What did the bee name his kid?

BUZZ....

(that was a riddle on my popsycle stick last night)

Got up early again. It's really a shame when you wake up all night long and look at the clock hoping it's close enough to morning to go ahead and crawl out of bed.  This ongoing foot/leg issue is aggravated sometimes by activity but almost always by being in bed trying to sleep.  Doesn't seem to be letting up so I can only assume I've reached that place I need to be at where I don't chicken out of getting an MRI. Maybe I'll try sleeping in my recliner tonight to see if it gives me a better nights' sleep.

I moved my flower pots off the porch and into a circle on the lawn so I could set a sprinkler in the middle of them so they'd get more water.  I was trying to water everyday but I'm sure I wasn't spending as much time using the hose as I should have.  My poor lawn sure looks like it's anxious for fall to get here.

I have been running the sprinkler at least a half hour every morning in the front yard and it's definitely looking greener than it was.

I may try to get a little sewing done this afternoon. I made a small quilt piece intending to border it with plain red,white,and blue material but I didn't like the shade of blues I had onhand so I made a trip across town to Joanne Fabrics to buy half a yard. Haven't really decided what I'm doing with the thing when I'm done. Mainly it was just busy work and I always need practice on quilting.

Made a stop at Safeway to stock up on a few items and fill the car up with gas..YET AGAIN! 
Yvonne called wanting me to ride with her to Sequim this afternoon so I guess I'll do that. Always fun to be a passenger so you can look over the scenery.

I opened up a Twitter account a couple nights ago. Not sure why except all I ever hear on TV anymore is Twitter this and Twitter that. I decided to see exactly what in the hell Twitter is.  Looks a little bit like Facebook but I haven't set up my page yet. You have to name your favorites and such, and I'm too weary to like anybody. Ha!

I need to invest in a high bird feeder stake. I've got one and the hummingbirds visit it but they pretty much leave the lower ones alone.  They're driving me crazy as I hop up to get a picture everytime I see them and they immediately take off. I know they're doing that just to be mean.  The lower hummingbird feeders are attracting bees, and I don't feel like taking their picture.  Just now, six or seven big old crows landed at the bird bath to get a drink. I quietly picked up my camera and tried to get a picture but they too, were acting like snots and took off!

I picked up Hunter at Cross Country yesterday afternoon and he told me the route him and his dad took the day before as they ran around on trails and nearby streets.  I was surprised although I guess I shouldn't be because I know Wayne loves to go hiking.  I think it's cool that they do stuff like that together.  Maddie and Wayne went to a father/daughter dance Saturday night. I'll post the picture once I get a look at it.

I posted on my "other" Leader blog this morning. (What do you say?) Question was 'What did you get into the most trouble for when you were young?'  Give it a look see and comment...if you dare.
www.ptleader.com

I don't know if I'll go to this movie or not as sitting in theatres has become an issue with me these past years but I just might. I'm a whole lot more interested in history than I used to be and this movie looks pretty good.

Sunny Monday

Sometimes it is just too much work to try and think of a title for the blog post everyday.  My creative juices aren't kicking in most of the time so I fall back on the weather.

Just got a picture in an email from Jenni at work. Here she is on the left with her five-year award.

 

 I posted a piece on Town Kid this afternoon. Still waiting on a second picture to be inserted but perhaps they've gone home for the day.

 

I sat out on the deck and baked myself for 30 minutes in the lounge chair.  Now I feel like a woman in menopause.  Whew!  Really cooked up my innards.

 

I haven't accomplished much outside of a quick errand to Walgreens and setting out the sprinkler in the front and back for a while.  I do notice a difference in the yellow to green of the front yard too. Amazing what a little water will do.

 

I think I'll go make some enchiladas for supper. I just couldn't get in the mood to cook yesteday and settled for a Marie Calander tv dinner. Which are really quite tasty.  Not one thing on my agenda this week unless the hospital calls to schedule an MRI.  Sure be glad to get that off my list. I should have done it long ago but I kept talking myself out of it.  Have finally reached the point where it's do or die. And I really shouldn't have typed THOSE words. With my imagination in medical situations, I can talk myself right into the idea that I'll be the first person to die in the tube.  I've done it more than once in the dentist chair. (thinking I'm going to die, that is)   I really do need therapy. Ha Ha

 

Okay. That's it for now. Check out my blog at www.ptleader.com

 

Blogs/Town Kid/Family Reunions

 

I've posted this John Lennon video before but I JUST LOVE IT so he gets a rerun.

 



Sunday morning after PT

I visited with relatives yesterday.  I found myself sinking into a blue mood on the way home. The mood was still with me this morning and as I thought about why I was down in the dumps, I realized it was the melancholy of remembering relatives gone.  Good way to work through that is to write about it so that's gonna' be the topic of my next Town Kid post later this week.

I met up with my cousin Ann (from Tacoma) and her daughter, Katy, at Fat Smitty's in Discovery Bay. While waiting, I took a picture of the large tree stump on display there. Funny that I'd never really noticed it before. 'Course that intersection is a busy one and not a place you can view the scenery unless you're stopped or a passenger in the vehicle.  I thought it was a shame that a large KEEP OUT sign was displayed prominently in the middle of it. I don't have to think hard on who's bossy idea that was!  Sounds just like something he'd say.

I put a few of these pictures on my Facebook page last night but I think you can see them better on my blog when you click on the picture.  I also snapped this photo of a "hippy bus" stopped at the interesection.

I drove my cousins around town to see some of the homes of the aunts and uncles and how much their neighborhoods had changed.  Ann was born in Port Townsend but moved away after her folks divorced when she was about six or seven. She often returned to visit relatives while growing up, however, so she was familiar with many of the sights.

We drove out to Fort Worden and Lee & Elaine Arey had already set up a picnic table for us near the beach.  Arlie and Bette Blankenship planned to launch their new sailboat (which they built) so I got a few pictures of that and a 4-minute video.

 That's Arlie & Bette's son, Todd (who also helped in the construction and made the sails)

                       Todd, Lee, my bro, Dana

 

The boat is named after the Hawaii state fish - humu humu nuku nuku apua'a and has the basic colors of the reef triggerfish as well. Arlie & Bette lived for several years in Hawaii.

 

Our reunion of sorts was a small impromptu gathering and I would have loved to have seen other cousins as well.  It's really hard to collect family members in one place these days as everyone is busy living their lives elsewhere.

 

Here's a group shot of us posing near our picnic table. We made sure to get Arlie's boat in the background.

 

                           Dana, Dale, Ann, Joyce, Lee, Bill



Other relatives in attendance included Ann's daughter, Katy, and Elaine and Teresa Arey.

 

 

 After we left Fort Worden, we drove over to my sister Janie's apartment so Ann could say hello.Janie gave Ann and Katy cloth bags that she makes, and gave me a nice blouse and a book on quilting. (An early birthday present)  We were celebrating Ann and Dana's birthday and Elaine brought a wonderful cake.

 

Lois Venarchick had posted a picture on Facebook a few days prior of her son wearing this t-shirt from Nifty Fiftys where he works.  I decided I needed a new shirt so we made a quick stop down there.

Gees, but downtown was BUSY AND CROWDED. And noisy! And no parking! And no people that I knew. Sigh.....

Seeing a few cousins (and missing even more) made me get the genealogy bug again so I think I'll see about pulling out my family notes and get back to work.
I found a few pictures as I was thinking over the dates of who is the oldest in our "first cousins" line.
Ann was born in 1933; Lee was born in 1935; Arlie was born in 1937; Bill (Ann's bro) was born in 1938.
After that, in consecutive years from 1941 to 1948, it's Bill Arey, Denny, me, Linda, Dale, Janie, Les, and Jimmy.  Dana and Susie bring up the rear with 1950 and 1951.  This will only be of interest to those folks who know me and my cousins.  And then, I suppose the interest will be minimal but oh well, it's my blog and this is what I do.
Here's a picture I took of Ann and Lee, and a second in my collection showing their parents, Arthur and Elva. These photos are about 98 years apart.

I figure this family group picture was taken around 1914 or 1915.

 The older lady in the very center is my gramma Mae's mom, Mary Ellen Weatherly Holt. This photo was taken in Oak Harbor

This section of the photo shows my grandpa, Lew Gene in the back (on the right), his wife, Viola Mae holding George. Aunt Velna standing in front, Elva peeking out on the right and Uncle Arthur in front.

Well, I guess that's enough history for today. Time to get busy on my "to-do list".



Friday afternoon

Well, I'm marking another tv show off my list.  Obviously, most of these programs are aimed at younger audiences. And dare I say it? Gullible, easy amused audiences?  So many of the prime time shows I think I might be able to tolerate I have to tape so I can watch the following day and fast forward through the commercials, the judges inane comments, and the stomach churning talent they're featuring.

I'm going to give Dancing with the Stars a chance but it too, has to be taped because of the judges who make me ill and the fluff they repeat over and over.  I left the Survivor camp a long time ago. Couldn't take one more person saying "OH MY GOD!"  Course these days, all the shows over use those words along with That's Amazing, That's incredible, and my favorite of all 'YOU KNOW?"

American Idol (which I watched for several years) is losing favor fast with me and 'The Voice' is off my watch chart too. Last night I tuned in to 'The X Factor' and wanted to gag with the drama and meanness that took place. I really don't need to hear another story of how some kid was bullied or how they overcame their addiction and now they're ready to show the world what they're made of. Give me a break! Sometimes I'll stop and watch 'America's Got Talent' but it takes too long to get to see the acts worth watching. You have to sit through the judges antics and the really awful acts that shouldn't be getting air time in the first place.  They need a talent show that seniors can relate to. All the songs these young kids are singing sound HORRBLE.  Give me Ted Mack anytime.

And I never even once thought of watching those stupid Bachelor and Bachelorette shows.  Yes, many people are hooked on them and I realize they're appealing to another age group altogether. Sadly, I think I'm gonna give up on Sons of Anarchy too.  I don't mind a little soft porn now and then  but I'll be darned if I'm going to sit there to be entertained and find the opening scene is Jimmy Smits screwing Katey Sagal.  And this particular scene left NOTHING to the imagination! This type of stuff was the only thing I disliked about The Sopranos and I really loved The Sopranos!

I enjoyed Sons of Anarchy from day one.  I suspect because I always wanted to be a biker chick. Ha!  And I like almost all the characters involved but the bad guys are getting to be way too bad. Psychos from hell.  When you show a girl being  burned up with gasoline while chained up in a pit while her dad watches in horror....well, that's going too far.   It's like these writers think the only way to get ratings is to get uglier and uglier.  Nope.  That doesn't cut it with me. You go too far and I'm turning you off altogether. Violence can be done tastefully, afterall.  Hee Hee

I spent an hour weeding out front this morning.  It amazes me how much upkeep even a very small area needs.  I couldn't have managed without my handy dandy shower stool to sit on but I am finding an hour is about all my back can manage.  I suspect I'm going to have to break down and go into that MRI tube before the year is up. I so HATE the closeness of those tubes. I was told Sequim has an open one but when I called to ask about it, the girl said "not really."  I'll have to check on that again.

I've been putting up with low back pain and hip pain for years and I can continue to do so (like everyone else) but when it gets to the point where I'm suffering while trying to rest or sleep as well, then I know I'd best try to get to the bottom of it. I took six pills last night and was bothered all night long with dull aching and cramping of toes, feet, ankles, and lower legs.  I strongly suspect also that the pills are giving me slight tremors.  I'm going back off the pills tonight and see what develops. The cramps are still occuring anyhow so I might as well see if the tremors cease.  They say anytime something odd is going on with your body, the first thing you need to do is blame it on the drugs you're taking.

I started reading "Wild" by Cheryl Strayed last night.  A really really good book! I see it was an Oprah pick and that Cheryl was in PT before for Centrum activities.

Well, that's about all I got today.  Just complaining.  Ha ha  A typical blog post from Joyce.  Which reminds me, I did post another question on my Leader blog "What do you say?" this morning so go click on it and answer the question.

Having a heck of a time typing lately. I just don't understand how typing can be so difficult when I've done it since I was 16 years old!  Typos typos typos...that's all I deal with anymore. And I still can't type numbers without looking.

Off to the kitchen now. I'm listening to a book on tape and trying to cut some quilt squares that are all exactly the same size.  I can't seem to do that easily either. Not sure what my problem is except maybe I'm just a clutz.  Is that a word?  Doesn't look right but I don't feel like looking it up. Tomorrow will be a better day. I'll get to spend it with family in Port Townsend.

Here's some pretty scenes from the state of MICHIGAN....

Starting a new project

I woke up with  terrible low backache again. Some mornings are worse than others. Just getting up and moving usually sends quick relief but this one was bad enough that I decided to haul in the large memory foam mattress from the single bed in the other bedroom.  Every once in a while, I throw it on my mattress to see if I sleep better. After a while, I'm hauling it back to the other bedroom to try a firm mattress again.  I just can't judge  which is better. I love sleeping on the foam and love sitting on it to read in bed at night but sometimes....I wake up awfully stiff and sore and wonder if I need a firm mattress again.  I realize that most of this body achiness is plain old age and you have to suck it up but I'll never give up...NEVER...in my quest to feel perky.  ha ha ha ha ha

Looked at some of the comments received on my Leader blog for Question #2.  Most people are sincere while taking the time to write, and others you can tell are just commenting off their cuff or being ..well..maybe sarcastic.  That's fine. Makes it all the more entertaining to me. Every once in a while I comment on something I've seen on Facebook and then I'll sit there a minute to think it over and decide if I really want that on there.  I've deleted more than once realizing I'm commenting too quickly.

I've decided I'll probably post my questions every four days on my 'What Do You Say" blog which means I'll pull out a card tomorrow morning for post #3.  I do look forward to seeing the answers.

I started transcribing the first of two journals this morning (from shorthand). I'm only doing about a week at a time because it's tedious trying to transcribe my shorthand scribble. The first two days of this diary (July 5 & 6, 2005) talked about attending a memorial for my cousin Claude  in Bellingham; my brother and his wife, Lill, selling their house in Baker City, Oregon and planning to move to Port Townsend; and my sister planning to move here and manage Admiralty Apts.Then it got down to the boring stuff of who I got mail from, how I needed to think again about dieting, and what part of my body was causing me grief.  Sadly, I already know that most of my transcribing is going to be really annoying and tedious crap about my body woes.  To save myself time and energy, I need to decide if I'm going to record all those sentences or delete them and just record events. 

Heaven knows I would certainly come across looking a whole lot better if I didn't make reference to my health complaints.  Then again, everyone already pretty much knows that I discuss body woes; it's who I am. 

It's 9 a.m. and I'm going out to ride my bike for a half hour and then come back to transcribing, blogging, and working on my book. What a fun way to spend a summer day.  Looks like autumn starts on my birthday this year.    More later....


Back at it. The more  I transcribe, the more I think I'll omit body complants and "stupid boring stuff".
I wrote things like "scanned in pictures to send to people" and "Emailed Margee".  I'm omitting those type of entries...especially when I have no clue who Margee even is!  I will keep comments like:
"Took Irene Sofie to Big Lots".  ha ha  Yeah, my life is really on the fast track.

Here's an interesting video on animals:

Bought Books Today

Went to the doctor so she could earn her money by listening to me whine yet again that my body hurts.  Poor lady.  No real answers to what ails me but then I didn't really expect any. People on Google had the same problem so at least I'm not alone. Just needed a little reassurance that sometimes the body is just plain gonna hurt.  

She was nice enough to look my finger over that the dermatologist MADE WORSE by icing it with her special gun.  Doctor said it looked like it was healing but if it started to get sore or oozy to come back to her on Saturday for an antibiotic.

After leaving there, I stopped at Serenity House to browse. Picked up a couple of good sheets to use as quilt pieces or quilt backing.  One was bright red and the other was black and white stripes. Can't beat the price for 100% cotton if you hit the thrift stores. Much cheaper than the fabric shop.  I was looking for a small tarp to throw over my fans when I store them in the garage during winter, but I may end up buying an old blanket  instead.

My day  started off on the wrong foot as I woke up with those dang toe/foot/leg cramps. And this after taking 6 pills before going to bed.  I guess they're not the magic potion I was hoping they would be.  Still, they did seem to work most of the time.

I taped 'The Voice' the other night and watched it last night.  I think it's coming off my watch list. Too much emphasis on the judges being cute and I don't like it when a person gets up to sing and no chairs turn around and then she has to cry on national television. And yes, I know that's the chance she chose to take hoping to be a star, but I still don't like it! What if that was your child or grandchild?  Just plain ole mean tv in my opinion.

I'm gonna watch Sons of Anarchy tonight.  At least with that show, I know they're all mean.
Had the Katic Couric show on just now but had to turn it off as Heidi Klum was making me ill with her cutesy voice.  And she didn't have anything interesting to say anyhow. Kind of like me and my blogs.  Ha ha

I drove downtown, searched for a parking place, and ended up using a parking lot instead. Walked two blocks down the street to the book store as I wanted a copy of the Rolling Stone Magazine with Bob Dylan on the cover.  They didn't have it yet, and that was just another annoyance for me to deal with. I browsed as long as I was in there.  Big mistake. Spent $46.  I'm such a damn fool sometimes.
I got a book called "Images of America --Vanishing Portland."   Cool pictures. There's a Jefferson County book out like this too. I have it already.

I also bought a book that is on eBay with several bids on several copies and is on the library wait list with 45 people requesting it. (Wild by Cheryl Strayed) I went ahead and got it and will regift it to someone later when I need a present.  Which reminds me...my little brother, Dana, will be 62 this Saturday, and my cousin, Ann in Tacoma will be 79.

When I was trying to empty my material bins earlier this summer by cutting out quilt squares of different sizes, I managed to use up two of the sizes (well almost use up) and now I've got two more sizes to sew together.

One set is 3-1/2" and the other is 4".  Something tells me I'm going to be sewing quilts into the winter time.  I do intend to get back to genealogy, though. Only problem is, there's only so many hours in a day for my various  projects.  Besides family tree data and sewing, I've got two diaries to transcribe and my autobiography to get back to work on. It's been on the back burner for a while as I got distracted.

Well, let's see ....what else....oh yeah, I posted on my Leader blog today. Town Kid --subject is "9/11 stirs memories." Friday I may post on the 'What do you say' blog with another question. That's been a fun one for me because I don't have to put any thinking into it..plus the responses are fun to read.

And the video for today.....

9/11

Sure is hard to believe it's been 11 years since that Twin Towers incident took place in NY.  I was getting ready to go to work at the mill.  I remember being torn as I wanted to stay home and watch television but I knew I couldn't. I was uneasy and sad all day, as was everyone else.

It's been a quiet day so far.  I finished my quilt and finished listening to 'The Good Earth.

The Good Earth is a novel by Pearl S. Buck published in 1931 and awarded the Pulitzer Prize for the Novel in 1932. The best-selling novel in the United States in both 1931 and 1932, it was an influential factor in Buck's winning the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1938. It is the first book in a trilogy that includes Sons (1932) and A House Divided (1935).
The novel of family life in a Chinese village before World War II has been a steady favorite ever since. In 2004, the book was returned to the bestseller list when chosen by the television host Oprah Winfrey for Oprah's Book Club.^[1] The novel helped prepare Americans of the 1930s to consider Chinese as allies in the coming war with Japan.

The book was definitely worthy of the prizes it received. Was interesting to read Buck's words as the main guy was entering his senior years.  She wrote of dementia (not using that word, of course) but it was oh, so revelant in today's world.

I returned the audio tape to the library and noticed dozens of audio books for sale for a dollar each. They're discontinuing books on cassettes and only offering CDs.  I picked up a couple and then went inside the library to check out two more on CD. Also read the Leader.

From there I went across town to the bread store and bought a loaf of bread. Stopped at the Safeway at that end of town and picked up half a dozen items on my grocery list. Ran into Virginia Anglin so we visited a bit.  I decided to get my hair trimmed as it as looking mighty shabby from the last hair cut I got.  It's pretty dang short now. If I didn't have boobs, I could dress in men's clothes and pass for a guy.  Ha ha

Sammy stayed home today as Maddie is going home after school and likes to have him there to keep her company. I'll pick Hunter up at 5 and take him home. He has cross country almost every day after school.

Looking forward to my visit with cousins this Saturday in Port Townsend.  The next Saturday I may go to Kingston for a 70th birthday party for a guy I graduated with.  He's having a live band and serving dinner so I'm thinking I may just tootle on over that direction.  It's awfully easy to talk myself out of going places these days but sometimes I think you need to make the effort.  I may treat myself to a night in a motel so I don't have to drive home late.  It's only about an hour and a half but I'm not fond of night driving and I am fond of eating breakfast out the next morning. Ha!

Well, I got nothin' today.  No photos, no videos, no juicy gossip. I suppose I could post pictures of what I'm having for supper again (salad) but even I would find that totally boring.