Tuesday, April 21, 2009
I know, its been 4 1/2 months since I last put on a post. I figured no one is reading this, so more or less stopped, and then Saturday evening a dear friends said she reads all my posts, so I figured I better get busy again.
Lets start with today!.. After mowing my front yard and my neighbor's front yard and blowing off the sidewalk, figured it was time to go to Walgreen's and pick up a prescription. Saw a cute toddler's shirt there, I'll call it the poop scale, and it said "only 74% full". cute, reminded me of grandaughter Grace. She will be 3 before July 1st gets here, so time to get her potty trained. She has been wearing training pants without hardly any foul ups. We had her last wednesday and she did real good. Well the other day, she had to poop, and she apparently remembered that it was much easier when she had a diaper on, than having to sit on the potty.
She was busy taking off her training pants, and trying to put on a diaper when mommy found her, who wisely says, "no, no, your going to sit on the toilet" Grace probably remembers that you can go right on playing with poopy diapers, but you got to sit still on a toilet seat.
She continues to be a delight. Last wednesday, I was picking up some new glasses and she went with Donna and I. While waiting for the elevator to take us down, the up elevator stopped and the door came open. Grace started in, and Donna said "no Grace, not this one", she looks at the people on the elevator, back up and says "scuse me". They got a kick out of that.
Another day we were on a walk around the block and decided to come up the alley. Someone has thrown out a old tire, and it sits up against the fence. She pointed to it and said wheel, and I tried to correct her and said, "no its a tire", and she says ' its a wheel, goes round and round" She sort of blew me away on that one.
Donna and Sue are out celebrating their forthcoming birthdays, they go off somewhere for one or two days, and talk and talk and talk. Yesterday and today are their days, which I hartily approve of. I figured it would be a good time to take in a grandson baseball game, so called Chris to see if Ryan had a game, which he did. I had to leave after about the 3rd inning, was starting to get dark, and it takes a long time to go through a inning where most all the kids get walked till 5 runs comes in. His team however, was good at hitting the ball. Not sure who won, told Chris the game was too stressful, which it is for me.
The umpire was on his first game, and couldn't keep track of balls or strikes or outs, and also did not know how to take control of the game. Sad, know the kids have to learn sometime, but he should have learned those things while he himself was playing. Maybe he never played before.
For two days, I've been tracking a little "Mason Bee", which has the coloring of a bumble bee but is much smaller, and larger than a regular honey bee. It may be the bee that saves many fruit crops this year and in the future, as they don't seem to be succetible (hope thats the right spelling) to problems that regular bees have. Anyway, a year ago, I made a Mason Bee home, which is a piece of wood, with 5/16 inch holes drilled into it, about 2 inches deep. The bee collects honey and other things, and goes into the hole, packs the nectar in, lays a egg, packs more nectar around it, then lays another egg, etc till the hole or tube is filled. Then they pack mud on the end to protect the eggs inside from predators.
I sat in Laura's back yard (the bee home is on the outside of her East living wall, as this was sort of her idea to begin with. I would time them when they went into the hole, took about a minute, then keep time of how long before she returned, which was from 4 to 5 minutes. Doesn't see possible for that bee to be able to turn around in there, but they do. Kept track again this morning for a hour or so.
Sunday was our church's missions sunday, we had a couple from the CDA Indian reservation from Couer 'd Alene, Idaho, a lady who has been to Malawi, Africa where we have workers, and a couple from Long Beach, Washington who is starting a house church for the Friends. Also Dan Cammack who is a missionary kid, and who served on the mission field for around 15 years. I love hearing what the Lord is doing on the various fields.
Saturday night, we had a pizza get together for the couple from CDA, and our people who for two years in a row, have gone to the reservation and help build a playground for the Indian kids. Was fun to see the love that flowed back and forth.
Thursday is Donna's birthday. She has requested a drive up the Washington side of the Columbia and then back the Oregon side, with a stop at the Sizzler steak house in SE Portland. I think I can handle that. She's worth more to me than any amount of gold, so why not give her the gift she wants. Her other request for a gift is a new set of windshield wiper blades. We just recently put a new set on, and it was so much improved, she said, buy another set and put them in the trunk so when these go bad, we will have them. Sounds easy enuf.
A wonderful letter arrived today for me from a pen pal in Camas, Washington. We haven't heard from each other for nearly a year, and she tells me, she reads my letter over and over, and can we be pen pals again. YES, we can. She is a real cutie. Her teacher last year was Mrs. Horn who would take my letter to her. I felt this was the best way, rather than me writing directly to Anna, but since she has given me a PO Box number, I'll reply very soon.
We are excited about a forthcoming trip which I mentioned a few blogs back. Will fly to London, then drive to Scotland and tour a castle that my ancestors owned back in the 1600's, then some more touring of England and a fly to Struttgard to try and find my Grandfathers home, where he left in 1874. Will try and visit the harmonica factory, see Michael and Delynn in Basil, Switzerland, visit a dear lady in Geneva, see some of Italy, and then look up friends near Ulm, Germany, where nearby is the ancestoral home of Donna's grandparents. Will be gone 21 days, and I'll try and take enough pictures to post a few when I get back.
We have most unusual weather this year, a cold January, late snow in March, and yesterday had a 83 degree day, which almost broke the record. Today is around 80, and tomorrow we drop back to the 50's and rain. But we have had no earthquakes, floods or tornado's, so I am not complaining. I take whatever God gives me, and try to make the best of it.
Think maybe I should get this published. Do me a favor, drop me a email and let me know you are reading this. My address is Howardonna@aol.com . Shouldn't cost you anything but a little time. Put in the subject line, "Mason Bee blog" thanks.
So till next time, cherrio
Howard
I know, its been 4 1/2 months since I last put on a post. I figured no one is reading this, so more or less stopped, and then Saturday evening a dear friends said she reads all my posts, so I figured I better get busy again.
Lets start with today!.. After mowing my front yard and my neighbor's front yard and blowing off the sidewalk, figured it was time to go to Walgreen's and pick up a prescription. Saw a cute toddler's shirt there, I'll call it the poop scale, and it said "only 74% full". cute, reminded me of grandaughter Grace. She will be 3 before July 1st gets here, so time to get her potty trained. She has been wearing training pants without hardly any foul ups. We had her last wednesday and she did real good. Well the other day, she had to poop, and she apparently remembered that it was much easier when she had a diaper on, than having to sit on the potty.
She was busy taking off her training pants, and trying to put on a diaper when mommy found her, who wisely says, "no, no, your going to sit on the toilet" Grace probably remembers that you can go right on playing with poopy diapers, but you got to sit still on a toilet seat.
She continues to be a delight. Last wednesday, I was picking up some new glasses and she went with Donna and I. While waiting for the elevator to take us down, the up elevator stopped and the door came open. Grace started in, and Donna said "no Grace, not this one", she looks at the people on the elevator, back up and says "scuse me". They got a kick out of that.
Another day we were on a walk around the block and decided to come up the alley. Someone has thrown out a old tire, and it sits up against the fence. She pointed to it and said wheel, and I tried to correct her and said, "no its a tire", and she says ' its a wheel, goes round and round" She sort of blew me away on that one.
Donna and Sue are out celebrating their forthcoming birthdays, they go off somewhere for one or two days, and talk and talk and talk. Yesterday and today are their days, which I hartily approve of. I figured it would be a good time to take in a grandson baseball game, so called Chris to see if Ryan had a game, which he did. I had to leave after about the 3rd inning, was starting to get dark, and it takes a long time to go through a inning where most all the kids get walked till 5 runs comes in. His team however, was good at hitting the ball. Not sure who won, told Chris the game was too stressful, which it is for me.
The umpire was on his first game, and couldn't keep track of balls or strikes or outs, and also did not know how to take control of the game. Sad, know the kids have to learn sometime, but he should have learned those things while he himself was playing. Maybe he never played before.
For two days, I've been tracking a little "Mason Bee", which has the coloring of a bumble bee but is much smaller, and larger than a regular honey bee. It may be the bee that saves many fruit crops this year and in the future, as they don't seem to be succetible (hope thats the right spelling) to problems that regular bees have. Anyway, a year ago, I made a Mason Bee home, which is a piece of wood, with 5/16 inch holes drilled into it, about 2 inches deep. The bee collects honey and other things, and goes into the hole, packs the nectar in, lays a egg, packs more nectar around it, then lays another egg, etc till the hole or tube is filled. Then they pack mud on the end to protect the eggs inside from predators.
I sat in Laura's back yard (the bee home is on the outside of her East living wall, as this was sort of her idea to begin with. I would time them when they went into the hole, took about a minute, then keep time of how long before she returned, which was from 4 to 5 minutes. Doesn't see possible for that bee to be able to turn around in there, but they do. Kept track again this morning for a hour or so.
Sunday was our church's missions sunday, we had a couple from the CDA Indian reservation from Couer 'd Alene, Idaho, a lady who has been to Malawi, Africa where we have workers, and a couple from Long Beach, Washington who is starting a house church for the Friends. Also Dan Cammack who is a missionary kid, and who served on the mission field for around 15 years. I love hearing what the Lord is doing on the various fields.
Saturday night, we had a pizza get together for the couple from CDA, and our people who for two years in a row, have gone to the reservation and help build a playground for the Indian kids. Was fun to see the love that flowed back and forth.
Thursday is Donna's birthday. She has requested a drive up the Washington side of the Columbia and then back the Oregon side, with a stop at the Sizzler steak house in SE Portland. I think I can handle that. She's worth more to me than any amount of gold, so why not give her the gift she wants. Her other request for a gift is a new set of windshield wiper blades. We just recently put a new set on, and it was so much improved, she said, buy another set and put them in the trunk so when these go bad, we will have them. Sounds easy enuf.
A wonderful letter arrived today for me from a pen pal in Camas, Washington. We haven't heard from each other for nearly a year, and she tells me, she reads my letter over and over, and can we be pen pals again. YES, we can. She is a real cutie. Her teacher last year was Mrs. Horn who would take my letter to her. I felt this was the best way, rather than me writing directly to Anna, but since she has given me a PO Box number, I'll reply very soon.
We are excited about a forthcoming trip which I mentioned a few blogs back. Will fly to London, then drive to Scotland and tour a castle that my ancestors owned back in the 1600's, then some more touring of England and a fly to Struttgard to try and find my Grandfathers home, where he left in 1874. Will try and visit the harmonica factory, see Michael and Delynn in Basil, Switzerland, visit a dear lady in Geneva, see some of Italy, and then look up friends near Ulm, Germany, where nearby is the ancestoral home of Donna's grandparents. Will be gone 21 days, and I'll try and take enough pictures to post a few when I get back.
We have most unusual weather this year, a cold January, late snow in March, and yesterday had a 83 degree day, which almost broke the record. Today is around 80, and tomorrow we drop back to the 50's and rain. But we have had no earthquakes, floods or tornado's, so I am not complaining. I take whatever God gives me, and try to make the best of it.
Think maybe I should get this published. Do me a favor, drop me a email and let me know you are reading this. My address is Howardonna@aol.com . Shouldn't cost you anything but a little time. Put in the subject line, "Mason Bee blog" thanks.
So till next time, cherrio
Howard
posted by GRANDPAHOWARD at 3:24 PM
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