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
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
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
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
