A VERY BUSY AUGUST

August started with a bang. My mother in law Frances celebrated her 80Th birthday with a surprise birthday party.
There were about 50 guests attending. She was totally surprised, we told her we were planning a little something. She was expecting some family, she had no idea everyone would be there, except Bob and Marion her son and daughter in law from Austin, TX. She mentioned a few friends from church she would like to be there.
There were a lot from Church. She also had a childhood friend there and her husband from Tehachapi, Ca. She's known her since she was 10 yrs old. Also a wonderful family friend and her daughter came from Snohomish, WA., just for the party they had to turn around and go right back home. Dan and Julie were so excited to know they were coming, these were friends they grew up with, when the Flemings lived in Seattle. Frances was in shock when she saw them. The look on her face was worth everything.
I was hoping she would get at least 80 cards. I sent out emails to everyone saying to please send a card even if they couldn't attend. Well, we got close she received 68 cards.
That's the way the month started. It was a wonderful start to a very busy month.

WHERE HAS JULY GONE?

Wow!! This month has flown by.
I have been so involved planning my mother in law's surprise birthday party that I haven't even thought of my blog. As a matter of fact I just went in and got caught up on all OF MY FELLOW BLOGGER FRIENDS BLOGS.
Well, I mentioned Frances' birthday she will be 80 on Aug. 1st.
That's a lot of years. I looked up some stats for 1929.
The daily newspaper .02 Lamb chop .39 a pnd Gallon of milk .25 Scott toilet paper .10 a roll
An oak and porcelain lined refrigerator $32.50-$85.00 each
Amos 'n' Andy debuted on network radio. The first Academy Awards were held.
Black Tuesday on Oct. 29Th saw 16 million shares traded at losses. By Dec. 1st the New York Stock Exchange value had dropped by over 26 billion dollars and the Great Depression had begun.
Here are a few inventions since 1929.
Early sunglasses served a special purpose and it wasn't to block the rays of the sun. For centuries, Chinese judges had routinely worn smoke-colored quartz lenses to conceal their eye expressions in court. It wasn't until the 20Th century that modern-type sunglasses came to be. In 1929, Sam Foster, founder of the Foster Grant company sold the first pair of Foster Grant sunglasses on the Boardwalk in Atlantic City, NJ. By 1930, sunglasses were all the rage.
Scotch Tape 1929 Richter Scale 1935 Prozac 1972 Contraceptive, oral 1951
She's seen alot in her 80 years.
It makes me think about all I've seen such I was born. Some good some not so good. But, it has all contributed to the world today. I wonder what other types of inventions will come in the next few years. You can go and buy a new computer, and it's already outdated.
According to a new research published in "New Journal of Physics", there will soon be a new technological revolution in the field of screen displays. Researchers from Sony together with Max Planck Institute for the first time presented flexible optically assessed organic light emitting displays that work on red or IR-A light up conversion (UC).
Soon it will be possible to buy computers that can be folded and stored in a pocket. People will also have the opportunity to use newspaper display technology, which will allow uploading daily news to a handy display device.
Isn't that incredible. I mean you can already access the internet on your cell phone.
OK back to the party planning. I'm excited to do this for her. She's a wonderful lady. A great MIL. One of the things I'm doing for her as a gift, is making her a new address book. I borrowed hers so I could photocopy it. My next project as soon as I finish this blog. I'm typing labels of all the addresses she has in her book, instead of writing them. I will write in phone numbers.
She's had this address book since 2005 and MY OH MY what a mess. Her handwriting has gotten progressively worse since then too. But, there are so many changes she's had to make with people moving. I wish I had thought to do it sooner.
Well, I will wrap up here. I need to get back to party planning. I really love doing this. Once a girlfriend and I talked about going into business together and calling it PARTIES 'R' US. But, we both had young families at the time. We had to keep our regular 8-5 jobs.
Until the next time. Hopefully it will be soon.

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY

July 4th. Our country's Independence day. Independence from Great Britain.

On this day we celebrate by having picnics, bbq's, swimming, baseball, parades, carnivals, fairs, flying our flag, singing patriotic songs, and ending up with a firework display.

When I think about this day I remember how blessed we are to have the freedom to celebrate this way. Or not celebrate at all.

I have a lot of great memories of this holiday. My wish for you as you read this you will think back on fond memories of your celebrations.

One summer we went to Minn. to see some relatives. It was my first time to experience lightning bugs(fireflies) I think I was around 11 yrs old. We went swimming at a lake in the afternoon. Then that night everyone spread out their blankets and we laid on our backs and watched the fireworks. It was a great childhood memory.

Since I lived in San Diego all my childhood. We had a few different places we would go. Sometimes we would go to the Mission Beach jetty and spend the day picnicking and fishing. Then at night we would watch the fireworks from Sea World.

Other times we would go to the beach and spend the day there and again watch the activities from Sea World. We also have gone to the Del Mar Fair spent the day and stayed for fireworks. Sometimes we just went in the evenings and parked along the road to watch. We would spread a blanket out by the car. That was back before 4 lane highways.

One thing all these have in common we always had sparklers no matter where we watched from. Living near Tijuana it was always easy to get them. They weren't sold in booths like Or. and No. Ca. they were banned in San Diego and Tijuana use to be a safe place to go.

I've always been nervous about fireworks even sparklers, as a kid I heard about a little girls hair catching fire and kids fingers and hands being blown off by firecrackers. I took note of this and was very cautious with my brothers and sister, and cousins.

Everyone was always safe we never had any bad accidents. I'm sure it had something to do with my watchful eye.

The year that was really memorable to me was the Bicentennial 1976. Everyone celebrated the whole year. I can't tell you where we actually were that day. Dan and I were newlyweds we'd been married 8 months. So that whole year was full of fireworks for us. TMI I know. My best friend was due to have her baby any day. I believe we were probably with their family having a cook out or something. In those days you didn't find out the sex of the baby, until it was born. But, knowing it was a bicentennial year her dad started calling her Sam you know for Uncle Sam. All year long we referred to her as Sam. Her baby was born July 10. Our bicentennial baby. Wasn't a Sam but Kristie Michelle Crow. One beautiful baby. Ashbie was a Jr. Bridesmaid in her wedding a year and a half ago.

My kids always enjoyed firework displays. I can't remember them ever being fearful. We saw them at the Del Mar Fair, Disneyland, and of course Sea World.

When the grand kids came along. Not so happy. They all seem to be pretty sensitive to loud noises. Each year we thought they'd grow out of it. One year they were down at the port with the Bower family. This time they had ear plugs. Helped a little.

We went to Disneyland in Sept. 2006 for the twins 4th birthday. Well Disneyland has the BEST fireworks display ever. We were at the far end of the park when the show started, oh man 3 screaming crying kids with their hands over their ears like they were in pain. We were trying to make our way to the exit gates, the kids were in strollers luckily. Well when the show starts a lot of people are already on the street curbs watching like a parade. They have streets taped off. When we finally got to Main street people were coming out of the shops, and in some areas were 6 deep. Made it quite difficult to get strollers and my scooter through, all the while the kids are screaming. I must admit it was loud, they do the show along with music. But, the kids screaming was louder I do believe. Not only was it loud. It just terrified them I felt sorry for them.

I think they were OK last year. I do have a few pictures of them at the Port in Brookings.

Well, I hope you had some good memories of your 4th of July.

Remember today why we have our freedom. Freedom isn't free. Our Military throughout the years have fought and died so that we could live free.

Notice the ear plugs, no tears

Summer

Well Dani and the kids were just here for a visit. I feel truly blessed to have them only 6 hours away from us. I felt even more blessed when they were 5 min. away. But, there are so many who have kids and grand kids across the country. Or in my friends case across the ocean.
The internet has certainly made seperation anxiety a bit easier. With email, Facebook,My Space. With the web cams and SKYPE now you can actually see your loved ones while you're talking to them.
I think how wonderful that is with our military so far from home. So different from when I grew up. Men would leave for 6 mo. to a year maybe longer. The way they communicated was U.S. mail, today we call it snail mail. It seemed like forever to get a letter. Those were cherished and read over and over. Occasionally there may be a phone call home. Boy the times have changed.
We've used SKYPE a few times and it's great to see them, but you can't see how much they've grown. So I'm always amazed when I see them at how tall they've gotten. Also to have a conversation with them. Ashbie was telling me something and I was really listening and thinking about her logic in putting her thoughts and views on the subject into our conversation. I thought wow she's almost 7 and really has a great vocabulary and can carry on a very intelligent conversation. Granted we weren't talking about world news, well some of the people who should know how to talk about that, don't make any sense.
When Ashton arrived that Sat. afternoon, he was looking a little long in the tooth. He had a front top tooth that was holding to a few roots, it was loose but not ready to pull, but yet it wasn't crooked and hanging. It was very straight and longer than his other teeth, rather amusing.
He was here about 4 days when it came out. I love to see kids with missing teeth. So cute.
Mercy she is quite proficient at computer games. She even told me she loves to come to my house because I have a computer. Dani said she started talking about playing grammies computer 3 days before they left. They each like to play and so we make them take turns.
Her mom asked her if she wanted to bring her bike with her when they came down. The twins were bringing theirs. She said no. I can pretty much see her brain thinking, if they're outside riding bikes, I can play longer on the computer. There is a game on Facebook her and I played together for awhile, now she has the hang of it on her own. It's called Pet Society. Well she wanted to play so I set it up for her. She played for about 15 min. Then went outside. Well they left the next day. So I went on there to do the daily coin collecting. Let's just say the 1,000 coins I did have were down to 25. I started laughing, first of all the character Witt I think he's a dog, had on a smart looking tuxedo that he didn't have before. When I opened the trunk I found wall paper for the kitchen which I really liked and put up right away. There was also plenty for Witt to eat donuts, chocolate milk, banana,seeds for the garden, a fancy drink with an umbrella, and soda pop. It was just funny. I got a big kick out of her shopping habits.
It was nice that the week they were here our Church was doing Vacation Bible School. They were all 3 very excited to go. When they came home each night they were talking about how much fun they had. Mercy was happy because 2 of the songs they already knew. Friday they went to Crescent City to see Sterlings parents, Maggie said she would bring them back for VBS that night. They opted to stay and visit with their grandparents longer which was very nice and made them happy.
We had a great visit. The end of July we'll be going to Portland to visit them.

THIS N THAT

Well it's Saturday, Dan had a plan to do yard work today but, we woke up to rain. It's stopped now, it just got the grass to wet to mow. So he's watching old Columbo movies.
I've been on the computer balancing the checkbook, paying bills, reading blogs, played a few games on FACEBOOK. Now blogging. All morning I've been listening to praise music on Pandora, I love it.
We have a memorial service to attend this afternoon.
Next Saturday I'm assuming won't be quiet, the grand kids will be here. YIPPEE. They will be here for a week, and it just so happens to be our VBS week. Of course they wanted to know if grammie would be working at Chadder's Theater. It's one of the stations they visit during the night. That's always where I have helped out. Dani had to tell them no. Grammie gets to tired. Also my voice doesn't project like it use to. But, the last 2 years I haven't been helping in front of the scene. I've been a behind the scene helper, which is hard for me to accept. This year I'm making reminder phone calls. Also helping to prepare food for the workers meal before VBS starts each night. We feed the workers and there families. So they don't have to rush home after work and fix dinner. Oh I forgot we seem to have the best VBS's in the evening. We are able to get more volunteers, and more kids attend. I believe our VBS's have always been spectacular. Alot of work and prayer go into them.
I had to quit working in Childrens Church about 4 yrs ago. Much to my disappointment. It was a hard pill to swallow, I have always loved working with the kids. But, I had to put my health first, it just became to difficult with my bad back, and dealing with all the little germies kids pass along.
God helped me through this transition. I still get the materials ready and get them to the childrens church workers.
I've now gotten into being on the Newsletter team. Each month we put a newsletter together for the congregation. I write articles do research. I leave the actual formatting and all the technical stuff to Susie and NiCole. We have a great time together.
I am also on the Women's Ministry committee. Injoy. We work pretty hard putting together monthly activities for the ladies. Unfortunately, I don't know why, but we always have a very low attendance. Does anyone else find this in their Church. Is it an Oregon thing? In Ca. we had a lot of women attend. Our congregation ran in the 100's. Back in the early 90's here in Brookings we got a great turn out too. The most we've had was 15, I think, for a Christmas Ornament exchange. In a congregation in the 280's to 300's. If everyone together came to one event we'd have around 20. That's a low average. Anyway the one's who come always have fun. I know it sounds like I'm hung up on numbers. It's not that so much as we as women need each other, That's why we do these monthly get togethers and we have done all sorts of things. We don't do Bible Studies those are available. We just really want to find a way to connect with the women. That's our whole purpose of INJOY. We advertise and it's from 18 -108 yrs. We would love to get younger ones involved too. When we do greetings at Church there are so many women I don't know. We've done personal invites, which works the best, I have gotten to know a few great women who have attended because of the personal invite. I didn't mean to get going on this. Sorry. If you have any ideas in connecting with women please let me know. Here are a few pictures from last night. We did a segment from GIRLFRIENDS UNLIMITED. We had it at our Pastor and his wife Marylynn's house. We prepared a meal together and ate together, we also answered a question each of us had at our seat. Regarding food, food memories and God memories. We had a great time.

THE BEGINNING OF SUMMER

The pictures from my Memorial Day post were from previous years. This year we spent Memorial weekend in Portland with the family.

Dan got an extra day off so the three day weekend became 4 days. It was really nice because we had no agenda, except for Dan and Sterling to take Angi to look for a new car. They convinced her a single lady needs a convertible not an SUV. She test drove a convertible and completely agrees with them now. No purchase has been made yet, but I have a feeling it won't be long.

Dan and I arrived early Sat. afternoon. We were pleasantly surprised that our friends the Hanson's were in Portland too and would be joining us for a BBQ that evening.

I have to tell you it is sure nice to see my daughters doing the entertaining and cooking. I'm glad they both have the hospitality gift like their mom. I have recently passed down my 18 qt. NESSCO roaster oven to Dani. Angi wanted to know why she didn't get it, I told her because you haven't given me another son in law or more grand kids yet. Anyone know any nice single guys?

We enjoyed our dinner and company that night. After the Hanson's left. I suggested playing the WII. I had never seen how they worked. I tried my hand at a few rounds of bowling. Pretty much like my real bowling. A wicked curve ball. It is nice not to have to hold a real ball. I wouldn't be able to really bowl anymore. I use to be on a couple of bowling leagues. Back in my younger days.

Anyway then the grand kids had to SHOW me HOW to DO IT. They're so cute. Then they had to go to bed. Dani and Angi played a few games of tennis,that was hilarious and they did some cooking, it just looked like a lot of shaking and jumping going on. I was trying to stay awake.

Dan and I went to Angi's we usually sleep at her apartment.

The next morning was Sun. we went to Church together at Portland First. After Church we went to Hometown Buffet. It has kind of become a tradition I guess the kids love it, because they are allowed to pick whatever they want. They are good eaters so no problem with them not taking a variety. (I remember Dani at a Church potluck she was about Mercy's age 4-5 I checked her plate she had 5 different types of bread and rolls she was a carb addict way back then.) Mercy thought she would even try breaded shrimp this time. She liked it. Along with her mac n cheese and ham (which she calls steak). Then came the good stuff her dessert which mom and dad allow on these special Sundays. She picked carrot cake topped with chocolate ice cream. Yep chocolate. YUMMY.

After our Naz naps. We went to the (OC)Oregon City Nazarene Church. A previous Pastor we had in Brookings for 10 years is the Pastor there, it's about a 30 min drive on Sun. to get there. We enjoyed seeing him and his family and some friends of ours that attend there. After the service we all went together to a McDonald's that still has a playground indoors it was nice the kids played while we visited. Good times.

Monday was a lazy day. We got over to Dani's about 11 a.m. the kids played outside on the Slip N Slide and on the trampoline. The guys went car hunting with Angi.

That night Dani fixed a feast, we had her famous Coconut Thai Chicken a recipe she got from a friend, thanks Bethany. SIDE NOTE: If you want the recipe look at the websites on the right side for the love of grub.

She also had made home made pita bread. We had that later in the evening with hummus, while we played Canasta.

The next morning was Tues. back to work for Angi. Dan and I packed up. We went back to Dani's to say bye. Then we headed back to Brookings. Dan timed it so we would be in Eugene about lunch time. We stopped at The Roadhouse Grill yummy.

It was a great weekend.

MEMORIAL WEEKEND

ENJOYING THE PARADE
ASHTON WAITING FOR THE CANDY

Well school is almost out. It's the end of May. That means it's Memorial Day weekend. Or in Brookings, Or. it's our Azalea Festival. You know how every town has it's special thing they celebrate? Pears, cranberries,roses etc. Well here it's Azaleas there's a big parade. Well OK if you live in Pasadena or NY not so big.

But, we love it. If you go to one of those parades in Pasadena or NY you have to get there hours or even the day before to get a good seat. Not in Brookings,OR. maybe 30 min. before and you can still get a great seat on the curb.

Not only the parade but there's a street fair. We have all the vendors selling their wares, pony rides, giant slide,bounce house, train ride. There's even a beer garden, I never have understood why they put those 2 words together beer and garden. Basically it's an outside bar with some fake bushes and a gate around it to keep the kids out, for those adults who can't go a few hours without a beer.

But, then there's the food, the good grease dripping food. Why does it always taste so good. Anything deep fried is good. Corn dogs, mounds o fries, and of course my daughters favorite Funnel Cakes,(correction they said they're called elephant ears) those are deep fried pastries sprinkled with powdered sugar. Enough to make our arteries close just thinking about them.

Well this year we will miss the festivities in town. We are heading north to the big city of Portland. We'll be there visiting with our daughters, son in law and grand kids. My daughter Dani assured me we would have a BBQ, because what's an American holiday with out a BBQ.

But, let's not forget the reason we have this holiday called Memorial Day. Another thing that happens in our little town and in towns all over the US are celebrations to honor our fallen men and women in uniform, who have died for our country so that we could be free. So on this Memorial Day won't you take a moment to say a prayer thanking these heroes for what they have done to keep us a free nation.

KIDS IN CHURCH

In our Church, the kids stay with their parents until after worship. When Pastor gets up to preach he dismisses them to Jr. Church. It's amazing to see how quickly they disperse.
I love to watch the kids in our congregation especially during worship. This is the time where they learn how to behave in big Church. Sitting still (well sort of). Keeping quiet (well sort of). Parents try their best sometimes kids are kids. Let's face it Church should be a fun place to be, where the Bible is preached,where you learn to respect and revere God, where kids and adults want to come back. Not a stern don't talk, cough, move or laugh place. I remember when my aunt came to Church with us in Escondido, Ca. she was nervous because there were crying babies(the mom was trying to take the baby out but sometimes it takes a minute). The Pastor cracked a joke she wasn't sure if she should laugh. She had been brought up in a denomination where none of that was allowed, and the Priest certainly didn't crack a joke. So as an adult she quit going to Church altogether. After her nervousness wore off and she saw it was OK to have fun in Church and still learn from the Bible and have such a wonderful worship time that she got saved, it was awesome.

I'm glad we have a Church that loves kids and doesn't get all upset if a baby cries. Or insists that older kids go to Jr. Church even if they'd rather sit with their parents.
Well last Sunday my 3 grand kids were here visiting for Mother's Day. My 6 year old granddaughter Ashbie was standing next to me. She's in the first grade. She knows a lot of the songs we sing, because her parents have them going at home and listen to Christian radio in the car. Well, I don't remember what the song was but I heard her singing the verse not just the chorus. I thought I'm surprised she knows this song. I looked at her and realized she was reading the words off the screen. I was so excited. A whole new world has opened up to her. I know she's been reading books from the library. But, to see she can now enjoy worship even more, it just touched me. I smiled and thanked God. Now my grandson Ashton her twin is a drummer. Usually after service they'll let him play the drums. God has given this boy a special gift. I can't wait for this summer when he can start taking lessons.

This takes me to yesterday. I was sitting next to a young lady who was sure to tell me next week is her birthday. I believe she will be turning 6 or 7. Her mommy does the signing for our Church so sometimes the kids sit next to me, even though her Grandma was in the same pew at the other end. That's OK with me they give lots of hugs and I love hugs. We sang a few songs, she was sitting quietly writing on a paper. Then all of a sudden I hear from a very loud voice, "Lord of heaven and earth you are holy" repeat, verse(quiet) chorus very strong voice again. I loved it, I looked at her and just smiled she was full of joy and so was I. A few songs later quiet again. Then all of a sudden strong voice once again, "Hosanna Hosanna you are the God who saves us."
Once again I smiled and I'm absolutely sure God was smiling.

MY MOTHERS DAY

I had a wonderful Mothers Day weekend. Yes, the whole weekend was great.
Dani,Angi,Sterling and my 3 wonderful grand kids came to visit , and I can't forget Jade, Angi's dog. They arrived Fri. around 2:30. I was taking a nap. I can't tell you how great it feels to hear those words shouted G R A M M I E and then to get piled on by 3 great kids. With hugs and kisses.
A bit later Dani and Angi went to the store and brought back food. They proceeded to make Pork chops and rice. The recipe for this is in my friend Bethany's blog, you'll find it listed on the right side of my blog under GOOD GRUB. Check it out great recipes there.
Dinner was delicious.
The next morning we got ready for my candle party Dani was giving for me. Sterling took the kids to Crescent City to have Mothers Day lunch with his family, his grandma wasn't going to join us on Sun. for lunch. So it was nice that they could all get together. Sterling hasn't been here since Dec. so it was great he could get away and get to see his family.
I found a great kids Internet/search engine set up and designed as a safe place for kids to go and play games, do research on everything, watch videos everything you can do on the Internet without running into filth. It's called www.kidzui.com Once I showed them that, I pretty much lost my computer until they went to bed or the park. They took turns with some prompting. But, they had a blast.
Saturday late afternoon/ night the Snowdens went to visit Jody and Paul Slosser. Angi went shopping. Dan and I relaxed.
Sunday morning Angi brought me breakfast to my chair. Very nice. We went to Church. After church we went home for about 1 1/2 hrs until it was time to go to dinner at Whaleshead. While we were home Dani and I opened our gifts. I made out like a bandit. Thank you girls. I love being your mom. Sterling's parents came during this time. So we visited with them a few minutes. Then we headed to dinner. There were 12 of us, we met Julie and memaw there.We had very good food, except Angi. hehe. Angi gave me her old camera(it's not really old but she thought she had lost it so she bought a new one, then she found it) Do you think I remembered to take it with me? No. I have to get in the habit of remembering I have my own camera now. After we ate we all went back to our home, we gave memaw her gifts. We visited for awhile Everyone went home and I took a rest.
It was so funny, I asked Mercy if she could show us Me, Dani, Angi, Ashbie and Ashton how grammie walks. She didn't want to but Ashton did. So he leans over(like I do when I'm tired all hunched over) puts one hand on his hip walk to the doorway and shouts in a gruff voice DAAAAAAANNN get over here and give me a kiss. We about died laughing.
Monday morning Angi took memaw and Julie to breakfast. Dani packed up when Angi got back they left. I had a wonderful time.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY

To all the moms out there. I want to extend a happy moms day to you.

Being a mom to me has been the greatest part of my life.

I remember ALL the stages of babies lives. Just when you think you have an area figured out, that quickly changes after a few days or they start going through something else. The fun and stress never ends. Kids are such a blessing. They make you laugh, they make you think, they make you wonder, they make you mad, frustrated,sad, happy. They are all gifts of God. They are truly blessings.

So I hope your kids do something wonderful for you today. I hope they make you smile.

Remember being a mom is the hardest non paid position in the world. Well not monetary payment anyway. We get our payments in other ways. Hugs, kisses ....

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY

POLIO MEMORIES BY A 4 YR OLD

It takes a few days for me to post at times. I'll type some one day and depending on how tired my hand is (yes, hand I type with 1 finger) or the arthritis in my typing finger. Sometimes I save till later on or the next day.

I have some pictures I will post as soon as I find them. You see my problem is every time I start going through pictures I get sidetracked. If you're my FACEBOOK friend then you know I've posted a bunch of pictures there lately. I call them Oldies but Goodies. One of my sidetracked moments. I will post them because I have some with my braces on. I also have one of me on a float in a parade I was the San Diego Easter Seals Poster Child. You might find those interesting.



Well to continue where I left off.

While I was in the hospital I have very few memories. I know I didn't have a lot of visitors. When someone in the family finally did come to visit, the Hospital Administrator bawled her out for not being there sooner. I was told this. My family was a mess at the time. Apparently my brother and I were in a foster home waiting to be adopted by the family, when I got sick. You will learn more of this when I blog about the brothers I have found. I'll tell you we were not adopted out but came close like 5 of my brothers were. Three of my brothers and I have found one another.
There was a girl in the room with me. Her parents came and had a little birthday party for her. I do remember crying because I had no visitors.
That's all the memories I have until I'm 6 and starting first grade. I missed Kindergarten because of the hospitalization and recovery.
I was so excited to go to school. I was going to attend a school for handicapped children. It was called Sunshine School. It was a regular elementary school. But, all the kids had some sort of physical disability. The disabilities ranged from children with no limbs. see note from Salem Press.

The widespread use of thalidomide, a drug that was prescribed to pregnant women in the 1950's as a sleep aid and as relief from morning sickness, led to birth disorders among thousands of children around the globe.

There were kids with Cerebral Palsy, deaf, blind, and many with Polio. Now the ones with Polio were in different stages. From wheel chair bound with full leg braces hooked up at the waist. To kids on crutches with full leg braces to me a brace on my right leg because that leg is shorter. I also had braces on each hand. The early ones went to my elbows eventually they were just on my wrists. I also had one like a corset. To hold my stomach muscles in and train them. It never worked. I remember wearing this next brace because I absolutely hated it. I became a brat when I had to put it on. But, I don't think I ever wore to school, just after school and weekends and summer I think. A body brace that went around my waist with metal bars up my chest and back to help me stand up straight, then it was attached to a neck brace to hold my head straight so it didn't drop forward. The whole thing was to help me have good posture and to retrain those muscles to work properly. The thing with the neck brace was I couldn't turn my head . So needless to say when I fell it was like a tree. My arms are not strong enough to catch my fall. So when I fall it's straight and hard. It's a miracle I have never had a broken nose or any broken bones.
So anyway this school was really awesome. There were a lot of aids in the school to help some of the kids that needed it. But, most of these kids were very independent. I was very blessed to have the mobility I had. I was never in a wheel chair. My leg brace was the first to go. I only needed it for a few years.
We played kick ball the kids who couldn't kick the ball would throw it or had a friend kick for them then they would wheel themselves to the base, if they weren't able to, an aide would push them.
My best friend was Linda she had Polio too. She was in a wheel chair she had thigh high braces that she could lock at the knees so she could stand or walk on crutches which she did every day as part of her therapy. But, when she was in her wheelchair there was no one who could go as fast as her. When we were in the 4Th grade they were letting students go to the elementary school next to us to integrate with the "normal" kids. Linda and I got to go over for afternoons 2 days a week. We went for lunch, recess, and band. I played the Xylophone she played the flute. She had no problems with her hands. I had no problems with my legs. We were a great team.

I got picked up from school 3 days a week by the Red Cross to go to Children's Hospital for PT and OT. When therapy was over they drove me home. By the way these people always smoked, I have always hated cigarette smoke. Pretty much my whole family smoked. You just put up with it in those days. Anyway coming home from therapy one day I saw the neighbor kids outside playing I was embarrassed for them to see me in this car with a great big red cross painted on the car. So when I got out, they said," hey what are you doing in that car?" I said, "oh I volunteer at the hospital." They believed me, never asked again. ha ha God has forgiven me for my lies.
I remember a day in Nov. we were at our school on the playground. We heard the teachers calling everyone inside. As we went inside I noticed the adults were all upset, some of them were even crying. When we were all inside. The Principal came over the loud speaker and told us President Kennedy had been killed. I remember being nervous, because we had always practiced duck and cover in those days. Our neighbor had a bomb shelter. We had an emergency plan, all of this was due to the Cubans and the fear of being bombed. So I didn't know if that's why he was killed, it was a big worry to a child.

My school years were very happy ones. I loved my school, my friends and my teachers. I had my first crush on a boy. I was a happy child. I had the childhood illnesses with my brother. Mumps, measles, chicken pox. My brother and I got our tonsils taken out at the same time in the same hospital room.
I attended Sunshine School through half of my 6Th grade year. It was decided that I needed to go to a regular school so I could get use to kids without disabilities. Basically the real world. Getting ready for Jr. High and High School.

POLIO THE EARLY YEARS

I hope I didn't bore you with all those facts in previous post.
Like I sad previously, I was 4 when I contracted Polio. Sometime in 1957.
I remember some things from that time period. I remember sitting on a couch and just falling to the side, I had a fever. I was taken to the hospital. Mercy Hospital in San Diego, Ca. then I was taken by ambulance to Children's Hospital. I don't know the time frame. I was paralyzed all over. The only thing I could move were my eyes. I stayed at Children's Hospital in San Diego for 6 months. It became my home away from home for years after with various surgeries and lots of Physical(PT) and Occupational Therapy(OT).
There are a few memories I have of my time there.
One of the therapies they administered to help loosen my muscles was placing hot wet wool cloths on my limbs. I remember the nurses taking these out of the container with tongs and then placing them on my body. I also remember screaming. To this day I can't stand the smell of wet wool. It took me awhile to figure out why and one day the association hit me. Growing up in San Diego my step dad was in the Navy he would always bring home these woolen blankets, we called them Navy blankets, maybe that's what was supplied on the ships I'm not sure. Just remembering those getting wet will cause me to gag.
This was part of the Sister Kenny treatment. This was a highly controversial treatment. Here's some excerpts from her book. And They Shall Walk
Sister Kenny Hot Packs for Polio Treatment
Countless polio survivors benefited from the Kenny treatment. Alan Alda (Polio, 1943) credits the Kenny treatment as well as his mother Joan for his total recovery. While Mia Farrow (Polio, 1954) defined her daily hot pack treatments in one word, "loathsome."
Elizabeth Kenny was a young Australian bush nurse when she saw her first patient who had the symptoms of a disease that was unknown to her. The advise from her mentor and friend, Dr. Aeneas McDonnell, via telegram was: Infantile paralysis. No known treatment. Do the best you can with the symptoms presenting themselves. She tried various ways to relieve the pain and relax the tightened muscles. Kenny says: "At last I tore a blanket made from soft Australian wool into suitable strips and wrung them out of boiling water. These I wrapped gently about the poor, tortured muscles. The whimpering of the child ceased almost immediately, and after a few more applications her eyes closed slowly and she fell asleep." Later, when the little 2 year old girl awoke, she called out for more "rags." [And They Shall Walk, p. 24] I don't know about that little girl. I don't remember falling asleep and I'm quite sure I didn't cry out for more.
Another book about her and her treatments called A Paralyzing Fear by Nina Seavey says
We owe much gratitude to Elizabeth Kenny for her ability and willingness to re-evaluate the old methods of polio treatment. The use of splints and casts to immobilize polio paralyzed limbs gave way to physical therapy and water therapies, as well as the Kenny method of polio treatment which she shared with us all. Well I had a mixture of both. I had water therapy and physical therapy. But, I also wore several braces.
If you're interested there is an old movie about her life I just happened to see that it was on TV one night. I think it was on TCM. It's called Sister Kenny.
I guess I should tell you I don't know how long I was actually paralyzed. One thing I remember during that time was crying. I could feel the tears on my face but I couldn't move my arms to wipe my eyes. Isn't it strange what a 4 yr old remembers.
Another treatment I remember wasn't painful just uncomfortable. By this time I was able to move. My legs have always been the strongest part of my body. But, I had weak heel cords. Which means I couldn't put my foot flat on the floor. If it wasn't fixed I would be walking around on tip toes. So what they did at night was scoot me to the foot board of the bed and tie my feet flat against a board. So my toes were straight up. Well this meant I had to sleep on my back all night. Well one night I was bound and determined to sleep on my stomach. So I wiggled and wiggled I don't know for how long but, I finally broke a safety pin that was holding the ties on one of my feet. I got that one off and was able to at least lay on my side. Probably the best night nights sleep I had in a long time. Well, I paid for it in the morning. The nurses were not happy with me.
That's enough for today.

POLIO INFORMATION

I was 4 years old when I contracted Polio. So that was in 1957 sometime. One of the first questions people ask me is didn't you get the vaccine? What I've been told is I had 1 of the series. I was also late in getting the one, due to fears and repercussions from the vaccine itself. Much like what you hear today, regarding vaccines and Autism.


There are some things I remember. Some things I've been told I will let you know what I remember and what I've been told.


First I'll tell you a little about the disease.

1FROM: mama'shealth.com 2FROM:The Acorn Online

POLIO also called poliomyelitis is a highly contagious infectious disease caused by one of three related viruses. Polio is a very serious disease, which can lead to paralysis or even death. Once a person is exposed to polio, it usually takes about three to five days for symptoms to appear.
In about 95 percent of polio cases, infection from the polio virus causes no symptoms or serious effects.

2 There are three types of polio: non-paralytic, spinal paralytic and bulbar—the latter two being the most severe. Spinal paralytic polio can lead to leg paralysis. Bulbar polio could result in a victim’s spending the rest of his life in an iron lung.

I had the Spinal Paralytic polio

1 Spinal Paralytic Polio:

Paralytic polio is the most serious type of polio. Paralytic polio causes paralysis. In paralytic polio, the polio virus invades the central nervous system -- the spinal cord and the brain -- and may cause weakness, paralysis, serious breathing problems or death. Paralytic polio begins like milder forms of polio, however, it usually causes severe muscle pain in addition to other symptoms. Paralysis usually happens within the first week. The individual may lose the ability to use of one or both legs, arms, and may not be able to breathe without the help of a machine. Recovery varies from person to person, but people who are paralyzed by polio will have some weakness in an arm or leg for the rest of their lives.

What causes Polio? Polio is caused by a virus that lives in the throat and intestinal tract.

How Is Polio Spread? Polio can be spread by a number of ways. People who have not been immunized against polio or have a weakened immune system may contract polio from individuals who are receiving the oral polio vaccine. In developing nations, the polio virus is spread by eating food or drinking water contaminated by the polio virus. The polio virus may also be contracted through direct contact with infected stool or throat secretions. People are most infectious a few days before and after the onset of symptoms.

Post Polio Syndrome is a 'second' disability affecting a large number of polio survivors.

I'm dealing Post Polio Syndrome now. I will go into this much later.

I have given you so much information. I think I will quit here and start POLIO THE EARLY YEARS tomorrow.
I HOPE I HAVEN'T BORED YOU TO TEARS.

THE HUMMINGBIRD STORIES

It's funny how you see something and it causes you to remember something and want to blog about it. That just happened to me. A friend (Jami ) had some pictures of her dad (Cary Sutter) nursing a hummingbird he found in his garage. Apparently it couldn't fly due to the overnight cold and lack of food. Cary fed it sugar water with a dropper. He nursed it back to health. It was able to fly away.

As I said I thought of hummingbird stories we have in our family.

Dan has kept our feeders full of the nectar that attracts hummingbirds. We've got a few in front of our living room window. Ever since the twins were babies if we saw the hummingbirds eating we would point them out to the kids. So as they got older they would get so excited to see them. They are fascinating creatures, I must say, I enjoy sitting and watching them too. One afternoon I saw them playing with each other. There were 4 or 5 of them buzzing around they would hit the feeder then another would come in and almost tag one , then that one would fly off a little bit then go in and tag the next one. It was quite entertaining.

Well, a few weeks ago Ashbie took Angi's dog Jade out front on the leash to go potty. When she was done Ashbie came in and said that scared me. We said, What? She said," I was standing there by the bush waiting for Jade, I heard a buzz and thought it was a bee, when I looked up there was a hummingbird right by my head." We laughed and said aren't you glad it wasn't a bee. She agreed.

TO MY FELLOW BLOGGERS

Now that I sort of have the hang of this blogging, and rather enjoy it. I saw a picture today that made me think of an event that happened with the grandkids, and I thought I should blog that.
Which will be the next blog you see.
But, a thought struck me. Does anyone really read this? Obviously if I see a comment which rarely has happened, then I know someone has actually taken the time to not only read it but left a comment. I get so excited my heart does a little happy dance, my hands shake(alright that is normal) I get a little knot in my stomach. Then I do it I click on comment. It makes me feel so good, it matters to someone that what I wrote wasn't a waste of time. They really are glad and have left a nice message. I hope I don't sound egotistical. But, this is an activity I can do. It's not athletic. Doesn't require a big IQ. There's even spell check.
I want my fellow bloggers to know. I read your blogs everyday you post a new one. There are 6 that I follow. I have them on my Dashboard. Feel free to put me on your Dashboard. Sometimes I leave messages sometimes not. But, just know I do read your blog.
Now I didn't write this to make anyone feel bad about not commenting, maybe nothing to comment about. People are busy. Maybe you take the stance ; If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all. Hey that's great. I'm not really looking for what someone says as much as, did anyone read this. Maybe instead of comment it should have a counter of how many people have read it. It makes me think of an all night radio DJ. The live ones not the ones on a loop. How do they know anyone is awake and listening at 2:35 a.m.?
Thank you for reading this far. If you feel I went on and on. Leave me a comment and tell me. I honestly think I've used the word comment to much. For those of you who have left wonderful comments for me and you know who you are. Thanks so much. Another day another blog.
PS: IF YOU HAVE TROUBLE COMMENTING YOU CAN DO IT ANONOMOUSLY, THEN IT WILL WORK.

EARTH DAY(a few days late)

I remember the very first Earth day 39 years ago. Which would have been 1970. I graduated in 71(yes, I know I'm old). I was a junior in high school. I remember sitting in the home room class. The teacher saying that today is earth day. I remember thinking what the heck?

Back then it mainly consisted of no littering, the beginning of recycling. I also remember the talk of the black hole and the ozone layer. Pollution was the major cause of this.

Now personally I'm not into all this global warming stuff. I think there is a cycle the earth goes through, I know God made the earth , I'm sure He knew there would be dummies living on it and messing up with pollution and such.

Now, I think we have things we should do to save ourselves money, and if it helps with other things great.

One thing is for sure the less we throw out in land fills that won't turn into dust is not good. So recycling is for the best. We recycle aluminum cans, tin cans, glass, plastic, cardboard and newspaper. some families recycle much more. We also have a trash compactor which is wonderful.

We always try to keep the light off and control the thermostat. That saves energy, but, it also saves us money. I'm all for saving money. Don't waste water. OK? Why do I see sprinkler systems going on the highway on ramps, and at city buildings etc. when it's pouring down rain? I can't quite figure that one out.

Going green? In 1981 we lived in San Diego county in Lemon Grove. It got quite warm there. We had forced air conditioning. When I was hot I used it. I never thought of how big my carbon footprint was, actually I had never heard of it. Even now that I've heard of it, I'm not sure I really understand it. We had a black bottom swimming pool at this home, the black bottom was suppose to keep it warmer and save the heater from heating it. We so enjoyed that home with the pool. The girls were little then. That's actually the home Angi came home to when she was born. Dani learned how to swim in that pool. I learned that I really couldn't catch Dani when Dan let her go at the top of the slide. She came down so fast I grabbed her and only got her foot, but it all worked out. she was never afraid of the water, she just wouldn't trust me to catch her anymore.

We heard about tax rebates if you had solar powered panels installed. So we did on our roof for the house and the pool. One big problem we had after that, the first rain we had the roof leaked everywhere. So they came out and fixed what they thought was the problem. Well, it didn't rain again for awhile hard enough to test the repairs. Remember So. Ca. When it did, some spots still leaked. It took quite a few visits to get it completely fixed. We did enjoy our tax benefits for doing this. I see the government has the same type of incentives going now. I don't suppose living in Brookings, Or. we need solar heating.

It is interesting to see in 39 years how far things have come. Some of it is quite useful and makes sense. Some of it is in my opinion quite laughable.

The drawing above says underneath http://www.organizeddoodles.blogspot.com

this is by my Pastor he does caricatures that are great. Check out his blog to see his work.

VISITING DAUGHTER AND GRANDKIDS

Well Dani, Ashbie,Ashton and Mercy came to visit this week. Dani needs to come to Brookings once a month for now, to do her candle parties. She sells Partylite candles by doing home shows. She had a great business going in town. Since they moved to Portland this past summer she hasn't been able to get her business off the ground. Since she has had such a difficult time getting a job outside of the house, she decided to continue on this road. She was telling me of some ideas she has to get a push going in the Portland area. I hope she is successful in this, because I believe if a mom can work from home and be there for her kids that is the best option.



I always enjoy their visits, the kids seem to grow so much. They definitely enjoy coming to visit.

Things we must continue to do while they're here. Get the hot tub ready. Have at least one BBQ. It was mentioned this time but papa wasn't quite prepared for it but, have a wienie roast and marshmallow roast over the firepit. We had no firewood so we bbq'd the wienies and had fun trying to roast marshmallows over the gas bbq.



Until we get a bed in our guest room they sleep on a double blow up mattress. Since 2 will fit comfortably and a 3rd would cause a war. We have them take turns each night one of them get to sleep in grammie and papas room on the floor at the foot of the bed. They start in the bed and get moved to the floor when we are ready to crash. They love this arrangement. Grammie usually lets them ALL start out in the bed and we all watch a dvd together.



We also share the computer. They love the games on Nickjr.com. Mercy can pretty much work this site by herself once you get it set up for her. She'll watch the short videos, sing the songs play the games. Ashton pretty much sticks to the Backyardigans car race game. Ashbie she's all over the place with various games. She is also grammies problem solver if her brother or sister get stuck. They also have started playing Pet Society on FACEBOOK and a few other games they saw me play when I got a turn.



Well they left today, and now the house is incredibly quiet. Gidget my puppy has gone from room to room looking for them. Then she went and took a much needed nap. Playing with 3 kids is exhausting. I say AMEN to that. But, it is also the most rewarding.

BORING LIFE??

I've realized my life now is a bit on the boring side. I didn't know that until I started a blog.
My friends who have blogs, write daily or at least weekly about the important things going on in their lives.
One of my friends is a Missionary in the Phillipines. Her and Josh have a wonderful ministry going on there. They also have 3 kids, their life is never boring.
Her father, another of my friends, just went to the Phillipines to visit them. I belive he hadn't seen them in 2 yrs.This is the first time he has seen his grandson. His life is not boring.
His other daughter another friend lives in Portland. She has 3 kids a husband, home schools, active in her Church. She has 3 that's right 3 blogs. She also is a blessing to other women helping them save money with coupon shopping, cooking, freezing. Dani has benifited greatly from her wise council. She certainly doesn't have a boring life.

Because I no longer work. I need to use my scooter when I leave the house. So I don't really go anywhere unless Dan is here to haul it in and out of the van.
Also in the winter weather I don't go out much at all. The cold and dampness goes right to the bone and takes forever to warm up again.

When the grandkids lived here I'm sure I would have had a lot to say. Well some might think you're boring if you talk about your grandkids.

Please NO sympathy. I'm just saying this to convince myself, that my blog is my blog. I can do and say what I want. I've had an interesting life. Maybe I'll let you know about some of my travels.
Or what it was like growing up with Polio. Or about my brothers who were put up for adoption and 3 of us found each other. I also have a book that I've been keeping of funny things my grand kids have said.

There's a little tease of my NOT so boring life.

Gidget's Week

Tues. March 3rd 2009 was Gidget's appointment to be spayed. We also had her implanted with a microchip. she also got her rabies shot. She spent the day at the hospital. When she came home she was awake and alert. we were told to make sure she didn't chew or lick her stitches. I didn't want her jumping off the bed, so we made her a bed on the floor in the bedroom, she has a bed in the living room already. Well she had the stance like she wanted to jump on the bed. So I put her up there. Later that night before I could get to her she flew off the bed. didn't seem to hurt her at all. Anyway she wanted to start playing 2 days later, I played gently with her. By the 5th day you wouldn't know she had stitches or had surgery.
Well, Sat. we took her to the Woof store to get her a new harness, she outgrew her other one. how do you outgrow something when you only weigh 4.6 pnds? well she only weighed 2.5 when we got her. Anyway got the harness. We went across the road to the Grocery Outlet. While Dan was getting my scooter out or probably when I got out she got out without us knowing it. We were in the store a few minutes and we heard on the P.A.. We have a little chihuahua that was found running loose in the parking lot. Dan said I thought I heard her barking when we went in the store. But, he thought no it couldn't be her. Little stinker she had quite the week.

I'm still trying to get the hang of this so bare with me. This was a trip that I had dreamed of since the twins were born. I wanted to take a family trip to San Diego and Disneyland. We had to coordinate everyones vacations and oh yes I left out a small detail. hehe. I wanted us all to travel in an RV.Yes, that's right 8 of us 5 adults and 3 kiddos. So in 2005, we had a family meeting. I explained to everyone how important this was to me and I felt if we were going to do it we should make it soon. Once the kids start school it would be hard to get everyones schedule together. I also wanted to make sure we could ALL get along in tight quarters. We all agreed we would do our best to get along, and they thought it would be fun. (I think they went along with it because they wanted to make me happy)We decided to be at Disneyland on Ashbie and Ashtons 4th birthday.So began my enjoyment of planning every detail of the trip.I contacted my cousin in San Diego and told her we were planning to be there, and would love to see everyone. She suggested a reunion at her house they had a lovely huge place with a pool, nice patio etc. Great. We set a date. We planned to be gone 2 weeks.I won't bore you with all the details, but I found a website with private parties that rented out RV's. We thought about driving one from Or. but found it to be less expensive to fly to L.A. I found an RV to rent in the L.A. area, so I got us a campground very near Disneyland. We got our RV and it was nice. Let me tell you it's not easy to find one with 8 seat belts where you can have 3 car seats fit. So we did Disneyland for 3 days. The memories there are wonderful. Then drove to see my father in law. Then headed for Mission Beach a campground on the bay in San Diego. We had so much fun camping there with the kids, there was a pool there, they loved that. We went to the San Diego Zoo and Sea World. Went to the family reunion, Hadn't seen alot of them for over 20 yrs. That was fun getting reaquainted and seeing new family.For the most part we got along fine. Papa had a difficult time now and then when it came to seeing the grandkids get disciplined, he had to take a few walks away from the situation. But, all in all it was fun. I am so thankful that everyone allowed this grammie to have so many wonderful memories. Thanks, Dan for the funding, the driving, the love and the memories. Thanks, Dani and Sterling for the wonderful grand kids, for your patience, all of your help, your love. I know it's not easy dragging 3 kids 3 car seats and luggage through an airport. Thanks Angi for all of your help,for riding up front with dad. no one else can keep him calm like you can. Thanks for your humor, there's nothing like a good laugh. Thanks Ashton, Ashbie and Mercy for all the laughs all the fun and all the memories. Thanks for the internet what a way to research and plan a trip. Thanks God for keeping us safe, and being with us on this wonderful family vacation that I will forever cherish.