My Special Family

Violette with the apple cheeks and smiling eyes.

Great Grandchildren are even more of a blessing.

Grandmother Sue and her snow men.

A very, very long time ago I was introduced to George and Violette Barrette who had three children, a beautiful big "Home Beautiful" house with a big fireplace, a spinning wheel and two wing back chairs that I can see in my mind as if it were yesterday and I was visiting. George was kind, laid back, and in love with his wife whom he called 'sweets'. He took my husband under his wing and helped him to become a journeyman in his trade. Violette made homemade blueberry muffins and I still use her recipe after all of the time gone by. They had three children and, at that time, we did too, so it was to be that we spent many happy hours together for picnics in their big back yard. Violette was someone I looked up to and wanted to emulate. We became pen pals after I moved away and for the next sixty years we wrote letters in long hand and told the tales of family living. There were pages to read, some with laughter, some with tears. Both George and Violette have gone on to their reward and it was difficult to lose them, but, being the kind of people they were they brought up their children to be as loving as they were. I am very fortunate as Suzanne, their oldest daughter, picked up her pen and she and I have stayed close over the years. She is now a grandmother and the pictures of the children today are the great-grand children of Violette and George. There is continuity to life, isn't it wonderful?

So today, I hope you are lucky enough to realize that it takes 'two to tango' and if you pick up your lap top or your newest gadget to contact someone, you will take the time to develop a warm and loving friendship that will sustain you for many years to come. I love having people in my life, especially those of my extended families, I just wish they were not so far away. E-mail is a boon though, as you can see, as pictures and words arrive to keep you close. So today, my thanks to Sue for being the caring and sharing person she is; it's no wonder I love her. Make your day a good one as you get ready to see the old year out . . . good riddance, maybe the new one will be better for each and everyone of us. The world is dark but not if you light a candle to show you the way.....Friday....New Year's Eve . . . Happy New Year. Hugs to all.

Number One

Here it is number one picture from my brand new Christmas present--A Cannon Power Shot SX120. which my son ordered and did not come until yesterday . . . what a surprise . . . and how happy I am to see a camera. I have to read the booklet and I have to practice how to point and shoot as it does not have the little view finder that I depend on. It feels so good in my hands. I am ready to go for a photo shoot but the weather refuses to cooperate. John was cleaning the key board of his computer and has Jo's computer lined up to do the same. In back, on the wall, you can see Erin's photo pictures which came out like an artists collage of colors when she took pictures of the Salsa dancers and they 'froze' in the click of her camera. They are very colorful and like all abstract paintings you can sit for hours and pick out all kinds of pictures within the swirls of color.

The first words I read in the book were to be sure not to get the camera wet . . . I wonder if a little fairy told on me as I lost my last camera to the ocean waves. "Do not get the camera wet." Okay, okay, I will do my best to keep in high and dry. John tells me if I do it again he will have to invest in an underwater camera for me. Well, I intend to take very good care of this new 'toy' and I am so grateful, pleased, surprised and thankful for such a wonderful gift . . . again . . . do you think John should take out stock in Cannon? I do. Now if the rains would stop, I will go out the door and start practicing.

Erin leaves for her home today and we are going to miss her. We had our steak and salad dinner last evening and a toast to the New Year as it will be awhile before we are all together again. We had hoped that both Michael and Christine could have joined us, but it was not to be. Holidays brings out the best and the worst in us, but they give us the opportunity to get together. When they are over we find a heart filled with moments of pure pleasure and a desire to hold on to them until the next time we meet. Our lives fly by as we return to the whirl of every day living. We are about to celebrate the last holiday of this year 2010 and I wonder how it went by so fast. It seems as though it was only a few short months ago we were saying goodbye to 2009, yet 365 days of living have gone by and we are about to start a brand new year. I wonder what is in store for us.

So today, when you wake up to a new morning and hopefully a little sunshine, know that you only have a couple of more days to the last celebration of this year. So many unwanted surprises came our way and now we have to live with them, change them if we can, and do what we have to do to survive in a world that seems to be off its axis right now. Transitions periods can be hell, we all know that one, so keep the faith, do your everyday good deeds and make your health your first priority. It feels like a Monday, but it is Thursday so put your plans in action and have some fun. I put some brandy in my decanter . . . see how easy it is to plan ahead. . .Hugs to all.

A little pinch of truth

Momma Duck goofed on this one. I hope someone came by and rescued her brood. This cartoon reminded me of the time we lived in California and the Governors tripled taxes to make a balanced budget,then bragged for years about how smart they were; wonder what happened as they are more than half way to couple of steps to bankruptcy and looking for someone to bail them out. Maybe 'they' should all go back to school and take some courses in how to budget. I'm sure a lot of folks would be glad to show the politicians, in general, how to tell a debit from a credit.

This President may go down in history for having the most vacation time. I don't begrudge him and his family vacations as we all need one . . . one being the magic word in my musing this morning. Some folks are not in a position to even think about a little down time called vacation; but are in a slump of down time with no jobs and need the full attention of the 'rich and famous'. It is time to get down to serious business, starting from the 'top'.

Cartoons a way of telling what is going on with politics . . . so many of them trusted with our future, and so many of us who need to wake up and find out what they are doing with this 'trust'. The old year is all but gone and it has been what an old timer would call a 'doozy'. Our 'complacent' way of life has been shaken and now it is time to wake up and get on the 'awareness' pathways and help, rather than hinder, wherever we can. We have a new year coming in so keep your extra pounds and work on helping the politicians lose 'the fat' and balance the budget. What a mess we are in.

So today, think about your own personal life and your needs and wants. . . wanting is wishful and wasteful thinking; go for the needs and work hard to put your budget in order and maybe, just maybe, at the mid year you can go on a vacation . . . I guess vacations are 'needful' . . .'wants' when you come right down to it. Make today a good one, as cartoon Maxine says today . . . Men are like snow shovels. Nice to keep around for that one time of year when you really need 'em." So if you are lucky enough to have a good 'man' in your life . . . hug him right now. Hugs to all.

Camera Ready?

Over in France, Karen and Georges Paumier, are out and about with a camera packed and places to go. Georges is a painter and I have seen some of his abstract paintings but had no idea he was a photographer as well. They did some traveling to places I've never been to so I enjoyed the compact portfolio sent to Karen's mother, Pauline by e-mail, this year.

Shanghai City.

A visit to an art museum was in order and this one has wall to wall paintings. How wonderful to have the opportunity to travel and see all of the different cities and what they have to offer. There were many more pictures, each one capturing the sights and sounds of the area they were visiting.

Meanwhile in Newport, Rhode Island the Christmas storm arrived and belted the entire east coast with a horrendous storm. Newport did not get the brunt of it, but from Walter Sullivan's pictures you can see they had a 'heavy' ocean and a bit of snow on the ground. He wrote up a short narrative about the storm, the wind and the two little sea ducks playing in the powerful surf. "I imagine they had some practical reason for taking chances but I could not figure out how they would find food in this watery explosion. One duck is on top, his buddy is completely swallowed up in the breaker. Crazy"

Here you can see the snow and know that Walter had to shovel. Great shot Walter. Thanks for sharing.

Meanwhile here at home Emma is hiding out. Erin has a new camera and she loves to take shots of Emma. I think Emma had enough!

AND . . . Here is Megan, Walter's daughter and the recipient of a new camera for Christmas. What fun she had going out and about to find some special things to film. Her dad is teaching her to drive so he got this shot. Good luck Megan.

Here is Megan's picture of a Red Tail Hawk
. I think we have another photographer in the family. We have Red Wing Hawks here too and one day I stood and watched one:

Red Wing Hawk

The color of the Red Wing Hawk

is as bright as it can be

It settles high upon a limb

in the tallest tree

We stood and watched it circle

screeching as it flew

and soon its mate came

flying into view

They entertained us royally

as they soared and flew so high

hovering and gliding

all around the sky.

So today, look up and maybe you will see a Red Wing Hawk, or a pigeon or two, and enjoy the sights and sounds. Never be so busy that you cannot get your head out of the computer, or whatever other modern contraption you carry along with you, and miss some of what nature has to offer. Come to think of it there are cameras in the modern 'things' so make good use of them and catch a special picture . . . it's okay to send it along, the worst thing that can happen is I'll put it in my blog. Make today 'your' day . . . do something you have put off so you end the old year and then you will be ready to make preparations for new beginnings . . . 2011 . . .
Hugs to all.

Christmas Photos

Grandma is decked out in Christmas ribbons while Erin wore her Santa hat and posed for a picture with her mom.

John and Jo posed for Erin, who has a brand new camera, and went around shooting lots of pictures. John wore his Beaver shirt , a relic from his Oregon State University days, while Erin, who attended a rival Oregon college, some years later, and was known as a Duck, reveled in the fact the Ducks have the winning team. Pat and Erin drove John's jeep over to pick him and Jo up at the Medford airport and she decked the car with Duck flags.

The tree is one with lights already on it and it was sparsely decorated due to the boxes being stored in the garage behind all of son John's apartment left overs. But Christine brought some green pine cones and white snow when she last brought us Christmas in May and Fred Meyers had some candy canes and tiny gold birds to add so it looked festive anyway.

As you can see, we had fun and lots of food from Pat's surprise Quiche, which was delicious, to ham, turkey, and all the trimmings. I wont go into the deserts as you can see from my picture,in which I am showing off my new wine sweater that Erin gave me, I didn't miss a bite.
A lot of those chocolates I talked about in one of my last blogs had short shelf life. Once opened they were up for grabs along with all the other Christmas deserts and breads. As my calender Maxine says this morning, "Christmas is over! You can go ahead and put away the fake tree, the fake snow, the fake holly . . . the fake smile." as she stands with a huge box that says "Xmas Stuff" . . . but you know she doesn't mean it as she readies for the New Year celebration and we can only imagine what she will say about the coming year.

So today, I hope that you find yourself with a big smile as you remember your Christmas. We still have work to do in making things a bit brighter for those who have so little . . . a New Year coming in which we can share what we can, along with a lot of smiles and hugs. So here is to a short work week as we head towards a Brand New Year . . . Let us all work at making it our best one yet. Hugs to all.

Tradition Has It . . .

Sunday morning, the day after Christmas, and because of the weather we missed seeing the solar eclipse. Here is a picture son John took up there in Alaska where they had 'front row seats'. My but it is dark up there. Here it is raining so I am not rushing out the door to any day after Christmas shopping . . . are you?



Pat and Erin drove over to Medford to pick up our weary travelers and made a Costco run at the same time. I have no room in my pantry or in my refrigerator which will make for 'tough' going to shed a few pounds of excessive 'sugar' from my system. A certain couple, I won't mention by name, sent chocolates, and, I mean boxes of different kinds, more to tempt the taste buds beyond measure, and a box of puzzles which will keep me going for months to come . . . but the piece of resistance was the unexpected telephone call from them and hearing their voices on Christmas day . . . such a wonderful surprise. Speaking of calls Mike made it up to friends in Lake Tahoe where they got seventeen feet of snow and he said it rained so the snow was down to four or five feet . . . geesh . . . but he and his friend went up for the annual tamale Christmas eve feast and enjoyed every minute of their visit. Yesterday they were cooking up a Prime Rib and friends were coming to help them eat it, so all my worries about him being all by himself were for naught . . . he was a happy man. Christine called and had her niece with her and plans to go out to dinner to her friends home after making the rounds of Christmas visits. She has had a flu that had her down for weeks but, although she still sounded nasal, she was feeling a lot better and ready to celebrate the holiday. So, one more not to worry about, and I am happy they are healthy and content.


Here Pat came in with her fresh baked kiesch filled with hot peppers to awaken the taste buds. We had fresh fruits and different home made breads and three new kinds of jam to taste. Dandelion, Cherry and home made Oregon berry jam, all delicious with a bit of cream cheese. Our traditional holiday meal is usually a big fat turkey with all the trimmings but this year we opted for one of those special spiral hams and it was delicious as was the Hubbard squash and the green bean casserole . . . what a difference to use fresh green beans instead of the frozen french style. See, never to old to try something new. Pat snuck in a turkey breast too and Erin made stuffing so that will be attacked in depth today as we really ran out of room . . . but only for a short while as the pies were heating in the oven and you cannot have Christmas without apple and mince pie. I found out Jo loves pumpkin and it is the first holiday I haven't made one in years. We played some new card games which were fun and a few of the old standbys. I haven't played Yatzee in years and it was fun. Sharon's new record is beautiful and she does have such a lovely voice. I finally got to see the end of "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas", believe it has taken me a couple of years to see the entire movie. Everyone was happy with their gifts and I am sporting two new 'skinny' sweaters which are almost impossible to find anymore. Erin went snooping around and knows just where to shop. Pat was to good to me and I have not one but two bottles of Halston, my favorite scent which Pat has to really hunt for every year. I have a gift coming from John and Jo so Christmas isn't over yet. Oh there is more but the best gift was the hugs and the love . . . how special it is when family and friends can share some time relaxed and happy in each others company . . . seems to me it should happen more often . . . see, give me an inch and I want a mile. Hugs, hugs, you just cannot get enough of them . . . at least twelve a day . . . don't be stingy . . . share!


I will have pictures to show off before the week is off. Some have come through but I cannot get them to show, so have to wait until they are sent as attachments then I can share them with all of you. If you have time, write and share your holiday news with me. I love my cards, I love my gifts, I love my hugs . . . so what can I say . . . I love each and everyone of you. Hugs to all.

Christmas Eve Will Find Me . . . .

Exhausted from all that shopping, baking, cleaning but oh so happy to see familiar faces.

Too much Saki???

Marguerita's were so tasty but all that dancing left me 'pooped'.

Just one glass of wine to lift my spirits, so I needed two!

And a beer . . . or two . . . or three . . . oh what it will do!

E-Mails aren't they wonderful . . . Do not drink and drive!

Hugs to all.

Count Down

Good Thursday morning. Some folks are actually getting enough snow to make three snowmen in their yards. As much as we dread the winter snows and the cold winds, we would be lost without them and for those of us who moved far away from the snow, we actually miss it . . . maybe it is just the time of year that brings on such thoughts, shoveling snow and walking on ice or driving around in a blizzard is still not my idea of fun and games . . . but . . . the memories of the snow shoveling early of a morning and walking to school on top of the piles of snow and making forts as we hid behind them and threw snow balls at our friends. The frozen ponds and ice skating comes to mind and the mind retrieves winter times scenes that were special.



Pat and Erin are off to pick up John and Jo and I am baby sitting Emma. It should be an interesting day as I try to read my book and she wants to be petted and does not take 'no' easily. She's a beautiful animal and we have a mutual admiration society on going, but I'm sure she will be sitting on the outside looking in if she doesn't listen after the first ten pats on her behind. I think it is going to be clear today and if that is the case I will throw the Frisbee, or the ball, to her and get her to run around and get tired so I can sit quietly and read . . . taking any bets on who will win out?



I am not sure, right now, if I will do a blog for the next few days so if I am missing from your morning routine know that I am enjoying my family, missing those who are not here, enjoying all the goodies and plotting and planning my diet for the first of the year.


So today, the count down is on. You have packages to wrap, bows to tie, little stickers to add signed with love from the wonderful Santa Claus you are. Sharing yourself is the best gift of all. Go, have a great holiday and thank you for your love and friendship this year. I promise to toast to your health and hopefully some wealth this coming year. Participate in communion in the church of your choice and know that you are having a small piece of birthday cake. A great way to celebrate and it is okay to sing off key, everybody does. Hugs to all.

Maxine Says . . .

My Maxine calendar has been a 'hoot' all year and her creator has gone all out for the month of December. Today she says, " No one can forget my mincemeat pie. At least not without a little shock therapy." Then, goes on to say, "Come to think of it, a silent morning and a silent afternoon wouldn't be so bad either." The old cudmudgeon has her own method of giving us a verbal hug.


Good Wednesday morning, hump day for the workers and they are smiling; last minute shoppers are out and about and here the grocery store is about to get some business as I shop for the 'makings' of our Christmas dinner. Pat and I have been plotting and planning all week and Christmas eve will find us with newspaper spread on the table and big fat meaty crabs at the ready . . . they may not be, but we certainly will be. We are planning a spiral ham dinner which I usually equate with Easter holidays, but it is so sweet and so tender that it deserves a place on the Christmas buffet. I have been baking a lot this year as the electric bill doubled and I can't imagine why . . . and I am wondering what happened to all those wine cakes and cranberry breads I had stored away....gone.....with the exception of a few half loaves . . . um . . .and I cannot imagine where the other halves went.



Yesterday my friend Marge stopped in with a Christmas hug, a beautiful bracelet she made for me with all the Christmas colors. I am going to wear it and show it off as it is very lovely. She also brought her homemade biscotti and spritz cookies which look delicious and will fill out my cookie tray. . . and me.

My neighbors, La Verne and Jim have been soaking the fruit cakes for months . . . if you have not had a brandy soaked fruit cake, don't knock them, as they are deeelicioussss. . . I think I get one very soon, if not, I know where she hides them.


Sharon was in the other day with her homemade jelly which I can hardly wait to put out on the Christmas brunch table, looks delicious . . . and she gave me a delightful book and a record of her music which I have not played yet, but will so everyone can hear it on Christmas eve. Her hugs are warm and plentiful. She is taking off for southern California where her family lives and I am hoping that it is not in one of the flood zones. The news this morning has such horrendous pictures of the flooding; one of nature's cruelest storms.

Packages arrived from Andrea and Bob with 'do not open until Christmas' but the Post Office had a ball tearing and shredding the outer covers and had to re tape the packages. They did a good job as I can't see what is in the packages, and I promised not to look . . . well a pinch or two doesn't count.


The telephone calls and the e-mails sure make 'my spirit bright' and although all of my family cannot be here for Christmas, they are close in my heart and on my mind. Mike is snowed in and Christine is rained in, while John and Jo are wending their way across the miles, hopefully not hung up in an airport somewhere in between. Granddaughter Erin arrived safe and sound last evening so the fun is about to begin.


I'll be thinking of all of you where ever you are . . . family, friends, and my followers of my musings on the blog. I look forward to my morning visits with you and love sending you all a verbal hug. Thank you all for joining me as I'd be very lonely without you.


So today, take good care of YOU. Get into the spirit of Christmas and a good start is to stop off at your church and light one candle for everyone . . . Be a Tiny Tim and 'God Bless Us Everyone!" Make today special, just like you. Hugs to all.

Land Line

I lost all the notes I made . . . Oh well, all I can tell you about this car is that it is the most expensive car ever built and is housed in a room all its own in a museum in Arizona. The car sold for a whopping three million, twenty four hundred thousand dollars and is the only one of its kind. The story line told about two automobile companies playing the 'one up' game and this car lost out and was stored in boxes in bits and pieces for many years. It was finally 'rebuilt' and put up at a special auction. Looks like we all lost out and could have bought one of these to run around in . . . wonder what the going price would have been.




Well, yesterday was telephone day. I ran out of Christmas cards to write catch up notes for long ago friends. They do not have computers so I can't send an e-card to them. I got out my telephone book and looked up the number for my friend, Mary Kay, who lives in
Maryland and was very disappointed when there was no answer. About fifteen minutes later my phone rang and it was Mary. She has caller ID and was curious as to who was calling her. We had a delightful phone visit and caught up a bit, and wished we could have a reunion, but the distance is great and we octogenarians are not up to long trips anymore. I am willing but the feet are not.

We have a history and so many tales to tell about our lives when we were very young with new babies and husbands that worked nights as Linotype operators for the local newspaper. They worked weekends and holidays so our social meeting was always on a Monday night. We took turns as hostess and cooked up the main course while everyone else brought a dish to balance out some of the most delicious meals you would ever want to eat. Mary is a harpist and she would play for us. Aah, memories, good ones, especially the picnics at the park, or the beach.


There is one story I have repeated so many times over the years that still brings tears to my eyes as I laughed so hard when the event occurred. We had plans to picnic on the beach and have a real clam bake and the men set up the fire, the huge pan was placed on the fire with all the goodies inside. Why our friend Bob, from Michigan, was put in charge of the fire I have no idea as he was not used to cooking, much less on a beach and open fire. We never found out just what happened but all of a sudden we are looking a an overturned pot, steam rising into the air and dinner lost to the sands of the beach. The babies crying, the dog scratching up sand and the packing up as the sun went in and the wind came up. We trailed to the cars and back to Mary and Russ' house. We bathed the babies in Mary's kitchen sink, fed them and settled them down as we waited to eat our hot dogs and beans before heading home. I can still see in my minds eye the bedraggled parade as we plowed through the sands with indescribable expressions and believe me they didn't think it was funny . . .


My next call was to Nevada. I have a couple that I am so very fond of and have spent some fun times with. Berta is a fighter and has had some very serious illnesses over the last few years. She is on dialysis which is struggle enough but it was followed by a stroke and is in a convalescent home. I now know why the e mail address was no longer good. I now know I wish I had followed up on the whys. So tonight I will call and give her a verbal hug. She sure can use one.


So today, when you are out and about, healthy and happy as you prepare for the holidays, give a little thought to the people in your lives...family, friends . . . even a new acquaintance you hope to develop a friendship with, and find out what is going on in their lives, for they may be traveling a rough road and need the hug of friendship . . . come to think of it . . . don't we all? Hugs to all.

A Way to . . .

A lovely Christmas story. The true story of the author who wrote the story of Rudolph for his son who was ill and they went from rags to riches as it became not only a famous story but a song we all love to hear and to sing.

The puppy reminds me of how we will be after our feasting on the holidays.

When I received the picture of the stuffed lobsters from Walter, the fisherman, the writer, the jack of all trades and a master chef, I wondered when he developed a teasing nature to send this tempt tasting picture along to a lobster lover. It has been many, many years since I have had a lobster, but I remember the wonderful taste and the fun of eating one, and I am sure, like my friend, Mary Kay who taught us how to 'pick' a lobster with a tiny fork, there would be nothing but shells on our plate. Mary lives in Maryland now and I am sure she is enjoying not only lobster, but the soft shell crabs. I think I still have the recipe for crab cakes . . . um, think I'll look it up and maybe I can make some up when the family members arrive for the holidays. Now, if Walter would send a lobster or two, like the ones on the platter, I'm sure I could find a recipe for lobster rolls.

Daughter Pat and I went to the store yesterday to start on our list. The spiral hams are plentiful and expensive this year, but no more so than other years . . . they have a special way of making up these hams and the tenderness and sweetness makes it all worth while. We checked out the turkey breasts and they look good too but there was no sense in buying anything too early so we will go back mid week and finish our list. The regular list was short and that promised storm broke as we were leaving the store. One lady had a basket filled to the brim and she stood there in her high heels, wishing she had thought to bring her umbrella with her. She wondered which way to go and finally decided she would go to her car for the umbrella she left behind, but then had second thoughts, I guess, as she moved her car to where her filled basket was. Did she get out and pull the basket close to the trunk to unload?, no . . . she walked back and forth in the torrential rain and lifted a few bags at a time getting soaked to the skin while she was bemoaning the fact that it had to pour rain 'now'. I thought of helping her, but then decided I didn't want to get soaking wet . . . poor sportsmanship on my part, but, if she had pulled the basket to the car I would have been glad to help. I would have even pushed the empty basket back to the store. People are so funny. I stood waiting for Pat to pull the car up so I could unload my stuff and by then there was a lull in the storm . Of course by the time we drove home it started up again and I was not about to get off 'Scott free'.

This storm predicted to be one of the worst in years has been a puzzle. For the last three days we have had thunder and lightening with squalls, then sunshine and a sky filled with those pewter gray clouds that usually predict a hurricane or some kind of a massive storm before its arrival. We haven't had anything that dramatic yet, but a few minutes ago the lightening flashed, the thunder roared and the house shook as the rain hit it from all directions . . . sounded like the storm arrived . . . but it passed and right now it is very quiet.

So today, if you find yourself out in a storm . . . smile and dance in the rain. It is Monday, the 20th of December, our 2010 is ending. I hope it hasn't been all bad for you. The transitions periods are the worst of it and for one reason or another we all have to go through them. So work on 'attitude' today, it is what makes or breaks your day. Hugs to all.

Lest We Forget

As we all prepare for the holidays there are families throughout our land who have lost a loved one and there are no words that I can write that will bring them solace. We Americans are dauntless and even in pain we rise up and 'get on with living' but never, ever, forget those who have given their lives in all of the wars.

The Grave of the Unknown Soldier is honored twenty-four hours a day, every day.

Arlington Cemetery with the beautiful Christmas wreaths . . . no, we do not forget.

Even a replica of Good Old Charley Brown reminds us that life goes on, not as we would like it to be, but filled with the political harangue of stupidity. The pork thrown into the bills could be used to put a lot more wreaths on the graves of the men and women who fought for our Constitution, our freedom, or right to survive. Let us keep this in mind.

So today, take time to light a candle, at church, at home, just to put a little glow in your heart and say a prayer for all of those who have given their all for all of us. Christmas is all about sharing and caring and what better gift can you offer up to those men and women over in Iraq and Afghanistan right now, far away from their families, and to those fighting to survive in our V.A. hospitals. Count all of your blessings and share a contribution to the Disabled Veterans , a visit if you are close by a V.A. hospital, join in sending cards overseas to say thank you. So stop, look and listen, 'lest we forget'. Hugs to all.

A Favorite Place

Newport, Rhode Island. Once upon a time, back in 1944, I was introduced to this small Atlantic sea coast town and the wonderful Sullivan family that I was going to be a part of, although I had no idea there were so many of them, and if I would be accepted or rejected. It didn't take long to find favorite places and Kings Park was one of them. I loved the cobble stone Thames Street and the visit to the small shops where a Sullivan cousin or two made you feel welcome. One of my first purchases was a pen and ink sketch of Newport which still hangs on a wall in my daughter's home.

This beautiful home, well built and so attractive with its glassed in front porch, belongs to a Sullivan cousin, Kay Martin, who instigated these pictures yesterday, when out of the blue she sent me an e-mail saying she remembered I hoped when she and her sister, Pauline, went out and about, they would take pictures around town and send me 'memories.' How blessed I am and although we had a few minor problems getting through on our different computers, our expert cousin, Walter, came to the rescue. What fun I had for several hours as we went back and forth and all of the pictures came through.

Here is Jimmy, Kay's son, a handsome young man. He has a lot of Sullivan genes as that smile is very familiar. The strange and wonderful mystery is that I have never met these cousins personally, with the exception of meeting Pauline when she was about nineteen and it had to be fast as I really do not remember. Pauline and I are pen pals, good friends and have daily correspondence now. She is the family historian and her tales of family life way back when are marvelous. How fortunate I am now to remain a part of this family. See, I told you there was a lot of family and cousins are a very important part.

Here is Meagan, Walter's daughter, bright and beautiful with a whole new world ahead of her. This close up took awhile to get through. At first only the hands came through and I wasn't sure what I was looking at, but Walter prevailed and here is his beautiful daughter with twinkling eyes and that Sullivan smile. A winner for sure.

This is another picture of Meagan sitting on the front porch catching a few sunbeams. If I am not mistaken she is sittiing on the front porch of Pauline's home. Isn't that a great entrance door, reminds me a bit of Colonial style. Dublin is famed for its doors, but I think this one rates right up there.

Pathways to walk, people to greet, yes, Kings Park on a summer day, what more could you ask for?

The band stand. I don't remember a band stand when I lived in Newport, but it is a very good idea. I would love to sit outdoors on a summer evening and listen to the band play. I don't remember the apartments in the back ground either. So many changes, so much growth in one way and still Newport remains much the same, yet if I were to visit tomorrow I am sure there would be new and different places for me to visit. It was in one of the shops that I purchased a book called "Ask No Quarter", and I have forgotten the author, but it was a story about the early history of Newport and pirates. It was a great story and my husband gave it to someone and I was upset as I wanted it as a keeper. It took me ten years to find it in a book store, only to loan it out and never get back. Maybe the pirates don't want me to know much about them and their stay around the Newport waters.

How could you not find peace and serenity here. Walter tells me this is a 'stitch' photo. There is a special program that takes your picture and makes it into something beautiful. I really do not understand the process but I do understand the beauty and outcome of the photograph.

So today, I am thanking my Newport cousins for sharing the pictures, the words and the time. I'm smiling as I still have 'family in Newport.' It is Saturday, all day, shop 'til you drop and get the Christmas gifts bought and wrapped it is only one week away......one week....egad, I'm not ready!!!! Go carefully, stay healthy and happy and share a hug or two today. Hugs to all.

AND A MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Faces and Places

The e mail I received yesterday had lots of pictures showing different people looking like different characters and they did a great job. I couldn't put them all on but chose those I thought were close and believable. Such expressions. It made me think about having a 'twin' out there somewhere . . . well, everyone has one so they tell me. Actually, I have one of those faces that always looks familiar to someone, has to be the Irish in me. For the life of me, I cannot think of one character that looks like me. . . and thanks, but no thanks, you do not have to think of one.

Do you realize it is Friday already and I know you are looking forward to sleeping in and relaxing after your week of hard work. You probably wont get to relax for long as the days are going by so fast and if you haven't done your shopping and mailed out your cards and started to make a few check marks on your list, you will be out there among the crowds humming Christmas carols and wishing you had bought one present a month all year and all you had to do was wrap them up. Well, that would be one way to miss the crowds, but on the other hand it is fun to be right smack dab in the midst of the crowds and picking up the spirit of Christmas. Daughter Pat and I went off yesterday to some new shops in our town. Little hide away places that turned out to be such fun. One had booths by different folks who displayed some very old and not so old items for the home that were truly beautiful. There was one ring holder I've never seen before made out of a burnished gold glass and the ring tree was on the back of a turtle. It was a lovely little piece. We went to the Pet Store and there was so many good things to choose from. I had one impossible lady to buy a trinket for and found one of those bobble headed dogs . . . she is an avid dog lover and has three, which proved to be a bank as well, complete with wobbly legs. She will be jazzed and I am betting it will be on her dash board along with that hoard of stuffed doggies that take up all the space as she drives. The best thing was the owner gift wraps so the gift is ready to go. The owner and I had a discussion on gift wrapping as he seemed to know just how to go about the size of paper to cut off to fit the box in hand. He said he has gotten a lot of experience in the last two years, but, he is going to go on to Portland where one of the big stores has a class on how to wrap packages. He wants to be the best in town...and I am sure he will be.

So today, look for a store with a person who wraps and you will not be sorry. Speaking of wraps of a different kind, the edible kind, with company coming I might just order a tray from Fred Meyers for those coming in late. Our weather is going to be iffy and I am sure they will arrive late and hungry. Pat and I took time out last evening and had dinner at the Nautilus where the Bistro Scallops are to salivate over and the Chardonnay was crisp and dry; not a bad way to end our day sitting by a window over looking the ocean with a gorgeous sun setting. It was such an unbelievable sight as the huge grey cloud the size of a battle ship hung over the area and the sun beamed behind it casting shadows of pink and coral making lovely pictures in the sky. Oh, how I miss my camera. Treat yourself, and spend some time dining at your favorite place and enjoy the sights and sounds. Hugs to all.