Occasional Blogger

Well what can I say? I am not a frequent blogger am I? Things just seem to happen and I just don't have the enthusiasm to write. Now I have to think of all the things that I want to blog about that have happened in the last month.

I have seen many movies: The Reader, Gran Torino, Slumdog Millionaire and International. I think out of all 4 of those Slumdog Millionaire was the best. I thought Clint Eastwood was great in Gran Torino though.

Most of the snow is still on the ground and the temps are still cold. Mornings in the low 20's and only getting up to maybe high 30's during the day. I can't wait till Spring. I think February is the month most of us living in the Pacific Northwest get a bad case of Cabin Fever.

The 16th of February was a sad day for me. I lost the love of my life 4 years ago. I still think of him a lot and all the gardening we used to do together. We had an amazing landscaped garden when we lived in Sandpoint. The neighbors said that we did enough work in 2 yrs that most people took 20 to do.

Have had some health issues lately(daily headaches) and had to have a CAT scan done on my head/brain/sinuses. Guess what? The results showed nothing abnormal thank God! I do have a functional brain too!! Yippee! I have been sleeping a lot. On my days off I can sleep most of the day. What a waste that is. Another Dr appointment this coming Thursday so hopefully he will have some good ideas of what is going on with me. I kind of have a good idea but will wait and see what the good ole doc has to say.

The house I take care of 3 times a week has a kitten named "Midnight". He is pure black from head to toe. We have become very good friends. He follows me around most of the day (in between his little naps) I have become very attached to him. Gave him a paper grocery bag to play in last Friday and he had so much fun. Animals are a blessing when you aren't feeling up to par. He just purrs and purrs when I am close to him. What a sweetie! I always give him a kiss on the head when I leave.

Had another moose siting last Tuesday morning. This one was shedding so it looked a bit scraggly. I heard our dog "Happy" barking and barking and when I looked out the window she was about 6 feet away from this moose. It looked like the moose was about to charge (head down and pawing at the ground) I yelled at Jerry to get Happy in the house. Fortunately she is very well trained and came inside right away. Whew that was a scare! The moose hung out for awhile then headed north across wide open territory. What a site! I noticed it was about a month ago when we saw the two moose here. Hmmmmm what a coincident. I will have to watch for moose around the 17th of March to see if any arrive.

Happy is getting up in age (just like me) and she just loves to chase the golf disc and brings it back to your feet for another throw. We are trying to limit her running because the next day she can barely walk. She just thinks she is still a pup. The other day she was running across the snow to get the disc and must have fallen into a hole. She limped around for the rest of the day. I have a vet appointment for her this Thursday (after my doctor appointment) to get her shots updated and have the vet look at her legs and feet. We give her Glucosamine daily for her joints but maybe she needs more. She also needs her toenails clipped and since they are pure black I am afraid of going into the quick. Looks like I have a busy week ahead of me. Monday: Spokane Movers bookkeeper to help me with the monthly bookkeeping duties. Tues/Wed: Housekeeping job. Thurs: Doctor and Vet appointments. Fri: Housekeeping job. Guess I won't have much time to sleep this week! LOL.

I know there is more to blog about but can't think right now. Maybe later.

Out and about

Up until a week ago Friday, I had never been downtown Spokane to a place called River Park Square. It has a lot of stores and a 20 theater movie house. It was the movies that introduced me to this location. My neighbor friend Patty invited me to go and see the movie "Doubt" with Meryl Streep a week ago Friday. We went and picked up Patty's sister and took off for the 9:15pm showing. Reasons we go to the late show is because Patty's sister works nights and she sleeps most of the day on Friday (her day off), also the parking isn't bad and there are fewer people in the movie so we get good seats. I got home that night at 12:30. Ugh, I am not a night person. Also the movie wasn't that good. I thought it was very slow and drab. It definitely leaves a doubt in your mind though.

This last Friday we went to dinner at a place called "Sawtooth Grill" inside the square and then caught the 9:45pm showing of "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" starring Brad Pitt and Kate Blanchett. It was a great movie and I recommend it to all. It's funny, sad and romantic. I didn't get home till 1:30am. It was a 2hr 48 min movie!

So now I go out with the girls every Friday night to a movie and maybe dinner if we can afford it.
I think next Friday we are going to see "Defiance".

I really miss going to the movies with you, Rosemary. Remember, we used to have to wait weeks sometimes for something decent to come to our one movie house in Sandpoint. Then those same movies would stay for almost a month. Now every time I go to the movies here in Spokane I will think of you. I miss you.

I love moose

First of all you all have to know how excited I get when I see a moose. I just love these goofy, awkward and unpredictable creatures. Our house is full of moose items such as clocks, mirrors, stuffed animals, picture frames, coffee cups, candle holders, slippers, a log bed with a metal insert in the headboard of a moose and I even have a futon with moose fabric. I have just too many to list. You get the picture though.

When I moved from Sandpoint where I saw moose often, either in the garden or on the road. I didn't think I would see moose here in Spokane. The first time Jerry said there was a moose in the yard I didn't believe him. But sure enough he wasn't kidding. From that day if I hear Jerry say there is a moose I am jumping to see it. I am usually asleep when they wander thru in the early morning. Yesterday was no exception. It was 7am and I jumped out of bed when I heard Jerry say "Barb, there's a moose". There were in fact two moose and they were rather large. Here are some of the pics I took. I was almost late for work because I couldn't stop watching them. I didn't even care that they were eating our Arborvitae bushes.

Anyone tell me how to move the pics to where I want them on the page? I wanted these at the bottom not the top.

Let it snow let it snow!

OK, I can't figure out how to get the last paragraph up to the top here. So you will have to see the pics first then read later.


This was taken out the back master bedroom slider.




This is the driveway and my car after snow blowing.





The little house in the background is where we set up the kitties when it got so cold last week. Lowest temp got down to -12 degrees. We set up a dresser by the front window and draped an electric blanket over it along with another blanket on top. We left the little side window open and placed a log (you can see on the left side) so the kitties could scamper up and into what we call the pump house. (it houses the pump that runs our well.) Once we picked them up and carried them into the house they seemed to be happy just sitting in the window watching the snow fly. There food and a little heater are in there too. They have a heated water dish by the back door that they can still get to when thirsty. Oh, and that's Jerry snow blowing.



Here is Happy walking in the snow blowed path. She loves the snow and tries to make snow angels.


This is my car and it's not an SUV. Just a little all wheel drive Subaru wagon.




Ah, just in time for Christmas. We got snow bombed today and yesterday. Started around 7am yesterday morning and finally stopped around 3pm today. We shoveled and snowblowed what seemed like forever. Snow blowed the neighbors driveway too. We are still stuck at home though because the streets haven't been plowed yet where we live (outside city limits of Spokane WA) so what else is there to do but stay home and wait. Here are a few pics I took this morning. Watching the news all day and we now have an accumulation of 23 inches of snow over a 24 hour period. Now it is suppose to get down below 0 degrees again for the next few days. Snow forcast for Sunday again. Just as well my foot is healed enough I can help with the shoveling.

I'm free!

Good news! Get to start trying to walk without the bootcast. Foot is healing well. Just have to build muscles up in my leg again. I can't walk too much but little steps at a time. I am on the mend at last!! Does feel funny trying to walk normally though. My ankle doesn't bend very well at the moment because it's been in the bootcast all this time.

Thought I was going to be able to go back to work the beginning of Dec but have to wait until after my next dr appt on Dec 8th. I know I can't stand on my feet for very long right now anyway. Might as well enjoy my time off from here on.

Looks like I might be going to Seattle for Thanksgiving with Jerry's family. I said I probably wouldn't go anywhere for the holidays but that was when I thought I would be back to work.

My Dad's surgery went very well and he is up walking around already. Since he has heart problems, a diabetic and is 83 years old, the doctors only gave him an epidural instead of putting him totally under. He said he heard all the sawing and banging while they were putting his new hip replacement in. YUK! Gives me chills!!

My friend Karen from Sandpoint came to visit before and after her trip to Minneapolis. We are the airport shuttle service for our friends. Had a fun time catching up on all the goings on at Litehouse where I used to work with Karen. She is retiring next spring and moving to Florida.

Amazing technology

As I write this blog, my Dad is in surgery having a hip replacement. My Mom called from the hospital in Springfield Oregon this morning to say I can watch the progress on-line. She gave me a "tracking" number in which it shows my Dad's stage. Right now it shows he's in operating room # 10. At the end of surgery it will show "Closing". Then it shows when he's in recovery stage #1, then stage #2 and finally ready for family to visit. It shows updates every 60 seconds. It is just amazing what the internet is capable of doing these days isn't it?

Here is Spokane WA we are waiting for a big rain storm to come. Suppose to rain hard through the weekend. Probably means that nasty four letter word (snow) is going to hit you Rosemary.

My friend Karen from Sandpoint will be here tomorrow evening and we are taking her to the airport Saturday morning. She's heading for Minnesota to visit her mom for a week.

So very happy the election turned out the way it did. Now let's just hope Obama can turn this country around. I know it will take time but I really believe this man has a compassion for the people of the USA. Time will tell.

Prop 1000 also won here is WA. This is the assisted suicide prop that I was hoping would pass. All in all the election turned out well in my opinion.

Time to go check on my Dad again. He's 83 so surgery at this time of his life could be tricky if you know what I mean? He has had two triple heart by-passes in the past and is a diabetic.

Monday Monday

Feeling better all the time. Anyone remember those songs? It's funny when all I have to do is mention some lyrics to an old song and Jerry knows all the words and starts singing. He sings and plays guitar very well by the way.

My last blog was pretty much feeling sorry for myself but I feel better today. Thanks for reading my blog and sending comments that made me feel better.

I subscribe to Netflix and part of that subscription includes a play now option. I have never tried it till yesterday morning. Had to download a bunch of stuff in order for it to play on my computer but it was well worth it. I watched a documentary called "The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill" I was fascinated by it. Takes place in San Francisco. If you get a chance, watch this movie. It's great. My friend Doreen told me about it ages ago. I had to call her to tell her I had finally watched it. Oh, better have the kleenex box handy!

Here is a pic of Ashley in her winterized house. Fortuneatly I fixed it up with new plastic to keep the rain and snow from leaking thru before I broke my foot. Took quite a few hours. Put in a clean blanket and hooked up the electric pad which only heats up when body weight is on it. Haven't got the heated water dish out yet but there is still time for that. I didn't think both cats could fit but they do.

The horses across the field that I loved to watch romp and gallop around the fields are gone. One had to be put down because of a bad cut to its leg from getting caught in the fence wire. I guess the other horse was given away or sold so it wouldn't be alone. Maybe I will see new horses out there next spring.

No trick or treaters on Halloween. Didn't expect any really. We live on a non-lit dead-end street. I don't think it's safe for kids to go house to house anymore no matter where they live. Too many crazy people out there.

Today is Nov 3rd. I moved to Spokane exactly 2 years ago today. I still miss my old house in Sandpoint Idaho where I lived for 10 years. I miss my friend Rosemary too.

Nov 11th would have been my late husbands birthday and our 8th wedding anniversary. That day is also his best friends birthday. Yep, same day same year. He's Rosemarys husband, Steve.

It's also Veterans Day and John (late hubby) was stationed in Germany during the Viet Nam War. His brothers were already in Viet Nam and the story goes that the military can't have all the family men in the same war zone. I am glad he got to go to Germany instead. I think he was too.