Sunday, December 21, 2008

Weather Patterns

Let me make one thing clear first...I studied human beings and biology not weather....but 9 times out of ten my forecast is more accurate than theirs...I am thinking they are "job security" trained in school...so where is this going? Well it is moving on into a commentary about weather...and people who just dont get it....

Living in Washington State for much of my life...and spending a portion of that at the mouth of the Straight of Jon De Fuca (one of the worlds most stormy regions)....I learned (from my mother) to chart the weather on my calendar every day...I still have these calendars if any weather men would like to study them...

What I discovered...NOTHING! In Washington state NO two years are the same...the only thing you can guarantee there is that 92% of the year it will be precipitating...unless you live in Neah Bay then 99.6% of the time it is WET! And that the people there have fins.

So through the rain we lived...makes doing the hair a very short lived process. But every five years or so the rain would just not show up....and that my friends was a year they called water shortages....now how can you run out of water when it falls from the sky so much of the time? anyway...those years we actually felt like the sunshine liked us.

BUT...that fire luxery was short lived and the following winter would allow us to see that white fluffy stuff I missed so much.....Two inches and I would pile it on the stairs for the kid to sled...complete with mittens and hat at 40 degrees..but by morning the rain had returned and the snow hill became steps again.

I remember one year we awoke to find about three inches on the ground...and it was still falling. Waking the children we forgot breakfast as we raced to get ready to join the neighbors in a sledding adventure. Now remember we lived in the city...the only hill we could find was the one leading to the now closed free way....just half an acre of grassy hill surrounded by two major roads and an on ramp....became a winter paradise for five young kids and their parents.

We spent the day sledding untill the snow was mud from the amount of usage. That afternoon we returned home and realized we were very hungry lol....well we are in Washington....so out came the chicken and BBQ's (chicken BBQs best in the rain...but not so good in the cold)...finally we sat on the porch with our plates and mittens and watched the sun set...enjoying the time with the kids and neighbors.

We awoke the next morning to over a foot of new snow....now this put the Pierce and King county areas on complete stop mode....Nothing moved for almost three days....that my friends and family was the most beautiful three days I had in the 18 years I lived in that state. To see a state of complete activity come to a stand still for a few days is like witnessing a miracle. Better than that was watching the parents and their children play snow games in the closed streets....

Why were they no plowing? Well that is the moral of this story...see snow comes very infrequently to the west side of that state...they need rudders on their cars not studs, on the other side of the mountain range however, is a completely different story...so one year King County got together with Pierce county...they needed money in their budgets...as several bridges and roads needed repair (this is the ironci part)

Their brilliant idea for quick cash was to sell all the snow plows and sanders except one for the inter state to Yakima and their surrounding counties....thus we had money for roads...they had workable plows....all were happy till that winter....

So what of the roads? How did they get plowed with just one plow? They did not....someone forgot the airport....with one of the nations leading international airports that plow was very busy just keeping a runway open for those air travelers. Thus...the entire Pierce County and King county area came to a stand still till the rain came back....a full week of almost complete shut down....like a metropolitan ghost town...and a wonderful memory for my kids and I....hope they remember that week as I do....we lived off Christmas goodies and garbage as the grocery store shelves were bare from the mass panick that ensued when the snow first began to fall...

Thursday, December 18, 2008

What can I gift for Christmas....

After reading the email I received from my sister I have thought long and hard about the rules posted for our family gift game....I love this idea by the way....but you left several openings for me to get back at everyone involved or who knew of the involvement of the red water I dealt with for a month....so...one of these things just could end up in that gift exchange....out of love mind you...hehe

1. One stupid yellow cat who can not walk his lazy butt to the litter box and just loves to leave messes in the laundry and plants....someone in this family has a lot of energy and could provide for a very nice home for him....

2. About 500 candy molds taking up space in my cupboards.....these could be quite useful to a girl scout or candy maker.....

3. Four hundred pairs of barbie shoes...now these are priceless and I am sure would go well with a bra collection....

4. Two stoves and a dryer....now these would provide hours of fun for someone who just loves to store junk in his garage....bet a hoover craft or battle bot could be made from these, one that makes coffee....

Now these are just a few of the ideas I am getting as I go through the house and clean daily....got a few tires and some car parts that someone may need also....a broken scooter that could be utilized with the dryer and stoves.

Now the spirit of Christmas is giving....but I can not help but put my own wish list here too....

1. Candy making with dad.....one of my most cherished child hood memories.

2. Mama coming and cleaning my house....again a great thing about being a kid...hehe

3. A day of listening to NO fights or arguments.....wonder if the ones that can give me this will know it is them I am talking about....

4. A law stating the word "mom" can only be muttered in french...I hear that is a "romantic" language.....

5. A weekend with my hubby....paid...hehe (that always helps) alone....with out his damn phone.

6. A fun filled child's mentality Christmas....when the magic was still in the thought of Peace on Earth and Good will to ALL. (for me anyway).....

I hope this Holiday finds us making lots of new happy memories, laughter with full bellies....and a nap....now that is Christmas.

Monday, December 15, 2008

Happy Birthday to my Hubby

Well the poor man gets jewed out of a birthday every year...that is what happens when you are born to close to Christmas.

This year he gets "Thanksgiving Dinner"....see I missed the turkey soup...and wanted left over turkey...so I am using his birthday as a good excuse to make a big dinner. He will come home to the time to take a shower as I have plans for the kids to be doing the cake decorating, much more exciting than tackling dad I hope.

I will have a cold beer and the remote ready for him as I am sure after turkey and a couple cold beers he will be sleeping soundly in front of the rodeo or some other competitive program...now to figure out a way to keep Melissa off the poor guy for just one night.

Being a work night, and Anna having a new boy who takes her to dinner we will probably just be us....that is ok cuz then there is more cake for me...hehe...I mean Eric...

Saving our energy for Christmas, and being stingy with the turkey...hehe (hey I should not admit tha,t sorry) plus Jack and Wanda called today to let Eric know his birthday present is THEM....yes they are venturing up to Anchorage tomorrow to see him for his birthday...now I have to share the soup...(again I hoped to be stingy...sorry)

I am not telling you what his gifts are, just that he will actually get some this year...only because it is a good excuse to get him something he realy needs in a very bad way......

Have a good day all and do not freeze your tushies out there

Happy Birthday Baby (even though I know he will not read this)

Sunday, December 14, 2008

Division Twisters

Read each tongue twister below then solve the division problems....

1. Six slithering, slimy snails sniffed sixty-six savory sausages and proceeded to slurp them all. If equally divided, how many savory sausages did each slithering, slimy snail slurp?

2. Four famous frogs flipped five times when they saw fifty-five frosty freezes. If the famous frogs sipped equally the fifty-five freezes, how many frosty freezes did each famous frog sip?

3. Eight elegant elephants ate eighty-eight great, green grapes. How many great, green grapes did each elegant elephant eat?

4. Four fabulous fish found forty-four foaming, frothing figs at the bottom of the pond. If the four fabulous fish equally divided the foaming, frothing figs, how many did each fabulous fish consume?

5. Nine nanny goats knitted a total of ninety-nine nifty napkins. If the nine nanny's knitted an equal number of nifty napkins, how many nifty napkins did each nanny goat knit?

BONUS: Thirty-three thirsty thrushes each flew three miles to get a drink. How many miles did each thirsty thrush fly?

Saturday, December 13, 2008

Why Is Bob Smiling?

Meet Bob....



"About half the people in the world want to be free of bills and a daily grind, I’m one of them. My dream is to travel freely about the country, seeing new places and meeting new people. It’s hard to take the steps necessary to live a freedom type lifestyle. It’s hard to separate yourself from your security and material belongings and move completely out of your comfort zone. However, if you’re determined enough it can be done. Sometimes life hands you a “Do-Over” - a window in your life where you can do everything over, exactly like you want. That’s what I’m doing."

Meet...Joyce, Dee Dee, Dolly and Doc...













































Bob is smiling because he is slowing down and enjoying the world we live in. From reading his blog I am guessing he has not always been smiling as he has lived a life quite similar to the majority of America's population.

Bob may be a dreamer. But he is following a dream I too have had since I was a small child...traveling this country by horse and carriage. Now I have not posted a picture of his "wagon" as I hope to tempt many more to follow his adventure as he ""reconquers the migration of American history"

Not sure where he will end up, or how long he will travel, or even what path he will take, but I am sure he will meet many new people, see many wonderful sights, and smell an abundance of sunrises from the most beautiful portrait ever....

Wednesday, December 03, 2008

Should be doing something...but I am not.

The house is half decorated, the kids are at school,
laundry has washed, and the dryer now cool

dishes are stacked clean on the counter,
except for the silverware that does not seem to matter.

A hot cup of coffee, streams in my mug,
my doughnut dropping crumbs on the rug.

I know I should move, get off my butt,
accomplish something, but I just don't know what.

Dont wanna hang another Christmas light,
Dont wanna wash, those spoons give me a fright.

So I am gonna sit right here, in my chair,
and just pretend, the work is not there.