Year's End...

Wow, tomorrow is New Year's Eve!
I spent many years with exciting anticipation of working New Year's Eve when I was bartending. We would plan the night with cocktails and then dancing with many more cocktails then at 1:00am we would have a brunch and get out of there around 3:00am! Sometimes, well MOST times I was drunker than the party goers! I mean really, ya put a kid working in a candy store, what do you expect? I remember dressing up and putting on the make-up, getting my hair done just right just to get blinding drunk and coming home with half my clothes on and makeup smeared all over my face! Oooh la la!! Was I sexy!!
These days are much different now. I anticipate a quiet evening alone with my two cats, sitting watching television and listening to my police scanner while crocheting, and going to bed around twoam SOBER!!
Well I actually changed a bit this year. I asked some friends from Church if they'd like to come over and play games and pray in the new year. They loved the idea so I will have 10 people over here. Hmmm, I hope I don't fall asleep!
This was a weird year.
We had record breaking heat spells in the Summer, drought, and two months later record breaking rainfall for a one month period with floods, severe windstorms, and snow.
At work we have 100 people working there, and within 6 months one guy woke up to find his wife dead next to him (heart), another gal woke up with her husband dead next to her (pneumonia/heart), both in their 50's, a guy's mother died, a guy at work lost his 26 year old son in a car wreck, and tonight a friend at work lost his wife to cancer. She found out in October she had cancer and a possiblility she might live another 9 months, but she died in two months.
We never know when we are going to leave this earth, so say what you need to say when you think it. Clean your house (from clutter and needless junk). I'd sure hate to have someone clean out my house with all this crap I have stored for who knows what!
I'm in my 50's (for another two years anyway) so I think it's time I put a few things in order.
I'm not afraid of dying, I'm afraid of people finding out what a slob I am at home! hahahaha
So I guess that is my New Years Resolution. Clean up my mess and get things in order so I can enjoy my later years. I also plan to eat healthier. I seem to feel much better when I eat more veggies. (Funny how that is, huh?)
I hope everyone has a safe a sane New Years Eve and a healthy 2007!!

"If life were fair, Elvis would be alive and
all the impersonators would be dead."
~ Johnny Carson

Birthday lists!

Hi
I lost my list of birthdays so if you'd like to get a surprise birthday ecard from me,
Click on the link below and please enter your birthday for me. It will take less than 1 minute. I am creating a birthday list of all my friends and family.
http://www.birthdayalarm.com/dob/75562644a238426495b363
Many thanks Phyllis

P.S. Joe's birthday is coming up on January 3rd!! ;-)

Merry Christmas Everyone!

I "elfed" myself!! Go check it out!!
http://www.elfyourself.com/?userid=a88509b3dbad8ffab2731dbG06122514
Too funny!!

Merry Christmas!

Boy, if you just cannot get into the spirit, and need to fill your heart with joy, get a few friends and go Christmas Caroling at the local nursing home!
I announced at Church that I am going Caroling, and if anyone wants to join me to meet at 6:30 at the nursing home. Well 10 people showed up and I made them wear my funky hats. We spent two hours singing to the folks there, going from room to room. Some asked for more songs, and most were crying (as we were too). Only one guy told us to leave his room, and he was in his 40's. Something tells me he has a story so I will go visit him next week and try to lighten his heart.
The Pastor and his wife and grandson joind us and they had a ball! The grandson didn't know if he'd like this or not, but he ended up having a ball! My friend Debbie found the man of her dreams, but he doesn't seem to go anywhere. He just stays in one spot and has this silly grin on his face!


We all came to my house after and had hot cocoa.
I have a feeling that we are going to do this again next year!

Go read Keewee's post. It is hilarious!!

Merry Christmas Everyone,
Remember, Jesus is the reason for the season!

Snow Geese

Ah, 'tis that time of year when the Snow Geese come to the Skagit Valley. They are so pretty when they flock together like this. They were close to the road so I stopped to take pictures. I noticed a sign for hunters. That made me mad, but that is what people do around here. I couldn't shoot anything, but I sure love my meat!

I got home and was going through my mail and heard Elliott talking to me. I looked down and saw this. He is such a character! He was talking when I snapped this photo. He was saying, "Hi Leslie, how is Bilbo doing?". Kids and cats have more fun with the packaging than they do the toys! Until they turn 13 that is.
Well I must get to printing out the Christmas Carols. I am taking a group to the local nursing home for Christmas Caroling tomorrow night! Wanna come?

"The problem with the designated driver program,
it's not a desirable job. But if you ever get sucked
into doing it, have fun with it. At the end of the night,
drop them off at the wrong house."
~ Jeff Foxworthy

Whoaaa! That was fun!!

Well Mary Lou and I survived the big storm! It blew in around 7:00pm Thursday night and it shook the house alot. The wind was coming in from the South. I went to bed around midnight, and it started to shift directions. My bedroom is on the west side of the house and faces the prairie. When the wind shifted, it came down Admiralty Inlet right at me!! The entire house was shaking, and my bed was even shaking. I heard there were gusts clocked up to 80 mph or higher. It felt like an earthquake tremble. I managed to get to sleep around 1:30am then the power went out. How did I know the power went out? I sleep with a CPAP machine for sleep apnea. I woke up gasping for air. I plugged it into the backup power booster and went back to sleep. I went to work at 8:00 and of course there was no power anywhere. I decided to go to Oak Harbor (via west beach to see the waves). I needed to ensure there will be a fuel truck to come to the Transit to fuel the buses at 8:00pm. I came across one reason the power was off, this tree hanging and bouncing on the power lines.

I drove through that, then went to West Beach. I drove into the little cul-de-sac and took these pictures.
You can see the surf boiling in on us.
As I was taking these pictures a gal walked up to me asking questions. She was from Chennel 4 news. Yep...I made the news! Go figure, no makeup, wearing a flannel shirt, hair sticking out and looking my worst! You know you're a redneck if you see your sister on the evening news talking about the "big storm"! HAHAHAHAHAHA Well we couldn't see the news 'cause we have no power! good.
I drove down to sunset beach where there are expensive houses on the beach. Well I'm sure they had quite a night last night!!
They closed the road because of waves and debris on the road, but of course I'm one of those idiots that just had to see why they closed the road!! I knew the water was gone so I drove atound the logs.
I stopped and aske this guy if he was in the house during the storm, and he said yes. I asked if he was scared, and he said yes. DUH! Look at his driveway! Those logs came from the other side of his house, so you know the water was sorrounding his house! That would be very scarey!!
Here is a view from the side of his house.
This is looking down the road to wards the houses.

Ok, I guess I don't envy the rich folks living on the beach any more!! Nope!!

Well I have things to do!! Later, folks.

Hold on to your hats folks, we're getting another big blow!!
The lights are flickering, so I will let y'all know tomorrow (if we have power) how we fared the storm.

Here's a funny for you!
Two medical students were walking along the street when they saw an old man walking with his legs spread apart. One of the students said to his friend: "I'm sure he has Petry Syndrome. Those people walk just likethat."
The other student says: "No, I don't think so. The old man surely has Zovitzki Syndrome. He walks just as we learned in class."
Since they couldn't agree, they decided to ask the old man. They approached him and one of the students said to him: "We're medical students and couldn't help but notice the way you walk, but we couldn't agree on the syndrome you might have. Could you tell us what it is?"
The old man said: "I'll tell you, but first you must tell me what you think."
One of the students said: "I think it's Petry Syndrome."
The old man said: "You thought.......... but you are wrong."
Then the other student said: "I think you have Zovitzki Syndrome."
The old man said: "You thought.......... but you are wrong.
So they asked him: "Well, what do you have?"
The old man said: "I thought it was GAS........... but I was wrong."

And yet another stormy day!

Well Praise God, I woke up today feeling great, and went to work!!
I spent all morning going through the pile in my inbox then had to go to Oak Harbor.
It was really windy and I had fun trying to keep the van on the road. I got back around 2:00 just in time for the power to go off. I hung around the office until 4:00 and went home and set up my battery lamps, coleman stove and got my book and crocheting and hunkered in my comfy down throw and read and crocheted for three hours, then took a hot bath and decided to go to bed and the power came back on about 9:30!!
Of course I had to come to my computer to see if anyone was here knocking, and blogger is down. bummer.
I read my weather forecast and it says we are in for yet another big storm on Thursday!

Dear Phyllis,
Tweet! Break is over.
After a nice 10-day hiatus from the zany weather of this season, the jet stream has found its way back to the Pacific Northwest, bringing a return to our stormy pattern that we know and love from November.
The one today brought a lot of rain and mountain snow, but the wind was this storm's calling card. Gusts reached as high as 70-90 mph along the coast, and 45-60 mph in the interior.
Here's the peak gusts with this storm:
Tatoosh Island: 91 mph
Westport: 83 mph
Sekiu: 75 mph
Ozette (Clallam County): 70 mph
Hood Canal Bridge area: 70 mph (DOT Estimate)
Clallam Bay: 70-80 mph (estimate)
Ocean Shores: 65 mph
Bellingham: 63 mph
Alki Beach (W. Seattle): 62 mph
Oak Harbor: 61 mph

Incidentally, some of the strongest gusts around the Puget Sound area weren't from the windstorm, per se, but a microburst that rolled over the area.
Anyway, the peak of the storm passed in the early evening, and winds were expected to gradually die down through the night, although still remain gusty to 20-35 mph. Lows will stay in the mid 40s.
Tuesday will be a break, with just scattered leftover showers mixing with some sunbreaks. Highs will be around 50.
But the break will be brief. Another storm rolls in Tuesday night into Wednesday. This one will also bring some wind, but probably just a small notch below the storm of today -- perhaps gusts to 50-60 mph along the coast and 40 mph in the interior. But rain and more mountain snow is a given.
Rain and wind taper off later Wednesday, leaving us with a brief break Wednesday night through Thursday morning.
However, yet another storm comes in Thursday afternoon and this one has the potential to be the strongest of the three. So definitely keep an eye on the forecasts. Looks like the initial "pre-storm" winds along the coast and Northwest Interior will begin around midday to early afternoon, with the front bringing the winds everywhere else either Thursday night or early Friday morning.
This front ushers in some colder air behind it, lowering snow levels to around 500 feet by the weekend. This is not a pattern for widespread snow like a few weeks ago, just a few "lumpy rain" showers with perhaps some slushy accumulations on the hilltops and in the Convergence Zone. Highs will be around 40 both Saturday and Sunday, with lows in the low 30s.
Looks like we moderate back to the usual occasional rain and wind again for next week. Long range forecasts at this point advertise a rather boring weather pattern for Christmas of occasional light showers, but I think another break might be atop many meteorologists' Christmas lists by then anyway :)
Updated Monday 5:20 p.m. more... Sincerely, KOMO 4 Weather Producer Scott Sistek


So what we get here, goes over the mountains and picks up steam and becomes your December Blizzard for you folks east of us! hehehehe fill up your supplies, folks! Batteries, water, coleman stove, battery lamps, cans of soup, etc.
We're in for a L-O-N-G winter!!

Sick again!

Ok, I am getting a bit tired of this!! I went to bed Wednesday night and 1/2 hour later I flew out of bed just in time to get to the bathroom! I was violently ill for 1/2 hour!! I went back to bed and 2 hours later the same thing and then another two hours later! I thought I might have had food poisoning for awhile there, but I have a fever now and the other end today. HoHoHo 'tis the season!! I am going back to bed folks. Hope you escape this one!!

Yikes, it's Monday already????

Well I am totally out of things to write about. Really. I am training 7 new drivers at work so I come home tired and crochet. Period. That is it. Well I went to Worship Team practice on Saturday night then to Church Sunday, but that is all. For once my life has a boring spot. Not for long though, I'll think of something to get into!

Here's something I got in an email. I've read it before but laugh every time! That could've been me until I sobered up!! HAHAHAHA

I've changed some of the words to lighten it up a bit. hehehehe

Calgary Blizzard
Up there in Calgary it was snowing heavily and blowing to the point that visibility was almost zero when Leslie got off work. She made her way to her car and wondered how she was going to make it home. She sat in her car while it warmed up and thought about her situation. She remembered Carl's advice that if she got caught in a blizzard, she should wait for a snow plow to come by and follow it. That way she would not get stuck in a snow drift. This made Leslie feel much better and sure enough in a little while, a snow plow went by, and she started to follow it. As she followed the snow plow, she was feeling very smug as they continued, and she was not having any problem with the blizzard conditions.
After quite sometime had passed, she was somewhat surprised when the snowplow stopped and the driver got out and came back to her car and signaled her to roll down her window.
The snow plow driver wanted to know if she was all right, as she had been following him for a long time. She said that she was fine and told him of Carl's advice to follow a snow plow when caught in a blizzard.
The driver replied that it was OK with him, and she could continue if she wanted...but he was done with the Wal-Mart parking lot and was going over to Kmart next.

Sorry, Leslie!! HAHAHAHAHAHA