take that one fancy one out of your pocket and send a verbal hug to a few folks in need of attention today.    Don't be stingy. . . Hugs to all.

SSN

We set aside a little every pay day so when we retired we would have the little extra help needed to survive;   Every time money was needed by the over spending Congress, Social Security was the security used and never paid back.   When the coffers were drained they then began to use the Federal employees retirement funds;  what happens when they retire and the coffers are empty?    I am still smarting over the Government Pension Offset Bill of 1983 where they reduced my income just because my husband and I both worked for Civil Service, even though United Print Craft workers were not really under Federal laws.   Each year the Senators and Congressmen agreed it was an unlawful and unjust law and they promised to get behind it and make a change.  The sponsored the bill but never brought it to the floor in over thirty years.    Unfair, unjust and my $99.00 a month Social Security was a far cry from what the illegals are getting today and they never put in an hours work or a penny to offset their livelihood.    Pay attention to what is going on, you never know when and how your pensions and social security will be wiped clean.   Also, as long as I am on this subject, every time money was needed our salaries were reduced so working for the Federal Government was not the best job to have and there was nothing one could do which made it even worse.    I could use that 'stolen' money today  just to survive but the news is that Social Security is going to go through another crisis and of course it is US who will pay.   

HA, HA,   ,,,, where did you go?   How will I find you?

The truth hurts.   

And now we realize what this kind of thinking can do.

I love to light candles for so many reasons and have for years and years.  I never thought how my candles would look if I lined them up over the years as I asked for peace for the departed souls, love for the living and justice for all.   I bet they would look much like this.   this is a Monks festival of lights;  how beautiful.

 

 

Hump day and we are off to the Naval Museum in Poulsbo.   Hopefully the rains will subside for the day and we will enjoy the ride over to this lovely small town.   We will have lunch out and then our time at the museum which I will tell you all about tomorrow.   

 

Meanwhile, yesterday was a quiet day around here.    We had cheeseburgers for lunch that were not at all bad.    I went down to visit Rose who has decided her negative days are over now that she has discovered so many folks really do like her.   She invited three ladies to join her for leftovers .   I was included but didn't go as she needs time to get to know some of the other ladies.   She had her table set and her left over sandwiches and pastries out on the counter ready to serve.  Her floral bouquet looked lovely as a centerpiece.   She hasn't forgotten how to put on a 'tea'.   She had all of her cards and pictures out ready to show them off.  How happy she is and her road to acceptance is on the way.  

 

As for me, I had a good day.   I finished reading the Louis L'Amour book on his travels across America.  It is a fine read and unimaginable the trips he did take in his lifetime up into the mountains and into every crack and crevice he could fit into.  He did not seem to have any fear of wildlife or the width and breath of the mountain passes.   He made good use of his seconds and he spent a lifetime writing so all of us could relish the beauty and wonder of our world.   The title of the book is "Frontier" and the photography is fantastic.  I find myself without a book to read so I will go up to the library and see what is up there.  Looks like I'll have to go over to Christine's house and raid a few of her book shelves, or start going to yard sales and build up my own.

 

I just found the perfect tool to clean between the keyboard keys....one of those rubber tipped teeth cleaners...works great.  Now  I have to go buy a new one for my teeth cleaning.   So, hump day is a good day to take stock of what you have accomplished so far this week and time to think about what you want to accomplish for the rest of the week.   Almost mid November already;  hard to believe time flies as quickly as it does.     I am not ready for Halloween so maybe a trip to the store is in order.  I will have to look for some treats that are not my favorites so I don't finish off another batch of candy before the holiday gets here.  The candy makers may have found a way to make things bite size but they forgot the old adage of the 'more the merrier' and believe me more is really merrier.   Go ....buy some treats....hide them from YOU....but not where you cannot find them....Be good, be kind, be sweet, after all that is what the candy is for....make you sweeter than you are right now.....adding a bit more of YOU to love and like..    Be a hugger...Hugs to all.