Today Keewee and I decided to meet for lunch in Freeland. I went to get Mary Lou and she just got up and decided not to go. Well you snooze you lose. We had a great time! Keewee was disappointed that Mary Lou wasn't there, but said she would stop by her house on the way home from shopping in Oak Harbor. Hurry Mary Lou, grab the broom!!
We asked the waitress to take our picture. Keewee (Jennifer) was disappointed that she wasn't smiling, but if you look real close, you can see two fingers peeking up from behind her head. hehehehe
We had a great yuppie lunch, and did alot of giggling. She is a real sweetie! Her accent (New Zealand) is adorable!
We will meet again soon!!
On the way home I noticed a power pole looking a little diffent on top so I pulled over for a closer view and noticed a birds nest.
It looks like an Eagle's nest or a Hawk. Those buggars will build wherever they please!! Kinda like us humans, huh? The best view is better!
Time for a nap. My vacation is going way too fast!!

A dog teaches a boy fidelity, perseverance,
and to turn around three times before lying down.
-Robert Benchley

Bloggers Meet

Today Mary Lou and I went to Burlington to meet Dick. We actually met him on our blogs and have been chatting back and forth for awhile and I thought it was silly not to meet each other since we only live about 50 miles apart. So Mary Lou and I went to Costco today and met Dick at Starbucks before we went shopping. It was fun. Dick is a very nice guy. He is a retired Metro supervisor and he does photography on the side. His photo's are superb!
Tomorrow We go to Freeland (15 miles away) and meet Keewee!!
I'll post about her tomorrow.

There is no psychiatrist in the world like a puppy licking your face.
-Ben Williams

A Lazy Autumn Sunday Afternoon....

Today was actually a perfect Sunday to me. I got to Church at 8:30 for Worship Team practice then Church at 10:00. After Church we had our first Alpha meeting. We ate lunch afterwards then we did some visiting, and I was home at 12:30pm. The picture of the tree is right outside the window in our Church.
The weather seemed to turn over night, and it got really cool.
When I got home today I decided to take a nap after watching Elliott and Punkin laying around.
I got up after an hour and got on my computer. After watching Elliott for awhile, I went back to bed!
I got up and had something to eat then went back to bed!
Now I am up maybe for an hour or so and back to bed!!
A perfect Autumn Sunday if you ask me!! The weather was overcast with some rain showers, and rather windy, so it was a perfect sleeping day! I think I will make some hot cocoa and put a dab of vanilla ice cream it it and sprinkle it with cinnamon. Come on over!!

I have the weirdest thing going on with my computer.....I cannot get into some peoples comments! I cannot get into my comments unless I click on my sidebar and visit someone then back arrow to my blog again then I can open my comments. So when I go to Ellen's Blog, I need to do the same with her blog to get the comments to open! The same with Esther, and Sally!! So if you don't see comments from me it is because I cannot open them!!
I'm reading y'all, so please don't think I abandoned you!

A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves
himself.
-Josh Billings

Mercy Me at the Puyallup Fair!

Seven of us gals from Church went to the Puyallup Fair to see the "Mercy Me" concert. They made the song "I can only Imagine" famous. They are great! We left my house at one pm and headed North to pick up a few other gals, then stopped at an espresso place for Latte's. The drive was great until we got to Everett, then it was 20 mph for the next 20 miles, then again close to Tacoma. I don't like being a road warrior, so to break the ice I snuck in the green teeth here to break the monotony of bumper to bumper traffic. Debbie caught on and put in her pink teeth. (We got them at the latte stand). I thought the other gals were gonna die!! It was so funny. One car drove by and one guy looked over at me then kinda smiled and shook his head. Everyone else were on their cell phones and not paying attention. Now that is scarey.
One guy saw Debbie, then sped up. We think he got mad or something. Then we got my big flashlight and were singing into it like a microphone and passing it back and forth to sing into. We are 60 to 35 year olds cracking ourselves up.
Seattle always brings a smile to me when I see the Space Needle. It looked pretty today with the blue sky behind it.
We got to the fair at 6:00 and ate some icky hamburgers and greasy onion rings, then found our seats. We had good seats. rows 9 & 10. There were 10,000 people there of all ages! There were two kids in front of me and when the band started playing they got on their seats and raised their hands like the rest of us. It was touching.
The music was fabulous, and the weather was perfect! A great time was had by all.
It was awesome to be in the midst of 10,000 Christians singing Praise to the Lord! Whew!
Cheryl here was up clapping her hands the entire concert. Well so was everyone!
OH!!! After the Concert, we walked around the Fair and I bought a big BBQ turkey leg (to take home for dinner tomorrow), then I saw a hat stand with really tacky hats. I was looking at them and saw a black fuzzy hat I kinda liked so I bought it. I then saw a sewing machine and asked what that was for, and the lady said it is to personalize the hats if I wanted to. I asked her how long she had her booth at the fair and she said 40 years or so. I asked her if she used to sell those tacky hillbilly hats. She smiled and said yeah. I asked her how much they sold for, and she told me probably about 1 or 2 dollars then. I handed her three dollars and told her when I was 15 years old I stole a hat from her. She laughed and said forget it. I told her to take the money anyway. I am an alcoholic, and we are supposed to make ammends whenever possible. Then I had to explain to my friends the story. When I was 15 Lorraine Palmer, Sue Norton and I went to the Puyallup Fair. We were buying the hillbilly hats, and the guy turned to get some money from someone else, and Lorraine grabbed my arm and said c'mon!! We started running with the hats, and the guys were chasing us and we ran into a barn with animals and ditched them! Well I can rest easy now, I paid my debt! HAHAHAHA I am so glad I don't have kids!
We walked around the fair some more and ran into that woman again and she yelled over at us "I am STILL laughing at this"!!
We left the Fair about 10:30 and got home about 1:00am. Whew! Am I tired.

Another Party

Last night we had a going away party for a friend of mine. I have watched him grow up and up and up sice he was two. That is him in the black shirt. He is going to YWAM in Montana for 6 months.
After that he will be a missionary going to who knows where. I am so proud of him. Boy, the girls will faint when they see this 26 year old single hunk walk into the college!!
I told my sister last night that I was doing nothing tonight, but I forgot about the EHAT meeting. So I got home at 8:30 tonight.
I am off work now for 10 whole days!! Tomorrow I am going to the Puyallup Fair then to the Mercy Me concert!! I am going with 6 gals from my Church. It will be so much fun!!
Well I must get some rest before the big day!! More pictures tomorrow.
OH! And I am now a Mary Kay consultant! EGADS, will I ever stop??!!

If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went.
-Will Rogers

The Luncheon was a success!

Well the only real stress I had was the last minute phone ins, and getting their name badges made.
We had a great speaker and she seemed to touch everyone with her story. I related to it that's for sure!!
Candy is nearly 80 years old and a real kick! We knew each other before sobriety, and it was funny meeting each other in the halls of AA!!! Her blouse looks like her arms were tattooed which really wouldn't surprise anyone at all! She has helped many a gal entering into sobriety. Me as one.
These four posed for the camera knowing I was going to put it on my blog. The one in the white blouse is Rex's friend.
These gals also posed for me. Roxie in the middle reads my blog and usually answers via email or phone call. I try to get her to start a blog. Maybe some day.
I can't show you any more pictures without breaking some people's anonymity. The entire day was fun and went fast. The meal was boneless teriyaki chicken, vegetable lasagna, green beans, rice pilaf, salad bar and assorted pies. I think everyone was satisfied. I didn't hear any complaints.
So how was your Saturday?

Don't accept your dog's admiration as conclusive evidence that you
are wonderful.
-Ann Landers

AM I OUT OF MY MIND????

Why do I do this to myself?
When I took over the Ladies AA luncheon three years ago there were about 35-40 gals that got together in the Methodist Church in Langley.

They passed the baton to me to take North for us gals to do in 2003. Well in 2004 there were about 70 gals, and then 2005 were 90, and now there are about 120!! I came home tonight and there were 10 messages on my phone. Some gals want to come tomorrow for the luncheon! There is room, but I don't know if there is enough food! I told the Chiefs Club that I had 108 confirmed and maybe a few to pay at the door.

FEH (as Special K would say). What will be will be. If there isn't enough food, so what? We still have a great speaker, and if she doesn't show up I will speak! That'll teach 'em!!

Off to bed I go to get rested up for D day!! 120 sober alkie women on a full moon!! WHOOOPIE!!

I wonder if other dogs think poodles are members of a weird religious cult.
-Rita Rudner

September fog

I love this time of year. The mornings are cool and the afternoons are hot, but just over at the beach is this fog bank creeping in to take over! It sneaks away then rolls back in teasing us. I took this picture up on the hill by the cemetery today at noon. The old beat up tree trunks help make the scene look eerie. The Winter winds howl through the Prairie here. Just around the bend is Admiralty Inlet where some of the strongest Winter Storms barrel in from the Ocean, whipping through the Prairie then pounding at my house. I just love to lay in bed and listen to the storms hit the side of my house. My bed is right at the window that overlooks the prairie where the winds come. The rains pounding at my window while I am snuggled in my down blanket reading a book, listening to the police scanner calling out those poor firemen to go out and clear a road from downed trees! hehehehe that was me about 5 years ago!! I miss it, but not too much! I am too old, fat and decrepit any more. I'll just drive the bus to move people when I am called.

Ever consider what our dogs must think of us?
I mean, here we come back from a grocery store with the most amazing haul --
chicken, pork, half a cow.
They must think we're the greatest hunters on earth!
-Anne Tyler

Labor Day Weekend

I had a wonderfully full weekend!
Saturday I went to a Birthday potluck with my Church friends. Man I have never seen such FOOD!! Great ribs, Italian sausages, burritos, salads, potatoes, cake. BURP!

I left that potluck and went to my neighbor's 90th birthday party with her family!
Check out the fancy cake!! Well she actually had a homemade peach pie, homemade apple pie, homemade ice cream sandwiches, and fresh brewed coffee.

The gals gathered around for a picture,

Then the guys all gathered around for a photo!
Hmmm, her smile seems much bigger with her men! Oh how she loves her men!

I came home and two close friends came over and we all chatted for the rest of the night, then we went to my friend Debbies beach house.
Today I went to Church early, then a bunch of us gals went to brunch at the Chiefs Club, then I came home for a nap. I woke up at 6:30, and noticed clouds had crept in and the sun was beginning to set. I jumped in my car and drove to the beach to capture God's Beauty!
There are alot of forest fires in the State here and that makes for an awesome sunset.

I sat on the beach and watched the big orange orb fall slowly to the ocean, and as it disappeared into the water it was so quiet you could almost hear it sizzle, and I said "...and that was the last we all saw the sun for 20 years..." a couple on the beach looked over at me like I was weird! HMPPF! Must be Californians! hehehehe

I turned to leave the beach and saw these clouds. I was surrounded by beauty! I feel sorry for people in Kansas that have no idea what they are missing here.

GOD is good!

How is it one careless match can start a forest fire,
but it takes a whole box to start a campfire?

FRIDAY!

I stayed home from work today.
I have been feeling kinda weird this week, and couldn't sleep last night until about 4 this morning. I woke up at 6:30 and called the office to say I was sleeping in. I went back to sleep and my sis woke me up at 8:30. I got up and was getting dressed and decided I was staying home. I just couldn't get moving. Soon as I called in, I couldn't go back to sleep so I started putzing. I decided I have a "rabbit trail mind". I start to do something and then see something else and go for that and by the end of the day I am exhausted and see I didn't do what I started out to do. Well today was one of those days. I did get my computer fixed though. It was so S-L-O-W since I moved it to the spare room. I called tech support and they said I am on DSL but it seems slow to them too. (Now how can they tell?????) that scares me. I asked the guy if I needed to get dressed. He kinda chuckled and said no. (Well that serves him right if he could see me any way)! HEHEHEHE
He decided he was going to send a repair person to check out my house and connections. Well after that I found a different telephone cord and decided to try that instead of the old one I had hooked up. Well that wasn't an easy chore! I had my brother come over the other day and drill a hole in the wall from my bedroom to the spare room so I could run the cord through and hook up to my computer instead of installing a rather expensive outlet.
HAHAHAHA That took all morning.
I had to get on the floor next to my bed to feed the new cord through then try to get up! HA! That took a few grunts and moans. Then I went to the other room and squeezed behind my rolling shelves to get to the cord and when I bent over I was stuck between the wall and the shelf, head down. Hmmmppff! I jiggled my way out of that and saw that the cord never came through. It was fed into the wall space! Sooooo, I decided to get my long forceps (don't ask) and stick them into the wall to try to get the cord.
After about four times going from room to room, I finally got the cord fed through and everything hooked up and put back together!! WHEW!!
I worked up a sweat which is good because I had a bit of a fever.
My computer is working just fine now. I guess the cord was bad. Hmmm. The repair guy called and I told him what I did and he said great. I felt so smart for getting it all done without crying or throwing a fit, in fact I was giggling alot thinking about how I must look. Thank God for Zoloft!!
I went to my Praise team practice tonight and we played 4 great tunes and then I got to my AA meeting. I went shopping and got home at 10:30.
All the time I was out I kept tugging at my T-shirt. It felt like it was creeping up and choking me. Well no wonder.......I had it on backwards!!! DOH!
And how was your Friday?

The reason a dog has so many friends is that he wags his tail
instead of his tongue.
-Anonymous

Well the dust storm begins. It is hard to see the dirt flying here, but believe me, it is! The nice Baseball field they built just over the fence from me has just lost about half the soil they brought in! I went to work and left my windows open today, and by the time I came home it was too late! I have dirt all over the place in my house! The bad thing about this, is that I paid to have my house cleaned YESTERDAY!!! Go figure! Now I get to dust everything and mop the floors again! Oh well at least I have the laminate floors now and not carpets to hold all the dirt.
I have 7 baseballs that landed in my back yard so far, and now about a ton of their dirt!! This is nothing compared to what Florida is going to get with the storms brewing out there, huh? Hang on to your hat Sally!! Our gusts are only to 40mph now. We will get our good storms in November I'm sure.
Time for my bath.

Nobody cares if you can't dance well.
Just get up and dance.

What a beautiful day we had here today! I went to Church then came home and changed clothes and went to the beach for a picnic with my friends here. The water was perfect, the breeze was slight, and the sun wasn't killing us.
Two big ships were leaving the Sound and either Dolphins, Salmon or Orcas were splashing like crazy out about 100 feet. I couldn't get a picture. Just as they jumped I'd click my camera then they would be under the water. Oh well, I think it was Dolphins. Salmon jump closer to the shore unless I'm fishing, then they jump just out of reach. I swear they yell nanner nanner nanner, but the waves make too much noise to hear!
I love being busy, but then the weekends fly by too quick. Life is good and I try to make every minute count!! Speaking of which, I better get in the shower and wash my hair! Have a marvelous Monday, we get to have next Monday off!! WHOOOT!

The early worm gets eaten by the bird,
so sleep late.

I was sitting on my deck tonight about 1:00am and noticed a finger of fog rolling over my house. The weird part of it was that it was sliding in over the Northwest part of the sky, and the fog usually rolls in over the Southwest. I was watching it, and it glided over and disappeared, then it came in again in a few more fingers. I was waiting for it to change colors, and it didn't. Then it started moving in different directions. I called Mary Lou and said "Do NOT go running out to your deck and look". "If you go out, be CAREFUL"! She said it looked like fog fingers to her, so I guess that is all it was. I was watching the cars driving down the highway a mile away and it didn't look like there was any fog on the ground. Hmmmmm, maybe it was just a few low clouds. No, I don't think it was clouds. The wind wasn't blowing, and it was moving pretty fast. Oh well I guess I'll never know.

Can you tell my roomate moved out? She moved two days ago, and it is really quiet here now. I'll miss her alot, but I am glad to have my solitude. I am so busy at work, and at all the other stuff I do that when I come home I love to sit at my computer and just play. When my roomate was here we talked alot. I don't like to have television on either. I like to listen to the night noise outside.
Well I think I will go to bed and read.

Always read stuff that will make you look
good if you die in the middle of it.


(Well that wasn't planned!! hehehehe)

And the rest of the story.....

I had to be sure of the facts before I told the rest.
I stopped by the Marshalls office today to get the scoop.
It seems the guy at the trailer park got drunk in the cafe next to it and was arguing with some people there. He came home and his mom said he got mad and said he was going to kill himself and grabbed a 3 gallon can of gas and locked himself in his trailer. There was only a gallon of gas in the can which is worse than being full (fumes). He then yelled out the door that anyone coming near him will blow up too, so mom called 911.
He refused to cooperate with the police, so that is why they evacuated the trailer court. There are only about 15 trailers there, so they went door to door and asked everyone to quietly leave by foot to the Park & Ride where our bus was waiting for them. We took them to the Recreation Hall downtown and the Red Cross brought coffee and refreshments. I went home to wait for a call from 911 to go get the people and take them home, and at 4:00 went to sleep because the Transit was open by then. At 6:00am he finally came out on his porch and turned to go back inside his trailer, and that is when an officer from the S.W.A.T. Team shot him in the back with a rubber bullett. He was knocked down and they apprehended him.
When the police went inside his trailer they found the can with wires attaced to it, and all he had to do was to plug it in and KABOOOOM!!
Poor guy. He has a manic depression and he quit taking his medications and drank. That will do it to ya! He is now in the State Hospital for mental Illness being evaluated.
His step father committed suicide at the same place about 30 years ago. He was drunk too, and was going to kill himself and grabbed a knife. His best friend was arguing with him and tried to grab the knife from him and while doing so, he slit his throat accidentally. DANG!
Well I am glad he is put away now and getting the help he needs.
So how was your week?

Accept that some days you're the pigeon,
and some days you're the statue.

PEEK-A-BOO!!

Hi there! I've been hiding out lately and my sister reminded me that I need to post!
So ok, I'll post! Now what to post about? Well not much has been happening here, and alot has been happening!
I got a call at 10:30 tonight and my boss told me that there was a situation going on in town and they needed a bus, so they called the Operations Manager and he went to get a bus. I went there with him and brought the bus to the command post. It seems a person got suicidal and locked himself in his trailer with a can of gas and threatened to take everyone out with him. Well the police did not want to take any chances, so they called us to help evacuate the trailer park (a block away from me). So we took the bus there and got the people and took them to a safe place until the negotiations and apprehension is over with. It is 1:15am and I am sitting here at home awaiting a phone call from the 911 center to tell me to go get the people and take them back home. Not too often a person gets a call from the 911 center, huh? It is usually the other way around.
Ah well, such is another day in the Life on Whidbey!!
Tune in tomorrow for the rest of the story.................

It may be that your sole purpose in life is
simply to serve as a warning to others.

My friends Nancy & Al Bingisser grow dahlias. Lots and lots of dahlias. I had them on my blog last year. They know the names of each and every dahlia they plant. I was out there today and they picked this one for me. It got crossed between two dahlias and grew half & half. I think it is beautiful!
Well I am off to a State Transportation Conference tomorrow, and will be back late Wednesday night. I haven't blogged much lately so you probably won't even know I am gone. Y'all have a great week!

We could learn a lot from crayons:
some are sharp, some are pretty, some
are dull, some have weird names, and
all are different colors but they all
have to learn to live in the same box.

Ah, Life on Whidbey Island!!

Sunday was a special day. My friend gave her testimony at Church then we had baked spaghetti, sald, and garlic bread at my house. I invited anyone who wanted to come, and ended up with about 20 people! After lunch we all went to the beach here. My friend was being Baptised, so we all went to the beach to help celebrate. The weather was just perfect, a distant fog bank hovering over the horizon, geese flying overhead honking as they flew by, sun shining and no wind.
The Pastor on her left, and the co-Pastor on her right led her to the water. Now let me tell you, the water is not a bit warm!! 20 minutes and you are dead with hypothermia!! The dunking took place, while in the meantime I noticed her grandson in the background playing with his bucket in the water.
I couldn't resist snapping this photo. It tells it all. The love of her life playing happily on the beach as granny is being Baptised giving her life to the Lord! How good can it get? Well stick around, it will get good!! Her life is unfolding now with so many good things. I am really happy for her.
Life is GOOOOOOOD! God is GOOOOOOOD!!

Happiness comes through doors you didn't even know you left open.

A Blogger meeting

I went to Burlington to Costco today with my fried Maria, then got home at 4:30 then a blogger friend Rexie called me and we met for dinner at Toby's Tavern. She came to the Island to see her brother-in-law. He lives 25 miles down the Island from me. She also has a friend of hers that moved here a few months ago so we three met and had fresh Halibut and chips in the local Tavern on the Water. I just noticed how bad I look, but heck, it was HOT today and I melted!! I came home and made a huge pan of Miss Maude's spaghetti for tomorrow. I just sat down (it is 11:30pm).
Tomorrow I get to Church at 8:30 to practice with the Praise team, then the service, then rush home for spaghetti lunch and then to the beach for a baptizm. Then I can come home and REST!!

So Sven and Ole go to the beach, and after a couple hours Sven says, "This ain't no fun. How come the girls aren't friendly to me?"
"Well, I tell you, Sven, maybe if you put a potato in your swim trunks that would help."
---So Sven does, but he comes back to Ole later, and he says, "I tried what you told me with the potato, but it doesn't help."
"No, Sven --- you're supposed to put the potato in the front."

AAAAHHHHHHHH

AAAAhhhhhhh, a kodak moment!
The sunset was so pretty tonight this photo does not do it justice.
It is hard to capture God's beauty!
That is about all I have to post about.

Don't be afraid that your life will end,
be afraid that it will never begin.
~anonymous~

Four Things About Me

My sister sent me this via email so I decided to respond via blog and not pass it on. Answer if you want to .

Things you may not have known about me.....(These are my sister's answers)
A) Four jobs I have had in my life:
1. Housekeeper
2. grill cook
3. Forklift driver
4. Pump Island attendant
B.) Four movies l would watch over and over:
1. Sleepless in Seattle
2. You've got mail
3. Lawrence of Arabia
4. Out of Africa
C) Four places I have lived:
1. National City, Ca
2. Alameda, Ca
3. Adak, Ak
4. Aguana, Guam
D) Four TV shows I love to watch:
1. Amazing Race
2. CSI (ALL 3 of them.)
3. NCIS
4. Treasure Hunters
E) Four places I have been on vacation:
1. I have never been on a vacation.
2.
3.
4.
F) Websites I visit daily:
1. Critter Lover
2 Amazon.com
3. 50 different blogs
4. Blogger.com
G) Four of my favorite foods:
1. Spaghetti
2. Chicken Fried Steak
3. Lasagna
4. Pasta
H) Four places I would like to be right now:
1. On a cruise to Anywhere
2. Alaska
3. South Africa
4. Canada
I) Four friends I think will respond:
1. Phyllis
2. Leslie
3. Blogeois
4. Brenda

HERE ARE MY ANSWERS
A) Four jobs I have had in my life:
1. Waitress
2. Bartender
3. Ambulance EMT
4. Transit Driver/trainer/manager
B.) Four movies l would watch over and over:
1. Notebook
2. Ghost
3. Snowdogs
4. Richard Simmons "Sweatin' to the oldies"
C) Four places I have lived:
1. Hawaii
2. Washington State
3. Guam
4. Connecticut
D) Four TV shows I love to watch:
1. ER
2. Third Watch (no longer on)
3. North of 60 (no longer on)
4. Trauma: Life in the ER
E) Four places I have been on vacation:
1. Southeast Alaska Ferry Cruise 1992
2. Edmonton, Alberta 1993
3. Southeast Alaska Ferry Cruise 1997
4. Vancouver Island
F) Websites I visit daily:
1. Earthquakes
2. My Blog of course
3. My sister's blog
4. Numerous other's blog's.
G) Four of my favorite foods:
1. Any kind of salad
2. Mexican food
3. Steak
4. Soups/Stews
H) Four places I would like to be right now:
1. Southeast Alaska
2. Banff Alberta
3. Anchorage
4. Anywhere Alaska
I) Four friends I think will respond:
1. Dunno
2.
3.
4.

WOW!!! For a really neat experience, visit this site.
It is a Hummingbird nest with eggs, and the progress as they hatch! Click on the (next) on the bottom of each page.