Vacation time..and second thoughts..

This will be my last post for a while.. we are going out of state for 2 weeks.. Have a granddaughter’s wedding to go to, and then the King offered to help one of the boys remodel his garage.

So right now it is list time.. List of what clothes to pack in the camper. What other things we need to take..  What food to pack.  Packing Misty’s things too..  as she is going with us.

List of items to take.. list of last minute food to buy.. List, list, list.. and list within a list..

List of things to do before we go.. The housesitter is going to be here with in a hour before we go.  Turn off the paper, turn off the phone as the housesitter has her own phone..   Line up neighbors who will take care of the mail.. putting garbage can back… watering the garden and flowers.. Yep, one List after another.

I won’t be around computers and etc.  So a dry spell of 14 days or so, of no computer.. I got this..lol.. done it before. Even Facebook.. Will take my Nook so I can read. That way I can take several books without giving up space.

So while I am away.. and not posting on my blog for 2 weeks.. I wonder if I might come home and decide to end it all..  I will leave a good bye.. if I do… But then again, I might be so full of stories.. I will keep going.  I would like to make it to March 5 of 2018 at least. Then I will have completed 14 year.  An maybe that is just enough..  I will see.  And hopefully while we are enjoying our family.. the Nation can hold it together to not lower the bar anymore than he has today (with the transgender subject) and Congress grows some balls and stand up to Mr. Trump.  I can hope.

So enjoy your summer… I should be around here about the 20^th.. give a day or two one way or the other. .

My mother taught me this...

Here is a throw back Thursday thoughts…. Not posted before.

There are things we do, without thinking about it..

They have become habit… unless someone ask you or you happen to think about it.. You might not think about why you do some of the things you do.

Wash the toilet from a man’s point of view.

Iron (who does that anymore?) shirts with the arms first and then the body, back first and then front. Less chance of rewrinkling

Pull dead flowers off of the potted plants, (and garden plants as well… as the dead leaves will soak up the water, and starve the rest of the plant.

Pull off of the bottom of the tomato plants, all the little leaves. Called sucklings.. go up at least 6 inches up the plant.. That leaves the leaves, buds and tomatoes getting the water that they need.

But the one thing that I can remember about my mother was when my father and I were washing one of the horses. We were getting him ready for showing the next day. I was visiting from Washington state… and an adult by this time. But the routine was the same, as it was when I was a kid.. Wet, shampoo, scrub the white stockings and hooves, then rinse from top to bottom.. letting the water wash off the soap on the bottom as well as the top.   After getting the horse done.. I was inspecting our work. My dad did one side and I did the other.. But then I noticed something. So I shouted out to my dad on the other side…  You forgot the front hock on your side… (now that word I remembered),but what was to follow, made my mother stop and then a belly laugh… What I said was… “he has poop on his front hock.”

The silence and then the belly laugh… My mother said.. you have been around kids way too long… but it is ok.. it will all come back to you… see.. around here we call that manure…

Most of my adult learning was garden rules… cut off dead roses, if you can .. go down to the 5 leaf area..and cut there.

Then they will grow more..

I planted so many petunias over the years.. driveway planters, house planters, around the tack room planters.. I thought I would never plant them again, after she passed away.. and here she has been gone, 27 years.. and I am planting petunias, because they are easy… and yesterday, there I was going thru each pot pulling off the dead flowers, with out a thought to it.. until I did… when the King asked me what I was doing and why. 

Oh, yea… it is manure now… lol… 

Weeds and hast makes waste.....

Spend most of the day on my knees… pulling weeds.

I had cleared this one area about a month ago.. and here they are all back together and in a vengeance.  I swear they multiplied and grew twice as tall.   This far from all of the yard.  This is just the stone walk way, which has the black paper under it.. which is NOT suppose to let weeds thru…THEY LIED. And if I get my way.. this will be cement next year..

Then to make matters worse, I embarrassed myself… I was placing a sprinkle we have.. it is two round circles with a butterfly  in the middle, in the front yard.  I put the spikes in the ground and stepped on one side.. It went in about half an inch… then stepped on the other side..same.. back again.. after 3 times, I figured this is going to take all day… So I decided to jump on the two sides at the same time.. and my full weigh should bury them… NOT… What happen next.. happen so fast, I not sure.. lol..  See I found my self on the lawn…. On my back.. and hit my head on the ground…  Which by the way.. the dry dirt under the grass is HARD…  like stone.. Thought I was going to knock myself out.  But after gathering my thoughts quickly… I jumped up and laughed at myself.. Why?  Because as I was laying there thinking.. it dawn on me, as I walked into the front lawn.. there were 3 workmen across the street at Litehouse Red barn..  The last thing I wanted was 3 guys running across the street to pick up the old lady who stupidity had jumped on her sprinkler.  And then the King came around the corner.. THANK GOD, he didn’t see me go down.. I would never hear the end of it…

Washington's new law

The state of Washington has increased their no cell phone

calls law.  It has been a law for a while, to not make cell phone calls.

It has been a running question of mine, when ever one of my children call me from their cars.  ARE YOU ON YOUR CELL PHONE??? “NO,

MOM, I am using my speaker, or blue tooth (what ever that is).” So then I talk to them..but still make it short, as even though you aren’t using your hands.. your mind is not on the road.. Your eyes are, but you mind is on the phone.  

Now they have further this to mean… no texting, no talking on the cell phone (yes you can use hands free items still)… but they also added, NO EATING.. no drinking water… coffee.. no putting on make-up, shaving and etc..  Which some of that I am glad..as I have seen women putting on eye make up while driving.. as they swerve from side to side..  But NO COFFEE drinking?  What are the workers going to do, as they head to work, with their wake up coffee in their hand?    So I guess, if the officer doesn’t see your hands at 10 and 2 on the wheel… you could be pulled over.

I truly am glad to see no cell talking….AND NO TEXTING… Texting while driving is assine.. to say nothing of killing…  There was on the same news tonight along with the new law… a young lady who was drinking… and instragraming at the moment…  You get to see her horsing around at the wheel.. with her sister and friend.. then CRASH.. AND (insanely) still has her camera going as she tries to get her sister who is killed, to talk to her.. and yelling at her friend.. and talking about how she just killed her sister and she will probably go to jail… DO YOU THINK???   The second tragedy of this is… her parents.. they have lost one daughter, and will lose the other daughter to prision..

PEOPLE… THINK… what is the obsession with having to be on a phone.. to take pictures of your every moment?  FOR THE LOVE OF GOD.. THINK..

Correct me if I am wrong....

It has been just 6 months since Trump took over the reins of this nation.  And for the life of me… I can not see where he has done anything, nor has Congress.

This is suppose to be the ideal Congress for a President. Meaning the majority of Congress is Republican, just like the President.

Yet he doesn’t trust them to do what he wants… The only thing that I have seen is the healthcare issue.. which is not going well for him.

He celebrated in the Rose Garden, after the House passed a health care plan to replace the ACA. Better known as Obamacare.

A premature celebration I thought at the time..  After all the Senate had not voted on their plan, and didn’t even like their plan. So came up with one of their own.. which is not going well either.  And now in frustration, they are going for Repeal Obama care.. which is not going well either. Even with one of their Republican Senator in the hospital (McCain) it still isn’t looking well for them.  So what has Congress done for the country?  I sure haven’t seen it yet?  Did I miss something?

And then there is the President himself. … first of all, it seems he doesn’t trust his own Congress….so he keeps writing Executive Orders, which Obama got razzing for all the time.  And it seems to me.. and I could be wrong.. but ever single EO has to do with repealing anything Obama..  This President is bound and determine to ruin everything that President Obama did.  I have never, ever, ever, heard of a President who came in the offie with the agenda of removing EVERYTHING the previous President did.   It seems to me that President Trump only agenda is to remove everything Obama.. and has no original ideas of his own. Nothing.. At least that is my humble opinion. … which is sad…  

When ….. oh… when… is this Governement going to start thinking about its citizens again.. Because I see NOTHING in any of this for us.  

Throw back Thursday... July 25, 2006

COnsidering this weeks blog post have been none to POOR.. I SEE I HAD THE SAME PROBLEMS EVEN 11 YEARS AGO.... 

TUESDAY, JULY 25, 2006

Sometimes it Turns Out OK

Last week I had a good week of

blogging... I am not tooting my

own horn. But there is the ups and

downs of blogging.

Times when you wonder..what the

heck are you going to write about.

Some times you draw blanks...

Sometimes you throw something

in just to fill space.

But last week, maybe because I

had a project I was doing, that it

was bloggable. And with the other

two... it was just a week, I was

proud of... I didn't feel like I just

mailed it in of sorts.

Now to just stay out of the heat.

And figure out this week.

Cis's Health Plan...

Why not, everyone else has an idea… so do I.

And watch the insurance companies scramble..

Although they will have home, vehicles and life insurance

left.

See each and every one of us should have a meeting

With our own Dr.  We explain that we are cutting out

the middle guy.  That we will play the Dr’s office each month.  We will pay $100 for each adult in our household and $50 for each child. If you have two kids.. you and your wife will pay the office $300 a month..  Which is a heck of a lot cheaper than what you are paying now.   And then when the Dr. multiplies that times all of his patients, he should have quite a chunk of change for his wages.

Then we call up our insurance companies and cancel all of our

Health insurance.  Yes, this might ruin the health insurance companies, but they have been not good to us either. After all jacking up the monthly premiums and also telling us what they will cover and what they will not. What is preconditions and not.  It would be worth it just to see their reactions when WE are in control.    Oh, they can keep Congress as their clients.

Now granted there is a few clinches in this deal.  We have the ones

Who partake in the world of drinking and smoking, thusly using the dr. services more than the rest of us..  But we can figure out what to do

About that…  Also there is the problem of if you travel a lot. How do you get other Dr.s  cover you?  Maybe the Dr. can have a trade off  when their patients are in our area?

The other thing is.. you will be saving money this way.. right? So you will have to save $100 a month out incase you need a specialist. And hopefully you will save enough in 5 years to pay for them.  The Drs will have to shave some of the prices as well, after all they don’t have to deal with insurance forms and offices as well.. so there should be some saving them.

One of the side effects might be.. your dr might decide you are too much of a hazard with your smoking and etc.. so they might drop you.

Like I said.. it still has a lot of clinks in it yet.. but like the Obamacare…we can work on it.

Word here, words there... but where are the words

There are words here and there are words there...
they are everywhere... except when you need them.

To be honest with you.. I flat out forgot yesterday..
and when it dawn on me.. I had not posted a post...
I figured oh, well...

So today..  thought about it.. but came up blank.
Not doing anything worth writing about...
And as the world turns.. I am so discussed with it
all, I don't want to write about it.. ... why ... no one
cares.  The Congress has us in disregard.  All they can
think of is how to cut funding.. so they can use it on what
their pet projects are, that they get a dollar return.... not what
the American people need....

They remind me of the Queen when she was told of the starving
in Ireland...  LET THEM EAT CAKE...    like they had anything to
make cake...

So maybe tomorrow.. I will find words.. ones that are not in disgust.

I have a subject I can think of a few.... an idea .. of my own health plan.
And watch the insurance companies and their CEO's fall on their faces.
Not a fool proof plan, but it would be almost worth it just to see the
CEO watch as every one cancelled with plan..

So until tomorrow..  I will be getting out the broom and brush up
some words off the floor, in to the dust pan and see what happens.

Throw back Thursday.....July 24, 2005...down she goes

WOW.. it was 12 years ago.. when the Panhandle Mill building went down..
now there is a strip mall there. 

JULY 24, 2005

Panhandle Milling Co. no more

This is July 24th 2005 and the Panhandle
Milling Co. building is no more...

As you can see from the pictures below.
And You will have to go to the side to click
on the rest of them.

I arrived at 5:30am for the 6:30 dimise
of the building. There were people there
(unlike last week) working on the cables
and there were large trucks there.
The people started to gather. And then
the flagger people arrived to have the
crowd that was starting to gather, move
back beyond Mr. Sub's. And the other
end was pushed back to Tilberg's
Conaco gas station.
It was 6:30 am and traffic was getting
lighter, as they were diverting around
the situation. Then it was told to us that
they needed a water truck before they could start.
About a half hour later, Jerry Foote's
water truck showed up on the scene.
And in 15 minutes he was watering down
all the sides of the site.
The traffic was stopped. The ladder went
up on the fire truck so they could tape the
event. The truck raved up its motor and
started to pull. It pulled for about 2 minutes
and the cable snapped. This happen about
8 times. With the crew going into the building
about about 4 times, and taking a chainsaw
to several beams. Which made the crowd
nervous as they didn't want to see any one
get killed. After 14 times in all, the truck driver
took the truck around the other side of the
building. And rammed it into the building
several times. Nothing. He came back and
he pulled about 5 more times.
They had a cable up high on the building,
which was used for tension. They decided
to give that one a try. But it only seem to
start to slice the building in half, until that
cable broke also.
Then return to the back again, and
rammed it again. This time the building
shook like a hula dancer.
All those involved, police, workers, and
owner got together for a discussion. They
decided it was a bad situation and something
had to be done.
The police came by the crowd and announced
they were going to use dynamite to blow the
building up. That the crowd need to back up
to the Safeway parking lot. So the crowd walked
back. Some of them still easing back to the
Sandpoint Drug store parking lot.
The police came by and explain the procedure.
A blast of horn, 10 minutes...all radio's and
cell phones off... a blast and 5 minutes...
then a blast followed by siren sounds and
blast off of dynamite.
All went as planned, and down came the building.

As you can see from the pictures...
It was a 5 hour wait for us early birds.
The Safeway did a good business, but also
had to put up with many using their toilets.
The sad thing about this... is not only that
Sandpoint loses one of its high (no pun
intended) profile building, and many memories
from the residents, but the wood could have
been used in so many ways, if they had taken
the building apart. Who knows many some
of it still can.


As the last sunrise shines on the Panhandle
Milling Co. in Sandpoint, Idaho 

As they attempt to pull the building down, the police keep the traffic at bay 

Fireman taping from ladder truck in back ground 

Tammy of Panhandle Flagging Co. Stops the traffic 

The streets are cleared and it is ready to go 

A loud boom and down she goes.. 

as the building crashes to the ground 

As the dust settles 

After the dust clears... what is left  

Getting her drivers license...

My future granddaughter, who has never really driven.. got hers today..

She had never drove before.. and she will be 21 soon. With the exception of driving an old pickup down a farm road one time.. in Hawaii.. her native state.

Being my daughter and I are firm believers, that EVERY woman should know how to drive.. we gave her for Christmas, a freedom gift. Driving classes… So she did 3 months of driving classes.. and has been practicing driving with each of us.  And then she called in for her driving test, having already passed her written test months ago.  She got an appointment for 9 on Tuesday. 

On Saturday, we drove, thru Sandpoint.. back and forth, in and out.. all thru the new mess that Sandpoint has changed their streets to. We came from each direction, so she would have it down pat, no matter where the test took her…   I took her to an empty parking lot and she practice parking, and backing up.. 

And yesterday, Tuesday, she did it.. AND she ACED IT.. the instructor came in the store where I was waiting with the baby, and told me how great she did.. and that we should be proud of her.   We went down to the driver’s license dept. and the girls there were so totally surprised as they had not seen a 0 deductions on any test in years… So I took her out to lunch to celebrate.

So do you remember your driving test? I sure do. See they provided the car.. the R.I. drivers office.  And it was different. First off, there was no starter button on the floor… like my car. It started with the key.. Amazing?  And it had turn signal, and mine did not.. lol.. but I had to know hand signals anyway.. which I knew.  And luckily I passed.. but I can remember my mother when she had to sign the papers for me to get my license… I BETTER NOT REGRET THIS… and she never had to.

What was your test like? 

Silence on the field...for a month?

South Carolina Soccer league is having silence on the field in September for a month.. so far..

The parents have brought it on their own.. and I wonder how long before other states do the same..

Parents are the worse.. they show children how rude and loud and crude they can be.. It isn’t about the kids, it is about them.   No matter what the game..  t-ball, little league, soccer, foot ball.. you name it.. they show what asses they can be.  Not a great example for their kids.

Like in anything else.. it is the few that make it bad for the rest.  Because of these people.. now the kids can’t even hear the cheers.. or even the coaches.. as they are part of the silence.   How idiotic is that?

So everyone sits there.. no words of encouragement at all.

How horrible it is for the kids.. the silence.

Can you imagine going to a professional game.. be it football, baseball, or soccer and not be able to cheer your team on?  I can’t.  All these games watched on television and it will sound like a golf game. Silence…

Sad, so sad… especially for the kids. 

Ah, the good old days...

Ah, the good old days….

As we watch ME TV, H&I , and ANTENNA TV.. we watch the old programs of the 60 thru the late 80’s … the clothing is a hoot in the 70 thru the 80’s..  Maybe because I was raised in the 50’s the 60’s don’t seem so bad.. and the cars are great.

Some of the shows, I actually don’t remember.. one about a robot girl? And a couple of westerns with Robert Culp. 

But while being amused by fashions, hair do’s and loving the cars.. I have to ask myself.. why did we waste 30 minutes or an hour on some of these shows.. and we thought they were great at the time.  And the detective shows of old.. we have to shake our heads at them..  No way would any detective or police detective get away with the antics of those shows.. and to compare them to the many CSI and Criminal Minds, well.. like night and day.

Got to wonder what we saw in those programs.. there are a few oldies .. like Dragnet and etc.. you still see the lacking of it.. yet.. remember it more for what your life was like when you did watch it.. 

But those were different times…We were of a different mind set. Naïve, trusting, Having faith in the system that we no longer trust. We are more cynical now.. I know I am.

Did that start in the 70’s of  Don’t trust THE MAN? Don’t trust anyone over 30?  Which is ironic, as they are the 60 year old now.

What is the old saying.. Believe nothing you hear and half of what you see…   or as my parents said.. ¼ of what you hear and ½ of what you see.  … Today it is don’t believe ANYTHING.

Haying ... as a kid

This Thursday we are doing a throw back, but not

From my blog.. but from a memory of way back.

When I was a kid.. I lived on a horse farm.. Horse farm

Means a summer was divide between haying and showing. My mother showed 3 gaited horses and then changed over

To jumpers in the 1950’s.

My first job in our summer haying was as a stomper.

I was to stomp down the hay on the back of the truck

As  Dad threw loose hay on to the flat bed. And Mom

Helped me stomp the hay.  

Many times the truck was put into first gear and it

Idle down the field as we went.. with my brother

Strapped in to the passenger seat. Not for safety

But to keep him out of the steering wheel area.

He was 4 years younger than me.

Then I graduated up to driver.. By 10 I could reach

The pedals, so I got to drive the truck.. so Dad didn’t

Have to run and jump in to take it down the next row.

I lost that job, when my brother got old enough to

Reach the pedals.  And I return as stomper but by

Myself, as Mom joined Dad by throwing hay on the

Other side of the truck.. That way we could do two

Rows at a time.

Also my job was riding the rake.  The rake was a piece

Of equipment.. which scared the hell out of me. As I

Pictured falling off of it, and having the tines rake me

Into the ground.  I started that about 8 or 9 years old.

It is after the hay is cut and starts to dry. So you go out and

Rake the hay in rows.  Mom would drive the pick up, while

I rode the rake. The rake consisted of a long tow tongue

That connected to the truck.. attached was two huge

Wheels, and axle.. with a seat in the middle. The seat

Was one of those old metal seat with holes in it.

Along side was a shift stick of sorts. You pull it

To pick up the tines, and then you let it go for the

Tines to go down and gather hay for the next row.

Wasn’t so bad when I was a teen, but I swear Mom

Stepped up the speed when I was older.. as we

Would go up and down the slight hills of the fields.

When we got done piling the hay on the truck, we

Would take it home.  We would hay other’s fields,

Who didn’t have horses or cows.  My brother and I

High on the top of the hay…as Dad drove down the

Highway or back roads to home.  Today, the police

Would have stopped him, and probably got accused

Of child abuse.   And child labor.

When we got home.. we would unload the hay in

A huge pile near the barn.. We didn’t have a loft.

Once again we were the stompers.. As mom and dad

Pitched the hay on the pile. These stacks would be

About 10 feet high.. And about 9 feet thru. And then

It would be topped with canvas to keep the rain

And later snow off of it.. There was a stall that

Mom and Dad would put hay from the stack, to

Use each day. And then filled up again on

The weekend. Some time breaking trail thru the

Snow, to the barn. Using wheel barrows.

By the time I was a mid teen, we had got a

Farmer to bale the hay..and then I had to throw

Bales up on the truck with Dad, while my brother had to

Stack the truck, so we could travel back home.

Mom drove the truck.  

All hell would break loose if any bales fell off.

Plus the fact, we were on top of these loads,

Going down the road at about 40 mph, heading

For home.

By this time, I am hating haying.. I no longer had

A horse, thanks to Mom.. (see Bucky) so I had

No horse in this rodeo.  But it was required.

Now jump about 20 some odd years ahead.. I go

To visit the folks in R.I. and I am a west coast girl.

No haying.. (when I had horses, I bought hay).

But I get pulled in haying when I was on “vacation”.

It always was a working “vacation”.  Planting flowers

And haying.  But the folks paid the plane ticket, so

Figured they were entitled.   And some how.. it did

Not seem so bad.. after all I was only there a week.

Then the whole family moved back there.. and my

Kids got involved. My son’s worked, with throwing

Bales of hay on the trailer.. even my daughters got

In it as well.  While sometimes I had things I rather

Do, but we went over to help out.. The call would

Come in.. hay down.. will be baling in 2 days.

No riding on top of the load… and by this time,

The folks had more modern equipment. Only down

Side was putting it in the loft. The putting it on the

Escalator was the fairly easy part.. keeping up and

Etc. The bummer, was the loft itself.. Once we got

The load in the back part of it.. so the back door

Was closed and hay up against it.. it was HOT!!

Sweating hot.. sticky hot…losing weight HOT.. lol.

While it wasn’t so bad… I don’t miss it a bit. Lol

Oh, my father was old him Yankee type of farmer… So the

Kids wages was…. A quarter (this is the late 1970;s early

1980’s.. and a trip to Dairy Queen for an ice cream cone.

My old man was TIGHT!!!

Practicing for HELL, once again...

Well, it looks like the temps are taking another hike.

Hitting in the 90’s even high 90’s and maybe hit

100 here in Idaho.. Not our Northern Idaho temps.

I think maybe the powers that be.. are checking once

Again to see if we can survive in HELL… So they are

Running a practice run once again.

They tried about 2 or 3 years ago with more than 45 days

Straight of 95 and up temps for us.. Hitting 100 a couple of

Times.

We all failed miserably. We bitched and whined.. Ran

Our air conditioners at high all the way thru it. Couldn’t

Even find relief at the beach as the sand was too hot.

The stores ran out of air conditions and sun blocks..

And whine and whine… is all they heard.. Only to

Whine some more that winter because it was too

Cold.

So hang on to your hats, you will need them for shade.  

CLARK FORK 4th of JULY PARADE 2017

For those who didn't get away to see the Clark Fork.. here it is. everything in the parade. 140 some odd pictures of it all... 

For those who have never been there.. you are missing out. 

This parade is a true tradition of old time parades.. where every

one can be in it, and usually is.. and there are trucks you will not see else where..  so enjoy the pictures.. and think about next year

There is live music in it too.. 

this picture... broke my heart...  I kept hoping the adults around her, would have her raise it up and explain to her not to put our flag down or have it touch the ground.... but sadly no one did.  She was across the street, down a bit from us..

Yes they are shooting their guns, in downtown Clark Fork... that is just the way the town rolls

 names of those who passed before..

 checking their cache of candy...

 A real live marching band..

CHECK OUT THESE HORSES

THIS CLEAN UP GUY.. ACTUALLY HAD CANDY IN THE WHEEL BARROW AND WITH A SHOVEL, HE THREW CANDY OUT TO THE KIDS..

 this is the M.A.S.H  group.. 

 bag is filling up..

 Don't forget the pancake breakfast at Sam Owns Fire Dist. on the 22 of July

 THAT IT FOLKS... AND NOW THE CROWD CLEARER.. LOL..

AFTER it is all over.. there is so much more to do .. kids games and etc.. before the fireworks start at dusk...       next year, you should check this out.. plan for the whole day, if you have kids.. it might be a little town.. but there is a lot out there to do.