Leap Day

Well, today is Leap Day, February 29. It's also Friday and Pay Day so it'a a great day today.

It's also a great day for a couple of my friends Ed and Marilyn. They became grandparents for the first time today. Jackson Colby was born at 7:43 AM. He weighed in at eight pounds fifteen ounces and was twenty and half inches long. Congratulations to the new parents and grandparents.

Being a grandparent is one of life's greatest pleasures. I remember when my first grandchildren were born (twins). I was so ecstatic I could hardly contain myself. I carried around notebooks full of pictures to show everyone even those who didn't care to see them but didn't have the heart to tell me no. I felt the same way when my grandson was born. Even though he lives far away I still think of him every day and miss him and am so happy when he comes to visit. He is such a smart kid, a hockey player and he will be president someday. Enough about grandchildren, back to Leap Day.

Here are some facts I found about Leap Day. During the reign of Emperor Julius Caesar, when there were only 355 days in a year, the seasons would get out of sync with the calendar. Caesar decreed that the calendar be revised, a new month be added in his name (July), and an extra day added every four years to keep the calendar and seasons together. The date of February 29th was chosen as the 28th was then considered the last day of the year. The Leap Day was introduced in 46 BC, but it was discovered in 10 BC that the priests responsible for maintaining the calendar had added too many – once every three years, instead of the four decreed by Julius Caesar. To compensate, there were no more leap days until AD 8. Since then, there have been leap years every year divisible by 4, except for those years that can be divided by 100 but not 400.

There was a time when Leap Year Balls happened all throughout the Leap Year. Women were given the "right" to ask a man for his hand in marriage. They were afforded a lovely place to display themselves, and propose their man of choice, at lavish and fantastic Leap Year Balls. If the man declined her proposal he had to provide her with a silk dress and a kiss on the cheek.

I know this happens because I did it once, the marriage didn't last but Leap Year is still here.

and a few fun words:
Leaper A person born on Leap Day
Leapette Female Leapean
Leapster Male Leapean
Leapingly As in Sincerely
Leapest Regards Deeper than Deepest Regards
Leap On! It's like saying Right On!
Leapcentric One who collects Leap Year oriented items
Leaprechaun An Irish Leaper
Leapophile One who collects Leap Year related
Leapophilia A fondness for collecting things related to Leap Year

Just 1459 days until Leap Year Day!

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

Well I have been thinking about going through my photos and getting them "all into one place".Thought you readers might enjoy some photos of Coeur d'Alene Lake and Spokane Valley, WA today. Let me know what you think. Should I keep them or throw them out?

and a few of the Spokane Valley where I live.

and one last shot of the beautiful Spokane Valley


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

Missing Post

Well, I had another post all ready and out the door it went - into cyberspace somewhere. So if you happen to see an unidentified post out there somewhere please send it back home to elevenfootrv.

Not a lot going on around here. I spent the weekend doing the usual shopping, cleaning and getting ready to go to work on Monday routine. I am scheduled to work 13 hours on Monday. Double time for extra hours...Oh Boy!!!

Have not been feeling well as of late. I have managed to catch another cold. Runny nose, sore throat and the like. I have taken more cold medicine this year than I have taken in the last twenty years combined. I am about to the point where I am going to have to give up on the "old time remedies" and go to the doctor. The chicken soup theory is just not working any more.

There is not much weather news here either. Has been very nice with pre spring temps. Forecasters say it will be in the 50's by the weekend. Sunshine would be great and Lots of Sunshine would be even better. And with that.................

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

Sunflowers,Tour Guide, Puppies and Family

Well, there is not much to write about, the weather has been rather nice. A bit of rain but none of that white stuff.
My in box for email has really been busy lately. A couple of my readers asked that I post a picture of myself so they would know who they were talking to. Well, I dug around until I found a couple so here you go. A few years back the grandkids wanted a garden. We planted sunflowers. Really tall sunflowers.

Here is another of a couple of full timing RV friends Larry and LeAnnI met up with in Coeur d'Alene. We went out to breakfast and spent the day together.




Here is some of what Leann said in her blog about our day together.

Jenny drove in from Spokane, Washington this morning to have breakfast with us. Took us to a great little family run restaurant called "Down the Street." Jenny has lived in this area on & off for the last 35 years & boy, did she turn out to be a great tour guide!We decided to head to the Silver Valley, an area producing 1.186 BILLION ounces of silver between 1884 & 2003, still going strong, with over six million ounces produced just last year. We stopped in Kellogg next. In 1885 a gentleman by the name of Noah Kellogg, a gold prospector and carpenter, lived in the Town of Murray which is 20 miles northeast as the crow flies. Being a gold prospector down on his luck, he ran around the Town of Murray looking for someone to give him a grubstake. He finally ran into two business men, Mr. Peck and Mr. Cooper, who loaned him enough money to buy grub and they loaned him a jackass (burro) to carry the tools. He started down the great north fork of the Coeur d'Alene River, came onto a trail and headed south over the mountains. Coming out on the south fork of the Coeur d'Alene River, he crossed it and went further on south up Milo Gulch and ended up about 1,000 yards above the present City Hall of Wardner. There he made camp, ate and went to sleep, and during the night, the jackass wandered off. In the morning he got up looking around for the stupid animal and hearing him braying, spotted him way up high on the hillside. Where the animal was standing he saw the sunshine glittering on something which turned out to be a large outcropping of galena (lead ore). And that was the discovery of the great Bunker Hill and Sullivan mines on September 4, 1885!

Further down the road we entered Wallace, one of the last towns in its entirety listed on the National Register of Historic Places. We stopped at a cute little park & took the other miners photo with his family. Loved the "your dog is cute sign!"Then our tour guide (Jenny) decided to take us to the town of Burke! Hah! She took us down what looked to be a great road that got smaller & smaller & finally turned to gravel & then to potholes & rocks the size of cannonballs! After bouncing along for 1/2 mile we all decided we had had enough of that (we still had 12 miles to go!) so we made a fast u-turn & headed back to Wallace. We did pass the most interesting 4 little towns we've ever seen & just had to take a few pictures of their historical signs. Make sure you read them ok. As many years as Jenny has lived in this area she never got to have the opportunity to travel on this particular path.

Larry and LeAnn started fulltiiming in May of 2006. They were absolutely wonderful people. We still keep in touch I know I hope to see them again in my travels.

Another couple I had the privilege to meet was Jo and Fred Wishnie. The Wishnies also "chucked" everything in 2006 for life on the road. I met up with them again in Coeur d'Alene and spent a couple hours visiting. I absolutely fell in love with their little dog Boo Boo. She was just the cutest thing. Couldn't resist posting a pic of me and Boo.

Here is what Jo had to say about our visit.
It was a blog reader's bonanza in Coeur D'Alene as we were pleased to meet another of our readers, Jenny Johnson.Jenny is a WannaBe fulltimer. She has a lot of camping and RV experience and is dying to go out on the road. Now we don't want to be responsible for anyone else's life, but all we can do is share our happiness for the lifestyle and let people make their own decisions. We really loved Jenny. She is a sweet person and we think she would do fine RVing on her own if she chose to.

We shared some of our fine (2 buck chuck) wine, had some laughs and talked RVing for a couple of hours, while Jenny loved up our little Boo Boo.

The Wishnies are more wonderful people out there on the road. I know our paths will cross again. No photo of Fred. Sorry Fred.

And one last picture of my brother and three of my sisters . I have one other brother and one other sister who were not present.




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

Mid - Week

Well, there is not too much going on here this week. The weather has been very nice . We have had sunshine for the most part. We also had a few clouds and it looked as if it might rain but they went away making room for more sunshine. After all those cloudy snowy days when we thought we would never see the the sun again- it is a very welcome sight.

On another note, got a home phone installed this week. Comcast was having a special. Home telephone, internet and cable for $99. Since the price of cable and internet went up to $115 it only made sense. The gentleman they sent out was very nice and the telephone was installed. Then it started - the dreaded telemarketing racket. Seven telemarketing calls the day after it was installed. and the telemarketing company even knew the name. You can't tell me they don't sell their lists. It is maddening when you have not given your number to anyone and the phone never stops ringing. Registering for the Do Not Call list at http://www.donotcall.gov/ is great but it takes 30 days. I may be a madwoman by then.

Another sad thing happened this week. Charlie Ryan passed away at the age of 92. He wrote and performed the song, Hot Rod Lincoln. You made have heard it. Charlie was just the nicest fellow you would ever want to meet. I will write a separate story about him and my experiences with him. Rest in Peace, Charlie.

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

Typical Tuesday

Well, it was a Typical Tuesday. Got up, went to work, came home, ate dinner, went to bed. Pretty boring huh? At least it seems that way but as I reflected over all the things I had done it wasn't so boring after all.

It started when I got up and checked my email. An email titled Pretty Lady caught my eye and this is what I found.

Now, to some of you that might be a little boring but to me, "It made my Day". It has been a long time since I had seen that picture. I remember when that picture was taken. The sweater, my mother's best pearls, the hair cut, and the fact I didn't smile with my mouth open. I was very self conscious of my teeth. I had been teased about my big teeth in previous pictures so I was determined not to let them show that year. I can tell you it put a smile on my face to be able to reconnect with that picture.

I got to work, walked to my desk, propped up against my computer was a sheet of paper. Again, it may be boring to you but to me "It made my Day". It was a quality assessment that had been done by the company I work for. My score was 100%. The hand lettering ftom my supervisor was a handmade star and the words, "You are a Rockstar". Again, it brought a smile to my face. I was happy to be at work and to know my superiors think I am doing great even if I am napping. Boy, do I have them fooled.



After work, I had to run to catch the bus, hoping I would make it and I got there just as the bus pulled up. As I stepped onto the bus, and went to deposit my money for the ride the bus driver says, "Don't do that, use this." and gave me a free pass. Again, you make think it strange to get a free bus pass, but it "It Made my Day". You can bet I had a smile on my face as I said thank you and the bus driver returned my smile.



At home I remembered, I had received in the mail a letter asking me to help write a book. Its a book on Hometown Memories . The editor's name and phone number were on the letter so I picked up the phone. He answered, we connected. He was very interested to talk to me because I had grown up with the same convenience of the day, outdoor toilets, wash tub baths, apple butter makin's, corn shuckin's etc etc. We had a great conversation reminiscing about the "good old days". To some of you a phone call may be boring but it "Made my Day" to know that someone else thinks stories of long ago should be preserved. I will write my story for his book and hope I win the $250 prize for the best story. That will certainly bring a wall to wall smile to my face.


Dinner time came and I did not have to cook. It was cooked and served to me. Granted, it was only pizza but it was delicious. "It Made My Day". You may think its boring to get excited over pizza but knowing someone cared enough about me to feed me one of my favorite dishes! I had a big smile on my face as I ate the last piece. There is not a pizza picture because there was nothing left to take a picture of.

A little bit of time in the Chat Room "Made my Day". A chat with friends always brings a smile to my face. Thanks Gang!!!! There is never any lack of topics there and it is always enjoyable. No pictures of chat - maybe next time.

A couple other phone calls and a phone call from the grandkids brought another smile to my face. They are very punctual with their Goodnight Granny's and I Love You's. It "Makes My Day" every night.


As I said my goodnight prayers and reflected on my day, it wasn't a Typical Tuesday after all.

That "Made My Day" and brought a smile to my face as I drifted off to sleep.

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

Busy Weekend

Well, I had a pretty busy weekend.Saturday I decided it was time I got some shopping done. So it was off to Walmart> Looked around for awhile and bought a few things. Checked out the telephones. Gonna have to break down and buy a new phone. Just not today.

Went out to Breakfast and came home. Took a nap for awhile and then decided to go to Hancock Fabric. They were having a sale. I can never pass up a good sale.

After going through all their pattern catalogs I selected 6 patterns I was interested in. Their ad said Simplicity patterns were 99 cents and McCall patterns were a dollar. I had 5 Simplicity and one McCalls. Went through the cashier, she rang them up and told me it was almost 20 dollars. "$$Twenty $Dollars????". The ad says they are either .99 cents or $1. Well, you have to read the fine print Mc Calls Patterns are not on sale until next Thursday. Okay I don't need the McCalls. Why would I pay $13.50 this week when I can come back next week and get it for $1.

I then went to the Dollar Store and came home. I took out my patterns and my material, looked at them and decided all that shopping had made me tired and I needed another nap. Sewing will wait til another day.

After my nap I spent some time in the RV Dreams Chat Room chatting with my friends. The chat room is always fun. This is a great group of people. There is always something to talk about.

Sunday morning I was up bright and early around 4AM....no idea why I couldn't sleep. Decided to tackle a little more of my mountain and do a little spring cleaning. Well I only filled two boxes and threw out a sack full of things. But the mountain is getting smaller. Next to tackle is the closets. I just don't know what will happen to Fibber McGee.

Needed a new telephone, so off I went shopping again. I have never seen so many phone choices. I need one with big numbers. A lot of them have so much information in that little bitty Caller ID screen you need to have a magnifying glass to read it. I need one that I can hold in my hand and push one button at a time. I am not a fan of those thin, ones that have all the little buttons . I am having enough trouble with my IPOD. Its like a foreign language. A phone like that would push MY buttons. Went to Best Buy, Circuit City, Staples, Shopko, and back to Wal Mart. Finally found a phone at Wal Mart. The same phone I looked at yesterday and less expensive.



Stopped by to see the grandkids for a while and deliver their valentines. They were excited because there had been a moose in their mobile home park siince Friday. Went looking for it but did not see it.





Grilled a steak outside and made shrimp scampi and baked potato for dinner. Finished with some Tillamook Mountain Huckleberry Ice Cream. That's my favorite.



Back into chat for awhile and then to bed. I don't know what I did all weekend but it is Monday and I sure am tired.

Goodbye Rod

Well, today I said goodbye to a friend. My friend Rod Newby passed away a few days ago. The funeral was yesterday. The church was overflowing with people who had come to pay their last respects.

The world has lost a great man. He was a family man. His faith and his family was most important to him. It was evident by the tributes written by his family and all the things they remembered about him. He was a giver. His love for his wife was like none I have ever known. Everything he did was focused on his family. His love of sports and hunting was instilled in his children and grandchildren. I am sure he never missed a game when his children and grandchildren were playing. He was the type of guy who always had a smile on his face and always had time for all of his friends. I will miss you, my friend. .

Life is sweet,
just because of the friends we have made,
And the things which in common we share;
We want to live on, not because of ourselves,
But because of the people who care.
It's giving and doing for somebody else -
On that, all life's splendor depends...
And the joy of this world,
when you've summed it all up,
Is found in the making of friends.

Because of the life he lived he will never be forgotten and his legacy will live on.


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

Red Hearts and Blue Skies

Happy Valentines Day yesterday. I got some Valentines , some chocolates and a teddy bear. A couple of phone calls made it a great day .

Today has been sunny and the snow is melting. Thought my readers might like to see we actually do have blue skies in Spokane.


I took this picture of my workplace. You can see the snow is gone from the parking lot.

A picture of a downtown street. There is no snow on the streets only piles of dirty ick in the corners of lots. Those blue skies and sunshine are certainly a welcome sight.

And there you have it -- As my father would say "That's it for today".

More Snow

Well, there is not much going on here this week. Weather has been moderate. We are in a slow thaw. We have actually seen the sun a couple days in a row now. That's a first this year. I actually remembered what it looked like - once I saw it. Since I don't have any pictures to share I thought you might enjoy a slideshow from the Washington Department Of Transportation of Snoqualmie Pass in Western Washington.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/wsdot/sets/72157603661683249/show/

That should make you want to go play in the snow!!

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

Poetry

It's no secret I love to read. Poetry is a big favorite. Here is a couple of quotes from Elbert Hubbard and a couple other favorite poems of mine.


A friend is one who knows you and loves you just the same. Elbert Hubbard

My father always used to say that when you die, if you've got five real friends, you've had a great life."Elbert Hubbard

"Never Explain--your Friends do not need it and your Enemies will not believe you anyway."Elbert Hubbard


A Friend's Greeting

I'd like to be the sort of friend
thatyou have been to me;
I'd like to be the help thatyou've been
always glad to be;
I'd like to mean as much to you
each minute of the day
As you have meant, old friend of mine,
to me along the way.

I'd like to do the big things
and the splendid things for you,
To brush the gray from out your skies
and leave them only blue;
I'd like to say the kindly things
thatI so oft have heard,
And feel that I could rouse your soul
the way that mine you've stirred.

I'd like to give you back the joy
that you have given me,
Yet that were wishing you a need
I hope will never be;
I'd like to make you feel
as rich as I,who travel on
Undaunted in the darkest hours
with you to lean upon.

I'm wishing at this time
that I could but repay
A portion of the gladness
thatyou've strewn along my way;
And could I have one wish this year,
this only would it be:
I 'd like to be the sort of friend
that you have been to me.- Edgar A Guest -


And from The Spell of the Yukon By Robert Service

There's a land where the mountains are nameless,
And the rivers all run God knows where;
There are lives that are erring and aimless,
And deaths that just hang by a hair;
There are hardships that nobody reckons;
There are valleys unpeopled and still;
There's a land-- oh, it beckons and beckons,
And I want to go back-- and I will."

snd my all time favorite

TREES

by: Joyce Kilmer (1886-1918)
THINK that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.

A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the earth's sweet flowing breast;

A tree that looks at God all day,
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;

A tree that may in Summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;

Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.

Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.

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

Snowdrifts to Potholes

Well, I thought maybe with the warmer temperatures the news would not be full of weather. Boy was I wrong.

All three of the local stations featured the weather on their nightly newscast. With the above freezing temperatures this past weekend and the weatherman forecasting warmer temperatures this week flooding is on the horizon. Low lying rivers and creeks are being watched very carefully.

Our snow is going away only to be replaced with deep puddles of water standing in the streets. The melting snow has also revealed lots of potholes and not necessarily small ones. Potholes are worse than ever. There is even a Pothole line in Spokane. The car repair business is really picking up especially those who do alignments. There is a search on for Spokane's Biggest Pothole.

The freeway (I 90) between Spokane and Seattle has been closed off and on the past couple weeks. This is the first time in the forty plus years I have lived in the Pacific Northwest i remember the freeway being shut down this much.

Over the weekend, Northern Idaho also had closed roads. The major North-South Highway 95 was closed at Worley. Twelve foot snowdrifts caused by blowing and drifting snow. That is the road I travel when I go to the Cda Casino. Good thing I didn't plan to go last weekend.

Enough Snow!!!! I am moving South!!

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

Raggedy Aud and Other Tales.

Well, since I have not had much to write about in the past few days, I thought I would share a little about one of my favorite hobbies. It ranks right up there with traveling. That hobby is Genealogy.

When I was a little girl I always knew I had lots of relatives - they always came to visit. Some stopped for overnight. A lot of them stayed at least a week or more. Some just moved in for awhile. They always had stories to swap. I was always curious and asked who the man was that came to visit. He told me "I am your cousin Raggedy Aud". From that day to this I have always called him Raggedy Aud. When I started doing genealogy, I found out he wasn't even related, his wife was a distant cousin and he just came to visit with my grandparents.

The picture above is My Grandfather Ham Swift, My Grandmother Laura Alice Arnold Swift and three of their eight children, Wiley, John, and Stacy Swift. It was taken around 1908.

When I was in my thirties, I decided to start tracing my family history. I have a database of over 25,000 people all related directly to me. I wanted to share a few pointers on how to start your own family tree.

Start with what you know. Begin with yourself. Add your parents, grandparents and if you know the names of your great grandparents list them also. Also keep them numbered, It helps when you have additional names and keeps them straight.

1. Yourself
2nd Generation
2. Your Father
3. Your Mother
3rd Generation
4. Your Father's Father (grandparents)
5. Your Father's Mother
6. Your Mother's Father
7. Your Mother's Mother
4th Generation
8. Your Father's Paternal Grandfather (great grandparents)
9. Your Father's Paternal Grandmother
10. Your Father's Maternal Grandfather
11. Your Father's Maternal Grandmother
etc. etc. You will see a pattern beginning with #1 The father is always listed as even and the mother as odd numbers. Each generation back doubles the number. #2's father is #4 and #4's father is #8.

Start asking questions. Talk to your parents, grandparents, anyone who will listen. In my opinion we never talk to our parents or grandparents enough. They will have wonderful stories to tell. Make sure to always have a notebook and pencil or a tape recorder with blank tapes. Document everything. Even the minutest piece of information can be helpful and it may be the clue you need later on. Always date where and when and who you got your information from. That was a big mistake I made early on. So I have information i know is correct but can't remember where I got it from. Don't forget to talk to other members of your family (aunts, uncles, etc.) . They will give you a different perspective.

By keeping good records you can transfer all the information to Family Group sheets and pedigree charts. This keeps it organized so you don't need to look for it later on.

A good software for computer use is Brodebrund Family Treemaker. It is user friendly. You can also add to it at any time. It keeps it straight and you can print out your pedigree charts and Family Group Charts for your working notebook.

With a good base, you now become a detective as you start to look for missing information. Census records, obituaries, cemeteries, courthouses, birth records, death records, service records are all great places to collect information.

How far you search and what you do with it is up to you. Everyone's family is different but this is a hobby well worth pursuing. Just be prepared to learn a lot of history and have fun doing it.

Ini the words of my Father, "That's it For Today."

Shorter and Not So Sweet

Well, not much going on here except the weather is warming somewhat and the wind is blowing. Wind chill factor makes it seem a lot colder and the snow is not melting like you would expect.

We had road closures and pass closures due to drifting snow and avalanche conditions. A semi loaded with approximately 64,000 pounds of milk lost control and overturned on the freeway. Most of the milk spilled onto the freeway. Snoqualmie Pass was also closed due to avalanches.

The rest of the news was political which I won't get into. We were visited by both Obama and Clinton Parties. I opted to stay home with my book.

Looking forward to the weekend.

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

Short and Sweet

Well, not much going on here today. The snowstorm that was predicted did not materialize. However, the sun did not show up either. Just another cold, dreary day here. We have survived Groundhog's Day, The Super Bowl, and Super Tuesday. Only 44 days still spring. Sunny days "should" be coming our way soon.

A picture is worth one thousand words. Enjoy!!

And in the words of my Father, "That's It For Today!"

Typical Monday

Well, it has been a typical Monday. Monday blahs. The start of a new work week.

When I was growing up we did the same chores each week. Monday was always wash day. That meant going to the creek for water, heating it on the cook stove or out back over an open fire, getting out the washtubs, washing the clothes, carrying more water from the creek for rinsing, hanging the clothes on the clothesline to dry. After the clothes were dried you had to put them away again. Boy, I am glad I don't hve to do all that work on a Monday. My grandmother had dishtowels with chores for every day of the week embroidered on them.

Monday: Wash Day
Tuesday: Ironing Day
Wednesday: Sewing Day
Thursday: Market Day
Friday: Cleaning Day
Saturday: Baking Day
Sunday: Day of Rest

For the most part, she followed those same chore days week after week. In today's world we don't follow a schedule like that.
I wash the clothes when they get dirty. Any day(or night) of the week works for me.
As for ironing, I threw the iron out years ago!!
Sewing, I sew when the mood strikes me. However, I have been sewing more lately.
Market Day is every time I am hungry and pass a grocery store.
Cleaning - if the mountain gets too high - it's time to do something about it. (Just kidding).
Baking Day - Good thing the bakery is just around the corner.
A day to rest - or catch up on all the work I should have done throughout the week.
No wonder I am tired on Monday. I have to go back to work to rest up!

There you have it - a typical Monday. In the words of my father, "Thats it for Today".

Oh and one other thing. Happy Birthday Deborah!! You're not geting older - only better!!

Sunshine - Oh Boy!!

Sharing a picture of blue skies in Spokane----there is hope that we will see Spring soon.



Well, since I put off my spring cleaning yesterday in lieu of going to visit the grandkids I figured I ought to get started on it today. First off, I started by doing laundry, washing some bedding that needed to be washed. Then I started to tackle my desk--that is a job in itself. Well that went pretty well and I did get rid of a small "hill" of paper. I finished today by cleaning out a couple drawers and part of a closet. Now tell me why would anyone want to own 17 purses?????

On another note, today would have been my mother in law's birthday. Unfortunately she passed away last month. She was like my own mother. I was her other daughter. We shared many many happy memories and birthdays together. Happy Birthday Gram. I love you.

A light from the family is gone
A voice we loved is stilled
A place is vacant in the home
Which never can be filled
We have to mourn the loss of one
We would’ve loved to keep
But God who surely loved her best
Has finally made her sleep

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

TGIF

Well, It is another TGIF (Thank God It's Friday) day today. Looking forward to a two day reprieve. However, I don't think it will be that. This is the weekend I plan to start my spring cleaning. It's only 47 days til spring and it is never too early to start. I have decided I have too much darn junk and I need to get rid of some of it. I am a paper person. I just love paper, books, magazines, notebooks, newspapers, loose paper. It all finds me and I seem to hang on to it. So this weekend I am going to TRY to let go of some of it. I will let you know how it goes.

On another note, The snow situation is improving. there was only a trace of snow yesterday but I hear there is more in store for the weekend. Our area of Washington and North Idaho has been declared in a state of emergency. Buildings have collapsed, roads closed, the major freeway between Spokane and Seattle has been closed since Tuesday. I have decided I am moving to Arizona. At least I think it is warmer there - even a few degrees would be okay with me. It has been so long since I have seen the sun I can't remember what color it is.

Well, I am off for a good night's sleep, Paper Mountain awaits me tomorrow.

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