Hook and Crook

It's a rocky life

2006-02-22T19:58:00.000-08:00

Well, it has been a long time since I've posted here. I could share a myriad of excuses, but they all sound lame ... so let's chalk it up to my writing muse being silent and my life being a tad busy. I'll be sharing some updates here in the weeks ahead, so keep visiting.

Beach walking
One of the reasons we moved here was to enjoy the beaches and the fresh air. The beach was for exercise or so that Mr. Retired could fly one of his kites. Then a new friend gave me a polished red jasper and started telling me about rocks. She shared her collection of agates, jasper, and more. I was hooked right away, and thus began my search for rocks. I've brought home lots of "shoulda" rocks (should have left it there), as well as some nice pieces of basalt and several pieces of jasper. I also have some nice pieces of quartz, and lots of "blended" rocks. I thought I'd found one or two small pieces of agate, but they turned out to be jasper or plain ol' rocks.

Some of these rocks can be polished, and I can hardly wait for our stuff to arrive as we already have a tumbler, and I want to try my hand at tumbling/polishing. Many of the rocks are too porous to polish, but we like their shape and/or color, and have decided to build a small "dry creek bed" in our garden -- and will use these rocks there. While rock hunting we've been caught by sneaker waves twice (shame on us - and it won't happen a third time), plus I sprained my ankle so we have to choose our beaches carefully (no climbing over the sand dunes until the ankle heals). Amazingly, many beaches are accessible via a paved path or a short, careful walk down some rocks or dirt.

One day while rock hunting, I kept seeing "rocks" floating out to the sea. I thought it was odd and wondered what "rock" would float that way. When I got closer I saw it was itty-bitty baby crabs. *huge grins* Wish I'd taken my camera to show you. I've never seen them as anything other than "eat me" stage so I was totally fascinated. I watched them as they "crabbed" their way to the ocean, and even saw one dig a hole and dive into the sand. What a treat to be seeing all this fun stuff and be old enough to truly enjoy and appreciate it. =)

Rocking away
Well, today I wanted some fresh air. It was sunny, with a light breeze and temp in the mid-50's. Perfect for rock hunting. So after lunch we took a short drive to Bob Beach (south of Strawberry Hill) and navigated our way through the big rocks and over near the creek. Using my digging stick, I stood on the edge of the creek and moved rocks, watching for either jasper or an agate. Maybe it will sound silly to you, but I found myself praying, "Lord, let Mr. Retired and I both find an agate -- and it best be a shouting agate, because if it doesn't shout out, 'Here I am!', we'll never find it." ;-)

I kept walking, poking around, looking and praying. I used the sun to watch for rocks that were translucent or that sparkled (that's what all the books say to watch for). All I found were wet rocks. Soon I realized my toes were cold, and I looked down and discovered I was standing in the creek. HA! I was so focused on hunting, I wasn't paying attention. I guess I need to find some boots. Anyhow, I figured in for wet toes, in for wet feet - and kept moving. After 30 minutes of stumbling, digging with my fingers, rejecting rocks, and wincing as my ankle complained ... I moved away from the creek bed to see how Mr. Retired was doing. He had found some interesting rocks and we decided that since I had wet feet, maybe we should head back to the car. Okay, I sighed. Then I looked down at my shoes. I don't know why. I just did. There, right there at the tip of my right shoe was an agate. A good sized agate to boot!!!!! I think I gasped as I leaned down and picked it up. It's about 1-1/2-inches by 2-inches, circumference maybe 4-inches. It should polish up nicely. :) I was sooo excited, especially since several people had been in this spot over the past 30 minutes -- yet they never saw the agate. I was standing in just the right spot, at just the right angle for the sun to shine on it and just as I asked the Lord, the agate shouted out 'Here I am!'

Well, if you'd like to see the picture we took of Bob Beach, click here.
To see the pictures of my agate, click here and here.
All pictures open in separate windows.

As we walked back to the car, I found another piece of agate - not as nice, but it should polish up nicely as well. All in all, a great day on the central coast of Oregon.

Amazing!

2005-11-21T20:30:00.000-08:00

Start your day empty, and it remains empty. Amazing, isn't it? Start your day filled with the Lord and His Word, and your day will be fulfilling from start to finish. I'm not saying everything will go right, or be perfect, or that you'll never have a rough moment or two -- but you will be able to deal with all that comes your way. Plus your heart will be settled and happy no matter what takes place. At least that's how it works for me. Yet I started yesterday and today empty. Instead of quiet time with God, I started both days with coffee and the computer.

Both days were empty, and I felt out of sorts. Today little things were starting to irritate me. I finally realized what I'd done, and I was ashamed of myself.

Fortunately God loves me (and you) even when I sin. I took time to pray and have my devotions. I like to use "Our Daily Bread" for my devotions, and I laughed when I read today's devotion. It was all about being obstinate and not doing what we know is right! You can read it here. I especially liked the last line:

Could it be that we are clinging to some "toy" and refusing to let Him be Lord of our lives? —Albert Lee

Once I'd given myself and my day back over to the Lord, He turned my empty day into a day filled with joy. The rest of the day, a song I used to sing in church went through my head. Written by Stephen R. Adams, it's an interesting variation on an age old favorite, Amazing Grace. I especially like the chorus:

And it's all because of God's amazing grace!
Because on Calvary's Mountain he took my place!
And someday, some glorious morning,
I shall see him face to face,
All because of God's amazing grace.

Amazing! Yes, God's love is amazing. He turns my sorrows into joy, He turns my emptiness into happiness. I hope that you have turned your heart over to Him and know God's Amazing Grace.

Why?

2005-10-25T15:08:00.000-07:00

Over the past several months, I have made some tough decisions as we packed up to leave California, but I was comfortable with those decisions. After all “things are just things”. I even shared this sentiment with all of you in my post Learning to live without things. I knew that God was guiding me as I made decisions on what to keep and what to toss; and I had then, and still do now, perfect peace over those decisions.

I’ll readily admit that some things were easier to leave behind than others, and I’m sure I stored things I should have dumped—and probably dumped things I should have stored—but I tried to keep my focus on the new life that was ahead for us.

So what happened on Monday, October 17th?

It was time to go get the trailer for our trip and I realized that at least 1/3 of what we had saved to bring with us was not going to fit in the trailer and/or car trunk. How did I react? I became discouraged and angry. Angry with myself for not letting the movers take these things. Discouraged because I was tired, out of time and options and worse ... discouraged because I felt that God had let me down.

My mind raced with ideas and concerns. What would we leave behind? How could we decide at this point? It would mean opening boxes and repacking—something I felt we didn’t have time to do. I also couldn’t understand why God was allowing this to happen. Hadn’t I trusted Him to guide my selections? Hadn’t He opened all the doors during our move, so why close this one? Why? Why? Why?

My attitude didn’t improve when we found out that the local U-Haul dealer’s promises were nothing more than hot air, and the sports trailer wasn’t available. I stood in the kitchen with my stomach in knots while they tried to find the trailer.

I had a major moment of selfish greed when I remembered that the U-Haul folks had promised to either have the sports trailer or one of the smallest box trailers for us. I was greedily thinking this was good because all our stuff would fit in the smallest box trailer. When the guy came back on the phone and told me he hadn’t found the sports trailer, I reminded him of their promise and he said he would check and call me back.

After several more phone calls that became more urgent by the minute, and with my stomach in total knots, I was reaching the panic stage. There wasn’t a small trailer within 100 miles of us, and they had not found the sports trailer.

I stood in the kitchen and asked God why? Why couldn’t they find a trailer for us to use? What if they found one, but it wasn’t available until late Monday night? How would we even begin to pack/re-pack in that short of time? What if we had to delay our leaving—what would the buyer think? Time was our enemy at this point—and so was my heart’s attitude.

Why? Why? Why?

I finally stopped, laid my head on the counter and cried, and that was when I realized why. My heart’s attitude was all wrong. I was holding onto things, and trusting in men—when I should have been trusting in God and holding on to Him. I told God how sorry I was and asked Him to change my heart.

At that moment, I had perfect peace that it would all work out. The phone rang, U-Haul had found the sports trailer just 30 miles up the road. They transferred me to the Davis office, I gave her my info, and we drove up to get the trailer.

We spent the next several hours re-packing several boxes, and made some really tough decisions, but we knew that God was in control and it was all for the best. In the morning, we packed the car with our luggage, the cats and us ... and headed out.

Our trip was smooth and worry and trouble free. The sports trailer was a joy to haul (absolutely perfect size for our small car), and we arrived here in Waldport safe and sound. Tired, but happy, we stopped for a few groceries, got the keys to the house and pulled in the drive. We unpacked the cats, had some supper and unloaded the trunk—in the rain. Our first Oregonian rain. Perfect, absolutely perfect. :)

Even more perfect was the way God changed my heart. Many years ago He changed my heart and showed me His perfect plan of salvation.

Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen—Ephesians 3:20,21

My fervent prayer is that God will continue to work on my heart, and that your heart will know His perfect plan for your life.

We Have Arrived!

2005-10-22T19:01:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday, the 18th, we left our old place at 7am, and arrived in our new place at 7:45pm. The trailer worked super, the cats did okay, Mac and I shared the driving and all was well. No flat tires, no breakdowns, no accidents. The Lord was very gracious to us. We had good weather, saw beautiful scenery and even drove through a light rain and then fog at the end.

The car and trailer were packed to the hilt, yet we still had to leave things behind that we had hoped to bring with us. It was no biggy, after all they were just things -- and when I have time I'll tell you about my lesson on "things".

So far we've visited our house (trusses should arrive on Tuesday and then it's full steam ahead!), scouted out new places to shop, found a great new "diner", tried 3 different grocery stores, discovered yarn in 2 shops, talked to the stove to see if that would help it work properly (hehehe), signed up for net access, walked on the beach, made friends, met a local author and bought his book -- which he signed for me, stood at Seal Rock and watched with great awe as the waves came crashing in to shore ... and more.

I would love to tell you all that has taken place, but that would take me hours to type -- so it will have to wait until I have more time to read my handwritten journal and then put my thoughts onto this laptop. Now say, there's something interesting ... my handwriting has improved since I've been putting pen to paper instead of typing on keys. LOL!

Okay, time for me to go. We have to head back to the house -- after all the sun has set and the town closes down at 7. hehehe

Watch for more updates and news in the days ahead!

Babbling Away

2005-10-15T12:26:00.000-07:00

I've made changes to my life and I'm pleased with them. I'm happier about me. I think this is very good. I wouldn't even be on the puter right now, but Mr. Retired turned it on. I'm glad I'm working on this addiction.

I got up this morning rested and happy, put the coffee on and dove in to "packing". Made phone calls and changed address on most credit cards and magazines. Still have a few magazines to do.

CHASE credit card is NOT done. Idiots! I sit through a 7 minute wait to speak to a rep only to hear a woman advise me (in pigeon English no less!) that her computer was updating and could I possibly call back later. Good things my hands don't fit in the telephone line or she'd be sporting bruises. HA!

OH - really good news. Pat from the food closet came by and took 2 frozen turkeys, loads of canned goods, mixes, jars of sauce, etc. :) :) :) :) :) I'm glad we didn't have to toss it all -- it's bad enough we have to toss the stuff we can't donate or transport.

Yesterday we dropped by the vets to give Dr. Jassar a letter. When he saw us, he came out around the counter and talked to us. Gave us both a big hug and wished us well. We thanked him for the wonderful care he'd given to our cats and handed him the envelope. He was surprised and said thanks ... and gave us both another big hug. He got misty-eyed -- and by then so were we. DRATS!

We've been bear hugged by Jack and Linda, the vet, Dr. Nick, Betty at the grocery store, and several other folks that we know only casually -- and yet our local family hasn't even called to say good-bye. I cannot tell you how much this hurts.

Well, I need to go get in the shower so we can have some lunch. OH - here's a funny ... yes folks, I can babble ... last night we grilled our last steak and when it was time to eat, Mr. Retired looked at me and asked how we were going to do this. hahaha No table, no tv tables ... hehehe ... how do you cut a steak? Stand at the counter? Ick! We have 2 folding chairs left, so we sat in our "to be left behind" chairs in the living room and each used a folding chair as a "table" and ate. This gives a whole new meaning to elegant dining. hehehe

We should be able to finish our packing tomorrow. Then Monday we deliver notes to Dr. Walker and Dr. Carney, pick up trailer and load it. Tuesday we head out before dawn. Wonder if I'll sleep Monday night?

I really will clam up now. Watch for one final update before we hit the road. Not that I'll have much to say ... but like I said, I can babble.

Waxing poetic

2005-10-14T08:17:00.000-07:00

The movers came
The movers went
It all went well
'Twas heaven sent

God had His hand
Upon our move
He opened doors
He did approve

We're thankful for
His guiding hand
We'll praise His name
Throughout the land

~Kimberly Andrew © copyright October 13, 2005

All has gone so very well. We have truly seen God's hand in every step of the way. The movers were done in half the time estimated, and that saved us $$. (happy grins) Yesterday while getting my hair cut, "G" and I were chatting and I mentioned that the only biggy left was donating our old Mazda (217,000 + miles). She asked how much, I said donate, she made a phone call, and a few hours later we signed the title over to her mom and her brother. It's a story worthy of a hanky, and I won't tell someone's else's story, but the Mazda is now with someone who can truly use the car. If you are a praying reader, please remember to pray for "G" and her family -- and especially her brother who is dying of cancer.

The cats are doing well, although BC does not like the empty rooms. We talked to the vet and we can knock BC out with Benedryl, but not Abby. He's concerned that the mix of her age, her weight and her panic at being in the cage could spell disaster with the Benedryl. So ... we are fixing a small box to sit at my feet and she will spend the ride either in my arms or the box (hopefully the box). My arms ache already. Heh!

"I will praise thee with my whole heart: before the gods will I sing praise unto thee."--Psalms 138:1

I hope that your heart sings God's praises. I'm so thankful that mine does.

The Squeamish Society

2005-10-10T18:55:00.000-07:00

I admit that the site of a big spider sends me running for something sturdy with which to smack the critter, an old shoe works great on crickets and water bugs, and ants don't have a chance if they try coming into my home. I have, however, been known to catch and release tree frogs when they sneaked in the back door, but there is one creature that the good Lord made that sends me running down the hall with my stomach churning—and that's the gray house mouse!

Now we had such a visitor in our home the past few days. He (she?) managed to chew into my butterscotch and chocolate chip bits, my bag of dough for peanut butter cookies, the packages for blueberry muffins, the box of raisins ... and more. This visitor also managed to enjoy the peanut butter from 4 different traps! Then we got some Victor traps. Nice things, Victor traps. They always get their mouse, and they earn high praise from me.

This afternoon I was packing boxes of glasses and had stepped away from the kitchen. I'm glad I did, because 10 minutes later Mr. Retired came and gave me the good news that the mouse was done for and wouldn't be raiding the pantry again.

“Hurray!”, said I and waddled down the hall to the kitchen to have a look-see. Now as President of the Squeamish Society one would think I had more smarts, but I don't—besides I'm as curious as the next person. I gingerly opened the cabinet and took a good look. Yup, that visitor was done for!

I gleefully asked Mr. Retired how he was going to remove said visitor, and he said, “Carefully.” LOL! Then he suggested that I hold the plastic bag and he would dump the mouse in the bag. Oh no way ... no way at all was I going to be anywhere near that plastic bag. I was, however, more than willing to dig the plastic bag out of the items packed for moving.

At this point Mr. Retired distracted me with chatter about something else and without thinking I opened the zip-lock and held it out. Suddenly I realized what was happening. EEEEEWWWWWWWWW! No way! No way! I tossed the bag to Mr. Retired and scooted clear across the room and stood in the doorway. He unceremoniously dumped the mouse in the bag and asked me to come hold the bag.

I tried. I really did. Honest. My fingers were mere inches from grabbing the top of the bag when I realized there just wasn't any way on God's green earth that I was going to be able to hold that bag without losing my lunch. I backed away shaking my hands and uttering squeamish little sounds. Mr. Retired just shook his head and chuckled. Then he set the bag down on the floor so he could put the trap down. That did it. I practically ran down the hall and refused to come back to the front of the house until that bag was in the trash can outside.

Now that the visitor is gone, I will don some plastic gloves and clean under the sink. Why plastic gloves? Well, it certainly wouldn't do for the President of the Squeamish Society to do something silly like come in contact with the droppings. Just imagine the squeamish sounds I'd make as I ran out of the front door and down the street.

Books, books, books

2005-10-09T10:54:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was grand! Got more of the kitchen finished, but I still have one cabinet and the drawers! I'd forgotten the drawers!!!!!!!!! Then late afternoon we headed over to Connie's house where we enjoyed a class reunion with several of Mr. Retired's college buddies. The guys all roomed together and the gals had gone to the same school—so the stories were most interesting. Even the pictures ... especially the candid shots. hehehehehehehehehe

We sampled wine (no shock that I enjoyed the Merlot the best—I find Pinot Noir too delicate for my taste buds), enjoyed great food (I want the recipes!), and most of all had a great time! Kudo's to Dan for organizing everything!

Book News:
With 9 days to go until we move, I thought I'd tell you what I've been reading. :)

Last to Die by James Grippando rates a 4.5 out of 5.
Hawke by Ted Bell rates a 2.9 out of 5. I found the main character irritating, wussy, and aggravating!
Scarecrow by Matthew Reilly rates a 4.8 out of 5. I will be looking for his other books once I get settled.
Sticks and Scones by Diane Mott Davidson rates a 5 out of 5. Delightful light hearted mystery, solved in the usual Goldie way -- and the recipes are all first rate!
When the Wind Blows by James Patterson rates a 1 out of 5. Actually that's generous. I didn't finish the book -- dumped it after 5 chapters.

So, what to read next is a big dilemma! I have Lifeguard from Patterson, a couple of older mysteries that I've read before but would enjoy, a Tom Clancy (not sure I have the attention span for his stuff right now), and Map of Bones by James Rollins. Now I'd love to get into Map of Bones but there's the lack of attention span and most importantly, I'm saving it as my treat. It was a birthday present from Mr. Retired and I planned from the beginning to save it and begin reading it once we reach Oregon and things are calm again. I figure I've earned a new James Rollins and want to relax and totally enjoy it.

So I'm back to my original prob -- what to read next. Too bad I packed all my books first thing. *smacks self up side of head*

Update on our visitor: He's clever. He licked the peanut butter off the one trap, and licked enough off the second trap to scoot the peanut butter down a bit, but not far enough to trip the trap and get caught. We need more traps. I sure hope I don't find him as I finish cleaning out the food cabinets!

Just what I need

2005-10-08T11:27:00.000-07:00

For the crocheters in the group, there is no hook news because I packed all my crochet stuff and haven't touched a hook in days! :(

What do you need?
Yesterday I needed something special. That's all, just something special. God provided that special something when we received a phone call from 2 very precious folks. We talked, laughed, I got a bit misty eyed ... and Mr. Retired and I both had big grins on our faces afterwards. Hearing their voices was just what we both needed.

This morning we found we had a visitor. It's likely small, and likely gray, and if we meet face-to-face it's more than likely that I'll scream loud enough to wake the dead, (LOL!) yet it's what I need. I think. No, I'm sure. I don't know why, but I guess I need a non-computer mouse in my life right now. Today we will buy traps and hopefully we'll nab this visitor right quick. The trail of evidence shows that it's likely only one visitor, but we'll find out. Of course, now I'm wondering about all the packed boxes and are there visitors in them? :-O

This discovery has solved one dilemma—how much and what food to take with us. Guess I'm only going to take that which is in glass jars or sealed in a plastic Rubbermaid type container. No boxes of pasta, no bags of semi-sweet chocolate chips, no boxes of cake or muffin mix; and definitely not the butterscotch chips I just bought—since those are a favorite of the visitor!

I will now have to wash all the utensils and pots and pans before they are packed, and that's not going to be fun, but still I'm thankful. There was a time when this little invasion would have set me on edge, but I'm finding myself totally content, knowing that for whatever reason God felt I needed a mouse. After all:

But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.—Philippians 4:19

He always provides just what I need, it's just that sometimes I don't see it His way. He's ready to provide all you need as well. All you need to do as ask Him.

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Just a small note: I will lose email access today. If you want to leave me a note, this is a great place to do so. You can be anon, or you can sign your initials. It's really the fastest way to contact me these days. Just click the "comment" link.

Unbelievable

2005-10-06T09:51:00.000-07:00

During packing breaks I've been calling and shutting down all the utilities and such. All has been going well. Until I got to SBC.

I waded through their "voice mail" where the last question was "what are you calling about". I said "cancel service". The voice said, "Do you mean you wish to disconnect your phone?" I really wanted to strangle the phone and yell at the voice, "No, you idiot, I want to start up service." UGH! I hate voice mail systems with a passion.

Finally I was sent to customer service where I hear another voice say I'm in line as the call volume is heavy, so please wait. Then I get to listen to hideous music. At least it's better than continuous commercials.

So I wait and try not to grind my teeth. I play a game of solitaire, then another game of solitaire. I drink a mug and a half of coffee. I talk to Mr. Retired when he steps in the room. I wait. FINALLY, yes finally I get a rep. Just as she asks to verify my phone number, the battery on the portable starts beeping. *groan* I tell her, that's the correct number and my battery is dying and please hold while I go to the other phone. I walk to kitchen, pick up phone and SHE'S GONE! She hung up on me!!!!!!!!!!!!!

UNfreakingBELIEVABLE! After wading through voice mail he**, and a 10+ min. wait -- she hung up!!!!!!!!!

Now I get to start all over. Ain't it grand?

Mentally Zapped

2005-10-04T10:56:00.000-07:00

You know you are mentally zapped when:

You put your blouse on inside out and your hubby has to tell you what you've done.
You walk down the hall with the bottle of BBQ sauce in your hand and are going to put it in the cabinet with your hair conditioner. (Hey! It might work!)
You go to buy shampoo and conditioner and come home with 2 bottles of conditioner. (Maybe that's why I was ... oh never mind. LOL!)
You again put your blouse on inside out, and your hubby tells you just as you get to the car to go out dinner—without thinking you start to fix it while standing in the driveway.
You sit down to crochet, pick up your hook and simply sit there and watch tv instead.
You sit down to type this list and forget half of what you wanted to tell on yourself. LOL!

All is going well. I'm into the kitchen at this stage and it's easier than I thought it would be to dump things. I'm going to have loads of fun replacing old cookie sheets and such.

Back to the salt mines!

We Have Mail

2005-10-03T19:52:00.000-07:00

We now have the official address for our house. *huge grins* The mailbox is not yet up at the end of the street, so the mailman delivered the electric bill (contractor pays it) right to the work sight. We will be able to register our car and get our drivers licenses when we arrive (needed that official address), make arrangements for our permanent phone number, and more good stuff. Plus we have our PO Box, so we have a place for folks to write to us while we are renting. :) God has truly blessed this move and all is falling into place.

Yesterday we took the cats on car ride #4, with both of them in their travel carriers. All was well until we walked in the door at home. That's when Abby let loose with the upset stomach. Yeesh. Hopefully she will get used to the car riding before we take off. I'd sure hate to stop every 2 miles and change the towel in her travel carrier.

When the contractor got ready to start on the house he opted to order all the lumber at one time, so everything is ready, but the trusses are in short supply and that's holding up the next stage. Hopefully they will arrive soon.

Today we took the car in to the dealer—one of the headlights was out. When he pulled up our records, discovered the car was due for a maintenance something or other, so we pulled out our coupon book and left the car. We'll get it back tomorrow. This afternoon our local realtor came by to see how things were going here. He brought the contractor who will be upgrading this house for the new owners. It was interesting to listen to them discuss what to do, as most of it was what we would have done had we stayed here. Guess our ideas were okay. *wink, grin*

Today I read this quote:

All these moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain.
-- Roy Baty, in "Blade Runner"

It reminded me of the Bible verses that tell us how precious our tears are to God.

Psalms 56:8: Thou tellest my wanderings: put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book?

Psalms 126:5: They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.

Revelation 7:17: For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.

Revelation 21:4: And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

I think God must have a rather large bottle holding my tears, for I have shed many in my lifetime; yet I also have seen Him take my sorrow and tears and turn them to joy. Someday, He shall wipe all my tears away and I shall never again fear or be sad or hurt. What a joyous day that will be.

I hope that if you are going through rough times, you remember that God cares enough for you to collect all your tears and save them. Why? Because you are precious to Him, and so are your tears and sorrow. Let Him put His arms around you and comfort you.

Jonquil's and grandma

2005-10-01T10:28:00.000-07:00

Hook News:
The new afghan is coming along. I have 8 rows completed and have bumped into the same puzzle I always bump into with afghans. The starting chain was 36-inches, the first row was 36.5-inches, but now that there is some real body to the afghan it measures 39-inches. I don't know why this happens. I know the answer is rooted in math and/or science somewhere, but I don't remember enough from school to solve this mystery. I'd sure like to know the where and why so I could fix this for the future.

Crook News:
Mr. Retired and I are both battling colds. His is worse because it causes his asthma to flare. You might remember us in your prayers.

Yesterday we picked out the house colors. :) The official names are: Jonquil for the main house color (the color is hidden in the mid-yellow/gold in this picture of jonquil's), and Morning Sun for the trim. The colors remind me of my grandma.

Grandma J. was out here visiting, and I had some daffodil and jonquil bulbs to plant. Not having a green thumb, I asked grandma (who could grow anything!) for help, and she and I went out back and dug in the planter box. We took out rocks, and broke the soil up with our hands. Now I was going to use the small garden spade and fork to do the job, but grandma said gardening was a “hands on and personal” project. Once the soil was tilled to her satisfaction, we used our fingers to make the holes, planted the bulbs, talking to them as we did, and then lightly watered the garden. Every morning while she was here, she went out and watered those bulbs and talked to them. A few months later I had the most glorious bed of daffodils and jonquils I've ever seen. I took pictures and sent them to her. I have always thought of this as “Inez' garden”. I followed her instructions on removing the bulbs and over the years I have enjoyed planting and growing “Inez' garden”. It's one of the few things that I've ever been able to grow. So every time I look at my new home, I will think of grandma.

This afternoon we will be working on fixing the printer. After 11 years, it's decided to retire itself. We sure would have liked it to continue to work for another few months at least, as we have things that must be printed. Maybe we can get one of those cheapy inkjet things at CompUSA. I saw one for $29 a few weeks ago. Who cares if it only prints for 100 or so copies? That would be all we needed. Well, it will work out, I'm sure.

This evening we are having dinner with our friends, Dave and Shirley. We've known them for, gosh, 29 years—maybe 30. I can't remember exactly when we met. Over the years we've shared dinners, evenings of laughter and fun, tears, sorrows, church and more. We don't see each other as much as we used to—mostly my fault for not reaching out as I should have—but we are still friends and it will be nice to have dinner together one final time.

Proverbs 18:24: A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.

I hope that amongst those you count a friend is the One who sticks closer than a brother.

Soft Addictions

2005-09-29T19:15:00.000-07:00

I have several of them. More about that later, though. *wink*

Hook News:
Ah, that feisty design is now under control. I finally worked out the correct number of beginning chains and I'm off and working. A bit slowly since a tendon in my right wrist is out of whack—but I'm working.

I found a storage tub with more yarn. I swear this stuff is multiplying on it's own. Anyhow, I've sorted out the keepers vs. the give-aways and all is well.

Oh, and the pattern leaflet I've been looking for ("Ripple Afghans for the Family") is now on it's way to my house. *big grins* I will, of course, have to yarn shop once I reach Oregon, but that's a good things. hehehe

Crook News:
Pam called. We added to our ever growing list of “to-do's” the joyous task of picking out our own colors for the outside of the house. WHEE! Tomorrow we will head to the local Sherwin-Williams store and look at swatches. We did some preliminary looking today at their web site and have it down to 2 choices, it all depends on what color the roof is slated to be.

Scratched several things off of our “to-do” list today, with the biggest being setting up the appointment for the movers. They will arrive around 8am on Wed, October 12th. What a great way to celebrate our 31st wedding anniversary. :)

Took ride #3 with the cats. This time Abby sat in my arms. No upset tummy. Of course, she's got to get used to the travel case as I can't possibly ride for 10 hours with her in my arms—but this was a good start to more positive traveling with her—we hope.

Now, about those ...
Soft Addictions:
As I said, I have several. I think the worst is this computer and the internet. I really don't have time these days to log on and read posts on boards or read and answer emails, yet I do. I can't seem to stop myself. I'm seriously considering packing up my computer early. No more temptation that way. But wouldn't it better for me in the long run to simply conquer this addiction? I think it would. I don't know if I'll win this battle, but I'm sure going to give it a try. So if you don't hear from me for several days, don't panic; and if you do panic—then pick up the phone and call me.

Questioning myself
Recently I shared with a friend that I was questioning myself and some of my attitudes and actions. I was most discouraged with what I saw in my heart and wondered how in the world I could have some of these cold feelings. I finally had to let it go and talk to the Lord about it. The next day my daily devotion was from Psalms 119, particularly verse 77:

Let thy tender mercies come unto me, that I may live: for thy law is my delight.

God has softened my heart, and I'm now content with the decisions I've made and the actions I've taken. With His help, my heart will stay tender in this area and I'll keep my focus where it should be.

If your heart is hard, or hurting, why not ask God to help you. He is faithful and will show you His tender mercies.

Big news! Read on ...

2005-09-27T19:46:00.000-07:00

Hook News
So I finally set the popcorn ripple aside as it's too darn hot here to work on it—but boy will it be a grand project for the coast of Oregon in the winter. *big grins* I needed something to do, so I tried a pattern I've had in my brain for a bit. It looked grand, but then I discovered that my sample had taken on the shape of an hourglass. :-/ I have put the sample and my notes in an envelope and I'll tackle it again some time.

Feeling frustrated I figured I'd just set my hooks aside for the next 3 weeks. Then I had this major inspiration—while I was in the shower! No paper, no pencil. LOL! Fortunately I remembered my brainy idea a few hours later. I wrote it down, gave it a try last night and it worked. Now I just need to get the size right and I'll have another masterpiece. ROFL!

Crook News
Now for the big news! Are you ready? I wasn't, and I admit that when the words came over the phone today I WHOOPED! Poor Pam. Hehehehe

WE HAVE WALLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes, walls! They look soooooo wonderful. Would you like to see? Okay,just click HERE for a page with links to the pics. Many of you will be pleased to hear that the garage/guest room walls went up today and the contractor framed in a window (no charge). So you'll have a “view”. hehehehehe

Our packing is coming along well. I'd guess we are around 75% done, with some tough decisions ahead as far as take or dump. I can tell you hearing the news today, and then seeing the pics, have energized me. I can hardly wait. *huge grins*

One obstacle ... digging into all these older boxes has really stirred up dust in the house. Since I don't really have time to do my normal cleaning, it's settling on everything. *frustrated frown* If you have any idea(s) on how to combat this, please let me know.

Book News
Minor gripe here. I've been watching for Cornelia Funke's new book, Inkspell, for a bit. It showed up at B&N.com and the price was 30% off. Since I had a gift certificate left, we drove over today and I picked it up. It wasn't until I was done checking out that I discovered that the online store is now different from the brick & mortar store! *frustrated frown* I was upset, and so later this week I'm going back and return it and get my money back. I'll mail order it and save an extra $4! In fact, I'll probably mail order it from Amazon. hehehe

That will teach B&N to mess with Mad Jenny Rackham. LOL!

Har! Har!

2005-09-19T17:58:00.000-07:00

My pirate name is:
Mad Jenny Rackham

Every pirate is a little bit crazy. You, though, are more than just a little bit. You have the good fortune of having a good name, since Rackham (pronounced RACKem, not rack-ham) is one of the coolest sounding surnames for a pirate. Arr!

Get your own pirate name from fidius.org.

Liar! Liar! Pants are on fire!

2005-09-15T20:12:00.000-07:00

Remember that childhood ditty? It came to mind today when for the 3rd time in the past four weeks an acquaintance showed themselves to be a liar. Of all the human traits that I dislike, the act of lying is at the top of the list. If I catch someone in a lie, it can cause a friendship to go south faster than a speeding bullet.

I'm aware that at one time or another, everyone lies—I've done it myself; but why do we lie? Do we really believe that it's better to tell a “little white lie” as tell the truth? Can we not find a tactful and kind way to tell a friend the truth? Would it not hurt their feelings even more to know we LIED to them? I think it would.

Perhaps our self-esteem so low that we need to make ourself look like a bigger or better person in someone else's eyes. Do we really think that someone will find us more attractive and want us as a friend if we lie? Or do we lie simply because we see it as a challenge—and challenges are exciting?

I'm no angel—I've lied. As a teenager I lied to my parents for the same reason y'all lied to your parents. LOL! I've told those “little white lies” as well. However, I gave up lying when I grew up enough to realize that I always got caught and lying served no good purpose. Besides the older you get, the harder it is to remember your lies and keep your stories straight! Heh!

When someone who is smart lies to me and contradicts a previous statement they made to me, it makes me wonder. Do they really think I'm that dumb? Is it possible they really don't remember what they've said to me? Are they counting on my good graces to not call them on the lie?

Somehow I don't think so. I think most lies are done to either make oneself look “better” to the other person, or to manipulate the person to whom you are lying.

Two of the recent lies revolved around money. The first person simply wanted to do things their way, and when I refused they sent me an email that was designed to bait me. I'm sure if I had not been careful with my answer, the next thing I would have heard was discrimination.

The other financial dealing I don't understand. Perhaps this person just needed more time to come up with the funds. If so, all they had to do was tell me. Instead, they have told me lie after lie about the check being in the mail. I have lost a great deal of respect for this person. I do know I won't be doing any future sales with either of these people.

“These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.”—Proverbs 16-19

But my long time friend—this one hurt. I had suspected that my friend was lying about this particular subject, but having it confirmed wounded me inside and made me angry. I suspect this friend has lied in order to make themselves look “better” to me. It hasn't. It has only made me look at them in a different light—one that is not very flattering or favorable. I'm not sure yet how I'll deal with it—but I will deal with it.

Like I said, if I catch someone in a lie, it can cause a friendship to go south faster than a speeding bullet.

All the news that's fit to whatever

2005-09-14T20:45:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we took the cats traveling for the first time. BC did very well. He whimpered once, then settled in and went to sleep. Abby Darlin' wound herself up and before we hit the 1 mile mark she had thrown up and 1/4 mile later ... she ... you know. LOL! We rolled the windows down, opened the moon window and drove home - where we washed Abby, her towel and her cage. Hope trip #2 goes better. hehehe

I now have the china cabinet cleaned out, so the dining room is almost done. I have to pack the last few things, and then make up a box of items to send to my aunt in Illinois and I can check the dining room off my list. :)

The loan inspector for the buyer arrived early this morning, was alone and not very friendly. He took a few pics, measured a few things and was gone in 10 minutes. Whatever.

Had our appointment with the mover on Monday. He came back on Tuesday with his bid, and it's within our budget. We are happy. He even bought Mr. Retired's little putt-putt-boat for $20. Saves us having to move it 'cuz' it's too small for the ocean. :) Oh yeah, after inventorying the house, he said as long as we don't "coast" too early, we should make our target date of 10/15!!!!! Yippee! Anyone want to come help us pack? LOL!

Went over and said goodbye to a friend today. She's going to San Francisco to live and go to design college. *sniffle* Someday we'll be reading about her making a splash in the world of graphic design. :)

I'm still plugging away on my popcorn ripple and starting to hate it. Maybe I should have left one of those other projects unpacked? ;-)

Visited with a friend yesterday, and we talked about how the Lord has truly blessed this move. Everything just seems to fit together. We know there may be obstacles ahead, but we are rejoicing in all that has taken place and we know that God will see us through any obstacles as well.

"Wherefore David blessed the LORD before all the congregation: and David said, Blessed be thou, LORD God of Israel our father, for ever and ever. Thine, O LORD, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O LORD, and thou art exalted as head above all. Both riches and honour come of thee, and thou reignest over all; and in thine hand is power and might; and in thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all. Now therefore, our God, we thank thee, and praise thy glorious name."--1 Chronicles 29:10-13

(emphasis mine)

WIP Wednesday

2005-09-14T16:42:00.000-07:00

In my project bag right now:

Popcorn Ripple ghan is 2/3 done. I'm noticing that the side edges are curling. I can't remember if the last one I did also curled or not.

WIP's that will remain WIP's until March 2006 when they get unpacked. Yes, I packed up some WIP's. LOL! Less guilt that way.

Warm Jewel ghan in burgundy and soft rose
Baby ghan design in progress - no name, but it's Lilac in color
Ghan of forgotten name from book of forgotten name made from yarn that I ran out of (this will likely be a WIP until the cows come home! LOL)

The Spice of Life

2005-09-14T16:13:00.000-07:00

Wow! I can't believe I haven't updated here since Saturday. So much has gone on ... and it will all have to wait until later. hehehe For now, I want to share 2 pics of some little gems I found while sorting through things.

I bought these at a garage sale for a quarter. They don't have stoppers, but I thought they were cute. Click on the little pic to see the real deal in a separate window.

These cuties belonged to my mom. Not real practical to use due to their balance, but cute to look at. Click on the little pic to see the real deal in a separate window.

WIP Wednesday update coming up shortly.

Super Saturday!

2005-09-10T19:57:00.000-07:00

The morning started early, as do most mornings. Before sunrise I found myself wide awake, so I dressed and started in on tasks. By 7 the dishes were drying, 2 loads of laundry were washed/dried/folded, and I'd gone through half of the china hutch. I decided I deserved a break, so I started the coffee pot, grabbed my book and sat down to read. I awoke at 8am. LOL!

From there, the day moved fast. Out to the garage to help Mr. Retired, where we found lots of boxes and bags of “toss this”, and now the 2 trash cans are full to the brim. Our neighbor, Greg, came over to pick up the shopsmith and the drill press. Mr. Retired sent him home with tons more “guy things”, and I sent him home with the Christmas dishes. This means I get a new set for Christmas 2006* plus I don't have to pack them for Oregon. :)

I also found all of my mom's china dishes. Now I must decide: keep or give away? I'm leaning toward give away mainly because my mom stopped using these dishes shortly after we moved to California; so they don't bring back as many fond memories as my late MIL's dishes do. I'll decide by Tuesday when we make the Goodwill run.

Greg helped me id some of pop's Air Force stuff, and he's coming by tomorrow to take more “trash” as he'll have room in his cans. He even said if we have a lot of Goodwill stuff to leave it and he'll take it for us after we leave. He has been such a huge help, there's no way we could ever repay him for all his kindness.

*Now about those new Christmas dishes. While Mr. Retired showered and changed, I took a short break and googled “Christmas dishes”. In the process of hitting links, I found myself at the Pfaltzgraff site. There I fell in love—but not with Christmas dishes. I found the perfect every day dishes. Forget the “Fiesta Ware” I was going to buy. I'm hooked—totally and completely on Evening Sun. To me they say, “Welcome. Glad you are here. Join us for a meal and friendship.”

I figure I can fill in with a few pieces of Nuance of Gold and Nuance of Red, and I'll have a wonderful set of bright, cheerful, colorful dishes!

We decided that we needed a packing break, so we took off for some lunch. Stopped at Peet's on the way home for coffee and coffee beans. As we reached the outskirts of town, I talked Mr. Retired into a quick ride to the outlet stores. We went to the Pfaltzgraff outlet and got to look at the Evening Sun dishes. They really are as cheerful, warm and pretty as the look in the picture on the web site. Mr. Retired likes them too, although he says the coffee cups are boats. Once we have our new mailing address, we can order these from Amazon—free shipping too. :)

Hook News:
Last year, I submitted a pattern to Accord Publishing's "2006 Crochet Pattern A Day Calendar™". Rumor has it that the calendar is available in some stores. Strangely, I have yet to see my copy. Now I wonder if my pattern is actually in the calendar.

If you'd like to see the pattern, you can see pictures of it HERE.

I'm still plugging away on my Popcorn Ripple ghan. Gads, I am SO sick of popcorns. I think they are worse than picots. LOL!

One last thing—a link to a picture of packing central. Just a small portion of our labors, and fills half the room!

"The LORD reigneth; let the earth rejoice" -- Psalms 97:1

Forward, HO!

2005-09-07T18:06:00.000-07:00

Forward step #1
Today the Vets of WWII came by for a pickup. We helped the guy load the truck and he took everything. EVERYTHING! So there local non-profit.

Forward step #2
I finished packing all the CD's—for the second time. LOL! If I find any more they may have to stay behind. Hehehe

Forward step #3
Our rental agreement arrived and we promptly signed it and sent it off with our deposit monies. Whoopee!

Forward step #4
With a copy of the rental agreement, our ID's and the PO Box rental form in hand, we went to our local PO and had them verify who we were and that we had a rental agreement for a house in our new town.

Then we had a wonderful chat with the 2 gals working the counter and the other customer (it was okay because no one was standing in line.) The gals couldn't believe we were moving—said they would miss us. The customer asked where in Oregon? Turns out he and his family just moved about 50 miles south of us! He said we will love it! The 2 postal gals both sighed and asked if they could come live with us. Hehehe

We finally had to leave, and they both said to be sure to come back and say good-bye. They were happy for us, but it was touching to see Patricia shed a tear.

Forward step #5
Posted a note on freecycle offering some computer items and other computer related do-daa's. Ted came by just a bit ago and took 5 boxes of keyboards, motherboards, game board, cords, plugs, and plenty of do-daa's. He even took Mr. Retired's telescope to give to someone.

Forward step #6
Tried to call our new PO, but they have that hideous “don't bother us” 800 number that puts you in voice-mail he77. Gads I hate that. So I called our realtor and her office bud was obliging and found the real number for me. Called and talked to Roger, got the info on what to send for a PO Box and tomorrow that will be on it's way. So by the end of Sept., we will know what our mailing address will be.

Not-so forward step #7—or a slice of life?
In the process of boxing the computer do-daa, I punctured the tip of one finger on something. Bled like crazy. Got it cleaned and bandaged. A few minutes later, I found a nice slice on the back of my right hand. Cleaned and bandaged that. Much more and I'll look like a pin cushion for a new doctor or something. LOL!

Forward step #8
Tomorrow the antique dealer comes, so today I spent time cleaning all the pieces with OrangeGlo. The house smells wonderful! I have researched and know what things are worth, so if he's close—it's all his. :D

Forward step #9
Monday the mover comes to give us an estimate. If the contract is what we think it will be, we'll sign on the dotted line and set a firm date. We are hoping for 10/13 or 14 at the latest.

Forward step #10

Philippians 2:4: “Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.”

As I read this verse this morning, and then the accompaning devotional, I found myself thinking of my family and how they've recently hurt me. I honestly don't believe they meant to be hurtful—and most likely would be surprised to find that their actions (or lack thereof) have been a source of emotional pain. So how do I handle this?

I can't force them to do what I want, so I have to learn to love them as they are and move forward. So I'm taking that forward step #10 and doing just that.

I hope today found you moving forward.

Well, it was LABOR day

2005-09-05T18:24:00.000-07:00

Today I labored.

~I unclogged the vacuum - which meant I took the entire thing apart. Thank you Dyson for clear instructions.

~Packed the last of the "keeper" Christmas stuff.

~Helped Mr. Retired finally clear out the hall closet. Now I have to encourage him to pack the stuff he decided to keep. Maybe I'll pack it and be done with it. hehehe

~Burned my fingertips (not badly) on battery acid. Oh joy, oh joy, oh joy.

~Burned 5 more cd's for use while ours are in storage. I'm making "mixes". It's not bad with iTunes, just select, say burn and walk away.

~Vacuumed the bedroom, hallway and living room -- upsetting BC big time.

~Finally cleaned out the one "table stand" that was in the bedroom. I could not believe what was stashed in that little cube. :-O Shame on me.

~Emptied the clean dishes from the dishwasher and put the dirty ones in. Dirty dishes never end, do they?

~Fretted this morning that we won't be finished in time. Then I sat and read my daily devotion and got "rapped on the knuckles" for worrying, when I should be focusing on doing the tasks well, and trusing God to see me through it all.

And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Col. 3:23

But ye, brethren, be not weary in well doing. 2 Thess. 3:13

Now I'm off to get dinner going and rest. I bet I sleep good tonight.

Poetry?

2005-09-05T13:04:00.000-07:00

A Moving Ditty
Copyright © Kimberly Andrew, 9/5/2005

Boxes, boxes -- they never end.
Wrap and tape and flaps to bend.
Inside out and outside in.
I think my Yang has turned to Yin.

No time to relax at the moment for us.
For now we must pack and try not to cuss.
At night we crash into our bed.
While visions of boxes dance through our head.

Oregon -- we'll soon be there.
Where kites will fly in weather fair.
Bread will rise and cookies bake.
Walks on the beach I plan to take.

My honey and I will together be.
Enjoying the sites there are to see.
We'll relax and enjoy the ocean breeze.
Grow rhodes and roses and maybe some peas.

Perhaps come October I'll come back to stay.
In the chatter and clatter of everyone's day.
But now I must run, for the day moves along.
At least in my heart, there sings a glad song.

Copyright © Kimberly Andrew, 9/5/2005

Bone tired and confused

2005-09-03T20:05:00.000-07:00

Tonight I am bone tired, and confused. I packed knick-knacks today.

WHAT. WAS. I. THINKING? when I bought all these gems?

LOL! Half went in the give away bag. I'm too tired to even think about wrapping, packing, storing, unpacking, unwrapping and then dusting for the rest of my life. *blech* Gone, gone, gone.

All but 6 of my cookbooks are packed. These last few will have to go in with baking stuff. I did move 12 more to the give-away bag. *sigh, sigh, sigh*

Before I tell you why I'm confused, I'll share a funny tidbit. This is from our local paper:

The agency's Honor Guard unit unfurled the American flag and rose it on the department's flagpole for the first time while local singer Bob Green belted through a rendition of "God Bless America."

Now I'm not a wordsmith, but I'm pretty sure that flags are RAISED on the flagpoles, not rosed. LOL! I did drop an email to the paper and jokingly asked if perhaps this flagpole was planted in a rose garden. ROFL!

Now, why I'm confused. In the past two weeks, people we know have asked, "What's new?" When we tell them we are moving, better than half the time the reaction is one of either stunned silence or anger. I don't get it. Why can't they be happy for us? We've always been happy for them when changes have come along.

Our family is my biggest source of confusion. This past week I had a birthday. They didn't call, they didn't send a card, they didn't send an email. Nothing. Nada. Zip. Zilch. As far as our move goes, they have yet to say they are happy for us. They haven't asked if we could use some help packing, or a meal while we work, or any other thing. What we here is the same silence I heard for my birthday. Maybe they are angry, maybe they are hurt. I honestly don't know.

I do know that I'm hurt by their actions. Perhaps it's good that I'm moving away.

The popcorn ripple

2005-09-03T09:22:00.000-07:00

A few posts down I have a link to the popcorn ripple I'm working. Blogger apparently added some screwy code when I posted the link so it doesn't work. For some reason I can't repair the link either. So here's the correct link for those that want it:

Popcorn Ripple from the Craft Yarn Council of America

It's official!

2005-09-02T10:20:00.000-07:00

We have a place to rent!!!!!!!! WAHOO!!!!!!!!!!!

If you want to see pictures, you can drop me an email and I'll point you to the site. :)

It's ours as of 10/15, so we have much to do between now and then.

Pray for us!

Restoring my faith in mankind

2005-09-01T20:38:00.000-07:00

Hook News:
Finding myself projectless I was tempted to rip into a packed box to find yarn and a pattern. What sanity I have left prevailed and I opted to work on that 2-year old WIP. The problem was that I had already packed the pattern. A quick search of my HD revealed a stashed copy. I also found it on the web, so if anyone is looking for a lucious ripple pattern, this might be what you want.

Popcorn Ripple from the Craft Yarn Council of America

Book news:
I just finished reading “Shadowfall” by James Clemens (aka: James Rollins). Figured I'd share my impression with you:

First, I've never read a book quite like this before. I guess the closest would be Jim's other books like “Ice Hunt” and such. I admit that I found it both fascinating and disquieting.

The story was very well told. Jim's skills as an author/story teller become better and better with every book. I liked the characters. All of the good ones, but only some of the evil ones. His descriptions of people and places was wonderful and I could picture things in my mind as I read. I found myself wanting to read faster just to find out what would happen to everyone.

But, for me as a Christian, I found the “gods”, “demons”, and dark side of people and things disquieting. I was uncomfortable enough that several times I put the book down. FWIW, I have the same reaction to parts of “Lord of the Rings”, and even “Harry Potter”.

So, while this was a great book, I don't know if I'll read the 2nd one or not! Only time will tell. :)

Crook News:
Restoring my faith in mankind

Our neighbor, let's call him “G”, is a really nice guy—always willing to lend a neighbor a hand. He was talking to Mr. Retired about our move, and said if we needed to haul anything to the dump to let him know and he'd take it for us.

So Tuesday he came by and he and Mr. Retired emptied out a major section of the garage. We gave “G” our free dump pass and he added some things of his own and off he went. Never asked for money, or a favor in return, just took our stuff with a smile on his face.

Now “G” loves to do woodworking, so when he returned home, Mr. Retired gave him some tools, a sweet deal on his shopsmith and drill press and other wood working stuff.

At 8:30 this morning the doorbell rang and it was “G”. Seems he found a $100 bill in the one old tool box (was my late-fil's toolbox) and he was returning the money. Yup -- he RETURNED the money!

We were both stunned. By rights, “G” could have kept that money and we would not have known; but he felt it was important to do the right thing as an example to his 2 boys ... so he returned the money.

Sometimes good things do come to those who wait. :)

More good things:
Our rental agent called tonight. We may have a home to rent. We will know more tomorrow.

“Praise ye the LORD. Praise the LORD, O my soul. While I live will I praise the LORD: I will sing praises unto my God while I have any being.”—Psalms 146:1,2

I think I'll sleep very well tonight—even if I do ache from head to toe.

Joyfully learning as I go

2005-08-28T17:08:00.000-07:00

Hook News:

Yesterday I put my Brittany hooks up on eBay. A gal bought them using the "Buy Now" button, then sends me an email telling me she will be sending check. I explain no checks. She eventually says okay to money order (which is what the auction said in the first place), but son can't buy it until this next Friday. This means if I accept her payment will be later than stated on the auction. I hate to be mean, and she has an excellent rating at eBay--but I don't like to be taken advantage of either. Not sure what I'll do.

I did learn to put the NO checks and such in big, bold letters -- not that I think this will help some people. LOL!

Today in my continuing getting older celebration, I put my LeeWards Steel Hooks up on eBay. If you are interested, just click the link and it should take you to the auction. :-)

Crook News:
My flowers from Mr. Retired still smell wonderful. What a treat!

Dinner at Tony Roma's last night was fantastic last night! Great food, great service and a great dinner companion. hehehe

One phone call yesterday -- not from family -- from our realtor. The buyer has accepted the pest inspection and removed their contingency, so the deal goes forward. We now have 6 wks and 3 days to pack. EEK! There may not be many more updates here for a bit!

All in all, being a year older isn't so bad.

For His anger is but for a moment,
His favor is for a lifetime;
Weeping may last for the night,
But a shout of joy comes in the morning.

(emphasis mine)

I hope you find JOY in each morning.

Hooks and more hooks

2005-08-27T14:41:00.000-07:00

Hook News:

I stopped at Michael's today, hoping against hope that they would have a copy of "Ripple Afghans for the Family", but alas - they did not. I don't know why I even stop there. I can spend hours in any Michael's and come out empty handed. I did find a copy online at Herrschner's and in an eBay store - but the shipping is crazy for one small leaflet. Oh for a really great craft store.

Today to celebrate getting older, I put my Brittany Hooks up on eBay. :-)

Crook News:
Today was so GREAT!

Mr. Retired bought me a beautiful bunch of fresh flowers - the house smells wonderful.

Plus he gave me my copy of "Map of Bones". It will be hard to wait to read it, but I need to finish "Shadowfall" first.

Plus he gave me 2 cards - one still has me crying. The other made me laugh.

My lifetime girl-friend, best bud sent me a FUNNY card. She kids me because I'm 14 days older than her. hehehe

My Aunt and Uncle sent me a lovely card and moo-laa to spend as I wish. hehehe

Mr. Retired took me out for crepes for breakfast - Yummy!

Later we will go to Tony Roma's for ribs. We aren't inviting the "local family" -- we don't have the money to spend for all of them. I honestly don't expect any of them to call (no card from any of them either).

BUT - today was GREAT because I spent it with my sweetheart. :) :) :) :) :)

Reaching a pinnacle

2005-08-26T19:19:00.000-07:00

Hook News
Earlier this week I started a Lacy Shell Ripple ghan (“Ripples by Design”, leaflet 2905). I've been looking forward to working this pattern for several years, and I've had the yarn set aside for the past 2 years. What a disappointment. I reworked the first row twice and still had one chain left over, the directions do not make sense to me, and I'm not pleased with the way it looks at all. Now I'm hunting for an interesting ripple ghan to make with my yarn.

In the process of searching the web, I stumbled across a leaflet from LA (“Ripple Afghans for the Family”, LA 3711) and I'm in love with the ghan on the cover. It's now on my “buy when I get moved” list. It's becoming a very long list. LOL!

Crook News
Yesterday was a pinnacle. One of those days you work towards, ofttimes struggle to reach, and once there you rejoice in reaching the top. Usually you find that the ride down the other side of the pinnacle is smooth and graceful, leaving you with a sense of accomplishment and happiness; and spurring you on to your next pinnacle.

We had worked hard to reach yesterday's pinnacle, and were looking forward to the joyous ride down the other side. Sadly the top was anything but satisfying—in fact it was very frustrating—and that made the ride down anything but smooth.

The day after we returned from our house hunting/vacation on the 10th, we made an appointment for a non-profit to pick up many items that we had decided not to take when we move. Everything was useable and in good shape, although a few things were dusty from being in the garage for several years. When I made the appt., I had discussed with the lady what would be in the pick-up and she said it was all okay, but subject to the drivers final decision. No problem as far as we were concerned as we weren't putting out any junk.

So for 14 days we worked hard, with no major breaks. We'd collapse into bed at night totally exhausted; but we were working towards our goal of leaving this area for our dream retirement home, so it was all going to be worth it.

Yesterday we arose with the sun, and started moving all the items out into the driveway. It took us over 1 ½ hours, but when done we were pleased. To us it was a visual indicator of our hard labors. Several hours later, we discovered that a driver with an attitude cared not for our labors.

His first comment to Mr. Retired was, “We don't take things that aren't in a box.” Huh? Okay, so we taped some boxes together and put the bagged items into boxes. Then the driver started picking through the boxes. “Nope. Nope. Nope.” On and on it went until at least 1/3 of what we'd put out was rejected for one reason or another—not all of which made sense. I won't bore you with all the details, but here's my favorite: he wouldn't take the lids to the plastic tubs because they looked like junk, but he took the tubs. LOL!

After the truck was gone, I helped Mr. Retired move all the rejects back in the garage. Then I came in and placed a note to the local freecyclers and all the rejects are now gone to new homes. Go figure.

The balance of the day was tough. I felt as though I'd been crushed. I'm sure it was simply physical exhaustion mixed with the emotional drain of everything. I finally had to stop and relax in order to regroup. As I sat in my chair, with ice on my knee, I opened my Bible and was reading in Psalms:

“The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.”—Psalms 37:23, KJV.

I stopped and read the passage again, and my brain kicked in and I realized that even though our day had not gone the way we wanted, and the ride down the pinnacle wasn't graceful nor fun, it was all according to God's plan for our life and I should simply delight in what took place. I admit my list of “I'm sorry, Lord” was pretty long yesterday, but I slept well last night and today it all looked so very different. I'm climbing up the next mountain, reaching for that next pinnacle and looking forward to all the God has in store. I hope that you are able to delight in the way that God moves you.

Graceful things

2005-08-22T19:10:00.000-07:00

Hook News:
Finished!

The baby afghan is done. I'm pleased with the edging—guess I should be since I had to work it 3 times. LOL. For a full view ... click that link.

Crook news:
My reading list took a slight turn the other day when our copy of "Shadowfall" by James Clemens (aka: James Rollins) arrived at the library. This is the first in the Godslayer series and is very good—although a bit complicated. I have to ready quickly as I can only keep the book for 2 wks, with no renewals.

Speaking of books, I stopped at my favorite used book store the other day and was able to pick up "Beyond Suspicion" by James Grippando. This is the second in the Swyteck series. I also picked up copies of "2nd Chance" and "3rd Degree" from James Patterson. I'm in for some sweet reading the next few months.

Geeky stuff:
I've been a Mac aficionado since 1991. I swore nothing would move me from my Mac. Now something has—Linux and open source. We used a laptop loaded with Linux on our recent travels and it was totally sweet. I'm considering reformatting my second drive on this computer and installing Linux. In my not so spare time, I'm searching for good open source html software, so that I can update our site once we reach Oregon. It would be totally cool to find something that cross platforms so that when I go back to using my Mac I can continue updating the site using the same software.

The house takes shape:
Well the lot is showing signs of life anyhow. Our realtor sent us pics of the foundation. I've put them up if you are curious. They may take a bit to load, so be patient.

Picture 1
Picture 2

I've also added the floor plan, and the drawing of the front of the house. Please note that any all oddities like specks or lines where they shouldn't be, or the jpg being tilted is my error when I scanned and then tweaked in photoshop—no fault lies with our contractor.

Renting
We may have found a place to rent. We'll know more by weeks end. If none of these pan out, then they weren't meant to be.

Finally ...

Grace be with you all. Amen.—Hebrews 13:25

Water, water, water

2005-08-22T19:04:00.000-07:00

Cat news:
BC still won't have anything to do with the travel carrier, but he is enamored with running water.

Abby is ready!

2005-08-20T11:56:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we purchased the travel carriers for the cats. So far, BC has shunned both of them as though they were some kind of contagious disease. LOL! Abby, however, has chosen hers and thinks it's okay.

Showing Respect

2005-08-18T18:15:00.000-07:00

Note: you'll have to forgive the quality of the pics as my camera doesn't do well in dusk or night time lighting, plus two of the pics were taken as we drove past.

Last night Mr. Retired and I went out to dinner and found ourselves on the outskirts of a demonstration. A mini one by comparison to what takes place in many cities, but a demonstration none the less. I've been on the outskirts of several demonstrations over the years. I was in Chicago during the anti-war march that resulted in the "Chicago Seven" trial. Now that was flat out scary! I've been close to labor union demonstrations in both Chicago and San Francisco. I've been in San Francisco during various political demonstrations, and none of them were really fun experiences; so to stumble upon a demonstration in my town was more than a bit unnerving.

What prompted the demonstration?
This town is home to the woman sitting outside President Bush's ranch. While I don't agree with her stand, I'm thankful that I live in a country where she has the right to protest and not be thrown in jail. I'm thankful that I live in a country where those who support her, as well as those who oppose her, are allowed to stand on the sidewalks with flags and signs and express their viewpoints. I'm thankful I live in a town where the reaction was peaceful. No fights, no violence, just quiet discussions, lots of horn honking, and lots of flag waving.

One local paper said 250 people attended. I'd guess that 2/3 of those where the pro-Bush/pro-military supporters. They lined both sides of the street in front of city hall and the Veteran's Memorial--a fitting place for them to stand, in my opinion. In the 30 min. I was there all the horn honking and support was for the pro-Bush/pro-military supporters--also very fitting considering we are home to many of the personnel stationed at Travis AFB.

No matter how many were there on either side, it still stirred my heart to see the flag held high, to see folks showing respect to each other, and to see people willing to stand and show the rest of the city where they stand and what they believe. God bless them all!

Something lovely to view

2005-08-18T15:38:00.000-07:00

This ...

(you can click for a larger image)

is what we see out our front windows. Charming, isn't it? In 3 days it has traveled from the street to the sidewalk, to the bushes and now in front of our neighbors fence. The local Big Lots store has been called--to no avail.

Wonder how long it will stay? Will it still be here when we move? Will it rust in the winter rain? Will it eventually become home to trash bags and clutter? Let's hope not.

It has begun!

2005-08-17T10:45:00.000-07:00

Crook News—this is too big to save for last.
Note from our realtor, sent Tuesday, 8/16:

Tim has cleared the lot and they chaulked the foundation out today.

Whoo-Hoo! It has begun! I so wish we were there to watch, but we'll be there soon enough. :)

Hook News:
Edging frogged and restarted. Since I'm starting from the beginning, I changed it. I like the change better than what I had, so there was a reason I messed up. ;-) (see below)

My hooks are no longer a dilemma. The Susan Bates (from 1974) I use all the time (both yarn and thread), as well as my Rosewood hooks will travel with me. The balance of my collection I will entrust to the movers.

Crook news continued:
The hall closet is cleaned out. Well, my portion is. LOL! With the exception of 4 jackets, the rest of the stuff crammed in there is Mr. Retired's. HA! It will take him a month of Sunday's to be able to part with those jackets and such.

A Purpose for Everything:

“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:...
a time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;”—Ecclesiastes 3:1,7, KJV.

Emphasis is mine. As I frogged and redid the edging on my blanket, these verses went through my head. If you read all of Ecclesiastes 3, you'll find there is much more depth to God's Word than I'm sharing here. Maybe you'll find comfort in knowing there is always a reason for what takes place in your life. I often find I don't see the reasons, but I can find peace in knowing that God knows the reason, and He is in control. I hope He is in control of your life.

The hook dilemma

2005-08-16T18:05:00.000-07:00

Hook news:
HA! I really should know better than to crochet when I'm tired. Last night I was on the end of the 3rd side of 2nd round of the edging (are you still with me? hehehe), when I found a mistake on the first round! *groan * So tonight, if I'm alert, I have to frog all the way back ... and if I'm going to frog that far, I might as well go back to that first mistake that I already knew about, and fix the whole darn thing. Guess this won't be in the mail on Thursday. Oh well.

This morning I was working on packing more crochet stuff—gads I was sure I'd given most of this away! I must have had more “stuff” than I realized. Har Har Har! Now I'm fixing a plastic tub of “go away from me” crochet stuff. LOL! I'll offer this tub to freecycle.

I've set aside 2 projects I want to work on after we move. Those I'll mail to myself so that they are in Oregon, and not in storage. My hooks are a dilemma for me, though. Do I find a place to put them in my luggage, thus possibly leaving something else behind? Do I mail them and risk their being lost? Do I store them and risk them being damaged? What to do, what to do.

Crook news:
Today I was shredding all the junk mail. I am careful to make sure there isn't anything metal, no staples, etc ... but I guess I wasn't careful enough because there was certainly something in the one car ad. You know the ad:

You've been chosen out of everyone in your town for a really special deal!

Yeah right! Well, whatever was stuck in that advertisement is now jammed in the top of my shredder. In trying to remove it using reverse, I managed to dent the top of the shredder, 2 of the blades are busted and now if I plug it in, it runs and runs—really fast—and within a few seconds the motor smells like it's burning up. It's now in the trash and we'll have to buy another shredder – and leave it behind no less!

Joyce and Ethel
I've been pondering how to transport “Joyce” and “Ethel”. “Joyce” was my mom's houseplant and by some miracle it survived while I cleaned out her house, so I brought it home and named it “Joyce” after my mom. It's taken almost 5 years for her to really grow big and healthy. Now she needs some pruning. I refuse to leave her behind—even if it means she rides the 12 hours to Oregon wedged between my feet on the front seat of the car.

“Ethel” is an ivy plant - I forget what kind, but it's an indoor ivy with the tiny little leaves. Really pretty. She's another miracle (since I kill everything that I come in contact with), and I'd like to take her as well ... but since she's only a year old and there isn't this emotional bond, I'd give her to someone around here if need be.

Mover!
We have one! Praise God! No problem with them storing our things if we can't find a rental until right away. Plus, they are one of the few military approved movers in our area, and with Travis AFB just 11 miles away, that's a good recommendation all on it's own. Now we just need that rental unit in Oregon.

A Symphony of Praise

2005-08-14T19:10:00.000-07:00

Hook News
Yes, there is crochet news at long last. LOL! Last night I actually picked up my hook and started working on the edging to the baby afghan I'm working on. I was concerned that after 13 days away, my tension would be wacky, but it's not and all is well. I have a mistake in the beginning of the second round—but I'm not gonna fix it. After all, only God is perfect. :)

Crook News
Friday I packed up all my books. I think that was harder then sorting through them and giving away so many of them. But it's done. On my book shelf now are 2 books for my sister-in-law, and the 5 books I hope to read over the next few months. I'm probably being too ambitious in my reading selections, but I can always pack up the few that are left and take them with me.

Yesterday Mr. Retired and I packed up our biblical library. We have tons of study books and such, and since we've read them they now need a new home. We posted at note on the local freecycle list and were contacted by the wife of one of the “Growth Group” leaders at a nearby church. She is coming tomorrow to take all the study books, tapes and song books for her church to use. It is nice to know they are going to a church that holds to the same doctrinal beliefs that we do. :)

Today I'm working on packing all my quilting stuff. I've got almost all of it corralled in one place. It will be nice once we are in our new home and I have a room for my things again. No more storing here and there. My serger is packed and ready to go to storage until we get into our house; but my sewing machine will hopefully travel with us to our rental home.

A Symphony of Praise

“Rejoice in the LORD, O ye righteous: for praise is comely for the upright. Praise the LORD with harp: sing unto him with the psaltery and an instrument of ten strings. Sing unto him a new song; play skilfully with a loud noise.”—Psalms 33:1-3, KJV.

While I type this, I'm sitting here listening to “Symphony of Praise, Volume 2”. A wonderful CD of music that blends classical music with hymns and always leaves my heart happy. My favorite piece from this CD is “Because He Lives with 1812 Overture by Tschaikowsky”. You can hear an MP3 sample here.

I also own volume 1 of this series, as well as the two “Hymnworks” CD's. They all feature Linda McKechnie on the piano. Truly a talented lady, blessed by God in so many ways. Someday I'd like to own all her CD's. You can check out her website for more information and news.

Once they were lost

2005-08-13T18:27:00.000-07:00

But now they are found!
Today I decided to clean the bottom book shelf in the computer room and either toss or pack the stuff that was there. There were 2 paper grocery bags in front of the shelf unit, both filled with give away items. I moved the bags and there sitting on it's side was my fudge pan. It was in a box of things I'd gone through a few weeks back and I guess it slipped behind the bags without my noticing it. Anyhow, I picked it up and *gasp* there -- right there inside the fudge pan -- was my missing NT and my travel Bible. Oh joy!!!!!!!!

They are both now back in my night stand where I know they are safe and sound. Come time to move, they are going in the luggage -- with me. :)

I'm sure there's a lesson in here somewhere, but since I'm not seeing it -- I think I'm going to repeat it until I learn. LOL!

What one starts, one should finish; or...

2005-08-12T18:45:00.000-07:00

Fuelish me.
Wednesday was the last day of our trip. Woke up to fog, fog, fog. Wonderful. :) Went to a lovely pancake place in Brookings for breakfast and couldn't find a parking spot. That's always a good sign, and we weren't disappointed—had a great breakfast, in fact it was the best of the trip.

Our drive down from Brookings was wonderful. Temps in the mid-60's, and fog mingled with moments of sunshine. Totally grand! There were spots where the fog was literally shooting UP the side of the coastal mountain and climbing up to the sky. Other places where it was wafting across the road like big puffs of smoke.

Eventually we reached the Oregon/California border and the dredded “Inspection Station”! Not to worry, no plants, no fruit ... and no inspection! The Inspector was too busy standing over on the side chatting with another state employee—ah yes, my tax dollars at work. Whatever. LOL!

I admit to shedding a few tears as we crossed the border. I so wanted to go back to Waldport. *sigh, sigh, sigh* Well, nothing to be done about it other than be a good girl and come back here to “Heatsville” and pack.

We caught Hwy. 299 in McKinleyville, and traveled across to I-5. Some beautiful sights, and boy was it HOT! We got caught in 4 road repair traffic jams, but none of them were very long.

We had a late lunch (3:15pm) in Weaverville at a little “mom and pop” type diner. Food was great, even if it was 104 outside!

After reaching I-5, we gassed up in Red Bluff. Now here's where it gets fuelish. You see, Mr. Retired started the process, but I finished it so he could wash the front window. Problem is, I apparently had left my marbles in Oregon and I did something FOOLISH. I failed to put the gas cap back in place. So off we go, we hear this “clunk”, and wonder what it is. About 300 ft down the on ramp, I realize what it is! We stop, I check and ... yup ... cap is gone.

Mr. Retired backs up, scraps car on one of those plastic reflectors on the side of the road. He stops car and walks back to get gas cap. No cap. :( No choice but to head for our house and hope for the best. Only thing is we wasted almost an hour, so it was fairly late when we got to our house. It was still quite hot when we got here too.

When we come in the house, the cats are upset. They have no water, and the house reaks of dirty litter. Apparently our housesitter scooped out the litter pans, but never changed them. Well, in 10 days those babies were starting to walk. ;-) We spent time loving the kitties, we fed and watered them, cleaned the litter pans and showered.

I also had to take the time to call our one credit card company. We managed to misplace Mr. Retired's piece of plastic. Luckily, no charges on the acct. The company cancelled and is sending us new cards. Of course, late yesterday I finally found the errant card ... but by then it was too late. Oh well. ;-)

Tried to stay up and catch the 11pm news, but I was too tired. I hit the bed and thought, “Gads, this is harder than the floor.” LOL! We've always slept on a very firm mattress, but we got spoiled on our vacation and now we want a softer mattress. Guess we'll have to break down and buy a topper to use until we move. ;-)

Anyhow, that's the trip home, and now you know how fuelish (or foolish) I can be. LOL!

Fizzling Out

2005-08-09T20:21:00.000-07:00

The drive down the Oregon coast was wonderful. We saw tons of sights that we can't wait to go back and explore. Scenery was breathtaking and traffic was light.

Driving through Florence reaffirmed to us that it was NOT the place for us--to big townish, and reminded us too much of where we currently live. Port Orford was darling, but too warm for us. North Bend and Coos Bay were depressing. Gold Beach looked interesting, and we will probably explore there some day. One thing we noticed was the difference in scenery. The southern coast of Oregon is very similar to the California coast. The pine trees are less prevelant, the hills are brown and dry, the air is not as fresh and cool. It was sad, very sad. Made worse because we have left our hearts in Waldport.

Eventually we got to Brookings. The entire town is ... well, it's like being in a California prison town. I felt like someone had pulled the plug and all the air was leaving my balloon. It was worse when we got to our motel. Somehow I messed up and we aren't in the newer Best Western on the ocean, we are in the older one that is inland. The room is non-smoking, but right next door are all the smoking rooms. Our neighbor opened his window and door and sat there and smoked. We wound up closing our window and letting the room get stuffy in order to breath. I did lodge a complaint, but every room is taken. Not to worry ... I will let Best Western and AAA know my feelings. *wink*

After Mr. Retired had a short nap, we went down to the ocean front to look around *sigh, sigh* and have dinner. Went to the "best" seafood place in town. Honestly, it's not even the level of Red Lobster. The salad dressing was watery and from a bottle, the tartar and cocktail sauce was from a bottle and the clams .. I doubt they were fresh. I felt like I was back in the valley eating "fresh frozen" from the east coast stuff. Gads! Eight days in heaven on earth and I'm so spoiled! LOL!

Now ... don't want you to think the whole day has been a fizzly bust, because it hasn't. After supper we went down to the beach and walked around looking for shells. (Do you realize I am going back to California without ONE shell!?) Anyhow, no shells but a nice smooth pebble that washed up in a wave ... and I finally ... FINALLY ... got to take off my shoes and wade in the ocean!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :))))) My socks are probably ruined as they got soaked by a large wave before I could pull them off. hahaha My pants will dry and I will have to vacuum out the car when we return home -- but it was worth it. *huge grins*

Food for the body, food for the soul
Twice today I was reminded of "manna from heaven". This morning the folks in the room above ours were dropping seeds to the birds, and the birds were down below on our porch waiting for it fall ... just like manna from heaven.

"Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat."--John 6:31

The second time was when we stopped for coffee at the "Station Restaurant" in Bandon. The place was packed and we had to wait for a table. As I stood in the entryway, I was looking over the rack of freebie stuff, and there at the top I saw copies of "Our Daily Bread". I thought it was interesting that this restaurant served food for the body and food for the soul.

"And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst."--John 6:31

I haven't read this devotional in several years, so I picked up a copy. After all, my soul needs to be feed with the living manna. What are you feeding your soul?

Coasting along

2005-08-09T08:18:00.000-07:00

Last night we signed the papers, the builder signed the papers, and the realtor signed the papers, so it's official ... we are Oregon landowners, with a house on its way. :)

The four of us sat in the realtors officee and chatted like old friends. We told stories, laughed, sighed over the state of education these days, and started becoming friends. Friends #3 & 4. *grins*

We've already got an invite for July 3, 2006. hehehe They throw a neighborhood shindig (only about 2 dozen houses in the neighborhood) and everyone brings food, they BBQ and from their front yard you can see the fireworks. Then on the 4th, everyone drives over and watches the fireworks in Newport. hehehe

We've learned that our new neighborhood is FRIENDLY! Friendly as in be prepared for drop in guests (oh gads, I'm gonna have to start cleaning again! LOL), be prepared for dinner invites, be prepared to extend dinner invites ... etc. Personally, sounds wonderfully warm and I can hardly wait.

Today we head down the Oregon coast for night's stay in Brookings, then it's down to the Valley where we will pack, and pack, and pack, and pack. LOL! Come October sometime we will be heading HOME! Yes -- HOME! For home is where the heart is, and our hearts are here in Walport, Oregon.

The Tim and Tom Show

2005-08-08T15:24:00.000-07:00

Our realtor was not feeling well this morning, so she sent us up to the construction site where her husband, Tim, was working. His partner Tom was there, and this gave us a chance to meet both of them and actually talk facts and figures.

We have already toured Tim and Pam’s home and knew how lovely it was; today we toured Tom’s home. OMW! Absolutely gorgeous! We got to see the tile they will use in our entry and pantry, the hardwood for the kitchen and dining area, the alder wood for the cabinets, the special cabinet they are going to add for me in the pantry, and the counter top for the kitchen. :)

We have opted for a few extras: whole house vacuum system from electrolux, pre-wired for DSL/wi-fi, power-surge protection for the entire house. Saw the exterior color—not my favorite, but you know what? For the price and since it’s earth tones ... I like it. :) Learned how the factory applies the paint to the exterior wood using a pressure pressed system. All we’ll need to do is wash it down. All the windows will be vinyl double-pane and are easy to maintain. Same with shower. :) Plus, the window covering system for all the windows is WAY COOL. If I opt to add a valance here and there I can ... otherwise we are good to go. :)

By allowing them to be creative and make many of the decisions on the tile, color, etc ... they can call this a spec home, and that’s important for them business wise. Plus, it’s why the price is so great, and that’s important to us as the buyers. We can have some extra’s, buy some new furniture, and still be within our budget. Hurray!

Here’s the really weird part—both Tim and Tom used to live in our neck of the woods. Both worked in the towns right around us. Both still have family and friends there. So they know what we are moving from and why, and they understood what we wanted in a home.

Tim and Tom talked to Mr. Retired about how a propane/gas BBQ was better than charcoal up here. Hurray! I had visions of him burning down our house and trees. HEHEHE! Found out where to go to buy our washer, dryer and fridge. Plus we finally got the skinny on the time frame. Here’s a lesson for you:

Always talk to the builder, not the realtor.

LOL! Permit will be taken out beginning of Sept. If all goes well, then house will be done in 5-6 months. Now, that’s longer than our realtor told us (which was 90 days), but it’s still workable. We can delay our closing by 30 days, hopefully find a place to rent up here (even motels will do breaks on rates if you are living monthly – and our realtor has said she will help us find something) and be over the highway passes before the snows hit. Do not want to do the tire chain-gang thing. ;-)

So, I won’t be moving this Christmas after all. I think that’s rather nice, myself.

We have a house

2005-08-07T15:58:00.000-07:00

Well, almost. We close the deal tomorrow. It’s a spec home being built on a lovely lot with trees and wildlife. The hill overlooks downtown Waldport. Today we met with our realtor. Her hubby is the contractor (we checked him out – credentials are GREAT!) He was agreeable to all our changes and said they were small ones and would not be a problem. Small to him, but BIG to us.

Got to see samples of the tile and counter, cabinets, flooring, and such—and we were very pleased. He can’t take out the building permit for 2 weeks as the permit approving guy is on vacation, but once he has the permit it should only take 90 days to build. We will have firmer dates once the approval guy is back at work. Then we’ll talk to our current realtor in the valley and adjust the closing date on our home. If all goes well ... we should be in our new home for Christmas!

You know, it’s funny. We moved into our first home on 12/22, and the deal for our current home closed over Christmas (although our move was delayed until the end of January) and I spent Christmas time packing. Now here I am looking at moving in to a new home at Christmas. What is this, anyhow? LOL!

I took pics of the lot, but I need to have Mr. Retired help me plug my camera in to the laptop and then I don’t remember how to use the GIMP to adjust the pics ... so those might not be up until tomorrow.

But at least I know we’ll have a place to lay our heads. :) As we drove back, the teachings from Luke 12 were going through my head. In particular verses 27,28:

Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. If then God so clothe the grass, which is today in the field, and tomorrow is cast into the oven; how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith?

He has provided—just as He promised.

Tourists

2005-08-07T08:32:00.000-07:00

Saturday we did the tourist thing. :) Visited Yaquina Head Lighthouse. The wind was so fierce it almost ripped our eyeglasses off our faces. :-o The rocky crags were most impressive, and the waves crashing in were almost deafening. Can’t wait to go back during whale watching season.

Went to several beachs, but no toe dipping as either the beach was closed or there was no parking. We'll try Agate Beach on Monday when the real tourists have gone home. *grins*

For dinner we went to Nye Beach and ate at “April’s”. Highly over rated in my opinion, and since Mr. Retired agrees, I don’t think we’ll be pounding on their door again any time soon. Hehehe After dinner we took a short drive and then returned to our room to relax! It’s been a long several days/weeks. We talked, read, and just plain goofed off and enjoyed ourselves. Went out for a bit to “Flashbacks” and had a dish of ice cream. Gosh, we really did act like goofy tourists. LOL!

This has sure been a great trip. We have completely enjoyed ourselves. Plus, we now know what our future hometown is like. Best of all we know we’ll like it here: the weather, the shopping, the people. Now we just need a roof over our heads.

Booking It
Saaturday we also visited 2 book stores and what did we do? We bought books, of course. For some reason this strikes me as funny. We buy books here, so that we can pack them in our suitcase and take them down to our present home, where we will pack them in a box and bring them back here. HAHAHA!!!

So what did we add to our library? Me, I bought my usual stuff. I looked for some books by James Grippando, but none to be found. Darn! I did pick up an older Ken Follett (back when he was a better author), and 2 books by James Patterson: “When the Wind Blows” and “The Lake House”.

Mr. Retired, now he’s an interesting man. He bought a serious book. Serious in more ways than the subject. The book is 4 inches thick, 932 pages, and weighs approx. 5 pounds. I figure he’ll be reading “The Autobiography of Henry the VIII” for several months.

Sunset
From our patio we have a view westward and we have seen some spectacular sunsets. Saturday’s was most impressive with the fog bank out on the horizon, and the red sun dipping slowly below it as though it were melting. It made me think of Malachi ...

“For from the rising of the sun even unto the going down of the same my name shall be great among the Gentiles; and in every place incense shall be offered unto my name, and a pure offering: for my name shall be great among the heathen, saith the LORD of hosts.”—Malachi 1:11

Friends

2005-08-05T22:45:00.000-07:00

Quilting bits
We went to the local quilt show today. I had to work hard to keep from dragging my jaw on the floor. Stunning works of art—each and every quilt. They had a beautiful quilt up for the price of a raffle ticket, and I jokingly asked if they’d hold it for me until October. The lady said sure, but why October. Told her were here house hunting and would be leaving to pack and then return here come October—either in our own home or a rental while we looked. She grinned and asked how many bedrooms did we want. Seems her neighbor just put her home on the market today—private sale, word of mouth. So she and I chatted, I bought 2 raffle tickets, left my name, hotel room number, my soon-to-be-old-home address and phone number. She gave me directions to her friends home.

As she glanced at my raffle ticket with all the info, she said something about Vacaville and how hot it was. Yup, that’s one reason we are moving. Seems she’s been there – eons ago, but she’s been there. So we chatted about how towns change. Finally she asked if I had some paper and she wrote her name and phone number down. Said to call her before we left town and she’d let me know if she’d heard of any other homes available, and to please call her when we arrived this October. Alice and I shook hands (great handshake, btw) and smiled and I realized I’d just made my first new friend.

Later on, Mr. Retired and I were wandering around “judging” the display quilts (every attendee got to vote), and we bumped into Alice. Actually she saw me and came running over. I introduced her and Mr. Retired and the 3 of us talked and she told us that she learned to quilt in this class and then took me over to meet her teacher, and said there was a special story behind why she even started to quilt. It all has to do with a quilt top her late mother-in-law left her ... and then she said she’d save that for telling when I was moved in. *huge grins*

Oh, and I won a door prize too—a bag of batting. *giggle* I had a real hard time not buying a quilting book and some fabric—but I told myself to behave because they would be available once we are settled.

Exercising my brain
I’ve been on a reading binge—no crochet, no tv, very little internet. It’s been very refreshing. So far, I’ve read 2 of the 4 books I brought with me. Patriot Games was hard to read and enjoy because I’ve seen the movie so many times; however I devoured 1st to Die by James Patterson.

1st to Die was a total nail-biter from cover to cover. Yipes! I found myself sitting here last night, next to the open window listening to the ocean crash in on the beach, and not able to see much due to the fog—and every little noise made me jump. hehehe Then the folks next door let their puppy out and the sound of the dog snuffling around just a few away made the hair stand up on the back of my neck. I set my book down, closed the door, shut the drapes, and curled up in bed really close to Mr. Retired to finish the book. He woke up just as I got to the finale, and he reached over and gently touched me. How I kept from letting loose with a blood curdling scream is beyond me. LOL!

I started Cat & Mouse earlier today and I'm already 75 pages in. I'll not have any nails left by the end of this vacation. hehehe

The Black Swan
I have been looking forward to visiting The Black Swan bookstore in Newport, for several months now. Imagine my surprise to arrive there today and find out they are going out of business. :((( Most of the shelves are already bare. It’s a sad sight indeed. They didn’t have any books by Grippando or Patterson, otherwise I would have splurged.

Housing update
We weren’t going to do any house hunting today, but after chatting with Alice, we had to go look. In the process we stumbled across 2 other potential homes. Mr. Retired chatted with a real estate person (Joe not being available), and she will be making arrangements for us to view these places. Plus we spoke with the gal whose husband is building on that invisible lot (hehehe), and we found out where the lot is—why right next to the yellow house, of course. HA! Anyhow, since the building permit giver-outer is on vacation for the next 2 weeks, contractor can’t start on house right away, so she is going to set up an appointment for us to meet with him on Monday. Whew! So little time, so much yet to do.

Fog and the beach
The beach we wanted to visit was fogged in today, so hopefully tomorrow we will be able to dip our toes in the ocean. In the meantime, I’m enjoying all the fresh fish/sea food. I’m spoiled already. I actually had a burger for lunch—and I didn’t care for it. Go figure. I grew up on midwest beef, and here I am hungering for fish, not beef. hehehe

We went to The Chowder Bowl for supper, and were able to find a parking spot and were seated right away. Not the norm for supper—especially on Friday evening. Guess someone up there likes us. *grins* I had fried clams and chips and Mr. Retired had fried cla ... nah, he had fried halibut and chips. LOL!

Called home and all is well with the kitties and our niece, but she says it’s HOT! I’m not looking forward to going home. :((( Wonder if Mr. Retired would do the packing and let me stay here? ROFL!

Hope all of you dear readers are well. Until tomorrow ....

Trolling

2005-08-05T09:51:00.000-07:00

Wish I could tell you that I've been out fishing, but I haven't. However, this blog has been trolled. Whee! Guess that means I'm catching someone's attention. LOL!

The fog has lifted, we had a great nights sleep (even if it was in pieces and parts) and today we are doing some laundry and shopping. Gosh sounds like home. hehehe

Pieces and Parts
Why did we sleeep in pieces and parts? Because Varmie and I wore Mr. Retired out and he crashed at 9:30 and woke up at midnight—just as I reached the end of a most excellent mystery.* The man should learn not to lightly touch me when I'm at that point in a book. hehehe

Bad guy a goner, heroine doing well, I can breath again and Mr. Retired is WIDE AWAKE! LOL! So we talked some about our hopes and dreams, about the day with Varmie and how being with someone who knows us a bit and knows this area gave us a totally different perspective on living here. We finally fell asleep being even more thankful that Varmie spent the day with us. Thanks Varmie (you will never again be Varmit to me) for being such a wonderful friend, for enduring with us, for sharing your knowledge and being honest about things around here. Most of all, thanks for being a friend. Can't wait to finally be living here and being able to catch up with you more often. :)

Book news:
Almost sounds like I'm an author or something, doesn't it. hehehe Having finished 2 of the 4 books I brought on vacation, I think we might need to stop in at one of these bookstores. Dang! Wanted to visit the "Black Swan" with Varmie yesterday. Once we are moved in up here, she and I will do that. :)

*I just finished "1st to Die" by James Patterson. The murders were somewhat more gruesome than I care to read about, but after the first one I skipped the descriptions. Anyhow, a good read—he's a good author. Not as good as James Rollins, but good none the less.

Final note for now ... "Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD."—Psalms 150:6

Ya Hat it’s just fine

2005-08-04T22:04:00.000-07:00

Day something of our trip. My friend, Varmit, arrived and we hugged—good hugs—and smiled and she and Mr. Retired hugged and then we spent the day together. End of report. hehehe

What do you mean you want more details? Okay. We talked, we laughed, we were serious, we drove here and there, we visited 3 potential houses, we did some touristy things, we had dinner, came back here, reluctantly hugged good-bye and Varmie went home. That’s it in a nutshell.

Of course, there was the stop at Cape Foulweather were we stood and looked 300 ft straight down to the ocean. I’d love to show you a pic, but that’s not possible as Mr. Retired had left his camera in the car belonging to the real estate guy in Depot Bay. :rolling my eyes because after all I’ve never misplaced or lost anything:

Varmie brought a bunch of her crocheting with her and Mr. Retired and I both drooled all over the pretties. She does such beautiful work, and it was a real treat to see it up close. I love the way she incorporates texture into her own designs. Yes, dear readers, I got to see some secret stuff. hehehe

The 3 of us went house viewing (see below), then drove up to Lincoln City to see where the outlet stores are situated. Lincoln City, nice place to visit, wouldn’t want to live there.

Eventually we drove down to Yachats and had a wonderful dinner. We dined outdoors no less—you sure can’t do that in the valley we presently live in! Varmie had fried oysters—freshly grown and harvested in Newport; I wanted smoked salmon fettucini, but they were out of the smoked salmon, so I had crab fettucini. Mr. Retired was a copy cat and ordered the same thing I did. (Varmie and I busted up laughing when we copied me cuz he did the same thing at breakfast! LOL!) I also enjoyed a lovely green salad with a creamed dill dressing. Yummers.

Back on 101 heading north, we drove up one hill in Waldport to show Varmie the invisible lot #2. LOL! There are no signs saying “#2”, no indicators of where it might be, but wherever it is, it’s going to have a lovely home on it some day and we like the floor plan. LOL! Since the property seems to be invisible, I wonder if we can pay for it with invisible money? Harharhar

Eventually it was time for Varmie to head for home. :((( Good hugs all around, and a reminder that we’ll see each other again in about 3 months! :))))

Houses, houses, houses
What’s to become of us? Who knows. This next comment will either have you laughing, sighing, shaking your head or closing your browser and refusing to come back to read my ramblings. LOL!

Maybe we won’t buy a house. At least not a house that is already built. Maybe we’ll buy a lot and have a house built. After all, we currently know of 3 lots being developed with lovely houses and the prices are within our budget. So we are now looking at the possibility of either buying a lot and having a home built, or looking at the new homes currently under construction.

Today we did go see 3 houses. The first was lovely, although I didn’t like the formal living and dining room—I’d prefer a great room and kitchen set up; plus the back yard was tiered and I don’t do well on steps. The second house, now there was a winner. ROFL!

The second home is brand new, in fact they are still building it. Decent floor plan, nice deck, nice sized yard, but no shower stalls—just tubs. Oh, and it’s right next to the sewage treatment plant. Hahahahahahahaha Scratch that one from the list.

Last home was lovely, complete with sun room, nice deck, large master bedroom, shower stall and more, but the big draw back is the association dues of $100 per month. No thanks.

Still, it showed us that there are homes out there. We just have to find the right one. Anyhow, back in our room we were going over all the listings and such and again looked at the plans for the house on the invisible lot in Waldport. The more we look, the more we think this may be the route for us.

So whatz de deal wit ya hat?
All day, Varmie has been training us on the proper pronunciation of Yachats. Mr. Retired finally got it down and waited for just the right moment to spring his ditty on us:

Ya Hats: Ya hats just fine; ya hats really keen; ya hats on backwards ... groan, groan, groan. If you are done groaning, just remember—I live with him. LOL!

Personal notes:
Today I was reading from Mr. Retired’s small travel Bible. I’m using his because in my haste to pack, mine got left behind. Anyhow, he has notes of certain verses he likes and one of those is:

“Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.”--Philippians 1:6

I held this verse close in the back of my mind all day today. It was a good reminder that God will take care of us; and it reminded me how special it is that God brought Mr. Retired and I together—for this verse is one of my special verses also.

It’s for the birds!

2005-08-03T22:33:00.000-07:00

A most interesting day.
We had been in contact with a local Realtor who knew what we were looking for in a house. Her vacation was scheduled for the time we are here, but she had supposedly made arrangements with her office mates to take us around and show us the local sights, where things are, and what properties were available. So I called the office this morning and got the brush off from her office mate. She would be too busy, but we could pick up the packet and go visit whatever we’d like to see.

Figuring it was better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick, we went to the office and got the packet. There was nothing new in there, in fact we’d already looked and rejected most of the homes via the internet. However, we thought maybe “seeing would be believing”, so we gamely did our best to follow the map and go visit. What a daymare! We found ourselves pretty discouraged, but we refused to give up. We decided to drive over to Toledo and check it out. We found it ... interesting to say the least. Okay, scratch that city from our list of potentials and onward to someplace else—a coffee shop. Hehehe

One cup of coffee and one weird conversation later, we decided to travel up the road and see what was there. We passed several nice areas, and suddenly found ourselves in Depot Bay. Charming—totally charming. This is what we were thinking of when we came to Newport. Then up the road to Lincoln City—big but has potential—maybe. Talk, talk, talk ... and back to Depot Bay where we find a parking spot, dash across the street and wander into a real estate office.

“We saw your sign out front (3 bed/2 bath with shop) and thought we’d ask about it.” Receptionist calls Joe out front and we chat, go back to his office where we tell him what WE want in a house and what we’ve rejected. He gets it. In fact he’s just done pretty much the same thing himself last year. Heh! Fate! Kismet! Meant to be! God’s hand in all of this! He pulls up some listings and prints them out for us.

So on our way out of town we did some drive-byes of 2 potential homes. Rejected one (Joe wasn’t kidding when he said the sand could be a problem. hehehe One sand dune was taller than the house and almost as wide as a 2-car garage! LOL!), but we liked the other. Back in our room we searched for some homes, found 2 new listings, made notes and contacted Joe. He is setting up appointments for us to view these homes. We may not buy any of them, or we may walk into one and know we are home—but at least we are making forward progress with a realtor who understands and cares enough to help us.

How Mr. Retired will handle the situation with the vacationing real estate lady is unknown, but I’m sure he’ll do it graciously.

A sighting.
On our way to the sand dune place I had a sighting. Of what? Why a naked man walking through the marsh, dragging his blue jeans behind his behind. Hahahaha Wish I had had a camera with a good lense. Hehehe

It's for the birds!

This morning I stepped outside on the little patio to sip a cup of coffee and enjoy the view of the ocean, the fog, the waves rolling in on the beach, and the birds. Sea gulls mostly, but a few pigeons as well. Apparently other folks have been feeding these winged charmers as they are rather brazen in their approach and will try to wander right in the door of the room if you don’t chase them away. As I watched them wander up and down the grassy area, I thought of Genesis 1:20-21:

“And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.”

I stood there in awe as I realized that God knew I would watch these funny winged creatures back when He created them. How wonderful to know that He thinks of all the little things as well as the big things.

The thunderous roar of the ocean waves intruded upon my thoughts, and I found myself again thinking about Genesis 1 and how God created the oceans and it’s wondrous waves that roar, He created the birds that fly, the food that we eat, the air that we breathe, the water we drink, the cattle, the very ground we walk upon ... and He created me.

He also created YOU, and I'm glad He did.

Seeing is Believing

2005-08-02T23:09:00.000-07:00

We have arrived in Newport, Oregon!

The drive from Medford was beautiful. We drove through what seemed like endless tree farms. Miles and miles of pine trees of all kinds, shapes and colors lined the road on both sides. They reminded me of an honor guard welcoming home the weary travelers. They climbed up the mountains that surrounded us and traveled farther than the eye could see, some reached clear up to the heavens, and some leaned down to the earth. I saw majestic pines, skinny pines, pole pines, and even pine trees that looked like an artificial Christmas tree fresh from its box and in need of shaping.

We passed several fields that had bales of hay stacked in nice boxes, and one field where the rancher had used the bales to create abstract art. Then we passed the field where the hay had been put into rolls, and I could not resist. I burst into song, “Roll, roll, roll in the hay”, with the most wretched accent. Terri Garr would have poked me. Hehehe

For those of you who might have missed the movie, check out “Young Frankenstein” someday. Hahaha

We passed waves of wildflowers. I recognized the purple Lupine, and yellow mustard, but the prettiest wildflowers remain unknown to me—small white flowers with a sage green leaf. They covered many of the meadow areas we drove past.

Finally we reached the junction for Hwy. 20 and headed toward Corvallis. Once there we wound through and out of the town without any problems and pulled into a Shell station. Problem here—they were out of the gas we needed. hehehe So back to Corvallis we went. After winding around through the endless “one-way the other-way streets”, we pulled into a gas station with gas in their tanks and we filled our tank. The young man who did the honors (gee it’s nice to not have to pump the gas!) recommended a restaurant just 2 blocks away. So off we went, but we got stuck in a one-way turn that went the wrong way. Up 4 blocks we drove, and then over 3, and back down to 2nd street where we stumbled upon Michael’s Landing, a charming restaurant located in an old train depot. We enjoyed a lovely early dinner. I had fresh salmon and Mr. Retired enjoyed a chicken dish. If you are ever in Corvallis, do stop for a meal—you’ll be glad you did.

Once dinner was over, we headed back to Hwy. 20 and aimed our car westward toward the ocean. We drove through mountains, trees, valleys, around curves, and suddenly there it was in front of us—the Pacific Ocean!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We had arrived.

We headed to our hotel, checked in, unpacked and grabbed the maps and went sight-seeing, house looking and neighborhood checking. Well, dear reader, this is where I say “Seeing is Believing”.

Sometimes you imagine something and when you actually see it, it is everything you thought it would be, sometimes it is more than you imagined, and sometimes it is nothing at all like you imagined. That’s the case for us. Newport appears to be a lovely town, but it sure isn’t what we imagined or had in mind. Fortunately, there are plenty of towns around here, and our Realtor is ready to show us loads of homes in all the towns, plus take us “touring” so we can see with our own eyes all there is to see.

Will we settle in Newport? That remains to be seen. What we do know is that we plan on settling on the coast of Oregon, and when we find the right town and the right house we will know it, for ... “Seeing is Believing”.

Personal Note:
This evening Mr. Retired and I talked about our impressions of Newport. Then he asked me how I would share this in my blog. I told him that all day my mind had been thinking of 1 John 1:1-4:

“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; (for the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and show unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) that which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.”

So today I’ve shared that which I have seen (and believed) with my eyes, in the hopes that it brought you some joy. My prayer is that you might also believe and know the joy of fellowship with Jesus Christ.

Hello from Oregon!

2005-08-01T22:32:00.000-07:00

We arrived safe and sound, the room has secure hi-speed net access, niece checked in and cats are fine, we walked over to a little restaurant and had some iced tea, I've recovered my password for this blog, I'm doing better typing on this laptop ... so all is right with the world. HA!

We left later than expected, but still got out of town in one piece. The drive up the valley was HOT (thermometer read 104 - 106) and I was thankful for our wonderful a/c in the car.

O LORD, how manifold are thy works! In wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches.

We stopped in Weed, CA for a light supper at Silva's. We chose a table in the backroom where we could enjoy the view of Mt. Shasta while we dined. As I sat there sipping a cup of freshly brewed coffee, I noticed that the clouds were so low that they seemed to kiss the top of the mountain as they drifted across the top.

Gradually one cloud bumped into another and soon the small clouds had formed a large cloud. It was as though an invisible magnet had drawn them all to the same place. Soon the cloud grew large enough to cast a shadow on the top of the mountain, while the lower portion remained in the sun. The sight was absolutely breathtaking! The bottom of the cloud formation became dark, yet the top was fluffy and bathed in sunshine. As I watched, the shape began to change and I was treated to the a wonderous sight as a lenticular cloud began to form. We couldn't stay to watch the entire show, but it sure was wonderful to see.

Back onto highway 5, where we found our exit in Medford, and here we are. I'm ready for a quick shower and then some sleep.

Tomorrow -- meeting a friend and arriving in Newport!

Psalms 104

O LORD, how manifold are thy works! In wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches.

Saturday's ramblings and how Mr. Retired got zinged!

2005-07-30T19:57:00.000-07:00

Crook News:
Today Mr. Retired got zinged!
Heh! The checker at the grocery has the best poker face I've seen in ages and when Mr. Retired asked her why she had an ear of raw corn at the counter, she fed him a grand line about how she was going to eat the raw ear of corn—husk and all—for lunch. Mr. Retired believed her and said it might be hard on her teeth. I almost hit the floor laughing.

I’m used to Mr. Retired zinging others, and he always does so in grand style, but in 31 years I’ve never seen anyone catch him before. It was priceless.

Packing
I’m trying to get us packed for our trip, and I’m getting a lot of help. Just click the image below for the full-scale picture of my helper.

Sold!
Yesterday we signed the papers and sold our house. Escrow closes on 10/12—just in time for our 31st wedding anniversary. Nice present for us.

VPN
Aaarrrggghhh! Cannot get the VPN to work in Linux. We can wifi, but we can’t do so securely. Most frustrating. Give me a Macintosh any day. *wink*

A Parmesan by any other name …
Would taste just as yucky! Why do restaurants insist on dumping Parmesan and garlic on all their sandwiches? I hate Parmesan cheese and find it annoying to try to remember to say, “No parmesan and garlic” on my bread—especially when it’s not statef on the menu that the cook is going to ruin the sandwich. Oh well, I picked the meat and tomato out of the bread at lunch and ate them. Healthier in the long run. *grins*

Now it’s time for me to get back to packing, provided Abby will stay out of the suitcases.

Wobbly Wednesday

2005-07-27T18:29:00.000-07:00

Hook news:
Baby ghan:
I was on the last row for this ghan when I noticed a mistake. Not a small mistake—a major mistake. I had to frog 8 rows. Aaarrrggghhh! How I missed this mistake before last night I don’t know. Oh wait, could be because I’m so tired from packing. LOL!

If you want to see a pic of this lovely ghan, click the thumbnail. :) If you want the pattern, it's a freebie from Coats and Clark: Sweet Baby Layette.

Crook News:
Wobbly Wednesday
Wobbly is a good description of how I’m feeling right now. I’m physically exhausted from lack of sleep, running errands and from cleaning my craft room; but I’m emotionally charged and excited. I’m so anxious to get to Oregon, yet there is so much to do here. Will I be able to get it all done before the end of October? I sure hope so.

Today I came across a large box of small and medium sized baskets (I used to decorate them). I quit counting at 18. LOL! It was torture to dump them, but into the give away pile they went. Same with a bunch of Christmas trims, craft books, glitter, glue, staple gun, hot glue gun and it’s glue sticks, pencils, pens, iron-on stuff for wearable’s … and on and on it went. I kept telling myself keep “quilt and crochet” only.

I did run across more squares from a quilt square exchange I once belonged to. It was one of the original online exchanges. There weren’t email lists or boards back then, instead you went into the news groups. I was quite active in the quilting newsgroups, and I have squares from all over the US from this exchange. Since they were all nicely sealed in zip-lock bags, I tucked them into my “quilting” box. When I get settled, I’ll have a blast doing some simple patchwork quilts.

I have yet to decide what to do with my baseball card collection. I hate to just give it away, but where do I find someone to buy it?

Encouragement
When encouragement comes from an unexpected source, it tends to brighten my day in a major way. This morning I called our vet to make arrangements for vet care for our cats if need be while we are gone. I was chatting with Sherri about our pending move, and she asked me where we were going. I told her and she got so excited. She has family in the area and she knows it well. :) She gave me some great tips on working with our realtor, and explained some things I didn’t know (like why the lots are so small). She said we’d love it in this new town, and so would our kitties. Her joy lifted me up for the entire day, and reminded me of this verse:

”… but joy cometh in the morning.” – Psalms 30:5

May you find joy in each morning.

Meritorious Monday

2005-07-25T21:22:00.000-07:00

Hook news:
Thank you!
My thanks to everyone for the kind words about my Chocolate Dreams afghan pattern. You encourage me to design more things. :-)

Crook News:
Meritorious Monday
Today was definitely a most commendable day. We found a home for our aged Macintosh and all it’s wonderful software. The best part is that it went to a non-profit preschool where the kids will enjoy playing the games, as well as learning how to use a mouse, a keyboard and other good skills. They were thrilled to receive the laser printer, and will use it to print out programs and such. This was definitely a “feel good” trip.

After stopping for some lunch, we hit it hard and completed everything on our list but one minor item. We can take care of that tomorrow.

One of the best stops was at the jewelry store where we picked up my now clean and repaired opal ring. What a treat to have it back on my hand again.

Our last stop was the most encouraging one—the U-Haul center where we purchased boxes so that tomorrow I can pack up all my books. Also got a price on the cost of renting a trailer, and made a tentative reservation for 10/1. We’ll adjust the date when we return from our scouting trip.

I managed to book a room for us in Brooking, Oregon. This will be our last stop before returning home, and we plan on just relaxing for the evening before the long drive back into California and down to the heat of the valley.

Cat news
I’m pleased and excited to tell you that Abby Darlin’ is eating! She is doing so much better than last week. Hopefully our niece won’t have any problems with her or BC while we are gone.

Personal notes—Conquering Stress
I must admit that I’m finding this adventure stressful, and I find myself being short with Mr. Retired at times. A while ago I sat down to relax and let go, and found my inner spirit reminding me of my family verse:

”And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” – Romans 8:28

Scripture goes on to tell us that God knew ahead of time who would answer the call, and verse 31 reminds me:

”What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?” – Romans 8:31

So why am I stressing? I guess it’s because I’m not allowing God to have control of all of this. It’s so easy to start the day and give it to the Lord, and then take it right back from Him. Today He blessed our efforts and reminded me in a visual way that through Him I can conquer the stress.

”Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.” – Romans 8:37

I think I’m going to engrave this verse in my brain so that I won’t forget.

What does it accomplish?

2005-07-24T19:43:00.000-07:00

Hook news:
Baby ghan:
Yesterday I hit the “square” point on my baby ghan. I think I’ll add another 4 inches before I create an edging. I probably won’t complete this before I head out on vacation.

I also penciled out a design for a baby ghan. I hope it looks as interesting in yarn as it does in my head.

Crook News:
Vengeance is mine?
Today was one of those days where I accomplished a lot, and accomplished a little. At least that’s how I feel.

I had coffee and toast and watched Lance Armstrong win his 7th “Tour de France”, kissed Mr. Retired farewell as he headed out for the day and then I tackled my craft room. Good grief. I found more than 2-dozen bottles of craft paint. Someone please tell me why I had all this craft paint. I mean, I don’t paint, so why do I have all these bottles of craft paint? *shrug* Into the Goodwill box.

Then I found my old sets of rubber stamps—so old the rubber is hard. Into the Goodwill box they went. Oh look—there are my colored pencils. Originally I used them to highlight things in books. Now I have these nice highlighters. Into the Goodwill box the pencils went.

I also cleaned out some fabric I’ll never use—and once again I wondered at myself and what motivated me to buy such *ugly* material. Perhaps I was considering an UgLy quilt? hehehe

I stumbled across more songbooks. These were mine when I sang special music. I purchased my copy, and a copy for my pianist. When we left that church, she gave me back her copies, and here I am with 2 copies. I’ve offered them to several people and no one wants them. Go figure. I guess they’ll go in the Goodwill box too, and that makes me sad.

Then I found “the papers”. Finding these papers made me feel a little like I was robbing a grave—although I don't know why. I had totally forgotten that I’d put this packet together. What was in this packet of papers?

All my notes from day one as a church secretary—complete with all the details on Pastor R’s poor behavior, nasty comments, crude jokes, and such.
I had copies of handwritten notes and receipts; and copies of bulletins that were re-done at his insistence over trivial things.
All the details on the so-called child molestation that wasn’t, and how he jumped the gun without thinking (normal for him).
Notes on all the times he yelled and lost his temper.
Notes on things I’ve never told anyone—not even Mr. Retired.

I had offered this packet to the Deacon’s when everything went sour, but they didn’t want it; so I brought it home and set it aside in case I needed it. I honestly thought about using it when Pastor R was attacking and destroying my reputation and credibility, but that wouldn’t have been right. You don’t battle dirt with more dirt. You clean yourself off, hold your head up high and move forward. After all, Romans 12:19-21 sets the standard:

"Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good." – Romans 12:19-21

So I said nothing but nice things about Pastor R when asked, and forgot about my packet. I sat down this afternoon and shredded all those papers, and with it my sad, angry, unhappy memories dissipated—leaving me just the pleasant memories of better times.

So why do I feel like I accomplished so little? I don't really know. Perhaps it’s because there is still so much to do, or because I wanted to accomplish more today. Not matter what the reason, I did accomplish a great deal and my heart is happier for it.

Discerning the Truth

2005-07-23T16:31:00.000-07:00

Hook news:
Mary Maxim contest:
Such is life, my afghan didn’t win … but I still think it’s a good enough pattern to “shop around” for publication. Or, I may just upload it to my site. That’s a decision I’ll make down the road.

I do have to say kudos’ to Mary Maxim. They were behind with their judging (had to get that catalog out) and I was curious so I called. Becky explained and said they would be returning the non-winning afghan’s shortly and that they’d go out UPS. That posed a problem for me, as it would arrive while we are on vacation and the package would simply be sitting on my porch. Becky said that wasn’t a problem and had my afghan returned to me FedExpress. So thank you to Becky at Mary Maxim’s.

Baby Sleeper pattern:
My friend, Chatty, has designed a darling baby sleeper pattern. She’s uploaded it to her blog and it’s just the cutest thing. I adore the buttons she chose.

If you are curious, here are the links to the hat pattern and the baby booties that Chatty used.

Crook news:
Oregon here we come.
In just a week we will be in cool, coastal Oregon. Oh, I can hardly wait. Hopefully we will find just the perfect house to buy. If not then the perfect house to rent while we continue to look for the perfect house to buy. :-)

While in Oregon, we plan to look into Internet service, cable TV, library, shops (especially books stores), clubs (I know there is a quilting club, not sure about a crochet club), churches, credit unions and other things that help to make life a bit richer.

I plan on walking on the beach to search for shells for my friend, Linda and for my Aunt Rosie. I’ve already washed and packed my jacket—which seems really odd considering it’s 102° outside right now. Hehehe

In the meantime, I’m still sorting and packing—and dreaming about what will be our future.

Personal:
Discerning the Truth
A friend and I were chatting about Colossians 2:6-19, and how we are to discern the truth. In my Bible, I have underlined the words, “Let no man” throughout these verses, and then in verse 10 I underlined these words:

And ye are complete in him … – Colossians 2-10

In the margin of my Bible I wrote: “Let no man” (draw me away from the truth) for “Ye are complete in Him”. This was great comfort to me as a new Believer, and it’s still a great comfort to me. I am complete in Him, and can rest in that, draw spiritual nourishment from it, and find peace for my soul within it. He is in control of my life, and this move to Oregon.

Learning to live without things

2005-07-19T21:01:00.000-07:00

I mentioned to a friend that it was becoming easier every day to toss or give away things, rather than pack them to take when we move. She asked me how I was able to get past the “can’t live without it” stage.

It told her it was easy. Things are simply things—not people.

Things don’t love me back.
Things don’t cry with me.
Things don’t hold my hand or hug me when I need it.
Things don’t care what house they reside in.
Things only sit there and wait to be dusted or broken.
Things don’t count for anything when my life is over.

When I’m dead my relatives may fight over my things, or they may chuck them all in the trash—but hopefully they will hold on to the memories of our times together, hopefully they will remember the hugs we shared, and hopefully they will remember and know in their heart how much I loved them—and not my things.

When I look at things this way it’s very easy to say good-bye.

Here are the rules I’m using as I sort through everything:

If I can easily and fairly inexpensively replace it, I’m not packing/moving it.
If it’s old and worn out (like most of our furniture) and not a family heirloom—we aren’t moving it.
If I come across it and don’t remember why I bought it, when I last used it, or who gave it to me—then I’m not packing/moving it.
Lastly, and perhaps most importantly—if it doesn’t speak to my heart—I’m not packing/moving it.

I’m also quickly becoming tired of sorting/packing/cleaning…and the more worn out and sick of sorting/packing/cleaning I become, the easier it is to chuck things in the give-away or trash bin.

If it helps you to understand, I defer to the phlegmatic side of my personality for this.

I would guess that better than 50% of the stuff in this house falls in the “I can live without” category. My main personality is Melancholy, which explains why we are buried under all these things. LOL!

The Art of Finding Anything

2005-07-13T18:35:00.000-07:00

While going through a file of old papers, I found an interesting bookmark. Designed to resemble the spine of a book, the title was: “The Art of Finding Anything”, and the publisher was shown as: “www.lycos.com”. Now Lycos is a good search engine, but I’ve got news for them—the true art of finding anything takes place when you move. I should know.

Since I’ve been packing, sorting, cleaning in preparation for our move, I’ve found more things then I knew were lost. Trust me, even Lycos wouldn’t be able to make heads or tails of the jumble we have here. What have I found? Here’s a partial list—and do let me know if any of these things belong to you. ;-)

A $20 bill in an envelope. (Don’t bother trying to claim this—it’s mine, all mine.)
Pictures of Mr. Retired when he was a baby. :)
Software that I used on my old computer, but can’t use on my new one.
My opal ring that I’ve been looking for over a year—it had fallen BEHIND the one drawer. No, I don’t know how it got stuck in the back of the drawer, I was sure a cat had snuck off with it!
Post-it® notes—I have them in every color and shape.
A priceless baby picture of my one cousin—he’s naked! I have plans for this picture! LOL
Envelopes and matching stationary—does anyone actually handwrite notes any more?
Tablets of paper that would forest a forest.
Empty boxes from software I use. The install CD is in a case on the shelf, so why did I keep the empty box?
A Palm Pilot that a friend gave Mr. Retired, but I can’t find the “wand” or the recharger. :-/
In my desk drawer I found copies of our PG&E bills from 1997. Why did I keep those? I guess I thought they were precious.
Under my desk I found dust … lots of dust. After all, how often do you move a computer desk and vacuum way back in the back?

I don’t know why I kept all these things, or why so many things were in such odd places—but I do know it’s gonna stop! Now all my current stuff is in the big drawer, in nice neat file folders, and all I need to do when we move is box it – shouldn’t take more than 15 minutes to pack up my desk. :)

While I was “finding” all these treasures (HA!), I was reminded of these verses from 1 Peter:

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: that the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ.”1 Peter 1:3-7

It was verse 7 that really struck home with me (emphasis mine):

that the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ.”1 Peter 1:3-7

While I’m finding earthly treasures, God found me—definitely not a treasure—and saved me. He keeps me, and allows trials in my life that I might be found worthy when I stand before Him at the end of my life. I am so very thankful that He found me. Has He found you? If He has, have you surrendered?

Problems and a house

2005-07-12T22:32:00.000-07:00

Hook news:
If you are having a problem …

downloading, "Chocolate Dreams", just click here and the PDF file should auto-download for you.

Crook news:
Exciting things are taking place!
We may have found a house in Oregon. Yes! Much to check out first, but we are most hopeful. We will know more once we get up here and get a chance to look it over.

Chocolate Dreams

2005-07-04T15:58:00.000-07:00

Hook news:
Chocolate Dreams is available!
Yes, my latest design, "Chocolate Dreams" is finished and is now available as a PDF file. You can click the photo to the left to see a larger, more detailed picture of the afghan (although it's not a complete image—but you will see what the finished ghan looks like). If you are a Web-TV user, or have problems downloading the PDF file, please contact me. You'll find my email address listed on the right.

Crook news:
Moving forward
I have great news on the moving front, but no time today to share that news. Instead I'm off to enjoy dinner and watch "Yankee Doodle Dandy". Oh, and we'll head outside at 9pm our time to watch the fireworks.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, AMERICA!!!!!!!!!

Everything is moving

2005-06-28T01:17:00.000-07:00

Hook news:
"Chocolate Dreams"
… while finished, is still not up. My photographer has been on strike. :-/

Mary Maxim Contest
This is the week. Between the contest and our pending move, I’ll be a nervous wreck by weeks end.

Crook news:
SOLD!
It’s hard to believe that just 2 months ago our hope was to sell our properties and be able to move by the holidays. Shortly we will close the papers on our second property and that will leave us with only our house to fix and sell. Everything has moved so quickly. Some nights I crawl into bed and wonder if I will wake up in the morning and find it’s all been a dream. The Lord has truly blessed us with this move, and I know that He will continue to do so as we pack, fix and leave this area. I can hardly wait to see what He has for us in Oregon.

Book news:
Map of Bones:
My wonderful husband was likely tired of hearing me moan about having to wait and wait and wait for the copy from the local library, and purchased a copy of this book for me. He then brought it home, set it on the book shelf and told me I had to wait for my birthday. The man is rotten. LOL!

Finished but …
I finished Without Remorse this weekend. It was a good book, but left me unsatisfied. Why? To borrow from a friend: I had a lot of trouble accepting the ending. The hero got away with murder—actually several murders—because the government needed his talents. Okay, so the murders were “justified” because the people he murdered were drug dealers and murderers themselves … but that still doesn’t justify murder to me. I guess I still like the notion that justice will prevail, even though I know better. Oh well.

I’m now reading Edge of Danger by Jack Higgins. It’s a hardbound edition that I picked up a few months back for $5 on the clearance table—my favorite place. :D A quick read, even if I have to sit in my chair to enjoy it. hehehe

The book shelves are where?
Sunday we spent some gift certificates from Christmas and enjoyed a dish of ice cream from Cold Stone Creamery. Overkill would be a good description of the delights they serve up. Be sure to take your entire days appetite if you visit.

Afterwards we felt the need to walk off some calories, so we wandered down the mall and took a tour of the local Barnes and Nobel. We were stunned to discover they had moved most of the books sections! Took me 20 minutes to find the books I like, and then another 5 to figure out that the books weren’t all alphabetized by author’s last name at the moment! Some sections continued across the aisle, while other shelves only went to the aisle and then did a U-turn.

As hard as it was to find things, I managed to come home with 3 new hardbound books. No I don’t need them. Yes, I’ll probably have to pack them. But ... but ... how could I pass up such great bargains? (Well, actually I passed on two that I wanted because some bimbo was sitting on the stack of books and her shorts were really short and her cheekys were on the cover ... and EEEWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!) Sorry, got carried away. hehehe I did came home with:

Valhalla Rising by Clive Cussler - $4.98
The Teeth of the Tiger by Tom Clancy - $5.98
Bad Company by Jack Higgins - $6.99

Of course, Harry Potter is due out in what, 25 days or so? And then in August I’ll have Map of Bones, so I’m set for the summer. The only other thing I hope to read is a map on how to get to Oregon. :)

Speaking of roaches …

2005-06-15T11:26:00.000-07:00

For 3 years now I've been battling these bugs in my garage. In the beginning I used non-toxic traps. Then I added in some powder—even though it's toxic and I have to wear gloves and a mask to apply it. Between the two I've kept the population under control (translation: the indoor traps are empty.) ;)

Now, the debate between Mr. Retired and myself has always been … are they "water beetles" as the city claims, or are they "co**roaches"? I was sure it was the latter and even considered having chemicals dumped all over my house (toxins be damned!), but since the indoor traps have shown NO bugs, I haven't dumped toxins inside.

Finally, I captured one of these buggers and we hauled it to the Ag folks. There we amused the biologists with our critter. (For the record, these biologists are delightfully weird; they get so darn excited over the bugs you bring in. They actually fought over a blue wasp I once brought in for identification, and I wound up having to decide who got to keep it in their private collection.) :rolleyes:

Anyhow … after much discussion amongst themselves and checking in books … it was determined that the dumb things really are water beetles and they aren't harmful. In fact, they eat ants and such. So how come I have so many ants?

It has a name!

2005-06-15T00:47:00.000-07:00

Hook news:
Nameless no longer
"Chocolate Dreams" is finished. Once my artistic cameraman has pictures ready, I'll be able to put the pattern up.

I still have no idea what I'll tackle next.

Crook news:
Friends—as close as a calling card
Yesterday I picked up a new calling card at Costco. Last evening I used the card to call a friend. Just hearing the voice of my friend had me smiling. We talked about so many things—family, sports, computers, our shared faith in Christ. We laughed, I shed a few tears, we were serious ... we reminisced and simply enjoyed each other's company.

While a phone call isn't the same as seeing each other in person, it was certainly a wonderful "for the present" substitute. I'll be smiling for days over this call and look forward to chatting with my friend again.

Moving Wrinkles

2005-06-14T18:05:00.000-07:00

Hook news:
Mary Maxim Contest
My entry was received and I'm now counting down until the week of July 1st when the winners are notified.

Nameless new design
The pattern is completed, all typo's have—hopefully—been found and corrected. All that is left is a picture and a name. I'm stumped on the name. The picture is up to my artistic cameraman.

I have no idea what I'll tackle next.

Crook news:
Moving wrinkles:
Yesterday we got the lovely news that if move out of state, we have to pay more out of pocket for our health insurance. Charming. The additional monthly cost is more than the monthly pay raise we just received. That spurred us to reconsider exactly where we will move. Washington is looking better than Oregon right now. ;-)

While chatting with the rep, Mr. Retired asked about my health coverage and what happens when I get to MediCare age. Seems I lose everything Mr. Retired worked for, and I wind up with the hideous coverage from the feds. What was the point of Mr. Retired covering me all those years? The idea they sold us on was that I would then have decent lifetime health coverage. Apparently that only applies if I had not managed to get all those quarters in and qualified for SS/Medicare.

Okay, so I accumulated those quarters because I was willfully disobedient and headstrong. Guess this is one of those "every action has a reaction and consequence" things. Not that I like it, but I can't do a darn thing about it.

For some reason this verse keeps coming to my mind:

Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. – Philippians 4:11

So I'll be trying to be content with what has come my way. Somehow I think this is a lifelong lesson for me—rather like trying to learn to be patient.

Being thankful

2005-06-12T16:40:00.000-07:00

Hook news:
Mary Maxim Contest
I'm now in the waiting stage. The afghan is complete and and on it's way. I'm thankful the project is completed.

New design
I cannot believe I've been working on this design for over a year—but I have. I took time off to make a baby ghan, then time off to do the Mary Maxim stuff. Then there were the holidays, and life in general. Well, now I'm back to it. All that needs to be done is finish typing up the directions, and give it a name. I'm thankful to be almost done with this project.

Wonder what my next project will be?

Crook news:
An update on my garden.
The sweet peas seeds that survived the winter rain, and brought forth 3 plants and 2 small blooms became the victims of an early heat spell and are no more. :( Perhaps next year.

I have 3 geranium plants now and they are doing super. The carnations didn't like the heat either and are gone. *sigh*

I trimmed “Joyce” and she's doing well; however “Ethel” does not like the a/c blowing on her and is suffering. Some surgery is in order.

I'm thankful that I haven't managed to kill all of my plants. ;-)

Book news:
My current read:
I'm presently reading an older James Rollins, Excavation. It's very fast paced and has creepy creatures, Inca tribes, buried treasure and evil and nefarious characters as well. I don't read it just before bedtime.

Tom Clancy and "Jack Ryan":
We recently rented The Hunt for Red October from Netflix (I needed to drool over Alec Baldwin and Sean Connery - hehehe). I was curious as to why Baldwin played Ryan only once, so I did some digging. That took me a web site that listed all the "Jack Ryan" books, and there was a listing of the books in published order and chronological character order.

Now I love reading books in chronological character order, so I made notes and scampered over to my favorite used book store, where I managed to garner the first 3 in the chronological list. My summer pleasure will be to find and read them all—in chronological order.

If you are interested, here is the chronological listing I found (which may or may not be accurate):

Without Remorse
Patriot Games
The Red Rabbit
The Hunt for Red October
The Cardinal of the Kremlin
Clear and Present Danger
The Sum of All Fears
Debt of Honor
Executive Orders
Rainbow Six
The Bear and the Dragon
The Teeth of the Tiger

Whew. I'm thankful I'm done typing chronologically. hehehe

Map of Bones:
I’m still sitting at #9 and holding for this book. How can a county this size have only one copy of this best seller? I guess I'm thankful we have a local library. ;-)

Personal news:
How patient are you?
My patience is no better than it was a few weeks ago. I noticed today that I have bit the nails on 3 of my fingers. Yes, just 3 nails—the 3 middle fingers on my left hand. I wasn't even aware I was biting them.

Moving and being thankful
The other day we signed papers and sold what was to have been our retirement property. When we bought it there were 3 other homes in the area, and loads of trees. Now there is a subdivision behind the property, several other homes on the street itself, a large church kiddy-corner to the property, and rules and regs that would curl your hair. Oh—and no trees.

Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. – Psalms 150:6

We are very thankful as God blessed our investment and we received good money for the property. We'll invest this money in our new home. Hopefully that will be in a small town where there are trees, not a lot of growth, and a nice, small, warm comfy church where we can worship the One who gave His life for us.

The Owl's from the Benicia Owl Cam

2005-05-28T14:29:00.000-07:00

You can count all 6!

Made me laugh!

Cute face!

Contest & Garden News

2005-05-21T18:30:00.000-07:00

Hook news:
Mary Maxim Contest
I’ve now finished all 30 squares, and yesterday my entry tag from Mary Maxim arrived. Yippee! Plus I saw Dr. Nick and got my spine and shoulders adjusted—so I'm more than ready to finish this ghan and get it mailed in. Then it’s a matter of patiently waiting—something that has always eluded me.

Crook news:
How does your garden grow?
Mine is struggling along. Last year I planted 12 sweet pea plants. I let them go to seed in the hopes that this year I would have more sweet peas. This past winter has been a wet one, and one day during a lovely storm I watched as most of my seeds floated down the sidewalk and down to the drain. I held out hope that somehow some of the seeds had survived, and I was right. Apparently 3 did. Of those 3, only 2 plants have survived and so far I’ve had 2 blooms off one plant and none off the other.

In desperation, I dragged Mr. Retired to the nursery yesterday and came home with 2 geranium plants and one pot of carnations. The carnations are the smaller flower on stalks that are less than 12-inches and are the color of smoked salmon and smell like fresh cinnamon. Yumm!

My 2 houseplants are growing great guns and I’m most pleased. The one I call “Joyce” is in need of a trim, and I’ll have to screw up the courage to tackle that job, but otherwise “Joyce” and “Ethel” are doing well and seem to be happy.

From the Bookshelf:
Sandstorm
In the wee hours this morning, I finished reading Sandstorm, a novel by James Rollins. Whoo-HOO! The book did not disappoint, and it was worth losing sleep to finish it (even if we never do find out what they did with the basket—hehehe). The action level kept building until we crashed into the finale, then a slightly calm wrap-up that left me eager for the next SIGMA book. Great read, and I loved that there was a news article yesterday that tied in with this book (I won’t say anything about it because it would give away a major plot issue).

On a scale of 1-10, I’d rate this book a 9.75.

My current read:
I’m now reading a “calm” book while I wait to climb up the list at the library for “Map of Bones” (sitting at #9 and holding—one copy for the entire county system!)

The “calm” book I chose is Mystery Mile from Margery Allingham. My copy came to me as a gift from Mr. Retired. He paid a nickel for it at a garage sale. Published in 1930, it sold for a whopping 25-cents and was part of the “Mercury Mystery” series. The pages are somewhat brittle, so I’m careful as I read—and I have to read with a light on because of the coloration (quite yellow-brown) of the pages.

Still, it’s an interesting read and will give me a Rollins break before I tackle either “Map of Bones” or the first of the “Wit’ch” series.

Personal:
How patient are you?
As I said earlier, I'm not always a patient person. As I begin to fret over things, and wonder “when”, the desire to push the button and have things in my time rather than the Lord’s surfaces and I usually remember this verse:

Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him – Psalms 37:1

As a “work in progress” I don’t always listen as my brain tells my heart to wait, but sometimes I do. Perhaps someday I’ll actually learn to relax and wait before my brain has to talk to my heart.

Murphy's Law - or Are You Content?

2005-05-20T13:54:00.000-07:00

Hook news:
Mary Maxim Contest
I’ve now finished 28 squares! Considering the pain in my hand, I’m ecstatic!

Crook news:
Murphy's law days.
I'm sure you've had them. A day when if something could go wrong, it did. When no matter what you tried, it failed. No matter where you went, or what route you took, there were a billion other people wanting to share the same spot of the road with you—at the same time. A day when you looked at the mix of clouds in the sky and thought, "If I were a cloud, today I would be one of the black and gloomy clouds." Recognize any of those scenarios? See, I was sure you'd had one of those days too. *grins*

Yesterday was one of those days for me. All day long as things went wrong and I grumbled and complained both out loud and to myself, the latter part of a verse from Hebrews kept running through my brain:

"… and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." - Hebrews 13:5

Was I content? No. I was not satisfied, and no matter what good took place, all I saw were the things that went wrong. Mr. Retired and I completed our errands, and as we were driving towards home, I looked up and saw that God sent a beautiful sunset where He turned the clouds to a beautiful gold color. That was when I finally realized that while I kicked and moaned and groaned and became more miserable with each passing moment, I'd missed the beauty, joy and wonder that God had set aside for me. For He had done as He promised, He had not left me; but once again I had left Him and as a result I had spent a most miserable day.

When the day was over, did any of it matter? No. The things that went wrong were nothing major—I ended the day alive and kicking with all my pieces and parts intact, my loved ones survived to see today, and here I am. I've had a chance to tell the Lord how sorry I was for my attitude, and that I'd need His strength to get past all this. Somehow, I know in my heart that He will give me the strength I need. The question remains … will I be wise enough to be content?

Parking, Hooking and a Light

2005-05-19T12:34:00.000-07:00

Hook news:
Mary Maxim Contest
I’ve now finished (finished to me means not only stitched, but all the ends are woven into the project) 25 squares and 5 rows on this project. I added those squares to my afghan, and so I now only need 5 squares/1 row and then I can do the length wise joining and the edging. I should have this done by the end of the month or before. :)

Crook news:
How do you park?
Yesterday we went out to lunch. I noticed a bright orange post-it note stuck to the outside of the driver’s window on the car in the space to my right. I'm curious (or is that nosey? hehehe) enough, I read it. I laughed—out loud.

You should learn how to park between the lines. A jeep isn't that big.

Oh how often I've wanted to leave a similar note, but I lack the courage; besides my mother's voice always echoes in brain, "Be nice." As I caught up with Mr. Retired at the door to the restaurant, he asked what the note said. I told him, and he (who doesn't have my mother's voice echoing in his brain) promptly said he wanted to get that printed on cards and sealed in plastic – maybe a thousand or so – and carry them with him.

So if you can't park your vehicle, and someday you come out and find a note on your window, perhaps Mr. Retired stopped by. *wink*

Personal:
From my reading in Psalms this morning:

The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?– Psalms 27:1

When the world around me is filled with woes, frustrations and sorrows, and the way is dark, I need only look to the Lord for strength, comfort, and security—for He will light my way.

Afghan update

2005-05-17T09:00:00.000-07:00

Hook news:
Mary Maxim Contest
Last night I finished the 20th square, wove in all the ends on the last 5 and joined 2 more rows to the contest ghan. I'm now 2/3 finished!

Crook news:
Shaking my head
I don't often comment on politics, at least not here, but I'm shaking my head this morning over an action taken by the California Assembly. (Sometimes I think the first 3 letters of their name are so very appropriate!)

This past January the Anaheim Angels changed the name of their baseball team to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Reason? Marketing that translates to more money. (Now that song from Cabaret is running through my brain! … “Money makes the world go around …”)

Personally, I thought the name change was a silly thing to do. The team is in Anaheim. Be proud of it. Besides, is it really that big of a deal? Disneyland is in Anaheim and they aren't out to change their name to LaLa Disneyland in Anaheim. There is also the Anaheim Ducks. Do they now become the LA Ducks of Anaheim? If you do a search on Google for “Anaheim”, the 5th hit is for the Anaheim Angels. They should have left well enough alone. But they didn’t, and apparently their actions are so important they Calif. Assembly has to step in and pass a law. Yes, we have a law pending that will “require a team named for a city in which it doesn't play most of its games to disclose that fact on all tickets, advertisements and promotional materials.” The reason? The consumer is being deceived.

Sure they are, but is this the best the great California Assembly can come up with? This is how they earn their pay? This state is facing a $4 billion budget deficit and potential water and electricity shortages, yet the Assembly is worried about what is on a sports ticket?

I have to agree with Assemblyman Ray Haynes, R-Murrieta, who said, "This is an absolutely foolish bill." Here! Here! Assemblyman Haynes, stick by your guns. Get the Senate to join you, and then please get back to the business of dealing with the mess the State of California is in—before it’s too late.

Personal:
From my reading in Psalms this morning:

I will sing unto the LORD, because he hath dealt bountifully with me. – Psalms 13:6

The world may idle away it’s time, the legislature may idle away it’s duties, but the Lord has been gracious to me, and I will sing His praises my life through.

Being swift

2005-05-16T16:29:00.000-07:00

Hook news:
Mary Maxim Contest
I now have 19 squares completed, with some ends to weave in, and then I’ll add 2 more rows to my contest ghan. :)

Crook news:
Abby update:
Abby Darlin’s surgery went well, her incision healed beautifully, and today the vet took the stitches out. She’s one happier cat. The sad news is that she has also gone deaf. :( We've noticed a few signs on and off over the past few months, but apparently this infection finished the job and she can't hear. She howls a lot, and we have to be careful not to startle her when we come up on her, but otherwise she's okay. We'll give her loads of TLC and help her deal with this.

We now have a flea problem though. *growl * So “Advantage” to the rescue. Both cats are now restless and driving Mr. Retired and I crazy. Short trip, I know.

Moving:
This weekend we dug in and emptied out a bunch of junk from the garage. Filled up 2 garbage cans, plus several boxes and bags of stuff for Goodwill.

Because we emptied things out, I splurged and purchased 2 mugs for our new dishes. The new kitchen will be warm and cozy, and there won’t be a speck of blue or red on the dishes (at least not if I can help it!) We’ve chosen Fiesta Ware from Homer Laughlin and have agreed on Sunflower and Tangerine. I’d love the green, but Mr. Retired refuses to eat or drink from green dishes … so we’ll stick with the yellow and orange.

Personal:
Further in my Bible study with my friend, I was reading James from the beginning this morning and this verse struck me right between the eyes.

Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: – James 1:19

So often I get upset over silly things and let my temper flare. Worse, I’ll blurt out things that I shouldn’t. What good does it do to yell at some goofy driver? They can’t hear me, thankfully, and it only ruins my blood pressure. I guess this is something I need to work on, letting God have control of my temper.

Author! Author!

2005-05-13T20:53:00.000-07:00

Today I did something I’ve only done once before in my entire life. Today I had someone “famous” autograph something for me. *big grins*

The first autograph was one of those rare moments of “fate”. Today’s autograph was totally different—it was planned.

A few weeks ago, I heard that James Rollins was possibly going to hold a book signing at the local Waldenbooks, and I was eager to find out for sure. I called the store and they suggested I email Jim and confirmed with him, as he would know before the staff did. All I could think was, “Yeah, right!” What author/actor/famous person do you know that answers emails from lowly fans? I don’t know any, but I figured it was worth a shot.

Much to my surprise, Jim responded almost immediately and said he was working on a date and would let me know when it was set. Six short days later the promised email from Jim arrived letting me know that he would be at Waldenbooks today, May 13. He said he hoped I would be able to make it. Un-huh. Sure. I marked my calendar anyhow.

Then I had to make a decision—which book to take with me. I have most of his books, but I knew it would have to be either Ice Hunt or Sandstorm.

Ice Hunt was the first of Jim’s book that I read. I bought it because I liked the cover. Seriously! I had a gift certificate to spend, and was looking for some new reading material—something different than I normally read. The cover intrigued me, so I bought the book. The book is fantastic! I started it in the week hours and finished it in the wee hours 2 days later. I found myself reading while my husband watched TV, and yet I never heard the TV. I read the book while I waited for my husband to put his shoes on, while I stood in the kitchen cooking (actually I burned a few things) dinner, in the garage as I waited on laundry, and in bed at night waiting for my eyes to close. I carried this book all over the house, not willing to actually put it down. The pace of the story left me breathless at times. The characters were well developed, as was the plot; and 510 pages later a small part of me cheered at the very end of the book—even though as I read it I gasped in total stunned shock!

Ice Hunt showed me that you can sometimes judge a book by it’s cover. :D It also hooked me on this author, and I set out to read all his books and be up to date before the release of Sandstorm and Map of Bones. I almost made it. Anyhow, Ice Hunt was my first choice simply because it’s the book that caused me to fall in love with Jim Rollins as a writer.

The other book I considered taking was Sandstorm. I’m presently halfway through the book and all I can say is WOW! It’s even better than Ice Hunt. Plus it has that spiffy lenticular holographic cover!

Today I had to decide. My choice? Take them both and hope for the best. :D I wasn’t disappointed.

Jim Rollins is a very gracious and kind man. He has a grand handshake (something I wasn’t prepared for as most men don’t really shake a woman’s hand out of fear of “hurting” us), but Jim’s handshake was firm and sincere. He looks you in the eyes and smiles. He is interested in you and what you might have to say. He has a delightful laugh as well.

I introduced myself and said I’d emailed him about the book signing, and he said he remembered and was wondering if I was going to come. (I’m sure I blushed.) Jim was most gracious and signed both of my books. He even listened as I babbled away and told the above story of Ice Hunt. I think I heard him laugh when I mentioned the burned dinner.

As he was signing my second book, an airman came over and picked up Map of Bones. He said he’d just read the Da Vinci Code, and asked if Map of Bones was good. Before the store employee (manager?) could say word one I blurted out, “Yes, it’s a great book, and I’ve only read 2 chapters. It’s way better than the Da Vinci Code, and Jim is a far better author than Browne. No comparison. You should buy the book.” At this point, I think my husband was giggling at me. Yes, I admit it, I was hyped and I felt like a goofy schoolgirl on her first date.

Jim finished signing my books, gave them back, shook my hand (and I was prepared this time and hopefully did my pop proud when I returned the handshake in kind) and thanked me for coming and wished me well. I bubbled out a thank you and off we went down the mall. I don’t know if the airman bought the book, but if he didn’t—he missed out on not only a great book, but the chance to meet one of the nicest and best authors around.

If I ever have a chance to find Jim again, hopefully I won’t babble and I’ll be able to ask him the questions I was going to ask today.

If you ever have a chance to go to one of his books signings, do so! You won’t be sorry.

Draw nigh

2005-05-13T11:39:00.000-07:00

It’s time for a long overdue update around this place. If you’re a fan and have been waiting for my words of wisdom (rolling my eyes), my apologies.

Hook news:
Mary Maxim Contest
I’ve been busy. Since I last wrote, I was able to get my latest small square design to work beyond what I expected and have filed papers with Mary Maxim to enter it into their latest afghan contest. I know I’ll be competing against some of the best designers, but the thrill is as much in the competition as it is in winning. I want to take one moment here to wish my friend, Rich W., the very best. If anyone beats me, I hope it’s you, Rich!!!!!!

This particular design was inspired by … oh wait, I can’t tell you that … yet. *giggles* I can say that my thanks go out to 3 fellas I know at a once visited board. They helped me find the pictures I needed to use as I worked. To see where I'm at in completing my afghan, see the update box to the right.

The Coffee Design
I’ve completed all but one square for my design in the rich coffee yarn. I am eager to complete the project, but need to finish my contest entry first.

The Unfinished Design
The square that wouldn’t work still doesn’t—but I honestly haven’t spent any time trying to fix it.

Crook news:
So much has happened in the past month, I don’t know where to begin or what to share.

My online life has taken a major turn. I’ve left a board that I was a member of from its founding. It was a difficult decision, but one that has been coming for a while. When you are known to people both online and in real life, and yet they openly state that they have no faith in you—then it’s time to cut the ties and move forward. There is something wonderful about letting go of things and people that only cause stress. Life becomes a much happier time.

Then there was the fire. Just a small one, but if we hadn’t been here we wouldn’t have a house! Fortunately we were sitting just a few feet away when the fan in the hallway burst into flames. No damage, and there was a breeze, so the odor dissipated quickly. Oddly, the smoke alarm didn’t go off. The batteries are fresh. Go figure. Made me feel so secure.

Mr. Retired smothered the flames and took the fan out. We’ve now replaced the fan and the batteries.

We're rockin' and rollin' in Northern California!
I would be remiss if I didn’t share here about the earthquake back on May 8th.

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/recenteqsUS/Maps/US2/37.39.-123.-121_eqs.html
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/recenteqsUS/Maps/US2/37.39.-123.-121.html

The first one was near us. Info from the USGS site:
1:43:55 AM: Magnitude was 4.1. Epicenter was 11 miles west of the center town (so approx. 8 miles from us). Depth was 6 miles.

This quake woke us up out of a sound sleep. We felt the bedroom shaking as though a herd of elephants was running through. The windows were rattling as though someone was banging on them. When I finally got past the total panic state, I turned on the light on my nightstand and the picture on the opposite wall from the bed was askew! EEK! Abby Darlin' was sitting on the window ledge and was in a total panic with her fur fluffed. It was hard to go back to sleep—but we did. hehehe

Had a micro earthquake (aftershock?) at 7:47AM, (mag. 2.2, depth was 7.1 below ground, 10 miles from town). Didn't feel this one.

Apparently there was a quake in this area the morning of May 4th as well. It was deeper, and a few more miles away. Never noticed that one either.

Same basic area had another, smaller quake around 3:30 this afternoon.

I can't wait to move out of this area and reach the coastal area of Oregon where we will only have to worry about Tsunami's and North Korean missiles.

Personal:
I’ve been reading the Book of James. A friend and I are doing a short study of it together. I was particularly struck anew by this verse:

Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. – James 4:8

Oftentimes I fail to stay close to God, and yet I want Him to always be there for me. I’m making a commitment in my heart to stay closer to Him, I hope you’ll do the same.

Have a safe and happy weekend.

"Lay down in peace"

2005-04-15T11:02:00.000-07:00

It has been an interesting, but productive, few days.

Hook news:
My latest design is still giving me fits. I’m not pleased with the way the edging is working—it is out of balance with the rest of the design. I’ve opted to set it aside for now.

I have gone back and looked at the small square I was working on when I branched off into the larger design. I still like it. It’s complete, warm, interesting … all the things a good design should be. So, now I need to find the “right” yarn to compliment the design, and then it will be time for some serious crochet time.

I’m 1/3 done with my second sample for my recently completed design. It’s turning out quite rich looking in the Coffee yarn from RH. It looks better than I thought it would.

In looking this over, now I realize why I’ve not actually completed anything. I’ve got too many projects going at once. hehehe

Crook news:
Today several years of family history left my home, as I placed 6 boxes of record albums out for pickup by United Cerebral Palsy. I can’t think of any better charity to take these records and sell them, as my parents felt UCP was a special charity. I also gave away a large box of unneeded craft supplies, extra folding chairs, and several dozen more books (my bookcase now has one empty shelf, and 2 shelves that are only partially filled). I feel like I’m 8 steps closer to moving, plus I have less clutter and junk around here.

Speaking of less clutter and junk, my last entry was about Treasures. I’m excited to say that I’m still in contact with my friend, and I’m still cleaning out my heart and spending time each day with the Lord.

Psalms 4:8: I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety.

Today I read Psalms 4, and was reminded of the preciousness of the Scripture when taken to heart. In particular, verse 8 has stood me in good stead for many years, and reading it this morning reminded me of how much I have to be thankful for, as I now sleep peacefully at night. Perhaps some day I will share my story about this verse, but not today.

I trust that you are able to “lay [yourself] down in peace and sleep” because you dwell in the safety that only the Lord can give.

Treasures

2005-04-10T19:07:00.000-07:00

"… For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." — Matt. 6:21

Recently I found an old friend on the net. We've begun emailing and chatting via IM. Talking with my friend is a joy and brings a smile to my face. It is exciting to find that our lives (including our spiritual lives) have followed very similar paths, and we have much in common. Yet this friendship is also troublesome as I find myself increasingly uneasy in my heart. Why? Because our conversations show one very major difference in our lives: My friend is still close to the Lord, while I have allowed my bitterness and anger to push me away from the Lord.

As a result, for the first time in several years, I’ve found my heart drawn to the Bible and I've found myself taking time to pray. Not just shallow, empty words … but words from deep within my heart. God has been faithful and is dealing with me and healing the hurts and sins of my heart, while drawing me close to Him once again. He is also convicting me in many areas. One of those areas is about the excesses in my life. I keep telling God that I "need" these things, "enjoy" these things, and that "I" don't see anything wrong with these things; yet the Holy Spirit has not left me alone. Each day my eyes are opened a bit more to the excesses that I've allowed to fill my life. Today was such a day.

I was working in my craft room, clearing out things I don't plan on taking when we move, and suddenly I realized that this room was filled with so much stuff that there was no place to put the trash! The verse from Matthew that I quoted above flooded my brain and I was convicted deep in my heart as I realized that my heart was so filled with stuff, that there was no room for God. I apologized to God for not listening to Him, and asked Him to guide my clearing out. I began in earnest dumping things into either the trash box or the give-away box—never once thinking that I should keep this or that. I filled up my trash box three times, and with each trip to the garbage can my steps were lighter. The give-away box soon overflowed and became a second box, then a third plus 2 grocery bags.

The car trunk is now filled with things—good things that will hopefully find a new home and not be someone else's excesses. My craft room now has some working space, and tomorrow I can add to my growing collection of give-away items. Best of all, I cleaned some things out of my heart, and it now has space—space for God; and with His help, I will once again place my treasures and my heart where they belong.

Why "Hook and Crook"?

2005-04-09T19:31:00.000-07:00

The credit really goes to my husband. I told him I wanted to start a new blog about my life and my crocheting, but was stumped for a title. He thought for a moment and came up with "Hook and Crook".

*Hook: n.
1. A curved or sharply bent device, usually of metal, used to catch, drag, suspend, or fasten something else.

As a crocheter I use metal hooks to fasten yarn to yarn, thus creating lovely things with each stitch.

*Crook: n.
1. An implement or tool, such as a bishop's crosier or a shepherd's staff, with a bent or curved part.
2. A part that is curved or bent like a hook.
3. A curve or bend; a turn: a crook in the path.

I rather like the last definition. The path of my life has taken many crooks (twists or turns) along the way, and each is different and unique. Plus a crook is just a curved part like a crochet hook.

Exploring Northern California

2005-04-08T07:43:00.000-07:00

The day began … early, at least earlier than normal since the coffee hadn’t brewed yet. I flicked the pot to on, and set about my morning routine. Soon the aroma of freshly brewed coffee wafted to my nose and the wonderful words, “Good morning”, tickled my ears as Mr. Retired delivered my caffeine fix. Two mugs later I was showered, dressed and alert. We packed the cooler with water, grabbed cameras that had been fed fresh batteries and headed out for an adventure.

The air was brisk, and reminiscent of a fall day, yet my eyes told me it was spring since the trees and flowers were blooming and the hills were green with life—not brown and awaiting the awakening kiss of the winter rains. The sky was filled with clouds—thin as well as thick—and they were displayed in several shades of grey. It definitely looked like rain.

Into the car we climbed, where I turned my seat heater on to “2”. Oh the joy of heated seats. :D The highway was busy, but not packed with cars and soon we were taking the first side road to catch Hwy. 29. Our eyes were assaulted as we neared American Canyon—a new city that is not slowly budding into being, but shouting out that it’s arrived. Everywhere our eyes could see were “ticky-tacky” houses and condos; and all of them painted in one of 4 subdued colors that remind me of bricks. It seemed to say, “Live here and never be an individual again.”

We left the horror of growth behind us and headed to Hwy. 37, where we skirted around the San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge. The marshlands were alive with waterfowl of all kinds—teals, mallards, cranes, herons and egrets; while red-tailed hawks and other raptors circled in the sky—all in search of food. We spotted one pair of birds, bright pink in color, with long necks and I was positive I was looking at a pair of flamingos, but I’m not sure they travel to this area. Sadly, at 65 mph, with traffic riding on our bumper, we couldn’t stop to grab a picture.

When we reached Hwy. 101 we headed north toward Santa Rosa. By 10:45am, we found ourselves in heavier traffic, all the while driving in and out of rainstorms. One cloud followed us for several miles spilling out drops of rain that danced around on the windshield in an attempt to avoid the windshield wipers. Ah, but these wipers are smart. They simply moved faster as the rain came down harder, and swept the raindrops off to the side of the window where they trickled down to the hood of car in rivulets that squiggled around in the wind.

We drove out of the rain clouds and had jut begun picking up speed when traffic suddenly came to abrupt halt. One after another, drivers hit their brakes, creating a sea of red lights under the overcast skies. Directly behind us was an inattentive driver, who at the very last moment realized that he needed to break. Fortunately, he had the presence of mind to turn the wheels on his car to the right and he skidded to a stop just an inch from our rear bumper—leaving behind several inches of rubber from his tires. My ears heard the squealing of those brakes for several miles.

Coming into Healdsburg, we spotted a restaurant and decided to stop for lunch. We found Adel’s to be a nice place, with a good menu, decent prices, nice staff and good service. It was a good break, but we were ready to head on out to explore.

As we traveled up the road, we found ourselves enjoying the sights of wildflowers growing up the sides of the hills that butt up next to the highway. Thick patches of lupine dotted the green grass, mostly the purple, but often a mix of purple, red and yellow. We saw wild mustard waving in the gentle breeze; California poppies were bursting into vivid orange blooms most everywhere one looked, star thistle in white and yellow gave texture to the scene. While we couldn’t stop to take any pictures, others have provided some and I’ve linked to their pages so that you will have a visual image to enjoy.

Eventually we crossed the Russian River and came to Hopland, where we turned onto Highway 175. It is a 17 miles “S” drive—definitely not for those with queasy stomachs. We eventually reached Hwy. 29, where we turned north and caught Hwy. 20 and drove around the “eastern” shore of Clear Lake.

The gentle breezes were causing small white caps on the water and at one point we pulled over and listened to the sound of the water as it gently crashed into the shoreline. Out on the water there weren’t any boats—it was too cold and windy; but there were loads of waterfowl. This time we spotted pelicans amidst the ducks. What a treat.

Our travels took us down Hwy 20 to Hwy 5, and then to Hwy 505. As we traveled, the terrain changed from the rugged mountains, to low foothills where we saw several varieties of oak trees, and then to farmland. Soon the farmland turned into new housing developments, and then one town after another until we reached our growing city.

It was good to get out and explore, and let our eyes enjoy the beauty of spring in Northern California, but it was great to arrive home as well. Hopefully before we leave this area, we will have time to enjoy a few more trips; but if not, there is much to explore in Oregon.

Wednesday's Wonders

2005-03-30T09:02:00.000-08:00

Hooking News
Finished a little baby cap last night. As I was translated the scribbled notes I'd made the last time I made one, my brain raced with ideas. So the next several days I'll be playing the baby cap game as I see if those ideas work.

The best part of making the baby cap was working successfully with a G hook. This is the smallest hook I've worked with since my slashed my finger. The last time I tried working with it was a dismal failure, so it was very encouraging to be successful.

The not so fun part? Finding that the inside of the skein of yarn had collapsed and become twisted on itself. Took me almost 2 hours to unravel and ball it. Yeesh.

Do dreams come true?
I'm not a believer in psychic phenomenon in any way, shape or form; but sometimes a dream is so vivid that it makes me wonder. Last night, I saw Mr. Retired and I in our new home. No clutter, no junk, neat and tidy. The kitchen was warm and inviting with soft yellow walls and yellow and orange curtains. Friends would stop by for coffee, we'd go visit them. Mr. Retired was off fishing with a friend. I'm more determined than ever to pack and move.

Crochetville
I'm truly enjoying Crochetville. It's warm and friendly, lots going on, and best of all -- no politics! Now if I can just get them to talk about books and movies I'd be in heaven.

Literary Puzzles
I just finished reading "Fool's Puzzle" by Earlene Fowler. The plot was good, the characters were well developed, and the good guys won in the end. My only dislike was how easy it was for the heroine to fall in love with the hero. Too much like a romance novel for my tastes. All in all, I rate this book an 8 on a scale of 10; and I rate the author the same.

My current book is "A Catered Murder" by Isis Crawford. I adore the two sisters, Libby and Bernie. This quote from Libby about Bernie could easily be a description of me and Mr. Retired ...

As Libby watched her sister's brow furrow, it occurred to her that living with Bernie was like living with a talking encyclopedia, an encyclopedia that followed you around, bombarding you with facts you had no desire to know.

Change Libby to Kimberly and Bernie to Mr. Retired and you have my life in a nut shell. hahahaha

An Epicurean Spiral

2005-03-28T21:21:00.000-08:00

Mr. Retired was in charge of meals this past December while my finger was healing. He adapted this recipe from a magazine I had picked up. I made it the other day, following his directions, and it was just as good as when he made it. Enjoy!

Beef and Spirals (adapted from Taste of Home Casseroles, 2004)

1 C uncooked spiral pasta
1 lb ground meat (beef or turkey)
1 med. onion, chopped
1 med. green pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
13-oz spaghetti sauce
6 med. mushrooms, sliced
1/4 C sour cream
1/4 lb. cheddar cheese, grated
4 oz. mozzarella cheese, grated

Cook pasta to al dente stage, drain and set aside. In skillet brown meat, add onions, green pepper, garlic, and mushrooms. Cook until onions are translucent. Add spaghetti sauce and bring to a low boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 1-1/2 qt. baking dish. Add in half the meat sauce, half the pasta, add half of remaining meat sauce, spread sour cream on top, add cheddar cheese, balance of pasta and balance of sauce. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over top.

Cover and bake for 30 min. Remove cover and bake an additional 10 min. until bubbly and top is browned.

Serves 4-5. Leftovers (if there are any) reheat well.

Monday's Musings

2005-03-28T09:55:00.000-08:00

Crochet news
Last night I managed to get 2/3 done with another square for my ghan. This is wonderful news considering the whole finger laceration incident from last December. I was sure I'd never again be able to crochet without pain. Now there is no pain, I don't need a bandage covering the lacerated area, and I'm picking up speed. I'm very happy. :)

A friend sent me a pic of the Flying Fingers Yarn Bus. What a cool idea! What a cool shop!

The Owl Cam
I checked in on Frida and Diego this morning. I love this picture of the two of them. Deigo is a good provider and brought Frida a nice plump mousey. :) The owl expert says the first egg should hatch around April 8th. Wonder if I'll be doing the 24/7 webcam viewing. :rolling my eyes:

The sun is shining today and I'm out of here to get things done.

2005-03-27T17:02:00.000-08:00

Today I spent time reading and relaxing. Then I came here and wound up crossing my eyes trying to get everything to work correctly. It doesn't, but I don't know why it doesn't. It can wait for tomorrow.

I am half-way through typing up the instructions for the edging on my latest ghan design. Oy Vey! I can't understand my own notes! LOL! That will wait for tomorrow as well. At least once typed, all I have to do is follow them when I finished sample #2 (2 squares down and 10 to go!) That is when I'll find myself either totally confused, annoyed at how badly I translated my notes, or happy because I figured it all out. Want to bet which one it will be?

Mr. Retired just called and he is on his way home. YEAH! So I need to head off and get dinner ready. Maybe if I bat my eyelashes at him just right, he'll take me out for a cup of java. I could use one right now.

Sidetracked

2005-03-27T15:35:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I got sidetracked. I had intended to spend the entire day doing laundry and sorting through some boxes. But a package arrived. A package filled with something very special. Something that gently called out to me in a soft voice. Something I could not ignore. I hope you can understand that it’s not my fault, honest it's not.

It all began this past Wednesday when Mr. Retired decided he wanted an older computer game. Amazon had it at the best price, but to avoid the shipping cost, we had to spend another few bucks. He said to me, "Oh surely you can find a book or two to make up that difference." Honestly, does the man not think about how he is feeding my addiction? And here I've been so good at not buying any new books. Now I'm off the wagon and it will be hard to climb back on it. But I'm digressing here ... so yesterday our package arrived. I got my little pocketknife and lovingly cut the tape.

Suddenly my hand lunged inside the box and greedily seized two small items. Their surface was slick to the touch, rather like the silk that edges a blanket; and their feel in my hand was comforting and soothing. I yanked them out of the box, sending the rest of its contents scattering onto the floor. I cared not. I had what I wanted. What I craved. New books! :D

I gazed lovingly at my new possessions. I caressed their covers with my free hand. My eyes glazed over as I thought about what adventures lay ahead. Finally, I shook myself out of my "new book stupor" and sat down and looked at the books. There I found "Fool's Puzzle" by Earlene Fowler and "A Catered Murder" by Isis Crawford.

"Fools Puzzle" is a quilting mystery, and "A Catered Murder" is a foodie mystery. I put the foodie book on the shelf, and took the quilting mystery to the front room. On the way I grabbed a cup of coffee. I settled in and read for over an hour. I'm in love with this writer and her stories. I love her characters. I am half way through the book. hehehe I read in bed last night, waking up because the book fell out of my hands and onto the floor. LOL!

This morning I went and searched out the quilt patterns Fowler speaks of in her book. I had more fun! I need to do these patterns. I found her web site (she has free quilt patterns and recipes there!). I now have a new book on my want list—"Benni Harper's Quilt Album".

I'm totally in love, and my craving for a new book is now satiated…for a week or so. I guess I'll get back to Harry Potter tomorrow. In the meantime, I'm off to enjoy a cup of coffee while I help Benni piece together the solution to the mystery. ;)

Kimberly

Of former beaus and sometimes friends

2005-03-13T17:11:00.000-08:00

This is a reprint of my March 13, 2005 post from another blog (soon to be abandoned!) Because this entry speaks of several "crooks" in my life's path, I wanted it to be a part of this journal.

Of former beaus
Like many women I know, I have friends, foes and beaus from my past. Usually they remain tucked nicely away in my memory banks, where I can call them up in moments of sweet remembrance; but sometimes they sweep in like ticking time bombs and fill the present with trepidation and panic. Such was the case for me earlier this week when an email from a former beau landed in my mailbox.

Perhaps landed is the wrong term. Crashed more appropriately describes what took place, for I felt as though a bomb had gone off inside my body when I saw his name in the "Who" column. Time froze and for one split second I neither heard, saw, nor felt anything around me—only the blinking of his name as the "new email" alert flashed.

At that moment, images flooded my brain like water from a broken damn. The swirling pictures caused memories to float to the surface of my heart—some of them ripping open old scars and leaving in their wake fresh pain and hurt, and the horrible sensation of shame as though my entire past life had been laid open for all the world to see. Other memories brought warmth and joy, some brought anger.

My pulse raced and my breathing was heavy as I sat and pondered my dilemma. On the one hand I was curious, on the other I was afraid of what I would find. My hand shook as it hovered over the mouse. Do I or don't I open the email? My hand moved to the delete key and paused. Finally I closed my email program and got up and left the computer. I needed time to think. Time to gather myself together. The email would wait. The sender would wait. After all, he had waited 34 years, what would another few minutes or hours matter?

A friend in need
My friend and I were close, but over the years we've lost touch as our lives have taken very different directions. She's remarried, has grandkids and new interests and it's hard for me to relate to all of these things. But when I see her, it's always a treat and it's as though it was just yesterday that we sat at her kitchen table over a cup of coffee. Her warm smile and her generous hug always brighten my day. I saw my friend the day after the email bombshell. We were in the grocery store when she went by, her eyes focused on something down the aisle. She walked by and didn't notice me. I put down the lettuce I was squeezing and walked over, tapped her on the shoulder and was rewarded with a smile and hug. It helped to wipe away the pain from the day before. We chatted about her grandkids and her husband. She has been through some trying times as well, and it was good to just stand there in the midst of all the other shoppers and chat about our joys and sorrows. Soon we were both laughing and smiling, and our burdens were lifted. We parted with the promise that we'd call each other. I know we won't, as does she, but it was nice to visit with her.

True friends indeed?
We sat down at the table, ready to enjoy a nice lunch—just the two of us. It has been a rough week, and my husband and I were both ready to just relax. Suddenly I hear my name being called. I glance around and there at the table kiddy-corner from us sat four ladies that I once called friends. These ladies are from my recent past, a time in my life when I was active in a church. A church that underwent some major leadership changes, and I was caught up in the tide of frustration, nasty politics, greed, and gossip. Eventually, I was swept out to sea and left floundering without a life vest when many (including these four ladies) turned against me. It was difficult to realize that sixteen years (and in some cases 20 years) counted for naught when weighed against the gossip of one man. Fortunately, I was rescued by family and was able to plant my feet firmly on shore once again, where I dried my tears, dusted the sand from my clothes and moved on to explore the riches of life.

At any other time I would have been surprised at the warm reception these ladies issued forth, but after the week I'd experienced, nothing much surprised me. They acted like nothing had taken place, and were gracious and warm as they chatted with my husband and myself. I surprised myself by being just as gracious and warm in return. Maybe I've learned something this week.

We have two choices with every experience in life: We can learn, grow and move forward, or we can let the resentment and anger eat at us until we stagnate and become lonely and bitter. Friends, foes and former beaus all play a part in shaping who we are and what we become. I'm thankful for all who have crossed my path, and for the lessons learned. Life is pretty good, and I'm looking forward to all the new experiences life has to offer me in the years ahead.