Happy Halloween!!

May the ghosts, the goblins and the wee creatures of the night give you scary delights. 

An attachment came in yesterday with English Pub signs to cheer us up.   A bit of Guinness could do that or is this the time of year that black dregs beer comes to the table.    That one about buying one beer for the price of two reminds me Fred Meyer grocery prices.  You know the one buy a roast for so much and get one free, but  you pay twice the price for the first one.  There are some folks that think we do not have a brain in our head.    Be aware.   I'm on my soap box about the vegetables as I had to throw away a sweet potato and an onion this week.  Guess I will have to think about not shopping weekly.  I will have to go two or three times a week and just choose what items I need for that day.    Such waste and it is never cheap, high priced when they have fresh vegetables from a dollar ninety nine a pound to two dollars and forty nine cents a pound.  We can't afford a piece of Hubbard squash any more.    Yesterday we took a ride over to Safeway in Crescent City and the prices were amazing, sure gives our Rays store a run for its money.   No Bell seasoning but they did have plain Sage for four dollars;  sheesh . . .  we will have to form a neighborhood exchange day when we plan our Thanksgiving dinner and share the seasonings.   Some of my tales never change.   I feel like I have told this tale a dozen times and I probably have.   I am outraged  to think that we are all taken advantage of.  Paying the price for quality has never been a problem.  Paying the price for a gleaner's market is another tale in itself.    I am afraid it is not going to get better after the months of drought in the midlands this year.   Didn't someone once say the experts were coming out with a pill we could take to feed ourselves.  Better not as we probably couldn't afford the pill.   So on to bigger and better things....Halloween...today, the last day of October, 2014.  A rainy day here so the little ghosts and goblins may head into the events in town.   I found a good hiding place for some of the little chocolate bars I bought for treats.  Now, all I have to do is find it.   

So dress up and knock on a neighbor's door.   Be a spook with a grin and a hug and share some of that candy.   Hugs to all.

Good Morning!

Fall colors.   Pumpkins everywhere.   Fred Meyers store has pumpkins of all sizes and colors and I picked up a small turban pumpkin that turned out to be delicious.   It was going to be a table decoration but I needed a vegetable to go with my dinner and decided to try it out.  I have to tell you it was delicious.

One more day and we have Spook Day . . . Halloween . . . there has been  a lot of plans made for the children of Brookings to have a safe and fun night.   We probably will not have many  at the door.    I have some candy ready .  I hope you are prepared and have some tiny goblins and ghosts visit your doorway.

There is a new puzzle on the puzzle board and it is going to be a tough one.   It is shelves of fancy tea cups with lace doilies and  a tea pot or two.  It is very pretty but I can tell it isn't going to be easy.  Friend Marcia brought over four, the 2,000 piece one I sent home with her.  I wouldn't mind doing one that size but it is impossible to spread the pieces out and it becomes a slow and arduous process to try and find the pieces.    A thousand pieces is more than enough when you have limited space.

Thursday is a good day to light candles .  All Saints Day follows Halloween which is really All Souls Day.    A good idea to remember those that have gone before us and a few petitions from your favorite saint may bring a change in your life.   St. Christopher may have fallen off the calendar, although I have no idea why, I think he does well in keeping us safe when we are on the road.  Then there is St. Elmo, the patron saint of the sailors and he is a good one to know if you are out on a little boat and a storm moves in unexpectedly.   I rely on St. Anthony to find things for me and he does a good job.   Saints and Sinners quite a combination.    So today, light a candle or two.   Be wise, be thrifty, be sociable, just be YOU.    Hugs to all. 

 

DNA

An attachment came in yesterday with  pictures, like those above, telling that DNA  tells every time. A truism, how cute, how clever and how wonderful that we all have inherited good genes with a little of the good as well as a little of the bad.  I wonder what  you would change if you had the opportunity.   I think I'd start with the feet .  How about you?

When  you get 'down to brass tacks' as the old adage goes, we should be thankful for what we did inherit and be proud that we are who and what we are.   Some spend a lifetime trying to be something they are not, changing themselves into  a current style that doesn't suit them at all.    Let us all be proud of who we are and work on perfecting ourselves into good human beings filled with a love that touches everyone we meet.  Let us be satisfied , complacent, ready to make our insides as beautiful as our outsides and 'shine'.Be happy you inherited all the good  and bad traits of your forebears as we are blessed with  a full heart and a lofty soul , all in the image of Christ himself.   Practice exercising all those smile muscles  showing off how beautiful you really are.   Put arm strength in your hugs.    Walk a mile to help a friend.   Share YOU with those you love and add a new friend whenever you can even if they  have not inherited your genes.    Reach out and touch someone, you just never know what you can learn  today. or what you can teach today.   Hugs to all.

Late!!!

You will have to agree that this is one of the best San Francisco pictures.  What a view.   What a town.  Tony Bennett comes to mind with "I left my heart in San Francisco"   I visited there a few times but never did get to see all I wanted to see, although I did get to take the tour bus around and caught up with some of the history.   I wonder how much it has changed since I last visited there.   I did get to see  "Cats" and enjoyed it.   It was strange to come out of the theater and find a mother with a small child sitting on the sidewalk begging.   That was many  years ago, wonder if there are still street people out  there late at  night.   The economy is such that there might be many more.   The big sea lions were many on the pier at Pier 39 and the vendors sold homemade jewelry on the sidewalks.    I remember being introduced to a "French 75" which is champagne and cognac  best served in an open stem glass.   The fish and chips were delicious and there was a desert , which I cannot remember the name of now, that was rich and decadent.   I never did get to ride the trolly,  wonder if they are still going.     Like Tony Bennett, I think I left a tiny bit of my heart in San Francisco.

Maybe you may find your way there one day and see the sights and enjoy all the town has to offer.  A good  place to travel to put on  your "Bucket List".    

My computer was off  last evening and again this morning.   All of a sudden I can get on the internet.  I have no idea what is going on, but I am happy to be able to blog and keep in touch with all of you.    I'm off to make my coffee and figure out what I want to do with my seconds today.    I think I will go on a hunt for some puzzles as Pat and I finished all we had.   They have all gone to new homes.  I think when Paula got hers she took one big sigh and thought "I'll never get this one done."   I assured her as bad as it looks, it really was a fun one.   Marcia tells me she has four to loan me.  I wonder if she knows how long they will be on loan.    Now that we seem to have our rainy season back, maybe they wont take long at all.   So think about putting a jig saw puzzle up and practice patience.   Yes, patience, puzzles can help you  stop, look and listen, that is if you do not put it back in the box too soon.    Try it, you may find that patience is a virtue, possess it if you can, seldom in a woman and never in a man.  Remember that old adage?   Come to think of it , I know a few men who really do have patience for golf,  a game of cards with the guys,  and  a little for their wives . . . now that is a two way street . . . better not go there!!   Ah, you are all good guys and gals;  go, enjoy your day and find a way to get a walk in hug or two.    Hugs to all.

New Week

How would you like to be up in the air in an airplane heading into this storm?   Bet  there was a lot of  shaking and quaking if the pilot couldn't get up over it or around it.    an awesome picture of Mother Nature 'speaking' out loud.

With all of our rain the bird house got a washing.  The spiders love it and make webs that are lovely to look at but not delightful to have hanging on such a lovely little house.   The porch got a washing just before the rains came so right now the floor boards look brighter and a lot cleaner.   That new kind of wood for porches is fine but it does tend to spot  and then it  has to be taken care of.   I thought the new materials for building were to be more beautiful and less work.   Live and learn.

A quiet weekend, sunshine  in between showers.   I found the Hallmark channel and introduced my self to some 'cute' movies.  There was and all day showing of "The Good Witch" series and they were delightful.  There were a couple of other light movies on , a chance to laugh out  loud and stay far away from the news channels.   I had grocery shopped in the early morning hours and have to laugh as Pat and I shop very early to avoid the big crowds.  When we go early we don't bump into crowds of people but crowds of workers filling shelves and have their big carts in the aisles.   It is never a big problem, you just go around them and choose the items you want .    The trip over to the meat department was an eye opener as the prices seem to double as you look at the packages.    I refuse to pay an outlandish price for a steak, and if hamburger keeps going up, they will have to keep it.  Trying to find a pork chop is hard too.   I'd become a true vegen but I can't afford the price of the vegetables these days.   Our food prices are going to do what the 'First Lady ' has been trying to accomplish with the school children.  We may all be on a perpetual diet without knowing it.   No problem for me as I have 'gone round' for years.   I decided on a yam and baked that for my dinner, then filled it with homemade applesauce.  If you haven't tried it, do . . . it's delicious.  

A new week to enjoy, ending with a Halloween Friday. . . get ready for you ghosts and goblins.    Be sure you leave the light on so they can find their way to your door.   Our town has a lot planned for the children so I may not see any.  I think there were two or three last year.   It really is a good idea to have the children gathered indoors away from possible peril.  There is much too much going on in our world to let your guard down.  Sad to say, the world has changed and the changes in our own communities tells  us that it  is not as safe as it once was.   Do your best to make your neighborhood a safe one.   Meanwhile make your seconds work for  you.   Don't forget the walk in hugs along with a silly grin on your face.  Hugs to all.

   

Good Saturday Morning

Something to brighten up your day.  Beautiful flowers growing on Jock's porch.

Here in Brooking s, Oregon this morning we woke up to a stormy morning with high winds that made the electricity  go out for some time.  I was prepared as I had my candles already on the table with a Halloween decoration;  two spooky candle holders filled and ready . . . but where were the matches....live and learn.  Luckily I remembered I had put some in the top drawer of the dining room cabinet and had a fun time lighting up the rooms with beautiful candle light.   The little clapper on the outside of the house was singing away and the wind howled . . yep, the winds talks when it has something to say .  I bet the waves were bouncing at the Port.     The sad part of the entire morning was that it didn't really last long enough to enjoy the quiet glow of the candles as the lights went back on within an hour and the TV let loose with its ads, ads, ads, . . . there should be something we could do about it .   It is getting worse all the time.   Six, eight , ten ads between   the actual programming.   I refuse to buy anything that is hogging my television time.    I can get on my soap box about ads on television, and on the radio as well as our computers.    Groan, moan, gripe. . . now that I got that out of my system I'll wish you a day without ads and some sunshine so you can shut everything down and go out side and enjoy fresh air and hopefully sunshine.   If it is raining, let a smile be your umbrella,  and get on with getting that first good deed done for today.   Patricia was over with a special breakfast treat and the newspaper ;  a special treat and her good deed for the day.    How lucky I am.

Enjoy your Saturday, relax and make good use of your chance to rest.   I'm not going out in this stormy wind, but will hunker down with a good book to read.  I'd put a puzzle up but there are no more in the closet.  That means a trip out to find some and that will be fun, but not until the storm passes.    It is time to think of stocking up on things to do when the weather comes in stormy.   This is when I'd like a fire place . . . hope you have one and use it.  Some folks wont use their fireplace because it leaves soot on the walls, or has to be cleaned or some other reason to just look and not enjoy...foolishness....there is nothing cozier than a nice fire in the fire place, a big chair, and a good book.    Well, on second thought, a little cuddling with your special person wouldn't hurt either . . .the choices are yours....make good ones.    Hugs to all.

 

Hello There!

Hello There . . .  What a cutie, comes to visit looking for something good to eat every day.   We have flocks of them and they sit on the electric wires and wait patiently for gulls or the ravens to leave and then they swoop down and get the best of the crumbs.  I hadn't noticed the beauty in the fence posts;  a matter of opening our eyes and looking.   I look at the fence and think we need to replace it, but looking at this picture I wonder why.

Here it is Friday, another week gone and we are almost to the end of October, seems like October just started .  Our rainy season seems to have decided to stay and the grass is getting greener by the day.   It is to wet to cut so maybe this rain will bring it back to normal and it will 'stay ' the winter months.

Erin and Donaleo leave us today and return to the Bay area.   Erin has been contacted about a job in the Salinas area so will check it out.   They have a rainy ride ahead of them today so will get an early start and try to beat the new storm heading our way.    We will miss having them here.   Yesterday, Donaleo was the chef for lunch and brought over the makings of  one of the special depression dishes his folks used when times were hard.   The bean is small, the color of a kidney bean, cooked for hours, then put into a blender and made into a re-fried  bean dish.   It is served with a special cream and cheese along with homemade tortillas.   Erin made the tortillas by hand , taught to her by Donaleo's grandmother.    Delicious, healthy and hardy and goes a long way.   

So today, find a special new recipe and give it a chance.   Serve something new and different and wake up the taste buds.  Make enough to share.   We were lucky this week as our friend Marcia made a special winter soup , much like a beef stew but it had a variety of vegetables and noodles in it.  Delicious and hit the spot.   that woman sure knows how to cook and loves it.  It is good to have willing taste buds to try new and different dishes, and better still when you have family and friends who want to share.   Sharing is caring....can't beat it.   Put a smile on your face and head for the kitchen.  Looks like a cookie baking day.   Good deed, good deed, good deed...yes, don't for get that as it is very important to some one person in your life.  Hugs to all.

Hello

What can I muse about when the computer is not responding to adding a picture or two.   Donaelo is a computer whiz and changed my computer yesterday and it  seemed to work really fast , then he left  and along with him went the smarts on how to get my pictures up.  Last time I went  into Pictures I had a dozen of the same picture and even at that I couldn't get one to transfer .   Oh the delights of being computer stupid.

We had a really good spaghetti feed.  I haven't made an all day sauce in a long while.  It smelled good and it was good.   Salad and garlic bread and then a small dish of mocha chocolate ice cream.   A veritable feast .  The left overs are in the freezer for another smaller feast next week.

Erin worked on getting the wedding pictures organized and will have the disc ready for the bride and groom soon.  There are a few teasers on the Facebook, so be sure you go and look and see what a really professional photographer she is.   She started early on the day of the wedding and went through until early evening taking special forever shots for the family.  Each one has a special meaning and each one will make a memory for a life time.

Donaleo made a video which he will present to the bride and groom a little later; he is thinking of a first  anniversary so they can sit back and reclaim their special day.   I'd like to see their faces when they get the video and the entire portfolio of their wedding.  

The downsizing continues both here and at Pat's home.   She has some of her favorite pieces on the Facebook this morning and it is sad to see.   she cannot move everything as she is also going into smaller quarters also.  We haven't heard any thing new so there is nothing to add to our move until every-thing falls into place.  I am thinking it will be late spring or early summer before we see or hear of any  final new quarters.   I am on the senior apartment list  and there is more searching for a place for Pat.  Like everything else, everything comes about in its own good time.  Meanwhile we continue on in different settings, unusual but not bad.  Basics are the necessities of life , then when it comes time to settle in, it will be such fun to see what new fashion designs will catch our eye and what new and bright objects will catch the eye.  

We talked to our "Woman of the Year" yesterday and she is working on her speech for the upcoming Saturday night dinner.   She is working on a minute speech and I bet she accomplishes what she sets out to do.   Short  and Sweet  will be the words of the evening.   Her friends think she should run for Mayor, her brother thinks she should go to Congress and straighten everything out .   Good idea, I'll vote for her.

So I'll end my 'review' of words today and wish you all a day of peace and contentment.   Don't let  the little stuff ruin your day, make sure it is big stuff you can sweep out the door and get on with your own plans for  today.    Wounded warriors need help which our Government should be giving them, not dollars for the peek at the skeleton of a fish.  Call a family member or a friend and find out how they are doing today.   Bake some thing special and share;  just get off your duff and do something you love to do and do it with a smile.   Hugs to all.

Heaven

The stacks at  Brookings, Oregon

Say a prayer my daughter Eileen and Pa.  Eileen was born on Pa's birthday.  They both passed on in the month of June, so maybe there is a special connection between these two souls.  I'd like to think that Pa is taking good care of her, just like he did me.

Yeah! And my coffee is brewing, so I think I'll go fill up my cup and wake up.

Not yet, but soon.  Hang in there.

Hump Day!!  For those of you who decorate for Halloween, be careful when you use the real pumpkins as son John tells me the squirrels are eating those he has on his doorstep.  He has tried putting some hot pepper on them hoping to save them but the squirrels just eat around It and have a feast.   I didn't know squirrels liked pumpkin.  I thought they were fond of nuts.   Meanwhile here in Brookings, I went out to pour the rain water out of the flower pots only to discover those 'meal bugs' had taken up residence under the flower pots.   Ugly little beasts that multiply while you move the pots.   I think they are called grubs.  I thought they loved dirt and rocks as they are all over the gardens. I'll have to find out what they do not like.   I think the spiders have taken over this year, webs everywhere.   I guess we finally realize or beautiful gardens draw all kinds of pests, we just don't know what good or bad they do, or at least I don't .  The webs are intricate and beautiful and I hate to destroy them but a brown recluse can do a lot of damage and a black widow can be lethal.   A prime example of the good and the bad.  So, today don't be bad, be good.  Find someone to hug today and make their day bright and beautiful just like YOU.  Hugs to all.

Good Morning

Here it is Tuesday, the 21st day of October and the month is flying by.   I ran out of pictures in my picture library this morning.  I had a few I had not used  up as yet, but they are all political and I am not sure I like the tone of some.  The political cartoons that make true fun of the politicians are good to share as they follow the path and thinking of the foolishness or the biased opinions of some.  Just gives us a leg up and keeps us apprised of what is going on.  Meanwhile,  I haven't been out for walks as the rains returned this week, so the camera stays in its case.   Not much going on anyway.   I think the 'mill' is going to build something on the big empty field they own but no one has heard any rumors as to what it might be.  

For those of you who love to read, I hope you will give Ken Follett's new Trilogy a chance, so far the first two have been well done.   There was a couple of pages about how the atom bomb came about which I found fascinating.   Unbelievable.   The rivalry between the United States and Russia, which, by the way, is still on going.  Now to find the third book and finish the stories.  I am waiting for a sale as the price on the last one was over thirty dollars, inflation at its best .

When my niece, Mary Beth, was here from Rhode Island she made some Cascadias, not sure of the spelling although I think a 'qu' is used, really delicious Mexican tortillas with chicken and vegetables, and salsa, and sour crème, and avocado. . .  YUM,  and, I made some that were delicious, good enough to make again.  

So if you have a rainy day, head for the kitchen and become 'creative';   make a special dish only you can make.   Weather is changing so it is time to take out your favorite soup recipes.   Baking weather coming up and that is always a special time of year. Stay busy, healthy and happy .  Be content.   Be wise.   Be gentle and kind.  Just be YOU.  Hugs to all.

 

Christine

ONLY CHRISTINE'S CATS ARE TWO JET BLACK CATS, VISITORS THAT STAYED TO BECOME FAMILY MEMBERS AND THE 'RULE THE ROOST '.

MY DAUGHTER CHRISTINE , WOMAN OF THE  YEAR.

PORT ORCHARD REALLY APREICATES A GOOD THING WHEN THEY SEE IT .  WHEN DAUGHTER CHRISTINE REACHES OUT SHE MANAGES TO TOUCH EVERYONE AND EVERYTHING.   HER INTELLECT IS STRONG AND HER HERT IS BIG AND IT DIDNT TAKE LONG FOR THE COMMUNITY TO REALIZE THEY HAD A VERY SPECIAL PERSON IN THEIR MIDST.

PROUD OF HER, YOU BET, BUT THAT HAS BEEN ONGOING FROM DAY ONE.   

Thinking

A new and clever picture for Cancer.  What a cutie and she says what she means and means what she says....let us think of those who are fighting cancer and help anyway we can. 

A truism, although sitting in a rocking chair does have a bit of comfort, a sort of time out and watch the world go by. 

A yellow rose always reminds me of  my daughter Eileen. 

A price we pay for overdoing 'free will'.   The time to wise up is now, not at some future date when it is much to late to undo all the damage to body and soul.

A wake up call.  It is never to late to put a few self control rules in order.   The start of a new week is a good time to think about some changes you would like to make in  yourself and get busy in remodeling.  Be a 'ten' and give yourself reason to be proud of  YOU.   Shorten the list of 'maybe' into 'can do' and do it.   Be kind, be gentle, be one who shares  time and energy , a hug, a smile to those  you love.     Maybe you could change the sign to read MON-Coffee clatch;  TUE-Spouses night out;  WED-gluttony is a sin; THU-clear minds; FRI-seconds are precious; SAT-donate time and money.  SUN-Meet and Greet and change the negatives to positives and get on with the business of living.  There is nothing that says we cannot try to make our little corner of the world bright and beautiful one day at a time.  Hugs to all.

Good Morning

Old Europe, a street in Italy.

 A meteor shower, picturesque I'd say, almost like fireworks on the Fourth of July.

It is your choice what you put into it .

A lovely orchid.

 It has been a frustrating week on this computer as sixteen updates were added and I have no idea why the experts think we need so many changes when everything is doing fine.   Since the updates I have had one problem or another either trying to sign in and get to my normal routine stops or find the print changing to a minute style that you would need a strong pair of glasses or telescope lens.   I sent son John an e mail this morning in the tiny print and as you can see he got in the back door and fixed whatever it was to get it back to readable.   I went into the edit area and tried marking the box to larger print and go nowhere.  Guess I don't have the right attitude. 

So today is Sunday, rest day, fun day for most.   I am looking forward to a salmon cookout today as Jock caught a huge one and is coming in to cook for us . . . the Grill Man . . . and what a terrific chef he is.  Pat makes a lovely salad to go with it and I will come up with a desert.

So take it easy today.  Have a cook out if you can as there wont be a lot of good weather in the winter months that are going to be here before we know it.   I heard the weatherman say there was a little snow on the mountain top yesterday.   October seems to be disappearing very quickly.    Halloween coming up and horror movies are on . . yuck. . . I'm a sissy, I don't like those movies.  I thought Frankenstein and Bella Lagose were horrible, but todays horror shows are much uglier, not my cup of tea.   To each his own.  

 

Speaking of attitude, make sure you have a good, better and best one today.   Church day today for those who attend, knee bending at home does a good job too. . . a prayer or two for those in need both physically and financially.   Facebook is becoming a begging outlet for some, sad to see, but there are places to go when help is needed.   Sending pleas on the computer is not the way to go.  Taking a family on the road in an old car and no money isn't a very good idea.  We all try to donate to the churches, the food bank, the thrift stores and lend a helping hand when we can,  begging has become a business for some .  Coffee calls.  I'm off with my  hard heart and miserly outlook, sheesh, talk about attitude . . . better go change mine, although I still think there is help out there for those in need, how about YOU?   Hugs to all.

 

Hi there

A lovely picture of the sunrise . . . Good morning.

So There!!!!

Hey, look what I did . . . what a cutie.

Saturday, the start of your weekend, wonder what is in store for us.   We had rain yesterday so maybe our rain is back to stay awhile, at least  we can hope so as we have had a long wait for it  to return.   The lady who as interested in my antique oak bed came to get a look at it and loved it, thought it was really  gorgeous,, and it is, but it is to small for her.  She would need a queen or a king size as she said her significant other was larger than she and she was one very tall and beautiful big lady.  So back to the drawing board, as the old expression goes. . . someone out there is looking for a standard size antique oak bed.   My downsizing is coming along pretty good.  I'll be lost without my dust collection . . . on second thought, no I wont.   I am getting used to the so called 'modern' look.   Less is roomier . . . space . . . um. . . wonder if there is a yard sale today!!!  Come to think of it we stopped at one yesterday and the man was a book collector and was giving away paperbacks for free.  Yes, I came home with at least ten.  I actually bought a hard back for the political collection I started for son John some years back.  He will have some really good reading when he retires.   This man is an author of a book called "Chetco" which is the history of this area but sells for forty dollars, a beautiful book and worth it but I'll keep my eye open for it at a yard sale.   There is nothing cheap about me. . . smile.   

So if you have a rainy weekend, find  a cozy nook and grab a good book to read.   Put your feet up, don't forget a cold drink and a snack or two.  Hunker down and enjoy the peace and quiet and get lost in a world all its own.   I am up to page 574 of my 900 page book so you know what I am up to today.   But, before you get too cozy, get that good deed done, light a candle and bend your knee. . . and hug someone you love.  Hugs to all.

Hi there

OOH Look!

A cricket, never thought I'd say a cricket was beautiful but this one is.  Look at that color and the silver crown, a real oddity Jennifer found in her garage the other day.

I heard from Sue and received this picture of her daughter Hillary and husband with the smallest members of the family.  My pen pal of over sixty years was the grandmother  and great grandmother of this beautiful group . . . cousins. . . family. . . love.  How proud she would have been and I'd be receiving letters with glowing reports on each one.



Bob and Andrea always have a project going.   Bob finished the valances and this one has lights, how lovely and what a tremendous job.   What a view!

When Bob and Andy finished up working so hard they took a day or two to go hiking and chose Sedona to do it.  Arizona at is best.   Red rock, ancient tree, a sunshine day , fun in the sun and that is the way it should be.     

Another rock they passed by.   Study  this picture for awhile and I am sure you can find a lot of hidden art.  I see camels, a pharaoh, a lyre  a bit of Egypt left behind in Arizona territory.

Donaleo came to visit me yesterday and I got out my travel books.  He has traveled the world yet has not had the opportunity to get to Ireland and that was my very first trip overseas.   It was back in 1998 and it has probably changed a lot over there but my pictures, although taken with a very old type camera, were still  seeable and showed all of the places I had visited.  He sat and read my words and laughed and enjoyed the trip and I did too.   I have three other books with words and pictures as I was lucky enough to get to the Heart of Europe and to return for an England, Scotland and Ireland trip which was my last one.  I would have gone again as I have always wanted to see Rome but the feet gave out and it takes so long to save money for the trips.  Not complaining, I was lucky I got to go and see all I did.  He intends to come back over and enjoy a memory trip with me all over again, this time we will take the Inland Passage to Alaska, he hasn't been there  yet .   .  I hope when you go on vacations and have travels to your favorite places,  you take time to snap pictures and then write up your daily experiences.  It is fun to relive a happy time in your life and share it with those you love.   If  you have a strong desire to travel, don't wait, go while you have good health and especially good feet.   

 

We may have some more rain today and that is fine with me.   My yellow mums are popping out and should be beautiful.   I might even take a picture of them.   Go, be bright and beautiful today;  share YOU with family and friends.   Kisses and Bear Hugs . . . share . . . I'll be waiting, first in line . . . Hugs to all.

Beauties

How true, how wonderful, how we miss those who have moved on and how much we love the new friends who come into our lives... how lucky we are!

Meet the new pup granddaughter Amy is holding.   I am waiting to meet both of them.  Cuties, you have to admit.

Remember orchids?   Here is a grouping the Orchid folks came up with. 

and now we know. 

A bike trail here in Oregon.  Looks like a winner.   Wish I could ride a bike again, but you need balance for that and mine has begun to disappear.

Thursday all day, hopefully a good day to entertain Erin and Donaleo who arrived last evening.  They had a sunshine ride up from San Francisco and enjoyed the views.   Both look terrific and Donaleo laughs a lot when I get to talking.  The Boston accent, which I think I lost, seems to be right out there in his ears.   He isn't used to my  'speech' and gets a big grin on his face, if not a big outward laugh.  A few of my expressions, which he never heard, has him thinking of a pen and paper to keep track of them.   I am a comedian, I didn't know that.   They are coming back today to read my travel stories and look at the pictures.  They have traveled extensively but not to where I did, so they should find it interesting and maybe make plans to visit some of those places later.  Oh to have the money and the youth to go visit all the different beautiful historical spots in our world, and the people who live so differently than we do.  So put on your thinking cap, save your pennies and buy a ticket to some place you have always wanted to see.  Don't wait until 'someday' as that never does get here.   Make a plan, and go. . . but meanwhile don't forget one good deed today, someone needs your attention for a second or two.  Smile with your eyes and open up those arms, bear hugs make you strong!  Hugs to all. 

Age

Yep, I'm old school .  a lot of folks agree as this was on Facebook yesterday.

Low tide, a walk around the big rocks and a good look at the barnacles. 

Do you know that you really keep this feeling as you age.    

A truism.

Oh it has its ups and downs but for the most part there are always reasons to make one giggle, laugh out loud. especially when  you have family and friends to spend your seconds with.    

A Fall photograph of Mt. Hood and the pear trees.   Lovely to look at and those pears are delightful to taste.   Harry and David fill thousands of orders every holiday season.   I've had some of the Washington pears and they really are delicious.

Hump Day and we are heading for a second day of rain.  It poured yesterday leaving about two inches of rain here in Brookings.     Looked good and felt better.   I think we are in for another day or two of rain so maybe the season is back and we can relax as some of our folks have had a problem with drinking water.  When the rivers get low from lack of rain, the ocean tries to reclaim it and the drinking water becomes salty .   My tap water comes from a different area so I have not had a problem.   I had lunch at one of the restaurants at the Port last week and they served a glass of water which had the salty taste, unusual and not something you can acquire a taste for.   I should have suggested some lemon or vodka. 

I'm off to have my coffee and wake up.   As you know I have been down sizing, trying to get ahead of all of the 'things' I have added to my living quarters . . . my home is becoming unbalanced and is losing 'my' look.  The pictures on the living room wall are exchanged for different sizes and shapes and don't look too bad, just different.   The vases are almost gone so the color is missing.   My solid oak bed has been advertised and spoken for, may be gone before the month is over.   So everything is coming along slowly and surely so when the time comes to make a move I'll be ready.  So as a reminder of my 'junk' collector family and friends, look around now and see what is superfluous.   Everything has value, a treasure, a knick-knack, a dust collector, but makes a house a home.   We just don't need to own it all forever, besides just think of the fun of finding new and different as you go on to a 'new look'  . . . now to decide what kind of a new look .   Simple comes to mind, I'm much too old to keep up with all that dusting.   

Have a fun day, go and buy some of the bags of candy and get ready for Halloween.   I bought one small bag and put the candy in my candy dish and you know for one reason or another it  has disappeared, can't think of where it  all went , oh dear, guess I'll have to get some more and not open it.  

Thanks for the hugs . . . hope you filled your quota.    Don't forget one good deed for the day, be a merry sunshine and shine.  Hugs to all.

Hiking

The colors of Fall in New Hampshire 

My niece, Mary Beth, left from her visit here in Brookings to return home and get ready for a hike in New Hampshire.  Looks like it was a fun one. 

Hail, hail, t he gangs all here and ready for a break.

A familiar looking New Hampshire barn;  a shopping stop.

They only want the best. 

See, I told you so . . . Hugging makes the world go around.  I just keep telling you that.  Four hugs a day for survival;  um . . . think I'll start early today and see if I can get started.  Eight . . . well now let me see, ah, a few verbal ones will get the list going.  Twelve . . .I'll try and that will put a smile on my face.  Join me, see how many hugs you can give out today and know for every one you give you get one back, its automatic!  Have fun, you are already giggling thinking about who to 'attack'.   Hugs to all.