I posted my dad and his twin brother's graduation picture on Facebook today after my cousin, Cindy, asked me if they were identical or fraternal. I had to Google it as I wasn't sure. Google said even twins who are the spitting image of each other can still be fraternal as it all depends on whether there was one sac or two in the womb. You can find out with DNA but since dad and Jim are both gone now, I guess I'll just assume they were fraternal. I've never thought they looked identical anyhow. That got me to looking at my old photos and I decided I'd post a bunch of them through the years.
John & Jim at 5 months
Probably around 1 year old
Maybe 3 or 4 years old
Teenagers with their bikes. One of my favorite pictures. That's my bedroom window next to them
Teens hiking on Mt. Walker
Jim's graduation in 1942
John's graduation in 1942
John, George, Jim, Lyall in 1960s at Chetzemoka Park kitchen
Claude, John, Jim, George in about 1992
Family picnic at Chetzemoka about 1993
Jim Elva, John in the 90's
Jim shortly before he died in 2008
John, about 3-1/2 weeks before he died in 2009
I took a 2-hr nap today so I'm feeling kinda groggy. Last night I was up past midnight watching a movie on Netflix. 'Tracks' about a girl who walked across Australia. Normally I never stay up that late but the neighbors with the yappy dogs were gone all day and night and finally returned at 10:45 pm. Those dogs yapped and howled the entire time. I'm going to have to have a talk with them, I think, as I can't even leave my sliding glass door open and it's starting to agitate big time!
Hmmmm...just saw a deer hopping like a bat out of hell up the street. And then.....here comes this large black dog chasing like a greyhound. I wonder who's gonna win that race.
Hunter came over to help me take these very old casters off this very old desk I have. He's gonna help me sand it down and tomorrow we'll go see about new casters so it will roll better. I think the ones on there now were from an old crib I had in 1964.
Last night since I was up late, I did two loads of laundry. I got up at 6 a.m. (cause my body won't do what I tell it to anymore) so I folded the clothes and had my household chores done early. Decided to make a quick Walmart run as I wanted to pick up a small TV for my sewing room. Figure I'm going to be spending a lot of time in there so I might as well make it cozy. I also rearranged my cutting table to open up the room more.
I've got a really cool quilt book that allows you to follow precise patterns step-by-step with diagrams and pictures. A huge help for someone who struggles with directions.
Well, I think I'll go throw something in the oven for supper.
I sure don't do well in the heat. I thought my bronchitis bug was on the way out but it seemed to kick up again when our second heat spell started. At least I'm assuming that's what caused the episode I'm experiencing now. The inhaler does help, I think, but I am more than ready for this congestion to go its merry way.
I cancelled a dentist appointment but am still having to wait before I schedule another. Today I took the twins in for their eye exams and decided I might as well make an appointment for myself while I was there as it's been about three years. Hunter's eyes are okay but Maddie needs glasses. Which means contacts, as well, I suspect, since she's a runner.
Hummingbirds sure are buzzing and diving around a lot this week. I enjoy watching them. Wish I could say the same for the neighbor's dogs. They moved in a few weeks ago and have three small yappy dogs THAT NEVER SEEM TO SHUT UP! If I go in the backyard or if the neighbor on the other side of them is in their backyard, the dogs go berserk and yap, yap, yap! They run up and down the fence line clawing at the wood and several times (I suspect when their owners are gone) they've taken to howling like coyotes IN UNISON. The first time I heard them I thought they must be in some kind of distress as the yowling was unreal. But nope! Just plain ole spoiled dogs! What a nuisance. Especially if you're feeling under the weather or trying to take a nap.
I thought I would give them something to yap about so I had Jenni drop off Sammy for the day. Sammy is a barker (who also drives me nuts!) so I thought I'd let the neighbors notice that too many dogs barking is RUDE! I always make Sammy come indoors if he starts barking at the neighbors when they're outside. Well, I don't know what his problem was but Sammy didn't come through for me. He went out on the deck and barked once. The neighbor mutts went bananas and this is what Sammy did in reply... NOTHING!
See how brown the grass is? This is how it used to look at one time.
Went to a graveside service for my old friend, Susie Bishop, on Saturday. I sure am going to miss her. She was one of a kind!
Afterwards, I went to a reception at the Huntingford place overlooking Oak Bay. Man, what a view.
My class was holding a reunion picnic 8 miles down the road so I stopped in there for about an hour and a half. Only about ten from my class were there but several of the host's neighbors came so it was a good crowd. It was way too hot but I managed to get a couple of pictures before I headed home.
Ruth on the right
Jud Gammage, Bruce Chesterfield, and Don Edney
Yesterday, my cousin Ann and her daughter, Katy, came to the Sequim Lavender Festival and then drove up here to say hello. We took a drive down to the beach for sandwiches and lemonade. Unfortunately, the Hood Canal bridge was open for repairs or something? on the way home and they didn't get back to Tacoma until 9:15! Ugh!
Katy's lost 70 pounds and Ann has lost about 30 on their low carb diet. I think I need to get with the program too.
Carol Rustad sold her folks' place in PT after remodeling it and it was picked up the same day it was listed. The before and after photos online of the inside are fascinating. Google 1225 49th St, Port Townsend to see the Zillow photos. Here's a picture of the house as I remember it (a neighbor painted this picture for them).
Mary and Andy returned from their San Diego vacation on Saturday. They had a wonderful time. The twins loved it too. Hunter got treated to lunch for his 15th birthday at Hooters!
Jake was mighty happy to get back to his own bed. He slept 14 hours the first night. They recently bought a tarp for their backyard as the sun is on that side of the house in the afternoon and it gets way too hot.
Am thinking I want to redo this office space. Change the stuff on the walls, clean out the closet, and try to figure out a way to store paperwork and files so they're not "all over the place". Gonna have to think on it. May start by moving the tv and vcr into the sewing room. That will give me a lot of space to work with, I think. The sewing room has become a favorite place to hang out again. I play my old cassette tapes for entertainment and it takes me back in time.
Well, that's it for now. I may drive into PT on July 30th for my sister's birthday. Got a lot of places I want to see and take photos of. Maybe visit some cousins too. And cemeterys.
Well, every day seems to bring me a little closer to feeling better. Still dragging a bit but I'm a heck of a lot better than last week at this time. Been wanting to make a quick library run so I took off while the coughing seemed to be on hold. The book store there had a ton of stuff on quilting and cross stitch (what I was looking for) so I bought 4 items and then checked out 4 more. I struggled getting back to the car as my bag was extra heavy but I was pleased with the trip overall.
Going to take it easy all day and just look at books and work my jigsaw puzzle, which is about 2/3 done. Started looking around on FB at pictures and found these.....
Diane Westergaard and her traveling companion in Vienna.
Mary, Andy, and Jake on the tram that I think took them all over the zoo area.
The group outside their hotel room
Obit in the PT Leader this morning for my friend, Susie.
I started looking on Google maps for places where I used to live and found these interesting shots.....
Cherokee St. Apts in San Diego in 1964
Cherokee Apts today
two pictures of our house in San Pablo in 1965-66 with a large tree in front
18th St. house today. Man, does it look smaller
We lived in the middle house on Wightman St in San Diego in 1965
Our middle house today
Where my in-laws lived on Miner St in San Pablo and how it looks today
I feel like my summer has been slipping away 'cause I'm still feeling the effects of my June 25 "cold."
Went to the doctor twice and got an antibiotic the second time along with an inhaler. I think I'm coughing and spitting a little less but not cured yet. I've heard this strain of bronchitis can linger. At least I'm up and dressed and able to get small chores done here and there. I've been wanting to get out in the yard to prune overgrown bushes and do some weeding (plus the garage needs a cleaning) but that will have to wait until next month, I suppose.
I'll content myself with computer work and various hobbies in the house. Am halfway through a neat jigsaw puzzle (thanks Ann!) and yesterday I finished the front of a small crib quilt. Maybe I can try to get the batting and back on today. Small steps. As usual, my quilts look like originals. Meaning I'm confident there's no other blanket that comes even close to resembling my design. Ha! I had some old embroidery squares I had sewn years ago so I put them together with some material I bought in a local fabric store. Should have taken more time to look over their selections but I was in a hurry. Once I sewed them together, the size was off so I used other miscellaneous strips to make the blanket wider. I find it difficult to throw any scrap of material away.
The squares don't align but I was way beyond caring about that! I'll do better on the next one.
Granddaughter Catie shared a picture on FB this morning of the view from her office in downtown Seattle. I'm so proud of her.
Andy & Mary departed for San Diego this morning with Jake, Hunter, and Maddie in tow. They'll have a blast. Here's a picture of my dad back in 1965 when he came down to San Diego to visit and we took a stroll through the San Diego Zoo with Susan in a stroller. Les is in the background.
Mary attended her 30th high school reunion this past weekend at Fort Worden Beach. Think I'll go hunt for a couple of the pictures I saw on FB.
Here's one I posted from my 30th reunion in Port Townsend -- 24 years ago!
One day last week after I made a quick run for groceries, I came into the house and heard the neighbor's three little dogs making a racket over the fence. I knew their owners weren't home and the dogs seemed in distress so I went outside to see what the problem was. They were scratching and whining like crazy against the fence and as I approached on my side, I discovered what had them in a frenzy.
A big ole nasty dead rat! Ugh! Wonder what killed him. Also wonder why he was in my yard as I quit feeding the birds the last time I saw a rat out there. Maybe it was the tiny bit of seed left in one of the feeders. Can't imagine he'd go up the cement bird bath I keep filled with water. I just wasn't up to picking up the critter so I sent my grandson and son-in-law messages to drop in when they could.
Neither showed up. A few days later I found the rat in the middle of the yard. Suspect the crows pulled him out there as they've been making themselves at home in the bird baths this past month. Anyhow, I went to get plastic bags and decided I'd bite the bullet and throw him in the trash. I do not like rodents!
Just paid for my car tabs online. Am going to try and write up another Leader blog post today about swim lessons at Adelma Beach back in the day. Got a few comments on FB with the picture I posted so I think there's enough to write a short piece.
Saturday (surely I'll be okay to travel by then) I plan on going to the graveside service in Chimacum for my ole pal, Susie Bishop. Depending on how I'm feeling, I might drop in at my class reunion picnic in Port Ludlow afterwards. I want to go but not if I'm still in "spit mode." Ha!
Meanwhile, here's a picture Mary sent me of Jacob a few days ago. He's always looking out the window. Loves to be outside and throws a real tizzy fit when he's carried back in.
And last but not least, here's a cartoon I saw on Facebook that made me laugh out loud.
Not having much luck with staying cool this week. My a/c unit kept leaking so I had Hunter take it to the garage. Just could't go through the motions of cleaning up water pools again. And one of my other fans quit altogether too. I ran to Walmart but all the had was 9" fans so I bought that (and cough syrup) to get me through the next few days. Stopped at Walgreens and they one tower fan left so I took it.
It was assembled except for the base but that particular base gave me a world of trouble. Mainly the attached cord. Wasn't sure if I was supposed to take off the protective plastic near the base. I took a picture and emailed it to Mary and she thought I should probably remove it. Getting it off wasn't that easy but I couldn't reach anybody at Jen's so I sat there a while trying to figure it out on my own.
I hear a knock at the door AND WAS THRILLED! Figured whoever it was would surely be able to help me. There stood an elderly gentleman in a tie. I looked at him and what he was holding...
"Hey! Is that a Bible?" I croaked. (my cough is worse in the morning and I am very hoarse....pretty sure it's allergies) Anyhow, I beckoned him in and he backed off -- didn't want to catch my germs.
I assured him I wasn't contagious; just suffering from the heat and allergies. I explained to him that I was sitting there pondering this problem and wondering who I could ask. When I heard the knock on my door, I knew it was God sending me aid. So in came my Jehovah Witness guy. I showed him my fan problem and he felt the plastic needed to stay on. Helped me tape it back together, snap the base together, and screw it in. Now that's it's up and running, I don't think it's all that great a fan but oh well, it's better than nothing.
I asked him why he was out in this heat and he said: Well, you know, I guess we're all a little crazy sometimes. ha ha
After he left, Wayne and Hunter stopped in (I thought they had gone to Forks but nope, they're staying home). Hunter carried the a/c to the garage and I'm proceeding now to figure out which room I want to situate myself in to ride out the rest of the day. Probably going to be my bedroom since there's a recliner in there and a tv.
Woke up this morning to find a text on my phone telling me a close friend had passed away last night. What a shock! I knew her heart was giving her problems but didn't realize she was having surgery. Apparently, she had a stroke and died shortly after. Makes me sad. So sad. I adored her.
RIP Susie Bishop Bara. She graduated from Chimacum in 1960 and we lived together for a time in Portland. Her, me and Sharon Sofie. Oh the laughs we had!
Happy Birthday to my friend, Kathy Snyder here in P.A. and Happy Birthday to my half-sister, JoAn in Pennsylvania (age 62) and HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my brother, Les. (age 68)
I'm off to the recliner now. Dreading the late afternoon when the house turns into an oven. Am praying no one gets the brilliant idea to shoot off fireworks on this street. The entire block across from my house is bone dry weeds.
I was able to sleep without a fan last night but I did keep the window open until about 2 a.m. or so. I can tell it's going to warm up today but I guess I'm ready for it. Got a fan going in here and it's fairly comfortable. I don't usually start to notice being uncomfortable until 3 or 4 in the afternoon.
I need to pick up Maddie at 2:15 today and take her to the dentist. Then head up the hill to the high school and take Hunter to the dentist, as well. Jenni will then pick them up when she gets off work. Think I'll stop by Grandview Grocery and buy some stamps and pick up a Hit 5 ticket. I haven't been winning much on Hit 5 lately but I still stick to "my system". I think your odds are better than playing the lotto. You choose 5 numbers between 1-39 instead of 6 numbers between 1-49. The pot starts at $100,000 and grows each week that no one wins it. I've won $1 several times and $20 a few times but I'm counting on that $100,000 to hit sooner or later.
I was really dragging yesterday. My cough wore me out, I suspect, as I ended up taking a two hour nap in my recliner. When I went to bed at 11 that night, I was still out like a light.
Am thinking I might toss the rest of my oatmeal cookies out to the crows today. I've lost interest in them. A few days ago I picked up a box of frozen juice Popsicles. The darn things were $5.49 but I figured they were probably tasty and better for me than ice cream. I should have just bought plain ole popsicles, I think, as I wasn't all that pleased with the flavor I chose(lemon). A little too tart maybe? Some days my taste buds just rebel for no reason I can think of.
I put away a jigsaw puzzle I had set up and got out a new puzzle that Ann Robson gave me when I was visiting last week. I may start putting it together today. Sat down to pay bills this morning. I knew it was going to be my day of reckoning as I had been busy ordering stuff online. Easy to do when you have Amazon Prime. My yearly membership payment was included on this bill so I'm going to have to behave myself and show some restraint. Still, I'm thankful I can just sit myself down and pay them all off. Never could do that in years past as I lived payday to payday.
Watched an interesting show on Amazon Prime the last few nights called Catastrophe. Had six episodes so now I have to wait for season 2. I hate that! Anyhow, this was a British comedy and very well written. I'm watching 'Under the Dome' on Amazon now but finding it hard to hate the bad guy 'cause I really liked him on Breaking Bad. Ha!
Went out to water the trees and flowers early this morning. My green beans are coming right along. Wish I had planted more stuff now.
Read the Leader online but outside of the alumni photos, I didn't find much of interest. Always like looking at the old photos, though. Like this one...
Looked over old diary notes to see if I could find anything of interest for this day but as usual, I didn't always write each day and July1st was no exception. I did come up with these, however....
1973: Dana came by with a new girl friend. He's joining the coast guard. (this would have been Lill)
1974: John and I smoked a joint. Stopped at the Waterin' Hole for a beer and then he threw up in the car. I laughed.
1984: My arm and shoulder continue to give me a lot of grief. I wonder what the deal is there.
1985: Mitch Aman started training on my desk in the mill office.
