Thursday, January 31, 2008

Wind and Rain

Weather here is really wild. No bad storms predicted but it's raining really, really hard and the wind is blowing! Local weather station says the wind is at 40 MPH gusting to 50. I believe it.

Nothing new here tody. Same old, same old. I'll post again tomorrow but for now I'm closing down the computer and finding a comfy place to listen to the wind and rain.

Hope everyone has a good night.

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Making Lists

Harry and I went to see The Bucket List today. Of course, we went to the early movie. Old farts need to be home before dark, you know. We both enjoyed the movie - sad parts and funny. We came away discussing what we would put on our bucket list. I was shocked when I realized that I couldn't think of anything. I've always done the things I wanted to do. Sometimes it took time and hard work but I can't think of anything important to me that I abandoned. Think about it. What would be on your bucket list? I'm going to give it more thought.

I've enjoyed the day and am ready to rest. I'm going to grab a book, make myself comfortable, and try to settle into a good night of sleep and happy dreams. Good night.

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Chores

Today I've been tired and sleepy all day. Know what that means? I have a chore than has to be done before I can make progress on other things and I don't want to do it. I have many, many small samples and remnants of drapery and upholstery fabric that I need to sort. I also have fabrics for shades, duvet covers, and slip covers that need to be sewed and put to use. The kick is that I have to get all my sewing mess in better order before I can be sure I have everything I need. All excess is going out the door.

How did I get so many fabric samples? After I retired I had an insane moment when I decided to return to school. My chosen course of study was Interior Design. There were mega projects in that course. Story boards, sample boards, and scale drawings to name some things that were part of each and every one of those projects. I never liked school when I had to go and this course was no different. The engineering courses and financial courses that were mandatory for my career could be forgiven for making me miserable. Interior Design did not fit that mold so I quit! Now I have all this "stuff" to sort and either use or pass along. Yep, that's right, I'm a dropout!

Now that I've admitted my lazy streak I believe I'll call it a day . . err . . night.

Monday, January 28, 2008

Pathways

A few days ago in one of my posts I complained that I couldn't figure out how to create a link when writing a blog. My blog friend, Cheryl, made it so simple that even I can now create a link. Thank you, Cheryl.


I always try to think of something interesting or different to post to my blog. Usually all I can think of is the current day's events. That translates to nothing exciting or different. For me, that's fine. For my readers - not so. It gets boring, I'm sure. This evening is different. Reading The Captain's blog (posted on Sunday evening) gave me an idea for this evening's post. Has anyone wondered how I came up with "Pathways" as the name for my blog? Being a little self centered, I'm going to assume the answer to that question is, "Yes."


In the summer of 1983, I was on a three week work related trip to Chambersburg, PA. The weeks were full but weekends were long and needed to be filled with something other than gathering data, running regression analysis, watching television re-runs, and other dry boring stuff. On the first weekend I decided to drive to Gettysburg. I had been there a couple of times on previous trips but had pretty much just driven through while looking at the memorials – mostly from a distance. On this particular Saturday the sun was bright and the grass, which had been mown a couple of days earlier, was curing. The fragrance of new mown hay was all around. I had the whole day with nothing rushing me so I decided to walk around the battlefield. My walk took me to Devil’s Den. Devil’s Den is a hill covered with large boulders. It stands out in the landscape. I thought it would be a good place to find a comfortable seat (on one of the boulders) to rest a while. Following a winding pathway that led towards the higher part of the rise, I found a shady place with what appeared to be a stack-rock fence about 3 or 4 feet long between two boulders. It looked comfortable so I decided to sit and rest for a while. The day had been pleasant but as I sat there I began to feel a heavy, sad mood starting to build. This caused me to decide to call it a day and return to my hotel room in Chambersburg. I was about half way down the path when I stopped, looked back and took a picture of the pathway from that vantage point. Before leaving the area I stopped to eat at a little inn and picked up some literature about the Battlefield to read while waiting. Imagine how I felt when I saw a picture of my little stacked rock fence with a note saying that it is believed that the youngest soldier in the Battle of Gettysburg died there. I have always remembered that pathway in vivid detail.


No, there were no unexplained orbs or strange images on the picture when it was developed. It was no more and no less than a beautiful picture. I attach no supernatural significance to the day. What I did bring away from that day was the realization that, no matter the horrors of a particular time or place, peace and beauty can return. If anyone is interested in reading a bit about Devil's Den and the surrounding area click here.

Correction - My Bad

Well, here we go again. I make a mistake on my last post as Harry was kind enough to point out. Sarah's folks are from Wisconsin not MN. My apologies to them and to Harry.

Sarah's Mother and Father are wonderful people. They are retired and free to travel with no encumbrances. It's always interesting to visit with them and I'm glad they are going to be close enough to experience the new grandson's arrival.

Sunday, January 27, 2008

Another Week Begins

It's Sunday night and all is well in our little corner of the world. We were two short for gathering day. Sarah's (our expectant mommy) parents are visiting and she and Harry, Jr, spent the day with them. It's as it should be. Her parents came from MN to spend a few days before going on to Florida for a few weeks. Everyone else was here and the afternoon and evening went well. I made roast beef, garlic mashed potatoes, gravy, and a garden salad with fresh veggies. Everyone went home happy and content. They were all planning an early-to-bed evening in order to begin their week tomorrow morning rested and ready.

Next week is Super Bowl Sunday. I don't get excited about the game but do not want to miss a one of the commercials. I hope they are as good this year as they've been in the past. You are correct, I'm a sucker for silly or catchy ads. I hope everyone comes and we make a party out of it but I won't tell the children that. If they want to watch with their friends it will be OK. Harry and I will watch, giggle, and maybe if I behave myself he might even hold my hand.

For now, I wish you a good night's sleep to set the stage for a happy and fulfilling week. Thanks for visiting.

Saturday, January 26, 2008

Peace - Sweet Peace

OK Everyone, my nerves are calm and my headache is long gone. I'm back to my sweet, lovable self. As I look back I shouldn't have posted such a negative event. It's over, that day is gone forever. I look forward to the days to come. A big thanks to everyone who commented. Having people ,who I consider friend, understand my ire helped me get my equilibrium under control. Now, what do I write about this evening?

The boys and I had a make-up play session today. It was so much fun to have playmates. We played cars, worked a puzzle, watched the fish in the reef tanks, and used the "see-big" (magnifying glass) to look at tiny starfish (we counted 7 in one tank and 11 in the other). We talked about their music classes - both have just been promoted to "bigger books" and they both wanted to tell all. I didn't miss a word. We had a snack and watched "Jacks Big Music Show" on Noggin (TV). The boys each played a computer game from Noggin. Then Papa and I took them home because they wanted to help Mommy roll the meatballs. They had homemade spaghetti and meatballs for dinner. Papa and I went to Outback for prime rib. Yep!! Today was a winner!!

Harry and I watched "Pretty Woman" tonight. I can't count the times I've seen that movie and I always tear up when the couple is parting. I'm a softie. Harry is sweet to watch girlie movies with me and not complain or make fun. I'm not as nice to him. He likes to watch the History Channel when they are showing films of war and I just can't watch them with him. I either read or surf the computer.

Remember the gift certificate Harry gave me for Christmas . . the one that is good for a trip to the beach all expenses paid. It's for anytime I want to go, to anywhere I want to go, and for as long as I want to stay. Was that dangerous, or what? I've been thinking of cashing it in. I just have to find an opening in our schedule. If that proves impossible, I'll cancel a few things. My play-days with the boys are sacred, though, they won't get cancelled. You would think that two old retired people would have plenty of free time on their hands but we don't. Should you see two ratty old farts shuffling along at a furious pace it's probably us on our way to have a good time.

Again, thank you to everyone for your comments and understanding. My best to everyone. Have a good night.