Busy at the kitchen table

Started working on a photo project where I plan to disassemble  an old photo album  and scan some of the photos to my hard drive and ID the pictures before I put them in a photo box.  I'm probably going to have to dispose of some sooner or later as I have too many that are not really that necessary.  Especially some of me.  Odd how I keep getting uglier as I age.  I'd say "just kidding" but sadly, it's true.  Oh well...

I made an album on Facebook of some of the ones I scanned today as I think people will enjoy seeing them.  I know I had fun doing it.  I stopped to make a jello salad and a coleslaw.  Make a small bowl for me of each and will take the rest to the class picnic.  Tomorrow I'm going to make this cold rice dish which calls for salmon, crab, shrimp.

Walked through Walmart (from one damn end to the other!) trying to find a duster with a long handle. Couldn't find what I was looking for so I decided to come home and see what I could find in the garage. I did locate this old dust mop that had an extended handle on it so I took off the mop part to wash it in the washer.  I needed something to reach the ceilings and tall walls throughout the house as I keep eyeing cobwebs.  It's difficult for me to reach of my head so I've been putting off cleaning.

I heard on the news today that Walmart has lost profits the last five years.  They tried to blame it on Amazon and others but I'll tell you why they're losing business.  Their products are limited.  Especially their clothes.  They used to be a better quality and have more selection.  Now, everything looks cheap and costs twice as much.  I've noticed a whole lot of their prices are higher than they need to be. Plus you can't find a lot of things you're looking for.  And then there's the customer service problem.  I won't even go there.

Here's three items that I scanned yesterday.

This was in a 1938 Leader

This was in a Leader issue of 1945 (I think)

And this is a copy of 10 cent postcard of Chetzemoka Park. The back said Made in Germany, published by N.D. Hill & Sons and the postage required to mail it was one penny.

I've been watching this prison show on Amazon Prime called OZ.  It's from 1997 and man oh man, is it graphic.  Guys are thrown in isolation after screwing up and they're tossed onto a cement floor naked. You see EVERYTHING!  Naturally, I've been spellbound. ha ha

Well, I think I'll cut this short and see what I've got for supper.  Starting to warm up in here.

Uhhhh...I think I'm overwhelmed

One thing leads to another when I get it in my head to organize.  I started out by going through the looseleaf notebooks I had with plastic pages full of various newspaper articles and such.  I planned to scan in any that had to do with family history.  I should have thrown some of it out 'cause once I started reading, I knew I was keeping things I really didn't need to.  I'll work on that during the next round.

I scanned a few and then got it in my head to maybe scan pictures in various boxes.  I gave that idea up quickly.  I've got a handle on those (sorta) as I have them distributed by Places (then separate towns and such) - People (friends, family (several categories there) and on and on.  One album was falling apart and every picture in it is numbered with a separate listing talking about the photo.  So.... I decided to take out every picture and maybe ?  I'm thinking... put the typewritten data I've done taped to the back.   Or.... at least write on each picture before I put it in its proper category box.

I hadn't really intended to do pictures but once I got into it, I knew I should keep going or it's never going to get done.  Maybe I'll even try and toss out a few.  At some point I will try and scan certain pictures for the family roots project I'm working on.  I've been tossing ideas around in my head for some time trying to decide how I wanted to do this

First, though...I have a nice photo album that is empty so I'm going to make it a Jacob book.

Maybe if I only do pictures an hour a day, it won't seem so tedious.  And why did I stop to write this on my blog.  Cause I'm procrastinating getting to the task at hand.  Okay...here I go.

Another Day of Surfing the Net

Slowly but surely, I'm making a little headway on getting my genealogy notes in order.  When I stop to research one particular person, I'm sent on a wild goose  chase  trying to verify dates and names and places.  It never ends.  Especially when you can look at other peoples' family trees and see they've either used the same data or they have some of their own.  A person with OCD can find themselves stuck if they let the details wear them down.  Sometimes you just have to move on.

I worked on my mother's adoptive family (Blanchards  & Nisbets) and that was kind of fun as they're all pretty much local.  Eventually, I'll work on her biological family too. (Haskells & Stevens)  Most of my notes are devoted to dad's family (Blankenships & Holts) and I know I'm going to have to fan out to state archives to find the data I'm interested in.

The fog has been rolling through my backyard but I can see the wind is carrying it and it's probably going to be a warm day.  I got up at 7 a.m. after tossing and turning until 5 a.m.!  I couldn't believe how hard insomnia has been on me this week.  Surely I will sleep tonight.

I sent for this crossword puzzle book on Amazon and it arrived yesterday.

It starts out with puzzles from 1956 and goes thru 1989.  Really kind of funny to see the clues from the 50's and how easy they are.  (and how many I know)

Here's four more pictures I received in an email. I hope I'm not repeating but if I am...oh well...

                                                     female wrestlers in the 1950's

                                                         a chiropractor pageant in 1956

                                                               prom night 1957

                                                                 haircuts of the 50's

I finished watching this movie called Random Passage last night.  It was kind of cornbally in places but I watched both discs all the way through.  Well, I just heard the mail truck drive through so guess I'll go and see what exciting stuff isn't there.

In a shake, garter snake.......

Trying to Stay Cool

Yesterday I spent hours working on one of the limbs of my family.  I needed to update my notes and try to put things in better order so I can eventually keep everything in one notebook.  I ended up with 9 pages and over 3000 words of files I needed to edit and repair.  It was fun but wore me out too.  I decided to hone in on my mother's adoptive family -- the Blanchards and Nisbets of Chimacum.  Found a few pictures on ancestry.com that people had put on their trees so I was happy to see them. Here's a farm that was titled "Nisbet farm" but I'm not positive which Nisbet it is.  I think Hugh, brother of my grandfather.

Hugh was county commissioner at one time and died in a car wreck in Chimacum.  Six months later, his brother (my grandfather) died of a heart attack. I have very few pictures of my grandfather, who came from Scotland. Wish I had more.

John Lambie Nisbet

Today I spent quite a while sorting and deleting and cleaning up various notebooks and computer files.  It's kind of like having a job.  I looked on Facebook to find pictures to share since I haven't been out and about to take any lately.  These are the ones I chose for today......

 Mary Gaboury (on the right) with her sister and nephew, Mike, at the Deleo Derby this past Saturday at the fairgrounds.

                                                    Mary looks pretty colorful, doesn't she?

 Here's the sign they had hung --in reference to an old tavern their family owned years ago.

Joanne Plattner Bennett posted this. She's second from the left and her sister, Patty, is standing in back.
On the left, is Sally Eldridge, class of 1960.  I never would have recognized her.

Mary sent me updates on Jake so of course, I have to post those.  They went to Port Townsend and Fort Worden with their German guests.  Lee & Elaine Arey came down to say hello.

Jake loved the beach and loved watching the water on the ferryboat ride over.

Isn't that just the cutest picture ever?!  I love it.
Yesterday they went to the lake and he had a wonderful time there but was ready to go home at the end of the day.

This is another of my favorites.  Heck!  I love all of 'em!  They thought he would sleep good that night but Mary suspects he's cutting teeth again as he was fussy all night long. She ended up rocking him in her arms in the rocking chair most of the night.

It started to warm up in here after the sun got over on this side of the house so I quickly closed the blinds and curtains and set up three fans.  Also put on my sun dress.  It's very comfy but one of those that I can only wear in the house.

I got a movie in the mail today that I ordered for my sister since she couldn't get it from the library.  I'm going to watch it first. Called "Random Passage."  I thought I would sleep good last night since I had insomnia the night before and while I did get some zzz's in, I tossed and turned a lot.  My shoulder was acting up mostly and it was plenty sore this morning.  I got up at 7 and then took a two-hour nap in the recliner from 10-12.  I also needed to cover up with a blanket 'cause I was cold.  Something tells me my circulation is shot.

 Les Walden sent me some really cool pictures in an email this morning.  So good that I sent them to Walgreens to get reprints.  Here's five of my favorites. I'll try to remember to add more the next time I blog.

                                           mail pick up in the 1900's

                                                        football game in 1944

                                                              going inner tubing

                                                             a supermarket in 1964

                                                  segregated Orange  Bowl in 1955

This was kind of surprised me.  Shows exactly how far we've come.

A nice relaxing Saturday at home

Well, I haven't actually done anything all that interesting today but I'm contented with boredom most of the time.    The sun is shining, the wind is blowing lightly, the crows are hanging out at the bird bath, and I'm occupying myself by surfing various genealogy websites.  Found a list of a couple dozen in one of the Family Tree Magazines I checked out of the library, and it never fails to amaze me what's out there if you know where to look.

I made a special 'save' folder called genealogy blogs so I can access them later at my leisure.  I've had my Pandora Music channel playing all morning but switched over to golf.  It's a comforting background noise for me.  I managed to get one load of laundry done but that's probably going to be the extent of my housework chores today.  Besides working on  my genealogy hobby, I'll probably just watch movies on Netflix, read, and nap.  Yep! Exciting day.

Mary sent me a picture via her phone of Jake's first ferryboat ride.  So cute!

Got an email last week that my tabs were ready to expire.  I just skimmed over the message and thought it was my driver's license that needed renewing and figured I had until my birthday next month to do it.
This morning I reread and see it was my tabs (and they expired this week). Uh oh.. Sent off a payment via email and now I notice my driver's license is also due next month.  Seems to never end the stuff you have to pay for these days.

I decided I needed to get busy on selling my Town Kid book.  Got a whole box of them sitting in the back bedroom; just been lazy about it.  Want to buy one?  I'm shipping them out free now. Give me a hollar at cedarrose61@hotmail.com.  I think you'll enjoy it. Has to do with memories and pictures of Port Townsend life in the past.

Every once in a while, I'll go to IMDB and read up on some movie star. A few days ago it was Whoopie Goldberg. I read this:

Discovered by director Mike Nichols.

2000: Broke up with boyfriend of five years Frank Langella.

Travels to locations by bus since she hates flying.

Dropped out of high school and became addicted to heroin. She ended up marrying her drug counselor. She cleaned up and later divorced him. In 1974, she moved to California and helped found the San Diego Repertory Company, where she used the name, Whoopi Cushion. Before making it as an actress, she worked as a bank teller, a bricklayer and in a mortuary.

Is dyslexic.

Is an avid Fiesta Ware (china) collector.

Is one of only four actresses who won the quadruple crown of acting: The Oscar, Tony, Emmy and Grammy.

Good friends with Patrick Stewart and Marlon Brando. Married and divorced three times to Alvin Martin, David Claessen, and Lyle Trachtenberg. Also dated Ted Danson for a time.

Found a list of "see you later alligator" sayings that I'd been trying to memorize.  Here's one for today..

Toodle-oo Kangaroo!

Off to the casino

None of us won any money today but the fish and chips lunch we had was pretty good.

Traffic was a pain in the neck.  I've noticed the past year or so that I really don't enjoy driving all that much.  Today was one of those days.  Seems like I had to be on my toes constantly watching for other drivers, construction, detours, and everything in general.  I was tired and I'm sure that contributed to the tension I felt.  I was very glad to pull back into my garage.

Nothing on my agenda until our class picnic next Saturday.  I intend to stay close to home, for the most part.  I'm hoping I can get my universal remote programmed so I can play my VCR and DVD.  I don't actually use either of them as much as I do the Roku and Netflix but still...I do want to have them available.

I just may have to break down and take a short nap this afternoon.  Am definitely dragging a bit.  I started a book by Katharine Graham called Personal History.  It's her autobiography and won the Pulitzer Prize.  I've started it before and set it down but this time I hope to stick with it. It's an interesting read.

Here's a picture that was in the Leader this week showing the old house on The Egg & I Road where Betty McDonald lived in the 30's. I just love old pictures like this.

And here's the latest of Jake who can now sit in a grocery cart.

And here's a song that's REALLY COUNTRY GOOD! Sung by two of my favorites.

busy work

I've been spinning my wheels trying to find data on certain Blankenship relatives.  Today I decided to settle down and get to work and fan out in other directions.  I started out by making a list of my father's paternal and maternal sides of the family.  I already had names and dates and places, etc. but it was kind of scattered here and there and everywhere and I wanted to consolidate it into a central reference place.

My father’s Paternal Line                                            My father’s Maternal Line

Ralph Blankinsopp 1632-1720                                   Robert Holt 1605-1661 b Eng, imm to MD

ma Martha Stanley Hudson                                         ma Dorothy Heywood

d Henrico Co VA

Ralph Blankenship 1662-1714                                   Richard Holt 1641-1693 d Essex Co, VA

ma Martha Clay (b 1660)                                             ma Eliz Hudson, then Margaret Plunkett

John B. Blankenship 1697-1754                                Plunkett Holt 1689-1767 b Charlotte Co VA

ma Eliz Hudson, Sarah Wilkinson                                ma Eliz Robertson

Chesterfield Co VA

Isham Blankenship 1737-1810                                  Plunkett Holt, Jr 1726-1789 d Prince Edward Co VA

ma Sarah Wilkinson                                                      ma Ann

Zachariah Blankenship 1764-1840                           George Holt 1765-1840 d Cooper Co MO

ma Edith Wilkinson                                                       ma Mary Gilliam ma VA & moved to TN

Zadock Blankenship 1798-1861                                Littleberry (Berry)Holt 1794-1800 b VA

ma Jones, Eliz. Bolt                                                       ma Mary Ladusky Cobb Driskill

Lewis Marion Blankenship 1841-1911                     James R. Holt 1822-1884

ma Jane Downs                                                              ma Martha Stark 1825-1884

LewGene Blankenship 1878-1960                            George Wash.Vernon Holt 1852-1922 b MO d                                                                                                                                                           WA

ma Mae Holt                                                                  ma Mary Ellen Weatherly 1847-1917 B TN d                                                                                                                                                             WA

John A. Blankenship 1923-2009                                Viola Mae Holt  26 Sept 1883-24 Jan-1938                                                                                                                                            born    Auburn NE

ma Alice G. Nisbet                                                          ma. LewGene Blankenship ma 24 Dec 1903                                                                                                                                       in      Winlock WA

Joyce A. Blankenship 1943-                                       John A. Blankenship

ma John Baldridge                                                         ma Alice Nisbet 

I've been more interested in researching my g. grandparents forward but maybe I'll back up and work on the g. g. grandparents.  I seem to have a little more info on my dad's maternal side (the Holts) but for some reason, my strongest interest is on dad's paternal line. (where Charlie is)

I pretty much played around on the computer all day.  Maddie called and wanted to go to Walmart to buy a Sim card for her new phone that just arrived but after getting there, we discovered it would make more sense for her to order one free from the T-mobile website.  Mary's gonna get one off to her so now she's dealing with patience for it to arrive.  She's in love with the phone, that's for sure.

As long as we were out and about, I made a stop at Radio Shack (they couldn't help her) and a stop at Safeway and Big Lots.  Traffic was picking up and the temperatures were going up too so I was glad to get home.  Thankfully, when I was backing out of my garage, I was doing it slowly. I hit something  in the driveway and pulled back in.  The wind had knocked over the kids' basketball hoop.  Would have made a mess of my car if I'd hit it harder or if it fell while the car was in the driveway.  I consider myself lucky.

Mary and Andy have relatives of his visiting from Germany and I asked Mary how they communicate since they speak very little English. She told me she has an app on her phone that allows her to type what she wants to say and it translates into Germany.  They can read it or it can be voice activated.  Isn't the modern world amazing?!

They've been taking them all over.  Snoqualmie Falls, Seattle Center, out to dinner, swimming at the lake, Museum of Flight and they're going to set them up on a trip to the San Juans.  My calendar is pretty

empty of activities these days outside of doctor appt so I fill in where Mary is going instead.  Only way I can keep track of her.  

Yesterday she told me the last consulting job she had was for this outfit that had a community campaign going for Stolen Youth.  Mary worked on the advertising for it and lo and behold, they won a contest for the layout in a magazine or something like that.  I'm not getting it exactly right but I do know she gets flown to New York for the affair.  Her and Andy have since decided that he'll go too (with Jake of course) and then they can rent a car and drive two hours to his brother's place in upstate NY.  They haven't met Jake yet.

They've also got a trip to Whistler scheduled in September and a week in Hawaii at Thanksgiving.

Well, I guess I'll get off this laptop now.  My slump period is upon me and I'm dragging. For some reason I haven't been taking naps lately.  

Summer rain

Woke up to the sound of light raindrops outside.  Kind of nice really.  That was a couple hours ago. I've got the dishwasher running, had breakfast, cleaned up the kitchen counter, and settled in on the laptop to read the Leader.  I had written a letter to the editor but it wasn't there.  Maybe next week.  It wasn't all that interesting anyhow.  Still, it was more interesting than all the boring election letters.

My tv remote quit working on me.  Not all the buttons; just the channel one which I need for surfing.  I cleaned out all my batteries thinking that was the problem (amazing how many dead batteries I was keeping on hand) but alas, it seems to be just that particular button.  I do have a universal remote in the sewing room which I think I'll bring out to the living room since I seldom use that tv in the other room. Only problem is, now I have to relearn how to program with it.  I hate that!

Right now I have a tv remote, a VCR remote, a DVD remote, and a Roko remote.  I've got it all down in my head exactly how they operate.  My hope is I can use the universal for tv only and continue with the other gadgets.  Not handy, I know, but I'm not sure I can manage programming four remotes into one. Things like that make me cry eventually.  I'll think on it.

Yesterday I hung a new shower curtain.  Well, an old shower curtain but still a pretty one.

I had the tub fixed with a sheer white curtain (for looks only) as the shower was seldom used. I have a step-in shower in my master bedroom/bathroom and it's much easier.  I went to my favorite thrift shop to find shower hooks since I couldn't locate the ones I had in the garage. I probably gave them away.  I found a sack full of hooks for .50 but it was too hard to get them separated to put in the curtain holes so I went to Big Lots and spend $1.50 on a set of 12.  Was hard for me to get the curtain rod  up (because of my shoulder issues) but I was determined.

Then I took down some blue curtains in the back bedroom (that is now empty and will be a storage room for stuff I want to sell or donate).  I took the blue curtains and hung them in the one front window I have  which is now the guest room/sewing room.  I like  having a change now and then.  I probably won't get back into sewing until this fall/winter.

Mary sent me a couple pictures of their house guests visiting from Germany. They took them to lunch and to Snoqualmie Falls this day.

Look at the hands on this cute dude!  He's gonna be a big boy, I think.  Hard to believe he's already sitting in restaurant high chairs.

While looking for something else yesterday, I came across an old King County library card.  I wonder if it's still valid.  Maybe when I go to Mary's next month, Catie or Mary can take me over to the Renton Library to browse around.  I love libraries.  Am thinking I might head up to ours today, as a matter of fact.  Want to pick up a birthday book for my sister (July 30th) to go with the counted cross stitch bookmark I'm working on.

Well, I guess I'll go to my ancestry blog and put up some grandparent pictures.  I'm getting so frustrated at not being able to locate the information I want, I may take a break from that and go in a different direction and look for other  people. The address of that blog is cedarrose61@wordpresscom.

Eureka!

For weeks I've looked for my camera - here and there and everywhere.  Finally gave up.  This morning I grabbed a canvas bag to carry some library books to return and when I got to the library to take the books out so I could put them in the slot, out fell my camera!  I stood there staring at it.  Was speechless because I've torn this place apart looking for that camera and I was sure I had looked in ALL  my bags.  I still can't believe it was in this particular bag as it wasn't one I took when I went to Mary's to spend a few days on the Rocket Van.  I wonder now if it could have possibly been under the seat and was just jarred loose.  I kind of doubt that as I really searched hard in the car.  A mystery it shall reemain but I am thrilled to have it back.

I drove across town to the Morman genealogy library but unfortunately, they had no one there to help me.  The lady suggested I come back at 6 pm tonight or tomorrow.  We'll see.  I decided to stop at Big Lots since I was already on that side of town.  I spent less than $10 and drove across the street to pick up a junior burger at Wendy's.

Nothing much on my agenda today except genealogy searching -- and a nap.  I got up at 5:30 this morning but only because my body hurt laying in bed.  I was still plenty tired but knew I could catch up this afternoon.  Hunter came over yesterday to mow my lawn (mow my dandelions I mean) and we watched a movie on Crackle afterwards.  'Air Force One'.

I watched an episode of Orange is the New Black and Scandal last night but both are continuing to bore me so I think I'll move on.  I've been watching episodes of the History Channel on my Amazon Prime called 'America: the story of us'.  It's holding my interest but then I find I've been drawn to history topics more and more these days.

I started watching a 1977 movie called "Three Women" starring Janice Rule, Sissy Spacek and Shelley Duvall and while it got an 8.5 rating, I found it pretty dull -- and stupid!

Here's a picture Mary sent me of when they were out to dinner with Andy's visiting relatives from Germany.  I can't hardly believe how fast Jacob is growing up.

Well,it looks like  the sun has decided to come out after all today.  Maybe I'll take my nap on the deck.
Or maybe I'll bag a nap altogether and just dig in trying to find the elusive relatives.

Sunday morning

Just finished my daily crossword puzzle on Yahoo. Unfortunately, it was kind of difficult today as I couldn't even get much help using my dictionary.  On the other hand, I suppose I learned a few new words.  Now we'll see how long I remember those words. 'Mission Imposssible III' just started on Netflix.  Hunter is wrapped up in a blanket in a recliner and Sammy is outside running through the dandelions.  Sure hope I get those weeds chopped down today.

Jenni and Wayne went to a concert to see 'Journey' and 'Steve Miller Band' so Hunter arrived here about 8 last night and Maddie spent the day and night with a girl friend.  Actually, Hunter spent most of his time with a girl friend too.  They went to the lavender festival in Sequim with her folks and out to dinner after.  He brought me a bouquet of lavender as well as one for his mom.

He was sleeping (or so I thought) earlier this morning when all of a sudden he arrives in the kitchen and needs to get online.  Like many teens his phone is always with him and it buzzed him when he won a bid on ebay.  He was excited as he had his eye on this fancy Iphone.  Needed a better phone as his other one wasn't getting reception.

Later this morning he'll move my single bed from the back bedroom to the sewing room on the other side of the house.  Will be nice to have one whole room empty and ready for storing stuff I want to sell or donate.  Nothing much on my agenda today as I'm still healing from the nasty flu bug I had last week. I suppose if I had to suffer from an illness, I'd just as soon do it now and not next month when my shoulder surgery is scheduled.

I did manage to get a few household chores done yesterday, though. Probably overdid it but when you've been in bed for days, you get anxious to tidy up and rearrange. Well, some people do.  I decided the table on my back deck wasn't being put to good use as I seldom sit out there or have people over to eat out there.  If I do sit, it's in my lounge chair.  Anyhow, the umbrella inserted in the middle has to be tied down as the wind has a tendency to want to carry it off sometimes.  I took that out and put it back in the garage and then put some of my plants on the table after moving the table nearer the sliding glass door so I can see them better.

Moved my other pots down to the other end of the deck.  Those red ones are attracting hummingbirds pretty well now but I still made fresh nectar for the feeders in the front.

Here's a picture of Sammy claiming one of the chairs as his.

I've been watching various things on Netflix and Amazon but finding that I tire quickly when the characters continue to become more and more sleezy and without morals.  Not that I'm a goody-two shoes but sometimes writers go overboard on what is acceptable and entertaining versus what is a waste of my time.  Orange is the new Black was a big favorite of mine but now...not  so much.  Starting to feel the same about Scandal.

I often tune in old Andy Griffith shows just for background noise when I want something on.  I never tire of ole Barney Fife.  Last night I watched a BBC documentary called 'Walking with Cavemen'.  It was excellent.  May even watch the two-part show again.  I also discovered all the old 50's Alfred Hitchcock Presents shows.  What fun they are.  Corny as hell but entertaining.  Especially seeing the old actors and stage sets.  I got to thinking about Hitchcock and dug up these facts on him at IMDB.

As a child, Hitchcock was sent to the local police station with a letter from his father. The desk sergeant read the letter and immediately locked the boy up for ten minutes. After that, the sergeant let young Alfred go, explaining, "This is what happens to people who do bad things." Hitchcock had a morbid fear of police from that day on. He also cited this phobia as the reason he never learned to drive (as a person who doesn't drive can never be pulled over and given a ticket). It was also cited as the reason for the recurring "wrong man" themes in his films.

In a recent USC class on Hitchcock (fall of 2000), guest speaker Patricia Hitchcock revealed that two guilty pleasures of Hitch's were Smokey and the Bandit and Benji.  (I watched Patricia, his daughter, in one of the 1955  TV shows and she was pretty good as an actress.)

For Psycho (1960), he deferred his standard $250,000 salary in lieu of 60% of the film's net profits. His personal earnings from the film exceeded $15 million. Adjusted for inflation, that amount would now top $150 million in 2006 terms.

A statistical survey he did among audiences revealed that according to moviegoers the most frightening noise in films was the siren of a police patrol-car, followed by the crash of a road accident, cracklings of a burning forest, far galloping horses, howling dogs, the scream of a stabbed woman and the steps of a lame person in the dark.

Regarding  his lifelong fear of eggs (ovophobia), he said:  I'm frightened of eggs, worse than frightened, they revolt me. That white round thing without any holes . . . have you ever seen anything more revolting than an egg yolk breaking and spilling its yellow liquid? Blood is jolly, red. But egg yolk is yellow, revolting. I've never tasted it.

Walt Disney refused to allow him to film at Disneyland in the early 1960s because Hitchcock had made "that disgusting movie Psycho (1960)".

Nothing on my calendar this week except a trip to the casino on Friday to meet friends for lunch.  I do need a few things from the dollar store and Walmart but I think I'll put it off until tomorrow. Still feeling only so-so and that's a good excuse to stay home.

I'm going to have to spend more time watching Ancestry.com videos on YouTube.  I know there must be ways to access information that I'm not getting.  I spend hours some days on one dang relative and come up blank.  Besides the elusive Charlie (my grandpa's youngest brother maybe?), I decided I'd start at the top of his sibling list and begin again with his oldest sister, Georgianna, who married Jacob Stark. I found quite a bit on 3 of their 4 kids but the youngest (who I think was nicknamed Babe) has been a struggle to find.

I know Ailene was born in 1896 or 1897 in Independence,OR and died in Oct 1951 in Alameda, CA.

I also know she married Fred Cole in 1918 in Eugene and that they divorced and he remarried a woman named Nettie.  I could follow Fred a bit as he had a cigar stand in a hotel and later became a hotel manager.  Ailene lived with her mom at a hotel they owned in Eugene after her dad died and in 1930 she was managing (and maybe owned) the Medford Hotel.

At some point she married a guy named either Vincent or John McBride but I haven't been able to find out what state they married in or when they married.  I also can't figure out why she was in Alameda, CA when she died.  Have to do some more digging, I suppose.  Once I start to focus on someone, it becomes kind of obsessive and I want to know more.  Would love to have photos of all these people too. Here's a "possible" picture of her with her mom, Georgie. If this isn't Ailene, then it could be her older sister, Inez.  She's another one I'm puzzled about.  I did find a whole lot of info on her but I want to know why she died in Baltimore Maryland.

Well, the trees across the way are blowing pretty good now so I guess it's not going to get too warm.

Probably going to need a nap before the day is over as I didn't sleep that well last night.  Goofy dreams again.  A usual dreamscape has me participating in the Rhody Parade.  I won't go into detail about what happened last night but it was weird beyond words.  Like dreams can be.

Guess where I've been

IN BED!  Boring way to spend a nice summer week.  Couldn't believe how nasty this flu bug overtook me and laid me low.  It was miserable!  I'm on the mend (I think) but I'm still not good enough to hop in the car and go out and about.  Maybe in another day or two.

Plan on hitting the casino with friends next Friday and then my class picnic two weeks after that in Port Ludlow.  Still thinking on driving to PT the weekend after that.  I do enjoy the county fair but I'll have to play it by ear.  The weekend after that is more driving as I head over to visit my cousin in Tacoma.
Mary will pick me up there and guide me into Renton where I'll stay through the month.  Maybe longer. Depends on how well my arm is moving.

Total shoulder replacement is scheduled for Aug. 20 at Swedish branch in Issaquah.  Doctor says I'll have to stay one or two nights but I thought it was in and out the same day.

The twins are 14 years old today. Went through my picture collection to see what would be fun to post.

They got back from Lake Cushman with Mary and Andy and several other people yesterday. I'm still waiting to see pictures but I know they had fun. They go every year.

My oldest granddaughter, Catie, recently took a business trip to San Francisco for her job. (we're so proud of her!) Here's some of the photos she took...

Saturday, another day of rest

Had a pretty crummy night.  Must have been something I ate or maybe even the coffee I was drinking. I was sick in bed with a horrible case  of gastritis from about 11 pm to 4 a.m.  Miserable.  Now I'm tired but at least those stomach pains have left.  Just feeling a tad "off".  Will probably end up taking a recliner nap before the afternoon is over.

I've got golf playing on tv although I did sit and watch a couple of movies earlier.  The Muppets take Manhattan and Guarding Tess.  Tried out the HuluPlus station on my Roku device as the first week is free and then it's $8 a month.  It's similar to Netflix and Amazon so I'll wait and see if I feel there's enough variety to keep all three.  Last night I watched a movie called The Maid.  It was a Spanish film (with subtitles) filmed in Chile.  Usually, foreign movies aren't my favorite but I've found that if you give them enough time, they're often worth the watch.  This one was 2009 and I enjoyed it a lot.

I had the fan running in the bedroom last night but it never did get too uncomfortable. There's a slight breeze blowing today too, so I'm hoping it continues.  Have decided to spend a little time on ancestry today and begin work again on finding info on my grandfather's siblings.  Otherwise, I'll probably hang out in my recliner and watch movies and do some cross stitch and crochet.

Today is my ex-husband's 70th birthday.  Mary posted a picture she took of him when he came over to visit her last week.

I looked over my old diary notes to see if I could find anything interesting for July 12 but as usual, my diary notes were lame.  I did find a 1982 notation that said: John is 38.  Town Tavern caught on fire.

I forgot to post the picture I took of Ruth yesterday that I took when I visited her on Thursday. I had posted it on FB but I forget that many people don't visit that website.  Anyhow, here she is....

Just looked over my calendar and see that I have nothing noted as far as activities except to drive to Brinnon on Thursday morning to pick up the twins from Mary, who is taking them to Lake Cushman with two of their friends. It's a camping vacation they take every year with Mary & Andy's crowd. Another friend of Mary's is coming from Atlanta with her husband and son to join them.  Should be a good time.

The only other note on my social calendar is our class picnic at Jovags house in Port Ludlow on Aug. 2.  Otherwise, August will be pretty much devoted to doctor appointments, an EKG, surgery, and post-op doctor visit. Oh joy!

Traffic, visits, the heat

It's 10:30 a.m. and I've been up for three hours.  Temperature is pleasant but I know it's going to get uncomfortable as the day moves along.  I'm preparing myself.  I could hook up my large a/c unit on wheels but I can't use it when my shoulder is this messed up 'cause I need to lift it to a table so I can empty the water tray underneath.  Maneuvering it to a window and attaching the hoses and such would also require physical activity I'd best forget about for now.  I'll make do with the three fans I have.  I can always set them up in my bedroom, lay on the bed, and watch tv, read, or listen to an audio book.

For now I'm fine at the kitchen table with the sliding glass door open allowing a breeze to waft on through.  I cooked up two pieces of fish and 2 chicken legs so I don't have to have the oven on later when it's too warm.  Been thinking I might make a sandwich  with lettuce, tomato, cheese, and a thin fish fillet. It kinda sounds not that yummy but I don't have any bacon so it will have to do. I have ice cream and root beer on hand, too, for the float I'm gonna want later.

Just noticed a hummingbird fly in for the flowers I have on my back deck.  I LOVE these red crocosmias, also known as falling stars and copper tips. (I had to look it up)

I finally got in to see the orthopedic surgeon in Issaquah yesterday.  Had to have yet more x-rays and need to go back for a pre-op appt.  on Aug. 18 with surgery scheduled for Aug. 20. They'll do a shoulder replacement and he thinks I'll need to stay overnight, maybe two nights even.  I'll recuperate at Mary's and go back for another check on Aug. 29.  I "might" get to drive home that weekend but it all depends on how I'm doing.  I'm not keen on being on the freeway for Labor Day weekend but I'll play it by ear and take one step at a time.  I know I'll need to go back for another check (maybe two checks) but again....I'll deal with the travel issue one day at a time.

It wasn't that bad driving to Bainbridge Island really.  I left at 5 a.m. to give myself lots of time in case there was road work, an accident, or the bridge was open.  I wanted to catch the 8 a.m. boat and of course, I got there in time for the 7 a.m. boat.  Ha!  I walked on it anyhow and called Mary to tell her I was arriving sooner than I thought.  She picked me up down on the waterfront (Jake was with her so that was nice) and we drove to Bellevue to check him into daycare.

Then it was off to Issaquah and breakfast at the 12th Street Cafe.  Yummy food!  Met a lady from Manhattan and we shared NY memories.  She was from Manhattan itself but lives in Maple Valley now.  The girl at the appt. desk at the doctor's office said her folks had a summer home at Beckett Point so I asked her who they were.  Come to find out, she's a relative of my dad's old pal (and mine) --Harry Gauthier.

Mary took me back to the ferry and I only had to wait maybe 20 minutes or so.  Picked up a Subway sandwich for myself and Ruthie, who I intended to stop and see in Poulsbo.  I also took her some brownies I had made.  She's more than ready to be released and wants to come home in the worst way. I know she needs a full time caregiver onsite first and I hope it happens as she is not a happy camper. I did notice her left arm was moving better and she says she's walking better too.

As I left there, I spied a $5 bill in the parking lot.  That never happens to me.  I decided to stop at 7 Cedars by the time I got to Blyn because I needed to use the restroom. Plus I had that $5 eating a hole in my pocket.  I also needed to take a break to wash off my sticky steering wheel.  I was hungry while driving and took a plum out of the ice chest.  Bad idea.  Drippy mess.

I was listening to a book on tape by Lee Child so the trip home was fairly quick and easy.  Seems like you always get home quicker than you get to your destination when driving there.  Traffic was heavy but then it is summertime, afterall.  On my trip over to Seattle on the ferry, I noticed most commuters were quiet and lost in their reading material or Ipads, etc.  Not the guy I was unfortunately sitting near, however.  He never shut up once.  And he wanted to make sure everybody around him knew he was educated.  Most boring conversation I've had to listen to in a long time.  He couldn't even swear like a normal person.  He referred to something (political) as horse manure. ha ha  Another guy near me who obviously wanted to nap got up and moved.  I should have too.

I did okay at the casino.  Put $20 in the slots and took away $33.  Would have preferred $83 but I was contented enough with a $13 bonus.  Stopped at Safeway to buy a few things because I knew it was going to be hot the next few days and I didn't relish leaving the house if I didn't have to.

Here's a picture Mary posted on FB today of her and Jake.  I just can't get enough of looking at him.

I posted a very yellow and brown picture of my back yard on FB this morning. Now I think I'll post another photo of how well the yard can look.  What a difference!

Here's a song by one of my favorite singers --