Happy New Year...to all

I have to stay up until WHAT TIME???

Looking back at my own 2006 year

February 2006
Got to see the Seahawks go to
the Super Bowl for the first time.
They lost. And this year they
will be lucky if they get seats.

Voted no for the Rec. Center.
Met with the EPA people about the
sawdust company across the highway
from us.

The beginning of the end of IGA.

April 2006
Got new window....
Renewed a 37 year friendship after a
5 year lapse...and now I have a French connection...

May 2006
Meeting of two of us local bloggers, showing a
Hayden blogger the town.

June 2006
Walked two different Cancer walks..
Sandpoint, Idaho and Ellensburg, Washington.

July 2006... painted the house... painted inside the house...

August 2006
The winding down of summer and the
last summer of my grandson helping in the yard.

October 2006
Walking Tubbs Hill with two Cda bloggers...
Found a new blogger...stories of Kellogg..
New puppy...Miss Misty

November 2006
Trip to Olympia
Adjusting to life's new falsies.. hearing aides

December 2006
changing jobs for me.

All and all a good year....

Hope...looking from 2006 to 2007

Hope...
to wish for something with expectation of its fulfillness.
to have confidence: trust.
to hope with little reason or justification.
to expect and desire.
It is the dictionary's description of hope.

So what do we hope for?
Putting aside the greed..
We hope for solutions to problems.
We hope for a better life.
For ourselves as well as others.

As a nation, we hope for a good and
safe solution to a war? police action?
or what ever one wants to call it.
They said they had a plan. But it
seems the plan only went into how
to start it. Not how to solve it, or finish
it. Peace? How presumptuous they were,
that they could bring peace when there
has not been peace in that area for over
2,000 years. Yet we have hope.

Congressmen in the nation as well as
the states, have gave themselves raises
for years, yet hold down the minimum
wage for the bottom workers. They say,
it will just raise the economy higher and
we will have a depression or any other down
side term they can say. Yet, their raises
don't do that? How is that? But we have
hope, that maybe this time around the
votes may have been heard. Maybe,
we hope that the worker who makes it
happen for the higher paying jobs, will
be treated fairly. We hope.......

The people have express their feelings
about how the law is for some, while those
who enforce the law, seem to think it
doesn't pertain to them as much.. We
voters have hopes that abuse of all
kinds, will be dealt with. Justly and fairly.
We hope.

In Bonner County, we have hope that
the bypass will be come a reality. After
all, 50 years is long enough to wait.
We have hope that the powers who
loved the increase of high level housing
will see that the low level need affordable
housing. Affordable on $5.75 to $9.00
wages. $220,000 is not affordable, by those
of service type jobs. We hope for all of them
to have a safe house. And we don't lose
families in trailer fires. We hope......

Looking back at 2006..part 2

Some of the good thing... good people...

Mississippi, no not the ones you saw
on the TV who bragged. But the people
who were down in the gullys of filthy water
and snakes and God only knows what..
Who carried babies to safety. The Drs. who
stuck it out... The workers who
are down there building homes without
all the glory that the media talks about.
The quiet ones, that only their
friends and family and others with them,
know what they have done to give hope to
those who lost so much.

For all the volunteers across the country
who not only make Christmas and Thanksgiving
each year for those less fortunate. But don't
just stop there, and work it around the whole
year. With little thanks. Just the smiles on
the faces and the hugs they sometimes get..
which the volunteer will tell you, is enough
thanks. As they give hope to all.

For Kroc Center, in Kootenai County,
when open will give hope to those who
need a place and an education, and a
second chance.

For Shasta, who came home safe. And
hopefully will be able to survive the demon's
of the mind. And with the help of her Dad and
family, will have hope be able to live as close to
a normal life.

The Grace Haven that has come to light,
after hard work from many women and some
men in Bonner County. To give hope to women
and children.

And for tomorrow??? that is the hard one.
The hopes we have...

Looking back at 2006..part 1

Looking back at 2006.. the good
the bad, and hope in the future.

Our Nation is still at war and not
any better than we were a year ago.
The Democrat's seem to think they
can fix our woes... let's hope so.

In Idaho, the party is still 99%
Republican. That the state
rather be red than have all good people in.
Let's hope the new people who
came in will remember who voted
them in.

On the county side, we have seen
all of our upper counties P.A. offices,
do things that are ..well. to be kind..
less desirable than when they were
voted in.
Let's hope they start to remember who
voted them in, and start looking out for
the public, instead of their own person.

Greater sadness is the people who
have lost their love ones in 2006.
Most recently, a family so low in
income, that they lived in a small
trailer that took all of their lives.

Tomorrow, some of the good things
that happen.

My Christmas Greeting to my Readers....

I received this card from a friend... and if I knew where he bought it... I would buy a big box of them and hand one to each one of you.... So the best I can do is give credit to the author at the end... Here is our greeting card...

MY CHRISTMAS CARD LIST

I have a list of folks I know,
all written in a book,
And every year when Christmas comes,
I go and take a look.

That is when I realize
these names are all a part,
not of the book they're written in,
but of my very heart.

For each name stands for someone
who has crossed my path sometime,
And in that meeting they've become
the rhythm in each rhyme.
While it may sound fantastic
for me to make this claim,
I really feel that I'm composed
of each remembered name.

And while you may not be aware
of any special link,
Just meeting you has changed my life
much more than you think.

For once I've met somebody,
the years cannot erase
The memory of a pleasant word
or of a friendly face.

So, never think my Christmas cards
are just a mere routine
Of names upon a Christmas list,
forgotten in between
For when I send a Christmas card
that is addressed to you,
It's because you're on the list
of folks I'm endeared to.

For I am but a total
of the many folks I've met,
And you happen to be one of those
I prefer not to forget.

Whether I have known you
for many years or few,
In some way you have had a part
in shaping things I do.

And every year when Christmas comes
I realize a new,
The best gift life can offer
is meeting folks like you.

So may the spirit of Christmas
that forevermore endures
Leave its richest blessing
in the hearts of you and yours.


My Christmas Card List
written by George A. Gladden, Sr.

Merry Christmas, dear Readers, from the Wordtosser

MERRY CHRISTMAS, from Misty& the King

Time in a Bottle

Time in a Bottle...

There was a song some where in
the 60' or 70's called Time in a Bottle.
To be honest I don't remember the words.
The tune was nice...

But it reminded me of the season...
It is too bad we can't find it in
ourselves to be like people are the
last week before Christmas and
just after. If we could just take it,
that feeling, in put it in a bottle...
to be released year around.

People who seem to be angry or take
offense easily, seem to find the good
feeling during the season. Smiling,
a kind word...Too bad it isn't year around...
.
So with the count down of 3
days, all of you have a very
MERRY CHRISTMAS...with
friends and family... may the
best gift you give, be the
good feelings you find and
share..After all, smiles are
contagious...

For your pleasure

Recipes are like jokes online.
the authors get lost in the shuffle.
I like to give credit when I can. So
if you are the one who started this
recipe, let me know and I will give
you credit.

I got this recipe last year. As you
can see....
POSTED: 8:51 pm EST December 13, 2005

It is a good one, and if you like fruitcake,
you will love it. If you don't, you will be surprised
to learn you like this one... Unless you totally
hate dried fruit. So enjoy.... I am off to work.
I made them yesterday with Splenda, so my
husband could have some.. Enjoy.

Christmas Fruitcake Cookies...
Butter, softened 1 cup
Sugar 1 1/2 cups
Eggs 2
Flour 2 1/2 cups
Salt 1/2 teaspoon
Baking soda 1 teaspoon
Cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon
Cloves, ground 1/4 teaspoon
Allspice, ground 1/4 teaspoon
Dates, dried, chopped 1 cup
Pecans, chopped 2 cups
Pineapple, dried, chopped 1 cup
Cherries, dried, chopped 1 cup
METHOD OF PREPARATION
1. Preheat an oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, add the softened butter and sugar. Whisk until well blended.
3. Beat in the eggs well to incorporate.
4. Add the flour and spices. Mix well.
5. Add the dried fruits and nuts. Mix well.
6. Drop spoonfuls onto a lightly greased sheet pan and bake for 12-14 minutes.
7. Let rest then store in air tight container until use

Turn the Radio On

My usual background noise
of the morning is, Good Morning
American (and local channel 4 if
I wake up early) and the Regis
and Kelly.

This morning was local radio stations.
As Spokane stations, for some reason
is not easy to get. Maybe a hard rock,
station. I don't know what was on the
recorder at our local am but it was
boring...maybe that does make good
back room noise, while one catches
up with the news of the paper...

Turning off Dish yesterday,
and waiting for cable to be
connected on Thurs. has us
living back in the radio days.
And limited TV. With us, it is
movies for nighttime. No news
no weather, no Boston Legal.

During the day, the radio is a
back ground noise as well...

Gosh, I miss real local radio
stations of years past. I think at
noon they might have something
that is produced local. But the
rest is from somewhere else, and
recorded junk.

As a kid, there were local personalities.
Some did music, some did call in shows.
Some did interview of other locals. And if
there was a major fire, or anything else,
you knew about it right away. I can remember
sitting with my mother as they talked about
an exploitation on the base where my dad worked
as a civilian service person. And how much his
call meant, when he called 20 minutes later, to
tell us he was ok.

But I guess that is considered hokey now.
We are lucky if we get local news in the 5
minutes at the top of the hour.

The older I get, the more I miss those days.

Bah Humbug

I hate Christmas and I don't know why.
My brother says he has trouble too.
My mother said we never had a bad
Christmas, so she didn't understand
why we both feel like we do.

And truly, I don't remember a bad Christmas
as a kid. I remember being a rotten kid.
Opening presents ends and peeking in to
see what I got. That was after the Santa bit.

In the beginning, we would go to bed to
a regular living room. To wake to the
wonderment of Christmas. A tree that
was always tall. There was the train that
had been under our tree each year. Yet
as the Santa believer, it never dawn on
us or at least me... that the train was the
same as before. We had stockings hanging
from the mantel over the fireplace.
It was the typical American 1940's
Christmas.

Even after we caught on to the Santa
bit, we still had a tree, that went up a
week before. The presents were there.
And of course the train.

The train was funny. As my father had
bought it for me the first Christmas.
I was too little to run it, so he would run
it for my mother and I. Then 4 years later
my brother showed up on the scene. And
a few years later it became his train.

1. I was a girl, girls don't have trains.
2. My brother was a boy and they did
have trains...but he too, was too little
to play with trains. So my father would
play with the train, while my brother and
I watched. By the time my brother, who
had gotten an erector set and was old
enough to combine the two..... well, the
train set was too old and it was a collector's
item. But I do think my brother did get to
play with it one year. I remember watching
the train going really fast, smoke blowing
and the train flipping off the track. Dad wasn't
happy. But he didn't get too mad.
This was the typical 1950's Christmas.

So why this uncomfortable feeling each
time at this year? And we both get over it
about noon Christmas day.

I worked very hard not to pass it on to
my kids. And I guess I did it right, as all
of them love Christmas.

I love 4th of July...

53 Beacon Street...window of life

As a teen I use to sit and look out
my window. On a summer night,
it was nice to have the breeze.
Most of the times with my hands
on each other and my elbows out
like wings... and my chin on the
back of my hands...

In the early years, I would look
out and see the woods with a fence
around it. A wooden fence. That we
kids would loosen the bottom of two
and slide them across to the side.
Then we would crawl thru. Putting
them back. We use to play like
Indians, in our imagination of how things
were 200 years before. There was a
caretaker who would chase us. Us
trying to find our secret spot, and
get out before he would see which
one it was. The property belonged
to two single sisters.

Later in life, the property was sold.
I guess the sisters passed away,
or were in nursing homes. And
as they tore down the house, the
very old house..... I could see from
my view on life, that it was a glorious
old house. A fireplace in each bedroom.
And a very large room, a ballroom like
room.
And my imagination would swirl with how
life must have been when the sisters were
young.

It was sad to see all the old trees come down
one by one.. Some small, and some very tall.
Then came the grocery store. And the huge
parking lot. My view was of the back of the store.
So I saw large trucks and semi's deliver products
and produce to the store in the early mornings.

And some times in the summer.. you would
see lovers in their car, over in the corner where
no one could see them in the shadow of the
few trees they had left behind.

Around midnight the show would start, in the
winter... with ice and snow on the parking lot,
I would witness the cars doing donuts, slides,
on the large parking lot. Older boys (to me at
that time) would try to outdo each other. And
one time, two of them were coming from a
different directions around the store... to just
miss each other as they slide sideways..

Ah, yes, the view of life from the window of
53 Beacon Street....
Every child should have a second story house
window to view life.

Weather and Puppy

Between the the blizzard, and the flooding when it got warmer.... I am just going to sleep this weekend out....

Sorry to inform you.....

Sorry to inform you....
Words that hit deep...
Even if it is some one
you haven't see in years.

My ex-sister-in-law passed
away yesterday. So I am
passing the word to my kids.

I look back at the times when
we were sister-in-laws of the
lousiest of men.

Inspite of everything, there
were some good times when we
laughed. The time we decided
to see what was so great about
men smoking pipes, and couldn't
women do it too. We found out
women could smoke them, choke
on them and couldn't hold them in
our teeth without the aid of our
hands. We thought that was the
way men did it. Without hands.
After choking on the pipe tobacco,
clunking our chins with the bowl, and
huffing and puffing until we had no
air left in us to keep the dumb thing
going and lit, we decided smoking
pipes was not for us. Of course,
laughing our fool heads off, didn't
help keep them going either.

She was with me when I went into
the hospital to have my twins. Her
husband was working in Alaska.
The only time she had freedom.

She and I were together, when I
came home from the hospital
from having the twins. I stayed
my first night home with her.
The night we were woken up
by another sister-in-law, to the
news of the death of Robert
Kennedy.

I use to buy milk from her. Good
clean milk and cream on top. She
showed me how to make butter,
by rolling a large jar across the floor.

And there was the time that she laughed
at me because I had mumps in one side
of my face..... and then 10 days later she
had the full blown mumps herself.

And that is the way I would like to remember,
Willie. Not the times I hugged her as she cried.
Not the times she had black eyes. Not the times
she was in the hospital with broken ribs.
Because she "fell down the stairs by
accident" I got out....she never did.
I always wondered, what did she think
she had done to be beaten so bad, and
have to stay.

I want to remember Willie, playing the
Boogie Woogie piano. I want to remember
Willie, singing like any other western singer.
I want to remember Willie with that dang
black pipe, huffing and puffing on it to keep
it going...
God Bless, God Speed, Willie, free ..free at last...

I think the next catch phase is going to be:

I think the next catch phase is going to be:

I AM OFF THE CLOCK....

There is a movie coming out, with George
Clooney, I think it is called the Good
German. And I was watch TV this morning
and they had a clip from it. Not sure what
it was about to be honest. I think it was
the Clooney characters driver, who made
the remark. And then Clooney, turns his
head, and catches (what we are told is
his old girlfriend) a woman's face. He calls
her by name. There is pain in both of their
eyes, and she too, says the phase......
I AM OFF THE CLOCK TOO....

I like that. I wonder...if I tell the King
that, when he asks me to get him
something. Something that I think
he should get up off the chair to
get himself. Humm.....

Maybe I better practice it. Tone
may have a lot to do with if I
survive or not... (smile)

I AM OFF THE CLOCK....
I am off the clock....
I am off the clock, honey?

Yea, I better practice

Another Good Old Days, and Kids

Baseball with no marked field and rocks
for bases....
Horseback riding
Kick the can (soccer with can instead of ball)
Hop scotch
Jump rope (by self or with others)
Jacks
Put on a show in the back yard
Tag
Hide and seek
Cowboy and indians (later known as
space ships or wars using the enemy
of the time)
Field football
Have forts? Tree houses?
Snow forts that you throw snowballs
from behind?

Do kids know how to do angels
in the snow?
Make Snowmen?

Do kids play any of this anymore?
Do they know how to go out and
play without a game in hand that
the fingers do the playing?

Winter Recipe

As I took Misty out for her
run thru the snow paths, and
saw the yellow snow, it reminded
me of the winters past.

You know, don't eat the yellow snow.
But on many occasions I did go out
to get bowls of snow.

When I was a kid, my mother would
send my brother and I out, with a huge
bowl to get snow... with the words..
of course, watch out for the yellow snow.

Then as I went out with my kids, we would
gather large bowls of snow. Watching out
for the yellow snow.

Now as I am older, two things I ponder.
First, how did we know there wasn't
yellow snow under the freshly new
foot of snow?
Second, we didn't think about the
environment leaving toxic waste on
our snow that traveled thru the air,
as we have now been taught.

It is kind of like how we use to drink
water straight from the hose. Which now
they scream at you not to do. So is the
hoses different or the people?

Any way, we used this fresh snow for
our recipe. SNOW ICE CREAM.

In a bowl you put, snow, milk or
cream, vanilla and sugar and mixed.
And if you really wanted to be fancy,
an beaten egg. Mix, not so much that
the snow melted.
But enough so all of it was mixed well.
It was the best. And of course the first
of the season was the very best.
We mixed strawberries, or chocolate
syrup too.

I wonder... do parents still do that
with their kids?

If you decide to give it a try....
WATCH OUT FOR THE YELLOW
SNOW...

Falsies....

No, not that kind...

First it was glasses,
then it was false teeth,
and now it is hearing aides.

That pretty well takes care of
the upper part of the body. Sure
hope I don't need any spare parts
for the rest of it. Hope the warranty
is good for a lifetime.

These hearing aides are going to
be a learning process. Up high
enough to hear people talking.
Down low enough to keep noises
out. Furnace running, car running,
and etc.

Driving home from getting them,
drove me nuts, hearing the engine.
Went to the Mall on Friday. Could
hear the voice pretty well, BUT the
bustle of the mall was loud too.

So I have been fine tuning, literally,
my hearing. The Hearing aid guy,
told me it would take about 6 weeks
to get use to them. I can see that.
That my hearing will have to learn again,
how to filter out some noise like we
did when we were young. Humm, I
thought that was selective hearing, at
least that is what my kids told me, I had.

I can also see why people leave
them in the drawer. But I am so tight
with my money, that I figured if I
am paying this kind of money... ain't
cheap, McGee... by George, I am
going to wear these things if it kills
me. I know if the King seem them
on the shelf, or in a drawer.. I won't have
to worry about it killing me.

So if you see me around... and I am
playing with my ears, it is just me
fine tuning...

Oh, one funny thing.
I had turn my keyboard over and
over. I type and look at it again.
Couldn't figure out where the noise
was coming from..kind of a tinny sound.
lol.... it was just I couldn't hear it
before..lol.. Boy, are they noisy.

Weekend with the Furry Family Members

Where is the puppy? I know I saw her under this a while ago....


Misty hiding from the vacuum cleaner...

Will there ever be a Day ....

Will there ever be a day when
people of public service can make
it thru the elected time, and not
be tempted by doing the wrong thing?


Over the years, I have found my
self more cynical than I would like
to be. But life seems to keep getting
more devious, so it is hard not to be
a cynic.

Even with taking what the media
writes and cut it in half (like the old
saying, believe quarter what you hear,
and half of what you see), it still
isn't good.

The past 6 months have been
less than admiral with the
3 local county officials.

Boundary county Prosecuting Attorney
has been less than up to par with
doing right by the local citizens. Which
a lot of us, blamed a lot on the judge.
But come right down to the nity gritty
it was the P.A. that faltered. Being
pushed into a court case he should
have taken up on his own. And then
doing a lesser job of it, when he finally
was dragged to going to court.

Then there is the Kootenai County, with
their mess. Officials who are suppose to
be protecting the rights of the people against
sex abuse, harassment and etc. Yet, they
don't see the damage of passing sexual
emails to each other on county computers.

Now our own Bonner County P.A.
is under the microscope over taxes.
All of these gentlemen have been in
office for many years. 20+ for most.

And you keep hoping the media is
wrong. That they are making a mountain
out of a mole hill. But sadly, it doesn't
turn out like that.

For years even beyond my time, the
government, especially the locals have
been questionable. And you figure in
time, with all kinds of electronics and
etc. that things would change. The more
that get caught doing it wrong, the more
that come down the line later. Sad. So
very sad. Especially when some of these
men were very good men. And to a point
still are. Personally, to friends and family.
So where did it go wrong? Was it greed?
Was it power? Or is it just indifference?

Day in Infamy

Day in Infamy

Today is December 7, 2006.
65 years after the bombing of
Pearl Harbor.

So today, I bow my head to the
memories of the Armed Forces that
we lost in the airfields. In the ships,
that were bombed and sunk to the
bottom of the bay. To the nurses,
who ran to the hospitals to help out
but never made it across the grounds.

To all of those who were survivors, who
ran to help, even though they were wounded.
To the nurses and doctors who worked
around the clock, to try to save as many
as they could.

May we never forget.

One Step Forward, Two Steps Backwards......

In life there seems to be things
one says, and somehow they come
back to bite you.

Every year for the past 4 or 5, the King
and I have been pooling our money and
getting something for the both of us. It
was a treadmill last year.

This year a week ago, we were discussing
the subject of what we needed. Finally, we
settled on small gifts...because as the King
said... we didn't really need anything. Lots
of wants, just not needs.

And as Murphy's Law always does, it rear
it's head. As I was putting the fish into the
oven last night, I put the temp on for 350
degrees. 15 minutes..not cooked. 15 more
minutes which should have been way too
long.. nothing. I felt the pan..COLD!!.

After working on it for an hour, we came to
the conclusion that the heat bar was shot.
So do we try to find one (this stove is from
the early 70's) or do we break down and
buy a new one? We decided on a new one.
Getting parts is almost impossible in anything
over 10 years.

We went to Sears, found one with a grill, a
little extra, but figured we might as well
spend the extra $70 for something we wanted.
Then go cheaper for a doable one.

One step forward, two steps back.

Blah, blah, blah, blah blah blah...
blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah..

I have nothing to say. It isn't I am
burnt out on blogging. At least not
yet. But I have nothing to say.

No opinions about anything. Nothing
funny to write, or find something funny
about something that happen today or
even yesterday.

Sometimes that happens, usually it is
a weekend. But here I am 3 days
into the week and nothing to say.

So you can click on to the next blog
you were going to go read. There is
nothing here.. blah blah blah blah blah...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD READ THIS...

I REPEAT...EVERY WOMAN
SHOULD READ THIS. PLEASE
GO TO THIS SITE AND READ.

http://www.komotv.com/ibc/

Got to this site and read about
a silent killer.

We have heard for years
about breast cancer in women.
Back to the 1940 or even more.

But this is a new one to me. I
was send this by a friend by email.
It is very important that every woman
reads this. Even men who have daughters
and wives.

There is a video to click on in the middle.
The pictures are graphic. But important.
At least go read it. Like the old saying
goes.. if you save just one woman..it
is worth it. So here it is. I was surprised.

GOOD MORNING SANDPOINT

As the sun comes over the Montana mountains into Idaho, we see the sun on top of our mountains before it hits the valley.





A closer view of the top and the towers. Look at the trails, what fun the skiers and snowboarders are having. Providing they stay upright. But then some of them hit the snow, bend the ribs, and come up laughing with joy especially the first timers, who get bit by the thrill of it all... and return. Just as my grandson did yesterday.

Weekend with the Furry Family

Introduction to Christmas musical decorations and snow.



What?? you are going to play this all the time, and where is the cat with this thing?
dead end path
Rokon said she didn't like this...but the dog smells good..
Ah, this is more like it. A race track for me.
Walking the path around the flag pole, to make sure it connects to the race track...

Great Idea

My friend Ray at www.pagesintime.com/ri
has come up with a great idea.

I go to this site to get my fix of R.I. stuff.
I have it listed on my links below. They
have great food products as well.

Well, Ray came up with this new idea.
That I think has open possibilities.
He has started doing DVD for people.
You send him pictures and he makes
a video of it. It can be anything. That
is why I say the possibilities are
endless.

Pictures of your kids for grandparents.
Pictures of your animals,
Pictures of scenery.
And you will probably think I am
morbid, but funerals. I have seen
something similar at a funeral.
But this is the way to have control
over what is at YOUR funeral.

Or, you can do your life in pictures
to give your grandchildren. They see
you now, but don't have a clue what
you were like when young.
And he puts it to music of your choice.
Great idea.
Not all of us are great at managing the
computer, so this is wonderful for those
of us who can't even understand Computers
for Dummies books.

And remember 25 days to Christmas...
leaving 24 more shopping days.
And only 31 more days left of 2006.

The older I get, the faster time goes.