Nothing much

Such a hectic week - something happening every day last week. Then this weekend ... nothing. We did go out to Jason's for dinner on Friday, only because Tracy wanted me to look over her will and power of attorney. Seems Jerry told her I had legal experience - I don't call being a bookkeeper in a law office "legal experience". Anyway, she filled in the blanks on "wills.com" or some such and it all looked fine to me. Actually, the intent is there and since they don't have any great holdings they should be fine.

Sunday was the same old, same old. My dear pastor came to me 10 minutes before the service and wanted me to be the liturgist - and by the way, could I also help serve communion. I really should dress better every Sunday.

Last Wednesday was our last Project Joy practice for the summer. We start again in September. Sunday was the last Sunday school for the summer. I really don't want to lead another session but who knows how I'll feel in September. Tuesday will be the last Sewing Club session until September. Jerry is excited... he gets his wife back.

This Wednesday I go in for a colonoscopy. That means no food tomorrow, only liquids that you can read through. Had one nine years ago. Guess it's time to get another one. Better than fishing your poop out of the stool and spreading it on a slide. Yuck!

With the new Harry Potter book coming out in July I decided to start at book one and read straight through so I could get everything in order. Just finished book 4. Two more in 6 weeks. I think I'll make it. In the mean time other reading is going down the tubes.
Our trip to the Holy Land brings many documents/brochures/booklets/study guides that I need to be getting to. After Harry in July.

Birthday for Uma

Today is Uma's birthday. She is anywhere from 34 to 40+ . We don't know. My place is so small that I can only have one or two kids here at a time. So I have invited all four adopted kids to dinner at Perkin's. Uma would have like to go to a Chinese place (the Shogun especially) but her husband and mine don't care for rice so I figured Perkin's would suit every one's appetite. Hope both boys can make it. Tyrone said he would walk down. Traivon's fiancee said they would be there too. We shall see.

Well, we had a lovely dinner. Traivon did not show up. I'll have to speak to that boy. Maybe his fiancee did not pass the word. I'll find out.

Was going to take me camera so I could post pictures but didn't so can't.

Today is Red Hat day. We are going to the Garland district to have lunch at the Milk Bottle and snoop in the shops.

Have my garden 1/2 way cleaned up and planted. So many little projects I'd like to do (did I say that?) in there. Thought I'd never ever want to work in the yard as long as I lived. Surprise, Surprise! When things get established I'll post some pictures.

RIP

Marvelous Marvin the Magnificent Mouse catcher passed away over night. He was so cool, he chose the plastic chair mat under the computer to breath his last breath. He loved to sun with Polly and T. J. He taught Polly how to climb the Christmas tree. He gave much love and nearly wore the skin off my forehead with his raspy tongue.His presents in this place is already missed by his people and his fellow felines.

Bloomsday

Sunday, May 5 was the 31st running of Bloomsday, the world's largest individually timed run. 44,000 people signed up. 39,000 finished. I handed out water to over 200 of them. Jessica ran (she was one of the 200 I handed water to). The "Finisher" shirt has a great design this year. I have found, however that the volunteer shirts usually are better. This year they are a tie. I was so tired after standing for five hours that I took naps all afternoon and went to bed at 8 PM.

Jessica sang a great "Hansel" in "Hansel & Gretel" last Friday. Here she is with Gretel taking their bows.

After the show all the Grandkids had to get their picture taken with the star. Clockwise with Jessica at the top is: Chelsie, Josh, and Hailey, Sydney and Casey. Behind Casey is Traci, mother to the three on the right. The kids loved it and each delivered a rose to Jessica after the show (during bows).

Ah, Spring

Spring has sprung. Today we enjoyed a lovely 65 degrees, gentle breeze, blue skies & sun. I was so thrilled I went out and purchased some plants - daisy, columbine, tomato, strawberries. A little ahead of myself because I haven't cleaned up from last year and I need to have a rose bush and a tree removed before I put anything in the ground. Want to get three day lilies to put in front of those ugly gas meters but the shop I was at today only had yellow. I know there are other colors so I'll continue to look. And of course there are the petunias yet to be bought. It will all happen this month.

Korea: What do you know? I emailed the leader of the tour that I wanted out and low and behold he called and the leader of the group going from Seattle called. Both wanted me to reconsider. There is too much water under the bridge now for that. I'll probably have to write the $500 deposit off as a contribution to the Korean missions.

Korea

Well, I've decided not to join the group going to Korea in the middle of May. I have no ticket, no itinerary, no idea of anything that would have made me believe that this trip was really happening so I emailed (will snail mail too) the leader of the group expressing my disappointment with his disorganization and requesting a refund of my deposit. (Think he took it and ran?)

Jerry's daughter's significant other is a body builder. Well, actually he really likes to go to the gym to work out and was talked in to "bulking up" for the local competion. The meet was today. We went and watched the morning preliminaries. He looked gooood. The finals are tonight but they are sold out.

The ladies compete too. UGH! There is one section of girls who prance around in pornographic two piece suits. Then there are the women who take testosterone and bulk up tooooo much. In my opinion, body building is not for women. Good health and good muscle tone is fine, but flat chests, no curves, and bulky muscles are not very feminine.
What say you?

Baby Ginkgos

A lady in Portland, Oregon announced that she had successfully germinated some Ginkgo seeds she had gathered last fall and asked if anyone wanted any. I jumped on the opportunity and replied to the affirmative. She promptly sent six seeds which I dutifully placed on a very (too) damp paper towel in a plastic bag. Two weeks later I took my little nursery to our monthly Bonsai club meeting and two other ladies begged to take a seed or two home to try to grow a Ginkgo tree. So I was down to three seeds that didn't show any promise of germinating. I transferred the seeds (a bit larger than a cherry pit) to a smaller bag with dampened paper towel (sprayed the towel with a weak solution of bleach to inhibit mold growth - which had been noticed in the larger bag) and waited.
Glory of Glories! Seed #1 started sending out a feeler. The other two were cracked but were much slower in sending out a feeler.
As you can see by the pictures, Seed #1 has a lovely stalk with two cute little leaves on top. Seeds #2 & 3 have their little root sinking into the sand and a small stem coming up. Seed #3 is too close to the pot and her little leaf stem is smashed against the pot. I can't move her because the root is in the sand and I don't want to slow growth down (yet).


Thank you, Lady in Portland. I'll keep you posted as to their progress.

Check Up

Got the results from my annual physical. I'm in great health. My Cholesterol (total) is 177. HDL - 53; LDL - 102; Triglycerides - 108. All this because I have cut out dairy in my diet.
(Last year my numbers were Cholesteral (total) 190; HDL 57; LDL 115; and Triglycerides - 90.)
Can we have a "Way to go"?

Driving

After the fender bender (?) of last month, Jerry & I decided to sign up for the AARP driver refresher course. It started today. Most of the info I learned at 16 is still valid except for the "do not tap your brakes if someone is following too closely". Seems to do so now could lead to a ticket because it is viewed as and "aggresive" move. What????? I'm getting sniffed in the tailpipe by some jerk and I can't signal him to back off? The laws that protect the criminal are insane.

I'm Back

Went to Phoenix last week for some R&R. This being retired sure wears you out. Volunteering a couple of times a week and exercising daily and, and, and...

Brian has boasts that his eldest has moved out and is now on her own. However, as you can see, the granddaughter still makes it over to visit quite frequently. He enjoys just sitting and holding her as she sleeps.

I took a tutu down for her first birthday. She looks so cute.

She is a doll. Very sweet disposition. And such a looker. Those big brown eyes and ready smile.

Can you just see an attitude coming? Her mom is just great with her. Good luck Jessica. You are the greatest.

Brian & Francesca are doing well. Thinking of remodeling the kitchen. Adding on to the back of the house. Converting the empty bedroom to a computer room. Redoing the backyard fence. All this takes time. They are being cautious and going one step at a time.

The truck Francesca found on Craig's list is awesome. You need a ladder to get into it but it is tricked out with GPS, tinted windows, leather seats, satelite radio etc,... All there before she bought it. They did get new tires all around but now she feels safe driving on the freeway. Get out of the way ... here she comes.

Brian's Harley is noisy but nice. Very smooth ride. Comfortable "Bitch" seat. Wish I could learn how to drive it. (But Jerry, having laid his bike down, refuses to go near another bike.)

The Knees

When did my body go? Actually I've know for a long time that my knees don't like me doing stuff. Like crouching , they've never liked that. Or squatting, that's always been a no-no. And bending over, they creak at that. But bowling! We used to get along just fine bowling. But wait, that was ... several years ago - when JFK was still alive.
Why bring this up?
Spring break this past week. Jerry's granddaughters have been suggesting (quite often) that we go bowling. So we relented and went to what used to be Silver Lanes, remember Kids? Well lit, smokey, open? Now it is Big Daddy's. Casino, dim lit, smoke free, chopped into gambling dens, the lanes are lit with black light, track lights race up and down the lanes. (It's not your grandpas bowling alley any more.)
After my eyes got used to the dark (and my memories stopped flooding in) we found our way to the shoe rack and ordered the requisite "bowling shoes". They have gone from blah tan and maroon to day-glo yellow/green and orange. (No one is walking out in those). And found a ball that would work (Jerry had to have one drilled out for his paws).
Figure out how to enter our names in the fancy automatic score keepers (no more paper and pencil or even overhead projector thingy) and we are set. Up I go, get my stance (it's like riding a bike, right? you never forget) and begin my approach. Thunk. What's up with these knees? They don't want to get into the lunge position for releasing of the ball. They stop half way there and the ball is dropped. (Gumpa is turning over in his ashes). I adjust. Still the thunk. Not the smooth release like the guy in the next lane was doing but at least I stayed on the wood, was able to pick up a few spares, hit the head pin for a strike and end up with a decent 125. I've still got it! Best score of the afternoon. One game was my limit. Time was when I was waning at the tenth frame of the third game not the 8th frame of the first game. I'm out of practice.
Jerry took my spot for the next line. He had trouble finding his groove (well, the shoes didn't feel comfortable and the ball was stiff - and let's face it, it's been a while since he was in a league). He finally got his approach ironed out and almost broke 100.
I really had fun watching the girls bowl and coaching them - aim your thumb at the head pin, don't twist your wrist, end your approach on your left foot, etc. The girls were able to put in four lines. But they are young. I'm sure we will do this again. Hope next time I'll be able to break 100 again just to show the kids there is still life in this old body.

Subaru home

After a full day of running errands in the Kia on Monday, we returned to a message from the body shop that our Subaru was ready to come home. Naturally, we turned right around and zipped out to the valley to pick it up. She looks so much better than when I left her. The Enterprise lot was just down the road so we dropped off the Kia and took a leisurely trip north to the Outback to celebrate the return of our little car. A dinner that early was just what we needed. We rolled back home and blobbed for the rest of the evening.

Subaru update

Got a call from the body shop that they have the car in "Paint" now and will be putting it back together over the weekend. Hoorah! The KIA is a cute little car but low to the ground and no bells & whistles. I like having my doors open with a push of the button and my headlights come on at dusk. I get spoiled easily.

Subaru pictures

We went to the collision lot to take a look at my poor little car.

This is damage from a 15 mile per hour wreck.

The estimate from the Hartford is $6700.00.

Since Farmers is paying for it we won't know how much it cost until the job is done.

Parts are being ordered and work will begin when they arrive. We are looking at three more weeks in a Kia Rio.

What a Friday

Went to Tyrone's place to pick him up and take him to get his ID renewed. Two and a half blocks from his house a young lady pulled out of the alley right in front of us. Neither vehicle was going even the speed limit (I had just pulled on to the arterial at the corner and she was leaving the alley) but the collision decommissioned both cars. I landed smack in her right front wheel well. My entire grill is gone as is the left headlight area, left fender, hood, and bumper. Her right front wheel looked smushed. She is fully insured and no one was hurt. So now it is just the inconvenience of driving a rental and jumping through the insurance company hoops. I wonder if my car is going to be totaled or fixed (Jerry wants it totaled – me too, I think). Repaired collision vehicles, especially in a front end situation with 4 wheel drive don’t come out well, do they?

The young woman in the other car was only 20. She is working two part time jobs and going to school. Her dad just spent some bucks getting her mini Blazer mechanically sound. She knows he will be pissed. Her mom tried to comfort her. She thinks she will have to quit school to pay for the repairs. (Her mom said they would talk about that.) Although it technically was her fault (failure to yield to traffic on an arterial) she really could not see around the parked mini van at the alley. I feel sorry for her and her stress right now.

Jerry’s daughter came and picked us up. We dropped her back at work and continued on home. Later we picked up a rental and delivered her rig back at her work. Things worked their way through the various lines and we will come out in the end just being inconvenienced.

So, Tyrone did not get his ID, we did not get to go to lunch, I did not get to go shopping for the Red Hat party tomorrow and I’m driving a compact KIA for a while.

Saturday doings

Went to the Corbin Senior Center Health Fair yesterday. (No, I'm not really old enough to hang out with old people - lol). There were lots of vendors for senior services - you know, like hospice, Alzheimer’s care, cremation services, medical appliances. Each vendor offered a raffle type give away item - baskets, foam pillows, gift certificates. I entered every one (50 in all). Didn't win a thing. (But my name is on 50 vendor's mailing/calling list now so I should get lots of unwanted action.)

Then we went to an open house for the Spokane Potters Guild. We were early so didn't see any demonstrations. But they offered a free 15 pound of clay or a hand made coffee mug to the first 30 people through the doors. I took the mug. I am becoming more and more enthralled with pottery lately. First the chili bowls, then the crane vase now the coffee mug. Jerry has asked a couple of times if I was thinking of taking up that art form. I don’t think I am that creative. What, I can’t even visualize myself making a dumb bowl? Nope. These pieces are beautiful. Maybe I’m enthralled with the glaze. Look, it’s a whole new learning curve. Maybe later.

When we found out that they offer classes but not to grandchildren type we bade our adieus and went up to the Boyd Walker store where summer sewing camp for girls will be held. We had Casey, Jerry’s 10 year old granddaughter with us. She has been resistant to taking a sewing class but was very enthused when I suggested the pottery class. The Boyd Walker store was open but the summer class teacher was not there. We looked around, talked to some of the people sewing there and then scoped out the fabric store next door.

System overload. That store is small but it is jam packed with gorgeous fabric and quilting ideas. Casey wanted to jump right in and sew something right then and there. (Actually I think she just didn’t want to go back home and spend the night with her dad while her sister was at a sleep over with a friend.)

Before we took her home we stopped at another pottery place. They have ongoing classes for all ages and will probably be able to fulfill Casey’s needs. This will be a summer vacation project – even though she wanted to be signed up immediately. We need to coordinate schedules with other activities, mom’s and dad’s vacation plans and of course our availability to get her there.

I feel blessed to be able to assist Jerry’s grand daughters in their growing up years. We are less able to assist his son’s kids as they live 30 miles away from us. And I really am sad that I am missing out on my own grand kids growing up. I really do appreciate that my kids blog with pictures of their kids. It helps me watch them grow.

Crane Vase

Went to the Spokane Potter's Guild fund raiser last Saturday and fell in love with this vase. I didn't have my checkbook with me and they couldn't take plastic so I told them that if it didn't sell to call me. It didn't - they did. It is fired using the RAKU method which leaves very interesting colors throughout.

The front has a crane and the back has cattails.

Jerry wanted to rush out and pick up some flowers to go in it but I couldn't see any that would fit. Then I read that I can't put water in it and should use a liner if I wanted to use it as a flower vase. I think it looks great with nothing in it. Maybe later I'll get some dried natural stems to put in it. For now it is just glowing all by itself.

Piggy Year

To all my little grand-dragons, be on the lookout for a Piggy Year envelope.

Happy Piggy Year

The Chinese Community of Spokane put on a culture event today at the community college. Jhary and I went.

The littly kids in their red outfits were adorable.

I liked this kids "Pake" hair.

They didn't have a Dragon. Instead they had the people dance around. We were both disappointed.

Kun He Fat Choi!

Sewing

Went to the church today for my weekly little sewing group. All by myself for about 10 minutes, then the church secretary comes in and wants to know if I can help her on Excell. She has taken a couple of classes but can't find in her book how to .... So off I go to fix her layout problem.
As I'm leaving the office a volunteer from Rogers High School's drama department comes in and wants to run some costume designs by me to see if I can work on them with her. They are putting on "Through the Loooking Glass" on March 28th and she needs 50 costumes. Things like a mouse in a raft, Caterpiller on a toad stool, The Queen of Hearts, a Turtle. Quite elaborate things.
As we are discussing designs (the kids are responsible to see that their costumes are made - she just helps them get their act together), in walks the widower of the former Sewing Room Queen. He has had his daughters pack up all the wife's things and wants to know where he can put over 30 boxes of stuff - probably over half is sewing stuff. He has no idea which box contains what. That will be fun to sort through. Anything we can't use in the sewing room will go into our rummage sale. He will just have to stack it in the corner. ( lol )
Then a lady from the Women's Hearth (a drop in center for the down town women - some mentally ill, some developmentally delayed, some just plain poor) came in with three pairs of pants that she needed hemmed. "Go try them on so we can see where to cut them off", and back to the costume designs.
Between pinning the pants and talking to the costume lady, in walks one of the regulars (normal woman) with her little boy. She starts setting up and getting her son settled in on his little projects.
Lastly my skitzoid lady comes in. She wants to cut a sweatshirt down the middle and put a facing down either side of the front. I cut the sweatshirt. Showed her how to pin the fabric and set up the sewing machine for her. She was lost - couldn't figure out how to operate the machine at all. Mind you, she has been in the room several times before and has on occasion sewn, albeit with a lot of help from me.
By this time I really had my hands full. The costume lady took the skitzoid lady under her arm and fixed the sweatshirt just the way she wanted it (Thank you Costume lady!!) and she left.
Time was running out so I finished up two of the three pairs of pants for the first lady. But I had to bring the third pair home (it is a pair of lined pants and I do want them to look good for her - but finding the time in the next two days.....).
Didn't get a whole lot of my project done. But I guess that's not what I'm there for. Sure made the day go quickly.