I'm A Patsy - Gotta Problem With That?

Wednesday, August 21, 2013


Discovering Oregon . . . continued

I just finished a posting about Teri's and Rita's families vacationing in Oregon. They sent me photos of some of the places they visited, but this picture really got to me. It is Teri playing volleyball with Harry watching. I think it is absolutely beautiful! It was taken at exactly the right time with the ball in the air and Teri poised below it. How could anyone know that would be the right time for the shot - Teri looked beautiful,  Harry looked handsome and the volleyball was in the right place.

Of course, this is a mother and grandmother writing this so I'm probably a little biased. But I still think it is an unusual picture and I love it.

Tuesday, August 20, 2013


Discovering Oregon!

Teri, Harry and Mark were out recently and took a vacation trip around central Oregon with Rita and her family. They started at Crater Lake and stayed a couple of nights there. I worked at Crater Lake one summer when I was in college, so I had to show them my pictures of what it looked like then. Many changes have transpired since that time, and they didn't have any pictures of bears in the garbage dump! When I worked there, my friends and I would sit on the roof of the lodge, looking down into the garbage dump and watch the bears throwing garbage around. Better than watching TV. The travelers stayed in tree houses a couple of nights in Cave Junction which was quite an experience. The houses were beautiful and had bathrooms and showers! They also had a swinging bridge that I would never have used - I wouldn't have even gone there! They also stayed in Florence and rode the dune buggies while the men golfed in Bandon.

They all had a great time, but Rita fell on her face and broke her glasses which left a gash in her cheek! Teri was stung by a Venus Flytrap and her arm went numb for a while! I haven't heard the particulars of that so I don't know what a Venus Flytrap was doing in this state. I'm glad I wasn't there as I would have called for an ambulance! Mark sent me a photo of himself on one of the swinging bridges knowing it would scare me! He likes to send me pictures that are scary like with tarantulas. What a sweetheart!

This morning I was by myself - which is not unusual - and I decided to make some cookies. So I did, and when I was done I sat down to watch The Young and the Restless. They are all very restless on that show, but today they were mourning the loss of Katherine Chancellor, the queen of Genoa City. Her friends were crying and there was sad music playing . . . and all of a sudden I saw Larry, my sparrow, sitting on my ledge outside! I haven't seen him for a while and I was worried something might be wrong with him. He looked sort of scruffy, but he took a drink of water and just sat. I was overcome with emotion because I was so happy he was alive and the tears welled up in my eyes. The restless people were having tears also, but not because they were happy. I got hold of myself soon and the restless people moved to another scene in which Sharon is trying to get her ex-husband back before he marries his fiance. Sharon is a bad, bad woman. I'm afraid things may get deadly. I may check in tomorrow and maybe Larry will come back.

The picture is of Teri, Harry and Mark in some beautiful forest someplace on their trip. I think they had a good time. 

Sunday, August 04, 2013


News from my aviary

Last December I wrote about my aviary and the changes I made when I was forced to get rid of my bird feeder. I took it down because it was drawing all the neighborhood undesirables -  squirrels, rats, cats and who knows what else. So I gave it away and bought two Sedge Evergold plants to put in pots. The plants look like old, english sheepdogs with their hair hanging down over their eyes. They've been very successful so far.

I put the plants in two pots on my deck and their hair - I mean fronds - stood up and then hung down and covered the edge of the pots. I then put a small plastic container in one of the pots and pulled the fronds around it so no one could see it. I put the birdseed in the container, sat down on my couch, stared out the sliding glass door and waited for Larry, my sparrow, to come and find the food. I sat there for two weeks until I had to go to the bathroom really, really badly and was very hungry. Wait! That happened in another episode of my life and had nothing to do with my sparrow. That will be another story. Actually, Larry found the food shortly after I had arranged everything! I was thrilled when he came and pushed aside the fronds and got into the container and ate. I felt like my baby was growing up and could find his way in the world . . . and on my deck.  My work was done for the time being.

I had also put a small container - a garlic salt lid - on the ledge with water so Larry could drink. One day I saw him sitting in the tiny container and trying to take a bath! So I found a much larger plastic container, filled it with water and set it on the ledge to see if Larry might take a bath. Well, it wasn't much later that Larry was taking a bath! He thrashed around and splattered water all over the ledge. I've never seen anything like it. He did that for several weeks and then quit. Even in our hot weather he didn't bathe. I think he needs some sort of training in good hygiene practices! I guess my work isn't done after all.

I wanted to take a picture of Larry eating or bathing but I can never get close enough to accomplish that. So I decided to sit in the doorway of my opened sliding glass door which would enable me to be lower so I could have a good vantage point for a shot of the feeder, even without Larry in it. But I can't get down on the floor because of my affliction , , , is it the vapors or ataxia? I don't think it's the vapors as that is what overcomes elderly southern ladies and I'm not an elderly southern lady. And that was what they had back in the 1900s. So I tried to get my rear end down on the floor, but I fell onto my butt and rolled onto my back. I didn't hurt myself but it was a shitty way to spend an afternoon! I wonder if professional photographers ever have anything like that happen to them - probably not because they are professionals! I did get a photo of the feeder and got myself back on my feet which was somewhat difficult. I wonder if Larry was watching . . . and probably laughing the way sparrows do in their squeaky little voices as they run around on their skinny little legs. I love it when they do that!

                   - - - - - - -   NEWS FLASH!!

This has nothing to do with my aviary, but It just came over the news and I felt like answering it. They are saying Texas has run out of the execution drug!!! How can that be? I would think they would be well prepared at all times. What a shame!!!
I'm sure Rick Perry will come up with something. And, also a cop stopped George Zimmerman for speeding in Texas. George told the cop he had a gun in his  glove compartment and didn't know where he was going! What???