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BLOG DESCRIPTION:
   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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It was exactly two years ago today that I became a member of this wonderful writing community!  That means that today I am celebrating my 2nd.WDC Birthday.   ** Image ID #1547244 Unavailable ** ** Image ID #1546233 Unavailable ** |
| We went into Mount Vernon yesterday. I had an appointment to get my hair cut and needed my nails done. This time I had Belinda cut it in a "wedgie". That's a cut that always looks good on me. She told me where I could get my nails done without needing an appointment. So, after the haircut I went to get my nails done. I settled with a French manicure. I hadn't had one in years. The shop was filled up with women. Women getting their nails done and women getting pedicures. It took longer to get my nails done than it did to get my haircut! Ron was very patient. He shopped at Costco and window shopped at BestBuy all the while. Then afterwards we went to eat at our favorite Mexican Restaurant, El Gitanos. We shared a steak burrito. They have the best Mexican food around. It was almost seven o'clock in the evening by the time we got back home. A fun day for me. I felt pampered.  Now, I am ready to go on vacation next week. We leave on Thursday to spend the night in the motel across from Sea-Tac Airport. Our flight goes out at seven in the morning on Friday. We are getting a little excited. Yesterday I worked all day on a cNote shop that I had been commissioned to create. I got it done around midnight last night and transferred it to her port. I still don't know if the member who ordered it likes it or not. I am waiting to hear on that. It was my first commissioned shop from my Speciality Shop. I certainly hope she likes it. ** Image ID #1547244 Unavailable ** ** Image ID #1546233 Unavailable ** |
| It's another sunny and warm day today. Right now it is 72 degrees out on the back deck. It's sure to hit about 80 degrees here today. Yesterday it topped out at 80 degrees! Today should be even warmer by late afternoon here. Ron rode with his buuddies yesterday. I spent the earlier part of the day baking yummy cookies. Later, in the day I was outside sweeping the back deck and steps off. I still have to clean up around the hot tub out there. I'm not cleaning the tub itself though, that's Ron's self appointed job.Lucky for me. Today I am going to do the front deck cleaning. I have three big tubs out on that deck to clean out. It should have been done last month...but we had way to many snow days. I'm hoping my bulbs survived all that snow and frozen soil. I haven't even bought new bulbs yet. We have had such a late spring here. I think I will just wait to see what comes up and if I have to I'll buy petunias already in bloom for the tubs. Well...I guess I should get off of here and have a go at that front deck.  ** Image ID #1547244 Unavailable ** ** Image ID #1546233 Unavailable ** |
| Spring was out in all her glory today. It was already 50 degrees here this morning. The sun was shining and there was barely a cloud in the sky. A perfect day for riding the motorcycle. It didn't take us long to get into our gear and head out on the Vulcan to Anacortes for lunch/dinner at the Rockfish Grill. The ride was the first for me in many long months, and I was ready for it. We weren't the only bikers out riding today either. The gorgeous day brought them out of hiding and waves were plentiful along our ride. Anacortes is one of my very favorite places to ride to. It is homeport to the San Juan Islands here in the Pacific Northwest located on Fidalgo Island. There is a bridge that connects the Island to the rest of Skagit County. It is surrounded by the north Puget Sound and San Juan Islands on three sides, and by the Swinomish Channel and the flat land of Skagit Valley to the east. The weather is milder than other areas of the Pacific Northwest, because it lies within the Olympic Mountain rain shadow. Fidalgo Island gets 21" of rain per year, only half as much as Seattle. Anacortes was home to actor/singer Burl Ives - (Cat On A Hot Tin Roof/A Little Bitty Tear). He lived along the water near the San Juan Ferry Landing. For a long time I would let my eyes scan the homes along the waterfront there, trying to picture which one might have been his. I have yet to know for sure. I remember reading an article about him some years back. It stated that he and his wife and children lived in a big log home above the water. So I would look for log homes, however, from a picture I have seen of him and his wife standing in front of what appears to be a white stuco home...I finally gave up on looking. Burl Ives died on April 14, 1995 (at age 85) in Anacortes, Washington. Gosh, I guess I got lost in Anacortes...there. On our ride home we drove out past fields and fields of daffodils blooming around La Conner. Didn't see any tulips yet though, just daffodils. Oh, and when we got home from our long ride it was still a warm 70 degrees outside! ** Image ID #1546233 Unavailable ** |
A big surprise came in my email. I picked up a Merit Badge for being Funny from The Review Fools. That was real nice and sweet of them Fools. Yes sir, gonna have to do this again next time those Fools review.I got a new signature today for my blog here. I like it. What do ya think? Kinda cute, huh? I was on MySpace yesterday and found out that my granddaughter Meranda lives in San Diego now! She is married to a Navy man and they have a two year old daughter Jaya, whom I have not seen yet. So, I contacted her on her MySpace and got her phone number. I told her I would call her when I get to San Diego so that we can get together while I am down there. She is pregnant again. I believe the hubby is out to sea now but, I'm not sure. It's so hard to keep up with all of the grandkids...and she is my late husbands blood grandchild(one of four grandchildren that are from his oldest son Rob). My late husband was married once and divorced before I married him. He had been married to Rob's Mom for six years then divorced for three years before I met him. We were married in 1964 and our marrigae lasted for 36 almost 37 years. We had five children together. Rob was raised by his mother. I had no contact with him until 1990. When we all got together for the first time as a family! Rob has four children who still call me Grandma - Candice, Robbie, Meranda, and Cody. For those of you who are curious you can find their pictures here on MySpace - www.myspace.com/sshadbolt. I have so many pictures of all of the grandkids on there. Most of them have captions...but some may not. I am really looking forward to seeing her and little Jaya soon ** Image ID #1546233 Unavailable ** |
| I had so much fun yesterday reviewing for the Review Fools all day! There were plenty of laughs and so many reviews on the Public Review page by all of us who made big fools of ourselves for the day. I still don't know who half of those fools were, but I'm sure most knew that I was the Queen Of Hearts, because I was getting emails from some I had reviewed. We still haven't heard who gets what prize for what category yet. Doesn't really matter it was such a big blast to be in on all that fun. I did win Mary Lou's Challenge with my most Embarrassing Moment, however. (Bows) Needless to say, I will be looking forward to dressing up and jumping in for another day of foolishness next time here! Oh, and wasn't that a big weird surprise that The Storymaster had for all of us yesterday???!!! He certainly pulled off the biggest April Fool on here ever.  |
| This is a challenge I wrote today for The Review Fools. I Think I Scored At Water Skiing My first and last attempt at water skiing occured back in the early nineteen sixties. I was sixteen years old at the time and in love with a boy named Tom, who was seventeen. We were "going steady." That was a term that everyone used back then, when two young people became a couple. I wore Tom's class ring as proof of our union. It was a sizzling hot summer day when we hit the beach at Higgins Lake, one of Michigan's many recreational lakes. Tom had somehow managed to talk his parents into letting us use the big Cruise Craft to go water skiing for the day. His friend Jerry came along to help with the boat. Tom and Jerry were both experienced water skiers. Their families had spent many summers together at the lake. They both knew how to man the boat and knew where the best place on the lake was to put the boat in the water. I was familar with the big popular lake, but not the water skis. The boys took turns at one navigating the boat while the other skied behind it. Repeatedly, powering the boat up as it headed out away from the shore, then easing up on the speed and bringing boat and skier back into the shallow water. After about thirty minutes of watching them skim, circle, and fly across the top of the boats rippling waves, they decided it was my turn. I was nervous but ready. I had been sitting in the boat long enough working on my tan. Secretly hoping that Tom would notice my blossoming shape in my new baby blue strapless swimsuit. I mounted the skis and stood up as instructed. Soon, I was flying on the top of the deep blue water just as they had done before me! I felt a rush of excitement. My legs ached some, but I kept my balance on the skis. I had to show them that I could do this too. Then my turn was up. The boat was slowing down. Still standing I could see the shoreline closing in on us. Then just as the motor chugged to a stop I entered the water almost up to my neck. Faltering forward I kept my footing while trying to rise out of the water surrounding me. Then it happened. When I rose up out of the water my bathing suit slipped clear down to my waist! I was horrified. The boys were gawking at me. It was the most embarrassing moment of my life. |
| It's that time of year again...so I'm off for my yearly mammogram. How exciting can that be anyways?  |
| We leave for our vacation to visit Ron's brother Roger and wife Judy in California in just seventeen days! We are both getting excited preparing for our trip. We spend the night in a motel across from Sea-Tac Airport on the 16 th. Then fly to San Diego early the next morning, Friday, April 17 then return on Tuesday, April 21. We are really looking forward to this trip. Just the fact that we were snowed in for so long and soon we will be in sunny Southern California is enough to make us ecstatic! Even in-spite of the fact that we have not got a whole lot in common with them(except for the fact that Ron and Roger are brothers). I have only met with them on three occasions within the past eight years.This I know for sure though, they are a delightful congenial couple and so very generous to have us stay at their home for three or four days. I suggested to Ron that perhaps we should spend our last night down there in a hotel or motel. After all three days is pretty much the limit on house guests don't you think? But, then Ron says that they want us to stay there and that they have plenty of room for us. Roger is Ron's older brother. Patricia -~Windsong~  is the oldest, then Roger, Ron, and Ann(the youngest sister). Roger is quite the entrepreneur. He has owned his own prosperous business for years now. He just recently had another big beautiful home built in upstate New York. They sold a home in Orange County a couple of years ago and bought this one in San Diego. It was a smart move for them. The fires had come within a few blocks from the home they sold.Sis, Pat~Windsong~ has sent me a package filled with all kinds of "little goodies" for my trip. She is very sweet and thoughtful to do that. Amongst the items she sent is a beautiful blue glass beaded necklace! I just might wear it with my white ribbed tank and a pair of new blue tropical capri's that I bought for this trip. I'm, also, taking my new bathing suit(which I bought a year ago and haven't even worn yet) with me because they have a big pool. Woo Hoo! I've been trying to lose some weight so that it looks good on me. If not, then I'll just wear the old one. We'll see how that goes. Way too much popcorn all winter didn't help any.Well, we haven't the faintest idea yet what we are all going to do when we get down there...Roger and Judy are in Washington D.C. at the moment visiting family there. I'm hoping we get to go to the San Diego Zoo during our stay. Our doctor tells us to be sure and visit Coronado Island (I think that's how it's spelled)...I really don't feature taking a ferry ride as I do that all the time up here! Anyways, we are soon bound for California and fun in the sun. Here is a picture of Roger and Judy(taken in New York) and some of their place in California. ** Image ID #1544595 Unavailable ** ** Image ID #1544590 Unavailable ** ** Image ID #1544586 Unavailable ** I can hardly wait.. |
| Ron and I play scrabble an awful lot. We try to get in at-least two games a day. That's when we aren't playing chess, anyways. Lately, it has been scrabble everyday after dinner. We played chess during the two months that the snow hung around. So, now it's back to scrabble. It used to be that I could beat him most of the time. Not anymore. Not since he figured out how to get all the bonus words. He's even really good at getting three or four words out of a few letters now. We play with nine tiles(letters). Usually, all of his bonus words(seven letter words) are all spelled out correctly. Today was different. We struggled through the first game. We both ended up dumping our letters and losing our turns until we could come up with some decent words. Nothing outstanding, was all either of us could accomplish throughout the first game. It just so happened that I beat him by the skin of my teeth, however, neither of us could score a 300 game. The next game was a slow starter...but he got the jump on me. He was beginning to get his bonus words. Not as many as he normally does though. We were almost to the end of the second game as he spelled out another one of his bonus words - VIRTUARY. Ahhh...wait a minute.  He looked at me and said "Look it up." "It's in Ronald Webster's Dictionary." At that point we looked at each other and roared with laughter! He did end up winning the second game in-spite of his misspelled word. |
| I can't think of a better entry for today than this poem that my son Patrick emailed to me. SONJA, MY ANGEL OF HOPE ITS BEEN 12 DAYS , YOU CAME TO SEE, HOW GOD HAD GIVIN' MY LIFE BACK TO ME. YOU STOOD BY MY SIDE, HOLDING MY HAND, STARING AND SMILING, HOW LIFE IS SO GRAND. YOU ENTERED THE ROOM WITH TEARS OF JOY, STANDING NEXT TO YOU, OUR 2 BIG BOYS. MY HEART WAS FILLED WITH HAPPINESS, AS WE LOOKED AT ONE ANOTHER, HOPING THE END WOULD COME, TO BE WITH EACHOTHER YOUR FACE SO BEAUTIFUL, YOU STAYED BY ME, WHISPERING “I LOVE YOU” SO VERY QUIETLY. SONJA, YOU MEAN THE WORLD TO ME, THAT’S WHY GOD BROUGHT YOU TO ME. AS YOU LEFT MY SIDE YOU STOPPED AND SAID, "YOU WILL GET BETTER, AND OUT OF THIS BED." MY HEART IS YOURS, MY DEAR YOU SEE, YOU ARE MY ANGEL OF HOPE, AND THAT’S WHY GOD GAVE YOU TO ME! |
I have opened up the seventh round of my signature auction. They are all FLOWER signatures! I feel I did a pretty good job on these colorful signatures that are up for auction bid here -
So, if anyone wants some new beautiful flower signatures stop in, check it out, and make your bid! |
| It sure looks like Spring outside today. The sun is shining and warming up out there already. What a great reprieve from all the stormy weather. Yesterday it was cold, rainy, and windy. The ground is still so soggy from all the rain. Ron and Dave actually went riding on their sport bikes today. He should be gone most of the day enjoying the sunshine on his ride. I have been busy cleaning the kitchen, washing kitty prints off of the slider, and doing laundry. I've been busy on here also. I got my donated cNote Shop all done for the Stop the Abuse! An ABA Group Auction. I wanted to get it ready before that auction closes in April, because I will be gone on vacation for a week right before the auction closes next month. I didn't want to have to rush through getting it ready as soon as I get back home. It was fun making cNote images with famous quotes for that shop. I haven't had any takers in my speciality shop yet-
I suppose I need to advertise it more. Then too...I need to be less generous when it comes to making images for friends on here for their shops and charging less than what is asked for in my Speciality Shop!. I guess I haven't learned how to be a prosperous business woman yet. |
| We have been getting prepared for our trip next month. Getting new summer clothes and arranging for our two kitties to be taken care of. Actually, they are both grown cats now. But, we call them our kitties or babies. Our babies are spoiled and they love us dearly. They are truly special felines. They love our attention and are very good companions to each other and us. At first we were going to kennel them down in Sedro Woolley during our trip...but then Ron changed his mind and asked the neighbor guy Larry if he would feed and water them while we are gone. He is a good neighbor and said that he would. He is our age...both he and his wife. So we are relieved that the babies won't be uprooted to cages while we are gone.:) Speaking of cats, my daughter Julie is dealing with a bigger wild one at her house. She has photos of the cougar tracks around her property and up close to the house that she has posted on her MySpace. She has been calling me and telling me all about what that cougar is up to. Seems that it is stalking her dogs. They have two pups( 80lbs or so) now that they keep in their utility room at night. They will be around 100 lbs when they mature. There is a window in the utility room and the cougar has been stalking the window outside. Her teenage kids have been taking turns taking the dogs out to go potty on a leash for weeks now during the night. But, lately the dogs have been growling in the utility room and waking them up more. When thirteen year old Alex took them out to potty last night around 1:30 in the morning she later told her Mom that the smaller one Lucas, did not want to get down off the steps. He began whinning and pulling back on his leash. Then Julie heard them growling in the utility room around 5:00 am this morning . So she took them out and Lucas would not leave the door. She said he pulled her back on the leash and whinned again. Marley (the bigger braver one)went down off the steps with his hair raised up across his back and barking at something. The neighbors dogs were barking across the road also. Julie said she felt uneasy and took them both back in right away. She had seen the cougar tracks and took pictures of them in the snow a couple of days ago before the snow melted. Then when she went outside at daybreak she saw the cougar tracks in the mud up by the porch steps and off under the utility room window and down the driveway! She is calling the Wildlife office today. Hopefully they will come out to her place...take pictures of the tracks...then trap and move the mountain lion away from the area. Julie, and her hubby, Justin have 2 1/2 acres that butt up against the 1,600 acres of AlpineTree Forest without fences. So the wild animals roam through Julie's yard and surrounding property all the time. She has so many deer there, coyote, and raccoon. She tells me that the coyote no longer come around lately. That has to be because of their dogs...or the cougar. Anyways just thought you'd like to hear this story! I am going to give her a call back to see what the Wildlife people told her. I'm sure that if they don't take action, then Justin will take the matter into his own hands and get himself a cougar even if it is illegal! He is not going to put his family or his animals at risk for much longer.  For those of you who aren't familar with cougar tracks - a cougar has index (fingers)toes and a dog does not. Photo my daughter took March 17th. of cougar track in the snow. ** Image ID #1540178 Unavailable ** Photo my daughter took of cougar track in the mud March 18 th. ** Image ID #1540179 Unavailable ** Photo of cougar tracks on fallen tree at my daughter's. ** Image ID #1540190 Unavailable ** |
| I really feel stupid. I haven't been blogging that much lately or reading as many other blogs as I normally do. I sort of caught up on my own blogging...but when going blog reading...I discovered that runningwolf04 had lost her Dad to the cancer that consumed him! I got tears in my eyes reading this news in her blog entries. How, awful I felt that I had not known sooner of her great loss. I sent a cNote off to her immediately. She responded and seems to be taking her terrible loss as good as can be expected. She wants to go back to visit her family even more now though. I know where she is coming from. When we lose someone we love that dearly it effects our family as a whole. We come closer together in our suffering and we let our love show with much more meaning. I know when I lost a son to a tragic death in 1997, it brought all of the rest of my children so much closer together. Then a few years later in 2001 when they lost their Dad due to heart failure it just tightened that family knot up even more. My kids are regular troopers when it comes to mourning the loss of a loved one. But, they all celebrate their lives by giving love more freely and realizing what is most important to them. They seem to have their priorites in order and for that I am forever thankful. They are grown adults well into their thirties and one of them (the oldest son) is fourty-five. At an age where most siblings lack the comfort and closeness of a relationship with their sister or brother, these kids of mine keep in touch on an almost daily basis. One always knows what the other one has been up to. Actually, that can be a good thing. It is something that they have been able to pass down to their children - the importance of family.I can see this importance of family in all of my grandchildren. Every single one of them is close to their parents, their siblings, their aunts, their uncles, their cousins, and their grandparents. There's never a visit without hugs and kisses. Never a phone call without an "I love you" or "I miss you." It brings to mind how my own mother would never wash the fingerprints of her grandchildren off of her slider door whenever their visit to her house ended. She would just leave them there to look at for atleast a week. I am proud to know that I am a part of her Legacy and have been able to pass that down to my grandchildren. Here's a photo taken of my kids and myself in 2002.  |
| We had to go to our doctor to get our PAD Test results on Friday. We were both seen at the same time by our same doctor. That was very convienent. As before, Ron passed with flying colors. He needs no further testing done. He doesn't even need to be seen in the office for another 4 months or so. Now me...that's a different story . Just as last time I did not pass the test. This time however, I was told that my left leg was not giving the same results as my right leg was. Actually doctor said my left side. Whatever that means is beyond me. He is not sending me out for further testing on my heart or another leg ultra sound. Instead he is having me take their Bone Density Test right at their clinic. Which I will be doing soon. We really do need to get a treadmill machine of some sort here at home. Ron says they are just something to hang jackets on...so he figures. I think I would use it when we can not get out to walk. I guess I'll have to keep at him about that one. I got a big surprise in my email here today. I received this beautiful plaque for my Sestina
It is my very first ever! I'm a bit proud of it I must say. |
| We went to town yesterday to get some much needed shopping done. Well, actually we went to three towns - Sedro Woolley, Burlington, and Mount Vernon. They are all very close together, and only a 40 minute drive to the furthest one(Mount Vernon). We had to go to my bank in Sedro Woolley first. Then we went down I-5 to El Gitanos in Mount Vernon,and had our favorite Mexican lunch. After eating we went to Walmart to pick up all the much needed items that we were out of - such as...cat food, writing pad for scrabble, pens, cereal, wipes, chips, and makeup for me. From there we crossed the Skagit River and backtracked into Burlington to go to Costco. I love Costco. I think it is my favorite store. We must have hit a good day because Ron was able to pick up five high quality cotton tees for our trip to California next month. He chose navy blue, light blue, yellow, olive green, and a rose colored one even! We also found some darling Easter dresses for his twin granddaughters and a cute little outfit for their baby sister. The girls always love the dresses that we bring them. They love getting dressed up in them and getting their picture taken. I just know that they are going to love these too. One is pink & white with pink flowers, the other is yellow with a yellow & pink flower. I can't wait to see who picks which dress this time. |
| The first day of daylight savings time brought three inches of snow here at home! It won't stay around long though, because it it now 52 degrees outside. Our weather just seems to go from one extreme to the other lately. We are expecting more snow showers or a mix of rain and snow are possible again this evening. It's pretty typical March weather for us. Perhaps with just a little more lower tempartures than normal. Ron says that he is going to wash all of our windows as soon as it warms up more. He took on that job some years back and he does a much faster and thorough job than I could ever do! And, no he's not for hire!The neighbor guy, Larry, has been outside in the cold and snow trimming back his branches & shrubs over there for a few days now. I think he is just plain bored. It's always fun to watch someone else working outside. Maybe I get that from my dad. He used to stand in front of our big picture window on Seymour Rd. in Montrose, Michigan and watch the neighbor across the road mowing his lawn! Dad was a crane operator for Fisher Body in Flint, Michigan. He used to work the graveyard shift so by the time he got out of bed in the late afternoon it never allowed him much time to work outside before sunset. The yard work was always something that we kids would swap off doing if it didn't get done on dad's day off.Well, I guess I've rambled enough on here for today. |
| We awoke to fresh snow that had fallen on Sauk Mountain overnight. We did not get any here at home though...thank goodness. All of our snow has melted now. HOOray!!! The snow on the mountain makes for a pretty picture, though. Ron took this one just a little while ago. I hope that you enjoy it. ** Image ID #1535772 Unavailable ** |
| We have to go have our yearly PAD test today. I hope mine is better than it was last time. Though, I have my doubts on that. Hopefully, they won't be sending me off for more testing afterwards, like last time. Those nuclear exams are lengthy ones for sure. I deleted my last entry because I felt it didn't generate any positive energy. We are planning a trip to San Diego to visit Ron's older brother Roger and his wife Judy. They are wonderful people, and we are looking forward to this vacation next month. Ron has already made the airline reservations and motel reservation for one night across from Sea Tac Airport. We will be on an early morning flight out of Seattle so, spending the night before down there is the only way to avoid a sleepless night here. The flight out is at 7:00 A.M. We are three hours away from the airport where we live, We would have to arrive there at 5:00 A.M. To do that we would have to leave here at 1:00 A.M. That would mean NO sleep the night before our flight! We will be boarding out our two cats for the first time ever. I'm sure they will have their nose's bent out of shape...but they will be well taken care of. We are so looking forward to this vacation. |
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