Day 2 Day radishes

January 31

Again discussing cosmetics and God (see January 22), and after yesterday's waxing adventure, I woke up this morning with burned skin under the eyebrow.  Michael introduced me to people saying that I was the woman he beat.  The very best you can say is that I look like a Vietnamese raccoon. The question is, should I put and additional $17.00 plus tip in the Sunday plate? 

Rain is the topic of conversation here. The rain goes on and on, and mostly with wind. Weather, as a topic , is out stripping the Seahawks.  Although Camano Island is in the rain shadow of the Olympics, and we get a lot less rain than Seattle, today is considered heavy rain.   We drove to Mt. Vernon today to get Michael's hard drive fixed.  I was reduced to going to the store Michael's and buying fake flowers,something I have looked down as being phony.  But, I can not be in my house with out some color.  (I am even wearing lipstick for color) I bought an Amaryllis which in nature already looks fake.  On the way home we passed the wintering field of swans.  Here is a picture that shows our local Snow Geese arriving from the north on a better day in October. 

January 30, 2006

Today was an Asian day.   I started with Miso Power Japanese breakfast soup/pickles, fruit, and Glucosamine Chondroitin triple strength.  I was powered up.   Then I went to T'ai Chi.   The main interesting news here is that the instructor showed us how to do a five minute T"ai Chi facial.   Now mind you it does not take away the sags and wrinkles that you have, but it prevents any future sagging etc.  There was one move that I can actually explain here.  To keep your chin firm and from sagging, you put your tongue to the roof of your mouth and push as hard as you can for a count to 20.  I guess if you wanted, you could count to 100.

Yesterday  was Chinese New Year, so today I went to eat Chinese and celebrate the Year of the Dog.   After that, it was on to the Vietnamese nail and waxing place.   Being stupid I did not know if the Vietnamese celebrated yesterday, the Year of the Dog.  In fact they do.   The children went to the relatives and the kids received red envelopes with money and the grandmother or aunt told them to be happy and healthy and a good person the next year.  Then the adults go to the Indian Casino to dance.   

Then I had my eyebrows waxed.  I was told they were a mess.  "How long has it been since you had them done? Just a mess!"  The woman was quite pleased when she was finished, and said I looked at least ten years younger.  The long and the short is that I now have very Vietnamese eyebrows.   

January 29

Yesterday I helped with a Spiritual Gifts workshop.  Seven  came to take the workshop.  Although it sounds small, it was an ideal number to have all the discussion needed with out boring or getting out of control. I have felt over my life time somewhat scattered in my projects.  I would think I was not doing well and stop an endeavor, or I would get bored.  Or my husband could not understand my writing.  Because I did not make money with my art or my knitting, I berated myself.  But  art and design always interested me as well as the domestic arts.  Everyone knows what happened to the domestic arts in the 70's.

An inventory was taken at the workshop, similar to a Myers Briggs.  And the scoring showed each persons strength and weakness.  Spiritual gifts are to be used for God, and frankly that is a very wide subject.  Just being in the world is good.

Gifts are different from talents; talents might be something one is good at , but not necessarily your job to help the world. Spiritual gifts are something you generally like doing.  Craftmanship is one of my gifts.  I am encouraged to develop that gift knowing it is from God and put it to use.    

January 29

Hit this link

http://www.lifetimetv.com/health/breast_mastectomy_pledge.html  This is the link to petition a bill going to Congress prohibiting short term stays in cases of mastectomy.    These are referred to as drive my mastectomies.  If you know anyone who has had one, they are totally unprepared to go home after and overnight.  They are unable to deal with the pain and all the tubes for drainage.  Nor do their support staff i.e. friends, husbands, kids know what to do.  Many end up back in the hospital anyway.   Please sign your name. 

January 27 more

This is George Vanderbilt in December.  He will be 2 in March. He is crazy about his cousins, even the girls.   He has an astounding vocabulary.  He can throw the ball pretty good.   

This picture of Gabriel Starkey, six, who prefers to be called, Gabe, was taken at Thanksgiving.   Gabe is one positive person and for him the glass is always half full or more.   This picture almost shows him to be quiet like an angel,  but this is really not true. 

This is William Rogers.  He is very cool.  A good student, a very good athlete, likes to earn money, but for ME he works for free.

January 27

This is my first ever food blog.  I am excited.  I think this image almost looks as good as the pros.  This is not a real recipe as there are no "for sure "quantities or times. First you need left over Japanese cooked rice.   (Japanese rice is short grained, and I am using a white rice with the bran in tact. But I think California short grain rice would do.)  Add a little oil to your wok and basically fry the rice until it is brown.   Turn the rice over and brown as well.   Put this cooked rice in a bowl and immediately crack an egg over it.  Add some sesame seeds, chopped green onions or something you dream up, and a little soy.   Use your chop sticks to break up the egg so it will drizzle down with the rice and semi cook it.   But if this fails and you for some reason do not like it, (I think it is yummy), zap it for about 20 seconds in the microwave.  Now you have to say that you probably have not recently read a recipe like this!  Not for the weak.   

After about an hour of trying to get Callie, Will, and Gabe on this site , I have Callie and Bill.  I would take any help I could get with this.   I do know several women my age, and they are intelligent, who can not deal with the pictures either.  It is a common situation, "reduced to  tears" is a term which is, to a woman, used. 

January 25

I have spent about 30 minutes trying to get a picture in this place.  In my life one of the hardest things for me to do is find my pictures on the computer.  Actually I know where they are, but when I have to browse to get the pictures, that is hard.   

I try to read the devotional of the Purpose Driven Life site.   Although I did not especially like the book, I do like this John Fischer who writes the devotional.  So occasionally read him.  Earlier this week in truth, and a little tongue and cheek, I asked, what is the relationship between God and cosmetics.  Mr Fischer must live in the Pacific Northwest as he is involved with the Seahawks.   He writes about why it is okay to enjoy this Super Bowl.   I felt that if I had substituted Cosmetics for Seahawks, I would have had my answer to a couple of days ago.  As he said, it is okay to be diverted.   

Yesterday was Callie's birthday, and she is one of the people who I can not get the picture here.  She got drums for her Birthday.   Go Callie. 

January 24

Hooray, Hooray!  Dear Michael goes out and does it again.  Michael had offered the plaintiff $75,000.00 a month ago.  Yesterday the plaintiff attorney asked for $750,000. (notice the added zero).  Michael suggested to the jury that $22,500.  might be good.  And the award was $20,000.I think it was lucky that there was a U.S. customs guard as the foreman, able to read between the lines that here were two guys messing around in a boat.  And someone got greedy.  Probably the attorney.  Roxy at the office screamed, and screamed she was so delighted.  No one thought he could do this with a head injury, and Michael had no witnesses of his own, (as he got the case after the deadline).  He feels blessed.  He & I just wish he could get some more money when he pulls these cases out.   

January 23

This is Calligan on Memorial Day weekend in Vancouver.  I think it is very "Calligan",and this is one of my favorite photos.  He is in second grade, I think?  He no longer lets me kiss his sweet cheeks. 

My scanning of photos is on hold for a while.  Today I spent $30.00 to have Hewlett Packard tell me that my computer does not work.  Some man from India told me that I could apply my $30.00 to a new $950.00 scanner for only $375.00.  I said, you don't understand, I am just scanning in a few photos.  And he had no concept of the need to economize. He was the fifth person that talked to me.  Each earlier person took same information over again.   I can not be polite.   

Today was good in that I went to 30 minutes of T'ai Chi and 30 minutes of stretching.  I liked it years ago and then I quit as  I could not take the instructor talking a half hour to criticize Pres. Reagan, which shows you how long it has been since I have been to T'ai Chi.  Today, I loved it.  The teacher was good and I love the way my body feels after wards.  And this is the first time.!!!  But usually it is the same time as senior splash.   What to do, what to do.