Sunday, January 11, 2009
A MEME FROM TRACI
From Traci (My Like As A Transplanted Yankee) another Meme.
Just boldface the items that you HAVE done, and leave the rest normal…. If you end up doing it, leave Traci (& me) a link so we can come see!
1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland/world
8. Climbed a mountain.
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33 Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal in a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris (what's with all of the Paris questions?!)
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Gotten flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets, or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check (it's been years)
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job (best thing that ever happened to me)
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating (ew!)
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a lawsuit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
Just boldface the items that you HAVE done, and leave the rest normal…. If you end up doing it, leave Traci (& me) a link so we can come see!
1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland/world
8. Climbed a mountain.
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33 Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal in a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris (what's with all of the Paris questions?!)
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Gotten flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets, or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check (it's been years)
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job (best thing that ever happened to me)
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating (ew!)
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a lawsuit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
Sunday Sidenotes
It's Sunday, the weekend is almost over for those that work & go to school. Our heavy rain has stopped...but we're still have intermittent showers. Interstate 5 that was closed south of here, opened up Friday afternoon. I understand hundreds of semi truck were waiting in line at both ends of the closure. For over 48 hours they had to just sit & wait it out. Still this morning, there are many rivers in flood stage thru out western Washington.
The warm temperatures we experienced down here in the lowland, turned the snow to rain in the mountains too, so besides heavy rain~the snow pak began to melt, causing the rivers to run wild and overflowing right from the source. Those conditions also caused numerous avalanches , with hillsides coming down on highways, and cabins and other buildings sliding off their foundations. The two pictures below were sent to me in an email. So I'm not sure of their source. Snoqualmie Falls is up near the summit of Snoqualmie Pass (Interstate-90). Even during normal weather the 268 foot fall on the Snoqualmie River is a breath taking sight to over a million visitors each year.
And this was Jim's~2 enchiladas, one chicken, one beef, with refried beans & rice. And lot's of cheese. I always ask "easy on the cheese, please."
And finally~ oh this is a sleeping kitty. LOL ! She had her nose in her blanket when I left the house so I got my camera out & took a picture of her as I was leaving. 
Bob and his California daughter were going to head south Saturday morning but since the highway was closed, they decided to wait until this morning. Friday we were not positive if the highway would open at all this weekend but then they opened it Friday afternoon. Meanwhile, both of them made plans for Saturday so Sunday morning was set for "blast off." She got here a little after 7am this morning and they put his stuff in the vehicle and were pulling out of the driveway at 7:30am. He had flu like symptoms during the night, so left with some plastic bags and a coke. You know that flat coke is very good for an upset stomach...even my pediatrician ordered it for my kids when they were little and sick to their stomach. I gave him 2 of those large red plastic cups and as Hope was pulling out of the driveway, he had opened the Coke and was pouring it back & forth to get the fizz out of it. A friend of Hope's mom was riding along as far as Redding, CA. So there will be 3 of them to chatter as they drive along today. If the weather cooperates they could get to Redding very late tonight. But if Siskiyou Pass (northern California) is bad, they'll be stuck in Medford or Ashland, Oregon tonight.
The warm temperatures we experienced down here in the lowland, turned the snow to rain in the mountains too, so besides heavy rain~the snow pak began to melt, causing the rivers to run wild and overflowing right from the source. Those conditions also caused numerous avalanches , with hillsides coming down on highways, and cabins and other buildings sliding off their foundations. The two pictures below were sent to me in an email. So I'm not sure of their source. Snoqualmie Falls is up near the summit of Snoqualmie Pass (Interstate-90). Even during normal weather the 268 foot fall on the Snoqualmie River is a breath taking sight to over a million visitors each year.
But when the rain is falling & the warm temperatures cause the snow to start melting, the results are amazing when you view the torrent of water going over the fall.
They showed Snoqualmie Falls many times on the news last week, so I can assure you....this is what it really looked like.
I had a great post birthday lunch yesterday with my son and his girlfriend. They took me to Mazatlan and we all had a yummy Mexican meal. I don't know what I was thinking~I took pictures of our food but not of Jim & Jeralyn who were sitting across from me. (Weird I know)
Below is mine, 2 chicken enchiladas, whole beans & rice.
And this was Jim's~2 enchiladas, one chicken, one beef, with refried beans & rice. And lot's of cheese. I always ask "easy on the cheese, please."And finally~ oh this is a sleeping kitty. LOL ! She had her nose in her blanket when I left the house so I got my camera out & took a picture of her as I was leaving. Bob and his California daughter were going to head south Saturday morning but since the highway was closed, they decided to wait until this morning. Friday we were not positive if the highway would open at all this weekend but then they opened it Friday afternoon. Meanwhile, both of them made plans for Saturday so Sunday morning was set for "blast off." She got here a little after 7am this morning and they put his stuff in the vehicle and were pulling out of the driveway at 7:30am. He had flu like symptoms during the night, so left with some plastic bags and a coke. You know that flat coke is very good for an upset stomach...even my pediatrician ordered it for my kids when they were little and sick to their stomach. I gave him 2 of those large red plastic cups and as Hope was pulling out of the driveway, he had opened the Coke and was pouring it back & forth to get the fizz out of it. A friend of Hope's mom was riding along as far as Redding, CA. So there will be 3 of them to chatter as they drive along today. If the weather cooperates they could get to Redding very late tonight. But if Siskiyou Pass (northern California) is bad, they'll be stuck in Medford or Ashland, Oregon tonight. Well, I guess that's all the news from here for now. I hope you all have had a good weekend and are ready for a new week. Until next time, Linda
You can see more information and pictures about the flooding here in Washington at; http://www.komonews.com/
Friday, January 9, 2009
GRANDMA'S HANDS
I got the following from a former co-worker, Connie. It is so sweet I just had to pass it on to my friends in Bloggerville. I hope you'll feel free to copy and pass this along to your friends and family. Linda
Grandma, some ninety plus years, sat feebly on the patio bench. She didn't move, just sat with her head down staring at her hands. When I sat down beside her she didn't acknowledge my presence and the longer I sat I wondered
if she was OK. Finally, not really wanting to disturb her but wanting
to check on her at the same time, I asked her if she was OK. She raised her head and looked at me and smiled. 'Yes, I'm fine, thank you for asking,' she said in a clear voice strong.
'I didn't mean to disturb you, grandma, but you were just sitting here staring at your hands and I wanted to make sure you were OK,' I explained to her.
'Have you ever looked at your hands,' she asked. 'I mean really looked at your hands?' I slowly opened my hands and stared down at them. I turned them over, palms up and then palms down. No, I guess I had never really looked at my hands as I tried to figure out the point she was making. Grandma smiled and related this story:
'Stop and think for a moment about the hands you have, how they have served you well throughout your years. These hands, though wrinkled shriveled and weak have been the tools I have used all my life to reach out and grab and embrace life. 'They braced and caught my fall when as a toddler I crashed upon the floor. They put food in my mouth and clothes on my back. As a child, my mother taught me to fold them in prayer. They tied my shoes and pulled on my boots. They held my husband and wiped my tears when he went off to war. 'They have been dirty, scraped and raw, swollen and bent. They were uneasy and clumsy when I tried to hold my newborn son. Decorated with my wedding band they showed the world that I was married and loved someone special. They wrote my letters to him and trembled and shook when I buried my parents and spouse. 'They have held my children and grandchildren, consoled neighbors, and shook in fists of anger when I didn't understand. They have covered my face, combed my hair, and washed and cleansed the rest of my body. They have been sticky and wet, bent and broken, dried and raw. And to this day when not much of anything else of me works real well these hands hold me up, lay me down, and again continue to fold in prayer. 'These hands are the mark of where I've been and the ruggedness of life. But more importantly it will be these hands that God will reach out and take when he leads me home. And with my hands He will lift me to His side and there I will use these hands to touch the face of Christ.'
I will never look at my hands the same again. But I remember God reached out and took my grandma's hands and led her home. When my hands are hurt or sore or when I stroke the face of my children and husband I think of grandma. I know she has been stroked and caressed and held by the hands of God.
I, too, want to touch the face of God and feel His hands upon my face.
When you receive this, say a prayer for the person who sent it to you, and watch God's answer to prayer work in your life. Let's continue praying for one another.
Grandma, some ninety plus years, sat feebly on the patio bench. She didn't move, just sat with her head down staring at her hands. When I sat down beside her she didn't acknowledge my presence and the longer I sat I wondered
if she was OK. Finally, not really wanting to disturb her but wanting
to check on her at the same time, I asked her if she was OK. She raised her head and looked at me and smiled. 'Yes, I'm fine, thank you for asking,' she said in a clear voice strong.
'I didn't mean to disturb you, grandma, but you were just sitting here staring at your hands and I wanted to make sure you were OK,' I explained to her.
'Have you ever looked at your hands,' she asked. 'I mean really looked at your hands?' I slowly opened my hands and stared down at them. I turned them over, palms up and then palms down. No, I guess I had never really looked at my hands as I tried to figure out the point she was making. Grandma smiled and related this story:
'Stop and think for a moment about the hands you have, how they have served you well throughout your years. These hands, though wrinkled shriveled and weak have been the tools I have used all my life to reach out and grab and embrace life. 'They braced and caught my fall when as a toddler I crashed upon the floor. They put food in my mouth and clothes on my back. As a child, my mother taught me to fold them in prayer. They tied my shoes and pulled on my boots. They held my husband and wiped my tears when he went off to war. 'They have been dirty, scraped and raw, swollen and bent. They were uneasy and clumsy when I tried to hold my newborn son. Decorated with my wedding band they showed the world that I was married and loved someone special. They wrote my letters to him and trembled and shook when I buried my parents and spouse. 'They have held my children and grandchildren, consoled neighbors, and shook in fists of anger when I didn't understand. They have covered my face, combed my hair, and washed and cleansed the rest of my body. They have been sticky and wet, bent and broken, dried and raw. And to this day when not much of anything else of me works real well these hands hold me up, lay me down, and again continue to fold in prayer. 'These hands are the mark of where I've been and the ruggedness of life. But more importantly it will be these hands that God will reach out and take when he leads me home. And with my hands He will lift me to His side and there I will use these hands to touch the face of Christ.'
I will never look at my hands the same again. But I remember God reached out and took my grandma's hands and led her home. When my hands are hurt or sore or when I stroke the face of my children and husband I think of grandma. I know she has been stroked and caressed and held by the hands of God.
I, too, want to touch the face of God and feel His hands upon my face.
When you receive this, say a prayer for the person who sent it to you, and watch God's answer to prayer work in your life. Let's continue praying for one another.
FOOD FRIDAY
It's that time again~time for Food Friday. The recipe I'm posting today is an easy one, one the kids can make with mom or dad's help. 
Muddy Mounds
1 stick butter
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup cocoa
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 cups quick rolled oats
1 cup chopped nuts
1 cup coconut (optional)
Combine sugar & cocoa in saucepan and mix well. Add butter and milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly just until mixture boils. Remove from heat. Add vanilla. Stir in remaining ingredients. Drop by teaspoons full on wax paper. Cool and enjoy.
Muddy Mounds1 stick butter
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup cocoa
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 cups quick rolled oats
1 cup chopped nuts
1 cup coconut (optional)
Combine sugar & cocoa in saucepan and mix well. Add butter and milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly just until mixture boils. Remove from heat. Add vanilla. Stir in remaining ingredients. Drop by teaspoons full on wax paper. Cool and enjoy.
Thursday, January 8, 2009
The Rain Has Stopped For Now~But There's Still Water Everywhere!
The rain has stopped for now, but there's standing water everywhere. People have been evacuated from their homes, some are still stranded in their homes and roads and Interstates are closed ~ it's a mess here in western Washington. I have some friends who have had water coming into their basement (their bedrooms are there) since just very early Wednesday morning. There are 3 of them living there and they have been using wet/dry shop vacs and pumps almost continuously since about 5am Wednesday to suck up the water coming in. A twenty mile stretch of Interstate 5 is still closed south of here, near Chehalis (same thing happened there last year) and they are saying in some places there is 10 feet of water over the highway. This is the only route between the Seattle are and Portland. They are saying there are hundreds of semi trucks lined up, waiting to get thru. A one day delay creates a loss of approximately 4 million dollars in revenue when that many trucks can't get thru. All the mountain passes are still closed too, so there's more delays on the east-west route here in our state.
I am so blessed to live where I live. Right here in my little spot~things are ok. I had some puddles in the driveway and on the road out in front of me but nothing major. Even a couple leaks from the gutters are gone because Bob did some caulking last summer and fixed them.
Since Bob is leaving again Saturday (if I-5 opens up that is) he brought another load of wood in from his place and it's piled out in the wood corral out on my carport. He had used some timbers to support the carport when the snow was so heavy. He since has removed them but they are also piled out there, so that if it snows again, I can have a couple of the neighbor guys and/or my son put them up to keep the carport from caving in.
Meanwhile we had a few sun breaks today~very welcome sun breaks I might add and then temperature has dropped significantly. Last night late it was 52* and now just after 12 noon it's only 46* out there.
If you're interested in seeing some more coverage on our flooding check out KOMO TV's web site; http://www.komonews.com/
Stay warm & dry.....Linda
I am so blessed to live where I live. Right here in my little spot~things are ok. I had some puddles in the driveway and on the road out in front of me but nothing major. Even a couple leaks from the gutters are gone because Bob did some caulking last summer and fixed them.
Since Bob is leaving again Saturday (if I-5 opens up that is) he brought another load of wood in from his place and it's piled out in the wood corral out on my carport. He had used some timbers to support the carport when the snow was so heavy. He since has removed them but they are also piled out there, so that if it snows again, I can have a couple of the neighbor guys and/or my son put them up to keep the carport from caving in.
Meanwhile we had a few sun breaks today~very welcome sun breaks I might add and then temperature has dropped significantly. Last night late it was 52* and now just after 12 noon it's only 46* out there.
If you're interested in seeing some more coverage on our flooding check out KOMO TV's web site; http://www.komonews.com/
Stay warm & dry.....Linda
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