Christmas, 2017

So Christmas is in 3 days...it's been fun getting ready for it.  The tree below is the result of Aria helping decorate it.  We went to the tree lot last week, and I was so impressed about the lot itself.  All of the trees were perfectly shaped, and each tree sat in it's own bucket of water.  That's the difference between here (Ukiah, CA) and the bay area.  I've never seen a tree lot go to that much trouble for trees.  It's Elliott's Trees at the Ukiah fairgrounds, and their prices are even more reasonable.  I was totally impressed.  So it wasn't hard for Aria to pick out the perfect tree.  Charles cut out a square piece of plywood to attached the holder to, and painted it red and green.  Then we set about decorating it.  Aria spent the night, and we decorated until we got tired, then finished it up the next morning.  Put some lights in the window, and away we go.

This week I've been making cookies, buying groceries for Christmas Day dinner, and finishing up all the last minute things for Christmas.  I have everything bought except the White Elephant gift for Christmas Eve at Rick/Jackie's.  I'm going to go buy it tomorrow and have a great idea for it.  The gift exchange is always fun.

So here's the finished tree...

And here are my three sweet girls, Nettie, Aria and Zoe when they went to Fort Bragg one Saturday to the beach.  These are the girls I live for, love and cherish.  They are all three my heart, and I love them dearly.  Nettie asked if they could do Santa presents at my house, so Santa will be bringing presents here for all to open.  They will just do stockings at their house.  So presents, something special I will make for breakfast, then dinner probably around 4.  CKW has his AA meeting most of the day and offered to take a baked ham, so I'll bake it and cut it for him.  It should be a fun day with the kids.  Oh, and the Warriors take on the Cavs at Oracle at 3 p.m. so that will be fun to watch the Warriors beat the tar out of the Cavs!!!  Ha.

It has been a good year, moving to Ukiah at the end of January (doesn't seem like almost a year has gone by).  Zoe being born was the best part of 2017.  She is 6 months old, starting to stand when you hold her hands, starting to sit up a bit, she rolls over somewhat, and everything she grabs goes directly into her mouth.  When she wakes up she has the most adorable smiles, her two little dimples show, and she is so happy.  I get to see these girls probably about every other day for some reason or other, Aria spending the night usually Sundays after they all  come over for dinner, taking her to school the next morning.  We are less than a mile from each other, and we have a great relationship.  They are a lovely family, and I'm so glad that I moved up here to be by them all.

The year has gone by, whoosh, so darned fast, I can't believe it.  It's almost 2018, another year.  I signed up for two on-line, year-long classes 1) LifeBook 2018 with Tamara Laporte, and 2) Wanderlust2018, with Kasia and Jamie.  I plan to be much more active in my art in 2018.  I did pretty well in 2017, attending 4 art shows (Martinez Swan Day, and Art In The Park, in Benicia for the Peddler's Faire, and in Ukiah for Pumpkin Fest).  Each one was productive and mostly profitable.  Met some nice people, and some friends came to each of my events (I have awesome friends).

So here's to 2017 being a great new experience for me, and here's to a very wonderful 2018, full of family, art and life.

Christmas Is Coming

So it's been a couple months since I've posted, so here I go.  The fires are over, they were totally devastating.  Between here in Ukiah, Napa, Sonoma, Santa Rosa, there was such devastation, but thankfully I didn't know anyone personally who lost their home.  All my family in Napa are all safe, friends in Sonoma are all safe, though some evacuated for a few days.  I've taken drives up to Willits and seen the results on the side of the freeway, on Hwy 128 when I went to Napa for Thanksgiving, many lost structures back in there close to Calistoga, and on a recent trip to Santa Rosa.  It is right there, on the side of the freeway, so sad for all these people and business that lost their homes.  We've all made donations to various organizations, and will continue to do so for a bit.

Christmas is getting close.  I had told my sis-in-law recently that we probably would not be down to Martinez for Christmas Eve this year, as it is just too much to go and come back the same evening, but Nettie decided she wants to take the girls and go with me to Rick's for Christmas Eve (Scott will be on call and cannot leave), then drive back that evening so we can all be home for Christmas morning with the kids.  So I have most of my shopping done already (whoa), only need to get a couple more gifts for kids and the white elephant exchange. Other than that, am trying to decide on a Christmas card design to make and send out to friends and family...it seems to be a difficult task this year.  I'm not "feeling it" when it comes to creativeness.  I need to make a decision this week and get started, as I need to make about 25 (or so) cards.  Then I need to start some decorating.

I will, of course, buy a real tree again this year.  I just cannot abide by fake trees yet, though at some point in the future I'm sure I will defer to a fake tree.  There is nothing like the smell of pine in December.  Nettie has decided that they will come over Christmas morning and open all the "Santa" presents.  They will open their stockings at their house, then Santa presents here (I am thrilled by this revelation).  I had told Nettie we could go over there, but she wants it here.  So I will make a nice "smell-good" breakfast to go along with present openings.  Then of course I will make dinner that day also, so it will be a nice family day.  Can't wait.

I joined a monthly charm swap on FB, and the picture below shows the "key swap" I participated in, and the keys I got as a result.  Everyone did a beautiful job, and I'm going to put them on the tree.  They all turned out beautifully.  That is the only swap I belong to, but they have something going every month.  Then I have decided to get back into my "wet" art, my journaling, painting, etc.  I am joining Wanderlust 2018 (again) this year...I joined 2017 but only did a few of the classes, what with moving, unpacking, etc.  I've copied them all to flash drive, so can still take all the classes, but have decided that come January I'm doing something "wet" almost every day during the week.  I really have missed it, and keeping my "wet" desk clear of "stuff" seems to be the problem.  So I'm clearing off the desk, keeping it that way so I can be creative like I want to be.  There, enough said.

 

Fires in Northern California

It is absolutely terrible, the amount of fires that are in California at this time.  The worst are in Napa, Sonoma and Santa Rosa.  The loss of houses, lives and devastation is horrific.  I was in Sonoma Sunday to have lunch with my friend Joel, and I left Sonoma driving on Arnold Drive.  When I got to Glen Ellen, the road to Hwy 12 was closed due to some sort of street fair they were having, so I had to double back to Madrone and take that over to Hwy 12.  Later that night, there was a devastating fire caused by heavy winds and downed power lines that totally engulfed and burned out many neighborhoods, including ones I drove past on Sunday.

So my friends Joel and Toni are currently safe in Sonoma, but have bags packed in case they get called to evacuate.  My sister Judy, niece Jenny, cousins Joyce and Vicki are all safe so far, but they have no power, phone service, etc. and even though surrounding areas are being evacuated, they are currently safe. 

There are a couple of fires just outside of Ukiah here, and Sunday Scott asked us to help him evacuate our friend's dogs and cars, as they are out of town on vacation.  So those items are safe, but the fires around here continue to burn.  It is just horrible seeing the loss of lives (10 so far) and homes lost during these fires.  The losses in Santa Rosa are heartbreaking, Kaiser hospital was evacuated, and the fire jumped the freeway.  I heard there was also a fire near Paul and Cherie in Clear Lake Oaks, but they are safe also.  I sent a message to my landlord who lives in Santa Rosa and he answered back that they are all safe so far.

It is so scary how quickly someone or something can be gone due to fires.  So very scary..  I thank God that we are all safe.  Homes can be replaced, but people cannot. 

Blog Day 26

Compare what you used to want with what you want presently.

Ever since I was a little girl, I wanted nothing more than to be a wife, mother and homebody.  Back in my day, that's what I was "urged" to do.  My grandmother taught me how to sew (I made my first full dress when I was 10) and bake bread (yum).  She also taught me a lot about being domesticated.  I also was raised by a father that thought women should stay home and not work (go figure).  My sister got to do all that, so I kind of wanted to be like her.  After I got older, I discovered Martha Stewart!

I watched Martha religiously every day, loving her homey ideas, yummy recipes, her take on home life.  I bought anything I could afford that she was selling.  I was so inspired by her.  I started collecting linens, dishes, planting pots, making some of the crafts that she made, collecting all the things that a wife should have to entertain and have a family.  I never could afford the "expensive" stuff, so I made do with "nice looking" stuff.  It always was nice and got me what I wanted.  I collected, and collected, and collected over the years.  I hid everything away thinking that I would actually get to use it some day.  I did once in awhile if I had a dinner party, but being single, those didn't happen very often.  I never did get married and have the kind of home life that I wanted to back in those days.

As I got older and realized once and for all that this enchanted life I'd dreamed of all my life wasn't going to come true, I started getting rid of all that I had collected.  Most of the linens, the 5 sets of dishes that I never used, the beautiful platters, bowls, teapots, vases, etc.  It wasn't until I was in my later 50's that I started getting rid of all these things, and I'm glad I did.

I've moved a couple of times since then, and now that I am older I like less clutter.  I've kept some of the linens to decorate now and then, only have 1 set of dishes (but they are the good dishes I saved all those years and didn't want to use because I thought they might get broken, and decided to use them every day instead of letting them collect dust), only a couple of teapots (I used to have quite a collection), and very little stemware.  I have kept the dishes that were my parents, but they do just sit there and collect dust.  I've realized that I don't like to pack it, move it, clean it, use it...I'm just over it all.  I want to simplify my life as I age, and not worry about"all that stuff".  I also don't want my daughter to have to deal with it all after I'm gone.

So that was the before, and now, and I'm much happier and less "handicapped" now.

Blog Day 22

Share something seasonal.

Well, today at 1 p.m. will be the autumnal equinox, the passing of summer into fall.  All I have to say is Hip Hip Hooray!  About the only thing I love about summer is having the sun out and about.  The heat I can do without.  I am not worth much when it is hot, and this summer has been especially hot in the north bay area.  Here in Ukiah we had many (too) days over 100 degrees, and many (way too) days with the a/c blasting full bore.  Finally fall has arrived.

My favorite time of the year.  It's time to start burning candles, hunkering down and making soups and stews, buying pumpkins.  Time for applesauce, caramels, pumpkin butter, pumpkin coffee, pumpkin everything.  I love this time of year.  It's cooler, a little overcast most days, almost time for sweaters and slippers.  The only thing I don't like about it is the changing of the clock and the fact that it gets darker earlier now.  It's already begun, you can tell the days are getting shorter as it's getting darker too soon already.  When it is dark outside, it feels like it's time to go to bed, and it's only 8 p.m.  It really does a thing on the psyche. 

I love the fall because of Halloween, and then Thanksgiving, and then Christmas.  I love the holidays and the time with family.  Halloween is a time for decorating the house and the porch, carving pumpkins, making pumpkin pies and yummy smelling breads.  I love, love, love the fall colors, oranges, yellows, reds and browns.  Leaves to walk in and jump in, squirrels gathering nuts.  Babies dressed up in pumpkin costumes, children going from  house to house saying "Trick or Treat".  To me, fall is my time of renewal, like New Year's Day.  Time to reflect on the past months, time to hunker down and "gather" for the fall/winter.  Time to make the home feel cozy and warm, have friends over to spend time with, start thinking about the holidays.

I love the fall time, and I'm so happy that it is here.

Blog Day 15

What's something you know for sure?

I know for sure that I believe in God and I'm going to heaven when I die!  And that makes me extremely happy.  Enuf said.

Blog Day 14

Share something that isn't widely known about you.

I almost died after giving birth to my daughter...It was 1989, back in Charleston, SC that we were living.  I went into labor at 4 a.m. and my daughter was born exactly at noon.  I had planned on having her naturally, but by 11 a.m. they broke my water at the hospital and found there was baby's stool in the water and her heartbeat was not healthy, so they decided to do a C-section. When I woke up from the anesthesia, they told me I had a girl, and I was ecstatic, and it was Thursday, February 16, 1989.  I fed the baby regularly, had visitors, and proceeded to get to know my little baby girl.  All was good...they removed half of my staples and sent me home on Monday and wanted me to come back Wednesday to remove the rest of the staples. 

At home life was obviously different with a new baby...how often does she need to eat, how often does she need a change of her diaper, three months to get to know each other.  I believe it was on Tuesday I started feeling something...whenever it was time to feed the baby and I had to sit up to do so, something didn't feel right.  It felt like I had diaper rash, a burning sensation down below.  My husband thought I was just being lazy and didn't want to feed the baby (men!).  On Wednesday we went to the doctor to have the other staples removed.  The doctor said my stomach was a little firm, but wasn't concerned.  We went home and proceeded to live our lives. 

On Thursday morning I got up and took my shower.  I noticed a bruise on my stomach, maybe about the size of my little fingernail.  Called in my husband and he insisted I call the doctor.  So I did.  My doctor was on vacation, so I talked to his partner.  He said based on where I told him it was located, the size, etc. that it was just a bruise from the surgery, and should it change in shape, color or size to give him a call.  End of phone call.  So the next morning, Friday, I get up and take my shower, and look at my stomach, and lo and behold, the bruise is as large as my fist.  Panic.  We call the doctor again, and he says to meet him in his office in 30 minutes.  We got dressed and headed for the doctor's office.  He took us into the examination room, laid me on the table and took a 6" Q-tip, stuck it down in my incision, and pulled it out.  It was completely black.  He said, "we are going to surgery NOW".  Appears I had gangrene.  Before I went into surgery I asked him point blank, "What's going to happen to me?" and he said "You are either going to live, or there's a possibility you are going to die.  Surgery is never a guarantee."  I was petrified of dying. 

I believe the surgery took 3-4 hours, I can't remember that far back, and when I woke up I was so groggy.  They kept me well sedated for about 4 days, and in Intensive Care.  What they did was to leave my stomach open for 10 days so that I could heal from the inside out.  The gangrene did not hit the fascia wall, so the doctor said I was lucky.  Every 8 hours they would come in, give me a shot of pain medicine, and literally hold me down while the doctor unpacked the cheesecloth with the dead cells, and repack my stomach (deriding).  The medicine they gave me was not enough to kill the pain, so after they did this procedure, they gave me another shot of medicine.  You cannot believe how painful that was, and it happened every 8 hours for 4 days.  Towards the last day, the doctor came in and said I was doing very well, the stomach looked so healthy and would I like to see it...I said "Hell, no".  I was too scared.

As I said, they left my stomach open for 10 days, then I had another surgery to close me up.  I was in the hospital for a total of 10 days, and during that time I was away from my baby.  I cried myself to sleep every night, I missed her so much.  I couldn't see her while I was in ICU, but after they put me into a room by myself, Charles and the baby came to spend the night.  I was in a fit whenever she wasn't with me, and when I couldn't reach Charles I got even more worried.  Charles was a full blown alcoholic and he would take the baby to the bar with him, or in the car driving drunk. I didn't know that at the time, but my mind went everywhere wondering where they were.  He also didn't bring her to the hospital when I asked...he brought her in his own good time, and that made me very sad.  I missed her terribly.

I finally got out of the hospital after 2 weeks, and we went home.  I asked Charles  a couple days before being released to make sure the house was clean so I wouldn't have to worry about it...he said no problem.  I was released on a Saturday, and on the way home we got stopped by the police for a burned out tail light.  Of course Charles didn't have a license (he was driving), so he got arrested, and I had to follow him to the jail and bail him out.  The doctor had told me I shouldn't drive for 6 weeks, hahaha.  Then when we finally got home, I got a look at the house.  Dirty dishes everywhere, dirty diapers everywhere, dirty sheets on the bed.  He didn't clean the house at all, and as a result of my surgery, it took me 2 weeks to get everything cleaned and picked up. 

It took me a year and a half before I quit having nightmares.  Of course after the first week, I didn't get to breast feed my baby because of the medicines they had me on.  And because I was in the hospital for 2 weeks, that interrupted my maternity leave by 2 weeks, and that went by so fast.  I have the most horrific scar from the surgery, and the worst part about the whole thing was that I couldn't get a lawyer to take my case.  When I asked the doctor numerous times what caused the gangrene, he said "sometimes it's just in your body, and comes out when it wants"...how ludicrous was that answer.
He was the partner of the doctor that did the surgery...the doctor that did the surgery never came by to see me, by the way.

Anyway, I'm blessed to be alive 28 years later, with a beautiful daughter, and 2 beautiful granddaughters.  Every time I think of that time, I know I am so lucky to be alive, and grateful to God.

Blog Day 13

Reminisce

I do that all the time...I remember.  I did that last night when I went to bed, I remembered.  I do that most nights when I go to bed.  It's a time when I can just think about past memories, good and bad, and relive them.  I reminisce all the time, I think many people do.  You think of a time that was good in your life, when things were so carefree, you were happy-go-lucky.  Life was wonderful you felt good and happy, you savored moments that you would store away, to sit there and wait until you were ready to draw it out again and go back and relive that memory.

There are memories involving past lovers, memories involving family, memories involving places, certain books, a good movie...all those memories have pictures that I take out and look at from my mind.  They take me back, and I remember.  There is a certain song that comes on once in awhile, and it takes me back to my days living in San Francisco, carefree times.  Times when money was short, but there was always food when friends came over from college to eat.  We all pitched in and brought something...ate, laughed, cried, made memories, good memories.  I think most people have those memories...they are good, they are necessary for sanity, they bring me to a happy place.

Keep reminiscing.

Blog Day 11

Give something away:  a printable, a mini class, a tutorial you did on You Tube, or sound advice about something your readership might benefit from.

So I missed the last two days, no biggie.  Just get back on the horse and ride on, my friend.  So I don't have a printable or a class to give away, and I've never made a tutorial on You Tube (probably couldn't afford the camera), so maybe I can come up with some sound advice.  Let's see...

When I was younger and just starting out working and starting my career, I didn't make lots of money.  I always made enough to get by, but because I didn't have a college degree I didn't get top salaries.  I had to struggle every month to make sure all the bills got paid.  Oh, some months the PG&E bill didn't get paid until the following month, because I saw an outfit that I wanted to buy, so the bill was put on the back burner. Or maybe the phone bill got postponed for another month so I could take a weekend away someplace.  Heaven forbid there was money to put into a "retirement" account.  Thinking about age 65 back in my 20's was unheard of for me.  I wouldn't seriously think of it for another 19 years or so.

By then I was raising my daughter as a single parent, had astronomical day care and commute expenses and really didn't have any extra monies to put into a 401K.  At that time I worked for a company that matched what I put in, so I started with 2% of my salary going into an account.  My thought was that if I didn't do it, I'd never have any money to retire.  So you make adjustments and put that money away every month.  The next year I bumped it up another percent, so 3% was going into my account.  After a couple of years, the company automatically bumped it up a percent every January, assuming I would get a raise and could afford the bump.  I didn't always get a raise, but I kept up with the increases, finally putting in 10% before I lost my job.  The company matched my contributions by 6%, which was very generous (but they made huge profits which they didn't share with all the employees, only the "preferred" ones, of which I was not one, and didn't pay their employees the going rates, so this was a nice perk).  After 24 years, my boss told me I didn't know how to do my job, put me on a 2 month performance plan, and told me every week what I did wrong...the only thing she told me I did right was plan the potlucks!  So they covered their bases, wrote me up weekly, and one day slapped me in the face and showed me to the door.  I was devastated.  I filed for unemployment, which was nothing, looked for a replacement job (I was 61 years old) and struggled month to month not sure what was going to happen.  Really, the vibe I got from everyone, including the unemployment office, was "who do you think is going to hire a 61 year old?", really.

I took my sister up on her offer to talk to her financial guy and look into retirement.  I took all my information to him and we worked out a plan, and here I am retired.  It could be better, I could have more money in my account, but I'm dealing.  I am blessed to be where I am, but for the grace of God.  My advice to anyone is to start saving as early as possible, don't wait.  You never know what the future will hold, but you might as well agree it will be expensive.  So the earlier you start saving for retirement, or anything else like an unexpected expense, sock that money away as soon as you can.  It will relieve a lot of worrying and stress in the future, believe me.

Blog Day 8

Today's Nudge:  What do you do to foster joy?  What's your version of "flinging glitter in the trenches"?

Hmmmm, well like Effy said, there is always something gloomy going on, hurricanes, earthquakes, too much rain, too hot, not enough money, road are too bumpy..always something.  But I try to remember that even though everyone has trenches they have to go through, there is always something better once you get out of the trench.  You get older and wiser, you learn to put up with the crap out there because that is easier than having to trunch through it, or deal with it.  I mean you don't always have to get your hands dirty, you can just accept the way it is and leave it alone.

We all have good days and bad days.  The thing is is that you have to get past it and on to something else, take your mind off it, get involved in something that doesn't scream "me, me, me".  Go volunteer at a food bank or soup kitchen, go to a hospital and visit the elderly, offer to do something for your neighbor, get your mind off of you and put it on someone else.  Try to make their day a little better.  The pastor at my old church, he and his wife are always volunteering for things, offering to cook someone dinner, setting up for a craft fair in a town that isn't the one they live in, driving someone to a doctor's appointment.  They are all about what people "should" be doing, doing something for someone else.  I've done that at time, but not to the extent they do; they don't sit still for a minute hardly, always doing something for someone else.

I think that might be the key, but we all get there at different time hopefully.  Just keep trying and make somebody else happy before you and that gets the ball rolling.

Blog Day 7

Dump your mental and emotional purse all over the table that is your blog.  Don't sort it, don't apologize for it.  Just take an inventory, in list form, and let the old tissues and 20 year old mints fall where they may.

So I don't think I have any mental and emotional issues, 20 years old or not.  I've pretty much resolved all my old issues...well, most of them.  I still get a little irritated at my sister for being selfish about certain things.  She's 14 years older than me, knew my mom well before my mom died (I was 3 and a half years old), has many sentimental things that were my mom's (and grandmother's) that she won't share, took my childhood dolls from me years ago saying they were hers first and she wanted them back, and kept harassing me until she got them, trying to make it easier by telling me she would give me one or two of them once she "restored" them.  That was 35 years ago.  She tried selling 5 of them at my brother, Gary's, estate sale, and when I saw them I said "You'd rather sell these than give me even one of them", and she didn't say anything.

Don't get me wrong, she's so giving in other ways.  She shares holiday meals, lends money, offers support and comfort in down times, etc. etc., but with me we just have this "thing".  I've always put her up on a pedistal, wanting to be like her.  She married young, had 2 children, and got to stay home and be the mom and do the house thing.  She made clothes from scratch, baked, cooked, kept her home nice, all the Martha Stewart things I always wanted to do.  So I always looked up to her like a role model.  But the doll thing set me straight.  We are not rude to each other, call each other once a month or so, visit during holidays, etc. but she still has that "thing" where she just will not share certain things with me.  Don't know why, don't really care any more, but it's still there.

My only other emotional thing is that there is not enough time to do all the things I want to do, and not enough money to go to all the places I want to go...other than that, I'm good.

In the process of organizing papers and embellishments...Whatamess!

Blog Day 6

Today's nudge:  Write about your hometown, your roots, or where you come from.

I was born in Garberville, CA but when my mother died my father had 6 children (the 7th child already out on her own) to raise by himself.  He moved us down to the San Francisco bay area, Martinez actually, and joined the IBEW electrical union where he made good money, and that's where my roots are.  So many great childhood memories were had there.  When the youngest 4 kids were kids, my dad hired a daytime nanny/housekeeper to make sure we were not alone during the day.  She would make dinner, and when dad got home, we all sat down to eat, then he would take her home.  On the weekends, after working a long week, my dad would come home, pack up the 4 of us, and take us camping.  We'd go someplace a few hours away, drive off road (my dad hated being around other campers, and hated even more being in campgrounds) to find some out-of-the-way spot just for
us.  We would sleep under the stars in our canvas sleeping bags, giggling, telling ghost stories, making smores, fishing, exploring.  He'd pack us up and we'd go home Sunday, where he'd make us dinner, get the laundry on, and make us all take baths preparing for the next week ahead.  If it was during the summer, we didn't have to get ready for school, but during school time, it was to bed by 9 p.m.  No television on weeknights, no phone calls other than important ones, no being any place where he didn't know where we were.  If it was a weekend we didn't go camping, on Sundays we would go to San Francisco to either the beach (looking for rocks as my dad was a rock hound), or the zoo, or Playland By the Beach, the best ever amusement park on San Francisco's ocean beach.  What wonderful memories, Laughing Sal, the Fun House, the roller coaster, the hot dogs!  Oh, my.

Back in those days, in the 60's, life was so much different.  We could play outside until after dark and not worry.  We could keep our front doors unlocked and our windows open and not have to worry about anyone coming around.  We were so much freer then, doing things we wouldn't let our children even think about doing these days.  We were not rich, but we were not poor.  We didn't have a lot of toys; back in those days you made your own fun.  You rode your bike or your skateboard or scooter, you played baseball, tag, or hide and seek.  You built dirt forts, went swimming and explored the whole town.  There wasn't anybody you didn't know.

My father raised us to "treat people the way you want to be treated".  You treated everyone with respect, when you went visiting you sat still until you were spoken to, you did not ask for anything, but were allowed to take it if it was offered.  You never smart mouthed anyone, and got backhanded if you did.  You were spanked if you commented under your breath.  With me being the only girl, my father was very old fashioned.  In high school, I was not allowed to take drivers education (girls don't need to know how to drive, boys yet, girls no).  No makeup, no nylons, no going anywhere after school but straight home and do your homework.  No television on weeknights and to bed at 9 p.m.  I think I went to one junior high school dance, and no high school dances.  But you know what?  I would not change a thing about how I was raised.  I have respect for others, I have morals, principals and values, which seem to be lacking in many people these days.  I usually think of the other person first before myself, and make sure everyone has fun and is treated correctly. 

My family comes first and foremost, they are who have supported me my whole life, been there when I needed assistance, needed advice, needed a loan, needed work on my broken down car, needed help moving.  Family is the life blood of my every day existence, something that I hope I will never have to live without.  Family is who makes me what I am today, and I am very proud of that.

I have lived in Ukiah, CA for the past 6 months, and even though it is beginning to feel a bit like home, it will never be home like Martinez.

Blog Day 5

TODAY’S NUDGE: What is something you struggle with? What battles are you fighting that most people know nothing about? What’s something about you or your life that makes you feel weird, or different, or isolated?

My struggle is with my weight.  I've ALWYS been overweight.  Never really taught how to eat right.  My dad raised us after my mom died, and he was tall and slender, and all the boys were also (sister and older brother with weight issues were already out of the house when I was growing up).  So they could all eat whatever they wanted.  So when desserts came out, I got to eat also.  My problem is mostly sweets, but I love all food.  So over the  years rather than taking off a few pounds, I just continued to eat what I wanted, never minding the weight gain.  Now that I am 63, it bothers me, physically and mentally.

I've always been popular with most people, my weight never stopped me from doing things I wanted to do, but as I get older, it slows me down too much, and it doesn't seem to want to come off.  I don't necessarily feel weird, or isolated, but definitely different.  Although when you look at America today, so many of us are overweight.  It's becoming a health issue, everyone has Type 2 diabetes (me as well).  So that's my struggle.

Blog Day 4

I've already missed 2 days, but no biggie...just keep going.   Yesterday was hot again, 107 degrees.  Nettie, Aria and Zoe came over in the morning (11 a.m.) to go through some garage boxes of stuff we still have not unpacked.  Nettie wants to get a handle on all her pots, get some sold, get some ready for our craft fair.  So I brought in a couple boxes to unpack, brought in another sleeping bag to wash from our trip to Yosemite, and I was just dripping in sweat. I made chicken salad and watermelon for lunch...after a couple hours of them being here, they left to go home, then they came back for dinner.  Even though it was hot, I made (baked) ribs, corn on the cob, pasta, and watermelon.  Zoe was asleep the whole time, then decided to cause a ruckus, so off to their home they went.

Zoe is starting to be a little more animated, smiley faces, looking at you more and more, focusing those big, blue eyes.  She's only 2 months old, but she's such a cutie pie already.  Can't wait for everyone to meet her.  That probably won't happen until the end of September.  Scott is on call alternating weekends, so end of the month hopefully will work.  We will take Zoe down to the bay area to a park somewhere and have everyone come for a "meet and greet".  Should be fun.

What really stresses me out? and how do I keep going...well, there are a few things that stress me out, but the older I get, the less stressed I get.  I realize that it's not worth getting stressed over any longer.  I am retired, so the commute doesn't stress me out any more (thank goodness), and the stress of the job or the crappy boss doesn't stress me out any more.  Whether the house is clean certainly doesn't stress me out any more, even if somebody will be visiting.  All I need to make sure of is that the bathroom is clean and there are clean sheets on the bed if they are planning on using the spare bedroom.  About the only thing that has stressed me out this year is getting ready for craft shows.  Making sure that I have enough goods to sell.  Whether they are the "right" thing people want to buy, is not on the table.  You cannot predict what people are going to want to buy, so you must make what you make and hope that it sells, so that doesn't stress me anymore.  Other than that, I really try to not stress anymore.  It just is not worth it, the tole it takes on my system and nerves.  That realization has come with age, and determining just what really is important and what is not important.  Age certainly does factor in to much of how I arrange my day, and stress is definitely not included in the plans.

I did finish Leigh's Haunted Houses and got them delivered to her yesterday, so check one item off the To Do list...

September Already

Here we are Saturday, September 2, 2017 and I cannot believe it is already September.  This year has gone by way to quickly, with still so much I want to accomplish.  I have joined a group with Effie Wild (http://effywild.com)  to blog daily for 30 days.  So I'll give it a try.

Where am I...I'm currently in a mess.  My craft room is upended.  I just finished a couple of craft fairs with my handmade photo albums, cards and altered dominoes.  I was not able to physically be at the last craft show, so a couple of friends sold my stuff for me, and low and behold I made all my income from dominoes and cards.  Not a book sold.  I was surprised the dominoes were so popular, that there you go.  So I'm in the process of restocking all my finished goodies for the next craft show (Pumpkin Fest in Ukiah, CA on October 22-22, 2017).  Ever since I returned from Yosemite 2 weeks ago, I have not had much energy.  And on top of that, it has been HOT, HOT, HOT, over 105 for a few days now.  And you all know how much energy I have when it is hot...NOT A BIT!

Last week I drove down to the bay area (Martinez) as I had 2 doctor appointments and one dental appointment, all in one day.  I left home at 8 on the dot, and at 8:05 unbeknownst to me, my first doctor appointment called and cancelled.  So I didn't know until I arrived at the office that it had been cancelled...on to the second appointment, which was my bi-annual (yuck) pap smear.  That went well, then a couple hours to kill before the dreaded dental appointment.  So I headed to Michael's to check out the Halloween goodies, then to lunch at BJ's, then to the dentist.  I was in the chair for 2.5 hours and was exhausted afterward.  Headed for the bridge to go home, and it took me 20 minutes to go a couple of blocks.  So I called my brother and sister-in-law and asked them to meet me for dinner to kill an hour before hitting the road.  That worked out fine, went to my fav mexican restaurant (Cinco de Mayo in Martinez), ate and visited with them, then headed home at 6:40.  Arrived 2 hours later in Ukiah.

I hope to get a little more organized so that I can be artsy every day.  I am retired and still have not totally unpacked all my boxes since moving here in February, but I want to get back to my altered art journaling daily, and just being all around artsy.  I need to find a few friends here who are like minded, that might prompt me to be a little more active.  But I need to get painting and creative...I'll get there, I'm sure.

Just a little picture of the coffin I am working on with a little paper album to go in it...
Anyway, see you tomorrow.

August, 2017

Haven't been here in a bit, it's been so busy lately.  The month of August has come and almost gone and it has been so full of events.  First, on August 12 I sold my wares at the Benicia Peddler's Fair, shared the booth with Tami, and we both did fair at our sales.  It can always be better, but it was worth it.  I have attended this fair for years as a visitor, but this was my first time as a vendor.  And I'd like to go back next year.  The volunteers and organizers made it so easy and stress free to sell there, it was totally worth it.  The weatherman said it would be warm, but being Benicia, we got the winds from the water on us all day, and we were lucky to have set up under a shade tree that took care of us all day.

Then the second fair I sold at was the Martinez Art In The Park.  This was my third year at this event, and with it being Martinez, how could I not do it.  However, I was not there to sell, Tami and Joel did that for me as I was roughing it in Yosemite.  My sales went well, except that I did not sell even one of my books, but the dominoes and cards were the selling items that day.  Who'd a thunk it.  The dominoes have been VERY successful, and the other night my sis-in-law, Jackie, called.  She has bought 6 of them, and wears them often and gets many comments about them.  She said what I did with them was wonderful, making them into eyeglass holders and all.  I said "What?" are you talking about.  She hangs her eyeglasses off the little hangie-downie things I've added to the dominoes, and she said everyone loves them.  I didn't know I did that, but now I do, so I'll have to add more hangie-downie thingies to the dominoes.

I'm getting ready to do my last craft event of the year, and that will be the Pumpkin Fest in Ukiah, CA on October 21-22.  I think Nettie will be doing it with me, not sure yet, but I've got to get much more stuff done before then.  More dominoes, more books, more cards.  And the emphasis is totally on Halloween/Thanksgiving and a little Christmas. So lots to do before that event, I have like 6-7 weeks to get stuff ready.  Busy, but fun stuff!

Then we got to go to Yosemite, camping for a week.  That was fun.  I haven't been there for probably 6-7 years, so when Tresa told me they got a sight and we could share it with them, I was ecstatic.  It certainly was different, being 63 and sleeping on the ground, cooking from a propane stove and sitting on a hard camp table/bench.  I thoroughly enjoyed swimming in the Merced river, cold but invigorating.  Nettie and her family, and baby Zoe just 6 weeks old, went with us. It was a long drive there (8 hours) and a long drive home.  Zoe did so well for being such a little baby, sleeping all night long.  Everyone enjoyed swimming, hiking, smore'ing, and just relaxing.

Then when we got home, I had 80 pounds of Gravenstein apples to make into applesauce.  I was exhausted from camping, then coming home and 3 days of canning were equally exausting.  On the third day, Nettie and Aria came to help me and it went so fast compared to the 2 days I did it on my own.  But it's done now, and so glad it is. I posted on Facebook about it, and Judy posted that she had THREE!!! boxes, OMGosh.  That's way too much for me to do, 2 boxes was enough.  But they are done and ready for consumption over the next year, so I hope they last until next August.

Well, that's it for me.  So much to do, I need to clean and organize all the camping equipment we took, and pack it back into the garage.  It's so totally hot today and the next few days, it may take me longer than I thought.  But it will get done.  Then I need to do some craft organizing, I can't find things when I need them, and the next 6 weeks or so I need to be organized for the next craft event.  So I will definitely be busy...when am I not?

Be back soon.

Little Zoe has arrived

After being ten days late, little Zoe Catherine Branson has hit the scene, finally.  We waited, and waited, and waited, and finally on Thurday morning Nettie called and said she was home laboring.  Oh, goodie, goodie.  She wanted so badly to have the baby naturally, and made her wishes known to all.  As the labor continued, Scott came home and they decided to head for the hospital (with Aria), and things progressed to the point of Scott calling me and the doctor deciding to take the baby c-section and could I come pick up Aria.  So off I go to the hospital to pick up Aria.  The doctor decided Nettie was in too much pain, and Nettie agreed she was definitely in too much pain, so they agreed to take the baby out.  No-name was born at 9:40, 9 lbs. 3 oz., 20 inches, and healthy.  Scott called and told us and we headed off to bed.

The next morning we were getting ready to head to the hospital and Nettie texted me that she couldn't wait until we got there and she could introduce Aria to her baby sister.  So off we went to the hospital.  Nettie and baby were in bed resting, and Aria was introduced, and I gave kisses all around.  Paul and Cherie arrived not too long after us, and we all cooed and awww'd all over the place.  A little bit later a nurse came in for a baby check, and she decided baby's heart rate was low, so she took her off to the NICU for an hour or so she said.  She came back later and they decided they want to do an EKG and send it to SFO for analysis/conference with doctors there.  Decision came back that they are not overly concerned, everything came back normal, but they wanted to keep here in the NICU for 48 hours for monitoring.  So Friday/Saturday/Sunday we visited off and on, me mostly in the NICU with Nettie, spelling her to come eat while I held the baby.  I love holding babies, so I was in the right place, especially when it's my grandbaby.  Saturday the grandparents Branson picked up Aria and took her to Clear Lake with them to spend the night.

They held off on naming the baby until Sunday morning (they were told they could not leave the hospital without naming her)...so when I came to visit after Church on Sunday, Nettie told me the baby's name Zoe Catherine Branson.  I cried when she told me the middle name...so happy and elated.  The baby has opened her eyes a couple of times that I've been there, and she clearly is a Branson.

Sunday by 3:30 the three were out of the hospital and headed home.  All tests proved fine, baby will have a couple future checks (she had one yesterday and all was fine).  So they are home taking it easy.  Sunday I made them dinner and took it over (chicken, corn on the cobb, butternut squash and watermelon) so they wouldn't have to worry about having something to eat when they got home.  Paul and Cherie brought Aria home and also brought them a pizza, so they had plenty for Sunday night.

I am blessed with a beautiful daughter and son-in-law, and twice blessed with the best grandbabies in the world.  We are all so happy.

Find My Groove

So I've gotten my craft room pretty sorted out, mostly, and look at it every day and wonder what art project I'm going to attempt.  I've been in this house for about 5 months now, and moved all these wonderful art supplies waiting to find the chance to use them.  I get up every day, have my coffee while watching the news (depressing), then get on to the computer to check emails, pay bills, what have you, even order new supplies that are on sale or I think I need.  I then watch tons of You Tube videos by Roben-Marie, or videos on Gelli Plates, or videos on how to make altered journals...watching tons of videos.  Trying to get the inspiration I need to actually and physically jump into a project.  But for some reason I just don't have the "umph" to do anything.  And it's not just art, it's finally unpacking all the rest of the boxes in the garage, sewing some clothes for Aria or the new baby, working on my hankie quilt that I have wanted to do for years.  For some reason, I just don't have the desire to be artsy.  Once I get into it, fine, it goes pretty well, but I seem to sit and watch too many videos and do nothing with them.

I do like it here in Ukiah, and I'm comfortable, but it still doesn't feel quite like "home".  I have everything I need, except a bunch of friends to do something with.  I've met the neighbors right across the street on either side, and once the next door neighbor, but don't have a click with anyone yet.  It's always nice to be artsy with someone else, but I don't have that someone yet.  I've never been one in the past to not be artsy when nobody else was around, never that, but it's different now.  I just don't feel it yet.  I did spend a considerable amount of time on some altered dominoes that I made for craft shows, but that has been about it.  I want to do gelli prints, and art journaling, and get really into using my supplies (I have more supplies that I could ever use). Hey, and I think that is part of the problem, I have so many supplies I don't know where to start.  I also can acknowledge that I want to do "so many project" that maybe I am just overwhelmed and don't know where to start.  I have a list of things I want to do, but the list grows bigger and bigger, and I feel inundated with "stuff" to do.

I know, I know, just get started on one thing and the rest will follow.  Easier said than done.  I also, since I have put things away in my craft room, went looking for something that I just saw the day before, and cannot find it.  I'll find the hemp rope, put it somewhere, and a couple days later need it for something, but can I find it?  Absolutely not.  It's frustrating, to say the least.  I think I just have too much stuff, and haven't found a way to organize it all to where I can lay my hands on it.  So I'll just have to keep trying, which of course I will do.

I put myself on a diet on Tuesday with that fat-burning soup.  I will weigh myself tomorrow morning when I get up, but hope the results are good.  I already feel more energetic, which it says will be one of the results.  It cleanses my system very well, so that the energy is there.  I need to get on the treadmill as well, because I'll be going to Yosemite in another 2 months, and want to be able to walk some distance without hesitation.  So dieting, and then Monday I start an aerobics water class at the pool 3 evenings a week.  I already paid the fee, so I'd better go and not waste the money.  It is held on Monday/Wednesday/Thursdays from 5:30-6:30.  I won't be going next Monday/Wednesday because I will be in Martinez for the 4th, but Thursday will be my first day.  Aria has been going to swim lessons there, and I usually go every day to watch her.  She's having a blast.  She's also taking a gymnastics class that I paid for, and she's loving that.  She's made a couple little friends in gym class and these two girls also go to swim class, so it's working out well for her.

Nettie is due any day now.  Her due date was 2 days ago, the 27th, but no baby yet.  She was over a little while ago to pick up Aria, as Aria spent the night with me last night, and she's between 1-2 cm, so nothing yet.  They took a nice long walk around Lake Mendocino last night after dinner and before Aria came over, hoping that might jog things along, but no go.  I know she's tired, and anxious, as we all are.  I don't think she'll be going to Martinez for the 4th this year, because the baby not being here yet, but that's okay, she pretty much wanted to stay here for Charles anyway.  Dale and MaryAnn are coming from Albuquerque, Kris will be here from D.C., the Halls have arrived from Arkansas, and everyone else, so it should be a fun 4th.  Judy has invited me for dinner on the 3rd with Dale and everyone, and also offered a spare bed for me to spend the night.  So Sunday I will make the potato salad and take it to Judy's.  I think I will also buy some sodas to take along...Rick and Jackie always spend a fortune on that stuff, so think I'll chip in a little bit.  Then I'll spend the night at Rick's after the fireworks because I have a teeth cleaning appointment at the dentist, as well as a blood pressure check at Kaiser the next day.  So it will be a busy week, to say the least.  Maybe I'll take Aria with me (haha).

Well, onward and forward for now...be back soon.

Adjusting to Life

So I've been in my new place for a little over 3 months now, and I love it.  It's a nice, quiet neighborhood, have met some of the neighbors and they are all very friendly.  I have been going to church on Sundays, and it is a very small congregation, maybe 20 people on a given Sunday, compared to at least 100 at my old church.  Quite a difference, but these folks are so friendly.  I'm still in the process of learning their names, and at my forgetfulness, it's not easy to remember, but I'm working on it.

The best part about being here is getting to see the kids, as they are less than a mile away.  I see them a couple times a week, and Aria spends the night at least once, sometimes twice, a week.  I love my time with them, and they usually come over for Sunday dinner.  Nettie has brought most of her succulents and planting stuff over to my back yard, which is quite roomy, and has taken up her potting at my house.  They have such a small fenced in back yard, too small for much of anything.  Charles keeps up the yard, cuts and weed eats the lawns (or weeds, I should say), but is trying to reseed the front.  The back has no lawn.  The outside of the house was sooooo dirty, cobwebs everywhere, yard not maintained, rose bushes overgrowing.  He's done a pretty good job of cleaning everything up.  I just got a power sprayer, so I can clean the house of dirt and webs.  So outside is his job, and it gets him up off his duff and gives him something to do and care about.  However, I did order and receive a new picnic table and 2 benches.  It's a very nice table, handmade by J.J. in Redwood Valley.  Then with the chair, bench and rocking chair (metal ones I ordered from Ginny's) the backyard is set.  The back patio is nice to sit under when it's warm outside.  It is approximately 25-30' long by 15' deep, so it covers quite a bit of the back yard, lots of shade for those hot summers.  We'll get the bar-b-que set up and it will be a nice little back yard.

I've taken a few drives around, checking the area, and it's beautiful, of course.  We drove to the coast one day, to Pt. Arena then up Hwy 1 to Mendocino and Ft. Bragg.  I have not driven up to Garberville yet.  Hwy 101 has been closed a bit because of landslides.  My sister-in-law, Tresa, is coming for a visit this weekend, arriving tonight.  We will play it by ear and decide when we wake up tomorrow morning what we are going to do.  Weatherman says it should be clear and 70 degrees.  I bought a twin mattress at Curry's Furniture for Tresa to sleep on in the spare bedroom.  I brought in the trundle part of the day bed, because I don't yet have nuts and bolts to put the frame together.  When I get paid next week, I want to order and have them deliver another mattress, since they are on sale for $95 and will be discontinued.  So it will be nice to have two of the same mattresses.  Then I went to WalMart and got a mattress pad (waterproof for when the kids come over), sheets, blanket and pillow for the bed.  Hopefully it will be a nice, comfortable bed for guests.

I still have not yet gotten into a regular routine, other than getting up by about 7:50, drinking a cup of coffee while watching the news, taking my shower and getting on with whatever I'm going to do for the day.  I have not yet visited the library, or the Sr. Citizen's Center.  There will be movies in the park coming up, and music in another park, swimming, oh and we signed Aria up for gymnastics class on Tuesdays.  She had her first class this past Tuesday and had a ball.  It's only an hour, but they run, stretch, bend, and I think she's really going to take to it wholeheartedly.  She'll have swimming classes at some point this summer also, so we'll be keeping busy with her, I think.

I'm posting a picture of the Pt. Arena light house that Charles and I visited a couple weeks ago.  It's so beautiful at the coast, you can't find a bad place to visit.  Be back soon...

A HOME AT LAST

Finally, a home to live in.  It took 2.5 months to find, but this will be home for the next many years.  I am so relieved.  I've been here for 3 weeks now, and it's actually beginning to feel like "home".  Ukiah is a small little town in Northern California, less than 22 thousand people.  No commute traffic or traffic jams.  It has most every amenity I will need, and if there is something I can't find, Santa Rosa is less than an hour away.  Nestled in a little valley between hills, we get the coastal fog, rain before the bay area (lots more), and the best part is that I'm less than a mile away from the reason I moved here, Scott, Nettie and Aria.  Just look at this house.

It's a cute little house, in a quiet neighborhood.  I don't hear daily sirens (used to live across from a hospital), neighbors are quiet, but I still have tons of boxes to unpack.  I am being very selective about what comes into the house, though.  If I haven't used it, it's going to hospice.  I've dropped a few boxes, have more ready to be dropped off, and probably many more once I get through all the other boxes waiting for me in the garage.

On Valentine's day, we got together at one of the local restaurants and had breakfast.  They had a VDay pancake, which of course, Aria wanted.  It was bigger than her whole body, and each of the rest of us got many bites from it before it was all gone.

Then on Thursday, it was Nettie's birthday, so I treated us girls to a mani/pedi, and Aria loved her first time in the chair.  It is so relaxing, and I told Nettie that we will do it on a regular basis going forward.  Nothing wrong with pampering yourself once in awhile.  And we found a great place with nice people...we even got a neck massage!  Can't beat that!

Then today, Saturday, the other grandparents came over so we could celebrate Aria's 5th birthday.  Her official day is next Saturday and she's going down to the bay area to have a party with all her little friends.  Today was just for the grandparents.  So we took her to the park, which surprisingly was dry enough and not muddy at all.  It was cold and windy, so we didn't stay but more than about an hour.  Then we took our KFC chicken lunch and headed back to my house to warm up.  On the way I stopped by Baskin Robins to get an ice cream cake for her (mint chocolate chip ice cream in a chocolate cake, her favorite ice cream).  After eating lunch, she opened all her gifts, then we did the cake.  She was a happy camper, and very spoiled but loved by all her grandparents/parents.  We love her tons.

If you can't tell what that present is, it is "Pie Face Showdown"...do you need to guess what the main objective is?  We told her that there is no whipped cream in all of Ukiah, so we'll have to wait until the summertime when her cousins come from Utah!  I don't think she bought it.

It's A New Year

Here we are in 2017!  Happy New Year to all.  I am sitting at my brother's (Rick) house, still homeless, checking out rental places in Ukiah, CA.  I have been here since the day before Christmas.  The last 2 days I spent at Rhonda's, but am back at Rick's.  It's so frustrating trying to find a place to live.  The choices are few, the agencies/owners are overly picky, and I keep wondering where I will end up.  Very frustrating.  Just have to hand it over to God for now and know He will take care of me.

It's been raining like crazy here in northern Cali.  We need the rain so bad, it has been so dry forever.  Of course, there is flooding, landslides, trees falling, you name it.  But we need the rain.  It's nice to sleep to, but of course because it's winter we all have colds.  I have had mine now since the day after Christmas, Rick has one, Judy has one, Ron had one, Aria had one.  Seems everyone is hacking, coughing, overabusing kleenex.  Hard to breathe, hard to sleep.  It has to end sometime.  Keep fingers crossed.

I started a new class for 2017 called Wanderlust.  The classes started on Jan. 6, but I haven't had a place to do any artwork.  So today I went into the site to check it out and had to re-request to join the class.  Maybe once I am approved (again) I can do something artsy.  We'll see.  I'm also going to show Jackie how to set up an email and get around on the internet.  She said Rick has tried to teach her, but she's slow and Rick doesn't have the patience to sit with her any more.  So we'll give it a try today and see how we do.

But now I need to check more rental information, so I'll be  back later.  I sure do miss my little Aria, seeing her every day.  I'm having withdrawals, major Aria withdrawals.