10-10-11

I'm gonna miss writing 2011 in January. It's been a fun date to record.  I had a pretty nice day overall.  Didn't do much but sometimes those are the most fun.  I finished a couple of small quilts. (crib size)  Now I have to figure out who I can dump them on. 

I also finished a counted cross stitch wall hanging picture. A quilt-like production.  I've got half a dozen sewn up and set aside for gifts.  I listened to 'New York' most of the morning and afternoon while sewing and working on a jigsaw puzzle.  Took a quick break to make a library run but didn't check out anything. Just returned a few and browsed their gift shop.

And that was pretty much the extent of my day outside of the usual household chores of laundry and dishes, etc.  I had a light lunch (tuna sandwich) and a light supper (mashed potatoes, green beans, and baked chicken.)  Yep.  Nothing much to write about tonight.  Ha Ha

Here are four more trivia facts I've saved plus some added info that Les sent.

The Mona Lisa has no eyebrows. In the Renaissance era, it was fashion to shave them off!

Because of the speed at which Earth moves around the Sun, it is impossible for a solar eclipse to last more than 7 minutes and 58 seconds.

The night of January 20 is "Saint Agnes's Eve", which is regarded as a time when a young woman dreams of her future husband

Google is actually the common name for a number with a million zeros


Houses had thatched roofs-thick straw-piled high, with no wood underneath.

It was the only place for animals to get warm, so all the cats and other small animals(mice, bugs) lived in the roof.When it rained it became slippery and sometimes the animals would slip and fall off the roof. Hence the saying, "It's raining cats and dogs."

There was nothing to stop things from falling into the house.This posed a real problem in the bedroom where bugs and other droppings Could mess up your nice clean bed.
Hence, a bed with big posts and a sheet hung over the top afforded some protection.
That's how canopy beds came into existence.

The floor was dirt. Only the wealthy had something other than dirt.
Hence the saying, "Dirt poor." The wealthy had slate floors that would get slippery
In the winter when it was wet, they spread thresh (straw) on floor to help keep their footing.
As the winter wore on, they added more thresh until, when you opened the door,
It would all start slipping outside. A piece of wood was placed in the entrance-way.
Hence: a thresh hold.

Fixing that address

Well, thanks to Kris Logue, I figured out why Allison's blog address wouldn't hook up on my blog. I had it typed wrong.  I put in a @ sign and why I did that, I don't know.  Okay. Yes, I do know. Cause I don't pay attention to details sometimes.  Anyhow, the link below will take you to her blog.  I know you'll enjoy it.
http://allisoninmoz.blogspot.com/


I put another hour and fifteen minutes of toil into preparing my future tulip bed this morning.  It's both annoying and a little unsettling that I can't seem to last longer than an hour at garden work. I get too tired and dare I say it....weak.  I know 68 isn't a spring chicken age but my God, I really don't understand why I can't last longer.  It was all I could do to push the wheelbarrow a block down the alley and dump it in the vacant scotch broom lot.  I came back into the yard and climbed the steps groaning.  So pathetic!

I clawed the lawn sod trying to make the strip a little wider. Once I did that, I sat down on my trusty camp stool to pull out each clump and toss it in the wheelbarrow.  I hadn't gone very far before my new stool seating (that I thought I'd spent way too long sewing) gave out under the weight of my enormous butt!  RIIIPPPPP!  and PLOP!  Down I went.

I was close enough to the ground that it didn't hurt and I was thankful it didn't happen at one of the kids' sports games. I had debated using it yesterday instead of the large canvas chair I took.  Anyhow, I had used heavy cotton duck fabric instead of canvas and either my thread was not heavy enough or my butt was too heavy.  I'm going with the thread theory.

Since I was only half done with the weeding, I retrieved a lawn chair from the garage and used it instead. (getting on my knees is just not an option these days)  It worked okay so I guess I'll toss my little camping stool in the trash.

I've got the VCRs set to tape various movies I've spotted on the line-up for Sunday....Wedding dress, Blood Feud, Flight of the Phoenix, and Mama Mia.  I took a lunch break and tried finishing another crossword puzzle but it was too hard so I set it aside until dinnertime. 

Am working on a small quilt now with a book on tape playing in the background. It's really getting good too.  'New York' by Edward Rutherfurd.

I've been looking over various cartoons and pictures  on Facebook lately and some of them are cracking me up.  Like this one...

And here's photos that my cousin, Marlee Morin in Gig Harbor took on one of her walks.

I sure do love the colors of autumn.

And here's 3 more trivia notes from Les Walden's email:

Albert Einstein was offered the presidency of Israel in 1952, but he declined

Astronauts can't belch--there is no gravity to separate liquid from gas in their stomachs

Ancient Roman, Chinese and German societies often used urine as mouthwash

This morning he sent me an email about interesting history. I've read some of it before but I still think it's worth a second look.  I'll add a little at a time.


They used to use urine to tan animal skins, so families used to all pee in a pot

And then, once it was full, it was taken and sold to the tannery...
if you had to do this to survive you were "Piss Poor".
But worse than that were the really poor folk who couldn't even afford to buy a pot...
They "didn't have a pot to piss in" and were the lowest of the low.

The next time you are washing your hands and complain because the water temperature
Isn't just how you like it, think about how things used to be.
Here are some facts about the 1500's
Most people got married in June because they took their yearly bath in May,
And they still smelled pretty good by June. However, since they were starting to smell,
Brides carried a bouquet of flowers to hide the body odor.
Hence the custom today of carrying a bouquet when getting married.

Baths consisted of a big tub filled with hot water.
The man of the house had the privilege of the nice clean water,
Then all the other sons and men, then the women and finally the children..
Last of all the babies.
By then the water was so dirty you could actually lose someone in it.
Hence the saying, "Don't throw the baby out with the Bath water!"

Saturday activities

I decided to browse through the P.A. Crab Fest booths this morning.  Wasn't sure how to dress so I put on a warm jacket.  It was a little too warm after an hour but my  hands were like ice. I hunted for my gloves when I got home and decided to keep them in my purse for future outings. Here's some of the pictures I took.

                                       This guy gave a little talk on his birds.

              There were two large tubs set up where people could "fish" for crabs for $5.

                             These teens were playing volleyball near the beach.

 Alyce Hansen (in yellow) of Port Ludlow was working the Dungeness Lilghthouse booth.

                Graham Kerr was setting up to give a cooking demonstration. That's him on the right.

I didn't have a lot of money to spend but I did buy 50 tulip bulbs from the Rotary Club. I'll plant them on the strip along the fence I'm working on as well as in large pots on the porch. Their price was even better than Walmarts.

I did stop and browse a couple of antique stores on 1st Avenue.  Both of them had a ton of good stuff but I only spent $5. Bought another toilet for my collection.

I came home to warm up and fixed some soup for lunch.  Worked on a quilt and then ran to Safeway to buy a few items. Am making a big pot of chili for supper tonight. I should say for supper the next few nights.  I'll look forward to not having to cook.

Had five deer in my yard so I chased them off. Took a picture of a bee on my garage door. He just sat there so I guess he's nearing his end.

I stopped by Hunter's soccer game for a half hour and sat with Jenni and Wayne. Jenni had just gotten off work and she was tired so we left at half time.  I was eager to get home and warm up as it was fairly chilly sitting out there on that field.

Maddie's game was earlier in the morning and it was in Sequim.  She's going to a birthday party this afternoon.  A sleepover I think.

Jenni's got Monday off so I won't have the dog or kids until next Tuesday.  Not too much on my agenda.  The usual....jigsaw puzzle, crossword puzzles, sewing, reading, videos, yard work, counted cross stitch, knitting, computer, and whatever else I can find to stay out of trouble.

Well, it's after 4 so I guess I'll head out to the kitchen and get going on that chili. By the way, if you want to really another blog (one that is actually very interesting) try out Mary Norton's niece in Africa. Allison Tjemsland writes really really well.
http/allisoninmoz@blogspot.com  You'll have to write this link down and type it yourself, I think.
I put a colon and two slashes after the http and then typed the rest but when I posted, the colon and slashes went away so you can't click on my link.  I don't know why.

A jigsaw puzzle kind of day

Woke up hearing raindrops on the roof and I think it helped me roll over and go back to sleep for a while longer.  I don't think I'll ever take my retirement for granted.  I LOVE not having to go to work.  Not that I didn't like work.  Except towards the end, I really liked my office job at the paper mill.  But more about that later. I may write about it on my Leader blog.

I'm playing with the idea of setting up a jigsaw puzzle I bought a few weeks ago at a yard sale. It's only 500 pieces. Sometimes I set up the 1000-pc puzzles but get discouraged and put it away before I'm done.  I've always like doing puzzles; even as a kid.

I may drive over to Airport Nursery and pick up a bag of dirt today.  I did a little more "clawing" of the lawn sod where I want to plant tulips and I think I probably need to make that strip wider.  All in good time.  I also noticed a house plant that is outgrowing its pot so I'll get it transplanted today for sure.  (Are you bored to tears yet? Well, hang on, it only gets worse)

I've got the vacuum set up and ready for take off once I begin the morning household chores.  As I walked down the hallway this morning, I "think" I felt a comweb in my face.  Intend to walk around with a feather duster and see if I can't demolish any webs before those spiders get too comfortable.  Not that I've seen any spiders but where there's a web, there's probably a bug.

Went on Facebook this morning to take a look at the latest posts and photos. I thought this cartoon was kind of funny.

I also follow my great niece's page for the pictures she posts of her new baby, Lily.  This is my brother, Les' great granddaughter.  Isn't she a cutie?

Yesterday wasn't a good day for keeping money in my wallet.  I woke up the night before with a terrible toothache.  I was depressed, not only because of the pain, but because I'd already given my dentist a great deal of money this past summer.  A couple of Advils nipped it in the bud but I knew I had to get it checked out.  He worked me in yesterday morning, took a couple of x-rays, and determined the problem was a sinus infection; not a tooth going bad.  Cost me $127 for the exam and x-rays and another $24 for the antibiotics but oh well.......I've learned that one way or another, somebody is going to get my money.

Maddie lent me a picture that I thought was too good not to post on my blog.  She's shown here with her dad, Wayne, at a father-daughter dance they went to a few weeks ago. Both twins share their love of music with their father. When I was driving over to Renton last month, Wayne was in the back seat with the kids and him and Maddie played a music game for over an hour and a half where she would have him listen to a few seconds of a song on her Ipod and he had to ID the name of the song and the artist.

It amazed me how he got just about every single one!  Hunter and Maddie also discuss favorite songs and singers frequently.   Wayne's never struck me as the type who would go to dances but he told me they danced EVERY SINGLE DANCE all night long. I like that.

And here's some more trivia...

Tourists visiting Iceland should know that tipping at a restaurant is considered an insult!

People in nudist colonies play volleyball more than any other sport

Just dingin' around...

As usual, I can always find odd jobs that need doing around here.  And seems everytime I hone it on some particular chore, another pops up as well.  Just little stuff but enough to occupy the day away.  I intended to tidy up the garage (just a tiny bit) and to put my four fans out there that have been stored in the extra bedroom.  Then I decided to bring in the exercise bike in the garage and put it back in my bedroom to see if I would use it more often. (we already know the answer to that, though, don't we?)

I then decided to straighten up a few shelves in the hall closet.  Mainly the various gifts I've been stashing away for birthdays and Christmas.  Then I pulled out a notebook and started inventory on what I had.  I do this every year and every year, I tell myself next year I'm not going to stash presents!  It's no use, though.  I can't help myself.  I'm sure the number is close to, if not over 50!  Just odds and ends I've picked up or things I've made.

Often times I have so much left over, I'm in a quandry of what to give to who.  But it's a fun challenge.  Some things I bought for myself and it just wasn't my cup of tea.  Like this perfectly good video about stretching exercises for seniors.  Who was I kidding?  Anybody want it?  I'll even pay postage to get it out of the house so it's not making me feel guilty everytime I come across it.

I went outside to pick up a couple of things in the grass and next thing I knew, I was pulling out the gardening claw, my sit-down stool, a rake, and a bucket to put weeds in. I worked for about an hour and a half preparing the area along the fence for tulip bulbs. Will probably have to work an hour longer or more just to get the dirt ready.  Look how brown my lawn looks on that side of the yard where I didn't water much this summer.

The other side of the lawn was treated to water a little more frequently. Have discovered, though, that the area I prepared for fresh grass seed was probably a waste of time.  It's coming in and looks okay but the clover next to it looks greener and prettier to me.....plus the clover is growing in my special grass as well. It will probably take over.  I'm kind of learning about horticulture as I go.

Last night I browsed through some of the MANY catalogs that have been showing up in my mailbox lately.  I did what I usually do.  I made a list of what I wanted, waited a day, and browsed again to see if I still wanted it, then checked the shipping charges for how much I was spending--AND THREW THE CATALOG AWAY!  Seems to get me everytime.  I wanted the things but I didn't want to pay THAT MUCH to get it here.  Sigh.....

I couldn't find anything of interest on TV last night so I watched programs I'd taped.  Breaking Bad and this survivor show of people going in the woods and pretending they were cavemen. Tonight there are programs on four or five channels that I want to watch so I've programmed both VCRs and will watch everything else as long as I can stay awake.

Was sure fun seeing Dave Marriott on the news yesterday.  I thought that was him on the airport tarmac so I ran and got a blank tape so I could record the show.  Glad I did too because he even got to give a speech.  Way to go Dave!  He looked pretty good too.

Well, my foot isn't hurting right now and I wonder if it's because I made an effort to place the pad in my shoe very carefully.  I don't want to get my hopes up but too late....I'm hoping I'm seeing the end of this foot problem.  We'll see....  Think I'll treat Sammy to a walk around the block. Been a while.

Oh.... and here's two more trivia facts:

To make half a kilo of honey, bees must collect nectar from over 2 million individual flowers.

Heroin is the brand name of morphine once marketed by "Bayer."

Future Stars I'm sure

The twins started taking band this year. Maddie's on the clarinet and Hunter is playing alto sax.
They gave me a demonstration of their first practice pieces. (less than two minutes)



I didn't get a nap today so I'm in my slump period now. Did get a small quilt basted together but that was about it.

Dozens and dozens of birds just appeared in the scotch broom mowed down patch across the street.  Must be something interesting to eat right now.  Sammy is sitting at the window shaking and whining 'cause he wants to get over there and see what they're up to.  I went out on the porch and took this picture of some bird in the yard. Not sure what it is but it was bigger than a robin.

Here's a goofy picture of me taking a picture of Sammy through the window. Janie came by to visit him today. He was happy to see her but more happy to see her dog, Newman. I can't say that Newman was as excited in return, though. Sammy wanted to play and do "dog things" but Newman found him a nuisance. Jenni may need to think about a companion for ole Sammy Boy.

Well, I think I'll surf the net a bit. Mary Norton's niece has a blog she's posting on about her adventures in Africa. She's there as a Peace Corp volunteeer.  I need to see about sharing some of her pictures. My blog photos are boring--even to me sometimes.  Ha Ha

And here's a fun video about Wal-Mart. I like the music.

Anniversary Week

Although I've been divorced for 29 years, I still remember certain anniversaries related to that period of my life when I was married.  My years as a child and teen in Port Townsend lasted about 18 years. My marriage also lasted 18 years.  While looking for something (I spend a whole lot of time these days lookin' for stuff), I came across this little token that my ex-husband and I made on this machine press in a Greyhound bus depot in Portland, OR. 

The date on the token is Oct. 4, 1963, and I think it cost about a dollar to make it. Maybe less. We had very little money during our courtship and no car either.  We used city transit busses to get around and spent a lot of time drinking cokes in downtown Portland cafes.  According to my wedding book, we met on Oct. 2, he proposed on Oct. 11, gave me a ring on Nov. 7, and we married on January 4.  Were we impulsive or what?!  Sometimes I'm a little surprised we made it as long as we did.

I'm not sure why I even kept this little token.  I think after a few years, I decided it was too old to throw away.  I have a real hard time throwing old stuff away.  And speaking of "throwing away"....I decided to delete old email messages this morning.  In my inbox, as well as 'sent' and 'deleted' areas.  Always scary when I do that because I know without a doubt, I'm going to want to look something up and when it's gone, it's gone.  But when you've got over 1200 sitting in the deleted files, it seems silly to not hit the delete button.

Right now I've got 'Dancing with the Stars' playing on the TV in here.  I've kind of lost interest in it.  Actually, I like parts of it but have to tape it because there's so much that annoys me about the show.Like the judges and their stupid comments and the commercials that appear too frequently. This year I'm really turned off by Chaz. 

I don't have a problem with her becoming him but it's downright painful to watch him perform. He's TOO FAT!  And believe me, I seldom ever criticize fat people.  Mainly because well....I'm fat.  But then we all know that.  Anyhow, I'm not actually against him being fat; I think I'm against him strutting around like a fat man trying to be light on his feet.  Or something.  It's hard to explain.  He just irritates the hell out of me!  It's all for ratings and I know that.  People are so transparent.

I've been working on "tagging" a lot of CZ & PTPC mill photos that I posted on Facebook a few days ago.  Man, what a job!  Mary Norton came by and helped me a little today but I already had a few ID'd from when Alyce Hansen helped me.  I'll work on it again tomorrow.  Mary and I went out for Mexican food, and we stopped by the library too.

I wanted to read Homer Tobin's book 'When the World was young and I was too" (or something like that).  They didn't have it but I found this other one called "Sturdy Folk" by Mavis Amundson. Short bios about local folks. Saw Freida Imislund's picture in it.

Mary gave me the coolest birthday gift. A dish she got in Africa.  I LOVE IT!

I love having girl friends stop in so I can make them look at all my projects. (whether they want to or not!)  hee hee   I'm working on counted cross stitch designs now and plan to sew them into little quilt wall hangings for Xmas gifts.  Here's one completed and 3 in process.

I bought a few dozen tulip bulbs at Walmart a couple days ago and hope to get them in the ground this month or next.  I also picked up a pot of purple pansies that caught my eye.

I wanted to put them on the front porch but was afraid the deer would eat them so I transferred them to this blue pot and set them near the sliding glass door in the back.

I was looking through a Bits & Pieces catalog the other night and saw this puzzle for sale by Cindy Mangutz.  I have two of her prints on my wall and am thinking of buying some of her note cards.  I may order the puzzle too, even though three different puzzles come in the box.  It's really a cool picture. Shows Manresa at Halloween.

News was interesting today.  So happy Amanda Knox is on the way home.  What a horrible four years she's had.  And I heard Chris Christie is playing with the idea of running for Prez.  I'll be watching that story as I don't particularly care for anybody that's running right now.

Well, I think I'll hit the sack.  I seem to be in a real slump lately where I can't hardly stay up at night if I don't get a nap.  Seems to go in cycles. I'm blaming it on the change of seasons.  I'm trying to diet this week too.  Mainly willing myself to avoid all desserts.  My sweet tooth went wild all summer and I'm none too happy with my lack of will power. 

I need to  up my exercise routine too.  I'm betting if I did, I'd see a huge improvement in my fatigue problem.   Going to be limited to bike riding, though, as my foot continues to cause me grief.

Got some interesting trivia facts from Les Walden.  If I can remember, I'll add one to each days' blog post.  Here's the first....  (these are REALLY INTERESTING!)

If you are right handed, you will tend to chew your food on the right side of your mouth. If you are left handed, you will tend to chew your food on the left side of your mouth.

Mary Norton told me about this video she saw about a mother lion rescuing her cub who had fallen off a cliff and how the other mother lions watched her go get her. I knew I'd find it on YouTube.