Snow - More Snow - Snow in July

Well, I have recieved a few emails wondering if I am still snowed in - I can answer that in two words - Yes and No.

This is the snowed in part - It has been rough going to work the past couple days especially this morning. Monday we had snow, Tuesday we had more snow, Wednesday no snow but the weatherman predicted another storm for last night and snow it did!!! Woke up to about 6 inches of that beautiful, white, fluffy stuff this morning. When you are trying to go to work at 4:30 AM and the streets have not been plowed it's rough going. During the day the temps warmed up and it rained for awhile and converted that beautiful white stuff to that ugly, brown, yukky stuff. Snoqualmie Pass between Spokane and Seattle (Major route east to west has remained closed for the past two or three days). Northern Idaho has declared a state of emergency. There has been 63 inches of snow this winter. 40 of them have been in January. This is the most snow we have had in one winter in over a decade. That is the update on the snow situation..


This is the not snowed in part. I am keeping an open mind no matter how deep the snow gets.

I am waiting for spring, only 49 days now. I thought I would post some of my favorite photos of one of our trips to a fire lookout tower in Northern Idaho. This is a great place. You bring your sleeping bags, pack in your water and food, and you are all set for a couple of days of beautiful scenery and peace and quiet.


Where we are headed is the top of that pile of rocks in the middle of the picture above. It is called Lunch Peak Lookout. It is named in honor of the men who worked in the CC Camps and built the Lookout Tower. They used to sit among the rocks and eat their lunch, thus Lunch Peak Lookout.



The lookout tower sits 6414 feet above sea level on a flat spot approximately 50 feet by 50 feet of nothing but rock.





Photo taken in mid July. The snow was still four feet deep in spots. Made a great cooler. We didn't have to worry about refrigeration.








These are steps thru the rocks going down to the patch of green and snow in the above picture. The steps were also built by the CCC.







World Class Hikers gazing toward Canada. Do you really think you can hike that far?










Look!! We found flowers for Grandma. The white ones are Bear Grass. The red ones are Indian Paintbrush.




Looking East toward Montana. Those are the Cabinet Mountains in the distance.




Looking west toward Lake Pendoreille (pon-der-ray) in Idaho and Washington State.


And there you have it!! Makes one want to move to Northern Idaho doesn't it?

In the words of my father "That's It For Today"!!

Weatherman ----- Right On !!

Well, the weatherman had predicted a foot or so of snow for the Spokane area and he finally got it right.

Because of the cold temperatures we had last week we still had "leftover" snow from the last couple of storms. The weatherman predicted it would begin to snow shortly after noon on Saturday and he was right on. It was a terrible snowstorm, slideoffs everwhere, whiteout conditions, the freeway was a mess.

In just a few hours time there was 84 collisions with no serious injuries and 26 collisions with varying degrees of injuries. On top of that the storm also disrupted traffic at Spokane International Airport. Jay Leno's chartered plane was unable to fly in so he had to cancel his engagement in Spokane. Everyone was urged to stay inside. A glass of wine, a good book and a fire at my feet sounded pretty good to me.

Temperatures went down to freezing and by Sunday morning we had a good twelve inches of new snow, and the temperatures had warmed up. Then it began to rain. So it rained for a while, just to make everything slushy. The streets had not been cleared from the foot of snow we had just recieved. You can imagine what a slushy, sloppy mess that was. Not only did we have that to contend with but the weight of the snow snapped powerlines, caved in the roof of a shopping center in Northern Idaho, and snapped trees in half. The traffic was a nightmare. Everywhere there were people driving too fast for conditions as they plowed thru spewing slush everywhere.

By Sunday night there were reports an avalanche on the Montana side of Lookout Pass had closed Interstate 90 in both directions. That is the major freeway that connects Montana across Idaho to Washington. A Southwest Airlines flight slid off the runway at the airport temporarily closing the airport.

Today there has been no snow. The temperature is 19 degrees. The city is digging out. The skiers are loving it. I am hibernating with my blankey, "Two Buck Chuck and a 500 page book.

See 'ya in the spring or 52 days whichever comes first.

In the words of my father, "That's it for today".

Cure for the Common Cold

Well I have managed to catch a nasty common cold. You know the kind. Your head feels as big as a foot ball, you have sniffles and sneezes, chills and sweats, a sore throat, and an annoying cough. You feel achy all over and you think you would be better off dead. Leastways thats the way I have been feeling the past few days. Now, I went to the drugstore loaded up on cold medicine, to the grocery where I stocked up on fruit juice and kleenex. So far my common cold has cost me about 50 bucks. I don't like feeling sick and I am one of the world's worst patients. This is one time when I wish my grandmother was here to cure me.

My grandmother was a midwife and believed in a lot of herbs and medicines and had a cure for everything - even the common cold. She used Mullein tea for bronchitis, a mustard plaster for congestion, or a clove or two of garlic crushed and stirred into some warm milk. Now that may not cure your cold but it will sure scare the heck out of one. To cure the sore throat you had to gargle with salt water and she always told me "drink a little bit, it'll help". A tall glass of liniment was always in order too. That'll stop your cough. We had this couple who used to come around about once a month selling Raleigh products . There was always a bottle of this liniment in the cupboard. Any time you got sick you were made to drink this vile tasting stuff. It must have worked because it is still on the market today. Camphorated salve was another cure, my grandmother would grease my chest, the bottoms of my feet, dress me in my flannel nightgown and into bed underneath the big featherbed I would go. I dont know if it was the salve, the flannel or the heat but it always cured me.


Siince Chicken Soup is the best known remedy for a cold so I thought I would share my recipe with you.

3 cups chopped cooked chicken(I use boneless skinless chicken breast)
About 3 quarts chicken stock (or chicken broth)
Salt and pepper to taste
chopped celery ( about a cup and half)
Chopped carrots (about a cup and half)
one onion chopped
clove garlic crushed

Saute the onion, garlic, celery, carrots and onion in a large pan with a little bit of oil until the vgetables are limp. Add Chicken stock, chicken, salt and pepper and noodles. Simmer 30 to 45 minutes.

I have a pot of chicken soup simmering on the stove. If that doesn't help I think I will tie an asafedita bag around my neck and crawl off in a corner and wait until my common cold has run its course.

Here's a little bit of humor for you.

A man went to see his doctor because he was suffering from a miserable cold. His doctor prescribed some pills, but they didn't help.
On his next visit the doctor gave him a shot, but that didn't do any good.
On his third visit the doctor told the man to go home and take a hot bath. As soon as he was finished bathing he was to throw open all the windows and stands in the draft.
"But doc," protested the patient, "if I do that, I'll get pneumonia."
"I know," said his physician. "I can cure pneumonia."

And in the words of my father, "That's it for today!"

Four Seasons

Well, we woke up to a chily minus 10 degrees this morning in Spokane Valley this morning. Now that is cold!! Time to get out an extra blanket or two. Rather than dwell on the cold I am looking forward to my favorite seasons

>

And in memory of my friend, Margaret

I read of a man who stood to speak
At the funeral of a friend
He referred to the dates on her tombstone
From the beginning...to the end.

He noted that first came her date of birth
And spoke the following date with tears,
But he said what mattered most of all
Was the dash between those years. (1934 -1998)

For that dash represents all the time
That she spent alive on earth...
And now only those who loved her
Know what that little line is worth.

For it matters not, how much we own;
The cars...the house...the cash,
What matters is how we live and love
And how we spend our dash.

So think about this long and hard...
Are there things you'd like to change?
For you never know how much time is left,
That can still be rearranged.

If we could just slow down enough
To consider what's true and real,
And always try to understand
The way other people feel.

And be less quick to anger,
And show appreciation more
And love the people in our lives
Like we've never loved before.

If we treat each other with respect,
And more often wear a smile..
Remembering that this special dash
Might only last a little while.

So, when your eulogy's being read
With your life's actions to rehash...
Would you be proud of the things they say
About how you spent your dash?

Author Linda Ellis

And in the words of my father, "That's it For Today".

Happy Birthday Richard!!!

47 reasons to have a birthday

1. Old age is always fifteen years older than you are.
2. Age is strictly a case of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter. -- Jack Benny
3. Middle age is when you still believe you'll feel better in the morning. -- Bob Hope
4. If you want to look young and thin, hang around old fat people
5. Men grow old, pearls grow yellow, there is no cure for it. -- Chinese proverb
6. Forty is the old age of youth; fourty seven is the youth of old age
7. The lovely thing about being forty seven is that you can appreciate twenty- fouryear-old women --Jenny
8. In Dog Years - You're dead
9. You know you're getting old when your joints are more accurate than the National Weather Service
10. You know you're getting old whenYou can live without sex but not without glasses
11. You know you're getting old when Happy hour is a nap.
12. You have everything you had 20 years ago, only it's all a little bit lower. -- Gypsy Rose Lee
13. You will recognize, the first sign of old age: it is when you go out into the streets of Spokane and realize for the first time how young the policemen look. --
14. Inflation is when you pay fifteen dollars for the ten-dollar haircut you used to get for five dollars when you had hair. ~Sam Ewing
15. Just remember, once you're over the hill you begin to pick up speed. ~Charles Schulz

16. Forty seven is not old if you are a tree - Vikki
17. First you forget names; then you forget faces; then you forget to zip up your fly; and then you forget to unzip your fly. ~Branch Rickey
18. You're not 47, you're eighteen with 29 years experience. ~Author Unknown
19. The secret of staying young is to live honestly, eat slowly, and lie about your age. ~Lucille Ball
20. Birthdays are good for you. Statistics show that the people who have the most live the longest. ~Larry Lorenzoni
21. Men are like wine. Some turn to vinegar, but the best improve with age
22. Let us respect gray hairs, especially our own.
- J. P. Sears
23. Forty seven is when you finally get your head
together and your body starts falling apart.
24. You know you are getting old when he orders a three-minute egg, they ask for the money up front
25. If you live to be one hundred, you've got it made. Very few people die past that age. George Burns
26. As you get older three things happen. The first is your memory goes, and I can't remember the other two...
27. You can live to be a hundred if you give up all the things that make you want to live to be a hundred.
28. Age is not a particularly interesting subject. Anyone can get old. All you have to do is live long enough.
29. You know you're getting old when all the names in your black book have M. D. after them.
30. Old age is fifteen years older than I am. Oliver Wendell Holmes
31. Men are like wine. Some turn to vinegar, but the best improve with age.
32. Middle age is when a guy keeps turning off lights for economical rather than romantic reasons
33. Age is a number and mine is unlisted.
34. You know you are getting old when the candles cost more than the cake.
- Bob Hope
35. Roses are red. Violets are blue. Stop complaining... I am younger than you!!
36. With Age Comes Wisdom. (You're One Of The Wisest People I Know!)
37. It is not how old you are, but how you are old
38. Life begins at 47 -- but so do fallen arches, rheumatism, faulty eyesight, and the tendency to tell a story to the same person, three or four times
39. You wake up every morning at nine and grab for the morning paper. Then you look at the obituary page. If your name is not on it, you get up
40. When you get to fifty-two food becomes more important than sex.
41. Artificial intelligence is a wonderful thing.
I told my computer that today is your birthday and it said I needed an upgrade.
42. Blowing out candles is good exercise for the lungs
43. 47 - The fountain of Middle Age
44. "Birthdays are good for you: the more you have the longer you live."
45. You still have a full deck; you just shuffle slower now. ~Author Unknown
46. Love on your birthday and everyday.

47. May you live to be a hundred yearsWith one extra year to repent.~Author Unknown

You're getting old Richard K

Forty seven years since you were born

We will take a little time
To write you this birthday rhyme

You love camping and lazy days

You think you are one hot tomato

But we all know what you really are

the ultimate couch potato

You've said you like the Howny Orl

But was that just a slip?

Let's face it Rich - you've been known

To get your words muxed ip

You like to mess about with boats

But your manouvers are the worst

You get in backwards

Pointy-end first

You follow Nascar and the Jarrett Crew

Who these days rarely win

Is it this - or your head banging

That's made your hair go thin?

As a lager swilling gent

We hope you don't fall under the bus

This happy 47th wish is sent

from the four of us
Jenny Vikki Lauralei and Kimberlei

And in the words of my father "That's it for a "Happy Birthday Day" today.

Word Of The Day - Snow

A lot of people like snow. I find it to be an unnecessary freezing of water. ~Carl Reiner

Well, today was a mixed bag. I knew I was going on a "road trip". Boy was I excited. Had reservations for overnight at Coeur d'Alene Casino. Getting out of Dodge , even for a short jaunt was plenty enough to put a smile on my face. Got everything loaded in the truck, suitcase, clothing for four days, cooler for beverages and snacks, camera, laptop, some reading material etc. etc. Seems the older we get the more we have to take. Someday that will change.

Truck loaded, it's off to Idaho with a short stop in Coeur d'Alene. Roads are bare, with a little snow in the foothills

While in Coeur d'Alene the weather began to change. Finished the errand and ready to get on the road for the 30 mile trip south. Suddenly the skies became a dark gray and it looked like it could snow at any minute. And snow it did!

Snowing!
Snowing!!

Snowing!!!












Made it to the casino Whew!!

Got all checked into the hotel. A trip to the casino lasted fifteen minutes or so and cost me $20 admission. I got out of there in a hurry. Looking forward to chatting with the RV Dreams friends (that will keep me out of the casino) unpacked the laptop and guess what!!!!! NO power cord!! Can you believe it?? I should have made a list. Well there goes surfing the net....plan B back to the casino. This time I did better got my admission money back and had a little fun with Wheel of Fortune slots.

Had a wonderful buffet dinner. As with all buffets I think I need to try a little of everything and I did. I had one of the best steaks I have ever eaten. Wish I could remember the name of the sauce it was served with. I was so full I almost didnt have room for desserts - both of them.

Now, I have heard that one way to cure a full stomach is to sit in a soft chair
push a button and watch the little wheels turn round and round. As long as I am watching for bars that line up takes my mind off my indigestion. About midnight I did find my indigestion gone and so was my money.

Woke up Sunday morning to a beautiful 7 or 9 inches of snow. Decided to get an early start home becuse of the snow covered roads and the fact it was snowing and blowing and drifting. Temperature was 23 and wind chill at 8 degrees. There was not a lot of traffic on the road. Across the prarie between Rockford WA and Spokane Valley the snow was blowing in all directions causing a whiteout and snowdrifts on the roadway. About an hour after reaching home there was a news report saying the highway had been closed.

Closer to Spokane the conditions improved somewhat. I was glad to be home.

I leave you with one last photo of a piece of property in Worley, Idaho that I am part owner of.

And in the words of my father "That's it for Today."

I'm Back!!

Happiness cannot come from without. It must come from within. It is not what we see and touch or that which others do for us which makes us happy; it is that which we think and feel and do, first for the other fellow and then for ourselves. -----Helen Keller

Well, I guess I have been suffering from a bout of what every writer has one in a while - Writer's Block. or the inability to put a pen to paper. I don't believe writer's block has just one cause. It may have been stress and anxiety. It could have been a mood disorder maybe environmentally caused. It could have been a case of winter doldrums. I have forgotten what the sun looks like. It could have been a case of just sheer laziness. Nevertheless, at some point as my grandfather would have said " You just gotta pull up your boot straps and go on." So with that said, plan on hearing from me more often.

In the words of my father "That's it for today!"

Oh Boy More Snow!!!

Well, we woke up to more snow. 7.4 inches of that wonderful fluffy white stuff. It broke records. According to the newspaper it was the most accumulation since 11/20/2003 and rivals the winter of 1968-69 when Spokane led the nation with 42 inches of snow. I remember that winter very well. I worked at Atlas Building Center in Coeur d'Alene. The snow was so deep on the roofs of the buildings we had to shovel it off the buildings. The snow was piled about as tall as the buildings. What fun we had riding those shovels off into the big piles of snow.

Downtown the snow was so deep there was nowhere to pile the snow so the snowplows just piled it in the middle of the main street . The double lanes quickly became one lane and people were tying red bandanas to the antennas on their cars so other drivers could see when you were turning the corner. There was so much snow they were loading it into dumptrucks and dumping it in the lake just to get rid of it. I remember our yard had a four foot fence and the snow at a flat level completely covered the fence. Couldn't tell we had a fence.

The snow was fun until it started to melt, then the sandbags came out to make a barrier to keep downtown from flooding.

Here are a few pictures I snapped yesterday as I drove to my favorite store Wal Mart!

That's it for today.

You Gotta Have It

Yesterday I promised some more pictures of my new Press and Vac.



It works so great and I got lots of ideas yesterday for more ways to use it. Freezer space in RVs is at a premium and these would definitely save space. You can buy it at Wal Mart $8.68 and found in the ziplock bag section of the grocery.

Thought today I would share a couple of my favorite recipes with you. Here is one we made in the restaurant. It was a big hit!!

Barbecue Beef Cups

1 lb. ground beef
1/2 c. shredded beef (I use left over pot roast)
1 clove garlic, crushed if desired
1/2 c. barbecue sauce
1/2 c. shredded Cheddar cheese

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Prepare biscuit cups, (recipe follows). Cook and stir ground beef, onion, and garlic in a 10 inch skillet over medium heat until beef is brown. Drain. Stir in barbecue sauce and heat through. Spoon beef mixture into cups. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake until crust is golden brown, about 15 minutes.

Biscuit Cups

2 c. Bisquick making mix
1/2 c. cold water

Mix baking mix and water together until soft dough forms. Beat vigorously 20 strokes. Drop by teaspoonfuls into 12 ungreased muffin cups. Press dough on bottom and up sides with floured hands

Now I can see making these and putting them in Seal and Vac Bags. Freeze. They would be excellent heated in microwave for a quick lunch or for dinner on a traveling day.

This is one I made last summer and everyone loved it.

Cornbread Salad

1 pkg. Hidden Ranch dry salad dressing mix
1 c. sour cream
1 c. mayonnaise
1 (9 inch) pan cornbread, crumbled
2 (16 oz.) cans pinto beans, drained
3 lg. tomatoes, chopped
1/2 c. chopped green pepper
1/2 c. chopped green onions
2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
10 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
2 (17 oz.) cans whole kernel corn, drained
Combine salad dressing mix, sour cream and mayonnaise; set aside. Place half of crumbled cornbread in bottom of large serving bowl. Top with half of beans
In a medium bowl, combine tomatoes, pepper and onions; layer half of this mixture over beans. Layer half of cheese, bacon, corn and reserved salad dressing. Repeat layers using remaining ingredients. Cover and chill 2-3 hours before serving.

Sunrise Today 7:37 AM
Sunset Today 4:15 PM

COME ON Spring!!!!!!!!!!!

And in the words of my father "That's it for today".

Wal Mart Winner

Well, there's not much to post about today. I will do better tomorrow, I promise.

When I was at Wal Mart on Saturday, my main objective was to get a Press and Vac. I don't know how they come up with this invention but it is the best thing since "spilt milk". I bought the sealer and 4 boxes of bags for under $20. You find them in the grocery section with the foil, ziplock bags etc.




It is a hand held vacuum sealer. The bags come in quart or gallon sizes and the box says they are reusable. I think it perfect for RVing . Would not take up much space and think of the things you could do with it. Now, I like to buy a whole package of steaks and break them down add my marinade and throw them in the freezer. When I am ready to grill a steak I pull it out . The marinate soaks into the meat as it thaws..I think it gives it better flavor. You caan do the same thing with chicken.

They would be especially great if you wanted to prepare meals, seal them, freeze them, and use them when you are boondocking. All you would need would be a pot of hot water to throw them in.

I read on the internet you can even use them to preserve your silver. I always manage to spend my change. I would never get a bag full.

I can see lots of uses for those little bags from using them to break down things into individual or two serving portions and you dont have to deal with a big box. Good for making snacks to carry in your pocket such as trail mix for a hike etc.

They would be great in the cooler, just fill them with water seal it and then freeze.Toss in the cooler to keep your food cool. They would also make great ice packs.

I am sure you can come up with many more ideas.

I am trying to "declutter" except when it comes to my paper. I love paper and can never get enough of it. Threw away another small pile of it today - well, two or three pieces. I read decluttering relieves stress. I do believe that is true.

Last, I wanted to share something I learned yesterday. Everyone knows the shortest day of the year is the first day of winter. From December 11 until June 20 the days grow longer each year. On December 21, Sunrise was at 7:29AM and Sunset was 3:58PM. Yesterday, Sunrise was at 7:37 AM and sunset at 4:15 PM. So the days are getting longer and we are one day closer to spring. We're gaining on 'em.

This -n- That

Just a quick note for those who had comments yesterday about the age of my grandmothers. My father's mother was born in 1866 and died in 1954. Actually I just realized she died on January 6, which is tomorrow. I remember it as if it was yesterday. My mothers mother was born in 1878 and died in 1956 making a difference of 12 years in their ages. I love doing genealogy and have traced both my mother's and father's sides. I have a database of over 25,000 individuals who are directly related to me. This is not the picture I was looking for but I should have included it in yesterdays pics.

Just a couple of Baby Boomers sittin' around talkin' (the one on the left is really cute don't you think?)



Well, nothing happened much today. It is Saturday and the usual run to Walmart. I try to get most of my shopping and running around done on Saturday so my week is free. Well, not exactly free, but I don't have to go anywhere but work during the week. I did the shopping, got the groceries home and put away. Now for some computer time. That's when it happened! I thought I had lost it.

I take alot of picures and store them on CD's. I had a particular picture I was looking for. I knew which disc it was on and I thought I knew where I had put the disc. WRong!!! To make a long story longer, two hours later I am still looking for the same CD. I turned everything upside down TWICE!! still no CD. I had visions of it getting thrown out with the Christmas trash. I tore the house apart. I had a pile in the floor so big I couldn't even turn around. It was a mess. I was bonkers. So that is when I went into my pile mode. One pile for "absolutely can't throw this away" or "the stuff I can't part with", one pile for "I may use this someday"or "I'll get back to" and the last for "get rid of" or "throwaway" pile. I am sort of-kind of-well--- it's okay to say I am a packrat when it comes to paper. I love paper and I don't like to part with it. I finally got all the stuff sorted into its respective piles, with the "throwaway" pile being the smallest. I then reached for the box of photos I had placed at my feet. GUESS WHAT!! there on top was my missing CD. It wasn't lost after all. It was just misplaced. All is right with my world. My resolution to be more organized is safe.

Another resolution I made was to ty to learn something new everyday. A reader called asking about the solstice. Well, now that science stuff never did appeal to me very much. When I was in school and should have been learning all that stuff it just wasn't important. I did tell her that I would check into it and let her know what I found out. I will have to get back to you on that.

By the way, I love your comments so feel free to send me any comments good or bad.

I had meant to grab a couple of pictures of Walmart but I didn't have my camera with me. Today you will have to settle for more pictures of Idaho. Enjoy!!

A little this - A little that and in the words of my father That's it for today.

2008 "Year of the Boomer"

Well, there's not much going on around here today. The only good thing it's TGIF. Thank God It's Friday. Don't know what I will do next week when I have to work five days in a row. Can hardly wait until I can retire and have all those days off each week.

I guess being my age has some benefits. I know I don't have too long to wait for retirement and I make sure everyone knows about it. After, all I am an "Original Baby Boomer". Baby Boomers are described as those people born after World War II , 1946 thru 1965.

World War II officially ended on August 15, 1945. My father came home from Germany in December 1945 and I was born in September 1946. You do the math. Pretty original don't you think?

There were approximately 78 million babies born during those years. 2008 is the year we start to turn 62 and can collect social security. According to the news, the first person was able to sign up in October 2007 and will receive her first check this month. Over the next two decades nearly 80 million Americans will become eligible for Social Security Benefits. Mind boggling isn't it?

Here are a few facts I wanted to share from 1946:

FAMOUS people born in 1946
Dolly Parton 1/19/1946
R. D. Johnson June 26, 1946
President George W. Bush July 6, 1946
Sylvester Stallone July 6, 1946
Bill Clinton August 19, 1946
Jenny Johnson September 20, 1946


Deaths in 1946
W.C. Fields
Gertrude Stein
H. G. Wells

Sports
St. Louis Cardinals beat the Boston Red Sox in World Series
Football Champions was Notre Dame with a Record 8-0-0
Winners of Stanley Cup was the Montreal Canadians

Top Musicians
Frank Sinatra
Duke Ellington
Andrews Sisters
Bng Crosby

Books
All The King's Men Robert Penn Warren
Delta Wedding Eudora Welty
The Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care Benjamin Spock

Top Movies
It's A Wonderful Life
The Best Years of Our Lives

A gallon of gas cost 15 cents.
Average cost of a new house $5,600.00
Average yearly salary: $2,500.00


Cannes Film Festival debuts in France.
The US Army makes radar contact with the moon for the first time.
The microwave oven was invented by Percy L. Spencer.
AT & T announces first car phones.
Bikins went on sale in Paris.
Dean Martin begins his musical career.

It is hard to believe all the kids I grew up with are ready for retirement. I think of all the things we used to do and the things we lived through that today are "antiques". "I may be old but I am not an antique".

I leave you with a very special picture today.


Grandmothers of an Original Baby Boomer.

And in the words of my father "That's It For Today".

Brrrrrr It's Cold Out There

Everywhere I turned today there has been news of the weather. I woke up to a "chilly" 20 degrees, turned over pulled up the blankets and then realized I had to get up and go to work.

I got up, turned on the morning news only to find the temperatures will be the same for the foreseeable future. At least that's what the weatherman is predicting - we'll see.

Next, I grabbed up the morning paper, a photo of swimmers entering the icy waters of Lake Coeur'd Alene for the 29th annual Polar Bear Plunge. With temperature at 28 degrees and the wind chill at 21 around 1000 people participated in the event. You can bet I was not one of those brave souls and my picture did not make the front page.

Thinking there would not be any "weather news" in my email, I got on the computer. Lo and behold, an email with pictures attached, from my sister in Vermont. You guessed it - snow pictures from around her house. No thanks, I don't need any more snow!!











Vermont Winter

On my way to work, I phoned my other sister in Tennessee......she was just waking up. Oh No!!, she says, when I went to bed, there was no snow. Now look, there is about two to three inches and the temperature is 11 degrees.

Tennessee Winter




















The evening news was full of weather across the country. From frigid Florida where farmers were protecting their citrus crops to Louisana where they were covering their strawberries to California where a trio of rainstorms were expected to hit there. Okay! Enough is enough!

Dinner's over. It's time for RV Dreams Chat. The main topic tonight - well you guessed it - the WEATHER!! Everyone was talking about how cold it was and comparing temps. From 7 degrees in Lexington KY, 20 degrees in Cary NC, Mesa AZ in the low 50s, Alabama in the low 20s, 4 degrees in eastern Kansas, and 2 above in Iowa. It is definitely cold all across the USA.

I've had enough of weather for today. Let's fast forward to Spring. After all it's only 68 days.


In the words of my father "That's It For Today".

Happy New Year 2008

Well, the year 2007 is behind us and today is the first day of 2008. 365 more to go this year. May you have many blessings and this year be your best and happiest yet.







Thought I would post a couple more photos of eagles at Lake Coeur d'Alene.

I spent New Years Eve in the RV Dreams chat room chatting with lots of folks enjoying their company and camaraderie. It was a great time and lots of fun.

Today was a kind of lazy, kicked back day with phone calls to family, normal New Years Day food including turkey and dressing etc. Ate way too much!!! Forget the diet resolution - it has already been broken. The diet starts tomorrow.

Tonight I received a phone call from the Grand Girls (as I do every night).

Grandma: Hello

Voices on the phone: YO BG

Grandma: Who's BG?

Voices on the phone: You are Grandma. Its short for Blogging Grandma.

Made my day - - a great way to start my New Year!!!!

Please meet the cutest grandkids in the world.







Lauralei and Kimberlei age 12








Mattingly (Matt) age 10

















and in the words of my father "That's It For Today".