Gossip

Old Adage:  "Early politicians required feedback from the public to determine what the people considered important.  Since there were no telephones, Tv's or radios, the politicians sent their assistants to local taverns, pubs, and bars.  They were told to 'go sip some Ale and listen to people's conversations and political concerns.  Many assistants were dispatched at different times.  "you go sip here and 'you go sip there.' the two words were eventually combined when referring to the local opinion and, thus we have the term 'gossip'.



Serenity, there is so much beauty in silence.

Granddaughter Erin and Donaleo are heading for Paris and hopefully find time to visit the Louvre.   I was lucky to visit here some years back and it was such a wonderful exciting experience.    One needs time, lots of it to see all that is housed within these walls.

Hump day, all day, and we still are contending with lots of smoke in our air.    A couple of the fires have been contained and the men are still working on the others.  The men are exhausted and in danger of lung damage as they have been without a break from breathing all the foul air.    One of the fire fighters was killed in an accident yesterday.  We owe them such a huge debt of gratitude for being the men they are as they work tirelessly to keep us all safe from the fire which devastates everything in its path.  Many folks will have to start all over but they have their lives and that is the most important fact in life.   Things can be replaced and there are many helping hands that will be stepping up to the plate.  If you have volunteer fire fighters in your area, don't hesitate to donate to their cause.   

I had to put the furnace back on this morning as it is very cold inside the house.    I keep trying not to because it is August and the trade off is watering outside to try and keep the budget in toe.    Both expensive propositions anymore and like taxes, never ending.   My ground is like cement and the bushes and flowers are still trying to stay alive but it isn't easy as they choke on the smoke filled air.  My weeds are growing taller and stronger so that tells me something about air.    I pulled a dandelion up yesterday from the back garden that was in full bloom and really very pretty but at least three feet tall.   The area in the back of the garage where the ditch is has been taken over and I have to tell you I am thinking of leaving these 'weeds' stay right there and multiply.  A little jungle all my own.   Okay, I'm through griping and groaning for this morning.   I'm off to have breakfast, find a piece of a god awful jig saw puzzle that does not stay together when working on it; one of life's gripes and groans.   I'll visit Russell later and read a bit more of Andy Rooney, one of his earlier books and very funny.    It is hard to read out loud when your laughing out loud at the same time.    Enjoy your hump day and take time to be good to yourself, it is allowable, honest.   Hugs to all.
      

Wow

A meteorite shower.  I hear we are in for one this month so watch the news for the date and time.

The horrors of war.   This was part of a wonderful attachment that came in this morning.  So many interesting and beautiful pictures.   I learn something new and relive some of the old when this type of attachment comes through.   Even get to do a little travel from my chair on occasion.  

A poodle moth, isn't nature full of surprises.

I have never seen the end of the Wall of China as it stops at the sea.

AH!!!Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Check around and see what kind of pictures you can find to add to your knowledge, your sense of being, your desire to fill your minds and heart with a bit of the good things in life.    Relax, enjoy the views and give your soul a treat.    Tuesday's child is full of Grace . . . so enjoy your Tuesday family and friends and be graceful; the dictionary says it is 'showing grace of movement', and gracious means,  merciful and compassionate nature, kindness and warm courtesy . . . and YOU are all of those, so share your wealth today.  Hugs to all.

Summer

Friends went out to dinner in Connecticut and saw this view from the restaurant window.   A rainbow is always a sign of hope, a small miracle when the colors beam across the sky.

Here is a bit of color to brighten the porch on a summer day.  

What a wonderful way to express music.   Don't you find yourself humming a lot?  Don't you realize how a tune can lift your feelings or bring them down depending on what is going on in your life.    I usually have my station on every day and the music plays the tunes I am very familiar with and can sing along with or hum and memories float in happy refrains.    

Yes, some mornings are like that . . . there it is . . . attitude . . . and we all know how to change that.

Angie posted this on her Facebook and I had to laugh.    It remind me that sometimes I should keep my words to myself and here I am blogging like I know what I'm talking about.   

Wonder what words are pouring out of this old tree.   What wonders has it seen in its lifetime.   It is some picture, reminds me of 'a bad hair day'

It is Monday, the start of a new week in our summer of smoke and fires.     Patricia and I went up to visit the new summer art festival which was held in Stout Park near the Manley Art Center.   This affair had been held at the Port board walk for many years so it was interesting to see what ideas came out of the move.    I was reminded of the huge Art Festival in Nevada as the pathways circled around and the tents were set up following the contours of the land.    Each artist displayed their talents well and it was nice to see some new folks participating.    The jewelry makers displayed some very beautiful pieces, all unusual and brilliant in design and color.    The paintings and the photographs were of every size and shape;  some beautiful and some comical.    There were the soap makers and one young woman specialized in greeting cards both political and funny as she chose sayings from Shakespeare to Groucho Marks and had aprons and bags to match.   There was a huge area for those who wanted to snack and musicians on stage. 

There seemed to be a good crowd and I think the new area is going to be a good change.    Parking was a problem but then it usually is when such a large affair is in progress.    It is just nice to know that the leaders of this group had the courage of their convictions and found the way to keep the festival going.  Now if I could get them to adjust their prices maybe I could get my Christmas shopping done.

Put a bounce in your step and get Monday going.     Hum your worries away and find reasons to share YOU with those you love.     Have a latte and splurge on a big breakfast this morning and start your day right.     Don't forget to exercise and keep those arms at the ready for someone needs a hug today.  Come to think about it, I wouldn't mind one or two myself.    Hugs to all.

Sun Day

Jennifer sent this picture along on her Facebook page.   What a beautiful brown eyed Susan, makes for a 'sun' day just by looking at it.    

A time to remember "there but by the Grace of God, go I . . ."   Wouldn't you think that some where along the line of  the generations that have passed this road, felt the pain, the shunning, the mind set that this would not even exist in our world.    What gives anyone the right to make another feel less of a person?   What unspoken law makes one feel superior being rich instead of poor?    It is not what you have but who you are and that one person you ridicule may become the very best friend you will ever have.   

Patricia and Jock are hard at work canning a huge tuna this weekend.    I put my order in.   Someone asked what you can do with tuna;  how many ways can you eat it?    Albacore has a taste all its own and it goes well in a salad, a sandwich, a patty cooked to perfection, and it is good and healthy for the body. 

Sheila treated herself to a  happy Buddha to remind her of her vacation that has now come to an end.  She wrote to say she returned home without a mishap and her three cats came out of hiding and greeted her like a long lost cousin.   She had her check list out and the car emptied and everything thrown into the laundry, packed away and she was preparing her meals for the work week.  Yeah, lollygagging time was over and she was back in her routine with great memories of a fun trip that ended far to soon.

This is a beach picture that Sheila took  when she was up at Gold Beach looking for agates.    The beach was clean and clear, the ocean waves making patterns in the sand.    A quiet time to remember as she returns to her everyday work routine and can plot and plan her next vacation time.  The trouble with vacations is that they end much too soon, but part of the fun is plotting and planning the next one.

There was an attachment that came in with fifteen new Murphy's Laws .  I got a kick out of "A fine is a tax for doing wrong.  A tax is a fine for doing well."  Clever and true.    Another was, "Flashlight, a case for holding dead batteries."   Now that is more truth than fiction.    When you need it most the batteries are dead.   

I am off to enjoy a quiet day and I hope you are too.    Quiet days are so good for the body and the mind.   We still have a lot of smoke in our air and last I heard the fires  were still out of control.   We have been having late sunshine in our days and that seems to clear the air a bit.    Say a prayer for the firefighters.  They sure are exhausted from fighting the fires that seem to want to spread over the entire forest.   Make your day worthwhile, share YOU with those you love and make it a day to remember.  Yeah, find reasons to smile and pass them on.    Hugs to all.

 

Beach Time

This is the finished puzzle we started a week or so ago, thought we'd never get it finished but here it is.  What a beauty.  It would make a terrific wall hanging.   Bet you would like to be out there sailing around;  not me, I get nervous if I get my ankles wet.

Sheila Mary is leaving us today after a few days here in Brookings with me and Patricia.   She has been such fun to have around and is a great puzzle maker.  We have a new one started but she is leaving so that means we will have to find the pieces ourselves.   We rode up to one of the beaches in Gold Beach where it is easy for me to get on the beach and have a nice walk around.   I found the soft sand not to my liking though as it made it hard for me to get to the packed sand and once there, voila!  I could dance in the wind.   It was beautiful and I found a few things to brag about.

A wooden leg?   Something that looked like one.   Weather beaten and tossed about in ocean waves for a very long time.   I left it there for the tide to take it back out and maybe another time I'll find it again and see what has happened to it.  

We told Sheila that there were agates on this beach but not today.   The water was rough, the beach was almost with out rock.  When we did find some it was huge in size and not a sparkle to its name. 

This was a huge rock in the ocean and the waves were breaking over it.  I opened up the camera and got this shot just as the wave broke over the rock.    Sure is a good shot . . . almost broke my arm on that one!
 

Okay you  tell me what it is.  I say a dead fish, a big dead fish.  It must have washed up and laid on  forever.  It is skeletal and it is housing a billion flies so it makes me wonder.   Nature has a way of taking care of its own. 

What a lovely shell.    I just like the look of it and the colors too.   Almost abalone in its shading. 

I like the shape and the size of this tiny piece of drift wood.   It has a charm all its own.

And, you learn something new every day as these are actual live flowers growing in the sand.  I've never seen flowers growing in the sand .   A small miracle.

The wind was up, the ocean wild, the tide incoming and not a soul on the beach.   The houses here are in a cul-de-sac and wind around the shoreline.  Each one different and very well built.   They are huge in size and well taken care of.  Hardly a soul around.  The one we parked in front of was a place you can rent so we felt we could park and go through the pathway to the ocean seeing it was empty.    Many are for sale, signs of the times, I guess.    It is quiet and I didn't even see a gull.    Some of the summer folks are down as there were flags flying and several have planted barrel flower gardens which look very lovely.    A nice idea when you can't grow much in sand.    All in all we had a wonderful hour or so on the beach, a walk through the local gift shop on the way home as Sheila had some shopping to do.  We had already made a stop at the big bookstore on the way in and the ladies had a latte and a croissant.  I opted for water and saved  my appetite for I had already peeled my apples and put my pie crust together so knew when we got home I was going to indulge in a piece of hot apple pie . . . I did,  delicious!!!  

So if you can vacation at a beach area, do go for a hike and feel the fresh breeze in your hair and smell the ocean smells.   Stick your feet in the water, relax and enjoy.    There really is nothing like a day or even an hour at the ocean.  It has it's own way of making you feel like a new person . . bright, shiny, almost like a new penny . . . I guarantee you will feel like a million dollars, or maybe like that beat up quarter Pat found in the sand.   Face up too!  Isn't that good luck?  I hope so.

Enjoy your weekend.     and remember I was sharing an old adage or two a few days ago...well, here is another . . . "At local taverns, pubs, and bars, people drank from pint and quart-sized containers.  A bar maid's job was to keep and eye on the customers and keep the drinks  coming.  She had to pay close attention and remember who was drinking in 'pints' and who was drinking in 'quarts', hence the phrase 'minding your 'p's and 'q's.  So mind them and have some fun while you do . . . Hugs to all.

 

TGIF

Here is Sheila taking a beach walk with Emma.    

A nice thought.     How lucky we are to have friends.   

Now this is a library.   I was thinking daughter Christine should build an addition to her house to house her books, but then if she did it would become the new library at Port Orchard. 

Friday, the last day to share time with Sheila before she returns home to Port  Orchard and life without vacation days.    We have had a fun week and will miss her.    We have one more day to have an outing so will decide which direction to drive off to and see what kind of mischief we can get into.     Yesterday we went to the Casino and helped friend Marcia celebrate her birthday.   Sheila came out the winner and is going home with a few shekels in her pocketbook. The rest of us paid our dues and had a lot of fun trying out some new machines.  We made a stop at Ray's Market on the way back and bought steak for our dinner.  I was going to treat the ladies to dinner out but we have so many wonderful garden vegetables to eat up it would be a waste not to stay home and cook.     The steaks were tender and delicious and the salad came off a bit on the wet side as I didn't make use of the spinner, but it didn't stop us from eating it.   The garden fresh green beans were very good.   

The new puzzle is giving us a bad time in just putting the frame together.    It is going to be a prize pain as the pieces are tiny and refuse to stay together.  I prefer the interlocking puzzles as they are much easier to handle.    This one is going to be very colorful as it is huge balloons floating in the sky.   Don't be shy, come on by and you can help find some of the pieces and see if you can make a bit of headway.

Scrabble and the Jelly game on the computer has gotten a lot of attention.    I made it up to stage fourteen in the jelly game but am stuck.  I get a good amount of points but cannot get all of the jellies to disappear.  It has been fun but I still prefer my word games.   Discipline is the name of the game.  You can get lost playing computer games for hours forgetting that too much of a 'good' thing is not healthy for the body or the mind.    I know, a spoil sport, but too much of anything is not good for us.     So today I am going to remove the jelly game and stick with my scrabble game.    I am going out the door and get some exercise.   I have no intention of becoming a zombie and confine m myself to a small screen when there are so many wonders to go outside to see and participate in.    Conversation for one.    A hug wouldn't be all bad and the freedom and fresh air should make the seconds move along as they should.    So practice discipline today as it means moral or mental improvement and we can all use a little of that.   TGIF . . . with a weekend coming up to enjoy so get busy and enjoy every second of it.    Don't forget to smile , it helps to swallow the discipline 'pill'.    Hugs to all.

Dinner In

Thee is a name for this salad but I do not know it.  Fresh basil leaves both dark and light, mozzarella cheese and real true garden tomatoes bought at the home market yesterday.   I think there was a drizzle of olive oil too.    As Pat said . . "Yum".

There is nothing better than having your house guest love to cook and Sheila made spaghetti without meat but full of wonderful vegetables , what a treat to the taste buds.

I did stay out of the kitchen until desert time and I put some baking powder biscuits together, added some  luscious strawberries and topped with some cool whip.   Just think, no one complained. 

Here is a picture from Jennifer from Lake Tahoe and the Shakespeare Festival.   It has gone on for many summers and it is such a fun evening.  If you have not been to one of the plays, make it a point to get to one and know you will have a very special evening.

and it looked so easy!   Help!!  

It is Marcia's birthday today....Happy Birthday Marcia.     We are going to celebrate with lunch out at the casino today.    It is Thursday lunch special day and the hot turkey sandwiches are the best in town.    Marcia can go off the menu and order what she wants today. . . I can see a big juicy burger with all the trimmings, as it is one of her favorite choices.    I hope she wins a jackpot today . . . come to think of it, me too.  

The six fires raging are still doing their best to stay alive.   The smoke is in the air.  I think a lot is coming from Cave Junction area up off of highway 199.   We haven't heard of any containment as yet but have high hopes the dry lightening storms pass without adding more misery.     Thousands of acres of timber gone.   

I enjoyed going through the Farmer's Market yesterday for the first time.    I love the fresh produce but I do not like the gouging prices the local folks put on their fruits and vegetables.   Five dollars for a loaf of bread is an awful lot even if it is very tasty.   Four dollars for a small melon is a lot, as is a dollar and a quarter for a handful of green beans.  The tomatoes were luscious and looked so good but the prices were much to high to buy more than one or two.    I know, you get what you pay for, but I think they could be a bit kinder in today's inflated world.   There was one booth with some of the most delicious looking pastries which I haven't seen in ages.   Those real long breakfast buns with jelly and nuts;  huge scones and big round flat type donuts that looked like they should come home with us, but they didn't . . . calories . . . oozed . . . you know they would taste delicious but you also know they create belly fat, and we are all working at making that go away.  One can only hope for self discipline especially when your taste buds are crying out loud for the biggest and fattest one in the case. 
So today, visit your local Farmer's Market and makes some choices that make your taste buds stand up and be counted for.    Treat yourself to something you love and know you can get back on your 'diet' tomorrow.     Enjoy every mouthful and take tiny bites so it lasts longer.     Food is our fuel for our bodies, so plot and plan something very special for your dinner tonight.  You will have to make your own baking powder biscuits though, if you are planning on a fruit desert with globs of cream.    Sponge cakes works well.     The first of a brand new month . . . August . . . the last month of summer.   Food is another form of love, so get busy and feed those you love, and a few on your 'so-so' list;  and smile while you do it as there are no calories to worry about there.   Hugs to all.