I miss you Sam!!

I miss you Sam!!
I miss you Sam!!

Friday, March 25, 2011

Weekend Reflections

Weekend Reflections is hosted by James each week beginning Friday at 11 AM Eastern Standard Time. It's another wonderful way of opening your eyes to new and different kinds of beauty. Click on the web address under the blog title and sign up to play with us!   Things are a little better weather wise -- at least on Wednesday and Thursday, now back to to gray! But I am getting excited about my upcoming move into my own place, so I'll forgive the weatherman and do the best I can to entertain you just a bit!!

Anything you're good at contributes to happiness.
Bertrand Russell

If you want to be loved, be lovable.
Ovid

There is no cosmetic for beauty like happiness.
Maria Mitchell

Gravitation is not responsible for people falling in love.
Albert Einstein

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Sky Watch Friday!

Time to share your skies, the beauty over your world, the clouds, the colors! Sky Watch is hosted each week by Klaus and the Sky Watch team of Klaus, Sandy, Wren and me. Join us and the many people from all over the world who share theirs with us each week! Click on the post title to be taken to the SWF website where you can sign up.Things are beginning to bloom and we have had some sun and some lovely skies. I'm really looking forward to the new views of skies that I will have from my new apartment! The excitement is growing!! But here are some from the past week! Enjoy!

A successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at him.
David Brinkley

Beauty is only temporary, but your mind lasts you a lifetime.
Alicia Machado

Beauty is whatever gives joy.
Edna St. Vincent Millay

The pursuit of truth and beauty is a sphere of activity in which we are permitted to remain children all our lives.
Albert Einstein

A conservative is a man who just sits and thinks, mostly sits.
Woodrow Wilson

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Evening, Wisdom and Beauty

The glow of one warm thought is to me worth more than money.
Thomas Jefferson

Beauty is not caused. It is.
Emily Dickinson

Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it.
Confucius

What is a Grandparent?

If you are not a  grandparent, you will still love this. If you are, it  shows how precious the babies are and what grandparents mean to  them. 
WHAT IS A  GRANDPARENT?
(Taken from  papers written by a class of  8-year-olds)
Grandparents are a lady and a man  who have no little children of their own.  They  like other  people's. 
A grandfather is  a man, and a grandmother is a  lady! 
 Grandparents  don't have to do anything except be there when we come  to see them.They are so old they shouldn't play hard or  run. It is good if they drive us to the shops and give  us money. 
 When they take us for  walks, they slow down past things like pretty leaves and  caterpillars. 
 They show us and  talk to us about the colors of the flowers and also why  we shouldn't step on  'cracks.' 
 They don't say,  'Hurry up.'  
 Usually  grandmothers are fat but not too fat to tie your  shoes. 
 They wear glasses  and funny underwear.

They can take  their teeth and gums  out. 
 Grandparents don't have to be  smart. 
 They have to answer  questions like 'Why isn't God married?' and 'How come  dogs chase  cats?' 
 When they read  to us, they don't skip. They don't mind if we ask for  the same story over  again. 
 Everybody should  try to have a grandmother, especially if you don't have television because they are the only grownups who like  to spend time with have  us.   
They know we  should have snack time before bed time, and they say prayers with us and kiss us even when we've acted  bad. 
A  6-YEAR-OLD WAS ASKED WHERE HIS GRANDMA LIVED. ''OH,'' HE  SAID,
'SHE LIVES AT THE AIRPORT, AND WHEN WE WANT HER,  WE JUST GO GET HER. THEN WHEN WE'RE DONE HAVING HER VISIT, WE TAKE HER BACK TO  THEAIRPORT.'' 

GRANDPA  IS THE SMARTEST MAN ON EARTH! HE TEACHES ME GOOD THINGS,  BUT I DON'T GET TO SEE HIM ENOUGH TO GET AS SMART  AS HIM! 
It's  funny when they bend over; you hear gas leaks, and they  blame their  dog.

Humor to Start the Day!!

One day a florist went to a barber for a haircut. After 
the  cut, he asked about his bill, and the barber replied, 'I 
cannot accept money from  you, I'm doing community 
service this week.' The florist was pleased and left the shop. When 
the barber went to open his shop the next  morning, there 
was a 'thank you' card and a dozen roses waiting for him at 
his door. 
 
  Later, a cop comes in for a haircut, and when he tries to 
pay his bill, the barber again replied, 'I cannot accept 
money from you , I'm doing community service this week.' 
The cop was happy and left the shop. The next morning when 
the barber went to open up, there was a 'thank you' card 
and a dozen donuts waiting for him at his door. 
 
Then a Congressman came in for a haircut, and when he 
went to pay his bill, the barber again replied, 'I can not 
accept money from you. I'm  doing community service this 
week.' The Congressman was very happy and left the shop. 
The next morning, when the barber went to open up,  there 
were a dozen Congressmen lined up waiting for a free 
haircut. 
 
And that, my friends, illustrates the fundamental 
difference between the citizens of our country and the 
politicians who run it. 
 
  BOTH  POLITICIANS  AND  DIAPERS 
      NEED TO BE CHANGED OFTEN 
                           AND 
         FOR THE SAME REASON!

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

ABC Wednesday - J!

Got your dictionary out? You ready to play with the letters? It's that time again! ABC Wednesday is hosted by Mrs. Denise Nesbitt and the ABC team: Denise, Annelie, Leslie, Nathalie, Joyce, Donna, Helen, Roger, Troy, Jay, Barb, Gattina and me! And guess what? It's that day again!
It's the J Day! Jump into my Jeep for the Journey -- no Jaywalking -- but let's Join the fun under the Jacaranda trees. We can play with the Jackrabbits and even the Jaguars and eat lots of Jambalaya while we enjoy the Jamboree! Oh, and bring your favorite Jam and Jelly for breakfast. Put on your best Jewelry and be ready to dance a Jolly Jig by the Jukebox! I'm Just being much too Juvenile today! Lets get get on with the Jolly J Day, I can dance a Jig tomorrow! And here are my J  Words for the day! J is for Jam and Jelly, Jeep, Jewelry, Jalapenos and Jar!
Things are busy here in Seattle as I prepare to move into my new home!! I'm very excited, but it can be nerve wracking at the same time.  I ran around the house, camera in hand, looking for J words before I went back to my moving agenda, so forgive my lack of creativity! At least I didn't call on -- well, you know who!! Hope you all have a fun day!

Monday, March 21, 2011

That's My World!

That's My World is hosted each week by Klaus and the My World team, Klaus, Sandy, Wren, Fishing Guy and me. Join us and share your world with others from all over Our World! Just click on the post title, read the rules, sign up and play with us! So! How is your world this week? Have you taken time to see the beauty there? What is it about your world that makes you smile or laugh or feel grateful for?  My world has had it all this week! Beautiful, colorful, gray and gloomy, blue and clear! All you have to do is wait for the right color! Unfortunately, I'm the impatient kind!  But here is a sample of my world this past week!!
A man begins cutting his wisdom teeth the first time he bites off more than he can chew.
Herb Caen
 
Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience.
Ralph Waldo Emerson


Be happy. It's one way of being wise.
Sidonie Gabrielle Colette

By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest.
Confucius

Cleverness is not wisdom.
Euripides


Don't taunt the alligator until after you've crossed the creek.
Dan Rather


Sunday, March 20, 2011

Evening, Wisdom and Beauty

Because things are the way they are, things will not stay the way they are.
Bertolt Brecht

Change in all things is sweet.

If we don't change, we don't grow. If we don't grow, we aren't really living.
Gail Sheehy

The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance.
Alan Watts

We're Not the Only Ones Tired of Snow!!!

A good friend sent me these and I thought that we could all relate this year!!!

Pet Pride!

Hey guys, get up off your tush and lets go see Bozo over at his pad in Mumbai! It's always a fun time when we all get together and talk about what's been happin', Bro! You know? Get your human to click on the Post Title, that'll take them to the website where you can sign up! We'll be waiting for you!!
Oh, do I have some exciting news to share with you today!  Mom and I are getting our OWN APARTMENT!!!! And it's in the best place ever! Close to shopping for Mom and lots of places for us to walk!! It's on the 5th floor, has lots of windows and a great view of Mt. Rainier -- I'm not sure what that is, but Mom is really excited about it!! And there's garden space on the roof where we can grow some of our -- well, Moms favorites. She even has an office!! And Tai Chi classes and Yoga -- yeah, I don't know about any of that kind of stuff either, but I do know she has a really big smile on her face these days!!! The best of all is that I don't have to share my space now with Stella or Mojo!! Whooppeee!!!  I do love them, but because they're so much bigger than me they really do boss me around and I get tired of that!!!

Saturday, March 19, 2011

Shadow Shot Sunday!

Get out the magnifying glass, get into your best sleuthing clothes and start prowling your environment looking for those wonderful, but sometimes elusive shadows. This fun and challenging meme is hosted each week by Tracy over at Hey Harriet! Click on the link under the blog title and sign up to play!!  It's been a hectic week, we have had a little sun, but not enough time or sun, for that matter!! I hope that these will be the last ones from the files, but we'll see how the new week goes!!

Friday, March 18, 2011

Weekend Reflections

Weekend Reflections is hosted by James each week beginning Friday at 11 AM Eastern Standard Time. It's another wonderful way of opening your eyes to new and different kinds of beauty. Click on the web address under the blog title and sign up to play with us!   Things are a little better weather wise, but I'm still having to rely on my files! BUT one day soon!!
In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous.
Aristotle

Spring is when you feel like whistling even with a shoe full of slush.
Doug Larson

Wherever you go, no matter what the weather, always bring your own sunshine.
Anthony J. D'Angelo

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Sky Watch Friday!

Time to share your skies, the beauty over your world, the clouds, the colors! Sky Watch is hosted each week by Klaus and the Sky Watch team of Klaus, Sandy, Wren and me. Join us and the many people from all over the world who share theirs with us each week! Click on the post title to be taken to the SWF website where you can sign up. Our weather has been a little warmer, but still very wet -- incredible amount for the month of March! Ah, but Spring is on its way!


Wisdom begins in wonder.
Socrates

Wrinkles should merely indicate where smiles have been.
Mark Twain



A stockbroker urged me to buy a stock that would triple its value every year. I told him, "At my age, I don't even buy green bananas.
Claude Pepper

A word to the wise ain't necessary - it's the stupid ones that need the advice.
Bill Cosby

The reason there are two senators for each state is so that one can be the designated driver.
Jay Leno


Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Evening, Wisdom and Smiles!

Life must be lived as play.
Plato
I should have made it clear when I posted these that they were forwarded to me by a friend who sends me lots of funny things and I thought that they were so cute and wanted to share them with you. I have no idea where she got them. I do a lot of photography, but haven't taken up animals -- other than Sam and Mojo, as most of you know. Please accept my apologies for not being clear about this to begin with!!
Life loves the liver of it.
Maya Angelou

In a gentle way, you can shake the world.
Mohandas Gandhi



God sleeps in the minerals, awakens in plants, walks in animals, and thinks in man.
Arthur Young





Ah, That Older Crowd!!


                              A distraught senior citizen
Phoned her doctor's office.
'Is it true,' she wanted to know,
'that the medication
You prescribed has to be taken
For the rest of my life?'
'Yes, I'm afraid so,' the doctor told her.
There was a moment of silence
Before the senior lady replied,
I'm wondering, then,
Just how serious is my condition
Because this prescription is marked
'NO REFILLS'.'

***********************
An older gentleman was
On the operating table
Awaiting surgery
And he insisted that his son,
A renowned surgeon,
Perform the operation.
As he was about to get the anesthesia,
He asked to speak to his son
'Yes, Dad, what is it? '
'Don't be nervous, son;
Do your best
And just remember,
If it doesn't go well,
If something happens to me,
Your mother
Is going to come and
Live with you and your wife....'
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ (I LOVE IT!)

Aging:
 
Eventually you will reach a point
When you stop lying about your age
And start bragging about it. This is so true. I love
to hear them say "you don't look that old."
---------------------------------

The older we get,
The fewer things
Seem worth waiting in line for.

---------------------------------


When you are dissatisfied
And would like to go back to youth,
Think of Algebra.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


You know you are getting old when
Everything either dries up or leaks.

-------------------------------


One of the many things
No one tells you about aging
Is that it is such a nice change
From being young.


Ah, being young is beautiful,
But being old is comfortable.


First you forget names,
Then you forget faces.
Then you forget to pull up your zipper.
It's worse when
You forget to pull it down.

---------------------------------

Two guys one old one young
Are pushing their carts around Wal-Mart

When they collide.

The old guy says to the young guy,
'Sorry about that. I'm looking for my wife,
And I guess I wasn't paying attention
To where I was going.
The young guy says, 'That's OK, it's a coincidence.
I'm looking for my wife, too...'
I can't find her and I'm getting a little desperate'
The old guy says, 'Well,
Maybe I can help you find her..
What does she look like?'
' The young guy says,
'Well, she is 27 yrs old, tall,
With red hair,
Blue eyes, is buxom wearing no bra,
Long legs,
And is wearing short shorts.
What does your wife look like?'
To which the first old guy says, 'Doesn't matter,
--- let's look for yours.'


The Price of Gas!!!
I went into the gas station today and
asked for five dollars worth of gas...
The clerk farted and gave me a receipt.

Kids Always Have the Answer!!!

The Sunday School teacher was describing how Lot's wife looked back and turned into a pillar of salt,
when little Jason interrupted,
'My Mommy looked back once while she was driving,' he announced
triumphantly, 'and she turned into a telephone pole!'

________________________________
GOOD SAMARITAN
 
A Sunday school teacher was telling her class the story of the
Good Samaritan. She asked the class, 'If you saw a person lying on
the roadside, all wounded and bleeding, what would you do?'

A thoughtful little girl broke the hushed silence, 'I think I'd throw up.'

________________________________
DID NOAH FISH?
 
A Sunday school teacher asked, 'Johnny, do you think Noah did
a lot of fishing when he was on the Ark ?'

'No,' replied Johnny. 'How could he, with just two worms.'

________________________________
HIGHER POWER
 

A Sunday school teacher said to her children, 'We have been
learning how powerful kings and queens were in Bible times.
But, there is a Higher Power. Can anybody tell me what it is?'

One child blurted out, 'Aces!'

________________________________
MOSES AND THE RED SEA
 
Nine-year-old Joey was asked by his mother what he had learned in Sunday School.

'Well, Mom, our teacher told us how God sent Moses behind
enemy lines on a rescue mission to lead the Israelites out of Egypt . When he got to the Red Sea,
he had his army build a pontoon bridge and all the people walked across safely.
Then he radioed headquarters for reinforcements. They sent bombers to blow up the bridge
and all the Israelites were saved.'

'Now, Joey, is that really what your teacher taught you?' his Mother asked.

'Well, no, Mom.. But, if I told it the way the teacher did, you'd never believe it!'
 


________________________________
THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD
 

A Sunday School teacher decided to have her young class
memorize one of the most quoted passages in the Bible - Psalm 23.
  
She gave the youngsters a month to learn the chapter.
 
Little Rick was excited about the task - but he just couldn't remember the Psalm.
After much practice, he could barely get past the first line.

On the day that the kids were scheduled to recite Psalm 23 in
front of the congregation, Ricky was so nervous. When it was his turn,
he stepped up to the microphone and said proudly,
'The Lord is my Shepherd, and that's all I need to know.'

________________________________
UNANSWERED PRAYER
 

The preacher's 5 year-old daughter noticed that her father
always paused and bowed his head for a moment before starting his sermon.
  
One day, she asked him why.

'Well, Honey,' he began, proud that his daughter was so
observant of his messages. 'I'm asking the Lord to help me preach a good sermon.'

'How come He doesn't answer it?' she asked.
 


________________________________
BEING THANKFUL

A Rabbi said to a precocious six-year-old boy, 'So your mother
says your prayers for you each night? That's very commendable.
 
 What does she say?'

The little boy replied, 'Thank God he's in bed!'


________________________________
UNTIMELY ANSWERED PRAYER

During the minister's prayer one Sunday, there was a loud
whistle from one of the back pews. Tommy's mother was horrified.
She pinched him into silence and, after church, asked,
'Tommy, whatever made you do such a thing?'

Tommy answered soberly, 'I asked God to teach me to whistle, and He did!'
 


________________________________
TIME TO PRAY
 

A pastor asked a little boy if he said his prayers every night.
'Yes, sir.' the boy replied.

'And, do you always say them in the morning, too?' the pastor asked..
'No sir,' the boy replied. 'I ain't scared in the daytime.'
 


________________________________
ALL MEN / ALL GIRLS
 

When my daughter, Kelli, said her bedtime prayers, she would
bless every family member, every friend, and every animal (current and past).
For several weeks, after we had finished the nightly prayer, Kelli  would say, 'And all girls.'

This soon became part of her nightly routine, to include this
closing. My curiosity got the best of me and I asked her,
'Kelli, why do you always add the part about all girls?'

Her response, 'Because everybody always finish their prayers
by saying 'All Men'!'

________________________________
  
SAY A PRAYER  
Little Johnny and his family were having Sunday dinner at his
Grandmother's house. Everyone was seated around the table as the food was being served.
 

When Little Johnny received his plate, he started eating right away.
'Johnny! Please wait until we say our prayer.' said his mother.

'I don't need to,' the boy replied. 'Of course, you do.' his mother
insisted. 'We always say a prayer before eating at our house.'
'That's at our house.' Johnny explained. 'But this is Grandma's house and she knows how to cook!'
 

What Can I Say?

What Can I Say?
I'm interested in almost everything. Use to like to travel, but it's too expensive now. I take Tai Chi classes, swim, volunteer in a Jump-start program for pre-schoolers. I'm an avid reader and like nearly everyone these days I follow politics avidly. I'm a former teacher and Special Projects Coordinator for a Telecommunications company, Assistant to the President of a Japanese silicon wafer manufacturing company. Am now enjoying retirement -- most of the time. I have two daughters, one son-in-law and two sons scattered all over the country. No grandchildren.

Portland Time