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!!
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
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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