The Cheerful One

Jim's Tribute to Judi

2011-12-31T13:27:00.000-08:00

So tired

2011-12-15T20:40:00.000-08:00

I'm watching the boys for a week while Cherlyn's out of town. Tonight's the third night and I'm already exhausted. Part of that is because I'm sick . . . well, I'm sure most of it is because I'm sick. Much is happening, but, frankly, I can't think of anything to write. I'll feel a bit more inspired later. Might be after the new year. I love new beginnings, a clean slate.

I have photos to post as well. Later. Sleep now. Just some sleep.

Little Orphant Annie (The Goblins'll Get You If You Don't Watch Out!)

2011-10-19T11:43:00.000-07:00

A poem my Grandma learned as a little girl, that she can still recite by memory. She's 96.

LITTLE ORPHANT ANNIE

INSCRIBED
WITH ALL FAITH AND AFFECTION
To all the little children: - The happy ones; and sad ones;
The sober and the silent ones; the boisterous and glad ones;
The good ones - Yes, the good ones, too; and all the lovely
bad ones.

Little Orphant Annie's come to our house to stay,
An' wash the cups an' saucers up, an' brush the crumbs away,
An' shoo the chickens off the porch, an' dust the hearth, an'
sweep,
An' make the fire, an' bake the bread, an' earn her board-
an-keep;
An' all us other childern, when the supper-things is done,
We set around the kitchen fire an' has the mostest fun,
A-listenin' to the witch-tales 'at Annie tells about,
An' the Gobble-uns 'at gits you
Ef you
Don't
Watch
Out!

Wunst they wuz a little boy wouldn't say his prayers, -
An' when he went to bed at night, away up-stairs,
His Mammy heerd him holler, an' his Daddy heerd him bawl,
An' when they turn't the kivvers down, he wuzn't there at
all!
An' they seeked him in the rafter-room, an' cubby-hole, an'
press,
An seeked him up the chimbly-flue, an' ever'-wheres, I guess;
But all they ever found wuz thist his pants an' roundabout: -
An' the Gobble-uns 'll git you
Ef you
Don't
Watch
Out!

An' one time a little girl 'ud allus laugh an' grin,
An' make fun of ever' one, an' all her blood-an'-kin;
An' wunst, when they was "company," an' ole folks wuz there,
She mocked 'em an' shocked 'em, an' said she didn't care!
An' thist as she kicked her heels, an' turn't to run an'
hide,
They wuz two great big Black Things a-standin' by her side,
An' they snatched her through the ceilin' 'for she knowed
what she's about!
An' the Gobble-uns 'll git you
Ef you
Don't
Watch
Out!

An' little Orphant Annie says, when the blaze is blue,
An' the lamp-wick sputters, an' the wind goes woo-oo!
An' you hear the crickets quit, an' the moon is gray,
An' the lightnin'bugs in dew is all squenched away, -
You better mind yer parunts, an' yer teachurs fond an' dear,
An' cherish them 'at loves you, an' dry the orphant's tear,
An' he'p the pore an' needy ones 'at clusters all about,
Er the Gobble-uns 'll git you
Ef you
Don't
Watch
Out!

2011-10-12T22:05:00.000-07:00

I spent the day cleaning up the living room and thought I'd post a few vignettes. Nothing fancy, here they are.

The Rusted Chain Giveaway

2011-09-16T22:27:00.000-07:00

Once again, Beki at the Rusted Chain is doing a giveaway. Her Thankful necklace is very pretty. Check her out here.

Rome Map, Take Two

2011-09-08T22:48:00.000-07:00

View Larger Map

Rome

2011-09-08T13:09:00.001-07:00

I'm helping my sister plan her trip to Italy.
View Larger Map

Rusted Chain Giveaway

2011-07-16T16:50:00.000-07:00

The Rusted Chain is doing a giveaway for two $25 gift certificates to their site. Just tell them your favorite thing about summer.

My favorite thing about THIS summer is that I get to have Bobby and Michael around. I will miss them terribly when they move again but this has been a very good, albeit short, time with them.

Red, White & Blue Challenge

2011-07-05T16:25:00.000-07:00

I Heart Faces is doing a challenge this week on Red, White & Blue. I thought I'd post a few of my 4th photos.

Willits Frontier Days ended yesterday with the 4th of July parade, the huge community barbecue, the last rodeo (oldest continuously running rodeo in the state of California!) and the close of the carnival. It drew in people from all over, just as it has for the last 85 years.

REAL cowboys. Lee Persico, on the left, performed at the 1939 World's Fair with his pony, Buck.

Willits Horsemen's Association

The American Legion honored just a few of our local military kids. Thank you to those who choose to serve their country in this way!!

My 4th consisted of riding along with my police officer husband (he was working OT) on the evening of the 3rd and then again on the 4th. Life is good in a small town.

And . . . for my last little bit of red, white and blue . . .

Mazahar's patriotic frillies.

For more 4th of July photos from 2009 and 2010, take a look at posts tagged "Frontier Days."

Happy July, everyone.

68 Inches

2011-04-01T10:09:00.000-07:00

I woke up with a hint of a spark in my soul and that's very, very good. What woke me up was something I am completely unaccustomed to. It was sunlight coming through a window directly into my eyes. It was glorious. I couldn't figure out why everything seemed so dull, so dreary, so full of drudgery. Now I know. And now I know that it's coming to an end. I feel as though I'm emerging from a fog. A long, wet, dreary, grey fog.

We've had 68 inches of rain since mid-October. SIXTY-EIGHT! And now, all of a sudden, we have sunshine and temperatures in the 80's. It's glorious. It's warm. It's sunny. The sky is blue. You can SEE the sky! It's still soggy around here but at least we're finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. We still have rainy days ahead, but now they'll be interspersed with sunny days and warmer temperatures. Did I mention we've had 68 inches of rain since mid-October? :o)

Not only have we had a lot of rain this year, we had about 5 or 6 inches of snow in about 5 hours just a week or two ago. Phenomenal. Really. Bizarre and phenomenal.

But that's ok, because springtime appears to finally be upon us. The spark has been re-ignited.

Blessed Nest Giveaway

2011-03-18T09:56:00.001-07:00

This Blessed Nest is doing a giveaway for some very nice pillows. Check it out.

Rusted Chain Giveaway

2011-03-08T20:40:00.000-08:00

Beki at The Rusted Chain doing a giveaway for some of her necklaces. She'd like to know what you consider your best physical feature. Makes you think a bit.

:o)

Jim's tribute to Judi

2011-03-07T16:52:00.003-08:00

Jim talked a bit about Judi. (The graveside ceremony is the post just before this one.)

Here's the video:

Judi Buchfuehrer's graveside service

2011-03-07T16:10:00.000-08:00

Following (in two parts) is the video taken at Judi Buchfuehrer's Orthodox funeral.

Cheryl

2011-02-22T22:45:00.001-08:00

A dear friend went Home today. Rest in our Savior's arms, Cheryl. I love you.

Counting My Blessings Giveaway

2011-02-18T22:39:00.000-08:00

One of these days I'll actually have some time to get on here and write something but, for now at least, this will have to suffice. It's quiet here as the husband has gone to bed and the granddaughter is asleep in the next room. I have a few moments to myself to look over some old blogs and discover new ones. This one's a new one to me and I think I'm really going to enjoy her. She's doing a cool giveaway so check it out. You might like her, too.

I'm HOPING HOPING HOPING that my middle daughter will finish her moving out this weekend so I can tame some of this chaos. Next weekend is the baby shower for my youngest and her 4 week premature daughter and the weekend after is a "sissies weekend" with my sisters up in Oregon to see my folks. Things are moving along, but very slowly.

Rusted Chain Giveaway

2011-02-14T09:56:00.000-08:00

Beki at Rusted Chain is giving away a $25 gift certificate today. She makes wonderful jewelry and has a new piece, a coffee cup with "savor moments" stamped on it. It's really cute. Check her out.

I'm . . .

2011-02-12T09:26:00.000-08:00

A Grandma again!! Hallie Rae was born on February 2 to my youngest and her husband. Photos to follow because things are busy because . . .

We're empty nesters again!! Middle daughter and granddaughter moved out at the same time resulting in my house being in a total state of chaos.

At some time in the future, things will be "normal" again. For now, I'm plodding along trying to organize, rearrange and not forget all those wonderful ideas that keep popping up and then disappearing before I can write them down. Yes, that will be one of my changes. Must get paper next to wherever I am.

Time Zooming By

2011-01-31T09:38:00.000-08:00

I've got to get myself some sort of a schedule. I feel like my day is zooming past me and I'm not feeling like I'm accomplishing much. Time to take charge.

Speaking of taking charge, Katie and Emma are moving out! It's about the best (in my opinion) it can be. They'll be just four houses down the street. It makes for a pretty good safety net for them. We'll see how it goes but I'm excited for them and I'm excited for us. That means that pretty much the next week (ha!) or so will be filled with rearranging furniture and rooms. Mike will hate it.

Cleaning!!

2011-01-13T22:11:00.000-08:00

Purging, cleaning, straightening, organizing; it can be really rewarding, but, at the same time, tiring. I started tackling our bedroom today. It needs to be presentable for the inspector for when we finally get the permit to have it. That's a good thing since it's been there for 14 years. Our bedroom is huge so I moved a big bookcase today to partition it off somewhat. Tomorrow, I'll try to go through the stuff that belongs in the shelves and make it look better than it does now. Unfortunately, what it ends up looking like and what I envision in my head rarely ever match. Maybe someday.

Some to-do's for tomorrow:

Cards in month folders

upload photos from camera

switch big desk with tall bookcase (BIG job, LOTS of stuff in both)

pay bills

vacuum living room

put covers on chairs and couch

figure out what to put in which storage areas

put the rest of the Christmas stuff in the attic

start posting photos on the blog

get photos transferred to Aperture Library (since we're talking 100,000+ photos, this is another big job)

Off to bed so I can get a fresh start tomorrow.

Sweet giveaway from Rusted Chain

2011-01-06T15:16:00.000-08:00

The Rusted Chain makes some beautiful jewelry. Check out their giveaway here.

2011

2011-01-05T20:33:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! Husband starts Days tomorrow (first time in a year!!) so I will finally get a chance to work in our bedroom. I'm thrilled. He's not. All I need is one rotation. I should be able to resurrect the room in four months. A Blessed Eve of Epiphany to you all!

Steps, Days 7-22 (Nov. 8-23) Part Two

2010-12-04T00:13:00.000-08:00

Day two and we're ready to continue our drive to Odell (pronounced like 'yodel,' by the way). Thanks to googlemaps, you can join me on our drive. We left Swineshead and the next village we'll come to is Riseley.

As you can see, we're in the middle of farmland out here. There are a lot of little villages in the area.

Just coming into Riseley now. There are a lot of houses in this village that are listed in the British Listed Buildings site.

I LOVE this cottage. I love the color, the beams and the thatched roof .

This one is pretty cool, too. I like the way the windows are set into the thatching . . . or the way the thatching is built around the windows.

I'd live here, too. :o)

This one looks like it should be an inn.

The Fox and Hounds in Riseley, Bedfordshire. I think we should pop in for a bite to eat! Check out their menu. I think I could make a meal of just their starters.

So we've had our lunch and now it's back on the road.

The doors on this old barn struck me. I'm a sucker for doors and windows.

Seeing this makes me wish I was there.

Looking back.

Look at the difference in the weather. Most of the time we were there, we were fortunate enough to have lots of sunshine, but we had our share of foggy days, too.

We're going to take a little jog to the right and then back down in the direction we were headed.

We could turn here to go to Odell, but we're going to go up a bit further.

We'll turn in here.

I love the signs. Wait until you see the arched bridge. Better hope for no oncoming traffic.

Wonder how old this thing is?

Almost to Sharnbrook. I love their old barns. They're so much cooler than our old barns.

Another Wesleyan Chapel (Methodist).

Stone building and thatched roof.

Best be careful when you step out your front door. You might step right in front of a moving vehicle.

More stones and thatching.

We turn left here to go to Odell.

I love their churchyards. I think a cemetery SHOULD have upright headstones. I don't care for the flat markers set into the ground. Doesn't seem like there's a whole lot of character or individuality in that style.

Check out the houses on this street. Wow!

Through the roundabout . . .

Check out the signs to get our bearings . . .

and back on our way . . .

to Odell! So what's the big deal about Odell and why would we make a point of going to visit there you might ask? Well, one of my ancestors, Reverend Peter Bulkeley, was born in Odell and was the pastor of All Saints Church there. He was also booted out of there for "nonconformity." As a result, he and a bunch of his followers headed off to the New World to take advantage of religious freedom. He founded the town of Concord, Massachusetts.

This is the Rectory Farm for All Saints. We passed it on our way to the church and came back after we went to the church. We stopped in and bought some jams and then went back to the church.

Why did we pass it by the first time and then go back?

Odell's High Street

I love the way the buildings are right to the street edge.

If you look close, you can see the wall that's the beginning of the church property.

Almost there.

Ah. All Saints Church. We got here and hopped out of the car to look around and go inside. Problem was, no one was there. We looked around outside and then saw a note that said to go back to the Rectory Farm for the key. There was no way they were going to give a couple of Americans the key to a 800 year old church, with no one there to supervise. Or so we thought.

We went back to the Rectory Farm and met a very nice lady who indeed did give us the key. It was an old skeleton key, about 5 inches long. I'll try to get more photos on here later. For now, these will have to do.

When we were there, it was May and there were flowers blooming everywhere. It was spectacular. We walked all over the grounds and then went inside. I took a bunch of photos inside and we were even able to go down some ancient stairs and then up into the bell tower.

Not ALL the way up. Just to a second floor and then to where the rope hung down from the bells.

So cool.

Well, our little outing for the day is done. When we went home, we took the motorways so we got home much quicker. The lady we talked to at the farm was surprised that we'd driven "all that way" to visit the church. They consider 25 miles a great distance.

Now that I'm trying to get Christmas stuff ready and things ready for our short trip to Oregon (all us "kids" get to be together after not seeing each other for six years!!), I probably won't have much time to do my "walks." I'm not sure so I'm being noncommittal. :o) There are some more special places I want to visit, though, so we'll see.

Freckled Laundry Giveaway

2010-12-03T23:30:00.000-08:00

I think this is the last one. At least for now. Check out this very talented lady.

Wayside Treasures Giveaway

2010-12-03T23:22:00.001-08:00

Yet another giveaway with some very pretty items. I don't know how the rest of you feel about cottagey vintagey decor, but I love it.

French Farmhouse 425

2010-12-03T23:13:00.001-08:00

It's another giveaway and it's really cool stuff! Check it out!

This Blessed Nest Giveaway

2010-12-03T11:23:00.000-08:00

Go over to This Blessed Nest to see a really cool giveaway. It's two bags from A Bag Full Of Posies. They're really creative!

Steps, Days 7-22 (Nov. 8-23) Part One

2010-12-02T22:48:00.000-08:00

The Paddocks to Odell, Bedfordshire

It's a beautiful day and we're going to take a drive. Today we're going to the village of Odell, in County Bedford. It's about 23 miles or so away and, believe it or not, the drive will take around an hour. We'll go through some very lovely little villages and see some cool historic sites on the way. Grab your camera, sit back and enjoy the scenery. If we can't finish the drive today, then we'll pick up where we leave off tomorrow.

This is where we start our journey, of course. Cherlyn and Rob's house in Alconbury, Cambridgeshire. They're only going to be living here another month and then they move on base. I'll miss staying in the little village when we visit.

We're setting off around the time school begins. Make sure you say hi as we pass folks by.

I just had a thought . . . let's stop by the pub and have breakfast! I see some folks inside there which means it's probably ok for us to pop in. They're not normally open for breakfast; you have to make special arrangements. We'll have a typical British breakfast with broiled tomato slices, eggs, sausage, ham, coffee, and potatoes. You'll love it!

After breakfast, we continue down the street. This is the Wesleyan Chapel, an old church that's now used as a house. There's an old grave headstone that's leaning up against the front of the house. I think (if memory serves me right) it's from the 1700's . . . maybe 1600's.

I thought I'd stop and post a letter but found out that the post office is closed. Oh well. The sign is cute!

On to the village green! This green and the bridge is mentioned in books and records dating back to the 1200's!!

Turning right to go over the bridge. It amazes me to think that I'm crossing over a bridge that people crossed over 800 years ago.

We'll stop and take a quick look back. What a beautiful day.

Out of Alconbury and onto one of what we would call "farm roads." Google refers to it as an unknown road. They have many of the same wildflowers that we do.

The road's making a sharp right up ahead. Thought the colors here were beautiful; the blue of the sky, the red and green in the bushes, the yellows.

I just love the farmland here. It would be the perfect place for a bike ride!

Looking back from whence we came.

Ah, we're coming up to the little village of Woolley.

There's not much here. Not even many references to it in Google.

I did see this beautiful house, though. It has a huge willow tree and a pond right in the front of the yard. It was gorgeous.

But we'll continue on our merry way. The next village we'll be hitting is down this road, onto the motorway and then just an exit or two down the motorway.

This reminds me of a scene out of Twister. Remember the one? It's when the tornado just about lands on top of them and they find out they still love each other. That's the movie that made my daughter go into meteorology. :o)

What I did find on this road, and in my google searching about Woolley, is this wonderful bed and breakfast. It's called the New Manor Farm and double rooms ensuite are 60 pounds a night. That's really a very good price! It sounds like something I might like to try . . . if we ever went over there with plenty of cash that is.

Away from the farm and back on the road.

And here's our exit. I believe we'll be getting onto the A14.

Spaldwick is where we'll be exiting the motorway. Don't you love the names of their towns and villages?

What'd I tell you? Just a hop, skip and a jump down the road and we're heading off to Spaldwick.

Almost there . . .

And here we are . . . Spaldwick.

They have some interesting history. The village itself is mentioned as early as the 1200's and some of the houses are from the 1600's. This is The George, which is where I think we should stop for a snack . . . or lunch . . . or maybe a pint of something. Or dessert!

In the village green below, there's a fragment of a medieval cross. I'm not sure exactly where it is. You can see the spire of the church down past the green. The home directly behind the green, kind of off-white/yellowy-beige-tan is listed on the UK historical buildings registry. Several other houses are as well.

Looking back from whence we came.

This house on the right (I believe) is the one I mentioned above.

There's the beautiful church, which I'm guessing is even more beautiful inside, across the meadow.

Out of Spaldwick and onto Stow Linga. Make sure you read these street signs closely. Sometimes I include them because they're humorous. :o)

Stow Longa.

There's not much there . . .

but there are some very cool thatched cottages.

Village green

and looking back from whence we came. Our next stop is going to be Kimbolton, which is only a couple of miles down the road.

Out of Stow Longo and on to Kimbolton.

Looking back

Kimbolton ahead, which is good because I'm getting hungry. We're also short on petrol so I hope there's a gas station here.

Almost there . . .

Ahhh. The village of Kimbolton! Did you know that this is where Catherine of Aragon lived out her life when Henry the VIII divorced her? She died in the castle here. Did you know that she was the daughter of Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand of Spain? I didn't.

Kimbolton and a petrol station!

All fueled up and now ready to go find someplace for lunch.

Look at the fantastic tudor houses and there's the church in the background.

High Street, Kimbolton

Looking back

Lunch, lunch lunch. The Inn?

The grocer?

The bakery?

Coffee house?

The bakery/grocery it was! We bought jams, candies, and I can't remember what else. It was delicious and we had a very nice time visiting with the storeowner.

Kimbolton School, the former Kimbolton Castle.

Past the school and onto one of the 90 degree turns this road makes in Kimbolton.

I just love these houses.

We've gone through the town center and we're back on the other side of the school. You can see the castle in the distance. Wonder if they every imagined tennis courts on the grounds.

The gates.

The school just keeps going and going and going

and going and going

and going

and then it finally ends and I find myself at this lovely little house.

I believe the next village is Pertenhall and we probably still have another ten miles or so to Odell. We're not going to make it today, but we can finish it up tomorrow.

Pertenhall has some very cute houses.

You know, I think I would love to live in one of these thatched roof cottages. I say that because I'm ignorant of what it would be like, but they sure are attractive to me.

How would you like to live in a house right out here in the middle of village and farmland?

I thought the shape of these buildings was interesting and it seemed like a good place to stop. We've passed Pertenhall now we're coming into Swineshead. I think we'll pass through Swineshead and then take a break. Maybe a stop to photograph some of the area. Maybe a short walk.

We'll finish the drive to Odell tomorrow.

For today, we'll enjoy the beautiful scenery.

I hope you enjoyed this part of the drive. I did . . . virtually AND in real life.

Rusty Rooster Vintage

2010-12-01T21:38:00.000-08:00

Just found an extremely cool blog with just the kind of stuff I like. She's doing a fantastic giveaway that's so inspiring. Check her out.

Fixed!

2010-11-30T23:01:00.000-08:00

My MacBook crashed on Thanksgiving Day and now it's all better! Yay!! Now I can get to working on my special Steps. I lost what I had so I'll be starting over. Stay tuned.

Romantic Style

2010-11-29T10:19:00.001-08:00

If you like a romantic style of decorating, go on over to Maison Decor and check her out. The book looks good for some inspiration.

Wintersteen Wreath Giveaway

2010-11-29T10:03:00.000-08:00

Maria at Dreamy Whites is giving away a beautiful wreath and some handmade items from antique European grain sacks. Check out her site.

I've got some painting and stuff to do around the house today so MAYBE I can get some photos on here. I'm not sure. It's awfully cluttered right now. :o) Yes, yes. I'm working on it.

My round oak dining table is now painted white and in the living room as a coffee table and I love it!

Thankfulness

2010-11-25T23:14:00.000-08:00

I posted this last year and I really don't think I can top it. At least not in the time I would need. I'm blessed. Two that I definitely have to add, though, would be the two additions to the family. India married Cory Brigger in August and they have a baby due in late February. Yes, we're very blessed.

I'm a blessed person. Truly I am. I have a lot to be thankful for. I'm thankful for Cherlyn and for the fact that she calls me just about every morning. I can't really think of a better way to start my day. I'm thankful for the smile I hear in her voice and for her turkey gobble call. I'm thankful for telephones that enable me to talk to people I love. I'm thankful that I can talk, that I have the gift of speech. I'm thankful that I'm able to express myself fairly well through the written word. I'm no Ernest Hemingway, but I get along. I'm thankful for the little books I've written over the years and, more than that, for the people or incidents that inspired those little books. I think of them even now and smile. I'm thankful for smiles. Smiles from babies, smiles from friends, smiles from strangers. A smile is a wonderful way to help your spirit. It makes the giver and the givee both feel good. I'm thankful for that cup of coffee I have every morning and for the people who work hard to get it to me. I'm thankful that I have the option of buying coffee that was grown by people who were paid fairly and who didn't have to destroy their land to grow it. I'm thankful for coffee with Katie, for when she asks me to grab her some when I'm in Ukiah and bring it to her work. I'm thankful that I have her to bring things to. I'm thankful for Katie's help around the house; for doing the dishes and cleaning the kitchen without me ever having to ask her to do those things. I'm thankful for Katie's personality and the fact that she's found a job she likes and that it's given another thing for her to share with Michael. I'm thankful for Emma and for Katie letting them live here with us so that we can help. I'm thankful for the way Emma comforts anyone who's hurting and for her tender heart. I'm thankful for her unconditional love and for the way she yells, "Grandma!" when she comes into the house after being gone, even if it's just for a little while. I'm thankful for India and that she's found her niche. I'm thankful for her school and for the fact that she loves it. I'm thankful that she's found a place to live with people who are willing to open their home to her. I'm thankful for her caring heart and her comfort during sad times. I'm so thankful for my mom and dad. Without them, I wouldn't be who I am and I wouldn't BE at all. I'm thankful for the way they opened our home to our friends and let everyone gather there to hang out. I'm thankful for the example they give me every day of people who are not lazy or slothful but ones who are good stewards of everything God's given them. I'm thankful for my mom's love for my dad and how she does things for him and takes care of him because she loves him. I'm thankful for all the times she's talked to me and for all of the advice and help she's given me. I'm thankful for her example of a good wife and mom. I'm thankful for my dad's love of my mom, for the way he's taking care of her. I'm thankful for his devotion to her for so many years. I'm thankful for all the work that he's done and how he's taught me, by example, how to try to fix things. I'm thankful for both of their love for Mike and for teaching me how to do without, how to make do with what I have, and how to be happy even if you don't have a lot of things. I'm thankful for Pat, Tim, Beck and Ted. They are the best brothers and sisters I could ever hope for. I'm thankful for Pat and the way she serves others so selflessly, without expecting any recognition. I'm thankful for her example. I'm thankful that she was with me all through school, from kindergarten through graduation. I'm thankful for Tim's giggle. Thinking of it makes me smile. I'm thankful for the hard work he does in helping Mom and Dad and everything he's done to make their lives easier or more comfortable. I'm thankful for Beck and how she takes Mom out to lunch or to run errands. I'm thankful for her sense of humor and for her tender heart towards others. I'm thankful for Ted and for his devotion to his family. I'm thankful for the way he embraced Orthodoxy and has now taught his family to love it. I'm thankful that he's able, and chooses, to take his family with him when he teaches. I'm thankful that my brothers and sisters are also my friends. I'm thankful for my many friends over the years. I'm thankful for my oldest friends; Ev, Scott, Kit, Kevin, Neal, Bob, Bob, Patty, Ann, Linda, Carol, Nicki, Debbie, and more. They helped me grow up and gave me some great experiences while doing it. I'm thankful for newer old friends; Coleen, Sherri, Kris, Les, Mary, Eva, Tracey, Jeanne, Kristi, Karen, and more. They helped me through difficult times and provided me with laughs and entertainment. I'm thankful for newer friends and the promise of new memories to make, new laughs to have. I'm thankful for WPD. I'm thankful that Mike's helped it to become the agency that it is. I'm thankful for Michael. I'm thankful for his sense of humor, even if I don't always get it or think it's funny. I'm thankful for the way he helps people and how he cares. I'm thankful for the saving of lives he's done and that he's been kept safe. I'm thankful for our years together and for the good stories we have. I'm thankful that he's worked at being married. I'm thankful that he likes to travel and is a good traveling companion. I'm thankful that he does the dishes and helps me. I'm thankful that he knows how to fix things. I'm thankful for the example he's been to our daughters and others. I'm thankful that he's such a good grandpa and that he's learned over the years how to be a good dad. I'm thankful that he cares. I'm thankful that in the most challenging of times during our marriage, he's risen to the challenges and been an inspiration and a leader for the family. I'm thankful for a good husband.

I can't believe I left them out! Lastly, I'm thankful for Emma, Bobby and Michael. They are the most recent blessings to our family and they are dear. I'm thankful for being a Grandma. I'm thankful, more thankful than I could ever express, for these dear, sweet little human beings who love me so unconditionally. They're better than puppies! I'm thankful for Cherlyn's husband, Rob. I'm thankful that he loves Cherlyn and the boys. I'm thankful that he gave up his leave to come over here so that the entire family could spend Mike's 50th together.

There's so much more that I'm thankful for. My challenge is to live my life expressing that thanks and appreciation. So thank you, Lord. Thank you for everything you've given me.

Such is Life

2010-11-25T23:13:00.000-08:00

I just got back Tuesday night from visiting my folks for a few days and I'm going to visit my sister tomorrow so I haven't had much time for writing. Also, my MacBook Pro's hard drive just failed so I'm using my desktop. I definitely won't be dragging it along with me to my sister's. I'll have to catch up on Saturday or Sunday. Until then . . .

The Painted Cottage giveaway

2010-11-19T21:41:00.001-08:00

The Painted Cottage blog is giving away a European house sign to some lucky person! I hope it's me! Check out her blog if you like cottage-y type decor.

Dreamy Whites Blog

2010-11-19T20:55:00.001-08:00

Oh my goodness. There's another giveaway with the same fabric as the Buckets of Burlap blog, only this time the fabric is in red/pink. It's beautiful! Check out the blog.

Buckets of Burlap

2010-11-19T18:31:00.000-08:00

I found another cool blog with another cool giveaway, which ends at midnight tonight. Check out the blog if you like old-fashioned, cottagey sorts of decor.

French Larkspur blog

2010-11-19T15:15:00.001-08:00

FANTASTIC giveaway!!! I LOVE this fabric!

If Ever Two Were One, Then We

2010-11-18T19:05:00.000-08:00

Using Photoshop CS3 and a photo from Everyday Elements Online:

I started out with the basic photo and then added the Classic 6 texture that I obtained from Shadowhouse Creations. I toned down the opacity of the texture to about 53%. I burned quite a bit of the flower petals to darken them and give them a little more detail. Using the Jane Austen font, I penned in a few lines from one of my favorite poems. Anne Bradstreet is my 9x Great-Grandmother. Enjoy!

New!

2010-11-18T14:44:00.000-08:00

I love it! I love it! I love it! I redesigned my blog, updating the look and the title. I considered moving over to Wordpress, but I just don't have the quantity of posts and/or followers to make that move worthwhile. Blogger is really simple and simplicity is good.

I'm going to include some new categories starting now. I have many (less than 100, more than 20) old antique books, some with beautiful artwork therein (including a set of really nice 1924 encyclopaedias and a world atlas from 1902!). I've checked the copyright and they are now in the public domain. I also have a bunch (maybe 100) of postcards from the early 1900's, some with beautiful graphics. My intention is to scan these, as I have time (ha!), and make them available.

The new title has to do with a moniker given to me by older family members when I was a wee lass. (I love that term . . . laddie, too.) I was happy, cheerful, sunshiney, etc. Perhaps this will be a reminder to me to show that countenance more often. More childlike faith, love, cheerfulness and just plain gladness is in short supply these days. The graphic within the header is a placecard that my Dad made for one of our family dinners. He did one for each of us. I don't remember what the others' said, but I kept mine because it means a lot to me.

I would also like to include book reviews as a category, but I anticipate those not showing up as often. We'll see.

There will be a few more design changes as I have time, but I at least wanted to get this much up right now.

Until later!

Steps

2010-11-17T23:25:00.000-08:00

I haven't given up or forgotten about my walks. I'm accumulating my steps so that I can go for a nice drive someplace special. I believe I'm up to about 7 or 8 miles and I'm going to need about double that. It'll be nice . . . you'll see.

Tuscan Room to Pink Room

2010-11-17T14:16:00.000-08:00

Emma wants her room painted pink, "Just like Mama's." This creates a little bit of a conundrum because that was the "atelier" (studio/workshop) I set up for myself before they moved back home. I did a very cool Tuscan sort of paint treatment on two of the walls. Here's a serendipitous moment in that room that shows the wall color fairly well. I used orange, yellow, brown, and a coral-ly sort of red. I LOVE it so that means I'm reluctant to paint over it. It'd be another matter if we were getting ready to sell the house and move, but we're not.

So I think I've come up with a Plan B . . . and maybe even a C and D. My first thought was to get some pink sheets and put them up on the walls I don't want painted. My next thought was wrapping paper. Now I'm thinking maybe even pink contact paper. I don't want it to look cheesy and I don't want it to fall down tomorrow. Everything will have to be pinned or stapled or whatever. Wrapping paper still sounds pretty. I think Emma and I will go to Dollar Tree after I pick her up from school.

What else does she want? Flowers and faeries. That's MUCH easier. I just happen to have both in the form of Wallies.

Oops. Look at the time. Time to go get her!

The Rusted Chain Giveaway on Tidy Mom

2010-11-14T10:39:00.000-08:00

I just found a cool giveaway on TidyMom. The jewelry is actually very cute and very original. I especially like the "I shoot people" necklace. :o) It's referring to a camera . . . not anything else.

Cool Blog - Adventures of Stig and Lolo

2010-11-10T21:57:00.000-08:00

I just discovered another very cool blog that I know will be inspirational for the house. Check it out and check out what she's giving away.

Steps, Day 6

2010-11-07T22:31:00.000-08:00

Well, I finished all of my shopping at the Garden and Leisure Centre and now I'm ready for another mile and a half or so. We're going into Houghton and Wyton (pronounced Ho-ton and Wit-ton) today. They're two villages that appear as one. Let's set off down the Huntingdon Road.

Not far at all, is it? We're coming up on it now. Make sure you get a good close look at the village sign. Many of the villages have them and they're pieces of art in themselves. If I didn't take a photo of it, you can see it here. Alconbury has one and it's very pretty, too.
We're getting off Huntingdon Road and we're on The Thicket. It's an ancient road/trail that runs between the villages and some of the surrounding villages.
Check out the beautiful houses!
I may be wrong, but I think these are millworker cottages. I read a little bit about them on the website that's linked below.
Stuart House is a privately owned home. Wouldn't you LOVE to live here?
I'm looking back to see where I've come from.
Magdalene House is another very, very old house that's private owned. Look at the low windows. This house makes me think of the old cottage in Babe.
Ah, The Three Jolly Butchers. Think I will stop in here for lunch. More fish and chips? Maybe a steak pie? Roast beef? Roasted chicken? While I'm at it, I'll have a Green King ale. The brewery is in Suffolk over by Bury St. Edmunds and the village of Bardwell, which is where some of my ancestors come from. In fact, my Dad's middle name is Bardwell.

Leaving The Three Jolly Butchers, I head down The Thicket and see a couple of really cool houses on the left. I believe I also see The Green, which is the center of the village.
Gorgeous thatched roof cottage with a beautiful garden. I'd love to see it in the springtime!
Apparently that wasn't the town center yet so I'll keep on walking. These are more of the little cottages that I think the millworkers used to use. Houghton Mill is a well known mill that the National Trust owns. They do demos for folks.
More of those beautiful thatched roof cottages and barns. I love the little windy road, don't you. We're still on The Thicket.

I'm looking backwards at the cottages.
I believe we call this style of house a "saltbox." Not sure what it's called there. I love the stone wall, too.

We're getting close to the village center now. These houses are much older. Look at this one on the right. Isn't it fantastic? I'm sure this one is one mentioned in the links.
Now this one is fantastic! This is The George and Dragon, the oldest surviving house in Houghton. It was originally a yeoman farmer's house, built around the end of the fifteenth century. It's now a private house. Look at those beams! Look at how the house isn't exactly vertical any more! This house is over 600 years old. Absolutely amazing to me. It's right on the Green. Of course the village green isn't so green any more, is it?Here's a better picture of it. Wow.
The Village Green, the center of Houghton.
Think we should stop in to The Three Horseshoes for dessert? I'd like to, even if it's just to take photos of the interior.

And I definitely want to stop into the antique store!
We're heading out of the village now, but not without a look back to the Green. Oh, that's the clocktower in the center there. It was built in the 1800's.
Down The Thicket on our way out of the village.
Look at the beautiful gardens.
Now I can see why they call this road 'The Thicket.' I can just imagine what it was like when it was just a walking path, surrounded by trees and bushes.
The Manor house.
I never get tired of the thatched cottages.

Almost out of the village now. If I were to keep walking, The Thicket would lead me to St. Ives.

One last cool house and then we're going to call it a day.

Off to St. Ives if you continue in this direction, but I think I may go somewhere else tomorrow. There are so many cool places to walk around here. I don't think I'll ever grow tired of discovering them. Just wish I could walk them with Cherlyn and her boys!

That's all for now. Until tomorrow . . . I know I'm a few days behind. Bear with me. :o)

Steps, Day 5

2010-11-06T23:24:00.000-07:00

I walked to the Huntingdon Garden and Leisure Centre today! I started out where I left off yesterday and kept going the same way.

I'm not the only one out for a walk today. It's a small country. Everyone walks.

What a beautiful Fall day, huh?
Many of the homes over there have names. I thought this was an interesting one for this home. "The Hole?"
I'm looking back over my shoulder here to see what I've passed. It's all so beautiful.
And so we'll keep on walking. It shouldn't be too much farther now.
Should I stop in at the pub? Maybe for another pint and some dessert?
I love the signs for the pubs. Those and the names! They're so distinctive.

This is a really pretty house up here on the left.
Look at these beautiful houses. We think that we have such old, cool buildings and we have nothing. We can't compare to what they have there.
So would you take the white house or the pretty one with the wisteria? I think I'd take the cream colored one . . . wish I could see the inside!
Looking back.
Yes, it'd have to be the wisteria one for me. It just looks like it has so much character.
I'm not sure what this building is, but it sure is pretty. Love the wall, too.
Well, it's decision time. Should I continue on this road or should I take the Old Houghton Road here to the right? Let's try Old Houghton Road.
It's pretty down here. No houses.

Oops. Dead end. I know that this walking path goes through because I checked it on the map. But, let's go back the other way anyway.
Here's where the walking path comes out. Just wanted to zip ahead and take a look on the map. Back to the road now.
More pretty houses. I need to find a walk with more to see, don't I?
Looking across the field, I can see where the path is.

Ok, off the path and off the road and I'm definitely closer to Huntingdon Garden and Leisure. I LOVE that store!! They have EVERYTHING there! Another roundabout to get me onto the right road again.
The sun is out and the skies are beautiful. What a beautiful walk.
This is the Huntingdon Road we're on. Huntingdon is in one direction and Houghton Wytton is in another. I'll walk there after I'm done here.

Did I misplace a photo? Or maybe the other one was in the wrong place? Doesn't matter. This is where the footpath comes out.
Does it freak you out seeing cars coming at you from the "wrong" direction? It sure did for Mike. I never drove while we were there. I was concerned I'd be worse than him. :o)
Oh, I'm so close!
I love the thatched roofs with the patterns cut into them. I would love to see someone putting a thatch roof onto a house. What a cool job that would be!

We're here! We're here! We're here! Huntingdon Garden and Leisure Centre! Gifts, food, art, restaurant, books, toys, clothing, pets, kids' play area, garden nursery, everything! Check out their most recent sales flier. I would probably go there at least once a week if I lived there. It's a good thing I don't live there. :o)
After several hours in the store, and many pounds less in my pocket, I'm off again. Actually, I had lunch and Starbucks coffee there, too. Could a store be any better?
This is where I'm going to stop. I'll pick up in just a bit and then we'll head into Houghton Wytton. I think that's the name of the village. I'll wait for you to catch up to me.
What a spectacular day!

Steps, Day 4

2010-11-05T23:23:00.000-07:00

Today's walk is going to take us through the heart of Huntingdon. The town was chartered by King John in 1205. It's a nice town and just about 10-15 minutes from Cherlyn and Rob's.

We're continuing from where we left off yesterday, outside of Great Stukeley. We're still on Ermine Street and will take that into Huntingdon.

We're just coming into Huntingdon now. There's a roundabout up ahead. Hey, look what's up ahead! It's one of my favorite Huntingdon stores! We go up the road a bit . . .

Through another roundabout . . .
And it's right here on the left . . .
Dunelm Mill! They have just about everything here and they have great prices. It's all houseware type stuff. We did a bunch of shopping there the last time we visited.
So past Dunelm Mill and then through another roundabout and we're almost to the centre of town. See how I spelled "centre?" :o)
Ah, some more great stores. Homebase is kind of like Home Depot except I think it's more furnishings. They have a fantastic Laura Ashley department. I really wished that I had more $$ when we were there.
Getting more into town now. I try to keep my eyes open because I really enjoy taking photos of cool doors and windows. Many of these houses are really, really old. Oh my goodness. I just looked at some more Huntingdon information and the town was first recorded as a Saxon town in a charter in 650AD.
We'll be going underneath the rail tracks ahead. The train station is a mile or so away. We caught the train in Huntingdon a couple of times. The night we went to Phantom of the Opera, we took the train from Huntingdon into the St. Pancras/Kings Cross Stations.

The roads are not very wide.
And you'll see that many, many buildings have their front doors RIGHT on the street. You take a step or two from your door and you want to make sure you don't step too far into the street.

I took several photos of this house with the black door, although I think that the door was yellow when we were there.
Green door and an old building.
We're on Ring Road now. This is a road that encircles the very center of town. The River Ouse is at the opposite side of where we are now. If we'd turned right, we would've gone towards the High Street. High Street bisects the circle created by Ring Road.

This is a beautiful park here on the right. If the photos in googlemaps had allowed it, I would've walked through the park, rather than on the road!
We're coming up on another major shopping center. Sainsbury's is along the lines of our Safeway or some other major grocery store.
You can see Sainsbury's on the right through these trees. If you walk towards Sainsbury's and then go left on the walk instead of going into the store, you will walk into a town center. An old town center. All Saints Church is in there as is an Oliver Cromwell building and a bunch of shopping in a walking "mall." Starbucks is even there! You can see some of the photos of the Huntingdon Market Place here.

I'm looking back from whence I just came.

If you were to follow the Ring Road to the right, you would go past The Old Bridge Hotel. We had dinner here one night. Fantastic desserts and very, very good waitpersons. You can see the hotel here. It's on the far right, with the ivy all over the building.
We're not taking the road to the right, but you can look in that direction and see the river.
I'm going to continue on with my walk past the river, park and marina now.
If I was really there, I'd stop in here for a pint and maybe some fish and chips. :o) I LOVE fish and chips.
There really are some beautiful houses here. The other thing we noticed is that almost every house has some sort of garden.
Their churches are also beautiful. I saw this little one on the way, but didn't see at it all when we were driving around. Next time I'd like to go inside.
These row houses are all over the place. They don't call them that. I don't remember at the moment what they're called.
Again, the doors are right on the street. I don't know how old these buildings are, but I think they're not exactly young.
Just an example of some of the homes around here. This place is very walker-friendly.
This is our stopping point for today. I'll pick up tomorrow where I left off.
I'm looking back to where I've already walked. More tomorrow.

Steps, Day 3, Ermine Street

2010-11-04T23:26:00.000-07:00

I'm going to walk from Little Stukeley to Great Stukeley today, via Ermine Street. Ermine Street is an old Roman Road that ran from London to Lincoln and York. It's also known as the Old North Road and it even has it's own society, The Ermine Street Guard. They do reenactments and demonstrations, much like Civil War buffs do in the south. Anyway, I'll pick up where I left off yesterday, in Little Stukeley.

Getting towards the end of Little Stukeley is the Alconbury Baptist Church. It's pretty close to the base.
Of course, just about every base I've ever been to has a static aircraft display. RAF Alconbury is no exception.
Hello, Main Gate! We came through here every morning when we'd take Michael to his day care.
Base housing here seems to be decent. I have no idea what it's like inside the houses.
Nothing but fields and fields.
And fields and more fields. There are walking paths all over the place. I did some reading on them and many of them are paths from Roman times.
Hedgerows. Did you ever read about hedgerows? Well now you can. They were used very strategically during the World Wars. If you set your machine gun up in a corner, you could mow down whoever happened your way. That, of course, is just one use for them. There are other, nicer uses.

I thought I'd stop here and just take a quick 360 degree look around me.
Off to my left.
This is where I came from.
Lots of fields that are a beautiful yellow in the spring from all the rapeseed, aka canola, and some other names.
And then back facing towards Great Stukeley again.
Just about to the village.
The Stukeley Country Hotel. This is a beautiful old building and it's pink!
It looks much prettier from the front. It's pretty typical of an old pub/inn, appearance-wise. I don't think I saw a single ratty one when we were there.
More cool houses.
It's the Elderly People crossing.

I'm just about out of Great Stukeley now. This barn caught my eye. It's pretty old and it has a cool deely-bobber (can't remember what those things are called . . . wind-something) on the top of it and . . .
There's an advertisement for a guy who does thatching on the side of it. Just don't see those around here.

Check out the lorry!
More of those pretty hedgerows.
I'm out of Great Stukeley and still on Ermine Street. This street goes into Huntingdon, which is where I'll head next. I think I'd like to go to the Huntingdon Garden and Leisure Centre. It's still probably 4 or 5 miles away, but I should be able to get there in a couple of days.

In the meantime, I hope you enjoyed the little bit of England today. More steps tomorrow!

The Old Painted Cottage Blog

2010-11-04T19:11:00.000-07:00

I just discovered this blog. During my perusing of her site, I found that she's doing a really cool giveaway. If you're into vintage/cottagey/european/useful/grainy cool things, then check it out.

Steps, Day 2

2010-11-03T22:40:00.000-07:00

It's a beautiful day today, November 3, and our walk is going to be a bit longer. I did better on my steps so we're going to walk about 1.7 miles (or so). I thought we'd head over to Little Stukeley. It's a little village close to RAF Alconbury.

Here's Cherlyn and Rob's house, down at the end on the left, where the little silver car sits. That's their old car. They sold it just a couple of months ago. See the little grassy area on the right? That's a small field right across from them where they go out to play. Bobby, Michael and Grandpa played ball out there when we were there. There's a fence and gate at one end of it and it leads out to the fields, which are much further out to the right.

Here's the little field. Looking straight at it, next to the big tree in the back, is where that gate is. I believe, if I'm seeing properly, that it's rapeseed season. They grow it there in the spring and the fields are absolutely gorgeous. It's a member of the mustard flower so it should be easy for you to imagine fields and fields just covered in mustard flowers. Like I said, gorgeous.

I'm standing in their driveway, next to their car. The field is on my left and I'm ready to head down the street now. This is the way we went when we walked Bobby to school when we were there this past Spring. He'd ride his scooter and we'd walk with him. I'm so glad they asked us to watch the boys for them. What a great time.

We're at the end of their street now and this is School Way. Bobby's school is just to the right and across the street. You can just see the edges of some of the cars in the parking lot. We're going to turn left here.
Ah. School Way. Cherlyn told me yesterday that she just discovered a very popular walking area. If you go all the way down School Way, to where it ends, there's a field and a fence. You cross the fence and there's a trail that takes you up the hill (to the left) where you can then turn around and see the entire village. She sent photos and it was beautiful. There were leaves and Fall colors everywhere. We're not walking all the way down School, though.
We're turning right on Manor Lane. I think of this street as the big British knickers street. When we were here, there was a woman hanging out her wash most days. There were lots of British knickers. :o()
We went all the way down Manor, which has some beautiful flowers in some of the homes' gardens, by the way. Springtime is so pretty here. We're coming up to Rust Lane and we're going to turn left.
Left on Rust and it's going to take us to the Motorway. I believe we're going to be following some of the Great North Road, but it doesn't bear that name right here.
Off we go on Rust Lane. Doesn't everything look so pretty? I love that they're right in the middle of the country, even though they're pretty close to some large cities and towns. It doesn't look like things are as spread out as they are in the states.
We're coming up to a roundabout that will turn us in the direction we want to go . . . if we do it right. See the sign that says "The North?" That's what they've always called the northern part of England. Mike said that they referred to it that way in the Robin Hood movie he watched recently.
Roundabout! Watch the signs. Watch the traffic. Look out for other cars. Don't miss your exit.
We made our turn. This is the A1 I'm looking at. I believe I'm looking north.
Another roundabout! Agh! Cars are coming at me!!
Made it through the roundabout and now I'm on the road into Little Stukeley. At least I think I am.
Straight and narrow, with lots of pretty fields, pretty skies, pretty clouds. Like I said. It's a glorious day.
I believe we're getting close to the village.
Yes, here we are. This is a traffic calming measure. We're driving on the left side of the road and you'll see that it's blocked. If there's no one calming at us in the other direction, then we can move into the other lane and go. If there's someone coming towards us, then we have to yield to them. Cherlyn said that she thought it was because people were driving into the village too fast so this slows them down.
Here's Little Stukeley. If you blink, you'll miss it.
This is our stopping point. Look at the beautiful house with the thatched roof. Pretty, huh?
On the other corner (on the right) is this other very pretty house. My guess is these houses are very old. Like probably a couple of hundred years old.
And this one was on another corner. Another very old house in a very old country that, for some reason, seems to have a real hold on my heart. I hope you enjoyed the walk today. I did. See you tomorrow!

Steps, Day 1

2010-11-02T22:34:00.000-07:00

I'm going to try something new. I don't know how long it'll last, but I thought it might motivate me to take more steps. I miss my daughter in England and I miss England. We both fell in love with it when we were there and we've been twice. I'm keeping track, via my pedometer, of the number of steps I take every day and I know approximately how many steps I take in a mile. Using these numbers, I'm going to walk in England when I take my steps. Not in actuality, unfortunately, but I can map out a walk and supply you (and me) with photos of my walks, courtesy of Googlemaps. So, here's my first walk, which I took on November 2.

I started out my walk at Cherlyn and Rob's house. That's theirs on the left. Cute, huh? I'm standing in the street with my back to where I'm going to go so I can show you their house. Time to turn around and start walking.

I walked down their short street and now I'm at the end of it. That's Bobby's old school there on the left. At the very end of the street you can see a chimney on the left side of the road. That's the chimney to The Manor, the greatest little pub around.

And here's the pub! We've had dinner there a few times and breakfast there once. It's a fun place and popular with the locals. The food is also delicious.

We'll walk just a little ways past The Manor and we're going to turn right at . . . The Maltings.

They have such interesting names for their streets, huh? We'll just meander down here. It's a beautiful day, which it was just about every day we were there last year and the year before.

These beautiful old barns are right on the lane. The one on the right looks quite old. There are a lot of brick buildings around and the thatched roofs are really cool.

Down where the road turns to the right is the old village church. From what I've read, (and if my memory serves me correctly) there are records showing that parts of this church were here in the 13th century. It's a beautiful church both inside and out.

Turning to the right now and we see one of the beautiful old houses, complete with a thatched roof. This village has been here since the 1200's and some of these houses are very, very old.

Looks like a couple of my photos got out of order. The one at the left is the very end of The Maltings, right at the beginning of the footpath leading to Polecat Lane.

This one is still on The Maltings. Makes me wonder how the googlemobile was able to get through here to take photos.

This one should be the middle one. Its the end of The Maltings and you can see the footpath off to the left.

We're now on the footpath that leads to Polecat Lane. I turned around and I'm looking towards The Maltings, from whence I just walked.

These next two were taken on Polecat Lane. Polecat Lane starts at the Great North Road and then dead-ends before The Maltings. That's where the footpath picks it up. There are a lot of footpaths around here.

At the very end you can see the the Great North Road. It's an ancient road that was used for coaches and post and such. There's also an Old North Road which runs right through Huntingdon. It was one of the main roads that the Romans built.

You can read more about the old Roman roads here. I love history so it's interesting to me.

We're on the Great North Road now, heading south towards Alconbury. If I turned around and went the other direction, I'd end up in Alconbury Weston. The two villages are related.

Here's the kissing gate leading to the footpath, that goes between Church Way and the Great North Road. We've traveled the footpath and now we're just outside the church. This footpath brings us to the opposite side of the churchyard from when we were on The Maltings.

We're now on Church Way at the end closest to the church. At the end of Church Way is the village pump. If we were to turn right, that would put us on . . .

High Street. It would take us to the village green and the Bridge Crossing Alconbury Brook. The bridge is mentioned in some books that were written in the 1200's.

We're not going to turn right, though. We're turning left onto Chapel Street. You can see The Manor way down at the end of the street.

We've walked down the street and now we're passing The Maltings again, right across from The Manor.

Just a little ways further and we're almost to The Paddocks; the home of Cherlyn, Rob, Bobby and Michael. Bobby's old school is just to the right of us in this photo. Just a little further . . .

And we're back to their street. That's their house way at the end. Our walk is over. We walked a little over a mile or so. It's kind of hard to be exact because I'm not sure how long the footpaths were. I'm guesstimating about 1000 ft.

I hope you enjoyed the walk. I did. Just wish I was there.

"Man Cold"

2010-10-30T11:30:00.000-07:00

Oh, this is so, so true. Thanks to my brother-in-law, Pete, for sending it.

Waffles!

2010-10-29T18:45:00.000-07:00

Want the very best Belgian Waffles EVER? Here's the recipe, written at the top of one of the pages in my 30+ year old cookbook. I was given this cookbook as a gift sometime in the late 70's and it's been my mainstay as far as recipes go ever since. I love it because I can tell right where my favorite recipes are because of the condition of the pages. Let's face it. I'm not the neatest cook around. When I make something, I generally leave traces of ingredients all over the kitchen.

So the waffles . . . I got the recipe from my sister who got it from a friend of her family. It has one of the strangest, and most unexpected, ingredients . . . club soda! It's what gives the waffles a lightness and a slightly crisp exterior. They are absolutely delicious. They require just a touch of syrup because, being so light and fluffy, the syrup just soaks right into the waffle. Have I mentioned how good they are? Try them!

Disneyland Mikes 50th

2010-09-12T12:37:00.001-07:00

Click here to view this photo book larger

A Better Me, A Better You

2010-09-12T12:20:00.000-07:00

I found one of my own pieces of wisdom in a most unusual place; Sons of Anarchy. Katie and I were watching it the other night and one of the women was trying to explain to her boyfriend/husband how he was right for her when he was trying to tell her that she'd be better off without him. She said, "We don't know who we are until we're connected to someone else. We're just better human beings when with the person we're supposed to be with."

I've been telling the girls for years to find that person who will make them the best that they can be. You need to find someone who will make you the best YOU you can be. When you find that person and you both make each other better than you are as individuals, when the two parts create a better whole than they do parts, then you know you've found your soulmate. You make each other the YOU's you're meant to be.

You know, I think it's that way, too, when we are in communion with God. We are fulfilled. We are complete. We're where we're supposed to be. Do you suppose that's why he modeled marriage after the church's communion with Him? It's much easier to visualize the way things are supposed to be with Him when we have our own earthly model of how things are supposed to be with each other. And vice versa.

Stupid, stupid, stupid

2010-07-13T22:08:00.000-07:00

This is absolutely ridiculous. Oakland can't afford to lose cops. What are these city "leaders" thinking? It's basically a war zone down there already. This is only going to make it worse. That's the news in Oakland. Here's MCSO's DSA's response to the County Supervisor's latest "offer."

July 12, 2010

Ms. Teresia Haase Mr. Rick Haeg
Human Resources Director Labor Relations Consultant
579 Low Gap Road 2221 Home Drive
Ukiah, CA 95482 Eureka, CA 95503

DELIVERED VIA EMAIL AND US MAIL

Re: County of Mendocino Last, Best and Final Offer

Dear Teresia and Rick:

I am writing to you on behalf of the Mendocino County Deputy Sheriffs’ Association (MCDSA) and MCDSA President Dan Edwards. This letter is in response to your July 1, 2010, letter to President Edwards.

On July 8, 2010, the County’s Last, Best and Final Offer (LBFO) was presented to the General Membership of the MCDSA. Approximately eighty-five percent (85%) of the membership was represented at this meeting (three meetings were held simultaneously via video conferencing). The membership unanimously rejected the County’s LBFO.

The concerns most expressed by the members towards the County LBFO were the enormity of the compensation reduction (10% wage reduction and the loss of the 6% County contribution towards retirement funding) and the disparity between the LBFO to the MCDSA versus what the County came to agreement with for the Mendocino County Department Head Association on June 8, 2010 – a 10% wage reduction only.

Our members do not understand why and have never been offered an explanation for the reason the Board of Supervisors feels the most highly compensated employees in the County, the Department Heads of the County, are being treated more generously than line level employees. Compensation is compensation whether it is in the form of salary or some other monetary benefit such as an employer contribution towards employee costs, i.e., the 6% the County contributes towards our members’ retirement costs.

A straight 10% wage (compensation) reduction is certainly significant. The reasoning for increasing the reduction for line level employees by 50% (the loss of the County contribution towards retirement costs) over what the County required of Department Heads one month ago is simply unfathomable to our members.

In an effort to maintain a positive relationship between the membership of the MCDSA and the elected representatives of the citizens we serve and protect, we are asking you to not impose your LBFO. Instead, the bargaining team of the MCDSA respectfully asks the Board of Supervisors to direct your negotiator to return to the bargaining table. The MCDSA bargaining team, given the opportunity, will strongly recommend to our membership a successor collective bargaining agreement with (1) a term of one (1) year from date of ratification by the Board of Supervisors, (2) the elimination of the County six percent (6%) retirement contribution effective with the first full pay period following adoption of the agreement by the Board of Supervisors, (3) a reduction of five percent and one-half (5.5%) of base salary for all bargaining unit members effective with the first full pay period following adoption of the agreement by the Board of Supervisors and (4) the tentative agreements referred to in your letter of July 1, 2010. This proposal is a mirror image to the loss of compensation the Board of Supervisors agreed to with the Department Heads Association thirty (30) days ago.

We know the job of the Board of Supervisors is a difficult one. In these economic times, hard decisions have to be made. However, those decisions should be fair and equitable in so far as they affect the work force of the County.

In closing, we ask that you share this letter with the Board of Supervisors in the closed session scheduled for July 13, 2010. It is also our understanding a Special Session of the Board of Supervisors has been scheduled for 9:00 am on July 14, 2010. Should there be any change in the County’s position, please notify either Dan Edwards or myself as soon as possible.

Sincerely,

John R. Noble
Sr. Labor Relations Representative

cc: Dan Edwards, President MCDSA
Rockne Lucia, RLS

We're still not sure what's going to happen with us. They're still in negotiations. It's definitely NOT going to be pretty.

Creativity

2010-07-13T21:44:00.000-07:00

I don't set aside nearly enough time for creativity. Craig helps me to try to do that. I know part of the problem is that I spend TOO MUCH time doing other things on my computer; things that suck the creativity out of me.

On that note, I think I'll drift off to sleepyland and, once again, start over tomorrow.

Status?

2010-07-13T21:38:00.000-07:00

So I just changed my profile to reflect my most current status. Our youngest came home a couple of weeks ago to tell us that she's expecting a little one in February and getting married in August. SURPRISE! While it's certainly not what we'd wished, what's done is done and the task at hand is to decide where to go from here. They've decided to get married and that's their decision. We'll support them and be there for them and pray so much for them. They've got a tough road ahead of them. It's difficult enough marrying someone you've only known for a very, very short time. Toss a baby in the mix and things can get dicey. He's in the Air Force, though, and they have some very good programs for new parents, new spouses, etc. We know many people who married after only knowing each other for a very short time and some have been very successful. It's in God's hands.

4th of July, 2010

2010-07-05T16:07:00.000-07:00

FRONTIER DAYS FROM THE PAST

July 4, 2010

Lent

2010-02-20T22:34:00.001-08:00

Great Lent in the Orthodox Church started on the 15th. I decided to give up meat (everything except fish) for Lent. In the past I've done things like chocolate or sweets and that's not really a stretch. It's supposed to be a sacrifice, right? It's something I'll miss and when I think about it, I'll think of Jesus and the sacrifice He made. I'm sure I'll be thinking of it a lot because I'm finding that I need to be pretty creative when it comes to feeding myself. This morning I made myself a mango, strawberry, raspberry, orange, blueberry and pomegranate smoothie. I had the rest of the smoothie and scrambled eggs with swiss cheese, spinach and tomatoes for lunch (very late lunch) and wasn't even hungry at dinner time. I was still full from the eggs. Tomorrow I'm going to try the Chocolate Mousse that was on Dr. Oz's show.

"I will lift up my eyes unto the hills from whence cometh my strength."

From the Orthodox Church of America website:

"Let us fast with a fast pleasing to the Lord. This is the true fast: the casting off of evil, the bridling of the tongue, the cutting off of anger, the cessation of lusts, evil talking, lies and cursing. The stopping of these is the fast true and acceptable. (Monday Vespers of the First Week)"

So THAT'S what I need to be fasting from. That's a lot harder than just denying yourself food or other stuff. I'm going to have to write that out and put it where I can see it all the time.

Adjusting to life in a small town

2010-01-28T08:53:00.000-08:00

We've had an influx of new wives to the PD this year (coincides with new officers . . . go figure) and they've been talking about how hard it is moving away from home. That's made me think about how it was for us so I thought I'd jot down some thoughts. I have to go back and try to put myself in my shoes of 23 years ago and try to really remember how things were "once upon a time."

Moving from the spread-out-everything-within-just-a-few-minutes San Jose/Santa Clara Valley to what-do-you-mean-the-Country-Mall-isn't-a-real-mall town of Willits was a bit of a culture shock. Did I say a bit? Make that HUGE culture shock. I remember the first time I went to Safeway after moving here. I was standing in line to check out and everything was moving so slowly! "Good Lord, can't these people move any faster? What in the world do they have to talk about? For that matter, WHY are they standing there gabbing. Chop! Chop! Get a move on! I've got things to do, people to see, places to go!" This was all going on in my head of course. Well, I didn't really have any of those things to do. I was just still in the SJ mindset. In SJ, checkers actually had little signs posted at their registers telling them to move people through quickly and to NOT TALK. Wow. What a difference from here. Here, I discovered, people all knew each other. Going to the grocery store was a social event. You ALWAYS ran into someone you knew so you'd stop and chat and catch up on the local news and gossip. You also knew all the checkers because you'd been going to the grocery store all your life and you probably went to school with them or their kids and maybe you even used to go over and play there or whatever. So, as I discovered, people chatted in line. They weren't in a hurry (generally speaking) and they weren't rude. It's hard to be rude to someone who you know you're going to have to deal with every single time you go to that store. It's not like there are a lot of options to shop somewhere else. So that was my first experience with the differences between my old home and my new home. My first impression was that they were so SLOW here. Turns out that's not a bad thing to be.

Lest I get sidetracked, let me interject something here. I wasn't only adjusting to an entirely new and different place to live. I was adjusting to a new lifestyle. I'd spent the entire prior year working full-time while Mike stayed home with the girls. I worked in a medium-sized semiconductor company. I was one of the two HR Reps. Before getting married, I worked in HR and was fortunate in that I got to do college recruiting. I went to various colleges on the west coast and got to interview engineering soon-to-be-grads to see if they'd be a good fit for our company. This was back in the day of startup computer companies. You know when the company would provide KEGS on Friday afternoons AT WORK. Ok, so I got sidetracked. Where was I? Oh yeah. Big changes. Back to grocery shopping.

So how long did it take for me to adjust to that one thing? I'm not really sure. I think it was a couple of months. I got to know the checkers so eventually I was able to join in on the chatting.

That first year or so I probably went home once a month or so. Maybe even more because I remember going home when Mike was working. I also probably did that for longer than the first year. My sister's kids are the same ages as mine, within just a few months of each other so we used to do a lot of things together. I missed that and I missed all of them. I didn't have as many friends down there as most of them had moved away, but most of my family was there. At that time it was a four and a half hour drive. There've been a lot of changes to 101 between then and now. Now it only takes three hours and fifteen minutes.

What a culture shock it was coming here. At that time, all there was in Ukiah was a Penney's and a ratty old K-Mart. No Mervyn's, no Kohl's, no Home Depot, Walgreen's or WalMart. There wasn't even a Ray's. It was a big empty shell that had been started but never finished. I think the Rite-Aid was a Thrifty's back then. I went from having everything I needed just minutes away to those things I THOUGHT I needed now hours away. To my utter disbelief, the nearest mall was an hour and a half away. And, hello! The Country Mall? (Currently JD Redhouse) That wasn't a mall! It was an old building with a few little shops and a restaurant in it. I thought I'd die. Not really, but . . . no mall? Really?

I love my old home, but the San Jose I love is the San Jose of the 60's, 70's and early 80's. After we left in 1987, it really started changing. In our own little middle-class neighborhood, houses were torn down and big mansions built. Whole cities were completely changed so that now I don't recognize them. I lived there for nearly 30 years and now when I go down there, because so much of it has changed so much that it's unrecognizable, I lose my bearings and get lost! Thankfully, some of it hasn't changed at all so, in parts of it, I can still feel like it's my old hometown. Now there's only one sister left in San Jose. That means that I only go down there a few times a year. I wish it was more, though, because I miss her and I still miss "home."

You know, when we decided to move up here, we intended to stay in Willits for two years or so. In April we'll have been here 23 years. This town kind of grows on you. :o) You get invested in it and in peoples' lives. It takes a while, though. Before we moved up here, we had one weekend to find a place to live. Our first home was in a dark, very shaded house off of Birch. (Thank you Jack Tuttle and Jim Miller for showing up to help us unload our very first day here!) It was down a hill and in a little valley. It was great for walking down to Summer Lake . . . when there was a Summer Lake . . . and for taking walks and hiking on the logging trails. That part of it was great. But we absolutely froze during the wintertime. We weren't at all prepared. Thankfully, we were able to find someplace else after a couple of years. That was a couple of years too long, though.

Other than people at the PD, I started meeting people through my kids. It took about a year, though, because they were only 2 and 3 1/2 when we moved here. They didn't go to preschool, but when Cherlyn started kindergarten, I started making non-PD friends. It was kind of difficult, too, because when we came here, EVERYONE else had either been here for years or they'd lived here forever. There wasn't anyone else with little kids. In fact, the next oldest ones were in high school. The PD definitely wasn't as much of a family place as it is now. I didn't really know the other wives very well. (In fact, some of them had nothing at all to do with the PD.)

That first year was a difficult one. Mike started in April and in August, he and two of the other guys went to a call where a man was refusing to give his son back after visitation. It was in the Van Hotel (back when those were apartments). They got there and the guy had a gun. Turned out one of the guys had to shoot him with, Mike and the other guy as his backup. It was a bit stressful for me. I think what I remember about it the most was Mike coming home from work and us getting the girls up from bed and then going over to one of the guys' house for a bit of a debriefing. The other two guys and their wives were sent to a shrink for a formal debriefing but for some reason they didn't send the rookie and his wife. Go figure. We went to Disneyland on vacation a week or two after it happened and I remember a comment being made about that being our debriefing. Dumb, dumb, dumb. I could've used it.

Mike was in his dream job and he threw himself at it completely. So much so that the rest of us didn't receive as much attention. In fact, after about a year and a half we had to have a "come to Jesus meeting." Things were not good, but they got better after that. For the wives/girlfriends new to this line of work, I would heartily suggest you go on as many ride-alongs as your husband/boyfriend will agree to. I know it's hard with little ones. I rarely went on any because we never had anyone to watch the girls. I always felt left out because there were a couple of other wives who were able to do it whenever they wanted and I couldn't. It's important, though, so that you know what's going on at work. What's the saying? Hours of boredom following by 30 seconds of sheer terror? That's close enough. That's fodder for another note, though.

Back in the older days of the PD, we used to have lots of socializing, plenty of barbecues. I miss those a lot. I think the last time we did anything was at Heiken's house before someone left . . . Tim Snider? No, wait. Jeff did the pumpkin carving at his house. Ok. Never mind what I said. But we need to do more. :o)

I said a ways back that we only intended to stay here for a couple of years and then move on. We actually almost did move on four or five years ago. Mike applied at Sonoma SO and actually got to the background point. Apparently they really wanted him because they kept bugging him and bugging him to do it, but he didn't. He kept putting it off. I finally asked him if he thought maybe there was a reason for that, that maybe he really didn't want to leave. Part of him did (want to leave), but a bigger part of him felt like he needed to stay, that there was still more to do here. So we stayed. Our retirement won't be as good as if we'd left (like probably by half!), but we both think we did the right thing by staying. Others left at the same time for their own reasons . . . all of them good and valid, but we stayed for our own reasons . . . also good and valid. You have to do what's best for your own family, for what feels right for you.

So to the newer people I would say, welcome to your new home. Get to know people. Get involved. Learn about your husband's job. Stay focused on the two of you . . . let him know that there is life outside his job and he needs to remember that. Still visit your old home. Give yourself time to move your heart from there to here. It takes a while, but it will get better. Oh. And Spring, Summer and Fall are beautiful here! They make up for wet, cold, grey, depressing winters. Wait until you see the lilacs and daffodils in the Spring.

Theodore Roosevelt Quote

2010-01-09T13:15:00.000-08:00

"It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat."

"Citizenship in a Republic,"
Speech at the Sorbonne, Paris, April 23, 1910

Write, write, write #2

2009-12-22T09:50:00.000-08:00

Hmmm. I was looking over last years' posts. There aren't many of them so it took probably less than a minute. It was a full year in the 'brain' sense. My mind was full. A lot happened.

My preparation for the empty nest was very short-lived as Katie and Emma returned home in January. Why'd they return home? Well, turns out the reason Katie was having headaches, and had been having them since Thanksgiving, 2 1/2 months prior, was because she had three different appliances (one serious, one minimal and one within normal ranges) leaking carbon monoxide into their apartment since they moved in.

So, while dealing with Dave's imminent departure from this world, I was also dealing with much, much research on the subject of CO exposure. In fact, the day that I determined that CO was the cause of her headaches, I was watching Dave and Cheryl's grandson so that they could attend one of the many worker's comp hearings. When they picked up Kylar, Dave was the one hugging me and comforting me. Here he was, just about a month before he left this world, fresh from a hearing that he knew would be his last, and he was comforting me. That was Dave.

The CO stuff hit me initially with a wave of "what could have been." It's mellowed out so that that part of it rarely hits me any more. Now we're just thankful that Katie and Emma weren't injured any more than they were. Katie's recovery has been very slow. She still has headaches. Her memory is still VERY faulty. On the good side, though, her personality has started to come back to the Katie we had before she moved into the apartment. When she's testy (bitchy) now, it's usually because of some external stimuli and not because her brain is injured. She still forgets words and has some retrieval problems, but she's slowly improving. I'm very thankful God was watching over the girls and sent me the epiphany. Of course it was from Him. That's what an epiphany is.

So the empty nest didn't exactly happen. (Especially since India also came home off and on through the year.) I did have that extra room for a while because Emma was in with Katie the first few months they were back. That was silly, though, when I look back on it. What was I thinking? Why didn't we just put Emma in the other room? Selfish me. I know Katie doesn't want to be here any longer than they have to. They're welcome as long as they need to be here. I'm just glad we're able to help out. (I'm also very happy we didn't have to deal with any PTSD.) Time will tell.

I'm thankful Cherlyn, Rob, Bobby and Michael were here last Christmas. I'm glad they were here in October. I wish they were going to be here NOW! Better yet, I wish we were all there!!

Mike asked me last night, "How can you be homesick for a place you've never been?" Or something along those lines. He was looking at Cherlyn's pictures of England I think. It's strange how we both felt like we'd 'come home' when we were there. I miss over there more than I've ever missed Hawaii after we've come back from vacationing there. Can't we just get a little vacation cottage in a quiet English village and live there a few months out of the year??? Anyone want to give us a million dollars? :o) BIG smiles.

I'm not sure what the Christmas day plans are. I wish Pat and Pete were going to be around and that we'd thought to get the 26th off. He has the 24th off but I told him it's ok for him to not take vacation that day and see if someone else wants it. He's off at 6 anyway so it's not like we need it and maybe it will help someone else. India will be home Christmas Eve night and that'll be good. I still need to figure out what to make for dinner. Hmmm. Much to do still.

Time to get going and get some stuff done around here.

Fellowship Letters

2009-12-18T15:44:00.000-08:00

Europe 09 Free

2009-11-15T12:56:00.001-08:00

Click here to view this photo book larger

Have a Little Faith, by Mitch Albom

2009-10-21T20:40:00.000-07:00

Page 93
From a Sermon by the Reb, 1975

"A man seeks employment on a farm. He hands his letter of recommendation to his new employer. It reads simply, 'He sleeps in a storm.'

"The owner is desperate for help, so he hires the man.

"Several weeks pass, and suddenly, in the middle of the night, a powerful storm rips through the valley.

"Awakened by the swirling rain and howling wind, the owner leaps out of bed. He calls for his new hired hand, but the man is sleeping soundly.

"So he dashes off to the barn. He sees, to his amazement, that the animals are secure with plenty of feed.

"He runs out to the field. He sees the bales of wheat have been bound and are wrapped in tarpaulins.

"He races to the silo. The doors are latched, and the grain is dry.

"And then he understands. 'He sleeps in a storm."

"My friends, if we tend to the things that are important in life, if we are right with those we love and behave in line with our faith, our lives will not be cursed with the aching throb of unfulfilled business. Our words will always be sincere, our embraces will be tight. We will never wallow in the agony of 'I could have, I should have.' We can sleep in a storm.

"And when it's time, our good-byes will be complete."

4th of July 2009

2009-07-05T16:18:00.000-07:00

Frontier Days from the Past

July 2009

Easter

2009-04-06T22:25:00.000-07:00

I posted this last year and, as it's so good and so fitting, will re-post for this Easter. I hope it touches any who watch it as much as it still touches me. A blessed Holy Week to you all, my favorite time of the whole year.

Dave Tiller

2009-03-01T20:32:00.000-08:00

Our friend and Mike's co-worker, Dave Tiller, went Home to the Lord this past Wednesday. That would be the reason why I haven't been on here as much as I would have liked to. There was just too much going on and I had to let go of some things. When I can, I'd like to write about Dave, but not right now. I need a week or so to wind down.

Write, write, write

2009-01-02T23:25:00.000-08:00

There are probably 10 boxes of all things Christmas sitting next to the door waiting for me to carry them downstairs. From there, I will drag them into the bathroom, pull down the "hidden" ladder and push and pull them into the "attic" (which is actually a large crawl space we made when we lowered the ceiling in there). Who needs 12 foot ceilings in a bathroom when there are things to be stored? Maybe tomorrow, after Mike wakes up and gets off to work, I'll put them all away. And maybe I'll wait until Sunday when his days off start.

It's been quiet, sometimes too quiet, with Cherlyn, Rob, Bobby and Michael gone, but I've been fortunate enough to be able to iChat with them while they're in South Carolina. Before you know it, they'll be off this continent and starting life in their new home in England. I'm envious!

I always love the beginning of a new year. It's a time to wipe the slate clean and start anew. This is the year of learning to love the empty nest. Katie and Emma moved out in August and India followed in December. There are two extra bedrooms now that I get to fix up. That will probably also be on the list for tomorrow.

And speaking of tomorrow . . . it's nearly here so I need to get to bed. More tomorrow. I'd like to see if I can re-design this wonderful "vehicle of writing." I also want to go through The Shack some more and maybe write some about that. There's also more furniture to be rearranged. And I don't want to forget the books I've just read in the past month. Life is good.

Be Ye Joyful

The Shack

2008-12-01T08:42:00.001-08:00

I started (and finished in a couple of days) this book a couple of weeks ago and picked it up again last night to read the last two-third's again. It is heavy. Very heavy. Mind-boggling heavy. And I LOVE it. Thanks, Dad, for recommending it. I will post my comments on it after I finish it again. I need to get some things on paper, I think, to grasp even more of its' wisdom.

The Last Lecture, Randy Pausch

2008-10-18T11:16:00.000-07:00

I just watched this lecture, having read the book last week. I happened to pick the book up last month but hadn't opened it until I was talking to a very dear friend who is dying from pancreatic cancer. Dave and his wife, Cheryl, encouraged me to read the book and told me that they'd bought copies for their kids. I highly recommend both the book and the lecture to everyone. There are a few books that I would classify as "life changing." This is one of them.

Cherlyn's & Bobby's Birthdays

2008-08-15T22:40:00.000-07:00

What with the birth of Michael and then being up in Oregon for almost a week, I never had the chance to post anything about their birthdays. That will be my first priority tomorrow!

Michael Update

2008-08-15T16:48:00.000-07:00

Just talked to Cherlyn via iChat (thank you, Apple). She looks great and so does Michael. She says he's also acting great. They saw the pediatrician a little yesterday (remember, it's, or just finished being, morning there) and he told them that the cultures were downstairs in the lab and that nothing was growing yet. No idea yet what happened and it could end up being that way. There are several theories including, bacterial infection, apnea episode, acid reflux, and I'm not sure what else. The pediatrician explained that infants aren't able to "compartmentalize" illnesses the way we are. That means that if we have a problem with our lungs, it pretty much keeps to the lungs. With infants, it goes everywhere because their immune systems aren't up to snuff yet. The fact that he's a couple of weeks early could also have an effect on his immune system. The very earliest they would be released would be their Sunday afternoon but not to be at all surprised if it's longer. Rob is spending time with Bobby and doing special things. He explained to him that Michael was sick so Mommy's taking care of him in the hospital. Cherlyn says they're all doing better. They just want to know what happened. Cherlyn was awestruck at how far away, and spread out, the prayers have come from and they are both so appreciative. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.

Here are a few photos from our chat.

Pray for Little Michael

2008-08-15T10:33:00.001-07:00

It's taken me a day to get to this because yesterday was pretty much a "just get through the day" kind of day. Michael stopped breathing and turned blue yesterday morning (Calif time). Was it really just yesterday? Anyway, they called an ambulance and took him to the ER, then admitted him so he's currently in ICU and should be there a couple of days or so. He's doing very well now, eating, crying, sleeping, being awake, and all the other normal stuff. Sounds like you wouldn't even know anything had happened to him by the way he's behaving now. He'd been having indigestion and was fussy before they took him in. Also, Bobby's had a bit of a cough. Cherlyn says Rob has been doing fun stuff with Bobby while she and Michael are at the hospital. As far as I know Cherlyn's the only one who reads this, but if anyone else does, please continue to pray for Michael. We'd like to know what happened and it'd be just wonderful if it was something minor.

Let me introduce you to . . .

2008-08-03T13:40:00.001-07:00

Michael Lawrence Van Etta, born 10:35 am, August 2, 2008 (Japan time), weighing 8 lbs and measuring 19 inches. They ended up having to do a C-section (after 13+ hours of labor), but he and Cherlyn are both doing fine. She goes home from the hospital today. Bobby is very excited to have a little brother and Rob and Cherlyn, though both exhausted, are very happy Michael is finally here. May the Lord bless them all. Amen.

This pertains to my post below about sacrifices and such

2008-08-01T22:37:00.000-07:00

I really thought I should print a sort of semi-retraction. I didn't end up doing what I thought I would do on the 4th of July. I did the opposite and had a wonderful day. Katie, Emma, and I went to the parade and then the barbecue and just had a great day. It was so much fun seeing so many of the kids I worked with through the years, since everyone seems to come home for Frontier Days. It was very good. That'll teach me, eh?

He's almost here!

2008-08-01T08:38:00.000-07:00

Just got the word from Cherlyn and Rob. Cherlyn's been admitted (finally) to Labor and Delivery and Michael should be here today. Our prayers are that this labor does not go the way Bobby's did. Maybe I'll be posting a photo of my new grandson later today!

Sacrifices for those who don't know sacrifices are made for them

2008-07-03T18:47:00.000-07:00

Today's not been a great day. Don't get me wrong. It hasn't been a bad day. It's just been one of those putter around the house and not really have anything to do/wander aimlessly day. Kind of like a day without a purpose. A morose day. I can tell it's close to a holiday because this has become kind of a "regular" feeling for these kinds of days. With the kids gone or off doing their own things and living their own lives on Christmas, mother's day, my birthday, etc., it makes the day kind of a downer. My usual 4th of July has been to ride with Mike patrolling around the parade and then for whatever shift he's on. Right now, though, he has a trainee so my spot in his car is currently taken. My day tomorrow, the 4th of July, a day I always loved, by the way, will consist of hanging out around the house while Mike sleeps off his graveyard. Yes, I could go to the parade . . . if I wanted to go alone. That sounds thrilling. I could go to the rodeo . . . alone. Or the barbecue . . . alone. Get my drift? I could hang out around home alone (or at least with Mike as company downstairs, asleep in bed) where it's comfortable and just putter around or I could go downtown and be with all sorts of lively people having fun with their families. Eh. No thanks. I'll take being home alone. Then, tomorrow night, a night I usually ride with him, I won't be able to. This has all made me think. I sure hope that my 21 years of sacrificing holidays, family dinners, i.e. a normal life, is not going to be extended beyond Mike's retirement. It would be heartbreaking to have had to sacrifice so much (for people and a place that never knew it was being sacrificed for) with the anticipation of finally being able to spend time together only to have that time torn asunder because of the effects of those 21 years of sacrifice. Just doesn't seem fair, does it? So that's my day. My night will be better because I'm going to sit and read magazines I bought several months ago but haven't had the time to read. I'll work a little downstairs, too, which I also haven't done in a while because of Mike sleeping down there during the day. It will be ok. Cherlyn actually cheered me up some by me telling her my woes and laughing and joking about them. Let's face it, if we can't laugh at our woes, we'd just end up crying. I don't want to go around being mopey all day. Things are as they are and we press on, knowing that every so often days like this will pop up. Tomorrow will be fine. Now if i could just get some of that work done downstairs without getting TOO sidetracked . . .

Time To Say Goodbye

2008-05-08T19:16:00.000-07:00

The pea gravel gave way noisily, slipping and sliding beneath their feet, sounding, to her, like the snap crackle pop of a mouthful of fresh Rice Krispies. Her husband was just behind her as she strode to the front sidewalk, stepping carefully over the curb that her Grandma had once slipped on, past the painted block of wood one of the kids from the old youth group had made for her dad and to the front door, the front door of her childhood, youth and growing up years. "We're here!" she announced, as she opened the door and stepped into the warm front room. Their living room had changed little over the course of the almost 40 years her family had lived in the little house. Sure, the carpet had been upgraded and the furniture was different, but the basic living room was just as it had been when she had first set foot inside this house as a three year old toddler. The knotty pine paneling gave off a cabin-like feel to the little house, while the entire front wall of floor to ceiling picture windows provided the necessary light; a light, right now, that was a soft, late afternoon glow. To the right was the hallway that led to the den, Mom and Dad's bedroom and the bathroom. To the left was the threshold to the dining room, the kitchen and the back bedroom, which was now known as 'Mom's Room.' It didn't matter if she'd last visited 2 weeks ago or a year ago. It was always the same. One step inside this house and she was Home. "Hello? Mom?"

"I'm in here!" a voice called out from the back of the house. Ah, that would be Mom, back in the kitchen cooking something, or maybe in her room, working on projects. They went in and found her sorting out things in her room. "How was the drive?" Mom asked after she'd given both of them a big hug and, I might add, told the husband how handsome he looked and asked how things were at work and if he had enough time off so that he was able to relax at home.

"Good," she said, "only took three and a half hours." This was a special trip that was going to be beneficial in a couple of ways. They were down to attend the anniversary party that was going to be held that night for his parents. Twenty-five years looked very good on them. She was pleased that he'd been able to get the time off work to go. Vacations, even very short ones, were sometimes difficult to manage with his work schedule. There was another reason for this trip and she was going to take care of that first. "I'll be right back. I need to go see Jen." Her husband looked at her with an obvious "I don't know what you are doing or where you are going" look and she walked out the door.

Across the street, in Mr. Hannebaum's old house, lived a young couple. Well, they'd been young when they moved in with their toddler daughter, but she supposed one would not necessarily call them a "young couple" any more. The toddler was now in her early twenties and it was she who was now the object of the visit. She walked across the street and up the driveway to the house hoping that the young woman had been able to help her. It didn't appear that anyone was home and that was somewhat concerning, but she continued on. An envelope was taped to the front door. She opened it up and inside was a note and a very small amount of dried green plant. She opened the note and read, "For a friend in need."

She had never dreamed that she would be going to the neighbor's to buy pot. More than that, though, she had never dreamed that she would need to do that in order to help her Aunt Madelynne. She hadn't known Aunt Madelynne to ever be sick. This was the woman who went white-water rafting for her most recent birthday, her 75th! The closest she ever came to being sick, she remembered, was when Aunt Madelynne was attacked by a dog on one of her morning runs when she was almost sixty years old! This was much worse, though. For six months now they had been getting used to the news. Stage 4 cancer and, the doctors were guessing, she had a year or two left on this earth. Placing the envelope in her pocket, she crossed the street back to the house. "I'm going on over there now. I'll be back in just a bit."

Ten short minutes later she was strolling along the walkways to the little apartment Aunt Madelynne had called home for the last couple of years. She was thinking back over the last few months worth of visits. She'd been trying to get down every couple of weeks or so. Her boss, the principal of the middle school where she worked, had even given her an indefinite leave of absence so that she had time to be with her aunt. Because of that, she was able to visit more often, most often driving down in the mornings, staying for a couple of hours, and then driving back home. It made for a long day but it was worth it.

The last visit, a week or two earlier, had been particularly poignant. "You keep that, Mel. You're helping me go through this stuff and you can have that. I don't think anyone will care. I used to wear it to football games." They were going through her big trunk and Aunt Madelynne was telling her what she wanted done with all of her most important possessions. Or, at least, oldest possessions. "Oh, this is a purse I used to take with me to dances. You can have it, too." She handed over a small needlepoint clutch and it was received graciously. They went through the trunk, item by item, making a list of everything inside and putting names next to each item. "Now, this is done. I have some other boxes in the closet I'd like to go through, too. Is that ok?" Of course it was. It had been a good visit. They'd finished going through everything important enough to write down and felt a sense of accomplishment. Aunt Madelynne had even given her all of her get well cards and asked her to put them in an album for her so she could easily look through them. Of course she would. She would be happy to. She didn't say it, but most of all she felt honored to be asked. It was something to do, some small way to help.

Back in the present, she walked up to the door and knocked. "Aunt Madelynne?" she called through the door. There was no answer so she opened it and stepped in. "Aunt Madelynne?" she called out again. Alarmed, she heard groans coming from the hallway by the bedroom and bathroom. "Aunt Madelynne." This time it was a statement. An announcement that someone was there to help. She moved quickly to the bathroom and the sight she saw chilled her. Her aunt lay on the floor, wedged beneath and between the sink, toilet and tub. She knelt next to her and gently pulled her from where she was wedged. She sat on the ground with her legs in front of her and, leaning against the tub, pulled her aunt to her, resting her so that the older woman could lean back on the younger one. They sat this way for a while, calmly talking, while she tried to figure out a plan to get both she and her aunt up and back into the living room.

She sat there with her for what seemed like an eternity, but which was probably only half or quarter of an hour. "We're going to get you into the living room, Aunt Madelynne, so you can sit down where it's comfortable. Ok?" Her aunt was all too happy to get up off the cold floor and into her nice, comfortable wing chair. She gently pushed her aunt into a sitting position and looked down at her own front. There was a large bloodstain where her aunt's head had rested. Wriggling out from beneath her aunt, she stood up and helped the older woman to her feet shakily. Supporting her, she walked her into the living room and sat her down. "You have a little cut on the back of your head, Aunt Madelynne. I'm going to get you some ice." Fortunately her aunt didn't notice the bloodstain on the front of her niece's denim overalls and crisp white blouse. She got the ice and the towel and gingerly placed it on her aunt's head all the while thinking about how to call her parents and husband back at the house.

It was here, for the one and only time she could ever remember, that her aunt spoke sharply to her. She knew that she didn't mean it and that it wasn't really her aunt speaking, but, for a moment, her feelings were hurt. She knew she needed to be more cautious. She very gently and carefully repositioned the ice pack and her aunt was back to being herself.

Once she settled her aunt comfortably, she called the house and talked to them once, twice, thrice? She lost count. The last time she talked for a while with her husband, answering his questions. "No, I don't know if she lost consciousness. She doesn't know how long, if at all, she was out. She says she was just in the bathroom and then, next thing she knew, she was on the floor. No, she doesn't know how long she was on the floor. It's a good-sized cut. I can't see it very well. It's probably quarter or half dollar sized. Yes, I think someone needs to come over. I think she needs to go to the ER. Uh-huh. Ok. Good. Bye." "Mom and Dad are coming right over, Aunt Madelynne" she said to her aunt as she hung up the phone. "They're leaving now."

Both of them, relieved, now sat and stood, waiting, watching television. The scene then was one she knew she would never forget for as long as she lived. There she was, blood on the front of her overalls, standing behind the wing chair, her aunt seated upon it, holding an ice-filled towel to her aunt's head, watching Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman sing "Time To Say Goodbye" on a television special performance. Was it a divine message or a cruel joke?

More when I'm finished . . .

Okinawa

2008-02-03T16:37:00.000-08:00

Polk County Postcards

2008-01-26T10:35:00.000-08:00

Click on the link (the title above) for old postcards from Polk County, Iowa.

Happy Birthday, Ted!

2008-01-26T10:04:00.000-08:00

Happenings

2008-01-21T12:00:00.001-08:00

There's an awful lot going on so I haven't had much time for writing lately. Mike's ok. He had his angiogram last week and everything looked good. There was no damage, he didn't have a heart attack, his valves, muscle, blood vessels and everything looked good. Yay! That's a relief for all of us. We still have to figure out what's causing the arrhythmia, but he's having a sleep apnea appointment this week so maybe that will answer some questions. Cherlyn's going solo for a couple of weeks while Rob is TDY in Thailand. Katie's looking for a job. India's going to be staying at her aunt's for a while (long story). Those are the highlights. More later. I've been feeling like I'm spinning my wheels lately . . . if only I could get things DONE. Hey, look! A chicken!

Chuckle, chuckle. Ah, 'tis better to laugh at oneself or else one might give up and cry. I prefer to laugh. Here's the picture that's going on our new checks. Most of them are recent . . . at least within the last few months.

Open Letter Sent A Few Days Ago

2008-01-07T08:16:00.000-08:00

January 3, 2008

Hello everyone. As you all know, when we were at Mom and Dad's in November, Mike had an "episode" wherein he ended up in the ER in Stayton. As he told people, he "had symptoms not inconsistent with a heart attack." After that happened, he started having "flutterings" in his heart. He's having fewer now but they're still there. As a result of it all, he's had a number of tests including wearing a 24 hour monitor, numerous EKGs, a nuclear stress test, and, most recently, an echocardiogram.

The monitor showed premature ventricular contractions (PVCs). That's when your heart sort of "skips" a beat. It's actually an extra beat that jumps in. He had about 300 or so in 24 hours but they don't get concerned unless it's in the thousands so that was ok. His stress test showed normal except that they thought he might have some heart wall thickening but couldn't really tell since the stress test isn't designed to diagnose that. The cardiologist also noticed an area at the bottom of his heart that didn't appear to be getting any blood but that was attributed to his diaphragm being in the way so that the heart wasn't being photographed well. EKGs always came out normal, too. The tech doing the echo had already told us that everything she measured fell within normal parameters. She was mainly looking at the heart wall to see if there was indeed any thickening. There wasn't. She also said that the valves looked good and were within normal range.

The doc's office (regular doc) called a couple of days ago because they wanted to talk about the echo because they said that there was some "mildly elevated pulmonary artery pressure." She stressed that it was mild and nothing to be concerned about. We had our appointment with his regular doctor today (an absolute genius and someone we trust absolutely) to talk about the echo results. He told us that the valves looked good and that's a really good thing. He also said that his heart is pumping at 60%, which is good. They want it to be anything over 50%. He said that there wasn't any thickening of the heart wall. But, he said, and "buts" aren't always good, there appeared to be some damage at the bottom of his heart. The area that didn't show up well on his stress test turned out to not be a case of not being photographed well. It was photographed just fine. The reason it didn't show any blood flow to the area was because there isn't any because it's been damaged. I believe he said that there was scarring, but I don't really remember. There was a lot of information passed around. He stressed that his heart is still pumping the way it's supposed to be and that's a good thing. He said that it appeared that Mike had a heart attack at some point. I asked if that's what the episode in November could have been and it now appears that it was. He said that what they try to do is to rule out all of the possible explanations for something to try to get to what the something might really be. At this point, they've ruled out just about everything else and all of this "circumstantial evidence" meshes perfectly with the explanation of a heart attack. The arrhythmia that he's having now would be a result of the episode. He said that a heart catheterization would conclusively show the damage as well as showing exactly what his pulmonary pressure is. The echo put it at 45. The doctor said he's not terribly concerned unless it hits 50. As we were talking, his doctor made some notes of 6 points to address. They are:

1. Did he have a heart attack?
2. Is the pulmonary hypertension for real?
3. Should he have cardiac catheter?
4. Restart aspirin, 162mg (2 baby)
5. Assuming heart attack, want LDL down from 110 to 70 - start Zocor
6. Should he be on beta blocker?

1 and 2 will be answered by 3, which he thinks he should have, but will leave it up to cardiologist. 6 he will also leave up to the cardiologist. Mike asked him if this was something he wanted to take care of himself or did he want the cardiologist to do it and the doc said that this would be the time his mentor would tell him was the time to "share the glory." He very much wants the cardiologist's opinions. We have an appointment on the 14th with the cardiologist and then back to his doctor on the 15th for more discussion.

He told Mike he knew he was concerned about his job and Mike reiterated that he wasn't ready to stop it. The doctor agreed and again stressed that his heart is working the way it's supposed to, that there's just a small area of damage. He said that the important thing was to start the zocor and aspirin today. Once the LDL is 70 and below, the zocor actually dissolves any plaque that may be there. If there is a blockage, the catheterization will show it. My guess is that if there is, a stent would be want they would do. This is what medline plus says about stents:

Angioplasty is performed in a special part of the hospital called a cardiac catheterization laboratory ("cath lab"). Angioplasty may involve the placement of a small wire device called a "stent," and the procedure is sometimes called "percutaneous coronary intervention," or PCI. A stent is shaped somewhat like the spring of a ballpoint pen and may be inserted into the artery to help it remain open after the clot is removed.

You can read about cardiac catheterization here: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003419.htm.

I asked the doctor why the enzyme test, which is supposed to be 100% accurate, didn't show a heart attack. He said that there were two schools of thought on the enzyme tests. One is to do one blood draw after a suspected heart attack and call it good. The other is to do a draw and then wait a little bit and do a second. He said that it can take a little while for the enzymes to show up. Mike told him his test was about 45 minutes after the episode and the doctor thinks if they'd done it a second time, it would have shown increased enzymes. I just found this on medline plus:

CPK-2 levels rise 3 - 6 hours after a heart attack. If there is no further damage to the heart muscle, the level peaks at 12 - 24 hours and returns to normal 12 - 48 hours after tissue death. CPK-2 levels do not usually rise with chest pain caused by angina, pulmonary embolism (blood clot in the lung), or congestive heart failure.
Apparently, they should have waited a while before they did the enzyme test. I don't think we were even in the ER for 3 hours. Sheesh. Seems like that's pretty basic information.

I know I've left some of the stuff we talked about out, but that's because my mind is too full right now. Oh. I did ask our doc about the advisability of Mike being awake for 24-36 hours at a stretch. He'd been up since yesterday morning. The doctor said that it was NOT advisable. I also asked about our new exercise bike that we got for his knees and if he could use it and he said that it was ok. He stressed that the pumping wasn't damaged and that his heart was working well. Mike asked if this (having one event) made him more likely to have a second attack and that was answered in the affirmative.

Mike's going to try the Zocor for a couple of months to see how it works. It works for 8 hours. You take it when you go to bed, which is when your body makes cholesterol. Since his schedule isn't exactly what you call normal, the doctor couldn't guarantee when his cholesterol is made. Also, since he switches schedules every three months, it may not work out. We'll have to see how he does with it. Lipitor would be the next one they'd try.

New Year

2008-01-02T15:39:00.001-08:00

"What a fellowship, what a joy divine, leaning on the everlasting arms, what a blessed mix, what a peace is mine, leaning on the everlasting arms. Leaning, leaning, safe and secure from all alarm, leaning, leaning, leaning on the everlasting arms."

I love the start of a new year. It's a time to start over, to not worry about what didn't get done the year before. I can let it all go and start from scratch. My mind is whirring with all of the things I want to do. Topping the list is our bedroom.

"When peace like a river attendeth my way, when sorrows like sea billows roll, whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say, it is well, it is well with my soul. It is well, it is well, it is well, it is well, it is well, it is well with my soul. My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought! My sin, not in part but the whole, is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more, Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!"

Not only do I get to begin anew, I get to begin anew with Mike on days. That's normally not a shift we prefer, but when it's 12 hours of graves or 12 hours of days, I prefer the days. It means that I can work in our bedroom and get it to looking like a bedroom again, as opposed to a storage room with a bed.

"On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross, the emblem of suffering and shame; and I love that old cross where the dearest and best for a world of lost sinners was slain. So I’ll cherish the old rugged cross, till my trophies at last I lay down; I will cling to the old rugged cross, and exchange it some day for a crown."

The new year was ushered in rather quietly with me riding with Mike until 1 am or so. The snap, crackle and pop of the fireworks resonating across town was the only "excitement" which is ok by me. I don't even think they got a deuce, it was fairly quiet. Not bad for 6 hours of OT.

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father; there is no shadow of turning with Thee; Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not; As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be. Great is Thy faithfulness! Great is Thy faithfulness! Morning by morning new mercies I see. All I have needed Thy hand hath provided; Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

2008 promises to be a year full of change. There's an excellent chance that Katie and Emma will be moving out. It all hinges on Katie being hired as a dispatcher by the PD. She scored well on the initial test and her oral is scheduled for the 11th. If all goes well, she could start there in March or so . . . maybe even February. India turns 18 at the end of March and she's already saying that she's moving then. It would not surprise me in the least if she wants to go live with her aunt. I just want to see her graduate and then I can relax a little. We could conceivably have an empty house come April!

2008 could very well be The Year of Adjusting.

More a little later on Mom's Guide to Dating or What I've Tried To Teach My Three Daughters About Picking A Good Man Based On What I Learned The Hard Way.

Christmas Morning

2007-12-26T09:09:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas

2007-12-24T13:29:00.000-08:00

I've watched this twice now and can't get through it without tears on my face. THIS is why we celebrate Christmas, the greatest gift one could ever receive. Not only did Jesus give us the gift of Himself, but Mary willingly followed the will of God knowing, I think, that her child would be scorned, ridiculed, rejected and murdered. Our Heavenly Father, in whose image we were created, and a Mother, just like us, gave up their only child for me. And for you.

A Most Blessed and Joyous Christmas to all of us. May I always remember the sacrifice that was made for me, not just in December.