What I've been up to

Well, we had the company Christmas party, food was good and I was the designated driver so I could drive my sister home. She doesn't usually drink, but she had lots of fun and we all danced our feet off. It is always good to see your colleagues "let their hair down" once in a while. I met some of the folks that I never see face-to-face and that was great. Christmas shopping is just about done, just a few things for some special friends at work and then I am done. I am shopping more and more online. It is a great convenience and it just so happens that my family are all bookworms and music buffs so they make it very easy. They are very socially conscious too, so gifts of Charity were sent in their names also.

I received a big surprise from my son-in-law and I am so proud of it. I received a certificate of appreciation for participating in a work project for him. This means the world to me and it gets a frame and position on the wall above my desk. Thank you J - I was glad I got to help!

Dex and I are going to Portland this weekend to take in a Museum with Shorty and William, see a steam locomotive and just take in the sights and sounds of Christmas in a big city. Maybe we can take the Max downtown and walk around for a bit, if it is not too cold...oh and I do have to make a quick trip to Powell's to get a book for my friend at work. He has never read Con Tiki and it is a must read for anyone with an adventurous heart. ta ta

I'M Skeered!!!!!

This weekend has been a real scare-a-thon on TV. There has been a plethora of pics to choose from. Anything from Scary Movie 3 to one of my favorites "King Kong" which of course stars the beautiful Fay Ray. It also has special memories for someone else in my family, Mishka was just a little girl, but she was glued to the TV set watching this movie with me. As Fay was strapped to the tiki's about to become Kong's bride, and she sees him for the first time, I had to strike while the iron was hot. Boo at the appropriate time scared the bejesus out of her and she flew up in the air and then she got really, really mad at her mommy. Great scare! Happy Halloween darling!

She's a Saint but she smokes!

Saturday, William and Chicken took me up to see Mt. St. Helens. The weather was made to order and the drive was beautiful. One of the first things you notice is the replanting of trees. As in most replanted forests the trees are all symetrical and the same size, which creates an impressionistic landscape. Weyerhauser also planted along with fir trees, red alder and it was strange to see whole forests of them. Soon after though, the landscape shifts and rounding up the backside of the mountain you are impressed with the lunar landscape where the Lahare flows are. We saw 3 bull elk from the lookout, visited the museum and saw the film and then we were on our way to the front side of Helen. I cannot impress upon you overwhelming sensation of your own small self in the face of the power of nature when you look at her from this angle. She had at least 3 plumes going up at the same time. At her base we saw more elk crossing a ravine. I don't think she is ready to completely rest yet, time will tell. Nature is so powerful and wonderful and frightening at the same time. If you get a chance, I would encourage you to make the trek as it is a wonder of the age. Thank you William and Chicken for this special trip and another great memory stored.

Crocodiles and Stingrays

It was with much sadness that I awoke to the news of the bizarre accidental death of Steve Irwin. I really enjoyed his personality, humor and bravery along with his expertise and knowledge of the animal world. I tuned into the Today show and then experienced so much outrage that I had to email the show and let them know of my disgust. Steve has been on the Today show many times for different interviews. I am sure they had quite a few in their archives. They instead chose to broadcast the one in which he defends his actions when he fed a croc while holding his son Bob in his arms. While I might not agree with his call on that one, I certainly felt that was the absolutely WRONG interview to replay during this sensitive time. I told them this was "National Enquirer Magazine" reporting and they owe his family and all his fans an on air apology and I challenged them to do so. Good Bye Steve, we will miss your smile, personality and showmanship. GOD Bless you and the wonderful family you left behind. You made us laugh and learn and care!

Well I finally made it

Well, I finally made it, my daughters Mishka and Chicken have been encouraging me to start my own blog - Mishka even set the site up for me. All I have to do is write - sounds so easy, right? It (the blog site) would not let me log on, said I need to enable cookies, and there might be a firewall problem. It has taken me about four hours to figure out the settings and yes, I did try to call Mishka so she could check my computer and walk me through it, but guess what? I figured it out all by myself and I am pretty proud of that. When you only have a myopic view of how computers work anyway and your IT friend is not available it can be pretty frustrating. Quoting the Bard "Alls Well that Ends Well...I hope to share funny stories, daily woes (not too many of those) and maybe a little HaHa Haiku.