A LETTER TO ME

WHERE WERE YOU...

2010-09-11T08:30:00.000-07:00

Where were you when the world stopped turning that September day

Out in the yard with your wife and children

Working on some stage in LA

Did you stand there in shock at the site of

That black smoke rising against that blue sky

Did you shout out in anger

In fear for your neighbor

Or did you just sit down and cry

Did you weep for the children

Who lost their dear loved ones

And pray for the ones who don't know

Did you rejoice for the people who walked from the rubble

And sob for the ones left below

Did you burst out in pride

For the red white and blue

The heroes who died just doing what they do

Did you look up to heaven for some kind of answer

And look at yourself to what really matters

I'm just a singer of simple songs

I'm not a real political man

I watch CNN but I'm not sure I can tell you

The difference in Iraq and Iran

But I know Jesus and I talk to God

And I remember this from when I was young

Faith hope and love are some good things he gave us

And the greatest is love

Where were you when the world stopped turning that September day

Teaching a class full of innocent children

Driving down some cold interstate

Did you feel guilty cause you're a survivor

In a crowded room did you feel alone

Did you call up your mother and tell her you love her

Did you dust off that bible at home

Did you open your eyes and hope it never happened

Close your eyes and not go to sleep

Did you notice the sunset the first time in ages

Speak with some stranger on the street

Did you lay down at night and think of tomorrow

Go out and buy you a gun

Did you turn off that violent old movie you're watching

And turn on "I Love Lucy" reruns

Did you go to a church and hold hands with some stranger

Stand in line and give your own blood

Did you just stay home and cling tight to your family

Thank God you had somebody to love

I'm just a singer of simple songs

I'm not a real political man

I watch CNN but I'm not sure I can tell you

The difference in Iraq and Iran

But I know Jesus and I talk to God

And I remember this from when I was young

Faith hope and love are some good things he gave us

And the greatest is love

I'm just a singer of simple songs

I'm not a real political man

I watch CNN but I'm not sure I can tell you

The difference in Iraq and Iran

But I know Jesus and I talk to God

And I remember this from when I was young

Faith hope and love are some good things he gave us

And the greatest is love

The greatest is love

The greatest is love...

Where were you when the world stopped turning that September day ?

Personally, I had just completed packing for a cross-country move (from Massachusetts to California). We left for California on schedule on September 15th, 2001. We were in shock most of the time. What do I remember most about that journey? It rained a lot that week.

AMEN.

Thanks for stopping by...

One Year Later

2010-08-31T07:24:00.001-07:00

With all the time that I have been away from you, my friends, I am sure you don't remember my post from just about a year ago.
http://carol-george.blogspot.com/2009/08/wild-fire-in-auburn-california.html
It was on August 30, 2009, that a wild fire destroyed the home and ALL the possessions of my mother-in-law and my brother-in-law. The have spent the last year living in a rented home not far from where they had lived. At the time I wrote the blog, I didn't include any pictures. This is all that was left. You might be able to make out the metal shell of my brother-in-law's Jeep on the left side of the picture.

Sixty-three homes and three businesses were lost in this fire. We have visited Auburn a few times since the fire. And slowly the neighborhood regains its footing. New homes are being built and happy faces breathe a sigh of relief as more and more families move back into their neighborhood. It is now less of a "cookie cutter" neighborhood than I remember it being before the fire.

This is the home (on the same lot) that my mother-in-law and my brother-in-law moved back into last Saturday, August 22, 2010. It is a few feet more in total square footage, but is basically the same foot print as the old home. Wasn't it nice for the clouds to cooperate for this picture?

The neighbors (to the right) were moving in on the same day. Lots of smiles at this end of the cul-de-sac. The neighbors went in a totally different direction with their new home. They went from a ranch-type structure to a 2-story contemporary home with four bedrooms (two master suites) and a full pool instead of a back yard. The variety of homes being built to suit the owners is quite obvious.

This is the deck -- sliders off the dining area. And they included the garden window for Mom's plants. They have been told that now is not the time to plant grass seed, but they could lay sod. The decision about that hasn't been made yet. You can almost see my brother-in-law standing at the sliders. The dog belongs to my husband's sister who came from Redwood City to line all Mom's kitchen and pantry shelves.

This is my mother-in-law sitting at her new dining table and showing off her new kitchen. I think she was ready for her afternoon nap. The woman will be 90 years young on October 11th. We are throwing her a grand party in her new home. The orchid is a housewarming gift. Did I mention, she loves her flowers and flower gardens? The rose bushes have been purchased for a few months... now it's time to plant them.

Thanks for stopping by. Have a great day!!

Biker Bar ??

2010-06-10T11:09:00.000-07:00

I dropped by your house the other day

and was told you were down at your favorite biker bar

with some friends!

I wasn't sure where that was,

but was told I wouldn't have much trouble finding it.

Sure enough, I drove just a couple blocks and there it was...

Thought for the day: "When you have a lot of things to do, it's best to get your nap out of the way first."

Thanks for stopping by....

RABBITS, RABBITS, RABBITS

2010-06-01T08:22:00.000-07:00

IT IS JUNE the FIRST.
Many years ago, I was on a bowling league with a lady who asked me if I ever did the "rabbits, rabbits, rabbits" thing when I got out of bed on the first of every month.
I had never heard of it. She explained that on the first of every month when she got out of bed she would hop on one foot and say "rabbits, rabbits, rabbits". It's supposed to bring you good fortune and $$$$$$$$.

Here is what Wikipedia told me about this...

“Rabbit rabbit white rabbit” is a common British superstition. The most common modern version states that a person should say “rabbit, rabbit, white rabbit” or simply "rabbit, rabbit, rabbit" upon waking on the first day of each new month, and on doing so will receive good luck for the duration of that month.

The exact origin of the superstition is unknown, though it has appeared in print at least as early as 1954 in Bromley, Kent, England, where it is most commonly said to have originated, though some reports place its origins even earlier, into the 1800s. Today it has spread to most of the English-speaking countries of the world, although like all folklore, determining its exact area of distribution is difficult. This superstition is related to the broader belief in the rabbit or hare being a “lucky” animal, as exhibited in the practice of carrying a rabbit's foot for luck. Some have also believed it is representing a jumping into the future and moving ahead with life and happiness.

So... rabbits, rabbits, rabbits....

may you shine and prosper during this month of June.

Thanks for stopping by...

THANK YOU... we miss you

2010-05-31T07:36:00.000-07:00

For my children and grandchildren...

This is Dad’s/Grandpa Don’s final resting place.

He spent a year in Viet Nam (Marines).

Then he was in a medic unit of the National Guard

(out of Pennsylvania).

He is resting at Indiantown Gap National Cemetery.

RIP Don.

Hope your day is sunny.

Thanks for stopping by...

MEMORIAL DAY ~ 2010

2010-05-30T10:54:00.000-07:00

Enjoy your holiday.

Thanks for stopping by...

Thank Goodness... I'm not

2010-01-10T18:15:00.000-08:00

For this week’s TAKE THIS TUNE, Jamie has chosen a tune by Ray Stevens titled: I Am My Own Grandpa. Ray Stevens has done a long list of silly/parody songs… this one included. And I do like his musical comedy. Personally, my favorite is “Mississippi Squirrel Revival” – along with the video (cute kids).

This brought me back to what I was investigating when I stopped blogging back in August or September. I never knew either of my grandfathers very well. My father was a mystery to me as well. I spent a lot of time investigating what made them tick. Well, I may not have figured that out, but I think I understand my father and his father better for having done the investigating.

My father’s father (Grandpa Johnson) passed away suddenly of a heart attack when I was about 8 years old. I thought I should cry over it, but never really did. I learned a lot about him through a journal that my Aunt Micky (dad’s much younger sister) kept… actually, my inquiries prodded her to begin her writing again. The following is the last piece that she sent me. She is almost 90 years old and I have left it as she wrote it. Todd School for Boys was the academia and Camp Tosebo was the summer boys camp associated with the school.

TODD SCHOOL POLITICS

This all happened before I was born but they are stories that have been told in the family. My father, A E Johnson, came to Todd as a teacher after he graduated from Hiram College. When he married he was given West Cottage where my brother and sister were born. When the then headmaster left, the family was moved to the headmaster’s cottage and Dad took the duties as headmaster.

At one point Dad left for a year to find a new position. However he was lured back with the promise that he would run the school after Noble Hill retired. That promise was never fulfilled and my mother was very bitter about it

During this time Noble Hill’s son Roger attended the University of Illinois and married Hortence Gettys. My humble opinion is that had her eye on the school. Anyhow, when Noble Hill retired the school went to Roger and Camp Tosebo went to Noble’s daughter Carol. Roger did not yet have his degree so Dad had to sign official papers.

As far as A E Johnson’s presence at Tosebo, early in his career at Todd, he was given the choice of recruiting students or being on the staff of the new camp. We are all glad that he chose the camp.

As a young boy Orson Welles came as a student and became like a son to Roger Hill. Orson considered himself a genius and had some effect on the activities at Todd. There was a greater emphasis on dramatics.

Dad kept up the academic standards quietly. This side did not get the publicity that the dramas and athletics did. Dad also taught the printing. He also helped with the building of the stage coach and the barn for the horses.

I feel a little unhappy and cheated that my father’s memory seems to be forgotten in history of Todd School.

~Mildred Johnson Thomas~

My father passed away in 2002 at the age of 90. He had Alzheimers. He was a strict father and was closed to people on the emotional level. At some point I thought it might have been because my sister and I were adopted. He was closed emotionally to my children also. But when the disease set in and the great grandchildren came along, he had such a big loving heart I couldn’t believe it was the same man -- there were much less of the prior emotional inhabitions. That love had been hiding inside all along. In hindsight, I believe that he was never shown or taught to show his emotions. Men NEED to do this as well as do women.

I am still sad that I didn’t know these men better – that I didn’t see inside their hearts, and brains – before they passed into a brighter light.

So I tell those who matter that I love them... and I tell them as often as possible.

Thanks for stopping by... you have a great day and I will too.

A Pet Peeve -- comes to light

2010-01-08T08:45:00.001-08:00

I have a new pet peeve.

Monday through Friday I take my son to work. It’s something I can do for him because I couldn’t do more for him while he was growing up (he is still “growing up” – aren’t we all?). Anyway, we always listen to the morning DJs (Dave and Susan) on a local country station. This morning’s topic made me extremely angry. Tell me what you think… please.

Dave went through a red light on Christmas Eve (he says it was 4 a.m.). The camera at the light took his picture and in the mail yesterday he got a ticket for $371 and the copy of his picture in his car running the light. Apparently in the two years that he has been living in the Sacramento area, he hasn’t bothered to get a California driver’s license either. Now he is panicking because he has to go to court to get all this straightened out. His first stupid move was to admit to anything on this public method of communication (the radio station). You just don’t do that. I couldn’t help myself; I sent him the following email:

“Dave... I listen to you and Susan every morning. Now, I may regret this, but here goes. Get over it! Pay the ticket and get over it! YOU made the decision to not stop for a red light and to not get a California license. All this crap is YOUR responsibility... not Susan's, not mine, not the little guy in my review mirror... it's YOURS. Attitudes like yours make it really difficult for parents to instill respect for laws that are made for ALL OF US. Get over it and get legal.”

I guess this has always been a pet peeve of mine, but now I have voiced it publicly. Why do those personalities who are in the spotlight (be it a radio personality or President of the United States) feel that they are above the law? It sure would make it easier on all parents if these human beings admitted they were human and owed up to their mistakes.

Mama always said: It’s easier to remember the truth than many lies.

Thanks for stopping by...

HAPPY NEW YEAR

2010-01-05T07:03:00.001-08:00

NEW YEAR WISH

Perhaps a bit wiser,
a bit kinder, too;

a little bit braver,
a heart that's more true;

a touch of believing
I've not known before;

in joys I'm receiving
perhaps a little bit more.

A little more anxious
to reach out my hand;

despite hurt or problems
to still understand;

accepting the heartache
that life often brings;

a little more beauty
in life's simple things.

A prayer when I'm weary
as onward I trod,

a little more trusting,
believing in God,

'tis this I would wish
for within moments dear,

not a lot - just a little –
this wondrous new year.

~ Garnett Ann Schultz ~

Merry Christmas

2009-12-24T06:39:00.000-08:00

Is Proof Reading a Dying Art?

2009-11-27T06:09:00.000-08:00

Supposedly, these headlines were actually printed...

MAN KILLS SELF BEFORE SHOOTING WIFE AND DAUGHTER
(It took the editor two or three readings before he realized that what he was reading was impossible.)

PANDA MATING FAILS: Veterinarian Takes Over
(What a guy!)

MINERS REFUSE TO WORK AFTER DEATH

JUVENILE COURT TO TRY SHOOTING DEFENDANT

COLD WAVE LINKED TO TEMPERATURE
(Who wudda thought?!)

RED TAPE HOLDS UP NEW BRIDGE
(Wonder if they tried duct tape?)

MAN STRUCK BY LIGHTNING: Faces Battery Charge
(He probably IS the battery charge. It must have been a shocking experience. His new nickname is Sparky. Etc, etc…)

ASTRONAUT TAKES BALME FOR GAS IN SPACECRAFT
(It was the freeze-dried chili and refried beans.)

HOSPITALS ARE SUED BY SEVEN FOOT DOCTORS
(Boy, are they tall!)

TYPHOON RIPS THROUGHT CEMETERY: Hundreds Dead
(Did I read that right? Are they serious?)

Have a safe and sane Black Friday everyone.
Thanks for stopping by...

A VERY HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL

2009-11-26T11:15:00.000-08:00

THE PEACH PIT MYSTERY

2009-10-24T08:04:00.001-07:00

This was written back in August. I am feeling that it is time to get back to my blog – at least a little more frequently than I have been. Most of my projects are completed. I have put together 3 manuscripts about my dad. Today would have been his 98th birthday. I have finished most of my Christmas gift projects. It is still a little too warm during the day to crochet large items (I have 2 blankets to finish for my grandchildren… nothing fancy, just warm covers for their northeast winters). I am also in the process of really cleaning out a lot of my unnecessary “stuff” (I foresee another blog subject).

THE PEACH PIT MYSTERY
Once upon a time, in a place and time not far from where I am sitting, there lives a friendly pup named Ramona. Sometimes she is called Bella, sometimes Bubba Puppy – depending on how smartly or un-smartly (not a word, but I don’t want to use the word ‘dumb’) she behaves. The obedience trainer warned me, “You will always have a two year old living with you.” And… we do.

Ramona (a.k.a. Bella, a.k.a. Bubba Puppy) is very much attached to my son Chris. When he leaves for work, she mopes. When he comes home, she is that two-year-old that the trainer warned us about. Luckily, Chris has a good handle on her. While he is gone, I must be the nurturing mother figure of a two-year-old… oh, that was such a naughty dog!! Oh, what a good puppy… etc, etc. To say the least, I am NOT her favorite person unless I am the only one home and it’s mealtime. She has a built in alarm that tells here when it’s time to eat. I don’t know HOW she knows when it is THAT time.

She has a fairly large back yard (by California standards) in which to run free. She is sometimes a barker. She will let the passers-by know without a doubt that this is HER territory. She is a herding breed (Border Collie mix) and she is protecting her herd. However, if they stop and chat with her, she will lick them to death. She really does love attention. The yards in this neighborhood are all bordered with fences. There is an access gate in our back fence where Ramona stands and watches the highway of human life. As darkness falls, she stands on our deck and is mesmerized by the car lights going by. Later in the evening she chats with the other canines within ear-shot (hers, not ours). She is let outside just before out bedtime with hopes that there will be no need to get up during the night for a trip outside.

The neighbor to our north has a yard full of trees. Every summer the peach tree (in the back corner) bears its juicy fruit. Many, many people walking along the street at the back of our yard stop and climb the neighbor’s fence to pick the fruit in the tree (yesterday a couple of peach thieves broke that fence). If Ramona is out, she barks at them. Bubba loves the fruit… Bella doesn’t know right from wrong with many things – especially peaches.

Since it has been peach time, I have been waking to painfully stepping on a peach pit on my way to the kitchen… or stumbling over a broken pit in the living room or in the sunroom. Every morning it is something to do with peach pits – at least one, sometimes more. One morning I heard her trying to chew on it in the hallway where the bedrooms are (crunch, crunch). Just the sound hurt my teeth and jaw.

Now these wake up calls are usually before 6 a.m. My normal rise and shine time is between 7 and 7:30. But since these peach pit mysteries began, I am not sleeping at all well. (This time has changed as I am up by 6 a.m. these days to get my son to work... our second car ceased operating in September.)

Where, in the name of all that is Ramona, is she getting these pits?? This has really stumped us. Have the squirrels that constantly antagonize Ramona been stashing these pits for the winter, and Ramona found their stash? It just had to be the frickin’ squirrels. They have been trying to get back at us ever since we had THEIR tree taken down before it fell down.

Then, one morning, about 5 a.m., I heard something strange… I couldn’t place the noise. But when I turned the hall light on, you guessed it, another peach pit!!!

This pit lay in a pool of saliva (a large pool of saliva). AH HA!!! That dumb Bubba Puppy is eating any peach she can find before coming in at bedtime. In the middle of the night she regurgitates the pit and VOILA! I step on the pit and incur the pain of the pit. OK… so now we know the source. I will take care of that. We have a 30 foot lead line left over from her training. Before Chris left for work this morning, he attached that lead line to the bottom rail of our deck stair railing. That was at 7:30 a.m. At 8:30 a.m. I heard her out there barking at a guy on a bicycle. Now… how could she be at the back gate?? The lead line is not that long. OH BUBBA PUPPY!! I stepped out onto the deck. There at the door was an uneaten peach – for me? And there was Bubba with about 6 inches of the lead line hanging from her collar. Darn dog had chewed through the line and set herself free. And, in the process, had found another peach.

The peach was thrown away and, of course, Ramona moped away the rest of the day on the cool kitchen floor. I hope that tree dies this winter. And then the city decided to beautify the easement that runs across the back property of us and many of our neighbors (perhaps another blog subject?).

Thanks for stopping by... hope your days is just grand.

Some disjointed thoughts on a SEPTEMBER SONG

2009-09-06T16:52:00.000-07:00

When I saw Jamie’s prompt, I said to myself, “Self, just what are we going to write about this?”
Happy Labor Day. May you be able to rest on your vocational laurels for these 24 hours. It’s a shame that our holidays are no longer what they used to be. I would LOVE to hear that WalMart closed its doors for 24 hours straight – or that any and all other stores did the same for that matter. I have a lot of respect for those small operations that actually do respect our formerly time-honored tradition of actually taking a holiday from work.

So, if it’s Labor Day, it must be September. Being from New England, this IS my time of year. This is the color and smells and glory of another year dying into winter.

People say that because I live in California, we don’t experience the seasons. I say this is not quite correct. Our daily temperatures drop from what can be a suffocating 100* to being a bone chilling 50*. At night, we do have frost and freezing temps. Perhaps we don’t have snow here, but I can travel less than an hour to see it, walk in it, make a snowball and throw it at something or someone. Our summer does melt into an autumn-like melancholy and then into the winter doldrums. I do get cabin fever.

And, each year I wonder to myself if it is time to write my September Song. I must consider that putting together a very loose family history does have to take place as a start to this song. Have I finally reached that point in my life where it’s all downhill from here. Well, rationally, I know that happened a few years ago. But am I really going to accept that fact? I try not to stare my own mortality in the face often.

I got to this point in my posting and thought, I don’t want to write about my mortality. I know it’s there… not too much I can do about that.

It was then I remembered a wonderful series that was aired on PBS a while ago. Victor Borge was a very accomplished Danish pianist and quite adeptly mingled humor into his concerts. This is my contribution to September Song for 2009.

I hope you enjoy a little smile with these two talented muscians. To see more September Song contributions visit TAKE THIS TUNE.

Thanks for stopping by...

Did I mention that my thoughts would be a bit scattered?

And it's September 2009

2009-09-01T08:59:00.000-07:00

I certainly hope that September brings ALL of us better times than August has.

For those who are ill or suffering from life's not so nice turns in the highway, may you find peace and hope and strength... sprinkled with a little laughing and a lot of smiles.

For those who are about to build and ark and float away, may you have warm sunny days with very little humidity.

For those people finding the dry heat opressive and energy-zapping, may you have cooler days with a few rain showers thrown in for good measure.

For those having found themselves at a good place in time, may you journey continue along this path.

Peace and blessings to all my blogging community and friends.

Thanks for stopping by :o)

Wild Fire in Auburn, California

2009-08-30T23:22:00.000-07:00

Auburn Wildfire Tears Path Of Destruction

Dozens Of Homes Burn In Placer County

AUBURN, Calif. -- A fast-moving wildfire burned dozens of homes and scorched hundreds of acres Sunday afternoon in Placer County, prompting Gov. Arnold Schwarznegger to declare a state of emergency.

The fire started near Highway 49 and Rock Creek Road in North Auburn at about 2:20 p.m. It destroyed at least 60 structures, most of them homes in the North Park and South Park subdivisions, and burned about 275 acres.

Cal Fire said the blaze was about 50 percent contained by 8 p.m., with full containment expected Tuesday, Sept. 1.

Hubby's 88-year-old mother and his brother, Dan, lost their home Sunday, August 30, 2009, in this horrible fire. The fire moved so fast that they were given less than 5 minutes to evacuate. They lost absolutely everything, except the clothes they were wearing and her car. She did not even have time to gather her medications or any memories to take with her. It will be a little crazy around here for a while. I will try to check in again with a progress report soon.

TAKE THIS TUNE... Life is a Highway

2009-08-30T10:56:00.001-07:00

Saturday morning, I got a little nudge from Jamie, who created Take This Tune... “You might enjoy doing this week's Take This Tune.” It is difficult for me to get back to the discipline of blogging with my mind still going in a thousand different directions. FYI, I truly enjoy the music of Rascal Flats and love the movie “CARS.”

Last summer I did drive cross-country and back for the sixth and seventh times in my life. I cannot begin to count the times I have flown from coast to coast. A friend in Massachusetts remarked one time that she always thought I had a wanderlust-type spirit. As I discussed in one of my posts (June 29, 2009), I have actually stepped foot (or car tires have touched ground) in 42 of our 50 states. I have actually lived in only five of them (California, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Connecticut). Then there are all the places we have visited in our cruising life… the Bahamas, Antigua, Dominica, Barbados, St Thomas, St Kitts, St Maarten, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, Grand Cayman, Cozumel, Puerto Vallarta, Acapulco, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Panama, and Columbia. I think that pretty much covers most of the ports. We may be adding more in the near future. I never in my life thought I would own a passport, say nothing of travel outside of the USA -- except for Canada.

However, this summer my highway travel has been a tad different. It involves travels of the mind… to discover more about who and why I am who I am.

The wordy 1940’s brochure and the not-so-wordy 1950’s brochure about the summer camp my dad attended (and my grandfather had a hand in running) is finished. I spent hours looking at the poorly scanned pages under a magnifying glass (program) so I could make sense of the words. Then I printed out the 50 pages, incorporated what I figured out to be the printed words, made double-sided copies and placed the pages into report covers. I made 6 copies of this. My aunt (dad’s sister) sent me a collection of thoughts she had written during the years – mostly about Camp Tosebo. I have put them into Word and added appropriate pictures (if I have them). That needs to be copied and put into the report cover. There will be chapters with pictures on Todd School, Camp Tosebo and my memories of life with Dad – all interspersed with pictures and emails received from the still-living relatives. When it’s done, I believe I will have written my first book. I would love this project to be done and sent out for Christmas. This may be an unrealistic deadline as I have much more soul-searching and writing to do. At least I will have most of it done – the easy stuff. The things already written that only need to be organized.

I have been knitting and crocheting several things for the grandkids. I finally found a pattern for an ear-flap hat that seem to be popular with the kids these days, which I can make with some ease. I have also been making jewelry for Christmas gifts. This is not real high class stuff, just things I think will be neat for early teen boys and my 9 year old granddaughter. Now, if I were really ambitious, I would work on fixing my camera so that I could take pictures of all this.** That means finding the instruction book and reading it. These craft sessions also provide me with “thought time.” Some of these thoughts actually find their way to the printed page.

Two weeks ago, I was handed a gift from a friend – she had no idea. It is a book that I read very quickly back in 2000… UP ISLAND by Anne Rivers Siddons. It is taking me back through the early emotions of my divorce that occurred circa 1981-82. The emotions lasted a much longer time. The healing of the main character takes place on Martha’s Vineyard. I actually visited that island for one long Columbus Day weekend. It was a wonderful weekend and the book is allowing me to relive some of that wonder. Of course back then I didn’t take many pictures. Darn! I need to fix that camera!** I am enjoying this highway also.

So many highways to travel, so little time… BIG sigh.

** OK… so here’s the scoop on the camera. There was no LCD display picture. I could see the picture after it was taken but not before. I now know what the DISP button means – push it once, no picture; push it again, viola! The picture returns. Do I feel a little dumb?? YES!!! Hubby is being very smart, “I won’t comment on it! Nope, not saying a thing.” I’ll post pictures tomorrow of some of my creations. For now, I am going to a corner and licking my wounds. I may even watch this video again.

Thanks for stopping by... have a great week.

Taking a Little Time Off

2009-08-15T19:40:00.001-07:00

My creative energies are taking me in a different direction at the moment. There is such a long list of things I want to accomplish sooner rather than later.

Spend less time in this computer chair. My friend "sciatica" is letting me know that I am here too much and for far too long at a time.
Get things ready for a BIG garage sale -- motivating hubby is becoming more and more difficult.
Start making the Christmas presents -- the ideas have been running around in my mind for a couple weeks now.
Work on the family history which I started.
With my son now working, I have more home responsibilites... one of them being cooking (which is NOT on my list of favorite things to do in the summer). Also, one of our cars died last week, so we are down to 1 vehicle now... I find myself playing chauffeur.

I will still visit you and read the goings-on. And I shall return.

TAKE THIS TUNE... Sunday Morning Coming Down

2009-08-09T23:06:00.000-07:00

This week, I didn't go to to music for my contribution. This week is about what Sunday morning was way back when...

Through my entire formative years I wished that I could have slept in on Sunday morning. This was especially true during my high school years. However, it was church and Sunday school just about every Sunday that I can remember from my childhood. It wasn’t all bad as the years rolled by… it was just Sunday.

When I was in the elementary school-age bracket, there was always a nice breakfast – bacon and eggs and sweet rolls. Then it was off to dress in our Sunday best, pile in the car and get to church. When we got home, the smell of a roast permeated the house. Mom had managed to get one prepared and into the oven while the rest of us fussed about our clothes. Dinner was served to the melodies of classical music coming from our new stereophonic record player in the living room.

In later years, this practice continued when we had weekend guest from Mom’s or Dad’s side of the family. Mom’s family lived in Schenectady, NY – about and hour’s drive to the west of us. Dad’s family lived near New Haven, CT – about 1 ½ hour’s drive to the south of our town.

BUT... on those weekends that there were no guests in residence, Dad would chose to stop at the local Friendly’s Ice Cream Shop for an after church luncheon treat. And back in the late 50’s and early 60’s this was the place to eat if you wanted a great burger and an awesome ice cream sundae. The store has since gone through many, many changes. It’s still a great place to eat, but has lost the intimacy of being a small, privately owned chain of restaurants.

Oh… here I go again… off on another tangent… I just never can tell where my thoughts will lead me… (big sigh)

The Friendly Ice Cream Shop (which was its name when I was a child so many years ago) was founded in 1935 in Springfield, Massachusetts by two young brothers… 18-year-old Curtis Blake and 20-year-old S. Prestley Blake. Their first shop only served double-dip cones for 5 cents. And, oh boy, did they make good ice cream. I guess they still do, but it’s not the same. In 1940, the Blake brothers opened a second Friendly Ice Cream store in West Springfield, MA and added hamburgers to the menu. Plain and simple… hamburgers and ice cream. And, oh, they were so good (according to my memory).

I was patriotically surprised to read that in 1943, Friendly Ice Cream closed its shops for the remainder of WW2.

By 1951, there were 10 locations throughout Western Massachusetts and Connecticut. And they started selling their ice cream in these restaurant/stores. Have I mentioned how good the ice cream was? Real ice cream with real high grade cream and chocolate or strawberries or black cherries or pecans or almonds or walnuts… well, you get the picture. In 1979, the Blake brothers retired and sold Friendly to the Hershey Food Corporation. At this point in the restaurants evolution, it became less the neighborhood Friendly Ice Cream Shop and more the restaurant chain Friendly Restaurant (if ya know what I mean) – a different quality food (not necessarily lower quality, just different). AND the menu was changed. Hershey took my absolutely favorite ice cream sundae off the menu – the Swiss Chocolate Almond Sundae. The menu became more complex. In 1988, Friendly became part of The Restaurant Company. In 1989 the apostrophe and "s" is added to Friendly, making the restaurant chain's name Friendly’s (prior to that it was simply known as Friendly Restaurant). Again more changes.

In 1997, it became a NASDAQ entity and in 1998 it began a franchise program. In 2000, Friendly’s arrived on the American Stock Exchange. In August 2007, Friendly's is bought for $337 million by private investment firm Sun Capital Partners. Changes… just too many changes. And, in my opinion, very overpriced. But the food -- and the ice cream -- is worth the price.

For today, I think it is too bad that the dream of those 2 young men turned out to be such a capitalistic venture. To some extent, they would probably disagree. Currently there are more than 500 Friendly’s restaurants in the chain which encompasses 16 states on the East Coast of the United States. In 12 states, you can buy Friendly’s ice cream in a grocery store.

It’s nice to have the Sunday memories of way back then. Sadly, my memories of today’s Sundays are not much different from the other days of the week.

Please visit more Take That Tune contributions here.

Thanks for stopping by... have a great week!

Proximidade Award

2009-08-08T07:46:00.000-07:00

Thank you, Jamie who writes Duward Discussion . Thank you for including me in your circle of blogging friends and for encouraging me to write what is important to me.

Being a recipient of this award affirms that this blog invests and believes in the Proximity – nearness in space, time and relationships.

Since my blogsphere is somewhat limited, I dedicate this award to all those who stop by on occasion to read my thoughts, and to those who write blogs that visit on a regular basis. I appreciate that these bloggers are exceedingly charming, blogging friends who aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in prizes or self-aggrandizement!

Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated.

My thanks to:

Jamie, my mentor

Linda, the Photographer

Sandee, the Humorist

Empress Bee, the Ultimate Cruiser

Tammy, the Queen-size Funny Bone

Mary the Teach

Shelly the Story Teller

Trish, the Crazy Working Mom

Mimi, the Queen of Memes

If you would like to pick up this award again, please do.

I so appreciate being able to see parts of the world through your blog.

The REALLY Annoying Thing ~ A Thursday Thought

2009-08-06T08:18:00.000-07:00

Most of the time, I enjoy blogging. And I am trying to be very positive about this REALLY ANNOYING situation. It’s not EASY.

The name of “the annoying thing” is fengfk2008. It used to be “anonymous” but I eliminated that choice from my comment section.

I shall loosely refer to him/her/it as a commenter on this blog. Check out comment # 6 on the previous post (hurry because it is going to be deleted soon). My problem with this commenter is that his/her/its comments are posted in either Chinese or Japanese. I chose to NOT find out which. Sometimes there are words that magically appear in English. Off the top of my head, I remember chocolate and motel – and whatever that word is in the previous post’s comments. I really appreciate my native language -- ENGLISH. And it is really the only language in which I am fluent.

To fengfk2008: Don’t hide behind a language you know can’t be understood by the majority of people reading this blog. PLEASE BE CONSIDERATE… IF YOU CAN READ THIS, either leave your comments in English or STOP leaving comments.

Is this a blog spammer? And, if so, what do I do about it? I have attempted to thwart this commenter by having to approve the comments first before it posts. This delayed the comments and drew some negative reaction from the few regular readers I have. So I then deleted the ability for an anonymous commenter to post. Well fengfk2008 got around that also.

Can you understand my frustration… or am I just over-reacting? I’m ready to go back to monitoring my comments again… does anyone have any other suggestions?

Would you... Stop and Listen ?

2009-08-04T11:27:00.001-07:00

To begin, I didn't stop and look up the validity of this story. I'm not sure that it's important to do. Just reading what was written made me stop and think... and probably change the way I look, listen and notice things around me.
The following is a true story. It was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste, and people's priorities. The questions raised: "In a common place environment, at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context?"

Washington, DC Metro Station on a cold January morning in 2007, a man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time approx. 2 thousand people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.

After 3 minutes a middle-aged man noticed there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried to meet his schedule.

4 minutes later: The violinist received his first dollar: a woman threw the money in the hat and, without stopping, continued to walk.

6 minutes: A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again.

10 minutes: A 3-year old boy stopped but his mother tugged him along hurriedly. The kid stopped to look at the violinist again, but the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children – every parent, without exception, forced their children to move on quickly.

45 minutes: The musician played continuously. Only 6 people stopped and listened for a short while. About 20 gave money, but continued to walk at their normal pace. The man collected a total of $32.

1 hour: He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.

Findings:
No one knew this… the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars. Two days before this “experiment,” Joshua Bell sold out a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100.

One possible conclusion reached from this experiment could be this: If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world, playing some of the finest music ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments ever made.... How many other things are we missing?

Would you have stopped and listened and applauded? Since I can't be in a hurry to go any where, this would have been a delightful rest stop for me. There will always be another train, another doctor's appointment, time for another lunch or dinner. You might NEVER have this opportunity again.

TAKE THAT TUNE.... it's a grand night...

2009-08-02T12:42:00.000-07:00

IT'S A GRAND NIGHT FOR SINGING...

I suffered as a child… I was traumatized. Because of my father’s VERY strict upbringing, as children, my sister and I didn’t have much of a social life, or any social adventures. We went to school; we had piano lessons. We were even allowed to be Girl Scouts. There was church school and church choir… all the activities that my parents considered wholesome to a goodly upbringing. I never tasted a REAL pizza until late into my teen years. And McDonalds?? Heaven forbid! But I could mow our lawn in the wink of an eye. (Remember I mentioned always thinking that my parents were of original Puritan stock?) But there was nothing of a butterflies-are-free social life. Even in high school, I wasn’t allowed to “socialize” with the Fonzie-esk “hoodlums,” as my dad called them. Nothing that could be noted as just plain old fun.

Living in a New England climate meant the summer was THE season to experience the adventures of outdoor life – and FUN. Independence Day meant there was a two-hour parade in downtown and then the Firemen’s Muster (competition among the fire departments – volunteer and paid – throughout the county) and the Gillette Carnival. The parade originally was to display the fire engines and muster teams for the competition. These were places to spend your carefully saved allowance in one fell swoop. And then a huge fireworks display at night. Nope I wasn’t permitted to partake in any of these activities as a child unless my parents took me to the parade in the morning. Admittedly, that was fun.

Then this story took a peculiar turn. As I searched the web for pictures of our illustrious Fourth of July Parade, I found a blog written by a man from Arizona who actually went to and took pictures of my hometown parade last month. In fact, he was originally from my neck of the woods. You can visit his story and pictures HERE. At one time was one of the premier Fourth of July Parades in the U.S. For several years, it was broadcast on PBS. It is now listed as the sixth largest in the country.

Now, back to my story, Pittsfield, Massachusetts also has a baseball park which in the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s hosted minor league baseball farm teams from the Red Sox, Senators (now the Nationals), Rangers, Brewers, Cubs, Mets and Astros (and probably a couple that I can’t remember). Wahconah Park One thing Dad allowed me was a baseball game or three during the summer… in his company, of course. If I remember correctly, I saw Carlton Fisk start his baseball career in double-A ball at THAT park; and Mark Grace too… Wahconah Park is a real one-of-a-kind place, and a throwback to another era. One of the last remaining wooden ballparks in the country, it's also one of only two in which the batter faces the setting sun in the early evening. Depending on your point of view, the ballpark is either a run-down relic ready for the wrecking ball or a charming, quirky slice of baseball history -- and I definitely subscribe to the latter interpretation. The main grandstand, complete with a full roof, really is constructed of wood. Plastic owls dangle from the rafters to thwart birds from nesting, and the "box" seats are simply folding chairs in the first few rows. With its ancient facilities and its setting in a mostly residential neighborhood, seeing a game here is a wonderful trip back in baseball history.

OK… I have gotten side-tracked a few times trying to get this written. We have gone from my not having a fantastically social childhood to the ballpark in summer.

Well, one summer the gal who baby sat for my sister and me when my parents, on a very few occasions, went out for the night was given one of the leads (Ado Annie) in the musical “Oklahoma!” This musical would be performed at the infamous baseball park. And guess what?? Dad said that Mom and I could go. It was a mosquito infested bleacher seat (the stage was in the home plate area) and they actually were able to have real animals in the cast. This production instilled in me a love of the musical theater. Alas, I never did land a part in a musical production myself, but in high school I did get a solo at our Christmas Concert. However, I certainly was the lil' devil in my parents' lives...

Camp Tosebo (III) ~ the old Camp Truck

2009-07-31T10:05:00.000-07:00

I received the following email (as a cc) from my aunt on Tuesday – and the reason for a separate post about the camp truck.

Tuesday, July 28, 2009 4:57 AM
Dave…
You commented that A, E. Johnson was always the first name on the register. Indeed we were the first people to open the clubhouse door in June. As you will see in my stories, we came by Pere Marquette boats from Milwaukee, in the early years. I was still young when started driving around Chicago to get to camp. The truck was driven up at that time with supplies from Todd (School). Through the winter the camp truck was housed in our garage, unused as it was not insured. Usually one of the counselors drove it to Woodstock. We could easily make it in a day. It was because of these trips that Dad (General Johnson) invented and patented the precursor to the cruise control. He called it the "Gas-master". That's another story.

Back to camp-- We were the ones that looked for damage from field mice etc. One year flying squirrels took over the Crow's Nest. Dad would get water system in operation. He knew where every plug went and he removed to drain the system. He laid the pipes that went up the hill when we had water. I don't have to tell you what it takes to open up after it's been closed all winter. We learned to leave dresser drawers upside down to keep the mice out.Which cottage do you have? The Shaw one or did you build a new one?

Enough of my ramblings.Micky

The original Camp Truck was and old Model T.

They surely could load it down for their canoeing trips.

A common sight on camp ground and around town, was my grandfather driving the newer version of the truck. I assume he drove the old Model T also, but this is the truck that most of the campers remember. (I believe this is the truck for which my grandfather invented the “gas-master”).

The people who have become partners in the new Old Camp Tosebo Inn have just had this truck fully renovated. One of these partners,Dave Wallace (a former camper), writes: The truck that the General is driving has just been restored - I didn't do the work, but I paid the bills. It brings smiles to the folks in Onekama and Manistee who remember when it came to town full of singing little boys.

So... that's the beginning of my dad's story. I am sure there is so much more that I do not now know... and probably never will. I just received another email from my Aunt Micky. She has an old photo album that she is sending me of Todd School and Camp Tosebo. There are also pictures of my grandfather (General Johnson) and grandmother (the Latin teacher) when they were students at Hiram College. Can't wait to get it!

Thanks for stopping by and joining me on this trip...

Have a great weekend.

Thursday Thought #6

2009-07-30T09:57:00.000-07:00

Have a really great Thursday, ok?

Thanks for stopping by...

Camp Tosebo ( II )

2009-07-28T08:34:00.000-07:00

I continue discovering more things about my family and Camp Tosebo. My aunt and my cousin have reconnected with people they knew during their summers there. My cousin, Gary (son of Aunt Micky and brother of Arlene) was allowed to be a camper because he was the right age and because he was a boy. Arlene says she was upset by this because he got the Camp Tosebo t-shirt and she did not.

Cousin Gary (above) in his spiffy TOSEBO t-shirt

Cousin Arlene (below, left) no spiffy TOSEBO t-shirt

notice the pout

When I started this journey, I “googled” both Todd School for Boys and Camp Tosebo. There was not a lot to be found about the school, but I found someone had taken the time to collect and post over 100 pictures of Camp Tosebo – times that he and his older brother had spent at the camp. In this collection, I found pictures of my cousins, Gary and Arlene, and several of my grandfather, General Johnson. In this collection was a 1940’s brochure of the camp. In some places the printing in the brochure is very difficult to read. [One of my projects surrounding this journey is to decipher the information in the brochure.]

I thought you would enjoy seeing what a day in the life of a camper was in the 1940's. A well-rounded curriculum was provided for every camper.

The regular daily program will look something like this – only most days aren’t regular, for there are usually some trips or special events planned.

7:00 First Call
7:05 Assembly. Getting up drill.
7:15 Wash up
7:30 Breakfast
8:00 Make beds and put camp in order. Toothbrush brigade.
8:20 Transportation
8:30 Athletics. Class instruction and individual coaching in track and field, athletics, baseball, and rowing(?). [I believe archery was in this group also.]
9:30 Classes. The camp is divided into eight groups according to age and there are eight subjects taught. This gives each boy one week in each class. The subjects taught are Rowing, Canoeing, Horsemanship, Woodcraft, Material (construction work, model sailboats, etc.) and structural, Photography, and Bird Lore.
11:00 Swimming
12:30 Dinner
1:30 Rest Period
2:30 Free for recreation. Sailing or motorboat trips. Fishing trips about twice a week. Horses available. Swimming.
6:00 Supper.

After supper: Ball games, boating on the lake, camp fire.

The camp was immersed in Native American folklore (all campers were given an Indian name).

From the brochure: The Thursday night camp fire is held in the sacred Indian Council Ring. Indian dances – Indian customs prevail. In the picture you will see four Tosebo Indians standing at the four points of the compass on the circle. They will do the Fire Dance at the end of which the stacked wood will miraculously bust into flame. How is it done? Nobody knows – unless possible Chief Whirling Thunder.

Memories from another TOSEBO camper: For the activities involving competition the camp was divided into two tribes, the Blackfeet and the Chippewas. Some of the feature events of the season included the regular games of the "major" and "minor" leagues, tournaments in tennis, track, archery, BB's, and Tom Thumb Golf.

Another visible sign of the old Camp Tosebo is the boathouse. The Camp Tosebo Boathouse has been a landmark on the southern shore of Portage Lake since 1912. Until 1938 the Boathouse sat on cribs out in the water and boats were "driven in" through doors on the east side. The second floor was used for clothes changing and featured a slide that went right into the water. In the winter of 1938-39 the Boathouse was dragged to its current location. Clothes changing was moved to the first floor and the upstairs was used to hang out the sails to dry.

Memories from my Cousin Arlene…
July 22, 2009
…I appreciate that the old Boathouse has been restored and it appears to have the same colors it did for years. It originally was sort of a light gold color like some of the other buildings. One day Grandpa took me - and perhaps my brother Gary- in to Manistee to choose new paint colors for the boathouse. I remember choosing the light green (though perhaps I was "guided" in that choice) for the boathouse - but it was Grandpa who chose the red for the lettering. I remember thinking that those colors might not go together, but I'm glad I was overruled. We got to help paint the boathouse - at least at the lower levels and seeing it restored is gratifying.
Arlene Thomas

I was going to include stories about the old camp truck. However, today I got an email with more information about the truck in it. So I will save that for later.

Thanks, again, for stopping by…
Have a great day !

Just a little FYI for Monday

2009-07-27T09:34:00.001-07:00

"HOUSTON, WE HAVE LIFT-OFF"!!!!!!

Do y'all remember the rantings of a maniac mother a few weeks back? Yup, that one. The mother who threw the four inch telephone book at her 38-year-old son and said: have a job by the end of July... OR ELSE.

Well... the miracle has happened. This is Christopher (a.k.a. Son #1) -- doesn't he look like a Marine (in his own mind, he still is). He now has employment AND is working -- 2 shifts this weekend. He wears a uniform, too.

Anyway, he took the phone book, looked up Security Guard companies. Called. Sent resumes. And went 'visiting'. Now, in California, to become a security guard, you have to have a guard card. This involves taking an 8-hour class and getting some sort of scan and then waiting for your name and number to magically appear on some website. Last Tuesday the magic happened and on Wednesday Chris was employed by National Security Services/Industry. This is one of the places he visited after my short fuse exploded. Chris and the guy running the office hit it off really well. He told Chris everything he had to do to get THE CARD. Then said, if you get the card, you've got a job here.

On Friday, Chris picked up his uniforms. On Saturday, he worked a Sweet Sixteen party at one of the Sacramento Community Centers from 1:30 p.m. until 12:30 a.m. Last night he was called in to cover the grave yard shift in the parking garage in Old Town Sacramento. Apparently this security company contracts with the city. Tomorrow Chris reports to his regular post. After training this will be from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. at the Sacramento Convention Center.

It does a mother's heart good to see her son drag in at 9 a.m. Exhausted from the night's work --- YAHOOOOOOOOOOO!!! I am happy that he will be earning a living again. I am happy that he is doing something he loves to do. And I am really, really overjoyed that he will be associating with people other than his old mom and step-dad.

If I weren't his mother, I wouldn't mess with him... would you?

Thanks for stopping by... have a great Monday

Camp Tosebo (part 1)

2009-07-24T09:15:00.000-07:00

This has been such a great “ride” for me. I have reestablished contact with some of my family and have opened a can of worms in the process. My 88-year-old aunt (dad’s younger sister) lives at an assisted living facility in Wisconsin. She writes their monthly newsletter called The Chamomile Chatter. Her August newletter will be about Camp Tosebo. Although the family lived at Todd School during the school year, that was academia… Camp was where the fun happened. Since my Aunt Micky’s family always lived close enough to Camp to visit every summer, their connection remained long after Dad and his older sister had grown and moved away.

There is a lot of information and more family memories for me to dig through here. It may take the form of a couple of different posts.

CAMP TOSEBO –

the summer home of TOdd SEminary for BOys

The second part of the pre-story history revolves around the place where my dad spent his summers. Again, his father was part of the running of this institution. My grandfather was referred to as “General Johnson.”
This is General Johnson fishing in the channel that connects Portage Lake and Lake Michigan.

Founded by Noble Hill, Camp Tosebo was established in 1912 as a private summer camp for the Todd Seminary for Boys in Woodstock, Illinois. The camp attracted boys from all over the country, and even though the Todd School was closed in 1953, the summer camp carried on with its eight-week summer program for another twenty-four years.

It is/was nestled in 56 acres of woods on the south shore of Portage Lake near Manistee, Michigan. Camp Tosebo was established in 1912 by Mr. Noble Hill who was at that time Headmaster of Todd School for Boys. From the old name of the school, Todd Seminary for Boys, was adopted the name TOSEBO. Orson Welles attended the camp during the early 1930's. [yup, there’s that name again… bet Dad was just thrilled.]

Today, long after the last campers have gone, Tosebo Inn retains their memories with camp photos on the walls and the camp credo, "There is nothing so kingly as kindness", painted on the large stone fireplace. If you look closely, you can see it carved in the mantle. These young men are watching a game of chess which was taking place in front of the great fireplace. It might have been a rainy day.

In the 1996 renovation of the Inn (formerly known as the Club House), details were carefully restored and as a result the entire camp was listed on the Michigan State Register of Historic Sites. The Inn now boasts eight guest rooms along with several sitting areas including a large living room, a library, a game room, a dining hall and two sitting porches, all lovingly decorated with camp furnishings. Comfort, privacy, relaxation and wide open spaces both inside and out, are what make Tosebo a unique B&B. The Old Camp Tosebo Inn - Bed and Breakfast - offers its guests the best in indoor comfort and outdoor pleasures in a romantic and historical setting...

These 2 pictures show part of the renovations taking place at Camp Tosebo. On the left is the old building called the Club House. On the right is the renovated Club House, now known as the Inn at Camp Tosebo.

The Clubhouse at Tosebo contained the most important rooms at camp - the kitchen and dining room. The food at Tosebo was good and wholesome. You could be sure that when you came in after a morning or afternoon of vigorous activity you would be able to put plenty of it away. The food was served family style by the counselor to the five boys sitting at his table. The clubhouse also housed the infirmary, the library and game room where you could play or sit inside by the fire and read stories on rainy days.

So that is a very brief introduction to Camp Tosebo. I have more to show you in my next post.

Thanks for stopping by…

Thursday Thought(s) #5

2009-07-23T08:20:00.001-07:00

I REALLY should have had this t-shirt as a child...

Todd School for Boys

2009-07-22T09:48:00.000-07:00

Often I hesitate doing posts. I am so afraid that I have the information wrong.

Well if it’s wrong, this time… so be it.

This is about my father’s family history as I know it.

I am doing it for my sister, Margaret, my sons, and my grandchildren.

I am fortunate that my dad’s only living sibling, Aunt Micky, and her daughter, my cousin Arlene, have helped me with some information.

About this Todd School picture: (an email from my aunt)

Friday, July 10, 2009 9:49 AM

Dear Carol, I was fascinated by the pictures you sent. Your grandpa was on the far left. The two young women you picked were my primary grade teachers. The older lady was Miss Miles, the Wallingford Hall housemother. This was the time when your dad was a student and might be in the picture.The Tosebo pictures are of the time I lived at camp and are very familiar. Although your grandpa was there at the time he tended to be camera shy. Love,aunt Micky

At the time, Woodstock, IL was a small community NW of Chicago. In this small community was a private boys’ school, Todd School for Boys. It was an independent school founded by Reverend Richard K. Todd who moved to Woodstock Illinois from Vermont in 1847 to be pastor of newly formed Presbyterian Church. He brought the New England philosophy of "plain living and high thinking, and in harmony with Puritan traditions." [note: It’s really ironic, at least to me, that all the while I was growing up I claimed that my parents were of true Puritan stock – not far from the truth, eh?].

In 1848 Rev Todd opened a day school in the parsonage, for both boys and girls. This small day school went through many scholastic changes, and in 1867 the school underwent "extensive improvements" at which time it became exclusively a seminary for boys, and became known as the Woodstock Institute. It held this name until 1873 when it became known as the Todd Seminary for Boys. Noble Hill joined the institution in 1888 as Reverend Todd's assistant. Hill resigned a year later due to differences in opinions with Todd. A year later Hill returned with a promise from Todd that he would have his full support. In June, 1892 Noble Hill arranged to purchase the Seminary from Reverend Todd, at a cost of $20,000. Noble Hill was headmaster at the school until he passed the school to his children in 1930. The following is an email from my dad’s sister:

Saturday, July 11, 2009 8:25 AM

Dear Carol,
… During the WW2 your grandma taught Latin. Since Todd was a private school people did not need to have a degree, Grandma could do that. Early on Grandpa was called the headmaster as he had the college degree and Roger Hill did not. After the son got the degree he took the title of headmaster and Grandpa was the principal.
Love, Aunt Micky

The school’s final name change occurred in 1930 when it became the Todd School for Boys. In addition, Woodstock can claim an important role in the creative development of Orson Welles. Welles attended the Todd School for Boys in Woodstock where he came under the positive influence and guidance of Roger Hill, a teacher who later became Todd's headmaster. Hill provided Welles with an ad hoc educational environment that proved invaluable to his creative experience, allowing Welles to concentrate on subjects that interested him. Welles performed and staged his first theatrical experiments and productions at Todd School. [One of my father’s claims to fame is that he once punched Orson Welles in the nose. Dad said, “He was just too big for his shoes.” – now didn’t that prove to be so very true? Welles' photo was pointed out in the web description of the above picture. I cannot find my dad in it. My grandfather is the gentleman on the left with his hat in his hand. ]

This picture is of one of the last buildings standing on the parcel where Todd School once lived. I do not know if it is still there.

Thanks for stopping by...

Just one of those little computer curses...

2009-07-20T13:08:00.001-07:00

Manic Monday ~ CURSE

2009-07-19T19:55:00.000-07:00

After checking out the myriad of negative definitions of the word CURSE, I feel like I’m going through not-quite-the-six degrees-of-Kevin-Bacon to get from the word curse and all its negative meanings to the curser which I spell cursor which brings me to the computer. Whewww….

Actually, there is a very simple connection between curse and computer. If it’s not running well, I curse. If it’s not giving me the information I want, I curse. Plain and simple, if the dang thing doesn’t do or say what I WANT it to do or say the result is a plethora of profanity.

So Saturday morning I am sitting at the old keyboard just minding my own business when…. the phone rings, beeps, buzzes… whatever it does these days. It was pretty early cuz the boys were still sleeping -- or trying to sleep.

NOW... I need to back peddle just a bit before I continue on my phone journey. When we got back from our mini get away, this email was waiting in my inbox.

"Sent: Wednesday, July 15, 2009 10:31:40 AM

Subject: Re: * IMPORTANT * Ensure The Safety For Your Online Banking Account… not a joke!

Today, I received a very legitimate looking e mail from Bank of America saying that some unusual activity had occurred on our accounts and I should contact them using the site spot they provided because our accounts were being frozen.

This looked very real, but I had heard about this sort of thing, so I called the Bank of America premier banking number we have for service and the woman told me that is was not real and to report it to the abuse email. I did that, and this is the answer I received. I did not provide any info or even click on the link they had so we will not have a problem.

I just want to warn you that if you receive a similar notice from Bank of America, immediately forward it to abuse@bankofamerica.com ..."

I cannot find anything about it on SNOPES (Urban Legends), so I will assume it to be true.

So... this scam issue is kind of sitting towards the front of my brain… and the phone rings. It’s before 9 a.m. Saturday morning. Damn… where’s the tragedy? No one calls us before noon.

AH HA… caller ID says it’s Bank of America calling. “Hello?” It’s a recorded message saying that there have been some questionable charges on my credit card. You know the routine… press 1 if you made the charges; press 2 if you didn’t; press 3 if you need time to figure out if you made these charges or press 4 if you want the message repeated. My inner voice is SCREAMING: REMEMBER THE EMAIL !!! [note: what I didn’t remember was that the email I received said I would get an email with a web site reference]

Luckily I am sitting at my computer. I press 2 and log into my bank account while waiting for a Bank of America representative to help me. And… voila!! Two charges made that morning… one at true.com (an on-line dating site) and another at Horseshoe Bar U (or something like that… I have NO idea what that is). As for the on-line dating site, the ‘CURSE’ of the computer led me to my current marital situation. Enough said! I did not make either charge.
Of course all this turns out to be legitimate, but I’m still thinking a scam artist is trying to steal my credit card number – not that someone has ALREADY STOLEN it. The B of A rep is so nice and trying to get information from me and I am NOT giving it up. “Will you please verify your email address for me?” “Nope, I get all my statements on line. Bank of America already has it.” I was so NOT going to give out any info. Damn that email… that cursed email!!

The stolen credit card has been destroyed and a new one with a new number will be issued. I am very grateful for the diligence that Bank of America has shown me. And I thank Roxanne (the rep) for putting up with my paranoia.

The ‘CURSE’ of our high-tech world presents all of us with such infinite choices that we forget the communications of 10, 15, 20 or more years ago. It has made life easier and more difficult at the same time. It can give us hours of enjoyment, provide infinite knowledge and keep us in touch with long-lost or distant friends and relatives. It can also steal your money, your identity, your life. My small incident on Saturday was scary enough for me. I’m not untouchable in this byte-size world. Sometimes I really miss a less technical world… and sometimes, I don’t.

Thanks for stopping by... y'all have a great week...

Visit more Manic Monday stories here. Thanks Mo!

Thursday Thoughts # 4

2009-07-16T09:00:00.000-07:00

Have a great day everyone... thanks for stopping by...

Back from the foothills...

2009-07-16T08:45:00.001-07:00

This is a picture taken in February when we visited our friend Ed (a.k.a. Mr Moose) in Sonora. The hill doesn't look ALL that steep from here, but it sure is when you try to walk up -- or down. Anyway, we had another very nice visit with our friend over the past few days. It was very warm -- hot even. We are in the midst of another summer heat surge. Anyway, I would have taken pictures on this trip but my camera decided to have a "melt-down". Yes, I have tried new batteries.

One of the highlights of my visit this time was to participate in Old Farts' Day at the local Sonora grocery stores. Sonora is about 45% retirees and on Tuesday some of the grocery stores give the seniors 5% off on their entire grocery bill. Ed figured that last year he spent about $4000. on groceries. Since he shops on Tuesdays almost ALL the time, it worked out to a savings of about $200. Now that's nothing to sneeze at, right?

We also watched the State Farm Home Run Derby on Monday night and the All Star Game on Tuesday night.

I had a long long phone conversation with my 85+ year old aunt on Sunday. She lives in Wisonsin and I was hoping to garner some more knowledge about my dad's childhood from her. It looks like this is going to be quite a project for me. I want to do this for my sons and grandchildren, so they know something of their heritage... then again... that's another story that I will share with y'all some day.

Thanks for stopping by... have a great day!!

Thursday Thoughts #3

2009-07-09T12:27:00.000-07:00

There just aren't enough hours in this week. And next week, we are going to the Sierra Nevada Foothills (Sonora) to watch the MLB All-Star Game with our friend Mr. Moose and his cat, Penny.

I spent yesterday with an old friend who has finally moved back to the Sacramento area. She needed a ride to have her hair done in Loomis, CA (about an hour north of where I live). So we took the day to visit and shop! It was fun and I was really tired when I got home.

I spent the morning creating a birthday card for Richard's brother, Dan, who will be 50-something on Monday. Last year he sent me a card that was half burned (because of all the candles on my cake). So this year he is getting a birthday invitation to the Golden Years Living facility. My daughter-in-law has celebrates her birthday this Sunday and a good friend has her cake-day next Thursday. The cards are now done and I will be off to the Post Office shortly.

When I get back, I will go back to work on the information I found about my dad's school and summer camp. I really want to get that done.

Thanks for stopping by... have a great Thursday...

More To Come...

2009-07-08T09:21:00.000-07:00

Originally I planned to write a blog about where my dad grew up. In researching his "past," I found a gold mine of information about it. I am still digging into some of these facts that absolutely facinate me.

Just a little tid-bit fact from his life... One of my dad's claims to fame is that he punched Orson Welles in the nose.

MANIC MONDAY on Saturday

2009-07-04T09:26:00.000-07:00

Wishing you all a happy and SAFE

4th of July 2009

COUNTRY

This is my country,
land of my birth!
This is my country,
grandest on earth!
I pledge thee my allegiance,
America the Bold.
This is my country,
To have and to hold.

Visit more of Mo's Manic Monday here

Short Fuse Story #2

2009-07-03T06:45:00.000-07:00

As I said Wednesday, for some reason I am running on a short fuse.

Let’s make that a really

It is Thursday (July 2, 2009) afternoon. Son #1, whose name is Chris, just walked in the kitchen door. “It’s a good thing I stopped at that second place. Mom, you are not going to believe this…”

It all started when I got up Wednesday morning at 5 a.m. (this is really a bit too early for me these days), Chris was snoring loudly on the sofa recliner with the TV on. However, this is NOT the first time I have found this scene upon getting up. Often I hear him trying to quietly go to bed about 6 a.m. He says he slept for a bit and then got up for a bit and then went back to bed. I KNOW that he has fallen asleep on the sofa with the TV on. Know what? I just don’t believe that story. I have suggested, many times, that if he is tired GO TO BED! This is not HIS home, if he wants to do his own thing, he needs to get his own place.

My 38-year-old son came to live with us in April 2008, so that I would have some help and some company when Richard went through the bone marrow transplant in May 2008. By October 2008, Richard was recovered enough to take our long-planned for cruise from the west coast to the east coast via the Panama Canal. After spending six months here, Son #1 decided he wanted to stay and not return to Pennsylvania.

Not to minimize his contributions in helping us because Son #1 does help out around here and the help is much appreciated… he loves to cook, takes care of the lawn, and when poked with a cattle prod does some help with the cleaning. Since he claims the kitchen as his domain, he is responsible for keeping it clean (cattle prod time again). He also keeps the grocery list and goes to the grocery store with me (that’s because I pay). He is also very good to Ramona the pup; in fact, she adores Son #1.

However, he really has not started a serious search for gainful employment. In the last 8 months, I can count on one hand the times he has actually GONE OUT of the house to look for a job… only to come home and say: I have to apply online. Me thinks, perhaps, he should be looking in a different direction. He has been a security guard, worked at convenience stores and restaurants and has been a bartender. He was in the Marine Corps. I will say that he has done up a resume and knows how to write a cover letter. He has been to the state job center three times.

So, because of this current short fuse of mine (being what it has been this week), I exploded at him at 5 a.m. yesterday morning. Verbally, I threw newspapers and telephone books at him. I also suggested he started being a little creative in his job search. USE YOUR FRICKIN HEAD!! You want a job? You must prove it at this point in our recessed economy. Get creative. You are in a competitive market – even at McDonalds.

Then I let THE sentence go… “Have a job by the end of July or find someone else to live off.”

OMG (my mother-self said)… I AM a bad mother... not bad, HORRIBLE!!

OMG (my voice-of-reason said)… He’s 38-frickin-years-old; he needs to be responsible!

Son #1 tends to focus ALL his free time on reading and “playing” on the computer. I do this now in retirement; however, at his age, I was a single parent trying to bring up three rowdy boys. I worked at least one full-time job. As the kids got older, I also took on a part-time job AND went back to school when I was well into my 40’s. So, I also told him that instead of resting on my laurels all day long, I would feel guilty about being in the prime of my life and hiding out at Mom’s place. Does he think I owe him this luxury?

So that is a whole lot of build-up to the lighting of my short fuse. Wednesday, he spent the entire afternoon making phone calls, writing cover letters, and getting his resume ready to mail out to several security agencies. Last night he printed out directions to other agencies where he is to take his resume on Thursday. Hopefully, progress in getting through his thick head is being made. (My comment: Do ya see what you can do when you put a little effort into something??? HUH??? DO YA?? Imagine what would happen if you did this even once a week. Maybe you would have a job by now? He must have gotten his thick head from his father… and the blinders too.)

The second stop on his journey Thursday was at the office for a security agency that provides security guards mainly to the City of Sacramento. The guy Chris talked to saw that Chris is a "transplant" from Pennsylvania. Chris said that he had lived there for 10 years but was originally from a small city in Western Massachusetts. The guy at the agency asked Chris if he ever heard of Great Barrington, MA. OMG… just south of our old home town. That along with the fact that Chris is a (ex-) Marine and has guard experience… he may be starting work next weekend. He does need to get a California Guard Registration card which involves taking a 40 hour state approved class and this agency will help him get that.

This is a foot-in-the-door.

Praise the Lord for a short fuse.

Thursday Thoughts #2

2009-07-02T08:46:00.000-07:00

It's ALL about the almighty dollar

2009-07-01T05:19:00.000-07:00

Before I launch into my tirade… HAPPY JULY, EVERYONE.
I sure hope you guys back in New England get a little taste of summer sometime soon – without the humidity. Our heat wave is subsiding... it was only 98* yesterday.

To say the least, my fuse has become very short these days. Some of the anger directed at one faction of California government or another. Remember back in February when I mentioned that this almighty state would be paying our income tax refunds with IOU’s? Well, they are at it again. If a budget hasn’t been passed and accepted, the Governator says the state will pay all its bills with IOU’s starting July 1st. When I went to bed last night, there was still no budget. Ditto on the news this morning.

I don’t believe I have ever been daring enough to fall off my middle-of-the-road horse. I normally don’t like ruffling feathers. I really surprised myself on this one. Anyway, on Tuesday, June 30, 2009, I emailed my state senator. I know it’s a bit late, but then so is the budget. I don’t want to offend anyone, HOWEVER… one of the biggest expenses this state incurs the giving of unearned benefits to illegal aliens. The politically correct term is UNDOCUMENTED persons, but to me they are one in the same. I just wish someone in the government could tell me WHY we support people who do nothing to contribute to our state… that is CONTRIBUTE, not drain. I must be really dumb as I cannot figure it out.

Just an FYI: Richard’s COBRA runs out at the end of July and he can’t get any state assistance. He is not eligible for Medicare until February 2010 and it will cost us almost $800 per month to continue COBRA insurance for another year.

Another ridiculous expenditure this state has is the salaries it pays these political idiots. I thought during the last “special” election we had in May (which cost the state a few million), we-the-people said: agree on a budget or don’t get paid. We-the-people were heard loud and clear weren’t we. Looks like we are going to get more new taxes and fewer services. State employees – poor things – are going to have to take 3 unpaid days off every month until this budget thing is reconciled. Aren’t any of them just grateful to have a job?

The second political issue digging at my sensibility button is that Sacramento Department of Transportation has decided the gate in our back yard that opens on to 24th Street is now an illegal access. This was NOT an issue when Richard bought the house (in 1985). But now our vice mayor is working with D.O.T. to beautify a two-block stretch of the west side of 24th Street. And, of course, it's right in/on/near/in the vicinity of our back yard. To make a long story short, after joining with our neighbors and writing many letters to many different government officials and to 2 of Sacramento’s major TV station problem-solvers (no response from them yet), we finally found a real estate lawyer who is not afraid to fight (this idiocy from the vice mayor’s office at) city hall. He (the lawyer) is trying to find out exactly who owns the easement property the city wants to “beautify”. I am all for making things look nice. My major issue with this plan is WHY the heck are they using precious money for this non-essential project at this time? Haven’t they heard that the state is going bankrupt (refer to above paragraphs)?? Oh yes, the mayor has heard that. He wants to get rid of the city manager… would that be to have that money back in the city budget OR would that be so he has more free-rein in ruining, I mean running, our city?

Is it just me, or has common sense died? Doesn’t anyone else see this senselessness? We-the-people are like a herd of cattle that is being driven towards the edge of a very high cliff and our elected officials are hoping we just keep running and fall off the edge. This scares me… A LOT!!

Thanks for stopping by...
just to forewarn y'all tomorrow is the family tirade...

An Edit & Some Ramblings

2009-06-30T08:01:00.001-07:00

After much deliberation, I have deleted a great portion of Monday’s posting. Believing that sometimes too much information is just that … too much information. The remaining portion satisfactorily covers the topic of where I have traveled. Writing the stories associated with certain states was an exercise I needed to do for myself – and I didn’t need to subject you to my wordiness. At some point in time, I may throw in a ‘state’ story or two. But for now, that project is finished.

Which brings me to general ramblings of my yesterday (Monday).

I still wonder how I can remember some of those travel stories and NOT remember to buy cereal when I got groceries last night – it was right there at the top of my list. Good thing Richard still has some Frosted Mini-Wheats left.

The word at the top of this list may look like "corn," but on my list it was most definitely cereal.

It has been HOT here… 106*, 108*, 102* for the last three days. Today it should be down to 98*. Anyway, our pantry was looking a bit too slim; so Son #1 and I headed for our new Super WalMart last night – it opened on June 17th.

I figured that MOST people would have gone there and gone home already.

I really expected (HOPED) it would look like the picture.

I was so very NOT right.
We got there about 9:15 -- along with everyone else on our side of town.

So much for that idea.

The place was a ZOO (some people really do belong in cages).

I like quiet WalMart shopping. So I usually go about 7 or 7 :30 in the morning.

To ward off boredom during this heat wave, I have been knitting and crocheting. The other day, I spied a sweater that I had started for granddaughter Rebecca. So I finished that. Her brother, Jon, has requested a new hoodie. And suddenly, there are a several young pregnant gals in my acquaintance circle. What better way to get rid of some of the yarn that has been hanging out in my craft room for a much too long time.

It's another hot one today. Son #1 got up early and made a tuna/macaroni salad and now has chili cooking in the crock pot. And I am off to the "knitting corner."

Have a great Tuesday and thanks for stopping by...

Driving Through Some Memories

2009-06-29T09:28:00.000-07:00

I copped this idea from Tammy over at Queen-Size Funny Bone. Strangely enough though, a couple of weeks ago I really was wondering how many states I had actually traveled through and which I had actually in stopped to visit. So, I printed out an alphabetical list of the states and a blank map to fill in. And promptly left both items sitting on my desk... in a pile with other important papers.

I have driven cross-country many times (June 1978 MA to San Diego; July 1982 San Diego to Massachusetts; September 2001 MA to Sacramento; April 2003 Sacramento to MA; September 2004 MA to Sacramento; August / September 2008 Sacramento to MA to Sacramento). I have decided to divide the states into categories:

1. States I have NOT been to or through –

Alabama, Alaska, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota I did notice that these states are very north or very south… Obviously, this makes me a true middle-of-the-roader.

2. Drive-Thru States, with no real story connections (maybe a comment or 2) –

Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia

3. Drive-Thru States and those with a story –

Arizona, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Michigan, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Vermont, Wisconsin, Wyoming

4. States in which I have lived (some stories included) -

California, Connecticut, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Pennsylvania

edit 6/30/09

Thursday Thoughts

2009-06-25T08:55:00.000-07:00

I got an email today. It has been around a long time. Here are a few of the list that really made me stop and wonder...

EVER WONDER ..

WHY do drugstores make the sick walk all the way to the back of the store to get their prescriptions while healthy people can buy cigarettes at the front? (So Walgreens can have a drive-thru pick up for prescriptions?)

WHY people order double cheeseburgers, large fries, and a diet coke? (I do this ALL the time. It justifies the calories in the double cheeseburger and large fries.)

WHY do banks leave both doors open and then chain the pens to the counters? (DUH!!)

WHY do we leave cars worth thousands of dollars in the driveway and put our useless junk in the garage?

WHY do they have drive-up ATM machines with Braille lettering? (Now I figured this one out... There are ATM machines which the blind are able to use. If banks had to build a seperate type of machine keyboard built with braille lettering, it would be an huge extra cost for the bank.)

WHY is it that doctors call what they do 'practice'? (SCARY)

WHY is the man who invests all your money called a broker? (in some cases, how appropriate)

WHY is the time of day with the slowest traffic called rush hour?

You know that indestructible black box that is used on airplanes? WHY don't they make the whole plane out of that stuff?!

WHY didn't Noah swat those two mosquitoes?

And… my very favorite… IF CON IS THE OPPOSITE OF PRO, IS CONGRESS THE OPPOSITE OF PROGRESS?

Manic Monday ~ POP

2009-06-22T07:55:00.001-07:00

To read more fabulous POPs,

visit Mo's Manic Monday

My father worked for General Electric while I was growing up. Every year G.E. would ‘shut down’ the plant for 2 weeks in the summer. This meant employees would get a paid 2 week vacation exactly when they wanted/needed it. The middle 2 weeks in July were the optimal time for this. (It also meant that every year, my birthday was celebrated away from home.) For these 2 weeks, Dad would rent a cottage on Cape Cod in the Dennisport area. [I eventually developed some sort of eye allergy to salt water. My eyes would be cemented shut by “gunk” every morning. Being of a young, tender age, I thought I had gone blind. Our summers on Cape Cod became summers on a beautiful fresh water lake in New Hampshire.]

So, what does this have to do with POP? We had no television in the cottage. We made our own entertainment and listened to the radio. I guess my brain just works in very mysterious ways these days. HOWEVER… the POP song for those summers on Cape Cod was Patti Page’s version of “Old Cape Cod.” I remember just sitting and listening to that song time after time. It leaves me with the desire once again return to the naivety of my childhood summers on THE Cape. Ah, such an innocent romantic I was as a child.

Only the GOOD Friday #6 ~ catalogues

2009-05-29T08:25:00.000-07:00

I was at a loss about a post for ONLY THE GOOD FRIDAY until I made a visit to the blog of Empress Bee of the High Seas and her mention of the new phone books being out for distribution.

About a year ago (maybe 2 years ago), The Today Show profiled an organization called CATALOGUE CHOICE. At that time our mailbox was FULL of unwanted, unnecessary catalogues for everything from Arts and Crafts to zebra print clothing. Catalog Choice is a free service that allows you to decide what gets in your mailbox. Use it to reduce your mailbox clutter, while helping save natural resources.

It’s a very easy resource to use…

Step 1: Sign up.
Fill out our online registration form using your name and primary mailing address. Your contact information will only be used for the purpose of honoring your mail preference.

Step 2: Find your catalogs.
Find and set mail preferences for your catalogs, using the Catalog Choice search facilities. We'll then contact the catalog providers on your behalf, requesting that your preference be honored.

Step 3: See the results.
It can take at least twelve weeks to process your request, after which time your mail preference should be in effect. Results will vary depending on whether the company is actively participating in our service. All Participating Companies have pledged to honor your requests within 12 weeks. If you do continue to receive catalogs you requested not to, you can return here to let us know, and we'll follow up with the merchant.Catalog Choice is designed for your continued use. Upon receipt of additional unwanted catalogs, return here to set a mail preference for them. As a registered user, you'll also discover additional features related to managing catalogs at multiple addresses, adding new catalogs to our database, recording personal notes, and "going paperless".

My experience has been positive but it DOES take a while for your “eliminate this catalogue” to take affect. And there were companies that did not respond to the STOP SENDING request. For those companies, I called a phone number listed on the catalogue itself and requested them to stop sending. If they asked why, I just told them that anything I want or need I can access their business on line AND I don’t want to waste any more of our natural resources than we are already wasting. Some of the reps I talked with laughed when I said, “Save the trees, baby!!” And, ya know what? I am really proud of myself for doing that because I don't normally like confrontation with any person or organization who could send someone out to hunt me down for not liking their catalogues (yeah, I'm a bit paranoid). But these calls WORKED. My mailbox is so much happier now. And so am I.

Thanks for stopping by… have an ONLY THE GOOD FRIDAY… and a glorious weekend.

Murphy's Law

2009-05-28T09:23:00.000-07:00

At one time or another we have all made the comment that perhaps everything turning upside down on a particular day had to do with Murphy’s Law. That prompted me into looking into exactly what generated that term: MURPHY’S LAW. Here is what I found…

First there was a very technical, military explanation…

The following article was excerpted from The Desert Wings, March 3, 1978”…

Murphy's Law ("If anything can go wrong, it will") was born at Edwards Air Force Base in 1949 at North Base. It was named after Capt. Edward A. Murphy, an engineer working on Air Force Project MX981, (a project) designed to see how much sudden deceleration a person can stand in a crash.One day, after finding that a transducer was wired wrong, he cursed the technician responsible and said, "If there is any way to do it wrong, he'll find it." The contractor's project manager kept a list of "laws" and added this one, which he called Murphy's Law. Actually, what he did was take an old law that had been around for years in a more basic form and give it a name…”

That’s all very well and good, but I like this explanation better…

Murphy's Law or Sod's Law?

While I admit that the name of Murphy's laws is a pleasant one as is the story of how it came to light, but the original name for 'if anything can go wrong it will' was sod's law because it would happen to any poor sod who needed such a catastrophic event the least. It also removes the ability to say "I coined this phrase!" because sod's law has been around long before any living man and has existed in many forms for hundreds of years. In the English County of Yorkshire I know it to have been around for generations because it has been passed through several Yorkshire families I know. But this original name is dying out because sod over here is a cursory so is not used much. Murphy's on the other hand is nothing insulting or lacking in hope I hope this clears any problems up and while this maybe hard to come to terms with, think about it, would such an obvious piece of logic have only come about in the second half of the 20th century???? (no credit given for this explanation)

Some of MURPHY'S LAWS:

If anything can go wrong, it will (Corollary: It can; Corollary: It should)
MacGillicuddy's Corollary: At the most inopportune timeExtension: it will be all your fault, and everyone will know it.
If there is a possibility of several things going wrong, the one that will cause the most damage will be the one to go wrong
Extreme version: If there is a possibility of several things going wrong, the one that will cause the most damage will be the FIRST to go wrong
If anything just cannot go wrong, it will anyway
If everything seems to be going well, you have obviously overlooked something

Well dern… it just goes on and on. AND there are soooooo many of them. It’s a really neat site if you’re interested… or have nothing pressing to do for the next few minutes/hours/days… Meanwhile, I’ll just blame my bum luck on Murphy’s Law.

Thanks for stopping by… BBSL

Manic Monday ~ MEMORIAL

2009-05-24T08:36:00.000-07:00

“If you can read this, thank a teacher.

If you can read it in English, thank a soldier.”

My father wasn’t in the military service – neither was my mother. Somewhere there is probably an uncle who fought during WWII or Korea. I admit that I am not all that informed on the military history of my family.

The person to whom I was closest who did serve his country was my ex-husband – the father of my three sons. He served as a Marine during the Viet Nam conflict. He spent from January 1969 until December 1969 as a foot soldier in that country. At the time, I did not realize how that war would affect my life. In short, he would divorce me (irreconcilable difference caused in part by delayed stress syndrome from his war experiences).

In turn, this really made me stand on my own 2 feet. I was pressed into becoming a more responsible mom for 3 growing boys. OK… this was a start into becoming the responsible adult that I should have been all along (notice, I say START). Looking back, I sure wasn’t the easiest person with whom to live. I was a spoiled, inconsiderate brat at times. I just could never get the hang of looking at life’s bigger picture. To be honest, my life was too focused on ME. Funny how that quickly changed (and still does with age). As with all stories, there is a lot more to this one. And, I am still (always) working on the responsible adult thing.

However, it is Memorial Day and I will make this short.

This year, instead of saying a prayer to thank Don for (a) putting up with me for all those years and (b) for divorcing me, I will post this thank you to him. Hoping that his spirit can rest in peace knowing that no matter what happened between us, I am a better person for it.

Thank you, Don.

ONLY THE GOOD FRIDAY ~ TOMS Shoes

2009-05-22T09:03:00.001-07:00

I have been seeing a commercial on TV every now and then that aroused my curiosity.

It is for TOMS Shoes.

TOMS Shoes was founded on a simple premise: For every pair you purchase, TOMS will give a pair of shoes to a child in need. One for One. Using the purchasing power of individuals to benefit the greater good is what we're all about.
In 2006 an American traveler, Blake Mycoskie, befriended children in Argentina and found they had no shoes to protect their feet. Wanting to help, he created a company that would match every pair of shoes sold with a pair given to a child in need. One for One. Blake returned to Argentina with a group of family, friends and staff later that year with 10,000 pairs of shoes made possible by caring TOMS customers.
Since our beginning, TOMS has given over 140,000* pairs of shoes to children in need through the One for One model. Because of your support, TOMS plans to give over 300,000 pairs of shoes to children in need around the world in 2009.
Our ongoing community events and Shoe Drop Tours allow TOMS supporters and enthusiasts to be part of our One for One movement. Join us.

WHY SHOES ??

Most children in developing countries grow up barefoot. Whether at play, doing chores or just getting around, these children are at risk.
Walking is often the primary mode of transportation in developing countries. Children can walk for miles to get food, water, shelter and medical help. Wearing shoes literally enables them to walk distances that aren't possible barefoot.
Wearing shoes prevents feet from getting cuts and sores on unsafe roads and from contaminated soil. Not only are these injuries painful, they also are dangerous when wounds become infected. The leading cause of disease in developing countries is soil-transmitted parasites which penetrate the skin through open sores. Wearing shoes can prevent this and the risk of amputation.
Many times children can't attend school barefoot because shoes are a required part of their uniform. If they don't have shoes, they don't go to school. If they don't receive an education, they don't have the opportunity to realize their potential.
There is one simple solution...SHOES.
Of the planet's six billion people, four billion live in conditions inconceivable to many. Lets take a step towards a better tomorrow.

The website for TOMS Shoes is: http://cdn2.tomsshoes.com/default28.htm

The shoes are a bit pricey, in my opinion. But you ARE buying 2 pair. And I think this is pretty good for a Friday.

My Former Neck of the Woods ~ part deux

2009-05-16T08:35:00.000-07:00

Did you ever see that commercial for "I shudda had a V-8"? Yeah... the one where someone smacks the guy/gal on the forhead. Well, I had a V-8 moment last night while watching the Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Jay was interviewing Kevin Bacon (You no doubt remember Kevin Bacon from such movies as Footloose, Tremors, Flatliners, Hollow Man, etc). Kevin and his brother also have a nice little rock band business.

So Jay says, "Where will you be performing?"

And Kevin says, "Next in Lincoln, Nebraska."

And Jay says, "And after that?"

And Kevin says, "PITTSFIELD, MASS."

And then I said, "Holy **** (something I could but won't print here)!!!"

And that was my V-8 moment!! Actually, that was my holy-crap-Pittsfield-really-is-on-the-map-moment.

I almost got up right then and there to write this, but I was really tired and it was after mid-night. But when I did final get up today, I started investigating this. I don't know why it shocked me so, I actually saw the Statler Brothers at the Boys Club waaay back a few years ago. And there is always Tangelwood in the summer and that draws a lot of 'names in the business.' So I figured the Bacon Brothers would be playing at one of the smaller venues on the Tanglewood Grounds. NOPE... again, I was wrong. Their website said at the Barrington Stage Company. OMG... where did that come from. I had never heard of that place. So back into the investigation.

Can I tell you how grateful I am for the WWW? Without this marvel, I would never have known how well downtown Pittsfield is surviving after the devastating hole in the economy left when G.E. pulled up stakes and went south.

Barrington Stage Company (BSC), founded in 1995, is a not-for-profit professional theatre company in the Berkshires (MA), with a three-fold mission: to produce top-notch, compelling work; to develop new plays and musicals; and to find fresh, bold ways of bringing new audiences into the theatre, especially young people.

However, for it's first eleven years BSC operated from rented space at the Consolati Performing Arts Center at Mount Everett High School in Sheffield (very much south of Pittsfield -- almost to the Connecticut border). In January 2006 BSC began renovations on a 1912 vaudeville theatre in downtown Pittsfield which BSC purchased in 2005. And by June, 2007, BSC opened its doors to a completely renovated 520 seat state-of-the art theatre. Now, there is the explanation as to why I didn't know about the Barrington Stage Company. I have been in California on and off since 2001 and permanently since 2004. Anyway, this 1912 theater was also at one time The Union Square Movie Theater where, as a mere child, I saw great films like West Side Story, The Apartment, and Flower Drum Song.

So... there is another little part of the former neck of my woods. Thanks for stopping by to visit.

Only The Good Friday

2009-05-15T08:19:00.000-07:00

I was so excited, I had to post it yesterday. The following is my ONLY THE GOOD FRIDAY contribution. It was written and posted on Thursday and happened on Wednesday. So I guess, all in all, it has been an ONLY THE GOOD WEEK for us.

It's been a year...

2009-05-14T09:11:00.000-07:00

I have been waiting and waiting for an email from Mr G's doctor's office. Finally... it arrived. Yesterday, at his appointment, the staff took some pictures... and had a little celebration for Mr G. The staff called it his First Birthday.

Mr G has Multiple Myeloma which is cancer of the blood plasma and affects the bone marrow -- eating the bones from the inside out. This cancer falls somewhere in the leukemia/lymphoma cancer family -- somewhat similar in treatment. There is no cure, only treatment and remission. It has been 2 years since his diagnosis. On May 8, 2008, he had a bone marrow transplant. His own bone marrow stem cells were used for this.

So just a little over a year ago, Mr G looked like this:

And this...

And this... (a few days later)

When he came home on May 22, 2009, he looked like this:

For the last year, every three months, Mr G has to have a battery of tests done to check the progress (more hopefully the non-progress) of this cancer. Starting last August (at his first bone marrow transplant check up), the doctor said the Mr G certainly appeared to be in remission. This was indeed good news. The news was the same at the 6-month and 9-month marks.

Mr G was one of the first cancer patients to access the services of a new cancer department at Sutter Health Services and Sutter General Hopsital. His doctor, Michael Carroll, was enlisted from a medical practice in Arizona and started set-up of the cancer services at the beginning of 2008. Mr G was one of his first patients. When we first started visiting the new infusion center where he got his chemo and other stuff, he could walk in the door and have his choice of cubicles. This is not so any longer. When Mr G goes for his bone stregthening IV (every 4 weeks) it can be a long wait -- even with an appointment. BTW... he no longer needs to have this IV.

Mr G is still in remission. Dr. Carroll is extremely pleased with his tests. We asked how long the average remission can be and he said about 3 years. So yesterday the doctor's staff celebrated Mr G's 'First Birthday' with us. At that time, we found out that he is the first Bone Marrow Transplant patient at this cancer center to celebrate this milestone. This is the picture of the whole crew...

Mr G is in the whitish shirt (and holding the balloon). The gal next to him is one of the infusion center nurses. Dr. Carroll is behind Mr G's right shoulder; I am on his left. Linda (Dr Carroll's office manager and in charge nurse) is over my right shoulder. She hugs a lot. Dennis, the medical assistant who gives Mr G all his shots is waaaaay in the back (behind Dr Carroll).

Happy Mother's Day from my former neck of the woods

2009-05-09T20:38:00.000-07:00

The older I get, the more nostalgia rolls in, through and around me. I am missing my mom, my family and my hometown today.

When I was 11 months old, I was adopted by a couple who, at the time, lived in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. It is the largest city and county seat of Berkshire County. This small-in-size-but-big-in- talent Western Massachusetts city was to become my home for many, many years.

Most of the population occupies roughly one quarter of the city's land. Pittsfield lies at the fork of the east and west branches of the Housatonic River, which heads southward from the city towards Long Island Sound. The eastern branch leads down from the hills, while the western branch is fed from Onota Lake and Pontoosuc Lake (which is on the Lanesborough town line). Like much of western Berkshire County, the city lies between the Berkshire Hills to the east, and the Taconic Range to the west. To the west of the city also lies Pittsfield State Forest, a 65-acre park with hiking and cross-country skiing trails, camping, picnic areas, and a swimming beach. Sections of the Housatonic Valley Wildlife Management Area also dot the banks of the river.

Dad was an electrical engineer for G.E. He designed and oversaw the building of a very nice home in an up and coming development. Purchasing a lot in that neighborhood came with swimming rights to a lot on a nearby lake. It was a nice bike ride on a hot day. There were no fences designating property lines.

When Mom and Dad became “empty nesters” and decided it was time to sell their rather large house, they moved less than a mile from that home. Meanwhile, I had lived in some nearby “hill towns”, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and San Diego, CA. Always, always… I found my way home to Pittsfield. I used to say it was like a vacuum cleaner and just sucked me back into its hug. But what did this place have, that I found nowhere else?

Comfort? Yes, like a puffy comforter in the middle of the winter (oh! and do they ever have winter there!).

Family? Yes… Mom, Dad and many other relatives within a 2-hour drive.

Beauty? OH MY YES!!

History? Here is just a little of it…

Pittsfield was first settled in 1752 and was officially incorporated in 1761. Royal Governor, Sir Francis Bernard named Pittsfield after British nobleman and politician William Pitt. The town was a bustling metropolis by the late 19th century. In 1891, the City of Pittsfield was incorporated, and William Stanley, who had recently relocated his Electric Manufacturing Company to Pittsfield from Great Barrington, produced the first electric transformer. Stanley’s enterprise was the forerunner of the internationally known corporate giant, General Electric (GE). Thanks to the success of GE, Pittsfield’s population in 1930 had grown to more than 50,000. While GE Advanced Materials (now owned by SABIC-Innovative Plastics) continues to be one of the City’s largest employers, a workforce that once topped 13,000 was reduced to less than 700 with the demise and/or relocation of the transformer and aerospace portions of the General Electric empire.

Other interests in the area:
Berkshire County (known as the Berkshires) is a historic area that includes Tanglewood, the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

Not far from Pittsfield is Stockbridge, a small New England town and home of the Norman Rockwell Museum. Rockwell moved to Stockbridge in 1953. I had the pleasure of meeting the artist in person in 1970. I remember this because I was 7 months pregnant with my first son at that time. The extent of our conversation was a ‘please sign this print’ that I am purchasing and a ‘thank you’ for doing so.

<<>

And, how can I forget the Popcorn Wagon parked all summer long at the curbside of Berkshire County Savings Bank.
There is much much more that I will share in subsequent Saturdays. The marvelous thing about this “neck of my woods” is the amazing variety of wonderful things to do and see in a basically easy to navigate area. Maybe it’s easy because I lived there for so long. There are NO freeways so ALL the traffic that needs to get from any direction to any direction MUST go through the city. That can be frustrating at times.

And so this is where my heart is this weekend… even though I am told that it is cold and gray back there and even though I SWORE I would never be tied to a hometown… part of my heart is there.

thanks for stopping by... have a great day

OTGF #4 ~ Extraordinary

2009-05-08T08:04:00.000-07:00

I first heard this song on the ABC hit reality show "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition." This show is always ONLY THE GOOD -- no matter what day...

Since the embedding has been "disabled by request", I must provide you with this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5aRLEZ2bCw

"Extraordinary"
I was a bay tree
Quiet and unseen
I lived in stories but inside I kept a mystery
I was a starling
Nobody's darling
Flying in perfect circles just for company

And now I'm ready
And now I'm ready
And now I'm ready to be extraordinary

A midnight airplane
A window blowing
I know I am another sparkle in the sky
I shine on copper
Still undiscovered
But you might see me in the corner of your eye

And now I'm ready
And now I'm ready
And now I'm ready to be extraordinary

Waking up to wake up someday
I am my own parade
Stopping off at a sidewalk cafe
Wind is playing in the trees
Kick up confetti leaves
Seems as if it's all to say

And now I'm ready
And now I'm ready
And now I'm ready to be extraordinary

And now I'm ready
And now I'm ready
And now I'm ready to be extraordinary

Have a fantastic Friday!!

The dishwasher saga...

2009-05-05T08:02:00.000-07:00

My last post ended with Mr G and myself heading out to Lowe's to find a new dishwasher.

I had done the same thing a couple weeks ago when I went to Home Depot for the light switch plate. At Home Depot, I found a nice Maytag dishwasher that I thought would fit very nicely in our kitchen. The salesperson processed everything at his register, gave me a stack of papers about the new dishwasher and I was told that my beautiful new stainless steel appliance would be delivered the following Wednesday. Now this was Thursday... that's a long time to wait. But ok... I'll wait.

Tuesday night, Mr G and #1 Son removed the old dishwasher and moved it to the garage. And then Mr G looked at the spec sheet about the new dishwasher. OMG, Carol!! This new dishwasher won't fit in this spot. It was something about the depth of our counter space being 24-25 inches and the appliance being 35" in depth (according to the spec sheet). So when the delivery service called to confirm a delivery time, Mr G cancelled the delivery as he believed the new dishwasher wouldn't fit. He thought it was either for a business or it was for a kitchen island.

And... back to Home Depot we went the next day -- it's now Thursday (last week). We took all the paper work with us to show them why we cancelled the delivery. The customer service rep was very helpful and very nice. But he couldn't help us because the delivery company hadn't put the dishwasher back into inventory on their computer yet. We actually went to the appliance department also and looked at the same dishwasher and found (TAAAAAA DAAAAAA) -- are you ready for this??? The information in the spec sheet was WRONG!!! Someone had put in a depth of 35" when it really is 25 inches. We were both a bit miffed. This whole situation was the result of THEIR error!

So we waited til Friday and went back to Home Depot. The same CSR was there to help us -- again he was very apologetic and was very helpful. The dishwasher was back in inventory. Did we want to reorder it? Well, I thought if they can deliver it on Saturday or Monday, sure. So back to the appliance department I went. Nope -- can't deliver until next Wednesday or Thursday. By this time, I was just a bit fed up. So I said NO, just refund my money. I was beyond being "a bit miffed" about this now.

So the CSR does the magic keyboard thing and handed me a receipt saying that my money should be back in my account in 24-48 hours. Now just wait a second! When I purchased this damn machine using my debit card (same as cash, right?), the money was OUT of my account before I got home. It's Friday, banks really don't work on Saturday or Sunday, so you are telling me that I have to wait til Monday or Tuesday to get my money back??? GRRRRR... grumble -- no longer am I miffed, I am seeing RED.

And that is why, Mr G and I went to Lowe's on Sunday. Our lovely new dishwasher was delivered yesterday morning and the boys (Mr G supervising #1 Son) actually had it working before it was time to make dinner. And I decided to get the black one instead of the stainless. I was a little leary, but wow! it looks so nice (Mr G likes the little blue lights on it when it's working). Oh, and the money to pay Lowe's came out of my account AFTER the delivery was made. (The money from Home Depot was back in my account this morning -- Tuesday -- grumble)

I must chuckle... while at Lowe's Mr G decided that it would be nice to put in a water filter for our refrigerator. Then he extended the idea to include a filtered water spout at the sink. We have gone from having water service to using BRITA during the past 2 years. Now we can just turn on our own filtered water spigot at the sink. Well... when the project is done we can... I'll let you know how that turns out...

Thanks for stopping by...

from the week that was...

2009-05-03T08:58:00.000-07:00

Guess I will work my way back through the week. Yesterday (Saturday) was rainy here in Sacramento. But I was on a mission to meet Linda at iHOP. We had a wonderful 2 hour visit, drank coffee, ate pancakes. Oh, by the way, do you see what's left of those strawberry pancakes on her plate. OMG... it was like a HUGE strawberry shortcake!! It was so nice just to sit and chat over a cup of coffee. Just like we have known each other for much longer than my few short months in the blogging world. She has a lot of traveling left to do around these parts before she heads back East. She is going places that will provide some fantastic photo ops.

**********************************************************

On Thursday we were supposed to take Ramona to her last obedience class session but I opted out on that. The previous week the instructor had made me feel like it was hopeless to ever expect her to behave properly in public. Well... I just guess I showed HER!!

On Thursday, #1 Son and I took Ramona to the dog groomer (Bath & Bones). She got all purdy and good-smelling and got her nails trimmed. It's really a neat shop. You can have your dog groomed by them, but they also have washing stations where you can do-it-yourself. They provide the aprons, shampoo, water, etc for $15.00. Since Ramona shies away from water (doesn't even go out in the rain), we thought they should have the first shot at grooming her. And just to show the instructor how wrong she was about her behavior, Ramona proved to be very comfortable with many other dogs around. It must have been just an amazing "hen party". Of course, the groomer found that Ramona had some redness in her ears and advised a visit to the vet.

So... on Friday it was off to the vet. It's $190 later (that did include the medicines) and we have to put 4 drops of medicine in each ear once a day. That is a chore. But with treats, she doesn't make it too difficult for us.

While we were finishing up on the new bathroom, I had to run out to Home Depot to get a light switch cover before the inspector got there for the final inspection. Of course, I didn't just run in, pick up the $1.50 cover plate and come home. I just had to nose around the store... specifically at the dishwashers. Now I blame that on Mr. G as he remarked the other day that our current dishwasher really should be replaced. Yeah... I bought a new dishwasher. And I'll finish this story when we get back from Lowe's... (we're going shopping for a dishwasher)

It's RAINING!!

2009-05-02T08:52:00.000-07:00

It's Saturday. It's RAINING!! It just doesn't rain in Sacramento in May... at least it doesn't rain like this. We need the water to fight this draught, but NOT today!!

I am looking to meeting Linda from Are We There Yet? I am sure there will be pictures. Her plane arrives in an hour. I better get ready.

OTGF #3 - Simply Maaaaavelous

2009-05-01T07:51:00.000-07:00

My Fair Lady, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, The Nun’s Story, Sabrina, Gigi…

and the list goes on.

Look at those eyes… large, soft, wise and, as Eliza Doolittle would say, loverly.

Audrey Hepburn is credited with the quote beneath this drawing.

From what I can find, the words are truly hers.

These words are my Only The Good Friday to you.

For attractive lips, speak words of kindness.
For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people.
For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry.
For beautiful hair, let a child run his/her fingers through it once a day.
For poise, walk with the knowledge that you never walk alone.

People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed; never throw out anyone.

Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, you will find one at the end of each of your arms.

As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands… one for helping yourself, and the other for helping others.

Have a maaaaaaaaavelous weekend, I know I will.

It's Done!!

2009-04-25T07:51:00.000-07:00

All I can say is: IT'S DONE!!

I need to put something in the window to block all the light so that I can take a better picture.

I have initiated the shower, the sink and the toilet.

But for now, I am going away for a few days.

This is the "before" picture.
Y'all take care, keep safe and have a great weekend!!

Bitchology

2009-04-21T08:59:00.001-07:00

The word BITCH has popped up at some interesting points in the last few days. An email I received this morning (posted it below), made me wonder about this.

I looked up the word in Wikipedia as I wondered when the female canine term took on human form. This is what Wikipedia says: “Bitch, a term for the female of a canine species in general, is frequently used as a term for a malicious, spiteful, domineering, intrusive, or unpleasant person, especially a woman. This second meaning has been in use since around 1400. When used to describe a male, it may also confer the meaning of "subordinate", especially to another male, as in prison. Generally, this term is used to indicate that the person is acting outside the confines of their gender roles, such as when women are assertive or aggressive, or when men are passive or servile. More recent variants of bitch are bitchy, ill-tempered (1925), and to bitch, to complain (1930)… The term "bitch" comes from the 1150 word bicche, which was developed from the Old English word bicce. It also may have been derived from the Old Icelandic work bikkja for "female dog." The phrase "son of a bitch" dates back to its use in Of Arthour & Merlin c. 1330.”

Operative word for me in the above definition is: UNPLEASANT

It started Sunday night when Mr. G and I watched The Amazing Race. For those of you not exposed to this show, it’s a reality show during which a number of 2-person teams travel to different places in the world and perform certain tasks usually related to the culture of that area. The last team to check in after completing the tasks is usually eliminated from The Race. There were 5 teams left on Sunday’s show. One team is a mother and her adult son – Margie & Luke – who also happens to be deaf. Another team is two sisters – Jen & Lakisha – who seem (in MY OPINION) to have the “bitch” thing going really well. During the race, the teams retrieve their clues from Race Boxes placed along the course. At two of the Race Boxes, there were some questionable encounters between the 2 afore mentioned teams at which point one of the sisters called the deaf son a “bitch”. [I am amazed that these things happen, but perhaps I shouldn’t be. After all, they are competing for $1 million.] This all led to a confrontation when these 2 teams, along with the brother & sister team of Victor & Tammy, arrived at the Pit Stop at almost the same time. It wasn’t all that pretty, but I guess it could have been worse.

My take on the whole incident is that you just don’t treat other people that way – thank you, Mom, for respecting others and teaching me to do so also. Yup, it’s a contest. Yup, there’s a bunch of money involved. And the reality of the reality shows is that the REAL people come out from behind their nice little masks and become bitches (female AND male). I don’t care who started what… get over it!! OMG… am I being a bitch?

The email that started all my wonderings follows:

BITCHOLOGY

When I stand up for myself and my beliefs, they call me a bitch.
When I stand up for those I love, they call me a bitch.
When I speak my mind, think my own thoughts or do things my own way; they call me a bitch.

Being a bitch means I won’t compromise what’s in my heart.
It means I live my life MY way.
It means I won’t allow anyone to step on me.

When I refuse to tolerate injustice and speak against it, I am defined as a bitch.
The same thing happens when I take time for myself instead of being everyone’s maid, or when I act a little selfish.

It means I have the courage and strength to allow myself to be truly who I am and won’t become anyone else’s idea of what they think I ‘should’ be.

I am outspoken, opinionated and determined. I want what I want and there is nothing wrong with that! So try to stomp on me, just try to douse my inner flame, try to squash every ounce of beauty I hold within me. You won't succeed. And if that makes me a bitch ,so be it.. I embrace the title and am proud to bear it.

In my way of thinking (which may be a little off-balance at times), this is being your own person and you don’t have to be a bitch to be comfortable in your own skin. IN MY OPINION, being disrespectful of others makes you the bitch.

Also included in the email were these:

B = Babe

I = In

T = Total

C = Control of

H = Herself

B = Beautiful

I = Intelligent

T = Talented

C = Charming

H = Hell of a Woman

B = Beautiful

I = Individual

T = That

C = Can

H = Handle 'anything'

Although I still don’t like the word, I don’t find the above acronyms negative. Just a little brain exercise… Can you think of a positive acronym for BITCH?

Thanks for stopping by... have a great Tuesday.

P.S. Bathroom renovation is ALMOST done (*smiles*)

Manic Monday ~ PLANT

2009-04-19T22:28:00.000-07:00

I really would like to PLANT a small vegetable garden this year. Those grocery store tomatoes don't hold a candle to a home-grown, fresh-from-the-garden tomato. Alas, my back yard has been torn up to replace the main “IN” water pipe to our house. The junction with the city pipe is in the middle of our back yard. I don’t know why (maybe… so many politicians create an environment for a lacking of common sense). And with all the small hills and valleys created by this excavation, and because my balance these days leaves a lot to be desired, I have been contemplating the TV commercial for Topsy Turvy Tomato PLANTs. They look like this:

Greg, the plumber, heard me talking about it one day and told me about what he does along the same line (and even cheaper). He has been growing his own topsy turvy tomatoes for years. He uses the white buckets that he gets with plumbing stuff in it.

He washes them out, cuts a hole in the bottom of the bucket, fills it with soil, turns it on its side, plants a tomato plant in the hole in the bottom and hangs it by the handle off the back porch of his house.

My only suggestion is: USE MIRACLE GROW soil. Dang that stuff works GOOD!!

So… maybe I will PLANT some tomatoes soon – if I can talk Greg out of some white buckets.

You can visit more Manic Monday PLANT stories here.

update on renovations

2009-04-14T08:03:00.000-07:00

Let’s see how far we have gotten in the last week…

This is pre-demo picture...

I told you the room is small.

This is the gutted room...

The gray stuff between the studs is blown-in insulation.

Last Monday and Tuesday we had all the old hot and cold water pipes replaced and locked into place. Our water to the master bath was back on for Tuesday night. The water pressure is incredible now… before it was almost a drip-drip-drip. On Wednesday, Thursday and Friday the guys put up the green wall (which is purple, btw), and started taping and mudding.

On Friday, the guy from the place that is making the tub surround, vanity top and window sill came and did measurements. These products will be done and installed on Wednesday, April 22nd. Instead of having those areas tiled, we decided to use a cultured marbled onyx. The color is seafoam.

This is what the room looked like on Friday when the guys left.

Mr. G and #1 son refinished the old vanity from that 70’s wood finish to a nice white enamel (it’s almost done). But we put it back in the room so correct measurement for its top could be taken.

On Monday there was more taping and mudding and then the texture goes on. Then Mr. G and #1 son must primer and paint the walls. We have been told that we will have to prime the new sheetrock at least twice and then put the color on it at least twice. OMG!! I can almost see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Number one son is so funny. Last night he started a pot (a HUGE pot) of chili. When he and Mr. G left this morning, he said: tell the guys lunch is on. Oh yes, today Mr. G is having that nasty basal cell carcinoma removed from his nose. The doctor says everything should be ok. I have to stay here and write out checks -- the new toilet and some other minor things should be here this morning. I don't think I have been this busy since I retired.

Thanks for stoppng by... have a great Tuesday.

The Roses

2009-04-13T08:59:00.000-07:00

The above picture was taken on Easter Sunday 2009. It is a beautiful bush that grows next to our deck in the back yard. I cannot remember the name of the rose. It is a bush that our neighbors gave us for taking care of their sheltie, Smokey, last April. And this is what it looked like then.

Now Mr. G (hubby) gets a thrill out of imbedding plants in great topsoil laced with Miracle-Gro. And that is the credit we give for the beautiful rose bush pictured in my title.

The few years we had a vegetable garden he used Miracle-Gro soil and we harvested more tomatoes than I could use. That year I learned how to can tomatoes. The green peppers did ok, but we only got 2 cantaloupes (which were absolutely delicious). The garden was planted in an uncultivated place in our back yard. We were hoping to get another garden in this year but these renovations (that update will magically appear tomorrow, I hope) have put that on hold. I imagine we still could turn over the soil and get the plants in sometime soon.

Nuff Said... heeeeeheeeeeheeee

2009-04-11T10:18:00.000-07:00

The first week of April & renovation progress

2009-04-06T20:09:00.000-07:00

I was warned... renovations ALWAYS take longer than you expect... AND THEY COST AT LEAST TWICE AS MUCH!! There aren't any pictures because I am NOT going to crawl under this house to take pictures of our new copper pipes.

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

I had a reaction to my new pain med and woke up not feeling so on-top-of-the-world this morning. By the time the boys got here, I had lost everything that was in my stomach – which pretty much amounted to nothing. I got R and #1 Son out of bed (the lazy bums) and I went back to bed. No April Fool joke there. Saltines and ginger ale for the rest of the day’s nourishment.

The next No April Fool joke was the electrical inspector. Good old Mario FAILED (the electrical inspection)!! GRRRRRRRRRR… Now this company is owned by a friend of Ron’s so he called, gave them heck, and Mario was back within the hour. All fixes were done at no charge. I wasn’t too on the ball, but I do remember that one of the things was that we did NOT need that exhaust fan in the bathroom. It’s there now and we will use it, but it was NOT mandatory. OH, right, he (Mario) had not vented the fan properly either. So with all this, the boys have been set back almost a whole day in this production.

Tuesday night I had made reservations at a local motel for Wednesday and Thursday night as that is when Greg thought the water would be turned off. I actually didn’t need the motel either night, but is sure was nice to get away from the boys (all of them) and the dog for a while. Now it looks like the water will be turned off Monday until Tuesday noon. OY!!!

Thursday, April 2, 2009

R and #1 Son are almost done refinishing the old vanity. It looks just wonderful. The wood stain is removed and sanded, and it has been painted a bright white. Saved a few hundred $$$ by doing that. The flooring will be a beige/tan/gold marbled Congoleum. Tile looks so nice but I am not a fan. I chose the paint color called “tropical dream” (it’s a light green). The tub surround, vanity top and window sill will be a cultured marbled onyx called “seafoam.” I found and oval mirrored medicine cabinet and sconces for either side of it with a similar oval base (in brushed nickel). I am so excited!! LOL and the sheet rock isn’t even up yet. BUT… the tub is in place!! It doesn’t appear to be as high as the old tub which will be a blessing for me – easier to get in and out. And we are putting in hand rails for safety.

The boys were here bright and early, and didn’t leave until after 6 p.m. They asked if we had a guest room. I offered them air mattresses on the sun porch. They laughed and went home. They believe they can have things done by Tuesday – plumbing, that is.

R and I took Ramona to obedience class. That dog has a real problem being in the same room with other dogs – especially small dogs. She could “sit and stay” forever as long as you have a treat in her hand to feed her every few seconds. But nothing else was working – she really wanted to herd that Chihuahua; and as long as the Chihuahua yapped, Ramona’s instinct and barking were set off. She tugged so hard on the leash that R pulled his back out trying to control her. From now on, #1 Son (the plus-sized former Marine) goes with me. But that dog KNEW I was pissed at her behavior; on the drive home, she stayed safely sitting in place on the back seat… NO problems. Now this bothers me why? I have never labeled myself as a “dog” person. I have always been a “cat” person. I thought having a dog and dealing with her training would give R something positive to do during his retirement. He always talks about the dogs he had (BIG dogs, not little dust mops). Yes, he said, a dog would be nice. And HE picked out Ramona. He chooses to do only what he wants to do. My hair gets shorter after every class – my temper also.

Friday, April 3, 2009

Last night I stayed at the motel room ALL BY MYSELF!!! It was so nice to have that huge king bed all for just ME!! I was in a much better mood this morning when I arrived at home.

I noticed that my laundry area is even looking like it’s been spruced up. The boys (Greg and Ron) have gone off to a BBQ picnic lunch and will be back to finish laying the new pipes in place (they will attach them starting Monday). Hopefully this weekend will be fairly quiet.

Monday, April 06, 2009

Thank goodness the weekend was quiet. The boys arrived about 9:30 this morning after stopping to pick up the new copper pipe and didn’t leave until after 7 this evening. We have NO water… well, that’s not quite the whole story. We have our neighbor’s hose hanging over our side fence so the toilet gets flushed. And I do have about 8 gallons of bottled water (we ‘do’ our own filtering). We aren’t doing any cooking… a salad, tuna sandwiches or a bowl of cereal. And the rest of the donuts that Ron brought in this morning. I just didn’t want to go to the Super 8 motel again tonight. I’ll deal with the lack of running water and sleep in my own bed, thank you very much. Also, baseball season has started and I’m not sure that the motel will have the channels I want to watch. The basketball finals (I thought it was MARCH Madness) have wiped out my Monday night TV favorites.

From all the drilling and sawing of pipes under my house, it sounds like they are making progress. I can't wait til this is done and we can start putting the bathroom together. Today starts week #3 on this project... they started digging up my back yard on March 16th.

Public Service Announcement

2009-04-06T08:33:00.000-07:00

I KNOW ALL OF YOU PEOPLE WANT/NEED TO KNOW THIS!

At five minutes and six seconds after 4 AM on the 8th of July this year, the time and date will be
04:05:06 07/08/09.

This will never happen again.

Sunday, sweet Sunday

2009-04-05T08:54:00.000-07:00

Well, WalMart has managed to bring back some 60's memories to my life. The new WalMart commercial for make-up that women can buy at their stores, uses a song I first heard in Flower Drum Song ~ "I Enjoy Being a Girl", sung by Nancy Kwan. I remember going to see this movie with my best friend, Debbie.

Another favorite song of mine from this Rogers and Hammerstein musical is "Sunday". During my life of having to hold down a job, this song would find its way into my Sunday thoughts frequently. And since today is Sunday, here is the song. (It's not the original movie video, but these 2 seem to enjoy the song also...)

My Neck of the Woods ~ Old Town Sacramento

2009-04-04T09:22:00.000-07:00

When I moved to Sacramento, I wasn’t sure what to expect from the city… or what I might find. About all I knew was that Sacramento is the capital of California and it is in north central California. The longer I live here, the more I find out about its amazing history.

The ‘new’ Sacramento city is to the right (east) of the yellow box and freeway in this picture. The yellow box designates Old Town Sacramento.

Being from New England, I had visited reconstructed colonial villages – some with original structures. Even some towns were of the colonial genre. But nothing compared to the thrill of the “Old West” that I found in Old Town Sacramento and then in more of the small town communities I have visited since.

There is so much to show you too… The buildings (with all the great shops to browse… tourist trap souvenir stores, also), fantastic restaurants (yum) and real cobble stone streets with wide plank sidewalks…
The Railroad Museum and the vintage trains that run through Old Town…

But today, I will tell you about the Delta King. Although I have never had the pleasure of spending the night in/on this luxury hotel, I imagine it would be a marvelous experience.

“The Delta King is an authentic 285-foot riverboat. The King and her identical twin, the Delta Queen, were christened on May 20, 1927, and began their daily river voyages between San Francisco and Sacramento in June of that year. At 6:00 p.m. each evening, the grand ladies of the Delta left their docks for the 10 hour trip that included prohibition era drinking, jazz bands, gambling and fine dining. A stateroom was $3.50, but for a dollar and "’your own blanket" the night could be spent on the Cargo Deck.

“The King and Queen reigned on the Sacramento River until the late 1930's when an increase in the number of roads, bridges and automobiles made riverboating a less efficient means of transportation. Depression and World War II signaled the end of the sternwheel era and both the King and Queen were drafted into the U. S. Navy to serve on San Francisco Bay as net tenders, floating barracks, troop transports and hospital ships.

“At the conclusion of the War, the Delta Queen was purchased and taken via the Panama Canal to the Mississippi River where she still serves. The engines of the Delta King were taken for spare parts. The King was shuttled between Canada and California as a derelict with hopes of becoming a floating Ghiradelli Square or Chinese Restaurant dashed at each turn by sinkings and litigations.

In 1984, after being sunk for 18 months in San Francisco Bay, the Delta King was towed to Old Sacramento, where it underwent a complete renovation. Five pain-staking years later the Delta King reopened to reign, once again, as the heralded monarch of the Sacramento River.”

Today, The Delta King is permanently moored in downtown Old Sacramento and offers a retreat to a bygone era, with an emphasis on contemporary amenities (such as free wi-fi). A dedicated crew, committed to first class service, makes your stay aboard the Delta King a nostalgic memory of days gone by.

Accommodations: The Captain’s Quarters is the Delta King’s deluxe suite. It is located on the upper deck at the bow of the boat in the original wheelhouse. Two additional bedrooms can adjoin the Captain's Quarters through a private passage-way – all this for a mere $550 per night. (There are also single rooms -- with attached bath -- available.)

The Pilothouse Restaurant: Even if you are not spending the night aboard this nostalgic paddle wheeler, Chef Julian Vasquez’s menus are drawing rave reviews. Julian is focused on fresh, healthy, local food. His plates include grass fed beef, local lamb, the freshest seafood and free-range chicken combined with dazzling sauces. There is a great wine list in an old sea world atmosphere and beautiful setting. There is even a drawbridge just south of the King’s mooring.

As much as the setting is of the Old West and the Old Town, everything you find in Old Sacramento is pretty much up-to-date. What’s that song from Oklahoma! … Everything’s Up To Date In Kansas City, it’s gone about as fer as it can go… Old Town Sacramento is a trip that I take a few times a year (never on a weekend in tourist season, though). It’s difficult for me to get around and I tire easily, so I am pretty happy that I live in THESE days instead of THOSE days. And, even if I only sit on a bench and watch the river traffic and the tourists go by, it’s a trip I enjoy a lot.

Thanks for stopping by and visiting a spot in My Neck of the Woods.

Only The Good Friday #2

2009-04-03T10:22:00.000-07:00

Sorry I am so late in posting this... but it is too good not to post on OTGF...

Amidst all the goings-on around here, I was finally able to get to some email that I had put back and labeled ‘read later.’ This story came from my elderly aunt in Wisconsin.

Jasmine

In 2003, police in Warwickshire, England, opened a garden shed and found a whimpering, cowering dog. It had been locked in the shed and abandoned. It was dirty and malnourished, and had clearly been abused.

In an act of kindness, the police took the dog, which was a greyhound female, to the nearby Nuneaton and Warwickshire Wildlife Sanctuary, run by a man named Geoff Grewcock and known as a willing haven for animals abandoned, orphaned or otherwise in need.

Geoff Grewcock and the other sanctuary staff went to work with two aims: to restore the dog to full health, and to win her trust. It took several weeks, but eventually both goals were achieved.

They named her Jasmine, and they started to think about finding her an adoptive home.

The dog had other ideas. No-one remembers now how it began, but Jasmine started welcoming all animal arrivals at the sanctuary. It wouldn’t matter if it was a puppy, a fox cub, a rabbit or, probably, a rhinoceros, Jasmine would peer into the box or cage and, where possible, deliver a welcoming lick.

Geoff Grewcock relates one of the early incidents. “We had two puppies that had been abandoned by a nearby railway line. One was a Lakeland Terrier cross and another was a Jack Russell Doberman cross. They were tiny when they arrived at the centre and Jasmine approached them and grabbed one by the scruff of the neck in her mouth and put him on the settee. Then she fetched the other one and sat down with them, cuddling them.”

“But she is like that with all of our animals, even the rabbits. She takes all the stress out of them and it helps them to not only feel close to her but to settle into their new surroundings.

“She has done the same with the fox and badger cubs, she licks the rabbits and guinea pigs and even lets the birds perch on the bridge of her nose.”

Jasmine, the timid, abused, deserted waif, became the animal sanctuary’s resident surrogate mother, a role for which she might have been born. The list of orphaned and abandoned youngsters she has cared for comprises five fox cubs, four badger cubs, 15 chicks, eight guinea pigs, two stray puppies and 15 rabbits.

And one roe deer fawn. Tiny Bramble, 11 weeks old, was found semi-conscious in a field. Upon arrival at the sanctuary, Jasmine cuddled up to her to keep her warm, and then went into the full foster mum role. Jasmine the greyhound showers Bramble the roe deer with affection and makes sure nothing is matted in her fur.

“They are inseparable,” says Geoff Grewcock. “Bramble walks between her legs and they keep kissing each other. They walk together round the sanctuary. It’s a real treat to see them.”

Jasmine will continue to care for Bramble until she is old enough to be returned to woodland life. When that happens, Jasmine will not be lonely. She will be too busy showering love and affection on the next orphan or victim of abuse.

From left, Toby, a stray Lakelanddog; Bramble, an orphaned roe deer; Buster,a stray Jack Russell; a dumped rabbit; Sky, an injured barn owl; and Jasmine

Doing what she does best, being a mother

More on the Renovations...

2009-03-31T21:02:00.000-07:00

Before demolition started...

Like I said, this is a SMALL room...

Thursday, March 26, 2009 and Friday, March 27, 2009
Oh my, what a day. I was a nervous wreck because I had NO idea what to expect. Greg and Ron arrived about 10 a.m. and the demolition began. We did not know what they would find in this 50-year old structure. I was very afraid of wet rotten wood and having to replace the entire structure or even worse having to tear down the house. I am sure that is the result of watching too much of “Extreme Make Over Home Edition.”

The dumpster which was delivered at 2 on Thursday afternoon and was placed on a concrete slab in our back yard (have I mentioned that we have an unbelievable amount of concrete in that back yard?). The demolition trash was moved to the dumpster.

While gutting the bathroom Ron found some wiring that really NEEDED to be replaced. So electrician estimator, Waldo, arrived at 11:30 a.m. on Friday and his company will do the required work on Monday. Since there are all sorts of new codes in place, we now have to add a light sensor (motion detector) to turn the lights on when someone walks in the room. OMG… this is a 12’x5’ room with a 3’x1.5’ window in it – a night light works just fine. We also must put in an exhaust fan.

Greg and Ron were back on Friday morning with the new bathtub in tow. They finished stripping and cleaning the shell of a room and then went to put the tub in… oops – that’s not going to happen. The guy gave Greg a 5’2” tub and we only have a 5’ space. Thank you, Lord, that can easily be fixed. The correct tub was delivered and in place by 3 p.m. Now nothing more can be done until the electrical work is complete.

Isn't all this fun??

Monday, March 30, 2009
Today is my dear Jonathan’s 13th birthday. His family is going through such a difficult time. I wish I could be there with him.

Today we met Mario the Electrician. He was so nice. Put in all new wiring for the bathroom very quickly. We now have a fan over la toilette and a sensor switch (motion detector) to turn the lights on and off.

Tuesday, March 31, 2009
The boys (Greg and Ron) were back today. The new tub is set in place; there is insulation in the walls; and the grab bars are temporarily in place. Wednesday we have the electrical inspection and then all the BIG stuff starts and I head out to a motel for a few nights. I will have the laptop (free wifi with me but won’t have access to some of my files. Tonight we are washing enough clothes to get us through the next week. Tomorrow they will take my laundry apart and pull out the old pipes and put in the new. Then Greg will put in a new some-kind-of box and hook everything back up. Then they move on to replacing all the hot and cold water pipes in the house. They plan on turning the water off on Thursday morning and hope to have it back on by Friday afternoon. Chris will stay at the house with Ramona (who has been pretty darn good through all this confusion). He will run a hose from our neighbor’s house so he can flush la old toilette (in the old bathroom)… and for other water needs.

And this is what it looks like tonight...

Thanks for stopping by. Like I said, I will be spending a few days away from this mess. At least we have rewards points to use for the nights at the motel. R likes it that there is a free breakfast. I'll have the laptop with me for company and I may even get in some reading. There is a pool, but I don't think it has warm enough to try that yet.

Only the Good Friday (#1)

2009-03-27T10:13:00.000-07:00

My purpose on my first "Only The Good Friday" is to put a smile on your face -- and maybe a little chuckle in your throat.

This week I received 2 GOOD emails which I share with you to achieve my "Only The Good Friday" purpose.

NOW... that is MY idea of a good exercise regime!!

However, if that didn't work... how about the one titled "How Twins Are Made"

Here's hoping your Friday is beyond GOOD and your weekend is even better. And, yes, the demolition goes on... and on... and on...

the work has begun

2009-03-26T11:05:00.000-07:00

First of all, as much as I love that red enamel claw-foot tub that I pictured here a few days ago, it is not the tub going into my new bathroom. The room is much too small for the elegance of that tub; PLUS I would never be able to get out of it -- if I could get into it.

The guys are here now. The old 60's bathroom is almost history. Can you see how horribly dark and dingy the room is/was? I think I have everything in place. I am nervously excited about all this. Oh... here are the guys actually starting the work. I will take more pictures later.

And for those of you who made comments about it... these guys are really great -- but not not for me. I have enough trouble taking care of the one I caught. Speaking of R, right now he is at the dermatologist having a skin problem checked out. His cancer doctor found some basal cell carcinoma during the last exam and now R has a dermatologist (adding that to his primary care physician, his oncologist, his knee doctor, his podiatrist -- have I missed anyone? Oh yes, the bone specialist that he may need some day). I think it's nap time... LOL

Habitat for Humanity ReStore

2009-03-24T23:18:00.000-07:00

Tuesday afternoon R and I took a little trip to a Habitat for Humanity ReStore.

With all our planning for our bathroom renovation, we have been looking ways to save a bit of money.

This past Saturday, R read an article in the paper about a Habitat for Humanity ReStore that opened in an industrial park (former military base) on the southeast side of Sacramento.

Although this is not the first one in the Sacramento area, it is HUGE.
We had to enter through the old military gate and have our license plate registered.
Then we got directions to the building.
It was very easy to find.
I had R check out the territory for items that we need. Specifically, we were looking for a white vanity, a large mirror to go over the vanity, grab bars and replacement doors. Although there was a lot of bathroom ‘stuff’, one of the volunteer workers told R that you have to be here right when the ReStore opens to get the best stuff. Alas, we didn’t find anything we could use; but we did find another source where we can search out our building needs.

The following is information found on the Sacramento Habitat for Humanity Website:

Sacramento Habitat for Humanity's retail recycling facility, the ReStore, will sell donated, quality building materials at greatly discounted rates to all members of the general public. This project should allow low-income homeowners, in particular, the opportunity to save their homes from disrepair. The materials collected and funds raised will increase Habitat's home-building capacity.

ReStore? What's a ReStore?

The ReStore will serve as a much-needed, creative addition to the Sacramento Valley. Incredible amounts of building material are going unused and, unfortunately, end up primarily in area landfills. In 2006 the ReStore supported the environment by diverting over 15 million pounds of materials away from local landfills, by reselling useable home improvement products. This program encourages the reuse and recycling of these and other quality products. The discounted rate will provide low-income homeowners with a cost- effective alternative when they repair or renovate their homes, thus helping preserve the Valley's supply of low-income housing.

Any materials that can be applied to the construction of a Habitat home will be utilized. These products will thereby decrease the affiliate's cost of construction. In addition, funds raised are applied back into Habitat home construction providing the affiliate with key building materials thus benefiting our organization’s mission of eliminating substandard housing. Both applications will vastly increase our home-building capacity.

In addition to benefiting Sacramento Habitat for Humanity, affiliates in Yolo, El Dorado, and Placer counties will also be able to take advantage of this opportunity. Revenues are allocated to each affiliate based on donations made on their behalf to the ReStore. We fully expect customers from all four counties to take advantage of the wonderful deals available.

The Habitat ReStore idea has been introduced at multiple other affiliates over the past decade.

While the ReStore is a novel approach for the Sacramento Valley region, it is a successful and replicable model that has been established in over 70 communities throughout the United States. The Sacramento ReStore is one of the largest covering 50,000 square feet under one roof dedicated to providing a wide array of building materials for home repair at highly discount prices.

Blogger Version ~ Family Feud

2009-03-22T08:55:00.000-07:00

I copied this from Linda at Are We There Yet? If you want to play along, copy and paste the questions to a new post, erase my answers (I left Linda’s answers in), and fill in your answers. Just remember, you can't use any of the answers I've already given (OR any of Linda’s answers either – just making it a bit more challenging) or you'll hear a loud annoying buzzer go off in your head!

1. Name something you use in the shower. (Shampoo) WATER

2. Name a product for men. (Barbasol Shaving Cream) TOJAN CONDOMS

3. Name something people hate to find on their windshields. (Bug guts) PARKING TICKET

4. Name something a man might buy before a date. [Earplugs (ok, ok, I haven't dated in a very, very long time obviously, it's all I could think of!)] CONDOMS – yes, I am depraved

5. What is another word for blemish. (Zit) PIMPLE

6. Something you cook in the microwave. (Hot Pockets) JIMMY DEAN BREAKFAST CROISSANTS

7. Name a piece of furniture people need help moving. (Piano) SOFA BED

8 Name a reason a younger man might like an older woman. (We aren't quite as needy!) CURIOSITY

9. Name something a dog does that embarrasses its owner. (Shakes slobber over visitors) INAPPROPRIATE SNIFFING

10.. Name a kind of test you cannot study for. (Eye test) URINE TEST

11. Name something a boy scout gets a badge for. (Woodworking) TYING KNOTS

12 Name a phrase with the word home in it. ("Home is where the heart is.") HOME ON THE RANGE

13. Name a sport where players lose teeth. (Hockey) BOXING

14. Name something a teacher can do to ruin a student's day. (Give too much homework.) DETENTION

15. What is a way you can tell someone has been crying. (Red, puffy eyes.) TEARS STREAMING DOWN THE FACE

16. Name a bird you wouldn't want to eat. (A vulture) PARAKEET

17. Name something someone would wear with a hole in it. (Jeans) SKI MASK

18. Name something that gets smaller the more you use it. (Sandpaper) SOAP

If you want to pass the game along, tag 5 of your friends and don't forget to send it back to me. Remember, you can't use the same answer as the person who sent it to you. I’m not tagging anyone; HOWEVER to make it more challenging, you can’t use any of the answers that already appear here.

Leave me a comment to let me know if you have played along. Have fun!

This and that from the last 10 days...

2009-03-21T10:31:00.000-07:00

Oh yes... I am still hanging in there. It has been such a busy week for us with all the plumber stuff going on around here (we are replacing all our hot and cold water pipes and renovating the main bathroom). And Ramona and R going to obedience classes at the SPCA (I am the designated driver). So I have been keeping a sort of diary about what has happened around here.

Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Met with plumber, Greg. Went over things that would be done. I am in a fog about plumbing things. I DO know how to flush a toilet (and plunge it when it won’t flush). I know how to take off the tank top and wiggle that little do-giggy so the water will flow in again. And I can dial the plumber’s cell phone when there is a clog. YAY!!

Friday, March 13, 2009
Plumber, Greg, and his business partner, Ron, scope out the back yard. We call the City Water offices and request that someone come out and locate and expose the place in the water line where our pipes meet the city pipes. Believe it or not, the guy is here before sunset. YAY!! Believe it or not, that valve is underneath a concrete slab in our back yard.
Let me explain that concrete thing. Before R bought this house (which has a very nice roomy back yard for California), the previous owner must have had stock in a concrete company. There was a 12 foot wide slab that ran the length of our house (across the back) and in the middle of the back yard there was a slab with the middle cut out in a 15 foot circle. It looks like a surround for what was an above-ground pool.
So this valve that we need to shut off is in the southeast corner of the concrete monster. Then we go over and sign the contract with Plumber Greg for the work he is going to do for us.

Monday, March 16, 2009
Plumber Greg and Partner Ron arrive at 9 a.m. sharp. We show them where the valve is. They back in the truck and pull out all their excavation tools – including jackhammer. By noon we have a lovely trench dug from our back yard water spigot to what was the southeast corner of the concrete (about 32 feet). They did a marvelous job!! HOWEVER, we must call the City Water Office again because they can’t loosen the connection between our pipe and the City pipe, and WE don’t want to be responsible for anything that breaks. The City Water guy arrives before sunset (YAY!!) and promptly breaks OUR side of the pipe (which is going to be replaced later this week anyway – no biggie). Now we have to run a hose to the neighbor’s outside faucet so we can have running water in our house – Plumber Greg will be back Tuesday afternoon.
Did I mention that I have laundry piling up now? Of course I didn’t think a head on this one.

Tuesday, March 17, 2009 & Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Happy St. Patrick’s Day. Raul the Lawn Guy shows up to mow the lawn. I have 2 capable males living in the house but we pay a guy to do the lawn (that all started when R had to have his rotator cuff operated on some 3 years ago). He laughs at the sight in the back yard and does what he can.
These 2 days are certainly a sign of old age… I can’t remember what happened when…
Plumber Greg and Partner Ron arrive and replace the pipes. We call City Water offices again to come out and replace the little thing that call a nipple that connects the city pipe with our pipe. City Water guy arrives before Greg and Ron leave. Everything is fixed and we have our own water again on Wednesday afternoon. Greg calls the City to get the new work inspected.
We sit and discuss what we have to do to prepare the bathroom for renovation. Partner Ron is a general contractor and lays everything out for us. In the end, R decides that it is too much of a job for just him and #1 son to do. They will do some of the work, but basically Partner Ron will get things set up right for the renovation and then he will rebuild the bathroom. We will pick out and buy the lighting, flooring and tile.
I am so relieved that we are doing it this way. Seven or eight years ago, R and his daughter decided to do the kitchen – there are still parts that are unfinished.

Thursday, March 19, 2009
This I know for sure: the inspection is done and passes with flying colors. Good news for Plumber Greg and Partner Ron. They will be back on Friday to fill in the trench and go over the contract the Partner Ron has written up for the bathroom renovation.

In the meantime, R and Ramona both got D’s in their first obedience class session at the SPCA. R didn’t listen to the instructor which meant Ramona got mixed signals. Ramona is very territorial and didn’t like having other dogs in HER space. OH crap!! My work is certainly cut out for me. So by the time I got to my doctor’s appointment, my blood pressure was a tad bit on the high side. Usually it runs very normal 120/80 range. Yesterday it was 180/100 then 160/90. I am sure stress is involved. On the up side, I have lost 8 pounds since my last appointment at the end of December (YAY!!)

Friday, March 20, 2009
Plumber Greg and Partner Ron are filling in the trench. The bathroom demo starts one week from today. Then on Monday March 30th, we will start replacing the plumbing.

Manic Monday ~ PARTY

2009-03-16T09:07:00.000-07:00

Marvelous Morgen has declared today PARTY day. It looks like St Patrick’s Day all over the blogging world. Check out other PARTY posts HERE.

On the other hand, I rarely celebrate the great saint. I don’t drink green beer and am not really fond of a corned beef dinner. That being the case, I shall celebrate my PARTY with a stroll down memory lane…

Art Linkletter's House PARTY or House PARTY was an American daytime TV variety/talk show which aired on CBS Radio from January 15, 1945 to October 13, 1967. It had an equally long run on television--on CBS-TV from September 1, 1952 to September 5, 1969, and on NBC-TV from December 29, 1969 to September 25, 1970. (I don’t remember the radio show, but I do remember my mother making sure we watched it on TV – after Dad finally conceded to buying one).

Hosted by Linkletter, the show featured everything from household hints to hunts for missing heirs. A humorous monolog by Linkletter could be followed by an audience participation quiz to win prizes, musical groups and guest speakers from assorted walks of life. Ideas for the show were devised by producer John Guedel and his father, Walter, but Linkletter never used scripts or rehearsed.

The show's best-remembered segment was "Kids Say the Darndest Things" in which Linkletter interviewed schoolchildren between the ages of five and ten. The popularity of this segment led to a TV series with the same title and a series of Kids Say the Darndest Things books. Two were illustrated by Charles Schulz in a rare non-Peanuts approach. During the 27-year run, Linkletter interviewed more than 23,000 children.

Kids Say the Darndest Things then became an American television series hosted by Bill Cosby and co-hosted by Art Linkletter that aired on CBS from 1998 to 2000. It was based on a popular feature of Art Linkletter's television series, Art Linkletter's House Party, which aired five days a week on CBS for more than 20 years. Cosby also provided some of the humor in the show. The premise of the show is that the host would ask a question to a child (around the age of 3-8) who would usually respond in a "cute" way.

Enjoy the following... hubby, #1 son and I laughed and chuckled throught the following seven minutes...

My Royal Thank You Award

2009-03-15T09:25:00.000-07:00

This award has been created to thank those three special people who never gave up on getting me back into the blogging world – for all the time, care and concern you showed me. You have helped to save my sanity and my blog.

(You can probably figure out where I found the inspiration for this award.)

To Empress Bee (of the High Sea) and to Duchess Linda (Are We There Yet?) … Thank you for stopping by yesterday. You made me think back and remember problems I had with 2 postings.

And to a very dear friend Jamie (Duward Discussion) who lent assistance and concern over the amount of hair I was pulling from my head.

The actual problems were in posting some pictures. I was in too much of a hurry to get the postings done to take time to rectify the problem. At least I remembered that there were problems in those 2 posts. Once I deleted the 2 writings, my sidebar was back where it should be. And now, I will be much more patient – yeah, right.

I am so happy that things look normal now.

Can you see me smiling?

Now that the 13th has come & gone...

2009-03-14T10:06:00.000-07:00

I still am having issues with this blog layout. I want my sidebar back on my side! I have been thinking and thinking... not a good thing, I dare say. The only solution is to delete this blog and perhaps have more luck with creating a new one.

Other than that...

Ramona continues to thrive. We started obedience classes with her on Thursday. Only R and I went to the first class. Now we have 8 weeks of positive reinforcement training.

I have paid the deposit to the plumber. On Monday he starts digging up our back yard to find where our pipes meet the city pipes. The city water person came out and showed R where that place should be. Next we have to clean out and demo the old bathroom. On April 6th the plumber starts replacing all our water pipes. In a little while, we are going out to pick out flooring, tile and paint. We decided to reuse the vanity that is in there but will sand it down and repaint it then put on a new counter top and install a new sink. The plumber will install the new tub and I am going to have a professional tile the surround. The toilet -- what can you say about the toilet?? It will be new and water efficient -- that is all the required info, right? LOL I really need to take before pictures, no matter how sick they are.

The cable problem is solved. The engineers worked on it last Saturday morning and most of Monday morning. Ramona loved the 2 bucket trucks at the utility pole. She chases birds and butterflies, so you can imagine her joy at chasing a men in buckets. But I am very happy as I got to watch my Red Sox beat the Yankees 8-4 last night. I don't care if it is spring training... WE BEAT THEM!!!

I have started reading Anne of Green Gables and have decided that, even though I read it as a "child" there is much more to it than this child ever found. I have the set of 8 books to read and I shall finish them in time. I am also looking at some of my other childhood books to reread. I am sure I can find value in them.

There is some not so great stuff throwing itself at me. If I'm not around for a while, I would rather not post when I am angry or upset. I am trying to pull myself up by the bootstraps and I will post when I can.

Thanks for stopping by......

if it weren't fer bad luck...

2009-03-06T10:48:00.000-08:00

Since I still find my right-hand sidebar at the bottom of my posts, and I have tried without success to get it back where it belongs when I view my blog on my computer. I shall go along as if nothing is wrong. If you need any of my personal or blog info and don't see it to the right of this post, just scroll down (all the way down).

It just goes along with everything that is going whacky around here for the last week. On February 25th, I upgraded our cable package to include stations that would allow me to watch more baseball this spring/summer/fall. So far, the one station that I really, really want to view has chosen stubbornly NOT to come in. Today will make the THIRD time a tech has come out to evaluate our problem and request a line tech to fix the problem. "We" have installed a new box, and run new cable from the pole to the house. And each tech reaches the same conclusion: the problem is at the pole connection and to fix that you need a line technician (and a bucket truck). So far that line tech has been requested twice ~ and have failed to show up. The ONLY way to request his service is through a regular tech. Do ya think they are sick of hearing from me yet? Oh... and I am not paying for this new service until the problems are taken care of. So I can view most of the new channels, but I refuse to pay for it until I can view the WHOLE package. And they KNOW it.

Ramona is doing well. She has her second vet appointment this afternoon. We need to get a poop sample to take with us. She is not cooperating. What next??

On Tuesday morning #1 son bent over to pick up a case of soda. He twisted just right and pulled out his back. For two days he used my just-in-case walker. He is doing better today - walking a little gingerly and still needs to spend time off his feet.

I won't mention that when we went out to dinner on Monday night I caught my right foot in the threshold of the door and pulled a muscle in my groin. I am going to survive this also. I hope... and the luck of the Irish is just around the corner... hurry St. Patrick's Day!!

help, Help... HELP

2009-03-03T09:41:00.000-08:00

I have no idea what has happened to my blog. My right-hand sidebar now appears below all my posts. This happened over the weekend after I received some spam comments -- which I immediately deleted.

I have tried everything I can think of to no avail. I am thinking it is in the html settings and I know NOTHING about them. I am pulling my hair out and ready to create a whole new blog. Can anyone out there help me?

Please pass the tissues (this pulling the hair out really hurts).

P.S. Did anyone hear... today is square root day?? 3/3/09

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JAMIE (March 2nd)

2009-03-01T18:32:00.000-08:00

Jamie, who writes Duward Discussion,

is celebrating a HUGE milestone birthday.
Can you guess which one?

Please stop by her place and wish her a Happy Day.

And, for Jamie,

I wish I could give you…

daily moments of pure joy relaxing

for 65 sunny days on a hill far away
(Glengarry Castle Hotel on Loch Oich)

and 65 of these to get you there and keep you flush...

Alas, the best I can do is to send you HUGE birthday wishes
on the 65th anniversary of the day of your birth.

May you be blessed in all you do… meet many people, influence many more and continue creating the legacy you have started. And let’s throw in a big wish for good health.
I am honored to know you and call you friend.

Looking At The Sky ~ Sunset in Sonora

2009-02-27T10:21:00.000-08:00

Looking at the sky on Friday is hosted by Tish the Crazy Working Mom.

Please visit here to see more beautiful sky photos.

This picture was taken last Friday night from Mr. Moose's balcony in Sonora, CA.

R and I went to celebrate Moosie's 60th birthday with him.

Writing Muse is on Vacation

2009-02-24T20:41:00.000-08:00

I have been trying to write but nothing is coming out right.

I will be back as soon as my writing muse gets to thinkin' agin.

News from around here

2009-02-15T11:09:00.000-08:00

The WEATHER report for the next 5 to 7 days says that the Sierra Nevada Mountains can expect to get up to 7 feet of snow over the next week. That means we in Sacramento will probably have a lot of rain. I’m not complaining – although my arthritis is – because our water supplies are screaming for replenishing. Eight counties are under advisories, watches or severe weather warnings. Wind and rain are raging at the moment.

R and I are planning to head for Sonora, Ca in the Sierra foothills on Friday to celebrate Mr. Moose’s 60th birthday. Yesterday Moose awoke to 5 inches of snow on his deck. I will take my camera and get some pictures from his deck (wait til you see the view).

Moving on…
Apparently, our legislators were going to try to come to an agreement on a relief budget for California and the vote is scheduled for late Saturday because…

“SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Although there were no assurances that enough Republicans would vote for it, both houses of the state Legislature were scheduled to vote Saturday on a critical budget package to tackle California's $42 billion shortfall… Both houses were scheduled to meet Saturday morning. However, the Senate announced late Friday it will push back its session and vote at 5 p.m.” BECAUSE… “Tens of thousands of spectators were expected to crowd downtown to watch Lance Armstrong and other pro cyclers compete in the Amgen Tour of California. The race ends with a lap around Capitol Park, and many of the streets around the Capitol were to be closed.”

I won’t say it!! I JUST WON’T SAY IT!!! Yes, I will… they couldn’t do this Friday night?? They knew this event was scheduled – known it for MONTHS. As it was, they spent almost all Saturday night involved in this mess. This is the most unproductive group of people I have read about. Common Sense is DEAD.

It is wonderful that Sacramento hosted part of this cycling event. It brought much needed money into the city’s economy. Thank you Lance Armstrong. The bottom line would have been much less without him.

NOTE: As of this morning (Sunday), the voting is still stalled – ONE VOTE SHY (California still requires a 2/3’s vote to pass legislation). So, today there is no budget fix and I am still going to get an IOU for my state tax refund.

NEXT… Let’s fast forward to October 2009 and Desert Springs, CA and our Cal-Trans Department.

The California Department of Transportation (Cal Trans) is scheduled to host a national convention in October for the American Association of State and Highway Transportation Officials (AASHTO) National Conference. There is a consumer watch-dog group (Howard Jarvis Taxpayers) who says this is “government behaving business as usual in the face of this financial crunch.” And this conference is NOT high priority on the spending scale. There will be 125 Caltrans employees working to make this conference a success. Howard Jarvis Taxpayers said that we Californians, as tax payers, would be spending $255,000 for Cal Trans to host this convention – salaries for six days equals $125,000 and $130,000 spent on lodging, food and airfare. It was also said that several law makers were unaware of what Caltrans is planning for later this year. So there may be repercussions falling back on this spending.

OK… let me give MY take on this. Maybe I am not looking at the whole picture, but I have given you all the information that I have. First, the salaries… from what I understand, the people who will be working as hosts for this convention are Cal Trans employees. Wouldn’t we be paying their salaries anyway… even if they weren’t at the convention?? Second, even though it would cost a bit to ‘house’ the hosts, isn’t this event bringing in much needed income to the state (in the form of room tax, food tax, entertainment tax, gas tax… and on and on with the taxes). I don’t know as I can agree that this watchdog organization has used a logical thought process in this instance. To me, in this case, they are just out to ruffle feathers.

AND... TO ALL THIS I SAY:

Again, this is my California world, and these are just my opinions...
Thanks for stopping by...

Looking At the Sky ~ Panama Canal

2009-02-13T10:13:00.000-08:00

Please visit the terrific Tish (Crazy Working Mom) for more mavelous skies

This Friday we will continue LOOKING AT THE SKY that we saw on our Panama Canal Cruise. This picture was taken by a camera at the Miraflores Locks. It was the first lock that the ship (and all us passengers) went through. It was about 9 a.m. and it was hot and very HUMID!! I was sitting in the pool area on the port side of the ship and Rich was video taping in the bow area on deck 11. We went through the Miraflores Locks then travelled along Gatun Lake to the Gatun Locks.

Those clouds eventually became one HUGE BLACK cloud and the heavens opened up as we completed our journey through the Gatun Locks and stopped at Crystobal Pier. And what a storm it was!!! Thunder, lightning and wind. We were told the ship was hit by lightning at least 3 times during the night. Friends of ours in the Royal Suite had a scare when there was an electrical fire the next night - reminents of the lightning strikes they were told.

Plop-Plop, Fizz-Fizz

2009-02-13T10:00:00.000-08:00

OH WHAT A RELIEF IT IS!!

Just a short update. We made it through our tax preparation with flying colors. With all our medical deductions, we managed to end up in the 0% (that's ZERO %) tax bracket. All the taxes that were taken out of the IRA distributions that we need to use monthly will be 'given' back to us -- eventually.

We are relieved... to say the least.

It's IOU Time

2009-02-12T08:26:00.000-08:00

So… today we are having our taxes done. Yes, we use a “tax professional” and pay dearly for it. It has been a crazy year financially for us. I am and have been receiving Social Security Disability (not SSI) for 2 years now. Last February (2008) R started receiving SSD also. Then, when he had to retire from his job, we had to request to have his 401K moved into a traditional IRA. There should be no problem with that as we have all the documentation. Because our 2 incomes are now half of what they used to be, we had to start drawing a little money each month out of the IRA. We have taxes taken out of this. Every year I keep a spreadsheet of our tax-deductible expenses. The medical expenses alone for last year should get us a full refund of the money we have already paid in taxes. If that doesn’t do it, then we can add in our prescription co-pays… and interest payments on the mortgage, etc.

I am anxious to see what we have coming for a refund; because, if some of you haven’t heard, our state is in such a financial upheaval we are getting IOU’s instead of state tax refunds. Now doesn’t that just make you want to move to the beautiful state of California? Along with having to pay for OctoMom’s idiocy (oh there are so many more words I could use) adding to our financial woes, California is sure in good shape. According to the news last night our sales tax will be going up 1 cent on every dollar; the gasoline tax will be going up 12 cents; and our vehicle registration fees will be doubling (guess we get rid of 1 car). State employees MUST take off two UNPAID days during the month (the first and third Fridays to be exact).

I wish we could sell and move even if the grass isn't always greener on the other side of the fence - or state line. Maybe just next door to Nevada. We are getting the house ready… LOL. This week, we have been getting estimates on having our plumbing replaced (I wonder if this is tax deductible). Then I hope to do a little renovation to both bathrooms and finally will spice up the kitchen a bit. JUST IN CASE…

Manic Monday ~ WEAR

2009-02-08T14:37:00.000-08:00

Another challenging adventure for me

from Marvelous Mo over at Manic Monday.

Check out the fun stuff here.

There is a program on TLC (The Learning Channel) called What Not To WEAR. It is a reality show with what they say is a simple premise. (If you have seen the show, it is usually anything BUT simple.) Friends and family members nominate a candidate whom they consider poorly dressed and ask the show to make over the "fashion victim." Fashion Police Stacy London and her partner, Clinton Kelly, ambush the candidate and make her/him an offer -- they are given a $5,000 budget for a new wardrobe, which they must purchase in New York City boutiques over the course of two days, but only on the condition that they allow Stacy & Clinton to critique and, in most cases throw out, their existing wardrobe.

So here are my 3 candidates for the category of What Not To WEAR…

I'm sure most men love it,

some women will wish to look like that,

but all in all very tacky.

NO... NO... NO... NO, NO and NO

Fun but... Need I say more?

Once again, thanks for stopping by...

Looking at the Sky on Friday ~ Guatemala

2009-02-05T20:34:00.000-08:00

This picture was taken on the road to the Organic Macadamia Nut Farm near the ancient city of Antigua in Guatemala. It was a port stop on our cruise through the Panama Canal in October 2008. After passing many sugar cane fields, we started the climb into the forests. It had been raining earlier in the day. I just love the way the clouds circle the top of the volcano's crater. You can hardly tell that it is a volcano. There are as many as 30 volcanoes in Guatemala. I believe this one is called Fuego.

I was a bit leary of this port of call on the cruise... you know Guatemala has this reputation for revolution... LOL But this turned out to be one of the best tours we went on. The people who run the Macadamia Farm were originally from the U.S. so there was no language problem. The grounds of the Farm were lush and beautiful. Everything there is done using no electricity - just manpower. They served us a lovely lunch of macadamia nut pancakes, local fruit, and wonderful organic tea. We also saw a facial given using macadamia nut products. Facinating, just facinating.

Welcome Ms. Ramona...

2009-02-04T17:45:00.000-08:00

As some of you know, R was forced into early retirement after he was diagnosed with Mutiple Myelome (cancer of the blood plasma). And he has been so bored. I thought, and his cancer doctor agreed, that rescuing a dog from the SPCA would be a great diversion (from the TV and computer) for him. R has owned dogs before. Personally, I am a cat person. And eventually, we will also have a cat. But R's diversion is more important at this time.

On Sunday, R adopted Ramona, a 3-year-old Border Collie/Aussie Shepherd mix, from the Sacramento SPCA. She came home with us today because she had to be spayed. We know very little about her history as she came from another shelter and was labelled a "stray".

Here are pictures of her home coming...

#1 son and R picking her up at the clinic.

Pretty lady

Running in her new yard...

Rolling in her new yard...

We are so very lucky. She is a very lovely lady.

So far we haven't even heard her bark.

She is eating and drinking.

She buried her rawhide treat in the back yard.

And when it was time for her to go out,

she brought #1 son his shoes.

They told us she is very smart... YUP, she is.

More Daffodils smile

2009-02-03T15:24:00.000-08:00

I wandered lonely as a cloud

That floats on high o'er vales and hills,

When all at once I saw a crowd,

A host of golden daffodils;

Beside the lake, beneath the trees,

Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars

that shine and twinkle on the Milky Way,

They stretched in never-ending line

along the margin of a bay:

Ten thousand saw I at a glance,

tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced; but they

Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:

A poet could not but be gay,

in such a jocund company:

I gazed - and gazed - but little thought

what wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie

In vacant or in pensive mood,

They flash upon that inward eye

Which is the bliss of solitude;

And then my heart with pleasure fills,

And dances with the daffodils.

Since I took up residence in Sacramento, I have been happily surprised with January daffodils. By February 1st, I have many of these happy flowers waving in the front garden bed and helping rid the spirit of the doldrums of winter. I know winter isn't over yet because we NEED MORE RAIN!!! But they are a happy reminder that spring is coming.

I hope you enjoy my daffodils too. Thanks for stopping by.