Panzee, The Hot Tub Project, & Other Things

Posted on December 9, 2013 by Jerrie Cate

I’m learning something new so I will have something to fall back on when I finally retire. Again. It’s fixing hot tubs. I figured since Don got me through an engine tune up with the old truck, I gained enough mechanical experience to fix pretty much anything. So, I removed one of the pumps from our hot tub to see if I could figure out what was making it sound so bad. It used to be just fine but late last summer it started making kind of grinding-squeeling noise, and it would not kick over on low-speed during the start-up process. It just hummed, and quit, hummed and quit, hummed and quit, etcetera.

Since the weather was hot back then, I just disconnected the power and set it aside. Now that it’s terribly cold out, Diane reminded me how much she likes the hot tub and how nice it would be if it worked like it’s supposed to. I could only agree, so pulled the pump I thought was making the noise, and tore it apart after a bit of internet research. I still find it amazing how much information is available out there about anything you want to know. Very specific information, too. I just love the internet.

I took a bunch of pictures in my shop but none when I had the pump motor in pieces so you’ll just have to get your photo fix with this one. It’s just a bunch of license plates I removed from various vehicles we have owned over the years. What’s missing are the ones from Okinawa, and one from Rome, Italy and Florida. When we moved from Okinawa in 1970 we went to Rome and shipped a 1965 Thunderbird Landau. When we licensed it we had to turn in the Okinawa plates for AFI ones. That’s for “Allied Forces Italy”. Since we didn’t ship the car home, we didn’t get the Italian plates. Then we moved to Florida, then to Guam where we had to turn in the Florida pates. While in Italy, it became fashionable to firebomb cars with AFI plates because the bombers thought they stood for American Forces Italy. Consequently, many cars were destroyed that belonged to many other countries. This was during the Nixon era, 1970-1973.

Anyway, here’s that photo with the missing plates …

I’ll also throw in one of the pump, even though you can’t see much of the pump except the end that has the little spinny thing on it that flings water through the pipes. That other gray piece is the spinny thing cover.

Once I got it all apart, I couldn’t find anything wrong with the bearings, and there was nothing interfering with the spinny thing, which is really the impeller. See, I really knew what it was.

Now, here’s one for all you folks who have really neat shops. My work bench is covered with “stuff”. Lots of it. And I can find things when I need them. Diane can’t. So, she doesn’t even bother to look most of the time.

The floor is pretty well covered, too.

Honestly, every horizontal surface has ‘something’ on it so when I want to do anything, I have to move things. Naturally, when I move stuff, it’s to the next place I want to work so I have to move it all over again. I keep telling myself that I’m going to devote a day … OK, two days to a clean up project and remove anything I haven’t used in six years. I’ve actually done that once. Put everything I didn’t need in boxes, then set them aside, admiring my handy work. It was good to have a clear work bench, something I’ve only enjoyed when moving to a different house. Then, years down the road, I need something and guess what? Yup. It was in that box I filled with things I didn’t need. I’m really glad I didn’t give it away.

I have another motivation for cleaning up the shop. The work bench is too high and needs to be lowered. When I was younger, in my 50’s, I was taller and it wasn’t a problem. Now that I’ve begun to shrink I find it more difficult to with my arms sticking straight out in front of me. So, I’m going to lower it to counter top height.

Maybe lower.

To a level I can work at while sitting in a comfortable chair.

Then I’m going to start a new hobby.

It’s called, “Put Stuff Back From Whence It Came”.

I think I’ll get bored with that one pretty quick, like I usually do, so the best option would be to just give all my tools to Jeff and Daniel, then borrow what I need when I need it.

Now, about Panzee. We visited her PCP this afternoon and she was given the sad news that everything looked pretty good but to keep it that way she will need to wear the Cone of Shame for the rest of her life. Since she really doesn’t know a lot of English words, she took the news well. That, and because the doc gave her a treat.

Actually, she’ll only have to wear it for the remainder of the year. By then I suspect she’ll have a bald ring around her neck, and all the moulding around our doors is going to be all nicked and dinged from her running in to them. She used to be careful but she’s discovered the cone will give if you hit things hard enough so she just powers through whatever she hits.

My concern about all that neck jamming is she’s going to need months of chiropractic therapy to fix it. We’ll have to get a referral.

It’s Freezing Out There

Posted on December 7, 2013 by Jerrie Cate

It’s very cold here. No snow. Just cold. Nice clear skies to ensure the nights are colder yet. As I sit here, it’s 14 degrees out back. This morning is was 9 degrees so I made a wise decision to work in the basement. With my table saw, and I’m proud, and happy, to report that I still have all my fingers. I must admit that I am very careful when playing with my saws regardless of what many of you may have come to believe over the years. It’s when I plug them in that things get dicey.

I blame it all this cold on Global Warming. With all those icebergs melting the cold had to go somewhere. After savaging the midwest and eastern portion of the country, it has finally come to visit us. We did have snow the first day, and some of that is still in residence around the house, but the clear skies only serve to provide magnificent sunrises and sunsets. No snow in site. All that stuff is south and east of us in places like Foresthill and Nampa. I know that’s true because neither Kathie nor Steffani fabricate things. At least I don’t think they do, anyway. If they do, they do so with compelling evidence to support their (possibly) false claims. I choose to think they are both honorable and do not fib about such things as I would tend to do.

During the past three days Diane and I have watched at least 5 Christmas movies in our copious free time. I think at least three of them record every day, so we will be in the Christmas spirit for quite some time. I’m gonna have to make more fudge.

Jeff, Gilligan, and Baylee paid us a visit this afternoon and we had a terrific visit. It’s always fun to see them. Heather was home with Tiana and Jerrie Anne who are a little sniffly. We wish them a quick recovery.

It’s currently 2200 and the temperature is 9, again. It’s supposed to drop to 7 before morning. I must remember to bring the hummingbird feeders into the house before going to bed so they’ll be able to eat tomorrow. We still have a bunch of them flittering around the place which amazes me considering how cold it is. This time of year their colors are far more brilliant, too, than in the summer. I wish I was quick enough to get pictures of them, but they always evade me. Though I can’t capture their images with the camera, I have them stuffed away in my little brain for future reference.

I do realize it sounds like I’m whining about the cold weather, but I’m really not. We are very fortunate to have mild weather, all things considered. Many of you have colder days and nights with all the snow that normally comes with it.

I hope you are all safe and warm.

Now I must go to bed and do my best to rid my memory of the worst Honda commercial I’ve ever seen. Perhaps you’ve seen it. The one with Michael Bolton standing on top of a Honda, bellowing? That one.

Snow!

Posted on December 6, 2013 by Jerrie Cate

KC! I was only a day off. Here’s what the tree looks like when it’s getting dressed …

Not the best angle, but I’m still in my jammies and slip on slippers that I didn’t want to slip in. The road was covered when I got up at 0700, but the grass is taking longer. It’s 25 degrees and the flakes are the tiny ones that always seem to come down forever, not amounting to much until you look away for a little while. Kinda like watching a pot boil, you know? Nothing happens until you find something else to do.

One project I have is to yank a pump and motor out of the hot tub and find a place to get one or both fixed. I think the motor is OK and the pump has one of Diane’s hot tub toys stuck in it causing it to make horrible screeching noises. It’s not conducive to a pleasant visit to the tub. Getting it fixed is Diane’s only request for Christmas. So, it will happen. Maybe not today, but soon. Yesterday, when I told her the pump was on my project lest for today she said “but it’s going to be 20 degrees tomorrow. You should have done it today when it was 31.” After analyzing that for a bit, I saw the logic in doing it when the air was warmer, but to my little brain, freezing is freezing any way you look at it and I’m going to be cold no matter what. So, today it is.

As soon as I have another cup of coffee.

On another note, I must admit that I unintentionally lied to Panzee yesterday when I got her in the car for her 3-day visit to her primary care physician. After unwrapping the wounded area, the doctor reapplied a looser wrap so the damaged area would dry out because it was weeping a bit. That meant the cone of shame had to stay, and I told her it was coming off. Now it’s on until Monday afternoon. She didn’t seem to harbor any animosity toward me because of my lie, so I think she’s actually getting used to it and thinks it’s just the way things are going to be from now on … no more scratching her own neck and ears, or licking her tired old feet, or her butt after and eventful trip to the yard. Nope, those days are gone and someone else is going to have to take care of those things. Yup. Someone else.

By the way, KC, how’s that new San Franciscan elbow doing?

Appliances, Helplines, and Basketball

Posted on December 5, 2013 by Jerrie Cate

Hi – I forgot to share with you that yesterday I saved Diane a ton of money by dismantling the dryer and putting it back together again with no parts left over. It was a necessary evolution because it was making a pretty horrible noise. So, I got some screwdrivers, a putty knife, and a hammer and went to work. Turns out you don’t need a putty knife or a hammer to dismantle a Maytag. A phillips screwdriver works just fine.

Three times during this process Diane asked, “would you like me to call Stan’s?” Stan, as everyone in town knows, deals with appliances of all kinds, fixing or selling them. I kept telling her, “No”, but I think she was concerned that I’d get it apart and not get it back together again. After the 3rd “no”, she commented, “I know how much you like to take things apart, so I’ll quit and let you have your fun.” Which I did.

Once I got to a point where I could lift the top and rock it back to reveal the drum, the problem was obvious. You know those fins that stick out inside the dryer drum, that help flip clothes over, and cause socks and underwear to get all wadded up inside the elastic part of a fitted sheet so they just get warm, not dry? Well, on this model, those fins are held in place with long screws with a 5/16 hex head. One of those screws was sticking out about 1.5 inches allowing it to screech against the left side of the dryer wall. Since the screw also had a phillips slot in it, I cranked it back into place, then went around the drum tightening the other 7 screws.

Then I put it all back together and it ran just like new. Really. Diane was amazed and gave me a high five for being successful. She never really doubted me, though. I have a very long history of being able to dismantle pretty much anything and get it back together. Lately, however, when I remove parts I get caught up in the mystery of the troubleshooting effort and tend to not put screws and such in a common spot so I can find them later. So, in truth, her fear wasn’t totally unfounded. She even helped me by making sure all parts were in my hat.

The washer and dryer, by the way, are over 21 years old and still work great.

This morning I was working in the basement when Diane appeared holding the phone behind her telling me someone wanted to talk with me about my computer. I get calls like this once in a while from folks who seek help with ‘their’ computers, so I was intrigued to talk with this person about ‘my’ computer. The conversation went something like this …

I said, “Hello.”

With a distinct accent, which I couldn’t readily identify, he said,”Hello. I want your computer!”

“You want my computer?” I asked.

“Yes, I want your computer.”

“OK. Do you want me to bring it to you?”

“Yes. You bring it to me here.”

I said, “Where is ‘here’?”

“New York. You bring it to me in New York!”

“Are you going to send me an airplane ticket?”

“Yes. I will send you an airplane ticket to bring your computer to me in New York!”

“And you will pay for this?”

“Yes, I will pay for an airplane ticket for you to bring to me your computer in New York! I must first talk with my accounting department and obtain from you your credit number for security, you understand.”

“Yes, I understand. You want me to give you my credit card number so you can steal from me.”

“No! I do not want to steal from you. I want you to bring to me your computer in New York so I can fix it for you. Let me talk with my accounting …”

Before he finished I said, “Yes, you want to steal from me. I think, instead, you should give me your credit card number and bring to me your computer so I can fix it.”

I waited for a bit, listening for a response, but there was none. So, I said, “Hello” a few times and received no answer.

It was evident he had hung up on me which I thought was very rude. He did, after all, call me and I think we were actually moving toward common ground where we may have found a way to solve many computer problems throughout the world. Additionally, he may have been on to something in the way of providing transportation to and from distant repair facilities for that purpose.

I’m waiting for him to call back and apologize, but I don’t think he will. He didn’t even tell me his name. Perhaps I was the first person he’s ever called in his pursuit of other people’s money.

If he calls you, tell him Jerrie said “Hi,” and ask if he’s still wearing the orange underwear. We didn’t actually talk about underwear, but it’s always fun to ask unsolicited callers what color their underwear are. It takes the conversation a little bit left of their intended goal.

This evening we went to watch Lydia’s first high school basketball game. It was against the dreaded Indians of Scappoose, where both Diane I graduated. They are calling themselves the “Tribe” now because of all the hoopla about disrespect of Native Americans who might have migrated from India when the land bridge existed between North American and Asia a long time ago.

A really long time ago.

Be that as it may, a statement that really doesn’t make much sense to me, it is no longer proper to use any reference to Native Americans, or Indians with regard to sports teams. The team who is having the toughest time is the Washington Redskins. Funny that I never considered it as a racial slur until it was painted in that light by someone who took offense. Actually, I still don’t see it as a racial slur, but what do I know?

Anyway, the St. Helens Lions JV team got tromped by the Scappoose Indians 30-15. They didn’t lose for lack of trying. It was a very physical game on both sides but the whistles favored the Indians, like normal. The Lady Lions took lots of shots, but they just wouldn’t fall. Oh, so close, but no potato chip.

Now were home, it’s about 12 degrees outside, and we’re waiting for a call from Lydia so we can get her home from school once the bus returns. Daniel and Jennifer are in a meeting that may make them unavailable for doing that. We don’t mind.

Fire & Snow

Posted on December 3, 2013 by Jerrie Cate

OK, Randy. I get it. So, in an effort to assuage your unfounded fear of me using a chain saw on my mountain of tree limbs, I decided to leave it in the basement. Instead I used my reciprocating saw, which works better for my task, anyway. So, instead of a chain going round and round I had a blade that just went back and forth. It makes a much neater incision.

I sustained no injuries, today, even though I spent about 2 or 4 hours in the middle of the pile of branches whittling them down to a size that might more easily ignite when stacked on a bag of burning paper. Although I tried, I was not able to create a sustainable flame because the wood is green, I didn’t have enough paper, and my heart just wasn’t in it. The latter was caused by the frigid nature of the air surrounding me, blowing through my hair, ruffling my short scrawny eye brows, tickling my nose hairs, snuffing out my matches, etc. So, I quit.

There is, however, always tomorrow, and as long as we have electricity, and a can of gas, danger lurks. I’ll keep you posted.

That’s about all I got done today. That, and pay some bills.

Then it snowed.

Well, maybe not quite that much … but it snowed.

A little.

The Cone of Shame

Posted on December 2, 2013 by Jerrie Cate

Our big dog, Panzee, has been gnawing on her knuckles for a while now so we made her an appointment with the vet this morning. It’s good that we took her because she has an infection in that area, the reason for her gnawing. The Doc gave her a complete blood work up, determined her to be in excellent health with only slightly elevated liver functions. Just the infection.

So, she is getting antibiotics, old age arthritis pills, a dose of flea killer just for fun, and because she can’t leave he knuckles alone, this festive e-collar …

She hates it, of course, but hasn’t made a really big deal about it. Going up stairs is a challenge, as is going through narrow spaces. So, she’s decided to just tune me out like this …

I don’t blame her. She has to wear it for three days.

The garage door guy just arrived and is working to replace the torsion spring which sprang in half yesterday.

While waiting for the door guy, I manually moved all the tree limbs closer to the burn pile. There was a brief moment, early in this effort, when I thought maybe it would be better to use the mower and trailer to haul it. Instead, I decided it would be better exercise to move it by dragging it, a few limbs at a time, the 100 or so feet to the burn pile. Tomorrow, if it’s dry, I plan to string some extension cords together so I can use my little electric chain saw to whittle the pieces down to burn pile size.

I believe it’s going to be a pretty nice pile and will make a great fire one of these days real soon.

So Long November

Posted on December 1, 2013 by Jerrie Cate

This morning when I got up, at 0700, the temperature was 50 degrees F. Balmy. Almost spring-like. A nice beginning to this last month of 2013. It was like that pretty much all day, all of which, except for church, we spent inside. Diane’s Mom, Jean, spent the afternoon with us and we watched two Christmas movies – one from the Hallmark channel, the other from Lifetime. Both were good, uplifting stories, the big reason we watch those channels. Although, Diane and I still like movies where ‘stuff’ blows up and cars get wrecked. Those are fun once in a while.

For lunch, after church, we had our last round of leftovers for a while I think. At least until tomorrow. We had baked ham, yams, dressing, some kind of weird vegetable dish that was really good, cranberry sauce, rolls, and scalloped potatoes. There’s still some left in case any of you decide to stop by in the next three days.

You’ll have to come to us because after Diane parked her Buick in the garage, the garage door lifter-upper spring snapped in half, effectively sealing the big door and trapping the Buick for the foreseeable future. Thankfully, as Diane said, we have two working vehicles parked across the street so we can escape to higher ground if necessary. If I counted the pickup, it would be three, but it still doesn’t have functioning windshield wipers. Or turn signals. So, we actually have only two too many vehicles, but that’s OK for now, even though we’ll have to walk across the street in the pouring rain to access them.

Now, about the weather …

It’s going to get cold, but after the rain leaves the area, so the weather guessers, though they are unquestionably better, still make monumental mistakes. Frequently. Especially in our area. We live at the lofty elevation of 250 feet which doesn’t seem to ever be on anyone’s weather radar. So, when they predict rain, hard telling what we’ll get. I have to say, it keeps things interesting.

With the Buick trapped I’m glad we have leftovers and that fudge I made.

We’re set.

Unless the power goes off.

Which it sometimes does, usually when a squirrel roasts its nuts on the hot wire.

Diane and I hope that everyone made it safely through the Thanksgiving weekend. Now we can all work toward a safe Christmas to end 2013 on a happy note. While you’re all contemplating that, don’t forget Cyber Monday tomorrow.

By the way, this is a milestone 500th post for me. I figured I’d run out of words long before now.

Leftovers & Football

Posted on November 30, 2013 by Jerrie Cate

At this moment in time, I’m all alone, and Thanksgiving is officially over. It was really over about an hour ago, but I just now got to sit down because I had to do all the dishes from a lunch of leftovers for most of the attendees from yesterday, then I had to go to ACE and talk with Jack. He left a voice message for informing me that I was never available when he needed me. I left him a voice message but knew he wouldn’t listen to it because he was working and it’s illegal for him to do that while on the clock. So, I just drove down there and found him. I had to get a new battery for the garage door remote anyway, so it was a successful dual effort. Turns out he didn’t need me, after all, so it was a good thing I needed a battery

Diane, Jennifer, and Lydia are at a bridal shower for Victoria in Scappoose. Apparently she’s getting married sometime soon to a sailor, of all things, who is going to deploy sooner than expected. The wedding was originally scheduled for next summer, I believe, but I could be wrong as I have been know to be many times in the past.

Let’s see, I already informed everyone about Thursday, so all I need to do is remember what happened yesterday.

It began very early, like 0600 when the alarm went off. Yes, we used an alarm because Diane had to get me to the Hillsboro VA for an 0815 appointment with my new VA doctor. I’m in the clear on that because Diane made the appointment, not me. I’m guessing she wanted to get it over with early so we could get back home in time for the family dinner at our house.

Much of the preparation was done Thursday evening, after dark, when I made fudge and umpty-eleven deviled eggs using the eggs Diane boiled at some time in the past. I was going to wait to do them Saturday morning, after my doctor appointment, but the fudge only took about 20 minutes so I just did the eggs, too.

It was a full house yesterday with Don, Judy, Jack, Wynette, Daniel, Jennifer, Cedric, Lydia, Jeran, Jean, Diane and me present. It was organized chaos but fun just the same. We were all done eating in time to watch the Civil War game between the Ducks and Beavers. As expected, it was a really fun game to watch and the Ducks salvaged a little credibility by beating the Beavers by one point, 36-35. Close, but no banana for the Beavers. It was a fun game to watch with a room full of people.

After the game, people departed in droves, and quiet descended upon the house for the remainder of the day.

This morning I was up at 0700 for the dogs, then I slept in my recliner until 1000. Diane was up at 0900 making domestic noises in the kitchen. I ate a bit of breakfast, then went out to trim bushes around the house. It was Diane’s idea. She wanted the hydrangeas trimmed before the next rain, so I did it. Right here I have to add that I looked up the spelling of hydrangeas after I spelled it and it was correct. I was amazed. Still am.

I just watched Auburn beat Alabama 34-28 on a missed 57 yard field goal attempt by Alabama with 1 second remaining in the game. Worst case was a miss then you go to overtime, right? Not today. The kick, though pretty good was a bit short. An Auburn player caught it in the back of the end zone and ran it back for a touchdown with no time on the clock. That 1 second went away as soon as the holder put the ball down for the kicker. I’ve never seen anything like that and it was awesome. One of the announcers commented that Alabama couldn’t defend the run very well because they only had linemen on the field, “a bunch of fat guys,” he said. I thought that was a bit crude of him, and it will probably be on the sports news for everyone to hear for years to come. Regardless of who was on the field, Alabama was simply beaten in an excellent game.

Now I’m watching Stanford whip Notre Dame. I will be switching back and forth between that game and the Texas A&M vs. Missouri game. I’m pulling for Missouri because I’m pretty tired of hearing about how great Johnny “Football” Manziel is. I just don’t see it because he’s actually only as good as his receivers and blockers. But, what do I know? I’m just an armchair QB from a backwater town in Oregon with a big TV and lots of opinions.

Now I’m going to stop and think aimless thoughts.

Happy Thanksgiving

Posted on November 28, 2013 by Jerrie Cate

Once again, it’s time to celebrate, give thanks, and eat more turkey than we should. This year I think I’ll go a little easier on portions. Either that, or I’ll ditch my belt and wear suspenders on a very large pair of pants.

Speaking of pants … a pair of socks, or shoes, I get. But a pair of pants just doesn’t make sense to be even though that’s what I’ve called them my entire life. Well, my entire life after I started speaking.

Jack told me my first words were “shut up” because he and Jim used to babysit me and apparently I heard that more than anything else. I wonder why.

I’m getting off topic, here. Sorry. A little bit of schizophrenia seeped into my brain. This is about giving thanks, so I should be saying things like, “I’m thankful that I have a large pair of pants,” and “I’m thankful to my brothers for teaching me to speak.”

I’m especially thankful for my beautiful bride of 45 years, 7 days, 15 hours, 8 minutes, but who’s counting. Every second is precious. They tick, one to the next, and each is more meaningful than the last.

Our lovely daughter, Jennifer, gave herself a challenge to share reasons she’s thankful each day this month. It caused me reflect on my own reasons to be thankful but I couldn’t match her method. She’s really good at it while my thoughts are typically scattered making it difficult to share a coherent statement that makes sense. Then, too, I tend to ramble a bit and lose track of what I’m talking about. So, my challenge is to do short thankful statements, which I will do now …

I’m thankful for …

my family …
- just because …
my friends …
- because they love me but don’t have to
my senses …
- especially when they work
pets who love me …
- even when I forget to give them treats
each morning I wake up …
- on the green side of the grass

I can’t think of any others worth mentioning because they are just sub-categories of all those. Expanding on them would simply progress into a very detailed list of things like, “I’m thankful for each moment I sit quietly on the couch, holding my bride’s hand, sharing a box of kleenex, as we watch some sappy movie.”

Yea, I’m ‘that guy’.

Yesterday afternoon I decided to do a little Zen Pruning on our fruit trees. That involved getting two long extension cords because I have this handy little electric chain saw on a stick that makes getting high branches easy.

Starting with the oldest plum tree, I began whacking off offending, and broken branches that should have been removed about 15 years ago. I’ve never ever pruned it. As each branch crashed to the ground, I dragged it out of the way so I wouldn’t get my feet tangled up and fall down as I worked my way around. I continued the same process with the other four trees, ending just before it got dark, so I didn’t have a full appreciation of what had transpired until today’s morning light.

Remember all those pretty trees, full of nice green leaves, apples, and plums? Well, here’s how they look now …

Just before I finished Diane yelled down to me, asking if I was sure this was the proper time to be doing all that. I told her that it didn’t matter because I would have done it anyway. I was in the mood.

I must also share that the pruning went nicely until the last tree. It was a vicious attack by a very flexible, whippy branch about 8 feet long that was attached to a much larger branch that I had just cut off. As the big part fell, the whippy branch was temporarily delayed in its descent by another branch that I chose to leave in place. When the branch got past the ‘saved’ branch, I was treated to one of the most painful experiences of my entire life. That branch, with un-erring accuracy, snapped forward, striking me across the face at an angle across my tender lips and right cheek. It was worse than a slap. I have experience so know the difference. There’s a mark, but Diane was unimpressed because it didn’t bleed, so there will be no photo.

Jennifer stopped by on her way home from work so we had a little visit which is always nice. She asked me if I had made her window table. That caught me off guard and I blurted out that I was working on it, spoiling the surprise. When Diane heard that the beans had been spilled, she actually yelled at me for doing that. Maybe all she did was proclaim loudly, but it sure sounded like yelling to me … and all I did was give an honest answer.

Then, Diane went to her Avon Stash and produced a tiny little pair of slippers which she gave to Jennifer to try on. They were, like, 5-6 inches long, and they fit her perfectly, even with her socks on. There was another surprise spoiled, so I guess we were even. Seizing the opportunity, I yelled at Diane for doing that. Jennifer, of course, was delighted because she got to take them home.

So, now I’m not going to make that table for Jennifer. I’m going to make something else so it will be a surprise and I will no longer be in trouble. Maybe a doily.

To end, I must share another ho-hum sunrise coming up behind Mt. Hood …

I hope all of you, wherever you are, stay safe today and always. We all have reasons to be thankful no matter who we are, or where we are in this life. As Jennifer shared her daily Thanks, so should we.

I wish you all peace, every day

Golf, Food, and Computers

Posted on November 25, 2013 by Jerrie Cate

Today I only did three things of significance, other than waking up to celebrate one more day on the green side of the grass.

I’ve been doing pretty well getting through the last 3-4 days without my morning nap. It’s been tough, but in that regard I’m a trooper. I guess. I don’t know how long that’s going to last, however, because my body is craving that nap. It’s becoming important. But, I have to admit that I see to get more things accomplished when I stay off the recliner in the morning.

Yesterday JP called me suggesting we play golf today and Diane was all for that. I think she likes me doing things like that because it’s good for me to socialize once in a while, and she likes puttering around without me getting in the way.

So, shortly before 1000 I headed for the golf course. JP and Doug were already there, like normal. They almost always get there first which makes it good for me because I don’t have to stand around and wait for them to show up. That was good this morning because it was cold, like 26 degrees cold. A great day for golf, right? Chilly, yes, but incredibly beautiful. Here’s JP shooting his second shot from the ‘ditch’ on the first hole. That white stuff is frost, not snow. What fun.

My tee shot wound up on the top of the hill, a place where I normally don’t land. It was by far my best shot of the day. So, it started well. Even though I play badly, as a rule, I still have a great deal of fun. We all do because we’re not all that serious about it. Well, maybe Doug is a little serious about it most times, but today he found it a little difficult to do that. In an uncharacteristic display of really bad golf, he hit his golf cart twice. I suppose that, in itself, isn’t all that extraordinary, except for the fact that the cart was parked directly in front of him, as he addressed his ball for a fairway shot both times. I mean, it was right there in front of him, like a challenge he could not refuse. Hitting the cart means it had to hit the ball right off the tip of his club to make it go exactly 90 degrees from the directly he was aiming. Quite remarkable to do it once. Twice, in one game, is probably a course record. I’ll have to check and let you know. If I don’t get back on that it’s because Doug convinced me it probably wasn’t a good idea.

Here’s Doug waiting to tee off on hole 6 after setting that course record on hole 5.

Here’s another shot from the tee on #9.

After golfing poorly, I was asked to go to lunch with them. I called Diane and got permission to do that so followed JP to Longfellow’s in Scappoose. Longfellow’s has been in the same location for as long as I can remember things that happened a long time ago. Really, it’s been there my entire life. They have a grill in the middle of the cafe part on which they grill all the meat ordered by patrons.

When we entered the facility from the incredibly bright sunshine, I couldn’t see a darn thing. My glasses were dark, for one, and the lights were very dim, for another, combining to make it very difficult to find the restroom, for which I had a great need.

So, I just stood there, waiting to regain my vision. Finally, I saw Jerry, older brother of JP and Doug, sitting at a table toward the back of the room. I made my way there and asked directions to the room with a urinal. He pointed me in the proper direction, through the bar area, warning me about the step up. The bar area is one step up from all directions, a handy feature that ensures patrons of that area cannot easily navigate safely into the cafe area because they always fall down. Sadly, as I said, there is a step up from all directions meaning I had to step down into the restroom area.

Having safely made the trip, I captured the chair next to Jerry. JP and Doug sat across from us then out of nowhere appeared Mike, one of our old high school teachers. Mike is only a few years older than us, so it’s OK. We’re all friends now, instead of teacher/student where friendship is not an option. JP had a patty melt on sourdough, Doug had a hamburger, Jerry had the salad bar, and I had the chili dog special. Mike didn’t eat anything.

The burger patties for the two sandwiches were absolutely huge – 1/2 lb of pure, unadulterated dead steer. It really looked good and temporarily made me sorry I hadn’t ordered one of them. But, the dog was very good. Jerry’s salad looked good, too.

Once the meal was over I went back to Jerry’s house for phase two on Dolores’s computer. As you may recall, I spent 4 hours on it last Thursday, but didn’t finish what I started. So, I had some work to do. Now, I’m not a whiz kid with computers, but I can fake my way through some pretty tense situations. Another thing I (think I) can do OK is show others how to do the same. Dolores is a good student because she’s not afraid to push buttons to see what happens. Jerry, on the other hand, is a bit hesitant to push buttons. He did it, but I could tell it was a struggle. Bottom line, he pushed through like a good soldier and got it done.

I texted Diane to let her know where I was so I wouldn’t be in trouble by not showing up right after lunch. She was OK with that because she was heading out to get more yogurt, and other stuff. We haven’t had yogurt in a few days and I was going into withdrawal. It’s not pretty. I was missing “other stuff”, too.

Now it’s time to quit.