Thursday, February 26, 2015

Ancestry spins my head....

A long time ago, I was entrusted with
information about our family, by my
Aunt who did so much research on
 our family (my father's...her brother)  side.
This was before computers and Ancestry.com.

It was during the time of talking to each relative
who was still alive ... be it siblings or aunts
uncles. And writing to city halls and states.
And coming up with papers from her mother.
Somewhere there is about a 20 page diary
from our grandmother, from before she got
married to after the children were born.

Also she shared many pictures.. So when
there was a book put out by the town that
my father was born.. and there was no mention
of my family... I was ....well.. pissed off.  I wrote
the ladies who wrote the book, and told them
how important my grandfather, uncle and etc.
were to the town. The island... My grandfather
had the first Ford dealership in the area. He ran
a horse and buggy taxi before there were cars.
Taking people from one side of the island to the
other, to meet the ferry which took the people
to the main land.  He had I think it was the second
store on the island.. and delivered groceries by
horse and buggy to the summer residents. And
took them to the ferry and back.  Later adding
a gas station and then the dealership. Which
my uncle took over.  My grandfather with two
other gentlemen, built and started the movie
theater that is there.. Which is now a small shopping
mall.

I asked my cousin who is the daughter of the uncle,
to help out in this outrage of omission of our family.
And found out that when her father passed away, that
his wife (her mother had passed away years ago) then
passed away... and no one knows what happen to all
the family history he had.  So I have been sharing with
her.  Also my aunt's daughter, received all the paper work
of  the family history, that her mother had worked so hard
on.  She has shared some with Ancestry.com. And some
with us... With promise of more to come.

After sending all I had to my uncle's daughter, I was done.
Let the younger ones carry it on.. But then.. my oldest
daughter decided she too, would like to get the history
of the family for her family.  So we worked on it over the
weekend.. Copying pictures and papers and emailing
them to her.. finding more things and adding to it. She
found a source on line.. and we had to smile as that
source was my aunt's daughter. So the circle has come
full circle...  Which is wonderful.

Then I got to thinking.. about the background stories I
had heard over the years... some from my dad, some
from my aunt.. some I saw... And thought I should write
this all down. Because one of our sources ... my other
uncle's son, has beginning dementia.. and we are about
to lose that information..  And while I have shared my
pictures and paper work.. there are the stories. So I
am working on that. But after awhile, your head hurts
with all the information and you don't want to leave any
thing out. So my head spins.

By the way, one of the two coolest things I have copies of
is 1. the citizenship paper for my great grandfather when
he came here from Sweden.  2. A letter written by my
great grandfather (on my mother's side) who was Chief
of Police for Newport, R.I.  to  my grandfather (on my
father's side) asking him to come in to the court house
on a certain date, to be a witness, and talk to him, the

day before he appears to testify.  

Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Abundance of stupidity.....

I don't know why, but Idaho seems to have
more than their share of stupidity.  And it
always seems to go viral when it happens
here.

The latest is where a state representative asked
a doctor ..during a hearing...about an anti-abortion
bill.. about whether a woman could swallow a pill
containing a tiny camera for a remote examination
of her uterus....obviously the representative does
not know where what he swallows goes... as the
rest of us do.. being we know where the bathroom is.

This isn't his first rodeo either.. seems he got into
trouble with his math figures and then tried to cover
it over when he was caught red handed with poor
math, with he was just throwing out figures.. which
is not a good idea if you are trying to get the voters
to take you serious.

He is far from the only one who has embarrassed
us Idahoan's .. too many to list.. going back to
toe tapping Senator Larry Craig. Or Senator
Steve Vicks who was mad that Idaho passed
the law that gays could get married.. so his way
to solve this was to just eliminate marriage licenses
in Idaho all together.. No one can get married.

They say we don't have the full market on stupidity
here in our state, that other states suffer as well...but

ours seems to hit the internet in a fast fashion. 

Tuesday, February 24, 2015

Good Grief...I almost forgot again...

The King and I were talking yesterday about licenses.
OH...MY...GOSH....  I grabbed my wallet... and sure
enough, this is the year... 2015 big as life on that card.

See in Idaho, they don't send you a reminder.. guess
most states don't. .. you are suppose to remember those
things. 

I use to get it for 8 years.. but after the age of 65, they
make you get it in 4.  Guess they want to see if you are
still walking around.  I remember as I walked out of the
office that year.. when I turned 67 (that is when it expired
after 8 years) and seeing 2011 on there.. I wondered if I
would still be alive at 71 or even be able to drive... as in
your 60's the 70's still seem far off. 

But sure enough.. at 71, I was alive and well.. and no tickets.
So they renewed it as soon as I passed the eye test.
And I left with no notice of the year coming for the next
time. Which was amazing as I forgot to get my license
that year... I was at the store and had to show my license
to the clerk, and she said those horrible words.. do you
know your license expired 2 months ago?  HOLY COW.
And it was a Saturday... had to wait until Sunday. 
My in laws came up that weekend.. so had my sister in
law drive me home... So the fact that on Monday they
didn't nail me.. (had my girlfriend take me down, didn't
want to get a ticket for driving with an expired license).
And gave me my license with no problem.. she said it
happens all the time.. you have 6 month grace. WHEW.

So now I have to make sure I get down there before
the end of March.. and hope my eyes pass. lol...  And
see if the state of Idaho will let me get a license with

out a driving test. Or a written test.. I hate written test. 

Monday, February 23, 2015

TAXES

The Federal giveth and the State taketh away...

This is the time of the year, we all dread...unless
you know for a fact that you are getting a refund..
Then you are down to your local tax person.. or
adventure enough to do it yourself... I say adventure
enough, because they keep changing the rules, so
it is hard to know if you got it right.

This year is a little tougher as you have to show
proof of insurance.. health insurance that is.. because
this is the first year of "no insurance", fines.  Some have
gotten hit for a little over $100...  some talk about $600.
Which when you think about how much it cost for
health insurance...it might be cheaper IF YOU ARE
HEALTH, to just pay the fine.

So Friday, I went into my local guy and laid out
my proof of income, my proof of outgoing... and
at the end it was... what do you want to hear first?
The good news or the bad news... Being I like to
get the bad over with.. and enjoy the good... I went
bad first... I OWE the state... BUT the good news is
I get BACK money from the Federal...so will have
enough to pay the STATE... and that is good news.

At least in my book... 

Thursday, February 19, 2015

Tennis elbow?

I think I have tennis elbow... and while I am
at it.. I think I have bowler's wrist...

I decided to alternate my Wii disc...On
Monday, Wednesday and Friday... to do
exercise disc.. And on Tuesday and Thursday
to do the sport disc, that I finally found.

Well, I did some last Thursday and then
on Friday, my wrist hurt a little.. wondered
how I might have strained it.  Then put
it out of my mind.

This week, went well.... well, as well as it
can go for exercising...  Remember I HATE
exercising.  I don't mind walking outside..
but confined exercising is not my forte.

Then Tuesday night, again with the weak
wrist.. with pain.. and the elbow... On to this
morning.. and it is back with a vengeance.

Then I had my AH HA moment.. Last Thurs.,
this Tues. and Thurs.... what was I doing?
Playing tennis, baseball, and bowling.. and
I love to bowl. I use to do the real thing for
years. In fact they thought I was going to have
my twins in the alley on my last game, spring
that year. 1968.  And I only wish I did as well
as I do with the Wii... as I get a lot of spares
and strikes.. but anyway.. each day that I
played, I increased my amount of games.
Especially the bowling..  wa la... now I know

why my wrist hurts and my elbows hurt.  

Wednesday, February 18, 2015

The yard ....clean up time.

While the East Coast still gets hammered with
snow.. and I feel bad for them...  We have had
rain, wind and fog.  So my once 2 foot of snow
in our yard, is gone.  Only skips of snow we have
here, is where we piled up snow out of our drive
way...and even that is disappearing.

So as I walk around the yard, I see so much work.
And I debate ...should I be removing all those old
leaves from the lilies and etc?  As they do provide
shelter to the new growth.. And there is new growth
under all that..

This is the time of the year where the yard does
not look its best. Dirt, and old leaves, brown grass..
junk that has blown into the yard... 

This is only February, so I don't think I should be
pruning my bushes and etc.. As I found out about
3 years ago in March, when I foolishly thought we
might have a early spring.. only to have a foot of
snow dumped on my pruned Clematis and etc.
Thought I lost them for sure.

So I look with dread, and yet excitement of Spring
to come.. Dread with all the stuff I have to rake and
pull up.. cut back.. and etc..

Weather man has forecasted an warmer winter,
and that is true.. also a drier winter.. but that
so far is not true, as we have had a week of rain.

What do I do... clean up or wait... and I am so out
of shape from last year's yard work.. muscles I haven't
used over the winter.. and etc...  Not looking forward
to that. 

Update... did the work this afternoon.. 
 up went the kits on a stick...

and the flags..


 bird feeder needs cleaning




Pots waiting to be filled...
 scarecrow needs some work but ready for seeds..and birds..


 in the shade it was 40 but in the sun it was 52


 GOOD BYE... SNOW MAN... not quite hello clematis

some of the yard art... bear is 30 years old.. got at Silverwood when it first open and they
had crafts day there..  dog we have had before Misty.. about 9 years.. and the
girl on the left got at a yard sale 2 years ago and had the King paint her.. the
then my Portuguese woman...we have had about 12 years.. she needs a touch up too.
can't wait until we get the table and chairs up on the deck..

Tuesday, February 17, 2015

Working in a man's world.

Every time I say that or hear someone else say that,
it brings me to the song that James Brown sang..
It's a man's world... Just the one line... don't know
what the rest of the words are.

Working in a man's world runs thru our family.
First is my daughter's... each one works in a
job that usually is done by a man.  All 4 of them
at one time or another has had that kind of job.

Me, I use to work with my husband who died in 1986,
and we smashed cars for a living..  My job was to set
them on fire, so we could reach in and pull the wire
harness out.. It was copper wire. Also it burnt the
seats and left the metal... Then we would smash it,
load it up on the truck and take them to Seattle.
My job was, as I said.. burn the cars.. also pull
out the wire... and when loading them, I would
stand on the top of the cab and line up the car
we were loading so it was straight, and then give
the signal to lower the car on top of the previous
one.  One time when my husband was out of town,
he called and said he was heading back home to
start a load... So with his partner, I smashed 7
cars, so they were ready to load. Our smasher
was a card table piece of iron.. about 4 or 6 inches
thick. It was connected to a cable, which was on
pulleys.  There was a wheel that the cable would
wind up on.. and then I would hit the lever and it
would fly down on top of the car... By moving around
the car, I would have it all about 3 feet high, when
done...

My mother, was well known for being a woman fishing
net seamstress.  She would sting two white fishing nets
thru our living room in the winter.. and sew them together.
They would be about 50 feet long.  They were used for
trapping fish by a commercial fisherman. And in the summer,
they would drop the nets in to the tar pit.  And during the
summer they would bring back difference nets.. (they
had about 3 of them) and string them out across the field.
She would stand out there all day, going over each section,
finding the holes and repair them..  This brought her a
very dark tan and skin that was almost like leather. Giving
her a round look the rest of her life.  This went on for about
10 years.  She was the only known woman net seamstress
on the East Coast.

My grandmother, was a teacher... while there were some
women teachers in her time..  most were men, especially
when they were on an island.. She taught at Prudence Island
first and then Jamestown.
So we come from a long line of "working in a man's world".

By the way, I just went and checked out the words to that
song.. and like one of the lines... 

This is a mans world
But it would be nothing, nothing
Not one little thing
Without a women or a girl


that is very true.. at least in our family...



I help load this.. my job was to stand on the cab and hold the car that is held in the air.. and
make sure it is straight with the rest of the load, before I nod my head to have it lowered... 
I had smashed 3/4 of this load while Marv was out of state... already to be loaded and then he smashed the rest. 


Monday, February 16, 2015

President's Day???

Happy President's Day.. I think.
Why are we celebrating President's Day
on February 16th?  I know.. some idiot
thought it would save government money
if they did it on ...what?? second Monday?

It makes no sense.. First of all, when I was
young.... I know, I know...no one wants to
hear those words.... but still... At least I
knew it was Lincoln's birthday on the 12th
of February....and I knew that it was
Washington's birthday on the 22nd of February.
How the heck are the kids suppose to know
with this type of stuff...

Oh, I get it.. the schools and government
don't care if the kids know when Lincoln
and Washington were born. That is not
important anymore.  So why did WE, have to
know when it was? It was on many test, as
we grew up and had civic classes and history.
And I suppose that now, that it is called
President's Day, that  includes  ALL Presidents.

Why bother?  Presidents aren't as important
as they use to be. Now they are just some
one to hold up to ridicule....be it Obama or
Bush.  So why bother...

HEY, I got an idea.. why not have employee birthday
day off...  that way it is staggered.. or if they want to 
do it all the same day.. how about the last day of 
June.. that way it is in the middle of the year. 
After all the place I worked at did that.. because we
didn't get holidays off.. You had to put in 2 months 
ahead if you wanted a holiday off.. other wise we got
paid time and half. 

President's Day cancelled.. due to lack of interest. 








Thursday, February 12, 2015

Trying to keep the circle small.....

As I told you a year or more ago... I have
gave up on keeping a close eye on things
of the national or even international sort.
It started mostly in the election year...where
I got discussed with all the things going on.

Don't get me wrong, I watch the news with
cynic view and following the old saying of...
believe 1/4 of what you hear and 1/2 of what
you see.  And when it comes to the media..
well maybe 1/8..

Brian Williamson hasn't helped the situation.
Sad, as he seemed to be such a nice young
man. Why he chose to lie to make his story
be more important, I don't have a clue. But
here it is 10 + years later it comes to bit him
in the butt.  making one even more cynical
than before.

But of late, it is even harder to read the news
or watch the news.  The horror of the so called
adults, torturing children.. throwing them off
bridges, burning them.. drowning them.. starving
them and keeping them in closets for months
to year..  I have wrote before...CHILDREN ARE
NOT DISPOSABLE..  God entrust us with these
sweet innocent children.. If I had my way,
people would have to go thru parenting class
before they would be allowed to have a child.
I know, I know, there are some wonderful
parents out there.. I have them in my own
family, who I watch with amazement and pride.

I never have been able to watch a show about
abused children..  I was slightly abused as a
child. A woman who never been around children,
who had no clue how to deal with them.. and
only knew discipline side of things.  I say
slightly because it is nothing compared to what
you read in the media... And at the time I was
going thru it...I didn't think much about it, as I
thought all parents were like that.  My father
was a loving man, and my salvation.  And later
I thanked my mother for raising me as she did.
Because without it, I wouldn't have made it thru
what life threw at me.. I was already strong, and
stood up for myself. For that I thanked her for.
She didn't quite understand.

As I close the circle closer...meaning letting go
of the world problems.. as I can't do anything
about them... letting go of the national problems
as I can't do anything about that either. I vote..
Every time.. but even that only goes so far.
Votes are bought on the national level.
Letting go somewhat on the state level.. as
other than voting there isn't much I can do there.

I stand up for what I can do.. that I have a possibility
of changing.    Like they say, "if you don't stand for
something, you'll fall for anything"..
But most of all I have closed the circle around those
who I love..  be they family or friends... with my
motto... do no harm...

But it saddens me that others don't feel the same
for their love ones.. how can they destroy those
around them.  It is one thing to walk away.. but
why have the need to destroy..  especially a child.

I had an ex who said I saw the world thru roses
colored glasses.. guess I still do.. or maybe want
to. wishing other would.. And the older I get, the

closer the circle, has gotten. 

Wednesday, February 11, 2015

Balance and coordination.. NOT...

It is amazing I can chew gum and walk.
I know I am not the best, but I thought
I was doing pretty well..... but then again.

When I think about my dancing.. or lack of..
well, let's just say  white girl has no rhythm.

As I was working out on my Wii today, I
decided to try out the boxing set.  It is
easy peasy they say... lol.. they don't know
me.  They have the mimes or what ever they
call them.. show you the moves.. it is a matter
of stepping one foot off the Wii board and take
the ones in your hands and wave them at the
tv set in the motion of punching the punching
bag.  Easy right?  I made the first 3 moves
pretty good.. but then they step it up.. and
all a sudden I am moving the wrong foot off,
and throwing left when it is suppose to be
the right..  It is easy, just watch and move
when they do.. but I get so into the punching
I forget what my feet are doing.

So I moved on to the dance steps, on and
off the board.. step up one foot, then the other
and back off again, skip the blanks, and back
up again and back off... Some times it tells
you it is ok.. some times and rarely for me,
it says PERFECT... and then you do one step
up, and then to the side, and back to the board.
Well, the more I try the worse I seem to get..

But I ever was very good at that stuff anyway.
That is why I flunked square dancing classes.
I was glad the hokey pokey was slow, or I would
have been putting the wrong foot in..

Thankfully, my walking is still working...  

Tuesday, February 10, 2015

Be your Valentine? ?

Every year I see so many people who spend so
much money,  just to prove to their love ones that
they, in fact, do love them.

I trained the King years ago.. NO FLOWERS...
definitely no candy (not a candy person, nor do
my hips need it) ... ABSOLUTELY NO JEWELRY!!
We may go to breakfast if it is the weekend. But
rarely go out to dinner, as there are so many crowds.
So unless we do the senior citizen 3:30 or 4:00pm
crowd.. we skip that too...  So we might fix dinner
together.. buying something special, like clams,
scallops or grab an elk steak out of the freezer.

I know the Valentine dealing stores would have a
heart attack if everyone thought like I do.. but I just
can't see where one has to buy and some times
buy big time.. to prove you love your love one.
Flowers double in price.. candy comes in bigger
and more expensive boxes.. and jewelry.. what is
up with that.. more like guilt jewelry.

But maybe it is because I am lucky... the King
buys me flowers thru the year.... for no reason
at all.. or if he does.. he does it because he knows
I had a rough day, and wants to cheer me up. I
am not really big on roses.. they are pretty but
most store roses smell like a funeral home. So
I get carnations.. if they smell good, as some of them
are like funeral homes too.

You see.. in my house...every day is Valentine's
Day.  We tell each other that we love each other
daily, some times more.. last thing we say on the
phone, last thing we say before one of us leaves
the house. And sometimes.. one of us will come
up to the other and hug and say ...you know..I
love you...  Now young people probably think
that we are corny.  but it just comes second
nature to us. No be hurrah, just a lovingly
said words.

I think if one really wanted to do something to
impress their love one that they really do love
them.. they would write a little note... in their
own handwriting... of how much they love each
other.. how when they met, they had certain thoughts
of what love was, and as the years have gone by,,
that they have found out that love means so much
more.. And if they can express that, explain what
so much more is to them..   Now that would be a
wonderful gift to your love one.. And I bet that note
will end up in a special place in a drawer to be saved
for years to come.. These are the type of notes that
children find after their parents pass away... because
it meant so much to the receiver.

So you all add to till in each store.. add to your
credit card... just to prove your love.. but I will take
that dinner we make together... or a note of love anytime..

 Oh, one more thing, what is the deal with the guy
has to buy the flowers, the candy, the dinner and
the jewelry? What is with you girls?  Do you buy
anything for your guy?  Tools,  or anything else
of equal value??? after all this is equal times for
men and WOMEN..

Monday, February 09, 2015

Prisoners of war....

There is or was a young lady from Arizona,
who is suppose to be held as a prisoner.
American prisoner, held by ISIS.

I won't use her name as her family has
asked the media not to name her. Although
by now the media has her name.. And her
family has said, yes, she is their daughter.

ISIS has said she was killed by the American
or allies, bombing of houses.  But there is no proof.

I can just imagine the horror and hopes of the
family.. hoping against all hope that she is
still alive.

Myself, I think she was killed a long time ago.
Had she been alive up until the bombing they
speak of.. she would have been on their
videos..  After all, ISIS has learn that the
American government is not going to be
black mail for any prisoners. They have time
and time, been executed in the most horrible way.

ISIS has  tried to get Obama to react
to each threat before the execution. With no
results.. No out cry from the American public.
For the most part.

But what would it take to get the American
public attention and outcry, to get them to
scream at Obama?  The answer to that is,
a woman prisoner with the threat of her
life.  We, as Americans, have never had to
really deal with an American woman as a
prisoner, except for Lynch and she was
rescued asap. And besides those enemies
were not in to the beheading of the prisoners,
at that time.  And certainly not women.

So don't you think, that ISIS would have had
her on the videos right after they beheaded the
other two American's?  I think so... so therefore
I sadly think she has been dead for quite some
time.  We have to remember, that ISIS and the
rest of their country men, think of woman as a
lowly subservient   . They think more of their dogs,
then they do woman.. so it would be nothing to
them, to kill a woman.

I, as a parent, would want to believe my child is
still alive.. we all do.. we hope beyond hope,
that there is a chance... and I pray I am wrong.
But ISIS already has said she is gone.


Thursday, February 05, 2015

PHASE TWO

As I explain about 2 weeks ago... I was going to make
some changes.. just for fun...  This change is for about
6 months...

It is funny what we perceive about ourselves.  We have
a look, and it is set in your mind, unless you change a lot.
Because as i walk around the house, or the store.. going on
my merry little way... I think of myself like I was a month
ago, and for that matter for over 9 years...  So you can
imagine the look on my face as I walk by a mirror or a window
and see my reflection.  This is so much out of my
comfort zone.  Which is the results I wanted.  To do some
thing that isn't the usual safe Cis.

Well, I got that.. and it sure is taking a LOT of adjusting
to my new look... Even for my friends, and say nothing
about my husband...  "It isn't you"...

To make it worse is.. I do not like red hair. Don't get me
wrong, there are a lot of people out there who look fabulous
in red hair.. My oldest daughter can pull it off very well.
As a child, as a teen, it looked great on her.. Her teen
picture that I have .. I think it is a graduation picture maybe,
she looks BEAUTIFUL with her red hair.  And even now
with it turning grey on her.. she still pulls it off pretty well...

But me.. as a redhead.. no way. Yet constantly it shows up.
My natural color is auburn.. Even in the winter when it looked
it's darkest brown, the red would show up in the lights.  And
summer sun would bleach you my hair to a strawberry like
blonde where the sun got it.. ( wore it in a pony tail 90% of
my childhood, so I would have streaks when I put my hair down.
As I grew older, when I dyed my hair.. the red would come out.
One of the reasons why I gave up dying it.  But I thought maybe
there has been enough time, it wouldn't do it anymore.. well
here is the results...

DRUM ROLL.... ta ha...

before with straight hair...
 after the perm...


After the trim...

and then after the color of auburn..


my girl pal, says she never noticed my freckles before, as much as there is now... 



It sure is different.  going to take a LOT  to get use to.