Went to the Rhody Parade last Saturday with cousin Linda who had flown up from Kentucky with two of her daughters. I hadn't been to a parade since 2014 when Linda Pedersen and I rode on the alumni truck looking like the old Redskin broads we were. Getting to the curbside early to find a spot to watch wasn't a walk in the park for us either. Linda is recovering from a stroke she had last year and her ability to navigate (especially on uneven ground) was challenging. And my arms today are itchy and red as I recover from the sunburn I managed to get sitting without a coat on. My hip has been in such a snit these past months that I wasn't walking that well myself. Am pretty sure Saturday was my last Rhody parade. Floats and bands are decreasing every year and I don't recall even one band playing a good old fashioned march like the old days. The Filipino marching girls quit attending our parade years back and I still miss them. And I don't recall hearing any bagpipes this year either. When I was a kid (and a teen) the girls running for Rhody Queen often numbered a dozen plus. Nowadays, the teens have other irons in the fire and they're lucky if they can get three girls.
From the sound of things, I suspect the Rhody Festival is having its problems. Needing volunteers is always an issue but as people age, some of those folks you could always call on are just too worn out. The carnival is also in decline. Might not even make the scene next year. My cousins had fond childhood memories of the carnival and made it a point to go downtown and walk through. They were disappointed. Couldn't even buy a corn dog. Linda and I were both tired before the end of the parade and anxious to get home and rest. I left for Port Angeles as they had more visiting to do for the days to come. I decided to beat the traffic and headed out old Disco Road around Chevy Chase and then over to Four Corners Store. I kind of enjoyed that drive.
I've been watching some of the videos Linda's daughters have posted on Facebook of their various stops around town and in Seattle and Bremerton. Linda and I discussed how this visit would most likely be the last time we saw each other. She knows her health is declining and traveling is way too hard these days. I'm not that fond of traveling either. Timidity with freeways keeps me home as does the ability to walk long distances. Linda also went to Washougal, WA to visit her brother, Jimmy. He's been bedridden for a long time now and they both knew her trip up here was to say goodbye. Sad.
I'll attach various pictures at the end of this blog post. Meanwhile, I'm catching up on odds and ends around here. I woke up at 6 feeling wide awake and not in a lot of achy pain (surprise!) so I got up early and started my day. After surfing the usual places I go to and working the crossword on the Wash. Post website, I decided I needed to keep ahead of the filing process of notes, newspaper clippings, cartoons, and photos I'm slowly accumulating again. I'm thinking I might sit down with my large metal filing cabinet and start disposing of the receipts and junk paperwork I throw in there a few times a week.
A friend told me about a "One-line a day" diary that her grandmother used to keep and I've decided that's something I'd like to try. I do keep a diary of sorts online of things I've done just to remind me later but the one-line idea appeals to me. I've also got this Consumer Reports magazine that I stole from the doctor's office months back that instructs you on how to protect yourself online. It has a lot of directions that you can do on your computer and I definitely need to see into that.
I got my oil changed yesterday ($60) and driving home I decided I was too tired to cook supper and too hungry to fast like I had planned. I stopped to buy a veggie pizza at Papa Murphy's as I was curious to see how they tasted. I doubt I'll buy a second. It was okay but I cooked it too long and turned it into a piece of cardboard. Damn it! And that thing wasn't cheap either! I also bought a salad while there so I'll have that tonight and tomorrow.
I cleaned up some computer files before I started blogging this morning. I had so many pictures stuck in so many folders that I could never find what I was looking for. I'm starting a new Sunbonnet Sue wall hanging too. I've made this pattern twice before (days of the week) but I still have difficulty putting it together. I finished Sunday but the church looks so stupid, I'm going to toss it and start fresh. I've also got a jigsaw puzzle set up on the kitchen table and when I finish that, I'm bringing my box of rocks in from the garage so I can get back into rock painting.
I've been watching Breaking Bad (again) and am on the last few episodes of the final season. Do love that show! Anyhow, I've been doing cross stitch at night while watching tv and last night I got so involved in the story line that I screwed up my Donald Duck head and had to pull out a couple lines of stitching. Aggravating task.
I bought a blood pressure cuff a couple weeks ago but I'm thinking I'm going to send that sucker back! Every reading has my numbers skyhigh. I took the cuff to the pharmacy and had him take it with my cuff and with his and his cuff gave me numbers similar to what I have at the doctor's office. I have two June doc appts so I'm taking the cuff to both and comparing what my readings are there. This is the reason I didn't want a b/p cuff. The readings make my b/p go up!
Well, off to find those photos that I've filed away somewhere on this computer.
Cousin Jimmy with his wife, Holly
On the way to the parade, we stop at Ruth Kvinsland's to say hello and drop off a birthday gift
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