Why can't I figure out the pictures?

An old church window

Old town Rethimno

by the Fortezza

Keivn in an archway circa 1400 in the Fortezza, Rethimno, Crete

Wow it has been a long time since the last blog. The trip to Greece was fabulous. . . I could live on Crete, but not really as I have no Greek relatives, and you have to be able to PROVE your Greek heritage to become a semi-resident - STRICT. Anyway, the sea, condo, island, people, beaches, towns, old buildings from 7500BC, donkeys, old ladys on donkeys, old toothless ladies, sheep, etc, were all beautiful. What a vacation! IF I get a chance I'll post some pictures.
We came home to busy, busy, working as Office Missionaries and keeping tabs on 185 19-23 year olds. It is challenging and rewarding, and we are loving the missionaries. WE are not loving the other couple in the office- they really don't have a clue that they don't have a clue and the learning curve is very slow. After 6 weeks they are starting to have an idea that this is a very busy office - HUH. We had to learn all this in 15 days - as transfers came in our learning curve and that is the busiest time of all. We are into our 3rd transfer and it is a lot more calm for us, but of course still a crazy time. Kevin is over Vehicles, think 185 teenage drivers, and I am over housing, supplies, and office manager. The other couple are sec., and finance. When we first started it was just the two of us doing everything. Anyway, we are greatful for this opportunity (even though I didn't want it). I think the Lord knew we would need somethng substantial going on at this time - go figure. We are loving having Val and the kids here too, I know it is hard on everyone to have the upheaval but I think it is working out-she may have a differet idea.

Gettin' Ready

So we leave for Greece in 6 days and even getting ready is an adventure. Since Kevin came home from Iraq, I have had to get him a ticket on the same flights as mine, (did), and now we are also spending a couple of nights in Athens to see the sights, so not just Crete. ANYWAY, we rented a car for the 12 days we're on Crete, and it's from the least expensive rental company on the island. We received an e-mail from "Mikanos Nikinos" asking for more info from Mr & Mrs Smith, and when Kevin replied to it the next e-m from Mikanos was a lot more friendly. "Dear Kevin and Barb," he wrote, and signed with "with kind regards, Nikos". I said to Kevin, do you think we are taking Mrs Nikos' car for the 12 days we're there? I hope she doesn't have to use the donkey to go get milk.
On another note, I have been tanning so I don't burn so much in Greece. I told Kevin he should be tanning too. So he finally agreed, and on the second tan, wanted more time. HE BURNED! Now he accuses me of putting him in the rotisserie bed - although I think he is sufficiently recovered to go again tomorrow. We'll see.

Perhaps It's The Weather . . Or Not

I went more than a little nuts today. It started last night and escalated until I was pretty much a blubbering basketcase, with no way of pulling myself out of the rut. Unfortunately, with my unbalanced state of mind, I was also ill. That didn't help. And I was supposed to watch my lovely grandkiddos. But I was physically sick, and mentally sick and THEN, a bright star on the horizon. I was pulled from the brink by a wonderful woman who is also my daughter and friend. She rode to the rescue, listened to the blubbering, gave thoughtful suggestions, comments, and good ideas. She pulled me back from the edge, made me proactive, and helped me format a "cure" for my tumbling thoughts. And at the end of the day I can truly say that whatever happens, I can handle it - there really was no bad, just changes, and change is something I can live with. Thanks kiddo for the rescue, I promise to be a responsible adult for the rest of time. Perhaps it really was the weather, or not.

Do not by rugs in Spokane

I went looking at rugs at the hubbys request - mostly shopping for information. What a horrifying experience. There is a rug vendor on 2nd Ave who is the most arrogant, SOG that I have ever had the displeasure to meet. He was unhelpful, snotty, and a total jerk. I was nice, but I should have been ignorant. Of course two wrongs don't make a right, but I would have felt better when I left his store. I will never darken his doorstep again, and neither should you. If you feel inclined to know who he is, you may ask. I'm not shy about telling.

I mentioned my "pleasant experience" to my neighbor this morning and she had a similar experience when dropping off a rug to be cleaned. She said a girl in the shop "tossed my rug into a pile on the floor. I don't know what I was expecting, but it wasn't that."

Courtesy counts for something and if this shop wants to stay in business I would think they need to learn the meaning of the word. THE END

AARGH

I've been trying to access this blog for the last 10 minutes. . . Apparantly I can't remember my password NOT, and if I reset it to the same thing it lets me in. How do you deal with this insanity? I may have to quit blogging.

What If It Was For Me?

Late yesterday afternoon as I was playing the piano, I heard a big vehicle coming up our street. Turns out it was a limo! The driver went past the house, into the intersection, then made a three point turn and headed slowly back past my windows. The front passenger was obviously looking for a house number and for a moment I thought "what if it is for me?". Then the thought hit that who would be sending a limo for me? Dad? Why would he send one, he's not even in this country. So the fantasy passed but it made me wonder. . . who was that big car for, where were they going, who sent it to them. . . Fun thoughts to entertain when you're by yourself, alone.

I was going through my desk trying to find something and came across a folder of OLD funnies from the last 15(?) years of e-mail. Some of it was soooo funny that I had to post it:

Things we wish our dogs would try and remember:

1. I will not play tug-of-war with Dad's undies when he's on the toilet

2. The garbage collector is NOT stealing our stuff

3. I will not eat the cats' food, before or after they eat it

4. "Kitty Roca" is not a food group

5. I will not roll on dead birds, worms, etc

6. The sofa is not a face towel, neither is Mom's lap

7. I will not steal sandwiches off the counter while they are being made

8. I will not steal bowls of cereal

9. I will not eat gardening gloves and then redeposit them in the yard after processing

10. I will not sleep on the couch

11. I will not get on the bed uninvited

12. I will not eat lawn furniture, hot tub tops, hot pads, watering cans or wind chimes

13. My head does not belong in the fridge

14. I will not bark in the car

And so it goes, and so it goes, and I'm the only one who knows. . .

You get the picture.

Just a thought

When I read blogs about families, or from people with children, I can't help but think: Whose side are you preparing you children to fight with? The final battle is going on, and there will be no fence sitters, with which side will you stand? Don't think it's real? Read the papers, watch the news, open you eyes - we know who the winner will be, it's the test that counts.

Maybe We Could Just Be Nice?

In the past couple of weeks I have had to wait in line at the post office three different times. I usually use the automated kiosk in the lobby, but these were international packages, and you have to have the clerk do his thing with the customs declaration. All three times I had to wait, I was at least number 15 in line. At first there were two clerks, then just one, waiting on all those people. Two of the times I was there, people have become irate about having to wait. Granted, it is not a real exciting place to be, and you really don't want to get into a big discussion with a stranger, BUT come on people - we are all in the same boat and making rude comments about the clerk, the service, the government in general, etc., etc., does NOT help the wait go any faster. It just makes you look (sound) like an idiot.
The first time I had to wait, a woman started ranting about how she had a meeting she had to get to at 3p.m., it was about 12:30 p.m. at the time. People tried to ignore her, but she escalated and was starting to get histerical. She let everyone know in a loud voice how she had to get home to let her bulldogs out for a potty break, get some lunch and get back to work. "What is wrong with these people" she kept saying. . .isn't there someone else back there who could help ME?!? The clerk explained that all the people were working, but that didn't stop this woman. She ranted and raved and then it was her turn. She was there to pick up a certified letter, and the old guy clerk made a big show of looking through the front cubbys, then said maybe it was in the back. HA He took about 8 minutes looking around or having a coffee break, but in general giving some payback. What a hoot! When he finally came back out, he looked in the cubby again and amazingly - FOUND HER LETTER. As she was leaving, not in the least repentant, several people commented that maybe she should have been nice, it might have cut down her wait.
Today, same type of situation. But this time two older men (older enough to know better), got mouthy. The clerk was by herself, and everybody needed something. These men got louder and louder so a supervisor came to see what was going on. They started on him! He shook his head and went back to his job. Eventually the same old guy clerk from above, came on shift. The line had been moving, but these old guys just kept up the derogotory comments. Finally they had their turn and moved on. I thanked the clerk for his patience and calm in the midst of annoying people. He said it was just part of the job. After witnessing these displays I can totally
understand "going postal".

The Puma on the Bed

When we came in this morning, mom said she was going back to bed for awhile. I love it when that happens, because as it happens, I have quit listening to mom. She said "No dogs upstairs!", but when she crawled back under the covers, I was on top of things. Really on top of things. (It's a good thing the comforter matches my hair, she doesn't get as mad if she can't see the hair.). Well, then that other dog started barking, and wanting to come up on the bed too, but I went into protective Puma mode, and bounced around the bed, looking over the edge, growling, snapping, and just being my great protecter self. And when the evil things under the covers tried to shove me off the end of the bed, I did what any protecter dog would do, and bit them.

We went back outside then, it was very cold. Mom did let us back in later - she said "I hope you have learned your lesson.". It's too bad I can't remember what she was talking about.

My Day Wins

I just read Holly's blog and then Aiden's blog and, yes, that was a tough day. BUT I WIN!!!!! I woke up feeling achy, had to go return a skirt at the mall, pick up the lights for over the bar, and go to WalMart. Not a good idea when you don't feel all that spiffy and things seem surreal - like the light is either hyper- bright and your brain is sort of spacy - and then you get in line behind a couple and make the mistake of looking at the back of them. Yeah, I looked at the back of this very tall, very large,black woman, wearing black jeans a hot pink top and yes, you're right, a HOT PINK THONG!!!!! All I can really see is the pink elastic and the disappearing pink fabric, and then my eyes burned out. One of my last thoughts was - Who knew they came in pink and that size.

Other than that the day was great.

I mentioned to Dad at 3 a.m. that his dog likes to poop on the glacier in the back yard. Who knew that was so funny? I mean scooping frozen poo is better than any other kind, but when you have to climb the glacier to get to it, it stops being a job and turns into a JOB. I have not fallen on the icy sidewalk or driveway thus far this year, and hope to be able to maintain that record - however, I do not wish to take a fall on the glacier amid frozen dog doo. I'm just saying...

Manatees Rule

I was watching the news last night and at the Portland OR Zoo the orangatans are given tee shirts from both teams playing in the Super Bowl. Apparantly in the last 4 years the oran's have chosen the correct team, so I was rooting for AZ to win this year because I figured I'd vote with the primates. Valerie saw something about Manatees' making the choice so she was voting for Pittsburgh. It was a close game, right down to the last one minute, and the Manatees take the day. Oh well, what do primates know anyway? The best part is the commercials anyway. Go to hulu.com or NBC.com to watch them - some of them were REALLY FUNNY.

Remind Me Again, Why Do We Have Dogs?

I worked at the Temple today and had to come home early because the tetnus shot from last Saturday is still a big swollen lump in my arm and makes my head ache. It is getting better but not nearly fast enough.

I decided to leave the dogs outside wearing bark collars, so that the neighbors stay sane, and it makes me feel proactive. I would leave them in so that burglars will be scared spitless when Duke charges where-ever they are breaking in, BUT Duke likes to sleep on the couch. I knew this because I have found dog hair on the couch, the living room couch. So, the gee-tar lives on that couch, and if the stars are in alignment, Duke stays off. Now I have learned that Dukey likes the family room couch too. Stinkin' dog! He tries very hard to be good while you are at home, but I think he knows that when the car starts, his window of opportunity is open - and he takes advantage of that.

Now leaving home with the dogs in is like preparing for D-Day. Gee-tar on one couch, magazines laying on the other couch, block the doorway from kitchen to dining room, open closet and stairway door and block so that dogs can't push open and come through. After all that work, coming home to one dog locked in, and one dog in the laundry room growling at you (because you must be a burglar), and then he smiles and is proud to show you how he can jump the 3' block in the kitchen doorway. Oh Joy - another reason I e-hat dogs.

Good Times, Noodle Salad

Valerie's family came over last night for dinner and to play the Wii. It was so fun for me to have to think up something to cook, and actually do it. Watching the boys get into the sports was great too. The friendly competition and their athleticism was a joy to watch. Such Fun! When it came time to do the dishes I was all over it. The dishwasher was loaded and I was cleaning knives in the sink when OUCH! jagged knife slice of about 1/2 across the side of my index finger. I've done this before, everyone has, you rinse it, and wrap it in a paper towel, apply pressure, and keep it elevated. All First Aid knowledge. But it wouldn't quit bleeding. So after about 45 minutes I called GH and got an appointment to see an after hours doc. It wasn't bad, didn't have to get weighed, so that's always a plus, got the finger glued back together (Ryan was right), and then the doc came back into the room and said "You need a Tetnus shot". No, I had one not too long ago - Yeah, 11 years ago! My how time flies when you're trying to not remember the one shot that hurts like heck. So I got the shot, and my finger in a splint for 48 hours so I won't bump it and reopen the wound. High Adventure. Just for fun, try typing without using the index finger on your right hand - oh yeah, the mouse is fun too.

Got That?

I decided to play with the pictures on the blog and then I wanted to change the whole title and then I couldn't think of anything so now you can't read the title or description and that's tough. It's the middle of the night again, and I'm tired but can't sleep. Kevin flew into Iraq Friday night, which is what it is here now, but is tomorrow morning there. Got that? So he's been there about 12 hours which is a guess because who knows what the time difference is from Kuwait, so when he calls we'll find out what is what. Got that?

I just heard a noise from somewhere in the house and I'm not generally the curious type, or the investigative type; that person is in Iraq. But I will have to investigate - thank goodness for big guns and a hubby that made me learn to use them. Hopefully if I have to shoot something it is a person and not a mouse. Hopefully no person is here except me. If it was a person, I think the dogs would bark, but maybe the bad guy brought treats, which makes him a good guy in the dog's eyes. Soooo, maybe I'll go say my prayers and go to bed. What are the chances of sleep tonight? Slim to none. Got that?

11 Hours makes a lot of difference

Couldn't sleep last night. I was in a foul mood, put the dogs out early without treats, and got on the computer for a couple of hours. I finally thought I'd be tired enough for sleep, but no. So I watched a little Letterman, Billy Crystal was hilarious, then thought I'd sleep, but no. So after taking half a pill, I read for awhile and then went to sleep, ONLY to be awakened 1/2 hour later by the phone and hubby calling from halfway around the world. He said, "I just finished lunch, what are you doing?" SLEEPING!!! Or I was until I had to answer the phone. Anyway, no herd of mean, wild camels in his day just the Army, which sometimes has the same temperment as the camels. So I wish he'd look at his watch and realize we're not in the same time zone, or maybe the important thing is that he calls, and he's ok, and he loves me. And I love him.

Meals on Wheels

This morning was garbage pickup, and per one of the last blogs, I had three - yes THREE- bags of poop-soup for the lucky garbage man. I pulled the "meals-on-wheels" cart into the garage so I didn't have to carry (ICK) the bags sooooo far. No mishaps, if there had been I'd be in a motel tonight, or Kevin would have had to come back from the mideast to firebomb the garage. So, it's all gone in the lucky truck to the lucky where-ever-icky things-go place. And this is another reason I e-hat dogs.

So this brings up a story: When it was Holly's turn to bring "meals on wheels" up from the road she decided to be smart and tie the handle of the can to Rocky's leash and let him do the work for her. Of course when Rocky heard the rolling noise behind him, he probably figured it was the devil after him, so he ran faster and so did the devil, and so he ran faster. . . right into the garage, but of course the can didn't make that small weave to the left, and it took out the tail light of the car instead. Poor dog, Rhodesian Ridgebacks can run really fast, but if the devil is tied to your neck, there's just no getting away. There is probably an eternal lesson here, like 'don't tie yourself to the devil'. Yeah, that's a good one, it covers a lot of ground. ;)

Tooooo Much Poooooooooooooo

It's been raining for a day or so and a lot of our snow is melting - I'm melllllting- so when I looked outside this morning, OH MY GOODNESS!!! the back yard seems to have been in a dirt clod throwing contest. HUM Must be the dog poodles showing up. Yes, well, I just came in from filling two black yard waste bags with offerings, well offerings and snow/ice, because it is impossible with a shovel or pooper-scooper to scooper just the pooper. I almost wish the snow was still there, or not really because that would mean the snow and ice was still on the roof. But anyway, the scooping is as done as it's going to be for awhile, I feel the need to change clothes and clorox my boots, so I'll talk later - I've got to go do laundry.

One more thought - This gives me renewed respect for Kevin Jr who was willing to go under the trampoline with a garden trowel and Wal-Mart bag, on his belly, for NOT ENOUGH PAY. At least it was all frozen then, but still . . . Love ya Jr.

I was going to post a picture, but this happened instead. Sorry

The snowplow song

"In the middle of the night, they come plowing down my street
Through the snow that's so wide, through the snow that's so deeeeep,
We all wake in the mornin', we all stare out in fear
How will I ever get out, how'll I get out of here?
In the middle of the night - I go plowin' in the, in the middle of the, I go plowin' in the, in the middle of the, I go plowin', in the, in the middle of the night.

So what are you doing today? Come on over, there's plenty of snow for everyone!

It's official

We knew it was coming, we knew it would be after the first of the year, so here it comes . . . Dad is leaving Tuesday the 6th . Two weeks in Kuwait then to his new home in war-torn Iraq. I'm not sure how I feel about it anymore; I know we are taking a calculated risk, so was his work for the last 30 years, but this is seeming SO extreme. We knew that too, but now that it's here I can understand how crying wives at the airport feel. I don't like this feeling. Someone from the company summed it up well: He called the LEP's "Patriots", willing to give up home and happiness to support the troops in the field who are trying to protect our freedoms, and by association, the LEP's are supporting our freedom too. That makes me feel better. All I can say is amen to the sentiment, and also that he better come home safely, or those dang Iraqis' will be so, so sorry. . . They think they're tough but they haven't delt with a menopausal woman from the USA.

On a lighter side, Christmas was great. All our kids here and grandkids galore, what a blast! So many bodies soooo little room in this house. That should make me happy, getting a new, bigger living space house eventually. Of course by then all the kids will be bigger, not want to go to grammas, but I will hold the presents hostage unless they show up. HA

Thanks to all the kids who made the trip over snowy passes, and over snowy roads to see grandpa before he left. I know the little kids don't understand, they say the word Iraq and have no real idea where it is or what grandpa will be doing, just that he will be gone a long time. We here at home will all soldier on, keeping the faith and praying for safety for grandpa and ourselves. Please God, keep him safe.

Wild times

So I kept telling Kevin on the phone that we had freezing weather, so cold I was actually forced to get out my big cosack coat, and then it started to snow. It snowed and snowed and the first night I went out back to shovel the dogs a landing from the dog door and decided to measure the snow on the trampoline - NINE INCHES. The next morning when it was still snowing I decided to measure again and there were 20 inches on the trampoline. By the end of the day when it finally quit snowing, there were 24 inches of snow on the trampoline. Thank goodness for snow blowers. I cleaned the driveway several times, got back some upper body strength from muscling the snow blower around and then the neighbors decided we needed to clean the street because who knew when the plows would come around. So, after three hours we had a clear lane on Virginia road. Mega -woman muscles! Since I had the big snow blower, I got to do the hard stuff and the others cleaned behind me. I don't know if Kevin believed me when I told him how much snow we had in 28 hours, but he believed it when he came home a couple of days later and found "white world" all around. The snow has kept coming, and when he flew back out today, we had another 3 inches for me to shovel. The official record for Dec 08 is 61.5 inches - that beats all previous records going back to 1890 something. WOW and now January starts and it's still winter and the hubby is gone to Iraq and I'll be doing the snowblowing some more - Hawaii sounds good.

Dad - found!

"Well, just when I thought that there probably wasn't a Dad, that all that tug-of-war had been a good dream, in the door walks . . DAD! I really couldn't believe it, I thought maybe it was the rubber from the garden - gloves causing halucinations, so I didn't get too excited. But then, Dad found the tug toy and now I'm a believer. Just so you know, no one else on the planet plays toys with me as well as Dad. They try, and they're good, but Dad is the winner. So I had a good ten days of fun and fury, and then today Mom and Dad left and only Mom came back. Dad had whispered to me to take care of Mom, but I didn't think it meant he wasn't coming back. He said maybe in the summer . . . That's an eternity to a dog"