Saturday morning

It's looking sunny and bright outside my window but the temperature gauge tells me that outside isn't an area I need to go to right now.  I'll be glad when this cold snap passes.  I do have some yard chores to attend to but it can all wait until the ground warms up.

Noticed the neighbor's cat keeping watch over the rat hole this morning.  She's sitting out there patiently waiting for the critter to show himself.  He must have been hungry yesterday because it was the first time I ever saw a rat down in that area during the day.  While he ran off, he must be a stupid rat because I believe he thought about trying again.  I noticed this cat pawing at his hole yesterday like she almost had him.

Perhaps it was a mother looking for food to take back to her nest.  On the other hand, perhaps it was just a plain ole fat rat!  Every time I saw this cat hanging out down there, I would chase her off figuring she was after my birds.  Now, however, she can have the run of the place since I realize her tastes run to higher levels of the food chain.  Or lower levels depending on how you look at it.

Once it warms up around here, I intend to get my rubber gloves on, take down all the feeders, scrub them with soap and bleach and put them aside until springtime when I'll find another spot in the front of the house for just one or two feeders.  I may even abandon all seeds and just concentrate on finch food and hummingbird nectar.

I spent entirely too much time on my computer yesterday and I intend to find other ways to amuse myself today.  I've got various sewing projects in mind including "the church lady" banner where you make these individual squares and decorate each dress with belts, jewelry, etc.  Here's one I started and I'm thinking I might just put a border around it and have "one church lady" while I contemplate how I want to dress the others.

Looks a little dorky, I admit, but actually the ladies are kind of cute once you get them fixed up. Here's the first one I made last year.

Well, I just noticed the cat is gone. Must have got too cold for her. If it wasn't so hard to do by myself, I'd think about rearranging this office today.  I can't do it alone, though, so I'll let it go.  I'd like to get my
desk against the opposite wall so I'm not sitting in front of the heat vent.  It gets so cold in here that you have to have the heat on or your bones ache.  Doesn't take long, though, before you're cooking like a cow and you have to turn the heat off.  I suppose I could move my laptop to the kitchen again and I just may do that until this cold weather passes.

Watched a Tom Cruise movie on Netflix last night.  Jack Reacher.  It was pretty good. No academy award winner but it held my interest and that's all I care about.  I watch the Olympics off and on depending on what sport they're featuring.  I get a little weary of the never ending commercials and I'm not really that interested in the stories they sometimes do of favorite athletes.

Okay. Off the computer now.  I need to rearrange the shelves in my refrigerator so I'm not having to lift my arms up to retrieve milk and juice cartons. Too much pressure on the shoulder joints.  I've got a 750-piece jigsaw set up but this time, I hope I can show some restraint and only work on it maybe a half hour at a time.  I'm testing myself.

Am getting close to delving back into genealogy too.  I got an email from another relative I don't know and I'd really like to see what kind of info he has.

Here's the latest picture of our latest man child....Jacob Andrew.

And here's a couple of interesting pictures I got in emails.  I would hate to live where these were taken.

Really cool video

thanks Linda Farina....

Big Day yesterday

One terrific thing about computers and our new technology is you get to see events you'd never see otherwise.  Andy and Mary went to court yesterday to finalize the adoption papers.  Jake had a new outfit and some really cool tennis shoes for the affair.  Here's Catie, Candi, Andy, and Mary with Jacob outside the courtroom.

Jenni and Wayne had a big day too. They received a letter from the principal (I think?) telling them that Hunter and Maddie were two of the top 50 kids scholastically in the 8th grade and would be honored at a Rotary breakfast where they both would give a speech.
Here's a couple of my favorites (both a few years ago so I need to pick up the pace on my picture taking)

                             At Chetzemoka Park Beach looking for beach glass

                                          Posing for the camera with Jenni a few years back

                                                      First day of school this past September.

Maddie is into sports (all of them) and just made the girls' varsity in basketball.  Hunter is a math whiz and has already started making his million.  He's a pro at buying and selling on Ebay, and loves to work on rebuilding his tractor.

I'm not getting much accomplished today as it's turned into a computer morning.  Between surfing the net, looking at pictures, posting on facebook, and writing letters, I've only managed to get the laundry done so far.  But who cares?  Not me.

I am going to rethink my bird feeding.  Should have thought it over long ago but I'm a slow learner.  It was bad enough that I had to move the bird seeds in the front before going to bed so the deer wouldn't clean me out overnight. (that's how I fell in July --stumbling around in the dark like a damn fool!  I've been noticing these little holes near the back fence and I wanted to think it was maybe a little bunny.  I'm such a goon ball sometimes.

I happened to see something crawl down the fence this morning and went running out there with my camera. (I really need to get a life)  Anyhow, here's what was making himself at home in one of the feeders.....

Yep!  A stinky, gucky, filthy, pukey, scudsey, creepy RAT!  For the longest time he didn't move and I wondered if he was dead.  I was too afraid to lift the feeder off the stake so I found a long stick. As soon as I started to lift, he hopped out and headed for the hole.  Gave me a damn stomach ache!

I don't think I'll chase off the cats anymore either.  I know they were after my birds but could be they smelled a rat too.  Ha ha  I really enjoy watching the birds so I think what I'm going to do is clean up the feeders and maybe stick a couple or three in the front where I can watch while I'm on my laptop.
I think my finch feeder will still attract the yellow finches that I especially like, and if I use a certain kind of feeder, the deer can't get into it.

I also may opt to put the feeders in an area where I can get to them easily if I do decide to move the birdfeeder house at bedtime.  A real nuisance, I know, but seeds are getting expensive and I don't relish the deer eating them up in one evening.  I also intend to hang my humingbird feeders as they're especially fun to watch.  Will abandon that corner of the yard altogether. Even planting something down there would be asking for a return visit from BEN.  (If you get my drift)

My dreams continue to be fascinating.  I ought to put a tablet by my bed and record the action before it leaves.  Last night I was living in several different houses that I've lived in throughout my life.  Most of my activities were centered around housework that just wouldn't end.  A washing machine was in the back yard and full of weeds and blackberry vines that I had to pull out before I could start the next load.  Bob Blaurock was playing in a house next door with his band but I couldn't quite make it over there as I had a lot of toys to sweep up.  It went on and on like that.  I have a lot more activity in my life when I sleep than I do awake.

I watched a documentary on Netflix last night called "The End."  It was about five people who were in hospice.  Sounds like a downer subject (and it kind of was) but yet it made me less afraid of dying at the same time.  I'll probably tune into the Olympics tonight and then I'll dream that I can ice skate -- even though I've never had skates on in my entire life.

Another cold one

I do have to make a couple of quick errands today but I think I'll hurry home and spend the rest of the day hunkered down on hobbies.  Just finished my second cup of coffee and while the dishwasher is running, I plan to sit at my laptop and do some writing.

Later on I'll set out my next puzzle and get going on a sewing project.  I picked up half a dozen books on tape at the library so that ought to keep me occupied for a while. I had to turn the television off early as I refuse to be subjected to yet another story of some celebrity going to rehab to find themselves.

My television viewing at night has pretty much evolved to local news, national news, Wheel of Fortune, Jeopardy, surfing back and forth to watch Inside Edition-like shows, and then a quick run through of the prime time line-up to see if there's anything I just HAVE to watch.  Sadly, there's not much turning me on these days.  What's even sadder is the shows I land on and watch with interest.  Last night it was a nature program on PBS about ants,cockroaches and termites.  Sounds gross, I know, but it was really good!

I started to watch a segment this morning about this guy who explores caves but I had to turn it off 'cause it was making me feel nervous.  Caves have always fascinated me but there's no way in hell I'd go in one.  That's silly, I suppose, but claustrophobia is alive and well.  I sometimes even get uncomfortable watching shows about submarines.   Even I know that's pathetic.

I got an email (via ancestry.com) this morning from a relative of my grandpa's.  That's the second email I've received lately from people on that side of the family. I think I'm going to get back into genealogy real soon.  Even if I have to pay for a subscription.  I'll scope out the free places first.

I got this in an email today and thought it worth passing on.....

THE LESSON

 The  following is the philosophy of Charles Schulz, the  creator of the 'Peanuts' comic strip.

 You don't have to actually answer the questions. Just ponder on them.

 1. Name  the five wealthiest people in the  world.

 2. Name  the last five Heisman trophy winners.

 3. Name  the last five winners of the Miss America pageant.

 4  Name  ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize.

 5. Name  the last half dozen Academy Award winners for best actor and actress.

 6. Name  the last decade's worth of  World Series winners.

 How did you do?

 The point is, none of us remember the headliners of yesterday.

 These are no second-rate achievers.

 They are the best in their fields.

 But the applause dies..

 Awards tarnish..

 Achievements are forgotten.

 Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.

 Here's another quiz. See how you do on this one:

 1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school..

 2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.

 3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.

 4. Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special.

 5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with.

 The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money...or the most awards. They simply are the ones who care the most

Am sitting here looking at one of my favorite pictures right now.  Is he cute or what?!!!  Sigh......

I had a very unusual dream this morning.  All my dreams are unusual, of course, but this one was odd because I was able to wake up (go pee) and come back to it again.  I really did want to see how it came out.  Had to do with the Russians invading America and they picked my house as a place to hide out.  I was trying to escape to warn the authorities but I couldn't figure out a way to get the blind up, the window open, and me out.  (that's got to mean something)  ha ha  Yeah, I know.  It means I'm mental.  We all know that.

Well, I guess I'll get busy.  Have noticed the last day or so that all three of my tvs have pink little flashes occurring on the side of the screen.  I never can remember that word for it  (pixeling?) 

Anyhow, I suspect it's a cable issue and may be related to weather so I'll ignore it for now.

Saw this on the news last night.  A sign of our times.  Stupid Russians!

Production was up today

I managed to get more things accomplished today than I did yesterday. Mainly because I finished that jigsaw puzzle that I was hooked on.  The pieces were large so it filled the whole top of the card table.

After that was done, photographed and put away, I brought out a 750-piece puzzle to start tomorrow.  I finished an afghan I was working on and got it pressed up a little bit this morning.

I also finished two more quilt squares and a rooster cross stitich. Tomorrow I plan to start work on this "church lady" banner.

I was down to half a loaf of bread so I decided to run across town to the bread store and stock up.  I love their prices and they always give free stuff to seniors.  On the way home I drove a different route so I could stop and take some pictures of the harbor.  I didn't have a coat on and the wind was cutting through me. But.... I got my pictures.

It's leftovers again tonight. I made up a box of Tuna Helper (it's quite tasty) and it gives me meals for about four nights.  Which can get boring but I don't have to cook and that's the whole purpose.  I may roast some vegetables to go with it this afternoon.

On the way home I noticed this banner hung across the main street downtown advertising bingo games. Forget where or when as I seldom go to bingo anymore but I did appreciate the sign.  It's said "NOT LIKE YOUR MOMMA'S BINGO".

Last night I watched this documentary on Netflix about internet dating and it followed four people who got married.  Very interesting.  I laughed out loud at one part that said:  "Women are afraid to look for a man online as they fear they'll get a serial killer."  "Men are afraid because they fear they'll get a fat woman."  ha ha ha ha ha   That just struck me funny.

Yesterday I thought for sure I was getting a cold as I sneezed and blew my nose for a good 12 hours.  I slept with the humidifier hoping I could nip it in the bud and I woke up okay this morning so I heaved a sigh of relief.  I suspect, though, that there just might be some germs  taking their sweet time surfacing.  I remember a Mary Tyler Moore show once where she caught a cold and looked like hell and made the remark that colds were three days coming, three days staying, three days going.

It could be the cold temperatures we're experiencing right now but I definitely feel a little punk.  I plan to take a decongestant tonight (one of those that makes you sleepy). It's been a long time since I actually had a cold and I'm probably due. Still, though, I'm hoping to bypass the misery.  The past few years colds just hang on and hang on going into  my chest and making me positive that THIS IS IT!  I'm done for!

And on that note, I think I'll give up trying to get any writing done today and just go take a nap in the recliner.  I seem to run out of steam by mid afternoon, and if I'm going to get anything accomplished, it's going to have to be earlier in the day.  It's only 3 pm and I'm already thinking I might put on my long underwear and jammies.  My sweats just aren't warm enough today.  I am VERY THANKFUL, however, that I'm not living in the east or south where they're dealing with nasty nasty weather.

And here's Spike Morello dancing.  Well, not really, but he kinda looks like Lewie.

Brrrr.....

Kinda nippy out there this morning.  I made a quick Safeway run and my car never did warm up comfortably.  Still....I'm glad I don't live in the east.  I would HATE having to put up with those horrible storms they've endured all winter.

I got up earlier than usual. Not sure why but then I did go to bed around 9 or so.  You'd think I'd had a hard day or something as I was really beat and didn't even sit up to read a while.  Sometimes not doing much can be very tiring.  And outside of a short walk down the alley and back, I mostly worked on my jigsaw puzzle.  I did get one quilt square sewed up and plan to do another today but I'm looking forward to that puzzle too.  I'm about 2/3 done and am on a puzzle kick right now as I'm already anticipating setting up the next one.

I wish I had a little more self control when it comes to leisure time activities.  Not that there's anything wrong with being hooked on puzzles (I am 70 after all) but after two or three hours you'd think I'd get up and move on to something else.  It's hard to pull myself away when I get in "that mode."  I've experienced that plenty of times before.  Like in front of a slot machine. That can be a worrisome problem but thankfully, I run out of money quickly and come to my senses.

I rearranged my office a little bit this morning.  Put the laptop back on the desk and plugged in the keyboard and changed my side tables.  I plan to get busy on my genealogy searching and I have to make sure I'm comfortable.

Uh oh...I'm already yawning.  Either I'm boring myself to death with this blog or I'm looking at a nap this afternoon.  Yep. A nap sounds good.  I don't even know why I'm bothering to blog today.  I don't really have anything to talk about.  Course I never let that stop me before. Ha ha

And on that note, I guess I'll head out to the kitchen and get busy on  my latest past time craze.  I might even stop and take a morning nap on the way. I could tell you about my dreams but I'm still trying to figure out what to make of them.  More and more dead people are showing up all the time.  I wonder what that means.  Perhaps nothing.  I'm just becoming more aware of people I know passing on. Bound to happen. Odd, though, how some of these people died several years ago and are just showing up now.
Like Arlene Wheeler, Vern Jones, Judy Bare, and others.  Strange.  Whoops! I was just told that Vern is still alive and kickin!  Sorry Vern.

Here's a picture Mary posted on Facebook of the Seahawk party she attended at Adelma Beach on Sunday.

Go Hawks!

Am really looking forward to the entertainment on television today.  Please God!  Let us win!

I finished up all the housework I intend to do today.  Washed dishes and cleaned the toilet.  Isn't that interesting?  No?  Well, you're right.  I've got my Pandora Music Channel on the TV set to "shuffle" so I'm hearing a variety of music from Mumford and Sons to Johnny Cash to Roger Williams to Christmas music.  It's lookin' awfully gray out my window and the weatherman was talking about a possibility of snow later on this week.  I hope not.  It's pretty and all but snow gets on my nerves.  Ha ha

I went to a movie downtown last night.  70 years old and I do believe this is the first time EVER that I've gone to a movie by myself.  I really need to get out more.  I saw August: Osage County with Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts.  Both had outstanding performances.  It's not an uplifting movie.  Anything but!  I did find myself laughing out loud several times, however.  In fact, at one scene I kind of got the giggles and had to put a lid on it as I kept chuckling and chuckling ---and I was the only one in the room doing so.  Says something, I suppose, about my sense of humor.

I hate to even type what was said that tickled my funny bone but I will.  Sweet Meryl Streep was having a fight with her husband (this is the opening scene more or less) and she snarls:  You can go F.. a Fu....ing Sow!  I thought...oh my...this is my kind of movie!  Ha Ha

It was an interesting story line with interesting characters.  No matter how dysfunctional you think your own family is from time to time, this particular family wins the prize.  By the time the movie was over, I felt drained and like all the happiness in the world had been sapped out of me.  Now, that's a good movie!  Both actresses are nominated for Oscars this year. Meryl for best actress and Julia for supporting.  Either one could win but I'm suspecting neither one will get it.  Especially when you look over past choices and see how those with voting privileges go.  They often make no sense at all.

I've seen more of the movies this  year than I usually do before the awards show but there are still plenty on my "want to see list."  Nebraska, American Hustle, Philomenia, and Dallas Buyers Club, for example.  I want to see 12 years a Slave (and I'm betting it's going to win best picture) but..... those kind of movies upset me so I'll probably wait until it comes out on video.

I watched The Butler (from Red Box rental) the other night and I found it kind of boring.  I don't like watching movies that show how cruel we were (and still are in some cases) to other people.  Mainly blacks and Native Americans and Asians.  I don't even like westerns that make you wait until the very end of the movie and the bad guy gets his.  History is history, though.  Humans have been mean to other humans from the beginning of time.  I guess that's just the way it is.

Have you ever seen the movie "The Boy in the yellow pajamas"?  That one can kick you in the gut.

Well, I guess I'll go play on my jigsaw for a while.  I'm sitting here looking at the mouse pad Jenni gave me for Christmas.  I sure do like it.  Shows the twins at the ocean trip we took last year.

And here's the latest one Mary put on FB of our newest family member...Jacob.  SOOOOO CUTE!!!

And I can't leave out my first grandbaby...here's Catie in  the early 90's.....

I love being a gramma!  It's the best!