Community Photo Shoot

Community Photo Challenge-"BEGINNINGS"

To start off the New Year & a New Photo Challenge we have decided to make the first challenge "BEGINNINGS" Any goes as long as it represents beginnings.  New baby, budding flowers, baby birds, sunrises...You can use your own file photo(past photos) for this one.  Not many rules here. Try to be creative--presentation is important, even if you just add a small border around the photo so it doesn't get lost on the background of your journal.

You can add as many photos as you want, but the first/main photo posted will be your entry and the one that's included in the voting.

The whole idea of this challenge is to enjoy our photography, get exposure for our images and journals, visit with fellow photo-bloggers and comment on what we see. We'll also have a vote on each challenge--votes to be sent to Mariebm56@aol.com. The subject of your voting email should be: Challenge Vote. We will revisit the voting situation after we've had a couple of cycles to see how it works out.

The "We" in this group includes Vicki, Gina and me, Marie, with Martha as our eager helper. We welcome all to our very first Photo Challenge!

Plans are to post the challenge on a Friday with a 1-week deadline for entries to be posted. Voting will take place over the weekend following the deadline (deadline for votes would be Sunday at midnight, eastern time). On Monday, thewinners will be announced and, if allowed, posted on this journal.

Enter your photo by posting it on your Blog or Photo Site, along with a link to this challenge. Come back here and leave your: Name, Journal or Site name and a link to your entry in the comment section.

The winner will have input to picking the next topic--don't worry, we have a list if you need help with that.

 

Ladies and Gentlemen...start your cameras!

UPDATE:  To clear up any misunderstanding, the deadline on this challenge will be January 11.

UPDATE 2: Make sure you leave your PERMALINK to your entry on the comment section and make sure it gets there & works. Ü  Instructions on where to find the permalink is in the 3rd entry & you can also click on the link found on the sidebar too.
***************************************************************************

I'm going to dig back in my photo archives for this one, since everything is in hibernation here in western Washington at this time.  I can't really take a picture of nature or a baby animal because it just isn't happening yet.  So this picture is from August 2006~My long time friend Lynnette and I just entering Royal Caribbean's "Vision of the Seas" for the BEGINNING of my first Alaskan cruise.     

                                                  

Stormy West Coast

It's been miserable all up & down the west coast the last few days.  I feel so bad for the people in the little town of Fernley, Nevada which is 30 miles east of Reno.  A ruptured levee sent a frigid wall of water from a rain-swollen canal into the high desert town early Saturday, flooding hundreds of home and forcing the rescue of people by helicopter and boat.  The newspaper said as many as 3,500 people were temporarily stranded and an estimated 1,500 ended up being displaced from their homes. Flooding is the same all over, it can take lives of people and animals, it damages homes and businesses and wrecks havoc on the day to day business of life.

We had wind and rain here again last night and I guess some areas nearby had snowfall this morning. None here at my house however.  And right this minute...it's really cold out there but there's no wind & no rain.

My brother and sister-in-law took me to dinner for my birthday at the Olive Garden this afternoon.  I had this yummy chicken with an apricot sauce, served with broccoli & asparagus and of course their famous salad and garlic bread sticks (yes Lisa, I did have one for you!).  We had a nice visit, my brother and family only live about 10 miles from me but they have such busy lives, I talk to them on the phone from time to time but don't see them that often.

Since it wasn't raining when they dropped me off, I quickly changed clothes and headed outside to put the yard waste can out for pick up tomorrow.  Also got some things out of the freezer in my one storage shed and decided to put the Christmas tree away for another year.  I was afraid that task was going to be difficult because since I took it out of the smaller storage shed the end of November, I've obtained a very large, heavy item. 

 My neighbor down the street that moved to Arkansas, had an old wringer wash machine that she got from some friends several years ago.  Her intent was to plant flowers in it and put it in her yard.  When she was moving, I spied it, asked about it and she said if you want it, you can have it. So we proceeded to load it (on it's side) onto my red wagon and brought down to my place.  We backed the wagon into my smaller shed and shut the door.  Well, that had to come out before I could put the Christmas tree away, so today, I pulled the thing out (it's still on it's side in my wagon) and put the tree away, covering it completely with a light weight plastic and then just pulled the wagon backwards into the shed.  It was all easier than I thought.  The big job will be when I take it off the wagon, to set it upright and start filling it with dirt.  I'm sure it weighs at least 100 pounds or maybe more.  Anyway, that's not for a couple months yet. I'm thinking sweet peas might be pretty growing in it, coming up and winding around the wringer part.  If  I do plant sweet peas, they should be planted the end of  February or first of March.

I heard a rumor the the Seattle Seahawks won their football game Saturday, beating the Washington Redskins 35-14.  (The loosing team cames all the way from Washington D.C. to get beat.) Now the Seahawks have to go to play the Greenbay Packers (Wisconsin).  I'm not a fan of professional sports but I guess everyone here in Washington state is happy for the Seahawks.

I hope everyone, has had a good weekend.  I hope you've gotten at least one task done (for me it was putting away the Christmas tree) and had some good times, too.  Until next time........Linda

P.S. I had to add; I used a wringer washing machine in my younger years.  In 1962, (my daughter Julie was born in Dec 1961) we moved into a house with a wringer washing machine in the garage.  There were two laundry tubs out there and that's where I washed diapers, baby clothes and all the other laundry.  I had clothes lines in the garage for the rainy days and clothes lines in the back yard for drying on sunny days.  During the coldest part of winter, we did drain the machine so it wouldn't freeze up and I had to go to the Laundromat to do laundry.  But I won't be doing any laundry in this latest one...I am very thankful to have a washer and dryer right here inside my house that I can use anytime of the night or day~ spring, summner, fall or winter. 

 

 

 

Pink Glittery Slippers

I've had several emails about the "pink glittery" slippers....so here they are!  They also come in white and gray but I like the pink (or mauve) ones the best.  I've bought several pair and put them away because I've learned when you find something you like, you need to have extra's.  They won't be around when my first pair wear out. I love that they have a sole that allows for outside wear too if necessary.  

Now I'm off to heat up some soup and make a grilled cheese sandwich.... 

That's a First

The AOL Welcome page #5 says "How To Get Radiant Skin" and pictures products from Avon.  After reading the article, there's products from other companies featured too, but there's a lot listed from Avon.  I was excited to see that.  Aside from the fact that I've been an Avon rep since 1976, I do love their skin care products and they are so reasonable compared to some sold in department stores. People have the preception that all Avon sells is perfume and many have allergies so can't use it.... so that means there's nothing else to buy.  I think they'd be surprised at the huge range of products available. 

In looking at the satillete picture of the west coast, Washington is on the outer fringe of the bad storm that hit us yesterday afternoon & during the night.  The wind is still blowing here, with rain showers off and on.  But the hardest hit was the San Francisco area. The crazies are wind surfing in San Francisco Bay. And I saw semi trucks turned over on the area highways. I understand there is record snow fall in Siskiyou Pass between southern Oregon and northern California. (The link I've provided has some web cams of the area).  Hopefully, this ugly storm will pass quickly and damage will be minimal.

Hope everyone is having a good Saturday....

Well, I'm off now to tromp around the house in my pink glittery slippers from Avon. Until next time..... Linda 

Thanks for the birthday wishes

Thank you all for the birthday wishes~both as comments in my journal entry and all the e-cards I received.  My day was ok...I got lots of phone calls from friends and family.  Bob had asked me what I wanted to do for my birthday and I had told him I wanted to go to Point Defiance Park and Zoo, as I had not been there for years.  Well, the weather was so ugly and he is still coughing away with a bad cold, so I let him off the hook.  I didn't feel walking around the zoo in the rain & wind would be a good idea for him. We'll wait until the weather is a little nicer.  He did take me to lunch and then went on home.

I spent a couple hours in the afternoon visiting with Susan & Linda...who held the same job I did before I retired.  It was the first time the 3 of us had been together in over a year.  I retired in February 07, and Susan had to resign shortly there after as she was going thru treatment for Lymphoma and Linda has now been laid off because the health system decided to outsource that particular job.  We had a nice visit and then I left and headed home, stopping at the Safeway to get some milk.

Once I was home, my friend Barbara came over for about an hour.  She brought me a card and a gift and offered to take me out for a bite to eat but I was still so stuffed from lunch...I felt I couldn't eat a thing.

I got a couple more phone calls from friends this evening and then watched a movie ("Love Actually" with that naughty boy Hugh Grant).  

The wind is really kicking up out there, a couple times I was afraid my house was going to be lifted up and carried away.  The temperature was up around 48 degrees during the day on Friday, but now it's dropped to 40 degrees and along with the wind gusts, there's rain. 

Well, here it is after 1 o'clock in the morning, I think it's time for this old hen to turn in for the night. 

By the way Guido, I loved your comment; 21 years old with 45 years of experience.  That's a good one.    I usually say I'm 29 not counting weekends....until next time, Linda

On Getting Old

Note; I've recieved this in email form several times in the last few weeks, from "old" friends~decided to share it with you all, today  Linda

 

The other day a young person asked me how I felt about being old. I was taken aback, for I do not think of myself as old. Upon seeing my reaction, she was immediately embarrassed, but I explained that it was an interesting question, and I would ponder it, and let her know. Old Age, I decided, is a gift. I am now, probably for the first time in my life, the person I have always wanted to be. Oh, not my body! I sometime despair over my body, the wrinkles, the baggy eyes, and the sagging butt. And often I am taken aback by that old person that lives in my mirror (who looks like my mother!), but I don't agonize over those things for long. I would never trade my amazing friends, my wonderful life, my loving family for less gray hair or a flatter belly. As I've aged, I've become more kind to myself, and less critical of myself. I've become my own friend. I don't chide myself for eating that extra cookie, or for not making my bed, or for buying that silly cement gecko that I didn't need, but looks so avante garde on my patio. I am entitled to a treat, to be messy, to be extravagant. I have seen too many dear friends leave this world too soon; before they understood the great freedom that comes with aging. Whose business is it if I choose to read or play on the computer until 4 AM and sleep until noon? I will dance with myself to those wonderful tunes of the 60 and 70's, and ifI, at the same time, wish to weep over a lost love ... I will. I will walk the beach in a swim suit that is stretched over a bulging body, and will dive into the waves with abandon if I choose to, despite the pitying glances from the jet set. They, too, will get old. I know I am sometimes forgetful. But there again, some of life is just as well forgotten.. And I eventually remember the important things. Sure, over the years my heart has been broken. How can your heart not break when you lose a loved one, or when a child suffers, or even when somebody's beloved pet gets hit by a car? But broken hearts are what give us strength and understanding and compassion. A heart never broken is pristine and sterile and will never know the joy of being imperfect. I am so blessed to have lived long enough to have my hair turning gray, and to have my youthful laughs be forever etched into deep grooves on my face. So many have never laughed, and so many have died before their hair could turn silver. As you get older, it is easier to be positive. You care less about what other people think. I don't question myself anymore. I've even earned the right to be wrong. So, to answer your question, I like being old. It has set me free. I like the person I have become. I am not going to live forever, but while I am still here, I will not waste time lamenting what could have been, or worrying about what will be. And I shall eat dessert every single day. (If I feel like it)

Another Year Older

It's true, January 4th is my birthday.  I admit to turning 66...there's just no use trying to fool anyone.  I'm not a "spring chicken" anymore...I'm a true "old hen."

The story that I was told is that my dad was working 12 hour shifts as a train dispatcher, from 7pm until 7am. So mom was home alone when she realized that the time had come.  There was no one who could take her to the hospital, so she called a cab.  She told me, even though dad wasn't able to be there, she felt at home once she checked in, because she had been working in the Maternity Ward there (she was a registered nurse) and knew all the staff.  She tried to hang on until dad could get off work but I didn't wait.  I was born at 5:27am, Sunday morning, January 4, 1942.  Dad raced to Tacoma General Hospital, as soon as he was relieved at work, to be at mom's side. I was looking in my baby book this afternoon and it's dad's writing that filled in all the details. He must have been a proud dad.  Usually it's the mom that does that. He even wrote in my birth weight (7 lbs 8oz) and height ( 1 foot 8-1/2 inches)...that made me laugh...mom would have written 20-1/2 inches.

I noticed an interesting note in the back of my baby book; mom wrote "registered on January 29, 1942 with D.A.R. at McCarver School.  Identification to be used in case of air raids.  Number 9356."     I'll have to do some research on that. 

I'm so thankful, that I was born to William (Bill) and Edythe (Edy)Smith.  They were the best parents anyone could ever ask for. 

My darling grand daughter and son-in-law stopped by and brought me a lovely card with 2 gift cards and......a beautiful white cake with lemon filling that Meghanne made.  There's a beautiful mauve rose that came with it and rose petals on and around the cake.  Thank you again Meghanne...I cut a piece of it and it's yummy.