Monday, August 31, 2009

Vocabulary

I need a good vocabulary lesson. It seems that every word coming out of my mouth has a different meaning.

First I went to town to pick up a few things. I asked at the farm store if they had dog wormer. The man replied "dewormer".
Oh yes, I want to get rid of the parasites, not give them to the dogs.

I did O.K. when I went to the hardware store to get a dehumidifier for the basement, so glad I didn't bring home a humidifier to put more moisture in the damp, dark space.

Drake, one of the small towns nearby is having threshing days. I called them thrashing days. I suppose they don't want to beat the crops to death.

When my sister Susan called I told her I was chucking corn, actually I was shucking corn, not throwing it around.

Boy, I think I better check at the school to see if they let parents take vocabulary class.

Sunday, August 30, 2009

Sunny Days in Ketchikan

I know it rains allot in Ketchikan Alaska. It averages 137 inches a year, but my childhood memories are of pretty, sunny days.

I remember playing for hours on end in the woods. There where a great many things to find and explore in those rain forests. Moss grew on everything. Have you ever seen a muskeg plant? The leaves are humongous.
We did have to look out for muskeg holes where men have stepped in the wrong spot and sunk in the wet muck to oblivion.
Dad was out hunting once and stepped into one. His gun, carried cross ways caught on the side and saved his life, by giving him leverage to climb out of the hole.

We picked big juicy blue berries from huge bushes, yum, my favorite.

I remember the tangy scent of hardwood rising out of fish smoking huts. It takes hours to smoke salmon to perfection, but boy is it worth the wait for this mouth watering delicacy.

Sometimes the mosquitoes where thick. We would have to take bitter tasting vitamin D pills to keep the ravenous beasts off.

Grandma had a Volkswagen bug. We would ride to town with her to do errands and of coarse stop for an ice cream cone.
I have always loved to watch the boats which you could see from town.

During the Summer months in Ketchikan the sun shines bright most of the day and night. I recall Mom making us go to bed while we could hear neighborhood children still playing and having fun nearby. She would complain about people letting their kids play all night just because it was bright out.

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

North Dakota


We have moved to our new home in north Dakota. It's very pretty here, with huge, rolling fields of sunflowers and wheat. lots of lakes and big oak trees.



I took a walk along the lake and through the woods and spotted these pretty flowers.





I'm sure a gnome just scurried under these tree's, but I was to late with my camera to capture him.







I'm sure if I keep my eye out and camera ready I will capture one of the darling little creatures on film to show you.

Sunday, August 16, 2009

Napping at Grandma & Grandpa's

My Grandparents had their 70th wedding anniversary August 1rst.
each of us told a special a memory we have of Grandma and Grandpa.

I remember when I was a little tyke and being made to take a nap at their house.
At that age you don't want to take a nap. You might miss out on something.

Grandma & Grandpa's house sat in the lush woods outside of Ketchican Alaska. The sunlight shone green in the bedroom window filtering through the trees.

I would lay on Grandma's colorfull handmade quilt and gaze out the window where I remember seeing flying squirrels glidng from tree to tree. They have skin on their legs that stretch out and turns them into rodent gliders that travel very efficeintly through the thick forest.

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Bubbles

While sitting on my sister Paula's deck, in the warm sunshine, I heard children's bubbly laughter and soon saw bubbles floating up over the roof of the school which sits below her house.

I'm sure those children didn't know they were bringing joy to a restless soul.

I'm going to try harder to live a happy life and spread the joy around.

You never know who might catch it.