Question on Tipping

For sometime I've wondered about something.  When you go to a hair dresser that owns the salon or has the business in her home should you tip this person ?  They are working for themselves, not someone else.... It seems to me that they are charging what they need to charge to keep their business afloat.  Anyway, tell me what you think.

I saw a nearby Valero station advertising unleaded regular gas for $3.959 today.  Wow~under $4 a gallon.  I'll head over there tomorrow and top of the gas tank.

Since the car port sale was moved to next weekend....I spent most of today re-listing items on eBay. Those auctions will close next Thursday and what's left will be priced and put out for sale on Friday & Saturday. 

It was a pleasant day here today but now a little after 6pm there's a light rain falling.  The rain we had a couple days ago really did no good, so I had the sprinkler running on the front yard for several hours today.  I guess that may have triggered the showers.  LOL

The local community of Bonney Lake mourns the loss of their fire chief. Chief Dan Packer age 49, was killed last Saturday in the Panther Creek fire in Northern California.  He'd gone there to help those firefighters battle the blaze.  Chief Packer leaves behind a wife, 4 daughters and 2 grand children.  Public services will be held next week.

Well, since I've been sitting here for hours today...I think I'll get up and go vacuum the house. It needs to be done and that will give me a little exercise for today.   Have a good evening.....until next time  Linda

aoljpollCreated, aoljpollCreated_1

Movie Extra's

I got a call from Bob's daughter, Hope, down in California this morning.  They had a full day on the set yesterday.  This is a small, private film that will end up at the Sundance Film Festival first...hopefully it will then be picked up by Warner Brothers or one of the big studios.

Yesterday Bob's grand kids, Emil & Nina danced together most of the day for a senior prom scene.  Even during the earthquake...they danced. Hope said the gym at the high school where they are shooting the film (Valencia, CA) was decorated and included a crystal ball hanging from the ceiling.  After the quake she warned the kids to stay away from the crystal ball.

They all were introduced to Hillary Duff and Chevy Chase.  Yes, Chevy Chase was there too, Hope is not quite sure what his role is.  Today, they are filming a graduation scene so Hope is dressed like she's a parent of a graduate attending the ceremony and the kids will be in caps & gowns.

Western Washington like California is situated over some big "faults" in our earth.  We've had some major earthquakes here too.  I remember the first one I ever felt, back in the late 1940's and I was home from school sick that day.  My mom was outside hanging up clothes when it hit.  I was playing on the living room floor and heard this awful sound, I happened to look up and the ceiling light was swaying back & forth.  Mom came running into the house and grabbed me and got me out of the house into the back yard.   The last one I felt was on February 28, 2001. It was a 6.8 in magnitude and lasted about 45 seconds.  However, over 250 people were injured from falling debris and objects.  I was at work and it sounded like a freight train was head our way....and then the building started rolling like you were on a boat out on the ocean. It was really scary....I did a very stupid thing~I grabbed my purse and went out of the building.  That building was above a parking garage and the concrete stairs I ran down, could have collapsed into that garage.  But at the time, that was my first impulse. That quake knocked out the phone lines, so we couldn't work....so the boss ordered pizza and we took advantage of the downtime to do some cleaning.   On the west coast it's not a matter of "will we have the BIG one" but "when will we have the BIG one."  I understand that there are small quakes occuring almost daily that we don't ever feel.

http://www.pnsn.org/recenteqs/

The sun is shining here today (at least right now) so I'm not sure if the paving project is continuing today or not.  I do have to make a trek up to the park office to pay my $3 so I can participate in the sale so will see what's going on, if anything.   The $3 is to help pay for the advertising in local newspapers to bring in the crowds.   My only concern about the sale date being changed is that the crowds are always bigger on the first of the month when lots of people get paid.  But it can't be helped, so we just have to hope that come August 8th & 9th people still have a few dollars in their pockets.  I plan on putting my own ad on Craig's List and a couple other such web sites we have here in the area.

Well that's all for now....hope everyone is having a happy hump day.

                                              

                                             

A Reprieve !

After 26 dry days we are getting some much needed rain today.  But...this has put the paving project behind schedule as they can't lay asphalt in the rain.  There are still two big sections of the park that need paved, so the "powers that be" have decided to postpone the Car Port sale until the weekend of August 8th & 9th.  Good for me, because I'm not ready.  Now I'll have time to get ready....if I don't procrastinate, that is. 

                                     

Today being Tuesday, Barbara and I went to a movie.  We saw "Journey to the Center of the Earth" in 3-D.  The ticket price was horrible ($9.25 for seniors~normally we pay $6.25) but I imagine it costs the theater more to have those special films available.  As far as I know this theater in Puyallup is the only one showing it in 3-D.  Oh, we got to keep the special 3-D glasses.  (Big deal, huh?)

I'm hearing on the news that there's been over 30 after shocks in the Los Angeles area.  The only damage I've heard about is stuff falling off shelves, etc. Of course they'll be out checking for structural damages for several days, I would imagine.

               

A couple people said that my mobile home doesn't look very mobile. Well it is...it could actually be split apart and moved to another location.   There's a seam down the middle of the house where it was put together when it was brought to this location.  You can see the molding down the middle of the ceiling where it comes apart.

                              

Mine could be moved if I wanted to do that but it's very expensive and I'd have to buy new carpet because what's here would have to be cut.  The last I heard it's between three and eight thousand dollars to move one of these houses and set it up on a new lot.

Bob's daughter and grand kids spent their first day on the set of a movie that's being made down in southern California.  Her cousin's husband, Mark Polish (Astronaut Farmer) has invited them to be extra's in this new movie starring Hillary Duff (I'm not sure who else is in it).  I haven't got a full report of their day yet but I'm sure they had a good time.  I'll fill you in as the details become available....

Well folks...that's all for now.  Have a good evening...Linda

Earthquake in Los Angeles

Just about 20 minutes before noon (Pacific Daylight Time) a 5.8 earthquake hit the Los Angeles area.  It was felt as far away as Las Vegas and San Diego.  They are reporting that there have been several aftershocks ranging as high as 3.8 on the Richter Scale.

At this time, there are no reports of severe damage but at this writing it's just about 20 mins since the quake hit. 

All the times I've been to southern California, I've never been there during a quake.

But that's ok...I've experienced that scary sensation here in the Seattle/Tacoma several times.  

More later..........Linda

Visit Kathy's Journal~she lives about 15 miles from the epicenter~

http://journals.aol.com/kaydeejay5449/a-little-left-of-center-ii/

Home Sweet Mobile Home

                 

I had a couple emails about my neighborhood & the mobile home park where I live.  This is my house as it looks now in the summer.  I am blessed to have a giant cedar tree in the front yard (southern exposure) to shade the front yard during the afternoon in the summer.  The two windows in the front are in my living room.  My computer sits back in the corner just past the far window...I can watch TV while on line and see what's going on outside.  The window back on the left is over my kitchen sink and the little one past that is in the master bathroom and the big one past that, towards the back of the house is my bedroom window.  I have a two car carport and the covered porch...which is a nice place to sit on a summer evening (unless it's too hot out there~that faces the west). Last night we ate dinner out there but there was a cool breeze blowing thru there from the north.  Unlike some older mobile homes, mine has a wood exterior. It's not a "tin tepee" as my dad used to call the one my folks lived in years ago.  It's a "double wide" and measures 24 feet wide by 48 feet long.  The mobile on each side of me are 60 feet long & that makes a huge difference in space...I so wish I had that extra 12 feet in a multi-purpose room. 

aoljpictureUpload, aoljpictureUpload_2

Trapped!

There is an asphalt company in the park re-surfacing the roads starting today. They'll be here for 3 days...and the chose the street in front of my house to start. So for 24 hours we can't drive or walk on the road.   I could have moved my car but figured it would be a good opportunity to get started on getting my yard/carport sale stuff together.  But so far it's after 12 noon and all I've done is play on the computer and do some dishes.

           

The back gate...just two houses west of mine is closed so no traffic can come thru on the new asphalt.  Several residents parked their cars outside the gate. They laid the new stuff right up to the edge of our driveways. This gate is closed every night from 9pm until 5am.

          

I took this standing in my driveway looking due south...they are preparing the old surface for the new stuff.

          

The poor mailman is down there trying to figure out how he's going to deliver the mail up this way.  I took my outgoing mail to the Post Office yesterday afternoon because I knew there was probably no way he could deliver or pick up along this street.

           

The street along the front of my house is all pretty & new.

Ok....it's just a few minutes before 1pm in the afternoon...time to get busy.

aoljpictureUpload, aoljpictureUpload_4

Monday Morning Question

From Krissy; http://journals.aol.com/fisherkristina/SometimesIThink/

What do you have a tendency to put off?

Now your turn.  Answer the question in my comment section below or answer it in your journal/blog and leave a link in my comment section so we can come check out your answer. 

Oh......I guess my answer would be anything where there's a deadline.  For instance I should be getting ready for the annual, approved, yard/carport sale this Friday, Saturday & Sunday (I may or may not participate on Sunday).  But here I sit on the computer...because I dread getting started.  When I was working I was so "on top of it."  But since I've retired~I have turned into the great procrastinator!

Krissy...I do go to the dentist regularly.  Once you get started they make your next appointment for you, just before you walk out the door.

aoljpictureUpload, aoljpictureUpload_1

Summer Fun

This is so cute....wish it were my back yard!

 

http://www.maniacworld.com/twin-baby-moose-in-sprinkler.html

Who Said It ~ Revealed

"I'm here to fight for truth, justice and the American way."

First of all let me just say had I not been walking by the TV when this was said .....I would not have known who said it.  So 76% of you (20 out of 26 votes) are pretty smart in my book.

It was Superman that said that great line and the Superman I saw was the late, great Christopher Reeve.  That made me sad...to see him on the screen, tall, healthy and alive.  

So congratulations to all of you smart cookies that voted for   Superman!

      

aoljpictureUpload, aoljpictureUpload_1

The Banana Test

 
There is a very, very tall coconut tree and there are 4
animals, a Lion, a Chimpanzee, a Giraffe, and a Squirrel,
who pass by.

 

They decide to compete to see who is the
fastest to get a banana off the tree.
Who do you guess will win?

Your answer will reflect your personality.  So think
carefully. Try and answer within 30 seconds.
Got your answer?
Now scroll down to see the analysis.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

 

 

 

 

 

ANALYSIS

If your answer is:
Lion = you're dull.
Chimpanzee = you're a moron.
Giraffe = you're a complete idiot.
Squirrel = you're just hopelessly stupid.

A COCONUT TREE DOESN'T HAVE BANANAS.
Obviously you're stressed and overworked.
You should take some time off and relax!

 

Food Friday

  I know it's a little late but it's still Friday here on the west coast of the USA. So here I go. I got this recipe from my movie going friend Barbara.

Layered  Dessert

Ingredients; 1 cup flour, 1 cube soft butter, ½ cup chopped walnuts, 1 8oz package cream cheese, 1 cup powdered sugar, 2 containers Cool Whip, 3 small packages Cook & Serve Pudding mix (I used butterscotch).

Crust: Mix together; 1 cup flour, 1 cube softened butter and  ½ cup chopped walnuts.  Press mixture into the bottom of a 9"x13" un greased baking pan.  Bake at 350° for 15 minutes.  Set aside to cool.

1st Layer: Mix together; one 8oz package cream cheese, 1 cup powdered sugar and  ¾ cup Cool Whip.  Mix real good and spread on cooled crust in bottom of the pan.

 

2nd Layer: Cook 3 small packages of pudding per directions and let cool thoroughly.  When cool, spread on that first layer.

3rd Layer:  Spread the 1 full container plus the remaining container of Cool Whip over the top of the pudding and sprinkle with more chopped walnuts. 

 

Chill overnight and cut into squares when ready to serve.

Like I said, I used butterscotch but chocolate, banana, or lemon would also be very good.

aoljpictureUpload, aoljpictureUpload_5

Who Said It?

aoljpollCreated, aoljpollCreated_1

Gabi Lin~Taking A Bath

 click on picture to start video
Gabi Taking A Bath

In looking thru some videos this afternoon, I came across this one.  For those of you who are fairly new to my journal, this is my girl.  Rescued off the streets of Seattle, fostered by a lady that was an acquaintance of a co-worker of mine....Gabi came to live with me on October 4, 2005.  Weighing less than 5 pounds, she's a furry little bundle of love.  She's strictly an indoor cat and spends her day sleeping and grooming herself.  At night, she sleeps on a baby blanket at the end of my bed.

It's obvious she was someone's house cat.  She made herself right at home when I first got her and she always wants her face washed after she eats.  Something that owners of Persians & Exotics always do.

She looks like a Persian but her breed is actually called an Exotic Shorthair.  She does not have long hair like most Persian cats.  

Her name; Gabi~in Hebrew it means "God is my strength."

I wish she could tell me her story....I truly believe God was her strength when she was out there on the streets of Seattle.

Tags: rescued cat, Seattle, Exotic Shorthair

Bet You Can't Do This ~

Please Call Around and Offer Support To Lori

Lori who writes from Alberta, Canada has posted an entry stating that her husband Chuck has been hospitalized in the ICU, near their home.

Please stop by Lori's journal and offer your support....thanks   

http://journals.aol.co.uk/abicequeen/lorisletterbox/entries/2008/07/23/covet-all-your-prayers../1189

A New Public Journal

A new journal has been started in memory of JLanders who have passed away.  "Silent Keyboards."

Please visit http://journals.aol.co.uk/jeanno43/silent-keyboards-j-land-angels/ and add your memories if you know any of those featured.  If you know of anyone else who had a journal and has passed away, be sure and post an entry in this public journal.  

SUBMARINE RACES

             Well, what the heck did you expect??????????

Do You Remember ? I do !

    

 

        

For those who never saw any of the Burma Shave signs, here is a quick lesson in our history of the 1930's,'40's and 50's.  Before there were interstates, when everyone drove the old 2 lane roads, Burma Shave signs would be posted all over the countryside in farmers' fields.

They were small red signs with white letters. Five signs,
about 100 feet apart, each containing 1 line of a 4 line couplet......and the obligatory 5th sign advertising Burma Shave, a popular shaving cream.

Here are more of the actual signs:

DON'T STICK YOUR ELBOW
OUT SO FAR
IT MAY GO HOME
IN ANOTHER CAR.
BURMA SHAVE

TRAINS DON'T WANDER
ALL OVER THE MAP
'CAUSE NOBODY SITS
IN THE ENGINEER'S LAP
Burma Shave

SHE KISSED THE HAIRBRUSH
BY MISTAKE
SHE THOUGHT IT WAS
HER HUSBAND JAKE
Burma Shave

DON'T LOSE YOUR HEAD
TO GAIN A MINUTE
YOU NEED YOUR HEAD
YOUR BRAINS ARE IN IT
Burma Shave

DROVE TOO LONG
DRIVER SNOOZING
WHAT HAPPENED NEXT
IS NOT AMUSING
Burma Shave

BROTHER SPEEDER
LET'S REHEARSE
ALL TOGETHER
GOOD MORNING, NURSE
Burma Shave

CAUTIOUS RIDER
TO HER RECKLESS DEAR
LET'S HAVE LESS BULL
AND A LITTLE MORE STEER
Burma Shave

SPEED WAS HIGH
WEATHER WAS NOT
TIRES WERE THIN
X MARKS THE SPOT
Burma Shave

THE MIDNIGHT RIDE
OF PAUL FOR BEER
LED TO A WARMER
HEMISPHERE
Burma Shave

AROUND THE CURVE
LICKETY-SPLIT
BEAUTIFUL CAR
WASN'T IT?
Burma Shave

NO MATTER THE PRICE
NO MATTER HOW NEW
THE BEST SAFETY DEVICE
IN THE CAR IS YOU
Burma Shave

A GUY WHO DRIVES
A CAR WIDE OPEN
IS NOT THINKIN'
HE'S JUST HOPIN'
Burma Shave

AT INTERSECTIONS
LOOK EACH WAY
A HARP SOUNDS NICE
BUT IT'S HARD TO PLAY
Burma Shave

BOTH HANDS ON THE WHEEL
EYES ON THE ROAD
THAT'S THE SKILLFUL
DRIVER'S CODE
Burma Shave

THE ONE WHO DRIVES
WHEN HE'S BEEN DRINKING
DEPENDS ON YOU
TO DO HIS THINKING
Burma Shave

CAR IN DITCH
DRIVER IN TREE
THE MOON WAS FULL
AND SO WAS HE.
Burma Shave

PASSI NG SCHOOL ZONE
TAKE IT SLOW
LET OUR LITTLE
SHAVERS GROW
Burma Shave


Do these bring back any old memories?
If not, you're merely a child.
If they do - then you're old as dirt...

Tuesday ~ Movie Day

Tuesday usually means movie day.  We went to see "Mama Mia" and it was great!  Very bouncy & fun...the music was great. 

                              

We always go to the showing around noon or so and usually there's barely 12 people in the theater.  Today it was pretty full, mostly women of course but there were a few men who dutifully came along with their wives or significant others.

Anyway it gets "2 thumbs up" from me.  And I can't wait until it comes out on DVD, so I can get my own copy.

I'm really frustrated.....I am so far behind on alerts.  Last week I spent a lot of time working in the yard, dead heading, mowing, etc.  Then there was the air show on Saturday  and I actually mowed the back yard that evening.  Sunday afternoon I finally got the carpet shampooed.  What a job!!! It took me almost 3 hours and I just did the traffic areas. The upright Dirt Devil was fairly easy to use but it's still a huge job and I spent most of Monday recovering,

 Also our big approved once a year carport sale is coming August 1st-3rd.  So I'm gathering things for that.  I spent several hours yesterday going thru my two sock drawers, taking out tons (well not really tons) but a lot of new panty hose, trouser socks and knee highs.  After working all those years and having to dress "business casual" I always made sure I had plenty of hose on hand. The ones still sealed in their packages are priced and ready for the sale. 

Now it's on to other drawers, closets, etc.   Watch out Gabi...if you find a price tag on your back....that means you're for sale.

Please forgive me if I don't get around to all your entries...I'm just sort of  "up to my elbows in alligators" right now.

I'll stop by as time permits.    Linda

aoljpictureUpload, aoljpictureUpload_1

2008 Air Show at Mc Chord Air Force Base

Well it turned out to be sort of a fiasco.  My son didn't have to work Saturday, so I didn't feel comfortable going to his workplace.  He lives just a few blocks from the Main Gate of the base to he was going to just walk over there.   So since the transit was offering free shuttles onto the base, we went to the Park & Ride to catch the bus.  At the last minute Bob decided he didn't want to go, so he dropped me off, I got on the bus, rode onto the base and then discovered there was about a half a mile walk to where all the action was.  I knew I'd never make it, carrying my purse, a bottle of water and a folding chair as my knee was already hurting.    So I got back on the bus and went back to the park & ride and watched the show from there (along with lots of other folks.)  I even managed to find a shady spot to sit my chair so I wouldn't get sunburned.   I was disappointed because there were a lot of activities on base, that I missed out on by not actually being there.  But I saw the planes.  My pictures from that vantage point are mediocre to say the least (and I was only able to get pictures of the Thunderbirds) but I'll add a few that my grandson took....he and his dad were on base so he was up close & personal with the planes.  

Sunday afternoon, here at home, all of us in the park had the thrill of watching the Thunderbirds again, as they soared low overhead in the process of doing their maneuvers. If you go to their web site you can actually watch a short video of their performance. http://thunderbirds.airforce.com/home.html

Sunday's paper said they estimated 150,000 people came to watch the show.  And during the Thunderbird show, there was traffic stopped along the edge of the freeway and the off ramps with people out of their cars with their eyes to the sky.

Some pictures from my grandson's perspective;

Thank you Harrison.......your pictures are beautiful !!!

Next stop for the Thunderbirds~ Cheyenne, Wyoming

aoljpictureUpload, aoljpictureUpload_9

The Tall Ships Festival

Here's some pictures from our day at the Tall Ships Festival on Sunday July 6th.  This is like my 3rd try to get the pictures into the entry, I hope you enjoy them.          Linda

 

Annoying New Pop Up Window

Is anybody else out there getting that annoying "AOL Search" window when you first sign on to AOL?  It allows you to go right into a Goggle Search. You can always click the little "x" up in the right hand corner and get rid of it temporarily but if you want to get rid of it for good...here's the simple instructions.  I tried it and it worked for me.

Here's the instructions for sending this pop up to Mars;

As of the last AOL update now we all have a popup search window when we sign on.  The easy way to stop it:
 
Go to Keyword "Search Window"
 
A little window will appear with a button "Opt Out" just click on it
 
You have to do this on each of the names on the computer, and if you have more than one computer, on each computer

A New Public AOL Blog

Thanks to Jeannette (Jeannette's Jottings) over in the U.K. for setting up a new public AOL Blog entitled  "These We Have Loved."  It's a place for all of us to remember, honor  and share memories of those close to us who have passed away.  I hope you'll stop by and check it out, add it to your alerts and post an entry if you feel like doing that.  

http://journals.aol.co.uk/jeanno43/these-we-have-loved/

Friday Afternoon Update

I still have not shampooed my carpet.  Bob's shampooer is such an antique I haven't been able to use it.  So I went to Fred Meyer today, to pick up a few groceries & looked at their machines.  I settled on a smaller, upright Dirt Devil.  They had it on sale, and yesterday I was on their web site and read some reviews on it.  Some people didn't think it was all that great but others raved about it.  The one thing I like is that it's light weight and won't break this old lady's back when I use it. I think if I use it on a regular basis...I will be able to keep my light colored carpet looking acceptable.  But by the time I got it home & got it assembled it was 3:30pm and too late to shampoo.  So I'll wait and do the living room later tonight and then go to bed.  Hopefully it will be dry in the morning. 

While I was at Fred Meyer I just happened to wander by the Starbucks booth they have in their store.  I'd heard about their new "Vivanno" cold drink. Just launched this week, the only one they could make at this time is the chocolate/banana one and I found it to be quite good.  http://www.businessweek.com/the_thread/brandnewday/archives/2008/07/starbucks_vivan.html

As I said earlier the planes have been flying again today, practicing their routines.  There's quite a write up in our local paper today and some of thehighlights of this weekend's air show are;  CV-22 Osprey at a cost of $89 million it's a strange looking thing with a crew of four. It can take off vertically and hover like a helicopter.  It can carry 24-32 troops or 10,000 pounds of cargo;   C-17 Globemaster III ...they go over the house every day, transporting troops and cargo &  flying support of both military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan (I would love to take a ride in one of these big planes); F-16 Fighting Falcon has a top speed of 1,500 mph and I think that's how fast they are going when they buzz my house.  This plane can fly in all kinds of weather and comes in one-seat and two-seat models; and the Air Force Reserve is going to show off their Jet Car that can hit 400 miles per hour in just 8 seconds. With just a crew of one driver it's mission is for entertainment purposes only.  They say there will be approximately 100 airplanes features this weekend. Today the sky is very overcast, not blue like yesterday...I hope it clears up by 11am Saturday when the flying begins.   My grandson was out again today taking pictures...here's a few shots of The Thunderbirds (notice the cloudy sky). 

aoljpictureUpload, aoljpictureUpload_4

Welcome to Food Friday

Happy to have my computer back this Friday, I decided to post an entry for "Food Friday."  

This dish is good for breakfast, lunch or dinner.   I call it;

Linda's Hobo Hash (you can of course rename it)

Already baked potatoes, bacon (I get the already cooked stuff), ham or sausage, eggs, green onions (optional) and grated cheese. 

I slice up the cold, already baked potatoes, and fry them in some Olive Oil.   Then set them aside while I heat (or cook) the meat I've chosen, when the meat is done I put that with the cooked potatoes.  Then you scramble the eggs (if you want, you can chop some little green onions into the raw eggs.)....when they are done, season and add the potatoes and meat stirring them all together then adding some grated cheese, allowing it to melt into the mixture.  I like to fry the potatoes with the skins on (remember that's where all the vitamins are) but you can peel them if you want to.   NOTE: quantities for all items depend on how many you're cooking for. 

You can see, I've cooked these potatoes with the skins....they get nice & crispy.

 

The skies over my house are alive with airplanes again this morning.  There were lots of planes of different sizes flying into McChord AFB yesterday afternoon & evening.

Abba

I love their music......

http://www.greatdanepro.com/Chiquitita/index%20a.htm

 

Air Show (Practice)

We had quite an air show overhead today.  There's an official air show here at McChord Aor Force Base this weekend and today the guys from McChord and other locations were out practicing their maneuvers.  The fighter jets were so low...so noisy...it was kind of scary.  Gabi was freaking out and so were all the dogs in the area.  I was out in the yard trying to get pictures but they came in swooping so low and fast all I could do was duck!  LOL! 

One of the Thunderbirds went low over my house sideways...I could see the pilot's head in the canopy. Yikes !

Anyway my darling grandson was out in their yard watching the whole thing and took this picture. 

He's going with his dad to the "REAL" air show this weekend.

My son works just a few blocks from the end of the runway, they watched the practice today from the roof of their building.  I'll be in that parking lot Saturday..........

http://www.mcchordairexpo.com/

Tuesday

Usually I don't care for frozen yogurt but Bob got this stuff last week & it's quite good.

The carton says that it's new..so maybe that's why I haven't seen it before. It claims to have "live & active cultures" and is 90 calories per  ½ cup. It has no fat of any kind but each serving has 20g of carbs and 14 g of sugar. It is good, especially with a little bit of Hershey's Chocolate Syrup drizzled over it.

The other day I noticed Gabi slinking in a crouched position across the living room carpet...she was headed for the sliding glass door.  I got up and looked and there was a gray squirrel laying on the deck railing..all spread out like he didn't have a care in the world.  He must have felt safe with that screen in between him and the cat.  They eyed each other for several minutes and then he climbed up my hanging basket & disappeared on the roof of my neighbor's carport.

(I've been shredding old papers, etc.  Still have a stack here in the lower right corner to tackle.)   There she goes........

And her's the object of her "crouched slink." 

Can you see the squirrel laying there on the corner of the railing?

What a silly girl she is...to even consider that she could catch a squirrel. 

It's icky hot here again today, but there is a breeze and it seems to be coming from the south...which could mean a change in the weather.  I have the carpet shampoo machine out...I need to use it but it's over 90* here in the house.  And both the front & back yard need mowed again. Too hot, I feel like wilted lettuce.

The news is reporting another child drowned in a local lake.  Only 6 years old...where was mom or whoever was supposed to be watching him?  So very sad......... Several lakes in the area have set up kiosks loaded with life vests of all sizes from infant up to adult sizes.  These vests were provided by local fire & rescue (funded by a special grant)  for people to borrow if they didn't have one of their own.   Well, it seems they are being ripped off on a nightly basis.  Apparently, they are there & being used during the day  but then after hours, thieves come in & steal them.  It's unbelievable to me how rude & crude some humans can be.

Barbara & I went to see "Hancock" today.  I didn't care for it.  Sort of stupid, quite a bit of swearing and a little too much violence for me.  I don't recommend it.  Sorry Will Smith...that's my opinion.       We'll see "Mama Mia" next Tuesday.  Today they showed previews for the new "James Bond" movie coming out in November.

Ok that's all for now.....I still plan on doing an entry on the visit of the Tall Ships...maybe later, maybe tomorrow.  Linda

 

Can't Respond...

I can't respond to emails today, something has crashed on my computer and the mouse is missing. .

         

aoljpictureUpload, aoljpictureUpload_1

Gas Prices Are So High.....

......... it's even effecting our Super Heros !

 

            

aoljpictureUpload, aoljpictureUpload_1

The Search Has Ended ~

  The search for the dumbest non-documented alien has ended 

            Counterfeit I.D. of the week~ We have a winner !!

          

 

REMEMBER!!   

When making a fake ID, attach a picture of yourself only... 
no matter how much you love your girl.  

Late Sunday

It was really hot here again today.  I went with my brother and sister in law for a ride out to their wooded property and when I got home about 6:15pm my living room was 96*.  Thankfully after I opened the house up and got some air circulating it cooled down a little. 

Then I did an entry on the Tall Ships visit including pictures and I was sure it was saved....but a few moments ago I looked and alas .....it's not here.  I'll try again tomorrow.

 

                

aoljpictureUpload, aoljpictureUpload_1

The freebie from the garage sale

A few weeks back I reported I was at a garage sale and I got a freebie.  I was so excited...my friend Pat even helped me gather it.

I got enough rhubarb for 8 pies, however some of it has disappeared....a couple of my other friends found out I had it and they wanted some.

Thanks again Pat...and by the way Meghanne loves the "Nancy Drew" books.  She's hooked !

aoljpictureUpload, aoljpictureUpload_3

Our 4th of July~Finally

I did get my computer back Friday evening. I'm having some issues...the printer won't work and the only way I could download pictures was to put my memory card into the printer/scanner.  It wouldn't work by attaching the cord from the printer to the camera.  And I'm getting an error message on one of the programs they loaded.  Apparently AOL's virus protection leaves a lot of garbage behind so they cleaned that all out and installed Nod32 anti virus protection.   It will take awhile to get used to the regular keyboard and monitor, again.  My entire laptop is not much bigger than this LCD monitor of mine.  When I first powered it up & the AOL Welcome screen came up, I wanted to move back about 15 feet...everything was so big.   I actually got a headache after about 15 minutes so I turned it off for the night.

I've included some pictures from our 4th of July day & evening.  Linda

"Battle Hymn of the Republic"

This is an outstanding performance by grammar through high school kids. One of the fathers recorded it, added some graphic enhancements to the recording, and posted it on the web. 

 The song,of course,is the 'Battle Hymn Of The Republic". It takes a minute or so to start, be sure & turn up your volume.

 

http://www.greatdanepromilitary.com/Battle%20Hymn/index.htm

 

Enjoy.........

Friday Updates

I'm still using my trusty old lap top.  The computer shop is swamped so it's taken a bit longer than I hoped to get it back.  Maybe later this afternoon.  The lap top is not bad.  The only thing is, I've been unable to watch any videos I'm sent because I hesitate to install "Flash Player."   And all my 4th of July pictures are still sitting in my camera waiting to be posted.

I think I mentioned that I didn't have anything backed up, well let me tell you...that's going to change.  I was laying in bed reading the other night and suddenly remembered all the information I have in my "Family Tree Maker" program. I thought I was going to be sick.     I called the shop the next morning and they said it should be fine.  We'll see......

So is everybody heading out to 7-11 today to get their free Slurpee?  I read a little more on that and they are giving the 7oz ones free.   I haven't had a Slurpee in....gosh 15-20 years.  I just don't ever stop there.  My son's apartment is near a 7-11 and he is able to buy milk on sale there almost all the time.  He loves it. If I lived close to one, I'd do that too.  I hate to walk to the back of a huge grocery store just for milk.  And it's not the walk to the back of the store so much as finding a place in the 5 acre parking lot....then waiting in line for check out.  It can take 30 minutes just to get a gallon of milk.

Listen to me....retired, with time on my hands, complaining about it taking 30 minutes to buy a gallon of milk....LOL

It's another beautiful day here in western Washington.  We're supposed to top out at about 85* with a breeze...so it's almost perfect weather. 

Eastern Washington, around the Spokane and Wenatchee areas are experiencing wild fires.  Temperatures are high, and yesterday they had wind gusts up to 50 mph fanning the flames that burned hundreds of acres of land besides homes.  Today they say the winds should die down, which will help firefighters get the blazes under control.   With the fires in southern California, I'm sure that some of our firefighters could be down there and will have to head back home to get our own fires under control. 

This past Wednesday I took my grand daughter out for her birthday lunch.  We went down along the water front (it looked a lot different than it did last Friday on the 4th) to C.I. Shenanigans for our lunch.  We sat out on their large deck over looking Puget Sound.  There were quite a few boats out and it was very enjoyable.  She had never been there so she really enjoyed it.  She's going to have a 16th birthday party but not until August 2nd.  She's getting it all planned and is inviting 15 of her friends to come over that day for BBQ, etc outside (we will be hoping for good weather that weekend)  It's still hard for me to believe that both of my grand angels are teenagers.  It seems like only yesterday they were toddlers.  Since they are only 14 months apart, they were almost like twins when they were little.  I used to even buy matching outfits for them. 

Yesterday, I was out in the car and stopped by a Thrift Shop that I used to go to years ago.  It was closed for a long time and recently I noticed that it had re-opened.  Anyway, as I walked in...my first thought was that it was kind ofjunky.  But, I started looking at different things and I think they just have so much stuff that it has the look of "junky."  I was actually impressed with their clothes.  They were in good shape and fairly inexpensive.  I got a denim blouse for myself for $2.99 and then I found a book for me (oh no !! not another book!!) for 99 cents and some books for Meghanne with no price marked.  I also had found a really nice wood TV tray type table to use on the porch when we eat out there (mostly Bob, I don't like to eat out there because of the the bees)...anyway the table was marked $7.99 but it was a good quality, heavy wood and it folded out like it was supposed to and then folded flat, so I got it.  When I got up to the check out, I started unloading the stuff out of my cart and I mentioned to the gal that the books I got for Meghanne had no price.  She said "all soft backs are 99 cents but today everything is 50% off."   Did I hear her right?  Everything is 50% off ?!? Wow, I got that blouse for $1.50 and the table for $4...why didn't I grab another one?  What a deal.  I didn't want to go back & getanother table because by now the check out line was getting longer and I wanted to get out of there.    Ok, so for those of you in my area...(I know I'll get emails) this place is called Thrift City and it's on 72nd just east of McKinley Avenue, sort of across from the Sears Parts & Service place.  They have tons of nice looking clothes for all ages and genders.  Bob gets a lot of his clothes at the Goodwill.  Like new sport shirts for $4.99, etc.  But he was complaining the other day that their prices are going up.  The last pair of jeans he bought he had to pay $8 for them.  But they were Levi's and after washing them, I looked them over and they showed no wear what so ever.  So I thought he got a good deal.

Well, I suppose I should get off here and get on with my day.  I need to run to PetSmart and get food for somebody who lives here with me.  She's down to 4 cans of Fancy Feast....even though she only gets a third of a can in the morning and another third in the evening, it won't be long until those 4 cans are gone. 

She cracks me up sometimes with her obsession over her Fancy Feast.  She starts begging for it about 7:30am even if I'm still asleep . She's right in my face, meowing (actually she squeeks), pawing at me with her front paw and sort of running around and around on the bed.  Then in the afternoon I do give her a treat about 1:30 or 2pm but about 4pm she starts the whole begging thing again.  Running back and forth squeeking, looking pitiful but I hold her off until 5 or 5:30pm.  Meanwhile, she has a heaping bowl of Meow Mix in the kitchen and another in the bathroom.  You'd think I was starving her to death.  I'm glad she can't use the phone, she'd probably be calling the Humane Society, turning me in.  What do you think Lisa?  Is she a little obsessive?  LOL

Ok folks...hope you all have a good Friday....until next time,and hopefully from my computer,  Linda (and Princess Gabi)

CLASSES

Summer Classes for Men at The Odell Weeks

        ADULT LEARNING CENTER 
 
REGISTRATION MUST BE COMPLETED by Friday, August   15th 2008    
NOTE: DUE TO THE COMPLEXITY AND DIFFICULTY LEVEL OF THEIR CONTENTS, CLASS SIZES WILL BE LIMITED TO 8 PARTICIPANTS MAXIMUM 
 
Class 1 
How To Fill Up The Ice Cube Trays--Step by Step, with Slide Presentation. 
Meets 4 weeks, Monday and Wednesday for 2 hours beginning at 7:00 PM.   
 
    
 
Class 2 
The Toilet Paper Roll--Does It Change Itself? 
Round Table Discussion. 
Meets 2 weeks, Saturday 12:00 for 2 hours.   
 
    
 
Class 3 
Is It Possible To Urinate Using The Technique Of Lifting The Seat and Avoiding The Floor, Walls and Nearby Bathtub?--Group Practice. 
Meets 4 weeks, Saturday 10:00 PM for 2 hours.   
 
    
 
Class 4 
Fundamental Differences Between The Laundry Hamper and The Floor--Pictures and Explanatory Graphics. 
Meets Saturdays at 2:00 PM for 3 weeks.   
 
    
 
Class 5 
Dinner Dishes--Can They Levitate and Fly Into The Kitchen Sink?   Examples on Video. 
Meets 4 weeks, Tuesday and Thursday for 2 hours beginning at 7:00 PM   
 
    
 
Class 6 
Loss Of Identity--Losing The Remote To Your Significant Other. 
Help Line Support and Support Groups. 
Meets 4 Weeks, Friday and Sunday 7:00 PM   
 
    
 
Class 7 
Learning How To Find Things--Starting With Looking In The Right Places  And Not Turning The House Upside Down While Screaming.       Open Forum 
Monday at 8:00 PM, 2 hours.   
 
    
 
Class 8 
Health Watch--Bringing Her Flowers Is Not Harmful To Your Health Graphics and Audio Tapes. 
Three nights; Monday, Wednesday, Friday at 7:00 PM for 2 hours.   
 
    
 
Class 9 
Real Men Ask For Directions When Lost--Real Life Testimonials. 
Tuesdays at 6:00 PM Location to be determined   
 
    
 
Class 10 
Is It Genetically Impossible To Sit Quietly While She Parallel Parks?      Driving Simulations. 
4 weeks, Saturday's noon, 2 hours.   
 
    
 
Class 11 
Learning to Live--Basic Differences Between Mother and Wife. 
Online Classes and role-playing 
Tuesdays at 7:00 PM, location to be determined   
 
    
 
Class 12 
How to be the Ideal Shopping Companion 
Relaxation Exercises, Meditation and Breathing Techniques. 
Meets 4 weeks, Tuesday and Thursday for 2 hours beginning at 7:00 PM.   
 
    
 
Class 13 
How to Fight Cerebral Atrophy--Remembering Birthdays, Anniversaries and Other Important Dates and Calling When You're Going To Be Late. 
Cerebral Shock Therapy Sessions and Full Lobotomies Offered. 
Three nights; Monday, Wednesday, Friday at 7:00 PM for 2 hours.   
 
    
 
Class 14 
The Stove/Oven--What It Is and How It Is Used. 
Live Demonstration. 
Tuesdays at 6:00 PM, location to be determined.  
 
Upon completion of any of the above courses, diplomas will be issued to the survivors

His Very Last Job Was As A Carpenter~

                         

aoljpictureUpload, aoljpictureUpload_1

Shopping at Costco~The Guys Will Love This One

A husband and wife are shopping in Costco when the man picks up a case of Budweiser Beer and sticks it into the shopping cart. 'What do you think you're doing?' asks the wife 'They're on sale today, only $10.00 for 24 cans', he says.'Put them back.  We can't afford it,' says the wife and they continue on shopping...A few aisles later the woman picks up a $20.00 jar of face cream and sticks it into the shopping cart. 'What do you think you're doing?' asks the man. 'It's my face cream.  It makes me look beautiful,' she says.The man replies...  'SO DOES 24 CANS OF BUDWEISER BEER AND IT'S HALF THE PRICE'

Question of the Day

                  

aoljpictureUpload, aoljpictureUpload_1

Computer Diagnosis~Sad

Well, since I hadn't heard from the computer people, I gave them a call.  They said they called and left a message with someone....maybe they dialed the wrong number.  I didn't get the message.  

Anyway, the mother board is dead.  And on my hard drive they have to replace not only the mother board but the processor and ram.  In other words a full upgrade kit= $299

YIKES !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Nothing is backed up.   :(

 

 

There's Nothing Like A Sunday

It was sort of overcast this morning & I didn't know if it was going to rain or not.  So I got the ironing board out & started ironing...I soon tired of that and about noon, I suggested maybe we should go down & see the Tall Ships who are in Tacoma for the weekend.  So we took off.... stopping and getting a late lunch at a Mexican place.   We took the free shuttle bus from the Tacoma Dome down to the waterway where the ships are docked. We didn't buy a boarding pass...just walked along the docks looking at the various ships.  When I post the pictures I took today, I'll go into more detail about the different vessels.  I will say there is a replica of the Nina'  and I was surprised at how small it is.  Those folks that sailed with Christopher Columbus were brave to come across in that little ship...just 68 feet long.  Also on hand is a replica of the 180 foot long HMS Bounty.   Anyway more on that when I'm able to post the pictures.   Meanwhile if you want to see more information on our 2nd Tall Ships visit go to; thenewstribune.com/tallships.  I understand they are looking forward to a return visit in 2011.  So save your pennies and come visit us then.  No, seriously I saw a guy interviewed on a local TV station last night who came up here from L.A. to see them.  He & his family also traveled up here in 2005 during the 1st Tall Ships visit.

As some of you know, the tickets I won for the fireworks cruise on the steamship Virginia 5, ended up with Monica.  I only had 2 tickets and since there were 4 of us, I knew I couldn't use them.  Plus there was no way to get from the waterfront where Bob's camper was parked to the waterway where the Virginia V was berthed. So Monica and her hubby, Sonny got to go out on this 125 foot steamship.  Please go over to Monica's photo journal and see the start of her 4th of July pictures. http://journals.aol.com/photographybymon/Mamarazzi/.  

Well, that's all for now...I did a lot of walking again today & this time Iforgot to put my knee brace on, so my right knee is killing me.   Until next time........Linda

Rainy & Cool Saturday

We had a wonderful 4th of July on the waterfront....we saw some dark clouds in the sky, but we did not get rained on.    It was a perfect day!  Today it has rained almost all day....The grand kids had lots of fun, having never experienced the 4th in this way before.  And when we saw the long lines at all the sani-cans, we were so thankful to have the camper right there handy for our use.

After the air show we walked back to the camper and had an early dinner.  About 6:30pm Harrison & Bob walked back along the waterfront area while Meghanne I I stayed back at the camper.  My right knee was "all walked out."    About 8pm Bob & Harrison got back to the camper so we let  Meghanne open her birthday gifts from me and we had cake & ice cream. 

Shortly after 10pm we sat back in our lawn chairs and watched the fireworks.  They shoot them off a barge out in Puget Sound & they were  directly in front of where we were parked.   We didn't have to move away from the camper like we did last year,

We hung around for a little over an hour after the fireworks were over, waiting for the traffic to clear. Even then it took almost half an hour to get out of the area and on our way home.  We dropped the kids off and headed home, getting in the door about 12:45am.   Thankfully my son in law came over about 5:30pm and feed Gabi her evening meal of Fancy Feast, so she wasn't starved to death when I walked in.  She did have that look on her face, like she thought she'd been left for good however. LOL

I took lots of pictures but won't be able to post them until I get my computer back.     Hope every one had a wonderful 4th and you're all laid back recuperating today.  Until next time....Linda