A True GIft

Yesterday my friend from work, I'll call her Lori, found out her Mom was very ill in Atlanta. Lori had no means to get there and made a plea via facebook.
Enter Debbie, who used to work at our office, but now works at another firm up the peninsula. Debbie and her husband, John, pooled their frequent flyer miles and flew Lori to Atlanta that day.
Lori was able to be with her Mom and family.
Lori's Mom passed away this morning which is very sad, but she had a great gift.
The gift of an angel named Debbie.
We need more angels like Debbie.

Raggedy Ann

Meet Raggedy Ann. My friend and confidant from many years ago. I was thinking the other day about past Christmases and wondered, what was the best Christmas I ever had.
I was five and we waited in the dark downtown, maybe. I'm not sure where we were. We were waiting to see Santa. I know this was the last time I truly believed that Santa was real.
After waiting what seemed like a really long time, I got to see HIM. Santa. I sat on his lap and he asked me what I wanted for Christmas. I told him I wanted a Raggedy Ann doll. I probably got a candy cane or something and we went on our way home.
Christmas morning we three had our stockings lined up with an apple, an orange, some candy and there in front of my stocking was Raggedy Ann! At the age of five, this was a miracle to me. Santa granted my wish!
Like I said, we shared secrets and she was my special friend.
44 years later -I still have her and the stocking that was made by my cousin, Susie that hangs at our fireplace now.
Yeah, I am an old softie. I get weepy this time of year. Certain carols make me teary eyed.
I've had a wonderful life and many joyous Christmases. My Raggedy Ann and stocking are just sentimental reminders of what a great childhood and life I've had.

Bugs, part II

I think I've conquered the bugs in our cupboard. After both of us searching I found a bag of walnuts with larvae in it. Gross.
That has been tossed and there are no new moths in our traps in the cupboards.
Ditto, no moths in our closet upstairs. Pat had seen them flying about and was worried about our wool stuff, mainly my bunads.
Nothing in the traps upstairs and nothing new in the kitchen.
Phew - I think we're done with these beasts!

Meatball Mania

Once again, I chaired the meatball making day for our lodge's annual Lutefisk and Meatball dinner. I don't even know how many years I've volunteered to chair this, but I have it down to a science.
26 of our members came to help and we were done, cleaned up and out the door in exactly eight hours.
Craig made us some delicious Bloody Marys and Jeff made Mimosas. That helped get everyone in a good mood and we scooped and rolled meatballs in a frenzy.
We turned 425 lbs of meat, 17 dozen eggs, milk, onions, bread crumbs and spices into over 10,000 yummy meatballs Our crew ranged in age from 11 year old twins to a 91 year old member. We all had a great time helping prepare for our lodge's biggest fund raiser.
In two weeks we'll make lefse and the week after that, cookies.
We'll be ready to go and then bring on the lutefisk!

Pestilence!

I have been noticing moths flying around the kitchen. Yes, something in our cupboard is infected and I can't find it.
On one of Pat's days off a couple of weeks ago I tasked him with finding the host of these beasts. He found a container of nuts with them and tossed them and we thought we were done.
I put in a Pantry Pest Trap, which has sticky stuff in it and pheromone attractant. They work great and I highly recommend them. The trap is full of moths, there are still a few flying about and I still can't find them.
I've checked granola bars, oatmeal and all of the usual suspects. Since we got our kitchen re-do in July, the cupboards were cleaned out and there's not much there. They seem to be confined to one section, so I'm going to go through and annihilate them.
Bugs in the house is bad enough, but in the kitchen is just gross!

Go Giants!

I am not a huge baseball fan, but have had fun watching the Giants go through the playoffs and eventually get into the World Series.
The most fun of this has been sharing the experience with my octogenarian Mom. Not only is she a big baseball fan - she's a HUGE Giants fan. She knows the batting order, who's batting well and who's not, etc.
When she was growing up in Minneapolis, the NY Giants had a farm team in her home town. She and her dad used to go to the games together. I remember my Grandpa listened to every single game on the radio when I was a kid, so he was a big Giants fan, also.
Yesterday I told Pat we should make dinner over at Mom's. I had a feeling this could be the big night and it was. It was such a blast watching her beloved team win with her - yelling, clapping and screaming all together.

Closure

I had an amazing weekend with my family. As is our tradition, we end the summer by spending Labor Day Weekend at our Sons of Norway camp, Camp Norge.
This weekend was particularly good because my mom joined us and both of my sisters and their kids. We were all together and it was great.
As I previously posted, my sister Jeanie arranged with the US Navy to have my dad buried at sea. She got the "box" from the Navy just about the one year anniversary of his death. We all gathered at Camp Norge to open the box. It contained the flag they used during the ceremony, a letter from the Commander of the USS Reuben James, a video of the committal ceremony, three beautiful maps of the area with an American flag where the ceremony took place and the box camera she sent along. (I'll get the pictures processed this week).
The video was short but amazing. The Commander conducted a very nice ceremony with all of the sailors in their summer white dress. They committed their comrade Clyde Harris to sea and they had a 21 gun salute. We all cried, of course, but it was good. Turns out they committed him to sea in the same place where he won the Distinguished Flying Cross in WWII. His burial took place on May 12th. We all agreed it was a very fitting burial for our dad and we have begun to get some closure on his death.
The other great thing we did was that we were very "green" this year. In past years Pat and I have been appalled at the amount of trash we have created with paper plates, cups, plastic forks and the like. We bought plastic plates, cups and bowls and camping silverware. When we did this I figured it would be a total pain in the butt to do dishes while camping, but oddly enough, I actually enjoyed it.
We bought a 20 gallon thermos and a small water purifier. Every morning we fill the jug with water and we all have fresh water all day and no plastic bottles to dispose of!
We cooked all of our meals and washed our dishes, which were ready for the next meal.
The totally amazing thing about this weekend is that a family of 12, camping for a three day weekend had a total of ONE bag of trash! We recycled the cans and bottles of soda and beer, but we had very little trash.
It was very little work and everyone pitched in. I have discovered that we don't need to add to the landfill by camping with my family.

Tony the Tortoise

Turns out that our house guest for 20 hours is named Tony. His owner has had him since she was eight years old and no, he's not our Parnelli. She got him as a kid in SoCal and has since moved to Campbell.
The neighborhood where I found him has some sort of e-mail network and we found each other. She was in Chicago on her way to Michigan and I guess the tortoise sitter left the gate open. She was very thankful that I took Tony in and gave him a good place to hang out. I put him back in his own back yard today and made sure the gate was securely latched.
He repaid my hospitality by taking a crap on our patio and munching about a quarter of my impatiens. Even if a 40 year old tortoise doesn't have manners, it was great having him here. He was very cool. I relived part of my childhood with the desert tortoise and I did a solid for someone I've never met. All good.

Foster Mother!

I am now the foster mother of a desert tortise. I saw him cruising down the sidewalk when I was coming home from the office today. A man stopped behind me and I asked if it was his - nope. We took turns keeping him out of the street and knocking on neighbor's doors. No one knew where he belonged and none would take him in. So... I put the rug I keep in the car for Lucy on the floor of the front seat and he chilled out until I got him home. One of the neighbors gave him three large romaine leaves, which he powered through. I gave him some squash, which he seemed to like.
Funny thing is, we had two tortises when I was a kid. Noah (turned out to be female), we had for many years. He built his home in a mound of dirt and hibernated there every winter. Parnelli Jonah came along later. So named, because he was so fast. Both of our tortises escaped about 35 years ago or so when my folks had the pool put in. The builders took down part of the fence and put up some wire. Our beloved pets escaped during that project and we figured that someone picked them up and took them home.
Now years later, I know this isn't Noah, but it COULD be Parnelli. I wonder if this is our tortise? The neighbors around where I found him have my cell number and I'll look for the owner, but I think my family wants to keep him. If we can't find his family, he may become an addition to ours.
Lucy doesn't like him much, but Laura is trying to get her to be used to him.

Kitchen redo

We recently refaced our kitchen cabinets and got new counter tops. The cabinets are maple and the counters Corian. It was a lot of work, but we're happy with the results. Before and after pictures here. Okay the layout totally stinks, but I think you can get the idea. We went from painted old oak and tile with brown grout to maple cabinets and gray corian. I don't have the patience to deal with this now. Hope you all get the idea. :)

Boston Terrier Skirts

Our BT skirts came our very cute, thanks to my niece, Erin. I made the skirts and had the black and white dog templates cut out, but was unsure how to make the cuts on them.
Erin to the rescue! I put Lucy on some newspaper on Mom's dining room table and Erin "eyeballed" it and made the cuts. She glued them together and also made the leashes in a curvy, artistic pattern Thanks Erin!

Bye Bye, June

June is almost done and it's been a crazy-busy month. Most of it I was preparing for the District Six, Sons of Norway Convention. Three days of business with 165 delegates - keeping track of everything, staying on top of parliamentary procedure and literally not being able to walk two feet without someone calling my name and needing my attention. I did love it, but glad it's done.

Our son Brandon married his beautiful bride, Josselyn on the beach in Kauai on the 15th. It was a fantastic, whirlwind trip. We were only able to spend four days there, but it was a blast.

Last week was our convention. I think all went smoothly and we were ahead of schedule. Everyone was so upbeat and nice.

I am no longer the President of my beloved District Six and it feels weird. After four years of hard work I have turned the helm over to my successor and hope all goes well. Swede, the President who served before me, was gracious and awesome about handing me the gavel and letting me do my thing. I'm trying to follow in his footsteps, but finding it a bit hard to let go. I'll keep my mouth shut and let Lyle do his job.

International Director is the next step for me. I was elected at the district level and will be confirmed and installed in August at our International convention. That means after 14 years on the district board.... I have two months off!

We came home to a kitchen re-do. Refacing the cabinets and new counter tops. I've been hanging out with the contractors the past two days and am looking forward to getting back to work. Pat has tomorrow off, so he can hang out and answer the various questions.

Despite all of the efforts of the contractors to contain the dust, our living room and dining area are coated in a fine patina of dust. I'm happy I have two months to clean up this mess and put our kitchen back together.

Bring on July!

You sew and sew...

I am not a terrific seamstress, but I do know how to sew. I made a lot of the girls' halloween costumes when they were little - in fact, I guess that's pretty much what I sew, costumes.
We're attending a Sock Hop themed party later this month, so I'm making skirts for Kristen and myself. No, not poodle skirts - Boston Terrier skirts.
We were at the fabric store last weekend. Pattern, check. Felt, check. Thread, check. Zippers, check. Size... WHAT?
According to the pattern Kristen wears a size three sizes larger than she actually wears and I wear FIVE sizes larger. I went by waist measurement and Kristen's size 14 skirt fits her just fine. I'm working on my 22 now. Good grief! I know I'm heavier than I want to be, but 22? That's just ridiculous.

Daddy is on his way...

My Dad's cremains are aboard the USS Reuben James, seen here leaving Pearl Harbor on January 15, 2010. The ship is deployed for six months.
Let me back up a bit. After Daddy passed away last August we had much debate about where would be his final resting place. My sister Jeanie found out that the US Navy will bury their veterans at sea. We all thought this was a perfect place for Daddy. He was a veteran of the Navy in both WWII and Korea, fighting in seven major air battles, including the Battle of Leyte Gulf in the South Pacific. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross in this battle. He spent quite a lot of time in Hawaii as his home base when he wasn't out at sea.
The Navy has burial at sea ceremonies. They raise a flag, scatter the remains and take pictures. They will send back the flag and the camera along with the coordinates of where the ceremony took place. Maybe we can google earth the coordinates to see his place at sea.
Jeanie sent him to Hawaii last fall and we haven't heard a peep from the Navy. Mom was afraid they lost him and we were all picturing him in our minds stuck in a warehouse on the Naval base there. We got an e-mail from Jeanie today with very good news. The remains are stored in the Navy hospital there until the ship is deployed. Much more dignified and respectful than we imagined.
Seeing this picture and knowing he was on board that day has brought up so many feelings. Of course I was at the office when first looked at it and started bawling. Out of sadness for losing my dear father, out of gratitude for the US Navy for taking such good care of their veterans and knowing he was on that ship the very day this picture was taken.
Bon Voyage, Daddy. We all look forward to seeing your final resting place. We're all glad you're free of pain, but miss your smile and wicked sense of humor every day. We quote you almost daily.

New Photo Blog

My daughter, Kristen, started a 365 project this year. She has taken a picture every day and posted it on her blog. Since I have a new camera, I asked her if she would mind if I did it, too. She said "do it, Marger!"
I took my first picture last night on June 1st. Look for a link here when I figure out how to log up and upload pictures.

New technology

I am a photography buff and have been for years. I have been lusting for a digital SLR forever and finally bought one today. I'm so excited! I got more than I expected and about 30 bucks under my maximum budget. The painful part is I have to wait until tomorrow to play with it while I wait for the battery to charge. I read the manual today and I think I'll be more than happy with my purchase.

Now to the disappointing part. My OLD stand by - a Pentax ME Super SLR which I bought about 30 years ago is a great film camera. I have three great lenses including an 80-200mm zoom. The big lens has hardly been used, so I thought maybe some dinosaur like me would like to buy it on E-Bay.

OH MY GOD was I ever disappointed! I found an ME Super with 50mm lens PLUS the 80-200 mm lens for $22! I can't believe that someone won't pay more money for this great old camera. I'll just hang on to it and maybe I'll take it out and play with it now and then. I probably won't, looking at what my new camera can do. But my frugal Norwegian nature will kick in and I'll keep it until NO ONE supports film cameras. I totally see myself doing this.

Oh, and the ad on E-Bay said the camera was "vintage" I guess I'm vintage, too. Crap.

Letter I wish I could send

Dear Prospective Property Management Client,

I am a Real Estate Broker, not an Attorney. I will only work for you if I use my lease - the one written by Attorneys for the California Association of Realtors. No, I will not amend my lease to remove the mediation clause. No, it is not reasonable for you to appear at the tenant's door at 7 pm on the first of every month and collect rent. No, it's not reasonable to demand first month, last month and a security deposit for a tenant to move it. It's not reasonable that you don't allow a barbecue or grill of ANY kind on your cement patio. It's also not reasonable for you to not fix the appliances should they need repair to work properly.

I repeat, I am not an Attorney. If you wish for any clause in the lease to be intrepreted legally, ask your Lawyer. I do not wish to work for people who are not reasonable.

Sincerely,
Janie Harris Kelly
Broker
Viking Property Management

Obituary Observations

Yes, I read the local paper every day. And yes, I also read the obits every day. I guess it's a hazard of living in the same area for almost 50 years. I know a LOT of people and I like to keep track of them and their families.
I have noticed a trend over the last year or so which I find very odd. One of the things I love about living in this valley is that we are very culturally diverse. Why is it then that different ethnicities seem to die in clumps?
I'm not kidding. On any given day or period of days there will be a majority of the obits of one ethnic group. One day it'll be a bunch of Italians, a few days later - it'll be Filipinos, then it'll be Japanese, then Chinese, then Mexican. It's the weirdest thing. It's like there's a death vibe in the ethnic community and a bunch of 'em die a couple of days apart.
I know this is a freakish thing to notice and I'm probably the only one to do it. Okay, so I'm a freak

The Wheels Grind Slowly..

As in the wheels of city hall.
This is a very long story. The Cliff's Notes version is many years ago, Pat put his boat into his buddy, Eric's name, so he could keep it on Lake Wildwood. The bill came for the unsecured property taxes for the trailer and somehow Eric misplaced it. The dang thing finally went to a lien before WE got the bill. I paid it - get this - $53 and change back in 1997.
We've been trying to get this stupid lien off our credit for 13 years. Seems the folks in Nevada County weren't really interested. It came up when we refinanced our house, when we bought investment property and when Eric sold his home and bought another.
Each time I provided Nevada County a copy of the front and back of the canceled check. No dice - no one wanted to talk to us.
Today we got a call from a title company asking about this - I have a copy of the check - have had a copy I can lay my hands on for YEARS!
I'm not really sure why this is an emergency all of a sudden, but apparently if I e-mail a copy of said check to this nice woman at the title company up there, it'll all go away.
I'll be glad to get this cleared up - it's been bugging me forever!

Ukulele

My Dad loved playing his ukulele. In fact, the slide show I made for his memorial service had a background of uke music.
Here's me, the dork, with Daddy's uke that he bought while stationed in Hawaii during WWII. He played little dittys like "Ain't She Sweet" and "Hawaiian War Chant".
Mom gave me Daddy's uke today - Pat cleaned it up, restringed it and I got a couple of felt picks and a book. Me, the total spaz, sort of learned a crappy version of "Down in the Valley" tonight. A lame song with two chords.
Laura picked it up and started playing "Sunshine of your Love" by Cream. Sheesh. In my defense, she's been playing guitar for about eight years.
She has an alto uke my dad gave her years ago, which she hasn't touched. They are now both tuned up and we are ready for dueling ukuleles. I am certain to lose this match.

Today's Chuckle

I had a good laugh today. One of the properties I manage has a broken chimney and there's not enough room in the side yard for the scaffolding necessary to fix it. We need permission from the neighbor to put the scaffolding in their yard for a few days.
Both the Mason and I have been trying to work this out. The Mason, Patty, got there before me. She left me the following message yesterday.
"Hi Janie, it's Patty. I talked with the tenants next door and they said we need permission from the homeowner. Her name is Mrs. Fu, spelled F U... " then she starts laughing before she can leave me the message.

Ruthless

Today I went out to a new property I took on recently to take pictures and put a "for rent" sign in the yard. As I was leaving, I met a man about 30 years old. He introduced himself as Ruben and asked about the house. I asked if he wanted to see the inside and he said not now. We were standing in the street in the driveway next to Ruben's house talking about the house and the terms of the lease.
All of a sudden, this small SUV came whipping into the driveway. We both jumped out of the way and the driver pulled into the garage and shut the door abruptly. She obviously saw us and damned near hit us.
I looked at Ruben with a shocked look on my face and he sort of shrugged and said "that's Ruthless". I said "Wow, she's kind of a bitch, huh?"
He says "No, she's a real bitch".
That was a pretty funny exchange and now I know to look out for "Ruthless".