Dear Thursday, Move out of the freak’n way. Sincerely, Friday.

Arab world in turmoil, Renteria leaves the SF. Giants, earthquake destroys New Zealand...and Justin Beiber cuts his hair. Will tomorrow's headline be Justin Beiber uses 2-ply Toilet Paper? But now on to the good news: Only 21 more days until the S.F. Giants Opening Season. I can't wait, seeing how I now have High Definition and I'm confident that I will enjoy watching the games even more.

Baseball is the only place in life where a sacrifice is really appreciated. It's not just a game ~ as simple as a ball and a bat. It’s complex ...it's a sport, it's a business - and to some people, like my son, it's  religion. Sure Baseball is only a game. True Fact. And the Grand Canyon is only a hole in Arizona.

Life is like Baseball. It will always throw you curves, you just have to keep fouling them off. The right pitch will come, and when it does, be prepared to run the bases.

Unlike Football (and I really have to admit, I don't see the thrill in watching football, sorry) you can't just sit on a lead and run a few plays into the line and just kill the clock. You've got to throw the ball over the goddamn plate and give the other opposite team player his chance. That's why baseball is the greatest game of them all. It just ain't like football. You can't make up no trick plays.

Every hitter likes fastballs, just like everybody likes chocolate. But I’ll bet you wouldn’t like it when someone's stuffing it into you candy bar after candy bar. I’ll bet that’s what it feels like when Tim Lincecum throws balls by you. Lincecum’s fastball is so fast, I’m surprised some batters don’t start to swing as he is on his way to the mound. Something about this 2010 season made me a true fan of Lincecum's. Not sure if it was my affinity to him being a Washingtonian like myself or just that watching him pitch had me in awe. Sure, his nickname is 'The Freak', he has long hair, he wears T-shirts with no sleeves and wears his baseball cap backwards. So what?  I also really liked  Buster Posey. Watching him work his Catching 'magic' was inspiring. I always pay close attention to the 'Catchers'.  For personal reasons, they are my favorite players in the world of baseball. I see them as the 'Captain' or the 'Leader' of the team. The Catcher is by far in the best position possible. He can direct. He can lead. He has to have a true understanding of the game itself, all the strategies. He can't stop thinking, not for a minute. Always on his toes.  He's the one who will suffer the most physical abuse in baseball. He has to catch those balls, he has to block those balls, he's always directly in the path of that ball, using his mitt or his body.  He has to prevent that stolen base. He has to mentally evaluate that umpire behind him, learn what this fella is gonna call...he has to be able to react and respond immediately. And not in a position that's easy to be in, that's for sure, squatting behind home plate. His role is team leader. He's a coach for the infield. The Coach for his team. He's like a General in the Army, leading his troops. I have nothing but admiration for the man who puts that face mask on.   For a Catcher, the practices are never too long, the sun is never too hot, the pain is never too much to bear - it is a passion.

My personal opinion is that Edgar Renteria is such a great hitter that he probably gets intentional walks in batting practice. I'm no expert on 'hitters' and I could very well be wrong but WTH?  Did we really lose him to Cincinnati? As a free agent? The guy who hit the three-run home run? The MVP in the 2010 World Series? First off I thought he was talking about retirement. Now he’s with the RedSox?  Ok, I’m confused. I'm sure my son will explain it to me.  One time I told him "Baseball wrong - man with four balls cannot walk." He explained that to me. (Ok, just kidding)

My son spent a good portion of his life gripping a baseball, and in the end it turns out that it was the other way around all the time. Baseball had a grip on him. Still does. Always will. I now wonder about how he diapered his first child, Shadwic. I think this may have been how he did it. He would spread the diaper in the position of the diamond with himself at bat. Then he would fold second base down to home and set Shadwic on the pitcher's mound. Then he would put first base and third base together, then he would bring up home plate and fasten the three together. Of course, in case of rain, he would have to ‘call the game’ and start all over again. And now....Shad is the next generation to get the 'love of baseball'........

You just can't deny the smile on this face. I've seen that smile before. On his father's face! I couldn't be a happier 'Nana' ~ my grandaughter Kaihla loves her gymnastics and my grandson Shad loves his baseball.

 

Ok....I can't have my blog without my facebook slamming. Sorry folks, but it just makes me feel better. Bear with me.

Heard the geese start to return this morning. I just hope they don’t go overboard on Facebook with pictures from their vacation.
BREAKING NEWS: Facebook is down. Worker productivity rises. U.S. climbs out of recession.

See that was short - the facebook slamming I mean. I’ve made fun of Facebook so much, I think I should thank it for all the good times I’ve had!

Now on to my usual thoughts...you know, give you something to think about:

Is it true that the Seahawks  Stadium banned Apple iPad after players confessed to buying performance enhancing apps?
Do mountain climbers rope themselves together to prevent the sensible ones from going home?
Do you ever wonder if the people who think the world will end in 2012 just laugh uncontrollably when they purchase something with no payments until 2013? (Don't worry about the world coming to an end today. Think about it. It is already tomorrow in Australia.)
Are any of you worried about your home’s security? Here’s a thought. Put six locks on your door, all in a row. When you go out, lock every other one. It’s reasonable to say that no matter how long somebody stands there picking the locks, they are always locking three.

My final words:
Prove that lightning isn't my Finnish wizards fighting. You can't.

Got things to do now. My Welsh grandmother started walking five miles a day when she was sixty. She's ninety-seven now, and we don't know where the hell she is. Might be time to go looking for her.

Remember this ~ Be tender to the young, compassionate to the aged, tolerant with the weak. For in your lifetime you will be all of these. And.......Always, ALWAYS be kind to animals!　

     

Just another Monday

I'd like to say don’t worry about Monday morning. Focus on now. Not the alarm, the struggle to get out of bed & the mind-numbing, soul-destroying day ahead. Monday is the root of all evil. It’s been freak’n Monday all week. Not sure exactly why I despise Monday’s but I do. It’s not like I have to get up and go to work. Those days are over. Maybe it’s because it’s the day I have to haul garbage cans to the street. Not an easy task in the snow. Today the sun is out. There’s actually a technical meteorological term for a nice sunny day which follows two rainy days. It’s called a ‘Monday.’ My snow may be melting away as I write this, but now my entire back property is flooded. So if any of you are wondering what happens to the 'white' of the snow when it melts, well.....it's all right here in my flooded yard.

I had a great week-end though. Had a visitor from Washington State. A woman I met last year when I was in Washington for my brother's memorial. We immediately 'clicked' when we met. Not sure if it was because she had lost her husband a few days before I had lost my brother, or if it was because...well...because we are both 'crazy' women. Probably because she is Norwegian and I'm Finn. Yep, the 'Nordic' thing. Usually I don't really trust people who like me the second we meet. I'm an acquired taste.

(Sean, does she or does she not have a striking resemblance to Michele K. ? )

My dog Finn absolutely loved her black lab Tucker. Actually all my dogs loved Tucker, even Kesä. I was afraid that Tucker might see Kesä as a chew toy, but it all went really well. When it came to 'toys' I think Tucker had every one of the dog toys out. He was just an all-around enjoyable dog, full of personality. Even Shadow-Man liked him, and Shadow-Man doesn't particulary care for any 'outsider' dogs.

Easter is coming soon. I never have plans for Easter. I'm not a religious person. But I do have one question. How long do I have to sit on these Cadbury Eggs before the Peeps hatch?

My Monday Observations:

Each and every time I see a mattress on top of a vehicle I think it’s a prostitute making house calls.
　
Don't waste your money on expensive ipods. Simply think of your favorite song and hum it. If you want to 'switch tracks', think of another song you like and hum that instead.

And next, my slamming of facebook:

Nothing in this world is free and you pay by signing away your privacy when you sign up for facebook.  You have allowed yourself to become a digital lab rat whose behavior is closely monitored in a ‘controlled' environment. Think 'Big Brother',  I kid you not.
　
The most impressive thing about marathon runners is how they don’t check their facebook for 3+ hours.

Ok, short Blog. I just wanted to inform you all that due to our crappy economy, the rising cost of electricity, gas and damn near everything else, that the light at the end of the tunnel has been turned off. Be safe out there.

Vickie's Monday Madness

I heard that Muhammad Hosni Sayyid Mubarak has changed his Egypt dictatorship facebook status to 'It’s complicated'. Mubarak resigned as president and he and his family left the presidential palace in Cairo. This of course sparked cheers, horn honking, fireworks, flag-waving, and celebrations from protesters around Egypt. Imagine - the people of Egypt stood up and won . Or did they? Wonder what would happen if America stood up for once? That celebration in Egypt would look like a child’s birthday party compared to the celebration in the streets of the United States if Obama announced he was resigning effective immediately. It's simple people. In America we have an opportunity to overthrow our Government every two years in Congress and every four years in the Executive branch. We just saw a serious overthrow back in November. Actually, a HISTORIC overthrow.   But ~ Egypt ~ this worries me. Egyptians think they will be getting some democracy? Muslim democracy is voting on whether to behead or to stone. This ‘peaceful revolution’ will be an islamic terrorist state within 12 months. Just watch. Egypt, the new and improved Iran and Taliban. Whatever emerges from this burned out "stonepile" that is now downtown Cairo, will not be pro-American nor, friendly towards Israel. Egypt is an 97% muslim country. Mubarack and Barack Obama. Hmmmm....seeing some similarities here. I take back my previous offer to be the new Egyptian President. I don’t need that summer vacation afterall. I’m a woman. I could be stoned to death for being just that - a woman. And I’m not talking ‘drugs’ here, I’m talking ‘boulders’. OMG, what am I doing? I’m discussing politics. I must be brain dead from all the snow. I hate politics.   

America. A country that produces citizens who will cross an ocean to fight for democracy but won’t cross a street to vote. But then again if voting actually made any difference they wouldn’t let us do it. Think about this. Americans choose from just two people to run for President yet choose from 50 for Miss America. Why the hell isn’t that reversed? When it comes to electing a President we are forced to choosing between the lesser of the two evils.

On to other world stuff, I want to hang a map of the world in my house. Then I want to put push pins in all the locations that I’ve traveled to. But first, I have to travel to the very top two corners of the map. Why you ask? - so it won’t fall down. Ok, forget it. The Arctic Ocean just doesn’t cut it for me, and I’m already very familiar with the Pacific Ocean. And now that I think about it, all the stupid pins are going to be on the left side of the world map, specifically Alaska, Canada, and the Western States. I really need to get out more.

Are you watching too much TV and not enough reading? Turn your subtitles on.  It will make you feel less guilty. Works for me. Kill two birds with one stone. 

Childhood? A long time ago. What I learned from my childhood: The sole purpose of a child’s middle name, is so they can tell when they are really in trouble. For me, the same was true if I heard my first name, because I was called Sis throughout my life. Either/Or. Imagine my fear hearing both at once - Vickie Ann ! Still gives me shivers. Speaking of childhood, at the end of my life, I firmly believe I should get a time rebate for however much time I spent learning cursive. Does anyone actually write in cursive anymore?

I love it when people drunk call me at 2 AM. Not. "Hey, are you asleep?" "No, I'm skydiving.” WTH. Sometimes I think people should have to take a breathalyzer test before they reach for the phone. Don’t call me at night, after 10 pm unless it’s a freak’n emergency! Don’t text me late at night either. Many things can be preserved in alcohol. DIGNITY is not one of them. I think a simple "Yes" is a perfectly legitimate response when asked how many drinks you've consumed.

It really sucks when your kids are all grown up and have families of their own. I want kids. I have chores to assign. 

It’s near that time again - tax time.  This will be my first year I won’t be using my Tax Attorney. Which brings this question. On TV, or in a movie, whenever someone gets audited, they have a box with all of their receipts. Who has a box? I don’t have a box. Should I have a box? Here’s my tax advice for you all. The quickest way to double your money is to fold it in half and put it back in your pocket. Seriously. That's advice you can actually take to the bank. I want you all to take my advice: I'm clearly not using it.

I’m hoping I'll never reach the age where I'm old enough to know better. Wait....I am old enough to know better but ~ still young enough to know I can get away with it anyway. Gotta strike that one. I’m hoping I'll never reach the age where I'm old enough to know better.    The ability to strike something out is almost as pleasurable as deleting friends from facebook.

　
Remember ‘Facebookers‘, there’s a thin line between ‘I should do a status update about that’ and ‘I should talk to a therapist about that.’ (nope, I will not stop slamming facebook - see below statement of Deal with it)

Dear Family & Friends ~  There were probably many times when I may have disturbed you, troubled you, pestered you, irritated you, bugged you, or just got on your nerves. So today I just want to tell you.... Deal with it! There are NO CHANGES planned now or in the near future.

If any of you ever need any moral support, I would like to offer moral support, but I have questionable morals. But seriously, I'm here for you. 

And it continues.....the snow!

Before doing my 'snow chores' today I decided to take a walk. Just a couple blocks or so. While at a stop sign a Prius tried to race me. I totally had it  for the first 100 feet or so, but I can only walk so fast in this damn snow.
Definitely feeling the 'kindred spirit' of my Finnish roots. My father's family traveled from Finland to the Squak and Snoqualmie valleys of Washington State to put their roots near the lakes and big trees of Issaquah, nestled in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains. This particular part of Washington State, Issaquah,  was similar to the Jarvinen's native land of Finland - deep woods, sometimes bitter cold. I left Washington State (for reasons better left unsaid) and settled in a very nice little region, Sonoma County. Where I lived in Sebastopol did not give me the feeling of being in the woods, unless you can call eucalyptus groves the woods ~ but I certainly had that 'country' feeling. Second best as far as I'm concerned. For some reason that didn't make me happy enough to stay there and I kept heading north. Then Northeast. Then northwest. I've been back in the deep woods for 11 years now. Now, you can't be a Finn and not enjoy the snow. It's in our blood. I'm just getting too old for this Sh** ! Feeling like I have definitely passed my “Best If Used By” date. But I keep 'plowing through' ~ so to speak. I'm actually thanking my Finnish ancestors for giving me the 'Sisu' to manage a smile on my face every time I have to grab the snow shovel. It's work, but the beauty of it all makes it worthwhile.

Kesä came in this morning showing me that she can make her own snowballs now. I was pretty impressed.

Skye-Pilot enjoys the snow by sitting on what I call  "Mt. Siberian". She will sit there for hours. Every year I have "Mt. Siberian" in the same spot. Sometimes she shares, sometimes she doesn't.  It's her 'happy spot'.

The dogs have made their own pathway from the front of the house to 'Fort Bear'. Not sure why that is their chosen spot to visit but it is.

When I lived at the 4500 foot elevation the snow was so deep that I had to shovel little 'cul-de-sacs' for my dogs, in order for them to even get around.  I'm glad living down at the lower 3500 foot elevation enables them to be more independent and do it themselves. I've just got too much to do on my own as it is. Kesä is the only one that has trouble getting around. She's just too small. Poor little girl. I'm constantly trying to locate her. Usually if I can see Finn, then I can see Kesä's ears and I know she's OK. They stick pretty close together. Must be the 'canine buddy system'.

Today, even though I had plenty of snow and it snowed periodically throughout the day, when the sun came out it was play time for the dogs and I. The winter's here where I live are pretty 'magical'. We actually have some blue skies. Blue skies and sun is just a given invitation to take a break and play!

Finn is just such a lovable dog ~ we always have sooooo much fun ~ especially in the snow!

I'm glad I have my snow buddies. These two, Finn and Kesä love the snow. They'd be out there all day and all night if I let them.

Skye-Pilot is always off and about investigating this or that, keeping an eye out for the squirrels, etc. ~ just doing her 'Husky' thing. Shadow-Man on the other hand is showing his age, 12, and it's a bit difficult for him to get around in the deep snow with his arthritis.

Once again, here is a photo for my daughter-in-law Tammi, my snow-worshiper (only because she does NOT live in it). She likes seeing the snow out the window. Of course with this storm headed her way  and the weather reports say there's a possibility of snow at the sea-level, keep in mind that she (Tammi) is at the 118 foot elevation. And Laura too, she is at the 82 foot elevation! Better get your snow boots out. Just this morning I was emailing back and forth to my friend in Missouri, Valrie, and we both decided it would be totally awesome to be sitting in a beach chair at the ocean watching snowflakes fall. Trippppppyyyyyy! Just for reference, San Francisco hasn't had any real snow since 1976. Only 3 times in the last 100 years. Bet they are freak'n out about now huh?

The snow in the back property is considerably deeper than the front property. It's still pretty much untouched. At this point I am beginning to get a little concerned about that back gate. I don't use it, but I'm hoping Skye-Pilot doesn't go out there and see that she could very easily get over it if she put her mind to it. I've never had this much snow at any given time here. Where I lived before, she walked right on top of the snow and jumped over my five foot high fence. 

After a hard day of playing in the snow and watching me snow-blow and shovel, this is how I found my dogs......................... such a hard life they live, don't you think?

                           Yes, I do allow my dogs on my furniture. They are family, after all.  

And now ~ yet another photo for Tammi. See what a great job my son did in putting my two man log saw up? Awesome, huh?

Now, being the smart woman I am, and knowing I would be out in the snow all day today, I planned ahead because I knew I'd be tired and hungry, so now it's time for me to go enjoy my wood stove cooked 7 -bone roast and red taters. Don't be upset Laura ~ I know how you love those 7-bone roasts, but I can't wait for you to come visit again before I get to enjoy one again. You snooze - you lose.

Remember this ~ Vickie is to be taken three times a day,  with water.  

Everyone is somebody else’s weirdo. I’m yours.  As usual, I leave you with these thoughts:

Evolution is just nature’s way of issuing upgrades.

Always sow your wild oats on Saturday night…then pray for crop failure on Sunday.

Don’t ya hate it when you look in the mirror and see an adult?

The best thing about telepathy is.............................I know, right?

If you  got a used UPS truck you might hate the color.... and the uniform. But you can park it anywhere.

Vickie, (yes, me) had her left side removed. I'm all right now.

 Before I go, this is for YOU, Savana. I can't do a blog without slamming facebook. I know you have a sense of humor:

Savana, search your facebook for people named Hontas. It would be so cool to poke a Hontas. ROFLMfinnishAO! If I was still on facebook, I would change my status to: “Seeking rich old men with bad hearts and no relatives” and then just sit back and cross my fingers.

Remember, life is unfair. So many rules,  so little time to break them.... but I'm tired now and want to eat my dinner. So this is the end of my blog. Hey! You think I can't hear you all clapping and sighing that big sigh of relief? Knock it off.  After dinner,  I’ve narrowed it down ~  I’m either gonna start a motorcycle gang or take a nap. You IN Doug?

Dear Winter, I think we should spend some time apart... I'm gonna try to work things out with my ex, Summer...

Here I am again. Do I live in California or do I live in friggin' Alaska? It's mornings like this that I want to pretend it's summer and say "it’s so hot today that I’m sweating like a cat at a Chinese restaurant", or "it's so beautiful out today that I'm walking on sunshine", or "it's so hot the jalapenos in my garden are all standing over in the shade". Maybe even "My P.J.’s are awesome. I'd like to thank them for taking themselves off in the middle of the night when it's too hot, without even waking me up. Job well done P.J.’s"........but this morning's blog post is brought to you by the letters W T F.

Living in Northeastern California I feel like I'm diagonally parked in a parallel universe....but after all these years, eleven years of living in the mountains at the 4500 and 3500 foot elevations I think I’m getting the hang of this ~ expect the unexpected. Expect to get more snow in California than I ever did in the State of Washington. Is this when I should be saying "I just wanted to tell you, Dear State of Washington, that I love you and I want to come back, I will not let California take me away from you?" It's times like this that I wish to get a grip on reality..and choke it to death. Stupid mistakes are made by others. I only make unavoidable errors. I'm here in the State of California and I have to deal with it. Like it or not.

So, I want you to imagine that I have a big smile on my face. Also, for the hell of it, try to figure out why. Am I looking reality straight in the eye and denying it......am I attempting to give a damn.....(I think I may be skeptical. But I doubt it). Who knows. But I am here to say "please don't follow in my footsteps because sometimes I walk into walls, or snow banks...."

It's so simple to be wise. Just think of something stupid to say and then don't say it. I never follow that rule. Stick with me folks, if you're looking for trouble, I can offer you a wide selection. I hate it when people use the term "FOLKS". Are we on Green Acres? See, there you have it - the snow has 'affected' me. Send help!

A sauvignon with a perfume of piña coladas, an overly sweet riesling and a chardonnay so 'oaky' it tastes as if it had been aged in a box of No. 2 pencils. What? It’s too early for some wine-tasting?

This was last night ...the 'beginning'.....

This photo is for my son, my true-blue Finnish sauna worshiper - here's your sauna shower and plenty of snow to roll in.....

Now, this is impressive to say the least. Switching over from Dish Network to DirecTV....and the dish where I cannot even remove the snow from it...I have not lost my satellite signal!

And for you Tammi - I know how you love to look out a window and see freshly fallen snow...

If anything else, my dog's love the snow! This is Finn doing a 'take-down' of poor little Kesä not even 10 feet after leaving the front door. They hit the snow it's immediate 'play' time! You can't even see her in the snow!

Skye-Pilot is of course more intent on just viewing the beauty of it all. I'm sure later on today after I make giant mounds of snow with the snow-blower, she will be making a cave. That's her Siberian Husky nature...she goes back to her 'roots'.

Alan, please send me some of your Florida 'sunshine'. Laura, bring all 6 of your dogs up, we'll hook them up to a sled and have a hella fun time. Missouri, now's the time to come visit. Fort Bear is awaiting. Doug, do NOT let this discourage you from returning back to California. Sean and Tammi, this would have been the holiday week-end to bring Jamie up!
Nature is my solitude ~ Nature is my solitude~Nature is my solitude ~Nature is my solitude ~(just reminding myself )
Nature is my solitude ~ Nature is my solitude ~

What? A blog without my usual crazy odd thoughts? No way dudes......here's the thoughts that popped into my mind this morning ~

Why is there a show called "When animals attack"? It should be called "When stupid people go near dangerous animals." Common sense people, common sense.

I'm wondering what would happen if I walked through Sea World with a fishing pole?

I'm  wondering if I am the only one who hasn't had sex with Tiger?

I am so happy that McDonald's doesn't sell hot dogs. I just don't think I could order a "McWeiner" with a straight face!

I'm sick of following my dreams. I'm just going to ask them where they're goin' and hook up with them later.

Yes, California is GREAT. It's the only State where Starbucks has been officially changed to 'Tenbucks', where your taxes are double your salary (which reminds me, I have to take my pension to the bank, it's too little to go by itself). 

My neighbor to the east  is exceptionally dedicated. You should see how far he’ll go to annoy me. Right now he is snow-blowing his damn snow over the fence onto my property. Ut-oh, I just  forgot to use my other four fingers when waving at him.  It's not that I'm immature, it's just that HE started it. Should I walk away? Maybe go ride the  ponies outside Wal-Mart? ( . .I need quarters ) No, I see a snow-blower war coming on. Now that I think about it.....some people rake leaves, others blow them. I prefer the flamethrower, its fun for my entire neighborhood. Is that why he doesn't like me? Talk about holding a grudge.....

You know you're from California when you say "like" and "for sure" and "right on" and "dude" and "totally" and "peace out" and "chill" and "tight" and "bro" and "hella"  and "stoked" and "fo sho."  So, Dudes, it's time for me to say 'peace out', I'm 'stoked' that I am about to enter into a snow-blower war. It's 'like' 'fo-sho' gonna help me 'chill-out'...'right-on' I'm gonna 'totally' blow my neighbor's mind. He's gonna just go back in his house and 'chill' if'n he knows what's good for him.  'Fo sho'. 'Peace out'.
Hey! Please send bail money........................
Thanks!

Thursday Madness

Growing up on Disney movies has left me so disillusioned about the small woodland creatures in my forest and their willingness to help me with any chores around here. I merely asked this little guy if he would help me shovel some snow this morning.  You can see from his reaction what his answer was. By the looks of his fat a** I think he could use a little exercise!

Since it is snowing today I am already planning my summer vacation. Egypt needs a new President. I need a summer vacation. This could be perfect. I'm just hoping that their government works like ours, since I don't have a certificate of birth from Egypt. My first Presidential policy would be to make my Presidential home in one of the pyramids. Maybe the one in Giza, outside of Cairo. Yes, I think this would work out rather nicely. You are all welcomed to come visit me. If you don't mind sleeping in a tomb. I'm not sure how good of a President I would be, after all I did have a fight with my shoelaces this morning and it ended in a tie. But I will give it a shot.

Slamming 'Facebook' now ~  If you are going to be offended, stop reading now. If I was to ever join Facebook again, which I have no intentions of ever doing, I would make my Facebook account with the name of 'Nobody' so when I saw the stupid crap people post, I could 'Like' it. And then it would say 'Nobody likes this.'  Facebook: For when the illusion of having friends is all you really need. I recently read that Facebook has reached 500 million users. Congrats to everyone who helped create history’s largest stalker.  All the constant status updates! I guess I just did not care what people were doing every hour on the hour. There should be some kind of update limit. Is it a rule that you must disclose when you go to the gym? And everyone is always going to Vegas. I’m at the gym. I’m in Vegas. I’m at the gym. I’m in Vegas. I’m at the gym in Vegas & I’m having waffles. I'll tell you if its any good in another update 5 mins from now. OMG, how I do not miss the proverbial nonsense of Facebook. Yet, there are so many out there that can't live without it. First thing they check in the morning. They check it at work. They check it throughout the night. You make one comment on one photo/status/wall post and you subsequently get 50 notifications telling you that other people have also commented. It is so obvious that people will tire of how fake most people are, posing that their lives are so great, when we all know full well, each of us can probably count our true 'die-hard' friends on the fingers of ONE hand, the real friends that would be there for us if we got in a jam. If Facebook was no longer available there would be Facebook users literally roaming the streets in tears, shoving photos of themselves in people’s faces and screaming ‘DO YOU LIKE THIS? DO YOU??’ Ok, I feel better now. Sorry Facebook fans, I just need to get it out of my system every once in awhile.

I'm just in one of those moods today I guess. I blame it on the snow.  Now I want to slam Lady Gaga. She was at the VMA's covered with meat. At the Grammys dressed as an egg. Two more red carpet events and Lady Gaga will be a Denny's Grand Slam. Should I even mention the flesh-colored latex condom-inspired outfit she wore on some talk show, topped off  with a ridiculous hat that looked like she was one of the Three Musketeers? What the hell is up with this woman? 

Getting back to the snow ~ It's just nature's way of saying, 'Up yours.' Gotta love Mother Nature.  I feel a special kinship with Mother Nature. She reminds me of myself.  She is one hell of an independent woman, does whatever she wants.  The snow doesn't give a soft white damn whom or what it touches. It just keeps coming. Where I live you have two choices: shovel or make snow bears. But I won't complain, after all there's a lot of good things about snow, it makes your property look as nice as your neighbor's, the dogs play in it for hours, and it makes everything outside look magical. And here I was talking to a friend the other day saying "We sure have had a mild winter huh"? Once again, I should have kept my thoughts to myself. I love the snow, mind you, but as I look out the window now it is really piling up. That means work for me. Dragging out the snow-blower, shoveling behind my gate so it will open, hauling even more firewood to a more accessible area, in and out of my snow gear. I blame my daughter-in-law Tammi for my snow. All she has to do is think it and I get it. Stop it Tammi. It's getting too deep.

So, I will end this somewhat meaningless blog with a question for all of you. What do you call a Steelers fan holding a bottle of champagne after Super Bowl XLV? A waiter.

Oh but wait......Please Tammi.....it's too much now!

I'm trying my best......

I'm a little over my head with this snow now............

Stop thinking snow, damnit

Even the little raccoon that was here earlier this morning is overwhelmed

                                                      Think about my woodland critters......

                             And if that doesn't do it......at least think about my neighbor's little dog!

Really....seriously, stop.......

 

Nana's Little Gymnasts

What can I say? Couldn't be prouder ! Certainly brings back some wonderful memories for me.

Mom~Son Vacation, forest style and city style

My son arranged some vacation time for the two of us to have a 'Mom/Son mini-vacation'. He spent four days with me, the 'forest' vacation, and I spent four days with him, the 'city' vacation. It's been a very long time since we've been able to spend quality time together, just the two of us. Our time together went too fast but we had some very kick-ass times. Sean arrived here in the forest late on a friday night, and before he even got to my house he called and told me to 'get the sauna ready'. My son is a true Finn when it comes to sauna. When he spends time here ~ he and the sauna are inseparable. This trip we had that poor sauna so hot that it actually shut down due to the safety feature. My son very rarely gets to sleep in due to his job and being the father of two young children so of course my mission was to let him sleep in to his heart's content. Ahhh, that's what Mommie's are for - to totally spoil the child, no matter what age. Right?
Our first day together was to get on the ATV's and hit the trails. Normally we have his children with us when we go quadding, and have to monitor our 'craziness' while on the trails. This time we loaded up the .22 rifles and Sean's 9mm Beretta and got a little shooting in.

After shooting we hit some new and old quadding trails. How I kept up with his 'racing' quad (it's a fast ATV) is still a mystery to me, seeing how I have a utility ATV that weighs about 800 pounds but I did. The trails we ride on are a part of Sierra Pacific logging roads and the logging trucks make deep puddles. Sean and I love puddles. We usually return from a ride with our faces covered with mud. This time was certainly no exception. So I have to admit, this is the first time that my Polaris, nicknamed Pasi ( "Pasi" stems from the Finnish name "panssari-Sisu" (English: armoured Sisu) decided to dump me right smack in a very cold mud puddle. All I really remember is I was going waaaay too fast and Pasi and I were leaning to the right - then I landed in the puddle watching my ATV flying by me. (still very happy Pasi decided to continue on his own way and not lay down on me!) When Sean returned after realizing I was no longer behind him I was still in the puddle. I hit hard and was wet from helmet to boots. My entire right side of my body was hurting, but my philosophy was seeing this as though I had been riding a horse. You get dumped, you get back on. From the looks of this photo one would think "that doesn't look too deep', but I'm here to tell ya, that puddle was deep and cold! These puddles have deep hidden ruts from the logging trucks. It's times like this that I am glad my son demands that I wear a helmet when out on the trails. I don't like wearing helmets and always argue about it, but he always wins.

Not one minute later I am watching my son go through the next puddle and all of a sudden I am seeing him do some very finely executed gymnastics moves as his ATV dumps him! From an x-gymnast I have to say I was very proud to see his excellent moves, his body flipping over and over only to land on his two feet! I was so intent on watching him that I nearly ran into a tree. Unfortunately for his wife he decided to ride her ATV this trip. (sorry Tammi)

About this time we both decided it might be a good idea to return to my house before we actually killed ourselves. I was wet, cold and sore so the thought of a sauna seemed more than inviting, it was a neccessity at this point. But....we did manage to get the 'craziness' out of our systems and we had soooo much fun.
I love it when my son visits. He always manages to fix things around my house. This trip I got a new ceiling fan installed, I got a dimmer switch put in, I got my 1800's two-man Crosscut Log Saw placed in a much better (and impossible for me to do) location, I got my highest smoke alarm battery changed over (it absolutely freaks me out to do that particular one)- gotta just love my son!
On Tuesday we packed up and headed to his house for the remainder of our Mom/Son mini-vacation. I got to attend my grandson Shad's Kindergarten play on Tuesday night which was awesome. Sean had made some secretive plans for us to spend even more time together. On Thursday we got in his car headed for destinations unbeknownst to me. Since we were headed for San Francisco I thought maybe we'd be doing a Cable Car ride or maybe walking the Golden Gate Bridge. I was pretty thrilled when we pulled into the AT&T Park (home of the World Series San Francisco Giants) parking lot! Sean had arranged a tour of the AT&T Park. Now this is something I've always wanted to do - see a real MLB ballpark up close, see the areas that are off limits to the general public ~ like the Field, the Dugouts, the indoor Batting Cages, the Media/Press Room, and the visiting player's locker room.

I certainly learned a lot about this ball park. I had no idea it was designed and privately financed by the Giant's owner himself. No cost to the City of San Francisco itself. I loved the nine foot statue of Willie Mays, the 80 foot Coca-Cola bottle with playground slides and miniature AT&T Park for the kids behind left field, and the 'perfection' of the field itself.

It is a beautiful ball park with an old-time feel to it. What I learned later on after the tour was what I thought should have been mentioned in the tour ~ that Portuguese water dogs fetch the home runs that splash into McCovey Cove (named after Hall of Fame Willie McCovey). Oh Laura, your dogs could very well earn their keep by doing this awesome canine job!
After the tour Sean and I headed to our next secretive location. I have to say my son is very good at time management, as we arrived at the Pier just in time for the next tour of Alcatraz.

I have experienced a tour of Alcatraz before, but back in the early 1980's when I first moved to California. When I did that tour I had my children with me, Sean and Sharon both being very young. Sean was possibly 3 or 4 and Sharon was 8 or 9 and it was pretty difficult trying to keep a constant eye on the kids. The tour has changed considerably since my first trip. There is no longer an actual tour guide, which makes it even better because you can take your time.
For those of you who don't know of Alcatraz, it was once a world-famous federal penitentiary, set on an island that provides a view of San Francisco.

There is a lot of history before and after it was a federal penitentiary. It was also the site of the first American lighthouse on the West Coast and the island served as a huge harbor defense fort during the Civil War. After the fort became obsolete, the U.S. Army turned the island into a military prison. When the penitentiary closed, Alcatraz became the site of a American Indian protest movement who held the island for 18 or 19 months. While a penitentiary, it held some of America's most hardened criminals....Al Capone, Doc Barker (the last surviving son from the famous Ma Barker Gang), "Machine Gun" Kelly, Robert "Birdman of Alcatraz" Stroud, Floyd Hamilton (a gang member and driver for Bonnie and Clyde), and Alvin "Creepy" Karpis. Sean and I both thought "Creepy" was a very fitting nickname for Alvin Karpis. Talk about a face that you couldn't forget.
This photo I am adding for the benefit of my x-Deputy Sheriff partner Marie Torres - and here's where I want to say "Damn woman, where are you? I'm waiting for you to show up for our next shift - new job, new location...."

From Alcatraz we went to our next secretive place. As I said before my son has excellent time management skills as we arrived there at 5pm and our reservation was at 5pm.

Ruth's Chris Steak House on Van Ness Avenue in San Francisco. I do believe this was the best steak dinner I have ever had in my life! The service was excellent and the food was excellent. I've never had a steak brought to me on a 500 degree plate before. My meal was still hot when I realized I was full!
February 10, 2011 was a very fast paced and totally awesome day for me! Thank you Sean!
I planned on returning home on Saturday but waited until I could accompany my granddaughter Kaihla to her first ever gymnastics class. For those of you who know me and my past, gymnastics was an important factor in my life. I lived for gymnastics. I could not have been a prouder Nana as when I was watching my granddaughter's enthusiasm for this new endeavor of hers.

I think she is going to be a natural!

Kaihla's older brother Shad even got in on some of the gymnastics action. If he wasn't already signed up for baseball I think I could talk him into gymnastics also.
My son and daughter-in-law are always telling me that Kaihla has my laugh, you know - the laugh that comes straight from the belly. That hearty Finn laugh. I'm hoping that eventually they will say she also has my love for gymnastics.

It saddens me to know that I cannot attend each and every one of her classes, as it also does to not attend Shad's baseball games - living so far away from my grandkids really sucks.
A week of Mom/Son vacation was awesome. Total awesomeness! I hated to leave and return home but I had committments back home. (My son talked me into switching from Dish to DirecTV, with high def....so had an appointment)
Sooo, on the way home, I thought of you Doug Leppik. I am posting this little photo to let you know I was thinking of you while driving past your old Tehama County stomping grounds! Now that you've been in cold rainy Oregon for so long, tell me, does this not make you miss over-taxed, over-crowded, totally expensive and waaaay too liberal California?

As you can see by the following photos, my one little pup Kesä truly travels in total comfort, while my other dogs are a wee bit cramped in the back seat. In fact Shadow-Man is actually lying on the floorboards. Poor dog.

And when I see this..................

I know that my 4 hour drive is nearly over. She is a comforting sight....for sure.
Thank you Sean for a wonderful memory making Mom/Son mini vacation! I needed it and I will treasure it forever!

Things we humans do to literally annoy our canine buddies.....

I sent this to my friend in Missouri (an equally crazy woman like myself) and thought I should share with others ~

Ok, so we all know that our dogs can do things to annoy us pet parents (just like kids!) such as....beg for food - some think that is cute - but then others don't. Look at your dogs right now. Some dogs annoy us pet parents by barking and barking and...barking some more. Yet others....sniff our crotch. Our butt. Jump on us. Chew shit up.
Just for fun...let's reverse it. What do you think WE do that might annoy our precious little canine buddies?


1. Blaming your farts on poor little me..... not funny... not funny at all Valrie!!! (Whoever is reading this might as well just insert their name....we all know you do it!)

2. Yelling at me for barking. I'M A FRIGGIN' DOG, get over it.

3. Taking me for a walk, then not letting me check stuff out. Exactly whose walk is this anyway?

4. Any trick that involves balancing food on my nose. Stop it! Humiliating.

5. Any haircut that involves bows or ribbons. Now you know why we chew your stuff up when you're not home. If you want to play dress-up, get a damn Barbie.

6. The sleight of hand, fake fetch throw. You fooled me, a dog! Whoooo oooooooo what a proud moment for you ~ the top of the food chain.

7. Taking me to the vet for "the big snip", then acting surprised when I freak out every time we go back! You wouldn't like that now would you?

8. Getting upset when I sniff the crotches of your guests...or you, for that matter. Sorry, but I haven't quite mastered that handshake thing yet. You're too set on making me balance some stupid damn thing on my nose!

9.Dog sweaters! Hello ??? Haven't you noticed the fur? I'm perfect the way I am. Dog sweaters and bows. I should just freak'n run away and join a circus.

10. How you act disgusted when I lick myself. Look, we both know the truth. You're just jealous.