Peek into Pat's World

Christmas in Minnesota-2011

2012-01-21T20:56:00.001-08:00

December 26. 2011- Get together at Mom's house. It was wonderful. Pictured are Diane Ridder, her daughter Jill. Also Sarah (Peder's wife) and she is holding Felix. House was torn up. Boxes stacked, no carpeting or curtains. We managed and quite well at that. Thank you very much. Lasagna, french bread, and salad was served. After that came plum pudding and Christmas cookies. I really think this worked out well. Didn't matter that the lasagna was baked at 308 Charing and brought up when it was done. Didn't matter that things were very few Christmas decorations. Nope--none of that mattered. Being together was what mattered that day.

Jill DeRaad and her dad Dave Ridder.

The plum pudding was put in front of Donna. She loves it so very much. This was not as good as Mom's. Maybe some day. Jerry and Pudge ae looking on.

The kids table. How very cute they were. Little Felix and Relia (Peder & Sarah's kids and Donna's grandchildren.) Ethan Manders (Emily & Ross's child & Diane & Dave's grandchild.) The little table was made by my dad for me when I was little.

Pudge & I with our 4 grandchildren. Travis, Jamie, Abby and Anna. This picture was taken Christmas day at Kari's house in Eagan, Minnesota. We also have a step granddaughter--Sarah, age 22. She lives in NYC and works for the FBI. She was not able to be with us for Christmas.

Abby, Jane, Anna and Charlie at the Christmas day dinner table.

Kari & Jamie

The Soderberg family. Anna, Abby, Jane & Bryan.

Shannon Reed - Christmas Eve at Jeff's house. She turned 37 on Christmas day.

December 22 (I think.) High school friends got together at Laurel's house for a Christmas get together. This is Diane Martin Lepinski and Krissy Hanson Anderson. Birthday cake was for Jackie Green Wenzel. This was such an enjoyable afternoon and evening.

Laurel Harholdt Hesley. What a gracious hostess!!

Jackie Green Wenzel cutting her birthday cake. Geez--can hardly believe that we are as old as we are.

Jackie and Nancy Dunlap Ream

This was my "teacher friends" get together at Marcy's house. Phyllis, Marcy, Nancy, Me, Peggy & Nancy. So very much fun to get together with all of them.

Marcy had a wonderful dinner.

My Simplifying Is a Joke (Sometimes)

2012-01-11T15:35:00.000-08:00

Since I have decided that this blog is more for me than anyone else I want to record this for my benefit. I have also decided not to try to make this blog perfect because that is what was adding to my frustrations. For example, try to fix this underlining. I know I do paragraphs but when it gets published there are no paragraphs and I am not to fix it because it seems to get me in more trouble than it is worth. So with that being said...on with this post.

Now first things first. Christmas is not here in AZ. At least not yet. Nope, not ready to abandon the idea of going back to MN. So Christmas decorations down here were not going to happen. Besides, remember I want to simplify my life and not have so many things. But I have come to the realization that sometimes I can talk the talk but I cannot walk the walk. Although in my defense I have gotten so much better. Anyway, that was before I went to one of my favorite thrift stores--the Orphanage. It is really that--an orphanage of sorts. There are children there with no parents but also there are some that have parents but for some reason cannot take care of their children. The place itself fascinates me. It is called "Miracle in the Desert." All right-enough of that. On with the story. We pull in and alas! something different. There are tables upon tables on the outside of the building filled with stuff. A beeline was made over to the area. Found out that you take a big box and fill it with anything you find on the tables and this filled box will cost $5.00. Well before I took a box I decided to look. Came across a few cute things so got a box and started to fill it. It took over an hour to go through all the tables. Oh what fun it was!!! So some of the treasures I found that made it into my box are as follows:
This very cheerful Christmas cloth.

Oh--this was not found there. This is my fireplace which is really a DVD on the TV. The pink Santa hat was put on the corner and I didn't even have to worry about it burning. I must say that this fire does cheer up the living room and I swear you can feel the warmth.

These were some of my favorites. I am sure they are vintage. And arent't they the cutest! Love these!

These pretty white ceramic deer were still in the box. The holly candle ring got thrown in the box.

This is kind of another story. Decided that I was going to make this my Christmas tree. It is always in the corner of the living room with 1 string of mini white lights. I put a couple more strings of the pink lights that were used on the golf cart for the parade. Then last year after Christmas I went to take our trash out to the dumpster and found 2 boxes of the prettiest ornaments in there. They made their way home with me and were tucked away. When I decided to do this tree they came out. Wish I would have taken a close up because I am pretty sure they are antique. The angel on top of the tree made its way into "the box." Can't see it too well in this picture. She has braids and freckles on her face. Really cute.

Not a good picture. But I thought this looked cheerful. On the top shelf the dancing Santas are like a border and I got several rolls.

Could not resistFrosty the snowman. The snowman snowglobe was the gift that I got last year at the Sunsationals Christmas party. The other little snowman was on a gift as well as the felt one.

Glass snowman was winking at me when I saw it on the table. Plate I have had and it gets different messages put on it as well as different ribbon.I am such a sucker for anything Scandinavian. Loved these 2 figures and the wooden heart. Candle I did buy at Ikea on sale.

Another Santa and the pointsettias.

Stuffed Santa and metallic tree.

We (Twila &me) had so much fun. Darn, I should have put the picture of Twila and all of her treasures on this post. When we returned that day we went to the picnic table and spread them all out to get a better look. Poured a glass of wine and ooohed and aaahed and giggled.

I need to mention there were other things that I got that were not Christmas. My box was over flowing but they still only charged me the $5.00.

Now I really think I need a Nativity.

So you see it is hard for me to simplify my life when things are so cute and cheap. I would not have bought any of this if they would have charged me more.

Splurge or Save

2012-01-05T16:13:00.001-08:00

Have you ever been caught in the moment? This happened to us when we ordered the new furniture for Pudge's room last spring. 2 interior designers came in from LaZBoy after we went there and picked out the couch. They measured the room and talked to us about likes and dislikes. Then they came up with a plan--wall colors, furniture placement, rug, accessories, etc....
OK we knew we wanted the couch and the rug. They bought material for decorative pillows for the couch. The colors matched all the colors and in the picture it seemed to bring life to the mocha couch. OK--they are custom made and expensive for a decorative pillow. But we decided to bite the bullet and go for it. To make a long story short--in the fall the patterned pillows were on back order and did not come with the furniture. We waited about 1 month and they still were not here. Decided that I could find something cheaper that would work. Well I didn't but Shannon did. Picture above are the pillows she found. I like them better than the custom made ones because they were a different shape and added more interest. Not only that but the price was $6.99 each for a total of $14.00. Now go to the picture below......

Here are the custom made ones that were on back order. Do you think they are the same material? I do. Yes, these are bigger but like I said I like the smaller better. These would have cost $55.00 a piece for a total of $110. It goes without saying that I am pleased with this outcome .

Fiesta Bowl Parade-Dec. 31, 2011

2012-01-01T20:16:00.000-08:00

Bag pipers practicing. This was happening in the staging area before the parade. We waited about in our assigned spot for about 2 1/2 hours. I didn't mind. There was so much to see and watch. I walked up and down amazed at all the entries, the people and all the goings on. We also did some practicing of our routine and lots of visiting during this time. These bag pipers were good. Really enjoyed this.

Waiting to be shuttled to our staging area. This was so very well organized. We parked our cars in a big veterans facility. Van picked us up for a short drive to this place where we waited for a bus to pick us up. It was about a 5 mile drive to the staging area where we were assigned. After being dropped off we had to walk about 10 blocks before we found our sign. Got to see lots of the other parade entrants during that walk. I was astounded at the floats, the costumes, the people. Bands were practicing all over the place. Cases of water were all over the place. Lots of portable bathrooms.

We got acquainted with the group behind us. They were the Buffalo Soldiers. From what I understand back in history buffalo soldiers were all black and they fought in the war but were very badly ostracized. I think this group took on the name in honor of these soldiers. They were all black and I am sure they must be known for their absolutely beautiful and very expensive Harley Davidsons. I have never seen anything like it. These machines were a work of art. There were probably about 30 and each one was different. There were some Hondas in there also. Even their outfits were impressive. Very nice people.

We were told to get ready and started lining up. Isla and Roy (brother and sister) carried the banner. The tall, thin girl in center of picture is Stephanie -- our dance instructor. She choreographs all our dances. She did not mind marching with all of us old ladies. And thank God because it would have been very difficult without her there.

Buffalo soldiers with their beautiful bikes. We got very acquainted with them during the wait. Every group had a sign like the one on the cone and that was our waiting place.

Here we are with these gorgeous boys. They were so big and really nice. They were All Americans with Semper Fideles which is connected to the marines. I asked to have my picture taken with them because I wanted to tell my granddaughters-Abby & Anna that Grandma still has it. Then the rest of the Sunsationals joined in because they wanted their pictures taken. That just made it more fun

The GhostBusters. They had neat costumes and a neat van. They were ahead of us so we got to know them also. Had my picture taken with them also.

These people were along side of us. I could not quit staring at their spectacular costumes. Even their hairpieces were awesome. This picture does it no justice at all. Their float was very nicely decorated.

Camels were down the way from us. Roy & I walked down to see them. The closer we got the worse the smell was. They stunk. Then one of them started to get very agitated and really started to act up. It was scary because it looked like he could have broken his leash and boy was he mad. The guys attempted to calm him and it did work after a while. That was a sight to see.

This group was just ahead of us. Talk about talented!! Oh my gosh!! It was a percussion group. Looked like high school kids. They played a few numbers to warm up. They also had chorography to go with the beating of drums. They were incredible!! Loved this.

These cars are a work of art. The people driving these were dressed like gangsters and their molls. This car has a suitcase as well as a bank bag attached to the running board.

Here we are posing by our sign. These costumes were all hand made by a few of the members about 4 years ago. We got a lot of compliments. Being as the parade's theme was "Southwest" they were very appropriate. We were very easy to spot. In fact the group sent a security guard down to find me and Linda when we walked around looking at the other entries. He knew exactly what to look for.

Nancy, Darlene, Linda P., Linda L. and Mary Lynn--age range is 66-68.

Waiting in the parking lot at Sunland Village East. This is 8 am. A little chilly but it sure warmed up later in the day. We caravan to Phoenix.

What a riot this picture is!! This is the day before in the parking lot at auditorium. We are practicing "roll off." We did this once in the actual parade and it did not work at all so it was not attempted again. The back row could not hear the whistle and they were so busy waving at crowd that they didn't even do it.

So after the parade was going on for about an hour we finally got to move. We were near the back so that is why the long wait. Now I thought the line up was all the groups around us. Not the case. They also had groups on side streets that would funnel in to the place they were supposed to be. We never saw the POW honor guard until just before the parade approach when they came in to get in front of us. Then a group of beautiful Arabian horses came in behind us. Never saw those either until after we started. There was a preparade section that we had to walk through and then a sign that said "start" and that was when it began. It was almost too much to get my head around. TV cameras, commentators, and tons of people. So much to see and we had to concentrate and keep our eye on each other to stay in line as well as listen for Stephanie's whistle to cue us that we would be doing the little routine. Oh yeah--and we had to keep a certain distance from the other groups. People were stacked 9 deep and clapping, cheering and whistling and shouting "Happy New Year" I thought this must be what Kate Middleton feels like when she makes an appearance. The people were in back of barricades. Then we would come up to bleachers with more people. I do remember a TV camera being pointed at me and I did wave my pom pom and said "Hi Abby, Anna, Travis & Jamie." Not sure if that is what got on TV or not. I know ABC was televising it but other stations were there to do clips for their news programs. I was enjoying waving and shouting Happy New Year back to the people. When ever we did our routine it really made a hit. Found out that we got a little behind when we took the time to do it. Had to walk fast to catch up. Try to keep in step while doing that. Started to laugh when my attempts to get in step were futile. Once I heard Carole in back of me hollering, "Pat--Right." I had a tendency to drift off to the left and because I was the beginning of one line it was noticeable to the others behind me. At the end we found out that poor Mary Jean was almost done in because it was so fast. It seemed to me that our steps were so much bigger when we did the routine than when we practiced it. At the end we were sweating and thirsty. We all agreed that it was a great experience and would do it again. I loved it!!! Only next time the back row wants to be in front so they can hear the whistle. I do know that Darlene was on camera for a while and she blew a kiss into the TV camera to her husband who was watching it on TV. I joked that she didn't get into trouble with her kiss like I did. This whole experience was amazing and I feel so fortunate to have been able to do it.

Christmas in the Desert

2011-12-22T21:05:00.001-08:00

Irish Nativity set that was displayed along with about 60 others. This was all part of the Mormon Christmas in Mesa. This was one of my favorite ones. They had these Nativities from all around the world. We were there on a Saturday night to look at the lights. This was in their visitors center but on Saturday the line was so long to get in there. Pudge & I returned Monday about 10 am and we were the only ones there.

I liked this one a lot. It is the Fisher Price Nativity.

This is the room where they all were displayed. There are some tables that are not in this picture. It was amazing and so very glad we went back to see this.

This was a huge scene on the grounds of this big Mormon temple. It was beautiful. There were several of these life size displays telling the story of the birth. There was one where Mary and Joseph were traveling by donkey. She was on the donkey and one thing that I found fascinating was the fact that you could tell she was very definitely pregnant.

John, Shannon, & Gloria under a tunnel of lights

This Mormon light display was so incredibly fantastic. It was unbelievable and these pictures do not give it justice at all. This is only a small part of the whole thing. I am here to tell you that it was amazing. It left one speechless and gasping for breath. Could not help but think "Oh! the work that it must have took."

Part of the story. The 3 kings. They really used spatial design to make this really effective.

At the boat parade in Tempe. Notice Pudge in shorts. It was a nice evening. Just cool enough to weaqr light jackets. No cold toes or noses.

This boat parade was spectacular. The decorating was great and then it would reflect on the water making it even more incredible.

The moon was out in full force making it a very pleasant evening to watch this boat parade.

Now one of the big reasons I am blogging about all of this is because I went back and read my old blogs. I discovered by doing that how great it is to read about my world. Now how egotistical is that previous statement? I guess what I mean is that I really like the documentation about what I have done, seen and thought. With that being said more blogging will be coming.

Golf Cart Parade-12/7/11

2011-12-18T09:31:00.000-08:00

After the parade there is a show with different entertainment. All kind of homemade cookies and hot chocolate are served. Usually lasts about 30-45 minutes. The Sunsationals performed this year with a darling dance "Sleigh Ride." I was not a part of this because they learned it over the summer. They made me proud because they looked so good.

Waiting in costume at the auditorium. I thought they were very cute. BTW--I am now on that committee.

Performing on stage.

The bear on back of my golf cart with her little tap shoes on.

Here she is!! In all her glory with the pink lights.

Linup of many of the other golf carts.

This is the cart that carried the Grand Marshall and led the parade.

Dale is our neighbor. He wrote a memoir about his experiences on D-Day along with other things about the war. I read it twice because it was so amazing.

The military is well represented. There are many resident veterans. Here are our very dear, sweet neighbors--Dale and Louella Olson. Love these two!

Backing out of driveway with decorated "Minnie." Clarification for the name--Her first name is "Minnie." Middle name "Sota." Last name "Berg." Get it? Thank you Diane Martin Lepinski for that name. The red chairs in our driveway (and neighbors) were brought around from our back patio for our guests to watch the parade which went right down our street.

In the lineup by the auditorium. It was a beautiful evening. We had to be there by 5:00 and parade started at 5:30. Side note of information--in this land of old people you come to realize that if you get to an event 5 minutes before it starts you will absolutely be the very last one to arrive. Take note that when the time is set you need to be there 30 minutes before and even with that you will probably be one of the last ones--not the last one but close to it. The cart next to me was a Red Hat group and the Queen Mum was the one honored. It was really cute. Wish there was more of it showing.

Here are the Sunsationals with the organizer of the parade. It is customary to have a shot of blackberry brandy before the start. I can barely get it to my lips. It is so much like Nyquil it is not even funny. Hate it. But that was OK because I had a thermos of peppermint patties on my cart (hot chocolate with peppermint schnapps.) Just for the record-- it sounds like this is a big drinking ordeal--it is not.

Lineup at auditorium.

Reasons for this blog:

1. Want to get this documented for posterity.

2. Share the fun.

3. Get on the top of sidebars on other blogs for awhile.

This is the 2nd year I have participated in this parade. The Sunsationals have a fleet of golf carts decorated in pink (that is our signature color) and it is really so much fun.

There were probably about 25 golf carts decorated differently for this parade. I am amazed at the creativity that is displayed. A marching band from a local high school adds to the festivities. There is a float or two, a trailer with a garage band and decorated bicycles among other things .

None of this is in order. And I bet when I post it the paragraphs disappear. Oh well--so be it.

Pudge's Room-Redecorated

2011-11-30T22:00:00.000-08:00

I had my doubts whether both of these chairs would fit. I am happy to report that they did. Note the table lamp in between. That was a very dated brass with an ugly lamp shade. I did not like it. Spray painted it with a nickel finish and got a silvery lamp shade. Like it so much better. I am fond of the pictures. They fit the southwest very well. I have grown very fond of this artist's work--DeGrazia. Got this as well as 5 others from my sister in law, Bobbie. Actually they were from her mom who had bought them when she lived in Texas.

Book case was bought brand new. I want to move it to the other corner. Pudge likes it where it is and it is his room. The TV stand was stripped and stained. That gave it a more updated look. I know it looks too small for TV but it is solid wood and I like the shelf and storage underneath.

Here is the bright red wall. Once again--not sure what happened here with this underlining. I am not going to try to correct it. I admit I am paranoid and with good reason I might add. Anyway, we like this wall a lot. Other walls are a taupe. This does give the room some color and it pops. The golf pictures were bought at the Goodwill. Pudge picked out the clock the first year. This was after I spotted it and then he went to see if he liked it. That is how we operate and it works pretty well.Here is the new couch and rug. Also the new ceramic tile floor which I really like. So much better than that crappy linoleum that was so very difficult to keep clean. The rug really pulls all of it together. It has the red from the wall, the blue from the chairs and the mocha from the couch. We love the picture above the couch. It is a print of "our mountain." It is Superstition Mountain and we see it every day. Also by DeGrazia. Truth be told -- about the couch -- it was not the one I would have picked out. It is just OK in my eyes.

Pudge is prepping for painting. It was badly in need of some color and fresh paint. Here you can see the ceramic floor. We were so busy the first 2 weeks we got here. Not much time for fun. But it was only temporary and now that it is done we are happy with it.

This post is to appease Cousin Donna. I know if no one else reads my entries she does. I swear she is one of my biggest fans. Also another reason for this post is so my blog can get at the top of Sarilla's side bar. I know it will only be there for a brief time but if I make it a goal of mine maybe I will be motivated to blog more often.

Thanksgivng,--November 25, 2011

2011-11-24T22:22:00.000-08:00

The condo was sporting a lot of autumn for the Thanksgiving holiday. Patio doors had corn stalks. Bought these a while ago and brought them down. They are just plastic sheets with these pictures on them. It was perfect for these doors. Really didn't go with the palm trees and the golf course outside but we pretended.

Denny Moes. One of Pudge's buddies from North St. Paul. He also winters down here in another park not far from us. He was involved with hockey back in MN.

Priscilla & John. FYI-surprised the heck out of me when he agreed to wear this. Must have been because the others were so willing.

Another plastic sheet. It almost looked like this was right outside the window. Cast a nice gold glow over the dinner table and living room.

Set the buffet up for all of the food. Nothing there now because this was before. The bouquet on the right was brought to me from Shannon & John. The one on the left I won at the ladies luncheon a few weeks ago.

John & Shannon Wedemeyer.

Aren't they cute? Jim & Gloria Tollefsbol. Didn't surprise me too much that Jim wore his pilgrim hat. There was a strategy behind it though. I didn't even bring them out until after he had a few cocktails. And it worked!!

22 pound bird. It was good. Sent leftovers home with everybody.

This greeted my guests at the front door. Didn't want to get a wreath that would be hard to store. This one fit the bill.

Tablescape. Colors are not good. Can hardly see that the tablecloth is a beige gingham. I did wish that I had bought more dishes down from MN. I could not justify buying any more knowing that there is so much back there. I actually managed quite well using what I had.

OK--I really wanted to write this before the pictures but not having success with that so going ahead and so it at the end. I don't want to mess with this too much because from past experience I have had the whole thing disappear.

The Mold

2011-09-21T19:06:00.001-07:00

While drying out the basement and having to open up the walls about 2 feet from the floor they discovered mold. Little did I know what a big deal that was going to be. Geez--do they take that seriously. Another team was brought in. Everything had to be plastic up with heavy duty plastic. The doors had zippers in the plastic so you could go in and out by zipping it up and down. There were tunnels made out of plastic where they had the air blowing to the outside. All of this was done so it would not contaminate anything else. The guys went in with white coveralls and big gas masks on their face. I thought then and still do now that it was a bit of overkill. They were adamant about how dangerous it was. Could not touch anything. We were ordered to stay out of the basement until it got the "all clear" from a certified mold specialist who came in with hand held devices to take a reading. As it turned out it was very little mold. Some on the outside kitchen wall and some in the furnace room. All that for such a small bit. And it was expensive.

Replacing the furnace, hot water heater and air conditioner. They were all taken out by the flood and could not be fixed so we had to get new ones.

More big fans were brought in when mold was discovered. These were all hooked up to tunnels so as not to contaminate.

The mold team. They worked hard and long.

Plastic every where and they made sure it was sealed tight. This was one of the walls where mold was discovered and it is being contained until it could be treated.

Putting up plastic.

The Clean Up

2011-09-15T05:52:00.001-07:00

Part of Dad's plaster walls had to be destroyed because of moisture and then on top of everything else mold was discovered. Now it takes on a whole other dimension. This was caused by flood. Remember we are talking two different kinds of damage--flood and fire.

Part of all walls had to be opened up and big time fans are brought in to start drying.

This truck got to be very familiar around the house. They were there from morning to night for about 8 days. I would work right along side of them. When they cleaned something I would pack it up. All boxes are lining the garage at this point in time.

About the third day into this I heard the workers groan. I rushed in to see what it was all about. They had just opened Mom's cupboards to reveal all the dishes. Every single one was hand washed, dried and put back. This is not all of them. There are 2 more cupboards filled with the pretty things. They did dishes for a day and a half. I do come by my love for dishes honestly.

Of course my two little buddies, MyMy and Zoey are always there to give me support.

The furniture was cleaned and stacked in garage. This is where it is at right now. Although the kids (Kim. Jeff, Shannon, and Kari) have taken some of these things.

The team doing dishes. They said that was probably the most dishes they had done in their entire career of doing this type of thing.

The team is vacuuming, scrubbing and hauling. I got to be good friends with all of them

Garage got to be a dumping ground. Why this is typing with underline I do not know. All of a sudden blog disappeared and came up with gobbly gook. I spent some time just getting it back to this so I am not going to try to correct it. You will have to take it like it is. Grrrr.The textile team. This was the first team to show up. They packed all curtains, linens, clothes and electronics (computer, TV, washer, dryer, etc.) They took them off to be cleaned and treated and they had to be put in an ozone room for 24 hours.

The Fire-July 24, 2011

2011-09-08T05:47:00.000-07:00

Flood--then fire. Sounds like something from the bible. Believe me when I tell you that this has been trying and difficult. And it is not done yet. But as Mom would say-everything will work itself out.

Sunday, July 24th I was at Ikea. Pudge called and said that neighbor contacted him and said there was lots of black smoke coming from Mom's. Needless to say I immediately left. Another phone call-fire department had to be called. When I reached Willernie I could not get to Mom's house. All roads were blocked by squad cars. I parked at home and ran up only to be greeted by about 15 fire fighters in full gear, 2 huge fire trucks, 1 smaller fire truck, and about 6 policemen. I am not kidding or exaggerating. To make a long story short one of the fans that we had blowing to dry the basement out started on fire. It was a mess. I do have to give the firemen credit because they only used a 5 gallon bucket of water to put it out so at least we did not have to deal with water again. But the soot!!! Oh the black, greasy soot!!!

Insurance company called. They came the next day and started. I will blog about all that later. One thing I do have to say is it is one way of getting things cleaned out.

A few days later--I came home dirty, black and sooty only to be greeted by these adorable neighbor girls--Amber and MyMy. Now if this won't put a smile on one's face I don't what will.

Cleaning the furnace ducts. This had to be done because it only would have thrown the ugly soot right back in the place.

Ceiling tiles had to all come down. Truth be told--I hated those ugly things anyway.

Soot. I don't think the pictures do it justice. I think it was worse than this picture depicts.

Mom's little trolls that she had displayed on a shelf. Had to laugh at how dirty they were--their clothes, face, hair. Some of those that look like they have black hair it is really supposed to be white

More soot. Touch it and it got all over you.

I was surprised at all the cobwebs that showed up. I said "Boy, I don't remember all of these hanging around. I am ashamed." Well I was told they are soot webs created by the plastic of the fan and the soot.

This is the culprit. The fan that caused the disaster or what is left of it. It was borrowed from the neighbor who is also the mayor of Willernie. We have had some laughs about that.

This should have been the first picture but Blog doesn't post them that way. And I am not about to try to get them in order. As a matter of fact I am publishing this because it has gone pretty smooth which is unusual. Hope I have not spoke too soon.

Continuation of Castastrophe

2011-07-17T19:35:00.000-07:00

Denny standing in sewing room trying to figure out what to get out of there.

Refrigerator coils got wet. Not sure if it works. Haven't plugged it back in yet.

The maintenance men trying to hook up the big huge pump to move water over the road through a big hose to the other side of creek where it will run and make its ways to White Bear Lake.

After vacuuming for a couple of hours the floor is dry. Alleluia!!!!

An attempt at drying out the Christmas ornaments. These are the ones that always went on her memory tree for years and years. I think most of them will be able to be saved. I sure am trying.

Using the driveway to try to dry out things.

7:30 pm-calling it quits for the day. We are tired, wet, dirty and aching. Note the pile of sopping carpet.

3:30 pm- we are finally able to open the back patio door and throw out a couple buckets of water. We discovered very quickly that wasn't going to work. Note the water mark on the wall.

Water soaked things drying out in driveway.

The crew (wonderful friends and neighbors) hooking up wet vacs. This worked much better.

Looking into the kitchen.

Catastrophe

2011-07-16T20:51:00.001-07:00

Furniture floating in living room.

Denny wading across from his house to Mom's. He did not get any water in his house but it did get close.

The back of the house. The street is completely covered. There is a creek back there.

The sliding glass doors holding back the water but note the stream coming through the gaskets of the door.

Me standing in the living room--wet and dirty.

Living room.

Trying to move things up and out. Had to be careful because it was slippery.

Well it rained last night. I knew it was raining hard because I woke up to the thunder, lightening and heavy rain.

8:00 am-phone rings. It is Tim Lindorff (Mom's neighbor.) He said that the street was flooded and it looked like water was very near Mom's house and perhaps we should come check on it. We immediately went over. Got into the house and knew that there was trouble. We could hear water rushing in. Went downstairs and boy was there ever water. I was surprised and shocked. It was coming in the sliding glass doors. What to do first?? The photo albums--get them out even though the water was not as high as where they were but I was not taking any chances. Katie & Tim (neighbors) started carrying them up. We just took the ones on the lower shelves. Oh dear!! What was in the bottom of the entertainment center. Opened the doors and just started grabbing water soaked items. More shelves in the cupboard next to the entertainment center. More dripping items were recovered and bought to the garage.

Rick (Willernie maintenance guy) showed up and started assessing what the problem was. This is what happened. It seems that the culvert that takes water from the creek by Mom's house down to the wet lands had collapsed. This had happened previous to all this rain. As a matter of fact they were planning on replacing it on Monday. But because of this the water could not get through and backed up. He was making phone calls and got a big huge pump to start pumping it to the other side of culvert to be carried away. Oh!--the water that was being pumped was amazing.

Now Pudge runs off to rent some sump pumps to start pumping out the basement. I did not know where to start. Denny shows up. We started carrying more things out to the garage and driveway. I thought to myself "well this is one way to get started on cleaning out Mom's basement." Now we are dealing with wet linens, rugs, clothes. Furniture is floating around so I float it over to the door and we start hauling some of it up. More people showing up to look at the spectacle. I think nobody is quite sure what to do and that goes for me too. It started to be a community event. Lots of neighbors so some visiting is getting done.

We cannot open the sliding glass doors because of the bank of water behind them. We had to be patient until the big huge pump took care of some of the water. This took about 3 hours. 2 neighbor guys show up and wanted to help. They go to get their water vacs and they worked all afternoon with Pudge at their side along with them. Barb (mayor) showed up with another wet vacuum. Friends -- Laurel and Butch are there and chip in moving stuff, vacuuming and then pulling up all the wet carpet. Pizzas were ordered to feed the crew.

Insurance company is called. It is told to us that the city's insurance company will also be called. So how this all is going to unfold remains to be seen.

7:30 pm we started to hit the wall. Pudge's back is aching. I am dirty, wet and tired. All of the carpet is pulled out and in a big pile in driveway. Floors are wet vacuumed as much as possible. There is silt in some areas but it does not smell and it can be dealt with easily. Lots of stuff is laid out in garage to dry. There is a pile of trash of things that could not be salvaged or saved. Fans are all over the basement in an attempt to dry things out. Furniture is piled. With a deep breath we left for home. We have both taken showers. Pudge is in bed. I wanted to blog about this so I am going to publish this before something happens to it. This is my 2nd try at this blog and I am paranoid. I have more pictures so I am going to end with --to be continued.......

Memorial Day - 2011

2011-05-30T20:25:00.000-07:00

The morning started out cloudy and threatening of rain. Didn't matter. I still attended the very fun, patriotic and neat parade right here in the villages of Mahtomedi and Willernie. It starts out with American Legion carrying the flags. Then the Mahtomedi fire trucks (which turned out to be about 5) and the ambulance. Of course, the girls scouts and boy scouts are there in all their glory proudly wearing their uniforms and passing out flags and candy. There is the yellow ribbon group which is quite impressive. The Mahtomedi High School band playing all the patriotic songs. The Auxiliary ladies selling poppies. There is more that I fail to mention because I cannot remember. I really like this small home town parade. It makes one proud. It is fun seeing neighbors and friends and people you have not seen for awhile.

Then everybody gathers around the flag pole. Pledge of Allegiance is recited. A welcome by Commander of Legion post Ken Lohr (some of you may remember that he was married to our dear friend Judy) Star Spangled banner is played and the flag is raised and then lowered to half mast. None other than our famous Gemma Barry decked out in her Legion Axillary hat with all her buttons and metals gave the invocation. She did a heck of a job. The man behind me said "she has a bit of brogue." A Memorial Day address by a colonel. It was moving and touching. America the Beautiful is played. Mayor of Mahtomedi-Jud Marshall says a few words. Band plays the Battle Hymn of the Republic. Then they start a medley of all the military songs while the girl scouts place flags on the crosses in front of all the local men & women who have served and are now deceased. Silent prayer. My Country Tis of Thee is played. Benediction by the famous Gemma Barry. 21 gun salute and then Taps which is echoed from a distance. It was wonderful.

When I was young almost every Memorial Day we would go to Lake Crystal, MN and plant flowers at my maternal grandparents grave and then go for a picnic with the cousins and aunts & uncles. I also remember going with my dad to get flowers and we would go to his sister's grave to plant. The flowers were always very unpretentious. Just something simple. Dad would usually always pick pansies and we would try to find the prettiest one. I always liked Memorial Day (and I do remember when it was called Decoration Day.)

Every Memorial Day it was always important for Mom to get to the cemetery to plant on Dad's, Wayne's and baby Alex grave. She would go buy the plants and then we would go out there. I would plant and she would tell me exactly what to do. Now I have to sadly take over. I don't mind. I really find it very comforting to plant the simple flowers. Pansies for dad. I did not get any pictures of Wayne's or baby Alex but we also planted there.
Watering the flowers that were just planted on Mom's grave.

Job done. It took some work because Pudge & I had to dig it all out and we only had the little hand shovels. After the head stone gets put in we will fix it like Dad's. There is a white geranium, pink impatiens, white alyssum and a few pansies.

Dad's grave. He got the yellow pansies and some red impatiens and white geranium.

Watering the flowers on Dad's. Mom's little garden is on my left.

This is the sign with all the names of the local military who are deceased. I zeroed in on Wayne's name.
Gemma Barry giving the invocation. She did an excellent job. Made us all proud.
The start of the parade--down Mahtomedi Avenue and around the corner to the triangle.
Gemma with her 2 granddaughters--Amaya and Gabbie.
The crosses in front of the sign with the flags.

Tribute to Mom

2011-05-08T18:14:00.000-07:00

Tribute to Mom

Elizabeth Jane Reed. Some of you called her “Grandma.” Some of you called her “GG.” One of you called her “your sister.” Others called her “Aunt.” And many of you called her “friend.” I was the only one privileged enough to call her “Mom.”

I not only loved my mom – I liked my mom. It may have seemed like I was mad at her at times because I would always be hollering at her. But that was only so she could hear me. Of course, we would irritate each other at times but get really mad at each other and have ugly, cross words did not happen.

So what did I like about my mom.
· She was fun. She could turn something and anything into an adventure.
· She could make things happen and she could do it on very little money. Money was never an issue with her.
· She was happy and comfortable with her simple life. Things were not important to her. She did love her rocking chair, down comforter and books. The woman read like a maniac. You would often see her in her beloved rocking chair reading a book.
· Her laid back attitude. She never fretted or worried. She would often say about a problem, “It will always work itself out.”
· She very seldom got mad. Even when I tipped her over in her walker on the busy sidewalks of Seattle she didn’t get mad at me. The only thing she said as the two of us were sprawled out—me on top of her—was “well that didn’t work.”
· Her sense of humor and ability to laugh. The incident I just talked about—all of us that were on that trip laughed so much about it. And she laughed right along with us. She was even proud of it because several years later I found myself back in Seattle with Pudge, Jim & Gloria. I called her and she said “be sure to show Jim & Gloria where you tipped me over on the sidewalk.”
· Her passion about things she felt strongly about.
--The union and the local she belonged to. She would defend unions with a vengeance. She was very active having held offices throughout the years and attending many conventions.
---The Democratic party. Oh yes—she had strong feelings about issues. I got to meet Geraldine Ferraro when I was with her. I remember standing in line to file past Hubert Humphrey’s coffin. She was very proud of the picture of her and Humphrey when he was vice president. Many times we would go to the Democratic election headquarters to watch the results come in and celebrate or cry (whatever the case was) with other Democrats. Oh! it was such an adventure and so much fun.
----The Boy Scouts. Who would have thought that my mother would have become a boy scout in her 50’s and loved it. She took her developmentally delayed troop on many camp outs and even took them to Ireland. She fell off a horse while at boy scout camp and broke her arm. And did she ever love telling people about that story. She received many distinguished awards because of her involvement with the Scouts.

I was so fortunate to have my mom for 65 years and we lived close enough where we could see each other often and have a great relationship. I would go visit with her frequently. After every trip I took she would want to know everything that happened. She would love it when I would tell her about some of the conversations Jim & I would have and all of his goofy Republican viewpoints. It didn’t take long for the two of us to conclude that he really did not know what he was talking about.

I was also fortunate in that Pudge loved my mother and was so very good to her. The two of them would have conversations that I was not privy to. Their relationship was great. I know he is going to miss seeing her every day and their chats. He went above and beyond showing her the ultimate of kindness and patience. I can only hope that my son-in-law would do the same for me.

· The people she loved.
-Mary Beth—how she enjoyed your Sunday afternoon visits, trips to the casino, the cruises.
-Denny---she always got such a kick out of it when you would drag one of your recent purchases of a rusty fender, a bent up hubcap, a dirty head light over to her house. She really could have cared less about that stuff but she did love seeing how excited you would get when you would tell her about it and what you were going to do with it.
-Gemma. She would chuckle to herself when you would come in the door and shout “yoohoo.” I know how very near and dear she was to you and how much you are going to miss her. Somebody else is going to have to scold you about your scatter rugs and the way you take your medicine.
-David, Linda, Diane & John. Your fondness & love for Mom came across loud and clear. She loved getting together with all of you. She enjoyed each and every one of you. You were the greatest nieces and nephews anyone could ever wish for.
-Donna, Jerry, Janet-it was no secret how much she loved you and how very special you were to her. We all know how she stepped up to the plate when your mom died. She never minded and I know she enjoyed being very much a part of your lives. Thank you all for everything you have done. Now which one of you is going to make the plum pudding at Christmas?
-Aunt Ginny. You lost your only surviving sister. You two were very different but that didn’t seem to bother either one of you. You accepted her for who she was. I have never heard either one of you say a cross word to one another or about one another.
If you ever want to see the definition of unconditional love in action you would only have to observe Mom with her grandchildren.
--Jeff. Her firstborn grandson. How very pleased she was when you would spontaneously show up to see her.
--Kimmy. You would make her laugh with your no nonsense approach to things.
--Kari. You spent lots of time at Grandma’s. She was so very proud of you. Your thoughtfulness was so appreciated when you & Charlie and the kids would show up and take her to lunch.
--Bryan. Her eyes would sparkle when you would come through the door and shout, “Hi, Grandma.” There are no words to express the gratitude and comfort that you were to her and I that week in Arizona.
--Shannon. The last of her grandchildren but not the least. No matter what boyfriend you bought over Grandma would accept them because they were connected to you and you, Shannon Noel Reed, mattered to her.

All of you should have nothing but the fondest of memories of your grandmother. The trips, the holidays, her love of fun and the list goes on and on. She left you a legacy just by being her. My hope is that even though she is gone you will continue to remember her and what a good role model she was to all of you.

Then the great grandchildren came along-- Matt, Trevor, Abby, Anna, Travis and Jamie. Everything you did and just by being you gave GG so much joy and happiness.

My memories of my Mom are so many but I know I will always cherish the ones of the last few months she spent in Arizona with us. Her daily walks down the back of the condos and the neighbors cheering her on; her on the porch watching the humming birds and the golfers. She even got to where she could see the golf balls land and was so proud that she had to announce it when it happened; her daily schedule; our lunches & dinners together; bopping around the village on the golf cart; her attending my dance recital so she could see that all the money she sunk into me for dance lessons as a child paid off; all of the appointments and tests which she so cheerfully went along with.

Then she had the surgery. I was there and planned to be no matter how long of a haul it would have been. I wanted so badly for her to turn the corner and start to recover. I invented a song while I did range of motion exercises with her.

It went like this:
I don’t know but I’ve been told
Getting out of this hospital is the way to go
It will take some time and energy
But we can do it—you and me.
Sound off 1, 2-----------

I smothered her sweet face with kisses saying this one is from Sinead, One from Naomi, One from Denny, Mary Beth, Gemma, Kari, Bryan, Jeff, Kimmy, Travis, Jamie, Matt, Trevor, Shannon, Abby & Anna, Donna, Janet.

I wanted her to sit up. I wanted the tubes out. I so very desperately wanted her to get well. Dear, sensible Gloria, in her very soft, gentle voice said to me, “Now Patty, she has just had a major surgery. You need to give her time. Then while stroking Mom’s arms she would say “It’s Ok, Liz. You need to rest to get well.”

Well, it didn’t happen. She didn’t get well.

I say this to Pudge: “We gave it our best shot.”

So now family and friends, we have some choices to make:
We can shed tears that she is gone; or we can smile because she has lived. We can close your eyes and pray that she will come back; or we can open our eyes and see all that she has left. Our hearts can be empty because we can’t see her; or we can be full of love that we shared. We can remember her and only that she is gone; or we can cherish her memory and let it live on. We can cry and close our minds, be empty and turn our backs. Or we can do what she would want. Open our eyes, love and go on.

Tuesday, April 12, 2011 at 5:15 in the afternoon, Mom took her last breath and her heart stopped beating. Pudge was on one side of her and I was on the other. We were holding her in our arms. Then the chimes came over the loud speaker playing Brahms Lullaby indicating that a baby had just been born. Pudge looked over at me and said, “I hope it is a girl. And I hope they name her Elizabeth.

Good bye, Mom.

Tribute to Mom

2011-05-08T17:14:00.000-07:00

Life in Arizona

2011-03-23T21:27:00.000-07:00

Some random pictures of part of my life here in Arizona.

Mom, Denny, Pudge and I at Starbucks in Scottsdale. This was after we had a wonderful drive through the hills looking at the beautiful homes and scenery. We were stalling for time here waiting to go pick up Gemma at the airport.

Shannon, Gloria, & Darcy at the Arabian horse show in Scottsdale. This show is awesome. I am not even into horses but I sure do enjoy it. I would recommend this to anyone.

We are preparing the stage for our big 2011 dance review. The theme was Broadway Lights and Boogie Nights. Many of us showed up to do this. Some were hanging back drops and curtains. We are covering outlets with tape. It turned out well and it was fun to do.

Mom & I at Ms. Thomas Tea House for tea. Shannon, Gloria, & Darcy were with us. This blog only allows me to put on 5 pictures at a time. I would put a lot more pictures on here if it allowed me.

Mom & I out for her walk one morning. I had the camera and was taking pictures of Mom when my very nice neighbor asked if I wanted one of the two of us. Of course, I did so this is it. This time we were walking on the road in front of the condos.

The Master Bedroom

2011-02-03T11:15:00.000-08:00

Master bedroom before. It seemed dated and dull to me. Cream walls, light furniture with brass handles, picture above bed was intriguing but it was not me. It was mostly pink and I do not like pink for decorating especially in a master bedroom. Duvet cover was creamy yellow and bed skirt was bought at Goodwill and it did match the duvet cover pretty well. Now I could live with all of this but I really wanted to update it. What you cannot see is a microwave cart that held our printer. Very functional but it was that laminated wood and not appealing.

Bougher bedroom after. Walls were painted a somewhat deep sagey green. That is the microwave cart that I painted black and added new handles and it is hard to see but a basket is on the shelf right below printer to hide paper for printer. The mirror was very reasonable. Shelf on wall and white urns were from Goodwill.

All the light colored furniture was stripped of varnish and stained a very nice, rich dark walnut which I am like very much. Handles were spray pained a brushed nickel and that really made a difference as far as giving it a more updated look. Billowy white sheers hang from a silver decorator rod and we got new vertical blinds. Not real crazy about the vertical blinds but they are functional and easy to keep clean vs. the horizontal that would collect dust. And I am all about low maintenance.

Love the picture above the bed!!!! There was somewhat of a dilemma with this but I am so very pleased. It is the focal point of the room and so very peaceful and pretty. The frame and matting are done so nicely. I have fallen in love with this painter--DeGrazia. The dust ruffle, duvet, and shams were a splurge but I am not sorry about it. They are a very crispy, fresh white with some embroidery trim which is the same sagey green as the walls. The lamp was from a garage sale but I painted some of the raised spots the same color green as the walls. I would like to find another one like it or similar for the other side. It does need a few more pictures but it is a good start.

Night Before Christmas

2010-12-25T20:34:00.001-08:00

Did not do as much decorating of the house that I usually do. Wasn't even sure if I was going to put up a tree being as we came home from AZ Dec. 18th. I was not planning on doing a lot of entertaining so what was the point. Well--I guess I am not quite ready to give that up yet. I still felt the need to put up some kind of a tree. No intention of doing much of anything else but when the boxes came out and I kept discovering things more and more went up. But to give myself credit where credit is due it was not nearly as much as other years. I also got the feeling of wanting to minimize things and stuff around this house. But I have come to the conclusion that is going to be an ongoing process for me. Sometimes making those decisions can be stressful for me. Sentiment sure gets in the way. I don't mind doing this for others because I am not attached to their stuff and do not have to make any choices. I mean how could I ever get rid of the ugly lump of clay that Bryan created in art class. Or the little pin cushion mouse given to me by my niece and nephew when they were small. How can I get rid of the coaches ornaments that Pudge has gotten through the years from kids on his team. Or what about the pretty dish that I bought just because I loved it. And then there is my collection of children's literature. I used to use these when I would do a teaching unit on the subject. Don't use them now but I do so love the pictures and the stories. Oh yeah--then there is the bird house and little table & chairs that my dad made and Tony Dadey's shelf. The picture of the 3 little girls that remind me of my mom & my aunts because it is in that time period. See what I mean. Maybe someday I can bid these items farewell but not today. Well--didn't mean to get off on that tangent. Back to the night before Christmas.
Table set for Christmas morning brunch. Theme was red & white and snow flakes. I vowed that I was not going to buy anything. Everything had to come from what I had and it did. I really had not clue what I was going to do until I just started doing it.

I have never tired of these white dishes that I purchased years ago. They are hexagon and from England. I have used them a lot. All the candle holders were in my china pantry. Candles and greenery were in boxes that just had to be brought out. Water glasses were bought in Czechoslovak when we were there in 1995. Stemmed juice glasses were Princess House bought many years ago. And then the mix of silverware which I love was all purchased at Goodwill. And do I ever have a lot of it. But I love it. Lace tablecloth from garage sale. Snowflake ornaments were bought for nickles at end of year sale. There have been some years when it is snowing outside during our brunch and it feels like we are in a snow globe because of being surrounded by windows.

Did not put up the big tree. This is 4 small trees bunched together on small table. I liked it. It was something different from the large tree usually put here. Not nearly enough room for ornaments but that was OK.

Stockings were hung and stuffed. There are usually 4 more but Kari's family was not able to be here this Christmas. We will be celebrating our Christmas with them Friday, Dec. 31. Mantle is very much simpler this year and I like it better. I usually have Father Christmases up there. This year--greenery and a big wrought iron candle holder with big ball candles. Little lights were tucked in the greenery which made it look like it sparkles.

Kirsten, Kit, Addy & Caroline getting ready for Christmas underneath the steps in the LR. Kit & Kirsten are doing all the work while Addy & Caroline are enjoying tea.

2010-12-16T22:18:00.000-08:00

In the lineup for the golf cart parade. The trouble with being in the parade is you do not get to see the parade. There was a couple of floats, a high school band, & other golf carts. It was so much fun. I did blog all about it with more pictures but lost everything when I went to spell check it.
Gloria, Shannon & I went to the Tempe art festival. Saw this vendor there. Had to take a picture of it.
"The Sunsationals." My wonderful tap dancing group (part of them) not everyone was there. I loved Isla's Christmas tree outfit. Roy is our only male member and he was a roller blading Santa during the parade.
Gloria & Shannon trying on gorgeous hats at the Tempe art festival. Got scolded right after I took this picture because there was not supposed to be any picture taking at this booth. Did not see the sign--it was too small. I apologized.
Thanksgiving at Jim & Gloria's with John & Shannon. The meal was fantastic. The weather was 74 and sunny. We sat on the patio all afternoon watching the golfers.

Life in Arizona

2010-11-21T22:35:00.000-08:00

Love our fire pot that Jim & Gloria gave us last year as a house warming. Every evening about 5pm we make it a point to be on the patio to watch the sun set over the golf course. They are magnificent and every one is different.

On the driving range not too far from our condo practicing driving. I get thrilled when I hit a nice drive which is far and few between. Pudge has been very patient with trying to teach me the tricks of this. We also chip and putt on the practice greens. I like that better. Doesn't seem to be as much work but it still can be frustrating. Haven't been on the course yet but soon Gloria, Shannon & I are going to golf. I am looking forward to that.

The last night on our trip down here we stayed at Laughlin, Nevada. The next day we stopped at a Oatman, Nevada. They are known for the donkeys that roam the town. I liked the town a lot. It was a rundown, very western, cowboy town. The donkeys were at the edge. They were so cute.

Bryce Canyon in Utah. We hiked some of the trails.

Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Arch made out of elk antlers. I liked this town. There were four of these at each corner of the town square. The Tetons could be seen from here and they were beautiful

Follow up on Golf Carts

2010-11-01T21:44:00.000-07:00

Just to add a few things to the fiasco on Saturday involving the golf carts. We arrived at John & Shannon's and inspected the golf cart and heard the story of how it happened. John was visibly upset. He & Pudge spent some time in the garage trying to straighten a few things out on the wrecked cart. Now what I am going to tell is going to seem very insensitive but I am going to tell it anyway. When Shannon & I started talking about the experience we got into a fit of giggling and laughing about it. Every time I pictured it in my mind I would go into fits of uncontained laughter and Shannon did too. But when John came in we had to be very serious because we could tell he was not about to see any humor in the situation at all. But he would go out of the room and we would start all over. Even now when I think of it I laugh. I mean it had to have looked like a cartoon with the runaway golf cart and the 2 of them just having to watch it. On Sunday John was able to see the humor in it also. He still was not happy but he did have to smile as we talked about it.

Our golf cart was dropped off at 7:30 am and we picked it up before noon. We were told that the cables were not tight and I guess it created friction and got hot and caused the fire. A hole did get burned through but there is no way you can see it. It is way under and the seats have to be removed in order to see it. Cost to fix $70.00. Not bad. I can handle that.

John's cart had to be picked up and brought to repair shop by trailer. I thought his bill was going to be $1ooo or more. Not the case. They called and said it would be about $450 and he can pick it up tomorrow. It will not have the windshield on it yet because that had to be ordered. When it comes in he will have it put on then.

Today John is laughing about it. He said that most people he has told laughs about it so that makes me feel a little better.

So it is like Shannon says--I now have the most expensive, bent up patio umbrella that I don't even like and paid too much for in the first place. Grrrr----but all is well that ends well.

Golf Cart Catastrophes

2010-11-01T07:12:00.000-07:00

Saturday morning - Oct. 30, 2010--The big community garage sale is on. One of my favorite things. It is here in the complex and there are so many that it makes one's heart beat fast. Started at 7 am. We (meaning Pudge, me, John & Shannon) had a plan of attack that we had put together the week before. We were going to take both of our golf carts. The girls in one and the guys in the other. That way everybody would be happy because the guys don't shop quite like we do.

So it started out an absolutely (once again) gorgeous morning. J & S were here at 6:45. I was busy getting money in a pouch to wear around my neck so it would be convenient. 7 am we are on our carts and down the road we went to the first one. Oh Boy!!!! Lots of treasures to be found.

An hour into it and I was driving our new golf cart. It started to smell hot. Mentioned it to the guys and we switched carts. Pudge seemed to think that it was smelling because of being broken in. We parted ways. An hour and a half later phone rings. It is Pudge. He says "come get us at our condo--the golf cart started on fire." OUR BRAND NEW GOLF CART!!! Can't think about it too much though--there were still too many garage sales to hit. We picked them up. They said they were going from sale to sale and from the back of the seat flames started to appear. Someone came up with a bottle of water and poured on it. A home owner got his hose and put it out. There is very little visible damage. A little soot on the seat but the plastic is still on and it can be wiped off. The cart still runs well but needless to say we are not running it until we find out what the matter is.

OK--onto the evening. Pudge & I took off about 4 pm to explore some of the places near here. Then we went out to dinner. Coming back from dinner phone rings and it is John. He proceeds to tell us that he wrecked his golf cart and we needed to stop over. He was upset. Upon first look at the cart it didn't look too bad but upon closer inspection it was. The story behind it was that they were at our condo to deliver a patio umbrella that I had bought and dropped off at their place to make more room for our other treasures. In attempting to remove the umbrella to leave at our place it somehow got wedged, hit the gas pedal and away it went. Ran over John's foot and knocked him down (thank God he did not get hurt). He told Shannon to run to catch cart. She said there was no way she could have caught it. So they watched it going down the road at full speed until it hit a tree and tipped over. They managed to get it upright and back to their garage but there will be no moving it until it gets fixed. Broken axle, chunks of wind shield are out, batteries in disarray, flat and damaged tire, canopy frame bent. John visibly upset. Shannon is thankful that it did not hit a car, house or go into the pond.

Right now as I am writing this the 2 guys are talking to the golf cart repair man here in our complex about both of the carts.

I need to say--that stupid umbrella. Even before this happened I was not happy about it. I paid too much money for it. I should know better. What was I thinking? Throughout the day I was seeing so many of them that were a third the price I paid for this one which was making me more and more mad--and now this happened. STUPID UMBRELLA!!! It also got bent up in the mishap so we are trying to pound it and straighten it. Well--enough said about that.

Now we just have to wait and see what is said about the golf carts from Jim (repair man)

John's cart with the batteries all messed up.

Broken axle and damaged tire.

Day 3 - On Our Way to Arizona

2010-10-17T21:04:00.000-07:00

Why is this typing with underlining? This blog drives me nuts.

Left Cody, Wyoming at 7 am. The drive to Yellowstone was awesome with the trees being so brilliant gold that they look artificial. It is incredible.

Entered the gates of Yellowstone at 8:22 am and made our way right to Old Faithful. Was able to see her erupt at 10:45. Then we took off on the boardwalk which goes among many of the geysers and bubbling pools. It was longer than what we planned but once you get on it just keeps going round and round and it kind of surprises you. We found ourselves going really far and decided to turn around and go back which was still a long way away. Weather is about 55 degrees and the sun peeks out once in awhile. Many things are closed for the season at the park.

We hiked down to the bottom of the canyon to see the lower falls. It was awesome. Many switchbacks to get there and then we had to go back up. We only had to rest once while ascending. It started to rain, sleet, snow while we were doing this. Didn't matter. I put my hood up and that did the trick. Lots more walking and climbing stairs as we stopped at many lookouts to see the amazing views.

Saw herds of buffalo and one bull elk. Oh yeh--before we entered the park we spotted a big wolf crossing the road.

We left the park at 6:00 pm. We decided to go to Jackson Hole, Wyoming and look for lodging. The original plan was to spend the night in a campground in Yellowstone but most of them were closed and it had rained so the one we were going to stay at was all wet and muddy and that would not have been fun.

Upon leaving Yellowstone we entered Grand Tetons National Park. Saw a bear in the far off distance. The Tetons are very majestic. You skirt these mountain rather than drive through them. The sun was setting and the scenery was surreal.

Got into Jackson Hole about 7 pm and found lodging and took off to explore this very fascinating place.

Tired so I am going to sign off and say good night.

Walking the boardwalk among all the bubbling and erupting geysers. It
was about a 3 mile walk.

At a lookout point on top of the canyon. I was scared.

Walking back up from the bottom of the canyon. Many switchbacks.

It was a somewhat of a struggle. Glad we did it.

Old Faithful sprouting.

Left Cody, Wyoming on our way to Yellowstone. The gold colors of

the trees were imcredible. This picture does it no justice. It almost

looked artificial because of the brilliance.

Day 1 & 2 -- On Our Way To Arizona

2010-10-16T18:55:00.000-07:00

Oct. 15 & 16, 2010

Pudge has been so excited about going that it was hard to contain him. He has been thinking and preparing for the last month. Me--not so much. Not crazy about leaving this early but I am willing to give it a try. This is all a new learning experience so we will see if this works or doesn't.

Left at 12:30 pm. Went back roads through southern Minnesota. When going through Gaylord I thought to myself--I wonder where my aunt and uncle's farm was? I wonder where the roller rink was? the church we went to mass? When we went through New Ulm I thought -- I wonder where those Stations of the Cross were? So many memories from down there. We passed the Catholic cemetary and of course I thought of my grandparents, aunts and uncles who are buried there.

Got to Pierre, S. Dak about 11 pm. This was after we missed a turn and went 30 miles out of our way. We are trying to avoid the freeway. Climbed into bed in the back of our van in the WalMart parking lot. Yeh--I know some of you are saying, WALMART PARKING LOT. They allow it and it is not bad at all. In fact, it can be kind of fun. We were not the only ones there.

Up at 5 am but it was really 4 am because we crossed time zones. On the road and it is dark as pitch. Went to Wall Drug but it was like it was in the dead of night and nothing was open. Took scenic route through the Big Horn Mountains. Came very close to hitting a deer but with quick reaction from the driver (not me) it was avoided. Quick grateful prayer was said.

Got to Cody at 5 pm and we both took hot shower and relaxed some. Off to dinner and now we are back. I have missed this computer and feel really good about being able to catch up emails and facebook.

Tomorrow we will be in Yellowstone Park. I could write so nmuch more but I am getting weary. To be continued.....

Picnic in the Big Horn Mountains

Buffalo in Custer State Park

Deep water on the road in Tyler, Minnesota--not far from Walnut Grove

Saw so much of these corn fields in southern Minnesota--miles & miles.

Tribute to Aunt Ginny & Uncle Alan

2010-10-05T19:18:00.000-07:00

Aunt Ginny (Mom's sister) with her silly birthday hat & Uncle Alan

My Tribute to Aunt Ginny & Uncle Alan

On the Occasion of their 60th Wedding Anniversary

Patricia Soderberg

September 17th, 2010

60 years together with one person!! How awesome!!

The thing that I personally find impressive is how accepting you are of our family. I mean we were the Catholics, the cigarette smokers, the beer drinkers, the liberal Democrats, the loud and boisterous. My family even bought in others that were not members of the family but they thought they were. I think you guys deserve a medal for the way that you not only accepted Tony Dadey but it seemed like you embraced him and enjoyed him. I never got the feeling that Aunt Ginny had to hold a gun to Uncle Alan's head and say "Oh yes, we are going to visit my goofy sister and her goofy family." Nope. Never gave me the feeling like he tolerated us just for his wife's sake. If that is the case he has done a very good job of faking it. You guys have always been very gracious, kind and supportive and for that I thank you.

I wonder how many milestones you two have seen. How many jobs, houses cars, vacations, events, and the list goes on and on. I wonder how many mountains you have climbed, how many valleys you have walked through. How many sacrifices were made. Think about how lucky you are to have done it together. To quote someone (not sure who) "To love someone deeply gives you strength. Being loved by someone deeply gives you courage."

Have you ever thought about the accomplishments the two of you have achieved together? (Ask children to stand) (Ask grandchildren to stand) There is no doubt that these are your greatest accomplishments. Aunt Ginny, Uncle Alan, you have every reason to be filled with pride and joy about these accomplishments. This is what it is all about. This is what has made everything about your journey together so worthwhile. This is your legacy which will continue long after you are gone.

When you married 60 years ago you had no idea where the road was going to take you. Aren't you glad it took you where it did? I am.

Love you guys.

Catch Up

2010-03-30T08:26:00.000-07:00

Well it happened again. I get on the computer with every intention of blogging and I don't get to it because I am doing other things. I think it will only take a minute to look something up and the next thing you know an hour has passed and it is time to put it away. Now, before I do any more on this computer I am going to do a posting. There is really a lot I could and should be writing about. Before I give this too much thought I am just going to go for it.

Health--We have both had some issues since we have been here. Mine has been the darn eye infection that was nasty and ugly. It was the herpes virus which I have had 2 other times since 1997. I kept hoping it was that I had gotten some lotion in my eye and I kept ignoring it. Wrong thing to do because it is dangerous and the sooner it gets medical attention the better it is. I asked if I could have just let it run it's course and the answer was an emphatic "NO." Anyway after 3 dr. appts., a hunt for some very expensive medicine, hitting it hard with drops 7 x's a day and applying ointment at night to soothe the eye-I have now turned the corner and it is better. Pudge has had a hard time with not being able to catch his breath at times. It was getting in the way of his golfing so he went to Dr. Crever (the son of a friend) He was given some kind of a treatment in the office and medication. It worked for awhile but then reared up again so he went back to dr. and given more medication. They also called him back for a chest xray. He now has an appt. in MN with a pulmonary specialist. I am suspecting COPD but that has not been determined yet.

We are starting to gear up for coming home. Every day we see neighbors and friends closing their condos and pulling out to return to their homes. Gloria & Jim are leaving in a few days. We are leaving next week. We both have mixed emotions about it. The weather has been so awesome. Our back yard is always well mowed and very well manicured and we do not have to do any of it. I have a nice clean patio because they just came and blew all the debris. When we get back home we will have to get out the rakes, lawn mower, & blower (now that is something to look forward to--NOT) and work to get the yard in somewhat decent shape. It will never look like this.

Tap Dancing-Today will be my last time until we get back next fall and I am going to miss it. Never did I think at my age I would be tapping. It is so much fun and the ladies and 1 man are so great. By the way-I graduated from a beginner to experienced so I will have to be going at a different time. Next year we have a big review that we will be gearing up for. The main dance for the beginner group is done to "A Bushel and a Peck" and it is really cute if I do say so myself.

Project- We decided to move the big huge air conditioner that was housed on our outside patio and took up lots of room. We didn't quite understand why Hazel (former owner) would have had it put there because this is a end unit and there is all kinds of room on the side of the house which is never used. From what I understand she never used the patio and it was probably cheaper to have it there. We bit the bullet and had the heating company move it and it has made a big difference. We love the patio and use it all the time and getting that big awkward, ugly thing out of there really made a difference.

The village is really great to walk around this time of year. Many of the places have dessert landscaping and the cactus and other things are all in bloom. I want to take some pictures before we leave because it is spectacular. The orange trees are in blossom and the smell is incredible. I don't know if I ever have mentioned that about a mile away there is a great big dairy farm with 6000 cows and often we can smell it. Most times I do not mind it. I think it smells earthy. Some times it gets strong and that can bother me. Pudge -- on the other hand hates it even when it is faint. Have not smelled it for about a week now.

Kari and Charlie's visit was wonderful. We did so many fun things.

I could go on and on about the experiences and happening that goes on but I need to get ready to go to tap dancing (last time this year)

Community Garage Sale

2010-03-06T20:03:00.000-08:00

Both of us up at 6 am. Shannon is picking us up in her golf cart at 6:45 for the big Sunland Village East Garage Sale. There are only 2 days out of the year when the complex will allow people to have a garage sale and today was one of those days. They start at 7 until 1:00. Surprisingly, Pudge is all revved up about going. He will drive the golf cart but he also has things he will be looking for. We pick up Gloria and off we go. Oh my!! Every where you look there is a garage door open with lots of treasures spewing out onto the driveways. Some better than others. Clear sailing until about 9:00 then it starts to get somewhat crowded and congested. But not enough to deter me, Pudge or Gloria. Shannon has had enough. We drop her off at home. The golf cart makes it very easy. Not hard to park and very easy to jump in and out. Filled up the cart with treasures but we were not done so we had to make a run home to drop off and then off again we went. It is so much fun. People are great. Greeted many neighbors and friends that were also doing the garage sales. It is cold the first few hours but then the sun comes out and it is very pleasant. I failed to mention that Jim & John opted out of going which was just fine with all of us. Pudge is enjoying chauffeuring and hunting out golf treasures. Had to make a call to Jim one time when we came across a table of golf balls that we thought he might be interested in. He was so we had to go get him so he could look them over. After making his purchase we bought him back to his project he was doing in the garage. The three of us still had about an hour and a half of garage sales to go. I think we hit about 90% of them. About 11:00 things were starting to wind down. Some garage doors were being closed. We did find quite a few more and called it quits about noon.
So what treasures did I get--you ask. Beautiful canvas paintings of 2 Indian children by a famous artist. They are about 8 x 10 and very colorful. A very pretty small piece of art that is sand painted. Love it. A small metal bird with a nest next to it. 6 tiny pewter figures, a southwestern tablecloth, measuring cup, cheese slicer, a big wooden lazy susan, a nice stool, 3 large cups for serving soup. There were a few more small, insignificant items also purchased. Pudge got golf clubs which he is thrilled about, a small zip bag, a push broom, and old sheets that will be used to cover things when we leave over the summer. It was a very successful, very fun day.
I do need to mention this one fact. My tastes have changed down here. The country, cottagy look back in MN does not go down here. The southwestern decor is somewhat appealing to me. Not the pastelly pinks and blues--nope--can't get comfortable with that. But I can see where those colors are coming from. The sunsets and the earth have the same pinks and blues in them. I am starting to like cactus (some-not all), Indian children and the pretty ladies. Some of the southwestern and Indian designs found in rugs and pictures, the pottery, Kokopelli (I had issues with him but now I have to say I have grown fond of him.) For those of you who do not know who he is he is a spiritual figure- rather cute- and very popular here. He is all over the place. He is supposed to depict the god of happiness and fertility. Most of the time he is blowing on a flute and dancing. I found one where he is shooting a golf club and hung him on the patio. He looks really cute there. Now I would not be able to have all southwestern decor but I do want sprinkles of some of the pretty things I am fond of throughout the condo. They seem so fit and appropriate down here.

2nd load of treasures

Gloria and Shannon looking at a bamboo rug. This sale happened to be across the street from our condo. They did not purchase this rug

Gloria got a really nice set of dishes. Picture does not do it justice. They are Noritake pottery type, blue with a small southwestern design around the edge. She was thrilled

Pudge, Shannon, and Gloria when we first started at 6:45 am on John & Shannon's golf cart..

The Living Room

2010-02-21T20:42:00.000-08:00

The living room was being used as Denny's bedroom the first 3 weeks we were here so not much was done to it. After he left and we collapsed the bed we went and picked out paint. Decided on Mesa Tumbleweed (how appropriate) which is like a sandy khaki. The woodwork was painted a crisp, clean white. We did not paint the ceiling. It needs it but there is no way we were going to tackle that darn popcorn stuff. It is miserably hard. We would like to eventually have them knocked down. It is going to have to be OK for now.
Then the furniture (what little we have) was arranged. It looks somewhat stark and empty because it is lacking pictures and some knick knacks but to be truthful I do not mind that. I like the clean, empty look. It really does need curtains and I am not sure what I want. Also, need some end tables and a coffee table and more lamps. And--I am rethinking the pillows on the sofa and the pictures hanging above it. Oh!! All these decisions can drive me crazy. But now I have a place where I can go and watch my own TV or not watch TV and have it quiet.
I do need to mention that tackling the living room did not come without its trials and tribulations. Picking out the paint color was an ordeal. Our difference in taste and trying to communicate what each of us wants to one another is really a trip. I do like the couch and chair. Those are slip covered and they are very easy to remove and wash. Also can replace with different ones when the mood strikes. Love that!! I am really liking the crisp, heavy, white, denim ones that are on there now. All in all it has been fun. Now I need to start thinking about the kitchen. But frankly, I am happy with the condo. Sure--it still needs a lot but I refuse to let that get in the way of my happiness. I want to do the activities and events around here and not spend all my time painting, cleaning, and fixing up. We do have a guy coming to put in new ceramic tile in front of the door. So far we both agree buying this condo has been a good thing. Especially hearing about the winter back in MN. We love to have company so the invitation is open to come visit.
The back of the condo. It doesn't look very private because of where I am standing to take the picture but it really is. Pudge is sitting on our patio and there is a brick wall separating from the neighbors. He loves sitting out there and watching the golfers.

The front of the condo. Lots of consistency and not much diversion. It is palm tree, orange tree, and so on. I have passed our condo a few times because they all look alike. It does make things look nice and neat.

The credenza bought at the store known as "The Dump."

Couch and chair was bought on Craig's list. Tree I got at the Mesa swap meet. Ottoman being used as coffee table-Ikea. On the other wall that you cannot see there is a sofa table with TV on it. I got that at a thrift shop.

Pudge painting the LR.

Bits & Pieces

2010-01-23T19:21:00.000-08:00

Just some recaps and thoughts.

There is not much I do not like about being here in Arizona.
I like the condo. I want to do lots of things to it--like painting, decorating, fixing and changing some things.
Mom is here. She came Monday, Jan. 18th and will be here till March 1st.
Mom bought herself a glider rocker which she loves.
Denny is still here. He has been here for 2 weeks. He plans on leaving next Wednesday. He is fun to have and really knows how to make himself at home. He has been going to all these car shows around here and is loving it. He comes back here with all kinds of stories and he is sure excited about everything he has done and seen.
Painted the guest room and the guest bathroom. They are a very pale green. Didn't have much time to really think about the color. Just had to hurry and pick. Bought new twin beds for the bedroom. They do not have a head board but I like that. Bought bright green and white bedspreads and shams, crisp white eyelet trimmed sheets and a warm, fluffy blanket for each bed. Bathroom has bright yellow rugs, thick white towels, & some cheery flowers. At Kohl's I bought a kit where you rub a saying on the wall. Denny helped me with this. I put it above the towel rack and the saying says, "Laughter sparkles like sunshine over water." It is different and I like it.
I have been really having fun shopping on Craigs List, estate sales, garage sales and thrift shops. The thrift shops around here are somewhat disappointing. They are kind of junky. Not nearly as good as the ones back home. But I still have made some hits--like a vacuum cleaner that works like a charm, this wonderful bathrobe that I wear every single night and love it, some glasses that were needed, some golf pictures, a nice dresser for the guest room.
Mary Beth is supposed to be coming tomorrow for a few days.
Terrible storm day before yesterday. Wind was terrible and it rained hard.
Gloria and Jim are well and good. They have been busy sprucing up their condo although they did not have to buy so much. Everything was left there. We went shopping today. I value her advice.
Pudge walks over almost every morning to see our friends John & Shannon. They have lived here in Arizona year round for about the last 10 years. They have a home across the fairway from us.
Love my tap dancing group. They are so much fun but I sure am rusty--need lots of practice. I am impressed with how professional and hard working this group is.
Today was SVE (Sunland Village East) the name of our 55+ community had its 25th birthday party.

Guest room completed--well maybe not completed but kind of done. Small white chest was bought at a thrift store. The 2 pictures are from Ikea.

This is the guest room before. This bedroom set is now in our master bedroom. The ugly quilt is being used for a drop cloth when I paint.

Our back yard. Pudge is on the patio waiting to cross to go visit John & Shannon and their 2 dogs (which he loves) Beau & Max.

Mom in her new glider rocker. She loves it. This is in the family room or what we call "Pudge's room." Pudge is lounging on his recliner. The couch, little tables, bookcase (not seen) and large screen TV (not seen) are all housed in this room. Also, the dining room is at one end of this room. The decor is "golf" being as we look on the golf course out the sliding glass doors.

Guest bathroom-bright yellow rugs cannot be seen. Note the saying reflected in mirror above towels.

Life is Good

2010-01-15T21:22:00.000-08:00

Pudge & the boys playing one of their very many games of cribbidge

Denny & margarita in the Arizona room. No furniture yet. Had to haul out 2 dining room chairs. This looks out onto the fairway of the 7th hold on golf course. There are a lot of golfers that go by during the day making it fun to sit out there and watch.

Denny in the boys bathroom at Tortilla Flats which is a touristy town about 20 miles into the mountains.

Eating at the outdoor patio in Tortilla Flats. There was entertainment and the day was gorgeous. The drive there is breath taking.

Owen & Timmy at Tortilla Flats.

The Trip & The Condo

2010-01-09T05:08:00.000-08:00

G Guest Bedroom - this furniture got moved to MBR.

MBR - ugly curtains

Going into the den or

Left Willernie, MN December 27th at 4 am. We said good bye to the cold, snow and ice. Shut and locked the door to the house after prepping it for our absence. This is going to be a new experience for us.

Drive through Iowa was horrible. Snow blowing and icy highways. I held my breath more than a few times.

At our stops for breakfast and motel stays it would be filled with retired couples heading to Arizona. On the highway we noticed many MN and Iowa license plates with older couples and their car would be packed like ours. This would be a dead giveaway that they were heading south for the cold months. I felt like it was some kind of a major exodus of old people heading out to warmth and fun. Sort of like the Joads in Grapes of Wrath looking for the "good life."

Got to 2311 South Farnsworth, Unit 72 in Sunland Village East in Mesa, Arizona at about 11 am on Dec. 29th. We were excited to see our new home being as we did the purchasing long distance and we had only been in it for about 10 minutes 2 times last winter. I did so want Pudge to carry me over the thresh hold but there were neighbors out and about and the ones that weren't out I got the feeling were watching from their windows. Also, I did not want to take the chance of any injuries should he trip or wreck his back picking me up.

Now I had looked at & studied the pictures of the condo so often that the realtor sent that I had a good idea of what were in the rooms and how they were. The key is turned and we walked in LR. Yep, there were the very ugly pink curtains that I knew I could not live with. Into the kitchen-quickly opened a few cabinet doors and my mind is racing--I can put this here and that there. Onto the FR toward the back of the condo. Not any surprises there. Just like I thought. Then the screened in porch. Smaller than what we remembered and dirty. MBR-big and mental note made-those ugly curtains will be going. Glad the walk in closet had bigger shelves in it. Guest room had furniture in it but we had plans to move that furniture in MBR. Lots of thoughts as we walked through. Some of them made out loud to each other and others kept to ourselves.

First Leg of Journey

2009-12-27T17:11:00.000-08:00

Out of house at 4:10 am after gingerly walking the icy sidewalk and driveway to load the last things in car. On the road about 3 minutes when I asked "did you turn down heat." Answer "Nope." Back to house to do that. There is a lot to think about when leaving for as long as we are.

Uneventful until we got into Iowa. Terrible, icy roads. They sure do not clear as well as MN does. The left lane was so scary. The exits were not plowed. We wanted to stop at a rest area but did not want to take the chance of not getting through. By the time we did stop we both had to make a dash for the restroom. Sun started to come up about 7 am and that made it somewhat easier but still difficult. Sun started to melt some of the ice.

Missouri was much better and Kansas was clear sailing. We are in an EconoLodge in Pratt, Kansas. Stopped about 5:30. Pudge is exhausted as he did all the driving with very little sleep last night. He has had a bad cough that kept him awake. I got caught up on my magazine reading and started a book. It was very pleasant for me.

Have tomorrow planned out. We will see how it goes.

The Beginning of Something New

2009-12-26T20:10:00.001-08:00

Wow!! It has been nothing but a whirlwind of activity these past few days and even the last week. Trying to get ready for 2 big events just about did me n.

Christmas. Now I know everybody gets busy with the preparations. I told myself that I was not going to be putting up all of my decorations this year. Well, I didn't but I still put up a lot. Everyday 2 weeks prior I kept digging in my boxes and discover something that I felt needed to be out. So I had to find a home for a lot more things than planned. To make a long story short Christmas day all of my family come to my house for present opening and brunch. Then it is up to Mom's for more family members and present opening and dinner and of course, plum pudding. Then clean up the mess up there. Get home about 8 pm and clean up brunch dishes and put them all back. Also Christmas night we took down the tree and all the other decorations. Fell into bed about 1 am. Up early to start laundry and packing the van. That took some doing. Had to go through clothes and decide what was going. That was not an easy task. Organized decorations and boxes and they all went back into the attic. Cleaned refrigerator. Packed spices and some staples. More things into the van. This was not easy either because our driveway is icy and full of hard ridges so it made the job more difficult. I thought to myself "why would I want to leave this"---NOT

Well after everything is all said and done--the van is very full. I have my magazines and books ready to go. We will be leaving early --4 am. We are both excited to start this new venture in our lives. It will be different.

So I bid you all farewell. I am saying good bye to the ice, cold, snow, shoveling, slop, slush, heavy bulky clothes and boots.

Hope to keep you all posted about this experience via blogging. Stay tuned.

Visit With Relly's

2009-12-04T19:40:00.000-08:00

Monday, Nov. 16th, 2009--We picked up Barb & Butch (Pudge's sister and brother in law) at 7 am. Plan was to go to Northwood, North Dakota to visit their 94 year old aunt who was diagnosed with cancer several years ago. She was moved into assistant living the first of the year.

Northwood is about an hour and a half from Fargo. This is where Pudge's mom was born and raised. Barb would spend summers there often with the grandma and of course, the aunts and uncles as well. This is the last surviving aunt.
I loaded myself down with books and magazines for this long, boring ride across the North Dakota plains. The day was beautiful-sun shining and warm. Much visiting was done in the car and the time and miles went fast. In Mayville, ND which is about 20 miles from Northwood we got a motel room. Then off to our destination. First we took a drive around Hatton where we tried to fined Louise's home. I remember visiting this person many years ago. She isn't a relative but her sister married one of Pudge's uncles. Anyway, what I remember about this home was that it was a big Victorian with pocket doors, a sitting parlor that had sun streaming in from big windows and it was filled with beautiful antique furniture, a very old fashioned kitchen where Louise served us a "little lunch." (Remember we are in a region with all Swedes and Norwegians and they really do talk like that.) We were not successful in finding the house. We think it probably got torn down.

Got to Northwood about 1:30. Found the assisted living facility with no problems. It is not a big town. Now before I go further I need to tell my thoughts previous to this whole trip. My memories of Aunt Euny was that she was a small, cute and attractive woman who was always fun and pleasant to visit with. In my mind I had prepared myself to see a frail, sickly, bedridden woman. After all she was 94. I had also prepared myself for a "nursing home" type setting. So after finding the place the four of us ventured in only to find a very pleasant big room with fireplace, comfortable and very nice furniture at one end and a kitchen,m dining room at the other end. It was all windows and the sun was coming in from all sides. Lots of cute fall decorations brightened the place. Nobody was in sight to get any information. Pudge started down the hall and each door had names on them. He found Euny's apartment and motioned for us. We stood at the doorway. Pudge knocked and we heard this strong voice proclaim "come in--doors open." Much to my surprise when we walked in there was this woman looking strong and healthy and very good. She was tiny but not frail. Upon seeing us she clapped her hands and with a huge smile and her eyes twinkling she hugged each of us. You could tell she was thrilled to see us. We sat down in her pleasant little apartment and started to get caught up. Shortly her daughter, Kay called and instructed us to go to the common dining room. We took the short walk and on the DR table there were cheerful cups and dishes, an assortment of bars and 2 pots of coffee awaiting us. More visiting and catching up. I was amazed at Euny. She is slightly hard of hearing and does walk with a walker but those are the only things that give away her age. She was on top of things as long as she could hear. Her hair was thick and she had just gotten a perm and it was lovely.

John Sundquist (Kay's husband, Euny's son in law) came through the door and joined us. He is 100% Swedish and is the 3rd generation to live on his farm. I would have really liked to have visited this farm. It is about 19 miles from Northwood. I have a feeling that many books that I have read about the Swedes immigrating to the Dakotas may have come alive somewhat on this farm. There was not enough time. Kay (Euny's daughter) joined us after her dr. appt. More coffee, bars, and catching up.

The plan for later was to go to a restaurant where Sherry (Euny's other daughter) was going to drive from Fargo to join us. She would not be able to get there until 6:30. Euny was getting feisty much earlier than that because she wanted to leave . We managed to hold her down until about 6 pm at which time we left for the 5 minute drive. We did take a tour of the town which was hit hard by a tornado about 2 years ago.

So good to see Sherry. We appreciated her making the long drive. Everything about the evening was fun.

After we ate we went back said our final farewells with hugs.

Up the next morning. It was dark and gray and cold. I looked out the motel window at the desolate North Dakota plains and it sure looked bleak. We walked to Paula's restaurant for breakfast. It looked like this was the restaurant where the farmers met for breakfast. You could tell they were discussing all the world's problems. There was no mistaken that these were North Dakota farmers. Everything gave them away--from the way they dressed to the way they talked.

On the road again heading toward Grand Rapids. First a stop in Crookston, Minnesota. Pudge's cousin, Lois and her husband own a candy shop there and we deicided to try to find it. Found it with no trouble and really surprised Lois. It was fun. Candy store was really neat. They make all their own candy and this store had been handed down through the generations. Some quick visiting was done. I purchased (well I tried but they would not let me pay) some cute, little chocolate turkeys and they gave us a box of chocolate potato chips.

Before our stop in Crookston we did stop in Bemidji for a purpose. A while ago we were given some barbecue sauce that was wonderful and the only place you could get it is in Bemidji. Went into a grocery store and found it. The break was nice--just to get out and walk around.

Day is beautiful. Sun is shining and conversation in car was great. Talked and laughed about the word "uffda." It really is used a lot by these people. We did see a lot of deer hunters.

Pulled into Lorna's driveway at her farm in Grand Rapids about 1:30. Lorna is Barb and Butch's daughter. We had a tour of the newly built house and did some visiting. Then we took a long walk to the pasture and Tommy's (Lorna's son) house to see the cows and the big bull. It was starting to get dusk and cold. We also toured her tack room in the garage back at Lorna's farm. Lorna used to ride and show horses and there were very many trophies and ribbons that she had on display.

We left to go to a restaurant for a very nice dinner. Said our goodbyes to Lorna after and we got a motel room in Grand Rapids.

Up the next morning. Destination - home. We dropped Barb and Butch off at their house about noon. We all agreed that it was a great trip. We were very glad we went. I know many memories were created and boy!!was it fun.

Barb, Butch and Lorna at Lorna's house in Grand Rapids.

Pudge, Barb, their cousins-Kay & Sherry and Aunt Euny

Pudge & his beloved Aunt Euny

In the sunny dining room having coffee and bars.

Testing

2009-10-30T21:29:00.000-07:00

I wonder why my last blog post is not showing up in the other blogs side bar?? I wonder if it was because I had it as a draft and then added to it before I published it?? I am going to post this right away and see if it will go into the side bars. I am getting tired of seeing Jan & Judy. They have been there for the longest time. So this is a test.

The Condo

2009-10-27T06:46:00.000-07:00

We are now owners of a 2BR/2Ba condo at Sunland Village East in Mesa, Arizona. It came about sooner than what we had planned but hopefully it will work out for us.

How did this all come about? Last year when we were there we went looking for condos to rent for Jan., Feb., March, 2010. We saw this one and looked at it, signed a rental contract and put $ down. There was a clause in the rental contract that if it should come up for sale we would have first option to buy. Well-we thought this would work out. We would be able to rent and decide if we really liked it. Didn't think this option of them selling would come so soon. Of course, we did know that the owner was 95 years old.

This summer got email. They wanted to sell. OK-now we have to really think about this. We made a list of pros and cons. Now I do have to admit that our friends, Jim & Gloria had already bought a condo in this same complex while we were there in Jan. and we are making a decision based on a lot of their hard work researching everything there was to be researched. Believe me when I tell you that Jim leaves no stone unturned when it comes to spending his $. We had to keep in mind that according to the experts this is the time to buy because the housing market is low. To make a long story short and after offers, counter offers, inspections, talking with our financial advisor, etc.... we came to an agreement.

What we like about the condo:

The layout. We found that we need our own spaces. Last year's condo was very nice but it only 1 LR. So because we watch such different TV (I can only stand so much of ESPN and he can't stand what I watch) that meant one of us had to be in the BR which neither one of us liked. This has a LR and a FR as well as what is called an Arizona room which is a screened in porch. This will work so much better for us.

The location. It is right on the golf course. The golf course is our back yard. Very pretty. If I remember right we are able to see Superstition Mountain also.

The complex. It is a +55 development.

Activities. There are so many activities that I will find it hard to pick and choose.

Everything is very nice and neat. There are lots of rules that dictate to make this happen.

The fact that Jim & Gloria will be there and we also have other friends who live there year round.

The weather. We will not have to fight ice, snow and cold. No more boots, heavy coats, etc...

Mesa. Tons of shopping & restaurants. Also, it is very easy to get around. Streets run parallel and everything seems to be squared off so it is hard to get lost.

Not far from lots of places we like or would like to see.
Pudge loves the golf around there.

What I don't like about condo.

The fact that it is a +55. I am going to miss youngsters.

A lot of rules. I wonder how many times we will be scolded for breaking some of them.
All of these units look the same on the outside.

Now most of the time when people sell their condos it is usually all furnished. Our owner wanted most of her furniture. They did leave a bedroom set, a couch, some end tables and a few other things. That did not bother me too much because I was not fond of most of it anyway. I could have made do with it and we would not be so pressured to get some of the essentials that we need. But that's OK--I am up to the challenge of furnishing this. In fact, I am looking forward to it. I have been on Craigs list and the deals to be had are incredible--not to mention the garage sales, thrift stores, etc... This is going to be fun. I know one thing--it will not be decorated in the Southwestern style that is so popular down there. I do not like the pastelly pinks, blues and patterns. I do not like Kokopelli (he is the god of something and he is blowing a horn and dancing) They have him all over the place. Another thing--those god awful pink curtains in the living room that they left will be the first thing to come down.

I am starting to go through stuff here at home. It feels good to thin things out around here. But I do have to remember that we have limited space because we are only bringing our van and it can only hold so many boxes.

This year we are planning on leaving around Dec. 28th and returning sometime in April. Mom is coming the middle of January and returning the first part of March. We already have guests coming Jan. 8th-16th. A couple of college kids that Pudge coached and still has a relationship with them. I am hoping our kids will be able to visit at some time and any body else. We have a blow up queen size bed as well as a guest room that I want to get twin beds. There will be a couple of couches. So this is an invitation for each and every one of you to come visit. We will be more than happy to see people from home.

This will be a new venture for us. It is something to look forward to. Hope it works out.

More Pictures From KOA Weekend

2009-10-01T16:22:00.000-07:00

Jan & Judy (sisters)

KOA's motto

All the masks we painted. Mine was the princess.

Ice cream on the porch. Marnie's treat.

Marnie taking our order for "her breakfast."

Continuation of KOA weekend

2009-09-30T19:40:00.000-07:00

Saturday night after dinner we all settled down. We were drinking tea and chatting. It was pleasant. Then I heard something near the wall squeak and upon looking over there was a furry thing (no doubt a mouse) scurrying near the base of the wall not far from me. I do not like mice. That fact was very evident in my reaction. I screamed, stood up, threw my cup of tea and started hopping around like a bunny trying to escape from something. My heart was pumping, tears came to my eyes and I was very frightened. All this time the others were rolling on the floor laughing so hard they could not talk. I did not see anything funny about it. Yep--I was set up. It was a fake mouse that they put on a fishing pole with line so they could make it scurry. Jan was wetting her pants because of laughing so hard. Come to find out that wasn't the case at all--it was my tea from the cup I threw that was running down her leg. We all got a laugh out of that. After bawling those guys out among their laughter I went to sit back down. Dammit!! There was that ugly mouse on the couch. I screamed to get it out of there. I did not want to see it. The others are having a hard time moving because of laughing. Finally dear Liz came to my rescue and said she would remove the fake mouse. It turned out it was my tea bag--boy it sure looked like a mouse with a tail.

Climbed into bed that night and there was a big plastic rat in my sleeping bag. That did not scare me--too fakey looking but I did cuss when I threw the dumb thing out.

Sunday morning--Judy & I up early. We visit for about an hour and a half before the others even stir. After everyone is up we drink coffee on the deck and solve all the world's problems. It is a gorgeous morning and the lake is so pretty.

Marnie's turn to cook breakfast. Now I am going to try to explain this but words will not give it justice. She went inside and started to hustle around. Nobody is paying much attention. After a few minutes she comes out the door dressed in a chef's apron and has her hair wrapped in a white terry towel to resemble a chef's hat. She told all of us to come in and sit at the already set table. We did and then we were handed menus. Talk about creative--the menu had different options which cracked all of us up. She was there with pad and pencil ready to take our orders. She then goes into the kitchen and starts cooking. I am here to tell you there were pots & pans everywhere and she was hustling. Eggs were frying, bacon and sausage cooking, pancakes grilling, bread and English muffins toasting. She was sweating. We were laughing. Comment was made "I'm sure glad I don't have kitchen cleanup." Service was very slow but on the back side of our menus there was Soduko. Some of us worked on it--not me. Too much concentrating. Finally all of our breakfasts were served. That was so much fun.

Into town where we went to a few gift shops, bought ice, checked our lottery tickets to see if we had a winner (we didn't--only a measly $3.00), bought ice, & enjoyed ice cream cones on the porch of the ice cream parlor.

Back to cabin. Pontoon boat ride where we explored the lake. Saw an eagle.

Went for a walk in the woods and dug out some small pine trees for Todd-Jan's son. Made caramel apples. Did a craft project which was painting masks on a stick. Marnie and Liz really have artistic abilities and you could tell. Their masks rocked. The rest of ours were very "ho-hum" in comparison but it didn't matter. We had fun. The thought crossed my mind--"this is what it will be like in a nursing home. All the little, old ladies doing the arts and craft activity."
Dinner was Jan's famous tuna fish salad sandwiches and soup.

Later on popcorn was made and we watched the emmys, played games, talked and laughed.

Monday morning--started packing up. Everyone on their own for breakfast. Cabin cleaned, took pictures, KOA flag was lowered.

It was the greatest time. Many memories were created. I am grateful for these wonderful people I call my friends.

Pictures of KOA weekend.

2009-09-30T19:24:00.000-07:00

Clue that Jan and Marnie were nearby,

Judy & me by the tower we just got done climbing. It was higher

it looks.

Liz at the top of tower. Note how tightly she is hanging on. We all

were. It was scary.

Found the geocache treasure which was a film canister. We

signed our names and put the little pink ribbon in it to prove we

were there.

This is where it was. Stuck in a little cutout on the landing of the

ranger tower.

KOA Weekend - Sept. 18-21, 2009

2009-09-29T12:15:00.000-07:00

Lucky me!! I got invited to go along on the KOA (Keep Old Active) weekend. Now this is an organization that has met I think for the past 6 years on a regular basis. I have been included in some of the activities around here but I am not sure they were the actual KOA stuff.

The people in this organization: Judy Deans, Jane George (these 2 happen to be sisters) and Liz Casper & Marnie McLevish (and these 2 are sisters.) One member could not make the weekend--Joan DeMars. She was missed more than once and the only thing that would have made the whole thing better is if she would have been there.

A beautiful fall afternoon on Friday when Judy picked me up at my house. Over to White Bear and Shoreview to pick up Liz and Marnie. Of course, the car was abuzz with all of us conversing and getting caught up. Very pleasant drive and the time went fast. Met up with Jan at MilleLacs. Decided to have dinner before going to cabin. Ate at a wonderful place on the deck overlooking a lake. In my mind--life could not have been better. I mean really--sippping wine on a beautiful fall afternoon overlooking a lake that looked like diamonds because the sun was shining brightly and being with all of these great women who make me laugh all the time. What is there not to like? Waitress did spill our appetizers as she tried to set them on our table. They went all over her white pants. Another took her place while she went home to change.

Onto the cabin. It is located on Lake Washburn which is in between Outing and Emily, Minnesota. It has been in the Deans family for many years. It is exactly what an old fashioned cabin should be--very quaint and cute and filled with antiques and history. It is located at the tip of a peninsula so every window you looked out you saw the lake. Unpacked car, picked our rooms, and toured "Harry's cabin" located just down a short path. That is where Jan & Liz bunked. We had a "ceremony" as the KOA flag was raised on the flagpole signifying the start of our time together at the cabin. I also made up a chant for us one night when I could not sleep. It goes like this: I would holler "I don't know but I've been told" the others would have to repeat it back--"Judy's cabin is the place to go." "All us ladies are spiffed and shine." "Gonna giggle & laugh and have some wine." "Sound off." "1, 2." "Sound off." "3, 4." --well you get the idea.

Friday night was spent talking and laughing. Popcorn was made but there was an issue with butter. I do not like greasy butter and needless to say it is not a good choice. Marnie melted a pound of it and poured it all over her and Jan's corn. They like butter.

Next morning--Judy made a wonderful breakfast of french toast and bacon. After clean up we piled into the car. Destination was the rangers tower. Judy had clues for geocaching. How fun!! Geocaching is where treasures are hidden by people and clues are given over the Internet for others to find. I had heard of this but never did it. I do know some can be very sophisticated and includes having a GPS and quadrants are published. Ours was simple. Go to ranger tower to the second level. Judy, Liz & I are pumped to find this. Jan & Marnie--not so much. They remained on the ground as we climbed. Judy found it right away. It was a little film canister stuck in the corner of the landing. It contained a dime, a rolled up piece of paper with a very tiny pencil to be able to sign names and dates. It was fun. Now the challenge. We want to climb to top. I am very afraid of heights and do not like how open this tower is. I played a mind game --convincing myself that it is a good thing to come out of your comfort zone and try new things. I want to do this and with the encouragement of Judy & Liz--I CAN DO THIS!! Up we go. Not bad until about the 5th level where we start getting above the trees. The further we go the more scared I am becoming. I can tell because I start to hyperventilate a little. Still doing OK even if heart is pumping faster. The others are feeling it also. The 3 of us are encouraging each other. 2 more flights and I am really not liking this but I am almost there. Judy goes first and reaches the top. I am next. Somewhat of a struggle to get off the stairs onto the platform. It was scary. I am hanging on tightly to the bars. Trying to enjoy the scenery but --Oh My!! we were high and it was kind of open (too open for me anyway.) Forgot to mention that there were huge piles of bird droppings that we were trying to avoid. Spent about 5-10 minutes up there. Caution going down especially when we were up high. As we got lower it was a piece of cake. Jan & Marnie are not where we left them. Walking back to the car there was a clue that they were there. A cute smiley face was made with rocks and sticks pointing the way that they were going. As we neared the end of the path they jumped out at us. They tried covering themselves with leaves to camouflage. Did not work.

Onto an auction. It was fun watching the clientele and seeing all the stuff (junk) that was being auctioned. I inadvertently made a bid on a piece of junk much to my surprise. Judy & I were not in the mix with the crowd but over to the side. I was explaining something to her and raised my arms to stress a point being made. They took that for a bid. Bidding had to stop until they got it straightened out. I then got very far away from the auctioneer and crowd so that would not happen again.

Back in the car. Destination - boat landing where there is another geocache. Clue: look for a tupperware container wrapped in duct tape left of the landing dock. We all start searching. I go into the lake and walk the shore. Others are in the woods. After about 10 minutes Jan hollers "I found it." We gather to see what is in this one--a small tile that says "Emily" a letter "E", paper and pencil to sign our names among the others on the list. I forgot to mention that in this one and the one on the ranger tower we added a pink tie that was part of Liz's headgear that day.

To the Holiday station where we buy lottery tickets. To the corn stand to buy corn for tonight's dinner. Then back to cabin for snacks, drinks, laughter and fun. Jan throws a line in the water to see if she can catch some fish. No luck. Dinner was made later in the evening--hot dogs, corn, and beans.

One thing that needs to be noted--these girls are very much practical jokers ( well 2 of them anyway) It gets to the point where you hate to turn your back on them not knowing what is going to happen.

To be continued...............

More Pictures From Up North

2009-08-20T18:11:00.000-07:00

Pudge walking ahead on the cute, quaint, little road amongst the cute, quaint, little cottages. Talk about people seeing things differently. I saw all of this as very charming and lovely. Pudge saw it as a "dump."

Another cottage on Cottage Hill.

Cottage on Cottage Hill.

One of the cute cottages on Cottage Hill.

Walking around the Breezy Point complex we came across this development. All kinds of cute, quaint cottages. I think I read somewhere that it was once a CCC camp in the 1930's. They were close together but I thought that added to the charm.

Elvis (Chris Olson) singing the American Trilogy. It was great. Enjoyed this a lot.

OK--I wanted to post more pictures so I could experiment a bit and get more used to posting pictures. It did not work the way I wanted it to as far as getting them in chronological order. I know one way to do it but wanted to try another to see if it would work. It didn't but I still learned some other things.

# 10

2009-08-17T19:32:00.000-07:00

I was tagged by my cousin Donna to do this.
Simple rules:
-Open your first photo folder
-Scroll down to the 10th photo
-Post that photo and story on your blog
-Tag five others to do the same.

This photo was taken in the Florida Keys. This was in February of 2008. We were waiting to eat at restaurant right along the water when this picture was taken. Also spent time in Miami. I remember liking South Beach a lot. People watching was the best. It truly is the land of beautiful people. Almost felt like a foreign country because of all the ethnic groups and languages. I really liked it. We drove to the Keys which was fascinating. Spent a couple of days there. Toured Truman White House and Hemingway's house. We were with our dear friends--Jim & Gloria. It was a great trip. Numerous memories were made on that trip.

Up North

2009-08-16T20:33:00.000-07:00

OK--I know it has been awhile since I have blogged and about 5 people are questioning why there hasn't been anything--which BTW made me feel good.

Now it will be interesting to see if I can put the knowledge that Sarah taught me about posting pictures and other things about this blogging. I am hoping I do not get frustrated and I am also hoping that I will not be on this computer for 2-3 hours trying to figure out things.

First thing I want to do is put pictures in chronological order.

Here goes--Wish me luck!!

Friday morning, August 14, 2009--started preparing for a getaway weekend up north. Flowers and tomatoes are watered, bags are packed, coolers are stocked with food, snacks, and water, books and magazines that I want to look at are put in the van. Pudge goes over to hook up boat. Comes back and says "we can't go." Somebody stole both of the depth finders out of the boat. They also tried to get some of the rods and reels but they got tangled and they must have given up. OK--in my thoughts I start to rearrange my thought pattern for staying at home. A little while later Pudge comes back and says that we can use a portable depth finder that he happened to have in the garage. Not the best but it will do.

First stop--MilleLacs Lake. About noon we launch boat and off we went to the deep waters to catch walleye that the lake is famous for. Problems with boat. Back to dock. Not quite sure what was wrong and how it got solved but we are off again. Not able to go fast because of the issues with the boat. That is fine with me. I don't like fast. Get to the "fishing spot." I get myself settled at the bow of the boat with a book, padding for my back and head and a glass of wine at my side. Pudge is busy baiting rods with leeches. He gets mine done and props it. Now I can only hope that a fish doesn't bite so I have to get up from my cozy spot, put book down and deal with the stupid fish. I am in my glory. The sun is hot and it penetrates your bones so you finally feel warm. Book is good and sips of the cold wine is very refreshing. I am loving it!! Pudge not so much. He doesn't like the heat. I am hearing him mumble and grumble as he continuously wipes sweat from his head and brow.
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Spent a few hours on the lake. No bites (Hooray!! Hooray!!)

Now on to Brainerd. The drive is scenic and interesting. Had a wonderful dinner at a steak house. Took a long ride around Gull Lake. We plan to spend the night in the van. The back makes into a very comfortable bed and we also planned on spending it in the WalMart parking lot. Now I can just hear some of you thinking "oh boy! that sounds like a good time." Actually it is. There is something about the simplicity of this that I really enjoy. Now it is something I would not want to do for 3 or 4 nights in a row but 1 or 2 nights is just fine with me. There are other motor homes doing this also and there is a kind of camaraderie with them. We get ourselves settled in. I am quite comfortable. It is nice to not have to use covers. Once again this is not so for Pudge. He is warm and slept fitfully through the night. I slept well. Even had to pull covers up in middle of the night. It was chilly.

Up the next morning very early which is usual for us. Used WalMart restrooms. Got a newspaper. Went to Caribou. Sat there drinking coffee, reading paper and getting on the internet for about 2 hours. I thought they were going to start charging us rent.

Next destination is Breezy Point on Pelican Lake. We did stop at a few garage sales on the way. Also it was chokecherry days in one of the little towns so we walked through there. Got to see Paul Bunyan's fishing bobber which is their water tower and his big chair that he would sit in. Had breakfast in a little cafe.

We had tried to get motel reservations at Breezy Point resort earlier in the week but there was nothing available so we were going to look for a motel close by. We did pull into Breezy Point compound just to look around. I said "let's go in and just see if there was a cancelation." There was. We got a very nice room and we were able to get in right away. It is only about 11:30 am. We both took showers and put on clean clothes and went exploring the area by foot. I like it. Lots of people, lots of water activity, restaurants, golf course, several different housing options, & a gift shop. Pudge is wanting to watch the PGA so he went back to room. I continue to explore and check out the menus for dinner that night.

Later in the afternoon we took a ride. Stopped at a flea market. Not a good one but I did have my picture taken with Babe the Blue Ox.
a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_etMuGNwU5Vw/SojUaSj4jyI/AAAAAAAAAFI/apdk4lkBlhY/s1600-h/DSC00932.JPG">

We also went to the town of Nisswa where they were having sidewalk days. It was crowded. Lots of gift shops. I do have problems with gift shop prices. I am used to Savers, Goodwill and garage sales. And I swear to all of you I have seen some of the exact same things in the thrift shops that were in those gift shops. The only reason I like to go in the gift shops is to get ideas and realize what a bargain I get when I buy at "my shopping places."

Back to motel where more of the PGA and the twins are watched. There is a gentle rain coming down. I read my book and also keep an eye on the TV when the PGA is on.

Our plan for the evening was to have dinner at the Dockside restaurant because that is where the Elvis show was going to be. It is usually outside on the beach but because of the rain it was to be inside. We knew we had to get there early to get a good seat. Show started anywhere from 8-9:00. We got there about 6:30. It was already crowded and noisy--2 things Pudge does not like. Found a table but no chairs. I decided to walk around to see if there was anything else. Pudge is not too happy. Lo and behold I saw 2 chairs at this very small bar near the front. I asked bartender if anybody was sitting there and no there was not. I could hardly believe it. Quickly went back to get Pudge thinking this might make him happier. It did. We discovered that the stage was about 5 feet from us. They were the best seats in the place. As a matter of fact, I would rub shoulders with Elvis when he would come to bar during performance to drink water and wipe his face. BTW Elvis is Chris (forgot last name) who does an incredible impersonation of Elvis. We have seen him about 4 other times and really enjoyed him. He did not disappoint us this time either. He was great!!! It was so much fun. He sought me out 2 or 3 times--reached for my hand and held it during one song, put a lei around my neck while singing Blue Hawaii into my eyes, pointed at me during one song to make a point. I am sure it had to do with my proximity to him. But whatever it was he was great and I loved it.

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Didn't Quite Work

2009-07-23T21:20:00.000-07:00

Well--maybe I am moving ahead somewhat. I at least got the pictures that I wanted posted but no luck with writing the text. Also seems like a lot of back & forth, searching & hunting for each picture. This is what happened when I tried what Sarah told me--load pics first and click to right of top picture, press return to type above. Well when I pressed return it posted. Tried to edit and did not get any where with that. Readers, you will just have to bear with me while I try to learn.
Now I'm tired and want to get off this computer. Maybe tomorrow I will post details about the tea party and then again -- maybe not. We will see.

Tea Party

2009-07-23T21:02:00.000-07:00

Mad & Frustrated

2009-07-19T18:18:00.000-07:00

Damn!! This posting pictures is not going well. My problems and frustrations are as follows:
-I keep forgetting to click "add another image" when I want to do more than one.
-Can hardly see my pictures in the file--too small. When I make them bigger then I scroll down and it seems that I haven't clicked anything and before I know it picture had been uploaded. It is like it has a mind of its own sometimes. Thus the duplication of pictures
-I want my pictures to appear at end of blog not at the beginning. Don't have a clue how to do that. I thought maybe if the curser was where I want the picture that is where it would appear--NOT.
I envy and covet the computer skills many of you have.

More Pictures

2009-07-19T17:57:00.000-07:00

Well posting those pictures in the previous post didn't work quite like I wanted it to. I am going to try again.

The Kitchen

2009-07-19T17:34:00.000-07:00

Many of you heard about revamping the kitchen. It is done and has been for about a month. I am posting pictures of the done project.

The before kitchen had dated wallpaper all over. It was a struggle to get that off. As I pulled, steamed, & ripped I realized that there was something that I still liked about that wallpaper. It was cheerful. But I was feeling the need to update and that did have to come off.

My goal for the kitchen was to have it very clean and simple. Only enough stuff to give it my personality.

The before kitchen had a warped and stained laminated counter top. There was no back splash-only the wall paper which was curling very badly behind the sink.

Picked out the counter top the first thing. Now remember I wanted simple and plain--nothing busy. Found a granite composite which fit the bill. It was white with a very tiny fleck. Then of course, one thing leads to another. Next it was a new sink, then might as well do a new faucet too.

If you remember the backsplash was a struggle. I had a very hard time picking that out. After about 15 visits to the tile shop and bringing home many samples--it was chosen. Then it was somewhat of a problem to get workman here to get in installed. It was 2-3 weeks of waiting and then another 2 weeks to get the grout on.

I ahd forgotten the what kind of shape the walls were in underneath the wallpaper. I was thinking that we would be able to do the repair work on the walls before we painted but the more paper that came off I knew it was out of our league. Now we had to hire someone to skim coat the walls. Then we had to prime and then paint.

Fabric was bought, curtains were made and some (not all) stuff was put back on the walls and counters.

Now to try to get pictures on this blog of the final product.

Another Try

2009-07-15T19:39:00.001-07:00

On the Wedding Wagon

Sinead & Dan

Tried to post more pictures in the blog about the wedding but it would not let me do it. Going to give this another try.

I see what I did wrong. I didn't click "add another image."

Now there must be a way to put the pictures in a different place on the blog? Like if I wanted to put them in the middle of my post or the end. Anybody know how to do that?

Where Do I Want To Start???

2009-07-15T18:52:00.000-07:00

Paul (Sinead's dad) walking her down the aisle

Will start with renditions of the wedding--Sinead Barry (Gemma's daughter) started planning her wedding. I got the idea that Gemma & I could be in charge of decorating the tables for the outdoor reception. Checked with bride and she thought that would be a good thing. Sinead secretly told me that she wanted her mom to be involved somehow but was not quite sure how so she was grateful for the offer. Date for the wedding - July 3rd.

Now one thing was that this was to be done on a tight budget. Good!! I like the challenge and to be very frank I have a hard time spending money on things that I know could be done cheaper.

First idea--pretty white hydrangeas in borrowed vases surrounded by borrowed votive candles. I knew my bush would be blooming as well as neighbors. This was nixed by the bride. She said "too white." She wanted color. She wanted orange & black. ORANGE & BLACK!! Yuck. OK--not my wedding. Now back to the drawing board. How can we do orange & black?? To make a long story short we gathered tiger lilies and other small white flowers from the ditch. Took the borrowed cylinder vases that were graduated sizes-grouped 3 together-colored the water orange-put in the lilies, white flowers and some fern and this all went on a black mat. We were going to put a black ribbon around all 3 vases but because of lack of time that was not done. The votive candles were placed around as well as quotes about love & marriage matted on black paper with an orange ribbon on top. We had borrowed tulle as well as big puffs. The head table was draped with the tulle with little white lights and big puffs of tulle were fastened at each of the places where the drapes were brought up. Some artificial tiger lilies were also placed among the tulle to add color. Cake table was covered with one of my antique, lace edged table cloths and tulle was draped around. We had to do all of this the morning of the wedding.

We got to the reception yard and only a few of the tables and chairs were set up. We scrambled to get the others set up. Mom was placed at a table to start arranging the flowers in the vases. Gemma, Vickie & Al (couple whose yard it was) Mom and I were the only ones there to do all of this. At least the tents were up. We were hustling.

Back to another idea I had. Bride has 2 adorable girls ages 8 & 5 (as well as 14 yr. old Shaun). Groom has 1 adorable 5 yr. old girl and 3 yr. old boy. Why not let the little girls pass out favors to the guests. Favors would be chocolate chip cookies in cellophane bag tied with ribbon and tag that says "Thank you for coming." So Mom baked cookies the 2 weeks before. 2 days before Gemma, Mary Beth, Mom & I (Denny came over to visit) bagged & tied the cookies. We had decorated baskets for them to carry the cookies.

Another idea- (I was driving Gemma crazy) Why not make the Patty Wagon into the Wedding Wagon. So Gemma & I decorated it but they had to all be taken off to transport it and then put back on again once there.

Wedding started at 5:00 and it was over in Minneapolis. We got home at 3:30. Quickly showered, dressed and were on our way. Church was gorgeous. I loved this wedding. Everything was so elegant and tasteful and it was done on such a budget. Sinead was absolutely gorgeous and I am not kidding. Her dress was bought on Craigs list.

Everything went well. Patty Wagon--no Wedding Wagon was a big hit.

Blogging

2009-07-13T06:51:00.001-07:00

This was written last week and I am only posting it now. Just so there is no confusion.

Why haven't I blogged lately?? I have asked myself this question. Answers I cam up with:
-Did not want to take the time.
-Need my creative juices to flow and that hasn't been happening.
-Just not in the mood.
-What makes me think that people want to know about my world? Someone said they thought something like blogs were very narcissistic and egotistical. There may be something to this. But then again if people do not want to know then it is very simple. Just don't go into the website. I very much like hearing about everybody else and what is going on in their lives and I do not consider it narcissistic and egotistical on their part.
-I need quiet where I can think about what I want to say and I do not like to be pressured by people (husband) to hurry up so he can use the computer.

OK--with all of that said I am going to attempt to put down what has been going on. The mood has struck me. I am in a quiet place (Gloria & Jim's cabin--Gloria is getting showered and dressed. The guys left for the golf course.) The day is glorious--sun shining, lake calm and glistening, birds are twittering and singing, squirrels chasing each other and we all have full tummies from a wonderful breakfast that Gloria made. Dishes are washed, dried and put away. Lots of good natured teasing was done between Jim and me. Gloria and Pudge had a wicked game of cribbage which the 2 of them seem to enjoy very much. It is probably their 50th game that they have played this week. Yup-right now life is good.

Now Gloria and I are off to check out some shops. To be continued..... (hopefully soon)

Gregory

2009-06-07T21:29:00.000-07:00

About 10 years ago in the summer I got an email from Nancy Veenis (teacher friend) saying that she could not wait for me to meet one of my students at the start of school. I was puzzled. When school started that August she brought me this so called student. It was a huge teal colored stuffed gorilla with lots of personality. She & other friends had found him at a garage sale for $.50 and they named him Gregory and gave him to me. I immediately fell in love with him.

He was in my classroom every single day after I received him. No that was a lie--he was absent for about 2 days. He got kidnapped. There was a ransom note on my desk. I had to leave food in order to get him back. I thought about calling the police but was not sure how to describe him. He had so many facial expressions because one could change his eyes in different ways. Anyway, I did as the ransom note asked and he reappeared. Oh yeah, he disappeared one other time only to be found in someone's car in the back seat. He was scolded.

He would hold the "welcome back" sign at the beginning of school. He would hold the "have a great summer" at the end of the year. He was dressed up during spirit week and held a big foam #1 finger. I pulled him in a wagon in the homecoming parade. He made a big hit.

He was on my roster and like I said before he did not miss many days at all. I think about 5 years in a row he had perfect attendance. His seat was on top of the file cabinets and if he was gone from there (sometimes he would be in the child development room) the students would immediately miss him and ask about him. Some days I would see him perched up there looking bored, other days--silly, sometimes looking the other way. His big eyes were changeable and he was able to portray these different expressions.

I loved him. He had a special place in my heart.

When I retired I almost took him with me but decided that he needs to stay in school. He did attend my last after conference get together at a Mexican restaurant where we always went for awhat we called "debriefing"." I have pictures of him at the head of the table with a big Mexican hat on and a margarita in his hand. He was sooo cute.

When I left I gave him an extra pat and told him how much I enjoyed having him. The few times I have gone back I always made it a point to go in and see him. I made the teachers in my department promise not to get rid of him.

Well, the dreaded day has come. Email came from Nancy saying that the fire marshalls came through school with a vegeance and stuffed animals need to go. She asked me what to do with him. I struggled with the decision to take him but remembering my New Year's resolution about simplifying and he is big and where would I put him. But then again--he would look cute riding on the patty wagon with me at times. Decision was made. I emailed Nancy back and told her that it was with a lump in my throat and tears in my eyes to find him another home. In my thoughts he will be with someone who will love him and he will have another life with them. I am not going to think the unthinkable about him ending up on a trash pile. Nope--not going there.

So I quietly said goodbye to my friend who only cost $.50, was low maintenance (he had to be Febreezed once in awhile), and brightened up my classroom in more ways than one.

LRAFB Reunion Weekend - May 29-June 1, 2009

2009-06-05T21:53:00.000-07:00

Little Rock Air Force Base Reunion took place in Chicago. These were with people that we were stationed with 1965-1967. I am going to try to recap some of the highlights but I know it will not capture the whole picture of the events or situations. Also, it would take too many details to be able to do that.

Arrived on Thursday and went right to Jack & Mary's (Pudge's oldest brother & wife.) Had a great visit and of course, Mary put out a big spread of delicious food. Pudge enjoyed whipping his brother's butt 3 times in cribbage
Stayed at Quality Inn in Schiller Park. It proved to be a great place--very accommodating, convenient to air port and John's house, nice rooms, decent breakfast and very reasonable.
Fran & Jim came from Milwaukee, Diane & Ed & Pat & Frank came from Little Rock, Cappie from New York, Catrotti from Arizona and John from Chicago. Pudge made several trips to airport for pickup.
Lots of catching up to do which started immediately.
Memories were talked about and so much laughter that my face got numb & sore.
Went to a hot dog place where there was no seating. Not because it was full that is just the way the place is. So it was out to the parking lot where I opened the back of the van where some sat and I also spread a blanket on the parking lot and some sat there. Of course, we giggled and laughed while eating our world renowned Chicago hot dogs.
In the evening went to the Moose Lodge. John is a member there. He introduced all of us to many friends. This was (what I would describe) a very blue collar, folksy place. Everybody was so friendly and nice. John ordered pizza for everybody that night.
Back to sit around the pool and reminisce some more until the wee hours of the morning.
Saturday ventured into Chicago via the el. It turned out to be an adventure and it was so much fun to be with people who thought about it that way.
Trolley to Navy Pier where we had lunch and took pictures of the skyline.
Trolley to Magnificent Mile and we walked quite a bit of it. Diane and I checked out the new American Girl place. Others got ice cream and people watched.
Getting late and it was quite a hike back to get shuttle to el. I am used to walking but by this time some of the others were struggling with sore feet, knees, exhaustion, etc.
Went to a very nice restaurant for dinner.
Back to pool to talk some more. It just so happened that the flight pattern for O'Hare was right over us that night. It was a thrill to have the planes come right over us and they were low. That was fun.
Next morning it was breakfast and packing up. Slideshow in Jim & Fran's room from when we got together in Little Rock in 1973, Oh my gosh!! Was that funny!!
We said good bye to our friends about 11:30 am. We all agreed that the weekend could not have been any better.

Now as I read over this it doesn't sound like it was all that awesome but, people, I'm here to tell you it was one of the greatest weekends I have had. Like I said in the beginning there would be no way to capture the experiences with words and even if I did it probably would not be funny or amusing to you. It is like the saying goes, "you had to be there." It is one weekend I will never forget.

2009-05-31T18:54:00.000-07:00

This is a test to get pictures on the blog. It was successful but now I am not sure how I did it.

Gloria in Chicago's American Girl in March of 2008.

Alive & Well & Busy

2009-05-20T05:22:00.000-07:00

Have not been posting because I do not want to take the time. Too many other things to do. This will be short & sweet because I want to get going. Morning seems to be my best time. I feel like I've got the world by the tail and there is nothing I cannot do. By evening that fades and being weary and tired things do not go as well.

Still dealing with kitchen. Waiting for back splash guy to come and put it in. Finally made a decision after agonizing over it. Brief description of what is going on in the kitchen--composite stone counter top, sink and faucet were installed. Counter top is very simple--off white with a very tiny fleck, granite sink matches very well and it is an under mount which I like, wall paper was stripped (that was a job, let me tell you). I still liked the wall paper that we took off but it was dated. Painted the walls a very cheery yellow which I like. Fresh coat of white paint was applied over the woodwork. Back splash is as follows: white subway tiles, ropey tile which is about the size of a pencil, 2 rows of small cobalt blue squares, ropey tile again (so it kind of frames the blue squares) and then the rest will be the subway tiles. Now if only I could get pictures on this blog I would be able to show the before and after (if it ever gets done.) Now I am into cleaning and scrubbing. Now those of you who have done a project knows that the other parts of the house goes to hell in a hand basket. I do have to mention how well Pudge has been handling most of this--not great, but well. Butted heads a few times--but nothing like it could have been. He has been cooperative and sometimes even pleasant about this. He is busy with other little projects that need to be done. This is not his thing--never has been and never will be. But once again, he has surprised me.

I need to get going. Days go by so fast.

Oh I forgot to mention the curtains which I have bought material and will be making. It will be just a valance and it is what I think is kind of "cutting edge" as they would say on HGTV. They are a bright cherry red paisley. Hope this all looks good when it is all said & done.

The Cruise - Port # 3

2009-05-10T19:49:00.000-07:00

Cabo San Lucas. There was no harbor for ship to port so we were brought to shore on smaller boats. We decided to do an excursion with the other 2 couples who have become our friends. It was a Sea and Land. After getting to shore we were put into lines and got on smaller boats. We went out for a ways until we came to beautiful rock formations coming from the ocean. It really was awesome. The waves were crashing against these rocks which made it even more incredible. Then we went to shore and boarded buses. First to a glass blowing factory. It was interesting. Got to see them blow glass. Then to a cactus farm. That was OK. Then they took us to a beautiful hotel high in the hills overlooking the ocean. The sight was so beautiful it was almost surreal. Spent some time there. Took pictures of the 6 of us. Boarded bus again and drove about 17 miles to a town for shopping. It was kind of a high buck town. Shops were classy and expensive. The only thing we bought was some tea that the guide talked about and ice cream cones. Then the bus was going to bring us back to the boats to get on ship. We had about an hour before we had to be back so Pudge & I asked to be dropped off in the town. Bill and Nancy also came with us. Nancy wanted to find a certain Tshirt shop that her adult boys requested she bring them. The name of the shop was Cabo Wabo. I had never heard of it but it was really popular. One of the singers from Led Zeppelin's band (I think that was the band) started this shop which also was a bar and a lot was happening. We did not have much time so we found our way to the ocean and found out we could walk to where the boats would pick us up. We had planned to take a taxi. The walk was very pleasant. It was like a boardwalk that wound its way around. Many vendors and interesting people. Had to wait in line for some of the boats to get us back because it was nearing the time everyone had to be back. We enjoyed Cabo but did not have much time there.

The Cruise-Port # 2

2009-05-08T19:45:00.000-07:00

Mazatlan was our next port. Decided to so the same excursion our new found friends were doing. It was sightseeing, show and shopping. Boarded a bus but we did not get on with our friends. They were on a different bus. Went through back streets and neighborhoods. I liked this part of it. You are really able to see how they live. Yes, there was some seedy and poverty laden neighborhoods but to me this is all part of it. Stopped at a shopping area and there also was a big church that we went into. Found a big huge market and really explored that. It was fascinating. Lots of meat being sold--big huge pigs heads, feet, and what looked like big sheets of fat. Everything was right out in the open--not protected under glass or any covering. Not sure if all of it was even refrigerated. It did appear to be fairly clean but I would have a hard time buying meat for my dinner there. I liked all of this because it is so cultural. I appreciate the way they live. That's not to say I would want to live like that. Toured the big church passing many beggars. Many people do not like this and I do have to say it is sad but as unfortunate as it is I am fascinated. There is a mother begging with the cutest baby. I so wanted to hold the baby and give her $ but I didn't and I am ashamed. Back on the bus to see the cliff divers. Drove along a narrow road with cliffs and the ocean is below us. The place with the cliff divers is swarming with vendors that immediately try to persuade you to buy. I made my way to the wall so I could see the divers. They were not super high but high enough. The thing that I was impressed me abut this was the violent, swirling water with crashing waves. They did have to wait for a time for this pool of water that they dove in to look just right before they went. When they did dive they high tailed it out of that pool like no body's business. I know that was the part that was dangerous. Onto the show. We hooked up with our friends and sat with them. It was definitely a Mexican show with lots of acts. I did enjoy it. After that we went to the shopping area. They push those charm bracelets (remember we got one on the Alaskan cruise) but you have to pay for the charms. I did not buy any. They are chintzy. I did get more of the free bracelets. I think I now have 5. Shops are fun. I bought a beach cover up dress--it was $10.00 and I got it for $6.00. Also bought -- now I hope I can explain this -- it looks like a big scarf with strings but you can wear it as a skirt around your bathing suit, a shirt about 3 different ways, a scarf on your head. The lady showed me how to do all of these things. So I bought 2 of them. I don't think I can remember all that she showed me. I wonder if I will ever use them. It is one of those things where you get caught up and think you really will use it but after I got home I am starting to wonder. Oh well, they were cheap. Bus only allowed us 45 minutes. We decided to stay longer and take taxi back. We found a great hotel on the most gorgeous beach and went to their deck and had drinks. It was incredible to sit there and people watch as well as watching the waves and of course, the vendors. I loved it. The day was gorgeous. Then decided to walk the town. Got off the beaten track and did some exploring. We like this town and its beaches. Back to our favorite spot at the hotel and I bought a mango on a stick. It was so good. The taxis are like golf carts. We hired one and had a great ride back to the ship. We both decided that we like Mazatlan.

Cruise-The Ports

2009-05-05T18:58:00.000-07:00

With a little encouragement from my cousin I will finish up about the cruise.

1st port - Puerta Vallarta. Pudge did a golfing excursion that the ship offered. I got a van with other people from the boat and went into the town. We had been there in 1995. There were some things that were familiar to me. The boardwalk that goes right along the sea. The shops are across the street. I remembered that there was a big open air market and it was off the main street. I started to wander around knowing that I would find it sooner or later. I came upon a church that I remembered going into when we were there before. There were quite a few people there. I sat down just to take in the serenity and beauty. Of course, I watched the Hispanic people come in, genuflect and bow their head in prayer. There was a man saying the rosary, a lady doing the stations of the cross, another lady nursing her baby while praying. Then all of a sudden the priest and altar boys came out and mass started. It was done in Spanish but everything else was the same. I stayed for the entire mass and enjoyed it very much. Now my mission was to find that market. I did go into a store. It looked small but once inside it went on & on. There were many vendors in there. As you would walk by they would try to entice you into their section. They were pleasant. I find it fascinating and different. Most of the stuff there was very touristy and kitchy and not to my liking. I did buy a small Mexican flag. Of course you have to dicker with them. They wanted $6 and I got it for $3.00. I found the open air market. It was fun to look. I really enjoy the Mexican people. I walked back to the main street by following the boardwalk. It is fascinating to see the vendors with their wares walk the beach and boardwalk. I did buy 2 kites. They look like people parasailing. I hope they work as good here as they did there. I sat and watched sand sculptures being created. The guy was working so hard. He would walk to the sea and carry 2 large buckets of water back to his sculpture time and time again. Also watched fishermen on the shore. They were not using poles. It looked like a ball of string and they would just throw it out and roll it back up. One caught a blow fish and you could see it puff itself up bigger and bigger. It is only 1:00 and I am not meeting Pudge until 4:00. I decided to see if I could find somewhere to get a pedicure. I had one there in 1995 and it was the best I have ever had. I went into a hotel lobby because they sometimes offer that service. I asked and they gave me directions to one. I had no trouble finding it. Went in. It didn't seem too much like our salons. 2 ladies crocheting on the couch. I asked about a pedicure. The older lady bought a plastic dish pan with warm soapy water and put my feet into it. Everything in this place was quaint and primitive. I had an incredible pedicure and only cost $11.00. Did some more walking and people watching. At 5:00 met Pudge after waiting for him for an hour. I was going to give him another 1/2 hour and then go back to ship. Cell phones would only give us some Spanish speaking woman so we were not able to connect. Went back to open air market and then to a cute, quaint Mexican restaurant. It was warm and they had table fans that they directed toward us. I had a margarita and nachos. Pudge had burritos. It was good. About 7 pm we went back to the ship. We were to set sail at 10 pm so we got back in plenty of time.

Will post about the other ports at later date.

Continuance of Cruise

2009-04-28T19:39:00.000-07:00

Not sure what happened but previous post got published before it was completed. The only thing I can figure is as my fingers were flying around the key board the curser must have gotten on "publish post" somehow. Oh well I will continue.

Cruise did not start out too well--

Not nearly the activites as Royal Carribean
Pudge got sea sick the first day--fell asleep in the sun and got burnt to a crisp. He is suffering somewhat.
Too many smoking areas that we have to walk through to get to other places.
Elevators slow.
Nasty, mean, ornery, hateful man at our table. I had a viewpoint he did not like and he was not only rude and inappropriate to me but downright nasty and ugly.

Good things about the cruise--

2 other couples at our table are really fun and great.
Sun is shining all the time and it feels good
Great people watching
Lots of choices of places to get food.

Going to bed. Will post more later.

Part 1 - The Cruise

2009-04-28T19:19:00.000-07:00

Today is Saturday, April 25th. It is our last day on the boat. We will be sailing all day and night and be in Long Beach, Calif. tomorrow morning. Our flight home is at 3:00 and we are thinking we will be home about 10 pm.

On Sunday, April 19th we went to cruise terminal and dropped off luggage. Then off to Beverly Hills to check out the many mansions. I had found addresses of some of the stars homes so we put them into Sweetie (our GPS) and found some.l Jennifer Aniston's home is so tightly secure that you could not see anything--high hedges, solid gates, walls, security cameras along the walls and gates so needless to say we did not see too much. Then on to find Doris Day's place. If that truly was her place I was very surprised. It was ugly. Nothing attractive about it at all--it looked like the house was made out of old gray cinder blocks. It was behind a wrought iron gate so I was able to take a picture through the bars. It was so bad that it makes me wonder if that was really her house.

We did a lot of driving around Beverly Hills. The flowers, yards, homes, and mansions were something to see. We found a nice French restaurant and had a wonderful breakfast on their deck. It is so great to be able to eat outside in nice weather. Back to Long Beach to return our rental car. Thank God we did this early enogh because had some issues with traffic(big Gran Prix race was going on) and where to put the car. Grabbed a shuttle bus and got to the terminal. The historic Queen Mary is docked there so we were able to go on and look around. Also had a glass of wine on one of their decks and was able to see fighter planes go over for the opening of the Gran Prix races. It was awesome.

Cruise didn't start out too well--

do not like this ship as well as Royal Carribbean. Very much a party ship and geared toward young crowd.
can't stand the music by the pools. Too loud, obnoxious and

LA and Surrounding Area

2009-04-18T22:39:00.000-07:00

Got here just fine yesterday and have had a full 2 days of exploring and doing fun things.

Got Rent A Car and took off. There were a few "words" between us at a point in time about directions. I am going to chalk it up as he was hungry and frustrated and leave it at that. I have said the following statement about 10 times and thought it about 30 times--"."I miss Gloria and Jim."

Day is beautiful. Sun is shining so bright and everything looks green and lush.

First stop- Redondo Beach. Liked it. Had lunch sitting on a deck overlooking all kinds of people fishing. The pelicans made us laugh when they were stealing some bait and waiting for fish to be caught so they could steal them.

Driving the Pacific Coast highway. The ocean, hills, houses are awesome. Not sure what to look at. Look like the excorcist with my head spinning trying to take everything in. Stoppped in Malibu at Starbucks for coffee. We are sitting outside on their pretty courtyard in the shawdow of Pepperdine University. I would sure have a hard time attending classes there with the ocean and beaches so near. Love people watching but it is not the same without Gloria to help analyze and critique. We call them and it was great to hear their voices but still wishing they were here with us.

Went about 140 miles north following the ocean. Passed many strawberry fields and the plants are so laden with fruit that it is amazing. Got to the Danish town of Solvang about 6 pm. This town is adorable. It feels very much like Europe. It is nestled in a valley with high, rolling hills surrounding it. Got room at Solvang Inn and Cottages and took off to walk the quaint streets and alleys and check out the shops and restaurants. Much to my dismay most everything was closed. Got to look at the window displays/ There was a wine tasting going on that I got in on. No restaurants that would please Pudge. In the car and on to another neighboring town to find soomething to eat. Liked that town also. Looked like there was a lot there to see also. Did find a restaurant that was really charming and had our dinner. Back to hotel and put our weary bodies to bed. Woke about 4 am with both of us roasting to death. Pudge had cranked the heat per my request because I was so cold. Well it did the trick. We did manage to doze a little until about 5:30. Then we are more than ready to get up. All ready by 7 am. Went across street to bakery that was open and I had a hard roll and jam and of course coffee. Nothing opens till 10 am. Decided to walk the town and look at shops through the windows. We left there about 9:00. I had read about a lavender farm that we found. It wasn't too big of a deal but I enjoyed it.

Back to LA the same way we came. Once again following the ocean. The beaches are incedible. One place we wanted to see again was Santa Barbara. We had been there before and really enjoyed it. Found the Old Town. Parked car and went to a wonderful farmers market. I bought some strawberries that were so sweet and juicy. We spent some time people watching on a bench with our Starbucks coffee. Also, walked some of the Old Town. The day started out cold but warmed up nicely. Stopped in Ventura at an In and Out burger. Love those burgers.

We had a mission to reach Venice Beach and spend time there. It also is a place we have been before and really like it. It is so different. There is a huge boardwalk with vendors and shops and people, people, people. Very interesting people. Some very weird. I could spend all day just watching people. This is such a happenings place. So much going on all over the place. We walked the boardwalk from beginning to end and then to the beach and water where we spent a lot of time. Loved walking through the sand. It is a good workout and the sand feels good on your feet. Ocean was cold and my shorts got wet with some of the large waves that surprised me. I forgot to mention that it took about an hour to find a parking place it was that crowded. We did sit down at an outdoor cafe/bar and I had a glass of wine. The people watching is phenomonal. Left there about 5:30 and checked into our hotel in Long Beach. Drove to the docks where our ship will be tomorrow. Also found where we are to return the rental car. Went to WalMart, grocery store and Taco Bell for dinner. The Grand Prix races are going on in Long Beach so there are lots of people here for that.

We have settled in. ESPN is being watched by Pudge as I write this. This is a short summary of what we have done. Too many details and happenings to list. But be rest assured, dear readers that we are having a great time and enjoying every minute of it.

Tomorrow we board our ship. Probably will not have internet access.

Have to do some research on this computer so I am signing off.

Easter and Random

2009-04-11T07:15:00.000-07:00

Have lots to do but decided to take time to blog a few things.

Easter prep continues. This list is more for my sake than for the readers.
Things that need to still be done:
-set table
-finish filling 12 more eggs
-pick up birthday cards, sign & seal them
-clean Patty Wagon and "spring" it up
-prepare salad, potato dish, and casserole
-run errands (pick up some necessary items)
-try to clean house somewhat. It is hard to do because workmen are still doing their thing.
-boil and dye eggs
-go to Holy Saturday service
-need to find bigger baskets from my basket collection

Things that are already done:
-fun items wrapped and color coded for kids hunt
-have filled 52 eggs
-made little centerpieces for table as well as a big one.
-bought all groceries for Easter dinner
-found the bunny ears

There is more and I will mentally add to the lists. None of this is really hard or a chore for me. I enjoy doing it. Especially now that I have more time and do not feel the pressure of work.

Glad it is supposed to be nice today and tomorrow. People are out and about by the hundreds every where you go. I know it is because we have all been starved for sun & warmth.

Attended a service at Eagle Brook church last night. Picked up Mom & Gemma. Sinead (Gemma's daughter) works there and invited us. I am so glad I went. Sinead had a video done. It was Sinead: My Story. It was incredible. It left me awestruck and emotional. The service was a lot different from the Catholic ones I am used to. There was a band playing (guitars, keyboard and I don't know what else) that was more of a performance than anything. Sinead's fiance plays in that band. It was packed. I did enjoy it but didn't feel anything like church to me.

Work is going on in my house and of course that makes everything chaotic. Nothing seems to be in the right place and the dust is enough to choke a horse. The entryway should be completed by the workmen today but then we will have to paint and possibly replace the molding around doors and floor. But then I just got word that the countertop has arrived and will be delivered Monday. We are still waiting for the sink to come in. They want to install as soon as possible. That means kitchen will be a disaster area.

We are leaving Friday, April 17th for LA and our cruise. I am looking forward to it. Have most of my clothes laying on spare bed ready to be put in suitcase.

Many birthdays this month. We will celebrate and sing Happy Birthday 6 times on Easter Sunday.

Big SWAT team bust in my neighborhood last week. Those of you with facebook know about it. It was scary, exciting and interesting. There were 2 sheriffs cars, 7 unmarked squads, about 9 officers in bullet proof vests with guns drawn, sniffing dog, cars torn apart, house stormed, man in hand cuffs. This went on for about 4 hours. I wanted to go over to see what the matter was but Pudge said no--not with all those guns out. He was probably right. Anyway the next day I noticed several men out in street and it looked like they were just wrapping up loose ends so I went over and asked if we as neighbors should be concerned. He said that the problem was an illegal immigrant. The people in the house just rented it a week ago. It appeared to me it was 3 Hispanic men. Officer said that they were legal and a relative that was illegal came. The "legals" called the police because they do not want to jeopardize their status. Now it seems to me that for what I was told and what they did was a little overkill. I mean really. So in my way of thinking I am sure I am not being told the whole story. Or maybe they thought it was going to be a bigger thing than what it was and they were using all precautions. We will probably never know.

I really have to try to put pictures on this blog. I really don't know what I am doing and I know once I start trying it could mean spending a couple of hours on this computer which I am not willing to do.

OMG!! See it is almost 10:00. I cannot believe how fast time goes.

Workman here and sanding and clouds of dust are penetrating everything.

Happy Easter, everyone!!

The Funeral

2009-04-01T21:58:00.000-07:00

Josh Gunderson age 20 died in Puerta Vallarta while on spring break. He was a hockey standout at Stillwater high school and a student at St. Thomas and also played hockey there.

Many of you probably think the connection that I have with Josh would be through hockey. That is not the case. His paternal grandmother and I have been friends since childhood.

The visitation was Monday, March 30. I have never been to a bigger wake in my life. There were lines of people, cars parked blocks away. The theme (if you can call it that) was hockey. Everybody and then some who had anything to do with Stillwater/St. Thomas/youth hockey was there. Josh was cremated and they had his ashes in his hockey skates.

Funeral was Tuesday morning at St. Michaels church in Stillwater. Once again it was packed with people. During the service every cell in my body was saying, "this is not right--this is so wrong. One does not bury their grandson." My thoughts kept going to Diane. She not only had the pain of losing Josh but she had to watch her son go through the pain of losing his son. This whole thing is unspeakable and it should not be this way. What does one say or do?? Another heart wrenching thought was Diane buried her 21 year old son who was killed in a car accident about 20 years ago and now she has to go through this again.

Didn't get a chance to talk to Diane much. The few words I did have with her she seemed numb and spent (understandably so) After I got home I could not get her off my mind. Late in the afternoon the phone rang and it was her!! We talked for a long time and I felt soooo much better after. I will keep her in my prayers.

My Week

2009-03-22T21:06:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, March 17th found me at a local restaurant with Mom, Denny & Gemma. Went there for corn beef & cabbage which was absolutely great. The whole place was very festive--lots of people, green beer & green wine, lots of green clothes. Gemma captured the crowd with some of her Irish tunes. Then up to Mom's where Gemma made everyone an Irish coffee. It was great.

Wednesday (18), Thursday(19) & Friday (20) found me back teaching in a classroom at Centennial Senior High. I got a call that said they really needed someone to cover a class for those 3 days. OK - I said back teaching but there was no teaching involved. I was a warm body with a teaching license. The class was higher level algebra and I cannot even fake myself through that. I tried to make sense out of some of the problems that were assigned to no avail. The kids were awesome. They helped each other. They were so respectful, polite and courteous (with the exception of a little incident involving 3 of them) It was really fun to be back there. I got to see and visit with my colleagues and get caught up. Former students saw me in the hallway and seemed to be thrilled to see me. A few even stopped by the classroom to visit. The teacher whose class I was covering happened to be the coach of the girls basketball team and they made it to the state tournament so that was the reason for the 3 days that I covered her classroom. In fact they were in the championship game on Saturday but lost to Minneapolis South. That was really fun for me to watch because I had 90% of those girls in my class at one time or other.

Saturday, I woke up to sunny skies and warm temperatures. Oh boy!! That inspires me to get my windows open, wash clothes and hang on the line, scrub, vacuum, dust, polish. And I did just that. Tore into my bedroom. Every nook & cranny got it. There were no dust bunnies that were going to get by me. Every stitch of bedding even the pillows were washed and hung on line for the sun and wind to dry. Curtains were washed, starched and ironed and put back on my sparkly clean windows. Carpet was cleaned, furniture rearranged, walls washed, furniture polished. Everything that was laying about has found a place to live. What a pleasure to crawl into that clean, fresh bed. Now that is the way I like to clean. Enough of this giving it a "lick and a promise." Not sure what room will be next. I know I have to start prepping the kitchen and that is going to make everything messy. It will be one of those things where it will get worse before it gets better.

Sunday, went to mass, finished up the bedroom, visited with Mom & Mary Beth, went to Target and did some more mundane things.

I wonder what next week has in store for me???

"Might As Well"

2009-03-15T18:53:00.000-07:00

I am in the "might as well" syndrome."

Too soon to clean carpets because we still have a lot of slop to go through. "Might as well" clean cupboards. Need to get ready for turnover of clothes but still just a little too early. "Might as well" get rid of some of the other stuff. Went to basement for laundry. "Might as well" tidy it up a little.

Now with home improvement it really starts. Nothing wrong with my faucet but as long as we are getting new sink & counter top "might as well" get a new one. New sink & counter top will make dated wallpaper look bad. "Might as well" get rid of it and start looking at paint. Now my curtains will look tired. "Might as well" look for new ones or material to make. Going to replace front door and get the wall fixed where it leaked. After consulting with the handyman who is going to do it he said he could replace door but it would not be as good because of the side lights. "Might as well" get new side lights also. Now I will bet you when these projects get started there will be many more "might as wells." I keep hearing in my head "ca-ching, ca-ching." Oh well, "might as well" spend some of our money on this.

Get the picture.

Movie, Friends, Wine, Cheese & Chocolate

2009-03-07T08:48:00.000-08:00

Went to movie Doubt last night with Mom & Gemma. I really enjoyed it. It seemed like it only lasted about 1/2 hour and I was somewhat surprised at the ending. The name of this movie says it all. Now I wanted it to play out and come up with a nice clean ending but that is not what happened. I think the way they did it is what made it so good. It makes you think and it made for good discussion. Another thing I liked about it was I could so relate to a lot of the Catholic stuff. Being educated in Catholic schools by nuns and priests in the 50s and 60s this movie really bought back some memories.

Then back to my house where Denny and Mary Beth showed up. I poured glasses of wine (made a pot of tea for mom), started the fire in the fireplace, put out a cheese & fruit platter. I also made some homemade truffles which were really good. I am on a mission to use up a lot of my things in cupboard & freezer. I happened to have some Baileys Irish Creme that had been in pantry for awhile. Went on line and found a recipe for truffles that called for that. Of course, I had to go to store to get other things for it but it did turn out well. There is nothing better than good chocolate and wine. Not to mention good cheese which I splurged on. It was funny to me that several of my guests liked the cheap cheese from Aldi's and did not care for the expensive cheese. I was the opposite. Loved the expensive stuff. Random thought--I hate to waste food. People that know me can attest to that. I will eat leftovers for weeks on end just so I do not have to throw anything away. I will make concoctions of stuff just so I do not have to throw it away. If something does need to be tossed it breaks my heart and often I have to have Pudge do it because I can't. If I do have to throw it I have to grit my teeth and just do it without thinking about it. I am never happy to do it. Now where does this come from I ask myself. I think from the nuns (I can tell you stories about how they would not let you waste anything.) I am also going to blame my parents and others who surrounded me while growing up.

So while we are all visiting and solving the problems of the world I bought out a time capsule that some of us were involved in New Years Eve of 1999--it was the millennium. We went through the articles that were put in there and had some very good laughs and many memories. Now that was a very nice evening for me.

Side note--hockey at this point in time is very intense for Pudge. They are in the playoffs to see which team will go to state. So far his team has made it through one game and have 2 more today. He left at 5:30 am and will not be home until after 10:00. He will probably be gone tomorrow also. So the title of "hockey widow" is very fitting right now. I would probably go because playoff games are exciting but to spend 14-15 hours in an arena does not appeal to me. Also I would be by myself for all of those 14-15 hours. I realized years ago I cannot compete with hockey players.

Another Cruise

2009-03-04T12:16:00.000-08:00

I am going on another cruise!! I will be sailing the Mexican Rivera April 19th-26th. Lucky me!! There will be stops in Puerta Vallarta, Mazatlan, and Cabo San Lucas. We (Pudge & I) will board in Los Angeles. The plans are to go a couple of days early and do things around there. We have been to LA a couple of times and love it.

Now do I have some concerns? Yes, I do. I hope Pudge does not get bored and stir crazy on ship for 2 days. Now I cannot fathom someone getting bored. Those of you on the Alaskan cruise know how much I got into it. I loved all the activities and fun things to do on the ship. Pudge will not like most of the activities and he absolutely will not sit and read a book or sun himself or swim. That to him is a fate worse than death. Also, he may have a problem with the gourmet food in the DR. He griped a little bit about having to dress in slacks for dinner. He is thinking that all there is for him to do is walk from one end of boat to the other for 2 days while sailing. I am hoping some of the activities may grab him. One thing I got going in my favor is that this was his idea. Yep, I was surprised. Also the good deal that this cruise is may have something to do with it also. The price was phenomonal and too good to pass up--$500 for each of us. Then I have a airline voucher that I got in Seattle from the last cruise. This is pretty economical which makes it easier for Pudge to take. Then again he may really surprise me and love everything about it. I can only hope. He is getting somewhat into it. Went shopping today for some new things to take with him. I am going to go down in record saying that if he chooses not to have fun doesn't mean that I won't have fun. If it is anything like the Alaskan cruise having fun will not be hard to do. There was not one thing that I did not like about that cruise. This is on a different cruise line--Carnival vs. Royal Carribean. It will be fun to compare boats, programs, food, etc..

I sure am having fun in my retirement. Feeling a little guilty sometimes about it. I mean getting paid for not working and doing all these things. I said to myself the other day, "nobody should be having this much fun." But then I thought, "no, EVERYBODY should be having this much fun."

Stuff

2009-02-27T20:46:00.000-08:00

It is close to midnight and I am tired from helping Gemma clean & organize her big storage area. Oh boy, people does she have the stuff!! Lots & lots of stuff. Nice stuff, junky stuff, odds & ends stuff, stuff you don't know what to do with, stuff that doesn't belong, stuff that belongs, stuff that means something, stuff that means nothing, stuff from when she was little, stuff from kids, stuff from yesterday, stuff she needs, stuff she doesn't need, stuff with a purpose, stuff laying around, stuff in boxes, stuff in plastic bags, stuff in a trunk, stuff in drawers, stuff from first husband, stuff from second husband, stuff from sister, stuff from mother etc.,etc., etc. Do you people get my point? Have you ever thought about your stuff. What is it about stuff? Any words of wisdom out there? Anyone want to talk about their stuff?

Warning!!!

2009-02-23T06:33:00.000-08:00

OK --Dear Readers, I am going to give you a fair warning. If you do not want to buy stay out of the stores. The sales are just too incredible to pass up. I went out yesterday (Sunday) afternoon just to scout out the spring & summer fashions. Of course, one has to go to the sales rack. Now I need to tell all of you that I really do not need anything but OMG the sale prices were outstanding. I would say as good as the Goodwill. This is all brand name, very good quality, expensive items. Let me tell you about the little jacket I bought. Last November Gloria & I went shopping and I tried on this adorable little jacket for fun. It was really cute but the price was like $139. Yeh! Right! Like I would pay that! Put it back on the rack--never to be thought of again. Lo and behold--guess what--yesterday same jacket on sales rack for $17. Now tell me would any person in their right mind pass that up. Wouldn't you say that they are practically begging you to take it out of the store with those kinds of prices. Also, doesn't the economy need a boost. Now if only I had a bigger closet.

Making Decisions

2009-02-20T19:46:00.000-08:00

I do not like making some decisions. I often second guess myself before and after making them. I have to think of my friend Nancy's words of wisdom which are, "you make a decision and you then you live with it. " That makes it seem so simple.

I have made a decision and I hope I do not regret it.

Here is the situation: Principal called and asked if I would teach next quarter for one of my colleagues who is taking a leave of absence.

Advantages would be:

get back to the excitement and hustle/bustle of the high school
be able to see my teacher friends and other staff members whom I miss desperately
be able to see students whom I miss desperately
beef up the savings account
maybe I would get to eat lunch again with my lunch buddies, Nate & Eric.
the thought of going back to teach energizes me.
in spite of all the disadvantages it could be fun

Disadvantages would be:

teaching 3 difficult classes. One is a beginning class with 33 students and this class tends to have very needy students. It would be frustrating to both me and students because of large size and not being able to get around to help. That leads to behavior problems because of frustration and down time.
one class would just be seniors and anyone who has taught knows that having seniors 4th quarter is not a good thing. They tend to check out and don't think they have to work or turn things in. That leads to angry students and parents that have to be dealt with.
the correcting for these classes would be phenomenal. I would never be caught up.
2 classes are Fashion & Design and dealing with broken sewing machines can take up a big portion of the day.
no days off until Memorial Day.
getting up in the morning and not being able to drink coffee leisurely.
hubby hates the thought and does not want me tied down just in case something comes up
weekends would once again be filled with chores and having to get things done. My time would not be my own.
would have to keep caught up with grades for Parent Portal and also having to attend conferences.
make phone calls to parents when there is a behavior/attendance problem which is not pleasant.
projects planned for home would have to be put on hold.
being so exhausted in the evening I can barely eat dinner and climb the steps to bed. (but then again there was something I liked about that)
having the extra duty of packing up classroom at the end of the year.

My decision was not to take the teaching job for next quarter. I still have the ping pong ball in my head going back and forth--wishing I would have taken it/glad I didn't take it. Now is the time for me to stop it and live with the decision.

Another decision: new counter top and back splash and what to get--too many choices. I think I have narrowed down the counter top. The back splash is another story. I tend to always go for something similar to what I have. Salesman thinks I should come out of my box and go with something unexpected and trendy. HGTV also says that same thing. OK--bought home an "unexpected and trendy" sample. I have tried to like it but I am really not comfortable at all with it. It is very pretty but just not me. Decision: install counter top and then deal with back splash.

No computer

2009-02-19T11:37:00.000-08:00

Our computer caught a nasty bug--virus and worms. It is being tended to but will not be able to come home for 7-10 days. We miss it. Right now I am using Mom's computer.

Just got back from buying Mom a 46" flat TV and hooked it up for her. It is so much nicer than her old one.

I will post more when computer gets back. It is amazing how much it is missed.

Week of Feb. 9-14--2009

2009-02-14T06:28:00.000-08:00

Attended 2 funerals (Darrell Granger and Gloria's dad), dentist appt., celebrated 44th wedding anniversary with hubby, went to Savers and got some really good buys, spent time in library, met with teacher friends for weekly coffee, got to gym to work out (finally). Went to movie -- Gran Torino. Enjoyed it.

Not that any of you care what I did for the week but I am recording this for my sake. I consider this a sort of journal for myself. I have found I do much better on the keyboard versus writing long hand. Thank you, Mr. VonDrashek for teaching me to type. Never did I think what a great skill this would be for me at this point in my life. But who knew that computers and word processing would become such a way of life for people.

Today I am getting ready to go to Rochester to attend a Sweet Adeline's concert that cousin Janet is singing. I am looking forward to this because my cousin Donna's grandchild is coming with us. She is an 18 month old toddler. We are all going to have so much fun with her.

Sun is out today!! Still cold----10 degrees.

2009-02-08T17:42:00.000-08:00

Well--I am still getting my life back in order upon arriving in Minnesota last week. It is taking awhile to unpack and find a place for everything to live. I also want to simplify so I have been going through and sorting and making piles. There are some things I cannot part with at this point in my life. Now someday I am going to make an entry about that subject so maybe I can determine what my problem is if it gets written down and analyzed. But then again---maybe not.

Had 2 get togethers with old friends last week. It was so good to see everybody.

Pudge is thrilled to be back at hockey and also really excited about being out later than 6:00. This weekend it has been solid hockey for him so I have had a lot of peace and quiet. I would go to some of these hockey events if it would mean being with him for awhile but that doesn't happen. I am usually by myself in the bleachers. Also, sometimes being among the parents and fans is not a good thing when your husband is the coach. And one other thing as long as I am on the subject--the parents are so young it is hard for me to relate to them. And one other thing--I don't mind being alone so it works for us. Everybody is happy.

Next week will be the week of funerals. One of our friends passed away Thursday. It was not unexpected. This would be one of Pudge's buddies. He went fishing, golfing and other events with him. We have done things as a couple with his wife and him. He was a wonderful guy and always so friendly and warm. He will be missed.

Gloria's dad also died the day after Darrell. Now that was kind of a surprise but then again it wasn't. He had gotten sick but seemed to be doing somewhat better. His health has been failing for the past year or so and he is in his late 80's so everybody knew that anytime it could have happened. Not that that makes it any easier.

Jamie and Travis spent the afternoon with me today. We had so much fun. We walked to GG's and visited with her for a time, made lunch and set the table with their favorite dishes and then we played bingo.

Oh!Oh! Just informed me that computer is having trouble connecting to Blogger. I hope this gets published before it disappears.

We're Home & It's Cold

2009-02-03T14:01:00.000-08:00

After driving for 27 hours and 1600 miles we are home. Got here about 3:30 yesterday (Monday, Feb. 2) The last leg of the journey was not pleasant for Jim. He & Gloria both woke up Monday with queasy stomachs. Gloria's disappeared after awhile but Jim's only got worse. We had to make more stops than usual. Gloria was going to put him to bed after making him some chicken soup upon arriving home.

Not liking this cold weather.

Lots of things to do. I have things to unpack, laundry to do and groceries to get. Right away this morning I went for a much needed hair cut and color. Last night Pudge got on line to see what hockey there was to go to. His team had the night off. He was thrilled when he discovered there were 2 games scheduled. Tonight his team practices and he is really looking forward to seeing everyone. He really missed it--more than he wants to admit.

I am going to put on a pot of chili for this cold afternoon and start putting things away a little at a time.

Friday, Saturday, Sunday

2009-02-01T18:48:00.000-08:00

Friday we said good bye to some our new friends. Cleaned condo, finished packing and put some stuff in the car. We will be looking like the Clampitts going down the road. We have our van packed with so much stuff and most of it is not ours. There are 2 suitcases, 2 Rubbermaids filled with clothes, a big donkey and cart, a microwave, a toaster, 4 big rugs, lots of bags stuffed into corners, 2 sets of golf clubs and there is more. Then for our last hurrah we went out to eat and sat on the patio next to a pretty, man made lake. We all knew that it would be some time before we will be able to eat outside again.

Saturday--packed rest of car and did some finishing swipes and wipes of the condo and closed the door. Took off for our journey home at 6:40 am. We went through some of the most awesome scenery the first 3 hours. We were in the mountains that were sprinkled with the Suguaro cactus and the sun rise was just starting to come over the tops. We climbed and went down quite a few times. We were in canyons and rims. It was incredible. Stopped the first night in Tucumcari, New Mexico. We did almost 600 miles today and spent about 1o hours in the car. Sweetie Pie (our GPS) gives us all that info and then some. Gloria got a call that her dad was put into the hospital. Not good news.

Sunday--up early again. We are all early risers. None of us slept well. On the road again. Stopped for breakfast in small town in Texas. Pudge & Jim got made fun of because of their shorts by some of the cowboys in the restaurant. The waitress's name was Flo and I am not kidding. Not much scenery today. We are in a Hampton Inn just north of Topeka watching the Super Bowl. Spent another 10 hours in car. Found out Gloria's dad is doing somewhat better.

Tomorrow we plan on being home. I think we are all looking forward to it somewhat--except maybe Jim--he still says he is dreading going home. Doesn't want to deal with the snow and slop. At least the weather has warmed somewhat. I do have to say it was tough leaving that gorgeous weather and I am going to miss a lot of things. There will be a lot to think about and many memories.

Signing off with anticipation and excitement about being home but also with a lump in my throat and tears in my eyes about leaving. Such is life.

Coming Home Soon

2009-01-28T21:34:00.000-08:00

The countdown is on--2 more days and then we start the journey home. I have started cleaning the condo and getting things together to be packed. Part of me is wanting to come home and part of me doesn't want to. I am anxious to see grandchildren. Pudge wants to get back to his hockey team. Jim is dreading going back and Gloria is like me--she is anxious to see grandchildren but the ugly weather up there is a deterrent. There are no complaints about the weather here--it has been great all month.

We are meeting with a realtor tomorrow to make arrangements to rent a condo for next year. This time for 3 months. We looked at it last week and there are many things that I like about it. It is right on the golf course and only a little way from our friend's John & Shannon. Also not far from the condo that Jim & Gloria bought. Yep--I guess it is pretty much official. The deal has not been completely sealed but pretty much. There are things that I am going to miss about this place that we are in. Most of all the people we have met and I like the location.

Yesterday we spent the day at a gorgeous golf course. It was the practice round of many famous pro golfers for a big tourney starting tomorrow. I got to see Shaq O'Neill. They had an event that involves Special Olympics and he was there. He is difficult to miss--he stands well above everybody. Reminded me of a big, gentle giant. When he spoke it was very quiet and nonchalant. His feet are huge. Someone asked him why he slam dunked so many balls and his response was "because I can." There is no doubt that is true. Also at this event there were many of the pro golfers. They had someone going around with a mike asking the audience if they had any questions for the celebrities. Most everyone asked Shaq questions. I raised my hand and much to my surprise they came to me. Now I was not sure who or what I was going to ask. I quickly looked at my pamphlet and noticed J.B. Holmes was the defending champion of this tournament so after the mike was pushed into my face I said I wanted to ask him a question. Commentator said "well, he is right here" so he came over to me and into the mike I said, "Let's say it is the last day of the tournament and you are tied for first--will you be able to sleep the night before and what is one thing you will do to help you win the tournament?" First thing I noticed is that he looked to be about 12 years old. He answered, "sure I will be able to sleep and the one thing that would help me win the tournament would be if my putting game is on." I also asked if the pressure got to him during tournaments and he replied, rather nonchalantly, "everyone has pressure." This was fun and I was able to tell P, G, & J about my experience because they were not there. Now it will be fun to watch this FBR tournament on TV and see how my friend J.B. Holmes does. Pudge wished I would have asked this question--"what was more pressure--putting for the Masters or the Ryder cup?" Too bad he wasn't there to coach me. I would have asked that but I didn't even know he was in the Masters or the Ryder.

Anyway, it was a neat experience wandering around this gorgeous golf course in Scottsdale on a beautiful day. I do have to say that golfers are beautiful dressers and most were very nice looking. It was fun to people watch also. Oh, and the talent these golfers have is phenomenal.

I am going to have to ban myself from going into Steinmart. I am telling you people that the buys in that store are incredible. Like my friend Julee says, "they are practically paying you to take it out of their store." At least that is what I tell my husband. He doesn't quite buy into that concept yet but I still keep trying.

This evening we all went to John & Shannon's for a wonderful dinner. It was so much fun. Pudge & I took their dogs for a walk on the golf course and then we took their golf cart out for a ride while the others played cards. It was a beautiful evening--stars everywhere and a sliver of a moon. Everything is so quiet. There is nobody out and about at all after 6 pm anywhere. We have noticed this from Day 1. It is actually very quiet even in the day time. Today the neighbors have grandchildren visiting and it was delightful to hear them playing in the pool. I liked it.

Well I am going to close. It never fails that when I do lots of other things come into my head that I should have blogged about. Oh well, such is life.

Saturday, January 24th

2009-01-24T15:33:00.000-08:00

Just got back from Dillards. Got in on some good sales. Love that store. Tomorrow Gloria and I are going to go to a different Steinmart and then have lunch at MiMi's which is a darling French restaurant. We ate there when we were here about 4 years ago and still remember it. Guys are going to Tucson to meet up with one of Pudge's co workers from 3M and of course, they plan to play golf. They would not like MiMi's anyhow. Too much of a chick place for them.

Looked at 2 condos today to rent for next year. Waiting to hear back from one of them.

Nice day--although a little cooler than last week. I think it was about 65 today. People are out splashing in the pool. I like hearing that.

G & I are going to have lobster for dinner tonight. We bought some from a road side stand. Guys will have steak.

Went to "cup & a buck" today. Everybody around the complex meets at the club house at 9 am. You bring your cup for coffee and donate a buck for donuts. It is a very social gathering. There are parts of it that make me chuckle under my breath. Today we had to wear name tags. Lots of people from Minnesota, N. Dak., Iowa, & Wisconsin. Everybody is retired and considered "seasonal."

Time for happy hour.

Random Thoughts and Things

2009-01-23T14:13:00.000-08:00

Took Mom to airport this morning. She should be back in the frozen tundra by now. She had a good time here but missed her rocking chair. We did a lot and everybody around here was so kind to her.

Found out a week ago that Obama selected Alejandro Perez (Naomi's husband, Gemma's son-in-law) as special assistant to the President for Legislative affairs. He is now working in the White House.

Went to some famous golf course for lunch. This course is going to be having a big tournament with big name golfers starting next week. Tiger will not be here for it but some of the others will be.

Found out that Gloria & I really like Dillards dept. store. The sales are terrific!! It seems that we get in there and have a hard time getting out. It is big and so many depts.

I know I am in the land of old people. In most women's restrooms there is a sign posted about not flushing any sanitary items down the toilet. I went into a restroom here and there was a sign saying " Do not flush any Depends down the toilet."

Tuesday, Mom & I spent most of the day glued to the TV watching the inauguration. It was great. Now you all know that I voted for him and I do think he is terrific and he gives me hope. However, some people are looking at him as the Messiah. I think a lot of their expectations are unrealistic. I think that not one person is going to be able to solve this mess we are in and also it is going to take time. I think he is going to help but let's be realistic. It is going to be so interesting to see what happens and how he is going to go about doing it. I am pleased so far with some of the things he has already done. It is going to be fun to watch the little girls. I was not crazy about either of Michelle's outfits. I think she could have done better. I got permission from Mr. Blackwell to say that.

1 more week and then we have to pack up and head north toward home. In a way I am looking forward to it and in a way I am not.

For those of you wondering if Gemma really did almost drown (this info was from a previous post) --I am going to say it could have been very possible that she could have. The poor thing was floating around on a noodle and I am not sure what happened but her face went under the water. Now if she would have lifted her head all would have been OK but she really panicked and made things all the worse. She was really losing it because of being so frightened. I was not far from her in the water and I grabbed her and pushed her over to the side which was not far away. She was scared and sputtering. She mentioned that happened once before and they had to pull her from the pool and do CPR. I had a hard time relating to what happened because it looked to me if she would have just raised her head that would have solved everything and I am not that afraid of the water.

A little cloudy today and some raindrops and it is a little cooler--68 degrees. Because of that I am able to wear some other clothes. I did not bring enough cool stuff but plenty of warm clothes. Went to Goodwill and got some shorts, capris and light slacks and have been wearing those a lot. Today was able to wear a light sweater and heavier slacks.

We have decided that we will probably come back next year.

Still Here In Arizona

2009-01-19T17:01:00.000-08:00

Have to quickly make a post. Not much time.

Last Wednesday--Gemma got lost around the complex and had to have some stranger in a pick up truck help find her way back to our condo. She was gone over an hour. She was looking for a rock to bring home and that's how she got lost.

Thursday - Willernie people -- Joan & Jack Casserly picked Gemma up to come to their house for a visit. The rest of us did some exploring. We went to a state park I think it was Central Mountain Park. We went up into the mountain and was able to overlook the whole valley. It was awesome. Got a call when we got back and Gemma was going to stay overnight at Casserlys

Friday--Gemma came back and we all visited for a short time. Took Gemma to airport. She left with tears in her eyes. Later, Jim, Gloria, Pudge & I went to Scottsdale. We were in some very nice neighborhoods. Also walked around Old Town Scottsdale. Enjoyed it very much.

Sunday--packed an overnight bag and a cooler for a picnic and we all headed to Lake Havasu where the London Bridge is. Then went on to Laughlin, Nevada which is a small Las Vegas. Spent the night in a hotel which cost only $. Mom gambled and won $45. The rest of us explored by walking the town. We did have a little train ride around one of the casinos. It was fun. Had seafood buffet for dinner. Waddled back to room and I went to bed. Pudge gambled and won $55. This morning the J, G, P, & I went for a walk. This town is located on the Colorado river. Also the ride to this town was magnificent. Awesome scenery. Had breakfast buffet and took off to go back to Mesa and our condos. I feel like I have gained 10 lbs. because of the buffets. I am sick of eating.

Right now we are in the parking lot of a motel pilfering their internet. Library is closed and we cannot get it at our condo.

Going to close. Weather is still great!!

Pudge & Jim

2009-01-15T07:28:00.001-08:00

I feel like I have to document about these 2 guys.

Pudge is here with me enjoying the nice weather and he is loving the golf which he makes tee times 3 times a week. All the other times he has his ear to the phone getting info about his hockey team and he has to get the viewpoint of about 3-4 people about who scored, how this play worked, how the other team played, etc...... He says he doesn't miss it but Jim, Gloria and I know better. Right now he is visiting a friend that lives here. He also is having a hard time with the sidewalks being rolled up at 6:00 at night. Everyone seems to be settled in and not much going on. He is not used to that and is struggling somewhat. We have been faithfully walking every morning for about an hour. It surprises us how quiet it is in the residential areas. Nobody seems to be up & about between 7-9am. Actually it is very quiet around our complex all day. There are a few people around the pool in the afternoon.

Jim--he is busy looking at his pages of notes with all the info about condos they have been looking at. This man leaves no stone unturned when it comes to a large purchase. He is up at 2 am thinking about all of it. I have to say he is the epitome of an informed and educated consumer. He is ready to buy here. He doesn't mind the settling in at 6 pm. He loves the weather and doesn't miss the ice & snow. I expect them to be condo owners by the time we leave here. Gloria likes it here a lot but is struggling with the idea of being separated from grandchildren more than a month or 2.

They both are golfing 3 x's a week. Pudge went to a driving range to practice his swing. We still feel like there is more exploring and want to see a lot more around here and the time is going fast.

Days 17, 18 & 19

2009-01-14T19:19:00.000-08:00

First of all I need to say that the internet connection here at condo is somewhat iffy. Sometimes we can get on and sometimes not. I am hoping this will post and I do not get kicked off before it does.

So much to tell and I am not even sure I can remember everything.

The weather has been absolutely wonderful. We have seen the news about the frigid cold in Minnesota. Mom wishes she was back there so she can experience it--NOT.

Gemma almost drowned in the pool. I saved her.

Gemma got lost around the complex grounds today. Had to have a stranger help find her way back. She was gone about an hour. She missed happy hour.

Mom has done water aerobics twice now and boy, has she improved. First time she could not let go of the side of pool. 2nd time she only had to hang on to it 2 or 3 times. Just think, you guys, she is going to be so buff. I even heard someone call her Esther while she was in the water. (For those of you too young that would be Esther Williams--famous movie star who swam)

Today dropped Gemma off at Goodwill and the rest of us (Gloria, Mom & I) started looking for a Steinmart which we never did find. Of course, Gemma bought many treasures that she is thrilled with. The rest of us bought a loaf of bread

Yesterday we went on a journey to what is known as Tortilla Flats. It is in the mountains and such a beautiful, scenic drive. It was incredible. Lots of cacti, twisty, narrow road, beautiful Canyon Lake nestled in between mountains, narrow 1 lane bridge and at the end an adorable, western town called Tortilla Flats. We all were ohing and awing at the sights. As we were traveling through this I could picture the Indians on the high rocks midst the bushes and cacti looking down at the wagon trains. Just like what we used to see in the old western movies. The town was very charming. Very western with the boardwalks, a saloon and an outdoor eating area. They ordered hamburgers and I ordered chili which was so hot I gasped as I ate it. There was a band playing and singing all the old western songs like we used to hear. It was really neat. We went a little further up the mountain but turned around when it got to be just a dirt road. We retraced our steps still marveling at the scenery even though we had seen it. this is only about 1 hour from our condo so it made for a very pleasant trip.

Well I know there is a lot more to tell but I am afraid I will lose this if I do not get it posted.

Pudge, Gemma and Mom send their greetings to everyone.

A Bit of Information

2009-01-11T20:46:00.000-08:00

I forgot to mention in previous post that we were able to get online here at the condo. Illegally--but we won't ever mention that. It sure is nice.

Days 15 & 16 (I Think)

2009-01-11T20:15:00.000-08:00

Mom & Gemma arrived yesterday. Picked them up under very sunny skies and warm weather. Came to the condo and they were hungry. Quicky made chicken sandwiches which we munched on overlooking the pool on the patio. Also had fresh chocolate chip cookies. Mom settled in for a nap and Gemma & I took off for the Goodwill. At last!! Someone as thrilled with the Goodwill as I am and anybody who knows Gemma knows that she is batty about thrift stores. We had the best time but we had time constraints. We were supposed to go to a 50's car show and Pudge was waiting. Back home we rushed and started off to find where this show was supposed to be. Never found it. But we had a beautiful ride as the sun was setting and the most gorgeous moon was starting to appear. Made our way through the streets of Scottsdale which were so lit up with the pretty little white miniature lights. It really was spectacular. Ate at a restaurant and came home and everyone collapsed.

Today was fun. Took Gemma & Mom to big swap meet here in Mesa. I had already been last week with Pudge, Gloria & Jim. Rented a wheel chair for Mom and I pushed her around. Lost Gemma right away but we had made arrangements to meet. My jaw dropped when we met up with Gemma and saw her purchases. She bought a big donkey and cart and 4 rugs--l large, 2 medium and 1 small. Not to mention she had a big bag of stuff. Now I knew she would not be able to take these home on the plane and I also knew that we would be taking them home with us in the van. Panic set in as I thought "how am I going to break this to Pudge." I knew he would not appreciate this big cart and donkey riding all the way from Arizona to Minnesota with us. I decided to let Gemma break it to him. I also told her to tell him that if it didn't work she could bring it back which I didn't think he would let her do that. Anyway, it all turned out OK. He handled it well. The only thing he said was "Where is the Mexican man to help pull the cart." But he did pull me aside and said "you have to tell her no more big stuff." Oh and btw--Mom purchased a robe that can also be used as a bathing suit coverup as well as a robe. She is thrilled with it. Also she got a cardigan sweat shirt and the neatest bib which she loves and has already used.

Well after all that we poured a glass of wine and sat on patio. Then the neighbors around us were gathering on another patio so we joined them and had a great time. Mom stayed back and napped. Back to the condo for spaghetti supper. Now we are all just chilling out. Mom reading, Gemma making phone calls, Pudge watching TV in bedroom and me typing my blog entry.

Time to sign off. Everyone sends their love. Good night

Days 12, 13, & 14 in Arizona

2009-01-09T15:06:00.000-08:00

Once again a very nice day outside.

Went to a garage sale today. I got pumped--but I was the only one out of the 4 of us who did. The others do not like garage sales and they cannot understand why I do. I got a cake pan, microwave covers, a beautiful pewter oil lamp, and some measuring cups and I only spent $1.50. Now after only 1 sale I did not want to call it quits. The other 3 went on to do something different today while I took the van and sought out some more sales. It was fun going into other neighborhoods. I only went to 2 and did not buy anything. But that doesn't mean I didn't have a good time. Thank God for "Sweety" our GPS. I ducked into a few other places that I came across.

I am now at the library and just got a call from the other 3 to come home. They have been there for an hour and want to have happy hour on one of the patios.

Need to tell this--Last Saturday we were invited to go to the clubhouse in our complex for a gathering with coffee and donuts. So we bought our cup and a buck as instructed and went over there. It was a riot right from the beginning. All the old men were at one table and all the old women at another with their crocheting and quilting books in front of them. Gloria & I found a place among the women after getting our coffee and doughnut--we knew not to go to the mens table. We managed to get in on the conversation about books and what there is to do around there. After about a half hour one of the women gets up in front of the room and blows a whistle about 3 times. She announces "we have newcomers here that need to introduce themselves." I had all I could do to keep from laughing. So all of us newcomers had to stand and introduce ourselves. But the amazing thing was this guy gets up and says his name and where he is from. I see Pudge getting up from his chair and say to the guy "Castiron." Here it was a guy he worked with for over 20 years and they played golf and cribbidge together. Pudge was thrilled and the guy was so surprised. They are staying in the complex also.

Went to dinner last night with John and Shannon. It was great. John gave us some Russian nesting dolls that he received when he was coaching Team Minnesota. They gave Gloria a Czech doll.

Pudge & Jim played cribbidge with a bunch of the guys in the complex and Pudge also golfed with some of them yesterday.

Jim & Gloria are not condo owners yet. They looked with a realtor yesterday. They have not shut the door on this but Jim said it is closing.

Tomorrow Mom & Gemma will be here. That should be fun.

Well, the other 3 are back at the condo waiting. Better close and get back.

Days 9, 10 ,11 in Arizona

2009-01-06T13:59:00.000-08:00

Today is Tuesday, January 6th.

What I like about being here this month in Arizona:

-The weather--nice & warm & sunshiny. Chilly in evening and morning.
-Different lifestyle
-Meeting many people
-Walks every morning
-Exploring
-Jim & Gloria

What I don't like about this month in Arizona

-Being without my own car.
-Missing friends & family back in Minnesota.
-Being without internet access in condo.

Yesterday, Gloria & I went shopping while the guys golfed. I wanted to go to Goodwill and Gloria so graciously put up with me while shopping there. Then to our favorite store--Steinmart. Got lots of neat things there.

Went out to dinner last night to Texas Roadhouse.

It was cloudy & chilly yesterday.

Today we went to Sunland Village East to meet with a realtor to check out condos for sale. No--we are not planning on buying anything. Jim & Gloria kind of have the bug. It is always fun to see what is out there and the prices. This Sunland Village has condos and houses around a golf course. I love it because everybody has a golf cart and they are all over the streets. They have parking place and garages for them. I also like the names of some of the streets. They are flower names. I would love to live on Periwinkle Lane with a garage for the Patty Wagon. But I think I would have some issues with being around all old people all the time. I would miss kids.

Today is really gorgeous. We had lunch on our patio with Jim & Gloria overlooking the pool. The sun was shining and it felt like life could not be any better.

Saturday, Mom & Gemma will be flying in. Mom to spend 2 weeks and Gemma will be here 1 week. I know we will have fun.

Sunday we went to a big swap meet. It was fun because there are many unusual things there. It is more like a big party because there was a band playing and people were dancing.

We have done some exploring of the surrounding areas.

Oh-Oh. I only have 5 minutes remaining and I need to check out some other things. I do not like that having time limits on computers.

2009-01-03T15:15:00.000-08:00

Days 6, 7 & 8 - Here in Arizona

Have to make this fast. I am in library in Mesa and I only have 28 minutes left.

We are in condos. Our condo is nice but Jim & Gloria's is a lot nicer. Doesn't matter--we are having a great time. The weather has been great--sun shines all the time. Has been in 70's but does cool down at night.

We have made friends and have had a lot of laughs. We are really in the world of retired people and most are from the midwest. My new friends are Dorothy, Connie, Rita, Charlis and Edie. Did water aerobics in our pool and 82 year old Dorothy was the instructor. She even borrowed me one of her suits so I could join in.

The following is for my sake. I want to document this. My New Year's resolutions are as follows:
1. Lead a happy, healthy life.
2. Simplify.
3. Enjoy time with family & friends.
4. Acts of kindness -- random and otherwise.

I wish I could go into details about everything but I am running out of time.

Pudge is here and I still need to do a print j0b. I will try to blog whenever possible.

Day 5 - We Made It to Arizona

2008-12-31T20:41:00.000-08:00

Before I begin this may be the last blog for awhile. I do not think our condo has wireless.

When we woke up this morning we knew this would be the last leg of our journey to Arizona.
Took the scenic route and ended up in Mesa about 3:30. Checked into Mariott. The day was absolutely beautiful. 78 degrees.

We were not supposed to be able to get into condo until tomorrow but we got a phone call from the realtor and she said we could get the key any time. We quickly went over there and were able to check them out.

We just got back from having our New Years dinner. We had pizza and it was great.

This is going to be short. I am tired.

Good night and Happy New Year.

Day 4 - On Our Way to Arizona

2008-12-30T18:45:00.000-08:00

Before I begin there was an edit made to my very first post. Instead of "things written in this blog can be open fror criticism"." It is now written "things written in this blog cannot be crtiticized." Certain people know why this was changed. I am not going to mention their 2 names.

Once again everybody awake at 5:30.

On the road to Santa Fe. Interesting. Lots of open range with sage brush. Very few homes but we speculated that these were big ranches and the ranch house must be miles back on the property. I can't imagine living ot there with not much around. It also crossed my mind--what if they run out of milk and bread. I can't imagine. I might be able to last a month in that type of isolation and only if I had a lot of books. Dear husband would last about a day and a half and he would not be really pleasant to live with that day and a half. There is some snow covering the fields and ditches. It is chilly but sunny.

Coming into the city of Santa Fe I was intrigued with the Spanish, pueblo looking houses. They were so in tune with the environment that it was sometimes hard to see them. They were the same color as the earth, low and unobtrusive. They were the traditional adobe style. They are not my style and it certainly would not be my first pick of a style of house but that doesn't mean that I don't appreciate and enjoy this bit of cultural difference.

Santa Fe had narrow streets and I found it to be somewhat quaint. They did have big buildings but they even were the Pueblo style. There were several Indian schools. I would have liked to have taken a look at their curriculum. Big huge Catholic church with a lot of men hanging around. We speculated that they probably were looking for day work. The statue of the Virgin outside this was the one that you always think of Mexico. She was beautiful and I really would have liked to have seen her and the church closer but choices have to be made,

Onto what is called Old Town. Went into a Starbucks because it was only a little after 9:00 and nothing opened until 9:30. It was great people watching. The Starbucks was quite charming and I even got to use my sign language skills because the clerk was deaf. I knew how to sign "coffee" and "water" "please" and "thank you." She understood all my signs.

9:30-got into the shops. Lots of turquoise, sterling silver, Pueblo pottery southwestern clothing. I really like a lot of this stuff but it doesn't fit my style of decorating and the jewelry and most of the clothing doesn't fit my lifestyle. Gloria bought the prettiest poncho like sweater. The color is an electric royal blue. It will be stunning on her.

Guys went on their merry way to do some exploring of their own. I think they went into a bank and also had a snowball fight. Can you imagine?

Now this old town has a pretty little town square with shops around the perimeter. There was what looked like an outdoor hot dog stand in the square but it turned out to be a fajita stand. Gloria & I strolled around diving into the shops. I was wishing that I was wearing something more "artsy." The black pants and pink fleecy jacket just didn't seem to be cutting it in this environment. Gloria fit right in with her coat that is handpainted with an abstract cat with paws coming around the front. This coat has been all around the world with us and on every single trip we have been on since I think 1990 and I wish I had a nickel for every compliment she has received.

In one section of this Old Town they have all of the peddlars and artists. showing off their wares. It was really neat how they were wrapped in their blankets and coats with the geometric designs. Their goods would be spread out on a very colorful blanket. They had pointer sticks with a cup hook on to pick up their jewelry to hand to you for examination. Everything was laid out very precise and neat.

11:00 - on the road to Albuquerque. This is a much bigger city than Santa Fe and doesn't have as much of the Spanish pueblo feel to it. They also have an Old Town so that is where we headed. Hungry. Found an adorable outdoor cafe. It was really nice out so we ordered Mexican food and ate in the cute courtyard. Watched birds in birdbath and fed them nachos.

Onto the shops. They were similar. I bought a book-The Soiled Dove. We did go into a lovely church that was 300 years old. Enjoyed that very much. It was so much "old fashioned Catholic" and I could relate to it a lot.

2;00 - driving toward the city of Socorro. We decided that is where we would look for lodging. It is about 3 pm when we pull into the Holiday Inn. It is nice to be able to have some down time this early. As usual cribbidge was played. I am the only one who does not play but that is OK. We all then played a dice game. Freshened up and went to Mexican restaurant for dinner. Back here at 7:30. Jim snoring at 8:00. Pudge running around getting an extra towel and coffee. Also, talking on the phone with hockey player getting the latest posts on how the teams are doing. Gloria watching TV.

I forgot to mention that Albuquerque has a hot air balloon festival. There were post cards and hot air balloon memorabilia. It looked like it would be an awesome sight. I may have to put seeing that event on my bucket list.

It was a full and great day. Tomorrow we plan on being in Mesa, Arizona.

Going to sign off. Good night.

Day 3 - On Our Way to Arizona

2008-12-29T19:44:00.000-08:00

OK--Before I start I need to say thank you, thank you, thank you for the positive comments. After hearing so much griping from the 2 males I was starting to lose my confidence. The comments were so much appreciated. I read them to everyone and said "at least someone likes my blogs." I felt real cocky reading it to them and I almost said "nener, nener, nener" to them but I restrained.

Everybody awake before 5:30 am. Poor Pudge had been up since 4 am and was in the lobby with the laptop. When we all woke I was able to go get him and tell him he could come home. Gloria was all dressed, makeup on and packed by 6 am. Of course, Jim & I are the last ones but everybody was at breakfast by 6:30.

Heading to Amarillo. We made a switch. I rode with Gloria and Jim rode with Pudge. We were able to really visit and it was fun. Got to Amarillo about 9:25 and Sweetie (our GPS) led us to a Steinmart. Now for the sake of those who do not know what Steinmart is--here is the description: it is a dept. store-a step above a Marshalls and not quite a Macys. Gloria & I fell in love with them on our first trip to Arizona 4 years ago. Whenever we travel we try to find them. They are only in some states. Even the guys have gotten to like them. I cannot tell you some of the good buys I have gotten over the years from this store.

Guys are itching to get on a golf course because the weather is gorgeous. They left us at Steinmart and off they went. Now we have about 5 hours to shop, have tea, and do whatever we want! We love it! Gloria was on a mission to get a watch because she had none on the trip--remember it was left on the bathroom counter. She did get one and it is nice. Also she replaced the earrings that were also left at home.

Met back up with the guys. Off we go -heading toward Santa Fe, New Mexico. Had to stop very soon after we started because guys were really hungry. Ate at a wonderful buffet. I need to add here how I do like being able to pay senior citizens prices. Now after eating we are all moaning and groaning.

The drive was interesting. Lots of cattle and open ranges. Saw horses also.

Crossed into New Mexico. Everybody's first time in this state. Cross a time line and set our clocks back an hour. Stopped at rest stop and info center. Got lots of brochures that you think are necessary and boy do they ever clutter up the car.

Got gas in Santa Rosa--$l.67. Some discussion about how much further we should go before getting a hotel. It is only 5:30 so decided to go further. Sun is setting and of course we are going west so it is right in our eyes. It is a good thing I am not driving because the visor did not go low enough to shade my eyes. Sun sets and it is really dark. I take flashlight so I am able to continue to read. Towns are far and few between. Got to Moriarty and rented Holiday Inn about 7 pm. Nobody is hungry for dinner. Snacks are brought out. Pudge & Gloria playing cribbidge. Felt bad when I heard Gloria say, "I wish I could just win 1 game." Jim is wiped. He has hit the wall. His neck is hurting. It is 9:15. Everybody settling in. It will not be long before the lights are out.

It is cold out there tonight. Temp is 31 but there is no snow. Hope tomorrow is as nice out as it was today.

Day 2 - On Our Way to Arizona

2008-12-28T19:06:00.001-08:00

Thanks to everyone who voted. We sure had fun with that.

Everybody awake at 6 am. Of course, as usual Pudge and Gloria are the first to get up and right away they start moving. Jim & I lay for awhile contemplating the day. This is what we do and what we have done for a lot of years.

Breakfast at motel which was the Fairfield Inn in Topeka, Kansas. I am going to complain about the styrofoam plates and the flimsy plastic fork and knife. I hate them. You cut your waffle and it slices through the plate. You go to stab a piece of food and the fork breaks. Grrr.

Cold and snow greeted us as we walked out to the car. We are heading to Oklahoma City. Sun is shining. Roads are very good. The scenery was lots of open range. It was quite amazing because there were ice beads all over the trees making them glisten like diamonds and the fields were ice encrusted and with the sun rising it was quite spectacular. We also saw a lot of oil pumps in the fields.

1st stop was just a stretch break. 2nd stop was the National Cowboy Museum. Jim had heard from a friend that it was good. Now I have to tell you that I am not really into cowboys but this was certainly worth my while. It was great!! The art work was breathtaking. We spent about 2 hours there and enjoyed every minute of it. They had a display on old time western movies. There were many that I remember watching as a child. Many I had forgotten. Do any of you remember Death Valley Days, Have Gun Will Travel, Wagon Train, The Big Valley with Barbara Stanwyck?

3rd stop - Oklahoma Federal Building Bombing Memorial. That was definitely worth it. They have a reflective pond and next to it there is a garden of chairs that state the victim's name. They have small ones representing the children that were in the day care that were killed. There were teddy bears on 2 of them. This was touching.

Okay dear readers, there are many complaints coming from both sides of me. Pudge on one side and Jim on the other--they do not like the idea that I am typing so much. Pudge is commenting on the details. He has never read my first blog where it states that there will be no comments made by my dear spouse about minute details. I guess I will have to read that to him. Jim seems to think I have too much time on my hands. Do we care? NO!!

It is about 3:30 and we start heading toward Amarillo. I have my nose buried in my book. The title is We Were the Mulvaneys. It is one of Oprah's books. It is OK. It is interesting enough to keep me captivated but it is not "knocking my socks off."

Shamrock, Texas is where we stopped to spend the night at about 6:3o pm. We are about 100 miles from Amarillo. Check into hotel and then we went to find a restaurant. There is only one open because it is Sunday night. Well I have to tell you this restaurant did not have the word "redneck" any where written but it might as well have. Everything depicted it--the clientele, the waitresses, the menu, the food, the building even the pickup trucks in the parking lot. I was not able to see if they had rifles in their back windows but it would not have surprised me if it did.

It is 9:30 and everybody is in bed. Guys are watching TV and I guess Gloria is too and I am blogging. Tomorrow it is on to New Mexico and Albquerque and Santa Fe.

I thought about my family yesterday when they were to be all together.

Going to close. Good Night.