Books

A few days ago I was "tagged" by another blogger to give my responses to the following list:

1. One book that changed my life
2. A book you've read more than once
3. One book you would want on a desert Island
4. One book that made you laugh
5. One book that made you cry
6. One book you wish had been written
7. One book you wish had never been written
8. One book you are currently reading
9. One book you've been meaning to read

Sorry to disappoint anyone who might have been waiting to read my responses to that list, but I really don't have any interest in answering that line of questions. Yesterday I finally decided that I might at least give it a try, but as I started to think through it (and actually started to do some writing on it), I quickly realized that my first thought (of not doing it) was where it would remain. I love to read, and do read a lot, and have read countless good books over the years, but I don't retain much memory of what I thought about each book, or what the titles were that impressed me in any particular way. Plus, rarely do I have only one answer to those kinds of questions, even if I could actually remember any that I would want to comment on. So, I have chosen to decline the "tag".

However, in that same vein of thought, yesterday I did one of my favorite things to do . . . I spent a very long time browsing through books at the local Christian bookstore, and came home with four books. There are many different types of books that I enjoy reading, but the list below represents some of my most favorite type of leisurely reading:

The Zippered Heart (Healing for the Secrets We Hide Inside), by Marilyn Meberg
I'm always interested in anything she writes, and have read some of her books. This is one I've seen before (probably at one of the "WOF" conferences), and thought about buying it, but didn't. Now I'm eager to start reading it, but it will have to wait until I've finished the one that was the real reason for me to go to the bookstore yesterday.

Found (Book number three in "The Firstborn" series), by Karen Kingsbury
Karen is my favorite author of Christian inspirational fiction. I've read most of her books over the last few years. The only ones I have chosen not to read were Tuesday Morning and Beyond Tuesday Morning (a series that was based on the true story of what happened on "9-11" in 2001). I just couldn't put myself into that scene again. This "Firstborn" series is actually a series that followed up on another series (called " The Redemption Series") that I really, really enjoyed. I've been waiting a very long time (since last November) for the third book in this "Firstborn" series. In the meantime, she wrote two other novels, of which I have read one: Like Dandelion Dust, and found it very good, as usual. Last night I began reading Found, and got about half way through it. I had to force myself to put it down and go to bed!

Moments of Grace (Stories of ordinary people and an extraordinary God), by Nancy Jo Sullivan
I haven't read anything by this author before, but I love to read stories of how people's lives are touched by God in wonderful ways.

Treasures for Women Who Hope (a compilation of personal stories of well-know Christians), by Alice Gray
Alice is one of my favorites! I've been personally touched by her life (at a ladies retreat many years ago), and I have read many of her books. Most of her books are simply what this one is -- encouragement from the lives of others' personal life experiences, which is actually one of my most favorite types of reading.

Reading is definitely is one of my most addictive favorite things to do! Once I start a book, I can hardly pull myself away from it until it is finished! I go through "spells" with reading. I'll spend lots of time reading for several weeks, and then take a complete break from it when I realize what an all-consuming hold it has had on my time and attention. It's also like that when I start the project of making a quilt, which is why I don't make very many quilts (have sewn only five quilts in my lifetime--so far).

Speaking of addictive activities that I enjoy, I also enjoy working/playing at the computer, and, of course, blogging is one of my favorite things to do on the computer -- that, plus computer games such as FreeCell and Sudoku. (Yes, I am one of those nuts who got caught up in that new game craze called Sudoku.)

But, speaking of blogging, as I was, sometimes I think I'd like to take a break from blogging. Sometimes I run out of ideas or thoughts for a new post, and think, "Why don't I just give this up?" I've done that before, only to start into it again after I've had a break from it. So, if someday you realize that you haven't seen anything new here for awhile, just figure that I'm in that spot once again, that I just don't feel like continuing with it, or just can't think of anything that is really worth all the time and effort that I put into it, or maybe I've started a new quilt, or maybe I'm spending all of my time with good books to read.

Reading a good book is a very good use of my time! Maybe someday I'll work on giving my answers to that list I mentioned at the beginning of this post . . . nah! It just ain't gonna happen, so don't hold your breath waiting for it!

Big Surprise!

What an incredible surprise I had this afternoon! When my phone rang, I glanced at the caller I.D. screen, and could scarely believe my eyes!
I thought, "This can't be real...it just can't be true...how could this name be on my caller I.D.??? I was in such a state of shock I almost didn't answer the call, and I was sure it couldn't possibly be who it said it was. Finally, I picked up the handset, and said almost timidly, " h e l l o o o ? " Yup, sure enough--it really was him -- RALPH SUTERA . . . one of the Sutera Twins, of the Sutera Twins Revival Fellowship Ministry!

Talking to him this afternoon gave me such an incredible surge of joyful excitement. The Sutera Twins ministry is a very special part of my life story, so I will always have great enthusiasm and excitement when I think back on that time in my life. That was in 1972! God did amazing things in my life, and in the life of my husband, and in our lives as a family, as a result of being involved with that ministry experience many years ago. Maybe someday I'll write the story.

Getting a phone call from Ralph today, all these years later, is such a wonderful highlight for me! We had a really nice phone visit this afternoon--almost like talking to a long-lost special relative! Plus, he put me in touch with a lady from one of my old churches back in Michigan -- a lady I have fond memories of and great respect for, who is their ministry secretary. I have sent an email off to her, and I have no doubt she will probably fall off her chair when she gets it.

I still can't believe he called me today! The last time I experienced this kind of "high" was when I found myself standing beside Tommy Smothers, in a small circle of people at one of my husband's business conferences. I had no clue who I was standing next to until my husband began introducing me to everyone who was already standing in the little group, talking, before I joined them. He began the introductions with the person to our left, and worked his way around the circle, naming each person. When he got to the person who was standing right next to me on the right side, he said, in the same casual manner, and this is Tommy Smothers. (He had already told me that Tommy Smothers was to be the featured entertainment at the conference, and would be on-stage after dinner one night.)

Who is Tommy Smothers, you ask? Well, if you have to ask, you are probably much younger than I am. He is a one of the well-known "Smothers Brothers" duo, who had their own TV show back in the late 1960's. They were big name stars who performed hilariously funny, musical comedy routines, plus made some "records", and continued to be popular professional entertainers for many years.

Fun With Fotos

It's amazing what you can do with photo enhancement--using computer programs designed to "fix" fotos. In the group of sunset pictures shown below, the first one is the original--taken this past Sunday night.
(It is the same picture shown in the blog post just before this post.)
Last night, just for the fun of it, to see how I could change the photo,
I enhanced it, using a program called "Picture It" (by Microsoft).

First, I clicked on "Levels Auto Fix", which automatically changed the color tone to a much bluer looking picture. Then I did some manual adjustments to the "brightness" and to the "contrast" levels, for both pictures of the two different color tones. Here's the enhancement results:



Our lives are like original pictures that sometimes need a little adjustment. When we realize that we are not happy with the way we look, or are feeling "down and out" emotionally, wouldn't it be nice if we could just click on "levels auto fix", and be quickly transformed into our best look and feel? What if there was a little gadget we could run over our bodies and click on the bad spots (i.e. face, hair, mind and heart)? Presto! Instant transformation of all that's not quite right!

Transformation of people doesn't occur that easily or quickly. The only real solution I have found is to let God make the changes that He wants to see in me. As He puts His finger on the bad spots, and says, "Jeannie, there is a problem here", it's up to me to say, "Okay, Lord, go ahead and make the necessary transformation." Sometimes that process hurts a bit, but the kind of changes He desires to make in me, will always be worth the hurt. He always knows what's best for me, and He knows the best way to do His work in me. I'm glad I can trust Him for that.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Today Larry and I are celebrating our 37th wedding anniversary.
We've seen God do a lot of change in our lives over 37 years of marriage. Things are far different today for us than when we first began this lifetime partnership. The experiences we have shared (both wonderful and difficult) have served to deepen our care for each other and to cement our love for each other. Our differences have served to provide richness and contrast, and to give us greater understanding of (and for) each other. We are enjoying the benefit of a higher quality of life as we have begun to learn the true meaning of the word "love".
Enhancement to the portrait of our marriage has been a gradual process, through trial and error--continual try & try again.

If I had it to do all over again . . . . . I wouldn't hesitate for a moment to make the same choice I made at 19 years old. Larry is the man I would still choose to spend my life with.

My anniversary message to the man I married 37 years ago:

"I knew you were special the first time we met,
and though time has brought changes, I'll never forget
all the sweet things you've done, and the "firsts" that we've shared,
all the times I've been happy just knowing you cared.

Through the years, as a husband, a partner, a friend,
you've been someone on whom I know I can depend,
someone kind who will help any way that he can,
and I'm proud to be married to that kind of man."

Love, Jeannie

Sunset After a Gorge-ous Weekend Away

We spent the weekend (three glorious days) out in the Columbia River Gorge. "Home base" was at The Dalles, Oregon (about an hour and a half away from home), but our gallavanting included both sides of the river--along the southern border area of the state of Washington, and the northern border area of the state of Oregon.

In addition to sight-seeing, we toured several museums, (including the famous Maryhill Museum), plus some very old homesteads. We also visited the Maryhill winery where we enjoyed wine-tasting and listening to a little light jazz combo under the grape arbor. Plus, we found time for swimming and relaxing around the pool at our hotel.

It was a wonderful time away, with perfect weather (warm and sunny)--just the way we like it!

"A Girl Named Jeannie Annette" - My Life Story

A new idea popped into my head during the past weekend--perhaps a crazy thought! I may be biting off way more than I want to chew, and I may come to regret starting such a project . . .

I've decided that perhaps it's time to tell my story. Perhaps you are interested--perhaps you are not. However, I have decided to make an attempt to tell it, for my own reasons, if not for anyone else's benefit. So, I have started a separate blog, just for my autobiography. I have no idea how long it will take me to complete this story, or if I will ever finish, but at least I will make an attempt to do it.

Last night I wrote the first chapter. If you are interested in reading it, click on the link: "A Girl Named Jeannie Annette". If you plan to continue reading as I continue writing, I would suggest that you save the url (website address) in your list of "Favorites". For your convenience, I have also added a link to it, in the sidebar of this blog (near the bottom).

A Great Weekend!

On Saturday afternoon Larry and I went hiking in the gorge -- the super gorgeous Columbia River Gorge that stretches for miles and miles, encompassing several hours of driving through unsurpassed, magnificent natural beauty. There are several huge waterfalls within a 30-45 minute drive of our house, so we chose that area to do a little hiking and sight-seeing--an area that we never tire of seeing. Click here to see pictures.

On Sunday afternoon we met our friends, Jim and Sara, for supper at Island Café -- one of our most favorite eating spots on the river -- totally outdoors, at the end of a dock in a marina. After that, Larry and I went to the "monster truck" show at the Clark County Fair (in Vancouver, Washington, where we used to live) . . . because I LOVE IT!

It's where we get to watch and holler as trucks run an individually-timed race through a very rough, dirt obstacle course, full of big bumps, deep ruts, and a water pit. They recklessly speed their way through the muck and mire, sometimes going airborn, sometimes getting stuck, sometimes hitting the humongous logs that outline the course, sometimes flipping over, and often getting seriously damaged--such as burning up an engine, breaking tie rods, losing a rear axle, blowing out the clutch, smashing or popping out windows, totally destroying tires...you name it--it happens! Smoke billows, dust and mud goes flying, vehicle parts come lose and flap around (or fly off), or get dragged until they drop off. Tow trucks are needed frequently, and the emergency crews (ambulance and fire truck) stand by, waiting to jump into action.

Last night's show was not a disappointment! An all-time record was set -- there were four roll-overs! YESSSS! Such excitement...such a wild and crazy adrenalin rush! Amazingly, no one gets hurt (usually). Only one vehicle caught fire last night, and all the drivers survived their mishaps. The crowd (including yours truly) yells and screams and frequently jumps to their feet, loving every minute of the crazy excitement, as we sit on the edge of our seat just waiting for the next awful thing to happen!

I don't know what gets into me, but I just cut loose and go nuts with gleefull, frenzied abandon! I guess the deeply hidden-away "red-neck" in me gets a chance to break out of her cage for one wild evening, once a year! And, now, after admitting to that less-refined side of me, I shall go play the piano--returning to the more dignified and lady-like person that people usually assume me to be. Ha!

Life's a Dance

A song has been playing in my head, ever since writing the post that I wrote earlier today (see below or click here).

"Life's a dance you learn as you go--
Sometimes you lead, sometimes you follow.
Don't worry 'bout what you don't know--
Life's a dance you learn as you go!"

I don't know how to go about putting into practice all that I wrote about it this morning. It seems like a tall order (a hard "dance" to learn), but it's something I want so much to put effort into. So, I guess I'll just have to learn as I go.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here's the song: Life's A Dance
(From the album "LIFE'S A DANCE", by John Michael Montgomery)

When I was fourteen I was falling fast
For a blue eyed girl in my homeroom class
Trying to find the courage to ask her out
Was like trying to get oil from a waterspout
What she would have said I can't say
I never did ask and she moved away
But I learned something from my blue eyed girl
Sink or swim you gotta give it a whirl

Life's a dance you learn as you go
Sometimes you lead, sometimes you follow
Don't worry about what you don't know
Life's a dance you learn as you go

The longer I live the more I believe
You do have to give if you wanna receive
There's a time to listen, a time to talk
And you might have to crawl even after you walk
Had sure things blow up in my face
Seen the longshot, win the race
Been knocked down by the slamming door
Picked myself up and came back for more

Life's a dance you learn as you go
Sometimes you lead, sometimes you follow
Don't worry about what you don't know
Life's a dance you learn as you go

First Rule of Blogging

I haven't felt much like posting anything on my blog for awhile, but while I have been refraining from it, my mind has been pondering this dilemma:

• Is blogging really a worthwhile use of my time?
  (I'm not totally convinced it is.)
  


• Is blogging sometimes used to fling out thoughts and opinions that should really be kept within one's own private space?
  (Yup, I'm totally convinced of that because of some things I've read on blogs.)



• Is it possible to speak one's mind without offending someone else? (maybe not)



• Would it be worthwhile to try?
  (Yes, I truly believe it would be worth putting effort into.)



• Why? Because I do care whether I offend others by speaking my mind. (Sometimes it's necessary to speak my mind on something that might seem abrasive or offensive to the listener, but usually that can be done, and should be done in private conversation.)

Flinging out my personal vendettas into public reading space--without first giving careful consideration to what I say and how I say it--is, I believe, inconsiderate of those who read what I write. Taking my audience into consideration is important to me. (I realize that bloggers will never know who their entire audience is, but we do know the ones we list in our blog links.) My goal is to lift up whatever is right and good (as I see it), but surely that can be done in a way that is not rude and disrespectful toward others who may disagree with my point of view. It just seems to me that, somehow, there must be a way to avoid being overtly offensive, or inconsiderate of the feelings of others.

This world is becoming more and more self-centered and inconsiderate of others. I see it and hear it all around me constantly -- "ME FIRST--regardless of what anyone else thinks or feels." What has happened to human kindness and respect for others? What has happened to exercising restraint, and caring more about the feelings of others than the right to do and say whatever one feels and thinks--with no thought given to how it will be received by others?

I've pondered this subject for a long time--both in the blogging world and in the real world -- the lack of sensitivity and consideration shown in what is sometimes said (which often prompts an equally insensitive and inconsiderate response). We tout our own right to freedom of expression, as though it doesn't matter if anyone is offended or hurt by what we say. When I was in elementary school I was taught that my freedom stops at the end of someone else's nose. In other words, I may have freedom of speech, but I do not have the right to hurt someone else by what I say. Oh, I am so guilty on this count! How often have I said something that hurt someone else, and then defended my right to my own opinion--and to say whatever I think! Freedom of speech and the right to my own opinion does not give me the right to be rude and disrespectful toward others. How I'd like to be able to take back some things I've said! How I wish that others would also realize the need to carefully rethink what they've felt free to say! Oh, what awful pain we can so carelessly cause to others!

These thoughts came into sharp focus this morning when I read the following bit of wisdom:

"First Rule of Blogging (in my world):
Don't hide behind the anonymity [of blogging] to say things that would hurt, or slander anyone. Be kind, be honest, but be respectful!"

That so clearly summed up what I've been thinking and feeling lately. It was written by another blogger as a comment on her young daughter's blog. I've just recently started reading "Super Mom" and find it really worthwhile. This morning I also read her daughter's blog, and was quite impressed! This 13-year old girl has insight way beyond her years!

As I pondered all of this stuff this morning (giving thought to writing about it), it occurred to me that when I point my finger at someone else, there are three fingers pointing back at me--because there isn't a one of us (including me) who isn't guity of being inconsiderate of someone, sometime. But, I want to make an attempt to turn a corner here, and start thinking more about how I can put into practice what I have just said. I want to be one who at least tries to make a difference in this inconsiderate, self-centered world, rather than just accepting the current trend of indifference toward what anyone else thinks or feels. Yup, change has to start with me--today.

Puppy-sitting

Well, I've gone from spending a week with my grandkids, to spending my week taking care of a neighbor's puppy. Puppy-sitting is a little like baby-sitting, except I'm only on duty every 3 hours.

Daisy is her name -- peeing is her game! Yes, she pees every time I get her out of her kennel. I guess she's so excited to see me (or to get out of her kennel), she just can't wait till she gets outside. I dont know--maybe she thinks she is supposed to pee for me as soon as she steps outside the kennel--right there on the floor, in front of her kennel.
(Won't her "parents" have a big surprise when they see what she has learned to do while in my care.)
Well, she is a little cutie -- just a soft and curly little blonde furball -- a cockapoo (part cocker spaniel, part poodle). Our day with her starts at 6:00 A.M. Actually, I should be honest here and admit that Larry has the early morning duty. I get to spent about an hour with her every 3 hours after that. Our last time on-duty is 11:00 P.M. Then she has to wait for our attention until 6:00 A.M. the next day.

This has been a good thing for me. It has convinced me that I really don't want a puppy, no matter how much I think I do. No matter how cute and sweet they are, and how much fun they are to play with -- puppies are a lot of work!

What a Week!

The week with our grandkids has come and gone--just the memories are left (plus one forgotten item--Tano's computer game, "Wakeboarding"). But, oh what a week it was!

A week ago today (last Saturday), we drove out to Wildhorse Canyon (in Central Oregon) to pick them up, after they rode a tour bus from Missoula, Montana. For us it was a 4--4-1/2 hour ride, but for them it was about 11 hours or so. Not having the heart to stick them right back into the car for another long ride back to our house, we stayed for awhile and let them play in the pool. Wildhorse Canyon is the Young Life ranch on a piece of property that encompasses 100 square miles, out in the middle of nowhere!

In addition to our two grandkids, we had one extra kid (their cousin) to bring back with us, to give him a ride home after spending a week in Montana, going to Bible camp with Nathaniel. (It was their first time to go away to camp for a week -- what fun they had!) Very shortly after getting on our way home, all three kids were sound asleep, which made for a nice quiet ride for awhile. But, then we had to wake them up half way home to stop for supper, so the quiet ride came to an end. After returning Ben to his parents in Vancouver, Washington, we arrived home about 11:30 P.M. on Saturday night.

Sunday morning we opted to let everyone sleep in, and then we had a family worship time here at home. Uncle Jim played his guitar for singing and Grandpa led a little interactive devotional time. Then we all headed out for a river-tubing adventure which took most of the rest of the day.

On Monday all of us (including Jim) went to the coast (2 hours away) to camp overnight at an ocean-side campground. On Tuesday we spent all day at the beach, playing in the water, building sand castles, flying a kite, exploring a dark cave-tunnel, climbing up the stairs in a lighthouse, and touring the Tillamook Cheese Factory (mainly for ice cream cones)!

On Wednesday I took the kids to a park in Vancouver, Washington, for a few hours of playground and water fun with family friends--Jennifer Beatty and her three boys. After lunch Jennifer took all the kids back to her house for some more playtime, and then took them to their cousins' house to spend the night.

Meanwhile, I came back home just in time to shower and change, to go help with a funeral luncheon. We had received the tragic news during our ride back from Wildhorse Canyon, that one of our close friends lost his daughter (in her mid-twenties), as the victim of a brutal murder. Larry went to the funeral and I joined him later at the luncheon.

On Thursday morning I drove back to Vancouver to pick up the kids, and then back into Portland, to spend the rest of the day at the zoo. On Friday morning we drove back out to central Oregon to meet the tour bus returning from Wildhorse Canyon, to reunite the kids with their parents for the long ride back home to Montana. I arrived back home at 5:00 P.M., and they arrived home this morning sometime after 1:30 A.M.

It was a whirlwind week, with tons of fun -- seemed like only half a week! When it was almost over, I was ready for the week to start over and slow down a bit. Already I can hardly wait for next year's week with the grandkids! Click here to see pictures of the week.
Click here to read about the wild week at Wildhorse Canyon.
Click here to view a short video of the Wildhorse Canyon experience.

BEWARE: The Crazy Animals Are Loose!

(Book 2 in the nonsensical series called "Why Is An Orange?")

"The Crazy Animals Are Loose"

A collection of Short Stories by Elliana (age 6), Tano (age 9),
Uncle Jim, Grandma Jeannie and Grandpa Larry (ages unknown)

These stories were concocted as a cooperative team effort, while riding in the car today. We took turns in choosing the next word in the stories, as well as for the titles of the stories, and for the title of the book.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Story 1 – “Giant Tadpoles Unite Against Lemonade”

Once upon a time a boy said, “Hello. My--my name is—is George”, and he showed lemonade to his giant frog’s tadpole, because the tadpole wanted to swim in a pool near frog eggs. Gently, as the feather floats up, down came a ton of frog eggs, filling tadpoles with gummy worms that were real green and slimy, just like snow.

The End
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Story 2 – “Hello Kitty Cooties Are Squirmy”

High up in Hello Kitty treehouse lived a mouse whose name didn’t make money. One day beautiful dogs said, “I’m going to warn the others that there’s two dogs and one elephant nearby the treehouse. Please don’t feed the elephant or kiss the mouse until you pay the piper with money and trees that squirm whenever you drop your shorts and toothbrush.

The End
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Story 3 – “Dentistry Is Needed For Money”

Today, I played crazily at the playground, but a bear came to eat me. Fortunately, I could run away slowly and play checkers on the bear’s head, because he had no teeth. Someday I want to apologize again to the bear’s mom for crowning his head with a black checker, and I saw the bear’s cutest, toothless smile. Tomorrow I plan to let my self eat the bear’s mom’s lasagna, because she had no teeth either.

The End
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Makes no sense, you say? Well, neither does “Why is an orange?” (or other semi-related topics), but it was lots of fun-– crazy, silly, hilarious fun, with uproarious laughter and uncontrollable giggles! Guess you had to be there. Come to think of it, guess we weren't "all there" either, but we sure had fun! Ha Ha Ha!!!

The story-writing project helped to while away the time as we drove to and from a tubing trip down the river (2 miles of fairly fast current), which included shooting the rapids (3 different sets of rapids), and sometimes free-floating down the river! Woo hoo! What a ride! (Both in the car, and down the river!)

Tomorrow we'll head over to the ocean for an overnight camp-out (right at the ocean) and a day at the beach. Who knows what other creative, juices will be flowing!

Red Skies at Night -- Jeannie's Delight!

Tonight's sky -- pictures were taken from my deck and in the back yard down below.

Even better than my delight in red skies at night,
is my delight that my two grandkids are coming for a visit!

Tomorrow the fun begins! Saturday morning we'll head out for a nice long drive (like, all day long), and half-way through the trip, a two-some will turn into a foursome! We'll be driving to central Oregon, to a place called "Wildhorse Canyon" (near Antelope, about 4 - 4-1/2 hours from here), to the Young Life ranch where our daughter and son-in-law will spend a week with their bunch of high schoolers. (They are directors of a "Young Life" group in Montana.)

We have lots of plans already set for a week of fun with our grandkids, (including an overnight camping trip at the ocean), and this grandma can hardly wait for it all to begin! We had a week with the grandkids last year also, so I'm already filled with excitement as I remember how much we enjoyed it!

So, if you don't see much new posting going on here next week, just know that I'm out and about everyday, trying to have as much fun as I can possibly fit into one week -- the one and only week of a whole year that we get our grandkids all to ourselves!

Yea! Let the fun begin!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Update on our "broken" laptop: It seems to have succombed to either dementia or alzheimers (sometimes its hard to tell the difference). It has either lost its memory or its mind--or has a mind of its own that we can't figure out! Perhaps it's just fed up with the internet and refuses to have anything further to do it! Larry plans to completely empty the hard drive and start over from scratch. If that doesn't work, we'll sign the death certificate and buy a new one.

Oh my...my philosophical mind could easily take off on this one! Sometimes, something just doesn't work right anymore and must be dumped! No matter what you try, it just can't be fixed, so you just have to throw it away! You know, like an old pair of shoes that has a hole in the sole, or they're just not comfortable any more. Well, I guess if the problem is that they just don't fit well any more, they might not need to be thrown in the trash--you could just give them away--they might be a good fit for someone else. But, who would want a broken computer--one that is continually problematic because it has lost its ability to think straight? Of course, it might be good for laughs! On the other hand, it might cause nothing but constant frustration and irritation, in which case it's probably best to get rid of it! Wow! I guess I should have written a separate post for this subject!

Welcome to "Jeannie's Salt and Pepper Shaker"! Hmmm...I feel a whole new blog idea coming on... Oh, no! Not another blog! Help! Somebody, quick, please tie my hands behind my back and drag me away from this computer!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

LATE NIGHT BREAKING NEWS -- THIS JUST IN:

The laptop computer has been completely emptied of itself, reloaded with all the essentials, and is now up and running -- alive and well again.

It has reconnected with the internet, plus the virus protection and firewall are back in place, keeping us safe from all the bad guys out there in cyberspace! (Guess we'll keep it around for awhile longer.)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Take Two!

My husband asked for a retake --

Is this better?

Well whaddya know --

He does look younger!

He's a changed man!

I wonder if he could
go to work dressed like this.

Hmmmm....

Defending My Husband's Honor

Well, it looks like it's time for a loyal and loving wife to come to the rescue of her dear husband's honor!

As a result of my last post, he was accused of being "old". Well, I suppose that's true if you consider 57 to be old. Wow! Since I'm only one year behind him in age, I wonder if I'm old too. Well, no matter -- "You're only as old as you feel", right? Believe me when I tell you, he certainly doesn't feel old, nor does he act old, and, I love the way he looks!

A comment referred to him as an old person, first, by way of appearance (his attire), in contrast with the more youthful look of my son's "knock-about" attire. Aw 'cmon now--that's the way this businessman dresses for work in the morning, and, fortunately, that's the way he looks when he returns. I mean, really! If he came home in different clothes than he went to work in, I'd be a tad concerned, or at least confused! Give the poor guy a break! That work-worn man has a nightly habit of immediately sitting down on the couch to unwind from the stress of his day in his pressure-packed job. At my encouragement, he picks up the laptop and checks his email while I finish getting dinner ready. Last night there was no benefit gained by that little moment of rest, for he was greeted by a black screen with a very strange message that indicated something was very wrong with the laptop! Not only could he not sign in to check his email, he couldn't get rid of the strange message on the black screen, nor could he reboot! For the next half hour or so, Larry and Jim brain-stormed and attempted recovery, without success. Jim finally admitted his diagnosis: "Yup, it's broken!" So, immediately following dinner (without changing his clothes first), Larry returned to the couch to spend the rest of the evening working on restoration of the laptop. (Even after undergoing an extreme make-over, it's still not back to its old self.)

Secondly, said comment also made mention of the fact that he was using an "old peoples tray with the beanie bags underneath to put the computer on". Now, this is just too funny! That clever little item was made way ahead of its time! First of all, yes, it is old -- it originally belonged to Larry's mother, who died a couple of years ago at the ripe old age of 93! (I considered putting it in a garage sale, but then I discovered what a handy little thing it is.) I wonder how many people, besides us, still have them around because they have found some great uses for them. Besides occupying space on a shelf in the closet for these last two years, we discovered that it serves well as a heat shield between one's legs and the computer (not to mention the comfort factor). Larry quite often has the laptop sitting on his legs all evening, and by bedtime he is sweating from the heat that emanates from the laptop. (I would love to hear your solutions for this problem.)

On a sidenote: When Larry and I went out for a walk late in the evening (in the dark), I offered the "old peoples tray" to our son to use, since it would be sitting idle while we were gone. Being a "young person" (not yet quite as wizened up in years of experience as we "old people" are, and perhaps still a little more vain in his desire to appear youthful--in his 30's), he agreed that it was probably a good idea, but he just didn't feel the need to use it. (Maybe by the time he is as old as we are, they will have figured out how to have a built-in heat shield in these machines--if indeed laptops still exist by then.)

Just as "beauty is in the eye of the beholder", age is only a mindset -- "You're only as old as you feel." So there ya have it: "Too soon old, and too late smart!" I'm not sure what any of those old cliches have to do with anything (I suppose mostly they sound like something an "old person" would say), but they just came to mind, and these days, when something comes to mind, I find that if I don't write it down quick, I'll forget it!

Thanks, Rebecca, for your interesting observation and funny comment!
It gave me something to post this morning!

P.S. How many of you out there in blogger land, who know us well, think our son looks just like his father? Let's hear your votes: Does he look more like his father or his mother?