Birthday Weekend......



          This is a 2 sisters B-day weekend for 2 granddaughters in Wisconsin.  Today-Saturday- is the oldest sister's 8th B-day.  Tomorrow-Sunday- is the younger sister's 6th B-day.  (The youngest sister has to wait until May 5 for her golden 5th B-day.)

            

          
          With me living so far away Grandma G has to settle for phone visits with the Birthday girls.  That doesn't keep me from celebrating here, though.  
           After water aerobics I was planning to have a grandson come over to help put my studio into order.  His younger brother was going to be playing in a middle school football game in the afternoon.   I opted to go to the game since the day was so beautiful and the other grandma would drive the 20 minute trip.  Work can wait another day.

 

 

 

Columbia River

 

      On the way home we ladies stopped at a small Thai restaurant.  A happy surprise....It happened that the owner was a lady that Carole worked with 12 years ago.  They remembered each other and chatted away while we decided our dinner choices. 

 

 

A Thai meal fit for queens

Thai iced tea, sticky rice, stir fry, rice noodles

spring rolls with peanut sauce, coconut ice cream

 

YUM! 

 

              ________________________________________________________

 

        And yesterday, Friday?   Well, as long as you asked.  This is how that went.   Thursday night was very rainy--and into Friday morning.  The weather site said it would ease up as the day went on. 

I took the car back to the repair shop late morning.  The piercing squeal had started again the day before and continued on for part of the drive.   Then stopped--like it did 2 weeks ago. 

        The kind mechanics said they didn't know how long the "check up" would be since they needed to investigate another problem as well.  SO.....off I went to walk a couple blocks to the mall---for MALL THERAPY.  Walking around, hanging out, watching other folks, snacking at the food court and, oh ya, spending money.  I passed up a lot of clearance racks, but did find 2 pairs of  foot wear suitable for the rainy Pacific Northwest winter. 

        Three hours later it was back to the car repair.  The squealing noise was, indeed, a rock that found its way into something.  But the brake pads and rotors (?)  need replacing soon.  Also have to bring it back for them to check out a middle  gasket that probably needs replacing.  I asked the fellow working on the car if he thought that I will have a reliable car when all this is done.  He said , yes. 

Hopefully he know what he is talking about.   (Remember, you did ask how Friday went, didn't you?)

         Earlier in the week I was considering going to a singles evening at the local Christian center.  By late afternoon I was feeling a bit insecure and already had plenty of MALL THERAPY and auto mechanic exchange so decided NOT to go.  There will be the first Friday evening of Oct. coming up in a few weeks anyway.  Maybe then.   

 

       This has been a good 2 "rainy/sunny" Pacific Northwest days in the life of Grandma G.

  

      "In the way of righteousness there is life; along that path is immortality."   (Proverbs 12:28)





Reason to Get my studio in Order......

        I received a phone call from an unknown number this rainy afternoon.  The lady said the local hair salon owner told her about me.  Her daughter is eager to take piano lessons!  Will I take her as a student?  Yeah!!  My first full time school age student here in Vancouver!!  She will start Monday after school. 
       My studio is somewhat ready and somewhat messy and somewhat disorganized.  Now I have motivation to put it in order!!   Here's to several more students as word of a great teacher gets out.

        I did some work in there today, but for a different reason.  I faxed my tax info to my accountant in Wisconsin.  I have used the fax only twice since moving out here so there was some fussing before it was set up and working.  BUT, now tax filing will be done before the extension deadline arrives.

       I attended water aerobics this morning.  During our hot top soak time we ladies discussed and worried about Medicare supplements and what Obamacare will mean for us when January comes.  I am still new and perplexed about health insurance--and all insurances--with having to study them,  figure them out and decide on my own. (I don't like ANY references, directions, explanations that are over 2 paragraphs long.)   It's nice to have our "chat room" at the pool to talk things over and hear other ladies' experiences. 

         The most difficult aspect of living alone for me and not having a "go to work" job is boredom.  It's not that there aren't several projects to be done (and don't get done), but that there is a low level of energy flow.  I think being around others stimulates one's energy levels and the day passes more quickly and efficiently.  It's not fun to fix food and eat alone.  Or to list projects, then have to rehearse to one self which are more important  and tell oneself to do them.  (SIGH)   And there are so many sit down tasks that one's buns get squished.  But I know there are lots and lots of folks, women and men, who live this situation day after day, year after year.   The challenge is to formulate and live out positive, productive days.  It is a learning experience.  Yes, it is.
A good one that will regulate my senior years.  "Keep on keeping on."

                                          AUTUMN IN WISCONSIN:
                                       (because it is rainy here)

 

 

       This has been a good  "first piano student" day in the life of Grandma G.

 

         "Let us fear [reverence] the Lord our God, who gives autumn and spring rains in season, who assures us of the regular weeks of harvest." (Jeremiah 5:24)

 

Two Rare Occurrences.....

      Two highly unusual events happened the past two days.   Oh, My!

     Monday night I went to bed to the sound of a thousand tiny mice scurrying  along my roof.  Then airplanes flew very low and loud across the night sky.  Soon flashes of light shone through the drapes.   WHAT?   A thunderstorm.  An actual thunder and lightening storm here in VC.  The first one I have experienced in the year I have moved out here.  The show went on for about an hour.  It was rather comforting and cozy.  This storm was tame compared to it's big brothers and sisters back in the mid West where hard winds accompany them; the bolts of lightening much fiercer and the rumble of thunder  a freight train travelling for miles across the sky.  This was cozy and comforting. 
     We have had rain here for the past 3 nights.  Yes, nights.  The nights are wet, the mornings cloudy and the afternoons sunny.  Sounds like a fairy tale.  True, though.  Makes for beautiful roses, mums and dahlias.   


      The other rare event?  This one you will have a hard time guessing.  Guess I will tell you.  I finished my tax info for 2012.  Told you you'd have a hard time guessing.  I had a hard time getting this all together.  I did file for an extension last April.  This is the one thing in my life where I am totally ADD.  So now the info can go to my patient accountant back in Park Falls and the rest is up to him.  Hope HE gets it in before the extension runs out.  This should be the last year that it is so overwhelming since I won't have to include business taxes.  I think. 

     Hammer in the morning, hammer in the evening, hammer at suppertime. Hammerhead sharks, Hammertoes.  What's all the hammering about?  Grandma G has developed a.....hammertoe.  No, it's not a new invention.  It's a highly annoying, aggravating, somewhat painful toe with a locked up joint and tense ligament that hampers one's enjoyment of walking.   Just thought you'd want to know about that.  No picture, please. 

    

  I still have a goal of building up enough endurance and health to join the elite senior hiking group that meets once a month for hikes.  I have a way to go before I can complete the "easy hikes" of 4-5 miles.  I 'll need to hammer out the present toe condition. 

     Did you hear that past, present and future walked into a coffee shop at the same time.  It was tense. 

    



          I have been investing in various items to add ambiance to my deck.  Two heavy items are still sitting in my car, waiting for someone strong enough to get them out and carry them to the deck.  It is a project in progress.  Pictures when it is finished. 

       You may have caught on that the past 2 days have not been high adrenalin days.  But "ordinary" days are what most of life is about.  After several months spanning 2 years of "unordinary", it is soothing, though uncertain, to start having ordinary days again. 

 

Just so things don't get  too ordinary....

 

         This has been a good 2 "rare occurrence" days in the life of Grandma G. 

 

         "All the days of the oppressed are wretched, but the cheerful heart has a continual feast."

(Proverbs 15:15)

      

Help! I've lost 8 days......

Diego and Grandma G
July, 2013

    The year from Sept 1,2012 thru Sept 1, 2013 has past.  365 days.  I kept a record to count how many days of rain, clouds, sun, snow, fog and hail.  A young friend, Diego, from Wisconsin had asked me, "Just how much DOES it rain in Washington?".  I have the grand totals.  HOWEVER......I seem to have lost 8 days.  I thought I was faithful to record the weather for each day, but have missed some along the way. 
    Diego hopes to come visit here in Washington some day, but doesn't want to live here.  He LIKES the snow and cold. 


                                     

        GRAND TALLY

        SUN: 171&1/2 DAYS
        CLOUDY: 93 DAYS
        RAIN: 90 DAYS
        FOG: 1 DAY
        HAIL: 1/2 DAY
        SNOW: 1 DAY         EQUALS  357 DAYS

         SINCE IT SNOWED 1 DAY WEST OF HERE I ADD THAT AND AM DIVIDING THE 7 DAYS BY 3 (LOOSELY) .

         SUN: PLUS 3 DAYS = 174&1/2
         CLOUDY: PLUS 3 DAYS = 96
         RAIN: PLUS 1 DAY = 91
         FOG:  1 DAY
         HAIL:1 DAY
         SNOW: 2 DAYS       EQUALS   365 DAYS
     
       NOT A BAD TALLY.  LOOKS LIKE SUN DOMINATES.
       AND SNOW DAYS ARE FEW. 

      WISCONSIN: SNOW LATE SEPTEMBER THRU MID MAY

           WHERE DO YOU WANT TO LIVE??

_____________________________________

                               LABOR DAY WEEKEND......

          Means family time--for me anyway.   After church on Sunday and a nap early afternoon I drove to Debbie's and took extra clothing along to stay overnight.  (Keys and Jake had gone to San Francisco for a few days to hang out and do touristy things.)
           Sunday we just hung out and went for a late dinner.  Monday we decided to go where I have been wanting to go all summer.  The Vancouver Farmers' Market.  The actual market was small, but we encountered something much bigger. 

       A COMIC-CON GATHERING  

 

enjoying a gyro

 

 

TWO SUPER HEROES TAKE ON VC.....

 

          

 

 

        Along with the Comic-Con convention was an AA  convention with several information booths as well.  That made for an interesting mix of society. 

 

       This was a fun, high adrenalin experience, but as we left the park and headed home we were  not quite sure where WE fit into the whole scheme of universal existence. 

 

        There was more family day as Schmidt family folk started making plans for a few day reunion at the Grand Canyon sometime this fall.  Yeah!

 

         I headed back to my senior living later in the day, content with "family time" and happy to be back to the quiet of my little home.  NAP TIME.   

 

       This has been a good Labor Day weekend in the life of  Grandma G. 

 

       "Blessed are all who fear [reverence] the Lord, who walk in his ways.  You will eat the fruit of your labor; blessings and prosperity will be yours."  (Psalm 128: 1 & 2) 

Good Bye to Summer.....

     According to the calendar anyway.  This is Labor Day weekend here in America.  That is our last official big summer fling before autumn comes sweeping in.  As it is, some areas welcome autumn weather before some of the rest of us.  (Might I be referring to northern Wisconsin where the leaves are turning colors, the apples are crisping, the air is cooling, the wood piles are enlarging and the bears are growing fat?) 
 
      I'm using this weekend to re-visit (re-invent?) my mental alertness, organization, self-discipline, goals, challenges, focus and endurance.  I have enjoyed a 15 month sabbatical from routine responsibilities while packing, moving, travelling, unpacking, settling in, learning to drive in a city, more travelling, exploring the area, more travelling, and now......it is time to discover what my "routine" life will be.  It's just...... I don't know what that translates into..... 
       I have lived in the Pacific Northwest for a year now (minus 7 weeks gone "visiting").  I find living here at Creekside, a 55+ community, feels like a  combination high school boarding school, year round summer camp, first housing away from home and on one's own, long ago familiarity of city dwelling as a child, and introduction into senior living. 
     I find it important to make an effort to get to know people, to socialize, exercise, eat healthy, get up at a reasonable hour in the morning, explore the area,  engage in local life, learn to enjoy and constructively use "alone time" and discover (even now) one's identity-- who you are and who and what you want to be.

    I am coming to admire the ladies who "keep on keeping on".  Even into their 80's these hearty ladies are hiking, swimming, driving in Portland, going on cruises, learning, challenging and overcoming physical ailments, still fully engaged in life.  They are my heroes, my role models!  May I be like them when I turn 80. 







        So this morning was the "first day of the rest of my life".  I sat the alarm to go off at 7AM and I was actually awake before that.  Actually got out of bed.  Had time for some leisurely cups of tea, time to mentally schedule the day and time for prayer and meditation before heading out to water aerobics at 9. 
        That mental schedule included laundry, going for a hair trim and manicure, blogging, practicing piano, a few emails----and about 4 other tasks that never got done.  And, OH YEAH, a NO TV on Saturdays routine.  I've maintained that for several Saturdays and it's amazing how constructive those days are.  (Not like yesterday after 3 episodes of Star Trek and a 3 hour documentary of the Galápagos' Islands.  Well, at least that was educational and I had cleaned the bathroom before all that. And was resting after a chiropractor adjustment.)

       This has been a good 3 "let's get your act together" days in the life of Grandma G.

      "Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails.  (Proverbs 19:21)