The day looms ahead...

Set my alarm for 7 a.m. last night, mainly because I wanted to see if it was working, but also because I wanted to make sure I didn't oversleep as I have an 8 a.m. foot doctor appt this morning.  I seldom, if ever, sleep past 7 so there wasn't really a danger of that but still...you never know.  Course you still have to contend with waking up TOO OFTEN just because you know you HAVE to get up early.  Which was my case.  5:45 a.m. and I'm wide awake.  Annoying!

I got up and went through my usual routines of opening curtains, booting up the computer, putting on the coffee pot, and staring myself down in the mirror as I'm reminded, yet again, that I'm an old worn out hen.  Mirror images early in the morning are such a sad sight.  Fixed a bowl of dry cereal and toasted half a bagel, then made my way into the office (which I'm now trying to call the computer room).

Looked over my usual websites.  Didn't win any money, didn't find anything worthwhile on tv for tonight, didn't have too much email, and the news was the usual -- people acting mean and stupid.  Facebook has become one of my favorite stops now.  Always on the lookout for pictures people might post and now I'm cutting and pasting recipes into a special folder I'm building. Like these as the recipes are usually easy and the pictures always look mouth watering.

My hotmail had a message that I should download Explorer 10 as it's faster and better.  Anybody know if that's true.  I assume this d/l is free. Haven't looked into it yet.  I wrote to Google help yesterday on how to delete messages in my sent and junk mail quickly as I had over 1300 in the trash and I wanted to clear them out.  I finally just started deleting a page at a time and then a prompt came up telling me I could delete them all at once. My email this morning asked me if I really wanted to do that as I would lose all the conversations I had had with my friends.  Was kind of surprised I even got an answer. Too late, though. I deleted everything.  I often times regret doing this because invariably I'll want to look something up and I can't.  Too bad.  Out of sight, out of mind.  At least my mailbox is free and clear.

I've been spending a lot of time researching my g. grandfather's full and half siblings but I do intend to get back to my grandpa's siblings too.  There's still a lot out there I haven't found. I may drive over to the Morman Church library this week to find out their hours and what kind of information they can help me find.

I wanted to print out my pages of notes but knew my ink was getting low and I was trying to avoid putting in a new cartridge.  Then I remembered that my old printer was sitting nearby and had new cartridges in it.  Just had to print using my old computer instead of my laptop which doesn't recognize the old printer.  Anyhow, I transferred my notes onto a jumpstick (or whatever you call them) and plugged it into my old computer so I could communicate with my old printer.  Wa Laa!  So glad I remembered that as I have other things I want to print, as well.

Went to the dentist yesterday morning and unfortunately, my savings is going to be reduced shortly.
I opted to have one tooth pulled that might have needed a crown removal, root canal, and new crown.
Way more than I wanted to spend on that tooth that has already cost me money.  I told the dentist that another part of my mouth had been bothering me and I always thought that was the area we would find problems.  He took another xray and sure enough -- another damn cavity UNDER a crown.  This time I'll go through the motions and have the crown removed so he can dig out the decay (and hopefully not have to do a root canal before putting another crown in place.)  With my luck, though, I'm prepared for the whole show.  Big bucks.  Makes me sad.

Meanwhile, he was recovering from a cold and had two people out sick so we rescheduled my extraction for this coming Thursday.  Oh joy!  I haven't had a tooth pulled since the 70's.  He said he won't know until we get in there. It will either come out easily and we'll be done in under 15 mintues or if there's a tooth breakage or root problems, we could continue for an hour.    Believe it or not, though, I'd rather suffer through dental appointments than get an MRI!  And MRI's don't even hurt.  All in the mind.

I was going to write a Town Kid blog on learning to drive or teaching kids to drive but after looking over my past  blogs, I noticed I've already written enough on that subject.  Even if it's been two years or one year ago, I need to find something else to discuss.  And if I don't, well, then I'll conclude that blog and find a new hobby.

Hmmm...looking interesting out my front window. I've been trimming this one bush near the curb (that I'm not that fond of) but I see the birds are using it quite a bit so I think I'll leave it be and let it get bigger.  My other little tree next to it (that I was sure was dead) has come back to life and it's looking kind of pretty with his red/orange leaves.  Neighbor mowed his grass on Saturday so now mine looks shabby. Maybe I'll try to get to that this week since good weather is predicted.  Have seen a hawk come around almost every day too.  Lookin' for lunch in the field across the street.

My dreams last night were again vivid and interesting.  Noticed one segment was in color (this woman had a bright blue sweater on) and that part of the dream also had aroma.  This particular woman had strong perfume on and it annoyed me.  So much activity.  Mary and Jenni were running down the road (for exercise) and their hair was long and flowy.  I also burnt a hole in a wall (perfect half circle hole) by putting a burn barrel to close to it.  This particular burn barrel was made of cardboard but I didn't figure that out until I tried to burn trash in it outside. 

And night before last I dreamed I cut in  front of this guy in line to get on the ferry. (Ferries often show up on my dreams)  Funny thing was it was the 1940's and all the cars were from that era.  Probably related to all the genealogy searching I've been doing.  Okay. Enough on dreams. I know it's boring.

Time to turn off the tv.  I DO NOT want to hear one word more about the Jodi Arias trial.  I watched the first two episodes of the latest season of Mad Men but I'm leaning towards giving that program the boot, as well.  I don't know why they think we want to see all the main characters turn into sleeze balls who take other sleeze balls to bed.  There has to be a better story line to follow.  You can certainly tell the mentality of the writers involved.  I was enjoying 'The Americans' until they went off the deep end and brought in S&M activities to share with us.  BORING!

I seem to be losing interest in a lot of shows I used to tune in....The Amazing Race, American Idol, The Voice, House, Ax Men, and several others.  Here's a picture I saw on Facebook yesterday...

Dave and Mary Gaboury with their grandkids in Bonney Lake.

Spring Cleaning...again

I don't know why I can never judge how long a job is going to take me.  I was thinking two hours tops, but it ended up being four!  The twins came over to help me sweep it out a bit. First thing Maddie did when she arrived was change my radio station. She has her priorities.

I didn't think I would find that much to discard but I did.  Have a "dump pile" set aside for Wayne to pick up once he decides to go and I took a car full over to Goodwill.  I stopped at this other second hand store on the way but they must be thinking about phasing their stuff out as they were only taking furniture and it was lookin' kind of bare in there.

I passed two native American women on the sidewalk as they were leaving the store and when I came back out, I stopped to talk to them as they were parked right in front of me. Told them I was going to Goodwill to unload but they were welcome to look my stuff over first if they wanted to.  They took a few things and we chatted.  They knew Joe Kenney so I told them to tell him Joyce says hey!

The twins found a few things of interest as I was sorting through the various boxes.  I came across this old beat up cloth-like box with a lid that I used to store buttons in.  The buttons are in glass jars now but I've had the box so long, I hate to throw it out.  May have picked it up at Value Village  back in the 60's or 70's. Or maybe my Aunt Velna gave it to me.  When you open the lid (which is attached) there is a kids' message written in pencil and another kids' crayon scribbling marking it out.
I told the kids it was their mother's writing but she informed me when she arrived that it was Mary. She said she didn't know how to spell "Joseph" until she was almost 12 and she remembers I was mad at her for her.  Said that I told her "it's just JOE!"  ha ha    Funny the things kids remember.

Anyhow, the box makes me laugh everytime I open it. Mary wrote: "I hate the crybaby. It is who cries so much and it is Joseph."

I don't know why my back is hurting as bad as it is because I tried again to take things slow and easy and I sat down to rest.  I guess I'm just going to have to accept the fact once and for all that my strength and endurance is not what it used to be.  My tooth is trying to get in the act too. Guess it's a  good thing I've got a dentist appt Monday morning.  Been thinking seriously about whether or not to go the expensive route or have it pulled.  I'm leaning towards extraction.

Well, 'Lord of the Flies' is on so either I can head for the recliner to watch it or I can work on genealogy files.  I think I'll choose the movie. My back is making up my mind for me.

The Rains are Back

Lookin' wet this morning but I'm fine with that. At least it gives me an excuse to stay inside and work on genealogy without having the guilt of not working in my yard. I'm way too delicate to do yardwork in the rain.  Ha!  I'm watching three deer across the street. They've been frequenting other neighborhoods these past weeks but are back to the vacant lot across from me again.  Good sleeping place, I suppose, with all the overgrown scotchbroom and high grass.
I hope they stay on that side of the road. I put a pot of pansies on my steps and it's the first thing I check out in the morning -- to see if they've come by for a midnight snack.

I taped three hours of shows last night and watched some of the previous shows I had taped a few nights ago. Three hours of 'Dancing with the Stars' (over two nights) lets me see and hear everything I want to in about 45 minutes.  I bypass all the commercials and a lot of the show-off antics of the judges and certain dancers. I don't mind the stars who are poor dancers but I do mind the stars who get criticized for their poor dancing and then get an attitude.  If they'd laugh it off, they'd go a lot further. They eliminated one such guy this week and I was glad to see the last of him. What an ego! I also can't stand the stars who are pretty good dancers and act like they're doing us a favor to watch them.  You'd be surprised at the language I use during this show.  Well, maybe you wouldn't.  But it's what I do for amusement.

I stuck my Red Box movie of 'Lincoln' in the DVD player and gave it an hour and a half before giving up on it.  Talk about an overblown movie!  Bored me to tears!  And I like political stories too.

I slept better last night and feel a whole lot better this morning. Happy that my itchy hand has ceased, as well.  Interesting dreams last night.  So odd the people that show up and have an acting role. Last night it was Karen Hinton, Bob Hinton, some guy named John Morris?, and lots of others too.  I won't bore you with the details but it was definitely busy.

I pulled out my box of paints and brushes and set up a corner for rock painting this weekend.  I keep thinking I need to get my sewing machine put to use, as well, but I'll hold off on that for a while longer.  I have a tendency, sometimes, to get too many projects going at once.

And with that, I'm off to pour a second cup of coffee and begin the chore of sorting photos.  Good fun.

Shopping, Movies, Dreams

I had to return a Red Box movie (only costs $1.20 and I like that!) and I noticed Lincoln was available so I brought that home for tonight. Watched Life of Pi yesterday and enjoyed it very much.  I seem to go in spurts renting movies. There's quite a few out now that I wouldn't mind seeing and I'm reminded how much cheaper it is to wait until Red Box offers them.  Even matinee prices seem to be going up every year and I never buy soda or popcorn.  Not on my budget.

I taped an hour show on the Discovery channel a few nights back. Naked Castaway. I knew right away I was going to be entertained. The opening credits read:  If you are offended by pictures of the naked buttocks, please avert your eyes."  ha ha ha ha    Yeah, they had me right away with that one! I can hardly wait for the next episode.  This guy (who is taping himself) is staying on a deserted island off Australia (I think) and he has no tools, no clothes, no food or drink, and intends to stay two or three months if he can survive.  Fascinating show.

I've been working steadily on putting my genealogy notes and photos in folders so I can find things when I want them.  I'm making good headway but it took me a while to figure out the easiest way to transfer.  I had so many duplicate files.  All this family tree work has me busy in dreamland too.  Sometimes I wake up very tired just because I've been so busy at one party or reunion or job after another.  Seeing lots of interesting people, though.

I've got to make time to go across town to the Morman library to see if they have files that might help me, or at least point me in the direction I need to go.

I plugged in my crock pot up this morning so the house smells pretty good. I cooked a pot roast and had it for two or three meals and decided to take the last of it and cook it down with sweet and sour sauce till it's stringy like pulled pork.  Gonna fix a sandwich for supper and call it good.

I've got something going on with my skin today.  Especially my left hand. Nothing there that I can see but it's been itching since last night.  Just plain ole dry skin, I guess. My hands (like the rest of me) are sure looking old these days.  Kind of swollen over the knuckles.  Well, not kind of...really puffy.  My tongue continues to bother me too. I think I'll give it another couple weeks and then make a doctor appt.  I have my doubts it can be diagnosed but you never know.  It's not terribly uncomfortable all the time but it's been going on for weeks and it's just enough to keep me agitated.
Dentist didn 't see anything suspicious so at least that was comforting.

I have to get a crown on Monday.  Once he takes off the crown that is there now and removes the decay, he'll decide if there's enough tooth left to put another crown on.  If not, a root canal might be called for first.  OR...... and I'm seriously considering this.....I just might opt to have the damn thing extracted.  I'd only have two teeth on the bottom left but I think I could manage with that.  A root canal and a crown are both very expensive and when you don't have dental insurance, it can wipe out your savings.  I have reservations about spending a lot of money on my teeth at my age.  I'm thinking on it.

I got an email this morning telling me about this product called raspberry ketone supplement that my friend says has helped her lose weight and has given her energy.  A Dr. Oz video was attached with it. I did stop at the health food store this morning to check it out. Didn't take me long to decide against it. $26 for a tiny bottle.  Dr Oz often has nifty ideas to share but you need deep pockets too.

I looked over my humidifier this morning and it suggested changing the filter once a month. I've never changed it so I went to half a dozen stores trying to find a filter. Finally came home and went on walmart.com.    They have it for $4.44 and will send me a message when it's in so I can pick it up at the store with no shipping charges.  Wish I had thought of that sooner. I did consider going all the way over to Walmart but didn't want to go that far and then find it wasn't there.  Course as much time as I spent going from store to store only defeated my purpose.

I stopped at Joanne's to buy a skein of yarn and noticed a big crane moving equipment into the vacant store next door. Rite-Aid people told me they heard it was Big Lots.  I hope so.   I did buy a flower pot at 50% off at Rite Aid.   Came home and put my Christmas cactus in it.  So cute.

 

Yvonne and I went thru Frugals for a burger today and sat on the bluff to watch the ships. She said:

"Remember that guy who is buying my house with his son and how I told you you should welcome them to the neighborhood once I'm gone?"

 

I said: "Yeah. Do you still think I should visit?"

 

She said: "No. I'm datin' him!"

 

"Well, you're movin' to Olympia this weekend. Maybe I'll just steal him away."  hee hee

 

We laughed but I knew she was serious. She likes the guy, and he's apparently very attentive.  I always joked about how my next boyfriend was going to have to show up on my doorstep 'cause I was too tired and too lazy to go looking these days.  It seemed to work for her.  He plans to visit her and vice versa.  Still makes me chuckle.

 

Well, I think I'll go take a nap in my chair. I didn't sleep all that well last night and I've been yawning all day long.  Hopefully, that means I'll sleep like a log tonight.

Spring cleaning

Lookin' halfway decent out my front window this morning. Gonna have to keep the tv off, though.  Nothing looking good there. I think our country went around a corner way back in 1963 when JFK was shot.  From that day on, the under belly scum got the attention they wanted and it's only gotten worse.  When the Oklahoma daycare center was bombed in 1995, I sent money to the Red Cross.  The coverage of those poor kids being killed had an effect.  And the Twin Towers, of course, will forever be remembered.  Evil is the word that most often comes to mind.

I don't travel much these days and since my last airplane trip, I'm not all that enthused about flying anywhere.  Having to take off your shoes and have your bag searched is one thing, but when you're frisked in a special room because your hand lotion set off an alarm, it's time for this gramma to tell the security people to take a flying leap and get their act together.

We've always had evil but there is definitely more evil today than when I was a kid.  I think everybody can agree with that.  You can also bet that Boston is just another story in terror bombings.  Wackos are alive and among us and they thrive like a virus gone wild when there's a chance for them to get the world-wide attention they crave.  We're not special, though. Bombings are going on all around the globe and people are being killed daily. We're just not used to experiencing it living in a place where the worst things we have to contend with are acts of mother nature, disease, auto accidents, threats by unstable world leaders in distant lands, and murder by deranged citizens.  Sadly, we're going to hear more and more stories like we're hearing on the news this week.

Well, Maddie just dropped off her softball equipment so time to answer the door.

Both kids are in track this spring and Maddie goes to daily softball practice after her track runs. She had a game last night and didn't get home until 8:30.  And no, I don't go to the games.  I prefer the comfort of my recliner.  I do take her to practice, though, so I'm not a complete waste as a gramma.  Ha!

Yesterday, I spent the morning getting my genealogy files in order.  I needed to be able to find the various files I was working on and once I got going, I realized the job was more complicated than I thought.  I had so much "repeat material" in different files that it took a while to delete and refile everything.  The photos are another story.  I'll work on them today.

I went outside to get started on cleaning up the deck. Here's what I got done...

I went slow and sat down for everything I could sit down to work on.  I only put in a little over two hours so I was surprised that I was as worn out as I was.  I mean...really  worn out!  I didn't feel that I was lifting too many heavy pots or moving at a fast pace but by the time I pushed my wheelbarrow full of weeds over to the vacant lot across the street, I was dragging like a woman of 99.  It zapped any energy I had right out of me 

I rested for an hour and then went back outside to finish the last 30 minutes of work I wanted to do.  I know I'm no spring chicken but it's discouraging to get tired this fast.  I don't like it!  I set up my reclining lawn chair and soaked up the sun for 20 minutes.  All that did was make me more tired.

Hmmm... the Today show is doing a piece about all the violence that has occurred in April over the last few years.  Interesting.  April is significant to me too.  Five years ago this month, Mary and Andy got married.  Nineteen years ago this month, Jenni and Wayne got married.  My son-in-law turns 59 this month and several friends turn 70! -- Virginia Tomlinson, Sharon Sofie, John O'Brien, and my neighbor, Yvonne. (who is moving to Olympia in a few days)  Boo hoo hoo!  Also, happy birthday to cousins Dale and Denny this month.  By the way, if you want to play around with a fun website, go to
paulsadowski.com.  It's a fun place that will tell you all about your birthday and even predict when you were conceived.

I've seen three good commercials this week. Think I'll head over to YouTube and see if I can find them.  Okay. I found them all.... ENJOY!

Quiet Sunday

Boy, what a difference a good nights' sleep makes!  I feel so much better (emotionally) than I did yesterday when my sleep pattern had gone awry at 3 a.m. The view out my front window showed blue skies and pretty white clouds an hour ago but it's getting grayer by the minute.

See that white steam coming up from the bottom of the picture right in the middle? That's the paper mill down on the waterfront.  I've always thought it was kind of ironic that the view from my window is paper mill steam. Course only I would find that interesting --having worked in a paper mill for two decades.

Two black crows are walking around my yard now.  Lookin' for worms I suppose. And a robin is watching them from the middle of the street.  I wonder if she's waiting to see if they find something good for breakfast.  Odd how I've become such a bird watcher these days. Two hummingbirds just arrived and they're my favorites. And thank you, Coke,  down in Oregon for telling me my woodpecker yesterday was a flicker.  I want to buy a better camera just so I can take pictures of birds and other things nature-wise that I've taken an interest in.

Looked over the tv line-up for today. Gonna watch golf at 4 and Call the Midwife at 8. Also taping Mad Men and a new show on the Discovery Channel called 'Naked Castaway.'  Has to do with surviving techniques in the wild.  (my way of communing with nature)  Found a new favorite show on Netflix last night too. I'm really enjoying the streaming side of Netflix. Kevin Spacey stars in this 13-episode  first season of House of Cards.  Really good!

Another movie I recently watched was 'Fanny,Annie,and Danny.'  Very dark but very good.

Came across a blog that has free patterns if you sewers are interested.  modafabrics.blogspot.com

Spent hours on ancestry yesterday. Found a picture of Ben Downs which I saved (for now) even though I'm fairly certain he's not "my Ben Downs."  You never know. He could be a relative.

 

My cousin, Marlee in Gig Harbor recently did the MS walk to raise money. She wrote:

 

The actual MS Walk is almost two miles on the completely flat part of the trail if you walk to the last booth and back to the beginning.  We always walk the whole loop, down near the beach and back up.  Mary wore her GPS and we walked 3.1 miles.

The wind was really blowing - my car said it was 39 degrees, but the wind-chill factor has to be considered!  We started out with just the cold wind, but it started sprinkling then really raining at the end.  The wind was blowing the rain sideways as we walked up the last long hill.  We could hardly wait to get back to the car and get warm!  (She's in the red)

 

First thing I did this morning was move my laptop desk back over where I originally had it. I found not being able to sit and look out the window threw off my balance.  Or something.  Maybe it was just a reminder that I prefer watching the goings on outside.  They're never really that interesting but you have to find your entertainment where you can.

 

I should work on a Town Kid blog today but I can't think of a thing to write about. Any suggestions?



Cold, Wet, Windy and Nasty!

An hour ago the sun was shining. A minute ago it was pouring and hail was coming down. Obviously, mother nature is going through the change. 

I've had Pandora music on since I got up. It's 5 p.m. and I have been on ancestry for HOURS!  I really am disappointed in my lack of will power to move about and do other things with my life.  It's so pathetic! 

I spent two hours yesterday getting ready to work on the pots on the back deck. After buying dirt and pansies and setting up my "sit down chair" it started to sprinkle and then got wetter and wetter so I called it a day.  Went outside this morning to inspect the wind damage. One pot fell off the porch and broke but it was a small pot and empty.

I set up all my bird feeder stakes in another corner of the yard this morning. Figured it would be easier to get them in that rock hard ground after the heavy rain but it was still a fight.  Now I'll have to wait and see if they stay upright. You can hardly see them in this picture but they're there.

I've only got a couple feeders hung 'cause I have to clean the others out with the hose and a wire brush.  It's a dirty project.

I made an early morning run to Safeway to gas up the car and took a quick spin through the store to buy some comfort food.  Picked out a pizza for tonight's dinner 'cause I don't feel like cooking and I've had leftovers all week long. Tomorrow, though, I'm gonna fix a nice pot roast.  I hardly ever do that.

With all the time I spent on ancestry today and all the different people I kept searching for data on, I ended up with nothing new.  Disappointing.  I'm just going to have to break down and visit the morman genealogy library across town. I'm not getting anywhere on my own.  I did email the Seattle schools today as I discovered one of my cousins was a teacher for several years in various Seattle schools. Seward, Queen Anne, and James Madison Jr. High. 

It's doubtful they'll have a picture of her from that far back (1920's-1940's) but you never know.....

I guess I'll look over my picture collection and see if there's anything new I could add to the ancestry file.  I noticed a lot of folks attached my Blankenship family portrait to their records.  That photo continues to puzzle me.  Mainly, the boy in front.  Certainly seems odd that I can't find a birth or death record for him.

I've even wondered if he's adopted.  I have another cousin who changed his last name altogether because he didn't like his mother.  ha ha  I never would have found him if I hadn't located one of his nephews in Olympia.  Drives me crazy that I have so few pictures.  But I need to move on.  There are more records on other family limbs.

My hummingbirds hung around all winter long. There's one sitting outside my window now.  Also noticed that hawk is back looking for dinner. He's been soaring the vacant lot across the street and another noisy crow is yakking him up as he watches his progress.  Yesterday while I was outside on the deck, I kept hearing this rat-a-tat-tat.  I grabbed my camera and walked a ways down the alley as I saw a bird on top of a telephone pole. I think it was a woodpecker.

And now for your listening pleasure......  hee hee





Okay. Time to move on down the line. I've got to make an effort to stay up as long as possible tonight. I woke up at 3 a.m. and couldn't go back to sleep so I got up.  Then I dozed from 5 to 7. Naturally, that made me feel groggy and out of sorts.  It's always something.