On The Road

How cute are these.   Look likes Queso, Angie's dog is ready for a feast.  Maybe  they were boxed and taken with them on their trip down to California this weekend.

Angie took a picture to show how hot it really was on the highway

This is part of the holiday traffic .  I've been on this road many  times as we headed up to Reno from Sacramento.

A truism

Sheila made a sausage and basil sandwich for her breakfast ; looks delicious.  Wonder where she got that bread;  um. . . looks good enough to eat..

A new Monday to start your week off;   still thick pea soup fog and the joints are all letting me know that dampness is the name of the game.  It will clear and be beautiful later so patience and fortitude as I start using some of my seconds today.   Have much to do as Pat and I plan a trip up to visit daughter Christine.  We leave tomorrow so if you do not get a blog you know I am enjoying a vacation . . 'on the road again', la, la, la....and I will take my camera along with me.  

We got some of the treasures packed up and ready for the thrift store.   Hopefully we will finish up today and I will say good by to yard sales.    I never thought Katrina would go that far, but mother nature has caught up with the old body, leaving a mind that works when it wants to, fingers that move with a little encouragement and legs that  keep saying 'enough, enough'.  We celebrated and found a new restaurant in town and discovered it was not just a bar as first advertised.  They do make their own brews but they also have a chef that knows his stuff.  The service was a bit slow but worth the wait in the long run.  The fresh halibut and the scallops were a taste bud awakening while the vegies were cooked to perfection.  The chowder is excellent so we have a new place to go when we want to celebrate or just don't feel like cooking a big dinner.    The prices were reasonable too, so we are going to go back one evening soon and try their steak.  So treat yourself to a dinner out and give your pots and pans a break.    A family member or a friend may want to join you, in fact, may even treat;  a good deed for the day.    Behave, be good, be kind, be gentle and mind your manners while I am vacationing.   I'll be back.   Practice your bear hugs several times a day, and be sure you smile with your eyes.  Your eyes, the windows of your soul . . . um . . . now that tells a lot .   Hugs t o all.

All Over

Ah, a quiet sunset.

This could be our Emma but she likes t here balls and is working on four.

Something new and cute and tasty and non fattening.  I'll go for that. 

And the celebration is over and summer vacation comes to mind.  I'm ready for a change.

The sixth day of July and the Yard Sale is over as far as having folks drop in and check out the treasures.  It was amazing to see some of the folks choose select pieces and be so happy to own them.   One little girl walked off with a Barbie doll and her second choice was a relic bone that looked like a small dog.  Her mother wasn't sure of that particular piece but her daughter may grow up to study anthropology.   Some of the men folk were funny hoping to find tools or something man like, all that fancy glass had no draw as far as they were concerned.   We had streamers of yellow caution tape strung across John's possessions and his Marylyn  Munroe poster attracted many but it was a definite 'not for sale' item.   I wrote to John to ask if he was interested in selling any of his 'stuff' and got a resounding 'leave my stuff alone';  guess he wasn't in a yard sale mood.    All in all we three ladies were exhausted at the end of a two day sale.   Today is clean up day and we are all sore and tired and don't want to move but it has to be done so we can take advantage of Jock and his big truck this week.  Thank God for Jock, what would we do without him . . . hope we never find out.  

So if you do decide to part with your treasures, be sure you look them over carefully, wash them up and price them, wrap them and put them away in a special box so when the day comes you decide to have your sale you will be way ahead of the game.    My vases went over big and all the pretty ones have found new homes.   One lady bought my San Francisco pencil pictures which were really a work of art and was so delighted with them she paid me double my price, said it was worth it to her.    Another man let his son pick out three magazine type books on nature, fish and animals and paid more than we were asking as he said they were well worth it.   You meet all kinds and we enjoyed the folks.   Found a possible new yard man;   a handy man and a new lady friend who takes her walker around our block every day and wants to stop by and have tea with me.    So having a yard sale has many more advantages than disadvantages.  We did our good deeds along the way and the smiles were bright and beautiful.   One word of caution though, do it while your young enough to stand, walk, stoop and bend; other wise your legs cramp up in the middle of the night and remind you that 'the old gray mare ain't what she used to be'....believe me it hurts.  So go, have a great day and find reasons  to make your  smile bright and beautiful.  Hugs to all.

July 5th

We did and Emma was not happy with all that noise that shook the house and scared her.

She would rather be fishing and swimming in the river.   Instead she was invited over to Grandma's house to help with the yard sale ; yuck all those people and no one knows how to throw a Frisbee.    

A small area of the sale.    We set  up on Thursday and because there was another sale on our street we opened the garage doors and from early morning to late afternoon we had an influx of people coming by.   A lot of things moved;  but a lot of things did not.

So about an hour ago we started packing up and Pat, Emma and me, were too tired to finish up so moved what we could into the garage and tomorrow we can pack it up and Monday it will go to the doggie thrift store.    Most of the 'good stuff' went.   Marcia had less to work with so she boxed up, threw every thing into the back of her truck and took off for home.   She was happy with her two day sale.   I think we did pretty good. It really is hard work.   The folks were great, nice people come, a few not so nice and a few rag tail high on something looking for something for nothing.   Oh, and someone walked off with our free box and is contents AND the sign that said 'free';   sheesh!!!!  

I hope you all had a wonderful Fourth of July.  I hope  you all experience a yard sale so you will understand why I am saying and meaning..."No more yard sales for me"....I just don't have the stamina.   It is for the young and the restless.    Yes, we did a good deed or two . . . hope you did.   We did smile a lot. . . hope you did .    We even got a hug or two. . . hope you did.    Sleep tight.  I'm off to do a lot of nothing. Hugs to all.

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY

AND SO PROUDLY WE HAIL !!! 

Festive and cute for any table. 

The best dressed girl in town.   how about that hair do?   I'm humming 'Aint she sweet, walking down the street;  I ask you confidentially, aint she sweet'!!!

GO . . . CELEBRATE.....HOPE THE LAST BARRAGE IS A NOISY ONE.  EAT, DRINK AND BE MERRY AND MOST OF ALL BE PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN.

GO!!!   MAKE YOUR SECONDS COUNT . . . CELEBRATE!!!

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY . . . HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA

HUGS TO ALL 

Catching Up With Erin

A teacher  of ASL Sign Language

All dressed up in their Sunday best.

'and they crack me up!'

Granddaughter Erin, in Guyana, busy learning all about the children and opening a communication door for them.   

Now that is doing good deeds every day.   We are all very proud of Erin and can hardly wait for her Peace Corps time to be up so we can see her again.   Her hope is to continue on and get  her Masters Degree which means she will be off to a new place and then who knows where her path leads.    She is an excellent writer, so who knows she may write about her experiences of world travel and Peace Corps adventures.    I know she will have pictures as she is a really good photographer.   All in all this is one well rounded young lady who is doing her best to set her world on fire.    Yeah, I am bragging, isn't that what grandmother's are for???

Get  ready for the Fourth....tomorrow....how did it get here so quickly ?   I don't have a hot dog in the house, guess a trip to the store will keep me busy today.    How about you?  Got your list ready?  Go buy out the store of all those delicious goodies and invite some friends over and celebrate.  Don't forget to put out the flag.  While you are at it, don't forget one good deed today.    Light a candle, a 'roman' one will do.  Hugs to all. 

Truisms

AAH!!!!  Coffee, makes the world go around . . . well it does wake you up.  The Health Folks say for every cup of coffee you drink it is necessary to add a glass of water so you will stay hydrated.  Makes sense, slosh, slosh, slosh. 

I wouldn't trade one of my daughters for all of the gold in the world . . . having a grand daughter is very special too;  come to think of it having a granddaughter-in-law makes life so much better.   Oh, how lucky to have such ladies in my life.

A healthy dish of vegetables.   Mix and match what  you like, drizzle with some oil and spices, bake and enjoy. 

If it gets to hot, make yourself and ice bowl and keep your fruit snacks handy. That should cool you off.

Hump Day;  second of July and the valley got lots of heat yesterday while we had the fog roll in and kept us nice and cool.  Daughter Christine said she was melting up there in Port Orchard.   If all goes as planned, we will be off to visit her next week.   Time to take a little vacation and one of those slow rides up the coast with a stop at one of the little towns every thirty miles.   It takes more time to get where we are going but the ride is wonderful, calm, peaceful, beautiful scenery and lots of good places to stop.  Ice cream at the Tillamook Creamery;   Fish and Chips at the Dory;   a ride over the Columbia river on to country roads and old sights to revisit . . . that is if I can get Patricia to lift her foot of the pedal and stop.  She inherited her father's genes in driving and destinations . . . get in the car, put the key in the ignition, drive and don't stop until you reach your destination.   She is improving with age though, and is a bit more willing to stop and smell the roses.  Meanwhile the preparation for the yard sale continues and we look around and wonder if we lost our minds. . . never again . . . until the next time; smile!!

Stay cool, calm and collected, don't let the heat get  to you.  Find a nice quiet spot to hide out in.   Don't forget your good deed for today.   Fit in a couple if you can.    Smile with your eyes, share a hug or two and hum a lot. . 'three little words, that's all I live for, the rest of my days . . I love you' . . . Hugs to all.

Summer

Summer skies up in Nevada.  
I bet it was hot up there. We went up to 85 yesterday, hotter than we like.  I think I'll make a jug of sun tea today .

One of Angie's favorites...fuchsias, so colorful and beautiful.  

Peace, quiet and a low tide . . . aah!! 

Judy sent this picture along to show me the kind of siding she is going to put on the front of her house.  Faux brick.  A good idea as it will save a paint job later.   Looks like a warm day in Colorado. 

A truism.

So go enjoy your July First , stay cool if the weather has turned hot, hot, hot.   Pat, La Verne and I went over to Poncho's for the mini tostada (chicken, whole pinto beans, salad lettuce and a big blob of sour cream) and to cool down as we went all the way up to 85 yesterday and it was not comfortable after our week of fog and rain showers.  Any excuse will do to go out for dinner and just let someone else do the cooking and cleaning up.    Actually we spent a lot of time out in the garage sorting and setting up for the upcoming yard sale.   Marcia and La Verne have joined in so it is going to be a big busy affair. 

Not a leaf stirring out there;  guess I will stir me and go make my coffee and have some breakfast before I go out and start pricing and put those tiny stickers on everything.   If you are in the neighborhood stop in, I'll give you a pen and some stickers to play with.  

Don't forget one good deed today;   one big smile for everyone you meet, and a big bear hug for those  you greet.   Bend the knee and say a prayer for America to survive the onslaught .  This Administration is determined to make us a third world country and are on the road to success.  Well, let us fool them and show them we are not afraid of 'the poor and huddled masses' , our ancestors  were of the first  wave  and made this country great, now history is repeating itself and it is up to each and every one of us to stand up and be counted.   The new wave of children is wrong, children should not be separated from their parents.  They should be sent back to their family and along with the return ticket  we should see that the right people get money to help these folks live a good life in their own countries.    It would mean getting rid of bad politicians and cartels . . . it is about time.   We could start with a few right here.  So bend the knee ask for guidance and take a few of your seconds to be good to yourself today.  Hugs t o all.