Neeley Notes

Little visitors

2012-01-04T16:51:00.000-06:00

Our grand daughters spent a few nights with us last week (which may account for how tired I appear in the picture). Our dog Belle loves to look out the window and does it several times each day. Natalie also likes to look out the window and Dave caught them both in this picture.

Eat to Live or Live to Eat

2012-01-02T15:24:00.000-06:00

It is that time where many of us make resolutions to improve ourselves during the coming year. I guess most people make the same ones every year--mine are usually the same ones anyway: Get fit, lose weight, etc., etc. I was talking to my 8-year-old grandson Sam about resolutions and we decided that "Be nice" would be a good one. So, I am going to try that one on for size this year. Less sarcasm, nagging, criticism toward others, as well as towards myself.
As far as the perennial lose weight/get fit resolutions go I have settled on these two:
Do some yoga every day
Eat to live (not live to eat)

Time to write

2011-12-31T18:00:00.000-06:00

It is time to write! I have neglected my blog for a few months, not for lack of material, but for lack of interest in writing.
Dave and I had another good vacation in Mexico, but it has an unhappy aspect as well. My cousin, Bird (Roberta) has small cell lung cancer, a fact she discovered while we were visiting. We stayed for two weeks, and during that time Bird's health steadily declined. She is now at home, has received chemo and has another dose scheduled. She has told her family that she won't recover, but her doctors think she can have a few more months.

E-Reading

2011-10-06T13:04:00.000-05:00

I purchased a Nook Color earlier this year and I really have enjoyed using it. I do not buy many books, but I do borrow a lot of books through the Nebraska Library Commission. Sometimes there is a wait, just as there would be if you borrowed it from your local library. Something I just found about (or paid attention to) is that on Fridays there is always a free book to download.
If you have a wireless connection you can check your email, listen to Pandora, read the latest news--all for free. There are also lots of applications, free and for purchase, including the game Angry Birds. My grandsons like to play that a lot! Recently Austin was using the Nook Color to play Angry Birds and somehow ended up at the applications menu. He clicked on 'browse for more' and ended up buying a couple of games and books! I have since activated the password feature--hopefully he won't figure it out.

Getting Ready

2011-09-23T11:36:00.000-05:00

Eleanor's Neeley relatives are coming Monday for a visit. All told the number stands at 10, so we have been busy with planning for a luncheon. They should all arrive about noon, and we will head for my house for lunch and visiting. I will take the great- nieces and nephews out side or to the basement, so everyone can visit. Eleanor's hearing aids work best with one or two people talking, so a big crowd will only confuse her.
She had a good visit at Dr. Donovan's office and her next appointment is in January, so the shots have been having the desired effect on her back and hip. Next week will be a busy one as she has visitors on Monday, a perm on Tuesday, and plans to go to the movie matinee of "The Help" on Wednesday.

Fish Camp

2011-08-09T22:07:00.001-05:00

Earlier this year Dave bought a camper at Calamus Lodge, a camp ground near Calamus Reservoir. We have been there a few times, he more than me. I call it Fish Camp. Dave thinks we should call it our Lake Home. Last weekend we were in charge of our grandsons, Sam and Austin, since their parents went to Cancun for a long weekend. We took them to Fish Camp/Lake Home for two nights and had a wonderful time. Fishing was not good, but we gave it a try. We will try again another time. We toured Fort Hartsuff and had a great time there. I cannot say enough good things about this State Park. YOU SHOULD GO THERE. We spent time at 3 different beaches at Calamus Reservoir and all three were great. Actually the whole place is a beach since it is a reservoir in the sand hills. Also toured Happy Jack Chalk Mine, which the boys really enjoyed. All in all it was a great weekend.

The Doctor will see you now

2011-07-20T22:57:00.002-05:00

Several weeks ago Eleanor's leg/hip pain got to the point where she admitted she needed something more than Aleve or Excedrin. Dave scheduled an appointment with Dr. Donovan at the specialty clinic in Seward. He thought he was lucky that he didn't have to go to Lincoln. Eleanor has been there several times for shots, which are not pleasant and have very serious side effects for her. She was lucky enough to get an appointment in Seward, but it was at 8:10 a.m., a difficult time for her. Dave called her at 6:30 a.m. and was over at her apartment by 7:15 to help her get dressed. (Have you ever thought about helping your mother put on her underpants and brassiere?)

They made it to the clinic in time for the appointment and when they made it to the exam room the nurse said "You are here for a shot? Well, I don't know why they scheduled the appointment because Dr. Donovan is out of town and you can't have a shot."

An appointment was made for this week in Lincoln. The pain clinic called yesterday to remind us that Eleanor has an appointment in Lincoln on Thursday. Please be there a few minutes early and bring your insurance cards because we verify them at each visit. They called again today to remind us that Eleanor has an appointment on Thursday. I really really want to call them tomorrow and say, "Eleanor has an appointment with Dr. D on today at 2:00 p.m. Please make sure she will be available to see Eleanor."

Who will replace the monarch?

2011-06-07T11:26:00.002-05:00

Dave and I got hooked on a BBC television series, Monarch of the Glen. We have watched 57 episodes, seasons one through six on Netflix, on the "Play Instantly" feature. We love this series! But, we have watched every single one that is available to us. Apparently Netflix has not acquired season 7, the all important end of the series where all the loose ends are tied up! How dare they!
Sure, we could read the TV show home page for a description of each episode, but it is not quite same. So, off to Amazon.com to purchase the DVD of season 7. Will it ever get here? And, what will we watch next?

Washington Week in Review

2011-05-18T12:02:00.001-05:00

We had another great vacation! This time we went to Virginia and Washington DC. The main reason for the trip was to attend the wedding of my cousin (on my Mom's side) Katie Sloper to Matt Johnson. They chose Algonkian Regional Park as the location of their wedding, and it is a lovely place. Many of the guests stayed at cottages in the park. We chose to stay at the Hyatt Place in Sterling, VA. We did not drive or rent a car, so the hotel's van service was greatly appreciated, especially on the day of the wedding when 3 loads of wedding guests were transported to the park for the wedding and then home again late that night after the reception.
Since we were going to be in such a great tourist area we decided to add days to our trip and do some sight seeing. We arrived at Dulles Airport on Thursday, May 5, kind of late in the afternoon, so spent the rest of that day getting settled in our hotel and eating supper at a great restaurant just across the street, The Sweetwater Tavern. Evidently this is a chain--wish there was one in Nebraska! We ended up there on Sunday night as well.
Friday was spent touring the National Air and Space Museum near Dulles. Everything from kites and gliders to the space shuttle Enterprise is displayed there. Mike and Mary picked us up on Friday evening for the rehearsal dinner which was held in nearby Reston at the M & S Grill. Another great place to eat! It was nice getting a chance to connect with my younger cousins, and re-connect with those closer to my age.
Saturday was the main event, the wedding, so we decided to be shoppers instead of tourists, and we stayed pretty close to the hotel. We walked to Dulles Town Center, a good sized shopping mall about a mile from our hotel. Every building we saw in Sterling looked new, and there is a lot of vacant office space.
The wedding was lovely. Pictures are on the right. We enjoyed meeting Mary's good friend Jane and her husband, as well as George, my cousin Thene's husband. We had a great time at the reception--a fabulous meal and a fun time dancing.
Sunday and Monday were our days to tour DC. To get there we took the van from the hotel to the airport where we caught the 5A bus which dropped us at L'Enfant Plaza. We were within walking distance of everything we wanted to see. We spent a lot of time at the US Holocaust Memorial Museum on Sunday and at the National Museum of the American Indian on Monday. We also did a walk through at the US Botanical Garden outdoor area. We only saw 3 museums while we were on our trip, but we spent quite a bit of time at each one. We both enjoy that a lot more than racing through so you can get to another destination.
My cousin Mary and her husband Mike (parents of the bride!) were back to their normal routine on Monday, so we took the metro to the King Street station Alexandria where they met us and gave us a driving tour of Old Town Alexandria and treated us to supper at their favorite Mexican restaurant. While we were waiting at the metro station for them to pick us up we noticed an Embassy Suites right across the street. Embassy Suites is our favorite hotel and we often talk about our plan to live out our declining years at one instead of going to a rest home. It would be cheaper, there is happy hour, they clean your room every day, etc. etc. We also have a plan where we live for a year at Embassy Suites around the country. This looks like a good one to put on our list!

Minnesota Book Awards 2011

2011-04-24T16:29:00.001-05:00

Last weekend I spent some time with my cousins on my Dad's side of my family, my 'McLellan' cousins. My cousin, Carol Connolly, was the recipient of the 2011 Kay Sexton award for contributions to Minnesota's book community. She was honored at a gala sponsored by the St. Paul Friends of the Library. It was so much fun to be there! The event started with cocktails in the lobby area of the Crowne Plaza Hotel on the river in downtown St. Paul. Then we moved into the ballroom for dessert and champaign. All 700 of us! It was a sellout event.
Carol knew that she would receive the award and had her remarks ready. She was introduced by Mayor Coleman and gave a lovely and somewhat humorous speech. But not too long of a speech because last year's recipient went on for 45 minutes after a 30 minute introduction, so Carol had been warned to keep her remarks brief. Actually, Mayor Coleman spoke longer than Carol did.
The Minnesota Book Awards honor authors with Minnesota connections and I believe there were nine categories of awards. The books are nominated during the year and voted on and then the award (which this year was a lovely glass sculpture) is presented at the Gala. It played like the Oscars. Big screens around the room featured the book covers as the nominees were announced. Suspense built, and then an envelope was brought to the podium and the winner announced. A three-piece jazz group provided music. It was a BIG DEAL.
The next day, Carol's daughter Katie had a brunch in honor of her mom. Here are some pictures:
https://picasaweb.google.com/Joanne.Neeley/20110420#

Basket Case

2011-04-14T17:11:00.002-05:00

March was the month I made baskets. (I know April is half over, but I just got around to taking some pictures.)
I took a basket weaving class at the Hand Weavers Guild in Lincoln and was pretty happy with the results:

Kitty Meow was checking it out just as I snapped the picture.

Last fall I watched a demonstration of basket making at "Threads Across Nebraska" where the nice lady from Vogies Quilts & Treasures was making a basket using strips of fabric and cotton clothesline.

The book she was using was called It's a Wrap and she was just zipping along making a beautiful basket. I stood and watched and talked to her and was hooked. I made one basket right away when I got home, but I gave it away with some Mary Kay products in the basket silent auction at the Seward Memorial Library in November. I kept thinking about all the baskets I wanted to make and all the scraps and strips of fabric that I have, so when I went to Minglewood Lodge that is what I took with me to work on.

Bread Basket

Easter Basket

Chiropractic Care

2011-04-10T13:34:00.000-05:00

One thing I never thought I would do was visit a chiropractor. And, now, here I am with 3 appointments last week! Just 2 for the coming week, though.
It started when grandson Sam was having trouble with his back after a fall from a playground slide. Visiting his GP at the medical clinic did nothing to ease the pain or help him stand up straight, so his parents took him to see Dr. Wild. That helped almost immediately. Then they shifted to Dr. Hackbart because they felt he was more thorough and gave them a plan with an end date. After several appointments for Sam, Liz decided to go. About twice a year her back "goes out" and she thought she would have this checked out. She said that when he adjusted her upper back she realized that she had been uncomfortable for so long she had grown used to it and didn't realize what it was like to feel good.
So, when I saw Dr. Hackbart at the Spring Show I took advantage of a coupon and went in for a consultation. I have not had quite the dramatic results that Liz has experienced but I do feel better. I has a relapse this week after watching our 3 grand daughters for a day, but my back is starting to feel better.

The Swedish Triology

2011-04-03T15:42:00.001-05:00

I am, of course, referring to the 3 books by Steig Larsson, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played with Fire, and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest. I finished the third one last week. I will admit that when I read The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo last summer I was not that impressed. The first part of the story did not "grab" me and I found it a bit confusing. Also, this book has a lot of violence towards women and I wondered if I could take any more of that, so I put off reading the 2nd and 3rd books. However, I saw The Girl Who Played with Fire on the "on fire" shelf at Seward Memorial Library last month so I picked it up. The "on fire" shelf is reserved for books that are in constant demand and are therefore only available for 2-week check out, as opposed to the usual 4-week period.
I had a hard time putting down that book! Same with The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, which I finished last week. I had to make myself accomplish one or two things around the house so I could give myself permission to sit for several hours of reading!

Calamus Camper

2011-04-02T20:21:00.001-05:00

Last week Dave bought an old camper that is sitting on a parking spot at Calamus Lodge. Yesterday Dave loaded up the Jeep, including me and our dog Belle, and off we went so I could see it and we could do a little clean up. Dave keeps telling me the camper "has potential" and I can see his point. He will use it pretty often as a home base for fishing trips. I will go along, but probably not every time.
We are novice RV owners and it took us quite a while to get things working. We could not get electricity to the camper until Dennis, owner of Calamus Lodge, came and discovered the contacts were corroded. After he cleaned that up we had power!
Connecting our plumbing so we could have water took much longer. The camper has been re-plumbed and it was a bit confusing. After a few phone calls to the previous owner we could flush and run water in the kitchen sink. The bathroom sink will have to wait for another day because the faucets are not yet connected. We think we burned out the water heater when we turned on the power before the tank had time to fill, so hot water will have to wait for another day as well.
Yard work was also on the agenda and we picked up leaves, twigs and small branches around the camper and got a good blaze going in the fire pit.
The previous owners left a lot of stuff including dishes, silver ware, pots and pans, beach chairs, bedding and a hot plate to name a few. We threw out some stuff and cleaned up the rest.
Another project was to shorten the window blinds. I got a few of them done, but there will be more to finish on the next trip.
Attached to the camper is a screened porch, about 20 x 12 feet. I think that will be used a lot this summer. The camper is old, but there has been a lot of updating to the interior: new kitchen counters, sink and cupboards, new wainscoting and trip and paint, new blinds, new bathroom fixtures, so it is pretty nice inside.

Quilting at Minglewood (click for link to their page)

2011-03-29T17:32:00.002-05:00

I spent Friday, Saturday and Sunday at Minglewood Lodge near Gretna, Nebraska, with 9 other quilters. We worked on lots of different projects and had a great time. The lodge is new, finished last fall. It is a great spot for a get away like we had, and not too expensive. You could have 11 people stay if two people do not mind sleeping together in a double bed. The rest of the beds are all twin size, two or three to a room. I would like to get another group together that could go during the week.

The Sherlockian (book review)

2011-03-27T19:55:00.000-05:00

Finished The Sherlockian last week. It is written by Graham Moore, and I enjoyed it a lot. I have read a lot of the Sherlock Holmes books which as you know, were written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The Sherlockian is about solving the mystery of Doyle's missing diary from October through December 1893. The Baker Street Irregulars were expecting one of their own to reveal the missing diary at their meeting in January 2010. He, of course, turns up dead instead of turning up at the meeting where he was to reveal all. Newest member, Harold White, sets out to solve the murder and to find the missing diary.
Author Moore uses the device of alternating between Harold White in 2010 and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in 1893 and gives us the explanation of the missing diary. If you are a Sherlock Holmes fan, you may recall that this is the time period when Doyle "killed" Holmes because he was sick to death of writing about him, and sick of the attention Holmes was receiving from his adoring fans. (He later resurrected Holmes.)
Graham explains all in this very readable book.

Time for a book report

2011-03-24T13:58:00.001-05:00

I have read several books over the last few weeks but one that I really enjoyed was I Think I Love You by Allison Pearson. The title refers to the song by David Cassidy of Partridge Family and teen idol fame. The story starts out in Wales where 38-year-old Petra is going through her mother's belongings after her funeral. In her mother's closet she finds a letter that is addressed to 13-year-old Petra. She opens it to find that she and her friend Sharon had won a trip to meet David Cassidy-- 25 years ago. Her mother disapproved of Petra's teenage crush on David Cassidy and so she never gave her the letter. Only days before Petra learned of her husband's infidelity; that coupled with her mother's death and the discovery of the lost letter make Petra decide to call the magazine that sponsored the contest.
Another part of the story involves Bill who gets his journalism start by writing for the Essential David Cassidy magazine. He virtually makes up the David Cassidy that all the young teenage girls in the British Isles love. He also answers a lot of the fan mail. He is, naturally, totally embarrassed by this job, because the only people who like David Cassidy are 13-year-old girls. 25 years later Bill manages several magazines and when Petra calls to inquire about her trip to meet David Cassidy, Bill goes against the conventional wisdom that Petra must be a crazy old lady and turns it into a series of magazine articles.
I Think I Love You captures that first love feeling very well. Allison Pearson did interview David Cassidy for a magazine article a few years ago, and she was enthralled with him when she was 13 years old. She spins a great story from this material.

Mexican Diary, part 4

2011-03-17T21:47:00.001-05:00

3/3 (David) If one was going to spend time down here it would be good to work on Spanish more than the week or two before coming down. Bird has a great workbook that looks like a HS primer. It would be good to look at words and verbs to refresh the little knowledge I have of the language.
Today I am going to see Jim at the fishing store and take the shore reels with me. I want him to do a quick assessment to see if they are worth repairing, or maybe I should purchase a new one to leave at Bird's house. Then they could use it for a quick trip of beach fishing.
(Joanne) We spent yesterday in La Ribera, doing laundry and playing with the puppies. When all the dogs are barking and running around the yard it is a pretty wild scene. The dogs will all bark at anyone who is walking past, and at horses and cows that wander by, and at rabbits and at other dogs and the list goes on. It can be a noisy place.
Dave and I went to the restaurant bar on the beach, LaCosta, and had a drink. It is an outdoor sports bar--big TV and all. Good margarita!

3/4 (David) Yesterday we went to Los Barriles to the recycling center, the pharmacy and to do some banking with Bird. Then on to the spa Buena Vista. I have never been there when it has been crowded. There were a few more vacationers there this time, but all in all I think the spa has been passed by.
I talked with Jim at Flyfishing in La Ribera about the 4 reels Smokey had given me. He suggested I throw 2 away and one spinning reel one trolling reel were usable. Clean them up and put line on them and they should be usable when I go fishing from the beach. He suggested mid-October through November as the best time to fish. August and September are great, but it is so hot that it makes fishing a chore.
I have been thinking about things in the states as our time comes to an end here. I have decided to make an appointment with Dr. Tewes in April to begin the process of knee replacement. If the insurance company says no I will look into a trip to Singapore and drop my insurance. why not live on the edge? Joanne will have to come to her own decision about insurance--pros and cons.

3/5 (David) Still windy. The wind has blown and blown the past 3 days. Huge dust clouds are going through town and across the roads when you drive. The sand of the Baja is on the move. The wind and dust have limited our adventures outdoors, so I have begun a project of cleaning and oiling the two reels that I kept; once I get them put back together. I might have line put on them, or do it myself.
We went to eat last night at La Trinidad. Smokey always comments that their food is great but too expensive. The food was great! Joanne had a fish platter, I had shrimp and Bird had a fillet mignon. The soup and salad bar were wonderful. The dinners were superbo and the strawberry cheesecake was excellent. It was perhaps one of the best dinners I have had. After the lobster on Magdalena Island and all the other food I have enjoyed here on the Baja I am afraid to see what the scale might say.
Some exercise will be in order when we return to Nebraska. For now I resolve to eat less while I am here.

(Joanne) Yesterday we called DeVonna Simpson, a Coldwall Banker realtor, and she took us to look at four properties in the area; 3 in La Ribera and 1 in Cabo Pulmo.
First was Casa Castro, a 3 bedroom home on a large corner lot with very nice landscaping. $290,000 US. A lovely home, but more than we require.
Next we looked at a row of apartments that is close to Bird's house. Four are finished, six more started. They sit on a bare city block. Each is a 1-bedroom, 1-bathroom with a small kitchen and a patio. $280,000 USD. They are new and nicely furnished, but we are not looking for a business. LasBrisas Apartments.
Next we drove to Cabo Pulmo to the National Park to look at Cabo Pulmo Casita #19, a studio casita in the Eco Resort of Cabo Beach Resorts. It is off the grid so uses solar panels and propane for electricity. It would be a good choice if you were into snorkeling and lots of outside beach activities. Short walk to the beach. But, it is very small, basically one large room with a bathroom. $115,000 USD. It is a 25-minutes drive from LaRibera. Six miles of the road is gravel and very bumpy and curvy.
Back to La Ribera to look at a fixer-upper, Casa Ramona. $35,000 USD. Two small bedrooms, 1 bath and the kitchen and living area in a separate building. I need a lot more imagination to figure out how we would fix it up!
If there would have been a property about half the size of Casa Castro and about $200,000 USD I may have been more interested.
Bird has offered to rent her upstairs to us as an apartment and that is the idea that makes the most sense. There are definite drawbacks: Eleven of them are barking right now.

3/6 (Joanne) Yesterday was too windy to do anything outside, unless you were a windsurfer. The sand and dirt were flying and the view toward Los Bariles was almost obscured by the haze of dirt in the air.
In the morning I went with Bird to buy items from the Veggie Man. He pulls up and parks at Cliff and Carol's and a lot gringos show up to buy fresh produce, eggs and tamales. We had fresh tamales for breakfast even though we thought we might never have to eat again after our supper at La Trinidad on Friday night.
The rest of the day we spent puttering around--Bird made some delicious strawberry ice cream for dessert and we had a chef salad for supper.
I am glad I brought a library book, a knitting project and a sewing project along for something to do.

3/7 (David) An eventful afternoon with Harold. We went sight seeing around the area. First we visited a cave in the arroyo at the Los Cuevas bridge. The cave was created by the floods in the arroyo during rainy season. There were nests of bees, bats and a watering hole for cattle, horses and local wildlife. Harold likes to drive around the area looking at local sights.
On to Santiago. We had visited this town on our trip last year to the hot springs. We went to a waterfall which is mostly dried up due to a lack of rain. The Mexican government has declared the sight an ecological treasure and has built guest houses and cooking areas for 8 families. Weekends and holidays are popular, but it was deserted when we visited. Beautiful place. Far off the beaten path.

Back to Santiago for dinner. Harold usually purchases a beer and when it is gone he stops at another store for a trade in. We had an excellent dinner and then visited Harold's casa--a two car garage and a camper. His garage houses a boat and SUV and a living area with table, chairs, cots, refrigerator and freezer. A real man cave! He is having an addition to the garage with a lean to constructed to cover his camper and space for outdoor dining and a cooking area.

3/8 (Joanne) Our last Baja sunrise for a while! Time to go home to Nebraska where the snow is falling again.
I am really glad we had the opportunity to visit Sol d mayo yesterday. It is west (and north?) of Santiago--an alternative tourist destination. There is a "secret" waterfall that we hiked to see. The flow of water was diminished because of low rainfall, but it was beautiful. I think I would like to stay in one of the casitas in the park.
Harold, Bird, Dave and I ate at Paloma, a restaurant in Santiago. We ate there a year ago when we were visiting. Good food. I can't say we have had a bad meal while we have been here.
Harold likes to take off and explore the back roads and arroyos so he knows lots of great stuff to go and check out. We told him several times he needs to start a tour guide service. Manly Dog Tours--look for it when you are in La Ribera!

The Mexico Diaries, part 3

2011-03-14T15:56:00.001-05:00

In the mangroves

3/1 (David) The whale watching and fishing surpassed all expectations that I had. Gabriele picked us up and we left in his panga (fishing boat) with a 60 HP Honda motor. We went in search of grey whales and found one who spent 2-3 minutes next to our boat with Bird and Joanne scratching him furiously. He wanted to rub his skin to remove some barnacles, so our panga was convenient for him. What a thrill! Next fishing at the mouth of the Bay. We caught a cozen barracuda and eventually arrived at a small fishing town with a restaurant that cooked our catch. We filleted 2 barracuda and had one cooked in garlic and butter and the other was battered and fried. Both were excellent. Tortillas, bean, cabbage and salsa made an excellent luncheon for the 5 of us. We stayed on the island overnight and had lobster for dinner. Before dinner we went beach combing for a couple hours and found lots of sand dollars and other shells. Gabriele has 2 Honda 4-wheelers and they were great fun to drive. Very comfortable and if I were to buy a 4-wheeler I think Honda would be a good choice. Joanne's birthday? one to remember!

(Joanne) Yes, it is a birthday to remember! We had a great breakfast at our motel and then went a few blocks to Gabriele's home where we parked our vehicles and climbed into the panga. G drove to the launching spot and we were on our way. First spot on the tour was the mangroves where thousands of birds were perched. Then we were off to check out bird island where thousands more birds sat and watched us go by. We saw cranes and egrets close to shore, and pelicans, cormorants, gulls and loons out on the water.
As we got closer to the mouth of the bay we saw whales spouting, and several more tour boats and pangas. We could see whales breaching the water and their tails slapping. G moved the boat a few times to get closer. As we moved through the water, all of us looking ahead, we heard a spouting whale right behind us. G cut the engine and the whale swam up to the side of the boat where we could touch her and she could scratch herself. We put our hands in her mouth, scratched her back and looked into her blow hole. I think awesome is the word I would use to describe the experience. G has a low whistle which we think helped keep her around for so long. She pushed the boat and came up under us and that was pretty exciting as well. The other tour boats came over to check it out, G kissed the whale, and then she was gone. Wow!
Next we put our fishing lines in the water and at the second spot we tried we were successful. All four of us hooked barracuda at the same time, keeping G very busy. We caught about 20 fish before going in. Smokey has a large barracuda on his line and a sea lion tried to take it. Actually the sea lion took off a big bite! The sea lion followed us after that, looking for more lunch.

Gabriele holding the barracuda taken from a sea lion

When we got to Magdalena city we stopped for lunch at Miramar restaurant where 2 of our barracuda were filleted and cooked for us. Very tasty!
The island was our destination for the evening. G went to prepare the beach house for our overnight stay while we finished our late lunch. We walked to the house and were pleasantly surprised. It was just right for our stay. Two ATV quads provided entertainment and transportation to the Pacific side of the island where we picked up shells and sand dollars and walked on the beach. It is a beautiful place. (But I do want to take a big trash bag and pick up litter next time!)

Beach house on Magdalena Island

Slept well after our lobster dinner. We also had ceviche made from our barracuda. Delicious! Sunrise found us on the front porch enjoying our coffee and watching whales and a sea lion. Perfect.
G came and picked us up for a panga ride back. We saw a "feeding frenzy" on the bay as the pelicans went for sardina!

3/2 (David) Sunrise on Magdalena Bay was picturesque. We drank coffee, listened and watched for whales and watched for the sun. It broke the horizon and was fully visible within a minute. I don't recall the sunrise occurring that quickly in Seward. The whales never disappoint us. We watched them from the porch of G's home on the island. They were always there spouting and swimming the surface.
Smokey left for San Diego when we returned to Constitution as he has doctor's appointments at the VA Hospital. They are planning to put radioactive beads in his prostate to stop the cancer which is a pretty aggressive treatment. My friend Jimmy had the procedure done on his liver cancer but not successfully. Hope and pray that Smokey has better results.
The drive home was long but uneventful. Joanne drove from C. Constitution to La Paz and I drove from La Paz to La Ribera. We were all pretty worn out and after a chef's salad and a couple Modelo Lights we went to bed. Joanne reads before going to sleep. Pillow prop up her head and a small flashlight under her chin--that's the last sight I have before going to sleep.

More Mexican Diary entries

2011-03-13T16:55:00.002-05:00

2/26 (David) We met Harold, the local fishing guru. He loves to fish and enjoys telling stories about his exploits both on the sea and on the land. I think he could give a great tour of lots of interesting places on the Baja. He also knows a lot about the night life on the Baja. Joanne and Bird are working on the Animales y amigos fundraiser for Saturday, so Smokey and I worked on projects at Casa Azul. We ran the wire for his internet hook-up and fixed a screen door for the main room. Today we will pack for our trip to San Carlos where I am sure we will have a great time and hopefully will catch fish and see whales. I am in charge of the evening meal, so I plan to find the Super Pollo truck and purchase chicken dinners. Note: Bird cheats at Mexican Train.
(Joanne) It has been "Arts & Crafts" time for me as I have been working on decorating 2 large donation jars for the animal rescue group. Bird is very active in rescuing dogs, and the group has 2 events this weekend, a garage sale on Saturday morning and a vaccination clinic on Sunday morning. Right after the clinic ends we are heading for San Carlos, a five hour drive.
Today there is a road race involving cars and motorcycles that will be going through town. We may go check it out, but I think we will be able to hear it from the house. I have been able to check email every day. The weather at home sounds awful--ice and snow. Glad we are here!

2/27 (David) I am not sure that an ATV is the vehicle for me. I practiced on Bird's 4-wheeler for 20 minutes and then Joanne and I went for a drive around town. I haven't driven an ATV before, but I did have a motorcycle in the 70s. Not sure I could take more than 25-30 minutes on one as it is stressful on my hips and knees. The roads and intersections won't allow much more than 15-20 mph, so a wild ride at 40 - 50 with the wind blowing through your hair was out of the question.
No Super Pollo--the bus never arrived, so probably will order pizza and /or spaghetti from a local place. I would have to find a hobby or project if I were down here longer than a week or two as I feel an urge to accomplish something. Buying an 8-pack of Modelo and having a few beers doesn't qualify as a major project--although quite enjoyable. We will have to plan better for next week since Smokey will be in San Diego. I will have time on my hands to get some adventures planned and completed.

(Joanne) The big garage sale fund raising event was quite successful from the fund raising aspect. It was held at a home that is Se Vende (For Sale) in La Ribera. I heard $500,000 to $600,000 as the asking price. It is a beautiful 2-story, 5 bedroom, 5 bathroom home on 4 lots. Gorgeous patios and gardens. That started a conversation with Bird about buying property here, which ended with an offer by her to rent us their upstairs apartment.

2/28 (David) Happy birthday Joanne! I hope you have a great day whale watching, fishing, and staying on Magdalena Island over night. We had a long drive over mountains and desert to get to our destination. The trip from La Ribera to La Paz was less than 2 hours, but was mostly through mountain passes and up and down the cliffs. From La Paz to Constitution it was a straight shot over high plains down to the Pacific coast. We arrived in San Carlos at about 6:30 p.m. and found our hotel, a small establishment with 5 rooms to rent. The owner offered to cook us dinner and prepare huevos rancheros for breakfast. Our trip to the island will begin at 8 a.m. The town of San Carlos has grown considerably since Smokey and Bird were last here, 7,000. Lots of poverty with people living in 12 x 12 plywood shacks, but it seems each has a satellite dish on it. Our guide for today is Gabriele, and he has 2 boats and will be taking us in his smaller one, a 16 foot panga. He seems quite the businessman. Vanamous compadres!

(Joanne) I will celebrate my 62nd birthday with a boat trip/fishing expedition/whale watching adventure. We drove all afternoon to get to San Carolos where Bird and Smokey have a friend with a boat. We didn't leave until after 1:00 p.m. because Bird helped run an animal vaccination clinic in the morning. Dave got a good dose of Mexican driving, and did a good job. Our hotel is the Villa Isabella. It is very clean and well-maintained. The proprieter is a young woman who is helped by a cook and security guard. We ate a great chicken dinner for our supper. Bird and Smokey's friend Gabriele is a very personable young man. He is Jehovah Witness, very clean cut and polite. He and his wife have a beautiful home in the midst of a lot of poverty. Lots of hurricane damage has been repaired (from 2009) but there is more to fix.

The Mexico Diaries

2011-03-12T21:01:00.001-06:00

We spent 2 weeks in Mexico, Feb. 22 through March 8. While we were there Dave and I wrote in a journal almost every day. Here are some excerpts:
2/23 (Joanne) Here we are "home" in LaRibera with Bird and Smokey. We had a good trip. At the Houston Airport, "George Bush Intergalactic" as our pilot called it, we got to ride from the gate in terminal C to the gate in terminal E. The driver saw us walking, stopped and asked us where we needed to go. I think we are now officially old people--or at least we look like them. Bird picked us up at the airport, and off we went for our first fish taco of the trip, at a little stand half a mile from the airport. There are several changes at Casa Azul: a "cool pool" and a cistern, graveled patio areas (helps keep sand out of the house), a coffee pot in the guest quarters and new dogs, to name a few. The trees are growing, flowers look beautiful and the tangerines we just picked are tasty!
(David) Sunrise on the Sea of Cortez! What a great sight. I made coffee this a.m. and we are enjoying the view. The weather? Looks to be a great day and we will be going to Los Barriles. Last year we went once for dinner and entertainment by Jeanetti Spagetti, the singer. Bird and Smokey are planning a fishing trip on the Pacific side of the Baja. Also some whale watching is a good possibility. I've seen whales from a distance both times I've been here, but now a chance to get up close--sounds great but a little scary. Hopefully we will get lots of photo ops. It is easy to see why Smokey and Bird love it here. The views are great, and their home is so wonderful. The "guest house" where we stay is an upstairs apartment which I could be happy living in. Not a lot of room, yet it is so comfortable and has such great possibilities.

2/24 (David) Awoke to the sound of dogs defending the casa. Not sure what enemy, foreign or domestic was posing a threat to the casa, but we were well defended. Sight-seeing in Los Barriles was fun and we had an excellent lunch of chili rellenos. Lots fo the resorts up on the East Cape are struggling. The Ranchero Buena Vista has closed since we were here a year ago. It was a beautiful resort and I am saddened by the lose of places like it. The beach, pool, and apartments are not what the typical tourist is looking for today. The local worker earning 80 pesos per day ($7) cannot afford to stay there and American tourists are searching for arcades, waterparks, and high speed internet at their resorts of choice. We visited a veterinarian's office and a bakery on the way back from Los Barriles. Interesting people--Smokey and Bird really know lots of local people. They try to help local businesses and quality of life issues quite a bit. They are good people.
(Joanne) We stayed up late (after 10:00 p.m.!) last night, playing the domino game "Mexican Train." It is a fun, easy game to play; Bird and Smokey taught it to us last year. We will probably play the card game "Golf" a few times while are are here also. We enjoyed our lu nch and sightseeing in Los Barilles yesterday. I bought a silver bracelet and we did a quick look around a real estate office where Bird's friend Pam works. We toy with the idea of spending more time here, but we have a good set-up staying with Bird and Smokey, so we don't need to buy a house! But it is still fun to think about it :) The usual five dogs are here: Amiga, Blanca, Chui, Nubi and Dori. Also present: Maggie and her four puppies. Maggie was spayed yesterday and Bird may have a home lined up for her on another home for one of the puppies, so 3 to go!

2/25 (David) Yesterday Smokey taught me how to make fishing rigs for deep sea fishing. I have never fixed up rigs for ocean fishing, so it was interesting and I produced several. Let's see if they work on our fishing trip. I went to a fishing tackle store yesterday and met Jim, the owner of the shop. He is in a wheelchair and is a very soft spoken, articulate man. He was very interesting and knowledgeable about his craft. He asked if we would give him a report on fish caught and equipment used when we return from San Carlos. Smokey is going on to San Diego after the fishing trip, so I look forward to going to visit with Jim again.
(Joanne) We had really windy weather here yesterday which postponed our plan of taking the dogs to the beach. Instead we worked on a project for Amigos de Animales, Bird's group that rescues stray dogs and cats. They are holding a garage/bake sale this Saturday. Bird and I took some donations over to Betty, who will price everything. I have not seen stray cats in La Ribera, just lots of stray dogs. Now I know why; they are all living at Betty's casa--13 or so. Bird and I returned Maggie to the vet in Las Cuevas because she pulled out some of her stitches from her neutering surgery. We will have to go get her this morning--good thing too because her puppies miss her. I went with Bird to Happy Hour (Thursday version) and met several of her friends, some of whom I had met on previous trips. Bird mentioned that we will be celebrating our birthdays and that she will be 16 next Leap Year. I believe a "Sweet 16" party is already in the planning stages!

The Fallbrook House

2011-02-15T16:55:00.000-06:00

Dave and I have been members at the Fallbrook YMCA since last October. We try to go two or three times to the Water Fit class, and have decided that when we get back from our Mexico trip we will be ready to try another class, or go off on our own to the weights, etc. I think I would like to have some sessions with a personal trainer.
Anyway, as we drive into the Fallbrook subdivision I always admire the homes. There is a lot of variety in the designs, and the way the subdivision is planned is also appealing to me. The houses have an alley behind them so the garages are in the back, reminiscent of the neighborhoods of my youth. Many of the homes have front porches as well as decks--I like a front porch.
Several weeks ago as we drove around after our workout we spotted a house with a For Sale sign--there are not very many of those in Fallbrook. One Sunday as we were driving back from Omaha and right by Fallbrook we decided to see if there was an open house still going on. Sure enough, we got in there just in time. As we were walking through the home I knew it was too big for us. Also, it is on a corner lot (more snow removal) and the master bedroom is on the second floor (probably should look for something all on one level!). But, it is a beautiful home. I was surprised to hear Dave making inquiries as to the price, taxes, age of the home, etc. He likes it too.
I can't stop thinking about that house. Impractical. We would have a lot to do before we could sell our house. But still . . .

Back to the Library

2011-02-09T13:44:00.001-06:00

It was time to return books to the library yesterday and there are two I meant to write about from the bunch I had at home. Now they are gone, but I will try (with a lot of help from Amazon.com to write about them.)
The first is The Happiness Project: Or, Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun by Gretchen Rubin. This is a carefully researched book--Rubin takes notes on everything she reads and eventually uses the notes in her books. She was not an unhappy person when she started the project, but definitely thought she could be happier. And, by the end of the year of making and keeping "happiness" resolutions, she is happier. She also has a blog where a lot of this material is available. I became a happier person because I read this book--and you could too!
The next book is The Survivor's Club: The Secrets and Science that could Save Your Life by Ben Sherwood. (Have you noticed that I read a lot of non-fiction?) According to Sherwood, two questions are central to this book. What does it really take to survive a catastrophic event and what kind of survivor are you? Lots of examples and stories of survival--really interesting and fascinating. One of the most interesting questions for me was why more people don't survive? The last section of the book will help you determine if you have what it takes to be a member of this club.
I recommend both of these books!
We are caring for our two grandsons while their parents are on vacation this week. They both picked out books to bring home. Sam is now reading chapter books, and Austin can read the beginning level readers. It is fun for me to see them reading.

Skin Cancer

2011-02-01T15:56:00.002-06:00

I have had a scare in this new year. Sometime in December I noticed a strange spot on my right shoulder, right where my shoulder goes from pointing straight out to where it changes into my arm. This spot resembled a pimple, or maybe a boil (but I am not sure what a boil looks like), or some type of infection. I attempted to squeeze it thinking it probably was a pimple and that it would 'pop' and then would heal and not bother me. It would not squeeze--it just hurt when I did that. Next I tried applying hot packs thinking this would 'bring it to a head'. This did not work either. My sister-in-law looked at it when she was here for Christmas and said I should have it looked at, sooner rather than later. Christmas and New Year intervened as well as a few other things to do and then I went to see my doctor on January 14, a Friday afternoon. She looked at it, said "It looks like skin cancer. Come back on Tuesday and we will take it off." That was kind of scary, and I thought her manner was a tad abrupt.
So I went back the next week and she removed the spot, which by this time had grown a bit. It required five stitches to close the wound, and when the deadening stuff wore off, it hurt a lot. Three days later I got the call from her nurse telling me it was squamous cell cancer, probably caused by sun damage. The good news was that it was not melanoma.
The stitched were removed after one week and sterile-strips plastered over the incision so it wouldn't open up again. Today is two weeks since the incision was made and the sterile-strips are gone, but my shoulder still hurts.
While I was having the sutures removed I asked Dr. Froehner to look at my nose which has a red spot on it. She told me it as pre-cancerous and 'froze' it. I am waiting for the peeling to stop, but I think I will have to go back and have her do it again.
We are going to Mexico in 3 weeks and I think I will wear a hat, long sleeves and sit in the shade. Sigh , , ,

Quilts

2011-01-24T20:47:00.001-06:00

Last fall I decided that I would make quilts for my grandchildren's birthdays, and possibly for children and in-laws. So far I am not too far behind. I made a doggy-themed quilt for Natalie's 2nd birthday in November. Next I made a flannel quilt for my son-in-law for his December birthday. He told me a few times how much he liked the flannel quilt I made for Dave a few years ago, and I have a hard time thinking of a good birthday gift for him, so, when I saw a flannel quilt kit that looked fairly masculine I bought it. Next came Maggie's December birthday and since she likes frogs I found a kit which had frogs prominently featured. These three quilts were well-received, so I was encouraged to keep going with this idea.

Liz had a January birthday and I have a quilt top finished, but have to find backing for it before I can finish it. I did check with her before I started another quilt just in case she wanted something else. I should be able to finish her quilt this week, just a few weeks late. Shelby and Jill have February birthdays and I have a good start on Jill's quilt, but have to shop for Shelby. Jill suggested cats, so that is what I will look for.

Mark lives in Phoenix and I don't think he needs a quilt (didn't ask him though--maybe he does???), so I am not making one for his January birthday. I have a plan for Sam's quilt which won't need to be finished until July, and that just leaves Austin in June.

Whew! What was I thinking?

No Time on my Hands

2011-01-23T17:15:00.002-06:00

Well, actually I have quite a bit of time on my hands, and so I spend a lot of time reading. No Time on my Hands is a book I read in December, a book loaned to me by my daughter-in-law, Jill. The book is by Grace Snyder, as told to Nellie Snyder Yost. I really enjoyed this book about an amazing woman, Grace Snyder. She was born in Missouri, and moved with her family to homestead on the high plains of Nebraska in 1885 when she was a small child. One review I read described the book as "Little House on the Prairie" for grown-ups, and that is probably pretty accurate.

When she was 80 years old Grace Snyder told the story of her life to her daughter, who (thankfully for us!) wrote it all down. It was a fascinating tale of the hard life of those who settled here in Nebraska. The family faced droughts, prairie fires, and hard times, as well as the fun and satisfaction of working together as a family. Grace told Nellie she was blessed by having "no time on my hands." As a seven-year old she had three dreams for her life: that she would marry a cowboy, look down on the clouds, and make the most beautiful quilts in the world. All three dreams came true for Grace.

Grace went on to live another 20 years and the edition I read included an epilogue of her final years. Her quilts have been in shows all over the US. Mollie Newman interviewed Grace in 1982 as part of her preparation to write the musical Quilters.

Another book I read in December was 4 Hour Work Week by Timothy Ferriss. The reason I picked up this book at the library was because of the sub-title: Escape nine to five, live anywhere and join the new rich. It was "live anywhere" phrase that caught my eye. I am not currently employed, nor do I wish to be, so the 4 hour work week doesn't apply to me, but it was really interesting to read about. the author explains how he did this, and actually got more work done. It does involve outsourcing, never attending meetings, and cutting way back on phone calls and unnecessary emails. Tim's philosophy is that you should not work all your life saving for retirement and then do something fun and/or interesting. It is about lifestyle design. Figure out what you want to do during a mini-retirement and then go for it. There are lots of strategies for generating income to finance your mini-retirement, lots of stories from people who have done this and are living this lifestyle. Also, you do not really need to be rich to go live some place exotic for 3 to 6 months, you just have to know how to plan for it and find the bargains. You can live like the rich without being rich.

One reason this is appealing to me right now is because we are in Nebraska in the winter, yet again. I want to be some place where it is warm. Dave and I are also feeling tied down because we feel like it is wrong to leave for any length of time (two weeks is our maximum right now) because his Mom might need us. That makes any kind of trip sound like a great adventure. We started helping my mom in 1998 when she had heart surgery and then a stroke, then added Eleanor in 2004 one month after my mom died. My aunt Marge was here for the last 2 years of her life. It is a lot of taking care of little old ladies, and it is taking its toll.

No time on my Hands and 4 Hour Work Week are almost complete opposites, but I found both very interesting to read. By the way you can read most of the 4 Hour Work Week on the Blog. You will have to get past the 4 Hour Body (his current best seller), but most of it is there--for free.

A Bonus Day

2011-01-04T21:02:00.001-06:00

Thanks to Allegiant Air Mark had an extra day here in Nebraska. Dave drove him to the airport in Grand Island to catch his 7:55 p.m. flight on January 3, dropped him off and came home. About 8:40 p.m. Mark phoned and told us that the flight had been canceled! He was very disappointed. They were handing out hotel vouchers, but his flight wouldn't be for another 22 hours so he didn't want to stay. Dave and I hopped in the car and drove back to Grand Island to pick him up, getting there about 10:00 p.m. and back home about 11:30.
The good news is that today he got to spend time with his nieces at the Children's Museum in Lincoln. It was Maggie's last day of Christmas vacation so her Mom was looking for something special to do. Mark and Dave met them this morning and had a great time.
Mark was able to print a boarding pass for today's flight on our printer, and then off we went. We got to Grand Island a little early, so had time to eat an early supper at El Torro, our new favorite restaurant. Well, maybe not the favorite, but a new favorite, and Mark should be home very soon.

Retirement

2010-12-21T18:54:00.001-06:00

I retired earlier this fall and I have to say that I do not miss work. I miss seeing the folks I worked with, but I do not miss doing the work. I guess that means that it is a good thing I left! So, what have I been doing with my times since I retired?

I read a lot. A few of the books I read get reviewed in this blog--maybe half of them. I have been doing a lot of sewing. I made quilts for Natalie, Rob and Maggie in October, November and December. Right now I am working on a quilt for Baby Floyd Johnson, and I am thinking about the quilts I will make for Liz, Shelby and Jill in the upcoming weeks. I am knitting, but not as much as I thought I would. Probably because of all the sewing I have been doing. There really are a lot of things I want to make. I sometimes go to quilting on Wednesday mornings at the Seward United Methodist Church, and then I stay for the Knitwits meeting. The Knitwits make baby afghans for each baby baptized at the church and prayer shawls and lap robes which are distributed to those who need them.

Dave and I joined the YMCA in Fallbrook (a Lincoln neighborhood). Our plan is to go work out 2 or 3 times every week. So far our workouts have all been the Water Fit class. This is good because we have not hurt ourselves! We have been providing child care for Sammy, who has been sick several times this fall, and that has cut into our workout time. We also spend time with Eleanor. Dave sees her every day; I don't go as often. Maybe after the first of the year we can get back to our original goal, and also try out some of the other classes and equipment.

I spend quite a lot of time on Facebook, and reading various blogs and on-line news, as well as email. I recently "unfriended" about 20 people on Facebook. There were different reasons--some people I really did not know very well and rarely see, so I decided I didn't need to read their postings on Facebook, and some people posted things I found offensive, silly or just plain stupid. My favorite thing to do on Facebook is play Scrabble with my cousin Jim. He has beat me every single game that we have played, but I think I may have a chance in the current game--I believe it is game number six. Fortunately for me, he still wants to play!

One thing we have not done is travel. We talk about place we would like to visit, especially Mexico. Maybe next year.

Birthday Party

2010-12-20T15:41:00.001-06:00

Granddaughter Maggie turned 7 years old on December 18th. She had a slumber party with her friends on her birthday and then the family party was on Sunday evening. Quite a bash--9 kids and 11 adults, and lots of loot for Maggie! She really would like to have a dog, but Mom and Dad say no for now, but she got a great stuffed animal dog from her Grammy Lynne. Not sure what she will name it yet.

I made a quilt for her, but didn't get a picture of it. She also likes frogs, so I picked a novelty fabric with lots of frogs on it--also turtle, lady bugs, worms and flowers. It is quite colorful!

Books and Movies

2010-11-28T21:23:00.004-06:00

During the last week or two we have watched two movies and I have read three books. We watched "Invictus" and "Book of Eli" and liked both. Invictus stars Morgan Freeman as Nelson Mandela and Matt Damon as Francois Pienaar. The action takes place in South Africa in 1994-1995 as Mandela is trying the mend the country from the wounds inflicted by years of apartheid. The Springboks rugby team is an unlikely candidate to win the world cup, but Mandela sees it as a means to help bring the country together if he can get the team to play well and represent the entire country. Another part of the plot revolves around Mandela's security team integrating and coming together to protect their leader. The title refers to a poem that Mandela thought of often as he was imprisoned for 27 years. Clint Eastwood directed.
Denzel Washington stars in the Book of Eli as the man who must carry the last copy of the Bible on a journey to the West to an unknown destination. He walks by faith not by sight in more ways than one. There is a lot of violence in the world due to a war that ended 30 years prior. A blast blinded many people and landscape is desert-like. There are confrontations and destruction along the way, most notably in a wild west type town controlled by a despot. Denzel Washington does a great job with this role. I remember some criticism of the movie as being religious when it played in theaters. Well, it is religous--it is about the last copy of the Bible for heaven's sake! I liked it.
I read Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood at about the same time I watched the Book of Eli. Oryx and Crake also takes place in a bleak future world where the main character, the Snowman (aka Jimmy) seems to be the only human left alive. He is not alone though because his best friend Crake has invented a new human-like species which Jimmy has managed to save as the rest of the people have died from a fast spreading plague. Most of the book is flashbacks as Jimmy tries to remember his words and his previous life and figure out how it all happened. Oryx is a beautiful young women who finds her way from being a child prostitute in Southeast Asia, to the US where she meets Jimmy and Crake--and we have a love triangle. It is a good story which is continued in "In the Year of the Flood" which I have already read, but now will have to read again.
Also on my reading list was The Comforts of a Muddy Saturday by Alexander McCall Smith. I thought I had read every single one of McCall Smith's books but then I saw this one on the shelf at the library. It is part of the Isabel Dalhousie series and takes place in Scotland. I would describe it as a "gentle" book. Lots of introspection by Isabel since she is a moral philosopher. Good story.
And, last but not least, "I Still Dream About You" by Fannie Flagg. I always like a Fannie Flagg book and this was no exception. Maggie Fortenberry, a former Miss Alabama, is the main character of the story set in Birmingham. There is some mystery, a lot of humor, and some great characters in this book. Although sometimes predictable I really enjoyed it, and it made me feel good!

Easy as pie

2010-11-20T15:51:00.001-06:00

It turns out pie is no longer easy for me. I used to make pies quite often and did not find making a crust all that difficult. Today as I was browsing through cookbooks trying to decide on dessert for Thanksgiving Day I decided I would make a pumpkin pie and a pecan pie. The recipe for the pecan pie suggested making it ahead of time and freezing it. I am all for getting things done ahead of time, so decided to do that this afternoon. I have no shortening on hand so found a pie crust recipe that uses oil instead. I messed around with that pie crust for about 45 minutes before I gave up and threw it in the trash.

I found a pumpkin cake recipe that my mom used to make so I will make that on Wednesday!

Meeting our deer friends

2010-11-18T12:43:00.000-06:00

It is deer season, and Rob shot a deer last night. We have been watching deer run through our pasture all fall, well every day of the year, actually. Dave sat on the deck and took some shots at 3 different deer on Monday night, nicked one, but that was that. On Tuesday night, as we were heading south on Highway 15 toward Seward a large doe ran into our Honda. There isn't much damage, a large scratch in the paint on the rear passenger side. Dave was driving and I think we both saw the deer at the same time. There was no on-coming traffic, so he veered into the other lane, but the deer decided to keep running and must have kicked the car as she went across the road from west to east. I believe Dave something like "F#*^)@!' deer!!!! I think we were lucky she didn't land on the windshield!
Rob didn't want the deer, so after letting it hang from a tree in the yard all night, Dave has taken it down and is on his way to check it in. Then I think he is taking it Carole in Ulysses to process--that is what I am hoping. He did talk about cutting it up himself.

Seward County Dems

2010-11-17T14:55:00.001-06:00

It was kind of an interesting meeting last night for the Seward County Democrats. We had a guest, W. Don Nelson, who is the editor of the Prairie Fire newspaper which is free to pick up at various places around town. I usually grab one at the library. Don came to have a conversation with us about setting goals for our group. He has a lot of political experience, having been an aide to Jim Exon, Bob Kerrey and Ben Neslon. He had a lot of good information to share with us and would be willing to come back again.
Once again, attendance was disappointing, with a total of 13 people there. When it came to picking a goal there were probably 13 different ideas. It might actually be easier if we had fewer people at our meeting from that regard. We settled on recruiting a candidate for the 24th legislative district for the 2014 election as one of our goals. We need to start now because our candidate would have to announce by 2012 in order to start raising money.
Personally I think we need to start working on the 2012 Democratic Caucus. It was announced in October that the Nebraska Dems will hold another presidential caucus in 2012. The caucus in 2008 generated a lot of interest in Seward County, so if that happens again it would be good to be organized and ready

Catching up

2010-11-16T12:27:00.000-06:00

I write blog material in my head almost on a daily basis. I don't seem to make the transition to typing it in 'Blogger' though. I wonder why that is. Now that I am here at the computer I can't seem to remember what I have been writing about in my head--it was quite interesting I am sure! I guess I'll just write about what we have been doing:
Dave and I joined the YMCA at Fallbrook and our goal is to attend the Water Fitness class 3 times each week. This week we will probably go 4 times if things work out right. Most of the class members are "seniors" and most people would probably think that you don't get much of a work out. Actually, we get a great workout--a lot depends on how much effort I decide to put into the work out, and I have not hurt my knees. Dave is usually the only man in the class, but he likes it too. There are different teachers on different days, so the workout changes. Afterward we sit in the whirlpool!
We celebrated Eleanor's 90th birthday on Nov. 6 and 7. It was great to see everyone, and I think Eleanor had a good time without getting worn out. She seemed kind of anxious and sort of cranky before the big day, so I am pretty sure she was worried about it. But, she had a good time, got lots of cards and gifts, and saw more of her family than she usually does. And now she is feeling pretty good and seems quite happy.
This past weekend Dave and I met our Minnesota friends Jeff and Sue in Des Moines. Jeff was a speaker at a meeting on Friday, so we met them at the Embassy Suites in downtown Des Moines. We went to the State Historical museum the art museum (both of those are free and very good), the zoo and the botanical garden. Des Moines has a lot of public art and has a nice downtown area. It was a good time.
Last night was my first meeting as president of Blue Valley Quilt Guild. It went pretty well. One down, 10 to go!
Tonight there is a meeting of the Seward County Democrats. I am going because I am the secretary, but the meetings are always kind of disappointing because the turn out isn't good, and it is hard to find people to serve as officers. And being a democrat in Nebraska is a lonely kind of deal.

YMCA . . . Havin' fun at the Y M C A

2010-10-21T12:40:00.000-05:00

On Wednesday of this week Dave and I drove into the Fallbrook YMCA, which we can reach from our house in 30 minutes. For $5.00 (since we are seniors!) we got a day pass and used the swimming pools. Dave swam laps and I attended the Water Fit class. My right knee complains bitterly after I go to a Jazzercise class, and Dave really enjoys swimming, so we decided to go check it out. There is lots more to do besides swim, but that is what we are interested in doing right now. We have also talked about going to the Community Center in York and trying that pool, but I think the Fallbrook Y is such a great facility that we would have a tough time finding something we like better. We did the math, and if we both go 2 times per week we will buy a membership.

Baking Cookies

2010-10-14T13:17:00.000-05:00

It has been ages since I baked any cookies, or anything at all for that matter. Dave has been hungry for peanut butter cookies and bought extra peanut butter, so this morning I baked! This is the recipe I used:

Peanut Butter Round Up Cookies
1/2 c. margarine, softened
1/2 c. shortening
(Note: I do not have margarine or shortening, so I used 1 cup unsalted butter)
1 c. brown sugar
3/4 c. granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 c. chunky peanut butter
2 c. flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. quick Quaker oats (I have regular--worked fine)
12 oz. pkg. chocolate chips

Preheat over to 350 degrees. Cream together butter and sugars. Add peanut butter and eggs; beat well. Add flour, salt and baking soda. Stir in oats and chocolate chips. Shape into balls and flatten with a flour dipped fork. Bake at 350 degrees fro 8 to 10 minutes.

Note: I found I had to bake longer than 10 minutes, and that I had to let the cookies cool on the pan for a few minutes so they wouldn't fall apart when I tried to take them off.

The cookies are good!

I found this recipe in The CLS Cookbook 2000. My mom must have had this book when she moved to Seward in 2000. It is from Central Lutheran School in Saint Paul, MN, the school I attended for Kindergarten through grade 8. The recipe was contributed by Suzanne Koppe.

BVQG newsletter

2010-10-07T15:19:00.001-05:00

I wrote a short article for the Blue Valley Quilt Guild October newsletter, so I decided to get a little more mileage from it and post it here:

What Inspires You?

I like to ask myself that question now and then. The answers vary widely depending on my circumstances. A cup of coffee at 7:00 a.m. is very inspirational! Not so much at 10:00 p.m. I am writing this on a day that follows several days of inspirational fall weather. It has been absolutely beautiful outside—the colors and the temperature combining to make glorious days.

What inspires you to create a quilt? Seeing beautiful quilts displayed gives me lots and lots of ideas about things I would like to try myself. Threads Across Nebraska offered an opportunity to do that earlier this month. While there I purchased fabric (on sale—this is often inspirational for me!) and a book. I watched a vendor demonstrate a process I am anxious to try. I was inspired! At our meetings we get inspired by speakers who let us in on their sources of inspiration and their particular ways of getting the results they are looking for. One of my favorite parts of our BVQG meetings is “Show and Tell” where you show what you have been working on and we can see the results of your inspiration.

A deadline can also be the inspiration that pushes me to finish a quilt. What about you? We have a deadline looking us in the eyes right now: Our “Bits & Pieces” Quilt Show is literally just around the corner. Could this deadline be the inspiration you need to finish a quilt or make something for our boutique? I know our quilt show will be an inspiration for everyone who comes to see it.

Working with friends is also inspirational for me. I will miss working with outgoing president Diane Swartzlander and newsletter editor Katy Coleman. Thanks ladies for being an inspiration in so many ways for our guild. I am anxious to see what you will do next! I look forward to being inspired by incoming vice-president Becky Wallroff and newsletter editor Mary Robbins.

Retreating

2010-09-22T20:16:00.000-05:00

Last Thursday through Sunday I spent with 10 other women at a Bed and Breakfast on Johnson Lake, near Lexington, NE. We are all quilters and this is our yearly retreat. I have been twice now, but some of the women have been all six years. We had such a good time! I am not that great at quilting, but most of the others are excellent at it, so it was inspiring for me to see their work. We sewed and laughed and ate and shared stories, and laughed and laughed. Slept some. I am looking forward to next year!

Scent of a woman

2010-08-19T19:25:00.002-05:00

Not the movie.
My sense of smell evokes memories more than my other senses. I especially noticed this after my mother died and I was sorting through her personal belongings. Opening a drawer in a dresser, or even opening a photo album would bring her right into my brain. She was about the same size that I am and many of her clothes fit me. When I would put on one of her sweaters it was like she had wrapped her arms around me. The scent is not a specific cologne or soap or detergent; it is simply her scent. She died in 2004 and her scent has almost vanished.
My aunt Marge died last summer. We are using her bedroom furniture in our guest room, and when I open the door to that room, I am a young girl and I am back in her home.
Last week we moved my mother-in-law to assisted living in the retirement home where she has been for almost six years. It is a smaller apartment, so we have moved a lot of her belongings to our home while we are sorting out what she will keep and what she will give up. Her scent is here too, but so is she. I wish it wouldn't make me cry.

Overheard

2010-07-24T21:41:00.004-05:00

"You shouldn't retire until your grandkids are in school and your parents are dead."

Dave heard this remark this week while he was at Jim's Home Health store with his mother. The remark was made by a woman who was also at the store with her mother and who Dave had seen earlier in the day when they both had their grandchildren at swimming lessons.

Some people would be appalled by that statement, but we both laughed hysterically when he repeated it to me because, well, it is hard to explain unless you have been there yourself.

Play some games

2010-07-16T11:54:00.004-05:00

I think people should play more games, like card games and board games. It is fun and relaxing and relieves stress (for me anyway--I suppose some people might get stressed out playing a difficult game of scrabble) and makes me laugh (again that is my view--probably because I play games with 3 other women who make me laugh). Gamin' gals, 2nd Monday of the month at the Civic Center.

Renate Hiller - "On Handwork"

2010-07-08T12:17:00.002-05:00

I just saw this video on Mason Dixon Knitting and it helps me to express why I love handwork!

Pender "Barn" Quilts

2010-06-25T17:40:00.002-05:00

Click to see a bigger image.
Dave and I drove to Pender, NE today to look at the "Barn" quilts that are hanging all over town, and also out in the rural area, a part of the town's 125th anniversary, or Quasquicentennial. This project started when several women from Pender went on a road trip through Iowa and spotted unique quilt block creations painted on barns. They put their heads together, designed and made 8 of the quilt blocks to display in Pender. Their idea caught on and now there are 147 quilt blocks in Pender and 40 out of town. We took a few pictures, but it was overwhelming since there were so many. It seemed like there were more houses with blocks than without.
We also checked out the quilt show at the Legion Hall. A nice variety of quilts, old and new, were displayed.

Trip to DC

2010-06-23T18:16:00.003-05:00

Click on picture to biggify

Conversation with Austin

2010-06-11T21:15:00.002-05:00

Me: "Hey, Austin, it looks like you are limping."
Austin: "Yeah, Grandma, my left foot little toe hurts. I cut it."
Me: "Oh. I am sorry to hear that."
Austin: (sadly) "It was my favorite one."

Staying at home

2010-06-02T10:55:00.003-05:00

Since I am on hiatus from my job I find I am spending a lot (most!) of my time at home. This has led to a large amount of sewing: I am done piecing a quilt for Dave and am considering how I will quilt it. His birthday was on Monday and the quilt was not finished, but he knows it will be soon. I am gardening quite a bit as well, and this morning I am making strawberry jam with berries picked this morning from our little patch. Since we found that we can stream movies from our Netflix subscription through our Wii to watch them on our television we are spending quite a bit of time watching movies.

Working out

2010-05-27T09:34:00.002-05:00

I joined the local Jazzercize group this month and have really enjoyed it. I went a little overboard the first couple of times and paid the price with very sore knees, but I am feeling much better now. I discovered that I have to do a low impact version on routines with jumps, but I can do the skips, etc. I guess low impact means you have to have one foot on the floor all the time. It is a lot of fun and I have found that I have a lot more energy and sleep better too. I have not lost any weight, which is one goal I do have right now, but I think I am eating more--basically whatever I want to eat and not gaining.

Kintting today was awewome

2010-05-24T16:44:00.003-05:00

Whew! I had a great time today with my knitting buddies. We visited The Yarn Shop in Lincoln which has expanded to quite a large shop which includes a great little cafe, The Pink Sheep. They were so hospitalbe: they rounded up some chairs for us--there were 8 of us--so we could sit together, knit, drink coffee or tea, and then order some lunch. I had the spinach and artichoke quiche, a fruit plate and and applesauce muffin. Yum! Yum! Next we went to the Lincoln Weavers' Guild meeting place since several of my knitting friends also weave and we were close by, and it was an awesome place. There were over 70 looms set up with projects that were in various stages of completetion. Since I know very little about weaving, this was quite an eye-opener for me. Great day with great friends!

World of Work

2010-05-22T13:42:00.003-05:00

Almost every day I think of something that I could write about in this space, but then I don't. Some reasons why this happens may be that when I have that thought I am on my way out the door, or at work, or in the car and then I forget about it when I get back home. For the next eleven weeks I anticipate that I will be at home more and that I will be writing more. I will also be doing more gardening, knitting, sewing, and I am going to learn how to spin. I will have more time to visit my mother-in-law and to spend time with my grandchildren. I will make it to more Jazzercize classes, workout with the Wii and go to 'Happy Hour' at the gallery night club on Thursday evenings. I will spend time at the swimming pool, do some fishing and some camping, read more books and watch more movies. Maybe I will volunteer at the library and the Red Cross. All of this is possible because I am off work for the summer. Granted, I only work 20 hours a week when I am working, and I could certainly do most of the things I have just listed as well as work those 20 hours. But, I don't.
Let's see what happens.

Knitting Olympics

2010-02-24T07:17:00.003-06:00

If you are a knitter you may have heard of the "Knitting Olympics" . The winter version is taking place right now, because, of course, the Winter Olympics is taking place right now. I am not an official participant, but lots of knitters join the group at Ravelry or Yarn Harlot.
I guess this could be somewhat controversial since the Yarn Harlot has been doing the Knitting Olympics longer, but was going to not do it this year due to the heavy involvement of the new Ravelry group. But her faithful blog readers urged her on and she is running the competition again. The gist of it is you pick out a challenging knitting project before the Olympics begin. You may swatch and adjust for needle size and yarn preference, and then as the opening ceremonies begin, you cast on. Knit like crazy for the duration of the Olympics and finish by the time the closing ceremonies are on TV. Participants who finish their project get a button for their blog, and bragging rights among other knitters.
I am working on a sweater that I would like to finish by the time the Olympics draws to a close, but I just don't have that drive to finish that I would had I been an olympian. My problem was that I had already begun the sweater, so I couldn't use it for an olympic project and would have had to pick something else. I already have too many UFOs (unfinished objects) around the house in both the knitting and quilting venues, so I am not a participant this year, but I am cheering on those who are knitting their way to gold.

Everything is Illuminated

2010-02-22T20:00:00.003-06:00

We rented the movie Everything is Illuminated and watched it Saturday night. Here is the trailer.
Jonathan, a young Jewish American man, goes on a journey to Ukraine, looking for the woman who saved his grandfather's life during WWII. Reading that sentence makes it sound pretty somber, but it really isn't. Jonathan's traveling companions are a young Ukrainian man and his grandfather, and the grandfather's dog, Sammy Davis Jr. Jr. The young man serves as the translator, but he is not so "primo" with his English, and the best parts of the movie are when the cultural divide is bridged.
We gave it 2 thumbs up.

Been a while (again!)

2010-02-20T14:43:00.003-06:00

We have another wintery weather forecast for tonight and tomorrow. The weather has been getting us down in the dumps. I know it is February and it is still winter, but most years we get a few breaks: some warm days where the snow melts and the sun shines. Some winters we don't even get 3 inches total in snowfall. I did hear someone say that the cold, cold temps we had earlier in the winter might kill some of the insects that have become such a problem for gardners. Hey, I am trying to look at the positives. And, sometimes it is really very beautiful outside; like when the fog freezes on the trees and everything is ghostly white, and then sparkles when the sun comes out. But the sun doesn't come out very much.
Anyway, to beat the winter blahs Dave and I have taken a two short overnight trips. A week ago we went to Nebraksa City and stayed at Lied Lodge. It is a beautiful spot, even in the winter. They have a great swimming pool, and wonderful food. My only complaint would be that it is kind of expensive, and the room we got on this visit was not that great. (Note to self: do not stay in Room 320 again--immediately ask for another one if the hotel desk clerk tries to give you this one.) We should have asked for another room right away, and I really can't say why we didn't. It had a murphy bed--can you believe that? It was not comfortable, and there was extra furniture that was kind of in the way. I guess that was to sit in if you put the murphy bed up in the wall. After supper we sat in the bar, which was cool, and then in that wonderful lobby with the gorgeous fire place. The next day I went for a long walk around the grounds and tried to find the tree adventure place. I finally saw it off in the distance, but I was pretty cold by that time and decided to walk back to the hotel. I wanted to find out if it would be a good place to bring the grandkids sometime.
Last night we stayed at the Embassy Suites in LaVista. This is my favorite hotel. We got two rooms that were adjoining and had all the grandkids with us for at least part of the time. Dan stayed overnight to help with crowd control. If I could take the swimming pool from the Lied Lodge and move it to the Embassy Suites in LaVista, that would be the perfect hotel. The Embassy Suites hotel pool is fine, (but not as fine as the one at the Lied Lodge), the hot tub is great, and the breakfast tasted really good. We did it up right, had room service for supper, watched cartoons on the TVs (we had four televisions in the 2 rooms!) and generally had a good time.

2010-02-05T15:52:00.003-06:00

These slides are from several weeks ago when Dave decided it was time for our donkey to get out into the pasture again.

Here are some pictures I took today while I was out snow shoeing. Heck, if we are going to have 5 more inches of snow, I might as well enjoy it!

Book Review: That Old Cape Magic

2010-01-16T10:28:00.003-06:00

I finished That Old Cape Magic by Richard Russo last night, and I must say I really enjoyed this book. Russo is a great story teller and a lot of what he wrote about in this book resonated with me. The story unfolds over a year's time and there are plenty of highs and lows for the main character, Jack Griffin. At the start of the book he is driving to the wedding of his daughter's best friend. The wedding will be in Cape Cod, a place with plenty of memories for Jack, since that is where he and his parents vacationed when he was a child, and the place where his parents really thought they should be living, but it was always out of their reach. He has his father's ashes in an urn in the trunk and while he is on the Cape he plans to scatter them. His wife is driving separately, and they plan to meet at the B and B where they honeymooned 30 years earlier. Most of what he and his wife planned for and thought their lives would be has come true. But, was that really his plan? Did he make choices for the wrong reasons? Did she? These questions start the process that almost unravels his life.

A second wedding, his daughter's, takes place a year later, and he has the opportunity to get back on track with his family, wife, job and friends. Russo writes so well about the deeply sad and also hilarious moments during that year. I will be reading more of Richard Russo's books.

The other think I did yesterday was strap on the snow shoes for a longer walk around the yard and pasture. With temperatures in the 30s and almost no breeze, it was wonderful. I am looking forward to going out again.

Taking care of Samson

2010-01-10T13:30:00.001-06:00

Time for a good mystery

2010-01-09T19:14:00.003-06:00

Yes, the reading continues. You have looked outside, right?

Next book from the library book bag: Shroud for a Nightingale by P. D. James. It's an Adam Dalgliesh mystery, which means the new Scotland Yard is on the case, and it will be solved within a short time--less than a week most likely. The setting for this murder mystery is Nightingale House, an English nursing school. The first murder takes place in a classroom with a dozen people watching as the student nurse is mistakenly administered poison through a feeding tube as part of a teaching demonstration.

The next body is another student nurse and she is found in her sleeping room, another case of poisoning, this time nicotine. Adam and Sgt. Masterson have to sift through the evidence and get past the prevailing opinion that we are looking at a murder followed by a suicide. Of course, Adam is in danger--an attempt is made on his life, but his great detective work is rewarded with solving the murders, although the murderer does go free.

If you are looking for a classic murder mystery that is well written, pick up any novel by P. D. James and you will be well satisfied.

Another book

2010-01-04T14:23:00.002-06:00

I finished another of my books from the library: La's Orchestra Saves the World by Alexander McCall Smith. He is a pretty prolific writer, and I think I have read most of the books he has written. I suppose he is best know for his No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series.
La's Orchestra is about a woman named Lavendar (La for short) Stone and is set mainly during WWII in England. It is not a mystery as are most of McCall Smith's other novels, but is a quiet story of an ordinary woman and how she got by during a time of war. One of the things she did was to start an orchestra made up of local people and some airmen from the nearby military base. She felt that music would help in a time when everything seemed rather hopeless, and it did. Another part of the story is how the Poles were treated by the English during WWII. There is a romantic interest for La in the person of Feliks Dabrowski, a Polish serviceman she meets while helping with the war effort by working on a local farm.
I liked this book, but did not find the characters as interesting as those in McCall Smith's other novels.

December 26, 2009

2009-12-26T13:16:00.001-06:00

It sounds like most of the snow is over. Yup, all over but the shoveling.

And the plowing.

White-out, Read-in

2009-12-25T12:52:00.005-06:00

Merry Christmas, December 25, 2009. The weather radio said this would be an historic weather event. We are in a blizzard with white-out conditions. The south part of our pasture has disappeared into a haze of white, and we are not thinking of leaving the house. Well, actually, Dave did leave the house to feed Samson, our donkey. It was an adventure at 9:00 a.m. this morning, with hip-deep drifts and wind gusts of 45 mph. It will be worse if/when he goes out again before dark. I am hoping that he will so I won't have to! We have about 18 hours to go on the blizzard conditions according to the radio.
So, if you are stuck inside it is a perfect time to catch up on your reading. I stopped in at the library earlier in the week and picked up a few books. The first one I finished was Rumpole Christmas Stories by John Mortimer. We used to love to watch Rumpole of the Bailey on Masterpiece Theater (I think) anyway, on Public television. The books are even better. Unfortunately, John Mortimer died earlier this year, so there won't be any new Rumpole books. This book is a collection of 5 short stories featuring Horace Rumpole, the London barrister and his wife, Hilda (She Who Must Be Obeyed) during the Christmas season. Rumpole does his usual good job of sleuthing and upholding justice as he is dragged to a spa for a Christmas holiday where Hilda wants him to lose some weight (highly unlikely), recognizes a Santa whom he had previously defended, and 3 other great tales. It is a quick and very enjoyable read.
The next book I finished is the Nanny Diaries by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus. I read a review of their new book Nanny Returns, but saw the first book on the shelf so decided to start with it. It is fiction, but is based on the authors' experiences as nannies in New York. It is disturbing to think that there are children being raised by such incompetent rich folk as Mr. and Mrs. X, and hopefully, the reality is not so bad, but I have a feeling that many of the situations depicted actually happend. Really, the problem is that Mr. and Mrs. X are not raising their child, Grayer, but paying their succession of nannies to do the job. They are more concerned with how their 4-year-old looks, how much time he spends at the Guggenheim, his French and Latin lessons, and where he will attend pre-school (so that he can get into the right college) than they are with spending time with him. I will look for the sequel.

Winter Storm

2009-12-24T07:48:00.001-06:00

A winter storm has been in the forecast all week. School was canceled yesterday, mostly because of the ice, I think. This picture was taken yesterday on the east side of our house--the garage door is on the right. You can see how the ice is building up. Actually, I didn't think the driving was that bad. The roads were really full of slush during the day, but not ice, and the snow didn't really ever develop. We are in a winter storm warning until 6:00 a.m. on Saturday, but the accumulation of snow being forecast is only 2-4 inches. This presents a problem: we are invited to Dan's in Omaha tonight to celebrate Christmas Eve. The forecast doesn't sound too terrible, but if there is ice on the highway that will make driving difficult. If the wind is blowing visibility will be bad. Rob has volunteered to drive--I wonder if he still wants to. Maybe it will be easier to decide later in the day, but right now it feels like one of those decisions you agonize about, and wish the weather was either a whole better or a whole lot worse.

Trying to be crafty

2009-12-19T14:10:00.004-06:00

It was my intention to knit gifts for my kids and grandkids for Christmas. I don't think I am going to have very many go give out on December 25. I made mittens for each of the grandchildren, but gave them out around Thanksgiving because the weather was turning colder, and the mittens were finished. I decided to knit something for Liz, Rob, Dan and Jill. Mark and Alan don't really need knitted items since they live in Mesa, Arizona, and besides, Mark knits. Anyway, I started a scarf out of some gorgeous yarn that I bought last summer from my friend Karen--she raises sheep, goats and alpacas (and used to own a donkey named Samson!), but I didn't like the way the scarf was turning out so it has been frogged (you know, ripped out-- rip it, rip it). Then I signed up for the Seward mitten program where you select a mitten from one of the local merchants and get all the gifts on the list and then they give the gifts to a needy child. There were four items on the list which fit nicely with the four of us who work in HR so we did that instead of buying gifts for each other. Be default I got the item "Hat and Mittens" and of course, I made those. Two hats, though, because the first didn't turn out as nice as I had hoped. I did find some beautiful yarn at The Yarn Shop in Lincoln and turned out one nice scarf, and then I got half way through another, but I know I am going to run out of yarn. So, now I have 5 days left and no hope of finishing hand made gifts for my kids. Plus, I am kind of tired of knitting! I think they will get checks!

Here is a picture of Samson taken by my son-in-law's dad, Rich. He was here visiting last week and got a shot of me slogging through the snow to feed Samson.

Samson

2009-11-22T15:03:00.001-06:00

After several weeks of planning and hard work by Dave getting a run-in shelter ready, Ken and Karen brought Samson the miniature donkey to live with us. They bought him as a foal seven years ago, and I think they were sad to see him go, but also relieved to know where he would be living. Their alternative was to take him to auction, which they were reluctant to do.

"What do you know about donkeys?" you may ask. Well, as it turns out, almost nothing. We bought a book at Orscheln (the local farm store) and we refer to it constantly.

"Why in the world did you buy a donkey?" you may ask. We decided it would be a fun experience for our grandchildren. Samson came with a saddle and we tried it out for the first time today. We need some practice. We did OK with Austin riding, but then we put Sam on Samson's back and things didn't work so well. Sam is heavier, and I think we didn't get the saddle on right. When we tried to fix that Sam got his foot stepped on--which he believes was deliberate on Samson's part. It was downhill from there. Sam tried to make up with Samson by giving him an apple, but it turns out that Samson does not really care for apples. He loves pumpkins--so if you live near us let me know if you want me to pick up your old pumpkins when you are done having them sit on your porch. I can get rid of them for you.

Our grandson Sam made a little sign to welcome Samson to live with us. It is taped to the pen. He thinks it is kind of cool that his name is the same as the donkey's. I am not sure he still feels that way after his experience trying to ride him today.
To add insult to injury, Sam's friend Parker also got a ride. He rode bareback and it was pretty exciting when Samson took off at a trot and Liz and I had to pull him off Samson's back! As I said, we have a lot to learn.

Eleanor's Birthday. Nov. 7

2009-11-09T07:31:00.001-06:00

Natalie turns 1

2009-11-01T19:00:00.001-06:00

Halloween with a transformer and a clown!

2009-11-01T18:56:00.002-06:00

More to the story

2009-10-19T07:51:00.004-05:00

Susie found this aerial image to go with my previous post, and she reminded me of a few details which I left out. As the four of us walked to the door of the chapel area three garter snakes were wriggling around on the warm sidewalk. I have not attached a lot of significance to this but maybe I should. Here is a link to a website with more information.

As we were leaving we stopped the car for a moment so I could take a picture. A jogger came by and told us to read John 3:15 . . . "that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life."

Here is a link for more information about the Carmel of Jesus, Mary and Joseph.

Who knew?

2009-10-18T20:03:00.007-05:00

We went for a drive this afternoon with Jim and Susie. We had been at the Branched Oak Farm for the Harvest tour where we sampled incredible cheese, breads, apple cider, and generally enjoyed the beautiful day. Next we decided to drive around Branched Oak Lake and when we got to the north side of the lake we continued north looking for a small lake Dave wanted to check out. As we were driving along we saw this off in the distance. It looked like some sort of compound. We got to the driveway on Agnew Road and there was a sign that said Carmel of Mary, Jesus and Joseph. Curious, we drove in to check it out.

It is a Catholic Church with mass held every day. It is a large complex with a wall around the whole thing. We were able to enter the church and the altar is pictured here. It was dismantled from the St. Joseph Hospital in Omaha in 1980. The statue in front is waiting to be installed.

This church is literally out in the middle of nowhere. There were a few cars around when we pulled in, and another car followed us into the parking area, but it seemed deserted, and rather mysterious. I have tried an internet search, but cannot find anything about it. We speculated that it may be a retreat center.

We didn't find the lake.

Knitting Group and Game Night

2009-10-17T08:13:00.002-05:00

It has taken over two years, but persistance has paid off and I now have a knitting group to meet with in Seward. Cheryl and I have met off and on for over two years, with an ocassional visitor joining us. We met in the campus center at Concordia, thinking we might find some students who would be interested. We met at the Memorial Library in Seward and invited friends to join us, but really, it was just the two of us. Then we met Karen from KW Fiber Farms in York who was interested, and last weekend I met Donna while we were helping with the Red Cross food booth at an auction and she has been looking for other knitters. Result: a knitting group that met this week at the Panama coffe house in Seward!! It was a lot fun and we are meeting again in a couple of weeks.
Another fun thing I did this week was go to "Gamin' Gals" at the Civic Center. It was so much fun. I have not laughed so hard in a long time. Tears were streaming down my face, and I would try to explain what was so funny, but it is a case of "You had to be there" to understand. I will go again for sure!

Dancin' the night away

2009-10-12T06:48:00.003-05:00

One of our favorite bands was in Seward on Saturday night: Tuna Fish Jones. They played at the Seward Fall Festival, which due to the snow fall on Saturday was not very well attended. It was too bad because they had really great food, and, of course the music was good. Dave and I got up and danced and sometimes we were the only couple on the floor. We had fun, although I sometimes think we might have looked a little foolish. I always think of Elaine on the old Seinfeld show and wonder if thats how I look while I am dancing!

Seward County Chapter American Red Cross

2009-10-12T06:40:00.002-05:00

I spent most of yesterday selling sloppy joes and hot dogs at an auction. Dave and I volunteer with the Seward Chapter of the American Red Cross and the chapter held a fund raiser over the weekend. Joyce was our fearless leader and she did a great job preparing mountains of sloppy joe slop, buying and organizing every thing. I couldn't believe it was the first time she did this. Her recipe for sloppy joes was great and she ordered the buns from the bakery and the Pac 'N Save deli, so the bread was good too. Pies were donated, and I think we came out pretty good as far as making money goes.

Serious Painting

2009-10-06T17:43:00.006-05:00

The grandchildren visited last Saturday and the four older ones wanted to paint. We moved this project outside from the get go and got down to some serious painting. You won't see a smile on any of those faces. They are using brushes and water colors from their great great aunt Marge's collection of painting supplies.

Heroes

2009-10-01T16:31:00.004-05:00

It has happened again: I am addicted to a television show. I am almost over NCIS--I just watch the new ones, not spend hours watching the USA Network NCIS re-runs. And, David is also hooked.

A few months ago, our daughter mentioned how much she enjoyed the NBC series, Heroes. We order the DVDs on Netflix and see 3 or 4 episodes at a time. We are now almost done with season 3, and then we will have to switch to watching the first episodes of the current season on our computer at NBC.com or Hulu.

But tonight I will watch Grey's Anatomy and get some knitting done.

Where have I been?

2009-09-21T18:00:00.006-05:00

Well, well, well. The blog. Here it is, just waiting for me to write something after a two month hiatus. Guess I'll hit a few highlights:

A lot has happened. The most dramatic was the death of my aunt Marge, who died at age 93, congestive heart failure listed as the cause of death. You know how these things are: you expect an elderly person to die, but then when they do, it is still a shock and a surprise. The funeral was in Minnesota and went well. I think she would have liked it very much.

We had a great camping trip and got see many cousins in August in Minnesota, as well as attend the Almelund Threshing Show, and go to Wisconsin and spend a lovely evening with the Corcorans.

This past weekend I had an amazing time relaxing with 9 other women at a Bed and Breakfast, the Waterfjord House at Johnson Lake, near Lexington, NE. We are all members of the Blue Valley Quilt Guild, so it was about quilting, but it was also about relaxing and getting to develop some friendships. I had an absolutely great time, and am looking forward to Sept. 17-20, 2010.

Mahoney State Park

2009-07-14T20:19:00.003-05:00

Dan, Jill, Maggie, Shelby and Natalie went camping at Mahoney State Park this week. They invited us to join them for an evening, and so we did on Monday night. They borrowed Jill's parent's camper and were all set up in the Lakeside Camping Area. What a great park! I would like to rent a cabin there sometime, or stay in the lodge.

Some of the activites include a water park, paddle boats, horseback riding, miniature golf, hiking and biking trails, and I am sure there are some more things that I don't know about yet. Children have to be six years old to go on a trail ride, so Maggie was not able to do that this summer. She and Shelby went on pony rides instead.

Knitting all around

2009-07-13T06:22:00.004-05:00

It has been a good week for knitting. Last week my friend Cheryl (aka Dodie from Dodies Crafts and Gifts) and I went to visit KW Fiber Farm in York, Nebraska. We tried to do this in June, but the owner, Karen Wahlmeier, was out of town. When I called to make sure she would be there she told me that we were welcome to come and see what she had in her yarn shop, but that we would not be able to take the tour because of the heat--too hard on us and too hard on the animals. That was fine with us and we went. When we arrived she said since the day was cool, we would take the tour and off we went.

She and her husband own four acres on the outskirts of York, and they have five alpacas, several baby doll sheep, a miniature donkey, ducks, rabbits and chickens. It is attractively arranged and not crowded, as well as being very clean. We were introduced to all of the animals and then she served us banana cake and iced tea under a big shade tree in her back yard! Her yarn shop is on the front porch of her home and her spinning wheel is in the front hall. All of her yarn is from the animals on the fiber farm and she does all of the work except for cleaning the raw fiber. About half the yarn was space dyed and half left its natural color. She had quite a few knit up items like mittens, socks, scarves, hats and purses. It was so much fun!

Cheryl and I have been trying to get a knitting group started for quite a while, and Karen loves to knit, so she is coming to Seward next week to knit with us at the library.

Later the same day I presented a knitting program to the women's club at Ridgewood West. Five ladies showed up and we talked about knitting and had supper together. Two of them would like to learn to knit, so that may be my knitting group. Cheryl and I have been meeting for two years, sometimes inviting another knitter to join us, but usually we are the only ones who come. The activities director said there is a box of knitting supplies at Ridgewood East, so I think our next meeting will be investigating what is in that box and getting started.

Flowers this week

2009-06-17T14:40:00.000-05:00

Top left: Missouri primrose
Top middle: yellow clover grows all over, but where are the honey bees?
Bottom left: Lavender
Middle: A wild flower, I think it is woodrough or something similar
Bottom center: Daylily
Right top to bottom: snap peas, astible, prairie cone flower, and ???

I finished a sewing project!

2009-06-06T19:25:00.001-05:00

I finished a sewing project: a portable chalkboard placement from a kit I bought at the York Sewing Studio during Shop Hop. It was fun to make, and since I can easily buy more of the chalk board cloth here in Seward at Fabric Fair, I will probably make some more. Next time I will use a flatter batting since this one is too pouffy. I would also attach the tie in the middle rather than off center as the directions said. Here is a picture of the placement rolled up:

Strawberries

2009-06-04T18:08:00.002-05:00

Dave snapped this photo of me on June 3, picking some of the first strawberries from our patch. I am probably lucky he didn't decide to turn on the sprinkler behind me!

Grandpa's birthday

2009-06-01T14:31:00.002-05:00

Grandpa's birthday included a magic show as well as Oreo Cookie Dessert.

Bloomers

2009-06-01T14:28:00.001-05:00

Blooming this week in my yard

Zoo trip

2009-06-01T14:16:00.004-05:00

We had a good time at the zoo on Friday, May 29. We went with all five grandchildren, Liz and Jill. Grandpa considered it the beginning of his birthday weekend.

Book shelf

2009-05-25T12:45:00.002-05:00

Just got a notice from the Seward Memorial Library that I have a book due this week. The name of the book is Four Blondes by Candace Bushnell. I checked it out because she is the author of Sex and the City. Now, I have not read Sex and the City, but I enjoyed the television series that ran for six seasons several years ago, so I thought I would enjoy this book, which was a bestseller, but I should have left it on the libray bookshelf instead of bringing it home. The locale is New York City, and the characters are a minor celebrity, aB-list movie star,a high powered magazine columinist and writer. All are at a crisis or cross roads in their lives and/or relationships. If they weren't so slutty I might have cared about them. But they were, and I didn't.

The other book I am returning is Dog On It a detective novel narrated by Chet (the Jet) a large dog whose owner is Bernie Little, of the Little Dectective Agency. Chet considers himself a detective and Bernie's partner in solving cases. The author is Spencer Quinn and he is writing a sequel, so the Bernie and Chet can solve another mystery. Bertie is the typical down and out detective, former police officer, divorced dad that I think populates a few other series. Having the dog narrate is funny and cute and did keep me reading. The story takes place in the southwest and involves a missing teenage girl, who may or may not have been kidnapped. There is no ransom note, but things just don't add up for Bernie as he investigates. He knows the girl is in trouble even though she seems to have contacted her mom to tell she will be home soon. Both Chet and Bernie are in danger at various points in the book, but there is nothing really gruesome in the novel, and it is pretty light reading. Also a bestseller. I may look for the sequel when it comes out.

Flowers blooming this week

2009-05-24T13:38:00.005-05:00

Iris and Columbine are blooming this week in my flower garden.

Memorial Day Weekend

2009-05-23T14:38:00.004-05:00

Our traditional way to spend Memorial Day weekend is to work on projects around the house. Dave is staining the east side of our house. We hope to also get the south side and the deck finished sometime this summer. It is a good day to get some work done--some cloud cover, no wind (!) reasonable temperature.

Mine is an ongoing project: Make this flower border bigger. I can't remember why I wanted to do this now. It is a lot of work, and it probably will look bad all summer since I have gotten such a late start on it. I guess I could look at it and say that I am early for next season, and I will have a spot to move some of the plants I want to divide and transplant.

Dance Recital

2009-05-21T06:44:00.004-05:00

Here is Maggie after her dance recital last Saturday. She was a flower in the octopuss's garden under the sea along with about 11 other little girls. Maggie attends Mary Lorraine's Dance Center and the recital was at Millard South High School. Maggie had a good crowd there supporting her: both sets of grandparents, her aunt Julie, her mom and dad and her two sisters. It was fun to watch Shelby, age 3, and Natalie, 6 months as they watched the dancers. They were enthralled with the whole production. Shelby would clap and clap after each group finished, but when Grampy Dave asked her if she wanted to take dance lessons, she declined. Maggie's future in dance is not certain, since she put up a fight every week when it was time to go to her dance lesson, but on Saturday night she was every inch a dancer!

Flowers in my yard

2009-05-13T13:28:00.004-05:00

Most of my flower gardens don't look so great because I have not spent more than 15 minutes clearning out last year's debris, but there are a few bright spots. The flower at the top is called Fremont's Clematis. It is kind of a rare plant and I got it at a plant sale in Lincoln at the University of Nebraska East Campus.
Here is another variety of clematis, purchase a few years ago at Merle's Garden Center here in Seward. Wish I could remember the name, but I cannot. The first year I planted it I think it had one sad flower, and the next year it may have had three. But once it got established it has done really well. It is an early bloomer, and if the weather conditions are right, it will bloom again later in the summer.

I remember that there was a beautful dark purple clematis in the yard where I grew up. Florence (my step-grandma) enjoyed her flower garden and had a lot of old fashioned favorites.
And last of all, this is the first year our lilac bushes have done really well. They have almost finished blooming and I feel guilty about not taking any blooms to my aunt Marge. I think I will wait for the Lilly of the Valley to bloom and take a bouquet of those and maybe some iris.

Book notes

2009-05-12T15:20:00.008-05:00

I just returned a couple of books to the library, both pretty enjoyable. The Children's Blizzard by David Laskin was recommended by our friend, Tom Raabe. It is a grown-up account (there are a few childrens books on the topic) of the Blizzard of 1888 which affected most of the Dakota Territory, Nebraska, and parts of Iowa and Minnesota. Many children died in the blizzard as they became lost trying to find their way home from school. There is an explanation of the science behind the blizzard, as well as the back story on many of the people who were affected by the blizzard. Seward County is mentioned, which made it more intereting for me, and my neighbor, Jane Graff, is listed as a resource at the end of the book.

The other book I just finished was The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfiled. I would rate this book a "6" on a scale of 1-10. It was a bit too dark and moody for my taste, but I was pulled into the story about a famous English author who is dying and asks a little-published essayist to write her biography. Many people over the years have attempted to write her biography, but since she never tells the truth, the biographies are all different. At the end of her life she is ready to reveal her secrets, but it takes Margaret Lea some digging to really get to the bottom of the story. There are ghosts, hauntings, twins, and a surprise twist at the end.

Sunday

2009-05-10T17:39:00.002-05:00

Mother's Day is just about over. It was a good one. Dave, the awesome grill man, made pork adobo (a recipe from the grilling cookbook). It was very good. I received some wonderful gifts: a gazing ball for my flower garden and a gift certificate to the Green Gateau.

Right now I am going to make a Happy Mother's Day card for my aunt Marge. I am hoping the Hallmark Card Studio will not let me down on this one because I will have to have something that features god mothers. I will take her some lilacs from my yard and hope that will do. Maybe she would like a new lipstick--I can "shop" in my Mary Kay inventory.

A day with Sam and Austin

2009-05-09T10:59:00.003-05:00

We spent Friday with grandsons Sam and Austin and I managed to get a few pictures taken at the Children's Zoo and later at home.

Fun at the Children's Zoo

2009-05-08T14:58:00.002-05:00

Since I didn't have to work today and the weather was great, we took Sam and Austin to the Lincoln Children's Zoo. Everyone else within a 50 mile radius also had the same idea this morning, but it was still fun even though we sometimes had to wait for a while to get a good view. We have a membership so we can go often, and that helps on mornings like this one. We don't feel like we have to stay and "get our money's worth" -- we stay as long as everyone is having a good time because we know we can come back again any time we want to.

We decided to purchase the combination pass, so we also visit the Lincoln Children's museum pretty often. I think the kids like the museum better, but the zoo was fun today. I am hoping that our granddaughters will be able to join us this summer. Of course they are used to the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha, so the Lincoln Children's Zoo may not be as much fun for them.

What is happening with Marge?

2009-04-23T20:31:00.004-05:00

It has been a while since I have written about my aunt Marge. You may recall that she moved here (we asked her and she said OK) in July 2007. She lived with us until May 2008 when she moved into an assisted living apartment at Heartland Park Retirement Community. Dave's very wonderful mom, Eleanor, also lives at Heartland, but in the independent unit. She made it a point to call Marge and to walk the long hallways over to her apartment and to bring her a treat now and then. I really appreciated that since Marge tended to stay in her apartment and not go to the social events very often.

Things were going pretty well, even considering Marge's increased dementia. Then, on March 12 Marge fell and broke her left femur. It was quite a bad break and required surgery, which was performed on March 14. On March 16 she was discharged to Ridgewood Rehabilitation and Care Center in Seward, where she has been recovering and receiving physical therapy.

Things were going pretty well, even with the dementia, until Monday, April 20 when Marge could not get enough oxygen. Another one of her medical conditions is congestive heart failure which kicked into high gear and left her gasping for air. Her room mate called the nurse and when they could not help her she was sent by ambulance to the emergency room. After extra doses of diuretic most of the fluid was removed from her lungs and she is doing much better. She was able to return to Ridgewood this afternoon, and actually seemed quite happy to be back.

Foster dogs

2009-04-07T21:09:00.004-05:00

My cousin Roberta (Bird) and her husband, Smokey (pictured above) provide foster care for dogs. When we were visiting in March, this little dog, Zorilla, was one of the dogs for which they were trying to find a home. She was rescued and has been spayed, and I think she has already stolen Smokey's heart. Bird volunteers at an veternary clinic where dogs are neutered.

Spring Break 2009

2009-04-05T20:56:00.002-05:00

Click picture to biggify.
Dave and I spent a week in La Ribera, California Baja Sur, with my cousin Bird (Roberta) and her husband Smokey (Smokey). We had a great time and I think a lot about when I can go back and visit again.

When I took this picture we were standing quite high above an arroyo. In the distance, toward the top right of the picture, you can see the bridge that goes across the arroyo. Somewhere in this picture there is water moving along. I would like to see it sometime after or during a big rainfall.

We missed our annual trip to Phoenix to visit Mark and Alan, but we are still hoping to go yet this spring, maybe in June when Dave gets done teaching.

Let's face it

2009-03-02T20:40:00.002-06:00

I have been on Facebook for a week or so and I am really enjoying this "social networking thing." Many of my cousins participate and also a lot of "friends", Of course, everyone is your friend on facebook--because you invite them to be your friend, and they invite you to be their friend. A few folks I know find this a bit off-putting, but that is the way it is. My Twitter account has suffered and I guess I will give that up, or I should say I have given it up because I never post anything on it anymore.

I turned 60 this weekend and it was not too traumatic. My sister-in-law reminded me I am only a day older, not really a year older.

Dave and I are muddling along taking care of Sam and Austin while their parents are in Cancun. Austin got sick at day care and Dave had to go get him. He seemed pretty good tonight, but if he has a fever in the morning he will have to stay home. I know his parents would rush him right off to see his doctor, but I tend to have more of a wait and see if he feels better attitude. We will re-evaluate in the morning.

This should be a week of prayer and fasting for me as the members of Manna Ministries are working on discerning the will of God for our ministry. There is one particular opportunity in front of us, but it seems highly unlikely that our small group can come up with the funds to take it on--so we are fasting and praying about it. I believe that God speaks to people today--he has spoken to several friends in M2, but I do not ever feel that He speaks personally to me. I am not discouraged by this and will pray for someone else to know His will. I have not ever done a fast, and this is not a very good week for me to try it because of the child care comittment. We will see what happens.

NCIS

2009-02-11T20:23:00.003-06:00

Well, I have to face it--I am addicted to watching re-runs of NCIS on the USA channel. I love the group of characters and the way they interact. Every week day NCIS is on for THREE HOURS, and if I don't have anything else to do I will sit and watch it. I do get a lot of knitting done, so there it does have that going for it. Maybe when the winter is over (and I have seen every episode once or twice) I will move on to something more productive.

What's new?

2009-02-06T12:12:00.003-06:00

It has been a long time (again) since I have posted to my blog. I was using Twitter for a while, and now I have started posting on Facebook. Do I keep them all going? Hmmm.
I know. I could develop independent personalities and post different areas of interest on each one. I also have a Ravelry account that rarely is used. What is a girl to do?

Well, anyway, I will answer the question "what's new?" A new wood floor in our main living area and hall (stranded bamboo, really nice!) a new vehicle (2008 Jeep--I don't drive it much but I think it is really nice also), new leather furniture (had to do it after we had the new floor installed!) hearing aids for Dave (not sure what to add here), new exercise resolution (it is still close to January 1, after all), new knitting projects (no surprise there) and vacation plans for March (Mexico, here we come!)

2009-01-03T21:38:00.003-06:00

That is my resolution for 2009. I started with "I will knit more in 2009" and now I am thinking about more things I would like to do more of. I would like to sew more, and read more, and walk more, and do more yoga.
What more would you like to do?

Hotel life

2008-12-28T18:50:00.003-06:00

I love Embassy Suites. Specifically, the one in LaVista. We have had occassion to be in Omaha two weekends in a row, and although we could drive home, both times we decided to stay. The Embassy Suites in LaVista is less than a year old, so everything still looks great and well taken care of. The rooms really are suites, so there is a separate "living room" and bedroom. Two televisions. Refrigerator. Microwave. Kitchen area, with granite counter tops. Cute decor. Comfortable bed. Nice swimming pool and hot tub. Exercise room. Manager's reception every evening with free drinks and snacks. Wonderful breakfast.
We got a nice price by using our AAA card, so it was not really expensive, just a little. We figured that when we can no longer live at home we will get rid of all our stuff, take one suitcase full of clothes and move into a hotel. It would be cheaper than a retirement home.

I missed Christmas . .

2008-12-26T17:24:00.004-06:00

this year because I was sick. It came on over the course of a few days: Kind of an "off" feeling on Sunday, nasty cough on Monday, full-blown cold on Tuesday. I spent almost all of Tuesday and Wednesday in bed attempting to recover for Christmas Day. Unfortunately, this did not work. I have not had good experiences with o-t-c cold remedies and tend to avoid them, but I did take a lot of aspirin and an anti-histamine on Tuesday, as well as gargling with hydrogen peroxide to kill all those germs in my throat. On Wednesday I could not see because my eyes were watering so much, and for a time I felt like my eyes would explode, probably from the sinus pressure, although my nose was running so much that I don't know how there possibly could have been any pressure. On Thursday morning I got up and took a bath and got dressed, anticipating that I could pull myself together to get to Liz and Rob's for Christmas dinner and watching the grandchildren open presents. Dave gave me an Advil cold and sinus, which sounded like the right pill to take. I had to lie down because the process of dressing exhausted me. I fell asleep and did not move for 2 hours. Dave came and looked at me several times to make sure I was still breathing. When it came time to go get aunt Marge and Eleanor, I just plain could not do it. I stayed in bed and Dave left, recruiting Dan to help with the little old ladies. (Picking up a 93-year-old and an 88-year-old from a retirement home is not a task for the faint of heart. It takes stamina, determination and patience, and more than one person.) My normal reaction to being left behind on Christmas Day would to feel sorry for myself and probably shed a few tears of self-pity. Didn't happen. I was so relieved that I would not have to pretend to feel OK that I started to feel better. Weird. I got up and watched "The Bucket List" on HBO. Then I went back to bed til Dave got home and filled me in on all the good stuff I had missed. Throughout the evening I talked on the phone to everyone who had been there during the day, and I really did start to feel better. As is often the case, I second guessed my decision to stay home, and it was the right choice.

Natalie and Grandpa Dave

2008-12-14T15:19:00.001-06:00