Catching Up

Gees, I haven't blogged since Jan. 3rd. Guess I'd better get with the program here although I really don't have much of interest to share. Just a few odds and ends of this and that. I made a list so be prepared for this post to be all over the place skipping from one subject to another.

I don't know why I subject myself to seeing how ugly I can look in pictures but I do it over and over again. I think I have it in my head that surely that camera is malfunctioning and I can't possibly be that haggard looking. But alas...I am!  I took some side views of my face and that was especially scary. I am never going to be pretty but I'm okay with that.  I did notice that I have my grandpa's ears. They're quite large when I see them from the side with no hair covering them. How'd that happen?

It's 10:15 a.m. and I've been up for three hours. Just haven't been in the mood for breakfast these past weeks and usually I love having breakfast, even if it's just cold cereal and toast. Not a heck of a lot on my agenda today or all this week really. I just cancelled a doctor appt in Silverdale at the Pain Clinic. Follow-up.  And I'll be damned if I'm going to drive all the way over there just for them to say "how 'ya doing?"  Sadly, I don't think the back and forth trips I took for back injections did that much good. I know what I'm dealing with now is sciatica. Been dealing with it for months. Going to get a little more serious about trying out the youtube videos I've watched to help the problem. I do have my doubts that anything will work but then I'm always pessimistic about exercise fixing stuff. Woe is me!

I got a new book (well, used really) in the mail yesterday from thriftbooks.com where my granddaughter works. Called The Genealogist's Google Toolbox. I can see it's going to be a great reference. Saw it on a YouTube channel for this lady that I follow. Lisa Louise Cooke. Love her videos on learning genealogy. I'm going to get down to business and pull out my notebooks and see what I can add to the various families I'm working on. My goal is to find Charlie Blankenship, supposedly a younger brother of my grandpa Lew Gene. I've been unable to find anything but then you wouldn't believe how many Charlie Blankenships there are out there!

I finished a book by Joan Rivers call 'Still Talking'. Quite well written too. Loved hearing all the gossip on various stars ('cause I'm that way) haha  Johnny Carson was a real pill but then I've never liked him in the first place. Always thought he was a stuck up snot!  I've never liked Dave Letterman either.

I tried getting back into this book I've had on my book shelf for years. You Can't Go Home Again by Thomas Wolfe. I actually donated the book when I moved from Port Angeles (donated a car load of books) but that particular one stayed on my mind. I think because of the title. Anyhow, I sent for it again at Thriftbooks.com. The copy I got is kind of beat up and the print is small (paperback) but I did start reading it determined to try again.  I finally gave up. Too many descriptive words and I prefer authors to get to the point. Like Stephen King. I may check out a couple of his books next time I get out to the library in Hadlock. I'm keeping the Thomas Wolfe book this time, though. Maybe I'll try again. Meanwhile, I picked up one by Joyce Carol Oates that was in the library downstairs called Black Girl White Girl. I have no clue what it's about but I've read Joyce's books before and liked them.

I wonder if there's a move out there called You Can't Go Home again. Think I'll check.

Oh Yay! There is a movie. Stars Lee Grant. I'll probably have to pay to see it but I'll do that. The other day TCM had a Frank Sinatra/Dean Martin movie playing called 'Some Came Running'. I knew I'd seen it before (also starred Shirley MacLaine (who I love) but I was too busy at the time to sit and watch it so I ordered it on Amazon Prime so I could watch it later. Only cost $2 and I started watching it last night but I got tired and had to go to bed so I'll finish tonight.  Sometimes I wonder why I bother. Frank Sinatra makes me a little ill and of course, the script was written so he looks like a tough guy.  The fight scenes (skinny little Frank with big bruisers who he lays flat) were laughable.

I got my hair cut yesterday. Went over to my friend, Judi Robbin's apartment. I'm super short but I needed that cut as I was looking more like a witch everyday. My hair continues to thin at an alarming rate. I've been watching this guy on Youtube (Dr. Eric Berg) and he has a ton of information about how to stay healthy. He has one about hair loss but so many of his tips would cost me more than I can afford. And I'd be unlikely to stick with them anyhow. Like eating sea kelp. No, I don't think I'm going to search that one out.  I do have two wigs now. The first one doesn't really fit my head that good and is terribly itchy and uncomfortable in a short time. The second (a cheaper model) feels better on my head but I suspect wearing wigs is never going to be a really comfortable venture. I ordered a third one yesterday. This lady down the hall had a Paula Young catalog and she's going to order this brown one for me and I'll pay her. She gets it cheaper being on their catalog list.  I did go to the website and gave them my email address so now Paula Young is showing up everywhere on my computer...Facebook page, my crossword page, Hotmail, etc.  I started to order the wig but realized it was more expensive and my total was up to $70. I didn't want to pay that much when I don't even know for sure if the damn thing will fit me okay.

I think I'll take a picture of me wearing wig #2. If you go to Facebook regularly, you would have already seen most of the photos I put on my blog. This wig is actually halfway comfortable for a long period of time.

I went to lunch with my sister and two other women yesterday. A Chinese place downtown in the Quimper Mercantile mall called Four Seasons.  It was pretty good. Service was slow and the owner decided to open the front door (I think she was hot from running around) but the draft on customers was too much and we had this guy get up to close it.  She insisted on seeing vaccination cards and one of the women hadn't brought hers along so I gave her mine and showed a picture on my phone for myself. She didn't even really look at them so we got through that fine.

My sister had left her dog, Lucy, in the car since she can't leave her at home because she howls the whole time. haha

A friend gave me a couple of cordless irons a few days back and I'm just thrilled to have them. Will gift one to another friend.

I've been on a sewing kick for a while now and last night, a neighbor helped me lay out a few of the finished quilts so I could get a picture. I think I need a better camera as it didn't turn out as well as I had hoped.

I'm thinking I might gift some to the homeless shelter across the street.  They're getting close to moving in. Some neighbors aren't thrilled with that idea but I'm not one of them. Think I'll go take a picture from the laundry room to show you. They just put a fence up and yesterday, management here decided to put up new parking lot lights and cameras.  Too bad they can't spend more on fixing up the trim in the hallways or hiring an activity director. Also wouldn't kill them to fix the curb outside the front door by making it easier to get up. They also could use a handrail out there but the manager just doesn't get it as I've brought it up.

Yesterday a crew was here to clean the gutters. I posted this on FB and a couple people wondered why he wasn't wearing a rope. I wondered that too.

A few days before Christmas, I had cousins drop in --Tyler and Amber Johnson. They came to visit his uncle too, who lives down the hall.

Mary sent me the latest pic of Poppy who I always love seeing.

Mary's been kept busy substituting at Jake's school in Vancouver. She loves it too. They're in need of all the help they can get because of covid issues so the school secretary has also asked her to fill in for her. Yesterday she drove all the way up here to take her dad to Overlake Hospital in Bellevue so he could visit his wife, Penny, who has been there for a while now. Apparently, they're trying to find a bed for her in some place that can give 24/7 care.  Whoever thought our world would get so complicated in the area of health care. And it only gets worse day by day.

Next Friday I'm heading up to Jenni's in Port Angeles to take her to lunch for her birthday. How can my baby be 48?  I'm going to take my quilts along so I can run them in her large washer on the delicate cycle. Would cost me $1.75 to wash them here and our machines are smaller and I'm not sure they even have a delicate setting.  I'm also getting the oil changed in my car and will stop at the Dollar Store to stock up on things I usually buy there.

Only other picture I have is one of my step-sister, Shannon Timbers, who lives in Yelm with her son, Seth, his wife Patti and grandson Owen.

Okay. I've caught you up now.  Time to get to the sewing machine.  I should go back and proof read this first but I'm too lazy so sorry for any typos.  Can you believe I've typed 1788 words?!  I'm quite the chatty cathy today.