Sunset Market

Sunset Market used to sit smack dab in down town Purdy, right next to the approach to the Purdy Bridge, which is just visible to the right of the store.

Dad ran the store for a few years and I occasionally helped. Sometimes it was stocking shelves or checking groceries, sometimes it was cleaning the meat saw and other times it was pumping gas for the customers. For some reason, I detested pumping gas and now I look at all of us as we stand out in the cold and rain, pumping our own. I really do long for the days when that service was provided.

Dad's mom is in the picture too and it was taken when she made the one and only trip west from her home in Bucksport, Maine to visit us. I was a junior at Peninsula High, taking home ec and for my class sewing project, she bought me the most beautiful blue taffeta fabric from which I made the most beautiful prom dress. If I remember correctly, I got a very good grade :o)

Sorry

Remember the game, SORRY !!!

Yesterday my 5 year old/young granddaughter

spent the afternoon with me. After our usual tuna sandwiches, and sherbet icecream, topped with strawberries....doesn't everyone eat it that way????... we did our usual artwork, then, when we'd had enough, I remembered the game of Sorry that has been tucked away in the hall closet for years. After gathering all the necessary parts and pieces, which aren't many, we got started.

She knows her numbers and can count past 12, so we were set, other than me trying to remember the rules as the box the game came in is long gone and the rules with them. It's amazing how things come back when you start playing.

I had vowed never to play that game ever again as my youngest and I must have played it a gazillion times when my hubby was in the hospital going through treatment for the dreaded C. It was a long 6 months, without a happy ending, but playing with Bergen, some 24 years later, it has taken on a wonderful new feeling , other than her beating the snot out of me.

Azerbaijan

Previously I had mentioned that my younger sis was applying to the Peace Corps. She is 62, retired, her children are raised and on their own, has no grandchildren, she shed her husband years ago, and now it's time for her to do what she wants. And, what she wants, is to serve in the Peace Corps.
After mountains of papers, physicals, and interviews, she received word a few days ago that she has been "invited" to serve. Finally, after 3 more days of waiting by the mailbox, she found out that she will be going to Azerbaijan this fall. First stop will be a few days in Washington DC for training, then it's off to a whole new world for 27 months.
My older sister suggested in an email yesterday that we go visit her next spring.
I replied that by bags are packed :o)

Back Surgery

Yesterday at band practice, one of our band members finally returned with his clarinet and a model of a person's spine after being away for a couple weeks thanks to the surgery he'd had on his back. He's a retired Dr. and was so thrilled with the process and results that he just had to share with us. Here is the short description he gave us. I was able to capture the moment thanks to having my handy dandy FLIP video camera right there in my music bag.

Happy Spring !!!!

St. Patrick's Day

I hope you all had a fun and blessed St. Patrick's Day. I sure did, and today will be eating salt free :o) My friend, Len, even though he's half Norwegian and half Swedish, cooks a mean corned beef and cabbage spread. Some say boil the corned beef and others say just toss it in the pot with the special seasonings and let it rip. He does the toss thing, into a crockpot, topping it with carrots, potatoes and lastly, oodles of cabbage. I can eat cabbage in any way, shape or form: raw, cooked or even rotten as sauerkraut.

I made beer bread, using Coors light, not Guinness, because that has to be the worst beer ever brewed, and because, even though my fraternal grandparents immigrated to the U.S. from Ireland, I don't like soda bread.

For desert we had warm apple pie from apples that I had cut up at the end of summer. Len's place has oodles of old apples trees and with a bumper crop, I hated to see them go to waste, so peeled and sliced them into a pie pan, added flour, sugar and cinnamon, then froze them. Once frozen, I removed each from the pie pan, wrapped tightly in plastic and froze. There are enough left in the freezer for quite a few more pies and last nights was to die for. Yes Bergen, I saved you a piece :o)

I am glad we celebrate St. Patrick's Day in this country. Everything seems to have become so politically correct. In fact I heard that some folks are trying to rename the day, Shamrock Day.

How dumb is that !!!! Don't they know that legend credits Patrick with teaching the Irish about the concept of the Trinity by showing people the 3-leaved clover, using it to highlight the Christian belief of 'three divine persons in the one God' . Maybe they'd best leave well enough alone. Happy St. Patrick's Day !!

Blessed Mother

Yesterday I was checking out a Gig Harbor Facebook site and the topic of discussion was the stonework around the statue of Mary at the entrance of our local Catholic church. I hadn't realized that one of our parishioners, Bud McDonough, had created that labor of love. Course old busy body me had to pop on my jacket and run over to the church and get a picture for those who hadn't seen it. I have walked past it many times when going to mass, but this time I really looked at it and the workmanship is outstanding. It is a real gift of love from a very talented man who is no longer with us, but will be remembered for years to come.

Happy St. Patrick's Day :o)

Old Detroit Train Station

I was reading about the city of Detroit and how the once grand city is long gone, due in large part to the demise of the american auto industry. A couple of good articles on the topic are this one , this one and this one. It is so sad to see the incredibly beautiful architecture slowly crumble from neglect. It all takes money and there just doesn't seem to be enough of that to go around any more. So sad.

March Marches

One of the marches we will be playing at our concert this Saturday is John Williams' "1941". Even though we are an orchestra, we will have lots of trumpets and trombones for the song. It's a little slow in loading here and very quiet at first, but if you're patient, you'll hear it.

A few of the others we are doing are Marche Slave, Rakoczy March, and English Folk Song Suite which has three movements. There are more, but you have to join us to find out the rest :o)

Abe's watch

Saw this story in the Seattle Times this morning and thought you'd enjoy.

I also liked this provocative observation.

Ingrid's Dress

The little birthday girl was having one heck of a time going up and down the stairs in her long birthday dress, so, granny did what any granny would do and that was solve the problem. I wadded up as much of the skirt as I could and tucked it into the ties in back. Having raised just sons, this was a whole new problem for me, but having raised sons, you learn to prepare for anything !!!!

Thomas Sowell

Windy Day

The wind created all kinds of havoc today and these two sailboats are sure to make their owners very unhappy when they see that they are no longer where they're spose to be. It's a shame the folks living along the shore weren't able to pull them over to a float and tie them up in deep water. Oh the joys of owning a boat.

Budding Artist

Ingy had a fun day at the Children's Museum in Seattle yesterday.

She will be celebrating her 2nd birthday tomorrow and all I have left to do is wrap her gifts. The toys were the hardest to decide on because they have so many, but clothing was a piece of cake. I know I went overboard, but I keep telling myself, it's good for the economy !!!!

Maine Snow

My dad's sis in law/my aunt, is standing in front of her home near Bangor, Maine a few days ago. They have had their share of tough weather this winter and are hoping the worst is over. It hasn't been a record snow, but I think it's been a record cold.

Makes me all the more happy that I live in the rainy, unexciting northwest, never extremes in summer or winter. No wonder dad stayed here when he and mom married.

Cosmic Revenge is Sweet

Stage of Fools

Peace Corps

My little sister has always had the travel bug. This picture of her was taken somewhere in south France when she and mom were off on one of their jaunts. Mom had purchased a Volkswagen in Germany, she and sis went over to pick it up, toured for 6 months, then all came home by ship.

Her first trip was at age 16 when she went with a bunch of young people to bike through europe and has been many times since, to Latvia to visit her son when he was teaching there, to Russia, and to Ireland to find our family roots.

Ths time she will be going at taxpayers expense, will have a two year committment and is still waiting to hear where she'll be sent, though she thinks it may be the Caucuses.

She is no longer a spring chicken, but feels there is something she can still do to help others. More power to her! I will be here at home in my cozy little shoebox house, enjoying my hot shower each day, making as many memories with my grandchildren as I can before I croak and looking forward to hearing about her adventures.

Ingrid Fliter

All I can say is WOW!!! Ingrid Fliter plays Chopin's Piano Concerto No. 2, Second Movement with such feeling and I count my blessings every day that we are able to see and hear incredible artists from the comfort of our home whenever the moods strikes. Again, WOW !!!