Veterans Day Parade

Kylie and I went to the Veterans Day Parade downtown today--it's suppose to be the largest west of the Mississippi. It was a little drizzly when we first arrived.

Then we heard the sirens, and thought that maybe we would be able to see the lights of Auburn's finest leading off the parade, instead we saw this...

But then along came Captain America to save the day !!!

His horse drinks cocoa...

There were so many great High School bands and tons of Veterans from all branches of the military, I spent so much time applauding and occasionally wiping away the tears, that I didn't get as many pictures as I wanted, but here's a couple more...

The big drum with the orange K is for Kylie.

This chopper had a hard time turning the corner, we all had to back WAY up.

It was a great parade, all the little kids around us really seemed to enjoy it -- A big Thank You to all of you are, have or will serve in our military.

Mother's Day in Anacortes

We went to Anacortes for Mother's Day. It was a beautiful day with good food and good company.

whirly bird

A helicopter just landed in my back-yard !! Well, not exacty my backyard, but not more than 100 or so yards away !! They were having some engine problems ?? A bad mixture (not unlike what I did to weed whacker #1)--We watched while they burned off the plugs and crossed our fingers as they limped their way back to the airport.


kind of cool :)

Last nice day in March ?

So according to KING5 weather, this is going to be the last nice day for at least a week, maybe more ? So I thought I better try and get something done in the back yard...so much to do and so little time :)

I painted a container (I love painting containers :) and planted a rose bush for Kylie. I'm not a big fan of roses, in fact, they are a pita, but she really wanted one, so... she picked out a Chicago Peace they bloom pink and orange.

Of course I had to paint a container to match :)

I thought I really needed to get a start on the mowing too. Unfortunately, weed whacker number 2 (you don't want to know about number 1) just won't work, it keeps feeding way too much string, and whacking my ankles and shins. So I only got a little bit of edging done and even less mowing. My red-neck engineering of superglue and duck tape just won't cut it any more, I have to get a new one next week...
So, I did some edging and a little mowing and decided I really needed to cut some more blackberries back; they are going crazy over the fence. I found out that you really shouldn't use an old resin table as a ladder, when the real thing is just a few feet away (well, I've been told I really shouldn't climb the ladder when no one else is home :) so, I crushed a table, but dang, those blackberries are EVERYWHERE !!! and the yard waste toter is full, again, is time for weekly pick-ups yet !!!!

Of course, earlier in the week, I was lured into thinking the good weather is really here to stay, so I bought some new plants. Of course I planted the rose (which I'll now have to cover next week, (see it's a pita) and 3 new purple plants (in my new non-mowing zone :) love my yard, but it's a LOT to mow :)

Oh well, it's only March :) I have plenty of time to get the yard in tip-top shape before I have to start working on the pool :)

I love working in my yard and listening to the M's who won another Spring Training game~hope that Sweeney actually makes the team, if Jr can Sweeney can !! oh, and get this, I guess Fantasy Football isn't enough, I'm playing Fantasy Baseball too !! Wait, March Madness is just around the corner :) How far will 'Cuse go ??? what was I thinkin' :)

Blowing Bubbles in Anacortes

Dad's birthday is February 12th, so we all got together on Sunday the 14th for cake and well, a LOT of food ;) Mom made chili and had sandwich fixin's and I made a red velvet cake and of course the requisit rice krispy treats; red for valentine's day. Corinne made some really cool oreo treats on a stick, way better looking than my cake wreck.

While there was a break in the weather (come on, it's February still, there were sprinkles).

Then the Birthday Boy cut into the 'wreck' and we ate some more :)

It was a nice day. We missed those that couldn't be there, but we'll see you soon :)

HI AMY !!

February 1st, the yard battle begins

The morning dawned with the most glorious sunrise, it was fleeting as the fog rolled in, but I got a split second of it.

Next, I had a hearty before battle breakfast of pb&j on wonderful grainy bread. Then the games began...

Sometimes I wonder if I didn't trim them back, if they would just stop growing, or they're like your bangs, the more you trim them, the faster they grow...

And does whacking away at them for an hour or so constitute an arm work-out ?

And even with the best of plans, there are casualties ~

But in the end (LOL, end, really :) part of the battle is done.

Too slimy to get all the way up on the shed roof, that will have to wait a bit. I really want to try and plant one or two vegies this year, between the sheds seems like the best place; but blackberry maintenance is crucial.


I trimmed back some of the containers, can't wait to see what decides to come back. Lot's of work to do, but it's so much fun, and worth it !!


After the containers, I planted some primroses~color is a must, it is after all, only February. A couple of the planters broke during the winter, but they're gonna be great in the flower beds, with an annual of two sprouting out of them.

With tons of vacation to burn this year, I'm gonna really enjoy this spring !!

Red, White and Blue

Slug bugs, no tag backs !! Happy 4th of July everyone -- stay safe !!

This one's for you Amy !!

50 years and counting

April 18th 1959-- that's the day my parent's tied the knot--April 18th 2009, 50 years later we all got together to celebrate !! Imagine; how many of us will be able to add up multiple marriages to equal 50 years ??

The week-end started on Friday afternoon when I forgot to let my sister know that I don't park and go in and look for people at SeaTac--I pull up in front of the airline and you run out...after cruising around I don't know how many times, I did park-- so quick, I ran in, my phone rang, 'hello, I'm at baggage claim 16', me: No, you're not, I am :) we finally found each other, I cried (I do that)

long story short, 5 minutes parking at SeaTac costs you 2 dollars.

We headed down the hill to Auburn to pick up Kylie and head up to Anacortes for the week-end. We had a lot to remember, but I didn't make a list ;( We packed up the car and headed out to get gas and hit the road. *** Let me insert a comment right here... I have spring allergies, I've had them for years, but apparently this year is really bad--and suffice it to say, I was in denial...

Anyway, we got gas and headed up the road--we were on I-5 heading north towards

Seattle, and the reader board said 'accident ahead, right 2 lanes blocked', no biggie we were in the carpool lane, well, everyone was sneaking over to the carpool lane and we were slowing down and in fact stopping; which is when I realized, I forgot my clothes...I had my bag, you know, with my nightnight stuff, shower stuff, etc, but not the outfits I ironed and hung on the hangers...oh well, there was no way I was turning around.

After we got through Seattle we actually made really good time, even through Everett which is a huge bottleneck. We checked into the hotel (how many Queen's Amy :) and then headed up to the house.

I still had to frost the cupcakes, lord they turned out crappy... I tried to make these nice fluffy cupcakes with creamy butter frosting and gold (50 years) accents. Well, I think that the gold stuff I found was for fondant, the cupcakes just didn't fluff and the butter frosting, while tasty, was thin... I love to cook, baking eludes me... but the G'pa's favorite Rice Krispy treats rocked !!

Mom had made some great minstrone soup with some crusty bread, yummy -- we visited for a while, ate brownies, made plans for breakfast, and then headed back to the hotel.

Saturday dawned clear and cool and me so stuffed up, I couldn't see or speak clearly and wondering if I was going to make it to the lunch. Fortunately, when we got to Mom and Dad's for breakfast, Mom hooked me up with some homeopathics and by the time lunch came around, I was oh so very much better, heck I'd even gone shopping and bought a replacement outfit.

We had a wonderful lunch at Anthony's in Bellingham, that included Jim, Carla and Cody--Tyler, we missed you; Henry, Linina and Rowan (the Rowanator), Amy, Kylie and myself.

The most wonderful pair of guests were some very dear friends of my parents from the Bay Area. I hadn't seen them in 10 years, when they were last here for my Dad's 70th birthday. They are just delightful and I know that it meant a lot to my parents that they were able to be there.

After lunch we went to Rowan's parent's for dessert, thankfully Rowan's dad and mom ordered an amazing cake (let it be known that Rowan's dad can bake a mean a** cake :)

Everyone visited, had some cake and laughed at pictures and reminisced ... it all passed way to quickly.

My Dad gave my Mom a card (one of a few) for their anniversary, inside he had written 'the first 50 were the toughest'--

Here's to another 50-- I love you Mom and Dad.

P.S. The Rowantor's parent's are Henry and Linina :) oh, and I forgot my purse at their house ... par for the course that week-end...

Sunday we did manage to get up and have breakfast with Mom and Dad at the local bowling alley -- so much going on in 1 week-end and just not enough time--Amy I hope you can come back soon.

pretty trees

My friend Kaaren and her Family went to the other WA, DC for Spring Break--they saw everything !! Including the cherry blossoms, how cool is that !! I have pink blossoms in my yard, I don't know what they are, but they are pretty too --

Time Flies--a mundane update

So, wow a month of silence--that's so unlike me:

let's see, I slept through the night on the 13th, the whole night, didn't budge for any reason, not once, at all. So refreshing.

We got our haircut, mine is shorter, and I'm still considering going even shorter. Kylie got a bad bang trim and is of course, indignant---(Kaaren, this one's for you :)

We got a new car; the poor Jimmy, which I absolutely loved, with her gigantic 4-bike rack, was just becoming too much of a distraction... I never knew from one stop to the next if she was going to start again or she would try and stall out going 60 or so on the freeway... of course no one could figure it out... she got us around wonderfully--back to back nights to Everett when the 'Tips were in the play-off's; so many golf courses that there a probably still tee's and balls rolling around in her...and so many more great memories...Our new car is a 2006 Buick Rendezvous, like Tiger drives -- I wish the weather was a little nicer, we haven't really taken any of our own pics yet--we haven't taken a real trip yet, but we did drive around aimlessly for 6 hours the Saturday we got her--Miss Buckie-- we drove from Auburn to Tukwila, back to Kent, up to Redondo Beach (was stormy but nice), out to south Federal Way, down I-5 to Fife, back around to Puyallup, Sumner, Bonney Lake, Buckley, Enumclaw, Renton and home again... sounds like a lot, but it's not; it was raining the whole time, so we didn't stop too much..

ok, so what else, oh yes, we made the reservation for my parent's 50th Anniversary luncheon--Anthony's Homeport in Bellingham. Just waiting for pics from all the sibs to make a little collage.

oh, and yesterday I celebrated (in my head :) 10 years at my place of employment... they are so lucky to have me ;)