When I signed off last night, I thought I was through for probably 20l0. Then I realized a couple of things - 1. I forgot to mention that one of the biggest things that happened in our family since my last posting in September is the fact that Judy and her household have moved from the Yuba Sutter area - this time for good. By her household, I mean her, her husband and all five of their cats. I already miss them so much. But they have to do what they think is right for them.
And, I think I goofed. I said I would post on January lst so I could date it 1-1-10 and next year I would be able to say 1-1-11. Well, shoot, in just a couple of weeks it will be 1-1-11, and not a year from now.
My Christmas spirit is getting lifted so much. I got another card today that really boosted my spirits. It's as if the senders of these two cards knew just how I was feeling and what to do to make me feel better.
Well, again, have a Blessed Christmas and a Happy and Prosperous New Year.
Beth
Friday, December 17, 2010
Merry Chriatmas
I can't believe I haven't posted since early September. That's ridiculous! It's not as if nothing of interest has happened - shoot I can always find something to write about.
Living in the situation I do, I don't get much opportunity to participate in such things as "Trick or Treat". I live in a restricted area - no one under 55 yrs old. So, we don't get kids going house to house trick or treating like we used to. And, when I lived at the Assisted Living Facility, there were always Girl Scouts groups, or church groups coming around with treats for the residents. We had one trick-or- treater this year, and that was Artiemay's great=granddaughter. She and her mother were both dressedin costume, and it was really cute to have her. Of course they came in the daytime, not the evening. This little girl is just 2 weeks younger than my twin great-grandsons, so it is easy to mentally keep track of them.
September brought a new great=granddaughter - Mikayla Rae Grimes - in Texas. I have seen pictures of her on her mother's blog, and she is really cute.
November brought the elections. Not being a Presidential election, it was amazing how much interest there was in some of the lesser offices - especially here in California. Although things did not turn out all as I wished, I know we have to accept and try to live with what was given us.
November is of course, several family birthdays - none the least, my own. I was 80 this year. And I thought I would be ancient when I turned 70 at the turn of the century. I know I am feeling it now, but I think that is because I have a couple rather serious health probems which pretty much restrict my physical activities. Otherwise my health is really pretty good. Also having birthdays in November two daughters, & the twins. Then of course there is Thanksgiving. It has been several years since I have hosted Thanksgiving dinner, and boy did my fingers itch to do some real cooking - but that is impossible for several reasons. Well, this year I joined Judy and Steve and we went to Oroville to granddaughter Ruth's for Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday, and I spent the night at Kathy's and Friday Kathy, Rick & I went to Rick's son and his family for a second Thanksgiving. So I got my fill of Turkey and all the trimmings. Both were very traditional dinners, but the environment was so different. Thurs. there was only one child and a baby with 15 adults, and Fri. there were about 5 or 6 kids under 10, and about 8-9 adults. So you can see what I mean about the environment being so different. On Sautrday I went with Kathy over to my grand daughter Jenny's to go through my Christmas Decorations. I have so many - and most of them are really nice, but I doubt if I will ever do any major decorating again, so we decided to just get rid of most of my decorations. I offered most of them to some of the family, but as I am finding out with much about me and my life, I am either too old fashioned, or I'm too formal. Most of my tree ornaments were too formal for the families. They are beautiful glass balls - mostly gold or white with gold trim. So there are some people who shop regularly at Salvation Army (Sally's) who will have the opportunity to get some very nice decorations for their trees. It was hard to do, but something I knew had to be done. Of course, I did not get rid of everything. I still have some special ornaments that I will keep until I die.
Let's see, we got a new baby in September. Jenny is expecting again early in January, and so is Esther. They are due about the same time, so we will see who gets here first. Then, Ruth and Andy are expecting in May. That will give me I believe it is 22 blood great=grandchildren and 10 step great grand-children. And that should be it for 2011. Maybe.
But then, Erik just announced his engagement to Cyndi, so who knows? That was another wonderful piece of news to receive just recently.
And now comes the Holiday Season. Remember a year or two ago when there was so much fuss made about not saying "Merry Christmas" but we should say "Happy Holidays"? So many people got so up in arms about this matter, and I have to admit I guess I was one of them. But, for some reason this year it doesn't bother me a bit if people say "Merry Christmas" "Happy New Year" or "Happy (whatever the holiday mey be), I don't think I have ever heard where the expression"Merry Christmas" got started anyway. It would really make more sense to say "Have a Blessed Christmas". What does Merry have to do with it anyway. And have you ever looked back at some of the old fashioned greeting cards - lots of them said "Season's Greetings". Personally I think it is easier to say "Happy Holidays" than to say "Merry Christmas and Happy New Year". The Christmas Season has hit me real hard this year. For sseveral years now I have not hosted the fmily Christmas party and I guess I really miss doing it. And, since I quit doing it, we have never been able to establish a Christmas tradition, and that tratition is rather important to me. I really don't have any place to put Holiday decorations here, and Artiemae is not doing much this year - her health is failing her. So I have been sitting here feeling pretty depressed about the whole thing. Then, today I got a card in the mail that just expressed my sentiments exactly and told me that people did understand. I'm not going to say who sent it, maybe you can figure it out, but I am going to share it with all of you -
it read - Mother - The very best part of Christmas isn't how we celebrate or where...It's who we share it with. This Christmas might feel different than some we've had, but it will still be special, and you'll still be at the heart of it, just as loved and appreciated as ever.
That so expressed just the way I have been feeling, but now I feel better about the whole season, so Merry Chirstmas, Happy Hannukah, Happy Kawanzaa, and even Happy New Year. Whatever- I hope you have a Blessed Christmas and a very Happy and Prosperous New Year.
See you in 2011. I'm going to try to write on the 1st, and then I can date my blog 1-1-10. Just wait , next year it will be 1-1-11!!
Living in the situation I do, I don't get much opportunity to participate in such things as "Trick or Treat". I live in a restricted area - no one under 55 yrs old. So, we don't get kids going house to house trick or treating like we used to. And, when I lived at the Assisted Living Facility, there were always Girl Scouts groups, or church groups coming around with treats for the residents. We had one trick-or- treater this year, and that was Artiemay's great=granddaughter. She and her mother were both dressedin costume, and it was really cute to have her. Of course they came in the daytime, not the evening. This little girl is just 2 weeks younger than my twin great-grandsons, so it is easy to mentally keep track of them.
September brought a new great=granddaughter - Mikayla Rae Grimes - in Texas. I have seen pictures of her on her mother's blog, and she is really cute.
November brought the elections. Not being a Presidential election, it was amazing how much interest there was in some of the lesser offices - especially here in California. Although things did not turn out all as I wished, I know we have to accept and try to live with what was given us.
November is of course, several family birthdays - none the least, my own. I was 80 this year. And I thought I would be ancient when I turned 70 at the turn of the century. I know I am feeling it now, but I think that is because I have a couple rather serious health probems which pretty much restrict my physical activities. Otherwise my health is really pretty good. Also having birthdays in November two daughters, & the twins. Then of course there is Thanksgiving. It has been several years since I have hosted Thanksgiving dinner, and boy did my fingers itch to do some real cooking - but that is impossible for several reasons. Well, this year I joined Judy and Steve and we went to Oroville to granddaughter Ruth's for Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday, and I spent the night at Kathy's and Friday Kathy, Rick & I went to Rick's son and his family for a second Thanksgiving. So I got my fill of Turkey and all the trimmings. Both were very traditional dinners, but the environment was so different. Thurs. there was only one child and a baby with 15 adults, and Fri. there were about 5 or 6 kids under 10, and about 8-9 adults. So you can see what I mean about the environment being so different. On Sautrday I went with Kathy over to my grand daughter Jenny's to go through my Christmas Decorations. I have so many - and most of them are really nice, but I doubt if I will ever do any major decorating again, so we decided to just get rid of most of my decorations. I offered most of them to some of the family, but as I am finding out with much about me and my life, I am either too old fashioned, or I'm too formal. Most of my tree ornaments were too formal for the families. They are beautiful glass balls - mostly gold or white with gold trim. So there are some people who shop regularly at Salvation Army (Sally's) who will have the opportunity to get some very nice decorations for their trees. It was hard to do, but something I knew had to be done. Of course, I did not get rid of everything. I still have some special ornaments that I will keep until I die.
Let's see, we got a new baby in September. Jenny is expecting again early in January, and so is Esther. They are due about the same time, so we will see who gets here first. Then, Ruth and Andy are expecting in May. That will give me I believe it is 22 blood great=grandchildren and 10 step great grand-children. And that should be it for 2011. Maybe.
But then, Erik just announced his engagement to Cyndi, so who knows? That was another wonderful piece of news to receive just recently.
And now comes the Holiday Season. Remember a year or two ago when there was so much fuss made about not saying "Merry Christmas" but we should say "Happy Holidays"? So many people got so up in arms about this matter, and I have to admit I guess I was one of them. But, for some reason this year it doesn't bother me a bit if people say "Merry Christmas" "Happy New Year" or "Happy (whatever the holiday mey be), I don't think I have ever heard where the expression"Merry Christmas" got started anyway. It would really make more sense to say "Have a Blessed Christmas". What does Merry have to do with it anyway. And have you ever looked back at some of the old fashioned greeting cards - lots of them said "Season's Greetings". Personally I think it is easier to say "Happy Holidays" than to say "Merry Christmas and Happy New Year". The Christmas Season has hit me real hard this year. For sseveral years now I have not hosted the fmily Christmas party and I guess I really miss doing it. And, since I quit doing it, we have never been able to establish a Christmas tradition, and that tratition is rather important to me. I really don't have any place to put Holiday decorations here, and Artiemae is not doing much this year - her health is failing her. So I have been sitting here feeling pretty depressed about the whole thing. Then, today I got a card in the mail that just expressed my sentiments exactly and told me that people did understand. I'm not going to say who sent it, maybe you can figure it out, but I am going to share it with all of you -
it read - Mother - The very best part of Christmas isn't how we celebrate or where...It's who we share it with. This Christmas might feel different than some we've had, but it will still be special, and you'll still be at the heart of it, just as loved and appreciated as ever.
That so expressed just the way I have been feeling, but now I feel better about the whole season, so Merry Chirstmas, Happy Hannukah, Happy Kawanzaa, and even Happy New Year. Whatever- I hope you have a Blessed Christmas and a very Happy and Prosperous New Year.
See you in 2011. I'm going to try to write on the 1st, and then I can date my blog 1-1-10. Just wait , next year it will be 1-1-11!!
Thursday, September 2, 2010
This 'n that!!
Hi - did you think I had given up? No such luck! I did not realize it had been so long since I had posted, but I have a pretty good excuse (at least I think it is). I forgot my password and misplaced the booklet I had written it in. So, today, I just took a chance, and voila! I came up with the right one.
To touch a little on a few of my last posts - I mentioned how the transportation problem really gets in my way. Well, that is kinda working itself out. I did get to go to the one genealogy meeting, and would still like to go to more, but so far no one has come forth and offered me a ride. I have found several at pinocle who are willing to give me rides. One man shares my philosophy on this ride business. In order to participate in the activities at the Sun City Lodges (Orchard Creeek or Kalaga Springs) you have to live in Sun City and be a homeowner. Well, since I am considered a "co-owner" with Artiemae I have my membership in the homeowners association. So, I can participate in these things. One gentleman who plays cards has been coming to pick me up and bring me home. As he said last night (and I thoroughly agree with him), "If you live in Sun City, you cannot be more than about five miles at most from any of the other members, and that is surely not too far to go to make it possible for someone to take part in the activities." He is a really nice man. I have spoken to his wife on the phone. She doesn't play cards, but encourages him to go. Now, I don't know if it will become a regular thing or not, but he has started putting our garbage out at the curb when he brings me home. That is really nice of him. And yes, I am playing cards regularly on Wednesday evenings. We usually have about 7 tables (28 people). And surprisingly, it is mostly men.
I mentioned about the skeletons rattling in my closet. Well, I have had confirmation of the one who served time for "carnal knowledge", and I expect confirmation of the other things. Kinda makes you wonder just who lingers in your past. Maybe I will find someone really notable. But heck, I already have that. After all, I have known all my life that I am a direct descendant of the pioneer Daniel Boone. I don't think I have ever mentioned that these two ladies I am dealing with in finding all this family history are all sorta "related". The first one is in Washington state. I found her by accident - she wasn't who I was looking for, but knew that person. She and HRR are not blood relations, but they share a common aunt & uncle. She is the person who sent me that address in Florida to get in touch with. That lady is the ex-wife of one of HRR's aunts' grandsons.
. Again, none of us are blood related, but are all family connected to each other. Small, small, world.
I also mentioned about finding the video I had made of my trip to Washington in 1994. And, I did have it transferred to a CD. Unfortunately, it only plays on a CD player. I can't use it on my computer without some special equipment. Now, if I can just get some of those scenes copied to stills I'll really have it made. It is so neat to watch that video and see all these people, and they are actually talking to each other. I hope someday my kids, grandkids, and greats can really appreciate what this video means. Several years ago, about 2004, I wrote a small book of stories about when I was a kid. I also included a chapter on my Mother, one on my Father, and on on my wedding day. I have since written some more, but it is still on the computer. I have never printed it out. I gave copies of the book to each of my kids, and to each grandkid, and I hope they will read and enjoy this as well as the video.
Since my last posting, we have had an addition to the family. No, not as you usually think of. This was a wedding. My granddaughter, Ruth, married Andy Smith on August 14. It was quite a different wedding than what we usually think of, but very, very, nice. They were married in an outdoor ceremony at 10 am, with only the immediate families (about 25) present. Then, they had the reception in the evening with many of the rest of the family and lots of friends there. At the wedding, they had no attendants. Ruth had a beautiful ivory satin strapless gown with a wide red satin ribbon as a belt. The whole theme of the wedding and reception was red and white, with a little country thrown in. Very different, and very nice. And, believe it or not, the reception was held in an abondoned milking barn. Of course they had spent hours cleaning it up, but it made a nice setting. A really nice day.
And, you know what, my birthday is coming up pretty soon, and I am becoming quite an "antique" but I am certainly not ready to give up on this world. Heck, I can't. I might miss something exciting in my family. I still have four grandchildren to get married, and the great grandchildren just keep coming. I can't leave yet! Shoot, I have four more great grandchildren coming within the next year.
Well, I think this is enough for now,
Later, alligators -
To touch a little on a few of my last posts - I mentioned how the transportation problem really gets in my way. Well, that is kinda working itself out. I did get to go to the one genealogy meeting, and would still like to go to more, but so far no one has come forth and offered me a ride. I have found several at pinocle who are willing to give me rides. One man shares my philosophy on this ride business. In order to participate in the activities at the Sun City Lodges (Orchard Creeek or Kalaga Springs) you have to live in Sun City and be a homeowner. Well, since I am considered a "co-owner" with Artiemae I have my membership in the homeowners association. So, I can participate in these things. One gentleman who plays cards has been coming to pick me up and bring me home. As he said last night (and I thoroughly agree with him), "If you live in Sun City, you cannot be more than about five miles at most from any of the other members, and that is surely not too far to go to make it possible for someone to take part in the activities." He is a really nice man. I have spoken to his wife on the phone. She doesn't play cards, but encourages him to go. Now, I don't know if it will become a regular thing or not, but he has started putting our garbage out at the curb when he brings me home. That is really nice of him. And yes, I am playing cards regularly on Wednesday evenings. We usually have about 7 tables (28 people). And surprisingly, it is mostly men.
I mentioned about the skeletons rattling in my closet. Well, I have had confirmation of the one who served time for "carnal knowledge", and I expect confirmation of the other things. Kinda makes you wonder just who lingers in your past. Maybe I will find someone really notable. But heck, I already have that. After all, I have known all my life that I am a direct descendant of the pioneer Daniel Boone. I don't think I have ever mentioned that these two ladies I am dealing with in finding all this family history are all sorta "related". The first one is in Washington state. I found her by accident - she wasn't who I was looking for, but knew that person. She and HRR are not blood relations, but they share a common aunt & uncle. She is the person who sent me that address in Florida to get in touch with. That lady is the ex-wife of one of HRR's aunts' grandsons.
. Again, none of us are blood related, but are all family connected to each other. Small, small, world.
I also mentioned about finding the video I had made of my trip to Washington in 1994. And, I did have it transferred to a CD. Unfortunately, it only plays on a CD player. I can't use it on my computer without some special equipment. Now, if I can just get some of those scenes copied to stills I'll really have it made. It is so neat to watch that video and see all these people, and they are actually talking to each other. I hope someday my kids, grandkids, and greats can really appreciate what this video means. Several years ago, about 2004, I wrote a small book of stories about when I was a kid. I also included a chapter on my Mother, one on my Father, and on on my wedding day. I have since written some more, but it is still on the computer. I have never printed it out. I gave copies of the book to each of my kids, and to each grandkid, and I hope they will read and enjoy this as well as the video.
Since my last posting, we have had an addition to the family. No, not as you usually think of. This was a wedding. My granddaughter, Ruth, married Andy Smith on August 14. It was quite a different wedding than what we usually think of, but very, very, nice. They were married in an outdoor ceremony at 10 am, with only the immediate families (about 25) present. Then, they had the reception in the evening with many of the rest of the family and lots of friends there. At the wedding, they had no attendants. Ruth had a beautiful ivory satin strapless gown with a wide red satin ribbon as a belt. The whole theme of the wedding and reception was red and white, with a little country thrown in. Very different, and very nice. And, believe it or not, the reception was held in an abondoned milking barn. Of course they had spent hours cleaning it up, but it made a nice setting. A really nice day.
And, you know what, my birthday is coming up pretty soon, and I am becoming quite an "antique" but I am certainly not ready to give up on this world. Heck, I can't. I might miss something exciting in my family. I still have four grandchildren to get married, and the great grandchildren just keep coming. I can't leave yet! Shoot, I have four more great grandchildren coming within the next year.
Well, I think this is enough for now,
Later, alligators -
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Pinochle
In my last post I mentioned that I was going to go to the Genealogy club at the Sun City Lodge. Well, I did, and yes, I enjoyed it very much. The leader of the group took me, and it was a group meeting, with a speaker. She was the head Archivist for the State of California, and had some very interesting information on how to preserve (store) family documents and pictures. It was really an interesting meeting. However, I'm not sure how much I am going to be able to attend, because all their meetings are in the evening, or Sunday afternoons, and my old bug-a-boo of transportation is always there.
Tonight I went to play Pinochle. They have a group who meet on Wednesday evenings to play single deck, and another group (I'm sure some of them are the same prople) who meet on Friday afternoon to play double deck. Since I do not play double deck, I am stuck with the evening group. Artymae took me down this evening, and was going to come get me to bring me home, but I found a gentleman who lives just the next block over from me, who brought me home, and is willing to provide me with rides whenever he can. He's really a nice guy. As I say, he lives just the next street over, parallel to Hidden Hills. He is black, and drives a Golf cart - it's neat. I am really looking forward to getting to know this bunch - they seem to have a kot of fun. When we were in Washington in 1954, a lot of the Olsons played pinochle, and they had a way of scoring where if you thought you were going to be able to take all the tricks, you could claim that you would Shoot The Moon, and if you were successful, you got 75 points instead of 25. If you were not successful, you lost 75 points and did not get credit for what you did get. Believe me it is not easy to take all the cards, but it could have happened two out of four hands at the last table I played at. But, we both chickened out and did not claim it, so of course, we did not get it.
Maybe, just maybe, I have finally found a group I will be able to mix with. I sure hope so. And especially Pinochle, because I do love playing. There is one lady who plays who will be 100 years old in November. She seems sweet, but of course, is very hard of hearing, and when she goes to the ladies' room, you can figure she will be gone at least 10-15 minutes.
Well, this is short, but I am excited about getting a chance to get involved, so, I just had to write it while I could.
More next time - that's all for now,
Beth
Tonight I went to play Pinochle. They have a group who meet on Wednesday evenings to play single deck, and another group (I'm sure some of them are the same prople) who meet on Friday afternoon to play double deck. Since I do not play double deck, I am stuck with the evening group. Artymae took me down this evening, and was going to come get me to bring me home, but I found a gentleman who lives just the next block over from me, who brought me home, and is willing to provide me with rides whenever he can. He's really a nice guy. As I say, he lives just the next street over, parallel to Hidden Hills. He is black, and drives a Golf cart - it's neat. I am really looking forward to getting to know this bunch - they seem to have a kot of fun. When we were in Washington in 1954, a lot of the Olsons played pinochle, and they had a way of scoring where if you thought you were going to be able to take all the tricks, you could claim that you would Shoot The Moon, and if you were successful, you got 75 points instead of 25. If you were not successful, you lost 75 points and did not get credit for what you did get. Believe me it is not easy to take all the cards, but it could have happened two out of four hands at the last table I played at. But, we both chickened out and did not claim it, so of course, we did not get it.
Maybe, just maybe, I have finally found a group I will be able to mix with. I sure hope so. And especially Pinochle, because I do love playing. There is one lady who plays who will be 100 years old in November. She seems sweet, but of course, is very hard of hearing, and when she goes to the ladies' room, you can figure she will be gone at least 10-15 minutes.
Well, this is short, but I am excited about getting a chance to get involved, so, I just had to write it while I could.
More next time - that's all for now,
Beth
Monday, July 19, 2010
"old-timers" disease
"Old-timers" disease is so commonly used as a joke if someone who is approaching their golden years - referring of course, to Altzheimers disease. Well, I don't know if it was a good example of Old-timers disease, senility, forgetfulness, stupidity, ignotance, or any number of excuses, but I have just been through what could have been an absolutely embarrassing, expensive goof. My TV is about 16 years old - a Magnavox - and it has served me well. From the day I bought it, I have always used the remote to operate it, and although it has a row of buttons across the front to make your choices (on - off - volume - etc), I have never used them. I use the remote. It was not until a couple of years ago that I even learned which button turned the power on/off. Well, late last evening, something happened, I have no idea what, but there appeared across the lower part of my screen, the letters 4 OF 10 1F. I have no idea what the letters meant, and nothing I could do made any difference. And, I could not turn the TV off. All I got was a screen full of snow, and the lettering was still there. The screen would not go blank. Everything else about the TV worked, including the mute. So, I had to leave the set on, muted, all night long. This morning I spent a long time on the phone with the Direct TV rep, and she finally told me it was not a system problem, it was a TV problem and there was nothing more she could do for me. As I said, my TV is a 16 year old Magnavox. Have you tried to find home service for that make and age of TV? No luck in the yellow pages, so I tried the Internet. And, the closest one I could find was in the Sacramento area, whick would have been 25 miles or more. About that time, Artymae came into my room, and I asked her if she had ever seen anything like what was on my TV. It only took her a couple of minutes to turn the set off with the set on/off switch, and then told me to turn it back on with the remote. Voila!! It worked and is working fine, now. If I had not asked her about it, I would probably called one of the service people off the net, and not only had the embarrassment when the told me what the problem was, but probably a "mileage" service call. See what I mean about stupidity, ignorance, or whatever. I'm just too old for these things. Remember, I'm almost 80 years old. It tales these younger people to figure things like thiis out. You know, Artymae is only 78 years old. Well, anyway, for whatever reason, I'm sure glad it was so easily and cheaply fixed.
I'm going to try something new tonight. Living in Del Webb Sun City, entitleds the resident to membership in the social club. I finally got my membership established a couple weeks ago, and tonight I am going to take advantage of it for the first time. I am going to be attending a workshop of the genealogy group. One of the other members is going to come pick me up. I am really looking forward to it. They meet evenings I think it's twice a month, and once a month they have a Sunday afternoon meeting. Unfortunately, because of the timing of the gatherings, I cannot use the Dial-a-ride, and must be dependent on some other transportation. Same problem I had in Yuba City. This was a problem I faced with the church when I decided to move to Lincoln, and I had so many promises of rides, that never materialized. I hope this works out better. I am also hoping to get involved in their Pinochle group. I really miss playing cards.. I do the best I can with the computer version, but in person is so much more fun. Sp we will see what happens tonight.
Later -
I'm going to try something new tonight. Living in Del Webb Sun City, entitleds the resident to membership in the social club. I finally got my membership established a couple weeks ago, and tonight I am going to take advantage of it for the first time. I am going to be attending a workshop of the genealogy group. One of the other members is going to come pick me up. I am really looking forward to it. They meet evenings I think it's twice a month, and once a month they have a Sunday afternoon meeting. Unfortunately, because of the timing of the gatherings, I cannot use the Dial-a-ride, and must be dependent on some other transportation. Same problem I had in Yuba City. This was a problem I faced with the church when I decided to move to Lincoln, and I had so many promises of rides, that never materialized. I hope this works out better. I am also hoping to get involved in their Pinochle group. I really miss playing cards.. I do the best I can with the computer version, but in person is so much more fun. Sp we will see what happens tonight.
Later -
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Skeletons
If you have been followng me, I think I have mentioned that I am working on the genealogy of HRR and myself. Well, I am getting a lot of help from a shirt-tail family connection in Florida. And, as we are cautioned when we start digging, you never know what you will turn up. How true!!. I think my calendar is out of whack, because thanks to her (Julie) some skeletons are starting to rattle in the closet. I don't think any of them have actually come all the way out yet, but they are making noises. Possibly, just possibly, not definitely yet, we have an ancestor who was convicted of Carnal Knowledge of a teenager in 1917; an aunt who ran away from a teen residential home; and a slave owner. Interesting, huh? It's going to be interesting to see how these stories develop. So far, I have been able to trace one line of my family back to 1495. Getting pretty old, huh! I started to do this several years ago, but have lost all my records and research , so had to start all over. Now, thanks to this Julie, I have been going great guns. It is so interesting - I hope we can continue, or at least with what she has taught me, I can continue.
Judy and I spent two or three hours this afternoon, looking over some random family pictures I have. I think the box is mainly duplicates of others I had sorted out several years ago, which I believe are now in storage. It's such fun to look at these pictures - very few are over 50 years old. There are pictures that have both of my grandmothers in them, and of course, Judy never knew either of them, so these were especially interesting to her.
In 1994, I took a trip all by myself, up through Oregon, Washington, and Idaho. Maily it was to visit HRR's family, but I did a lot of sightseeing, too. I took a video of most of the trip, and had not been able to find it for several years. I had just about given up on it, but the other day, it turned up in some of the things the girls had taken from HRR's apartment. It is such fun to watch that home video. It has a section on Becky's graduation from a business school in Yakima; about 14 minutes of my drive in the snow coming out from Crater Lake. I had positioned the camera on the dash board on the car, and had it running as I drove out - with about three feet of snow along the side of the road, and snow and slush and ice on the surface of the road. You get quite an impression of what bob-sled driving is like. Of course, I was only travelling about 25 miles an hour, not 100+ like the racers do. On the film, I think I have pictures, and conversations, with all but one of my mother-in-law's sisters and brothers, as well as other pictures that have much significance in the family history. I am going to try to have this video transferred to Cd's and see if I can get stills of some of the individuals. I feel that video has become almost priceless. All these family members have since passed away, so there is a lot of history here.
Well, this started out to be just a quick note, but as usual, I don't know when to stop, once I get started, so for now,
That's all folks!
Judy and I spent two or three hours this afternoon, looking over some random family pictures I have. I think the box is mainly duplicates of others I had sorted out several years ago, which I believe are now in storage. It's such fun to look at these pictures - very few are over 50 years old. There are pictures that have both of my grandmothers in them, and of course, Judy never knew either of them, so these were especially interesting to her.
In 1994, I took a trip all by myself, up through Oregon, Washington, and Idaho. Maily it was to visit HRR's family, but I did a lot of sightseeing, too. I took a video of most of the trip, and had not been able to find it for several years. I had just about given up on it, but the other day, it turned up in some of the things the girls had taken from HRR's apartment. It is such fun to watch that home video. It has a section on Becky's graduation from a business school in Yakima; about 14 minutes of my drive in the snow coming out from Crater Lake. I had positioned the camera on the dash board on the car, and had it running as I drove out - with about three feet of snow along the side of the road, and snow and slush and ice on the surface of the road. You get quite an impression of what bob-sled driving is like. Of course, I was only travelling about 25 miles an hour, not 100+ like the racers do. On the film, I think I have pictures, and conversations, with all but one of my mother-in-law's sisters and brothers, as well as other pictures that have much significance in the family history. I am going to try to have this video transferred to Cd's and see if I can get stills of some of the individuals. I feel that video has become almost priceless. All these family members have since passed away, so there is a lot of history here.
Well, this started out to be just a quick note, but as usual, I don't know when to stop, once I get started, so for now,
That's all folks!
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Happy 4th
While the storms gather,
Far across the sea,
Let us swear allegiance,
To a land that's free.
Let us all be greatful,
For a land so fair,
As we raise our voices,
In a Solemn prayer -
God Bless America,
Land that I love,
Stand beside her, and guide her,]
Through the night, with the light
From above.
From the mountains,
To the prairies,
To the oceaans,
White with foan,
God Bless America
My home sweet home.
Does all that sound familiar? It should - it's the words (complete with verse) of the song written by Irving Berlin, and made famous by Kate Smith. It very nearly replaced the Star Spangled Banner as our national anthem.
I thought it was especially appropriate to start my blog today. Oh by the way, did you even know there was a verse to it? Read it over and over again, and stop to think that it is really a prayer to God. We sing it so much, without even thinking about what the meaning of it is. Think about it!!
I have in my possession, a book I would like to recommend that everyone get, if at all within your power, and read at least once, maybe two or three times. This book was given to me for Christmas in 2008, while I was a resident of the Yuba City Manor, a residential senior assisted living facility. Every Christmas one of the service clubs of Yuba City gives the resident a gift, of their choice. This particular Christmas, I had requested one of two books, The Shack, or Joel Osteen's latest book. I was really blessed, because I got not only both of those books, but four others, as well as a lap throw to use while I was reading. I say I was truly blessed because one of the books was called The Presidet written by Parker Hudson, with a 1995 copywright. If you remember, Christmas 2008 was just after our presidential election, and before the inauguration. This book, although written in 1995, could have been written the sumer of 2008. It is so timely. Actually it is the story of a man who had promised the country that if he were elected, he would change the country for the better. Things did not go as he had planned. The story, of course, involves a love story (even tho it is between a husband and wife and family), foreign intrigue, and a national crisis. It is the story of a man who, when he became president, was a staunch non-believer, who through the experiences of his life, and his family, turns to his God and turns the whole nation around. It is a very complicated story, but one I have found very fascinating. I have one friend whom I know for a fact has read the book at least four times. I myself have read it twice, and I know I will read it more. I am not normally such a fan of one book, but I do highly recommend this book to anyone who really likes to read. I'm not sure where you would find it. I looked in Amazon, and it was not listed by author. But, it you can find it, I certainly recommend it for reading.
Back to the 4th. Are you doing anything special? Going to the fireworks was almost a tradition in our family for many years. Then, a few years ago, there was a mis-fire, and a young girl got very badly injured at the local fireworks display. I think that was the last year they had community firewords in the Marysville/Yuba City area. I know I have not gone anywhere to see them since. I will probably watch on TV tonight. But is that all we do to "celebrate" our country? I know I still love my country very much, although right now I am very much afraid of our future. As I sit here writing this, I can recall several things that happened in our family that bring back memories of the 4th - most of them interesting, some rather exciting, but all fun to remember. As a child, I can remember going out to the open field in front of our house, and setting off "Roman Candles" which are very dangerous, and now illegal. When HRR and I were first married, we could go to the riberbank, and watch the firewords across the river at Grimes. Yes, even that little tiny town had a fireworks display. The only really bad thing about it was the mosquitos. When Kathy was just two or three years old, we had some friends over for the evening, and we were out in the yard setting off our "firecrackers". One thing the kids really loved was the "sparklers". They were much fireier (my own word) than the ones they have now. You could actually write in the air, and there was enough "sparkle" that you would be able to read the whole word before the sparks died. Kathy was holding one, at her side, actually touching her dress, and it set her dress on fire. We saw it right away and put it out, but it could have been bad. We started going to the big firewords display at Ellis Lake in Marysville. (For awhile it was held at Riverfront Park on the banks of the Feather River) but this particular time, it was at Ellie Lake. Highway 70 runs right along the edge of the Lake, and anyone driving through town can see that there is something really big happening there. On this particular evening, we had our blanket spread on the grass, and there was quite a crowd. A young couple with two small sons came along, and we invited them to share our blanket. It turns out they were from Los Angeles, and just passing through and stopped to watch the show. They had no plans for the night so we invited them to come visit us at the ranch. Before we left town, the boys each had to have a "hanginburger". When we got to the ranch (25 miles from town) the mother was absolutely fascinated by the stars in the sky. She commented that you didn't see stars like that in the city. Judy was only a month old when we took her to her first fireworks display. You know how some of those rockets make such a "boom" when they explode - well, she slept right thru it, never flinching, or batting an eye. When Kathy and her family were in Alaska, they were home for the 4th one year, and we had quite a family picnic in Chico. We decided to go to Oroville, to the top of the dam, to watch the fireworks. There was a solid line of cars up and down the side of the dam, and some way a grass fire got started. It was absolutely amazing the way that traffic jam got out of there and out of the way of the fire. I think one of the best 4ths I ever had was after I had my mobile home east of Marysville. I had a large, covered carport, and I had a picnic out there. I don't remember just who or how many were there, but I thought it was pretty neat.
Well, anyway, I hope that whatever you are doing today, or this evening, you will have a wonderful time and remember the reason we observe this very special day. Otherwise,
That's all folks!!
Beth
Far across the sea,
Let us swear allegiance,
To a land that's free.
Let us all be greatful,
For a land so fair,
As we raise our voices,
In a Solemn prayer -
God Bless America,
Land that I love,
Stand beside her, and guide her,]
Through the night, with the light
From above.
From the mountains,
To the prairies,
To the oceaans,
White with foan,
God Bless America
My home sweet home.
Does all that sound familiar? It should - it's the words (complete with verse) of the song written by Irving Berlin, and made famous by Kate Smith. It very nearly replaced the Star Spangled Banner as our national anthem.
I thought it was especially appropriate to start my blog today. Oh by the way, did you even know there was a verse to it? Read it over and over again, and stop to think that it is really a prayer to God. We sing it so much, without even thinking about what the meaning of it is. Think about it!!
I have in my possession, a book I would like to recommend that everyone get, if at all within your power, and read at least once, maybe two or three times. This book was given to me for Christmas in 2008, while I was a resident of the Yuba City Manor, a residential senior assisted living facility. Every Christmas one of the service clubs of Yuba City gives the resident a gift, of their choice. This particular Christmas, I had requested one of two books, The Shack, or Joel Osteen's latest book. I was really blessed, because I got not only both of those books, but four others, as well as a lap throw to use while I was reading. I say I was truly blessed because one of the books was called The Presidet written by Parker Hudson, with a 1995 copywright. If you remember, Christmas 2008 was just after our presidential election, and before the inauguration. This book, although written in 1995, could have been written the sumer of 2008. It is so timely. Actually it is the story of a man who had promised the country that if he were elected, he would change the country for the better. Things did not go as he had planned. The story, of course, involves a love story (even tho it is between a husband and wife and family), foreign intrigue, and a national crisis. It is the story of a man who, when he became president, was a staunch non-believer, who through the experiences of his life, and his family, turns to his God and turns the whole nation around. It is a very complicated story, but one I have found very fascinating. I have one friend whom I know for a fact has read the book at least four times. I myself have read it twice, and I know I will read it more. I am not normally such a fan of one book, but I do highly recommend this book to anyone who really likes to read. I'm not sure where you would find it. I looked in Amazon, and it was not listed by author. But, it you can find it, I certainly recommend it for reading.
Back to the 4th. Are you doing anything special? Going to the fireworks was almost a tradition in our family for many years. Then, a few years ago, there was a mis-fire, and a young girl got very badly injured at the local fireworks display. I think that was the last year they had community firewords in the Marysville/Yuba City area. I know I have not gone anywhere to see them since. I will probably watch on TV tonight. But is that all we do to "celebrate" our country? I know I still love my country very much, although right now I am very much afraid of our future. As I sit here writing this, I can recall several things that happened in our family that bring back memories of the 4th - most of them interesting, some rather exciting, but all fun to remember. As a child, I can remember going out to the open field in front of our house, and setting off "Roman Candles" which are very dangerous, and now illegal. When HRR and I were first married, we could go to the riberbank, and watch the firewords across the river at Grimes. Yes, even that little tiny town had a fireworks display. The only really bad thing about it was the mosquitos. When Kathy was just two or three years old, we had some friends over for the evening, and we were out in the yard setting off our "firecrackers". One thing the kids really loved was the "sparklers". They were much fireier (my own word) than the ones they have now. You could actually write in the air, and there was enough "sparkle" that you would be able to read the whole word before the sparks died. Kathy was holding one, at her side, actually touching her dress, and it set her dress on fire. We saw it right away and put it out, but it could have been bad. We started going to the big firewords display at Ellis Lake in Marysville. (For awhile it was held at Riverfront Park on the banks of the Feather River) but this particular time, it was at Ellie Lake. Highway 70 runs right along the edge of the Lake, and anyone driving through town can see that there is something really big happening there. On this particular evening, we had our blanket spread on the grass, and there was quite a crowd. A young couple with two small sons came along, and we invited them to share our blanket. It turns out they were from Los Angeles, and just passing through and stopped to watch the show. They had no plans for the night so we invited them to come visit us at the ranch. Before we left town, the boys each had to have a "hanginburger". When we got to the ranch (25 miles from town) the mother was absolutely fascinated by the stars in the sky. She commented that you didn't see stars like that in the city. Judy was only a month old when we took her to her first fireworks display. You know how some of those rockets make such a "boom" when they explode - well, she slept right thru it, never flinching, or batting an eye. When Kathy and her family were in Alaska, they were home for the 4th one year, and we had quite a family picnic in Chico. We decided to go to Oroville, to the top of the dam, to watch the fireworks. There was a solid line of cars up and down the side of the dam, and some way a grass fire got started. It was absolutely amazing the way that traffic jam got out of there and out of the way of the fire. I think one of the best 4ths I ever had was after I had my mobile home east of Marysville. I had a large, covered carport, and I had a picnic out there. I don't remember just who or how many were there, but I thought it was pretty neat.
Well, anyway, I hope that whatever you are doing today, or this evening, you will have a wonderful time and remember the reason we observe this very special day. Otherwise,
That's all folks!!
Beth
Monday, June 28, 2010
Ancestors
I have been having so much fun working on my Fanuly Tree, that it has almost become work, instead of just fun. But, I think a lot of that is because I haven't learned how to keep the tree from getting so big, it is becomng unmanagable. But I have found so much.
It all started when I found the wrong person. Pat is not whom I thought she was. I was trying to contact one of HRR's cousins, and wound up with a "shirt-tailed"relative. Pat and HRR share an aunt and uncle, although the two of them are not related. You have to stop and think about that for awhile. Then, through HRR"s cousin in Marysville, I found about a cousin in Southern California. I wrote to her and she has filled me in on some of the family. Through her, I have tried to make contact with another distant cousin of Grandpa's. So far, I haen't heard from her. I hope we can get the contact because I am very afraid my mail might have gone directly into her spam folder. It happened before. Then there is this gal in Florida, who is the ex-wife of the grandson of one of HRR's aunts. She is apparently very much into the geneology and is giving me lots of help.
Last Wednesday I went to the LDS Family Research Center in Yuba City, and they helped me for two or three hours doing research. I think I've mentioned that I am very proud of the fact that I am a direct descendant of the pioneer, Daniel Boone. Years ago I was able to trace him back to his father (I believe) who was born in Engliand in 1866. Well, now I know that the last known date for the family is the great great grandfather of Daniel Boone who was born in 1595 in England, but who died in 1670, in the United States. As Judy said, "Mama. that means we had family in the United States before the Revolutionary War". Yep, sure did!!!
I am trying to trace my family: Arand, White, Roberts, Boone; Then there are the branches - the Weyands, the Banks' , the Springers. Then I get the kid's trees - the Hodges., the Goss', the sparks, the springers, the Boleys, the Morrells, the browns, the DeWalls, the Hughes, and on and on it goes. You might say, yes, but some of those surnames were of fathers who no longer are a part of the family. But, they will always be part of the family, as long as there are children of those relationships as a part of our family tree. I haven't started with HRR's family - here you get into the Rohleders, the Olsons, the Kirchbergs, the Grunewalds, the Windiates, etc. When you get these names all attached to one tree, you begin to see just how far your family really is "connected". Not related, just connected. I'm anxious to see if some suspicions I have do develope. I wish this lady who is being so helpful to me lived a bit closer, but she is in Florida, and all her help has to be by email. She has sent me pictures of some of the old family grave markers, which I believe to be all in the Rosalia, WN cemetery. I also have some I took when I was up there in 1994. They are on video, and I am going to find someone who can pick some of those pictures off, so they can be put on the tree.
Think this is a good place to stop. If any of those names mean anything special to you, please get in touch with me and lets see what we can figure out.
It all started when I found the wrong person. Pat is not whom I thought she was. I was trying to contact one of HRR's cousins, and wound up with a "shirt-tailed"relative. Pat and HRR share an aunt and uncle, although the two of them are not related. You have to stop and think about that for awhile. Then, through HRR"s cousin in Marysville, I found about a cousin in Southern California. I wrote to her and she has filled me in on some of the family. Through her, I have tried to make contact with another distant cousin of Grandpa's. So far, I haen't heard from her. I hope we can get the contact because I am very afraid my mail might have gone directly into her spam folder. It happened before. Then there is this gal in Florida, who is the ex-wife of the grandson of one of HRR's aunts. She is apparently very much into the geneology and is giving me lots of help.
Last Wednesday I went to the LDS Family Research Center in Yuba City, and they helped me for two or three hours doing research. I think I've mentioned that I am very proud of the fact that I am a direct descendant of the pioneer, Daniel Boone. Years ago I was able to trace him back to his father (I believe) who was born in Engliand in 1866. Well, now I know that the last known date for the family is the great great grandfather of Daniel Boone who was born in 1595 in England, but who died in 1670, in the United States. As Judy said, "Mama. that means we had family in the United States before the Revolutionary War". Yep, sure did!!!
I am trying to trace my family: Arand, White, Roberts, Boone; Then there are the branches - the Weyands, the Banks' , the Springers. Then I get the kid's trees - the Hodges., the Goss', the sparks, the springers, the Boleys, the Morrells, the browns, the DeWalls, the Hughes, and on and on it goes. You might say, yes, but some of those surnames were of fathers who no longer are a part of the family. But, they will always be part of the family, as long as there are children of those relationships as a part of our family tree. I haven't started with HRR's family - here you get into the Rohleders, the Olsons, the Kirchbergs, the Grunewalds, the Windiates, etc. When you get these names all attached to one tree, you begin to see just how far your family really is "connected". Not related, just connected. I'm anxious to see if some suspicions I have do develope. I wish this lady who is being so helpful to me lived a bit closer, but she is in Florida, and all her help has to be by email. She has sent me pictures of some of the old family grave markers, which I believe to be all in the Rosalia, WN cemetery. I also have some I took when I was up there in 1994. They are on video, and I am going to find someone who can pick some of those pictures off, so they can be put on the tree.
Think this is a good place to stop. If any of those names mean anything special to you, please get in touch with me and lets see what we can figure out.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Ancestors & Descendants
Hello, again. Not used to me writing every day, are you? Well, yesterday I got another gripe off my chest, and good things happened to me today, so I thought, why not write it down while it is still exciting to me. There is an old saying that says something about bad things come in threes. I never was one to believe in "old wives' tales", or some of these old idioms from sayings of generations ago. So, in this case, I turn it around and say that good things are coming in threes. At least good news is coming in threes. Actually, in this case, it is probably good things coming in fours. Not too long ago, I learned that I was going to be a greatgrandmother again, for about the 29th time. Then, a week or so later, I learn I will be gr-grandma again, and today I learn it's going to happen again. That will be 31 great-grandchildren. Don't ask me how many are blood and how many are step - I quit counting that. And I also learn of a pending marriage in my family. Who? Well, that's for me to know and you to find out. I'm sure some of you already know, but nobody will hear it first from me.
Years ago I had spent literally hundreds of hours researching and building family trees for all sides of the family. It was really lots of fun, but also a lot of work. When I got sick in 2006, and never thought I would be able to pursue such a project, things got kind of scattered. For some reason, noboby seems to know where my stuff is. I had many file folders full of old pictures, photos of US Censes sheets for verious years, and even a Spanish Land Grand for my grandmother's place. I'm sure most of it is still around, but I guess God only knows where. Maybe some of it will turn up, at least I hope so. I have gotten interested in working on it again, and without the information I already had and the program I was using, I'm kinda up s*** creek.
But, today, thru a contact I have made in Florida, I was introducted to another computer program. It is fun, and I have really been going to town with it, but I don't think it can do all the things the other program does. This one is free, and the other one costs about $250 per year. Really, that is not all that expensive, especially for what you get, but you have to pay the full year at one time - no monthly payments. Bummer!! Maybe as I get used to this program, I will understand it, and it will become easier. I hope so. But, I'm still thinking about getting the new- old program - it seems so much easier to crossreference.
Years ago I had spent literally hundreds of hours researching and building family trees for all sides of the family. It was really lots of fun, but also a lot of work. When I got sick in 2006, and never thought I would be able to pursue such a project, things got kind of scattered. For some reason, noboby seems to know where my stuff is. I had many file folders full of old pictures, photos of US Censes sheets for verious years, and even a Spanish Land Grand for my grandmother's place. I'm sure most of it is still around, but I guess God only knows where. Maybe some of it will turn up, at least I hope so. I have gotten interested in working on it again, and without the information I already had and the program I was using, I'm kinda up s*** creek.
But, today, thru a contact I have made in Florida, I was introducted to another computer program. It is fun, and I have really been going to town with it, but I don't think it can do all the things the other program does. This one is free, and the other one costs about $250 per year. Really, that is not all that expensive, especially for what you get, but you have to pay the full year at one time - no monthly payments. Bummer!! Maybe as I get used to this program, I will understand it, and it will become easier. I hope so. But, I'm still thinking about getting the new- old program - it seems so much easier to crossreference.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Apology, sorta - peeve, definitaly
I was just rereading my last post for probably at least the tenth time, and I got to thinking about what I said at the last of it. I'm sorry, but that is still how I feel about what goes on at a high school graduation. I said it was supposed to be a serious time in the life of the graduate. Well, 60 years ago, when I graduated from high school, things like that were major, serious, events in the lives of young people. But you know, I think I can realize that things are different now, it is a different time. All that "foolishness" the graduates do is not rebellion or meaning to be disruptive; I think it is just their way of celebrating the fact that they have finished their years of primary and secondary school. For many, this is the end of their school years. For some, there will be more years, maybe many more, before they have to face some of the realities of life. Now that I've done some serious thinking, I think I can understand why they do the things they do. That doesn't necessarily mean I like the idea, just that I think I understand.
Not long after I started these postings, I really vented about some of the things in the education system now. One of my biggest gripes, is the way the education system is taking such a beating in the state budget process. But I don't care how badly the system gets beaten by the budget cutbacks, I don't think that excuses letting kids go through school without learning some of the basics of life. Sure, they are teaching more advanced scientific and mathematical subjects than when I went to school, but darn it, when I graduated from high school, or even from grade school, you could read my writing, and I could at least use correct grammar and punctuation. (Belive it not - some times you wouldn't think so from reading these posts). About 10 years or so ago, I went to visit one of my grandkids at high school one day for some reason. One of the classes she was taking was "keyboarding" or learning to use the keyboard (type) on a computer. I was absolutely dumbfounded when she handed me a paper with an "A" grade on it. The spelling, punctuation, and grammar were atrocious. I was told, I believe by the teacher, that that was not the purpose of this class. In this class, they were just suppossed to prove they knew how to use the keyboard - the rest of it would be taken care of by another teacher!! To me, that just did not make good sense. "English" in all it's forms, should be a part of every class. I hadn't thought too much about it later, because I really wasn't involved in the kids school work, but I got an email from one the other day. This kid had finished high school, and I was really shocked at the email. It was almost as if the computer did not have capital letters, and maybe it is from texting too much on the phones, but spelling seems to have gone by the wayside. Now, this is really frustrating to me. Oh well, I guess, as I said, I am getting old!!
Well, I think that is enough for now, so That's all, folks!!
Not long after I started these postings, I really vented about some of the things in the education system now. One of my biggest gripes, is the way the education system is taking such a beating in the state budget process. But I don't care how badly the system gets beaten by the budget cutbacks, I don't think that excuses letting kids go through school without learning some of the basics of life. Sure, they are teaching more advanced scientific and mathematical subjects than when I went to school, but darn it, when I graduated from high school, or even from grade school, you could read my writing, and I could at least use correct grammar and punctuation. (Belive it not - some times you wouldn't think so from reading these posts). About 10 years or so ago, I went to visit one of my grandkids at high school one day for some reason. One of the classes she was taking was "keyboarding" or learning to use the keyboard (type) on a computer. I was absolutely dumbfounded when she handed me a paper with an "A" grade on it. The spelling, punctuation, and grammar were atrocious. I was told, I believe by the teacher, that that was not the purpose of this class. In this class, they were just suppossed to prove they knew how to use the keyboard - the rest of it would be taken care of by another teacher!! To me, that just did not make good sense. "English" in all it's forms, should be a part of every class. I hadn't thought too much about it later, because I really wasn't involved in the kids school work, but I got an email from one the other day. This kid had finished high school, and I was really shocked at the email. It was almost as if the computer did not have capital letters, and maybe it is from texting too much on the phones, but spelling seems to have gone by the wayside. Now, this is really frustrating to me. Oh well, I guess, as I said, I am getting old!!
Well, I think that is enough for now, so That's all, folks!!
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Hifh School Graduation
Another first!! It seems as if there have been a number of firsts in my life in the past few years. Actually, it has been awhile, but I was the first member of my family to graduate from a 2-year community college, back in 1998. There had been members of the family who had completed fire training, police training, auto mechanics school, food management courses, and Certified Nurses Assistant courses, but I was the first to complete a regular 2 year college course, with an Associate of Arts degree. That is since my Mother, who graduated from San Jose State (it was called San Jose Normal then) back around 1915. And it only took me 50 years to do it. Yes, I graduated from high school in 1948 and from Yuba Community College in 1998. Last year, I had three members of the family graduate from a school. My oldest daughter, Kathy, graduated from Yuba Com. College; my youngest grandson graduated from Marysville High School, and his sister (my youngest grandchild) graduated from grade school. Now, this year, my oldest GREAT-grandchild, the granddaughter of the daughter who graduated from College last year, graduated from Marysville High School. They're going to be keeping me busy with graduations for a few years. Next year, if things go right, I'll have two or three graduating from Yuba, and it's going to be that way now, for several years. My sister-in-law once said I got just as excited over the 5th or 6th or 10th grandchild as I did the first, and I think it will be the same with these graduations. Each one is such a major step in the life of that particular person, I can't help but be proud and excited.
Having a GREAT grandchild graduate from high school really made me realize that I am not a young person any more. My physical problems have shown that for several years, but last night, I really felt it in my senses. I didn't get all emotional, no tears or anything like that, but something that seems to have become common in these graduations, and which I do not care for at all, is the stunts the graduates themselves pull, and some of the things that happen at an event like this. I'm not sure how many graduates there were, but I'm sure it was well over 200, so, as has been a long standing thing with this high school, the ceremony was held in the football stadium. Well, out in the open like that, I guess certain things can be expected, but that doesn't make me like them any better. One thing last night, that I found to be very annoying to me personally, was people blowing the canned air horns. A lady sitting just behind and to the right of me, had one, and she really blasted it. Those things are LOUD. I asked her very nicely not to do it, and sure enough a few graduates further down the list, she did it again. Again, I asked her very politely to please not blow that thing anymore. She just ignored me, but, one of the security guards on duty did come along and confiscated four or five of the horns. Well, that just made it a game. When he would walk by, there was no sight of one, and as soon as the guard went by, someone would bring out a horn, blast it, and put it away before the guard could catch them. This became quite a game for some of the people, my own family included. Personally, I found it very offensive to the people sitting around who did not like it, and the fact that they were literally making fun of the guards. As the diplomas were presented and the graduates left the platform, some of them were doing tricks, turning handsprings, etc. I left as soon as my Grgranddaughter got her diploma so I could beat the crowds to the rest room so I missed some of the stunts the grads pulled. I understand they had beach-balls tucked under their clothes, and were blowing them up during the ceremony; some of them, mine included, had cans of crazy string didden in their clothes, etc. OK, now why don't I like things like this? Well, to me it ruins the effect - the solemnity of the ceremony, etc. That's what I mean - my age is telling on me. A graduation like this is supposed to me a major, serious, event in the life of the kids, and then such things as these stunts go on - not for me, sorry.
Well, I guess I have vented enough, so I will close for now. Have a nice summer, everyone, and
That's all folks!!
Having a GREAT grandchild graduate from high school really made me realize that I am not a young person any more. My physical problems have shown that for several years, but last night, I really felt it in my senses. I didn't get all emotional, no tears or anything like that, but something that seems to have become common in these graduations, and which I do not care for at all, is the stunts the graduates themselves pull, and some of the things that happen at an event like this. I'm not sure how many graduates there were, but I'm sure it was well over 200, so, as has been a long standing thing with this high school, the ceremony was held in the football stadium. Well, out in the open like that, I guess certain things can be expected, but that doesn't make me like them any better. One thing last night, that I found to be very annoying to me personally, was people blowing the canned air horns. A lady sitting just behind and to the right of me, had one, and she really blasted it. Those things are LOUD. I asked her very nicely not to do it, and sure enough a few graduates further down the list, she did it again. Again, I asked her very politely to please not blow that thing anymore. She just ignored me, but, one of the security guards on duty did come along and confiscated four or five of the horns. Well, that just made it a game. When he would walk by, there was no sight of one, and as soon as the guard went by, someone would bring out a horn, blast it, and put it away before the guard could catch them. This became quite a game for some of the people, my own family included. Personally, I found it very offensive to the people sitting around who did not like it, and the fact that they were literally making fun of the guards. As the diplomas were presented and the graduates left the platform, some of them were doing tricks, turning handsprings, etc. I left as soon as my Grgranddaughter got her diploma so I could beat the crowds to the rest room so I missed some of the stunts the grads pulled. I understand they had beach-balls tucked under their clothes, and were blowing them up during the ceremony; some of them, mine included, had cans of crazy string didden in their clothes, etc. OK, now why don't I like things like this? Well, to me it ruins the effect - the solemnity of the ceremony, etc. That's what I mean - my age is telling on me. A graduation like this is supposed to me a major, serious, event in the life of the kids, and then such things as these stunts go on - not for me, sorry.
Well, I guess I have vented enough, so I will close for now. Have a nice summer, everyone, and
That's all folks!!
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Texas, finale
Well, the boat ride was lots of fun, as was the getting off. Unfortunately, Judy was watching Jami, so she didn't get a chance to get any pix of all the foolishness. Anyway, after all that fun, we went to lunch, and then back to the house to get ready to go to Houston for the flight home. Actually the airport is called Houston, but it is really in (H)umble, which is a little bit north of Houston. I have not flown much, but I've been in Seattle/Tacoma, San Francisco, Burbank, Ontario (CA), and a few other smaller ones. But I have never been in a terminal the size of either the one at Houston, or the one in Denver, CO. They are HUGE. I thank God that my granddaughter, Esther, who made the arrangements for me, thought to ask for "meet & assist". This gave me special treatment from the time I arrived at the airport, until I was safely either onto the next plane, or in Kathy's car. Those airports are so big it must be several blocks or more, from one loading place to another, and as hard as it is for me to walk very far, I would have been up s... creek without a paddle for sure without that special treatment. That really made the whole trip easier. The flight from Houston to Denver was a little rough - kinda like travelling over a dirt road, without any potholes. I was in the very front row, but we were just in front of the engines, and it was really quite noisy. The sky was pretty overcast, so I didn't get to see much, even tho I was in a window seat. From Denver to Sacramento, it was almost the opposite. The flight was very smooth, and mucn quieter. I had been in an Air-bus both times. I wound up with an aisle seat, and the TV screen was only about 8 to 10 inches from my face, so I couldn't watch it. The man across the aisle from me, one row up, had his TV turned to the GPS channel, and it was kind of interesting to see the altitude and speed at which we were flying. Most of the time, we were at about 35-37000 feet, and at 500 mph or better. And such a smooth flight. The lady in the window seat had the curtain closed most of the time, so we didn't get a chance to see much. The gentleman who was seated in the center seat was such a nice man. He had to have been 6'5 and weighed about 250 lbs. but he didn't complain at all about his seat. We were in the seats just in front of the emergency exit, and those seats did not recline, so we just had to sit straight up. The seats in fron of us did recline, and when they did, that's when the TV was just a Pepsi bottle's length from my nose. My seat partner and I got into the usual discussion as to where we were from, and where we were going. It turns out he was coming home from having visited his mother in I believe it was Minneapolis. It turned out he lives just a few miles from here. He lives nesr Blue Oaks Blvd, and Washington Street, in Roseville. He really was a very nice gentleman.
When we got to Sacramento, Kathy was waiting for me. It used to be your family could wait with you in the waiting area until time to load, and they could be there waiting for you when you got in; but not no more. They cannot go beyond a certain point when loading, and they have to wait in the main waiting area when you are coming in. And the attendant was right with us. It was quite a long walk from where we met to where we had to go to pick up my luggage. Then, Kathy was worried about how she would get me to the car (out in the parking area). The attendant said not to worry, and he escorted us back to where we had met, then took us out to the parking lot, right to our car, and helped put my things in the car, and helped me get in. Realy royal treatment. I was in a wheelchair all this time. I had very mixed feelings about my situation - I knew I could never have done all the walking, but by the same token I felt like an invalid being pushed all around in a wheelchair. But I was very grateful for it.
It was a wonderful trip in all. I would have liked to have taken a little more time, mabye another day, to get there, but because I did not do any of the driving, I did get to see quite a bit. The desserts were beautiful, wild flowers blooming everywhere. But after two days of that, I was ready for the change of scenery in Eastern Texas. And, yes, I am ready to go again. Next time, I would hope we could take more time to see a little more as we travelled, or I could fly both ways.
I did not have a camera with me on the way going, and I really wished I had. There were two times particularly I wished I could preserve what I was seeing. We were driving alond the highway, and came up behind a semi. The tail end of it was very nicely painted. I can't describe how it was decorated, but in very large letters it said something like "Jesus Christ is not s Swear Word". And then, as we passed the truck, the whole side of it was painted to match. I didn't know until several miles down the road, that Judy had a camera in the center part, and did not think about it. Another time, we were driving along, and we were seeing occasional Yucca plants that were in bloom. They were very impressive, and just at a glance, they looked like men with big white drum major type hats. AT one time, off to the right, there was a whole hill-side of the plants, all in full bloom. The first thing I thought of was the story in the Bible where the people are gathering on the hillside to listen to Jesus give his Sermon on the Mont. No kidding, that's really the thought that came to my mind. I think this was along the river east of El Paso,and I also thought how easy it might be for the Mexicans to get into the United States if they could rig costumes that looked like drum majors, and mix with these plants.
Back home again on Thursday evening. It was a good trip, and I enjoyed it very much, but I was ready to be back home. But, I am also ready to go again.
So for now, That's all folks!!
When we got to Sacramento, Kathy was waiting for me. It used to be your family could wait with you in the waiting area until time to load, and they could be there waiting for you when you got in; but not no more. They cannot go beyond a certain point when loading, and they have to wait in the main waiting area when you are coming in. And the attendant was right with us. It was quite a long walk from where we met to where we had to go to pick up my luggage. Then, Kathy was worried about how she would get me to the car (out in the parking area). The attendant said not to worry, and he escorted us back to where we had met, then took us out to the parking lot, right to our car, and helped put my things in the car, and helped me get in. Realy royal treatment. I was in a wheelchair all this time. I had very mixed feelings about my situation - I knew I could never have done all the walking, but by the same token I felt like an invalid being pushed all around in a wheelchair. But I was very grateful for it.
It was a wonderful trip in all. I would have liked to have taken a little more time, mabye another day, to get there, but because I did not do any of the driving, I did get to see quite a bit. The desserts were beautiful, wild flowers blooming everywhere. But after two days of that, I was ready for the change of scenery in Eastern Texas. And, yes, I am ready to go again. Next time, I would hope we could take more time to see a little more as we travelled, or I could fly both ways.
I did not have a camera with me on the way going, and I really wished I had. There were two times particularly I wished I could preserve what I was seeing. We were driving alond the highway, and came up behind a semi. The tail end of it was very nicely painted. I can't describe how it was decorated, but in very large letters it said something like "Jesus Christ is not s Swear Word". And then, as we passed the truck, the whole side of it was painted to match. I didn't know until several miles down the road, that Judy had a camera in the center part, and did not think about it. Another time, we were driving along, and we were seeing occasional Yucca plants that were in bloom. They were very impressive, and just at a glance, they looked like men with big white drum major type hats. AT one time, off to the right, there was a whole hill-side of the plants, all in full bloom. The first thing I thought of was the story in the Bible where the people are gathering on the hillside to listen to Jesus give his Sermon on the Mont. No kidding, that's really the thought that came to my mind. I think this was along the river east of El Paso,and I also thought how easy it might be for the Mexicans to get into the United States if they could rig costumes that looked like drum majors, and mix with these plants.
Back home again on Thursday evening. It was a good trip, and I enjoyed it very much, but I was ready to be back home. But, I am also ready to go again.
So for now, That's all folks!!
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Texas, Chapter 3
I finished my last post by commenting there was a funny story involving my ride on the boat on Lake Livingston. As I said, there were Pastor Ed, Judy, Darci, Jami, and myself. The pastor does not have his own boat landing, so he shares with someone else. To get from the street level to the boat dock, we had to go down quite an embankmant to the lake. Judy and I both knew I would never make it back up such a climb, so she told Pastor Ed as soon as we got on board, that he would have to figure out some place different to let me get off. OK, no problem. I am not very sure-footed about anything any more, and to get from the dock onto a boat, which is swaying on the water, was not an easy task for me, to begin with. But I made it with a little help, and the ride was absolutely beautiful. As I think I said, we traveled at sight-seeing speed, so it was very nice. As we got away from the shore a little bit, and around a bend, the wind came up a little, and we did get a little rough water. Not bad, but enough to get sprayed good once. It was such a nice day, getting wet just added to the fun of the trip. We were on the water a little over an hour, and decided to go in. The church they go to is on the waterfront and has a small pier, so that's where Pastor Ed headed. Now comes the fun. The water level is 18-24 inches below the pier, so we had to figure out how to get me off. He nosed the boat up right against the pier, but the landing on the boat was still at least 15 inches lower than the pier, besides the boat was bouncing quite a bit. He did have a piece of rope tied to the boat, so Darci got off first, and tied the rope to a post of the pier. That still didn't hold the boat very steady. Anyway, I managed to get hold of the post and pull myself into a sitting position on the pier, with my legs dangling over the water. Now you have to realise that I have not been able for years, to put my weight on my knees to get up off the ground or floor. So, OK, I'm sitting on the pier, with my feet dangling over the water. But how do I get to my feet? Again, you have to realise I am 79 years old, and weight about 185 pounds. The last several times I have fallen, it took two people to get me back onto my feet. Pastor Ed kept telling me he could lift me, and I didn't think he could. Anyway, I finally got my legs around to where they were on the pier. I started to scoot myself along, headed got the bank and a picnic bench where I thought I could get myself up. Judy just knew I was going to get a seat full of slivers. When Pastor Ed told me (and he, himself is about 60 years old) that he handles his mother all the time without any problem, I decided that maybe he could get me up. So, he got behind me, put his arms around under my armpits, and I managed to get at least one foot flat on the pier. Then, it just seemed so easy - he just lifted and there I was, standing on my own two feet. He made sure I got to the bench, and then he and Darci took the boat back to where we had started from so Darci could get the car. It was a wonderful, fun, experience, and I would gladly do it again - all of it!!
Gonna cut this short, - the trip home, later. That's all folks!!
Gonna cut this short, - the trip home, later. That's all folks!!
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Texas. Chapter 2
Friday, May 21
I’ll try to continue my trip to Texas. But before I do, I must digress to tell you about something that happened today. I swear my printer has a mind of its own. When I moved to Lincoln, I had a rinky-dink set up for my computer. Kathy bought me a nice console (armoire), Jenny gave me a slightly larger flat screen monitor, and Judy & Steve “loaned” me a 4 function printer – printer, copier, scanner, fax – which I am just beginning to enjoy (we haven’t hooked up the fax). I have to go at these things slowly, in order to absorb how they work, and not screw everything up all at once. I had to replace the black cartridge today, and of course, I messed up. I’m not sure why it got messed but anyway I got a paper jam, so I just decided to leave it and look at it in the morning, when I was fresh. So I went about my busyness, and three or four hours later I was sitting in my chair watching TV when all of a sudden the printer started up, and spit out the piece of paper that had been jammed. I had not even been able to get the paper drawer all the way in, but now it goes in fine. I have not yet tried printing anything, but when it spit out the paper, it had printed the info I had entered. Sometimes I wonder about some of these fancy machines. They really seem to have literal minds where they can straighten out their own problems.. Anyway I think it is fixed now.
Back to my Texas trip. Crossing Western Texas, the country was wide open and mostly desert. Near towns you might see a cultivated bit of farming, but not very much. We left US 10 at Junction and headed Northeast. It was getting dark so we didn’t really get to see much of the country. But you could tell things were a lot different, much more wooded country and much more population.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010 – I put this aside, but will try to finish it now.
I had another little episode with the printer, and this time I did have to fix it myself. Working fine now, and should remain so for another six months – Ha!!
OK, now on to Texas. The drive from Esther’s to Dan’s was so different from what we had been through the last two days. It was an entirely different kind of landscape – lots of roads, lots of farms, and so much greenery. You get into what is called the “Piney Woods”. Actually, it is wooded country with lots of pine trees. They are not the kind of pine trees we are used to seeing – much shorter and rounder, and they grow so thick, it is almost impossible to go through them. I understand they are a terrific haven for deer (and I suppose other smaller animals).
Dan & Darci live in a store-front that has been made into a home. It is really very nice. Because it was once a store, there is no front yard, just a very small space between the front landing (porch) and the parking lot. There is no frontage street, and the parking lot opens right directly onto the main highway, which is a four-lane divided highway. You would think it would be very noisy, but surprisingly, it is not. The room Judy and I slept in is on the front of the building, and we really didn’t notice the noise. The front bedroom of the house we lived in on 3rd Street in Meridian was much noisier. Darci’s Mom & Dad live in a house on the lot right next door (west) and Grandma Dorothy has a shop on the next lot to the west. Darci’s Mom, Beverly, also has a business of manufacuting and distributing skin care products. It all started with body soap, and has since expanded to quite a number of products, manufactured by Bards, LLC of Livingston, TX. Their body and facial cream is sold under the TM name of “touche’ mu”. All the products are based on Emu oil. They have developed quite a business.
Anyway, Darci had planned quite a few things to entertain me, but because this was actually a business trip for Judy, we didn’t get to do some of the things she had planned. We went to their music practice on Thursday evening (Dan plays in the praise band, and Darci sings with some others. I understand she is the church music director). Sunday morning, we went to church and then a group of us went to lunch. I can’t remember the name of the place, but they were featuring boiled Craw Dads – only I think they call them Cray Fish. An order is 3 pounds, and is served in a cardboard box. Don’t worry, I didn’t order them, but the Pastor’s wife did, and she gave me my first taste. They’re very much like small lobsters, but too much work for me. My Dad used to say about artichokes that “you could starve to death eating them”, and that is just how I feel about the CrawDads. I enjoy my food too much to have to work that hard to eat.
We went out to dinner a couple of times, ordered in a few times, and actually only cooked a couple of times. We went for dinner one evening with some of the kids’ friends. They live in a home that is somewhere around 100 years old, and they are completely redoing it. I would love to go back in a year or so to see what they have accomplished. He is doing all the work himself, and is doing a beautiful job. They have had their second little girl since I was there, so I know there lives are very full.
Wes and Esther came over on Friday evening, and spent the night. It is about 200 miles from Georgetown to Livingston. Actually, they stayed at the Holiday Express Inn, where Darci’s Mom is the desk clerk. There just isn’t room for them to stay at Dan’s house. Esther cooked a lovely dinner for all of us that evening (Salmon, sweet potatoes, and veggies). Esther is a very good cook. They are following a special dietary program for a specific time, and I guess it was easier to provide the meal (buy & prepare) than to try to get someone else to cook the way she wanted. Anyway, it was very nice to have dinner all together.
Steve decided to go to Texas to finalize the business deal they were working on, and that would have been a real problem coming home, with the three of us, all our luggage, and my chair (yes, Judy even took a recliner with us for me to sleep in), so we decided I should fly home. So, that was planned for Thursday. So, Wednesday afternoon, Judy, Darci, little Jami, and I took a ride out to Livingston Dam. The town of Livingston is located on/near a rather large lake, area-wise. Actually, I believe the deepest part of the lake is about 28 feet deep, but it has a very large surface. It is a man made lake, and the dam has a beautiful overflow. The Dam is probably 75 to 100 feet wide, but it is only about 10-12 feet high. But it is beautiful. Then, Thursday morning, the Pastor, Judy, Darci, Jami and I went out on the lake in his pontoon boat. It has a passenger capacity of about 16, and it was a beautiful ride. I didn’t realize he was just traveling at little more than idling speed, but it was nice to be able to see so much of the shoreline. Another time, I would like to actually get out onto the lake more, and even go all the way around it. But this was really very nice.
There are really a couple of humorous stories about this ride, plus lots to tell about the trip home, but I think I’ll save that for next time.
For now, that’s all folks!
I’ll try to continue my trip to Texas. But before I do, I must digress to tell you about something that happened today. I swear my printer has a mind of its own. When I moved to Lincoln, I had a rinky-dink set up for my computer. Kathy bought me a nice console (armoire), Jenny gave me a slightly larger flat screen monitor, and Judy & Steve “loaned” me a 4 function printer – printer, copier, scanner, fax – which I am just beginning to enjoy (we haven’t hooked up the fax). I have to go at these things slowly, in order to absorb how they work, and not screw everything up all at once. I had to replace the black cartridge today, and of course, I messed up. I’m not sure why it got messed but anyway I got a paper jam, so I just decided to leave it and look at it in the morning, when I was fresh. So I went about my busyness, and three or four hours later I was sitting in my chair watching TV when all of a sudden the printer started up, and spit out the piece of paper that had been jammed. I had not even been able to get the paper drawer all the way in, but now it goes in fine. I have not yet tried printing anything, but when it spit out the paper, it had printed the info I had entered. Sometimes I wonder about some of these fancy machines. They really seem to have literal minds where they can straighten out their own problems.. Anyway I think it is fixed now.
Back to my Texas trip. Crossing Western Texas, the country was wide open and mostly desert. Near towns you might see a cultivated bit of farming, but not very much. We left US 10 at Junction and headed Northeast. It was getting dark so we didn’t really get to see much of the country. But you could tell things were a lot different, much more wooded country and much more population.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010 – I put this aside, but will try to finish it now.
I had another little episode with the printer, and this time I did have to fix it myself. Working fine now, and should remain so for another six months – Ha!!
OK, now on to Texas. The drive from Esther’s to Dan’s was so different from what we had been through the last two days. It was an entirely different kind of landscape – lots of roads, lots of farms, and so much greenery. You get into what is called the “Piney Woods”. Actually, it is wooded country with lots of pine trees. They are not the kind of pine trees we are used to seeing – much shorter and rounder, and they grow so thick, it is almost impossible to go through them. I understand they are a terrific haven for deer (and I suppose other smaller animals).
Dan & Darci live in a store-front that has been made into a home. It is really very nice. Because it was once a store, there is no front yard, just a very small space between the front landing (porch) and the parking lot. There is no frontage street, and the parking lot opens right directly onto the main highway, which is a four-lane divided highway. You would think it would be very noisy, but surprisingly, it is not. The room Judy and I slept in is on the front of the building, and we really didn’t notice the noise. The front bedroom of the house we lived in on 3rd Street in Meridian was much noisier. Darci’s Mom & Dad live in a house on the lot right next door (west) and Grandma Dorothy has a shop on the next lot to the west. Darci’s Mom, Beverly, also has a business of manufacuting and distributing skin care products. It all started with body soap, and has since expanded to quite a number of products, manufactured by Bards, LLC of Livingston, TX. Their body and facial cream is sold under the TM name of “touche’ mu”. All the products are based on Emu oil. They have developed quite a business.
Anyway, Darci had planned quite a few things to entertain me, but because this was actually a business trip for Judy, we didn’t get to do some of the things she had planned. We went to their music practice on Thursday evening (Dan plays in the praise band, and Darci sings with some others. I understand she is the church music director). Sunday morning, we went to church and then a group of us went to lunch. I can’t remember the name of the place, but they were featuring boiled Craw Dads – only I think they call them Cray Fish. An order is 3 pounds, and is served in a cardboard box. Don’t worry, I didn’t order them, but the Pastor’s wife did, and she gave me my first taste. They’re very much like small lobsters, but too much work for me. My Dad used to say about artichokes that “you could starve to death eating them”, and that is just how I feel about the CrawDads. I enjoy my food too much to have to work that hard to eat.
We went out to dinner a couple of times, ordered in a few times, and actually only cooked a couple of times. We went for dinner one evening with some of the kids’ friends. They live in a home that is somewhere around 100 years old, and they are completely redoing it. I would love to go back in a year or so to see what they have accomplished. He is doing all the work himself, and is doing a beautiful job. They have had their second little girl since I was there, so I know there lives are very full.
Wes and Esther came over on Friday evening, and spent the night. It is about 200 miles from Georgetown to Livingston. Actually, they stayed at the Holiday Express Inn, where Darci’s Mom is the desk clerk. There just isn’t room for them to stay at Dan’s house. Esther cooked a lovely dinner for all of us that evening (Salmon, sweet potatoes, and veggies). Esther is a very good cook. They are following a special dietary program for a specific time, and I guess it was easier to provide the meal (buy & prepare) than to try to get someone else to cook the way she wanted. Anyway, it was very nice to have dinner all together.
Steve decided to go to Texas to finalize the business deal they were working on, and that would have been a real problem coming home, with the three of us, all our luggage, and my chair (yes, Judy even took a recliner with us for me to sleep in), so we decided I should fly home. So, that was planned for Thursday. So, Wednesday afternoon, Judy, Darci, little Jami, and I took a ride out to Livingston Dam. The town of Livingston is located on/near a rather large lake, area-wise. Actually, I believe the deepest part of the lake is about 28 feet deep, but it has a very large surface. It is a man made lake, and the dam has a beautiful overflow. The Dam is probably 75 to 100 feet wide, but it is only about 10-12 feet high. But it is beautiful. Then, Thursday morning, the Pastor, Judy, Darci, Jami and I went out on the lake in his pontoon boat. It has a passenger capacity of about 16, and it was a beautiful ride. I didn’t realize he was just traveling at little more than idling speed, but it was nice to be able to see so much of the shoreline. Another time, I would like to actually get out onto the lake more, and even go all the way around it. But this was really very nice.
There are really a couple of humorous stories about this ride, plus lots to tell about the trip home, but I think I’ll save that for next time.
For now, that’s all folks!
Monday, May 17, 2010
Texas, here I come!!
Hello, again!! Did you think I had gotten lost? Well, I was all enthused about writing this blog, and then I gues, like I do with almost everything else in my life, I didn't get the response I expected, got discouraged, and kind of lost interest in writing. A few days ago, a friend kinda got after me because she hadn't read anything in my blog about my latest adventure, so I decided maybe I should write again. So come on, friend, if you read this, drop a comment so I'll know you are there.
I was just rereading all my blogs, at least the last few months, and I could not believe the typo errors. And I try so hard not to let any get thru. Oh well, I hope you know what I mean by what I do say. I did not realize it had been almost six months since I had written anything. My last blog was best wishes for a wonderful "New Year". I hope that is proving to be the case for you, at least most of you. Things are going well for me. I am still in Lincoln, with my friend. Things are not working out as I had expected, but doing OK. I am easily led to expect certain things from casual remarks and then when things don't materialize as I "expected" I can be seriously disappointed. And that has happened several times in the last few months, particularly as related to my move. But, I am living with it.
I guess the weather if always a good topic. Other than the snow in December, we have not had an exceptional winter. We have had quite a bit more rain than the last couple of years, which is a good thing. Our reservoirs are much nearer to capacity than they have been for several years. The spring has been a little on the cool, wet, side compared to recent years. We have had a few days in the 80's, but still below normal temps for this time of year. And still getting some showers and snow in the higher elevations of the mountains.
I have mentioned ArtieMae's family, Diane and Larry. I said the three of them have a number of health problems. And since I posted last, Artiemae had a small heart attack, Larry had triple by-pass surgery, Diane broke her foot, and even the dog has had minor surgery. So far, so good, for me. I am still plugging along with the same health situations I have had for several years. I go to the doctor next month for my first check up in about six months, so we whall see what he has to say then.
I have recently estblished a correspondence relationship with a lady from Spokane, WN who is connected to HRR's family. She is not a blood relation, but she is related to some of his relatives. So between us, we are trying to put together more of our family histories. I don't know how many people other then my family read this, but if there is anyone there from the Whitman county area of Washington, perhaps you would like to join us in our search for some of the histories of that area.
I mentioned my "latest adventurre". I think I have said before that I have two grandchildren living in Texas. Esther is in Georgetown (near Austin) and Dan is in Livingston (about an hour north of Houston). Well, a couple of weeks ago, I got a call about 7:30 Saturday evening from daughter Judy, asking me to go to Texas with her. When I asked when? she said "tomorrow morning". So I jumped at the chance. We left my place at 7 am on Sunday, and she drove pretty hard. We spent one night on the road, and believe it or not, I actually spent the whole night in a bed ( I usually sleep in a recliner). It seemed like we drove awfully hard, but when you consider that the speed limits are anywhere from 65 to 80 mph, of course you are going to travel hard. We only stopped for gas, getting our potty breaks and meals that way. We made it into Georgetown about 11 pm on Monday night. We had lunch with Esther & Wes on Tuesday, and I got to meet Wes' mother. Then we left Georgetown about 2 pm and got to Dan's about 10:30 Tuesday night.
Well, I think this is a pretty good place to stop. I'll continue this story in a day or two. All in all, it was a good trip and lots to tell. God Bless -
Beth
I was just rereading all my blogs, at least the last few months, and I could not believe the typo errors. And I try so hard not to let any get thru. Oh well, I hope you know what I mean by what I do say. I did not realize it had been almost six months since I had written anything. My last blog was best wishes for a wonderful "New Year". I hope that is proving to be the case for you, at least most of you. Things are going well for me. I am still in Lincoln, with my friend. Things are not working out as I had expected, but doing OK. I am easily led to expect certain things from casual remarks and then when things don't materialize as I "expected" I can be seriously disappointed. And that has happened several times in the last few months, particularly as related to my move. But, I am living with it.
I guess the weather if always a good topic. Other than the snow in December, we have not had an exceptional winter. We have had quite a bit more rain than the last couple of years, which is a good thing. Our reservoirs are much nearer to capacity than they have been for several years. The spring has been a little on the cool, wet, side compared to recent years. We have had a few days in the 80's, but still below normal temps for this time of year. And still getting some showers and snow in the higher elevations of the mountains.
I have mentioned ArtieMae's family, Diane and Larry. I said the three of them have a number of health problems. And since I posted last, Artiemae had a small heart attack, Larry had triple by-pass surgery, Diane broke her foot, and even the dog has had minor surgery. So far, so good, for me. I am still plugging along with the same health situations I have had for several years. I go to the doctor next month for my first check up in about six months, so we whall see what he has to say then.
I have recently estblished a correspondence relationship with a lady from Spokane, WN who is connected to HRR's family. She is not a blood relation, but she is related to some of his relatives. So between us, we are trying to put together more of our family histories. I don't know how many people other then my family read this, but if there is anyone there from the Whitman county area of Washington, perhaps you would like to join us in our search for some of the histories of that area.
I mentioned my "latest adventurre". I think I have said before that I have two grandchildren living in Texas. Esther is in Georgetown (near Austin) and Dan is in Livingston (about an hour north of Houston). Well, a couple of weeks ago, I got a call about 7:30 Saturday evening from daughter Judy, asking me to go to Texas with her. When I asked when? she said "tomorrow morning". So I jumped at the chance. We left my place at 7 am on Sunday, and she drove pretty hard. We spent one night on the road, and believe it or not, I actually spent the whole night in a bed ( I usually sleep in a recliner). It seemed like we drove awfully hard, but when you consider that the speed limits are anywhere from 65 to 80 mph, of course you are going to travel hard. We only stopped for gas, getting our potty breaks and meals that way. We made it into Georgetown about 11 pm on Monday night. We had lunch with Esther & Wes on Tuesday, and I got to meet Wes' mother. Then we left Georgetown about 2 pm and got to Dan's about 10:30 Tuesday night.
Well, I think this is a pretty good place to stop. I'll continue this story in a day or two. All in all, it was a good trip and lots to tell. God Bless -
Beth
Sunday, January 3, 2010
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
Yes, I do wish for each of you a Happy and Prosperous New Year!!
New Year's eve day was a very interesting day for me. I had a doctor's appointment, which had been postponed from an earlier date, and the doctor was not going to be here for this one, and they asked if I wanted to change it again. It was decided that I should go ahead and keep this visit even tho I would be seeing a Doctor's Assistant instead of my regular doctor (cardiologist). As it turned out, I am really glad we went ahead with the appointment. I had this happen once before and was very disappointed with the lady I saw instead of the doctor. I felt it was kind of a "brush off" appointment. But not this time. This lady was super!!. We had to wait about an hour to see her, but if she spent as much time with all her patients as she did with me, no wonder. I had probably the most thorough visit I have had in a long time. She had an EKG done. (That used to be a major project, but it is so simple now, it only taked a few minutes. Then she spent about 30 minutes (at least) with us. I have a heart murmur, but had never heard it. She let me listen to her heart (normal) and then let me listen to mine so I could hear what the murmur sounded like. She even let my daughter listen, too. She explained what the murmur really was, and really gave me a good checking. I felt very good when I left her. I was with Kathy and she had an appointment later, so we got that one in too.
That day was my greatgranddaughter Emily's birthday, so we went by to pick up another gr-gr-granddaughter, McKenna. Dinner at Kathy's house at 6 pm, and I was supposed to meet my ride back to Lincoln at 7 :15 pm in Marysville, at McDonald's. We never thought anything about it, but when we got to McD's, they were just closing up. At 7 PM no less. My ride called about 10 minutes later to tell me she was on her way, but before she got there, she called again to say that due to an emergency, she had to go back home, and didn't know if they would make it at all. So, we decided to go back and finish the birthday party. I never thought anymore about it, but Michael had been working on getting an adjustment to my phone, and had actually made matters worse, so when my ride called at 8:05, I didn't get the call. So, after we had our cake and icecream, and the gifts had been opened, I happened to look at my phone and had missed another call from my ride. Too late, now, someone was just going to have to bring me back to Lincoln. They had a New Year"s Eve party at the church, so Kathy brought me bavk to the church, met a few of my friends, and then I got a ride on home from one of the church families. All in all, a very busy but interesting day.
Nothing else exciting to talk about, so until next time - have a wonderful, HAPPY NEW YEAR!!
New Year's eve day was a very interesting day for me. I had a doctor's appointment, which had been postponed from an earlier date, and the doctor was not going to be here for this one, and they asked if I wanted to change it again. It was decided that I should go ahead and keep this visit even tho I would be seeing a Doctor's Assistant instead of my regular doctor (cardiologist). As it turned out, I am really glad we went ahead with the appointment. I had this happen once before and was very disappointed with the lady I saw instead of the doctor. I felt it was kind of a "brush off" appointment. But not this time. This lady was super!!. We had to wait about an hour to see her, but if she spent as much time with all her patients as she did with me, no wonder. I had probably the most thorough visit I have had in a long time. She had an EKG done. (That used to be a major project, but it is so simple now, it only taked a few minutes. Then she spent about 30 minutes (at least) with us. I have a heart murmur, but had never heard it. She let me listen to her heart (normal) and then let me listen to mine so I could hear what the murmur sounded like. She even let my daughter listen, too. She explained what the murmur really was, and really gave me a good checking. I felt very good when I left her. I was with Kathy and she had an appointment later, so we got that one in too.
That day was my greatgranddaughter Emily's birthday, so we went by to pick up another gr-gr-granddaughter, McKenna. Dinner at Kathy's house at 6 pm, and I was supposed to meet my ride back to Lincoln at 7 :15 pm in Marysville, at McDonald's. We never thought anything about it, but when we got to McD's, they were just closing up. At 7 PM no less. My ride called about 10 minutes later to tell me she was on her way, but before she got there, she called again to say that due to an emergency, she had to go back home, and didn't know if they would make it at all. So, we decided to go back and finish the birthday party. I never thought anymore about it, but Michael had been working on getting an adjustment to my phone, and had actually made matters worse, so when my ride called at 8:05, I didn't get the call. So, after we had our cake and icecream, and the gifts had been opened, I happened to look at my phone and had missed another call from my ride. Too late, now, someone was just going to have to bring me back to Lincoln. They had a New Year"s Eve party at the church, so Kathy brought me bavk to the church, met a few of my friends, and then I got a ride on home from one of the church families. All in all, a very busy but interesting day.
Nothing else exciting to talk about, so until next time - have a wonderful, HAPPY NEW YEAR!!
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