New Suzanne R's Life

13 YEARS AGO TODAY . . . It seems very remarkable to me that

2008-07-18T15:52:00.000-07:00

13 YEARS AGO TODAY . . .

It seems very remarkable to me that 13 years have gone by since my husband Steve passed away. It is amazing how the time has flown. I'm not going to get into the events of that day -- they're too sad. B ut it is truly a day that I remember vividly.

We were married for 27 years. Living alone after he ws gone ws a new experience for me, because I had gone straight from my parents' home to marriage to him. It isn't easy living by myself -- I think a person can become quite eccentric -- but I have absolutely no interest in forming a relationship with anyone.

For one thing, I don't know who would put up with all my computer time! LOL! But I don't think I do the relationship thing very well -- I didn't have good role models and I get easily stressed.

A new friend who I met due to our mutual friendship with Aussie Les has been married to his wife for 38 years. He says he attributes that to, at times, a lot of working at the relationship. I totally respect such long-term marriages.

Steve's and my 27 years weren't short. I especially enjoyed our last 3 years, and the time we spent on our sailboat. I have many good memories to offset the sad ones of the day.

*****

I want to apologize for my critical remarks yesterday about my neighbor who didn't quote me on the yard work. It is his own business the way he wants or needs to run his company. Also, I may have misunderstood my other neighbor, who told me about the fencing work.

*****

This will be my last blog entry, as it stands right now. I have so many health issues that I need to take a long break.

NEW COMPUTER HOOKED UP TOMORROW!My son J.D. and DIL Kris will

2008-07-17T18:20:00.000-07:00

NEW COMPUTER HOOKED UP TOMORROW!

My son J.D. and DIL Kris will be out tomorrow, when J.D. will hook up the new computer. I am very much looking forward to having that done. I hope it will all go well.

I plan to go shopping in the morning. I am a bit nervous due to my toes and feeling somewhat vulnerable about them but I will be very careful.

I did write the podiatrist who worked on my toe this week an e-mail with several concerns, as my regular podiatrist is out until after 7/21. I hope to hear back from him tomorrow.

*****

I have been thinking that, in the interest of fairness, I should write about something positive regarding a Mormon neighbor (for those of you who don't know, I am an ex-Mormon, and Mormons often don't like ex-Mormons very well) who had made me feel uncomfortable when I saw him walking out on the road a few months ago. I had written about it here -- I thought it was quite strange. A couple of weeks ago, however, I saw him coming out of a local store as I was going in and I just missed catching his eye. I think he wanted to be friendly -- he seemed disappointed. Mormonism still isn't for me, but I very much appreciate this bit of kindness on his part.

That still doesn't make up for the Mormon neighbor who refused to get back to me with a quote on yard work. Another neighbor hired him to put up a fence, however, and he charged 3 times what he quoted, so maybe it's just as well, eh? ;-)

One reason I am sensitive about the attitude some Mormons have towards me is due to a comment my late mother made to me once, after I left the Mormon Church, saying, "I have lost a beautiful daughter." That was very hurtful!

I do still have good friends among the Mormon folks, and I love my Mormon family members.

I leave it to God to judge people of any religion.

ANOTHER SURGICAL PROCEDUREI had to have more toenail surgery

2008-07-15T17:35:00.000-07:00

ANOTHER SURGICAL PROCEDURE

I had to have more toenail surgery today, this time on my right big toenail -- just along one edge. However, it is still deadened, so I expect that it will start feeling pretty rotten before long. I may not be able to be online tomorrow night; I certainly don't expect to work. This is not fun! So long until maybe Thursday!

REALITY SHOW COMPETITIONSAfter watching the newest

2008-07-14T18:50:00.000-07:00

REALITY SHOW COMPETITIONS

After watching the newest installment of the "Design Star" reality show last night on the Home and Garden Network, I have to vent about something that bothers me regarding this show and most reality competition shows. I believe the aspect that bugs me is a symptom of something disturbing in our culture. Granted, I have watched my share of reality shows, presently and in the past, such as "American Idol," "Survivor," and the "Next Food Network Star," but in some ways they are about as innocuous as watching a train wreck.

On "Design Star" this season, there has been a woman, Tracee, who all the other contestants seemed to find vastly irritating. Granted, she had a big mouth sometimes, with a gift for saying the wrong thing, and she could look unflatteringly smug and confident when it was obvious to the viewer that her butt was on the line. She made some bad decisions about the competition redos that reflected poorly on herself and others who happened to be on teams with her, although up until last night, most of them seemed to make it through to the next round. Last night, however, it was quite apparent to me that one of the unspoken goals of the other four remaining contestants was that Tracee be gone.

I was empathizing with them and feeling amazed at the self-destructive things that Tracee was doing, when I stopped myself. I couldn't believe that I was actually almost rooting them on. Since when have people become disposable, even if they are disagreeable? And I had to think about how this is one thing about reality TV competitions that I truly dislike, and why I especially don't watch "Survivor" any more: All the back-stabbing and double-dealing and scratching each other's eyeballs out, emotionally if not physically.

If I was reading the reactions of the other competitors right (and that could be a big "if"; after all, I'm not a mind-reader), they got their wish, as Tracee was one of two people booted last night. I think, though, that I wasn't exactly blind to what was going on, because Tracee's parting comment after exiting the studio, through her tears, was that she was going home to friends, family and clients who loved her, and who were these people to her? No one.

One of those who had been most firmly against Tracee and most vocal about it (I can't even remember his name -- Mark?) was also told to exit the studio for good, so she may have gotten some satisfaction from that.

Although the host of "Design Star" is a Brit, Clive Pearse, and "American Idol" originated in England and features a famous Brit, it seems to me that there is a very disturbing American tendency on reality TV competitions -- which have grown like wildfire -- to consider people as expendable.

I find it ironic, too, that some of the winners of past competitions on both HGTV and the Food Network had shows for a short time and then disappeared. Probably the biggest next Food Network star competition winner is Guy Fieri, but I think he's the only one who I see out of a number of previous winners. (I fell asleep last night before the Food Network competition at 10, so I don't know who was eliminated.)

With all of this said, I am not sure that I am able to bring myself to stop watching the HGTV and Food Network competition shows. At least, the judges of those appear kindly as much as possible, as opposed to good old Simon Cowell. Perhaps I am a hypocrite. But at least I recognize that there is this problem with our society. A friend of mine once compared the reality shows with the ancient Roman practice of throwing people to the lions, but I don't think it's that bad. Is it?

TWO REVIEWS FOR THE PRICE OF ONEWithout a computer at home, I

2008-07-14T18:08:00.000-07:00

TWO REVIEWS FOR THE PRICE OF ONE

Without a computer at home, I have had quite a bit of time to read. Consequently, I have read two books in the last three days. They were both riveting and difficult to put down. Each introduced me to a different world.

The first was "Free Food for Millionaires," by Min Jin Lee, a young Korean-American writer. This was her first novel, and it has been highly acclaimed. The world it opens up is that of the Korean-American community in New York City, as seen through the eyes of the heroine, Casey. She has been raised a Christian but by adulthood is a closet one, if at all. She lives quite a free lifestyle as she becomes involved with several boyfriends and the high-flying world of investment banking. She is an interesting and strong character -- she loves fashion and especially making hats with her personal flair, although there isn't a strong demand for them. It is a book about love but also about growing up, maturing and forgiveness. Unfortunately, it was a bit on the sensual side for me, but other than that, I enjoyed it a lot.

The second was "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen. It paints a vivid picture of the world of the traveling circus in the Depression Era. It is told from the viewpoint of Jacob Jankowski, both as an elderly man and in his reveries about his youth and the circus years. This one I read today -- I couldn't put it down. Again, there were a few details that were difficult for me to read but they were apparently accurate to the era, according to the research done by the author. I love elephants, so this was a great book for me.

Now I am out of books except for a self-help one, but that might be a good change. ;-)

*****

There is news on my friend, Les, in Australia. He is able to sit up and eat now, although his talking is still garbled. He has a sore, possibly from lying on the floor (they think he might have been there for two days). I don't know what his future has in store. My grandfather had a bad stroke and he fully recovered except for numbness in the tips of his fingers, which frustrated him badly, but my grandmother was there to button his shirts and so forth.

*****

I am doing fairly well. I scared a friend by telling her that I was rinsing out my foot-soaking pan with Clorox water, as she felt that could be harmful to my toe. I told her that I rinsed out well afterwards but she alarmed me enough that I quit using it and am using a bit of alcohol instead. Then the looks of my toe also scared me yesterday so I called the after-hours Urgent Care advice nurse -- I thought it could be infected -- and she called my doctor, who was fortunately on call. He told her that these things almost never got infected so I was most likely fine, and she relayed the message to me. After asking me a few questions and her liking my answers about what was happening, it sounded like things were as they should be and I hung up feeling very relieved and happy. Just tonight, though, another friend who I had told about the Clorox water rinse e-mailed me an article about how even slight contact with broken skin by water containing bleach could be damaging, which has me a bit nervous. I don't think that I have done anything that could permanently harm my foot but I am sure glad I quit using even the well-diluted Clorox rinse on the soaking pan!

*****

It continues to be too warm for me here. I keep waiting for the cool-down they say is coming, but so far it hasn't arrived. I will be glad if and when it does! But it is summer, after all, and so things will generally get worse before they get better. I am a spring and fall person!

AN OLD CONTROVERSY, REVISITEDYesterday I watched the movie,

2008-07-13T09:44:00.000-07:00

AN OLD CONTROVERSY, REVISITED

Yesterday I watched the movie, "The Golden Compass," which I had rented from Blockbuster Online. I was very curious about it because of all the controversy last year, when it was released into theaters. (I had also listened to parts of it -- when I was awake -- during the ride to Bend with son J.D., DIL Kris, and her sister Tiffany when we went there for Thanksgiving last year, as J.D. was playing the book during that time.)

The story is about a young girl named Lyra Belacqua, played by Dakota Blue Richards, some of whose young playmates have been disappearing, taken by people called the Gobblers. Lyra's uncle is Lord Asriel, played by Daniel Craig, and he has been targeted for death by a member of the ruling body, and she saves his life. Not long after that, a lovely woman named Mrs. Coulter (Nicole Kidman) visits and invites Lyra to go with her to the north, but not before Lyra is given a supernatural tool -- the last remaining golden compass -- which she is to keep secret.

In this universe, which is called a parallel universe to ours, each person has not an inner soul but an outer one, which is in the shape of an animal. Lyra's continues to shift shape, as she has not decided on a permanent one for hers yet. These animal-shaped souls are called daemons (pronounced demons).

As the story progresses, it becomes quite plain who the heroes and the villains are. The battle is between good and evil.

My biggest impression of it was that it was totally fiction, and should be viewed as such. I do feel that the author was tweaking Christians, especially excitable ones, by having the souls be outside rather than inside the bodies and having their name pronounced "demons."

Actually, the movie was generally panned by critics and I thought the ending left a person totally hanging. Maybe the producers were leaving an opening for a sequel; I don't know. I am not sure that I recommend it, just because it wasn't all that great a movie. But I'm glad I saw it and have formed my own opinion about it, especially due to all the hullabaloo about it last year.

MY NEW COMPUTER HAS SHIPPED!I was very happy to get an e-mail

2008-07-12T10:28:00.000-07:00

MY NEW COMPUTER HAS SHIPPED!

I was very happy to get an e-mail from Dell yesterday telling me that my computer has shipped and should be here on Wednesday, 7/16! That is much earlier than I had expected! I am hoping that one of my sons, J.D. or Jeff, will be able to hook it up for me soon. Then it's a matter of learning to use Vista. I plan to check out the inexpensive tutorial that an earlier anonymous commenter mentioned and see about ordering it today.

*****

I heard from my podiatrist this morning (which was nice of him) not to worry about the coloration I was concerned about, and that everything sounds fine. He said that if I had any more concerns, to call Monday. I don't think I do. So hopefully the gross entries are all behind me now! ;-)

*****

I got my work done this morning in 1 1/2 hours -- faster than I expected -- after having worked an hour last night. The weekend is now mine to be on the computer, read, or watch my movie.

GOOD NEWS (I THINK)I had an e-mail from my doctor today, and

2008-07-11T19:08:00.000-07:00

GOOD NEWS (I THINK)

I had an e-mail from my doctor today, and I believe that everything is okay with my toe. I think that the nurse misspoke or that I misunderstood her Wednesday when she talked about the discoloration, and from what the doctor said, it was okay that it be gone by the time I removed the bandage 2 hours later, although I have sent him a return e-mail just to verify that. I probably won't hear from him again until Monday evening to be sure, but he didn't order me to Urgent Care, and I'm sure he would have if he had been at all concerned!

One other matter that we discussed at the appointment Wednesday was the fate of my right big toenail, which he had removed last summer, although temporarily. He asked me if it bothered me and I said it seemed sensitive, so we discussed removing it permanently later on, maybe this fall. I realized when I got home, though, that it's the tip of that toe that's sensitive, where the toenail hasn't entirely grown in yet. My verdict on permanent removal of that one: Not in this lifetime! LOL!

I am relieved to be having little or no pain, although I am wearing socks and sandals as I can't wear my runners for another 10 days. My doctor wasn't crazy about the idea of my wearing sandals because he said every child and grandmother would be stepping on that toe, but when I got home and read the instructions, it said to wear clean, white cotton socks and clean shoes. I was able to dig out and wash white cotton socks but clean shoes? I don't think so. LOL! I would have had to go buy some and that would have been painful right now. So sandals it is and I'm staying away from people as much as I can for the next while.

*****

I was quite riveted to the NW Newschannel last night as they were focusing on the local news in Spokane, which was covering a big fire in the Spokane Valley, near where I went to my last year of junior high and high school. I had to wonder if any of my old classmates had stayed in that area and been affected. One of the roads in the middle of the fire area was Dishman-Mica, and I went to Dishman Junior High. The Red Cross had set up a relief area at University High School, which was my high school's old rival (and not that far from me; I think I lived near the borderline). Today it looked like the fire was under control but 7 homes were lost, which is sad.

*****

I will be working much of the weekend, and that is all right with me. I read a lot yesterday and today, although I can't remember the name of the book right off. It is the first novel of a Korean-American young woman. I also have a movie to watch sometime this weekend. I will be on the computer off and on, you can bet, thanks to Jeff!

RESULTS OF MY PROCEDUREI don't want to gross everyone out,

2008-07-10T18:29:00.000-07:00

RESULTS OF MY PROCEDURE

I don't want to gross everyone out, so my details may be a bit sketchy for now, but I wanted to fill you in on how my toenail removal went. My toenail had to be removed permanently, which means a much longer recuperation period (4-6 weeks). I may be having a complication develop -- the coloring isn't what I was told it would be, although I wasn't given a timetable on that -- so I have e-mailed my doctor asking him about that as well as another question. I don't expect to hear from him before tomorrow evening, though. If something is wrong, I will have to go in to Urgent Care over the weekend, which I definitely don't want to do. At least, I am having little pain; or else the Naproxen I take otherwise is doing its job. Your thoughts and prayers that the complication doesn't develop would be very much appreciated. My appreciation goes out to all of you who have sent me your best wishes and who have remembered me in your thoughts and prayers thus far. This has been quite stressful for me so I'm praying that the healing will go as it should!

THE APPEALI am writing from nephew and bookkeeper Nick's

2008-07-08T17:50:00.000-07:00

THE APPEAL

I am writing from nephew and bookkeeper Nick's computer at the office right now, because Jeff's mouse isn't working. I will be bringing my mouse from home down for Jeff as it is almost new and I will also be getting one with the new Dell. Thanks to both Nick and Jeff for the use of their computers.

I am not feeling real well tonight -- nerves about tomorrow and my toenail removal. I will review John Grisham's book, "The Appeal," which I finished yesterday and today, briefly.

I enjoyed the book quite a bit, although I don't think it is Grisham's best. He weaves a skillful story, however. This one was about a small Mississippi town where a huge corporation has polluted the groundwater with chemicals over the years, and by the time it is discovered and lawsuits filed, many in the county have sickened and died. The story is about the up-front and behind the scenes court battle from both sides. I was a bit confused by the ending and it took some thinking to figure it out -- I don't think I was totally satisfied with it, even then. But it is a different twist and John Grisham fans will probably enjoy being surprised.

Wish me luck tomorrow afternoon!

THE DAY I ATE WHATEVER I WANTEDI am on Jeff's computer at

2008-07-07T18:12:00.000-07:00

THE DAY I ATE WHATEVER I WANTED

I am on Jeff's computer at work and don't want to be here all night, so I will make this a short entry. I am reviewing Elizabeth Berg's "The Day I Ate Whatever I Wanted." She is another favorite contemporary author of mine, and I enjoyed this book of short stories very much. I don't know how old Berg is but I am guessing she may be in her 50's, as many of her stories were empathetic ones about women of about that age. I did a lot of chuckling as well as relating in reading them. She truly has a gift for speaking with a lot of different voices, from many ages, however. It was very enjoyable and another one that I read through in one sitting.

*****

I have gone no mail on another one of my lists, in preparation for my surgical procedure on Wednesday afternoon. This is one I moderate, but I do need to cut down the amount of e-mail I have, since I am without a computer at home. Thankfully, I found another book that I hadn't read, so my boredom will be lessened for now -- a new John Grisham legal novel. Love them!

THERE'S ALWAYS A CATCHI just went to the Video Professor site

2008-07-06T11:50:00.000-07:00

THERE'S ALWAYS A CATCH

I just went to the Video Professor site to see about ordering their Windows Vista instruction CD's, and I thought what they said sounded really good. I would learn how to use the various new features of Vista as the disks would walk me through them. Then I clicked on the "HOW IT WORKS" section, as required, and found that 2 of the 3 CD-Rom disks would be free and if I liked them, then I would get the 3rd disk for $129.95. Hmmm, isn't that the way it always goes? There's an expensive catch? This is the company that says that they will ship you any program free, via their TV offer. Of course, as a business owner, I know that they have to stay in business and so must make money, but why don't they say that up front? That would be the honest thing to do. Still, I will keep the site in mind in case I decide I need that kind of assistance in learning to use Vista.

MOONDANCE ALEXANDERI watched a neat little movie yesterday

2008-07-06T10:21:00.000-07:00

MOONDANCE ALEXANDER

I watched a neat little movie yesterday called "Moondance Alexander," which I got from my Blockbuster Online rental account (I get one movie a week). It was dated 2007 but I don't remember if it ever was in theaters or not. It's the story of a young teenage girl named, natch, Moondance Alexander, played nicely by Kay Panabaker, who finds an obviously-neglected horse that she calls Checkers and takes him home with her. She and her widowed mother live in a country town and although they have a pretty large bit of property for being in town, she must put Checkers in her mother's art studio. She is disappointed when the actual owner is located.

Moondance has a part-time job making deliveries for a local saddlery store and on making a delivery the next day, she literally stumbles upon the farm where Checkers is located. She goes to check on him and meets his gruff owner, Dante, played by Don Johnson. She negotiates a trade with Dante whereby she will clean out his horse stalls in return for riding Checkers -- originally Tinkerbell, but renamed with Dante's okay to Checkers after all.

Moondance has been the victim of snobbery and cruelty of older teenage girls at her high school and as she gets into riding Checkers, later on with Dante, she finds that a couple of them are serious horse-riders, too. Dante has been down on his luck but agrees to train Moondance and Checkers to jump, although he's a pinto and pintos aren't supposed to be able to jump.

I won't have away the ending but I will say that it is based on a true story. It was rated "G", which is refreshing, although I know that -- unfortunately -- a lot of people won't watch "G" movies. I thought it was a cute film and was great for whiling away the afternoon. I have always thought Don Johnson to be handsome, and although he has aged like the rest of us, it was nice to see him in this movie. Young Kay may have a nice future in films.

*****

I heard from my Dell saleslady, Linda, last night and today, and she answered some questions I had (there is plenty of RAM for the Vista program; J.D. or Jeff should be able to easily set up the computer -- don't call Geek Squad, as they are way too expensive). I appreciate her continued assistance.

I saw an ad for the Video Professor on the NW Newschannel last night and I noticed he had a disk instructing how to use Vista. I didn't get a chance to write down the phone number so I will keep watching for it because I want to order that disk. I will check online, too, to see if I can find a phone number for the company.

I have a few other online orders to place today so hope to get to that shortly.

*****

There was news that my friend in Brisbane, Les, has been moved from ICU to a ward. We, his friends, are all very happy about that! I don't know how long it takes to heal from a neck fracture so I have no idea when he will be going home. I do hope he will accept assistance when he gets there. In the meantime, we have sent him flowers through my new friend (and his old one), Mary. I don't remember how long Les and I have been corresponding but it seems like we started in 2000. He has certainly been interesting to exchange e-mails with -- I have learned a lot about Australia through him.

STRANGE FITS OF PASSIONOne of my favorite authors is Anita

2008-07-05T12:24:00.000-07:00

STRANGE FITS OF PASSION

One of my favorite authors is Anita Shreve. I believe I have read nearly every book she has written. They are contemporary works, often including romance and conflict, but definitely not of the "romances" genre. They are very intelligent and well-written. So it was that when I picked up her novel,"Strange Fits of Passion," to start reading it yesterday afternoon, I was quite filled with anticipation, although the title had put me off a little bit and that's one reason why I hadn't gotten around to reading it earlier.

The story begins as a young woman with a baby goes into a small store in the tiny town of St. Hilaire, Maine, to purchase a few items. She has a scarf wrapped around her face and head but it slips off and the others in the store can see that her head is in very bad shape, with terrible bruising. Her lip is deeply split as well. She inquires about a place to stay, and is directed to a small motel in the area, where she stays the night, and then the motel owner, who is very sympathetic and guesses how the injuries happened, directs her to a woman who owns an insulated cottage (it's the dead of winter) on the ocean. The young woman with the baby says she is Mary Amesbury and she claims to have been injured in an accident. The time frame for most of this story is 1970-1971.

As the book unfolds, the various chapters are told through the vantage point of a number of characters, but mostly Mary. Shreve masterfully builds the characterization and the plot suspense, as it becomes clear that Mary is trying to hide from a brutal husband. She knows she can't go to the police -- in those days, not much was known or understood about domestic violence.

There is a sweet romance and quite a bit of tragedy, as well as sickening betrayal, in this story. I was riveted by it and couldn't put it down; I finished it last night. I feel it is a very worthwhile read and I recommend it and Anita Shreve as an author very highly.

I am finding that I am getting low on books now. I do have a movie to watch later on today, so that will be a nice distraction from boredom. I am finding that my sore arm doesn't like Jeff's computer station very well, although it is generally better due to the PT. Perhaps I will be able to find more books when I shop Wednesday morning. I hope so! It's not all that often that I am in the mood to read! Still, I very much appreciate being able to use Jeff's computer on evenings and weekends -- it means a lot to me to be able to write and be instantly in touch with my online friends and my family!

COMPUTER DIED, STEPH'S STATUS, GREAT BOOKI wasn't sure I was

2008-07-04T12:01:00.000-07:00

COMPUTER DIED, STEPH'S STATUS, GREAT BOOK

I wasn't sure I was going to be able to blog, as my old computer died and I am using my son Jeff's at work on evenings and weekends. The old Dell was 7 years old, although son J.D. upgraded the memory a couple or three years ago, and so I got good service from it. I have ordered a new Dell and it is going to be shipped on July 15th, so I imagine it will get here the 3rd week in July.

I have unfortunately lost all of my computer graphics, and especially my many fonts used for signature tagging. I have offers of help on that when I get my new computer from members of my tags list, which I very much appreciate! I have lost my graphics programs, although I may be able to reinstall them as it occurs to me that I have them on disks. Whew!

The new monitor has a web cam on it -- cool, eh? I'm not sure if I will use it because I don't always look the best when I'm on the computer. Hee hee!

I have also heard mixed reviews about Vista. I am hoping and praying that I won't have problems with it. I won't have Publisher, but I just used that for correspondence, as the computer will come with Word, so that will be all right.

I have to say my salesperson, Linda Clark, at Dell, was great! I recommend her if you want to buy a new Dell home desktop computer.

I will let you know when it is up and running!

*****

Jeff sent me news yesterday about daughter-in-law Steph and her thyroid cancer. The details are on his blog but basically her nodule is very small. There is no available time for the surgery in August so she will have it in September. That should be no problem. My friend, Sheila, who had this same cancer many years ago and had successful surgery for it, said she was told it was a "benign cancer." That is good to know! Many, many prayers continue -- thank you for yours!

*****

I finished "The Miracle at Speedy Motors" by Alexander McCall Smith yesterday evening, after reading it gradually over the last few months. (I now have time to read at home!) I believe it is number 9 in the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series, which I have loved so much. This book was no exception. It was such a pleasure to read! Mma Ramotswe, the aforementioned detective, in Botswana, continues her adventures, assisted by Mma Makutsi, her interesting helper in her endeavors. There are many notes of humor in these books as well as a picture of what this area of Africa has been like and is now. The books show human nature in a true light and yet are extremely positive. I hope there will be future ones in this series as well! I recommend them all very highly!

CREATURES AT MY

2008-07-02T15:48:00.000-07:00

CREATURES AT MY PLACE LAST NIGHT

A cute little neighbor cat who has been here before. I think she's a girl -- don't know that for sure, but it's my guess. I like her.

Here was Silver, looking out the utility room window at her. Is it love?

Not long after that, this fawn appeared near my back door window. I shot the picture through it.

A few minutes later, a scraggly orange cat showed up out back. I didn't get a good picture of him. (My guess is it was a male -- it looked like it had gone through many a fight.)

Interesting critters!

THE DIAGNOSIS ON MY FRIEND, LES, SO FARI have just gotten

2008-07-01T18:14:00.000-07:00

THE DIAGNOSIS ON MY FRIEND, LES, SO FAR

I have just gotten word about more on the situation with my friend, Les, who is in the hospital in Australia. He fell and fractured the C7 vertebrae in his neck. He is having surgery to insert a pin today, and he should recover fully from this without any difficulties. There is concern about what caused the fall and other symptoms that he exhibited that have worried us, his friends who were corresponding regularly with him. We have wondered if he could have had a stroke. I also have thought perhaps he was having some difficulties because of his Parkinson's -- perhaps not taking his medication as directed, which was discussed here by commenters on a previous entry about him and his Parkinson's. He has been in the hospital for just a couple of days. We don't know who found him or how long he had been lying there before he was found. His friends in Brisbane now know of his situation and are visiting him. He is alert and trying to talk despite being on the ventilator.

The story I mentioned that he had told of a developer taking his house was totally false, and his other friends are recognizing that now. I'm glad it's not the case, but I am concerned that he was so convinced that it was fact. Hopefully someone will be able to get to the bottom of why he had that idea. I am hoping that he is able to be checked on regularly from now on -- perhaps there are government health services in Australia that do that sort of thing. Of course, it will be a little while before he is able to go home. He is still in ICU but will be moved to a regular room when he is ready.

Les has a little dog, Katy, and Les's nurse friend, Jenny, in Brisbane, and the other friend I have been corresponding mostly during this process, Mary, in Missouri, have been working on finding out where she is and making sure she is being cared for.

I have to credit Mary with her determined pursuit in finding out what had happened to Les. She was a regular detective! It is so good to have this much information, and hopefully more will be coming out as time goes on.

THE FAMILY MEMBER WITH CANCERJust a note to say that my son,

2008-07-01T15:09:00.000-07:00

THE FAMILY MEMBER WITH CANCER

Just a note to say that my son, Jeff, has posted on his blog today a short entry regarding his wife, Steph's, thyroid cancer. If you have been reading my blog very long, you will know that I posted an entry a few days ago about a family member who has this cancer, but who I didn't feel I could name at the time. Son J.D. has also written and posted an entry about Jeff and Steph's cancer situation, namely insurance, on his Get Rich Slowly site. The couple's appointment to find out more details is Thursday afternoon. I am quite anxious to find out what their schedule for surgery and treatment will be. Many prayers are going up for them, of course including mine.

EL TIGRENot too long ago,

2008-07-01T10:41:00.000-07:00

EL TIGRE

Not too long ago, I noticed the following picture propped up on the window sill of my utility room, where I expect my housekeeper had put it. It has sentimental value to me, so I took a picture of it for my Flickr site and wrote about it, and I wanted to also expand on that here:

This plaque was my first and last decoupage project, done when I was first married to my late husband, Steve. He really liked it and was the one that named it "El Tigre." I told him it was a leopard. He didn't care. LOL! It hung in son J.D.'s room in our old house in Portland, Oregon, when he was a baby. The hanger has come out of it; thus it must be propped up. I love it, regardless!

*****

I saw on the AOL welcome screen yesterday that there is speculation (at least by AOL) that Mitt Romney is the likely choice for John McCain's running mate. I have been resisting the temptation to contribute to Obama's campaign (not much, but something); if Romney is selected, I will definitely do so! There was speculation in the AOL article about Romney that one of his strengths and appeals was that he could raise a lot of cash from Mormons, fast. Does anyone else find this rather scary?

HUNTING FOR A MISSING FRIENDI have recently written about my

2008-06-30T09:28:00.000-07:00

HUNTING FOR A MISSING FRIEND

I have recently written about my Australian friend, Les, who has Parkinson's. Recently, none of his friends, including me, had heard from him, and I began getting e-mails from the others expressing concern and wondering if anyone had received any word of him or knew where he was. The most recent e-mail, which one of them got last week, was mostly indecipherable.

Yesterday, one of the friends, a lady named Mary, wrote me and said she was going to try to call Australia, particularly his doctor's office, to see if he could be located. As the day progressed, we also heard that another friend, Peter, from the UK, had tried calling Les's house and gotten no answer. Mary and I corresponded over the course of the day and she reported in as she also was unsuccessful in reaching Les's clinic over time.

At last, she reached a person at Les's old doctor's office and was referred to a new doctor, who referred her to a Brisbane hospital. There she learned that Les is in ICU and she wasn't given any more information, which was as she expected. She did ask if she could leave a message and she was told that he probably wasn't conscious. It certainly doesn't sound good, but we are trying to stay positive.

I told Mary, who is unemployed, as is her husband, that I would pay for the calls to Australia. I am still determined to do so, if she will let me. I will see what she does on that. For various reasons, I feel unable to call, myself. I am hoping that other friends will perhaps be able to check in and see how he is doing and let the rest of us know from time to time.

Many prayers are going up for Les. If you are a praying person, I know yours would be welcome, too.

*****

I learned today that my grandsons in Bend, Michael, 9 1/2, and Alex, 7 1/2, are flying with their other grandmother, Merre, to Florida. I am so glad last night's thunderstorms cleared up, although I saw a forecast last evening for rain in Miami today. (I'm not sure where they will be landing, though.) More prayers, this time for traveling mercies, from me.

NEWLYWED REPAIRSReceived

2008-06-30T09:22:00.000-07:00

NEWLYWED REPAIRS

Received from my friend, Jackie:

Newlywed Repairs

A man came home from the office and found his new bride
sobbing convulsively. "I feel terrible," she told him. "I
was pressing your suit and I burned a big hole in the seat
of your trousers."

"Oh, just forget it," consoled her husband. "Remember that
I've got an extra pair of pants for that suit."

"Yes, I know. And it's lucky you have!" said the woman,
drying her eyes. "I was able to use a piece from them to
patch the hole!"

Received from Thomas Ellsworth.

In case you can't tell, my theme today is engagement/marriage. I always enjoy hearing how couples have met. It occurred to me that perhaps readers might like to hear how my late husband Steve and I met, 40 years ago now. (I know that perhaps it always seems like I live in the past, but isn't that what elderly people do?) ;-)

I lived in southwest Portland, Oregon at the time, and I was a devout Mormon. I had not long before returned from a freshman semester at Brigham Young University, no doubt the most famous LDS university, thanks to my parents being unable to afford to keep me there. I was needed to come home and work. One of my main recreational activities at that time was going to Mormon young adult events, kind of killing time until I could afford to go back to college, as both my parents and I were determined that a college graduation should be in my future.

I went to a young adult "fireside" -- Sunday evening meeting with a special speaker -- at the LDS church in the town of Woodburn, Oregon, but I was somewhat early because I held some special position (I can't remember what now), and I sat in a short row of other young people that I recall being the last row of just a few. In the row ahead of me sat a nice-looking, red-headed young man, who turned around and smiled at me. I liked that. After the regular fireside, we lined up for refreshments, and in an uncharacteristically daring move, I cut in front of the handsome red-head. He laughed and said, "You cut in front of me!" I just laughed and said something inspiring and clever (ha ha) along the lines of, "I know."

So that was how Steve and I met. We saw each other later at young adult dances and danced together. At one of them, he suggested we go for a walk, and we held hands, which I thought felt very nice, and found a bench, where we sat and talked. Among the things he said was the comment that, when he was married, he would put more priority on having nice clothes than on food. I agreed. (Boy, were we a couple of dummies!)

I can't remember the exact nature of our dating the first couple of months, but after about 2 months, I felt that he was getting too serious (remember, I planned to go back to college) and I broke off our dating relationship. But he sent me a letter, which I still have someplace, where he talked about things that meant a lot to him, and one of them was pearls. He said, "Sue, you are a pearl." I was impressed and touched.

Not long after that, I saw him at a church dance and I tried to avoid him as I was shaking, but he wouldn't allow that and went out of his way to say "hi." Then he asked me to dance. I still was shaking. I told him that I had felt like someone put a knife in my heart. He said, "You put it there, Sue."

Not long after, Steve took me out to the farm where I now live to meet his parents. He called his mother on the way out from Portland, knowing it would panic her out. It did. I had a nice time meeting his folks and walking around the farm, although I was suffering from a cold that day. We went back to his apartment and just enjoyed being together. Sometime that evening, he got down on his knees and asked me to marry him. I said, "Yes."

Those who know Steve will probably think this sounds pretty typical of him, but later on, he told me that his thought process during the day at the farm had been to notice that I had bad breath because of my cold, plus that I was flat-chested, but he figured that this was probably the worst it would get, so why not marry me? LOL! He also later denied that he had asked me to marry him, and especially that he had gotten down on his knees; he insisted that I had asked him as we were riding along in the car and he had figured, "Why not?" He was not convinced by the fact that I had told my sister, Jo, about it that night when I got home, and she corroborated my version. I guess his pride wouldn't let him admit it. LOL!

We met in September of 1967 and married in the Oakland, California Mormon Temple in June of 1968, so it was a relatively quick courtship. (Steve was just a month short of the required year's membership in the Mormon Church to be married in the temple but he was allowed to do so despite that.) Anyway, now you know the story of how Steve and I got together. I leave it to your own judgment to decide who you think was telling the truth about the proposal.

*****

Somewhat along these lines, I watched "27 Dresses" Saturday afternoon. It stars Katherine Heigl, who I have enjoyed on "Grey's Anatomy." I liked the movie quite well -- at least, it was a distraction from my concerns of the moment. The story is about Heigl's character, the perpetual bridesmaid, who is in love with her boss but he doesn't seem to know she's alive other than as a great assistant, and she also is super at helping her friends put together their weddings in addition to being a bridesmaid at the events. All is going along as usual until her younger sister comes to New York and meets her boss and the two fall in love, with Heigl's character of course being required to put together the perfect wedding. Complicating things was Heigl's meeting a commitment phobic man who turns out to be someone he hadn't admitted to be, resulting in unanticipated difficulties for her. As you can see by the fact that I didn't remember these characters' names, I may not have been all that into the movie, but it was all right. I will probably give it 3 1/2 stars out of 5 on Blockbuster.

THE BIG "C"Just a few notes today, as my arm is quite sore,

2008-06-29T12:28:00.000-07:00

THE BIG "C"

Just a few notes today, as my arm is quite sore, plus I don't have a whole lot to say. Perhaps tomorrow I will feel like getting back to more like normal blogging.

As I have contemplated my one family member's diagnosis of thyroid cancer, I have been thinking about how another family member has suffered from skin cancer, and I was in fact visiting her and her family at the time that she had it removed. To my expressions of concern, she kind of laughed and said that there was a lot of cancer in her family and everyone was always fine. Thus I relaxed and had somewhat forgotten about it, although it has come to mind from time to time mixed with feelings of concern. She didn't have chemo or have to be away from her children for any length of time. I do hope it won't recur for her. I believe that arrangements will come together for the family member with the thyroid cancer, and that her children will be cared for when needed.

I have been receiving very helpful and supportive e-mails from my friends online. One of the ones I liked the best came from my Australian friend, Lynne, who said:

'The Australina cancer council ran an ad campaign a few years ago with a slogan that's very relevant here:

"Cancer is a word, not a sentence"'

I think that is such an excellent thought! These Aussies are really on the ball!

TEMPORARY LOSS OF BLOGGING EQUILIBRIUMI am not

2008-06-28T11:08:00.000-07:00

TEMPORARY LOSS OF BLOGGING EQUILIBRIUM

I am not sure how much I will be blogging in the next few days. Today, for sure, I feel off-balance and uninspired, mainly because my heart is someplace else. Last night, I learned that a beloved family member most likely has cancer of the thyroid. (As I am not sure how far this little family wants the news publicized, I am not naming names until I have permission to do so.) The results of her biopsy came back as highly suspicious and the mass was deemed likely cancerous. Whether benign or cancerous, she will have surgery for its removal and, if it is malignant, she will have radiation treatments, which will mean being away from her little ones 3 or 4 days at a time.

I let a number of my Christian friends know about this situation and I received promises of prayers as well as encouraging news. One friend told me last night that her cousin had the same experience and only needed radiation once after her surgery, thus minimal time was spent away from her family. Another friend told me today that her daughter-in-law also had the same thing happen to her and just successfully gave birth to a new baby girl. Above all, I know God answers prayers and that He is in control.

*****

I thought the above picture was appropriate today. If you cannot read the writing on it, it says: "A person cannot see the rainbow without first seeing the storm . . . "

BARACK OBAMA STORY?I received the

2008-06-27T18:25:00.000-07:00

BARACK OBAMA STORY?

I received the following from a good friend the other day. I am guessing that she and I disagree politically! LOL! She may have meant it as a joke, however.

"RICHARD EARL FOR PRESIDENT!

From the mouths of babes...

Barack Obama, the Presidential Democratic Party candidate, is for banning all guns in America. He is considered by those who have dealt with him as a bit more than just a little self-righteous.

At a recent rural elementary school assembly in East Texas, he asked the audience for total quiet. Then, in the silence, he started to slowly clap his hands once every few seconds, holding the audience in total silence.

Then he said into the microphone, "Children, every time I clap my hands together, a child in America dies from gun violence."

Then, little Richard Earl, with a proud East Texas drawl, pierced the quiet and said: "'Well, dumb-*ss, stop clapping!"

I immediately looked this piece up on Snopes, but I couldn't find it. I tried every set of key words I could and still no luck. So I wrote to Snopes and received an answer a few days later, saying that it was on Snopes and to look under "What's New" or the hottest 25 rumors. Finally, I located it, and I also saw the problem: The Snopes version doesn't include the reference to "Richard Earl", which was what I had thought would surely be an easy couple of words with which to search in Snopes' search engine.

The genesis of this story is quite interesting, and another reason that it was hard to find. It begins with Bono, of U2, segways into Hillary Clinton, and ends with Barack Obama.

The Bono story from Snopes is as follows:

"[Collected via e-mail, 2006]

Bono, whilst playing a gig in Glasgow, got the whole crowd to be silent and then began slowly clapping his hands. He got the crowd to clap along for a while, the stadium quiet except for the rhythmic clapping...

After a short period Bono spoke, saying that everytime he clapped his hands a child in Africa died...

Suddenly, from the front row of the venue a voice broke out in thick Scottish brogue, ending the silence as it echoed across the crowd, the voice cried out to Bono "Well stop ****ing doing it then!!"

[(South Australia) Sunday Mail, 2006]

IRISH supergroup U2, due to play in Adelaide next month, recently held a concert in Glasgow, Scotland.

Halfway through the concert, lead singer Bono stood in a spotlight on stage and asked the audience of 30,000 for complete silence.

Gradually the auditorium fell quiet.

Then Bono began slowly clapping.

The audience was spellbound. Was this the beginning of a song? Did he want everyone to clap with him?

He took the microphone and said: "Everytime I clap my hands a child dies in Africa."

The spell of silence was broken when a wag in the front row shouted: "Well, stop clapping."

I was unable to copy and paste the "Update" on the Snopes Bono article, where -- down the page -- it refers to Hillary Clinton and then Barack Obama, but it is easily found by following the link in this sentence.

I guess any political figure is vulnerable to jokes such as these, but they have a way of turning my sympathies even farther towards my chosen candidate.

*****

I was able to change my bedding the other night for the first time since injuring my arm. (There was a time when even pulling the covers up at night was impossible with the right arm; it just hurt too much.) As usual, I had my helper, Silver, who attacked the sheets as I put them on. Here he is with the top sheet, which he has just bunched up:

My Flickr friend Cynthia (Philosopher Queen) commented on what a darling expression he has on his face here. I have to agree -- I think he looks awfully cute.

8 NON-BORING THINGS ABOUT MEFirst, I don't know if these will

2008-06-26T14:14:00.000-07:00

8 NON-BORING THINGS ABOUT ME

First, I don't know if these will fit the definition of "non-boring" -- as my friend Lynne says (from whose blog I got the meme), we are egotistical beings and may find things about ourselves non-boring that others find boring. ;-) Second, I don't know if I will be able to come up with 8! While I was trying to nap, I thought of a number of possibilities, but the memories may escape me as I attempt to write them here.

1. I was born with jet-black hair, which fell out at a year old and turned blonde. As I approached adulthood, it became the light brown that it is now, despite various incarnations as blonde and dark again, depending on my and/or my late husband Steve's preferences and the aid of Miss Clairol.

2. When I was a young girl, possibly 3 or 4, my maternal grandfather, who had trained as a psychologist, had taken me to his office, where he gave me a test in which he had me repeat numbers in sequence and then took me elsewhere for a while. He brought me back and asked me to repeat the numbers he had given me, only backwards, which I was able to do without difficulty. He thought I was a genius! LOL! (However, if I was such a genius, I should be able to remember the numbers now, as well as where he and I went during the time we were away from the office. LOL!)

3. When I was in the 4th grade, my mother gave birth to my youngest sister, Kathy, and not long after that, she almost died of a bleeding ulcer. Thus, at the age of 10, I was put into the position of almost raising my younger siblings, Frank, who was 2 1/2 years younger than me, Jo, who was 4 years younger than me, and baby Kathy. My father was a school teacher and thus occupied elsewhere during the days; we had help from church ladies at first but that didn't last too very long. So part of my childhood consisted of raising my siblings. I remain close to Kathy, in particular.

4. One summer when I was in late grade school, my family was living in Eugene, Oregon while my dad went to summer school at the University of Oregon. A family from our church lived in an old house not far away, and one day when I was going to their house to play, I saw a couple of the younger boys coming across the roof and trying to go down a ladder that went up to it at the back. One of the boys fell and when I got to him, I found that he had a deep, triangle-shaped cut just above the area between his eyes. I told the other boy to hurry and get his mother, and she came immediately, thank goodness. He was rushed to the hospital. I don't recall the treatment, but he recovered all right. My mother told me later that the mother had said I saved her son's life by my quick action.

5. I have always been a very shy and timid person. I don't know if that was because of my natural temperament or due to aspects of my upbringing; perhaps both. I grew up in a church where getting up in front of the congregation to speak was expected, even of teenagers. I would quake in my boots and do an abysmal job when asked to do so. Imagine my panic when I was asked to participate in a regional church-wide speech contest. I was given some good fear-reducing tips by my speech instructor, though, and so I became determined to do a superior job. As it happens, I got up in front of the audience at the competition and I became suddenly confident, competent, and interesting. There weren't ribbons for first, second or third place, but I was one of the few who received a ribbon for the highest honor, being judged as "superior."

6. Not long after that, I was asked to play a lead in a play that someone from our church had written for the teenagers to perform. I was a prosecuting attorney. Once more, I had to battle my shyness and timidity, but I worked hard at memorizing my part (which was tremendously long, I felt). When the day came that us teens put on the play in our church's Sacrament Meeting, (equivalent to most Christian churches' worship services), I once again came out of my shell and I was able to portray a forceful prosecuting attorney. People looked at me in amazement when it was over with, but when they came up to me to tell me what a good job I had done, I became my shy, timid self all over again, and they went away disappointed. LOL!

7. Probably my last high school age accomplishment was to say yes when I was invited to sing a hymn, "I Know that my Redeemer Lives," with four other girls in a quintet. I had been told since early childhood by my mother that I couldn't sing, so this was a brave acceptance on my part. However, as we practiced, I memorized my alto part, as well as realized I could listen to the alto piano notes and follow them, so by the time we sang the song (once again in Sacrament Meeting), I was quite confident and did an excellent job singing it using my technique. It was the closing song for the meeting and when I got down to where my mother was sitting, I found her crying, and I asked her why. She said, "I didn't know you could sing." I just walked away, feeling disgusted. LOL! (Teenagers!)

8. Somehow I am only thinking of incidents where I went against my natural shyness grain. My last one is also the same. When Steve and I had had our 3 boys and were living out here in the country, he had been trained as an airplane pilot and tried working as one but through a series of events out of his control, he wound up without a job. He became interested in manufacturing food dehydrators and grain grinders and I also joined him in this endeavor, as it was a matter of survival for our family. I learned to use the whole grains we ground and the food we dehydrated. I'm not sure it was my idea to start teaching other people how to use the whole grain flours and dehydrated foods, but I could see that this was needed and so I dove in wholeheartedly. I was involved in displaying our products and giving out samples at the county fair at least one year, and coming up with a slogan and design for our booth that earned us a ribbon. (I can't remember what kind of ribbon it was exactly; perhaps honorable mention, but I was happy enough with that.) I continued with these endeavors until our business, Harvest Mills, was sold, in the late 1970's.

As I said, I'm not sure how non-boring these aspects of my life are. However, they're the best I can come up with! (Just don't ask me to do public speaking or demonstrating food processing machines again -- I think I did enough of that to last a lifetime! LOL!) But at least I did come up with 8. ;-)

THE CITY GIRL GOES TO THE COUNTRYJust

2008-06-26T07:48:00.000-07:00

THE CITY GIRL GOES TO THE COUNTRY

Just recently, on nephew Nick's web site, which he created for the family, we got into a discussion of country topics, such as garden crops, and especially an over-sized radish Nick had grown and was wondering in a joking way how to prepare and eat. This reminded me of a time, many years before, when Nick was a boy, how his parents -- my now late husband Steve's brother Norman and sister-in-law Janice -- had invited Steve and I (a "city girl") to dinner at their place, where they had a lovely garden. While we were there, Steve and Norman went out to the garden and came back with a large, long white vegetable that they tried to tell me was a carrot.

I could tell by the looks on their faces, especially Steve's eager, boyish one, that they dearly wanted me to fall for this tale. I didn't. I recognized that it was probably a parsnip. I said, "That's no carrot." Steve and Norm's faces fell -- they were highly disappointed. Janice and I just chuckled.

As I explained on the family site, I had already distinguished myself in my citified ignorance of country facts, especially about animal reproduction, which is likely why Steve and Norm felt that I would fall for the "carrot" story.

This is where the entry turns PG13, for those who care. Earlier -- I believe not long after Steve and I were married, when we lived in Portland and came out to the country to visit his folks, who lived in the house I occupy now -- on a drive out here, Steve made a comment about a farmer whose place we passed having his cows and his bull separated by a fence. I said, "Is that for when the bull is in heat?" Steve laughed and said, "Honey, the bull is always in heat." Then he explained to me that particular essential difference between cows and bulls. He found my farm faux pas too good to keep, and so told Norman and Janice what I had said.

Later, after we had moved to the mobile home that now is the office for my business, we had chickens, including roosters that had been raised from chicks by a banty hen we had been given (possibly by Norman and Janice). We had one particularly mean rooster and one day when I was outside, I saw him viciously attacking the banty hen. I panicked and ran into the house and called Janice, telling her that a rooster was trying to kill my little hen! She chuckled and explained to me that the rooster was mating with the hen and it was nothing to worry about -- it looked worse than it was.

Still, later, when Steve was butchering some of the grown chickens for me to clean (yuck!) and freeze, I think that mean rooster was one of the first to go, because he had also attacked very young son Jeff, just missing his eye. (I had no idea how to clean chickens at first and had to ask Steve's mom, Lola, and even though I followed her directions successfully, I don't think I was able to very easily eat the chicken meat. That was our last experience raising chickens!)

I have long ago made peace with the fact that I am not a country girl at heart. I love living out here, among beautiful farmland, but the maintenance of the place, with all the weeds and blackberry vines that crop up, is a bear. I am happy to laugh, though, about my early adjustments in attempting to live a country life (I did pick and can and freeze vegetables and fruit quite competently, although my canned peaches were never as pretty as Steve's mother's). ;-)

I just hope that I am now no longer as ignorant of the facts of farming life -- even if I, myself, don't truly live it -- as I once was. LOL!

AOL WELCOMES YOUI have a

2008-06-25T10:35:00.000-07:00

AOL WELCOMES YOU

I have a free AOL account, which I was talked into keeping when I went to cancel and go with my Yahoo account. AOL welcomes me with 4 or 5 varying welcome screens that cycle through so that if I see a headline that interests me, I can click on the link and read the article or information. A couple of those articles have particularly interested me in the last few days.

Although I don't plan to fly in the near future, I did a fair amount of that in early January, especially in and out of Salt Lake City, so a story about a pilot there who told passengers he was too upset to fly and canceled the flight on June 20th interested me. This pilot was with United, however, while I had flown Delta, and he was headed for Denver.

In his announcement, he said that perhaps some passengers had witnessed an incident with some of his colleagues as he was leaving the gate to board the plane, and it was this which had upset him so badly. In the article I read on AOL, (and this information isn't included in the USA Today link above), it said that pilots -- who are required to wear their hats when on duty -- had been instructed by the union to leave their heads bare in protest of United cutbacks due to the bankruptcy. Apparently, this pilot was wearing his hat, which his colleagues at the gate didn't appreciate.

As a business owner, I understand that perhaps United had no option but to declare bankruptcy, but I can see where the pilots would be concerned about their own financial survival. Interesting.

The other article, which I saw yesterday, was about the 20 most hated foods. I was most surprised to find that #20 was blueberries. I love love love blueberries (unless I happen to eat one that is older and tastes moldy -- ewwww!)

Foods included (and I didn't write down the numbers they were in the order of dislike; I was a bit skeptical as I wondered where AOL got their information from) mushrooms, cilantro, and mayonnaise, all of which I like a lot. Where I agreed was in brussels sprouts and oysters. I have to confess that I've never tasted oysters but any slimy seafood that is swallowed whole, raw, definitely does not appeal to me! ;-)

I think that some of the AOL welcome screen information indulges in scaremongering, especially regarding health issues, and I once more get a bit suspicious of where they are getting their information from when I see prescription drugs sponsoring the pages, but I think I have learned some things from them. They sure do get some lame comments about their articles, though. LOL!

DREAMS AND McDREAMYThis

2008-06-24T11:42:00.000-07:00

DREAMS AND McDREAMY

This morning, in the early morning hours, I had a strange dream which I can't remember -- all I know was that it featured Michelle Pfeiffer. LOL! In mentioning this to online friends, one of them said she had recently dreamed about her apartment complex's maintenance man, while another friend said she had dreamed today while napping about a total mishmash of things, including the same former religion that I used to be. Dreams are so funny! Do you have any that you would share?

As for McDreamy -- Patrick Dempsey -- he was on "Live with Regis and Kelly" this morning but I didn't watch it because Regis and Kelly have been getting on my nerves lately. I get the impression that Regis doesn't like Kelly very well but that could be entirely my imagination. I'd rather watch Bobby Flay on "Boy Meets Grill." LOL!

*****

I've been hearing a lot of gloom and doom these days. If what is being said is true, I am more concerned for my children and grandchildren than I am for myself. Yesterday, I saw a quote several places that originated from NASA scientist James Hansen, where he told Congress that if we don't roll back pollutants in the atmosphere to 1988 levels, in a couple of decades, "We're toast . . ." Scary!

I believe that God will provide ways for us to solve these problems, but people -- especially big industrialists -- will have to co-operate with those that are given the wisdom to guide us.

*****

I received kind of a funny e-mail from the IRS today. It gave me the option of having my stimulus check deposited in my bank account if I filled out a form they included and sent it back. Hello! I received my stimulus check yesterday! Hmmm, I wonder if it really was from the IRS?!

Speaking of funny e-mails, one came through from my friend Jackie the other day showing what was purported to be the diamond-encrusted Mercedes of an oil-rich Arab. Something told me to check it out on Snopes and sure enough, that wasn't true. (If you want to look, just do a search under "diamond Mercedes.") I sent the information to Jackie and she wrote back to thank me, saying she wondered if it was possible to believe anything that she received any more. I told her that she was one of the ones who had taught me to check out everything online. ;-) (Son J.D. is another one, and also my old on- and offline friend, Linda.)

AN EXCITING PHONE CALLI was just napping (and it was a good

2008-06-23T13:14:00.000-07:00

AN EXCITING PHONE CALL

I was just napping (and it was a good nap, too) when my sleep was interrupted by a phone call. The caller ID said Kroger, who I know owns the Fred Meyer stores, so I answered the phone rather than screening the call.

The lady on the other end of the line identified herself as from Kroger and said she had just received my e-mail about Rachel and what a good and kind job she did last Wednesday in checking out my groceries while I was in pain from my physical therapy. The lady (sorry, I didn't get her name, maybe Cindy?) said she had called to thank me for my comment and that she was just about to call the Canby Fred Meyer store's manager and tell him or her what I had said about Rachel.

I felt a little shy about that but mostly excited! I don't that often have an opportunity to do something nice for someone else, and I am really happy that Rachel will be getting this well-deserved pat on the back! I don't know if she is working there today or not but I imagine she will get the news sometime soon.

Needless to say, the call woke me up and I can't get back to sleep now. That's okay -- I suppose Silver (who was on my lap at the time) will forgive me. ;-) I am just feeling really happy.

CRAZY STUFFI have

2008-06-23T09:29:00.000-07:00

CRAZY STUFF

I have been saving some items, mainly in the back of my mind, for commenting on later, and later is here. ;-) Some of them are pretty wacky.

First of all, there is the pregnancy pact being reported from Gloucester, Massachusetts. Girls in high school are trying to get pregnant en masse. I saw a blurb on the NW Newschannel yesterday quoting a source at the Gloucester High School as saying this was false, but the source I link to in this paragraph (Time Magazine online) says the girls kept going back to the school nurse for pregnancy tests until they came back positive, at which time the girls were giving each other high fives. Perhaps movies like "Juno" are partly to blame, but some in Gloucester have attributed it to broken homes and loneliness.

Next, there is a fellow ex-Mormon who has a very popular blog. I am not going to name her here, as I feel that ex-Mormons should stick together; however, her humor gets pretty way out sometimes. After an appearance on the Today show where she was on with Kathie Lee Gifford, she wrote that Kathie Lee was coming onto her. I know that she didn't intend for this to be taken seriously, but I wonder what Kathie Lee thought of that. It certainly does go under the category of "crazy", in my book.

Then there are dreams I have been lately, which have featured a man who was involved in probably the very worst mistake of my life, and people close to him. I hate these dreams! I don't know why I'm having them but they are just crazy!

I am not telling my own family (siblings, cousins, aunts and uncles) about my upcoming minor toenail surgery. My youngest sister acted like having had my right big toenail removed last summer was a punishment from God, and I don't need that kind of reaction again. (I wonder what she would think of the fact that it has grown back in beautifully and is what I consider a blessing from God.) I think this kind of negative and unkind belief, which really seems out-of-character for my sister, is pure wackiness.

So there you have my wacky items for the day. I imagine I will come up with more over time. Feel free to add your own.

*****

I have been eating Manwich sloppy joes off and on over the last 5 days or so, and I took this picture of what -- to me -- is the perfect Manwich meal:

I don't care for the taste of the Manwich with the hamburger meat alone, but I find it to be delicious when topped with a slice of Tillamook cheddar cheese. And paired with sliced tomatoes (the non-salmonella variety), it becomes a lovely meal!

*****

As for the cartoons above, I am glad that my cats who stay downstairs at night don't try to wake me up for food during the night or early in the morning. They are very well-behaved.

I love the Maxine! LOL! Patrick Dempsey, you've really made it big now that you are in a cartoon with her! Hee hee!

A BIG CONCERNI am very concerned tonight for a long-time

2008-06-22T19:19:00.000-07:00

A BIG CONCERN

I am very concerned tonight for a long-time online friend who is suffering from Parkinson's disease. In letters I have received from him lately, he has talked about supposed recent events that are surprising, fantastic, and I feel have not happened. I was thinking that he might be having mini-strokes, as he is in his 70's, but then I did a Google search today under "symptoms of advanced Parkinson's" and this is what I found:

"Ask the Experts about Psychiatry/Mental Health for Advanced Practice Nurses
from Medscape Nurses

Managing the Psychological Symptoms of Patients With Parkinson's Disease?
Question
I am interested in knowing more about patients experiencing delusional and psychotic symptoms while being treated for Parkinson's disease. Antipsychotic medications affect dopamine levels and sometimes cause the symptoms of Parkinson's to worsen. I would like to know what approaches to treatment have been effective in managing these patients' symptoms.

Response from Maren S. Mayhew, MS, ANP, GNP
Nurse practitioner, specializing in geriatrics.

As we have improved the treatment of Parkinson's disease, patients are living longer and developing the psychotic symptoms of advanced Parkinson's disease. Risk factors for developing psychosis include dementia, sleep disturbances, and nighttime use of long-acting dopamine agonists."

I had no idea. As the title says, I am very concerned about my friend. I don't know of anything to do other than to write to him as I usually do when I hear from him (today I didn't) and to pray for him. I get concerned and discouraged about my medical difficulties at times but situations like this friend's make me put them into better perspective.

THE GIRL IN THE CAFE

2008-06-22T08:44:00.000-07:00

THE GIRL IN THE CAFE

I'm not sure where I saw the HBO movie, "The Girl in the Cafe" recommended, but I ordered it from Blockbuster on my one movie at a time program and watched it last night. I couldn't remember what it was about, and reading the description on the jacket of the DVD didn't help any, but I was game to see if I would like it or not.

The movie starts out in England -- London, I presume -- and features Bill Nighy as rather high-up civil servant Lawrence. Nighy is one of those people who I know I have seen in movies before but more as a character actor than the lead. His Lawrence is rather shy and, maybe partly as a result of that but also due to his devotion to his work, a confirmed bachelor.

He meets a much younger woman, Gina, played by Kelly MacDonald, in a cafe, and he dates her briefly before inviting her to accompany him to the 2005 G8 Summit in Reykjavik, Iceland. Lawrence has been telling her what the G8 Summit will entail, especially the Millenium Development Goals to eliminate poverty and AIDS, and when there, her outspokenness about them with world leaders, especially Lawrence's boss and the British Prime Minister, get both of them into a lot of trouble. The ending, however, was quite gratifying and brought tears to my eyes.

I did a little research after reading more about the movie in the Blockbuster description. I discovered that the 2005 G8 Summit was held in July of 2005, while this movie aired on HBO on June 25, 2005. Very interesting timing. Also, the U.K. hosted the Summit.

I have a little trouble understanding English accents and I didn't check to see if this film was close-captioned, but I did get most of what was happening. If you have a chance to rent it, I would recommend that you do so. I don't see a rating listed but I would call it PG13 as there is one scene of partial nudity and a couple of bad words. It did win the Emmy in 2006 for Best Made for Television Movie.

*****

The following joke comes from Ralph Milton's Christian E-zine, "Rumors", out of last week's June 15, 2008 edition.

"Bottom of the Barrel – Since we are now in the time of year when clergy and congregations begin to play musical pulpits, I thought this hoary old clunker might be useful.

The all-male pick-a-preacher committee had the job of deciding if the latest applicant had what it takes to be their minister. They didn’t quite know how to proceed, because this candidate was a woman.
“Let’s take her fishing,” suggested one of the committee members.
Out they went, early in the morning, the five men and the minister. Soon they were busy casting for trout, when the line of one of the men got snagged on a floating log. His tugging wouldn’t dislodge it.
So the lady minister stepped out of the boat, walked across the surface of the water, unhooked the snag, and walked back into the boat.
“Hmmmph” muttered one of the men. “Just like a woman. Can’t swim!”

Love it!

*****

I think it's time I thanked my friend Lynne again for the Ziggy in this entry and all the other ones that I have posted.

I really like the Maxine, too! There is more than a germ of truth to it! LOL!

MMMMM . . . STRAWBERRIES!

2008-06-21T08:41:00.000-07:00

MMMMM . . . STRAWBERRIES!

My daughter-in-law Kris came over yesterday and installed non-slip material on my front steps, plus left me a jar of strawberries from her and son J.D.'s garden. I didn't hear her due to being upstairs next to the air conditioner, but I came down later and found that she had been here. The front steps now look like this:

Great job, Kris, and will make it so that no one will slip on the slippery steps, especially in winter, and sue me!

The strawberries were lovely. I nibbled on them all day and then in the evening I cut the last of them up and ate them with Equal and 1% milk (a diabetic's treat). Here are a couple of shots of the berries.

Somewhat earlier, son Jeff had come down and done away with a bunch of thistles out by my garage. Online friend Andree commented yesterday that she wondered what kind of thistles they were, so I found one in a different area of my place and took this picture of it:

I do not like them, the stickery things!

Thank you to both Kris and Jeff for their assistance yesterday!!

*****

Someone else that I had meant to mention, who was a big help to me on Wednesday, was a cashier named Rachel at the Fred Meyer store in Canby. I was quite sore when I went through her line because of my earlier physical therapy and I had a lot of items in my cart. She was very cheerful, friendly and still professional. She said this was her first job of the day; that she would be shopping and then going to her second. We talked about working and how it was like the old commercial where the baker said it was "time to make the donuts." I was much happier for having been through her line, and after I got home, a bit later in the day, I found on the receipt that Fred Meyer had a web site and I went there. I found a place in which to make comments and I did so, thanking the store and Rachel for the good service that day. I have never done that before but I felt it was very much deserved. I gave them the information for getting back to me but in my comment I said it wasn't really necessary. I think I would have been embarrassed, actually. But if you see Rachel at the Canby Fred Meyer, tell her "hi" for me. :-)

*****

I tried to start reading Stephen Colbert's "I am America (and so can you!)" a couple of days ago. Colbert is clever but I am afraid I don't share his sense of humor. I am ready to give the book away. J.D. and Kris, do you want it?

*****

I am blogging earlier than usual today because it is a working weekend. Right now, I need to go make the donuts. ;-)

THISTLES ARE GONE!My

2008-06-20T11:47:00.000-07:00

THISTLES ARE GONE!

My middle son Jeff came down a little bit ago and made short work of the thistles out by the garage, which is appreciated more than I can tell you. I had used shears and cut the ones I had taken out but he brought a hoe and wore a glove and was able to take the rest out by the roots.

He and I are discussing landscaping services, and who to contact to get bids. I need to figure out exactly what I want done and when so that I will be able to make my wishes known. It is going to take a bit of thought. Perhaps I can contemplate it while I work this weekend, although I hate to take my mind too much off my work so that I don't make mistakes.

*****

DIL Kris (oldest son J.D.'s wife) will be here soon to put non-slip material on my front steps. I am looking forward to that! They have been getting terribly slippery and even dangerous in the rain.

*****

I heard from all of my kids today; youngest son Tony wrote and let me know that he has succeeded in getting Majesty's therapeutic horse biscuits into some Costco stores. I am very happy for him as he has worked so hard at this.

I also learned that his boys, my grandsons Michael, 9 1/2, and Alex, 7 1/2, aren't in Florida yet and won't be leaving for another 10 days. I don't know how long they will be gone. They will be staying with their other grandparents.

*****

I have a notice saying that Blogger will be down at 3:00 p.m., PDT, but only for about 10 minutes for maintenance.

A note: It has been "delayed." I don't know till when. I shouldn't have even mentioned it. ;-)

COUSINSI came from a

2008-06-19T09:27:00.000-07:00

COUSINS

I came from a large family on my dad's side. He had 9 siblings, although only 5 were alive when I was growing up. I had (and have) quite a few cousins on that side of the family. My memories of them are among the best of my childhood.

My cousin Charlie, my late Uncle Cyril's son, and I hadn't been in touch for years until after his mom, my Aunt Betty, died a number of years ago. She had suffered from severe osteoporosis for about 10 years that kept her bedridden; if she coughed, she could break a rib. I wrote to her occasionally during that time and Charlie found my letters and notified me after she died. He was very sweet in what he said about my writing to his mother.

Charlie and his wife Jeanette have a daughter, Suzanne, who was named after me. (I think that is so very nice!) Here is a picture he just e-mailed me of him and Suzanne and her children. (We exchange grandkid pics every once in a while via e-mail.)

I believe Suzanne lives in Texas or someplace in the South, while Charlie and Jeanette live in Orem, Utah, if I'm remembering correctly. This picture was taken at the airport although which one is a good question. It's from a recent visit, anyway.

I don't have a lot of memories about Charlie from when I was young although I know he was older and I do recall him pushing me down outside our grandparents' house at one point. LOL! We were quite young then. My next memories are as a young adult, and that I liked him a lot at that point.

As it happens, I heard from another cousin just a couple of days ago, my Uncle Linc's oldest daughter, Cheryl, (pronounced with a "ch" rather than an "sh"). She is, I believe, 4 years older than I am and we were close growing up. In fact, she taught me to read when I was still kindergarten age while we were playing school at her house. Here is a picture of her as a young adult (in the middle), taken in the mid-1960's at Lake Roosevelt, Washington, where my dad was a park ranger and she and her family were visiting. I had thought this was also me in the picture, on the left, but now I'm doubting that -- I just don't know.

I sent her a copy of this picture and another one with our other cousin, Janeane, who is my late Uncle Junius's daughter. She mentioned in the note I received from her how much she liked getting the pictures and how that was back when we were skinny. LOL! Oh, so true.

She wants to be updated on my family and how I'm doing, so I will definitely write to her before long. She did mention that Uncle Linc keeps them informed as much as he can. Cheryl and her family live in Washington, not nearly as far away as Uncle Linc is in his home in Logan, Utah; you'd think we could get together and maybe someday we will.

*****

I had physical therapy yesterday and, once again, it made me fairly sore. Sleeping last night was a bit iffy because of that, although I remember dreaming (but not what about). Today is laundry day, which will be fairly strenuous to the arm, too, but I will try to be careful. I was told that cutting the thistles is an absolute no-no unless there is a way to do it left-handed. (Maybe I can find some left-handed clippers.) Typing is pretty much okay as long as I watch my posture, which has long been a challenge for me -- I remember my mom criticizing me for slumping when I was a girl, although perhaps her critical nature may have been one reason I slumped. I'm definitely working on better posture.

I won't have more physical therapy for a couple of weeks. It will be nice to have next week off. I have a couple of new exercises to build up the reps on in the meantime.

*****

I am conversing with my cat Stevie through the office door right now. She sometimes comes upstairs and "talks" to me this way. Other than that, she mainly visits me in the loo. Each of my cats finds their own way to communicate with me -- I love my little furry people.

A BIKER AND HIS BABE

2008-06-18T07:28:00.000-07:00

A BIKER AND HIS BABE

Love this photo! Today would have been Steve's and my 40th wedding anniversary. I like to think we might have been like the above biker couple before too much longer. ;-)

MORE ABOUT SKEEZIXI mentioned in my

2008-06-17T11:29:00.000-07:00

MORE ABOUT SKEEZIX

I mentioned in my Father's Day post about my dad that he had been unnamed and just called Skeezix for the first 6 months of his life. My son J.D. said he had a theory about why, and when I asked him what it was, this was his response:

"During the early 1920s, there was a comic strip called Gasoline Alley. It was mostly just a funny gag strip about cars. The newspaper publisher decided that he wanted a wider audience, though, so he asked the strip's writer (Frank King) to do something to attract women readers. To do this, King deposited a baby on the doorstep of the main character, Walt Wallet.

Walt was a bachelor and had not experience with babies. The strip gradually shifted its focus from cars to the relationship between Walt and Skeezix. The characters aged in real time. (They still do. The strip is still going.) So, readers got to see Skeezix grow up.

Skeezix means "motherless calf", but I don't think that's why your father got that nickname. I think he got that nickname because Gasoline Alley was hugely popular at the time of his birth, and Skeezix must have seemed like a fun nickname to give a boy. Sort of like how some kids might have been nicknamed Calvin when Calvin and Hobbes was at its height.

Anyhow -- that's my theory! :)

--j.d."

I believe he makes some valid points. He sent me the above comic, showing Walt finding Skeezix on his doorstep. (Knowing my Grandpa Mac's sense of humor, and that of other family members, this may have also been a reason for the nickname.) I have a letter ready to go to my Uncle Linc, at 92 the only living sibling, (which I will send after I get a picture that I want to include), in which I am mentioning this and asking a bit more about it. I don't know if I will get an answer as he has difficulty seeing and writing but perhaps one of his DIL's or grandchildren could type out or write an answer for him.

*****

Just a quick note that there is another "down" event coming up in my future, as I will have minor surgery (toenail removal) on my left big toe in 3 weeks. The worst of that is soaking it in Epsom salts afterwards, which stings like h*ll! It must be done, however -- I will not take a picture of my toenail and make you look at it! LOL! At least my arm is quite a bit better! :-)

ABOUT STARSReferring somewhat to the

2008-06-16T10:13:00.000-07:00

ABOUT STARS

Referring somewhat to the above Maxine, has anyone noticed how much more interesting the State Farm Insurance commercials have gotten? ;-) There is no question in my mind that the narrator is McDreamy himself, Patrick Dempsey. Of course, he's not one of the old time stars that Maxine mentions above; quite the opposite.

I have a good friend in New Jersey who is crazy about Jon Bon Jovi. She's not all that much younger than me. Now and again, she comes across stationery with pictures of him on it and sends them along to me. (She is a widow, as I am.) Then yesterday I saw a preview of "What Not to Wear" where a dental hygienist will be the subject of the makeover, and in the ad I saw, she was defending some of her old, outdated clothing by saying that it reminded her of Bon Jovi. LOL! That did make me feel old because my clothes from my youth, if I still had any of them, would remind me of the Beatles and Elvis Presley and Del Shannon. I never knew anything about Bon Jovi, nor was I into him, at any point before in my life. I did enjoy seeing him when he was a coach on American Idol (not this past year, but the one before) and I was able to clue my friend in so she could watch him. I can see why she likes him. He also has a football team called the Soul and she enjoys listening to their games.

Be gentle with your judgment; it's not easy to be old and lonely. ;-)

*****

Over the weekend, I was able to take some fun pictures of Silver and Socks. They like playing around the coffee table, which I have been keeping bare. Silver especially likes to get on it and then Socks will find ways to try to attack him from floor level. Here are a series of pictures of them doing that. They are on Flickr, so click to enlarge there. In the last two, that is pretty much necessary because I have notes indicating where Socks is located, as she's not easy to spot.

Socksie is so funny sometimes! I especially love her in that last picture! And Silver is so big!

*****

Just a remembrance: Today would have been Mom's 81st birthday.

FATHER'S DAY -- MY DAD

2008-06-15T08:57:00.000-07:00

FATHER'S DAY -- MY DAD

This is a photo of my father, taken in the late 1980's, I believe. There is a funny story behind it. He had the hiccups the day of the portrait-taking (the same day as the portrait of Mom that I posted on Mother's Day) and nothing would stop them. I have a picture of Mom and Dad taken that same day and he has a small, wry smile on his face, no doubt as a result of the difficulty he was having holding still. My mother later expressed how irritated she has been at the time, but Dad probably didn't know my tried-and-true hiccup cure. (Drink 10 swallows of water without taking any breaths in between.) ;-)

My dad passed away in April, 1991 at the age of 66. In my steamer "treasure" trunk, I found a diary that my grandfather had kept of my dad's youngest years (my grandfather was 50 when Dad was born; Dad was the youngest of 10 children -- and yes, they were Mormons). My youngest sister Kathy had obtained it and made a copy of it for me for Mother's Day the year Dad died. I had never read through it. Actually, many of the things Dad was doing were typical of young children but Grandpa did write them up so that they sounded exceptionally cute.

My dad was named Stanford after 6 months of not having a name decided upon, other than being called "Skeezix." (I don't have this documented, but I remember my brother Frank saying this at Dad's funeral.) My Grandpa apparently decided on the name Stanford after that amount of time because he was attending Stanford University then. (Those were days well before women's liberation; my grandfather was the one who named all the children, which my grandmother privately resented, as my mother told me at one time much later on.)

When I was in grade school, my father taught junior high science and he would take my younger brother and sister and I to his classroom sometimes in the evenings so he could preview movies that he would show in his class. One particular favorite of mine showed microbes crawling to the tune of Grieg's "In the Hall of the Mountain King." As is so often the case with childhood experiences, that bit of classical music became a favorite of mine.

On one of my birthdays, perhaps 8th or 9th, I had a birthday party where my dad took my little friends on a hike with us. He had a great time and they did, too. He was a very pleasant and enjoyable person to be around.

I loved my father very dearly. I was saddened that the difference of religion that developed between us created a rift during the last few years of his life. Those things happen, though. There are aspects of life that have to be forgiven. It seems that, as the years pass, often a tolerance for human frailties grows and develops. Maybe it's kind of like learning to laugh at incurable hiccups during a portrait sitting.

JUNOI watched the movie "Juno" this evening, and while I have

2008-06-14T19:34:00.000-07:00

JUNO

I watched the movie "Juno" this evening, and while I have reservations about teen motherhood (while at the same time understanding human nature and having compassion for young people), I was surprised to find that I liked the movie a lot. Young actress Ellen Page did a good job of portraying the title character, who became pregnant thanks to a classmate played by Michael Cera, and sought solutions, including locating adoptive wannabee parents played by Jennifer Garner and Jason Bateman. The ending turned out to be quite heartening and unexpected. The movie is rated PG13 and so is obviously for mature viewers; I would recommend it for such individuals.

MY PHOTO IS INCLUDED IN THE GUIDE!Some time ago, I mentioned

2008-06-14T12:25:00.000-07:00

MY PHOTO IS INCLUDED IN THE GUIDE!

Some time ago, I mentioned that a photo I took of a sternwheeler out at Astoria, Oregon, going up the Columbia River past my motel, had been selected for possible inclusion in the Schmap Pacific Northwest Guide. I received this letter yesterday:

Hi Suzanne,

I am delighted to let you know that your submitted photo has been selected for inclusion in the newly released second edition of our Schmap Northwest Guide:

Columbia River Maritime Museum
www.schmap.com/northwest/museums/p=126481/i=126481_2.jpg

If you like the guide and have a website, blog or personal page, then please also check out the customizable widgetized versions of our Schmap Northwest Guide, complete with your published photo:

www.schmap.com/guidewidgets/p=32752680N00/c=SG33031580

Thanks so much for letting us include your photo - please enjoy the guide!

Best regards,

Emma Williams,
Managing Editor, Schmap Guides

Unfortunately, I haven't been able to get the links to work to access my photo but I still feel very honored. :-)

A NEAT THOUGHTSave the Earth . . . it's

2008-06-14T11:28:00.000-07:00

A NEAT THOUGHT

Save the Earth . . . it's the only planet with chocolate!!!

(From my friend Edith in Toronto.)

*****

The above photo was one I took at the Newport, Oregon Aquarium on October 19, 2005. I had a comment on it yesterday by a guy named Steve Worthington who makes bronze animals. They are very interesting, especially the turtles.

I have always loved turtles. I had quite a nice-sized one when I was a girl but my mother made me leave it outside, and I came home from school one day and found it dead, chewed up by a neighborhood dog. I was devastated! We obviously didn't know much about turtles at the time; it probably needed a fairly decent-sized aquarium.

*****

I am feeling quite a bit better today. I was sure yesterday that I had undone all the good work I had accomplished in the previous couple of days -- my arm was that sore! But the icing of the upper arm and shoulder along with the exercises have worked wonders. I was even able to get most of my work at the business done last night and this morning, with just a short stack to be filed tomorrow.

*****

Our weather is beautiful. It is sunny but there is a cooling breeze so it's not getting too hot. The afternoon should be perfect for Jeff to mow the lawn, as he plans to.

A BIG MISTAKEHmmm . . . I'm not going to be able to cut

2008-06-13T13:23:00.000-07:00

A BIG MISTAKE

Hmmm . . . I'm not going to be able to cut thistles down every day. Talk about a setback. Just a note, so you understand if I'm suddenly quiet for a little bit.

PROGRESSThere is a saying

2008-06-13T10:46:00.000-07:00

PROGRESS

There is a saying that Steve always used to quote: "If all else fails, read the directions." That applies, I believe, to my flyer from my physical therapist, which I have gradually been reading more and more thoroughly and finding out that I haven't been doing my exercises as often or as many reps as I should have. That's probably okay, though, because I have built up gradually to the number indicated.

Yesterday, folding laundry wasn't nearly as painful as it had been the week before. (I was glad to have my little helper, Socks, too, as shown below.)

The day was so beautiful when the sun came out in the afternoon yesterday that I went outside and picked up all sorts of small branches that had blown off the trees during the strong winds a few days ago, in anticipation of Jeff mowing, which he has just let me know he will do tomorrow. I also cut down a few thistles that are growing by the garage, which is separate from the house. I am doing that a very few at a time. I was given strict orders by my PT not to aggravate my arm.

One thing I was told, as well, and have noticed, is that raising my right arm up is very painful and is a no-no. I do it entirely with my left arm, and that has brought me a great deal of relief from pain.

I didn't work Wednesday night but will work over the weekend, as is necessary. Slow and steady is the answer, with frequent breaks.

It is such a relief to not be in pain all the time! I can't believe I waited so many weeks to tell my doctor what was going on and get the referral to physical therapy. I am glad now for my progress.

*****

With ID thieves out there, I get a bit on the panicky side when I don't get any mail, as was the case yesterday. I contacted my neighbor via e-mail to see if she had gotten any, but they have a post office box in town. Today there was mail, though, so I feel better.

J.D. ON TVMy 39-year-old (thus

2008-06-12T10:03:00.000-07:00

J.D. ON TV

My 39-year-old (thus eldest) son, J.D., was on Portland, Oregon's KGW Channel 8's 6:00 news last evening, and above are pictures that I took of him being interviewed. He had said yesterday on the Twitterblog portion of his main blog yesterday that the interview had taken 90 minutes but the piece itself was 90 seconds. It was about tips he has for people on his very successful Get Rich Slowly blog, on how to do just that: Get rich slowly. He has not only talked the talk but walked the walk as he got completely out of debt in 3 years. This is impressive because he is a man that loves technologically-developed devices but he advises restraint in not buying every new gadget that comes on the market.

(BTW, although I have posted the above photos to Flickr, this time I uploaded them from my Windows database so clicking on them will just enlarge them, not take you to my Flickr site.)

I thought J.D. did a fine job on his interview and I was impressed and (very motherly, of course) proud.

*****

Today I am feeling less sore and ill in starting out the day, although I am more tired because I had quite a restless night last night. I have been having odd dreams the last couple of nights, too, although I can't remember them very well now. I delayed working until the weekend so that I can do the filing slowly and take lots of breaks; I am still doing laundry today and trying to go easy on the sore arm in the process, especially of folding clothes.

*****

I had a couple of family e-mails yesterday. One was from my youngest sister, Kathy, the new nurse, and she has started working graveyard shifts. She says it is quite an adjustment, which I know from when Steve worked nights. The other e-mail was from my Aunt Joan. She said that her daughter Mary's husband David has a blood clot from his ankle to his thigh and that prayers are needed for him. This has happened after ankle surgery. She didn't exactly say so, but she indicated that although she is Mormon, she feels that prayers from all faiths are very helpful. It sounds serious but my online friend Lynn said that her husband's cousin also had a bad blood clot and that medication cleared it up, so I am hopeful and will let my aunt know that.

TAKING IT EASYThank

2008-06-11T09:29:00.000-07:00

TAKING IT EASY

Thank goodness that son Jeff is able to make the Costco trip for my business this week because I woke up incredibly sore and ill-feeling. Typing doesn't help.

I did want to share the teacup bouquet I bought yesterday to commemorate Mom's birthday on the 16th. It reminds me so much of her because she inherited her mother's teacup and saucer collection.

Of course, Socks was crazy about them and had to sniff and bite them. Here is a shot I took of her doing that. (I have to hold the camera in my left hand; it's too heavy for my right arm to support without a lot of pain.)

It's a wonder that I got the bouquet home in one piece because on the way back from Fred Meyer's, a lady pulled out in front of me on the highway (99E) and it took all of my braking power to stop without hitting her. Everything on the front seat went flying, but the bouquet had been on the floor and somehow managed not to be broken by the flying clipboard and other objects that had been on the seat but wound up on the floor as well.

I have gone no mail on a couple of lists and I am being very quiet on the remaining ones. My correspondence will likely be light. I may see you here tomorrow; I may not. Best wishes to you all.

THE VERDICTI have

2008-06-10T12:58:00.000-07:00

THE VERDICT

I have tendinitis in my upper arm/shoulder area. The physical therapist used an ultrasound machine on me and gave me exercises to do, plus I am to ice the area every few hours and try not to use the arm in such a way as to bother it. I may go no mail on a number of my lists for the next few weeks in order to help the healing. I will likely also cut down somewhat on my correspondence. As for blogging, that probably needs to be shortened as well, but I won't eliminate that entirely, and I will definitely try to keep visiting blogs. Priorities! ;-)

PT IS SCHEDULEDI was able

2008-06-09T10:42:00.000-07:00

PT IS SCHEDULED

I was able to call my HMO's nearest clinic this morning and schedule my physical therapy evaluation for tomorrow morning. I will be glad to get that done. I notice that my arm is fine -- unless I use it! LOL! The muscle where the pain is also seems to be a little bit swollen.

Physical therapy isn't a covered benefit under my health plan so I don't know what kind of cost to expect. I can look in my benefits handbook, I suppose, if I can find it.

I really want this arm to get better. I want to buy some Round Up spray and get going on spraying some weeds around the place. I don't know how long it will be before I can do that, though. Perhaps I should buy the Round Up tomorrow afternoon and do the spraying when we have a clear, calm day and deal with the damage to the muscle later. LOL!

The weather right now is quite pleasant. I hear about a lot of heat elsewhere in the country and in Canada. We are lucky but it's hard telling when that heat will come our way. I wish cool weather to those of you who are sweltering!

STAN'S PROGRESSMy niece, who goes by Mrs. Darling online, has

2008-06-08T18:28:00.000-07:00

STAN'S PROGRESS

My niece, who goes by Mrs. Darling online, has posted a new entry on her blog about how her dad, my brother-in-law Stan, is doing after being in the hospital for a number of days. I really enjoyed this entry because it gives such a great picture of both her and her dad's personalities.

She doesn't say what his prognosis is but it sounds like it could be fairly good. He will be in the hospital for a while longer. It is a relief to get the news as not only I but many of my friends on my various chat lists have been praying for him and the family. I hadn't known what to expect; it is a relief to hear that recovery is a probability, although he certainly has some complicated problems in his innards.

God has the situation in His hands, that is for sure.

THE AMATEUR PHOTOGRAPHER

2008-06-08T10:30:00.000-07:00

THE AMATEUR PHOTOGRAPHER

An amateur photographer was invited to dinner with friends,
and he took along a few pictures to show to them. The
hostess looked at the photos and commented, "These are very
good! You must have a good camera."

The photographer didn't make any comment, but as he was
leaving to go home, he said, "That was a really delicious
meal! You must have some very good pots."

Received from Thomas Ellsworth.

The above joke came to me from my friend Jackie. I had to gulp and hope I hadn't said something similar to my photographer friends, although a camera's quality can make a big difference. LOL!

*****

There was a blurb running across the bottom of the Northwest Cable News channel yesterday, saying that the Mormon Church (which I was born and raised in) was celebrating the 30th anniversary of the "revelation" which gave the Mormon priesthood -- which is held only by men -- to blacks.

I did a search on Google about this subject as I was curious as to how the event was going to be celebrated. I found an interesting article in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch about the subject (which you can access by clicking on the link in the first part of this sentence). It covers both positive and negative aspects of the LDS Church's handling of the blacks in the past and a current example of a black convert.

Until the time of the "revelation", individuals with any black blood in them at all were unable to attend the Mormon temple ceremonies. I have a good friend who went through these ceremonies quite a few times (they are done in proxy for people who are dead), only learning a few weeks before her mother died that her father had been partly black. According to Mormon doctrine, she shouldn't have gone through the temple ceremonies before the change in beliefs, but of course she had no way of knowing that.

I have written my LDS friend Fran in Utah to ask what the Mormon Church is doing to celebrate this anniversary, but I haven't heard from her yet.

I still believe that the "revelation" was one of convenience, as so many of them seem to have been, because at the time, college football teams were threatening to boycott BYU's team due to the church's stand on the blacks not being able to hold the priesthood.

Brigham Young and other early church leaders had said that blacks would never hold the Mormon priesthood, and Young had gotten even pithier than that, with very strong statements about what he would do to a mixed-race couple. Perhaps his adament anti-black thoughts reflected the thought of a majority of whites during his time; I don't know.

I am truly glad that those times have changed, to the extent that we have a black candidate for President of the U.S. But that is going onto a different subject. I do think that black individuals who are interested in the LDS church should do some research to see what the LDS church once believed about them. If they can live with those old beliefs, then fine. I'm not sure I would be able to if I were in their shoes.

*****

There is still no word on my brother-in-law Stan's condition. I have quite a few members of several lists praying for him. I am hoping and praying that he will have a good quality of life for a long while, despite what I have read on his daughter's blog about the possibility that he could have kidney failure.

*****

I am about ready to eat lunch, take another Vicodin, and then nap. (The neighbors' dogs are out and barking, which may make napping difficult, but maybe they will be back in the house by the time I try to get to sleep.) The Vicodin may get me through the barking if it continues. ;-) The arm got some exercise, taking the recycling out today, so has been sorer than the Vicodin could readily handle this morning, but that should change this afternoon.

I am really hoping that an evaluation of my arm will show that it is getting better on its own, and that it will just take time. I can guarantee that I am going to be more careful in what I insist that this 60-year-old body does!

RUMOR HAS ITLast night I

2008-06-07T11:57:00.000-07:00

RUMOR HAS IT

Last night I watched a movie that just had 3 stars out of 5 as a Blockbuster Online rating, which should have warned me that perhaps it wasn't the best. However, sometimes I ignore the ratings because it can depend on personal taste and there have been movies I have liked real well that weren't rated overly highly on Blockbuster. So I gave "Rumor Has It" a try.

I liked the actors in the movie, particularly Jennifer Aniston, Kevin Costner, and Shirley MacLaine. The movie came out in 2005, and I noticed a few aspects of the movie that dated it, although I can't recall exactly what they were now. I thought the plot itself was stupid, especially the references to the much earlier movie, "The Graduate," which I've always hated. I don't recommend "Rumor Has It" very highly.

MY DOCTOR'S DECISION ABOUT

2008-06-06T11:38:00.000-07:00

MY DOCTOR'S DECISION ABOUT MY ARM

I am in between Vicodin doses -- or rather, at the end of one and while waiting for the new one to take effect and pretty well knock me out -- so I will blog quickly in the meantime. I am quite relieved at the moment despite my need to rely on this painkiller for now, as I heard from my doctor this morning and she is putting in an order for me to be evaluated by the Physical Therapy department. I will need to give the order 24 hours to go through, which means that I need to call on Monday to get an appointment set up, hopefully at the Tualatin Clinic, as it is closest to me.

I am also thankful that my arm pain didn't radiate down into my forearm and hand last night the way it did the night before, when I hurt horribly. My night's rest last night was fairly reasonable, although I still can't sleep on my right side.

I do hope that there is promise in this future, possibly including PT, to be pain-free!

*****

The following joke came from my friend Jackie:

Caution

A pharmacy major was taking a course in Dispensing. One day
they were discussing the various labels affixed to
prescription containers, such as, "Take with food," and
"Take with water."

At the end of class, the professor passed out a few sample
labels.

Days later he noticed that one member of the class had
stuck one of them onto his chemistry textbook. It read:
"Caution: May cause extreme drowsiness."

Received from Thomas Ellsworth.

Somehow I can relate very strongly to this joke. LOL!

*****

A few days ago, I mentioned a family member who is in the hospital with some serious health problems. This is my brother-in-law Stan (my late husband Steve's sister Virginia's hubby). My most recent report is that he is in surgery due to a large blood clot in his bladder and a kidney stone in each kidney. His daughter, who blogs under the name of Mrs. Darling, is able to keep the family updated due to her daughter having brought a laptop that is usable from their motel room in Boise. I can't complain about my health problems much when I think about those that people like Stan have.

*****

I received a very cute e-mail from grandson Noah this morning, thanking me for the truck I gave him as a preschool graduation gift. It made my day! (He dictates his thoughts to his mother, who types them in and sends them to me.)

THE LITTLE

2008-06-05T20:23:00.000-07:00

THE LITTLE GRADUATE

Above are pictures of my grandson, Noah, which I stole from his dad's -- my son Jeff's -- blog today. The first is of Noah in the procession as he graduated from Little Blessings Preschool last night, and the second is him at home with his helper, little sister Emily, holding up his diploma.

Unfortunately, I was unable to make it to the graduation ceremony because of my arm being so painful. I feel very bad about that. I am proud of Noah and, as his dad says, it's difficult to believe he will be in kindergarten this fall. How fast these little ones grow!

THE VICODIN FUZZY-BRAINI

2008-06-05T09:41:00.000-07:00

THE VICODIN FUZZY-BRAIN

I took a Vicodin about an hour ago, and my head is telling me it's time to sleep. LOL! How could I take a Vicodin when they didn't come in the mail yesterday? you may ask. Well, I did a second check of the mailbox last night and either I missed them the first time around or else the mailman had accidentally skipped them the first time he came through and brought them back to the mailbox later. I have traded off a brain that thinks at the moment for a pain-free arm. I will try to write this post all the same; if that doesn't work, I will save it as a draft and get back to it later on.

I had purchased ingredients for a couple of dishes yesterday morning so I decided to make them while they were fresh yesterday afternoon, using my left arm as much as possible. The first was Blueberry Breakfast Scones from the Better Homes and Gardens Simple Everyday Diabetic Meals Cookbook. Here are pictures of them -- first on the cookie sheet and ready to bake, then baked and glazed, and a piece on a plate, ready to eat. They contain finely-grated orange peel in addition to blueberries -- yum!

The only problem I had with them was getting the inside baked completely. It isn't bad -- just a hair underdone -- so I am warming the slices up before eating them.

*****

Yesterday I had an e-mail from a lady who is working on the Schmap Northwest Photo Shortlist, and she wanted to know if it was okay to put the following photo in contention for use in her project.

The shot is of the Sternwheeler, which had been moored at the Columbia River Maritime Museum in Astoria, Oregon, for the previous couple of days before heading upstream. This picture was a lucky capture. It will be fun if it is selected.

*****

BTW, thank you to everyone who urged me to contact the doctor about my arm. I have e-mailed her, although there has been no response yet. They do say to give the clinician 48 hours to get back to the patient. I have waited this long; it won't matter much if I have to wait another couple of days. My feeling is that the arm is just slow to heal, but maybe she will have other ideas.

NOT A GOOD DAYI am trying

2008-06-04T12:34:00.000-07:00

NOT A GOOD DAY

I am trying to go about my daily activities as usual, but my arm is rebelling. As a result, I am feeling quite sick to my stomach. I probably should contact my doctor but I'm going to wait until Friday, I think, as I have just bugged her about my "barnacles". One good thing is that my refill for Vicodin has been okayed, and my nurse friend Sheila said that having that happen would probably indicate that my clinician recognized that my pain could take a while to clear up. It didn't come in the mail today, though.

I feel kind of silly because of others I know who are going through so much worse. That's one reason I push myself to try not to baby my arm. I regret it after I use it in a normal fashion, though. I am quite inclined to do my best not to use it for the next few days; however, that is easier said than done.

One thing that cheered me up this morning was seeing a fat bunny in my back yard. What a cute creature! Socks saw it, too, after a bit, and was quite intrigued from her perch in the utility room window.

I am very concerned for a family member right now and I keep checking the family blogs, as he is in the hospital and the possible ailments they were checking him for were extremely serious. I guess no news is good news on that front so far today. My prayers are going up for him.

I guess it's time to take the ice off my arm. Sheila also said that having to ice it a lot isn't a good sign. But as Steve used to say, "You've just gotta be tough." That's what I'm trying to do, although I am also trying to limit my social contact right now because pain makes me grumpy. Grrr!

"BARNACLE" SUEI mentioned

2008-06-03T14:34:00.000-07:00

"BARNACLE" SUE

I mentioned in a comment to yesterday's post that the spots on my arm that I was concerned about were benign, from what the nurse said. To elaborate further, they are generally hereditary and are also known as "barnacles". I have e-mailed my brother and sisters to let them know about this and to ask them if they knew of Mom or Dad having such spots, or if they themselves had them. I have received no responses to maybe the silence is my answers from them. Coincidentally, my nurse friend Sheila mentioned before I went in that she has "barnacles" -- I asked her today if they were generally removed but I haven't heard back yet from her. At any rate, the nurse said she can't really diagnose; thus, my appointment with the dermatologist in mid-July. (I'm glad there's no rush!)

I think it's funny that I have "barnacles," when as an Oregonian I have talked about our reputation for having webbed feet plus that we rust instead of tan. Also -- something I haven't talked about before -- my favorite football team is the University of Oregon Ducks (out of loyalty to my friend Linda). In addition, the refrain "Barnacle Bill the sailor" is going through my head, although I'm not sure where it originates from in my past history. LOL! Did Steve sing it? Did my dad? I can't remember!

I don't know if the dermatologist will want to remove the barnacles or not. That question at present is in the realm of the unknown for me.

*****

I got an e-mail today saying that when I go in to have my oil changed, I won't go to the fast lube area any more, but to the local Ford dealership's service area. Fortunately, I will be able to make an appointment to do that. I still have 2,000 miles to go before my next oil change and lube job is due.

*****

It is such a relief that today is the last day of Primary elections. It will be very interesting to see how they turn out. Hillary has been squashing rumors that she plans to concede; I wonder if either she or Obama will do so. It could make the convention in August what I would call quite wild.

*****

I forgot to mention my arm. I am icing it often, and since I am going to be so busy over the next few days, I will wait to contact my doctor on Friday if it is still bothering me a lot. I hate being in pain! I am out of Vicodin and have ordered a refill with no results so far -- not a refill coming through or a phone call or e-mail telling me that they are unable to refill it or wondering why I need more. I imagine I will survive without it. I'm truly not hooked on it, though, other than to ease the pain in my arm. I was taking 1/2 tablets haphazardly, when the label on the bottle said I could take 8 per day. I never came even close to that! I can understand how people with chronic pain can get hooked on pain pills, though. It is definitely no fun!

COUGH SYRUP POPDue to

2008-06-02T11:17:00.000-07:00

COUGH SYRUP POP

Due to shopping at a different store for pop than usual a couple of weeks ago, I wound up having to buy diet Dr. Pepper in the cherry-vanilla flavor. When I tried drinking a can of it a couple of days later, I found that it reminded me more than anything of cough syrup. I wasn't sure I was going to be able to drink the small case of 12 cans that I had bought, but I seem to have gotten used to it in the time since then. However, I don't plan to buy more if I can help it.

*****

The following cartoon, which came in a mailing last night, reminded me of a picture of Socks when she was quite little. I am posting that shot after the cartoon:

Hee hee -- I get such a kick out of Socks. She is very different from any other cat I've ever had.

*****

This afternoon is my appointment to have my moles checked. In the meantime, I took 1/2 a Vicodin this morning, for my still-sore arm. My nurse friend, Sheila, feels that I need to have the arm re-evaluated. I am not quite sure how to go about that. I will wait until after the moles are checked before tackling the question of the continuing pain in my deltoid. The Vicodin is making me very sleepy so I will likely nap, setting the timer so I don't go over the time I need to leave for the clinic this afternoon. I will report on the suspicious spots and the evaluation of them when I get back.

CHARLIE WILSON'S WARLast

2008-06-01T10:33:00.000-07:00

CHARLIE WILSON'S WAR

Last night, I watched the movie "Charlie Wilson's War", which I hadn't realized was rated R, and I discovered early on exactly why that was. Even the generally squeaky-clean Tom Hanks (in my opinion) used an occasional F-word. There was some nudity as well. Hanks played Texas congressman Charlie Wilson, and Julia Roberts was his wealthy married supporter in more ways than one. Here is a picture of the two of them in the movie:

The movie was based on the true story of how Congressman Wilson developed a deep concern for the Afghan people during the invasion by the Soviets. He learned that the Afghans had primitive weapons that were no match for the heartless Soviet soldiers, who committed horrible atrocities against them. The Soviets would even scatter items that looked like candy or toys so that when children picked them up, the "candy" or "toy" would blow up and thus there were many little children who were amputees.

Together with a rather oddball guy named Gust, played by Philip Seymour Hoffman, Charlie Wilson was able to call in enough political IOU's to come up with a budget enabling the U.S. to supply the Afghans with weaponry that could shoot down the merciless Soviet helicopters and jets.

It was quite interesting to watch the portrayal of the political wheeling and dealing that went on in order to assist the Afghan people. Also, it was a good explanation of what might make the subject of another movie: How the Taliban came into power and the ultimate turning of some Afghans' aggression against the United States.

Charlie Wilson himself was quite easy-going morally, and there is a description of him in the movie that is very on-the-mark. Still, he had a big heart when it came to the plight of Afghanistan.

I would recommend the movie to mature adults who are interested in recent history and can disapprove of Charlie Wilson's foibles while still appreciating the good that he did for an oppressed people.

*****

I was very glad to hear yesterday that Barack Obama had quit his church. I don't see that he had much choice due to the continued political lampooning of Hillary Clinton from that church's pulpit, this time from a guest preacher. In doing this, Obama proved that he is truly a person who will make peace with Clinton when the time comes to do so and also that he is not just talking the talk but walking the walk. I didn't sense a lot of rancor, either from Obama or from the church leaders, in Obama's taking this step. I think Obama has a lot of wisdom for so relatively young a man on the political scene.

ROUND ROBIN PHOTO CHALLENGE -- TINY THINGSThe

2008-05-31T07:54:00.000-07:00

ROUND ROBIN PHOTO CHALLENGE -- TINY THINGS

The Challenge this go-round among the Round Robins is to photograph tiny things. This was indeed a challenge to me because my camera sometimes rebels at taking pictures of very small items, but I have done my best here. (To see the following shots larger, click on them to go to my Flickr site, where you can also specify to see them even larger.) The first two are of the tiny cat on the necklace that my son Tony, DIL Kamie, and grandsons Michael and Alex gave me for my birthday, and then the tiny cat next to the cat figurine it came in, to give you an idea of its size. (The figurine is only about 3-inches long at the most.)

The other tiny objects that caught my eye were these three tiny bears. I don't know where they came from, other than that my husband Steve acquired them somewhere (God rest his soul) and he said they represented our three sons. As I was photographing them, Socks became curious and thus I got the second photo of her with her face in the picture. That is fine because, again, it gives you some perspective as to the size of the bears. (And she is not a big cat.)

To find links to other bloggers participating in the Challenge so you can go see the tiny things they have featured, head on over to the Round Robin Photo Challenge site here. Have fun!

AN UNUSUAL POSTI am

2008-05-30T10:39:00.000-07:00

AN UNUSUAL POST

I am posting two more Ziggies today as well as another short post, which is unusual for me (posting the extra Ziggies; not the additional post). I am going to be participating in the Round Robin Photo Challenge tomorrow so I wanted to post the Ziggies I had allocated for that day a bit early.

I also have a question for the computer gurus who may be reading this. I received a strange e-mail from my friend Edith in Toronto's online address yesterday. It was advertising all sorts of products. I knew that Edith wouldn't have sent such a thing herself and so it was likely that either she had a virus or that someone had hijacked her address. I deleted it, concerned about the virus possibility, and then I couldn't access it even in my AOL recently deleted mail file to send back to her so she could see what it was.

Edith is going to a religious conference this weekend so she is unable to take the time to look further into the strange e-mail. I told her that I would definitely send any further e-mails of that nature back to her, but so far, nothing else has come through.

Do any of you, my dear readers, have any idea as to how this could have happened, or what can be done about it? I feel that sometimes rather technologically-challenged individuals like myself and Edith are sitting ducks for hackers and perpetrators of fraud online. I have been lucky, myself, but I hate to see Edith having such a thing happen to her. I'm hoping it was just a fluke! Any input would be appreciated.

BY TAYLOR, BY GOLLY!

2008-05-30T09:58:00.000-07:00

BY TAYLOR, BY GOLLY!

Yesterday, just for the halibut (as Steve would have said), I tried doing a search for "By Taylor" clothes, despite having been unsuccessful in previous years. (For those who don't know, "By Taylor" is my favorite brand of clothing and I can only seem to buy the components to the outfits at the Oregon coast in various little shops.) Believe it or not, the first item that came up when I Googled the brand name was Oregon Cotton Mill and they carry (and maybe even manufacture) some "By Taylor" clothing. I ordered one top that said it was in a cotton jersey. I'll see how I like that one before I order any more items from that site. They don't carry all of the items I like to get but maybe they will get (or make?) more over time.

*****

I e-mailed my doctor yesterday afternoon regarding a couple of odd spots on my right forearm. She is referring me to a dermatologist. I had done some online research and from the descriptions I found of questionable moles, I felt it would be a good idea to have these spots checked. They may be nothing but I'd rather play it safe. I will keep you posted.

At least I kept myself from getting sick by throwing out the last two pieces of Mexican chicken last night. They had been in the fridge too long and were developing an odor that wasn't due to the Mexican spices on them. I hated to waste the food but I just hadn't had a chance to eat them in time. I've had food poisoning before and I know how miserable it is; I wasn't about to risk that again.

*****

My sister Kathy is finding her work as a nurse to be very challenging and stressful. I imagine that is because of going from being a teacher's aide to a recovery room nurse -- quite a switch. She has a heavy weekend and she will have even more so on Father's Day weekend, when she said she will be working 4 12-hour shifts. I don't quite understand the rationale behind giving a nurse such a strenuous schedule, although I know that interns and residents work long hours. I will definitely be thinking about her and praying for her to have the stamina she needs.

*****

It is a quiet day here today. I will have some time to just fiddle around, and maybe read after my nap. Computer traffic is very light so far. I work tonight. Pretty mundane stuff. Even the usual blogs I check are fairly inactive. I wonder, does everyone have nice weather drawing them outside? It's supposed to be balmy and rain-free today. I may have to go for a walk, myself. It will be short, though -- I'm out of shape, unlike my oldest son J.D., who has a blog called Get Fit Slowly, where he has been describing his running in a recent race as well as his training for the upcoming Portland Marathon. My poor knees would never allow it. LOL! He came in just two minutes over his goal in the recent race, and I think that was doing very well. It is a challenge for me personally to bend down to clean -- and I have been putting some of that off upstairs. (A cat and a plastic bag of styrofoam peanuts are not a good combination.) But first -- after lunch -- a nap. ;-) I have found that most women and even some men my age (60) and older need to sleep a little bit during the day. I am merely fulfilling my aging destiny. ;-)

MY LITTLE WALRUSMy

2008-05-29T10:13:00.000-07:00

MY LITTLE WALRUS

My little cat, Stevie, is getting fat in her old age. I took this picture of her yesterday, claiming my new bath rugs for her own, and I think she looks like a walrus. LOL! (My Flickr friend Cynthia -- Philosopher Queen -- thought that was rude but funny. LOL! She suggested weight loss medicine, which I can't find online.)

I would take her to the vet but I don't want to explain to my current vet about why I left the one that amputated her tail. (I didn't care for his personality.) I would also feed her less but if her bowl gets close to empty, she eats out of the other cats' bowls. The poor little thing! For now I am watching her and I will try to feed her less.

*****

Another public character is coming out with a book. This time it is Senator Larry Craig of Idaho. Yes, the man who gave a whole new meaning to the term "wide stance." LOL! I think this is another publication that I'm going to skip.

*****

After a painful day for the old arm yesterday, today seems to be better so far. I am having to put up with it because too much use of it or sleeping on it causes the pain to flare up. I am not taking Vicodin because I have just a few halves left and also I don't want to get hooked on it. I just put up with the pain. The arm has to be used or it will atrophy. So far today I am feeling pretty fair but I was icing it after I worked last night.

I always think of what Steve said when it was time to work, quoting an old donut store advertisement, in which the baker said, "It's time to go make the donuts." That is what we have to do, even in pain: Go make the donuts.

Speaking of working hard, I see each of my sons doing that, and I am very proud of them.

BTW, I have a couple of suspicious spots on the same arm. They are small but dark blue-gray and I suppose I should get them checked. One seems to be flaking off a bit. An online friend is urging me to get them looked at right away but I think I will watch them for a week or two, then contact my doctor if I feel it is warranted.

*****

I love the Ziggies again today, especially the eHarmony Ziggy. I have never thought of using a dating service, especially since I have seen the ads by an eHarmony competitor saying that eHarmony rejects a lot of applicants. In addition, I have an online female friend who had kind of a bad experience with an eHarmony match-up, as the guy had been recently divorced due to his wife's unfaithfulness and it soon became apparent that he was not over his wife. Besides, where would I find a man who would put up with the amount of time I spend online? ;-)

RUSTING IN THE RAINThere

2008-05-28T13:52:00.000-07:00

RUSTING IN THE RAIN

There are a few funny thoughts that are expressed here in Oregon when the rain is coming down like it is today. One of those is that Oregonians don't tan, they rust. Another is that we grow webs between our toes. I feel like I'm both rusting and growing webs. ;-)

Fortunately, I was able to get my car washed this morning and into the garage before the rain started to come down. This meant I was also able to keep from bringing my groceries into the house before I got soaked.

My groceries cost me over $60.00, and I didn't get all that much. The high gas prices are trickling down to just about every aspect of our economy. But I don't want to say too much about that subject, because it's one that really irritates me. I'll just say that when my Aunt Joan starts talking about how she and Uncle Bob may fit a trailer to one of their bicycles to use it to go get groceries in Twin Falls if the gas prices become too unaffordable, I get angry, because these are elderly people. Aunt Joan seems young for her age but Uncle Bob has had cancer and is in the early stages of Alzheimer's. I wonder if the oil company producers and executives realize how much hardship they are causing!

*****

I especially love the Ziggies today, as they fit my wacky sense of humor. The man who draws the Ziggy cartoons (and I can't quite read his name at the bottom) is masterful at coming up with fresh, funny ideas. I think I would be well-spooked by a talking toilet, though. As for tire balancing, I have just passed the 6,000 mile mark in my car, and my tires will get rotated (I assume that's the same as balancing them) when I take it in for its 8,000 mile service at the local dealership's fast lube department. (The "fast lube" title is somewhat of a misnomer, because there can sometimes be quite a wait for service there.)

*****

The big news right now is Scott McClellan's tell-all book about the Bush administration, and how we shouldn't be in Iraq. Do tell. This is especially being brought out on CNN today. It's kind of nice to have a distraction from the infernal, eternal electioneering but I wonder if Scott McClellan's book will actually say anything that many of us didn't already suspect. At this point, I don't intend to buy it.

THEY DID EXACTLY THE WRONG THINGSI watched a story on CNN

2008-05-27T17:18:00.000-07:00

THEY DID EXACTLY THE WRONG THINGS

I watched a story on CNN last night about a young American soldier who committed suicide in Iraq. You can also watch it at the CNN site. As I recall it, this young man was severely depressed and on several occasions before actually killing himself had put the muzzle of his gun in his mouth. The response of his commanding officers was to punish him severely. They did the wrong things if they had wanted him to want to live; they did the right things for ensuring that he killed himself.

This story makes me very angry. I don't understand the macho mindset that says a depressed person in the military or anywhere else deserves to be punished. To me, that's just a step above a bully on the playground, only a much more deadly bully, using hard labor and threats of court martial to try to pound the depressed soldier into submission.

My friend Carly's Memorial Day 2008 blog entry talks about how a cemetery near her was adding extra crosses to remember those soldiers who have committed suicide in Iraq. I think this is the least that can be done.

OH SO SWEETHere is a picture

2008-05-27T13:38:00.000-07:00

OH SO SWEET

Here is a picture of the rinsed carton of blueberries that I bought at Costco today:

My Flickr friend Cynthia (who goes by Philosopher Queen) asked me in a comment what I planned to do with them. I haven't decided yet, although I think I will have blueberry pancakes later on in the week. They are just lovely when eaten plain, and so healthful!

*****

I am wearing a "By Taylor" outfit today for the first time that I bought in Long Beach, Washington last month, and it's cute but it's a 1X. Since I have lost weight, I am swimming in it. I am wearing it anyway, to get my money's worth out of it. It's very cute, and has jumping dolphins on the design patch on the front. I guess it's good to have an outfit to wear in case I regain weight, but the bottoms are capris so they're really more for warmer weather (which, fortunately, we are having right now -- at least in the upper 60's today, I think).

*****

I received the prints from my trip to Bend today, and they are quite good. I am always pleased when I get prints made from my SLR digital shots, as they turn out beautifully. I made about three copies of each shot. I added my portion of the prints to my stack of photos that are awaiting scrapbooking, if I ever get back to that. (My obstacles are Socks and also not having a clue as to which scrapbook of the many that I have is the last one that I was working on.)

Speaking of scrapbooks and Socks, here is a picture of her and Silver that I took last night. She was about to use the scrapbooks as a great launching pad to go after Silver, who was on the coffee table.

I have lost track of how many scrapbooks I have. One day I'll have to count. Sounds like a good project, but also possibly a discouraging one? (I dated and numbered the early ones, but the later ones are not identified.)

*****

Blogger's saving feature is quite iffy today so I'm going to stop here and publish, if I can.

THIS MAY BE ALL TOO RIGHT!I found the following quiz on my

2008-05-26T16:03:00.000-07:00

THIS MAY BE ALL TOO RIGHT!

I found the following quiz on my Australian friend Lynne's blog, as she and her husband have come back from their vacation. She got 100% on it! I am in awe! As you can see, I didn't do that well, although I still was in the acceptable range.

You paid attention during 86% of high school!

85-100% You must be an autodidact, because American high schools don't get scores that high! Good show, old chap!

Do you deserve your high school diploma?
Create a Quiz

I wonder if this is an Australian-generated quiz, or British? Lynne, do you know? Anyway, it's kind of ironic and funny, what it says about Americans not getting scores that high, because I am American. LOL!

THE STONE ANGELI started reading

2008-05-26T10:25:00.000-07:00

THE STONE ANGEL

I started reading "The Stone Angel" by Margaret Laurence last fall, but I didn't find it an easy read due to the subject matter being about an elderly woman, Hagar Shipley, and the challenges she was facing in her later years. Recently, I heard from my friend Edith in Toronto that the story has been made into a movie and she went to see it, as it has been released in Toronto already, and that it was very good. Thus, I decided to finish the book and when I went to see how much I had left to read, it was just a little bit. I read the last of it yesterday.

When I told Edith that I had been reading the book, she was quite surprised because she had thought "The Stone Angel" came out many years ago. I checked the copyright date and, sure enough, it was first published in 1964. However, it was reissued by what appear to be Margaret Laurence's children in 1998. (She passed away in 1987).

The movie, according to a site I found, will be released here in the U.S. on July 11th. It stars Ellen Burstyn as Hagar. This will likely be one that I see in the theater, if it comes to one nearby. Otherwise, I will definitely rent it from Blockbuster Online, providing that they have it to rent. (It isn't on their list of movies that I can save for when it comes out on DVD.)

The movie is set in Canada, and was filmed there last year. That may be one reason why it hasn't come to the U.S. yet.

I recommend the book as it is an excellently-written character study. It puts you into the heart and mind of Hagar and makes her seem very real.

*****

Happy Memorial Day to my readers! I am not doing a whole lot today. I'm not even eating anything all that special. I did take flowers to the Zion Church cemetery to put on Steve's grave, and I'm glad that we have had all the rain since then, as they are likely to thrive for a while.

Speaking of eating, my appetite continues to be small and I am down another pound. This loss certainly is needed. I hope I can continue to lose weight. I think I am largely feeling upset by personal and family concerns, so I just don't feel like eating a lot.

Steve would have been barbecuing, most likely. I used to have a picture of him barbecuing in the rain, holding an umbrella over the barbecue. LOL! I thought that was very cute.

I have mixed feelings about Memorial Day when it comes to honoring war heroes. I wish there was no such thing as war, but at the same time I am grateful to the soldiers that fought in World War II in particular, and the young people who gave and do now give their lives for our safety and protection. I question the rightness of sending them off into battle in Iraq, as they are presently doing, however. I will be glad when they can come home from there.

I received a picture from my British online friend Greg today, showing him with the British flag he put up on his and Alison's house in Virginia this morning. He said he hopes he doesn't get arrested. I'm sure he won't -- I think it is very amusing!

WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?I had meant to mention a strange thing

2008-05-25T14:01:00.000-07:00

WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?

I had meant to mention a strange thing that had been happening on my Flickr site in the past couple of days. One woman commented under a picture of my 2-year-old granddaughter Emily that I had posted there that she wanted permission from Emily's mother to use Emily's picture, but it was very difficult to understand what she was saying about what she would do with it. My immediate reaction was to say "no" but I wrote to Jeff and Steph, forwarding the information, and asked for their opinion. Their answer was the same as mine -- they said "no."

I thought I would be able to perhaps e-mail or go to this woman's Flickr site but when I tried to, I found that her site had been deleted. Not a good sign! So I responded to her in a comment under hers on my own site, under the picture of Emily that she had been interested in.

At about that same time, I received the exact same comment under another picture of Emily on my site, although from possibly a different woman. I just automatically said "no" to her request to use it. I checked her Flickr site and she had pictures of young people kissing and of little children.

The next step I took was to go to both pictures and change them from being viewable by the public to being viewed by friends and family only.

I'm not sure why these two women (if they were different, and not the same person under two different names) were so interested in pictures of a little girl. Granted, it's flattering that someone thinks my granddaughter is so pretty, but I was made uneasy by these requests and my urge to protect little Emily, even just in photographs, was very strong.

I have taken similar measures in the past with pictures of my grandsons, when it seemed there was too much interest in them, but I had been warned by other online friends about pedophiles on Flickr and so I knew what I was protecting my grandsons' photographs from. I have to admit to being a bit baffled why there is so much interest in Emily's photos. Could the same kind of dynamic be at work when it comes to little girls? The very thought makes me sick!

I have considered closing my Flickr site down but I can use the option to have friends and family only view the pictures of the children when necessary. I do use my Flickr site to store pictures that I can transfer to my blog, too. Plus I have a number of nice friends on Flickr, and I enjoy looking at their pictures.

For now, the situation of the women wanting the use of Emily's pictures is a mystery. If anyone can enlighten me as to why that might have been the case, I would appreciate knowing, rather than just feeling a little bit paranoid about the whole thing. Maybe it was all very innocent -- and I hate to accuse people falsely -- but I have friends who told me when I started blogging that they would never allow pictures of their grandchildren or anyone in their family to be posted on the Internet. Maybe they were smart, I don't know.

MY BIG JOB YESTERDAYThis was how my garage looked yesterday,

2008-05-25T10:15:00.000-07:00

MY BIG JOB YESTERDAY

This was how my garage looked yesterday, and had looked for several weeks:

The cause of the mess was a neighborhood cat that had gotten shut in the garage without my knowing it. The clawing off of the insulation near the only window in the garage was due to the cat's fruitless attempt to get out.

It took me a while to feel up to cleaning up the mess, due to my sore arm and also because I'm not supposed to bend over (doctor's orders). However, since it's just me here, I decided that if it was going to ever be removed, I would have to be the one to do that. I used a dustpan to scoop up much of the insulation. There was a little bit of insulation on my gardening gloves but once I could remove that, I was able to wear them and protect my hands, which helped in completing the cleaning job. Here is a shot of the garbage bag full of the shredded insulation:

Since posting the above photos on my Flickr site, my Flickr friend Cynthia commented underneath the first that there was a Flickr group that this picture would be well suited for called "CSI: Cat Scene Investigation", so I posted both of the above pictures there.

I have to say that naturally the trapped cat left some unwanted momentoes of his visit, which I also scooped up with the dustpan. Thankfully, I seem to have foiled his further attempts to get into the garage.

The cleaned up area looks like this:

I did get tired and feeling like I didn't want to press my luck regarding my health after a bit so there are a few small pieces of insulation remaining, but I will take care of them later. At least the huge mess is gone!

This encourages me as far as other chores that need to be done in the house, especially some messes that Socks has made here in the office while in here during the night. More material for the "CSI: Cat Scene Investigation" group! ;-)

*****

Last night we had the weirdest weather I can recall seeing. A thunderstorm rolled in from the mountains and brought with it some lightning and thunder, although not much hitting near to me. Mostly, I watched out my back door with amazement as the rain drove horizontally across my back yard. I was glad I wasn't out in that! The cats were somewhat spooked by the thunder, with Silver taking to my lap for comfort and Socks running around as if she didn't quite know where to hide. I was glad to see that pass through! Other areas around Portland had fairly good-sized hail, but thankfully it didn't hit us here. Wacky stuff!

LAMANNA LOST!You may recall the campaign phone message I got

2008-05-24T17:45:00.000-07:00

LAMANNA LOST!

You may recall the campaign phone message I got from a "chief of police" campaigning for Rick LaManna for county sheriff, which scared me at first because I was afraid something bad had happened to a family member. I had pretty much forgotten about that until I had an e-mail post about it from one of the members of one list I'm on as she was trying to catch up on old mail. She had told me previously that she thought I should have complained about the upsetting phone message but I had been unwilling to do so. In this particular post, she said she had forgotten the reason I had given for not complaining; I wanted to drop the subject as it was pretty old (this person drives subjects into the ground at times) and also I did have a valid reason for not doing so: I had erased the message and so I didn't have all of the information I would have needed in order to make a credible complaint.

This lady's question did prompt me to do a Google search on the election results and I found them on the Canby Herald online site, saying that LaManna had lost to the incumbent, Craig Roberts, by a tremendous amount. The numbers given at the Canby Herald site (and I don't know if they are final) give Roberts about 39,000 votes and LaManna about 8,000. In my opinion, that's about 8,000 too many. ;-) Still, this was a very satisfying outcome to me.

ENCHANTED BY McDREAMYI watched the

2008-05-24T10:10:00.000-07:00

ENCHANTED BY McDREAMY

I watched the Disney movie, "Enchanted", last night, and I thought I knew pretty much what to expect because of seeing previews of it on TV. I guessed that it was going to be a little on the dumb side, and the main reason I had ordered it from Blockbuster Online for viewing was due to Patrick Dempsey (Grey's Anatomy's "McDreamy", shown above) being the main source of eye candy in it.

I was pleasantly surprised, but more by Dempsey's performance in it than any other factor, although Susan Sarandon wasn't half bad. Dempsey made even the cutesy and rather dumb situations somewhat believable. And it was a relief to see a movie without bad language (I was raised to be somewhat of a prude and bad words still grate at me when I hear them in movies). I think it is a good movie for older grade-school-age children through adults, although it may be that it could bore some adults, perhaps the kind who prefer more sophisticated movie fare in general.

I had a strange reaction after I watched "Enchanted", in that I got depressed for a little while. Then I realized that I had been brought up on "Cinderella," "Sleeping Beauty," and "Peter Pan"; in other words, a world of fantasy via Disney movies, and perhaps there was a part of my subconscious remaining from my childhood that wished the fantasies I have seen in such movies could be reality. Once I recognized that as the source of my depressed feeling, it went away.

I think it's about time to go to Blockbuster and see if there are a couple more movies to put in my queue. It is a very short one but I'll see if I can't make it somewhat longer today. ;-)

EQUAL TIME FOR NOAHI have kind of a strange

2008-05-23T11:35:00.000-07:00

EQUAL TIME FOR NOAH

I have kind of a strange scanner, as it won't scan every size of picture. I seem to have the best luck on the small ones like the school pictures of grandsons Michael and Alex from Bend, Oregon, that I scanned in and posted the other day, and this one of grandson Noah. Speaking of this picture, I received it from Noah's parents, Jeff and Steph, some time ago, and it has been on my fridge, but last night it occurred to me that I hadn't posted it to my blog. I think it is so very cute and it definitely deserves that equal time.

The picture is from Noah's soccer playing of last year. The back gives his height and weight, his uniform number (5) and his age (5). Also the team he was playing for. Noah is just a couple of months from being 6 and he already looks older than 5, but I think this is a very cute picture of him.

*****

Speaking of children in the family, there is one child, who I won't name here, who according to his mother has been tested as being just below the borderline for having ADHD, ADD, and autism. I am very concerned about this little boy as I think these are some pretty big challenges for him to have. His mother said he is doing well in school regardless, but in being around the little guy, I don't see compassion for or understanding of the accompanying personality quirks; in fact, I have witnessed some quite questionable (IMO) teasing. I did speak up about that in one situation where the little guy seemed to be quite hurt and fearful; I hope it helps.

*****

And then, on the issue of health, I am feeling happy today because I have started on the last small dosage of a medication that I have been taking for a number of years and which I am now going to be able to go completely off of in a few weeks. When I started taking it, the medication was quite new but in the time since then, it has been found that the med causes a person to crave carbs, can cause high cholestrol, and can also elevate the blood sugar, all of which are problems that I have had. My doctor prescribed it partly for anxiety but one of the side effects I have also read that it has is anxiety! It can cause uncontrolled, jerky movements, too, which can become permanent. I have no doubt there must be other side effects that it has, as well. It is going to be good to see if I don't do and feel better in general once I am off it.

THERE'S NO WAY TO QUIT USING THE ARM . . .. . . unless I put

2008-05-22T11:52:00.000-07:00

THERE'S NO WAY TO QUIT USING THE ARM . . .

. . . unless I put it in a sling, and I have too many things I have to do that use both arms. I guess I have resigned myself to having to deal with the soreness, icing it down once in a while and taking 1/2 of one of the few Vicodin I have left if it gets too bad.

I have considered e-mailing my doctor but then I remember that I lifted some things yesterday that likely irritated the right upper deltoid that hurts and I also did a lot of filing last night at my business. It's amazing how that bit of grunt work with its repetitive action can exacerbate the pain, which then radiates down my arm to my hand and up higher, to my shoulder. Today it's been getting Mexican chicken into the crockpot to cook, putting away clean dishes from the dishwasher, and doing loads of laundry. Easy enough stuff, eh? To which I answer: Believe me, getting old isn't for wimps! ;-)

As my friend Greg commented on yesterday's post, it also may have been the laser sword fighting with grandson Alex that made it flare up again when I was visiting his family almost a week ago. -G- It doesn't take much, it seems! (However, Alex is pretty big and strong for a 7-year-old -- I was amazed at the force he could put into his laser sword dueling!)

*****

I have broken down and temporarily abandoned my resolve to not turn on the propane heater. With the weather outside being in the upper 50's, I felt I needed to set the thermostat to 65 degrees F in order to be able to tolerate being downstairs at all. I have also turned on the electric heater here in the office. This weather is crazy!

*****

I signed up for fraud alerts through my credit card and on Monday, just a couple of minutes after I placed a photo print order with my favorite online digital photo developing company, I had a phone call from the credit card fraud alert department, triggered partly, I'm sure, by the fact that the charge was so low. It was no problem to okay it and I'd rather be notified and have the charge be all right than not be notified if there actually was a fraudulent charge made to the credit card.

*****

I have been feeling bad for Ted Kennedy and I have meant to mention that here. I have not always been that crazy about his political stands but I wouldn't wish a malignant brain tumor on him or anyone. He is in my prayers.

HANDSOME GRANDSONSAbove are

2008-05-21T14:36:00.000-07:00

HANDSOME GRANDSONS

Above are this Spring's school pictures of my grandsons, Alex, 7, and Michael, 9, the sons of my youngest son, Tony, and his wife, Kamie. Alex's hair is a lot blonder right now due to being outside and playing a lot. Michael's hair is quite a bit shorter.

I'm not proud of them or anything by titling this entry what I have. ;-)

*****

I have more pictures in NowPublic.com articles! Several of them feature my cat Silver with the mouse he caught a month or so ago and also one of him going after a toy mouse. There are about 142 images as of right now with the article, but there is a search feature on the site so you may be able to find the pictures using that, if you're interested in tracking them down. The article is about a 72-hour blackout that was caused by a cat-mouse chase.

*****

Perhaps I should have titled my entry today: OBAMA WON! He did so here in Oregon, anyway. A few people that I didn't care for also won their primary races, but then a couple that I did like made it. The General Election in November is going to be very interesting.

*****

I am trying to keep my typing brief today as I was in a lot of pain due to my sore upper arm last night and the pain radiating down to my hand. I am quite sure I typed too much yesterday in attempting to catch up on my e-mail.

BACK FROM BENDI got home from Bend, Oregon, yesterday

2008-05-20T09:43:00.000-07:00

BACK FROM BEND

I got home from Bend, Oregon, yesterday morning after a mixed weekend. The drives there and back were uneventful and pleasant -- I love the scenery along the way. I used up 1/2 a tank of gas each time, which isn't too rough considering that it's 160 miles or so one way from here to Bend.

I got to the motel Friday afternoon and tried to avoid calling Tony's cell phone number, as it was long distance, so finally got in touch with him at his work at Majesty's Animal Nutrition in Redmond, which is about 18 miles from Bend. He said that Kamie and the kids should be home by then so I went to their house, where I found Kamie packing and the Michael, 9, and Alex, 7, outside with friends.

Kamie and I chatted for a while until Tony got home, when it was decided that we would go out to dinner as a late Mother's Day celebration for me, and we went to Greg's Grill Restaurant in the Old Mill area of Bend, along the Deschutes River. It was lovely there. I was given my choice of whether to eat in the air-conditioned restaurant or out on the terrace. I chose the cool of the restaurant -- it was very hot there -- although I think Kamie would have preferred the terrace. She was generous and didn't complain. ;-) I had an oriental chicken salad, which was delicious, and Kamie offered me a taste of what I believe was a lemon drop martini. It was good. I am unable to drink alcohol but it was refreshing to taste the drink as I had never had vodka before (having been raised Mormon and with limited experience with drinks after leaving that religion, plus now being forbidden to drink with my diabetes medication).

It was so nice to see how the boys have grown up. Alex was in the house more when I was there, as a general rule, than Michael was, and he had plastic toy "laser swords" that he and I dueled with. It made my upper arm an little bit sore later but how do you say no to a sweet 7-year-old? Here are a few pictures of various people playing with him (his dad, my son Tony and his mom, Kamie).

The photo immediately above was of Michael coming through the door, as well.

Below is a shot of Michael, who has a shiny spot on his cheek where Kamie had put ointment on an area where he had been cut by a rock a couple of weeks ago and had somewhat of a scar. Kamie said Michael didn't care much about that.

Kamie and Tony gave me directions to Michael's soccer game the next morning, and it wasn't far from my motel. The only problem I had finding it was in the fact that there were many fields of both soccer and baseball, resulting in my wandering around in a rather lost state until I found the field that Michael's team was playing on -- of course, way back at the back. The only reason I found it was that it was half-time and Tony was out on the field playing a bit of impromptu soccer with some of the other dads. It was terribly hot and Michael did his best but was overheated. I felt for the little guy! Their team lost, after having been unbeaten all season. I did get just one picture of Michael playing; he is in the white shirt below.

I wasn't feeling real good and my arm was aching so, after the game, I went back to my car and ate the lunch I had brought in my cooler; then I went to T.J. Maxx to shop. (Tony told me later that T.J. Maxx isn't a store. LOL!) I got some items for Jeff, Steph, Noah and Emily for taking care of my cats and house while I was gone.

Tony had brought home a trailer and they used it that afternoon to move from their old house to the one in which Kamie's mom and step-dad had lived in, just 1/4 mile away. I had made arrangements for Tony to call me at my motel when they got to a point where they were winding down a bit and I could come over.

I bought a couple of sandwiches at the Shell service station just across the parking lot from my motel, and ate one for dinner. About 45 minutes later, Tony called and I went to their place. Kamie was very tired so I stayed for about an hour and arranged to have them call me the next day after they had moved the heavy items in the trailer to the new house. I planned to drive down to Sunriver, Oregon, on Sunday, as I had never been there.

So Sunday morning, on the way to Sunriver, I stopped at Fred Meyer's and found some shirts for the guys and a top for Kamie. While there, I kept having to dash to the bathroom. Finally, I felt better and headed south, to Sunriver. I stopped in the area where the shops were and walked around a little, but I didn't see anything that interested me, so I went back to Bend, and made a quick stop in Safeway, where I got a small container of tapioca pudding and had to rush to the restroom again. I went right back to the motel, where my room was made up, thankfully, and I remained sick off and on while trying to rest there. (I had to throw the tapioca pudding away as it was runny and didn't taste good -- all I needed.) I left a message on Tony's cell phone (deciding to go ahead and pay for the long distance) about how I felt and for him to let me know when they were ready for me to drop off the clothes and say goodbye.

Tony called at about 6 and said they were all moved out of the old house and into the new. When I got there, he was still unloading the trailer he had brought from work to use in moving, and I felt for him when he said how tired his legs were from all the going up and down stairs. Kamie had gone to get dinner as the boys were very hungry. The shirts that I had bought them got mixed reviews; Tony liked his, while Alex felt his was too small (it was a 7; he said his mom always got 8's for him). I had brought over the receipt so she could exchange it. Michael only seemed a bit astonished and amused that I had bought them more shirts, as I had also given each of the boys one that I had brought from home the day before.

I had a chance to chat with Tony while he kept unloading boxes from the trailer, and he thought maybe my Shell service station sandwiches were what had made me ill. I had to agree that it could be a possibility. Fortunately, I had brought over-the-counter medication with me. I left after about an hour as I didn't want to take a chance on giving the boys what I had if I was contagious, catching Kamie as she turned into the housing development and saying goodbye to her there.

It turned out to be quite a busy weekend for Tony, Kamie, Michael and Alex, but -- as Tony says -- they are always busy. I'm glad they got moved in and I wish I could have helped them more. (As it was, I seemed to be a distraction for their big black lab, Buddy, who truly loves me and gave me lots of attention, resulting in my pushing him gently away with my arms, making my sore one a bit sorer for a while.)

Yesterday morning, somehow I had managed to set the alarm in my room for 6 a.m., so I decided to get up then and get ready to go. I got home at about 10:30 a.m., still feeling very rocky. I basically rested during the day, just doing some easy stuff like uploading the pictures and ordering them from Snapfish and getting pictures from the birthday/Mother's Day dinner ready to send to family members, which I will do tomorrow.

Today I am better. I don't need to go to Costco today as Jeff needed to get heavy items. Tomorrow I will run errands while Norma is here cleaning. I think I'll be up to that.

I slept well in my bed last night, loving the feeling of Silver in his usual spot at the end of the bed. The cats were well cared-for; once again, though, I had to hunt for Stevie, and I wound up pulling her out from under the office bed. She was fine; just had been spooked by Jeff's heavier footsteps, I suppose.

I am not back on a couple of lists, but I suppose I can remedy that. I didn't feel like doing correspondence yesterday, while today I have probably half of that done.

It was interesting to come home to election day today in Oregon. It is predicted that Obama will win. I probably didn't help him by basically throwing away my Republican ballot via writing his name in. ;-)

I don't know when I'll be able to see Kamie and Tony and the boys again. It depends a lot on the price of gas, among other things. Michael and Alex are going to visit their other grandma and grandpa in Florida after school is out. I can't remember how long they're staying but it seems like it may be 6 weeks. It was worth the trip this last weekend to see them, despite my illness.

So there you have my travelogue. I hope it wasn't too boring. ;-) It's good to go see family but it's also nice to be back home.

*****

My sister Kathy's oldest daughter, Teddi, is graduating later this week from San Francisco State University. I have been debating what to send her. I tried to order a Target gift card for her but I couldn't get the ship-to information to type in. I think I will get her a card tomorrow and send her a check. I'm very proud of her. She has always been a very intelligent girl.

*****

After 5 days of heat, it has cooled off here and it was rainy this morning. I'm glad for the relief from the hot weather. It still is nice enough in the house to keep the heat off; in fact, the air conditioner here in the office is on "low." There is no way I'm burning propane until fall. I am so totally dreading how much it's going to cost for more of that when it comes time to make out the budget agreement again. At least, gas prices seem to be staying about the same (unless I just haven't noticed and am in the throes of wishful thinking).

WHAT KIND OF FLOWER ARE YOU?Thanks, Kris, for referring me

2008-05-19T19:11:00.000-07:00

WHAT KIND OF FLOWER ARE YOU?

Thanks, Kris, for referring me to this quiz! Some of the questions didn't quite fit me so I chose as close to the ones that did as I could. It was fun!

I am a
Canna

What Flower
Are You?

"You stand up for what you believe in, even if it gets in the way of what other people think. You are proud of yourself and your accomplishments and you enjoy letting people know that."

THE KITE RUNNERI read

2008-05-15T19:27:00.000-07:00

THE KITE RUNNER

I read the book, "The Kite Runner," by Khaled Hosseini, several months ago. It was a powerful and riveting tale, and I enjoyed it a lot. Today I watched the movie, and it was every bit as excellent as the book was, staying true to the tale. It brought me near to tears at the end.

Set in Afghanistan, it began with the tale of two close young friends -- Amir, the son of a fairly wealthy man, and Hassan, the son of his servant -- who loved to spend time together, especially flying kites. As a team, they won a Kabul kite-flying tournament, where the object was to cut the strings of the other kites and then to run and retrieve the last fallen kite. Due to jealousy of some older bullies, Hassan suffered a horrible indignity after retrieving that last kite. The awful act was secretly witnessed by Amir. The remainder of the story had to do with how this drove a permanent wedge into Amir's and Hassan's friendship. Interwoven was the relatively recent history of Afghanistan, with the invasion and occupation by the Soviets, and then the rising up of the Taliban. These historical events ultimately influenced Amir's life more than he expected, as he had relocated to America, and in the end, his early relationship with Hassan became something that he could not escape.

Watching this movie, I was made very aware of how much we have compared to people in other countries, even with the difficulties we face here in the U.S. at the moment. I was also struck by a realization of the way in which human mistakes can be overcome, and redemption achieved.

I highly recommend this movie. It is well worth watching.

*****

The air conditioners are on. I don't know if I'm going to leave them on while I'm gone -- maybe just the newer one, upstairs. I don't want my poor cats to swelter in the heat while I'm gone!

I may write one final post tomorrow morning before I leave, but if I don't, have a great weekend, everyone!

STEPH AND KRIS ARE NOWPUBLICI received an

2008-05-15T10:15:00.000-07:00

STEPH AND KRIS ARE NOWPUBLIC

I received an invitation the other day from an intern named Lea at NowPublic.com, asking if I would allow a picture that would fit an article she was working on called "Female Gamers on the Rise but Where are the Heroines" to be published there. The photo is of my daughters-in-law Steph and Kris playing Wii bowling on Thanksgiving day, 2006. This morning, after some difficulties, I was able to upload the shot (which you can see at the link earlier in this paragraph) to accompany the article. I think it is such a good picture of my them and I am glad they both gave me their permission to allow the shot to be posted.

*****

I have been able to get out clothes to pack for my trip to Bend tomorrow, as few of the ones I am washing in my laundry today are going to be needed as far as taking them along. (I just want to leave here with my chores done.) Since the heat is coming in today and sticking around for a number of days -- both here and in Bend -- I am having to pack mostly light items. I had thought that perhaps I didn't have that many, especially by my favorite clothing manufacturer, By Taylor, but as I looked in various areas of my house (I have closets full of clothes), I found some summer items that I had forgotten buying, and so I will be able to keep from going naked in the heat! LOL! (I wouldn't want to inflict that on anybody!) ;-)

The cats have once again been enjoying reclining in my open suitcase, which is on the dining room table. I even found Stevie in it yesterday, which was a first. Thankfully, they are on the plastic cover that folds over the area where the clothes go, so I won't be getting cat hair on my clothing.

I don't know entirely what we are going to be doing while I'm in Bend, but I called the motel last night to confirm my reservation and I do have a full kitchen, in case it is needed while the kids (youngest son Tony, DIL Kamie, grandsons Michael and Alex) move.

Middle son Jeff will be taking care of my cats and bringing in the mail and the newspaper. It is a relief not to have to worry about that. I appreciate so much when he and his family assist me in this very important way.

I had been concerned about my arm during the trip but it seems quite a bit better today, even without 1/2 a Vicodin. Hopefully, it will hold up for the 3 to 3 1/2-hour drive to Bend.

I still haven't heard anything about possible candidate visits to Bend over the weekend. It would be fun to see Sen. Barack Obama or even Sen. Hillary Clinton in person! But my family comes first.

I hope that, if you are in an area with heat like we are going to have over the next days, that you can stay cool! I'm sure going to try to!

ONLINE MAGICAL THINKINGYesterday, I received

2008-05-14T11:46:00.000-07:00

ONLINE MAGICAL THINKING

Yesterday, I received an e-mail that was pretty typical of a number of them I receive, especially from certain people. This one came from a family member. The bulk of the e-mail consisted of screen names of people the forward had been sent to (a great way to get them in the hands of spammers) and at the very end, there were colorful happy faces and a nice verse about friendship. That, however, was followed with this:

Beautifully stated....
As we grow up, we learn that even the one person that wasn't supposed to ever let you down probably will. You will have your heart broken probably more than once and it's harder every time.
You'll break hearts too, so remember how it felt when yours was broken.
You'll fight with your best friend.
You'll blame a new love for things an old one did.
You'll cry because time is passing too fast, and you'll eventually lose someone you love.
So take too many pictures, laugh too much, and love like you've never been hurt because every sixty seconds you spend upset is a minute of happiness you'll never get back.
So send this to all of your friends (and me) in the next 5 minutes and a miracle will happen tonight.

I sent it back with a note saying that the sender knew I didn't much believe in these things but I was sending it back because I love her. Personally, I would love to see a miracle in her life but things just don't happen that way. I guess I'm a skeptic, but I never believe these promises of miracles if the e-mail is passed along within a certain time frame or to x-number of people. Do you? Tell me what you think!

*****

I had a comment a while back regarding Ziggies, giving me the URL for GoComics, where it was possible to sign up to have the Ziggy cartoons sent to me every day. I went to the site and tried to sign up, but before I did, I read the "Terms of Service" as requested in the sign-up area. I learned that the owners of the site frown upon Ziggies received from them being published elsewhere. They didn't specify that blogs were included in the limitations but I'm not wanting to take a chance. I think I'll just wait for my friend Lynne -- who has been sending them to me from Australia -- to get back from vacation and start sending them to me again.

*****

My upper arm continues to hurt off and on. I am not looking forward to lugging my suitcase at Bend. (It does have wheels, but I do have some spots where I need to lift it manually.) I am going to try to take it real easy on the typing for the next couple of days. I think I'll get my suitcase out today and start packing it, though, so I get that bit of hauling over with.

Speaking of my vacation, I just checked the online weather forecast for Bend through Saturday (they didn't have Sunday's up) and it is going to be as warm there as it is here, but not much hotter, thankfully. I am hoping that I can pack a good quantity of light clothes and still get my suitcase shut. ;-)

I HAVE BEEN REMISS!I was contemplating what

2008-05-13T15:30:00.000-07:00

I HAVE BEEN REMISS!

I was contemplating what to write about today, and I didn't really have much of a clue as to what that would be, so I decided to surf my favorite blogs to see what their writers were saying. I went to my friend, Carly's, and it hit me like a ton of bricks that I had been remiss in thanking her for a lovely entry she posted on May 9th, wherein she said some extremely nice things about me.

Entitled "I've Got Mail," it was about how she and her husband Alan remembered that they hadn't checked their post office box for a while, and when they did do that, they found some unexpected surprises. ;-) One of those was a pad of ocean-themed post-its that I had found out at the coast, in the Tillamook Cheese Factory, I believe, that had her name on it. (A note: I am a sucker for personalized items at the coast.) In all of my years of perusing such personalized goodies, I had never seen one that said "Carly" on it, to the best of my recollection. So, of course, I had to get it for my online friend!

If you follow the link in the first paragraph, you will see a close-up picture of the post-its. Carly was very sweet in the nice things she said about me in writing her entry. You're very welcome, Carly, and I count you as one of my dearest online friends! Maybe someday we'll get a chance to meet in person, but in the meantime, it is a pleasure to know you and enjoy your friendship online. I can always count on you to be upbeat and encouraging, and those are traits that we don't seem to find enough in the world. Thank you for being the loving person that you are!

In my hurry to acknowledge and thank Carly for what she said in this earlier post, I didn't stop yet to read her most recent one, which the title said was an update on the health of her adorable kitty, Elvis, who has been diagnosed with cancer. I will definitely be going back shortly to read that, as I am very concerned about him. Like Carly, he has a very endearing personality and I wish him the best.

*****

Speaking of blogs, my LDS friend in Utah heard about an ex-Mormon blogger on TV, and she told me about her, about how funny she was supposed to be, but it took her several days before she was able to find out this blogger's URL. When I went to the blog, I learned it was Dooce, which rhymes with moose, according to the blog author, Heather B. Armstrong. I went back and read a few entries, and I saw a couple of rather droll references to her Mormon background. Mostly, the most recent posts were about her public appearance on the Today show, which I do happen to watch but not during the time slot she was on in (10-11 a.m.). I have bookmarked her site and maybe when she comes back down to earth, she will write more funny stuff about Mormonism. (My LDS friend heard that Heather had lost her job, but I didn't find any reference to that in her blog; however, stranger things have happened in the working world, especially if she lives in the land of Mormondom: i.e. Utah.)

*****

I feel I have to say how sad I am for the people in the world who are suffering right now due to the horrendous recent national disasters -- first, the cyclone that hit Myanmar, with so many casualties and a government that hesitates to allow foreign aid to come in and get it to the individuals who really need it; and second, the earthquake in China. These are the kinds of events that tend to make me ask, "Why, God?" I try to have faith that there are reasons for everything that happens in life, but I have never been put in such a horrible situation. I don't know what else I can do at the moment -- not being a rich person -- but pray for them.

TWO THINGS ANSWERSThis came from my online friend, Lynn, also

2008-05-12T14:53:00.000-07:00

TWO THINGS ANSWERS

This came from my online friend, Lynn, also known as "the boomer", and she sent it as a forward but I thought it would make a great meme.

Two names you go by: Sue and Suzanne

Two things you are wearing right NOW: black sweatshirt with colorful Native American horse design on it and blue jeans

Two of your favorite things to do: scrapbooking and making computer signature tags

Two things you want very badly at the moment: For gas prices to stop going up and for health and well-being in all ways for my children and their families

To have Two people who will fill this out: I don't know

Two things you ate today: turkey hot dog and carrots with ranch dressing

Two people you last talked to: J.D. and Kris

Two things you're doing tomorrow: Go to Costco and answer e-mail

Two Favorite holidays: Mother's Day and Christmas

Two favorite beverages: Sugar-free Suisse Mocha and caffeine free diet Pepsi

If you would like to do this, let me know and I'll come visit your blog!

"HELLO, THIS IS THE CHIEF

2008-05-12T12:16:00.000-07:00

"HELLO, THIS IS THE CHIEF OF POLICE . . ."

That is what I heard when I checked my voice mail yesterday morning. It immediately filled me with panic because my first thought was, "Oh no, something terrible has happened to one of my family members." The call had actually come in Saturday morning, however, and it went on to say that this chief of police (I don't remember his name) was endorsing Rick LaManna for county sheriff. My reaction to that was swift: I felt immediate relief mixed with anger, and I instantly erased the message.

I was angry because this stupid political campaign voice mail recording had me so scared for a few seconds. I was relieved that there had been no reason for the immediate fear. In considering the call, I knew that if something bad had happened in the family, there would have been more attempts to get in touch with me. In a way, I wish I had kept the message so I could have gotten the chief of police's name, although I'm not sure that I would have done anything with it, other than gripe about him here, and that probably wouldn't have accomplished anything but made me feel better. Ultimately, I am glad that I hadn't voted for Rick LaManna; I voted for the incumbent sheriff in the ballot I sent in a few days before getting the phone message.

This is such a complete invasion of privacy -- it really frosts me that such tactics are being used in political campaigns. I'm not up to complaining in a more public venue about it but I wish someone would. And I hope that the jerk that okayed the voice mail message (Rick LaManna, I presume) loses by a very wide margin!

*****

Does anyone else do this? Do you accidentally bite the inside of your lower lip, and then keep doing so? The fact that the area is swollen makes it an excellent target for biting it again and again, and that hurts and takes away from the fun of eating! That has been happening to me lately and I don't like it. Such a bummer!

*****

I heard from my youngest son Tony last night, wishing me a Happy Mother's Day and saying they were still planning on seeing me when I got there Friday late afternoon. They are going to be in the process of moving for part of the weekend (just to a house about 1/4 of a mile away) but he said they would definitely make time for being with me. I'm very much looking forward to seeing him and Kamie and grandsons Michael, 9, and Alex, 7. The weather is supposed to be getting hot by then so I will take my new, more summery By Taylor clothes that I bought last month in Long Beach, Washington. I don't know if there will be a soccer game or a swim practice to watch or not. (Kamie had said that Michael was in soccer and Alex was going to be swimming.) In the meantime, there are Mother's Day cards on the way from them and I'm looking forward to receiving them! I just love my family!

MY MOTHER -- 1927-2007

2008-05-11T12:09:00.000-07:00

MY MOTHER -- 1927-2007

This is a picture of Mom from the late 1980's, but she never did look a whole lot older than this.

I am remembering her today. I am recalling her positive attributes. I especially enjoyed it when I talked to her on the phone, after sending her snail mail letters and pictures of the children and grandchildren, and she would tell me how much she appreciated that and how beautiful the grandkids were.

I know she wished that I would go back to the Mormon church so I could be part of the eternal family she believed in, and I recognize the love in that desire. I wish in some ways that I could have pleased her in that way, but I had to go my own direction when it came to my beliefs.

Time certainly is passing quickly, as it seems like just yesterday that I was in Twin Falls, Idaho, and then on to Logan, Utah, to say my final goodbyes. Now I am an orphan, since my dad preceded her in death, passing away in 1991. The cycle of life goes on.

*****

I had an e-mail from my sister, Kathy, yesterday, telling me about how her nursing job is going. So far, she seems to like it fine. When she has finished orientation, she will be working 3 12-hour days a week, and they will at first be assigned by the other nurses. For being the age of 50, she has a great deal of stamina. She will need it, as she will be working nights starting in June.

*****

I watched "The Bourne Supremacy" last night, starring Matt Damon and Joan Allen. As I watched it, I realized that I may have seen it before -- perhaps a number of years ago when I was on Netflix. Either that, or the plots of this second in the Jason Bourne series and the third one, which I watched recently, were remarkably alike.

I imagine that more of a love story would have been a better, more positive movie for this weekend, but I am at the point where I take what Blockbuster Online sends me. (I don't have many movies in my queue, and I get just one at a time.)

*****

I wish everyone who reads this and is a mother a very HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY today! (That includes cat- and dog-moms, because you are nurturers, too.)

MY LOVELY BIRTHDAY/MOTHER'S DAY DINNERI am

2008-05-10T10:29:00.000-07:00

MY LOVELY BIRTHDAY/MOTHER'S DAY DINNER

I am so fortunate: I have very caring and wonderful sons, daughters-in-law, and grandchildren. Last night, my oldest son, J.D., and daughter-in-law, Kris, picked me up here at the house and took me to a Mexican restaurant called San Blas, in Molalla, Oregon, where we were to meet my middle son, Jeff, his wife, Steph, and grandchildren, 5 1/2-year-old Noah and 2 year-old Emily. (My youngest son, Tony, daughter-in-law, Kamie, and grandsons, 9-year-old Michael and 7-year-old Alex, live in Bend, Oregon -- about a 3 1/2 hour drive from here -- and I will be going to see them next weekend.)

J.D., Kris and I got the the restaurant a little bit earlier than Jeff's family, so we munched on tortilla chips and salsa until they arrived. Noah came running up to me and gave me a big hug, then settled into the chair next to me. I got hugs from him all evening. A little later on, Emily wanted to get down from her high chair and come sit on my lap, so I quite carefully lifted her up onto my lap. She stayed there for quite a while and at one point said a complete sentence having to do with Noah. I was very impressed.

I don't like pictures of myself as a general rule but here is one that Steph took of me and Noah and Emily.

I had a delicious meal of chicken in a sour cream sauce that contained mushrooms and onions, which I put in flour tortillas. I also had Spanish rice and refried beans. I was unable to eat it all and I didn't take any home -- I'm not sure why; I guess I wasn't sure how it would affect my cholestrol and diabetes to eat a lot of it.

Noah and Emily had their favorite quesadillas. Noah pointed out all of the colorful fake parrots hanging from the ceiling at various spots in the restaurant. We had a few interesting conversations: One was about my rings. He wondered why I was wearing my emerald ring since I'm not married. I explained to him that if I was married, I would wear a diamond ring on my left hand (where I am wearing a cat-figured gold ring). And that I wear the emerald ring on my right hand because I think it's pretty. He is getting so grown up!

Kris gave me a pretty fish suncatcher. Noah approved. I hung it in my kitchen when I got home and my friend Cynthia on Flickr agrees that it is cute. Here is the picture I took of it last night after hanging it up when I got home. (I had thought I didn't have a suction cup hanger but I borrowed one from another suncatcher that had fallen down; I'll have to get more of the hangers later on for that one.)

Kris is so thoughtful! I also received a card with a kitty on it from Jeff, Steph and family, promising pictures of the kids, which I always love!

Here is a picture of Kris and J.D. I notice that J.D. is looking thinner, and that is likely attributable to his time at home now, part of which is spent running in training for the Portland Marathon, which he hasn't run in before. (He has a blog called Get Fit Slowly.)

Here are Jeff and Steph. Steph had taken a sudden trip south to Corvallis, Oregon that day for a class, and she learned at one point that Barack Obama had been right next door. She said she would have liked to go see him if she had known! ;-)

It was such a pleasure to be with my family. It had been a few years since we had gone out together. Thank you, Kris, for suggesting it. And all of you for being there and making it a special evening for me.

*****

I had been kind of expecting a call from my friend, Linda, this morning, if she was going to have time to see me today as she thought she would be in the area, traveling from her home in central Oregon. There has been no call yet and I suspect that she has either not made it here or else is just terribly busy, as she generally tends to be. I plan to be in her area next weekend when I visit Tony and family, but she is involved in helping produce a musical at one of the high schools there in the Redmond-Bend area at that time, so I won't be able to see her. She thought she would be in this area sometime in the next week -- we are truly playing this by ear, which is fine with me.

*****

This afternoon, I am going to be working at the business, doing the work that I generally do on Friday evenings. I suspect there may be another stack of filing but Jeff said last night that it wasn't anything like what I had waiting for me on Wednesday! ;-) I also have a movie to watch sometime this weekend -- probably tonight. It's "The Bourne Supremacy" -- I believe the only movie in the Bourne series that I haven't seen. So the weekend is looking busier than I originally expected. I hope y'all are having a nice one, too!

CAT ENDORSEMENTS? :-)Yesterday, I went to my

2008-05-09T11:45:00.000-07:00

CAT ENDORSEMENTS? :-)

Yesterday, I went to my friend Carly's blog as I do every day, and she had posted a very clever and cute entry about her cat, Elvis, and the presidential election. I would recommend that you follow the link in the preceding sentence to go there and read what Elvis had to say. ;-)

As for my cats, I suppose I would have to say that they are loyal to me like Elvis is to Carly in her support of Hillary Clinton, and they like my candidate, Barack Obama. They approved of the fact that I wrote Senator Obama's name in as a write-in vote on my Republican ballot, although that may have negated my ballot and my vote, I don't know. But I did this on a matter of principle.

Still, we here in our household also have lots of prayers going up for Elvis, as he has been diagnosed with cancer. We are extremely sad about that and wish him the very best, hoping that treatment is available for him so that he lives the maximum number of years possible.

*****

Yesterday I wound up causing all sorts of problems with my arm, thanks to doing the laundry, although it isn't nearly as bad as it was the week before. I'm glad for ice that helped the area to feel much better after a while.

*****

I have mostly finished my "Understanding Your Grief" book and journal -- or, at least, I've gone as far as I can go at this point. I think it has been helpful. I recommend it for those who have suffered the death of someone close to them.

*****

I love the Ziggy, being of Scottish descent. I don't want to get repetitive, as I have talked before about how I have loved bagpipes since I was a little girl. And Blogger is threatening not to save what I'm writing, so I will sign off for today.

2008-05-08T11:56:00.000-07:00

FILING -- STRENUOUS?

One of my jobs at my business is to keep the filing caught up, generally doing it Wednesday and Friday evenings. This is important because the guys need to be able to find quotes and order sheets when they are looking for them. I like to do it, to get an idea of who we are quoting and who is ordering and in what quantities. I had to take a week off from the filing due to my injured upper right arm, and so I knew there would be a stack of papers to file last night, when I was able to go back to work.

Actually, though, before I got to the office last night, I was wondering if I had been a wimp to take the doctor-recommended week off from doing it. I found out differently once I started to work.

I had a 3 to 3 1/2 inch stack of filing to sort and to file last night. I had been planning on doing sections at a time and spreading them out over the next few nights, as I had time available, but once I got them sorted and ready to file in a system I use that works very well, I didn't see any way to divide them up for subsequent days, so I just stayed later than usual and finished filing them all. It took me 3 hours, and I discovered when I was finished that my arm was very sore! I came home and put ice on it.

I have been chuckling about the fact that the filing was so strenuous. LOL! I guess maybe I'm a bit of a wimp? ;-) Actually, it was good for me to do the filing, because not using the arm for a week had made it weaker than was healthy for it, and I suspect that the filing was a good way to exercise it and make it stronger. Kaiser's physical therapy department couldn't have done it any better! Hee hee!

*****

I have been seeing political ads as they have gotten naturally more prolific in the last number of days, since the Oregon primary is May 20, and we Oregonians need to mail in our ballots to get there by that date. I have noticed one particular ad that disappointed me in LDS church member Gordon Smith, who I was planning to vote for. He has been running an ad quoting the big Portland newspaper, The Oregonian, as saying that one of the challengers, Steve Novick, was a big-spending liberal. This confused me because Steve Novick's ad says that The Oregonian has endorsed him. Then I noticed that in Gordon Smith's ad portion criticizing Novick, the date of the editorial criticizing Novick was 1/16/06! Hmmm, that makes me wonder how honest Gordon Smith is being. Would what the ad says bother you as it does me?

*****
LOVE the Maxine! Oh, so true! I haven't heard a candidate propose a health care plan that I thought sounded good yet -- not even my favorite, Barack Obama.

You can probably see why I wanted to post this

2008-05-07T17:04:00.000-07:00

You can probably see why I wanted to post this today, being the cat lover that I am. Sometimes, I do feel this way about Socks, though. ;-)

KEEPING IT COOLThank goodness for warmer weather,

2008-05-07T12:49:00.000-07:00

KEEPING IT COOL

Thank goodness for warmer weather, comparatively speaking, as I have been able to keep the heat way down even during the day. This morning it was under 60 when I left to run my errands; when I got home and felt how cool it was, I turned it up to about 63. I hope my housekeeper Norma didn't freeze while she was here but I imagine she gets pretty warmed up, cleaning! I changed from my heavy cotton top to a sweatshirt after I had unloaded the groceries and I will put a throw over me while I nap in a little while. I am all about conserving fuel!

Speaking of that, I checked the propane tank and it's down to 40% full. I am going to attempt to use great care in not keeping the house too warm unless I should have company, as I don't want to use a lot of propane. (At my business, we aren't using the propane compaany's budget plan and my bookkeeper and nephew, Nick, said that the propane fill-up for the last two months was more than for all of last year combined!)

I truly feel helpless and in some despair when I see the oil company prices hiked up again and again. The other morning, early in the morning, I happened to be somewhat awake and I had the idea of a class action suit against the oil companies, who are raking in record profits. Of course, in the light of day, it didn't seem feasible but I liked the idea as long as I was able to entertain it in my fuzzy brain. LOL!

*****

I do have very good news this morning. My blood pressure was way down! It may have helped that my nurse sister Kathy suggested deep breathing for a minute before I had the blood pressure taken, and my nurse friend Sheila suggested thinking of something funny while on the way. I wasn't able to come up with the funny thought but I did breathe deeply while waiting for the nurse to switch on the blood pressure machine. I can't remember whether the higher number is the systolic or diastolic but it was much better at 112 this morning. (It was 175 last Wednesday.) I can't recall what the lower numbers were. This morning's nurse said, "That's more like it!" and asked me if I had been in a lot of pain the week before. I said I had been and also that my mail had been stolen the day before so I was stressed about that. I came home and threw the high blood pressure literature that Kaiser had sent to me yesterday into the recycling bag. LOL!

*****

Blogger/Google seems to be having some difficulties this morning and I don't know if this will load. I couldn't get the Ziggy to come up. I will try later or maybe post two tomorrow. I won't be posting quite as many for the next while and I will run out in a week or so, since my friend Lynne is on vacation.

*****

I have taken 1/2 a Vicodin and I'm still starting to get sleepy. I am going to be keeping that dosage for a couple of days -- as long as my arm is very sore at all. Last night my hand was very painful and I had to wonder what was going on with it. It seems okay today, though, so I am not going to turn into a hypochondriac as far as what could be wrong when it hurts. It's time to go let Silver know I'm ready for him to nap on my lap.

4 THINGS I LOVEI was just over at my niece, Mrs. Darling's

2008-05-06T15:46:00.000-07:00

4 THINGS I LOVE

I was just over at my niece, Mrs. Darling's blog, and saw this meme. She didn't tag anyone in particular but said that anyone who wished to do so could consider themselves tagged by her. I have done something similar to this via e-mail, but I don't know if I have blogged it. Since my preferences seem to change over time, it's possible that my answers are different now, anyway, so I'm re-doing the exercise.

4 Jobs I've Had

President of custom cardboard box manufacturing company
Text processor for regional insurance company claims department
Product demonstrator and salesperson for food dehydrator manufacturing company
Secretary-receptionist at bank headquarters

4 Books I Love (Besides the Bible)

The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency and subsequent books by Alexander McCall Smith
Dreams From my Father by Barack Obama
The Shack by William P. Young
Understanding Your Grief book and journal by Alan D. Wolfelt

4 Favorite Foods

Roast turkey
Mashed potatoes
Pumpkin pie
Chocolate cake

4 Random Things

Body Shop Candied Citrus bath products
Pictures of my children and grandchildren
My cats
Remembrance figurine in memory of my mother for Mother's Day

I am also not going to tag anyone, but if you would like to do this meme, just let me know so I can come and see what y'all love!

AM I CRUNCHY?I have

2008-05-06T11:33:00.000-07:00

AM I CRUNCHY?

I have good friends, Alison and Greg, who are from England but live part of the time in Virginia, near Colonial Williamsburg. (Greg has commented here quite often.) Each have their own blog, and when I checked in on Alison's yesterday, she had a picture of a green bumper sticker with white lettering on it. (She gets amazing pictures of interesting and funny license plates and bumper stickers to post on her blog.) The bumper sticker said:

"Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons for you are crunchy and good with ketchup.
Maggie L. Walker Governor's School"

I would provide a link to Alison's blog so that you could see the bumper sticker for yourself but she has set it up to be viewable only by friends and family.

At any rate, she wondered what it meant, and so did I. I checked it out on Google and found the saying in a number of different contexts -- mostly on other blogs -- but no where did I see it explained. Do you know what it means? If so, let us know!

*****

Today is a big day in U.S. politics, as the Indiana and North Carolina primaries are being held. I will definitely be watching the results tonight. Go Obama!

*****

Yesterday while I was on the computer in the afternoon, I suddenly heard the welcome sound of the lawn mower outside. I hadn't said anything to Jeff about the lawn needing mowing but he apparently knew that it was about time, and he spent a good while mowing it. When I wrote my e-mail to thank him, he said that he hadn't been able to do as much as he had wished to because the rain had made the grass quite wet and it hadn't dried out enough to cut well. That's not a problem as far as I'm concerned because it is great to have the grass short. (Which once again reminds me of my mother-in-law's saying that the two things she liked best were a haircut on a man and a freshly-mowed lawn.) I also enjoy the smell of fresh-cut grass.

*****

I just took a Vicodin so -- once again -- I expect to get drowsy in a little bit. I skipped mine this morning as I was driving to Costco and back. I am going to try to get by tomorrow morning without it again, as I will once again be driving, and then go for 1/2 of a Vicodin in the afternoon and probably keep it at 1/2 tabs for a couple of days. I don't want to get hooked on this pain killer, as has happened to other people.

I received information about high blood pressure this morning in the mail, from my HMO, Kaiser. I am hoping and praying that my blood pressure will be much lower tomorrow. One of the recommendations I noticed in the literature I received was to avoid salt, which I already knew was the case for someone with high blood pressure. Kind of weird about that, though, is the fact that I've had low sodium counts and they just have come up in this last batch of tests, according to my doctor last week.

*****

I watched most of the episodes of "Little People, Big World" that ran on the Learning Channel yesterday evening. For some reason, after I watched the part towards the end of the last one shown, where Amy suggests to Matt that maybe they should separate, I came upstairs and didn't watch the last of it, so I don't know what happened. I guess I'll have to catch the following episode next week to find out, unless some kind-hearted soul who watched it can fill me in. It does appear that Matt got himself in a fix in doing a huge remodel of their house. I have to wonder how he managed to extricate himself from that -- IF he did!

Then I watched "Jon and Kate Plus 8". It's a cute family but I certainly wouldn't be able to handle having 8 children! At least, Jon doesn't seem to be rolling his eyes over some of the things Kate says when they are being interviewed now. LOL!

VOTING

2008-05-05T11:57:00.000-07:00

VOTING TIME IS HERE

Despite the fact that the May 5, 2008 Time Magazine, with its split picture of Barack Obama's and Hillary Clinton's face halves -- like a schizophrenic Democrat -- has been on my office desk and bugging me for the last week, I am as of today faced with a decision coming up shortly as to which Republicans to vote for in the Oregon Primary. This is because I received my Republican mail-in ballot today. (I could have changed my party affiliation to Democrat but I didn't know how to go about it so put it off until it was too late.)

I pulled out the ballot and looked at it briefly, shaking my head before putting it back in the envelope. For President, I have the choice between John McCain and Ron Paul. There is space to write in someone else's name. I wonder what would happen if I wrote in Barack Obama's? LOL!

As for the Senatorial candidate, I have the choice of Gordon Smith -- a Mormon, but one who I feel has done a good job in the Senate and who I voted for initially because I believed he was the best man for the job. Those who have read my blog regularly know my reservations when it comes to Mormons holding office due to some of their beliefs and primary allegiances. Most of these concerns for the most part surfaced in my mind after Mitt Romney ran for President. I see no reason why they should apply to Gordon Smith, however. It is a different situation and an entirely different person. Besides, his opponent is totally unknown to me.

Then there is the congressional race. The two men that I know anything about in that contest (there are three running) are Mike Erickson and Kevin Mannix, and I haven't been impressed with either one over the last years, when both have run for office and lost. From what I can see in Mike Erickson's ads, I don't believe he has a real positive presence. Kevin Mannix hasn't been running any ads yet. I suppose he will as May 20th draws hear.

I'm really too tired to deal with voting for anyone today. The Vicodin had me out like a light before lunch, and I will need to take another one in about 45 minutes. I will be glad when my arm stops hurting without the pain killer, as I don't want to get hooked on it. (I am due to run a few errands in the next couple of days and I most likely will have to do without the pain killer during that time.)

What's weird about my arm is that there is pain radiating from my upper arm -- the site of the injury -- to my previously broken right elbow to then tingle in my hand and fingers. I guess it's a very strange result of my injury.

*****

I love the cat cartoon above. I am getting lots of phone calls from the same numbers (one actually reads 0000000000) and I am sure that -- since no messages have been left -- they are political calls. To me, these are totally missable! ;-)

*****

I need to go on and make a pot of decaf and eat a piece of whole grain bread. My eating habits have jelled enough to basically become good ones so that they are producing better fasting blood sugars than before. I continue to be mostly in the 130-140 range.

I had a note from the Physician's Assistant who is taking over for my doctor for now. (She said my doctor has had knee surgery.) She wants me to come in for return bloodwork in 2 months. Hopefully, I will have continued to have good results by then. Plus there is the arrival of my diabetic cookbook, expected sometime in the next week or so. I am pinning a lot of high hopes on that, too.

ALL THE PRETTY HORSESI'm not sure what was

2008-05-04T13:29:00.000-07:00

ALL THE PRETTY HORSES

I'm not sure what was going through my mind when I put this movie in my Blockbuster Online queue, because I usually am not that crazy about Westerns. Perhaps the fact that it starred Matt Damon and Penelope Cruz had something to do with it. Also that it was directed by Billy Bob Thornton. By the time it got to the top of my queue and had arrived here for viewing, I had forgotten what had appealed to me in its description.

As I started watching it, however, I saw that it was based on the novel by Cormac McCarthy. I little light bulb went on in my head -- an "aha" moment -- as I remembered that I had read some books longer ago by McCarthy. As to whether this was one of them, I wasn't sure, and I became even less sure as the movie progressed. If I did, it was long enough ago that the plot didn't seem overly familiar to me.

The movie also stars Henry Thomas as Matt Damon's character's buddy. It is set in 1949, beginning with the two main characters' riding on horseback into Mexico with a young man called Blevins who they reluctantly allow to accompany them for a while, even though they feel he could mean trouble due to the expensive horse he is riding and about which he mostly evades questioning.

The remainder of the movie mainly takes place in Mexico, and involves the adventures of Damon's and Thomas's characters, both in love (via Damon and Cruz) and in a brutal prison. The movie came out in 2000, so it is interesting to see a younger Matt Damon at work.

The movie was rated PG13 and it earned that rating. However, I enjoyed it and I would recommend it for most adults and older teens.

*****

Socks has gotten so that she seems to think my nap-time is her cue to romp through the house and wreak havoc in my bedroom. She may be about 2 years old, as far as I can tell, but she still acts like a kitten at times. Here is a picture of her that I caught a week or two ago, attacking one of the dining room chairs.

*****

My arm seems to be a lot better today. There are still long achy twinges radiating from the injured area, but that is mostly when I am relaxing, such as when I tried to nap earlier. I'm unclear as to whether I slept or not! I took another Vicodin a little bit ago so another nap may be in store. I should be able to cut down on the Vicodin soon -- I don't want to get hooked on it.

ENOUGH OATMEAL?At some point a number of

2008-05-03T14:59:00.000-07:00

ENOUGH OATMEAL?

At some point a number of months ago (is that vague enough for you?) ;-), I began to get hungry for oatmeal made from old-fashioned rolled oats as an afternoon snack. I cooked it in the microwave and added Equal and 1% milk.

Not long after that, I noticed the above very large box of Quaker old-fashioned oats at Costco and I bought it. (No, this box wasn't what I messed up my deltoid lifting, although it was fairly heavy.) As you can see by the size of the bag I have been scooping the oats out of, I have made a good dent into the contents of the box.

I laughed at myself for buying such a large box, thinking that it surely must be a long-lasting supply of oatmeal. However, I am going down on it faster than I expected.

I feel good about eating it, as I believe that oatmeal is one of the most healthy foods a person can eat. There is some debate about the Equal, but I don't believe I eat enough of that to cause any damage to my body, and it makes the oatmeal edible for me, whereas otherwise I wouldn't be able to stomach it. The same with the 1% milk.

When I eat oatmeal, too, I am reminded of my late husband Steve, who while he was suffering from his chronic lymphocytic leukemia, ate large quantities of oatmeal. We would go into restaurants for breakfast or even for lunch (mostly during our days out at Astoria, Oregon) and he would order plain oatmeal with raisins. He would look at me reproachfully when I ate mine with brown sugar and milk, as he didn't think I was supporting him enough when I didn't eat what he thought was helpful to him to eat, but I couldn't stomach the oatmeal the way he ordered it. Still, he lost about 80 pounds eating that way, and probably prolonged his life. (His doctor told him, "Whatever you're doing, keep on doing it.")

I believe oatmeal is just as beneficial for a diabetic like myself. It may be partly responsible for the lowered blood sugars of the last couple of days. (Today's fasting level was 140 -- up a little from yesterday but still not anywhere near the 210 that it was running a few months ago.)

I will see if the diabetic cookbook I have on order has anything about oatmeal. I'm very much looking forward to seeing the dishes in it. I borrowed the idea from my friend Carly and it will be fun comparing notes and created meals with her once mine arrives! Lower numbers, here I come!

*****

I finally read in my instructions from Wednesday that I should be putting an ice pack on my sore upper arm. I did so last night and today, and it has helped.

I also have plenty of my dishes down on the counter top, as putting them away up high is impossible right now.

Those are all the completed thoughts that I have ready to blog about today. I suspect a Vicodin fog is approaching again. I'm glad I don't need to drive anywhere. (I have already brought in the mail here and at my business and then driven to town to mail personal bills that came today, plus a couple of Mother's Day cards.)

TROUBLE RESPONDING TO E-MAILI can't respond to any e mails

2008-05-02T10:39:00.000-07:00

TROUBLE RESPONDING TO E-MAIL

I can't respond to any e mails today.

Something has crashed on my computer

and the mouse is missing.....

Hee hee! This comes from my friend, Fran, in Utah. Very cute, I think.

*****

It has been suggested in my grief book and workbook, "Understanding Your Grief," that a way meaningful to the mourner be found to commemorate the person who has passed away. I found this angel in the Current Catalog and I was quite taken with it. It is a Remembrance Angel and the card that came with it says "Remember Always." I bought it as a way to commemorate Mom this coming Mother's Day. It arrived in the mail today.

And then, Socks had to investigate the angel, so I got a shot of her checking it out.

I have put it on the stereo cabinet along with family pictures.

*****

I truly overdid it yesterday with my arm, even though I only forgot and raised it up (to scratch my neck) once. Despite the pain I suffered last night, I was very happy to have gotten my laundry done so that I can somewhat rest it today.

I need to run to town but I am going to wait until after I nap and get out of the vicodin fog I am in right now.

I do have good news -- my blood sugar was lower this morning than it has been for a very long time: 125. That is definitely within the range that my doctor wants it to be in. The crazy thing was that I ate a turkey hot dog in a bun and a baked potato for dinner last night. Go figure! I have ordered a diabetic cookbook and I can't wait for it to get here. What I plan to cook for dinner tonight is very healthful -- chicken breasts. There will probably be another baked potato to accompany one of them for my meal. I would make mashed potatoes but I'm not ambidextrous enough to mash them up with my left hand; besides which there is the lifting of the pan for draining out the water after the potatoes have cooked.

I am truly hoping this babying of my right arm is going to pay off in terms of my getting back into ordinary activities next Wednesday. At least, I found out from the guy I saw this last Wednesday (I think he's a nurse practitioner) that I can go to the Tualatin Kaiser clinic that day for my blood pressure re-check. That is a lot closer than driving clear down to the Lancaster Kaiser clinic in Salem.

I am getting sleepy . . . must eat lunch first. Then comes the necessary nap.

MEME ABOUT MEI have done something very similar to this via

2008-05-01T16:13:00.000-07:00

MEME ABOUT ME

I have done something very similar to this via e-mail, but it was on my Australian friend Lynne's blog, so I decided to borrow it and answer the questions for myself here.

1. WHO WERE YOU NAMED AFTER? - A classical piece called "The Suite of Suzanne."

2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? - At my mother's interment.

3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? - Sometimes -- it is fairly easy to read, unless I have been writing a lot.

4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? - A turkey hot dog!

5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS? - 3 sons (Age 39, 37 and 35)

6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? - I would hope so.

7. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT? - Sometimes -- mainly in writing.

8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS - No -- they were removed when I was 2.

9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? - Not a chance.

10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE CEREAL? - Old-fashioned oatmeal, which I eat as a snack.

11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? - Yes, most definitely, because I wear lace-up runners all the time.

12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? - Obviously not physically, as I have demonstrated this week.

13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE ICE CREAM? - Chocolate (Lynne, what's jaffa?)

14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? - Their smile

15. RED OR PINK? - Rose pink is what I prefer

16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOU? - My weight and the qualities it creates physically

17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? -- My grandkids when I haven't seen them for a while

18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO RESPOND? - I would like that because I like learning about other people, but it's a personal choice that I respect

19. WHAT COLOUR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? - Blue jeans and white runners

20. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE? - "Snap" pretzels. (Not sure what that means exactly, except they are small squares with a grid inside)

21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? - the rattling of the keys as I type

22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOUR WOULD YOU BE? - aqua

23. FAVOURITE SMELLS - chocolate cake or brownies, pumpkin pie, roast turkey

24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? - A lady from the U.S. Postal Service about my stolen mail.

25. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? - Yes, very much

26. FAVOURITE SPORTS TO WATCH? - Football but only when there is a key game played by local teams

27. HAIR COLOUR? - Light brown

28. EYE COLOUR? - Blue

29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? - No, just glasses. (My allergies preclude contacts)

30. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS - Happy endings, by far

31. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? - Atonement

32. WHAT COLOUR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? - Denim blue with a colorful Native American horse on it

33. SUMMER OR WINTER? - Summer

34. HUGS OR KISSES? - Hugs

35. FAVOURITE DESSERT? - Chocolate cake

36. MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? - no idea

37. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND? - Borrowed from Lynne, as it's so good: people who don't read my blog (most of the human race!!!)

38. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW? - I have two started: The Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama and The Miracle at Speedy Motors by Alexander McCall Smith

39. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? - I no longer need to use a mouse pad

40. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV LAST NIGHT? - The Larry King Show

41. FAVORITE SOUND? - A cat's purr

42. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? - Beatles, I guess, although some of their early songs sound discordant to me now. I loved them as a teenager!

43. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME? - Hawaii

44. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? - Sheesh, I don't know. I have been told some of my photographs are nice.

45. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? Logan, Utah

Feel free to do this meme and let me know in the comments (including URL), so I can come and see what you wrote.

HEADING FOR A VICODIN

2008-05-01T13:36:00.000-07:00

HEADING FOR A VICODIN FOG

I took a vicodin about 1/2-hour ago and I am starting to get fuzzy-headed and feel like I'm heading for a fog, but I hope to be able to write this entry before I need to go downstairs and nap.

I have been doing laundry today and I had to go to town and run a few necessary errands (including depositing a couple of checks) but I have been as careful as I could be. Still the arm was getting sore before I took the vicodin. It feels better now.

I have had suggestions about ice from my friend Bea and I also believe it is printed on the instructions I was given yesterday after my appointment. I will have to try that a bit later on.

I really do feel silly complaining, however, after hearing from my friend, Les, in Australia, yesterday afternoon and learning that he had fallen and hadn't broken any bones but was very sore. Then my friend Jan, on my tags list, had a similar thing happen as well, although in her case she managed to wind up pulling a lot of equipment over on top of her. Luckily, again, no broken bones but a lot of bruising and soreness.

Still, we each have our own pain thresholds and our own difficulties, especially as we grow older. I am trying to be brave but I don't like pain. ;-)

One thing I wanted to write about was the strange neighbor cat who has been hanging around, even sitting on my front porch at times. Here is a picture of him from a few weeks ago:

Yesterday, as I was getting into my car and preparing to run to my business, down the road, I caught sight of him quickly dashing up the ladder in the garage that goes up to the loft. I was not happy about that.

I ran down to my business and when I came back, I gingerly climbed the ladder and found myself almost face-to-face with him, but he was just out of reach and also I wasn't dumb enough to try to tackle a strange cat. I decided to go in the house and give myself time to think and hopefully the cat time to leave the garage.

After about an hour, I decided to take the flashlight outside with me, thinking that maybe it would scare him out of the loft somehow. I carefully climbed the ladder again and I shone the light around. I heard rustling as I did this over the next couple of minutes, then it was quiet.

I decided I would give up, and either leave the garage door open so the cat could come out on its own, or shut it and open it a few times to see if that would scare him out.

As I left the garage and headed for the back porch steps, I caught sight of the cat on my back porch. He ran in the opposite direction as the garage when I approached the steps. I was able to get the controller and shut the garage automatically right then -- without him in it!

Victory -- sweet victory!!

When I came in the house, Silver was in the utility room window looking out of it. I guess the neighbor cat and I put on a good show! LOL!

*****

The dryer is chiming, I am getting sleepier, and my arm is somewhat achy, so I will say so long until tomorrow.

NO LONGER UPWARDLY

2008-04-30T16:39:00.000-07:00

NO LONGER UPWARDLY MOBILE

It has been quite a day, with two doctor appointments this afternoon, and I truly dislike going to the doctor!

The first one brought good news, that I am going to be able to taper off my expensive medication without having to buy any more. I learned today that it has been found to not only cause a craving for carbs but also to affect cholestrol, especially triglycerides.

My doctor at that appointment, however, was concerned about the fact that I had hurt my right upper arm/shoulder area yesterday and that I am unable to lift the arm beyond straight out. She felt that I should either arrange to get it checked or get a prescription for something stronger than what I had at home (mainly Naproxen).

I was able to get an appointment in an hour with a doctor at the other Kaiser clinic in Salem, and there I learned that I have injured my deltoid muscle. (I know I did that yesterday, lifting too much out of the trunk at once after shopping for mostly canned goods at Costco.) I am not to lift my arm upward for a week. There was talk of a sling but I opted not to use one. I will remember not to lift my arm up, I'm quite sure, unless the Vicodin I got kills the pain enough that I forget. I also had high blood pressure; I have to go back again in a week to get that re-checked.

This will affect some of my work. I will have to put off filing until next week, and as I expect a stack of it, I will probably work on it Thursday and over the weekend as well as next Wednesday evening. I will play it by ear on the trip to Costco next week. If we just need light stuff and I unload it gradually, I should be all right.

I am going to keep some of my dishes down on the counter rather than try to reach up for them with both hands, and I will be very careful doing the laundry tomorrow. Dressing and undressing will require special care, as well.

This getting old and out of shape is the pits! I just need to remember that there are things I cannot do, and make sure that I don't act like I'm 20 years younger than I am.

I think I can type okay for the most part but I will likely take that easy, too. It takes more than an injured deltoid to keep me from blogging and e-mailing!