Happy Birthday to my Sister!

Happy Birthday to my sister, Shannon Timbers, over in Sumner. This picture was taken about six years ago at a 40th wedding anniversary for our folks at Discovery View Assisted Living in Port Townsend.

In back: Shannon Timbers, Sue & Mary (my daughters)
In front: Lill Greenwood (my sis-in-law), me and Candy Roffler Smith (another sis-in-law)

Yesterday I was stumbling around like I was ninety years old. Everything hurt and I was cranky. Also very tired. Today, though, I'm rested and perky.  Am walking faster and getting up out of a chair like a normal person.  Amazing what a good nights' sleep will do.  Or maybe it's the adjustment I got from the chiropractor. I went in this morning early.  Anyway, I don't take the good days for granted; am just happy they show up every now and again.

As I started to brew my morning coffee, I saw a couple of fruit flies inside where I dump the water. Talk about grossing me out!  Decided I'd best do something with the brown bananas sitting nearby as I'm sure that's what they were lookin' for. Haven't decided if it's gonna be banana bread or cookies but it's gonna be something--and soon!

Jenni brings Sammy over every morning on her way to work. We have a system where if she drives up and my computer room window blinds are shut, that means I'm still sleeping and she'll put the dog in the back yard.  Usually I'm up but I was very tired yesterday and this morning, I didn't crawl out from under the covers until almost 8 a.m.  I peeked out the blinds and there was Sammy sitting in the sun staring at my window.  I'm sure he was waiting for me to get my act together and retrieve him from the early morning dewy grass.  (he hardly ever has to go straight to the backyard)

An hour later I noticed he threw up three times on my living room carpet.  Just little pukes but enough where I had to spray the carpet cleaner and get it wiped up.  Decided he was going back outside too--especially since the sun was shining and he had a nice bed to snuggle in.  He really had us going yesterday. I had picked up this little toy for him at Swains.

It kind of looks like a dead animal of some sort. Anyhow, the kids threw it to him outside and he took it eagerly. A few minutes later, however,  we couldn't find it. All three of us searched the entire side and back yard. Hunter even crawled under the porch (not an easy task) to see if he had taken it there. It's a large area but all he saw was old nails the house builders dropped, and one tree frog, which he was tempted to grab.

We were stumped.  And I was perterbed because I had laid out $6 for that damn present!  Anyhow, later in the afternoon, I went outside to set the sprinklers and lo and behold, there's Sammy with the toy in his mouth.

I had bought it because his other favorite toy (that blue thing) was almost out of stuffing and was getting more ragged by the day. The new one didn't have stuffing.  He took his new favorite over to my raised flower bed and proceeded to bury it among the petunias.  We laughed our heads off as we knew then exactly where he had hid his toy.  He's got a bone buried in another corner of the yard too and digs it up every once in a while to rebury in another spot.  Kind of like that dog on the Travelers Insurance commerical.  Wonder why they do that anyway?

We cleaned it up a bit and brought it into the house. He was determined to keep it close.

I watched a Netflix movie last night--The Lincoln Lawyer.  I liked it.  Hunter helped me hang a corner shelf earlier in the day. I picked it up at Serenity House for $4 and decided the only corner that would work was one in the bathroom. Hunter arranged my cow collection so I brought in another cow knickknack I had for the back of the toilet.  Yes, this is how I spend my days now--arranging my bathroom with bric-a-brac!

I've been playing Scrabble with three people on Facebook. I avoided all the games for quite a while but Jenni got me playing Scrabble with her and I enjoyed it. Especially since I'm winning. I asked for more people to play with and now I have three games going. Hali Ransom and Vernie Colt are leaving me in the dust with their expertise at the game but that's okay. I'm good at Scrabble and all you need is the right letters. I'll win eventually.  (I think)

Well, I guess I'll do the dog a favor and take him for a walk around the block. Maybe we'll stroll down the alley and get all the neighborhood dogs barking at once.  Am thinking I really need to make the effort to start bike riding again too.  All I need to do is fold it up and drive down to the waterfront trail. Once I get my routine going, it's much easier to stick to it.

Quick pictures of the backyard area

Possibly 1937. A view of the backporch taken from Hopkins' yard

Hopkins kids in garden with Grandpa. I'm on his lap

Hopkins kids (me on lap again) in wagon near the barns. Arlie Blankenship in back.

Grandpa and Les on front porch. Uncle George on left. Goodrich house in background across Kuhn Street

What my grandkids think is funny

I asked Hunter and Maddie to share a couple of their favorite YouTube videos with me so I could post something different on my blog. This is what they thought was funny...

This is Hunter's choice:


And here's Maddie's:


Tee Hee


Looking pretty nice outside this morning. I may clean out the garage a bit--or I may not. We'll see.

Take a peek at my latest Leader blog post if you get a chance. I finally figured out what my password was yesterday, thanks to Sara down at their office in P.T.

http://www.ptleader.com/
click on blogs at top
scroll to TOWN KID
click on 'Kuhn Street & The Swamp Road'

Found an interesting movie on the Canadian station called 'One Week'.  Every once in a while, I'll come across something I haven't seen and that doesn't make me gag.

I had taped 'Breaking Bad' on the AMC channel on Sunday night and watched it yesterday. They're finally starting to pick up the pace a bit but I read in a magazine yesterday that the show is ending.  How odd.  I know it had good ratings.  I suppose you can only kill so many druggies and after a while, it gets dull.

Now what am I gonna watch?  The list of 'Dancing with the Stars' participants sure looks like an odd mixture of oddballs.  Nancy Grace? Chaz?  Oh well, I'll watch it and I guess that's what it's all about.

I got my oil changed yesterday and the radiator flushed.  Normally, I don't accept any of the little "extras" they try to sell you but I don't think I've ever  had the radiator flushed and since my little dashboard light hasn't been coming on, I thought I might as well do whatever maintenance I can afford.  My oil was supposed to have been changed in March or June of 2010 so I was way overdue on that job. Shame on me!

Hunter has to go to the doctor at 10 so Jenni is meeting me there. They'll examine his cast, I suppose, but mainly he has to have a physical and get three shots. Maddie has to be weighed too as she's underweight and they want her to eat more.

The Last Week of August

Not too much on the agenda today. I did what household chores needed doing yesterday. Sammy is outside making sure no one walks down the public alley without him letting them know he's aware of their presence.  All the dogs in the alley do it so you ALWAYS know when someone is afoot or on a bike.  It's a noisy disturbance most of the time and  just another irritant in my list of things that annoy.

Gotta make my second phone call to the courthouse after 5 pm to see if I'm needed for jury duty. Group 1 & 3 had to report today and Group 2 (me) has to call to see if another trial is scheduled. There was a time (a long period of time) when I anxiously awaited a jury summons because I wanted to serve. Seldom did they come. Now, well....I've kinda  lost interest.

On my drive over to Bainbridge Island ferry on Saturday, one of my engine lights on the dashboard came on. If there's anything that sends me into a tailspin, it's having a red light showing on my dash when I'm out of the county.  The manual said: See your dealer immediately.  When we came back from our trip to Renton, the light was off for the drive home. I figure I'd better check into it, though.

I'm getting the oil changed today and if the light reappears, I'll go to a mechanic and see if he can figure out what the problem is. I think sometimes those lights just appear for no reason.  At least that's what I'm telling myself.

I plan to post my second story on my Leader blog today. http://www.ptleader.com/   (TOWN KID) I tried several times yesterday but it kept rejecting my password so hopefully that will be resolved soon.  It's called The Kuhn House & The Swamp Road.

I started a new book last night but fatigue set in before I got too far.  'A Game of Thrones' by George R.R. Martin.  The prologue held my interest immediately so I have high hopes for the 1000+ page novel.  And there are sequels too.

Soccer practice starts for the twins today. I guess Hunter is going even with a broken arm. Only drawback is that each kid goes to a field miles apart. Oh well, that's what grammas are for. It's not like I have anything else going on.

Well, I'm getting sleepy sitting here so guess I'll get up and get moving. Got some quilt squares to sew together and that's a good start.   Think I'll hop on my bike first, though. I'm way overdue in using it.

Party in Renton today

 Hundreds of walk-ons on the ferry going to the Sounders game this morning.  At one point as we were waiting to board and there was only one short bench near the wait area we were in, I decided I needed to sit down. There was just enough room for my butt between these two young good looking studs.  I settled in and told the one on my left:

"Sorry....this is the day you have to sit by an old fat lady."

He looks at me and grins, and says: "Well, at least you don't stink!."  ....  tee hee

Catie picked us up and we crawled through a ton of traffic to get to Renton. Sure don't miss living on that side of the water.

The menu was wonderful.  Grilled vegetables, tossed salad, cole slaw, baked beans (my favorite), pulled pork mini sandwiches with a special sauce, chips with salsa and guacamole dip, grilled figs and cheese wrapped in bacon, grilled shrimp on skewer sticks, garlic bread, a special fruit torte dessert, fancy cupcakes, and apple pie. Maddie made up the fruit torte.

The kids' cousin, Keith Sawka, showed up for a while too. It was so nice to see him again.

Here's a shot of six of the guys and then the group shot I made everybody pose for. Would have been a lot better picture had I just taken it and stayed out of it altogether.

I didn't get home until 9:15. Sooooo tired.  But Sammy was in the backyard and happy to see me. I'm off to bed now. Tomorrow I'll hang out around the house, and then call to see if I have jury duty. I hope not. I'm not in the mood right now.

LOOK AT THIS!

My cousins and uncles have been known to catch a fish or two in their time. Here's Lee Arey with his latest......

Thursday morning

Just finished setting up sprinklers in the front and back yard. Noticed that the areas I was watering (near my new grass) was much greener than the rest of the area and figured I'd best try to water more frequently.

I did manage to get the front and back lawns mowed yesterday. I was near collapse afterwards but once I showered and rested for a while, I was darn pleased with myself.  I'm noticing more and more these days that I have to pay special attention to where and how I walk.  More than once I've tripped on the hose outside and had intense pains shooting through my knees as I tried to catch myself.

I know falling is something older people worry about and I suspect as clumsy as I am when I'm tired that a fall is probably going to be an event in my dreary life sooner or later. How's that for a pessimistic outlook? Ha!  Oh well, I call 'em how I see 'em.

I got a few quilt squares cut out yesterday, a load of laundry washed, and my next blog post for the Leader edited. I'll probably submit it next week sometime.  Think I'll start a couple of apple pies today.  At least the crust fixings so it will be ready to roll out tomorrow.  I'm picking up my sister-in-law, my niece, and sister for a drive to Bainbridge Island where we'll park to walk on the ferry.  Then my granddaughter, Catie, will pick us up for the final leg over to Mary and Andy's house in Renton. 

We'll be celebrating my son, Joe's 40th birthday and from the sound of the menu it's going to be a good feed.  Jenni, Wayne, and the twins may go as well. They were planning on going camping but I'm not sure that's still in the works.  Also attending will be my ex, his wife, her daughter and twins and Joe's girl friend. (who I haven't met yet)  Good picture opportunity, that's for sure.

The neighbors have out-of-town relatives visiting and Sammy is beside himself barking out the window whenever he sees people.  No matter how much I get after him to stop, he just can't break the habit. I finally moved the convenient window bench I had set up for him (don't know why I didn't do it sooner) but since he can stand on two legs quite easily, he still keeps an eye on things.

Gotta go move the sprinklers now. I may write more later.

What goes around.....

This video from Bill Brown was in my email box this morning (after I sent out a slide show I liked on birds making nests). I thought it was worth sharing. It never fails to amaze me how corruption continues to flourish everywhere--and we allow it!  But then, what exactly are we supposed to do?  Sharing it in emails or on blogs may or may not make a difference but stilll..... something needs to happen.



Bill Koepke sent me this in another email and it was also food for thought...

General Electric is planning to move its 115-year-old X-ray division from Waukesha , Wis. , to Beijing . In addition to moving the headquarters, the company will invest $2 billion in China and train more than 65 engineers and create six research centers. This is the same GE that made $5.1 billion in the United States last year, but paid no taxes-the same company that employs more people overseas than it does in the United States .
So let me get this straight. President Obama appointed GE Chairman Jeff Immelt to head his commission on job creation (job czar). Immelt is supposed to help create jobs.
I guess the President forgot to tell him in which country he was supposed to be creating those jobs. If this doesn't show you the total lack of leadership of this President, I don't know what does.


A few days ago I thought taking iboprofen might have been contributing to my tinnitis. Well, I guess not.  The buzzing continues and I haven't taken any pills! I suppose I should have known that was too easy of a fix.

Speaking of fixes, I did break down and make a chiropractor appointment yesterday.  I found myself fighting off depression because I had no motivation to work on any projects. Interesting how you can get into a chiropractor immediately and doctors often have a 3-week wait. But I won't go down that road today. Anyhow, he said I was really out of whack.  I told him everyone already knows that.  Ha!   His records showed I hadn't been in for a year. Funny how time slips away.  I'm going back on Friday for a second adjustment.  Sciatica is still here but then I didn't expect it to go away in minutes.

I've been thinking perhaps I needed a new chair.  My recliner is not overly soft but I had heard that they sometimes aren't good for backs.  I was playing with the idea of getting me a straight back rocker and then using a footstool.  (Yes I know this is totally boring but this is my life, after all)

Last night I realized that my recliner IS A ROCKER!  Just another reminder that I'm losing my memory.  I put a pillow behind my low back and made myself a footrest out of a step stool and a pillow.  I may look around Serenity House and see if I can't locate a nice footrest.  Gotta try little changes here and there to see if I can't help my body adjust to growing older.

I was dozing in my recliner yesterday afternoon and I must have dropped off and started snoring.  I heard a giggle and opened my eyes to see Maddie standing over me grinning from ear to ear.  She apparently thought it was so funny she went to get Hunter and he was standing nearby watching me too.  She started laughing and I said:  "What's so funny? Was I snoring?"
She said "Yeah!"

It took me back in time almost 60 years. I remember my grandpa sleeping in his rocker in the kitchen and trying to catch a few winks.  Being the brats that we were, we'd take a feather and tickle him under his nose or get up close and stare at his nose hair blowing as he exhaled. He'd wake up and cuss us out.  We'd laugh and run outside thinking his snoring was funny.  Ironic how kids find the same things entertaining decades apart.

I picked up a  small $10 TV set at Serenity House yesterday so I'd have one in the guest room. (Didn't realize I had a cable outlet in there) Anyhow, Hunter hooks it up for me and the color is bright and clear.  Only problem was, the channels only went through 36.  Can't return the set, of course, but does anyone know how to get channels 37-66?  If not, I'll just have half a selection in that room.

Nothing much on my agenda today. Kids are at their other gramma's house so it's just me and Sammy. I'm playing with the idea of trying to start the mower and see if I can't get the backyard cut.  Depends on how hard the mower is to start.  Hunter said he was sure he could mow it tomorrow, even with his broken arm, if I could get it started.  We'll see. Maybe I'll just cut the front. It's a lot smaller area.  In fact the more I think about it, the more I think I'd best get on that project now before it gets too hot.

And here's something to get your day moving...

If I was in charge of things....

I turned on the tv as soon as I got up  to have it running in the background while I worked on morning chores.  Didn't take long for me to pick up the remote and start surfing. Like that was gonna do any good.  If I had my way, (and I don't know why somebody hasn't thought of this), I'd broadcast a channel JUST FOR US OLDER FOLKS.

It makes perfect sense.  This channel would not advertise drugs that need a few hundred words afterwards discussing everything that could happen to you if you took them. They'd also tell you  upfront exactly what these miracle drugs would cost.  For those of us who don't have drug coverage on our medical, we don't need our time wasted on pills we can't afford.

Our news topics wouldn't cover fancy wancy weddings of reality stars who we have NO INTEREST IN AT ALL!  These "news shows" also wouldn't inform us about raising babies and toddlers or dealing with teens. We might report on the latest woman missing but we wouldn't repeat the same story over and over for weeks, giving the slime ball air time who is suspected.

We wouldn't have to hear about the latest findings on products we've used all our lives and how they "think" they might be bad for our health today.  There would be no shows covering misfits who can't clean up their house, be kind to their pets, get along with their neighbors, or who are trying to get off drugs or alcohol.

My station wouldn't go into prisons to give tattooed bullies air time and discuss how nothing is their fault.  Television or movie celebrities behaving like spoiled children would be given zero air time.  And we definitely wouldn't waste our time on those younger folks blessed with good looks but deprived of good manners or common sense.

We wouldn't waste viewers time by telling them the secret to losing weight is to eat less and exercise more.  And we definitely wouldn't immediately show people walking around on the sidewalk with their bellies or butts waddling around in tight clothes. We would probably let blowhard phoney baloney politicians strut around and talk too much...but only so we could use the mute button or turn them off altogether after cussing them out a little bit.

We might have a show now and then that had violence or even bad language but we wouldn't get carried away with gore and these shows would be done in good taste.  I know that sounds nuts but I do love mafia movies, Breaking Bad, Sons of Anarchy, and Dexter, among others.

What would my station show to bring in older viewers?  Our soap operas would center around seniors and their problems in life.  They wouldn't be having sex with the neighbors or strangers, of course, but they'd discuss sex among themselves now and then. They'd worry about health issues and finding a doctor who cared, and the price of food and insurance.

Movies would be GOOD MOVIES.  A lot of classics and movies that don't show up every other month and repeat over and over again. Heaven knows there are thousands of movies out there to choose from.

We'd have fun game shows and interesting talk shows without the host trying to be just as cute as he or she can be.

Our how-to programs would help us make minor repairs and talk in simple language when our computer was acting up and what we needed to do about it. 

We'd have animal shows where vets would give us tips on the care of our dogs, cats, birds, fish, or whatever else we want to know about.

We'd have health related shows and talk about "real subjects" that interest us and that we care about.

We'd report on the stars of yesterday that are still around and aren't trying to act like they're 39 years old.

Our travel shows will follow seniors on cruise ships and talk about reasonable motels and which cities are senior friendly.

Our cooking shows will give tips on easy and fast dishes to make where we don't have to invest hundreds in fancy food we'd never buy anyhow.

Our music shows would feature old time rock and roll, ballroom dancing, newer groups that aren't too loud and outrageous, and singers of yesterday that can still belt out a song.

Our religious shows will feature all religions and visit churches across the country and discuss what the various town churches do for the locals. 

Our shopping shows would feature products seniors could use and afford and would encourage people to team up together to save money on shipping charges. 

We'd also have a show where singles could connect--if even just through phone, letters, or emails.

Our talk shows would discuss favorite books, movies, stars, food, health, places to visit, concerns over housing, and dealing with death and/or nursing homes.

Stuff like this.......



Yeah, I really need to be in charge.

I love Google

I use Google on a daily basis. I think anyone who uses a computer has discovered the magic of Google.  I've found it especially helpful dealing with health issues.  For the last few days I've been limping and moaning with the sciatica pain that shows up every now and again. I'm getting down on the floor today (not an easy feat) and will work on some stretching exercises that I think have helped in the past.

I've been sitting here at my computer for the last hour working on a NY Times crossword puzzle I'm determined to solve.   I could look up the answers, I suppose, but using Google I'm forced to study a little harder.  I just noticed my tinnitis kicked in and my ears are a buzzing to beat the band.  I haven't been bothered as much lately and my first thought was.....OK...what's different?  What have I done in the past hour that might have caused this ear ringing to commence?   It was like a lightbulb coming on.

 I went to Google and typed in:  "Can tinnitis be aggravated by taking iboprofen?" There was quite a bit of feedback to that question.   I learned that a small percentage of people can have tinnitis start by taking even a low dose. I wonder...... Needless to say, I'm staying off that pill for a while to see what happens.  What's discouraging, however, is that iboprofen seemed to work better for my pain than tylenol.  We'll see.....

Since the sciatica and the metatarsalgia ailment were causing me a lot of grief, I pretty much took it easy all day Saturday.  Even sat on the back porch and soaked up sun.  I must admit it did feel good to let that heat beat down on my body.

I started sorting and filing photographs on my computer.  Probably spent over an hour  on that and will begin again today.  I pulled out my material bins thinking I wanted to start another sewing project but the house got hotter as the day progressed and my energy level dipped.  For whatever reason (probably because of my OCD) I then got it in my my head that I just HAD to rearrange the living room.  I was ready to collapse after that but I got corners vacuumed and the room picked up and tidy.

I pulled a large box of music cassettes out of the back closet this morning and am playing them in my tape deck as I sit here now.  Makes me get up and move more frequently than I would otherwise. Not to mention I'm getting to listen to a lot of music I never hear anymore.  Good stuff too.  I'm still thinking about looking around for one of those machines that turns your cassette music into CDs.

One thing my grandkids and I enjoy together is music.  I'm always amazed at how both of them love and know the words to music that was popular in their folks or even grandparent's time. I'm discovering all kinds of artists I never gave much attention to during my "very long country only" period of life.  This one, for example, came on the radio while we were in the car. Hunter knew who it was but I didn't.  I liked it enough to order it on Itunes.  David Bowie's 'Jean Genie' from 1967.



Speaking of Hunter in the car....last week as Hunter sat in the back seat, he was arguing with his sister about something or another and his voice transported me back to the 1950's when I used to watch Ricky Nelson on The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet.  Ricky's voice as a youngster was unique and very cute.  Hunter sounded EXACTLY like him and it made me chuckle.  I said:  "Ohhhhh...it's like I've got Ricky Nelson in my car!"

I've noticed an ever so slight change in Hunter's voice but I guess that's to be expected as he goes into puberty.  He'll be disgusted with me for even talking about this but I told him my grandkids are always gonna be part of my blog.

Had an interesting Friday night around here. I was just dropping off to sleep and heard voices that I felt were awfully close to my window. I peeked out the window and saw half a dozen teens enter the gate of the deserted house next door and head for the backporch.  I got up and went outside and saw them close the curtains on the second floor and turn out the lights.

I'd seen the teenage daughter of the woman who used to live there at the house earlier in the day and my first thought was she was probably having a party.  If the boys had kept their mouths shut until they got inside, I'd never had known they were there.  And if they had kept the lights on, I would have assumed the daughter had permission to entertain there.  Once the lights went out, however, I figured monkey business was in process so I called the cops.

Apparently, none had permission to enter as several cop cars arrived and kids were being interviewed in separate corners of the backyard for the next hour.  I know this because I had to peek out the window the whole time afraid I was going to miss something.  ha ha

Just looked over the tv lineup for Sunday and as usual, next to nothing to get excited about. I did put in a tape to record Breaking Bad at 10 pm tonight but the last two or three episodes of this new season haven't amounted to much. They'd better get their act together soon or I'm going to add them to my list of "not bothering anymore."  That'll show 'em!

Happy Birthday yesterday to my cousin, Marlee Morin, in Gig Harbor....

Gift Basket Surprises

I don't usually win raffles even though I enter every one I ever come across. I hit it this time, though, when I bought $5 worth of tickets at the alumni booth at the fair instead of my usual $1. I think the gift basket our alumni association gives out is probably the best prize at the fair.  You wouldn't believe what was in there....

haircut at Jacqueline’s Hairstyling

2 passes Uptown Theatre

$25 flower arrangement or plant at Safeway
$20 worth of food at PennySaver Deli
$20 meal at Roadhouse
banana split at Don’s Pharmacy fountain
$25 gift certificate for Hilltop Tavern
a dozen bagels from Metro Bagels
wicker laundry basket
elect. cork screw
food timer
bath set of soaps,
Red door perfume
embroidered dishtowel
a set of little glasses
photo CD of alumni
Wood vase from Joe Guiher
a second wood vase from unknown
alumni t-shirt
Redskin blanket
jello molds
safari hat
round of golf from golf club
meal at golf house
2 Tom Camfield books
Norman Rockwell book
note cards

There's probably a law against it (there are laws against everything these days) but privately, I intend to encourage people to ask me to buy them a ticket for next years' drawing. I'm totally honest and I think people who know me know that.  Would be a good way to generate more money for the scholarship fund.  Not everyone can get to the fair.
 
I've shared the basket with several people already and will share with several more.  One of the cute things I kept was this salt and pepper shaker. They have magnets on the lips.

I posed with the basket in the casino parking lot as Ruth delivered it to me this afternoon.  None of us knew what was in there for sure so I unpacked it in my trunk to take a look.  I later took another photo when I got home.

We had a nice lunch at the buffet and listened to stories about Mary's trip to Africa.  She told us, among other things, that the way you can tell the sex of a giraffe is that while they all have horns, the females have hair on their horns.  Joanne Gilles says:  "Oh, I thought you could tell my what they had on."   She's so silly.  hee hee
 
Liz O'Brien Hausler (Betty Hayes) was there with her wedding album too and told us about her wedding in Alaska. I borrowed the picture of her cake top as I thought it was terrific.

Here we are posing for our group picture.

Mary and I left before 1 and I decided on the way home to stop and get a quick haircut. Here's my cartoon face and my real face.

 

A friend of Jenni's brought the twins home from the fair a little early so I'm glad I didn't dawdle. Poor Hunter threw up while there and ended up laying on my bed until his mom arrived at 6:30. I just hate it when he's sick and not talking.  I assume it's a flu bug of some kind.

Well, dinner and dishes are done and I even put fresh hummingbird nectar outside. Tomorrow I intend to kick back and take it easy.  Will wait and see what I feel like doing.  Maybe some sewing, but if not, perhaps a jigsaw puzzle, videos, or reading.  A Netflix movie arrived this afternoon and while I've seen it a couple times before, I'll watch it again as I always liked it....Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore.

Maybe I'll start work on my second blog posting for 'Town Kid.' I hope to submit one a week.

Went to the fair--again

Mary and I went to the Clallam County Fair at noontime today.  I wore a heavy sweatshirt as it was a tad chilly in my backyard.  One of the more dumber things I've done. I was cooking like Julia Child while skinny little teenagers in short shorts strutted around making me feel old.

Like the Jeff Co Fair, I noticed a whole lot of older folks with wheelchairs, walkers, canes, and crutches.  Many were sitting down so I fit right in.  My foot wasn't bothering me much at all but my sciatica sure was.  We browsed the exhibits and then sat down to have some fish and chips. 

I think the exhibits were down a bit.  Perhaps the judging of ribbons had something to do with it. I saw next to no ribbons in the photography section and the quilts (like PT) gave few blues WHEN THEY REALLY SHOULD GIVE A BLUE TO EVERYONE!  My favorite quilt was one with old ladies hankies worked into the design 3-D fashion for the women's skirts.  My favorite artsy craft was this round tray that had miscellaneous doodads glued to it-- Odd stuff like keys, pencil sharpener, tiny bric-a-brac, etc.  Saw a sign saying no cell phone cameras, no cameras, no camcorders allowed. 

I entered one quilt raffle (saw few raffles) and saw few giveaways. Lots of food venders, and other merchandise venders and lots of carnival rides and games.  We never made it to even one animal barn.  I only took two pictures and one video.  We didn't stay too long as it was getting hot and we were ready for home.  Tomorrow we'll hit the casino for lunch and a little gambling.

Otherwise, I think I'll kick back and take it easy. Got a jigsaw puzzle in the works and lots of books to read and videos to watch.

P.S.  Later in the afternoon.....

Just posted my first piece for my new blog on the PT Leader website.
http://www.ptleader.com/
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scroll down to TOWN KID
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Kids with Guns, JP Patches, and a new Blog

Every once in a while I'll enter the KOMO Channel 4 news trivia contest to see if I can get it right. I don't think I have yet. While on my way to their link, I saw this story about JP Patches retiring for good.  For those not from around here, he was Seattle's biggest celebrity for several years. He had a kids' show from 1958-1981 (my kids all watched him) and my oldest went to get an autograph last year when he was appearing somewhere.  I have a couple photographs of him and Gertrude with Mary and Sue when they were little.  Surprised me to see how he looks in real life now. Interesting video....



Oh man, it smells good in here right now.  I came across a yeast package that expired in Jul '10 but I just had to see if it was still good so I made up some homemade cinnamon rolls. They look just fine to me and I can hardly wait to dig in.

Mary Norton and I have decided to take in the Clallam County Fair tomorrow morning. I'm hoping if I use a walking stick, I can get around a little better than I did at the Jefferson County Fair.  I've tried various shoes, pads, and inserts to see if I can't land on something comfy. I think I've got it beat and then it flares up again. I even got out my old "boot" but that was so NOT fun, I threw it back out in the garage.

Before the kids came home from visiting their aunt and uncle, they made a Toys R Us stop. Hunter picked up this soft dart gun and him and Maddie spent the better part of the afternoon shooting at targets and each other.  At one point, Maddie took a break to get back on the computer so Hunter decided to shoot a dart up into my very tall skylight. 

Uh oh.....I hear.  He's determined to retrieve his dart, however, so he goes to get another gun that shoots a different kind of dart.  These don't stick.  Here he is loading up, aiming, and then climbing up on my step stool with the patio umbrella when the gun wouldn't work.

Maddie's been wanting to use my new Spiffer mop ever since I bought it at the neighbor's yard sale.  We picked up the replacement pads and today she got her wish. She thought it was "cool."

My cousin, Marlee, who lives in Gig Harbor, sent me some photos she took while walking across the Narrows Bridge with friends.

And in case I forget...HAPPY BIRTHDAY ON SATURDAY COUS!

My brother who has GENETIC LINK BICYCLES in Port Hadlock has a couple of ads running in the Port Townsend Leader this week.  Look in the classifieds  under For Sale.  I think a picture is also shown in the ONLINE edition.

Everytime I go into his shop, my eyes are drawn to this pretty pink bike.  If I didn't already have my fold-up, I'd consider getting this beauty.  I love it!

And speaking of the Leader, I signed up for a new blog today. I've been running low on topics for my "Be True to your School" blog and thought I'd go in a different direction.  I wrote over 55,000 words for the school blog and may try to edit it down for a book.  My new blog, which I'll post as soon as I get this picture I requested, will be called 'TOWN KID'.

I'll have an endless supply of material to play around with as I write about living in Port Townsend from the late 20's to today.  My grandfather moved his family here in 1928 so my dad attended the same high school I did and I retired from the same factory him and my grandpa did.  Since most of his siblings stayed in Port Townsend as well, I played with all my cousins growing up.  Something kids today don't always have the pleasure of.

The Leader ran columns now and then called "You know you're a local if...." and those were really fun to read.  My posts will probably refer to my own family data for the most part. I've been trying to write a family history but it's slow going at times. I've only written a little over 1200 words and I edit it every morning.  Sometimes just sitting down to rattle off a few lines on the computer helps jog your memory bank and memories float to the surface that you had forgotten.  Maddie took a picture of me this morning while I was busy "at work."

Well, off to the living room.  Those cinnamon rolls are calling my name. I got a movie from Netflix to stick in the DVD player too.  Good times.

Sorry about that...

I should know better than to sit down and blog when I'm aching from head to toe. Nobody wants to hear about my pathetic body pains.....and I know it!  But does that stop me?  Nope.

Anyhow, I returned to the back yard because the half-off flowers I bought at Walmart were closer to death than life and I knew I needed to get them in the dirt with some fertilizer and water.  I don't know what I would do without my trusty ole camp stool to sit on for garden chores.
I worked away with the bees a buzzin' all around.  If the kids came out, I promptly put them to work retrieving this or watering that.

I finally got all the petunias planted in pots and the raised flower bed and put everything away so I could turn on the sprinkler.  Tomorrow I intend to RELAX!!!  I'm taping a couple of Joanne Woodward movies on TCM tonight so perhaps I'll sit and watch them and work on my cross stitch.

Here's my before and after....

And here's a video I've posted more than once just because I love it so much. Apparently a lot of people love it because it's been viewed over 34 million times.



And here a quick little news story I came across on Stan Boreson and Sheriff Tex. I used to watch both these guys all the time.  I can't remember now what Sheriff Tex's show offered.  Westerns?  I forget.

Sunny summer day

I wonder if I need to make a chiropractor appt.  I decided to do a little yard work this morning and it didn't take long before I was stumbling around like someone who is 87 years old.  I made a point of taking things easy and not overextending myself.  I needed to move some pots from the front yard to the back, pull some weeds, water, and vacuum out the car. 

I moved the pots one at a time using the wheelbarrow and I felt all the little chores I was attending to were minor.  I told Maddie I would walk halfway to her house to meet her this morning as she doesn't like going through the woods.  Hunter and I put Sammy on a leash and I may have walked a whole block or two.  I even used two walking sticks. I barely made it home and was walking so slow, you'd swear I had just got out of the hospital or something.

Since my neck and upper arms hurt along with my legs, low back, and hips, I figure I either need an adjustment or the sciatica is screwing me up.  I KNOW I didn't do THAT much to cause this more discomfort.  It's really starting to irritate me as I have a lot more on my list that needs tending to!  I took three iboprofen and they didn't seem to have any effect.

As I made a quick grocery list, I managed  to come up with more things I needed than I thought so I decided to make a Walmart run.  Not a good idea when my body is in rebellion mode.  We stopped at the bank so the kids could get money, stopped at the bread store, and then made our way to WM. 

I told the kids I was thinking of riding around in one of those motorized carts because it was hurting to walk today.  Hunter said:  "Please don't."  I guess he thought having a granny in a riding cart was too embarrassing.  So I walked.  When we got to checkout, my cart was high with purchases. (I'd bought three things not on my list)  As usual, there were too few checkers and every line seemed to be people like me with lots to buy.

One clerk (captain of the day I guess) would walk up and down waiting for the checkers to need her.  The woman behind me wanted a pack of cigarettes only and the "captain" told her Line 16 was the ONLY line she could buy them in.  (This is where I was and I was already behind two people with a ton of purchases)  The captain said "Sorry about that," and the smoker said "oh, that's alright."  And Joyce said:  "No.  That isn't alright.  Where's the customer service in this store anyway?"

That comment bonded me and the smoker, of course, and we proceeded to vent to each other about how Walmart was a friendlier place to shop when they were smaller and how we try to avoid the place as much as possible now.  I told her I end up bonding with somebody in line everytime I go to Walmart and that she should check out the videos on YouTube of Walmart rants as there are a ton of them from all over the US.

I let the smoker go ahead of me, of course, and then the checker had a problem with her machine and "the Captain" had to come and do her magic with keys and such.  What made us both even madder was that "the Captain" wouldn't take a minute to sell her a pack of smokes YET....another guy came by (notice I said GUY) and she said:  Come on over here, I'll help you and she opens up a register for him.  Then she closes it again.  The smoker and I looked at each other and just fumed.

The strange thing is....I was in Sequim Walmart last week and the floor clerks were all over themselves being helpful.  I was asked by two different people if I needed assistance finding something and they were ready to take me there.  This will change, though, I'm afraid. Sequim is in the process of building a super Walmart now and once they're done, I suspect all customer service will fly right out the window.

I've made a habit out of trying to find what I need at thrift stores first or Swains.  Safeway and Albertsons aren't my favorite stores in the world either but sometimes you just have to bite the bullet.

Here's a picture of Sammy dozing on the back porch. See how good my grass is coming in.  The second shot is a close-up.  He's such a cutie pie.

Well, I guess I've ranted enough for now. I'm heading back outside to try and transplant some flowers into pots. I'll use my camp stool to sit down. One way or another, I'm going to finish my list!

On the road

Drove over to the Hilltop gas station on the other side of the Hood Canal Bridge to pick up the twins.  They had a fun-filled four days at their Uncle Andy and Aunt Mary's house.  Spent 5 hours at the Woodland Park Zoo, went to the Cougar Mt. zoo, saw a movie, shopped Toys R Us, and went school clothes shopping.  The kids had birthday gift cards to shop with as well so my trunk was loaded up with packages.

I stopped at Wild Birds in Gardiner on the way home so Maddie could use the restroom. Hunter wanted to stay in the car and asked me to lock the doors.  I went into the gift shop to browse (big mistake) and when I came out, my car alarm was blaring. He tried to unlock the doors for Maddie but didn't do it correctly, apparently.  Expensive potty break stop for me because I was in a shopping mood. Bought two wind thingies.  The first one is brass cups that chime in the wind and sound even cooler when raindrops hit them.  I've always enjoyed the rainbow whirly gigs so was pleased to see them on sale.

I stopped at the local grocery store in my neighborhood that has a post office sub station. I sure wish they could figure out the correct price for mailing stuff.  A few weeks ago I mailed 20 reunion disks and she charged me over a dollar a piece.  Today, she decided the price was 64 cents. Same packaging.  I asked her why she charged me more last time and she seemed confused.  Thought maybe her scale was off.  Yeah, right.

I decided to stop in Sequim on the way home as I wanted to look over the new Ross clothing store and Grocery Outlook next door.  Wasn't all that impressed with either.  Ross had a lot of open space so I guess they'll fill up as time goes on.  I was sitting up front waiting for Maddie to finish looking at their jeans selection and noticed that every employee who left had to open their purse and/or sack so the security guy could look inside.

I asked him why that was necessary and he said Ross had over a thousand stores and it was store policy.  I don't think I'd be all that excited about having an employer who wanted to look in my purse everytime I left the store when my shift ended.  Granted they've probably had a lot of theft to deal with but still.....

Grocery Outlook kind of reminded me of the Dollar Store.  I suppose their prices did appear a little cheaper but their aisles were too narrow to navigate the too large carts.  I hate that.  I started to buy three ears of corn as they were cheaper than Safeway but when I picked up one, it felt like it had been frozen.  I decided I'd pass on corn today.

I just saw a kid about 11 or so go by on roller blades. He was having so much fun and seemed really happy.  Following behind was his dad in a motorized cart giving directions and cheering him on.  The dad didn't look that old and somehow the whole scene kind of made me sad.  I sensed that the dad wanted to be on skates too but couldn't.

I stopped at Penneys and picked up a set of sheets that were on sale for half off.  Hunter wanted to go look at the shirts and shoes to see how much money he saved buying stuff on the Seattle side.  Made me laugh.   They're both excited about the fair starting this week. Maddie will work the Camp Fire booth and Hunter will probably hang out there as well. Jenni is judging in the arts and crafts department.  I haven't made up my mind yet if I'll go. 

I woke up at 4 a.m. and thought for a while I was going to have to get up. I stayed put, though, and eventually fell asleep for another couple of hours.  Weird dreams as usual. This one had Ray Merritt in it among other people.  Sure is hard to believe the kids go back to school in a couple of weeks.  I think they're both looking forward to it, though.  Being sixth graders at elementary school is kind of like being a senior in high school.

Hunter had to go to an orthopedic surgeon this afternoon to get his cast on. They told him no carnival rides this week. The cast has to be sawed off when it's time.

This doesn't usually happen

I went to a movie last week (Rise of the Planet of the Apes). Enjoyed it.  Went again this afternoon to see 'The Help'. Loved it!  A lot of the time I 'm disappointed after leaving theatres and think...."hmmmm...I probably could have done better."  'The Help' definitely deserves an Oscar nomination--and a win in my opinion.  Really good flick. 

When I got to the movie house, there was a long line of people outside. Luckily, Mary Norton beat me there and she was 3rd  from the front so I got to go to the head of the line.  Deer Park Theatre people don't have their act together as far as organizing crowds so it was a heck of a mess trying to find the end of the line inside the lobby as people were trying to exit and buy popcorn.  They also didn't let folks know that certain movies were seating people and it wasn't necessary to get in the line.  I think I'll give them a call or write them a note. Somebody needs to do a better job.

Anyhow, our movie was about 3/4 full but we got nice seats and could see very well.  At one point, we saw two very old ladies trying to decide if they wanted to climb over four people to get to some center seats by me.  I got up and moved over two so they could sit where me and Mary were.  I think one was half blind and the other half deaf by the way they couldn't figure out where to sit.  One lady said:  "Where are you Emma? I can't find you."  (she was standing right next to her)  Mary told me later the woman next to her had her hearing aid turned on real high and she kept hearing this buzzing sound.

Walking out to the cars afterwards, I heard this guy complain to his wife: You just don't know how uncomfortable it is to have people on either side of you eating popcorn.  It was noisy and it smelled!  Always interesting to see how older audiences react in movies.  I'm  watching to see if everyone has as hard a time getting up to walk as I do, and I was pretty sure there was going to be applause.  (And there was)  A few sat there because they wanted to read the credits.

I could have gone in there blindfolded and know that it was older folks watching the movie just by the audio reactions I heard.  Especially when the blacks were verbally mistreated or the children or wives were not treated well.  You could hear the murmurs of disapproval and almost make out "tsk tsks".  And they laughed out loud  at a lot of the funny stuff too.  I often smile or chuckle a bit but I don't usually laugh out loud too much.  Usually when I do laugh loud, I'm the only one laughing. (What's that tell 'ya?)  Like today....I think I laughed out loud when this lady puked.  I guess that's what amuses me.

I decided to stop at Safeway on the way home to pick up Chinese for dinner. Bought two little boxes of chow mein and sweet and sour chicken and reheated broccoli in the fridge. Only ate half of it so now I've got tomorrow's supper as well.

Ruth called me while I was driving and said I won one of the gift baskets at the alumni booth. Boy, was I surprised!  I usually only buy one ticket every year but this time they had two baskets so I spent $5 on tickets.  I don't know what's all in there but I'll find out this Friday when I meet the girls at the casino for lunch.  I'll probably use a lot of the stuff for Christmas presents.

If you go to the Leader website, you can click on some YouTube videos of the fair.  Interesting to see.  One shot especially was taken from the grandstands and did a sweeping view. There sure was a lot of the fair I didn't see again this year.  Disappointing to me as I would have liked to wandered around and browsed every corner of the place.  Hopefully, next year I'll be in better shape.  Yeah, like that's gonna happen.

Well,  gotta go wash a few dishes and  get my jammies on. Intend to watch a video I checked out of the library.  Looked over the Sunday night lineup and couldn't find one thing of interest.  I am taping Breaking Bad but it's on at 10 pm and I'll be in bed by that time.

Quiet Saturday at home

I've pretty much laid low today. Did make a quick Safeway and library run, though. Kind of interesting driving around in the early hours as you have the streets to yourself  and can take time to look at things.  I should have pulled out my camera phone to take a picture of the Safeway aisles I was walking down.  Most were lined with boxes as the floor workers did their shelf-stocking chores.

I found 8 VHS movies at the library to buy. Only 50 cents a piece and most I hadn't seen. I fed the neighbor's cats and then came home to do a few household chores like laundry, new sheets on the bed, and dishes.

My next writing project is still stop and go and start again. I imagine I'll jump from one thing to another before I settle in with the road I want to take.  I started writing about my childhood neighborhoods and that led me to research various topics that popped into my head. Decided I wanted to read up a little bit on Joe Kuhn, the guy my childhood street was named after.

Surfing on the computer can make the day pass quickly as you never know where the next click is going to take you.  I came across some interesting pictures and then realized they were in a Jefferson County Historical Society book I had on my book shelf.  This one, for example, shows Lawrence Street several years ago. I posted one of my pictures below it.

I just love seeing the way places change over the years.
One of my facebook friends (Lois Venarchick) posted a picture her son, Jake, took when he climbed up "The Rock" in Chimacum.  I just loved it!  I can remember going up there in the 60's.

A neighbor lady (2nd house down) is having a garage sale today. I bought a Swiffer mop and a snow shovel for $2.50 each.  Wish I had felt a little better as it would have been a perfect time for me to haul the garage sale stuff in my garage out to the driveway. She's had people stopping all day and I'm sure I could have sold a few items.   Would have saved me the trouble of putting up signs but then I would have had to sit out there all day and I just wasn't up for it. She had a brand new Dell printer her grandson said she'd probably sell cheap. I probably should have bought it as mine is kind of rinky dink at times.  Just couldn't motivate myself, though.    Missed opportunities.She's a widow and said she lost $65,000 on her house. Moved in about the same time I did but her husband died a few months back and she's going to Utah to be nearer her kids.

One of my cousins in Bellingham has a daughter getting married next month. I'd like to attend but it's at Wawawai Park in Colton over in the Pullman area.  Just too far for me to drive.  These are the times I wish I had a boyfriend--One who loved to drive.

Well, guess I'll look over the pantry and see if I can get interested in anything for dinner.  I just don't have much desire to prepare meals these days.  I wish I had a personal chef or even a neighbor who loved to cook and would bring me stuff.

Here's a picture my granddaughter Catie posted on Facebook of her and her dad and half sister, Audrey.