May 14....A Very Active Day.....Post Views..11, 266

   It was quite active 48 years ago as well.......today would have been Louie and my 48 year anniversary.  I am alright with this day.  Lou and Al were out to visit 3 days, which included 4 days since their return flight was delayed and rescheduled for the next day.  
    I started the day with a 50 minute walk at 9AM.  Our present temperatures rise to almost 90 by mid afternoon.  
   Then it was off to "ladies lunch out".....to Rib City Grill....

 Yummy, tender 1/2 rack of ribs
 

  Trying to ride the pig.....couldn't get my leg up and around the saddle.  

      Then it was home again, jiggity-jig.   To hear about the wild fires northeast of San Diego....specifically Carlsbad where son Gerry and 2 grandkids live.  I called Gerry.  He had just returned  home from getting the kids from school which had evacuated.  
They were fine, but he was leaving to take the kids somewhere for the afternoon since the smoke was quite heavy in the area.  
As I am blogging this in the evening, I think they are alright and threat of fire reaching them is quite low.
      I followed that call with a hello "anniversary" call to Louie.  We chatted for awhile; he was still tired from his trip out here and from the hassle of delayed travel.
      It was time to settle in to practice piano for my upcoming program on June 1.  I was happily playing away when it seemed like the room was very warm.  Upon checking the thermostat I observed it was set on 99 degrees before the air conditioner would kick in.   What the ding dong was that all about?  After tapping it several times I realized it was NOT going to change it's mind about anything.  I called the local "air doctor" who replaced the motor earlier in the year.  No answer.  Then it dawned on me......I have a son who is a furnace man...and he was just out here.  AND he has a phone with a speaker button.  I can call him for help.  Call I did.  No answer.  So I ........texted.    No reply.   Eventually, yes.  We discussed and sent pictures through the iphone.  Concluded we hoped it simply needed new batteries.  Off to the closest store for AAA batteries.  Replaced the batteries.  No response from the thermostat.  Took off the furnace door.  Al didn't see what he hoped to see.  Soon received a text.....8PM his time, 6PM mine.  Best to let the local furnace man look at it in the morning. (I think the remote furnace man had his fill for the day and wanted to settle in with his backyard campfire.)  So.... my little house is a bit warm, but not too bad and will cool down overnight.  Furnace doc will be here in the morning.  
     FINALLY, I was glancing through Face Book when I observed my brother, John, posted a picture from his sister's "semi-daily" blog.  WHAT?  At least he didn't designate it her "whenever she felt like it" blog.   It is time to revisit "a DAY in the life of Grandma G"

                 Perfect full moon, 70 degrees evening May 13, 
                             Picture taken from my porch

 This has been a good "very active" day in the life of Grandma G.

      "Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth."  (Proverbs 27:1)

A Visit to Poulsbo, WA......Post Views...11,219

     On Friday, Louie, Al and I drove north 2 &1/2 hours from Vancouver to Poulsbo.  While Louie and Al had "guy time" visiting with Lou's brother, Bill, I hung out for 3 hours in Poulsbo.  It is a Norwegian coastal town......with touristy shops... 

 

         After a walk along the waterfront I visited the Poulsbo aquarium.  Though quite small it was educational and entertaining.

A successful "selfie"......







art from a whale bone.....

A good day "doing" Poulsbo.

Al, Grandma G, Louie

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Crossing the 
Tacoma Narrows
Suspension bridge.....

 

   



  May 9 was Louie's 76th B-day.....

Al, Debbie,
Louie, Georgia 














This has been a good Poulsbo day in the life of Grandma G.

    "Others went out on the sea in ships; they were merchants on the mighty waters.  They saw the works of the Lord, his wonderful works in the deep."  (Psalms 107:23-24)

Cinco de Mayo Post Views 11,184

HAPPY CINCO DE MAYO, AMIGOS!!!

                                                         HOMBRE HORAE

         Today was a fun Cinco de Mayo.  Amigos.  
   Actually the best part is that today was the golden Cinco do Mayo Birthday of granddaughter, Mimi, in Wisconsin.   5 years old on the 5th of May.  That should be a triple Golden B-day 5-5-5....

     We chatted on the phone this afternoon.  She told me about her friends' party over the weekend and the soon starting family party.

HAPPY 5TH GOLDEN B-DAY, MIMI!!  

       Shortly after, I received a call from a friend here in the park to come over for a Cinco de Mayo dinner with a few other friends.

Yeah!!  My first Cinco de Mayo party.   

A Beautiful Cinco de Mayo evening.......

   We enjoyed a simple meal of homemade burritos, taco dip and nachos. 
  We also discussed "fried ice cream".  One lady looked up the recipe online.  It actually is deep fried for 10 to 12 seconds.
That's the hot and cold of it. 

   We played a rousing game of
Mexican Train dominoes.  While we two learners were trying to understand the game, I was also trying to figure out how to set my new camera to "timer" so we could all get in the picture. When it finally started to blink, it was a mad rush to get to the group in time.  Fortunately, this camera takes 2 snaps, rather than one.  

rushing to get into the picture.....

    The day included a 40 minute walk in the beautiful sunshine, though the air was a bit chilly.  (When I can walk 60 minutes  and/or 4 miles I will try an "easy" hike with the senior hiking group.)  It also included some general planning for the 3 days later this week when Louie and Al will come out to visit.  

     This has been a good Cinco de Mayo day in the life of Grandma G. 

     "And God said, 'Let the water teem with living creatures, and let the birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky'.....And God saw that it was good. God blessed them.....and there was evening, and there was morning--the fifth day."  (Genesis 1: 20-23) 

        

Can She........? Post Views 11,134

        Can she unplug and plug in the right cords into the right portals?  Maybe......with speaker phone technician prompting.
       About 6 weeks ago one of my sons signed me up for a different internet carrier.  They sent me a
"do it yourself" connection kit.  Great.....if you are a techy......I am NOT.   SO....it sat around all this time, while I am sent bills from 2 different carriers.  I figured it was time to plunge into the deep.  There was the option of "voice help".  So I called him and after several minutes of discussion and changing around wires with one hand and hanging onto the phone with the other, I got smart......Yep, smart.

I pressed the speaker phone button.  And laid down my burden....one of them anyway.

    It actually didn't take as long as I thought, nor was it as complicated as I thought.  BUT...I still don't know if all is hooked up as it should be since I still have a few wires plugged into the "other" modem.  And now after a few days, my laptop is smelling a bit "hot".   
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     Ah....that was Monday and now it is already Wednesday night.  Where DO the days speed off to?   What is there to blog about?  Somehow, writing about disconnecting internet wires or calling to   discontinue movie channels or returning a call to a disgruntled doctor's office because one insurance company won't pay because they think I have a different one or FINALLY sorting stacks of outdated printed material or enduring a bad headache all day Monday doesn't sound like fun stuff to blog about.  But, hey, this blog IS about a day in the life of Grandma G and some days just go that way.  Hey.   
      Tuesday I Skyped with a young lady friend who is attending school in the Midwest.  We chatted face to face for almost an hour. It was great fun to catch up on the latest with her.  
       After a 40 minute walk in our 70 degree sunny weather I quick cleaned up for my 5 PM piano student.  While waiting for  him I passed the time playing piano.  At 4:50 the door opened and in walked his grandma with an apology that he would not be here today because of a school program.  They lost my phone number so couldn't call earlier.  Well, that's show business....or piano lesson business... or whatever.  Time to graciously smile and say thank you for letting me know.  
  Time to end the day watching Deadliest Catch and The Little Couple.  Oh, yah...

                              "Can my Grandma G do it?"

      This has been a good 4 "can she?" days in the life of Grandma G.

      "In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps."  (Proverbs 16:9)
       
       

Get Thee to A Nunnery....Post Views....11,108

"Get thee to a nunnery."   A quote from Shakespeare's Hamlet.
  It applied to me today.....
  I accompanied some of our ladies from the neighborhood to a fund raiser lunch for a convent

housing Franciscan nuns.  It is located in the "gorge" of the Columbia River.  
    The fund raiser is customarily held on Valentine's weekend, but this year winter was really winter with cold, snow and ice. 
It was rescheduled for this Saturday.  (The fundraiser, not winter.)
    Since my "mission statement" for moving out here is "explore, explore, explore", especially if someone else is driving....I went along.   

 The photo phantom manifests again.....

The building was constructed in the early 1900's

 Salads, Salads, Salads.......

        Sisters singing the blessing
 of St. Francis.    
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The highlight of the day......an 

"Octopus" tree.....covered in moss.....

 

This tree is in front yard of the convent property.  I don't know what kind of tree it is or how old.  I hope to visit there again someday and find out.  

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Views on the drive there and back........Columbia River.....
The ladies who have lived here all their life say they forget what a privilege it is and how beautiful the surroundings are....

 

   This has been a good "get thee to a nunnery" day in the life of Grandma G.

   "I looked, and there before me stood a tree in the middle of the land.  Its height was enormous.  The tree grew large and strong and its top touched the sky; it was visible to the ends of the earth."
(Daniel 4:10 & 11)