Last day of March already

Looking forward to my chiropractor appointment this afternoon.  I'm hoping he'll have some suggestions for neck exercises to alleviate vertigo.

I got up at 7 (very achy and sore) and one look in the mirror made me sad.  I looked like I hadn't slept and had been beat up with a stick.  I took a shower, brewed a pot of coffee, and rearranged the living room to help me feel better.  I know.  Dumb.  Then I took an hour nap in my recliner.  What a waste of time.  I like naps but don't appreciate needing one as soon as I get up!

Noticed a 'for sale' sign on the end lot of my side of the street this morning.  Wonder if he's going to try and sell the whole block across the street too.  I did talk to a tree worker this morning and they're not going to punch  road through; just harvest the trees and leave a walking area for people.  I hope it's flat enough to ride a bike too.  Right now they have a layer of HUGE rocks (for the big machinery they've brought in) and they're so rocky, I doubt I could even walk on them without twisting my ankle.  Course I'm not entirely ready for my bike yet either -- but I plan to get on it pretty soon.

I've been thinking about my next Leader blog. I plan to post it on the PTHS alumni blog first and then on the Town Kid blog.  Will discuss the school team name being changed and how I DON'T agree with it.

Been watching 'Dexter'  on Netflix and I'm so totally hooked.  Last night I gasped at the ending.  They've had some terrific twists and turns.  Keith Carradine was just killed off (he was a good guy) and Jimmy Smits was disposed of (bad guy) and next will be John Lithgow (a really bad guy).  It's a gruesome premise for a show but the writing is so dang good, you can't help but cheer for Dexter.  He basically kills serial killers.  More than once, the subtle lines he comes out with make me laugh out loud.

I'm continuing to spend a lot of time looking on genealogy websites for clues on ole Charlie Blankenship.  I'm getting awfully discouraged.  You wouldn't believe how many Charlie Blankenships there are.

Later on....

Had a good chiro session. At least I don't hurt right now.  Am keeping my fingers crossed that he'll be able to fix me up.  I go in again on Thursday morning and have an afternoon appt with a massage therapist for my neck and shoulders.

Got a Leanin'Tree card catalog in the mail today and had to laugh at a couple of them.  I may even send for them.  The 'get well' that caught my eye said: I hear you've been sick........
If you die, can I have your stuff?

Now, that's funny.  The birthday one said:  I went to get you a nice birthday cake and I brought it home..... I forget what happened after that.

Here's two pics I saw on Facebook today that I liked. Thanks Andy.

                                                             a special Easter egg tree

I thought this was kinda' interesting....(and boy would I love to have a knickknack shelf like his)



I also thought these pictures I got in an email from Linda Farina were fascinating:

Icebergs in Lake Michigan sometimes have stripes. Blue stripes are created when a crevice in the ice sheet  fills up with melt water and freezes so quickly that no  bubbles form.

When an iceberg falls into the lake, a layer of  water can

 freeze  to the underside. If this is rich in algae, it can form a

 green stripe.  Brown, black and yellow lines are caused by sediment, picked  up

 when the ice  sheet grinds downhill towards the lake.

The water  froze the instant the wave broke through the

 ice.   That's what it is like in   Lake  Michigan   where it is the  coldest weather in decades.  Water  freezes the instant  it comes in contact with the air.   

I wouldn't mind seeing something like this in person but I would mind living where I had to contend with their winter weather.

It's been a hard couple of days for me what with the shoulder/arm pain returning along with a small panic attack and a case of night time vertigo.  One way or another, my body is insistent on reminding me that I'm 70 and it's no smooth sailing.

My kitchen table is full of genealogy notes, files, and "stuff" to keep me occupied and busy.  I've had so little success in locating my grandpa's younger brother, Charlie, but I have more avenues to go down.  I looked over my notes again and a cousin told me of a letter she has written to my grandmother in 1880 by a friend of hers who was moving to Alabama and encouraged my grandparents to come with them as work was supposedly better there.

I did a little snooping around on the writer of this letter and found a person on ancestry.com who has her data in a family tree.  I emailed her to compare notes and am hoping she replies.  Ironically, this woman had a young son named Charlie.  I know it's a stretch thinking my grandparents adopted him but you have to consider all options when you hit that brick wall.

I have a chiropractor appt tomorrow afternoon and am hoping another manipulation will remind my neck that it has its own place to be.  I did have an afternoon of NO PAIN and I contributed it to the chiropractor.  If he did it once, he can do it again!  I'm counting on it.  Not being able to use your arms is a lesson  reminder that there are people out there who never get the use of their arms.

Call the Midwife starts tonight and I'm glad about that.   Andy's folks are visiting from New York right now and like I knew they would be, they're very smitten with Jacob.  Here he is with Grandpa Karl.

And here's the latest one I received this morning.....ahhhhh....sooooo cute!!!

Better Today

I don't want to get my hopes up but too late..I've got my hopes up.  Was able to stay in my bed all night.
Still had shoulder/neck pain but.....it wasn't so intense that I had to move to the recliner.  I pray this means the chiropractor fixed something.  Yesterday (especially in the morning) was so painful, I sunk into depression for a few hours.  I seemed to improve a little as the day progressed and while I'm not at 100%, I think I see a light at the end of the tunnel.  After 8 months...I'm ready!  Got to think positive.

Saw Fleetwood Mac on the Today show this morning.  I sure do love Stevie Nicks' voice.  Who doesn't?  Funny thing is, I never paid them much attention when they were at their highest popularity (must have been in my country stage of life) but after they retired, I discovered their music and was a huge fan.  Happened to surf the channels a bit last night and came upon an American Idol contestant singing a Stevie Nicks' tune. She was good!

Watched two episodes of Dexter on Netflix last night.  I wanted to watch a third but it was already 11:30 and Jimmy Smits had been killed off and that was all I needed. Netflix has about 96 episodes available and I'm on #35.  Easy to get hooked on these shows when there are no commercials and the writing is good.

I spent a little time trying to find genealogy data I wanted (for free) online but I finally gave it up and decided to sign up for ancestry.com.  I only paid for the monthly subscription as I think I can find what I want in that time frame.  They may have lowered their price as I thought it used to be $30 a month. Still cheaper if you go for six months or a year but I've got other projects in the works too so a month is sufficient for now.

I'm getting older too... my favorite line in this song...

Sigh....

I've got to work harder at looking on the bright side.  Most of the time, I manage halfway okay on that front, but.....there are days.....

I tried calling the chiropractor today to make sure it's alright for me to be this dang sore.  On a scale of 1-10, I'm at 9-1/2. Unfortunately, their office is closed until tomorrow. He did do some major manipulation on my neck and back so I assume this is normal.  I'm think I'm a little better now at 2 pm than I was at 8 am.  Not getting a good nights' sleep is catching up with me. I knew it would sooner or later.  Still waiting to hear from the hospital about scheduling an MRI. Not that I'm all that excited at the prospect.  If I had a choice of MRI or pap smear or dentist appt, I'd pick the dentist or the stirrups anytime.

Law and Order Criminal Intent is on tv right now but I'm probably going to have to change the channel. The star of that show drives me crazy the way he reads his lines.  Kind of like William Shatner.  I watched two movies rented at Red Box yesterday.  The Wolf of Wall Street and American Hustle.  I didn't like either one of them.  Like Gravity, they were nominated for best picture oscar.  Why, I'll never understand.  They were terrible!

Philomena and 'Her' are the last two movies to see that were nominated for best picture.'Her' doesn't  sound that interesting but I definitely want to see the Judi Dench flick.  'Noah' with Russell Crowe also looks like something I'd like to see.

I've been watching Dancing with the Stars each season although in past years, I would usually tape it and watch the next night so I could bypass the commercials and the stupid comments from the judges. I guess I'm a prude (although I don't think so since I love The Sopranos and Dexter and Sons of Anarchy and Breaking Bad and Orange is the New Black) but I do get weary of seeing all the female dancers with their boobs hanging out all the time.  I know it's probably the best part of the show for the guys but still....enough already!

Sometimes I think about the old tv shows of my youth and wonder if I would still tune in for reruns today.  Some of them maybe.  I still like Barney Fife and Beaver and Little House and the Waltons. I wouldn't mind seeing Queen for a Day, Art Linkletter's House Party, Beat the Clock, Captain Midnight,and Life of Riley.  I'll have to look over YouTube again as I know some of these old shows can be watched there.

Hunter and Maddie go to the high school this evening for an orientation and tour for next year when they'll attend as freshman.  Doesn't seem possible.  How many grandparents have uttered those words over the years.

Well, gotta get to research on genealogy again.  I suspect I'm going to have to sign up for ancestry.com before too long.

Two doctors today

Saw my doctor this morning and she suggested an MRI of my neck. I knew that was coming.  I think she's discouraged and maybe a bit tired of seeing me as she asked me if I wanted to see an orthopedic surgeon.  Well, I guess so..... if that's your solution.

I decided to visit a chiropractor in the afternoon.  Young guy but very nice and I like him a lot.  He noticed within minutes that my neck was definitely out.  After a half hour plus of manipulations, he sent me on my way and I'll go back next week.  Meanwhile, I'm plenty sore and achy now.  Expected it, though, so I'll deal with it.

Rented two movies at Redbox.  American Hustle and Wolf of Wall Street.  That ought to keep my mind off my troubles.  Took a picture of the ongoing work in progress at the empty lot nearby. Pretty soon I'll be able to see Jenni's street.

The Parrot Whisperer

Mary sent me a picture of Jacob sitting in his bouncing chair? gazing at this parrot she'd attached.  She got a kick out of him not batting an eye as he stared the bird down.

Kids' toys, clothes, and equipment have changed so much over the years.  I notice everything from diapers to bottles to walkers to strollers. You name it. It's different. Much nicer too.  And expensive! Found some pictures to illustrate what I mean.

 This was the kind of walker my kids used when they were little. They could be dangerous as they had a tendency to tip over if anything got in the way.  I'd just set the kid up again, say "you're okay", and they'd be off.

 In the summer of 1967, Sue rode a plastic trike and played with inflatable toys like Gumby. Mary used a infant seat that had no handle and you didn't strap them in with seat belts.  The stroller was a basic chair with an umbrella but I was mighty happy to have it.

 Here's Wayne taking a spinner chair? out of my truck in 2000. Luckily, Jenni and Mary both had a lot of things given to them as the kids would outgrow them quickly.

Jenni's twin stroller in 2001  was quite different from the one I used to push her around, and the one Mary has for Jacob is even fancier yet.

Going back several years, I found these photos in family albums....

 My dad and his twin sitting with their mother, two sisters, and brother. The buggy in the background I'm betting got a lot of use.

 This wagon for my dad and his brother was probably made by their dad.

 I'm thinking this is probably my cousin Joan in 1930 with her mother, Elva Arey

And cousin Arlie used this stroller in 1938.

Well, it's almost time for 'Dancing with the Stars' so I'll cut this short. Going to sleep in the recliner with a neck brace thingie. Got my fingers crossed that it will allow me to get some shut-eye. Fun day tomorrow. Get to step on the scales at the doctors office and then let her look at me naked. Oh, the joy she must have in her job.

Sunday in March

I noticed when I opened up the front curtains this morning that a few rocks surrounding the garden area underneath my window seemed to be out of place.  I'm betting the deer came into the yard last night to eat those yellow flowers I stuck in the ground.  Plastic may be the solution I've found to discourage their midnight meal snacks.

I made up some fresh nectar for the hummingbirds, did some paperwork, ran the dishwasher, and uploaded four Rolling Stones CDs to my Itunes library.  Mary helped me yesterday to learn their new layout so now I can go back in and clean things up.  I'd gotten in one of my OCD moods and was trying to file songs in folders.  Since I had my own system, I managed to screw things up royally and couldn't find them again.  She did some fancy copying with instructions to stop trying to fix things.  ha ha
My library had maybe 1200+ songs in it and with all the copying she had to do from the various places I'd put things, I know have over 6000 songs.  Which basically means I have a lot of deleting to do over the next few weeks.

I used to use Itunes quite a bit but when I couldn't find my music, I gave up on that website.  Mary found it again for me but meanwhile, they'd changed their webpage and I didn't recognize how to do anything like copy a song or burn a new CD.  Going to be fun getting back into that again.  I think.  I've got this gadget thingie in the back bedroom where you're supposed to be able to transfer cassette music to your hard drive.  I tried it out but have to try again because the songs I worked on don't sound right.  I know I just need to monkey with it more and learn the controls.  And that is something I really want to do because I have a couple hundred cassette tapes with some WONDERFUL music on them.  If and when I get that technology learned, that project will take a lot of time to complete.

Meanwhile, I've started to get my genealogy notebooks in order again so I can restart the search for relatives.  The last few days I've been feeling awfully blue because my arms, shoulders, and neck were causing so much grief. I could barely lift Jacob when he was here visiting yesterday.  I slept in the recliner last night and will probably do the same tonight.  I'm hoping my doctor has a game plan when I go in to see her on Tuesday.  And by the way, Linda F...I am going to make an appointment with that chiropractor you mentioned.  Jenni's been to him before and also thought he was awfully good.

It was dark and gray out a few hours ago and I thought rain was going to occur at any minute. It didn't, though.  The sun is out and shining.  Hope it stays like that for a while.  Hunter may come over later to put together the second stool that Mary gave to me yesterday when she was here. She got them free from Coca Cola because her company has them for a client.  I love them!

Her and Andy thought they'd look better in my kitchen than theirs cause I collect Coke memorabilia.

Below are various pictures that either Jenni, Mary, or I took the last couple of days.....

 Jacob smiling for Gramma as she proceeds to take 101 pictures.

 My four grandkids -Madelyn, Catherine, Jacob, Hunter at the Mexican restaurant yesterday

 Sue holding Jacob while Catie makes him smile and Maddie checks her phone

                                                         Sue, me, Jenni, and Mary

 Hunter as he prepares to attend the tolo at the Masonic Hall on Lincoln Street

 Maddie in her new dress as she poses for her mom's camera

 Jenni had to take Maddie shoe shopping before the dance and Hunter went along for the ride

Me and Jake.  Hard to believe that the last time I held a grandchild on my lap was in 2000!

Thursday

Made a quick Walmart run this morning as I needed to pick up a prescription.  Decided to invest in a plant for the front garden area under my office window.  Pretty, don't you think?

                                                Amazing how plastic can look so real.

Mary tries to get Jacob to lay on his tummy when he's up but he's not that fond of it.  Yesterday, she discovered if she put a mirror in front of him, the whole scene is much more interesting for him.

I spent a couple hours this morning cleaning bathrooms, vacuuming, doing laundry, cleaning the kitchen, etc. so I can spend the next two days just playing while Jake visits.

The mountain views here in Port Angeles sure are spectacular when the skies are clear.  I've been up here for about 12 years already and they still cause me to stop and try to take a photo.  I took a quick one this morning while at a light but all I got was my finger.

Saw this picture on Facebook this morning and it made me chuckle.  The guy on the left is a neighbor we had in Kirkland back in the late 60's, early 70's. His wife died and this is his new wife (also named Judy) and they're on vacation in Italy.  It looks to me like the gondolier guy is smoking a cigarette and talking on a cell phone.  hee hee

Think I'll wander out to the frontroom and take a nap now.  I don't know how naps became such a vital part of my daily routine but it's there.

And here's a video I saw on the news that made me laugh out loud...

Later on Wednesday...

Just finished dinner dishes. Guess what I had for supper?  A picnic. Fried chicken, potato salad,and baked beans.  I also made a batch of oatmeal raisin cookies so that should get me through the night.  Ha ha

Mary just posted a picture on Facebook so I decided I needed to post on my blog again.

Boy, is that kid gonna have fun.  Andy and Mary (especially Andy) are like big kids themselves. Jake is gonna be laughing his way through life.

Well, time for the 6 o'clock news, King of Queens, Wheel of Fortune, Jeopardy, and Dexter.

Stayin' in today

It's wet and rainy but I don't really mind.  After pretty much loafing yesterday, I woke up this morning and got right to work.  I put my pjs in the bottom three drawers of a dresser and all my sweat pants in a bin in the closet.  I had them stored the other way around but found I was rummaging for pajamas so much, I only had a bungled mess.  I moved a few odds and ends in various rooms like lamps, knickkacks, tables, blankets, chairs, etc.  I don't think I really overdid it but my right shoulder is aching like a son-of-a-gun now and I plan on taking it easy the rest of the day.

I've got my fingers crossed that my Tuesday doctor appt will be the start of getting to the bottom of whatever is wrong with my neck and shoulders.  Not only are both sides affected but the pain travels from one to the other on a daily basis.  I've also noticed that I'm weak when it comes to using my muscles.  I was reminded of that this morning when I picked up this floor lamp to move it from the office to the back bedroom. I needed two hands to carry it, and even then I was struggling.  Before my fall, I was moving that particular lamp with ease --- and one handed.

I also can't carry heavy bags from Safeway to my car anymore.  Not that long ago, I was as strong as an ox and could unload my car in one trip slinging bag handles over both arms.  These days, I'm making several trips back and forth.  I just don't get it.  I refuse to blame it on the fact that I'm 70 years old. You don't just become weaker because you enter a new decade age wise.

I'm going to have to find my iron-on patches today.  Noticed my favorite Mickey Mouse t-shirt has a hole in it and I refuse to throw it away as it's one of my favorites.

Another favorite is my 'Office and a Gentleman' shirt but I'll have to lay off the brownies if I ever expect to get into that shirt again.  I have more than one t-shirt stashed away waiting for me to drop the blubber.  I wish I knew how to make them into a quilt.  My very favorite quilt of all is the one my sister-in-law, Lill, made of my Rhody Run shirts.

The most interesting news story I heard yesterday was about that 3-year-old boy who fell out of a third-story window.  Apparently, this couple who were moving into the apartment (or maybe out?) had got stuck in the elevator for a half hour.  Later, when they were moving their mattress and bed spring, they saw the boy teetering up above and ran over with their mattress to break his fall in case he fell.  They saved his life being there with that mattress.  Can't help but wonder what God has planned for that kid.

Guess I'll get busy around here now.  Which basically means I'm going to sit here and surf the net.  I'm gungho to get going on my genealogy research.  First, though, I need to wash my hair and try to make it presentable in case somebody shows up at my door.  Selfies aren't my thing as you can tell....

Tired Tuesday

I was tired most of the day. Took a nap and slept for over an hour and a half in the recliner. Then I was REALLY TIRED! Decided to go for a walk to try and wake up.  These are the pictures I took along the way.

The view down the alley. The city road workers cut down a portion of the scotch broom all around the neighborhood.  Made it look even uglier than it was.  Sure would like to see the owner come in and clean up his property.

Saw this pile of dirt sitting on the trail that goes through these woods so I decided to walk in and see what the guys were doing.  Figured the tools nearby meant it was a legitimate project.

There are a couple or more trails within this block long stretch of woods and Jenni lives a couple blocks on the other side.  The kids (and me) are sometimes reluctant to walk through alone as it's kind of creepy in there and there have been signs of the homeless sleeping and making camps.

I noticed a plastic fence was being erected and then I came across the two guys working.

They said the area to the left was wetlands so they were leaving it be but all the rest would be taken down. He seemed surprised when I said good, glad to see it.

I think the walk did me good.  I was only out for 20 or 30 minutes and it started to rain after I got home.
I addressed a birthday card, posted on facebook, wrote an email, and gave Maddie a plate of brownies to take home when her and Jenni stopped in.  I had gone to the bank earlier to see if Jenni could copy some pages from Family Tree Magazine that I wanted.  Sure is hard to find a copy place around here. I think the library is the only spot outside of this one business downtown that I refuse to do business with.

Linda Farina called me from TN and said she was browsing through this old Reminiscence Magazine and was surprised to see a contribution from me.  Several years ago I sent in a story about my grandma's kitchen queen and how her twins played around it in the 20's and my grandchildren twins played around it in 2000.

Well, I can't get in the mood for cooking tonight so I guess I'll nuke a Marie Callendar supper.  Or maybe I'll make pancakes and have a breakfast supper.  I love breakfast for supper.  Tomorrow I'm going to straighten up the spare bedroom for Mary and Jake who arrive for an overnight on Friday. Think I'll set up a changing table too.

Saturday will be a good photo op as Mary, Jake, me, Jenni, Maddie, and Catie are all going out for Mexican lunch.  At least I assume it will be Mexican. That's Catie's favorite and it was her idea.

That helicopter crash in downtown Seattle certainly made the news.  Granted, it is newsworthy but my God, the hours they have spent repeating themselves on the event is overkill.  I noticed early on that the news lady on Kong Channel 6 was having a difficult time talking about it.  Come to find out later, she was upset waiting to hear who the pilot was.  The husband of her babysitter is a helicopter pilot. Wasn't him, though.

Luncheon photos

I just spent way too much time on Facebook trying to tag all these people so I'm too tired right now to ID them all again.  (at least the ones I could remember)  So I'll just post and you can guess....

The food was wonderful and here's one of the waiters.