Monday, December 10, 2007
Slideshow?
OK, there is this thing...a slideshow...and its supposed to be real easy to put in photos. Well, its not. There, I said it. My drafts? Gone. My slideshow? Gone, but some of the pics are here. That's Jocelyn and AJ at Casa Bonita last year. And Mom, Katherine and Amber playing around. I'll try to retrieve the others that went missing as you all may enjoy them as well.
Its beginning to look a lot like Christmas!
Finally, SNOW! And lots of it. Started this weekend and still going, and its helped me get in the mood for Christmas. Actually wrote out some cards this year and its been ages since I last did that. I remember as a kid how the folks got a huge basket of cards every year. Mom would carefully catalog who had sent her a card, who she sent cards to, etc. If she sent and didn't receive for 3 years she would take them off her list. It was very methodical. Me? Not so much. I misplaced my address book in the last move (it will resurface soon, I suppose), so my send list is very hit and miss. Mom had a little file box with addresses and sent/received dates. I have my portable address book that doesn't even have some names in it!
Dave and kids are doing an excellent job in Christmas Carol. My coworker Dana has a son in the show, so at work she was talking about the show. She said "Its worth it just to see the guy playing Scrooge! He is really good!" I said Dave and the kids were in the show too and she said "Which parts do they play?" Oh, an urchin, a servant...and Scrooge. She laughed. She has a sense of humor similar to mine, so we have a good time together and 'get' each other's jokes.
We went to the Christmas Light parade last weekend. It was freezing cold, but fun. AJ had strep throat, so he and I spent Friday evening in the ER. He was much better by Saturday, so he only missed the Friday evening and Saturday matinee performances.
Well, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year all! I'm headed into a stretch of night shifts, so I probably won't update this til next year. :-)
Dave and kids are doing an excellent job in Christmas Carol. My coworker Dana has a son in the show, so at work she was talking about the show. She said "Its worth it just to see the guy playing Scrooge! He is really good!" I said Dave and the kids were in the show too and she said "Which parts do they play?" Oh, an urchin, a servant...and Scrooge. She laughed. She has a sense of humor similar to mine, so we have a good time together and 'get' each other's jokes.
We went to the Christmas Light parade last weekend. It was freezing cold, but fun. AJ had strep throat, so he and I spent Friday evening in the ER. He was much better by Saturday, so he only missed the Friday evening and Saturday matinee performances.
Well, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year all! I'm headed into a stretch of night shifts, so I probably won't update this til next year. :-)
Monday, December 3, 2007
RIP Kitty Kat
With heavy hearts, we took Kitty to the vet today and released her from increasing pain. The kids are heartbroken as are we all. Viv did a great job this weekend cleaning Kitty up as hygiene was a huge challenge. Both gave her extra loving which Kitty loved. Her passing was in my arms, very quick and very painless.
Losing her brings all the other losses of the year back into play, but it also helps remind me of great memories. She wandered off in Raton in the middle of winter last year and was gone for some time...days if not a week. We had begun to give up hope as there was frigid cold and a raging storm. I happened to look up at the window, and there she was...ice on her fur, hungry, but alive. When we had returned to NM from Mom's funeral the kitchen was a mess. She didn't knowck over her food bag to get food, but she DID manage to get the CATNIP out of a cupboard and it was all over the kitchen. Who needs food when you have Nip, right?
I shall miss her.
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Cats and Dogs
Or rather...cat and dog.
Our family has included Meowser Kitty Kat for a coupld of years now. Sadly, she had a run in with some larger animal that left her hind legs paralyzed. So, she now is The Dragster and manipulates herself pretty well with only her front paws. She wears little doggy diapers, KatNaps if you will, and gets a bath at least once a day. Those who know cats can guess what an adventure it is to bathe a cat! We are hoping that we'll be able to keep her, as she seems fine otherwise.
The pup, Colin, has healed nicely from his broken leg. The pin has been removed and the staples come out soon. He is back to being a Crazy Dog...very energetic and loving but has more energy than sense! This too shall pass I am sure. That's all for now. Hopefully will post pics of the animals when I can get the camera to talk to the computer again. Seems the camera and computer have had an argument and are not communicating right now.
Our family has included Meowser Kitty Kat for a coupld of years now. Sadly, she had a run in with some larger animal that left her hind legs paralyzed. So, she now is The Dragster and manipulates herself pretty well with only her front paws. She wears little doggy diapers, KatNaps if you will, and gets a bath at least once a day. Those who know cats can guess what an adventure it is to bathe a cat! We are hoping that we'll be able to keep her, as she seems fine otherwise.
The pup, Colin, has healed nicely from his broken leg. The pin has been removed and the staples come out soon. He is back to being a Crazy Dog...very energetic and loving but has more energy than sense! This too shall pass I am sure. That's all for now. Hopefully will post pics of the animals when I can get the camera to talk to the computer again. Seems the camera and computer have had an argument and are not communicating right now.
Monday, November 26, 2007
A Christmas Survey...
Welcome to the annual Christmas edition of getting to know your friends. Just copy (not forward) this entire blog entry and paste into an e-mail that you can send. Change all the answers so that they apply to you. Then send this to a whole bunch of people you know, INCLUDING the person that sent it to you.. 'Tis the Season to be NICE!
1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? BOTH
2. Real tree or artificial? Fake
3. When do you put up the tree? The Sunday after Thanksgiving
4. When do you take the tree down? JANUARY 1st
5. Do you like eggnog? YES!
6. Favorite gift received as a child? A magnetic doll house.
7. Do you have a Nativity scene? YES
8. Hardest person to buy for? David.
9. Easiest person to buy for? Viviane, my girly girl
10. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? "no gift is bad if it comes from the heart". That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
11. Mail or email Christmas cards? eMAIL
12. Favorite Christmas Movie? My Christmas Story
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Whenever
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Yup
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Ostkaka
16.Clear lights or colored on the tree? Colored
17. Favorite Christmas song? Silent Night
18.Travel at Christmas or stay home? STAY HOME
19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer's? Probably
20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Star
21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? One on the Solstice, One on Christmas Eve, rest on Christmas morning.
22. Do you watch football on Christmas day? As if!
23. Favorite Christmas memory as a child? My Mom let me skip a Sunday nap and help her decorate the tree. My sister had to take the nap. HA!
24. Did you participate in Christmas programs as a child?Yes, at church
25. Do you sing Christmas carols? Yes
26. Favorite place to be at Christmas? With family
27. Do you have to work on Christmas day? Well, I work 12 hr night shifts the 22nd, 23rd and 24th. Technically I don't work Christmas DAY.
28. Most annoying thing about this time of year? People who start to think its about THINGS and getting stuff.
29. Do you believe in St. Nick? Yes. I believe in the magic of Christmas and I call that St. Nick...there are miracles, love, and kindness that exist only at Christmastime and that is the magic...I also love making that magic happen for someone else.
30. Most memorable gift (childhood or adulthood): A pig eraser. That is, an eraser shaped like a pig.
1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? BOTH
2. Real tree or artificial? Fake
3. When do you put up the tree? The Sunday after Thanksgiving
4. When do you take the tree down? JANUARY 1st
5. Do you like eggnog? YES!
6. Favorite gift received as a child? A magnetic doll house.
7. Do you have a Nativity scene? YES
8. Hardest person to buy for? David.
9. Easiest person to buy for? Viviane, my girly girl
10. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? "no gift is bad if it comes from the heart". That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
11. Mail or email Christmas cards? eMAIL
12. Favorite Christmas Movie? My Christmas Story
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Whenever
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Yup
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Ostkaka
16.Clear lights or colored on the tree? Colored
17. Favorite Christmas song? Silent Night
18.Travel at Christmas or stay home? STAY HOME
19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer's? Probably
20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Star
21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? One on the Solstice, One on Christmas Eve, rest on Christmas morning.
22. Do you watch football on Christmas day? As if!
23. Favorite Christmas memory as a child? My Mom let me skip a Sunday nap and help her decorate the tree. My sister had to take the nap. HA!
24. Did you participate in Christmas programs as a child?Yes, at church
25. Do you sing Christmas carols? Yes
26. Favorite place to be at Christmas? With family
27. Do you have to work on Christmas day? Well, I work 12 hr night shifts the 22nd, 23rd and 24th. Technically I don't work Christmas DAY.
28. Most annoying thing about this time of year? People who start to think its about THINGS and getting stuff.
29. Do you believe in St. Nick? Yes. I believe in the magic of Christmas and I call that St. Nick...there are miracles, love, and kindness that exist only at Christmastime and that is the magic...I also love making that magic happen for someone else.
30. Most memorable gift (childhood or adulthood): A pig eraser. That is, an eraser shaped like a pig.
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Outta this world!
So, you are asking, what is life in Flagstaff like?
Well, the downtown has bowls of water on the sidewalk for dogs that come shopping with their owners. A horrifying number of dogs are dressed up. Dogs are ok in grocery stores, etc etc.
The city is a Dark Skies City, meaning that the street lights are designed to put light only on the street, not into the sky. Its energy efficient (also a big emphasis on the environment here), but the main reason for doing that is to keep the sky dark. There is a huge astronomy center here...the Lowell Observatory, and it needs as little light pollution as possible. In addition the Navy got lost and ended up near here with their big observatory. Astronomy remains a huge part of sailing, so that's why they are here instead of a coast. The Discovery Channel in conjunction with the Lowell is building what will be the world's largest refractory telescope near here too. It will be over 150 inches wide. The altitude here and the low humidity make Flagstaff appealing to all these star gazers.
People who live here tend to fall into those that HAVE and those who work for those who HAVE. There is a huge issue with housing because very wealthy people get 2nd homes here and drive up housing prices and the average Joe can't possibly make enough to afford to buy here. Another factor driving up housing prices is that Flagstaff is "land-locked". It is completely surrounded by state or federal forest lands, which makes it beautiful, but also makes it hard to build up an area of modest housing for Joe Average.
There are amazing archeology sites around here too. I drive by the ruins of an ancient pueblo every day going in to work. And every day I drive the Mother Road...Route 66.
The town is steeped in history, and we recently found a photo in a book of the first fire departments here in town. The team consisted of 12 guys who literally pulled the water to the fire in a huge bucket-type affair. The teams would compete against each other on holidays and stuff. So, we're looking at this picture from 1910 and get to reading the caption--one of the guys in the photo was Dave's grandfather! Another day we found an old newspaper article about Dave's g-g-grandfather. He was out herding cattle and his horse bucked him off and stomped on him, knocking him out. When he came to he walked 7 miles to the nearest train stop and then rode the train back to his house. Bet your're thinking "WOW! What a guy!" Well, yes. He died the next day, so the story wasn't a happy one, but it is still quite the tale. We found other news articles about his family coming to town for dances. In that time, people would come to town, dance til midnight, then a big supper would be served after which they would resume dancing. After so many years of emphasis on the Johnson side of the family, it is facinating and fulfilling to "get to know" Dave's family.
Tonight being Halloween AJ is planning to go scrounging the neighborhood for candy, but Viv wants to dress up and hand out candy to the little kids. I worked last night, so I just got home a while ago. My Halloween plans include communing with my pillow for a good part of the day.
Well, the downtown has bowls of water on the sidewalk for dogs that come shopping with their owners. A horrifying number of dogs are dressed up. Dogs are ok in grocery stores, etc etc.
The city is a Dark Skies City, meaning that the street lights are designed to put light only on the street, not into the sky. Its energy efficient (also a big emphasis on the environment here), but the main reason for doing that is to keep the sky dark. There is a huge astronomy center here...the Lowell Observatory, and it needs as little light pollution as possible. In addition the Navy got lost and ended up near here with their big observatory. Astronomy remains a huge part of sailing, so that's why they are here instead of a coast. The Discovery Channel in conjunction with the Lowell is building what will be the world's largest refractory telescope near here too. It will be over 150 inches wide. The altitude here and the low humidity make Flagstaff appealing to all these star gazers.
People who live here tend to fall into those that HAVE and those who work for those who HAVE. There is a huge issue with housing because very wealthy people get 2nd homes here and drive up housing prices and the average Joe can't possibly make enough to afford to buy here. Another factor driving up housing prices is that Flagstaff is "land-locked". It is completely surrounded by state or federal forest lands, which makes it beautiful, but also makes it hard to build up an area of modest housing for Joe Average.
There are amazing archeology sites around here too. I drive by the ruins of an ancient pueblo every day going in to work. And every day I drive the Mother Road...Route 66.
The town is steeped in history, and we recently found a photo in a book of the first fire departments here in town. The team consisted of 12 guys who literally pulled the water to the fire in a huge bucket-type affair. The teams would compete against each other on holidays and stuff. So, we're looking at this picture from 1910 and get to reading the caption--one of the guys in the photo was Dave's grandfather! Another day we found an old newspaper article about Dave's g-g-grandfather. He was out herding cattle and his horse bucked him off and stomped on him, knocking him out. When he came to he walked 7 miles to the nearest train stop and then rode the train back to his house. Bet your're thinking "WOW! What a guy!" Well, yes. He died the next day, so the story wasn't a happy one, but it is still quite the tale. We found other news articles about his family coming to town for dances. In that time, people would come to town, dance til midnight, then a big supper would be served after which they would resume dancing. After so many years of emphasis on the Johnson side of the family, it is facinating and fulfilling to "get to know" Dave's family.
Tonight being Halloween AJ is planning to go scrounging the neighborhood for candy, but Viv wants to dress up and hand out candy to the little kids. I worked last night, so I just got home a while ago. My Halloween plans include communing with my pillow for a good part of the day.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
The Complete Johnson
Howdy....have been blogging elsewhere, but since I like Nate and Maria's blog so much, I pasted all old entries here too. Hope that doesn't violate some cyber law. Guess I'll find out. :-)
Friday, October 12, 2007
The fam has landed
We arrived in Flagstaff Aug 13th or so. The first motel we stayed at had a worker murdered by his ex-wife. So we moved to the Bates Motel. Seriously, something had died or something and the stench was unbelieveable. I slept on top of the covers. The next place was very nice, but the guy next door was a Hell's Angel. He said "Oh, the cops might get here soon looking for me, just thought you might want to know." Luckily, at that point we found our new home and moved out of the motel.
We live in the country, about 6 miles outside Flagstaff. There are no street lights, so you can actually see the Milky Way. That also means you can't go out walking after dark. There are black and white cats around here, ya know what I mean? There is also a bit of a plague issue so the animals have to stay inside the fenced area, or just inside the fence to keep them away from the infested prairie dogs. That darned cat believes no one, certainly not her humans, has the right to control her comings and goings, so she sneaks out like a teenager going to a kegger. Grabs a mouse or two and then comes back in.
Puppy is not so lucky. He did run away from Dave once and very quickly snagged a prairie dog, but it was screaming and putting up a fight, so it didn't look like a "sick" prairie dog. Turns out, Pup had bigger issues. He somehow managed to break one of his hind legs. We have no idea how that happened...he was playing around one minute and yelping in pain the next. So, he is at the Doggie Hospital recovering from surgery. He comes home tomorrow with a pinned leg and a lampshade around his neck.
I found work in the NICU here, so have been back to work since Sept 10. Its going well. Very nice co-workers, nice unit, nice variety of patients. Dave and the kids are in Christmas Carol here, with Dave playing Scrooge. That should be fun. The kids have settled into school at Mt Elden Middle School. AJ still detests school, Viv still enjoys helping her teachers etc.
Since October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, I'd like to tell everyone about a great website...http://www.caringbridge.org. If you go there, type in "bridgethansen" in the search box (leave off the quotation marks). She is a friend who is putting up a heck of a fight against the beast, and her journal entries and those made by her sisters on her behalf are awe-inspiring.
Saturday, August 04, 2007
Hi ho, hi ho, its off to _____ we go!
Fill in the blank, we are off to _____________. So far, it looks like Flagstaff, but maybe the Sedona area. Waiting to hear from a Flagstaff hospice and the Flagstaff hospital. The hospice job sounds more rewarding and meaningful, the hospital job probably pays better. And the area is quite expensive, so its a tough call, but at this point in life, I'm leaning toward meaning, rather than money.
Mom's house sale is final. We no longer own 4004 Hall St. 42 years, give or take. Like sister Corrine said...the memories of the home can't be sold, we just sold the building. But I'm still more sad than I expected. The woman that bought it is a perfect fit for the house though. Mom would be proud and pleased with the new owner, I am sure. Still, to think no more Christmases there, no more Easter egg hunts there, etc brings a tear to my eye.
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
who da boss?
Me. I'm now working as manager of radiology and xray, both of which I know nothin' about technically. But I know people, and there are some fine ones in both areas. They seem to be in need of a fresh infusion of energy and there are lots of issues dangling around, so work time goes fast. Hopefully I can make things better for the staff, the hospital and the patients. Maybe yes, maybe no, but I will certainly give it my best.
meanwhile, and this is no secret, we are looking to relocate. Raton just isn't it for us. Right now we're looking at Flagstaff area. The adventure continues! Stay turned...
Tuesday, April 03, 2007
The realities of life versus real estate
Ok, I'm in Rapid City again, this time without mate or kids. Why? My Mom is in Hospice and I am her fulltime caregiver. This way she can be in her house til she's done on this earth, just like she wants. She has a fantastic Dr for an advocate and he helped our family get her home and snuggled into bed.
Taking care of her, I realize how relatively meaningless the whole real estate drama is. The house sale fell through again, and the potential buyers had been renting. That seemed like a good idea AT THE TIME. Then their financing collapsed with the fall of the subprimes. Now the wife has turned into Glenn Close or something. Threatening realtors with angry attack dogs, when the "dogs" are the size of large squirrels, etc. Psycho. And I could really care less. I just want to go hug my Mom again, while I still can.So, if you can, go hug your Mom. Life is good.
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
takin' it as it comes
We're officially on the market. The real estate market that is. Our humble home is priced right and has marvelous curb appeal. Alas, the funky basement layout is putting people off. Its funk, people, deal with it. The price is right! Hoping that when people look at other stuff in this price range they'll re-think their aversion to funk.
The jobs in Raton should be starting to shake loose here soon. Had to wait for a posting to close before they can decide if I get an interview for my first choice of jobs. But I will happily accept whatever it takes to get the fam on the road.
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
My First Blog
Nothing to say really, just trying to get the hang of this blogging stuff.
Sky! Sage!
You guys rock. I am so proud of both of you! Will send happy thoughts your way on Thursday! I emailed Chris that Sage may be contacting her by email re Thursday. The email I gave you was right...its a dot com.
Did I mention we are going to Roswell on vacation? July. July in New Mexico.
Friday, October 12, 2007
The fam has landed
We arrived in Flagstaff Aug 13th or so. The first motel we stayed at had a worker murdered by his ex-wife. So we moved to the Bates Motel. Seriously, something had died or something and the stench was unbelieveable. I slept on top of the covers. The next place was very nice, but the guy next door was a Hell's Angel. He said "Oh, the cops might get here soon looking for me, just thought you might want to know." Luckily, at that point we found our new home and moved out of the motel.
We live in the country, about 6 miles outside Flagstaff. There are no street lights, so you can actually see the Milky Way. That also means you can't go out walking after dark. There are black and white cats around here, ya know what I mean? There is also a bit of a plague issue so the animals have to stay inside the fenced area, or just inside the fence to keep them away from the infested prairie dogs. That darned cat believes no one, certainly not her humans, has the right to control her comings and goings, so she sneaks out like a teenager going to a kegger. Grabs a mouse or two and then comes back in.
Puppy is not so lucky. He did run away from Dave once and very quickly snagged a prairie dog, but it was screaming and putting up a fight, so it didn't look like a "sick" prairie dog. Turns out, Pup had bigger issues. He somehow managed to break one of his hind legs. We have no idea how that happened...he was playing around one minute and yelping in pain the next. So, he is at the Doggie Hospital recovering from surgery. He comes home tomorrow with a pinned leg and a lampshade around his neck.
I found work in the NICU here, so have been back to work since Sept 10. Its going well. Very nice co-workers, nice unit, nice variety of patients. Dave and the kids are in Christmas Carol here, with Dave playing Scrooge. That should be fun. The kids have settled into school at Mt Elden Middle School. AJ still detests school, Viv still enjoys helping her teachers etc.
Since October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, I'd like to tell everyone about a great website...http://www.caringbridge.org. If you go there, type in "bridgethansen" in the search box (leave off the quotation marks). She is a friend who is putting up a heck of a fight against the beast, and her journal entries and those made by her sisters on her behalf are awe-inspiring.
Saturday, August 04, 2007
Hi ho, hi ho, its off to _____ we go!
Fill in the blank, we are off to _____________. So far, it looks like Flagstaff, but maybe the Sedona area. Waiting to hear from a Flagstaff hospice and the Flagstaff hospital. The hospice job sounds more rewarding and meaningful, the hospital job probably pays better. And the area is quite expensive, so its a tough call, but at this point in life, I'm leaning toward meaning, rather than money.
Mom's house sale is final. We no longer own 4004 Hall St. 42 years, give or take. Like sister Corrine said...the memories of the home can't be sold, we just sold the building. But I'm still more sad than I expected. The woman that bought it is a perfect fit for the house though. Mom would be proud and pleased with the new owner, I am sure. Still, to think no more Christmases there, no more Easter egg hunts there, etc brings a tear to my eye.
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
who da boss?
Me. I'm now working as manager of radiology and xray, both of which I know nothin' about technically. But I know people, and there are some fine ones in both areas. They seem to be in need of a fresh infusion of energy and there are lots of issues dangling around, so work time goes fast. Hopefully I can make things better for the staff, the hospital and the patients. Maybe yes, maybe no, but I will certainly give it my best.
meanwhile, and this is no secret, we are looking to relocate. Raton just isn't it for us. Right now we're looking at Flagstaff area. The adventure continues! Stay turned...
Tuesday, April 03, 2007
The realities of life versus real estate
Ok, I'm in Rapid City again, this time without mate or kids. Why? My Mom is in Hospice and I am her fulltime caregiver. This way she can be in her house til she's done on this earth, just like she wants. She has a fantastic Dr for an advocate and he helped our family get her home and snuggled into bed.
Taking care of her, I realize how relatively meaningless the whole real estate drama is. The house sale fell through again, and the potential buyers had been renting. That seemed like a good idea AT THE TIME. Then their financing collapsed with the fall of the subprimes. Now the wife has turned into Glenn Close or something. Threatening realtors with angry attack dogs, when the "dogs" are the size of large squirrels, etc. Psycho. And I could really care less. I just want to go hug my Mom again, while I still can.So, if you can, go hug your Mom. Life is good.
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
takin' it as it comes
We're officially on the market. The real estate market that is. Our humble home is priced right and has marvelous curb appeal. Alas, the funky basement layout is putting people off. Its funk, people, deal with it. The price is right! Hoping that when people look at other stuff in this price range they'll re-think their aversion to funk.
The jobs in Raton should be starting to shake loose here soon. Had to wait for a posting to close before they can decide if I get an interview for my first choice of jobs. But I will happily accept whatever it takes to get the fam on the road.
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
My First Blog
Nothing to say really, just trying to get the hang of this blogging stuff.
Sky! Sage!
You guys rock. I am so proud of both of you! Will send happy thoughts your way on Thursday! I emailed Chris that Sage may be contacting her by email re Thursday. The email I gave you was right...its a dot com.
Did I mention we are going to Roswell on vacation? July. July in New Mexico.
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