Ah ha, we now have internet – all with the help of a Planters peanut can……….Ken borrowed some software (and the peanut can) from Gary that in effect captures the signal from the antenna atop the office at the other end of the park. So it works like a charm and I am a happy camper – er peanut camper? Besides, I was in need of a bit of new décor for the dashboard, so the peanut can fills the bill.
We have visited back and forth catching up with the Ouseys, and other than some housecleaning, we have not done much of anything. Yesterday was cold and rainy, and it made me wish I had one of those gorgeous RVs with a fireplace, but we have had to make do with the furnace and a heater, which are actually quite adequate.
There is an interesting setup next door to us. A car that is covered, a 20+ year-old 15’ travel trailer, and a huge tent/gazebo setup that takes up ½ the entire site and creates a solid wall with a view of nothing outside our slide-out windows. But I guess with such a little trailer, one would have to have some overflow space. I saw the occupant for the first time this morning as she was walking her Pomeranian, and since she is a chain smoker, I imagine she spends a fair bit of time in the ‘gazebo’.
Casa Grande has a street fair this week end so we will take a look at that today, and go on to the outlet stores to see if I can find a swimming suit that won’t make my cry so I can go into the hot tub. There appear to be two Lutheran churches in the area, so we’ll see if we can find one for tomorrow.
Gary and Della Reinbold are staying nearby and came by for a short visit yesterday. I will have them over for dinner sometime next week. And Ken has talked to Daryl. They are in their usual spot, The Resort, in Mesa. Glenn and Nancy Reinbold are also at The Resort, and after about two years of pondering, they have purchased a park model that they will move into tomorrow. I’m afraid there are too few months that are comfortable down here that I would want to own something that I felt compelled to visit. The RV suits us just fine.
We have heard from Brian, and he says it is cold, cold, cold. But his brief reports indicate that not only is the coffee very acceptable (and he is a pretty severe coffee critic) but dinner recently consisted of crab legs, steak, and gumbo. Well, they can’t fight a war on an empty stomach!!
Colleen missed a day of work last week as the result of yet another snowstorm in Puget Sound. Actually, I think all the roads were okay, but she couldn’t get in and out of Walnut Lane. She didn’t sound terribly disappointed to have to stay home with her dog and a fire in the fireplace. Her commute has approached two hours in the morning this past week, so I suspect she is going to get serious about finding a place to live nearer to her office on Queen Anne
Sunday evening
We went to the street fair yesterday where there were quite a few restored cars, vintage and otherwise, plus the usual booths with everything from kettle korn to jewelry. We did stop at the outlet mall, but I only purchased 3 books, and there were no swim suits to be had.
I think it will be IKEA and Trader Joe’s on Tuesday and the quilting, sewing, craft expo on Thursday.
Tonight it has been raining off and on and the temperature has been dropping throughout the evening and it is now 37.5!!!! There is snow from Tucson and to the east and south!!. We might not be able to go anywhere if the cold weather continues or we get snow!! Ciao
Sunday, January 21, 2007
Thursday, January 18, 2007
On the Road Again
January 15, 2007
We did get out of Steilacoom at 5 p.m. on Saturday and made it to the rest stop south of Portland. We fully expected a full house, but we were able to score our favorite site alongside a curb at the very back of the area. It is a great place to stop with Cooper, and he is now a happy camper to be on the road and away from the princess, Skyla. But he is never fully convinced that we aren’t going to go off and leave him someplace, so he spends most of the day on the sofa with his eyes only half closed until he can’t stay awake any longer.
Yesterday was a long day, and it began with Ken bounding out of bed at 5:30 am because he was concerned about getting through the Siskiyous before dark. We were under way by 6:30, made it through southern Oregon and northern California without incident and stayed last night at Rolling Hills Casino inear Corning. We made the mistake of going inside to eat, and it was somewhere between bad and terrible. The best part of my meal was the dinner roll and a piece of lemon meringue pie.
We have blue sky and sunshine this morning and have enjoyed looking at the thousands of snow geese that are wintering alongside the interstate in the rice fields. And just a mile down the road we came across a huge gathering of Canadian geese. A blue heron and a bunch of white egrets round out our morning’s quarry.
Craig, Cassie and Greta came for dinner on Friday night and to let Greta have yet another gift encounter. I think this is about number four by the time you count all her family. Ketih and Janet gave her a Gund puppy that she promptly named Peach and fashioned a leash for her from the ribbon from another gift – the Kon-nex (sp) toy that came from the Idaho Kirkwoods. Greta had made several creations with that before the evening was over.
The Baltimore Kirkwoods gave Ken satellite radio for Christmas, and we are thoroughly enjoying it. Between no commercials and constant reception, it is a delight. But then we managed to blow out one of the front speakers so there is a shopping project after we get to Arizona. I missed my Sunday night entertainment (Brothers and Sisters) because we were dry camping so I will have to see if I can resurrect it on the ABC website.
We aren’t sure how far we will get today; Bakersfield is too soon to stop, but the choices are far and few between after that. We doubt we will be in Casa Grande until sometime on Wednesday. In the meantime, we continue rolling down the road.
It is now Tuesday late afternoon, and we have decided to make a run for Casa Grande. Last night found us dry camping at Edwards AFB so we took advantage of the commissary and BX before leaving about noon today.. The drive into the San Bernardino/Redlands/Loma Linda area was all too familiar, but we arrived there this time in a different frame of mind. Actually, the area looked a bit less unappealing since a strong wind had blown most of the smog away and there seemed to be some green here and there.
The trip has been blissfully uneventful with no big scares or problems, and we are looking forward to getting set up and sitting still for a while.
Here we are on Wednesday afternoon with the sun streaming in the windows. We made very good time last night and arrived at Foothills West in Casa Grande before ten o’clock and got to bed about midnight. We are about 100 feet from where the Ouseys are, and I can see the back end of their rig with just a little walkway between us. We had coffee together this morning and caught up on each others’ news and Carolyn is cooking dinner for us tonight. Who could ask for more?
I need to get on with some much-needed housekeeping because there is black dog hair everywhere!! But Cooper seems unaffected by the turn of events and is in on the bedroom floor enjoying an afternoon snooze.
We don’t have an internet connection at our site, but I will save this to my memory stick and take it to Ouseys this evening to post. Ciao.
We did get out of Steilacoom at 5 p.m. on Saturday and made it to the rest stop south of Portland. We fully expected a full house, but we were able to score our favorite site alongside a curb at the very back of the area. It is a great place to stop with Cooper, and he is now a happy camper to be on the road and away from the princess, Skyla. But he is never fully convinced that we aren’t going to go off and leave him someplace, so he spends most of the day on the sofa with his eyes only half closed until he can’t stay awake any longer.
Yesterday was a long day, and it began with Ken bounding out of bed at 5:30 am because he was concerned about getting through the Siskiyous before dark. We were under way by 6:30, made it through southern Oregon and northern California without incident and stayed last night at Rolling Hills Casino inear Corning. We made the mistake of going inside to eat, and it was somewhere between bad and terrible. The best part of my meal was the dinner roll and a piece of lemon meringue pie.
We have blue sky and sunshine this morning and have enjoyed looking at the thousands of snow geese that are wintering alongside the interstate in the rice fields. And just a mile down the road we came across a huge gathering of Canadian geese. A blue heron and a bunch of white egrets round out our morning’s quarry.
Craig, Cassie and Greta came for dinner on Friday night and to let Greta have yet another gift encounter. I think this is about number four by the time you count all her family. Ketih and Janet gave her a Gund puppy that she promptly named Peach and fashioned a leash for her from the ribbon from another gift – the Kon-nex (sp) toy that came from the Idaho Kirkwoods. Greta had made several creations with that before the evening was over.
The Baltimore Kirkwoods gave Ken satellite radio for Christmas, and we are thoroughly enjoying it. Between no commercials and constant reception, it is a delight. But then we managed to blow out one of the front speakers so there is a shopping project after we get to Arizona. I missed my Sunday night entertainment (Brothers and Sisters) because we were dry camping so I will have to see if I can resurrect it on the ABC website.
We aren’t sure how far we will get today; Bakersfield is too soon to stop, but the choices are far and few between after that. We doubt we will be in Casa Grande until sometime on Wednesday. In the meantime, we continue rolling down the road.
It is now Tuesday late afternoon, and we have decided to make a run for Casa Grande. Last night found us dry camping at Edwards AFB so we took advantage of the commissary and BX before leaving about noon today.. The drive into the San Bernardino/Redlands/Loma Linda area was all too familiar, but we arrived there this time in a different frame of mind. Actually, the area looked a bit less unappealing since a strong wind had blown most of the smog away and there seemed to be some green here and there.
The trip has been blissfully uneventful with no big scares or problems, and we are looking forward to getting set up and sitting still for a while.
Here we are on Wednesday afternoon with the sun streaming in the windows. We made very good time last night and arrived at Foothills West in Casa Grande before ten o’clock and got to bed about midnight. We are about 100 feet from where the Ouseys are, and I can see the back end of their rig with just a little walkway between us. We had coffee together this morning and caught up on each others’ news and Carolyn is cooking dinner for us tonight. Who could ask for more?
I need to get on with some much-needed housekeeping because there is black dog hair everywhere!! But Cooper seems unaffected by the turn of events and is in on the bedroom floor enjoying an afternoon snooze.
We don’t have an internet connection at our site, but I will save this to my memory stick and take it to Ouseys this evening to post. Ciao.
Friday, January 12, 2007
Almost gone
If we can get the motor home down Birch Street tomorrow afternoon we will be on our way. We have had major cold weather and snow for the past two days so it has made for some slippery driving. Ken is out running errands right now, but he has studded snow tires on the Westfalia, and this is the first time out in several days.
I have my sewing machine and about six projects to take with me, but it remains to be seen how many will get finished. I like to keep my options open!!
Craig, Cassie and Greta are coming for dinner tonight so Greta can open her Christmas gifts from our family. She was in Portland with Cassie's parents when we were all together for gift-giving. We will have Swedish meatballs and spaetzle for dinner - how is that for being international?
Ken has his first lab results since Loma Linda and the numbers are going in the right direction. His PSA has gone from 4+ to 2+ so we are delighted, and his doctor says it is great!!!!! The only downside was to have to ease off on cholesterol medication since it is affecting his liver, but that too can be dealt with!!
We had an enjoyable evening on Wednesday with our friends. They had to drive home after the storm started and it was not easy for Richard and Elisabeth who live in Gig Harbor. Their usual entrance to the Narrows Bridge had been closed so they had to make their way around to another on-ramp. She said it was snowing hard and cars were skidding everywhere, but they made it home.
My next blog should be from road ahead!! Ciao
I have my sewing machine and about six projects to take with me, but it remains to be seen how many will get finished. I like to keep my options open!!
Craig, Cassie and Greta are coming for dinner tonight so Greta can open her Christmas gifts from our family. She was in Portland with Cassie's parents when we were all together for gift-giving. We will have Swedish meatballs and spaetzle for dinner - how is that for being international?
Ken has his first lab results since Loma Linda and the numbers are going in the right direction. His PSA has gone from 4+ to 2+ so we are delighted, and his doctor says it is great!!!!! The only downside was to have to ease off on cholesterol medication since it is affecting his liver, but that too can be dealt with!!
We had an enjoyable evening on Wednesday with our friends. They had to drive home after the storm started and it was not easy for Richard and Elisabeth who live in Gig Harbor. Their usual entrance to the Narrows Bridge had been closed so they had to make their way around to another on-ramp. She said it was snowing hard and cars were skidding everywhere, but they made it home.
My next blog should be from road ahead!! Ciao
Sunday, January 07, 2007
Happy New Year
In fact we are now heading in to the second week of it. Our New Year's Eve was the usual Herculean effort to stay awake until midnight, have a sip of champagne and then toddle off to bed.
We are by ourselves for the first time since before Christmas, but it sure was fun while it lasted, and we loved having everybody here. Jeff and Bev went home yesterday. I managed to come down with a cold last week, but fortunately, the Schulers are ready to sit still and unwind when they come so I was able to just do fun stuff like play Boggle and do a bit of shopping.
We continue to tell everyone who will listen what wonderful granddaughters we have. Being 16 and 19 they were such fun to have around and were willing to do or join in on whatever was going on. They both play pinochle so that was usually the game of choice. They were fun, and cheery, and cute, and awesome!!!!! They went to the store for me one afternoon and along with my requested items, brought flowers back to me. Purchased with their own hard-earned money.
Bev and I drove to Portland with Cassie on New Year's Day to keep her company. She met her mom in Portland to do the Greta hand-off. We all had lunch together and then shopped for about 1 1/2 hours at the Fabric Depot which is one of the biggest fabric stores I have ever encountered. However, I exercised restraint and only purchased thread!! I think Greta fared quite will with fabric for at least one or two new outfits. With both mom and grandma being accomplished seamstresses, she is a well-clad little girl.
We plan to be out the driveway next Saturday afternoon. Colleen gets home about noon, and we figure anywhere outside of Steilacoom is a good start for the trip south. We will probably head for a rest stop at the juncture of I-5 and I-205 south of Portland which has lots of ample overnight parking. We have stayed there before and Cooper approves.
I have invited our friends the Bakers, and Elisabeth and Richard for dinner on Wednesday evening for some visiting before we leave. I guess I had better get busy and decide what to feed them. Cassoulet or braised short ribs are two ideas that come to mind; neither of which have I ever prepared. But that is why you have company for dinner isn't it? To try out those new and untested recipes?
Sharon Jayne called this morning to say that she just noticed this morning that our Liberty Lake house has been rased. She said the garage is still standing, which was probably a smart move because we built it new and it had a concrete floor plus a full basement! My consolation is that I have the sink, and I could easily reproduce that floorplan from memory.
Colleen is in Phoenix this week and her dog is tolerating us but that is about it. The dog walker just came to take her out so she was a happy camper. She is a very good dog for being so high energy, and I know she wishes we would go away and Colleen would return. I slept downstairs with her last night since I didn't think she would enjoy sleeping by herself, and she loves to get up on the bed and snuggle next to the down comforter!
We have a day of relative calm weather today, but there is at least one imminent storm plus a cold front that is going to put us down into the low 20s in another day or two. In fact it was nice enough today that Ken was able to wash the motorhome.
Ciao
We are by ourselves for the first time since before Christmas, but it sure was fun while it lasted, and we loved having everybody here. Jeff and Bev went home yesterday. I managed to come down with a cold last week, but fortunately, the Schulers are ready to sit still and unwind when they come so I was able to just do fun stuff like play Boggle and do a bit of shopping.
We continue to tell everyone who will listen what wonderful granddaughters we have. Being 16 and 19 they were such fun to have around and were willing to do or join in on whatever was going on. They both play pinochle so that was usually the game of choice. They were fun, and cheery, and cute, and awesome!!!!! They went to the store for me one afternoon and along with my requested items, brought flowers back to me. Purchased with their own hard-earned money.
Bev and I drove to Portland with Cassie on New Year's Day to keep her company. She met her mom in Portland to do the Greta hand-off. We all had lunch together and then shopped for about 1 1/2 hours at the Fabric Depot which is one of the biggest fabric stores I have ever encountered. However, I exercised restraint and only purchased thread!! I think Greta fared quite will with fabric for at least one or two new outfits. With both mom and grandma being accomplished seamstresses, she is a well-clad little girl.
We plan to be out the driveway next Saturday afternoon. Colleen gets home about noon, and we figure anywhere outside of Steilacoom is a good start for the trip south. We will probably head for a rest stop at the juncture of I-5 and I-205 south of Portland which has lots of ample overnight parking. We have stayed there before and Cooper approves.
I have invited our friends the Bakers, and Elisabeth and Richard for dinner on Wednesday evening for some visiting before we leave. I guess I had better get busy and decide what to feed them. Cassoulet or braised short ribs are two ideas that come to mind; neither of which have I ever prepared. But that is why you have company for dinner isn't it? To try out those new and untested recipes?
Sharon Jayne called this morning to say that she just noticed this morning that our Liberty Lake house has been rased. She said the garage is still standing, which was probably a smart move because we built it new and it had a concrete floor plus a full basement! My consolation is that I have the sink, and I could easily reproduce that floorplan from memory.
Colleen is in Phoenix this week and her dog is tolerating us but that is about it. The dog walker just came to take her out so she was a happy camper. She is a very good dog for being so high energy, and I know she wishes we would go away and Colleen would return. I slept downstairs with her last night since I didn't think she would enjoy sleeping by herself, and she loves to get up on the bed and snuggle next to the down comforter!
We have a day of relative calm weather today, but there is at least one imminent storm plus a cold front that is going to put us down into the low 20s in another day or two. In fact it was nice enough today that Ken was able to wash the motorhome.
Ciao
Thursday, December 28, 2006
We are still enjoying the season
We seem to be keeping busy. We have done a bit of post Christmas shopping and Keith, Janet and the girls just left for a day in Seattle. Since we can go anytime, we opted to stay home for the day. However, we might drive to Curt and Cinda's and rendevouz later in the day.
Craig and Cassie have been here two evenings to share dinner with us, and we will be going their way tomorrow. They gave all of us girls gift certificates for pedicures so tomorrow will be a girls' day at the salon.
There has been much eating, enjoying wine and game and card playing. Our prime rib dinner on Christmas turned out very well, and I probably will never be able to duplicate it. As usual, I combined several recipes plus my own ideas, but it all turned out well with the exception of rather flat yorkshire puddings. Well, you can't win 'em all.
I am already enjoying some of my Christmas gifts. I asked Santa for 100 #2 pencils and chisel-pointed erasers for my puzzle work - and he obliged. I also came across a stemware drying mat, and I love it. It looks like a refined rubber floor mat covered with little rubber bristles that raise the glass up enough to let air circulate; hence glasses air dried without spots. It is great.
We have had lots of rain, but the last two days have produced a few hours of blue sky and sunshine. In a couple of weeks we will be absorbing full days of the stuff once we get to Arizona. Ken looked at the web cams for the Siskyous this morning and the road looked fine with lots and lots of RVs heading south.
I hope all of you are staying well and enjoying the season. Ciao
Craig and Cassie have been here two evenings to share dinner with us, and we will be going their way tomorrow. They gave all of us girls gift certificates for pedicures so tomorrow will be a girls' day at the salon.
There has been much eating, enjoying wine and game and card playing. Our prime rib dinner on Christmas turned out very well, and I probably will never be able to duplicate it. As usual, I combined several recipes plus my own ideas, but it all turned out well with the exception of rather flat yorkshire puddings. Well, you can't win 'em all.
I am already enjoying some of my Christmas gifts. I asked Santa for 100 #2 pencils and chisel-pointed erasers for my puzzle work - and he obliged. I also came across a stemware drying mat, and I love it. It looks like a refined rubber floor mat covered with little rubber bristles that raise the glass up enough to let air circulate; hence glasses air dried without spots. It is great.
We have had lots of rain, but the last two days have produced a few hours of blue sky and sunshine. In a couple of weeks we will be absorbing full days of the stuff once we get to Arizona. Ken looked at the web cams for the Siskyous this morning and the road looked fine with lots and lots of RVs heading south.
I hope all of you are staying well and enjoying the season. Ciao
Sunday, December 24, 2006
Merry Christmas.......
to all our friends and family. We are thrilled to have the 'Baltimore Kirkwoods' here to share this special time with us.
One of Janet's surprise Christmas gifts for Keith was two Seahawks tickets for today's game against the San Diego Chargers so he and his dad left about 9:30 to catch the train to Seattle. it is cloudy and cool outside with a good possibility of showers, but we hope the weather at least stays dry.
Since Craig, Cassie, and Greta were headed to Oregon to spend Christmas with Cassie's parents in Stayton, we all met at the Hawks Prairie Restaurant yesterday morning for breakfast. Greta will stay with her grandparents for the next week or so, this was the only chance for Greta to meet Keith and Janet and the girls. And like the rest of us, they all thought Cassie was great and Greta quite precocious.
As luck would have it, Santa and his wife sat down at a table near us for breakfast. He wasn't wearing his full formal red suit, but he had on a red shirt, and had glasses and a beautiful full white beard. Colleen and Greta approached him after he had finished breakfast and Greta announced she had a question for him. "Where are your reindeer?" He told her they were still at the North Pole. And he gave her his business card. Of course we have a picture, which I will post at a later date, and it couldn't have turned out any better if we had tried.
We will go to church this evening and then come home for our traditional fondue supper. And even though we have no need to wait for Santa, we will wait and open our gifts in the morning. We usually have seafood for Christmas dinner, but this year we are going to be even more traditional and have prime rib and Yorkshire pudding.
Brian, Sheila and the boys are spending their Christmas at the condo in McCall. I think Brian has to work next week, but they will go back up for New Year's week end.
I hope all of you are well and happy this Christmas season. Ciao
One of Janet's surprise Christmas gifts for Keith was two Seahawks tickets for today's game against the San Diego Chargers so he and his dad left about 9:30 to catch the train to Seattle. it is cloudy and cool outside with a good possibility of showers, but we hope the weather at least stays dry.
Since Craig, Cassie, and Greta were headed to Oregon to spend Christmas with Cassie's parents in Stayton, we all met at the Hawks Prairie Restaurant yesterday morning for breakfast. Greta will stay with her grandparents for the next week or so, this was the only chance for Greta to meet Keith and Janet and the girls. And like the rest of us, they all thought Cassie was great and Greta quite precocious.
As luck would have it, Santa and his wife sat down at a table near us for breakfast. He wasn't wearing his full formal red suit, but he had on a red shirt, and had glasses and a beautiful full white beard. Colleen and Greta approached him after he had finished breakfast and Greta announced she had a question for him. "Where are your reindeer?" He told her they were still at the North Pole. And he gave her his business card. Of course we have a picture, which I will post at a later date, and it couldn't have turned out any better if we had tried.
We will go to church this evening and then come home for our traditional fondue supper. And even though we have no need to wait for Santa, we will wait and open our gifts in the morning. We usually have seafood for Christmas dinner, but this year we are going to be even more traditional and have prime rib and Yorkshire pudding.
Brian, Sheila and the boys are spending their Christmas at the condo in McCall. I think Brian has to work next week, but they will go back up for New Year's week end.
I hope all of you are well and happy this Christmas season. Ciao
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
Christmas is still coming
even if every last thing isn't done. I can't believe how long it is taking to put this house back together. We still have to decorate and put up the tree which we did get yesterday. The only good thing about this slow painful process is that I won't have to clean house afterwards because I have cleaned every step of the way.
Colleen will be here later tonight. She stayed in Redding last night and when I talked to her about an hour ago, she was just getting to Grants Pass. Now we have to hope the two dogs like each other since they have never met before. We think they will be okay because neither is aggressive, although Colleen said Skyla has become pretty protective and possessive through the move. I don't think Cooper will care as long as he has his bed, his tennis balls, and food and water.
We lost power again night before last around midnight and found out yesterday that it was a feeder line that runs down the middle of Walnut Lane. The utility folks kindly let us know that the road would be torn up for about three hours in case we wanted to get our car out of here so we could go someplace - which we did. And power was restored about two yesterday afternoon.
Curt and Cinda are still without power with nothing on the horizon. They are sequestered in their kitchen/family room with the fireplace and they have a gas range and water heater so they are managing. I haven't talked to Elisabeth for a day or two, but they are out quite a ways so I suspect they may still be without power as well. But they keep themselves well-prepared with a generator and stored water plus a good wood-burning fireplace. For some people of my generation, it is second nature to figure out how to stay warm and dry and fed - I grew up with cold running water, a wood stove for heating and cooking, and no indoor plumbing!!
Colleen is thrilled to be driving through southern Oregon with a gray overcast sky, and I am beginning to have visions of sitting in the sunshine in Arizona - which I will be doing in a month. I don't mind our northwest weather, but sunshine sounds good.
It's time to get back to work. Stay warm. Ciao
Colleen will be here later tonight. She stayed in Redding last night and when I talked to her about an hour ago, she was just getting to Grants Pass. Now we have to hope the two dogs like each other since they have never met before. We think they will be okay because neither is aggressive, although Colleen said Skyla has become pretty protective and possessive through the move. I don't think Cooper will care as long as he has his bed, his tennis balls, and food and water.
We lost power again night before last around midnight and found out yesterday that it was a feeder line that runs down the middle of Walnut Lane. The utility folks kindly let us know that the road would be torn up for about three hours in case we wanted to get our car out of here so we could go someplace - which we did. And power was restored about two yesterday afternoon.
Curt and Cinda are still without power with nothing on the horizon. They are sequestered in their kitchen/family room with the fireplace and they have a gas range and water heater so they are managing. I haven't talked to Elisabeth for a day or two, but they are out quite a ways so I suspect they may still be without power as well. But they keep themselves well-prepared with a generator and stored water plus a good wood-burning fireplace. For some people of my generation, it is second nature to figure out how to stay warm and dry and fed - I grew up with cold running water, a wood stove for heating and cooking, and no indoor plumbing!!
Colleen is thrilled to be driving through southern Oregon with a gray overcast sky, and I am beginning to have visions of sitting in the sunshine in Arizona - which I will be doing in a month. I don't mind our northwest weather, but sunshine sounds good.
It's time to get back to work. Stay warm. Ciao
Saturday, December 16, 2006
Remembering
It was one year ago today that Gary Ousey's brother passed away after having been diagnosed with brain cancer within the month! We were in Yuma at the time, Gary had already flown to Winnepeg earlier in the week, and we took Carolyn to Phoenix on the 17th for her flight out. It was a very sad time for them. Dennis widow, Catherine, has continued with blogging and sharing some of her emotions, the good and the difficult. She is presently visiting their daughter in Vancouver and plans to move there permanently next summer.
We had a very enjoyable evening with the Bakers last Monday night with much of the conversation centered around the RV life. They took their RV to Orlando and back last summer and other than some tire and battery problems they had a great trip. We keep saying we are going to get together and go somewhere, but so far we haven't.
The painting, curtain hanging, Christmas decorating, and general organizing will be finished by tomorrow night. For those of you who live in the Lakewood/Tacoma area, I suggest you go to Rodda Paints on South 84th. Good product, reasonable price, and excellent customer service. We discovered today that they had mixed two gallons of satin instead of flat as I had asked (and the receipt verified), and they apologized, replaced the paint and refused to charge me for the two new paint pads I wanted to purchase. A good business from all that I can tell.
We weathered the massive wind storm with no problems. Steilacoom seems to be quite sheltered from storms, and we especially so. We had a few branches down, and were without power for about 15 hours, but that was it. The only concern was no power to run the sump pump which had been constantly running in the basement because of all the heavy rain associated with the storm. So Ken fired up the generator in the motor home and hooked up the sump pump! Problem solved. Our friends in Gig Harbor, and Curt and Cinda in Bellevue are still without power and are being told it could still be days before it is restored.
Six more sleeps and the Keith and Janet and the girls will be here. And probably fewer than that for Colleen. The moving company picked up her household goods today, and she is leaving Phoenix after church tomorrow. She is staying in Pasadena tomorrow night and then will head north fromt there. She should be here Wednesday or Thursday.
I mailed about eight Christmas cards this year. Since I blog and keep in touch by email, I have limited my list to those whom I don't have contact with during the year. So if you are reading, this you won't be getting a Christmas card! Ciao.
We had a very enjoyable evening with the Bakers last Monday night with much of the conversation centered around the RV life. They took their RV to Orlando and back last summer and other than some tire and battery problems they had a great trip. We keep saying we are going to get together and go somewhere, but so far we haven't.
The painting, curtain hanging, Christmas decorating, and general organizing will be finished by tomorrow night. For those of you who live in the Lakewood/Tacoma area, I suggest you go to Rodda Paints on South 84th. Good product, reasonable price, and excellent customer service. We discovered today that they had mixed two gallons of satin instead of flat as I had asked (and the receipt verified), and they apologized, replaced the paint and refused to charge me for the two new paint pads I wanted to purchase. A good business from all that I can tell.
We weathered the massive wind storm with no problems. Steilacoom seems to be quite sheltered from storms, and we especially so. We had a few branches down, and were without power for about 15 hours, but that was it. The only concern was no power to run the sump pump which had been constantly running in the basement because of all the heavy rain associated with the storm. So Ken fired up the generator in the motor home and hooked up the sump pump! Problem solved. Our friends in Gig Harbor, and Curt and Cinda in Bellevue are still without power and are being told it could still be days before it is restored.
Six more sleeps and the Keith and Janet and the girls will be here. And probably fewer than that for Colleen. The moving company picked up her household goods today, and she is leaving Phoenix after church tomorrow. She is staying in Pasadena tomorrow night and then will head north fromt there. She should be here Wednesday or Thursday.
I mailed about eight Christmas cards this year. Since I blog and keep in touch by email, I have limited my list to those whom I don't have contact with during the year. So if you are reading, this you won't be getting a Christmas card! Ciao.
Sunday, December 10, 2006
Projects, Dinners, and North Korea
I am taking a breather from cooking, wrapping, and internet shopping. It seems as if I have a dozen different projects going and can't get any of them to the point of completion. I started wrapping gifts today, and have at least one that must be mailed, so I need to keep at it.
It is cold and drizzly outside today so it is a good day to be inside. I thought Craig, Cassie and Greta were coming for dinner, so put together a couple of dishes this morning.........now they aren't coming because Craig has been sick for three days, but the good part is that dinner is ready~!!
We were invited to Curt and Cinda's for dinner last night, and as always, it was a very enjoyable evening and an excellent meal. She had been shopping at Williams Sonoma so created a marvelous reduction sauce with veal glace and chestnuts. Roast beef and oven roasted carrots rounded out her menu. Our contribution was a green salad with orange segments and pomegranate seeds and an orange-based dressing and for dessert a little plain one egg cake with chocolate frosting right out of my old Betty Crocker cookbook.
While shopping at Williams Sonoma, Cinda purchased a package for me containing four different sea salts including one from the Big Island in Hawaii that is black!! I am excited to try them all.
Colleen is in the throes of last minute packing and will be ready for her movers next week. She said she is so excited for this move that she feels like she could jump in her car and drive straight through -but assured me she wouldn't. She said Skyla is curious about all the boxes but doesn't seem to be distressed. Now when the suitcase comes out it will be a different story....she just doesn't know she gets to go along this time.
We watched the Diane Sawyer special about her visit to North Korea. Of course there was nothing revealing because everyone has been told what to do and say. I find it curious/frightening? that that country's leader has the time to create directives on every little aspect of everyday life. Talk about state control!!
We are invited to Kit and Katherine's tomorrow night for dinner so I feel like we have had a great week of eating out. Katherine and I worked together in real estate about one hundred years ago. Now Kit, who is a retired pilot, is working in real estate.
Back to my chores. Ciao
It is cold and drizzly outside today so it is a good day to be inside. I thought Craig, Cassie and Greta were coming for dinner, so put together a couple of dishes this morning.........now they aren't coming because Craig has been sick for three days, but the good part is that dinner is ready~!!
We were invited to Curt and Cinda's for dinner last night, and as always, it was a very enjoyable evening and an excellent meal. She had been shopping at Williams Sonoma so created a marvelous reduction sauce with veal glace and chestnuts. Roast beef and oven roasted carrots rounded out her menu. Our contribution was a green salad with orange segments and pomegranate seeds and an orange-based dressing and for dessert a little plain one egg cake with chocolate frosting right out of my old Betty Crocker cookbook.
While shopping at Williams Sonoma, Cinda purchased a package for me containing four different sea salts including one from the Big Island in Hawaii that is black!! I am excited to try them all.
Colleen is in the throes of last minute packing and will be ready for her movers next week. She said she is so excited for this move that she feels like she could jump in her car and drive straight through -but assured me she wouldn't. She said Skyla is curious about all the boxes but doesn't seem to be distressed. Now when the suitcase comes out it will be a different story....she just doesn't know she gets to go along this time.
We watched the Diane Sawyer special about her visit to North Korea. Of course there was nothing revealing because everyone has been told what to do and say. I find it curious/frightening? that that country's leader has the time to create directives on every little aspect of everyday life. Talk about state control!!
We are invited to Kit and Katherine's tomorrow night for dinner so I feel like we have had a great week of eating out. Katherine and I worked together in real estate about one hundred years ago. Now Kit, who is a retired pilot, is working in real estate.
Back to my chores. Ciao
Wednesday, December 06, 2006
We had a letter recently from our neighbors at the RV Park in Loma Linda. They are now back in Nampa Idaho after Vic completed his round of proton therapy. Eva wrote that Mad Hattie was asked to leave, and she couldn't believe how quiet it got after she was gone. That poor old lady is going to have a difficult time settling in anywhere. And why she is living in a 24' motor home is beyond me. I have a feeling she doesn't have much of anybody to look after her.
Ken is slowly recovering from some kind of a bronchial malaise. He is now coughing less and has a little more energy. He will recover just in time for me to come down with it I suppose.
The motor home is at South Side Motors now that it has been at the Workhorse facility. There is a problem with the coach battery and no one can figure out the cause. Workhorse says it is losing its charge as a result of the house batteries, but South Side doesn't think that is the case. At least they are talking to each other so perhaps there will be some resolution by the end of the day.
I am down to the last act for the Christmas quilt which is to finish the binding. I have it attached by machine and now just have to sew it down on the back side. Any further embellishments will have to wait to be added for next year because there are too many other things on my agenda at the moment.
We have been following the story of the Kim family that was lost in the Oregon backroads. We took that same road several years ago - in the summertime - and it was iffy then. As I recall, parts of it were just a glorified logging road with hairpin turns and single lane traffic. But as mentioned on an internet site, many maps and online programs show that route as a viable option to get to Gold Beach. Sadly, the body of James Kim was found this morning.
As we talked about what we would do in that situation, we determined that we would not leave our car, and it would behoove us to carry something like a big blue tarp or red tape to put on top of the car to be seen from the air. Duct tape is going to be another addition to our bundle of emergency items we carry in the car. In addition to the usual blankets and flashlight, I also have a metal coffee can jammed full of partialy used candles that would create one good-sized candle for some light and a bit of heat for quite a while. And a good use for all those half-burned candles.
We have a bit of sunshine and it isn't terribly cold, but it is definitely a winter light outside. I am happy to have the temperatures get back to what is normal for us around here because I could not get warm last week when it was so cold.
Ciao
Ken is slowly recovering from some kind of a bronchial malaise. He is now coughing less and has a little more energy. He will recover just in time for me to come down with it I suppose.
The motor home is at South Side Motors now that it has been at the Workhorse facility. There is a problem with the coach battery and no one can figure out the cause. Workhorse says it is losing its charge as a result of the house batteries, but South Side doesn't think that is the case. At least they are talking to each other so perhaps there will be some resolution by the end of the day.
I am down to the last act for the Christmas quilt which is to finish the binding. I have it attached by machine and now just have to sew it down on the back side. Any further embellishments will have to wait to be added for next year because there are too many other things on my agenda at the moment.
We have been following the story of the Kim family that was lost in the Oregon backroads. We took that same road several years ago - in the summertime - and it was iffy then. As I recall, parts of it were just a glorified logging road with hairpin turns and single lane traffic. But as mentioned on an internet site, many maps and online programs show that route as a viable option to get to Gold Beach. Sadly, the body of James Kim was found this morning.
As we talked about what we would do in that situation, we determined that we would not leave our car, and it would behoove us to carry something like a big blue tarp or red tape to put on top of the car to be seen from the air. Duct tape is going to be another addition to our bundle of emergency items we carry in the car. In addition to the usual blankets and flashlight, I also have a metal coffee can jammed full of partialy used candles that would create one good-sized candle for some light and a bit of heat for quite a while. And a good use for all those half-burned candles.
We have a bit of sunshine and it isn't terribly cold, but it is definitely a winter light outside. I am happy to have the temperatures get back to what is normal for us around here because I could not get warm last week when it was so cold.
Ciao
Sunday, December 03, 2006
Wedded Bliss, Palouse Hills, St. Nicholas
We have been home since last Monday, and the house is still in a pretty significant state of disarray. I do have the kitchen back together, and that was no mean feat since I had to start from the top down and wash and/or dust every single shelf, spice, dish, kettle and wall. But the floors do look very nice, and I am especially excited to be rid of the vinyl in the kitchen and to have the fir floor.
Ken is in the process of painting quarter-round so he can move on to some painting of the walls and trim. It does make it easy since the living room and dining room are both empty……but there is not one open square inch in the guest room!!
On Friday we celebrated 44 years of wedded bliss peppered with a few little exceptions along the way. Ken’s treat was a maple bar for breakfast!! We went out to dinner, but enjoyed a shrimp cocktail and a bottle of Washington wine before going downtown to Le Crème Brule.
I found a Columbia Valley wine, Palouse Hills, that is produced and bottled in Walla Walla. It was a reasonably priced, very tasty cabernet. I bought it for the significance of the name since Ken was at WSU during our early courting days and I can still hear Ray Conniff recordings serenading us at the student union building. Now the challenge is to find more of the wine because there only seem to be a few bottles available on closeout at the state liquor stores.
We had promised ourselves we would give Le Crème Brule one more chance, and it fared quite well this time. Ken had rack of lamb and I had duck maigret en papillote. Both were very nicely presented, and my only criticism is that my duck breast was a bit over-cooked. Espresso and crème brule rounded out the evening. There was even a small jazz combo playing which added to the ambience.
Yesterday was a St. Nicholas faire at the Olympia Waldorf School that Greta attends so I made an appearance for about an hour. Cassie was in charge of making gingerbread that was then being sold for $1 per piece, and there was a brisk business because it was very cold outside where some of the crafts and vendors were located. I purchased a few little stocking stuffers and walked through the school for a peek. Greta’s dad was there with her so I met Jason and visited with Greta for a few minutes. Her latest news is that she is now six!!
I can’t get warm, and I think part of the problem is our heating system rather than having been a hothouse plant down south for three months. For some reason the back of the house just doesn’t get very much heat, and of course that is where the television and computer are located, so it makes for some chilly leisure time.
I am beginning to feel pretty good about Christmas shopping. I think I am at least 50% there with some ideas for the rest. I LOVE the internet. And with many sites offering free shipping, it is hard to beat the bargains. I like to support Operation Christmas Child, but I passed on shopping and packing a box and went with a donation instead since I am so content not to have to go out to shop. Now I am anxious to finish getting the house back together so I can move forward with decorating, wrapping, and menu planning and baking.
The Ziemers called us yesterday to wish us a happy anniversary – Daryl was Ken’s best man. They are planning their annual trip south and hope to leave around the 4th of January. Daryl’s mother was in the hospital recently and now they are making some arrangements for someone to look in on her each day while they are gone. Daryl and Jan always spend most of their time at The Resort in Mesa, but since we will be just down the road in Casa Grande, I am sure we will see them once in a while.
Gary and Carolyn Ousey are now in Harlingen, Texas and then will join us in Casa Grande in the middle of January. They escaped the cold and snow in Victoria, but it looks like they are quite chilly in Texas at the moment.
Since this is not being printed, I don’t have to worry about a corrigendum, even though I am confident there are some errors. Ciao.
Ken is in the process of painting quarter-round so he can move on to some painting of the walls and trim. It does make it easy since the living room and dining room are both empty……but there is not one open square inch in the guest room!!
On Friday we celebrated 44 years of wedded bliss peppered with a few little exceptions along the way. Ken’s treat was a maple bar for breakfast!! We went out to dinner, but enjoyed a shrimp cocktail and a bottle of Washington wine before going downtown to Le Crème Brule.
I found a Columbia Valley wine, Palouse Hills, that is produced and bottled in Walla Walla. It was a reasonably priced, very tasty cabernet. I bought it for the significance of the name since Ken was at WSU during our early courting days and I can still hear Ray Conniff recordings serenading us at the student union building. Now the challenge is to find more of the wine because there only seem to be a few bottles available on closeout at the state liquor stores.
We had promised ourselves we would give Le Crème Brule one more chance, and it fared quite well this time. Ken had rack of lamb and I had duck maigret en papillote. Both were very nicely presented, and my only criticism is that my duck breast was a bit over-cooked. Espresso and crème brule rounded out the evening. There was even a small jazz combo playing which added to the ambience.
Yesterday was a St. Nicholas faire at the Olympia Waldorf School that Greta attends so I made an appearance for about an hour. Cassie was in charge of making gingerbread that was then being sold for $1 per piece, and there was a brisk business because it was very cold outside where some of the crafts and vendors were located. I purchased a few little stocking stuffers and walked through the school for a peek. Greta’s dad was there with her so I met Jason and visited with Greta for a few minutes. Her latest news is that she is now six!!
I can’t get warm, and I think part of the problem is our heating system rather than having been a hothouse plant down south for three months. For some reason the back of the house just doesn’t get very much heat, and of course that is where the television and computer are located, so it makes for some chilly leisure time.
I am beginning to feel pretty good about Christmas shopping. I think I am at least 50% there with some ideas for the rest. I LOVE the internet. And with many sites offering free shipping, it is hard to beat the bargains. I like to support Operation Christmas Child, but I passed on shopping and packing a box and went with a donation instead since I am so content not to have to go out to shop. Now I am anxious to finish getting the house back together so I can move forward with decorating, wrapping, and menu planning and baking.
The Ziemers called us yesterday to wish us a happy anniversary – Daryl was Ken’s best man. They are planning their annual trip south and hope to leave around the 4th of January. Daryl’s mother was in the hospital recently and now they are making some arrangements for someone to look in on her each day while they are gone. Daryl and Jan always spend most of their time at The Resort in Mesa, but since we will be just down the road in Casa Grande, I am sure we will see them once in a while.
Gary and Carolyn Ousey are now in Harlingen, Texas and then will join us in Casa Grande in the middle of January. They escaped the cold and snow in Victoria, but it looks like they are quite chilly in Texas at the moment.
Since this is not being printed, I don’t have to worry about a corrigendum, even though I am confident there are some errors. Ciao.
Monday, November 27, 2006
Thanksgiving Past
We are biding our time until it is time to leave for the Boise airport to go home. Brian is at work at the moment and will be here in another hour to give us a lift.
It was a most enjoyable holiday weekend with Brian and the boys. We drove to McCall on Wednesday evening, and Brian and I had enough time in McCall to do some gorcery shopping before the store closed at ten. For a small town, McCall has a wonderful grocery store by the name of Paul's. They are able to walk a fine line to be able to appeal to a wide range of shoppers from the basic to the gourmand. They have a great deli and gourmet food section. And then to add to the mix, there is a flight of stairs just past the cash registers that leads up to a quilt shop. What more could I ask for? Gourmet groceries and quilting supplies!!
Our dinner was very traditional starting with an appetizer of pickled herring with Aquavit and a beer chaser!! Now that is a Kirkwood tradition with the components coming from Ken's Danish heritage, but we press it into service for every occasion no matter how signifcant or insignificant. Dinner was roast turkey and stuffing, gravy, two kinds of potatoes, Brian's cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie. We pretty effectively missed the vegetable/salad course except for some baby peas. Brian found some specialty root beer for the boys for their Thanksgiving libation, and we adults shared some tasty wine.
Brian and his dad installed an outdoor light on each of the six condos in their complex. There are no street lights on their street, and the one tiny light near the entry just doesn't offer much illumation. By the time they got to the sixth unit, they were down to about ten minutes per installation. A Crusty's pizza and a jug of beer was their compensation.
Since there is not enough snow at Brundage to open the ski season (although we got about three inches on Thanksgiving), the boys spent a lot of time with their Play Station, Game Boy, and Legos. They have a wonderful Lego train with both freight and passenger cars. But more track is needed to get the train up to full speed. I loved it.
I added a new game to the condo collection: Blokus. It consists of different colored squares combined in odd shapes to be fitted together on the board with only corners touching. It is a pretty fast game and one that can be enjoyed by most all age groups. Brian won every game he played, and Nolan was a close second. As usual, I participate in games for the sheer pleasure of playing since winning is not usually an option.
I'll blog again after we get home and I get the layer of dust off the keyboard. I need to clean fast and move quickly to accomplish everything and be ready for Christmas when Keith, Janet, and the girls arrive on the 22nd. Ciao.
It was a most enjoyable holiday weekend with Brian and the boys. We drove to McCall on Wednesday evening, and Brian and I had enough time in McCall to do some gorcery shopping before the store closed at ten. For a small town, McCall has a wonderful grocery store by the name of Paul's. They are able to walk a fine line to be able to appeal to a wide range of shoppers from the basic to the gourmand. They have a great deli and gourmet food section. And then to add to the mix, there is a flight of stairs just past the cash registers that leads up to a quilt shop. What more could I ask for? Gourmet groceries and quilting supplies!!
Our dinner was very traditional starting with an appetizer of pickled herring with Aquavit and a beer chaser!! Now that is a Kirkwood tradition with the components coming from Ken's Danish heritage, but we press it into service for every occasion no matter how signifcant or insignificant. Dinner was roast turkey and stuffing, gravy, two kinds of potatoes, Brian's cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie. We pretty effectively missed the vegetable/salad course except for some baby peas. Brian found some specialty root beer for the boys for their Thanksgiving libation, and we adults shared some tasty wine.
Brian and his dad installed an outdoor light on each of the six condos in their complex. There are no street lights on their street, and the one tiny light near the entry just doesn't offer much illumation. By the time they got to the sixth unit, they were down to about ten minutes per installation. A Crusty's pizza and a jug of beer was their compensation.
Since there is not enough snow at Brundage to open the ski season (although we got about three inches on Thanksgiving), the boys spent a lot of time with their Play Station, Game Boy, and Legos. They have a wonderful Lego train with both freight and passenger cars. But more track is needed to get the train up to full speed. I loved it.
I added a new game to the condo collection: Blokus. It consists of different colored squares combined in odd shapes to be fitted together on the board with only corners touching. It is a pretty fast game and one that can be enjoyed by most all age groups. Brian won every game he played, and Nolan was a close second. As usual, I participate in games for the sheer pleasure of playing since winning is not usually an option.
I'll blog again after we get home and I get the layer of dust off the keyboard. I need to clean fast and move quickly to accomplish everything and be ready for Christmas when Keith, Janet, and the girls arrive on the 22nd. Ciao.
Monday, November 20, 2006
Eastern Washington Trip
I spent a fun 8 days in the Spokane area. Cinda and I left Bellevue a week ago Friday at ten in the morning assuming we would miss the bad weather that was due later in the day..........not so. The bad weather arrived early and we as we approached the Snoqualmie Summit and for ten miles on the other side we drove through snow and rain and slush. The road crews must have been caught off guard also, becuase we only saw one grader and it was parked behind a jack-knifed semi truck and trailer. I was glad to have someone with me for company and moral support, and we did make it just fine.
Lois had Calla and Sam and Maja up for dinner on Friday night, and then I was whisked off to Coeur d'Alene on Saturday for an overnight of fun. This was all planned by Lois and Calla. We stayed at the Coeur d'Alene Hotel, had drinks and hors d'ourves in the lobby, shopped a bit, and had a marvelous Italian dinner at a local restaurant. Maja joined us, and since she is just sixteen, she was very patient with all of her 'matronly' relatives.
I moved on to Karen's on Sunday evening, and she cracked the whip for three days to be sure I had enough of my latest quilt completed to be ready for the class on Thursday and Friday. However, we did find plenty of time to visit, and shop, and have lunch out.
The two days of quilting class was very good even though I didn't come away feeling as if I had accomplished very much. I spent the better part of the two days learning to cut out bits of fabric to create applique. I'm not so sure I will ever be very good at it. But it was another learning experience.
Karen and I visited with Mike and Mary for a couple of hours on Tuesday evening. Joel came home while we were there so got to visit with him as well. Both Mike and Mary are talking more seriously about retirement, and like most of us, have to wait to make sure all the ducks are in a row for health care.
I drove home last Saturday without incident amd was pleased to find the floor work completed. They do look much improved, but of course not perfect since this is a 100 year old house. There are some places that had to be repaired, and there are a few stains, but overall I am quite pleased.
Of course you can imagine how much dust is layered on EVERYTHING and inside EVERYTHING!! I have emptied, cleaned, washed, and relined four kitchen cupboard shelves and that is it. I know all of this will be waiting when we get back from Idaho next week. We have been staying in the motor home because of the fumes, but they have pretty well dissipated, so we are back in the house tonight.
We are looking forward to a few days with Brian and the boys. Sheila is now in Arizona and will be working twelve-hour days for the next two weeks. She has always been willing to work holidays to allow others to spend time with their families and this year is no exception.
We had dinner at Craig and Cassie's last night which is always a treat. They are a gracious host and hostess, and the food and wine is second to none. Craig is shopping for a chain saw to tackle the big maple tree that went down during the recent heavy rains. They heat with wood so it will be put to good use.
I need to finish packing and get to bed. I probably won't blog until we get back home, but when I do, it's quiddity will be retained.
Lois had Calla and Sam and Maja up for dinner on Friday night, and then I was whisked off to Coeur d'Alene on Saturday for an overnight of fun. This was all planned by Lois and Calla. We stayed at the Coeur d'Alene Hotel, had drinks and hors d'ourves in the lobby, shopped a bit, and had a marvelous Italian dinner at a local restaurant. Maja joined us, and since she is just sixteen, she was very patient with all of her 'matronly' relatives.
I moved on to Karen's on Sunday evening, and she cracked the whip for three days to be sure I had enough of my latest quilt completed to be ready for the class on Thursday and Friday. However, we did find plenty of time to visit, and shop, and have lunch out.
The two days of quilting class was very good even though I didn't come away feeling as if I had accomplished very much. I spent the better part of the two days learning to cut out bits of fabric to create applique. I'm not so sure I will ever be very good at it. But it was another learning experience.
Karen and I visited with Mike and Mary for a couple of hours on Tuesday evening. Joel came home while we were there so got to visit with him as well. Both Mike and Mary are talking more seriously about retirement, and like most of us, have to wait to make sure all the ducks are in a row for health care.
I drove home last Saturday without incident amd was pleased to find the floor work completed. They do look much improved, but of course not perfect since this is a 100 year old house. There are some places that had to be repaired, and there are a few stains, but overall I am quite pleased.
Of course you can imagine how much dust is layered on EVERYTHING and inside EVERYTHING!! I have emptied, cleaned, washed, and relined four kitchen cupboard shelves and that is it. I know all of this will be waiting when we get back from Idaho next week. We have been staying in the motor home because of the fumes, but they have pretty well dissipated, so we are back in the house tonight.
We are looking forward to a few days with Brian and the boys. Sheila is now in Arizona and will be working twelve-hour days for the next two weeks. She has always been willing to work holidays to allow others to spend time with their families and this year is no exception.
We had dinner at Craig and Cassie's last night which is always a treat. They are a gracious host and hostess, and the food and wine is second to none. Craig is shopping for a chain saw to tackle the big maple tree that went down during the recent heavy rains. They heat with wood so it will be put to good use.
I need to finish packing and get to bed. I probably won't blog until we get back home, but when I do, it's quiddity will be retained.
Thursday, November 09, 2006
Air Waves, Tulips & Well-diggers' rods
Just when our lives were settling down, we found a way to upset the apple cart. We have toyed with having the floors refinished for quite some time, and so we called a local business to come out today to give us an estimate. Of course we, like everyone else, want the work completed before Christmas……but he said he could do the work next Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.
In the meantime, Ken has to tear up the old kitchen vinyl and subfloor, and of course the living room, dining room and hallway have to be emptied. So I spent the better part of the afternoon stashing china and stemware in every possible nook and cranny with most of it going on the shelves in the guest room closet. Oh yes, and the pantry, which is chuck-a-block, had to have everything on the floor moved. The kitchen serving cart is in the bathroom, and the bathtub is stacked full of storage drawers that contain everything from paper plates to beans and rice.
I am going to Spokane tomorrow, and Ken and Cooper will have to move out to the motor home next Tuesday because with the floor plan of this house, there is no place for them to go in here once the floors are in progress. I think I am glad I will be gone.
Well this week’s election truly did give the Republicans a thumping as President Bush called it. I won’t speculate on any of it, but it would seem that the electorate wants something done to bring a closure to Iraq. The stock market hit another record high on Tuesday so I suggested to Ken we stash our investments in our mattress for a while until we see what happens post-election!!
Cinda has tomorrow off since it is Veterans’ Day so she is going to ride to Spokane with me. It will be a great chance for us to visit non-stop for about five or six hours. I’m hoping the weather holds with just some wind and rain predicted.
Lois sent a card to me this week with the following verse that I find hilariously funny every time I read it (actually, I can just recite it at will by now because I have read it so often). She sent it to say she can’t wait for my visit this week end. It makes me laugh out loud every time:
Stroke the air waves, pull up the tulips,
Break out the well-digger’s rod…..
We’re gonna yodel tonight
It is from a line of cards called Pondering Pool whose creator is Susan Mrosek. She is my latest heroine.
Well, my jaunt to Spokane doesn’t qualify as a true peregrination, but it is sufficient for me at the moment.
Ciao
In the meantime, Ken has to tear up the old kitchen vinyl and subfloor, and of course the living room, dining room and hallway have to be emptied. So I spent the better part of the afternoon stashing china and stemware in every possible nook and cranny with most of it going on the shelves in the guest room closet. Oh yes, and the pantry, which is chuck-a-block, had to have everything on the floor moved. The kitchen serving cart is in the bathroom, and the bathtub is stacked full of storage drawers that contain everything from paper plates to beans and rice.
I am going to Spokane tomorrow, and Ken and Cooper will have to move out to the motor home next Tuesday because with the floor plan of this house, there is no place for them to go in here once the floors are in progress. I think I am glad I will be gone.
Well this week’s election truly did give the Republicans a thumping as President Bush called it. I won’t speculate on any of it, but it would seem that the electorate wants something done to bring a closure to Iraq. The stock market hit another record high on Tuesday so I suggested to Ken we stash our investments in our mattress for a while until we see what happens post-election!!
Cinda has tomorrow off since it is Veterans’ Day so she is going to ride to Spokane with me. It will be a great chance for us to visit non-stop for about five or six hours. I’m hoping the weather holds with just some wind and rain predicted.
Lois sent a card to me this week with the following verse that I find hilariously funny every time I read it (actually, I can just recite it at will by now because I have read it so often). She sent it to say she can’t wait for my visit this week end. It makes me laugh out loud every time:
Stroke the air waves, pull up the tulips,
Break out the well-digger’s rod…..
We’re gonna yodel tonight
It is from a line of cards called Pondering Pool whose creator is Susan Mrosek. She is my latest heroine.
Well, my jaunt to Spokane doesn’t qualify as a true peregrination, but it is sufficient for me at the moment.
Ciao
Monday, November 06, 2006
It's wet and windy
So now I've quit complaining about being cold because it is wet, wet, wet. There is a state of emergency for every county in western Washington, and there is more rain on its way tonight. Up to now, I haven't heard the sump pump turn on so there must not be all that much water under the house.
Craig and Cassie have a creek running through the property in the backyard and Craig sent pictures showing how high it is. It isn't up to the house yet, and he said the house has been there for 100 years without incident so they are feeling okay. However, Huxley the dog can't figure out what happened to his backyard.
For lack of anything better to do, or lack of good sense, Elisabeth and I drove to south Seattle today to shop at IKEA. We drove both ways without incident and had a great shopping experience because there was no one else there. All of the Christmas items are on display so we had a grand time - after we dined on our usual Swedish meatballs.
Ken went to Spokane yesterday and will return tomorrow or Wednesday; I'm not sure which. He stayed at Jerry and Lois' las night, and who know where he is tonight. I know he went to Rod and Karen's this afternoon to talk about our trip south in January.
We had a good visit with Anita and Larry on Friday night and dinner was fine, but the cook has a poor memory. I forgot to pass the hollandaise sauce for the stuffed chicken and forgot to add the pomegranate seeds to the salad. Hmmm. I made an apple custard cake for dessert which is something I had not made in years and was not positive about my hand-written recipe from our Canadian days in Nova Scotia, but thanks to the internet, I was able to find the exact recipe and rest assured that mine was accurate. After reading Catherine Ousey's blog today and her description of a Jeannie's cake made in Winnipeg, I was able to find a recipe on the internet. It is a light cake, frosted, and perched atop a shortbread cookie crust. Sounds yummy.
Well this doesn't qualify as a florilegium, but it is all you are going to get. Ciao
Craig and Cassie have a creek running through the property in the backyard and Craig sent pictures showing how high it is. It isn't up to the house yet, and he said the house has been there for 100 years without incident so they are feeling okay. However, Huxley the dog can't figure out what happened to his backyard.
For lack of anything better to do, or lack of good sense, Elisabeth and I drove to south Seattle today to shop at IKEA. We drove both ways without incident and had a great shopping experience because there was no one else there. All of the Christmas items are on display so we had a grand time - after we dined on our usual Swedish meatballs.
Ken went to Spokane yesterday and will return tomorrow or Wednesday; I'm not sure which. He stayed at Jerry and Lois' las night, and who know where he is tonight. I know he went to Rod and Karen's this afternoon to talk about our trip south in January.
We had a good visit with Anita and Larry on Friday night and dinner was fine, but the cook has a poor memory. I forgot to pass the hollandaise sauce for the stuffed chicken and forgot to add the pomegranate seeds to the salad. Hmmm. I made an apple custard cake for dessert which is something I had not made in years and was not positive about my hand-written recipe from our Canadian days in Nova Scotia, but thanks to the internet, I was able to find the exact recipe and rest assured that mine was accurate. After reading Catherine Ousey's blog today and her description of a Jeannie's cake made in Winnipeg, I was able to find a recipe on the internet. It is a light cake, frosted, and perched atop a shortbread cookie crust. Sounds yummy.
Well this doesn't qualify as a florilegium, but it is all you are going to get. Ciao
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
Brrrrrrrrr
I’m sure part of my problem is having been sweltering in southern California for the past three months, but it is damn cold around here. It has been getting down into the upper 20s at night which is what we might expect in the dead of winter. But rain and clouds are on the way so it will be wetter, but more importantly, It will be warmer.
I have been sewing for a while each day and spending some time just catching up on housework and shopping. Ken has washed the motor home, put the garden to bed, and yesterday he went shopping for a new scanner.
The first attempt was an HP all-in-one scanner, printer, copier, fax, etc., but its design made it too high on the computer table for me to be able to see all the buttons, so now we have just a scanner that doesn’t have any buttons! Its seems I have become more aware of my height (or lack thereof) over the past year and am amazed at how many places are out of reach for me. I realized tonight that the kitchen countertop is above my waist!!
Ken is going to go to Spokane this week end to get a canoe that his brother, Jerry, is giving him, and then he will get out to see the Jaynes and the Spragues. Rod and Karen are our traveling partners for our trip south this winter so we need to agree on where we are going. As soon as he gets home, I’ll head for Spokane.
We are having one of Ken’s high school classmates and her husband Anita (Kanzler) and Larry Foster here for dinner on Friday night. We visited with them at their high school reunion this summer and found that they live in Centralia which is only about 40 miles away. It is fun to reconnect with folks from our ‘growing-up’ years now that we are all grown up.
Well this isn’t exactly a billet-doux, but then that wouldn’t exactly be appropriate would it? Ciao
I have been sewing for a while each day and spending some time just catching up on housework and shopping. Ken has washed the motor home, put the garden to bed, and yesterday he went shopping for a new scanner.
The first attempt was an HP all-in-one scanner, printer, copier, fax, etc., but its design made it too high on the computer table for me to be able to see all the buttons, so now we have just a scanner that doesn’t have any buttons! Its seems I have become more aware of my height (or lack thereof) over the past year and am amazed at how many places are out of reach for me. I realized tonight that the kitchen countertop is above my waist!!
Ken is going to go to Spokane this week end to get a canoe that his brother, Jerry, is giving him, and then he will get out to see the Jaynes and the Spragues. Rod and Karen are our traveling partners for our trip south this winter so we need to agree on where we are going. As soon as he gets home, I’ll head for Spokane.
We are having one of Ken’s high school classmates and her husband Anita (Kanzler) and Larry Foster here for dinner on Friday night. We visited with them at their high school reunion this summer and found that they live in Centralia which is only about 40 miles away. It is fun to reconnect with folks from our ‘growing-up’ years now that we are all grown up.
Well this isn’t exactly a billet-doux, but then that wouldn’t exactly be appropriate would it? Ciao
Sunday, October 29, 2006
Birthday, Wine, and Birthday
Thank you to all who remembered my birthday with good wishes, calls, cards, and gifts. I had a very nice day and ate both lunch and dinner out. I can't remember the last time I did such a thing.
Craig and Cassie came for dinner last night to share some of Craig's wine stash - wonderful - and to have some lamb for dinner. I used a Julia Child cookbook for a bit of the meal, along with bits from other books. Having been reading her autobiography, I wanted to seriously take a look at her recipes. I used her recipe for the apple tart tatin, and it was excellent, but no more outstanding than my former recipe. I was surprised with her pate brisee as it appeared to have the makings of a very tough pastry, but not so, it was wonderful.
As much as i complain about my kitchen in that it is not a good working kitchen with too little counter space and an inefficient arrangement, it seemed quite okay after having cooked in the motor home for the past three months.
Rachel turns sixteen today, and it seems like only yesterday when I was present at her birth - since her dad was in Iraq at the time. She was a very good and cuddly baby. She slept so much at first that Janet worried about her, and I suggested we just appreciate it. Of the four grandchildren, we were with Rachel, as a baby, more than any of the others. Happy Birthday Rachel.
We have a quiet week at home coming up. Just the usual chores and projects. We have some blue sky and sunshine, but a few gusts of wind that flutter some leaves to the ground, and it is cool. Have a good week. C
Craig and Cassie came for dinner last night to share some of Craig's wine stash - wonderful - and to have some lamb for dinner. I used a Julia Child cookbook for a bit of the meal, along with bits from other books. Having been reading her autobiography, I wanted to seriously take a look at her recipes. I used her recipe for the apple tart tatin, and it was excellent, but no more outstanding than my former recipe. I was surprised with her pate brisee as it appeared to have the makings of a very tough pastry, but not so, it was wonderful.
As much as i complain about my kitchen in that it is not a good working kitchen with too little counter space and an inefficient arrangement, it seemed quite okay after having cooked in the motor home for the past three months.
Rachel turns sixteen today, and it seems like only yesterday when I was present at her birth - since her dad was in Iraq at the time. She was a very good and cuddly baby. She slept so much at first that Janet worried about her, and I suggested we just appreciate it. Of the four grandchildren, we were with Rachel, as a baby, more than any of the others. Happy Birthday Rachel.
We have a quiet week at home coming up. Just the usual chores and projects. We have some blue sky and sunshine, but a few gusts of wind that flutter some leaves to the ground, and it is cool. Have a good week. C
Monday, October 23, 2006
We Are Home!!
We were pleased to get home and find everything in good order. Outside looks pretty typical for this time of year with leaves starting to pile up against the garage and fences, and the flowers holding on to their last faint blooms.
It was interesting to walk back into the house after its barely having been opened for 2 1/2 months and being assaulted with that lonely, old, pungent odor of a 100 year old house being uninhabited. It reminded me of the same feeling I had when Ken and I were first married. We went to his parents' house for the day and his mom was away on a trip. Even though his dad, Bill, was home, the one who keeps the home fires burning was not, and it felt empty. Yesterday was a similar sense of something missing: that combination of foods, scents, and "life".
Craig and Cassie and Greta came by after we got home so it was a good occasion to share a bite to eat and a sip of wine. All is well with them, save Craig's car which has a problem that the Subaru people can't seem to figure out. Fortunately, Cassie has a second car that he is using at the moment. We are going to get together later this week for a serious leg of lamb dinner and a bottle of Leonetti wine that Craig has offered to share!
Greta asked if they could sleep over, and of course the answer was no since it was a school and work night, but I'm sure we can arrange for a sleep-over for Greta one of these days.
Attached is a picture of Rachel and her "date" (she says they are just good friends)from last week's homecoming dance. I think she looks very much like her sister Sarah in this picture.
Now to get organized!! I need to catch up on the laundry and finish removing whatever needs to come out of the motor home. Then the focus will be some serious quilt work to be ready for a class in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho the week before Thanksgiving. After returning from that, we will be off to Idaho to spend Thanksgiving with Brian and the boys, and then home to get ready for Keith, Janet and the girls for Christmas. Who could ask for more joy than all of that?
I've enjoyed this time gamming with all of you in blogland. Ciao.
Thursday, October 19, 2006
We are in Yreka, CA and loving it!!!! Everything looks absolutely beautiful. In fact, once we got out of the Loma Linda area, we even thought Bakersfield looked good!!
The trees are just beginning to turn, and right outside our windshield is a delightful ten foot long split rail fence that is robed in golden and green grape vines. Beautiful!! We are going to spend an extra day or two in Oregon to drink………….in the fall colors; and perhaps a little of the Pinot!!
Our youngest grandchild turned 11 today. We just called Warren to wish him a happy birthday, and he said they made fudge in his science class, as some form of an experiment, and he thought that was pretty cool for his birthday. His birthday celebration will be delayed for about two weeks until his dad gets home from somewhere – I know not where.
I drove the MH for a few miles today – my first time. I tend to hug the right side of the road, and the steering is very touchy, so it is a full time job to keep it where it belongs. And Ken says it handles 100% better since he had it realigned this week. I would not have wanted to drive it before the alignment.
Next blog will probably be from Steilacoom. I am able to post this one because this park has free WiFi.
Ciao
The trees are just beginning to turn, and right outside our windshield is a delightful ten foot long split rail fence that is robed in golden and green grape vines. Beautiful!! We are going to spend an extra day or two in Oregon to drink………….in the fall colors; and perhaps a little of the Pinot!!
Our youngest grandchild turned 11 today. We just called Warren to wish him a happy birthday, and he said they made fudge in his science class, as some form of an experiment, and he thought that was pretty cool for his birthday. His birthday celebration will be delayed for about two weeks until his dad gets home from somewhere – I know not where.
I drove the MH for a few miles today – my first time. I tend to hug the right side of the road, and the steering is very touchy, so it is a full time job to keep it where it belongs. And Ken says it handles 100% better since he had it realigned this week. I would not have wanted to drive it before the alignment.
Next blog will probably be from Steilacoom. I am able to post this one because this park has free WiFi.
Ciao
Monday, October 16, 2006
44 Down and None to go
Today is the finish line. Ken will sip his 16 year old Lagavulin scotch that he has been saving for this occasion, we’ll toast our good health, and be on the road tomorrow! The time truly has gone very quickly, and we feel so fortunate to have learned about Loma Linda. A follow-up in four months will begin to tell the tale as to how successful this was.
We are pretty much ready to go. Ken spent the better part of the day stowing everything outside, removing the window sun screens, checking oil and tire pressure, and trying to figure out where we can put everything. We have acquired a bicycle and a rocking chair while being here, and neither is a small item to put away.
We aren’t positive of our route home, but the California portion will pretty much be I-5. We might take an extra day around the Eugene, Oregon area just to take in the fall sights of the Northwest.
Colleen is in Pasadena for meetings for two days, so she and a friend are driving over for dinner this evening. It is less than 60 miles, but with the traffic around here, it is hard to tell how long it will take.
I had a great time visiting the Schulers in San Jose last week. Bev and I went to the Pacific Quilt Show on both Thursday and Friday. Some of the quilts on display were truly amazing. I got to see all three of the Schuler kids, their spouses, and children. Bev had John and Carol Nicoletti over for dinner on Friday night. They were our neighbors when we lived in San Jose. John has just been diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma and is preparing for chemotherapy treatment. It was 12 years ago that he had the same thing, and beat it, so we are praying for the same this time.
Our next communication should be from Steilacoom.
Ciao
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