Happy B'day

Happy birthday Christina. You made it to 34! I vividly remember the day you were born. Your journey began with a 73 mile trip from Laguna to Albuquerque, NM and the waiting hands of my ob, Dr. Dennis Ready. Your father was observing your delivery and his first words upon seeing you were, "she has fingernails!" Upon arriving home two days later you were greeted by your paternal grandparents and a rather large stuffed bear, left in your crib by your brother, David. Your older brother Jeff was in the army and didn't meet you for several months. It has been a long trip from there to where you are today. Although we shared much of the same journey our views of our experiences are entirely different. May the remainder of your life here on earth fulfill your highest good. Happy celebration of your day of birth!

Just do it!

As my very opinionated deceased mother used to say "Do it or get off the pot!" She also thought that calculators were the ruination of students. She could have been right on that one as it seems kids have stopped thinking for themselves. For those followers who might be wondering what I decided to do about my computer troubles the short of a long expensive story is: Firefox is gone and Google Chrome is here to stay. I did keep Internet Explorer installed as a backup, just in case something unexpected occurs. This morning I am laughing at how long it took me to actually click that uninstall button for Firefox. At my age it is hard to detach from the familiar, even when it is causing problems. Not touching a computer until I was over 60 has caused a major flaw in my literacy. I remember my oldest son's comment that a computer is only as smart as the person using it. I may be a little slow to catch on, but I am not stupid! Are you happy now mom I just did it?!

Trying something new

I'm still walking around the internet trying to see if I should just give up on my "old" PC and check into a laptop, which I really can't afford at the moment. Today I am posting my blog using Google Chrome. It is an interesting experiment and I have no idea what the post will look like after I click publish. Perhaps the person who said you can't teach an old dog new tricks was wrong! I'm always willing to try something new and I see nothing wrong with mixing old and new together to create a fulfilling experience. It kind of reminds me of my new part time job of subbing at our local community center. Over the years I have donated many volunteer hours so it's nice to finally be appreciated for my efforts. I am not going to make a fortune, but as anyone living on social security knows, every little extra helps. Perhaps I will apply that little extra to the purchase of a laptop in the near future. Now that would really be something new in more ways than one!

Take another look

Sometimes it is necessary to eliminate all possible causes for a problem before settling on the best course of action. It is easy to put the blame on the probable cause that sticks out like a sore thumb. My current blog problem is a good example. I just assumed It was the blog site. Wrong! Out of curiosity I opened the blog with a different browser than the one I had always used and guess what? I came on just the way it is supposed to with no unwanted ads from a still mysterious source. I feel as if I should apologize to blogspot for making a wrong assumption. Checking further, I ran a malware byte scan, which came up with four viruses. So much for being told I have a secure virus program. There probably is no such thing for a 2005 PC. I still have no clue why accessing the blog site using Firefox is giving me unwanted advertising, blocking what I am trying to offer, but as the saying goes, "where there is a will there is a way". For now I will just use Internet Explorer and see what happens. So there! A friend just posted a Facebook quote by Douglas Adams that fits this situation perfectly: "I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be". Apparently when you care enough to take another look things will tend to work out.

blog problem

Notice to readers: I am having a serious problem with unwanted ads popping up and interfering with writing posts. Until I can find someone who can help me fix this problem I will be taking a vacation from further posting on this site. Hope to return soon.

Over the top confidence

August 12th was the last day of summer vacation for my grandson, Colin, and he spent it with me. That made me very happy as I don't get to see him as much as I would like to. He has a multitude of friends who seek his presence. The only word I can think of is one often used to describe John F. Kennedy. That word is charisma. His spirit/soul just can't help shinning.

Anyway, we repeated a recent experience and took a pepperoni pizza to the Riverwalk for lunch. The ducks were in full force and Colin began tossing scraps of pizza crust to them. Suddenly a little bird, probably a sparrow, swooped down amongst the ducks and claimed a rather large piece. We started laughing because he was so brave and determined. His confidence was tested when three of his fellow birds began chasing him. Colin shouted, "go little buddy" as the bird flew to a tall tree on the other side of the pond to eat his lunch.

The experience reminded me of watching my grandson participate in his elementary school races. He knows he will win before the race even starts. Being a little short doesn't bother him in the least. I smiled during a recent race when one of his class mates encouraged him with, "go little man". It was a term I had once used as a columnist to write a story about his birth journey on 9/8/01 in New York State. His due date was 9/11/01- smart kid!

When you have over the top confidence you have it made!

Tidbits to share

Slow cooker Mexican pulled pork

1 lb pork tenderloin
1 15 oz can tomato sauce or 12 oz jar salsa
1 Tbl chili powder
1 Tbl ground cumin
1 Tbl brown sugar
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp salt
3 cloves garlic minced

Place pork in slow cooker. In small bowl stir together remaining ingredients and pour over pork. Cook on low for 8 hours. When done shred the meat using two forks, pulling against the gain. Serve on toasted buns.

Mandarin orange salad

I pkg. instant vanilla pudding (use dry)
1 large can crushed pineapple (undrained)
2 medium/large cans mandarin oranges (drain)
1 8 oz tub cool whip

Mix cool whip and dry pudding together, add fruit. Refrigerate until it thickens, about to hours.

Jewelry cleaner
Cover bottom of small bowl with a piece of foil.
Heat 1 cup of water and add:
1 Tbl salt, 1 Tbl baking soda, 1 Tbl dish soap
Let jewelry sit for 5-10 minutes in mixture and rinse with cool water.

Wood furniture repair

3/4 cup oil (vegetable, Canola etc.)
1/4 cup white vinegar

Combine in jar and use a soft cloth to apply to wood. No need to wipe dry.

The end for now!





 serve on buns