A FLIRT AND TAILGATERS AND

A FLIRT AND TAILGATERS AND MORE

A couple more thoughts regarding things that happened at the coast, and in this case, also on the way there and on the way back, plus miscellaneous thoughts after these:

Monday morning I filled up with gas at the Safeway (a grocery store) pumps next to the motel, and then I headed for Fred Meyer (a superstore) in nearby Warrenton. As I was going in to Fred's, this nice-looking grey-haired man was walking in near me as well and he said something like "What are the people at Fred Meyer going to think if they know you were just at Safeway?" I didn't quite know what to answer, as I had all sorts of thoughts going through my mind. I wondered if he had also been at Safeway's gas pumps and saw me there? Or was he just making a general joke and didn't actually know I had just been at Safeway? In particular, I didn't know if he was flirting and, if so, I was so out of practice at that (it's been years, folks) that all I could do was chuckle briefly, and we went our separate ways when I got into the store. Later I saw him in the store when he didn't notice me and he looked angry, so maybe it's just as well that I didn't flirt back. I learned a long time ago that just because someone is good looking doesn't mean that they are going to treat a woman well. I am quite wary. But it was still fun to have had a man flirt with me. :-)

Later on that day, I had a different incident in that I went into a store in Seaside and there was another older gentleman in there, but this time not a flirt. He noticed the brace on my wrist and wondered about it. He said his wife had had surgery on both of her wrists for carpal tunnel and it really helped. So we talked just generally about aches and pains. He told me I wasn't old enough to have those yet and I said I was going to be 60 next week. He said he was going to be 80. I'm afraid I have to give him the most points when it comes to looking younger than his age. I would have put him at about 70.

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My gripe about the drives coming and going to Astoria as well as the one down to Tillamook and back has to do with people tailgating. On the way, I drove Highway 30, along the Columbia River, and it has a few passing lanes, which was good because I was going 60 in a 55 and still had people on my tail. That was pretty much the pattern taking Highway 101 south from Astoria to Tillamook and back on Tuesday. I took Highway 26 home Wednesday morning, and it runs inland from south of Seaside. Once again, I had people riding my bumper despite my going about 60 MPH again. They acted like I was a slow moving vehicle and should pull over to let them go by. I saw one woman in my rearview mirror raise her arms in disgust. Fortunately, a passing lane came up shortly after that and she was soon long gone. I just had to wonder where a policeman was when I would have been gratified to see him. LOL!

It was a relief to get back on the freeways as I approached Portland and be able to drive in the slow-moving lane and let those who wanted to go faster drive in the other two, speedier lanes.

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I have been concerned about Stevie, as she has her moments where she seems to find it a bit difficult to walk. Granted, she is old -- almost 13 -- and she is overweight. When I got home, I was worried because I couldn't find her for a couple of hours. Finally, I checked under the office bed and felt her fur and she mewed slightly. She came out not long after that.

Right now she is outside the office door "talking" to me. She is meowing and I am talking back to her, so she meows some more. She is a very sweet kitty.

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I came home to find some nice gifts waiting for me, and another one came yesterday. Here is a shot of some of them: a purple and gold cat-themed purse from my friend Jackie and a couple of packages and a card from my sister Kathy, which I will open on Monday, which is my birthday.



I heard from daughter-in-law Kris, asking me for a wish list, and I gave her some ideas but I'm concerned that they might have been too extravagant. I will certainly be happy with anything she and the other kids (if they go in with her) come up with. It is so nice to be remembered by my sweet family members.

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Socks discovered my bed yesterday, after all this time here. She has slept mostly on hard surfaces up until now, where the other cats pick the cushy spots. I took a couple of pictures of her on the bed. The first is of her showing her contentedness and the second is of her dealing with the camera flash. ;-)





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I am covering a lot of topics today as for once, Blogger seems to be behaving itself.

I received an e-mail from my Aunt Joan yesterday and she had received my post card from the coast. She told me that she had gone to the Deseret Industries (the Mormon version of Goodwill) and found some items that had been Grandma's and Mom's. She was able to buy several of them. Among these was a pair of embroidered rose plaques that I'm sure were the ones I had done for Grandma. I'm so glad Joanie got them! I am going to write to her today and let her know how glad I am about that.

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I can't end today's post without commenting on the situation with the FLDS people in Texas. It all just seems like such a circus to me. I was unable to keep from watching some of the CNN coverage at the coast. One FLDS mother by the name of Kathleen who was interviewed just seemed so robotic -- to me, she was a prime example of what a cult member acts like. I feel for the mothers missing their children, though, and I tend to agree that if there are women under 16 who have had babies or are pregnant (and there are 5 of those, the CNN coverage said last night), that their situation should be dealt with separately from those who haven't experienced underage marriage. It certainly is a strange way of life, in my mind, as the children call all of the wives in a family "Mother," according to what was reported last night. It is good to have the common sense input of sect escapee Carolyn Jessup in response to the interviews with the FLDS ladies, as well.

I have hinted before that I have polygamist ancestors. My great-grandfather George married my great-grandmother Josephine and later on her sister Susan, and a number of years after that a woman named Etta. All had large families. My grandmother Josie was a product of the first marriage. When I was a Mormon, I once met a man at a church function who said he was from the second marriage. I'm not clear on which ancestor that was; it may have been a different one than this one because he had my maiden name, which he wouldn't have had if he had been a product of the union I describe here. I did have other polygamous ancestors. I was quite embarrassed by the subject and I definitely didn't react with warm, fuzzy feelings. In a way, it's good that the state didn't try to take my great-grandmother's children from her, although the family did move to Mexico at the time when the Federal government was jailing many of the polygamist husbands. I am probably here because my ancestors managed to avoid prosecution for this crime. I can't imagine that way of life and I certainly wouldn't have wanted to live it.

One polygamous man from British Columbia said yesterday that polygamy was better than adultery. I'm not so sure about that. I think that polygamy puts women in an on-going victim setting. Adultery is harmful, hurtful, and painful, but it doesn't have to be a permanent condition and there are many who learn hard lessons that the forbidden fruit isn't more tasty and resolve afterwards never to repeat the experience.

I'm proud of Carolyn Jessup and her escape from the FLDS with her 8 children. Sometimes I think Larry King has a hard time interviewing such women because of his loyalty to his Mormon wife, but I am glad that he has allowed other opinions and his main response of disagreement that I have noticed is to wrinkle his forehead and frown.

It could be anyone's guess as to what the outcome of the Texas hearings is going to be. One thing is for sure: These people are not being led by a Prophet of God. Varying types of abuse are taking place and I pray that the children will somehow be able to learn not to repeat what they have learned by living with the sect thus far.