Pristine world

A new fluff of snow is making the world new again. I love living in the country (village) because the snow stays relatively clean until March. But after a fluffy snow fall, everything is so beautiful it makes my heart warm and fuzzy.

I still have a cold. Headachy, snuffles, no energy. I'm aiming for Monday for full recovery. We'll have looked at the Super Bowl and seen the Cardinals win so that should give me energy. Right. Go Cardinals! Such a fun team to watch.

I hear a snow plow. A sparrow is nibbling at the birdfeeder. Fab.

Take care.

Fingernails

Remember when I was saying I finally have fingernails? I attributed it to Hoof Saver, but now I have the idea that it also is attributable to my ingestion of two large Calcium plus Vitamin D per day. Any way, I now have fantastic fingernails. Wow. I love it.

I am slowly getting up to speed as I recover from my trip. One of the things I love is watching the birds and the bunnies. Both come and eat the bird seed. The bunnies from the ground after the birds have knocked it there. Both the bunny and the birds are all fluffed up to fight the cold. Three sparrows are outside my window as I type.

Keep warm. Take care.

Finally

A picture on this blog is quite amazing. Although this is not a picture of the snow in our backyard this winter, the only giveaway is the corn stalks not poking up out of the garden!

It is wonderful to be in Minnesota, but I am having trouble getting back in the saddle. We had a long day of travel to get back and I am more or less pooped.

I'm looking forward to the inauguration tomorrow. It is a notable milestone in the history of the country. Wahoo.

I am looking forward to some comments! Thanks! Take care.

Once more into ,.....

Well, we're going to try again tomorrow to get our flights, etc. I imagine the more interesting part of our journey will be getting our car out of a snow pile and started.

We have had some wonderful times here, but are eager to get back into our own digs once again. The main thing was to luxuriate in the company of our son and grandson. Our daughter was here for Christmas, too. So it was a fun family outing. We missed those who were not in attendance, however.

I have to try to get myself ready to go out in public tomorrow. I feel more than a little unprepared as I've been prepared for so many times. Now I'll go, period. (I hope@!)

Take care. Hope to see you soon.

Once more into ,.....

whoopdee doo

I hear the weather in your part of the world is a bit frisky. We are still in Virginia as the flight loads for us standbys were not good for today. We will try tomorrow. Matthew is home from school with a cough and fever, so it is great to be here to cuddle him. He is so patient and sleeps a lot.

I have been reading like a maniac and watching the HGTV channel. Mostly I have been getting my stuff organized and trying to pack. The addition of Christmas presents pushes our carry aboards to the limit. All will make it in, though, I am sure.

I have missed all youse guys! My e-mail is up and running fine after John gave it a few tweeks. I receive absolutely insane amounts of spam when I am here and my security stuff doesn't remove it. I know that I always get it, but it automatically goes to junk mail when I'm at home.

I hope to see you soon. Take care.

happy new year

Both George and I are suffering from severe colds..... but as long as we're both on our feet, there is always hope we will survive! AS you can see, I am not in the most upbeat of moods. For good measure it is foggy today!

The bright spot is our wonderful grandson. He's watching cartoons for a bit, then gets himself dressed and ready for school. Then I will walk him to the bus at 8:15. What a cutie.

John is already at work. How he keeps all the balls in the air. I can't understand. After school Matthew goes to youth center, then John picks him up and takes him to basketball practice where John also helps with the coaching. Then home for supper, which he has already prepared and I just have to put in the crock pot later this morning. Fantastic.

My e-mail is no longer working. But you can leave a remark in the comments of the blog, or on Facebook, and I will try to get back to you. We are planning on returning about the middle of the month. It'll be great to see you all.

Take care.

Ending....

Well. New Year's Eve. John is with friends. Matthew is also going to be at a sleep over with his buddy, and George and I are the old folks staying at home!

It feels great! We both have a killer cough but got medicine and cough drops today, so we are all prepared. Matthew was also sick, but has totally recovered today. I think if we had to go to a party we would just groan. There comes a time when parties should be under the oak trees out at Clara's Place for lunch. Of course, in this cold weather I suppose that wouldn't be practical, either! It has turned into a severly windy and cold day here, too. We had one day in the 70s and now it's really turned cold.

It's been a strange year. Lots of health challenges for George and me. Bronchitis and other stuff. Luckily, I have a short memory so I don't really remember every detail of my year... I just remember I have had other years when I have felt perkier! Of course, I have also had other years when it was worse.

My best wishes to you all. May God bless you and keep you in the coming year. To think that it will be 2009! It was just a moment ago that they were making all the fuss about the 2000 bugs. Can you remember waiting for all the dire effects? And here we are 9 years later. Wow.

Take care.

Aftermath

I feel better today. My cold is worse, but I feel better - go figure.

We had a fun Christmas. Matt got a Red Rider BB gun like the one featured in "The Christmas Story" from his other Grandpa. It came with a card in which a voice says "I double dare ya." just like in the movie. His grandpa has a leg lamp just like in the movie, and he also sent a picture of himself, outside in the snow beside a lit tree with the lamp in the window. Too cute.

Matt is seven but can do everything with his X box deal. Luckily John meters how much time he can play video games.


I got several outstanding gifts, too. I was more or less recliner bound over Christmas but now I'm feeling better. It is 70 degrees here today. It was about 35 over Christmas. Some swing.

Hope you are all well and have had awesome family times. Take care

Christmas fun

Christmas is always more fun when you can spend it with a child. Wrapping packages, putting up the tree, putting up decorations are more fun with the help of a child. We not only have the fun of seeing everything from the child's perspective, we are also awaiting the arrival of Nay. She will be here tomorrow.

She described the wonderfully snowy weather you are having in Minnesota. Some fun! Snow and ice are fun (!) but the relatively mellow 50 degrees here is also enjoyable.

We are having great food. John has turned into a chef along with his other great qualities.

I hope your trip has evened out, Karen L, and that all is going well.

Take care.

We're Here!

After lots of starts and stops, we're finally in Virginia. Everything was going smoothly. We got to the Fargo Airport at 5, Got through the security deal, And then proceeded to wait... and wait... and wait! Then we got on the plane, and proceeded to wait... and wait... and wait.

Finally they told us that the machines they used to start the airplane couldn't be started because of the severe cold (-3). The starters for the airplane needed a jump start. So, we sat some more. Finally they told us to go back to the ticket counter and retrieve our bags. Which effectively meant we would have to arrange a different flight.

As we stood in line at the ticket counter for quite a long time, two hours after our flight had been supposed to take off, they announced that we should grab our bags and go back through security, the flight was going to take off!

So.. off with the shoes, the puffy red coat, the sheepskin vest, show the baggy with the 3 oz bottles, your i.d. , your bag and your carry aboard. Then, put it all back on again (You realize that this was for the second time!) and go back on the airplane. Half of the passengers had given up, so there were considerably fewer passengers.

At OHare we avoided escalators and had no trouble making a connection, even though the one we were booked on had left just as we were arriving in Chicago.

After that, we had a fairly mundane trip. John met us in Norfolk and drove us to his home at Yorktown. He returned to his job and then is taking Matthew to basketball practice. It's great to be here.

Hope Karen L. has a good trip today. Take care.

Such Fun!!!

Wow. 10 comments! It was interesting how age played into what we remembered. I am really a fossil to remember Pearl Harbor. I never realized that before. That is, I know I'm an old fossil, but I didn't realize how remembering Pearl Harbor would point that out.

Two others I could mention would be the fall of the Berlin Wall and the uproar in Tianamen Square. I remember Fran and I calling each other about both of those events as they were happening.

Forgiveness is tricky. We think it means forgetting, but it doesn't. We think it means that the person has to ask for our forgiveness, but it doesn't.

For one thing, harboring resentment can literally kill us... It doesn't do a thing to the person it is aimed at, but it eats away at our own soul. "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us." Substitute sins for trespasses and you see what this means. Hmmm.

Usually (not always!) I imagine a supposed hurt or slight sitting in my hand and I hold it out as if it were a bird and make a motion of setting it to flight in the universe. I let it go.

We're getting ready for our trip to Virginia for the holidays. Such bustling around trying to get all the t s crossed and i s dotted. We just got back from the cities for my appointment with the neurologist. All went well. The trip down and back was smooth. We delivered JYY the dog to it's beautiful owner. Now it is hard to remember that he isn't here. I expect him to show up and nudge my arm to tell me he as to go out, etc. He's a sweetie.

Take care. And thanks for your comments. I love 'em!

Where were YOU?

There are some dates you never forget where you were when you heard the news. December the 7th is one of those. The occasion was more than 65 years ago yet all those who are still alive remember where they were when when they heard the news that the Japanese planes had attacked Pearl Harbor.

George was in the drug store buying cigarettes for his dad. He forgot the cigarettes and raced home to get his family to listen to the radio. He and his brother enlisted and his dad was already in the army having served in WWI and as an officer in the CCC.

I was with my brother. I guess I wasn't exactly WITH him, but I was pestering him as he listened to a radio he had rigged up in his bedroom closet which he used as his little office. If I'm not mistaken it was a little crystal set radio he had made up. We heard the news and rushed to inform our folks.

Moments which affect the course of events are just a few: The assassinations of JFK, Martin Luther King, Robert Kennedy come to mind. I'm sure there are some other dates which haven't come to my poor fevered brain. Can you think of any?

I'm looking out the window. We have had snow and there is bunny hopping out in the garden. I better not let the dog out right now! We are dog sitting for a couple of weeks. Lots of fun, but it reinforces our idea that we should not have a pet.

Take care.

Black Friday?

Happy Black Friday! When has it ever been called that before? Why is it called that? Perhaps it is the day that ensures that the store winds up in the black? Whatever.

Naomi and I wandered over to Herberger's and managed to buy some stuff at ridiculously low prices. We just got under the wire as the sale ended at 12 noon. We were there at 11:30. The line I was in to pay for my two sweatshirts and two vests was stationary for a long time. The person at the head of the line was trying to apply for a credit card and had been refused, and continued to protest. Finally a manager came and took him away to consult and freed up the charge machine. Three people had already left the line, and there were still seven ahead of me! However, I finally made it through in time!

Yup. I'll be stylin' at the gym, girls. Aren't you thrilled?

I bought a small turkey this year. Just white meat. I always make stuffing (dressing for those of you who prefer that) but this year there was no place to put the stuffing. We three had a very modest meal: Turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, corn - and pumpkin pie with real whipped cream. It was yummy, but I must admit we did miss cranberries and sweet potato stuff with marshmallows. and rolls.

Many years ago our family had a 28 pound turkey that someone had given to us. Mom and Dad invited all the relatives and made a feast, but it snowed something fierce so no one could make it. We ate turkey left overs clear into the new year. I mean - twenty-eight pounds! However, if you have to have leftovers, turkey is great.

Hope you had a fine Thanksgiving! Lots to feel thankful for. Take care.

OK, already

Yup, I know. A blog once in awhile is good. Once you've started you have to keep on. . . . Unless you just decide to quit. I don't want to quit, though, so here goes:

I was born during the great depression. Now that we are in the middle of what might topple over into another severe economic disaster, I think of all the things that have happened during my life time.

Take typewriters. When I was in highschool my father insisted I take a summer course at the Madison Business College to learn typing and shorthand. I was a star in the shorthand and did well in the typing. Two weeks after the course was over I couldn't read a shorthand note I had left for myself! Learning something too quickly doesn't necessarily stick. The typing is something I am still using now, however, to write this blog. And Pop was right, typing is a valuable skill.

When I went to college I fainted with joy when they came out with a type of paper called "corrasable bond." You could erase a typed image from the paper and leave no evidence of it. What a boon. I once typed six papers in six nights after lights out in the dorm. I had to hold a flashlight between my right ear and shoulder to do so. I had a terrible sore shoulder and crick in the neck at the end of that endeavor, but I passed all my courses with flying colors.

And then came the electric typewriter. Now with the computer life is a breeze. Just keep fiddling with the image on the screen until it is just right and then print out as many copies as you wish. Wow.

My next blog will take up some other advance or regression in my lifetime. I'm sure you are all waiting with bated breath. While you wait, take care.

I'm still here - sort of

I had avoided buying "My Sister's Keeper" because of its subject matter. When it came up to be read in Book Club I had no choice but to wade in. What a tour de force. Jodi Picoult is a gifted writer. There are multiple characters, and she stars them as the narrator in alternating chapters. She has done it in a way that doesn't confuse. That in itself is miraculous. But the story itself is utterly fascinating.

Kate is born and thrives until she is about four years old. It is discovered she has a disease that is fatal unless she can find a matching blood donor. Her older brother is not a match. So her parents find out that if they can have a "correct" baby, the umblilical cord can be harvested to save her life. With scientific help they "engineer" a child that is a perfect match for Kate. That embryo is implanted and then born, and the placenta and umblilical cord are saved and are used. Anna is the child who saves her sister Kate.

The story as played out is absolutely enthralling.

Well, it's true I am still here. Whether I am still kickin' remains to be seen. Take care.

After the Fall

I spent most of my time in Virginia watching the HGtv channel. If I ever want to freshen up my house, I now know all of the tricks. The only trouble is that they all cost money. Right now all of us seem to be feeling the money crunch.

I counted the ABCs of my fall... Abrasions, Bruises, and Cuts and Contusions. As well as I could tell there were between 18 and 20 major ones. I just let my body take care of the healing and I am feeling remarkably fine now.

The trip home was relatively uneventful. No escalators in evidence, for one thing. I did lose a Tommy Helfiger black velvet jacket, however. Now I won't have to feel bad when I wear something that collects my shedding white hair in abundance. I will stick to either multi-colored or light colored clothes! Adjustment is always the name of the game.

We have been home for two days and I have not managed to get my mind in gear. What with the change of time and the trip from the east coast, we have lost two hours. oofta. George is busy doing endless things, and I have been just trying to get my mind going again. I have not even unpacked my bag. Two days, and I haven't unpacked yet. I mean, really. Get with the program.

Take care.

Whew!

This "Tuck and Roll" stuff is getting to be ridiculous. Fran fell and told me she thought the whole tuck and roll idea had to be learned from childhood... at her advanced age it wasn't easy to develop. Since I have HAD experience since childhood, I am the expert.

Well, in the Chicago Ohare Airport I was juggling a carryaboard up an escalator and I lost my balance. I tucked and rolled... and rolled... and rolled, until someone turned off the escalator. A woman came over to try to help me while I was still rolling shouting frantically, "Oh, my God" over and over. God heard her because another woman shut the escalator off.

The airport personel came over to see if they could help me. Poor George had been in front of me and could only look down powerless to help. He soon came to my aid, too. They sat me down and I kept protesting that I was relatively ok. I wanted to catch the airplane. I said I had a lot of experience of falling!!! and I was pretty sure I was good to go.

I have a contusion on the back of my head (don't have to worry about that because I am a hard headed Norwegian!) and it only bled a little. Oofta. Otherwise none the worse for wear... except I broke two fingernails! Now that is serious... now that I DO have fingernails to break. I imagine I will have a few aches and pains tomorrow, but my glasses were unscathed, as well as my new ears, so all is well.

John and Hannah met us at Dulles Airport, we went out for lunch and then drove home to meet Matthew. (He had to go to school, poor guy, and didn't have the fun of the long drive.) John, Hannah and Matthew are now out for a walk and George is snoozing.

Well, I couldn't wait to regale you with the latest tuck and roll story. Take care.

wahoo

We had a very busy day yesterday trying to get ready for the trip out east to visit our family there. Got our flu shots, voted, got our eyes checked out, did some shopping, and stopped for coffee.

It is a relief to have voted. We no longer have to pay attention to the political ads, etc. And, of course, the flu shot will keep us well. Right. And I found out that it wasn't my imagination, my eyes were not doing as well as they had been. In six months we will do a bit of correction as needed.

We will be gone during Halloween. Shucks. I love seeing the little kids all decked out. I will be able to report on how they celebrate in Virginia. We also will be gone for the big voting day, and I am glad we remembered to do an absentee ballot.

Our beautiful Maple tree in the back yard is shedding its leaves at fantastic pace. I is about half bare and the ground is more or less completely covered. Wow. Fall is here. Is that why it is called "Fall." Because all the leaves fall? Anybody know?

Take care.

Hi ho

I don't know if you are of the same mind as I am, but I am so sick of some of the political ads on TV I could barf. Can we stand the ickiness until November 4? I guess we'll have to, or swear off TV. Which wouldn't be such a bad idea. I am definitely addicted to TV... and reading. The picture of the flag in the wooden vase from Brazil raises my spirits a little. I remember the thrill of seeing that flag in front of the embassy while we lived in Brazil. I was amazed at the wave of emotion that washed over me.

I suppose that we will survive. This campaign is so disappointing to me. It seems to wallow in divisive rhetoric. I feel so ashamed of some of the people involved. Sigh. Just two more weeks. Whatever you believe, be sure to vote.... Really. Vote.

When I look at some of the stuff on Facebook and other spots, I think there is no longer just a generation gap... there is a generation chasm. Can we still manage to hang on to our basic beliefs? We hold these truths to be self evident... ALL MEN (AND WOMEN) ARE CREATED EQUAL. Black white whatever.

I have faith that our country will survive. The fiscal crisis is shaking us back down to reality. All this bloated spending will come to an end. They are beginning to offer "Layaway" again at stores. Don't use your credit card, use layaway and pay as you go with the money you have. People must be reeling with the financial crises and also the scary election. This is not the time for scare tactics. In my not so humble opinion!

Take care.