I was tagged....

Okay, Lin tagged me and she's such a frequent commenter to my blog, I think I'd better cooperate.  Normally, I'm a very private person.  Other than the occasional bragging about my grandkids, not too many people really know much about my life.  Okay, here goes.

Eight TV shows/movies I watch regularly:

Without my TiVo, I doubt I'd watch much television at all, with it I watch

 CSIs (original and NY--don't much like Miami)

NCIS

The Mentalist

Stargate Atlantis (original Stargate is over)

Eleventh Hour

Fringe

The Sanctuary

Criminal Minds

Eight things that happened yesterday:

Drove from Salt Lake to my home in Washington

Stopped almost halfway for a burger and Coke (and chips of course)

Visited with Mom for a while

Picked up accumulated mail

Skyped with hubby

Read some J.A. Jance on my Kindle

Caught up on a little TiVo time

--not much else, too much driving time

Eight favorite places to eat:

Lone Star Steak House--when I get a craving for steak or prime rib

Taco Time (not Taco Bell or Del Taco)

Ruby Tuesday--excellent lunches

Famous Dave's--when I need barbecue

Applebee's--generally dependable food

Golden Corral--when I'm really hungry

Arctic Circle for its burgers and fry sauce

La Costa--a little place with terrific Mexican food

Eight things I'm looking forward to:

Warmer weather--I'm a real summer person

Lunch with my former colleagues--maybe next week

Playing with my grandchildren again--just don't know when it will be

Watching my nieces' college basketball game--also next week

The cruise we're planning this summer--hubby's parents celebrating 60 years together

Going back to Alaska and Hawaii--both beautiful in different ways

Learning how make beaded jewelry--especially watch bands

More grapefruit from Costco--they are wonderful and this is the best time of the year for them

Eight things on my wish list:

More exploring of the wonders of the U.S.

Future trips to Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Spain, who knows where.

Seeing the Great Wall of China

Staying healthy, no more messy heart surgeries

Maybe losing 10 pounds--can I do it without suffering too much?

Lay's bringing back Dill Pickle potato chips (are last two incompatible?)

Finding more good books to read on my new Kindle

Lots of time with grandchildren

Eight people to tag:

Don't feel comfortable tagging specific people; don't know that many who would want to do it.  Would love to see what others have to say.

Bon Appetit

I know French food is supposed to be..ah....fancy.  I know France gets credit for fine cuisine (like Italy for lovers, Germany for cars, Switzerland for banks, you get the idea).  What I don't understand is why American chefs find it necessary to use French terms to describe things.  Wait, yes I do.  It makes the foods and preparations sound so much more elegant, and pretentious, and difficult.  

Duck confit, topped with fresh raspberry compote and creme fraiche; or steak tartare covered with aioli and surrounded with a rich bechamel. 

Doesn't that sound...expensive and delicious?  What about this?

Duck cooked in its own fat, topped with fresh raspberries in syrup and sour cream; or raw steak with garlic mayonnaise and white sauce. 

They're right, the first one sounds much better, even without all the stress and accent marks that I've left off the French words.  Just be sure you know the meanings when you order.  Then you can avoid any unpleasant surprises when you get your food.

Unsophisticated taste

I watch the Food Network sometimes.  I enjoy watching the recipes come together and imagining the  flavors.   Some of the personalities and foods prepared seem more to my liking than others, but I've decided that my tastes are not sophisticated.   I think having sophisticated tastes mean that I have to like everything.  Well, there are lots of foods prepared that I'd be very hesitant to taste: pancake cake with avocado frosting, seared frogs' legs casserole, or goat stew?  Ordinary foods are paired in such unusual ways that I can't envision how it would taste.  Sixteen ingredients for a tiny scallop, or a lovely piece of salmon buried under a crunchy sweet topping and a fancy sauce.  What exactly are they trying to taste?

Exactly how does one get "sophisticated tastes"?  Do you have to eat in expensive restaurants, trying new things each time?  Do you just put odd things together and see how it turns out?  Maybe one needs to buy a snazzy cookbook and try some of the recipes.  I have it feeling it would take quite a while to accumulate an adequate pantry--how often do you use sweet Hungarian paprika or pickled artichoke hearts?

I remind myself that the chefs on television have staffs who make sure everything is on hand and within reach.  There are always fresh herbs of all kinds, unshrivelled lemons and limes, and heavy cream that hasn't spoiled.  My kitchen is not like that.  I will still watch the Food Network, but I'm not pretending to want to enjoy (or even understand) all the recipes.

More driving entertainment

Tomorrow I make my 300 mile trek back to the city and hubby's small apartment.  I have a yearly checkup with my Cardiologist and I'll have my hair trimmed and gray (gasp) covered while I'm there.  I decided I had better clear my cell phone of the messages I've left myself--mostly personalized license plates I've noticed--so I have lots of room to record more.

Some of the cutest were a bright orange Chevy HHR (they look very retro) that said PUMKEN, and a lime green VW beetle that said FROG (I think I saw this in Hawaii).  I think some people let their attitudes show a little when they are buying a special plate.  A big, Dodge 4X4--black I think--said BURNED.  I'm not sure of the reference, and another truck said ON EDGE.  I steered a little clear of those.  A red Mitsubishi GT was JUSTFAB but I think that definitely shows the driver's age; as does the pale green MiniCooper that said OVER 50.  

Then there are some that just confuse me.  A lovely new Toyota Camry said MRSFXIT; I wondered if there was a MRFXIT too or just a handy Mrs.  A new Mercury was PEGASOS--because it can fly and other spellings were taken?  And a pretty Chrysler 300 was MORDOTS.  That must have a meaning I'm missing.  I also wasn't sure about the red Mitsubishi that said DOGTOWN.  I didn't see any dogs inside.

I did understand the silver Mitsubishi that was STLCRSN (wow, lots of Mitsubishis this time), and I had to chuckle at the little black SUV that said LALALAA.  There's an attitude, or an easy plate to remember.  Keep reading, I'm sure there are lots more fun plates out there.

Glass half empty or half full?

I was a little depressed yesterday.  After I read the morning newspaper, it seemed that there was no good news.  The glass was definitely half empty.  Here are some samples of the headlines:

Stocks extend decline as bank worries persist 

Utah 13th in nation for ’08 foreclosures

Islamists attack Somali forces

Crackers pulled in salmonella scare 

Financial meltdown not a result of deregulation, free enterprise

Teacher held on voyeurism 

Vets given wrong Rx

It takes more than a newspaper to bring me down, but there are always the other worries in addition.  Our children or grandchildren have struggles and problems we wish we could prevent.  There are worries about parents, other family members.  My hubby just did a rough estimate of our taxes and that is an entire post for another day.  All in all, it just felt like there was not much good news, no reason to be optimistic.

For whatever reason, today's headlines were different.  Maybe the newspaper even thought yesterday was too much of a downer---though I doubt it.  Perhaps it is just life's ebb and flow. From today:

‘Miracle on the Hudson’ Pilot saves lives of all aboard crippled craft

Bomb fails to injure Iraqi Official

DVD can teach autistic child what a smile means 

Economists predicts midyear turnaround

Astronaut speaks to students

Good things can be newsworthy.  I think what we need right now is more optimism.  This is an amazing place to live, populated with millions of talented, hard-working, insightful, creative, dedicated people.  We'll be okay--better than okay.  There is nowhere I'd rather be.

False Advertising

I have lived long enough to know that advertising is just propaganda for companies to lure consumers.  I have talked with kids about how cool toys look in commercials, compared to how they look after they are purchased.  Camera angles, action, close-ups all serve to make the toys seem so desirable.  By the time kids are 12, they've been disappointed enough times to recognize the game--but sometimes they still want to believe.  Me too.

I've eaten a few TV Dinners in my time and have often wondered if the companies realize how little their actual dinners have in common with the illustrations on the boxes.   Then, again, if they put a real pictures of the dinner on a box, who would buy it?

I don't want to unfairly pick on LeanCuisine, but that's what I have.  As long as I'm eating a frozen dinner, I might as well have it calorie controlled so I feel better about it.  It is also obvious that I thought the chicken and rice dinners held promise.  

Even if I took it out of the container and arranged it nicely on a plate, I couldn't make it match the picture on the box.  The number of chicken pieces is off, the ratio of meat to rice doesn't match, and the whole thing is saucier.

For years, I've been tempted to take pictures like these and send them to the companies, but they probably already know.  I wonder if they know that we know?  If I run into any that have pictures more representative of the way the food actually looks, I'll let you know.  Don't hold your breath.

Special day

I don't very often do SkyWatch Friday two weeks in a row, but today is special.  First of all, I ran into a beautiful sky on my way back to my southern Utah home.  It was a post-storm clearing and such gorgeous clouds and sky colors.   I know I'm also late, but at my house it is Friday morning.  Enlarge the picture for the full effect.

Second, it is my BLOGAVERSARY!  It has been one year since I decided to take a stab at this.  I haven't been terribly consistent, but I have enjoyed it.  I've met some special people I wouldn't otherwise have known, and I am learning all the time.  I have lots of things still to master, but there are some fabulous bloggers out there who provide inspiration and encouragement.   Thank you to all who stop by, especially those who take a moment to leave a comment.  I will try to be interesting, informative, and/or entertaining as I continue posting in my second year.

Christmas would be boring without kids.

Our holiday began in South Carolina with two of our six grandkids.  It was unusually cold and rainy, but our 4-year-old's excitement was not dampened.

Great-grandma (my mother) got soft blankets for all the greats, and had their names embroidered on them.  The kids loved them.
It was fun taking video (of grandma taking a picture) with the new camera.  We had lots of video taken.
In his sister's words, she got "way more presents" than he did, but the nearly 11-year-old got the laptop he really wanted.  A very early morning in line at Best Buy made him happy.
The new kick 'n go scooter will be fun when the rain stops, but it's too slippery to get much traction now.

Now we're home and the California kids (four of our six) are at our house where each gets a post-Christmas gift.
For some reason these sunny, southern California people think snow is fun to play in.  
The other great-grandparents provided the back yard and sledding hill (not shown--grandma was cold).
We managed a SKYPE video conference for the kids using the new laptop in South Carolina and grandma's MacBook.  They had fun with it because they don't get to see each other very often.  
We found time for a warming dip in the community's pool.
There were lots of card games.  31 was the favorite, but with Dad and Grandma involved there was some Gin Rummy too.

We did have to get dressed up a little for a wedding reception.  One of Dad's younger cousins got married.  Oh, wait, all Dad's cousins are younger; that's what happens when you're the oldest child of two oldest children. 
That was fun because they got to see lots of family.

Christmas is filled with gifts, treats, fun, and family.  It is best shown by the smiles of the two smallest.  I dare anyone to resist their joy.

I hope everyone's Christmas was a little magical too.

Okay, this is very frustrating

I've spent a couple of hours this morning loading pictures to share a little of what I've been up to for the past two weeks.  I added comments, explanations, thoughts, and had everything ready.

HA!  There was something wrong with HTML tags or code somewhere and Blogger wouldn't let me publish!  The explanation would only make sense to a code-writer and was certainly not anything I could attempt to fix.  Maybe there are those of you out there who would have known immediately what to do, but I just deleted and will start over.  It has been difficult enough because I keep getting the message that Blogger cannot be reached so I had to try and upload several pictures multiple times.  Perhaps it is me.  Maybe the technology has really left me far behind.  I will gamely try again.  I may not be the quickest chip on the circuit board, but I am a stubborn one.

Holiday traveling

I have been way too occupied to post for a while; but I will be back more regularly in a few days when my son's family heads back to California.  I did want to join SkyWatch Friday with this fun shot of the sunset--from the air.  I had hubby take a picture through the plane window on our flight from South Carolina.

Consider this my  quick note until I get back to regular posting.  Hoping everyone is having a wonderful New Year.

Brave young men...mostly

There was quite a buzz along the south shore of Kauai one day: the waves were far bigger than normal for the beach. The number of surfers grew as word spread. Current was so strong that we watched a young man--13 years old or so--try and try to get far enough out to catch a wave. He wasn't strong enough to paddle his board through the waves. It was fun to watch the surfers try and catch the right wave.

Another interesting thing--my sister and I noticed at the same time that one of the surfers was female. From the distance, in their surf gear, we couldn't anyone's looks, but we could tell by the way she moved. Isn't that interesting. She was pretty good too. If you enlarge the picture, you can see the surfer who caught the tunnel.

Another day, when the wind was blowing, the kite surfers were out enjoying themselves. They had no trouble getting to and from the beach and some of them had great control. There were a couple who were coming out of the water a long way. It looked fun but lots of arm and shoulder work. Their boards had straps like snowboards--something we learn about in Utah.

We only saw the one female surfer, but there were plenty of females on the beaches enjoying the shows.

Nervous about too much water

One of the lovely things we did while in Kauai is rent 2-person kayaks for a leisurely paddle down the Hanalei River.  I say 'leisurely' because hubby did most of the paddling--he was good at it, me not so much.  There was sunshine, flowers on the water, and scenery galore. 

We were surprised to see a Bison in Hawaii.  This one had an interesting hitchhiker.  She came to the river for a drink, but her bird friend hopped off when we were too close.

As we traveled downstream toward the ocean, I got increasingly nervous.  I'm not a strong swimmer and I could just imagine us being swept out and dumped by the waves.  Hubby laughed at me and got closer to the river's mouth than I was happy with, but we were fine (other than my increased heart rate).  We saw quite a few people standing on and paddling surfboards.  They made it look pretty easy, but we were thinking that balancing on a board, while working a paddle was probably pretty darn good exercise.

You can see more detail in the pictures by enlarging them.  More water sports--not mine--to come.

Love that humidity.

My hair is naturally curly.  During my teenage years, when the styles were smooth and very controlled, it gave me great consternation.  I put relaxers on it (some of the first ones--very icky), I ironed it,  I used pop cans with both ends removed as rollers,  and I generally fought with it.  Thank goodness the style was not the very straight look that so many young girls have now; I don't know which would have survived--my hair or my attitude.  I generally chuckle when I hear someone talk about how teenagers do things to be unique.  To be comfortable together, conformity is what matters.  (How else do you explain the odd, sagging pants?)

But, I'm wandering.  In lovely, humid Hawaii, I was uncontrollably curly.

It did make mornings easier because there was nothing to be done with my hair.  It was going to do what it was going to do, and no matter how it looked as we left the house within an hour it was going its own way.

It got even more interesting in a little wind--like on our catamaran tour along the magnificent Na Pali coast.   In addition to the scenery, we got a glimpse of a whale or two, watched flying fish (and a bird try to catch one), and had a group of Spinner Dolphins swim with us for a long time.

The captain said they enjoy riding the bow wave--kind of like dolphin surfing.  

Who cares whether or not my hair was out of control, it was very cool! 

Beautiful Kauai

This is the view from our rented house between Hanalei and Ha'ena on the north shore of Kauai.   Our trip was blessed with 6 days of fabulous weather before we experienced 2 days of steady rain--after all, it is the Garden Isle.  We were enchanted by the warmth and beauty of this island, and we enjoyed exploring.

The view was from this balcony/lanai.  This was my sister and I taking a long, last look before loading up to head for home.  The rain had stopped for a while and there was a good opportunity for breathing in the lovely, wet, green smell.


This was the view from hubby's apartment the morning we returned.  It had just begun to snow and the temperature was 50 degrees less that Hawaii's.  Whatever were we thinking?

I will admit that it was hard to remember that it was into December.  For us, Christmas means cold and snow, because it has always been that way.  But I would be willing to try very hard to adjust my attitude.  Be forewarned; as I get my 300 pictures organized, I'll share a few.  If the sight of beautiful sunshine and water activities in December is uncomfortable, maybe you should avoid me for a while.  Just saying.

Hawaii, here we come.

At midday tomorrow, we leave for 8 beautiful, relaxing days in Hawaii. My sister and her husband are coming too, and we've rented a house on the north shore of Kauai.  It has been quite a few years since we've been to Kauai and we are very much looking forward to seeing it again.  Our last Hawaiian trip was business-linked, but we did enjoy wandering about in Honolulu, and stayed an extra couple of days so we could travel to the big island.  I was excited to see an active volcano.

This trip we have no agenda, no schedule, no plans except to enjoy a beautiful place.  We may be taking a computer because the house has an Internet connection, but if you don't see anything from me,  just assume I'm dozing in a lounge chair, dipping my toes in wet sand, or wandering about the island.  It's a tough job, but I'm doing what I can to stimulate the economy.  Aloha.

Creative Cons

I was reading about a new scam where someone calls you about a charge on your credit card. The article says they give their name, number, and lots of official-sounding information. They say they are suspicious of a charge put on your card and worry that it is not yours. What it all boils down to is they want the 3 or 4-digit extra code from your card.  The dishonest seem ever-inventive.

Then today, I got a call from a 708 area code.  Now I don't even know where that is, so I didn't answer.  They left a lovely message about how I had filled out a form to win a new Lincoln Navigator and they had good news.  I needed to call this toll-free number.  Well, I gave up filling out entries to win anything years ago; the fine print about dropping from the "Do Not Call List" put an end to any wishful thinking about prizes.  I don't know what they are trying to get from me, but it's not going to happen.  

About a year ago, not long after my father died, I untangled my mother from something she had unwittingly agreed to while paying a credit card bill.  They claimed she had accepted, she didn't think she'd done any such thing.  In the end, they were good about refunding her money, so they weren't as unscrupulous as many.

I used to get almost daily calls about how "they" could save me hundreds of dollars on my credit card bills.  I sometimes considered calling back and asking them to explain how they could do that when I didn't carry a balance.  Recently I've been hearing that my automobile warranty is about to expire and I need to call before it's too late.  I did answer once and when they wanted to know the years of my vehicles, I asked why they didn't know if they knew about my warranties.  They hung up on me.

It is too bad that we have to be so cautious and suspicious of motives, but crooks no longer just rob stores or steal cars.  Are there more thieves than there used to be, or are they too lazy now to leave their computers or telephones?  Occasionally I long for the simpler days of my youth.  The bad guys were easier to spot.

California Thanksgiving

Dinner was abundant and delicious.  Seeing the family again is something to be thankful for always.

California was rainy on Thursday, but cleared up beautifully on Friday.  The oldest, always active, grandson spent time doing jumps, tail whips, grinds, whatchmacalits (there are other, more correct terms, I know).  He's tall enough that a little basketball with grandpa left grandpa with a small cut under his eyebrow from a collision with a head and his sunglasses.

With grandma and grandpa added to the mix, poor younger brother had to sit in the middle of the back seat.  Trapped together, older brother had good teasing opportunities.  Plenty of silly noises and giggling too from both.
The back yard trampoline provides lots of entertainment.   Seven-year-old wanted a picture of her flips.  I caught a good one.
A couple of walks through the neighborhood helped to stretch our legs and we found lots of fascinating things to examine.
Our visit was over too soon, but they'll be coming our direction after Christmas.  We have a lot to be thankful for.

Life's truths

I found these on another blog and although I have seen some of them before, I just had to share a few.  Have a chuckle and a lovely Thanksgiving holiday.  I'll be in California for a few days with my number one son's family, but I'll be back.

Inside every older person is a younger person wondering "What happened?"  (Particularly timely after my birthday this week.)

42.7 percent of all statistics are made up on the spot.

Honk if you love peace and quiet.

Remember, half the people you know are below average.

He who laughs last thinks slowest.

A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory.

Plan to be spontaneous tomorrow.

How do you tell when you're out of invisible ink?

If everything seems to be going well, you have obviously overlooked something.

Everyone has a photographic memory; some just don't have enough film.

What happens if you get scared half to death twice?

On the other hand, you have different fingers.

A day without sunshine is like... night.

Interesting things on the freeway

On my regular drive a few days ago, I passed some odd-looking cargo.  Traveling the opposite way on the freeway there was a 18-wheel semi truck whose trailer was even longer than normal.  It was long enough that it had needed special permission and a chase car to be on the freeway.  On the trailer was what looked like a single, very big  propeller.  My first thought was that it was for a huge airplane, but I realized that was silly.  The plane would have to be enormous and now we make them jet powered.   In a few miles another went by.  It dawned on me that they were likely heading for a wind farm.  They were pieces of those very tall wind turbines.  Like the Space Shuttle, they look lots bigger when close by!

What a lovely surprise

I had the nicest surprise when I reached hubby's apartment yesterday afternoon.  There was a message on the answering machine for me.  This deep, male voice belonged to one of my former students trying to track down my address so he could send me a graduation announcement. 

This young man is graduating early to attend college and major in English.  He says he gives me credit for his interest in English and literature.  Flattered though I am to hear him say that, I certainly don't deserve much of the credit.  He is one of the most capable students I've ever had and his reading ability was exceptional before I was his teacher.  I tried to help him find high-quality novels at his level (reading and maturity), and I've always stressed the value of an ever-increasing vocabulary and solid understanding of good grammar.  Maybe that was what he needed at 11-years old.

For whatever reason, I was touched that he would go to the trouble to try and find me (we have both moved more than once since he was in my 6th grade).  He was a terrific student and a thoughtful, kind young man.  I have always loved working with really smart kids and he was a true pleasure.  He promised to include a picture and I am looking forward to seeing him again.