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   Shi Blogs Too: from out of the mountains where I live. I will now be keeping a journal. This is something new for me. I have no idea what I am doing, just that I am diving in. This should be an interesting journey for me. Mainly because I consider myself to be a semi-private person. I live with my fiance and our two kitties, in what I have come to recognize as a small community in a somewhat remote area. Retirement has it's own life style and livelihood. Far away from the norm.       ![Merit Badge in Blog Camping
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Sorry for outbidding you in the [Link To Item #2113623] ...I'm not a fan of bidding wars and feel bad about it. I know this isn't the same thing as the package itself, but it's the least I could do. *^*Smile*^*](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/group-Blog_Camping-1788309_13.gif) If you want to find out more about me...read my Author Bio ~
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| I have had a book of poems with photos published. It is called "Spirit Around The Sound". I created the cover and the back for this book. I am very excited, and I can hardly wait to see my copy of it!   |
| 16 Springs =========== spring v. sprang (or sprung, springing, springs. 1. To move upward or forward in a single quick motion or a series of such motions; leap. 2. To move suddenly on or as if on a spring. 3. To appear or come into being quickly. 4. To issue or emerge suddenly. 5. To extend or curve upward, as an arch. 6. To arise from a source; develop. 7. To become warped, split, or cracked. Used of wood. 8. To move out of place; come loose, as parts of a mechanism. 9. Slang. To pay another's expenses. 10. To cause to leap, dart, or come forth suddenly. 11. To jump over; vault. 12. To release from a checked or inoperative position; actuate. 13. To cause to warp, split, or crack, as a mast. 14. To bend by force. 15. To present or disclose unexpectedly or suddenly. 16. Slang. To cause to be released from prison or other confinement. Today is the first day of Spring in the U.S. Choose your own definition. |
| We went to town today and did 'big shopping' . Lots of groceries and little extra's to be found at Costco. It was not very crowded in there on a Wednesday...so we picked a good day to do our shopping. We also ate our lunch in the dining area there. Freshly made pizza slices...umm yummy. Instead of buying an Easter Lily this year, we bought a beautiful exotic plant called a Bromeliad. It has large deep red and yellow flowers with dark green succulent leaves. A real eye catcher for sure. I plan on putting it in the lovely vase that Ron's sister Patricia painted and gave us for Christmas. I've been busy on the site here also. I have created a forum for the Turnberry Street Campfire members to say goodbye and to thank kansaspoet our campfire leader. The campfire is burning out after almost a year on WDC. It's been such a great success with some of the finest poems created within it's circle. It's hard to say goodbye to such a great group of members. I'm sure we will be seeing more of each other around the site though. I've been creating new signatures for my new Spring Garden Collection also. You can find them all here
Drop in sometime and check them out. My beautiful Bromeliad ** Image ID #1403380 Unavailable ** |
| I can hardly believe that it is the middle of March already and Easter is one week from today! We have no plans for Easter as of yet. My kids are always so busy with their families on Easter; that we never plan anything to be together anymore. That is fine with me though. I fixed enough Easter meals through the years to last a lifetime. I think it would be great to go east of the mountains to Moses Lake and spend Easter weekend with Ron's Mom & Sister Patricia. I will have to ask him what he thinks about that. He is out riding today with his buddies from Whidbey Island. It's somewhat of a cloudy day with temperatures in the upper 40's lower 50's here. So he should have a fairly decent day for riding. I am fixing grilled chicken, mashed potatoes, and small kernel corn with bits of red & green peppers for our dinner. He should be pulling in the driveway within the hour or so. I talked to my sister-in-law Helen on the phone earlier. She is my late husband's only living sister. She is 79 years old and gets around with a walker and a brace on one leg. She suffered from a massive stroke several years ago. She lives in Edmonds (north of Seattle). I have not seen her since we made the move from Lynnwood almost two years ago. I miss her and her hubby Don who is 82 years old. We have been so very close for over 40 years now. I am going to have to make a special trip to go and visit them both real soon. |
| This afternoon I had to go into the hospital near here as an outpatient for an ultrasound on my legs. They are looking for any artery obstruction. The ultrasound lasted about 40 minutes. The radiologist will look at the films then contact my doctor. I should hear of the results in a few days. I am so hoping that everything looks good. I have not had any health issues to deal with in so many years. I have always thought of myself as pretty healthy as I headed into my senior years. I have not even had any surgery since the mid 1980's. I don't even want to think that it might be something in my near future to have to deal with. I must admit that it does make me a bit apprehensive lately. It's good that doctors keep close watch on their patients who are senior's though. In spite of the fact that they suggest all these tests and prescribe new meds now and then. Thats' what Ron thinks anyways. I hate going to hospitals and doctors. If I had my way I would just stay away. |
I left Friday on the Edmonds Ferry to Kingston to go and visit my kids for the weekend. My son Matthew picked me up in Kingston as soon as he got off work. He had already grabbed something to eat on the way. I of course was very hungry by that time...it was 8:00 PM. when Matt picked me up. So we stopped in Poulsbo at the Dairy Queen drive through and he bought me a hamburger, fries, & soda. He insisted he pay for it so I did not protest . What a sweetie.When we arrived at my son Pat's apartment his two boys (Jayce and Christian) and my oldest son Mike were waiting for us. Granddaughter Sierra (Pat's oldest child) was spending the weekend with her mother in Belfair. I did get to talk to her on the phone, however. I no sooner had my jacket off and seated at the dining room table amongst them; when my youngest grandchild Christian (who is nine years old) asked if I would play checkers with him! Of course Grandma played checkers with him. Thus began the night of checker playing. I refuse ever to give in and let any young one win on purpose the game of checkers. I have always firmly believed that they cannot learn anything by letting them win. So after a couple of times of getting beat by Grandma it was the older grandson Jayce's turn. Jayce is eleven years old. Jayce played a couple of games with Grandma, but I don't think he took to being beaten as well as the younger brother. So the evening went with one checker game after the other. Grandma winning everyone of them until they tired of it all. Then awhile later my oldest son Mike who is 44 years old and still single by the way, asked if I wanted to play checkers with him. Now mind you he and I had not played checkers in years. He did however remember something that I had forgotten: He had never been able to beat me at checkers! So it came to me as quite a surprise when I had his last three moves cornered on the checker board and he could not move. He then took the checker board and flipped it and the checkers up into the air and over! I burst out laughing out loud. He looked at me and announced: "You always win! Never once have I ever beaten you!" and "You always win and when you do you always laugh!" ha ha. Then he looked at me and grinned from ear to ear. I had not kept score! It was something I had never remembered. It just had never made an impression on me until now. Mike gave me a big hug goodbye then left for home around 11:00 that night. Inspite of the checker games the boys and I had a great visit on Friday night.  Saturday the grandsons were carted off to spend the rest of the weekend with their Mom. Pat and I went to eat lunch out and do some shopping at the mall. Then off to Walmart to pick up some specific items that Jayce needed for his school camping trip on Monday. These things I bought for him. Dad bought him his sleeping bag. My daughter was able to pop in on her dinner break from Lowes. We had a nice visit then she had to get back to work. She would not get off that night until eleven o'clock because of the extra added hour with daylight savings. Lowe's policy. Later my son Matt picked me up for an evening at Hollywood Video in the game room watching my grandson Kory(10)compete in the video tournaments they were holding there. I got to see my grandson Kody(14) there also. Their sister Karly(12) was spending the evening at a friends house so I missed seeing her. I didn't get the chance to see all of my grandchildren during this visit, but it was still a grand time for grandma. I was, however, ready to leave for Kingston and the ferry trip back to Edmonds on Sunday morning. When I arrived home there was a sweet message on my answering machine from Jayce thanking me for all the camping gear. |
| This morning I had to go to my dr. to hear my Pad Test results. It doesn't come as a shock to me that I am BORDERLINE. My results were neither negative nor positive. This means that I have to go into the hospital within a month for further testing. They will test for leg artery obstruction by doing an ultra sound of my legs. If I pass that test I will be happy. I really need to work harder on quitting smoking, I know. I am what is called a moderate smoker - half a pack a day. But, still a smoker. I have tried so many times to quit and failed. I'm sure that I can succeed with more effort though. We have lived in this area for almost two years now and neither of us has seen the inside of the hospital in town. That's a real plus for a couple of senior citizens I'm sure! Ron says the news of my test results doesn't come as a shock to either of us He knows well the problem I have with my legs aching when we go for our walks and when they get cold. Ugghh. I have always had a problem with rheumatism ever since childhood. I can remember hugging my legs and crying during the cold winters in Michigan as a child. Taking a hot water bottle to bed at night to warm them up never seemed to help that much either. I just hope and pray that it is not cardiac related. Getting older doesn't help the problem I'm sure. Getting older sucks!  Don't get me wrong though- I'm thankful to be able to wake up each morning and have another day! |
| Yesterday I spent the better half of the day cleaning. Dusting , polishing furniture, cleaning sinks, and vacuuming. Every room in the house! Now that is what I call spring cleaning. Or at least a start on the spring cleaning. Ron says he will wash the windows as soon as it gets sunny and warmer. I have mirrors to clean again also. I need to have the carpets cleaned too. There is always something to do around here. Our sunny days are far and few between still. Today it rained like cats and dogs all day long. I am leaving Friday to go down to Port Orchard and stay with my son Pat & kids. I can't wait I will be seeing all of them for the first time since Christmas! I have to go the dr. for the results on my Pad Test on Thursday. Ron got back his results today. He passed that test with flying colors the dr. told him! I thought I would get mine back today also, but I was told I had to wait. I'm glad he passed his test. I knew he would. I hope I get back the same results as he did. |
| It was a beautiful day here yesterday. Sunshine and temperatures in the upper 50's prompted us to ride the Vulcan. So we rode the 99 miles to Whidbey island. We had a lovely lunch there with friends. Actually, we got to meet the wife(JoAnne) of one of Rons biker chums for the first time. She was very friendly. She and I hit it off great. She drove me into the quaint little town of Coupville where we shopped for unique greeting cards. Ron and chum(Clark) stayed at the house and cleaned all the chrome on the Vulcan. We had a delightful visit with both of them. Their home was very lovely with a beautiful waterfront view of the Strait of Juan de Fuca. We stayed until 4:00 P.M. Then headed home before daylight ended. It was just what I needed after being housebound during my workshop week. I can hardly wait for spring to arrive bringing with it warmer days for riding! |
| I had to go to the Dr. this morning to take a Pad Test. I hope I passed it! I suppose some of you are wondering what a Pad Test is. Well, I wondered too until Ron had his last week. It is a test given to us senior citizens. Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is a test to detect a problem with blood flow in the arteries. It tests the blood flow in the arms, legs, and feet. First you have to lay down on the table. Then the one giving the test wraps velcro pressure cuffs around your upper arms, your upper legs, lower legs, ankles, and sticks a clamp on your big toe! Then each velcro cuff is inflated until it squeezes the blood elsewhere...well maybe not elsewhere...but it felt like it. After that is done to both sides of your body. Then You have to stand on what resembles a treadmill. Then you walk at 2 miles an hour (I believe) for exactly 5 minutes. Then when that is over with you are given a glass of water and it's back to the table for the post exercise squeezing again! All of this is fed into a computer above the table, to be read somewhere by some genius who understands computers, and can calculate what your blood flow and heart rate is doing. Then you have to go back in one week for the results of your test. Incidentally Ron's and my results are on the same day. I think I already know who passed the test and who didn't though.  He passed of course! |
| I'm so proud of this award that I received from Gabriella upon completion of my workshop today. I'm even more proud of my workshop group. They were a fine bunch of gifted writers who stretched their skills and helped to make the workshop a success. Many thanks go out to each one of these writers today: embe  fisher lady Kitty  phoenimaid nisawrite I can't say enough about them. ** Image ID #1392368 Unavailable ** |
| When Gaby asked me this was her plea- "Shi, will you run a workshop for me?" Without hesitation I did agree. Then set out to make it the best it could be. Carefully, choosing my topic with glee- Narrative Poetry is what I decided it should be; excluding Ballad and Epic, limited time was the key. So I set out gathering all information I could, and began the formatting so each member understood. My group would consist of five members and me. My job was to assist; what they would learn- no guarantee. My workshop was scheduled one week in February. For months I assembled everything that was necessary. All of a sudden, my turn had come; my stomach tightened. I had no where to run! I was frozen and frightened. How could this be? I never imagined it could happen to me! All of these doubts and fears rushed through my head- I wanted to shout "I'm not a teacher! I haven't a clue!" "What on earth am I doing in this group with you?" Then much to my amazement poems began coming in. Magnificent accomplishments bringing forth great big grins. Stirring up emotions deep down inside. My heart filled and nearly burst with pride! Calmly my doubts finally disappeared enthralled by these gifted writer's words. Unknowingly, they banished all I had feared as my heart sang to music of their magical chords I knew in an instant I was where I belonged.  |
| I have been so busy with my workshop I haven't had time to write in my blog even if I wanted too! ha. My workshop is a success. I have loved leading my group all week. I've seen some pretty amazing talent come out of this workshop! More on that later. I gotta get off here. |
This was in my Mountain Wings email this morning. I just had to post it here for you to read. The Water ========== It was one of the hottest days of the dry season. We had not seen rain in almost a month. The crops were dying. Cows had stopped giving milk. The creeks and streams were long gone back into the earth. It was a dry season that would bankrupt several farmers before it was through. Every day, my husband and his brothers would go about the arduous process of trying to get water to the fields. Lately this process had involved taking a truck to the local water rendering plant and filling it up with water. But severe rationing had cut everyone off. If we didn't see some rain soon...we would lose everything. It was on this day that I learned the true lesson of sharing and witnessed the only miracle I have seen with my own eyes. I was in the kitchen making lunch for my husband and his brothers when I saw my six-year-old son, Billy, walking toward the woods. He wasn't walking with the usual carefree abandon of a youth but with a serious purpose. I could only see his back. He was obviously walking with a great effort ...trying to be as still as possible. Minutes after he disappeared into the woods, he came running out again, toward the house. I went back to making sandwiches, thinking that whatever task he had been doing was completed. Moments later, however, he was once again walking in that slow purposeful stride toward the woods. This activity went on for an hour: walk carefully to the woods, run back to the house. Finally, I couldn't take it any longer, and I crept out of the house and followed him on his journey (being very careful not to be seen...as he was obviously doing important work and didn't need his Mommy checking up on him). He was cupping both hands in front of him as he walked, being very careful not to spill the water he held in them...maybe two or three tablespoons were held in his tiny hands. I sneaked close as he went into the woods. Branches and thorns slapped his little face, but he did not try to avoid them. He had a much higher purpose. As I leaned in to spy on him, I saw the most amazing site. Several large deer loomed in front of him. Billy walked right up to them. I almost screamed for him to get away. A huge buck with elaborate antlers was dangerously close. But the buck did not threaten him...he didn't even move as Billy knelt down. And I saw a tiny fawn lying on the ground, obviously suffering from dehydration and heat exhaustion, lift its head with great effort to lap up the water cupped in my beautiful boy's hands. When the water was gone, Billy jumped up to run back to the house and I hid behind a tree. I followed him back to the house to a spigot that we had shut off the water to. Billy opened it all the way up and a small trickle began to creep out. He knelt there, letting the drip slowly fill up his makeshift "cup," as the sun beat down on his little back. And it became clear to me. The trouble he had gotten into for playing with the hose the week before. The lecture he had received about the importance of not wasting water. The reason he didn't ask me to help him. It took almost twenty minutes for the drops to fill his hands. When he stood up and began the trek back, I was there in front of him. His little eyes just filled with tears. "I'm not wasting," was all he said. As he began his walk, I joined him...with a small pot of water from the kitchen. I let him tend to the fawn. I stayed away. It was his job. I stood on the edge of the woods watching the most beautiful heart I have ever known working so hard to save another life. As the tears that rolled down my face began to hit the ground, they were suddenly joined by other drops...and more drops...and more......... I looked up at the sky. It was as if God, Himself, was weeping with pride. Some will probably say that this was all just a huge coincidence. That miracles don't really exist. That it was bound to rain sometime. And I can't argue with that. ............I'm not going to try. All I can say is that the rain that came that day saved our farm...just like the actions of one little boy saved another. This is not one of those crazy chain letters...if you don't forward it to anyone, nothing bad will happen to you. If you choose to forward it, you won't receive any riches in the mail. I don't know if anyone will read this...but I had to send it out. To honor the memory of my beautiful Billy, who was taken from me much too soon.... But not before showing me the true face of God, in a little sunburned body. ~Author Unknown~ Forward this issue to a friend or send them the link below: http://www.mountainwings.com/past/8052.htm |
I call my man my "Morphine Man", 'cause he makes me feel good all over like nothing else can. When I wake up sneezing in the middle of night cause it's frosty in the house and it's freezing outside. And my legs are aching all over from the cold, and the bed starts shaking from me rocking back and forth. Til' it wakes up my partner; who's been sleeping alongside. Then he wraps himself around me and snuggles in good 'n tight. He feels just like a furnace; blasting "BTU's" outta sight! Warming me up in no time, making all my pain subside. That's why I call my man my "Morphine Man", 'cause he makes me feel good all over like nothing else can. |
I just received this email from my sister Ellie who lives in Michigan. She is asking for prayers for her youngest son who is a Marine and is now stationed in Belgrade, Serbia. She is very concerned for his safety because of the rioting at the US Embassy there. He is inside the post at the Embassy where the rioting is occurring. This is her email: Hi everyone, I would just like to ask you for some extra prayers tonight for the safety at the US Embassy in Serbia. The rioting is getting pretty wild outside the embassy right now, because of Kosovo's declaration of independence. Jay has been keeping in touch with us & said he will let us know if it gets worse. He said it is getting pretty crazy & they are talking about declaring martial law. He is scheduled to leave there March 30th. Thanks, Ellie If any of you here at WDC would like to kindly say some prayers for her son and the others at the Embassy. It would be greatly appreciated! |
Tomorrow is the starting day for my poetry workshop. I have done a good job setting this workshop up. I am looking forward to a week of interaction and fun with all the members who have signed up for this workshop. I have been battling a full blown head cold for a few days now. I haven't had a cold in almost two years! Hopefully, I am over the worst of it...over the hump so to speak. Last night was fretful sleep with chills and fever. I get so stubborn with these colds or (bronchi infections) if that's what this is. I never go to the doctor unless I'm really, really, sick. I go for a routine blood draw on Tuesday, however. Perhaps if I'm not better by then I can see my doctor then. |
| My Valentine from Gabriella This image was created by terryjroo at "Invalid Item"  ** Image ID #1386305 Unavailable ** |
We went down to Arlington today to Ron's daughter Angella's house to see her twin girls; and take them the lovely dresses that we bought them for Valentines Day. My how they grow so fast. They are three years old now. What cuties they are! They put on the dresses and Grandpa took pictures using Angella's camera (we did not bring ours). She thought that she could give us the memory stick out of the camera but it would not fit in our card reader for the computer. So Ron told her to email the pics to us. She laughed and said "sure if you want to get them in about three years!" Ha. I had to laugh at that one. She is such a busy little mama. Soon to be an even busier one as she is pregnant again! She is due toward the end of July. Oh gosh what if she has twins again?? That's possible for sure. She doesn't know the sex yet as she goes for another ultra sound soon. We sure had a fun visit. The girls are really quite entertaining now. They danced and sang songs for us. They even made us a valentine ahead of time. Little sweethearts. They took the little valentines that we bought them and ran into the kitchen to put them on the front of the fridge with their magnets there. Lexi's was a little froggie whose eyes wiggled! Madisen got the baby elephant who didn't do anything! They both were fascinated with them, however. Probably because Grandpa & Grandma gave them to them. |
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