Apple Cake

I love this apple cake recipe.  I got it years ago, like back in the 1970's from my friend Ginny.  At this time of the year, most of us have access to windfall apples, so go gather a few out of your yard or your neighbors yard and give this a try. 

Apple Cake

1-1/2 cup granulated sugar, 3/4 cup shortening, 2 eggs, 2-1/2 cups flour, 3 cups peeled, bite size apples, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1-1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 3/4 teaspoon salt, 3/4 cup warm coffee, 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional).

Cream granulated sugar & shortening.  Add eggs and beat until mixture is creamy.  Set aside.  In a larger mixing bowl, combine flour, soda, salt and 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon, mix together. Then mix in sugar, shortening & egg mixture..adding alternately with warm coffee.  Fold in apples and nuts. Spread into a greased 11 x 9 baking pan and top with brown sugar and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon.  Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

When I make this cake, I always make it in the morning while there's still coffee in the pot. It is soooooo good. And a great way to use up those surplus apples.

Camelot

AOL home page is announcing the death of actor/singer Robert Goulet.  He passed away this morning at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, awaiting a lung transplant.   I didn't like some of his off-screen behavior but he had a beautiful voice and I extend sympathy to his family and friends.  I had heard on the news last night that he was very ill at the young age of 73.  I can remember when he was married to Carol Lawrence...they were marvelous together.      Linda

Monday's Photo Shoot

Your Monday Photo Shoot, from John:  Final Flowers

Gather ye rosebuds while ye may, because winter is coming, and there aren't that many rosebuds then. With that in mind, this week's Photo Shoot:

Your Monday Photo Shoot: Last call for shots of live flowers! This is it for 2007, because after that for lots of places in the US, live flowers will be done for the year (unless, of course, they're inside your house. But never mind that).

Mine are looking pretty pathetic except for the one geranium.  It's still as lovely as ever.   Linda

Sunshine here again today !

Taking advantage of the local sunshine...I was checking out some web cams. 

You can see Mt St. Helen's again today; http://www.king5.com/livecams/sthelens.html

Also the Narrows Bridge west end; http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/Traffic/gigHarbor/sr16_tacomanarrows_west.htm

How about Snoqualmie Pass; http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/traffic/passes/snoqualmie/

My favorite place on Washington's coast, Westport; http://westportcam.com/

The back up at the Peace Arch between Washington & British Columbia; http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/traffic/border/

The I-5 freeway with a peak of the Tacoma Dome on the right; http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/traffic/tacoma/i5_lst.htm

Washington's Capital City, Olympia, about 30 miles south of me; http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/traffic/olympia/

Vancouver, Washington heading across the Columbia River to Portland, Oregon; http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/traffic/vancouver/default.aspx?cam=1267

How about from the observation deck of the Space Needle in Seattle; http://www.spaceneedle.com/webcam/

And finally my very favorite, heading south about 1,200 miles, the Santa Monica Pier in Southern California (I wish I were there right now) ; http://www.westland.net/piercam/

Congratulations Are In Order !

Please stop by today and give best wishes to our friend Barbara in Texas as she starts a new job on Wednesday.   She worked as a waitress when she started her journal and then moved to a grocery store.  There she had horrible hours, duties and sometimes bad working conditions.   At times she was scheduled to be at work at 0'dark thirty in the morning to stock candy and open the store. 

Her new job will be in an insurance office, with regular hours and weekends off !  And she won't have to wear one of those stupid name badges !!  What a deal ! 

Dear Barbara, I'm so happy for you....don't be nervous....be happy !    If I wasn't so far away, I'd be there with a marching band as you pulled into the parking lot tomorrow morning.  Your old lady, journal buddy Linda

Who Is This Woman ?

 thanks to my daughter, Julie for this one...

Even though this lady is residing in MY house, she may at some time appear in yours. Be Alert! A very weird thing has happened. A strange old lady has moved into my house. I have no idea who she is, where she came from, or how she got in. I certainly did not invite her. All I know is one day she wasn't there, and the next day she was!

She is a clever old lady and manages to keep out of sight for the most part, but whenever I pass a mirror, I catch a glimpse of her. And, whenever I look in the mirror to check my appearance, there she is hogging the whole thing, obliterating my gorgeous face and body. This is Very Rude! I have tried screaming at her, but she just screams back.

The least she could do is offer to pay part of the rent, but no. Every once in a while, I find a dollar bill stuck in a coat pocket, or some loose change under a sofa cushion, but it is not nearly enough.

I don't want to jump to conclusions, but I think she is stealing money from me. I go to the ATM and withdraw $100, and a few days later, it's all gone! I certainly don't spend money THAT fast, so I can only conclude the old lady is pilfering from me. You'd think she would spend some of that money to buy wrinkle cream.

And money isn't the only thing she is stealing. Food seems to disappear at an alarming rate - especially the good stuff like ice cream, cookies, and candy. She must have a real sweet tooth, but she'd better watch it, because she is really packing on the pounds. I suspect she realizes this, and to make herself feel better, she is tampering with my scales to make me think I am putting on weight too!

For an old lady, she is quite childish. She likes to play nasty games, like going into my closets when I'm not home and altering my clothes so they don't fit. And she messes with my files and papers so I can't find anything. This is particularly annoying since I am extremely neat and organized.

She has found imaginative ways to annoy me. She gets into my mail, newspapers, and magazines before I do and blurs the print so I can't read it. And, she has done something really sinister to the volume controls on my TV, radio, and telephone. Now, all I hear are mumbles and whispers.

She has done other things, like make my stairs steeper, my vacuum heavier and all the knobs and faucets are harder to turn. She even made my bed higher so that getting into and out of it is a real challenge. Lately, she has been fooling with my groceries before I put them away, applying glue to the lids, making it almost impossible for me to open the jars.

She has taken the fun out of shopping for clothes. When I try something on, she stands in front of the dressing room mirror and monopolizes it. She looks totally ridiculous in some of those outfits, plus, she keeps me from seeing how great they look on me.

Just when I thought she couldn't get any meaner, she proved me wrong. She came along when I went to get my picture taken for my driver's license, and just as the camera shutter clicked, she jumped in front of me!

I hope she never finds out where YOU live!

Monday Morning Question

From Krissy at; http://journals.aol.com/fisherkristina/SometimesIThink/entries/2007/10/29/monday-morning-question/1422

         

What do you plan on accomplishing next month?

Wow Krissy, you really know how to put me on the spot.  I haven't even done the stuff I was going to do back in February when I first retired.  But I've been busy learning how to be retired. LOL

But in November the weather will be worse, I won't be able to work outside so I hope to accomplish the following tasks, by the end of the month;

 1. wash my kitchen cupboards with Murphy's Oil Soap & install the new hardware I've had here in a big sack, for a couple months.

 2. start & maybe finish wrapping Christmas gifts, so I can get into my closet once again. 

3. start & perhaps finish my Christmas cards (& letters) and hope no one moves after I get those labels printed out.

So that's it..........My "hope to accomplish" list for November.   Linda

A Baby Girl

I got another call from Judy today.  She got a call from the hospital at 4:30 this morning that things were going bad for her daughter and the baby.      "K" was in horrible pain.  They rushed to the hospital and at 6:26am a baby girl was delivered by emergency C-Section.  She weighs 2 pounds 1 ounce and is 14 inches long. 

So far she's breathing on her own and of course is in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.  "K" was going into the condition of pre-eclampsia, which is very dangerous for both mother and baby.  "K" and her husband have several names for her but haven't decided on one name as yet.  "K" is still sleeping off the effects of the drugs she was given, so as of a couple hours ago she hadn't even seen her baby yet.   

 Please continue to pray that both this little tiny girl and her mama will eventually be released from the hospital happy and in good health.  

Friday's Adventure

Friday dawned cold but sunny.   Bob asked me if I wanted to ride along with him to the Boeing Surplus Store in Kent....so since I'd never been there I thought, "why not?"   We left here and headed towards Kent and since it's been about 4 years since he'd been to the place, he finally stopped and asked for directions (yes...a man who asks for directions, hard to believe I know.)   We finally found it, got parked and entered the building.  It's a very interesting place.  A huge (and I mean huge) warehouse type building with hundred of rows of surplus stuff.  Everything from computer parts, to office furniture, to felt tip markers, to bins of things I don't even know what they were.  I got a very nice computer chair for $10 (mine is an old one that L & I bought me in 1994 after hurting my back on the job), a nearly new laptop case for $10, a pad of  yellow Post Its for 5 cents and a USB cable for 50 cents.  There were a few women there shopping but mostly men "salivating" as they wandered around looking from bin to bin. It was unbelievable what's available there.  If you were setting up an office of any kind you get everything you need right there for very little money.   I think most of the office desks, for instance, were around $30 each and most in very good condition.

After we left there, he said "well you know" we're not that far from Ikea....do you want to go back there & have their meatball lunch?   Well, as long as he was twisting my arm...I said "ya sure!"   We drove less than a mile and there it was, the big Ikea sign over to our left.  So we had lunch and I bought a few more things there.  I bought some more of their soft animals to have on hand for little kid gifts.  They had some real cute ones, including little teddy bears for $1.99 each and then some even smaller ones for 99 cents each.  I was thinking the little ones would be cute for little Marin for Christmas.  They have embroidered features so are completely safe for the very little ones. I also got a couple jars of their ligonberry preserves, that they serve with their meatballs.  They taste somewhat like cranberries and I love them.  I'll keep one jar for myself and put the other one in my brother & sister-in-laws Christmas basket.  Ikea has all their Christmas wrapping paper, cards and decorations out but I have enough of that stuff to last a lifetime, so resisted buying anymore. 

We did good this week...we had a rainy day adventure and a sunny day adventure. 

The fellow that bought the Newton's house next to me finally showed up today.  Thursday night I put the garbage can out over there because I knew it was full and Friday is garbage day.  I hadn't seen hide nor hair of him, since he came by one day a couple weeks ago and Mr Newton introduced me to him.   So it looks like today, he is starting to move in.  

There was frost on the pumpkin here this morning...the neighbors vehicles were all frosty.  My car sits under the carport so unless it's really, really cold it never gets frosty.  I wonder if I'm going to miss those cold winter mornings...going out & getting into a cold car and driving to work in the dark?   Hmmmmmm....Nope I don't think so.     LOL

Update on "K"

My friend, Judy, her mother just called me to report that "K" was taken by ambulance to the Perinatal Special Care Unit yesterday.  Her condition has worsened as has the condition of the baby.  They are monitoring her at all times, they have given her steroids and may have to deliver the baby as early as Sunday October 28th.  They have determined that the baby is loosing weight (placenta starved) and her heart rate is erratic.  Thru ultrasound they have determined she weighs around 2 pounds 4 oz and that could be off as much as 5 ounces in either direction. 

Please pray for this family....my friend Judy also has elderly parents she is trying to take care of.  She's getting calls from their doctors that her dad isn't taking his medicine correctly, her mom just came home from rehab after a broken hip incident and their house is 13 miles each way from Judy's.  The drive to her daughter's house was 30 miles each way.

 At least the hospital is near her parent's home so Judy can pop over there during the day while she's at the hospital.  So Judy is stretched to the limit between helping with her folks and her daughter. 

Thank you all so much for your prayers, Judy knows you're praying for her daughter and is so grateful.    Linda

Just So You Know

It's sunny but cold here in the Pacific Northwest this morning.  Happy Friday!  Check out the following web site for important information....

http://mysite.verizon.net/vze201j5/countdown.htm

Rainy Day Adventure

Tuesday we decided to head out to Northwest Trek on Wednesday. It's about an hours drive from here and has limited hours during the late fall, so you do have to plan ahead.  (They actually closed at 3pm.) After two nice sunny days, Wednesday brought mist, rain, a little sun and more mist.

The land for this wonderland was originally donated by Dr David Hellyer and his family.  They had a vision for the over 700 acres to remain as an animal preserve and after it was established it eventually was turned over to Tacoma's Metro Park District to maintain.  The Hellyer's continued to live in their house on one of the islands in Horseshoe Lake for sometime. Dr Hellyer passed away in 2006 and I'm not sure if his wife is still alive or not.

We got there shortly before noon and were give tickets for the 12 noon tram.  The tram ride takes about an hour as it wanders thru the free range area of the park. As it travels along the driver/narrator talks about the many animals seen along the trail.  There are over 200 North American animals living at Northwest Trek.   The free roaming areas contain the animals that won't bother each other.  The predators (cougars, bears, coyotes, etc) are in large fenced in areas in another section of the park.  They are seen on the walking tour.

Like I said at the beginning, there was rain off and on and we were glad we had remembered to bring umbrellas. Shortly before 3pm we were all walked out, cold and had wet feet so we headed for the car.  I would have liked to have stayed longer but they were closing...we got there a little too late and the weather was less than pleasant. 

Anyway, please viewthe pictures I've included in the "larger" format to get the full effect.   And feel free to follow the link to Northwest Trek and do some self exploring of this fantastic place.

I was happy to hear that our Robin and family have arrived safely in Florida.    And I also keep forgetting to congratulate Barbara on the offer of a new job she received.  I believe she starts the new job on October 31st.  And Lisa, I want to tell you again how sorry I am for the losses you have had in the last few weeks.   I wish I could come and give you a big hug!    Take care, until next time........Linda

P.S. I've talked to my friend in San Diego this evening....she's ok and back home.  Although she states her house is a sooty mess, inside and out!

More Firefighters Deployed

In the paper this morning there's news of 13 more fire fighters from Pierce County (the county in Washington where I live) being deployed to southern California to help with the fires that still burn.  At this point over 1,500 homes and 674 square miles have been destroyed by these fires.  Two bodies were found this morning in a burned out home in Poway, California...my aunt was in a nursing home there before she passed away many years ago. What's really incredible is that these firefighters are going on a volunteer basis...leaving their families behind. They will be totally self sufficient, no doubt living in tents during their two week stay.  They will be meeting up with other firefighters from Washington and Oregon in Chino, CA where they will form a 25 engine task force with a total of 250 firefighters. Hats off to these brave souls !  

Also heading south are additional Red Cross volunteers and truck loads of supplies from World Vision, which is based in Seattle.  The news folks also stated that the Red Cross is gladly receiving  donations of money to help out in this relief effort.

Wednesday evening, Bob talked to his cousin who just visited with her husband a couple weeks ago.  Wednesday night she said they are about 4 miles from the fire and that her brother's house has definitely been lost and they fear 3 homes that were built for speculation, by another brother, have also been lost.  We haven't heard from them again, so are hoping they continue to be spared.  I still have not heard from my friend that lives in San Diego.  She only works Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday, so I'm hoping for some news from her in the next couple days.

I'm off to run some errands, it's a beautiful sunny day today..after yesterday being a misty & rainy all day.  Bob and I had an adventure in the rain yesterday but I'll post an entry about that later.......Linda

Cherokee Indian Youth

Do you know the legend of the Cherokee Indian youth's rite of passage?

His father takes him into the forest, blindfolds him and leaves him alone.

He is required to sit on a stump the whole night and not remove the blindfold until the rays of the morning sun shine through it. He cannot cry out for help to anyone. Once he survives the night, he is a MAN.

He cannot tell the other boys of this experience, because each lad must come into manhood on his own.

The boy is naturally terrified. He can hear all kinds of noises. Wild beasts must surely be all around him. Maybe even some human might do him harm. The wind blew the grass and earth, and shook his stump, but he sat stoically, never removing the blindfold. It would be the only way he could become a man!

Finally, after a horrific night the sun appeared and he removed his blindfold. It was then that he discovered his father sitting on the stump next to him. He had been at watch the entire night, protecting his son from harm.

We, too, are never alone. Even when we don't know it, our Heavenly Father is watching over us, sitting on the stump beside us. When  trouble comes, all we have to do is reach out to Him.

The Job Applicant

To hoom it mae cunsern,

I waunt to apply for the job what I saw in the paper. I can Type real quik wit one finggar and do sum a counting.

I think I am good on the phone and no I am a pepole person,  Pepole really seam to respond to me well. Certain men and all the ladies.

Im lookin for a Jobb as a reporter but it musent be to complicaited.

I no my spelling is not to good but find that I Offen can get a job thru my persinalety.  My salerery is open so we can discus wat you want to pay me and wat you think that I am werth,

I can start imeditely.  Thank you in advanse fore yore anser.

hopif uly Yore best aplicant so farr

Sinseerly,

BRYAN  nikname  Beefy

PS : Because my resimay is a bit short - below is a pickture of me.
.

Employer's response:.....

Dear Beefy-I mean Bryan ,

It's OK honey, we've got spell check. You're hired!

They Didn't Come Back To Say Goodbye

When I woke up Monday morning, the big moving van had arrived to load up my neighbors belongings.  Thankfully it was a beautiful sunny day...no rain...while the movers loaded the big truck.  We chatted off and on all day,  Mr Newton was bringing boxes of wood scraps and other items over here through-out the day...his wife was in the house overseeing the movers.  When she did come out to talk we'd both be teary eyed.  Bob was here for a while and he left...tears flowing.  Mr Newton tried not to show it but he'd come over and sit for awhile and abruptly get up and walk back across my yard, blowing his nose.  It was bittersweet.  We know they need to move to Missouri, they are both in their middle 70's and since their daughter and son-in-law got transferred in August, they have no family here. They've already rented the other side of the duplex where their daughter's family have moved.  So they were paying here and there since the middle of August.   I wanted to take a picture of them together, then one of all of us...they have been such precious neighbors.  He and Bob have enjoyed many breakfasts at the nearby Denney's or I-Hop. Spent hours in one carport or the other solving the world problems over the last 6 years. Everytime I'd bring out my camera one of them would say, we'll come by Tuesday morning in our "traveling" clothes to say good bye and you can get a picture then.  After the moving van left they checked into a close by Extended Stay Motel...as they were both exhausted.

They never came back....I was home today until 1:15pm this afternoon. I think they decided it was too painful to come back and tell all the neighbors goodbye.  However yesterday, once when neither one of them was looking, I put a card in the back seat of their car.  A card filled with pictures I'd taken of the snow, fall colors, etc. and 2 of Bob and myself.  One was the picture of us in the fake black mustaches & sombreo's from the graduation party for his grand daughter~Mr Newton cracked up when he saw us like that.  And we wrote our address and email addresses and gave them a $25 gift card for Denney's.  I believe they are right at the top of the list of the best neighbors I've ever had.  When we were gone, he'd watch over the place, get the mail & paper. I knew the house was safe with Mr Newton standing guard. 

I wish them a safe trip and a happy reunion with their family within the week. 

 

 

Paint The Porch

Thanks to my cousin, Susie, for this one.

 

A blonde teenager, wanting to earn some extra money for the summer,  decided to hire herself out as a "handy-woman" and started canvassing a nearby well-to-do neighborhood.

She went to the front door of the first house, and asked the owner if he had any odd jobs for her to do.

"Well, I guess I could use somebody to paint my porch,"
He said, "How much will you charge me?"

The blonde, with a typical blank ditsy look, quickly responded, "How about $50?"

The man agreed and told her that the paint brushes and everything she would need was in the garage.

The man's wife, hearing the conversation said to her husband,
"Does she realize that our porch goes ALL the way around the house?" He responded, "That's a bit cynical, isn't it?

The wife replied, "You're right. I guess I'm starting to believe all those dumb blonde jokes we've been getting by e-mail lately."

A short time later, the blonde came to the door to collect her money.

"You're finished already?" the startled husband asked.

"Yes, " the blonde replied, "...and I even had paint left over, So I gave it two coats."

Impressed, the man reached into his pocket for the $50.00 and handed it to her along with a ten dollar tip.

"And by the way....., " the blonde added, "it's not a Porch, it's a Lexus."

Fire Crews Heading South

At least 25 fire trucks and their crews from the Pacific Northwest are heading south to help fight the fires in southern California.  These crews are mostly from areas that normally fight forest fires and since that season has passed for us, they will help out where they are needed.  I understand that they will be meeting up with other crews from Oregon as they head south.   Red Cross crews from our area have also been activated and are loading supplies and getting ready for the 1,200 mile trip.  I called my friend in San Diego last night but did not hear back from her.  I hope she's just away or got in late and not evacuated.  I pray no more lives are lost in those fires...like it's been said, possessions can be replaced but lives cannot. I see on the weather map it's supposed to be in the 90's today in the Los Angeles area, making it even more difficult for those geared up and on the fire lines. 

A little drama on T.V. last night.  Since I've retired, I've taken to staying up later and watching all the shows I couldn't watch when I was working.  First of all on "Dancing With The Stars" after dancing the Samba with her partner, Jonathan Roberts, Marie Osmond fainted and fell to the floor !  I was astounded and I'm sure all who saw this happen felt the same way. They reported later that she was resting and was ok.    Then later at the end of  "The Bachelor" Hillary totally came unglued at not receiving a rose. Ahhhhhhh!  I've never quite figured out how these girls fall in love with the guy after just a few weeks anyway.  I know there is such a thing as "love at first sight" but come on...rarely do they even get to spend some "alone time" with the guy.  Anyway, he's narrowed the 25 originals down to 4 girls and now will visit with each girl's family on next week's episode.  Good luck Brad...you've got your work cut out for you! 

It's another beautiful sunny morning here.  Cold right now but I'm sure it will warm up like it did yesterday.  Yesterday was delightful with temperatures reaching into the high 60's.  There was alot going on so I didn't get much yard work done but at least with what was going on there was no rain.  Today, I will be taking my grand daughter to the dentist at 1:15pm so haven't quite figured out the rest of my day as yet. 

Happy Tuesday, until next time    Linda

Think About It

Only in America....do drugstores make the sick walk all the way to the back of the store to get their prescriptions while healthy people can buy the cigatettes at the front.

Only in America....do people order double cheese burgers, large fries and a diet Coke.

Only in America....do banks leave both doors open and then chain the pens to the counter.

Only in America....do we leave cars worth thousands of dollars in the driveway and put our worthless junk in the garage.

Only in America....do we buy hotdogs in packages of ten and buns in packages of eight.

Only in America....do we use the word "politics" to describe the process so well: "Poli" in Latin meaning "many" and "tics" meaning "bloodsucking creatures."

Only in America....do we have drive-up ATM machines with Braille lettering.

EVER WONDER:

Why women can't put on mascara with their mouths closed?

Why the sun lightens our hair and darkens our skin?

Why don't you ever see the headline "Psychic Wins Lottery"?

Why is "abbreviated" such a long word?

Why is it that doctors call what they do "practice"?

Why there isn't mouse flavored cat food?

Why don't sheep shrink when it rains?

Why is the man who invests all your money called a broker?

Why are they called apartments when they are all stuck together?

 

 

Text Message

For those of you that know Robin...I got a text message from her this afternoon at 4pm Pacific Daylight Time that said "Hello Florida !"  Just wanted you all to know that they are getting closer to their final destination.   Linda

Morning Morning Question

         

Krissy wants to know;  If you were to run away and join the circus, what kind of circus performer would you be?

(Come on, play along, you can't say "I'm not going to run away!"  This game is just for pretend!)

Here are some possible answers to choose from:  lion tamer, trapeze artist, clown, bearded lady, tightrope walker, unicyclist, fire swallower, knife thrower, human cannonball, and sword swallower.

I'd have to go with a clown.  I know a lot of kids are afraid of clowns so I'd try to be one that wasn't too scary looking.

Question of the day~

                                                    

Q: How many women with MENOPAUSE does it take to
     change a light bulb?    

Woman's Answer: One! ONLY ONE!!!! And do you know WHY?  Because no one else in this house knows HOW to change a light bulb! They don't even know that the bulb is BURNED OUT!! They would sit in the dark for THREE DAYS before they figured it out. And, once they figured it out, they wouldn't be able to find the blankety blank  light bulbs despite the fact that they've been in the SAME CABINET for the past 17 YEARS! But if they did, by some miracle of God, actually find them, 2 DAYS LATER, the chair they dragged to stand on to change the STUPID light bulb would STILL BE IN THE SAME SPOT!!!!!  AND UNDERNEATH IT WOULD BE THE WRAPPER THE STUPID LIGHT BULBS CAME IN!!!  BECAUSE NO ONE EVER PICKS UP OR CARRIES OUT THE GARBAGE!!!!  IT'S A WONDER WE HAVEN'T ALL SUFFOCATED FROM THE PILES OF GARBAGE THAT ARE A FOOT DEEP THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE HOUSE!!   IT WOULD TAKE AN ARMY TO CLEAN THIS PLACE! AND DON'T EVEN GET ME STARTED ON WHO CHANGES THE TOILET PAPER ROLL !!

I'm sorry.  What was the question?

Very Late Friday Night

It's rained fairly heavy all day, along with wind.  Right now, it's absolutely pouring. I'm thinking of my grandkids tonight...they were going with the youth group from their church to a Corn Maze about 20 miles south of here.  I bet they will look like drowned rats when my SIL picks them up here in a few minutes. But little things like heavy rain, don't usually bother teenagers, if they're having fun with their friends.   We've had almost an inch of rain since this afternoon and earlier this evening we had a thunder storm.  On the 5pm news they said 160,000 homes were still without power in various areas of the Pacific Northwest. There are trees down over houses, vehicles and power lines. 

There's a heavy snow advisory in the mountains and a heavy surf warning on the coast. I think it's more like winter than fall. 

I did have to go out in the car today and run a few errands but it was nice to get them done and get right back home.  Gosh it's great to be retired ! 

Our friend Robin did an entry today from San Antonio.  They will visit friends there for a few days before they continue their journey to their new base in Florida.  Their little dog, Princess, has been very ill but it sounds like she is doing better. 

I talked to my friend Judy tonight and her daughter "K" is out of the hospital but on complete bedrest. She can only be up for a shower and potty breaks.  Judy is driving approximately 30 miles each way to be with her during the day while her husband works.  Judy said "K's"  blood pressure is still high and the doctors have put her on medication and have said "no baby showers....no nothing" until she gets thru this pregnancy.  As I remember, the baby is not actually due until the 5th or 6th of January.  So "K" is just in her 29th week right now.  Please continue to pray for this 1st time mom & dad and their little baby girl.

Ok...I hear the rain has let up, I'm going to try and get some sleep.  Until next time..Linda

Gabi Taking A Bath~Old Video

Gabi Taking A Bath

After posting those two storm videos yesterday, I was looking back thru other videos I have made and found this one.  Originally posted in June....I decided to bore you all with a video of my girl.  Remember.... to watch the video, just click on the picture and it will start. I don't think there's any sound to this one, like there is with the storm videos of yesterday.  

Speaking of yesterday, the wind calmed down for a couple hours yesterday evening but then I heard it and the rain from time to time during the night.  Right now the sun is shining brightly and there's just a gentle breeze blowing.   I haven't been outside yet, to see if everything is still where it belongs. I hear my neighbor, Mr Newton, out there with his leaf blower.  The Mayflower truck is out there..... packing up their house. It was a sad sight to see when I opened up the mini blinds this morning. In just a few more days they'll be on their way to Missouri. 

I feel bad about missing Homecoming this morning but couldn't go and risk passing germs or picking up others. I'm sure I'll get a couple phone calls later telling me all about it.   Until next time,  Linda

P.S. It's hard to tell in this video exactly how big Gabi is...she's actually very small, weighing only 4 pounds 8 ounces. She's got big feet, so I'm thinking if she had led a normal life, all of her approximately 4 years, she may have weighed more. They figured she was lost on the streets of Seattle for several months before being rescued in August of 2005. Of course she was severely mal-nourished, among other things.

3 Hours Into A Windstorm

3 Hours Into A Windstorm

There's already reports of power outages close to my house.  One house not too far from me has been cut in half by a falling Douglas Fir.  Fortunately, the owners are on vacation in California so no one was hurt. There's been peak gusts of over 60 mph near my house.   

Up around Seattle they are also reporting power outages, flying trash cans, branches and falling trees.  The 520 floating bridge, across Lake Washington in the Seattle area may be closed soon. The waves are slapping up against it on the wind side.  Check out the web cam.  I'm glad I don't have to travel over it on a daily basis. 

 I've just heard that a lady has been hit by a falling tree in a parking lot in Kent. She's been rushed to the hospital in serious condition.  And in Seattle falling power lines fell on a loaded school bus.  They were able to get all the kids off safely. 

There's a high wind warning on the Narrows Bridge..they've measured peak winds on the bridge at 63 miles per hour.  It's very scary on the bridge during a wind storm.  For sure you don't want to be towing a trailer, boat or anything like that across there when the wind is blowing hard. It will flip over !!  Once a boat was lifted off it's trailer and flew up over the guard rail and dropped into the water below. 

The news people are saying there are 20-24 foot waves on the coast....oh I wish I were there.  The owners of the various shops are sand bagging the doors of their businesses to prevent flooding.

The fire in my woodstove has gone out and I think I'm going to leave it out for now.  It's in the corner of my living room where that big cedar tree sits just outside.  If a limb came off and crashed into that corner of the house...well, lets just say that I don't want to take any chances of a fire.

October 18th wind storm

October 18th wind storm

While I was uploading this, the wind really picked up. The news is reporting power outages in many of the coastal towns.   I just looked at the Westport web cam and the "surf's up!"  I'm going to go read my book and let it blow.....

Stormy Thursday

After heavy rain here all night, the TV weather guy said the wind part of our storm has hit the Washington coast.  The coast is about 120 miles west of me. There was one weather buoy off the coast that clocked a 60 mph gust.  In the town of Westport (there's a web cam at their site) gusts have been clocked at 30-40 mph.  They are predicting wind in the Seattle-Tacoma area at about 2pm this afternoon.  They say it will take about 6-8 hours, to pass thru, so right thru the rush hour. Hopefully that’s all it will be when it comes our way.  My woodstove is going, it’s nice & warm in here and if the power goes out…I can even warm up some soup on the top of the stove. 

 

I woke up this morning with a horrible cold. My head is stuffed up, I have a deep chest cough and I feel generally crappy.  But once again…I’m home, not at work.  I got out the juice, the Vicks, the inhalers, and the Kleenex tissues so I’ll be ok.  The only thing is, I was planning on going to the Homecoming Events Friday morning at my former high school.  I think now, I’ll stay away.  My resistance is obviously low right now and I don’t want to pick up something else and I certainly don’t want to expose anyone else to my “bugs.” 

 

I got a delivery from Amazon the other day.  It was three new books for me from the author Richard Paul Evans.  Two are older books of his but one is his latest book, entitled “The Gift.”   Richard Paul Evans wrote the “Christmas Box” and if you’ve never read it or any other of his books, I highly recommend them.  

 

That’s all for now…those of you here in western Washington (and you know who you are!) stay safe, warm & dry.  Linda

Photo Scavenger Hunt #120

Photo Scavenger Hunt #120 will be due on Sunday, October 21, at 11:00 PM EST. From Val at; http://journals.aol.com/valphish/ThereisaSeason/
                                              
Our subject this week is:  "autumn"

OK,  here's my entries; a couple from this week and a couple from a year ago.  (Well... I tried to make it easy on myself. LOL)

Big wind & rain storm predicted for our area on Thursday.  We'll see how correct they are.          Linda

Batten Down the Hatches, Again !

They keep telling us about this storm that's on the way.....hopefully it will blow itself out before it hits the Pacific Northwest.  Here's the weather email I get daily from KOMO TV in Seattle; 

 

Dear Linda,

Updated Wed. 4:32 a.m. A HIGH WIND WATCH is in effect for ALL of Western Washington now from Thursday morning through Thursday evening Wind speed estimates at this time are generally for 30-40 mph gusting to 60 mph along the coast, and 25-35 mph, gusting to 50 mph for all other areas but we might refine those a little more later today. Under the current scenario, the winds would begin along the coast and Cascade foothills in the morning, then pick up along the Northwest Interior around midday, with the peak winds for the Puget Sound area being in the afternoon and early evening -- right during the commute. Aside from the wind, it'll be rainy through the day as well, with highs in the mid 50s. Wind and rain taper off Thursday night, and Friday there is another low pressure area with potential wind and rain. Saturday looks cool with spot showers and sunbreaks, and then another round of rain slowly develops for Sunday around midday as of now, but that forecast might lean later as we get through the week. Highs will be in the mid-upper 50s. A few showers linger Monday to the North and mainly dry South of Everett, and then another round of rain comes in for later Tuesday. Highs in the upper 50s. more...

Sincerely, KOMO 4 Weathercaster Jim Castillo

The Old Phone

"THE OLD PHONE"

When I was quite young, my father had one of the first telephones in our neighborhood. I remember the polished, old case fastened to the wall. The shiny receiver hung on the side of the box. I was too little to reach the telephone, but used to listen with fascination when my mother talked to it.



Then I discovered that somewhere inside the wonderful device lived an amazing person. Her name was "Information Please" and there was nothing she did not know. Information Please could supply anyone's number and the correct time.



My personal experience with the genie-in-a-bottle came one day while my mother was visiting a neighbor. Amusing myself at the tool bench in the basement, I whacked my finger with a hammer, the pain was terrible, but there seemed no point in crying because there was no one home to give sympathy.



I walked around the house sucking my throbbing finger, finally arriving at the stairway. The telephone! Quickly, I ran for the footstool in the parlor and dragged it to the landing Climbing up, I unhooked the receiver in the parlor and held it to my ear. "Information, please" I said into the mouthpiece just above my head.
A click or two and a small clear voice spoke into my ear.



"Information."

"I hurt my finger..." I wailed into the phone, the tears came readily enough now that I had an audience.


"Isn't your mother home?" came the question.


"Nobody's home but me," I blubbered.

"Are you bleeding?" the voice asked.


"No," I replied. "I hit my finger with the hammer and it hurts."  
"Can you open the icebox?" she asked.

  I said I could.

  "Then chip off a little bit of ice and hold it to your finger," said the voice.

After that, I called "Information Please" for everything. I asked her for help with my geography, and she told me where Philadelphia was. She helped me with my math. She told me my pet chipmunk that I had caught in the park just the day before, would eat fruit and nuts.

Then, there was the time Petey, our pet canary, died. I called, Information Please," and told her the sad story. She listened, and then said things grown-ups say to soothe a child. But I was not consoled. I asked her, "Why is it that birds should sing so beautifully and bring joy to all families, only to end up as a heap of feathers on the bottom of a cage?"


She must have sensed my deep concern, for she said quietly, "Wayne  always remember that there are other worlds to sing in."


Somehow I felt better.


Another day I was on the telephone, "Information Please."
"Information," said in the now familiar voice. "How do I spell fix?" I asked.


All this took place in a small town in the Pacific Northwest. When I was nine years old, we moved across the country to Boston. I missed my friend very much. "Information Please" belonged in that old wooden  box back home and I somehow never thought of trying the shiny new  phone that sat on the table in the hall. As I grew into my teens, the memories of those childhood conversations never really left me.



Often, in moments of doubt and perplexity I would recall the  serene sense of security I had then. I appreciated now how patient, understanding, and kind she was to have spent her time on a little  boy.

A few years later, on my way west to college, my plane put down in Seattle . I had about a half-hour or so between planes. I spent 15 minutes or so on the phone with my sister, who lived there now. Then without thinking what I was doing, I dialed my hometown Operator and said, "Information Please."


  Miraculously, I heard the small, clear voice I knew so well.      "Information."


  I hadn't planned this, but I heard myself saying, "Could you please  tell me how to spell fix?" 

  There was a long pause. Then came the soft spoken answer, "I guess your finger must have healed by now."

     I laughed, "So it's really you," I said. "I wonder if you have any idea how much you meant to me during that time?"

     I wonder," she said, "if you know how much your call meant to me. I never had any children and I used to look forward to your calls."

    I told her how often I had thought of her over the years and I asked if I could call her again when I came back to visit my sister.


     "Please do", she said. "Just ask for Sally."

      Three months later I was back in Seattle . A different voice answered "Information." I asked for Sally.

     "Are you a friend?" she said.



    "Yes, a very old friend," I answered.



     "I'm sorry to have to tell you this," she said. "Sally had been working part-time the last few years because she was sick. She died  five weeks ago."
    

Before I could hang up she said, "Wait a minute, did you say your name was Wayne ?" "Yes." I answered.


      "Well, Sally left a message for you. She wrote it down in case you called.


     Let me read it to you."

     The note said, "Tell him there are other worlds to sing in.

        He'll know what I mean."

     I thanked her and hung up. I knew what Sally meant. 


    Never underestimate the impression you may make on others.


     Whose life have you touched today? 

It's Not Avocado Anymore !

After a lot of scubbing, I finally got the avocado range hood ready to paint.  30 years of baked on grime...I've wiped it down regularly but it had "grime build-up" big time, and was a real challenge.  I used several different cleaning solutions on it and finally resorted to oven cleaner.  It got the grease off as well as some of the old paint. LOL.   But I got it smoothed out and masked off with newspaper and sprayed away.  Fortunately, the sun came out today (even though it is only in the mid-50's) , as I have both doors open and fans on to air out the house.  I love the final result.  Are the double oven doors next?   Every wall oven I've looked at is much bigger than the ones already there.  And there's no room to make a bigger opening.  Yup...the oven doors are next but maybe not until next Spring when I can take them outside and paint them.

Next big job is washing all those wood cupboard doors, with Murphy's Oil Soap, so I can put on the new hardware.  Maybe next week........

Hey What Happened ?

I was just informed by "breakaway1968" that my Monday morning post disappeared.  It was the Monday Morning Question from Krissy.   Where did it go?  Did it go to the same place that socks go when they are in the washing machine?  It was there earlier this morning.    Maybe AOL knows.......

Tuesday Morning Update

I was hoping for sunshine as we made our way to Ikea, about 30 miles from here....but alas it rained and it was raining hard.  I hate to be on freeway in the rain !  Everyone goes so fast and then there's those jerks that are weaving in and out of traffic...makes me nervous.  And we got clear out past the county line & Bob decided he couldn't remember exactly where the store was (we hadn't been there for about 5 years), so I called Joni on my cell and asked her for help.  She gave us good information and we did get there. Thanks again Joni !

Anyway, we arrived and bless their hearts they have covered parking and a covered walk-way into the store.  If you've never been to Ikea, it's an experience the moment you walk thru the entrance. The store is huge !!  I mean, acres and acres of merchandise.  (I especially love the kitchen department.)  Anyway, Bob was hungry so we headed for the restaurant where we had a lunch of Swedish meatballs, red potatoes, gravy and ligonberry sauce. YUMMY !!!!! 

I didn't have much in mind to purchase, other than they were having a sale and I noticed the bags of Swedish meatballs were on sale and I wanted to get a couple bags for my freezer.  I also got lots of packages of Swedish cookies and crackers to put into Christmas baskets.   I wish now I would have bought some jars of ligonberry preserves...it was really good. Oh, gosh...will we have to go back before the holidays ???

But my most fun purchase were the stuffedanimals I got for my niece'slittle ones for Christmas gifts.  There's 4 little ones all together and I love to get them something, but can't afford to spend a whole lot of money.  I've included pictures of these darling creatures. They were all just $6.99 a piece.  I also found a few pieces in the "Kitchen" department to buy and bring home.  :)

After we got back to my house, Bob went to visit his friend Stuart.  Stuart is doing ok...still having some issues with pain after having his bladder removed last month because of cancer.  Bob has to take him to the Univ of Washington Medical Center on October 25th for an MRI.  I guess that will tell the doctors if there's any cancer cells left and if so then they'll decide on a treatment plan.      I headed over to Fred Meyer to do a little grocery shopping.  And then home for the evening.  My feet were killing me from our time at Ikea...I almost felt like the day we were trekking around Las Vegas. LOL

When I pulled into the driveway from Freds...my neighbor, Mr Newton walked over to tell me he's 99% sure their place is sold and that they could be leaving for Missouri as soon as this coming Sunday. My heart just sunk...I will miss them so much...they are absolutely the best neighbors I have ever had.  So then I asked him about the buyers..."well, there's an older man, I don't know if he's married or what"  he says...just like a man (LOL)  I want details and he gives me generalities.  So then I said "ok..an older man, is he 102, 80, 70 ?"  He says "I don't know, I just know I got his money and that he's passed the background & financial check by the park management."  I really have been praying for a couple in their 60's...with a nice lady that I can visit with from time to time.  So I guess I'll just have to wait and see.

I got a can of almond color Krylon spray paint for my range hood at Fred Meyer's yesterday. So my task today is to take the magnets off and clean it thoroughly then mask off the whole area with news papers and try and get it painted to match the stove top.  Bob recently spray painted the range hood, stove top and oven door in the camper and it looks great!  And it was really in bad shape.  He chose a "hammered gold" color and that goes well with the interior of the camper.

So, I'm off to get busy.  I hope everyone has a wonderful Tuesday.  Until next time........Linda

 

MONDAY MORNING QUESTION

    

Monday morning question from Krissy~What prompted you to start your journal?

For me it was my daughter and grand daughter.  They both had journals and my daughter, Julie was always telling me about different people she had met thru her journal.  So I thought, "well I'll give it a try."  I didn't even tell her I was doing it but somehow she discovered that I had started one.  That was on May 6, 2005 and here I am over two years later....still journaling and my daughter has decided it's not for her, so she quit.  But, I'm still here and I hope someday Julie will be back on the AOL journal circuit again. I cherish each new friend I've meet in J-land and hope to continue writing for a long time.    Linda

Sunday, Pumpkins, Leaves & a Bunny

Sad news tonight from Harborview Hospital in Seattle. 64 year old Charles McDonald, the propane truck driver in last Saturday's big explosion, died this morning.  He had burns over 75% of his body.  My heart goes out to his family.  The investigation of the tragic event continues.

We had a great time with Bob's daughter and family.  On the way we stopped at a huge pumpkin farm so I could get a picture or two.  There were probably 100 cars parked at the farm...with people everywhere.  This farm also offers old fashioned hay rides in the evenings.

Pulling into their developement, Mt Rainier was standing proud in the background.  It's very pretty from there but unfortuantely if that mountain every erupts those people will be in harms way.  They have frequent lahar warnings in the little town of Orting, because the lava and mud flow will come right down thru that area.   When we got to their house we were introduced to the newest member of their family...Henry.  He's a beautiful and very tame rabbit.  Bob's 16 yr old grand daughter found him hopping around a friend's neighborhood.  After doing some door to door checking, no one claimed him and one neighbor even said she thought he'd been dumped there.   He's litter box trained and loves to stretch out on the sofa.  Obviously, he's been someone's pet. They took him to the vet for a check over and he's fine but hasn't had his "surgery" yet, so that's scheduled for next week. (Poor Henry).  The family's boxer, Rusty, is very protective of him, watching over him when they put Henry in his carrier to sleep.  And Fred, their parakeet, pays no attention to the new addition. 

This family has two teenage daughters, one in the 11th grade and the other one is in her first year of  college.  But another teenage granddaughter came from Gig Harbor for the evening so we got to visit with her too.  Her mom, Bob's oldest daughter was unable to come.  By the way he's got 4 daughters in all...Cheryl, Paula, Hope and June.  And one son, Lance (June's little 3 year old is also a Lance) but he and Bob have been estranged for several years...it makes both of us very sad. And there are 7 grandkids in all...all teenagers but June's Lance and little Marin Rose who was born the end of June.

We thought maybe we'd get clear into downtown Orting for their Pumpkin Festival but we didn't.  Maybe next year.  They had beautiful weather for it...both Saturday and today have been beautiful sunny days, in the 60's. So I'm sure that those who attended had a great time.

Well, my insulated panels are up over my sliding glass patio door.  I really like them.  Today I went back to Penney's and got "hold backs" that match the rod.  I have a bakers rack/bookcase on the one side of the door and probably won't open that panel very often but the other one I'll want open everyday, for light and to see what's going on out there.  I have a birdbath on the little porch out there and various pots of flowers.

The last update on my friend Judy's daughter was that she is still in the hospital.  And having a hard time with the whole thing and rightly so.  It would be very scary for a first time mom.

Well that's all for today...hope you all had a good weekend.  We are looking forward to our trip to Ikea tomorrow.  My main goal is some bags of their wonderful Swedish Meatballs (I promise I won't forget yours, Jan!).

Happy Monday....until next time,  Linda

 

Saturday

It's 1:30pm here is western Washington...I just sent a text message to Robin and she sent a text back to me that they are in Fresno at Camping World right now. So they are on the road..heading to Florida.  I think they were stopping for a couple days in Phoenix to visit with her family.  I know the Air Force allowed them 9 days traveling time, so they should be able to visit her parents, family and friends and still get to Florida in the time allotted.

Bob came and put up the rods for the new insulated panels over my sliding glass door.  They are a little wrinkled (I got them from Penney's catalog) but I'll give them a few days and then if I have to I'll run them thru a gentle rinse cycle and some time in the dryer.  Hopefully, gravity will do the job for me.

It was foggy here this morning but the sun is brightly shining now. It's not 85 degrees but at least it's sunny. 

Well, I'm off to get ready for our visit to Bob's daughter & family this afternoon out in Orting.  I'm taking my camera...maybe I can get some fall pictures.

Happy Saturday...........Linda