The Tooth Fairy

Blog Prompt: Tomorrow is Tooth Fairy Day. How do you think the tooth fairy has changed since you were little?

As a child, when I lost a tooth, the tooth fairy left a nickel under my pillow. When my children were little, the tooth fairy left a quarter. Now my friends tell me the tooth fairy has started leaving a dollar bill under the pillow. Isn’t it amazing how the tooth fairy knows about inflation and the cost of things today. Maybe we need to elect her President!

Original image: 'Wishing and Hoping' http://www.flickr.com/photos/50417132@N00/1218672079by: Gabriela Camerotti

Pittsburgh Zoo

This morning we left Lockport, NY and headed to Pittsburgh. I wanted to go to the zoo because it is a reciprocal zoo with my hometown zoo and with our passes, it didn’t cost us anything. I was really impressed with the zoo. There were a lot of animals and it seemed like they were close together so we didn’t have to travel far to get to the next exhibit. I enjoyed the penguins, polar bear, baby tiger cub, sea otters, beavers, giraffes, elephants, gorillas, and especially the aquarium. We spent about 3 hours there and decided to leave around 4pm before rush hour traffic. I couldn’t believe that it took 45 minutes just to leave the parking lot. There didn’t seem to be any method to the madness and cars were coming from every direction having to merge into 2 lanes. Of course, no one was there to direct traffic which amazed me. Then when we finally reached the road, getting on the interstates were a nightmare too. We had to cross over four lanes of traffic to exit for one interstate and then as soon as you merged with the traffic, other traffic merged from the right. Then immediately after that merging, you have to cross three lanes of traffic to exit right for the other interstate. Normally I drive in big cities and busy traffic but at 4pm, we didn’t think it would be a problem. Boy, were we wrong!

Once we got out of Pittsburgh, it was smooth sailing other than all the construction on the road. About 7pm we started to look for a place to stay and didn’t find a decent priced hotel until we reached Sutton, West Virginia by about 10pm. I’m exhausted so this won’t be a long post (besides putting you to sleep too!). I’m hoping we will spend tomorrow night in Beckley so we can go see Cinderella at the outdoor theater.

Effects of the Lousy Economy

Blog Prompt: How has the change in the economy affected you?

Since prices have risen so outrageously, we are changing the way we do things such as:

· Traveling in the United States instead of other countries.
· Doing errands all at one time to save on gas.
· Going grocery shopping once a week.
· Eating at home instead of dining out.
· Saving our money instead of just buying luxury items we want.
· Not buying clothes because we want it and not because we need it.
· Not hiking so much because the trails are so far away and uses to much gas to get there.
· Working on the house and yard more instead of going out all of the time.
· Cutting expenses to save money.

Niagara, NY and Lockport, NY

We left Canada early this morning and headed to Niagara Falls on the US side. The trip across the border was quick and painless because there were no lines and no hassles. We even found free parking along the side of the road and walked across to Goat Island. Then we decided Don was feeling well enough to do the trip to the Cave of the Winds ($10 per person) and it was awesome. Of course, we got drenched. I thought we got wet on the Maid of the Mist, but that was nothing compared to this. They give you little sandals to wear and you take off your shoes and put them in plastic bags. Then they give you this long yellow rain poncho to wear that helps somewhat. Of course the wind got so strong I thought it would blow me off the platform and it tour my hood right off my head. But it was awesome and I’d recommend this to anyone going there. Then we walked around the park and finally to Hard Rock Café for lunch. We are collecting bottle openers/magnets from every Hard Rock we visit but some of the places don’t carry them or they are sold out.

When we left there we headed up the road to Whirlpool State Park where we hiked on a trail along the rim of the gorge. Then we stopped at the Robert Moses Power Plant that we saw in the distance on our hike. The power plant was a neat place to bring students on a field trip and there was a self guided tour with a short video.

After we left there, we drove to Lockport which was about 30 minutes away and bought tickets for the 5pm cruise down the Erie Canal. We stopped at Denny’s to eat dinner and found a hotel room at the Lockport Inn and Suites, which is a really super place to stay. Check out the pictures in the gallery on their web page! First of all, the man at the desk was very friendly and welcoming, which makes a huge difference when I’m deciding where to stay. Sometimes I’ve met some really rude people and told my husband to drive on because I’d rather pay more than have to deal with a rude person. The room was only $72 which included a queen bed, table with comfortable chairs and a newspaper, cable TV/some movie channels, desk and chair, refrigerator, coffee maker and clean bathroom. There were chairs outside each room if you wanted to sit outside. Even the décor of the room was welcoming and cozy. When we got back from the canal cruise, someone had come in the room and left a vase full of beautiful pink roses. Wow! That simple gesture made me feel like I was staying at some expensive bed and breakfast. All around the buildings were hanging plants and flower beds full of flowers. You can tell someone really enjoys gardening and the entire place is well taken care of and loved. I expected this place to be out of our price range when I checked if they had a room available and was surprised at how reasonable it was. The Holiday Inn Express down the road was asking $89 with a coupon but I think we lucked out on finding this treasure. Another feature we really liked is that it was family owned because we feel that if a place is family owned, it is usually safer and better cared for. Besides that, these big franchises get enough money, and in today’s economic times, we need to take care of family owned businesses. (No, I’m not getting paid to advertise for them and they don’t even know that I’m writing this!) But if you ever get a chance to do the canal cruise, consider staying here for the night.

The cruise down the Erie Canal was really great too! With our AAA card, it cost $26 for both of us and it lasted 2 hours. There were only 11 of us on the 5pm cruise and the boat pilot gave a narrated tour which was great. They also served soft drinks, wine, and beer. It was really neat going through those locks and hearing him explain how it worked. We even heard the song about the Erie Canal that I learned when I was in elementary school (a gazillion years ago). This was magical for me because I remember studying about the Erie Canal in school but never imagined that over 40 years later, I would get to ride down it and see the locks.

Not sure where we will head tomorrow and it all depends on the weather. We might head for Pittsburgh to go to the zoo and the aviary. But of course all that is up in the air.

The Worst Movie

Blog Prompt: Tell about the worse movies you have ever seen.

The one that stands out for me is the The Mask with Jim Carrey. I’m not a big fan of this actor but I went to see this movie at the $1 movie theater by myself. I thought it was stupid and bizarre. I don’t usually feel that $1 is too much to pay for cheap entertainment but I don’t think this movie was even worth a dollar.

photo credit: Original image: 'thumbsdown' http://www.flickr.com/photos/97192694@N00/374733966by: Darek Šmíd

A Day at Niagara Falls

Since I am up at 5am every morning, I let my hubby sleep until 7:30 but I was starving, so I rousted his butt up. We made it to the Maid of the Mist by 9am when they opened and quickly got on the boat. Before we got on the boat though, we were given blue rain ponchos to wear and boy did we need them! The boat took us all the way up to Horseshoe Falls but my photos didn’t come out well since my lens got water drops all on it. This was well worth the money ($14.50 per person).

After that we walked up to the place where you buy tickets for Journey Behind the Falls but people were saying their feet got all wet and since we were drenched on top already, we decided to pass this up. Hopefully tomorrow on the American side, we will do the Cave of the Winds.

Then we walked all the way back towards our hotel, which is probably over a mile. We stopped at Hard Rock Café so I could buy a magnet (we collect magnets from the places we have been because they don’t take up too much room and are easy to display). We also looked at different souvenir shops and by this time, it was almost lunch time. At first we thought about Kentucky Fried Chicken but ended up eating lunch at the buffet in the Casino Niagara. After lunch we dropped our stuff off back at our room and then wandered around town some more. We probably walked about 4 miles total so my feet were beginning to hurt.

had walked all the way to the other casino at the other end of town (probably over a mile from our hotel) when my hubby suddenly got sick to his stomach. Do you know what it is like to try to walk back to your hotel with a gagging husband? I thought we would never get back but we did. He was pretty sick so I ran out and got some Coca Cola to settle his stomach. It must have helped because he is sleeping right now while I play on the computer. Of course, I’m getting hungry and it is 7pm so before long I will be waking him up to go get something to eat, or I will be bringing something back to the room for me to eat.

My last $20

Blog Prompt: Tell five things you would buy with your last $20 and why.

I would buy :
1. a diet pepsi because I love them.
2. a chocolate glazed Krispie Kreme donut because if this was the end of my money, I don’t know when I would get another one.
3. Some yarn so I could crochet something and possible sell it so I could get more money.
4. A newspaper so I could find a job to make more money.
5. Some food for my family so they wouldn’t be hungry.

Erie, PA/ Niagara Falls, Ontario

We woke up this morning in Cranberry, PA which is just north of the city of Pittsburgh. A friend on Plurk suggested that we eat at a place called Eat-N-Park which happened to be right down from our hotel. After breakfast we decided to go to Niagara Falls, Ontario, then decided to go to Toronto first and work our way south back home after that. Then we arrived in Erie where there were lots of things to do so we spent most of the morning and early afternoon there. We went across to Preque Isle State Park which is right in Lake Erie. It was a beautiful park and we got out to walk along the beach and see one of the lighthouses. It was really hard to believe that we weren’t looking at an ocean and only seeing a lake because there were lots of waves as the water hit the beach. After the park, we went downtown to see the festival Celebrate Erie which had a lot of vendors so we found a great lunch (sausage hoagie with peppers and onions, cheese fries and a drink).

When we left Erie, we decided to spend the night in Buffalo but when we got to Buffalo, it was still early so we decided we would go on to Toronto. Luckily I went online to try to find a hotel, and the ones downtown near the Canadian National Exhibition was about $200 a night plus $30 a night for parking so we changed our mind and decided we would save that trip for another time. Instead we headed to Niagara Falls, Ontario. I didn’t realize how long it would take to cross the border because the traffic was horrendous. There weren’t any clear lanes and people were switching lanes and cutting in front of others. Finally we got to the border patrol where we were asked bunches of questions and then told to go to an area where they could search our car. My poor baby car was strip searched. They went through it with a fine tooth comb and I wish I knew what they were looking for but I know they wouldn’t find it in my car.

Finally we arrived at our hotel, Hampton Inn at the Falls which is only a couple of blocks away from the falls. I was so hungry at this time that we went to Burger King for dinner. We both got a Whopper value meal that cost me $18.01 USD! I have never paid that much at a fast food restaurant for a hamburger before! Then we walked along the water front and saw the falls. They were beautiful! Once it got dark, they turned the lights on the falls and the lights changed colors so they looked like a rainbow at times. At 10pm, they had a fireworks show over the falls and then we headed back for some much needed rest.

Best Friend, Relaxation, and Personal Feelings

Thursday's Blog Prompt: Today is Best Friends Day. Who is your best friend and tell why?

My best friend is my husband. We have been married for 26 years and he knows all of my secrets and I know his. When I say all, I mean all. We do not keep secrets from each other at all. I do have things I would rather not tell him and may delay telling him, but the guilt gets to me and I spill my guts (like when I dented the car, forgot to pay the bill etc.). He has always been there to support me no matter what I am doing. He encourages me to do things that I should do but sometimes fear keeps me from doing it. When he knows I really want to do something but not sure if it is logistically possible, he will do all he can to help me make it work. When I am sick, he never wants to leave my side and cares for me better than anyone else ever could. I can’t imagine life without him.

Friday's Blog Prompt: Today is National Relaxation Day. How do you plan to relax today?

I plan to play on my computer, walk in the park with my husband (4.5 mile exercise walk), read Nora Roberts’ book The Hollow, and crochet. It is really easy to relax now that I’m retired. I can do what I want when I want. I have had to make up a little routine of doing household chores or I would never get them done. I know my life sounds boring right now but I’m enjoying it.

On a more personal note: I just have to share some of my feelings lately. I feel so out of sorts that I don’t feel like scrapbooking or blogging. I think it is because school is about to start and I’m missing it. Last year was the first time I didn’t have to go back to school and it was actually a neat feeling, like being on holiday when everyone else wasn’t. I really didn’t mind not going and didn’t miss it at all. This year I’m more connected with other educators online because I’ve been doing some consulting work and for some reason, I really miss it this year. I know this feeling will pass, especially when I hear about the paperwork or the discipline problems so I will just ride it out. I think it was also hard because I was offered another job yesterday for a wonderful position but I couldn’t take it. It was to be a 1 on 1 teacher with a middle school special ed student who couldn’t handle the school situation. It would be like being a home school teacher to someone else’s child. The pay would be great but it would tie us down and I promised my husband five years of not committing to anything long term. Especially with the health scare he had this year (nothing serious even though at first we thought it was), it really brought home that life is too short. I will still contract with the school district to do teacher evaluations which is easy to do because I determine when I observe and have meetings. Oh well, thank you for letting me share this because now I feel a little better.

Sewing Machine Day

Blog Prompt: Today is Sewing Machine Day. If you could sew, what is something you would love to make or if you already sew, what was your favorite thing you made. Describe it.

My mother sewed all my clothes when I was growing up and even made my wedding gown. I picked out the pattern, material, pearls, lace, and she took it home to FL to put it all together. I never saw my gown until the day before the wedding and had no doubts about how well it would fit. She knew my measurements and everything she made always fit me perfectly. We would go to the store and I would point out things I would like to wear and she would go home and sew them up for me. Of course as a teenager, I never appreciated all that she did and the sacrifices she made for me to have these clothes. I was so selfish that all I could do was resent that I couldn’t have store-bought clothes like my friends. Now I wish I could sew like her. If I could make something, I would make a dress to wear that looked simple but classy. I would like it to be in a pastel color with some black swirl print on it (I’m into swirls lately). I’m so tired of wearing the same old dresses to church but since we retired, it is hard to justify buying new clothes when I really don’t have anywhere to wear them to.

Garage Sale Item

Photo by _moonpie
Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike License

Blog Prompt: Aug. 9th was National Garage Sale Day. What item in your home would you just love to get rid of and why?
This is really hard because I don’t know where to start. I have so much junk (my husband thinks these are treasures) that clutter up my house, shed, and storage building. I think the biggest item that I have is this old vending machine that is in storage. My husband had it in his office and filled it with crackers and cookies so people who were waiting could buy them for fifty cents. It is really heavy, old and just plain in the way of me storing more junk (I mean treasures) that he continues to buy at flea markets and garage sales.

Olympics 2008

Blog Prompt – Today is the first day of the Olympics in China. What is your favorite and least favorite event in the Olympics?

I really like to watch the gymnastics competition because I think it takes so much strength and self discipline (both of which I have so little of). I am always so amazed how young they are and what abilities they have because they always look so graceful (yes even the men!). When I was in high school, we were required to some some gymnastics and I was pretty awful. A somersault was about the best thing I can do and since I had very little muscles in my arms, pole vaulting and parallel bars were pretty embarrassing. I could walk across the balance beam and sometimes turn around and walk back. Now that you can picture my gymnastic ability, I will leave you with that hilarious picture in your mind and let you return to your daily life!

Professional Speaker Wish

Blog Prompt: Today is Professional Speaker’s Day. If you were in charge of a meeting, who would you invite to be the speaker and why?



I would invite Jill Bolte Taylor. She is a brain scientist who had a stroke and recovered. I first heard her speak on TED Talks. Then I read her book My Stroke of Insight and then I listed to the podcasts where Oprah interviewed her on her soul series. I thought she was so inspiring that I loved to hear her story. I also felt that she had great messages for teachers and other care givers out there in order to be better at their jobs. I would love to meet her in person!

Fresh Breath Day

Blog Prompt: Today is National Fresh Breath Day. If you had to work closely with someone with bad breath for a few months, how would you handle the situation?

First I would try to put out some mints and then offer it to the person. I learned a long time ago that if someone offers you a mint, take it and eat it. If that didn’t work, I would eat a lot of mints so the smell might cover up their smell. If I just couldn’t take it anymore, I would say something as tactfully as I could like: “I’m not trying to hurt your feelings, but for some reason your breath is kicking off my allergies. It is probably just me, but would you please eat this mint?” If that didn’t work, I would start making gagging sounds every time they got close to me! LOL

Simplify My Life

Blog Prompt: This week is Simplify Your Life Week. What are some ways that you could simplify your life?

I have found that being retired pretty much simplified my life but left me feeling so disorganized that I couldn’t enjoy it. I decided to do certain household chores on certain days of the week. This helped me get them done instead of trying to do all of them at once whenever I got around to them. Another thing I’ve done was plan dinner for the week and grocery shop once a week. This has helped us save tons of money plus I’m not stressing about what we will eat each night. I also garden about an hour each morning and try to do a little bit each day instead of trying to get everything done all at once. I’m starting to see a lot of progress by doing this and I don’t feel miserable when I’m done.

My Favorite Chocolate Chip Food

Blog Prompt: Today is National Chocolate Chip Day. Describe your favorite chocolate chip food.

My favorite chocolate chip food is Tollhouse chocolate chip cookies. I remember when I was a teenager, I always wanted to make them at home but I wasn’t allowed to touch anything in the kitchen (because I almost burned the kitchen down once, I was not allowed to do much in it but that is a whole ‘nother story). When I was in college, I helped my roommate make these using our dorm oven. Now how hard is it to make these, right? Well about ten years ago, I tried to make these in my oven but they melted on the cookie sheet and was about 1mm thin and burned. I called my neighbor to come help me because I needed to make them for a garden club event. Being the good neighbor, she rushed over and helped me make another batch. I had her watch me closely to make sure I followed the recipe on the back of the chocolate chip bag which I did. But when they came out of the oven, the same thing happened. After I got done crying, I went to the store and bought the Pillsbury dough that you spoon out on the cookie sheet and bake. They came out perfect but they weren’t Tollhouse cookies. Ever since then, I’ve stuck to Chips Ahoy cookies but someday….

Respect

Blog Prompt: Today is Respect for Parents Day. How were you taught respect when you were growing up?

My mother used to always have this saying when she was really mad and it was, “I brought you into this world and I can take you out!” Plus, my mother never said anything she didn’t mean so I felt she really believed this. I used to think I was such an abused child when I was younger. I had to do chores before I could go out and play, I had to make up my bed, I had to vacuum once a week. Was I Cinderella? Plus, I was not allowed to talk back to my parents or my older sisters. If I did not do what I was told to do, I was spanked by my mother. How horrible was that!

I have to admit that I was a pretty spoiled child. My mother’s spankings usually entailed being swatted with her hand or a ruler. My father only slapped my hand once in my life when I was about four years old. I went in his pocket because he wouldn’t give me money. He took his belt out of the buckle and swatted me with the end of the belt (while it was still in his pants) so it couldn’t have been very hard. I cried for two days because my feelings were so hurt and he never ever spanked me again. All it took was a look or him saying how disappointed he was in me and I felt miserable.

My sisters were ten and twelve years older than me so I actually learned a lot by watching them whenever they got in trouble. I learned from their mistakes because I never wanted my parents to be mad or disappointed in me. As I grew older, I realized how little we had and how hard my father worked so I didn’t want them to worry about my behavior on top of it. Respect was never an option when I was growing up and I’m so grateful that my parents expected it.

Photo: Me with my two sisters

What I would rather be doing...

Blog prompt: Instead of what you have to do today, what would you rather be doing?

As a retired person, I can do whatever I want to every day! So, this morning I got up early and worked on some homework for an online class I’m taking. Once it got light outside, I did a couple of hours of gardening. I dread starting the weeding and clearing, but then I really get into it and feel good about what I accomplish. After that I finally came inside and ate a late breakfast. Then we went to the park and walked 4.5 miles in the extreme heat and humidity. If it wasn’t for the ice water I brought, I would have melted! By the time we returned home from walking, we ate lunch and decided to go to the zoo. I love going to the zoo because I get to take a lot of fun pictures. We also bought our Friends of the Zoo annual pass which gets us into a lot of other zoos for free or at least a discounted price. On the way home we bought a dozen Krispie Kreme donuts which I’ve been craving for a long time. Then while we ate dinner, we had a thunderstorm (which I hate) but I loved the rain for my plants.

The Olympics

Blog prompt: On this date in 1932, the Olympic games opened in Los Angeles. They'll start next week again in Beijing. How do you feel about the Olympics?

I remember when the Olympics were in Atlanta, Georgia in 1996 and we were so excited. My friend and her family were getting tickets and wanted my hubby and me to join them. So after a bunch of arranging, we got tickets to 3 different events. On July 26, 1996, we took the train from Greenville, South Carolina where we live to the beginning/end of the Marta (train) line to Atlanta. This way we didn’t have to try to find a parking space in all the crowds and it was much cheaper this way. It was a wonderful and exciting day. We even went to Centennial Olympic Park which had the world famous Fountain of Rings where water shoots out of the ground like it is dancing. The scariest thing was finding out that the very next day there was a bombing right in that park where we all stood and played. For some reason, that memory stands out stronger than any of the events of the Olympics.

I would love to see the Olympics in Beijing but the older we get, the more my husband and I hate fighting the crowds and the traffic so we will be content to watching it on TV.

To Nap or Not to Nap

Blog Prompt: To nap or not to nap? Which side of this issue are you on?

I am finding out that a 30 minute power nap is wonderfully refreshing. Since I get up at 5am each morning (my body just wakes up automatically at this time) and most of the time I don’t go to sleep until 10 or 11pm. If I get really tired, I take a 30 minute nap (I do set my watch alarm) and then I feel great. If I sleep longer than this, I have a hard time going to sleep at night or else I feel really sluggish when I wake up. The 30 minutes is just perfect for me. Of course I don’t feel the need for a nap every day so I try to just be in tune to my body.

Books in My Life

Blog Prompt: In honor of Beatrix Potter's birthday, tell us about some of the books (as a child and an adult) that you have loved over the years.

I have loved all the Harry Potter books (and movies) and now I’ve started on the Charlie Bone books. They are kind of like Harry Potter, just a little different and watered down. I also like to read the Caldecott Medal books to see why they won the award. I have to admit that I’m addicted to reading and have been since I was able to read. I love to read when I’m eating or when I’m bored or when I’m traveling and I have to read before I go to sleep or I can’t go to sleep. I have started to list all the books I’ve read or planning to read on Shelfari (I’m loonyhiker on Shelfari).

Secrets...shhhhh!

Blog Prompt: You'll be on your honor today! Set the timer for one minute and write as much as you can about the following word: secret.

I don’t like secrets. I don’t like to keep them and I don’t like when people keep secrets from me. I really can’t keep secrets from my husband at all. If I have a present for him, I have to give it to him as soon as I can because keeping a secret practically kills me. I feel like keeping secrets from him is not being honest.

Photo credit: whisper, 2005 by Dr John2005

Off topic: I had a scare today. I couldn’t get my spacebar to work. I had to open up the onscreen keyboard for disabled people. Then I googled it and twittered (twitter.com) it and plurked (plurk.com) it, but couldn’t get it fixed. I was told to shake the laptop but not too hard. I was told to go buy a can of air, but I couldn’t because I’m waiting for the DirecTV man to come upgrade our receivers. I was feeling desperate and upset. Finally out of frustration, I shook the laptop pretty hard and then blew all over the keyboard. Aha! Now it works. I’m so relieved!

Toilet Paper Issue

Blog Prompt: Light-hearted or serious, take a "controversial" issue and argue your point of view. Extra points if you argue both sides!

Issue: Should Toilet Paper roll over or under on the holder?

My point of view: Toilet paper should roll over on the holder. It is easier to get and looks neater. This is the proper way that toilet paper should be positioned on the holder. If I see it put on the wrong way in my house, I need to change it immediately. But if it is different in someone else’s house, I do not feel the need to change it.

Other side: Toilet paper doesn’t unravel if it is put on this way. It looks neater. Also, who really cares how it is placed on the holder.

Photo credit: toilet paper by lkue

At the Movies

Blog Prompt: With The Dark Knight setting box office records this weekend, tell us about the first movie you saw in the theater (or another movie theater story you have).

Unfortunately I can’t remember the first movie I ever saw because it was so long ago. But I can tell you about an experience in the movie theater where I kind of embarrassed my husband. We usually go to matinees because they are cheaper than at night but of course there are usually a lot of children there too on the weekends and in the summer. This happened to be a summer afternoon when we went to see some PG or G rated movie and it was pretty crowded in the theater. There were three little girls about 7 years old sitting next to me and right before the movie began, the girl right next to me kept pulling up the arm rest we shared and banging it down. I asked her to stop doing that because it was annoying and she replied that I was not her mama and she wouldn’t stop. At that point, I leaned down in her face and told her I knew I wasn’t because if I was I would teach her how to behave in public. Then I told her that if she didn’t stop, I would follow her when she left until I found the adult in charge of her and tell how badly behaved she was. I guess that did it because she whispered to her friends and they got up and moved. My husband said later that I had put my teacher voice on and not only did I get those girls quiet but I also got all the children around us to settle down and behave because no one said another word until the movie was over.

Photo credit: century theater’s by pbo31

Walking on the Moon

Blog Prompt: Neil Armstrong first walked on the moon on this date in 1969. Write a description of walking on the moon or tell us about this event if you remember it.

I was about ten years old and my whole family watched the event on a black and white TV. I thought it wasn’t real and my sister kept telling me that this was real life. I couldn’t believe that someone actually walked on the moon and kept asking if they stepped in an eye or nose or mouth because we always looked for the man in the moon. I love to see the facial features when I look at a full moon so I though the man in the moon was real and always looked down on me to help keep me safe and light up the darkness (I hated the dark even as a young child.)

Road Trip Food

Blog prompt: Do you have a favorite snack to eat on a road trip?

I like to eat salty foods on a road trip. They can be pretzels, chips (I’ve been eating salt and black pepper chips lately), or sunflower seeds. My problem is that I don’t drink enough all day long and especially if we are on a road trip so we bring a cooler of diet pepsi for me and as long as I’m eating salty stuff, I’ll drink. I’m so picky that I really don’t like water and especially if it gets warm so that is why I need a cooler of soda.
Photo credit: Cape-cod by I.M. Bitter

Feelings about Flying

Blog prompt: Today in History: In 1954, the first Boeing 707 flew. How do you feel about flying?

I used to enjoy flying because I could read, do cross stitch, and get somewhere far really fast. We also had a lot of frequent flyer points from our credit card use. Now I’m not so thrilled with flying because of the cost, and the hassle. I try to carry very little on board so I don’t get the big search at security. For some reason I am always the random person they search. Also the last time we were on a plane, I got freaked out by a situation and we haven’t been on a plane since.

We were leaving Washington DC to come back home to Greenville, SC and the plane was pretty empty. Chris Dodd recently announced his plan to run for President of the US and he was on our plane. As the flight attendant shut the plane door, this lady began to yell and scream that her luggage was not on board. After much loud discussion and a description of the luggage, the flight attendant made a few phone calls. This woman started to use profanity and yell that we would not leave until her luggage was on board. About this time, I start getting a little anxious and then my loving hubby says to me in a low voice, “If they remove her from this plane, we are getting off too. What if she put something on this plane and doesn’t want to be on here with it when it blows up!” Now I’m very anxious and practically hyperventilate at the thought. What if she was an assassin to take out a possible presidential candidate? The flight attendant finally tells her that her luggage was put on board and we take off. The plane ride was tense and quiet for the entire trip. I kept waiting for us to blow up and couldn’t read or focus on anything. Finally we arrived at the airport without any incident and I was so relieved to get off that plane. When we arrived at the baggage claim at the same time she did, there were unfriendly and unhappy men in suits waiting for her. The best thing I heard was that her luggage never did arrive because it was never put on the plane! I didn’t stick around to see if she went berserk though in case any guns were fired!

Now we drive our Toyota Prius everywhere. The cost is much cheaper, less hassles, and less anxiety!

Photo credit: MD-80 by a nose by caribb

Colors of My Week

Blog Prompt: Describe each day of the week using colors and/or sounds.

A lot depends on the kind of day I’m anticipating or how the day turns out. The color of my day can change if something good or bad happens. Otherwise I would say most of my days are a pretty shade of blue, which is my favorite color. Since retiring, I have developed a routine during the week days and know what shows are on TV and have a schedule all set out for me. I think that is what I liked about teaching because I had a schedule to follow each day. Weekends are usually gray for me because I have no routine schedule and I usually feel anxious. If something good happens during the day, my day turns to a brighter happier shade of blue but if something bad happens, my day can turn to black. Mondays may involve a sunny yellow with my blue because it is bright and happy. If I get to go hiking on Wednesdays, my day would be sunny yellow, bright blue, and a happy green. I don’t usually have many brown (bad), or black (horrible) days so when they hit, it is usually a really bad bad day.

Today we worked on our porch which has been a long and labor intensive project. Part of the reason has been because my husband has been sick so much that we can only work on it when he is feeling well. Today the doctor called and told us that the blood work from Friday shows that he has thyroid problems and will need to take some medicine. Thank goodness we finally know the cause of his misery. After looking up the symptoms, it seems he has a classic case and seems pretty easy to treat. I’m so relieved to know something. Of course, my hubby hates that he will have to take medicine because he hates taking anything. I told him that it was better than finding out he has diabetes (which his whole family has) or emphysema (from many years of smoking but hasn’t smoked in 13 years). I guess today was a blue, brown, getting bluer day.

Photo credit: full spectrum by mdezemery

Expensive Christmas Item

Blog Prompt: What's the most expensive item on your Christmas list today?

I would really like to have an 32gb Iphone which costs over $500. I know that right now we can’t afford it so I really haven’t talked about it much or my hubby will go out of the way to try to get it for me. I even thought about getting an 80gb Ipod because my 20gb Ipod is so old that it doesn’t show videos. Of course that is about $260 so again, not in our budget at this time. I guess I shouldn’t complain because I am getting my new gas range sometime next week.

Photo credit: iphone – I got the key by BlaCkbirD

The Perfect Summer Day (even though snakes were involved!)

Blog Prompt: Describe your perfect summer day.

This was the perfect prompt for me today because today was my perfect summer day. My hiking group was taking a break from hiking today to go tubing. We went to the Green River in Saluda, North Carolina. When we got up this morning, it was overcast and a little breezy so I was afraid it wouldn’t be a good day to go tubing. We packed a picnic lunch and went to meet the group anyway. We got there around 10:15 and it had warmed up and became sunny as well so I was relieved. We all grabbed our lunches and sat by the river to eat and enjoy the day. We couldn’t get on the river until noon because they don’t open the dam up river until a certain time and you don’t want to try tubing when the water is low. While we sat on rocks sticking out of the water, someone yelled, “Snake!” Right out of the rocks came this snake! Needless to say, we had our fill of the lunch spot and went back up to the shack that sells tubes. Soon we all paid our money ($7 for a 2 hour ride) and got our tubes but we still had to wait about 15 minutes before we could leave. They told us when the water covered a certain rock it was time to go so we all watched the rock. I brought my digital camera and kept it in a double Ziploc bag when we went over the rapids. Twelve of us floated down the river and enjoyed spinning off the rocks when we got to the fun parts. It got so hot at times I had to keep throwing water on my legs and arms. I did see about 5 snakes along the bank. At one time my hubby and I were holding on together until he saw the snake. Then he almost dumped me out of the tube and ended up accidentally pushing me straight into the snake. Luckily I pulled my legs all the way on top of the tube and practically over my head when the tube hit the branch with the snake on it. The tube bounced off the branch and spun away with me screaming. The others said when they headed towards the same branch that snake was hissing! After that I made sure I stayed away from the banks and only held onto my hubby’s tube when the water was calm. Everyone had a blast and we enjoyed visiting with each other as we floated down the river. It was relaxing at times and exciting at times too. By the time we got to the “get out” point, I was tired and glad to get out of the water. This was a perfect summer day.

Blog Award!

I have received a very special BLOG AWARD from my friend Tink of Tink’s Tribulations. Thank you SO very much Tink! This was a really neat surprise after I got back from a day of tubing down the river.

The rules of the award are:
1. The winner can put the logo on her blog.
2. Link the person you received your award from.
3. Nominate at least 7 other blogs.
4. Put links of those blogs on yours.
5. Leave a message on the blogs of the girls you've nominated

Stephani’s Serendipity - she is a really neat person to get to know and does great movie reviews.
Beth Nixon Blogging - gives away a lot of wonderful freebies and I love to read her blog.

Amanda’s Blog: Reflections - I enjoyed following her pregnancy and watching the baby grow up now.

Daily Dwelling - lives in Germany and reconnected me with a friend who now lives in France, but we taught together in SC. She has 3 small children and I love to read about what they are up to.

Creative Triplet Mom - an amazing mom with triplets. Need I say more?

The Pages of Our Crazy Life - her family is so interesting to follow that I can't wait to read her blog when she updates.

Latest Updates from Scraps of Mind - gives great tips on scrapbooking. They are easy to understand and well worth the read!

Good Stories

Blog Prompt: What kind of stories do you like best? Tear-jerkers? Happy endings? Unexpected twists? Or all of the above?

I like all of the above as long as it is a good story. I don’t mind as long as the story is interesting, there is great character development, and it all ties together. I hate reading a story hoping that things will get better and then feel like I wasted my time reading it. I cannot put a book down once I start reading it; no matter how bad it is because I’m always hoping that it will get better. I like tear jerkers only if it is a happy ending. Stories that make me feel depressed give me insomnia so I don’t like them. I like unexpected twists because I usually figure out how the story will end and then I’m pleasantly surprised when it ends differently. The unexpected twists sometimes keep me on the edge of my seat and I can’t wait to see what happens next. I guess I just like a good story, no matter what kind it is.

Photo credit: Day 106 – I am a librarian by cindiann

Honesty

Blog Prompt: If someone asked for your advice on life, what ONE WORD would you choose to share with them and why?

I had a couple of words that first came to mind but if I had to choose only one, I would say: HONESTY. I think everything else can be built on honesty. A person’s integrity is built on honesty. People respect me because they know that if I say something, I am honest and wouldn’t say something that I know is untrue. I know that I am a control freak and when I’m in a situation that makes me anxious, I am honest with everyone involved that I want to be more flexible and may need some help with this. Just by being honest about my feelings sometimes helps me cope with a situation. Honesty leads to trust and if I can’t trust someone, I usually don’t want to be around them. So I think Being Honest would be the best advice I could give someone.

Photo credit: You can handle it…by lush.i.ous

Freedom to Me

DSP Prompt: In America today we celebrate Independence Day. What does freedom mean to you?

Freedom means everything to me. In 2000, my husband and I took a 30 day tour of China. After seeing how the people live there under Communist government, I am even more thankful for living in America. People were so oppressed and frightened there. We could not talk to any local people for fear they would be arrested because they did not have clearance to talk to us. Before we went there we knew that we could not bring our Bible or anything religious. In fact, I was advised to take my cross necklace off and I’ve worn that ever since I was a teenager. Since I am Chinese (even though I was born in America and never had been to China) and my husband is Caucasian, we took us longer to get checked into a hotel each time because they do not allow Americans to take Chinese women up to their rooms. This meant we had to show our marriage license and answer questions. The Three Rivers Gorge Dam was being built while we were on the tour and we took a 7 day cruise down the Yangtze River. Whenever we stopped, our guide asked local people (ones who were given clearance) how they felt about losing their homes due to the dam and all of them had the same canned answer, “We are glad they are doing this. Our life will be better.” We were warned never to look the police (the military) in the eyes on the street and also told that they had the authority to enter our hotel rooms, drag us out of the shower naked, in order to interrogate us if they want. I felt very tense while I was there because of all these restrictions and warnings. Now, keep in mind, the scenery was awesome and so were the historical places we saw but this other stuff overshadowed it.

When I returned to America, I wanted to kiss the ground. I actually tear up now when I hear large groups sing our national anthem. I’m thankful that I’m free to:
Speak to whomever I want to.
Have rights that the police can’t ignore.
Own my own home and car.
Free to spend the night with anyone I want to (but of course I only want to be with my husband!)
Go wherever I want to if I have the money to pay for it.
Be anything I want to be.

After this trip, I realize how thankful I am that I live in America with all its faults and problems. God Bless America!

Photo credit: St. Louis 4th of July by Creativity + Timothy K. Hamilton

World UFO Day Brings Memories

Blog Prompt: Today is World UFO Day. How do you feel about that?

This prompt reminded me of a trip we had taken to Roswell, New Mexico. We had gone to Big Bend National Park and Carlsbad Cavern National Park so we decided to head up to Roswell, New Mexico. Before the UFO museum, we went by a WalMart which was very unique to this town. Outside the store was a bus stop that included a bench seat surrounded by plastic walls with aliens painted on them. It was really cute. Inside the Walmart we found lots of alien stuff but the best thing was an 8 foot tall inflatable green alien. He was magnificent and I had to have him. Luckily he packed down into a box that we were able to carry onto the plane with us when we headed home to South Carolina. Whenever we have a party, he usually comes out of the box, inflates, and joins us for a good time.

Impulsive Moment

DSP prompt: What's the most spontaneous or impulsive thing you've ever done?

One of the craziest things I’ve ever done was when we were on a cruise. One of the stops was in Nassau and we went to a garden and some kind of show. In the show the man had a huge snake and at the end asked for people who would hold the snake around their neck. Now keep in mind that I was not drinking at all and I’m really not an impulsive person. I am also very afraid of snakes. The next thing I know is that I’m up there with him and he puts this snake (I think it was a boa constrictor) around my neck. When it started moving and I jumped, the man warned me not to move or it could end up bad. By that time I was ready for him to get the snake off of me. I have searched for the picture I have of it but I can’t find it anywhere and I know it is here somewhere. When I find it, I will post it. You can see the look of terror in my face!