Cuties

You have to admit that we all go 'ga-ga' over animals no matter what the species. I had several e-mails this week with delightful animal stories from tiny kittens in tea cups to puppies chasing their tails, giving me an excuse to laugh out loud. Then yesterday the e mails were of the animals shown in the photographs. Sheena is a Santaro leopard and lives at an animal shelter in Hertfordshire, England. A young student was assigned a photo project and as he was photographing the leopard a tiny mouse appeared, out of no where, after the keepers dropped lunch for the leopard. The leopard sniffed the mouse, even battered him a bit but the mouse ignored him completely and went on to enjoy his lunch. I would have thought the ending would be that the leopard devoured the mouse but he must have felt generous in sharing his food, or he knew the mouse couldn't possibly eat all of that meat. The article went on to say the student most likely got an "A".

Rupert is a brand new baby. Its mother was killed by a car and could not be saved, the good people of Buckinghamshire, England brought the injured pregnant deer to the animal shelter where the veterinarian performed a cesarean section and saved Rupert who weighed in at one pound and is six inches long. He is being treated like royalty and enjoying all of the attention. It is the hope of the folks at the animal shelter that he will make it. From the write up it sounds like it is difficult to keep such a tiny deer alive. I hope he makes it . . . what a cutie.

All of the stories have been about English animals and I am sure we have plenty to tell right here at home. Daughter Patricia is a dog lover and a friend , away on a visit, has come across a puppy he believes she cannot live without, so we are all anticipating a tiny new blond puppy who we hope will be as soft and as wonderful as Jasmine a dog she brought up as a tiny pup with huge paws and soft brown eyes that everyone in our family came to love . . . a golden retriever. So as 'grandma' I can enjoy the visits and let Pat do all that walking and taking care of retrieving the 'poop' from her yard.

I think we loved Buzz as much. Buzz was a small Jack Russell terrier and he fit his breed to a 't' when he put on his working jacket of bright orange and paraded around like he owned the world, he was as good as gold. He was trained to help the deaf and he did a great job. Of course being a terrier he was a 'terror' and spent a lot of his time trying very hard to get out of the yard. He knew just where the fence showed signs of weakness and he would stroll casually toward that area and dig. "Freedom!" I think the neighbors knew Buzz as well as we did and many a time he was brought back, dirt on his snout, looking sad to be caught, but happy to be back home. He never did get over his romance with wandering the neighborhood until it was his time and he left for bigger and better 'diggins'.

We miss the little chocolate lab that was in our midst for a very short time. I am not sure what was wrong with it, but it had a very strong will and needed a very strong hand to train her. She was a biter and ill tempered, not the usual puppy . . . something was not right so she was returned to the shelter along with her new bed and toys and hopefully someone has found a way to train her but I honestly doubt she will have along life, something is not right.

So I've had my day with animals to train and to love. I am happy to love Pat's dogs and I talk to a neighborhood cat or two. There is a white cat that thinks she owns my porch and loves my back yard. I consult with her on occasion but she goes her way and I go mine and we are happy with that. So my animal days for caring and walking are over and I can pet the neighborhood animals as they visit and wait for a greeting. Me, I'd rather curl up with a good book . . . I don't have to take it out and clean up after it.

So enjoy your pets and love them. I know how much joy they bring to our lives, and that is a two way street. Make today a good one, rain or shine. Count your blessings.

Images

A little sense of humor to brighten your day; and we didn't think pigeons had a purpose in life. A bit of anticipation goes a long way. I once painted a picture of a lovely wall covered with beautiful red flowers and in the center of the garden was a statue of St. Francis of Assisi with a pigeon on his head. I couldn't resist the picture in the magazine and had to paint it; a bit irreverent but then what would our world be like if we did not curry our sense of humor.

I went into Erin's archives to see what is new and different and found a new type of picture that can be put together, similar to an art picture reminding me of Andy Warhol and his famous art pictures of the 'stars'. I think my granddaughter looks every bit as good . . . there I go, using my bragging rights again. I am not sure about the umbrella picture as it is not clear enough for my eyesight. I think it is Erin counting rain drops as she certainly doesn't have the umbrella protecting her from the raindrops. Most likely she is looking for puddles to jump through.
I do love the picture of her hands holding the camera as I know she is having a great time doing something she loves.

As for the pictures we have been seeing on our television screens since the devastating earthquake in Haiti, I wanted to get away from the sights and sounds of the horrific aftermath. I do not watch horror movies so it is much like putting on the television and finding yourself glued to the scenes before you and hating every minute of it. Your heart hurts, your head hurts, and you cannot stop watching the horror because you are looking for a happy ending and there is none. My heart goes out to the people of Haiti who are suffering at this moment and all I can really do is pray. I am uplifted by the men and women who are rushing to the rescue and hope they make it in time to save many. Hundreds of thousands have lost their lives and a country is completely devastated with no one powerful enough to stand up and take over and lead the way until help gets to them. Our countrymen are there and will find a way and soon we will see the order and the help needed. The world at large is slowly and surely coming to help and soon we will be listening to stories of heroic proportions and we will see some light at the end of this very dark tunnel.

So today offer up a prayer or two for all of these souls that are living through an immeasurable tragedy that one cannot even imagine unless they are a part of it. Most of us have had a small taste of a hurricane or a rumble of an earthquake but have no real knowledge of feeling our entire world disintegrate before us. Allow your compassion and love to flow today . . . go light a candle . . . listen for what you can do and do it. Make your day worthwhile.

How come?

Poor old Harry Reid of Nevada, a man I used to admire and liked, but have changed my mind since he became the Senate spokesman and seems to have lost his touch as he and his fellow compatriots follow the leader without much thought to what is best for his constituents . . . ah, power and its destructive best, a common theme when we talk about politicians. At one time he was a man of integrity and spoke his mind and his love for Nevada showed. Now he is apologizing for saying words that are true . . . our President is light skinned, our President does use a dialect when speaking to the Negro population, which by the way is a name that was once said in pride . . . Negro. . . now it is said that this is old fashioned, gone by the wayside and we need to go with African American. We are a nation of blended colors, a mixture of genes that come from so many different sources, there is no 'pure' blooded races in our world. History tells us that when we read about the conquests of war wherever there has been one. . .and there has been one everywhere you can mention. I get tired of all the rhetoric about 'names'; we are who we are and I don't think we were given choices. So Harry Reid, I am not upset about your choice of words, but I am upset about your choice of personal change . . . where is the strong and wonderful man who gave so much to his State and to the people living in it, no matter what they called themselves? You do not read my blog, but I am sure your staff reads my letters. My chore for today, a letter to Harry Reid for old times sake.

So today, if you have a mind to write to someone, think about that representative that may be changing his colors or his name or putting blame on everyone but him or herself. Maybe they need a small reminder that your admiration and vote is in jeopardy and they need to 'get over themselves' and get back to work for America and all of the Americans no matter how they spell their name or the color of their skin . . . black is beautiful; milky white is Divine; yellow spells sunshine; green is our grass; brown is our earth; red is the blood we have spilled along the way to allow us to be American. . . so find your pen and write, you remember how, O O O O and / / / / . . . now that should bring back some old memories.

Wondering

Grab your coffee and sit awhile. I'm on my second cup and it is not bad at all. Some mornings it is like dish water and some mornings it is like thick black oil that would melt a spoon. Not sure why I am not consistent as I have been making pots of coffee for a lot of years. When I was very little, Pa used to have a big mug of coffee waiting for me when I got to the kitchen with one eye open and no desire to be up and about. He would have it fixed with milk and sugar and piping hot and one sip and the world became a better place. Over the years we have heard it is bad for us, or on the other hand good for us, guess it depends on the coffee growers and those in charge of making money. I never hear the tea growers claiming anything about their tea leaves, well, maybe if the tea leaves do not leave a good message. We used to turn our cups upside down and turn them around three times then try to read our fortune. A drop of tea in the cup meant a trip over water . . . that makes sense; a bunch huddled in a pile meant that we were going to have visitors and that didn't always set well as we would have to get off our duffs and make a pot of tea and something to go with it. I personally liked the little figures that meant love and marriage and a happy ever after future until I discovered that I didn't really know how to read tea leaves, nor did anyone else I knew. I think I have a little booklet in my bookcase that tells me about tea leaves, I'll have to scan it and see what it has to say.

Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, now that was a twosome that brought tears of laughter into our lives. I enjoyed seeing the cartoons which brought back a lot of memories. So I'll offer a prayer of thanksgiving to the two of them . . . "Thanks for the Memories" . . . can't you hear the signature song of Bob Hope? Hum the words and the tune will come. . . 'how lovely it was.'

Well the cartoonist are at it already. How they got to Lays potato chips already is beyond me. Tiger deserves to be ridiculed for being stupid. I think of his father who held such pride in this young man, and held him in such a lofty position, might wish to retract some of his self pride and take time out to teach his son a few of the basic facts of life. There is so much more to life than becoming a golf pro, or a football hero, or a baseball czar, or a politician in high office, absorbed in a life style that brings about a myriad of temptations as power and money light the way. Tiger is paying a terrible price for becoming so self absorbed that he forgot the true principals of life. The mighty have fallen and it is very, very, sad as it has an effect on all of us.

So, today check the newspapers and magazines for some cartoons and have a good laugh , or a good cry, as comedy has two faces as we do, one we show to the world and one we show only to the mirror on the wall. I hope your inside you is as happy as your outside you, if not, then today is a good day to start changing 'for the better' . . . call a friend, give out a hug or two, light up the world and smile with your heart in your eyes. I'm humming . . . "Have I told you lately that I love you . . . well 'darlin' I'm telling you now.

Say Cheese!

"It's three o' clock in the morning, let's dance the whole night through ". . . la, la, la . . . I'm awake . . . . why? Good question, I have no idea. Wide awake and wondering what I should blog about. My cartoon friend, Maxine, should be telling tales about us. Maybe I'll cuddle up in my wing back chair, turn the television on and see if there is a movie playing . . . that usually puts me to sleep. But before I go, I thought you might enjoy the picture of the penguins with the caption of having a group picture taken when a sea lion hogs the lime light by sidling in and clowns for the camera. You have to admit it has quite a smile and it certainly gets attention. I bet I have a dozen or more pictures in my picture box with group pictures and there is always one with some one making a face or clowning around. This reminds me of the day I dressed my three children up in their best finery and took them down town for a photo shoot. I wanted to have a picture of the three to send to family members and of course a big one for my wall. All went well until we got to the studio and then my daughter Eileen, who was probably all of three at the time, decided she didn't want her picture taken. She had a stubborn streak a mile wide and she put both feet down and a very sulky pout which she never changed. The photographer all but stood on his head to make her smile, but she just frowned more so he snapped the picture. I kept them, in a drawer. It took a lot of years before I captured all five of my children in a group picture, in a studio, that shows them all looking at the camera, but not all smiling,but a glimpse of one on its way. So why crossed eyes, waving hands behind peoples heads and all the foolishness that goes on when a camera is at the ready always puzzles me. Like saying 'cheese' and moving just as the photographer snaps the picture. I guess we think we are not photogenic and hide our own natural beauty under the guise of tom-foolery. Everyone I know shies away from a camera . . . 'don't take my picture' . . . and I look at them and know just how they feel, I don't like my picture either. Excuses, excuses, bad hair day, too fat, too thin, not dressed pretty enough which boils down to 'false pride'. Get over it! I have a new camera and I love taking pictures so when you see me coming . . . smile.

Each of us has a beauty all our own, it came with us when we arrived. Take out your albums and take a peek, enjoy the pictures of YOU when you developed into that wonderful special person you are. Make today special . . . just like YOU.

musing about cold and snow

These pictures came in an e-mail from a friend who lives in high desert country where they had some snow this year but nothing like this little storm that hit Quebec City, Canada. I am sure if we could cull a few pictures from the newspapers across county we would find similar pictures as the entire country has been in a deep freeze and ice and snow had been falling by the ton. I came from Massachusetts where the winter storms came in with the master stroke of a genius and changed the landscape from leave less trees and rocky terrain into a wonderland of icicles and mountains of cold stark whiteness that permeated the air with silence. I saw it through a child's eye and no one could convince me that I was not looking at a snow mountain. It certainly seemed that way and it was fun as the shovels came out to clear the walkways, the plows moved slowly along the streets, and all we could do was find the Boston flyer and head for the hill at the top of the street and steer down past the big toboggan with the big kids screaming loudly as we tried not to steer into a huge snow bank. I can tell you I have never opened a door to find that much snow piled up. Hopefully the housekeeper knew a storm was coming and had plenty of supplies until they could be dug out. I have seen lots of pictures of the Lake Tahoe area where houses have been inundated with snow and the upstairs windows are barely seen. What a feeling of isolation that must be and how the imagination takes over with a story in the making. Seeing I am confined in with my 'ague' maybe I'll start a new tale.I could start by telling of a drive down the mountains, over the Donner Summit where the walls of snow hovered over the car wide one way path to more open roads where the scenery was breathtaking beyond the words to describe it.

There is always the good side about the beauty and the fun of a huge snow fall that lasts for days and days, then the other side of the coin shows the bad side when ice and slush create driving conditions that multiply into costly accidents. A myriad of problems comes about but the dauntless people in our world become heroes as they help one another through the worst and best of winter. We are good people, most of the time, too bad it takes Mother Nature's bountiful gifts to appreciate each other . . . a snow storm . . . a hurricane. . . a tornado. I wrote this poem a few years ago called "I Often Wonder"

The elements show themselves/in so many varied forms/I often wonder is this God's way/ to keep us well informed.

The oceans circle round the globe/the mountains reaching high/moisture forms and soon a storm fills the sky.

The thunder roars/lightening soars/sending rain/upon the earth/the soil becomes a muddy pond/the trees bend/from the wind/I often wonder Is this God's way to show He sees/ the foolishness below/how come the summer storms/are soft/the world a soft glow/are we doing something to please His very soul?

This earth can tremble/crusts do move/the earth can split apart/I often wonder / Is this God's way to show the mean at heart?/ When winds collide/and form a cone/cyclonic forms arrive/ to take whatever is in its path/I often wonder/ Is this God's way to show the greedy they should share today?

The ocean can be smooth as silk/shimmering in the sun/then turn to fury/as the waves/pound heavily on shore/flooding areas/and homes are no more/ I often wonder/ Is this God's way to say we are selfish and hoard/and hoard and hoard.

Volcanoes erupt up into the sky/spuming heavy clouds/of ash and smoke/making lava rivers/to destroy anything in its path. I often wonder/ Is this God's way of telling us/nothing is forever/so wake up/pay attention/help to change our ways/ so God will make the elements behave.

With all of that I didn't mention snow . . . seems that God sends us tons of snow to calm us down, makes us realize that there is more to life than hustle and bustle . . . a time to take our measure and decided what is really important in our lives. . . so today, the start of a new day, snow or not, take a "time out" and become introspective and bring out the best in you. Hugs to you.

Tremors

I was sitting in my wing back chair enjoying a program called 'Bones' when I felt the jarring pull of an earthquake. I asked son John if he felt the earthquake and he said no, but daughter Pat came bursting in the door telling us we should be on our way up the hill because we just had a 6.5 earthquake out at sea, actually south of us near a town called Ferndale, and a tsunami wave might be a possibility. We talked her out of going up hill and figured the alarms would go off telling us we had ten minutes to get up hill. As it was, the newspapers had alerts on the computers immediately telling us no tsunami was expected. How they can tell is beyond me especially when the quake is happening right in the ocean waters. I am a firm believer that you cannot out run nature, or any disaster that is pending, think of those long lines of cars bumper to bumper with no where to go when you could be sitting in 'your' chair with a hot cup of tea and a crumpet or two waiting for whatever is in store for you. The young ones can run, I just don't have that kind of energy and the legs just would not go into a running mode. I am lucky they are still in a walking mode and believe me it is a very slow pace. All in all it turned out to be a 'corker' and luckily there were very few injuries. From the write up on the web, the mall in Eureka had a lot of glass breakage and one antique store lost a lot of plates and lamps. They are having a sale today on broken glass for people who do mosaics. Always a way to make a buck!

I'm glad to hear that it was a earthquake that I felt. I often do in that chair so it was not a new feeling, but a familiar one. We have them quite frequently but not of that size. Having lived in Nevada where we experienced many an earthquake, mostly small in size, introduced me to the feeling of the tremor. I've never been in a big one, nor do I have a desire to be in one, but living on the West coast where earthquakes predominate you know enough to follow the rules and hope for the best. Like all of natures tantrums we learn to live with them and we have learned how to take care of ourselves . . . I think we are to have a three day supply of water and food in our survival kits, although I got very tired of finding the survival kit worn out before its time.

Enjoy TODAY, one never knows what is in store for us. Mother Nature is full of surprises. Dot your 'i' and cross you 't' and don't forget say the words , 'I love you', it could cause a little thump and bump in your heart.

Short and Sweet

We do not have a mall here in Brookings but we do have Fred Meyers. I wonder if I could talk them into putting in a slide like this. Just think of the fun everyone would have. The powers that be are getting ready to build a new medical facility, small, but so needed. I was looking around for some news that you might find of interest, but hearing about my chills isn't going to do it. I think it is a flu, but so far nothing has developed...a headache hovers and stalks me. As Katrina the Great I usually get a cold or a flu and it doesn't hang on long but this one has been very strange to say the least, zaps all the energy. . . maybe that is what daughter Christine was talking about when she spent a week in bed during the Christmas holiday. Anyway it is about to spoil a birthday celebration for Dee and I will have to forgo the dinner out and the festivities. I can't go play a few pennies, I can't clean house . . . now isn't that a shame!!! I am off to sit in my chair wrapped in my blanket and sipping my tea playing lady of the manor as I watch the latest movies . . . too bad I don't have a few folks around so I could snap my fingers and ask for a Tid- bit or too, maybe I'll order one of those little bells and invite someone in who already has had the flu. I don't like being sick! I don't like it at all.

So get yourself out in the fresh air, bundle up, eat well, drink lots of fluids, stay away from sickies like me and enjoy your day. Just stay well and take good care of you.

Shiver me timbers!

This was not an easy puzzle to do. It took more than a week to separate the pieces and all four orange cats looked alike as did the two Maltese ones. Friend Sharon brought this down as a Christmas gift and didn't get back to find a piece or two. My new rule, here at the house, is whomever comes in cannot leave until they find a piece of the puzzle. There is nothing stingy about me, I am always ready to share hard work. I had another one given to me which has to do with quilt squares and I have a feeling I am not going to do this one. Garish colors all mixed up within squares and nothing makes sense. I guess I am not in the mood to tackle it now.

I woke up at four a.m. freezing and shaking. I have never had that happen before unless I had a bad case of flu. I am not sure if it was the awful food we had for lunch yesterday, which made Pat sick, although I had no reaction . We had soup and salad. the soup was okay but a bit salty, which most restaurant soups are, . . . and the salad was down to the tale end of the bowls and the beets were tangy and sour. The casino has a three dollar lunch for seniors. . . that should tell us something!

A friend sent an e-mail yesterday telling me he was going to send me two of the puzzles he had finished. A nice thought, but I have ten puzzles in my front closet. I told him I thought they were multiplying as they waited for attention. I sent a quick reply and a big hug and told him to give them to the senior centers where the folks do puzzles all the time and in some places they glue them together and hang them along the corridors. A fitting picture to admire after all that work.

Now, with the weather rainy or snowing in most of the country, it seems to me this would be fun for the family and friends to get together and put a jig saw puzzle together. It is like eating peanuts and you can't stop. Years ago when we couldn't afford pictures for our walls we did puzzles and glued them and hung them up for all to see. Some were truly beautiful. The paintings of Beverly Doolittle are now puzzles are a real challenge but the big one we did or the balloon festival in Reno was the piece de-resistance as it took months to finish it. It was a double poster size and every balloon was fired up and in the sky, colors the like I had never seen before. It took my friend and I a good three months to get the last piece in and owner of the small casino framed it and hung it out for everyone to enjoy. So sort the pieces, take your time and enjoy the hunt. And Thank YOU . . . NO . . . I don't need another puzzle.

A ViewFrom My Porch

I went outside on my porch to check my winter garden which, as you can imagine, is looking pretty sad. The unexpected cold has taken a toll and several plants look like they may not come back. Our wonderful garden guru writes a column in our local newspaper and she tells us not to worry and not to cut anything back because spring will come and the plants will come back. I hope she is right because right now they look as dead as a door nail. I gazed up at the sky and saw this beautiful sight so had to go and get my camera and show you our storm clouds. The trees are in an open field leading to the ocean, and that tiny strip of deep blue just above the tree line is my view of the ocean from my porch. Those wires are where the birds come and settle hoping for bird seed to be put into the bird houses in the yard. On the left is smoke reaching for the sky and that comes from the mill that is making plywood twenty-four seven. They tell us that there is no residue in that smoke, but we all know better as we sneeze and cough and see little green spittle from the large chip piles in the open field. Look at that cloud, it was massive and it dropped a whole lot of rain, no complaints, the garden can only prosper from the gift from heaven.

Storm Clouds. Have you ever seen a storm come in/above the ocean wide/the pale blue skies begin to hide/behind a long bleak cloud/turning gray and partly black/whipping up the tide.
The drenching rain begins to fall/and brings a howling wind/frothy waves build up tall/stirring up the sea/hiding floating buoys and fishing boats/ beneath the swells so high/the fishermen batten down/the lines they have to tie/
The horizon line seems missing/as the clouds descend the sky/leaving misty/eerie shadows/on the sea so wide.

I hope you have a storm or two to make your gardens grow. There is nothing like a good storm to clean the air. Put on your raincoat, galoshes too, then take a walk in the break of a storm and feel the softness of the air and the God given aroma of life. Make this day a soft day, relax and enjoy.

Fire Up The Grill

I used to look like that once upon a time when we had a big back yard, a grill and loved to eat out of doors. I don't remember my aprons having frills though, more like a complete coverall that took care of everything from hot handles to wiping up a quick spill. We used to have a garden and grew red radishes that were crisp and spicy. My family ignores radishes in any dish and turn up their noses, but I think they are missing out, three of those crunchy radishes a day and you get all the vitamin 'A' you can handle.

Many years ago, my Rhode Island neighbors would drive home from the hot city, after working all day, and be greeted by me holding a spatula in the air inviting them to 'dine' with us. Hobo, as we called our friend Hobart, grew every vegetable and flower imaginable and we were always first on their give-away list. Minnie Mouse as we called Minnie Florence, invited us over on Sunday mornings to home made pancakes and we became family. Whenever I write my novellas they are in it somewhere . . . see what a picture of radishes can do . . . memories . . . right where they belong. I hope you have some favorite foods that bring along memories to make you smile.

I was checking out some other blogs yesterday and was amazed to find so many cooks out there. The pictures are mouth watering and the recipes read like a master chef is in the kitchen. It is so good to know that there are so many interested in cooking from scratch, a far cry from the chemical eating that goes on with some of the younger crowd. I wonder how expensive they are to make as the recipes call for ingredients I've never heard of. I have been a pinch and snip cook all my life and find that I'm losing my touch now that I no longer have a family to cook for. Eating alone is a challenge and it has taken me a long time to cut the recipes down to size. I love spaghetti and still make enough sauce to feed a family of six. A good thing there is a freezer to put the excess in. I wonder if it is wishful thinking when we don't cut our recipes down to size, but then left overs do have a special place in the refrigerator and sometimes sit a whole week before going down the garbage disposal. One area of a store I used to shop in had special packages in the meat department for one or two people. It was so easy to find something to fix for a dinner. They do not have it at Fred Meyers here but they do have a butcher counter and the lady is really great about picking out a special pork chop or a tiny steak for me. so I'll stick to my pinch and snip cooking and continue to buy my fifty cent bunch of radishes and cut them up in my salad and enjoy and leave the large scale cooking to the lucky ones with families to eat it all up.

I hope you have favorite vegetables to add to your salad and stay healthy and happy. Pull out the grill, put on your apron and cook up a storm. Don't forget to invite a couple of friends over and who knows they may bring along something crispy in red, hopefully in a bottle. I think I know where the cork screw is.

A Photographer In The Family

I just went onto Facebook and found that Erin, my granddaughter, the photographer, the snowboard whiz and a very personable, delectable and delightful young lady, had posted albums on her page. She and her friend, Jessica, went snowboarding up in the Tahoe area and was greeted by a ten foot snowstorm. Needless to say they were in their element and had so much fun as you can see from the pictures I 'borrowed' from her collection. While there it happened a jazz band or two were playing and Erin got to photograph them . I'll have to get details next time I see her. She has hundreds of photographs to see, but I didn't want to borrow too many so you can go into Facebook and see them for yourselves.

"He loves me, he loves me not." She had three pictures of the dandy lion flower to see, one in full bloom, one as I show it here and a last lonely nub that told a story as you blew the fine tiny white pixels up to the sky. I bet you looked for dandy lions to tell if your first love was true or not. Ah, the small treasures in life that make it all worth while. Spring will be coming along in a few months so we will be able to find lots of dandelions to spread around . . . wonder if that is why we have so many.

It was pretty clever to take pictures within the sunglasses. What a novel idea and a good one as it makes it much more interesting to get a peek at the view the skier is surrounded by. The drive up to Lake Tahoe from Carson City is awesome and I'd like to have a nickel for every trip I made up over the summits in the years I lived in Sacramento and Nevada. The bus always made it no matter how big a storm was brewing as those snow plow folks and the 'chain gang' were always at the ready to send you on your way. In my mind I can see the vistas and the views and one that remains is the train route up over the mountains when the snow has blanketed the area and it looks pristine and so beautiful. I always wanted to take that train ride but just never got around to it. I think it took too many hours to get up there and I was always in a hurry to play my nickels in the slots. Those were the days when a jackpot was thirty-five dollars and it was considered a big win. Today it takes thirty-five dollars to play the penny machines and no win, but still fun to try.

So if you have a camera and love to take pictures, today is a good day to go outside and look for people, places and things to put on your blog or in Facebook if that is where you like to be. Breathe in the fresh air, check the clouds for pictures, hike out and about and work up an appetite for some hot clam chowder or a bowl of chicken soup. . . although Amy's lentil is tops on my list. Consider yourself hugged and go out and share one.

After all the rain the river is high so fishing should be great. It is time to go out for those steel heads and my taste buds are at the ready, all I need is for Pat and her friend Jock to go fishing and bring some home. They are willing to go fishing but it looks like the weather is acting up and the cold persists along with rain and wind,so I may have to wait awhile longer. That shouldn't be a problem as I should go on a very strict diet and give my system a chance to regroup from all the rich foods of the holiday season. I don't know about you, but there was little or nothing missed around here from the stuffed turkey to the prime rib and all the trimmings and deserts. Oh, I almost forgot the spiral ham which was so tasty and we will be eating if for the next month. Our Fred Meyer managers were right on target with all those coupons to help defray some of the cost. It's a good thing they had them in the newspaper for us to use or we wouldn't have been able to buy their expensive meats. Thirty dollars or more for a ham is ridiculous, ten dollars off makes it sound much more reasonable, but in the long run, although I cannot fault the ham, I can't imagine why it has to be priced so high on the hog as they make their way to the bank and we head for the poorhouse. I know, I know, they did not twist my arm to buy it, but they just made it look so good I couldn't resist and now I am trying to find new recipes to help me find appetizing ways to get rid of it . . . ham casserole, ham salad, ham and eggs, pea soup from the bone, if I ever get to the center of the piece I have. Um . . . I have an idea, why don't you stop in and have a ham sandwich or two. I'll put the coffee on.

Make today a good one, enjoy the rain, or the snow, or the wind that blows, plan a fishing trip when you can.

Charge

We had high waves coming at us yesterday when we went over to Sport haven beach with a beef sandwich from Quezno (I never can pronounce it, so how can I spell it) . . . way too much, although it was tasty. The whales must be going by but we cannot see the spouts as the mist lies on the water and the wind makes a lovely spray which looks exactly like the whale's spout. There were a lot of folks out walking their dogs and watching the incoming tide. I already did a blog this morning but it got lost in the shuffle . . . I have no idea where it went. I likened 'charge' to the little cards we use during the holiday season with such aplomb and yesterday when the mail came along with it came the bills to pay. I spent a little time trying to find out why I didn't balance my account only to find I forgot to enter one item. I was lucky as it was a small amount. I am not very friendly with myself when I am dumb enough to make mistakes not in my favor. I was hoping to give my little card a rest but I see that Valentines are poking their little hearts out especially in the candy department. I'm not over the holiday peppermints yet. I suppose Easter bunnies will be out peeking through the cellophane in their big baskets begging for a home....well, not this one, I'm having an early lent and giving up sweets so I can move some of the extra calories I added during the holidays. We had fresh crab, right from the ocean given to us last evening as we sat with our left overs and swore we wouldn't eat another dinner. I'm back to simple meals, well, after John leaves for his job, then I'll be back to simple eating, well, maybe after one or two more left over meals. I think Pat bought a ham to feed the hungry and I have half of it in my refrigerator, one of those spiral deals that melts in your mouth. How I am ever going to get to that "Oh, Jean, you look so thin!" is still the biggest mystery around here.

I hope your mailman doesn't bring too many of those envelopes that require an instant slice of your income; but at least,I hope you had fun shopping and gifting those you love. I did. Make today a Sunday to remember, go shopping for next weeks groceries, salad makings, fresh fruit, and a loaf of pumpernickel bread . . . now that I'd buy in a heart beat. Stay healthy and happy.

"PUSH"

I receive messages and small videos from "Simple Truths" which are done so beautifully in words and pictures about life in general. This morning the story was about the eagle who knew it was time to push her eaglets out of the nest for their first flight and she was musing about it. She thought of all the pitfalls and all of the things that could go wrong, yet, it was time for the 'push'. It was not easy as the eaglets did not want to be pushed out of the nest but she knew that it was the most important step of all . . .'the push' . . . so that they could be set free and independent. My, how mother's equate with that story. Of course it brings back a memory when my first born was ready to attend kindergarten and I walked her over to school then spent the morning at my friend's home, across the street from the school, just in case I was needed. I had just given my first 'push' and I wasn't ready for it, but she was. A lesson learned and I had no trouble pushing the rest of my brood on to bigger and better things in life.

I gather we have an ingrained clock in our system when it comes to pushing. We find it is not something we liked to do but something we have to do. I bet each one of you has a story to tell about being pushed or pushing. So today, thank your lucky stars you had someone who loved you enough to give you a 'push' and look in the mirror and see how successful you became . . . that wonderful person who is beautiful, bright and independent. Make this weekend a good one and if you know someone who needs a 'push', then for heaven sake PUSH!

The First Day of Our New Year

A New Year, 2010, and I woke up at two a.m. and again at four a.m., so what happened to my resolution to sleep in? It probably went out the window and joined the blustery storm we had along with my resolution to eat lighter and will break today as I have already heard the menu daughter Pat has planned for us . Prime rib, ham, scalloped potatoes, a huge salad, black eyed peas and a luscious ginger crust pumpkin pie. Resolutions? What resolutions, they will be gone before the first day is over.


I don't know about you, but I have problems keeping tract of the days around holiday time, especially when they come in on a mid-week day and throw off my sense of time. That's not all bad but it leaves me confused wondering just what day is it . . . well, today is Friday, so I'm off to a good start with a weekend to enjoy and some good company along with it.


We had a celebration last night, a table cloth, candles left forgotten on the sideboard, bowls of snacks, a lovely glass of red wine ,which gave us heartburn later . . . so much for expensive wine . . . where's the good Merlot at half the cost? The main entree was beans and hot dogs with very zesty pickles and no one complained. Daughter Pat won another game of scrabble; um. . . I'm slipping, I used to beat her all the time, guess I'll have to sharpen my nails to scrape the right tiles. John put on the new tape Pat bought him for Christmas , the latest Dan Brown book which we started to listen to in the car and it is so good we finished it off in the house. By eight-thirty Pat was home in bed asleep. John and I lasted through a couple of TV shows, although I'm sure I slept through some as the characters changed. I lasted until eleven-forty three and remember I shut my light out with a Happy New Year to All. The last I saw of John he was heading for his computer. I did see the news and I did see the new ball drop in New York and watched the crowds of people enjoying the sights and sounds of an old year passing and a new one starting. Let's resolve to pay attention to what is going on around us. I'm breaking another resolution and making a statement about politics...which I was never going to do again . . . right ! 2010 is a voting year....remember what has transpired this past year! Be strong, be independent and vote for Maxine who start the year off with "You're never too old to really hurt yourself trying something new", and " I have the promise of a New Year! This year, for example, I promise to be even crabbier than usual." Aha! I'll drink to that! MAKE THIS YEAR THE BEST ONE EVER!!!! HAPPY NEW YEAR !!!