A bit of my history for you..............

I just put in an official request for an invitation to the Inactivation/Decomissioning Ceremony for my husband's ship, the USS Enterprise CVN 65. It will be at Norfolk Naval Station. I'm making this trip if it kills me. That ship made a huge impact on my life.  I thought for a day and a half that I was a widow at 21 as my husband was on the flight deck often.  Before he was deployed, he told me over and over again, "I'm on the safest ship in the Navy." Somehow, I didn't quite believe that going over to Viet Nam was "safe."  He also told me that if anything were to happen, I should call the base and the Red Cross.  Well, when the explosion happened, panic broke out back in in San Diego naval community.  I called the base over and over again but no one knew how many men were dead.  Finally, someone told me that Washington would know before San Diego so he gave me the number and I called every hour, all night.  By dawn, they knew my voice and would say...no mame, you husband isn't on the list at this time. It was a day and a half before anyone could make a call home and that was just to say I'm OK and let the next sailor use the phone.  I don't even know if it was a phone....it was on loud speaker. There were over 4,000 needing to call home.  A one minute conversation was enough.  Twenty-eight men lost their lives, ove 300 were injured. Thankfully, Bill came home. I can still see that mighty ship passing slowly under the San Francisco Bridge. It looked so small...then after what seemed like hours, we began to see the outline of the men standing on the ship. It still makes me cry

Stella's got her groove back

OY VEY! Looks like I'm back to my old self again. Planted beets this morning, mowed the lawn, weed whacked the driveway and around the house, cleaned up the debris, got some tomatos from the garden put up and in the freezer and just now I finished sanding one of my new kitchen chairs that didn't quite fit under my little table. Needed to sand about a half inch off the seat. Didn't think it would take so long but then again, I was sanding 'cause I don't have a plane........maybe that's a good thing......me with a plane in my hand, I could do some real damage. Time for a cup of coffee.

Perfect Corn on the Cob

Here's how to have a perfectly cooked ear of corn right from the microwave, no fuss, no muss. 

I have a small microwave so I cook it longer.  It works! 

Yum!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HxiUarir5RA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnBF6bv4Oe4

Peace

Peace, acceptance and calm have settled into the very core of my being.

Knowing now that I did the best I could with the tools I had at the time,

I’ve forgiven the many mistakes that I've made along my life’s path.

I no longer judge others.

I no longer criticize. 

Who am I to judge, lest I be judged in return?

I accept who I am.

I accept who you are.

I accept circumstances. 

Everything happens according to God’s plan.

I no longer question His judgement.

Each of us is at a particular point in our lives.

Finding and accepting inner peace is a blessing that maybe comes only with age.

None-the-less, it’s worth the wait.

All of the pain, all of the struggles and all of life’s joys are just stepping stones to the calm that settles inside you when you’re quiet and alone with your thoughts in the fourth quarter of this game called life.

2/10/12

 

OYE

Dear God.  I put down 520 pounds of topsoil this afternoon.  On top of that, grass seed and then some more topsoil.   I'm so tired I can't see straight.  Why do I think I can still do what I did  so easily when I was 30 years of age? 
It's getting there.  Time to sell the house and move into a luxury apartment where all I have to do is pick up the phone when something needs to be done around the house.  
Thank goodness I have lots of ice for my back and a bottle of my favorite Merlot, sliced cheese and pepperoni and crackers.  
Tomorrow is another day.   Hopefully I'll be around to see it.

Mason and Nala

This is a photo of my friend's grandson Mason and his dog.

She entered this in the Daily Gazette photo contest.  I hope it wins!

(I like dogs but not this much!)

Leroy and Anne Merrihew, married August 6, 1939 until his untimely death in 1955

Anne Merrihew - April 11, 1916 - August 6, 2000...she died on what would have been her 61st. wedding anniversary. Here she is at age 82 and as she always used to say "Not bad for an old lady"

Easy Peasy

Again, I am woman hear me roar.  This job was way too easy, thank goodness.  Now I have two kitchen chairs that match the table top, the countertop, the jelly cupboard and the picture frames.  No one will laugh again 'cause I only have one kitchen chair :)