We Cut the Cord

     No, really, we did.  Twice! I felt stupid when I accidentally sliced the cord to our new electric hedge trimmer the first time I used it this week, until I admitted it to dad and found out he did the same thing the first time he used it last month.  Just so you know, when you cut a thick power cord that is plugged into an outlet it makes a pretty good spark/flame.
     I don't know why it has taken us 33 years to buy a hedge trimmer, but it has.  Well, the first couple of years, I'll admit, we did not have anything to trim so it made sense not to buy a hedge trimmer.  But ever since then we have been truly missing out.  We know that now.  And boy, if I had had one of those things growing up it would have made quick work of the 200 feet of ivy I had to trim periodically!  But really, it is so great to have I was able to get all yardwork in the front of the house done in a day, and all ready for spring.  All the vines and shrubs are cut back and are going to look so pretty in about 6 weeks.
     And I do apologize to any of you who had to trim our ivy all those years using hand clippers, but hopefully it built character and helped to make you into outstanding citizens.

Happy Birthday Granny and Grandpa!

Francene would have been 85 on November 29th, and Earl would have been 87 on December 6th.
Happy Birthday!  We love you and miss you.

What a Guy

This is Reed cooking me an amazing birthday dinner of crab legs! And he also made an amazing breakfast. I am so lucky. We have great men in our family! Thanks for taking good care of us and making us feel special.

November happenings

I was on my way home from a day at the spa at Pebble Beach (an anniversary gift from Reed) and I just had to get some pictures of the pretty sunset. I whipped the little digital camera out of my purse and captured the scene. It was the perfect end to a wonderful day. Remember 2 rules: 1. Always carry a digital camera in your purse, and 2. If you are on 17 Mile Drive always take a picture, no matter what time of day it is.

This is me turning 53! We enjoyed having Brad and Caitlin for the holiday/birthday weekend.

Window pain

If you look carefully you can see an impression of a bird in flight on this window at church.  I have three more pictures, all of different birds (presumably) on the same window.  A little flock of birds hit the window at the same time! It was crazy to see images of four birds all in flight, with their wings flapping. Alas, there were several little piles of feathers on the ground below.  I guess it was some cat's lucky day.

We discovered this on a Saturday when we arrived to take our turn cleaning the building with the Grahams.  We gave high marks to the families that had cleaned the previous week.  Good job on the windows!

Things I Learned in the Pacific Northwest

Here is what I learned on my trips to Portland and Seattle recently:
1.  The fine for littering in Oregon is up to $6,230.
2.  You are not allowed to pump your own gas in Oregon.
3.  In Seattle you have to know the difference between 5 different kinds of recycling materials in order to dispose of anything.  That's how many varieties of bins you will encounter at the airport or the rental house you are staying in.

In case you are wondering, I did not get busted for the first one, but I did get busted for the second one.  And I just gave up on the third one and threw things in the "landfill" bin when Aunt Cory wasn't looking.  Sorry, Cory!

And in case you are still wondering, I did not actually throw anything out my window in Oregon, I just saw the signs on the highway, and I did not get cited for pumping my own gas---I got yelled at by the gas station attendant.  It was traumatizing.  And then I found myself blurting out that I was from California and didn't know, which I think made him even more disgusted with me.

Okay, people

Hey bloggers,

Our family blog is really dragging along these days so I decided to post something to pep it up.
     I am excited about some new used books I just got, but when you see what they are you will know why nobody wants to be in a book club with me.  The best thing about finding used genealogy books online is that they are SUPER cheap!  And in "like new" condition! (hahaha!) Imagine how excited I was to find, "New Mexico in Maps" for only $2 and "The Platte River Road" for $3 (it has some incredibly detailed trail maps).
     And the most exciting books of all....are you ready for this?  A three volume set of, "Guide to Federal Records in the National Archives of the United States"!!  That I got for FREE when a woman brought them into the Family History Center to donate, but we already had the series because I bought them for the FHC last year.  I think I paid a couple hundred dollars for them new from the National Archives last year. (The FHC paid for them.)
     If it were someplace other than the church I probably would have held a fundraising raffle for them, but even in a genealogy society I'm afraid we would not raise much money for them, since even among genealogists such a treasure is not as appreciated as it should be.  I mean, somebody was giving them away for Pete's Sake!  That was such a huge score for me, I was so excited, I lovingly toted/hauled them (they are very large and heavy) out to the car, and I pored through them when I got them home.  Next time you come to visit we will read from them at FHE.
     Now I know just how to find "Records of the Prison Industries Reorganization Administration" and "Records of the Shipbuilding Stabilization Committee."  At last!  Actually, I am excited for a bunch of other stuff like Bureau of Indian Affairs and Bureau of Land Management, and mining stuff.  Yes, I said excited.

Did you look in the garbage?

Well, all I can say is it's a good thing I had 4 pairs of glasses, because today when I started doing yard work I took off my glasses and put them in my pocket, and when I finished up and came in the house my glasses were not in my pocket.  Did I look in the garbage?  Sort of.  There was a huge amount of rosebush clippings on top, so I just peeked in.  Because of my brilliant foresight, however, in buying multiple sets of glasses, it was not a crisis.  It does make me a little sad to think I actually raked up a pair of glasses and threw them in the trash!

Magnetism

     A few months ago I was in a store picking out shelf paper.  It was a BIG store with LOTS of aisles and LOTS of products. The store was pretty empty (it was a KMart). As I was standing in front of the shelf paper trying to do math in my head, comparing patterns, etc.---you know, concentrating on a very important purchase---a couple walked up and stood right next to me to pick out shelf paper.  They were in my personal space.  I could not stand it.  I wanted to scream out, "I cannot think with you standing so close and discussing your shelf paper needs so loudly!  (Who takes their spouse to pick out shelf paper with them, anyway?  Maybe you do, but I cannot think of the last time R. cared about what kind of anything I bought for the house, least of all shelf paper.)  Anyway, I had to go roam around the store until they were finished so I could go back for my shelf paper.
     And so now I have been noticing how often that happens to me; how I can be standing in an empty aisle looking at something when someone comes out of nowhere to stand right next to me and look at the same thing. At the family history library it happened while I was finding a roll of microfilm---one out of almost 3 million rolls--- in one of the drawers.  It happened while I was looking at one small rack of newborn nightgowns at Target. It happened while I was pondering a specific kind of facial scrub at the same Target (different person, though).  I just think it's kind of funny now that I have begun to notice it.  I still want to say, "GO AWAY," but instead I just go away. I think I have a personal space issue I need to work on!
 

Senility/genius setting in

     I recently began to realize I have a funny habit.  It is either a sign of senility or a sign of intelligence.  I tend to buy certain items in quantity because I am tired of losing track of them (okay, just losing them) when I only have one.  These are:  glasses, toothbrushes, favorite kind of pen (already documented on this blog), tweezers, and scissors.  There are probably others I haven't thought of yet.
     I only notice when they all show up in the same place at once.  I recently found 6 toothbrushes that had made their way into one bathroom.  I guess I buy toothbrushes when I am travelling and have forgotten to bring one, and they end up eventually in one of our bathrooms.  But I do like having a lot because they tend to show up in suitcases, purses, or glove compartments just when I need them.  I was kind of surprised when I realized there were 6.  Then I found 5 identical pens in my purse. That's when I began to think I might have a problem.
     Many of you already thought I had a problem when I ordered 2 pairs of glasses and lost one before I had even worn them.  Then I lost the second pair and had to get 2 more.  I have done this several times.  Twice in recent months Marsha has been riding in the back seat of my car on the way to the temple and discovered glasses behind the seat, so now I have 4 pairs in use.  Life is so much easier with 4 pairs of glasses, let me tell you!
     Today when I discovered 4 pairs of scissors in my office I began to ponder on this trend/problem/sign of senility/brilliant solution to aggravation.  Now I am remembering that they say genius is only a step away from madness, so there you have it.

The World is a Good Place

     Today I was at Home Depot buying some stuff to dog-proof the side garage so they can sleep there while we are out of town. I bought these giant panels of wire mesh stuff that I am going to attach to the shelves so they can't eat the boxes on the shelves.
     Anyway...what I really want to share with you is what happened when I was trying to load it in my car.  I guess when I was in the store I was imagining the back of my car larger than it really it is, because when I got out there it looked rather impossible.
     As I was struggling to get the 3 giant things out of the cart and into the car, the cart was kind of rolling, and the panels were obviously not going to fit in my car besides.  Just then this young man in the truck next to me hopped out and grabbed the cart, steadied it against his truck and asked where I was going because he was going to put it in his truck and take it there for me.  When I told him King City he apologized that it wasn't on his way, but then took the wire stuff and began to roll it into a giant cylinder that would fit in my car.  These two other guys ran up, and because they couldn't speak English, began to motion that they could help roll it and the three of them began to work on it.  Then the first guy ran over to his truck, pulled out a giant rope to tie it all up, and they fit it all in my car.  It all happened so fast I was amazed.  I was so grateful and thanked them for their kindness. When I got in the car I got all choked up thinking about all the good people in the world, and I was thankful some of them had been so quick to help me. And then I thought to myself that the men in our family would have done the same thing.
   It reminded me of the time a few years ago in Salinas when I had a flat tire in traffic, and as I was pulling to the side of the road in a semi-panic a car followed me, and a man jumped out and changed my tire faster than I could believe.  He had his little family in his car waiting for him, and when I thanked him and told him I was amazed how fast he was, he said in broken English, "I am mechanic!"   So that is why I say The World is a Good Place.

K.C. es un ciudad bueno (did I say that right?) y muy chistoso (can a city be funny?)

     So last night dad and I were trying to decide what to do for date night.  Hmmm.  K.C Cinemas, El Taco, or the Grill?  I had heard there was a ribbon-cutting this week for a new taqueria, but I was not feeling that adventurous. There was nothing good at the three-plex, and we just wanted to eat some pink bean soup, so we went to the Grill.
     Afterward we wanted to do something exciting (I mean, even MORE exciting), so in honor of the new taqueria we decided to drive through town and count the number of taquerias, and also count the variety/grocery stores.  I put them in the same category because they all sell more than food (pinatas, anyone?)  Actually, I could also count them as taquerias because most of them sell burritos and tacos, too.  It was a fun activity. I kept the tally on the back of a bank statement.
     We drove through the industrial park off Metz first, in case something had sneaked in there, but only saw the Chopper Shop deli, so that did not count.  Then we went down Broadway to Vanderhurst, drove through the library parking lot and looped back onto Bassett via Third to catch the little stores there.  In two blocks we counted 14 grocery/variety stores!  This excited me and I could not wait to drive the rest of the way down Broadway. I had to make dad go more slowly because I was missing some.
     Did you know the Chinese restaurant and the optometrist next door are now taquerias?  And the detail shop and the old Reel Joy theater are now grocery/variety stores?  One time I went shopping with Maricela and she took me to several places, because she has a certain place that has the best tortillas, another place for the best meat, etc. It was fun to go with someone who knew what she was doing.
     Anyway, we went everywhere (in other words:  all the way down Broadway), and by the time we were done we had counted 25 grocery/variety stores and 15 taquerias (but we all know which one is best)!  Next time we are going to count beauty salons and auto parts stores.

Highway 46

On my way home to K.C. Friday I stopped to admire the beautiful wildflowers on Highway 46.  There were Lupine and Daisy-like flowers, and others I didn't know the name of.

The Poppies and Lupine looked so pretty together.  If you look on my Facebook photos you will see some amazing wildflowers and orchards from a few weeks ago on Hwy 46.

Go eat rocks

These are pictures from the Arizona Museum of Mines and Minerals.  All of the "food" items are actually rock specimens of one kind or another.   Isn't it great?  It is the result of one couple's lifelong hobby of collecting rocks that look like food.  Awesome hobby.  

 Even the ketchup and the milk are made from powdered minerals.

I like the pickle and olives.  The lemon chiffon pie is Travertine marble.

Breakfast Rocks!
There's even a bottle of vitamins.  Look at the butter pats and jelly, too.

Stake Conference

     Stake Conference weekend went well, and dad topped it off with a four hour Coordinating Council meeting in San Jose later Sunday afternoon.  Yikes.  I felt so sorry for him I even packed him a lunch.  I am generally not so thoughtful!
     The funniest part of the weekend was on Sunday when they called on several members to come up and bear their testimonies, and one of them, Mary A. happened to be out in the foyer where she didn't hear.  So her husband went out to tell her they had just called her name and she thought he was playing a joke on her.  She wouldn't believe him no matter what he said, because she pictured herself walking up to the front and everyone wondering what she was doing.  Finally her daughter came out to the foyer and told her it was true and she sort of believed her, so she poked her head into the chapel and dad saw her and waved her up to the front (inconspicuously).  Nobody else knew what had gone on, but she told dad afterward and we had a good laugh, especially because Mary thought it was funny, too.
     We had really good attendance, but our numbers will probably be down next time because of  all the people that were called on the last couple of conferences!  It was really great to hear from so many people, though.

Stake Temple Day

We had a wonderful Stake Temple Day last week in preparation for our Stake Conference coming up this week.  We are estimating there were between 250-300 people there.  There were so many people there we had to use two rooms, and also had to bring in folding chairs in addition to that. People had to squeeze into the chapel beforehand, and then we discovered people lining the hallway as we left the chapel.  Wow!  It was quite wonderful. We have such an obedient stake.  The members are always so responsive to any invitation from the Stake Presidency.  They are really faithful people and we love them.  I know it will be a great Stake Conference this weekend and am really looking forward to it.

Happy Valentine's Day

I am just thinking of my family today and how much I love each of you.  So Happy Valentine's Day Reed, Ian, Sarah, Camden, Danny, Michelle, Brad, Caitlin, Terry and Caitlin. You each amaze me in your own way and make me so happy!

Where do pens come from?

I buy pens in bulk.  I only buy one kind - Pilot G-2 in black - but I do like variety so sometimes I get the .07 size, but usually it is .05 or even the new 0.38.  So, I ask you, where do all these other pens come from in my house?  In my "Uncle Joe's Mint Balls" pen jar in the kitchen, and my office jam-jar right now there is a Bic GripRoller, a Uniball Vision Elite (blue!!),  a Pilot Precise V5 (again with the blue!!), a Pilot V Ball Grip, a Bic stick pen (horrors), a Bic Soft Feel (semi-horrors), and a Monterey Family History Center pen (okay, I know where that one came from).  I cannot possibly be expected to use one of these inferior pens. And where have all my Pilot G-2s gone?  I only count four.  I can only conclude one thing:  Pens are migratory.

I spend a lot of time studying human migration patterns and it is very interesting.  I imagine tracking the life of a pen until the day it runs out of ink, and if it doesn't just end up in a junk drawer (or drunk drawer as one of my kids used to say), it would have an interesting tale to tell.  Seriously.  Think of how far one pen could travel, and all the things it could witness.

I think there is a flow of pens in the universe that is a kind of yin yang thing - it all balances out.  When there is an imbalance in a home or purse caused by an influx of pens, a certain number of pens are required to leave.  I hate to point fingers, but I think Reed unwittingly tips the scales with the stray pens that make their way into his shirt pocket and then onto the counter and then into the "Uncle Joe's Mint Ball" jar.  I am not worried about his many clients losing pens to him, though, because I know that Universal Pen Yin Yang will balance things out for them.  And they, too, will learn to love Pilot G-2s in black.  (They are archival-safe, you know.) And don't even get me started on pencils.

Witness Protection

So now I have proof that Greenfield Ward is part of the witness protection program. The three new families who just moved in are named Jones, Smith, and Brown.

Who cares about the tires?

     Today I learned that I have "wheel locks" on my car. And then I learned that when you have "wheel locks" you have to have a special key to get them off so you can replace your really, really bad tires with really, really new ones. 

      It's too bad I did not learn this before I drove to Costco Tire in Salinas, but if I had, then I would not have witnessed a most amazing 15 minutes at the beach in Monterey.  That was after I went to the dealership in Monterey and found out they had no way to get my wheels off.  I was sad. 

     But then as I got onto Hwy 1 to go home I saw the most glorious scene before me, and fortunately I had brought my camera.  So here you will see some of what I saw and you will think, "I must find a way to move back to King City so my bad days will turn out good, too."

     Lest you think only Monterey has good days, the last two pictures are of the Salinas Valley, taken from River Road.

Earthworm Day

[Having been inspired by my daughters-in-law, Sarah, Michelle, and Caitlin, I vow to blog on this space created for Reed and I by my son Ian.]

It has been raining cats and dogs here this whole week.  And I guess it's raining earthworms, too.  Yesterday I had two opportunities to contemplate earthworms---Where do they come from?  What are they thinking?  No, really, What are they thinking?  Do they even have brains?  Because from what I saw yesterday I conclude they do not.  Or, just maybe, the thing to learn is that not only do they have brains, but also a sense of adventure.  

The dogs and I have been on Rainy Day Schedule, which means we are in the house together all day working on our special projects.  In the afternoon yesterday I took them outside to feed them, and in their dog dishes and water bowl I found a bunch of earthworms swimming.  Well, maybe they weren't swimming but were merely struggling  for survival.  Do earthworms breathe?  Were they trying to get out or enjoying some recreation?  It seemed to me they were trying to get out, so I helped them.  Also, I didn't want the dogs to eat them.  

But that made me wonder, seriously, how they got in there---why they got in there.  Did they fall from the sky?  The patio would be covered with worms, unless these ones had parachuted and landed in the bowls.  No evidence of tiny parachutes.  Surely they were not trying to find water, because where they live (under the lawn, I presume) there is presently a lot of water.  So, they must have been flushed out of their underground homes by too much water.  If so, why did they head straight for the water bowls?  Hmmm.  I think I just figured it out.  They could not see into the water bowls to know they were death pools---they thought (if they have brains) they were heading for higher ground, a shiny silver mountain slope that was their only hope.  They reached the top and then...how sad.  I am so glad I arrived in time.

Later, when I crossed my bedroom to turn off the light I noticed a piece of brown yarn in the middle of my white carpet.  I didn't have my glasses on. I reached down to pick it up, but just in the nick of time I noticed it move slightly.  Yechhh.  My first instinct was to be grossed out that an earthworm was in the middle of my bedroom.  Then I got a grip on my emotions and reached for a newspaper to transport the worm outside, the whole time revisiting my earlier ponderings on earthworms.  How did it get in my bedroom?  Why did it come there?  Was it the same worm I had rescued earlier?  Man, such an adventuresome worm!  Sorry, but you cannot stay, I thought to myself as I tried to get it onto the newspaper. It was not as easy as one might think.

It is my understanding that when a worm is cut in half it will grow back into two worms.  Is that true? I hope so.  Because somewhere in our backyard there are two worms thinking, "I have been where no worm has been."  (Do worms have brains?)

Mom and Dad's space

This is space for Mom and Dad to post whatever they want.