MERRY CHRISTMAS

FROM GRAM G'S TO YOU!!

I hope you got all your 

preparations done in a timely manner!!

That you got to sing!!

And  attend a nativity service!!

May you have snow if that's your thing!

Hope Santa is good to you!!

REFLECTIONS

I

wish

you all

all very merry

blessed Christmas

and a happy, healthy

New Year!

This has been a good 2 GeoGram weeks in the life of Gram G!

"For to us a child is born,

To us a son is given,

And the government will be on his shoulders.

And he will be called

Wonderful Counselor,

Mighty God,

Everlasting Father,

PRINCE OF PEACE."

(Isaiah 9:6)

Remembering November...

Early November Kahana and I enjoyed an outing in a northeast Vancouver nature reserve.

Blue sky, mild air and Mt. Hood

First a hardy breakfast at the Black Bear restaurant

Mt. St. Helens

I love PNW evergreens!

And weeping willows!

And ducks

This quacks me up...

_______________________________ 

How to enter a song writing contest when one doesn't know how to...

1. You call a music equipment store in Indiana and ask "What am I doing? and "How do I do it?"

2.  Honest Hoosier tech guy sells you an equipment "bundle" to record into a computer from the comfort and confusion of your home.

3. When bundle arrives you again call the Indiana equipment store to be coached on where numerous cords plug in and how does one remember that?

   How and which software does one download? 

   How the heck does one understand any of this?

(Kind of like jumping into deep ocean and then remembering you can't swim.) 

4. After figuring out what buttons to push on the equipment and one's computer one is ready to play piano and sing along...hoping that a recording is happening.

5. Eureka!! (that's a cry of joy or satisfaction for accomplishing something) An unknown artist has recorded a MP3 file, compressed to under 10 KB.

Actually she has recorded 2 MP3 files for 2 different songs.  

6. One does the necessary form filling, sending the MP3 files, pays the entrance fee and waits for acknowledgement of success.

BUT WAIT...NOW THE REST OF THE STORY

     A number of days after this I was checking my credit card bill.  I saw 2 entries for the same amount to some place I didn't recognize posted through PayPal.  I immediately called the credit card company to get more info.  They said it looked like concert tickets.  I did not order concert tickets so I claimed fraud.  The CC people closed my account and said they would send a new card.

    The next day I received an email from a kind lady working with the song contest to inform me my fees had been canceled and so my songs were withdrawn from the contest. Oops...now I remember!  Oh my, what to do, what to do?  She went on to say that maybe there was a misunderstanding and that I would need to re-enter my songs if I still wanted to be in the contest.  Fortunately the contest had been extended another few weeks so I was able to resubmit....after figuring out how to find the prized MP3 files in the jungle of computer data.  

      SO....this is the beginning or the end of my public music career.   THE END

P.S.  Anyone need some recording done at Gram G's home studio?  For a modest fee?? 

______________________

If you can't fly like an eagle, then play like a turkey...

I had the fun and privilege to play songs for our church's turkey dinner outreach  and then again for our LoveLove homeless outreach

Beautiful PNW November sunset!!

____________________________________

Happy Turkey made it through another Thanksgiving!!

Dinner at Deb's and then off to the Oregon Zoo Lights!!  Back to Deb's for a Gram G sleepover!

Earning my Wings...

Gnome Heaven...

Keys and Deb...

Back home Tyson enjoyed some apple pie!!

He was repentant...

______________________________

Time for...

Cranberry, orange, nut bread!!  Yum!!

Or, do you prefer...???

______________________________________

I hope you are keeping it all together, these days!

  NOT so at my house...

REFLECTIONS

     It's always hard for me to see fall morph into winter.  I don't like the long hours of afternoon and evening darkness.  My mind is focused on Dec. 21 when daylight starts to emerge again.  But the holidays give us positive energy to plug into.

    I confess that I struggle with BAH-HUMBUG.

(That "conveys curmudgeonly displeasure".  Now that phrase gives me word pleasure...It has such a poetic annoyance to it.)

    I get distressed  with all the emphasis on glitter and perfect festivities and decorations and presents.  (Grinch)  And  loud obnoxious store intercom music.

   But then I think about the original and proper reason for Christmas.  The remembrance of our true King born into this world.  That is cause for celebration.  Lights to brighten the dark hours and rejoicing in the thankfulness of what the Lord has done for us. Sharing his love with others.

     I do believe our greatest celebrations will be in heaven, but Christmas is worth keeping here on earth.  SO...I engage in the preparations, join in the activities (senior appropriate), enjoy the carols, and relish the love God has for us.

This has been a good 3 GeoGram weeks in the life of Gram G.

"At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.  And he will send out the angels to collect his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of  heaven." (Mark 13: 26-27)

Last One for 2021...Part 3

GEORGE and GEORGE

Family resemblance?

My mother named me after George Washington since I was born in February 24, 2 days after his birthday was celebrated in those days. 

On my last day in Alexandria Burt and I toured Mount Vernon, home of George Washington.

Very Interesting!

Just in case you want to try rustication.

Replica of harpsicord in parlor 

George was quite proud of his green dining room

The key to the Bastille Prison 

A symbol of freedom and liberty, the Key was sent in 1790 to George Washington by the Marquis de Lafayette, a leader of the French Revolution who had served under Washington during the American Revolutionary War a decade earlier. The Key has remained at Mount Vernon for 200 years, prominently displayed in its original wood and glass case in the Mansion's central passage. 

George and Martha's bedroom

Visiting my namesake's vault

Personally interesting to me!

I have several collectors' spoons...

though not displayed these past 9 years.

Gotta find places to hang the display cases.

A bird's tale in Mount Vernon...

Here I am.  Which pose do you like best?

Men are so vain...

Crazy, fun night at National Harbor, Maryland

My last evening visiting with Burt's family

A gender reveal party...

My new man??

Rosie Riveter Revisited

Panda Love

Move over Portland!

This is the weirdest thing I have ever seen!

Keep looking up, y'all!

REFLECTIONS

    I enjoy visiting my children.  The individual families give me special, fun attention. I thank them all!!  I get "discombobulated" on typical days alone at home. Here is an entry from 2 weeks ago.

Friday, Nov 5

Today was a fun day.  When I woke up and didn't want to get out of bed this morning I thought the day would be as gray as the gloomy clouds outside. 

Turns out that I got a call from a dear friend who I am excited to visit with on Saturday.  A little later, Debbie, Angie and I group Faced Timed while

opening up the surprise I had created for us...an 8 by 10 canvas print from our weekend at Cannon Beach.  We chatted for quite awhile. It was good to see Angie since she is enduring a bout of Covid this week.

The area enjoyed a mostly sunny day once the gloom passed.  I went walking and met up with friend Nancy whom I have neglected for the past several months.  We chatted outside, then made plans to go for lunch sometime soon.

The weather was so pleasant I gathered up the fall decorations and spent a couple hours trimming the porch!

The day finished out with a chicken dinner while watching Star Trek, an hour working on song recording and practicing guitar while watching the late news. The End.

This has been a good 2 GeoGram weeks in the life of Gram G.

"A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones."  (Proverbs 17:22)