I have already broken my NY resolution. One was to stay of computers until I get other things done.  this was my day today.  Watched a dvd 3 hours program last night and went to bed at 12:15am. Got up at 10:30. read paper, had breakfast. made bed.  I now have Desktop, Ipad. Amazon Fire tablet. and went and bought a 10.5 inch tablet. at Christmas time. Decided I would spend a minute seeing what it did. And was surprised to notice that every thing I put on the 7'" Fire which  is books to take with me on appointments as it goes in my purse.  Well every book I have on the fire now appears on the new tablet. I do a E-M on the Amazon fire and over it shows on the new tablet also. So ended up playing until 3pm just to see what would happen. I am at a loss now as to how all these things work. Must be something that works through Google.  As none on my things are the same make. I tunes seem to by billing me for books on IPad and Amazon bills for Fire all from the same CC number. I ordered a book from the library on the Amazon fire today. and i is showing up on both Tablets. Soon there will be nothing about us that will not be known.
I did manage to go outdoors and clean all the leaves and tree limbs  that had pilled up from the 60 mile winds yesterday. Also went to pick up the laundry. May as well just forget my NY resolutions.

Jackie - Yes, that's me!

Jack - I wouldn't mind trading that washer and dryer for mine! Mine is only a few years old but I don't feel the new ones clean as well. My washer is a front loader.  Part of it is the regulation banning phosphates in detergents.

Don - Wishing you safe and happy travels!

Shirley - It's a great group. We play in three groups of four. You change partners three times during the game.  Each person puts in $2. At the end of six hands the person with the most points is the winner and the two people she had as partners win 2nd and 3rd prize. It's all in fun and I've never known anyone to get snippy.    There is always an abundance of food to snack on.  It's my turn to be one of the co-hosts of the game in February.  Sue, from England, has children and grandchildren over there.  They are all in our Wednesday golf group as well.

Yes, I knew Gladys. We met at several of the Bashes. I used to say I wanted to be like her when I grew up. She was an amazing lady.

Our water has limestone which builds up around faucets and on shower walls.  It helps to squeegee the walls after each shower.

Jeanne - I can't wrap my brain around all that technology. 

I'm waiting for the robot who will clean my house and trim our shrubs.

Beverly we are fortunate with our city water.  Their source the Ohio River.  Never had water softeners. 

JeanneP,   I have not made resolutions for years.   Seldom kept the ones I made.  Now on the toys, I am on Comcast, pay them a bunch.   I use their Infinity app now and if I am not home but have wi fi available, I can view almost all their stations on the phone and pad.   Last week I was in the recliner,  I had the pad on my lap and watched a football game and watched hockey on the computer at the same time.  Sure beats switching back and fourth.

When at my favorite pub, it has lots of tvs on with different sports, but no sound.  Am able to bring up the game on my phone for the sound.   Gave up trying to understand, just pick up bit by bit from son, even the dummy books were over my head.

Jeanne,  I bought myself the new Kindle Fire  8, right before Christmas.   QVC had them at a terrific price.  I still have my smaller Kindle and I, too,  was amazed that everything I had on the old one, automatically showed up on the new Kindle Fire.  Even all my pictures.  It really bobbles my mind how all this stuff works.

I also had some problems when I first got it,  and I had to call for some help. The gal I talked to was in the Phillipines, I think.  One of those islands somewhere.  And, after about 30 min. she had it all straightened out. She had me "touch" something, and then she could read everything on my tablet that I was looking at.  Just unbelievable.  Wonders never cease. LOL

Beverly,  I, too,  am waiting for that cleaning robot. 

Joy

We're in the wrong hemisphere for that robot. They have working models in Japan!

I have the Kindle Fire 7 I purchased in 2012, the Kindle Fire 8 I received as a gift this past summer and a Pentax tablet for all of my Google books, etc. and two computers, laptop and desktop. The same books accumulate on all four through Amazon's Cloud Service which means they're not on my server, (my bandwidth); but Amazon's. However, the apps don't transfer as the books do.

Two things they did that we moaned and groaned about because no other parents did, was one, no allowance because you were part of the family and everyone worked. And two, when I and my sisters graduated from high school, we were asked for the house key back or rent.

My folks were not so much concerned with politics or religion as much as they were about us learning to read, have a good vocabulary, write, properly listen and understand. A civilized, intelligent debate was expected and while sarcasm was enjoyed and expected, ridicule or expressed anger or yelling got you immediately sent to your room.

The same method was employed in teaching math. I could be innocently eating my vegetables when my Dad might suddenly ask me what was 7X7 or 63 - 9? If you didn't know, you could be expected to have a little one on one with him and your math book after the dishes were dried and put away. You couldn't claim homework as that was expected to be finished in the three hours between your getting home from school and the parents arriving home from work. Again this attitude probably sprang from those large, poor, farming families and then the Depression and WWII.

Patricia, supposedly I got an allowance of 15c a week and I think it was to advance to 50c a week, however, the times I got it were few and far between.  I was brought up during the Depression and things were rough for my parents.  Dad had a job teaching, but at that time was paid only during the school year so my folk would scrimp to save money for the summer.  Dad did work some summers but at that time, he also was taking correspondence courses to get his degree, which he got in 1937.  A neighbor drove my mother, Norm and me to see Dad graduate from Western State Teachers College at Kalamazoo MI (now Western Michigan University).  Dad was 42 in 1937.  Mother died in 1941 from injuries from an auto accident.  I started working in 1942 for $75 a month.  I was to pay my dad X$ (don't recall how much) from my earnings.  I remember I was very upset because he had me pay rent but Norm didn't have to pay because he was saving to get married in 1953.  He was in the army from 1951 to 1953.  I did the grocery shopping and eventually I took over payment of the groceries and paid no rent - it about evened out.  We kept that arrangement until Dad died in 1970.

Dad helped both Norm and me with our school work, but he did not do it for us.  He talked us through it.  I was a better student than Norm, but we both graduated from high school.  I started work a year after Mother died and worked for nearly 44 years.  Norm was in the auto sales business from 1961 until he retired at the end of 1991.  He loved selling.

I liked what I did too - a variety of office responsibilities.  I took a college course in high school but only went one semester.  I worked for the same company all of my years.

More than anyone wanted to know.

Time for bed.

Mary Ann

MaryAnn, I slipped up and thought I was continuing the B&T discussion. I will not say my Dad talked me through my homework, he used a question and answer method and how you answered his questions determined the tone of the exchange.

Mary Ann - I enjoy reading about your life during those years.

Years ago, had they shown us what we would be doing tech. Wise we would not have believed it.


Specially with phones, Internet. Etc. they are way ahead on those things but way behind on health and diseases I think. Far more money spent on tech.stuff. 

Lots on them that I will never learn. Yet I amaze my self that I can do what I can at this age.

With having the 4 things now I can use which one is close to me if I don't want to move. Can tie in to each one and find what I want. I still don't like the mobile phones though. Mine usually turned off.
Had daughter and husband to dinner the other night. She was on hers as she came in the door. Had it in her hand talking until I give her the Evil eye. She then put it away. It is like a third limb to her.

Mary Ann, your growing up years sound like mine with doing what was necessary, no matter what. 

JeanneP, at one point I asked the "kids"... grands but was trying to get a point across to my kids & spouses... by suggesting "they all park their phones on the table in the entry hall when they came in".  Next time they came they just kept their phones in their purses or pockets. 

Okay, after church this morning I came home & grabbed my camera to go take pics across the river of the back of my house.... and on to the park after that.  The trees sparkled with ice & were beautiful.  As I stood across the river I heard big wings overhead, thinking it was a Canada goose I didn't aim the camera until it was already on it's way down river & I saw it's white head. 

Don't know why it's leaving all that "garbage" above the photos, guess I'll never figure the Gallery.   

Beautiful photos, Shirley.  I love winter pictures.  By the way, you should post some of your family heirlooms in the new competition.  If I remember correctly, you have several items that would make a good entry.  Very few have entered so far.

Shirley, two good winter shots, we did not get the ice.  Your timing was great on the bird photo.

Fixed it Shirley.  Great shots.   

Shirley your photos look like the winters we had for the last three winters. This winter we got snow slammed! But they say it probably ended our drought that stretched back to 2004. We shall see. Good photos and good shot of the Bald Eagle. There are thousands in S.E. Alaska, along the fishing trawlers but it is almost all Golden Eagles in the Interior.

Thanks, Jean & Jack.... I wish I'd looked up sooner to catch that eagle right over my head, SO big.  I had the zoom almost full out trying to get the ice to show on the trees around the house but couldn't get the whole house in & still close up enough to catch the ice on the limbs.  I've seen the eagle quite a bit lately but it has really good vision because it zoom off away when it sees me out.  "One of these days~~"

Jean, I have not kept up with the competition, actually forgot about it with all the family doings (holidays & birthdays & babies born).  I will go check it out.  Don't know why posting the photos from this Gallery left the
text link showing.  I tried both links offered, with & without the "Insert Hyperlink" button above.  Is there a step by step for how to post from the Gallery here?

If you look you can see the path my sons cut on the river bed, so I could get out to the water edge.  It is much longer than it looks, those little trees are actually in the river bed & the river used to be full to where those taller trees grow, guessing at least 30'-40' of sand, willow/ cottonwood young trees that used to be under water. I took photos of that part of the river bottom when I got the FZ 100 & no trees at all, (one camera, FZ 70, since).  On the left of the photo, the 2nd tall tree is the elm that as wisteria growing to the top & hanging down.  You can see why the cats love their playground.

Thanks, Patricia & Jeanne Lee...  I have not looked to compare the difference between the Bald & Golden Eagles, will do that.  These do have the white head but don't think it's white when a baby.  I used to get up early in spring & fall to take photos of migrating birds... we are on the main flight line so hope to do more out & about this year.  It was 4 years the first week of Feb that I had heart surgery & 4 years July 2 that Cas died, so life should be settled to my "new normal".

Shirley.
Those shot look like our outside yesterday. I love to see ice on the trees like that. (Looking through the window though) not walking in it.
Warm enough to melt today but a real mess


Must be so nice to be enjoying 70 deg weather.  I waited today for the fog to lift until 2pm . Still hasn't but I had to go to the closest store which is for me a Walgreen's. 3 blocks.  In the fog I  could see, with car lights on just about 30 ft. Traffic bumper to bumper.  Right by me you get onto the Interstate and I can see cars all backed up bumper to bumper. Be some accidents tonight. Reminds me of trying to get home from work in the UK.  Such fogs we would have. Usually would take half hour on the bus. There  were times when the conductor had to walk with a lamp in front of the Bus and would take 6 hours to go 12 miles. If there were a few of us going same place then we would get off and just walk.  So spooky
It is suppose to warm up and stop raining tomorrow.

Jeanne, thanks.  When I first got to England we had a one room apartment in the town of Marlow, shortly after Cas' friend & wife (GI & English girl) said they were looking at flats on the edge of town, much larger, & asked if we would like to check out the top flat.  We did, signed a lease and the first time I walked to town, down the spinny... quite a walk, fog rolled in and I had no idea how to get back. No kidding, I could not see the store fronts until I could touch it. 

Someone told me to get a cab (go to the pub) and have them take me home.  I really was terrified because we couldn't see the pillars at the bottom of the driveway and sure could not see the entrance to the path through the spinny.... but cabby got me home & I made sure I was never alone in town in the evening again!  I was 19 when we got married in Sept. '54 and took until the first week of Dec. to get everything taken care of, for me to get to England. Cas didn't have enough stripes for a wife to follow but "they" couldn't do anything about me traveling as a tourist & staying there.   

We seldom get a dense fog, but recall having it a number of times when in the service and stationed near Baltimore.  On one occasion we did as you described and had someone walk along the side of the road to guide us.  Would walk under street lights and hardly see the glow.   My Mother in Law tells of the time they were out for dinner and heavy fog developed.  The husband of the couple said to follow him back to their neighborhood.  They drove real slow for some time till he stopped.   She said they wound down the windows to see why he stopped - He was in his garage.

Jack, One of the reasons I retired early was after we move to a mobile parks\, I had a half hour drive to work, and i had to have the office open before the preopts. arrived at 6AM. so i was on the road at 5AM, in the winter, I had either ice or snow to contend with, or ground fog on all the ponds I had to go by, then you could not see a car in front of you. By the time, I got to the hospital parking lot, I would really be holding on the steering wheel. I would just thank the lord for a safe drive. there would be a lot of fog from the At. ocean, as the hospital was only a block away from it.

For us in the UK during the war 1939 to 1945 it was really hard in the heavy fogs as we were not allowed to have lights on the streets. Black out sheets over windows. and no flash lights. Could not even strike a match.
I got lost just one time. Left my grandmothers house on a foggy night just to walk 2 streets away. I turned wrong way and ended up lost . Found a old air raid shelter and started to yell. Strange thing was we had a man who was a deaf mute living bye. He found me. Just shows when you lose such as sight, hearing,all  sound, that nature gives them some other ways of managing. We had one young blind man on our street. Could get around in the dark better than anyone.
There were no cars on the streets back then as not allowed to own unless you a Doctor or got special permission.

Our first picture since my arrival in Israel. The teddy bear is something I brought with me and has been warmly received, probably because it's bilingual and can say "I love you" in Hebrew.

Wonderful Don and Bubble, bet there are a lot of "I love you" from the three of you.

GREAT picture!!

Bubble and Don - A "love"ly picture; I love it!

Mary Ann

Nice photo you two lovebirds. 

DON.....
....happy you accomplished the journey and glad to see you two back together....Great photo, look forwards to seeing many more.....Now as for the Teddy Bear....Rosemary Clooney springs to mind....Link....



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrJyw59OAc8

The picture is great on this rainy gloomy day.   

Oh! I am so happy to see such a happy couple.