Movie time

Well, it's been years since we went to the movies.  We went late yesterday afternoon...$5.25 each for seniors...that price all day, not just early bird.  Not all bad getting older.  :-)  Wow, what a nice theater.  Cushy high backed seats that rock and LOTS of leg room.  We saw "Captain Phillips", the drama about the sea captain captured by Somali pirates.  Tom Hanks stars and there has not been a movie he made that I have not loved.  He plays this role well and the Somali pirates look like you plucked them right off the Somali coast.  This is a story that if you had not lived through the real life event, you would surely say the story was not plausible.  It's that amazing that Phillips survived.  There has been very little news coverage regarding hijackings in those waters these days but we understand it's because ships are now armed.  Makes sense to me.  If you have not seen this, it's worth the time. 

New phones

This past week we got new phones.  What a process for us.  Two full days in the review of what seems like an unlimited selection.  We are happy with what we purchased, the iphone 5c.  It was the most user friendly for us of all the ones we looked at but it has taken us some time to catch up on the techy world with lots of exasperating sighs.  They certainly lessen our dependence on the computer and unlike out old "go phones", we can actually talk inside the house now. How civilized. 

So where were you?

Every generation asks that question after a traumatic event...the Challenger explosion...9/11...etc.  For my earliest recollection, it was JFK's assassination.  I was 15, sitting in geometry class when we heard commotion in the hallway and girls crying.  It soon became known what had happened in Dallas on a Friday around noon.  I think everyone was glued to the TV over the weekend and on Monday there was no school so we could watch the funeral.  It left a huge impact on my life.  This vital man with so much of life ahead of him and in an instant, it was over.   I realized for the second time in my life how fragile life is.  The first time was the death of the Mosier boys, 2 neighborhood boys who died in a car accident  when I was only 12.  Grief is hard for a young person.  It's hard to know what is "normal"...what is "acceptable" but I soon learned that grief is something that one doesn't just get over...it takes a long time.  After watching some of the footage this past week of Kennedy's death, I still had eyes that welled up remembering the sadness of 50 years ago and how it intruded on my generation and its innocence.

Date Night

On the island we hardly ever go out for dinner.  Not really sure why...ok, cost may be one factor...it's hard to get out of a decent restaurant for less than a $100 after a nice bottle of wine.  But also the summers on the island are so crazy busy with tourists crowding all the restaurants and in the winter it's just easier to make a fire and cozy up with polar fleece and smart wool socks on the many dark, cold rainy days.  But here...well, Thursday nights have become date night.  We are avoiding the weekends for obvious reasons and it's fun to look forward to getting out and not cooking.  I think it's the lifestyle here and things are cheaper in general, but also the big guy has not been out on the tractor or weeding or working on his lathe all day and so there is energy to go out...such a novelty.

6:30 A.M.?

I have not written on this thing forever.  We are now in Tucson and enjoying the weather...really, an understatement.  I have had to make some adjustments in my exercise routine as the afternoons have been warm and it's a bit much for Hank.  So I have been getting up at 6:30 and off we go.  The mornings are glorious here, cool with gorgeous sunrises.  I can get my sweating done early, shower and be ready for the day.  I just never thought I could get my body moving at that hour of the day but it's been going well.  

Party time

Well, I didn't get carrot cake but I did get some extra carrots.  Wait...did I hear correctly??  You have Kaviar...now that's a party!

Oh, Dad, you're my new BFF

Do I really get the whole cracker??  Wow, what a day!

Ten!

So today, August 24,I am ten years old.  I feel pretty good.  My mom walks me every day...well, at least 6 days a week and I don't have any sore joints yet.  I'm getting a little lumpy here and there as you can see from this picture.  Not my most photogenic side as I tried to tell her!  I like to look out over my property for deer and I can get quite upset if I see them tresspassing.  It's about the only time that I bark but I have to let them know who's boss.

I like to lie on one of my three beds.  Doesn't every dog have three beds?

I'm smiling because I'm thinking of my special birthday treat tonight.  My favorite treat is a carrot and I'm hoping maybe for carrot cake.

 

Ok, mom, are you done yet?

 

Now, if you don't mind, I have some serious sunning to do.

 

Drum roll....

Here I am, 65 years old and have baked my first chocolate roll.  This recipe has been in my family for what seems like forever and I have never made it.  Everytime I have had it, most often via my mother or sister, I think...I must get this recipe and it never happens until finally last week I asked my sister to send it to me.  It's one of those labor of love recipes and I feel like I have reached a real milestone.  The first time I remember having it is about 37 years ago at my aunt Leah's house.  She was an amazing cook and obviously the dinner made quite an impression on me and especially this dessert.  So mine turned out pretty good for the first time.   Tastes just like I remember when my sister served it last Christmas.  I think I may have underbaked it a bit as I remember her cake being a bit thicker.  But I'm going to practice some more.  Yum.

 

The cake is light as a feather filled with real whipping cream.

Extra "little" gift

So when Katri came to visit, she had a "little" extra gift for my birthday.  This is one of the first "fruits from her loom".  I had seen it in progress when I was in MN in May but to see the finished product and then actually be the recipient of it was very special indeed.  It is so incredibly soft, made with tencel yarn and I can't wait now for it to get cooler and I can wear it.   It's a wonderful length so it will be fun to tie in different ways.  Her Farmor would be so amazed and pleased to see another generation of weavers.   Thanks, Katri!

 

For some reason I  could not flip this pix. 

1500 feet

So did anyone happen to watch yesterday Nik Wallenda's walk across the Grand Canyon??  I haven't even seen any news coverage of it today but it was one of the most amazing things I have ever seen.  It was covered on the Discovery channel.  He did it without tether or net and my heart was in my throat.   Truly an incredible feat.  I would not even be able to walk to the edge and look down.

Better than fiction

Often life is better than fiction.  That's true in basketball.  I realize that many of you have not been tuned in to the NBA finals but it has been an amazing series.  Game 7 is Thursday night and last night for the last 5 minutes or so I could not sit down.  When one team is down 3 points with 5 sec. left and one of their players makes a 3 point shot from the side...truly one of the most difficult shots for perception...well, I told BJ, writers could not script this any more exciting.  So then there was overtime.  Another 5 minutes of back and forth, questionable fouls, spent players...and spectators..until the home team prevailed by 3 points bringing on the final game Thursday.   Should my grandchildren ever play competitive sports I shall have to add another blood pressure medication.

Where have I been?

I had a recipe that called for baking on parchment paper.  I thought...hmmm...where do I find THAT???...thinking that I would only find it in a kitchen specialty store.  Well, lo and behold, I found it at the Island Market with the wax paper etc.   And now I wonder how I have baked all these years without it.  I'm not talking cookies here.   That's a slam dunk on a cookie sheet.  But BARS...wow, so easy to get out of the pan without half the bottom layer sticking.  I can hardly believe it.   I made raspberry almond bars and those things practically left the pan on their own.  I am so in love.

Small world??...understatement!

I emailed our old pet sitter yesterday to see about her caring for Hank later this summer.  She informed me that she had moved off the island and was now living in Tucson with her cousin.   I then told her about finding our house in Tucson and she wanted to know where we were.  After several emails back and forth we discovered that her cousin's house and our house are just a few doors from each other on the same street!  I remember meeting her cousin a couple times on the street while walking our dogs and here my old pet sitter is now living there also.   I mean, it's just rather amazing.  She said if we ever need care for Hank while in Tucson, we now have a pet sitter...ha!  Yeah, small world.

Love the zoo

About two weeks ago I visited Minnesota and had a great time with family and especially girl time with daughters and sister and lots of fun outings with the grandchildren.  One of my requests while I was there was to go to the zoo with the grandkids.  Here are a few photos from our fun day together.

It looks like a very wet day but after raining all morning, by the time we got to the zoo, it was warm and sunny.

Here we are at a play area and this is supposed to be a huge bird's nest and Nikolai climbed up and sat on the cracked egg.  Very funny!

The highlight animal for me was the grizzly bear exhibit.  This pool was right up next to a huge glass window and I would never have the chance to be so close to a grizzly and live to tell about it.  I could have watched this big guy and his two friends all day.

 

So far so good

Well, it seems things are working well.  Since my other blog, "the green seen" has "died", this is an attempt to return to blogger and create a new blog.   Stop in and visit when you can.

Third times a charm?

This is a test to see if I can get Blogger working again without requiring a special code.