25 Years and Going Strong

Tonight's Happy Hour was about celebrating 25 years with Kathy and Doug Madsen.  Maurene snuck around and managed to obtain there wedding picture and the rest as they say......

Every year is worthy of celebration.  Happy Anniversary Madsen's

Martha went to Mexico and was late getting home - she is getting some sympathy from Murphy.

Another New Mexico Thanksgiving

Hard to believe it is Thanksgiving; but the turkey is gobbling so will deal with it.  This year the second level is filling up fast,  AND the good news is there almost all just want to have a good time.  With Barb and Frank playing around at Amazon we welcomed new hosts Bev and David.  Under Donna's guidance they provided a prime Thanksgiving Dinner with all of use filling in with all kinds of scrumptious delights. ( I did not overeat.  Thank goodness.)  Yes, we have recruited Bev into SWing.  :)   We are glad Donna and Dick came back.  AND we ate promptly at 2 pm.

Then there are the three muskateers on the 2nd level.  Juanita (Neb), Joy (Ark) and Kathy (Min).  the fourth muskateer went to AZ this weekend.  I'm glad Kathy has a group to get into trouble with.  We NOW have two card tables regularly.

Of course we have most of our regular hell raisin' group back again:    Loren and Marilyn - Marilyn thinks if she ignores me I'll go away.  Hmpht! It takes more than that.






Emile and Dianne.  She is ready to get into more "stuff" this year.  She looks wonderful.

 Dave and Debbie - I'm pretty sure Dave is holding her most used finger under the table.

Kathy and Doug were here last year; but we didn't get as acquainted with them as we're getting this year.  Yes, she's one of the Level 2 "Whadahellers".

 Hmmmm - where is the other half of these two???  Up to no good I'm sure.

 Larry and Joy are just that - JOYFUL! She is the originator of 

"Whadahell?"                     Junita and her husband..............Jim, mmm Don......it'll come to me

Roy and Sarah are on The Alley with us.  Poor them!  Roy gave me two stupendously wonderful programs I quickly fell in love with. 

Joan and Paul love to 4 wheel so will be leaving for awhile; but they'll be back.

 Charlene and Roger and friends of Carol and Roger.  From back east somewhere - NH?, CT?  somewhere like that.          Kara and Leo are beside Carol and Gary at the head of The Alley.  They, too are hoots to be around.

And finally our new camphosts David and Bev.  Whata crew.  

Dinner was wonderful then we sat around and - - - -what else??? - - -played cards.  We have GOT to play something else one of these days.

Finally Happy Thanksgiving to one and all.  

Dealing with the "P" Word Again? Spit!!

Well THAT was special!  You know me I clicked in a spot I wasn't sure what would happen and waaala!  A brand new blog layout.  I couldn't figure out how to delete it.  It was called dynamic views and although I did like most of it, it didn't show the blogs I follow or the pictures, etc.  I'm sure they'll "perfect" it and soon we'll be zipping along.

The "P" (perspective) word has haunted me for years. For a few years I didn't even know WHAT it was; then I found out and ----well spit!!--it just keeps coming back.  I've been dealing with it again when I was hit on the head by the realization that my "perspective" is not your "perspective".......hmmmmm!  So even though people go through the same experience what one brings to the table in the form of emotions, previous experience, etc.  colors how the event it perceived by them.
Years ago in our find a counselor for Lucky (that SHE couldn't outsmart the 2nd time she went) stage I drove weekly with her to Spearfish.    The trips were a bust for Lucky but a statement the woman said to me turned MY life around.  I had a tendency (ok obsession) to be the perfect mother.  After all 10 of 12 jury members, a state social worker and 23 professional people felt their mothers rights should be totally yanked and the girls should be given to Ken who was married to me and I must be --- the perfect mother??  So I went the perfect route for a few years - anything bad that happened was MY fault.  If they had to be disciplined by someone I was slacking on the job, blah, blah, blah.  So this afternoon the counselor looked at me and said, "YOU aren't at fault here.  You aren't God.  You didn't set out for her to be raped!   Bad things happen - it's up to you to deal with them; not take the blame". Yup! I had lost perspective there for thousands of days.  In retro-P.... that is probably when I began to map our boundaries for myself - so I wouldn't lose ME again.  I had been SO intent on being perfect I daily gave my power to the girls and others for what KIND of day I would have.  When I finally realized that just because someone SAYS something, the words will simply die in the wind of non-acceptance unless I reach out and grab them; hugging them to myself as officially MINE and how I should act.  OH, SPIT!! Get a grip!
All that to come to the point June 26, 2002 changed our lives!  By 10:30 pm we knew that K.C. would be a whole body donor; but we didn't know if Ken would survive and was in a coma.  A gargantuan migraine enveloped me and I simply checked out and remember only bits and pieces of that day like a movie that has been slashed then stuck back together again in the wrong order with about 90% of the frames gone.  NOW I realize that most of our family was probably in much the same shape.  Into this situation walked our oldest daughter.  She had been estranged from us for 12 years and there was a LOT of hostility aimed at her.  She comes looking for her Dad - he's in a coma and looks SO beat up; her brother - with not a visible mark on him yet was told his survival rate was 5%;  her "baby" half-sister not a 17 year old and finally a morbidly obese step-mother not this gray-faced extremely thin stranger with her "Mom's" voice coming out of her.  Perspective.  A few folks that may read this will say, Buuuutttt.......  and I say - who cares who said what; who did what......we all felt and it was AWFUL.  Living in the past................how is that working for me???  for you???? for her???
This time of year sucks as we go into the memories.....  BUT this year is GOOD in other ways.  Mona is living in Sheridan making a new life with Mike.  Whitney and Travis are doing good in the young go 800 mph way young folks do; Ken is back to about 85% of the man I married.  Woo-hoo!  And me??  I LOVE this life we have carved out for ourselves.  As Ken used to tell the kids, "When you work you work HARD and when you play you play HARD!"  Well hallelujah sista we're in playing mode.  Bring it on!

Perspective is a relative thing.  Friend Archie "aka Clay" had his own dose of the P word this fall.  His Bullocks Special Beer delivery was back ordered. a few days.  What to do, what to do............ well 32 oz is 32 ounces.  NO!  Says he - 32 ounces is too big, too bulky and gets warm too easy.  Archie, Archie, Archie.

Roy made me do it!!!

Hopefully I'm just TRYING the new blog look.  There are lots of ways one can read it now.....just click on one of them in the upper lefthandish corner:  Classis, Timeline, Snapshot or whatever they are.

This, That and the Other

Well - we did NOT fall off the face of the earth.  We are here on the Alley slogging along.  We've not been anywhere special except Mexico on Tuesday.  The stats are shaping up.

Tues Nov 18

Day 63 on the alley

Outside: 57.5 (.5 credit to Clay/October)

Rain: 4 (Oct)

Wind: 2 (Nov)  6 (Oct)

Breeze: 7 (Breezes do NOT affect sitting outside)

Ahhhhhh!  Life is Good!  

The Alley has one spot (Mayno's old spot) and is otherwise full.  Crafts are in full out mode.  So far they have had classes on card embroidery, card stamping and I think plain old card making with a little Quilling thown in for good measure.  The Swedish Weavers are ebbing and flowing - but I AM a loyal little OCD'er and have begun making KaCe an afghan with our bus, Kevin's Snap On truck and many other vehicles on it.  It is to put it mildly challenging.  I bought an Ondori book and did a lap throw I'm thinking will remain mine (unless Sharon wants it).  It is on navy MC using bright green and royal purple.

And then there is the brown one.  I finished it and MAY give it to Westin = but I'm thinking (again) that I'll get another "real" piece of brown and do another one then decide what to do. 

I finished Whitney2's green one and it is really nice.  Have had lots of comments on the colors. Hope she likes it.

I seem to have a thing for navy MC this fall.  I really love this one with copper and variegated pinks.

Right now I'm frogging my way through KaCe's.  :)  Sucks to be me.

Ken is so much better.  He has been doing small projects here and there.  His weight is continuing to inch down.  I am continuing with my vitamin shots but am no back on ANY type of hot seasoning.  It'll come; it'll come. 

Mona and Mike Miller

On 11/11/11 we gathered another son-in-law and another grandson.  Mona and Mike were married in two ceremonies.  One on the 11th and one on the 15th.  For legal purposes the 15th is the official but they feel like the 11th is the real one - Ken married them via Skype.  Mona said if he could do Lucky's funeral he might as well do their wedding.  Look closely - there Dad is in his blue poncho ready to go.

with Mike's son Cody

I believe Whitney just heard Wylie (our Papillon) giving the bride away. 

They live in Sheridan and seem to be very happy.  Cody is going to live with them awhile.

We went to Mexico Tuesday and I replenished the supply of less expensive drugs.  Sent some north to help them get through the winter.

Wyn and I took Sharon to Las Cruces yesterday.  She has to get the go ahead from the cardiologist for them to put the implant into her left arm in preparation for dialysis.  Tuesday we'll go to Albuquerque to get that done.  And of course we'll go to the casino on the way spend the night and beebop back here for my vitamin shot at 4:30 Wednesday.   

Not much more to report so will push publish and go weave.

Happenings on The Alley as it grows.....

Carol/Roger and Emile/Dianne  arrived this week.  And two more couples arrived that are going to be a great addition to the winter = Bill/Maurene and Larry/Joy.  We had a craft meeting this week and planned what to do where - kind of, possibly, maybe if it works out.  We'll do the newly named Bitch and Stitch (formerly Swedish Weaving) Mondays from 1-4.  Works for us.  Scheduled is tea light making, two kinds of glass etching (acid/dremel), three kinds of cards (scrapbooking, embroidery, stamping), jewelry, SW, crochet/knit/broomstick, Quilling and the cable applique sweatshirt (I HAVE to get started on mine so I MIGHT have a clue what to suggest for people).  Me?  I'm sticking with SW and the sweatshirt - I'm a loyal OCD'er.  The guys are going to play poker and go eat - yup they'll be busy this winter.
Got the results from most of my med tests Friday - 95% good news.  It seems I have a short memory, my mouth and tongue burn like fire when I eat anything more spicy that cottage cheese, my fingers/hands & toes/feet have been alternately burning/freezing/tingling getting worse with each passing month (peripheral neuropathy), been getting colder and colder, blah, blah, blah!  Well when you put ALL of they minor symptoms together you get very low Vitamin B12.  Well slap me alongside the face and color me STUPID!!  I've been concentrating on making sure I have potassium I blanked out B12.  I KNOW that I am deficient in B12 - it goes with GBP like pancakes/syrup, bees/honey, Yarn/Monks Cloth.  My last shot was----oh let me see----2007. And God forbid I should remember to TAKE the darned things orally.  So now I get to make up for lost time and get a shot every week.  Lucky me.
I am SWing along.  However this morning Wylie decided he needed to jump up on my lap and rest awhile.  I am attempting to make blankets for the "bitty" boys with cars, trucks, The Bus, etc on it.  If this is the last time I mention this project you'll know how I'm doing.

Thursday some of us ladies "went shopping".  This would be code for "go to the Legion, drink Margaritas and play pool".  Linda has joined the player ranks this year.  We had a good time. 

 Here Kathy (Minnesota) and Maurene discuss a shot.

Maurene (Nebraska) is getting in the groove.  Yup! Gonna be a fun winter.

 Saturday the wind BLEW!!  So what does every little "down souther" do on those days?  Go to the clubhouse and play Golf.  Here the girls are teaching another newbie Charlene (New Hampshire?? Pennsylvania?? somewhere back there) how to play

I don't think Emile gave Ken the correct card.

Meanwhile Dave was at an auction.  He spent FOUR hours there waiting for a special sign to come up for bidding. 


"Going south" isn't for everyone.  If you are cranky, negative, don't like to have fun or laugh, or have stinky feet then our advice to you is STAY HOME and suffer.  The South isn't big enough for us and you.