Home

Posted on December 21, 2012 by Jerrie Cate

Although our journey was long and tiring, it was well worth it. Surprising Jack and Wynette was worth every second. However, arriving home safely is always the best part of a trip for us. It’s as if all journeys are taken for just that reason … going home.

Once we get there, reviewing the trip seems like it was just a dream. The tangible evidence of our trips are the trip logs, blog entries, and photos. Most of those items are pretty boring, but they are still evidence. At least the photos are. The trip logs and blogs are subject to embleshment, something I cannot do with photos with any degree of confidence.

The trip from Nampa to home was relatively uneventful. We got up early which was directly related to the fact that we went to bed early after visiting with Daniel, Tyler, Bob, Steffani, Maryssa, and Cass. The highlight was Maryssa singing a very long song in Spanish. Impressive, and well done. She even explained to me what it all meant. A sad song. She told me the name, but I can’t pronounce it because I can’t wrap my tongue around Spanish words. I’ve tried and have determined that I’m too old to train my tongue to do anything new. As it is, performing basic operations required for sustenance works OK, but chewing gum, if my mind wanders a little, results in a bloody gash that hurts a great deal. The latter aspect isn’t a complaint, it’s just the way it is. I’ve been biting my tongue on a regular basis since 1987 when a Navy dentist equilibrated all my teeth.

Equilibration is a process where the dentist makes an attempt to move ones lower jaw back as far as possible by randomly grinding teeth so they mesh in such a manner that one has to conciously move their jaw back in order to chew. The random grinding process is accompanied with a lot of banging the teeth together onto carbon paper, which doesn’t taste too bad. Once all the banging is done the patient is blessed with a record breaking migraine and another appointment for the next day to do it all again. This is repeated as long as the dentist sees a need to push the jaw back. Before he started my teeth were actually not lined up too badly. Now I have an enormous overbite which is the reason I don’t smile very often. This process also provided a prime opportunity for my tongue to wander into the chewing process because before the equilibration it had timing down pat for the old position. Then the mechanics of chewing were changed forever and the tongue refused to upgrade. This resulted in the need to chew a great deal more slowly which has, actually, improved my health because my bites are much smaller now so I don’t eat as much food.

The sun was shining brightly as we departed Nampa and stayed that way all the way to Pendleton where it started raining. That was OK because by that time all the really scary bad roads were behind us. On the way down the hill to Pendleton we only encountered one semi that was tipped over by the high winds. I didn’t mention those, did I? From Namp to Pendleton the winds were blowing 60 mph most of the time, with gust far higher. I said we only saw one flipped semi because the gal who filled out tank at the bottom said there were three of them that morning. Maybe the other two were on the uphil side of the freeway.

I drove from Pendleton to lunch in The Dalles. We stopped at a Sears store and bought some vacuum cleaner bags then walked around the parking lot to a Burger King. We both had Whopper Jr’s. They contain all the sustenance we needed at that moment in time. Then, Diane drove the rest of the way home.

Diane is a great driver and got us home safely, just like she always does.

The End

We Made It To Nampa !!

Posted on December 19, 2012 by Jerrie Cate

Here we are in Nampa … arrived at 1700 local. It was only an 8.5 hour drive. Coming out of Ely, Nevada wasn’t a problem, even though it snowed all night and the temperature plummeted to -17. That’s what it was when we got up at 0600 this morning. While we were eating our breakfast at the hotel, this is what it looked like out back:

The drive to Nampa was uneventful except for the part where Jim drove from Ely to some point north where there was no snow. The road was packed snow, ice, sand, and salt during his stint at the wheel and he really messed up the car, bad.

The windshield washer wouldn’t work so when southbound trucks passed us things got dicey because using the wipers only smeared the mud around, making it very difficult to see the highway and oncoming vehicles. We decided to quit using the wipers after stopping and trying to clean it off with water that froze immediately. It was -16 or so at the time, so it was no surprise.

After cranking up the defroster as high as we could, it melted enough so we could scrape it off with one of the card keys we stole from the Ely La Quinta Inn. Fortunately we had two of them so Jim and I doubled up to get it done quickly. That worked well until we stopped at a small store and purchased some window cleaner and got all the windows cleaned off for Diane to drive. She drove to Twin Falls then I took over and took us the remainder of the way to Nampa. My portion of the trip was the smoothest, of course. And the car was clean. This is what it looked like when I parked in Jim’s driveway:

Now, about the clean car … in Twin Falls we got gas and it came with a free car wash, so we got one and it was awesome. I wasn’t ashamed to drive the car.

The roads were clear all the way to Nampa.

About the time we sat down for dinner, Steffani, Daniel, Tyler, Maryssa, Bob, and Cass showed up so everyone had to stop eating so we could hug everyone. Cass wouldn’t hug me and that’s probably OK because I don’t know who she is. Gotta change that … she’s a U of I Vandal studying to be a Veterinarian.

Now I’m going to quit and visit.

Going Home

Posted on December 18, 2012 by Jerrie Cate

Today we got up by 0600, packed our stuff, and met Jack, Wynette, and Jim at the Village Inn on Highway 60 in Surprise. The goal was to depart on our journey north by 0800. We almost made it.

Now I must go back to last night to report on our supper at Archie’s. Dave and Debbie were there as well as Jack & Wynette. And Jim. He was there. too. Dave was a medivac helicopter pilot in Viet Nam. Tough job. Nice people.

Archie’s was interesting for two, no three, reasons. First, they put plates of dill pickles on the tables instead of bread. That’s probably OK because, first, they are good, and second, Archie’s mainly serves sandwiches. Second, the sandwiches are absolutely enormous! Honest. I was so amazed that I failed to take a picture of my food like I normally do. My Rueben was, no kidding, about 4 inches tall. Amazing! I had to nibble around the edges because I couldn’t get my mouth open far enough. It was totally wonderful. If I lived in Surprise I’d eat there once a week. I really would. But I don’t, so I can’t.

I lied, I guess. I thought there were three reasons, but I can only remember two of them.

After supper we retired to Dave and Debbie’s home in Happy Trails. The first thing I did was update Debbie’s laptop’s security … it was actually up-to-date but it hadn’t been scanned in a while. Then I downloaded Malwarbytes and rand a scan for malware and found 208 “bad” things which I removed. Then we played a game of cards the likes of which I’ve never seen before. It was a golf game of sorts, and lots of fun. Then we went next door to visit with Pat and Carolyn for a bit before dropping Jim off at his private Villa then went back to the hotel to pack and get to bed early.

Now, for the trip … we worked really hard to get an early start because we decided to skip Las Vegas and drive all the way to Ely, Nevada – 510 miles. An aggressive goal, but the weather was bad enough on our route we had to make room for an extra day on the road should we get snowed in. Here’s the Arizona sunrise that sent us on the way …

Diane drove the first 6 hours and 300+ miles, quitting when the weather got bad, then I took over and drove the rest of the way. We didn’t have a bit of trouble even though the snow got really bad, the road was covered with packed snow, and it dropped to 18 degrees as we climbed to 6700+ feet in Ely. We didn’t slip, we didn’t slide, and we didn’t get scared one time. The big problem was trying to keep the windshield clean. Tough job with no washer fluid. Or, it was frozen. This is what it looked like most of the time I was driving … with an extremely full bladder …

There’s not much to add to that because the view was pretty much the same the entire time I drove. But, the roads were well tended, with good traction, and we were able to roll along between 50-60 most of the time. I was amazed. The Buick does really well in crappy weather. Maybe we’ll keep it after all.

As soon as we got to Ely we got gas so we wouldn’t have to mess with that in the morning. Since I had to stand outside in the 18 degree weather, with wind chill to about 9 degrees, I thought I get a shot of the rig. I’m really glad we got the car washed yesterday …

We confirmed that they use a lot of salt on the freeways which is no doubt why we had good traction. But, that means we’re going to have to get another car wash in Idaho. No, we’ll wait until we get home because it’s going to be snowy pretty much all the way.

Here’s the view from our hotel window which I think is a Nevada sunset …

That’s about it for today. We’re winding down and ready for bed. But, before I go, I have to share another picture I found that you should enjoy. I took it at one of the rest areas we hit on the way through Nevada on the southern trip. I figure this is a way to limit clean up visits to this rest area. Diane said the women’s restroom was the same. I’m thinking of doing something like this in my bathroom at home. I’d just do away with the padlocks, though …

Nice, huh?

Golden Anniversaries & Other Stuff

Posted on December 16, 2012 by Jerrie Cate

This isn’t going to be anything like you expected because it’s all about a personal journey to honor a brother and his wife. It goes back a few years and involves a standing tradition for our family. Simply put, we gather for all 70th birthdays and 50th anniversaries. You may have surmised, at this point, that we’re all old. That’s true. I will be the last to observe either of those milestones.

This time, it’s for Jack & Wynette. Yesterday was their 50th Wedding Anniversary so big brother, Jim, and I had to attend. The problem was, Jack and Wynette were in Arizona. How to overcome that obstacle proved to be a lot simpler than one would have thought. All it took was a wife who was willing to go anywhere at the drop of a hat which this trip turned out to be.

Before I get too involved with the details I must back up a little to provide a bit of history …

Last Sunday, the 9th, Diane and I were talking, something we rarely do, trying to remember when Jack & Wy’s anniversary was. It wasn’t written down anywhere we looked. Diane thought it was on the 10th, two days before Jack’s birthday. Regarding that, Jack’s 74th birthday was on 12.12.12. So, that’s a golden birthday.

Since there wasn’t a lot of confidence that the 10th was correct for the anniversary, I called Jim, who didn’t have a clue. Neither did Donna. Then I called the other Jack, Wynette’s brother, who said, “I think it’s the 15th.” He said it with confidence, but the “I think” imbedded in the statement added a bit of uncertainty so I thought I’d call Greg, Jack & Wy’s son. It’s a Scappoose phone number so I dialed it up. Brother Jack answered, throwing me off a bit, but I recovered and the conversation went something like this …

“Uh, hi. Are you Greg?”

“No, I’m Greg’s father.”

“Uh, can you pretend you’re Greg for a minute?”

“Yes I can.”

“Uh, will you pretend you’re Greg for a minute?”

“Yes I will. We were married on December 15th, 1962. You should know. You were there.”

He was right, of course. I was there. I was the best man. You’d think I’d remember, but it was, after all, 50 years ago. Just saying …

But, I got the information from Jack so my goal was accomplished. The fact that it was the 15th, not the 10th, was the determining factor for us deciding to jump in the car and make the trip. Jim was all for it. So, Diane jumped on the internet and started checking for places to stay along the way. The plan was to head east to Nampa, pick up Jim, then head south to Surprise, AZ.

While Diane was doing that, I looked around on Facebook and found Brian, J & W’s grandson who lives near Surprise. Not having an email address, or a phone number for him, I sent him a message via Facebook asking him to call me. He actually did that which surprised and pleased me a great deal. The objective was to learn if any plans were in place to celebrate J&W’s Golden Event. He told me it was on Sunday the 16th at 1300. That was great, and Brian expressed his excitement that Jim and I would be there.

Diane got us rooms, for three adults, at Ely, Nevada, Nellis AFB (near Las Vegas), and Surprise, Arizona, about 6 miles from Happy Trails where J&W are staying.

We planned to leave St. Helens at 0800 and actually got out of town around 1100. Right on time.

The trip to Nampa was uneventful except for the fact the rain coming down upon departure quit around Troutdale and we had dry roads the entire way. Very nice. We arrived at Jim’s and Donna’s around 1900. Donna had dinner waiting for us for which we were grateful … it was wonderful minestrone soup and cornbread. Excellent!

We visited a while then went to bed. I didn’t get up until 0830, or so. I ate a banana and Diane had a yogurt then we were on our way. I have no idea what time we left, and I have no idea what Jim ate, if anything. We did have coffee at the house before leaving, too.

The goal was to reach Ely, NV before it got dark. It was about a zillion miles away and we had to make it in less than 8 hours. We thought it was doable, and it turned out to be true. Diane drove most of the way then I drove the last 200 miles, and gave up control to Diane so I could navigate the last couple of miles. We had a room with two queen beds. That was one bed each for Diane and me. Jim had to sleep on the floor, but he didn’t mind.

After getting checked in, we took the night manager’s suggestion to eat at the Silver State Cafe. It was an excellent meal and we went back to the room well nourished. We all had a good night’s sleep and woke up refreshed. Jim didn’t really sleep on the floor, but he wanted to. He had a bed all to himself. Because of that, he got to drive the first leg. He had a really good time because after getting on the freeway, it started snowing. A lot. But it didn’t stick to the road. Thankfully, we were heading downhill so we drove out of the snow before Jim got too scared about driving in the snow.

The next goal was Nellis AFB just a bit north of Las Vegas. Turns out we left Ely far too early and arrived at the base at 1230. The time zone changes 2-3 times on Highway 93 during that trip, something we hadn’t considered. Because of the early arrival, we had to kill 3 hours before we could check in. So, we went to the Base Exchange so Jim could see what the “new” Air Force exchange looks like. It’s a lot like going to a Nordstrom’s that’s inside a mall, food court and all. Very high end store. The advantage to shopping on the base vs. shopping at local stores is the absence of the state tax.

We finally got checked in at 1500 and took a little break, watched a little TV, checked email, etcetera. The room had two double beds. For dinner Jim and I cooked. We went to the lobby and bought three chicken pot pies and three Klondike bars for $6. Cheapest dinner for three, ever!

After a good night’s sleep, we departed, heading south on Highway 93. That took us across the Pat Tillman Bridge that spans the Colorado River, just downstream of the Hoover Dam. We stopped short of the bridge, however, so we could take Jim out on the bridge for a view of the Hoover Dam that he’s never seen before. To get to the bridge required a fairly long climb so we could trek out to the middle. Diane stayed in the car which was a smart move. The wind was blowing at least 90 mph, making it difficult to walk. But, we did it, and I got some got pictures of the dam. Jim seemed to enjoy it but didn’t say much because he was out of breath.

On the bridge we saw cars driving over the dam, so we decided to continue on down that way and just get back on the highway on the other side. Turns out, that was a trap because the road is closed about a mile past the dam. So, we had to turn around and retrace our steps to Highway 93.

We arrived in Surprise Friday afternoon at some unremembered time of day, but late enough to check into our room without having to wait for checkin. The room has a king bed, and a small sofa bed with pokey springs and a very thin mattress. Jim, being the trouper he is, said the sofa was fine, but it really wasn’t, so Diane bought a fluffy mattress cover at Goodwill after a wonderful dinner at the Portofino Ristorante, just down the street. Very authentic Italian food.

The next day I called Brian to see if we could find out when and where J&W might be so we could surprise them in Surprise. He said they were going to be at his house in about an hour or so. So, we jumped in the car and headed to his and Annie’s house in Litchefield Park, about 8 miles south of the hotel.

We found the house with no problem and parked around the corner from the house. Brian came out to greet us, and we walked back to his driveway and were just about to enter the garage when J&W turned the corner. So, we just stood there and waited for them to park. Needless to say, they were very surprised to see us standing there. Who’d thought, right? It was very gratifying for all of us. Mission accomplished.

Later in the afternoon we had dinner at the Golden Corral where we met up with Pat, Caroline, Dennis, Mary, Jack, and Wynette. It was a gala reunion of Cate Brothers and Cate cousins. Pat and Caroline live in Happy Trails where J&W are staying and they just happened to have a livable unit that they are fixing up, and offered it to us for the duration of our stay. But, the room we have is non-refundable since the reservation was through Hotels.com, so we declined. Jim, however, thought it would be excellent. So, Pat & Caroline followed us back to the hotel so Jim could pack up his things, then took him back with them. They even gave Jim a golf cart to buzz around in. He’s currently in heaven, having a great time.

This morning Diane and I got up early so we could join everyone for church at Happy Trails. It was their Cantata, and it was absolutely wonderful. The church was full, with hundreds of people. After Church we took Jim and fiddled around a little before heading south to Brian’s for the party. The party was wonderful. We got to meet all of Brian’s family that includes Steve (Step Dad), Keithena (Mom), Brent, Bronte, Brooke, Brene, Breezy, Breven, and Bridgett. The last six are his sisters. A very good looking group of kids, including Brian, who range from 9 to 28 years old. Eight of them.

Keithena and Steve

Wynette . Brian . Jack

Keithena . Brent (Ben)

Bronte . Brooke . Brene . Breezy . Breven . Bridgett

We all had a wonderful time visiting and celebrating J&W’s 50th. It will be remembered.

The Happy Couple

Annie (Brian’s significant) . Diane . Brian . Homeless Guy

Jim . Jack . Brian . Homeless Guy

Jim enjoying the football

Super Annie

The Lair – Dustin . Brian . Jim . Brian . Jim . Diane . Shane . Steve

Keithy in a lucid moment

Jim wasn’t allowed to eat at the adult table

That’s it for now. My next entry will be a cry for help when we get stuck in the blizzard that’s currently b lowing across northern Nevada We’re going anyway.

Gout & Other Terminal Illnesses

Posted on December 12, 2012 by Jerrie Cate

It’s a sad state of affairs when a serious case of life threatening gout settles in ones’ left big toe making it necessary to limp AND use a cane to remain vertical. Yes, I’ve had it before, and survived, but I’m not sure about this time. I’m on day three now so time is short.

The cause, I’m almost positive, is the 3-4 pounds of shrimp surrounded by as many pounds of Zhen’s special lo mien noodles. Understand, I didn’t ask for that much, but that’s what I got and I know better than to upset a Chinese cook.

It took me two days to devour all of it, but I did it. And, it was really good. I must admit that I inflated the amount of shrimp, but not the noodles. This batch or noodles had beef, chicken, pork, and shrimp, unlike the noodles I had two weeks ago that came with only shrimp, with straight shrimp. That batch didn’t bother me at all so I’m thinking that maybe the problem this time is with the beef. Whichever it was, it’s really doing its job this time. Diane’s getting seriously tired of my moaning all the time and keep trying to get me to take some drugs. But, I refuse because I’d rather writhe in pain, on my death bed, my current state, than to get hooked on ibuprofen. No sir, not me.

Actually, the toe is getting better, but I’m not holding my breath for a total cure. But, this afternoon I was able to walk a little further without my cane than I could previously. Walking with a cane is something that should be taught in school with an eye on the future for students who have the prospect of living to an old age because they will need it. Learning when a person is old, and already teetering when vertical, is extremely difficult for some of us.

I thought I had another terminal ailment today, hence the title, but it turned out to be a false alarm. I just had gas. Lots of it.

Comcast or CenturyLink

Posted on December 8, 2012 by Jerrie Cate

We made the switch this year, twice.

The year began with us happily chugging along with Comcast internet service and DirecTV. Then, just for fun, I called CenturyLink to see what kind of deal we could get if we bundled DirecTV with their DSL internet service. Adding home phone service wasn’t on my mind when I first called so that didn’t come up until late in the hour long conversation I had with a very nice customer service agent. Just for fun, I asked if we could get our old home phone number. After a brief search I was told, “Yes” That was the deal maker for me so I signed up for the whole meal deal. We gave that number up over 2 years ago so it was pretty amazing that it was still available.

It was good to get the old number back but the internet service was just terrible because it was sooooo sloooooow. It was like going back to dial up after experiencing Comcast’s blazing speed. I knew it was going to be super slow, but Diane was not pleased. As a result, before getting the first CenturyLink bill, I went to Comcast and signed up for their Triple Play deal. Now the internet speed is back where it belongs, Diane has to learn how to use a new remote control, and we still have our old home phone number.

Then, yesterday, I made a severe error of judgement, my first of the year. I installed Comcast’s free Norton Security Suite. I couldn’t install it on my iMac, but putting it on Diane’s PC took it back to dial up speeds and she was not pleased. When she’s not please, things don’t go well for me. So, today, after we decorated the Christmas tree at church, I uninstalled Norton while she was taking a long nap in her recliner. She was tuckered out from worry, afraid I was going to fall off the wobbly 15 foot step ladder I was using to add lights and ornaments. I wasn’t a bit worried. Ever. I’ve been on that ladder lots of times and never fell off once.

The tree looks right nice. We used all white lights and only gold ornaments. That’s a first for the church so we’re curious to hear comments. We’ve already decided that the first person to make a bad comment will be nominated to be in charge of the crew to remove the tree after Christmas.

Today I finished up a 4 day job of repairing my bathroom to keep the shower from leaking. It’s only taken me 2 months. I know that’s true because Diane told me. I did the final touches while she was taking her nap, and while I was fixing her computer. I was multitasking like crazy. Too bad I don’t have more days like this. Maybe I could find the floor in my shop. The trouble with that is that once I find the floor, the top of the work bench disappears. At this time I have neither a floor or a work bench top. It’s a very hazardous area. But, one of these days, I’m really going down there to clean it up. Maybe Monday.

Now I’m going to stop and relax.

TVCC, Old Friends, and Kidlets

Posted on December 3, 2012 by Jerrie Cate

On Saturday, December 1st, Diane and I attended the combined TVCC Thanksgiving & Christmas party at Finley’s Sunset Hills Mortuary.

“An odd place for a party,” you might say, “but I bet no one complains about the noise.”

Both are true. The residents do not complain one little bit, and we do tend to be a rowdy crowd. So, it’s a good place to be.

When the Tualatin Valley Cruiser Club started 10 years ago, it was a small group of friends brought together by Rick & Jody Rainwater. Our first meeting was in one of the sales rooms above a Chrysler dealership in Beaverton because one of our members, Pat, was a salesman there. We quickly graduated to larger venues, eventually winding up at Sunset Hills where another member, Steve, is a “suit” at that facility. He’s been our favorite undertaker since he joined the club.

The original membership had three Jerry’s, of which I was #2. Now, 10 years later, the Rick’s outnumber the Jerry’s, and that’s OK. Though Diane and I still pay our dues for club membership ($15 a year), we don’t make the monthly meetings like we used to, nor do we participate in the almost weekly trips in the summer. But, we attend the gala affiars that draw in the old members, just to maintain that contact.

Since this party was about Thanksgiving I had an opportunity to wear my turkey had one more time. I was relieved of that obligation as soon as Tom saw it. Tom is our friend who had a stroke and is rehabbing to get back into shape. It was really good to see him and his wife, Linda, laugh. Not only that, they had the last laugh because they took home a lion’s share of the raffle items:

In addition to Tom & Linda, at our end of the Rowdy Table, were Jerry #1, our very own Mr. Miagi …

… Jerry #3, Nelda …

Diane and me, Jerry #2 …

I didn’t get a picture of Diane because she was never sitting down. Instead, she was up running around the room trying to change her luck with the gift drawing. Regarding that, it was the oddest thing …

It used to be a White Elephant gift exchange where a person picks something, or steals something already unwrapped from someone else who opened something ahead of you. Got it? At this event each person drew a number from a container. There were 57 of us present. Once that was done, the matching numbers were drawn to see who would open the first gift. From then on it was up to the next person, whose number was drawn, to either steal, or open a new gift. This went on through 55 people with numbers being drawn by various people in the crowd. Diane was #56, and I was #57 … the last two to choose. What do you suppose the odds are of both of us being chosen last in a random drawing.

Amazing. Since there was only one gift left on the table, and we’d been doing this for a long time, I chose the gift so we could end it, passing up some really nice things. What I got was a little Darth Vader flashlight sitting atop a small container of M&M’s. That was OK, though, because Jerry #1 collects M&M memorabalia so I gave it to him. He has over 2700 unique items in his collection that includes horse racing silks (did I mention he used to be a jockey?), leather coats, to small little item he got from me. I was amazed that he didn’t already have it. Made my day.

Since I didn’t get a picture of Diane at the party, here’s one of her holding her Great Granddaughter Juliett, with Juliett’s Aunt Baylee looking over her shoulder.

Just for added clarity, Aunt Baylee is Juliett’s Aunt Gilligan’s sister. She’s also Aunt Jerrie’s sister. And Aunt Tiana.

What fun.

Advent

Posted on December 2, 2012 by Jerrie Cate

Today Diane and I attended church at Grace Baptist Church to watch Daniel, Jennifer, Cedric, Lydia, and Jeran light the Prophecy Candle for Advent. Diane and I thought it would be pretty simple, but all five of them had a part and all of them made us proud.

They were lined up in front of the congregation, behind the advent candles … from left to right there stood Jennifer, Jeran, Lydia, Cedric, and Daniel. Jennifer began by introducing the concept of Advent, Jeran explained that the first advent candle is the Prophecy Candle, Lydia recited Isaiah 9:2-6, Cedric said a prayer, and Daniel lit the candle. Not all at once, mind you, but one after the other, left to right.

Doesn’t sound like much, does it? But having our Daughter and family standing up there doing this emphasized to us what this season is all about. In addition to celebrating the birth of Jesus, it’s about family.

Jennifer has a great speaking voice, and set the pace. Jeran jumped right in with his part and did an awesome job. After a short pause, Lydia looked out at the congregation and recited her part, then Cedric finished the narrative with a prayer while Daniel lit the candle. A well done for all. Jeran’s voice is steady and sure, Lydia has a voice like Diane’s, and Cedric’s voice has changed into a booming baritone.

Back to Lydia for a moment – I kept expecting her to look down at her paper, but she didn’t have one. Nothing to fall back on. But she didn’t need it. I later learned that she had to read the passage a total of three times before she could do it without looking. Quite impressive, I thought, because it’s a lot of words, just like these …

²The people walking in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of deep darkness
a light has dawned.
³You have enlarged the nation
and increased their joy;
they rejoice before you
as people rejoice at the harvest,
as warriors rejoice
when dividing the plunder.
⁴For as in the day of Midian’s defeat,
you have shattered
the yoke that burdens them,
the bar across their shoulders,
the rod of their oppressor.
⁵Every warrior’s boot used in battle
and every garment rolled in blood
will be destined for burning,
will be fuel for the fire.
⁶For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

The service was excellent and we enjoyed it immensely.

After the service everyone excited to the common area and enjoyed an excellent spaghetti lunch, followed by a dessert auction. Not wanting any dessert, we observed for a short while, then departed for home where I had to work on getting Diane’s computer back online. I jerrie rigged a few things, admittedly, but it only has to work until next Thursday when Comcast is hooked up. Then it’s all going to change again. So, for now, I’ve got cables running all over the place. As long as we don’t go into the basement, none of them pose a trip hazard.

Now I must stop and eat supper. Diane just showed up with something from Burgerville after taking her Mom home.

Doilies at Sea

Posted on November 30, 2012 by Jerrie Cate

Over the years I’ve acquired a few skills that aren’t commonly associated with men. The only one I will mention today, perhaps ever, is that I crochet stuff. I learned from my Aunt Bert when I was 8 years old and have never forgotten how. I can follow patterns and everything.

There was a long lull in this kind of activity during my Navy career, but toward the end, when I went on several WESTPAC cruises, back to back, I picked it up again. A WESTPAC cruise, in case you’re wondering, is when the ship one is assigned to sails West to various points of interest in the Western Pacific rim. On the way they always stop at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. On the last two we stopped at Iwo Jima, not normally part of these kind of trips. Other locations are the Philippines Islands, Hong Kong, Australia, Korea, Japan, to name a few.

Anyway, spending time at sea for extended periods gives one a lot of free time once all the training evolutions are done for the day. So, I picked up my needle and yarn and started making doilies. They’re simple and quick, allowing me to get the feel for the needle once again. It’s like riding a bicycle.

When this activity began I was a Chief Petty Officer so had relative privacy in the CPO Mess. The challenge, mentally, was to get past the odd looks I received from the embarked Marines. I’m talking Gunnery Sergeants and up to Sergeant Majors. Tough guys, putting it mildly. These were the warriors we carried and they were ready to make an assault any where, any time. They trained incessantly so what they saw me doing was not a manly thing to do. Making doilies, for criminy sakes. Go figure.

After a few days, however, they accepted my behavior and started giving me sideways glances to see what I was making. When they started seeing finished products they approached me to see about making a trade for something so they could get one for their significant others. I obliged, of course, trading for various pieces of Marine gear.

Some of these doilies, and a table cloth I made, were sent to my Mom who, without my knowledge, entered them all in the Columbia County Fair. When I learned about this I also learned that I never got less than 2nd place competing with all the professional crocheters in the county. Not bad. Mom had all my ribbons mounted in a picture frame. Pretty special.

After retiring from the Navy I discovered a pattern for snow people so I made dozens of them and most of my family have them and haul them out at Christmas time when they know I’m going to visit. Diane thinks I should work on them all year round and sell them at craft fairs. I don’t do that, however, because then it would be a job. I’ve had jobs and don’t want another one. So, its a casual thing.

Here’s what they look like …

I have to admit they’re not like the pattern any more. I tend to exaggerate things a little.

Now, if you’re related, and don’t have a set of these, and fear that I might pay you a visit, put in your request. If you aren’t related, and want a set, they are $85. You, too, can put in your request.

Just kidding … I’ve never made a dime on these things and don’t intend to start now. If I did, it would be like … well, like work. I do it for fun. If you don’t have a set, and just have to have one, contact my agent. She’ll put you on the list. After that, it’s all about patience on your part.

Diane left me alone tonight. She went with Jennifer and Lydia to an ornament exchange. It’s that time of year.

Now I need to find something to watch on TV to keep my mind off power tools until she gets home.

Christmas Decorations (and other stuff)

Posted on November 29, 2012 by Jerrie Cate

Deer Pipples,

I yam hear to warm you a bout thu coming a cop a lips. Scuse me … the coming a pock a lips. Once ur lips become a pocked, it’s hard to unpock thim. An, with pocked lips not evun ugli pipples wood con sidur play in hossle tonkey with you. No, tossie honkle … honsle tockey … tonsul hockey. Thas it!

OK … that’s really dumb. Something came over me, compelling me to lower myself to provide a true life narrative and it didn’t come out so well.

The day began nicely at 0715 with the sun coming up behind Mt. Hood …

Then Diane and I installed some festive items in our front yard to celebrate the coming Christmas season. Our Mr. Tree, the birch with a face, got garland …

… the dogwood tree got lots of balls, some garland, and a cat …

… and the middle of the yard got two electric deer and an electric tree with blink lights …

It took all morning to get that done so we spent the remainder of the day eating stuff.

During the process of getting this done, adding photos and whatnot, I came to the conclusion that I’d made a terrible mistake by moving from Comcast Blast to CenturyLink SnailPace internet. It took forever to upload the photos causing me internal pressure. Add to that Diane’s dislike for the depleted speed, I deemed it was time to fix it.

So, yesterday I dropped Diane at Wal*Mart and went to Comcast and ordered their Triple Play with the works and it’s going to be installed next Thursday, the 6th. No more lolligagging around waiting for uploads/downloads after that. No sir! It’s going to be lightening fast from then on.

Today I actually got out of my PJs in time to go to coffee with the guys at the Kozy Korner Kafe. Only two others showed up, but we three had a great visit. After that, I went to Diane’s Mom’s house and put Christmas lights in her Japanese maple tree. That was a surprise for Mom because she Diane took her to the doctor this morning in Portland and didn’t return until about 30 minutes ago.

When she got home, Diane rushed around gathering up all the cans of tomatoes she could find to take to 1st Lutheran Church for Community Meals this evening. Today is Bethany Church’s turn to cook and she is making minestroni soup. I offered to help, but all she wants me to do is show up later and help clean up. I’ll get a meal out of it so that’s OK.

Now I’m going to go spray some grout seal on my shower so I can get busy putting it back together. So far this project has only taken me about 1.5 months. Not bad as projects go for me. During this process, I learned that WD-40 removes soap scum from glass. Go figure.