evening, friends. I spent a nice day with Jenn and kidlets. Got the boys off to school and then played with the Princess while mama snoozed off and on. Master Isaiah was a cranky-butt most of the day. I think he was still a bit put out about needing to take a bottle yesterday. She was able to nurse him several times, though, and that made him a bit happier.

Looks like one of the staples may have pulled a bit last night - probably when she was getting into or out of bed. It's hard to know how to move when every movement takes tummy muscles - and they complain because of the "owies".

Our friend from church brought dinner in tonight for the family. I know that Jenn appreciated that gesture. I am thankful for kind friends.

A weird thing happened to my left foot today. I was putzing around the house - talking with Jenn at the time. The bottom of my foot had an itch, so I scratched it with the big toe on my right foot. Then the itch felt more like a hurt. Sort of itchy/hurt - you know? I reached down to feel the area and found a big lump - painful/itchy to the touch.

Jenn said - "that almost looks like a ganglion." Hmm, I said - unsure of an answer.

Anyway, I just was telling hubby about it and showed the bottom of my foot to him - he suggested I might have stepped on a rock or something. Maybe, I don't remember doing so. He said he couldn't see anything, so I pulled my foot around to see and saw something he had missed. There is a bruise about the size of a nickle on that spot! Very weird.

Hubby did a very nice thing for me tonight. T was not home at 5:15 when hubby got home - I wasn't there, so he called to check on me at Jenn's. Offered to start dinner. Awww. I told him that was very nice and to go ahead and eat should T not get there so I could get home.

At 6 we got another call - Hubby talked with Jenn - "tell Mom to get her things on, her dinner is on the counter here. I will come and sit with you until T gets home so that she can come home, eat, and then go to church." Aww very sweet. He got a big hug from me when he got to Jenn's house to relieve me.

Guess that is about it in the lives of the extended PurpleMoose family. Hope your Thursday holds every good blessing for you.

Ladybug

Spent the day with the Ladybug. She had her surgery first thing this morning. Her dad and I were joined in the waiting room by a friend from church. It was wonderful to have her with us. Master Isaiah was none too happy with taking a bottle, but figured if he had to . . . well, okay, Nana, but just for you.

The surgery went well - the surgeon was happy with the outcome. Jenn is to take it easy for awhile. No heavy lifting for 6 weeks - nothing heavier than the baby - and NOT with him in the car seat.

I will be going over the next two days to help her while T is at work. Friday, unfortunately I have to work, but we are trying to find someone to go and sit with her that day also. Saturday and Sunday T will be home with her to help with the kidlets and all.

Jenn is appreciative of all of the support and prayers. Thank you.

And, I will leave it at that tonight. Fond thoughts batgirl's way. Mend quickly, batty.

Laughing at myself

Well, really I must laugh at myself. I have been searching high and low for an envelope of my grandmother's poetry. I knew that I had it somewhere, but could not for the life of me remember where. So, two closets cleaned later . . . I remembered last night that I had returned the envelope to my aunt. But, before returning it I had scanned in Grandma Abbot's scrawled pages and had typed her words into a file. The file is tucked waaaaaaaaayyyyyyy back in the old drive of my old machine. We had zipped it and saved it to this machine when changing over. Mystery solved. Sanity returned. Two closets cleaned. Yay.

Got to play with the babies again at lunch. Ahhhh, the life of a Nana, I tell ya.

Isaiah looks quite pleased with himself, doesn't he?

Three monkeys in a bubble
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
And, Ma Nature hurls yet another snowy day at us.
I was trying to get the huge snowflakes into focus, but nooooooooo!
Sigh! Anchorage has had a record snowy March. We are not too far behind.

Night all. Early day tomorrow.

Recipes

Hubby and I no longer eat the way we did when we first married. He is diabetic and cannot eat a lot of the foods he really loves. (I tell him all things in moderation, but he insists that he can NOT eat some things, so I let him be.)

I do very little cooking these days. When our girls were home I went all out and fixed full meals for dinner. Now, our Jet Stream Oven is our best cooking aide. Just pop a couple of chicken breasts in there, cook for a few minutes, serve with veggies and you have a fast, low cal dinner. Yup. That’s us these days. Fast and low cal.

So, it has been awhile since I have fixed the following recipes. But, I will share them as requested. And, aren’t you glad I haven’t given this cookbook to Jenn, yet? This recipe is penciled in on a flysheet of that book.

You'll have to make it and supply some gorgeus pics, Lolo.

Chili Recipe for Lolo and Ladybug
From the cafeteria queen at the manufacturing plant my husband worked for in Columbus, Ohio waaaaaayyyyyy back in the 70’s before we moved to Alaska.

Yield: 20 qts. (yes, that is a lot – it was to feed a manufacturing plant full of people)
I divide the recipe to make smaller batches – works quite well.

Fat 1cup
Garlic Minced 2 Tablespoons
Onions Coarse 8 cups
Grnd Beef 10#
Salt ¼ cup
Chili Powder ¾ cup
Cayenne 1 Tablespoon
Oregano 2 Tablespoons
Tomatoes 2 #10 cans
Tomato Puree 1 #10 can
Kidney Beans 1 #10 cans

The original recipe did not come with directions, only ingredients. Seasoned cooks (heh, punny, moosie) can play this by ear – do the meat – do the onions and garlic – mix the two – add the rest of the ingredients – simmer for an hour or by taste/smell – eat (the best part) while watching the Super Bowl.

Our tastes have changed over the years, so this recipe is different each time I cook it.
*This is WONDERFUL with moose meat or caribou (any game animal) – gives it a whole new flavor.
*I generally use the darker, smaller beans – and like to mix with black beans.
*Increase or decrease the spices to your individual tastes. Hubby also likes to add jalapenos to his individual servings.

Lolo – NO CHICKEN BROTH (heh)
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Want an easy recipe for a Salmon Ball? This is a hit at showers, receptions, etc.

1 15.5 oz can salmon, drained and flaked (home canned salmon is best, of course – heh)
¼ tsp. Liquid barbecued smoke flavoring (substitute 1 small can of [home smoked and canned] smoked salmon, drained)
1 8 oz. Package cream cheese (may use low-fat substitute)
1 Tablespoon grated onion
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1 Teaspoons horseradish
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup walnuts or pecans, chopped
¼ cup fresh parsley, finely chopped

Combine all ingredients except nuts and parsley. Mix well. Chill one hour. Combine nuts and parsley on wax paper. Shape salmon mixture into ball or log. Roll in parsley-nut mixture. Refrigerate several hours. Serve with crackers.

There you have it. From my heart to yours. Now, go on and fix it, and don't forget to invite me to share. ;-))

Remember?

this picture from three days ago?

me and my big mouth. The following picture was taken this morning. Sigh.

that's right, it started snowing the day after I took the first photo and was still snowing this morning. On a good note . . . it IS beginning to melt again. It's a sure sign of spring - this freeze, melt, freeze again cycle. As we scoot into April we will see the snow lines recede even further back. Ahhhhhh - spring in Alaska.

And, btw, Ali don't worry about the temps there being too warm. We'll be ready for the change. ;-)

I've been working in a closet all day today - dusty - sneezing - sniffling. Still haven't found the thing I am seeking, but I am running out of places to look, so it can't be too much longer. Well, that's my story and I'm stickin' to it, okay?

Hubby is gonna be late tonight. So, I guess I will get off here and get back into the closet - at least get it all packed back in there.

Have a wonderful Sunday, everyone.

Serenity

Serenity
© PurpleMoose (in her own name)

While the world
Outside my four walls
Goes crazily, intensely
Insane

While rockets glare red
And soldiers bleed blue
Leaving family, country,
Faith

While loved ones known
In reality or virtually
Lie in hospital ward
Or convalesce at home

My thoughts of me
Losing out on something
Wanted much but needed less
Go quickly off to the side

I reach out
Take the hand of
My grandchild

Touch the head of
My child

Kiss the cheek of
My spouse

And bless the One
Who gives me so
Much more than
I ever deserved

'night, friends

A Thursday visit with Nana

Timothy and Kinzie test out a toy

Nana gets some "me" time with Isaiah

Stop! No pictures, please

Mama and Isaiah share a moment

Timothy takes the wheels for one last spin

Kinzie plays "the mommie"

**Friday morning addendum:
You might notice that there is a stuffed moose behind the Nana's head - yup, even my co-workers know that I collect the critters - they gave me two new ones for my office and this one may make its way there, too . . . if it is still there when I go back on the 5th.

**Friday morning addendum #2:
Some may have a question about the bags around the room. Two days a week we accept donations for our Clothes Closet. Thursday and Friday are the days. People had been dropping things off all day and staff was sorting as they could. The toys the kidlets were playing on were a couple of the "donies". (btw, Ladybug - those are available now if you want to go back over)

**Friday morning addendum #3:
Who gave me this cold? hmmmmm? (sniff, snort, harumph, achoo!)

Where else

but in Alaska would someone take a picture of mud . . . and be so excited to see it, feel it, step in it? Hmmmm? Join me for a moment of silence as we gaze in rapt delight at . . .

. . . open road. Yes, friends, the road home is melting. Hurrah!! It won't be long now before we can bring the bikes home and out of storage. Yeah! The driveway itself still has a lot of slushy snow, but that, too, is going away. We have freezes every night and then thawing and melting all day long. The frost has not "broken through" yet, however, so the meltwater stands on top of the road. Behind me in this picture is our street's annual lake. It nearly covers the entire road across now. One day I will come home from work and it will be gone - just like that. The frost will break through and the water will seep into the ground and we will do a happy-happy-joy-joy dance.

Squishing our toes in the mud. Scraping our shoes at the door each night.

Spring may just finally have sprung in Kenai. Woo-hoo!

It's all in my head

literally . . . well, in the occipital protuberance to be exact. It started Saturday - a pinging, sharp pain that came and went at will. It hurt, but was not debilitating. I have a pretty high tolerance to pain so just went about my weekend. It hasn't gone away - today is Tuesday. After our Supervisors' meeting this morning my reactions to it were remarked upon by a coworker. It was time to see my doctor.

He poked and prodded and questioned. He feels there is nothing to fret about - it is apparently a muscle type thing probably stemming from some cervical vertebrae out of alignment. He suggested I think about a chiropractic adjustment, but also said that it would probably take care of itself in a couple of weeks. If it still hurts in two weeks, he might want to do some xrays.

So - I continue on without fretting. ;-) After all, it's all in my head - and I am a stubborn part-Irish gal, and that is probably the toughest part about me. Heh.

The doctor was very pleased with my weight loss to date and my general demeanor since the first time he saw me (June or July 2002). Bless his heart, he told me he is proud of me. Said it does his heart good to see the change. I asked him if I could take him home. LOL.

It's incentive to continue on with the program.

Have a great Wednesday, everyone

the White Bus?

Mary Lou asked what was with the white bus in yesterday's entry. It was just a bus I spotted at Girdwood when we stopped on the way through to Anchorage. I think it looks like a smaller version of the one used in the Average Joe television shows. So, I took a shot. It is actually a shuttle for the skiers. There was a big skiing event going on at Alyeska over the weekend.

So, I was just being witty/funny/punny, you see?

Heather - I don't watch much tv myself. I like this silly show - even though the first two have upset me because of the chosen ones at the end. So, I try not to miss it. The only other show I care about is ER on Thursdays. The rest of the time, I don't care much for what is on. Or, maybe I should say I just haven't gotten sucked into any other plots. (yet)

Skatemom - the higher price is for the high octane Super Unleaded stuff. Thankfully, my Saturn takes just the low grade stuff. So I am paying 1.83 or so. However, the motorcycles all take the high octane fuel, so when we get them out of storage we are going to have to wince and pay the toll to the troll. I have always gotten a full tank on about $3.50 before. I think it will be closer to $6 or $7 this summer. ;-( But, hey, a gal's gotta do what a gal's gotta do. ;-)

Phyllis, I didn't see any bus drivers around, so maybe they DO need one. ;-) When you come to Anchorage, don't forget to head to the Kenai Peninsula and visit with the purplemoose. We live in the prettiest part of the state - at least that is what I tell everyone. It's my opinion - my truth - so, there ya go.

We picked up Miss Jessi tonight for her shopping trip. We had thought to wait and take her next week, since we had gotten back from Anchorage in a pretty tired state of minds and bodies. But, shopping needed to be done anyway, so we called her Mama. . . to be told that at about 3p.m. yesterday said little miss looked up at her mom and said "Say, isn't today MY shopping day?" And not a soul had breathed a word about it to her. She figured it out all by herself. Well, then . . . she deserves a trip, huh?

The non-stop chattering began as she walked out of her door and headed down the slippery slope to our car. It did not stop for longer than it takes to draw a breath until we brought her home a couple of hours later. It tickles us to listen to her - it also makes our ears bleed. ;-) But we would not trade this little dickens for the world.

Got to see the Ladybug's kiddos at lunch today - and got my baby fix. Isaiah is growing! He is still teeee-niny, but he is growing. This is a very good thing.

Well, that is about it for me tonight. Hope you all have a lovely Tuesday. I am hoping for more weather like today's - the temps were in the 50's and it felt very nice.

Oh - and if you have sent me email to the purplemoose address and I have not answered it, I apologize. When the servers were switched over I lost all of the email on that account. It is also doing some funky throwing back of emails being sent by the Ladybug, not by me. So, it is too weird. I have no clue, but hope you will post here if I owe you an email, okay? Thanks

Weekend Wrap-up

We're back. The server upgrade went smoothly, thanks to daughter and to a wonderful server (simonweb.com). I left it in their more than capable hands and all is working just hunky-dory. Rah!

Hubby and I had a very nice, quiet weekend. We left town around 1 Friday afternoon and headed for Anchorage. The roads were clear, but the weather was C-O-L-D! The wind was pretty nasty all Friday and Saturday. By Saturday night it had finally begun to lessen, thankfully. Today it was almost balmy in the high 30's and low 40's.

We mostly ate all weekend. Isn't it funny how when you try to remember what you did at a given time, you can mostly remember what you ate, or where you ate? Yes, that was the kind of weekend it was.

We had dinner Friday night with my dear sister-friend at a Mexican restaurant. Before we left some other friends had come in for their own dinner and we got to visit with them for a few minutes, also.

Saturday morning we had breakfast at the hotel, and then took the car for service. Had them check out a couple of noises and they had to replace a couple of parts. (Love that extended warranty.) Then we drove around and around down town trying to find a parking space. I was to work at the Women On Wheels® booth for an hour at noon. Finally had to let hubby drop me off at the Egan Center so I could get in there in time, while he drove off in search for a spot to park. It wasn't easy.

Was a bit disappointed in the Bike Show. It was mostly dealers - and, while that is okay we love to see the SHOW - see what folks have done to their bikes, you know? I would guess there were only about 30 bikes (if that) in the show itself. The rest were all dealer bikes. So, we didn't stay too long after my stint was up.

We grabbed a bite to eat for lunch (see, more food) and then did some shopping and then went to visit with some friends whom we haven't seen in a long time. Got to catch up on their lives, remark on their (almost adult) children and see their new home.

We left them in time to head back downtown to the Glacier BrewHouse for dinner with some other friends. Food, food and more food, I tell ya. It was fun to talk Women On Wheels® business and dream about summer riding with like minded spirits.

This morning we ate at the hotel again - they have a nice breakfast buffet - this time surrounded by high school basketball players. I'm not sure which schools were represented, but the kids were very well behaved. They were in town for a tournament - regions, I believe.

We checked out and went shopping again - took hubby back to the bike show while I did some on my own. His feet were beginning to hurt from all of the walking we had been doing. So, he visited with some friends at the show - while sitting on his bum - while I had some alone time at JC Penneys. I got myself some new tops for work, and bought each of the grandgirls an Easter dress. After I picked up hubby we went to a different store and found some jeans for the oldest grandson and for hubby, also a winter jacket for grandson.

Then it was time to head out of town, but not before . . . you guessed it . . . lunch. LOL I'm telling you, the weekend was ALL about food! (and shopping). This time we stopped at the B&N bookstore and had soup and sandwich, browsed a bit to find a couple of cds (comedy) for the ride home and a writers magazine for me.

Fueled up - inexpensively at $1.72/gal (it is 2.12/gal here in Kenai) - and hit the highway for home. Good roads again and warmer temps with no wind. We made it home in reasonably good time and the first words out of hubby's mouth after we had everything unloaded from the car and put away . . . what's for dinner? I kid you not! So, I fed him. Good grief.

Hopefully the choices made over this weekend won't set us both back. LOL, but tomorrow is another day. We will be right back into our routine.

It was good to take a break away from computers and work and everything. I think we need to do it more often. We probably shouldn't spend as much money everytime, though. (don't ask) I looked at this weekend as a training for hubby - see, honey, it was OKAY for you to leave the shop a half day early - AND not to work on Saturday and Sunday, too. Really it was. (have to get him used to it so he won't fret so much while we are in Hawaii in May)

I am going to go now and catch up with all of you - I have been away from the computer since Friday (good training for me, too). But, before I go, I want to leave you with a question: (in the form of a photo)

Is this the famous white bus? Spotted in Girdwood Friday afternoon. Nahhhh!

First of all, I would

First of all, I would like to congratulate Mir at Dim Sum Diaries for her win at BlogMadness. Bravo! I think that for the most part everyone had a great time. There were some disgruntled folks, but that is usually the case in something like this. I had a great time - found some great blogs to add to my daily reading - and even made it as far as the Elite Eight. That's pretty cool, I think.

I commented over there at blogmadness to Pete and Manny - it is interesting to find the different communities of bloggers. It seemed like most of the folks who were taking part in the contest were on each others blogroll. You know? They used the same hosts - and seemed to be neighbors.

This is a bad way to explain myself, I guess. Sorry. But it just struck me that bloggers are sometimes stuck in their own little rut, their own little world. Suddenly a contest like this one comes along and you discover that there is a great big wonderful world out there - there are other people on this same planet!!!! And it was fun to peek into their lives and sort of move in next door.

Our big old world just got a bit smaller - at least for me. Thanks to Manny and Pete - and to Faith on whose blog I read about the contest in the first place.

Looking ahead to the weekend:
Hubby and I are taking some R&R this weekend - we are driving up to Anchorage for a couple of nights. We hope to visit with some friends we haven't seen in a few years and some we have never met and with my dear sister-friend. In addition, we will be going to the Anchorage Bike Show to check out all of the new two-wheeled products, pet some chrome, and wish for dry, warm roads and the feel of the road racing beneath our tires. Sigh.

Somewhere in the mix we will probably do some shopping - baby needs tushy coverings (heh) and Nana could use some new (better fitting - heh) clothes. The diapers are easily found - not so sure about Nana's things. But, it'll be fun looking.

anyway, don't be too concerned if you don't see a note here after Friday morning. All is well (or I am trusting it to be so) and we are off enjoying ourselves.

Other Move Afoot
My host server has upgraded to bigger, better, more . . . and so I will be moving onto their new servers. Lessa is actually doing all of the work for me - cause I am such a nooooooobieeeeeeeeee at all of this. Just received the email from them tonight and have sent it on to her. That may be another reason you won't see an update from me for a bit. Watch this • (spot) and I will be back soon.

One last Move
and that is my feet - one in front of the other - taking me off to slumberland. We had an intense training this afternoon - on self care - and I recognize that I am beat - so I am going to go and take care of that little problem.

Lord willing, I'll see you here tomorrow. Night, friends.

Busy, busy day

Busy, busy day. We have a supervisors' meeting every Tuesday morning. The various components of the agency each have one person who oversees the program, and they all answer either to the Program Coordinator or the Executive Director - the Program Coordinator answers to the E.D. The E.D., by the way, answers to the Board of Directors. It is much like any non-profit organizational chart.

We all come together on Tuesdays to share what is going on with our programs - and to touch base with each other as we are spread out over three buildings. It is almost always a good networking time. We laugh a lot, but we get a lot accomplished also.

After the meeting this morning I began getting information together for our upcoming workshop. Letters and schedules have to be sent out to prospective volunteers and to various agencies in the area.

Suddenly I looked up and it was time for lunch. A morning gone by quickly.

After lunch our newsletter was delivered by the printer and I set to work collating an insert and folding. Tomorrow I will finish that and get it ready to mail out on Thursday.

There you have it - a day in the life of a busy volunteer coordinator. ;-)

And, how was your day? The Ladybug has some cute pictures up of the kiddos. I love the one she got of Miss Kinzie this morning. Little stinker tossed all of her toys out onto the floor and crawled into her toy-tub with her stuffed bunny and fell asleep. That is where mama found her this morning. Cute picture.

Hope you have a wonderful Wednesday. We are slogging into spring in Alaska. There are even patches of gravel on our road today!! Yes, that is a cause for celebration. It won't be long . . . The side roads, of course, are the last to melt off and I still have a ton of snow in the front yard that needs to go away. But, the main streets are clearing up at a steady clip, and the sun is causing major damage to the remaining snow berms.

YAHOO!!! Spring in Kenai!!!

Monday chit-chat

The Ladybug has new pictures over on her site with a link to some of her sister's pics. Enjoy.

I joined her and the kids and her friends at their play date this afternoon. The kids got to have a rowdy good time. I got my grandbaby fix in spades, I'll tell ya. Thanks, Ladybug.

Yes, I watched Adam Returns tonight on Average Joe. But, of course I did, sillies. It's going to be interesting to see what he does over these next weeks. He knows how it feels to be rejected, and it is probably going to prove hard for him each time he has to eliminate someone.

We will have to wait to see, though. In the meantime, have a wonderful Tuesday.

Sags and Freckles and Voices

At my last dental exam the doctor said something to the assistant that has been niggling at my brain, needing an explanation. You know how they are anyway . . . "number 10 has a blah, blah, blah" . . . but my ears did prick up when I heard . . . one, two, three . . . six, seven freckles . . . as he was probing my mouth.

It registered, but I didn't get a chance to question him - too many other things to talk about.

Well, my chance came yesterday at the Village Fair/Health Fair. Our group was busily setting up when I spotted my dentist at another booth. One of his employees was there to do whitening treatments on people and he was there to do oral cancer checks, but had stopped by the booth to chat with his employee.

So, I went over to speak with him - he is a really nice young man - and finally asked the question that has been bugging me - what did you mean when you said I had freckles? Apparently they are just that - the same type of pigment change that occurs on your face, occurs inside your mouth. They are just little dots, nothing to be concerned about. (I wasn't concerned, just curious)

He laughed when I said - well, I AM Irish, after all, so it stands to reason that if it can freckle, it will freckle.

Hubby (when I was telling him about it later) said - "ooh, I know - they're the roots of your freckles!"

Dr. Hu also told me that he likes to tease ultra conservative people from time to time by telling them that they have tattoos. It would seem that if you have amalgam fillings they sometimes leave permanent dark marks (or tattoos) on the gum surrounding the tooth. Hmmm, interesting.

Another painfully interesting thing about the mouth is how your cheeks begin to sag - on the inside - as you age. One of his assistants had mentioned that to me during an exam once. She noted that is why we sometimes bite our cheeks - the flesh has begun to sag, lose its elasticity. (I know, THERE, too! Can we NOT get a break here?)

A few mornings ago I woke to find that I had somehow sucked a huge portion of my cheek in between my teeth and had ground down on it, apparently for quite some time. OUCH! It was swollen all the rest of that day, and I found myself biting it a few times - it also made me talk funny.

I mentioned it to Dr. Hu yesterday. He said I probably have a line where I have done that in the past. I'm sure he is probably right. But it is still a bit swollen - and extremely tender. I can sympathise a bit more with Isaiah and his thrush now. Maybe I ouhgt to borrow some of that gentian violet. ;-)) Actually I just treated it with some peroxide a bit ago. Maybe it will heal up quicker.

SO - that was probably more than you wanted to know, huh?

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
I have begun singing on Sunday mornings with the Worship Team. It is a revolving group of people - about 5 or 6 - who don't always get to be there at the same time, but it is a good blend of voices. I'm the only alto*. I used to just sing out from the back pew, but am enjoying doing it from the front of the auditorium.

*I'm not the only alto in the church family - just the only one who is singing up front for now.

Two of the ladies asked me to join them in preparing for special music. So, tonight our music director (for lack of a better term) met us an hour before evening services and we practiced a bit. We will probably not do it for awhile - she wants us to sing it acapello and we all still need to learn our parts.

Then she had us work on one that we will probably do with the whole group on Easter. It is a beautiful piece called The Ballod of the Cross.

We have a clavinova so, a lot of our music is downloaded from such sites as the above one - then we can sing it with that accompaniment. So, the pianist may join the three of us and sing this one - it has parts for a low voice and parts for the high voices. So, she can help me with the low parts - give me a bit of a boost to counteract the other two. Another neat thing about the clavinova is that she can change the key - higher or lower pitch - to suit the voices of those singing. It is an amazing thing to hear a whole orchestra coming out of one keyboard. Very cool.

Have a wonderful week, everyone.

but today is Saturday!

Up at a bit after 5 this morning. Of course, knowing that I had to get up did not make for a very restful night. It's hard to get out of my little rut.

Had to work today - Annual Village Fair/Health Fair. Our agency has a booth every year where we distribute information on the agency's various programs. The supervisors from the components and some of the other employees all take stints at the tables to meet the public and share information.

So, I left work early Thursday in order to have time to do this today. As always, I love to chat with people so today was no hardship. I visited among the other booths and picked up information - and some things for the grandkids - had fruit for lunch and then went to the Blood Bank's area to donate blood.

Only I was not able to do so. Got through all of the questions - and then flunked the iron test. Sigh! You have to have at least a 38% in order to be able to donate. For some reason mine tested out at 37%. Looks like I am a tad anemic.

In reading the linked page - I figure it is probably because of my reduced calorie intake. It's all tit for tat, isn't it? There are benefits and non-benefits to everything we do. Oh well. I feel just fine.

I picked up a packet for the upcoming Relay for Life. The 10,000 Step Program folks and I are going to try to coordinate a team of 10K Steppers for the Relay. After I write a note about it, the coordinators will then send it to the entire email list to see who might be interested. It is scheduled for the first weekend in June.

After the Village Fair, hubby and I went to Sean's birthday party. His birthday was the 10th, but he waited to celebrate until now. It was, as usual, a rowdy and delightful time with all of the grandbabies.

Kinzie is so funny - she met us at the door, grabbed my hand and R.A.N. me to see the cake and the presents. Then she went back to Paw-Paw and did the same thing. Only he has longer legs so he didn't have to run. ;-) She is such a little monkey.

She had her first Boys & Girls Club dance class today. Tore her tights, so when she goes shopping with us tomorrow we will see about getting her some more. I guess she had a great time today. She showed us how she can walk on her tippy toes, too.

And, with that, folks I am going to close. It has been a loooooong day. Have a blessed Sunday.

Isaiah and more

my greatest fan:

Isn't he just the sweetest? A friend emailed this morning to tell me how lucky I was to have my girls and my littlest prince there last night. Yup, don't I know it, too. She said I don't need to tell you that you glowed . . . I say, Can you blame me? ;-)

Master Isaiah met everyone there as Nana carried him from table to table to greet friends. He was well loved, oohed and ahhed over. That is a good thing.

But even princes tire out from being shuttled back and forth and being ooohed and ahhed over. Here he is all milk drunk and satisfied. Got milk?

And, it would appear that both daughters took photos of me on the stage. Here's one:

Twitching

That's what I was doing a few minutes ago - twitching. You see, I came home and booted up and went to my home page - only to find that the moose had somehow gone on hiatus. That's right - NO moose. Oh my oh my oh my. What is a purple moose to do?

call the daughter, of course - well email at any raite.

she has no clue either - except a surmise that the server is taking a little rest and reboot session. Sigh.

I twitch a bit more, read some email and then visit another website. Click on my link from that site . . . and sure enough . . . here we are. Ta dah!!

Very tired and fixing to head off to slumber land. But, wanted to report on tonight.

It was the 7th annual Central Peninsula Writers Night. We were trying a different location, different format, and were unsure how it would go. Not to have worried. Everyone did a great job on their readings. And, there was enough room for everyone who wanted to be there.

We will critique ourselves, I am sure, Thursday next. But, all in all, I think it went very well.

I was delighted to have Lessa and the Ladybug and the little mister there with me. They are sweet to support me as they do. Thanks, kiddos.

Got some cute shots of Isaiah. I'll get them posted tomorrow. But for tonight, I am outta here. Yawn.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

I told him first thing this morning, so he knows I didn't forget. We will be celebrating Friday night, so he will get lots of goodies and, most importantly, hugs and wishes from his family.

Sean is 12 years old today!!!

The first of my grandbabies - he took his sweet time coming into the world. Mama labored and labored for 20+ hours until the doctor decided that his sweet little head was not quite so little. A c-section was called for and mama and daddy rolled on into the surgery suite.

Four nervous first time grandparents paced the halls waiting for word. Finally daddy walked out, still dressed in his blue paper gown and booties and hat, holding the most precious bundle any of us could have ever desired. Our wee Irish lad with pale blonde hair and extremely lusty lungs was introduced to his ever doting grandparents.

Daddy asked me to stay with the young master in the nursery while he rejoined the mama in the recovery room. I gave the boy his first binky to soothe him - I patted his little bare bottom and talked to him and heaped all of the love I had in me - on him.

You are a treasure, Sean, and I love you dearly. May you enjoy your last pre-teen year and every year after that.

the whole gamut

Weather report:
Last week we had temps in the 40's with lots of melting and we breathed a sigh of relief as we felt the tight bands of winter loosen just a wee bit.

Then Thursday and Friday we had thick and heavy fog

The fog lasted off and on through Sunday night and into Monday. And, then it began to snow again. (insert heavy sigh here)

Today the snow continued with the added joy of extremely heavy winds - winds strong enough to bend and snap trees and cause whiteout conditions severe enough along Turnagain Arm that the State Troopers have advised that nobody travel it tonight.

But the oddest thing was what I saw on my way home from work tonight

urm, yup, that would be hail. About the size of bb's. Behind me was a gloomy and dark sky. Ahead of me, as you may be able to see, there were sunny breaks in the clouds. Above me, clouds dropping hail.

yup - hail.

Insert another heavy sigh here.

On the other hand this just assures us - much as driving both to and from work in the daylight does - spring is really just around the corner. Soon we will be seeing green and the flowers will begin to poke their lazy heads up. Soon I will be sharing pictures of cute redheaded moose babies with you. Soon

It can't be too soon for me. ;-)

that went well

My presentation before the college class went pretty well. At least I wasn't feeling stressed or nervous about it - so that is a good step in the right direction. It was a smallish group - the professor and 11 students. There were twelve students, but one left to go to the doctor - he thought he had strep. Ouch!

Everyone was very attentive, they asked good questions. And, I even knew the answers to most of them. ;-)) I think I might be getting used to my job - finally. The director will be speaking to another class taught by the same professor on Wednesday night. Hopefully he won't tell her that I was uninformed or anything like that.

We ran the gamut of weather today. It has been a bit chilly and windy all day long. It was snowing when I went to work - then again when I left to come home. Not five minutes after I got home, though, the sun was shining brightly. Folks, I think we may be sliding into spring here in the far north. Last week it was warm and melting. Yup, sounds like spring to me.

Part of spring is the Iditarod Sled Dog Race. Here is Dezi's musher, Mark Moderow. You might remember that Dezi got to ride in Mark's basket for the start of the Tustumena Sled Dog Race. There was a story about "rookies" in the sports section of the Anchorage Sunday paper (I have it for you, Ladybug) which featured Mark. Check in daily to see who is in the lead of the "last great race."

and, btw, the term is Sled Dog Race, not dog sled race. Mushers explain it like this - the dogs are racing, not the sleds. ;-)) Okay, all together now - Woof! Just remember - if you're not the lead dog the scenery never changes.

For a different bit of scenery check out Troy Birdsall's aurora borealis webcam site. He is far to the north of me. We see the aurora here also, but it has been awhile since I have gone out into my yard to watch for the show. This seems like a much easier way for me to enjoy it - I can be warm and comfy. (the best auroral displays are in the middle of a dark and veeeeeeerrrrrrrrryyyyy cold night.)

Hope your Tuesday is a glorious one.

at long last

At last my stint in the Blog Madness is over. It was much fun while it lasted and, to be honest, the story of Timothy lasted a lot longer than I figured. Thank you everyone for voting when you did. To have come from an original group of 116 down to the last eight . . . well, that was just some kinda fun. Congratulations to my last opponent. It must be the name, but I think that I was defeated both times by a "Kevin" and that is my SIL's name, also. Hmmmmm what am I being told here? LOL

So, there will be two more rounds - the final 4 and then the championship. The blog entry I thought would be the winner of the entire thing was defeated this round also. So, I will have to re-think this and come up with a new guess for the winner.

In the meantime . . .

I walked for an hour on the treadmill tonight - raised up a blister on my left heel. I've gotten one several times on the right heel, but this is a first for the left. So, I marked down my miles and steps and then went out and used hubby's bike for half an hour. He was not home - had taken a young friend to the airport at 7 and did not get home until after 9 - so I felt free to use his machine. Got in 5 plus miles on the bike - divided the total by 4 to come up with a reasonable guess at total mileage for the Walk to Nowhere challenge. All is happy dappy in my little world.

Thanks for the comments on yesterday's entry. Looks like I have a lot of company in people who do not plan to attend their high school reunions. ::g:: I'm also finding out those who graduated in the same year. ;-)

Well, I had best go and get my beauty sleep - I have a presentation to make at the college tomorrow night. Part of my program plan is to present agency information and volunteer information (seeing that I am the volunteer coordinator and all that) before different groups. This will be before the Social Works class that meets in the evening. I will only be there for about 1/2 hour. Travel to an from takes it up to about 1 1/2 hours - so I will leave work early by that much. Actually I am considering doing a working lunch at my desk and leaving 2 1/2 hours early. That way I can get in my time on the treadmill and get spiffed up again before the trip out to the college.

btw - it is a bit ironic that the only letters I have after my name are OJT (on the job training) and yet I will be addressing a "rapt audience" on a college campus. Heh.

Goodnight friends. And, thank you again for your votes.

Lost in the 60's

Sunday - 5:04 p.m. Alaska time
Blogmadness continues - just a bit under 3 hours left for the Elite Eight. and Timothy and the Purplemoose are down by a couple. If you haven't yet done so, won't you go over and check out the four matchups and vote your heart? Thanks.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

I was never part of the "in crowd" when I was growing up. Part of that was because we lived on the poor side of town. (Oh, my the purplemoose is talking in lyrics) No, I am not feeling sorry for myself at all. That was just the way it was. We lived hand to mouth most weeks, especially while my parents were still together.

After Mom left an abusive relationship with Dad when I was 12 it was sometimes harder. She worked full time in a hospital laundry which is hard, hot, tough work. When she came home she had two daughters to care for and often left herself out of that equation. We didn't have an abundance of things, but we had each other and our dignity. (worth much more in the long run)

Mom kept sis and me in parochial school even though that meant more sacrifice - and despite the fact that she, herself, was not catholic. In the last few years of grade school and the four years of high school she and I worked it out so that one of us paid for uniforms and books and the other paid for tuition. In grade school I wasn't able to work because of my age, but helped in the school cafeteria for lunches and such.

The summer between 8th grade and high school I worked in a shirt laundry for the princely sum of 60 cents/hour. That helped with the first year of high school. The following year I only was able to babysit and such until I turned 16 and then I worked in the (same) hospital cafeteria.

Somehow we always made it. And, I am thankful for the work ethic Mom instilled in me at a pretty early age.

But, the necessity of working pretty much left me on the outside of the cliques and such at school. I took part in choir and plays, but not the after school parties and such that the "in crowd" enjoyed.

Today I received an announcement of a dual class reunion - my class (1968) and my sister's class (1969) - to be held in August. The above photo is a portion of the photo on the reunion's website. Yes, that grainy, head-scarved apparition is me. If you go and look at the whole picture you will note that I am in the far right corner. The look on my face is saying "Wha? Huh" What's everyone doing?" Yes, I was that clueless. Until the photo appeared in our school newspaper (right above a story I wrote on the commencement speaker - complete with byline) I had no idea even that a picture had been taken.

Yes, lost in the 60's sums it up entirely.

Do I regret it? A tad. I have lost all contact with my classmates. A move 3000 plus miles will do that for you. But, I had already lost contact with them before we left Ohio in 1978. We were making a life for ourselves and our small family and it included only a small group of friends from school. We had moved on with our lives.

I went "back home" a few years ago. I felt the need to ground myself by walking the old neighborhood, seeing the last house (a duplex really) that I lived in before leaving my mother's house to join my husband, seeing the church in which we were married, going to my grade school, and the high school. I needed that at that time. It brought me full circle from youth to adulthood.

One of the things that surprised me -as hubby's niece held an open house for us and several old classmates came to visit - was just how many STILL live in the old neighborhoods - in fact, a couple still live in their parents' homes. They have never ventured farther than the city limits, some have never left the west side of town. Amazing to me.

I was lost in the 60's. And, sometimes I feel lost in the now. But I am thankful for the trip that it has been and continues to be. It is doubtful that I will make it back to Ohio in August, but I will check the website from time to time - to see if they ever get all of the links working - and to see if there is anyone I can still remember.

The Elite Eight are facing

The Elite Eight are facing off - the countdown has begun - please go and see the eight entries and vote appropriately.

For those who had wondered - Ali is well. I called her and we had a lovely chat. She and the family have moved into their new home - but she is not hooked up to the internet yet. She hopes to be back at the computer in the next couple of weeks. She asked me to tell you all - Thanks for worrying -

Busy day today - I'll write more tomorrow. A wee bit tired, so I am going to head on out of here and into my waiting bed. You all have a wonderful Saturday.

Elite Eight

As I said last night, Timothy's post has gone on to the next Blog Madness round. There are just 8 entries left - eight out of 116 entries left. Pete emailed everyone tonight and said while we do not stand to win anything, we can at least say we have participated in the longest blogging contest in history. Heh.

With your help Timothy and I passed through the first 3 rounds undefeated. Then in Round 4 we lost to Kevin and slid into the elimination brackets. We made it through three of those to reach this spot. Double elimination is hard and it is looooooooooonnnnnnnnngggggggggg. Pete and Manny say they are working on some ideas for improvement for the next time.

But until then . . . there is still at least one more niggling little round to get through. There are 8 entries - 4 matchups. The voting starts midnight Friday (EST). Only 4 will advance to the next round, while the other 4 will step back out - this is IT for them. The 4 winners will then face off in yet another round, decreasing the size once again to 2. And, then it is the Championship Round. Pete asked a bit ago if anyone had begun to pick winners. I have one in mind that I think will walk away with the title. We'll see how my guess comes out in the end.

Until then, do me a favor. The link above is to the Round page, not to my individual matchup this time. When the voting begins, won't you check out each matchup and vote for your favorite in each one? The best part about this whole experience has been being introduced to so many neat new (to me) blogs. Too much fun.

And, with that, my friends, I am going to cut out of here. I am pooped. I have the day off tomorrow, but it is going to be a busy day off. So, I must go and have my beauty sleep. Here, Beauty. . . here, Beauty . . . . (insert whistle here)

holy cow!

Well, I am not quite sure just how that happened. When I left for Wednesday evening services tonight I was behind at Blog Madness. I came home, changed my clothes and climbed onto the treadmill for an hour and a half - cooled down, grabbed a yogurt and water, took my evening meds and then logged on to find . . .

Timothy had won by 5 votes!

I am humbled and pleased. Thank you all. Of course, you realize, don't you, that we have to do this all over again, right? I'll let you know when.

In the meantime, congratluations to the Friendly Stranger for a good fight. I have you on my new "Blog Madness finds" list and will be visiting regularly.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
I have to prepare a "training" for one of our all-staff meetings sometime in the next few months. The new program coordinator asked me to prepare at least half an hour. I laughed and told her she was looking at the queen of the five minute presentation. She said she would put me at the end of the chosen meeting and plan on me getting just to the magic time of 4:30. (if our meeting lasts until at least then we are dismissed a half hour early from work. If it lasts only until 4:29 we have to go back to the office. this is good incentive, yes?)

So, I have been actually having fun coming up with stuff to present. I am getting pretty used to presenting my program to the general public, but it needs to come from a different angle to be presented to the staff. As soon as I have it all put together, it needs to pass muster of my supervisor and the program coordinator. Then - and only then - it can be presented to the staff. Woo-hoo.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Do you have a Relay for Life event in your town? I have always participated with the Kenai Lions team. This year I contacted the coordinator of the 10000 Step Program and suggested a 10K Steppers team. She loved the idea, so we will be working together to get that all set up. I think it could be great fun - there are 250 registered people on the 10K Step program currently (although some are not active) and that is MORE than enough to have at least one person on the track at all times for 24 hours. I'll let you know as plans progress.

Well, friends, I had best get off here. It is nearly past my bedtime. Have a wonderful Thursday. And, thanks again, to all of you who voted for Timothy's entry.

Final Countdown

In just under 24 hours from now Timothy's story will see its final tally at Blog Madness. Which blog entry will prevail at the end of that time period?

Double elimination is interestingly hard. I can remember when my oldest daughter used to play basketball and the tournaments would be double elimination. Oh, man, did your heart go out to the teams that lost in the first or second round and then fought it out team by team by team until they made it to the finals? Heart - it takes lots of heart to slog through double elimination. I admired the heart I saw in the basketball teams on which she played or against whom she played.

And, now I see that self-same heart in the blogs that are facing their final double elimination tonight. So, I wish each of you the best - there is the
Work Region, and
the Love Region, and
the Bills Region, not to mention
the Sports Region, in which Timothy is currently 2 votes behind.

The four survivors of this round will then be seeded against the four undefeated blogs. Now, ain't that fun? The number will be reduced again and yet again before the grand finale. At that time, we will all quit talking about blog madness. Won't we? Promise? Promise.

Fun News
I received word today that two of my entries into the 7th Annual Writers Night have been accepted. The night itself is March 11th and I will be among several other authors on the stage to read my work. One of my poems and a fiction piece will be featured. I am quite psyched about it all.

So, with that I will cut out of here for the night. Sleep tight - don't let the bedbugs bite. Okay? Okay.

THAT was the secret?

I waited a week to hear that Larissa had a fling with Fabio? Oh, please! And, then to watch Gil's reaction. What a big baby he is. Peh! Brian, you are better off.

But, seriously . . .

Oh, well. In two weeks we will see Adam turn the tables and see how it feels to be in the choosing position.

and life goes on.

In the meantime, Timothy's story seems to be on the losing side of the Blog Madness finale. Ah, well.

You know, it has been fun - there is still some time left on the clock so maybe that will turn around. But even if it doesn't . . . I have found some new good reads.

The Friendly Stranger
Kevin Donahue and his lovely wife, Merrin
Heather
Sugarmama (even if she did withdraw her entry)

And, then there are some that I probably won't read again - just because for some reason their blog did not strike a chord in me. To be honest, you could probably go to any five blogs on this page and find something you liked. Sometimes it is fun to read outside of the box. Go - enjoy - come on back later. I'll still be here.

Question: Maybe one of you has the answer.

Tonight instead of walking on the treadmill I decided to give hubby's new exercise bike a spin around the living room. Hubby says that you have to do four times the mileage on a bike than you would do walking. So, how do I count those miles?

I rode for an hour (glutton for punishment - my butt cheeks went to sleep and they were hurting big time) and rode 10 miles. So, do I count those as 10 miles or as 10 divided by 4?????? Hmmm???? I want to be honest in my tally, you see.

Oh - and the quads - burn, baby, burn. Yeowch!! I think I am back on the treadmill tomorrow. ;-)

Have a wonderful Tuesday.