OPTIMISM

 My previous subject was intended to be followed by my next posting: Optimism.  To me, this is the flip side of Procrastination.   There are so many things to be missed by putting things off.  When I
have done that, I miss out on my favorite activities.  Most things in my community start early, so I have learned that I must get myself on an earlier schedule.  instead of being lazy, and sleeping in until 9AM,

By then, everything has already started.  It is a bit late to begin my household chores, because in the summer,  it gets too hot to work outside by 11AM.   I have decided to begin golfing, which is also an early morning activity.  Most people I know that golf are on the course by 8AM, getting up long before 9AM.

Another thing I want to do is learn to fly an airplane.  I have taken a few lessons, but decided to wait until we got over here in Eastern Washington.  No trees or other planes at Paine Field, where we used to live by, to worry about.  So, I have lots of things I want to do,

We live in a retirement community called Desert Aire, and when we first arrived, my only desire was to jump in the Columbia River,  in front of our home.  And I have done that, and have been content to do this for several hours per day.  The  hotter the temperature, the better!  I still do it, but as I have met some lovely friends, I want to do other things, also.  I am still young, and have many years ahead to accomplish more dreams, like flying.  I may leave golf for after flying. lessons.  So, there is a lot more to do here than play in the water!

                                         Me, playing in the water

                                           Playing in pool

                                        on deck at Desert Aire.

PROCRASTINATION

My blog is titled Thoughts for the Day.  Meaning that it is not done everyday, however, once a month is a little longer than I had started out thinking.  I certainly have a thought provoking spark come into my brain everyday, but some days, I just sit in my chair and stare.   Or read, but not think.

I think it started when I was working.  I was either teaching, or flower designing,  which required a lot of thought and creativity,  so when I retired, my brain did too.
After I begin to forget what I was going to get when I got there, I decided I had better begin to stoke up my brain a little.  After all, I have a new baby granddaughter to give wisdom to, besides my other wonderful 2.  I am so amazed that they are so bright and beautiful.  And I never thought we'd have a third baby girl (neither did Son James, probably)

                                         Me, Willard the cat, and my beloved flowers

                                         Grandson Parker, Granddaughter Cailin, and boyfriendl

.                                        Baby Ara Mae

I don't know how fortunate I am to have such beautiful grandchildren, but I do.  And they are such nice kids.

I also have a nice home my husband John and I chose, in our retirement resort of Desert Aire.  So I guess I tend to get reticent about doing anything, and begin not to notice the glorious life I have.   My days of sitting and staring are just my days of procrastination.  I know that now that I am retired, I don't have to do a smidge, but now

days. I do not feel that I should waste my days, any of them. @ Desert Aire with my family.

The Days of Wine and Restaurants

RESTAURANTS:

I remember when we were growing up in Bellingham, WA, we only had one restaurant -- the Royal Cafe.  And fancy dining was at the BellinghamYacht Club (for yachtsmen), Elk's Club (Elks) & the Bellingham Country Club (for golfers) by fancy people.  Then, suddenly, as women began working "outside the home" a few more restaurants cropped up, like The Black Angus, then Herfy's and then MacDonald's.  (My Baby Jimmy loved the Herfy's Wacky Burger Box), until I would eat a french fry from it!

Then, in the '80s, it became the decade of the Restaurants.  More and more eateries cropped up --Mexican, Italian, Asian food from many countries, etc.  Everyone began enjoying sampling many different foods, and fast foods and slow, elegant dining.

WINE:

Soon, many men & women, whom were newly single, began to sample wine, and so the light went on in entrepreneurs to start some wineries in Washington, because wine consumption was increasing here.  And we were in the same latitude and climate in France.  BINGO!  People began to sample wines from the fancy Winery Mansions in droves.  Wineries cropped up all over the state, and so did wine tasting.  To keep their places open, wineries began to sell multiple wine tools like openers, stoppers , wine corks and different paraphernalia for their participants to use as a symbol of their sophistication of this lovely beverage.  And a New Era

Although California had wineries in the '60s and earlier, we, in our state, had just begun.  I didn't even like it, and begun to search for trinkets for my wine drinking friends, who were considered quite sophisticated.  Soon, wine glasses were decorated according to personalities.  There were wine stoppers, fancy decanters, and total wine drinking restaurants.

VOILA!  Our wineries!

WINE ERA!                           Chris, from L'Ecole No. 41 Winery

FACEBOOK

What a concept!  It even replaced Email as a way of communicating so amazing that I have been  reacquainted with many old friends as well as new.  Of course, with something like this, there
is bound to be problems.
  Now, after being inundated with massive amounts of  SPAM all over
all of my writings, and photos meant for friends and family, it is hard to sift through everything
to find new messages, and not knowing if they are for me, or for everyone on your lists.  I will be writing away and BLING!  see Sally Field's claim that she is no longer acting. and then her mug displaying before and after views of having miraculous changes by using only someone's miracle cream.  Suddenly, she has many jobs, and her wrinkles and jowls have disappeared.

I wonder if these stars are even aware of their image plastered in facebook ads.  Many pop up with wigs of many colors.  I really want a blonde one like Jane Fonda's.  It would really show you how you would look with hair of many hues.  Humm.

And the games like BINGO and one that you have to search for images hidden in pictures.  I was happily playing one when, suddenly you are locked out until someone asks for you, or you pay some amount .  I refuse to pay like $1.00 a line, or something.  If it's free, I'll do it!  At that rate, I would spend $100 dollars a day on games.  Some people do spend money on online games.
I suppose it is no different than going to a Casino.  You really spend all day on facebook, unless you are playing with your Cell phone., or writing on you Blog.  I am starting on my 3rd hour on my computer, and I will stop now until I figure out how to put  Facebook pictures on my blog, or blog pictures on facebook

Crow vs blackbird

Crow Vs. Blackbird
We were driving  along the road in Desert Aire, and I saw a black bird, that didn't look as obnoxious as a crow.  I didn't see much difference in these birds when I lived on the Northwest Coast.  In fact,

I found their Cawing very annoying.  Of course, the beautiful blue Stellar Jay squaks also.  They all are like gorgeous people with terrible voices.  

When we moved to our wonderful home in Desert Aire, on the Colombia River, I began to notoce birds with red on their wings, blue birds that were crow-like, and Black Birds, daintier than crows, or Ravens, so I looked them up in my bird book, and found that there were many kinds of "crows" and some of them were quite pretty.  You. whom do not live in this area, don't know that we can see many more creatures, because of lack of luscious cedar anCCd fir trees, and greenery.  So I was quite in awe of the markings on black and blue birds.  Even the "not so attractive" blackbirds have yellow beaks , or blue ones.   I became quite interested in them.

While in a Waiting Room in a Doctors office, (where seniors spend a lot of their time, as their bodies become in need of the medications that they  can't afford), I came upon an Audubon magazine about, guess what!  "Crows' Feats".  I know that our Good Lord does bring these amazing creatures to my attention, because I thought they were so ugly and annoying.
When I began to become more of a bird watcher, I saw beautiful blackbirds with bright red markings.  I found out, after studying my Sibley Bird book, that it was a kind of crow!

The members of the Crow family, known as the Corvids, are known as some of the most intelligent birds in the world.  This is scary, but the are known to use tools, playing tricks on each other,

and even bury their dead.  And blackbirds are darker shades of blue, and when the light hits them juat

 right, their yellow beaks and slight color changes are amazing. . The amazing behavior of Corvids has fascinated scientists for a  great group of birThe Hyds to study,  There are plenty of them, and their brains are large compared to the rest of their bodies,  The Hippocampus of aPinyon Jay, or a nutcracker gives them amazing memories.--Crows and Ravens large areas in their brains make them closer to primates in their abilities to analyse problems and come to solutions for a variety ot things., and higher levels of sensory processing and sensory behaviors. 

An experiment marked a Raven, gave it information , and it remembered it 10 years later.  I could go on, but I am afraid of quoting the Audubon Information on crows and hawks Feats.  If only they had singing lessons for them.  Their voices are so annoying, even the Stellar Jay!

Celebrate the Small Things: Holidays (a little late!)

Holidays for our family was a busy time for us.  As divorced grandparents, we are a "modern family", our children are all we care about, and we are madly going from family to family to celebrate with everyone!

I am posting this for those of us Boomers who do have complicated lives.  And those in my age group are the first of them.  I am on the "fence" of the "old and the new" lifestyles.  I still believe in Family, and adore my "merged" family.  My only child is divorced, so this requires 2 more "Families" to visit.  My grandchildren's mother will always be my Daughter-in-Law.  My new Daughter-in Law to be is also loved.  Due to their culture, she will soon give birth to my new granddaughter.  I love my 2 grandchildren now so much, that I don't know how my heart can hold another.

But that is what I LOVE about my heart.  It grows and grows bigger with LOVE.  I can't wait for Ara to be born.  I will hold her, and love her and as she grows, she will be amazing, like Cailin and Parker.

Son Jeff, Daughter-in-Law Susan & Papa John

. Son James and Marussa.

.Our Pets L. Willard, R. Lily

.Grand-daughter Cailin

.Daughter-in law Bev, Parker, & Cailin