The Retro Queen

2007-10-14T15:48:00.000-07:00

Anyone Remember This?

2007-10-07T15:49:00.001-07:00

Anyone else out there remember stuff like this from the 1970's & 80's? I was cleaning out some old boxes of papers I'd collected over the years and ran across this.

God Is Like . . .

God is like Coke - He's the real thing.

God is like Pan Am - He makes the going great.

God is like General Electric - He lights your path.

God is like Hallmark Cards - He cares enough to send the very best.

God is like Tide - He gets the stains out that others leave behind.

God is like VO Hair Spray - He holds through all kinds of weather.

God is like Dial Soap - Aren't you glad you know Him? Don't you wish everyone did?

God is like Sears - He has everything.

God is like Alka-Seltzer - Try Him, you'll like Him.

God is like Scotch tape - You can't see Him but you know He's there.

- Barnwell (S.C.) People-Sentinel

Being There For A Friend

2007-09-21T14:04:00.000-07:00

This past week my best friend's mother died. The funeral was today. She had Alzheimer's and had been slowly disappearing both mentally and physically. D showed such love and patience with her mother and had found very good care for her. They were very close and this will be a difficult loss and yet at the same time it was an answer to my friend's prayer that something would take her mother before the Alzheimer's totally took every shred of who she had once been. Although she had shrunk to a mere 60 pounds and maybe 4' 8" and had been robbed of most of her memories and abilities, she could still respond to questions and prompts and knew who her children were. We had just taken her to lunch with us last Tuesday and upon returning to her room she told D that that would probably be the last time as it was just too tiring. On Friday she slipped into a coma like state and died Saturday morning. D gave me 40 pictures of her mother from throughout her life which I scanned and made into a slide show for the service today. It not only gave them a visual reminder of her, but helped them to get past the awful or just plain weird things that this disease made her say and do, and help them remember what she had truly been like.

D and I have known each other since high school (over 40 years now) and although we were always good friends, it has been in the last ten years that we have truly become best friends. With the children grown and gone we've had more time to get together and our husbands have become best friends as well which makes for a really nice foursome for dinner, or cards or a trip to the beach. We've also come to value our friendship enough to make allowances or not let little things bother us like they might have when we were younger.

She sometimes feels like she's always the one asking my help (such as the slide show or transportation or .....) and that I'm never needing help in return, but I beg to differ. She is the one who has been my emotional support these past few years. She is the one that when the depression was so bad and I almost never left my house, she insisted I go shopping with her so I could help her find what she needed. The one who can always make me laugh. The one who invited me to go to TOPS with her when I complained about my weight gain after thyroid surgery. The own who gently nudges me to go or do or enjoy. The one I took a 4 week road trip with two summers ago and had a blast. The one who loves me even with my imperfections. In short - she is my friend. I love you D.

Our First Grandchild

2007-09-17T13:55:00.000-07:00

Our son and daughter-in-law were blessed in July with a healthy baby girl. Their first child and our first grandchild. She's a petite little thing, weighing in at 5 lbs. 9 oz. and 18 1/2 inches long. She has a good set of lungs, is very alert, strong and hungry, hungry, hungry. When she wants to be fed or to have her diaper changed, she wants it now. I had mentioned to them that her daddy had been very demanding as a baby (that hasn't changed). Can we all say payback? She was very active in the womb so we shall see if that continues now that she's out here in the world at large. Hopefully she won't be too much of a handful since I'll be helping to care for her when my daughter-in-law goes back to work. I don't know how soon that will be though - she's really loving the mommy role and 3 months is going by fast. She's thinking of asking her boss if she can use some of her sick time for another couple of weeks off.

My daughter and son-in-law flew out to spend a week visiting with their new little niece and my husband is already wrapped around her little finger. We're all enjoying her very much.

Happy 4th of July

2007-07-04T13:50:00.000-07:00

Let freedom ring! We are so blessed to live here. There are a lot of wonderful places in the world, but none with the type of history and freedoms that this country has had. I hope you have a fantastic and safe holiday celebrating our country's independence.

Times Change

2007-07-01T13:08:00.000-07:00

Times change and so must we. The more things change the more they stay the same. Which is true? Are they both true? Is it only our surroundings that change and we stay the same or do we by necessity change in order to adapt to our changing environment? Is it only the way in which we interact with our surroundings that changes or does our inward, fundamental character change as well?

I believe that both statements are true. We do have to change and adapt as things around us change. Sometimes those changes can be quick and necessary as in a matter of survival, or sometimes slower because we're resistant to the changes or need time to adjust and change our thinking. We are born with a particular personality that has both positive and negative aspects to it. Our environment (parents, siblings, teachers, friends and the world in general) interact with our personality based on their own personalities and bring out the positive or negative in ours. They help to shape our thinking, our character and how we react to what goes on in our world.

Although our personality is there for life, how we operate or react is not. We can choose to accentuate the positive and have the negative take a back seat. We can change or improve character traits. We can change how we look at things and how we react to things. Is it easy? No, or we would see more people doing it. Is it impossible? No, because we do see people doing it. Basic human nature will always be with us, good and evil will always be with us, but that is not a license to give up or to say change is impossible.

Well, I'm off to see if I can play up the more positive aspects of me and downplay the negative. Maybe, just maybe, I can turn someday into today.

Sadie

2007-03-22T13:47:00.000-07:00

Well, Sadie has proved once again that she is one lucky dog. Or is it unlucky? The reason I say that is that she seems to have been a bit accident prone over the years, but also comes out none the worse for wear each time. Last week she tangled with a car and came out of it with a couple of scrapes. She was out front with Big Bear while he finished up some work in the yard, saw something (cat) across the street and darted into the street just as a car was going by. She hit the car rather than the car hitting her or it would have been a lot worse. She has a skinned spot under her chin and one on her left leg and was undoubtedly a bit bruised and sore. I took her into the vet and he checked her over, gave me some cream for the scrapes and an anti-inflammatory/pain reliever. $91.50 later we went home and she stayed pretty quiet for the next two days. By the end of the second day she was back to her normal prancing step, jumping up to follow me with no problem at all. Big Bear says she's not going out front with him any more unless I'm out there to watch her.

She turned 11 years old this month and shows no signs of arthritis or any other health problems. She's as nimble and springy as ever and does not seem to show many signs of aging other then gray hair and a little less energy. She has been a little quieter this past year, but that has been due to her missing our other dog and wanting to stay in the house with me. She's been like my shadow since Cody died. He was not quite 7 and became quite ill (vet thinks it might have been cancer). Even before that though he had been having problems with his joints and stiffness. Part of the difference probably lies with their size and breed. Cody was a 100 lb. yellow lab while Sadie is a 50 lb. mixed breed. Her mother was a lab/rottweiler mix and I figure that dad must have been a border collie because she looks and acts a lot more like a border collie then either a lab or a rottweiler. The only thing she seems to have gotten from mom is the big deep bark and the all black color. She's a bit stubborn too, I was able to teach Cody not to go past the curb, but Sadie doesn't always want to adhere to that (obviously). Cody's ball could go rolling into the street and he would stop at the curb and wait for one of us to go get it. :o) Big Bear just loved it because he could wash the car, mow the lawn, etc. and Cody would just follow along dropping the ball at his feet.

Good News

2007-01-20T13:44:00.000-08:00

Although the Thanksgiving weekend brought sadness with the loss of a family friend in a boating accident on the Willamette River(and they still haven't found his body) it also brought some good news. Our son and daughter-in-law announced that they are expecting. This will be their first child and our first grandchild. We're very excited and they've asked if I would help care for it when she returns to work. The baby is due in July and she'll have 3 months maternity leave. They live just half a mile from us so I'll get to be the hands on Grandma I've always hoped to be. I hope I'm up to the task energy wise. I was a young mom, but my kids are late having their kids so I'm going to be an older grandma. It's inspired me to start sewing and quilting again. I want to make lots of wonderful clothes and blankets and toys for this new little one. Of course, that means I have to get organized and clear out all the boxes and junk so I can even get into my sewing room to clean it up and do all that sewing.

Stormy

2006-12-15T13:06:00.000-08:00

It was a wild ride home tonight, but not the worst I've been in. I went into Portland this afternoon to take my cousin into the Doctor (it turns out she has walking pneumonia). I then took her to the grocery store and pharmacy before finally getting her back home and then stopped by my brothers. It was 6:30pm and dark when I headed home and the storm was hitting a little earlier then predicted. It was already getting pretty windy and pouring rain, but my route wasn't too bad because at least all the lights were still working. I could hear on the radio that several roads around the Portland area had lights out and trees falling. They predict 60 mph winds through the night and the coast was already having 100 mph winds with 30 foot waves. It's supposed to let up by morning.

Having lived here all of my life I can say that it's pretty much normal to have this happen a couple of times each fall or winter. Every few years we have one that's a doozy and causes a lot of damage. November set a new record for rainfall. The previous record was set back in 1942. Needless to say the rivers are high and there's been some flooding. Tillamook (along the coast) always seems to get the worst of it. It's a low lying area and has a lot of dairies and they had quite a bit of flooding and lost some cows.

Oregon's terrain and winter weather is definitely demanding respect right now. There are 3 experienced climbers missing on Mt. Hood and this latest storm is continuing to hamper rescue efforts. A California family got lost on a forest road (wrong turn) while traveling through Oregon and got caught in a snow storm. They had been missing for about 10 days before they were found and the father had tried to walk for help and died. Two other families got stuck or lost while Christmas tree cutting and were found safe. Last month a little boy went missing in the Crater Lake area just as the snows had started and I don't think they found him. We don't like to hear it or think about it, but it happens every year just as the drowning's do in our lakes and rivers.

Thanksgiving weekend brought that home to our family and friends. Our nephew bought his first house this summer and wanted to host the family get together. His mom & dad and the rest of us brought the food and we had a good time. He proudly showed off his home and his new fishing boat. On Saturday my brother-in-law, nephew and two of their friends went fishing on the Willamette. The boat capsized and they hung on to the little bit of hull showing above water. The water was only 47 degrees and the river was running high, fast and full of debris. My brother-in-laws best friend let go of the boat in an attempt to swim for shore and did not make it. They still have not found his body. The other three were rescued after about 30 minutes and my nephews core body temperature was 93 degrees. They were all sent to the hospital and warmed up and checked out. The friend that was lost was a great guy and very well liked. He will be missed.

Painting

2006-09-18T12:43:00.000-07:00

Last summer Big Bear and K built us a new shed in the back yard and used the horizontal hardiplank siding that we're thinking of using on the house. The house was built in 1971 and has the vertical t-111 that was so popular in the seventies. It's in desperate need of paint and the old aluminum windows need to be replaced as well. We can't afford to do the windows or replace the siding right now so we may have to just go ahead and paint it. What I'd like to do is make the windows bigger and put the horizontal siding on. It would give the house a whole new look.

In the meantime I've decided on the colors I want. We hadn't painted the shed yet so I've used that as a way to try out my colors to make sure I really like them. I picked a medium grayish blue for the siding, white for the trim and burgundy for the doors. With the shed getting full sun most of the day and me not being a morning person I wasn't getting very much done on it, but it's nearly done now. I have a little trimming to finish on the blue and some touch up on the white and now that the cooler weather has arrived it will be a race against the rain.

The house has a lot of brick across the front and it needs some repair, but I do want to keep it. I've always liked it and it's very unique. One of the bricks is light gray in color and the other is pink with burgundy flecks. I'm hoping it will look good against the darker blue. The current color is a lighter blue with no trim color and pink for the doors. Very much in need of repair and updating, but I'm sticking with my bent for color and in particular blue. I don't like the baby poop browns they're using on all the new housing and don't want my house to look like everybody else's anyway.

Big Bear sanded the front door for me and I put 2 coats of the burgundy on it with 2 more to go. It's darker than I originally wanted, but I think it'll work.

The rain arrived while I was painting the front door, but it's under a corner overhang so that was no problem. It was a problem for a poor honeybee though. I went back to my painting and he eventually dried off enough to take off.

Steve Irwin dead at 44

2006-09-05T11:04:00.000-07:00

My sympathies go out to his wife, children and close friends. They have lost someone they knew and loved deeply.

The world at large also mourns for we have lost a larger than life personality that deeply believed in what he was doing. His commitment and compassion for animals and the environment along with his hyperactive antics certainly made his documentaries entertaining to watch and made him a household name as "The Crocodile Hunter". He is probably Australia's best known figure and will be sorely missed by all, but especially by those at the Australia Zoo in Queensland.

He was filming a new documentary or series on deadly sea creatures when he was stung by a stingray. The news has said that the stingray's barb went into Steve's chest and his heart and that he probably died instantly. His friends and co-workers tried desperately to revive him, but to no avail. Yes, he took risks, but that's what you do when you live life large and believe in what you do. He accomplished a lot, we just wish he could have been around a little longer.

Miss Kitty is happy

2006-09-04T10:57:00.000-07:00

D and K arrived home on Friday. Miss Kitty was hiding under the bed, but after a bit D managed to coax her out. Miss Kitty wanted D to pet her, then she wanted out, then she wanted back in to be petted, then she wanted out and so it went, back and forth. I think she just wanted to make sure the door still worked. ;-) On Saturday they took Big Bear and I out for a very nice dinner as a thank you for taking care of their place while they were gone.

We've had a very laid back weekend. Did a little bit of yard and garden stuff on Sunday afternoon. Gave the neighbor some tomatoes and they in turn gave us some apples (hopefully I'll get around to making a pie with them). Today Big Bear put new air filters on both vehicles and even washed them! I did some painting - I'm trying out some prospective house colors on the shed. I figured that painting the new shed with the colors I had picked out was a good way to make sure I liked them before buying enough to do the whole house. I'm happy with the blue (medium grayish blue) that I picked for the siding and the white for the trim, but am not happy with the color I picked for the doors. I wanted a burgundy and that's what it looked like on a small chip, but it's way to violet/magenta. Luckily I painted a bench on the patio first to try it out when I saw how magenta it was. Even though it darkened a lot once it was dry it's still not the color I was after. I'm going to have the store add some more black and brown to it and see if that does the trick.

Tomorrow I'm going over to a friends to help her tie some baby quilts that she donates to a hospital. Maybe I can actually remember to take the paint with me and get the color corrected.

Blogging?

2006-08-29T13:03:00.000-07:00

My how things change. A few months back I knew virtually nothing about blogging and now I'm hooked. Oh sure, I had heard of it and knew it was a web log or journal or diary written by anyone who wanted to do one and read by anyone who wanted to take the time to do so. I just couldn't figure out why the average person would want to do that.

I figured it was more for people who wanted to voice their opinion on issues of the day, or politics, or for writers or businesses, etc. I found it kind of odd that people would write about their day to day lives and even odder that someone who didn't know that person would want to read it. What I didn't realize was how interactive it can be and how much I would enjoy "getting to know" people through their written words.

There are so many different types of blogs and the serious and informative ones are certainly important and have their place, but the ones that I have come to enjoy the most are the ones written by everyday people who have a gift for telling stories of everyday life in such a way as to make you laugh, or nod in agreement or feel emotion of some kind because it's stuff you can relate to. I've never been much of a writer, but I have thoroughly enjoyed setting up my page and learning lots of new stuff in the process and meeting lots of great people. The bonus is it's making me write. Because how can you have a blog and not write?

Willamette River Pictures

2006-08-28T23:28:00.000-07:00

This is Portland from the Willamette River. The river divides Portland east and west and runs north and south. It is the only river in the USA to begin and end in one state. It starts in the Cascade mountains and ends at the Columbia which then flows to the Pacific Ocean. Of the navigable rivers that run north and south it is the second largest in the world, the largest being the Nile in Egypt.

The Rundown

2006-08-27T13:14:00.000-07:00

Saturday 8-19 - D and K leave to visit their kids in Kentucky and Pennsylvania. Big Bear and I are in charge of keeping an eye on their place, watering flowers and checking on Miss Kitty. She is an indoor/outdoor kitty who is used to being outside during the day, but will be kept indoors for the two weeks they are gone. They live on a very wooded 2.5 acres so leaving enough food and water out for two weeks is not an option (all kinds of critters would be up there eating it and it would be gone in a day). Besides the food issue, she has a wound on her side (probably another animal) so we wanted her in the house for safety and to keep an eye on the wound. Miss Kitty is a very skittish cat, but a very loving and gentle cat. She was a stray that somebody threw away as a kitten and it took D 6 months of feeding her on the deck before she allowed D to get close enough to pet her or let her into the house.

Sunday 8-20 - We make our first visit to water, etc. and Big Bear promptly lets Miss Kitty escape out the back door. There's no getting her back so we finish the watering and head home.

Monday 8-21 - Big Bear feels bad about Miss Kitty and stops by their place on his way home from work. He sees her but she won't come near him.

Tuesday 8-22 - I go over in the late afternoon and in addition to doing the watering I take my dinner and just sit around for awhile hoping she'll show up. She'll usually come to me, but I was there nearly 2 hours and never saw her.

Wednesday 8-23 - D calls and I do not want to answer the phone and tell her we lost Miss Kitty. She calls again and I answer and face the music. Big Bear gets home from work and is really stressing about it. I tell him stressing about it isn't going to do any good and we'll wait until evening to try again since that's more likely to be when she's used to coming in. We go over and I have Big Bear stay in the house so he doesn't frighten her and I go outside with a handful of food to see if I can find her. Well, what do you know, as I exit out the garage there she is. She scurries off and looks at me from a distance. I bend down and dribble some food out of my hand while gently calling her. She comes over to me to get petted and I scoop her up and head into the house. She was much more interested in the attention than the food. All is well and I call D to tell her.

Thursday 8-24 & Friday 8-25 - The weather is cooler and Miss Kitty inside so no need to go over until Saturday. Friday morning I went to my TOPS meeting and Friday afternoon Big Bear and I joined our son & DIL for a cruise down the Willamette River on an old sternwheeler followed by dinner at our local pub & grill. A very enjoyable afternoon. I was taking pictures like mad when suddenly the camera quit. Dagnabbit, the battery was dead and I hadn't brought the spare. Oh well, from then on it was just enjoy the ride.

Saturday 8-26 - Went over to D's place and did the watering and checked on Miss Kitty. I couldn't coax her out from under the bed. She obviously does not like being cooped up in the house all by herself, but I could tell she's been eating so will assume she's O.K.

Albums In My Collection

2006-04-30T12:45:00.000-07:00

These are some of the albums (and cds) that I've enjoyed over the years. It's an eclectic mix of new and old and various styles. There's so many more I could add, but I had to stop somewhere. I still have my original St. Pepper's album from 1967.

Me, Myself & I (Basics 101)

2006-04-30T10:13:00.000-07:00

All the things you never wanted to know about me and in no particular order.

I was born and grew up in Oregon.
My heritage is German on my father's side and English, Irish, Welsh on my mother's.
I have one brother who is 16 months younger.
I'm 5'2" tall, with blue eyes, fair skin and medium brown hair (which I sometimes frost or highlight).
I got my dad's fine straight hair (my brother got mom's course, curly hair).
I was very blonde as a child, but it got darker and darker through my teens & twenties.
I have very little gray (thanks Dad). My brother grayed early like mom.
My husband also has one brother (younger) which obviously means we're both first born.
Which also means we both want to be the boss. Somehow we've managed to stay married for 38 years.
I was 19 and he was 22 when we married.
We have two children. A son 37 and a daughter 34.
I'm named after my two grandmothers and I like my names. My husband is named after his two grandfathers. Is this coincidence?
Both of our children are married and chose great partners.
Our son and his wife live just half a mile from us. Our daughter and her husband live in Indiana (much too far away, but they're happy and that's where he's from).
We have no grandchildren as yet which is too bad because I love kids.
I've always been an animal lover and have had cats and dogs my entire life.
I have a dog named Sadie and two cats whose names are Thomas and Mr. O'Reilly.
Our yellow lab died December 30. His name was Cody.
My favorite color is blue. My next favorites are red and purple.
The color I look best in is pink, but blue is a close second.
All of my parents and grandparents are dead. I miss my maternal grandmother the most and she's the one I quilted with.
I love a good roadtrip. The longer the better.
I been in 26 of the 50 states.
Canada and Mexico are the only foreign countries I've been to.
I spend way too much time on the computer.
I don't like being told what to do, how to do it and when to do it.
My favorite job (and most important) was raising our two children, but I've had lots of other jobs as well.
I've been a waitress.
Sold real estate.
Did daycare in my home.
Taught preschool and been a teacher's aide.
Worked in the purchasing office of a manufacturing firm (and relieved the receptionist).
Secretary to the community school director.
Sewed for people and taught sewing as well as sewed for my family.
Worked in fabric stores and a women's clothing store.
Worked in a book & gift store.
Owned my own book, gift and music store in the 1990's.
Taught scrapbooking classes for a craft book publisher at scrapbooking conventions around the country.
I've also done a lot of volunteer work.
I coached little league baseball and soccer.
Was a member of the PTA and room mother several times. Helped out in the classroom when needed.
Was a bluebird leader, cub scout leader and 4-H leader.
Children's Sunday School Teacher.
Adult Sunday School Teacher and bible study leader.
Junior High Youth Group Leader & Sunday School Teacher and helped the Youth Minister with the high school group.
Summer camp counselor (jr. high & high school).
At camp I was known as the camera lady. I would take pictures all week long and then give the kids a slide show put to music on their last night.
I was in Toastmasters for several years (public speaking) and put it to use at various church and community functions.
I'm currently leader of a TOPS group (Take Off Pounds Sensibly).
My only surgery was removal of half of my thyroid because of a lump which was benign thank goodness, but the size of an egg. I can swallow pills now :o)
I love clothes, shoes, jewelry and ......... (I just plain love to shop and am a true packrat - which is not a good thing).
I like what I'm wearing to match and passed that on to my daughter. There are times however, when I'm lazy and don't give a rip.
I always got compliments on how nice my children looked clear up through high school. My children were well-behaved for the most part. My son was a definite challenge for both us and teachers (button pusher extraordinaire), but a good kid so we all survived.
My husband and I never finished college, but both of our children did.
I love to play board games and cards. My husband doesn't like playing games and the kids are gone, so I play mostly on the computer ;-)
My taste in music is eclectic and varies with my mood, but 60's & 70's rock is my favorite.
I also like blues, jazz, country, pop, showtunes, big band, contemporary christian and gospel.
My favorite fiction is mysteries, but some romance once in awhile is OK, too. I read a lot of non-fiction and have a tendency to pick up and put down and skim and have several going at a time.
That tends to make me feel like I never read anymore (even though I do) because I'm not reading a single book from start to finish before picking up another.
I'm a good reader, but slow (my mind wanders or I get distracted by what's going on around me).
Obviously I have a problem with focus and concentration. I'm ADHD and was diagnosed in my mid-forties. The psychologist said I was very intelligent, just very, very distractible. I can come across as quite ditsy at times or spacey.
I did fairly well in school because I liked it, I'm an auditory learner with a good memory and I was a good test taker (hated essay questions though, I'm a slow writer).
I actually read all those required books in high school and liked them.
My study habits were terrible. On the weekend I would read a novel Saturday, another one Sunday and then attempt to do my homework Sunday night.
I am still the Queen of procrastination.
I've read nearly all of Agatha Christie's books, as well as the Cat Who series, the Mrs. Pollifax series, several of Jeffrey Deaver's books, etc.
I'm nearly always late to everything even though I don't mean to be (no concept of time).
I'm finding a list like this to be too much I, I, I and me, me, me. Maybe it's therapeutic?
My grandmother and my mother-in-law were my chief mentors and the women I most want to emulate.
I believe in Heaven and Hell.
I believe the bible is the inspired word of God.
I believe Jesus is the son of God.
I believe Jesus was crucified and resurrected.
I believe in the Trinity (Father, Son and Holy Spirit).
I believe that Jesus paid the price for our sins and bridged the gap between us and God. Our salvation is a free gift.
I believe that the only thing needed for us to enter heaven is to accept what Jesus did for us and follow Him. We do not have to work our way there.
I have not led a perfect life and never will. Who does?
Any changes in my behavior or lifestyle come as a result of my desire for a better life and love for Christ, not because someone says I have to. I do not attend church every Sunday.
The world outside of church walls is just as full of hypocrites as the space inside the walls. It is a human condition. :-)
My husband is an introvert and I am an extrovert. I am an ENTP or a Sanguine/Choleric on the other personality type profile. I think that's an otter/lion on the animal one, but I could be wrong, it's been a long time since I read that stuff.
I'm very verbal (in other words I talk too much). I don't like the phone for some reason, even though I can talk your leg off in person.
I'm a night owl so obviously I'm not a morning person. Do not ask me a question in the morning and expect a civil answer.
I love CocaCola and chocolate. I have a huge sweet tooth and have never been able to give up sweets for any length of time.
I don't eat near enough fruits and vegetables. I love breads, pasta, rice and all the other carbs.
I hate to exercise, but I know I should if I want to still be moving as the years roll on.
I can be very impatient with adults who just don't seem to get it and yet have been told that I'm very patient.
I sowed a few wild oats in my youth - remember, I'm not perfect. I carry a reminder of that in my liver.
I'm a photo nut and amateur photographer. I think I would like to do something more with it.
Black & white is artistic and very effective for some things, but I still prefer color (and not only in photography).
I love flowers and sunshine so I garden even though I'm not really an outdoorsy person.
I battle migraines, thyroid, acid reflux and depression, but have good health otherwise.
I love to sing along with the radio, but my children always begged me to stop if they were around.
I love to dance, but don't know how anymore for lack of a partner. My husband doesn't dance and he's 6'3'' which means my face is somewhere between his chest and his stomach instead of on his shoulder. ;-)
I love movies, but don't like horror or dumb comedies. I love a good comedy, just not the really dumb ones.
My favorite TV shows of late are CSI, Law and Order, Bones, Crossing Jordan, Overhaulin', Trick My Truck, Nashville Star, American Idol and Biography.
Some of my favorites in the past were Perry Mason, Maverick, Star Trek, Murder She Wrote, Matlock, Diagnosis Murder, Wild Wild West, Magnum P.I., Cosby Show, Little House on the Prairie, The Walton's, Disney, Zorro, The Lone Ranger, Superman, I Love Lucy and don't forget those old movies like Robin Hood and Sherlock Holmes.
I do not like wrestling, the 3 Stooges, or nearly all of the reality shows which is why I never watch them.
I think we pay our entertainment figures (athletes, actors, musicians) way too much in both money and attention while paying too little to people who make a hands on difference in our day to day lives.
I love old stuff. Old houses, antiques, and just about anything that reminds me of what I saw or had when I was growing up.
My biggest wish right now is to remodel our house before it falls down around us.
My best friend and I have known each other for 40 years (we met in high school) and our husbands have become best friends in the last few years which makes for a really nice foursome.