Tales From a 1960s Flower Child (Otherwise Known As Grandma)

Krag & Draco - Comic #2

2012-02-24T19:21:00.000-08:00

Hubby's Work.

2012-02-23T19:09:00.000-08:00

My husband said they received a smashed-up gas meter in their shop. When a meter is damaged a 'trouble tag' is attached that tells what happened to the meter. The tag said, "Fell off the truck and down a ravine. So did the meter." The guys at work thought that was so funny.

Some years ago, a man who had conveniently left Enron before it crashed and burned, bought the gas company my hubby works for. The man sent a video to each office explaining that he didn't buy it just to own the large oil pipeline that sends oil down to the United States. "Oh no," he said. "We want the whole company." Two years later he sold off the company - except for the oil pipeline. Yep, those Enron people are trustworthy!

The new owners are typical Big Business. From what we have heard, they want to cut the union worker's wages after they took a 27% increase in their wages. (Hey, they have to get the money from somewhere!) My husband has worked there for 33 years and I think the union went on strike once for one day, and it was so long ago I can't remember the details. However, if the new owners do insist on a wage cut there will be a strike. Maybe I can get a job at McDonald's for awhile. :)

Hope and Grandma's 16th Birthdays.

2012-02-22T22:30:00.000-08:00

My granddaughter Hope (15 yrs.old) is not allowed to bring her cell phone to the dinner table. The other night, her sister Faith sat down for dinner and saw Hope texting on her phone. She was hiding the phone on her lap under the table.

Faith said to me, "Grandma, the table is GLASS!" Everyone could see her doing it!"

I love my grandchildren. My life would be so boring without them.

Hope is turning 16 in March. She has been watching a TV program called,

My Super Sweet 16.

It is about Sweet 16 parties of the rich. Hope would like a party like that. She wants to rent a beautiful hall and have a DJ and dancing. I'm afraid it would cost at least $2,000. We can't do it.

One girl on the TV show threw an Hawiian party that cost her parents $203,000. Almost all the girls on the show get a car from their parents too. Hope and Faith watch this show all the time and I think they believe these parties are for everyone.

Hmm.

Should I dare tell you all what I did for my 16th birthday?

I'll give you a hint. It was illegal.

I bought a $10 baggie of pot and invited about 5 girls over. We sat in my room and listened to music and smoked the pot out on the balcony and then the roof of my house. Yep, we had a great time and it only cost $10. Young people just don't know how to have cheap fun any more.

Excuse Me? Please Step Out of the Photo.

2012-02-21T23:16:00.000-08:00

I have finally found out why I am having trouble with following new blogs. Blogger let me know I am at my limit of 300 blogs! That is how many I have clicked "Follow" on since I began blogging.

Huh.

I didn't believe I was following 300 blogs until I started counting. Yes, Blogger is right. Most of these blogs are dormant - no one has been posting for 6 months or a year. So I spent a lot of time de-following and now I can follow new people, because that is what I do.

I want to say I am sorry to everyone I thought I was following, but wasn't. I didn't ignore you on purpose!

Now to the pictures. I found these a long time ago and don't remember where I got them. Sorry to whoever first posted them. Lucky for me there aren't any laws yet where I can go to jail for stealing some pictures.

These are photos of animals who got in a picture by mistake. This bird just cracks me up.

Have a wonderful day everyone!

Two Songs From "The Roaring Twenties".

2012-02-20T18:40:00.000-08:00

I was listening to Do-Wop songs on Shady's blog http://shadydell.blogspot.com/2012/02/dueling-doo-wops-vol-4.html when I came across a song called, "Thinking of you," sung by the Jaguars.

I tried to remember when I had first heard that song, which is one of my favorites. It finally came to me that my sister had an album by Dorothy Provine who sang it in the show, "The Roaring Twenties." We loved that show; it ran from 1960 to 1962. So this song is for my sister Chloe and for Shady too so he can hear another version of it, albeit a short one. lol

After I downloaded "Thinking of You," I came across Dorothy singing, "Don't Bring Lulu," which made me laugh. I didn't know if anyone who is young has heard this song, but here it is.

Krag & Draco - My First Comic Strip.

2012-02-19T18:48:00.000-08:00

Well, I finished my first strip. I've used three different kinds of drawing/painting software so some pages look a little different. I had a lot of fun with it and intend to keep on for my own enjoyment. I didn't like drawing in the past, but that is because I wanted to make a work of art. It is more fun drawing when you don't worry about that. I think the pics should get larger if you click on them.

Do You Trust Your Pilot?

2012-02-18T22:29:00.000-08:00

I read in Letters to the Editor in the Canadian Reader's Digest a true story by a woman who was on a plane in Canada. She said they were waiting on the tarmac to leave when she saw some men taping one wing of the plane with duct tape. She said they used a lot of it.

As they were beginning to taxi on the runway the pilot came on the speaker and said, yes they had used duct tape on the wing, but that he was sure it would hold and all would be fine. She said when they finally landed the plane erupted with cheers from the passengers.

Hmm, I don't think I would have stayed on that plane. Would you?

Here are some other uses for duct tape:

Going to the Prom?

Wallet and purse.

A useful hat.

A boat, which they made on Mythbusters.

To be honest, this sofa looks better than mine.

Household Pests.

2012-02-17T17:37:00.000-08:00

"Thanks for giving me fleas from Chile!" I heard my grandson Jordan say to someone on the phone. I found out from his mom Sandy that Jordan had spent the night with his best friend who had just returned from three weeks in Chile. Now Jordan had fleas in his bed; in OUR house. Yuck. I am currently washing all his bedding. I hope that will do it.

I remember the first time I saw fleas. I was watching TV in my living room when I saw little tiny bugs leaping up and down on the carpet. Holy cow. It turned out the dog Sandy had taken in from the cold had fleas. There were fleas all over the house. I bought some kind of powder and got rid of them.

I'm not sure if I told this story before, but here it is:

One time we rented a house that was infested with mice. You could hear them in the walls. In the same living room I once saw fleas, I watched a tiny mouse run across the carpet. He was awful cute, but I decided I had to kill him and his entire family. I called a pest control company.

I paid this guy to come over and all he did was put little cups of rat poison around the house. When he left I thought, "I had to pay him to do that!" Sheesh. I could have done it myself. Anyway, the next day the dog ran in the living room with one of the little cups of poison. She was quite happy when she did this. She had to go spend the night at the Vet's in case she ate some. Back then it was $120, which was a lot of money. She was fine; she didn't get sick at all.

We threw away the rat poison and got a cat. The mice left. Cost? Nothing.

Ideal Love: Something to Strive For.

2012-02-16T19:55:00.000-08:00

“Whenever you are confronted with an opponent. Conquer him with love.”

― Mahatma Gandhi

“The Bible tells us to love our neighbors, and also to love our enemies; probably because generally they are the same people.”
― G.K. Chesterton

"As I walked out the door that would lead to my freedom I knew if I didn't leave my bitterness and hatred behind, I'd still be in prison." Nelson Mandela

"If we really want to love, we must learn how to forgive." Mother Teresa

Faith's Dream Came True.

2012-02-15T17:32:00.000-08:00

My granddaughter Faith has a favorite rock band and a favorite singer. The band is Hedley and the lead singer is Jacob Hoggard. He is the one with the tattoos.

She went to a Hedley concert a few days ago. She knows that Jacob walks into the crowd on a smaller stage. She had seats on the floor so she was very close to the stage. When she saw he was coming down into the audience she said she felt like she was in a dream. She got as close as she could and then her sister Hope gave her a big shove. Faith was right beneath the walkway where Jacob was singing. He looked down at Faith, smiled and started singing to her!! She sang along with him.

I have never seen Faith so happy as when she told me this. She said it had been her dream for him to just look at her, to just notice her- and then all this happened!!! Oh, I am so happy for her. She has had a tough life suffering from OCD, and this is just a gift to her. Yippee!!

Dionsaur Comics.

2012-02-14T22:17:00.000-08:00

Okay, I posted a comic strip I created called, "Disaster Debbie" and after I showed it to my daughter I had to pull it because she said she didn't understand a lot of it. I know this is a pitfall of writers - even comic strip writers. Sooo, I'll work on it today and fix it up. Meanwhile I'll post this one I did a few days ago.

Earlier, I was thinking about trying to draw a dinosaur comic strip. I googled to see how many dinosaur comics there are I found these.

Dilbert is one of my favorite comics. He has a dinosaur named Bob in his strip.

I like Bob.

Ryan North, a Canadian has a comic strip called Dinosaur Comics.

I thought this one was hilarious.

This is a strip called Ninjasaur by Jason Horn.

This isn't the sort of dinosaur I was thinking of creating, so that's good.

Then there is Godzilla.

My dinosaur won't be scary.

So, I guess it is safe to consider using a dinosaur as the main character in a comic strip. Do you know of any other dinosaur characters?

Happy Valentine's Day!

2012-02-13T19:37:00.000-08:00

I hope you all have a day full of love.

Love Poem.

2012-02-12T17:50:00.000-08:00

I was 19 when I went to the Huntington Library in San Marino, California. I came upon a glassed-in box that had an old piece of paper in it. I read what was a poem called, Annabel Lee - by Edgar Allen Poe written by his own hand. It is one of those memories we were all talking about in an earlier post, where time stops and you have a mental picture that stays with you for life. That is how much this poem moved me - of course at the time I was a young, romantic girl in love my first husband.

Most experts think Poe wrote this poem about his wife, who had died two years before he penned it.

If you find his handwriting hard to read, I copied the poem from this site and put it below the handwritten one.

http://www.poetry-online.org/poe_annabel_lee.htm

It was many and many a year ago,
In a kingdom by the sea,
That a maiden there lived whom you may know
By the name of Annabel Lee;
And this maiden she lived with no other thought
Than to love and be loved by me.

I was a child and she was a child,
In this kingdom by the sea;
But we loved with a love that was more than love-
I and my Annabel Lee;
With a love that the winged seraphs of heaven
Coveted her and me.

And this was the reason that, long ago,
In this kingdom by the sea,
A wind blew out of a cloud, chilling
My beautiful Annabel Lee;
So that her highborn kinsman came
And bore her away from me,
To shut her up in a sepulchre
In this kingdom by the sea.

The angels, not half so happy in heaven,
Went envying her and me-
Yes!- that was the reason (as all men know,
In this kingdom by the sea)
That the wind came out of the cloud by night,
Chilling and killing my Annabel Lee.

But our love it was stronger by far than the love
Of those who were older than we-
Of many far wiser than we-
And neither the angels in heaven above,
Nor the demons down under the sea,
Can ever dissever my soul from the soul
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee.

For the moon never beams without bringing me dreams
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;
And the stars never rise but I feel the bright eyes
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;
And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side
Of my darling- my darling- my life and my bride,
In the sepulchre there by the sea,
In her tomb by the sounding sea.

Stupid Toys.

2012-02-11T18:32:00.000-08:00

If you are stuck on what to buy for the nephew/niece - Here are some ideas.

I thought this video was sweet. This dog is so gentle.

Drawing on Paint.

2012-02-11T05:44:00.000-08:00

Thank you so much for your kind wishes for me to rest and get well. I started to feel better last night so I worked on the Paint program drawing anime figures. I wanted to try to draw the whole body and it took an hour. I have a lot of trouble with the hair. I can't seem to get it just right but that's okay.

I learned how to color which was a lot of fun.

Have a beautiful Saturday everyone.

Taking a Rest.

2012-02-10T02:04:00.000-08:00

I've been feeling a little ill lately. Nothing major, but I need some rest I think. I slept most of the day and now I can't get to sleep and it's 2 am. Love to all.

You received cards from seven auto body shops!

The kids were right, you do have a high temperature.

Knott's Berry Farm.

2012-02-09T00:09:00.000-08:00

When I was young my parents used to take the family to visit Knott's Berry Farm. It was like going back in time to the 1800s and the gold rush days. Here are two pictures I found of my siblings and I at the Farm.

This is my brother Kim pretending to drive a team of horses.

My sister Chloe and I on the huge chair they had by the stores.

This photo is from the 1950s also.

I loved going there, so when we took our children to Disneyland we also stopped in at Knott's Berry Farm. I didn't recognize it. I didn't know it had become an enormous amusement park with many huge roller coasters. My girls were excited and spent the day riding with their dad. I think I went on a few of the smaller ones. Here is what it looks like today.

I'm sure young people today prefer the roller coasters. I know my kids did, but I kind of miss the old place.

Toy Guns.

2012-02-07T20:57:00.000-08:00

I was supposed to take my mother to a hair appointment last week. She called and said she had to cancel because the police had blocked off her apartment building and wouldn't let anyone out. She said she would call me later.

It turned out the RCMP had surrounded the Subway sandwich shop, which is located next to my mom's building, because they believed there were men in there with guns.

It turned out they were teenagers with cap guns. They had just bought them from the dollar store and were shooting them off and people called the police.

Some people in my family think the RCMP were too rough with the young men. I guess they threw them to the ground and knelt on their backs while handcuffing them. The boys were scratched up I guess. But I think the police did what they had to do. The boys kept yelling they were toy guns, but how could the police take their word for it? Apparently, one of the mothers is suing the police for excessive force.

What do you think?

Earliest Memories.

2012-02-06T17:27:00.000-08:00

I have one shot picture memories from when I was 4 or 5 yrs. old. I hope you will share some of yours in the comments.

Walking with a friend eating oranges. She started eating the rind so I did too. It wasn't bad but but it was sour and I didn't finish it.

Walking to kindergarten with a friend. She had an adult swing in the back yard. We would sit and swing together. I felt so happy.

Begging my mother to let me quit kindergarten. She said yes. (I wanted to quit because the teacher said I had to learn to tie my dress ties in a bow. She was tired of doing it for me when they would come undone. I knew I could never learn to do it! I didn't tell my mom all this.)

The neighbor boys throwing rocks at my sister and me. I went crying into the house and my father chased them away.

While waiting for a little friend in her house, I opened a drawer in a desk that was in the foyer. I wanted to know what was inside. Her mother caught me and pushed me out of the house all the while screaming at me. I guess I had it coming! I was a curious girl.

My sister reading comic books to my brother and me.

What are your earliest picture memories?

Faith Gets Serious.

2012-02-05T19:58:00.000-08:00

My granddaughter Faith (14 yrs. old), came down to visit one morning.

Faith- "Grandma, I need to know about the Holocaust. People talk about it and I don't know what they're talking about."

Me- "You don't want to know about the Holocaust."

Faith- "Yes, I do."

So I told her about Viktor Frankl and how his wife and parents went straight to the "showers" when they arrived at Auchtwitz. I told her about Corrie Ten Boom and how her sister died - I told her about Anne Frank, but she already knew that story.

Me- "Now you don't have to learn any more about the Holocaust. It's too horrible."

Faith's mom came downstairs the next day and I told her what Faith said. "I know. She's been reading about it on the computer all day."

Great.
Well, maybe it will help her to be more compassionate. Maybe it will teach her what can happen in a dictatorship, although I guess you don't need to have a dictatorship any more to torture and kill people.

Friendship.

2012-02-04T21:14:00.000-08:00

I worked on the Paint program for a few hours and decided to try to copy an anime character. Here it is:

I'm happy with it. I tried to color in her hair, (it was blue) but it is a lot of work and it didn't look good. I'll have to figure out how to do it easier and better.

"A friend is one who believes in you when you have ceased to believe in yourself."

This describes how I feel about you, my blogging friends.

I found these images at

http://www.buzzfeed.com/theuniblogger/50-pictures-of-cross-species-friendships-bhd

The Coffee Incident.

2012-02-03T18:58:00.000-08:00

I just discovered PaintBuster. I'm thinking of becoming a cartoonist and make a million dollars or two.

These are my first drawings ever, so no laughing. Pretend I'm your kid coming home from school.

True story: Yesterday, I made myself a coffee.

I started to drop the cup.

I lifted it upwards and threw it all over myself.

My daughter Christine thought I had burned my face. She ran to help me.

She slid on the coffee.

I had to pick her up off the floor.

Neither of us was permanently damaged.

This is how people get hurt in household accidents.

Stupidity.

Whatever Doesn't Kill You...There is nothing that doesn't kill you eventually.

2012-02-02T23:28:00.000-08:00

I found this recipe online:

"Romantic Chicken with Artichokes."

Where can you buy a romantic chicken? What is she like? Does she make eyes at the rooster every hour? Does she dream about him and write him love notes? Does she taste different than a non-romantic chicken? These are things I want to know before I eat her.

I just read an article that said wearing high heels takes years off a woman's life. It causes stress in the lower back and legs and stress leads to inflammation and chronic inflammation can eventually kill.

I had to quit wearing high heels years ago because my legs ache the moment I put them on. But still, aren't you sick of reading about all the things that could kill us? I am.

I just read in Maclean's magazine that sitting for four hours without a break each day is just as bad for your health as smoking.
Everyone thinks smokers are as bad as serial killers or something.

Now they know sitting around for hours is just as deadly! (Since I do both I should kick the bucket pretty soon.)

Note: I am not saying smoking is okay or good. I know it is horrible and I hope I can stop one day soon like my dear friend Matthew. He is an amazing young man who is turning his life around.

Centuries ago people didn't really know what killed them. I'll bet they weren't as worried as we are. They just sat around the old fire gnawing on a fatty dinosaur leg, not worrying about whether they were getting enough vitamins. Those were the days!

Top Airports of the World.

2012-02-01T23:06:00.000-08:00

Something seems to be wrong with my follow buttons. Some of the new people I tried to follow are not coming up in my scroll. I just want to say I'm sorry if I am missing some people's posts. I hope Google fixes all the glitches we have been experiencing lately.

Maclean's magazine online listed the top 10 airports in the world. I posted about the ones I liked best. I found myself wishing my plane had been late in airports like these.

Munich Airport

They have an 18 hole mini golf course, slot machines, an arcade, a dentist, doctor and a midwife. They also have tours of historic aircraft and movies on aviation.

Incheon International Airport South Korea

Visit the Cultural Museum of Korea to see 5,000 artifacts. Go to the Traditional Cultural Experience Zone where you can learn to make Korean crafts. Stroll through the seven garden exhibits.

Hong Kong International Airport

It was named the Airport of the Year in 2011. There is a 4D movie theater, a nine hole golf course, You can learn to fly a plane at the Aviation Discovery Center. Go visit isports, a place that has simulated sports games.

Changi Airport, Singapore.

Enjoy a swimming pool or jacuzzi, after working out at the gym. There are live musical performances at the Music Bar. There is a Butterfly Garden and a Fragrant Garden. Free movies at two theaters and an indoor slide for kids.

http://www.readersdigest.ca/travel/world/10-most-exciting-airports-world

Of all these airports, I would like to visit the one in South Korea the most. I'd love to see their museum and learn to make traditional crafts.

Our Kelowna International Airport has restaurants and a gift store. That's it.

Oh, and security guards with no sense of ha-ha.

I used to drink to get through the ordeal of flying and airports but no more by gum!

Nope, I take very strong pills instead.

We do have a nice piece of art in the waiting room. Here it is:

This sculpture is called, "Escape from Stellar Polaris" made by John Nutter and Thor Sunde.

Hmm, yes I would like to escape the North in the winter also!

Those are birds flying up at the top, in case you can't see the photo very well.

I don't know why they get to leave and I don't.

How I Met My Husband.

2012-01-31T19:24:00.000-08:00

Dan and I when we were engaged (1977). I don't know what I was thinking with that hairstyle!

Because of my last post about Hubby, some people wondered if meeting me had settled him down. No, I can't take credit for that. I've never written about how we met and fell in love so I thought I'd do that today.

I had a cousin, Bonnie, who called me one day and asked me to go to a Bible study with her. I accepted, and met her in downtown Calgary. We attended the study and she asked if I would like to go have coffee and meet some of her friends. This is where I first met Dan, my husband.

I had just broken off with a man I had been dating for over a year. I had decided I didn't want to date again for a looong time. I just wanted to be alone with my two daughters. I met Dan and another guy (who liked Bonnie) that night at the coffee house and had a good time visiting. When I left, I thought I would never see him again.

The next Sunday I went to the flea market with my family. My parents had a table and were selling things when I saw Dan walk up to us. I was shocked to see him. I had mentioned at the coffee house that we had a table at the flea market and so he had come to see me. He stayed the whole day and I drove him home.

He started calling and asking me to go to churches with him. He had just broken off his engagement to a girl and said he was not looking for anyone right now. I felt the same way. But the more we were together, the more I liked him. Finally, when my feelings were confused and not knowing which way to go, I asked him, "Do you want to keep being just friends, or do you want more?" He wanted more.

After dating awhile, I had to know how serious he was so I asked, "Do you want to get married?" Yes, he did.

I still can't believe that shy little me made both the moves and asked both of those important questions. I had never done that in a relationship before. But I will say I was sick of not knowing where I stood with a man and I didn't want to wait to find out any more. If they didn't feel the same as I did, then I wanted to know so I could move on.

We were married in a Pastor's house and had a party at his sister's house afterwards. His family welcomed me with great love and I always appreciated that. It was a little hard for Dan to get used to having a wife and two daughters to support. He had always been able to pick up and leave and move from job to job before we married. But he soon got used to it and has always been there for us in every way. I love that he is dependable, faithful and has great integrity. This year we will have been married for 35 years!

My Hubby's Trip to Quebec.

2012-01-30T19:31:00.000-08:00

My husband was telling me about his younger days, before we were married and he was a wild thing. He was living in Vancouver and his roommate wanted to return to his home province of Quebec. Hubby was a free spirit and said he would go along since he had never been there and would like to see it.

They bought train tickets and boarded. They heard there was a party going on in the observation car. They joined in the fun and hubby said the next thing he remembered was waking up in an apartment in Calgary, Alberta. Here is a map showing how far they got.

Vancouver is on the far left bottom of Canada, Calgary is not too far from it to the right and Quebec is way over near the pink on the far right.

My husband said he woke up, looked around and saw his buddy and two girls. "Where are we?" he asked one of the girls. "Calgary," she answered.

Dan told me, "The train doesn't even go to Calgary," and laughed. "It stops at Edmonton." He doesn't remember how they got there. I asked him what they did then. He said, "We got jobs and lived with the girls for awhile."

My hubby has changed. He likes everything planned, no surprises and he doesn't drink any more. But there was a time...

Return of the Emerald.

2012-01-29T23:13:00.000-08:00

Remember I posted about the largest emerald in the world being auctioned off in my home town of Kelowna? Well, you won't guess what happened. The guy who owns the emerald was arrested!

Now, doesn't he have a trustworthy face?

Anyway, he was arrested for fraud he had committed in Ontario and was shipped out minus the emerald!

Actually, now no one is sure it is an emerald. They put it up for auction and didn't get a singe bid. They had said it was worth a million dollars.

People have seen the so-called emerald on ebay selling for $10,000.

I could be wrong, but I don't think it's an emerald.

Amazing Pool and New York City.

2012-01-28T23:56:00.000-08:00

By Takeoffeh.com - Monday, July 12, 2010 at 9:49 AM - 9 Comments

Singapore’s Rooftop Infinity Pool

There’s no doubt there are rooms with pretty spectacular views at the brand-new Marina Bay Sands hotel, but it’s hard to imagine topping the vista from the rooftop infinity pool, 55 storeys above Singapore.

As the UK’s Daily Mail reports, swimming to the edge isn’t quite as dangerous as it looks. While the water in the infinity pool appears to end in a sheer drop, it actually spills into a catchment area where it is pumped back into the main pool. At three times the length of an Olympic-sized pool and 650 feet above street level, it is the largest outdoor pool in the world at that height.

How a Canadian photographer sees life in NYC

Every day, Zoran Milich wanders around New York City, camera in hand.

At least the cat won't get stepped on.

Apparently, truly there is a "no pants subway ride" day in New York.

The next two photos are from Google images.

I'm just a small town girl - I've never heard of no-pants day.

Postal service.

And you wonder why your letter is mashed and torn.

Pigeon droppings.

Remind me not to park in New York.

(Most photos by Zoran Milich/Gothamatic.com)

http://www2.macleans.ca/category/multimedia/

A New Asteroid Comes Calling and Other Unworldly News.

2012-01-27T21:11:00.000-08:00

There is an asteroid heading for earth today. It will miss us by 36,750 miles, one of the closest approaches ever recorded. Whoa! In the cosmos that is like a car speeding by your house! I follow an astronomy blog that posted this and the link is below the pictures. See that streak in the sky. That`s it.

http://remanzacco.blogspot.com/2012/01/2012-bx34-close-approach.html

In other news, Nasa has located the fastest moving star. It rotates a million miles an hour which has flattened the star and spun out a disk of hot plasma. Pretty cool. It lies 160,000 light years away in the Large Magellanic Cloud.

These are interacting galaxies called Arp 273. NASA says the largest one resembles a rose. I thinks so too.

NASA calls this the Pillars of Creation. A beautiful name.

Here is some info on it if you`d like some.

Have a lovely day and dream of the stars.

In 1995, NASA's Hubble Space Telescope took an iconic image of the Eagle nebula, dubbed the "Pillars of Creation," highlighting its finger-like pillars where new stars are thought to be forming. Now, the Herschel Space Observatory has a new, expansive view of the region captured in longer-wavelength infrared light.

The Herschel mission is led by the European Space Agency, with important NASA contributions.

The Eagle nebula is 6,500 light-years away in the constellation of Serpens. It contains a young, hot star cluster, NGC6611, visible with modest backyard telescopes, which is sculpting and illuminating the surrounding gas and dust. The result is a huge, hollowed-out cavity and pillars, each several light-years long.

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/herschel/news/herschel20120118.html

Leia.

2012-01-27T00:37:00.000-08:00

This is my dog Leia's Christmas present.

On Christmas Day.

This is Leia.

I call Leia "The Doorkeeper" because she'll be laying on the sofa and start whining. I try to figure out what's wrong. Is she sick? Does she want cheese again? Does she want to go upstairs? Or is she just being a pain in the ass?

None of the above. She just wants us to know there is a cat sitting outside the door wanting to come into the house.

I'm getting used to her behavior. Now I look outside before checking all the other stuff.

Suntanning Today & Flashlight Pictures.

2012-01-25T22:02:00.000-08:00

I walked outside this morning, the sun was shining and it was warm! (+5 celsius)

I decided to lay a blanket on the swing, get some pillows and catch some rays.

I didn't even need a jacket! I lay there listening to the snow melt, feeling the hot sun on my face, storing up some vitamin D. Yep, it was very nice indeed.

Did you know snow is not quiet when it melts? No, it makes quite a bit of noise as it drips off the roof. But it is a friendly noise. I like it.

My granddaughters went outside one night and tried out taking pictures while moving a flashlight.

They turned out pretty good!

Cherish spelled her name.

So did Hope.

Love.

Spooky.

Thorns in Your Brain.

2012-01-24T21:51:00.000-08:00

I'm reading a book called, Living Beyond Your Feelings, by Joyce Meyer. In it she quotes Dr. Caroline Leaf. She has done research on the brain and how our thoughts affect it. Here is a quote I found fascinating.

"I teach people to understand that a thought is a real thing I think many people think that a thought is merely something out there they can't feel or touch. But, it's actually a real thing. As you are thinking, you are actually building memories in your brain and the thoughts in your brain look like trees."

"The interesting thing is that if the thought is a good one, based on something positive, that it actually looks different in the brain than a negative thought. The toxic thought, as I refer to them, will affect your entire body. They form a different type of chemical than a positive thought. The toxic thought causes little thorns to grow in the branches of the nerve cells. These thorns are a little pocket of chemicals, and those chemicals are toxic. They squirt out their poison that can make you sick. The poison goes to the immune system and breaks down your defenses and makes it easier for disease to germinate in your body." Dr. Caroline Leaf

I like the image of negative thoughts looking like thorns. I think I will remind myself of that when negative thoughts come. Dr. Leaf also says you can get rid of the thorns in your brain by thinking differently. I'm going to buy her book on how to do this. Here it is:

You all have a positively happy day!

The Baby Blue Continental.

2012-01-23T21:04:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure if I told this story before but I'll tell it again. You probably don't have anything better to do right?

When I was 12 my dad bought a Lincoln Continental. It looked like this only it was baby blue, not red.

See the back window, how it's slanted inwards? That window could roll all the way down and we loved it because in hot California you wanted all the breeze you could get. If it did have air conditioning I doubt we used it because it would cost too much.

One day my young cousin (maybe 3 years old, we later adopted her) sneaked out onto the back of the car as we were hurtling down the freeway at 80 miles per hour.

Seeing her out there, her little bum sticking up and her dress billowing out in the swirling wind as she crawled on all fours was imprinted on my memory forever. I don't know what happened next, but we got her back in. I'm sure there was a lot of screaming going on.

My parents sold the car after they were in a horrible accident. They were on the San Bernardino freeway and there was an accident in the fast lane ahead of them. They stopped in time, but the guy behind them didn't and hit them so hard they were propelled into traffic and hit around 15 cars.

Our car was built like a tank and it took doors and bumpers right off the other cars. Mom and Dad weren't hurt and neither was anyone else except the guy who hit them. Both his legs were broken. No one wore seat belts at that time, but my Mom had put her feet up on the dash so she wouldn't go through the windshield.

We all missed that car when it was gone.

School Bully.

2012-01-22T23:51:00.000-08:00

Hope

My granddaughter Hope is in her first year of high school. She is going there with friends she has known since first grade and she loves it. But naturally, not everyone is nice.

A older jock guy came up to her this week and said, "You're weird looking. Your eyes are too close together."

Hope looked at him for a second and asked, "Why are you talking to me?"

He backed up and said, "Well, uh..."

She said, "I don't even know you. Go away."

He slowly left without saying another word.

If this had happened to me when I was in high school I would have hung my head and gone to the bathroom to cry. I'm glad Hope has lots of self-esteem and can see that what that boy said was ridiculous. She has the most beautiful eyes in the world.

Canadian Eh?

2012-01-21T21:49:00.000-08:00

My granddaughter Faith doesn't have central heating in her room. She did have an electric heater that blew hot air and it kept her room warm and toasty. It broke.

When Faith told me this I said I would call her grandpa and ask him to buy a new heater on the way home from work.

Faith said, "No, no Grandma. I don't need it; winter's almost over."

I said, "It's January, Faith. It will be cold for a long time yet."

Faith, "Pretty soon it will be only a few degrees below zero. I'll be fine, don't spend the money. I just sleep with clothes on and a hat."

Spoken like a true Canadian.

Her mom says she is buying her a new heater today.

Yesterday, my husband came home from work and said, "Man, it's cold out there."

I said, "Really? I could smoke outside without my hands freezing today. I thought it was pretty warm."

He said, "It's 18 below. Yesterday it was 28 below with the wind chill, that's why it feels warmer."

Huh. I think I'm a true Canadian too.

All these temperatures are in celsius not farenheit. I looked up the difference: -28 C is -18 F and -18 C is 0. F

Write a Caption! (If you want. There's no pressure, no not at all. In fact, if you want to move on and do something else, go right ahead. Don't let me stop you.)

2012-01-20T22:22:00.000-08:00

I found some great photos of animals over at the National Geographic site.

I wrote a few captions and at the end left two pictures for anyone else who would like to try.

Wow. I'm getting some great shots today with my new camera. It is so quiet and peaceful here.

These new yoga positions are getting harder and harder to hold.

What kind of pose is this? If that dumb human wasn't feeding me I'd peck his eyes out.

I dunno. Humphry told me McDonalds was this direction.

Was he puttin' me on?

Here are the three photos for you to caption. Pick one or all of them.

http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/?source=NavAniHome

Why is it Cold in Here?

2012-01-19T15:28:00.000-08:00

First I want to thank everyone so much for your kind and loving comments to me about my granddaughter. I felt better as soon as I read them. I was very emotional this morning and you all helped me through it.

I've never done three posts in one day, but I want to have an amusing story as my last post today.

I was sitting in the living room this morning using my laptop. The room was getting colder so I put a sweater on. It was below zero outside and it kept getting colder and colder. Finally, I turned on the oven, set it at 350 degrees and left the door ajar. It got warmer and I was happy.

I needed something from Christine's place (she lives above me) so I walked out the laundry room to the hallway and there was the front door - wide open! No wonder it was cold.

I shut the door and locked it and I knew who had opened it: the cat named November. If someone shuts the door lightly, he paws at it until it opens so he can go outside. We haven't let the cats out for days because it has been too cold. Well, they were both out there now!

They came back in about an hour later and I told November what I thought of his ingenuity.

I made oatmeal cookies for my hubby today. The batter looked dry so I added an extra egg. I baked a few to see if it would work, but no, they were too runny with the extra egg so I added extra oatmeal and they turned out fine. More than fine, they were delicious! So, it's been a good day and I'm feeling much better thanks to you my dear friends. Love you all.

Sharing My Sorrow.

2012-01-19T08:39:00.000-08:00

I don't usually write sad and serious things on my blog, but my granddaughter Faith and I had a conversation yesterday that hurt my heart. She has told me before I can write about her illness.

She has Obsessive/Compulsive Disorder and has since she was four years old. She is now fourteen. The doctors said she may get better when she turned 12 or 13 and she did. She isn't cured by any means, but she doesn't panic quite as much as she used to.

There is a close friend of the family who now has symptoms of this disorder. Faith has been asked to talk with him and help him.

Faith said to me, "I don't know what I'm going to say. That it was hell for 7 years? That you think about suicide a lot?"

I was devastated to hear this. She has never told us she was suicidal all those years. My heart feels broken and tears are falling as I type this. My first thought is, "Why do some people suffer so much more than others?" I know they say we can only become good people through suffering; is that why? Are some people chosen to be special in this world?

My family has been through some serious suffering the last few years. There have been many tears, but also times of great joy. All I can think is that if we were happy and content in this world then we would feel no need for God.

I guess suffering helps us fall out of love with this world. When my grandson Craig died his mother told me, "I don't care anything about this world any more. I only care about being in heaven with Craig and Jordan."

Science and the 2012 Doomsday Scenario.

2012-01-18T20:27:00.000-08:00

I thought some of you may be interested in what NASA has to say about the predictions of the world ending in 2012. I think they answered all the questions people may have. I gave a copy of this to my granddaughter Faith, who was worried about all the predictions. She feels better now.

Question (Q): Are there any threats to the Earth in 2012? Many Internet websites say the world will end in December 2012.
Answer (A): Nothing bad will happen to the Earth in 2012. Our planet has been getting along just fine for more than 4 billion years, and credible scientists worldwide know of no threat associated with 2012.

Q: What is the origin of the prediction that the world will end in 2012?
A: The story started with claims that Nibiru, a supposed planet discovered by the Sumerians, is headed toward Earth. This catastrophe was initially predicted for May 2003, but when nothing happened the doomsday date was moved forward to December 2012. Then these two fables were linked to the end of one of the cycles in the ancient Mayan calendar at the winter solstice in 2012 -- hence the predicted doomsday date of December 21, 2012.

Q: Could phenomena occur where planets align in a way that impacts Earth?
A: There are no planetary alignments in the next few decades, Earth will not cross the galactic plane in 2012, and even if these alignments were to occur, their effects on the Earth would be negligible. Each December the Earth and sun align with the approximate center of the Milky Way Galaxy but that is an annual event of no consequence.

Q: Is there a planet or brown dwarf called Nibiru or Planet X or Eris that is approaching the Earth and threatening our planet with widespread destruction?
A: Nibiru and other stories about wayward planets are an Internet hoax. There is no factual basis for these claims. If Nibiru or Planet X were real and headed for an encounter with the Earth in 2012, astronomers would have been tracking it for at least the past decade, and it would be visible by now to the naked eye. Obviously, it does not exist. Eris is real, but it is a dwarf planet similar to Pluto that will remain in the outer solar system; the closest it can come to Earth is about 4 billion miles.

Q: What is the polar shift theory? Is it true that the earth’s crust does a 180-degree rotation around the core in a matter of days if not hours?
A: A reversal in the rotation of Earth is impossible. There are slow movements of the continents (for example Antarctica was near the equator hundreds of millions of years ago), but that is irrelevant to claims of reversal of the rotational poles. However, many of the disaster websites pull a bait-and-switch to fool people. They claim a relationship between the rotation and the magnetic polarity of Earth, which does change irregularly, with a magnetic reversal taking place every 400,000 years on average. As far as we know, such a magnetic reversal doesn’t cause any harm to life on Earth. A magnetic reversal is very unlikely to happen in the next few millennia, anyway.

Q: Is the Earth in danger of being hit by a meteor in 2012?
A: The Earth has always been subject to impacts by comets and asteroids, although big hits are very rare. The last big impact was 65 million years ago, and that led to the extinction of the dinosaurs. Today NASA astronomers are carrying out a survey called the Spaceguard Survey to find any large near-Earth asteroids long before they hit. We have already determined that there are no threatening asteroids as large as the one that killed the dinosaurs. All this work is done openly with the discoveries posted every day on the NASA NEO Program Office website, so you can see for yourself that nothing is predicted to hit in 2012.

Q F0r any claims of disaster or dramatic changes in 2012, where is the science? Where is the evidence? There is none, and for all the fictional assertions, whether they are made in books, movies, documentaries or over the Internet, we cannot change that simple fact. There is no credible evidence for any of the assertions made in support of unusual events taking place in December 2012.

Q: Is there a danger from giant solar storms predicted for 2012?
A: Solar activity has a regular cycle, with peaks approximately every 11 years. Near these activity peaks, solar flares can cause some interruption of satellite communications, although engineers are learning how to build electronics that are protected against most solar storms. But there is no special risk associated with 2012. The next solar maximum will occur in the 2012-2014 time frame and is predicted to be an average solar cycle, no different than previous cycles throughout history.

So, no worries. It is just like all the other predictions before this one- untrue.

Dating and Doomsday.

2012-01-17T22:50:00.000-08:00

My granddaughter Hope and her boyfriend broke up. He was a nice boy, but she felt things were getting too serious. She wasn't ready for that.

Her younger sister Faith told her, "You shouldn't date in high school, Hope!"

"Why not?"

"Because then it's drama, drama, drama. I can't stand all the drama with you and your friends and boys."

It's true. There is lots of drama this year with Hope and her friends - dating - breaking up - getting hurt. Faith wants Hope to be like their older sister Cherish and just have boys for friends - not boyfriends. Frankly, I would like it too.

Faith is also upset about all the talk of the world ending in 2012. She doesn't believe it and neither do I, but she would like to know the scientific reason why it isn't true. I'll be looking that up tonight after I post this. If I find anything interesting, I'll let you know.

Meanwhile, I found out it is lovely flying over Venice with the cranes:

Emeralds and Wendy's.

2012-01-16T22:00:00.000-08:00

I just found out the world largest emerald is on its way to Kelowna, BC, Canada, the city were I live. Here is a photo of it:

It weighs 57,500 carats. It is to be auctioned off on January 28 by Western Star Auctions. It was appraised at 1.1 million dollars.

I was kind of astounded we would have an auction house here that would be asked to sell something as big as this. Here is a photo of some of the other items they sell.

Looks like Granny's house. But I say, good for them. I'm sure the gem experts will be coming on down to Kelowna or bidding by phone. I like to see our local merchants make the big time.

Someone famous is coming to Kelowna! Wendy of Wendy's Burgers.

She is coming to celebrate Dream Lift Day in our area because it was John Tietzen, a local guy, who came up with the idea of the management and crew of Wendy's giving up a day's wages to send special needs children to Disneyland. I think that is a generous and wonderful thing to do. Dream Lift Day is Jan.26 but it only takes place in the Okanagan Valley as far as I can find out.

My granddaughter Hope works at Wendy's!

I have to say that I think Wendy burgers are the best burgers of any fast-food place.

Everyone have a fun trip to Disneyland!

Sing A Little Song.

2012-01-15T23:57:00.000-08:00

I am reading, "Living Beyond Your Feelings," by Joyce Meyer. In this book she writes about a tribe from New Guinea called the Fayu. When a missionary went there he discovered the Fayu improvise a song to match any situation in their life.

"The songs only consist of three notes with which they express whatever they are feeling in the moment." Joyce says, Their use of songs to express themselves may be one of the reasons the Fayu do not seem to suffer from depression or other psychological disorders. Feelings are immediately expressed."

She says when a Fayu is traumatized he may lie for weeks in his hut singing for hours. During this time other tribe members bring him food. When the trauma is behind him, he emerges out of his hut feeling well and strong enough to face life.

I found this very interesting. In our culture many of us stuff our feelings, ignore our feelings or complain to everyone around us how we feel. The Fayu sing their feelings. They sing what is on their hearts until they feel better. I'm attracted to this idea. Joyce compares doing this to the Psalms of David in the Bible where he would complain about his life to God in songs. He got it all out in the open how he felt.

I thought I would try writing a song about some of my sad feelings to the tune of "Mary had a Little Lamb."

Here goes:

I am feeling very bad, very mad, very sad.
I am feeling very bad
And this is what I know.

I would like to rest my brain, take a plane, go to Spain.
I would like to go to Spain
And see the sunshine glow.

Paul McCartney, I'm not. Anyway, I'm not feeling bad right now, I was just thinking what I could sing when I do feel bad. Not only that, if I were Fayun the neighbors would bring me dinner in bed!

Think this is a good idea?

Thieving Seagulls.

2012-01-15T00:17:00.000-08:00

Remember when I wrote about that squirrel climbing on me trying to take my popcorn? Well, at the same place, Stanley Park, Vancouver, a seagull took my hot dog!

I bought a hot dog at the vendor and walked about two feet when a seagull swooped down and grabbed it out of my hands. This also happened to my grandson one day in the same park. Those seagulls have a nice scam going on there.

I wondered if this was common behavior for seagulls and found out; yes it is. They aren't afraid of people and they can be quite scary when they are in your face. Look at this picture and you'll see what I mean.

I don't think this poor guy even has food. Maybe they just don't like him climbing up their mountain!

Now here is a guy with food. He has the same look on his face that I did.

Now you tell me.

http://www.environmentalgraffiti.com/featured/when-seagulls-attack/15458 (photos)

Did you know seagulls get divorced?

The naturalist William Jordan wrote a small lovely book called Divorce Among the Gulls, in which he explained that even among seagulls – a species of bird that allegely mates for life – there exist a 25% “divorce rate.” Which is to say that one-quarter of all seagull couples fail in their first relationships – failing to the point that they must separate due to irreconcilable differences.

–Elizabeth Gilbert, Committed: A Skeptic Makes Peace With Marriage

Well, they all seem to be bad tempered so it's no wonder. Maybe one of them won't share their hot dog. I think that should be grounds for divorce in seagull court.

Perfectionism.

2012-01-13T12:04:00.000-08:00

I'm reading "House of Prayer," by Mark Richard. It is a memoir and it is an interesting and engrossing book.

In it he writes about his father, "The good thing about your father being a perfectionist was that he was paralyzed by his perfectionism. Here is a Father Illustration: your father would do all the research on how to do some home repair or home improvement, he would research all the best places to buy the materials he would need, he would buy all the special tools he would need to accomplish the task, and then, afraid of not being able to make the repair, the addition, the improvement perfectly, he would not do any of it at all, so that when he leaves your mother's house, he leaves the garage full of the materials and tools needed to do all the things that have always needed to be done around the house but have never been done by him."

Perfectionism. If you are a perfectionist it can be hard on your family and friends. I am not one. I get the tools and try to do something and I am happy if it is a half-assed job. At least I did it!

My mom is a perfectionist and she admits it; but she finishes what she starts. It just has to be perfect or she will fret and stew about it.

My daughter Christine thinks life should be perfect for her kids. She drives herself crazy trying to make it that way. She thinks she should be the perfect mother so when she makes a mistake she feels a load of guilt.

My hubby is a perfectionist and can't understand why I lose and forget things. But he is also very hard on himself when he makes a mistake. He is so careful, I have to say he rarely does make a mistake. I don't look so good next to him! lol

Sometimes I do think I should be a perfect Christian, but I've learned the hard way never to worry about that any more.

What do you think of perfectionism? Are you a perfectionist?

Spiders who Eavesdrop and Tap Dance.

2012-01-12T23:56:00.000-08:00

There is a new study that shows male wolf spiders watch other males as they court the females. Then they copy the other male and try to out-do the little leg-tapping mating dance they saw. Interesting, and kind of creepy.

It's sort of like a guy watching a James Bond movie and trying out some of his moves on the ladies.

They also said spiders might be more 'sophisticated' than we thought. Hey, I always knew spiders could think like an Einstein. An evil Einstein. Good thing they are small and we can squish them or they might try their leg-tapping dance out on one of us humans. I don't know how to tap dance back and who knows what he would do!

You can read about it here - http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120104115055.htm

Our Two Invalids.

2012-01-11T22:17:00.000-08:00

I found my bra! It was hiding in the sweater drawer. It should have known better than that.

I was out all day and evening so I'll have to catch up with everyone tomorrow.

My daughter Sandy had an operation to take out a wisdom tooth that was buried deep in her jaw somewhere. They gave her dire predictions on how bad the operation might be and that she would probably have permanent numbness and perhaps drooping of her mouth. They said they may have to break her jaw and wire it together after.

Here she is after the procedure:

She looks great doesn't she? No numbness, no drooping. They didn't have to break her jaw.

The whole family was praying for her and we were so thankful everything went well.

The surgeon said when he cut her open the tooth wasn't where it was supposed to be but in a much better position. We are very thankful to God.

She looks like one of those old cartoons or old movies when they would put bandages on people like that! We went to see her today and cooked and cleaned for her. She is doing so well. She can talk and eat soup and mush. She had mashed potatoes with ketchup today and soup.

We have another invalid in the family.

My granddaughter Faith

She was holding one of the cats while walking down the stairs. She stepped on another cat and fell. Her ankle isn't broken; it is sprained. She is being a trooper about it. She never lets anything stop her!

Have a great Friday!

Squirrels.

2012-01-10T21:53:00.000-08:00

I love rodents, especially squirrels. I didn't write these captions.

My closest encounter with a squirrel was at Stanley Park, Vancouver. I was eating from a bag of popcorn when a squirrel came running towards me and then vaulted up my leg onto my chest. I screamed and the bag went flying. I could feel every little claw as he scrambled up and then down my body. In spite of meeting a clearly demented sub-species, I still love squirrels.

This poor guy just can't eat in peace.

Men and their Clothes.

2012-01-09T19:02:00.000-08:00

My daughter Sandy and I went shopping today and we were telling tales. She said her hubby never wants to throw his underwear away. She looked at a pair and said, "I'm going to throw these away." They had a hole in them and the elastic was loose. He said, "No, your not. I finally got them broken in."

My husband hates change of any kind when it comes to clothes. Every time he needs new jeans, I know exactly which ones to buy. He told me two months ago he wanted some sweatshirts to wear to work in the winter. "I want some like the ones I had years ago. Remember them?"

Yes, I do. It was 25 years ago and they don't make that kind any more. We looked at Walmart etc. but of course we couldn't find them which is a good thing since he would look like an idiot wearing them in 2012. Today, I got tired of him being all picky so I bought him a plain black sweatshirt and I hope he will like it. If he does I'll buy lots more.

I tried to think if I had a weird issue with clothes. I would say my issue is losing them all the time. In the winter, I buy 8-10 pairs of cheap gloves, 4 pairs of slippers, and tons of socks because I constantly lose them. In the summer I lose sunglasses, flip flops and umbrellas. Right now, I haven't seen my good bra in three days.

Do any of you have issues with clothes? Do you have a certain brand you have to wear or something you just can't do without?

Ghost Towns Around the World.

2012-01-08T21:57:00.000-08:00

When I was a kid, I was fascinated by ghost towns. Sometimes we would drive by an abandoned town in the desert or an abandoned house and I would wonder why the people left. The one ghost town I did go visit was Calico, California. It was built in 1881 because of the largest silver strike in California. Silver lost its value in the 1890s and people left.

This is Bodie, California. Founded in 1876, a mining settlement. It grew to have a population of 10,000. The citizens of Bodie had their priorities straight. There were 65 saloons on the main street.

San Zhi, Taiwan

This place surprised me. A futuristic pod village built for the rich.

Many died in the construction of these pods and the contractors ran out of money.

Balestrino, Italy

I found out a few places like this one are abandoned because of earthquakes. The ground becomes unstable and everyone has to leave. That must have been hard on people.

There were 381 ghost towns listed for Arizona!

Must have been lots of mining there.

This is Copper Hill

Adama

Silver King

And now for some ghost towns from where I live. British Columbia, Canada.

Fort Steele

Cody

Ainsworth

Barkerville isn't a ghost town. It was a gold mining boom town started in1862. Different kinds of mining continued until it became a heritage site in the early 1950s. Now it is a tourist destination.

My family has always wanted to go up to Barkerville, but when vacation time comes we seem to end up going elsewhere. Maybe some day.

Guinea Pigs and Fast Food Signs.

2012-01-07T13:25:00.000-08:00

I love the names the SPCA chose for these guinea pigs.

They all sound like cereal until you come to the last guy.What's up with that?

Snap

Crackle

Crisp

Tiny Tim

Poor Tiny Tim. Does he wonder why he isn't named like a cereal too?

I hope he won't get a complex.

These need no introduction.

Is That a Bald Spot?

2012-01-06T18:39:00.000-08:00

My daughter Sandy went to get her hair cut yesterday. The hairdresser said, "I'm sorry to tell you this but you are losing your hair."

Sandy said, "No, I'm not. That bald spot is there because my mother is a f*#k tard."

I don't know many people whose daughters call them that.

My hairdresser also asked me why I had a bald spot in the back of my head. It was because I had the idea of cutting a lock of hair and placing it beside my grandson. My daughters and granddaughters loved the idea so we all decided to do it. Christine looked at what I cut off of Sandy's hair and said, "You aren't cutting mine." Sandy looked at the two foot long tress and gasped.

This is a picture of Sandy's hair that I took today. Now honestly, can you tell I cut anything off of that thick lion's mane? No. Ergo, I am not a f*#k tard!

(I'm not mad at Sandy. I think it is funny and she cracks me up.)

Some Alone Time.

2012-01-05T21:48:00.000-08:00

Sandy of Absolute Narcissism wrote about how here kids like to spend tons of time with her and how that should make her happy instead of bored.
http://www.absolutelynarcissism.co/2012/01/the-secret-to-kids-who-will-love-you-and-only-you.html#comment-17891

Her post reminded me of my youngest daughter Christine. She told me that when she was a kid she would sometimes stay home with me instead of going out with her sister or friends because she thought if she left I'd be lonely. Lonely. Not a word a mother uses often.

It was so sweet of her to do that but at the time I was dying to have even one hour alone. When my kids were little I would take a long bath just to be alone. They still banged and yelled through the door but it was a small reprieve. My husband was out there with them so they were okay.

We are blessed when our children want our company. It isn't always easy on the nerves, but well worth the effort. Later they turn into teenagers and shut their bedroom doors. But I remembered that although I did that when I was a teen I actually wanted my mom to come in a talk. Of course, she wasn't a mind reader so she never knew.

When my teens started to shut themselves in their rooms I would knock on the door and talk a bit and ask if they wanted to play a board game or something. Sometimes I would just sit on their beds and talk. I tried not to bother or push them, but they usually came out and joined the rest of us in the living room.

So, when you have played Snakes & Ladders or Monopoly for hours until you want to shoot yourself, remember all those hours pay off some day. I'm not saying when, (~~maybe when they are 40~~) but some day.

Smorgasbord

2012-01-04T22:40:00.000-08:00

Christmas Mistakes

TWEETS

All my New Years resolutions basically come down to, "Try to be somebody else." @michaelianblack

My New Year's resolution is for other people to lose weight. @RobinMcCauley

New Year's Cards

Did you know there are red sunflowers? I didn't until I was visiting Janice at Jabblog http://jabblog-jabblog.blogspot.com/2012/01/abc-wednesday-y-is-for-yellow.html Aren't they beautiful?

I've been trying to fit this in somewhere for days.

Thanks Jabblog for all the things I learn about flowers and birds in England!

Need a Cast for Your Leg? Go to Craig's List.

2012-01-04T00:14:00.000-08:00

I was on Craig's List again and found two interesting ads:

Need plaster cast on leg.

I need someone to put a cast on my leg, as if it is broken. Must look totally legit. Just to be clear, I DO NOT have a broken leg, and I don't need medical attention. I will pay whoever can do an awesome job $40 at the finish as long as it look real. Please reply back asap!

All I can ask is why?

I need a copywriter, I have alcohol infused cupcakes.

I know I don't get out much, but I've never heard of alcohol infused cupcakes. Have you?

Kal over at http://calvinscanadiancaveofcool.blogspot.com does a lot of caption photos. He let me do some captions on his blog once. It was so nice of him and I had a lot of fun doing it.

So thanks Kal, you have created a monster.

I told that hair stylist to take a little off the ends. Look what she did to me!

This style makes my nose look too long.

How did I luck out and get dis stupid human?

He gives me dis potato chippy food dat is bigger den I am!

All me wants to do is sleep.

Goodnight all. Don't worry about anything. I've got everything under control.

Hmm. I'll hab to tell my brudder about dese crackers in de corner of dis chair. I be nice and share wib him.

Da Primaries and election are on in de United States! Get me outta here.

I come back next year when it be all ober.

I tink der be someting wrong wib me. I be round like a cue ball wib feets!

Where be my mommy? I got me some questions.

Love in 2012.

2012-01-03T09:34:00.000-08:00

I thought it might be nice to start this year with some quotes on love. My hope for all of us is that our love may grow each day of 2012.

These quotes are from Henry Drummond. I just discovered him a few weeks ago and fell in love with his writings.

The world is not a play-ground; it is a school room. Life is not a holiday, but an education. And the one eternal lesson for us all is how better we can love.

The test of religion, the final test of religion is not religousness, but love.

Give me the love that delights not in exposing the weakness of others, but "covereth all things."

A want of patience, a want of kindness, a want of generosity, a want of courtesy, a want of unselfishness are all instantly symbolized in one flash of temper.

http://christianbookshelf.org/drummond/beautiful_thoughts/index.html

These next quotes are from Mother Teresa.

If you judge people, you have no time to love them.

I have found the paradox, that if you love until it hurts, there can be no more hurt, only love.

Let us always meet each other with a smile, for the smile is the beginning of love.

Love begins by taking care of the closest ones - the ones at home.

Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier.

Read more:http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/m/mother_teresa_2.html#ixzz1iMKPPL9Z

Record Store vs Music Store.

2012-01-02T14:43:00.000-08:00

My daughter Christine came downstairs and hubby was watching the Romans and Saxons kill each other. We went outside and she told me the floor upstairs was shaking with the noise from the movie. I said, "It's that sound-around thingy." She said, "You mean surround sound?" Whatever.

I can't keep up with the new words I should use. I took my granddaughter to buy something at an electronics store and I came in the house all excited and said, "Christine! Cherish bought a drawing machine." Cherish said, "Grandma, you are so old." True. It was a computer for drawing. Whatever it was, I was happy for her.

I once said to my granddaughters, "Let's go to the record store. I haven't played a record since the eighties, but old habits die hard.

Update on June at the Casino:

After we left the casino, June was playing at a slot machine and a man sat next to her and started playing. He turned and said, (and I am not kidding) "My wife doesn't understand me." June said, "I don't want to hear about your wife!" He got all mad and left.

June looked at his slot machine and saw he left his money in it: $35. She took it out and waited for him to come back for it. He never did. She looked for him, but he was gone. She had lost her gambling money so she took his and got to play longer. Not bad! Already the new year has been good to her!

New Years with Mom.

2012-01-01T14:01:00.000-08:00

Well, New Years Eve was going to be spent with my husband watching TV and eating popcorn. But my mom had other plans. She called to ask me to take her and her friend to the Casino. My mom is 84, but by golly she wants to go out and celebrate!

I prepared myself by painting my fingernails purple with gold sparkles and wearing my animal print top with pretty jewelry. Even so, my mom and her friend June looked better than me! Loved their outfits and jewelry.

There was supposed to be free champagne and appies so I didn't eat. When we got there it turned out you didn't get that until after midnight. Actually, I never saw the free champagne but I did get some appies.

When we got there I won $34 right away and it lasted for a long time. Then they had a draw and I won $200 so I was a happy camper. By the time it was midnight I was on the balcony with all the other smokers. Someone yelled, "They are counting down to midnight," so we went in, I took out the little horn they gave me and tooted the new year in. I had no idea where my mom was. I looked for awhile, gave up and played some more and finally found her at 2:00 am. She had won back all the money she lost and was ready to go. My hubby had phoned me at 1:30 and asked when the hell he could come get us. (Actually, he didn't say hell because he never swears. I do enough of that for both of us.)

We finally found June at 2:15 and asked if she wanted to go. "I finally found a machine that is paying me; I'm going to stay." So, I called hubby and he came and got us. A very exciting, fun evening. Some old men even flirted with me on the smoking balcony. It is nice to know I could still get laid at 61 years old! Not that I want to; it's just nice to know.

I hope you all had a happy New Years Eve. Mine would have been boring without my mother.

Old Postcards from Home.

2011-12-30T18:00:00.000-08:00

My sweet friend Sandie over at Chatty Crone at: http://chattycrone.blogspot.com blogged about a site that has old postcards from all the states and most cities. I went to San Bernardino county and found my hometown of Redlands, California.

This is the library I went to all through my childhood. I loved it.

This is the Mission Inn where I went to the prom with a Senior. We had such a wonderful time.

This is downtown Palm Springs. My parents used to take us there to look around.

This is the Indio Date Fair. We went there once and it was over 100 degrees. No air in the car in those days.

We went to Calico, a ghost town in the desert.

We went to Joshua Tree Park. Hot as hell again. I hated the desert when I was young. Now, I love it.

Of course we now have air conditioning.

Our favorite place to go besides the ocean was Big Bear Lake.

This is where you can go to see postcards of your hometown if you feel like it. It is called Penny Postcard.

http://www.usgwarchives.org/special/ppcs/ppcs.html

I Want A New Eyelid.

2011-12-29T22:07:00.000-08:00

I'm used to things falling south on my body as I age, but I'm pretty pissed about my left eye. It sags all the time, whereas my right eye doesn't. So, now my eyes don't match.

I could wear a pirate patch I guess, but If I were rich, I'd get it fixed. That's the trouble with not being rich, you have to ~~pretend~~ try to age gracefully instead of looking 20 years younger than you are. The movie stars have it down to a science. I look at Nicole Kidman and she looks fantastic.

She may not look like this anymore:

Nope, she looks better.

And Jennifer Anniston never seems to age a day.

Maybe I should put an ad in Craig's List to trade a massage for eyelid surgery.

Congrats to Pat!

2011-12-28T22:34:00.000-08:00

My friend Pat at http://patricktillett.blogspot.com/2011/12/i-am-cured.html who lives in California, has been declared cancer-free! I wanted to dance a jig when I read his blog today, but since I can't do that online, I will bake him a virtual cake.

I asked Pat posed for this cake.

I'm so happy for you Pat!

Here are some jokes I am sure you can relate to.

I would love to see this.

Faith Messed up with Avon Again.

2011-12-27T21:08:00.000-08:00

Remember when my granddaughter Faith put too much bath oil in the tub and was slip-sliding all over and could hardly get out of the tub? Well, she used another Avon product..

She bought some mint body lotion. It said on the bottle that it was for feet and legs, but of course she smeared it all over her body. She said it made her tingle and then feel so cold she felt like a walking ice cube. Her sister Hope sat next to her on the sofa, looked at her and said, "You smell like dental floss."

"Why does this always happen to me?" she asked. I told her to read and follow the instructions next time and that might help, although why someone would want cold, minty feet and legs is beyond me.

I Haven't Moved From the Sofa All Day.

2011-12-26T17:13:00.000-08:00

Why you shouldn't give markers for Christmas.

http://www.poddys.com/jokes/xmasindex.htm

Google Images.

I'll See You All After Christmas!

2011-12-23T14:31:00.000-08:00

This is the same page I posted last Christmas. I love it, so I'm posting it again!

I'll be back some time after Christmas. I'm baking and cleaning today. My mom will be here all day tomorrow and in the evening we will be driving around town looking at the lights. May you all be blessed with a beautiful Christmas. Love and big hugs to everyone!

For a child will be born to us,
A son will be given to us;
And the government will rest on His shoulders;
And his name will be called Wonderful Couselor,
Mighty God
Eternal Father,
Prince of Peace.

Isaiah 9:6

No Sledding this Christmas.

2011-12-22T20:09:00.000-08:00

If anyone thinks global warming isn't true I have an eyewitness account of Canada.

When hubby and I first moved to Kelowna, BC there was snow at Halloween and Christmas. Tons of it. We haven't had snow on Halloween for many years now and last year no snow at Christmas. There is only a skiff of snow on the ground right now. We probably won't get any more this month.

Our local paper said in the years 1964-1982 we had a 74% chance of snow at Christmas. The percentage is now down to 42%. I well remember the first time I saw rain in January. I was shocked. It had always been too cold for rain in January. That was about 15 years ago and it rains every winter now.

Have any of you seen a change in the weather where you live?

A Stable or a Hospital. Which is Worse?

2011-12-22T00:50:00.000-08:00

My childbirth instructor says it's not pain that I'll feel during labor, but pressure. Is she right?

Yes, in the same way that a tornado might be called an air current.

http://jokes4all.net/childbirths.html

This being Christmas time, I was thinking about childbirth today. The birth experience of my two daughters was as different as ( night and day has been overused, what can I say?) okay, as different as Jon Stewart and Glenn Beck.

My oldest daughter Sandy was born in 1969. I was shown to a darkened room where one other woman lay in a bed moaning. The nurse said, "She's Italian. They always make a lot of noise." Later, I started making noise myself! The nurses came in once in awhile to check if the baby was coming and when they said it was time, wheeled my bed into a small room where a resident caught her as she came shooting out into this crazy world.

I had to stay in the hospital a week. I couldn't have any visitors. I could only see and hold my baby when I fed her. It was not a pleasant experience. I couldn't wait to get home.

My younger daughter Christine was born in 1972. My husband was beside me through it all. I was given my own private nurse (at no cost) who was with me every minute. I had my own room and it was bright and cheerful. Christine was born breech and wasn't breathing, but thank God they revived her and laid her on my stomach. I had her in my room all day and I only had to stay three days. What an amazing change in just three years.

Sometimes I think of Mary giving birth to Jesus in a stable or a cave and wonder if Joseph went to get a woman to help. I would suppose he did; I mean can you see him cutting the cord and knowing what to do about everything else? I don't think so. At least Mary had her husband there to hold her and the baby later. She could hold Jesus all night and every day. That was good. That was normal. It was a lot better than a hospital in 1969.

I Found a New Tactic for Fighting with Hubby!

2011-12-20T20:14:00.000-08:00

Sometimes when I do something stupid I can phone hubby at work and tell him or leave him a note while I'm sleeping. Today, I couldn't do that. He is home on holidays so every mistake I make is plain to see.

I was vacuuming in the living room and the vacuum swallowed up a cord that was attached to an electronic gizmo. I tried to turn the vacuum off quickly, but you know how it is when you panic. No? Well, I do. Anyway, I finally turned it off. It had made a terrible racket and hubby comes through the door yelling some not so nice things about me.

I stood tall and said, "Jesus wouldn't say that to me." (I figured that would make him feel guilty.)

"Jesus wasn't married to you, was he?"

"Well, he wouldn't have said what you said."

"Yes, he would."

By that time we were laughing. I hope Jesus doesn't mind me using his sweet character to make fun of my husband's temper. I used to get all upset and hurt when my husband lost his temper. No more. I'm used to it and I know he doesn't mean what he says when he gets mad.

I'm a little different than hubby. When I'm mad, I generally mean exactly what I say. I'm not sure which is worse.

Christmas Stress.

2011-12-19T21:24:00.000-08:00

My daughter Christine is all stressed about Christmas. She is a nurse/receptionist at a doctor's office and naturally all day people wish her a Merry Christmas and ask if she is ready for Christmas Day. At first she would smile and said, "Oh yes, thank you and Merry Christmas too." But things have changed.

She told me she felt so overwhelmed by Christmas today that she gave up and her true thoughts came pouring out. People asked her if she's ready and she says, "No, I work full-time. I can't get ready." When a male patient said anything about Christmas she replied, "You better be helping your wife!"

That came up because yesterday Christine's husband told her she had to buy gifts for his niece and nephew and some friends were coming over in a few days and she had to buy a gift for their little boy because the friends were bringing gifts for their girls.

They were in my downstairs apartment during this conversation.

He ended with, "I'm going out to play hockey and go for beers.

Christine put her head in her hands, went upstairs, came back down and said, "I had to take a pill so I won't call a lawyer and serve him with divorce papers tomorrow. I'm okay, I feel better now, she said with a smile."

I hope she takes a pill before going to work tomorrow.

Deep Fried Anything and Everything.

2011-12-19T09:09:00.000-08:00

I told my granddaughters that when I visited the southern states in the U.S.A. I noticed they deep fried everything. We went to a county fair and you could get deep fried chocolate bars, Twinkies, ice cream, cheese, meats etc.

Last night, my youngest granddaughter Faith, who is an aspiring chef, decided to try some southern cooking. She wanted to deep fry Oreo cookies. She used pancake batter as the coating and to everyone's delight, they turned out to be delicious. Everyone = her best friend Keisha. They offered us some, but I'm afraid I must draw the line somewhere when it comes to food. I'll eat pancakes and Oreos, but not in the same mouthful.

The girls decided to deep fry some more stuff. They looked in the fridge. They grabbed the pickles and the bacon. They liked the bacon, not the pickles. They fried up some Tam Tams, which is some kind of chocolate bar.

Then they got sick.

They lay ( laid, lie, whatever) on the sofa groaning for hours and I didn't feel sorry for them at all. Lesson learned, I say. They won't be doing that again.

If my kids had asked me if they could do this I would have said no and explained how bad for your body all that fat and sugar is. But I will happily let you know I kept my big mouth shut through the whole thing (even though I was horrified) and that is why my daughter and I get along living in the same house. :)

The Oil Change.

2011-12-17T17:15:00.000-08:00

My husband went to Walmart for an oil change for the car. He made an appointment over the phone and told them the make and model. When he got there the guy said, "We don't have filters for this type of car. You should have told us the make."

"I did tell someone the make," my husband said.

"Well, he didn't write it down. Why don't you go to an auto parts store, buy the filter and bring it back and we'll put it in?"

My hubby just stared at him for awhile and said, "No thanks, I'll go somewhere else."

I've never had anyone at a fix-it place tell me to go buy a part. Neither has my husband. But that is why life is so exciting. You never know what may happen when you leave the house.

I was in line checking out my groceries one time when I asked the man bagging my groceries if they had any croutons in the store. He said they were out, "But why not make your own. My wife does." He then told me how she did it.

I listened politely but thought, "I babysit three grandchildren every day. I'm not making my own damn croutons."

I remember watching Martha Stewart once when she was making her own MARSHMALLOWS! I kinda quit watching after that. I figured she had way more time on her hands than I did.

The dog in this video wants to see this newborn baby very badly. (Two adverbs at the end of a sentence. That has to be a record for me.)

Deja Vu Blogfest

2011-12-16T07:11:00.000-08:00

Today is the Deja Vu Blogfest. hosted by Nicole at http://nicoleducleroir.blogspot.com/2011/12/deja-vu-blogfest.html#disqus_thread

I'm afraid I've been so busy I'm late posting, but better late than never. You are supposed to post something you wrote when you didn't have many followers or a favorite post. Well, I decided to post my very first blog when my only follower was my sister Liz. She is the one who commented.

Totally True Tale: (actually all my tales are true)

Wake-Up Call.

I woke up this morning feeling groggy and heard my husband say, "You need some love and attention, don't you?" I knew he couldn't have been talking to me so I rolled over. Yep, it was the dog.

Christmas Trees Around the World.

2011-12-13T18:54:00.000-08:00

My husband is off work for three weeks and I'll also be spending more time with my mother since I'll have a car. I won't have as much time to comment and blog, but I'll do my very best!

Here are some beautiful Christmas trees from around the world.

New Zealand

Romania

Hamburg, Germany

Australia

Japan. The world's only solid gold tree!

London

Rockafeller Center, New York

Paris, France

This is the world's largest glass Christmas tree. It is in Venice.

I googled my home town of Redlands, California to see if they had a tree downtown.They didn't, but they were selling this tree topper. May the Force be with you at Christmas.

Galaxies, Northern Lights & Craig's Star.

2011-12-12T18:54:00.000-08:00

You know you are a Sci-Fi nut when you are doing a crossword and the clue is: Organization joined by Spock and you immediately think, "Hmm, United Federation of Planets. UFP"

Then you realize, "No, it isn't that Spock, it is Dr. Benjamin Spock and the answer is the AMA!"

Here are some new photos of our beautiful universe.

This is the Waterfall Nebula. NASA says this is one of the most mysterious structures in the sky.

The gaseous stream spans 10 light years. (around 60 trillion miles)

The Red Rectangle Nebula. Two stars make up the bright center.

Artist conception of a stellar survivor emerging from a double star system during a supernovea.

This reminds me of the city from Krypton that Superman kept in a jar in his Fortress of Solitude.

Distant galaxies taken by the Hubble telescope. The galaxies are warped because of the gravity of dark matter pulling on them.

And now from home. The Northern lights.

My grandson Craig's birthday was November 20. He passed away last August at the age of 21. We miss him very much, but God has given us his comfort and peace and shown us that we will see Craig again in heaven.

His mother Sandy bought a star in his name. It is a blue star in the constellation Puppis, which means the poop deck of a ship.

Puppis is a constellation in the southern sky. Its name is the Latin word for the poop deck of a ship, and Puppis represents the deck of the ship and its deckhouses. Puppis was originally part of an over-large constellation, the ship of "Jason and the Argonauts", Argo Navis, which was centuries later divided into three parts, the other two being Carina (the keel and hull), and Vela (the sails of the ship). Puppis is the largest of the three constellations in square degrees. Wikipedia

Here is a photo of Craig's star. It is the blue one on the right. Isn't it pretty? And I love that it is a binary star.

Happy Birthday and Merry Christmas to our precious boy.

It's Christmas! Time for Some Christian Jokes.

2011-12-11T20:08:00.000-08:00

I bought a book at the second-hand called, 'Less Thank Entirely Sanctified' by Doug Hal. It's filled with cartoons that I thought were funny. Here are a few. The writing is small so I typed the caption underneath.

God may have already accepted you, but our standards are just a little higher.

They're always eager to get into the woods during deer season. Just don't say anything controversial.

The Gleanor's find themselves possessed by the Christmas spirit.

By the time the youth budget accounting error was discovered, attendance had risen 300%.

"Behold the fowls of the air...Are ye not much better than they?"

Who is ye?!!

This is my fourth sermon on the transforming power of the gospel. Why do you look like the same old bunch?

This sermon is mainly aimed at Ed, but the rest of you might get something out of it.

Jealousy at the Birthday Party.

2011-12-10T19:12:00.000-08:00

My granddaughter Lily turned 10 yesterday and I went to her little family party at my daughter Sandy's house. We have a very nice time. I gave Lily the little book/card I made and she was happy with it. She opened a few gifts and then came to the big one. It was an ipod. She was so excited she was crying. You see, her friends all have ipods and so she had asked for one, not expecting to get it.

Her brother Nolen (age 8) ran out of the room. Turns out he was angry and crying. He wanted an ipod too. My daughter Christine went to talk with him and said, "It sucks to be the youngest doesn't it?" Then she told him about all the times she didn't get what her older sister Sandy got for her birthday. She said she even remembers the exact toys and how awful she felt. "But you have to suck it up and pretend to be happy for your sister. It isn't easy, but you can do it."

This is the first I knew Christine was jealous of Sandy's gifts. She told me later she especially wanted the Barbie Kitchen I gave Sandy. I said, "Well, we couldn't have two huge Barbie Kitchens!" She said she knows that, it was just the way she felt as a child. Now I wish I had gotten them identical toys every year for Christmas and birthdays!

I have an older sister too. The only thing I remember coveting was her paper dolls. She got grown up women paper dolls like Dale Evens and fancy women. My mom got me baby dolls and little girls. I liked them, but I wanted a fancy woman too!

Ah well, kids will be kids. Adults do it too when we want what other people have. So it goes on, only we don't run downstairs and cry. I hope.

First Kiss!

2011-12-09T15:01:00.000-08:00

My granddaughter Hope asked me if I had told my blog friends she had her first kiss. I told her I quit blogging about her dating because I thought she might not like it. She said, "Oh Grandma, blog away I don't care."

So, Hope received her first kiss from her first boyfriend at school last week. The boy's parents told him he is too young to date so they have to wait quite awhile before going out together. Hope said to him, "Don't worry. I'll wait."

You see, a few other boys have talked with her boyfriend and asked him if he and Hope were still dating because they want to date her. So, they are waiting for a break-up, but I don't think one is coming.

I asked her about kissing at school. "Don't the teachers get mad?" I asked. "Well, Mrs. Hawthorne in media class was pretty upset." Hmm, I'm afraid love will find a way in spite of parents and teachers.

Should I Pimp My Blog?

2011-12-08T22:09:00.000-08:00

A very nice lady emailed me yesterday and asked if I would accept one Guest Blog per month. I would have full control over what was posted and they will pay me $30 per post, so $30 per month.

As Michael Douglas said in Romancing the Stone, "Now I ain't cheap, but I can be had."

Before I answer her, I would like some feedback from you, my friends. Please let me know what you think of this.

Let's see. With that amount of money hubby and I could go to the movies once (which we never do) or I could buy some pajamas, so it isn't a big deal to me. I haven't wanted advertising of any kind on my blog, so I don't think this would be a good idea either. I just don't know.

However, I would like to thank Amanda for making such a nice offer. I'm flattered she thinks it would be worth $30 for her to have someone guest post on my blog.

Christmas Cookie Debacle.

2011-12-07T21:04:00.000-08:00

Remember I was going to make Christmas cookies and hang them on the tree? Yeah, well I cut them out and cooked them, but icing them was something different. I made Royal Icing. First it was too hard, then it was too soft. After I was done, I didn't like anything and also they seemed too heavy for the tree.

I thought I'd joke around with hubby so I made him some anatomically correct little men. Since this is a family blog, I covered them up with a loincloth.

All the other cookie men thought I might start icing them too so they ran and hid.

He was the hardest to find.

So, no cookies on the tree this year. But my tree will be beautiful.!We are decorating it this weekend.

Walmart has Disappointed Me For the Last Time.

2011-12-06T23:10:00.000-08:00

Black Friday at Walmart

I used to buy warm winter socks from Walmart. They had little bumps on the bottom so you didn't skid all over the floor and kill yourself. I loved them. I went this week to buy some more because mine were worn out.

I brought them home, put them on and although women's socks are one size, they were too tight. They started digging into my ankle; they were tight all around my foot. Now I know I am not svelte, but I do weigh the same as I did last time I bought some.

Not two weeks ago I had bought some black dress socks to wear with my black pants. They had been too tight also. I had thought this was just a glitch. But now that two different kinds of socks have been too small I can see it is no glitch. No, they are trying to save fabric, yarn or wool.

My mom bought my sister some slippers for Christmas. Her size is an 8 so we found some that said size 7-8. I am an 8 and tried them on; they were too tight. Mom ended up buying her the 9-10 which did fit me. I am not a size 9-10 shoe; I never have been.

I know the clothes are no good there, they all shrink and fall apart, but I figured the SOCKS & SLIPPERS would be okay! Nope. That's it, I'm done.

As George Bush said, "There's an old saying in Tennessee - I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee, that says, fool me once shame on, shame on you - fool me, you can't get fooled a gain." That's right Georgie.

Update on the Nutty Neighbor.

2011-12-05T20:28:00.000-08:00

I wrote a few days ago about the neighbor who lives down the road from my niece and two sisters. He was giving them the finger and shooting off his rifle when they drove by. Well, everything has changed and turned out fine.

The nice lady who lives beside them called him up and told him these were the new owners of the ranch and he should "settle down and quit shooting at them." It turns out there is a drug dealer who lives nearby and young people take the wrong road and drive down my niece's street quite often. When they see they are on the wrong road they turn around in this man's driveway.

My niece decided to bake banana bread for both neighbors and took it to them. The old guy was very nice to Tanya and asked her in and she stayed an hour talking. I thought that was a good thing for Tanya to think of and a wonderful way to keep the peace.

O Christmas Tree!

2011-12-04T21:19:00.000-08:00

Faith and Hope started decorating the tree.

We listened to Buble sing Christmas Carols.

Hope started dancing.

Hope said she was cold. I told her it would help if she wore more clothes.

Cherish with my mom. Cherish turned 20 on Dec. 2.

Faith fixed her own hair. I don't know how she does it.

Captain James T. Kirk was aboard.

Iron Man made an appearance. (Cherish's favorite)

Only 21 days until Christmas!

Men: Keep Your Hands Off the Timer

2011-12-03T23:10:00.000-08:00

I was dying my hair last week and put the timer on for 25 minutes. Hubby came home and dinner was sitting out on the stove for him. He sat down with it and turned on the TV to Big Bang Theory, a comedy I love. I was enjoying it and then thought, "Shouldn't the timer have gone off by now?" I glanced at the clock on the stove where the timer is and I saw a 10 so I thought I had ten minutes. We watched and laughed for awhile when I thought more than ten minutes had gone by. Yep, I looked at the stove and it said 4:30. Hubby had turned off the timer.

My hair now feels like a Barbie doll hair - all kind of plasticky. Doesn't look too bad though. I don't think my husband will do that again after the blood-curdling scream that rang in his ears as I tore through the living room towards the bathroom. "I thought dinner was done and you didn't need the timer on any more!" he yelled after me.

I found a Christmas tree I liked in a magazine. It has lots of suckers and ginger bread houses on it. I think it looks so magical. I've decided to decorate my tree completely different this year. I made some Xmas cookies and I'm going to ice them and put them on the tree along with candy. I can't afford those big lollipops but I did buy a bag of little ones. Anyway, when I'm done if it looks half-way decent I'll take a picture of it.

Guess what? I didn't even know there was a tree under all that candy at first! Mine won't be so crowded.

Have a Doggy Christmas!

2011-12-02T16:42:00.000-08:00

I was going through my drawers and found the Christmas hats for the dogs. I thought I'd take some pictures. Please ignore the ugly bedspread. The pretty one is put away because we let the dogs on the bed. I drag out the pretty one when we have company.

I asked Faith to help me.

There was quite a bit of excitement.

I'm afraid they wouldn't sit still.

We gave up. They jumped on the sofa and posed.

We always buy little gifts for the dogs and they rip the paper off Christmas morning. They love Christmas!

Nutty Neighbors.

2011-12-01T20:45:00.000-08:00

Well, my two sisters and my niece started moving into their ranch house. One thing they never considered was the neighbors. Here is a direct quote from my sister Liz who wrote me yesterday.

"Met one of the neighbors; she seems nice. The other neighbor is insane, has a fit if anyone drives 10mph or more on the road. He gave Tanya the finger last time she was here! Then he fired off some shotguns into the air!! The nice neighbor lady said he's harmless and to ignore him, but it's best if we drive veeerrry slowly on the road. LOL I thought I'd drive fast and give him the finger, but I don't think Tanya would like that. Boy, it's tempting though."

I think I know why the former owners sold the house.

All I can hope is for one of his stray bullets to get him before one gets a sister or two!

DL Hammons, of the blog, Cruising Altitude 2.0, has started a blogfest called, "Deja Vu". http://dlcruisingaltitude.blogspot.com/2011/11/deja-vu-blogfest.html

The rules are that you post a page before you had many followers and comments (or none). Or you can re-post your favorite blog offering.

I thought this sounded like a lot of fun. I'd love to read some old posts from people I follow. I don't have time to go back and read the old ones. If you feel like joining, Come on down!

I found out about the blogfest from writer, M Pax, from her blog:

at http://mpaxauthor.blogspot.com

The blogfest is slated for December 16.

Having Some Fun.

2011-11-30T22:12:00.000-08:00

I am the NRA!

"Who me? I don't have your peanut. See those two peanuts in front of me. Those are mine. Why would I take your peanut? I already have two!

TV News: There is tension in the Middle East!

"I'm so shocked I'll have another beer to recover."

"Headin' down the highway,

Lookin' for adventure,

For whatever comes my way..."

"Those people ran away screaming! What's the matter with them? Haven't they seen twins before?"

"I think this idea of cloning sucks! I don't know whether to swim or sniff butts."

Don't even think about laughing.

"There is no way I am hiding a bunch of stupid eggs for some stupid kids. I got better things to do like dig a hole in the back yard and put a carrot in it."