Saturday night, June 23rd, 2007

Greetings again, no one has e-mailed me since my last blog, so maybe this isn't being read by anyone. Oh well, its a good way to spout off my feelings, good or bad, and I try and leave the bad out. I do have some, but who wants to hear about them anyway.

I have a new friend named Daryl, he walks in the park across the street from my house, usually several times a day, and when he walks he goes around 4 times which is 3 miles, a nice walk, I'd say. Has been doing it for 8 months he said. He likes baseball, so maybe I'll try and go to a Beavers game with him overtown some night. I have two free Beaver tickets sitting here waiting to be used.

I usually say hello to folks who I see in the park, some acknowledge the nice day, and some look straight ahead, as like, "don't bother me", so I don't beyound my first greeting. A week ago I sort of baby sit Karl & Ryan while Dad and Mom were looking at a sectional daveno, was very interesting. At one time, Ryan and I were playing a card game, but he always wanted the turn, so I told him it was my turn, he didn't like it, threw a fit, and I told him the game was over, till he could learn to play by the rules. I hope it will be something he remembers later on in life, you have to play by the rules.

I've been busy as usual, have my back porch nearly done, except one of the electrical boxes I put in doesn't have juice, so I'll have to go back and see what went wrong. I was using #12 wire, which is very hard to bend and put around the screw posts. Maybe a connection came loose or something, will check it Monday.

Have also been very busy on my bathroom project at Sue's, they left for a couple of days, so I quick pulled the toilet so I have some room to work in it. Have the paint on the new wallboard, so think Monday I can start painting the ceiling and walls, then comes the woodwork. Have decided to put down some Hardiboard on the floors, as the old ones are in terrible shape.

Have a screen door to cut down for the back door, and a newer door for use on the garage, but the door frames need to be replaced, and I think I have that in hand now too, just need time and energy to do it. See lots of other things I would like to do, like put wall cabinet in their laundry room and install a solid core door for the laundry room to fold towels and clothing on.

Today, got up early, and went over to church to help on fix up day, I was edgeing the sidewalk but my belt got stretched to much on the edger and the blade would keep stopping, so before I used the edger again, will replace the belt. I have it here, but just didn't think it needed it so badly yet. Took some scrap metal to the recycler, and that was a mistake. Everyone comes to the scrap yard on Saturday morning. Never again.

Well, I've picked some nice juicy red raspberries next door, have walked around the block, talked with two nice neighbors, and have watered some lawn. So, think its time to go read a book. I'm on my 51st book since Thanksgiving. Not too bad for someone who falls asleep so easily when reading.

Oh Yes, Oregon State University baseball team beat N. Carolina 11-4 today in the College World Series of baseball. One more win and they will be National Champs two years in a row. We'll see what tomorrow brings. My only problem, is my sis is coming in from Denver and needs a ride to Corvallis, so I may have to listen on the radio for part of the game. If they win, she will be right in the middle of festivities as the team comes home to Corvallis. What fun, huh?

Cheerio

Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Wow, last post was June 7th, and so much has happened since then. Actually I tried to post the other day, had to stop temporarily to eat breakfast, lunch or dinner, and thought I could just save in the draft mode, and come back, but could never find the draft, so didn't post anything.
My life seems to move from one thing to another, quickly. For example I don't have anything planned for today, but I know I will be busy, just because
1. the lawn needs mowing, both front and back
2. I have a plug in that needs to have 3 wires attached to it, so I can have electrical on back porch
3. I'd like to get my neighbors security light working
4. There are some red raspberries that need picking.
5. There are some gooseberries that need picking.
6. There are weeds waiting to be pulled in the flower beds
7. There is a bathroom remodel that needs worked on 8 miles away (more on that later)
8. There is some windows that need to be salvaged, I hope
9. I need to eat breakfast
10. A baseball game this afternoon that I'd like to watch from start to finish
11. A choir practice tonight that will no doubt interupp #10
12. I'd like to see a friend Mike in a care center and cheer him up
13. I'd like to edge my sidewalk, and also the sidewalks over at church
14. I need to put a new blade on my edger before I can do 13 and 14 above.

That doesn't cover it all, there's paint to be picked up at Div Hdwe, a crack on the back porch that needs to be sanded and lightly painted (how do you paint lightly????)

Enuf, enuf you say, yep thats what retirement is all about, more to do than you have energy or time to take care of.

One last thought, who in all this world of ours is reading this? Know my son in law checks in from time to time. I'd like to hear from you if you are reading this. My email is howardonna@aol.com so do me a favor an reply, please use gpahoward in the subject line, so I'll know its a friend responding. Till later, and then I'll give you some important grandfather news...


Cherrio

Thursday, June 7th, 2007

Who did it? Who has been taking my strawberries?

This is a picture of my wild strawberry plant we brought back from Leavenworth, Washington a year ago, when we were celebrating our 50th wedding anniversary. (Yes, we have been married that long)

Well, over the past couple of weeks those blossoms have turned into strawberries, and as they turned red, would stay that way maybe a couple of days, and then would disappear. This has happened too many times to be just a coincidence.

Because they are by my back gate, I thought some passerby walker spotted them and helped themselves, which is okay, but not too ethical. We wonder if its a squirrel or maybe raccoon. There is never any partial one left, no stem, no nothing. So, good readers give me your answers as to where they have gone to. Use my e-mail address www.howardonna@aol.com, and put Wild Strawberry in the subject line, so I'll know to open the email. I don't open those I do not know the address for.

Am busy on projects, rebuilt the stone pathway from our back yard to Laura's, using the same kind of paver stones as we put next to the back porch, beneath the kitchen nook. Looks pretty classie, I'd say and I think we both will like it more as time goes by. Think I need to put up a motion light so when she comes over after dark, the light will come on, would go nicely on the end of her garage, would also be handy when she comes home with her bike after dark, so she could see to put it away.

Today was about finishing the pathway and pulling weeds from our front yards. Took 10 gallons of the worthless things and put them in my yard debris can. Am sure there are more lurking just beneath the surface ready to pop back up, and I'll be ready when they appear.

Had a fun time last night over at church, a group of 4 guitarists were getting together to get a song ready for a Sunday service, and they invited my harmonica guys to join them. Two of us blow hards were there to help. Think we have one song, ready to go soon, maybe you know it or have been to the place where it is about, "The Little Brown church in the vale", located near Nashua, Iowa. We remember, for in 1976 we were headed up to see it after visiting the folks on the farm, and we had a flat tire on the tent trailer we were towing. Wish you could see that old trailer. It all folded up, and was like a circus tent when opened, not too good when it was raining for we got soaked more than once in it.

Maybe I have a picture of it somewhere I can put on here, but it won't be tonight. And, as I look at the computer clock, it tells me its time to close and go watch the 10 o'clock news. Can't miss the gloom and doom, now can I. So, I say "cherrio" (ever wonder why I use that, ask me?)

Monday, June 4th, 2007

Well, as you can see, I've been in the berry patch again, only this time, its not Blackberries or Red raspberries, but from my Gooseberry bush. And, I mean I've really been in the bush, as the scratches on my arms will attest too.

This has been a very good year for the berries, I would guess that this pile, which weighed 20 lbs, and was about 4 gallons would make couple dozen pies, if I was so inclined to make them. However, I think I'll only make one pie, and maybe then keep it to several tarts. Will freeze most of the good ones, and use them later on. I knew a year ago, that something would get into them, and they would have spots on their sides which made me throw them out.

Well, the man at the garden shop told me what to buy, but I didn't do it, and so this year, over half of what you see above, are in a bucket being smashed into what I'll call Gooseberry cider. We don't drink wine, so it won't be wine, but cider. Told my good friend Russell that I hoped to see him later on this fall, and for sure next year, but if the drink is too strong, I may not survive to see him.

And, speaking of Russell, he is one of my dearest friends, a retired Luthern minister living in Wisconsin, he is out here for his grandson John's high school graduation. I worked with his daughter Kathy for over 6 years, and he would come and visit, BUT during his visit last year, we invited him to our house, and we spent some wonderful times playing the harmonica's together. When he was a lad, he wanted to play a musical instrument in the school band, but it being the depression years, his dad informed him they didn't have money for such foolishness.

Russ had a paper route however and did earn some money so he bought himself a harmonica so he could make music, and has been playing it ever since. I have made tape accompaniment tapes of some songs that I play to, for him and love to share with him. He has so much spiritual insights that we can sit by the hour and share. Well, his time was very short with the high school graduation etc, but Saturday morning we did get together for a couple hours of playing our harmonicas. He had a list of hymns that he wanted us to play together. After playing through with both playing the melody, the second time through I would play harmony and I think we made beautiful music.

I do love to play the instrument. Can't help but think that David would have had such a musical instrument to play when he was tending the sheep before he was annointed King by Samuel. The bible says he played a harp, and I don't invision a large harp with 64 strings across it, but a mouth harp, more like a recorder that he played on. He would have been a very good harmonica player, I'm sure.

Last night, I was watch Classic Arts Showcase on T-V, and a piano player was playing Joplins song "The Entertainer", and it was in the key of C, so I grabbed my mouth harp, and played along with him. What fun.

Besides the gooseberry picking, my week has been full. Think I've already mentioned cleaning off the back porch, and now I've wiped down the walls, and this week will scrub them down to get 26 years of dust and accumulation off, then I'll start on the floors and get the crack against the house foundation sealed off. Seems its a good place for ants to live. Have already changed the lattice work at the end of the porch, and in one corner. Put in a new corner post, so we can lean on it, without falling into the yard, or pulling it loose as we could before. Also decided that another post had to go, and what fun to sit out there in the early morning, read my bible and read the paper with a cup of hot coffee to start my day.

I also find it nice in the evening to sit there and play the harmonica, must have been there two hours last night playing anything that came into my head, and sadly there are some songs that just won't play right in the key of "C", so think I'll need to keep another harmonica in another key handy.

Well, this is long enough for now, so will say cherrio for the present

gpa howard