Oh Yeah!!!

I don't know about you folks, but I get very upset when the computer imps take control of my space. They, whoever they are, call it updates and I wish they would just leave things alone especially when things are working right. I'm a creature of habit and when the imps take over my computer and I cannot get to my e-mail, or my blog, I get frustrated and like the big orange cat, I want to smash someone even if all they are doing is their job.




I am lucky son John is home on a visit as he was here to fix things . . . 'what did you do?' I asked. . . I shut off the machine and rebooted . . sheesh, how was I to know that is all you have to do to make the glorified changes go away. I know the imps mean well and they want those who have computers to be up and running at the top of the mark . . . but . . . they have to realize they have some octogenarians struggling to keep up with the things they have learned to do and there just is not enough 'head' room to take on changes that really truly are not doing much of anything but confusing the issues. Well, that is my opinion and I'm stuck with it.


It was really traumatic to turn on the computer and find a picture of Dell and not my beautiful ocean scene. It was even more so to find out that I could not get on the I.M. and toggle Pat to say good morning. When I found my way to the web and found out there are a hundred or more people reading my blog, I couldn't believe it and it scares me . . . but, not enough to stop (smile) and thank you for your interest in my musings. I love to write. I have a curious mind and it is fun to share the things I find new and different. I have taken the liberty to write about my family and friends, maybe I will have to start asking permission to keep shouting to the roof tops how wonderful they all are.



So today, enjoy your computer and be thankful you are young and able to make do with all those changes and smile while you continue on with all of your work and correspondence. I would like to find a way to stop the jiggling ads so I can write but ads have taken over our lives no matter what medium we are looking at or working on. I've done enough grousing for today, just know I am thinking about you and wishing you good health, a bit of wealth and more hugs than you ever imagined. Hugs to all.

Snowed Under

When Paula wrote yesterday it was to say the picture I had on my blog of her couple of inches of snow was passe, the blizzard came in yesterday leaving several feet of snow, so she sent along a new picture for all to see. All I can say is it looks peaceful, quiet, uninviting for an outside bar-b-qu, but it sure is pretty.

I have to admit it looks stormy, cold and staying inside in front of the fireplace is a good idea. If I know Paula she is sitting in her favorite chair working away at her counted cross stitch. This woman is an artist when it comes to painting a picture with thread. I have a couple of her works that I wouldn't part with. They really are masterpieces.

This is a satellite picture of a storm hovering over the United States. It didn't say which one, but it could be any one of the dozens that went through this winter. Folks all over the country are waiting patiently for spring. It is coming as we have one tree that has turned a lavender shade and is like the red robin, a harbinger of spring. The buds on the trees are a good sign also.

This picture reminded me of 'my' birds that sit on the wires that run across my back yard. There was only one lonely one out there yesterday chatting away as if he was in the midst of a tea party. I whistled back at him, or her, and I got a few chattering remarks which I just did not understand. The bird was probably telling me it is time to clean up the bird houses and fill them up. I am waiting for it to warm up and then I'll get busy and make it nice and clean out there and buy some of that birdseed they love.

So today, Friday . . . all day, take stalk in what you accomplished this week and be proud of yourself. You can finish off your work week and enjoy the weekend. Make a plan or two to do something different for yourself, get out of your winter rut slowly, dig out the bird house and get it ready. Look for the crocus buds they should be showing up any time now. We have a few jonquils blooming. There is one in the crack of the cement on the property line between my tiny Christmas tree and my neighbors bush. It comes up every spring just like it is suppose to, but only one. One of the birds must have found a tiny bulb and dropped it there. It is small but colorful and reminds me that spring is almost here. I am smiling as I got my first Valentine in the mail yesterday, a lovely one from Elaine and Joe with sentiments of friendship, I treasure. If you forgot and let Valentine Day creep up on you, don't 'sweat it' just pick up the phone and greet the loves in your life. Hugs to all.

A New View and the Dog Run

The Wave and the Rock

Incoming Wave Building

Homes Along the Cliff

The First Wild Flowers of the Season

A very narrow steep pathway to the ocean.

Three trees, three trunks, all different.

Emma out in the dog run fields

Pat throwing the ball way out and Emma chases it.

The entrance to the Dog Run

The big rock and this park like area are called McVeigh Park. I have no idea who McVeigh is, or was, so cannot impart any information about the park itself but I can tell you the dirt road in is pitted with huge pot holes. Why the city does not fill them is beyond me because for the very first time there is a lovely dog park all fenced in and gated. There are chairs to sit on, although the dogs have different ideas of their masters resting . . .it's, 'throw the ball' . Emma got the message quickly and she ran her legs off for a half hour. Meanwhile I used my trusty cane and walked over the bumps and lumps of the other part of the park which leads out to a semi circle of grass where the ocean roars below the cliff I was standing on. The view is lovely so I put my trusty camera to work.

The sun was shining and the wind was a bit on the cold side but it didn't feel bad at all. I would love to have walked down the path to the ocean sand and looked over the little rocks down there to see if by chance there was an agate or two. The pathway is narrow and very steep so it was a lost cause for me, there is no way I could go down . . . well I could have sat and slid on my rear but I never would have been able to get back up, so I stood and watched the waves and sighed.

The trees in the outer area of the park were very different in that each trunk of the tree was different. There was one that was twisted like a pretzel and I wondered why as the other two were fairly smooth. They all grew the same height and only the three trees in the center of a big field. It would make a good setting for some picnic tables, but then they would be better placed nearer the cliff, or would they? No, children would be running and playing and it would be to close to the edge so maybe the field would be a better spot. Well let us hope that the pot holes are on the list of 'to do' hopefully before summer comes around.

So today, know there are beautiful spots for you to go and visit in your area. Make a plan for the weekend, pack a lunch and take yourself out in the fresh air, if you can, some of you are still snowed in and that would not be the place to go . . . nope, you have to plan to stay where it is cozy and warm . . .so, grab a good book or the latest travel magazine and take yourself on a mental journey to the sunshine. Just make your seconds count and use those facial muscles and smile. Hugs to all.

Trees and Valentines

There was no caption on the pictures of the trees. It looks, to me, like the pictures were taken many years ago at a lumber camp. My guess is that they are redwoods from the size of them and we have a whole forest of them in both Oregon and California. People come from all over the world to spend time among the redwoods. Their size and girth are amazing. They grow to be over three hundred feet tall and when you walk into the forest it is like walking among giants in peace and serenity.
Just imagine these men felling the trees. It was no easy task and very dangerous. It was one of the ways to make a living and as long as they had work to do it didn't seem to matter if it was rough, tough and a nasty job . . . it was a job . I wonder if the old CCC's of the forties were included in the clearing of the forests of America. Camps were set up and the men went out for months and the small pay they made helped in keeping families from starving through the Great Depression. My brother went off to one of the camps and used to send me some bark from the trees. It could be used to make cards or even a Valentine or two, but I was not old enough to have an artistic talent to do something with the bark. I think I took it to school on Valentine's Day to show it off.

Speaking of Valentine Day, which is coming up fast, it made me think of the big carton box that sat in front of the teacher's desk covered with bright red paper and a slit to put in the valentines we brought to school. It was exciting to be called on to come and get a valentine. Everybody got one at least, and some more, but that didn't matter. What did matter was the one that you got and the little box of candy hearts with sayings made the day very special.

I walked over to the big Fred Meyer store yesterday and looked over the Valentines. I had already bought a few and I send some through the computer, but I needed on more for a friend who does not have a computer. I found one I thought was a perfect fit for this wonderful person but when I turned it over to see it cost $5.49, I put it back. There is no reason on earth that a Valentine should cost that much. I could have bought it but I was not about to encourage the card companies to indulge in their greed. I'd rather make a personal phone call or send a special note upon which I could draw hearts to my content and write a poem too. How Wall Street has come to spoil all of our holidays and we let them get away with it...shame on us. So don't go out and spend your hard earned money on expensive valentines; sit down and write a note and draw hearts with messages within, or pick up the phone, tweak or twitter but let the five dollar Valentines go back to the company .

So today, shop carefully, do not be pressured into buying a plain valentine, without even a bit of lace, for over five dollars, that is ludicrous . . . where is my soap box? Well, you can get on one of your own. It is Hump Day, mid-week, two days to the weekend and I have a friend who will be celebrating her birthday . . . wonder if there is a Valentine with birthday greetings in it? . . . guess I'll have to look so I can get a two for one greeting, but not if it cost five dollars or more. . . no way. I'll call and sing . . . what do you mean she wont answer her phone !!! Go, buy some Valentines but leave the expensive ones sitting there so the companies will get our message . . . join the tea party of over priced cards . . . I'm president. Hugs to all.

Pocket Change

Tuesday is a good day to count your change. I wonder how long it took to save up all those quarters. It is an interesting photograph but I can think of other things I'd rather do than make an art work out of money . . . putting a few in the new gaming machines might be fun if you had the lucky quarters that made the bells go off.

Of course, if you have nothing better to do and you need a project to enjoy what is left of the snow, you can always go out and find a mail box to decorate. I wonder who makes these things up. Well, at least they have a sense of humor. The mail carrier probably isn't laughing out loud as he or she has to trudge through the ice and snow to get the mail out of the box.

A sense of humor is what we all need to make our days brighter and lighter. This cute little picture came in on an e-mail with a short story with it. It seems a first grade teacher asked her students to draw a picture of what their mother did for work. The children drew their pictures and the teacher graded them and the children brought their art work home. The next day the youngster brought in a note from her mother saying, "Dear Ms. Davis, I want to be perfectly clear on my child's illustration. This is not me on some stage on a dance pole at a strip joint surrounded by customers with money. I work for Home Depot and had commented to my daughter how much money we made in a recent snow storm. That is me selling a snow shovel."

So today look for reasons to laugh out loud. Find a card shop and look for some clever and funny Valentines and send them off to those you love. Don't be shy, it is truly a gift when you share your hugs, verbally or otherwise, for it is love that makes our world go round. Hugs to all.

New Faces

Sisters: Kay and Pauline. They got all gussied up for a Christmas celebration and I must say they look beautiful. It is nice to see smiling faces and know that they had a great holiday.

Pauline's son-in-law, Dave is a musician and he loves to play and sing. Cousin Walter is in the background strumming his guitar. It must be such fun to get together with them for the holidays and have a house filled with music and laughter.

The ladies are very lucky as the men in their lives love to cook. Kay's son Jimmy has been known to put out a terrific holiday dinner. Walter does some cooking also. Wonder if the boys would like to visit me. I could stand a holiday or two out of the kitchen. From what I hear there is never a crumb left . . . kudos to the chefs.

Friend Paula lives in Arkansas and they had their fill of snow this winter. This is the new pool, covered and waiting for family fun this summer. Paula can hardly wait as she tells me she is very tired of all the snow and ice and the cold. She is among good company as I think over half the USA would agree that this winter has been very long and very cold.

Here she is, Paula with her great-granddaughter. Paula doesn't look old enough to be a 'great' but her grandson wasn't going to wait around for her to 'age'. She didn't tell me her great-granddaughter's name, angel comes to mind, what a cutie. I'd like to have one of those little ones visit me on occasion. You get to do all the loving and then give them back to their mom when a change is needed. Small, beautiful miracles.

I think a lot of folks feel this way on Monday morning. The weekend went by much to fast. Well cheer up you have a new week to accomplish much and unruffle your feathers. I am smiling because I had good news, son John is coming in the end of the week and I'll get to enjoy his company for a week. Looking at the picture of the blue bird reminds me of buying a birthday card with the blue bird of happiness on it. If I remember the caption had to do with its landing a blob or two on the birthday person, probably one that deserved such a greeting. You didn't know I had a mean streak, well a little one. Make today a good one, use your seconds wisely and don't waste them. Think nutrition and take good care of you. Hope you enjoyed the big game yesterday and was pleased with the outcome. I rooted for the Steelers and they lost, sad for them, but they can try again. I did watch some of it and was in time to see them take over for a short while but it just didn't last. . . oh well, the 'better' team won and they worked hard for the win. Now if someone would explain the game to me, I could tell you more. Hugs to all.

Winter, but not here!

We have been hearing about the blizzards across the United States all winter long. The folks of every state have had to contend with horrible weather. I am sure, that they think they had the worst weather in a very long time, but according to the e-mail I received yesterday Russia has us beat by a mile. The pictures are awesome and some of them reminded me of the storms that go through the Tahoe area of both Nevada and California.

I rode through a tunnel of snow once time up at Tahoe but never with a height like this. I cannot imagine this much snow piled high, almost like a mountain all by itself. Imagine the spring thaw.

When snow gets this high it makes me wonder how much power is lost during the winter storms in Russia.

I bet the folks are warm inside. It must be like living in a cocoon. One thing for sure there will be little or no company coming for awhile. These folks must be well prepared for their storms. Well as far as I am concerned Russia can keep their own snow, I think we get enough right here and I am not ready for a contest. I like to see the first snow fall as it is so beautiful, but then it turns into slush, icy roads and misery for the drivers. The old timers used to believe that heavy storms with the temperatures plummeting below the below killed all the germs and there was less illness in our winter world. The only plus I can think of, unless of course I was a skier or had a chance to ride down the mountainside on a big toboggan. Winter weather can be dangerous but, on the other hand, it can be a lot of fun.

Yesterday Pat and I rode over to Crescent City where a doctor was giving a talk on M.S. He was set up for a small video in which we heard and saw a doctor from Italy talk about a new and different procedure which may, or may not, help the M.S. sufferers. The doctor has M.S. himself and is in a wheel chair so he went to San Diego where they are doing an angioplasty surgery to open the veins so blood can flow more easily to the brain. It was very interesting and we were all listening when one of the ladies started a one on one conversation with the doctor. Then her friend chimed in and the doctor's wife and the rest of us were left sitting waiting for him to get back to telling us more of the new procedures. After ten minutes of watching and waiting we finally stood up and left. How rude of the ladies to take over the meeting for themselves. Hopefully we gave a signal to the doctor and he got back to business. There are always one or two that have to be selfish and show their ignorance. I wanted to stand up and tell them I didn't mean to be rude but they needed to let the rest of us in on the tale the doctor had to tell. He has had the operations but they still do not know if more are needed, how long the effects of it, or if it really can help the M.S. patients. We all hope it will. Maybe it is the first step in starting one of those groups for testing and really working at finding a cure.

So today, Sunday, the last day of your rest time, find something fun to do. If you are like the thousands of fans for the Super Bowl then you will be hunkered down in front of your TV with snacks and a cold beer shouting for your team, or maybe you have invited folks in to share the excitement of the game. So whether you are at a tail gate party or just enjoying the game all by yourself, root for the better team to win....The Steelers . . . of course. Enjoy your seconds as they come. Hugs to all.

Weekend!

All children love to lick the cooking bowls, but this mother must be off in la la land. I wonder if she ever heard of unplugging the mixer first, unhooking the beaters and then let the little one have the batter. . . that would mean common sense. . .

This is not a picture of our Emma, but it could be. Pat has had to rescue her more than once as she loves to dig and play in the mud. She cannot equate owner madness with the exclusive joy of getting muddy, after all didn't she like to play in mud puddles when she was young . . . Is this the epitome of 'what goes around comes around'?

In the e-mail I received today, I was astounded to see the pictures of parents who love their children but have no idea how to raise them. I think they must have an open space between their ears. There were a lot of other pictures showing stupidity on child raising and as the caption said in the beginning . . . something about why some people should not have children. I remember being in a State Park some years ago and there was a woman who had two children over the barrier on a wall overlooking a deep valley. The guard rail was there for a reason but she must have thought it was for other people as she held the two children out on the ledge. It was frightening as it would take a second to lose one or both.

Here is another one of those interesting facts I told you about yesterday. Brazil was named from the nut, not the other way around. An interesting country, I wouldn't mind seeing it. Was Carmen Miranda from there? I remember her from a movie years ago with strange shoes and a hat with lots of fruit. Chicky, Chicky, something was her song, can see her in my minds eye and hear the music. If I remember correctly I think the shoes were clogs.

So today, with our world filled with strange and wondrous things to think about, take time to enjoy your day. Weekends are special, we just couldn't exist without them. I am going to enjoy mine as I can look out and see a mowed back yard, bushes trimmed, weeds gone . . . although not all the way, just impossible to get them all . . . Chon is back . . . I was very happy to see him. He had ten days visiting his family in Mexico and had a wonderful time. So good, he is off for a week soon again to meet some more family. He should be back in time to get to that horrible ditch in the back of the garage and trim the bush that overhangs it. I can understand why some folks went for brick walls around their properties . . . cement is good. I'm off for a refill and the news. It is too early for my Saturday cowboy movies, but the day is not over yet. Have fun today, laugh a lot it is very good for you. Hugs to all.

Interesting Facts From An E-Mail

Antarctica only land on our planet that is not owned by any country. Ninety percent of the world's ice ; and seventy percent of all fresh water in the world. The caption went on to say that essentially it is a desert as only
two percent of precipitation falls. It is the driest place on the planet and the humidity lower than the Gobi desert.


The e-mail was fascinating and that was only the 'A's. I couldn't fit them all on as it would have taken all my space, so I'll slide one in now and then so you can enjoy a few of the facts too. Who knows, you may already know all of this. I sure didn't and I've been around a long time. How little we know, and the older we get the more we realize just how little we do know. Life is a journey not a destination . . . I have no idea who said that, but it sounds good.


Do you wonder about the rain forest which provides more than twenty-percent of the worlds oxygen? The river pushes so much water in the Atlantic Ocean that more than a one hundred mile of sea off the mouth of the river can dip fresh water out of the ocean. The volume of water in the Amazon river is greater than the next eight largest rivers in the world combined and three times the flow of all the rivers in the U.S.A.

Alaska. Did you know that one half of the entire United States coastline is in Alaska? I didn't realize that.

So thank you Dorothy for sending me the e-mail filled with wondrous facts about our world.

It is Friday already, the first week of a new month all but gone. The weather yesterday was warmer and the sun was bright so I went out to the garden and tried very hard to use the push mower to see if I could cut the foot tall grass. One swipe, one row, and I had to give it up. The grass is still very wet and the push mower very old and the pusher older than dirt so when all of that comes home to roost there is nothing to do but give up. Well, that is not easy to do so I got out the clippers and neatened a few of the overgrown bushes. February is not a clipping month so I may have done more damage than I should have, but that remains to be seen. So far my clip artistry has begotten overgrown bushes. All I can say is that I thoroughly enjoyed my hour in the the sunshine and am looking forward to more of them.

So today finish up the work you have been doing all week and plan to give yourself some yard time this weekend, of course you have to be out of snow country to do that. For those of you enjoying the sun and snow, get out the skies and do some snow walking, or is it snow shoeing, whatever it is called, get out there and enjoy the fresh air and the scenery. Take your camera along and send me some pictures. Hugs to all.

Think Spring!

I know, the entire country is in a freeze and that huge blizzard left many stranded and tired of a long hard winter, even here on the coast we can feel the cold and the heater kicks on and on and the bill goes higher and higher but in spite of it all, we are all very lucky. I had a little video of the floods in Australia that was something to see. I wish I could show it to you. It showed a parking lot where cars were parked by a river and as you watched the river rise and the flood waters become faster and stronger the cars were floated out into the river and tossed around like toys. I cannot equate all this weather with global warming, can you?

Over in Ashland, on the other side of Medford, there is a lovely town with everything Shakespeare. My son John treated Patricia and I to a weekend there and we stayed in a delightful little cottage. It was fun to browse through the shops and see all of the different items depicting Shakespeare and the old English. We saw a play, can't remember which one now . . . aha . . . "Midsummer Night Dream" and it was fantastic. I hope we can do that one more time as the new season is about to open.

Van Gogh's "Starry Night". With all of the clear beautiful cold nights we are seeing a lot of stars. It is so different to be able to look up at the sky and see them. Usually we are fogged in and rarely see the stars or the moon, although we know they are there. Living in a small coastal town has both its curses and its blessings, but I guess that it true of most places. My Sullivan cousin, Andrea was telling me they were freezing in Arizona. She thought to invite family to join them and get out of the winter storms for awhile but after a day out in the cold she had a change of heart. It didn't take her long to find her way inside and cuddle in with a good book. She has joined a book club and said an author had come to talk with them and it was very interesting to hear what he had to say. They had just read "A Thousand White Women" and gave it high praise. The author is Jim Fergus, so now I want to go out and find his book and enjoy a good read. Meanwhile, speaking of authors, I just had an e-mail with encouraging words about my novel "Shadows of Life" which made me feel pretty good. Well, I get tired of tooting my own horn!

So today, Thursday already, where did this week go? It is almost time for a new weekend to enjoy. Don't forget they are not mailing out tax forms this year. I think the IRS thinks everyone has a computer. I stopped by the Post Office yesterday hoping to find an easy form but there was not one to be had. The line was much too long to wait and ask a question about them, so daughter Pat went on line and pulled one up for me. I am wondering if it is a smart idea not to send out the forms. How many folks will not know that they are not coming and be very late in filing this year, if they file at all? Some changes may be necessary but we are all creatures of habit and getting the January forms is as old as the hills. It will be interesting to hear what happens, not everyone is connected to the electronic highway.

Be of good cheer you still have time to gather all your 'stuff' and get your forms in on time. I hope you are in for a refund so you can put it towards a vacation trip and regroup after working so hard, maybe a trip to Ashland and the Shakespeare Festival will come to mind. If so, you are not far away so swing by and say hello. I can always use a hug. Hugs to all.

Ground Hog Day!

February 2, 2011 . . .

My niece is celebrating her birthday today. Her date has always been easy to remember. I hope she has a great day of celebration as she hears that the famous woodchuck did not see his shadow this morning so one of her gifts today is the news winter is leaving and spring will abound. Happy Birthday Eileen, may you have many more of them.

I read up a bit on the ground-hog and find it is one of fourteen species of marmots. Like the bears, they gorge themselves all summer and go underground to burrow and snooze away the winter until spring arrives. According to Folklore, if its cloudy it will leave the burrow . . . if sunny, retreat back to continue its winter snooze for another six weeks. I learned that it is an ancient celebration of Candlemas a point mid way between winter solstice and spring equinox. Superstition has it that fair weather was seen as a prediction of a stormy second half of winter.

Old English saying: "If Candlemas be fair bright/winter has another flight/ If Candlemas brings clouds and rain/winter will not come again."

So today, check the weather report in your area and see if this little ground-hog saw his shadow in your area. Hopefully he herald the end of a very long hard winter and sends hope for an early spring with lots of sunshine and wild flowers. I think back east they are having stormy weather so that is good news for them; here we have a break of sunshine . . . um, now I wonder if our woodchuck is hanging around to tell us we are going to have winter weather . . nah!, Hopefully it only counts back east. I'm ready for some warmth and sunshine.

Make your day a celebration, try something new and different for lunch today. Walk out and breath some fresh air knowing spring is on the way. Hugs to all.

She's Back!

Erin now . . . and then!

I had a note in the mail with a picture of me and my granddaughter taken up at Lake Tahoe when she was about a year and a half old. I had sent the picture to my friend with a story about our day at the Lake. Suzanne was going through some old albums of her mother, who has passed on, and found the picture and knew it would mean something to me. It was a lovely surprise and brought back some instant memories of a day well spent. Having a granddaughter is one of life's true blessings.

Meanwhile Chon who trims the bushes and cuts the lawn with his magic mower has gone to Mexico for a family vacation. He doesn't know that I had a pipe break under the house and a flood in my back yard. He doesn't know that the grass has grown at least a foot and it is not going to be easy to trim it down. The push mower wont work, and another week before he gets back . . . wonder if a scythe is going to be needed . . . wonder if he has one, I don't.

Daughter Patricia is back home after a long weekend away. She had a date with a neurologist who deals with M.S. and not having one here, it means the long trip to Portland. Her sister, Christine, drives over to keep her company and the two of them plot and plan some fun things to do. Last I heard they were going to visit the huge books store, a full block long, and browse . . . you know they wont come out empty handed. I'm looking forward to some good reading. Hopefully, we will have lunch together today and I will hear all about what the doctor had to say and all about the fun times as well.

So today, some of you are going to be hit by a big storm. From what the newscasters say, it is being called the blizzard of the century. The entire country seems to be included in its path. I hope they are wrong and it turns out to be just another winter storm blowing a few flakes . . .if not, stay home and be warm and comfortable in your own four walls then venture out when it has passed by. Take good care of YOU. Hugs to all.