We didn't break the record.

For the last couple of weeks several TV weather persons have been dwelling on the fact that this has been our second snowiest winter (December through February) ever.  I know they were hoping we would break the record and I believe we missed it by about 2.5 inches.  I can understand their point, if we've had to put up with a very cold, very snowy winter it might as well be a record breaker.  The irony here is that they are predicting 6 inches of snow this weekend, sadly those dates are March 1 & 2, so it won't count toward the record breaking total.  Hard to tell which is more frustrating, missing the record "by that much" or having to deal with yet another snow storm.  But it will be March and eventually sprint will come, although with all the "mountains" of plowed snow sitting around, we may be able to build snowmen in June.

Another questionable statistic

I heard a statistic on TV news this morning, and I've heard it or something similar before, but I really find it hard to believe.  The report said "One third of all American children are obese."  What is the definition of obese? I've always thought it meant really fat.  I was a substitute teacher for a couple of years about five years ago and in all the classes I taught, different ages, different social and economic backgrounds, there was never more than one, maybe two children in a classroom of 25 or so who appeared to be overweight.  Over the last three years I have picked up my grandchildren from various schools at least once or twice a week and again, as hoards of jr high and elementary students come streaming out of the schools I see very few who appear to be overweight.
Don't get me wrong, I'm all for a healthy diet and I think kids (and adults) in this country consume way too much sugar, but I really don't see that many obviously fat kids running around, so again, what's the definition of obese??

That's a pretty good reason!

I'm planning to retire in 12 months - I'll be 70 and that seems reason enough to me, but I'm always interested to hear other people's reasons and I heard a good one today.  It was reported on the news this morning that US Congressman Dingle has announced his intention to retire at the end of this term.  He's 87 and gave as his reason that he didn't want people to say he stayed too long.  That seems like a good reason.  The reporter went on to say that the congressman's wife will probably run for his seat - no mention of how old she is.  I love it.

baking blondies

Blondies are like brownies - similar texture, nice and chewy - but made with brown sugar, yumm!  I baked a batch this evening because it's my turn to bring the treat to staff meeting tomorrow, and I must say they do smell delicious.  After I pulled them our of the oven listened to a weather report on TV which said we are getting snow tonight.  My first thought was aw, darn, if the weather is really bad I might have to stay home and eat the blondies myself.  Then they said It will probably be less that an inch,. so I guess I'll have to share after all.

It's all in the touch

I took another granddaughter on her Christmas Gift shopping spree today.  These are so much fun for me.  We start with a set amount of cash and several hours of time so there's no rush, and never any pressure to hurry up.  It fascinates me how different each grandchild is in what they want to buy, where they want to shop and eat.  It's a unique experience with each of them.  The most interesting part of today's excursion was my granddaughter's criteria for selecting clothes.  We both enjoy bright colors but she also is quite picky about the feel of each piece of clothing - the softer, the better - so we spent a large amount of our time feeling clothes (with very clean fingers, I assure you). What fun!
s

old tech and new tech can play together

Two of my grandchildren are spending the weekend with me and this afternoon we spent some time beginning to clear out a storage room (aka junk room) in the basement.  Wonder of wonders, my grandson discovered, tucked away in a corner, all of the components - box, dual controls, etc. - of a Nintendo 64 system and a Zelda game, among others.  Considering where these were found (it's like an archaeological dig in that room) I think they must be about 20 years old.  What I really find astonishing is that my grandson was able to hook everything up to my 3-year-old hi def TV and it's working beautifully, it even looks good in the wide screen format.  How fun is that?

Even better than i expected!

I gave blood this morning and it was ever better than I predicted yesterday. First, I could see a TV from where I was reclining as they took my blood and the Olympics were on.  Second, they had donuts instead of cookies for the after-donating snack, yumm!  Third, they were giving away sleeves of Girl Scout cookies that someone had donated.  So, not only did I walk out feeling that I had done something good, I also came away with goodies, and, after my next donation, I should be eligible for my 9 gallon pin.  It's a win win win.

Giving blood

I'm giving blood tomorrow morning.  I love giving blood, not so much for the experience itself, although that's not bad, but because of the advice - "Be sure to eat a cookie before you leave."  Take it easy for the rest of the day, no heavy lifting."  "Be sure to rest, eat well and drink plenty of liquids."  In other words enjoy a guilt free day of goofing off.  No wonder I've gone back 70 times.

deliciously decadent

I love new experiences, especially tasty new experiences.  This evening I went with a group from our church to tour DeBrand"s Chocolate company, yumm.  We saw the centers kitchen, where all the soft gooey caramel and chocolate and fruit centers are made (all natural - nothing artificial) and tasted three samples.  then on to the ice cream kitchen where their truly excellent vanilla ice cream and 15 flavors of gellato are made. Two more tasty samples and on to the next stop, the kitchen where they make the shells (the luscious outer layers of all those yummy centers). And yes, more samples.  It was a fascination tour. Were the samples the best part? Absolutely!  Did I walk out without buying anything?  What do you think?

Say it isn't so!

I know it was a misstatement.  I know she didn't mean it, but this morning a news announcer, commenting on the dwindling supplies of salt in one city heavy hit by winter storms, said "And there are still five weeks left until winter!"  What?  Nooooo!

How do they do that?

It's no secret that I'm a huge fan of Olympics Ice Dancing and figure skating and I love watching the competitors but I am left with some questions.  First, how do they do spins (twizzles) first in one direction, then reverse, and not get dizzy?  Second, when the figure skaters are doing their elaborate spins, with their bodies contorted into amazing shapes, how do they keep getting faster and faster?  When you spin a top it slows down.  Why don't they?

they make it look so easy

I just finished watching the short programs of the ice dancing competition and they do make it look easy or maybe a better word is smooth.  It's hard to imagine the hours and hours of practice that have brought all of the competitors to the Olympics.  That 10,000 hours of practice people talk about have probably been passed long ago.  I enjoyed them all but the American couple, now in the lead, I think, who skated to music from "My Fair Lady" was just spectacular.  They "could have danced all noght."

Jumping a generation

I received a charming Valentine package from my family in Spokane today.  As I was opening the package and reading the hand crafted cards I was thinking "ah, yes this is from my niece and nephew."  Then I looked more closely and realized that this package was from my great-nieces and great-nephew.  How can that be?  The last time I saw them they were just babies, now they're crafting and signing cards?  Life seems to speed past when I'm looking the other way, but it's such fun to watch the family grow.

Does my cat need a friend?

Well, it's official.  I have another granddog.  My daughter and her husband decided that their dog Stella, a two year old boxer, needed a friend so they have rescued a six month old pup (mixed breed) from the SPCA and named him Wallace, Wally for short.  So now I'm wondering if my cat, Frances, needs a friend.  For several years Frances was one of three cats.  The other two have passed on to kitty heaven, and now, at 12 years old, she's an "only cat" but she really doesn't seem to mind.  She always seems happy to see me when I come home and spends a lot of time sitting beside or on me when I'm doing things like writing this blog.  I really don't think she wants to share me.  Oh good, I've talked myself out of the feeble urge to get another cat, at least for now.

Women's skeleton

Women's skeleton isn't what it sounds like - a bunch of bones.  It's actually an Olympic sport that I could almost imagine myself participating in.  Almost.  Women take turns getting a running start, flinging themselves face down on a sled about the size of a cookie sheet and hurtling down a steep, slippery, snow covered, curving slope, fastest one wins of course.  The reason I can almost envision myself doing this sport is that once you're on the sled, it's all done lying down.  None of this flying high into the sky and doing triple flips.  If you fall, it's only about two inches to the ground.  Of course at the speed they're going I'm sure you could still do some serious damage but it's fun to imagine.

I'm a born appreciator

I love watching the Olympics as I've mentioned before, and while I have never had the drive that it takes to put thousands of  hours into becoming the best in some activity, I can certainly appreciate it in others.  I gasp as those snow boarders fling themselves into the air, hold my breath as skiers hurtle down the long slopes and hurt when a skater falls down.  There ought to be an event for involved observers.  I think I could medal in that competition.

the sun-warm factor

We had another sub-zero night last night and a cold day today.  I think the temperature actually climbed to 12 degrees today.  Of course, through it all we heard dire warnings of wind chill factors (as low as 20 below this morning) but I think some consideration should be given to the "sun warm" factor.  Even if the temperature is sitting at 10 degrees, when you walk outside into blazing sunshine, it makes you feel warmer.  I haven't figured out how to measure it but I would like to hear a weather report like this "the high today will be 12 degrees, but when you stand in the direct sunlight it will feel like 23 degrees."  Doesn't that sound encouraging?

that's my excuse

Now I understand why I could never, even in my youth, have flung myself down that mogul ski slope flipping up and over in triple spins, landing perfectly and bouncing on down the bumpy slope.  It has nothing to do with my natural lack of coordination or inbred fear of hurting myself.  I'm just too tall.  All of those super skiers are about 5'8" tall or shorter.  I'm 5'10".  Obviously too tall, that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.

true confession

I am an avid Olympic fan and have been watching pretty faithfully each evening since they started but I must confess, this evening I turned away from the Olympics for one hour to enjoy my guilty pleasure, Downton Abby. I mean, how could I miss the newest episode of a great soap opera.  A person has to have her priorities.

I love watching the olympics

I really enjoy watching the Olympics - summer and winter.  In the winter, I find the various ice skating events most compelling, probably because I remember ice skating as a youth (very simple back and forth across the ice, nothing tricky) so I can imagine a little of what they are feeling.  Likewise, although I didn't do it often, skiing was fun.  Again I can imagine what they might be feeling.  On the other hand, I have never slid down a slope on a snow board but I watched in awe this evening as young men competed in the slope style snow board event.  I can't even begin to imagine launching myself down a slope, up and over a slope, then, high in the air doing 3 or 4 flips and landing balanced perfectly on the board, and then doing it three mroe times.  Wow -  fun to watch, I have absolutely no desire to ever try it.

Happy Birthday Tom

Today is my husband's birthday.  He would have been 79 this year but he died too young, almost eight years ago.  I miss him, we had planned to grow old together but plans don't always work out the way you expect.  I do believe that some how, some way we will be reunited, at least in spirit, in life beyond this one.  In the meantime I cling to the vision of one of my granddaughters who decide some years ago that Papa is a guardian angel by now with a diamond sparkly halo as big as a hula hoop, because that's how much we loved him.

snow mountains

As I was driving to and from work today, i was impressed by the snow mountains that have been piled up around the edges of shopping center parking lots and along the sides of streets and everywhere else snow can be piled more or less out of the way.  2014 has been very snowy so far!  I saw a few piles that could have been hiding cars or small trucks.  When I drove gratefully into my own driveway I realized I also have some pretty impressive snow mountains.  After seven plowings in January with little or no melting in between and our recent 9 inch February snow fall which has also been plowed off my driveway, I now have a 4+ foot high wall all around the borders of my drive.  That merges with the wall the big snow plows have piled up along the side of my road on both sides of my drive giving me the illusion that I live in a walled estate. Rather impressive I think.

thank you CVS

It was announced on the news this morning that CVS Pharmacies are going to stop selling tobacco products.  It will cost them a few million in profits and will take until about October to carry out the plan but I applaud them for making this decision.  I don't regularly shop at CVS because there is another chain drug store nearer to where I live, but I think I shall have to start.

another thing on my un-bucket list

I was reminded today of another thing I never wanted to do, a career choice wisely avoided.  I was a teacher for several years and during that time I always said that I could never be a school bus driver.  It's one thing to face a classroom full of students and quite another to turn your back on them and drive them around in a big old bus.  Today, as i drove two of my granddaughters home from school and maneuvered through the ice caked streets of their subdivision, I realized that over the last few day, school bus drivers all over the county have been driving on back country roads that must be just as bad or worse than these.  I salute them!  It's snowing tonight - a possible 6-9 inches, so they may get a day off to rest up tomorrow.

I'm looking forward to it

I had a wonderful conversation today with a friend at church who is about 10 years older than I am.  She has been doing quite a lot of satisfying volunteer work since she retired 15 years ago.  I told her that I'm looking forward to retirement (just one year away for me now) and I want to do some kind of volunteer work but I just don't know what I want to do.  She said to wait, and when I retire all of the busyness of my current schedule will drain away, and I will be ready and receptive when the right opportunity comes along.  I think that's wonderful advice.

the Seahawks won

Congratulations to the Seahawks, they won the Super Bowl easily.  I am not a huge football fan but when I tuned in for the last few minutes of the game I was expecting tension, a close game, instead I found an absolute run away rout. This doesn't seem to match the pregame hype but it always seems to be that way in the Super Bowl.  Now I can ignore football for another year and start to focus on the sports I really do like - the winter Olympics - bring 'em on!

taking up a hobby

I'm going to really retire in a year.  I've had two semi-retirements in the last few years; now I'm ready for the real thing. I've been thinking about taking up a hobby to keep me off the streets and out of trouble.  I participated in a two hour painting class recently which convinced me that I'm a pretty mediocre painter, so I don't think my kids would appreciate paintings as gifts at every holiday.  I've also considered sharpening my crocheting skills.  I can crochet but oh sooo slowly.  I suppose I could produce about one afghan a year - again I could give them as gifts - but if I hand on the afghans my mother-in-law made for me (which are truly lovely) I think they would be more appreciated.  So, what to do?  I need an inoffensive hobby which doesn't burden any one with less than wonderful gifts and also doesn't create a stockpile of more stuff in my house.  Hmm.. maybe I'll just keep on blogging.