Clark Family on the Winchuck River

Planning a Carribean Princess Cruise

2011-08-04T09:04:00.000-07:00

I often look to see if I have any comments on my blogs and was pleased to see this morning that indeed some readers actually did bother to say something to me about what I have written.

I think blogs are all about putting ourselves out there in hopes to find like people or someone that you maybe even touched with something you said. I found both much to my surprise!

I am getting ready to go on my first cruise. I might just document it while I am having the experience so that I can share with readers some of the good and some of the bad in hopes it will help others with their choices in how to travel.

I am driving to Reno, NV to see a friend in the area before catching a "red eye" to New York. Needless to say, I might have a lot of negative to say about the flight. I am not looking forward to being mostly awake for an entire night. I can only imagine how I will look by the time I reach New York! The reason I chose the "red eye" is to make sure that I don't miss the ship boarding. I'd hate to arrive two hours late for the grand event. It would be a night mare to miss my cruise. I need to give myself the room for delays etc. that just might happen along the way.

I might have a passenger driving to Reno. I met a woman at a party not long ago that is going there on the same day and going home about the time of my return. I don't know this woman very well at all and am holding my breath hoping I haven't made a mistake offering her the ride. One never knows what people are like until you get locked up in a small car for an entire day with them! It is like camping with a new friend and you find out they don't like dirt, heat or sleeping in a tent! I have had that not so lovely experience a few times in my life. I remember years ago camping with a friend who expected to be able to look beautiful while sleeping in the back of my truck without running water or even a toilet. She was disappointed that some man might see her as she really was and I was irritated with her insistence on how unhappy she was with her situation.

I will be going on the Caribbean Princess sailing Canada and New England with 5 of my high school girlfriends. We are all approximately 70 years old this year. We have met up every two years for the past 10 years or so. We always manage to step right back into our 17 year old selves every time we get together. It isn't a bunch of old ladies on a trip. It is a fun-loving group of high school girls! We have been to Florida, San Francisco, Boston and our 50th High School Reunion in Indianapolis, Indiana and now the cruise. I have posted a picture of us at the reunion. We have learned that we need to be in the same room most of the time so that no one misses anything. We manage to get suites at hotels and now we have adjoining staterooms on the ship. We won't miss a comment or a giggle.

I have purchased a new suitcase since they decided on my last trip that my old black bag had seen too much banging about and needed to be retired. I have a brand new plum colored suitcase that I purchased on LuggageOnLine. I chose this site after comparing quite a bit. They had free shipping; which really made the decision easier. I also purchased one Eagle Creek Pack it Folder. My friend suggested that I use these suitcase helpers to keep my clothes from messing up. I only purchased one thinking that if I needed more, they could be simple to make. (Have I mentioned that I can be cheap?) I also bought a suitcase luggage scale. I do not want to find myself re-arranging my suitcase on the floor at the check in counter! I am too old to experience airport hassles. I find myself hating the whole flying experience. It use to be fun, but sadly customer service is not part of the new game at airports.

I am almost ready to print off my boarding pass to the ship as one of the last task to finish. I did get a new passport shocked to realize that the cost was $150.00! I think it was less than $50.00 the last time I needed a passport. Ouch! I purchased a cool dressy backpack to use instead of a large purse to slide off my shoulder as I am removing my shoes or whatever. I have walked through airports with all manner of slipping straps, shoes that need too much help getting back on and not having anything to eat for way too long. I will make sure to put some energy bars in that pack pack being careful how big my water bottle is and have a wrap and a inflatable pillow of sorts so that I can try to sleep a bit. Have you ever tried to sleep while an air-conditioner is chilling your body core down to uncomfortable levels? I have! I took a train to Elko, NV once from Oakland, CA. A fun trip wrapped in misery of too cold, no warm blankie with no sleep. All mistakes and regrets can be made good again if one manages to learn from the experience.

One of our friends is driving cross country with her husband stopping by to attend major league baseball games. This has to be a very good adventure for any baseball lover! Another friend is traveling with her husband from LA to Chicago for a few days before she gets on the same plane as I do for the leg into New York. She made her reservation and seat choice without consulting with me and managed to get a seat one seat away from me! Of course, that poor person between us will have to move or suffer from our on-going non-stop chatter. Two friends will fly from Indianapolis to New York the day before. There will be four staying over night in New York with Charlene and I meeting them on the ship. I'm getting tired from just the thought of that long flight from Reno to New York with too many flight changes for a senior citizen to think as an adventure. It will be something to get through as gracefully as possible.

I have been having the strong cravings for an electronic tablet. I'd love a small device to read a book on, check my email and post on Facebook. I am not spending 600-700 dollars because I cannot justify this urge. I am not a traveler. I do it every two years. I live up a river in the woods where being connected on cell phones etc is but a dream. I do have a computer with WI FY, but my cell phone won't work here at home. I cannot be the geek I want to be!

I will keep you posted on this trip as it goes along and/or finishes with details on that cruise for all to see! See you later.

Growing Marijuana as a Newbie

2011-07-30T09:50:00.000-07:00

I have been busy tending to my new venture growing marijuana for the first time.

My 93 year old mother has an Oregon Medical Marijuana License. I am her caregiver allowed to grow plants for her use. I missed the whole drug culture like I missed being a baby boomer by the skin of my teeth. I never got into smoking pot let alone trying to grow it.

I started with donated seedlings that I kept in the green house until June when our weather stabilized into what we call our air-conditioned summer. I got a hold of a book and read on the Internet how to take care of marijuana plants. Needless to say, much of what you read is written by not only marijuana educated folk, but many are high when they write their information. I warn you that if you get on YouTube to find out what someone has to say about the culture of marijuana, you will find the guy hard to listen to. Since, I am not a user, the jargon and the presentation seems like listening to someone who has a disconnect with reality of how to present information that can be given credibility. It is difficult to get what you are certain is actually sound advice. I admit that I am biased about knowledge being dispersed by someone under the influence. Much of what you find is for those growing inside a facility with special lights and forced maturity the desired outcome. Those growers want a crop to produce in 75 days. I want something to produce in a season; which is 3-4 months time.

I have been a passionate gardener for years not understanding why all the special care would be needed for a weed. I am very concerned with mold as advised, but how concerned should I be is the question. My husband put up a support system so that I could pull green house plastic up and over the plants if rain comes, or it gets foggy here up river. I am not even sure all this is necessary. We will find out in September what we have done right or wrong. The plants look fine to me, but whether they are male or female has escaped my ability to discern. I have to wait for something to let me know. I think I will know when this something appears. I have pictures of males in all their glory. Anyway, let's hope I can, because I hear that you need to yank up and throw away the male plants. I have a concern that all my plants may be male and that be just wrong on so many levels.

The new bed I created for the pot plants was amended before planting, but at first you could tell that there was not enough green to the color of the leaf. We added bone meal to help with this problem and it worked. The two plants I put into good potting soil in 5 gallon containers did much better. All the plants look pretty much the same at this point in time. I do have one plant that refused to grow. Can you imagine that! That little bugger just sits there very much alive and very much stunted. I know I should yank that out of the bed, but I keep hoping he will find the will to live like his other family does reaching for the sky.

I have a problem with killing most anything so the ruthlessness of yanking out those males will hurt my gardening heart. I will do it as everything I read tells me to do this, but it won't be easy. Males should have some value just for thriving like they should. They have been good boys.

I know those of you that might be reading this that know just how to grow their pot, find me pretty amazingly stupid about the process, but I will learn. Maybe if I would smoke some every once in awhile, I wouldn't be so worried about the process and find a zen feeling just rustling the leaves smelling the possibilities of mom having some fine weed to get that back pain under control. I have found that my dogs will take a nibble as they walk by. Are my dogs becoming stoners?

I will keep you updated with my failures and successes of growing my first crop of marijuana

Is Your Loved One In Long-Term-Care?

2011-06-04T10:45:00.000-07:00

Cleaning up paperwork on my desk, I ran into notes and information that I thought instead of filing away, I could share on my blog hoping that some of it might be useful for anyone having their loved one in a long-term-care facility.

I spent a year as an Ombudsman for the State of Oregon until my mother required my full-time presence if she was to stay at home with us. I am grateful to the State of Oregon for my experience and training. I encourage others to seek out this opportunity as a way of possibly helping our residents of long-term-care for the better and maybe help you personally in years to surely come way before you are ready! I can speak from experience of both having my mother in long-term-care for a year; along with my Ombudsman experience and now as a caregiver myself.

I found scribbled on a yellow note pad some notes that I must have written down during one of frequent training meetings while serving the state as a volunteer regarding meetings for a Care Plan or maintenance of a Care Plan.

When you have a loved one in long-term-care, you should consider yourself their best and strongest advocate to make sure their care is top notch along with protecting their rights. One cannot assume that care facilities have an interest in following the best laid plans for care. They often find themselves short staffed, unwilling to train help to high expectations and/or simply in the business of making money without willing to spend money or time improving and making life and health a top priority for their residents.

When my mother was in a local facility, I found that I could not assume that she was being well cared for. I wrote an article at the time so that I would not forget what she and I experienced. Reading this over, I find myself still angry about her care. I cared. I asked questions and I persisted and still with little or no improvement. I ended up taking her home. My article written in 2008, speaks volumes describing my frustration and my mother's lack of proper care with little dignity.

Back to the yellow pad notes:

Making sure you have the legal rights to sit in on a Care Plan Meeting and to look over facility medical notes either by a Power of Attorney or Guardianship and possibly a note from the resident saying you have this right, attend a meeting of her caregivers in the facility where they are a resident.

You can state that you are there to act as your resident's advocate. Keep it informal as you can telling them that you have written permission or rights to access medical records prepared to show them your permission.

When you look at the nurses notes, look for problem notes from day 1 and if there are missing dates with nothing written. If nothing written ask for the shift log. Remember getting nasty will not get you what you are looking for.

The Care Plan should not have omissions and inconsistencies.

Flow Sheets will see what portion of each meal is eaten by your loved one or possibly tracking diabetes issues. Keep in mind that I have had caregivers in facilities report to me that they have been asked to fudge on these reports by reporting a shower given even when they did not shower the resident. Imagine one worker showering 17 residents. Common sense says that this is nearly impossible especially in a Memory Care Unit where full assist is needed.

You might be very disappointed knowing the records could be incomplete or just plain wrong showing you the need for an advocate.

Now, you have the added task of feeling the hair of the resident. Is it oily? Does it smell bad? Keep a log for yourself on what you experience. Are their clothing soiled. Is it even their own clothing?

Can you smell urine when you walk into a unit? If you can, what else is not being taken care of?

I took an inventory of what my mother brought into the facility and actually took pictures of each and every item. It is amazing to see what is mixed up. I even insisted on washing my mother's clothes hoping to keep this problem at bay. It did not work. Clothes would show up and clothes would go away.

Does your loved one have a hearing aid or glasses and false teeth? Note this on her entry forms. Keep a copy for yourself with signatures. The facility is libel to replace lost items. It is hard to convince anyone that she lost what they don't have written down.

We should be irritated and even angry that we have to do all this when we are paying 4-10 thousand dollars a month to house our loved ones in a facility. Keep those notes. Call your local Ombudsman when you have any problems and attend any support meetings the facility has for residents and family. We cannot expect improvements if we do not participate as an advocate watching out for those we love and care for.

Now, is your loved one even wearing the hearing aid or the glasses? Is someone helping them see and hear? My mother was left in silence most of the time.

As disjointed this blog is today, I am hopeful that it will help someone that has someone in long-term-care or is thinking that it will be necessary sooner than later. Feel free to give comments and/or ask questions.

A Singular Woman by Janny Scott

2011-06-01T11:28:00.000-07:00

I received the book, A Singular Woman by Janny Scott for a Mother's Day gift from my daughter-in-law and son. It was an excellent choice! A review is in the link above and also here -- written by the Indianapolis Star; which so happens to be where both my children were born.

I found myself intrigued and sympathetic to the mother of our President, Mr. Obama. Ann was born one year after me in the Midwest of America where I am also from. Civil Rights came in our early adulthood along with a war many did not believe in fighting. Our world view was similar and our experiences very much the same.

Unlike this remarkable woman, I chose to marry and raise children loosing dreams to explore the world trying to understand what makes us who we are. I would have been in some far off land living in the unknown, if I had been braver and much brighter. I let my insecurities rule my life instead. I failed to give my children a more inclusive view of the world they live in.

I know Mr. Obama's mother failed him by her choices to live separated from him. I know moving to strange places is not a child's dream of the perfect childhood. As she failed her children, I failed mine. I did not follow my dreams. I settled for less and did not grow either mentally or spiritually for years letting my children know that their mother was not important. I was always last on a list to respect. I doubt that Mr. Obama disrespects his mother or finds her incomplete. I found myself rooting for Ann as she struggled living the life I would have loved to join in.

She made a brave and risky choice marrying a black man from Africa. My parents would have died if I had done the same. I had an urge to be someone who could buck the system in order to make our world better. I wanted to stand up with my beliefs holding me steady, but I chose a man who matched the list of who I should marry. How strange it is that even using the list, he turned out to be so much less than I wanted. I was not happy with the traditional role of a married woman of the time. I was always fighting against my limited world. I refused to believe my perfect man would not allow me to have independent thoughts if he did not agree with them.

So, our President had an example of a brave and determined woman. She might have given him instability, but she gave him the world as his place of occupancy instead of only a small area in a safe place here in the United States. I gave my children a sense of constant motion in their childhood by not being firm in my belief of who and what I was.

If I would be Ann's friend today I would remind her of the wonderful choices she freely gave herself. Her children learned from her example. No man of history is discounted for his lack of staying home with his children. Our President would not be the man he is without his mother's example of following her heart doing what she loved and found valuable to give the world. I wish that I had been that woman for my children.

I often wonder what my life purpose is. I'm not sure I even have a purpose. I try to appease myself with thoughts of tolerance and love as purpose. Never the less, I think I gave my children nothing that I consider valuable. It is a sad thought. My children suffer from this inability on my part. They see my tolerance and love ideas nothing to respect or to be emulated.

Needless to say, A Singular Woman, was a hard read for me. It woke me up to what I did not do in life and what I did not give my children. My most important parts will not live on as Ann's do. Thank you, Ann, for giving the world a great man. Thank you, Ann, for being strong and singular in mind. Thank you, Ann, for loving across lines of shoulds that were part of our times. I wish I had said to someone that my son could be President. I did not dream that large. It is my son's loss and my failure.

An Aha Moment from Oprah

2011-05-31T09:09:00.000-07:00

It is now 1 week, plus since my knee hasn't worked well. I went to Medford, Oregon to an Orthopedic doctor on Friday with my nurse-practioner friend, Catherine. We got the examination, questions, x-rays and MRI leaving without any real answers to what happened to that poor knee. The x-ray only showed that I have minimal arthritis in my knee; which I consider very good news for a woman of my advanced age of 70! The whole story is now left up to the MRI; which is taking 5 working days to be read and then the information passed onto me. I expect to hear by the end of the week my summer-time fate.

Will I be back in the garden enjoying my passion without much of a hiccup, or will I be carefully walking about careful not to bend, squat or any other position making it possible to actually get my hands into the earth? I may even be facing surgery of some kind.

Needless to say, just sitting days upon days has relieved my knee of most of the pain. I can still feel it especially if I get off center and find my foot not facing forward at all times. I almost stepped on the cat yesterday causing me to lurch a bit reminding me that, yes, I have a problem. So, no squatting in the garden just yet.

I watched the Oprah OWN Channel when she was talking about what she personally believed on her Master Class program. I found the idea that we can surrender ourselves to a higher being finding that once that surrender is sincere, life often finds the answers to any problems we think we may be having or issues that seem to have no answers will become clear to us.

One of my strongest traits is my bull-dog efforts to make things right or to solve a problem. I can use energy that most people find unbelievable to make senseless into reason or wrong into right. I don't accept gracefully that life is not always fair. I thought that I have been rewarded in my life for being a bull-dog; but now I'm thinking that it hasn't been an actual reward but just admiration from a few for my determination as foolish as it can often be. You can't say I don't try, but Oprah has hit me aside the head reminding me to examine if that determination is just a bratty child stamping her feet in protest or a real effort to change the situation

In the example of my knee, I decided since I am booked for a cruise in early September, I need to do the right thing first and then spend time getting well. I wasn't willing to spend a month waiting to see if my knee would heal itself on its own only to find out I needed surgery for any real healing. In the case of personal situations where I am butting heads trying to get someone to listen, to hear my pleas and to understand me; I think Oprah is right. I need to let the issue go once I see the efforts made have not made a dent in anyone else's state of mind. I need to surrender. OMG, that is a difficult task for me!

In my efforts to make life more fair, I have not waited for any God to solve my earth-bound problems. I have believed God was way to busy. I have held the belief that rewards from God are rare and that it is up to man to make his life both better and/or worse. I still am not a religious woman. I do believe in a God or an energy of sorts. I will now make an effort to surrender to that energy. I cannot always succeed in being the master of my fate. As Oprah would say, it was an aha moment.

For the last five years I have been running into a wall trying to make a bad thing good. Five years is long enough to know what I am doing is not working. Along with my knee, I will surrender the problem to the universe. Maybe I will be hugging loved ones that have found me flawed. If I surrender I might find a blanket of comfort warming me instead of the cold prickly unknown hovering over my life.

I can give up trying to convince others that they need to understand what I am saying. I protest too much making me unloved and maybe not so good. The fact is that no one that matters when it comes to my problem is listening to me. I get support from my husband and my friends who love me unconditionally. Those that do not value the unconditional part of love, have cast me aside as bothersome, manipulative and not worth much. It so happens those who cast me aside are very important to me. I believe I need them in my life. I will stop trying to make it happen. I surrender. Maybe the answer is that I don't need them as much as I thought. Maybe it will be that without me harping at them, they will miss me and remember how special I was. If I surrender, the future is unknown; which is something I don't do well with. That could be the lesson learned to let that certainity not be needed. Hmm...now to get the surrender going. I imagine, like Oprah, I will have to remind myself often and long asking my form of God to take charge instead of me. All my efforts have been useless. It is time for another method. Thank you Oprah for the heads up!

I have Finally Felt My Age

2011-05-24T18:48:00.000-07:00

I am a believer in accepting life as it comes not bothering to fudge on my age or attempt alterations to my body to hide the aging process. I was doing pretty good with this philosophy until I reached my 70th birthday being confronted with aging problems roaring its ugly head.

I hike at least six miles each week; plus whatever I do in the garden hacking and hauling for hours at a time. I have been pretty smug about the fact that I could still do whatever I wanted without suffering aches and pains that seem to be normal for many of my friends. Well 70 dumped on me big time with an arthritis blow up across all the knuckles on my right hand. I was only digging and hacking out 200 lbs of rock from where I wanted to plant a rose bush. Then number two old-age rot happened. My left knee had ached a bit. I was beginning to worry what it possibly could be the reason. After a month of feeling the discomfort, I made an appointment with our most loved Dr. McDougall to check it out.

Almost a week before the appointment, I was attempting to stand up after doing some garden work at ground level. My whole knee seemed to fall apart hurting to the point of nausea. I could visualize a legiment or other long rope of sorts, snap across a bone causing everything to let loose. I actually have no idea what really happened, but I do know what my mind saw as I crumbled in pain.

A good neighbor gave me a knee brace to use. I believe it is why I can still walk a bit without that knee crushing in on itself like it did on Saturday. I immediately started with ice/heat and Aleve knowing how important to not just lie in pain doing nothing for the problem. After two days of total boredom, I took myself to our local medical clinic to start the process of healing. The doctor I saw simply said to get myself to a orthopedic doctor of my choice. I am on my way to Medford on Friday to save myself from being a disabled senior citizen. I want myself to show up again. I imagine that I might be facing surgery; which holds only hope in my mind. I want to get it done, get it done now and return to my mobile life. No, Scooter Store, I am not ready for you yet.

I am insanely bored here on the couch waiting to start a journey back to health. I somehow have lost my concern for the blown out knuckles that hurt in the middle of the night or when I pick up that cup of coffee early in the morning. I can function with pain. I cannot function without being able to weed, hack, haul and plant new life. My happiness is directly connected to the connection to earth that I have cultivated loving every particle of dust, pebbles in my shoes, and blisters on my weeding hand. I feel humbled in the knowledge of how truly tragic it is to loose yourself in random disabilities that are often part of old age. I foolishly believed I would escape the fate of way too many. I imagined myself hiking through my 80's, gardening to the day I died and walking down the driveway to pick up the mail forever. I know I mistreated my knees while riding motorcycles because of the down time I often had not keeping my shining side up.

I will keep you updated by another recital of crap that happens no matter how hard you try to keep it from showing up. In two days, I will see what the cure will be. I will work hard to be back as soon as I can manage..

Old Time Loggers We are Not

2011-05-14T11:09:00.000-07:00

Spring is said to be here, but winter rains are continuing way past their due date to STOP. I am holding on to the hope that June will be the end of rains until Fall.

Jim and I decided we needed to grow more vegetables so we took down 3 of our aspen trees to provide enough sun for an expansion for the garden. I made a slide show showing the progress of our garden so far.

As you can see Jim and I are not "old time" loggers from the woods of Oregon. We are transplanted Californians not realizing that we have little control over a falling tree. Lucky for us the damage was minimal. Jim had to replace a section of rail on the boat and paint over a few scratches.

Since the pictures were taken, the plants have grown and I have added more. It is looking more like a vegetable garden each day. I plan to build a gate and trellis for the other opening of the garden. I grow willow for this very reason. Jim has cut the wood and now it is up to me to create leaving the actual putting together with nails and screws to my master worker bee, Jim. It is raining again today, so tomato plants and gate building will have to wait. I am going for a rustic natural look.

I would like to plant a squash plant to climb up the trellis...or maybe beans or peas. I have a whole file of things to build for plants to climb or be supported by. We have two bean supports in the garage ready to put into action. Jim built two that look similar to this:

He was able to use the FREE inter locking pipes I found at Santa Clara, CA annual clean up. I love recycling. If you want a really good time finding treasures, take a truck to the event and then wish you had a moving van.

I also dug in a new bed along the retaining wall near the orchard for tomatoes and other heat-lovers. We suffer from a marine-layer challenged gardening area. We are 4 miles up river from the ocean, but that fog can creep up over the hills late in the day lasting until mid morning. Tomatoes can be either a bust or do really well. We plan to enclose them with a temporary greenhouse of sorts. That plan is yet to be completed.

this beautiful planted area has been reduced by 2/3 to make room for the vegetable garden. Yes, pretty is nice; but food is better!

So many plans and so little time is my problem. I have crawled, hauled, hacked and loaded tons since moving here 13 years ago. We sit in the aspen grove late in the day sipping wine and wondering where the heck we got the energy to create our piece of paradise. Many of the things we accomplished are not possible today with our much older bodies.

We sit right over there to your right in the dappled shade feeling the cool breeze coming up over yonder hill from the ocean. You can agree that we do live in our own private paradise. The dogs love romping around while we work like dogs.

Salmon season opens today, so I will loose my worker bee when the fish find their way off our shores.

Momofuku for Dinner Tonight

2011-03-25T11:32:00.000-07:00

Pictures to the left is David Chang the author of the infamous Momofuku Cookbook; which has turned me into a cooking fool! I am having a love/hate relationship with David. He has managed to completely exhaust me and totally distroyed my kitchen! I love his food! absolutely love his creativity and I appreciate his sense of humor making his book an interesting fun read for any true foodie.

Dinner Friday March 25, 2011

1. Steamed buns
2. Ramen w/ noodles
3. Broccoli mix
4. Green peas
5. Rice brown for the health nuts
6. Rice white for the ones that must stay with Asian
7. Pulled Pork
8. Pork belly
9. Pickled Ginger
10. Cucumber
11. Green onions
12. Cilantro
13. Wine
14. Water
15. Ice
16. Cake being provided by the master cook, Laura
17. Coffee and/or tea

18. Sauces to accompany food

19. Lettuce for wraps

20. Tofu

I have been the cooking fool for way too long! Yesterday, I finished up the ramen base; which took 7 hours of cooking! I always type up a list of what I am serving so I won't forget anything in the final rush of talking, the first glass of wine and putting food on the table. I personally am not in love with pickled vegetables and one of my guest agreed that she doesn't either, so I am not making any. So there!!

I am now ready to take a break from the cookbook, Momofuku. I still crave making David Chang's chicken wings, but was saved from my compulsion because the store where I was shopping didn't have any. Wonders never cease. Thank you store for saving me from myself!

A previous post describes more about jumping into David Chang's mode of cooking. I'm sure anyone taking the time and effort will agree with me that Momofuku is a cookbook we foodies and cooking fools need in our kitchen.

Kitchen Time Well Spent with Momofuku

2011-03-22T11:00:00.000-07:00

I wrote on another blog that I had ordered and received new books about cooking. I passed one on to my husband's daughter to read knowing she would find it more than interesting. She is very much me in so many ways that it is scary. No DNA shared; but our interest overlap constantly and continually.

The book I loaned her was Momofuku; which is pictured above. She called me a week or more later reporting her progress with the book. First of all, her husband turned to her and said that she was "Karen" (that's me) before he had always said she was a female version of her father and called her "Jim". Isn't that special that she is now a combination of the two people who love her the most! She kept referring to the book as "Mamafuckyou" instead of Momofuku from her angst at gathering ingredients and cooking for days messing her kitchen up to the max making sure she would never open that book again!

On her next trip up here, she dropped or threw the book back at me. LOL

I took a few days, hours upon hours to really examine this notorious book. I figured out that one must be ready to create many recipes so that one could actually serve most any of the dishes described in the book. The author has a sense of humor. I think he actually knows how this book will affect his readers. I believe he is laughing at our efforts way before we even start them. I can see him thinking that yes, he can really create great exciting, interesting and complicated wonders that will wow any true "foodie"; but let's watch any of them try to actually re-create his wonders.

I was not scared off either by him or by my daughter. I decided to first create a list of what was needed to produce anything. I have included that list here:

Oriental Groceries
bamboo shoots
denjang (Korean fermented bean paste)
dried red chili peppers
dried shiitakes
fish cakes
fish sauce (Squid Brand)
hoisin sauce
jarred salted shrimp
katsuo-bushi [dried fish flakes
kochukaru [Korean red pepper chili powder]
konbu
mirin
mustard seeds
nori [seaweed]
potassium carbonate
rice vinegar
sake
sesame oil roasted
sesame seeds
sherry vinegar
shiro [white miso]
sichuan peppercorns
sodium carbonate
sriracha
ssämjang [fermented bean and chili sauce]
star anise
usukuchi [light soy sauce] Yamasa Brand
salted shrimp
Toban jan
chinese sausage
dried shrimp
dried scallops
dried fish flakes (Mackerel)
fried shallots packaged
Mayonaisse Kewpie
Vegetables
green onions
carrots
onions
daikon
napa cabbage
garlic
ginger
regular onions
carrots
Other
active dry yeast
baking soda
black pepper
bread flour
butter
grapeseed oil
kosher salt
mustard seeds
non-fat dry milk powder
sherry vinegar
sugar

OK, I then could figure out what I could realistically make since I live in a small rural community that has little oriental anything. I found the soy sauce brand at one of our Rays Food Store; which almost knocked me over. I placed an order with http://www.everydayjapanese.com/ for the items I could find on that site. They are printed red on the list. I ordered the soy sauce before going to the store, so now I will have two bottles of that special light soy sauce. The bill came to $45.00. They ship for $10.00 regardless of what you order, so I made the most of it. They emailed me to say that shipments from Japan were delayed. So now, I was dealing with not only a list of unknown ingredients but with a tsunami too! I am now wondering if any of my product will be affected by the leaking nuclear plants. Hopefully, the product was harvested before the tragedy recently impacting Japan.

Now for the work. I decided I could do the pork belly, pork shoulder, and sausage since I had all the ingredients or could buy them locally. From those items I could make steamed buns and clams along with having enough pork belly to also make bacon from my Food Hero cookbook. On Friday, I did some shopping and came home to make a dinner of Clams from Momofuku. I felt like we were dining at a fine restaurant. YUM! I saved the left over broth just because it was way too good to give to the dogs. (to be continued)

I cooked approximately 6 lbs of pork belly (which I had special ordered from Rays), 10 lbs of pork shoulder and 3 lbs of pork sausage. I salted down the remainder of the pork belly to make bacon in 3-4 days from now when it is ready. I mixed up the dough for steamed buns; which was no more difficult than making my usual bread recipe.

My kitchen started looking like a war zone with every large pan and kettle dirty at various times. Both the shoulder and pork belly had to be salted and sugared and covered in the fridge over night; which I did the evening before the big cook fest.

Momofuku uses unfilled steamed buns to create a sandwich of sorts from pork belly, green onions and sauces. I found the steamed buns no more difficult to mix up than my usual bread. I chose to put some pork belly in the bun before steaming thinking that they would be easy to grab when we wanted one. I then decided that the shoulder and sausage could be good choices for stuffing steamed buns. I made 50 buns the first day using some of the sausage and pork belly and like the crazy person I am; I made an additional 100 buns the next day. Hey, logic is that I will never go here for a very long time so why not make a lot and get it over with. I froze them on cookie sheets and then dumped them in bags. We can have green onions with sauces when we eat them. I cannot tell you how many my husband, mother and I ate in that two-day period caring little if we had green onions. They were really tasty! I have a bamboo steamer with two levels. It took forever at 15 minutes a pop. I now know why the Momofuku Restaurant buys frozen steamed buns made by someone else.

I gave my mom and myself a bowl of soup, one of those cooking days, using that left over clam broth, meat scraps, green onion and cut up steamed buns for a soup. I was in love all over again! Everything tasted so dern good!

We also had for dinner since made with scraps of various meats tossed with some noodles adding a fish sauce from the book along with a dash of mirin and chopped green onions. Gads!! Delicious. Did I say I am in love?

The moral of this adventure is that it does take a lot of work to create meals from Momofuku, but I think it will always be well worth it. My freezer is full of small containers of shredded pork, pork belly, sausage and steamed buns. I plan to amaze my family and friends with those delightful exciting taste over and over with little work on my part. I plan to make Momofuku's ramen base soon adding the pork belly and pork shoulder along with chicken later this week. I also am looking forward to the chicken wing recipe and the list goes on.

If you purchase this great recipe book, sit down to digest the whole book first before you start making anything. If you try to create a dish without reading the book, you will find yourself stuck without some of the ingredients. The ramen base is important along with the pork shoulder and pork belly. You won't have time for the 6 hours of cooking to make the shoulder or will find yourself short of a magic sauce because you don't have one of the ingredients for it. Momofuku's dishes seem to be very connected. I plan to have a Momofuku connection between my cupboards, freezer, oven and Japanese bamboo steamer along with vegetables from my garden. So go ahead say "mamafuckyou". I will laugh and be proud to be called out something very close to my most loved Momofuku.

Linking to My DNA of Cooking

2011-02-10T09:00:00.000-08:00

I got another book in the mail! It is like getting a box of chocolates to satisfy my craving to know more. I received Forgotten Skills of Cooking the Time-Honored Ways Are The Best over 700 Recipes Show You Why by Darina Allen, who is called "the Julia Child of Ireland".

Last night I was brought back to my roots of Northern Europe reading her fantastic book showing how to create those dishes that are part of my DNA.

The chapter titles are:

Foraging

Fish

Game

Beef

Dairy

Eggs and Poultry

Lamb

Vegetables Herbs and Salad

Preserving

Desserts

Cakes and Cookies

Bread

Household Tips

Resources

How many of you have tasted Comfrey Fritters? I have Comfrey growing in my garden. I know it is a time-honored herb, but I have never used it in my cooking. I also saw a recipe for a drink made with Comfrey leaves as one of the ingredients.

In her Household Tips, Darina list several old but true methods of helping with a stiff neck, Nettle stings and how to clean the oven. We need to be reminded that there are problem solvers that don't come in a clean plastic bottle with a squirt top formulated with high-tech science and harmful substances.

I suddenly know with encouragement by the author that I could possibly even cure a whole ham and that my Norwegian ancestors would love that salted cod might show up on my dinner table very soon! I found out that it doesn't have to be cod that has been salted to death and stiff as a board. We always laughed at that it was said the real flavor came from the dog lifting his leg on the cod while it was leaning up against the back porch wall. You can use just enough salt to use within a few days to have delicious taste of salted cod without suffering from guilt from knowing that your arteries are now permanently blocked and your blood pressure is off the charts.

I think we partly threw away much of our old cooking methods because we now had refrigerators to keep food safe and fresh instead of preserving them to keep the bacteria from growing. We also got carried away with eating healthier with less salts. Funny, we didn't mind eating McDonald's hamburgers or Banquet frozen dinners. We got rid of the old to replace with even more questionable new foods. We now have engineered and genetically altered foods. Heaven only knows what we eat if we are not careful. Our labeling laws don't always keep up with processes our food manufactures come up with. We can't tell from a label what the cow ate to create the steak we purchase or the milk that we drink.

Darina brings us back to the knowledge that we threw out with the wash in the early 1960's when new was best and old was just that - old and useless. I came into adulthood at that time. I wore Jackie Kennedy styles, made jello cakes and even ate Wonder Bread. Remember Valveeta Cheese? It still exist even though most of us feel it is just colorized melted plastic of some sort.

Through the years, I have chosen my own style to wear, eat whole grain breads, like to make my own cakes from scratch, eat real cheese and even manage to make bread about once a month. But, I have never attempted to go to where my mother never went. It was probably my grandmother who last raised her own chickens, made her own butter and made bread each and every week. My mother born in 1919, thought those skills of making her own food were outdated and unnecessary. She was convinced to throw out the old for everything new. She used only cake mixes, loved those frozen dinners and gave up fresh vegetables for frozen or canned. Advertising pays very well for a reason - it works. We believe what we are told.

Maybe like Egypt revolting in a need for freedoms that they have learned about through the internet, has also had us reaching back into our past to find a simplified way of life without advertising making us choose what to be, what to do and what to buy. I think it is an internet revolution with people like Jamie Oliver shouting at us to think for ourselves. Of course TV has joined this band wagon with shows letting us meet these strange people who believe basic food is good for us. Food without chemicals and genetic engineering is making a comeback. We crave it. We search it out. This is news coming from the people from a food revolution. Companies are rushing in to get their fair market share with labels of natural, organic or whatever sounds good for today. But do we really know they are truthful? They have lied to us in the past. They have lost our trust. We no longer believe that someone else really cares about our welfare. We have to care ourselves. We are searching our past to find a way to know what our own food consist of and to be responsible for our own well being. We are growing our own vegetables, reading labels like those on a mission, searching for meat that has been raised in dignity and health and developing skills that we once thought were needless.

I even thought for a brief moment that I was being innovative. What a foolish assumption. Search the internet for new terms of use like organic, sustainable and chemical free. It is amazing what those searches can find!

Welcome to a new but not original way of life. I hope someday to report that I have cured a ham. I hope that I can get my own chickens soon and that maybe a pig might even find a home with me until the day he feeds my family. I have yet to figure out how to get over killing. Up until now, my life has been eating meat from a plastic wrapped package. I don't hear a squeal, a gasp or see death. Darina even describes how to break a chicken's neck. It is out of my reality, but I know my day will come when I find this as a normal process of life.

I'll be back to report on my progress of reaching back into my ancestry. I don't plan on plundering the shores of England as my Viking relatives did or burn books or kill people for believing something I find disturbing, but I will use some of the past to create a better future. I will bring in what was thrown out with the wash that really needed to be cherished as a healthy wise treasure to hold dear. Comments are always appreciated and enjoyed.

Life as a Food Hero

2011-02-07T08:49:00.000-08:00

So, what happened to me since the holidays? I surely haven't bothered to write on my blog that is a sad fact. Well, life takes many turns giving me new direction to what I think and what I do. Simply, I got interested in several different things and found little time to sit to type about me.

Spring is almost here; which got me thinking about my vegetable garden. Not to do anything half-assed is a fault that I cannot manage to control. I read several gardening magazines, books, articles that I had saved and looked up things on the internet in an effort to make the best possible vegetable garden. This took hours that turned into days that ended up in weeks and even over a month! I found a website that was fantastic in letting me visually see what I was planning. It is GrowVeg.Com . This site allows you to draw out your garden plan and even see how many of each vegetable you can plant in the allotted space! Whalla, I could see what I was plotting in my head. If you make a new file, you can then see where you will plant your next season and whether you can actually put the peas where you think you want them. The plan flashes red to remind you that maybe that isn't a good choice taking in the considerations of why we rotate our crops. The first month is free, then the site will charge you a mere $25.00 to continue using it. They even send you emails to remind you to start your proper seeds at the right time because you have told the program your zip code! I always need a slap aside the head and love that email telling me that it is the time NOW!

I also read about a book, "Food Heros" by Georgia Pellegrini and true to my nature ordered the book from Amazon.com. I could not put the book down. You can see a link to buy a copy at the top of this post. I bought a used one from Amazon that made it a tad less expensive. I always buy used books when I can. I am a yellow-underliner and a used book is just as good as a new. It is surely not pristine after I have marked it up! I've loaned the book to two different people who also were excited about the possibilities for becoming a food hero! Georgia also has a blog that you can read on line. I can't wait to buy her other book due to be published in the fall "Hunter Woman". I know my daughter, Lynnette, will love it as she loves the idea of hunting and then using her kill to supplement her larder. To make a long story short, I met up with Anne Boulley at a local party given by my friend, Laura Ashby. Anne and I met up to discuss organizing a group based on the premis of being food heros. Laura and another friend, Lee Sadaat came to the meeting. We will certainly become food heros of Brookings, Oregon! Anne, bought pork belly while in Portland so three of us have made our own bacon! We have also played with making carmelized pork belly. YUM!

The book is so much more than cooking. It has stories about being a bee keeper, beer maker, mushroom picker etc. I really thought I was being so innovative until my mother received her latest copy of Ladies Home Journal. There was an article about something similar! The article is on page 102, of the March 2011 issue. Extreme Housewives is the name of the feature. These women have embraced the kind of back-to-basics homemaking our grandmothers did- and they've been happier. So, just when you think you have a fresh new idea, think again.

Now, I have also encountered the most amazing weather on the Southern Oregon Coast! It has been in the 60's for like two weeks now with full sun, warm breezes and NO rain. I have spent hours and hours...days upon days, turning over dirt, hauling tree limbs Jim has cut down, cleared up spaces that haven't seen the sight of organization in years and strung out my garden plus much more! If it doesn't rain soon, I will die of exhaustion. I missed the first 21 points in the Super Bowl yesterday because after 1/2 glass of nice wine I was zapped out cold on the couch! My arms and hands are limp and my back has twinges of muscle pain from hacking way too many hacks and pulling way too many blackberries from their stronghold on my property. I have cleared at least 200 feet of fenceline, turned over the garden space, hauled wonderous stuff out of a corner in the back acre and much much more! I purchased 75 lbs or more of fertilizer, mixed it and fed everyone that yelled out to me that they might be hungry. I have used 1/2 of it so far.

So, friends and family, I think I need to get off of here and get busy again. The house is yelling that it needs my attention and the sun is shining telling me to yonder out back. The choices are endless and my body seems limitless even at the advanced age that I have become. When do I say enough is enough. I think never.

Christmas Eve Joy

2010-12-24T12:54:00.000-08:00

I just got an email from someone who read my blog. I'm sure they are worried about me. I wonder how many others have read it, that choose to not tell me? It is OK, I didn't write it for responses. I would be embarrassed if the world suddenly arrived on my doorstep to comfort me. I have to face the fact that the public, known and unknown, can read what I write on this not-so-private blog.

I carry myself through life with a smile and a lot of activities. I am sure no one looking can see that I have a dysfunctional family. I don't really talk about my children. What would I possibly say?

I am aware that I am not unhappy each hour of every day. I spend a lot time very satisfied with my life. My husband and I hike nearby trails with our dog, (see picture we took on our last hike), eat lunch at the new Chinese restaurant in town and visit friends often. I keep busy with my garden and planning new craft projects. I clip interesting magazine articles to examine later and surf the web and visit friends on Facebook.

I was just very aware that I was in a real funk the other day. I was compelled to share my funk on my blog. As a volunteer in Hospice, as a Long-Term-Care Ombudsman and tutoring foreign students, I know that it is important to share. It is important to reach out to find hope and it is important to check out ourself to see that we remain as healthy as we can both mentally and physically. It helps others that we are not perfect. It is hard to share our problems with someone who appears to have no problems of their own. I made myself vulnerable writing my blog the other day. It is a step making sure I keep my humanity and probably my humility.

So, to my world of blog readers, never fear. I am doing pretty good. I made 4 different cookies yesterday. I cleaned the refridgerator today and I plan to spend Christmas Eve with my husband enjoying a fire and knowing I have many blessings. My whole world cannot revolve around children who could care less. It is a sad reality that brings me to my knees at times, but it does not keep me from enjoying the good things I have in life.

I have a good husband who happens to be able to fix most anything!

I have a dog that might be bossy but she loves me well

I live in the most beautiful area of the United States

I never go without food or shelter

I am warm and toasty in my bed at night

I have good friends

I have family that loves me

I have a large garden that keeps me in wonder while keeping me busy

Our vehicles are running well and have decent gas milage.

What more can I really want? So, I have a couple kids who I would like to love me better, but I cannot control everything and I cannot have everything. Life is not always fair.

Christmas Eve will be tonight. It is time for cheer. I can feel it. I hope that all of you have the same. Let's count what is good and not dwell too much on what is bad. Know it is there. Recognize what it is. Do what you can to make it better, but dwelling on it too much just spoils your opportunity to feel the joy that certainly is out there for us all.

Happy Holidays to you and your families!

Holiday Sufferers Hold On

2010-12-20T07:13:00.000-08:00

Christmas is upon us as a season where magic happens. People who never love suddenly find that they want to give love. They want to be loved. Is that love we need to hold and share shortwired to show up mostly at Christmas? Are we programed by our maker to realize if only for a short period that love is the most important thing we have in life?

We all have love problems. It is just a given that life is not always fair. Life has maybe more pain than good feelings for many of us. During Christmas time, a sudden urge comes to the surface to connect with those around us. We send out cards to people we haven't seen in years. We buy gifts for family, friends and neighbors. For one short period of time each year we are thrown into the reality of just what love we do have but also it is clear what love we do not have.

I understand why sucide is so often an act during the holiday season. That love we don't have looms over us like a deep black cloud with no possible light to break through. It becomes a blanket of pain we wrap ourselves into seeking comfort but only feel the loss more. Our loss is often because our loved ones have died. They are gone with no possibility to come back . Christmas hurts because of their parting. We may find comfort in what we believe about after life. We may not because we have lost that belief in our rage over being separated from those we love.

Rage often fills the void when there seems to be nothing else. My own mother found rage when my sister died suddenly. Her rage kept her alive. She would not give up the rage. It kept her breathing in and out. In the process, she lost family and friends who were assulted by this anger. She was comforted with her rage keeping the reality of the world at bay. She is in her 90's now 20 some years later, with that rage just under the surface not to be talked about or recognized. Rage is not socially acceptable, but it never the less lives within her.

I have a loss of family. I have witnessed rage as a war against loss with my mother. I do not want rage in my life. I find myself wading through a deep grief that seems to be a dark black cloud that has no end. I am a rational human being and I have love in my life. I will not find an easy way to rid myself of this black cloud. I have too much to live for to die easily. The black cloud will co-exist with the other parts of me. I don't think it will ever be wonderful again. Life will be made up of loss forever, but life will also be parts that are filled with joy and meaning. I will most likely find all holidays and celebrations covered with this black cloud. I will always miss the love I have lost. I will appear the person most people think I am. I will hold my black cloud close under wraps until the holiday passes. Sunshine will come with the pain of lost love tucked away where my mind doesn't go often. In a time when my guard is down, that cloud might oooze out for a few seconds, my throat will close up, tears come to my eyes but I will recover. It is just at holidays that the full force of loss is raging against all reason. I will be thinking of all loss that many of us have experienced. I will be thinking of sunshine for you. Sunshine if only for moments or two makes life worth living. Hold on fellow holiday sufferers. It will get better. Christmas is nearly gone! Love who you can. Love well.

Fractured Families for the Holidays

2010-12-17T11:26:00.000-08:00

I'm feeling the Holiday Season full force today. I'm missing some of my family as I always do at times that traditionally speak family. I have two adult children , who do not visit me during holiday times. It isn't because I live too far away. It isn't simply because there is not enough time to travel. It is because they do not want to share the holiday with me. I know many fractured families exist. I know that I am not alone in feeling the loss more when a holiday approaches. The knowledge that I share this grief doesn't seem to make it any better, but I believe it has to help.

I'm writing this trying hard not to air my dirty laundry to the world, but still letting others know that I share their pain. I know what it is like to be more a bother than a loved one. I have no sage advice or clear idea of how to solve this syndrom of family undone. In our society, we have plural marriages, half siblings, parents living in separate cities and even states and countries. We have hurt children and lost connections littering our lives.

We have children of divorce that are unable to move forward from the pain their parents inflicted on them. I am sure that parents don't mean to hurt their children. I know I didn't want to hurt mine; yet managed to knife them so deep the wounds have never healed. I remember plotting and planning just when and how I would escape a bad marriage without hurting anyone. In the process, everyone was hurt no matter how I justified my decisions. I told myself that my children could never learn to respect me if I stayed in a marriage where I was a second-class partner with no rights. In fact, they still see me as the woman with no rights or rational thought. They see me and treat me much like their father did. I could not leave behind what I had already taught them so well.

For years, I fooled myself that I had escaped my fate. My children seemed to admire me, love me and even respect me. It was just foolishness on my part to believe it could be true. I think they were only trying to please me. It didn't take much to shatter the veneer that wrapped their true vision of me. When the crack appeared, I became much less important. My actions and beliefs were easily disrespected and I was delegated to be a second-class mother. I taught them well in their formative years what to think of me . What they experienced was true. It doesn't matter that I am no longer that same woman. They do not care to hear me protest.

I made mistakes along the way; which now have been strung up on a banner proving my lack of worth. We as parents only do the best with what we have. I was a fragil, weak woman with an over simplified view of life. I thought if you loved enough, tried enough and were good enough, life would end up fine. It takes so much more than that! Looking back, the most tragic mistake I made was to not stand up for myself early on. I should have stood up to the husband and then I should have stood up to my children. Love does not always win. You have to do what is the right thing to do. Tough love would have even been a good thing.

If someone is reading this today and knew me long ago, they would not recognize much of who I am today. My own children do not recognize who I am. I have a strong core of what I believe is the right thing to do. I make myself do what is right even when it is uncomfortable. I stand up for myself. I stand up for others. I am still kind. I still love well, but I have tempered this with a fierce fiber that I give myself no choice about. I smile to myself knowing I would die for some of what I believe. I have no doubt that some things in life can be that important. I know I put myself in danger of being hurt, unliked and sometimes shunned by my need to be a voice that will not be silenced. I don't have to think of what I will do in a situation where I see disrespect, unkindness and intolerance. I already know. I have already decided what I need to do.

So, holiday times can be tough when those you love choose to not be with you. I have friends and other family that love me. They share those times with me, but I miss those faces from my past. There are holes in my holidays that cannot be covered with cheer and laughter. I imagine there are many of us fighting back the tears that want to come by baking cookies for our neighbors, shopping for the less fortunate or like me creating one more craft that maybe I might send to a grandchild I never see.

It would be easier not to write this. I seldom let others peek into my reality of my fractured family. I don't want pity. I do feel an overwhelming need to share today for those others who have the same situation. They may feel like I often do that maybe this dirty laundry is just that and should be kept in a basket hidden from guest. Let it be known that there are many of us this holiday season trying hard to bury their pain from the view of others.

Give out hugs, good cheer and maybe share a story of imperfection of your own. All families are not perfect. Life is not always fair. Many of us want to know we are not alone.

Craft Creator in Progress 1 Christmas Card

2010-12-13T13:43:00.000-08:00

I watched the movie, Julia Julia yesterday. It was a rainy Sunday afternoon; which made it one of those days to cover up with a blankie, settle in on the couch with the dog snuggled into the curves of my legs while watching a movie. First of all, I loved the movie. My husband kept passing it up on our Netflix streaming que thinking it was just about cooking. I knew better, so when he was busy watching a ball game in his "man" room, I turned it on.

It was so much more than about cooking. I have always admired Julia's cookbook finding it was true what she thought about butter. It makes everything taste good! It occurred to me that I could take a hint from this movie to jump start my life into a new direction.

I think I am going to finally become someone who creates beautiful crafts. I have dabbled in crafts and have created my fair share of projects, but the activity has always been secondary to most anything else. I have at least a dozen or so craft books, piles of torn out articles from magazines and drawers and containers of assorted materials and tools to create the crafts I have always intended to make.

I will make my crafts page after page of them; while actually using the supplies and tools lined up in labeled boxes in my craft closet; which takes up almost 20' of space along one wall. I even have an antique document chest with 20 or so large deep drawers full of beads, papers, glues, sparkles, inks, and much more! It is time. I have time. I have passion. I have supplies. I will create. Like in the movie, I will do a certain amount of crafts (she did recipes). I think 100 projects is a nice even number to start with. It will take me awhile, but I bet I can do it within a one year period. Maybe I will do more than one a day some days and then not do any for a week, but I will do 100 in total!

I can't promise to make every craft in every book. I don't even like some of the projects so why would I make them? I will go through my materials to accomplish the ones that speak to me. I will try hard to not purchase new supplies so that the boxes will empty and the drawers will rattle with unused space.

I will blog about each project letting my readers know just how I adapted something to fit my sense of design or fit my supply of product to use. It will be fun! I always do best when I have to be accountable and I will envision that I have masses of readers who follow each step of my urge to create. It doesn't matter if you really exist. It matters what I believe.

I'm not silly enough to believe Martha Stewart dreams up all the wonderful things she makes, but I will make her my mentor. She will be looking over my shoulder assessing my work driving me to pay attention to detail. I can be messy and get distracted easily. I will learn to focus to make Martha proud.

I will upload images of my work, list the supplies used and give pointers using the goof ups that I made to keep others from making the same mistakes. Get ready world. I will create. I will finish what I start. Also, friends and family, get ready to receive the best of what I make. I can't keep it all! My husband just asked me what I was going to get out of doing this. He is such a typical man with an engineering background. Must I have a result? The result is that I make 100 crafts learning new techniques, skills while having F U N. His next question is what I was going to do with what I make? He is so predictable! I will find homes even if I donate them to raise money for an organization. Maybe in another week or two, I will have that piece of the puzzel in place. I could sell the crafts and donate all the money to the local dog shelter or something like that. I could even include making dog coats; which I have always wanted to do and give them to cold dogs. Hey, don't get me started. I will find places for my crafts!

I started today by making a home-made Christmas card. It was simple one. Just listing the supplies down made me realize why I sometimes change my mind about making something. I had to get all these supplies out and ready to use! Whew.

Supplies:

White card stock
Hole Punch
Imagination Corner Cutter
Fiskars paper cutter
Small detail sissors
Scrap of Vellum paper
Page from a Christmas Carol Song Book
Few Inches of Cranberry Satin Ribbon
Rubber Stamp of Fir Tree
Rubber Stamp of word, "Holidays"
Rubber Stamp of Scroll Border
Memories Soft Vanilla Ink Pad
Shimmers Premium Iridescent Rose Ink Pad
Archival Ink Sepia
Yes All Purpose Stik Flat Glue
Martha Stewart Create permanent glue (I found at Walmart on Sale)
Gold Craft Glitter

Procedure to Make Card:

I cut the 8.5 x 11 inch card stock in half and then folded it to make the card
Cut the corners with the corner cutter
Tear the the edges from the Christmas Carol to fit on to the front of the card
Stamp the trees remembering that iridescent ink takes a long time to dry. Don't touch it too soon. I stamped a few on white card stock and a few onto the vellum scrap. (I save scraps of paper in a large plastic bag to use on future projects)
I punched holes on one edge of card weaving the ribbon in and out gluing the edges down.
Taking the Vanilla Ink and the scroll edge rubber stamp, I covered the front and inside of the card for a subtle background design
Taking hold of the Christmas Song, I rubbed the edges with the Sepia Ink using a foam brush. I also wrinkled up the Song then flattened out and lightly brushed the Sepia Ink over the top showing off the wrinkles.
I cut out the trees with the small detail sissors. I used the vellum trees as the top tree in two areas.
Glue the trees wherever you want them. I like a asymetrical design, but others must make even rows to be happy.
I had made some smudges with that iridescent ink, so I glued some sparkles on those areas to hide my mistakes and then added more because I liked the look.

First craft done. I have 99 left to do. Keep me company. Ask me questions and/or comments. You could even come out to do a few crafts together! How about a bird house making day before spring? Boy do I have some great supplies for bird houses!

Holidays on the Winchuck River

2010-11-29T11:13:00.000-08:00

It is now that period between holidays. We have time to zipper our mouths shut so that when Christmas does arrive, eating won't mean extra pounds. I managed to not make a total pig out of myself. I didn't have the usual hurt of too full of a belly like past Thanksgivings.

I cooked a fabulous Thanksgiving meal that I got out of Sunset Magazine. It was Mexican flavored; which proved delicious! We were fortunate to have 11 friends and family show up to gobble just like turkeys! Lynnette made pies like only Lynnette can and Lee brought a tradiitonal turkey just in case someone was offended by my creative urge to change tradition up a bit. Mary provided a couple wonderful salads. We drank wine, browsed for hours over the food topping everything off with pie, home-made ice cream and whipping cream.

I've used the holiday period to clean up the photos on my computer. What a mess!! I've been in the internet business for years, so you can imagine the product pictures I had both on the computer and in Photobucket! I've purged myself of all business photos and then made files on Photobucket that I can actually use to find the pictures. You can browse through my pictures on Photobucket by clicking on this link: http://s56.photobucket.com/albums/g181/winchuck65/

I can see that I was 65 years old when I set up Photobucket the first time. It has been four years of non-stop internet business. I have just made myself retire from everything so that I can care for my mother; who needs me full time. I did keep a lot of craft pictures that I can use when altering photos or creating projects on the computer or on paper.

Holidays are not the same for me as they were on the past. My own children have not managed to come up for Holidays for the past four years. Holidays used to mean family. There is a element of sadness that covers the old cheer of celebrating. I have learned that Jim's family is a nice subsitute for mine. Lynnette and Jim are so very helpful and kind to both Jim and I. We couldn't ask for more.

I will soon get out all my rubber stamps, papers, stickers and anything else that will work to create Christmas cards that show how much I really do care for my friends and family. I try to personalize the cards for each and everyone so that they can be saved and maybe even treasured. I have put pictures of the ones. Here is one I made for friends and one I made for a grandchild. I make such a mess doing these cards! The one I made for William is posted for you see. I know the kids love seeing themselves on cards part of a magical world.

Jim's kids will be up again in a couple of weeks. We will celebrate an early Christmas with them since they will be celebrating the holiday in San Jose and Sacramento. We do have to share them with other members of their family. I have bought their gifts already. I make sure that all gifts are connected somehow to their anticipated move up here one of these days. I gave them the two books I bought since I couldn't wait. Lynnette got one on how to gut a deer and Jim a mushroom identification book. Perfect for their new lives they will be lucky enough to have one of these years.

Taking a Day for Freedom

2010-11-18T10:27:00.000-08:00

Every Wednesday, Terisa comes to take care of my 92 yr. old mother. Jim and I escape into the people we used to be enjoying long hikes, a meal out and time to breath in and out without interruptions of someone else's needs.

Yesterday, we headed off to Crescent City just south of us. We explored the beach behind the airport where it is said one can find agates. We did find a few sugar agates, but nothing to gasp in wonder over. It is a nice long beach allowing for a good amount of walking. We could have walked to the mouth of the Smith River if we wanted to go that far....maybe if we could walk that far.

Our dog, Maggie, enjoyed trying with all her might to catch a seagull. Of course, she never succeeded, but she did manage to find a sea lion that had died and washed up on the beach. Horrors! Why do dogs love to roll in anything dead? I know all the stories of covering their own scent to be better hunters, but she lives in the comfort of a home with humans who do not need a stink to be impressed with her powers of being a mighty huntress.

We gobbled up fish and chips out on the point near the port where you can enjoy a meal while watching sea lions very much alive jockeying for space on the one lone pier where they are allowed to bask in the sun. Maggie had to stay in the car. She has never managed to be able to keep her dislike of being left alone without embarrassing wails that seem to go on forever.

One of our missions for the day was to purchase crown molding for the bedroom I just painted. We were surprised to find Home Depot charging almost double what our local Ace Hardware for the same crown molding! We made the stop at Walmart while we were close. I found two throw pillows to put on the bed accenting the new colors of beige/sea foam green/chocolate brown. I wasn't able to find the "right" throw for across the bed. It will have to wait for another Wednesday. You can tell from the picture, that we do not have an elegant bedroom. But, now it is clean and fresh. It had been a good 10 years since I had painted it.

I am covering a glass lamp shade with glass and stones in sea foam colors to replace the ceiling light that has been hanging for way too long! It is looking really good. I might take a picture to put here when the project is finished. I have to glue and then wait till the glue sets up before turning the shade to add more stones, so it is taking days instead of hours! I plan to search for a new table lamp at thrift stores or at a garage sale. It can wait until I find just the right one. I'm not willing to satisfy myself at a high cost. I can get a lamp for probably 5-10 dollars that originally sold for much more. I already have a great chocolate shade I found months ago for $2.00!!

You can see I am seldom profound. I think my post of a couple days ago was an example of a rare moment when I allowed myself to crawl under my skin to search out truths about myself that I am mostly too busy to bother with. I think the crawling under and around oneself is valuable. I am happy that I do manage to actually "think" every once in awhile.

Sometimes I wonder who reads my blog. I don't advertise it much to friends and family although I think they are the ones I write it for. It is much like a letter that I used to write back in the day when I actually wrote letters. I sometimes print it off to place in a special box waiting for my grandchildren to find after I am dead. I think it is important that they know who and what their grandmother was. I stick awards, pictures, membership cards etc in that box. They will hopefully see a true picture of what runs in their gene pool. While I am alive, it doesn't seem so important that they know these things. I think as adults, it will mean much more. I can't hope to live until then. My children were both 39 years old before they had children. I am old enough to be a great grandmother for them. I can almost see their faces as they explore this box. Everyone wants to know where they came from and what it might mean to their sense of who they are.

I had a great grandfather, who was one of the first to be in the United States Coast Guard. He later ran a light house on the Great Lakes. I think of who he had to be. He surely wasn't just a guy hanging out waiting for life to find a path for him. I had a grandfather who was a Salvation Army Officer along with my grandmother. He was good man doing what he could for those in need. I like knowing those things. It gives me hope for myself and who I might be. I had other great grandparents who journeyed across the ocean to find new lives here from Norway. It could not have been easy. I know my great grandmother had to work for a family in Chicago as a maid to pay off what it had cost for her passage. Her husband worked for 50 years at a foundry! Can you imagine working in a foundry for 50 years!! So, maybe it is easy to see why I find such a value in working hard.

Hmmm...am I getting profound?

Karen's Declaration of Independence

2010-11-16T11:33:00.001-08:00

I attended the Caregiver Support Meeting earlier this month where there was a presentation on dementia and Alzheimers. The flyer is here on the left. At this meeting we were given a lovely statement, "Esther's Declaration of Independence". I am choosing to use this statement as a guideline to create my own declaration.

Karen's Declaration of Independence

Look at me as someone special with all my quirks, mannerisms along with my personal accomplishments and also my failures. I have accumulated what I call myself throughout my years of living. Things have happened to me during these years to sometimes cause me to pause; only to have to recognize that I am forced to look at myself as a totally different person. Hurt, joys and and looking at reality has had their affect on what makes me the person I am today. I am not simply any person. I am uniquely my own person. I am the only one who has lived my life.

You cannot copy me. It is soley me who knows all what I have done and what I might still become. I am still becoming me. I am irreplaceable and invaluable never to be duplicated. Once I am gone from this life. I am gone forever except in how I have touched you. I might have shared laughter, love and regretably even anger and hurt with you. All the ways I have entered your life makes immortality possible. I will live forever in what you pass to others in your life; as what I have left in a touch or in a word is what helps make you who you are. Do you catch yourself making up a silly story to explain why something is to a child? Do you love feeling the life of freshly made bread dough? Is every plant worth saving and is it difficult to step on a bug or to turn away a dog in need? These may be just a few bits of me that I have left in your care. Maybe your voice reaches new levels when you are angry or you find yourself intolerant about intolerance. You may be in denial about transgressions you have made. These could just be what you have learned from me that isn't that wonderful. I have entered your soul. I have become part of what makes you who you are like it or not.

I plead my case not to be disgarded when I grow too old to care for myself. I will not be worn out, useless like a worn out sweater. Wear me with honor. Don't ignore me or talk down to me, over me or around me as if I am no longer present. I don't want to be babied, pampered or patronized. I will be good to the last drop. Enjoy me for as long as you have me in your life.

Don't waste me letting me have empty arms with unfulfilled hopes. I pray that I will live out my destiny in all of its fullness and hope the same for you. I wish for worth, dignity and achievement for there is always more to be done in life.

Remember I go this way but once. Want me, love me and let the ending be as gracious and loving as it was in the beginning when I first arrived. Thank you for hearing me. Thank you for letting me enter your life leaving behind bits and pieces of me to recognize as me living still well after I am gone.

I changed Esther's declaration up quite a bit. I have not had the same life as Esther. My declaration could not be the same.

This exercise added to my life. I am clearer as to what I need, what I wish for and who I even plan to become when I once again re-invent my life. I read recently that someone who lost a child knew they were no longer the same person. They had lost the basis of what made them who they were. Their old way of living didn't have meaning any longer. Life had to start again at the time of their loss to make sense. I understand that now. That is why we cannot always stay who we were previously comfortable with. Are we a mother even if we no longer have children? Can we base our very core on that description we held dear for so long if the child does no longer exist? We are now someone different. Our husbands can die or leave us. We are no longer wives. We wake up facing a new reality of who we are. Life is never the same. We hold on so tight only to see it change regardless of our effort. I'd like to say life goes on. We do breath in and out, but life hicups. It gives us pause. The going on is not done easily. We have to find a new path and new way to describe who we are. I may not want to be like an old sweater with all those "used to be me" knitted into each fiber. The old sweater may not be discarded, but it needs some new fiber knitted into the body so it fits better. I think if I look at myself hard enough, I can still see those old parts that may have been buried in re-invention of self. I have to believe the old descriptions helped build who I am today. The more recently created me is only making me fit the reality of where I am today. So, I am not like a worn out sweater, I am a sweater that gets new fiber knitted into it as the need arises. Sometimes, I wish the fit was just a bit more comfortable. Maybe with time the fibers won't bind. The fit will feel like it has always belonged. I think loss always leaves a space that cannot be knitted over with complete success. My sweater has those dropped stitches that I can see when no one else notices.

Don't Tempt Yourself

2010-10-22T08:51:00.001-07:00

Here I am with my friend, Elmo Williams. Elmo is 97 years old and still going very strong. Funny, I don't think Elmo looks any older than I do in this picture! Elmo just wrote a play that opened locally here in Brookings. I loved it; as it was all about what Elmo believes. He is a rare person, who has not lost his belief in the good in people. I have seldom heard him utter any remark showing his dislike for someone and he doesn't complain about life. Sure his knees hurt and I'm sure he feels old every once in awhile, but we don't hear about it. He isn't one to give an "organ recital". We ate lunch with two other friends up in Gold Beach at Rollin Dough. Thank you Laura and Geoff for driving us up there! Laura took the picture of Elmo and I. I am afraid that I didn't leave bread on my plate and I succumbed to a dessert that I shared with Elmo. At least I shared it. The moral of the story is for me to find other activities other than eating out! Apparently my self control does not exist!

Yesterday I met up with June Ruby-Bloom , our weight control coach, and some of those that are on the same diet plan as I am. It was good thing to hear what others are doing, how much weight they have lost and their goals for the future. It has slapped me across the head the reality that I need to stay on track and not to fool myself into thinking I can fool around with the fat in my gut. I need to just plain loose it!

Cora was so inspirational. She has lost 25 lbs. I could not believe the difference in her face alone! She is wearing a loose size 6 pants! I need to go where Cora has gone. She is dedicated to staying on the plan period. I fool myself into thinking I can eat a little of that and a little of this....but in reality she has succeeded and I have hung out with self satisfaction of being just thinner instead of as thin as I need to be! I will think, "Cora, Cora, Cora" whenever I head for the few almonds or the extra vegetables. At least I haven't found myself eating a peanut butter sandwich! Whew missed that bullet. Cora is a senior citizen like myself. If she can do it, I can! I can! I can!

We are meeting again next on November 10, at 2:00 at Mo Joe's on Chetco Avenue next to the theater. They have a conference room they let us sit in. I will be at least 5 lbs thinner at that next meeting! I am bringing a couple friends so they can see the possibilities for themselves.

It isn't raining this morning so I am soon to be out on the Winchuck River Road doing my three miles with our little Maggie. Maggie now expects to go for that walk; which is a good thing. I seldom will ignore the needs of my pets, but easily blow off what I need!

Jillian Michaels Kicked My Butt

2010-10-19T10:36:00.000-07:00

I did Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred video this morning learning that I am not any shape at all! I walked a total of 14 miles last week feeling pretty dern good about myself until Jillian woke me up with her kick butt workout.

It has been at least ten minutes since being in the living room making a fool of myself with an effort to follow this video. My legs are still wobbling about as I walk into the kitchen to get another glass of water.

I have decided that sweat is a good thing, so the fact that I stink is no problem at all. It is that I know just how far I must go before I can say, "Yes, I am fit". I may never have a rock hard body like Jillian. After all, I am almost 70 years old. I imagine that the skin will still flutter while riding a motorcycle down the highway or catching a breeze at the beach. I don't even think in terms such as "rock hard" when it comes to my body. I have a goal to be fit. Fit will have to take into account that I am a senior citizen.

I will not give up. I believe that if I do this video 10 times within a reasonable time period, I will see that the legs hold up longer and maybe one glass of water will be enough to recover. I can still feel my calves feeling like mush as I sit here. Let's see what I have to say about Jillian's torture next time! LOL

The Pleasure Wearing a Size 8

2010-10-18T10:48:00.000-07:00

I had a luncheon to attend on Saturday, where spiffing it up a bit was a requirement. I pulled on my rather new Ann Taylor black slacks in size 12 to find that I could not wear them. They were not only baggy, they looked awful! I was upset facing the wardrobe challenge in front of me, but being pleased with being too small for the pants. I found another pair of pants that passed making only minor changes to what I was wearing necessary.

I am a three minute woman. I wash, slather on a layer of makeup, grab something to wear and out the door I go. I had to ponder, plan and work much harder on the end result than I am used to. Change is uncomfortable even if it is good change.

After the luncheon, I stopped at our local CC's Consignment Shop knowing they would have a good selection of pants to choose from. I was right. There were several pair of black pants to try on. I chose some 10's and one pair of size 8. Ya sure, size 8 was only a dream! To my surprise, the size 8 pants fit perfectly! I didn't even put on the size 10's. Needless to say, my husband and anyone else that came within ear shot heard about the size 8 pants. I was on cloud 9!

I am no longer round. I am no longer pudgy. I am no longer wearing long sweaters or jackets to hide the truth of who I am. I still could loose a few pounds in my middle. But, I am no longer feeling unhealthy and unfit.

I walked 5 miles on Wednesday, 2 miles on Friday and Sunday and today I walked 3 miles. My two miles can now be 3 and my 5 can be further if I want it to be. The only bread I've had this last week was the wrap on the luncheon plate sandwich. I don't miss bread, but I do miss fruit; which I am about to re-introduce in my diet this week. I've only had a few blueberries in a shake once in awhile. Now, I plan to eat an apple from my orchard enjoying every bite! I want an apple before the bears find them.

On my walk this morning I saw two large bear piles along the road. Bears don't digest very well showing off clearly what they last ate. Our local bears have been eating local apples! Not mine, thank you. Mr. Bear, go find someone else's apples. Mine are taken!

I made a plan to walk to Gold Beach, a town 25 miles North of me. I am almost there! Now I will plan to walk to Port Orford; which is 50 miles North of me. The trail will go on until I reach Washington State. Maybe by then I can plan to walk to the East Coast! I love walking with our little Maggie. Maggie loves the walks as much as I do sniffing the local wild life, and finding interesting left behinds from the bears and deer.

I'll plan another "short" walk tomorrow and then on Wednesday; I am going to Gold Beach (in a car) with two friends for lunch at Rollin in Dough. We all know how fabulous Rollin in Dough is!! I bet even their lowest calorie dishes will be to die for.

Onward marching I shall go forward with my mouth kept in check and body moving as much as the old bones will go!

Just How Far Can I Walk?

2010-10-15T11:10:00.001-07:00

I made the five mile walk up the Winchuck River Road with hardly any sweat; which clearly means I need to step up what I expect from myself. I did a two mile walk today trying to increase my speed. It also was easy for me. I can feel myself improving on a daily basis! I wonder just how far I can walk and still feel pretty good? I will do 6 miles next Wednesday and if that feels OK, I will increase it by a mile each Wednesday until enough is enough. On other days, I will do the two miles time permitting or I will be sure to get no less than 30 minutes of something cardio every day. I have that dreaded treadmill, 4-5 videos and my Wii Fit. I can keep busy!

I am still not able to start the weight loss again. I know this happens to everyone at some point, so I am just holding on waiting for the weight to start falling off again. I will not quit. That is not an option. I am drinking over 8 glasses of water a day since reading that it can increase your ability to loose weight. No worries, I won't drink enough to hurt me.

I used my new hand weights yesterday and watched what I ate. I didn't eat over my 1200 calories. I went to bed hungry. I decided that feeling hungry is a positive instead of a signal to stuff something into my mouth. I plan to feel hunger in my life without feeling the need that has always gone hand and hand with that pang in my stomach. One doesn't have to eat just because your body tells you that it wants to. Get over it, Karen.

Taking a shower the other day, I realized that I didn't recognize my legs. They belong to the new me....the thinner me! I wear smaller t shirts that hug my body without showing off disgusting rolls around my middle. I have lost most of my excess midriff. I still have a belly, but that will also leave. I wonder if my toes will get thinner. Does that happen?

I took a necklace that hung all wrong with the weight loss and removed some of the links. It worked and now I don't have to give it away as I had planned. It fits the thinner me.

I am aware that I am hungry as I type this. It must be the walk that used up the shake and bar that I had earlier. I will drink two glasses of water to see if the feeling leaves. If it doesn't, I will find pleasure knowing that hungry means thinner. It isn't a bad thing to be hungry. I will not submit to instant gratification. I have a backbone. I can be in control of what I do.

I am going to a luncheon tomorrow. I will not eat the dessert! I will not! I will give it to someone before I take a bite. I will not eat the roll and I will not eat anything unless I can look at it and know it will be a healthy choice and not a crap choice. I look forward to the fashion show. Maybe it will even encourage this "diet" of mine. I won't be buying any new clothes until I find myself at a good weight where I feel good, pass my cholestroel test and before my skin is hanging around my ankles. I am not going to be obsessive about my weight. I will be obsessive about being fit and healthy whatever weight that is.

I have bought some clothes at the thrift store. I haven't lost my need to have fun looking for bargains. They were things that will fit now and later like a pull over silk sweater and pull on cool lime colored linen pants to wear on hot days. I love loose linen pants that allow the breeze to float up and around. They were size 10. I believe that I will be wearing an 8 when I am through...possibly a 6, but that might be thinner than I need to be.

More later. Come back to see my progress. Holding pattern at the moment.

Taking a Walk on the Wild Side

2010-10-13T08:11:00.000-07:00

The person on the far right is me at age 17 with my girlfriends. Look at that body! It is now approximately 50 years later. Where did the original me go?

I am getting myself ready for a 5 mile walk this morning. I figure that 2.5 miles is easy enough so I'll walk up river until I get that far. Maggie will enjoy sniffing her way along; if I don't end up dragging her because I'll be walking so fast! LOL That will be the day. Maggie has more energy than she knows what to do with.

I will need to get home somehow, so I will huff and puff my way back the 2.5 miles home. I'd love to take a trail into the woods, but something in my old mind keeps thinking about turning my ankle, Maggie getting hurt or a cougar following us and just what would I do about it if I was alone, unseen and unfound? Those anxious feelings will keep me on the road. Ten years ago, I would head into unknown territory without hesitation. Am I wiser or am I just more chicken? The Winchuck River Road is beautiful going up river, but Mags will have to stay on a leash all the way in case a lumber truck or a late riser deciding to go into town zooms by.

Salmon season has ended so our daughter will be heading back to the Bay Area. Jim will be free to take a hike with me then. Fishing always comes first in this family. Jim will willingly go into the woods with me and Mags. One of our favorite places is Wheeler Creek, where you can end up at the only place the Japanese bombed the United States in WWII. That can be next week.

Meantime, I will be safe alone on the road or at least some place where someone might notice me sitting crying because I turned that right ankle again. Funny how once you turn an ankle pretty bad, that ankle will hang on the rest of your life just waiting for a slight mistake in footing. It crunches and brings tears to my eyes each and every time. If I wait a few minutes, I often have no problem walking on it, but it is sore for a week or two afterwards. My fear is that one of these days, it won't let me walk like when I fell stepping into the boat 20 some years ago. Our first lab, Molly, sat in the boat with me while I laid there unable to move for at least an hour. Jim helped me hobble to the car. I had to fly to Indiana for a furneral a few days later. Without 500 mg of Tynenol, I could not have made that trip.

I read a list of ways to burn 500 calories per hour on the web this morning. It was funny that I can not possibly do any of those activities such as play squash for an hour, run at some impossible pace, or get on a bike and ride faster than I can drive our road. I guess my fate is to burn no more than 100 or so calories per hour and be satisfied that I can still do that! Just to walk 5 miles will be enough satisfaction for one day.

I received my heart monitor and hand weights I ordered. I have to set up the heart monitor this morning so I can see if I get my heart rate up to where the walking is actually a cardio workout. Somehow, I now look at sweat as a good thing. It usually means I am at the level of movement I need to be. I'm leaving the hand weights home for today. Can you imagine huffing up that last hill towards home lugging those things? I can't. My fat *** will be enough to haul up the hill.

Have a good think-thin day on me!

Travels to Thin

2010-10-11T11:56:00.000-07:00

I'm going to use the blog to write down my random skinny thoughts while on my journey to be thinner.

Yesterday, I got to walk on the beach since the bar was closed for ocean fishing. Jim was home to watch my mom. When I got home an hour later, the bar opened. Mags and I did our 1.58 miles from the parking place to the Winchuck River and back to the car. Walking the beach is so much easier than using the treadmill. I can get off that treadmill any time; which at the beach I have to get back to the car + I have to go to the bathroom like crazy making me hurry as fast as I can.

I meet up with Mary pictured above on most early morning walks. You can see that she is in pretty good shape. These morning walks are amazing and so good for me and also for Mags, my canine companion. I plan to double up the walk as 1.58 miles only takes approx. 30 minutes. I need to walk for an hour to burn more fat and calories.

Today, Jim got out on the water early so I was forced into getting on the treadmill. I find it boring. I also need to move a lamp, so I have a clear view of the TV screen. Something has to make it better. I can't leave my mom alone to do what I wish I could. I plan to use a DVD of Jillian Michaels on days I have to stay home, but could not find the controller to the DVD! Hopefully, Jim will know where it is. I want to work out in the living room where I have more room and also mom won't be in her chair snickering at me. I cannot stand snickers from my mother just like I couldn't stand it when I was a kid. Some people love making fun of others...remind me not to do it! It is hard to jump around sweating like a pig knowing how clumsy you are looking and listening to someone laughing at you. Some day, when I am skinny and fit, maybe I will feel differently??? LOL

I'm doing good watching my intake of food today. I left my log book open on the counter so I can write down everything that goes in my mouth. That certainly helps and keeps me from lying to myself. I'm good at that.

Since August 25th, I have lost 1 inch around my waist and 4 inches on my hips. No wonder my pants feel baggy in the butt! They are!! Yae!!

I'll come back in a day or two to update my travels to the thin side of the world.

Weight today 143 Goal Weight 122

A Journey to a Skinny Me

2010-10-09T08:40:00.000-07:00

June Ruby-Bloom Before

June Ruby-Bloom Looking Good

in size 6 pants! She started with size 12!

I was introduced to a Take Shape For Life by June Ruby-Bloom (pictured above), who I have known for a couple years here in Brookings, OR. June isn't quite as old as me, but she suffered from that dreaded midriff bulge that we often find as part of being a senior citizen. I laugh when I think of becoming a box. Being short at 5'3", it doesn't take much to get me to look square with my boobs, midriff, waist and hips all becoming the same size around.

It didn't take the inner scientist in me to see that the product she was using worked. The before and after pictures told it all. I took the leap into dealing with that dern midriff of mine. I ordered the product and found that it didn't taste yucky like I thought it would. I wasn't hungry following the plan and that energy that I am infamous for remained intact.

In the first weeks, I lost weight amazingly fast getting down 18 pounds and most of it seemed to come off of that tire I was carrying around my middle. Sure, now that the initial weight has fallen off, my weight loss has slowed down. I am now committed to an exercise program that will help get me to that next level. My goal is to loose 15-20 more pounds. Don't worry, I will stop before my old skin starts gathering around my ankles.

I discovered that square women lack owning belts. Why would we emphasize our middle? I found my pants feeling like they would fall off whether they would or not...the feeling was there. I had to buy a belt after wearing Jim's belt one day to get my pants from feeling too big. I really don't plan to purchase new clothing before I end up where I want to be. I'll just gather it up with my two new cute belts that I found at Ross for Less at approximately $20 for both.

I wore one of the belts last night and was delighted to notice that even with the belt, you could see that the pants were baggy on me! I love baggy at this point. Baggy is a statement of success!

My jackets can now be zippered up without disclosing what I use to hide. I am no longer the open jacket queen often including a scarf hanging down to elongate my look and hide the bulge above my pants. Last night I wanted to wear this over sized necklace that I love. It appeared too big...too much for me and hung differently no longer content to lie across my upper chest. It wanted to hang lower. I didn't end up wearing it and think it will be a gift for someone larger than me! I don't have the necessary shelf for it to sit on.

I'm not interested in selling any product, but I do want to share my success. If it looks like a good choice for you, I'm sure June would be pleased to sign you up.

I am due to go for a check up with the doctor in about 9 weeks. I plan to pass my cholestrol test with flying colors. I will not need to take stantons if I can help it! I will not follow in my family tradition of developing diabetis because we would rather eat than be healthy. The tradition stops with me. I am already beating the loss of bone mass. I am active. I do many things that are weight bearing and I credit my active lifestyle for not copying my mother's severe bone loss. Her bone images look like spider webs! I have no bone loss in my hips and only slightly in my lower back; which the doctor says is normal for my advanced age. I plan to keep the old bones as solid as possible.

We all die, but I plan to die healthy as can be. I will die because it is time; not because I didn't care enough to do my best with the life I have been given. Amen

I will keep you updated on my progress and post a before and after picture soooooon!

Finding Health Information on the Internet

2010-08-18T07:56:00.000-07:00

Many of the students in our last class on Helping you Find Health Information on the Internet were amazed on how much they learned. I had several comments on the ease of learning just how the internet works and how to move around on it.

Each student is provided with a binder that holds handouts of each class, so when you get home, you can simply review the class when you need to.

Some of us as seniors find new technology like computer surfing on the net way beyond what we think we can do.

This class is designed especially for those who find themselves stuck in the last century!

You are never too old to attend this class. We had students in their 90's.

Being able to find help about what ails us makes us have more power over just exactly we have done about it. I for one, don't like handing my life over to anyone. I feel better when I can ask intelligent questions about health choices I may have.

I'm looking forward to teaching another class and hope anyone wanting this class will show up. It is after all FREE and you can't get much better than that!

Mondays 10:00-12:00

Southwestern Community College

420 Alder

Brookings, Oregon

behind Abby Shopping Center

541-469-5017

Summer Fun on the Winchuck

2010-08-05T08:53:00.001-07:00

Summer has never really arrived here on the Southern Oregon Coast. We were teased with a few warm days; only to be covered with early morning fog and mild temperatures the rest of the day. I think it was maybe 65 degrees yesterday. Lovely weather really, but my tomatoes would love a bit of hot.

I'm having a party on Saturday celebrating the summer that maybe will never come. Getting up early this morning, I have already started a large pot of baked beans, made the marinating sauce for the lamb and started putting together Frog Eye Salad. Frog Eye Salad is always a hit no matter where I serve it. I haven't made it for at least five years, so I'm going to eat way too much of it myself!

We are having lamb, salmon, tuna, Frog Eye Salad and baked beans with lots of different recipes of Sangria along with vegetables, fruits and desserts that guest show up with. I might make some pizzas to grill also. I believe a party should be a feast full of unique foods to graze on throughout good conversation, sitting in the expected sunshine and wondering our garden...and maybe playing with the few dogs that always show up. I love seeing piles of friends and family. It makes me feel like maybe the hostess with the mostest.

Frog Eye Salad is made with Acini Pepe pasta, Mandarin oranges, tiny marshmellows, coconut, dream whip, custard made with pineapple juice, sugar and eggs, cherries, and lots of pineapple. My recipe makes enough for 40 people; which means we can all have a lot of it! It slides down easily causing an urge for another bite....another bite with the urge just never satisfied. My husband just helped himself to the custard pasta mix. I have to hurry to get it put away, but I need to cool off the custard mix before adding it to the cool whip.

I've decided this summer to "really" retire. I'm just going to have to take the remainder of my inventory from years of selling on the internet and give it to friends for gifts, donate it, and have garage sales until it is GONE never to appear again! I want to spend time taking care of my home like I think of myself doing and just don't do. I have desire to paint rooms in new colors, redecorate our bedroom, make some fun things that I just never get around to like cement leaves from my large Gunera plant and creating a garden lady from the mannequin I got for free. I'm holding her upright with a tall piece of rebar, wrapping her with chicken wire being careful to keep her shape and then covering her with a mix of cement and peat moss. I will paint her with buttermilk so she should grow moss if I remember to water her and become a real surprise around the corner on the path at the back of our pond.

Maybe I will embed some jewels into her ....she will be a fun project.

Well off to create more mess in the kitchen and at past nine in the morning, I am getting very eager for breakfast....pasta and custard is too sweet for me this early, so a bowl of cereal will have to do.

Staying Aware Regarding Long Term Care

2010-06-29T08:27:00.000-07:00

In Long-Term Care every residents has the following rights:

Quarterly Care Plan
Medical information on their condition
Visitors of choice
Nurse 24 hour service in Nursing Homes
Service Plan
Financial billing information
Level of function maintained or better

I think we often think that residents of Long-Term Care do not have rights. We place them in a Residential Care Facility because they are not safe living at home or we can't give them the care they need at home. We sometimes think we can keep Aunt Alice from visiting because she may upset the resident only to realize that Aunt Alice is very important for the resident to visit with. She was part of their normal life before being placed in Long-Term Care. It is the resident's right to choose who they visit with not ours.

We make decisions about medical information not considering that the patient has the right to know what is going on. We sell their home, pack up their treasures to pay for the cost of Long-Term Care without consulting with the loved one. We don't want to bother them with such tedious details, but they have a right to know how much the facility is billing them and where the money is coming from to pay the bills.

We can't assume that lying prone in bed is the future for our loved one. They may require physical therapy to be able to sit up again. It is important that everything is done to help them regain their health to the best of our ability. Sure, people don't always get better and they may even die, but just sitting there waiting for death is not an option in most cases.

I am amazed how little we expect from Long-Term Care facilities just because we are ignorant of the rules and regulations that govern these facilities. We assume because it is much easier than learning these regulations so that we can be an advocate for our loved one that is placed in such a facility.

I learned the hard way when I ignorantly placed my mother in a Long-Term Facility. I assumed they had her best interest in their hearts. The heart ended up being translated into the financial gain they could realize from my mother if they kept her at the lowest of all expectations. If one needs full assist on anything, it means the institution makes more money than partial assist or no assist. I found her being drugged into "full assist" as it is hard to do much when you are made into being unable to do the easiest of task, because you simply cannot wrap your mind around much when you are drugged.

I was frustrated feeling in my gut that all was not as I wished. I started asking questions and learning more. Needless to say, my mother now lives with me in our home. I took all her mind altering drugs from her and she came back to mostly only partial assist or no assist on her latest evaluation.

We can't assume. Be active in the lives of those we have in Long-Term Care. Like our children in grade school, you will find more satisfaction the more you are involved. You will know what is going on. You may be pleased at what you find out as there are many very fine facilities, but for every good facility, there is one that is in it simply to make money taking shortcuts to realize the highest profit. One of the facilities I am aware of spends $1.14 per resident per day on food. Can you imagine what these meals must consist of or do not consist of!

If you ask for the State Survey from a Long-Term Care facility, they are obligated to show it to you. It will show you what the latest state survey team found when they investigated the business. Take a look. You might find an infraction of a nurse not being on duty for 24 hours in a Nursing Home; which is against the rules. You might find feeding tubes not being implemented as to the regulations. Most often is the fact that call lights are not responded to forcing someone to wet their beds. How humiliating this has to be! Be an advocate for your loved one placed in Long-Term Care. They need your love and your support. Look on the bulletin board to see a flyer giving the name and the number for the State Certified Ombudsman assigned to the facility. Call her/him. Get to know just how they can help you be the advocate you must be.

Long Term Care Ombudsman Musings

2010-06-26T07:30:00.000-07:00

June started off with presenting my information on Culture Change in Long Term Care at our local Care Connection Meeting headed up by Liz Cohen. I was surprised to see how many showed up and the way they seemed to eat up the information! It was a lively meeting with many comments by the audience. I love it when I can see sparks flying through a group knowing that they won't soon forget some of what I find worth sharing.

I have been energized by that Ombudsman weekend in Portland. My next step is to share my workshop on abuse in long term care. Abuse is such a gray issue. Sometimes I find myself not sure whether something should be reported or not. When in question, report. That gives the question to those much more qualified to decide whether abuse has taken place. I will share this next presentation once I get it typed up here on my blog.

We have a new Long Term Care facility here in Brookings, Oregon community. Sea View is like entering a fine hotel with a huge gathering place immediately upon crossing the front door. There are always groups of people at the many tables. Some are investigating whether or not to take up residency and some are residents enjoying getting together over lunch or listening to a talk or performance that has been brought in.

My friend Elmo Williams told me yesterday that he had given a talk there. Elmo is someone who recognizes good food and his report on the food was heartening. I find that I often do not even recognize what residents are being served in some facilities and here the food is presented as if it were a nice restaurant. I hope in a year or two I won't witness the food becoming much the same as anywhere else. I would love the cooks in all Long Term Care facilities to go to Sea View for lunch to see what is possible.

As an Ombudsman I need to stay objective. I will stay alert and not assume that all is perfect just because the food and facility is pretty!

Chetco Inn, a Residential Care Facility, is having a pot luck today. I've been invited to bring my mother. I think we will swing by as I hear it is always a good time. I like to see my residents having a good time.

The least favorite thing about being a Certified Ombudsman is writing up the reports. I find if I keep a running commentary on my computer with dates and times, I can assess whether a report should be written up along with notes about my residents helps me remember them and special information to help me serve them better. I feel good getting to know everyone better the more experience I have.

While I was at Sea View the other day, I sat in Memory Care with a resident sharing a cup of coffee and just chatting mostly about what she wanted to talk about. I feel I know her in a personal way. If I saw her at the grocery store, I would now feel she was like a neighbor eager to greet her and even give her a sincere hug. I'd like to have relationships like that with each and every resident I represent.

I have a male resident at one of my facilities that initially pretty well told me where I could go in no uncertain terms. Through meeting with him several times now, I feel he now even likes me and I have learned to like him. I think I might be a bit testy if I had lost my ability to communicate effectively and was stuck in a wheel chair somewhere I didn't really want to be. It is always good to put myself in their shoes before I go off thinking they don't deserve my attention.

I am sharing this stuff on my blog in a casual manner using no names or private information so that you out there bothering to read this might just spend some of your time being a friend for someone in long term care. Everyone deserves a best friend to off load on or just share with. Wouldn't it be special if each long term care resident had a "best friend"? The sad truth is many of them have no family, no friends and find themselves staring at the walls wondering why life ended up like it has. Now, some are still very much involved with life making the best of their situation and maybe even choosing to be where they are. Not all are suffering, but many are. I see dull eyes, lack of interest in much while hating the food, resenting sitting for way too many hours with nothing to do that interest them and missing their former lives. As human beings I feel we have a mission to make life better for those in need. I hope you find yourself motivated to stop by your local "old age home" to volunteer. Thanks for doing this! We never know if we will be one of them any day now.

Culture Change Movement in Long Term Care

2010-06-04T07:48:00.000-07:00

I recently attended a meeting in Portland, OR, regarding long term care as an Oregon State Certified Ombudsman for Long Term Care. There is a movement in long term care to make long term care change from just caring for a resident into having the resident experience life much like they did before being forced into having others care for them. Residents haven't changed from who they were all their lives just because they are now living in an "institution". This movement addresses residents as individuals instead of the usual group getting all the same food, activities, care and environment. Here are some of the ideas I heard as suggestions for making this change for residents of long term care.

Life story questionnaire is a way to get to know each resident about their lives before long term care. How did they spend their day? What was their joy?

* Favorite music
* Favorite meals
* What did they see all day at home?
* did they have house cats?
* Were there live plants in their homes?
* did they enjoy a fish tank?

Some of the best practices to make a day better for long-term-care residents is to remember:

* Patience is needed
* Make repetitive - repeating is really O.K.
* Answer as first time you have been asked the question. Keep it fresh
* Jokes in morning set mood for the day
* Agitation spreads so defuse it before it goes further
* Validate even senseless. Everyone needs to be validated no matter what else is going on.
* Coloring outside the lines just fine as perfection is not really that important

Games:

* O’ho
* Roll dice to spots
* Trivia
* Songs
* Life style stories
* Grab bag poetry
* Good news stories

Activities:

* Garden time
* Walks
* Bible study
* Pet therapy
* Interact with music
* Laughing Yoga

Restorative Activities

* Blend home in the institution.
* Therapeutic needs
* Entertaining
* Meaningful fun that suits residents
* Geared for options and abilities
* Create what they want
* Know what builds their soul
* Life enrichment Dept.: Laughter, fun and interacting with purpose

Other things that can make life like it was before someone had to be a resident of a facility

* Choice as to when residents get up i.e.: 7:30-9:30
* Buffet style meals instead of trays
* Consistent staffing with staff meetings sharing ideas in a learning circle
* I also read that having a staff member be assigned to a resident as a "best friend" can make life have more meaning. We all need a best friend even when old and sick.

Small group activities that:

* Engage
* Innovative
* Inspire

Here are some fun activities that bring smiles and a sense of what life was before being in long-term-care

* Pie eating contest
* Dog shows
* Brewing beer
* Wine tasting
* Pajama day for staff
* Make dog biscuits
* Have car washes
* Husk corn
* Make salads
* Make pies

* Have evening activities. Not everyone wants to just sit in front of the TV or go to bed. Older adults do have social lives and activities after dark when they are home. They should also have this pleasure in long term care.

Volunteers need purpose to keep them, so don't give them silly meaningless activities. I have volunteered often where I know if I were to stop tomorrow, no one would even miss me. Make the volunteer an important member of the team and they will stay.

Have more moments

* On the day of each resident's birthday have the resident have their own gift and their own cake. In "real" life we don't have a group birthday cake at the beginning of the month. We wake up to the joy of our own special day. Residents of long term care deserve the same.

We all need something to:

* To do
* To care for
* Care about
* To love
* To hope for

In Foster Homes some of the activities could be:

* Real life activities like polishing the silver, combing the dog etc
* Scrabble
* Cooking fun where "usual" life returns
* Copy what we do at our homes like making a bed, feeding the bird and more
* Ask residents what they like and incorporate those likes into their lives

Pacific Antique Mall Brookings, Oregon

2010-06-03T09:24:00.000-07:00

I bought some racks from Mory's stationary/art store; which is going out of business. They are the perfect racks for displaying Elmo's many pieces of art and movie memorabilia. They were originally made to display water color paper, so now they display completed art. I hung some of our throws on the side. They are 30 per cent off; which is a real bargain! That orange one would make a perfect wrap to wear over a swim suit as it is light, soft and washable!
Elmo is blessed to have spent years in other countries collecting beautiful items along his travels. This carving can be dated anywhere between 1500-1700's. It is the Muse of Music; which hung in a series of panels across the walls of Oxford University.

My husband was good enough to hang some trim to hold enough of Elmo's storyboards to show how interesting they are. We have many for sale all signed by Elmo. The storyboards were drawn by Hubner Mentor, who also drew the storyboards for Ben Hur. They were created for the movie, The Longest Day.
Elmo gave me this lovely shelf from France. Someday it will find a special place in my home, but I still need it to display many of Elmo's china pieces. You can see the majolica along with other fine collectibles.

This is what the booth #141 looks like that hold mostly Elmo's inventory. I also have some of my inventory mixed in with his and vice versa.

You will find this at the far right side of the area before Elmo's area. I have his menus here on the wall that are very collectible and wonderful kitchen or restaurant wall art. Remember to get a letter from Elmo if you purchase anything of his. I often have the letters with product, but that isn't always possible. Ask Dick of Dee at the Mall, if you don't have a letter with anything you purchase. It will add value and collectible value. They know where I keep those letters.
Looking to the far left across the middle of the larger booth. You can see there is rustic decor, floral items, home accessories and even some handcrafted items. I am selling Forest Angels made by a local Yurok Indian, Lena Hurd. They are just to the left of that large cabinet hanging on a little fir tree.
This is a close up of the far left corner. I see pillows, antique frame, a fine antique cast iron light, Elmo's cast iron dog candle holders from the 1700's and much more! That statue in the corner was purchased by Elmo while in the South Pacific making a movie. It won first place at an art show. Elmo had to wait an extra day for the art show to close so he could pick up his purchase.

I've been at PAC for just about a month and am very pleased at the sales Elmo and I have made! I am looking forward to summer-time business when the tourist descend on Brookings for cooler weather and excellent fishing just off shore!

We had over 4 inches of rain up the Winchuck River, where I live, yesterday, so I bet those women visiting headed for the stores helping to boost my effort to finally retire! I need to clear out my inventory. I took these pictures to show you how our booths look at Pacific Coast Antique Mall.

I found the following report showing not quite the 4 inches my neighbor reported measuring, but we made a national record for rain! I almost wore a snorkle going into town yesterday to take the grandchildren to the movies! I actually hydroplaned on wet road heading down river...the kids did a collective gasp, but old grandma gained control and continued safely into town. We sure enjoyed watching the action-packed, Prince of Persia!

WEATHER EXTREMES:

HIGHEST TEMPERATURE (DEGREES F)..........................102 Pecos, TX

HIGHEST HEAT INDEX (DEGREES F)..................108 Brownsville, TX

LOWEST TEMPERATURE (DEGREES F)................30 Leadville, CO

LOWEST WIND CHILL (DEGREES F)...................-7 Santa Rosa, CA

HIGHEST WIND GUST (MPH)..........................62 Macomb, IL

HIGHEST PRECIPITATION (INCHES)....................2.34 Brookings, OR

Walking The Dogs Up The Winchuck River

2010-05-30T08:37:00.001-07:00

this Morning I received a newsletter from Ceasar, The Dog Whisperer, http://www.cesarsway.com/askcesar/cesarspeaks/Go-the-distance-Hiking-with-your-dog reminding me of the joy of hiking with our dogs up trail close to our home here on the Winchuck River in Southern Oregon. I hope you spend a moment reading the link to this post. It might just inspire you to get out there yourself re-connecting to nature while giving your dog some real joy! The picture above is myself with Marley, our Wired Hair Pointing Griffon who MUST run to have a complete life.

Myself again with both Marley and Maggie. Maggie is half Jack Russell and half German Shorthair. Can you imagine having that much energy? I certainly cannot. I appreciate her outlook on life going for the most at all times! If we could channel her makeup, we might just get our task done each and every day with time to spare! Look at that beauty of early spring forest!

The challenges for us old folk is hopping over rushing creeks. I wore boots this day, but prefer my hiking shoes so I don't really want to wade across. It is good for us keeping us able and moving even at our advanced ages. I am 69 and Jim is 72. We know many people that cannot imagine walking as far as we do and stop at the first creek...even those younger than us! It amazes me how we can put limits on ourselves that just don't make sense! Move it or loose it!

I love this regal picture of Marley seemingly on point high on a fallen tree. Staying home throwing a ball across the lawn just can't compare with getting up close and personal with our surrounding nature with Marley using her nose to find special smells not available in her home life.

You can see that I could walk further and faster to loose a few soft areas I have gathered on my body in old age. The dog treat bag is my fashion accessory; along with a whistle and a dog clicker. I look at all dog activities as a training session of sorts. The dogs are expected to come on call, sit and then get a reward. My training is to keep the heart rate up, breath deeply and take in my environment. I like to stay in the moment, enjoying the silence of the woods; while giving my dogs pure joy.

Living Up The Winchuck In May

2010-05-28T07:56:00.000-07:00

This is our favorite hike with the dogs. Chimney Rock or Wheeler Creek trail is like walking through a magical forest. We seldom encounter another person enjoying the peace of the woods; while the dogs follow their noses to a state of wonderful exhaustion. This is just a short distance up river from where we are fortunate to live.
May is the most beautiful month here on the Winchuck. The Rhodies start popping and the wisteria hangs in abundant glory.
We recently transplanted our back slope with four additional rhodies. They have reached full bloom. This morning the hill is in full sun ablaze with red, pink and lavender. The rose on the back shed is now in bloom. I transplanted a rose to find that the wild rose root stock is what I ended up with. I love all things wild, so it is happy decorating our shed.

The little object in the center of the shed is a bird house that shows us the level of the water we have left. It goes up as the water goes down. It is handy to check to see whether one of our pipes has been knocked apart by a deer or the catch boxes up the creek needs cleaned out. It is great to have a man with an engineering mind. Living in rural Oregon means that you might have more than one way of getting water. We have catch boxes up the creek out back along with a well. We don't use the well, but feel good that we have a back up if needed. Pipes run the along our fence around our property to carry any water that is not needed that is used to water our garden. We manage to have green grass even by late summer.

This weekend is not only the end of May, but the beginning of summer life here on the Wild River's Coast of Southern Oregon. We will now have to wait an extra minute to pull out on a road, with the influx of tourist who return to enjoy our mild weather, good fishing, and beautiful flowers. We are known for our flowers and fauna along with salmon fishing.

I will share pictures of our Aspen Grove soon. It is our retreat in warm weather. You can find us there in late afternoon sipping boxed wine with our feet up gazing across the valley talking about how happy we are to live here and how exhausted we are from having way too much fun gardening, fishing or hiking with the dogs.

Pacific Antique Mall Brookings, Oregon

2010-05-27T07:37:00.000-07:00

Here are just a few of the items that Elmo Williams has for sale at the Pacific Antique Mall in #141. I will update this blog often showing new items that we have placed in the mall. This set of antique copper pans is not in our #141 space, but elsewhere in the mall. They were purchased in Europe during the period that Elmo worked for Fox Studios as European Productions chief.
Elmo found this lovely antique copper sink while working with Kirk Douglas and Tony Curtis on the movie The Vikings. Just a bit of trivia that Elmo shared about the movie was that the children running across the field to greet returning Vikings. The children are Michael Douglas, Jamie Lee Curtis and Elmo's daughter. It was a late minute decision to have the children in the scene so they used the only children they had on set.
Tony Quinn and Elmo worked well together. Elmo got a letter from Tony expressing that he was looking forward to working together again. We also have a Quashi-Quai Runner measuring 14"6" x 3'6" for sale at the mall that was purchased while filming the movie, Caravans. Along with this movie still, we also have one of Jennifer O'Neill and a few others, including the Press Package for Caravans.
You will be delighted to see the selection of storyboards for Tora Tora Tora we have for sale that have been signed by Elmo enhancing their collecting value. Mentor Huebner was the artist that drew most of the storyboards. We also have a set of 10 storyboards drawn by the Japanese.

Mentor Huebner (19 July 1917 Los Angeles, California - 19 March 2001 Burbank, California ) was a leading Hollywood production illustrator who did storyboards , production art and creative concepts for more than 250 films, including King Kong (1976), Blade Runner (1982) and Francis Ford Coppola's Dracula (1992).

His early work was uncredited on Fiddler on the Roof (1971), The Time Machine (1960), Ben-Hur (1959), North by Northwest (1959), Forbidden Planet (1956), Quo Vadis (1951).

Trying to Find Retirement in Brookings, Oregon

2010-05-24T08:42:00.001-07:00

I've closed my website for Winchuck River Store, pulled out of a local shop where I was selling and compromised by placing my items in an antique mall where working time is minimal. I can now spend more time with mom, work in my garden and enjoy our home near Brookings, Oregon.

The reason for all of this movement or lack of movement is that I brought my mother home from Long-Term-Care. She was on 5 mind altering drugs. I had lost all trust that she was taken care of in a dignified and even sound medically manner. I am now responsible for the care of my mother. I have hired a friend to watch over her when I need to leave; which is working out very well.

My mother's "sitter" loves to chatter and mom loves her for chattering. What a union made in Heaven! Taking all but one mind altering drug away from mom has restored her memory and level of function. She is no longer in need of "memory care"!

I have become a Ombudsman for the state of Oregon as a result of my frustration and need to learn all that I could about long term care. I am glad that I have had the experience I did with mom, as it makes me more alert to potential problems in long term care. I do not assume that all is well. I'm more likely to say...hmmmm...what is really going on here? I'm here for anyone who may be searching for answers to any long term care problems. If I cannot personally help, I do have some sources that possibly could.

We lost two of our labs to illness and old age this past year. In late December, we found a girl in need hanging out in Gold Beach at the dog shelter. Marley, a Wired Hair Pointing Griffon, is now just 2 and beginning to simmer down. Her previous family apparently spent a fortune on her (her breed runs 1K or more), didn't socialize her or train her and gave up after 1.5 years. I imagine she was stuck in a small backyard alone and ate it for something to do and chewed on their smaller dog! She was very aggressive with our other dog, Maggie, which shows her lack of socialization let alone good manners. I rushed to learn all I could about getting rid of anyone's need to eat another living being. Maggie was also guilty of wanting to rid the world of Marley's presence. I rushed to get on Cesar's website, read other internet information and bought two books one on dog body language and one on aggression. It paid off, with two girls that actually play together and enjoy a run in the woods together. I got the help of my husband and the two of us did not let a side glance go unattended to. We were on those dogs like glue for well over a month...and then to less than glue and more relaxed even today! We both agree that the trick was also to walk and run those dogs together each and every day to get them bonded into our cohesive pack with us as the leaders. What power! I am a pack leader!!

Brenda Atwood's great book, Aggression in Dogs, which saved us from death on the Winchuck, can be found on Amazon.Com. I found much of what she wrote in her body language book repeated in Aggression in Dogs. I've learned to speak "dog" . It actually works to go into their world to communicate in a way that is very clear and not a bunch of run on sentences in our "foreign" human language hoping they get the meaning. I've learned to lick my lips and yawn to help a stressed girl relax a bit. I'm not yet sniffing butts and scratching my behind! LOL

and now that I am back on the blog, I will make an effort to update more frequently with what is going on in and around our world here on the Wild River's Coast of Southern Oregon.

Best Ever Homemade Waffles

2009-08-02T07:44:00.000-07:00

I got a recipe book in 1963 that has become tattered and stained. In that book, I can easily find the recipe for Waffle Wonders because the page easily opens because of the incredible stains from many years of use. It is time to share this great breakfast treat with the world before I can't read the words any longer!

The book I am taking this recipe from is "Good Housekeeping Cookbook" It is dated 1963. This is soon after my high school graduation in 1959, at the very beginning of my efforts to become a good cook.

Waffle Wonders

2 cups sifted flour
3 tsp. double acting baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 cups buttermilk
4 eggs (well beaten)
1 cup melted butter of salad oil

Start heating the waffle iron while you stir up the recipe. Sift the flour, baking powder, soda and salt together into a bowl. Now add the egg, milk and butter that has been blended. Beat this mix until smooth either by hand using a whisk or with an electric mixer. Add to the waffle iron being careful not to put too much batter into the iron. I use just under 1 cup for a two part Belgium waffle maker.

Notes:

I never use a whole cup of melted butter, because of the guilt associated with eating so much fat!
Sometimes I add chopped walnuts and pieces of cooked bacon or sausage.
I also often do not have buttermilk, so I use 2 cups of regular milk adding 1 tablespoon of vinegar for each cup.
I also usually spray the waffle iron with a non-stick spray just to be sure everything comes out well without sticking.
I love having extra batter making them slightly undercooked to be put into the toaster for future use.

Today, I cut up fresh peaches from the orchard adding a bit of sugar and nutmeg. I have also used my home-canned fruit or jams along with just plain syrup from the store. I didn't warm the fresh peaches today, but the canned fruit and jams along with syrup is so much better warmed up first. However I choose to serve these waffles, they are always well loved. Enjoy!

Antique Doll Jewish Grandmother Found at Dachau

2009-07-31T16:16:00.000-07:00

This great finely detailed antique doll was found at the German Jewish Internment Camp after WWII. It was purchased by Elmo Williams. Elmo was filming the movie The Vikings which had scenes filmed in several Countries. He visited Dachau where he purchased this Jewish Grandmother; while filming in Germany.

She has a hand-carved face that looks life like with a grandmother's crinkled eyes and smile lines etched into her loving face. Her hair is probably mohair which is covered with a lace cap. One of her hands is missing and there is a bit of wear and tear from living such a long and tragic life. She measures 44 inches tall. I would estimate that she dates back to the 1800's. I have to wonder what she could tell us about her journey to Dachau. Who did she come with and why did she survive?

Please contact me if you have any information that would help us know more about this treasure Elmo has managed to hold onto for so many years. My email is karenclark41@gmail.com.

The dress is pleated around the bottom and across the entire back.

The pictures show the wonderfully detailed garment with beaded roped bodice

Her bottom half is a wire frame shaped like a lampshade with a quilted cover as seen in the picture below.

Defy Bad, Move Through Love

2009-07-20T08:04:00.000-07:00

In March of 2005, I was moved to write a letter to our local paper. I found this letter while cleaning out drawers and thought that it is never a time when I believe this message is no longer applicable.

Dear Editor,

I don't think we are being foolish to stay optimistic in bad times.

People have proven to be compassionate, kind and to have courage during both the good times and in the bad times. We shouldn't wait until we can manage to have enough courage to do something grand to counter something we think is wrong in society. When we do a small thing, it is one step in the right direction.

My small step this Easter season is to remind us how sad it is that the Episcopalians and the Lutherans in our small community did not celebrate Lent together again for the second year. Is it impossible for us to disagree without drawing a line between us?

I would like to think we could live in defiance of all that is bad around us and to use love as the motivator that moves us instead of discord. "The love of people is at the same time a love for God. For when we love one, we do not necessarily love one's handiwork" Judah Low

Hollywood Connection with Elmo Williams

2009-06-02T20:41:00.000-07:00

We have been busy getting ready for a really fun event here in Brookings, Oregon on the America's Wild River's Coast of Oregon. I love my "retirement"! I have never been so busy and having fun while working 10-14 hours most days. I have been so lucky to have met Elmo and his late wife Lorraine shortly after moving to the Oregon Coast. I now have their lab, Cody, living with me. I feel that I actually have a piece of the Williams' family snoring at the foot of my bed every night. Who would think I'd be so blessed!

Hollywood Connection

Movie: The Longest Day

* June 19th & 20th
* $15.00 each day
* 10:00 5:00

* Presentations at 11:00 & 2:00

* Stories on the making of The Longest Day
* Book Signing
* Charity Auction
* Elmo’s Antiques, Collectibles and Art available for sale
* Catered Hollywood Delicacies

Tickets available on line at: www.EnglishVillageShoppes.Com or at any of our stores at English Village Shoppesor you can simply mail in the payment.

English Village Shoppes

15957 Hwy. 101 S,

Brookings, Oregon 97415.

Checks should be written to Blue Chip Properties

Tickets sold via mail or on the internet will be held at the door for pickup.

Check out our retail business website EnglishVillageShoppes.Com for more information under Events and then Hollywood Connection.

Rustic Natural Cedar Natural Renewable Choice

2009-03-18T10:41:00.000-07:00

Rustic Natural Cedar at Winchuck River Store has always been the Greener Choice...

Wood, the Natural, Renewable, Choice

Trying to be an environmentally conscious company isn't always easy. Many of the activities, lifestyles, and products have proven harmful to our environment. When it comes to furniture, wood is one of the best choices for environmental sustainability. Rustic Natural Cedar Furniture Co. provides a quality Cedar product at a price that you can afford.

So, how is Rustic Natural Cedar Furniture Co. environmentally responsible?

Wood is renewable - The cedar for their furniture is cut from forests in Canada. The largest trees are targeted as they have the most pulp and they convert the least amount of Co2 to Oxygen. Clearing of old growth allows for younger growth to flourish and convert more Carbon dioxide. We never clear cut and Cedar is plentiful throughout Canada.

Rustic Natural Cedar uses the entire tree - Limbs and cuttings are turned into different cedar products, such as mulch, oils, and cedar chips. The trunk is used for fencing components and shingles and the smaller pieces are used to make our furniture.

Quality furniture lasts - Unlike plastic, bamboo, or some metal furniture, Rustic Natural Cedar’s log furniture is durable and will last many years. Their solid construction holds up in any climate, year round. The customer doesn't have to buy one every other year. Rustic Natural Cedar’s devotion to quality saves them money and prevents more energy and landfill space from being used.

Wood Biodegrades - At the end of its long and useful life, Rustic's furniture won't occupy any landfill space. Wood breaks down very quickly in landfills, less than 25 years. Plastics can take up to a millennium to decompose.

Reduced pollution – This log furniture company reduces their carbon footprint and pollution by strategic placement of our facilities. They have a mill in Quebec, Canada, in the type of climate that cedar flourishes. Rustic Natural Cedar has only one distribution center in Rhode Island, USA. The forests are very close to the mill and the distribution center is only 6 hours away. From their warehouse, they ship directly to the end user, reducing the number of times that the order is shipped. This logistics system minimizes the number of times that a product is shipped, therefore reducing our carbon output.

No Chemicals – Rustic Natural Cedar leaves their furniture with a finely sanded, untreated, finish. Since they don't use any chemical treatments, this prevents harsh chemicals from leeching into the ground and water supplies. Rustic Natural Cedar doesn’t apply any stains as their furniture doesn't need them; left untreated, the furniture turns a pleasing silver-gray with exposure to sunlight

Rustic is committed to ecological sustainability and providing a durable, natural, product. They provide a product that is ecologically sound. Finding quality indoor and outdoor furniture that has a low environmental impact is simple with Rustic Natural Cedar Furniture Company. They have done all of the work so that you don't have to. For more information about our sustainability practices, visit our website, www.winchuckriverstore.com, call us (877) 572-6451, or email us at karenclark41@gmail.com

877-572-6451 · Fax541-412-0909 · KarenClark41@gmail.com

Selling on eBid

2009-02-14T16:28:00.001-08:00

I am looking around for other selling venues to use other than eBay. I found eBid and have started working with it listing a few items. I will list more, but it is so very time consuming! Every selling venue is different and the differences make it work since you must adjust to fit the platform.

Check out my store on eBid. I have almost 300 items on eBay at this time and plan to switch over as eBid only charges you after you have sold! How cool is that!!

Easy Basic Bread and Pizza Dough

2009-02-11T11:35:00.000-08:00

Basic Bread and Pizza Dough

I have used this same recipe for years with excellent results. Sometimes I switch out some of the white flour for mixed grains or wheat flour. It seems to be a very forgiving recipe that allows my creative urges to work. I have discovered that making my dough early in the morning gives the dough time to get a life of its own. When I rush the process, I am always somewhat disappointed. I often just use unbleached all-purpose flour because that's what in the pantry, but bread flour will give the bread a better flavor and texture.

I cannot emphasize enough to check the date of your yeast and don't buy in large quantities unless you are a weekly or daily bread maker! Yeast does not live forever. There is an expiration date on the package.

I always double the recipe because you will never know when I'll make bread again!

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon active dry yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
1 1/3 cups lukewarm water...not too hot or it will murder the yeast!
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon fine sea salt (but in reality any salt works)
Approximately 2 3/4 cups or 1 lbs of bread flour

I use my reliable trusty Kitchen Aid mixer with the bread hook.

Combine:

yeast
sugar and water
Stir just to blend and let it sit till foamy about 5 minutes.
Stir in the oil and salt
Add the flour a bit at a time making sure it is absorbed each time.

Keep the mixer running at medium speed while adding a little flour at a time until a ball forms around the hook. (turn the mixer down or off if you find flour flying about)

Now the magic of the mixer takes place while you continue to run the mixer for at least five minutes kneading the dough without the flour all over the counter top!

Turn the ball out into a bowl that has a tad of olive oil in the bottom turning the ball over to coat all sides
Cover with plastic wrap and sit aside either on the counter top or even in the fridge until doubled or tripled in size.

Some say that the slower method in the fridge makes a better dough, but I seldom if ever take the time to try that method. You would make the dough the day before baking if you used the fridge as a home to rise the dough. It can be left in the fridge for 2 to 3 days before baking.

Punch down the dough as it doubles and triples to get a live vibrant bread dough. You can do this several times. I love feeling the life of really good dough. You will recognize what good dough feels like once you make "bad" dough! LOL

Either place in bread pans to bake or roll out into pizza crust. I use a pizza stone to either bake the pizzas or even to make a giant double sized loaf of fabulous bread. I coat the stone with a sprinkle of corn meal and slide the dough onto the pre-heated stone from a pizza paddle that I use after also dusting that with some corn meal to keep the dough from sticking. I roll each pizza out on the paddle, put on the toppings and slide it onto the stone.

Tip: I find that spraying water into the oven sides and bottom while baking bread gets the crusty top that we all love so much.

The last time I made pizza's my guest all wanted to take home the unused dough so they could have pizza all week. Since I had made two batches, there was plenty to share. They asked me for this recipe. I figured that there may be others out there on the internet wishing they could be inspired to make their own pizzas and breads.

I love using goat cheese along with other cheeses, eggplants that I have canned covered with olive oil, roasted peppers, lots of roasted and/or fresh garlic, chicken, sausage or whatever makes very yummy pizzas. Spinach is also a nice addition. Think about how healthy you can make a pizza.

I love beer with most of my store bought pizza's, but my pizzas taste better with red wine.

Happy Baking!

I remember years ago making bread into a naked woman by forming balls and pieces. She turned out really good since she grew as the bread was rising. I coated her with beaten egg whites so she glistened like the heavenly body she was! You could do this with your dough and make a cupid for Valentines Day or just a heart shaped loaf of bread for someone you love.

Bread making can be fun and an adventure working with a life force of rising dough. It makes you appreciate the cycle of life and the warm feelings of feeding friends and family something they love.

Do You Use Cloth Napkins?

2009-02-10T16:07:00.000-08:00

My internet selling class is going very good! My students are now signing up with various selling venues to see how they work and love sharing their work with all of us. I have a lady in class, Lucille's Linens. That is her with her husband, Perry, in the second picture. She is making napkins and other table linens that are really first class with very large napkins that are lined and come in cute containers matching the design of the fabric. She signed up with that site for hand made items, etsy.com. She did a great job and I wish her well. It is hard to sell her linens where she is competing with Chinese made items. So, if any one out there is a lover of cloth napkins, Lucille Linens can help you out. Help our economy and buy local! She also has her own website, Lucille Linens.

Lucille figured out that if a family of four bought mid priced paper napkins and used one per person per meal, one would spend over 500.00 a year on paper napkins! Suddenly, her cloth napkins look like a deal!!....and fewer trees are cut down to support the product. Lucille includes this with each order. It was written by a relative and inspired her to create her napkins.

Evidence of a Good Life
By Barbara McCranie
Copyright © 2008 Lisa Haneberg

I feel good about the weirdest things.
This week I'm wallowing in the recognition that our worn table napkins validate a fine lifestyle:
not just great dining but a higher level of living.
It started when my husband suggested new napkins.
The dozen white cotton dinner napkins that we use daily are thin and frayed around the edges.
But they're soft, feel good, and proof of thousands of dinners for two.
The same old couple dabbing and wiping until their napkins are threadbare.
You can't replace that.
Worn table napkins are symbolic of: the soft touch of wrinkled hands,
worn elbow patches on a favorite sweater, a book with eared pages, a fireplace stained by smoke.
Testimony of a meaningful life.
New napkins would offer a promise; old ones are evidence.
On my list of wishes for my children: worn napkins.

Marjorie, who is the blond in the first picture, is using Etsy.Com to sell her hand-made cards. She is very talented. I could see her and Lucille getting together selling cards to go with napkins given as gifts! Marjorie is celebrating her Christain faith by creating her cards sharing inspirational messages. heARTforChrist's is the name of her Etsy.Com Store.

There is so much to learn and so little time! I am still adding to my Winchuck Training site with information that I have run across and my friend Jude also is doing a website sharing tips for working on the net. I will be posting the link to her site on Winchuck Training. More later!

Creating a Rustic Lodge Style Cupboard

2009-02-02T18:58:00.000-08:00

My new business venture, RusticLady is both a retail location in The English Village Mall in Brookings, Oregon along with the name being a redirect to my Winchuck River Store website

Creating a new image of myself took a bit of work on my part. Above is the wooden sign I made. I will use it as a logo along with hanging it in my new retail area.

My husband used his router to round off the edges
I painted the board a deep salmon color
painted on a layer of crackle medium
a top coat of beige was the last coat
I used a putty mix with a stencil of aspen leaves to place two leaves on the sign.
I then kept painting the leaves with copper glaze, green and yellow and then a dry brush of the beige to soften the look.
I had aspen leaf drawer pulls and a garden tool drawer pull that I screwed into the board making sure that they were not evenly spaced.
I wanted a random loose almost thrown together look
a rustic sign is the end result.
The black trim in the picture is only for the image to help it pop

Now for the big job of painting my vintage pantry cupboard.

I removed the doors
filled most of the random screw holes from years of use
sanded it well using my most loved palm sander
painted the complete cupboard the deep salmon color
put on a coat of crackle medium
after the crackle was dry, a coat of soft tan

I then took some putty mix and a stencil for aspen leaves and added a row of them down each side of the cupboard. They took more than 24 hours to dry! I then coated them with copper glaze with dark stain and then a dry brush of the same color of the cupboard's top coat.

2009-01-22T15:38:00.001-08:00

I have found the snap in updating my social networks with Ping.fm

Blogging Sites on the Internet

2009-01-22T10:28:00.000-08:00

I have updated my Winchuck Training website with:

blogging sites
tools for blogging
blogging task that you may want to do.

Have fun looking and it is all FREE!

The following is just a preview of what my website offers. I have put all the blogging information under "Training Continued", since I use this site to cut down on the endless waste of paper handing out papers to the classes that I teach.

Social Networking Websites

I have gathered many sites listed below that deal with blogging. I have yet to discover how many of them work. You should feel free to let me know if and when you figure out the ins and outs of some of these sites.

Blogging can be:
just fun to express yourself
make new friends
promote your business

.....or all of the above. We no longer are restricted to actual physical contact to be in ones face up and personal. We have the whole wide world of the web! Find great blogs that speak to you. Figure out what they do that attracts you. Use these same techniques to create creative and interesting blogs that will be of value for many people.

1. evilgardner.livejounal.com
2. technorat
3. Digg.com
4. propeller.com
5. Mixx.com
6. mybloglog.com
7. wordpress.org
8. blogcatalog.com
9. Blogger.com
10.MySpace.com
11. BlogRush.com
12. Feedburner.com
13. Ning.com
14. stumbleupon.com
15. flickr.com
16. weblogreview.net
17. pollcode.com
18. pollhost.com
19. vizu.com
20. linkedin.com
21. Squidoo.com
22. theqbicle.com
23. Blogspot.com
24. FaceBook.com
25. twitter.com
26. babblefish.com

Making a Rustic Driftwood Bird Feeding Station

2009-01-15T11:20:00.000-08:00

I had my husband put together an existing long 2 x 6 board onto some extra metal poles that we also had together to make a station to hang our many bird feeders onto. We had the bird feeders on the deck, but the mess was just too much to deal with! We were going to hang the feeders in the tree out front, so we could easily watch the bird feeding from the house, but I had the problem of reaching the feeders to replenish seed when necessary. Having them at a handy height that could easily be reached was necessary; while making sure that Patty Cat couldn't jump high enough to surprise a bird or two.

Once the object was built and placed under a large Norwegian Maple Tree, it looked naked. I had the board and the poles with bird feeders hanging, but a board is a just a board. It needed more. I wanted it look natural. A board with two metal poles was ugly!

I live near the Pacific Ocean on the Wild River's Coast of Southern Oregon, so driftwood is abundant just for the taking. I picked my elderly mom up and drove down to a local beach to gather several pieces of driftwood. Mom loved the sun, the sea and the sea gulls that she could throw food to. I loved looking for just the right pieces of driftwood. After just a few minutes I had enough wood to cover the board that stretched across to hang the bird feeders on. It would have been easier to do this before the feeding station was built, but that didn't stop me.

I drilled holes in the driftwood and used screws to attach the pieces to the flat board so they wouldn't easily fall off or be whipped off by wind and rain. Once again, I felt that the board needed more to look just like I would like. I had a box of moss that I had gathered in our yard and in the woods out back. I stuffed the moss in and about the pieces of wood using a tool to get it tucked tightly under so it might stay put. I possibly will find that I will have to actually glue the moss on to keep it in place. The birds might also find the moss an inviting material to build their nest with. That would be OK with me! I will just gather more moss so that they have a continual supply of handy stuff to carry off for their home building task.

My plan is to cover the post with wire and grow up some sort of vine to cover the poles. I haven't decided just what vine that will be as the area is in shade once the maple tree is covered with crimson leaves. I might use Wire Vine. It grows fast and does a nice job of covering whatever it grows on. It would also stay all winter long. I want the bird feeding station to blend in with nature as much as possible. more driftwood might be added to soften the angles of the feeding station. It may look more like an arch when I completely finish.

I have covered only one side of the board, so I might find that the other side will stick out like a sore thumb, once spring is really here and I spend more time out at the pond. Looking back at the house, the board might scream out for a dressing of more driftwood and moss.

It took me less than an hour to drill my holes and fasten the pieces to the wood. I had some difficulty with thick pieces of driftwood; which gave me an extra thinking process to figure out where to drill and then to find some extra long screws!

I took the pictures at the wrong time of the day for the best results. I will change them out at some future date when the vines are covering the poles. The birds are very happy. The Pine Siskens actually kept feeding while I was up on a ladder fastening the wood. Nothing could keep them from their appointed task! We were often eye to eye.

The rustic wooden bird house in the last picture will find a new home perched on top of the feeding station at one end or hanging in the tree nearby. I believe it will add just the right touch. I might even make a giant bird nest from small pieces of driftwood so that I can have a cool place to put peanuts in the shells that I like feeding the jays. It could be fastened on the top of the board also. What fun!! I can't stop thinking of what else I want to do to add to this bird feeding station! If driftwood isn't easily found, one could use any natural elements. I have some shells that I might incorporate, trimmings from the orchard could also have worked. How about old door knobs to hang feeders from or vintage faucet handles? I have a bright green glass knob that might find a place somewhere in the mix. The ideas start to flow as soon as you decide to start.

What Can You Do With Twitter?

2009-01-12T14:24:00.000-08:00

What do you do with Twitter?

Just in case you want one more thing to think about! I took this information from a newsletter from SitePro.Com

I love the book idea! It sounds like a lot of fun! I think I may start a book today.

1) Community Help Desk - I've already used Twitter several

times to investigate an issue I've been having with my

computer, or a problem one of my clients has come across. Just

yesterday I was able to pinpoint the source of a domain redirect

issue because my followers in other countries could reach the

site even though I was being redirected.

2) Write a Collaborative Book - you and a bunch of your favorite

Tweeps could write a novel, one sentence (tweet) at a time. The

results could range from hilarious to Shakespearean. I thought

of this while reading about the popularity of Japanese novels

composed via mobile text messages, but it turns out that some

attempts have been made at this already e.g. 140 Novel

and Good Captain. You could do a similar thing with song lyrics.

3) Live Webinars/Tutorials - you could create a new Twitter

account with protected updates and ask invitation-only

participants to follow you. Then you could hold a *closed*

webinar at a pre-arranged time using Twitter for delivery

instead of expensive webinar solutions. Twitter allows you to

live chat, post links, photos, videos, audio files and text so

there is no need for any plug-ins. You could even use a Twitter

buffer like Twuffer to space out the

content of the webinar via tweets over a specific timeframe.

4) Free Market Research - Who needs to pay expensive market

research companies to learn stuff about your latest product?

Just send a link, a free sample or a short survey to your

followers and watch the feedback flow in.

5) Online Reputation Management - Twitter is ideal for tracking

what people are saying about you, your company or your product.

You can use Twitter Search to enter keywords or hash tags. Or you can use purpose-built widgets such as TweetBeep which work just like Google Alerts and send you regular emails containing any discussions

involving your chosen Twitter accounts or hash tags. These work

well for competitor tracking too.

6) Laugh a Day / Therapy - I'm consistently amazed how many

long-term Twitter users fail to use the favorites option to

bookmark tweets that they like. Whenever I read a tweet that

makes me laugh out loud, I favorite it immediately. Then,

whenever I am feeling a bit flat, stressed or sense a bad mood

coming on, I turn to my favorites list knowing I will be

giggling in no time. You can also rely on your followers to

sense when you're down and cheer you up.

7) Competitions - Companies like Zappos and Hand Bag Heaven

have been holding competitions on Twitter for a while now. You

basically elicit a response from your followers in exchange for

the chance to win something. You could ask a question about one

of your products or ask followers to find something on your site

to win a gift certificate. But with a bit of ingenuity, you can

be even more inventive.

Some Helpful Internet Selling Advice

2009-01-12T08:11:00.000-08:00

I emailed Joe at Joe's Goals, a website where you can list goals and then work on them. I told Joe that I was teaching a class, Intro to Internet Selling, and would share his site in the class.

We need all the help we can find to get our work accomplished and to help our dreams actually become a reality. I asked Joe to give me something to say from his perspective so I wouldn't be putting words in his mouth. I do not believe in re-inventing anyone's ideas. They own them and I want them to represent their ideas if I at all possible.

It was so very cool that he did send me some information. As a self-proclaimed internet doo gooder who loves to spread the help around and maybe make our internet society a better place, I'm sharing his email with you.

I'd like to think this email could start a dialogue that would promote growth in our internet seller's mind.
What does it mean to you?
How would you implement some of these ideas?
How are you going to improve your business in 2009?....the list goes on.

We can't stop where we are. There are places to go and hopefully money to be made. Don't forget we also need to have fun along the way, so I will dabble in photo imaging stuff and others will bake cookies and many of us will actually clean up our work spaces so we have room to grow!

Joe's email:

Building a web business:

1. Solve a problem that you have - even if it is a minor problem. Joe's Goals helped me track my goals in the way I wanted. Turned out that thousands of people also had the same problem. Don't try and solve a "problem" you think others should have.

2. Free promotion is worth ten times as much as paid promotion. If you can get into a blog post on a popular site the chances of that post being picked up by other blogs, social networks, link sites, etc is very high. This will get you a lot more traffic that buying banners or links on Google and the traffic will be targeted. It isn't easy, but here are some ideas on how to approach blog authors:

Be honest - tell them if you read the site every day or just discovered it. Don't pretend.
Be direct - don't waste the blogger/authors time. Tell them what's up.

3. Tell them why you think your business is relevant to their audience. ("I saw you posted a list of the top ten to do list application. Joe's Goals isn't a to do list, but it may be of use to your audience in a similar way")

4. Offer a sample - don't be afraid to offer a sample of your product for them to review. It may not get you a review or a positive review, but it increases your chances.

5. Don't pester. Email one of the authors and if nothing happens in four or five weeks feel free to email again. After that drop it as these blogs get dozens of similar requests a day.

3. Look at Google trends when you name your business/site. They don't have a lot of data, but if you compare terms related to your business to other known popular terms you can get an idea what traffic you could expect should you rank well on Google. Google can be a great source of study traffic and ranking well there will typically rank you will on any other search engine. Study SEO.

4. Figure out how you are going to make money - There are only a few ways that people typically do it online:

Display ads (think Google Adsense). A good example of this is plentyoffish.com (do some research to figure out this guys sites). Most of the time Ads will not pay for much more than hosting costs with a small business. You probably have a 1 in a thousand chance of making money this way as the vast majority of sites (even sites like facebook and youtube) don't earn enough to cover their expenses.
Selling real stuff - Think books, tshirts, etc. This is how a lot of businesses get started in the real world and make their transition to the Internet with real products. You know your cost, your profit margin, etc. The difficulty will be reaching critical mass.
Lead generation/referral - This can be a great way to build a business. If you can attract or buy an audience that is interested in a particular product or service you can often provide referrals and/or "leads" to the company that provides that product/service.
Selling digital stuff - If you have some way of making the digital stuff (meaning that you are a developer) this can be a great way and many successful companies do just this (see 37signals as an example). You'll ultimately end up providing support and always be focused on marketing. But you can start out with very few costs and scale from there provided you can do the work yourself.

5. Be personal with your business - don't use terms like "we" and "our policy" etc. If you are a two person company don't pretend to be a corporate giant. Most folks are much more likely to respond to personal pitches from real people than they are when seeing stock business photos and length corporate verbiage. You can see me do this at the top of Joe's Goals where I say that this is a tool that I built that now you can use.

6. You existing customer is worth more than a new customer - perhaps by a factor of 10. It is hard to get new customers, but selling/upselling an existing customer can be relatively easy.

7. Be prepared to change - chances are very low that your initial idea is going to be worth much. Be prepared to adapt your model, your products, and your approach based on the business climate at the time.

8. Own as much of what you do as possible - The digital graveyard is littered with companies who made hundreds of thousands of dollars in one year riding on the backs of Google or Yahoo, and then died the next year when these big companies decided to change the way they did business. Everytime Google "improves" their search listings there are companies that go under as they no longer get those 20 sales a day from search traffic.

Thoughts?

Antique Sterling Silver Stands with Etched Glass Inserts

2009-01-09T17:44:00.000-08:00

This beautiful set of sterling silver stands with glass inserts will be listed January 15th for seven days on eBay.Com. If you can identify the maker, please leave us a comment. Visit our eBay store where unique is the usual.

Vintage Set of Silver Stands with Glass Inserts

Description:

This is a beautiful set of 10 small sterling stands with glass removable inserts . They have a crisply articulated cut out decoration. They have that beautiful, soft patina, that is a very appealing element of antique silver. Each is marked under the curve of the silver cup with the maker’s mark as clearly shown in pictures. They have no damage. What a gorgeous gift this would make or add it to your silver collection for a decorative element to a fine dinner table. The sterling stands measure 3" high and almost 4" across at the top. There is only a bit of tarnishing due to age and could easily be buffed out. The maker's mark is on the bottom. The glass inserts are beautifully decorated with a floral design. Bid today and own a nice set of desert dishes or possibly a great dish for serving shrimp cocktails.

Silver always adds sophistication and beauty to all occasions where we are serving a special occasion.

Website Maintenance After the Holidays

2009-01-04T14:03:00.000-08:00

I am cleaning up my website and my eBay Store after the holidays. Needless to say, I am seeing stars as I struggle through all my listings! I am moving over the Christmas ornaments from eBay to the website being sure to mark them down 15% to make them a good price for interest all year long.

I try very hard to purchase an eclectic assortment of Christmas ornaments that one can't find just anywhere making Winchuck River Store a fun and unique shopping experience.

I have put a couple of slide shows together here for your viewing fun hoping that you will find something that tickles your Christmas spirit even after the holidays.

Restuarant Review of One Love's Eclectic Cuisine Bookings Oregon

2009-01-01T12:18:00.000-08:00

I am posting a scrapbook of an Old Friend's New Years Party we held at One Love's Restaurant yesterday, Dec. 31, 2008. As, we grow older, we find we can't stay awake for a regular New Years Party, so we had one at 12 noon instead of celebrating at 12 p.m.

We ate at our favorite restaurant in Brookings, Oregon, One Love's located on Railroad Street just behind the new Post Office. We were all in agreement that this will an annual event. We enjoyed ourselves so much that we missed the movie we had planned to watch!

We are very lucky to have the owners, Edward and Melissa Benbow decide that Brookings was the place to raise their young family and open up their first business. Edward was raised in Las Vegas where his family ran restaurants. He grew up with the love of cooking. His time in the Coast Guard as a food service specialist, honed his skills on not only preparation of food, but ordering and planning menus. Edward and Melissa started off by operating a food booth at food contest. They haven't looked back since.

I have lived most of my adult life in the San Francisco Bay Area; where I enjoyed some the best cuisine in the world. I made several trips up and down California eating along the way. I took cooking classes and collected cookbooks from many of my favorite restaurants. I enhanced my love of good food with a trip to Italy. Moving to Brookings meant that I lost an ability to find really good healthy well-seasoned food while eating out. My friends often teased me that I should open a restaurant since I was the "best" cook in the area. We loved our dinner parties, but I also love going out without the dishes to wash. It just didn't seem that much fun to eat out until Edward and Melissa showed up! I never leave One Love's with the feeling that I could have done better!

Edward only uses fresh fish caught in local waters and plans his menus around what is available that meets his standards for fresh. Their pasta sauce takes up to 14 hours to make from fresh vegetable ingredients. I had a simple salad yesterday and noted how great the oil and vinegar tasted. I wondered why it was so much better than the usually. They actually make all their salad dressing! I told my husband that I would like to work there for six months just so I could learn to make such delicious dishes...but then where would I go for the fun of going out? I'm leaving it up to Edward and Melissa to be better cooks than I could ever hope to be!

I have heard their place described as Italian, but I think it is much more. I think of Italian as usually being buried in a thick red sauce making the ingredients in it non-distinguishable. I find One Love's unique, fresh, eclectic and delicious! Individual selections of food and seasonings pop out not being overwhelmed with other ingredients.

For those of us who don't love meat and potatoes, fried food and ice berg lettuce, One Love's is the place to go. Edward and Melissa choose not to serve red meat choosing instead fresh fish and chicken. Their home-made sauce is the base for many of their dishes. Eggplant has never tasted better and the portabella sandwich is a wise choice.

I highly recomend that the next time you drive up America's Wild River's Coast, stop in Brookings, turn west on the south side of Ace Hardware down to Railroad Street to visit One Love's. I'm sure you will enjoy your lunch or dinner! They are open 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. For more information, call (541) 469-6100.

Selling Venues Other Than eBay

2008-12-30T08:11:00.000-08:00

I am getting ready to teach an introduction to website selling soon. In my research I have found the following sites that have fees much like eBay, are free or only charge when you sell a product:

Ioffer.com

www.buyitauction.com

www.ecrater.com

www.ebid.net

Onlineauction.com

SeeAuctions.com

nymarts.com

Ioffer.com

www.buyitauction.com

www.ecrater.com

www.ebid.net

Onlineauction.com

SeeAuctions.com

nymarts.com

Decorative Copper and Gold Balls

2008-12-18T15:30:00.001-08:00

Here are two pictures showing some metal spears and/or balls that we have found to be a very unique and beautiful way to add to an existing arrangement/venue that you have created. They catch the light while having a vintage antique look that we all love.

They measure from 16 inches around the ball down to 12" around the ball.

Rustic Lodge Style Christmas Ornaments Free Shipping

2008-12-18T09:19:00.000-08:00

A few of my eBay items

Clip On Old Fashioned Artificial Candle Ornament	Little Girl with Pink TuTu Ballerina Ornament	Little Girl with Lavender TuTu Ballerina Ornament	Set of Three Little Girl Ballerinas Ornaments
Western Rustic Cowboy Farm Plastic Barb Wire Garland	Ceramic Wild Salmon Trout Fish Salt Pepper Shakers	Rustic Vintage Style Large Red Metal Truck	Rustic Cabin Vintage Style Boat Cushion in Red
Rustic Cabin Vintage Style Boat Cushion in Blue	Rustic Cabin Vintage Style Boat Cushion in Red	Midwest Rustic Cabin Vintage Style Boat Cushion	Rustic Cabin Vintage Style Boat Cushion in Gold
Rustic Cabin Vintage Style Boat Cushion in Green	Silver Wire Clip Birdnest w GlassEggs Ornament	Silver Money Tree Hooks Hangers Scroll Craft Christmas	Rustic Cabin Style Glittering Deer Night Light
Midwest Ceramic Brown Trout Fishing Ornament	Midwest Cannon Beach Ceramic Large Mouth Bass Ornament	Vintage Rustic Cabin OutBoard Boat Motor Wall Art	Midwest Electric Glittering Night Light Candle
Rustic Cabin Style Glass Christmas Goose Ornament	Rustic West Style Metal Detailed Cowboy Boot Ornament	Midwest of Cannon Falls Noahs Ark Rustic Lodge Style	Wall Enhancers Vinyl Lettering Decorative Wall Graphics

Free Quick*Sell Gallery from ISDN*tek

If you need to have the items shipped faster, we will simply subtract the FREE First Class mail and only charge you the difference for a faster method of shipping.

Rare Snow on The Winchuck River Oregon

2008-12-17T11:08:00.000-08:00

It doesn't snow very often in Brookings, Oregon, but we had some earlier in the week. I added a couple pictures showing what it usually looks like when it isn't deciding to bless us with some snow. It has stayed cold enough to keep snow under the bushes and high in the hills. The sun is shinning brightly showing off sparkling frost on the roof tops. I will enjoy it while it last. It will soon go back to our normal 55 degrees or higher; which is the usual for December. Enjoy!!

Vintage Red Truck

2008-12-14T16:00:00.001-08:00

Rustic Home Holiday Decorating

2008-12-12T15:07:00.000-08:00

Finding Your Website on America's Wild River's Coast

2008-12-01T18:46:00.000-08:00

Many businesses on America's Wild River's Coast have websites,
but do potential customers know about them?

A group of local business owners with expertise in marketing to the Internet population have formed a group called LookWhosOnline.com.

They have developed a website directory to inform the internet population about the many businesses in our area who have products and services to sell on-line.

LookWhosOnline.com will operate as an E-Commerce Committee under the auspices of the Brookings-Harbor Chamber of Commerce. There are monthly meetings on the third Thursday of each month at 7 p.m located at the EVENT CENTER behind Tangles Salon at 800 Chetco Avenue. LookwhosOnLine provides face-to-face dialogue on how to improve your Internet presence along with how to take good pictures, marketing, web design, basic html and networking between members.

We welcome web businesses along America's Oregon Wild River's Coast, who would like to be listed in this on-line directory. LookWhosOnline.com will also be working to put together co-op advertising with local media to inform local consumers of the directory and to direct them to our online businesses.

Founding members of LookWhosOnline.com are Jude Hodge, from GPSSpecials.com , a local internet marketer and eBay seller; Karen Clark, of WinchuckRiverStore.com, an eBay seller and trainer; Bill Johnson of WesternMerchantServices.com and Steve Hernandez, who is serving as our webmaster.

Cyber Monday Celebrations Good Luck!

2008-11-30T21:41:00.000-08:00

We are looking forward to the deals we can find on Cyber Monday! I've seen a some information that says that we really need to use on line at sites that offer comparison prices for the same items. I really want the best buy, but the confusion of finding my treasure on so many websites drives me crazy! In the end, I have to go with my gut and buy from where I think I can trust I will get what is described for the best price! I have my trusted sources and hope you have yours as well.

I've been selling on the internet for about 5 years now. I pride myself on being one of those trusted sites. I think I am seeing a real following of special customers that makes me know all the hard work is finally paying off!

To you and yours ...have that special Holiday shopping fun!

Take A Minute to Show Appreciation to Our Troops!

2008-11-29T09:02:00.000-08:00

Say thank you to a soldier today. It sure makes one feel a lot better about themselves when they can do a good deed! I am very much more warm and fuzzy after doing so!

Use Coupon 1003 at Checkout to SAVE!

Winchuck Carrot Cake Recipe for Everyone!

2008-10-31T11:19:00.000-07:00

People seem to think I own the ability to make a great carrot cake. I always say, if you can read, you can make anything. I am infamous for this cake, so bake it knowing you will be asked to bring it to every large function you attend forever!! I bake it in two commercial baking pans; which happen to fit into the oven I have. I've had ovens where these pans slid in like oven racks and a few ovens were not wide enough for them. You could always fill up every cake pan you own. It freezes well. If you leave it on the counter, you will gain 5 lbs because you can't walk by without taking a bite!

Winchuck Carrot Cake

Cake 8 cups sugar 5 1/2 cups oil (I only use 3 cups and possibly it could take less)
16 eggs
8 cups flour
8 teaspoons baking powder
8 teaspoons baking soda
8 teaspoons cinnamon
4 teaspoons salt
16 carrots shredded/grated
2 cups nuts
2 cups crushed pineapple

Frosting:
4 cups cream cheese
2 cups butter
8 cups powdered sugar
4 tablespoons vanilla

Mix dry ingredients in separate bowl. (I'm always careful to make sure that the baking powder and baking soda are not lumpy...squish them into powder or get a nasty taste when you hit one). Mix the sugar, eggs and oil with a mixer and then mix the two mixtures together. (Takes a really large bowl) and fold in the carrots and pineapple with nuts. Bake at 225 for 1 1/2 hours

Mix cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar and vanilla and frost the cake. I sprinkle with add'l nuts. For Halloween, I'm dividing out some frosting for an orange pumpkin and some green for trim.

Wall Enhancers Say It On Your Walls

2008-10-16T08:56:00.001-07:00

I have run into a company that allows you to put up on your walls almost any thought you have! Wall Enhancers makes it possible to even create your own sayings and quotes. They also offer hundreds of choices. I am putting just a few of the possibilities for you to see! I think they really add a punch to the rustic decor that I love!

You can order from them by using this link:

Wall Enhancers

Reviews by Link Referral

2008-09-22T10:49:00.001-07:00

I was pleased to see that I had some review of my website from LinkReferral.Com. It is always nice to get some feedback that will help you improve your business. So please continue to check me out and give me your honest opinions along with maybe even making a purchase to check out our incredible customer service! Thank you!

REVIEWS:

I found your site to be jam packed with great items for sale. I enjoyed my shopping tour. It loaded quickly and navigated easily. I wish you great success..

Beautiful site, easy to view your products and the colors are wonderful - perfect for your style. Great job!.

I loved the dark green colors of your site. I noticed you have a blog also which is nice for the extra traffic and ratings..

Wow! I'm quite impressed with your site over all. Home page has tons of visual appeal and creates immediate interest to catch visitors attention for browsing. Blog is interesting and amusing even. I loved the home decor page with the slide shows. All of your design elements and use of graphics is spot on for stimulating interest. Content is diverse and informative with text that is well written. Kudos! You have all the potential for success. May God bless the work of your hands and richly reward you! Pat http://www.winchuckriverstore.com/ .

good effort.

Capella By The Sea in Brookings, Oregon

2008-08-17T08:35:00.000-07:00

Winchuck River Store is helping to raise funds for a chapel being built in Brookings, Oregon, by selling some of the unique and beautiful items collected by Elmo and Lorraine Williams over a 54-year movie career living and visiting many countries. Elmo Williams, an Oscar- winning retired movie producer is creating a place of peace and tranquility for wayfarers to have a place to relax in Azalea Park located on the Wild River Coast of Southern Oregon in memorial to his late wife, Lorraine. The chapel is now under construction and will hopefully be completed in November 2008. A website devoted to the Capella by the Sea and the park where it is located is being prepared for everyone to visit and enjoy.

Elmo and Lorraine Williams were instrumental in creating Azalea Park as one of our most visited attractions here on the Pacific Northwest Coast. They took a park overrun with blackberries and along with saving the native azaleas, they planted many beautiful trees and flowers. The work was done entirely by volunteers.

Elmo & Lorraine in 1990

Elmo has enlisted the help of the E. Fay Jones Architectural firm who designed the Thorncrown Chapel in Fayetteville, Arkansas. This magnificent wood and glass structure sits in the mist of the beautiful Ozark hills. Thorncrown has won numerous architectural awards and has been featured on NBC Nightly News. It has been in almost every major magazine in the country such as Newsweek and Parade.

The building in Brookings will sit in the mist of native Oregon Azaleas and tall pines. You will walk down a wooded trail, move around a curve and there will be our Lorraine’s Memorial. The name that Elmo chose is, “Capella by the Sea”.

As head of worldwide production at Fox, Elmo and Lorraine met many interesting people such as Johnny Cash, Kirk Douglas, Frank Sinatra, Anthony Quinn, Elizabeth Taylor along with, The Beatles and numerous other famous characters from the film industry. Lorraine made them a comfortable home in each foreign destination learning some of the language and making friends with the people. She was a gracious and loving woman.

This picture shows Elmo with his Mouse Oscar given to him by Walt Disney

The movies that Elmo worked on as Editor, Producer or Cinematographer were:

The Blue Max
20,000 Leaques Under the Sea
Caravans
Tora, Tora, Tora
High Noon
The Cowboy
The Longest Day
The Vikings
Ernest Goes to Camp
Soggy Bottom USA
Sidewinder One
The Big Gamble
Hell Ship Mutiny
Hell Canyon Outlaws
The Tall Texan
Hellgate
Bodyguard
Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome
Nocturne
Sunny
Irene
Design for Death
Apache Warrior
Blonde Bait
Follow Me Quietly
The Miracle of the Bells
They Won’t Believe Me
Forever and a Day
No No Nanette
Nurse Edith Cavell
Man, Woman and Child

You can find more about Elmo Williams on Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elmo_Williams

The Williams family lived in England for many years. For some time they lived across from Buckingham Palace. Lorraine wrote about Prince Phillip waving to her as he took off in his helicopter. They rented a lovely old French Farm house, spent time in Germany, Iran, Afghanistan and traveled to Japan during the making of “Tora Tora Tora”. He has many antiques and movie memorabilia that he is selling.

These items can be found on our website and offered on eBay.Com

The sales from these items will be used to help fund the memorial. I am sure that you will be pleased with the interesting collectibles and antiques that come from this incredible family that loved art, beauty and creativity in any form.

Selling Books on Amazon.Com

2008-08-06T14:07:00.000-07:00

I started selling books on Amazon.Com in mid July after deciding to again simplify our life by ridding ourselves of things we just don't use or need. I have many research books along with gardening and craft books that I just don't have the time or need for any more. Most of my books are like new. It is better to pass them on to a more useful life. Immediately, there was a surge of sales that I couldn't believe. I soon ran across some books for sale at $10/box that I bought and listed. Just this past 7 days, I have sold 42 books! I have now upgraded my account to a "Pro-Seller" account which will give me more profit if I sell over 40 books per month and loose me money if I sell less than 40. I better keep listing!

I listed many books on martial arts, alternative medicine, herbs, philosophy, and Far Eastern religions. I know now, that people are really looking for specific topics on older books that may be out of print. A few of the books I recently found at an estate sale are worth much more than I ever imagined. It will be great when I actually sell a book for over $100.00!

To find my Amazon listings isn't as easy as I thought it would be. You either have to follow the link or find a listed book or my feedback area and click on my store name, Winchuck River Store.

Of course, this won't stop me from selling other items on eBay and on my website. Here are a few of the items that I recently purchased from Lazart Productions. I especially love the aspen metal wall hanging. It goes along with the aspen branch I am using to hold my curtains up in the living room. We have an aspen grove of approximately 20 or so trees.

We haven't even gotten the descriptions written to get these items posted yet. Have fun looking and hope to see you visiting one of our sites: Winchuck River Store, , Kingfisher Electric Boats, Our eBay Training Site, or our eBay Store with the seller ID: winchuckriverstore.

Fishing Off The Coast Brookings, Oregon

2008-08-01T08:39:00.000-07:00

My husband took my neighbor Ann and I out fishing yesterday. Ann and I are infamous chummers getting way too sick at sea to even think about going. Jim told us that the ocean was like glass, so we dared to try it again. Ann drove her car so we could escape our agony if need be. Ann and I didn't get sick! It was like glass and so very beautiful. We are now going to be Jim's new "fair weather-calm sea" fishing buddies. We caught our limit of rock cod and found 4 male crabs that we could keep. Female crabs have fatter butts than male crabs! Who would have thought? My job was to pick up all the many baby crab and throw them back in for next year. Ann didn't like slimy moving critters, but she loved catching fish. Thankfully, we had our man, Jim, doing the slime work! We live 4 miles beyond those hills up a river. It is almost always ten degrees warmer at our home in the summer and ten degrees colder in the winter.

Just out of port showing the Best Western and the Harbor Hills. You can see scraped off hillside where developers are attempting to make us another Carmel, CA like place. They mutter about making Italian looking villas up there. Many of us dread the end of our innocence and a place without so many people.

Early in the morning before the sun broke through the fog

I think this is Tom Hank's place that he recently bought...still in the fog. It is so hard to figure just where you are when you get out in the ocean, but I bet this is his place. I didn't see him out on the deck waving at me like I expected! LOL

This is the same house on the way back in after the sun broke through

Harbor Hills looking beautiful.

One of our male crabs with the skinny butt

Coming back into port. That bridge is Hwy 101...not very big in our parts.

Blueberry Season is Here!!

2008-07-09T12:38:00.001-07:00

I have my first bowl of cereal with fresh blueberries this morning! Yum!! We have approx. 20 bushes and I'm trying to beat the robins in getting the first ripe ones. I got up early at 5:30 to water and pick before it gets hot today. It was over 100 out on the river yesterday! We broke all records in Oregon as the hottest place in the state. My friend took an art class up north of us on the beach yesterday and had to keep her jacket on all day! I think we will drive to the beach this afternoon when it starts to steam up here! We are just not used to the heat and my husband was one unhappy camper last night. He was putting up fans, moaning and groaning and making it impossible to just go to sleep. Tonight I will send him out to the hammock. Sadie, our white lab, spent the night outside like any smart dog would do. This morning she was up in the orchard snoozing away when I got up. She is probably hoping that an apple or peach will fall as she loves to eat them!

My son dug up some of the "baby" blueberries from my patch to take home to grow for his family. It has only been a couple of years ago and they are already producing! This is little Wills enjoying grandma's blueberries. I'm eating my cereal right now with a hefty fist full of blueberries on it. Yum!

Decorating In A Casual Rustic Style on the Winchuck

2008-07-09T12:30:00.000-07:00

In General, you can see the over all view of my new paint job with some of my product. I sell what I love, so it makes it easy! I always keep something for myself to use! I found the wool rug at the local thrift store the other day for a fraction of what a new one would cost.

I have used this antique fishing creel for the past 15 years or so. I love it! The feathers have been added in the past few months along with the stag horn fern across the front of it with the brass pine cones. I sell the feathers, stag horn fern and pine cones! I manage to keep some of what I order for my own use. That makes selling what I love fun. Looks like the feathers need to be arranged a bit more! I squirted the arrangement off with the hose this morning messing it up a bit.

This bunch of onion grass is kinda cool in that you can stick something in it. I tried a taper candle and it worked really well. I have some of those for sale. I made the bark box fooling around one day. I am always saying that I will make things to sell, but never get past one of a project and end up keeping it!

I love those giant faux rock and moss balls! I've sold quite a few. I have three of the copper ones left and about 6 baby tear balls. I put a box in the old copper container with a cloth over it and then arranged the items. I also have 6 or so of the arrangement on the right with twigs, ferns, leaves and a bird's nest with eggs.

I put an 24 inch ivy wreath up in the newly painted entry way. I just sold one of those today!

You can see that the antler broke on the upper left. I get to keep it now! I have the broken piece and will glue it and no one will be able to tell. I have many of these for sale in different shapes.

So then I have those brass look alike pheasants for sale that I have on the fireplace along with stag horn fern, and faux brown grass that I really love.

Hope you enjoyed visiting my new room that is so clean that I will have to vacuum as my husband snacks! LOL He just left to go over to the neighbors. They have air conditioning and it is over 100 out there today! Not bad in the house if you don't do much.

Vintage Jewelry, Gift Items, L'Illustration Magazine

2008-06-24T08:10:00.000-07:00

A few of my eBay items

Bakelite Celluloid Jewelry Ascot Hat Pin Vintage	Two Tone Silver Colored Elephant Pin Republican Symbol	Blue Ice Rhinestone Vintage Belt Buckle	Vintage Navette Cut Clear Rhinestone Clip
Ruby Glass and Gold Vintage Brooch Pin	Vintage Purple Glass and Gold Pin	Antique Inkwell Cut Glass with Brass Collar Brass Base	Vintage Beautiful Rustic Dutch Design Collectible Plate
Villeroy and Boch Dresden Germany Antique Peony Plate	Villeroy and Boch Dresden Germany Antique Cherry Plate	ORIGINAL W GERMANY GERZIT GERZ LIDDED BEER STEIN LG 17	LILLUSTRATION MAGAZINE Jan Aug 1915 FRANCE Hardcover
Berkeley House Liana Gold Dinnerware Platter	Crinkle Cut Paper Shred 4 oz Bag Chocolate Brown	Cellophane Pkg of 10 Basket Bouquet Bags Craft Gifts	Small Fishing Creel Basket Rustic Lodge Cabin Decor
Large Fishing Creel Basket Rustic Lodge Cabin Decor	Building Plans Electric Hands Free Fishing Kayak	Natural Hanks of Select Raffai Crafts Gifts Garden	Golf Club Themed Gift Basket
Antique Race Car Themed Gift Basket	Time To Go Fishing Gift Basket	Collection of Faux Garden Metal Decorative Balls	Nested Rustic Lodge Country Style Wooden Pails Buckets

Free Quick*Sell Gallery from ISDN*tek

Gardening on the Coast of Oregon

2008-05-03T08:44:00.000-07:00

Here is a slide show of our gardens on the Pacific Northwest Coast of Southern Oregon known as the Wild River's Coast

If you have any questions about our garden, please contact us at karenclark41@gmail.com. We will be happy to answer any questions.