I guess I forgot to Blog yesterday. Oh, now I know why...I watched Claire all day and picked up Finn from school and watched him too until about 6PM A long day 9am -6pm. Carolyn and Dana took the day off to spend it together.
In the morning Claire and I went food shopping for Carolyn than we went to lunch with my friend Barbara than got Finn from school . We went for a walk etc. I made Italian dinner for all when C&D came home.
Today I did next to nothing. Played some ,"Can See..." still stuck on Jesse and his pen. than I cleaned up around here. I went to Mass at 4 pm ,came home ,took a bath and that is all.
Not a bad day.

What in the hell is SBTVD?
I just got a post from them on this Blog. Ugh! I won't openit.

Today I took Clarie to the park group and it was fun. Lots of young mothers and one other Grandmother who happens to be a RN for NY. She has lived in Santa Barbara for 40yrs.

This afternoon I went to my ,Strengths Meeting at the church. We discussed it we thought our ,"talents" described us. I think mine did and I think I have used my during my life even it they did not have names.
I found out the Gallop people also do one which is NOT faith based. A women in my group has taken it for her job. I forget what she does,but she did say she goes all over the world.
Rosemary, I asked the lady who lived in Asia where she lived and she said of all places, Singapore !
Her husband was a exec for a large shipping co. She started swimming schools there and in , Hong Kong! She is thinking of moving back to Singapore.

today I took lunch to my friend Barbra's house. Picked it up at Subway.
She lives in a over 55 condo place right on a little golf course. We sit out on her patio ,eat, talk and occasionally an old golfer comes along.
Got gas at the cheap place and it cost, $43.00 to fill up my little Ford Taurus! $3.83 per/gal.
Other than that I played ,Can You see what I see?

Watched Claire all day. She is so cute. She is beginning to say a lot more words. "Hot, work and walk" are some of her new ones. We went to the bank, than did a little shopping. after her nap we played in the yard. She always finds a way to do everything she wants to do. She used my camera to take lots of pictures of the grass. Just green grass, nothing else.
Finn taught her how to pick her nose and she will do it whenever he asks her.
Now I am getting hooked on, Can You See What I See. Must get back to it.

Carolyn and Claire came over this morning and we went to, The Daily Grind, for breakfast. It's a neat very busy restaurant only a block from my house.
Today I am celebrating. 26 years ago today I stopped drinking.
After trying for several years , I was having lunch with Connie Halpin. We had just ordered martinis, as my came I said to myself, "this is the last drink I am going to have". It was.

Carolyn called me last night to tell me this conversation.
Finn: "Mom, how come every time Nana says,"shit" she says ,"sorry".
Carolyn: "because its a bad word".
Finn: "What does it mean"?
Carolyn:" Poop"
Finn" "Oh".

Today was so nice. 80 degrees with lots of sunshine.
Dana went to see his mother.
Carolyn,Finn, Claire and I went on a mission to find shoes for Claire. She has grown out of all of her shoes and sneakers. We had gone to Macy's and Nortstoms yesterday but, Claire was having none of it. She is very strong willed and its just not worth it to try to get her to put on shoes. Well, today we went to Payless and she ended up getting three pairs. Maryjanes, sneaks and sandals and Finn got vans and flip-flops.
Than we went back to Carolyns and got out the little pool and Slip-slider. They had fun. I had fun watching them. Finn wanted me to go on the Slip-slide. You run up to it and than belly-flop onto this long plastic thing that has water running in it. I declined to try it.Maybe next time.

today I did not do much. Went to a few Yard Sales. Got a magazine rack for my room. Its real small so I can put it on the side of my bed. Also got the DVD, Lord of the Rings for
Finn. I don't think he has it yet. Than I came and read, The Last Lecture. It made me sad. The guy is 47 and dying. He really wrote the book for his three little kids. When Wes died on one ever told the patients they were dying. We only talked together about it for a very short time. I think he would have told his children the same type of things Pausch tells his. Oh well....

Spent the day shopping...sort of... I went to Cosco and only bought Pepsi and broccoli. Than to Borders where I bought ,"The Last Lecture" and some books for Finn and Claire. Later Carolyn and Claire and I went downtown to look for new shoes for Claire. We could not find any that seemed comfortable for her. I kept asking the clerks where the shoe x-ray machines were and they looked at me like I was nuts. I don't get it. When we were kids all Kinney's Shoe stores had x-ray machines so the mother could see if the shoes fit.
I am only playing computer games the rest of today.

Today was quite a day!
First I took Claire to the " Mommy and Me " class. She went up on a little bridge to get to the slide and I had to go around to get her at the bottom. Well, I tripped right onto my face. My glasses went into my face and I was bleeding. Everyone was very nice but I was a little shaken up. I did stay for the morning and Claire had a good time.

Than at 3PM I went to the church for my first meeting of ,"The Living your Strengths Journey".
I found it very interesting. It's object is to find your strengths and not worry about your weaknesses. Based on the thought, that you are at your best when you do what you naturally do best.
There were 16 people and the cute young priest. Each person introduced themselves. I told about moving here from NJ and that I was a Peds and Hospice nurse in my day. Strangely, the next two women each spoke about their sons who had died in the last three years.
I talked to them after the meeting.

We discussed the word, vulnerability. The book say that accepting that we are vulnerable frees us to fulfill our true potential.
We have a workbook and daily reflections. I'll keep you informed.

Went to lunch with Barbara. I had salad, I am happy to tell you.
I can't find my CPR card and I need it so I had to call my old company to get a copy. Spoke with,Linda who has been there forever. She filled me in on all the people who have left since I worked last year. Of course everyone left under bad conditions. The owner is very difficult. When business is bad she cuts back hours, ( she cut mine in half) than she gets upset if you don't go for it. Ugh! Nursing agencies are all nuts. I am NOT talking about the care patients receive. I am talking about the working conditions.

Today Claire and I went to visit my friend, Catherine. she had Carpel Tunnel surgery last week and wanted the bandages changed, but did not want to go to the doctor to have it done. So I changed them . She has 8 stitches. I cleaned it up and put the splint back on. She is also trying to sell her house so we talked about real estate for a while. Claire was a little angel.
I took her home and gave her a nap. When she woke up it was time to pick up Finn from school.
Claire loves to go to school. Everybody makes a fuss over her. There are three little girls in first grade who fight to take care of her. So cute.

Went to lunch with Debbie. I worked with her at Hospice. We have lunch every couple of months.
She fills me in on all of the latest gossip . We went to a new bakery place. Very good. I had grilled cheese and salad. I know, I should have skipped the grilled cheese.
Than I went and got the fuses fixed in my car. I could not use the lighter, that I need for my new GPS. It is so great. If you go the wrong way it will program you a different way. I love all of the new stuff. Also signed up for a," Strength Class" at my church. This is something started by The Gallup Poll. First I took a test online that takes about 30mins. where you find out what your own strengths are. My were, Communication, Developer, WOO, (means winning people over!),Positivity and Responsibility. the purpose of the classes is to lean how to use your talents in the community . I think it will be a good thing for me.

Got back late yesterday from the funeral of Dana's father. The memorial service was so nice. The large church was filled and several of his friends and business associates spoke . afterwards there was a garden lunch in the garden of their home. If I did not let you know his obit was in Fridays LA Times. (Google- Stephen Gamble).
I stayed at Steve and Robyn's and had a nice time. We had breakfast at a neat local place called,"Dusty's.
Today, Carolyn and the kids went to a neat little park and than to the supermarket.

\

Oh,man...! I forgot to let the whole world know that I reached level 71 on Word Slinger !
I did it yesterday and forgot to blog. Pat this was before I read your blog. Please remember I have been playing this everyday for about six months. It took me over two months to get from 70 to 71. I also do not care what my score is, in fact I never even look at the score.

Today I prepared to go to Pasadena for the funeral. I will stay at Steve and Robyn's. I have to drive because I have lots of stuff that Dana and Carolyn need. Like his suit. He thought he was going down to be with his dad this week.
Stephen was asked to be an usher at the church. I think lots of people will be there. He was well and known and very respected in the area.
I'll miss him.

I cleaned out my car than took it to the car wash. This is a big deal for me because I only get it washed twice a year. Actually I did not want to be embarrassed when I go to LA.
I plan on going down on Thurs.
Here is the info on one of the organizations started by Dana's dad. You will have to Google it because I don't know how to send the link.
National Health Foundation

Pat and Rosemary have you heard from Dee? Is she alright?

Hi everybody.
Sorry I have not blogged in so long but, I have been busy.
On Saturday Dana went down to LA. It was his father's last day of dialysis and he wanted to be with him. It was their 50th wedding anniversary and he and his brother were going to made dinner for their parents. Steve and Robyn and Dexter came up here to take Carolyn out to dinner for her birthday and I was in charge of all three kids. They did not go out until about 7PM and Claire was already sleeping. No big deal .. right?...Wrong....! When I put Dexter to bed he began to howl, that woke up Claire and SHE was screaming, which made Dexter scream. They cried for 20 mins. It was so bad that Finn asked me why I did not call the parents home. I decided as long and no one was hurt or sick I could handle it. I kept thinking, "I know I have had worst days than this, but I can not remember them right now". They finally settled down.
Sunday morning I was having breakfast for everyone when Dana called to say that the caregiver had called and she thought he was dying. Mark ,Dana's brother and Dana went over and by than the caregiver had called 911. Dana stayed with his mom whilr Mark went to the hospital.
He died shortly thereafter. He was a wonderful man. I spoke to him on Friday and his voice was strong and he was very lucid.
Carolyn and the kids went right down on Sunday . The funeral is on Friday at 1PM. I'll go down on Thurs.
He sure did it his way.

We had a great time.
We went to Cambria to see the elephant seals. They were lying all over the beach. Than we drove back to San Luis Obispo and took the kids to the pool. It was outside and pretty cold. Only Finn and Carolyn went in the regular pool. Claire and I went in the hot tub. Don't think it was really hot. It was luke warm just right for the elderly and the very young. The hotel had a bar-b-q that night. Everything cost $3.00. It was Quality Inn. We all slept pretty late. After breakfast Finn went into the pool again while I took Claire for a walk around town. It is a quaint little place. Reminded me of Atlantic Ave before Malls. Some stores we passed were: Security Blanket Safety , The WaterBed House and Tails Pet Shop. Than we went to the famous bubble Gum Alley. It is sooo gross! Finn loved it. Carolyn has a picture of my Mom there in the 1980's.
It was a good trip. I will try to send some pictures.

Today I took Claire and Finn (he is off school for 3 weeks) to a neat little park than we came home and they played under the sprinkler. They had a good time.
Tomorrow Carolyn and the kids and I are going to San Luis Obispo. There are some things for little kids and a nice hotel with a heated indoor pool for Nana.
Next week they will spend in Alhambra because of Dana's dad.

I had a wonderful quiet Easter. Carolyn and Dana dropped me off at Steve and Robyn's about noon on Sat. We just sat and talked until dinner when we went to a real Mexican Restaurant! We were the only people not Mexican. We all had fish tacos, as that is what Steve said was the best. I actually had never had a fish taco before so I was a little leery . It was delicious. There was a strolling singer who was very good. He sang a cute little song for Dexter who smiled away the whole song. I bought the CD the guy was selling. Only $8.00.
On Easter I went to Mass at the Mexican church not too far from where S&R live. It was in English. Last year I went on Palm Sunday and it was all Spanish. The homily was beautiful about life on the "other side". It hit me hard because of Dana's father who is ending dialysis next week.
Steve's friend from high school, Mike DiLonzo and his wife came for brunch. He and Steve met when they were freshmen at HSHS. Steve got him a job at G4TV last year. We had a nice visit. I have not seen Mike since the Christmas before last when he and his parents came to SB and we all went to lunch.
Carolyn and Dana didn't pick me up until about 7pm . We got home at 9:15.

Here are my birthday stories.
I met the guy who was going to put the teeter-totter together for Finn. He has a truck and the thing was really BIG. 7 kids up to the age of 12 can play on it. He was charging $120.00 to pick it up and put it together. We got it to Carolyn's and he started to put it together. After about an hour he came to me and said it would take at least a day. The instructions said about one hour. He told me there were no information on the pipes etc. and suggested we return it. Mind you this guy put a whole schools playground together. The upshot was we returned it and I had no gift for Finn. He was, of course getting lots of other gifts. I drove 40 miles to and from Costco. The guy was not going to charge me but I wrote him a check for $50.00 and he said that was too much. We settled on $30.00 . Our gas in now over $4.00 per at most places. I found one for $3.55 so I think $30.00 was pretty good. All this was on Carolyn's birthday. That night as part of her gift we all put pictures in albums . It was a big job but fun.
On Finn's birthday (20th), Carolyn worked and I took Finn and Claire to the Mommy and Me group at a park. Finn took some books and playthings so it was good. All the mothers and kids (1-2yrs old) sang Happy Birthday to him. Last night C& D the kids and I went to Deano's a pizza place for dinner and cake. There are lots of pinball machines ,so Finn was in his glory. The noise was deafening . I decided to give him a card good for a trip to the toy store and lunch with Nana.
Today I am catching up and getting ready to go to La tomorrow for Easter with Steve, Robyn and Dexter.

I have been so busy with Carolyn and Finn's birthdays that when I get home at night I am too tired to Blog. I hope to get to it tomorrow.

Claire and I went to the bank and than shopping today. At Trader Joes we picked up lots of stuff for Carolyn than to Ralphs for food for me. I just got veggies and fruit. Tomorrow is Carolyn's 40th birthday. do you believe it! My baby girl is 40. The next day is Finn's 7th birthday. I am getting him this big teeter/totter. It's for older kids and seven kids can ride on it at the same time. I saw it at Costco last week. The handyman for my building is going to pick it up and put it together. He is going to charge me $120.00. I think that is not too bad. Finn will love it.
I will go to Carolyn's for dinner tomorrow. Dana will cook.

This morning Carolyn and Claire came over and we went to, The Daily Grind" a really neat coffee shop for breakfast. It was nice. She is upset about her Father-in-law. They are going to LA for Easter. I might go to Steve and Robyn's or I just might stay home. Doesn't matter to me. Pat I do remember the processions and long time spent in church during Holy Week. EEK! I go to church on Sunday. Did not do much else today.

Yesterday was Finn's party. Twelve 6,and 7 year olds about 5 younger siblings and most parents. Steve, Robyn and Dexter were there too. The kids were really pretty good. She had rented a Bouncy Room so that kept them busy. It was shaped like Scooby Doo. It was a dog party don't forget. They played, Pin the nose on the dog, hunted for dog bones and had hot dogs to eat. Lots of fun. Steve,Robyn and baby stayed at my house. Today we all went to Carolyn's to mind the kids because Carolyn and Dana had to go to La. His father is doing very poorly. The kids were great.
I am tired.

As you can see the pictures I was trying to put up are not the same ones that DID come up. Please enjoy. I'll try to get the ones of Dexter up next.

Oh, I had soooo much fun at the," Shoot"for the H2O mop.
We got there at 2:30pm for the 3PM shoot. Well as we were walking in to the house where it was being done they told us the crew was breaking for lunch. We went to the back yard where there was a nice lunch . Table and chairs were also in there but we decided to sit by the pool. After we sat down a man came over and asked to join us. Of course we said yes and I asked what he did He said he was the PM. I asked what that was and Robyn said ,"He is the production manager" than a woman came over and sat down and she was the Producer! So we got to eat with the big wigs. The Producer is from Canada and the Director's parents are Japanese and Chinese. We talked about everything from illegal aliens to Socialized Medicine.
After lunch we went to ,"hair and make-up" . I only watched. Dexter was wonderful. I took him out for awhile and we hung with the crew. All of whom were really nice, explained their jobs etc. This was in the backyard, we were talking when someone shouted, "quiet on the set" ! It really did happen.
Later the ,goofor guy ( the one who gets everything for everybody) was talking to a man all in black. I asked who he was and the goofor said, "he is the boss". Later I talked to him and told him how nice everyone was and I wanted to know when it will be on TV and he said to give him my email and he would send me pictures and let me know when it was on TV. I did, and today he sent me some pictures and said to email him in June and he will let me know when it will be on. Turns out he is the owner of the film company. All together there were 15 crew members in the house. EEK
The actual filming took about an hour. Dexter was in some of it. He is the best baby. When it ws over the boss said they were both wonderful, Said Dexter was, a Hollywood kid if there ever was one". (Stephen said that was his last time). He said Robyn did a marvelous job. too.
The house was the home of the owner of the mop or the shopping company or something. He has 4 little children and both he and his wife said I could take the baby up to the toy room or anywhere else.
We did not get home until about 8:30 at night.
I came home on the train and it was a very interesting trip. I'll tell you that next time. Tomorrow is Finn's 7th birthday party. His birthday is the 20th but they are having it on Sat.
It is a dog theme. Finn's idea. Carolyn even got little dog bowls filled with candy but it looks like dog food.

Good News:
I had my appointment with the doctor today. He was really nice. Very down to earth. He aspirated about 5cc's of really black thick goo from my right boob. He said he was not going to send it for analysis because he did not think it was needed. He will see me again in 3 months. I got to watch the whole thing on the screen. He told me that this type of fluid comes in many different colors, red, green, blue etc.
Carolyn, Claire and I went to Shoreline restaurant for lunch. It is right on the beach. Today was a beautiful day about 75 with lots of sunshine. Claire poayed on the beach and did not want to leave.

I decided to drive to LA tomorrow. I was going to take the train but it takes an hour longer and I don't feel like doing that. The traffic wont be bad until I get within a half hour of La.Steve and Robyn live about 5 miles from the freeway so it will be ok after the morning rush hour.

Today I minded Claire because I have to go to the doctor tomorrow and to LA to watch Dexter on Wed.
We picked up lunch and went to Barbara's house. She lives in an over 55 community and is right on the golf course . Claire loved it she ran all over . There is a little bridge that she went over about 20 times. On the way home we stopped at Trader Joes and did some shopping for Carloyn.
Got home and had a call from a man interested in my land in NY. I had put it up on Craigs List after such a good deal on 6 No. I gave him all the information I had to give. I may get the land surveyed because they are trying to take 2 acres on the road away from me.

I just had a very hard time getting into my blog. It kept telling me the password was wrong. I had to redo everything. Ugh.
Today my friend Barbara and I went for a long walk than we went to dinner. It was a beautiful day, sunny and 70.
The last Saturday of this month she is going to help me take care of Finn, Claire and Dexter because C&D and some friends are going kayaking to celebrate Carolyn's 40th birthday. I think it will be a long day but should be fun. Her birthday is really the 19th. Finn's is the 20th. He is having his party this Sat. because of Easter. He is having a,"dog" party, complete with pin the tail on the dog, dog bone hunt and each kid will have dog ears to wear. I am in charge of getting the cake and this is what he has ordered, " a dog cake with NO icing. He says he does not like icing and it is his party . I'll see what i can do. I am not going to make the cake , I will order it but I don't know how they can make it look like a dog sans icing.

I LOVE CRAIGS LIST!!!!!! I LOVE IT!
Last year when I wanted to sublet my apartment I put it up on Craigs list and within 12 hours I had it rented to two different men. One a visiting professor from Spain and the other a Grad. student at UCSB.
Well------Thursday night about 11pm I listed my NJ house for summer rental and the first person who looked at it rented it!!!!!. She is a doctor from Cherry Hill with a husband and 14 mo. old baby.Perfect! Which is just what she said about the house.
Three other people contacted me about the house so I referred them to Connie Halpin who is renting her house too. One family is looking at hers tomorrow.
Tonight I am watching Finn and Claire, C&D are going to a fund raiser for Finns school. It is a dinner dance and art auction . $100.00 per ticket. Glad I am not going. I did buy some tickets for some kind of prizes. I don't remember what they are.

I went to lunch with Norma today, than took her to pick up stuff for her cats! I should get a medal.
Last night I put my house up on Craigs list again and have gotten a few calls including one from a woman whose mother lives down the block. My Niece will show it to her tomorrow. I hope it rents soon because it is keeping me up at night.
I am going to get my land up on Craigs list very soon. It is very messed up but I'll put it up with two less acres than I really own. I want to get it up before spring.

Forgot to post yesterday. I will try to do 2 today.
I took Claire to our park group yesterday. Another new park that is just for little kids. She was able to climb up the stairs, go over a bridge to the slide and slide down herself. So much better than most parks. Than I took her to a music group for 1-2 year olds. There were 30 kids of that age there. I thought Claire would like it, but she just sat on my lap and watched. It was cute, they banged drums etc. It was her nap time. I might try it again next week.
Robyn and Dexter's ,"shoot" is next Wed. I think I will drive down. I was going to take the train, but the times are off and it might be too much trouble getting to the station early in the AM.

When I get up in the morning I always check the Obits in the Atlantic City Press. Yesterday it was Jack Wristbridge and today Trudy Seiden. She was my next door neighbor for about 10 years on Atlantic Ave. She was only 60, died in LasVagas . She had four sons, all around my kids ages. I saw her about 5 years ago. She must have been sick for awhile because she had been on Hospice.

Watched Claire for a short time and than went to lunch with friend Barbara. We had not been out for a long time. We went to a place with all you can eat Mexican! I love it so ate waaaay too much.

I am still having fun with Facebook. Today I joined a site called,"

I judge you when you use poor grammar.

it just seemed funny.

Minded my sweet Claire today. We took two long walks where we met three other little kids. James who is 10mos, Hatty 17mos. and Daisy who is 16 mos. Claire called them all,"baby". She was the oldest one.
I am still having so much fun with Facebook. I now have 17 people in my network. Friends and relatives. Only 3 of my Misery classmates have signed up. I heard some think it is dangerous, or they hook you up with monsters or steal your money. Anyway, I researched it and the upshot is as on site said,"It is as safe as Email". I will send them this and maybe they will get on board.
Tonight I am having dinner with two women I worked with as Hospice. Judy who is the Discharge Planner and Kitty who is still a MSW at Hospice. We get together about every 3 months.

I went out and got all kinds of stuff for my orchids. Soil, food, stones, pots. I hope this does not become a new obsession. I had the plant obsession once before and ended up having plants all over the house! Had the ultrasound done today and now I need a biopsy. I'll have that done in a few days. Pretty sure it is nothing, but something looked funny.
Pretty dull day.

Went to church with a friend, Judy. I worked with her at Hospice. She is now a Discharge Planner at Cottage Hospital. We went to IHOP for breakfast. Than I came home and did next to nothing. My Facebook is up to 17 "friends". The latest to join is Dan Schott. He was Carolyn's first boyfriend in high school. He was raised in Absecon. He lives in San Fransisco. Its so much fun. I made up a group for Misercordia too.

I keep forgetting to Blog! I look at the other ones I read and than I forget to do my own.
Well, anyway I watched the little darling (Claire) on Thursday we went to the Mommy (or Grandmommy) and me class at a new park. It was really nice. Had a whole area for kids her age. (20mos). A slide they could climb up without help and a platform they could get up on and be safe without an adult up there too. She loved it ,came home and slept for 2.5 hrs.
Today Norma and I went to the Santa Barbara orchid show. It was fun. There were people from all over the world with orchids. I know nothing at all about raising orchids but I bought two orchids called, Phalaenopsis. It is my new challenge. These are both in bloom now with buds so they should last 2-3 months. I want them to bloom again next year.

Today's big news is......My wonderful Daughter-in-Law, Robyn called to tell me she is going to be in a INFOMERCIAL ! and Dexter will be in it too. HOHO. It is about a mop-believe it or not. And she asked me to come (on set mind you) to mind Dexter when he is not being filmed. Of course I said yes. It will be sometime in March. I'll keep you posted.
Also had the job interview. It lasted 1.5 hours. She really wants me to take it, but I'm not sure. It includes on call and I am too old for that. I don't think it will be much because I think she will have a hard time getting patients in the town . Two home care agencies have most of the business.
My brother, Frank sent me the magazine from Johns Hopkins. It has a four page article about a Patient of his son Patrick. Patrick built him a whole new nose. Patrick is a Plastic Surgeon at Hopkins. Very impressive.
Muckie is showing my house for me tomorrow. I hope they want it.

First thing today I went to my Family Doctor. He said my bone density was better than it was three years ago. I asked how that could be and he asked if I took Calcium Of course I don't take anything not absolutely necessary. He had no other answer. They forgot to do my cholesterol level or the liver functions. Ugh. Than my monogram is unclear and I have to have more done. They saw a mass but think it is ok. Me too. I'll get the new views and ultrasound next Monday.

The big news is I am now on Facebook. It is sooooooo much fun. Our family is emailing lots of stuff about my Grandfather Thomas Byrne and my nephew Tim Wessel, he is my sister Gene's (RIP) son said we could do it on Facebook. I decided to do it and I did! Within about one hour I heard from 5 people including our own Dee Lange. Now my nephew wants me to add a picture. I'll try.

No, Pat. I do not ski. I gave it up in 1976! I was going up on the ski lift with George Wimberg when we looked down and saw the ski patrol all around this little kid. It was my son,Stephen! I swore right than if he was alright I would never ,"do" it again. (ski that is)- Well, Steve got up, skied down and loved skiing. We went each year but I did not ski, just ate and drank.
Carlyn said the kids loved this weekend. First time Finn saw if snowing. She said she thought of all the fun she had when she was little. She said it was the first time she realized how much effort it takes to go on a skiing trip. It's true, what goes around comes around.
Today, Carolyn, Claire and I went to the beach and pier. We have had some windy weather and high tides. They even closed the pier. Well today it was clear and fun.

Watched the Academy Awards and boy was it boring. Of course I NEVER go to the movies so I had not even heard of most of the winners. Carolyn called, they had a wonderful time in the snow. It snowed while they were there and the kids had a ball. they could sled right out side the door. They went with their neighbors who have two little boys. One is a few months younger than Finn and the other is four. Carolyn said it reminded her of when we went skiing . She was six when I first took my kids to Vermont. We went every year for about 10 years. she mentioned that the kids have no idea the effort it takes to do things like ,"going to the mountains".

Forgot to post again! Yesterday I did not do much. I did watch the basketball game, believe it or not. It was between two team in Tenn. They are #1 and #2 in the country. So it was a good game. The #2 team won and now they are #1. I use to watch basketball sometimes, but haven't in about 20 years. so now you know how bored I was yesterday.
Pat, when you get to know your computer a little better you must try the game called, Little shop of Treasures. Its fun I play it everyday and use the excuse that its good for the brain. I actually think it is because its one of those- find the missing object game.
When I don't blog that is probably what I am doing.

today I had Claire and Finn because he is off school all week. President's Day-break. I took both of them to the park class that Claire and I go to each Thurs. Finn was really good. He played by himself and also helped with the babies. After her nap I took them to the supermarket to get my supplies. They are both good no matter where I take them.
Tonight I got 2 of my plane tickets. Southwest was having a sale, you had to book by midnight tonight. so I got Los Angeles to Chicago on May 13th . Katy is having a c-section on the 14th. I'll stay until the 23rd and than go to Ventnor for a while. The cost was only $99.00 for each one. I could;not get one for the return to Los Angeles, but I'll work on that later.

Today I had my blood work done because I have a Dr. appointment on Mon. or Tues. ( forget which). I always call the MD office a week ahead and tell them what I want. I don't want to forget any because I DONT want to go back in three months. Going every 6 mos is enough trouble. It 's amazing to me that most people my age actually think they should go for a check up every three months the only reason the DR's want that is because they now get paid for it. A few years ago it was every six months. Ugh that is way too often unless I'm really sick. In fact last year I was really sick and I had been for a ,physical two weeks before . I had mentioned some pain too. and that's why I only go twice a year unless I am sick.
I spent the rest of the day gathering material to put my land up for sale. My friend used something called, FrontPage to sell her land. She owned 100 acres in Va and sold it via the internet . Than I called my son Steve and he said to send him everything and he will put it together for me. I am shocked and happy.
Tomorrow is babysitting day.

Today I went to the Dermatologist. Had a mole removed. I don't think it is anything, but she decided to take it off. I was referred to her a few years ago and wonderof wonders her in-laws are Stu and Andria Mallay. Pat, you must remember him, he was short and dressed real sharp. We used to call him, Dude. Another strange thing is they were Muckie's next door neighbors. I filled her in on Bob's death.
I mined Finn (he has no school this week) and Claire. It was cloudy and cool so we did not do much. Took them to Burger King which is the only drive thru here. They got a kick out of it.
Nothing else in SB.

Today, Carolyn and the kids and I went to the Museum of Natural History. They were having a talk on the stars at the planetarium . Finn and I were there while Carolyn took Claire around the place. It was interesting. Tuesday night the space station can been seen in the sky and on Wed. there is going to be a total eclipse. So much for the science lesson.
When I got home I had a call from my life-long friend Pat Kennedy Hayes. She called to say her 1st husband Jim Hayes had died. He is the father of her four children. I was their Maid of Honor. Even thou the marriage did not take I still feel sad. He had lots of demons, but was a nice guy.
He was a intern at ACH when we worked there.

Last night Finn who is six years old asked me,"Nana. how many years ago were you six"/ I told him 65years ago. Than I said,"oh, I don't believe it could be that long ago. I don't think I look that old', to which he replied,"I do". Out of the mouths of babes.
Had my monogram today, was in and out in about 20 mins. Than did some food shopping, Went to church at 4PM and played computer games the rest of the time.
Pat, I think the IMac is great. One of my friends just got one and she loves it.

I keep forgetting to update this. I think it is because it is not very exciting.
Yesterday I had a job interview for a new home care agency coming to SB. It was weird because they were very unprepared. The head person (I could not find out if she was the owner), did not even know what hospital were in Santa Barbara. The home health business here is very closed. Two agencies do over 90% of the business. I applied to be apart time Case Manager but since they have no Pts. yet and saw that I had been the Clinical Manager they wanted me to,"Market" for them. I did this for Meditech and it is not fun. She said they have company in San Bernardino where they have "Over 100 Patients". This one will have new name, Carmel home Health. I could not find anything about either co on the internet. I don't think I'll take the job if formally offered.
Today I went to the tax guy. Now I'm sorry I did not just keep Johns Hoffmann in NJ. The guy was alright but, it will cost a lot more. Than I went to lunch with the lady with MS. My other friend Judy must have told her I was a nurse and she spent half the time trying to get me to be, "on call" in case she needed someone in a hurry. Well I just kept avoiding the issue because she is a very rude person AND she brings her dog everywhere with her. Its a small kind of dog and she claims it is a Care Dog. She did say she trained him ,"from her heart". I told her I did not really care for dogs. This one was okay she only stopped to talk, feed, move,etc this one about 100 times. I am not sure she really has MS. She first told me she was born with it and later said she had been to UCLA and they toly her to see a shrink. I agree.
Check out my house on Ads@Philly.com. It looks pretty good. My niece is showing it tomorrow. Hope they want it.

Claire and I stayed outside most of the day. It was so beautiful. She plays in the yard and brings me things. We went to lunch with my friend Barbara. Well, I think she is my friend, but I'm never quite sure. Today she was very happy said Dana and Carolyn should go away for a whole day and she and I will watch Finn and Claire. I would worry at the last second she would not help.
Than st 3pm we went to Finn's school to pick him up. she loves it there, all the little girls in his class run over to her, try to pick her up , give her things etc. Everybody in the school know her.
When I got home I was tired.

Today I spent the whole day trying to get my land in NY on track.
The county is VERY laid back. I wanted to know why they now tell me I only have 18 acres and I own 22. Spoke with the tax assessor, map guy, information center etc. etc. Apparently the next door took some of my land. My Deed says I own a stone wall but, the guy says the next door have it. It is so confusing I think I will just sell it as 18.
Carolyn had a great time with Maureen and her new baby. She said he is real cute and that Sarup is a really nice guy. She and Claire stopped in this morning. So much fun. Claire again asked for , "Robbie and Dex".
Tomorrow I am taking Claire out to lunch with Barbara. We will go to Coty's thats where I always took Finn. In fact, I often still take him there.
That is the story of my exciting life.

Hi. I'm back, I think>
I just realized I had not blogged since the 4th. Well, I'm over the tire thing. I'll just drive wherever and whenever I want . I don't have to worry about driving on the freeway etc.
Tues. I took Claire to our,"play group" all the mothers were telling how old their other children were,"I have a five yr old, mine is three", etc" so I had to say,'well I have a 43yr old." they thought it was funny. actually it is really nice for Claire. All of the children are between 12mos and 2yrs old. It takes up two and a half hours of the day too. Than she is so tired when we got home that she slept for over two hours.
Weds. I did not do much except try to get my tax crap together. I was not very successful.
Thurs and Friday I watched Claire again. On Friday Carolyn went to San Francisco to see cousin Maureen and her new baby. I picked up Finn from school and Dana did not come home until after 6:30. I think I should get some kind of a trophy.
My house is listed on Craigs list. I have someone looking at it tomorrow for the month of July. so It may be open in Aug. Yes, Pat, I think you should rent it! That would be great.
Do you remember Marguerite Graham? She and Bobby Hartman rented it a couple of years ago. So did Pat Doyle. They all went to HSHS with us. Today I am not doing anything.

I am so bummed out because my tenants from last year just called to say they found another place.
Ugh! now I have to go though all that shit looking for a tenant.
I got the new tires $359.00. I need a job. I mean a real job. Ugh. I am so depressed.
Got to go because I am going to put the house on Craig's list.

First thing this morning Rosemary called to invite me to her 50th wedding anniversary party. It will be on June21th the very day they were married. I , of course will be there as i was their Maid of Honor.
Later I went to Carolyn's to watch the Super Bowl. I wasn't going to go but Dana was still at his parents . He came home for the second half. I didn't really care who won except I like to root for the underdog. ONLY IF I DO NOT HAVE FAVORITE TEAM! Like the Eagles .
I made pizza and it was fun but hectic .
Nothing else is going on in SB.

Spent the morning at Carolyn's. Than we went to lunch with Claire and Finn and I checked out some tire places. Sears was the highest. One of the other places was only $325.00 but they were,"original equipment" tires. When ever I bought a car I replaced the original equipment. On Monday I will check out Costco. If I get mad enough I'll just go anywhere and get the tires.
These have only about 30,000 miles on them. All the tire guys are telling me I need all four new ones.
Dana's father is going home from the hospital tonight. he needs 24 hr. care so Dana is staying tonight and will work on getting someone to stay tomorrow.
It was a hard first week on the new job for Dana.

Today I went to lunch with Norma. The only time she gets out of the house is when we go to lunch.
When I left to pick her up my front tire was completely flat. I have been having problems with it for a few months. AAA came and put on one of those little tires. On Monday I will get a new tire.
This afternoon Carolyn and Claire picked me up, we picked up Finn at school and went to the pet shop. Finn is setting up a fish tank. It has been in the works for a few weeks. Had to get the aquarium, pump, etc. Today everything is in place. He picked up some neon s and a few others.
Tomorrow Dana is going to LA to see his dad and I will help Carolyn.

I forgot to mention how much I love having Robyn and baby come to visit. She is one sweet girl. Steve is a lucky guy.

I'm back after a few days of fun with Robyn and Dexter and the Gambles.
Robyn and baby got here on Monday afternoon. He is such a darling baby. BIG blue eyes and always his beautiful smile. He scoots around commando style. He is very calm.
Carolyn, Dana and kids came for dinner. You should have seen Claire and Dexter together. They were laughing and patting each other. On Tues we went to a surprise luncheon for Dana. He started his new job on Monday . He is certainly well liked by his co-workers AND his family!
Than Robyn, Dex, Claire and I went to Cosco. We put them in one of the carts that hold two kids, again they were laughing and petting each other. Claire calls Robyn, Robbie and she can sort of say Dexter. yesterday we went to a favorite place fro breakfast and tan to , Polor Bear, a second hand baby shop. All kinds of really expensive clothes etc for cheap. She picked up a few overalls etc. We went to Carolyn's for pizza and Robyn left about 8PM.
Today I minded Claire. We went to a park where the Mommy & Me,( or in my case- Grandmommy & me) meet. she liked it and got nice and tired so she took a 2.5 hr. nap.
I need my nap now.

I watched Finn and Claire this morning while Carolyn went to an annual breakfast meeting for her job at UCSB. They were really cute. Claire wrote all over her doll with magic markers, than she put her doll in her stroller and walked her all around the house. It is still raining here so we could not go outside. While she took her nap Finn and I played, Deal or no Deal. What else would we play? He loves the game and the show. He won, of course.
Dana went to Pasadena to see his parents. He goes every other Sunday. Tomorrow he starts his new job.
Tomorrow morning I have my adult Ed class.

This morning I got some bills paid and cleaned up a little. Than I went to lunch with Norma. She said it was the first time she has been out all week and guess what...she PAID for my lunch!!!!
This was a first.
When I got home another friend Kitty Glanz called to see if I wanted to go to early dinner. Of course I did. We went to a Thai restaurant . she is a Social Worker I worked with at Hospice. She still works there. She and her husband were hippies in the 60's. He became a doctor and she became a Social Worker. He has retired and now is very involved in Blues. He was having some kind of concert tonight at the SB show grounds. She does not like Blues so we went to dinner. We got caught up on lots of gossip about Hospice. It is still a crazy place.

today Carolyn, Claire and I went to the art supply store. Finn's school is having a ,"art auction" and Carolyn is in charge of 1st grade. They are going to make a submarine . The portholes will each have a picture drawn by a student. It will be a picture of what the child will be in twenty years. When they are 26-27. Claire was so cute in the store. All the sales people were making a fuss over her. They took her to the art table and gave her color pens and paper. She had a ball. The school sells the art work at the annual art fair. I don't get it.
Yesterday I had to work overtime! I am going to demand time and a half. Claire baby (thats what I call her) slept 2 hrs. Than we went to the store, I bought food for Carolyn, took it to their house and made a nice casserole for their dinner.

Hi. I worked yesterday. It was sooo hard. (ha) . It was raining ( a rare thing in SB). I took the Queen for a walk in the rain, than took her to the store. She was good and took two naps. Yay.
So it was a hard day at the office.
Today I am having a bone density test. Only because my DR. has been asking me to have it for about 3 years. It is raining to beat the band.

Today Carolyn and i took Finn to be taped learning how to do the times tables. It was with the guy I met at my Adult Ed class, who had written a book about it. EZ Times Table. It was very funny. took an hour and Finn got most everything right. It seems very complicated and the kid needs to refer to the tables to do the work. I just don't think any kid will walk to math class with a paper.
Especially today with calculators and computers!
Thats all I did today.
Yesterday Istayed in my PJ's all day. Watched football of course.

This Blog is going crazy again.
I spent the morning doing research on my land in NY. It is interesting to find out things like I pay taxes on 22 acres, but when I called them they told me it is 18 acres. The guy was really nice and said that was as close as they can get unless I want to have it surveyed for 6 or 700 dollars. Also got some good web sites. As you know I am making a flyer about it ,than I am going to sell it on Craigs List.
Now I am going to watch the kids while C&D go to a retirement party for the person Dana is replacing. The woman who was also up for the job and has been second in command has resigned. I guess that can be good and bad for Dana.
Got to go.....

I cannot get this Blog to accept my response today so Art, here it is.
My hours are 9-3 on Tues. and Thurs.
Of course I am still on call for free. Today was 12 noon to 2PM and now I am going from 5PM until they get home. I take her everywhere with me.

Today was work day. I took Claire to a park where there is a Baby and me group. I was the only Nana but it was fun for Claire and not bad for me. There were about 12 1 to 2 yr old babies and their moms and 1 dad and me.It is from 9:30 am to 11:30 AM. At about 10:30 I was pushing Claire on the swing when she almost fell asleep. It is her nap time. I took her home and she slept about 1"30 than she ate and I took her for a walk . She was carrying her doll. About half way around the block she threw the doll on the ground. Than she would go and get it. Kiss it and threw it down again. It was a cute little game. I think.
About 2PM Finn's school called to say he had thrown-up in the computer lab. So Carolyn had to go get him. He came home laid on the sofa, had a Popsicle and seems find.
That was my day.

I forgot to Blog yesterday so here it is---
I went to Carpenderia yesterday morning to pick up a copy of the Filing of my law suite. A friend picked it up fo rme. Than we went to IHOP for breakfast.
I got home about 1:30 , did some things around the house. At 5PM Judy Cook picked meup. She is the daughter of a Hospice Pt. I had in 2004. Her husband died two months after her mom so she pretty much alone. She had two sons but they do not live in the area. Every few months she calls me to go to dinner. This time, however she wanted me to meet a friend of hers. A lady with MS. She is in a wheelchair and says she needs more help. The problem is she is not a very nice person. She complained about everything especially the people who are helping her. She is not in touch with her ex husband, tree sons, or any of her brothers and sisters. She told me to ,"get your hands away for your mouth. i can't hear you". The worse part was when I was leaving she asked if I would like to exchange phone numbers! I was too chicken to say no. Thank God for called ID.

I started my new job today. For all the thousands of you readers who have not heard, I am watching my Granddaughter for twelve hours a week for money! Carolyn said she had to pay someone so it might as well be me. As you know I have been watching the Grandchildren very often for no money, but this time I have regular hours and I think she actually wants me to show up on the hours she needs me. Anyway,it was fun. Claire is turning into a real character. She dances and goes her own way. She lets no one stand in her way.
Everyday she walks around the block with her doll coach. Usually she has a doll in it but today it was some kind of talking toy shaped like a basket.
I did not do anything else today.

This morning I went to an adult Ed class for using Adobe etc for doing graphics on the net. It was fun. They only use Mac's. and I must admit it was easy to get use to. I sat next to a man who had written a book for kids. ES Times Math. I told him about Finn's teacher saying he was a math genius and he asked if C&D would let Finn be video taped. He is a retired teacher and teaches the kids to do times in an hour. He already has a kid in kindergarten and one in second grade. Carolyn said she thought it would be fun and the taping is set for next Monday.
The book is for sale on Amazon.

Carolyn, Claire and I went to lunch today. We went to the public golf club. I go there all the time with Norma. It is right near where she lives. I always say I am going to,"The Club",as if it is a classy place but its not. It's real name is Mulligans. Food is pretty good.
We first sat outside because it was so warm today, but Claire would not sit still so we moved inside and she was much better. Stopped at the food store on the way home.
Yes, Rosemary I did watch football yesterday. I'm happy except for Dallas's loss. I like Texas because that is where Katy was raised.

Today, Carolyn,the kids and I went down to the ocean to see the carrier USS Ronald Reagan. It is here for a few days for three days. There were sailors and masses of people down there to see it.
We stayed there a few hours walking the boardwalk (it is concrete but they call it the boardwalk),etc. I took some pictures that I will try to get in Flicker tonight.

Today I watch some good football, did some paper work than took care of Claire while C&d went to dinner. Finn went to his first sleep over party. A kid in his class was 7. Carolyn is nervous, but Finn was very happy to go. One time when his was staying her with the Halpin's kids. He wanted to go home at about 11PM. When he sleep here with me he is fine, but his is, of course very use to me. Claire was funny and good, went to bed at 7:30 so I just watched TV until they came home.

Went to pay Cosco what I owe them, but the line was so long that I left and went to buy gas,($3.77 per), well my crdit card would not work at the pump so I had to give it to the guy who works there. I got my gas, got in my car and came home. After I got home I could not find my credit card. Ugh! I called the station and they had it so I had to drive back to the station, about 10 miles. I got my card started home and decided to stop and buy fruit. I bought the fruit, drove home and realized I did nto have my purse!! I panicked,called them and sure enough they had my purse. SOOOOOO I had to drive all the way back to get my purse. I actually feel very lucky that I got both my credit cards and my purse. I really thought it was time to call in the shrinks.

I forgot to post yesterday, so I am doing 2 today.
Yeasterday was a usy day for me. First=Carolyn and Claire stopped in after they dropped Finn off at school. I love it when they stop in. They were still here when my former neighbor, Sarah came to pick me up for breakfast. She is a retired teacher (special Ed) her birthday is the same as our so we were celebrating. She is only 66. She lives with her high school boyfriend who she met again at a reunion. He is a really neat guy. Loves the sea. He built his own boat and surfs everyday. Her daughter who has two kids just the same ages as Finn and Claire. They live in Texas but are moving to Richmond Va. Her husband in in Advertising and just got a new job.

Right after breakfast I got a call from, Cathrine. She is a nurse I worked with at Hospice. She wanted to have early lunch, so of course I had to go . We went to an Italian place. I took most of it home. She is working in management now. It was a nice time.

Next I went to Cosco to return a little rug I bought. Anyway, I thought it was a little rug. I wanted it to put at the front door. Turns out it was a long runner. I took it back and they gave me more money than I paid for it! I had given them the wrong recite. I'll go back today an correct it.
When I came out I backed into a new white car . Not much damage, but the lady was cursing and screaming at me.
I was glad to get home.

Today I took Norma to lunch than we had our hair cut and than she wanted to go to Cosco. I dropped her off than went back to pick her up. She had all this heavy stuff and just waited until I got out of my car and put her stuff in. Than of course at her house I had to unload it all and get it into her house. Ugh! I always think I am not going to cater to her, but I always end up feeling sorry for her.
Tomorrow I am going to lunch with Sarah, she is my former neighbor. When we go to lunch we spend the whole time telling each other how wonderful our Grandchildren are. That's fun.
Here is a funny story about Finn.
He loves the game show,"Deal or no Deal". ( A really gross TV game) He only sees it when I am babysitting. Anyway, I bought him the board game for Christmas and of course everyone had to play. Well yesterday when Carolyn picked him up from school, the teacher said to Ca,"Well, I hear your husband is going to be on Deal or no Deal. Seems Finn told some of the kids that he was going to be on TV. Dana said he wanted to be on Jeopardy.

I got this awful post yesterday from someone who claimed to be my twin! I know my REAL twin would not suggest I get fit instead of watching TV all day. I am trying to track down the person who besmirched my sister.
This morning Claire and Carolyn came for a visit. Claire ate the whole time she was here. Fruit, crackers, cereal bar etc. This was an hour after she had had breakfast. She eats like her Nana.
Later today I went to the ATT shop and got them to put all my phone numbers in my new phone, than I went to Home Depot to get a step stool. They were out of them, tried KMart, they did not have the kind I want, so I came home and played Word Slinger. I am still on 65 but I came within one of winning. Tomorrow will be the day I get to 66.
Tomorrow i go to lunch and take Norma to get a hair cut. Than she wants me to take her to Costo .
I like lunch.

Well I found out that I CANNOT get DirectTV and TIVO!!!!Ugh. The manager of this place said they did not want anything on the roof. So I guess I will have to be content with what I have now.

Today Carolyn,Claire and I went to Cody's for lunch. Its a popular dinner-type restaurant. I used to take Finn there when he was young. Claire is getting so cute. When you ask her to smile she , smiles and closes her eyes. We had nice lunch. I had,"healthy burrito", made with all steamed vegetables. I didn't do anything else today.
I am turning into a hermit.

I just read your comment and noticed I forgot to tell you that I am not sure if I CAN get Tivo, because I need the written consent of the management of the apartment. I spoke the the manager this morning and she said she would have to talk to the company, blah, blah , blah. I emailed her the permission needed so I will have to wait and see.

I was so impressed by the pictures Rosemary put up yesterday that I spent all day today trying to get some of my pictures on Flicker. EEK I must nuts because I can't figure it out. I had to have Wes go online (he can run my computer) twice, then I think I sent the ,"working" page to people instead of pictures. If any of you actually got pictures today. Please let me know.
Rosemary I know you got some, but they were sent yesterday with Wes's help.

PS. Arty- Wes and Katy said they are not going to name the baby Carmen! Thank God.

I'M BACK!!

HELLO EVERYBODY-

I actually got my internet fixed today. A man in Mexico who works for Verizon checked it out for me. I had to disconnect all the wires twice and restart the computer twice. It took about an hour but lo and behold it is fixed! I also ordered DirectTV today. I found out that if I get my phone,internet and TV all from Verizon my bill will be about $20.00 a month cheaper. Plus Iwill have TIVO. yeah.
Today it is raining to beat the band. Something we have not seen out here since the 26 houses fell down. Carolyn just called and said she took Finn and Claire for a walk in the rain. The kids loved it and they all got soaked to the skin.
Nothing else is going on here. I'm staying in until the rain is gone. I am becoming a real California Girl.