November 24, 2013 at 5:20 a.m.

This is why I don't drink caffeine in the afternoon - I stay up all night if I do.  So here it is 5:20 a.m. and I feel tired, but every time I lay down, I can't get to sleep.  So at 4:30 ish I got up and put chili fixin's in the crock pot.  Now, that is bizarre.  HA!

The results from the DNA testing are in!  There is a LOT of information and I still need to figure out exactly what everything means, but 84% of me is European, mostly of Spanish and Portuguese descent.  This is from my mother's side.  Because we women lack the Y chromosome, the father's side is not as evident.  I'm not sure exactly what this means.  I think one of my brothers needs to have this done so we can be more accurate and possibly find some long lost relatives.  Through the service I used there are approximately 400 possible relatives of ours out there from Spain and Puerto Rico and possibly Mexico in addition to locales in the States.  I am looking forward to contacting some of these people to see if we have family in common and hopefully filling in some holes the in the Puerto Rican/Spanish history.  I sure wish we would have talked to people before they were gone.   Isn't hindsight grand?

Anyhoo, more information about heritage to come.

Leaving for Seattle on Thanksgiving Day and coming back the following Tuesday.  So looking forward to seeing my son, daughter-in-law and grandson and seeing Seattle again.  It's a great city, although it's just so big and busy.

My DNA sample is being analyzed at the lab!  How exciting!  They said it will take 4-6 weeks.  Luckily, I have developed some patience in my old age.  :)  Some, I said.  Not much.

My baby boy turned 36 yesterday.  My baby girl turned 38 on November 5.  I got older on October 4 - again wondering where the hell all the time has gone.

I'm a little tired, but tomorrow is another day.

Wow, my last post was on October 13.  Time is flying by!  

It's only going to be 47 degrees at the high today, but it's beautifully sunny which makes all the difference.

One thing I notice about aging is the need to plan every little thing and plan it early.  I'll be going to Seattle on Thanksgiving Day to visit Eric, Tracy and Eli and I am already mentally making lists.  I will be putting them to paper soon.  I'll check them, oh 500 times or so, and then I'll be ready.  :)  

I tend to be a little more anxious traveling alone than I was before.  The shooting at the LA airport didn't do much to allay my fears.  Jeesh.  What a world.  So many sad, deranged people.

Bu-bye.

                                                     Updated picture of Rhiannon.

Updated picture of Layla.

                   Kind of updated pic of Regina - a senior pic so it's 2 years old, but I love it.

Can't find a good one of Joey at the moment. Stay tuned.

It's such a beautiful day!    74 degrees and sunny.  Ahhhhh

I opened my front curtains and came face to face with an adorable little chickadee.  (My window ledge outside is only a couple of inches off the ground.) He/she looked right back at me for a few seconds and then flew up to the limb of a close by tree.  Chickadees are really, really cute.  I actually love to watch birds even though I am afraid of anything that flies.  At my mother's apartment complex there is a pond outside her back window where we watch ducks and geese and one awesome heron.  We think it's a blue heron.  Herons are unusual looking and acting.  We have watched it walk in ultra slow motion around the pond - never getting into the water, never swimming.  The other day it walked right past Mom's window, so we got a good close up view for several minutes before it spread its amazing wings and flew away. It was exciting!  :)  

Here's a chickadee - they're much cuter in person.

My friend Brian posted this on his Facebook page today and I responded 


"Trying to retire from the world."

I know that sounds rather negative, but sometimes I do feel that way but, never fear, not all the time.  There are days, though, when I can hardly stand to watch the news.  I wonder if people were always so awful or if they have just evolved.  

On a different note, it's 2:04 a.m. and I've been up since 5:30.  I don't know the answer as to why on either end of that spectrum.  It's damn annoying though.

Maybe later I'll comment on the stupid government shut down.  Suffice it to say I'm just totally disgusted and appalled.  Sigh.

In other news, I am waiting for my brown rice to cook although I can't remember if I put in the required amount of water so I don't know what I'll be getting.  I'm going to say it's because I don't feel too well today, but we all probably know better.  :)

I ordered a DNA testing kit so I can find out who I really am! I'm so excited - have been wanting to do this for a long time.  
We already know we have heritage from Puerto Rico, Spain and England, Ireland or Scotland - probably English, but we'll see.  Can't wait to find out!  

Yes!

Updated picture - Eli :

9/28/2013

These are posts I've done in the past two weeks.  I didn't like the new blog site.  And, I must say, I didn't think my old blog would still be here, but here it is.  :)

OMG I'm getting old

I have sort of come to terms with being 63, soon to be 64. And I mean sort of. There are age spots, dry skin and feelings of less tolerance. You know, I don’t feel like taking crap from anyone. Not that that feeling wasn’t present long ago. It’s just stronger now. :) I know younger people don’t believe that one feels the same regardless of age, but it’s really true. I still feel like maybe I could, someday/somewhere, meet Mr.Right and I still rock out in my car to what’s known as the Oldies station. This station, of course, plays the best music ever - the music of my generation: The Beatles, Queen and Motown to name a few. I’m retired, but sometimes I still think about a career I would like to have. I am still looking forward. I have, and have always had, strong opinions about almost everything, so I am going to record them here because I can….

Speaking of perceptions about *ahem* older people, I was at the dentist the other day and my man John Mellencamp came on the radio and I said “John Mellencamp makes me happy.” The hygienist found that “so cute.” Humpf

So I’m watching a collage music show on PBS where all the musicians are playing at a certain venue. I don’t recognize most of the musicians or most of the songs - they are perhaps alternate music styles, I’m not sure. So, I cued up the closed captioning so I could understand the words. Anyway, it is excellent for the most part. One of the musicians whose name now eludes me (see OMG I’m getting old) sang “Radar Love” which most of us probably remember, except that I always thought it was “Red Eye Love”. hahahahahahahahaha I keep giggling.

More aging tidbits

I have seen it happen with my own eyes - older people worry a lot - about everything. So today my daughter, whose van is in my apartment complex parking lot after refusing to drive, left her key in the car so a repairman (mechanic in technical terms) can check it out tomorrow and I’m all worried because the key is in the unlocked car. Sigh. Key words: refusing to drive = the car can’t be driven. Doh.

Senior listening moments

Today on Wheel of Fortune, the category was Food and Drink - I heard fluent in Greek.

Then on a Gain (detergent) commercial, they said something like load and lock - I heard Lincoln log.

Oh boy, oy vey and caramba! hahahaha

An interesting day

I had to go to the dentist again today to have a filling repaired. I had my mouth open for an hour which, you know, is awful. He didn’t charge me. I don’t know why. I was and am shocked. Really, he should have charged me something. He’s a cool dude.

Then I went to the library, returned and picked up books. On my way out, a nice gentlemen opened the door for me, walked with me to the parking lot and we talked for about 20 minutes. He asked me if I was single, if I dated and told me I looked really good. Ha! (I am, I don’t, and I wonder if he is severely nearsighted.)

It didn’t happen today, but it’s still of interest. I was recently notified that I would be insured by Medicare beginning October 1, 2013. I have health insurance and a pension from the City of Kalamazoo until the day I die. So, I found out today that Medicare is the primary insurer and some other little tidbits that are not interesting. The reason I am getting Medicare before I’m 65 is because I am collecting SS disability and evidently MC comes with. I didn’t know this before. Anyway, I will be charged $104 per month for MC, which I don’t really mind. I will pay the same for the insurance from the City that I’ve been paying for much less coverage. Why is that? Not that it’s that much, it’s just the principle. Also, I really don’t understand why, considering all the brouhaha about SS and MC and like programs, if I was already insured that MC is primary. It would seem to be to be beneficial to the MC program if the other insurance was primary and MC picked up little tidbits. This seems quite logical to me.

That is all.

Oh, yeah, and...

The minute I sat down in the dentist chair, John Mellencamp came on the radio. Yes, it did, it made me very happy. :)

Art Prize 

Posted  9/27/2013

Yesterday Mom, Lola, Phil and I went to the Art Prize in Grand Rapids. I was not at all expecting the huge crowd and horrible traffic. I thought it would just be a little busier than usual. It was MADNESS! All of us except Lola were feeling a little under the weather, so we didn’t see as much as we wanted, but most of what we did see was fabulous. And, it was a beautiful day. It was very inspiring - I have some painting to do myself so I hopefully will get to it this week. You would think that when you are retired tons of things could be accomplished in a day, but in my case it isn’t so. Maybe if I didn’t read so much…. :) Oh, and spend so much time on the computer… :) And second oh, and spend so much time watching TV. :)

Another Wednesday

New pic of the darling Layla today. She is starting to coo and make noise. Carmen and I think she's so darn cute we can't stand it. But what else would a grandma and great grandma think? :)

Winter is cold and messy. I am trying, without a lot of success, not to be the grumpy old woman about it so I'll say that every once in a while it's kinda, sorta pretty, in a way.

I have a talent for writing - I have done some great poetry if I do say so myself and the novel I started has some really good writing. But, I'm not too sure I have the capacity to sustain a plot. The reason I say this is because I have watched "Emma", "Pride and Prejudice" and "Sense and Sensibility" in the past months and, Oh! how I wish I could write like Jane Austen! Or even close. Perhaps I will work on ye olde novel some more and see how it goes. I have to change the plot line anyway because someone in the past few years has published something very similar to my plot - I know, how rude! I couldn't even believe it and I must say I was mightily po'd. :)

I am reading two mysteries at once. One by James Patterson, High Lord of the mystery and one by Catherine Coulter, also a fabulous writer. They are both so intense that I can't just sit and read for hours so I switch back and forth when I think I can take it. I get pretty involved in these stories. :)

Wow, there are a lot of "I"s and on that note, that is all for today.

The gorgeous group!

Me again

Oh my gosh. This world is a mess. As my little Eli would say "what a bunch of mess." :)

My nephew Sam just got home from Marine boot camp. He didn't like it, but he graduated and we are all so proud of him. Let's hope he stays safe. Let's hope they all stay safe.

I am sooooo tired of all the political jibber jabber. If it took Bush and others, but mainly Bush, to turn our country upside down, don't you think Obama could get more than a year to try and turn it around? It's all such bullshit. I can barely watch the news any more. Sigh.

There's a new pic of Joey the reading machine. That boy seemed to learn to read overnight and he reads so well. I love that all the kids love to read.

Great-granddaughter Layla is so precious and such a joy. There's nothing like watching a baby develop unless it's kissing their precious little cheeks. :) And Regina is a good mommy.

Rhiannon is growing up. She's such a wise soul. Grandchildren are a very very precious commodity. I adore all of mine. :)

And that is all.

uh oh

Can't seem to post some new pics. Stay tuned.

Oh my

I have seriously defaulted in the blogging business.

Summer has come and gone. Fall has come and gone. Winter can go any time. :)

I have retired from the City of Kalamazoo and am working part-time for attorneys for now. My fondest dream at the moment is full retirement.

I have a new great granddaughter. She's a beauty. Her pic is posted. New pics of my other darlings are posted as well.

I have fallen in love anew with classic movies and have watched a lot of them lately.

All done for now.

Another Sunday...

I'm so sad the weekend is almost over. I don't feel like working any more. Not at all. Sigh.

It was a good weekend. Started painting the ceiling in my computer room. This will take a few more days. Ceilings are hard and my body is old. I was sooooo sore this morning.

My mommy cleaned my front windows - they are beautifully clean! I took the curtains down - it was making it too dark in here. Too bad I didn't think about that earlier this summer. But for now - LIGHT!

Went to a card party at Mom's today. It was a fun arts and crafts afternoon.

It was so hot this weekend too. No time for swimming though.

And that is all.

Absolutely unbelievable

This article almost brought me to tears. It's a travesty that people in this country live like this. This man is a Vietnam vet. What the hell?

http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/08/13/king.sotu.economy/index.html

Fun afternoon

Julie and Julia was a great movie. Meryl Streep was fantastic as Julia Child. I loved it.

We then went to dinner and I had mozzarella and tomato, crab cake and salmon. Deeeelish. I so love salmon.

HURRAY!

We finally had a beautiful rain this morning complete with thunder. We needed it so badly. Everyone's grass was brown. It feels so clean and refreshing. :)))

Today, off to see "Julie and Julia" with Mom and Lola. I've been waiting for this movie to get here. I hope it is as good as I think it will be.

For now, cleaning up a bit and getting dressed.

That is all.