Fun in the Snow

It lasted longer than usual. Now it's melting. I really wanted to take the girls sledding, but because Christine had pneumonia earlier this month, I didn't want her being outside too long. Have a good day.

Got Snow?

When I was 15 and had my permit my dad would go with me to practice my driving. My mom did very little driving with me. She was too uptight, and she criticized my every move. In the winter my dad and I would drive down to the beach and cut loose in the snow and ice. I remember doing it once with my mom in the car and she came undone. What is so scary about doing 360's in the snow? After that it was a father daughter activity. We don't get a lot of snow in Bellingham, but when we do we love it. It usually hangs around for a day or two, and it snows maybe two or three times each year. We got so much more snow (this last Sat. and Sun.) than people south of us, which is unusual. So because all of the parking lots are sheets of ice and snow it makes for perfect fun. I want to say that I am a responsible driver, and that I would never do anything that might cause my girls or anyone else any harm. So at night ( two or three times each winter) when the lots are empty (Lowe's is a good one) the girls and I go driving. I tear it up and Christine yells "faster, do it again." Ashley holds on for dear life and tells me to stop. Ashley is more like my mom in that way and Christine is more like my dad and I. I have never worried about Ashley doing the same with her car because she is the Queen of Caution, which is good. Besides, I wouldn't want her out having fun in the parking lots without me. (Kidding) One year we were at a parking lot and there was another person having fun in the snow. I told Ashley that I wasn't the only one that drove crazy in empty parking lots. The car passed us and Ashley said to me. "Mom, it's a teenage boy." See, I'm not the only one. I'm just the only one in the parking lot that's thirty something. Ahh, there has to be other grown ups that get crazy in the snow. If my dad was alive he would go with me. He trusted me completely :) Have a good day!

Posting these again so you can read them. I hope

Trying this again. Maybe this time you will be able to read it. There are 3 pictures to click on.

Eagles at the Tacoma Dome.

My love for horses

My dad started his girl riding at a young age. I love horses. The best horse I ever had was Partner. He was a quarter horse, and full of spunk. I sold him when I was 16 and I wish I hadn't. After I got my first car I didn't spend a lot of time with him. A friend of my dads bought him from me, and his kids loved him. The deal was that he couldn't sell him to anyone else, ever. He told me that Partner would have a home for the rest of his life. I sold him when he was 13 years old and he lived to be 25. That's pretty old for a horse. About Partner's personality: Most horses would not do this, ever. My mom and I were riding one day and we started galloping up this hill. I had been telling my mom for days that my cinch was starting to rip. The cinch is what keeps the saddle on the horse. It's a pretty important part of the saddle. So, I'm almost to the top of the hill and the cinch rips completely apart. I ended up on my back directly underneath him. When I opened my eyes his head was right next to mine, and he was nudging me with his snout. He had all four of his legs straddled far apart so that he wouldn't step on me. He didn't move a muscle, he just froze there. Some horses might have done the same, but I don't know of any that would do that with the back cinch cinched tight around his belly. They put a tight cinch on the bucking horses at the rodeo to make them buck. It doesn't feel very good to them. Most horses would have been out of there, and trampled you on their way. But my Partner just stood there calm as can be. He was just the best!

My grandfather's old typewriter and a little bit about my great-grandfather. I'm so glad that I've been told stories about my grandparents.

I have a post about my grandmother Josephine's old camera and some of the pictures she took with it. This Blickensderfer typewriter was handed down by the same grandparents. George and Josephine Felton.

My grandfather's typewriter. He bought it in 1933 when my dad was 15 years old. When you type, the wheel with the letters and numbers goes down and hits the ink pad right before the wheel hits the paper. I removed the ink pad and soaked it in water and it works great. It's slow but fun to use. I love the old things that have been passed down to me and I think they are super cool.

This story has nothing to do with my grandfather’s typewriter, it's about my great grandfather. My great grandfather and his two brothers were horse thieves. They were going to be hung, so they stowed away on a ship that was coming to America. They came to America, and like many others they had nothing but the clothes on their back. Yes, I think they should have been punished for their crimes, and I'm sure they knew what the consequences were. I just think that being hung is a bit harsh for stealing horses. So many interesting stories. I think it's great that they kept journals, and passed them down to the next generation.

Have a good day.

More baby pictures.

About the pictures:

My mom was sure that she was going to have a boy so she made matching pajamas for my dad and I. Well, she didn't have a boy, so she dressed her daughter in them instead. I didn't mind because back then it was all about being fed, having a dry diaper, and staying warm.

In the tub. Those cheeks? I looked like a hamster.

I'm one in these three picutures

In my rocking chair. Both of my girls used it, and now it sits in our living room with one of Christine's dolls in it.

My first birthday. October 1969. My mom made a doll cake for me. I think my mom can make just about anything. My high chair was passed down to the girls just like my chair was. I keep it in the garage. It's definitely not fancy like the ones they make today.

Have a good day!

One of the things my mom found when she was going through boxes when they moved. I don't remember keeping it, but I'm glad I did.

The Eagles vs. the Loggers

A program from the 1983 high school football playoffs at the Tacoma Dome. Soap Lake did not win, but it was still a great time. Getting as far as they did was a huge accomplishment. I had a favorite player on the Mariners (Freddy Garcia) and he is still my favorite. My favorite player on our football team in 1983 was # 62. He was just the cutest thing.

You guys have a great day.

Change is good? I'm trying so hard to see the good in the changes that are happening. Where we will be living, and what my work will be.

Moving doesn't have anything to do with my work. Some things happen that you have no control over and I've found myself out pounding the pavement in search of a job that will support us. Accounting and banking are two jobs that I've had in the past, and both are ok, but they have never been my dream jobs. To work in the health care field with patients, not in a lab or some other behind the scenes job has always been my dream. Because I've been out of accounting and banking for so long, I'm finding the wages to be a little shocking. A job, a house to live in, and the health to make those things possible are three things that I need, it's what we all need. Ok, blah, blah, blah...no more rambling, not what you guys wanted to hear about. I just have to have faith..... right. I'm doing the best that I can, and I feel good about that. You guys have a good day, and thank you to all of you that have given me some really good advice.

Visiting my mom in August. They had sold the motel and didn't have a house yet. We usually don't stay out where they work, but this time we had to.

My mom and her husband cut hay 6 months out of the year. They work from sun up to sun down almost every day. They get a few days off between cuttings so we went over to see them. For 6 months my mom and her husband stay in their camper out in the fields they cut. They get done cutting so late that it just isn't worth going home to sleep, and then get up early the next morning. They moved in April, and just two weeks ago they moved into their new house, so there was no house to go to when we were there. The fields they cut are probably 30 or so miles from Soap Lake. So what does a person do out in the hay fields all day? Jump off hay stacks, haul water (we also swim in the very shallow canal with mud and bugs) play in the dirt, watch the sun rise and set. You get the idea. We are good at roughing it, but we needed something to do. I like just hanging out, but I really needed something to do after a few days in the hay fields. Actually, after the first day I needed something to do. I would have cut hay all day if I could have. The one thing that is hard for me to go without is water for bathing. I don't care if I have to sleep in the dirt as long as I can get a few inches of it off every few days. That's where the canal came in handy. Well, I'm not sure if I was any cleaner after being in the canal. As soon as you get in it stirs up the mud from the bottom. Can you get clean in muddy water? I felt much better after a bath in the canal, so it must have helped a little. My mom really wants us to come over for Thanksgiving. We try to make it over, but some years we just can't. The pictures: Christine showing me her collection of goat heads. You don't go bare foot outside. A few years ago I brought back a huge puncture weed for my neighbors. They had never seen or heard of them. The twin swathers that they drive in a big circle all day long. Everyone have a good day and have a great Thanksgiving.

WHERE WE LIVE

I thought I was pretty good at making the big decisions in my life. I have definitely made some bad decisions in the past, and I'm hoping that this was a good one. We have lived in this house for twelve years. It's the only home Christine knows. The girls (especially Ashley) do not want to move. Two of my friends have told me that maybe it would be better if we lived closer to my mom. My mom would love that, but we love where we live. It's not that I'm so attached to the house, it's more about the location. Our house is OLD, and it has a lot of problems that are not worth fixing. We don't live in a dump, but it is old. The house has no real value. The land has the value. We have had a few close calls when it comes to the wiring starting fires. Every time it was an outlet that started sparking and smoking. Before any smoke was visible you could smell the hot wiring. The house has the old aluminum wiring which is something they quit using years ago for a good reason. I thank God that we were home every time to stop the house from catching on fire. Our house is around 1,300 sq. feet and we have six smoke alarms for that reason. I was the one that made a big decision about our house in the past. I feel like I made the right decision, and I was almost certain that we would have to move in the future when I made that decision. I have been praying about it a lot, and God knows that all I want is what's best for my girls. I have faith and God will be with us every step of the way. Have a good day

Back in Iraq

The last time I saw David I was 17 years old. He sent me some pictures just the other day. David is an old friend from high school. A few of you (Kim, Melanie, Toni) remember him from Soap Lake. He left in August. I feel bad because he was back for a year and I never went to see him. I was planning to go see him before he left. I know, bad Josie. I have no excuse. We do keep in touch through e-mail. Have a good day. A picture of where he is staying.

What are you thankful for?

One of the local bread stores in town gives a cookie (not just any cookie, it's huge) to any child that draws a picture of whatever their theme is at the time. They put it up in their store to display for a few weeks. Christine was five years old when she drew this picture. I think it's beautiful because she could have drawn a computer, toys or a t.v. She is thankful for her stuff, but a house is definitely something to be very thankful for. P.S. I really like her upstairs windows. She loves two story houses. Whenever she draws a house it always has an upstairs. Have a good day!

Ashley 9 and Christine 6 months. It's hard to believe that Christine is now the same age that Ashley was in this picture.

My girls look nothing alike, even though they are half sisters. Christine was just white when she was little. Sunscreen did nothing to protect her. I had to smear her face with zinc oxide/diaper rash cream in the Summer. She would burn within minutes with regular sunscreen. Ashley doesn't burn easily because she has always had the darker skin tone. Can you even see Christine in that white dress? I'm kidding. When she was two I started using sunscreen instead of diaper cream. No more white face and funny looks from people. Have a good day

Animals and their names.

Ashley is always asking Christine and I for names for all the baby rabbits she has. She is running out of names and I told her to start naming them 1,2,3 and the letters of the alphabet. I was four years old when my parents got me this dog. She was such a tiny little puppy. I was having a really hard time deciding what to name her. I finally had it down to three names, and I just couldn't decide, so I gave her all three. Sissy Lassie Francie. Calling her was a little more difficult, and confusing for her I'm sure. She was the sweetest dog. My sweet Sissy Lassie Francie. Have a good day! Oh, and I think I know where Christine got her very large cheeks. When she was younger people would come up to me an comment on them

Just a reminder. The power of ONE.

If you click on the one.org banner on the top right corner of my blog you can add your name/sign the Declaration. Click on sign the Declaration on the right side of the page under take action. Right now 2,412,190 people are standing as one. You could be number 2,412,191. Take ONE minute today to sign the ONE Declaration and lend them your voice in the fight against global AIDS and extreme poverty. Have a good day. Josie

Christine was one very sick girl. She is still on the road to recovery. The flu, pneumonia and five days in the hospital.

Christine woke up Tuesday (Halloween) with the flu. She had been counting down the days to go trick or treating and she was so upset that she couldn't go. The next day she had a horrible cough. That evening I was sitting by her and she was having a difficult time breathing. I told her it was time to go to the hospital. I really thought that they would write her a prescription for an antibiotic, and then send us home. I was wrong. Her oxygen level was very low, and her x-ray came back showing that her right lung was full of gunk. Dr. said he wanted her to stay overnight. She was on oxygen, taking oral antibiotics and being pumped with antibiotics through her IV. We both got to sleep at 4:00 a.m. The Dr. came in at 6:00 a.m. and told me that her breathing was not good, and that she would be in the hospital for a few days. Every two hours she was having some kind of treatment done. Respitory Dr.s had her using a nebulizer every four hours to treat her lungs with medication. Later that morning she asked me if I thought that anyone would come to see her. I told her that for sure people would be coming to see her. I just hadn't had the time to call anyone yet. When our neighbors ( we only have one neighbor) left one evening Christine said to me, "I am so popular." She got worse before she started getting better. I was so worried about her. So, after five days they said she could go home. I was ready to go home. She was never left alone at the hospital. Ashley came up a few times so I could go home and get some stuff done. I slept in her room every night. Christine has never stayed overnight in a hospital since her birth. We have been to the emergency room a few times, but we always went home the same night. Her treatments will continue at home until she is 100%. Everyone have a good day. The picture of her with her stuffed animals was taken the day she got to go home. Monday the 6th.