Hats and Gloves: Addendum

Some of you may remember a blog I did last winter about hats and gloves. If you are so inclined, you can read that blog here. In that blog, I state that I’m starting to get into hats and gloves more. True enough. Until now.

I was recently invited to an author tea, where hats and gloves were the outfit of choice. Now, I have several hats, none of which would dare be seen anywhere near the Kentucky Derby. My hats are functional. Warm. Sun-shading. But none of them are pretty enough for a tea.

So I set out to find one. I hit up my Facebook friends for ideas. Combed the internet and finally found something that was inexpensive and looked decent. It had free shipping, so I never even bothered looking at the shipping date. After all, I had 3 weeks. A few days before the tea, I realized the hat was coming from overseas and wouldn’t arrive until after the tea. Sigh. So off I went to some local stores to find an emergency replacement.

I did find one, and wrapped a scarf I already had around it to dress it up.

Guess what? The first hat arrived in the mail with two days to spare. Sigh.  So now I had two hats. And a quandary. I wanted to wear my beige gloves because they have little bows at the wrist. But the sea-green hat seemed cuter. I waited until the day of the tea to decide. Here are the hats. Which one would you pick?

The tea, hosted by fellow author Jami Davenport, was lovely. The weather cooperated and we were able to sit on deck. It was an afternoon of visiting and discussions and friendship and we all very much appreciated her inviting us. So, figured out which hat I picked? Here a group shot. Can you find me…and my hat choice? :) 

So a lot of angst over a hat, but a fun day because of it. Oh, and I DID put the other hat in the trunk, just in case I wanted to switch.

I hope you’re all finding some sunshine to brighten your day today! And I have to take a quick minute to wish my brother, Ron, the happiest of birthdays!

Flying High

Seattle is home to a wonderful Museum of Flight that houses everything from earliest aviation to Air Force One (J.F. Kennedy’s) to the Space era. We even managed to snag the Space Shuttle Trainer when that NASA program ended.

Memorial Day weekend, the museum was full to capacity with folks, old and young, following aviation’s history. We know, because we were part of the crowd. It was a bucket list day for my husband, who finally got a wish he’s had since he was a child.

He got to fly in a WWII era B-17. And he enjoyed the heck out of himself. Days later, he’s still talking about how cool it was. It was about a half hour flight, but they got to move around the plane while in the air and check out pretty much everything. I stayed on the ground and got pictures of the plane taking off.

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And, after that, we found out there were still space available on a tour of the Space Shuttle cockpit tour, so Mark grabbed it. I chose not to as it’s all tight spaces and climbing through tiny holes. But I loved being part of it, and also, as you can see by the picture below, got a little work done.

So I’d call this a good day all around. Now all we have to do is figure out what’s next on the bucket list. Maybe Australia, tentatively set for winter, 2014.

Got any trips or things you want to do on your bucket list? I’d love to hear them.

Busy Schedules and Reflections

I like to take time on Sundays to kind of organize my thoughts and plans for the week. I look at my calendar and then, being the list maker I am, I list out my days and what I need to get done. It’s my way of making sure I can actually DO all the things on my list.

What I’m not good at, is looking back at that list at the end of the week. Lavada and I have had this discussion many times, but I still have to remind myself to reflect on what I’ve accomplished.

This, for me, is a good day for reflection. Memorial Day is Monday. In the United States, this is the day set aside for remembering and honoring those who died in service to country. It’s really become more than that, though, at least around here. It’s a time when we honor those family and friends no longer with us.

Today, my mother, my husband, and I will visit several cemeteries and pay homage to people who were and still are important to us. We can and do think of them at other times. But this has kind of become our annual pilgrimage.

So yesterday, I potted 8 little flower pots to place on graves. With each one, I spent time remembering. My grandparents, my aunt, my beloved step-father, my friend. Each flower that goes in the pot makes my smile widen as I remember time spent with them. How, when I could barely pay my rent, my step-father “borrowed” my noisy car and put a new exhaust and muffler on it. “Tired of hearing you coming a mile away,” he gruffed. How my grandmother fed the families of her nine children each Thanksgiving–at a sit-down meal. How my friend taught me to love playing cards.

They all influenced the person I turned out to be. And I am grateful for them. So in the midst of what has turned out to be, for me, a very hectic week, I take these moments to remember and smile and be thankful.

I hope you all have a weekend filled with cherished memories, both old and new.

Doin’ Jeff Foxworthy Proud

by Laurie Ryan

You might be a redneck if…

Your kitchen sink looks like this?

I think this picture is worthy of one of Jillian Chantal’s Wordless Wednesdays, but I’ll explain rather than leave it to your imagination.  We did a mini-remodel in our kitchen a while back (counters, backsplash, sink, and faucet). The old faucet was only about 4 years old, but stiff and making a racket when we turned it. So after we pulled it out, hubby called the company and they were aware of a problem with this faucet and had a quick fix, which they sent him for free. Of course, once he fixed it, he HAD to try it out. Hence the outdoor set-up of the old sink and re-fitted faucet.

That’s my guy. As soon as I saw it, I ran back inside for the camera. I knew it was an Over The Backyard Fence moment. LOL.

What’s in your closet?

So it’s that time again. Spring Cleaning has begun in our house. My husband and I have decided it’s time to clear the clutter. To that end, I started with closets. Wow. Were they ever FULL! We had ugly, wet weather here for a while, so it’s been a good indoor chore and we’ve gotten through most of them.

The scary thing, though, is now we have ROOM in each closet. They are no longer filled to the brim with, well, junk. Want to take bets on how long we’ll keep them that way? I’m still trying to figure out how we accumulated all this stuff. Yikes!

Of course, our spare room is now full of piles. Check with the kids piles, give to charity piles, try to sell piles. So the work isn’t over.

And after closets, there’s shampooing carpets and washing windows and…well, the list goes on and on and you all probably have a similar one, so I won’t hash that out.

Once the weather warms up, though, the real work begins. Remember this picture from last year? Well, that “shed” is 70 feet by 20 feet. And the back half is full of…you guessed it…junk! That will be our summer project. In fact, we’ve already begun by asking our children to go through the boxes we are storing for them and either take them, give them away, or verify they still want us storing them.

Yep. Spring Cleaning is in full swing here, even if the weather isn’t saying “it’s Spring!”. And, this next week, we’re supposed to hit 70 degrees for the first time this year. So things are looking up.

So…how are your closets doing?

Mount Rainier

We’ve been a little water-logged and chilly here in the Pacific Northwest. Even so, on the first really nice, sunny day we got, did we stay home and enjoy the warmth? Nope. Instead we headed for one of our favorite local places. Mount Rainier, the tallest peak in the Cascade Range. It may seem silly to leave 60 degrees Fahrenheit warmth and head for the 24 degrees it was at Paradise, a traveler’s mecca at an elevation of 5400 feet above sea-level. Maybe it was crazy, but it was a beautiful drive, a beautiful walk, and a relaxing day.

(photo compliments of Doug Benedetti)

So I thought, in amongst some pictures of the mountain (not all taken in the same visit), I’d give you a few facts about it.

Height:  14,410 feet above sea level (4,392 meters). It’s the highest mountain in Washington State and the 21^st in the world.

(Taken from the visitor center at 5400 feet, looking at the peak.)

In 1792 Brittish Capt. George Vancouver named Mount Rainier after a friend, Rear Admiral Peter Rainier. The Native American name for the mountain is “Tahoma” which means…Well, I found a lot of definitions for Tahoma and I’m not sure which one is right. The one I like best is “mother of waters”. I’ve also heard that it means  ”great white mountain” and “the mountain that was God”.

It is considered an active volcano. It’s last eruption was approximately 150 years ago. It spawns 6 major rivers (Nisqually, Puyallup, Cowlitz, White, and Carbon rivers). And it has 25 named glaciers on it, the longest and thickest being the Carbon Glacier, 5.7 miles long and 700 feet thick.

Jim Whitaker, the first American to conquer Everest (1963) trained on Mount Rainier.

In the winter, you can sled, ski, and snowshoe. In the summer, the sub-alpine wildflower meadows are awesome hikes.

Each year thousands of people climb, or try to climb Mount Rainier. The last year I could find data for was 2010, when 10,643 tried and 4,920 successfully completed the climb.

And here in the Pacific Northwest, the saying, however corny, is that if you can see the mountain, it’s not raining. If you can’t, it is or is about to rain. Duh!

But oh, what a view!

Book Review – The Chieftain by Margaret Mallory

The Chieftain is the final story in a 4-book series I’ve purchased as soon as each story hit the shelves. I would have bought them for the covers alone, but after reading book #1, The Guardian, I was hooked. I had to know how the stories would end for these four fearless Highland warriors. (and I’ll tell you a secret—I don’t read many stories about Scottish clans. I think I need to read more, because this one pulled me in big time.)

This final story is Connor MacDonald’s. As the Chieftain of his clan, he must be strong, keep the clan strong, and marry for the good of the clan. That self-imposed edict leaves Ilysa, the keeper of his castle and the woman who loves him but doesn’t have the connections to be a “good” match, without much hope.

This story is a romance, but it’s so steeped in history that it feels like more. I followed clan happenings as much as I did the relationship between Connor and Ilysa. Margaret Mallory made these people seem real to me. In fact, I was in tears as this story wound down. It was a glorious finish. I’m both sad that it’s over and happy about the resolution. I think this is a series I will read over and over again.

Here’s the blurb from the author’s website:

THE RETURN OF THE HIGHLANDERS: BOOK 4

Four fearless warriors return to the Highlands to claim their lands and legacies. But all their trials on the battlefield can’t prepare them for their greatest challenge yet: winning the hearts of four willful Scottish beauties.

A WARRIOR’S HEART

Connor, chieftain of the MacDonalds of Sleat, holds the fate of his people in his hands. Rival clans are plotting to take over his lands, and duty determines whom he will fight, trust . . . even marry. Seeking guidance, Connor turns to Ilysa, a young lass with the gift of foresight, who reveals an approaching danger-and a passion that burns only for him. But the warrior must make a powerful marriage alliance, and Ilysa’s bloodline is far too humble.

With her powers to heal and see evil where others cannot, beautiful Ilysa dresses plainly, speaks softly, and loves her chieftain from afar. Yet when Connor finally stokes the embers of desire that have so long burned within her, Ilysa feels bliss unlike any she’s ever known. Now as he is forced to place duty before happiness, Ilysa senses Connor is in grave peril. Can she find a way to prove she is the woman he needs by his side?

And a link if you want to read more:   http://www.margaretmallory.com/index.html

Bring on the Sunshine…I hope.

Well, winter is winding down, right? At least, I hope it is. Here in the Pacific Northwest, we’ve been blessed with a pretty mild winter. (And I say that tongue in cheek as I’m one who prefers a little snow each winter). I hope you have had a tolerable winter, also.

Now that Spring is around the corner, my husband is starting on garden projects. This year, we’re (oooh, I think I just used the royal “WE” there) starting some seeds in our newly enclosed greenhouse.  This structure has been there the entire time we’ve lived here, but we never took the time to enclose it. 

So now, what used to be a playhouse for our grandchildren is now called “the blue house”. And hopefully, it will give hubby a running start at the produce production. Not that he needs it. I don’t think he remembers there’s only two of us living here when he plants those seeds.

Dude, our 17 pound cat, is already showing signs that he’s coming out of hibernation. He’s not hesitating so much when you open the door to let him out. Cold weather will turn him around in a heartbeat. I think he spends half the winter curled up close to the wood stove. He’s now going outside for more than a quick potty trip. And, at 17 pounds, we’ve been able to talk him into walks around the property. Yes, that’s right. We have to take our cat for a walk. It’s the only way he’ll exercise. He’s such a lazy guy, but too loveable to berate. lol.

Happy almost Spring, everyone!

International Women’s Day

Today is International Women’s Day. It’s held every year on March 8th and I’m a bit stymied as to how I did not know that. Hmmm. My head must be buried pretty deep in that sand, huh? There’s even a website devoted to it:

International Women’s Day website

This day is a global celebration of the economic, political, and social achievements of women and there are even countries who consider this a national holiday, like China and Russia. It has its roots in the Suffragettes and their struggle to right the inequalities where women are concerned, so it’s been around since the early 1900’s.

So today, I celebrate each and every one of you, my friends, family, and readers. We are strong, and we are amazing. I thank you for being my sisters in, well, everything!

As for you men, check back around the 19th of November and we’ll give you your nod.

Book Review – Careful What You Kiss For by Jane Lynne Daniels

I just finished this story and I see good things in this author’s future. I know I’ll be waiting for the next book to come out, maybe in the same vein as this one? Ms. Daniel’s does feisty heroines really well. I loved Tensley’s “don’t mess with me” attitude. Of course, that’s exactly what gets her into a bit of trouble and I had a good time watching her get out of those predicaments.

Both Tensley and Max have lessons to learn and the author meshes their conflict well with a story line that will have you laughing your way through it as you try to figure out what, exactly, is going on. I especially loved the slippery soap.

There’s balance to the story, though, due to a whole lot of serious in the attraction between Tensley and Max. Whew! Do these two have it bad!

I found myself checking the page count with each turn toward the end. I found the resolution perfectly tied to the character’s personalities, but wasn’t ready to leave Ten and Max behind. I got pretty attached to them, so I hope I’ll “see” them again.

Here’s the blurb from the author’s website:

What if you could go back and fix a mistake you made when you were young?

With the help of one well-intentioned best friend and one bumbling psychic, Tensley does exactly that. But things don’t turn out as she expected. One simple change and she finds herself falling all over again for the man who broke her heart years ago.

Now she wants a do-over of her do-over.

But love has a way of taking its own surprising turns. And sometimes what you think is your worst mistake…turns out not to have been a mistake at all.