Little thingies

What are these?

I was pulling the two garbage bins out to the alley for tomorrow's pickup and noticed these little dodads growing near the gate. Walked over the entire yard but even though I have moss in lots of places, this spot is the only one showing what I "think" might be mushrooms or toadstools or ?
Look almost like little seashells.

Mr. D

I discovered this half hour situation comedy on Channel 2's Canadian station a few weeks ago and it immediately became a "must watch."  Last night Mr. D was taking his class to Boston on a field trip intending to set them off on their own so he could join a friend at a Celtics basketball game.  I found myself roaring with laughter at one scene.  I couldn't stop laughing.  Even when I realized I was laughing at a guy puking.  Yep!  I know what tickles my funny bone. The same stuff that my grandkids laugh at.  I found this clip on YouTube. 

There was another about how to grade papers.  Everybody on this show makes me laugh. Good stuff!

I spent most of yesterday sorting through my genealogy notes.  Decided I had too much stuff "all over the place" and I needed to get my files easier to find.  Took a lot of cut and paste maneuvers but I'm slowly getting there.  Unfortunately, I haven't learned the key techniques for cut and paste (and a lot of other chores) so I depend on my mouse to get me around. Which is fine except after a few hours your hand cramps up and you're forced to quit working.

I'll be working on this cut/paste part of my project for days yet. I have files on my laptop and my exterior hard drive, not to mention the dozens of photos here and there as well.  Once I get things organized to my satisfaction, I'll pick one person to hone in on adn see what I can find on ancestry.com. 

First, though, I guess I'm gonna have to go search the pill drawer for some drugs.  These dang headaches come and go and are interferring with my happiness.

Very odd dream last night (or early this morning...whatever?)  My daughter, Jenni, Martha Qualls Thomas, and Stanley Bircher were all playing drums in the high school band and I kept trying to video tape them.  I hunted for a bag pipe VHS tape I had so they could play along with it, and for some reason, the number 130 appeared.  If it wasn't raining, I'd think about heading down to buy a daily game ticket...just to see.  Course I've bought tickets before from dreams I had and it never paid off.  Still, I am known for being a slow learner so I'll think about it.  Ha!

Well, off to the bathroom to squirt stuff up my nose, drop liquid into my eyes, swallow sinus tablets,and down some vitamins.  I think I'll put a pan of water on the stove and inhale steam doused with Vicks while I'm at it.

I give up!

I don't think this is the look I was going for when I bought curlers yesterday.  Somehow, I think I looked a whole lot better in the 50's than I do now in the teens.

What's even sadder is the amount of time I took to try and get a picture of my head that didn't show all the wrinkles and lines and split ends and blotchy skin.  Yeah, I'm not having a whole lot of pleasure looking in the mirror today.

But oh well, it is what it is.....

On the plus side, when I went through Jack in the Box yesterday afternoon to get a root beer, I asked for my senior discount and the girl said:  "Oh....you sure don't look old enough to be a senior."

I replied:  "Well, you little sweetie!  You should see me naked."

And here's a picture of my grandson and his friend, Malcolm, that was in the paper this week.  They sold at Safeway one day and Albertsons the next.

Playing with photos

I've accepted the fact that I'm probably going to have one good day, one bad day, one good day...blah blah blah....
Woke up with a terrific charlie horse. I should have known.  Felt really good yesterday and even commented on it.  My fault.  I'm not defeated just yet, however.  I'm back to the floor exercises today and will double up on magnesium tablets. Also intend to start drinking my vinegar water every morning, and getting more water throughout the day.  Oh yeah, and bananas.

Yesterday I made a pitcher of iced tea.  I've "wondered" in the past if tea wasn't depleting minerals in my body.  I'm still experimenting with that notion.  I could be full of baloney but I might be on the right track too. I do liked tea. Both hot and cold so I'm hoping my suspicions are silly.

I decided to try a new technique in my frustrating search for having decent hair.  I'm never gonna have decent hair so I'm either going to have to get used to my wig, buy a better wig, or resign myself to wearing hats.  Yesterday I bought some of these....

I used to roll my hair every day so I thought I'd try it again. Was only reminded, however, that I used to have enough hair up there to roll in the first place.
I'll leave the curlers in all day and then take another picture of the results.  I don't have any expectations here.  There was so little hair to roll that I suspect I'm going to be sad.  hee hee

Played around with my old photos yesterday.  I know I've posted this picture before but that's okay.

 

I made head shots of all the people in the group hoping to identify who is who. Actually, I'm pretty close and my goal is to find some cousin somewhere who also has this photo in their family album with names attached.  This is my guess:

Standing: Georgie, John, Lew Gene, Zadock, James, Lizzie (although I could have Georgie & Lizzie backwards)
Sitting: Mattie, Lewis (the dad), Charlie (the elusive one), Jane Downs (the mom), Ettie

I need to locate more pictures of these people so I can compare them to the group shot which was taken in Oregon in about 1892-1894.  I've studied this picture off and on for years trying to judge who is who by what age they would be.

Well, off to ancestry now. Gotta look over Cousin Bonnie's tree info.

Chores first this time

I slept in until 9 a.m. this morning. That's late for me.  I had gotten up at 2 a.m.? to take a sinus pill because I had another splitting headache.  It was a "drowsy pill" and they always knock me out.  Lovin' it too!  I obviously needed the sleep.  Sometimes I can't sleep in because the leg cramps will start but they've left again so I'm happily visiting dreamland.  Amazing how much better my outlook on life is when I'm not dealing with fatigue or leg issues. Dare I say it....happy.

I sung in the shower and even giggled at the naked lady I saw in the mirror as I emerged.  Usually she gets a sneer and a few cuss words but I went easy on her today.

I fixed a hot breakfast, boiled a bunch of tea bags to make a pitcher of iced tea,  and fixed up some of my bird feeders in the back yard that had toppled to the ground because of the wet soil from the rain we've had.

Then I rearranged the living room (just a tiny bit 'cause it's what I do) and moved another table into the computer room to put my laptop on when I go in there to print or use my scanner.  Also put away my last jigsaw puzzle (which was really a fun one) but I got in a hurry and dropped about a hundred pieces on the floor that I then had to scoop up.

I talked to my cousin this morning. Bonnie Zeliff, in Pomeroy,  is also working on family genealogy.  Really helps when you can share info on people researching the same line. Yesterday I found the tombstones of my great great grandfather, Zadock, and my great grandmother, Jane Downs Blankenship. She was the mother of my grandpa, Lew Gene.

One of Jane's sons (Charlie Blankenship) continues to elude me but if he's out there, I'll find him eventually. I'm thinking Charlie must have been his middle name which is why I'm having such a difficult time.  You really have to hone your investigative techniques to look for elusive people. Zadock (another son of Jane) was recorded as Zed and Zeedick in a couple of places so I'm slowed down on finding him as well. Not as bad as ole Charlie,though.

My main area of interest is Grandpa's siblings and his parents siblings.  Women had babies almost every year back in those days and while some didn't survive, many did. Then if the wife died, the husband remarried and started producing more with the second wife.  Without TV and radio and a lot of other entertainment outlets we have today, I imagine going to bed early was the only fun they had.

Well, I need to run down to the corner grocery and buy some more stamps.  Damn post office!  Every time you turn around, they're upping postage again.  Think I'll buy a couple extra mega tickets too. I've got a couple things on my "want list" that I can't justify buying until I have some extra dough.
Like the second season of Homeland!

I knew this would happen

Signed up for Ancestry.com (for six months) and for the last two days, I've been HOOKED!

Sadly, though, I'm not finding what I want.  Gonna' take some digging and I may just change who I want to work on.

I'll keep going but I do wish I could use a little self control and make myself get up and do other things.  Oh well, I knew my limitations when I got the subscription. I've walked down this road before.

I must say, though, that I am terribly disappointed that I'm not finding more on my grandpa's brothers, Zed and Charlie.  Especially Charlie.  I can't find a THING on him. I'd think he never existed except for an obit of my grandpa's father who listed a son "Charlie in California."

Sorry Charlie.  I can't find you.

Well, off to pick up Maddie and take her across town to basketball practice.  I'm praying I don't get that horrible flu the tv keeps warning us about.  I have had come and go headaches for two or three weeks but I assume that's just sinus-related. I'll deal with it. Just don't want that nasty bug.

Oh, and I look especially bad today.  My hair's even worse than usual. I'd take a picture but even I'm not that mean!  I get a touch of nausea everytime I walk by a mirror.

Last Sunday of the month

Happy Birthday to Mary Ellen Elizabeth Pearce Gaboury who is now 70 years old. All my friends are getting up there.

It's 10:50 a.m. as I look out on the wet back yard. Much prefer the rain over those cold temps.  All my chores are done so the day is mine to do as I please.  I did sign up for ancestry.com yesterday ($84 w/tax!) but oh well, I've got six months to find STUFF!  Going to start by looking for a brother my grandpa Lew Gene may have had called Charlie. 

I have the obit of Lewis Marion (Grandpa's father) and one of the survivors  lists a son named Charlie of California.  I remember my Aunt Velna once mentioning that "Charlie just disappeared."  That always piqued my interest but I haven't been able to find a birth certificate or much of anything else outside of that obit mention.

I went through all my family notes yesterday sorting and rereading and trying to find facts I'd overlooked and I did find a date of birth for Charlie (who's listed as Charles M) of Mar 15, 1881. That would make him 4 years younger than Grandpa but I haven't a clue where this info came from so I don't know how valid it is.  I also found references to three other of Grandpa's siblings who died in infancy or childhood -- Thomas, Minnie Mae, and Jennie.  I'll have to research that more.

Now that I'm signed on to ancestry, I am getting kind of excited to begin the search. I've always been the most curious about Grandpa's  parents and siblings but I'll eventually look over my mother's side too, and probably the Baldridges so my kids will have more info on their dad's side.

I started watching 'Homeland' last night. Went through the first three episodes of season one and am anxious to get to disk 2 today.  Excellent show! I can see why it keeps winning awards. And Claire Danes has been a favorite of mine since she starred in Temple Grandin.

Yvonne and I made a quick trip to Safeway yesterday and Jenni was there with Hunter and his friend, Malcolm, selling Campfire candy. She said she was going to be there all afternoon but at least she'd have fun people watching.

 



Saw a picture on my half sister's Facebook page that she posted of herself and another daughter at a rally they were having regarding the whereabouts of a daughter feared murdered several years ago. Her body has never been found. This is Pauline who lives in Pennsylvania.

 

And I saw a picture of Sammy on Jenni's Facebook page wearing the sweater she bought for him during the cold snap.  He doesn't come over while she's at work anymore. Stays home to guard the house.  And sleep.

 

 

And here's a picture from Mary and & Andy's Facebook page as they continue their journey down the road to adoption.

 



Blueberry Thrill

Most mornings when I wake up, I try to dress halfway decent.  Meaning, my colors match. There's only so much decent you can accomplish when your clothes of choice are sweat pants and sweatshirts or t-shirts.  Even when I know it's likely I'll have no company or venture out, I still make a minimal effort.  I chose light blue sweatpants and a white sweatshirt today.

I washed up, ran a comb through the birds nest and decided with a shrug - "what's the use?"  Got the coffee brewing, heated up an oat bran muffin and grabbed a yogurt as I booted up the computer to visit my usual websites.  I should probably stop eating and browsing online at the same time. It doesn't accomplish anything except put another household chore on my list of duties.  Like laundry.  A wayward blueberry from my yogurt container decided to take a side trip down that long white road commonly known as Joyce's tummy.

This particular blueberry was in a happy mood as she escaped Joyce's mouth and she hopped down tummy lane making eight stops before landing on the blue pants below. And see that butterfly?  That was a pretty iron-on bead decal put into place last year to cover up other wayward food that tried to escape.  I guess it's just as well my wardrobe consists of sweatshirts.

At any rate, the washing machine was loaded and the only chore left today is to change the nectar on the hummingbird feeders. It's looking like it's gonna stay wet today and I think I'll probably just hang out searching genealogy files, reading, and watching TV.

I haven't had any calf charlie horse cramps in weeks but they're making an appearance this morning. When they're in the neighborhood, they usually occur in bed but for whatever reason, they're flaring today as I sit here.  Sure wish I knew what brings this on.  Is it something my body is lacking mineral-wise?  Is it my muscles out of sync and needing more exercise? Am I dehydrated? Should I stop coffee altogether?

I had about three or four days last week where I was completely free of all leg discomfort, cramps, spasms, tics, the works.  I noticed it immediately and wondered....why the reprieve? What was I doing different?  I tried to replay my activities but I couldn't find a pattern of behavior that would indicate I'd made some healthy move.  Whatever the hell was causing my pain-free period has since passed.  The calf cramps are here along with the upper inner thigh aches, and I'm prepared for another round of "Let's see how much this old fat lady can take!"

I'm going to get on the floor and do the exercises (yeah, I quit once I felt better) and I'm going to double up on drinking water. Probably should cut the coffee too.  Which shouldn't be that big a deal. I'm sure I could limit myself to one cup easily.

Here's the last three pictures I saved from an email last week --

Jewish refugees, approaching allied soldiers, become aware that they have just been liberated, April, 1945

A Native American looks down at a newly-completed section of the transcontinental railroad. Nevada, about 1868

The first official riders in New York City’s first subway, 1904

And here's a couple pictures that Mary Gaboury's daughter, Kathleen, posted on her Facebook page. She's down in Yuma visiting as Mary turns 70 tomorrow.

I drove down to 7 Cedars Casino yesterday morning to meet up with Mary Norton, Joanne Gilles, Linda Pedersen, and Ruth Kvinsland.  Saw a lot of changes as they've put new carpeting and slot machines in the old bingo hall.  Looked really nice.  Can't say that their buffet is improving, however. And the machines still don't pay.

They could have made money from that bingo hall if they'd worked it right. Bingo appeals to a lot of folks and they had the resources to make the trip worthwhile.They lost interest early on in the game of bingo and it wasn't long before even I found going there to play wasn't as much fun as the days of long ago.  Course they lost my favor the minute they closed the keno counter.  I'd always stop to play keno. I don't think I even noticed a roulette wheel there yesterday.

They'll continue to make money, though. And they know it.  Slot players know that while most lose their money, every once in a great while, some lucky stiff will hit.  They only have one machine that I prefer and they were difficult to locate.  The woman sitting next to me told me she prefers these as well as they remind her of the machines in Nevada in the old days.  Plus she won $3000 on it last month.  That didn't especially endear her to me. (I'm seldom happy for people who claim big wins when my trips to the casino are routinely unhappy departures)

Well, I guess I'll get up and get moving around here. Dryer has turned off and the dishwasher needs unloading. Probably wouldn't kill me to sweep the kitchen and run a vacuum. And there's always those floor exercises.  Sigh.......

Posted on my Town kid blog on the Leader website yesterday...I Ain't Got No Home.  Have a good weekend. Next Friday we'll be in February so spring is coming -- slow but sure.

Another frosty morning out there

I kind of messed up the contrast when I attempted to brighten this early morning picture I took off the back deck.  How many times have I looked out on those tall trees in the background and wished they weren't there?  I'd have a fantastic view of the mountains otherwise. In fact, I think I'll go take a picture of them right now at the road I follow right behind those trees to get over to Jen's house or up to the library area.  Be right back...

A couple hours later...I got sidetracked.  Yvonne called needing a ride  downtown to pick up a loaner car as she totaled hers yesterday when she t-boned a guy.  It shook her up but no one was hurt.  On the plus side, she said she got an offer on her house yesterday. Also told me that the last time she sold a house, she wrecked her car at the same time. Must be a pattern.  Here's a picture of the mountain view I'd have if the trees weren't there. I've probably posted these before but I never tire looking at them.

 I decided as long as I was downtown I might as well buy my groceries. Safeway was relatively free of foot traffic and that always makes it nicer.  I took a couple pictures yesterday of the sculpture Yvonne has done and is displayed in her back bedroom.  She does pretty darn good.

And here's an interesting picture I saw on Coke Miller's FB page this morning....

This grove of approximately 400 pines was planted around 1930, when its location was still within the German province of Pomerania. It is generally believed that some form of human tool or technique was used to make the trees grow this way, but the method and motive are not currently known.



And here's two more photos from that collection I was sent in an email last week...

The Kennedy trio in the mid 30s as teenagers; John, Bobby and Teddy

Microsoft staff photo from December 7, 1978

The last couple of days I've been addicted to my jigsaw puzzle and haven't got much done.  I've made a point, today, of not looking at it for a while.  I also listened to an audio book and am ready to start another this afternoon.  I was going to try and not check books out of the library until I've read my own collection but I have no will power and I picked up two the last time Yvonne and I went in to browse.

I've got four books going at once now. 'I heard you paint houses' ( Mafia story), The River King by Alice Hoffman, How I Grew by Mary McCarthy, and the Late Child by Larry McMurtry.  He's one of my favorite authors.

As usual, the media is beating a subject to death.  Does anyone give a rip if  Beyonce lip synced?  NO! And does anyone think the football player was duped?  Yep!  You bet I do.  There are lots of A-holes out there with nothing better to do, and no one is safe from them. You wouldn't believe the stories people have to tell of scam artists who prey on young couples trying to adopt.  It's widespread and very evil, take my word for it.  Course we all know about the scum overseas filling up our email boxes with requests for money.  I can't believe anyone falls for their crap but there must be some because they keep on truckin'!

Got a kick out of watching Hillary testify to the guys in the government trying their darndest to blacken her name and Obama. Go Hillary!  She sees right through that malarkey baloney.

Watched The Middle and Modern Family last night. I skip all the others surrounding them as they don't interest me at all. I must say both shows made me cackle out loud and cackle again!  Loved seeing Sue Heck being a cheerleader and love anything referencing The Godfather.  Cracked me up!  

And here's some clips from another show I love on PBS. Doc Martin....

Har de har har HAIR!

I wish I had better hair.  Unlike my daughters who have lots of hair and know how to make it look good, I've never had the knack. I can't even buy a wig that looks good after I get it home.  I made a little hat this week and thought I would use it to cover up my flyaway mess when I'm out and about. I already wear my Port Townsend baseball type hat but it makes me look just like Roseanne's gramma. Really. Still, it does say Port Townsend on it and it is red and I'm at that age where I'm kind of invisible to the public anyhow.  And no, I'm not having a pity party. Just stating the facts. You'll know when I'm on a pity party. Ha!

I took some pictures of me this morning with my various hair styles. I guess it's pretty obvious that I have to dig deep to entertain myself sometimes. Here's how I often look right out of bed...

Here's a view as I brush the birds nest down flat...

And we go with it forward.  (Donald Trump style)

And this is after I've tried curling it up ....

And this is my frustration when I realize, yet again, that hair styling isn't a talent I possess...

The hat looked a whole lot cuter sitting on the kitchen counter.  Perhaps it's my face.  ha ha

I got up early yesterday to ride with Jenni over to Kingston to pick up Hunter. Andy and Mary both had to work so he had to come home a little earlier than he would have otherwise. I think he was ready, though. I could tell he was happy to see his mom.

Jenni wanted to stop in Sequim to buy her Costco groceries and I was kind of happy they were closed as I knew she had a lot to pick up. We both went home and took a nap and she went back later and spent $300.  I was glad I was home working contentedly on my jigsaw puzzle.

I was so preoccupied with not oversleeping that morning as she intended to come by at 6:30 that I slept fitfully all night long.  I went to bed before 9 and was exhausted.  Yet at 3 a.m. I was tossing and turning. Hate it when that happens. I forced myself to stay up last night until 10 so I could get back on a normal sleeping pattern.  Since I slept in until 7:30 this morning, I think it worked.

I plan to make a quick library run this morning to get some books on tape but I think that will be the extent of my errands.  The neighbor decided he had to cut his grass yesterday. Obviously doesn't have enough to keep busy.  Maddening to listen to that racket this time of winter but he pushed the mower happily along with his earphones on.  I'm not sure if I'm jealous of his energy level or aggravated that his lawn continues to look better than mine.  Course everybody's lawn looks better than mine.

Here's a couple more pictures from that old email I got last week....

Tereska, a child in a residence for disturbed children, grew up in a concentration camp. She drew a picture of "home" on the blackboard, Poland, 1948

Alerted by the smell of a broken bottle of liquor, Federal Agents inspect a "lumber truck". Los Angeles, 1926

One of my OCD habits is to rearrange furniture.  I moved my laptop to the kitchen table to give me a better working area for my genealogy note taking. This whole corner has now become my play area  what with computer, crossword puzzles, and my big ole jigsaw puzzle in process.

It's interesting to me to realize just how often I went into the "old computer room" to get online or check on something.  When I saw the empty room, I knew I had to "fix it."  I moved my sewing machine in there so I can have it at the ready should I decide to work on something.

I am going to try and stick with genealogy for now, though.  I wrote about it a little bit on my Town Kid blog on the Leader.

Okay. 10 a.m. and the library is open so I'm off.....

40 YEARS AGO TODAY.....

My youngest turned 40 today.  She was born in Kirkland in 1973 and I had a terrible case of the flu. Mary and I took her a basket with a plant, stuffed animal and balloons on Friday.

I took Hunter to the Kingston ferry Friday afternoon and Jenni and I will drive back over there tomorrow to pick him up. He always has a good time at Andy & Mary's house.

I haven't come down with the flu yet and I'm keeping my fingers crossed.  Have noticed that I'm awfully tired and can take a nap at the drop of a hat.  Today I got up at 6,  and took short naps at 10 and 12. Yvonne and I decided to take in a matinee as we both felt we needed to get out of the house.

Saw 'The Silver Linings Playbook'.  It was okay but Argo was better.  Prices went  up so now we pay $8 for an afternoon showing.  The previews were so dang loud I thought I was going to get a headache. There's no reason for the sound to be that loud.  Reminds me of why I think twice to bother going.  $8 is too much and I never spend my money on their overpriced popcorn and drinks.

I moved my laptop out here to the kitchen table as I figured it would give me a better place to lay out my paperwork when I get going on genealogy.  I've started a little bit but haven't signed up for ancestry.com yet.  Waiting until I feel a little perkier.  It's not even 6 pm and I'm betting I'll be in bed way before Downton Abbey tonight.  Which reminds me..... Is Bates going to end up being guilty of murder, after all?  I thought it was a given that he was innocent but now they seem to be playing it up in the other direction.

Uh oh.... tv news is talking about flu symptoms (yet again!) and fatigue seems to be a big complaint. I've also been suffering with sinus headaches but that seems to be because of the poor air quality we we have right now.   I've got to go hook up my humidifier. Last time I  used it, it leaked all over the place and I need to see what's going on with it.

Two more pictures I wanted to share....

Johnny Cash performing for prisoners at Folsom Prison – Jan. 13th 1968

Cow shoes used by Moonshiners in the Prohibition days to disguise their footprints, 1922

Wintertime...And the Livin' is Easy....

8 a.m. on a clear brisk Friday morning.  All week long I've been hunting for a red sock and a gray sock that got lost in the shuffle last time I did laundry.  I've reexamined everything that came out of the dryer trying to find those wayward socks.  It was driving me crazy!  It's the little things, these days, that drive me crazy.  Today I dumped out the laundry basket of whites that I intended to throw in the washer and WAH-LAAA! The socks made their appearance.  Why I didn't think to look there in the first place is just another reminder at how my mind works.  Meaning, it doesn't!  But oh well, my life is back on track now.

My sister commented about the "critter hole" I posted on my blog yesterday. She figures it's a rat or a rabbit and told me to block it up with rocks 'cause "you don't want rats under your house."  Who says I don't?  ha ha  Needless to say, that's on my to-do list today.  She also told me to get rid of those little fungus things growing and to lop off that bad branch tree.  All of which should have occurred to me on my own but it didn't.  Some gardener I am!

Last night I didn't sleep with the memory foam or the humidifier. I woke up with a raging headache and a sore hip.  The foam is now back on the bed and the humidifier will be plugged in. I think they made a difference.

Interesting dreams last night. Nightmares really.  I went to a restaurant by myself kind of out in the middle of nowhere but in the area of Laurel Grove Cemetery. (I don't want to know what that means!) Anyhow, I ate a salad and was sitting with some nice young people I didn't know. My peas kept falling off my plate and I kept pushing them back onto the plate.  I left without paying. Just plain forgot.  When I got home, I checked the mail (in the mailbox I had as a kid when I lived on Kuhn) and then remembered I forgot to pay. I went back and the cashier made a snotty comment and gave me a ten dollar bill to tip the waiter. I told her I didn't want to tip that much. I only had a salad.

After leaving there, I went back outside and searched everywhere for my car. (This happens often in my dreams) Once I established it was gone, I realized I was in such a hurry to correct my error of not paying that I hopped out of the car and left the keys in the ignition.  Then began my search for a phone to call 911.  No matter who I asked, the phone was either busy or wouldn't work right.  Since I was close to Ruth Kvinsland's house I walked through several yards to get to her place.  She had two phones (both the old fashioned kind) but one was being used by her mother who wouldn't hang up and one by her niece, Alysa Russell.

I went next door to the neighbors but she was Amish and didn't have a phone. Finally, John Boggs came strolling along and he tossed his cell phone to me. It was a weird looking plastic thing like Lego and I couldn't figure out how to push 911.  The dream went on and on like this. Several people showing up, lots of drama, lots of problems to solve.  No wonder I woke up with a headache!

Hummingbirds just  arrived (again) for breakfast so I think I'll do the  same. A bowl of All  Bran is calling my name. And that's just sad.  More later maybe....

Winter Gardening

Some people (like me) are really slow learners.  I'm especially that way where my health is concerned. I'm interested in health topics and always stop to read things online that tell of new and better ways to live your life. Course I'm terribly weak when it comes to healthy eating but I work on it and spend a whole lot of time feeling guilty about it.

The last couple of days and nights I've felt relatively decent as far as this Restless Leg Syndrome goes. I started putting more time in between taking the pills (I was told to experiment with it anyhow and see what works for me) and I started taking less.  I got it in my head that maybe I was cured.  Gees, but I'm stupid sometimes!  I woke up at 4 a.m. in a world of hurt.  I was mighty unhappy. And pissed off too! I got up to finish sleeping in the recliner because I knew staying in bed was out of the question and I knew I was still very tired.  Needless to say, I'm back on taking two or three pills three times a day.

I lowered the dosage, not just because the pain was easing, but because I wanted to see if my little tremors and tics stopped.  Some days they're worse than others, and either the pills are doing it or my nervous system has a short somewhere.  I've got my fingers crossed that the neurologist can figure out what's going on.  At first the tremors were kind of mild and only happened occasionally. I've noticed now, however, that holding a book to read can make me notice the movement. It''s still not severe but I don't particularly care for my body doing anything I haven't ordered it to do.

I took Maddie to the orthodontist this morning and decided to run to Safeway while she was in there as I needed a couple items.  Wanted to get back home as it was early and I hadn't even had my coffee yet.  She gets back in the car and says:  "Ugghhhh....they messed up my hair!"  It looked fine as far as I could see but she's 12 and it has to be a certain way.  She said she likes riding in the car with me 'cause it's like watching the movie 'Grumpy Ole Men.'  She thinks my comments are funny but most are just my observations of things I see along the way.

Mailman just brought the DVD I bought of Homeland's first season. I'm anxious to start watching it.  Also got a letter from my half sister in prison.  She said the economy is hitting them too as their bonuses (as she called them) are going down from .30 to .20.  She didn't say if that was an hourly wage or a daily wage. I'll have to ask her.  She said they were told that at a "meeting at work."  I forget now what she said she does in there. Anyhow, she also said cable went up but she can't afford a tv or the $19 a month it costs.  She also said the state takes 30% of their income and the prices in the commissary keep going up, as well.

Here's two more of those pictures I got in an email a few days ago....

"Get the hell out of my race and give me those numbers." After realizing a woman was running Boston marathon organizer Jock Semple went after Kathrine Switzer. Other runners blocked him and she went on to finish the race. 1967.

Russian peasants getting electricity for the first time in 1920

I went out in the backyard to empty some recycling into the bin and next thing I knew, I was walking around the yard trimming dead leaves and rearranging bird feeders and filling them with fresh seed.  I ended up working for an hour doing little clean-up jobs. Made me wish that spring was closer.  Was curious to know what kind of animal had made a hole under the neighbor's fence and mine.

After I came back in the house, a flock of pigeons flew in to pick up dropped seed and then the other birds gathered as well.

I noticed some kind of growth on a section of the fence down close to the ground. This picture doesn't show it all that well but I wonder what it is.

I also noticed one of my favorite trees (the one I brought from Sequim) has some kind of bark problem. I hope it isn't something I need to take care of. I was thinking it was just normal winter bark shedding. If there is such a thing.

Well, I guess I better get moving. Not too much on my agenda today. Going to fix up some genealogy notes and see if I can discover any new stuff. I did notice yesterday that my great great grandfather (Zadock) married Elizabeth Bolt and Elizabeth's mother was named Celey Amos.

I suspect we're all related one way or another. This morning at Safeway, the clerk (upon seeing my last name) told me her maiden name was Blank and she always thought her great grandfather shortened it from Blankenship or some name similar.

I found some items in my old notes that I had overlooked so I'll share them tomorrow. Yep. You're gonna learn all about Blankenships as I stay tuned into ancestry topics.