Without Fear

I have ridden in a glass elevator in my lifetime but never had the opportunity to have a ride in this one., the Sears Tower. I wonder if I would have the courage to step aboard and take the sky high ride. My stomach gets jittery just thinking about it. I thought the pictures fascinating and wanted to share them. The school children must have been given a field trip and thought it wonderful, not me, I probably would not have signed the permission slip. My Christine wanted to go ski diving when she was in her teens and I put both feet down, although now when I think about it, I wish I had a lot less fear in me, so that she and my other children could go about testing the waters all by themselves....eventually they did and live to tell about it.


The picture with the car is not very clear I'm sorry to say but it was a small piece of film that shows a police dog sailing up over the car and knocking that criminal and his gun across the pavement. The dogs are well trained. I had no idea how well trained until I saw this clip. They move on command and have no fear at all.

Why is it some folks have courage and no fear, while some of us have such timidity we jump on a chair when a mouse comes by? I remember a long time ago I was going to have a ride in a ski chair , no snow underneath, an off season ride up the mountain to view the world from the highest point. It took a lot of teasing and convincing that I could do this without falling out of the chair, and I finally did it, only to find that it was awesome, not scary and I enjoyed every minute of it. I almost talked myself out of having an adventure. Not any more, as I have packed my bag and taken off for unknown places and participated in a smattering of life out of my comfort zone. Now, as I think back, I am glad I had the courage to do the things I did as the day comes when you find that you have to become one that looks on while the young ones take their turn adventuring around.

So, if you have been holding yourself back, make a list of the things you really truly want to do and check them off as you sky dive, snorkel in the deep, go on a Safari ride, hike a mountain trail, camp out with the creepy crawlers and have a great time. Life is much too short to put yourself on hold.

Photographs vs. Art

I received these pictures on the computer yesterday along with several others , a comparison of photographs vs. paintings. I can see painters rushing for a canvas to make a copy of one, or all. Notice the colors in the pictures as they mimic one another. The sunset colors and the changing of the tree leaves are almost identical in color. Nature at its best. The crystallize trees have a beauty all their own as it brings to mind the realization that our world is one very beautiful place to live in as we follow the seasons.

The tarmac road through the trees, somewhere in New England, reminds me of a ride we took often when we visited Minnie (Minnie Mouse) and Hobart (Hobo), when they lived in Exeter, Rhode Island. Adopted grandparents for my children and two loving and wonderful people everyone should have in their lives. They have been gone a long time now but the memories they left behind keeps them close in heart and mind. We often rode the back highways taking pictures of the fall colors and usually wound up at a small Indian restaurant where we would have our fill of R.I. johnny cakes and sometimes a treat of Indian pudding.

The lake picture with the boat is so serene and inviting. They had a living room window from floor to ceiling facing the lake and this picture reminds me of looking out that window watching the colors fade into the darkness of night, then smile as the moon and stars came out and a firefly or two. Trailing your hand in the water as you were rowed around the lake was another favorite thing to do, so pictures, like art, stir responses we just don't think about until we take time to look.

The picture of the trees in winter would be a favorite to hang on my wall. In New England, where I came from originally evokes different memories of huge snow storms and icicles hanging from the roof tops, sliding down a hill on a flexible flyer, toppling into a snow bank and laughing out loud and having to shovel the sidewalk so people could walk to work bundled up in the cold . Pa was out there at five a.m. and I never said no to his invitation to help.

So whatever picture you look at today, may you find some warm and wonderful memories to make you smile. Photographs or Paintings, I wouldn't want to choose as the beauty is there for the looking. Get hold of your camera and take pictures today so when you get to be an octogenarian you will have something to wake up the warm and wonderful feelings of yesterday.

Trolling

There had to be at least a hundred of these brown beauties, huge of size, going through their antics and are probably the best fed birds in the world. I have never seen so many Pelicans at one time, usually there are a dozen or more, but not this year, and it is a sight to see.

We rode to the jetty where the Chetco river enters the sea and found dozens of small boats of fishermen trolling for salmon. One boat had a black lab sitting patiently waiting for a catch. Another tale was of the fisherman that caught a huge salmon only to have one of the big sea lions swim up and grab it. I bet the air was 'blue'. One man chose to sit it all out and sit in the sun shine and watch the activity. I am thinking he wished he had a boat and could be out there with those having such a good time.

I was amazed that the Pelicans were not trolling along with the fishermen but they were not on their usual rocks but over in the Marina flying around in their usual pattern having a wonderful time. I kept clicking pictures as fast as I could and was happy with the ones I did get. The sun was shining on the water and sinking slowly as it left a huge bright path in the water. The glare makes for fuzzy pictures. The one of the man on the ladder is our friend Jim who has his crab boat in the boatyard where it has been spruced up getting ready for crab season. The name of the boat is the Leonard G. so you see he has a way to go.

It was a very pleasant way to spend an hour and we topped it off by going to The Hungry Clam and ordering up a bowl of delicious clam chowder. Wish you were here to join us so we could treat you to some delectable fish and chips and a few minutes with the beautiful powerful Pelicans that grace our shores. My only 'but' for today is that it was fun to watch the fishermen in their boats, 'but' I wish I knew some of the trollers so I could have a big piece of salmon to cook up for a dinner this week.

A Crystal

Maxine may sound tough, but I am betting if you had a gripe or groan, she would be the first to come up with a resounding cure for feeling sorry for oneself. Some days are better than others and once in awhile a bit of 'poor me' comes to the forefront and it is surprising as it catches you off guard. I had one of those days yesterday because I walked out and found that it is something I can no longer enjoy. I can walk fine and have my cane for balance so there is no big problem, but, there I go with the 'but' again, I wasn't satisfied with just a walk up to the store and back, I spend an hour walking all over the store looking at all of the incoming holiday items starting with Halloween 'stuff' on to Thanksgiving and even a bit of Christmas is starting to show. I can tell you now I wont be shopping at Freddys for the holidays, such lack of quality is astounding, makes me wonder who chooses the styles for us . . . believe me it is not 'us'. I came home and sat in my chair and turned to my bookcase to find a book to curl up with and rest my feet. I noticed the crystal sitting on a book and picked it up and memories abound.

I lived in Nevada where you can go out in the desert and find rocks, crystals, even an opal or two if you know where to look. This particular crystal was found in the Nevada desert by a friend's parents who were devoted rock hounds. The crystal sat in a basket on a shelf along with many others, but this one caught my eye. I was told to choose any one I wanted, even several, but this was the beauty and I chose it.

My friend and I were going up to Lake Tahoe to play the slot machines. On the way up I held the crystal in my hands, caressing it with my fingers, feeling the heat of the stone and wondered what stories lay behind the facets and sparkles within the crystal. When we arrived at our destination, I watched a lady playing two machines of a brand new game called "Quartermania" in which you put in two quarters and waited for the reels to come up with a combination of cherries, bells etc. When she stopped playing one, I asked her if I could play the one she gave up and she smiled and concentrated on her one machine. I sat down, put in two quarters and got bells . . . 10 coins . . . not bad for a start. I put in two more quarters and got cherries . . . got my money back. Then I put in two quarters and bells started ringing and I looked to see I had won the mini mania which I thought was three hundred dollars....yeah, how lucky, although the lady didn't really agree. When the payoff came, it wasn't three hundred, it was three thousand . . . I didn't know my hand could shake that hard as the hundred dollar bills were stacked up for me to take home. Of course my friend and I had an agreement that whomever won really didn't matter as we would split the pot. It wasn't easy to do, ha.....ha.....but it had to be done and to make my long story short, I held back the income tax money and a bit for St. Jude Thaddeus and lost a friend because I couldn't count right. Sad, but true.

So be careful if you come out on the high side of a win, just take your winnings and run. Make today a good one. We have sunshine and beautiful fall days here in Brookings. I am going to have a ride to Sporthaven beach and take pictures of the big brown pelicans if they are still there. A big fat hamburger at Fely's may cure all of my ailments today.

Games

Well old 'saucy mouth' hit the nail on the head this morning as I woke up with cob webs for a brain. I slept through the night!!! A banner statement coming from me. I am not sure if my whining did it, or if I was smart enough not to sleep through the end of the television show I was watching last night. I guess the secret of success is to turn on the PBS channel and learn something. There is going to be a special on tonight, a period piece, which I enjoy, so you know where I'll be.

I stopped in to see my neighbor who now has Hospice folks visiting. She is remarkable with her feisty attitude and I found her playing a different kind of solitaire. It had something to do with laying out four cards, then taking away the lowest cards, but it was confusing to me and I am not sure how it is played. I'll have to find someone who knows how to play it and teach me. I never know when I might feel like playing with actual cards again. I play a form of solitaire on the computer every day. Since my getting up and down has slowed down, I gave up playing the "Mexican train game and Chicken" with the ladies as I was afraid I'd spoil their concentration if I were bobbing up and down. Yet, I sometimes think that is a good thing as we all whine and complain after several hours of playing in our seated position on cushioned chairs . . . maybe the cushions are at fault.

I remember how much fun we used to have playing cards years ago. We played Pinochle and Cribbage mostly. I never did learn to play Bridge as it always seemed complicated and very threatening especially if you trumped your partner's ace. It was never fun to play with folks that were serious and took their game to heart. It was much more fun to play with those who found reasons to laugh out loud and tease. We played Canasta for a short while. Do you remember that game? It was played with several decks of cards if I remember correctly and had a lot of rules we never remembered. I found Monopoly boring, but then I do not and never have had a head for figures, buying, selling, landing in jail....ha.....ha......passing go . . . those I understood. Speaking of games, Scrabble is my favorite, being a word person, it has an enormous appeal. Daughter Patricia is not overly fond of it, but being the best daughter in the world, she comes over and plays a game or two with me, and she does beat me on occasion. Those tiles can be very unfriendly at times.

So today, call a couple of friends in, plan a pizza party and play some games. Bring a lot of love and laughter into your home. If you are in assisted living, walk down the hall and find out what the folks are playing, they will move over and make room and you can all have a fun time together. If you can't find an on going game, then find a jig-saw puzzle and get busy, the challenge is well worth it. Keep laughter in your life, and feel the exhilaration of living.

Lunch Out

The road leads north, about seven miles to a restaurant where the food is good and the windows overlook the ocean where there are rocks in the form of a whale. It is a seven mile drive, north, on 101 to get there and is actually a resort with hundred of cabins built into the mountain foothills. We have been there several times with our birthday friends and have enjoyed the fish and chips, or a special dish. The chowder is very good, made so you taste the clams and not thick and tasteless. Some folks just do not know how to make New England style clam chowder. I notice they use bacon instead of salt pork which would help to give it the proper flavor, but, again, it wasn't at all bad.

The weather was beautiful, perfect for taking pictures and I tried to shoot a picture out of the window then thought better of it and went outside. They have a huge Totem of beautifully carved whales which you can see one close up in the picture. There is a wooden patio area to walk out on that overlooks the small garden area, and a better view of the ocean. The garden flowers are of the wild flower varieties and grow tall to blow in the wind. Some curl around the rocks which are huge and embedded in the gardens.

As you can see in the picture of the whale in the ocean, this rock formation is huge. The beach itself is really lovely to walk on and you have to cross the incoming river to get onto the beach itself. The road leading down into the beach area is not in good repair, steep with loose rock and turns as you drive down. It is a good beach to find lots of small pieces of drift wood which people salvage to make baskets and other yard art.

When daughter Pat and I decided to have lunch out yesterday, our plan was to buy a Subway vegie delight sandwich and picnic over by the Chetco River to watch the brown pelicans basking on their rocks. Subway was understaffed and we waited patiently, but after ten minutes with no one paying attention to the car orders, we decided to leave and go elsewhere. We could see the counter space was filled with people waiting for their sandwiches and knew our chance was low man on the totom pole. Whaleshead came to mind . . . not a bad idea at all. There were no pelicans to see but the view is spectacular. As you can see from the pictures we didn't miss anything. I did take a picture of the entire totem pole but it came out sideways and I don't know how to change it. Probably something simple but some people are computer illiterate.

So treat yourself to lunch today and drive off to a special restaurant in your area. Hopefully where the food is good and the ambiance beautiful. Take time to see the changing of the leaves on the trees as it looks like we are going to have an early winter. Son Michael tells me he has four inches of snow up there in Nevada already. Hey, they have snow near the skiing area in Ashland which is about a three hour drive, inland, from here. So the heat is on, the air is colder and the holidays are coming. I know, I know, bite my tongue, it's much too soon.

Because

A few years back there was a special couple in our NARFE group (National Association of Retired Federal Employees) and the gentle man spoke volumes about the Battle of the Bulge in which he participated. He has gone on to his reward after a short battle with Alzheimer's but his mind held the details of the battle as if it were yesterday. I helped write his memoirs which was such fun to do as he and his wife were high school sweethearts, from the heartlands, and went on to raise four daughters who became teachers and nurses. They were such loving and giving people who never met a stranger; people you want in your lives and people you will always remember when lighting candles as their star shines bright in the heavens. His wife is now ninety and being well taken care of by her daughters. She is sharp of mind and when I call and ask what she is doing, her reply is "nothing' and I love it." She is the keeper of the window frame and watches the flowers grow and the great grandchildren romp and play.

I was looking at the new Navy boat which is made from the 'ashes' of the remains of the twin towers when the buildings were brought down by a new enemy, and wondered what he would have to say about the events of today. It took years before the memorial to the World War II veterans was finally finished, but, it did get finished so I can quit my griping. Four Sullivan men were in World War II, three Marines and one a Merchant Marine. They all paid a price for helping to save our world but I wonder how they would feel now about the current wars that are not wars, yet we are losing men every day. Eight were lost yesterday in Afghanistan while our leaders debate whether to send more or close shop, a tight rope of decisions to be made with no happy answers.

So I am musing about our veterans and am hoping and praying they will get the right attention when they come back home. They should get the best of medical treatments and hopefully full compensation for their time away. The G.I. Bill did wonders for the returning vets in World War II, and I feel it is the least we can do for all the returning veterans.

So today give a little thought to our fighting men and women and send a couple of 'bucks' to the Disabled Veterans and buy a calendar or two. Adopt a veteran and visit one of the hospitals if you are near one, and if you cannot, donate a couple of dollars to the VFW and help the auxiliaries in their special programs to help our veterans. Best of all say a prayer or two for all of us . . . we really need it.

Five A.M.

It is five a.m. and I have one eye open. I was reading a Dean Koonz book at two a.m. then went back to sleep. I am not sure it was the contents of the book I was reading before I went to sleep that made me restless or just one of 'those' nights we octogenarians keep like the 'watchers of the night'. This is a first for me as I know Dean Koonz is a fantastic writer with an imagination that soars far above most minds, but I find his 'monster' character a pure horror . . . where does this writer get such thoughts? Ugly, monstrous, frightening and beyond the pale, not my kind of reading. So I will leave Dean Koonz to his followers and select an adventure story, or a mild murder mystery or a beautiful love story that fills the mind with characters you can fall in love with.

If I want to read horror stories, all I have to do is pick up a newspaper, turn on the television and listen to a news broadcast and see and hear about man's inhumanity to man. What I am finding out, as I muse this morning, is that when we fill our minds with garbage, the old adage of 'garbage in ----garbage out' comes to mind and we need to turn our lives around and look for some uplifting stories to a healthier and happier mindset. So before I get on my lecture tour this morning, I am going to go and put on the coffee pot, fix myself some breakfast and turn on Channel 25 where the old cowboys are riding the range and saving the damsels in distress . . . it's Saturday and Fall is here as the house is cold. I dread putting the furnace on and the higher heating bills but it is that time of year. Have you noticed the nursery section of your stores where the colorful mums are showing? How beautiful they are this year and what a variety of colors, some a mixture of red and yellow, and some a cranberry red, while the lavenders and whites are gorgeous.

So, stop by a nursery and pick out a beautiful mum to grace your table before you plant it in the ground to enjoy for years to come. Buy some Halloween candy to have on hand but remember not to open the packages until Halloween. Some years those milky ways and tiny chocolate bars are long gone before the trick and treaters can knock on my door. Make today special, just like you.

One Never Knows.

A lonely orangutan needed a friend and looked what happened. Another heart warming story shared over the computer, a small reminder that, as the old folks used to say, 'you can't tell a book by its cover'.
I am thinking of the friends I have made over the years and how different each one is. My circle is smaller now and I have memories of the wonderful people who came into my life, some to change it, some to keep me and some to throw me away . . . but, that is life and we learn more about what love really is as we move along in our quest for a good life.

An old friend caught up with me this week and brought back some wonderful memories of the time we shared and it reminded me how quickly the time goes by as we go back about twenty-five years and have survived so many changes in our lives. He was responsible for my first sail boat ride in Lake Tahoe when the calmness of the day turned to a frothing lake with the boat caught in a trough, shaking and bobbing like it knew what it was doing, but I certainly did not. I thought we were going to sink. He was standing on top of the cabin trying to fix the sails and I 'm holding the rudder which was not even in the water. So picture this mad screaming woman tilting from side to side until the wind changed, and we sailed calmly back to shore. For someone who doesn't like to get my feet wet, I made number two and a half on a scale of ten and found out that I really am not adventurous. I'm happy in the whirl pool. So, with a little luck, he and his daughter are going to stop by for a visit. I cannot believe she is in college . . . where did all those years go?

I made a new friend yesterday when the Ruralite magazine came and there was a lady requesting the words to "Big Rock Candy Mountain" a song that we sung every time we got into our car for one of those long road trips. She had an e-mail address so I wrote the words I remembered and she wrote back saying she was a grandmother and she had two grandchildren who loved that ditty but she didn't remember all of the words. I sent the message on to daughter Pat and she googled it and got the words to more of a story than a song which was a big surprise. I liked my version much better so you know today I'll be humming that song as it sticks in my mind.

So sing along and feel good . . . here we go . . . 'one summer day in the month of May, a burly bum came hiking, down a shady lane through the sugar cane, a lookin for his liken. As he strolled along, he sang a song, of the land of milk and honey, where a bum can stay for many a day and he don't need any money. Oh . . . the buzzen of the bees in the cigarette trees, near the soda water fountain, where the blue birds sing in the lemonade spring in the big rock candy mountain! Feel better? I do.

So my friends and family, have a good day today. Get outside in the sunshine and sing, hum, and if you can, whistle a catchy tune. "You are my sunshine . . . '

Way Back When

I was sent an e-mail yesterday with lots of pictures that were of the so called good old days when times were slower and our world was so different than it is today. I am sure these pictures will jog a memory or two. Small ranch homes were the ilk of the time, some with only one floor and some with two with louvered windows. Our first home was a two, very small, bedroom, living room, kitchen, one bath and a small central heating unit in the hallway purchased under the GI bill for under seven thousand dollars. If I remember correctly we paid $48.00 a month and that included taxes and insurances. The suberbs were the place to be and we in the so called 'boon-docks' a half mile down the road from the bus stop to ride into town for work. It took quite a while before a car could be purchased and it wasn't as fancy as this Ford, but it was a broken down second or third cousin. We didn't have a milk man come to the door, although I did as a very young child, but we did have a man come around with his van filled with breads and donuts of all kinds. I owned a Betty Crocker cook book, in fact I still do, and I use it all the time, and come to think about it, I still use a push lawnmower on my postage size grassy area in the back yard.

When our family grew, we traded the small house for a larger eighty year old house, closer to the city, and it was a beauty with a slate roof, three bay windows, double living room, dining room, kitchen and a front foyer. Up eighteen stairs was three bedrooms and a bathroom with a claw foot tub and a pedestal sink which became such a rage for this generation. I think it was about $12,000 and payments were about one-hundred a month, so the change had started.

There was a carriage house in the back with what could have been a small apartment above, but it was run down and unusable. This is where my daughter, Eileen, spotted a 'kunk in the gaage' and it didn't take me look to find out exactly what she was saying. Somethings never change as I have raccoons around the garage here in Brookings.

Our world keeps changing faster and faster, homes have gotten bigger and bigger with little life within as the owners are off working to pay thousands of dollars a month on a mortgage payment. Asking two hundred thousand for a small manufactured home is the 'usual' now. In the stick built home it is way above three to four hundred thousand and two or three cars sit in the driveways as gasolene prices can go from two to five dollars a gallon. The estate size yards are taken care of by someone else and there is no time to enjoy living as we knew it.

The hustle and bustle of today with all of its electronic gadgets has isolated generations in such a different way. The new wireless age with hand held gadgets have everything from a camera to a push button world of its own. Conversations are texted and thumbs are in play so people are communicating but in a much different method than anything we knew. The older I get, the less I fit into this world, and that is not a bad thing, just different. I have one little foot in the door so I can blog, e-mail, write my novelettes and still pick up the telephone as I am afraid texting is not for me.

So today when you get into your 2009 car and toodle down the highway with hundreds of others in the morning rush, don't forget to leave the texting for the office, meditate instead, calm the spirit and get ready for a great day. I'm going to lunch at "Rollen In Dough" with a couple of lady friends and have a half sandwich and a decadent desert as we toodle up the highway and enjoy the ocean scenery all the way to Gold Beach.