By Maya Angelou :

"Spirit
is an
Invisible
Force
made visible
in all Life"

Hello!!!

Is everyone taking a winter blog break? Seems like everyone is hybernating. Come on, what gives. I know there are fun and exciting things going on somewhere. Here it is cold. But then it is January. Been busy packing stuff. Ever notice how much *stuff* you have? Didn't George Carlin do a whole skit about our *stuff*. Geez some of the stuff I have packed I haven't used since last time I moved. Why do we hang on to all this stuff. I have numerous craft projects that were started and never finished. Mind you I do finish some things but I think the oldest saved unfinished project are some quilt blocks made by hand in what is called the cathedral pattern. I made them in 1974 and never put them together. Have enough to probably make a twin spread. Now tell me if I haven't finished it by now, what are the odds of it ever being done? I have a sister who quilts, maybe I should pass it on to her.

Well don't know how I got off on that little tangent. But hope I see some happy blogging soon or I will threaten to go on a winter strike too.

My Keepsake

This is a painting done by one of the inmates at the prison. He is a lifer and confined to his room and has taught himself to paint He turns out a painting about every 2 weeks and they are always bought up by staff and he donates several a year to the cancer walk. This guy is on a 30 by 36 canvas. Don't know if it does justice here but the shadows are great and you can see his breath, coming up over his nose and across his back. Pretty cool huh? Oh I forgot to mention that I bought it.

May I brag just a wee bit?

The name is smudged to protect the innocent. I received this little award yesterday from work. Was a nice honor. The boss who presented it must have been watching to many infomercials, because he said I was one employee that could be "set it and forget it" Not sure but think he ment it as a compliment. Actually the joke is on him as he hardly knows what I do. But as you can see from my last post I am not sure I should have gotten this, maybe is is my going away present.
Oh, and to top it off, I took today off as a sick day, ohhh, bad girl.

My horoscope for Tue. Yes, this is ME

Quickie:Don't wait 'til the last minute to double-check the details. Go over everything now.

Overview:It's impossible for you to remain silent in the face of other people's glaring mistakes and bad judgment. When you look closely at this situation, you know exactly what needs to happen to fix it.

SOLD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We listed our home a week ago and have our buyer!! Will tell more later. Mo. here we come, well in March.

Pogonip

If you live where you don't get this, you are missing out on something beautiful and dangerous. Pogonip is frozen fog. I believe the name came from an Indian word. We seem to get it alot in January here, the fog forms in the valley and by morning this is what we see on everything. Maybe you can click on the picture and see it in more detail. Another name for it is hoary frost.


I wanted to mention for all you baby boomer gals out there be sure to read the Parade mag. in the Sun. paper today. Great feature article on us. The New Seasoned Woman. Yea, thats us. "She can be anyone who commits herself to living fully and with passion." Great article. Please read.

Where was I

Since my baby girl just had a birthday {no. 38!} I thought I would look back to see where I was at the age 38. First of all I want everyone to know I must have been only 12 when she was born, if I remember correctly, ha ha. That would have been the year that this baby girl graduated from high school and that I graduated from college with my associate degree in nursing. I had been an LPN for about 14 years by then. I had been remarried for about 4 years to AC. I was working in OB at Carson Tahoe Hospital. That was also about the time that I applied to get into the Army Reserves and went thru all the testing but got turned down because the college didn't have their National League of Nursing Accredidation yet. We had just moved from a rental house that year and bought a home. We had a tent camper and a brittney spanial named Belle, and we went camping and fishing real often. There are some things I would change if I could but mostly it was a good year with alot going on in my life.

I expect that baby girl will look back on the year she turned 38 and remember it to be a year of incredible changes in her life. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BABY GIRL.

BD

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY SINDY!!!!!

Big Flood!

We welcomed in the new year with more rain in one day than we get in a whole year!! Between 4 to 6 inches. Lots of flooding, driveways washed out, cars underwater down town, and major mudslides. I ventured out today, and took SIL out to lunch, we were getting cabin fever. The parking lot for a shopping mall on the main highway thru town looked like a mud ralley had taken place. They had big endloaders and dump trucks trying to clear the mess. I can see the carson river from my back door and I have never seen it before from here. I understand I 80 over the mountains west is closed for a few more days due to a huge mud slide. I think alot of the mud that ran thru town was from the area that burned down on the side of the mountain about 1/12 year ago. The picture is taken from my front porch, looking at the corner where water from a small creek had overflowed and took out a guys driveway and washed down over the street to re-enter the creek just east of our place.

AC is in Mo. at the present and I have killer dog here with me for protection. But when the wind is blowing very hard I am not sure who is protecting who. He checked out a house for his sister to buy and she made an offer on it. So we will both have homes now to go to when we get sold out here. I have been a very busy girl. Doing touch up painting and major cleaning. Meg I know why you move so often. It is a good way to clean house!!! Using the 3rd bedroom as storage room so all the packed up boxes are going in there. {and all the books that I got prices and boxed up} Well I am on a countdown with my list of stuff to get done before the realitor comes on Tue. So better get a few more things done tonite.

end of the year reflections

I was watching the evening news tonite, something I rarely do since I work evening shift, but was a bad girl and called in sick today. Anyway that is another story. But you know how at the end of the year they always show all the important people who have died the past year. As I watched all those familiar faces go by it really made be feel sad. There was the last one, Peter Jennings, so smart, so talented, so loved, and he is gone. But with the celebrities they are not really gone because we continue to see their movies and listen to their music. I guess it just makes me realize how fragil life as we know it is. We take so much for granted and live our lives as if they will go on forever. Maybe my wish for the new year for everyone is to slow down, really enjoy your lives, resolve old resentments, find beauty around you in the simple things, and take care of yourselves and each other. I like the saying, "don't sweat the small stuff, everything is small stuff." That is so true. HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

HNT

OK this was my first and prob my last HNT. It was 1 year post tummy tuck. Hey I'm proud......

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE! Be safe.

Joke

What to you call a blonde skeleton in the closet?
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The world champian hide and seek player!!!

Just Breath

Do you ever feel like things are happening so fast you can't catch your breath? That is sort of how I feel lately. As you know we are getting ready for me to retire from nursing and start a little business as a semi retirement till I actually get *old*. Last week we got several large pieces of furniture moved out to store at SIL's extra garage. So everything is upside down with packing stuff that is not needed, have to do some touch up painting, rearrange furniture, and clean house before next Tue. when we list our home for sale. Yikes, we are really doing this. Like we never moved before. Lets see in past 23 years of marriage, we have moved 8 times. Now this will make 9. Hubby is in Mo. setting up a deal on a home for his sister, as she is alone now and will be moving too, to be near us, but in town so she can maintain her independence for as long as she can. Sooooooooo maybe by spring we can have both homes sold and get out of Dodge, as they say.

As for my back, PT continues 2 times a week, think things are better. I actually drove about 50 miles today and no pain in the back of my rt leg. So something is helping. I just have to learn better skills in lifting and bending. Like moving is going to make that easy. hoot.\!!
Found a place today out of the way, like 15 miles from home, a thrift store, to buy good quality books for the store. Got 3 grocery bags crammed full for 10$. Must be close to 100 books. I had a time constrant and lack of bags or would have gotten more. So will be back there later in week and stock up some more. The gal at the book store calls me her apprentice, and she is helping me learn authors that I need to watch for, as there are some types of books that I don't read but are quite popular. Before I leave I will tell her about the thrift store I found.
Well it is about midnight and best get to bed. I have the cusdody of the dog this time, so she is alittle confused, not used to being left alone this much.

I notice everyone seems to have taken a little breather from posting with the holiday. I hope everyone has enjoyed their families and all the little kiddies had a great time. I foresee my next Christmas being very different that this year, for sure!!

Sunday Morning

This is what we saw this morning when we got up, about 6 in. of snow. Good morning to stay home and have maple bacon, eggs, and biscuts { thanks to Pilsbury frozen} That is Molly our dog in the one pic, near the wood pile. The other is out the kitchen window looking at the little porch. Right now looking out my patio windows I see about 50 quail right up to the back door eating grass where it is open, under the porch roof. Molly lays by the patio door and thinks this is her TV. Had a great phone chat with my sis in Mo. this morning then had a nice long E-Mail from my # 1 daughter. Seems I have adopted another daughter so *S* will be my #1. Sorry *A* you will be my #2. Glad you came along when you did.

Humor

Get Out of the Box::


*MRDUCKIES

*MRNOTDUCKIES

*OSMRDUCKIES

*CMETBTWINGS

*YLBMRDUCKIES

View

View out the car window Fri. So. of town. I don't think I'm in Kansas Toto!!

the little red stove

This is a picture of a little wood stove that AC refinished while we were in Mo. and we got new stove pipe and put it back in the same place that we originally had it.The folks who had the farm before us had stored it in the garage, so we were tickled to find it still there. Can't wait for a nice fire. It is in one end of the second bedroom. Coozy

My Rock

As I stood at my kitchen sink this morning, I looked at the rock on the window sill. It has been there for about 2+years now. It is a special rock. It is brown, looks like sandstone with lots of pits and craters in it. It is about 2 inches across. When I look at it I am reminded of where and how I got it. We had a family reunion at my sisters home, she was living in a cute little log cabin in the middle of the Ozark hills, with a little creek running along the bluff just behind the house. My older brother Jim and I were walking along the creek, looking for "stuff" and talking. This is a good memory of my brother and he picked up this rock and said"here, you need a little peice of Mo. to take back to Nv. with you" so I put it in my suitcase and home it came. So now when I look out my window I glance down and see this little rock and think of him, as I know he is looking down and thinking of all of us. Thanks Jim.