oodles of funch

BRIGHT AND SHINING

2011-12-04T20:14:00.000-08:00

BRIGHT AND SHINING

All Christmas tree lots looked pretty much the same in the city.
They popped up in vacant lots and parking lots all over town.
Bright colored lights and spot lights swung on wires to beacon you in.
A small forest of trees in tidy rows, sprinkled with sawdust on the ground.
The aromas of firs, cedar and pine was strong and fresh.
The smell of Christmas!

It never snowed at Christmas where I grew up.
Not even once.
But it did drop below freezing...
sometimes icing the trees with frost and sawdust.
Other times fog swirled around,
making the forest even more magical to my kid eyes.

The salesmen stomped their feet and warmed their hands
over an oil drum fire... lurching toward any car that entered the lot...
eager to make a sale.
The old man waved them off saying
"We're just looking for now."
All the little bunnies would look at each other, worried.
What did he mean by that?

The bunnies scattered...
the oldest two could wander as they wished.
The next two had to stay together.
Being the youngest,
my mother's hand firmly grasped my coat hood like a leash.

I tried in vain to steer them to the "manger" that held the flocked trees.
I honestly believed that a bright pink fuzzy tree was just the ticket.
"Too messy."
mother would say,
tugging me toward the long rows of unflocked trees.
Well, it never hurt to try.

The idea was for each of us to pick our tree...
and try to remember what row it was on.
Once everyone had chosen, we would meet
and show off our choices to each other.
Then the parents would be the judge who picked "the tree".

My parents would give me clues.
"Look how full this one is."
"Doesn't this one smell fresh!"

I had my own criteria.
Different things caught my eye.
One had a bird's nest.
"Birds nests have germs."
Another had a neat crooked trunk.
"We want a nice straight tree."
A skinny one might leave more room for presents.
The parents laughed at that idea.

When we reached the end of the tree rows...
the other bunnies had returned, begging to show off their choices.
Father made a big deal out of looking by age...
we started at the oldest and made our way down.
Each tree Father would pull out into the aisle.
Mother would walk around it,
searching for holes or flat spots.

It went that way for four trees...
then it was my turn!
I would sadly turn my gaze at the bright pink fuzzy tree,
saying good-bye in my head.
Then try to recall which of the trees seemed to have made mother happiest.
I might have been the youngest, but this was a serious competition.
I was out to win the honor of picking "the tree".

I didn't always win,
but being with the parents as they talked about them
helped me to pick a number of winners over the years.
Of course it got easier as I got older and the other bunnies grew up and away.
But much of the luster of the game was gone by then...
along with belief in that old guy in the red suit.

My father would string us along...
sometimes pacing back and forth and returning
for second looks...
Mother would whisper in his ear...
letting the tension build.
Then he would announce their choice.

One of the older bunnies would go for a salesman
while the rest of us guarded our tree.
Father would dicker the price, if he could.
Accept it if he could not.
The tree had been chosen and no other tree would do.

The salesman would try to sell him a nice
wooden cross stand to hold it up.
Father steadfastly refused.
Money exchanged hands...
and all the bunnies followed the tree to the car.
Father would wince as the salesman tossed it on top of the Buick,
worried about his paint job more than the tree.

We sang carols all the way home
with slightly less enthusiasm.
The excitement of the day was wearing us down.
My own eyes would begin to droop.
By the time the station wagon rolled up the drive,
I was ready for bed.

Buying the tree was a very big deal.
But it never was decorated the day of purchase...
inspite of the decorations neatly laid out.
Father would have to drag it inside,
stand it up and wait for my mother to decide
where the top and the bottom needed to be trimmed.

Once that was done,
it needed to be wrestled into it's stand
and the stand filled with water.
Father had worked a full day.
It was time for a beer.
The bunnies were sent off to bed.

I lay there and listened to the parents below.
They laughed about different trees and things said by silly little bunnies.
If I could keep my eyes open long enough...
I would hear the happy sounds of my father swearing
as he tied the big old heavy strings of lights onto the tree...
mother giving him directions.
The magic of Christmas had begun.

THE FIRST DAY OF CHRISTMAS...

2011-11-30T22:53:00.000-08:00

YAY!

Let the season begin!

While I have been taking my break...

I decided to work on some stories about Christmas

the way it was when I was a kid.

Because Christmas is special to children...

and infects all their thoughts and ideas...

in a way that does not affect adults.

So here is my warning...

these are stories,

and they are wordy!

If you are looking for short posts,

I do understand and you are welcome to look elsewhere.

But these are memories near and dear to me,

about a time that was magical.

I credit each and every one with to my parents,

who worked very hard to make

Christmas very special to all of their children.

They were the best parents that I could possibly have had.

I believe you will see why.

Here we go... I hope you enjoy the ride.

=:]

Oh Christmas Tree!

The first weekend in December was dedicated to our traditional activities...

It began with boxes and boxes of decorations for the tree and house,
pulled out of their home in the closet that ran under the stairs.
Mom would set them out on the dining room table,
the big coffee table and here and there on the window seats.

Mother hated messes...

and this was a messy business.
But for once, it was a mess that she honestly loved.
Each item was taken from its nest in the tissue,

newspaper and paper towels,
and gently inspected for damage.
There was always damage...

bulbs that were broken or burnt out,
fragile ornaments that had shattered or cracked.
She morned each and every lost reminder of her favorite memories.

Between the balls, bulbs, light strings, garlands and angel hair...
lay her favorites;

all the dopy, sappy ornaments made at school
from bits of paper, glitter, photos, macaroni and pipe cleaners
and the baker's dough ornaments made at home by our little hands.
There was a set of glass birds with spring legs attached to alligator clips
with feather tails from her own childhood trees.
One bird had lost a leg and flopped to one side,

but still made his home in our tree.
Dad called it

"the drunk bird".

She would work through the morning...
enjoying the memories they conjured up,
sharing them with us.
We laughed and smiled

and shared our own stories as
each ornament came out of the boxes.
"I made that!"
The house smelled like oranges poked by cloves,
cinnamon, gingerbread,

always bayberry,

and her stew perking in the kitchen.

This was Christmas tree ornament day!
We were kept busy hanging up and

laying out the house decorations.
Setting up small winter scenes...
a pair of ice skaters on a mirror...
snow men conversed in their snowy angle hair fog
("Don't touch your eyes!")
on the sill of the window at the place where the stairs landed and

split toward the living room

or the breakfast room on the other side.

There were candles here and there...
angles, santas, snowmen, gingerbread boy and girl...
and always fresh bayberry candles in

the giant brass candle sticks on the mantle.

Red satin bows were tied to their necks
to match the big bow on the front door

with it's cascade of sleigh bells.
The following few days fir boughs and

sprigs would find their way
around picture frames, mirrors, and across the mantle...
and cedar garlands

would be hung in swoops under the crown molding.
Mistletoe was hung in the center of

the french doors to the dining room.

We peeked out the windows...
waiting for Father.
Hurry, hurry, hurry home!
The bigger girls would help mom push
the love seat around the room,
until mother was satisfied with its temporary home.
This made room for the tree between the
built-in bookcases with their leaded glass doors
and the high,

short and wide window with her antique bottle collection,
that would glitter with the reflected tree lights.

The excitement of the day was contagious...
anticipation grew by the minute
and every car that entered our street made us hold
our breath... until it passed us by.
We'd groan and wait for the next engine sound.

Once the ornaments were all unpacked...
the boxes were filled with the wrappings and

tucked back under the stairs.
The rug under the place where

the tree would go had to be vacuumed...
and we showed a rare enthusiasm for the task.

Then the sound of the Buick in the driveway
inspired us to gape out the window.
"Don't smudge the windows!"
Father walked smiling into the house,
as we rushed him...

and he announced the same line year after year...
"Hey! It looks like Christmas in here!"

as he tired to cross the room to kiss mother,
with a five pack of little bunnies hanging on tight...

all chattering wildly.

But there was diner to eat yet...
before the best part of the day.
None of us had to be told to hurry or finish what was on our plates...
and no one asked for seconds...

unless Father did,
then you might as well have another

bit of stew or chunk of cornbread.

The oldest bunnies would snatch up dishes
and wisk them away to rinse and put in the dishwasher.
One of us would wipe the table and counters down.
Another would take out the trash...
all without being asked,

which made the parents smile.

Father would stretch and threaten to read his newspaper...
all the bunnies protested and groaned.
But instead of stopping at his chair...
he would take his jacket from the hall seat,

that looked like an oak throne...
causing the bunnies to hop into their coats as well...
and run to get the best seat available in the car.

The sleigh bells jangled on the door and swayed.
The station wagon doors slammed.
The engine roared to life and the Buick backed out.
Someone would begin to sing and we all joined in.
"Jingle bells! Jingle bells!"
Extra loud on the "Hey!"
Look out tree lot... here we come!

The story continues tomorrow...

see you then!

REASONS FOR THANKS

2011-11-23T00:16:00.000-08:00

I know, I used this pic before...

but I like the way that bird looks at me.

Ha!

Okay...

The real reason for Thanksgiving is

to be thankful for the blessings of the year.

So here are the things that I am

thankful for in the past year...

thank my friend, fellow blogger...

"lime" for this one!

In the past year many things have occurred that I am very thankful for...

The man!

Yes, I met him two years ago.

But I married him in May.

This was no mistake.

The man loves me in spite of my faults,

which are many.

After at least 11 years alone...

I sleep at night in his arms,

I spend my days in his mostly quiet,

and often humorous company.

I face each coming day with curiosity

and joy.

It is a wonderful thing to share my life with someone

so caring and kind.

I am thankful for my wonderful children...

who despite the miles between us

(200+)

manage to stay in touch daily...

who make me proud to be their mother...

who have given me joy

(and sometimes frustration and trauma)

since I first knew of them

growing within me.

I love them more than I can possibly express.

For family...

my own and...

particularly for my new family!

For accepting me...

for no more reason than the the fact,

that the man loves me.

How can I not love and accept you back?

I am so blessed by you!

You have enriched my life.

I am humbled by this acceptance.

I am thankful for grandchildren...

the 5 I currently have...

and the two that we are expecting

in March and April!

I am thankful that today...

I have a shelter and food...

when so many do without those simple things.

That I am safe,

that I have health and a good life...

while others live on the street...

unsure of where their next meal will come from...

or what will happen to them today,

let alone tomorrow.

And last...

but certainly most important...

I know that some of you do not have

a faith that you believe in...

I do!

I am thankful for the faith

that sustains me when times are bad...

for the faith that uplifts me,

even when times are good...

for the sacrifice made for me...

and you...

should you believe it or not,

it is important to me.

I am grateful.

I am thankful for you too...

you bloggers who share your

experiences and opinions.

You are amazing!

You add interest and thought to my days.

Your joys and sorrows...

all that you feel...

contribute to my life...

in ways that I can not begin to explain.

Bless you all on this Thanksgiving Day.

See you after your holiday!

A special hooray...

to the Shifelys,

for their new baby girl.

I am very happy ( and thankful) for your family!

I cannot think of a more wonderful gift,

than a new born child.

May she bring you the joy and pride that my own children

have given me.

May Hayden understand the gift she has been given...

to be born your child...

and all the love that means.

A happy Thanksgiving to you all!

2011-11-10T21:07:00.000-08:00

By the time this post hits,

it will be Veteran's Day.

That is not a day that I am personally willing to forget

or let slip past unnoticed.

My dad served in the U.S. Air Force,

too late to be in WWII...

too early for Korea.

I am glad he was here to be my dad.

Papa, my mother's father

served in the U. S. Army in WWI...

where he lost a lung to mustard gas.

But he came home relatively safe...

and still managed to smoke roll your own

Bull Durhams into his 70s...

able to be my much, much loved "Papa".

The man also served

in the U.S. Army.

Like my father,

he would have gone to war if called.

What would I do without him?

I am grateful that they were not called to war,

yet very proud that they were willing.

Many have gone to war.

Many have come home

safe perhaps,

certainly changed by that experience,

if not changed physically.

Many have died.

You cannot give more than your life.

There is no price you can put on that huge offering.

Today at our house,

we hang our flag with pride and gratitude...

our way of showing our respect

and our thanks...

to all who serve,

all who have served

and all who will serve...

May God bless them!

LAZY DAYS

2011-11-06T16:53:00.000-08:00

Goodness I haven't been here in a long time!
Hopefully that will change now.

Friday morning is the man's Friday night.
It was the last day of buck hunting.
We weren't going to go out again,
but T was taking the day off to go.
We decided that once the man was home,
after a trip to the bank
and balancing the check book...
we'd meet up with T, B and K and try one last time.

It proved to be an interesting sort of hunt...
in that we spent most of our time hunting for the other hunters.
Ha!
Never did find them.
But it made for a beautiful drive into some very lovely woods.
And it was just as well since the man was fading fast.

I had just enough time to make him a grilled cheese sandwich
before he was off to dream land
and I had my evening to myself to do as I pleased.
I did very little beyond the dishes,
other than watch the Criminal Minds marathon.
He doesn't understand why I like that show.
Worked out great!

Saturday we never got out of our jammies!
No cooking, shopping or errand running.
We watched college football all day long...
ending with our Duck game against U of Washington Huskies.
Ducks won.
Woot!
We ordered in pizza.
Then had a bit of time for romance.
Ooh la la!

Today we did pretty much the same...
just lazed around and enjoyed each others company.
Watched a movie.
He's snoozing again, as he should be.
I'd call it a perfect weekend.

Roxy has been busy coming in and out of the house...
leaving muddy dog prints today...
in a path through the kitchen.
That's number one on my to do list tomorrow.
Erase the evidence of dog.

Meanwhile I am trying to plan Thanksgiving here this year.
I'm excited.
I hope everyone likes my mom's recipes.
Her gravy is a bit different...
but it's not Thanksgiving for me without it.
I've got my work lining up.
Guess I won't be bored.

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend too...
and that you got to do whatever it is that you enjoy.

SATURDAY SCAVENGER SHOTS

2011-07-02T11:59:00.000-07:00

(Blogger is frightened by the skull...
and doing weirdness with space again...
so be patient and scroll all the way down past the gaps please.)

Yikes!

It's time for Saturday Scavenger Shots again!
Today's word is "UTENSIL".
The above photo is not mine...
I plucked it from this site:
http://gadgets.boingboing.net/2008/10/27/giant-skull-made-out.html
What could be better than...
"A zygomatic bone glommed together from old sauce pots; a mandible constructed from rusty whisks; a maxilla ossified from dinner plates and moustachioed with unwashed spoons. This gloriously sepulchral skull constructed entirely from old cookware and crockery was on display in London's Regent Park a couple weeks ago as part of the Frieze Art Fair."
to fully illustrate "utensil"?

Of course, I can't think of the word "utensil" without thinking of
barbecue... and with the 4th of July coming up...
barbecue is our plan for the holiday.

So how about some barbecue "utensil" art?
I did not come up with that "utensil" piece.
But it certainly says...
time to barbecue!

Okay... a perfectly terrible shot of the man
barbecuing.
There are some "utensils" there on the right...
if you can see them!

All this talk about "utensils" has made me hungry!
I'm thinking....

Chinese food!

So grab your "utensils"....

aka: chopsticks...
and dig in!

Happy Saturday Scavenger Shots everybody!
(I hope the man will let us get take out.)
;D

And don't forget to use the side bar here to visit
What Fresh Hell Is This?
and
Eclectic Spaghetti
for more SSS and next week's word.
Then go out and take your best shot!

THE KISS...

2011-06-25T16:58:00.000-07:00

Yesterday the man's son kissed bachelorhood good-bye.
He didn't seem to mind a bit!

As my regular readers know, I am not normally a wedding person.
Some people really get into the whole idea of weddings...
sparking TV shows about bridzillas,
how to plan the perfect wedding,
tons of wedding web sites,
movies about wedding planners,
bridesmaids
and that event that all little girls are supposed to dream about all their lives
until the day they say
"I do."
Weddings are a huge commercial industry!

My wedding was not a big affair and that was the right wedding for us.
Make a quick and serious commitment...
then get past that to the barbecue.
Phew!

This wedding was much more traditional.
The beautiful bride included traditions from her
Italian heritage that were interesting and new to me.
It was a very important wedding because it was family.
As formal weddings go,
it was in a wonderful setting in the country,
complete with babbling brook
and lovely landscaping.
Tables were set on the lawn and the atmosphere was charming.

The ceremony was not long winded... a good thing...and had a nice message.
We all had a good giggle when the bride pulled her cheat sheet
of her vows out of her bodice.
The man said "Hey, she uses her bra as a pocket too!" and elbowed me.
Naturally...
Everyone cheered at the kiss.

Little N was the flower girl.
Her brother, Te was the ring bearer.
The bride's daughter, R was one of the brides maids.
We had a lot of people we cared about standing up there.
That made this wedding extra special.

It was a very nice evening with family and friends from both sides.
The food was delicious.
Everything was as perfect as any wedding could possibly be.

By nature I am a wallflower at social gatherings,
unless I know the people very well.
The man was called away off and on to do photos, etc.
and had many people to visit with in the gathering.
But Mom and Dad were there... the man's that is...
so I sat at their table and visited.

Eventually I slipped away to the truck so that I could
call my son Boo.
It was his birthday.
I missed it last year, because I had just moved here and had promised him that I would not miss this one.
I'd never missed one before that... ever.
Of course he understood that this was a big family event that we could not miss.
While I called, I missed the cake cutting!
I have photos of everything else though...
from the setting to the actual show.

I was the driver, so no booze beyond a couple of short cups of beer
before eating.
We didn't leave for hours after.
All in all, it was a great night.

When we signed the guest book... the man left it to me to do this...
I was tempted to put "the original Mr and Mrs H".
That's because we all have the same names.
He has his dad's and she has mine.
But I didn't.
I wasn't sure if joking in a guest book is appropriate.
It did make me smile to think about it.
I'll let future readers wonder why they signed their own guest book.
;-)

We got home late.
The man was hungry so I made him a grilled cheese.

Ok... I have to ask you how you make your grilled cheese?
The man likes his with miracle whip inside on both pieces of bread.
Its really weird to have to slather something on all the different
sides of bread and quite messy!
I don't use anything inside mine except for cheese and maybe a tomato slice.
I guess there is no wrong way or right way,
but I'd never heard of that before.
Kind of like pizza... you can put what you want on it.
Still, I wonder what other ways you can fix one.

OF MICE AND THE MAN...

2011-06-23T14:03:00.000-07:00

When we first got Roxy we put her dog food in a giant Tupperware container with a good sealing lid.
This was due to my association with a friend who worked for Terminex who,
once told me that critters go where ever they can find dog food...
and that dog food was an excellent bait for traps.

We have been fortunate not to have indoor critter problems...
so far...
with the exception of ants.
(Which are as inevitable as death and taxes.)

So... into the Tupperware with Roxy's food.
Then it was stashed under the kitchen bar counter,
next to her food and water dishes.
There it stayed until an ant attack forced us to move her dishesto the shop,
where ants did not bother to go.
I'm not sure why that is.
Yet, sure enough, the ants did not follow.

The first time I spied the shop mouse,
she was looking pretty fat.
Never a good sign with a mouse.
The next time she skittered by in the corner of my vision,
she was slimmer.

I like mice.
I used to have a large walk-in closet in the house where I grew up,
that my mother allowed me to use to raise mice to sell as a business.
I had at one time 28!
(All in cages of course.)

The man, however has no sympathy for mice.
I must agree that the wild variety are not good for human living spaces,
but I'm kind of funny about killing them.
I'd rather catch and release.
:-)

When the man spied the mama mouse, he set a trap.
Whap! Whap!
He quickly dispatched two mice bodies to the dumpster.
I admit to being a mite sad at this,
but they were mature mice who had lived full mousey lives.
Better a quick snap of the trap than slow death by playful kitties.

Not long after I spied a tiny puff of fur with a pink tail by Roxy's dish.
One of the food pellets must have been a feast to someone so tiny.

To tell or not to tell...was my question.
Yes it was a wild rodent full of nasty germs and disease.
But darn, it was cute!
I didn't say a word.
(Shame on me!)

Roxy ratted me out!
That pig bull nose of hers began to snuffle and search.
Who's been eating my porridge?
She spent hours at a time trying to track my fuzzy secret friend.
The man noticed and the trap came back out.
He uses peanut butter for bait... another tip from Terminex man.
The first night... nothing.
Yay!
the second night... nothing again.
Yay! Yay!
Unfortunately on the third try
the poor little fellow got the ax.

I wasn't at all surprised when I spied a flash of fur this morning...
close to Roxy's dish.
Where you see one mouse, there are at least six more.
She's out there snuffling again.
Sadly, we have plenty of peanut butter.
More dumpster funerals to follow.

JUNE PEOPLE

2011-06-21T09:18:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Mom and Ron!

Two of the three birthdays I have this week.
The other is this guy...

My first born... that you know as Boo.

June is a very full month for us!
We have four birthdays and a wedding.
The wedding is the man's oldest son's... which falls on Boo's birthday.
That will be easy for me to remember.

In fact, Thursday we have the rehearsal diner,
then the wedding on Friday evening.

Weddings are okay... I'm not a huge fan of them.
Some people really get into going to them.
They are nice family events that are full of hope and joy.

But I would rather celebrate birthdays!
Its good to have one day a year where you celebrate
that one special person.
Which everyone deserves!
Yay!

So here are the reasons that I celebrate each of my birthdays
here today.

Mom is my MIL.
But unlike some MILs, she's also a dear friend.
We met through the man, true enough,
but we began talking on the computer everyday before I went to work or after.
This is before the man and I decided to be a committed couple.
Even if, heaven forbid, the man and I would not have gotten to that point, I know that we still would have remained friends.
We can talk about anything.
She has a great sense of humor and a lot of varied interests that I share.
We're both pretty crazy about the man.
As you know, its not always easy to break into a new family.
Mom and Ron both have accepted me into theirs.
It is a comfortable feeling.
A good fit!

Ron was a teacher and so knows the ins and outs of life with students.
That was a great connection for me.
When you work in a school, you live in that community
even after regular work hours... with all the functions involved.
When you move around in the world outside, you tend to see things and think of how that could be applied to teaching
or of interest to your students.
Its automatic.
Its nice to have someone around with other school tales and who has an idea about the school life.
Besides,
he puts up with me flicking him crap!

As for Boo...
This was my "training child"...
the one where I had no manual and still had to figure out what to do with the kid... and not break him in the process.
Fortunately, he was the best baby on earth...
when I had his sister,
I could not believe how difficult she was in comparison.
Boo is bright, funny and very compassionate.
As a child he often ended up in center stage.
Literally.
He was picked from the audience by THE Yo-Yo man himself,
Tommy Smothers
to come up on stage and learn a yo-yo trick at the state fair.
While in school, there was a traveling troop of professional actors who came every other year to put on plays with students.
Every single time they came to our school during the years that Boo was enrolled, he was picked for the lead role.
The actors were different each time and had no clue that he had done this before.
Boo was like that...
a very attractive child, with an open personality that did not quit.
He tried everything and feared nothing.
A natural.
Gee... can you tell I'm his mom?
Ha.

Anyway,
Happy Birthday my June people!
You are all very much loved and appreciated.
Here's to many, many more!

BARBECUED DADS

2011-06-20T10:40:00.001-07:00

This was the man's birthday last year.
It was quite a family and friend celebration!
I was still new then.
:-)

This year, I didn't manage to get photos of the event.
Dead camera battery.
:-(

Not a big party, which kind of surprised me.
I thought that maybe since it was Father's Day too that his kids might want to plan something.
But you know how adult kids that are are... 20s and 30s.
They have families of their own, jobs and big plans.
Jr. is going to marry this Friday... I've no doubt that they are busy!
Mom and Ron are off on a long trip to visit family and not available.

A week ago T (the man's best friend)
asked what the man's kids had planned for the day.
"Nothing that I know of..."
He said
"Okay, we're having Father's Day barbecue... you're coming over and we'll do birthday cake too."

Very cool beans!

We always enjoy going to T's house.

I let the man sleep in as late as he wanted and quietly left him biscuits and gravy to eat in bed.

Early in the day, the man's youngest son showed up with a piece of German Chocolate cake for his dad and to visit for a little bit.
That was sweet!
I didn't tell him that I had a big German Chocolate cake already.

Mom and Ron called from where they were on the road.
The man's sister, D, called as well... as she always remembers to do.
My kids sent well wishes via text... we are a texting bunch!

Then it was time to leave for the barbecue!
Yay!
This time there was an absence of the man's family.
Generally they show up there when there's a Duck party or whatever.
I half expected them to show up, not knowing if T had invited them or not.
But basically, we were crashing T's family Father's Day celebration.
So it was T's mom and step dad, sister and husband, brother J and T's family.
Cozy!
The food was so tasty... and I ate too much of course.
All in all a wonderful afternoon filled with a lot of laughter and good company.

Jr and his fiancee, B showed up at T's briefly to drop off a card
and say happy regards, but couldn't stay long.
They are not only getting married on Friday, but are packing their house to move when they return from their honeymoon in Hawaii.

R, his daughter put in a call on toward evening, so eventually all the kids had checked in to wish their dad well.
That made the man happy.
We made a stop by her house on the way home to drop off part of the cake
for them to enjoy too.
I got to wave at little N through the window.
She is such a cutie pie!

Home again, our evening was quiet.
The man had to be up early for work.
We didn't bother with a diner after such a huge afternoon meal.
We watched some TV and I had ice cream, he had cake.
That was about it.

Not a giant celebration.
But a mellow day and evening.
Sublime.

2011-06-17T08:12:00.000-07:00

Happy Father's Day all you Dads!

"Sherman made the terrible discovery that men make about their fathers sooner or later... that the man before him was not an aging father but a boy, a boy much like himself, a boy who grew up and had a child of his own and, as best he could, out of a sense of duty and, perhaps love, adopted a role called Being a Father so that his child would have something mythical and infinitely important: a Protector, who would keep a lid on all the chaotic and catastrophic possibilities of life."
~Tom Wolfe, The Bonfire of the Vanities

I think that about sums up what a father's role is in the world pretty darned well.

When I began researching for this post, I had no idea what I wanted to say.
I've told so many of my stories here about growing up---
I can't remember what I have or haven't told.
Ha!

I thought I would list some of the valuable things my father taught me.

Cricket can explain the meaning of "value" to you here:

Cricket And Porcupine

Value
Believe me, understanding value is more complex than you assume.

Valuable things my father taught me:

* Fair is not a condition of life...
its a place you go to, to have fun.

* Do not put your bare leg against the motorcycle exhaust pipe.
(Painfully, I failed to listen.)

* If I did not do what my mother said, he would make me regret it.

* Think about what you read, don't just say the words in your head.

* The truth sometimes depends on who is telling it.

* If you don't turn down the stereo the first time I tell you...
it will disappear.

* There is only one thing teenage boys really want...
is to drive your vintage sports car ...
do NOT let them!

* If you call for a ride home be prepared to wait until I finish my beer.

* If you ever get pregnant before marriage, there will be no abortion...
you will have the baby, and spend the rest of your life raising it,
spend all of your money on it and countless hours worrying about it.
(That one scared the crap out of me!)

* Family are the people who love you even when you screw up.

* You can only spend as much money as you take with you,
so only take what you can afford to spend.

* Never drink Cognac as a quick shot...
your head will explode.

* If the bathroom door is closed... knock!

* "If I had to choose between saving you or saving your mother...
I'd save your mom. I can always have more kids...
However, if I didn't save you, your mom would kill me.
It's one of those questions where there is no good answer."

That's pretty much the wisdom of my dad in a nutshell.
Smart and often smart-assed.

He has delighted me, pissed me off, protected me, made me laugh,taught me and always loved me no matter how angry I made him...
and believe me, I did test that.
He has made my life interesting and still does
Here's to my dad...
Cheers!

WHAT OLD CAR?

2011-06-14T08:16:00.000-07:00

Boy do I miss this little gardener!

Yesterday was my first day home alone now that the
man has gone back to work.
Boring!

A man rang the doorbell.
It took me some time to get there as I was on the patio out back.
By the time I got to the door, I could see he was
about to throw his leg over his bike to leave.
I called hello.
He was in his mid twenties,
riding a black bike that had seen better days.
Plain jeans, Duck tee shirt.
Clearly not selling anything and no one I knew.

He motioned in the direction of my back yard gate.
"Hi. I've seen that old car sitting there..."

Old car?
That's no old car!
"That's my clown car!"
(He looked surprised by that statement, but chose to ignore it.)
This was the second time this week that someone had assumed that my clown car was not running and unwanted.
Harumph!

"I'm looking for a car to fix up and buy, you know for a family car..."

I laughed.

"Actually, it runs and I use it."

"Really? Okay. Sorry to bother you."
He looked at it unsure if I was telling the truth.
"Thanks anyway."
He mounted his bike and waved as he pedaled off.

I walked out and looked at my car.
Honestly, I am puzzled.
Yes, it could use a bath.
Otherwise it's still green all over with relatively little damage beyond one scratch, a small dent and a cracked windshield.
What about it said unwanted and unused?

Maybe its the windshield thing.
Up where I used to live cracked windshields are common.
There is a great deal of ice and snow in the winters
in Dumb Potter's Hell.
Even once the snow is gone, the little rocks they use to make the roads safe remain.
Trucks fly past and toss them at your windshield.
The one time I replaced it... in August...
I was hit by a rock two days after I got X to install it!
That was the summer of 2009.
It took it a long time to go from nick to crack... and by then it had more nicks that aspired to be cracks.
My how those little nicks have grown!

I suppose I should have replaced it again.
(My insurance does not cover windshield nicks.)
But once I decided to move here,
we knew that we wanted to use it for a trade in.
The windshield was unlikely to be much of a money factor.

I peeked into its windows.
Yikes!
It does look rather abandoned when you do that.
There was my smock and lunch bag from my last day at work in January.
The seat cover on one side is half pulled off.
The blanket that I like to keep across the back seat
was bunched in a wad.
My "car book"... in case I'm stuck somewhere,
looked like it was crawling for cover under the driver's seat.
Lots of dust.
A vacuum would do wonders.

I guess it has been a while since I last drove it.
I think it time to give it a make-over.
I've got the tools...
Armor-All, Windex, shop-vac and the washing machine.
Maybe people will stop asking me if I want to sell it.

Poor clown car.
I owe it that much.
I bought it for a thousand bucks going on four years ago.
I've only had to replace the clutch and windshield.
The engine has just kept chugging.
Yep... the least I can do.
Besides, I don't want to have to wait and do it the
day before I start work again and
have a billion other things to get done before I get busy on it.

Its supposed to get warm today and the sun is supposed to shine.
I'm still waiting for that but its only 9:30.
That's my afternoon project.
Until then, its house work and job hunting.
I need to water plants.
Ho-hum.
Maybe I'll even wax it.

SURPRISE, SURPRISE!

2011-06-11T10:56:00.004-07:00

What a perfect day!

Yesterday I was busy farting around in my outdoor office, just enjoying the fresh air and dog's company. The man was busy doing his usual morning stuff.
I knew we had errands to run, so I was not surprised at all when
the man began locking doors and shutting the house up ready to get going.
I simply closed the office and followed him out.

It is the man's usual habit to drive and not mention where we are going.
Its sort of a game for me.
If I ask, he tells me "Following the front bumper."
Therefor, it has become my habit to simply sit and enjoy the ride while I try and figure it out.
I like puzzles and brain games.
This is actually a challenge for me, since one of my other habits is getting lost.
:D

I was not concerned when we pulled into a near by mall.
We pay our cable bill there and that's where the new Cabela's
recently popped into being.
We are frequent visitors to the mall, despite the fact that we rarely buy anything.

The man passed our usual parking area, but ok.
When he pulled into a spot by The Roadhouse Grill, I thought "Ah ha!"
We had gotten a gift card there for our wedding.
We went inside and got seated.

Now the man is one of the ut-most laid-back people that I have ever encountered!
He takes delays and whatever set-backs come up with true grace.
I tend to get excited over these things.
We managed to get the only non-hard-working waitress in the place!
I don't know what she was doing with her time, but it wasn't waiting on her tables.
She kept vanishing into thin air.

But I was with the laid-back man and it was a nice surprise, so I was
un-normally ok with the whole thing.
I like shucking the peanuts and tossing the shells on the floor.
A mistake since it took our waitress forever to bring us our sodas!
Still, I was not going to complain.

Then an unusual thing began to happen.
The laid-back man began to check his watch repeatedly.
This simply does not happen with this man!
How curious!
Eventually our food came and the man ate a bit and went looking for doggie containers.
Normally he would quietly wait for these.
Curious and curiouser!

We paid and walked an unusual double pace to the truck and
immediately drove a short distance to another space and parked.
This also was out of our usual parking area in the mall lot.
Okay...
Out of the truck, we walked just as fast into the mall.
I thought, well, he wants to beat the rush where we pay our cable bill.
I hurried along and became even more curious when he turned into a different wing.
I could see that we were walking toward the theater.
Now the man has said more than once that the only time he likes to go to the theater is when its super hot and there is no air conditioner... because he can sleep while whoever watches the movie.
Clearly not a regular movie go-er!

We were in line before I got it.
Lost in a long list of movies on the header...
Thor!

Understand this about me...
as a kid, I was not just a comic book fan.
I was an obsessed Thor fan.
We're talking about being at the pharmacy every week when the comic book guy would show up with the new comics.
When our parents took us on vacation I would nearly die over not being there to get my newest Thor comic when it came in.
There has never been a superhero like Thor!

As comic book movies go, I really liked it.
Hey, it had Thor!
How could that possibly go wrong.
It could not and did not.
It was also a nice clean movie fit for children.
Yes, there was battle.
That's what Thor does!
But it was not gore riddled.
It even had a positive message to it.
No sex or sexual suggestion to explain to little people.
There was hand kissing and one good smacker!
It left us open to a sequel.
YaY!

Then back to the truck and following the bumper... this time I caught on quickly.
We were off to the Emerald City to get our certified copy of
our squeaky marriage certificate.
I can't change my ID, SS# or get my car title changed and my tags without it.
It wasn't ready yet.
Bummer deal!
But hey, two out of three is still a good day!

Back to following the front bumper.
I was in a great mood just enjoying the fact that I understood that I was utterly lost... again.
We seemed to be circling inside an industrial area.
The man fooled me when he turned into a parking lot where I knew he had applied for a job. I thought, oh... he's going to check in with them.
However, we were only turning around.
When he did stop, he pointed to a big brown building
and said he wanted me to remember it.

I thought... ah ha! There is a story attached to this place.
I bit!
I asked why.
The man said "Well that's where I'll be all day starting on Monday."
It took a few heartbeats to get into my head.
The man found a job!

Now I ask you...
does a day get any better than that?

Later, when I thanked the man for a wonderful day of surprises, he smiled.
"The only thing that bothers me about it is...
what the heck can I come up with to top it?Now you're going to expect something better."

I laughed.
"Oh, I don't know, but you'll think of something...
Maybe you better start thinking now."

He laughed back and shook his head.
"Silly Rabbit!"

SPRUNG

2011-06-09T09:45:00.000-07:00

Warning! Blogger is being a deevil today and doing
deevilish things to my blog.
You may have to scroll way down to finish reading this!

What a beautiful day!
Spring has finally sprung in Oregon.
Its a perfect day for walking in the hills or fishing...
or visiting with the chicken next door.
I'd love to have a chicken, but Roxy would not.
I couldn't do that to a chicken.

Yesterday I had an interview.
I think it went well enough. I didn't sense the feeling that I'd never hear from them again, like I sometimes do.
It lasted all of about 5 minutes... which doesn't sound good.
However, the guy was nice and asked good questions...
as in questions that I think I fielded well.
I'd already had a phone interview, a meeting to learn about the company policies, its history and watched a lovely video.
What else was there left to cover in an interview?
I imagine they just wanted to sneak a peak and see what my personality was like more than anything.

I left the interview happy.
I think my last words to the interviewer were
"Thank you for the opportunity. Now I think I'm going to go and buy a plant."
Out of context, it sounds kind of lame.
Ha!

I did too... buy the plant that is.
When I returned home, this is what I found...

No, its not new. On the contrary, its a dated instrument.
But what it is, is an outdoor office that Randy set up to surprise me.
:D
Last year when I moved down, I set Hal, my computer, up out on the patio. I have a thing about being outside.
However, cold weather drove Hal and myself inside.
I set up shop in Randy's office.

We were playing 10,000 (a dice game) the other evening and I mentioned that I missed having Hal on the patio
but it is such a hassle to move Hal with all his various parts,
and promptly forgot the idea with the next roll of the dice.

What a thoughtful and lovely surprise!
What a sweetheart!

So here I sit... on this beautiful day...
radio in the background...
with the sun shining and the wonderful smell of 'toonies
and pansies wafting in the air.
SWEET!
The type of day where all things are available and possible.

Obviously I have nothing of importance to talk about...
but some days that's kind of nice too.

Here's a few oddball thoughts:

Delta Air is in the poo can... they have been charging returning soldiers $200 a bag over the 3 bag limit to get themselves and their things home from service in the middle east.
BAD FORM!
*************************
I found this sign on a wall in a little strip mall in the Emerald City.

Do you suppose there is a secret society of dogs who
post these signs so that other dogs know where to find
cats to chase?

This is what the pig bull thinks of Hot Mamas sausages...

Who knew that dogs can blow raspberries?
Okay, that's enough nonsense for the day.
I hope it gave you a smile.
Today is too beautiful for any other expression.
Me?
I'm going to go enjoy the gifts such a day brings.
Big grins everybody!

BUILDING FENCES

2011-06-06T20:16:00.001-07:00

The yard supervisor.

We've needed to replace a section of our fence for a while.
The neighbor's son ran into it when he was trying to learn how to drive.
Its never been the same.
Then a wind storm made it worse.

We went almost immediately to get the supplies needed.
Then the weather and availability of workers clashed
and the fence was put off until after the wedding.

So last Thursday we decided that with good weather on the way,
it was time to get it done.
Early Saturday morning the neighbor's older two sons and their dad
showed up to tear the old fence down.

The supervisor in the photo at the top of this page (Roxy) was furious.
How dare anyone take her ratty old boards away!
She barked so much and was so upset that she was banned to the house.
You wouldn't think that was much of a punishment,
but to Roxy, being banned from others is the worst thing ever.

EVER!

She sulked. She grumbled. She continued to be upset.
All day.

The next day, after the posts had time for their concrete to set up properly,
the crew began the work of putting the new boards up.

We allowed the supervisor to come into the yard...
providing she could control her ah..."comments".
Unfortunately, we had to use a long tie-out to keep her in the yard.
Roxy has never been tied out.
She supervised with great intensity
and a degree of irratation.

Eventually it was finished.

The supervisor grabbed her duck and raced all over her yard.

She said it was perfect...

and demanded that we throw the duck again.

Now everybody happy!

BRING IT

2011-06-03T12:10:00.000-07:00

Now that the weather is agreeable and the yard is in order
except for maintaining it,
we are ready to do most of our living on the patio.
Recently while playing a game of 10,000 on the patio at night,
the issue came up of keeping the light on.
We have a motion sensor light that is nice and bright.
But it seems we don't move enough for it to stay on.
Hummmm...
We have another porch light out there too, but
when Randy tried to put a new bulb in it,
we discovered that the old bulb must have been too much wattage.
The bulb had fused with the plastic "glass" in the carriage style shade.
The pane was warped and the bulb seating was stuck
in the screw in thingie.

So off we set on a trek to the Emerald City to this place...

Where you can find everything people discard...

including the kitchen sinks!

We rooted around for light fixtures and found tons of indoor fixtures
but no outdoor ones.
Its like that at "planet improvement centers".
Its sort of hit and miss.

Speaking of hits... this LP record siding was a hoot!

I also liked their creative method of decorating a plain concrete block wall.
But the garden at the top was my favorite area.
Used plants and the tuba made me smile.
Here's a bit more of the garden...

I've always liked that saw about one man's trash
is another man's treasure.
Here's the proof!

We never found a fixture that we liked. We'll go back again another day.
Places like this get my creativity perking.
I'd recently gotten an itch to make a mosaic for the back yard.
I saw lots of things that I could work into it here.
But things at Bring are not always cheap.
There is a cost to improving the world.

And T told me of a place in the Emerald City where artists
have gathered all sorts of stuff to use to make, well anything you want to make...sculptures, mosaics, wall art, garden art...
whatever your imagination sets flying!

Its open to everyone and a favorite place for teachers to take classes.
You can leave the mess there!
Or take supplies.
My understanding is that this is free
and as we all know, free is a great price!
I'm going to get directions and check it out.
I'll let you know what I find...
but if nothing else, its an adventure!

Tell us about your recent adventures.
Do you like to explore new places?
Get physical?
Exercise your creativity?
What the heck are you up to these days?

WHAT'S REAL?

2011-05-29T12:08:00.000-07:00

(A TOOTHLESS SOOKIE TOOTS)

So we had four days to recover and get into the stuff of everyday life again.

Then little N came.

Back when she first began to call me grandma,
her mom told me that it was okay with her.
BUT.
There is always a but.
But I had to be a "real" grandma.

She gave me her version of what being a "real" grandma was.
A real grandma bakes with the kids and does crafts.
She did not want them to come over and just hang out.

Okay...that got me to thinking...

I had two grandmas that I can recall in my life.
Gertrude, who was a working business woman who was "dutiful"
in that she did presents on Christmas and birthdays and would show up if we were in school functions to watch. Always, no fail.
However, you could see her checking her watch and she left like her tail was on fire when her obligation had been met.
Not a fairy grandma.

G.G., about whom I have written before, was in my head the "real" deal.
Did she bake?
Yep, but my job was to watch, then lick the spoon and bowl
and later reap the goodies at snack time.
Did she do crafts?
Never.

In fact, GG did not have toys.
She had a double set of dominos that I used like legos.
Other than that, all there was to play with at GG's
was a painted cast iron cat that sat next to the fireplace that was never lit.
I enjoyed many hours pretending that was a real cat.
I took my own drawing supplies.
That was it for entertainment.

Yet, I absolutely loved to go to GG's every summer.
She was old, old.
A throw back to an antique era.
She had a "boy"
(who was about 60)
who did all her yard work and handyman stuffs.
(No, he was not black.)

GG had a flower garden that was amazing.
It had crushed oyster walkways and all the flowers were the kind you cut to fill your home with lovely scents.
There was a sitting area in the middle where her garden club ladies came to visit, eat cookies and drink tea.

GG tended the garden herself.

This required suiting up.
GG donned a garden shift... a formless sack thing
that she covered with an apron.
She wore long garden gloves up to her elbows.
Clunky rubber boots covered what little was exposed of her twiggy legs.
She topped it all with a giant straw hat that tied under her chin.
Ladies, she warned me, do not allow their skin to become tan.
Ladies did not want to look like farm hands.
Apparently they did not need sun screen.
Ladies in those days were pretty smart!

GG's house was always quiet.
There were morning prayers, grace at every meal and evening vespers.
Church twice a week
and of course charity work.
The house itself had the reverence of church or a library.
She had garden teas and gin rummy club.
An abundance of likewise old, old ladies.

What GG did do for me was open up her library.
She did not merely allow me to read her books.
She had read them all and entered into discussions.
She loved science and God.
Those were the topics on any day.

What GG did as a grandma that made her "real" to me
was not about "fun" things to do.
It was that she listened and heard my ideas and answers.
She asked questions and made suggestions
rather than correction to how I thought.
She encouraged me to think and see the wonders around me.

I have no problem doing the cooking and craft thing if that is what the kids want.
I do draw the line at glitter.
No glitter! It gets everywhere.

But it is my suspicion that crafts and baking are not what make you
a "real" grandma.

Children want two things.
To know that they are loved and to have someone's attention.
That's easy as pie...
Talking and listening.
Sharing of ideas and having someone respect and care about what you think.
Someone who laughs at your dumb kid jokes
or soothes hurt feelings.
And hugs. Lots of hugs.

Little N came to stay with us for 24 hours.
I was exhausted by the time she left.
There was no baking or crafts.
There was ice cream and cake.
She does love to draw and I made those supplies available.
There were bubbles to blow.
We put drawings on the fridge.
Mostly we talked and laughed at silly kid jokes.
In short, I paid real attention to her.

I hope that was real enough.
:D

2011-05-26T17:47:00.000-07:00

Yikes! We did it!

Holy moley!
Weddings are huge beasts.

For over a month we weeded, trimmed trees... which led to cutting logs out of the big branches and doing something with the bark chips afterward... taming, trimming and giving the vinca a new do, not to mention my endless battle with the berry vines.

I have come to the belief that yard work is like cleaning a spot on the wall... you get one area looking great and the rest looks like crap!
Before you know it, one thing leads to another and then its time to start over. Sheesh!

Fortunately for us, there were many who helped out with the yard.
Likewise with the wedding!
On Thurs. Bear's bunch showed up and took up residence in the pop-up trailer. That is one hard working girl!
The next day Boo, Saucy and Squeaky showed up to help, along with Big E, a friend of ours' son. We looked like ants swarming over the yard and house. :-D

By Saturday... "Judgment Day" and our wedding day... the joke was that Randy had waited until the last day on earth to get married.

Big grins!

We scurried around. Bear finished the 6 layer, 3 tier wedding cake about an hour before the wedding. Phew!

Then T asked Randy about my bouquet.
Bouque? What bouquet?

In the flood of all the other things we needed to do,
we had forgotten the bouquet!
So T and Rev. Jimmy ran out... and I did not know this part...
and made me a beautiful bouquet with white hydrangea and mums and some lovely purple lily-like flowers and some fun green things.
They wrapped it all in voile with trailers that hung down and it was a huge surprise to me.

I was very touched!

We all battled for shower time.
Someone left the door open to my room... and my clothes were on the bed
within view of the folk standing in the hall.
I was stuck with only a towel.
Yikes!
I decided to become a blur and slam the door shut.
Later someone asked me about that, and we had a good laugh over it.

We waited for some missing guests for what seemed forever, then finally they arrived and it was time to get the show on.
Boo and I began to walk...
but I'd forgotten my bouquet.
"Wait!"
I ran back to get it and then before I knew it, I was standing there with Randy in front of Rev. Jimmy.
He said something very nice about marriage,
but I didn't hear much of it.
I went into zombie shock mode.
I don't do well in front of crowds. I have serious stage fright issues.

Okay... you must sympathize with me now.
I demand it!
Randy began saying his vows and was slipping my rings on my finger.
I began to cry.
I am a dedicated cry baby.
;-)

He put my rings on backwards...
but who cares?
My tears choked him up a bit, but he did a much better job than I at getting his lines out.

Then it was time for me to slip his ring on...
and my much, much beloved C4C dropped it!
Ha!
That was a very welcome bit of comic relief!

Over Randy's shoulder I could see T wiping a tear off his face...
which made me cry more.
Yikes!

I barely managed to croak out my vows and slip the ring on his finger.

Then Rev. Jimmy wiped a tear from my cheek...
I was so touched by that!

And he pronounced us married.
I was never so glad to kiss someone in my life!

Time to celebrate and barbecue!

Phew!

We survived!

Done deal.

Of course now I have to change all my ID again.
Crap.

Am I happy?

What do you think?

Ha!

(Yep, the bride wore brown.)

Tomorrow I'll post some of the pics of other people.

Special thanks to all those who helped us to get ready for the wedding:
Bear, Mikey P, Turkey, Boo, Saucy, Squeaky, Max, Mom, Ron, Joshua,
Big E and and always... my dear, dear C4C!
Thanks too to Rev. Jimmy... who was amazing
and T, who did everything from dishes to grilling.
These are my treasures!

So what about Roxy?

She had a ball playing with the guests...
she LOVES people.
And she didn't mind at all when people dropped
barbecue tid bits on the ground.
:D
Roxy was in dog heaven.
So many to worship her and give her pats!
Ha!

Today, my wish for you is that you are all as happy as I am now.

Be thankful for those you love...
and for those who love you.
Big grins everyone!

38 DAYS

2011-04-13T12:10:00.001-07:00

A few days ago the wedding seemed to be a leisurely distance away.
We had our plans and most of them... with the exception of
creating, printing and mailing invitations...
were the sort of plans that required waiting until just before the wedding.
We were having it in a park, so there was no concern for
preparing the location.

Yeah. That has changed.

We looked at parks and checked prices.
Here this time of year there is no guarantee with weather conditions.
Could we stuff everyone under one of the park enclosures?
Probably.
But what if it turned cold?
The first 2 years I lived in Oregon it snowed on Easter Sunday.
Hummm...
In fact, it snowed after Easter Sunday the first year.

The upshot is that we changed the park plan.
I know... a bit late in the planning.
Having done this, the nice leisurely amount of time we had vanished.
POOF!
Our new plan is to have the wedding here.
Ironically, this was our first choice way back last summer.

Back then we looked at the yard and thought
it seemed like an awful lot of work.
Yep.
That is correct!

You're probably thinking so what?
The what is that our yard is not a typical city lot.
This lot is big big.
And there is a lot of yard work to do.
Not to mention folk needing to go in and out of the house to use the restroom, etc.
And that means spring cleaning!

But those heroes up there... two of my sons and Boo's girlfriend, S...
came down a week ago and spent two days here.
At that time we were not going to have the wedding here.
Luckily, they came to work.
Last fall Boo had suggested that he come down to help us
get rid of the berries.
For some reason, he chose to come at this time.
:D

As it turns out, we did not work on berries.
We worked on other things... clearing out winter yard debris,
storing things in the two story shed, etc.
But it went a long way toward helping us to get things
in order around here.
A few hours of work on two days did as much as Randy and I
could do in a week.
YAY!

It wasn't all work... nope.
We barbecued burgers and played 10,000...
a dice game.
We had a great time.
I was expecting Boo and S, but not Max.
Bonus!
All in all, it was a wonderful visit and we got a good deal of work done.
Cool beans!

Good thing since we decided to change locations.
Because there is a lot to do here to get ready still,
I've rallied my troops.
Boo has promised to return to help, as have Bear and Squeaky.
It's a long way to drive with today's gas prices.
Especially since they will be back in a month for the wedding too.
:-)

I think I have great kids!

Mom and Ron have promised to come help trim trees and help.
Randy is going to try and get his kids involved.
They live here... its a short drive.
Yay!

So my blogging will be spotty as I work on the impending
celebration.
But I will work happily... and in good company.
In the end, I'll share the photos and good times.

Outside there are clouds and sprinkles.
I don't care.
The sun is shining where it matters.
I don't even care if I get wet today.
:D
Life is sweet.

Happy hump day everyone!

CARVING AWAY

2011-03-30T12:23:00.000-07:00

Hello all.
This is part of what I have been up to.
I mentioned in passing that someday I'd like to learn to carve wood.
We had been watching a woodworker's show on the tube.
A man showed how to carve claw and ball feet for a nice coffee table.
So I opened my mouth and expressed my interest.

Randy has a quirk or two.
One of which is that he likes to drive the truck and not tell me where we are going.
It amuses me. He knows it.
I frequently find myself in the truck just going with whatever happens to show up.
I did not think much of it when he pulled into his favorite woodworker's store.
We have been there numerous times for a variety of tools.
He makes furniture and toys after all.

Once inside, he stopped at the desk, which is pretty much what one normally does in this shop anyway... then a clerk helps you to locate the special tool you want.
This time, and it is the day after I uttered my desire to learn to carve,
Randy asks when they will have another beginner carving class.
As luck would have it, it was less than a week away.
Randy signed me up and paid the man.

Now I have many times uttered desires to learn or do this or that.
I'm not very good at following through on them.
Randy is.
Off I went to carving class.
They had tools, the wood and the teacher.
I was given a funny shaped piece of wood with rough sawed edges at odd angles.
In the middle of the table sat a cute little carved rabbit.
There were 3 men there about my age.
Hummm...
I sat by myself to one side.
The teacher came and drew lines on my funny piece of wood and handed it back to me.

Okay.

The other students were flicking off bits of wood on their blocks.
I looked at the finished rabbit and tried a feeble scrape or two at my lump.
Nothing bad happened, I glanced around and continued to shave off bits.

Three ladies showed up.
They did not use the tools there.
They had fancy expensive carving knife sets all rolled up in snappy leather pouches.
Soon I was surrounded by chatty women who seemed much better able to pull a rabbit out of a block of wood, while I might as well be trying to pull a rabbit out of a hat.
Sheesh!

The teacher had mercy on me and came by to rough out my bunny.
This is a matter of getting rid of the excess wood that the saw didn't cut away so that you can get down to the heart of the matter.

I felt like a dufus.
Everyone else had a good grip on what was required.
I struggled and strained and kept looking at the finished rabbit like it might tell me what to do.
It did not.

One of the women with fancy knives leaned over and told me
"It's worse than heroin."
I nodded, bewildered.
Just what exactly was addictive here?
The desire to feel like a dufus?
I did not think so!

However, I continued to scrape and try to bend the wood to my will.
About that time my knife slipped and I managed to cut myself.
This was celebrated by all and a bandage was gleefully bestowed.
I was there after referred to as "the cut one".

That was in the first hour.
This was a 3 hour class.
By the second hour I could see that a bunny might just be in there,
if only I could get to it.
What I held looked rough.
But it had ears and a tail and you could see there would be big buck teeth at some point.
Then I reached the spot where rough begins to take shape.
I lost track of time and worked.
I stopped hearing the women chat around me.
The teacher came by to check on my progress.
This time, no suggestions, he simply handed it back.
I said "What do I do now?"
He said "Looks like a finished rabbit to me."

I looked at it. He was right.

I was amazed to see that it was done.

I left the class room and headed through the store.
One of the clerks stopped me to look at my carving.
He told me it was good for a first try.
Well what else was he supposed to say?
They do want me to come back and carve some more.

I took my creation home and handed it to Randy, who is fond of calling me a "silly rabbit" when I do something nutty.
Yeah, it happens often.
;-)
So I tossed it in his lap and said
"Here's a silly rabbit for you."
He has it sitting on the mantle like a prize.

The next day we went to the same store and bought me a detail knife, some pattern books, a kevlar glove... to avoid cutting myself... and a thumb protector.
I began the moose at the top of the page.
When I reached a point where the detail knife would not allow me to get to a place I needed to go, we went back to the store and looked at all the other carving tools.
I picked out a nice gouge and so began my collection.

The worst part is that the chatty lady with the spiffy tools is right.
It is an addiction.
Once I start to carve, I lose time.
The next thing I know,
I've forgotten to eat or the sun is gone and darkness has fallen.

I think it is sometimes good to have an obsession.
A place where you can let whatever stress drags you down in the course of the day... like job hunting...
and let your mind fade into creation or occupation.
I'm no where near good at this.
But I enjoy it.

So here is my question for you...
What do you enjoy getting lost in?

By the way, we set the date finally.
May 21, 2011.
Yikes!

2011-03-04T12:38:00.000-08:00

We went to the beach! Roxy was under impressed with the ocean, but she made some new friends within feet of the truck.
I don't know how they know, but dogs know who does or does not like dogs.

I had just enough juice in my camera to snap this one and three others.
Sigh.
I even charged it the night before.
No matter, we got a new camera battery and the problem is now solved.
Randy had an "accident" disposable camera in the glove box, so I still managed to get some great photos.
Now all I have to do is finish the pics left and get them printed.

We stopped here briefly to check out the dates, times, etc. that we could return to visit.

Sea Lion Caves - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

We did not want to have to leave Roxy alone in the truck long enough to truly enjoy the experience. This was her first long distance car trip.
Sort of a trial run and fun day for her.

Our next stop was here...

Heceta Head Lighthouse

We weren't there at night, so I didn't really see this view of it.
However, we will when we return to visit the Sea Lion Caves later this spring.
We'll do an over night trip then.

This is all around a town called Florence, where we visited their "Old Town".
Typical coastal touristy stuff.
We got salt water taffy and looked through the shops for some little thing to take home.
I have a serious problem with gift shops... called exaggerated pricing.
I simply could not spend that kind of money.
So I bought an artist's print of the Heceta Light House on a card for seventy-five cents.
I did see one thing that I truly wanted.
Very cool!
Encased in glass, a jelly fish paper weight.
But not for $350!!!!
I'll visit the coast aquarium and sit and watch the living jellies for hours, pay for the motel, gas and diner for that.
Sheesh.

I'm not a good tourist.
:-)

Other than that, we have been busy with life in general.
Nothing fancy or fascinating.
Contentment.

Tomorrow I will tell you about that.
But this is enough for today.

POLLY

2011-02-03T11:27:00.000-08:00

I know... its a terrible photo of a photo that was victimized by one of her brothers. I think it might have been from 8th grade step-up.
Hard to tell at this point.

I have a good friend who is going through divorce.
She is brighter than I was.
She is doing it in a timely manor, unlike me who took ten years of separation before I got my actual divorce.
By the time I got around to it, I was just desperate to get on with my life... all the inner processes of ending a long term relationship had pretty much run its course.

However, I do recall those unpleasant processes well.
I was fortunate that my kids stepped up to the plate and took over some of my needs. Simple touch for one. The hugs, pecks on the cheek, a light touch of a hand on your shoulder. The kind of affection that everyone needs and has nothing to do with sex.
Companionship, conversation.
All requirements of mentally healthy people.

I think a great deal about my friend right now and how difficult the process can be. I tried to think back on what helped me.
Beyond a shadow of a doubt, it was my kids.
Both the Bear and Max became very huggie.
Squeaky on the other hand would see me coming toward him with the intention of getting a hug and put up his hand saying
"No touching! No touching!"
Don't let that fool you. He always hugged with a smile despite the protest.

All were excellent listeners, though I tried not to talk about mom vs dad. That's not okay or fair to the kids. Boo took care of things... leaky faucets, etc. All were very protective.

But there was one thing that really helped a lot.
It is silly, but true.
Bear would crawl into bed with me. We'd watch Conan or something on TV. Then, we'd tell stories. Mine were very involved.
(You know how chatty I can be!)
When it was Bear's turn, she told the same story every time.
It never failed to make me laugh or to help me to fall asleep.
It went like this:

"I had a parrot. His name was Polly.
One day his head fell off.
So I taped it back on.
The end."

I find that I still tell myself that story when I feel down or blue or have trouble falling asleep. The words in my head always ring in the Bear's voice. It still makes me laugh and smile.

BTW, I know she got inspiration for it from Dumb and Dumber.
It doesn't matter.
Whatever does the trick.

Have a great day wherever you are... under piles of snow, slushing through rain or under a bright and sunny sky like me today.
I hope you stop and think about those folk who
are always there... in person or only their voice in your head...
who make your life full of joy.
Be thankful.

ITS ABOUT TIME

2011-01-31T10:42:00.001-08:00

It is my extreme pleasure to introduce you to our newest family member.
Roxy!

Last Friday we went to the store and bought a new bed for her and some toys. But we didn't actually meet her until the next afternoon when we had our appointment at www.LuvaBullRescue.org.

The kennels are up in a beautiful forest area.
There the dogs are divided according to their needs in clean enclosures of good size. They have a wonderful walk/running paths that wind through the woods around them for exercise needs. I was very impressed with how well the dogs were kept, and how dedicated the staff was to keeping their temporary homes happy. Though sadly enough, some of the dogs cannot be adopted out because of serious abuse issues that keep them from being able to blend back into normal life. There at least, they get affection, care and they live as happily as they can.

We did not know what to expect when we arrived. There were a lot of cars. People here and there. We were met by our contact, L, who led us to her office. Inside was Roxy who was so excited that she could not stop wiggling and sniffing us both. We went to her enclosure for a visit, then afterward we were allowed to take her for a walk on the forest trail.
This is one strong girl! I think if I was to strap on roller skates, that she could easily haul me behind at a good clip.

I first saw Roxy last summer when we began looking for a dog.
She had just been rescued with her puppies and there was a lot of excitement over watching the the puppies grow. At that time, Roxy had been living under an empty house in Los Angeles. Her owner had lost his home and could not find a place that would let him have a pregnant pit.
He left her behind with the intention of finding a place for her, but it did not work out that way. She went to the pound, then another shelter before being brought all the way up here to live!

That's when LuvaBull put her and the pups on their web page and I began to watch them. The tiny pups grew and one by one found nice homes. But Roxy was left behind.
I showed her to Randy a few weeks ago and told him her story.
We decided then to apply to adopt her.

We took our leash along on our visit just in case... not truly expecting to get to take her home yet. LuvaBull is very careful about who they allow to take a dog. You have to give references, vet records, etc.
So we were just being hopeful.
:-)

As it turned out, they were very happy with how well Roxy responded to us. They let us bring her home.
I felt very bad for L when she said good-bye to Roxy.
You could tell that it was hard to see her go.
But L is glad that they finally found a home for Roxy and she emails me daily to see how she is doing. We invited her to come and visit tomorrow.

As for Roxy...
She shivered on the ride to her new home. We have a truck with a king cab and she wormed her way up on top of the arm rest that divides our seats. The closer we got to home, the more of Roxy was in my lap.
First her nose, then her head, then a paw... until she was half in and half out of the back.

She did great that first day home. There was so much to sniff and things to explore. She darted back and forth between us.
She had some trouble with the dog doors. She must have been trained to sit at the door when she wanted out. So she would go to the dog doors and sit, but not try to go through them.
A nice BBQ rib bone eventually enticed her to try.
Now she is in and out like a pro.

When it was time for bed, she looked at the new bed and smelled it.
Naturally it smelled new, not like Roxy or anything familiar.
She did not want to sit in it let alone lay down. So we tossed in the tee shirt that Randy had been wearing and that did the trick.
Roxy circled it and lay down.

There were a couple of sad little whines from her area when we shut the door to our room. Roxy's bed is in the kitchen/dining room. A nice indoor, warm space with a night light. If needed, she could go out the dog door to the shop and from there to the yard. We have an automatic light out back that would come on for her if she did.
I did worry that she might have an accident being in a strange new place.

The next morning she greeted me with happy wuffs and wiggles.
No accidents. She visited with me while I had my morning coffee, then began to use her dog doors to run in, then out and back again.

She has been home 2 and a half days now and we have found our rhythm. I rise earliest, so she and I have our coffee time, walk and play.
When Randy comes out, the happy dance begins again and she follows him for awhile until he's as boring as I was and I become interesting again. That is how it goes.

Roxy was worth the wait.

Update

2011-01-24T10:01:00.000-08:00

The last couple of days we have had some clouds, but almost NO RAIN!
I like rain. It keeps us green up here.
But its been such cold rain that it is hard to enjoy.
The past two days we had sunshine and clouds.
Boy did that feel good.

Meanwhile, as I grumble about the cold rains, I see so many other people on the news in terrible weather situations.
Up in Dumb Potter's Hell, my family has had a lot of snow.
Here we rain mostly.

So what's up with all of you?
As for me... well, my holiday job ended and I am once more back to looking for longer lasting work. Sigh.
I was listening to the radio. Some employment guru was spouting advice...

He determined that 80% of on line applications were worth nothing in terms of actually getting a job.

I wonder how long it has been since he last looked for work.
The choice is not in the hands of the job seeker.
I have applied all over the place here, and will continue to do so.
But finding a potential employer who is willing to give you a paper application is like looking for money on the sidewalk.
Any well known business or even a large local business has an online application... or worse yet, one of those little application computers sitting out in front of everyone walking past, where you sit and type in all your personal info, etc.
No one wants to see your face until they have reviewed your information... and then only if they have an immediate opening.
So I am back to that exercise in frustration.

Else wise, we have been busy doing what I can't even recall. There are always errands to run or things to fix.
We did go to Randy's son's engagement party and that was fun.
They had pulled meat sandwiches... chicken, ham and beef... and the best cold slaw that I have ever eaten. The cold slaw was not all mixed together. You were supposed to put the cabbage on the pulled meat sandwich and then have slaw on the side.
I skipped it on my sandwich. The dressing for it was on the side so that I could control how much went on it. I want the recipe for it!
Anyway, it was fun.

I was a bit tired though when we went. We'd kept little N for the night and she wore me out. :-) She got a bit fussy at the party and over excited the next day. I'm sure the sugar in the cakes and all the goodies did not help. She is not a good eater but is always ready for sweets.
You know how little people are. And you know how older relatives are with giving goodies to little people on special occasions.
I sort of pitied her mom when they left.
That was one cranky little girl.

The weather is supposed to clear up this week which will give me a much needed opportunity to return to my war with the weeds.
They have gained a lot of ground of late.
It will be a good time for it too. All the trees and shrubs have died back to leafless winter. I can see where to attack the berries, etc.
I really need to mow our back yard too.
So much to do!

I hope wherever you live that the snow or cold taper back.
I can't tell you how happy it made me to see the sunshine.
Randy was glad... he said I was more like Eore than myself.
He is right. When it gets dreary, my mood goes quiet.
I curl up on the sofa and stay there.
Not good.

One good note... we have located a puppy we would like to adopt.
She's actually 3 years old, pre-trained, spayed, chipped and well behaved.
Her last owner abandoned her when he moved. The rescue folk found her under his house, near starved with a litter of pups.
Her pups have all been fattened up, weaned and placed in homes.
Since then, she has lived at the rescue offices waiting for someone who is not looking for a fat pup.
We hope that is us!
Here is the funny thing... her name is Roxy, which happens to be the name of Randy's dog that died 5 or 6 years ago.
That Roxy was a brindle, this Roxy is all black.
What I like is her sweet face.
I'm crossing my fingers.

Meanwhile, I'll be out in my yard at war with the weeds... and hoping to see signs of spring. Is it too much to ask for a crocus sprout?
The other day I say what I thought might be bulbs sprouting and got all excited. Well, yeah, bulbs of a sort. Its the garlic coming up.
Ha!
Not exactly what I think of when I think of spring.

Have a great day everyone!

QUAP!

2011-01-11T09:04:00.000-08:00

QUAP!

Up until the last 2 teeny tiny seconds, the Ducks were ahead.
We lost by one kick.
Sniffle.

However, they played a hell of a game!
Closely matched and could easily have gone either way.
I have never seen Cam Newton look so tired or concerned.
The Ducks made them work hard to get that crystal football.

Oh well, rumor has it that Cam Newton is going to bail on Auburn and try for a spot in the NFL draft.

Last night was some of our beloved Duck's last college game. I'm not sure who all were seniors, but I know that both Casey Matthews and Brandon Bair are. Best of luck to them and to the others. I don't see Casey having any troubles with his NFL connections via his dad, Clay and his brother also named Clay (Plays for Green Bay).
I have a feeling that they will all do well where they fly next.

But next year, we know who will be back... and I am grinning!
Can't wait for it!

Well its off to see the new True Grit.
I am a fan of Jeff Bridges and I liked the original movie.
But I have to tell you,
the big lure for me at the movie
is the popcorn.

All that oowie, gooey, oily on your fingers and too salty to be good for anyone popcorn.

I told Randy I want a bucket.

He says "You want a bucket????"

Randy is not a big eater. I try not to be, but when it comes to theater popcorn... I'm a down right pig...
corn fed !

Whatever you do today, may you win.
If by chance you should lose...
may your loss be something you can walk away from with pride.

TIME HAS COME TODAY

2011-01-10T09:22:00.000-08:00

There it is!

Thanks to those of you who have stuck with me during my silent time... and your well wishes for my Ducks!

As for my silence on Funch, well... this was a difficult holiday season for me.
The first time away from my kids at Christmas since they were born.
I had a yo-yo work schedule. I'd stay until close, then be back to open in the morning. Did not leave a lot of time for much of anything.

Shoot, I didn't even bake anything!
The Bear tells me... "Well, the toys arrived but the UPS guy ate my cookies!"
Oops!

But the holidays are over... Hooray!
Now on to more important matters, like football.

Finally the day has come. What a long, long wait for a bowl game.
Sheesh!

We are almost so revved up that we can't stand ourselves. Yesterday the entire day of television was Duck dedicated. We topped it off with a video of a Beaver VS Duck game from 2008. The cheering was my lullaby.
I woke up to Ducks on ESPN. Now all I have to do is wait for 7 hours, 53 minutes and if Mickey would only hold his hand still I'd tell you the seconds.

Commentators have said wonderful things about the Ducks and Auburn.
But I have noticed something. When they talk about Auburn, its as if no other valuable Auburn team member exists but Cam Newton. Hey... the guy is a freaking monster! He earned his Heisman. But he has to have a team to support him.
Not even a freaking monster alone can carry a game.
I feel a bit bad for those other good players who have been reduced to shadows by the super nova Newton.

I find that I feel that way about the way the ESPN media hype also began to present this as a "Cam Newton VS LeMichael James" game.

EXCUSE ME???????

They must have bumped their quacking heads!

How can you be a sportscaster and not notice the obvious about the Ducks?
Ok, maybe not obvious to anyone who does not pay attention to them or who is busy rooting for their team. So let me tell you what makes the Ducks someone to contend with now.

The Ducks play as a real team. There is not a super star mentality here.
There is a team mentality that works like a marvelous Rube Goldberg Machine.
The action is fast, you never know which way what is going to happen...
but the Ducks do. Each one is focused, knows his job and the jobs of those around them so that on a split second notice, they can make alterations with confidence.

While I am glad that we have LeMichael James, I am equally glad that we have so many others as well... all who make a huge difference in game play. You have heard some of those names... Darren Thomas, Jeff Maehl, Josh Huff, D.J. Davis,
Brandon Bair, Terrell Turner, Kenny Rowe, Spenser Paysinger, John Boyette, Cliff Harris and Casey Matthews... to mention more than a few! And so many other that I have not mentioned. But you hear those names up there, all of them, not just DT or LeMichael. Because they are a diverse team, who had deep reserves and a whole lot of talent.

That is the point. The Ducks have more than a few good players... and they all play as a team for the team.

Cam Newton may be a freaking monster... my Ducks will be David to Auburn's Goliath.

I BELIEVE!

Now I'm off to don my Duck earrings, just purchased at the Duck Store at Autzen for this special occasion, my fighting Duck tye-dye tee and get ready for the Duck game party at T and K's house.
I have no doubt at all that it will be loud there today.
Very loud.

Let the battle begin!

Eric Clapton & B.B. King- Riding With The King

2010-12-13T12:58:00.000-08:00

A week or so ago Randy's mom gave us a box of CDs. There were some great CDs in there (Eric Clapton and B B King... Riding With The King; example above) that we kept but many we chose not to keep... so off we went to the CD/DVD exchange store.

Now I don't know if you ever have tried to swap CDs or not. Our experience has been that we did not get much credit up P'land way. It absolutely blew my mind that the CDs that we did not want gave us $90 in credit! What a great treat! We went a bit nuts... he took off one way and I took off the other. We met in between and walked away with a good deal of great entertainment that included music videos, movies and CDs. Randy was able to replace his stolen Boris the Spider, long missed. (We have a big black spider that hangs in the shop named Boris and no he is not real or I would not be in the shop!)

So today in the spirit of giving and sharing... I give you a real treat... that I hope loaded well enough for you all to enjoy. Take a bit of time to go riding with the King! Meanwhile, I'll be watching Ian Anderson leaping and hopping about as he sings and plays the flute. Very cool beans, my friends.

News flash... Congratulations to daBear on another semester of top grades! WOOT! I'm soooo proud of you!

Snoopy vs. The Red Baron (Snoopy's Christmas) (CC)

2010-12-10T10:10:00.000-08:00

Ha! My dad was a great Peanuts fan and my childhood Christmas always had this song in it. I thought you all might get a kick out of it.

Yikes! I've been working my fanny off. This past week it's been one customer after another and a line behind, all day long. I've been coming home and dropping like a rock.

But today its time for another Christmas tradition... baking cookies! "Fuzzy" has finished toys for all my grandkids and I've got to whip up some cookies to accompany them to daBear's. This is the first Christmas that I will not be with my kids since they were born. It is imparitive that they at least have my cookies there.

Not that I was a big baker when I had my kids. I think Christmas time was about it for goodies for them. Maybe a pie or cheese cake at Thanksgiving. My mother did not bake goodies at all. That's what Lock's Bakery was for.

In fact, C4C will recall this memory of Lock's Bakery (I don't think it was truly spelled this way, but that was how it was said.) When we were in our bizarre little private school, we had a variety of ages of students and we all did things together. C4C and I were on the upper end of the ages, though truth be told she was likely more mature than me, even if I was older.

Our school was temporarily settled in a fun area of town with lots of shops and places to eat. Lock's Bakery did as many bakeries have done over the years and gave cookies to kids. I'm sure you've done that... go shopping with your mom and get a cookie from the nice lady behind the counter. Hey... she gave you a cookie and that's proof of nice!

Someone of us, and I could not recall who, suddenly recalled the free cookies at the bakery and off a small division of us set for sugary sweet treats. Now there were two brothers who attended our school. J and T were total opposites. One was tall and dark and the other was short and blond with cute little chubby cheeks. A cherib of a boy. But don't let that fool you.

Locks Bakery was a neighborhood bakery that had been well established for many years. It was filled with grandma like blue haired ladies, looking very prim and proper. Some of us did our thing and were turning to go after polite thank yous. There back lit by the sun streaming in through sparkling windows were J and T. Mischief lit up their faces and I was compelled to stop and watch whatever was about to happen. T pulled a small plastic package and ripped it open, letting the smaller part that ripped off drop to the clean floor. A few drops of moisture leaked out as he pulled the rubber from its wrapper and proceeded to blow it up like a balloon... there in the middle of the bakery floor with blue haired grannie types and hoity toity patrons gasping in horror.

I admit that I covered my mouth to keep from laughing out loud. But it was that nervous laughter that you know means that someone is going to be in trouble laugh. Not that I did not clutch onto C4C outside and give it a good belly laugh. The look on those ladies faces.

However, as it happens in life, there are natural consequences for what we do and the result of that folly was the loss of free cookies! That was a crying shame.

Not much of a Christmas tale, but I know it will make C4C laugh and let's face it... we can all use a good laugh this stressful time of year. For the rest of you all I can do is tell you that I am baking cookies today... so close your eyes and think of your favorite Christmas goodie that screamed Christmas in your head. Was it the smell of ginger bread (cookies or loaf)? Was it sugar cookies iced with frosting and shiny sugar bits and balls? Was it Snickerdoodles? How about a still warm brownie with melty chocolate chunks? YUM.

Today... a day off for me... but not an idle day. I have many folk to bake for this year and this batch has to get into UPS soon if it will reach my grandkids and kids on time. No rest for the wicked... or was that the weary? No matter, I'm a bit of both. Big grins everyone!

FESTIVITIES

2010-12-05T08:37:00.000-08:00

Yes... the Ducks are going to the national play off game! Yay! Yay! YaY!

Oh my, what a fun game to watch. By the time we finally got home after watching the game and later festivities... Randy was horse from cheering.

Yesterday was a gas. I got up, put on my "Duck" shirt with the fighting mad Donald Duck on it and off we trotted to T and K's for the game. Great fun... BBQ hot sausage, brats and burgers, dips, deviled eggs, and goodies galore!

If you follow college football, then you already know that we won our civil war and will go to the national play-off game. We hoped that Auburn would lose and we could play TCU but that did not happen. So Auburn will clash with the Ducks. Now all we have to do is wait for Jan. 10th to roll around.

Watching the game there is always fun. Interesting folk show up, everyone is happy and united on the same side. It was a rare beautiful day here without rain, so I spent much of my time on the patio. The living room gets crowded and loud.

You know at gatherings there is often someone who is a yakker... perhaps with a bit too much to drink... and past regrets to vent. That person found me. So much for the serenity of my beautiful day, watching the game in a quieter place. I could have gotten up and gone inside. I could have ignored her or been out right rude in response. I listened instead. I don't know why.

Once the game was over and all the joy began to settle back into normal, I thought I was going to escape and go home. Wrong. Somehow, someway, we got talked into going bowling... which is funny because C4C just went bowling with her kids.

I HAVE NEVER IN MY LIFE GONE BOWLING. Of course I sucked. Big time. I ended up with a 66... and a big portion of that was an accidental strike. But I did laugh a lot and had a great time throwing gutter balls. I tried looking for the Dude or Sam Elliot but neither of them showed up, not even Walter. And unbelievably, they did not serve white russians! But on the flip side, no "Chinaman" peed on any one's rug. You have to look for silver linings sometimes.

I expect today to be a nice quiet day. I have it off too. Randy is still snoozing. This is my quiet time. I'm hoping that he will take me to get a tree today. Which is where my Christmas head is right now. Buy a nice tree. Then make ornaments for it. Randy doesn't have anything at all... his ex got all the tree trimming stuff and I left mine for Max and Squeaky.

So here's the Christmas Count Down Question... What was your favorite tree trimming thing? Was it a big deal with hot cocoa and the family gathered together or what? I knew one family that threw tensile at the tree... I mean that literally. They stood back about 5 feet and threw hand fulls of it at the tree and it stayed where it landed. My favorite was stringing Trix cereal to hang on the tree like popcorn. Its much more colorful. And of course you have to cherish the things your kids make to hang on it. That is a given. So tell us... what is your favorite Christmas tree connection?

Big grins everybody!

LISTS

2010-12-02T07:28:00.000-08:00

Today is my "independence day"... my one year anniversary of my divorce. Wow, it sure went fast.

Back to Christmas... Santa has a list. Are you on the naughty or nice list?

"Dear Santa,

Here is my wish list:
1) A warm friendly puppy.
2- 20) See above.

Love,
Anandagirl

What's on your Dear Santa list this year?

On the home front, gearing up for the civil war...Benny the Beaver hangs by the fireplace in his noose, tied with care. Duck Tracks ice cream (peanut butter, chocolate and caramel in vanilla) is vanishing from my freezer. MMMMmmmmm...

I am still coming home to be spoiled. Last night a BBQ burger, chips and dip followed later by the Duck Tracks.

My wipers went kaput. I drove home to the sound of screeching wiper blade on glass, very similar to finger nails on blackboard. Randy drove to the store and got replacements, stood out in the rain with a flashlight and replaced them for me,
then filled my washer fluid that had run dry. What an angel!

Get into the Christmas spirit... leave us a Dear Santa or tell us if you've been naughty or nice. (Sometimes I think naughty is nice. ;-) Hee hee.)

Big grins everyone!

Christmas count down

2010-12-01T08:48:00.000-08:00

Okay... first day of the true holiday season for Christmas. So everyday until the big day, I will try and bring a bit of Christmas spirit to Funch.

Today's cheer is an easy one. Our store and the Maries have gotten together for a Toys for Tots drive. Yesterday, all day long, I rang up toys, toys, toys! I was so impressed by how many people came in just to buy toys for that good purpose. And not just small purchases that were cheap. People truly dipped into their pockets. Children came in with their savings to buy and give. Amazing. It was an exhausting but blessed day.

Gotta go get ready to do it again now. I hope this season brings you all joy and peace.

Let the games begin!

2010-11-29T07:19:00.000-08:00

Today is the official start of our "Civil War Week". For those of you not familair with U of O football, this is the week leading up to our big game with the other major Oregon football team, the Oregon State Beavers. A very big game for O fans. Emotions run high and everyone shows their colors... parties are planned... and football leads most conversation as you shop, etc.

Last Friday I was dissapointed that I had to miss the Duck game. Randy taped it for me and stopped watching himself at the half so that he would have surprises when we watched together as soon as I got home.

That of course was Black Friday. It was busy and I was exhausted by the non stop ringing up and bagging. How many times can you say "Did you find everything you were looking for today?" and not sound like a robot?

The funny thing was that at a quarter to four, it stopped dead. The game was about to begin. People were pouring chips into bowls and popping the tops on beer all over town. Meanwhile I suffered a weird let down of sorts. As I said, it was an exhausting and busy pace all day long until that moment. Time flew by but by four o'clock, each and every minute was at least ten minutes long. Normally, my last two hours go fast and I feel elated that I am about to go home at last. This time, it took forever to get to the point where I could remove my till and count it out.

The drive home, which involves a trip through a busy part of town and a freeway looked more like it was three A M than six thirty P M. No cars. I sat at red lights and seriously considered driving through them since no other cars shared the road. As I neared my exit... which is also the Autzen Stadium exit... there was a big sign telling me that it was closed for football traffic. That put me a ways past my house and a bit of back tracking to get there. Several homes have their lights up, so at least I had pretty things to look at.

For some reason I had it in my head that I'd be working through the civil war game. Crap! Then last night Randy pointed out that I have that day off. YAY! I can hardly wait. For my birthday, T and K gave me a nice Duck shirt... which I will wear that day. You gotta show your colors right?

Mom and Ron are going to take tickets at the game in the VIP section. They earn money for their charity doing this. Mom is a Duck fan and poor Ron, is a Beaver fan.
I think we are all feeling sorry for Ron at this point. The Beavers are going down.
Not that it won't be a heck of a game. It will. Too much emotion and history are in this game. Look what happened to BSU this weekend. We don't want to count our ducklings too much before they hatch! But I do believe!

Meanwhile, I will work. Sigh. In fact, I have to go suit up now. So have a great day everyone. I hope you do something that you enjoy today and that many smiles grace your face. Big grins!

Black Friday

2010-11-26T07:02:00.000-08:00

Ugh. Black Friday.

I get up very early every day, so its not the getting up early thing that bugs me about Black Friday. Its the idea that stores are this greedy to get a leg up on each other. Its nuts to shop before your brain can wake up... but as the news on TV airs behind me... I can see them there, brain dead and shopping.

My Turkey Day was nice. We went to Randy's mom's. Not a large showing, just us and Ron's step-son and wife and an older neighbor of theirs who was alone.

The food of course was good. Typical fare... green beans, salad, yams, turkey, ham, gravy and mashed potatoes. Goody wise there were pumpkin muffins, pumpkin pie and someone made a great blackberry cobbler that was all warm with a dollip of ice cream on top. MMMMMMMmmmmmmmmm. Randy ate enough of the cobbler to feed three of me and not much diner. He was saving space for the after Thanksgiving supper turkey sandwich. You know, the one that calls to you from the kitchen until you give in and eat it.

We left without my purse. OKAY... I left without my purse. Which was a problem because they live about an hour and a half away and I didn't figure it out until we were home again. Randy said he would go get it when he got up today. Unfortunately, it's Black Friday and like all retail workers, I have to work today. The card that I swipe to open my register is in my purse. Well, crap.

Randy is such a sweetie that he didn't get mad or rant about how could I do that?
Instead, he called his mom to confirm the purse was truly still sitting on their hall table... it was... and they agreed to bring it to me this morning before I leave for work. They have to have Randy help them install a stove in their rental here today anyway.

Other news:

On the birthday front, it was a nice one. Randy gave me my wedding ring set. His mom remarried a few years ago ( they met on eharmony too) and so she had the set that she used while married to Randy's dad, who passed away a couple of years before she met Ron. Randy is going to wear his dad's ring and I will wear his mom's. How cool is that? The rings get to stay together... you could make a cartoon movie about that couldn't you? You know, how the rings were separated and lonely, one in a jewelery box and the other locked up in a cold dark safe, missing each other desperately! Hee hee. I'm happy with it anyway. I think its very special.

His mom also gave me Randy's great grandmother's service for 12 china set, three casserole dishes and a George Forman Grill.

As for work, it goes well. I have been working a lot of hours and come home beat.
I am thankful for my job. But it does wear me out. All that bending and lifting , bagging and scanning while standing on your feet in one spot all day... ugh.

However, when I walk in my front door, there is a fire cracklng in the fireplace, a hot meal ready to be eaten, a frosty drink and a man who tells me how much he has missed me then gives me a welcome home kiss. Sigh... I love it.

So off I go to cater to the insane people who choose to shop on Black Friday (I would hide at home in bed if I could). I leave with a little black cloud over my head. Not because it will be crazy, though it will and not because I will miss Randy... because I won't get off until the Ducks are in the third quarter of their game with Arizona today. CRAP!

Randy will tape it for me. But you know that's not the same thing as watching it live. Oh well, things could always be worse. I will be thankful for the good life I have and grateful to be home when that time comes anyway. I hope you have a great day and my advice is... stay home and don't feed the greed!

Happy Birthday Day

2010-11-16T07:45:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday to me!

As it turns out, Dabear and daturkey could not make it down last weekend...

a car repair issue came up but they are going to try and make it this weekend.

So we went to T and K's house for the Duck game,

another giant sandwich and way too many goodies.

Hats off to the Cal Golden Bears defense...

they really made the Ducks work hard for their win.

Notably the lowest score the Ducks have had all year.

Little N called the Cal Bears "the Bees".

I had to ask why... she pointed at the fans in their stadium and yep, she was right...

there was a crowd of folk in black and yellow stripe polo shirts.

Looked like bees to me. Ha!

Sunday was quiet and lazy.

I love days like that.

Then yesterday, Monday, I got a call...

I got my second job. I'm glad that they are willing to let me do that.

So Mom and Ron came down to take us out for a celebration lunch.

Off we went to the Sizzler and Malibu Chicken.

Mmmmmmmmmmmmm

Its what I always get. Last time I got it, I also got an endless salad.

It left me full and uncomfortable.

Of course I got the same thing this time!

But I did it smarter.

This time I filled my salad plate with everything I wanted and ate it all.

Then I asked for a to go box for the main meal... and that was diner.

Nice twice.

Today is my birthday. Yay!

I've no idea what we will do today.

I told Randy I want one of his schloppy burgers.

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

We don't buy eggs, Randy's cousin has chickens.

So we called T and asked him to bring some eggs so that I can bake myself a cake.

I got the feeling that Randy and T are cooking something up.

Wonder what it is?

I guess I'll find out soon enough.

Whatever you do today... be happy and celebrate.

Life is sweet.

woot yay and all that

2010-11-11T13:43:00.000-08:00

(My favorite Duck)

This will be a quick post.

Just a few orts to toss your way and to let you know I will be back blogging regularly next week.

Okay, I got a job. I like the people that I met at orientation. Its a short hop on and off the freeway... 5 to 10 minutes tops.

Its in a retail store. Its only part time.

But it will do... for now.

I am also in the process of getting a second job. I've done both interviews there and even peed in the cup for them.

All that's left is for me to pass my background check.

So maybe I'll have two jobs.

That's ducky.

:-)

The old gal is having a birthday next week. Yep!

DaBear and DaTurkey are coming down this weekend...

tomorrow to help us celebrate.

I can't think of a better present than to have my daughter and grandson here.

That makes our weekend full.

Sat. is DUCK day.

They play the Cal Golden Bears.

There will be goodies, beverages and fun times...

and a win.

And cake!

Yay! Yay! YaY!

M I A

2010-10-29T13:48:00.000-07:00

Goodness, what a busy week! A weird one too. Nothing serious, just unexpected stuff. Randy's old computer was giving him fits and our service kept going in and out. I'd be in the middle of trying to post and it would go down... I'd lose everything and got so frustrated that I took some days off.

Then Randy got a new computer and I loaned him Hal's (my computer) monitor, mouse and key board so that he could transfer stuff from his old one to his new one. So Hal is currently down until that is completed. Meanwhile, Hal is off at the computer spa getting the works. :-)

Our service is still going in and out. They are coming to fix that and hook up more cable for us in our family room that we are trying to get moved into for winter. So I've no idea when things will be normal. I will continue to work on Randy's new one until Hal is re-set up inside the house. The time for patio computing is over for the year.

I had two interviews this week. One was yesterday and I think it went very well. Ironically, I didn't want the job that I thought I was applying for... only 10 hours a week, but the Emp. Div. says I have to apply. When I got there, very relaxed because I didn't care if I made a good impression or not, she told me that the short job was filled but would I consider more hours. Suddenly I was very interested in making a good impression. Ha. For once I think I did very well in the interview process. I'll keep you posted.

This weekend... off to T and K's for pulled pork BBQ and watching the Ducks Vs The Trojans at the Coliseum. There has been a lot of flack aimed at the Ducks from USC, but we retain the higher ground on mannors. The game should be a good one with high emotions adding fuel to the fire. The point has been made that since USC can't do a bowl game, this is their big fight for the year in the Pack 10.
Yikes! But I believe in my Ducks and hope for the best. Good luck to both teams.

Meanwhile, I'm keeping a close eye on BSU... scoping out a possible match if we go that far into nationals. All that blue turf! Ha... they call it "Smurf Turf". It seems to me it might give them an advantage, as it matches their uniforms and they sort of blend in... but I think that's an illusion because games are filmed from above and it's not 3-D. Anyway, they are looking good.

I hope you all have a great weekend. Sorry I've been off so much. No worries... its all great here. Big grins everyone!

2010-10-18T15:23:00.000-07:00

Okay... a totally silly photo that I love. This is little N's uncle R after she put flowers behind his ears.

We had one of our usual football season weekends... as much football as we can squeeze into the days. Our Ducks were on their by... so we skipped around to watch the competition get beat and to scope them out .
As you know, Saturday is college football day and that leaves NFL for Sunday. Neither of us have a particular NFL team, but we know those we do not support. Kind of a weird way, but it works for us.

Hey... thanks Badgers for knocking those Buckeyes down!

A funny thing happened on our local news channel. The sports guy was talking baseball and mentioned that our head newscaster liked the Yankees.
But when the camera went back to the newscaster, he said very clearly and deliberately
"I am not a Yankee fan, have never been a Yankee fan and will never, never be a Yankee fan. I'm a Red Sox fan!"
I happened to be in the bedroom and Randy was in the living room... I could hear him laughing at my agreeing woot.
When I came out he said "So I'm guessing that Rick (news guy) is your new best friend?"
Yep. That's about right. I'm not the only left coast Red Sox fan.

Which brings us to last evening. I found a couple more fans.
Randy is not a baseball fanatic, but he enjoys the games with me when I can see them and is endlessly amused by my responses to the Yankees.
I tend to go by the saw "The enemy of my enemy is my friend" and in that spirit, I always root for whoever plays against the Yankees as a point of honor.

Randy has been wanting me to meet his friends N and M.
Last night they came over for burgers.
We ended up rooting for the Phillies, among other things.
When they arrived, M and I went to the store for buns and brews.
Now, I do not easily make friends with other women.
Its not that I dislike them, it just doesn't seem to happen.
I don't do girlie things. I like science, history, politics and some sports.
But by the time we got back from the store... I do tend to yak...
we discovered that we had tons in common.
Later, I found out that I have tons in common with N, her hubby, who is into great music and we danced through the same circles back in the days of Miss Bliss. Like Randy, N and I were likely in the same places at the same time... out there in the crowd, on many occasions.
They did not leave until 2:00 AM.

I was expecting a quiet weekend without a Duck game.
I could not have been more wrong. Lots of cheering, great games all around and good company.

I'm fresh back from an interview at a craft store.
It would be a good job for me. In fact, its only about 6 blocks away so I can walk to and from work. I think the interview went well, but they have to do my background check and will call me in about a week.
I also popped my head into the liquor store this weekend... and the gal seemed pretty pleased to see me. She said they needed to keep it open for another week, but she winked at me.
I hope she wasn't flirting.

Big grins everyone!

Golden Reflection

2010-10-13T14:39:00.000-07:00

This is a little barn that Randy's grandpa made a bazillion years ago that he used to play with as a kid. Now it hides under our holly.

Today is a golden hump day!
One of those days where I wake up bright and cheerful to sunshine and pay attention to details that I would normally miss.

Not much has been going on to talk about, but things that have happened, tiny as they are have big meaning for me.

Last weekend was the Duck game of course... at T & K's.
They had one of those Subway sandwiches made for a giant and tons of finger foods. Our Ducks, now moved up to #2 in the nation won, but not without cost. Three of our best players were taken out by injury.
One hauled off field to the hospital with head injury after he was slammed in a totally illegal move. Helmet to face.
There is rumor that the gentleman who slammed him will be ejected, but that is up to the Pac 10 folk.
He seems to be okay, if you can believe what the news says, but we will see how long it takes before they allow him to play again.
If nothing else, it should prove that even with 3 of our very best taken down, we can prevail.
We have a by this week. A good thing... time for our fellows to heal.

The next day was our little N's birthday.
N is Randy's only grand daughter, who turned 4 and could not be sweeter or cuter. She sat on my lap and played with my blouse ties much of the time we were watching the game the day before.
I am completely captured by this little heart.
Her mom and I were drinking strawberry daiquiris.
Her mommy, Randy's only daughter, turned to me and said
"Yep, you're grandma... my mom hates that, but I'm okay with it!"
I appreciated that.

The birthday party was supposed to be at a Chuckie Cheese, but they were so crowded and they did not keep our reservation... so we moved it to another local pizza place where they were thrilled to put up with so many of us.

N didn't care. She was ready to play, eat and open presents!
In the end, it was a success... of course. N kept running up to me to show me her presents, and I got a great big hug when it was time to go.
Almost all the family was there. One of Randy's boys could not make it and his ex had to work. Otherwise it was the entire clan and many friends. My list of folk I know here is growing.

The last few days I have been busy doing the application thing.
Its like some wild river that never seems to reach the ocean.
Yesterday we took back the aps that I collected on Monday.
Here's one annoying thing... Monday I go to the place where the Emp. Div. sent me... with the warning that if I do not go there I can loose the benefits I've been denied and appealed. So off we go and its way out yonder in the paw paw patch at the outskirts of life here. I walk in and there is a big sign that reads:
WE ARE NOT ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS!
Swell.
About that time the phone rings and its Randy's best friend, who he has been trying to get over to meet me for some time now... she's at our house. My Emp. Div. wild goose chase caused us to miss that.
Well crap!

Otherwise, everything is still sunny and warm and my spirits are high.
The only real plans we have for now are to get together with his daughter and her two kids and his son's fiancee and her daughter for the fun of it.
His son, R just reenlisted in the National Guard and has flown south to train for 9 weeks. We thought that might cheer his fiancee up.

There you have it. Family is what I am gaining now. I have a wonderful family that I treasure, but there is room here for more...
these kind and accepting people have improved my life.
I find myself here on a golden hump day, grateful and happy.

Big grins everyone!

MAN AT WORK

2010-10-07T10:32:00.000-07:00

YAY! YAY! YAY!

The man has a job.

As you know the guys are working a three large cabinets for a fancy
walk in closet. Two are the type that have shelves and drawers for everything from snuggy unders to jewelery. I can't imagine having enough jewelery to put in a big drawer, but hey... go for it lady. The other has a built in seat for sitting in when you put your shoes on. Me, I generally use the edge of the bed.
Guess that's why I don't need a fancy walk in closet.
Not that it wouldn't be nice. I'm happy with a normal closet.
In fact, I could not begin to fill the drawers in this thing.

But I've gotten off subject haven't I?
T showed up to work on the cabinets and told Randy that his boss could use him at the cabinet shop. Very cool beans. Its not full time at this point, but hopefully will work into it. But it is something and Randy happens to be very good at it.
In fact, Randy makes custom fine furniture on the side.
That's my happy news.

Somehow its made the sky brighter and the sun warmer.
I'm feeling pretty good about things today.
The only draw back that I can think of is that it's swing shift hours.
Hey... any work right now is good work.
But then there will be evenings when I am sitting here alone.
But when you get a gift, you have to be thankful and make the best of it right?

So... I decided that I will spend that time baking goodies for the man and getting a leg up on holiday baking. Normally I'd make something to give to my kids or buy something. Make something... quilts was what I had in mind, but its too spendy for us at this fork in the road.
So instead, just like Little Red Riding Hood, I'll be sending baskets of goodies.
And when Randy comes home, there will be wonderful smells in the house and something warm and sweet to greet him.

You can choose to view bumps in the road as nightmares, or you can write your own fairytale.
Given a choice, I'll pick the fairytale every time.

:-D

Have a great day everyone.
If you have any happy thoughts you want to share, please...
your comments are always appreciated here.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go find some little red socks.
(There's a joke in this... but its not something one puts on a blog.)
I figure if you know the joke, you'll laugh.

AGE DISCRIMINATION

2010-10-06T11:24:00.000-07:00

I know there's a rainbow out there somewhere. I took this photo in front of our house last week when Blogger would not let me publish pics.

I am finding a curious thing on applications on line.
You know they all have disclaimers about being fair employers who do not discriminate against this or that politically correct issue.
You have to read these silly claims and then click a box that says you understand.

WHATEVER!

I have also found that they have ways of asking questions that belie their statements on age.
For example, several have boxes you can check with age categories.
Some just want to be sure you are over 18 or 21 for youth labor laws and selling items that require a minimum age limit like alcohol and cigarettes.
Understandable.
Yet there is another group that give you age groups such as
18-25, etc.
I have run across several now that only go as high as 40 years of age.
There is no box to check that is over 40!

This fascinates me. One would not even accept my application unless I checked that I was born after 1968!
Yet they all have the same anti-age disclaimer.

I had a good giggle too when the clerk at the liquor store asked me hesitantly if I could lift a box that weighed over 20 pounds.

I said "No problem. I'm a mom... I can carry two toddlers and four sacks of groceries and still use one hand to unlock the car door."

You gotta keep your sense of humor if you want to keep your dignity.
:-D

On the humor front... the man and friend T are still working on the huge cabinets they are building in our shop.
I enjoy sitting out there with my surround sound, watching them work.
Last night they were spraying lacquer over the stain... just outside the big shop doors.
I'm sipping my drink and things are kind of funny... I mean we are laughing a lot.
We generally do that anyway, but things were extra funny.
It wasn't the beer. It wasn't the jokes.
I think maybe now I understand why people "huff".
At one point, T says
"I think I lost three brain cells... and I was saving those."

It's hump day!
Enjoy!

HUNGRY

2010-10-04T11:53:00.000-07:00

Imagine him seasoned with bits of parsley, sauteed to perfection and then liberally dipped in garlic butter.
Joy!

I'm off on a food trek.
I admit that for years all I truly did in the kitchen was make very large meals for a large family with a limited budget on a daily basis.
Not much fun, a chore for the most part.
It takes the thrill out of food when you come home from work tired and do not really feel like making a Thanksgiving sized meal, but someone has to feed the masses I call my family.
I fell into a pattern of making many of the same things over and over.
Blah.

Since my resurrection from the dedicated and somewhat depressed mom in charge into a single person with no more obligations to rear children and became a happy singleton, I have found renewed interest in the delights of food exploration.

Much of this is due to Randy, who is a great cook as well as back yard griller. I have always loved to eat food... which as you know can be a problem. The fact is that feeding children is not exactly a task that involves much praise from the eaters. You set something in front of them and they eat it.
Randy is generous with compliments and suggestions. We often cook together and for each other. Add into this our friends, T & K... who have a great recipe box as well and are generous with offerings... and we are all off and running. Especially with the new to me event of tailgating and game day BBQs.

Still, much of what is prepared involves store bought products that come out of a jar or bottle. For example, the guys like to make appetizers. We do muscles, clams or oysters on the grill and then dip them in a Thai Sweet Chili Sauce or like the smoked steelhead on crackers with cream cheese and the Red Pepper Jelly.

My new food trek is about making those jar items fresh myself.
So I've collected recipes for both, as well as Spring Rolls and I can hardly wait to try them out. I am sure that we will prepare them as directed the first time and then tweek them until they are to our liking.
For me, that's the fun part. But then, that is what is fun about cooking here... being able to present something that delivers satisfaction and pleasure to my eaters.

Its been a food sort of summer for me and I'm thinking that will continue for a long time. You know about the berries, the green beans and other various foods that I've been packing away in the freezer.
Yesterday I did up a bunch of corn for freezing... shucking, blanching and cutting nibblets off of fresh organic cob corn.
These were all grown at Mom and Ron's in their huge garden.
Next summer, armed with my compost efforts, I will have one of my own.
All I have to do is get through winter.

This year, Randy and T are not hunting.
Next year they will again.
I love the idea of giving my market less money.
By growing, hunting and fishing... well there will be much to play with in the kitchen. Plenty to share!

The Duck news is good. The Ducks, though behind at the end of the first half did what they do very well... that is to own the second half of any game. Final score, Ducks 52...Stanford 31. Both the Ducks and Stanford are ranked in the top ten nationally. This latest victory... and a heck of a game it was... pushed the Ducks up from their rank of 4th into the rank of 3rd. WOOT!

Unfortunately, next week our game will not be televised.
You can bet our ears will be glued to the radio.

On the issue of employment, I think I may have hit a bit of luck.
I am at this point willing to do just about any honest work to be able to contribute and then take my time finding a better job.
We happened to be in the liquor store yesterday and on impulse, I asked if they were doing any hiring.
She said that there was a part time job opening up, to drop by a resume.

Its only part time, but here... I can get part time employment benefits, which would resolve the issue of my qualifying for them.
The liquor store is quiet. Here, they are state controlled.
You don't go to the market for hard liquor, only beer and wine.
Hard liquor is all they sell.
Its small and as I said, quiet and calm.
I think that might be a good fit for me.
But then, maybe something better will show up too.
For now, that would do.

I hope you all had a fun weekend. Let us know what you were up to or what your hobby or passion is these days.

GAME DAY

2010-10-02T10:10:00.000-07:00

Since Blogger has some issue with uploading my photo... sorry, just words today,

and quick ones at that.

The biggest news here is that ESPN's

Game Day

has come to broadcast from Autzen Stadium.

Fans were up way before dawn flooding Autzen's outer areas to show their passion.

And passion we have here!

Today's game... our Ducks vs Stanford

will be aired on ESPN.

Kick off here is at 5:00 and I've no idea how that translates for any of you, but if you can catch it

it should be a hell of a game.

Stanford is ranked 9th and the Ducks moved up one space to be ranked 4th.

Don't let that fool you, it could go either way.

On the opposite coast... best of luck to

Boston College's Eagles today too!

If I can, I will try to catch that game on TV.

This morning Randy and T are working on some cabinets, until its time for T to go to Autzen.

We'll be staying at home for this one.

No worries... we will do it right.

On the menu:

Cony dogs with lots of onions,

smoked steelhead with cream cheese on crackers with hot pepper jelly.

Adult beverages of course.

Today the side by side cities of Springfield and Eugene will be LOUD.

Tomorrow I expect near silence...

voices will be left behind in Autzen

and all that will be left will be the horse whispers of fans... and hopefully the legacy of another win, evidenced by the big grins on local faces.

Whatever you do this weekend, enjoy and stay safe.

If you have a game... good luck to your teams.

If you have someone you care about...

be sure to show it and be thankful.

Life is sweet!

FRIDAY YAY!

2010-09-24T12:44:00.000-07:00

Blogger is being a testy old lady today... and wants to take an eternity to upload a simple photo.

Sorry, I got tired of waiting. Its a sky photo, which can come in handy any day. So another day then.

Yay! The weekend is finally here.

Not that we have anything special planned.

Tomorrow will be the next Duck game.

We play Arizona there... in the heat, which our boys are not very used to, so it should add an interesting element to the game.

I don't know how Arizona is ranked, but they should prove to be a better test of our ability.

Today it is beautiful here. The rainy days are gone for a few days and I plan to get out in the yard to continue my endless battle with the weeds.

We slept in. Mostly because of a wicked chocolate jones last night around midnight...

that sent us off on a run to 7-Eleven.

Not the cheapest way to shop for chocolate...

we left with twelve dollars worth.

YIKES!

Okay... I would like your opinion on an idea that popped into my head.

As you know, I'd like to be bringing some money into the house and my unemployment is still up in the air.

So, I thought about contracting myself out as

a "story lady".

That was part of my job the past 15 years and I truly enjoy reading out loud to children.

I don't have many books, but I've read soooo many and there is a nice library here that can fill my needs.

It was not unusual for a teacher to call and ask me if I had time to read a story or two to the class so that she could get copies run off, attend a meeting, etc.

So my brilliant idea is to make up fliers selling my services for teachers.

I have no clue if it would fly or fall flat.

I do know that every class has a budget for such things.

What do you think? Would it be a waste of time or might it pull in a bit of pocket money?

That's really all I am looking for...

I doubt seriously that it could work into anything more than "extra money".

However, it could open up a door as well as keep me in good practice.

I honestly am interested in your opinion.

On another note... the rains have brought the snails and slugs out.

Walking last night, we smashed 3 snails in the short walk to the truck.

Ick.

Beware of tiny crunchy terrors

and have a great weekend.

STORMS

2010-09-22T16:07:00.000-07:00

Wow life is a roller coaster.

We are having ups and downs at every turn these days. I had to take a breather.

Last you heard I had three interviews... as it turns out, they were actually "screenings" for interviews.

WTF?

So I dressed up and waited until they got around to me and then was screened... which basically meant I had three minutes to introduce myself and present my resume, letters of reference and make myself look interesting enough to interview.

Now I get to wait for three weeks to see if I even get the real interview. Sheesh!

I was ordered by the emp. div. to attend a job fair.

I complied. I want a job.

So there I was in a line that went down the block and around the corner with hundreds of other hopeful suckers. It took a long time of waiting on the sidewalk, in the parking lot, up against the wall in the lobby, on the stairs and finally into a room with so many people in it that the smell was enough to make me ill.

Every man and woman in there seemed to be wearing enough perfume to kill a horse.

I spent most of my time in line thinking about what the weight limit was for the room. I kid you not... the floor vibrated and shook.

I thought... well, at least I have my cell phone so that I can call Randy and let him know I'm going to the hospital when the floor falls through.

Let us say it was a totally unproductive exercise that to my thinking was designed to mollify the unemployed masses into thinking that they are doing some thing for us.

I know. I have a bad attitude.

I got official word that to the emp. div. thinking... I should not have moved until I had a job, therefore I forfeit my right to benefits, because I gave up a good job without just reasons.

Clearly they have never lived in Dumb Potter's Hell.

So... my mood soured and it showed.

Randy has not seen my mood swing aptitude prior to this.

It affected his mood. He was worried about me.

Ironically, that made me feel better.

I don't like to see anyone else down... so I pulled myself back up to cheer him up.

So we decided to take it easy for the weekend. No applications, no job talking.

BBQ and football.

Ducks did it again... 69 to 0 against Portland State.

That made us smile.

This week we play Arizona State there.

But we will be watching it on the tube.

I think it will be more of a challenge... but we will see.

After that we caught ex Duck, Dennis Dixson playing for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Unfortunately, he was injured and carried off... but wow, what a great game.

After our lazy weekend, we did Monday Night Foot Ball at T and K's. Watched the 49ners lose. But it was a good close game and fun to watch. The nachos and beer were pretty good too.

But the best surprise happened when T gave us tickets to see Heart at the Cuthburt. He had purchased tickets himself, then won a pair.

It was an excellent concert.

The Wilson sisters are northwestern girls, so a huge crowd showed up. The lead in act told us they went to college here. But they did not confirm that or deny it. So I can't say if that is true. But they are from Oregon.

I have to tell you, Ann Wilson can really sing!

There were some surprises to be heard...

a mix of Gimmie Shelter and Even It Up was very effective. They hit all their biggies and some new material off of a bran new album titled "Velvet Red Car." But the real surprise came at the encore, when you would expect nothing but Heart songs.

Nope.

Would you have ever thought of Heart doing Led Zep's What Is and What Could Never Be?

Ann absolutely nailed it down tight.

Amazing. Truly.

There was nothing about the show not to enjoy.

Ann still belts out rock and blues and her sister is no slouch either.

We had a great time.

Today we are back to the grind.

More online aps for me.

Oh yeah... I've got to go fax my appeal to the under employment monsters.

Then I have to wait 60 days for their new ruling on the matter.

Oh joy.
I think they are stalling in the hopes that I will get a job and not bother to collect the money I've been paying into it since I was 16.
Is there any way I can refuse to allow the money I put into my unemployment insurance to be used for their pay checks?
I'm thinking that they have forgotten who they work for.

GETTING OVER THE HUMP

2010-09-15T10:11:00.000-07:00

Yikes!

Fall is here already. Outside trees are turning colors and we still have 5 days of summer left.

I'll put up some photos of the color changes, but not today. Today we begin a week of rain.

Oh boy!

It is once more hump day.

This is a tough one for me.

Three interviews this afternoon and I am still working on the supplemental questions that accompany two of them.

Grumble.

But at least they are letting me answer them in a format and time frame that allows me to think and revise before I make a bafoon out of myself.

Good news: My Ducks won their second game last weekend. Was there ever a doubt?

Last night I got to watch my Red Sox beat the Mariners. Hee hee.

Watching baseball in bed always makes me laugh when I think about that Woody Allen line... his therapist told him to relax and think about baseball to keep from being anxious in sexual situations and he says...

"But all I could think of was SLIDE, SLIDE SLIDE!"

There's your silly humor for the day.

I gotta go and whip this question monster into shape and then I'll be off to mortify myself

thrice.

This has got to end soon.

Oh in the bad news catagory:

The state is unsure that I qualify for my employment benefits because I moved here to be with Randy.

I had a job 220 plus miles away that I could have kept.

Yep. A nearly 3 hour commute should not have stopped me an iota.

Right.

If I can just get over this hump day,

I'll be grinning.

Hope you are all grinning.

Weekend bonus post

2010-09-10T18:23:00.000-07:00

I got a wonderful email that made me laugh...

thought I would share it with you for a giggle.

Here is what the 5th grade class in Dumb Potter's Hell suggested that we do for wedding ideas.

Silly but wonderful.

:-)
Enjoy!

Angie: I think you should have a cake with three layers, chocolate with fudge in the middle. (Oooh.. I agree!)

Araya: I think you should have a dance floor and a disco ball. You should have music and a DJ.

(Ah... not so much. Disco is not my thing.)

Logan: You should have it where you can have skateboarding in the background.

(Cool beans! Do you think I could get Tony Hawk to come?)

Wes: On the cake there should be a man in a suit and a lady in a wedding dress on top of your cake.

(I'm still voting for duck feet and shorts.)

Damon: You should have a chandelier and kiss under that.

(N0 argument there... but where do we hang it?)

Nick: You need to have a live band that plays what ever kind of music you and Randy like.

( I like that idea.)

Hannah K.: You should be in the middle with everyone around you.

( Maybe with shot guns?)

Grant: I am new but I think you should have your wedding in a little small house.

(Oooh... did that last time... it ends badly.)

Angie, again: You should let people design your dress and cake.

(At least its not dead people.)

Logan: You need flowers and coloful animals on the flowers or balloons.

( I want coloful animals!)

Devin: You should have a dog bring in the ring.

( Yay!)

Alexis: You need a wedding party.

Hannah C: You need a reception.

( We need kegs.)

Nick: invite pro skaters

( I guess Tony Hawk isn't enough.)

Damon: You should have games like card games and party games.

(No Old Maid.)

Peighton: you should rent a ball pit and a hot tub.

( Ha... I love this child! But I got all excited at first when I thought she wanted us to rent a pit bull.)

Wes: You should have people who coming should bring a platter of food.

(Amen! No presents, pot-luck.)

Audrey: YOu should have a giraffe that you both ride off on.

(Ha! This has got to be my favorite.)

Hope you all had a good laugh and a great weekend. See you on Monday.

Big grins!

LUCID DREAMING

2010-09-10T10:01:00.000-07:00

I am not much of a dreamer.

I'm sure that I have them, but its been a long time since I regularly dreamed any that I recall

upon awakening.

Lucid dreaming is a big topic right now.

Sure, I have had them.

I did not know what they were at the time and frankly, they have been too brief for me to take control and direct where I want my dreams to go.

But they do have a quality that stays with you... a feeling or sense that makes them memorable.

Once, when I still shared a bed with the dreaded Medusa, I was falling asleep and felt something on my cheek.

I let my eyes open in a lazy way, feeling good and secure, snug in my warm bed... I could even feel the warm breeze blowing in my open window and smell the spring air as it fluttered my white linen curtains.

As my eyes focused, I was slammed into reality by the body of a spider the size of a large man's hand on my face.

I cannot recall crossing the room or even if I took a swipe at the monster, but surly I did that by reflex.

I must have screamed out loud because the Medusa scrambled after me like the house was on fire and in moments, my father and brother were searching the room for the hairy beast.

Oh say... 45 minutes or so later, they finally convinced me that no such spider existed and I had been dreaming.

That was a lucid dream.

The land of half awake, half asleep.

FREAKED ME OUT.

But that was a long, long time ago.

This morning I was laying in bed, in and out of sleep... again all warm and fuzzy. I'd been roaming around the sheets, had played with the hair on Randy's chest. I like the way I can curl them around my finger and they stay that way.

The idea of Shirley Temple chest curls cracks me up.

I smiled and rolled over to lay on my stomach and smell how nice my sheets smell, preparing to doze off again.

Outside the sounds of suburban life on trash and recycle day... that guy who forgot to put his out making the mad dash down the drive way with his containers bumping along and grinding.

Neighbor voices that you can't quite hear and who wants to?

Comforting sounds of life as usual.

Randy has not forgotten to do his containers since I have known him. I get confused and have to ask if tomorrow is the day, or I catch on when he starts gathering stuff together for it.

I have a messy mind. He doesn't.

It works.

These little thoughts and sounds were flitting past my receptors.

I'm a sprawler... I manage to take most of the space that he leaves vacant and stick some portion on my body into it.

A living rag doll.

Maybe I heard the chickens next door.

Maybe that was the trip wire.

I was transported to the street in front of our house... "the middle of the road, yeah".

Down a house two neighbors were talking and between us, my friend, the chicken.

I wasted no time wondering what it was doing in the road or even why I was in the road.

My only thought was... damn, I have to get my camera!

I woke near the bedroom door... which is around the bed and through a little foyer sort of place, still naked, reaching for the knob... on a mission to get my camera and snap a picture of the chicken crossing the road... for the blog.

I did two things. I laughed.

Then I was grateful that I had not made it outside

before reality and dream land separated.

Reminds me of that Bonnie Raitt song...

"Let's give them something to talk about."

Yep, I'm awake now.

It occurs to me that its a good thing I don't lucid dream very much, because in dream land, like in reality, I stay true to myself and act before I think.

This will be a working weekend for us.

Going up to Mom's to help trim the new siding they just put on their house.

Randy says we might have to sleep over.

I pointed out that they don't have a guest bed.

(Can you feel the beetled brows?)

Sigh.

What sort of things are you all getting up to this weekend?

How about lucid dreams... do you have them?

Can you direct them?

Oh... here's a gift!

Confessions of a Dumb, White Guy

Spam is Delicious

If several things here do not make you laugh out loud,

there is something wrong with you.

So go and enjoy Mr. Shife like I do...

and hey, have a wonderful weekend!