But who's counting?
April 10, I leave Fresno for Miami, Florida. On Sunday, April 11, I board ship headed for the Eastern Caribbean on the yearly SAM trip. I am getting excited. I have so much fun on these trips. I am the only one who has been on every one of them. (Which is proof that these trips are for fun and to enjoy with like-minded singles and not to find a mate! LOL Although, there have been several weddings as a result.) I have met so many wonderful people on these trips. I have made life long friends from all over the U.S. and Canada.
The cruise is 7 days and we will leave Miami headed for Half Moon Cay, Bahamas. From there we will go to Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, USVI, San Juan, Puerto Rico and Grand Turk. We arrive back in Miami on Sunday, April 18. Tim and Joyce, (my friends who recently got married as a result of the Hawaii trip in 2006), will be meeting me there. We plan to go to the Everglades on Monday, and then possibly to the Florida Keys after that. We really aren't sure exactly what we will do, but we will be staying in Florida until Thursday, April 22.
I will be home for the month of May, and then on June 11, friends from Louisiana are coming to visit for a week. They want to pack as much as possible into that week, so we are going to stay busy. We will be going to Pismo Beach, Kings Canyon National Park, Yosemite National Park, where we will be staying in a cabin for two nights, and San Francisco. If I can find any time in there, I will take them to Monterey.
I really need this vacation. The hospital has been full to over flowing lately. I have been working extra days, not only to help out, but to pick up some extra fun money while I can.
What are your plans for vacation this year? Are you going anywhere, or just staying home and relaxing?
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Words and the English Language
I love words, and the English language fascinates me, so when I got this in an email, I just had to post it. I found it very amusing and I hope you do, too.
You think English is easy???
Read to the end . . .. a new twist
1) The bandage was wound around the wound.
2) The farm was used to produce produce .
3) The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse.
4) We must polish the Polish furniture.
5) He could lead if he would get the lead out.
6) The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert.
7) Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present .
8) A bass was painted on the head of the bass drum.
9) When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.
10) I did not object to the object.
11) The insurance was invalid for the invalid.
12) There was a row amongst the row of oarsmen about how to row ..
13) They were too close to the door to close it.
14) The buck does funny things when the does are present.
15) A seamstress and a sewer fell down into a sewer line..
16) To help with planting, the farmer taught his sow to sow.
17) The wind was too strong to wind the sail.
18) Upon seeing the tear in the painting I shed a tear.
19) I had to subject the subject to a series of tests.
20) How can I intimate this to my most intimate friend?
Let's face it - English is a crazy language. There is no egg in eggplant, nor ham in hamburger; neither apple nor pine in pineapple. English muffins weren't invented in England or French fries in France . Sweetmeats are candies while sweetbreads, which aren't sweet, are meat. We take English for granted. But if we explore its paradoxes, we find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig.
And why is it that writers write but fingers don't fing, grocers don't groce and hammers don't ham? If the plural of tooth is teeth, why isn't the plural of booth, beeth? One goose, 2 geese. So one moose, 2 meese? One index, 2 indices? Doesn't it seem crazy that you can make amends but not one amend? If you have a bunch of odds and ends and get rid of all but one of them, what do you call it?
If teachers taught, why didn't preachers praught? If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat? Sometimes I think all the English speakers should be committed to an asylum for the verbally insane. In what language do people recite at a play and play at a recital? Ship by truck and send cargo by ship? Have noses that run and feet that smell?
How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and a wise guy are opposites? You have to marvel at the unique lunacy of a language in which your house can burn up as it burns down, in which you fill in a form by filling it out and in which, an alarm goes off by going on.
English was invented by people, not computers, and it reflects the creativity of the human race, which, of course, is not a race at all. That is why, when the stars are out, they are visible, but when the lights are out, they are invisible..
PS. - Why doesn't 'Buick' rhyme with 'quick' ?
You lovers of the English language might enjoy this .
There is a two-letter word that perhaps has more meanings than any other two-letter word, and that is 'UP.'
It's easy to understand UP, meaning toward the sky or at the top of the list, but when we awaken in the morning, why do we wake UP ?
At a meeting, why does a topic come UP ?
Why do we speak UP and why are the officers UP for election and why is it UP to the secretary to write UP a report ?
We call UP our friends.
And we use it to brighten UP a room, polish UP the silver; we warm UP the leftovers and clean UP the kitchen.
We lock UP the house and some guys fix UP the old car.
At other times the little word has real special meaning.
People stir UP trouble, line UP for tickets, work UP an appetite, and think UP excuses.
To be dressed is one thing, but to be dressed UP is special.
A drain must be opened UP because it is stopped UP.
We open UP a store in the morning but we close it UP at night.
We seem to be pretty mixed UP about UP !
To be knowledgeable about the proper uses of UP, look the word UP in the dictionary.
In a desk-sized dictionary, it takes UP almost 1/4th of the page and can add UP to about thirty definitions.
If you are UP to it, you might try building UP a list of the many ways UP is used.
It will take UP a lot of your time, but if you don't give UP, you may wind UP with a hundred or more.
When it threatens to rain, we say it is clouding UP ..
When the sun comes out we say it is clearing UP...
When it rains, it wets the earth and often messes things UP.
When it doesn't rain for awhile, things dry UP.
One could go on and on, but I'll wrap it UP, for now my time is UP, so.......it is time to shut UP!
Now it's UP to you what you do with this email
You think English is easy???
Read to the end . . .. a new twist
1) The bandage was wound around the wound.
2) The farm was used to produce produce .
3) The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse.
4) We must polish the Polish furniture.
5) He could lead if he would get the lead out.
6) The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert.
7) Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present .
8) A bass was painted on the head of the bass drum.
9) When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.
10) I did not object to the object.
11) The insurance was invalid for the invalid.
12) There was a row amongst the row of oarsmen about how to row ..
13) They were too close to the door to close it.
14) The buck does funny things when the does are present.
15) A seamstress and a sewer fell down into a sewer line..
16) To help with planting, the farmer taught his sow to sow.
17) The wind was too strong to wind the sail.
18) Upon seeing the tear in the painting I shed a tear.
19) I had to subject the subject to a series of tests.
20) How can I intimate this to my most intimate friend?
Let's face it - English is a crazy language. There is no egg in eggplant, nor ham in hamburger; neither apple nor pine in pineapple. English muffins weren't invented in England or French fries in France . Sweetmeats are candies while sweetbreads, which aren't sweet, are meat. We take English for granted. But if we explore its paradoxes, we find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig.
And why is it that writers write but fingers don't fing, grocers don't groce and hammers don't ham? If the plural of tooth is teeth, why isn't the plural of booth, beeth? One goose, 2 geese. So one moose, 2 meese? One index, 2 indices? Doesn't it seem crazy that you can make amends but not one amend? If you have a bunch of odds and ends and get rid of all but one of them, what do you call it?
If teachers taught, why didn't preachers praught? If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat? Sometimes I think all the English speakers should be committed to an asylum for the verbally insane. In what language do people recite at a play and play at a recital? Ship by truck and send cargo by ship? Have noses that run and feet that smell?
How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and a wise guy are opposites? You have to marvel at the unique lunacy of a language in which your house can burn up as it burns down, in which you fill in a form by filling it out and in which, an alarm goes off by going on.
English was invented by people, not computers, and it reflects the creativity of the human race, which, of course, is not a race at all. That is why, when the stars are out, they are visible, but when the lights are out, they are invisible..
PS. - Why doesn't 'Buick' rhyme with 'quick' ?
You lovers of the English language might enjoy this .
There is a two-letter word that perhaps has more meanings than any other two-letter word, and that is 'UP.'
It's easy to understand UP, meaning toward the sky or at the top of the list, but when we awaken in the morning, why do we wake UP ?
At a meeting, why does a topic come UP ?
Why do we speak UP and why are the officers UP for election and why is it UP to the secretary to write UP a report ?
We call UP our friends.
And we use it to brighten UP a room, polish UP the silver; we warm UP the leftovers and clean UP the kitchen.
We lock UP the house and some guys fix UP the old car.
At other times the little word has real special meaning.
People stir UP trouble, line UP for tickets, work UP an appetite, and think UP excuses.
To be dressed is one thing, but to be dressed UP is special.
A drain must be opened UP because it is stopped UP.
We open UP a store in the morning but we close it UP at night.
We seem to be pretty mixed UP about UP !
To be knowledgeable about the proper uses of UP, look the word UP in the dictionary.
In a desk-sized dictionary, it takes UP almost 1/4th of the page and can add UP to about thirty definitions.
If you are UP to it, you might try building UP a list of the many ways UP is used.
It will take UP a lot of your time, but if you don't give UP, you may wind UP with a hundred or more.
When it threatens to rain, we say it is clouding UP ..
When the sun comes out we say it is clearing UP...
When it rains, it wets the earth and often messes things UP.
When it doesn't rain for awhile, things dry UP.
One could go on and on, but I'll wrap it UP, for now my time is UP, so.......it is time to shut UP!
Now it's UP to you what you do with this email
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
A Song in My Heart
I pretty much always have a song in my heart. To keep from singing aloud in public, I whistle. The song breaks out through my whistling and most usually, I am not even aware of it. Here is a common conversation as I walk into a patient's room....
Patient: "Oh, that's you I heard whistling out there. It sounds so cheerful and happy."
Me: "I am happy. I have a song in my heart that my God gives to me, but I whistle because I don't think you want to hear me sing!"
Patient: "That's just awesome. You don't hear people whistling or singing very much anymore."
For the past several weeks I have had a song in my heart that just won't go away. Not that I want it to, I love this song. Here are the lyrics.
"I Can Only Imagine"
I can only imagine
What it will be like
When I walk
By your side
I can only imagine
What my eyes will see
When your face
Is before me
I can only imagine
[Chorus:]
Surrounded by Your glory, what will my heart feel
Will I dance for you Jesus or in awe of you be still
Will I stand in your presence or to my knees will I fall
Will I sing hallelujah, will I be able to speak at all
I can only imagine
I can only imagine
When that day comes
And I find myself
Standing in the Son
I can only imagine
When all I will do
Is forever
Forever worship You
I can only imagine
[Chorus]
I can only imagine [x2]
I can only imagine
When all I will do
Is forever, forever worship you
Will we just stand there in awe for a while, or will we immediately begin to praise and worship Him? I can only imagine. Just to be in His presence forever! Walking with Him forever! I can only imagine, and I can't wait to see HIM!
Patient: "Oh, that's you I heard whistling out there. It sounds so cheerful and happy."
Me: "I am happy. I have a song in my heart that my God gives to me, but I whistle because I don't think you want to hear me sing!"
Patient: "That's just awesome. You don't hear people whistling or singing very much anymore."
For the past several weeks I have had a song in my heart that just won't go away. Not that I want it to, I love this song. Here are the lyrics.
"I Can Only Imagine"
I can only imagine
What it will be like
When I walk
By your side
I can only imagine
What my eyes will see
When your face
Is before me
I can only imagine
[Chorus:]
Surrounded by Your glory, what will my heart feel
Will I dance for you Jesus or in awe of you be still
Will I stand in your presence or to my knees will I fall
Will I sing hallelujah, will I be able to speak at all
I can only imagine
I can only imagine
When that day comes
And I find myself
Standing in the Son
I can only imagine
When all I will do
Is forever
Forever worship You
I can only imagine
[Chorus]
I can only imagine [x2]
I can only imagine
When all I will do
Is forever, forever worship you
Will we just stand there in awe for a while, or will we immediately begin to praise and worship Him? I can only imagine. Just to be in His presence forever! Walking with Him forever! I can only imagine, and I can't wait to see HIM!
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
3 Months Already
It's hard to believe, but Patrick turned 3 months old last Sunday. Here are some pictures I took on Friday while I was babysitting. He's getting to be fun. He coos and "talks" and smiles and laughs. He has found his hands, but can't quite make them do everything he wants. He's very good at getting them in his mouth, though. He is already fighting sleep. When he starts to nod off, he gets really mad and starts crying extraordinarily loud. It won't be later, but right now it is quite funny.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Yesterday
For my first time ever, I went snow-shoeing yesterday. I have been trying to do this for several weeks, but something always happened to prevent it. I finally made it yesterday and it was so much fun. Hard, and tiring, but fun.
I went with a couple of friends, Jesse and Julie Hall. When we left town it was so foggy we could hardly see. As we started climbing the mountain we left the fog behind. The weather was ideal for snow-shoeing. The sun was shining and it was about 58 degrees. The sky was azure blue with hardly a cloud. After we started the climb, I soon shed my jacket.
We were climbing in Kings Canyon National Park, going to Panoramic Point. The climb was 1,000 feet in 2.5 miles with a round trip of 5 miles. It was steep and I had to stop to rest quite often but I was determined to finish. We started climbing about 10:15 am, and made it to the top about 12:30 pm. As I was climbing, an old song that we used to sing when I was in youth choir came to mind. "Climbing up the mountain, trying to reach the top.....almost finished my battle, gone half way and I just can't stop. At the end of the mountain there is faith and trust, I can see Jesus waiting there to meet us. I thank God, I've almost reached the top." That was what I was thinking as I was climbing. Sometimes, (but not always)living for God can seem to be all uphill, but it will be worth it when we reach the top!
And it was!! It was so beautiful looking at that panoramic scene. We could see Hume Lake and all the surrounding mountains in the distance. We spread out our mats, took off our snow shoes and sat down and ate lunch. We stayed up there for a couple of hours taking pictures, and resting before we headed back down. As I was trying to put my snow shoes back on, I thought I would lean up against a tree for support. Ha! NOT! Near the tree the snow was so soft, that I sank up to my knees and Julie had to help me out. Of course, she had to take pictures of me before she would help. It was so funny! Going down was much easier (but still not easy) and didn't take as long.
As we were driving to the mountains we passed an old fireplace in the middle of a meadow. I told Jesse that I wanted to stop on the way back and get pictures of it. I don't know the history of it, but it appears that a house either burned down, or was knocked down and left the steps and fireplace standing. It is just the kind of thing that I like to photograph. We did stop on the way home and I got several pictures of it. I also got a few shots of the beautiful sunset that we saw on the way home.
Here is a slide show of a FEW of the pictures I took. Enjoy...
I went with a couple of friends, Jesse and Julie Hall. When we left town it was so foggy we could hardly see. As we started climbing the mountain we left the fog behind. The weather was ideal for snow-shoeing. The sun was shining and it was about 58 degrees. The sky was azure blue with hardly a cloud. After we started the climb, I soon shed my jacket.
We were climbing in Kings Canyon National Park, going to Panoramic Point. The climb was 1,000 feet in 2.5 miles with a round trip of 5 miles. It was steep and I had to stop to rest quite often but I was determined to finish. We started climbing about 10:15 am, and made it to the top about 12:30 pm. As I was climbing, an old song that we used to sing when I was in youth choir came to mind. "Climbing up the mountain, trying to reach the top.....almost finished my battle, gone half way and I just can't stop. At the end of the mountain there is faith and trust, I can see Jesus waiting there to meet us. I thank God, I've almost reached the top." That was what I was thinking as I was climbing. Sometimes, (but not always)living for God can seem to be all uphill, but it will be worth it when we reach the top!
And it was!! It was so beautiful looking at that panoramic scene. We could see Hume Lake and all the surrounding mountains in the distance. We spread out our mats, took off our snow shoes and sat down and ate lunch. We stayed up there for a couple of hours taking pictures, and resting before we headed back down. As I was trying to put my snow shoes back on, I thought I would lean up against a tree for support. Ha! NOT! Near the tree the snow was so soft, that I sank up to my knees and Julie had to help me out. Of course, she had to take pictures of me before she would help. It was so funny! Going down was much easier (but still not easy) and didn't take as long.
As we were driving to the mountains we passed an old fireplace in the middle of a meadow. I told Jesse that I wanted to stop on the way back and get pictures of it. I don't know the history of it, but it appears that a house either burned down, or was knocked down and left the steps and fireplace standing. It is just the kind of thing that I like to photograph. We did stop on the way home and I got several pictures of it. I also got a few shots of the beautiful sunset that we saw on the way home.
Here is a slide show of a FEW of the pictures I took. Enjoy...
Sunday, February 14, 2010
The Language of the Fan
One of the courtship rituals during Victorian times was the language of the fan. Here is some of that language.
I desire your acquaintance.....Carry fan in left hand in front of face
I wish to speak to you.........Close fan
Follow me......................Carry fan in right hand in front of face
Wait for me....................Open fan wide
You are too willing............Carry fan in right hand
Kiss me........................Hold handle to lips
We are watched.................Twirl fan in left hand
Yes............................Rest fan on right cheek
No.............................Rest fan on left cheek
I love you.....................Draw fan across the cheek
Do you love me?................Present the fan closed
I love another.................Twirl fan in right hand
You have changed...............Draw fan across forehand
I wish to get rid of you.......Place fan on left ear
I hate you.....................Draw fan through the hand
I am sorry.....................Draw fan across the eyes
You are cruel..................Open fan across the eyes
I am engaged...................Fan very quickly
I am married...................Fan very slowly
We will be friends.............Drop the fan
I hope you all had a wonderful Valentine's Day
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Playing Catch-Up
I think it's past time for an update on this blog. All two of my readers are probably wondering what's up over here.
We had a great Christmas. It was at my house this year. We had my parents, siblings and the offspring of almost all. The only people missing were my sister, Verlaine, and two of my grandchildren. We had ages from 90 years old,(my Dad) to 1 month old (Baby Patrick)and everything in between. It was Patrick's first Christmas, and I was so busy holding him that I forgot to take very many pictures, but here are a few.
My son Ryan is back in school at Fresno State University majoring in Marine Biology. Because of his interest in this field, he has chosen to become a volunteer at the Aquarium in Monterey. He had a meeting to go to on Jan 5th, so I went with him and we spent a couple of nice, lazy days there. First we went on the 17 mile drive. I hadn't been in several years, and Ryan had never been. It was foggy in Fresno when we left, but it was the most beautiful weather you could ever order up when we got to Monterey. It was sunny and cool, but not cold. Perfect! We stopped at Spanish Bay and had a picnic lunch, then continued on the 17 mile drive. By then it was getting dusk and Ryan had to be at his meeting. While he was in his meeting, I walked around the wharf and Cannery Row taking photos. It still was not freezing cold, and it was nice to walk around. The next day, we went to Pacific Grove and just wandered about taking pictures. We also went to the Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary there in Pacific Grove. We saw lots of butterflies flitting around in all their beauty. Here is a slide show of those two days.
Last Saturday, I went to Nathaniel's wrestling tournament. It had been raining all week before, but that day it was not. The rain had washed the skies clean and you could see the mountains very clearly. It was a gorgeous day!
Patrick was 2 months old on January 21st. He had his 2 month appointment last Monday. He weighed 16 pounds, 15 ounces (1 ounce shy of 17 lbs.) and was 25 1/2 inches long. Needless to say, he is a BIG BOY!!! I knew he was huge. My arms were aching for quite a while after holding him a good bit on Saturday. Here are a few pictures from that day.
Nathaniel turned 10 on Dec. 21st, Alayna turned 4 on Jan 1st, Mom turned 83 on Jan 10th,and Caleb turned 6 on Jan 20th. And time marches on....
We had a great Christmas. It was at my house this year. We had my parents, siblings and the offspring of almost all. The only people missing were my sister, Verlaine, and two of my grandchildren. We had ages from 90 years old,(my Dad) to 1 month old (Baby Patrick)and everything in between. It was Patrick's first Christmas, and I was so busy holding him that I forgot to take very many pictures, but here are a few.
My son Ryan is back in school at Fresno State University majoring in Marine Biology. Because of his interest in this field, he has chosen to become a volunteer at the Aquarium in Monterey. He had a meeting to go to on Jan 5th, so I went with him and we spent a couple of nice, lazy days there. First we went on the 17 mile drive. I hadn't been in several years, and Ryan had never been. It was foggy in Fresno when we left, but it was the most beautiful weather you could ever order up when we got to Monterey. It was sunny and cool, but not cold. Perfect! We stopped at Spanish Bay and had a picnic lunch, then continued on the 17 mile drive. By then it was getting dusk and Ryan had to be at his meeting. While he was in his meeting, I walked around the wharf and Cannery Row taking photos. It still was not freezing cold, and it was nice to walk around. The next day, we went to Pacific Grove and just wandered about taking pictures. We also went to the Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary there in Pacific Grove. We saw lots of butterflies flitting around in all their beauty. Here is a slide show of those two days.
Last Saturday, I went to Nathaniel's wrestling tournament. It had been raining all week before, but that day it was not. The rain had washed the skies clean and you could see the mountains very clearly. It was a gorgeous day!
Patrick was 2 months old on January 21st. He had his 2 month appointment last Monday. He weighed 16 pounds, 15 ounces (1 ounce shy of 17 lbs.) and was 25 1/2 inches long. Needless to say, he is a BIG BOY!!! I knew he was huge. My arms were aching for quite a while after holding him a good bit on Saturday. Here are a few pictures from that day.
Nathaniel turned 10 on Dec. 21st, Alayna turned 4 on Jan 1st, Mom turned 83 on Jan 10th,and Caleb turned 6 on Jan 20th. And time marches on....
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