60 is 60!

My birthday has come and gone.  I admit to being less than excited about the number of years.  Don't get me wrong, my life is wonderful.  However, for some reason the number 60 seems a bit, well, over the hill.  I think back to my parents being 60 and they. were. old!  And my grandparents at 60 were ancient.  It will be interesting to hear what the oldest grandson has to say about 60 in a few years.  Now he tells me it is not that old - really grandma - not that old.
My daughter and son in law threw me a party.  It was fantastic.  Lots of friends and food and beverages.  My sister was here to help celebrate (and help get ready).  I was told I could do NOTHING, but I am not very compliant, so I did a few things.  I was told I could not be in charge, but again, I am not very compliant, so I had a few suggestions.  (One concerning how to cut a pepper, but I won't go into it here.)  But for the most part I just enjoyed it all.  It was fun watching my daughter organize and get ready, my sister help out, my sister in law take charge of the kitchen sink and my brother - ok, he and son in law can tap a keg in nothing flat.

So now you know, I'm 60 and I've decided to be proud!  I might try to learn a few new things, read more books, travel to a couple new places and enjoy my family to the max!  Happy Birthday to me!!!

a couple of books that might interest you.

So I finished Mudbound by Hillary Jordan and The Hangman's Daughter by Oliver Potzsch, translated by Lee Chadeayne for my two book club picks for March.  Both are good reads. 

Mudbound  is set in 1946 in the Mississippi Delta, where ‘city girl’ Laura McAllan is adjusting to farm life, as well as raising her daughters. She fights to be the wife her land-loving husband, Henry, wants her to be.  Everyday is a struggle for the family. Henry’s brother, Jamie, returns from the war a changed man with nightmares that haunt him and a never ending taste for alcohol.  He befriends Ronsel Jackson, son of a sharecropper, who has been thrust back into being a ‘boy’ in the South.  Their friendship is a thought provoking look at the South in the late 40’s.  

The Hangman's Daughter is a novel set in the mid-1600’s in Schongau, Bavaria.  Jakob Kuisl is the hangman who must determine if a tattoo found on a dying boy is the work of witches.  This historical work of fiction is based on the real-life Kuisl family.  German rulers of the time were always on the look out for the possibility of witches and the author provides much historical background to support that school of thought.  The other main characters, Magdalena, Jakob’s daughter and Simon, the physician’s son are extremely believable in their roles.  Although some readers may find some of the practices gruesome, the book is interesting to read; particularly when noted that the book is based on the life of a real hangman.

I find being able to share the books between my Kindle and my DroidX gives me no excuse to be behind on reading.  The hardest part is remembering the check the location to sync or to turn on the Kindle's wireless to automatically sync the two.  

that winter can hang on with a vengence!

Yesterday we drove to a swim meet for oldest grandson.  The outside looked like this when we left home at 7:00 am ...yes, that is ice.

The time at the swim meet was more like this....

But we came home to this.....

 Will spring ever get here - and stay????  I am seriously sick of winter.  Don't get me wrong, I like some winter and a bit of snow and I can bundle up on a cold day.  However, ice on the trees for 2 days is a bit much. 

mice like birdseed too!

I really knew that already.  We learned that lesson and no longer keep our birdseed in the garage.  We keep it in a big covered container outside near the feeders.  But I saw this very strange 'bird' under the feeder.  A scurrying kind of creature.  A mouse!!  It was very brave, ignored the finches and sparrows, glanced at the doves and gathered a large amount of seeds before leaving.  I hope it's gone, but in reality I know it is there and it has friends and family....as long as they stay out of my house I can cope. 

birds are lovely, and messy!

I am constantly amazed that these lovely winged creatures:

Make a constant mess that looks like this:

 

I really checked out....sorry!

I don't know what happened.  I think it might be cleaning the parents house, or visiting the parents at the new apartment, or doctor's appointments, or snow, or cold, or laziness.  But I am back.
My book club met last night.  My favorite one, I call it the 'thinking' book club because we really discuss the books we read.  For long and extended periods of time.  It is not a big group, last night there were just 4 of us.  It was a good discussion of Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford.  If you like the idea of a historical novel set in the Seattle area with human interest thrown in, this is the book for you.  Some reviews are better than others, but our little group found it a pretty good read.
Hopefully the weather forecast is correct and we have a warm-up on the way.  I am ready!

thin bagels are icky!

I bought a package of very thin bagels in an act of saving calories and carbs.  Never again!  The Ranger and I agree they taste like cardboard (maybe not that good) and you have to add such an huge amount of peanut butter and/or jelly on top to get some taste; every bit of calorie comes back to get you.

On another note -- the 'parents' side by side is totally clean and shiny after 2 hours of work yesterday.  And the garage is slowly getting cleaner.  I am continuing to come home and clean a drawer or cupboard so my girls do NOT have to do this.

The Ranger and I are planning a get away - whatever!  That means we are finishing a bottle of wine after dinner and talking about where we can 'go' later this spring.  I think the real word for that is DREAMING!  But there are some good options being discussed and if it really does make the planning stage, I will post it here.

Daughter J had a birthday yesterday!

This post was suppose to have been done on her birthday, but because her mother is such a procrastinator she (mom) was busy making her card and her cupcakes and planning dinner to take to her house.  We had a great evening and she says it was a good birthday (in spite of the fact that an important member of her family was not there to share).  You have grown into a fine woman, wife and mother.  I am proud of you in more ways that I can say. 
So a belated Happy Birthday...may you have many, many more.

I am incredibly tired of winter!

After our wonderful end to last week, it is now blowing gale force winds and trying to snow.  I know enough to be grateful that we didn't get a bunch of ice, but the bone chilling cold is not all that fun either.  After a morning of watching the J-man, I baked chocolate chip cookies and played mindless computer games.  The Ranger and I did brave the cold to grab dinner with friends.  Tomorrow is a new month and one day closer to spring.  Can't come soon enough if you ask me.

I accomplished two things today!

When the Ranger stayed with his dad after heart surgery I came home for a few days.  The weather turned viciously cold, not fit for humans.  So I fired up the wood stove and got out a puzzle.  I worked on it then and of course once the Ranger got home, and dad got 'home', and mom got moved to the apartment and cooking and cleaning and shopping got done - the puzzle was abandoned.  So today I declared a "I am not leaving the house day" (and I only left twice)!  But I worked on the puzzle!  It is still not done, but it is close and I may have to have another go round once this blog is posted.  The other accomplishment was cleaning.  The living room sparkles, but it's all I had time to do 'cause I spent all the rest of the day on the puzzle and not leaving the house....except twice!

the weather here is wonderful!

We tend to have to most erratic weather here in Nebraska.  We really have had a interesting mix lately.  Today was lovely, sunny and actually quite warm.....49 degrees in January here is considered warm!  The snow from a week ago is melting and we enjoy these temporary temperatures as best we can since the forecast for the weekend is cold.  The plan for tomorrow is to wash the car and get some of the nasty sand and salt off - at least until the next storm rolls through.  And we aren't the only ones enjoying the sunshine!

I uploaded a photo to Pioneer Woman

I love reading The Pioneer Woman and I am envious of the wonderful photography that graces her pages.  When I read the blog regarding favorite flower photos I knew I had one I wanted to submit.  In reality it will probably not make the cut, but I did it any way.  I will share it here, with thanks to my friend Patty for calling me last April to come take photos of her spring flowers.  What a fun way to spend some time.

the last couple weeks have been stressful!

The Ranger's dad had to have by-pass surgery.  That is a tough enough medical event, but compound it with being 90 and it makes it a whole new ball game.  To make a really long story short.....he is doing well.  I have a major respect for the heart doctors and their nursing staff.  So he is recovering in a care facility near home and it is good to have him here.  Not being able to use his arms for support and balance is an interesting aspect of his recovery, but he is giving it his all. Not exactly the way we thought 2011 would begin, but we are all doing the best we can.

It's not been a good start!

So far 2011 has been less than stellar.  Let's just say a 'bug' has gone through the family and taken it's toll.  We'll leave it at that.
The days do dawn sunny these cold winter days. And the birds come to eat.  Ranger is good at keeping the feeders full, no matter how cold the temps.  We watch for 'rare and exotic' but we almost always get 'common to the area'.

The Christmas Tree is gone!

I put away the 2010 Christmas today.  Ranger even helped by putting the tree in the box and carrying things to the garage for storage.  I am always a bit sad when the tree is gone, but have to admit that the living room looks huge now.  Thinking maybe I need to shop for a small chair without arms to fit in the little corner.
On another note, I did my first 'non-family' photo shoot yesterday for some friends.  Their kids and grandkids were here from across the US and thought it would be fun to do the photos.  We planned for outside, which was hampered by 15 degree temperatures even though the sun was shining.  So we did the best we could with inside and poor light.  They had a good time and liked the photos and I learned a ton.

It's 2011!

A new year is here.  The sun is shining, but I didn't let that fool me.  I know it is colder than ever outside and I am snuggling in by the stove.  This blog is my plan to keep me organized and more purposeful in my approach to 2011.  I have longed to end the past years with lovely photo albums all ready to print - but I have come to the realization that is not my style.  I did finally find a system that I think will work for me.  Here is my plan at  Katie the Scrapbook Lady.  So you will find me sharing some photos, books, movies and accomplishments month to month. 
I hope that 2011 finds you happy and if you haven't considered it yet, you might think about doing something new this year.