Hump Day!

My favorite Fall Dahlias


Well I am working another split shift today, so I am here to take a nap and go back to work at 6:00 tonight until 9:00. Training is almost over so I can have somewhat normal hours again. In fact, next week Thursday I start a two week vacation!! I have no set plans, I am just going to lay back and do each day whatever hits my fancy. My sister is hitting my fancy to go over the mountains for some great Eastern Washington apples, so that is one day planned. I love my job but there are times we just need to get away and clear your head of things.

I have absolutely nothing to blog about so I won't bore you.

World's Shortest Fairy Tale
Once upon a time, a guy asked a girl "Will you
marry me?" The girl said, NO!"
And the guy lived happily ever after and went
fishing and hunting and played golf a lot and drank
beer and farted whenever he wanted.
THE END

Meet Elliott


He loves to play!


Two of his favorites are the carrot and the racoon tail!


He takes them to bed with him at night!


Then he drops into a dead sleep!


And boy can he sleep!


Okay, this is making me sleepy!


Oh, By the way...Punkin is feeling great now!! Thank you Lord!!


Well the weekend is over, and yet another very busy week awaits me. It is after 8:00 so I am taking my bath and getting into my freshly made bed and get some good sleep!! Night all!

Did you ever notice: The Roman Numerals for forty (40) are "XL."

Wanda tagged me,
So here goes....
id-i-o·syn-cra-sy

1. A structural or behavioral characteristic peculiar to an individual or group.
2. A physiological or temperamental peculiarity.
3. An unusual individual reaction to food or a drug.

List five of your own idiosyncrasies and then tag five friends to do the same.
(Now don't laugh)!

1. When I use toilet paper it has to rip off evenly. If it doesn't, I keep trying until I get an even rip. Sometimes I get a defected roll and it leaves a jagged rip. I hate that! (Hey, I bet you have a few idiosyncrasies yourself)!

2. When I use stairs I have to start out on my left foot and end on my right foot. If it ends uneven I take an extra step. (Oh shut up)!!

3. I don't want anyone putting away my dishes. They never put them away in the right place, and I hate that! (Ask my sister)!

4. I don't like people drinking out of my glass or taking a bite off my sandwich!!
(just ask my sister).

5. I cannot go to bed dirty! I have to bathe or shower. No matter how tired I am I get up and shower then go to bed! Also the bed has to be neat. If it isn't I jump up and make it and smoothe out the sheets and then get into it.

Okay, now I get to tag five people to carry on the meme.
1. Mary Lou
2. Esther
3. Leslie
4. Joe
5. Nanny 25
Tag your it!!!

The real art of conversation is not only to say the right thing at the right time, but also to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment.

Just for grins:
Two bats are hanging in their cave. One turns to the other and says,
"Oh, I'm really thirsty for some fresh blood."
The other bat is amazed and says, "Well, it's a bit late. Daylight is almost here, and we can't be exposed to any light - you know we'll die."
"Yeah, I know," says the first bat, "but I'm really starving for it." So he flies out of the cave and returns five minutes later with blood dripping from his mouth.
"You lucky thing. Where'd you find blood that quick?" asked the second bat.

"You see that tree over there in the distance?" mumbled the bat, his mouth full of blood. "Yeah, I think I do!"
"Well, I didn't."



(All together now.....GROAN!!!!!)

Sittin' on the Beach!

I love the beaches here. As a kid I would play by the hours with the driftwood making beach forts. It was so neat finding treasures among the piles of driftwood, and all the critters!! Eyyyuuu!




I feel so sorry for the kids growing up in cities not knowing what it is like to use your imagination to play. The beaches have great opportunities for the games. We would play Indians, or pirates, or just look for crabs or clams or jelly fish to put in mom's mason joars. In the woods we would play Cowboys and Indians, or Tarzan & Jane until I grew into a teen then it was......oh, never mind, that is another story!! Hehehehe

Well I need to play Sleeping Beauty and get to bed, tomorrow is another working day!

The sole purpose of a child's middle name is so he can tell when he's really in trouble.

Full moon Saturday!

Moon rising over Penn Cove


Last night on the way to Oak Harbor I had to stop and take this picture of the moon rising over Coupeville reflecting on Penn Cove. I got to my AA meeting for the yearly birthday celebrations for the September folks and left at half time to go make the name badges for the luncheon today.

Punkin is still sick and wants to drink water but won't. I am trying not to make a fool of myself grieving over her, but she is such a sweet kitty that it kills me to see her so lethargic. She slept with me last night, and had a little water then I gave her the antibiotic which she immediately horked up.

I had to get to the luncheon, and on the way I made a deposit and went to the nursing home to get Hannah on the Paratransit bus. Then I got to the luncheon and made sure everyone was doing their duties and at their stations, and proceeded to have a great time! 98 people paid and packed the ballroom!! A record attendance! They came all the way from the Canadian border to Eastern Washington and South Puget Sound! Whew, who'da thunk?? They all congratulated me for the great time, but all I did was mail out the flyers, take the money and delegated the duties and made sure they were done!
I cannot name names except for me and Hannah, but here a two pictures.

Hannah, me and a dear friend



Fun was had by all


I got home and had a message on my phone that I forgot to pick up a friend!! Well SHOOT ME!! Dang, I feel rotten about that! She is an old classmate that just moved here and doesn't drive so I invited her to the shindig. She got up early and showered, fixed her hair and found some neat clothes to wear and sat there waiting for me! She laughed at me when I called her back crying, but I still feel ROTTEN!
She hasn't done much since she moved here, so I told her I was going to show her how much fun life can still be! HAHAHAHAHAHA Yeah, right. Real fun sitting on the couch all dressed up and no where to go! Stood up at 57 by and old classmate! Is this what it has come to? We both laughed and cried at that!!

Well I am going to bed with Punkin and try to get a good nights sleep!
Happy Sunday to all!!

Gentle thoughts for today...
Birds of a feather flock together and crap on your car.

Disaster Drill at Work

Well today was the day for the actual Disaster Drill. We have been planning it for months and writing the Emergency Response Manual. It turned out perfect. We smoked a bus and the Conference room. We had 4 people made up to look like they had real injuries and placed them in the room and one in a bus. We had the Sheriff, Coupeville Police, Fire Department, EMS, and Emergency Services all participate.
The man that came up from Vancouver Washington was really impressed that Transit, police, fire and EMS all work together in a professional way. (of course I guess it helps that I was in the Fire Department for 15 years, drove the ambulance for 10 years, and my ex husband worked in the Sheriff's department). But we are a small community here and take drills seriously!
Here are some pictures of the day.
We smoked the bus


That's me in the red


Firefighters dragging out the victims


Here they come to save the day!


Poor Bubba!


Sherri was a real trooper!


Sherri has been going through alot of stress lately with her parents, kids, life, and when we asked if she would be a victim and scream, she said YES!! Scream she did, and got rid of some pent up STRESS!!

We all did great, and we are glad it is over! A few felt some weird feelings through this, and one actually had tears and got mad because it has come to this! Well we want to be prepared and know what to do in case of emergencies, and the public will feel good knowing we practiced. The press was there too, so it will be in the papers.
Well now time for me to finish the preparations for the luncheon tomorrow for 100 Alcoholic Women!!

Oh....and the Vet called me just before the drill went down to tell me Punkin is in kidney failure and it doesn't look good at all!! I need to keep liquids in her and try to make her eat. No such luck so far. DANGIT!!!! I'm praying for her and put her in God's hands. We are all part of His plan. Maybe that is why I came home with a kitten the other day?!

Calgon, take me away!!

My "Punkin" is a sick kitty

Punkin didn't eat her treats last night and when I got up this morning she didn't come out to eat. In fact she growled when I tried to get out of bed. I fed Elliott and then picked Punkin up and hugged her. She felt hot and her fur was dull. (Not like her). I had to go to work as this is two very busy days at work! I am planning and putting on a big disaster drill for our facility, and I don't want to make us look stupid or unprepared. We had the meeting with the fire department, police, emergency services, and EMS. The man that is doing all this for me came up from Vancouver Washington and told me he is very, very impressed on how we all work together as a team! He is impressed with Island Transit that we are involved with the community like we are. I guess we are very unique, but we are a close community, and we at Island Transit really CARE about the community. My boss makes sure of that too! I got a break at noon so ran home and noticed Punkin was still sick, so I made and emergency appointment for her and got her in at 2:30. The Vet says she has a 105 degree temperature and is a sick kitty! well that cost me $165.00!! Oh well, she is worth it!
I went into the bedroom to check on her and noticed Elliott laying really close to her. I had to get a picture! I've only had him for two weeks, so this is great!All will be well after I give Punkin a weeks supply of antibiotics! Thank goodness it is liquid!
Well I gotta get to bed and get rest for that drill tomorrow!

If you can smile when things go wrong, you have someone in mind to blame.

An Albino Deer!

I was driving into town today to get some lunch and just out of town in a field I spotted this albino deer! He is about the whitest albino I have seen. At first I thought it was a goat from a field next to this field, but a closer look told me it is indeed a deer! We have alot of albino's on the Island probably from inner breeding. (perverts).

Well tomorrow is a pre-disaster drill meeting and Friday the big Disaster Drill! I will be so glad to have this week over with! Saturday I am hosting an anual AA women's luncheon and have close to 100 gals signed up for it.

I am getting closer to a much needed week off!

Calgon, take me away!!!

The easiest way to find something lost around the house is to buy a replacement

Back off, Bubba!!

I've used this picture before, but I cannot get enough of it! I think it shows my true colors when I'm in a bad mood.
We all have been rather on edge lately and we need to understand why. The Summer is leaving, the kids are back in school, we just lost a major City and a big chunk of it's occupants. It seems so surreal, being across the Country, but reading John's blog brings me to reality. Life goes on, we get up and go to work, come home and see the devestation on the news. Each day seems to be worse. Tomorrow marks the fourth anniversary of the terrorist attacks against us. 9 months ago 200,000 people perished in a Tsunami. I don't know about all of you, but I find it rather disturbing. I cannot tell you too many times to have a plan. Have emergency supplies on hand in the car and in the garage, and in the house. You just never know when disaster hits, and being without water to drink is bad. A few power bars and a few gallons of water and a first aid kit, flashlights, extra batteries, a blanket and a portable radio. I have a weather radio you can get at any Radio Shack, which has the emergency broadcast channel on it.
Well on that note, I am going to bed. Have a great Sunday!

The older you get, the tougher it is to lose weight, because by then your body and your fat have gotten to be really good friends.

The new County Connector

After months of hard work, late night public meetings, planning and driving the routes, and training the new drivers, we finally came to day one of the new service to Bellingham. I got up at 4:00am to get on the first bus heading out to Mount Vernon to meet the connecting bus to Bellingham. I took my friend Nancy with me. She is the one that grows the beautiful Dahlias and delicious corn!!

Mark Weidenbach is the first driver to get us there!

On the way


Debbie, Pam and Mark, our drivers.


The bus from Camano Island met us in Mount Vernon. They brought two people over to catch the Connector!

After getting on the bus in Mount Vernon, 11 others got on the bus heading to work in Bellingham!

The Connection in Mount Vernon


Trip to Bellingham



Nancy and I had breakfast in Bellingham then caught the 9:40am bus back to Mount Vernon. 11 other people rode the bus down and caught the next bus back to Oak Harbor! We stayed for the grand opening or "connecting" celebration. Our Administrative assistant Sas, did a marvelous job arranging for the color guard, speakers, food, etc for the gala! GREAT JOB!!

The color guard


Senator Marty Margaret Haugen (my boss Martha behind her).


Cutting the Ribbon


The trip back home


Coming home to my new kitten!

When I got home I was exhausted, and found my new kitty sprawled out on my recliner waiting for me to turn on the heating pad! BAH!
Ahhhh, Calgon take me away!

Machinery touched up with graphics


My friend from Church I was telling you about that plays the keyboard (Phil)also has a great talent of picture graphics! He saw this picture (From my August 2nd archives)and cropped it and made it look like it was a painting. I love it! I told him I was trying to get the pretty sunset and the sky didn't show up, so he said he could play with it. What a fun talent to have! He also has a website that shows his works.
I like to share the talented people I know. Gray might be interested in this also.

Well I don't know about you, but I am continuing on with my life and enjoying each day I have here. Our Church organized a prayer vigil in the town park yesterday and All the Churches had people there. There were about 50 people all together. It was nice. My brother and sister-in-law showed up too. It lasted about 2 hours.
Well I am going to bed early tonight. I have a mission to do tomorrow. I need to catch the first bus 5:45am to Mount Vernon then catch the bus to Bellingham, then have breakfast then take the next bus back to Mount Vernon and partake in the ribbon cutting ceremony for the new route that just started, then catch the 2:10 bus back to Oak Harbor. Whew! We will be tired, but I think I need to ride the bus to see how it works, since I put it on paper and trained everyone for it. Hope y'all have a great week. We certainly deserve it!!

Gentle thoughts for today...
When I'm feeling down, I like to whistle. It makes the neighbor's dog run to the end of his chain and gag himself.

New Kitty


Oh Swell!


Well I went to Oak Harbor today and took Hannah to lunch then I went to get some books from the Waif Thrift Store and came home with a 4 month old kitty!! Now what's with that? I thought maybe Punkin could use a playmate, but ummm, I don't think she thinks it is too great of an idea right now!
They did the hissing routine to see who would be king/queen of the house and Punkin won hands..er..paws down! Right now he is scared and sulking around doing the sniffing stuff cats do. I sure hope he sniffed real good by the litter box in the bathroom! Punkin seems like she will be ok after a few days. What I am looking forward to is coming home to see them sleeping and then playing with each other.
Maybe he can clean Punkin's butt, 'cause she sure can't reach it!

So, what should I name him?
Let's have a contest. They named him Marco, but I don't like that.
Name the kitty folks!!
I'll think up a prize.

The morning after the morning after

I woke up this morning to my electric alarm clock laying in my dry warm bed to temperatures of 55 degrees. My spoiled well fed cat was laying on the pillow next to me waiting for me to get up and feed her. I went to the bathroom and used the toilet and flushed. I brushed my teeth with my electric toothbrush and washed my face with warm tap water. I came into the kitchen after I turned on my computer, and then turned on my television. I fed the cat then took my morning pills and now I am typing this entry.
Am I grateful? YOU BET! I am very grateful I have a job to get up to, and a warm dry house. I am heartsick for the people in the Gulf states that do not have these luxuries today. I am looking forward to the three day weekend ahead and maybe barbecuing some steaks and just lazing around the house putzing.
My God I'm grateful!!
Thank you Lord for all I have here, my health, and just EVERYTHING!!
I pray that the people in the devastation can keep their Faith and reach out to You for strength. I pray we can all reach out and help in any way we can. I pray this is the last of the Hurricanes this year. Please help the injured and homeless.
Thank you Lord, Thank You!!
I will never take life for granted ever again! Never.
In an instant, poof!! It could all go away!
I am speachless.
Amen