Stop Talking I'm Out of Aspirin

Foiled once in Brownsmead.

2012-01-26T17:27:00.000-08:00

Oh I was so close! If only I had done a little more research I wouldn't feel the need to go back and capture what I was SO close to. A mere 100 yards or so? Ugh! I KNEW(!) there was an abandoned railway around there some where. The fact that there was a derelict, uprooted and moved depot down at the crossroads by the grange was proof enough. Aldrich Point Road. At the washout. PArk the car and keep going...only first (!) get permission because this place is ooky and extremely well guarded by all of the residents. They will come after you with a shotgun if you even stop on the paved road and get out of your car. Anyway, if I go back in Feb I had better have some calendar samples to hand out to The Big Man, so he will let me back into the town to shoot. :o)

Windows 7 Screensaver not working-FIXED!!!

2012-01-17T09:32:00.000-08:00

For some people, it is the use of their Windows 7 gadgets that keep the screensaver from engaging. For some people, their wireless mouse seems to interfere with the screensaver starting.
For many others, it is very simply the power management options. I carried out the following fix and it worked!!!

For my part, I WANT my screensaver to ALWAYS kick in after 3 minutes for security reasons. When I set my screensaver, I alwasy click the box that says "Require password"and/or "Show Welcome Screen on Resume" (or whatever the exact verbage is, it's something like that. ANYWAY...
my screensaver woudl never activate, leaving my compie open to whoever walked by to get in and mess with at their will. This is why I rely on my screensaver. Besides, I have vacation and my kids pix on there, and I like to see them. :o)

The solution did not come as part of my own cleverness, but from the following person and so far he was the only person that had the right answer for me:

http://www.troublefixers.com/screen-saver-not-activating-working-in-windows/

So frustrated was I with not being able to get my screensaver to work all this time, that I carried his instructions to the Nth degree although, his were a little different than mine I was able to get the basic idea. I went into the following options:

-Right click the center of your desktop and select PERSONALISE
-Select SCREENSAVER
-Select CHANGE POWER SETTINGS

At this point odds are great that you have either monekeyed with your power settings at some point, or like me, never messed with them at all yet. This is an excellent time to do so. :o)

On this POWER PLANS screen you have a multitude of options.

I took about 10 min. and selected CHANGE SETTINGS for every power plan offered.
I left the battery settings much the same, but for all the options where is it tells the computer what to do when its plugged in, I clicked all the arrows on the drop down menus and selected NEVER for all the options, on all the power plans listed.

I didn't even have to reboot, and in 3 minutes I was looking at craggy pacific coast rocks and my kids climbing them!

YAY!

If I can do this, so can you!
:o)

Kooky Ghoulash thing my dad used to make. (I bet James Lileks could ID this thing!)

2012-01-04T18:34:00.000-08:00

I haven't thought of this in years. It used to make me crazy!
To coin a phrase from our favorite gourmand of the all things disgusting James Lileks,"Glop In a pot!".
This thing my dad and mom made is the TRUEST form of Glop In a Pot. and yet, it's kinda good and hearty if you don't think about the 1950's - 1970's style of ingredients.

I don't know what they called it. I am sure it had no right name.
They just called it "Macaroni."
Ok Yankee Doodle, here it comes:

1 lb ground beef
1 green pepper, chopped
1 large onion, chopped.

Begin to fry up this lot.
When burger is cooked through add:
1 can of pork and beans (yes. thats what I said.)
1 can of diced tomatoes
Optional - it seems like my mom used to throw the tiny can of Tomato paste in this mess as well.
And then add enough pasta to soak up what ever liquid is abounding in the pan.
Let it all simmer until liquid is soaked up and pasta is soft.
If liquid still abounds, remove lid and let cook off for a while.

Eat.

So I made this for my family tonight.
Why?
I had all the ingredients and was wondering what I could make and suddenly, like an epiphany/deja vu moment, I remembered "This thing" my mom and dad made. (Besides me and my brother, that is.)

Verdict?
They loved it (face palm).

Happy Kid Times

2011-12-28T18:38:00.000-08:00

So during the weeks prior to Christmas (kinda since December 1st) our household has consisted of Me, Stu, Blake ,Scout ,MacKenzie, Jason, James and Jeremy. (And Brogin randomly). The week before Christmas we lost James and Jeremy, but were rewarded with Cousin Colin on Christmas night. Even so...he departed today. So we are now back down to 6 + Grampa - that makes 7. Oh wait, Brogin is here so that is back to 7. No! 8! Crap I can't count!
Anyway,
it is a happy thing that all these people who are under the age of 26 are filling my house with loud energy and cutting edge thought/philosophy. (Of course we all know they are young and what ever they are spouting is utter crap...) ;o) no just KIDDING! (sorta.)
Anyway, it is a happy house that is filled with people, all young and all different from each other. Especially during the holidays.

These make the days when I am glad that I am still above ground.
;o)

Blog Books?

2011-11-29T19:05:00.000-08:00

Normally when I see the obvious marketing strategies of online printers advertising that you can "turn your blog into a book" I think to myself, "ugh! As if anyone wants to read anyone elses inner krap! what a self absorbed thing to imagine!"

Today as I sat in Lisa W's office we were chitty-chatting about where our lives were in the past and things that happened back then to shape you we are today with God and such.

She said, "Michelle, you should write some of this down!"
Apparently there is this guy who put forth a Nove3mber challenge to write everyday no matter what.

As I listened to Lisa she3 mentioned that at times when she had gone back to read stuff she had written adn to write down things she remembered from her past, she was amazed and reminded of how good life is and how active God had been in so many ways at the time.

So I thought, "I have at LEAST 5 years of blogging going here. Surely I can pull our a few highlights for myself to remind myself of how good things really are.

Since my blog has aplty fallen on the title "Stop Talking, I'm Out of Aspiring" perhaps the only title for the snippets would be "Aspirin."
I dunno.
And I dunno how I will format these snippets into any sort of valuable entertaining retrospective.

But it got me thinking.
Soemtimes it is GOOD to revisit the past to remind yoru self of
A). How far you have come
B). How life is a series of hills and valleys. When yoaure on the mountain, remember that you will again be in the valley someday, so write down the good times. When you are in the valley, write it down so that you can remember how God brought you through it.

So it has set me to thinking...

ADDENDUM:
sometimes it is also good to give oneself a break and to say, "Screw the Typos. I Yam What I Yam." so yeah, there are a poo-load of typos in that, and I am going to turn a blind eye to them. Besides I am certain most of you can read fluent typo. ;o)

Beaters

2011-11-26T08:27:00.000-08:00

So it's the holidays and I found my self buying a new hand held electric mixer.
I threw out the old one and was prepping to throw out the matching beaters. (It seems as though I go through this process every few years). I thought to myself, "what if I just take the beaters to the thrift store?" And then I thought about that.

How many electric mixers do I imagine come into the thrift store with no beaters?
None.
Because we throw them out because they are DEAD. It's the beaters that go on and on and on for ever with no hope of use or solace.(Pregnant pause...looks at self in mirror? Moves on...).

So THEN I thought to myslf, "I wonder if there is a sculpture or some sort of wind art I could create using all of these beaters?"
I bet the thrift store would practically GIVE me them all to create a sculpture or something for their silent auction each year.

Hmmmmm......food 4 thot....

Kristi's Kritters

2011-10-19T19:01:00.000-07:00

Got a few photo's of Kristi's animals. Ok only a few - there are like 30-ish horses and 3 dogs and 2 cats and a bunch of cows and peacocks, so this is only, uhm...2 animals but hey!

Here they are in all of their fuzzy, fluffy glory:

Kristi's Kritters (All two of them for today)

I Am Yurt

2011-10-14T20:02:00.001-07:00

Love the Yurts!

New, exciting, fun AND cheap. $40 a night. Heated with electricity. What's not to like?!

So I did a prelim investigatory visit to Newport.

Pics can be seen here.

Also, I checked out the November Yurt site for Lynn Nancy and Paula and I:

Seen here

Basically, the yurt is heated and has electric lights and plug ins. There is a covered porch where we are allowed to cook - as there is no cooking allowed INSIDE the yurts. There is a water spigot next to the yurt but we must walk to use the camp ground restrooms and showers - which aren't too far. There is a small table and chairs inside as well as to heavy duty plastic lawn chairs. There is an exterior picnic table and fire pit.

I did not bring my campstove but I did bring my electric cook pot - shaped like a soup pan but plugs in like an electric fry pan. I used it to cook soup and boil water for coffee in the coffee press.

I think maybe the most effeicient way of getting here might be to go up to Albany and take Hwy 20 west to Corvallis / Toledo /Newport...but you guys may have a more efficient path. Each additional car costs and extra $5 to park so I dunno if you all want to come together or what.

Anyway, there is the scoop so far.

I can't wait!!!!

the Aftermath...

2011-10-03T18:53:00.000-07:00

The resulting images of our sojourn at the beach can be viewed at the following link: Manzanita September.

Sunday Church with Cat Stevens.

2011-10-02T19:29:00.001-07:00

Yes you read that correctly.

Some people would say that he got a lot of stuff wrong.
I would counter that by saying that he also got a lot of stuff right.
Now that I am older I can really connect with some of the truths he came in contact with
and purveyed them in their context.

I downloaded a bunch of old music from Buddha and the Chocolate Box, Tea for the Tillerman and Teaser and the Firecat.
On my way in to town to feed the cat and get groceries before everyone woke up, I put in this CD and was reintroduced to a song called "Wind".

It brought on a prayerful moment that wanted to last the entire day, so I changed my plans on the way back from the store. I decided i would take my camera and head south toward Fort Rock and Paulina Caldera, and the obsidian flow. I never made it to Fort Rock. I spent the day climbing around in the lava flow (and still have more to investigate there), and ran out of time to go further south.

Getting used to this new camera is really frustrating! I am just not familiar enough with the settings to get even remotely passable photo's with it. I have immense difficulty learning from written material, manuals etc. It's like I have this disconnect in my brain with regard to learning via reading. I am more of a "hands on, show me, gotta do it myself" style of learner.

So as it ended up I only got 2 barely passable images, but it was an awesome day to drive around, meditate on things, and climb about in the park and hike.

:o)

True thang.

2011-09-14T09:27:00.000-07:00

Thanks to J Ryd for sharing this.

Found: Lost Surfer Beach Pics!

2011-08-28T14:40:00.000-07:00

Lynn will be SO happy!

This was the June trip. It rained the first day but it was ok, the surfers were still out and it made everything that much more vibrant. Please excuse water drops on some images. I am too lazy to photo-shop them out right now.

Surfer Beach, June 2011.

This was the same weekend as when the boys came up and climbed the house and Arcadia Rock.

FINALLY!! Graduation pics!

2011-08-22T08:45:00.000-07:00

Tah-DAH!
And now I give you:
Graduation, 2011

I apologize to Scout, Allan and everyone else for how longs it's taken me to get these posted...but at least I got it done before the end of the summer.
;o)

Dufur Threshing Bee 2011

2011-08-22T07:57:00.000-07:00

Dufur is a wonderful little secret. Who would ever go somewhere purposefully, as a destination, to a place named "Dufur"? Well, I can't wait to go back next year. Hot as 12 yards of "you know where", it is also a picturesque farming valley. And for one weekend a year it is filled with draft horses, steam tractors, horse drawn farm equipment, parades, and a field full of food, craft and antique vendors. Not to mention the many garage sales that pop up to take advantage of the tourist traffic. Having said all of this, I heartily admonish you to avoid the place. Why? Because a well kept secret needs to stay that way. ;o)

If you MUST see, then here are just a few photos from my trip this year.

WHAT a DAY!!!

2011-08-10T15:25:00.000-07:00

UGLY RANT.
DO NOT READ UNLESS YOU WANT YOUR SOUL DARKENED.
HORRIBLE NEGATIVITY ABOUT TO COMMENCE:

-Stu's new Volvo dead again. Fixed and paid. so far this $2400 car has cost me
approx $4000.
-Visitor ends up being a pot/coke head coming down off meth.
(NOT the visitor from Mich. The OTHER visitor from Cali.)
I am not capable of seeing this person thru rehab.
We all thought he was clean to begin with B4 arriving.
Does that make me a bad person for saying, "Uh dude? I did not sign up to hold your hand through rehab. And apparently it would be rehab that you don't even think you need?)

-Against my wishes and better judgement, I LET Stu take the Montero!
-Montero breaks, needs new engine now! Blake James and Stu are stuck out in Jordan Valley, OR. Blake n James stay at the mechanic shop with the vehicle while Stu walks / hitch hikes the 150 mi to Nampa Idaho.

-Scout is burnt out and tired.
(How this is my responsibility I don't know other than...something.)

-Stu informs me that if he is supposed to pick kenz up from camp as was previously planned, then he will be forced to drive the Volvo - as if I am a bad person for not giving him the next good car in line to make that trip. He insisted on buying the Volvo! Now bloody drive it! I've sunk a krap load of $$ into and not a dime of his, so he has no right to insist that I owe him a different car to use, aka Scout's Subaru.

Can you tell, people?
Can you see?

Right now I'm A DONKEY ON THE EDGE!!!

2011-08-01T19:52:00.000-07:00

A month before Blake was born, I was involved in a car crash at 9+ months pregnant.
I spent the first 6 months of his life in a wheel chair and on crutches. In order to move the baby around the house, I crawled on my knees and pushed him from room to room in a bassinette exactly like this one. When he was asleep in his crib, I filled this bassinette with laundry and pushed it down the hall to the washer on my hands and knees.

When I saw this in the store today, it brought back SO MANY memories.

Unlike this thing below, which I found in a booth while dusting. If one of my friends had found this, he might have put it in his "Um..." photo album on Facebook. It certainly does have "um..." value:

Yes it is an antique pottery jar.
Below is a close up of the text.

...um...

One of America's Great Cook Books

2011-07-31T19:00:00.000-07:00

The Mirro Aluminum Ware Manufacturing company created cook books to help promote it's products. Without fail Every recipe that I've ever made from this book has turned out exactly as it should and some of our greatest family-secret recipes have come from this book.

Here is a picture of how it would have looked when my mom got it back in 1950:

After years of tireless use, you can see how ours looks today:

Smith Rocks July 2011

2011-07-27T10:15:00.000-07:00

This is what we were doing while some imbecile was busy backing in to my Studebaker down at the depot.

To see the rest of the photo's from the day, click HERE.

And here is the terrifying CARnage. Be forewarned, these are graphic images and may not be suitable for all viewers:

2011-07-20T19:04:00.000-07:00

Because of the extreme high and low tides due to the full moon phase, we were able to experience an abundance of wild sea life this trip. I am now strategically planning for future trips.

I am falling more in love with the south Jetty area as I scope it out and have now foudn that I can drive on this particular beach. Hmmmmm, a vehicle.....on the sand....food for thought.

We made a trip to the jetty and found a tiny little bird hidden amongst the rock as well as a large flock of Sanderlings behind the Jetty

Tiny bird

Flock of Sanderlings

We all had a great breakfast at a local hotspot:

A sample of plants from the Bread and Ocean Bakery in Manzanita

New Fave Place: surfer beach, killer tidepooling opps:

Found a new favorite beach to rival the previous one. This place BEGS to be shot with the fish eye lens. Fortunately Kristi and Scout M and I will return in September for a fish-eye fest. Here Lynn found some tiny shells clinging to a crack in a cave.

Lynn found a "thing". Therefore I have entitled this photo "Lynn's Thing."
Profound, no?

"Kelp Wad" - it sounds like a mean name I could call you.

Grampa Fish

Chinese stars

I have previously posted images of one of my favorite beaches and their difficult to reach rocks - except at low tide. I don't know what it is, but James has a need to climb. Climb the highest mountain. Climb things that no man (in his right mind) would think to climb. If yo like to go tidepooling, try hard not to think about the death that just occurred here...

The whole point of this visit was to get some fair pics of the boys inside this abandonment. I forgot my tripod, so apparently another trip is now required. Here are the sadly inadequate images sans tripod:

2011-07-15T14:11:00.001-07:00

Brag brag...beach...brag brag...blah blah blah...beach...etc and on and on...

2011-07-15T13:28:00.001-07:00

I am beach.

Got crabs...?

2011-07-12T18:28:00.000-07:00

With another beach trip looming this upcoming weekend, I found this long lost foto from Scout's and my February 2011 trip:

Lynn and I are going to make the epic trip to Manzanita. Hiking will ensue, I'm sure.
As will appropriate wine consumption.

1997 Paris Tour Revisited

2011-07-10T18:19:00.000-07:00

In 1997 I was priviledged to be sponsored for a trip to Paris by my Getty Art Prof. Friend.
It was a 1/4 credit accelerated art history credit through University of Portland's "Art for Educators" program. It was 2 weeks of intensive art immersion solely in Paris with one excursion to Giverny - The home of Monet. I am looking at doing it again...if not next year, then perhaps the one after:

See tour details.

This is VERY similar to the trip I took back then as part of Portland States Curriculum.

I am hoping to find a way to save up to take my kids on this trip.
It has become a goal.

Dear Child of mine...

2011-07-09T18:24:00.000-07:00

...even while the words were escaping your lips, I knew that you were lying.
The proof came 24 hours later.
It took only a few minutes for you to destroy a lifetime of trust.
Now, no matter what you say, I have NO foundation upon which to stand so that I can believe anything you say whether it is the truth or not.
You have destroyed any point of reference.

It will take you a VERY long time to rebuild that ability to trust, and rfrankly, its not
my problem to rebuild.
It's yours.
Are you going to even try?
If not then don;t pretend to have a right to
be offended if I am distrustful.
You are the one who shattered the trust.
Did you think yourself to be so clever as to not be found out immediately?
Do you not remember the old saying: "Moms have eyes in the backs of their heads"?
There is an excellent reason why this saying came to be.

And now...
what will you do?
Will you come forward and confess of your own accord before I am forced to confront you?
that is the only way to immediately begin rebuilding the road to trust.

I am waiting but will not wait forever.
I WILL call you out after a short time.

EPILOGUE:

Grace wins.
Peace comes from truth.
Truth rebuilds trust.
Construction has begun.

Fun Claymation

2011-07-08T20:06:00.000-07:00

Kenzie found a cool claymation on Netflix instant watch the other night and it
is pretty danged good. It is called:

Max and Mary.

The link is only to the first trailer for it, but if you have netflix you can get it on instant watch.
Its really worth the watch.

The Quilt Abyss and it's Minions...

2011-07-08T19:49:00.000-07:00

...have descended upon the town. Sometimes I just have to laff at the rudeness of these people who should be otherwise. I had to walk from one end of town to the other. No one...not a single person was willing to share the sidewalk with me. They kept walking 2 or 3 abreast and never even appeared to consider condensing to let on-coming walkers have room to pass without going out into the street while they hogged the sidewalk.
Ok.
Well what ever.

Then there was the lady that asked my friend at her bookstore, "Do I have to pay full price on this? I am a quilter. Don't you people have Quilter's Discounts?"

*Facepalm*

I actually proud of myself though.
There is a verse in the bible that says the equivalent of "Be nice to your enemies, because it will be like heaping hot coals on their heads, when you are nice to them and they are butt heads to you" (that was the Michelle paraphrase.)

So the way I get through quilt show is to take the concept and flip it around, by attacking the event itself with all the niceness I can imagine:

-By helping Wanda streamline the process of how the store works in order to SERVE these
naggy, self absorbed snitty creatures (instead of thwarting them?) ;o)

-By looking each creature in the eye, and trying to decipher their needs/wants and how to meet them in the most efficient way.

-By reminding myself of 2 things:
-This event only last for 1.5 weeks
-Repeating to myself, mantra-like, in the style fo the Matrix (there is no spoon) that
"There Is No Quilt Show, There No Quilt Show. There is no such thing as quilt show..."

Anyway, tomorrow I just have to survive it. Then it will be over for another year.

Why did I ever bother?

2011-07-02T14:49:00.001-07:00

And what's more, why do I continue to?

Funky Animation: The Secret of Kells

2011-07-01T18:43:00.000-07:00

Directed by Tomm Moore.

If you have NetFlix, search it.
Traditionally I have heard of the main character as "Aidan" as opposed to "Brendan", but even so, the animation is nutty.
I am liking it.

:o)

A trailer is Here.

And a blurb is written up Here.

More from Last Weeks Beach Trip

2011-06-28T19:06:00.000-07:00

Morning walk on the beach at Manzanita with her trusty Americana thermos circa 1976.

Sand formations

What is this thing?

It's down on the river side of Astoria, by the canneries:

What ever it is, I like it. It is "Riven-esque".

Abandoned "Red" Cannery.

We took a walk along the wharf. Astoria has put a jogging path along the river that cuts right through the heart of the industrial area, and "Cannery Row" down to the Maritime Museum, abandoned train depot and beyond.
Scout found poppies growing along the banks. in the back you can see one of the cannery's. Just after we took this picture, one of the guys working out back was rinsing all the gurry out into the river, while a sea lion was enjoying the buffet. The stinker kept diving under every time I tried to get a pic of him though, so I eventually gave up.

More of Scout's Starfish

The tide is rapidly climbing up the jetty, and covering up all of the little Starfish.

Too freakin tired!

2011-06-28T18:56:00.000-07:00

Perhaps its because of the busy tumult of daily living just catching up with me, perhaps it is the fact that we were all awake last night enjoying the wonderful thunder and lightening storms that came through the area dumping hail and mass amounts of rain. Perhaps it is just being tired after today's biopsy...nothing big, just a dumb 'ol pre-emptive thing. I just didn't expect to be this lethargic. Perhaps it's mostly all of the above put together. I know i spoke to other people today and it seems like we are ALL exhausted. I think it must be that we were all awake listening to the storm. I hope we get another one tonight. I'll just plan for a nap tomorrow if it happens. :o)

2011-06-28T09:13:00.001-07:00

Killer thunder storms last night in the wee hours. Finally Scout, Brogin and I got up about 430 to watch. Awesome!

Animal Planet?

2011-06-25T09:33:00.000-07:00

I have done nothing but care for other people's pets for the last 2 hours straight.
And that is not counting my friends cat in town.

Most of it is the fault of PetSmart!
The sold my daughter a sick rat, and lied about it. $100 later I will be going back in there to hold them accountable. I may end up going in there again if our other rat gets sick.

Ugh!

But now Pickles is significantly improved, and both cages are sterilized. The dog has been
medicated, the cats fed. Now I gotta do the aquarium and then go into town and do Spaz The Cat. (At least she is pretty easy and quick to care for!)

June Beach Trip, Day 2, Part 2

2011-06-20T18:36:00.000-07:00

Scout finds some Starfish on the ocean side of South Jetty.

The mighty Starfish hunter on top of south Jetty.

PS - It's official: I think I hate this new camera.

Beach Day 2

2011-06-20T18:18:00.000-07:00

Dismal Nitch.
That is the real true name of the place.
Named by Clark of Lewis and Clark Expedition fame.

Look at that green. It was VERY slippery. Now, in your imagination, can you imagine the stink? Yes. oh yes.

June Beach Day 1: Sadness

2011-06-17T20:27:00.000-07:00

The ODFW (Oregon Fish and Wildlife Dept) had him roped/signed off: do not disturb.

Even so, it did not stop humans from paying him homage and even leaving a small trinket in the spirit of endearment and honouring his departure.

Bunny and Sealion: a meaningful connection?

While the tide races in, Scout takes a minute to climb around on a rocky ridge that will be soon submerged.

...and Scout even found some of her initials carved in the stone.

Last time I was here, I managed to skate around to the other side of these rocks at low tide and sneak back in the nick of time as the tide had turned. Below shows the swift tide change as it races in in less that 8 minutes:

It is now ankle deep.

Psychic? How?

2011-06-13T19:14:00.000-07:00

This is at the corner of Burnside and Division in Gresham.
One is compelled to ask one's self:

Who needs to have their "Past" told?
"What just happened?"

And really, WHO needs to have their "Present" told?
"What's going on?"

I mean really!

Church Split

2011-06-13T18:52:00.000-07:00

Gah!
Must I live through another one?
At least this time I am not related to anyone involved!
Still...
In the words of a good friend,
who said exactly what was in my heart,

The word comes to mind:

"Unnecessary."
Was the impetus for this
really THAT important?

I thought of the bible verse where
it says something akin to:

"It is a foolish woman,
who tears down her own
house."

And for what?
From where I sit,
although I adore the teachings
of my (former) pastor,
There is a niggling thought
chewing at the base of my brain:
After his "administrative (so called) pastor"
borrowed an obscene amount of money in
order to pay intense church staff salaries, they
suddenly manage to throw up their hands
and leave the church, scot-free, while the
actual congregation is still held
liable for the HORRENDOUS debt
incurred.

This is a grievous sin.
And while I do NOT necessarily hold my
pastor accountable for it in it's entirety, I do
hold him some what accountable as the overall
leader and shepherd of this people. The real fiend in
this is the man who "administrated", and who had
himself (somehow) declared as "Administrative Pastor".
the dude doesn't even HOLD a pastoral degree! He has not
been ordained in any way shape or form.
This man is vile in my eyes and steeped in putresence.
(I call "Mizpah" (It's not a nice sweet lovey thing. See link and then see below**). And I say therefore:
"May God judge between me and thee".
Mizpah should not be declared lightly.)

Fortunately for me, God
has no care for politics.
He is no respector of
tradition for it's own sake.
This is not to say some
traditions do not serve Him, but
there are far too many sacred
cows, both in and out
of the church.

Many do not serve Him.

In such a case, I would
quote to myself:
"As for me and my
house, we will serve
The Lord."

No matter if that looks
foul to the official church,
or if it looks foul to
those not part
of His church.

Screw politically correct,
whether it occurs within
the Church, or within those
who think of themselves
as the Intelligencia, or
modern, or right wing
or left wing.

God is NONE of these things.
Which is why He is hated
and dissed.
May I be like Him then.

** Mizpah was a declaration between two men who did not trust each other because one cheated the other and got away with it. And so one man declared "Mizpah" meaning
"...may God judge between us, which one is truthful and which is a liar." - Michelle Paraphrase)

Bad Fridge

2011-06-13T18:33:00.000-07:00

By Blake

Architectural Piece

2011-06-13T18:18:00.001-07:00

So I got this nutty piece of antique exterior moulding from a vendor in the store.

It fit perfectly on the blank wall behind the wood stove.
To balance the wall out, I also got a clock.

The Barn Candle(tm) company sells their candles in little mason jars with tin lids.
Once the Barn Candles are used up, I have nothing to do with the lids...
until now: I can use them as candle holders for the little disc tea lights. And place them together in groupings...on top of this moulding is a perfect place.

I needed a couple of "oddments" to also balance out the uh..."wall display"?
So I got one juggling pin, paired with an antique brass hose nozzle (of course!)
And I also got...HER!

What is that sculpture of a woman usually found on the front of a ship?
(Dear Susan, of all people, I bet YOU will know this!)
"Maiden Head?" "Mast Head"? Well, there was a nautical booth at the store.
It had this crazy butt-ugly woman-esque-ish figurine for sale.
I thought, "What on Heavens name is THAT and boy is she coyote ugly!"
I like it.

Dear Orange and Black

2011-06-05T17:57:00.000-07:00

OSU:

Dare I hope...but it's possible, that YOU, may receive one of our own?!
All Glory to Oregon's Orange and Black!

Dear Beav's,
May you GO!

Dear All-You-Kids,

2011-06-05T17:48:00.001-07:00

Last night was a pretty chill party.
There was loud music.
The girls danced with abandon.
There was food.
There were helium filled balloons, emptied, into lungs to create amusing anecdotes.

If all of YOU (tm) were here, then it would have been heaven on earth.

Even so...
It was pretty danged good.

And my heart is full***.

*** Wish you were here.

:o)

2011-06-03T17:40:00.001-07:00

My town part 2: in my town cars and pedestrians share the road with deer and people riding their horses in the middle of town and think nothing out odd.

2011-06-03T17:39:00.001-07:00

My town part 1: remember in the 1st Toy Story movie how the clouds were painted on Andy's wall? That was the sky today.

The Haircut

2011-05-30T18:18:00.000-07:00

You would think it would be a simple, uneventful task?
No.
So there we are in PDX.
We've Off loaded Scout's stuff at the apt, and loaded up the worlds biggest plasma screen TV to take back to Sisters. We've gone to the Hot Cake House at the bottom of the Ross Island Bridge and stuffed ourselves to the brink of vomitting.

And Blake says,"hey, while we are on this side of the river, wanna go get our hair cut at that really GOOD Supercuts?"

James and Jeremy agree.
So we go.

They enter and Blake announces loudly, "we are here. At the best Supercuts ever!" It's me James and Jeremy here to get our hair cut again. It's the Trinity!"

All stylists in the salon are now chuckling.
Except the old crabby one. (But she kinda lightens up at the end.)

"Let's all get the exact same haircut!" they decide.
"We all want to look the same."

Stylists eyebrows go up.

And from there...
a verbal comedy routine/party/banter is launched.

Blake's stylist looks at me and says, "is he always like this?"
"Yes" say all of us at the same time.
But see, James is no less a slacker in the yakkity comedy BS dept.

They filled this poor salon to the ceiling with their B.S.

A good (if not exhausting) time was had by all.

Facts and Aftermath.

2011-05-30T07:06:00.000-07:00

So in the week following her completion of school, and before the actual commencement
ceremonies, Scout has moved to PDX to live with Blake, James and Jeremy, (brother, and friends from Camp).

Worrisome bits:

-She is in the exact middle of change of medications, the effects of change should be showing up anytime now.

-She has never driven in the city. And certainly not on any of the freeways.

-Can become overwhelmed and over tired with too much change going on. I don't know that Blake will be able to recognise the signs of her overload. I barely can.

-The boys are all pretty chaotic. She needs some sort of order.

-She will either share a bedroom with her brother, or won't get one at all (pending). She needs a bit of private time.

-Needs a job.

-Almost got run off the road yesterday because she refused to merge and allow another car in between hers and mine. Repeatedly. In excess of 60 mph. I hope she doesn't get in a car accident. She really has no experience driving on freeways.

When Blake first moved to Portland, he stayed with camp friends, but they were all living with one boys family. (Mom Dad etc) I knew he was going to be fed at least 1 square meal a day and have a safe environment. This is different. Not that Blake, James and JEremy are unsafe - they are safe - but they are 20-23 yr olds. Every minute of every day is one big adventure, and if not, they make it into one. Even yesterday, going to get a simple hair cut turned into a hilarious, spontaneous media-esque event. Scout needs some "down time" at some point, or she will 'pop'. (Especially in the midst of a med change from Zoloft to Selexa.)

I hate this "worry" part of the transition.

ADDENDUM:
I had a lengthy texting conversation with Bryan today. Bryan is a long time friend and a dad. During the course of this convo I came to the conclusion that I am only just small. I should remain alert and yet at the same time, knowing that although I adore my kids, God loves them FAR more and dude! HE is able to be EVERYWHERE. I sure can't. So I have to trust. And pray, and just remain open and available.

Ugh!

I don't want any (ANY!) of "My Kids" (tm) to experience unnecessary pain or discomfort.
(Are "My Kids" (tm) hearin' me?!)
And yet...such is the stuff of normal life.

So I pray.

Dear Season of Flip Flops...

2011-05-19T16:22:00.000-07:00

...how I LOVE thee!
Please bless me with your presence and linger long, after other seasonal guests depart.
:o)

Carpet Stain Mystery Solved

2011-05-19T13:03:00.000-07:00

So I thought all the stained carpet areas beneath the chair where my dad sits for dinner were a result of maybe clumsiness or poor eye-sight, or deteriorated hand-eye coordination on his part.

Not so.

I saw it last night.
I witnessed it.

He throws morsels from his dinner, to the dog - who cannot catch to save her life. She lets it fall and then eats it when it is no longer in motion.

(sigh. *slaps own forehead!*)

I am going to slap him!

New Favorite Beach

2011-05-15T07:08:00.000-07:00

I found it Friday morning and since I was unsure if the tide was in or out at this time, I decided to check back later in the day. It is a bit of a rocky beach at times, and there are lots of them jutting up out of the water, making it an interesting walk. (Note the waterline)

Yes Virginia, there is a low tide. (Again, make note of the green waterline areas.)

And these are what one finds around the other side of it...

All of the above are part of a horseshoe shaped cave/bowl that during high tide is entirely submerged. Next time I go back I will try and shoot enough to stitch up a panoramic so that you can see how huge the enclosure is. When you see it and stand here, on the dry land and realise that it is entirely buried underwater everyday, it is a bit awe inspiring.

And there it was, further down the cut-off part of the beach:

It's really starting to break up now.

The time it took me to walk from the gap in the big rocks to here was approx 7 minutes. In the time it took me to come through the gap, take this photo and get back to the gap the tide was already moving in at an alarming rate. If I waited another 20-30 minutes, I bet I wouldn't be able to cross back through without getting fairly wet, if I would be able to pass through at all. I was stunned at how quickly the tide races in.

On thing I noticed about the Manzanita beack is how much debris is strewn about it now. Not just driftwood and kelp, but pieces of structures, and lumber etc. Every beach I went to had the same story - of course some of them I had never been to before so I had no previous reference, but the Manzanita beach is usually VERY clean, save for the driftwood and kelp.

Weirdness.

Beach May 2011 - Saturday

2011-05-14T07:09:00.000-07:00

I ate microwave popcorn that expired in 2005 last night, and I am absolutely NOT sick, somehow.

Brownsmead: Where to Begin?

So today I made another jaunt up to Brownsmead to see if I could get a few shots of some of the dilapidated homes. Homes that anywhere else, would be entirely abandoned, but these are not.
I parked along the side of the road to shoot one farm house (that was actually crushed and truly abandoned) and barn with an equally dilapidated boat in the yard and a woman came yelling out of the neighboring house. She's yelling at me, "Who are you?!" "What are you doing and why?!" And on and on etc.

Good thing I got the word on this place from the Historical Society in Astoria. This woman woulda beaten me with a club probably. Even then, she wondered why the archivist hadn't called her to let her know some one would be in the area taking photos! I thought she was mistaken. Did she actually think she knew who I had spoken to yesterday?

Yes.
She did.

Brownsmead is an intensely guarded secret apparently.

So I chatted this lady up and asked her questions and explained that I had been to see the archivist the day before regarding historical rural homes in the area and that she had sent me directly to Brownsmead to record some of the storm damage of years past - particularly to some historic barns in the area.

This was a great name to drop. It worked well. The woman - while still combative - gave me some information about the Brownsmead Historical Society that meets in the grange once a month. She dropped a name: Jon Westerholm. I continued to shmooze her a bit, not out of any cleverness on my part, but more out of fear. For what ever reason, she accepted my light banter as legit.
Go figure.

So I asked a few more questions, thanked her profusely for her help as she had been "a wealth of knowledge and aid to historical preservation for her area." (ahem. *cough*) and went on my way to seek out my two goals for that day's jaunt:

1). To shoot a picture of a house with either JRyd's or Scout's name written all over it.
and
2). To shoot a pic of the abandoned train depot and other strange ancient building across from the grange. (all three are at the same crossroads.)

I came over the tracks and found that there were a poop load of cars at the grange.
I had serendipitously stumbled upon the last meeting of the Brownsmead Historical Society for the summer. And of course, there was Jon Westerholm.
We must have talked for an hour and a half.
Ok.
He mostly talked..but that was good!

"Barefoot Bill and Strawberry":

The house I had ear-marked for Scout or JRyd brought
a wry grin to Jon's face when I inquired about it.
It was indeed one of the older "homes" in the area and
was "inhabited" by two gentlemen:
"Barefoot Bill" and "Strawberry."
When I asked Jon if he thought I could ask if they'd let me take a picture of their place, he shrugged and said, "There's never been a woman on the place. You probably
want to take some one with you when you do."

'nuff said.

I didn't stop (for too long.)
I didn't get out of the car.
I pretended to study a red winged blackbird
and I pretended to shoot pics of IT, while I
grabbed a fleeting snap of their entryway.
This is the only way I could grab a pick at this point.
I hope to get more chances in the coming year.

This "house" should not actually be inhabited.
The front half of the house sits partially on
top of the dike. The back half is on stilts and is
sagging into the surrounding waters.

I especially like the artistic addition of the buddha head they've affixed to the top of the driftwood arch.

There appear to be MANY houses around
the Astoria area that should not be
inhabited. Houses with upper and sometimes
lower windows broken out. House that are
leaning dangerously. It is crazy!
Astoria is a wackier place than Portland
in this way.
Gotta love Astoria.

So anyway...back to my story.
So I am chit chatting with Jon about abandoned
homes and the history of the area and I asked him
about the abandoned railway and suddenly he lights up
and says, "Oh! You're the one Lisa from the Historical Society
called me about yesterday!"
(Again, thank Heaven I stopped in at the Historical
Society yesterday! I think these people woulda strung
me up without that referral!)
Because of it, I am apparently allowed to drive about in the
community and look at the houses.

(This is kinda crazy to me.
It's a road people.
I'll drive on it if I want to?...apparently not.
Not here in Brownsmead.
I hear in the back of my mind the
strains of "Dueling Banjo's".)

Beach, May 2011

2011-05-13T18:38:00.000-07:00

Friday:

Took a major investigatory (is that even a word?) drive in search of abandoned railways. found an abandoned mill in east of Astoria. I am falling in LOVE with Astoria. what a wacky place! I find myself making friends in the Astoria historical society and one of them ends up living directly across from "Hatchet Harry's." The neighbors are chipping in to make sure and keep the overgrowth of shrubs down so that they can all better keep a watchful eye on the place. I guess last year, some one broke in and stole some of the art glass windows out of the second story. She told me who the artist was, but I can't remember. Anyway, TOO sad!
Found some COOL beaches and hopefully tomorrow at low tide, I will sneak around some rocks to the other side of Arcadia Beach in hopes of finding a unique but severely dilapidated abandoned house. Gotta be quick before the tide come back in and leaves me stranded on the wrong side. :o/

So while I am here on my own, i decided to make it a combination "Explore Abandoned Astoria/Personal Spa" trip.
Explorer by day, Mani-Pedicurist tonight!

Friday night: I find it REALLY hard to relax - to settle. I am driven to perpetual movement and am restless. I think I will do one of the puzzles down here. I am only going to attempt to tackle a 100 piece kiddie puzzle. Forget the 1000 piece ones. That is for "Relaxation/Zen Masters."

ADDENDUM:
The "Yelling Combative Scary Lady" encountered in the next post informed me that this was NOT an old mill building but was actually a warehouse for local fisherman, where they would come to mend their nets. It is still in use today and has been so for more than 100 years. I also found out that "Yelling Combative Scary Lady" is part of the Estes family.

Dear Beach

2011-05-10T18:05:00.000-07:00

I can't WAIT to see you in 2 days! I am bringing ALL of my camera's, including the
Fish-eye...although if you blow sand on me like last time (which I LOVED-don't get me wrong),
I will be forced to use the cheapest, crap camera = Ye Olde Minolta.

I will be searching for some old Ghost towns on the Washington side as well.

So far it looks like it's just going to be you and me!
I don't think I have EVER been able to have a one-on-one visit with you before.

Dear Beach, I can't WAIT to see what you have planned!

How does it feel?

2011-05-05T17:03:00.001-07:00

How does it feel, on one of the first sunny days on the central Oregon High Desert, when you fill the Studebaker up with people and run into Bend for Bacon Burger Baskets at the Sonic (where they rollerskate your food out to your car still)?

According to Kristina Coulter: it feels like playing hookie.

Yes.
It does.

Status Update;

2011-05-04T20:55:00.000-07:00

Dear God,

I like how you are both Not a Freak, and also, a Total Freak,

simultaneously.

It was Katherine Hepburn...

2011-05-01T17:39:00.000-07:00

who was my all time favorite actress.
She is still numbered with the greats in my heart, but for actresses living,
I must say my current fave is Meryl Streep.
She is SO amazing! Her range and depth and abilities are beyond comparison.

Among similar greats:
Dame Maggie Smith
Dame Judy Dench.

Hopes:
May Kate Blanchett carry out her current course.
I believe she is racing at a galloping run, toward the
halls of greatness.

Wacky Royal Hats

2011-04-30T09:29:00.000-07:00

What is the deal with the Royals
and their odd love of

Outlandish Hats ?

Narcissus, Op. 13, No. 4

2011-04-29T16:40:00.000-07:00

When we got the player piano, we got more than 100 rolls of 1900-1930 music. Here is a sample of
one of those songs:

Narcissus Op.13, No. 4.

If you will close your eyes, and imagine that you've gone back in time, to 1910-ish,
you may find this song utterly charming.

April 28th Snow!

2011-04-28T18:13:00.000-07:00

I LOVE it!
It's the end of April and we have just dropped a 1/2 inch of snow in the last 15 minutes!
What a DAY!

It's awesome!
:oD

New Things!

2011-04-28T17:04:00.000-07:00

1). I think we may get another house guest! A friend of Scout and Kenz may be coming to stay
with us for a while in the Japanese room. Who knows...maybe she will come to stay long term! :oD

2).I have new love: Netflix!

3). I may have found a new fun place to shoot portraits. A hidden ravine/dump in the back end of Madras. I can't wait to hike the ravine and the abandoned railroad to see whats there.

4). And piggy-backing on #3, it will soon be spring (ever so briefly May 3ish thru May 20ish) on the Central Oregon High Desert. This means we will go back down into the canyon and shoot the caves in spring time.

Desperately Seeking Midwest Food

2011-04-27T18:56:00.000-07:00

So now there are traces of radiation showing up in milk along the pacific NW Coast and even trackably as far inland as Spokane - although that was from one report - and has been poo-pooed by grocers and others locally.

I am not taking any more chances.
Normally, I feed my family locally.
Not now.
Milk-I have started buying in powdered form from a big chain such as WalMart where the likely hood that its been-

A). sitting on the shelf for a while and
B). come from an inland source

gives me a little better protection from the Pacific radioactive goodness.
If push comes to shove, I would buy Soy Milk as Soybeans (I think) come from the midwest and the south.)

Cheese - I buy an off brand that has likely come from inland or the midwest.

Fruit is a quandry:

-South American and Mexican produce is available, but they are also pacific coast nations.
Hmmmm....what to do about that.
Buy off brand frozen berries and canned fruits that have more likely come from the midwest and south?

Meat - I gotta buy inland...so that means a big chain maybe like Costco or Walmart that pull product from outside of my region. The worry there is that they bring in seafood from China etc. So I will have to find a seafood supplier who is Atlantic.

Heh! And I thought crafting a menu plan for pre-diabetes was tricky!

ugh!

2011-04-25T19:00:00.000-07:00

I love you so.
I lay awake at night, thinking of ways to offer you
choices by which you might fly, in the own trueness
of yourself, as God has made you alone to be.
I pull my heart out of my chest and divide it into
pieces in case some of them might give you a leg up,
as stepping stones, that you may see your own
wonderfulness, and that you are appreciated.

You pull out the baseball bat.
You club me over and over and over again.
The bleeding, pulsating remnants of my being
lie on the ground. oozing what life might be there.
Hoping it will leak, in a trail, to your feet...and some
how, impart encouragement to be you.

Sometimes...
I get REALLY tired.
And wish for death.
But that is not my call.

1 Day can make all the difference in a life.

2011-04-24T13:27:00.000-07:00

And for me, it is this day.
If it were not for THIS day:
-I would have a mess of a life.
-I would have no children.
-I would have no hope.
-I would have no life.

If I were the only human being, throughout the entire history of
man's existence, who was ever imperfect, God Himself STILL
would have come and endured all that He has, in order to provide
a way for me to avoid the eternal penalties for my choices
(aka damnation), and to have a sane, family-filled, hopeful life
that will last for all eternity.

I am not perfect.
I am in desperate need of forgiveness, (because I do
and say stupid things every single day whether
I want to or not) and I need a Saviour who
can change me starting with the inside first.
I can not perfect myself.

When it all boils down, I am truly rich.
Whether my earthly possessions reflect it or not.

No matter what, I will always have Him and His life.
No matter what else I appear to have, I really have
nothing else.

And I am good with it.

Dear God,
Thank you for You.

Bad Fridge Update

2011-04-24T08:49:00.001-07:00

Mostly by Scout.
(with a couple of words by Mih)

by Mih

Cleaned out the Garage

2011-04-23T14:58:00.000-07:00

I should have taken a photo BEFORE I started.

Scout came in from extricating her bi-fold closet doors from the mess that was the garage.
"Mom, it's a hazard out there", says she.

So yesterday I tackled it.

The BEFORE pic would have shown no floor space, as one was forced to walk ON TOP of everything in there including but not limited to camping gear, broken jars, various tools, an old ripped blue piece of tarp clothing, boots, mis-matched shoes, sports equipment, and other unmentionables.

In any case, the debacle that was, has now been tamed to this:

The front half of the garage:

And the back of the garage is the "Cube" aka the "Boy Lair" that my son and his friends inhabit when he comes home to visit:

Last night I was in SO much pain I could not do a thing. I actually resorted to taking a
Flexeril - which I do not like. I don't even like to take Tylenol or Ibuprofen. I don't like pain meds. The main reason for my pain, I believe, is due to moving the "Golden-Food-Bot" (shown below) from its entombed state within the bowels of the garage, up onto this dolley, almost singlehandedly. (Scout helped by holding the dolley in place while I lifted, scooted and pushed the Food Bot into its place.)

"I have been spray painted with metallic gold paint."

Today is only a marginal improvement, as I still had "loose end" tasks to complete in the aftermath of this grand clean out.
Tomorrow is Easter.
I will rest between cooking tasks.

Bad Fridge Update

2011-04-19T08:11:00.001-07:00

By Mih

By Scout

Dear Inhaler, where are you?

2011-04-18T17:38:00.000-07:00

ok so after a 4 day trial, hoping that my asthma might be an aberration on my part, I have come to recognize that it would behoove me to invest some man hours seeking out my errant inhaler.

Is drawing a breath a privilege or a right.

No matter, it is def a necessity, if one is to continue pondering that concept.

2 Month Slap?

2011-04-16T15:32:00.000-07:00

Ugh!
You know it's been a fair two months since I deleted my facebook account.
I sincerely do NOT regret it, and yet there are moments, when I wish I could just reach
out and blab and see what others are blabbing about...
and yet I know that..for me...it's not a good thing.

Suffice to say, I miss MANY awesome knuckleheads (who know who they are (tm)). ;o)

2011-04-13T19:27:00.000-07:00

How was it that more of my posts from several years ago seemed (at least to me) to be FAR more amusing than my posts of today?

What is different?
Am I still me?

Apparently, back when I was at "my most pithy" was when I was working full time, as an executive secretary. Surrounded by people 8.5 hours a day, and subjected to the crazy whims of an elite commercial real estate developer boss, I seemed more able to gain access to a sense of the absurd.

Maybe it was the fact that I was inescapably surrounded by human beings, and had ample fodder for ridiculous commentary?

Perhaps it was that my direct supervisor, Donna Kightlinger, possessed a razor sharp mind, wit and quick tongue, and her witty repartee propelled my own creativity?

Frankly I think the latter, combined with a sprinkling of the former, was to blame. Also, the fact tha I have become old, dismal, hermit-like, and take care of an elderly old coot who makes me crazy, and then of course, I also care for my elderly dad. ;o)
I suppose these things suck the creative spirit right out of me.
:o)

Anyway. I hoep that by barfing out a plethora of words on a daily basis will remedy the situation and perhaps I will find my old humour again.

I know it lives.
I see it every day in my kids - not that their humour is mine, but I see glimpses of myself in them and it inspires me to accept myself more.

Scout Discovers Time Machine

2011-04-12T19:27:00.001-07:00

Ok well this did not happen today, but several years ago.

At the time, it was such an "out of the blue" genius thing for a 12 year old to say, that I blogged it.
This is one of the things I found while reading the old blog posts this morning.

It is right HERE.

Started Reading Backwards

2011-04-12T08:43:00.000-07:00

So on a whim this morning while I was waiting for my coffee to be ready, I took a peak at some blog stats and then...clicked the last link on the Past Blog Posts Archive list. It started off in the winter of 2004 when the site was called "Blog Biscuit."

It was kinda fun to look back nostalgically and read some of the the goofy-funny bits as well as some of the difficult times surrounding Mysteria plannings and play productions and kid stuff. Of the time when Donna and I used to prank each other at the office, and plot pranks for Dan - which we never carried out of course, the time Donna suggested the Frozen Turkey Purse solution, and the locating of a second time machine/portal in the house. (The first one was found by Scout and turned out to be the Microwave.)

Sometimes it is really good to look back.

And remind ones self.

2011-04-11T02:48:00.000-07:00

by Blake (back in Nov 2011)

by Scout

Bad Fridge Update

2011-04-09T09:25:00.001-07:00

Blake modeling with his and Jeremy's most
recent Bad Fridge submission.

Bad Fridge Update

2011-04-08T16:46:00.001-07:00

by Scout

by Blake, James and Jeremy

an abuse of the original above, by Blake, James and Jeremy

by Blake, James and Jeremy.
And Mih

2011-04-03T00:14:00.001-07:00

When you think of the first missionary that ever was, you might think of Paul or Peter. Actually, it was The Lunatic.

2011-04-02T13:08:00.001-07:00

Isn't it funny? If you say you really don't know what you're talking about..people think you know more than you're letting on. And vice versa.

Game Lounge Still Lives Thanks to Video Surveillance Cameras!

2011-04-02T10:06:00.000-07:00

I think I may have gained the upper hand on this horrific respiratory thing!
Finally!
Just in time to volunteer some hours at the Game Lounge.

A friend of mine, who already runs a perfectly good business servicing computers, started up a second business - a game lounge.

Our town desperately needs this game lounge.
In a town with a population of less than 2000, there are not so many options for entertainment during the winter months especially. Our kids NEED something to DO rather than drugs and vandalism and generally getting into trouble.

So the # Peaks Game Lounge opened Christmas break. They charge $5 per hour to play games (inlcuding use of the pool table), and if you just want to come in and hang out and "lounge" around watching without playing, then you only have to pay $1 cover charge. $20 gets you in for an entire day of game play. Since that 1st day they have barely made a dime, even though there is almost ALWAYs someone there. Well, with the potential of permanent closure looming April 1st, my friend decided to watch the video security cam tapes.
Lo and behold, he discovered he was being robbed. On a daily basis! The responsible parties were arrested and jailed, but that didn't solve the problem of the deep financial hole in which the game lounge came to rest. Permanent closure still appeared to be looming on the horizon. Local parents were appalled and students and parents alike came forward to volunteer man hours in order to keep the game lounge running and allow it to recupe some of its losses.

The beauty of the security camera's allows there to be no argument as to blame no matter what is going on at any given time 24-7. For security, I am SOLD on video surveillance. It was all there in glorious black and white. No question. It was obvious who the guilty parties were, and due to the multiple angles of all the cameras there was no way a person could turn their body to hide or shield what they were doing.

Video security ROCKS!

So anyway... today is my day to volunteer. Actually, Thursday night was also my day to volunteer but I didn't figure he wanted me in there with a raging fever so my friend went in instead.

There is renewed hope for the game lounge in Sisters.
It's pretty cool.

Maybe I will take some photos of the interior tonight so you can see how warm and homey it is in there.

2011-04-01T18:46:00.001-07:00

When ur sick with a fever there is no comfort food like a good old movie. 2nites fare: Hitchcocks "The Birds", with Tippi Hedren.

First day and already done!

2011-03-30T08:39:00.001-07:00

After battling sicknesses in 3 other family members, I have finally succumbed to this hideous head and chest cold. It's the first day of this cold (for me) and I am already tired of being sick.
I may not be able to rest as Scout may need to make another trip in to the Doctors. This will be the 3rd trip in 3 days. Scout is right: the 21 mile drive from here to Redmond really IS the most boring stretch of road on the planet. (Next to Eastern Alberta and Saskatchewan).

Perhaps Job may still Be Me?

2011-03-24T16:33:00.000-07:00

Well because of the commitment restrictions mentioned in the previous post, however, there seems to be an ongoing need for a flexible, office/jacqui-of-all-trades/Nanny McPhee sort of person that can be of help in an ever changing way.

Today, for example, my employer/friend's new baby was up all night, colicky. She needed sleep. So I got to be "Nanny McPhee" (as I am now known in this capacity) to the wee lad while my Employer Friend got an ever-so-brief nap in. That and I can do office and errand type stuff, it may be possible for me to create/morph into a new support position. When working for some one, one's base M.O. must be implanted deep within their brain before they ever fill out an application: how can I serve this person/business? What are my unique abilities, experiences insights that I can give to help grow/support in this situation? In my case just now, in all honesty i had to turn down the position my friend was offering me because it may not suit her needs in the long run. How ever, after observing her other needs and concerns, its possible that I can serve in another way. The original job offered was for more pay than I am proposing in this new, morphed and additional version. But a job is good to have, even if it pays less than another one. And it is MOST important to provide VALUE to the employer.

So there is where it is today.

I am Nanny McPhee, Baby Crooner/Rocker, Office Diva and Errand Girl Friday.
(Hopefully).

I am NOT job.

2011-03-22T18:39:00.000-07:00

Ugh!
So I go to work.
Day one: great day. happy times.
Day two: Early AM dad is very sick, His A.M. Doc appt nearly makes me late to
work. Potential pneumonia or brinchitis, he needs nebuliser treatment 3 times a day for the next week. During the course of the work day, my friend / employer asks me if I am truly interested in the job? I am like "yeah!"
"Good!", says she to me, "because I need someone who can be here for some years and if I train some one I don't want them to quit in like 6 months and I have to train some one else."
Understandable, and yet...
sirens and red lights begin to go off inside my head:
-Can I predict the future?
-If my dad falls 2 months from now and breaks a hip I'm going to halt everything in order to take care of him. Its a no brainer. I can't bloody predict the future.

I say this to her.
She says well, think about it and let me know by Monday (this being last Friday).
I said, "Well if its a 100% commitment without waivering that you seek, then I can answer you right now: I can't give you that promise. I am the caregiver for my elderly dad. He must be my priority in such a case."

She was upset and so was I.

That night I stressed and tossed and turned and woke up with the WORST migraine I have had in 15 years.

Thoughts mulled over during the nights wrestle:
-I can't bloody predict the future, and while I understand the dire need, I am thinking perhaps that might have been an unfair question for her to require an answer to, however she just had a baby and post-partum freakyness can be partially attributed.
-After only 2 days of emplyment by this person I am already experiencing enough stress and turmoil to give me the worst headache I have had in 15 years. And a sleepless night to boot.
-Rather than have peace about the situation, I have surprisingly, a deep inner sense of trauma and turmoil.

I think I am going to find my friend some one who can fill her need but also be able to make the commitment she seeks - even though part of me says, "Girl, don't mention the promise to work for you for 4 years" clause. You will scare them away."

So instead. I will be "Nanny McPhee" to her baby for the month while she finds and trains a new person.

I updated my brother on my dads condition and all of the above. He thinks its a good idea to perhaps check out as to whether the state my pay for my hours as I take care of my dad... and possibly in the event that we don't meet the state criteria, my brother thinks it would be good idea to approach my dad to just pay me out right from the proceeds of one of his annuities. This would keep him home and not in an elder facility, which he disdains (even though he would enjoy the social life there, he has this stigma attached to it), and it would allow me to keep the simple job I have, and supplement what I am not
able to find for work outside the home because of his care needs.

Anyway, tomorrow will be my first day back to work with her, since we came to the uncomfortable realisation that I will not be able to be her "End All, Be All Go-To Girl Friday."

I am feeling MOST awkward and uncomfortable.

Krap-tacular.

Kitchy Jazz from the 60's

2011-03-17T18:34:00.000-07:00

I FOUND a sampler of the music that Kristi got me to play in the Studebaker!
at nutsie-dot-com you can find samples of the "Ultra Lounge" CD series.
By visiting the site, it automatically starts the music.

Anyone who has ridden in "The Stude" so far, has agreed unanimously that :
"Gay Spirits"from the Ultra Lounge Space Capades CD is it's theme song!

Also, the song "Power House" , and "Holiday for the Strings" are particularly memorable. I would say, sample all these tunes because they are a hilarious romp through the 1960's and 70's horrible parental music we heard. This is a series worth collecting.
Other titles in the series include:

Ultra Lounge: Organs in Orbit. (Think Hammond and Wurlitzer.)
Ultra Lounge: Crime Scene
Ultra Lounge: Bachelor Pad Royale

To name only a few of the Ultra Lounge treasures, which can all be sampled here: nuTsie dot com

(PS- I am thinking that "Ultra Lounge: Tiki Sampler" is going to be my next purchase!)

The Eatin' O' the Green

2011-03-17T15:50:00.000-07:00

So far today I have inadvertently managed to eat only green things:
celery & 3-cheese peperonccini dip, pickles. Time for something orange.

I am job

2011-03-17T09:09:00.000-07:00

Start another new job today

Well, it appears that in my ever failing search for jobs, one has actually come seeking me.
A designer friend of mine from the old Multnomah Publishers days, now runs a Wildland fire fighting company and tree falling service. She needs additional hands in the office, and she said my name kept coming to mind.

It's a LOT of new stuff to learn, and eventually dealing with State/Fed Wildland Incident Response coordination and bidding/proposals etc. Fire season starts (in the office anyway) in April and cooks right along through the summer. So this will supplement my other 2 days at Heritage.

2011-03-15T07:58:00.000-07:00

I swear these girls are going to be the death of me yet.

Someday...

2011-03-12T08:09:00.000-08:00

Morning Edition:
Someday, I will live in a place where there is peace and harmony, and people do not extreme-prank each other, to the point where the cops get called. :o/

This week's "Stude" update:

Thanks Gardner, for snapping the pic in front of Sisters Coffee!
:o)

Mark F. installed the CD/MP3 player and so now I can play the CD's Kristi Miller got for me:
"Ultra Lounge: Space Capades", and "Ultra Lounge: Organs in Orbit". The first thing I put in was an old David Bowie CD and listened to "Rebel Rebel". I also did my next gas-up experiment in this thing: 60 miles = 3gal. It was all in-town driving, so I can't believe it...but I think I am getting around 20 miles per gallon in this crate? Of course, I do coast around in neutral a LOT. once this thing gets up to speed it manages to coast for a pretty fair distance at a good clip.

So on Friday, on a whim, I asked if I could go pick up Scout Miller from school, because she loves all things retro, and she hadn't had a ride in the "Stude" yet. So it was a total surprise for her on Friday. The sun was out, so we could roll down the windows. It was a good Friday. Kristi and I dropped Scout at her next class and then cruised the town. When I got back home at the end of the afternoon, I remembered that I had originally gone in to town to do some errands - which I had completely forgotten to do ANY of them at all!
Oh well. It was still fun.

And in stumbling through the site stats this morning I stumbled upon this old post from the
Uhaul trip from RI to OR. Hah! Kinda funny to look back on. Apparently people are still reading this post, cuz it popped up in this weeks stats.

I guess people need to commiserate about their own nightmare journeys.

Bad Fridge

2011-03-06T12:09:00.000-08:00

By Mih
(This only makes sense if you have some French.)

Bad Fridge Update

2011-03-05T07:51:00.000-08:00

By Scout

Addendum By Kenz

Studebaker Update

2011-03-02T17:46:00.001-08:00

BArring any oddities, I think the next steps with "The Stude" will be to locate the following items and then have them installed:

-Shag carpet/headliner deal
-CD Player
-Weather Strip Kit
-Gas Gauge Sending Unit.

Max said he is going to the swap meet in in Portland this weekend and that he would keep an eye out for the sending unit.

Jeremy at the body shop said he would help me buff it out really good this summer and clean up the chrome.

Mick at the gas station insisted that I let him fix the broken visor.

Through Kristi, I've gotten some amazing old 60's lounge jazz which will be perfect
to play loud with the windows rolled down this summer! I am hearing the theme from the Peter Seller's movie, "A Shot In The Dark" blaring down the main highway through town! Maybe during rodeo parade even!

Max found the horn! Its under the dash to the left of the steering column.
It is a deep rich, 'old' sounding horn!
It is perfect.
Now I can terrorize people with it.
I should collect the sound and save it as a wav file.

Where ever I drive in the Stude it seems to make people smile.
It really IS a goofy looking car!

It is funny how so many people have come out of the woodwork and are willing to help me do really neato things to this car? Some won't even accept payment?!

It is kinda a happy car.

:o)

Going AWOL and Amber Alerts

2011-03-01T18:22:00.000-08:00

Funny, it seems there are a lot more people jumping the FaceBook ship lately.
I am hearing reports of people "not being there, where did they go?"
That particular post I referred to about how to completely delete your account - not just deactivate it has gotten the most hits in the last month of any post on the site.

Interesting...

1 steak CAN serve 3 people

2011-02-26T16:36:00.000-08:00

1 steak = broil it. If you want, marinade it before hand. What ever.
3 servings of lettuce-esque/spinach sort of greenery is a must.
3 servings of pasta should be cooked and cooled. Use a fun shape in order to distract eaters.
You will need to add in some other veggies/ingredients to fake eaters out:
-tomatoes are good
-cucumbers
-bacon
-feta, goat cheesed or other similar artsy-fartsy cheese
-pea pods, groomed with their ends cut off. (Ow?!)
-If you had shrimp on hand, you could fake them out, telling them its a surf-n-turf salad!

Use italian dressing or other olive oil/garlic/vinagrette-ish concoction.

Some assembly required:
Lay out greens on plate
Toss meat(s) and veggie's and cheese(s) with dressing.
Pour over greens.
Toast up some old bread - I mean "crusty" bread, drizzle with olive oil or garlic butter, or onion butter, or heck - even just plain butter.

Call it dinner.

Tah-DAH!

Bad Fridge Update

2011-02-26T09:03:00.001-08:00

This weeks installment of BAD FRIDGE includes some new ones as well as some more old ones I found today:

By Mih

This was obviously by Blake. No wonder he kept getting suspended for shooting his mouth off in school.

by Blake

By Blake

I think this was the first one Blake ever did, using only one full set of letters.

Friday and Saturday

2011-02-26T07:57:00.000-08:00

Yay we had more snow! It's awesome! We got another 8-10 inches and now it is going to be clear and cold! (As evidenced by this mornings temps). Highs in the 20's and low 30's! Oh sure, you can complain, but I love it! This is why we have no troubles with fleas on our pets in the summer! Love it! LOVE!

And since Stu and Scout work the majority of the day and into the evening today, the girls celebrated Stu's birthday last night, with home made pizza's and German Chocolate cake.
Nobody here actually likes German Chocolate cake...except Stu. So the cake will be his and his alone.

The girls are awake. How do I know? They are in the kitchen this morning while I make blueberry pancakes:

Kenz: Mom! She's choking me!
Scout: no I'm not. I'm hugging you.
Kenz: And throwing me to the floor!

Aahhhh, the gentle and delicate ways of girl children.

Addendum to the morning:
I have just made the MOST Gi-Freaking-Normous pancake. In retrospect, as I look at it, I have NO CLUE how I am going to flip it.

Cooking for Gleaners

2011-02-24T16:46:00.000-08:00

Well it appears that we now have a "Gleaner-Like" entity here in Sisters Yay! Its about time.
It took me a couple of weeks though, the remember how to "Do" this gleaner thing.

Basically it is an organization that has members who collect up the ready-to-expire produce, dairy and baked goods, from local grocery stores who are willing to participate. Often, Gleaner-Style Organizations have a tax write off (501-C3?) status allowing the stores to write off the potential spoilage as a charitable contribution.

Generally, the recipients of Gleaners-Organizations can be homeless, or out of work families, or even just families trying to make ends meet.

Some organizations have you pay dues (on a sliding scale), volunteer to pick up food divide food for families in the group or be a host for people to come and pick up the food. Generally volunteers have less dues, and sometimes, no dues at all. Same for income levels of individuals or families. the homeless generally pay no dues.

I remember now...how to process such foods:

-Everything that can go into the freezer goes there immediately.
-Anything that needs t be eaten immediately, is eaten within 24 hours
-Any fruit or vegetables that can be, are baked, roasted, simmered into sauce and then frozen after the fact. Apples: apples sauce. Tomatoes - duh! etc.

Dairy products are always a gamble - use immediately, and nlu after checking for still-goodness. If goodness is even questionable - it goes to the rubbish bin/composter.

As a consumer, when I see businesses that donate their perishables to these organizations, it has teh affect of amking those same people - needy or not, want to turn around and spend what few hard earned dollars they have, back at the participating store.

It is a beautiful, reciprocal thing.

Comments now being moderated

2011-02-21T10:06:00.000-08:00

When you now post a comment, it may not appear until I've had time to be notified and approve it. so be patient.
I am trying to open up more options for people who wish to, to comment, while reducing the risk of spam comments.
We'll see how this goes.

Aquaria: Controlling Pond Snails.

2011-02-21T09:26:00.001-08:00

My aquarium cam set up. Gotta love Coca-Cola Products! (This could NEVER work with Pepsi!)
;o)

So I moved the 55 gallon aquarium this weekend. I think the only casualty was one of my assassin snails. He was looking a little bit feeble. I think he got beat up little bit by some rocks being scooped out.

How to control an infestation of Pond Snails:
This is my remaining assassin snail. They have become my favorite part of my aquarium. When I got this one, he was half the size. In my 55 gal aquarium, I try to keep at least 2-3 assassin snails going to keep the pond snail population at bay. Pond snails often come in to your system with new fish or live plants purchased at a pet store. Once you have them, you really can't rid yourself of them. Chemical treatments harm the fish and the only other way I know of is for you to break down the entire system - completely new filter, new rocks, new plants, new furniture and disinfect the glass tank. Frankly, buying some assassin snails is a lot cheaper, less hassle, and kind of entertaining.

Assassin snails don't reproduce like pondies do, so you don't have to worry about THEM growing unconctrollably. They are able to overtake a pondie, flip it over with that big foot and suck the pondie right out of it's shell! Assassins don't need to molt their shells and get a new one, instead they grow larger patches on their shells, which is kinda cool to watch in process.

Drawbacks: Empty pondie shells seem to contribute to a need for more frequent, thorough cleanings of your aquarium because of the decomposition/ammonia releases. I was cleaning my filter and doing a 10-25 % water change every 2 weeks. Since the pondies have come (and are now being killed) I think I need to bump up the gravel vacuum and 10% water change to once a week. Still watching that one.
Also, if you DO have to break down your aquarium for any reason (like I just did in order to move the thing) it is easy to injure, kill (or lose) your assassin snails. So take extra care, maybe to gently remove them first and put them in a bowl of their own water.

Summary: I LOVE my assassin snails! In retrospect, i am kinda glad the stupid pond snail infestation occurred, because now I have a REALLY cool critter(s) to watch.

you gotta be careful...

2011-02-20T20:38:00.001-08:00

You gotta be careful sometimes, when you are speaking the truth to some Christians.
You gotta be careful so as to not upset the box that they think their God wants everybody to be living in. If a circumstance can't be stitched neatly into their little box then, odds are they're gonna decide there's something wrong with YOU, because obviously God does everything the same with everybody, and He never does anything new.

Of course I say that all with much sarcasm.

Their God is too small.

My God knows everything I have done, am doing and will ever do.
My God knows every tho9ught I 've ever had, and ev3r will have.
Likewise every word I have spoken or will speak.
All of it, whether for good or for ill.

And He still loves and accepts me.
And He still loves and accepts you too.

But that doesn't mean I have to treat you like my bestest buddy-ol-pal, nor do I have to sit around and accept, or subject myself to abuse from you.

Yes we are to forgive.
But there is nothing ungodly about standing up to someone.
That is not engaging in dis-harmoy or dis-unity, or what ever you call it.
It's not.

Family Christmas Gift

2011-02-19T19:10:00.000-08:00

So Stu's parents, my dad and Stu and I, for the family, got a player piano for Christmas.
It came with 140+ rolls! Half of these music rolls were produced between 1910 and 1040.
The roll I have selected for today is from the teens; "Jolly Robbers Overture".

Bad Fridge Update

2011-02-19T16:00:00.000-08:00

This weeks installment of BAD FRIDGE includes some new ones as well as some old ones:

By Colin, Jason and Scout

By Mih

I think this was a Scout and Jason endeavor.

By Scout

By Mih and Blake

North Oregon Coast February 2011

2011-02-17T09:49:00.001-08:00

The wind was CRAZY! We walked out along the inner side of South Jetty. There was no way, in this wind, that we were going to be able to climb up and walk along the top.

Scout loves the wind! It was even difficult for her to stay upright while standing on the observation deck:

Dunes north of the jetty.

Astoria's Flavel House:

Astoria's Flavel House.

Studio Lamps

2011-02-15T18:04:00.000-08:00

So I got my new lamps in my office today, and they complete my workspace. I got them at a local antique store. Someone had glued a bunch of copper pennies (are there any other kind?) to the circular - uh, thingies on the posts, and it was not working with the stainless and brushed steel composition. So I painted the pennies black, and then affixed a stainless washer to the front of each one using a bubble of hot glue for each. The finishing touch is to cover up the clear blobbule of glue poking through each centre with a dab of clear opalescent nail polish. Fini! And the shades cast a dazzling gobo all over my already geometrical art. It s a feast for the eyes! It's a 120 watt headache. It's a lighting director's nightmare...

...but I LIKE it.

Deleting Facebook Completely - not just deactivate it.

2011-02-15T12:46:00.000-08:00

It IS possible...although difficult to find the forms, links etc.

The following link is provided by VJK, on his own blog, who has shared the means by which you can entirely delete your account.

Not merely deactivate it but delete it entirely.

Once you submit the delete request, it takes them frikkin' 14 days to get around to it. And you need to make sure you NEVER login, even via mobile device, during those 14 days, or the process stops and does not start again unless you manually go back in and re-submit.

Anyway:

Read up on how to get it done at the following link:

Delete Your Facebook Account Entirely

Many many thanks to VJK for sharing this information!