Time and Tide

Wednesday Hodgepodge

2012-01-18T02:00:00.000-07:00

Dear Reader, here we are again. Note that I am almost incapable these days of thinking up a blog post on my own and am relying heavily on the weekly Hodgepodge. Sad. But since I know you are just chomping at the bit to read my weekly answers, let us delay no longer. Away we go!

1. A new Miss America was crowned on Saturday night-did you watch? If you were a contestant what would your talent be? I haven't watched Miss America since, like, 1976 I think. If I were in the contest, though, I guess I'd be singing. (It certainly wouldn't be baton twirling -- someone would get hurt if I did that.)

2. Do you have houseplants? Real or fake? Generally, houseplants come to my house to die. Seriously. They have been condemned to death by some obscure plant jury and they end up at my house. The problem is that I've never mastered the art of watering correctly for the conditions, no matter how many methods I've tried (and I've tried a LOT). But hope springs eternal. So I do have a couple of herbs growing on my kitchen windowsill this winter. So far so good, only because they are in front of me every day, affording me the opportunity to save them from fatal dehydration in the nick of time.

3. When you were in school did you speak up or were you more of the hide your face, avoid eye contact, and pray the teacher didn't call on you type of student? I spoke up if I was sure of the answer and prayed not to be called on when I didn't.

4. Next Monday marks the Chinese New Year...what do you order when someone suggests Chinese food? Hmmm ..... BBQ pork and seeds is pretty good, as is General Tso's chicken. Our town has a restaurant that serves Mongolian Barbecue, and we go there most often for Chinese food -- that means I get to put together my own concoction and have it cooked for me!

5. How would you define a miracle? What would it take for you to consider something a miracle? A miracle can be something that defies reason. It can also be something that happens despite overwhelming odds. Most of the miracles in my life tend to be of the latter variety -- but they are no less miracles.

6. What's your favorite Disney song? If you're stuck you'll find a list here. Oh. My. Gosh. Just one??? I love so many of them. "When You Wish Upon a Star" is a favorite for it's melancholy yet hopeful aspect (Rosemary Clooney did a great version back in the day). I also love the joy and celebration of "That's How You Know" (from Enchanted). And the sheer fun of "Les Poissons" (from the Little Mermaid).

7. I should have prayed more yesterday. Always!

8. Insert your own random thought here: Randomly speaking, I have new office furniture that is making me very happy. I don't know why furniture should affect my mental well-being, but it does. For the last week now I've been getting all kinds of work done. Of course, it might help that I now have a setup where, truly, there is a place for everything. Which means my brain can stop the constant playing of the game "Concentration" and focus on the work itself!

Thanks again to Joyce for this week's questions! If you want to play along, answer the questions on your own blog and link up at Joyce's!

- Catherine

Friday Frustration

2012-01-13T18:08:00.002-07:00

Today has been one technology problem after another and I am beyond frustrated.

First there was my fax machine. This machine is actually a multi-tasking monolith -- it scans! it copies! it sends faxes! it receives faxes!

Yeah, those last two functions? They've been inexplicably MIA for a few days and this was the first opportunity for me to tackle the problem.

To do so, I was forced to enter the maze of functions of the multi-function machine that has only the tiniest LED read-out area on the front to guide you. Argh!

Menu -- General setup --- down arrow through the choices -- nope not there!

Menu -- down arrow -- Fax -- down arrow through the choices -- nope not there either!

Menu -- down arrow -- Initial setup -- down arrow through the choices -- ah ha!

Change one setting.

Repeat.

After doing a factory re-set and starting all over again, I finally called the phone company to see if there was trouble on the phone line. I had to be sure -- because the fax machine was telling me it was a "Comm. Error" in the telephone line. But since I spoke to the phone company on said telephone line, I was pretty sure it was okay. And it was.

Dead end.

Next I consulted the multi-tasking monlith's website in hopes of support.

Right? Not.

Finally mentioned to my hubby what was going on and he recalled that he has this deely-bobber thingy that you attach to the fax machine to make it once again become fond of the designated telephone line with which it must work.

I liked the sound of the "fond of" part and became hopeful again.

And after setting it up tonight with the deely-bobber thingy, all is well. Just like that. Who knew?

One problem down.

Other problem is my email software made by someone very evil at Microsoft. I hate you, whomever you are. In concert with some other evil person at Microsoft who invented the Virtual Private Network, which moves at the speed of, oh, molasses uphill in Maine in January.

My local file folders were stuffed to the gills and even after eliminating a lot of old stuff, they still wouldn't take anything new transferred from my inbox.

Result?

Have. To. Transfer. My. Thousands. Of. Archived. email. Messages. To. My. Employer's. Servers. Utilizing. The. Virtual. Private. Network.

Yeah, that fast. I've been at it all day, trying to force a 10-pound bag of potatoes through a cocktail straw. Even working in small, small, teeny-tiny batches, half the time the software gets so hung up that it can't continue doing anything and shuts itself down.

Curses on you Microsoft!!

There is a bottle of wine in the kitchen with my name on it. And I am very glad it's a 3-day weekend! Because maybe by Tuesday my email will have been successfully archived through the cocktail straw.

- Catherine

Wednesday Hodgepodge

2012-01-11T10:11:00.000-07:00

Ah the glorious randomness of the Wednesday Hodgepodge!

And away we go .....

1. Lake Superior University has once again published a list of words/phrases they think should be banished from the Queen's English in 2012-

amazing, baby bump, shared sacrifice, occupy, blowback, man cave, the new normal, pet parent, win the future, trickeration, ginormous, and thank you in advance.

Which of these words/phrases would you most like to see banished from everyday speech and why? Go here to read more about how the words are chosen.

I hate the phrase "baby bump" with a passion. It takes pregnancy, which is a sacred thing for a woman and her body, down to the level of a fashion accessory. Maybe if the press didn't glamorize it as a fashion accessory, we'd have fewer unwed, teen mothers who are in no way ready to make a lifetime commitment to raising a child? Just a thought ....

2. Are you easily embarrassed? I used to be, but as I get older and more confident with who God is and the kind of person He would have me to be, I am less easily embarrassed.

3. What is your go-to snack? A piece of chocolate, sad to say. And my hips reflect that. Also sad to say.

4. Have you ever been to Washington D.C.? If not do you have any desire to go? What site/attraction would you most want to see in that city? If you have been, what's your favorite site/attraction? I love Washington DC -- it's my favorite city on the East Coast. I have a lot of favorites in that city, but I'll mention one that is not seen by too many folks -- the National Building Museum. The space is awe-inspiring and the history of the building is fascinating! Love it!

5. sit ups-planks-lunges-squats...which do you hate the least? I hate all of them, but I think I hate sit-ups the least.

6. What's a small act of kindness you were shown that you've never forgotten? There are many. But I think the one I'll mention here took place the day after my mother died. Her dear friend called me and asked -- persuaded -- me to drive out to her place so I wouldn't be alone on the night between Mom's passing and the funeral. She fed me homemade chicken soup and rolls, and let me talk through some grief and anger. She was just lovely and I was very, very comforted.

7. Have you ever been a blood donor? Yes. My employer regularly participates in the local blood drives and we were always allowed time to go over and donate. Only once did I have break-through bleeding after the donation -- fortunately I was still in the donation room and they clamped it down well right away (I felt fine -- my arm was just bleeding like crazy for a moment or so).

8. Insert your own random thought here. Randomly speaking, I bless the day I decided to hire someone to help me clean the house each week. I just can't keep up with the house and a full-time job and my aunt and my sick hubby. Thank you, God, for bringing me Erin!!!

Many thanks to Joyce over at From This Side of the Pond. If you want to play along, use the link on the badge at the top of this post!

- Catherine

Santa Claus, Tim Tebow and God

2012-01-09T11:21:00.000-07:00

"When you stop believing in Santa Claus, then you find Grace."

That was the last sentence featured in the very last dream that I had last night as I was sleeping.

I went to bed after watching the stunning upset victory of the Denver Broncos over the Pittsburgh Steelers in overtime. Some game! And you can't mention a Broncos game without mentioning their controversial quarterback, Tim Tebow.

The man American society and sports commentators love to hate.

It is astonishing how much vitriol comes Tebow's way these days.

It's true that Tebow is not a great technical quarterback, as NFL quarterbacks go. But he really does inspire his team with his upbeat, can-do attitude and he does pull out enough wins to get the job done, if not elegantly then at least satisfactorily. He's also constantly striving to improve. Non-expert that I am, even I can see that he played better yesterday as a passing quarterback than I've seen him play before.

The controversy, of course, is that he's vocal and demonstrative about his faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. From all I've read and seen, he walks closely with his God all day long every day. The press makes much of it, thus it is seen by millions of folks all over the country.

And this leads me to the concern that people who do not know God will come to believe that either God is shining favor on the Broncos because of the prayers of Tim Tebow, or that Tebow is a fraud because he's not a perfect person, or that he is a hypocrite because his prayers must be meaningless if the Broncos lose.

For the record, I've read some about Tebow and watched him closely on the field. I may be wrong, but I don't think for one moment that his prayers are for the Divine Intervention of God in a football game. I think he thanks God at each moment for the pleasure and privilege given him on this earth -- to be doing something that he truly loves in a venue that allows him to minister to others in a variety of ways.

No, I'm sure he's not a saint. But he is an excellent role model for young people and, comes to that, for our entire American culture in some very important ways. For example, you never see Tebow dancing and gloating with glee on the field as you see so many, many, MANY other NFL players doing (it's one of my pet peeves, can you tell?). Tebow's conduct on the field is very sportsmanlike. Enthusiasm for the game and his team, yes. Taunting and gloating over your opponent, no.

And now, back to that opening sentence.

"Santa Claus" as a concept means that gifts are given to deserving (read: good) people.

But God gives gifts that are not based on whether we are good or bad. God brings to each of us Grace: the absolute gift of all time that allows every last one of us to be reconciled fully with Him. And along the way, God also blesses those who accept that Grace. Generally not with football victories, although if there is a deeper purpose, He could do just that. (And that's a whole 'nother blog post, dear reader.)

He blesses us with meaningful gifts and pleasures and joys. The kind you can't get from Santa Claus. Not always what we request. Not always evident at first as a gift. The kind of gifts that, in a myriad of ways, shine a spotlight on just how much we have been given by the God who created us, who redeemed us, and who longs for our minute-by-minute relationship with Him (football minutes or conventional minutes -- you choose).

Tim Tebow knows Grace. He knows football careers are fleeting and that God has brought him to this moment for His divine purposes. Tebow passed up the "Santa Claus" concept a long time ago. And when he's "Tebowing" he's not just thanking God for another completed pass, another touchdown, or another victory.

He's thanking God for another opportunity to show the world who God really is.

- Catherine

Friday Brain Dump

2012-01-06T08:49:00.001-07:00

Tim is home and we are all breathing easier.

I'm happy to be eating breakfast at home and not at the hospital.

I cleaned my office yesterday and today it is still clean. If you know me, then you know this is an accomplishment.

Charley is a 97-pound snuggle puppy who needs to be on someone's lap each evening. This is funny and painful at the same time, depending on how he flops down on you.

I put away the Christmas tree on Wednesday and then immediately rearranged the living room furniture. This will lead to new curtains in the living room bay window and a new coffee table (Charley having substantially chewed off the corner of the table last year while he was still teething).

My eldest granddaughter turns 12 today. Wow! She and her baby sister (age one month) are the bookends of our 13 grandchildren.

Although Tim came home deathly ill, we enjoyed our days in San Antonio with the family last week. I think all of us who were there had a grand time staying together as a family and seeing a beautiful part of the country! Those who drove through Roswell on the way down from Idaho assure me that they didn't see any aliens (Tim and I had flown to Texas rather than drive).

Hank Williams Jr. is being forced by Charley to run around outside a bit more. Since Hank is overweight, I think this is a Good Thing. Hank does not agree.

I love my Acer Iconia Tablet so much that I bought one for Tim for Christmas. He is still learning how to use it and grumbling the while. Sometimes it's good to be dragged into the next century, honey.

I believe that's all for today.

Have a great weekend, one and all!

- Catherine

Wednesday Hodgepodge

2012-01-04T02:10:00.000-07:00

And away we go!

1. What are three words you would use to describe your 2011? Lotsa health problems. (Lotsa can be one word if I want it to.) Tim had surgery, began treatment for Hepatitis C, and ended the year in the hospital in order to clear up complications from both the Hep C treatment and another virus that came on at the same time. I had a bowel obstruction and emergency surgery to take care of it. I also got my first dental crown. That's more than enough for one year, I think.

2. Do you like shrimp? What's your favorite way to have it prepared? I have always loved shrimp. My dad worked in a boat yard when we were little, and he knew the guys down at the docks, so periodically he would bring home some shrimp -- we learned to love it early on. My current favorite is to prepare it with a light sauce and serve it with leeks and polenta.

3. Is your house de-Christmased? If so when did you tackle that job? If not, when will the decorations come down? As of the day I am writing this (Tuesday), the house is not yet de-Christmased. A little thing called "my husband's hospitalization on New Year's Eve" got in the way. But he's on the mend and so the Christmas decorations will be going downstairs. I'm pretty sure we'll have them all down before the next National Holiday anyway -- you know, the Super Bowl!

4. Do you like to watch scary movies? No. I have a visceral reaction to images that evoke anxiety and fear, and I hate it. I also have nightmares. So I don't watch scary movies. Ever.

5. Ice skating~sledding~skiing~snowboarding~of the four listed which wintertime activity do you most enjoy? Hmmm ... I used to love ice skating, but I'm pretty sure my legs and ankles would protest were I to try it now. Plus my balance has deteriorated over the years. Snowboarding? Never tried it and never will. Last week my youngest got thrown 25 feet and dented his helmet (I wasn't there and am taking his word for the 25 feet). Skiing? Love cross country -- great exercise -- and hate downhill. Sledding? Yep -- I still love that! Especially with small children!

6. Did you have a childhood hideout? Describe it. Oh my gosh, what memories just came flooding back to me. I'd forgotten about it, but we did indeed have something that we called The Hideout. It was behind our garage, which had a high fence extending off the back in order to keep the 'back of the garage' stuff out of sight from anyone in the yard. Right behind that fence was The Hideout, and if I recall correctly, there was an abandoned dog house set back there that we always climbed onto (not in). By standing on top of the doghouse, we could see up over the fence into the yard. Heady stuff for a 4-year old!

7. What's a place or space that motivates you? Craft stores and office supply stores are big motivators. They shouldn't be, because that means money is being motivated out of my wallet. But there it is.

8. Insert your own random thought here.Randomly speaking, I hope it will be many, many moons before I have to see the inside of a hospital again. And next time I'll drive the extra half hour to go to the non-profit facility in the next town. Our newly made-over "for profit" local hospital leaves a lot to be desired. $300.00 for one stinkin' IV bag of fluids!!!

Thanks again to Joyce for this week's questions! If you want to play, answer the questions on your own blog and then go on over to Joyce's to link up with everyone else. Don't forget to read a few while there too!

- Catherine

Progress

2012-01-03T14:12:00.002-07:00

This morning the ulcers on Tim's throat were finally gone (or all but gone ... and that's close enough for our purposes). Around noon time the nurse took the feeding tube out.

He's eating red jello.

And I'm breathing easier.

- Catherine

Wait and See

2012-01-02T12:29:00.001-07:00

There is not a lot of people watching from a hospital room, but there IS a lot of unintentional eavesdropping.

The phrase I hear and overhear most frequently is "We'll have to wait and see what the doctor says."

"Wait" is the operative word in that sentence. For all of us here, it seems.

We have been waiting for two days for a whole host of things, including some reassurance that someone on this hospital staff really understands what is going on with Tim.

I am frustrated and Tim is just about at his wit's end with the nonstop pain and discomfort.

And we are still waiting.

-Catherine

A Year

2012-01-01T13:45:00.003-07:00

We are celebrating the New Year in a hospital room. Tim's Hep C treatment hit a big bump in the road when he contracted Coxsackie virus on top of all the other side effects of the treatment. Ulcers on his throat and uvula have made it impossible for him to eat or drink or take his meds. So here we are, educating the local hospital staff on the specific and detailed requirements of treatment for Hepatitis C, which they must follow along with the treatment for the Coxsackie virus.

It's been fun.

Not.

Stay tuned for more as we go along.

And to all - I wish you a HEALTHY New Year!

- Catherine

Monday, Monday ....

2011-12-19T13:45:00.000-07:00

This weekend's update was going to be great, believe me.Tim felt relatively well and even made it to church Sunday morning for the first time in weeks. The IV fluids they gave him at the doctor's office on Friday really set him up well for his weekend Interferon injection and customary oral meds.

After church he was fatigued, but not much else. He slept on and off the rest of the day.

I breathed easier, feeling like we'd turned a corner dealing with the side effects of the Hepatitis C treatment that is supposed to go on until May of 2012. Staying hydrated is key and Tim seems to dehydrate at a more rapid rate than the usual patient. The two IV fluid treatments he had last week really made a difference in how his body reacted to all the meds this week.

Then came this morning.

Oh, Monday, Monday ...can't trust that day.

Charley came to wake me up around 6:40 and he wouldn't leave me alone even after repeated commands.

At the moment I turned my head to check the clock, my phone rang. I missed getting to it, but immediately checked the 'missing calls' feature -- to find that Tim had called me. That was alarming, to put it mildly. I checked our enormous king size bed -- no Tim. Got up, put on my robe and slippers and checked the kitchen -- where he should have been eating breakfast and having his morning meds. No Tim.

Then I heard groaning coming from the TV room and darted in there to see Tim lying on his side on the couch, white as a sheet and groaning continuously. He could barely talk, he was in so much pain.

I didn't even know where to start.

Breathlessly, he told me that he couldn't eat so he hadn't taken the one medication that requires food with it. He'd been up since 5:30 with the pain -- his joints, his muscles, his skin, and, most alarmingly, his kidneys. He was also horribly nauseated again.

After a dose of pain and nausea meds plus some water, he eventually felt well enough to eat two scrambled eggs and to take the missing medication -- he was late with the dose, but it couldn't be helped.

Then I assisted him back to bed, where he is still as I write this. I've been checking on him about every hour, and, except for the ache in his kidneys, he is feeling much, much better. So much so that he felt compelled to inform me that he would be better off sleeping and not being awakened by me to see how he's feeling -- but he said it with a little smile on his face and a loving tweak of my hand.

We have no idea why the change came and why the side effects were so fierce today after such a good weekend. Last week's labs showed no sign of kidney distress, although we do know that he is becoming anemic from the treatment. The doctor will see him tomorrow morning and we will discuss the situation.

For now, though, he is stable and relatively comfortable.

Monday, Monday .....

- Catherine
PS -- the best thing about Facebook is putting out a prayer request and having 30 people respond! What a blessing for both Tim and me!! Thank you, all!

Wednesday Hodgepodge

2011-12-14T02:00:00.000-07:00

It's Wednesday and that means it's time for a little more information about me than you might ever want to know. You're welcome.

With thanks to Joyce over at From This Side of the Pond, away we go!

1. Do you put Christmas decorations in every room of your house? If not every room, what rooms do you decorate? I decorate the living room, mainly. My mother did it that way and I've just never thought about doing anything beyond that one room. Plus, if I did, then I'd just have more stuff to dust! I will say that Number 7 decided he'd like a few things in the family room where he spends most of his free time, so he set up the Christmas village down there this year.

2. If you could visit one of the Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden) which one would you choose and why? Now that is something I've never considered. I've seen some views of Iceland while watching HGTV's Househunters International, and it looks intriguing. But I think I'd probably prefer to visit Norway and the fjords.

3. What does the word faith mean to you? Faith with a small "f" means believing even when you cannot see tangible proof. Faith with a capital "F" is my relationship with my Creator and it is the ONLY thing that truly and deeply sustains me through life on this earth.

4. You can go back to your childhood for one day...what day and age would you choose? I would be five years old on Christmas Day. I don't remember who gave them to me, but I received white fur earmuffs and a white fur (hand) muff that year. I just loved them and I can still remember them very clearly. Also, Christmas Day was always a gathering for everyone on my mother's side of the family and it was a day that we kids could count on some peace and harmony in our household.

5. When did you last have 'punch'? If it's not too much trouble share your favorite punch recipe. I made punch for my son's wedding in October. It contained mango-peach juice, orange juice, lemon juice and ginger ale. Optional is some champagne or white wine -- which I didn't do this time since it was for kids as well as for adults. I floated sliced lemon and lime in the top.

6. Do you fill stockings at your house? Are stockings opened before or after the bigger gifts? We never did stockings at home as a kid because my parents couldn't afford that extra bit for Christmas -- and because neither of them had had stockings as kids, they didn't think we really needed them. My grandparents had stockings for us when we were very small, but I think that ended by the time I was 6 or 7 because my recollection of them is very hazy. As an adult, we did stockings while my daughter was growing up, but we don't do them any longer. It's kind of sad, but my husband just isn't into the Christmas scene enough (he grew up not celebrating Christmas at all, so there were no traditions for him).

7. What takes your breath away? Those precious moments when you see major growth in your kids. This is what my God-given job as a parent and step-parent has been about, and when I see one or more of them suddenly make a breakthrough in maturity or excel at something or surmount a challenge, I just want to jump for joy!

8. Insert your own random thought here. Randomly speaking, I finally made it into the Christmas spirit after taking my Aunt to the local civic symphony and my granddaughters to the local production of Nutcracker this past weekend. I'm ready!!

If you want to join in the online fun, answer the questions on your own blog and then go to Joyce's blog to link yours with everyone else!

- Catherine

Bullying revisited

2011-12-08T19:00:00.001-07:00

[Warning: Rant]

In March of 2010 I wrote this:

I'm a little tired of the bullying Facebook status updates that end with "Post this on your status if you support (fill in the blank)" or worse, "I'm proud to support (fill in the blank). 97% of people are too afraid to post this on their status update. I dare you to be among the 3% who will." or words to that effect.

Stop bullying me.

There are many ways to support something -- not just through a Facebook status.

For a while, it seemed that the bullying had stopped. But it has started again in spades. And I am sick of it it. THINK about what you are saying, please!!

For the record: Jesus is my Savior. And I'm not ashamed to say that. (Note that I started this paragraph with that statement.)

But the use of Matthew 10:33 -- but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven -- as a way to guilt people into posting about Jesus on Facebook or anywhere else is just plain Wrong.

Wrong.

It isn't Jesus asking me to affirm Him -- it's you. A human being. And also for the record, my refusal to yield to your bullying and repost your status about Jesus does NOT in any way translate into my denying Christ. God is NOT a bully. Ever.

No one knows if Jesus would have had a Facebook page. In fact, if God had wanted his own Facebook page, he'd have sent Jesus now -- in the age of Facebook -- and not then, in the age of, well, rude mangers in dirty stables.

So, can we stop the bullying? At the start of this school year there was a much copied status on Facebook that challenged children to think about what they were saying to and how they were treating their fellow students at school.

The adults need to read that one again.

Bullying someone is no way to evangelize the world for Christ.

[Rant off]

- Catherine

Wednesday Hodgepodge

2011-12-07T08:01:00.001-07:00

Today is Wednesday and Joyce over at "From This Side of the Pond" has provided us with seven thought-provoking questions to answer, plus one opportunity to express anything random.

And away we go ....

1. Will you be hosting any house guests between now and the end of December? Does that thought make you happy or crazy? Do you do anything special for your guests to make them feel at home? How long should a house guest stay? I am not hosting anyone this year. The kids in Canada aren't able to come visit. And with Tim in treatment for Hepatitis C, our Christmas season will be much quieter than usual.

2. Walter Elias Disney was born this week (December 5) back in 1905 ...what's your all time favorite Disney movie? Here's a list in case you're struggling...and yes, you have to pick one. All time favorite remains "The Little Mermaid." Buddy Hackett as the seagull is hilarious, and the music is some of the best ever produced for a Disney movie. ("Now I stuff you with bread. It won't hurt 'cause you're dead!")

3. What was the last thing you purchased that you realized was a mistake after the fact? A 7" refurbished tablet/e-reader. I purchased it for my hubby because he doesn't like the Nook that I bought him last summer, however the refurb tablet needs a firmware update and, at the moment, refuses to connect to any wi-fi. Word to the wise -- don't by refurbished tablets.

4. What percentage of your Christmas shopping is done online? It depends on the year. This year is squarely in the 1/3 range. Some years it has been as high as 2/3, actually!

5. Amaryllis-snowdrop-poinsettia...your favorite winter blossom? I don't have any favorite winter flowers, I guess. Do holly berries count? I like them a lot.

6. What is one thing on your personal Christmas wish list? I think we all want peace on earth so let's make this answer an actual item. A Caribbean cruise. Fortunately, I am in charge of all Christmas lists, including my own, so this wish will be fulfilled in the spring!

7. If you could only use one word today what would it be? Exhausted. (I had absolutely not a wink of sleep last night.)

8. Insert your own random thought here. Randomly speaking, my aunt, on a good day, is a total hoot. I went to visit her after dinner yesterday and I started out in the usual way. "What's new?" I asked. Without batting an eye, she answered "New York, New Jersey, New Hampshire ...." Then she gave me a sly, mischievous look. She cracks me up!

If you wish to play along, Dear Reader, you should answer these questions on your own blog and then link up with everyone else over at Joyce's blog post.

- Catherine

When life becomes messy

2011-12-06T09:28:00.003-07:00

I don't think I've been this disorganized in my entire life.

I clean my office and two days later it's utter chaos. Papers everywhere.

I clean my house (or hire someone to clean my house -- thank you Erin!) and within four days it looks like a rubbish heap. Clothes, shoes, stuff everywhere.

I'm afraid to get the mail because there is so much more paperwork to do with Aunt Muriel's affairs (both health and financial) now added to the mix of paperwork that haunts the average person.

Word to the wise -- if you are approaching the age for Medicare, get your filing system organized now. Scan and keep copies of everything health related. And be prepared for any and all phone calls about and to Medicare (Part A, Part B, Part D, Part XYZ, etc.) to be a minimum of 30 minutes long while you go over and over and over everything again and again and again. (Get the picture?)

It's getting to me, this disorganization.

I'm purchasing organizing thing-a-ma-bobs like crazy in an attempt to keep up.

It ain't workin' honey.

Seems you have to actually take the time to organize as you go -- time that I just don't seem to have if I'm also to have something that resembles a healthy life (you know -- exercise, racquetball, time spent with friends, etc.).

I'm not whining, really. I love my life. Love my hubby, love my aunt, love my job. I just need an extra four hours in each and every day for the rest of my days on this earth.

Is that too much to ask?

- Catherine

Thanksgiving

2011-11-23T11:56:00.001-07:00

There are blessings that just take your breath away -- I'm sure you know the kind that I mean. On Sunday, what started with small group prayer ended up as a mass effort to get our property ready for winter. "Many hands make light work" is the old saying -- so very true.

Here's the back story: Tim began his Hepatitis C treatments last Friday, including his first injection of Interferon. He was, as expected, very, very sick after the injection. He tried to work outside for a while on Saturday morning, but by afternoon his headache was so bad that he could barely function. Add to that chills, severe joint aches and muscle aches, and you get the idea.

On Sunday morning he could barely get his head off the pillow and I went to church an emotional basket case.I couldn't imagine how Tim could manage to get through the next 24 weeks of treatment if every weekend was going to be this horrific.

At church our pastor called for small group prayer in between the worship time and the sermon. He invited anyone who wished to have prayer to raise their hands and then encouraged everyone around those folks to gather around to pray.

Without thinking, I immediately raised my hand.

Dear friends gathered around me, beautiful prayers for comfort and healing were offered up and hugs were exchanged.

And then the blessing snowball began!

Emily, Cassy and Dan suddenly offered to come over that afternoon and do the outdoor work that was falling sadly behind with Tim's ill health. As much as it makes Tim uncomfortable to accept help, I thanked them with all my heart and said we'd love to have them come over, and I offered a big pot of Black Bean Chili in exchange. The agreed upon time was 2:00. As I left church, I ran into my "adopted NJ brother," John. He gave me a hug and I half-jokingly asked him if he wanted to come over and rake a few leaves that afternoon.

After I'd told him that Emily, Cassy and Dan were coming over, John then set to organizing a real work party for the afternoon -- unbeknownst to me. Our Pastor even announced it in church after I'd made an early exit to go home and check on Tim!

When I got home Tim was up and around, though wobbly and weak. I informed him that Emily, Cassy and Dan were coming over in the afternoon to help rake up the leaves and get things done. Tim's reaction was uncertainty at first, but I insisted that we needed the help. Eventually he began to think about how to organize things effectively so that we'd get as much done as possible.

It was then that I shot a text message to all Tim's kids and told them of the working party. Shortly after that John called to tell me he'd been organizing and that a few more folks from church would be coming over.

By 2:00 there were some 15 people in our yard!

They raked leaves.

They got on lawn mowers to cut and suck up the leaves.

They threw Charley's toy more times than I can count.

They dug fence posts for the pasture.

They roofed a storage shed.

In addition, they chipped branches, helped rake leaves that had fallen from our tree into the next door neighbor's yard, and shook and collected the last of the apples from the trees.

By dark, two months of work had been finished in just four hours, and our property was ready for winter.

With the work done, we all converged in the warm house (where my Aunt Muriel had been waiting for us) for a hearty dinner of Black Bean Chili with all the delicious trimmings -- sour cream, shredded jack cheese, and fresh cilantro.

Our deepest thanks go to Emily, Sam, Cassy, Dan, Balin, Don, Dustin, Corbin, Casey, Doug, Alex, Chrissy, Scott, David, John, Rhonda, Kali and Kari.

Tim's stress level is much, much lower, which will help his treatment be more effective.

We love you all so much! Thank you for this blessing -- it took our breath away!

- Catherine

2011-11-18T08:23:00.001-07:00

Today I'm going to refer you all to the "Pioneer Woman Cooks" blog post for the day.

Oh. My. Goodness. I can't wait to try it!!

And in other news, since Thanksgiving is around the corner, that means Christmas approaches. Apparently Black Friday sales are starting at midnight this year so that those who are not in a food coma after their Thanksgiving dinner can go shopping. The greed of this country never ceases to amaze me. It's bad enough that there would be fistfights in WalMart at 5:00 a.m.. Now you could take a bottle of your Thanksgiving dinner beer with you and watch the local brawls all night long.

Argh.

Greed and avarice aside, a friend of mine shared this Christmas song video with me this week, so I thought I'd pass it on to you. Tim Hawkins is hilarious!

Enjoy! And have a great weekend!

- Catherine

No excuses? No way ...

2011-11-17T10:54:00.001-07:00

I'm not going to excuse myself for being a slacker blogger of late.

Well, okay, yes I am. Of course I am.

Writer's block seems to have been a part of this situation. I have made more than a few attempts to write something. I still think in "blog bytes" (you bloggers know what that means), but I couldn't come up with an actual blog post to save my life.

Okay, excuses over.

I'm intending that this is the first of resuming regular blog posts.

Yes, I know the road to Hell is paved with good intentions.

But I don't believe that intentions vis a vis blogging apply to that situation.

The update:

I was on the East Coast for meetings a week or so ago and got to see two of my cousins while I was there. That is ALWAYS a favorite part of my visits because I really do love spending time with these cousins. Although we live 2000 miles apart, they are friends as well as family, and that, for sure, is a special gift from God.

I came home from this trip with a truly lousy cold.

My hubby will start treatment for Hepatitis C tomorrow. There is a new medication now that improves his chance of a cure to over 80% (compared to about 40% with the previous treatment medications). Our insurance companies have agreed to the expense, and we'll revisit the situation in eight weeks to see if the treatment is actually working. If it is, then another 10 months of treatment will follow. If the treatment isn't showing signs of being effective, then it will be discontinued. We are praying!

I've spent this month updating my Facebook status each day with one thing for which I am thankful. It's been an excellent exercise. Added benefit is that many of my FB friends are joining in, which has made it even more fun.

Charley doesn't like it when I am away and he has been incredibly clingy after my last (9-day) trip. It's hard to have a puppy mentality in an 85-pound body. Especially when that 85-pound body insists on crawling up to sit on my lap!

Talk soon, Dear Reader!

- Catherine

The thief

2011-10-31T15:31:00.000-06:00

One thing that is most difficult about living near my Aunt Muriel is that her memory takes her, most of the time, back to long past events and situations.

She's talking about people I have known and deeply loved who are now gone. Like my mother. And my grandfather.

She's talking about people I wish I could have met. Like my great-grandmother. And my Aunt Florrie.

Sadly, this sets up my grief cycle to some small extent all over again. A small flap of the tough skin that has developed over my losses keeps getting probed every time I visit with Aunt Muriel.

Yet I cannot, of course, ask her not to mention these people. Her memories of the long past are pretty much all the memory that is left to her. Recent events are forgotten before the day is over. Even the memories of the last two to three decades of her marriage and of the homes she shared with Uncle Bob are all but gone. When she talks of New Jersey she nearly always places herself in her childhood home in Newark or at the Long Valley farm where she and her siblings spent all of their childhood summers. To Muriel, the years of the 1920s-1950s are only yesterday.

I have seen a lot of Aunt Muriel in the last month and some of my very unwelcome depression is returning to me -- partly because these people, no longer part of my life, are ever before me in conversations with Aunt Muriel, and partly because I see Aunt Muriel's sense of the present and her short-term memory growing worse with each passing week.

Dementia is the terrible thief that is taking my Aunt. It robs her of enjoyment in the present, simply because she cannot remember the next day how much fun she had or that she even did anything out of the ordinary.

Dementia is what causes her to tell me she is bored, even though I know she was just in an animated conversation with another resident out in the day lounge of her assisted living facility.

Dementia is beginning to nibble at her assurance that I am acting in her best interests because she cannot always remember how I came to be her niece (that one fact -- that I AM her niece -- is still with her, thankfully).

Prayer and a conscious striving to revel in the present are my only defenses. Dementia is cruel.

- Catherine

Raising Charley, Part V (?)

2011-10-12T21:52:00.000-06:00

We were on our last camping weekend of the year, enjoying each others company and the peace of a weekend away. Friends drove the half hour to meet us for a nice dinner and a great evening out together in the little town where we were camping.

We walked the three blocks back from the restaurant to the campsite, all of us stuffed to the gills. Lots of chatter. Lots of laughter.

As we neared the RV, I saw movement at the lighted window over the kitchen sink. Puzzled at first, I finally realized it was Charley standing up on the kitchen counter! "Lovely," I thought to myself as I hurried toward the RV, "another scolding for Charley." At the door, we found water steadily dripping out from underneath. And I could hear more water streaming from somewhere underneath the RV itself.

Upon opening the door, a cascade of water poured out, with more still coming. I stood motionless, trying to wrap my head around what I was seeing. How could there be a flood in the camper? We hadn't left anything on. Had a hose or fitting broken open somewhere? What on earth happened here?

Number 7, bless his teenage soul, leapt into action, grabbing the rubber broom and using it to push water out the door. Tim went one way and another, trying desperately to find the source of the flood. And all the while the water continued flowing out of every sink, out of the shower, and out of the toilet (don't worry -- the black water tank was still sealed off).

Finally Tim grabbed the cap on the gray water tank (shower and sink drainage) and opened it. Gallons more water flowed out of that hose than could possibly have gone into the tank in the 24 hours we'd been there.

But we remained puzzled. And frazzled. Still we could not find any breaks in the water lines. But what else could have caused the flooding?

Then I remembered that Charley had been up on the kitchen counter when we came home.

And it dawned on me that Charley had to be the source of our problem. Sometime during the evening the dog got up on the counter and managed to flip the kitchen faucet handle from the off to the on position. Water poured down the kitchen sink drain into the gray water tank. And the rest is history.

He weighs 80 pounds. He stands at least three feet tall while still on all fours. He's nosy and slobbery. He's thick as a plank. His tail is lethal. He can ruin your slacks in one second flat with his humongous wet nose. He means absolutely no harm at all and he's a teddy bear inside and out.

Charley is a force of nature.

We're still cleaning up.

- Catherine

Hodgepodge Wednesday

2011-10-12T08:10:00.000-06:00

1. Have you ever been 'asked' to report for jury duty? Were you chosen to serve? If not, were you happy or disappointed? Twice in my life I have been notified of jury duty. The first time I was a young mother and they were still allowing that as an exemption from duty, so I didn't have to serve. The second time, my employer wrote a letter asking them to postpone the duty because it would fall during the annual summer conference that I run -- the county exempted me and never asked again. The first time, I really didn't want to serve. The second time, I'd have been happy to come back and serve in the Fall if they had asked me.

2. On a scale of 1-10 (with 10 being very), how mechanically inclined are you? Give an example to back up your answer. I believe I've never come to my full mechanical potential because my husband takes care of all of that for me. Thus, in my underdeveloped state of unrecognized potential, I'd say I'm a 2 on a scale of 1-10. I can use a screwdriver effectively.

3. Beets-cabbage-cauliflower-butternut squash....of the four, which is your favorite fall vegetable? BUTTERNUT SQUASH! Ahem. Pardon my shouting. I really (really) like butternut squash, followed by cauliflower and then cabbage. Beets not so much.

4. What do you recommend to overcome self-pity? First, prayer. Follow that with service to someone else along with a healthy dose of uplifting/fun music.

5. Do you enjoy classical music? Yes. I took my Aunt to the symphony a couple of weeks ago and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. We do have a classical station on the local radio scene, however I don't listen to classical on a regular basis -- I prefer popular music most of the time.

6. October is National Book Month...what's on your reading list this month? Mrs. Dunwoody's Excellent Instructions for Homekeeping (I've just started that one). I also have The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff lined up, as well as Patchwork: A Story of 'The Plain People.' I just finished an excellent book entitled Annie's Ghost: A Journey into a Family Secret, by Steve Luxenberg. This is a fascinating true story that is part family history research, part coming to grips with family secrets, and part redemption of a young woman put aside and forgotten in the early years of the 20th century.

7. What is your idea of 'cute'? Something that is pleasing to the eye at the same time that it evokes a cozy feeling in your heart. How's that? No one has ever asked me to define "cute" before!

8. Insert your own random thought here. Randomly speaking, Charley-o is a year old now and remains as much a puppy as ever. Unfortunately all that puppy-ness is bound up in an 80 pound body that stands three feet tall when he's on all fours. Life with Charley is never dull, that's for sure.

- Catherine

Well, here we are again!

2011-10-08T17:19:00.000-06:00

I have a blog! Good heavens, yes I do!

Greetings from our annual last-camping-trip-of-the-season. It's partly cloudy, as usual. It's cold, as usual. And we are happily squirelled away in our cozy camper on this October weekend. As usual.

Okay, we had some electrical malfunctions when we first set up last night, resulting in a VERY cold camper this morning because the heat had gone off. But we finally found the problem and got it fixed. So life is good again. A big thank you to the guys who work at the service garage next door to the campground -- they provided us with replacements for the fuses that were blown.

The "gladiator games" have been going on all day. That's what I call the play between Hank Williams Jr. and Charley -- gladiator games. Teeth are bared but tails are wagging. They clash chests together, then one grabs the other with his teeth, there is snarling, and then they break apart and it starts all over again with another chest clashing. Tails still wagging. They've wandered all over the campground today, taking their gladiator games with them. I hope they sleep like logs tonight!

I've happily spent most of the day indoors, working on some of the finer details of my family history research (it takes time to search through the 1910 census schedule for the entire city of Newark, NJ!).

The guys have been to the mineral hot pools in town. I like the pools, but my hot flashes don't, so I've avoided soaking this year. Sigh. Soaking IS really relaxing, but the horrible hot flashes aren't worth it to me at this point in my life. Terrible to get old!

Instead, I kept the dogs company and allowed them a few more bouts of gladiator games outside.

Life has been crazy lately, and having this weekend completely off is lovely. What with trying to take care of my family, trying to spend time with my aunt and take care of her financial affairs, trying to get back into racquetball, and trying to work 40 hours a week at my job, I am completely tapped out. I might sit down at 8:00 at night and watch something I've recorded on the DVR, but more likely I'm heading to the bedroom and a good book before turning out the light.

Crazy.

But God has brought me to this moment. And here I am, somehow surviving.

In all the hulaballu, I have managed to put up some 25 pints of peach jam and 24 quarts of frozen corn off the cob. We still have apples on our trees out back and, although most are wormy because we didn't spray properly, there are enough for me to put up some apple sauce or apple butter. Just hope I have the time to get to it.

Last weekend I sold one of the horses and purchased another -- one that will be more suitable for me to ride. Since then, the weather has been awful, so I haven't had the opportunity to try her out yet. I have played a bit with her in the pasture though, and her temperament seems quite lovely. Looking forward to this new baby in our herd!

Think that's the brief catch-up.

Hope you too are enjoying your weekend!

- Catherine

Grave matters

2011-09-16T21:02:00.000-06:00

I finally fulfilled a longtime dream of visiting a particular cemetery in Newark, New Jersey.

Before you think I am off my rocker, recall that I love family history and have done extensive research on both my father's side and my mother's side. (If you don't recall that, then please take it on faith -- I do and I have.) Cemeteries are a significant source of family history.

For many years I have wanted to visit the family graves in Fairmount Cemetery. Unfortunately, it isn't the safest place in the world. The Central Ave. side of the cemetery is pretty much okay, as is Central Ave. itself. But the South Orange Ave. side of the cemetery is, apparently, a thief's paradise. As is South Orange Ave. itself at that end of the city. And, of course, it was the South Orange Ave. side of the cemetery that I was going to be needing. So today I finally had the opportunity -- after some 20 years of waiting -- to drive up there, get a staff escort, and take photographs of the family graves.

I die happy.

Well, that's an exaggeration, but it really has helped my research by confirming many facts and giving me a couple new clues.

All but one of the graves were on my mother's side of the family.

This is the grave of my great-great grandmother.

See the birth year of 1840? Ha! 1833 is more like it. Mary Ann made herself younger by a few years with each census that was taken -- she claimed to be 78 years old in the 1920 census. By the time she died, her children weren't sure what year she'd been born. So they made a guess.

Wrong.

In reality, she was 90 when she died. I have other documentation to prove it.

There is one lone grave at Fairmount that is from my dad's side of my family -- he was my great-great grandfather and he is buried in the Soldiers' Plot (row on row of government-issued headstones).

He was a Civil War veteran who served for three years, coming home from the War in 1864 to find his wife had died some eight months earlier, leaving their young son motherless. Within 10 years, he married a second time and fathered two children in that relationship, but the marriage ended in divorce and those children were lost to the family after that.

Wounded four times during the war and plagued with dysentery, he apparently became an alcoholic. His wounds, of course, went with him for the rest of his life, along with kidney disease and heart trouble. He bounced in and out of the NJ Veteran's home three times in the first decade of the 1900s, finally passing away in January of 1910 at the Little Sisters of the Poor charity home in Newark. The U.S. Government buried him.

It's a sad tale, but when I talked about this man's checkered existence with the historian at the cemetery, he was not at all surprised at how things had turned out. The 54th Ohio fought at Shiloh, at Gettysburg and at other incredibly bloody battles. That my great-great grandfather lived through it all is a miracle in itself.

They misspelled his last name on the headstone, although it is spelled correctly in the burial records held by the cemetery association. No dates, but that's okay -- I already know them.

I feel sorry for this man. I wonder what kind of temperament he had naturally and how it was changed by his experiences in the Civil War (did I mention that he was also captured at one point and then escaped about two weeks later?) I think about how his son, my great-grandfather, must have wondered about his father. It seems, from the documentation that I've seen, that theirs was never a close relationship. I feel bad about that too -- my great-grandfather lost his mother when he was less than three years old and then grew up with a father who retained terrible injuries and problems from his service to our country.

Despite the desolate childhood that he endured, my great-grandfather was remembered fondly by his grandchildren (my father among them), so he must have been one of those people who could "re-write the script," as it were. Good for him!

I love a cemetery on a beautiful, Fall day -- especially when there are family history treasures to be discovered.

- Catherine

Ten Years Later

2011-09-11T17:28:00.000-06:00

My post for 9/11 was about my experience of that day in 2001.

Now let me tell you about my experience of that day 10 years later, for it is a tale worth telling.

Our pastor started our church service this morning with a few words of remembrance, etc. Out of the blue -- to me -- he asked my Tim to pray for our armed forces. Right after that, the music team (including me) got up to lead worship.

About the second of the four songs, I noticed that Number 7's face -- down in the congregation -- was red and it looked as though he was upset. During the music, I glanced over a time or two, saw him leave the room and come back again, and saw his father cradle our boy's head in his shoulder. Somehow, though, I wasn't losing my focus (thank you, God!). But I was somewhat concerned.

In the fourth song, I suddenly saw Tim and Number 7 walking up toward us at the front of the room. Tim motioned me to stop. Musician that I am, I made him wait until I'd finished the line we were on, and then we all came to a halt. I watched, not alarmed, but wondering.

Number 7 turned toward me and my concern was all for him at that moment. I hugged him hard and then listened in utter amazement as my strong, stoic husband announced, in a voice cracked with emotion, that our second son had just touched down on American soil after a year of deployment in Iraq.

And then we all sobbed. And cheered. And our wonderful church family sobbed and cheered along with us.

During the sermon, the pastor let us in on an important God-moment of the day -- he usually asks our sound-guy (my beloved Sammy) to pray for the armed forces whenever that is appropriate or desired as something special in our church service. This morning, our pastor felt that Sammy was not the right choice for today, and when he (our pastor) walked past Tim in the outer room, he felt God saying, "That's the one." So he asked Tim. And just about the time Tim sat down after praying, he received the text from our son that he was on U.S. soil.

We all shed tears of great happiness on a day of such sad remembrance. The irony was not lost on us -- our boy came home safe and alive on a day when so many lost their lives in the years since 9/1/2001.

We do not forget those who will never come home again. But today we are grinning from ear to ear and we are so very, very grateful for God's mercy.

- Catherine

Where were you?

2011-09-10T21:51:00.011-06:00

It is hard to relive the day of September 11, 2001. I, in fact, am avoiding most of the commemorative shows and events. Not because I am not moved or touched, but because sometimes you have to guard your heart.

That said, I well remember where I was and what was happening around me that day. We lived in Central New Jersey at the time - within commuting distance of NYC. Many of my daughter's friends had parents working in the city on a daily basis.

When my secretary told me about the first plane, I assumed it was a little Cessna that had gone astray. When she told me about the second plane, I looked up and said, "We're under attack!" Both of us tried to get details - she from NPR and me from the internet. To my frustration, my reliable standby website for breaking news, CNN, had already crashed from the overwhelming internet traffic. Ditto for the New York Times. Eventually I found that Princeton University had made the CNN satellite feed available on its website, and I sat transfixed with horror as the plane crashes were replayed and as the Twin Towers fell again and again and again.

My employer sent us home early, which was just as well since I had a very distressed teenage daughter waiting for me. The father of one of her dearest friends worked in Manhattan. He hadn't been heard from and there was good reason to be worried - his office was across the street from the WTC. Thankfully, it turned out that he was safe and had been making his way home all day. He walked in the door that evening, having been unable to get through with his cell phone due to the overloaded circuits.

One of my co-workers was not as fortunate. Her husband worked for an IT company that sent him to various venues each week. September 11 was his day to work at the WTC, and, sadly, he lost his life in the tragedy.

Word came round that our church would be open for prayer that evening. Many of us sat in the silence for a long time, tears streaming down our faces.

A surreal and horrifying day for all of us. As the stories of bravery rolled in, I marveled at the nobler side of humanity. I still do, and I hope it does not take another national tragedy to bring that side to the fore once again.

Where were you?

- Catherine

Hodgepodge Wednesday

2011-09-07T02:00:00.001-06:00

1. What is one piece of advice you would give a 'just turning' 21- year old adult?

Don't be an idiot.

2. Besides cooler weather (or warmer weather, depending on your hemisphere) what is one thing you are looking forward to this fall?

NFL football on Sunday afternoons, cozily ensconced in the TV room with my two best guys (and two best dogs).

3. What sound lulls you to sleep?

A fan can lull me to sleep, and that's about the only sound I can tolerate. Any other sound will likely keep me awake.

4. September is National Preparedness Month...does your family have an emergency 'kit' and/or disaster plan in place?

Prayer is our only disaster plan. We live in an area of the country where the dominant religion emphasizes preparedness, so there are lots of resources at my fingertips. But we still don't have a plan.

5. How has your blog changed since you started blogging? Or has it?

I don't think it has changed because it's never been about just one thing.

6. What's something you've recently learned to do on the computer?

Ummm .... I don't know. My skills improve whenever something new comes out, but I've no idea what has been recent.

7. Is a picture worth a thousand words? Elaborate.

Yes and no. (Nothing is black and white with me!) Yes, a picture can convey a deeper and clearer sense of a situation, that's for sure. But pictures without words can be very misleading, even damaging. And words well put together can create an amazing picture in the imagination of the reader -- which can be better than a photograph.

8. Insert your own random here. Randomly speaking, I despair of the current political situation. I decry the polarization of our country. And like Rep. Jim Cooper, I think that those politicians who continually and blindly put their own partisan gain before the good of our country are bordering on treasonous activity.

I hate ending on a downer, so let me also say this -- I'm glad God is sovereign over all, and that's pretty much the only sanity in my world.

Thanks Joyce, for another set of thought-provoking questions. If you, dear reader, wish to play along, skip on over to Joyce's blog and link up your own answers there.

- Catherine

The Can Can

2011-09-03T21:21:00.001-06:00

Today I made... and canned... both peach jam and peach butter.

What is WRONG with me??? I spent the ENTIRE day at it!

And I loved every minute of it.

And I can barely move tonight.

I must be channeling my mother. And my grandmother. And every single one of my great aunts - Ethel, Ann, Gert, Mabel, and Bert. Plus numerous cousins.

I come from a long line of canners.

We all can can!

I haven't canned anything since, like, 1980, for cryin' out loud.

So, I'm not sure the peach butter is the right consistency. But if not, it will make for a nice peach topping on pancakes or ice cream. I'm philosophical that way. It will also make for a great glaze on a pork loin.

I must admit I am really, really enjoying the sight of the little golden jars, and am looking forward to stocking them in my pantry downstairs. Some cold winter day I will walk down there and return with a jar of golden sunshine.

With a big label that says "I made this!!!"

Just kidding.

But I do have enough to give as Christmas gifts.

And that is a mighty fine thing.

Oh, and the leftovers that could't be preserved? Toast this week!!! Does it get any better?

-Catherine

A favorite clip

2011-09-02T13:49:00.000-06:00

Just the other day I got to thinking about the very funny show "I Love Lucy" and I wondered if my favorite scene was on Youtube.

Because everything is on Youtube, right?

Right!

The picture quality isn't very good, but the scene remains hilarious. It's about 4 1/2 minutes long -- well worth it to see the end!

Have a great weekend!

- Catherine

Various and Sundry Things

2011-09-01T08:25:00.000-06:00

"Various and sundry" is a phrase my mother always used instead of "random," but they amount to the same thing. So, here are my various and sundry thoughts for the day.

----------------------------------------------------------

I meant to play racquetball yesterday. Instead I bought a car. No, those two activities are not in any way related. It's just that the Explorer has had its day and I've been wanting to get something smaller for running around town. Enter the black VW Jetta with the manual transmission. I love driving this car! (I'm one of those people who really enjoys driving a stick, even in town.)

----------------------------------------------------------

There are two family things I get to do this week!

One is to see our newest grandbaby, who was born on my birthday back in June.

The second is to visit Number 6 at his new home. Hard to believe he has his own place now!

-----------------------------------------------------------

Our Charley-monster got hit by a car last weekend but his mangled back paw is on the mend (at least, I hope it is mending underneath that huge bandage!). He is walking better and even running now and then, and the xrays showed no damage to the hips or legs -- just the paws. God is good. As much as Charley has been a handful to raise (he's 10 months old now), he has wormed his way into our hearts.

-----------------------------------------------------------

My Aunt Muriel fell this past weekend and wrenched her knee. I took her to the doctor for xrays, and there were no fractures to be seen, thank goodness. But she'll be in a soft brace for a little while and she is frustrated by the whole situation. She worries about being a burden to me, although I've assured her over and over again that she is not. I've stepped up my schedule of stopping in to see her so that we can have a walk together (she's supposed to be up and around on the leg, not just sitting) and so that she doesn't feel depressed and cooped up. Yesterday I made Jersey-style sub sandwiches and took a picnic lunch up to her apartment at the assisted living facility. We had a great time and the subs were a nice reminder of the place that we both call home. Afterwards we took a walk outside in the breezy sunshine, enjoying the view from the hillside where she lives. I'm loving every precious minute that I have with her on this earth.

---------------------------------------------------------------

- Catherine

Hodgepodge Wednesday

2011-08-31T02:00:00.001-06:00

Another edition of the weekly meme. Thanks once again to Joyce for putting this together!

1. Do you think the world became a more dangerous place on September 11, 2001 or did we just become more aware of the danger? How has your own life changed as a result of that day? I think the danger has been there all along and that we are just more aware. The consequence of Sept 11 is that flying in a commercial airliner has become cumbersome to the traveler. I can't travel with only carry-on luggage because my shampoo and hair products will always exceed the 3 oz. requirement for liquids. And I hate the intrusiveness of the security processes that are now in place. Moreover, I've learned that the machines go out of date very quickly and have to be replaced with whatever is the latest and greatest technology -- can we say "waste of taxpayer money?" (Does anyone still go through those elaborate puffer booths? I think not...)

2. Did you think your parents were too strict when you were growing up? How about in hindsight? Didn't most of us think our parents were too strict while we were being raised? I certainly did. In hindsight, I'd say their ideas about raising kids were correct but they really failed in the communication department. "Because I said so" is something that we heard more than once a day in our house. My parents should have taken the time to explain things to us in a little more depth, rather than taking the easy way (for them).

3. Share one random but candid fact about yourself. Randomly and candidly, I agonize over my hair way too much. It is curly and dry, and the water here in the West is aggressively hard. It's very easy for me to have a bad hair day, believe me. I hate piling on the products (at least three), but there doesn't seem to be any other way to make it satisfactory to my eyes.

4. Would your nearest and dearest describe you as simple or far too complicated? Far too complicated, I'm sure. I can be very mercurial. In some things I am very laid back and in others (probably rather random) I am very inflexible. Also, when I'm upset, I tend to become very agitated and loud for a brief time (I'm working on it!).

5. What is your favorite stadium or carnival food? Hmmmm .... there are so many at our annual State Fair that it's hard to choose just one. I love bacon dipped in dark chocolate, I love funnel cakes, I love fry bread, I love fried salmon .... and on and on and on!

6. Tornado, hurricane, earthquake...how many of these natural disasters have you experienced? Which event do you think would be the scariest? I've felt the very distant rumblings from a couple of earthquakes, but not intense enough to qualify as actually experiencing an earthquake. I've never experienced a tornado. Coming from New Jersey, though, I've experienced my fair share of hurricanes. Hurricanes don't frighten me, but I think a tornado or an earthquake would scare the daylights out of me.

7. Labor Day weekend is approaching so a work related question seems appropriate. Growing up, did your parents assign you regular chores? Were you paid for doing those chores? If you're a parent do you assign chores to your own children? Why or why not? We had regular chores. Our amount of allowance wasn't based on the chores, but we could end up being "docked" our allowance if we failed to get our chores done without a lot of nagging by my mother. My own daughter had chores and her allowance amount was based, in part, on the number of chores. But I don't think I ever had to nag her about one single chore in her life!

[That last question was inspired by a post Mindee wrote on Monday. Everyone go say hi to Mindee-she blogs at Our Front Door and she's funny.]

8. Insert your own random thought here. Another moment of randomness (see #3 above) -- this time I'll just say that I am experimenting with Wen haircare to see if I like it.

If you want to play along, be sure to link up over at Joyce's blog!

- Catherine

The Canine Point of View

2011-08-25T10:05:00.000-06:00

Hank and Charley deep in conversation:

Hank (wagging his tail in excitement): This is where we go camping!

Charley (wagging his tail in imitation of Hank): What's camping?

Hank (patiently): This is when Mama and Daddy take us out on the lake!

Charley: What's a lake?

Hank (still trying to explain): It's where we go out on the boat!

Charley: What's a boat?

Hank (still patient): And we get to go swimming!

Charley: What's swimming?

Hank (triumphantly): And we sleep in the camper!

Charley: What's a camper?

Hank (completely out of sorts): Why don't you go inside now, Charley. Just go up the three steps to the door and go see Mama.

Charley: What steps?

Hank: Maaaa-maaaa.......!

Hank is articulate and has good manners. He's also a very good sailor.

Charley is sloppy and lovable, but thick as a plank. He never did quite get the hang of climbing the three stairs to the camper door. But he sure did love his first camping trip!

- Catherine

Red Sails

2011-08-19T11:27:00.000-06:00

"Red sails in the sunset, way out on the sea,
Oh, carry my loved one home safely to me."

(Old song -- anyone remember it?)

The truth is this: my husband has a new mistress. He just acquired her in July. She's a bit worn, with some age to her, but she brazenly wears red at every opportunity:

That's right, a catamaran.

He's so enamored of his new toy that he spent nearly all of our lake week with her.

So I've taken to calling him Cap'n Tim. Do you love his little yachting cap? He's had that for over a decade now and he finally gets to wear it on a boat! And yes, that was Number 7 flexing his muscles for us. Sometimes it's good to be 15 years old.

Of course, Hank had to be part of it. He went out on nearly every ride, comfortably snoozing on the canvas.

Sometimes they were "becalmed" and had to paddle her in. But that occurred less frequently as Tim's skills improved. This is his first sailing craft of any kind, after all.

She really is a lot of fun, given that she's my summer rival!

We're still thinking up a name ....

- Catherine

Getting to Heaven

2011-08-18T16:08:00.000-06:00

Yesterday I posted the first of my vacation blogs, and it was about Heaven.

But before we could arrive there, we had the usual Day 1 Experience. To wit:

Our departure had been planned for 7:00 Tuesday morning. On Monday we had shopped, repaired, and packed in a frenzy, working until 11:00 or so that night. We flopped into bed and were out of bed again at 5:45 a.m.

As usual, our actual departure was more like the Keystone Cops than the smooth procedure for which we had ostensibly prepared all day Monday. Every time I turned around it seemed that one more little - yet crucial - item had been left inside, prompting much running back and forth between our RV parked on the street and our house.

Oh yeah, the RV was supposed to have been parked in the driveway right next to the house -- because having that kind of space is one of the reasons we moved to this house. But the City, in its infinite wisdom, chose Monday and Tuesday to pour the new driveway that goes with the new sidewalk that goes with the new roadbed in front of our house. So all vehicles that were going to be needed on those days had to be parked on the street.

Fun times.

I finally got on the road in my vehicle 30 minutes late. My friend Rhonda and her daughter followed behind me in their car. The boys were not so lucky. They ended up about 90 minutes late, mostly because as they started to pull away from the curb -- the first time -- the back window of the camper got gob-smacked by a tree branch and shattered into a million pieces.

Okay, not a million.

But enough that Tim had to go find something to effect our red-neck window repair: that's right, we sported a very large cardboard advertisement for a Sony™ TV all the way through our camping trip this year. That's what everyone uses those old TV boxes for, right?

Really fun times.

But, as you already know -- we did make it to Heaven. And a few more posts will be coming soon, including the viewpoint of our two dogs.

Talk soon!

- Catherine

Heaven

2011-08-17T16:26:00.000-06:00

In companionable silence, Rhonda and I sat gazing across the sunlit lake waters, marveling at the sight.

"It's so beautiful I almost can't stand it," she observed. And in silence, I agreed.

The view from the little beach where we had pulled up our kayaks really was superb. Tall pines, birds wheeling through the air, and the rippled blue/green waters. Paddling across the lake, we'd left behind the main beach's gaggle of small chldren and their screams and cries. Now we could hear nothing but the birds and the wind.

The pure sunshine mirrored my feelings and I thought, not for the first time, that this place is a little slice of what Heaven must be like. The natural beauty created by God is certainly part of that, but the real taste of Heaven comes from the absence of a measurement of time. No clocks, no watches, no cell phones. We deliberately put them all away at the lake and we live only in the present. That's what heaven will be like, for God lives outside of time.

For one week each summer on this earth, so do we.

- Catherine

Buriel

2011-08-15T18:53:00.001-06:00

Today it rained, it poured, it thundered, and it lightening-ed.

And in the midst of it all, I buried my uncle's ashes.

The box containing his "cremains" had been sitting in the corner of my aunt's kitchen since August of last year.

Something had to be done.

I called the cemetery where the family plot is located, knowing that there was one empty grave remaining in the plot. The caretaker graciously agreed to open a hole in the remaining grave.

For $650.00.

Frankly, I could have dug it myself for a lot less, but there you have it.

The rain let up for about 30 minutes this afternoon. Unfortunately I was still driving to the cemetery when that 30 minute window was open. By the time I arrived, the rain had resumed, accompanied by thunder and lightening.

"Very funny, Uncle Bob," I muttered as I sat in my car, waiting for a break.

At one point the storm rolled overhead with a thunder crash so loud that I flubbed the check I was writing at the time. For $650.00.

Guess Uncle Bob didn't like the price either.

Finally the thunder moved off and I got out of my car in the pouring rain. I quickly set the box of ashes in the hole and carefully placed a tiny Swiss flag and then a tiny U.S. flag on top. The caretaker was nice enough to ask me about my uncle, and I spoke about him for a minute or so.

Uncle Bob was born in Switzerland and served in the Swiss army during WWII. He came to the U.S. in 1948, married my aunt in 1950, and returned to Switzerland only for visits after that. He was a naturalized American citizen and very proud to be so. He was also proud of his Swiss heritage. Hence my putting both flags in his grave.

My memories of him include his Swiss-German accent, his remarkable skill for gardening, and his extraordinary energy and vitality. I sure hope he made it to Heaven. I would like to see him again someday!

- Catherine

More treasures?

2011-08-13T16:31:00.001-06:00

I briefly lost my mind today.

In my Uncle Bob's office there were two audio cassette tapes -- one of my grandfather's last celebrated birthday (he was 88 that birthday) and one of a visit made by his children (including my Aunt Muriel) during his final months in a nursing home, about nine months after the first tape.

I cried.

And cried.

To be able to go back 29 years in time to hear the voices of my grandfather and my aunts and uncles is a priceless treasure. Instantly I was transported back to my childhood days -- especially Christmas when all the family would gather in our home (we were the only children on that side of the family, so my mother had ample reason to insist that Christmas was at her house). I was not allowed to participate in the adult conversations back then, but I certainly heard them. Listening to this tape was like an immediate re-visiting of my childhood.

Hence the losing of the mind. I lay on the living room floor of my aunt's house, crying, laughing, and talking back to the tape.

The birthday tape is mostly conversation among the siblings. But I caught the remnants of my grandfather's native British accent, which he had worked hard to lose in his younger years, but which crept in occasionally anyway. For instance, "married" was pronounced "marrid" and "Cathy" was pronounced "Kethy." I heard my Uncle Norman's very broad North Jersey accent -- by far the most noticeable among all the siblings, that's for sure. No ambiguity about where Uncle Norman had been brought up!

The second tape is of my grandfather playing the little organ in the chapel of the nursing home. Mostly he played hymns, but he also played -- and SANG -- "O Danny Boy," a song he'd sung many times as a professional tenor (his side job when his kids were growing up). It is obvious that his vocal cords were totally unused to singing by then -- he was 89 at the time of the tape -- but I can still hear the WAY that he sang and, occasionally, a note that rang true both in intonation and tone quality from his youth. Fascinating!

I sang along with him on "O Danny Boy" and reveled in the virtual duet.

Over and over again through my lifetime, my mother and her sisters would try to figure out just whose voice I had inherited. One aunt swore that I had their mother's voice -- but Grandpa put an end to that when he noted that his wife (my grandmother, whom I never met due to her early death) had been an alto. In my classical years, I was a lyric soprano. So, not Grandmother's voice.Listening to these tapes, I'd say that I really inherited the female version of my beloved Grandfather himself -- a lyric tenor in his professional days.

The pop group ABBA had a song in the early 1980s (or maybe late 1970s) called "Thank you for the music." It is most appropriate for me to say to my Grandpa Newark -- thank you for the music.

Treasure indeed.

- Catherine

Questions

2011-08-11T19:40:00.001-06:00

I have spent the last few days cleaning my Aunt's house and getting it ready for sale. There will also be an "estate sale" in the next month or so in order to get rid of the contents accumulated over a 60 year marriage.

It has been a long haul, these days of sorting, cleaning, dumping, and saving.

My aunt has Alzheimer's, a sad diagnosis in itself. To think that I will lose her soon - not physically but mentally and emotionally - is daunting, to say the least. I had a conversation with an old friend recently. She is the major caregiver for her mother, who also has Alzheimer's. Her mother no longer recognizes her, and my friend's heartache is acute.

As I go through my Aunt's personal belonging, a clearer picture emerges. It is heartbreaking to see the attempts she made to keep track of things after my uncle died last summer. Heartbreaking to see how often her mind failed her in significant ways. Heartbreaking to know that she was/is aware that she needs to be responsible but that she is no longer capable of thinking clearly enough to do that.

Heartbreaking.

And what do I say when I return home to Idaho with so much of her stuff? She will want to go home, but that isn't possible anymore. Do I tell her that she has Alzheimer's and that she will one day cease to know me? I want so much for her to know how much I love her and that she will always be secure with me watching over her. But would telling her just be a selfish act on my part? She is, after all, God's child - perhaps it is best to leave the knowledge of her condition with Him?

- Catherine

Treasures

2011-08-09T19:14:00.001-06:00

No, this is not the long promised vacation post with pictures.

It's not even a post about my 35th high school reunion, although I will eventually write about that too.

This is where I tell you that I am cleaning out my aunt's house in preparation for selling it. And I have found many treasures, including a sterling silver napkin ring engraved with the name of my great great Aunt Ada, along with the year 1896; including a tintype of one of my great great grandfathers; especially including a photograph of a soccer team of young men in England in 1911, featuring my own grandfather - who played so well that they wanted him to play for England and who gave it all up to come to America. The photograph was presented to him on the day he sailed, never to return to England and never to play soccer again. It must have been a hard choice, but I sure am glad he made it. Here's to you, my wonderful "Grandpa Newark!"

-Catherine

The aftermath

2011-08-04T08:33:00.001-06:00

I haven't posted anything about my vacation, but here I am talking about the aftermath? Yep.

That's because one must get through the aftermath before one can return to one's usual pursuits, such as blogging. And uploading vacation photos.

We arrived home around dinnertime on Monday and spent the evening unpacking the camper. Three people, two dogs, and a boatload of dirt came home from a week of camping. I immediately started the first of some seven or eight loads of extremely filthy laundry, a process that continued for the better part of the next two days. Thank heavens for my front loader or I'd STILL be doing laundry from the vacation!

And that would be bad because I am already off on another trip - my 35th high school reunion is this Saturday night in NJ. So here I sit in the Salt Lake City airport in the middle of a three hour layover. Sharing my layover with you, dear reader. You're welcome.

I promise there are vacation posts and pics coming. You do want to know all about it, right???

I thought so.

Talk soon!

- Catherine

Hodgepodge Wednesday

2011-07-20T02:00:00.001-06:00

1. July 20th marks the anniversary of the first time man stood on the moon. Flash forward 42 years to July 8, 2011 which marked the start of the final Space Shuttle mission. Should we continue to explore space? Should nations devote more or fewer of their resources to exploring space? Would you want to go into space if the opportunity arose? I would never want to go into space -- I'd hate the cramped quarters, the inconveniences, and the never ending darkness outside my window. As for whether or not space travel should continue, I don't know. There must be a huge number of factors to be considered in that decision.

2. What are three things in your freezer? Bread, ice cream, and ice packs (the kind you use when you've injured yourself -- yeah, I keep a bunch on hand for that).

3. If you could see any band/artist perform live tonight who would it be? It has to be someone living...no Beatles, Elvis, etc. Amy Grant. Love her music -- it's been the soundtrack of my life in so many ways. And her concerts are very relaxing and always interesting and well done.

4. Ice-cubed or crushed? Or are you one of those people who don't like ice? I don't much like ice in water, but I like ice in certain other beverages -- in which I prefer it to be cubed, thank you.

5. The owner of a small restaurant outside of Pittsburgh recently announced he was banning children under six, saying they regularly disrupted other customer's meals. You can read the story in more detail here but isn't this a perfect topic to discuss in our Wednesday Hodgepodge? Have at it friends...what are your thoughts? Personally, I hate paying good money for a meal and then having the experience ruined by the family at the table next to mine -- where the 2 year-old is carrying on fit to beat the band and Mommy and Daddy are futilely trying to placate little Cletus instead of whisking him out of the restaurant for a good sit down outside. And, my personal opinion aside, the bottom line in our free country is this: privately owned businesses are free to make their own "house rules" in order to better their business. Period. It's not illegal to say "no children under 6" in a private establishment.

6. What was your first car? How did it come to be yours? It was my mother's car, and it was a 1961 Chevy Impala (which I got in 1975). I really loved it and was heartbroken when the transmission blew out.

7. If I had a nickle for every time I _________________ I'd be rich. Say the words, "Close the door -- we're not heating the great outdoors here!"

8. Insert your own random thought here. Randomly speaking, I am peeved as all get out at J.K. Rowling and all the others who had a hand in the recently released film "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows 2." What WERE you all thinking? You completely removed all of the depth and nuance from the final showdown between good and evil and turned it into nothing more than a shallow action movie cum star vehicle for the three leads. The wonder is that Rowling allowed it -- she crafted the books with such care, and the last was incredibly satisfying, bringing the story full circle. Thumbs way down on the movie -- and I'm disappointed in Rowling for selling out like that.

Thanks to Joyce, as always, for some great questions! You, dear reader, will find other entries at Joyce's blog today or you may even play along and link up your own answers there.

- Catherine

Ah, the weekend

2011-07-18T09:14:00.000-06:00

Saturday afternoon was spent at one of my favorite spots on this earth: Provo River Falls in the High Unitas mountains of Utah.

The river is a perfect torrent this year due to an extraordinarily long winter and wet spring. Indeed, summer is here only in fits and starts it seems, for after the sun and heat of the weekend, we are back to cloudy, cool weather today.

I'm consoling myself with these pictures (taken last year, but it's the same this year):

The main falls are so full this year that you get sprayed by them when you stand near the edge.

Further up the mountains -- more falls.

This is a view of which I never tire, looking upriver from the top of the main falls.

Our last week of work has arrived, and, with it, the last week for me to enjoy the company of Numbers 4 and 4.5. Provo River Falls is on the list for a repeat visit this coming Wednesday afternoon: lazing by the river, wandering up the mountainside, just letting the sound and the beauty restore our spirits.

- Catherine

Nylon fallout

2011-07-15T16:27:00.000-06:00

Much has been made of the Duchess of Cambridge's choice to wear sheer pantyhose with all her outfits during the Wales' recent tour of North America.

Why is the wearing of pantyhose a newsworthy item?

Oh yeah, because several years ago, the fashion pundits and designers decreed that women should be bare-legged at all times. Even in the snow.

Nearly all of those pundits and designers are men, by the way. And they wear long-legged garments pretty much all the time, unless they're at their beach home in the Hamptons or the South of France.

I hereby applaud the Duchess's choice.

Yes, she has fabulous legs and could go without hosiery. But if you're attending a formal or professional occasion, you should wear hose to finish off your outfit.

I'm guessing here, but I'd say that 80% of all women "of a certain age" have less than fabulous legs. I'm in shape, but the skin on my gams and my feet definitely shows the wear of 53 years.

I need hosiery.

I even like hosiery -- because it gives my legs a polished look.

For the last several years I have eschewed wearing dresses and skirts because of the hosiery-is-so-last-century issue. But not anymore. I'm happily going back to sheer hosiery (which, thanks for Her Royal Highness's favor, will more than likely begin to include many more choices for us to wear!).

To the fashion designers and pundits, I say: Neener, neener, neeeeeeeeener! In one 12-day trip, you've been undone by a 29-year old woman with a better sense of style than you'll ever have.

- Catherine

Hodgepodge Wednesday

2011-07-13T02:00:00.002-06:00

1. How has your hometown changed since you were a kid? What has changed most about the neighborhood you grew up in? I grew up on a farm in a rural township in NJ, about 5 miles from the Atlantic Ocean (as the crow flies, that is). The area is no longer rural nor are there any farms except for a few horse farms that breed thoroughbred horses (you know, the expensive ones!). So, it's all changed completely and the population is much larger than when I was a kid. The modest houses that lined the rural roads are gone too -- razed and replaced by McMansions. All house and almost no yard in some cases. The township still has only one high school, but it's gargantuan now -- if you look carefully, you can just about discern parts of the original building that is still at the core of the monstrosity. Hope they have more than a 3-minute pass between classes! Oh, and the houses I grew up in? Gone, as is the farm. It's a strip mall, of course.

2. What song makes you laugh? "I'm Still a Guy" by Brad Paisley

3. Are you a fan of Harry Potter? Read the books? Seen any/all of the movies? Will you be standing in line somewhere close to midnight later this week? For those of you playing along today who live outside the US or UK is Harry Potter a phenomenon in your part of the world? I'm a big fan of the books, less so of the movies. I've read all the books more than once and seen all the movies more than once. I won't be standing in line at midnight to see the upcoming movie (although I did just that for the last two books, I must admit). We'll see the movie a day or two after it opens, I think- -- and I am looking forward to it, although I'm afraid I will be disappointed by how they depict the final showdown between Harry and Voldemort. The book did it so very, very well! I can't imagine the movie being as satisfying. We'll see ...

4. If the truth hurts, will you tell a lie? Are we better off as a society in a world that allows no form of deception whatsoever? Hmmm .... this is tough, Joyce! Okay, I'm not fond of falsehoods, and I think that lying to manipulate a situation for one's own benefit is truly despicable. But sometimes the situation actually can warrant a fib -- such as when someone who is senile needs to be reassured that everything is all right, and the only way to cure their agitation is to say what they need to hear. So, while I believe that truth is an overall must in life, especially life lived in the presence of God, there are shades of gray for me: sometimes it is kinder to the other person to occasionally omit information or to carefully dance around it.

5. What is your favorite 'sauteed in garlic and butter' food? Or garlic and olive oil if that makes you feel better. Shrimp. Kale. Brussels Spouts. I can't decide! Pretty much anything sauteed in garlic and butter will be good, right???

6. Attending any reunions this summer/year? High school? family? Other? Do these events stir up excitement or dread? My 35th High School Reunion is taking place in early August and I am going. I'm really looking forward to this one because so many of us are now in touch via Facebook, and the excitement has been building among us since the reunion was announced.

7. Lilac, hydrangea, peony...pick one. Lilac! I love the look of the flower, and the scent is just extraordinary on a spring breeze!

8. Insert your own random thought here. Vacation is two weeks away -- I can't wait!!

Thanks, Joyce, for another round of questions! I'm glad I was able to participate this week!

- Catherine

Title?

2011-07-09T23:07:00.001-06:00

How do you title something that is the product of an exhausting week and will exceed my randomness quota for the next little while?

Follow along with my wanderings, dear reader, if you dare:

In two days my Dad would have been 90 years old. He passed in 2007 and while time does level the everyday grief, the holidays actually seem to become harder as time goes on.

The Harry Potter movie comes out next week and I will be seeing it. But it's hard to imagine the movie doing justice to the excellence of the book - especially the final scene between Harry and Voldemort. Think I may have to indulge in rereading the book after I see the movie.

Fake tans are wonderful things for those of us who were not blessed with the natural ability to tan. Too bad I can't make money from my incredible ability to sunburn.

Why do tech guys assume that women don't know anything about technology? I walked into Staples today to get some assistance with my android tablet. Specifically, I needed help because the tablet could no longer connect with any wireless networks. Despite working fine with the available networks here for the past several weeks, the tablet's wifi function simply quit yesterday. I explained the problem to the young man at the desk at Staples (where I purchased the tablet) and his first observation was "Well, the wifi is probably turned off." "Yes, it IS turned off," I rejoined. "I turned it off because it was running down the battery while continually scanning for networks to which it was unable to connect!" He shut up and finally admitted that he didn't know anything about the tablets. Epic fail. I ended up researching it online and fixing the problem myself. Thank you.

The Duchess of Cambridge shares my name: Catherine Elizabeth. She's a lot thinner then I, though, and she would look great wearing a paper bag. Phhtttt.

Tim was watching an old John Wayne western today. As I passed through the room, the Duke uttered the sentence, "I've made up my mind." But my 21st century ears heard "I met'em online." Boy, have things changed!

Speaking of old movies, Pygmalion - starring Lesley Howard and Wendy Hiller - is one of the very best. The chemistry between them makes the Professor Higgins - Eliza Doolittle relationship much more understandable.

End of random wanderings. Time to return to work. Less than three weeks until vacation!

- Catherine

I wish I had a picture ...

2011-06-29T21:22:00.001-06:00

... but we devoured it so quickly that there was no time:

Shrimp and polenta (for two or three servings)

Ingredients:
polenta (one roll of the prepared polenta)
1 vidalia or other sweet onion (large), sliced thin
Raw shrimp (enough for three people), shells removed
2 cups sliced mushrooms
1/4-1/3 cup sherry or white wine
2 wedges of Laughing Cow french onion flavor cheese
3/4 cup half and half
2 TBS chopped fresh parsley

Method:
1. prepare polenta according to package directions so that it is heated through when the shrimp is ready to serve.
2. sautee the onion slices in a little olive oil until well cooked and browned (caramelized)
3. in the meantime, sautee the sliced mushrooms until well cooked and browned.
4. add the shrimp to the mushrooms and cook over medium until just done.
5. remove shrimp and mushrooms to a plate.
6. in the same pan, pour in the wine and deglaze the pan over medium high heat.
7. reduce heat to low.
8. add the wedges of cheese and the half and half to the wine in the pan.
9. stir and cook over low until the cheese melts and the mixture has the consistency of a light sauce (if too thick, cut with a little water).
10. add the shrimp and mushrooms to the sauce, and toss to coat.
11. Individually plate: two or three slices of polenta, top with caramelized onion, then pour a portion of the shrimp/mushroom/sauce mixture over all. Garnish each serving with chopped parsley.

Dig in and say ahhhhh ...

- Catherine
PS: Thanks to Number 4 for helping me cook and to Hubby and Number 4.5 for cleaning up!

FedEx

2011-06-27T18:28:00.001-06:00

On Friday they delivered a package that was so banged up the end had burst wide open.

Miraculously, none of the contents had slid out.

I am not amused.

- Catherine

I caved

2011-06-25T07:11:00.001-06:00

I am blogging today from my Android tablet. This is something I never thought I would own, believe me. I couldn't see the point of it. I didn't need my email that close to me. I didn't need it for entertainment. I didn't need it.

I hereby eat crow.

(Gross.)

The 10" Acer Iconia won me over. Why? Because it works. And by that I mean it accomplishes real work - this tablet can create and edit documents and spreadsheets, and it seamlessly integrates with my Google account and calendar.

And that's why I bought it.

And love it.

And will nevermore (quoth the raven) be without it.

- Catherine
PS - the tablet doubles as an e-reader too - now that's entertainment!

I finally have pictures!

2011-06-23T16:36:00.000-06:00

Wanna see??

I thought you would!

These aren't the professional photographs yet, but they're pretty good candid shots.

Abbi's Dad and I walked our daughter down the aisle.

The groom's parents, Larry and Linda, walking down the aisle:

Abbi's stepfather (my Tim) escorted her stepmother, Robin, down the aisle:

Here's Abbi getting ready in the bride room:

Detail of the dress, with Great-Great-Great Aunt Florrie's brooch fastened to the middle of the flower:

Abbi has been a dancer since she was little, so there was plenty of dancing at this wedding, including the recessional and the entrance into the reception:

The family shot:

The food and decorations:

My personal favorite of all the pics so far because it perfectly expresses the carefree enthusiasm of the day:

I sang (and made it through without tears!). Tim and Robin read the Scripture readings. Bob (Abbi's dad) gave the blessing for the reception meal. Larry and Linda spoke about their son at the reception. And we finished the night by dancing our feet off. A great day! And one of the most fun weddings I've ever attended!

- Catherine

It's Wednesday and I am lame

2011-06-15T13:02:00.000-06:00

I didn't get to the weekly Hodgepodge today -- my apologies to Joyce, who always has such great questions for us!

Yesterday was my 53rd birthday and everyone has been asking me if I did anything fun.

I worked all morning.

Then my aunt took me out for lunch at Ruby Tuesday's. THAT was fun.

Then I worked some more.

Then I went to the salon to have my hair colored. I had a little nap while I was under the dryer (fun). I'm told my mouth was hanging open but I wasn't snoring.

Glad to hear it.

Then I did some yard work (fun), shared a glass of wine with my next door neighbor (fun), and took over the digging of dirt (un-fun) so that Tim could attend Tuesday night prayer group at church (good for him).

It was the digging that did it. I couldn't move when I got done.

But it took care of my weight training for a while, that's for sure!

No, I don't do weight training, but that's a mere technicality, right?

- Catherine

Taking one for the team

2011-06-12T21:48:00.000-06:00

I got to play my favorite position of catcher at today's church softball game.

Unfortunately, the bat got thrown one too many times and I couldn't jump away fast enough.

So I've got a knot the size of a tennis ball on my right thigh muscle. It's already turning a lovely shade of purple too.

I'm ready for another dose of ibuprofen and some analgesic muscle cream. And then to bed. With a good book.

I already had the chocolate cupcake that I felt I'd earned. Maybe I'll deserve another one when I try to get out of bed tomorrow morning.

- Catherine

Wednesday Hodgepodge -- the start of summer!

2011-06-08T08:32:00.000-06:00

1. Do you and your family enjoy camping? What do you enjoy most/like the least when it comes to family camping? When was the last time you camped? We love camping, especially if we are at our favorite Wade Lake, where clocks and cell phones are put away and time is measured strictly by the sun and our own hunger pangs. The pictures below are from our last camping trip -- August of 2010. Can't wait for this year!!

2. Did you attend a summer camp when you were a kid? Is that a happy or not so happy memory? I attended a week of church camp each year at a place called ... no joke ... Mt. Misery. Overall I enjoyed it, although I recall the food being practically inedible.

3. Over the course of your life, what have you probably spent more time pondering than anything else? Injustice. It is something that really, really bothers me and that I find impossible to accept -- both for myself and for others.

4. Which of the seven natural wonders of the world would you most like to see? There are many lists of 'wonders' but this is the standard natural wonder list-Mount Everest, The Great Barrier Reef, The Grand Canyon, Victoria Falls, The Harbor of Rio de Janerio, Paricutan Volcano and The Northern Lights. I don't have a preference. Is that bad? If I ever had the opportunity to see any of them, I'd be happy.

5. What was your first real job? Working the counter at a local flight training school. Happily I was there for only six months or so -- longest six months of my life. The pilots/instructors were arrogant creeps who sexually harassed all the female employees. Unfortunately, those were the days when sexual harassment was something you either had to put up with or you changed jobs. I changed jobs.

6. Lemonade or Sweet tea...which do you prefer on a hot summer day? Lemonade, especially if it's fresh!

7. What is something that always brings a smile to your face? These days, it's our back yard. I could sit there for hours, enjoying the warm weather and the sunshine. And the gnomes.

8. Insert your own random thought here. Randomly speaking, life is sweet, sweet, sweet!

2011-06-06T09:23:00.000-06:00

I can't even figure out how to start this blog post. It's meant to be a weekend update but I'm afraid my brain is still not willing to switch from weekend to Monday.

So I can't think very well.

Where was I? Oh yes -- we had two days of absolutely glorious weather. I hit the Farmers Market early Saturday morning and then spent the rest of the day working around our yard.

Plants were purchased.

Plants were potted.

There can be no real garden until next year because we have too many other urgent tasks around the farm this year. But the garden-to-be was roto-tilled, and Tim will work the soil well before we start gardening in earnest next summer. The plan is to till the soil twice this summer and mix in some good fertilizer so that we are up and running next summer.

But this Jersey girl couldn't resist just a few tomatoes. Thus, this year's garden comprises the following:

Exactly three tomato plants in big 5-gallon pots.

To put it in better context:

Behind the tomato plants is the vast expanse of what will be next summer's garden.

I also have fresh herbs growing in pots on a sunny bench at the edge of the woodland:

I cleared a bit more of the thorn thicket that has been taking over the side of this property for the last umpteen years. I can't bear to take a picture of it because hours and hours and HOURS of effort thus far have resulted in a clearing of perhaps five feet by five feet. There are many, many more feet of densely tangled thorn branches yet to be cleared. This promises to be a years-long job, by my calculation. God only knows what I will unearth as I slowly clear it all away.

Yesterday we played softball and I actually hit the ball. I fouled out, but I did hit the ball. Major accomplishment, believe me!

And now, Monday awaits!

- Catherine

And we danced!

2011-06-03T11:06:00.000-06:00

Pocatello summers are full of outdoor community activities, and a big favorite on Wednesday evenings is known as "Revive@Five." This is a free, open air concert held in Old Town, hosted by one particular (rotating) restaurant each week, and incorporating the Wednesday version of our semi-weekly Farmer's Market. Tons of people attend and the atmosphere is light and fun.

This past Wednesday, I took my 88 year-old aunt to Revive@Five. I am trying to make sure that she is involved in the greater Pocatello community as well as the more insulated community of her assisted living residence. Revive@Five features both music and food -- two of my aunt's favorite things -- so it seemed a natural fit.

We arrived shortly after five o'clock and set up our lawn chairs. The band was good -- very good, as a matter of fact. Their repertoire of new country as well as classic pop/rock songs was well-executed and full of crowd-pleasers. As they swung into "My Brown-Eyed Girl" my aunt turned to me and said, "let's dance!"

I laughed because I thought she was kidding.

She wasn't.

We made our way to the cement pad that serves as the dance floor on Wednesday nights. To my utter surprise, she began to move her feet in time with the music. Then followed a little shoulder action. Then a saucy little wag of the head. No wild movements, but she danced.

And danced.

And danced.

The only time she didn't dance was while she was eating her Greek Gyro (her first).

Two hours later, I took her home.

She beamed the whole way.

If I live to be 100, I will never forget the night I danced with Aunt Muriel in Old Town at Revive@Five.

And that saucy little wag of the head.

Who says you can't live a little in your twilight years?

- Catherine

And now she's married!

2011-06-01T21:46:00.000-06:00

...and I'm still sorting out pictures.

But I do have a few candid snapshots to share:

Big sister Erin zips up the dress.

The bride and her college friends, who traveled from the States to be part of the big day.

The white gold filigree brooch pinned in the center of the flower is an heirloom from my great-great Aunt Florrie. My mother would have been very happy to see it on Abbi's wedding dress.

Mama and Dad walking Abbi down the aisle:

The couple's first dance as man and wife:

Abbi and her beloved sister Erin relaxing at the head table.

It was a lovely ceremony.

I managed to sing "The Blessing."

And I didn't cry.

The food and dancing at the reception were wonderful, and my little girl is now a missus!

Welcome to the family, Rich!!

- Catherine

The big day approaches and we are all still sane ...

2011-05-25T14:38:00.001-06:00

Four days to go!

Pedicures and manicures are scheduled. Dresses are in their final alterations. Shoes have been purchased (both for the ceremony and for the dancing afterward). Fake tans are coming out of their bottles.

I'm forbidden to post a picture of the bride's gown until after the wedding day. But I promise pics as soon as I get home again to the States.

As of Sunday, my girl will be a missus.

Where did the time go?

- Catherine

Yes, I know it's Wednesday

2011-05-18T08:42:00.000-06:00

It's Wednesday and I didn't get the weekly Hodgepodge completed -- or even started for that matter. It's been an entire week since I last blogged, as you can see. And that's not because the week was full of drama, it's just that it was so busy with everyday life!

Yard work has begun! Tim and I have been outside on as many lovely evenings as possible. A special delight for me is the little bit of woodland area that is located between our lawn and our side fence (it runs nearly the entire length of our front and back yards). Old tree trunks, purple wildflowers, red tulips, yellow daffodils and as yet unidentified bushes all reside together in that area, and it reminds me a great deal of where I grew up in NJ.

There IS a section of this woodland that needs major clearing because it has developed into nothing more than a dense thicket of thorns -- and I have the deep scratches to show for my efforts so far! I hope to have that cleared by the middle of June, with an eye to planting some graceful bushes in that section (no thorns allowed!).

I have a thing for garden gnomes, and there are now four of them situated at random in the woodland area. To my eyes, they fit right in. Indeed, you need to walk along the border to spot them in their little hiding places.

My aunt continues to adjust to her life here, and I have taken to running up the hill to see her during my lunch break. Yesterday I took her with me to do some errands and she enjoyed the outing. I know there are times that she misses her old home and her old ways, but I also know that she loves having us nearby and that she is much less lonely than she was before. The pain in her knees has decreased significantly with her daily exercise class and she can walk much more easily than she could before. Best of all is that she is safe, with people monitoring her medications and making sure that she eats properly. I'm thankful to have these last years with her so close by, I must say. We talk about the old times as well as what is new. Although the conversation sometimes goes in an endless loop due to my aunt's impaired short-term memory, I enjoy it. And I know it does her good.

So that's it in a nutshell -- garden gnomes and all.

- Catherine

Hodgepodge Wednesday

2011-05-11T09:31:00.000-06:00

The Gang of Seven staged another prison break this morning and this time they headed for the road. Thankfully there was a cop coming in the opposite direction so he turned on his flashing lights -- whereupon the Gang of Seven turned tail and thundered back toward our place. By standing in the middle of the street I was able to herd them into our driveway.

We need to replace a couple of gates it seems. Soon.

Now, on to the Wednesday Hodgepodge, hosted by Joyce!

1. How many times in your life have you moved house? I'd never thought of that before, but the total is nine. Wow! This last move was truly the last move, though. We're here in this house to stay - we leave either feet first or by Rapture.

2. What subject would you study if you had a year to devote to it? British history. I'm part Brit by birth and I've always had something of an affinity for their culture. Love to read the history, and if I had the time, I'd delve into the period of World War I and how the aftermath affected England.

3. What in this world breaks your heart? Too many things, that's for sure. Some are personal to our family, others are broader. One broad thing that breaks my heart is the political climate in our country. The loudest mouths are at one extreme or the other, vilifying each other with every petty thing they can think of. Too much time and money is spent digging up dirt on the opponent. And the voice of the center is nowhere to be found.

4. What is one item that symbolizes the times in which we live? Why? The cell phone. It rules us all, and I must admit that I am as much a willing subject as anyone else. The vacation that my family and I take at Wade Lake every year -- with no cell phone service or internet service -- proves it. Only in that time do we relax fully and deeply without the constant intrusion of the world.

5. Share a favorite bumper sticker or t-shirt slogan. Of all the things I've ever lost, I miss my mind the most.

6. How do you like your spaghetti? With meat sauce or meat balls -- preferably with my homemade sauce, thank you very much.

7. What is one piece of advice you would give a recent, or soon to be recent, graduate? Assume that life is long and that seasons of life will come and go. Don't make impulsive choices when it comes to the direction of your life. And do NOT get into any kind of substance abuse. EVER. Your abilities as an employee, as a functioning adult, as a parent, will be significantly diminished, and your quality of life will suffer.

8. Insert your own random thought here. Randomly speaking, I really like the assisted living place where my aunt now lives, and I am consciously making an effort to connect with more of the residents each time I visit.

Happy Wednesday all! If you wish to join in the Hodgepodge, you can click on the "hosted by Joyce" link above and link your post with those of everyone else!

- Catherine

Rainy Days and Mondays

2011-05-10T06:51:00.000-06:00

Yes, I know today it is Tuesday. But we had both a rainy day and A Monday yesterday.

I was driving down the street toward my house around 1:00-ish. In the last couple of blocks, I noticed the police cars. As I neared my driveway, I noticed the Sheriff's car. As I started to turn into my driveway, I noticed the cop with an assault weapon, strolling out the front of the drive, followed by a cop in a car who was turning around near my garage.

Let me also note that I had the Charley-Monster in the back seat and my aunt in the passenger front seat.

Because unexpectedly, I was taking my aunt to the Emergency Room.

But first I had to stop at our house to drop off the dog and pick up my hubby.

Back to the assault weapons.

Seems a mountain lion was spotted resting in the window well of one of the houses in my neighborhood. See the story here in the Idaho State Journal. Be sure to click on the little thumbnail pictures underneath the big photo -- so that you can see the living breathing mountain lion who was more than a little irritated by the flash of the homeowner's camera. That is a face I would not want to encounter up close and personal.

So, there we were, having to take my aunt to the ER because her blood pressure was doing crazy, scary things and she was very unwell. Not a good situation at all. And we also were worried about the Equine Gang of Seven out in the pasture. It's unlikely that a mountain lion would attack horses in a neighborhood, but it isn't completely unheard of.

On the way to the ER, I suddenly remembered that Charley was out on his chain in the back yard. I panicked. We couldn't turn back so I started praying.

Five minutes later our next door neighbor called Tim to ask if we'd heard the news and to see if she could return Charley to the safety of indoors. Bless her!!

Assault weapons done.

Three and a half hours later, it was determined that my aunt had a severe potassium deficiency.

Two mega-sized "horse pills" of potassium later her heartbeat and blood pressure were back under control, and she was feeling much better.

Thank you God, I breathed. (We will go to the family doctor this morning for the follow-up and some instructions about her diet and potassium needs.)

Tim came to pick us up at the hospital and reported that the mountain lion in question is an old tom who wanders through this outlying part of his range once every couple of years. He's more than likely already back in the hills by now, but we'll all be careful for the next little while.

And it's still raining!

- Catherine

The rivers are rising and the horses are wet

2011-05-09T08:10:00.000-06:00

It's raining again -- the third straight day.

The Portneuf River, which runs through our town, continues to rise from the Spring runoff, with less than a foot to go to the official flood stage. In fact, it has already overspilled its banks in one or two of the city parks.

Rain, of course, breeds mud, and my kitchen floor is a lost cause. The sweeper never gets put away, nor does the mop.

Only it looks like they have been left out just for show because the floor stays clean for only, oh, 15 seconds or so after I get done with it.

Watching out the kitchen window this gray morning, I could see a few of the horses standing disconsolately under the overhang of the loafing shed (a.k.a. The Barn, but really, it's a glorified loafing shed). I observed two of the sorrels, Rusty and Ritzy, move out from under the overhang and make their way slowly and gently into the alcove of the shed.

Only to come rushing out into the rain milliseconds later, ears pinned.

Stretch, barrel-racer non pareil, is in the alcove and doesn't want to share it with anyone else in the Equine Gang of Seven. The dominant male of the Gang, Stretch always has the last word. If he doesn't want to share the shelter, it ain't gonna be shared, folks. Even in the rain. Even with the mares whom he "protects."

There is no gallantry in the equine world.

May you stay dry today.

We won't.

- Catherine

Rainy Randomness

2011-05-07T08:59:00.000-06:00

It's a rainy Saturday morning here -- the kind that makes you want to stay in bed. Alas, we have two dogs and so there is no staying in bed.

Tim is recovering from having his gall bladder out on Thursday. He's had more pain than we had anticipated, but all seems well in general. And he is MOST thankful that the nonstop nausea he experienced for the last several months is now at an end. Yay for that!

Today's to-do list includes vacuuming and tidying up, just in case we end up having a Mothers Day lunch/picnic at our house tomorrow. For some reason we are doing things on the fly this year, which is fine with me.

Our local Farmers Market has resumed its seasonal business now that we are in the month of May, and I intend to make a trip there this morning. Although there aren't many vendors this time of year, it's a fun 30 minutes or so to see what's available. Probably I can pick up some organic root vegetables (last season) and see what the crafts vendors are offering.

In 22 days, Number 4 will be a married woman. There are several festivities planned during the two days before the wedding, including a bachelorette party, a bachelor party, and a BBQ dinner. Should be great fun! I'll be singing at the wedding, which means that a part of today and every day until then will be spent practicing. The choice is a song performed by Celtic Woman:

- Catherine

Transitions and jungles

2011-05-04T07:35:00.000-06:00

A jumble of thoughts for today:

My aunt is still transitioning to her new life out here, and I continue to pray that she grows to love it more and more. She thoroughly enjoyed going to church with us on Sunday, even though our services are pretty far from the traditional church that she is used to. She greeted my friends, enjoyed the pastor's sermon, enjoyed the music(!), and ate a very healthy plate of our potluck lunch. A good day.

My hubby and I are reclaiming our back yard little by little from the years of semi-neglect. It has been fun to figure out what is growing and to start making decisions about where there should be bulbs planted next Fall. A goodly number of the bushes and trees that line the side of the property are dead (or more than half dead anyway), so a clearing operation is underway there. I've made it to the halfway point, measuring in linear yards -- however the worst of the jungle is nearer to the front of the property, which means that I still have more than halfway to go in terms of sheer volume.

Hank and Charley have been outdoors a lot more, which makes for healthy appetites and good sleepers.

Comes to that, the same applies to hubby and me!

My muscles are sore from yard work -- apparently racquetball is not a suitable substitute for squatting on your haunches, trying to clean out debris from inside the cluster of stems that form a bush. My "glutes" have been protesting.

I can't decide which is sweeter here at our new place -- mornings or evenings. The kitchen is completely flooded with beautiful sunlight in the morning, which makes me want to get up and going. But then the evenings spent outside with my hubby are incredible. And the lawn just glows in the long evening sunshine (darkness doesn't fall until about 8:30 this time of year).

All in all, it's sweet and serene here and I am drinking it in.

And now, although the sunny kitchen beckons, it's time for the kind of work that brings in the paycheck.

- Catherine

A Week

2011-04-30T06:11:00.000-06:00

My husband and I flew East last Monday in order to bring my aunt back to live near us in Idaho, which we did on Thursday.

In between those two seemingly simply events there were four days of tears, persuasive arguments, bewilderment, accusations, laughter, acquiescence, loving memories, and memory loss.

That we succeeded is nothing short of a gift from God.

I'm still emotionally processing all that has occurred. In some ways, this was far worse than my mother's death.

I'm thankful my aunt is here. And I continue to fervently pray that the transition for her, as it progresses, is an awakening to a life no less full than that which she remembers.

Thank you, all, for your prayers and support this week!

- Catherine

Easter Sunday

2011-04-24T02:00:00.014-06:00

Christ is risen!

A happy and blessed Easter to all!

- Catherine

Good Friday

2011-04-22T08:29:00.000-06:00

Good Friday.

The darkness before the dawn of the Resurrection.

Explore the darkness, and have a blessed and holy day.

- Catherine

Another milestone

2011-04-21T06:11:00.000-06:00

One of my mother's two remaining sisters finally passed away yesterday. I say "finally" because Viv had been dying by inches for the last couple of years.

In common with many of her day, she started smoking cigarettes around the age of 13. She continued to smoke heavily until the day she could no longer inhale enough breath to be able to take a drag (well into her 70s). That's a lot of nicotine and tar, folks, and the resulting respiratory problems and the final battle with COPD were awful.

Having to fight for every breath you take is a very frightening way to live. I'm glad she no longer bears that terrible burden.

- Catherine

Hodgepodge Wednesday

2011-04-20T02:00:00.001-06:00

1. What are your plans for Easter Day/weekend? Friday night: Good Friday service at church. Saturday: cleaning our former home, which is the final step in getting it ready to sell. Sunday: church in the morning and then probably some batting and catching practice at the local park.

2. Besides Jesus, what one person from The Bible would you most like to meet and why? Simon Peter (a.k.a. Mr. Impulsive). He argued, he doubted, he denied -- and yet ...

3. What is one modern day convenience you didn't have as a child that was easy to live without? An e-reader. I became a weekly visitor to our public library at an early age. I love the feel and the look of books as well as their content. As a child, the books were all that I needed and I wouldn't have wanted any other format. BUT, times change, and the e-reader can't be beat for adult convenience. It's great to tote along with you if you know you're going to have to wait somewhere for something (car service, doctor's office, etc.). Best of all, though, is having it on an airplane. E-readers take up virtually no room in your purse or carry-on and you've got a great selection of reading material at your fingertips!

4. Are you more right brained or left brained? If you don't know what that means there is an interesting little quiz here. I took the quiz and I am left-brained. Hmmmm ....

5. What is something you intended to do today but didn't? Why? I intended to vacuum my floors, but I ran out of time, plain and simple. Generally, I don't do housework after dinner, so if it isn't done by the time we sit down to eat, it isn't going to get done that day.

6. Cadbury Creme Eggs or Reeses peanut butter? Really, neither. But if I had to choose, it would be the peanut butter.

7. Who was your favorite cartoon character when you were a child? The old Casper the Friendly Ghost cartoons were my favorite when I was very small. I graduated to the humor of Bugs Bunny and crew as I got a little older ("I wanna easta-egg!! I wanna easta-egg!!).

8. Insert your own random thought here. Randomly speaking, there are random tulips and daffodils springing up around our house in various and sundry (read: random) places. There is also a random patch of tiny purple violets near the back fence. Happy Spring!

Many thanks, Joyce, for another round of questions!

- Catherine

The Contrast

2011-04-19T06:27:00.000-06:00

It's Holy Week. Jesus is in Jerusalem, he is getting ready for a final Passover meal with His followers, and He knows that in the space of a few short days He will be arrested for sedition, tortured, killed, and then raised from the dead.

If I have one beef with the modern Protestant church, it is that Holy Week is fast being seen as irrelevant. Holy Thursday isn't even mentioned. Good Friday is up for grabs -- maybe we'll have a service, maybe we won't.

Everyone is busy, we all say.

Too busy to take some extra time to focus on Christ's sacrifice? Too busy to fully explore and celebrate our salvation? We can't set aside a few days on our calendars each year in order to center down and consider the miserable condition we'd be in if the Cross had not happened?

Really?

Traditionally, the Church would have a Holy Thursday service and a Good Friday service. Both services were solemn and quiet in tone. Both were focused on the significant events leading up to and including the Crucifixion.

By Sunday, we understood.

We understood where Christ had been on our behalf and exactly where we would be if He hadn't accepted the Cup in the Garden of Gethsemane. We understood and, by Sunday, we were ready for the party that is the Resurrection.

Easter Sunday remains a big, happy celebration in the modern church, but I would argue that Easter Sunday loses impact when the week before has just been another week in the life of the everyday man. There is a spiritual gain in marking the contrast between the solemnity of Holy Week and the party of Easter Sunday. That opportunity to gain understanding should not be underestimated, not even for the "seasoned" Christian.

If your church doesn't mark Holy Week, then I strongly encourage you to mark it yourself. Spend more time in the Word. Read the Gospels' accounts of the week between Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem and His triumphant resurrection from death. Enter that darkness and consider your own darkness as well. Spend time in prayer.

By Sunday, you'll understand, and you'll be ready for the Party too.

- Catherine

Friday Trivia

2011-04-15T11:03:00.000-06:00

While shampooing my hair this morning with shampoo (note that the word is both verb and noun), I began to wonder how we got such an odd word.

Sham-poo. Sham as in fake? Poo as in, well, poo?

Well, as you know, that's not it at all.

And since I am sure that you are all agog to know the origin of the word, here it is:

From Dictionary.com: 1755–65; earlier "champo" to massage < an inflected form of Hindi cāmpnā literally, to press.

And from Wikipedia: The word shampoo in English is derived from Hindi chāmpo (चाँपो [tʃãːpoː]),^[1] and dates to 1762.^[2] The Hindi word referred to head massage, usually with some form of hair oil.

So, there you have it, dear reader! Trivia to start your weekend.

You're welcome.

- Catherine

Hodgepodge Wednesday

2011-04-13T02:00:00.001-06:00

1. Would you rather talk to everyone at a crowded party for a short time or have a significant conversation with two people? I'd rather have a significant conversation with two people. I'm not good at small talk and it's very easy for me to tune out a crowd of people. The exception -- a family party. Then I want to talk to everyone because it's not just small talk.

2. What objects do you remember from your parent's living room? The green couch with matching chair, the dark knotty pine paneling, the big black rotary phone on the wall, the Wurlitzer piano on one wall, the black and white Zenith TV, the old screens on the window (more like narrow columns of screening material rather than one continuous piece of screen).

3. Do you hog the bed? Steal the covers? Snore? I steal the covers. I leave the snoring and hogging to my hubby.

4. Speaking of Easter dinner....what is your favorite way to cook/eat lamb? Or does just the thought of that make you squeamish? If you're not cooking lamb what will be your entree du jour on Easter Sunday? On Easter Sunday I don't know that there will be any meal at all. Probably we will go out for something after church. I like lamb but haven't found a way that I can cook it to my liking.

5. Let's throw some politics into this week's mix-oooohhh...Do you know the whereabouts of your birth certificate and when was the last time you had to produce it to prove you're you? I do know where my birth certificate is. And the last time I needed it, I THINK, was to get married 10 years ago.

6. As a child, how did people describe you? I spent the better part of last week with my aunt and she describes me as cute, independent, smart and different. "We had to watch you!" was what she said. I guess my penchant for doing research was already manifest when I was a toddler -- I did research in those days by wandering off and exploring my surroundings. I think what pleased me the most, though, is when my aunt told me that Grandpa thought I was something special -- precisely because I was different.

7. What do you complain about the most? There are not enough hours in the day nor are there enough days in the weekEND (the week is plenty long enough, believe me).

8. Insert your own random thought here. Randomly speaking, I covet the prayers of all my friends and family, for I have a difficult task ahead of me in the coming weeks.

- Catherine

2011-04-12T07:39:00.000-06:00

I am sore; SORE, I say!!

Good heavens! One afternoon of softball, followed the next day by a session of racquetball, and I can hardly move.

On Sunday I used muscles I didn't know I'd had for the last 35 years.

On Monday I aggravated them with racquetball.

Today they are taking their revenge.

Must. Drink. Water.

And pop ibuprofen.

And do laundry.

And pack for another trip.

And get to work!

Happy Tuesday to all.

- Catherine

Warm Homecoming

2011-04-11T12:55:00.000-06:00

I'd been away for over a week when I arrived back home yesterday. The 2+ hour drive from the Salt Lake airport to my home in Idaho was 2+ hours too long this time -- I couldn't wait to get back after the stress of the last week!

I admit it -- I did a little speeding where the Interstate was wide open.

So sue me.

Just south of town, I got a call from hubby, saying that he and Number 7 wanted to go to our church team's softball practice and did I want to meet them there. The day was sunny and breezy, and sitting out in the sunshine watching my two best guys sounded great and incredibly relaxing to me.

Once at the park, I quickly got roped into actually playing -- well, practicing, since that's all it is at this point. Games start soon, though.

I have not played softball since my Senior year of high school, folks. That's 35 years!

But many of my good friends were there -- plenty of women on the team -- so I jumped in.

And had an absolute blast!

It was NEVER this fun in school! I had no coordination and no athleticism at all in those days, so I dreaded the annual softball season. Compared to the other girls, I was pretty awful.

But I suspect that the change for the better now is due in part to my recent switch from right handed-ness to left handed-ness. I discovered my natural left handed-ness last year when I started playing racquetball. Seemed only logical that that would carry over to softball, and it certainly does.

I'd have played much better in school if I'd known I was naturally left handed.

It makes me want to call my mother because she is the one who insisted that, as a toddler, I learn to write with my right hand (as parents often did in those days because the right hand was the "correct" hand).

There is a teensy-weensy part of me that wants to say, "See????? You should've left well enough alone when I was little!"

Oh wait -- Mom already knows. Scratch the phone call.

After practice, we went to the local sporting goods store to purchase a glove for a lefty player, plus a couple bats and balls. Once home, hubby, Number 7, both dogs, and I trooped out to the back pasture (still unsullied by horses this season). We played catch, we had batting practice, and we discovered that our pasture is the perfect place to practice fielding grounders.

Charley, forbidden to capture the ball and slobber all over it, nevertheless ran in a constant triangle during the game of catch -- from one person to the next. Hank explored the pasture and occasionally hung out with us.

All in all, I think yesterday afternoon was THE best homecoming ever!

- Catherine

The Sandwich Generation

2011-04-09T18:46:00.000-06:00

I never thought I'd be in a situation that makes me cry as this one does.

I thought that grief for my mother was the worst, but now I'm not so sure.

I have a very elderly aunt.

I thought it was garden-variety, old age senility, but now I think it might really be Alzheimers.

She has no kids of her own. All the decisions are mine now.

It makes me ever more grateful that my own mother passed when all her faculties were still working just fine. She would have hated being in a situation like that of her eldest sister.

Please, God -- show me the way.

- Catherine

Hodgepodge Wednesday

2011-04-06T04:43:00.000-06:00

1. National Read a Road Map Day falls on April 5th. Would people say you have a good sense of direction? Do you rely on a GPS when you drive somewhere new? When was the last time you used a map?
I inherited my father's very good sense of direction (unlike my mother, whose then-four year old son had to tell her how to get around the town she'd lived in for six years already). I've used my Blackberry's GPS feature exactly once. I was seriously annoyed by the voice talking to me, plus it runs down the phone's battery very quickly. I do, however, frequently use the map feature on both my Blackberry and my Droid, and I love that! It's wonderful to punch in an address and get the written directions plus a map within a few seconds. I haven't used a paper map in years!

2. What's your favorite cookbook? Mine. (My notebook binder of recipes that is.)

3. What painting would you like to "walk into" and experience? Why? Hmmm ... shades of Mary Poppins! I would like to walk into a painting that I picked up at a flea market some 25 years ago. A lovely young woman, dressed in gauzy pale pink, is sitting in the foreground gazing wistfully out over the moonlit water. I'd like to sit where she's sitting for a while -- it looks so incredibly tranquil. I'd also like to own the gauzy pink dress.

4. What annoys you more- misspellings or mispronunciations? Misspellings. I don't know what schools are teaching in the way of spelling these days, but it doesn't seem adequate, based on what I see. I recently found a letter written in 1950 by my great-aunt, Florrie. Florrie had had to leave school at a young age in order to go to work (we're talking the late 19th century here), yet the spelling in this letter was impeccable. Today it seems that too many kids graduate from high school and are still unable to spell.

5. What is something your mother or father considered important? My mother thought it was important to stand up straight, and since I had the round shouldered slump of so many tall teenage girls, I heard about that A Lot.

6. Do you like or dislike schedules? I both like and dislike them. It depends on the circumstances. Schedules surely have their place in life or we'd all be living in chaos. But the use of schedules (on a personal level) can be carried too far and even abused, impinging on a person's well being.

7. Let's have some fun with National Poetry Month (that would be April)...write your own ending to this poem-

"Roses are Red

Violets are blue..."

I should be sleeping

At quarter to two.

(Written in the wee hours of the night.)

Incidentally if you'd like to read the history behind that little ditty you'll find it here.

8. Insert your own random thought in this space. Randomly speaking, I am not cut out for whirlwind tours. I wake up in the middle of the night and have no idea where I am.

Thanks, Joyce, for another Hodgepodge of great questions!

- Catherine

The Sandwich Generation

2011-04-04T06:58:00.000-06:00

They aren't kidding when they call us The Sandwich Generation.

Because at home in Idaho there is a teenager and a husband and two dogs.

And in New Jersey there is an elderly aunt with a cat.

I have decisions to make about and for my aunt (and her cat) -- serious decisions.

I can't be in two places at once and I want to do right by both sides of the sandwich.

I need prayer, folks.

- Catherine

Yoga Variation

2011-04-01T14:44:00.000-06:00

I don't do Yoga.

Frankly, I find it boring.

But Number 4 is a devotee, so when a friend of mine sent this video my way, I had to share it with her.

She laughed.

You will too.

Hodgepodge Wednesday

2011-03-30T02:00:00.004-06:00

1. April rolls in at the end of this week and in celebration of that infamous date (April 1st) answer this question-What is something foolish you've done? Just one? This is hard, because some foolish things I've done have hurt people while some foolish things I've done have just been funny. I tend to forget the latter. And I remain, in some cases, deeply embarrassed by the former. So I think I will just conclude here by reiterating: Just one??

2. With April comes Easter and that classic edible treat known as Peeps...so tell me...what's your favorite way to fix/eat chicken? That wasn't what you were expecting, was it? I 'fooled' you. teehee. Roasted whole chicken with garlic and rosemary rubbed under and over the skin. It's a little bit of heaven on earth while cooking and again while eating. And for the record, dear readers -- I think I'm one of the few people in America who really cannot abide the taste or texture of Peeps! (see #8)

3. What's the best museum you've ever visited? Or your favorite? Or the one you'd most like to visit? The many museums of the Smithsonian in Washington DC are incredible. I especially love Air and Space, the Natural History museum, and the American History museum.

4. You know what they say about April showers...what's your preference-a shower or a bath? While I enjoy the occasional bath, I'm mostly a shower girl. There is something soothing about hot water flowing downward from your head to your feet.

5. "Absence makes the heart grow fonder"...fact or fiction? Why? I'm afraid I could write a book here. For two hearts that are in tune with each other, absence does indeed make the heart grow fonder. Every time I'm away, I miss my hubby terribly! But for two hearts that are showing the strain of unresolved problems, absence can be the catalyst for divorce.

6. What's your favorite product made/grown in your home state/province? I'm from New Jersey, and there are two fruits you cannot find better anywhere else: 1) STRAWBERRIES! Nothing beats a New Jersey strawberry, picked freshly off the vine and still warm from the sun. 2) TOMATOES! The soil in NJ is particularly well suited for them, and again -- freshly picked and eaten, they are incredible. Note: I grew up on my grandfather's farm -- strawberries and tomatoes were annual crops and all we had to do was walk out of the house and pick to our hearts content. Thanks, Grandpop!!

7. What is going on in the world today that affects you the most? The insane and uncalled-for rise in oil prices. No way is it necessary for the price of crude to jump just because of the financial headlines or because summer is coming. Yet that is what happens. I wish the U.S. Government would take some action! There is oil to be found in North America, for pete's sake. And I wish the American people would look carefully at the profit and loss statements of the big companies like Exxon-Mobil. They are making an absolute fortune (billions of dollars) while our personal budgets are strained to the max. And that's my rant for the day, folks.

8. Insert your own random thought here. Randomly speaking, my mother surprised me many, many years ago by admitting she absolutely LOVED Peeps. I could never fathom it because her sweet tooth wasn't all that dominant and Peeps are incredibly sweet. But, to each his/her own. It was one of the things about her that amused me during her last years.

Thank you, Joyce, for another round of great questions!

- Catherine

Raising Charley, Part IV

2011-03-29T08:23:00.000-06:00

Remember, this is what 5 month-old, 50 pound puppy-monster Charley looks like now:

Yesterday I was standing at the kitchen sink, refilling the dogs' water ~~trough~~ bowl. I was vaguely aware that Charley had come into the kitchen, but otherwise was absorbed in my own thoughts during this time-consuming process. I didn't feel him settle onto the floor right behind my legs.

Switching off the faucet, I turned my body away from the sink. Immediately my legs were twisted; both feet dug underneath Charley's considerable body, pinning them nicely while my upper body continued forward motion.

And then I danced.

To the breathless tune of "oh no! oh no! oh no! oh no ..." I lurched around the kitchen, fighting for control of my body and the water bowl.

Yes, the mop was required later, but I did stay on my feet and eventually made it to my destination with the still mostly filled water bowl.

I call it The Charley Dance.

- Catherine

Channeling Mom

2011-03-28T02:00:00.006-06:00

Last night we had roasted whole chicken with a combination of olive oil, fresh rosemary, and garlic basted under and over the skin.

Number 4 prepped the chickens under my direction (she's already a good cook but is learning the fundamentals of roasting meat, making gravy, using up a whole chicken, etc. while she's at home with me this month).

The chicken was incredible and the gravy was richly browned and flavorful.

And that is what surprises me!

Still!

You see, my mother made perfect gravy (no matter whether it was poultry or beef). And I always made the worst gravy known to man. Despite Mom trying to teach me how to do it correctly, it always had a funky flavor that was unappetizing.

Until Mom passed away in November of 2009.

Suddenly gravy-making made sense. I was able to follow every instruction she'd ever given me and it all worked. And every batch of gravy that I have produced since then has been killer, quite frankly.

Very weird.

But thanks, Mom! :-)

Good gravy is a good legacy!

- Catherine

A little poem for Friday

2011-03-25T02:00:00.001-06:00

'Tis the end of the week.

Life is a major irritant.

Friends are the antidote.

Music - wine - conversation.

Tonight.

Happy weekend, everyone!

- Catherine

Claims

2011-03-24T16:06:00.000-06:00

I've been monitoring the health insurance claims for the emergency surgery that I had to have two weeks ago.

So far, the hospital bill alone is over $20,000.00 -- and that doesn't include any of the doctors yet.

One shot of morphine cost $125.90. One measly shot!

Next time I think I'll just die.

It would be cheaper.

(Okay, just kidding about that last bit. But really! The charges they submit are ridiculous!)

- Catherine

Hodgepodge Wednesday

2011-03-23T10:09:00.000-06:00

Ta-da! Today is the Hodgepodge and I'm back in the game. Thanks to Joyce, our hostess, for the weekly questions!

1. Sunday was the first day of spring. So they say. Ahem. What is your favorite outdoor springtime activity? Cleaning up the yard, actually. I love getting it spruced up and planted -- such a great and thorough change from the dead winter!

2. Who would you want to come into your kitchen to cook dinner for you? My friend, Erin, who is an amazing cook. Any time she'd like to come on over, I'd be happy to see her ....

3. When did you last fly a kite? When I was about 11, I think -- at our house. There is quite a lot of kite flying on the beaches of NJ all summer -- beautiful and complex kites -- but I never was part of that particular activity.

4. What topic puts you to sleep faster than anything? Philosophy; i.e. man's thinking about man. I'm much more interested in God's thinking about man, actually.

5. Which flowers do you associate with specific people, places, or events? Daffodils -- my mother. She affectionately called them her "daffy-down-dillies" and she looked forward to their return every year.

6. What significant historical events took place during your elementary school days? The early space missions (John Glenn, all the way up to the early lunar missions). The assassinations of JFK, RFK, and MLK. The Vietnam War. Kent State. Hmmmm..... I was in elementary school from 1963 to 1969 (6th grade). I could google for additional events, but it's more fun to try to remember them myself and to read them from the blogs of others who are participating today.

7. Do you swear? Do you pseudo-swear? (You know crap, shoot, friggin'?) I occasionally swear and often pseudo-swear. I'm not proud of the swearing. The pseudo-swearing bothers me less.

8. Insert your own random thought here. Randomly speaking, I miss the cookies known as Mallomars. A Mallomar, which is an incredible dark chocolate shell coating a teaspoon of marshmallow on top of a graham cracker crust, is truly is the world's most perfect cookie. They are (were?) a staple of New Jersey grocery stores all winter long. And they are neither seen nor heard of out here in the West. Sigh. I could eat the entire package in one sitting. Of all the "native foods," of NJ, I miss Mallomars even more than pork roll -- and that's saying something for a Jersey Girl.

- Catherine

Raising Charley, Part III

2011-03-22T08:50:00.000-06:00

If you follow my blog, dear reader, then you already are acquainted with our Charley, the Shepherd/Great Dane mix puppy, born last October.

Charley has grown to be a genuine snuggler, especially in the evening when the day of play is over. He wants someone to sit next to or, preferably, on.

Unfortunately, Charley now weighs in excess of fifty pounds, so snuggling can be ... shall we say? ... problematic. In fact, it could be detrimental to your health if he chooses to take a running leap onto your lap.

It's easy to forget that this medium sized dog, who is now taller and longer than our 7 year-old lab mutt, is only five months old.

Five. Months. (i.e. approximately 150 days).

As in ... still a baby because he hasn't been breathing oxygen for more than a half a year yet.

Fifty pounds at five months. And he wants to snuggle with us on the couch. Where he takes up the same amount of butt room as a full size human being.

Unless he is draped across several laps.

Which is heavy.

He was neutered a couple of weeks ago, and I am happy to report that some degree of calm has come upon him. He sleeps a bit more during the day and is not as quick to chew on everything as he used to be. He sleeps all night now. And he no longer clings by his teeth to my bathrobe in the morning as I get his food from the 50 lb. dog food sack (which sack gets us through, oh, about a month ... if we're lucky).

He is very definitely a Mama's Pup, sleeping as close to me as he can get all night long (he's on the floor, but woe betide us both if I don't check where my feet are going before I get out of bed, because Charley is Right There).

So, that's Charley at five months. It's hard to believe that he was this tiny once upon a time (at the age of four weeks):

Because now he looks like this this:

- Catherine

Five Things

2011-03-18T09:12:00.000-06:00

It's Friday (I have a talent for stating the obvious, don't I?).

I haven't ranted in my blog since Monday, although I'm still feeling extremely snarky about the current political crap in the world.

A full week of feeling snarky is enough, however, so I will concentrate today on five good things about the week that is past.

And that's what you, dear reader, are getting today.

Five Good Things (none of which is political, unsurprisingly):

1. My body is healing nicely after last week's emergency surgery. The dressings are off the incisions and the incisions are starting to itch -- a good sign.

2. I'm enjoying my time with my daughter (Number 4). We've worked on crafts together, cooked together, and just had our usual goofy time hanging out together.

3. Grandbaby #9 was delivered safe and sound. (A boy, 6.6 lbs, 19+ inches.) Everything is going well with Grandbaby #10, due in June. And we've just learned that Grandbaby #11 is due later this year! I foresee our own sports franchise here.

4. We've had a short string of dry, spring-like weather and it has been balm for the soul as well as the earth. The horses are kicking up their heels in the pasture and the dogs have begun to run off their winter fat with endless games of "Fetch" and "Keep Away." Best of all is the return of sweet, early morning birdsong, THE most cheerful sound on earth!

5. Charley, at five months old, is as big as Hank. And still growing. That's not the good part. The good part is that he is growing quieter, and he understands and minds us better now. Life in the house is a bit less frenetic, thank goodness! Now if we could just teach him to bark in an "inside voice" ...

Happy weekend to all, and may Spring find you soon, if it hasn't already!

- Catherine

Open letter to Charlie Sheen and the Media

2011-03-15T09:08:00.000-06:00

Dear Charlie Sheen and the American Media Outlets:

Millions of people in Japan have seen their lives torn apart forever by the earthquake and the resulting tsunami. Their homes, their livelihoods, their family members -- all swept away in the space of a few moments. Not to mention the continuing and future threat of radiation poisoning that could affect the entire region if not the entire globe.

Millions of young children around the world will go hungry today and every day. Many, many will die today from hunger and/or the diseases that result from undrinkable water. Some of those kids are right here in America, believe it or not.

Millions of responsible American adults will work twelve to fourteen hours today for less than $10.00 an hour in order to try to provide food, a home, and medical expenses for their families. And those same responsible adults will pay in excess of $3.50 per gallon for the gasoline necessary to get to and from those jobs.

And you, Mr. Sheen? All you seem capable of doing is whining to the public about how mistreated you have been by the cancellation of your multi-million dollar TV contract.

Multi. Million. Dollars.

While ordinary (read: never-seen-a-million-dollars-in-my-life) people struggle, you cultivate the media to help you flaunt to the world your extravagant, drug-addled lifestyle complete with porn-industry girlfriends.

I'm sure you've heard this piece of advice often from each one of your ex-wives and from your family, but likely never from the people who are making gigantic amounts of money off your personal circus:

Grow-the-hell-up, little boy.

And as for you, oh multi-billion dollar media outlets of the United States?

The same advice holds.

Grow Up.

Your rabid pursuit of, and slavish devotion to any story that sells advertising dollars -- no matter how reprehensible the subject -- makes a mockery of our country's priceless and precious "freedom of the press." How about a breath of fresh air for a change? How about just one of you finally and publicly refuses to participate in the Great Melt-Down of a Public Figure?

Don't run the stupid story. It's nothing new or news-worthy. It is -- once again in our history -- nothing more than the irrational rantings of an immature, ego-maniacal personality.

Let it go.

Let the rest of us, who have real and serious problems to deal with, real and deep joys to celebrate, have a breather from the crud of Sheen's cess-pool lifestyle.

I don't watch TV news and I don't listen to the radio. I read the print/online news stories very selectively and I realize I have a choice about what I do read.

But every day the headlines absolutely scream with Sheen.

Enough already.

Put real life in perspective for a change.

Grow up and shut up.

- Catherine

And a strange journey it has been.

2011-03-12T09:49:00.000-07:00

Five days ago I was complaining because it was Monday.

Four days ago I awoke with an excruciating stomach ache that sent me to the ER at 6:00 in the morning.

Three days ago they did a CT Scan and inserted a tube up my nose and down into my stomach.

Two days ago the surgeon went in through laparoscopy and removed an intestinal obstruction that nearly took my life.

Yesterday I came home.

That's how fast this all happened. Day one, day two, day three. Modern medicine is amazing and I really am grateful to be alive. Intestinal obstructions can kill the bowel very quickly -- and if the bowel goes, then so do you. Literally within seconds of the blockage being cut, my small intestine had returned to normal color and function.

Today I'm sore.

And I'm also getting ready for my daughter's bridal shower tonight, grateful and right on time.

- Catherine

It IS a Monday

2011-03-07T12:43:00.000-07:00

You know it's Monday when ....

1. The puppy pees in three places for no apparent reason. That's after about a solid week of being dry in the house.

2. You can't get hold of someone whom you were urgently advised to contact TODAY, and, to boot, are told by his receptionist that she doesn't know when he will be in. Doesn't know?

3. Your schools go into lockdown because some idiot student posted a Facebook Event detailing a school shooting that was to take place in one of our schools this afternoon.

That's right. Lockdown.

Our local paper has the story (thus far).

Thankfully the lockdown has been lifted and they have someone in custody. I hope they kick his/her butt.

Happy Monday to us.

Grumpily,
- Catherine

Heeing and Hawing

2011-03-04T02:00:00.001-07:00

I toyed yesterday with the idea of publishing a politically oriented blog post. The insanity from all levels of government is becoming unbearable and I'm sick to death of all the lies and maneuvering.

And then I got a grip on myself and remembered that I really hate political debate and that, being a poor debater, it is best left to others.

As a remedy to all the negativism, therefore, I went looking for something funny.

Well, one of my fond childhood memories is of watching the TV show Hee Haw with my parents and my brother, in the little, dark-paneled living room, on the black and white Zenith. Thus I had to go searching for a Hee Haw clip on Youtube and, do you know -- this is the first time I've ever seen Hee Haw in color!

I feel old.

But no matter because it is Friday! And in just "two sleeps," Number 4 will be landing at the airport! And in between now and then, I'll be leading worship at the Idaho Seasons of Refreshing (the annual Christian Motorcyclist Association's weekend conference).

So -- for your Friday-start-the-weekend pleasure:

- Catherine

Hodgepodge Wednesday

2011-03-02T02:00:00.004-07:00

Well, it's Wednesday and you know what that means -- da Hodgepodge!

This week the Hodgepodge is, for me, a welcome break from bad news, bad news, and more bad news. Seriously, there is insanity at every level in our lives! When does this end???

Okay, without further ado...... drum roll please.... I bring you Joyce's questions of the week, along with my incredibly pithy answers:

1. March 2nd is Dr. Seuss's birthday so I'm wondering...do you like green eggs and ham? Okay-how about this instead...how do you like your eggs? Or don't you? I love eggs. Breakfast eggs definitely should be scrambled, preferably with a little onion and a little Jack cheese. I also love Deviled Eggs.

2. Is March coming in like a lion or something less ferocious where you live? We're having gentler temperatures this week and I am soaking it in. No doubt there is wind and more snow to come, though -- this is Idaho after all.

3. Do you work better or worse under pressure? Better under pressure.

4. March Madness-are you a fan? It's college basketball in case you're wondering. And if you're outside the USA tell us-is there any sort of 'madness' taking place during March in your part of the world? I am so NOT a fan. I just can't get into the basketball thing. In fact, I will be sulking until football starts up again.

5. Under what circumstances do you do your best thinking? When I'm settling down to sleep at night or when I'm awake in the middle of the night. I'm not sure why that is or what it says about me, but that's the truth.

6. What item of clothing from your wardrobe do you wear most often? My sage green, cotton "Park City" hoodie. I've owned it for more than six years and it is very worn, with frayed cuffs and grease spots. But it is so comfy that I can't give it up!

7. Do you use sarcasm? Like I need to answer that.

8. Insert your own random thought here. Randomly speaking: Charley, bless his 4-month-old canine heart, is almost as big as Hank. He is sloppy, floppy, loving, lovable, and somewhat dense, but it seems that potty training MIGHT just finally have gotten through to him. I am relieved that he hasn't relieved himself on my rugs for four days straight. AND -- he goes in for his operation next Wednesday and there will be no hodgepodge about that!

- Catherine

PS -- if you want to play along, use the graphic above to get to Joyce's blog and link up your own answers.

Monday Morning Laughter

2011-02-28T08:14:00.000-07:00

This was posted by a colleague on his Facebook page.

I don't know who thought up this idea but it makes me wonder if my own sense of humor comes from some of my Welsh ancestors.

Because I laughed until I started a wheezy coughing jag.

If you want to go to YouTube directly and view it, it's here.

- Catherine

If it's [insert your favorite day here], it must be snowing

2011-02-25T07:39:00.000-07:00

It has been snowing in fits and starts since yesterday afternoon, which means the roads are very slick and there's an inch or so of accumulation. Just enough to be incredibly annoying.

Will. This. Never. End?

Punxutawny Phil lied, folks!!!!!!!

Ahem.

It's Friday morning. I have summoned all of my creative powers this morning and will be treating you to..... my random thoughts.

I knew you'd be pleased.

Random 1) Email traffic at work slows down considerably on Friday afternoons. We must all be staring blankly at our computers, dreaming about the weekend to come. It's like a collective sigh of relief.

Random 2) The puppy is a 50 pound monster -- at only four months old. I am thinking of putting away the antiques until he is older and there is not so much romping around. I calculated our dog food bill the other day and it stands now at $80 per month for the two dogs (it used to be about $30 for just Hank). I'm told that Charley's mother eats 12 (TWELVE!) cups of dog food per day. Charley is up to seven cups. And the "little" pup is STILL growing.

Random 3) Charley has taken to sleeping as close to me as he can get -- which means he is under the bed at night. Tim refers to him as a Mama's Pup.

Random 4) Number 4 will be arriving from Canada in just over a week and will be here for most of the month of March. Wedding planning, crafting, card-making, cooking, racquetball -- all are on the agenda. Can't wait!

Random 5) Grandbaby #9 is due in just a couple of weeks!! Each baby is unique and it fascinates me to see the traits they develop as they grow.

Random 6) I am now the proud owner of a Droid X. I am in love with it.

I never thought I'd say that about a cell phone.

Random 7) It never ceases to amaze me that the dogs can stand perfectly still together at the door for several minutes while waiting to be let in the house -- and then commence another round of wrestling, snarling and romping as soon as they tumble inside.

And now, to work.

- Catherine

Hodgepodge Wednesday

2011-02-23T02:00:00.023-07:00

1. Did you know there is a National Day of pretty much everything in the universe? February 23 happens to be National Inconvenience Yourself Day...when was the last time you were inconvenienced? In my case, taking care of our now enormous, 4-month-old puppy is pretty much a daily inconvenience of some kind or other.

2. When a room in your house needs painting who does the job? My hubby. And he gets a wee bit antsy if we help -- he's a perfectionist about that stuff.

3. Are you friends with your cousins? Yes indeed! Thanks to Facebook, we found each other again after many years apart. It's wonderful to have them in my life!

4. Do you use an alarm clock? If yes-is it an actual alarm, music, or something else? My cell phone is my alarm clock and it is set to a nice ethereal kind of sound for the morning alarm. Because otherwise I might throw it across the room.

5. What do you put ketchup on? Occasionally I put it on fries, but that would be only be when there isn't any "fry sauce" available (fry sauce is a regional concoction of ketchup, mayo and horseradish). So it takes us a long time to go through ketchup in our house.

6. What smells make you nostalgic? The sweet, musky scent of very old houses in the East. I once worked as a docent for a historical site in NJ, and that peculiar aroma always takes me right back. Now that I live in the West, though, no such scent exists -- I have to get it through a blend of essential oils that I purchase locally (it's not intended to mimic the scent of an old house -- it just does).

7. Have you heard about the high school English teacher recently suspended as a result of some things she wrote in her personal blog? You can read the story here but in a nutshell she vented a lot of frustration onto her blog. She didn't mention individual students by name but she did make some harsh comments about kids in general and their parents.

What are your thoughts-If you're a parent is your child's teacher online and are you 'friend' or 'follower' there? If you're a teacher are you on facebook and do you accept or friend students on fb? How about their parents? If you're a student are you friends with your current or former teachers online? Do any of them have blogs you read? If you're a teacher or a parent do you ever use your blog as a place to vent your frustrations with our educational system? So much to discuss...

Teaching is an incredibly frustrating job these days. Teachers have always been viewed as "villains" by their students, but now they are viewed as real villains by the parents, the district administration and the school boards. They are in a precarious position with little to no support, yet are expected to bring about top results in every class. Kids ARE unruly in school. They do talk back, they are disrespectful and too many of them don't know how to work hard (nor do they want to). Too many have parents who live vicariously through them, believing their child can do no wrong -- these are the parents who will come after a teacher just on the say-so of their disgruntled child. I don't know how anyone stays in teaching as a long-term career anymore.

All that said, I think the teacher in this case should have either refrained from making those comments or should have rewritten the post to tone down the inflammatory level. The online community is an extremely public place to be. She probably should have found another avenue by which to vent her frustration.

8. Insert your own random thought here. [rant on] Randomly speaking, there are days when I think the entire world is going to hell in a handbasket. The unrest in the Middle East is disturbing. The media distortion of world and national news is disturbing.

Just on the local level, our state is on the brink of enacting a package of so-called "education reforms" that will, in the end, gut public K-12 education and deliver it into the hands of privately owned, for-profit, on-line curriculum companies (many of whom contribute to the campaigns of our politicians). In addition, one of our state universities had its Faculty Senate summarily dissolved by the university President, with the backing of the State Board of Education (all political cronies of the Governor). Our state seems to believe that it will be able to survive with an ill-educated citizenry. Our state will one day be very surprised, no doubt, at the hole it finds itself in. What corporations will settle and stay here, providing well-paying jobs to the area, if they can't get a decently educated workforce? How will these corporations attract their upper-echelon employees to a community with lousy schools? What college students will want to come to this state for their education if the universities are unstable? The short-sightedness of the state of Idaho is deeply disturbing. [/rant]

I hate to end on a downer note. So I think I'll go play racquetball with a couple of local teachers. We can all vent our frustrations on the little blue ball.

- Catherine

I love a day off ....

2011-02-21T10:44:00.000-07:00

... don't you?

My plans for today include a little dog walking, a little card making, and very little else. And that, my friends, is a little slice of heaven on earth!

Yesterday was my Sabbath. So after an excellent sermon by our pastor and some awesome music by our band, I had a bang-up afternoon on the racquetball courts with some friends from church (a few of whom were new to racquetball and were quickly hooked on the game).

I mean quite literally banged up, since I attempted a shot off the back wall and succeeded only in smashing the side of my face.

No stitches were required in this injury.

Then I bravely played one of the experienced guys.

He was kind.

That's the only reason I managed to score seven points off of him.

Best of all: 1) Both racquetball courts rang with laughter for the 90 minutes that we were there, and laughter is good medicine for the soul. 2) All of us were huffing and puffing at the end, which was good medicine for our bodies.

Can't wait to do it again!

- Catherine

Friday Follies

2011-02-18T12:01:00.000-07:00

We farm folk really know how to have a good time, let me tell you: cops at the door, dogs barking up a storm, flashing red and blue lights piercing the darkness. The whole works.

And you thought we lived a quiet life.

In a deeply sleep-befuddled state -- and my striped pyjamas (a much better word with the British spelling) -- I answered the doorbell at 2:00 a.m. to find a fresh-faced young cop of about, oh, 12 years old. They get younger every year, along with the doctors. Have you noticed that?

Where was I?

Oh, yes, definitely more than half asleep. Once I actually realized there was someone at the door and I successfully got the door unlocked and open while yanking on Hank's collar to keep him back, I vaguely expected to hear that there was a water-main break or some other community problem. Instead the infant cop says "I think your horses are out." He points to his right and says "I saw them go in that direction."

The Equine Gang of Six had staged a prison break.

My incredibly classy response was to bend slightly at the waist so that my face was closer to the cop's (he was short), open my eyes as wide as possible and spit out the words, "HOLY CRAP!!" He grinned and we exchanged a few more niceties of I-know-not-what.

Shutting the door I yelled to the now awakened Tim, "Horses Out!" at the top of my lungs.

"What?" he responded incredulously (and perhaps he earned just a wee bit of scorn from my panic-stricken mind at that point).

"Horses. Out!" I repeated with more emphasis, meanwhile running for my jeans and boots.

Both dogs were now barking their fool heads off and Charley, in his excitement, peed on one of the rugs. I knew Charley needed a potty break but I had to leave them both inside because I didn't know what we would find outside. The cop had pointed in the direction that makes my heart sink -- traffic and noise and lights lie in that direction. Extremely traumatized horses would lie in that direction.

Quickly we pulled out our vehicles -- me to light the corral with my headlights, Tim to drive down the road. I called my nephew, who owns half the horses on our property, and invited him to come and help us. Well, "invited" probably isn't the right word.

Before actually exiting the driveway, thankfully, Tim looked around more closely to see if he could determine the sight of the jail break and to see if there were any remaining horses. At that point, we discovered that no horses had actually left the property. They did go off in "that" direction as the cop indicated, but only around the side of the property and into the back area where the stack of one-ton bales of hay beckons to all livestock. By the time we gathered our wits, we realized that The Gang of Four (a subset of The Gang of Six) were quietly munching on the hay bales while their two remaining corral-mates waited patiently on the correct side of the fence.

First task - mend the fence. At that point, nephew arrived and quickly pitched in. I asked him, "Are we having fun yet." With heavy sarcasm he replied, "No one should be allowed to have this much fun. Ever."

So true.

The upshot is that we successfully shored up the fence with twine and a lodge pole and then herded The Gang of Four back into the corral. At 3:00 a.m. we re-entered our house to find that Charley's excitement caused an even worse -- and foul-smelling -- accident on the kitchen floor while we were out. I couldn't punish him. My own insides had done some churning from the adrenaline rush too!

Lessons learned: 1) The horses know where the stack of one-ton bales are and they like them. A lot. Enough to stage a prison break if they find a weak part of the fence. 2) Baling twine is the duct tape of farm life and can sturdily shore up just about anything that has fallen down or been pushed over -- and be horse-proof at that!

As I write this, The Gang of Six is peacefully residing once again inside the corral, eating their own supply of hay.

And here I will leave a shout-out to the unknown passing motorist who saw three horses in our front yard and knew that something was wrong. Thank you for calling the cops on us at 2:00 a.m.! (I may never say that again.)

- Catherine

Hodgepodge Wednesday

2011-02-16T02:00:00.006-07:00

1. Your favorite chocolate treat? "Death by Chocolate" is the customary name for an incredible flourless chocolate torte. Love all that deep, dark, gooey richness!! Love the name too!

2. What more than anything else makes you feel loved? Surprise moments of recognition of someone's affection for me. More specifically, when it dawns on me, through something that is said or done, that I am loved by that person more than I realized. It's an incredible feeling!

3. Cherries or blueberries? Blueberries. Except for the purple tongue, which I hate. But fresh blueberries are a thing of beauty, both to look at and to taste. Especially when they adorn my cereal or yogurt.

4. What is the one trait you most want the leader of your country to possess? Integrity, hands down. Because integrity will lead a person to be honest and fair, and will lead him/her away from manipulation and politic-ing.

5. Are you a saver or a spender? Sadly, I am more of a spender. I do try to be a saver -- I do actually save, and I'm doing better all the time, but I take after my father in that the overwhelming natural inclination is to spend.

6. If you gave a party for all of your friends would they already know each other? No, because I have lived in New Jersey, Utah and Idaho, and I have friends in all three states. Also, I have made friends through my work -- and they are as far-flung as South Carolina, Florida, California, and everywhere in between.

7. Are you interested in antiques? Yes, but out here in the West they don't seem to be as high quality nor as historically interesting as they are in the antique marts and flea markets of the East Coast. I don't know if that's my own East Coast bias creeping through, or if the antiques out here aren't as, well, antique (nothing from the 1700s or early 1800s out here, folks!). Whatever the reason, I don't bother looking around much here. And I miss the lazy Saturday afternoons spent poking around a good old fashioned flea market.

8. Insert your own random thought here. Randomly speaking, I am in the process of perfecting my electronic signature technique. I purchased a Bamboo pen and touch pad, which hooks up to my computer and allows me to sign my name on a document as I am creating it, rather than after I print it out on paper. In theory, this will save me from having to print out every document and will be a big help when I'm on the road. Using the Bamboo pen and pad is easier said than done at first, however, although the quality of my signature is improving all the time.

- Catherine

PS -- if you wish to play along, answer the questions on your own blog and use the graphic at the top to link up at Joyce's blog.

Raising Charley, Part II

2011-02-15T11:32:00.000-07:00

Charley had his very first walk on harness today.

It's one of those contraptions that is supposed to cure a dog of tugging. This seemed good for us since Charley will be gargantuan in a few months time and good leash manners are invaluable. To that end, I purchased this harness some months ago when I knew we were going to have the kind of dog that could pull me flat to the ground with one good tug.

What I didn't do is double-check by peeking through the clear packaging to see the color of the actual harness that I was buying. I just looked at the cardboard signage tucked into the front and back of the clear package, which showed a red harness.

Red is a good color for both my dogs. So I grabbed it and headed home.

That was in November.

This morning I opened it up.

It's pink.

A pink mesh harness with pink fleecy padding and a pink lead.

Sorry, Charley.

And Number 7 won't be best pleased because he won't want to train the dog with a pink harness. But it's too late to take it back now.

The good thing is that Charley won't care, especially after March 1st when he goes to the vet for his, um, transformation.

- Catherine

Valentine's weekend agenda(s)

2011-02-11T08:10:00.000-07:00

Catherine:

1) work all day on Friday
2) and all day on Saturday
3) eat yummy food Saturday night with project leadership and staff (I'm staff)
4) work Sunday afternoon and Monday

Hubby and Number 7:

1) drive to city to meet up with Catherine on Friday night and stay in nice hotel
2) play all day on Saturday, including at least one movie and other miscellaneous fun stuff in the city that have nothing to do with anyone's work
3) eat yummy food Saturday night with Catherine and her group
4) drive home after leisurely Sunday breakfast to resume normal life

Not a rose in sight.

What is WRONG with this scenario???

- Catherine

Hodgepodge Wednesday

2011-02-09T08:17:00.000-07:00

1. What is more important-doing what you love or loving what you do? Loving what you do, because that's a choice to love no matter what the circumstances.

2. Do you like bleu cheese? Only with Buffalo Wings.

3. What is the most difficult emotion for you to handle? Anger. I stop thinking clearly and ride my emotions instead, which just fans the flames even more. Very discouraging. Thankfully, God isn't finished with me yet ...

4. Fresh flowers or a box of chocolate? Not both???? Knowing how much I love chocolate, you might expect me to prefer that. But I really LOVE to receive fresh flowers as a gift, so that would be my choice if I could have only one. (But I think it's mean that I get to choose only one. Just sayin' ...)

5. What's a song you love that has the word 'love' in its title? It doesn't have to be a 'love song'.You know, I can't think of a single one right now. Eeek!

6. Are you the person you wanted to be when you grew up? I could go on for days about this one, Joyce! Let's see. When I was young and thinking about what I wanted to be when I grew up, I only considered the outward aspects -- career, car, husband, house, etc. In that sense, I'm not the person I wanted to be. I wanted to be a librarian and live in a nice apartment or house in a city. As it turns out, I'm happy that didn't come to pass because I love the life that God has blessed me with (with which God has blessed me, in case my grammarian cousin is reading this). As for inwardly, I don't think that I ever gave a thought to what KIND of person I wanted to be when I grew up. I wasn't close to my parents and didn't really pay attention to the people they were.

7. Any special Valentines Day plans? We will be in Salt Lake City for the weekend. I'm working. Tim and Number 7 will be playing. That's it.

8. Insert your own random thought here. Randomly speaking, one good game of racquetball is worth several hours of talk therapy.

- Catherine

PS - If you wish to play along, you may answer the questions on your own blog and then link up over at Joyce's, using the graphic at the top of this post.

About that National Anthem..

2011-02-08T12:29:00.000-07:00

My cousin over at Bensrib had much the same thing to say as I did yesterday.

You can read her excellent post here.

- Catherine

Could someone sing, please?

2011-02-07T11:46:00.000-07:00

The singing of the National Anthem.

Once again, there is much gnashing of teeth in the land.

I am gnashing my teeth too, but not because Christina flubbed a line (every vocalist occasionally flubs a line in performance, folks -- it's inevitable, and the girl has apologized already).

I'm gnashing my teeth over the fact that no one seems willing to sing our National Anthem in the style in which it was composed and meant to be sung.

We don't need a new style for singing this most patriotic of songs. Musically and vocally it stands perfectly on its own and no amount of busy vocal embellishment (trills, turns, runs) can ever make it any better than it already is. In fact, I submit that the current fad of over-the-top vocal embellishment detracts from the beauty of the music.

I long for the days of Rosemary Clooney, who knew how to sing a song in a way that brought out the best of the melody as well as showcased her incredible vocal prowess.

Today's singers, courtesy of the proclivities of the current music industry, just don't have a clue, musically.

And that's sad.

To today's performers I say this admittedly cranky statement: if you can't sing the melody of the National Anthem without feeling compelled to put your individual vocal styling all over it, then please don't sing the National Anthem at all.

- Catherine

Hodgepodge Wednesday

2011-02-02T02:00:00.001-07:00

1. Would you rather be seen as a person who did their duty or forged their own path? Probably Id’ rather be seen as someone who did her duty (because occasionally that might involve forging my own path, whereas the reverse isn't probable).

2. This week's Wednesday Hodgepodge happens to fall on Groundhog's Day. In keeping with that theme, if you could have a do-over of any one day out of the last seven, which day would it be and why. If you haven't seen the movie Groundhog Day this question will make absolutely no sense but that's okay....you can answer anyway. Out of the last seven days I'd wish to do Sunday over because it was such a great and fun day! We had an amazing time of worship at church, listened to an excellent sermon, and then spent most of the afternoon playing racquetball and having a lot of laughs in doing so. After that, it was the Pro Bowl with my hubby. A terrific day!

You thought my question was going to be weather related didn't you? Well. Yes.

3. Hot cocoa...yay or nay on the marshmallows? Nay. Why muck up a perfectly good cup of hot cocoa with the cloying sweetness of marshmallow?

4. Do you wear makeup every day? What are the top two must haves in your daily makeup routine? I wear makeup most days but not every day. The two must-haves are powdered eye liner and mascara.

5. Is it more important to you in a relationship to be loved or understood? To be loved, because sometimes I don't think I can be understood (heck, sometimes I don't even understand myself these days). But love covers a multitude of sins, understood or not.

6. Parsley sage rosemary or thyme... your favorite? Rosemary, just for the scent. It's clean and pure and calming, and I gladly drink it in whenever I have occasion to use it (which is often because I love it).

7. What do you do when you feel angry? My first reaction is sarcasm, but I now try very hard to shut my mouth. Sarcasm used in humor is funny. Sarcasm used in anger is extremely damaging. It took me a long time to realize that, and now I try very hard to either leave the room, work it out on the racquetball court, or (on admittedly rare occasions) be objective and reasonable in my response.

8. Insert your own random thought here. How many of you have a tennis ball suspended on a string in your garage? This is new to me, but it does help keep my car away from Tim's work bench!

If you wish to play along, answer the questions on your own blog and then link up at Joyce's (use the graphic above to get to her blog).

Thanks, Joyce!

- Catherine

Of all the things I've ever lost ....

2011-01-31T11:48:00.000-07:00

.... I miss my mind the most.

That's one of my favorite bumper sticker/kitchen magnet sayings.

I recently visited with my similarly aged sister-in-law, and together we commiserated on the loss of the mental acuity that we once enjoyed. I used to be smart, but most days I feel stupid. I can no longer multi-task with any ease. I don't learn from reading words as readily as I once did. And I've become intimidated by what, at the outset, seem to be complex tasks.

And, of course, I can't find anything, even if it's out in the open. And forget finding it if I put it away in a "safe place." I once lost a stash of some $900.00 in cash! It finally turned up months later in a container that, to this day, I've no idea why I used for saving money.

Today an old friend of mine -- we've known each other since just about birth, which may be why I can still remember her so vividly .... where was I ...?

Oh yes, an old friend of mine sent this video via email.

I am happy to share the laugh with those of you who understand.

Whomever you may be (I forget).

- Catherine