Rosemary's Attic

My cat's smarter than your dog.....

2011-12-23T10:35:00.000-08:00

I received the first and I hope the last email "Annual Christmas Update From Our Family to Yours." Yup, an email; they couldn't even spring for an envelope and stamp so I could open the damn thing, gag and then tear it up. I HATE, HATE, HATE these mailings. Hate them. I think the worst one we ever got was from a then 55 year old friend (former friend) who had just graduated from Junior College in early December and he included everything from his grades to his favorite teacher in his "update." We usually saw this guy and his wife several times a week. He ended the update with a request for money so he could start a graphic design business. No.

I swear, one of these years I am going to send an 'Update" with the following: All of the kids own Fortune 500 companies, the grandkids are either at MIT or are Rhodes Scholars, the great grandkids are starting school at age 2 and can quote Shakespeare, we are doing great with retirement and our 17 billion dollar 401K fund and are thinking of buying Sandpoint. Seriously. Oh, and I have a snow shovel and cabana guy.

I know what it means now

2011-08-15T16:06:00.000-07:00

I got a call this morning that I never heard....there was a message left that I didn't get until about an hour ago. My cousin Gerri had called to tell me her brother, my cousin Sam, had passed away this morning.

I have few adult memories of Sam. He lived in Virginia and I was in So Cal and Idaho. I visited once a number of years back and we had dinner, but the awkwardness of shared childhood memories, spouses there that would need long explanations and the public place hindered any real bonding. I was closer to Gerri...by phone admittedly, but as a result of our calls I kept up with Sam's doings.

I spent every single summer with Sam and Gerri until 1961. Sam was all boy; fishing, gigging for frogs and lobster trapping with our dads. Sam was on the cusp of manhood that last summer; driving his old Rambler all over town and graciously taking me along on his adventures a lot.

The last time I talked to Gerri I shared a comment Sam had made on my Facebook page about having a heart attack and stent placement and how he never bothered with rehab and ate what he wanted. Gerri told me that after Sam's wife died he just sort of died a little each day too. He loved his daughters and family but his zest for life was fading. He had broken his leg, was diabetic, had several surgeries recently and it just got worse from there.

I'll miss Sammy...not the man so much but the boy I knew.....that hearty laugh, the soft Virginia drawl I wanted to copy so badly, remembering the three of us sprawled out by the front door trying to catch a breeze so we could sleep, his frank comments to me that hot summer of '61. Gerri was pregnant and I told Sam I wished I was having a baby too...he almost screamed and said: Are you damn crazy girl? Look at her; she's as big as Momma and Daddy's house!"

After talking to Gerri about all that Sammy had been through in the past and recently, I finally think I know what Rest In Peace means....Sammy deserves it.

Really?

2011-06-15T09:25:00.000-07:00

I'll get right to the point.

Its' been a year since the "event." Yup, a year since I had a heart attack. I MADE IT TO A YEAR!!!!

I have researched and researched and Steve has done even more research about longevity after the kind of heart attack I had with stenting and there really isn't much info out there. But, a year after anything is a landmark, right?

I'm 26 pounds lighter, can max out the incline on two treadmills at a pace of 4.1, have decided to hate the recumbent bike this month, am almost at 6 minutes on the stair climber and can swallow an entire serving of fish. I am proud of all of these achievements. I have had some help....Steve is the best support ever and I can't overlook the following: Plavix, Cozaar, Metropolol, Hydrochlorthiazide, Simvastatin, Advair, and Aspirin. Onward to year two!

Now, if I could just get Mimi Louise to hit the litter box rather than potty with her front feet in the litter box and her butt outside of it life would be perfect!

Huh??

2011-03-21T08:51:00.000-07:00

I have a question, or maybe a wondering, or maybe I am just a little more than weird.

I was reading a fellow blogger/Facebooker's comment on his 40# weight loss and a recurrent thought went through my mind.

I know I have lost 25 pounds. I can see it in my face, feel my ribs, I have collar bones I can see and touch and I wear a size 4 jeans (and a size 10 dress....how does that calculation come about?). But, I still think I am 140 pounds, still feel like I have a bigger body and wonder when I go to bed if I am going to wake up my old heavier self. While I may fit in those new jeans they don't fit in my brain. It's sort of like if I splurge and eat a doughnut those 25#'s are going to reappear in an hour.

I exercise every day, I am following my diet faithfully, take my meds on time twice a day, go to rehab every Wednesday, my labs are great....I am doing what I am supposed to do but I am also waiting for those shoes to drop and at the moment of that thudding noise I'm not Cinderella anymore.

What's up with all of this weirdness?

I can't swim but I'll wear a life vest.....

2011-03-13T10:15:00.000-07:00

20 years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails.
Explore. Dream. Discover. Twain

I hope I have 20 more years. However much time I do have I need to get that sailboat ready now. Thank you Delci for sending this to me.

Going downstairs

2011-01-12T15:20:00.000-08:00

I remember a time when I had to post a blog every day. I took on blogging like I do everything else.....obsessively and compulsively. Guess I had a lot to say then; lots of words needed to be written. Not so much now; maybe I have said all I need to say.

My life has changed. Having a heart attack has defined my every day. While I won't say it was a blessing to have gone through all that I did seven months ago, it brought front and center what is important in my life and that is my family, my amazing, wonderful husband and waking up every morning and having another chance to enjoy life.

I have said this too many times but I started blogging so my children would know me better, know about my childhood and life before there were kids. But I would much rather talk to them than write to them. I looked back through some of my old posts and they were empty; just mental meanderings of day to day stuff that said nothing about me at all other than I hated winter when Steve was gone, spent too much time talking to cats, dogs, squirrels and bambis and my forest was stunning in photos. So, Rosemary's Attic sort of needs to be swept, some things put in boxes and stored and maybe left alone to gather a little of life's dust for a while. I won't abandon it but I will step back and take a harder look at what I have written and think more before I write in the future.

So, here is my definition now: I exercise every day for at least 40 minutes. I eat bananas, apples, raisins, wheat and grains (even sticky oatmeal!) and fish. My back rarely hurts anymore, I listen to my heart beating every night before I fall asleep. I tell Steve I love him every time I look at him, I still clean like a weirdo but I take my time and enjoy moving the vacuum around and think about how it has helped me stay strong, I read my power thought cards and spend at least 10 minutes alone every day and just try to quiet my mind. I have lost 22 pounds, gone through two drug reaction episodes and come out OK, passed my nuclear scan, kept my lab results in great shape and together Steve and I have weathered a job loss, near financial ruin, a Medicare doughnut hole with my medications, the loss of my beloved cat Fuzz, rescued yet another feral cat that is currently living in the pole building, we are surviving another record making snowy winter AND I'M ALIVE!!!

I will continue to roam through Facebook although I really don't "get" that site, and I still read my blogger friends posts, I just don't comment. And best of all....I am going to be a great-grandmother twice this year. Christopher and Penelope are having a baby girl Adele and John and Laura are having James.

I am happy, blessed and loved.

Merry Christmas to the best blogger friends ever. Happy 2011!

2010-12-23T09:50:00.000-08:00

Better late than never.....Halloween and Thanksgiving 2010

2010-11-27T09:25:00.000-08:00

Steve's carved masterpiece for 2010.

White or dark meat; what's your preference? Albino turkeys are a cross between a wild and domestic turkey according to the guy that sort of fixed our heater. He said they are fair game all year long.....but not on my property. Hope your holidays were happy and your tummy's are still full!

2010-11-25T09:29:00.000-08:00

Forever on Thanksgiving Day

The heart will find the pathway home.

You are all in my heart.

For my Doodle....

2010-11-09T17:16:00.000-08:00

Nobody has ever measured, not even poets, how much the human heart can hold. Zelda Fitzgerald

Fuzzy Doodle: 1997-2010. You will always be in my heart.

A terrorist warning......

2010-11-09T10:15:00.000-08:00

I want to tell you something. Something so horrible you will want to hide. There is a terrorist in our midst....a bad thing, a nightmare. It is insidious, ugly, it crawls into the earth like a dirty worm. It harms me, it hurts me and my family, it makes us sad and afraid all at the same time. I want to burn this terrorist; make a fire so big you will think the earth has exploded. You have seen it every day, but I'd bet you didn't even recognize it.....it sat next to you on the train or bus. You passed it in the grocery aisle and it even sits next to you sometimes in church. Oh, don't think God doesn't know about this thing...this awful thing; He does. I know it's name, it's face, it's voice, it's emails, it's lies, manipulation, stories, excuses. Be warned......IT is drug addiction; it will destroy everything just like it is in my family and believe me drugs and addiction are alive and on the move. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Sachi wears her happiness....

2010-11-08T12:34:00.000-08:00

Sweet Sachiko's birthday was yesterday. She is wearing and holding her birthday gifts. She is growing so fast....sniff. I love this little girl so much it makes my heart glow.

Wailea in the morning

2010-10-18T08:58:00.000-07:00

The Bacchanal that has been our 25th wedding anniversary celebration has come to an end. We made the most of the date....dinner at Oishi, dinner out the weekend after the actual anniversary, and the frosting on the low fat cake was a mini trip to Maui using points and miles!

We had a glorious time in Maui. It is an absolutely beautiful island, the locals are beyond friendly and then there is Hana. We drove the neighborhoods around the resort, drove to the rain forest, and did the traditional luau feast. We spent one entire day just lounging on the beach.

Something occurred to me a few days before we left while I was going through my frantic antics of packing and getting a 6 page list of instructions together for Delci (who has stayed here before and watched the babies).

We had a friend, John, who has been gone for years. John never saw a need to go anywhere other than town; not to Coeur d Alene, certainly not to Spokane and not on vacations. Whenever we go away for even a few days I fret about the babies, worry about the house, just worry for days before we leave. Once I am gone I am fine and almost hate to come back home......emphasis on almost. We had a trip planned....to Costco 50 miles away. I talked Steve out of going....we can find everything we need right here, spend the same amount of money and save the gas. At that moment I realized I had become a 12 mile radius old woman. I don't want or need to go to Coeur d Alene, Spokane or anyplace else really. Everything I need is here.....12 miles into town and 12 miles back. There is one exception.....I need to go to my children and always will no matter where they are. So, on that weird note, I give you Maui.

They said it would never last....

2010-10-05T08:11:00.000-07:00

25 years ago I married my friend; the one I laugh with, live for, dream with, love.

The facts of life....

2010-09-25T06:21:00.000-07:00

There are a few people in my life that know me really well....my kids, Steve, a few friends.....and now, I am getting to know myself too.

I dwell on the worst case scenarios.

I dwell on things that have yet to happen.

I vacuum too much time away....dusting and floor washing is in there as well.

I don't think much of a lot of my past behavior or my mothering skills......that might fall under the quotes from my mother..."Some day you will be sorry for what you did and said, rosemary. Remember that I told you so." I remember a lot.

Along with eating all of the wrong foods for years, stress probably more than anything else caused my heart attack.

Well, it is time for all of that stress/worry/bulls#i! to be over.

I bought two packages of Power Thought Cards because my friend Kathy sent me several quotes in an email...and....while emailing back and forth with my friend Sue she put this paragraph at the end of one message.....

I do not mind drop in company because what you see is what you get. I am not the neat person you are although I used to be. Chip changed all that. I wanted to play with him rather than dust etc and it has remained that way. I do vacuum every day as squirrels make a mess with the seeds and shells and 2 dogs in our little house…Someday when I am on my death bed I am going to be glad I took the time to play with squirrels and probably won’t care if there is dust on the end table. (Sue is a squirrel whisperer...she takes in ill and injured squirrels and has a healing touch).

Here are a few quotes that I might tattoo to my forehead, forearm or my hands...

I have the right to take up space and to exist. I take in and give out life fully and freely

I am the perfect age. Each year is special and precious to me. I shall only live it once. I am comfortable with growing old(er).

I am supported by life itself. I let go go the past. I trust the process of life.

No person, place or thing has any power over me, for I am the only thinker in my mind. I will choose thoughts that keep me serene.

I don't want anyone to worry that I am going over to a side you won't recognize...you know, getting all weird and stuff.....I'll still be bitchy and whiny...just maybe not as much.

Have I mentioned that......

2010-09-21T07:21:00.000-07:00

....I am now at a 5 incline on the treadmill and a level 4 on the recumbent. Not bad for an old broad with a faulty ticker.

....all of the ferns have turned and the cottonwood trees are dropping leaves like crazy. Rain has been coming down in sheets for 2 days.

....when I did that stress test the end of July I was given a paper that said I was radioactive for 3 weeks after the test.....specifically to show TSA folks should I decide I wanted to take a trip shortly after having a heart attack.

....Steve bought a treadmill for me. It was a surprise...has not arrived yet...and to use a phrase of my dad's "We'll be paying for it over time." Which means he charged it.

....we are going to take up the carpet in the downstairs bathroom, be sure the floor is smooth and even and then put down tile.....all by ourselves. Yup, that's the plan.

...the trip I wanted to take to the East Coast for our anniversary has taken a slight detour. Using miles and points we are going to take a trip to Maui instead. Maui is like Vermont in October isn't it? That house I dream about all of the time could be on Maui couldn't it?

....our Subaru Forester is PAID OFF!!! WE HAVE THE PINK!!!!!

....I am proud of Tyler and Bethany. Both done with high school, are going to college and both have jobs! YAY!!!

....I filled out the application to volunteer at the Library. I will only shelve fiction I told the HR guy Craig. He's OK with that.

....the hummingbirds have left for sunnier spots south. We STILL have those ugly June bugs smacking into the windows however. Hello....June bugs....it's September. Bubbye....

....my daughter will be starting a new job in October. She has had the job from hell for the last year and will leave behind a ton of stress. She works in the mortgage business.

....my oldest son and Bethany may be coming for Thanksgiving. It has been a long time since we had anyone other than a cat or dog share Thanksgiving turkey with us.

....all of my petunias have died; too hot, too cold, too much Idaho I guess.

....my friend Molly has the emotional strength of 25 people. Her husband has been diagnosed with bladder cancer after making it through a heart attack and tonsil cancer. Molly, as usual, said they will get through this and come out stronger for it. Amazing.

....I am glad to be alive; glad, grateful, happy, sometimes astounded, and blessed to be alive.

Little girls are.......

2010-09-14T17:55:00.000-07:00

.....made of sugar and spice and this one is wearing a summer dress she made with her mommy. Mommy (Mariko) has a matching blouse and they wore their outfits on the runway at a fashion show for the gymnastic studio where Sachiko will be in a competition this weekend.

Little boys are much simpler......they are made of KARATE!!!!!

What we did over summer vacation.....2010

2010-09-08T16:21:00.000-07:00

Summer has gone by rather quickly. We really didn't have much time to enjoy it what with "the event" messing with our plans. But, a picture is worth a few bucks when it comes to summers in Idaho so here goes........

Mimi Louise slept in the heated bed 24/7.

Fuzzy napped on the back of the couch and kept track of everyone.

Emma spent her days on the clean towels in the bathroom and only ventured off her perch to lay in the cool bathtub.

Guido was outside in the playpen nibbling on grass and catching bugs and then barfing on the carpet.

Wesley and Violet acted like they were BFF's......but they are not.

Steve and I looked at dog butts on our walks every day.

We picked a lot of blackberries....most of these aren't ripe.

We are still watching the peaches ripen.

We watched this lovely lady make lots of ...........holes in trees.


And in case you have any doubts that Mz. Summer Days has left the area, well, here is what I saw on my afternoon walk today.

It's wonderful, it's marvelous.........

2010-09-07T10:11:00.000-07:00

This Labor Day extended weekend was spent laboring and partying. The lawn was mowed, the garages swept, the squirrel feeders refurbished and the lower windows squirted with the hose because I don't do windows. It was also the annual neighborhood get together hosted by the unofficial matriarch of the neighborhood. This matriarch is the mother of the Wonderful son....you remember the Wonderfuls don't you; my former neighbors that are simply wonderful? No wondering why the Wonderful son is wonderful.....his mother is, his kids are and he married the most wonderful-former-neighbor-woman ever.

For some reason I can't explain, I have certain photos of Mrs. Wonderful and the Younger Wonderful Son that up to this blog post I have been reluctant to share. Maybe because when I look at them I cry; maybe because I think of past times with this family that can never be repeated....whatever the reason I am ready to share them now. These photos were taken on the day I had my heart attack; June 15th. Steve called Mrs. Wonderful as he was frantically following the ambulance and asked her if she could come to the hospital and get the dogs. Yup, she could....she stopped her day and drove 50 miles on a mostly under-construction-two-lane-Highway 95 that winds through the hills and mountains and took our dogs home with her. Every day that I was in the hospital and while Steve was there with me, Mrs. Wonderful drove to our house to let the dogs out of the garage and played with them....in the rain. At the holiday gathering Mrs. Wonderful, Daughter Wonderful and Matriarch Wonderful offered to help me through what is turning out to be a mentally challenging heart attack recovery rather than a physical one. Yes indeedy, they are absolutely WONDERFUL.

The photos don't need captions....they speak for themselves..... loud and clear.

A Fair Day

2010-08-29T11:47:00.000-07:00

We went to the County Fair on Friday. This is a real County Fair....no rides, no hawkers, no prizes to win but ribbons. There were dahlias the size of the sun, pies and cakes that smelled yummy, elephant ears to nibble on and quilts that were beautiful beyond description. We were able to watch the goat competitions....we saw the "Old Lady" group; those 5 years and older and then the 2 to 5 year old group. Who knew that udder size and teet placement were crucial to good goat milk? I didn't.

Remember those lambs the kids across the street were raising? Well here they are, all grown up and weighing in at 125#, 121# and 118#. They all sold for $3.35/pound. The money made brought tears of sadness and joy; sad because the lambs had been loved and joy because the money made will go towards next years project....pigs.

Rolling along

2010-08-20T14:42:00.000-07:00

When I was 8 years old my favorite thing to do was skate. I had a pair of clamp on skates that required a key to tighten the skate onto a shoe. I kept the key on a string around my neck and could only use my "old" school shoes for skating. The skates looked like the ones in this photo (that I lifted from someones photo collection). I received my skates as a gift Christmas of 1951. At the time, we lived in a back house and the only place I could skate was on our cement driveway. Sidewalks didn't exist on Third Street and while I could push my dolly buggy on the grass and dirt I could never manage to skate on it....but I sure did try.

My brother was born July 1952 and we moved to Primrose Avenue that summer. Primrose Avenue had sidewalks. My mom would only let me skate up and down the sidewalk on our street. I was not allowed to go around the block or across the street because my mom couldn't see me. But, she was busy with my brother and eventually I realized she wasn't watching me at all. Being a monster child I skated where I wanted to; around the block, then across the street and then down two blocks.

I remember that summer of 1952 being the happiest of my childhood. My parents were obsessed with my brother so I spent every single day skating. I liked the clunkity-clunk rhythm of my skates going over the lines in the sidewalk and I could sing without my mom or dad hearing me. I liked the freedom of going where I wanted to. I liked looking at different houses, different yards and waving to people as I clunked along and sang lalalala to the tune of The Hungarian Rhapsody #2. There are days when I wish I was 8 again and had those skates....but, I may have found a replacement.

Remember that boring treadmill I told you about that I have to walk on for 20 minutes at rehab three times a week? Well, guess what.....I charged up my iPod, got out my comfy old Rykas and have found Primrose Avenue on that treadmill. It's even better on the recumbent bike! I am skating again. YAY!!!!!

I have a routine when I go to rehab....I like routines. Other than having a cardiac monitor stuck onto my body that the nurses watch, no one bothers me, talks to me (an iPod extra blessing) and I can close my eyes and just listen to Jackson, Bonnie, and of course The Hungarian Rhapsody #2! I have only been busted twice for singing, but it didn't bother anyone and after I started bringing my iPod I noticed two other rehabers are using CD players!

It is an amazing thing to see all of us in that rehab room. No one is under 65 years old....several men are in their 90's and recovering from bypass surgery. They hobble in with their wives and canes and look like they are ready to fall over. But, on a treadmill they walk and move like a 50 year old! I feel great after exercising and it carries over to the next day. I am at a 3mph pace and am inching my incline up by .5 every week. I can do a level 3 on the elliptical and am a whiz on the recumbent. I am proud of myself. I am hopefully healing my broken heart and might even be removing some of that 70% occlusion in my circumflex artery. Add to that the doc says I CAN'T SHOVEL SNOW.

Just for today....

2010-08-14T12:28:00.000-07:00

Just for today: I am grateful for/that:

I can still pay the monthly mortgage

The forest stays green all year round

Fuzz is still alive

I found cats

My back doesn’t hurt as much as it did yesterday

We got the lawn mowed before it rained

I can still sit with Steve at breakfast every day

I can turn the TV off at some point after we go to bed

The roof replacement cost less than we thought

The unemployment bill passed

Rehab is fun and I feel great after it is over for the day

While it may have been cheaper if I had died from a heart attack, I am still alive

I have a daughter that helps me put life in perspective every now and then

Buckets and buckets of.......dreams.

2010-08-02T18:33:00.000-07:00

I've started a bucket list. Additions will be made as time goes by.....or deletions. I sent it to Steve. He is going to add his "buckets" to my list.

Go to foreign country.....Norway, New Zealand, Australia, The Cook Islands, France, Spain....I"m not particular...just out of the US.

Ride in a race car….I don’t care what kind of car it is......a dragster, Formula 1...just a really fast race car...with two seats.

Ride a horse.

Be blond again if just for a short while.

Make love like we used to.

Learn to play the piano….even if it is poorly played.

I'm beyond being embarrassed about what I put on the list or what I write anymore......what's gonna happen? I'll die? I figure I've earned the right to be outspoken.

....later than before

2010-07-25T14:44:00.000-07:00

Still above ground...just a bit slower and my weirdness has increased according to my daughter. Chris was here for a visit and to babysit me for Steve while he was on a 3 day trip. We were coming home from dinner the day after Steve got back and there was a lot of fog on the way home. I asked this question: Do you think driving cars through fog disrupts the balance of the earth? Both Steve and my daughter were ready to commit me after I asked that. Now think about it....fog was here first, not humans, and the earth was balanced with fog being where it should be, doing what fog does....wouldn't you think driving a car through fog would screw with the earth's balance in some way? I do.

I forgot to mention that the barn swallows arrived on March 24th to check out the lodging, laid their eggs in the box under the balcony, decreased the mosquito population by zillions, ran the usual drive through diner for the babies, coaxed the babies out of the box, did a few days of GPS mapping and left Thursday.

There is a nuclear scan in my future...this week....Thursday....because I continue to have those pesky chest pains that signaled the "event" as we are now calling it. The doctor used the words kink and tweak when I saw him. He was explaining about how he had a difficult time with my stents because the blockage was at a place where the artery made a turn. Stents being stainless steel don't bend apparently.

I have started rehab and am doing well I think. I have gone from 7 minutes on the treadmill (the most boring exercise machine ever) and elliptical to 20 and 15 minutes. I am using sissy 1# weights, but that's 1# in each hand more than I was using before. I go 3x/week and have a class on Wednesday. I am supposed to read The Power of Now but Amazon is out of that particular book so it is back ordered.

Going along with the Now theme rather than the let's worry about all of the mistakes I have made in the past and worry more about tomorrow theme, my daughter Stephanie (her mother can sue me for calling her my daughter) called yesterday to check on us. Steph has lots of years clean and works her program and lives her life like someone blessed and happy for every Now moment she has. She shared that she had been crabby and just kind of in a nasty mood so she called her sponsor. Her sponsor gave her this assignment: Every day for a month she has to write 10 things she is grateful for. For the first week she has to call her sponsor and tell her those 10 things then she can email them. Steph knows me well; she suggested I try it. Might just make my days a little more lemonady rather than bitter lemons. So today I called Steph with my 10 things. Maybe sharing them with the world (regardless of how small my blog world is) will help me be a happier person......because I do realize that I am an old soul who doesn't know how to relax, enjoy the moment, let go of my routines and just be.

In no particular order on Sunday, July 25th I am grateful for:

1. My heart getting a second chance
2. Phone calls from our kids
3. Emma being Emma
4. Barn swallows that have been coming back for 10 years
5. My morning hug from Steve
6. The inventor of soy sausages
7. The HGTV channel
8. Clumping cat litter
9. Every day the power stays on
10.Finding Wesley
11.All of the really special bloggers that emailed get well wishes to me

I know...11

2010-07-08T16:28:00.000-07:00

I finally decided to download all of the photos that were on Myron. I still had photos from last winter and the snow! Shame on me. Here is a sampling of the forgotten pictures! BTW....can someone explain to me how photo spacing can look perfect in compose and then look ~~like crap~~ horrible in preview and the post?

Wesley with his new indestructible toy that he immediately destroyed.

Two headed dog!

Best allergy causing dust in the world right there in those beautiful fluffy orange bulbs.

New growth on Pines (and other trees) are called candles. I guess this would be taking a left on Pine.

Clover, Idaho size!

The new pony that lives with the kids across the street.....Dusty.

The kids across the street with their 4H projects....lambs.

The hummingbird patrol.

Petey looking like he has bad dentures.

Steve napping with the doggies.

My new computer Gabriella....she can be really cool to use and really annoying; there is no in between.

A little bit later.....

2010-07-06T17:03:00.000-07:00

Today was a good day. I kissed Steve, the kitties and the dogs. I cleaned the house....upstairs and down. That's been cleared as an OK activity. Then I mowed the ~~weeds~~ lawn using the walk behind for about ten minutes. That has not been OK'd thus the ten minute time period. I feel almost normal. I'll be tired later, but hopefully that elusive thing called sleep will find me tonight.

I totally avoided calling the hospital to see if someone...anyone....cleared me for cardiac rehab. Long story there but several people dropped the cardiac ball and none of those several were me. I figure I got lots of rehab today and if you could see what I was eating....well, you'd think I was lying about the whole heart attack/stent thing. I'm trying that's for sure.

I have a lot of blog reading to catch up on but I will be honest; I am having trouble concentrating. I usually sit in my rocker in the evening and do sudoku puzzles or read while Steve watches mindless crap on TV, but I can't seem to stay focused on either of those activities. I am still a bit pre-occupied with trying to picture those stents in my heart and wondering if the twinges I am still having is that pesky 70% occluded vessel talking to me. Of course I worry just to worry, but money issues are always floating in my brain along with other things like: should I cut my hair or not, try to clean the carpets or just leave the stains alone, can I somehow make 5 dollars 10 using my mind only, am I too old to wear those bohemian gauzy blouses, should I start getting tax stuff ready, will the idiot politicians pass the unemployment extension and would it really do any good to email those idiots with my thoughts about their no votes.......see, silly worrying that distracts me.

But for right now, today was a good day and I will kiss Steve, the kitties and the doggies good night.

The evolution of a heart attack, by rosemary

2010-06-18T17:34:00.000-07:00

Pay attention; this is important. It is a long post, but I hope just one person will read it through and realize they need to see a doctor.

In the beginning about 15 years ago it was high blood pressure. Then high cholesterol followed with triglycerides so far off the charts other lab values couldn't be read. A diet was followed and over the counter red yeast rice and niacin were added hoping to avoid those dreaded statin drugs. Lots of food label reading was done.

I felt good, was active and the cholesterol and triglycerides slowly went down.

Eventually.....I fell off the wagon and started eating things like pizza when I didn't feel like cooking. I could eat fettuccine and garlic bread three times a day.....I didn't but I could.

The first weird feeling happened in January or February; I didn't pay much attention. It was a weakness that ran across my chest to my shoulders and made my arms feel weak....it went away in a few seconds. No big deal. It happened several times after that but I didn't get nervous about it until I was in of all places....WallieWorld!!! I had to sign their electronic check gadget and there it was...the feeling. I couldn't hold the pen and when I finally wrote my name it looked like a squiggle. So, I started keeping track of the weird feelings.....May 13th, May 19th and the next day too. I was going to make an appointment to see the doctor; really, I was.

Tuesday we decided to go to PetSmart with the three dogs. Wesley needs a harness and Mimi needs canned food. We left at 1. Right before I went downstairs I had "indigestion." I took a big drink of sprizzly water...felt a bit better. By the time we were about 20 miles out of town the indigestion got worse. It was in my right breast and went through to my back. I thought my gallbladder was spasmodic and pissed off. But, I couldn't take a deep breath, I was coughing, the indigestion was horrible, I was sweating and antsy in the truck seat. About half way to the store I told Steve to pull into the 66-Conoco station. I wanted a root beer. Yup, that would fix this icky feeling. As soon as I stepped out of the truck I knew something was really wrong. I went into the mini-mart, got the soda and by the time I got back to the truck it felt like the proverbial elephant was sitting on my chest with a ton of bricks added.

I have never, ever felt pain like that; never been so afraid and Steve was in freak-out mode. Did anyone come over to see what was wrong? I was screaming that something bad was happening, Steve was trying to hold me up and dial 911 at the same time. No one came over or asked if we needed help.

The ambulance arrived in just a few minutes and I was hauled onto the gurney and whisked away. I couldn't breathe, I wanted to throw up, I was miserable. Half way to Kootenai Medical Center the ambulance stopped. I thought I was dying and they were just not going to take me the rest of the way. What they did was meet a Medi-Vac bus and the medic got into my ambulance and we were off again. I was given 4 aspirin to chew, NTG was sprayed under my tongue three times, I was stuck for IV's and given morphine. Nothing helped.

After I got into the ER I was pumped full of morphine without relief, met with the cardiac surgeon, had my clothes cut off, had a chest x-ray and was taken to the cath lab. I had my hoo-haa shaved, was wiped down with a cold blue liquid and given a push of Versed. Finally I was happy (yup, that Versed is happy juice alright) and didn't care that I was in the middle of what would be called a "moderate insult to your heart with moderate damage."

It was actually cool to watch the monitor as the dye was injected and the balloon inflated; two stents were placed. I didn't get to see that.

I spent one absolutely miserable night in the Cardiac Critical Care Unit with my cut off clothes under me, four blankets piled on my feet, a phone in the bed, various wrappers, needle sheaths and a tourniquet under my arm. I was not allowed to move, had to keep my right leg flat and straight and was told my incessant (my word) crying would put stress on the cath injection site.....so would coughing, sneezing, laughing (not much of that going on) and pretty much everything else but breathing. The man in the next room was confused and kept pushing his bedside table away from his bed into the wall. He actually managed to get it out the door and it hit a Pixis unit. The nurses kept putting it right back next to his bed.

I was transferred to the Progressive Cardiac Unit Wednesday morning. I arrived with a blood clot at that damn cath site and had to have pressure on it for hours and the flat crap was enforced once again.

Eventually I was able to get out of bed, eat what turned out to be pretty decent food and walk the halls to be sure my heart could handle the load with activity. I was discharged today.

It has been a miserable time. Here is what this event has left me with:

Anxiety about every little twinge I feel.
Fear of dying in horrible pain.
Never seeing Steve, my kids or grand kids again.
I still have a vessel that is 70% blocked....the doc is going to "watch" it for now and possibly do another cath in a month or so.
An appreciation for the little things; walking the dogs, seeing the ferns in the forest, being able to look out my bedroom window at 2AM and see trees, talk to my family on the phone, touch Steve when he is asleep.
Stupid and embarrassed that I was a nurse and absolutely knew better.
Food is not everything.
I am on those damn statin drugs after-all...plus prescription strength Niacin, more heart and blood pressure meds, potassium and big script bills.
My heart is fucked up and I could have prevented it by being an adult.
Luckily I never smoked and I don't drink or do drugs.
I can still sit at my computer and write a blog post.

Pay attention. It could happen to you.

Thank you to all of you that left comments. I love you and getting those comments on my cheesy, POS phone made my days so much better...you have no idea.

Fyi..I am in the hospital. I have had a heart attack, 2 stents..more Fri.

2010-06-16T18:42:00.001-07:00

Turning a page

2010-06-13T11:53:00.000-07:00

You know how when you have a perfect job and either you or someone you really liked and appreciated leaves....for what ever the reason? You know how you say things on that last day like: "We can have lunch or go to the movies and I promise I will call you...often."....but you never do and they never do and then way too much time goes by and to call would be uncomfortable? I will know how that goes once again.

My term as a Trustee for the Library ends tomorrow night. I could have run for another term. I doubt anyone would have come forward to challenge me.....but, for reasons I can say and others I can't, I decided to leave. I recruited my replacement; another woman who worked at the Library when I did. She is much younger, has children in school, and actually works in the Library at the Charter School. Last year I was thinking seriously about whether I wanted to run again. Then right before Christmas I ran into Molly H. at the movies and in an instant I knew she would be perfect on the Board. I asked her if she might be interested....she absolutely was.....and when the time came for me to say out-loud what my decision was I emailed her to be sure she wanted to apply for the "job". I told my fellow Board members I was retiring....in a wobbly voice with my eyes tearing.

Some of the reasons are: The new terms are now five years in length and soon will go to six. I had worked at the Library for 4 1/2 years and was on the board for almost four. To add another five years of influence to an institution is way too long I think. I will be 66 this November. Of the five Board members only one is a lot younger than me; the other 3 members are close to my age. I feel the Board needs a younger opinion and voice; someone working in the community that uses the Library all of the time and with younger children. While our Library has something for every age we do have a large youth presence in the Library. Perhaps Molly can shed some light on the youth of today....something no one else can really do right now with the Board mix.

I have felt passionately about many of the issues that have come before the Board and also felt like I was in an information cave with others. I have had a few rants, but I doubt anyone really got what I was talking about and zoned out after a few minutes so that doesn't matter. I may have felt strongly about some decisions that were made, but in the end I was one vote of five and the Board was always wise in its entirety.

My name is on the agenda for the meeting tomorrow. I already told the current chair I did not want a going away "gift" or even a card. I don't want to cry and make a fool of myself and I absolutely do not want to be a line item on the budget. It has been pure pleasure and one of the greatest honors of my life to have been on the Library Board. It isn't just about what a Library stands for in a community, it isn't about the sum of its books, DVDs and periodicals or even sitting in the lobby using free WiFi....it's also about the staff, the volunteers and the Director all of whom have made The East Bonner County Library a place of enrichment, fun, a place to gain knowledge, use the tutoring lab, meet friends and just goof off. It's the whole package.....no other place has Susan, Vanessa, Elise, Ann, Gloria, Wayne, Craig, Dawn, my dear friends Molly and Gina and so many other behind the scenes staff. I hope this time will be different. I hope I will have those lunches, go to those movies and make and receive those calls. It could happen; maybe. So, I guess it's exit left.

Here it is; EBCL.

This and that while it rains and rains and rains and then rains somemore!

2010-06-07T09:30:00.000-07:00

Ho hum. I am slowly acquainting myself with my new computer, Gabriella. Yesterday I also perused Facebook and added a bunch of photos. Yup, it is raining and has been for almost two weeks. We have had two days of sun...barely. I mowed the lawn one of those days....or rather I skimmed the marsh with what someone looking at the yard would guess was a machete. The ground is pure mush and mud. More rain predicted.

So, here are the photo results of my fun filled days:

I stole a photo from my daughter's Facebook page. Here are Christopher, Christine and Tyler this last weekend. Christopher was in So Cal for a visit. They are a gorgeous bunch of people if I do say so myself.

This is Tyler's new car. I think it is pretty cool looking and totally fits Tyler's personality (photo stolen from Ty's Facebook page).

We took this photo with Gabriella this morning before I had even thought about brushing my hair. Last night I accidentally turned off my computer when it was supposed to stay on for backup. Steve had to fix it and while he waited for Gabriella to decide if she wanted to recognize the backup drive he discovered this photo feature. It was the first thing he showed me after we got up.

This is the Chinese symbol for Book Lover (I think it is Chinese...but I might be wrong).

I took this photo a while back of a tree in front of our vet's office. I love how this moss takes advantage of the tree trunk....good sharing I'd say.

While sitting at the kitchen table this morning we watched/listened to Good Morning America. Joan Rivers was one of the guests. She was talking very honestly about her multiple plastic surgeries. She made a comment that went something like: If you are unhappy with the way you look FIX IT! Steve asked me if I was happy with the way I looked and I said no.....he asked why.....So I honestly said I didn't like my saggy parts and the wrinkles on my face. His solution? "Well, sweetheart, just grow a beard. Can you see my wrinkles and sags?" Thanks honey.....great suggestion.

Question: Why does the spacing get screwed up every time I post a blog? I spend more time trying to get stuff to just fit than I do writing the damn post.

The dream

2010-06-03T07:40:00.000-07:00

For three nights in a row I have had a dream about the house.

Before the dreams: I lived in the house in the mid 60's. The house always seemed out of place....it was in South Alhambra; I was a South side girl. The house belonged in North Alhambra. It was a Craftsman design; designed for beauty.....stained glass on the front door and a porch that spread along the entire front of the place. There I was....this young mother with two toddlers, standing in the living room of a house that made me feel like I was about to be given the gift and responsibility of loving and caring for the house.

The house was a rental. I never knew or saw the owner; the rent was paid through an agency. When I first walked through the house I was amazed that the owner would surrender the house to a stranger. The rent was so low I thought a mistake had been made with the quote. I wanted to live in the house the. moment. I. walked. through. the. door. I wanted to sweep the floors, clean the claw footed tub, sit on the back steps and watch the kids play in the yard.

If I close my eyes I can walk through the house room by room. There were built in cabinets with stained glass, gleaming hardwood floors, a brick fireplace, windows in groups of four, that claw footed tub and so much more. My favorite room in the house was the kitchen. There were cupboards everywhere with snap latches, a walk in pantry and soapstone counter tops sloped just perfectly on the sides of the farm sink. I didn't want curtains at the windows because there was wide, dark wood molding around all of them; curtains would have made the windows just average.

I did clean that house; every day. I did take baths in that tub and I did sit on the back steps and on the front porch and watch my children play. Why did I leave. The unseen owner died and the house was sold....in a heartbeat.

Two years ago when were were in California I made Steve drive by the house. At first I thought we were on the wrong street....the house was on Edgewood; we were on Edgewood. And then there it was....the house. It had been stuccoed, the porch had been re-done, the door replaced and there was an apartment above the detached garage. The house as far as I was concerned was gone.

In the dreams; today: The house is exactly as it was when I lived there. It is perfect, cozy, it talks to me. But it isn't in Alhambra; it's on the East Coast. The house is on a dirt and rock lane; a lane far away from the neighbors. There are fruit trees and rose bushes in the front and a vegetable garden in the back yard. I can see the garden when the kids are playing. There are no children, however. There is just me, old and gray; exactly as I am right at this moment. I ride my blue bicycle into the little hamlet where the house lives. I buy groceries. But, I can't get back to the house. I am lost. When I finally find the house and try to go into the kitchen through the back screen door a man confronts me. The man isn't Steve. The house isn't really mine. I am crying when I wake up. The dream has been exactly the same every night.

I think I know what is prompting the dream. Steve and I will have been married 25 years this October. We have talked about taking a trip to the New England States. I have never been to that part of the country. I want to go to the Shaker Community in Maine, I want to see the New England countryside with farmhouses like the ones I see in magazines, I want to walk through those out of the way small towns and say hello to everyone I meet. I want to go to the New England States with Steve. I think the house is there now. I think it is waiting for us to find it.

Remembering someone I never met.

2010-05-31T11:27:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time there was a young man named Gilberto. He was the only son of Grandma Tommy and Grandpa Tony; they were my son's great-grandparents. I remember at a drunken celebration on Memorial Day decades ago Gilberto became the topic of conversation. His brother-in-law called Gilberto a sissy that wet his bed as a kid. Tommy and Tony were beyond hurt and angry. A fist fight ensued and the celebration broke up with everyone angry. Several family members didn't speak after that for years.

This celebration/gathering is only time I ever remember my son's father standing up for someone...anyone...anything. He made this statement: Gilbert may have been a bed-wetter, but he went to war and died for YOU.

So, today I honor and remember Gilberto Aguilar who was killed in action on October 5, 1951 during the Korean War. My son is named for him.....Gilbert...Gil, Bert, my boy. I hope Gil...Bert....will read this and ask his dad about this family hero.

Gilberto is listed on the US government site for Korean War causalities. Did you know that we lost 53,686 military, 92,134 were wounded and 4,759 are MIA because of the Korean War?

Let me add a PS.....for a grandfather named Albert C. Padilla. My oldest son's middle name is Albert. This WWII hero, who died Christmas Day 1944, is buried at the Luxembourg American Cemetery, Luxembourg.

A challenging request

2010-05-27T17:06:00.000-07:00

My youngest son Gil (lovingly known as Bert around the inner family circle) sent an email request a few weeks back. I have read that email every day and every day I wanted to cheat and look up some facts....but I didn't. Here is the email.

Hey Mom,

I just showed my students the movie Apollo 13 with Tom Hanks. Most know nothing of our history of U.S. Space exploration or even that the Space Shuttle goes into space on a routine basis. Can you blog about what it was like or what you remember about our early trips to space and the moon in the 60's and 70's? I told my kids about watching the Challenger Space Shuttle in my high school chemistry class and how just about the whole country watched it explode on live TV. They all look at me with glazed eyes and have no reference images to understand the impact that event had. It's sad that most people in general don't know we travel into space regularly. It would be neat to read your memories of the time and know if it was a big deal or not.

Thanks,

Love You,

Bert

So here goes trying to remember something from 4 decades ago.

Dear Bert, I agree with you; it is sad that 6th, 7th and 8th graders have no clue about our space endeavors. Perhaps sadder still is the fact that I have never been terribly interested in our space travels.

When the first men, Armstrong and Aldrin, walked on the moon I was too busy taking care of two young kids and a baby...you. If I remember correctly you had been born about a month before this great event and I was overwhelmed with kids, dirty diapers, making formula, cleaning house, worrying about money (I remain on the hamster wheel with that one) and trying to make ends meet.

The day after the moon walk I remember being excited because your dad and I were going to Howard's to buy my very first vacuum. We pulled up to the front of the store to park and all of the televisions in the window had footage of that first step and Mr. Armstrong's words. Did you know that he goofed with what he was supposed to say? Do I know what he was supposed to say? No, I don't. Was I excited about the US achievement? I was but I couldn't identify with it then and still can't to be honest.

I remember Sally Ride and thinking what a wonderful thing it was to have a woman achieve what she did......and wondering if she got the same pay as a male astronaut. At the time I was an RN making less than a male co-worker who had started at the same time I did at QofV.

I watched when the Challenger exploded. I felt a huge loss but mainly because of Christa McAuliffe, a young mother and teacher, and thinking about that horrible sight as her children watched along with the rest of us.

I know President Obama is squashing the space program. I guess that's too bad, but with the country in such a mess perhaps he will start a savings account to pay off future bills.

Bert, maybe it's a generational thing. I was taught and remember reading about the Revolutionary and Civil Wars, WWI and II and The Korean War. I learned about US Government and how our country works. I saw Civil Rights become a reality, watched the television again in horror as news of the assassination of President Kennedy unfolded and was hopeful as women's rights were recognized. I was a part of the 60's; frizzy hair and earth shoes in place.

What do you historically remember? Vietnam? The Space Programs, the evolution of music, The Gulf Wars.......you will remember those things that influenced you in the past, influence you now and as you go through life. As a teacher you can inspire your kids to try and remember those historical milestones in their lives. Maybe one day at the end of the school year when the kids are eager for summer to begin you can come up with a lesson plan using math and science to help start them on that road.....and make it fun and meaningful! I positively, absolutely know you can be (and probably already are) that one teacher a kid will remember when they are old and grey.

I hope I didn't disappoint you, Bert. Love you, mom

Lazy spring days

2010-05-18T10:57:00.000-07:00

The days are getting longer and warmer. Nights make for stuffy sleeping. Fuzzy ate the forest violets I had collected; salad for him I guess. They are starting to fade so I will have to collect and protect them after today's walk. The summer ferns are just popping up through the forest floor. Steve and I have been watching for them every day for weeks. They decided to be lazy this year and are arriving a bit late.

Since becoming Wesley's new and forever mommy I have been walking three times a day. I have lost some weight, have less of an appetite for some reason, but that's good, and I am sleeping better. See what a young doggie can do? I just wish Steve would go with me on all three walks, but he keeps himself chained to his office chair looking and looking for a cure for last years pox and I can only pry him out of his nasty office once a day.

Steve's brother came for a 5 day visit. It was an interesting time. He lost his wife to cancer 5 years ago and over those years he quit his job and now spends most of his time with his 2 poodles. That he came for a visit was an exercise out of his safety box that's for sure.

My daughter Chris and grandson Christopher put interesting and meaningful quotes on their FaceBook pages every day. The ones below made me really think and ponder some areas of my life.
From Christopher:
Being Happy is such a complicated thing and yet one of the most simple desires. If something makes me unhappy I try to be grateful that I was blessed to care for something enough for it to make me sad. Then after the appropriate time I try to not let it affect me too much because then it has won"

You can explore the universe looking for somebody who is more deserving of your love and affection than you are yourself. You will not find that person anywhere.

From Christine:
Sometimes you have to let go to see if there was anything worth holding on to.

If you cry because the sun has gone out of your life, your tears will prevent you from seeing the stars.

Now onto the real rosemary....

I have to wear a bra the whole time someone is visiting...well, except for those times when Chris is here. A bra is annoying most of the time.

I want to do some projects this summer like put tile in the downstairs bathroom, see if we can carpet the snorage room ourselves (probably not), wash the windows (but that one is not a project it is punishment), see if I really can grow something edible in our garden, mentally adjust to the thought of taking a road trip with the truck and camper and three dogs, plan some sort of inexpensive but meaningful trip for our 25th anniversary......those are for starters. Did you know that 25 years is the longest Steve and I have been married to anyone...actually 10 years has that distinction too. We had to make a few mistakes and kiss a few frogs.

Speaking of frogs, there is one living under the lid of the propane tank...and he is absolutely adorable. He is brown and has freckles and is tiny and likes to have his back touched.....he stretches his front legs out when I do that. I am making an assumption with that but he could hop away, right?

That's it for now......I know I am tardy with blog reading and will catch up I promise.

A barking story....

2010-05-11T07:59:00.000-07:00

Neener, neener, neener, I've got a new doggie and you don't have one....neener.

Say hello to Wesley Jackson Olsen...my new little boy doggie. Remember the post where I was whining and complaining about not finding a dog? Well, thanks to Delci Ruth and Barb who both sent me the same link I found Wesley.

He used to live with a young couple in Airway Heights, WA. The former dad is in the Navy and currently someplace secret training for all things weather; the former mom works and lives with her in laws. Wesley was their "baby" having been purchased shortly after they were married. He was leaving the military when, as happens in the military, they made him an offer he couldn't refuse......a wheelbarrow full of money, a much higher rank and lots of meteorological schooling....in Biloxi and then in Germany. They decided to find a second forever home for their much loved boy, Wesley.

Their ad was full of adorable photos and glowing things about Wesley so I responded only to get an email back saying their hearts were breaking thinking of giving Wesley away and they were surprised that someone actually answered the ad....they decided to take him with them. Later the same day another email arrived saying she had actually looked into the taking Wesley with them thing and not only would it cost them that wheelbarrow full of money plus some extra, it would mean 60 days of quarantine; 30 days in the USA and 30 in Germany. Wesley was back on the market.

One play date later, followed by trip to a place so far out in the Heights it doesn't have an address, one HUGE crate loaded into the back of the car along with assorted toys and a food tote....Wesley came to live in his forever home....here with me and Steve and our little family of doggies and kitties.

We have some adjusting to do....Mimi Louise who is usually bitchy, hissy and mean to every living thing is in hiding; Emma is not leaving the snorage room; Guido is becoming a little more curious and coming out from the snorage room and surprise! Fuzz is taking Wesley head on with chases and raised fur!

Wesley already loves the forest, is sort of obeying when called back from chasing the Bambis, is not allowed to chase the turkeys either although I sure wish I could let him do that, has air peed on probably 30 or 40 trees today alone and is just an all over wonderful doggie. He is so black he looks blue, has no other markings, is a big one-and-a-half-year-old Lab mix (he goes to the vet today and we will get more info on that mix thing....the former parents said English Bulldog but I'm putting my money on Great Dane alert: Wesley is a Lab/Hound mix) and we love him to pieces. He will be Steve's boy that is already obvious and he will love me because I feed him and rub his tummy. Kiss, kiss Wesley Jackson Olsen.

In honor of mothers and other mothers.....

2010-05-08T11:20:00.000-07:00

Happy Mother's Day to all of my friends that qualify. Tomorrow will be a sniff and snork day because per the norm none of my children will be in Idaho and I won't be in California or New York. The kids will call, we will catch up on the news and weather and I will cry when we hang up. My step-daughter Stephanie will call as well....and I will cry again. She calls me her Other Mother.

So...on to other mothers. I had lunch with Kathy my former wonderful neighbor last Wednesday. Not a day goes by that I don't think of her....every time the Neighbors From Hell kids play outside, screaming at the top of their lungs I think of Kathy and her family and how peaceful things were back then. Every day when we walk the trails and pick up the trash that the NFH kids left behind I think of Kathy and her family. I miss them and the little path that we kept cleared so the kids could come over and visit. Seems the NFH kids have broken into the neighbor's house across the street, have been forever banned from riding the school bus and have managed to litter the forest in front of their drive. No reason to keep that path open now.

Kathy and I caught up on everything from local real estate to her kid's choices for college. Then we were talking about how we would spend Mother's Day. She told me this story: Her sister and brother-in-law divorced several years ago but everyone has stayed "family" and have good relationships. This couple had twin boys who are 9 now. The father remarried about a year ago and bought a house about a block from his twin boys and his former wife. The new wife recently had a baby girl and she is the joy of the family. The new wife loves the twin boys and they adore her; the ex-wife, Kathy's sister, loves her as well....and the feeling is mutual from the new wife. Everybody loves everybody. The twin boys call their step-mother Bonus Mom. When Kathy said those two words she teared up and so did I. What an honor for that new mother. How lucky is that family to have remained pretty much intact and caring. Sometimes I wish I could go back and have a few do-overs.....not move so far away, see my kids on a whim, watch my grandchildren grow right in front of my eyes....all of that AND have Idaho and my forest. I can dream I guess.

So, once again to all of my mother friends and to those other mothers and bonus moms....have a wonderful day.

Bark, bark, baowow- wow sniff....

2010-05-06T10:26:00.000-07:00

So.....here's the scoop on my doggie quest. Two friends...Delci Ruth and Barb...have taken on the monumental job of trying to find the perfect doggie for me. They have been haunting Craig's List not once but many times a day for any new listings for Labs. I have sent out close to two dozen...as in 2 dozen...emails, made two phone calls and what have I gotten. A dog? That would be no. Of all of the emails I sent only one person replied and that dog, that did not have a photo in the ad, didn't even closely resemble a lab or lab mix when a picture was included in the reply email. All it would take is a "The dog has been adopted," or a "You are too old for a 1 year old dog." or "We want 4 thousand bucks for our dog so send a check first." response. Is that too much to ask? I guess so.

Of course there are hundreds of lab puppies for sale....priced anywhere from 200 bucks to 700. I don't have that kind of money and Steve absolutely will not "buy" a dog. ~Sigh~

Along with Delci Ruth and Barb, Gina is looking, Stacy, Stephanie from the vet's office, the lady that manages our pathetic retirement account, the neighbor across the street, Kathy our former perfect neighbor and I am thinking of asking the greeters and checkers at WallieWonderWorld to keep their eyes and ears open.

I will visit the shelter this weekend and if by Sunday I am still big dog-less I think I will back off for a while. Here are a few of the doggies that I have fallen in love with via Craig's List....Sammy, a mother and daughter pair that can't be separated and Wesley. No, they aren't chocolate labs but I have reached the point of...black, yellow, rainbow or green coloring would be fine.

Puzzling thoughts, just thoughts, facts and questions

2010-04-30T05:47:00.000-07:00

Is it OK to sell my old bras at our yard sale?

What do you think of dog clothes? Booties? Scarves?

Why would Steve want a NEW tractor with a cab when all he has to do is get a cab for the tractor that he already has that is working just fine?

Diane Sawyer or Katie Couric? I'm thinking neither one.....

Blogger or Facebook? Gina, you may not answer this question.

Why do turkeys have to poop on my cement driveway pad when there is perfectly good dirt on the acreage next door?

I hated high school.....and everyone that attended school with me at that particular high school. Grammar school wasn't a peachy time either.

Sometimes dogs can fill those spaces in a heart left open and sad because children live 1500 miles away ....but only sometimes.

I am looking for a Lab puppy.....email if you know of or have one you don't want. I really need a puppy. Really.

Steve is the nicest man I have ever known.

Blossom hasn't been seen in 4 days. There is a HUGE, as in gigantic, Siamese mix cat eating Blossom's food. I don't like that much. She/he let Steve pet her/him.

Who do you all think Jesse James will hook up with next? A pole dancer, a tattooed 7 foot tall circus pony rider, or will he forever remain celibate?

I am really tired of being on a fat free diet. We shared a salad at The Dish that had real bacon in it and I thought I had died and gone to bacon heaven. Yup, it was that good.

Steve has a cold. Great Mother of Colds in Men please save me.

Why would a Doctor of Pharmacy refuse to take two freakin Tylenol to ease the misery of the common cold? WHY?

Are deer related to elk or moose?

Is it absolutely necessary to have a middle name? I always felt cheated because I didn't have one. My mother told me rosemary was a pretty name all by itself. At my confirmation I took my godmother's name and used it as my middle name even though everyone snickered when I said I was Rosemary Lucia Lucas.

That census stuff....Gil called with questions and that got me wondering....if I am half Italian and half German what am I? I relate to my Italian heritage but maybe I am Italrman. I could be if I wanted to.

I need one good reason for cold sores. Just one.

It stays light outside until after 8 PM now. Love it. I don't love daylight at 4 AM however.

Violet and Petey are annoying on car rides. Petey whines and has a high pitched bark/yap. Steve says it's an embarrassing bark given Petey's maleness. Violet sits and stares into the corner of the backseat. I need a big dog to hang out the window, drool and love the hanging out stuff no matter what the weather. See above lab puppy thing.

I am not looking forward to Mother's Day. I haven't for 11 years.

I want to officially name our home/forest Sweet Violet Valley. Steve says no.....he is on a calling everything sissified streak.

During my computerless time I managed to finish a few books. I am not a book reviewer at all, but if you want to read some really wonderful, contemporary, funny, tear making, laugh out-loud, dysfunctional family fabulous stories you should read the books by Jonathan Tropper.

The Dalai Lama is still first on the list of people I'd like to have lunch with. The Pope is out. Obama is second, I'd like to talk to Prince Charles sans Camilla about his planned village, maybe John Force if he took a Valium first, and I'd like to lunch with Garth Stein, Diana Gabaldon and now Jonathan Tropper to find out how they get their ideas for their novels. My dream is to have all of my blogger buddies and my kids meet for lunch in maybe downtown Manhattan at a ritzy place and have it paid for by Blogger/Google. Maybe we would all get iPads as gifts or at least an iPhone.

The End.

Sniff, snork

2010-04-28T17:07:00.000-07:00

There is a rhythm to my life...a security in the routines and mundane. I vacuum every day, dust and wash floors. Visits from my children and grandchildren change some of that. I vacuum, but hurry up to do it. I dust, but miss a lot of fluff. I wash floors, but walk on them before they are dry. I even miss a cleaning day when my kids visit. I know.....strange.

When the kids are here there is a flurry of love, fun and activity. The dogs bypass me in the morning and go straight for the visitor in the sun room bed. Snacks are given under the table from a dinner plate. Violet falls in love all over again with Auntie Chris, Uncle Bert or the new guy, Tommy. The cats know they will get neck rubs and Emma acts like a feline hooker to be first in line. Even Mimi Louise restrained from smacking Chris this visit.

This most recent visit was a renewal visit. My daughter is hurting. I want to think she needed her mom; and that got me thinking.......I remember her calling me Mommy; I can hear her voice, Gil and Art's voices too.....Mommy? When did I go from Mommy to Mom? Does it mean the same thing when an adult child cries and calls you mom just like they did when you were Mommy?

I hate, absolutely hate to think one of my kids is hurting to the point of tears and sobs. All three of them have been in that place. I can't make things better anymore, get them out of painful situations, or fix-it. They are all adults after-all and need to figure some of life's miseries out by themselves. But, I wish I could be Mommy again and finally protect my kids, fix those painful situations or put on a bandage. All I can do as mom is listen. I hope that is enough.

On the fun side of this visit.....we ate at Oishi the sushi joint and were full and happy; we ate at The Dish and were full and happy; we saw The Backup Plan and managed to laugh; we walked First Street and window shopped to the tune of a few thousand bucks; we all got a cherry cordial mocha coffee at Starbucks and managed to laugh at my cheating at checkers while we sipped the drinks; we made tostadas and spaghetti, faux cinnabons and cupcakes; and I hope my daughter found that fierce strength and determination that I know she has while she was here....in Sandpoint with her mommy.

That's right......I'm baaaaack.....

2010-04-24T17:03:00.000-07:00

Once again.....raise your hand if you thought I had died......I didn't, I'm fine, Gabriella is home and all fixed up.

WOW, have you all missed a ton of exciting life in North Idaho. I have not been sitting on my big butt while computerless; nope not me. We have had visitors, there is turkey poop everywhere because we are now turkey central for turkey baby making, Violet had her teeth cleaned and had 3 extracted....exactly ditto for Mimi Louise....Stephanie, Tommy (the SO), and AnthonEy visited, Chris is here now, it has rained, snowed, been sunny, windy, the power has gone out several times, the grass will need mowing next weekend, I have been busy trying and giving up on that damn bathroom, Steve made and I finished two shelf cubbies for the kitchen, we put the cat playpen up, and just so much more. I will post a few photos today and try to catch up with blogs after Chris' visit is over Tuesday....sniff. I have missed all of you, but I have to be honest; when I am not sitting in front of a computer during the day it is amazing how much and how fast stuff gets done......but how boring is that? BIG BORING!

New Spring Bambis.

Blossom the barn kitty.

A few of the loud and obnoxious tom turkeys.

I think this is XXXX rated stuff.

News alert.......

2010-04-09T08:43:00.000-07:00

I am OK.....raise your hand if you thought I had died.....come on......admit it....some of you thought that I had collapsed while sitting at the computer and that was all she wrote.

My computer died.....yup, Cranky Annie has passed on to that big gigabite in the sky. I have a new laptop but Gina the Wonderful is getting her all fixed up with programs like virus protection and what ever else she may need....her name is Gabriella......she's Italian like me. We don't have dial up anymore so I am using Steve's computer, but he has limited the time I can use it because he is more important than me.

Thanks to those of you that emailed and commented about my mysterious absence. I will have lots to report and some cool spring photos to share as soon as Gabriella is home and I figure out how to use her......she is really pretty, is all black and speaks English and Italian. Ciao.....we'll be back soon . love,

I've got nothing.....but two comic strips.

2010-03-22T11:22:00.000-07:00

Wordless Wednesday....on Thursday.....oops.

2010-03-18T08:59:00.000-07:00

Dingle, Ireland

2010-03-17T08:31:00.000-07:00

Odds and ends all tied up with a pretty bow.....

2010-03-15T05:30:00.000-07:00

Remember that painting of Sachi's that her school Principal asked for as a gift so she could frame and hang it in her office? TAAA-DAAA....here it is. So what do you think? Pretty special I'd say.

Then on the way back from the dump (AKA Colburn Mall for all of the cool stuff people throw away and other people take home...and it's on Colburn-Culver road) Steve spotted this mommy moose and her baby. If I knew how to zoom in with my phone camera you might be able to tell where they are....so....you'll have to make it bigger. I'd bet these are the two that were in our yard. Moose don't travel far from their home base.

And of course the Bambis are back snorting and acting nasty as usual. There were 13 of them fighting over 5 pans of corn last week.

Frick and Frack in an I love you moment. They rarely nap together and Violet is so jealous of Petey she has been seen sitting on him and nipping at his face at meal time.

See the pretty teal leash dangling from Petey's collar? It is a permanent fixture/bling. It only comes off at night when he goes into his crate to sleep. As long as that leash is on him he doesn't potty in the house...don't know how long he will have to wear it...but, he has had two chances so far to have it taken off and he blew it. The leash thing worked with Goldberry (our Lhasa Apso) but it took two years. I hope Petey is smarter than Goldie.

See... pretty bow.

Can't see the forest for the trees.....

2010-03-09T12:36:00.000-08:00

.......really?

Steve and I went to a presentation about trees last week. We thought the focus would be on forestry issues, but it was really about city trees. There were slides of streets in our little hamlet with and without trees and reasons why trees die or are removed. Among those suggested were cars driven up onto and over roots, snow piled in yards over the roots, sidewalk locations, trees that are sacrificed for building and bad trimming.

I left the talk happily realizing I am not the only tree hugger in the county.....not by a long shot. There is a city tree committee that partners with local arborists and tree trimming companies and they are watching the city trees like hawks.

On the way home, Steve and I were discussing the beauty of our property and how lucky we were to "own" such a beautiful forest. I don't think we own much of anything in the forest. I think the forest has given us a lease for an undetermined time and we can enjoy, love and protect the forest as an added benefit.

We have a neighbor who really, truly believes her forest is enchanted. I don't think we have faeries here, but our forest does hold wonderful secrets. Sometimes they are quite obvious and other times you have to look really hard and use your imagination.

The turkeys have something here....we are not sure what but we won't disturb it. They come every day, scratch and dig and then one particular hen sits in the dirt for hours. I haven't looked up turkey habits....it is just fun to watch them be industrious.

The squirrels like to sit in here and eat peanuts. This burned, hollowed out stump was standing for almost nine years. The little creatures worked and worked at the decayed roots and made it into their own tunnel of love.

The picture angle of this opening is off....but I want to think a bunny lives here....probably more like a gopher or mole.....but I can see Thumper burrowing away to make a living room.

What do we have here? Why it's deer poop.....looks like berries....don't be fooled.

The deer rub against the trees and scratch their backs and leave little tufts of hair on the ground. I wonder if the squirrels use it for bedding because in a day or two it will have been "recycled."

Our fruit trees are budding.......I think it's too early in the season for them to do this....but they are smarter about budding than I am.

Sometimes trees have to struggle to come back....this one is a survivor for sure and it shares nicely.

From a distance this stump doesn't look like much....but.....

.......look closely and see what it is housing. Lichen, moss and other little sprouts are everywhere on the top.

Woodpeckers have made good use of this stump.

Sometimes a tree is so large it is hiding something and has to be seen in sections.

See? Hiding a broken friend.

The forest has made paths for us to walk on. The trees provide shade and let the sun peek through every now and then . The fallen leaves from last autumn will make the earth rich and it gives off the most wonderful scent.

We disturbed two napping Bambis in this hidden spot. We had to walk through dense brush to get here. We apologized to the deer for waking them up.

I think the trees really do talk to God. They report on how we care for them and what's happening in the forest. They have stories to tell; they have history written on their trunks and in their branches. Their leaves whisper and move so I pay attention to the wonderful gift of this forest. When I walk the trails I feel the stress from the pox that descended on our house lift and go away for a while. My name is rosemary and I am a tree lover. These two trees below return that love every day. This is my favorite pine.

This is my favorite Tamarack. She will be waking up soon. There is a stump underneath her delicate limbs and I like to sit there and say a prayer of thanks.

15 bucks and 5 bottles later......

2010-03-05T11:15:00.000-08:00

Laa-dee-dah.....I decided I wanted to paint the bathroom. I have green accessories but the wall color is left over from a former yellow mood I was in. The top of the walls and ceiling are white, there is a wood border and then the yellow. I consulted with my color expert, my daughter. She came up with the exact color I was thinking of....a light, light taupe.....like minds and a few shared genes I guess. The quest began.....

This is the old bathroom look. Remember the adventure in putting up the glass door? And then I shortened the shower curtain and made it this flouncy thing?

I bought a new pair of curtains and a valance for the used-to-be-window (info for another post) and made another flouncy thing. It has that perfect light, light taupe color, a toast color, green and creme with a splash of dark red. It is just OK. I'm not in love with it.

Off I went to Home Depot where for 3 bucks you can buy a "test" bottle of paint from color chips and not make the mistake of getting gallons of paint that in the end looks horrible. Two trips, 15 bucks and 5 test bottles later.....

........here are the test spots on the walls.

This is the main bathroom upstairs. It isn't large. It only has a two-light-fixture thus the emphasis on light when it came to color choices. With one exception....the largest test bottle......I picked every. single. color. from a lightest/white/eggshell base. You tell me....what do these colors look like? They look like dark taupe/brown/muddy/ick to me. I felt like I was in a cave. So what did I do? Four coats later.....the test spots are yellow once again. I refuse to buy new accessories because I have too much money sunk into green. Why is it that I thought yellow walls looked good with the bold green awning stripes and they don't with the new stripey flouncy thing?

Damn HGTV....it's all their fault. Maybe the flouncy thing is too long; maybe I need a yellow and green stripy flouncy thing; maybe I should shorten the former yellow floral shower curtain into a flouncy thing.....it had green touches that started the whole green theme; maybe I need to just step away from the bathroom. Damn HGTV. Yah, right; laa-dee-dah.

Zero to.....

2010-03-04T06:52:00.000-08:00

....nineteen in the blink of an eye. Our adorable, lovable Tyler is 19 today. What? Nineteen?

He was an adorable baby......

.......a sweet kid on the cusp of becoming a man......

.....with a great smile........

....... just enough attitude.......

........a snowboarder......

......and a football player.

........and my grandson!!!! HAPPY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TYLER! LOVE YOU! (Yes, Ty, I stole some photos from your Facebook page.)

A career in blogging....let's vote.

2010-02-26T10:35:00.000-08:00

Steve and I were talking yesterday about my blog. It all started with seeing Pioneer Woman on one of the morning shows. Steve said "You should do that, honey....you know write about living in Idaho and make lots of money." and I said What do you think I do now; write about Florida? He pointed out that I posted photos of bear poop, moose butts and talked about turkey poop. His point was; no one could possibly find those photos/topics interesting and might find it icky. SO................let's see a show of hands. Who liked the poop post? My point exactly....everyone.

I told him when he wrote an award winning blog that was turned into either a movie or a TV show I would follow his lead and try to do the same. Let's see a show of hands.....who wants to read a blog about Steve's tractor, how much snow he plowed, biscuit joiners, drill bits and what's in the sale papers of every local market, Staples, and Home Depot? Again, my point exactly....no one (sling, your vote doesn't count.....because you would probably side with Steve.)

Thanks for your show of support. You are all brilliant.

Does a bear......

2010-02-23T15:40:00.000-08:00

....poop in the woods? Well, yes he does....and on the way to the woods he poops in my yard. I know you all are just thrilled with these photos......bear poop in Idaho is called scat and while it may be icky to look at it is important to see it.

So who cares about scat? Well, I do because at least one bear is out of hibernation and was busy looking for food in our bird feeders that are no longer outside. Along with bear scat there is turkey poop e.v.e.r.y.w.h.e.r.e. It is just plain old poop and giving it a special name would not change it. We have at least 17 turkeys wandering around the yard scratching at the ground where the feeders used to hang and making a HUGE mess.

Then....the doves returned, we had two geese in the yard probably totally confused about the month/time of year, and Blossom the barn kitty was sitting in front of the pole building right in front of a squirrel that was squawking. Winter is confused, Spring is waiting for the curtain to go up and only God knows what is going to happen to summer!

I didn't think anything could top all of this, but what should appear in the yard Sunday.......Baby moose.......

.......and momma moose close by. Happy Winter and Spring all wrapped up in February!

Cat faces.

2010-02-17T12:07:00.000-08:00

Who said cats don't have emotions? Emma expresses herself in many ways. She talks to me and "makes faces"...honest. She is a free spirit, spunky and opinionated. See for yourself.

Here we go again....camera, look cute...sigh.

I heard your apology. However, that was my tail and YOU were in my way.

I know you're busy, but....Umm, about dinner. Please don't mix the corn with the mashed potatoes; I like my food separated.

Mother. You closed the dishwasher. I wasn't finished.

Ahem; that dog smells. Keep him off my window seat.

Do not ever spray me with that thing again. I have claws. Remember? And it scares me, mom.

What? You want to sit in my favorite chair? You're a visitor? Leave.

Ditto.

I don't like that food. Get a different brand.

I don't like sleeping at the foot of the bed. Either get a pillow for me or move your head.

This napper needs to be de-haired before I can nap here.

Hello; it's 10:30 in the morning; open the drapes!

There's the camera again.

Told you.....emotions, opinions, faces.

On life....A Fairy Tale?

2010-02-15T09:53:00.000-08:00

Their routine never changes....although they do sleep in a bit later.

She prepares breakfast; he takes the dogs out, feeds the wildlife, gathers the newspaper.

They read the paper while eating and engage in a little conversation.

He goes into the room they still refer to as the office; she cleans the house.

Lunch is a rather quiet meal and then repitition of the morning routine.

Late afternoon is a difficult time for both of them; it used to be a time to unwind and become a family of two after a day of work. Now, it is a time of remembrance for what used to be. Add a walk to divert thoughts; add a bike ride; take the dogs on the trails. Volunteer someplace; anyplace. Stay upright.

Dinner. Dishes. TV. She reads. He falls asleep on the couch. They both think of his father and step-mother; living this exact life. Family is far away. This is not the way their silver years were in that fairy tale.

Some people are made to relax, others are made to keep busy. Not keeping busy, having relaxation forced onto someone, only makes them bitter and sad.

She is bitter; he is sad. There is no solution; there is only time. It is called "The Economy."

Tucked into a heart.

2010-02-09T10:36:00.000-08:00

My Christmas photos from Gil came a little late this year.....some glitch or a snafu. But when they arrived there was this little family smiling at me from beautifully framed photos. The top two photos are similar to the ones I received.....and then Gil sent me the link so I could view all of the pictures that were taken. Mariko's whole family participated and I wish I could post some of those special moments but I would need dozens of OK's so can't do that. Take my word for it.....great photos.

As I was browsing through all of the shots what should I see tucked in at oh, numbers 34 and 17 and maybe 248 but the photos below. The photographer captured something in Gil and his family that I think is amazing. I don't want to sound arrogant or overly boastful...but I will.......if these photos don't almost move you to tears then you need to polish your heart. See.....makes me want to cry....and I am.

Then added to my heart..... that was swelling up like a Valentine balloon, I got a call from Gil telling me that Sachiko won an award at school for her "Reflections Art" creation. THEN, add to that the request of her principal..... she asked Sachiko to "gift" the painting to her so she could hang it in her office. Yup, this is my family....my kid, my daughter-in-law, my granddaughter and my grandson. Life is full of blessings in the dark of winter.

rosemary

I can see God....

2010-02-05T10:01:00.000-08:00

Have I ever told you the full moon is beautiful? In Idaho? When the sky is clear and the moon is round and perfect I feel like I am in heaven....not looking at heaven but there....right next to God.

When the sky is clear and the stars are bright if I had a ladder I could climb up and touch the stars. I could reach up and take one for my pleasure. I could roll it around in my hands and I know music would begin. I just know it.

Have I told you that once when the moon was full and I was driving home I turned off my headlights and could see the road perfectly. There was no one else on the road, no danger, because it was as if I was driving on the road to heaven....really into heaven.

If I could I would sleep on the roof every night and put my feet up in the Big Dipper; I would tickle the moon and make that man smile, I would listen to those stars making music. I would if I could.....because I am closer to heaven in Idaho. I am. I just know it. I can see it, feel it, hear it......right here in Idaho.

Oh where, oh where has my little blog gone.....

2010-02-02T17:58:00.000-08:00

It seems that a nasty virus spent a lot of time nibbling at my computer, Annie. She is so cranky now I can't stand her and I am the Queen of Cranky. I took her to Gina's Computer Emergency Room (I'm not going to link Gina because she almost never blogs and most of my visitors are friends with her on Facebook) and she performed a virusectomy and did an anti-virus transplant. Annie is virus free now but is just slow and well, cranky.

I have changed the name of my town...a few weeks ago I lived in Sandpuddle. Now I live in Swamp-point. It is just soggy, puddley and rainy. Every. Single. Day. The only bright spot in the last few weeks was Chris' visit. She brought her friend Alise and the house was alive with fun and laughter. My daughter has a wicked sense of humor and she managed to bring Steve out of his grumpy mood the moment we picked her up at the airport. She needs to move here....permanently.

Here they are snowboarding at Schweitzer (Photo stolen from Chris' Facebook page). And below that we are all at Starbucks having lattes before hitting the little shops on the main drag through town. Their favorite place to shop? Cabin Fever. Alise bought a pair of boots, jeans and a tank top. Chris and I just browsed and contained our urge to buy anything. All in all it was a great time and I miss my girl more than I can express. Kiss, kiss Christine Marie.

Ch, ch, Changes....

2010-01-23T11:33:00.000-08:00

OK, the anonymous idiots....you know the come and look at my sex toy blog or invest your $3.74 with me and I will turn into Bernie Whatshisname.....have found me. No more anonymous comments...thanks anonymous idiots. AND, another thank you to Jan for posting that Shiba Inu puppy cam post/link because I can't seem to do much of anything but watch those puppies.

Chris leaves tonight and I will post the most adorable photo of her and Alise when my mourning is over.

Welcome to.......

2010-01-18T11:49:00.000-08:00

.....Sandpuddle, Idaho. This is winter 09-10 so far; snow, rain, slush, rain, ice, rain, sleet, rain. Lots of standing water around the house. Steve says he got cheated. He has only been on the tractor to "plow" twice. More rain predicted this week. Chris arrives Wednesday to snowboard at Schweitzer. From what the weather bookies say snow at the resorts is great.

Can you guess who this is?

2010-01-17T14:33:00.000-08:00

Did I hear a model you recently saw on a magazine cover? Umm, no that's incorrect.

Angelina's younger sister? Selena Gomez? No, both wrong.

Sophia Loren's granddaughter? Well, that's closer. I do resemble Sophia.....we both wear glasses.

This is Bethany Rose, my granddaughter. This is one of her high school graduation photos. I know....she is absolutely lovely, and smart, aced her SAT's and is looking at colleges in Oklahoma and Rochester, New York. I vote for New York where she currently lives with her dad, my son, Art. But, she will make the right decision I am sure.

Little girl, sweet little girl, you've grown up too fast. Kiss, kiss Bethany. I love you.

No purddy pictures...only words.

2010-01-15T16:56:00.000-08:00

I received an email from someone that used to be on my blog list. I removed the link. This person decided to critique my last blog post and added suggestions to make my blog more readable. Rather than answer personally I decided to respond in bloggerland because not only did this person critique my post they managed to hurt my feelings.

Here is the gist of the email:

> Last post was too long and took almost 4 minutes to read and follow. Having my name at the bottom of the post is redundant.

I put a disclaimer at the beginning....long and probably boring....why did you read the whole thing?

> The subject was probably not interesting to mainstream blog readers/followers. Was age (as in old I guess) specific. Would have more followers if I wrote about contemporary issues.

Exactly who is a mainstream blogger? What age makes someone too young or too old to enjoy a post? Those people that read my blog more than twice a year range in ages from early 20's to the same age as me. If they don't find a post interesting they just move on without having to email and tell me how to write MY blog.

> This person is tired of reading about Sandpoint weather and that's why they rarely visit my blog.

Well, I happen to live in Sandpoint where the weather is an issue and not just for me....for everyone that lives here. It's my weather and if I want to blog about it I will. Do you live someplace where the weather is perfect and boring? Good for you if you do.

> I need to learn/figure out/attempt to scan my photos so they look straight in my posts.

Gosh, I'm sorry that my crooked photos bother your sensitive eyes.

In conclusion.....I took your link down, don't read my blog anymore, I don't check blog stats and you obviously don't have a clue as to why I started a blog at all. THE END. Thank you, redundant........

Just reminiscing.....

2010-01-12T07:22:00.000-08:00

This might be boring and a really long post, but I promised Gil I would "write" the following stories down.

Gil called me last night. I had sent him an article from Country Living magazine about Girl Scout memorabilia......he received it today. I had given Sachiko all of my old Girl Scout stuff.....my sash with badges sewn on, pins, neck scarf, some loose badges and my Girl Scout Handbook. The article talked about age and value of these exact items. Gil was telling me what was on some of the badges...a cup, a lamp, ABC, and other strange symbols. I wondered if I had been in a cult! I was in troop 90 according to what Gil saw on my sash and inside the handbook I had written the name of our troop leader; Mildr-egads-d Hildebraaand. Her daughter Shareeeyl was in the troop....and of course she was the most talented scout.....according to Mildr-egads-d. I didn't like Mildr-egads-d and I absolutely didn't like Sheeeryl.

All of the troop members went to Zaint Thomaz M0re Catholic School and we met weekly in the common hall. That led to a discussion with Gil about the school uniforms we had to wear. The school colors were maroon and white. The boys wore maroon pants and white shirts with a maroon masculine sweater. The girls wore a maroon jumper with a white blouse and the same masculine sweater. Sometime during 6th or 7th grade, Sheeeryl had braces put on. I swear she had more hardware in her mouth than a wrench set......rubber bands, head gear, wax and lots of spittle. What I remember most about Sheeeryl was her wiping that spit on her maroon sweater...on both sides....and I don't think her mother ever washed or dry cleaned that sweater because there was always a slick line of old and wet spit on each side of the sweater at armpit level. Strangely, this story led to lunches at school.

Every Thursday was Hot Dog Day. We could buy a hot-dog, milk and an orange for lunch, but only on Thursday. All of the other school days I brought my lunch. My lunch never....as in never, ever.....varied. Monday through Wednesday I brought a bologna sandwich with mayo on white and a banana.....and I could buy milk. Friday (because I was Catholic and we didn't eat meat on Friday back then) I brought a Swiss cheese sandwich with mayo on white no fruit.....and I could buy milk.    Every day my mother gave me milk money. I did get milk on Thursday because that hot-dog lunch came with milk....sort of a package deal. On the other days while I had milk money, I was a good little girl and would put my milk money in the box that sat at the end of every single nun's desk. On the box were depictions of Asian, Indian and Negro (that was the socially correct term back then) children and the writing on the box said: Donate to Save the Pagan Babies. And I did. Can you imagine eating a bologna or a Swiss cheese sandwich and not having anything to drink with it....then add a banana? I always thought of these Pagan kids when my dad made me eat hamburger patties...plain, no ketchup or Bar-B-Que sauce...just a plain patty. I would gag trying to swallow and my dad would say ; The starving kids in China would like to have that hamburger right about now! Somehow that story led to Gil asking me if Petrill@'s Pizza had been around when I was a teenager. It was. But once again the story strangely goes off subject.

Gil saw a Petrill0's on the way home from a bike ride. For some reason....probably his Italian blood....he looked the place up online. The Internets say it is a great place. The location of the place he saw was not where I remembered it being in Alhambra. My Petrill0's was located on Valley Blvd right across the street from Farmer Boys a drive in burger place that had car hops on skates serving the customers in their cars.

Friday night when I was in high school was cruise night. Saturday night was date night....I was usually at home on Saturday. Friday's cruise would start at Henry's where if you got a spot in the parking circle around the eatery good for you, if not keep on driving. Henry's also had inside seating. Henry's was not the favorite place to park. If you did end up there a minimum amount was required to eat outside. A teenager way back then in the dark ages had enough $$$ to order "wet" fries (French fries with gravy) and a cherry Coke. Farmer Boys was the place to park and be seen in your fine short (what a lowered, tricked out car was called).

There were two "fan spots" at Farmer Boys where if you were either Al B0j0 or a Perrino or Palermo brother you parked. The unspoken rule was: only the finest guys with the finest shorts could park in a fan spot and those three names were permanently parked there. These spots allowed you to look right at Petrill@'s. Al B0j0 drove either a Ford Ranchero or a Chevy El Camino that was painted pearlescent pink with tuck 'n roll upholstery, and the car was so low you couldn't get your hand under it; Al was as fine as his car. The Perrino boys, Joe and Frank were fine too and I was lucky enough to live up the street from the Palermo's, Don and George. While their cars were not as spectacular as Al's, they were right up there......all had their car club plaque in the rear window....CZARS.

The cruise route was this: Henry's to see who was cruising, then on to Farmer Boys just to look at Al B0j0 in all of his fineness. If you were early enough you might get a parking spot in the back someplace and the car hops on skates would bring your food to your car (no inside eating at all). Eventually a crowd would form...guys only....and they would drift from car to car to see if there were any girls worth talking to parked in the back. From Farmer Boys you would cruise to Twoeey's, The Home of Little Stinky (onion rings) and from there to another drive in like Henry's but I have forgotten the name of the place.....and then start all over again.

Gil asked if kids had after school jobs then....yup. In the case of the Palermo's for instance, their parents owned a liquor store and the boys worked there sweeping and stocking. The Perrino's had an Italian deli where my mom bought ravioli, olives from a barrel and sweet sausage. The Perrino boys worked at the deli. There was another family; the Perricone's. Remember those hot dog days at my grammar school? They provided the hot dogs and oranges. They had a fruit and veggie business that I would bet was "connected."   But back then so were a lot of Italian families.

Now for a tid-bit about Al B0j0. When I met my first husband, Art, he was dating a woman named....of all the names in the world.....Rosemary. They broke up and we started dating. The other Rosemary then started dating Al B0j0. Art and I married, the other Rosemary married Al. Art and I divorced, Al and Rosemary divorced and Art and the other Rosemary married. Eventually they divorced and Art married a neighbor Pam. Yawn.

Below is a photo of the Girl Scout troop working on the artistry or painting or maybe creative badge. I am standing right behind the girl painting...see...big grin. Sheeeryl is right behind me and miserable Mildr-egads-d is in the back between us. My mom is behind Sheeeryl. Below that my friend Bea is giving Mildr-egads-d some sort of gift for being such a ~~miserable human being~~ really nice troop leader. Bea's mother was the assistant leader and I think she only did that to save all of us from Mildr-egads-d.   I am second in line. I had told Gil I thought we wore beanies not berets....but it looks like I was wrong 'cause those sure look like berets to me.

So there you have my very long, boring walk down a crooked, disjointed memory lane. In between these stories were mentioned Sandy my dollie that Sachi now owns and loves, the value of the Girl Scout stuff and Sandy, my accordion and the 78 record I have of the little kid snot nosed band I taught when I was 15/16 and the current value of my Scandalli accordion that is not totally tricked out so the value isn't at the top of the range. I do have to say Gil and I shared some good laughs throughout this conversation.

I want snow, I don't want snow, I want snow, I don't.....

2010-01-10T16:43:00.000-08:00

It has been an interesting winter so far. Surprise!!! We have maybe, if I exaggerate a bit, a foot of snow on the ground......actually, that would be a lie.....we have about 6 inches of snow. We have gone from frigid temps in early December with frozen pipes to 32 degrees, rain, some sleet and a little snow here and there. Steve has had to plow twice and once it was just because he wanted to get on his tractor.

So, what's the problem you might ask. The snow pack is at about 65% right now and unless with get feet of snow over the next 2 months, we will have a water issue in spring and a potentially dangerous summer fire season. This winter is reminiscent of the first winter we lived here full time. I remember thinking What's the big deal with winter? I can handle this! Fooled me. Over the last 12 years each winter has dropped more and more snow until 2007-2008. That was marked as the 3rd worst winter in Idaho recorded history. Well, winter isn't going anywhere. I'm not going anywhere; so I will just have to deal with it.....whatever it is. ~Sigh~

Since we have been doused with that pox, we have managed to get a few things done around the old place. First was the counter-top project, then the water heater we had been babying had to be replaced. Steve did that in just a few hours last Sunday (ca-ching to the tune of 400 smackeroos). Then we finally put the handles and pulls on the cabinets and drawers in the downstairs bathroom....that only took 10 years of planning AND did the same in the snorage room......2 year wait on that project. Steve has promised he will finally get started on the shelves I want for the kitchen and he may even make that quilt rack I have ~~crabbed~~ asked for over the last year.

So, continuing with this most boring post, while I was doing my Sunday chores today I was doing my usual random thinking about heavy issues such as:

If I could live in another country I'd pick Italy...Sorrento to be exact. I can picture myself sitting on the veranda of my home looking out at the Bay of Naples, sipping a Limoncello and having Steve rub my feet.

I could live in an historical home in lets say Vermont or Maine. It would have a big porch with a rocker and inside there would be lots of fireplaces. In winter we could sit in front of the fire and read and snooze with the cats in their beds close by and the dogs softly snoring.

I could live in a Craftsman type home in oh, maybe, San Marino or I know.....Palos Verde in California....but not on a cliff, but with the ocean close by. It would have a porch too....wrap around.......and a covered deck in the back with a huge green lawn with trees all around the yard perimeter.

I'd really like to learn how to knit or crochet. I know that's not gonna happen because I have zero talent...big ZERO. But, I think that would be relaxing.

I should really learn to play that keyboard I wanted for Christmas 3 years ago and got. I have two How To books and even a CD that came with the keyboard. Not sure what the reluctance is there.

I still wish I had a big dog. We saw a chocolate lab puppy on TV yesterday that was at a Spokane shelter....he was adorable. His name was Richard. He had a sister but she was black. We can't afford another dog right now, and it's not that I don't love Violet and Petey to pieces....I do and they kinda love me....but, they are Steve's dogs. They sleep with him when he is on the couch and follow him around with that adoring look on their faces. Not that another dog would automatically love me more than Steve.......but big dogs just feel different. No dog can ever replace Charlie or Penelope but my heart just has a little empty spot where a big dog needs to be.

So......there you have it.....my life in a Sunday post. I know, I know....everyone wants to be rosemary. Sorry, I'm taken.

Some days I wish I was Emma.

Facebook works.....

2010-01-07T11:01:00.000-08:00

While fiddling around on Facebook and putting names into the search function....I found my cousin Sammy....Sam, now that he is all grown up......who lives in Virginia.

I think I have written about spending all of my summers in Portsmouth growing up. We would pack up the 56 Chevy Nomad wagon and take all of the truck routes and drive across the country to see relatives. Virginia and my mother's family was my favorite destination.

Sam's older sister Gerri was my idol and Sammy and I were close in age and I loved his prankster personality.

I remember going to the drive in in Sam's old Rambler the last summer I visited and lying on blankets watching some horror flick. Times shared with Sam and his family were some of the best during my teenage years.

After my mom passed away I sent all of the old photos of Sam, Gerri and their mom and dad to Gerri. That leaves me with no photos of them. What was I thinking?????

What I do have is a photo of my dad in Sam's back yard doing what he loved more than anything....going crabbing with Sam's dad, my Uncle Augie, steaming the crabs in a huge pot in the backyard and sharing the feast. There's Augie on the left in the suit and hat; next to him is the "baby" my uncle Sugar (Joe) and then my Uncle Sonny the heart-breaker in the family. I think the last photo is a picture of Augie but I can't be sure. Sam, do you recognize your dad in that photo? While I have a really hard time navigating Facebook and don't visit often, I have changed my mind about it being a one line bus stop. I have double digit friends and now a cousin to "talk" to. Thanks Facebook. (PS....please, anyone, send me an email if this post is messed up like the last one and you can't leave comments. I went into the settings function and changed something....not sure what....and the look of my post is totally different and there is no video upload button. I also took down the counter-top post just in case it is the offender)

The tree of thanks.

2009-12-22T12:30:00.000-08:00

It is Christmas tree time. While most of the Christmas Tree world has a tree in place and decorated, we at the Olsen compound wait until the last minute. Steve has this inner struggle....to buy a cut tree, buy a potted tree, or cut one from our forest. He finally decided that buying a cut tree was not the right thing to do....the supply and demand thing.... by our not buying a tree we would save a forest somewhere. We have not had luck with potted trees. Steve hates cutting a tree simply for decoration from our forest. (but less than buying a cut tree).

In 2006 when AnthonEy was visiting with his mom and Christopher, we cut a tree from our forest. It was glorious fun.

Everyone participated in the decorating and while it was not the best looking tree in the forest, a Charlie Brown tree actually, it was beautiful in the end.

We even cut a special tree so AnthonEy could decorate and have a tree in his bedroom while he was visiting.

In 2007 we decided to buy a potted tree....of dubious lineage....but it died before the New Year arrived.

In 2008 we changed our last name to Scrooge and didn't even bother getting a tree or decorating anything so it looked festive or remotely Christmasy. We thought times were bad back then.......what did we know....nuttin!

So what to do this year. We had promised each other we would never again spend a Christmas without a tree. Those bad times in 2008 were eentsy-weensy compared to the times of December 2009....but, with that previously mentioned attitude adjustment we were thankful for our relatively good health, each other, our familiy and the fact that we still have a home in which to put a tree.

We decided to trudge out into the forest after pricing the trees that were left in lots or in pots meaning there was nothing under 25 bucks.

Now, normally there would be feet of snow on the ground, but Al Gore sneezed in North Idaho I guess and we have had Noah pass down the road on his way to Canada in the pouring rain. This is what we trudged in.

Here is the 2009 tree selection. Another Charlie tree I 'm thinkin.

But once again magic happened and the tree looks beautiful....even if it only has 15 branches.
On this Christmas I wish all of you the best of holidays, love and laughter, family time filled with frivolity and may your basket be filled with warmth just like mine......
Even Mimi sends Holiday Greetings although I can't repeat what she said.
with much love, just me.....

To be thankful.....

2009-12-18T11:09:00.000-08:00

Life in Rosemary's Attic has been in the basement of late. It's hard to be jolly and seasonally merry at times like this. I know, I know...my moods are usually un-merry anyway, but at Christmas time they are worse. We were hit with a huge blow in October and while I know this isn't the last time we will be smacked in the head, this one hurt...a lot. Steve and I have weathered many storms together. We blended our two families and tried our best to make it one, we owned and lost businesses, we sat in an empty nest, we lost parents, we made an enormous emotional and physical move to Idaho, we survived what was almost a fatal car crash and we stayed in love through it all.

While I was in Las Vegas I had a lot of time to think....Steve was at seminars all day long and I could have either holed up in a cold hotel room or sat at the conference center (which I did) and mulled over problems and worried....which I did. Neither one of us wanted to be in Vegas, neither one of us was in a good mood and we were vocal about the why of our moods and for probably the first time in our lives together we talked about feelings; we decided we needed to make attitude adjustments.

While in Vegas I realized I missed my house, my home, my safety net, my place of comfort, the place where I have pictures of my children and grandchildren, where my cats keep my feet warm, where the dogies make quiet smellies, where deer stamp their feet at me and snort, where a particular squirrel will take a peanut out of my hand, where another feral cat has been named Blossom, and where I can look at Steve and then tell him how much I love him.

I have had a good life for the most part. I have had a glorious life with Steve. Have I ever said what a wonderful man he is, how tolerant he is of me, how generous he is, how loving and tender? He is. Steve is my home, my safe place, my comfort and where I feel warm and loved.

I have three fantastic children, Art, Christine and Gil and a step daughter, Stephanie, that make my heart glow and feel fuzzy and soft. My grandchildren make those feelings even richer. I know I am loved and cherished by these children; I am loved and needed in a way that I finally acknowledge I deserve.

I have had some of the most delightful pets ever given to a human; my current cats and dogs and those before....Charlie, Goldberry, Cicero, Babie, Magic, Sophia, Drake and Penelope. Those parts of my heart where memories of children and holidays can sometimes make me cry are moved aside for a moment by Emma climbing onto my shoulder or a miaow from Fuzzy.

I have never had a lot of friends...mostly by choice. But here in this little hamlet I have found more than I ever imagined....Molly, Gina, Barb and Delci too....and then there are my blog friends. When I look at my blog roll and think of the people behind the blogs PLUS these four women, I realize just how blessed I am with friends.

So, at this time of year when the snow is deep and the air is cold, I am warm, toasty, and happy with my life...problems and all. We have stumbled in the past, we have fallen this time and are having a hard time standing upright....but we want to, we will, and we are blessed, yup we are.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

FROM.......just me,

I've been naughty....

2009-12-16T09:56:00.001-08:00

....and have been crossed off of Santa's list I'm sure. No posts, no blog reading, no nothing really. The speed bump life that is ours has turned into a mountain and our legs are broken. Life is certainly throwing us some curve balls at the moment, but we will survive. AND....it's Christmas!!!!! Let's add some snow to the mix! My dear friend Jennie requested snow photos....really, honest, cross my heart....she did.

To the east off of the balcony.
One of the big trees too close to the house for comfort.

Looking south out the man door from the garage.
The pole building where we have another resident feral cat living in a box with blankets that Steve feeds every day.

Roof of the pole building that will need to be shoveled soon if this snow keeps falling.

North to the not plowed road.
The depth of snow on the driveway.
And just for fun the back window of my car. Nice

If you listen carefully and with the volume way up that ummmph/groan you hear is the snow slowly moving down the roof. It will wait until oh, let's say 3 in the morning to crash off. Another nice. BTW.....I want alternating fat and skinny butt Global Warming Former Vice President Al Gore to shovel my driveway...NOW.

How to strip in Vegas with no money...

2009-12-08T07:42:00.000-08:00

Took everyone's advice and here is the boring update of the trip to Vegas:

Have done the people watcher thing on the strip. Lots of really old ladies (much older than me) in Vegas wearing way too much makeup and bling.

We have had three really interesting cab drivers. One young man was from Ethiopia. He is here on a scholarship at ULV but half of the money has dried up so he drives a cab to supplement his income. He will eventually have his degree in Finance. He spoke perfect, lyrical English.

Went to the convention with Steve every day..... but not today. Sorry, but pharmacists in a large group are b.o.r.i.n.g.....and they dress like dorks.....even the women......well, wait a minute...I did see someone in fishnets and boots.....the CEO/Pharmacist of a very well known Medical Center in LA.

At the opening session yesterday Dennis Quaid was the keynote speaker (I had a guest ticket). He talked about the mess with the heparin overdosing of his twins....all read from two teleprompters like the President uses...only much smaller. After that session, I sat and thumbed through several books for sale at the ASHP bookstore. I have really, really, really forgotten pretty much all I had learned in nursing school and as a bedside nurse for decades.

I lost all of our gambling budget (20 bucks) on one penny machine in about 2 minutes. Whoooyah!!

We have taken advantage of the lounge on our floor to eat (for free mind you) breakfast and dinner. Not the most exciting food in the world or in Vegas either, but it fills our tummies.

I bought an eye patch at Treasure Island for the lady that's watching our dogs. She has cataract surgery tomorrow.

It poured here last night...and I mean bucket dumps of rain.

Now for news from home: A girl I worked with at the Library is staying at our home so the cats are well taken care of. The temps have been brutal....minus digits...and horrible winds as well. Yesterday morning Delci called and said the upstairs pipes were frozen. I won't give you a detailed story here...but, I have to say Delci is without a doubt the best pipe unfreezer in all of Sandpoint and probably the whole state. Had she not been there....well, I hate to think of what we would have come home to.

So, on this last day in the City of Lost Money I will sit in the lobby of our off strip, non-gaming, high priced restaurant, cheap room rate, Steve gets points when he stays at this chain hotel and read another book on my Kindle. We fly out tomorrow morning, will drive from the airport to pick up the dogs and will sleep in our own bed tomorrow night with the doggies snoring softly next to us in their crates.

Stuck....

2009-12-06T12:04:00.000-08:00

I am in Las Vegas.
I'm pretty much stuck in a hotel without gaming.
Do we have money for gaming? No.
Steve is at a convention.
We leave for home Wednesday.
That day can't come soon enough.

The great pie fiasco and another gift.

2009-12-02T10:26:00.000-08:00

While on our shopping adventure at WallieWonderWorld looking for Thanksgiving dinner yummies, Steve stumbled upon the pie filling section. "I'm gonna make a pie for our dessert!" said Steve. I thought....Dear Lord help us.

Rather than select a can of filling with explicit directions he picked peach filling with not one direction on the entire label. Two cans were put into the cart. He asked me if I knew how to make pie crust. I then asked him to recall the last pie I had made. He couldn't recall one single pie. That's because I have never made a pie. While he searched the shelves for pie crust fixings, I went to the cooler section and picked up two boxes of pre-made crust. He was OK with using those crusts although he did state making crust from scratch would be lots more fun. I reminded him we didn't have a rolling pin, flour etc.

Below is the step by step process of Steve's first adventure in pie making.

He started with the pre-made pie crust. He isn't the gentlest of men. He pushed the holes and slits carefully back together and put this crust on the bottom of the pie pan.

Next came the filling. One can barely covered the pie crust so.......
.......he added can two.

He did read the directions on the pie crust box and carefully put the top crust on and trimmed the edges.

Steve is not one to waste anything so he nibbled on a few pieces of left over crust and then proceeded to put the rest on the top of the pie. He said it was a lattice design. HUH?????

Finished masterpiece; rosemary asked if he was going to put foil on the edges so they didn't burn.....nope.....ready for the pre-heated oven.

Pie in the oven, timer set, pie removed, rosemary said The top doesn't look baked enough with all of the ummm lattice stuff on it! Steve said I didn't know anything about pie baking and it was fine. I have had one Barbie sized piece of undercooked bottom crust kinda bland peach filled with an undercooked top crust under the lattice stuff pie. Rather than admit the pie wasn't quite right (and I didn't say one more word about the pie, I swear), Steve has "eaten" the rest of the pie....he will take a bite or two from a slice, leave the rest on his plate and tell me he is too full from dinner to finish the rest. I just love this man to pieces....of raw pie.

A beautiful surprise arrived in the mail. My crafty daughter (crafty meaning she got around the rule of no store bought gifts, only photos are to be sent for birthdays, Christmas etc. ) had a crafty friend make this simply lovely necklace for my 65th birthday. I have tried and tried to get a photo without the flash messing it up. If I turn the flash off, it doesn't show up at all. So, here is the description: silver chain with charms of a heart, jewel and an I Love You circle. There is a larger square surrounded by clear stones with an R in the middle. On the back of the R is a photo of Steve and me! Kiss, kiss my sweet little girl. I love you.

Get a tissue

2009-11-27T11:55:00.001-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving

2009-11-25T06:38:00.001-08:00

May Thanksgiving bring love, laughter and lots of good food to your table. I am blessed and thankful for my family and friends.

Loving little hands and a sweet heart.....

2009-11-22T10:18:00.000-08:00

Two packages arrived this last week. One was from Sachiko and Spencer, the other from Christine. Since I handed down the matriarchal edict of no "store bought" gifts for me and only necessary ones for Steve....with photos always being acceptable....here is what was in those packages.

Hand decorated coffee cups from Sachi and Spencer with a special bowl for Papa were in the first box. I think these children have quite a future in the arts!!!

See.....just for Papa. Steve put it next to his side of the bed and it now holds change, odd washers and screws, a few nails and pocket lint....all very important items to Steve.
We can share this cup...but we won't. This precious cup is on display on the kitchen counter.
Sachi made this cup just for me....with my much loved violets decorating it. I love the special message on the handle. It is sitting next to the cup above.
When Christine asked what her dad needed for his birthday I immediately answered...slippers. The camera shut down when I tried to take a photo of his old ones.....yup, they looked that bad. Here are Steve's feet all toasty and warm in his new fleece lined slippers.

Birthdays can be OK after all.

A test.....sort of.....maybe a trick.

2009-11-20T09:16:00.000-08:00

On the 8th of this month I posted two of the photos below. I took comparison shots today. I want all of you to look very carefully at the photos and see if you can tell the difference....some of changes are extremely subtle. It will take a very keen eye to tell the differences. BTW....I didn't do anything sneaky to the photos.The first one to tell me the differences will be crowned King or Queen of Winter. I know....winter is a month away. I just want to get the ceremony out of the way so I can really get into the season.

Scroll down slowly so you don't miss anything......

We put the Christmas lights up yesterday. Might as well just deal with the snow and move on. The weather bookie has predicted an El Nino this winter with warmer temps and possibly more or less precipitation....yup, that's right...more or less.

It's the big one 'Lizabeth...

2009-11-16T09:07:00.000-08:00

I remember the title line from Sanford and Son.....whenever there was a big/surprising event Fred would grab his chest and shout that line to his dead wife and look to the heavens.

Turning 65 is a big event, but only for me really. I'm not saying that my family won't call or might forget my birthday.....but.....I don't want gifts from the kids or grandkids unless they send photos. A card is OK, but I have reached the point where birthdays are for the grandkids and mine are like marks on a door that bring back memories and then there are those age related duties that include filling out forms. So, why is it a big deal? Well....I'm 65.

You all know me pretty well I think. Two of my children read this blog and they know me inside and out. 65 is as good a time as any to do a little soul searching and secret sharing. Before you comment that I need to stop whining and feeling sorry for myself, read all the way through. I have pretty good insight and know the following about rosemary:

~ I am insecure.
~ I have a lot of self doubt.
~ I am lonely most of the time.
~ My pets fill in for my kids.
~ I don't make friends easily.
~ I vacuum every day to earn my right to inhale and exhale....a punishment of sorts.
~ I made huge mistakes with my choice of previous husbands, but I have no regrets about those marriages because of my precious children.
~ I still have lingering doubts about living in Idaho (all weather related). But, knowing how I can hover, manage and butt into the lives of my children, Idaho is probably the best place for me.
~ Following that last statement, wherever Steve is that's where I will be....so Steve and I will be in Idaho forever.
~ I have a conflicted relationship with God. I need Him in my life, I want His help, grace and peace, but I don't work towards these gifts every day....or monthly actually.
~ I didn't protect my kids growing up.
~ I've never felt pretty or even cute.
~ There are times when I wish my parents were here for me so I could ask for advice.....but.....they were rarely there for me when they were alive so what is it that makes me think they would be any different now. I think I just don't want to be the grown up, next in line for that final call, have to make difficult decisions or be the one my children look to for help......see the first two statements.
~ I don't love unconditionally...never have....there are the conditions of honesty, give and take and keeping me in the loop.

OK, having put all of that right out there here is some more stuff about rosemary:

~ I am a great mother now.
~ I have done some pretty special things for animals.
~ I have told each of my kids I am sorry over and over again for the mess that was their childhood.
~ I was a damn good nurse....in fact one of the best. I was bright, caring and compassionate.
~ I gave my kids the gifts of words and music.
~ I am Steve's best friend.
~ I'd rather be home puttering than out accomplishing nothing.
~ I deeply love the forest trees.....really. I think they share their land with me, speak to me and give me some of that peace I mentioned missing above.
~ I can listen, not talk, just listen.
~ I have finally become financially aware.......never too late.
~ I am honest with myself.
~ I think my gray/white/silver hair is pretty.
~ I am not embarrassed to let someone see my faults.
~ I am proud of the fact that my house is clean.
~ I am a horrible driver and don't care.....I swear at other drivers and make hand gestures...yes, I do....and couldn't care less. Actually, I swear a lot in general; ca-ching if there is a fine for that.
~ I will no longer keep quiet when some one is messing with, taking advantage of or using me......never again.....period.

So.....at the ripe old age of 65 I have put myself out there for time and all blogternity. I could go on and on about all kinds of stuff, but I think I made my point.

I deserve a good rest of my life. I will try to be a better friend to me, myself and I, and those that call me their family or friend. Pretty good goals to achieve for my 66th.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, rosemary!

'Cause if I can't celebrate me, then why would anyone else want to?

You say it's your birthday
It's my birthday too--yeah
They say it's your birthday
We're gonna have a good time
I'm glad it's your birthday
Happy birthday to you.

Yes we're going to a party party.

I would like you to dance--Birthday
Take a cha-cha-cha-chance-Birthday
I would like you to dance--Birthday
Dance

Cat talk and dog butts.

2009-11-11T10:29:00.000-08:00

The players: Guido & Mom

Can I go out into the playpen today, mom?

No Guido, I already told you, it's raining.

That's OK. I like rain.

What is rain my honey -bunny?

Ummm, stuff.

We took the dogs for a walk Monday......they went crazy sniffing every tree and running the whole time we were walking. While the ferns are brown and the aspens and cottonwoods have all lost their leaves....and then there are the bare limbs of my tamaracks.....it is beautiful on the trails now.

No, Petey is not pooping....this is an action shot....he was getting ready to run.
It's as if God was showing us the way with is light.....you had to be there.

The Bitterroot mountains between North Idaho and Montana....a sub-range of the Rockies......snow and a little dash of snow (taken from the end of our driveway....see our mailbox on the left?).

It has been a few days since I posted....

2009-11-08T11:41:00.000-08:00

....and as usual time has moved way too quickly.

Chris was here for a sweet visit.....well sweet for us. Right before she flew up she was rear ended and her little Volvo sports car has 8K worth of damage. She is OK and that is all that really matters. While she was here someone broke into her home and took her laptop, a special wrist watch and went through bedroom drawers. Even with these worrisome events I hope she relaxed a bit and had some fun with her old, crabby parents.....I do know the dogs loved having her here. Doesn't it look like she has a two headed dog on her lap?

The tamarack tree needles changed even though I specifically instructed them to not do that this year and thus allow winter to head south in confusion.

Tamaracks are my favorite trees. They are fragile giants and their needles look like little circular bits of green fluff attached to their long, slender limbs. In late fall, right before winter arrives, those needles turn a gold dust color, fall off and make the ground come alive with color.

Tamaracks come in all shapes and sizes......some small and crooked...

.....some tiny and straight.

They stand out on the hills and mountains rippling like waves across the landscape.

They are teenagers going through a growth spurt.

They are old and stately showing the youngsters how to do the job right.

And then just to really irritate me....my favorite sleeping t-shirt decided to fall apart. The sleeves split open, the neck came off of the body of the shirt and all of the edges raveled. Sometimes it just doesn't pay to get up in the morning.

Time seems to march on in spite of my needing just a few days of catch up.

Lost and found.....a miracle....

2009-11-01T12:21:00.001-08:00

This is the letter I sent to 6 Abelardo Balderramas......

Hello Mr. Balderrama,

I am trying to locate the family of Abelardo Balderrama born 1914 in Arizona. The Abelardo Balderrama I am looking for enlisted in the Army in 1942 and trained as an aerial gunner. He was stationed in Texas, Tennessee, South Carolina and in March of 1944 was in Italy.

My parents were friends of Mr. Balderrama in California and while going through old photos and letters of my mother’s I found several letters from Mr. Balderrama and some photos. My mother worked at a café called Pat’s in City Terrace, California and from reading Mr. Balderrama’s letters I think he worked there with my mother.

I would like to see these letters and photos given to his family. I have looked online and you are one of the Balderrama names and addresses I found.

If I have reached you in error, I apologize for the intrusion. If you know the direct relatives of this Abelardo Balderrama, would you please pass my information on to them? If you are a son or grandson of Mr. Balderrama, please contact me so I can give these wonderful letters and photos to you. I have enclosed a copy of one of the photos so Mr. Balderrama can be easily identified.

Thank you,

Rosemary Olsen

momikat@gmail.com

This is the email I received yesterday. I cried when I read it.

Hello Rosemary,

My name is Abe R. Balderrama and Abelardo is indeed my Father (he was also called Abe). I am the oldest of his children....I have a younger brother and sister. The photo you sent used to be in an 8x10 frame that I remember seeing in a relative's home many years ago but cannot be found. I only have one other photo of him in uniform with his crew in front of a B-24 Liberator aircraft.

Dad did work in a cafe in California (dishwasher) before the war. He always wanted to work for a movie studio and be around the Hollywood stars. My Dad passed away in 1993 of congestive heart failure at age 78. He never remarried after my Mother died 12 years earlier but he lived a happy life and had a large extended family in the Phoenix area.

I was very surprised when I received your letter and would love to share any letters and photos with our family. I will gladly reimburse any cost to mail them.

I have several distant relatives in Boise but I'm not familiar with the Sandpoint area. I googled the city and it is quite beautiful.

I would like to hear more about your family if you care to share any information about the early years.

Thank you for contacting me.

Abe Balderrama

I responded to this email....at length....the Balderrama family photos and letters will be in the mail next week. Thank you to everyone for the all of the links you sent to me.

Four letter words....

2009-10-29T10:03:00.000-07:00

As we were going into Home Depot last weekend, we saw this cool snow thrower with a cab thingy attached to the front. I would love to have one of those....we snapped a few pictures....laughing....hahahaha....see Steve smiling on the far right?
See me laughing behind the cab? Funny, really funny. Watch the video below.

Yummy, yummy for my.....

2009-10-26T18:56:00.000-07:00

tummy. Steve is gone for three days....

Let me see.....twenty-two divided by three equals 7 with one left over. Or 22 divided by 3 = 7 with 1 left over. I can have 7 a day and save one for Steve when he gets home. Seems pretty fair to me.

Abelardo Balderrama

2009-10-21T13:36:00.000-07:00

Stay with me here.....maybe someone can help me out....

There is a diner in the little town of Dover called The Dish. On the wall leading to the bathrooms is a long string hanging between two nails. On that string are old photos attached with clothespins. I love looking at those old photos and thought I was clever enough to replicate the look at home. I still have a lot of old family photos and thought I would dress the look up by using a ribbon rather than a string. Umm, it doesn't look as quaint as the string of photos at The Dish.

While looking for just the right photos of my family, I found for probably the 1000th time, old photos and letters of/from a man named Abelardo Balderrama. They are addressed to both of my parents and the early letters have salutations of Mr. and Mrs. Lucas. They range in date from 1943 to 1945. The photos and letters were sent during Abelardo's time in the Army during WWII.

Abelardo is/was a very polite, well written, nice man....I can absolutely tell from his letters. He had a great sense of humor and was obviously fond of my parents. I can also tell from his responses that there are a lot of missing letters to my folks......I received your three letters and I have only written two back. I'm sorry.

Some excerpts from his letters will give you a flavor of Abelardo's personality.

Am I happy today! Yesterday I graduated from school and received my aerial gunners wings along with a Staff Sergeants rating. That means a paycheck of $96 a month plus flying pay. Boy, oh boy!

I am currently stationed at Tullahoma, Tennessee. I know what Noah felt when he saw it rain for 40 days and nights. The town is just a wide place in the road.

I am currently stationed at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. It rains down here every night and the mosquitoes are awful. The women all wear shorts because of the heat during the day. Sometimes I wish I was a mosquito.

It's difficult to write anything interesting from here......but I cannot so excuse my letters if they are laconic and uninteresting. I have also felt weak in the knees at times....but so far I have been more than lucky. This was written from Italy 1944.

So.....I was telling Steve about Abelardo and he said: Just go online and look the guy up. You should be able to find out all kinds of stuff about him.

Sorry, Steve. Not so easy. I have spent days trying to find any line...straight, curved, broken, potholed...anything that would lead me to find out what happened to Abelardo Balderrama after that last letter in early 1945.

I was able to find his enlistment stats on a government site. I have his Army serial number, birth state, enlistment place, year of birth and the fact that he was a high school graduate and was a waiter before he enlisted. This leads me to think he met my mom and dad at Pat's cafe where my mom worked....this is also the place where I think my mom and dad met. Perhaps Abelardo was a waiter there. He also mentions in one of the letters another woman, Kay Chapman, who was a good friend of my mother's and worked with her at Pat's.

Most of the sites I found online want $$ to search for someone. Of course, there is no promise that a $29.95 search price (for one person only) will actually turn up anything about my Abelardo Balderrama. I was tempted to join the Ancestry site. So, I called my cousin in Virginia that had used that site to find my mother's family thinking she was still enrolled...but she no longer has a subscription.

I think Abelardo was a handsome, intelligent man. I like to think he married when he was discharged (I hope he was discharged and not killed in the war). I hope he had a family and that there might be children, grandchildren and great grandchildren looking for something of their loved one online and they will stumble upon this post. I would love to give Abelardo Balderrama's family these photos and letters. Anyone out there remember Abelardo Balderrama?

Happy, happy my sweet little girl.

2009-10-20T07:31:00.000-07:00

Another year, another birthday for my sweet girl. Yesterday was her birthday.

She went to work, she had a quiet day, she celebrated at home. She will be here the 30th for a long weekend visit and we will celebrate then with sushi and a few fun filled days. I won't update her age because....well, she is actually 39 again.

I love you Christine Marie. I posted this last year....she has only grown more beautiful, more special.

My daughter is 45 today. I debated about putting her age in this post. But, as I was thinking about what I wanted to say about her I was struck by the fact that she is one of the most self confident, comfortable with herself, beautiful and charming women I have ever known....so I don't think she will care.

Of course she was an adorable baby. Of course she was a darling toddler. Of course she grew into a beautiful teenager and as you can see and I will tell you, she is now all of that beauty plus intelligent, humorous, tolerant, giving, loving and just a perfect daughter. I love this child beyond any words I have now or ever will have.

All of my children grew up in a home filled with dysfunction. All of my children lacked a mother protector, but Christine suffered the most because of it. She has overcome some of life's most difficult issues and come out a self made winner. She has accomplished in her short 45 years what others will never see or do. She is a survivor. I am amazed by her every day. She is the wife and mother I should have been.

That she loves me is one of the four blessings in my life.

Here she is in high school....naturally curly hair and glasses. In the next picture, as she is today.
After one of her multi-yearly walks for breast cancer. She has raised close to 5 figures for this cause.
She gave me my first grandchild....Christopher.
She is a wonderful wife to Todd who would tell you in a flash she has made him a better man. She has supported my grandson Tyler in every way and it shows in his accomplishments.

And......see this dog? Lucy. Chris has 3 Boston Terriers. Steve calls them the ugliest dogs he has ever seen. Chris loves this dog like her child. Over the years she has rescued several dogs and has an open door policy for all of the neighborhood dogs.

Happy, happy birthday my sweet girl.

It's time for the Annual Tour of North Idaho Mailboxes!!!

2009-10-19T08:58:00.000-07:00

After receiving numerous requests (OK, Barb requested it) I decided to spend days and days (seriously) driving all over Bonner County once again trying to capture the flavor of North Idaho mailboxes.

Last year I made predictions about the pictured mailboxes surviving the winter and the plow drivers. This year will be different. I have put the mailboxes into categories mainly because I can't remember where any of last years mailboxes are so I don't know if they survived or not.

In order to be fair I have to start by showing the current state of my neighbor's mailbox. We share the post structure. I am embarrassed beyond words to have this....this thing...next to my mailbox. I will be talking to Luke and Amy. They must replace their mailbox. I have a reputation to uphold.

Exhibit one: Luke and Amy's mailbox. Yellow alert flag doesn't go up anymore.

This is a closeup......sad, sad, sad. I may have to buy them a mailbox. This is really not good.

First category: Odd ball mailboxes.

Shoes on the rail? Really? Really. They don't seem to be keeping the paper and mail boxes on the rail do they.

I can't decide if these are camo or zebra boxes. Whatever they are....they're ugly.
Who says GM doesn't make cars that last. I love this one.
The US Forest Service at Sam Owen State Park gets mail. Sam Owen is dead BTW.

Category two: Wanna be dinosaur mailboxes; self explanatory.

This is my favorite one. The box itself has flowers painted on it. It's the mailbox for a daycare. I bet the kids painted the box and I also bet they are scared to pieces by the whole structure.

Category three: Hansel & Gretel or Little Red Riding Hood mailboxes.

Cutesy wootesy.

I bet a painted gnome lives in this mailbox....I think I see eyes.

See....all wrapped up in wood so the big bad wolf can't blow this house down. Wait a minute....does that have a removable lid?

Category four: Playing nicely and sharing space mailboxes.

No, I was not holding the camera at an odd angle.

The top of this mailbox structure was raised so the mail person could reach the boxes...raised on wood blocks that are just placed there.....I can hardly wait to see this one after the first time the plow driver comes through.

The industrial look.

Category five: Mailbox structures with gizmos. You really need to click to enlarge....all of these are interesting.

This one is a dragon....very creative.

I'm not sure what all of this stuff is. The blue glass things used to be on power poles and are collectibles now.

I'm thinking this is a car thingy of some sort.

Woodsy, gizmos, little creatures.....a little bit of everything. That is the scariest angel I have ever seen.

Another car whatever I think.......but it looks too big to fit in a car...maybe it is a pump part.

Last category: The sad, unloved, forgotten mailboxes.
This box was on top of a post that was in the white bucket with rocks to keep it upright. Now....relegated to a piece of wood on top of a falling down fence....not even attached to anything. Sniff.

While this is good use of a fallen tree.....the mailbox is an afterthought. Sniff, snork.
A water heater strap used to keep this box on the post.....how cheesy is that....being a good mailbox reporter I tested this one....the box slides out of the strap because that black brace on the back of the box is not attached to the post.

A hanging chad.....

Nose dive......

Backward flip with a twist.....
Old post, new post, lopsided shelf, paper box on a bent bracket, mailbox on the way into the ditch.
Abandoned by a gate....no post in sight....I'm going to send this one to the mailbox rescue shelter where maybe it will be the lucky one adopted.

This is just an extra.....because I like it.

A sample of the problem.....

2009-10-14T12:53:00.001-07:00

Well, well, well....little rosemary is eligible for Medicare as of November first. She got a ton of stuff in the mail to read from Medicare; and read it she did. Her husband read it as well.

They made the decision to keep the health care insurance coverage that her husband gets through his employer. Medicare Part A covers hospitalization. She will get that coverage regardless of keeping her husbands coverage; she has no choice there.....AND she doesn't have to pay a premium. Probably the most expensive medical costs a person can incur is hospitalization.

So, she follows the instructions on her official Medicare card and puts a big X where it says she declines Part B and drug plan coverage. She mails it back in the postage free envelope provided.

Last week she got a letter telling her that they will start taking premiums out of her skimpy Social Security check for Medicare Part B starting in November and oh-by-the-way-have-you-picked-out-your-drug-plan-that-has-a-big-coverage-hole-in-it-and-you-have-to-pay-thousands-of-dollars-out-of-pocket-before-it-kicks-in-again.

rosemary called her local Social Security office and spoke to the nice, young girl Gabrielle. Gabrielle tells her they have not received her card or perhaps her information hasn't been entered into the system yet. She will send a form that rosemary can sign saying she doesn't need Part B because she has private insurance.

The form arrived yesterday in rosemary's mailbox. It says that by declining Part B and the drug plans that don't cover much she will be penalized with higher premiums of 10% for every year she declines Part B and drug coverage.

This is the exact opposite of what her cute little Medicare handbook says. The handbook says that someone who has private insurance either through their employer coverage or a spouse's employer coverage will not be penalized. When they are ready to sign up for Part B and the almost no coverage drug plan they just have to have a letter from the insurer stating that rosemary had coverage for the last 12 months and presto chango she gets Part B and the sleazy drug plan when the private coverage is over.

rosemary calls Gabrielle again. Gabrielle says her handbook must be mistaken because just like rosemary said: "So you are telling me that by not burdening the Medicare system, by keeping my private coverage so Medicare can save a little money with the 2 doctor visits I make a year, and by not paying for maybe one of the drugs I take...you mean I am going to be penalized every year that I decline to save Medicare some money?".......Gabrielle said: "Yes." So, rosemary reads word for word what is in the handbook. Gabrielle needs to call rosemary back as she needs to check with a supervisor.

Gabrielle calls back and says that actually rosemary is correct...not that Gabrielle was wrong...oh, no; rosemary's "interpretation" is correct.......see paragraphs 2 and 7.

So rosemary will keep her husband's insurance coverage, she will get Medicare Part A without paying a premium of even $0.01, she can sign up for Part B and the miserable drug plan when her husband's coverage ends.

If rosemary was really senile, couldn't comprehend the reams and reams of Medicare reading material she received, took what Gabrielle said as gospel...well, she would be in deep stuff up to her armpits. Can you imagine what someone that is easily confused must go through with this system?

rosemary knows most seniors see Medicare as a right because they have paid into the system all of their working lives....but can you imagine the cost savings to the system by NOT automatically giving Medicare part A when someone has adequate/full coverage that they pay for through their employer? The Part B premium is $96.40/month unless you make over 85K as an individual or 170K for a couple....then...then you "might" have to pay a higher premium.

rosemary doesn't have a solid solution. She doesn't really know whether President Obama's health care plan is good, bad or ugly because she doesn't understand it. She tried to read it....but maybe she is senile after all. What she does believe is that Medicare will go belly up sooner rather than later and it needs fixing.....but not at a cost to those that really can't afford to pay additional premiums. She wonders if Ruth Madoff had Medicare.

This whole situation just irritated rosemary to no end.....so much so that if she had written this in the first person she might have used really bad words that offend some of her readers. So she asked me to write it......rosemary, the one that doesn't use bad words.

He remembered....

2009-10-13T07:42:00.000-07:00

Hi Mom,

I tried to post a comment but I need to have some kind of special user name or account. So I just wrote this separately and attached it.

Love you,

Bert

One of my earliest childhood memories was of going to the public library with my mom. I must have been 3 or 4 years old and not in kindergarten yet. I don't remember how often we went but when we did I would immediately head to the children's section and get my favorite book, Where the Wild Things Are. I vividly remember sitting at the small children sized tables for what seemed like hours losing myself in the world of Max and the Wild Things. I do not think I could even read at the time but the characters in the story were fascinating to me and told countless stories beyond the printed words on the pages.

I never owned the book as a child and I really don't remember checking the book out of the library but I knew I loved it and I couldn't wait to go back to library to “read” it again. I can’t remember my mom reading the book to me but I’m sure she did. She read lot’s of books to me as child. Another one of my favorites was The Monster at the End of This Book, a Sesame Steet book starring loveable, furry, old Grover.

Where The Wild Things Are is the first book I can remember reading on my own and it brings back many love filled childhood memories of times I spent with my mom. It was the first of many other book covers opened by me out of the science fiction/fantasy genre. I don’t read as much as I used to but I have been known in recent times to plow through a good book in a couple of days.

I still have the stuffed Monsters, including Max. They are now in my 4 year old son’s room, after having spent time previously in my now 7 year old daughter’s room. Both know and love the book well. Perhaps not as much as the 4 year old sitting at the short tables in the library but enough to know that getting lost in another world for a short time with your mom or dad is something very special.

I will take my family to see the movie and hope it is as every bit as wonderful as the book. But, for me, it doesn’t really matter because while everyone else is sitting in the dark watching a movie, I will be 4 again, sitting at the short table with my mom reading a wonderful story with amazing pictures and knowing without question that she loves me.

Thanks Mom,

Bert

Love you to pieces my sweet little boy, mom

Kid stuff...Dear Gil.

2009-10-12T10:28:00.000-07:00

There is a movie coming out this weekend. Where The Wild Things Are will be in theaters Friday. The book, by Maurice Sendak, was my youngest son's favorite read. I don't remember reading the book to Gil....I hope I did. Do you remember if I did, Gil? I do remember the story of Max...a boy who is unhappy with his mother; a boy who feels unloved; a boy that runs away. I wonder now how much Gil identified with Max. Can you tell me now, Gil?

I remember buying him the stuffed animals from the story. He kept them on his bed for a long time. But, I think I got them for him when he was a teenager.

I wish Gil was six again. I wish I was taking him to see this movie. I know he will see it. I hope it brings back good childhood memories for him; he has very few of those thanks to me. Maybe he will take Sachi and Spencer to see it. Maybe he will tell them how much he loved the book. Maybe he still has those stuffed animals somewhere and will show them to his children.

Oatmeal and mush

2009-10-09T10:20:00.001-07:00

We took the doggies on an adventure yesterday. We drove to Farragut State Park. After 21 years of living off and on and then full time in Idaho, we saw Farragut for the first time. While it is a part of the State Park system now, during WW ll it was a Naval training area and brig. Steve's dad was stationed there for his training and he had been invited to a memorial dedication in September 2006. We had plane tickets for him and were really excited about having him visit Idaho, but he was ill and couldn't come and passed away that December.

Farragut is a beautiful, peaceful area filled with huge pine and fir trees. Of course, it is off season so we had the whole place to ourselves. While the camping areas were closed off, the memorial and some of the community event areas were open.

It was clear and 54 degrees yesterday, but there was a brutal wind.....we nearly froze our fingers off. Violet and Petey acted like idiots....Violet always does when she is on a leash and Petey probably never had his California paws on anything so cold. His nose was in overdrive....and then there was the small incident with a chipmunk.

This is a view of lake Pend Oreille and an area where Mountain Goats have been seen (on the opposite side of the lake).

This is a view of the brig. It is the only structure left of the Naval Base. We were able to peek inside a window and it looks like there is a long common area with the cells on all four sides of the room
This is the monument that was dedicated September 8, 2006. It is a really unique bronze cast. The Sailor's head is positioned in a structure that is the bow of a boat.

The entire head has images of sailors...and you can tell the different ethnicity....African American, American Indian, some have glasses, but all of the faces are different.
Here is the inscription on the back of the monument.
So, after we got home we were really tired and went to bed early. It gets dark at about 7 so we waited a respectable amount of time and hit the pillows at 8.

3:30 in the morning Steve wakes me up....."Honey, hurry and look out the window....it's snowing." And sure enough it looked like a snow globe outside....and the wind was once again blowing like crazy. We went out on the balcony like a couple of country bumpkins to watch the wonder of snow in October.

I didn't get outside until almost 10 this morning and there were only a few little patches of snow beads left, but here they are in all of their white, cold, October glory.