After a busy, fun summer it is a struggle to settle back into "normal" routine....especially if one doesn't know what that "normal" is. There's been a lot happening in the background of becoming a new great grandma. I've gotten caught up in the novelty of 3 months of free movies on "Starz". Though appalled at the poor taste of several movies (which I don't watch), I am constantly searching for those that interest me. Unfortunately there are enough of them to keep me sitting on my duff more than I should.....and not accomplishing what I should.
Two weeks ago on Tuesday evening I joined our church and a veterans group in an outreach to street folk downtown Vancouver. 
A lady donated cookout food, so we provided burgers and the trimmings along with clothing items. There was the opportunity for individuals to write cards to their families if they so desired. The struggle of homeless folks is still somewhat foreign to me.
The next day I attended ladies' lunch. The place we went had already seated a table full on men. It was a unique social scene with a table of ladies right next to them. I did suggest to the fellows that we mix and match, but their blank stares said, no thanks.Now I don't think they have problems with womenfolk, but it wasn't long before they took their coffee cups and seated themselves in a different room......
Later that day I was able to Skype with my son, Burt, and 3 of his sons in mid-Wisconsin. Cory was home, visiting from his current home and school in Anchorage, Alaska. His favorite places on earth...Alaska and Wisconsin in that order.
I relayed my findings concerning Crater Lake to them and talked with Tyler (dark blue shirt) about his desire for a trip there next summer. He wants to see the lake, but will pass on the 1 mile rugged walk down and back up for a boat ride on the lake....makes "getting in shape" for me a lot easier. On Thursday afternoon we had a short Red Hats meeting to reschedule the activities for the next few months. We 14 ladies figured things out.
I had picked it up thinking it was the rubber fake one I bought...yuck.
Back inside the house, there was a time of panic because I thought my computer had been hacked. I struggled to clear it up but the same annoying warning pop-up and announcement kept coming back. I finally forced a shutdown and texted my computer tech son in Wisconsin to get back to me for a computer emergency.
I had to leave anyway for a ladies evening across town. I learned to play bunco. Friday night "harvest moon".
Once back home I was able to figure out how to get rid of the possible hack and went to bed in peace. It wasn't a hack but a sneaky way to perhaps bring one about.
After being sick on the following Sunday with a stomach virus I was well enough on Monday to do a bunch of paperwork. I tried to find new car insurance. Mine went from $633 last year to $933 this year. I called to inquire why. The answer....there were so many accidents in Washington this past year our rates went up to cover them...Geesh...I drive under 50 miles a week....but what annoyed me the most is when one lady said there is a 5% discount when the elderly complete a safe drivers class with the DMV. I might consider that when I become elderly.
My bank took the liberty to issue new debit cards with Master Card, thus cancelling my Visa. BUT...I have 6 weeks to reprocess my automatic bill payments before they cut off my current card. Thanks....still cleaning up the mess from card fraud in June.
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I am often annoyed with Face Book, but on Sept. 20 it was sheer genius. My sons at times have expressed concern for my mental stability, now perhaps I can understand why a little better.
I know nobody will see my status but sometimes when I am bored, I go into the garden, I cover myself in earth and I pretend I am a carrot.
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I can't believe I wrote that or even thought of it. Sure gave me good laughs throughout the day....these days I would pretend to be a beet....a bit more round in the belly....
How to catch a rabbit.....hide in the grass and make a noise like a carrot and grab him while he is eating...
Sometime during these days there was the opportunity to watch grandson Jake's football game on a glorious afternoon. Jake made a touchdown....
So also sometime these past days I decided on and scheduled an autumn piano concert here at the park for Nov. 13. You all come, ya hear....
And have set out to learn Spanish....had a couple years in high school and college and have often wanted to actually learn it. "Spanish word of the day"...includes more than one. Some words are very similar to English, some are strange and have no comparison.
I have learned over the years that it is not good to leave Gram G's brain without challenge. She may start acting like a carrot.....
This has been a good 7 "life be normal? again" days in the life of Grandma G.
"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and clean is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." (James 1:28)
