Christmas Pictures 2016 Catching Up With Relatives

2016 Christmas pictures taken from Instagram or my Christmas mail. 

 This is my dear friends the Blackhams who sang at Richard's funeral.  I worked with Helen in Family History and Brian was my realtor as well as I worked with him doing mortgages for his clients.  They are going on their fourth mission, but this time it is in the United States...Atlanta, working with those who speak Portuguese.

Marilyn's son Bobby who married after Christmas such a pretty bride Staci and here they are enjoying holding one of his grandchildren.

This is Marilyn's grandson.

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This is Carole's son Jon with his wife Bethany, twins Raina and Sage and son Finn.

 

This is a picture of the Pulsipher family plus... somewhere in Nevada doing I am not sure what, but looks like they are enjoying each other.

This is my brother Dick's daughter Kathy with her husband Myron and they live in Lander, Wyoming.

Here is Carole's son Hunter with his wife Toni and her daughter.  They live in Florida.

Early Christmas

All Maria's family but Matt came for an early Christmas, so Melissa, Mike and Dave flew in from North Carolina and Bahia and Mitch drove up from Fresno, and Maria and Johnny drove up from San Diego.

No snow which made things a lot easier and these are some pictures from my back 40.

Me, with My Daughter Maria and three of her children, Mitch, Melissa, and Mike.

Mother and Daughter Picture.

Three Generation picture, Melissa, Maria and Me.

Bahia and Mitch, Dave and Melissa and Mike (in back) with Sadie, Johnny and Maria and Me.

So happy they came to spend time with me.  Love my little home here.

Thanksgiving Week 2016, Christmas Letter

I flew to San Diego on Tuesday the 22nd and stayed at James and Camber's house in Del Mar for a week.  It was a lovely time.  We had the White Elephant Christmas party with the Masseys and Pulsiphers and Hardys.

The Hardys all dressed in their Ugly Christmas Sweaters.

Eden patiently waits her turn while Keira hopes to hang on to her prize, which she did.

I think I ended up with the puzzle that is in Matt's hands.  I didn't get too well acquainted with Nico yet.

Amy got the Ginch Costume and looked so cute in it.

 I look like a feeble old lady the way I am holding my hand...don't know why I did that!

Camber posed this picture and it turned out really cute I think.  Grandma with 6 of her 15 grandchildren and 3 of her 7 great grandchildren.

 On Thanksgiving Day we had Maria and Johnny, Camber's parents and her niece and a cousin, and James' Assistant and his mother plus the missionaries.  It was a great dinner and Mary had a fun question and dart game for us after.    

Above was sent out with the Christmas goodie packages that got mailed to some.

Family Comes First!

Today as I was headed for the gate to take me out of the Club I saw a really sweet and powerful thing that I had never seen before. Momma Deer was standing right in the road watching her four does cross from one side of the road to the other.   Nothing new there, but then I see another figure off to the right.  A big deer, with huge antlers...must be Daddy. and then they both, the Momma and the Daddy Deer stood and faced me head on and stood their ground until all the does were safely across the street and into the woods and then Momma Deer turned and followed them and eventually Daddy Deer let me continue on my way!

I should have taken a video!!!!

And the Beat Goes On...All about the Septic

It is a rainy day and the tarp put over the septic covers did no good, the wells were filled with water.   "No problem," said Vince, the Sanitation man, we have tools.  So two hours later my septic wells are all clean and I should not have to do anything for another seven years, not three years or five years, but seven!!!  I could see  all the muck and paper when he was working.  It was full but he said the problem is how it is constructed inside, something needed to be a foot longer or so.  So it was not anything I was doing wrong except 11 years was a little too long before getting it pumped.  Oh, yes, and he said it did not have to be inspected every year and definitely, "Do not put any Ridex, etc. down the toilets!"  It is does not need anything, he said.

Then he said they could put the risers on on Monday.  He would have Stephanie call me.  But then I got to thinking about the guys who did the work yesterday and they suggested I call Greg about doing the risers.  They were the ones that rushed out to help me so quickly shouldn't they have the job?  I called Greg's office and again the gal (wife? secretary?) wanted Greg to talk to me.  He convinced me they wanted to do it and it would cost more but they should use the better lids.  The plastic ones that Vince uses are too flimsy, children can actually stand on them and they break.  So I said I would let them take care of it and I called Stephanie and told her the same.  He said they had to order the lids today and it would be done middle of next week.  It always costs to use Greg but hasn't he always done a superb job and he is very kind and helpful.  I loved the way they trimmed all my trees when I first moved here.

So there goes the rest of the tax money I had saved.  Guess I will have to use a charge card to pay my taxes...bummer.

2/21/17  To be remembered for Spring.  For some reason Greg did not respond, after calls and a letter so in the spring, call Westwood and get this finished!!!  Nathan did cover with plywood so hopefully it did not damage the septic too much to go through the winter uncovered.

Feeling Great

I forgot to mention in spite of having an infection I am feeling great.  I can breathe well, we are walking every day, I have energy!!!  And I am not constantly craving food.  Mostly eating paleo, although I did buy a lime key pie this week and have been enjoying that.

Since it has started to get cold at night I have brought in the geraniums and will see if they will live through the winter, I have also brought in the succulents.  Unfortunately I now see a flying pest from time to time, is that from these plants?  One thing that is so amazing up here is that I seldom see my leaves chewed by any pests.  Why?

I also love the red mulch I have put around the gardens and I have extra for spring.

I just put the new Emily Griffin book on my tablet and am enjoying that.  I zapped a few back.  I love that I can start a book and just zap it if I am not immediately engrossed in it or already read it.

I was very disappointed in "The Girl on the Train" movie.  The book was so well done.  It could have been an Alfred Hitchcock thriller but they blew it...sad for the author.  How do you know who to trust your babies to...?

And the movie I did not want to see "Deepwater Horizon" got the good reviews so we may see that this Saturday if it is still on, hard to find good movies anymore.  We are invited to Susanville as the youth are putting on a dinner from 4 to 6 but neither of  Marianne or I want to go... two hours and food I probably should not eat...rather do our routine of movie, Panda Express and Walmart.

Frustrations of Life

It seems ironic that I, who always appreciated having someone take care of me has had to take care of myself for 20 years now!  Still I don't mind reaching out for help when it is near. Fortunately most guys are very helpful.  The last few days have been frustrating to say the least.  I could not get in to see a doctor in Chester or Westwood.  The Walk In Clinics are closed!  There is only one doctor taking on new patients and all my doctors are gone!!!  What is going on?  I finally had to go to the Emergency Room in Susanville and it appears I am not the only one from my area to do so.  They asked if I was one of Dr. Ward's patients.  He has left. Tonya has left and Dr. Nielsen is now head of the Clinic in Susanville and Dr. Natali, my first and longest Dr, is in Westwood but not taking any new patients!!!

I was in the system though because of the tetanus shot Michael and I decided I needed and because Dr. Nielsen sent me there to get images of the arteries in my legs.  I got very good service and they referred me to Dr. Nielsen for follow up.  I really liked him as a Dr. so I think I will just ask if I can come back to him as my regular Dr, even if he is in Susanville.

Then today I spent about an hour trying to flush my toilet.  Finally I went across the street to see if Will had a snake.  He brought it over and tried.  No luck.  Then he tried the snake in the pipe under the house.  It was too short.  All this took about 3 hours and then he said we needed to go rent a roto router but we couldn't find any place to rent it.  So next stop is call a plumber.  I did not call the one who put in my water heater, too expensive.  But I found a nice little ad and called Womack (Brent) and they came immediately and cleaned it out in no time and told me to call Westwood Sanitation as I needed to get my septic pumped asap!!!

The problem is my septic is cement and it is buried so someone has to dig down to it first and that will cost $225...the two boys that came to my rescue today will also get $140 for their work and the pumping will cost $450.  There goes the money I had saved for taxes.

It seems I am a very poor home owner.  I should have been putting Ridex down my toilets.  After eating an early supper  at Burger Depot (they are closing for the winter tomorrow) with Marianne I went to Holiday and ran into my favorite fireman, who used to be my neighbor and was always so helpful..He said I should be doing the Ridex once a month and have my septic pumped every three to five years.  If I knew this I forgot...But he said if I am putting bleach in my laundry I am just wasting my money with the Ridex so I guess I stop putting bleach in my wash and just do the Ridex.  Everyone seems to know the man who has the only Sanitation company in town.  His name is Vince and he will tell me what I should be doing for sure!!!!  And what I have down wrong.

Poor Will cleaned out a lot of stinky glunk into a bucket and had to take it to his house to flush down.  He is worried about his heart.  He is on medicine that costs $1000 a month and waiting to get in to see his heart doctor.  He is very concerned though\ because sometimes his heart pumps so loud.  He is anxious to see the doctor and find out what is the problem and get on his way to Texas where he and his sister spend the winter and just have fun taking little excursions everywhere.  Will is 90 years old and should not be aggressively helping me with my problems but he is always so willing, I must not ask him anymore.  He will be leaving shortly so I will be on my own then for sure.

Oh, yes, when I was trying to get the toilet fixed I accidentally knocked over my pills and two days worth went in the toilet so now I probably won't get well!!!!!

Why is life so frustrating and running a home so darned expensive????

Aha, it is almost 5 AM and I have been up since 2--I can get so much done at this time when my mind is working and all is quiet.  So I found I had the septic inspected in '99 when I bought the house and in 2005 it was inspected and pumped and I do have the map of where it is for Westwood Sanitation.  I had Indian Septic do it in 2005, a lot cheaper!  So I missed having it done in 2010, so it is definitely overdue!!!!

I also vacuumed up all the debris from outside.  We have all the cone petals falling from the trees and the wind sends it to the porch and steps and with all the running in and out of the house yesterday it was all over my rugs.

Greg T brought back my big blower and he had put on a new plug and it works!!!!  Yea, I could get rid of all that stuff on my lot now if I want to...I wish I had bought a longer red cord, I should have gotten the 100 feet at least, bummer.

So, amazing how many guys have been in my life this week, helping me do all that needs to be done. Even the computer input at Banner Hospital was a guy.

And in my searching and cleaning out of my files I found I had my annual physical in April of this year so not due till April of 2017.  I am putting it here so I have it on record because I will forget.

Winter Will Be ? Summer was Hotter...

Summer Weather Recap / Autumn Outlook – from Dale Knutsen

"Summer in the Lake Almanor basin was dominated by our typical dry conditions with only a few brief episodes of scattered thunderstorms or sprinkles. The combined recorded rainfall for the three month period from July through September only amounted to 0.77 inch at the Prattville monitoring site. It is not unusual to have even less during that period, even though the long-term average accumulation for those months would be a little over an inch.

Summer temperatures were a little on the warm side, especially August. The average lows and highs for July were about a half degree warmer than the norm. August was substantially hotter, with our average low coming in 2.5 degrees above the long-term figure and our average high running 3.8 degrees hotter. Things settled down a bit in September when our average low was 0.3 degree cooler than the norm and our average high was 1.1 degrees warmer.

The weather prognosticators haven’t come across any clear indicators of what we should anticipate for autumn and winter. Water temperature patterns in the Pacific are an important influence on west coast weather, but there are no strong El Nino or La Nina effects apparent at this time. That leaves the weather models (and forecasters) in an ambiguous state where there are approximately equal chances of a wet season, a dry season or something in between. All of which makes your guess as good as that of a professional!"
*****

Farewell Summer!

The summer is gone, it was too short but very nice.  We did not have any storms but I was able to keep everything watered.  I think the Jack Rabbit I see around has eaten most everything he can though.  That is not good.  I will have to find something that he does not like I guess.  I have learned how to pace myself and only do certain things on certain days so I do not overdo.

I especially enjoyed having the bird bath in perfect view from the patio window so I often caught birds enjoying it.  Of late there have been two huge pileated woodpeckers, supposed to be the largest woodpeckers in the world, hanging around the bird bath and the two trees.  In reading about them I find they like carpenter ants and dead trees and like to make nests.  If they eat all the carpenter ants around here that will be a big plus.

I spent July with my house shut up and the humidifier on because I was so congested and I figured the allergies were bad and then I started this "ban the bloat" diet and had to give up dairy.  Voila, my congestion cleared up after a few weeks without dairy so I am making that a part of my lifestyle, too.  I like all the soups I have been making and good food I have been eating.  Even eating steel oats for breakfast now and almond milk and enjoying it with all the fresh berries I buy each week.

I have also been doing more walking, which Sadie loves, and I lost about 10 lbs, so that is good.   Actually that means I have lost about 40 of the 50 lbs I gained after joining Richard in the mortgage business in 1980.   Feeling great, still need to get more off the waistline if possible.

Last night I could not get to sleep so I kept listening to the Ron Chernov history book "Alexander Hamilton" and finally finished it.  It was very enjoyable and I will not remember it but the musical helps to remember the important parts.  Glad I got to meet Eliza, his wife, she was a very choice person.  It is very disillusioning to realize how imperfect men are, politicians especially, so egotistical and power hungry and jealous of each other.  No wonder we can never get it right as far as our country is concerned.

The other book I finished was Elin Hilderbrand's "The Blue Bistro".  She writes summer romance novels all taking place in Nantucket, but she is really a good writer.  How she can come up with so many different stories is only amazing but I have liked every book I have read, which is at least 6 or 7 of them.  There are about another eight or so to go and she looks young so will probably keep writing.  I have read a lot of other books this summer but I have not listed them all.  Actually I do not read them, I listen to them on Library to Go on the App Overdrive.  Love it.

I do not understand why I get so many drafts of what I am writing.  I will have to look at it tomorrow when I am not so tired.

Succulents

This pot of succulents has made it all through summer with no breakage, no hail storms, so it has remained beautiful.  

Yesterday I peaked out at the deck and there was a huge face peeking at me through these deck pickets.  It was a huge deer with antlers and it looked like he was ready to make lunch of my pretty succulents.  I shooshed him away fast.  He had huge antlers, too.

Strange Peskies

Seems each year there are peskies in the yard that I never see again.  One year it was all those moths. Last year it was the 100 year storm that had hail damaging everything and mud all over my patio.

This year it is the little burrs from weeds that stick to Sadie's hair.  I feel so badly when she tries to stay away from me because she doesn't like me to comb them out but they bother her, too, so it has to be done.

I am trying to think of something I could do to keep them from sticking to her underside and legs, not sure what.

Hamilton

I just finished the most fascinating book "Hamilton" by Lin-Manuel Miranda.  This was not the history book but this book is all about the making of the musical which is currently on Broadway.  

Such a talented young man to be able to write this and pull such experts in to make history come alive in such a fascinating way.


Someone has paid for the school children in the area to see it so the teacher's have done amazing preparation in the classrooms, what a great learning experience as well as entertaining experience.


I also downloaded the music and words.  When I had first read about it I could not understand how a musical be made from the material but it really works and since I will never see it, I am sure, I am enjoying it all the same.  I can actually understand the words and on You Tube you can see and hear excerpts as well as Google lots of the images.  The costumes represent the historical time and from the neck up it is modern time.

It is actually quite moving.  I cried through "Stay Alive" and "It's Quiet Uptown"--reminding me of John and then "Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells your Story?:" reminding me of Richard.  Very emotional.


It is a really amazing musical...


Now I am waiting for the audio book of Hamilton by Ron Chernov to become available on my San Diego Library to Go.   Miranda makes it sound most interesting to read!!

Linda Was Here!!!

Had  a whirlwind week with Linda here and loved every minute, there was the Republican Convention  to watch, beautiful weather, and lots to eat.  When Linda comes she always jumps in and does what needs to be done, and there is always something that needs to be done!!  This pic is just before we left for Reno to take her home.  

While she was here more groceries were bought, carpets were cleaned, the front steps stained, Venetian blinds actually taken down and washed and windows cleaned, new mailbox mounted, two loads of yard waste taken to the dumps, Sadie taken for a loooong walk, and we went out to eat at Happy Garden, her treat.  Wow, how did so much get done????

We also had lots of fun conversation, the one thing I miss when I am alone.  Now my fridge is full and I am catching up on paper work, sleep, and reading.

While Linda was here, more lilies bloomed, but I wonder why were so many lilies bare of a bloom at all?  I have used the deer repellent a lot!


But I noticed some other things besides the lilies low down were eaten and today I saw one of those ugly jack rabbits hop out of the yard. They must be eating some things when Sadie does not see them.


Wish I had their pix, they are so ugly, not the cute little bunny types who hop around Marilyn's yard.

One thing that has been a problem is the umbrella on my porch.  Matt figured out why the other umbrella stand would not work on it, so I had Linda help put it back under the picnic table umbrella and on the way home from the airport I dashed in to see if Rite Aid had any stands and lucky me, there was one left and it was on sale for $15.


Now after the summer is almost over the umbrella can stand without moving the table around, and the table can be used for eating, yea!!!

Hard to see, but the bird bath has been getting lots of action, saw a huge blue bird take a very leisurely bath one day.  I should learn their names.

While Linda was here, I had a long talk with Jeanne at Treeo and she loves it there!!!  How great.

Jeanne Makes the Move!

Supposedly Jeanne is moving into Treeo on Center St in Orem today.  She changed her mind several times but I think once she realized Cathryn was not planning on staying she finally decided to go for sure.  She does not like living alone and she really does need someone there.  As she says, "I have perfect health from my nose down!"

The nice thing about Treeo is that the cost is month to month and so if you change your mind or want to go somewhere else, you can.

Marilyn says her room will be right next to Deloris--Deloris lived just down the street from us in Glendive and was in between Marilyn's and my age and we were all in the same group in high school but she was closer to Marilyn.  Plus they both did athletic things and had that in common.

Jeanne met Deloris over at Treeo when she was checking it out and she said, "Are you Deloris's mother?"--

According to Marilyn and Alice, Deloris is quite happy there.  For one thing she is getting better health care and realizes her situation was not quite as bad as she thought it was.  The other thing is she is not working the yard all the time and doesn't have those aches and pains so much.

I can understand how nice it will be to always have someone to talk to at meal time, if you want to. That is the way it was in SBA--even though you were alone in your room, you always had someone to chat with at meal time or work time.

I will be anxious to hear if she actually makes the move and how she likes it!!!

6 PM--Marilyn called Jeanne and confirmed she is in, She has her own phone with her regular number.  She just had supper downstairs with her friend Madeline and she is happy.

The Unforgiving Computer

The young man who traded his skills to teach me the computer in exchange for our office to use the loan processing program  he was trying to get public used to say to me, "Janet, the computer is unforgiving, now listen to me!" (1985)

Yet, again, I find out how unforgiving it is...I wake up around midnight to take Sadie out and could not get back to sleep so I worked on my newest blog--The San Diego Scene Part 2.

I was already frustrating on finding the pictures I wanted but I worked for two hours on finding them and adding them and editing my text only to find none of it had been saved!!!

Now, I thought it automatically saved a draft when you forgot to do that, but evidently not...
Bummer.

Thanks for the Memories...

Sadie woke me up at 3:30 this morning and wanted out for a minute so I came in to work on the computer and ended up reading John's Web Page and Memoir.  I am so glad Maria taught me how to do blogs in 2005 so I can do all these blogs.  About a 1000 had viewed his Web and over 800 on his Memoir.  John was such an interesting person with so many passions, as his friend told me, passions he actually carried out doing.

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There were other things I was thinking I was thankful for this morning and the last few days.  I am so thankful I was taught not to smoke or drink, what a gift that has been in my life, to never be tempted and not have it interfere with my life, my health, so not needed.  Never wanted drugs or pills, etc in my life either, so thankful for that.  I was also thinking how blessed we were in the 40s and 50s to associate with friends who did not have to use the foul language so prevalent today, with friends who really enjoyed dancing and dating and picnics and horse back riding and all kinds of activities that did not include foul language, drinking, drugs, etc.  We had no tv either, but we did have lots of fun.

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I am so thankful for the many opportunities I have had over the years to have responsible leadership and teaching roles, helped to learn so much that I have needed to carry on by myself, to keep my faith, to stay sane, to stay self-sufficient and carry on and recognize truth. 

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I am so thankful for this lovely home and yard to work in, the quiet, the peace I always wanted,yes, it is work but thankfully I am able to handle it with a little help from my friends and family.

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I appreciate my good car, my ability to work on the computer and carry out so many tasks I have set for myself, I appreciate that I understand a few techy things and can enjoy listening to so many books and appreciate good music and documentaries, always more things to do than I have time for.  I seldom need to leave my house and yet I am never bored.  I need to force myself to walk more, I just do not like to get out and do that much to Sadie's sadness. 

Learning the computer in 1985

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I am thankful for my Smart phone that James and Camber provide, it is really a joy to communicate with my sisters and children and see their pictures and keep up with them a little.  I wish they shared more but everyone is so busy, I know.

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I am thankful I am healthy at the moment and enjoying doing things.

A few years ago with Bandido.

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I am especially thankful for the special people I have known in my life that have given me so much in the way of friendship, learning, wisdom, so many people I have appreciated.

 

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I am thankful for my family, so many people have no one in their life, I may live alone, but I am not alone and I am so grateful for that.  Wish everyone kept their blogs going or used instagram, and I knew how to get pictures to my computer, everything is always changing...

 

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I am glad I have enjoyed the pursuit of family history over the years, such a blessing in my life, always something to do, never bored with that.

Great Grandfather Benjamin Lillywhite

What has been frustrating me is photos, I can never find the photos I want and I am not sure if I scanned them or just can't find them, so frustrating Google...  Photos is definitely a frustration in my life at the moment.  But mostly life is good.  Thanks, God, for good family, friends, and memories.

Beautiful Weather and Books

I am enjoying getting up early and watering and watching the lilies bloom.  Just hope the deer won't chomp at them.  I was surprised to see a deer had moved the wires around the little bushes to get at some of the branches two days in a row but did not take a try at the lilies.  Perhaps the spray I use on them really works!

Just finished another book by Mary Kubica.  She writes thrillers, no doubt about that, I just have to keep listening even if it is late at night or I am cleaning or whatever.  What would I do without my books.

It is time to start summarizing all those black books on my shelves and finish my life, once and for all.  I wonder if I am up to it.  I was looking at the years 81 to 90 for the dividend I should have received from the stores as Carole and Marilyn said.  I do not remember it and I can find no reference to it at all...and as I read through some of the letters, I could not remember very much of what I read. However, I do have some vivid learning memories about the loan business which I never wrote down so now is the time.  Why does it matter, it matters to me, that is why.  It is time...to write about the Business...

Mitch, Bahia and Matt

Mitch, Bahia and Matt didn't get here until early Saturday morning, it was almost and all-nighter for them.  So they were really tired on Saturday.  I really like Bahia, such a lovely girl, she and Mitch seem to enjoy one another's company so much, I am glad they have found one another.


They went to Rec 1 and Rec 2 in the afternoon and Mitch bought me the rest of the things I needed for supper.  We had Karen Price's Chicken Enchilada outside with muffins and they really liked it.

Sunday I fixed them my gluten free waffles, scrambled eggs and bacon and then Matt and Mitch started on the wood and got quite a lot done.  They went fishing and brought back a Buffalo Chips Pizza, two, in fact and I had my quarter of Jalapeno Popper.  So good. I also had a loooong nap, I get so tired, especially my feet.


 Bahia showed the boys she could chop would, too!

Sadie loved having Bruce here.  Bruce gets really nervous when the boys are gone.  For awhile she sat on the side of the house watching for them, then the front of the house, then inside at the door, looking for them. He was so excited when they finally came home.  I suppose he thought they had left him.

Anyway they had to get out of here by late morning so we never did have out taco meal.  I finished the day watching Park and Recreation.  I don't know why I did not watch it when it was on...I did not realize who Amy Poehler was and how funny she was.  It was very enjoyable, Mitch got me on to it.

I so enjoyed having the boys and Bahia here, Mitch found his Magic Cards, surprisingly enough, they do not have much left around here but they were in a backpack.