It is a MISERABLE day today!

I took this picture at noon in Oak Harbor. I love to watch the ducks float around in the rough water. The storm is much worse now but it is too dark to take pictures!

Guess what, it's 39 degrees windy and raining......STILL!!

It gusted to 49 so far. It will get worse later. Of course it gets worse in the middle of the night when you can't go out and take pictures in it! Why is that?
I'm still not feeling up to par, so will shower early and go read my book in bed!

No great news to report today. I got up and went to work, drove to Oak Harbor to sign up 4 new Paratransit riders, went back to the office then came home. Whooot! It doesn't get any better than this!!

As income tax time approaches, did you ever notice:
When you put the two words "The" and "IRS" together it spells "THEIRS"?
Hmmmmmmmmm......

Picture of the day

This is my picture of the day. Two cats that hate each other sleeping together! Well actually they don't hate each other, the grey one 'Punkin' has no patience for a kitten 'Elliotte'. As soon as I get up from the chair, Punkin is curled up and sound asleep! She won't be around, but I get up from my chair and take two steps and look at my chair and there she is! Elliotte must've snuck up there while Punkin was asleep. He is such a character. I never see him curled up like Punkin, he sits in chairs, or lays upside down and watches you. Weird but adorable.
Well as you can see I have nothing whatsover to blog about. I have been on high doses of Augmentin, an antibiotic, for a sinus infection, and all I want to do is sleep, therefore that has been the extent of my weekend. I went to my AA meting Friday night, came home and slept until 10:30, went to lunch then came home and slept until 5:00, atr dinner and went to bed, and woke up at 8:30 for Church, came home and slept until 4:30! I am going to do my chores and go take my bath and go back to bed a read!! It is mostly for escape. It is 39 degrees, raining and very windy!! I am hibernating. Have a great Monday tomorrow!!

A door will snap shut only when you have left the keysinside.
(Yale Law of Destiny)

The METH epidemic

I go to alot of community meetings with my job. One meeting is the 'Island County Methamphetamine Action Team'. I went to the meeting yesterday and a nurse gave a presentation on methamphetamine and babies. There are babies born daily hooked on drugs from their mother. If you want to be awakened by this epidemic, go read this story:http://www.goanacortes.com/articles/2005/11/30/news/news08.txt
The ten year picture graduation of the woman on meth is blood curdling. To know the poisons they are using to make meth is blood curdling. There are meth labs in all sorts of neighborhoods. There is one in my trailer park. We can't catch them without a warrant, and they need actual proof before they can get a warrant. I can guarantee this, If I see a child even near that trailer I will call the cops and report abuse even if it is false! I want them to know they are being watched and what they are doing is not acceptable!!
It breaks my heart to see very young children being raised by alcoholic and drug addicted parents! A 50 year old lady brought her 5 month old grandchild to the meeting yesterday. He was born prematurely from a meth addict who was high at the time of his birth. Him and his brother was taken away from the gal and the grandmother is now raising them and they have no visitation rights until they can prove by blood test that they are clean of drugs. They cannot get a clean reading. The grandmother knows all too well the tricks because she herself was an addict but is clean and sober now for 15 years. She feels responsible for the entire mess, and is taking full responsibility of the babies.
Whew, to think it is going on right next door and nobody is watching or really cares. We are being taught on what to look for in children. As bus drivers, we at work can look at the children and see the progress of their behaviours. When we can, we report any suspicious behavior. We have cameras on all the buses for that purpose. School teachers are watching the behaviours and learning patterns.

We worry about the world, and send care to other countries, but we need to look in our own backyards and help out where we can!! Our country is in deep trouble because of the drug epidemic!! It has to STOP!!!
Whew, sorry about the serious blog today, but I worry about the innocent kids. We all need to keep our eyes open and watch the kids. I have alot of kids that visit my house, and I like them to know this is a safe place to come to. Every kid needs a place to go to that they know is safe.

When one wishes to unlock a door but has only one hand
free, the keys are in the opposite pocket. (Von Fumbles Law)

You know you are from the Northwest when...

The Pacific Northwest According To Jeff Foxworthy:

1. You know the state flower (Mildew). (yep)

2. You feel guilty throwing aluminum cans or paper in the trash.(yep)

3. Use the statement "sun break" and know what it means.(yep)

4. You know more than 10 ways to order coffee.(yep..vente decaf sugarfee iced latte w/regular milk)my favorite

5. You know more people who own boats than air conditioners.(yep)

6. You feel overdressed wearing a suit to a nice restaurant.(yep)

7. You stand on a deserted corner in the rain waiting for the "Walk" Signal.(we don't have signals in Coupeville)

8. You consider that if it has no snow or has not recently erupted, it is not a real mountain.(yep)

9. You can taste the difference between Starbucks, Seattle's Best, and Veneto's.(yep)

10. You know the difference between Chinook, Coho, and Sockeye Salmon.(yep)

11. You know how to pronounce Sequim, Puyallup, Issaquah, Oregon, Yakima, and Willamette.(yep)

12. You consider swimming an indoor sport.(yep)

13. You can tell the difference between Japanese, Chinese and Thai food(yep)

14. In winter, you go to work in the dark and come home in the dark-while only working eight-hour days.(yep)

15. You never go camping without waterproof matches and a poncho.(yep)(yep)

16. You are not fazed by "Today's forecast: showers followed by rain," and "Tomorrow's forecast: rain followed by showers."(yep)

17. You have no concept of humidity without precipitation.(yep)

18. You know that Boring is a town in Oregon and not just a state of mind.(yep)

19. You can point to at least two volcanoes, even if you cannot see through the cloud cover.(yep)

20. You put on your shorts when the temperature gets above 50, but still wear your hiking boots and parka.(yep)

21. You switch to your sandals when it gets about 60, but keep the socks on.(yep)

22. You have actually used your mountain bike on a mountain.(yep)

23. You think people who use umbrellas are either wimps or tourists.(yep)umbrella??

24. You buy new sunglasses every year, because you cannot find the old ones after such a long time.(yep)sunglasses??

25. You measure distance in hours.(yep)2 hours to Seattle! One hour to Bellingham!

26. You design your kid's Halloween costume to fit under or over a raincoat.

27. You know all the important seasons: Almost Winter, Winter, Still Raining (Spring), Road Construction (Summer), Deer & Elk Season (Fall).(yep)

Never, under any circumstances,
take a sleeping pill and a laxative
on the same night.

I can't watch....I get too hyped up with the crowd! I just switched to the channel, and I could feel the electricity of the crowd! The score is 27-7 Seahawks in the 3rd. (whatever that means).
If the Seahawks win that means they go to the Superbowl.
I am not a Football fan, but I still think it is neat that the team is that close!
This would be the first time in the Superbowl for them.

UPDATE:
The two teams set for Super Bowl XL are making history. The Seahawks earned their first trip in team history with an impressive 34-14 victory over the Panthers. And the Steelers became the first No. 6 seed ever to make the Super Bowl by beating the Broncos in Denver. Full Story ...

• Panthers lose another RB | Photos
• Steelers take road to Detroit
• Bettis to end career in hometown
Well I watched the last of the game, and they made it!! I was so impressed....at 45 seconds left in the game, the other team just quit playing, and the two coaches walked up to each other and they both hugged each other in real sincerety!!
I am impressed! THAT is what Sports is about! Teamanship and Congratulating the winner, and NOT throwing fits and accusations to each other!
The Panthers (Wherever they are from) played a good game and lost gracefully. I applaud them!


Some days you're the bug;
some days you're the windshield.

A taste from the past!

I came home from my AA meeting at 10:00pm and had the munchies really bad and had NOTHING in my house to eat. Well there is alot to eat here, but nothing looked good. I was looking through my cupboard and noticed a can of brown bread! I don't remember buying it, and have had it for who knows how many years? Probably from one of my camping trips. Any way I opened it and sliced it and put butter on it and BAM!!
That old familiar taste from my childhood of molasses and raisins.
It was really good, so I will save the rest in a baggy for tomorrow. I think I remember mom putting warm baby prunes on it, then whipped cream. Or was that ginger bread? Mary Lou would know, she always remembers everything.

It is now pouring again. It was nice for awhile this afternoon then the rains returned. I saw some Snow Geese sitting in mud puddles all dirty.


Or should I say 'mud goose'.
Further down the road I saw a fireplug sitting in a huge puddle, so I took a picture. I thought it was funny.

Time for bed....Have a great weekend!

If at first you don't succeed,
skydiving is not for you.

I'm one tired kitty!!

My neighbor is 89 years old and lives alone. She has lived next door to me for about 15 years, and is like a mother to me. She talks with a New York accent and just loves to get in lively arguments.....er debates. She is a real sweety most of the time. Her daughter lives in town about two miles away. I went to bed about 9:30 Monday night and fell asleep about 10:00. The phone rang about 11:30 and it was my neighbor. She was concerned about her blood pressure so she called me. I have a blood pressure cuff that I let her use that fits on your wrist and is easy to take. The doctor has been monitoring her pressure for the past week, so I told her to keep the cuff for awhile. I was concerned that she called me so I ran over there in my nightgown and coat. She was talking so very melodramatic, and shaking like a leaf as soon as I got near to her. I reassured her and told her to give me her symptoms, and I took her vitals again. They were down from when she took it. She was still very concerned and said she has a heavy chest. Well that did it, so I called her daughter and told her I was calling the ambulance if she wanted me to. Her daughter came over in 5 minutes and got her to the hospital. I went back to bed about 1:00am. I woke up at 6:30 exhausted so called into work and said I was taking a vacation day and went back to sleep. She called again about 7:30 in the morning (bless her heart) and told me she was fine, that the doctor said it was because she quit taking her high blood pressure pills!! I said "you didn't tell me you quit taking your high blood pressure pills" she said back sheepishly, "I didn't? oh." Ah well. It is a good feeling knowing my neighbor thinks highly of me to call me first instead of 911 or her daughter. It is worth not having a good night's sleep once in awhile. I just pray someone 30 years younger than me moves in when my neighbor dies so she can take care of me!! hehehehe My poor neighbor has thought she has been dying since she hit her 80th birthday!! I just laugh at her now. I love her, and she loves me.

If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again,
it wasprobably worth it.

I'm Baaaaaaack!

Well I finally figured out my username and password! I should use just one in everything I do so I won't get stumped again.
Yes, I wrote it down before but.....I cleaned the area around my computer and threw away my notes!
Any way, Mary Lou had a great birthday!
I had a very uneventful week here.
The weather....rainy in fact 27 straight days of rain. We actually have had some sun breaks like this afternoon. But south of us it is bad. Flooding rivers and mudslides where they have cleared the land and built huge expensive mansions on the hillside for a million dollar view. Well DUH! It really doesn't take a rocket Scientist to figure that one out now does it?
I haven't had my television on all day and it has been PEACEFUL!!

The full moon was yesterday.
When I was a bartender I could always tell when there was a full moon by the way the crowd was. When I worked on the ambulance I would start naming the full moons by the calls we were getting. For instance, we could go a year without a broken leg, then we'd get three in one night so I would call it the broken leg moon. Or heart attack, strokes, etc.
Well I noticed this weekend that there have been alot of angry people. I mentioned that today at the break at Church and people would nod and then relate their experience with an angry person. I saw a gal in the store I hadn't seen in awhile and said hello. She is my sister's neighbor and I asked her if she saw my sister chasing her dog on New Years. Well she started telling me about a man in her neighborhood that sets off fireworks on New Years Eve and getting her dogs and all the neighbor's dogs all excited and she got really angry about it and wouldn't stop ranting. Ooops. Sorry, something I said??
Has anyone else noticed any angry people this week?
This has been an angry moon.

It's always darkest before dawn.
So if you're going to steal your neighbor's newspaper,
that's the time to do it.

Mary Lou turns 60 today!

Sixty years ago today a child was born to a Navy man and wife bringing their first child to this world.
Mary Lou is my older sister, so run over there and wish her a happy birthday!!

GROWING OLDER IS MANDATORY.
GROWING UP IS OPTIONAL.
We make a Living by what we get,
We make a Life by what we give.

New Blogger

Run over and say hello to Paulasue!!
Brenda's little sister!!
Oh boy, anothern Southern Belle!!

A Doll from Santa By Alice Ferguson

I got this in an e-mail this morning and just had to share it with y'all!!

Alice's mother died when she was five years old. Although her nine brothers and sisters were loving and caring, they were no replacement for a mother's love. The year was 1925, and life was hard. Alice, who grew up to be my mother, told me that her family was too poor to even afford to give her a doll. In the aftermath of her loss, Alice vowed to care for others. First, her father, then her husband, later her three children and then her grandchildren were the main focus of her life. She felt that she could make up for her sad childhood through her dedication to her own family, but an unfilled void seemed to remain. In December 1982, I had a job at a local bank. One afternoon, we were decorating the tree in the bank lobby and singing carols, getting ready for the Christmas season. One of my customers approached me with a sample of her handiwork: beautiful handmade dolls. She was taking orders for Christmas. I decided to get one for my daughter, Katie, who was almost five years old. Then I had an idea. I asked my customer if she could make me a special doll for my mother - one with gray hair and spectacles: a grandmother doll. The doll maker felt that this idea was certainly unique and took it on as a creative challenge. So I placed my Christmas order: two dolls, one blonde and one gray-haired for Christmas morning! Things really started to fall into place when a friend had told me that his dad - who played Santa Claus at various charitable functions in my area - would be willing to make a visit on Christmas morning to our home to deliver my Katie her presents! Knowing that my parents would be there as well, I began to get ready for what would turn out to be one of the most memorable days of my mother's life. Christmas Day arrived and at the planned time, so did Santa Claus. I had prepared the presents for Santa to deliver, along with one for my mother tucked into the bottom of Santa's bag. Katie was surprised and elated that Santa had come to see her at her own house, the happiest I had ever seen her in her young life. My mother was enjoying watching her granddaughter's reaction to the visit from this special guest. As Santa turned to leave he looked once more into his knapsack and retrieved one more gift. As he asked who Alice was, my mother, taken aback by her name being called, indicated that she in fact was Alice. Santa handed her the gift, which was accompanied by a message card that read:For Alice: I was cleaning out my sleigh before my trip this year and came across this package that was supposed to be delivered on December 25, 1925. The present inside has aged, but I felt that you might still wish to have it. Many apologies for the lateness of the gift.Love,Santa Claus My mother's reaction was one of the most profound and deeply emotional scenes I have ever witnessed. She couldn't speak but only clasped the doll she had waited fifty-seven years to receive as tears of joy coursed down her cheeks. That doll, given by "Santa," made my mother the happiest "child" alive.

Reprinted by permission of Alice Ferguson (c) 1999 from Chicken Soup for the Mother's Soul 2 by Jack Canfield,
Glenda

My 'blue eyed' cat.

Punkin really has Gold eyes, but the flash showed blue instead of red. Hmmm.
Actually I am posting just to post. Alot has happened at work but that is boring, Bible study was interesting, and AA tonight had a great speaker, but all that is stuff I cannot post on, so hmmmpppf.
I woke up around 1:30 this morning sneezing my CPAP mask off my face, and I got up and stayed up until 4:30 then forced myself back to bed. I was awake until about 5:30 and my alarm went off at 6:15, so my mind is mush about now.
I am not sleepy, but I am coming down with a hummer of a head cold! I haven't posted since Monday so I am doing it now, then I can sleep in until 10:00 tomorrow!! I was just having fun playing 'chase the laser light with Elliott. He is still looking for it! HAHAHAHA
Well I was trying to put the two pictures of Elliott under the HAHA's, but they ended up on top.
Oh well. I have no kids, so you get to see my cats!
I'm going to bed!

Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day.
Teach him how tofish, and he will sit in a boat and drink beer all day.

New Years Day

Well this is about how I feel. I didn't party New Years Eve, but I am exhausted from the whole Christmas thing.
Time to relax and get back to healthy eating and early to bed.
I am starting my small group all over on step one this month.
Step One:
We admitted we were powerless over alcohol-that our lives had become unmanageable.
I have 18 and 1/2 years sober, but I continually work the steps. I work them now with my health. I am powerless over my Diabetes and aging, so I replace the word alcohol with Diabetes.
I have to remind myself daily that I am an alcoholic and that I have Diabetes. If I forget I will eat the wriong things and end up back on insulin which I refuse to do!!
I have been helping a few new people in the AA program so starting all over again will help them too. Twelve months...Twelve steps.

Well I better get stepping and get ready to return to work tomorrow!!

The journey of a thousand miles begins with a broken fan belt and a leaky tire.