Thursday, May 30, 2013

Red Hats Day....


   Today was "Red Hat" society out to lunch and antique shopping.  First, though, was water aerobics.   Several ladies participate in both. 
    We drove to a neighboring town, though with all the growth it seemed like one continual city environment. 







Warning

When I am an old woman I shall wear purple
With a red hat which doesn't go, and doesn't suit me.
And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves
And satin sandals, and say we've no money for butter.
I shall sit down on the pavement when I'm tired
And gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells
And run my stick along the public railings
And make up for the sobriety of my youth.
I shall go out in my slippers in the rain
And pick flowers in other people's gardens
And learn to spit.

You can wear terrible shirts and grow more fat
And eat three pounds of sausages at a go
Or only bread and pickle for a week
And hoard pens and pencils and beermats and things in boxes.

But now we must have clothes that keep us dry
And pay our rent and not swear in the street
And set a good example for the children.
We must have friends to dinner and read the papers.

But maybe I ought to practice a little now?
So people who know me are not too shocked and surprised
When suddenly I am old, and start to wear purple.

Submitted: Friday, January 03, 2003
Edited: Monday, July 30, 2007Save this on Delicious


     When I am ALMOST old I shall have a scramble of eggs, spinach, mushrooms, bacon, tomatoes, onions and Parmesan cheese......potato chunks on the side, not mixed in....at Smitty's Family Dining in the PNW. 



 

                 ANTIQUE BROWSING IN CAMUS, WA



 
WHEN I AM A SENIOR CITIZEN AND PRACTICING TO BE ALMOST OLD......
I WILL LEARN THE BALANCE OF HOURS ALONE IN MY HOME AND
HOURS OUT AND ABOUT WITH FRIENDS AND FUN ACTIVITIES......
AND LEARN TO NOT CRAVE ONE OVER THE OTHER,
BUT RELISH EACH FOR WHAT IT IS AND THE BLESSINGS EACH AFFORDS.
(GRANDMA G   MAY 30, 2013) 
 
 
 
 
                                            HEY, IT'S ALMOST RED......
 
(YAHOO WEB PAGE)
 
It would seem to be something you'd see only in a cartoon or at a Phish concert, but according to park rangers in New South Wales, Australia, dozens of giant, fluorescent pink slugs have been popping up on a mountaintop there.
"As bright pink as you can imagine, that's how pink they are," Michael Murphy, a ranger with the National Parks and Wildlife Service, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. "On a good morning, you can walk around and see hundreds of them."
The eight-inch creatures have been spotted only on Mount Kaputar, a 5,000-foot peak in the Nandewar Range in northern New South Wales.
Scientists believe the eye-catching organisms are survivors from an era when Australia was home to rainforests. A series of volcanoes, millions of years of erosion and other geological changes "have carved a dramatic landscape at Mount Kaputar," the park service wrote on its Facebook page, and unique arid conditions spared the slugs from extinction.
 
 
      This has been a good "Red Hats" society day in the life of Grandma G.
 
     "Gray hair is a crown of splendor; it is attained by a righteous life."  (Proverbs 16:31)
            

Monday, May 27, 2013

BIG FUN in P-TOWN.....

     Angie and I were looking for something to do in Portland late Sunday afternoon since we did not go to the Oregon coast.  We came across a carnival in honor of the Rose Festival which is held every year in Portland. 




 Guess what we're going to ride?


 A wee bit windy and scary....FUN
 
Onto an Interactive Alaska Airline Experience.......
 









 
FOOD AND SCENERY....






GRANDMA G'S SPACE SHIP HAS LANDED







FOLKS LINED UP FOR VOODOO DONUTS

_____________________________________________


ISN'T THIS THE REASON I MOVED TO VANCOUVER?


        Since it was raining all day on Monday Angie and I decided to go see the new Star Trek movie.  We got a little wet while running to the theater.  Not good, rain.  Good movie to see. 
       Three hours later, the rain had stopped and we headed to a salad buffet for dinner.  
 
       This has been a good 2 Memorial Weekend days in the life of Grandma G.
 
       "A happy heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit."  (Proverbs 15:13)
 
 
 
 
 


 

Saturday, May 25, 2013

Back into Routine/ Memorial Day Weekend....

  


         It's nice to be able to say "back into routine".  That means I am getting a----routine----here in VC.  That means I am getting settled into being home here.
     At this point I don't remember what went on yesterday, Friday.  I do recall a session with the chiropractor and a stop at the DOL--Department of Licensing. A few weeks ago I inquired about obtaining a Washington license plate.  I needed to get a new title for the car.  First I had to make phone calls to find out how to replace the WI title which seems to have gotten lost.  Then I had a paper that Lou needed to sign.  Friday I stopped back at the DOL.  The lady said I needed to bring in the new title from WI.  I thought I had it along.  Nothing.  I left scratching my head (dandruff?) and searching my memory of where that title might be.  I even thought perhaps WI hadn't sent me one.  Back at home I did the appropriate thing--decided to worry about it the next day.  See, the next day is when the temporary license plate extension expired.  Nobody seemed to know what the state office would say come Tuesday when everything reopened. But no reason to worry about that on Friday.  Saturday came pretty quickly.  I tried to recall where that title might be.  Then I remembered.....The kind lady at the WA DOL  had told me, after she gave me the paper for Lou to sign to NOT leave the title in the car (where I keep all the other car related forms). After a little searching in the wrong places I found it in with the car insurance info.  Yeah!  I stopped back today.  And....after some misleads about needing other forms signed by Lou and having that concluded I did not and paying a mere $55 (besides $98 earlier and $20 for a new title) I was handed 2 BRAND NEW WA LICENSE PLATES!!!  I am a Washingtonian!!  Yeah!  (Without a WA driver's license.  But we won't tell the police department that.)
     I have proof I also went for a walk after the downpour of rain stopped. 
 Colors of PNW "post rain"



 A look to my right....
A look to my left......
 A pretty little white "pom pom" tree
 Color in Grandma G's front yard









_____________________________________
      Saturday was graced with accomplishment, although Friday I did work on finding tickets and proper timing for travel with Jake and Jude.  And did some piano practice--it's been a long time.  And washed dishes.
         After water aerobics and hot tub soak (we ladies talked about where is the best place to visit in the Hawaiian Islands) I came home to do some laundry, clean up a bit, practice more piano, check  Facebook and Freddy's ads before heading out to the DOL and then onto Freddy's for some browsing and grocery shopping.  It was 7PM by the time I got home.  The evening was (slowly) filled with putting away groceries, folding clothes, checking email and Facebook, eating supper and thinking about heading out to the coast with Angie after church Sunday morning.  All this with a very sore   front of right foot and 2 toes.  Ouch.  Hard to walk.  Might be something called plantar fashiitis or fibromatosis.   
             FLASHBACK IN HONOR OF       
                      MEMORIAL  DAY
ANGIE, (3rd from the left in the back row), 1991, with the Wisconsin National Guard band.  She is now with a medical unit as a nurse and with over 20 years serving our country. 
Thank you, Angie, and, Jen, who is with the Air National Guard for several years. 
Mt. Rushmore ceremony, June 2012
Thank you to Lou, Deb, Keys, Burt, Jen, Al, Angie, and Chuck who have all served our country in the military.
 
      This has been a good 2 "back into routine" days in the life of Grandma G.
 
       "Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus.  No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs--he wants to please his commanding officer."  (2 Timothy 2:4) 

Thursday, May 23, 2013

BACK HOME.....

     Grandma G is back home in VC.  The trip went well.  I got turned around in the Minneapolis airport and had only 15 minutes to find my next plane.  Fortunately a friendly cart driver saw my distress and gave me a ride clear to the other side of the airport. 
     Angie picked me up at PDX and we headed to Olive Garden for dinner before going home.  I know I am back in the PNW----it's been raining for the past 27 hours that I've been home. 
     I realized a bonus this morning.  I woke up at 7AM--my body thought it was 9AM.  Had plenty of time to wake up before going to water aerobics.  It was nice to get back to the exercise and the sociability.  The rest of the day passed in a haze of jet lack and "rainy day" syndrome. 
     I am back at the computer playing travel agent for flights for 2 grandson trips.  Rather confusing.

                   ENJOY SOME "BACK EAST" PICTURES.....

 

Remnants of winter/spring snow
 
visiting cousins "up north"
       Weekend at the cabin on the river.....
Ready for church

Trying out an old time phone
Only grocery in town closed by noon on Sundays.....
 
       This has been a good 2 travel and "back home" days in the life of Grandma G.
     
        "Your love, O Lord, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies.  Your rightousness is like the mighty mountains, your justice like the great deep."  (Psalm 35: 5 & 6)