Rambling On....Post Views...30,967

    This past week has been one of rain, rain, rain.  It is a good time to have a sit, snuggle in a blanket, fix a cup of tea (Yorkshire Gold my choice) and read this post as Gram G rambles on about everyday affairs. 
"Just a strummin in the rain...." (from Face Book)
    Friday I went out looking for a particular credit union not too far from my home.  I had deposited $25 with them shortly after arriving here, probably 4 years ago.  I never got back to continue banking with them.  Recently I decided to do business with them. How was I suppose to know that after a certain time with no "account activity" the account is closed and the money goes to Washington State's unclaimed monies department?  The kind lady said I might be able to reclaim the money by contacting the department.  I will if I don't forget.   
     Saturday was cloudy, but no rain.  After water aerobics, stretches and breakfast I headed to a few stores.  At one corner I caught a lovely view of Mt. Hood.  Our church was having a pot luck lunch after service on Sunday.  What to make?  It took me all week and a trip to Freddy's to decide on sausage, cheese and already made potato salad. 

I stopped at the local Dollar Tree store to look for new Sudoku books.  I like them but not enough to pay $5 a collection.   I was disappointed when there were all kinds of puzzle books but no Sudoku.  But then I saw this one lonely hard covered Hard Sudoku book.  Now if that doesn't make your heart sing, I don't know what will!  No need to skip over easy ones, medium ones and on to the more challenging ones!  They ALL(100) are "Demanding" or "Beware! Very Challenging".  Yeah! And $1.  Finding 50 cent greeting cards made for a perfect shopping trip.   
         My furnace has been making a whistling sound the past few weeks.  Saturday evening there was a loud, low pitched moan.  I thought it was time to look at the filters.  Sure enough, they were coated 3 times over.  Sunday I went back to Freddy's to get filters. Changed them when I got home.  Mr. Furnace is purring like a contented cat. Poor thing was probably suffocating.  The filters weren't past due date for changing, but I think with the damp, chilly weather and closed in house they absorbed a bunch of dust. I am thinking perhaps the dryer exhaust might need a cleaning when the weather outside is amiable.  

    Last week I signed up for "Metro Mile" car insurance.  It is designed for folks who drive less than 200 miles a week.  In the fall my current insurance jacked up its cost by $300. When I called to inquire why they said it is because there have been so many accidents in Washington.  (They were probably mistaking us for Washington DC.)  Anyway, this new insurance would bring my cost back down that $300.  One pays $35 a month and then 3.7 cents for how many miles.  It requires a device in the vehicle.  That device arrived yesterday and now I am reconsidering.  
    Monday, after 2 hour physical therapy session, I drove to the outer edges of Vancouver ( 192 street from 121st plus 2 miles

down) to the insurance agent to get a clearer understanding of house insurance on my mobile manufactured home and to inquire about earthquake coverage.  After a lengthy time of explaining everything I was satisfied and also decided to include earthquake insurance for another $120 a year.  Just in case of "the big one".   He then was quick to inquire what I have for car insurance and wanted his office lady to tell me what they have.  I mentioned the Metro-mile policy to which he responded they have something similar.  When I said I would look into it sometime, but now I hadn't eaten lunch and I was getting a bit light headed, the kind agent give me a cup of tea and a granola bar (plus the 2 tiny candies I had already consumed) and showed me to a chair to discuss car insurance.  Ends up they have something about the same cost and I don't have to plug in a little device which might require a "smart phone" app.  Since my outdated smart phone does not want to download apps there may be a problem.  Chances are the little device will be returned unopened and my insurance will be local.  Now, aren't you glad you asked about this? Another bit of info, the office lady was a lovely young person from India.  I said my dentist is from India and told her the name.  She smiled and said they were family friends.  World's not so big after all; neither is Vancouver.
      Since I was out that way and so is Kohl's and I had 20 "Kohl dollars" that had to be used in a few days I stopped in and got a good deal on a picture I wanted for my wanna be beach house.
      By the time I got home, a headache had set in. I ate some lunch and a 2 hour nap was in order.  PT days do that.  I have advanced in PT to strength building with stretch bands and weight lifting with soup cans.  Sometimes I can feel myself standing straight.   
      That evening I watched a Masterpiece Theater program I had recorded on Sunday. To Walk Invisible is a docu-movie of the Bronte sisters.  Very well done, a rather sad family life story, but intriguing how the sisters wrote their novels and poetry. 
      

    Tuesday was a great day to make beef stew.  Sometimes Gram  G needs cooking therapy.  I had a sweet potato to use and thought it might go well in a stew.  By the time it was ready the sweet potato was nowhere to be seen except for orange shreds.  Tasty stew... 
       A bit of PNW reality.  The window frame and surface above the kitchen sink became coated with mold these past weeks.  It would just keep growing until removed.  Did that today with a bleach solution. The plastic liner cracked up (couldn't keep it from laughing) so I simply threw it out. The window unit which projects out about 4 feet from the edge of the sink looks better now, but with awkward, hard work.  
     
      I've been on the phone and texting a lot making plans for our summer Schmidt gathering here in Vancouver and for a soon coming trip for me to Wisconsin, "back east" as they say out here.  Only thing west of here is 100 miles of land with a mountain range and the Pacific coast.  
       Now my thoughts turn to filing taxes, but some things one can't rush.  I am looking forward to a few coming days of sociability. And rumors of sunshine over the weekend.  Yeah!!

This has been a good 7 "rambling on" days in the life of Grandma G.

"A good name is more desirable than riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold."  (Proverbs 22:1)

Rain, Rain, go away....Post Views....30,853

     I woke up Sunday morning and the sun was shining!
     I realized I had a stomach ache....
     I must be allergic to the sun....

Fortunately, on Tuesday, I went walking while the sun shined. No stomach ache.   

Yeah!  Sunday was simply a 24 hour flu.

     I am now a full fledged PNW citizen.  I went grocery shopping one day in the rain and didn't even think anything was abnormal.  
     This fall and winter, I am told by the news people, has been more rainy than normal and even seasoned folks are starting to complain.  There are some landslides and the Columbia River is almost at flood stage. Where I live things are wet but not severe.  There has been some damage in hobbit town.       Either the wind, a very large beaver or someone not skilled with a chain saw brought down a dead tree along the lot line.  There are several small branches in my yard so probably the wind did it. I did hear a chain saw going for about 15 minutes. 
Happily, at least for me, some hornets lost a very roomy house. 

Unhappily for me, this greeted me as I came into my living room.  (Spider doing acrobats in the doorway.)
Even more unhappily, his big brother was crawling across the ceiling.  Will the onslaught never end? 


Here in the park we didn't do an Irish jig to celebrate St. Patty's Day, but we did fill up on corned beef, proper veggies and plenty of desserts.  

 That's a plateful for Gram G 

This time of year I am reminded of when granddaughter, Angie, almost fell off the Cliffs of Moher in Ireland about a year and a half ago.  Sure am glad for the borrowed luck of the Irish that she is still with us to stand under a PNW rainbow and on a PNW picnic table!!
Oh to be the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow..


And to dance a jig on a PNW picnic table....

So on Sunday after having gone to church service with a stomach ache and "buzzy" head, I spent the rest of the day on the couch watching profound movies...
2 Night at the Museum
2 Ice Age thrillers....
I did come across an older movie based on a true story of WWII...The Scarlet and the Black...highly recommend it.

Monday I was scheduled for physical therapy, but called to cancel because of sickness.  A number of Star Trek Voyager episodes helped me through that day. 

Tuesday morning I felt well enough to go to water aerobics, have lunch with a friend, and take a sunny, though chilly, walk in the afternoon. 

 There has been constant house construction along the side and back of our park for the past several months. Fortunately I am in the middle and away from the noise and crowding.  

I had rescheduled PT for today, Wed. but my stomach started paining again during the night....so...cancelled once again. (don't like doing that)  The exercises and stretches are a strain, but should be remedying my back and shoulder.  


     However, a slightly sick body did not keep this lady from a scheduled outing with fellow mother-in-law, Carole.  We had gift cards from Christmas that had not been used.  Lunch at Olive Garden and shopping at Kohl's. Yeah!

I bought a fresh supple of towels for my summer family guests to enjoy.

And with that, I need to keep reminding myself that it is already late March.  We are planning a Schmidt family reunion here in the Vancouver area. Grandson Tyler is staying on with me for 10 days.  I think a scouting out of southern Oregon, the Red Wood NP and Crater Lake is on the itinerary. 



This has been a good 7 "rain, rain, go away" days in the life of Grandma G.

"Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth."  (Genesis 9:16)

A Schmidt Gathering.....Post Views.....30,737

Saturday, March 11, was Rose's "Celebration of Life". She was 104 years old.

Here is a picture on her 100th B-day with son, Louie, and our 7 children in Park Falls, WI

Gerry, Bill, Lou, Angie, Burt,
Gram Rose, Debbie, Chuck, Al 



Debbie could not attend...the other 6 were there...(My Babies...)

Autumn stood in for Aunt Debbie

Come on, guys and gals, put some thought into this...

Angie, I said Thought.....

           "Gerry-Bear"  with Gramma Rose.
She dubbed him Gerry Bear when he was crawling; he always crawled backwards and would look behind to see where he was going.  "He looks just like a bear cub". "Bear" has stuck to this day.  

 Rose's youngest son, Joe, and Bear in driveway of the farm...the original barn from early 1900's in the background....

A Plethora of GeoLou Schmidt gathering pictures...

Younger grand kids visiting Papa Lou at home...

(9 of 19....left girl in blue is extended #20)

Full moon overlooking a partially froze Flambeau River

Outside of Burt's and Jen's cabin...

Inside the bunkhouse...life is good...

Extended family bonding...

California little Berklee with
Wauwatosa Charlie's angels
Emilia, Louisa and Olivia 

Eddy showing Uncle Bill how tough he is

Gerry with Jen and her older sons, Devin and Josh...
Could be sisters, Cali Amanda and Chuck's wife, Anna...

Meanwhile second son, Cory, is enjoying tin cans on Tincan mountain, Alaska 

A Mannequin Challenge....they say...

____________________________________________________

     Meanwhile back in the PNW, Wednesday to Wednesday has happened again for Gram G.     

          It seems one can "keep hanging in there" for a long time while one's life challenges one.  Then comes a day when, though, many challenges remain, a few suddenly resolve themselves or at least pass through to calmer ground. 

      Today, Wednesday, was one such day. I awoke to another rainy day. (Rain totals for March have already rose beyond "normals" for the entire month of March.)  My mind was on getting to the dentist by 9:30 through rain and wind and foggy brain.  Fortunately none was overwhelming. My crown, tooth not royalty, went on with minimum numbing and effort. After, I had a pleasant discussion with my dentist. That put me in a happy mood.

    Next it was on to the mall since it was a block away.  I had a couple JC Penny's coupons in my purse.  I've been looking for a new robe for a reasonable price.  I found one.  Good price.     
So...Gram G paid $73.44? $11.77? $1.05? $24.30?
    
    It was still raining when I got home but that didn't stop me from getting an important letter in the mail.  One of those challenges resolving itself.  
 
  I also was officially registered in the "Oregon Christian Writers" writing contest!  Yeah! It took me a long time last evening to figure out how to register and submit my piece.  I had overlooked the important part of submitting my writing during the register process and I didn't know how to go back.  Finally figured out something and then this morning received confirmation that all had been received.  All 250 words that I had written.  That may not sound like much but to me
it reflects Neil Armstrong's statement, "One small step for man;one giant leap for mankind."  In this case, for woman. 

     I heard about the contest last year about this time and decided that this year I would submit something. A year goes by very fast. I already knew what category I would do. A year goes by very fast. I had many ideas written down, but not narrowed down.  A year goes by very fast.  A good topic popped into my head awhile back and I wrote it down.  But it needs to be perfect.  A perfect 250 words.  Time goes by very fast.  Suddenly it is contest time. It needs to be perfect. How does one know when one's writing is perfect? To me, mine will never be perfect so I need to simply send it in before I don't and the deadline has passed. Better to be imperfect and submitted than perfect and not submitted. Just having submitted it is a huge victory for me.  Yeah!!
     The prize you ask?  Well,there isn't one.  Winners get to wear a ribbon during the writers' conference if one chooses to go. There are, however, top authors there to notice you and perhaps give a helping hand in getting on with a writing career.  Yeah!

     Weaving in and out of my days are the PT exercises for my neck and shoulder, besides walking and water aerobics.  Keeps me moving 1-2 hours everyday.  Now to counter balance that with an extra hour or two of sleep.  Ahhh.....

Friday, March 10 was a mild, sunny day interrupting the many, many rainy days this year.
Time for first walk to 4th Plaine in 2017.  Makes for about a 2 mile walk to enjoy the start of spring.    
     

Hints of pink plum blossoms....Soon..
a totally pink avenue


The blending of clouds and snow on distant mountains; spring water flow in Burnt Bridge Creek

This has been a good 7 "Schmidt gathering" days in the life of Grandma G.

"Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.  Give her the reward she has earned."
(Proverbs 31: 30 & 31)