Christmas is gone and New Year is upon us. Now we have a chance at a new begininng with Jan 1, to fix all the stuff we messed up on last year. That's what I like about the new year, time to try to get it right. Get what right you say? The reason we have new years resolutions? It kind of makes us feel better. to take our big eraser and get rid of the stuff on the big board of life that we did wrong and to start over. Kind of like the delete button on the computer. I remember typing on a typewriter and having to use white - out. it was messy and you could still see something had been wrong. but with the delete button I am free to back-up, get rid of it and do again. So maybe this will be the year that I can delete some of these unwanted pounds or walk more, or be less stressed. better at cleaning house. But I've lerned not to stress over all the little things like I use to. If I get it done great, If not there is always January 1 2011.

Hope you all have a full and happy 2010 and get a chance to do things over again better. Take Care and GOD Bless.

I was just reading a blog my aunt Eva wrote about one of their Christmas' back in the day. She said they were so excited because two of the girls got ribbons for their pigtails and one girl got an apron. my dad got a top and a new pair of overalls. And they all got a little peppermint candy. Wow to enjoy the small things life can give and appreciate it. Those were the hard days but greatful days.

Today we live in a time were kids have too much and aren't satisfied with what they have . The joy of receiving a top and a piece of candy in your stocking has been over taken by the disappointment of not getting the latest game system or expensive skateboard because the tv
has bombarded our kids with things that they don't have and really should have cause all they're friends will get one. Where is the joy of just being with loved ones, or joy of good health. I wish all that read this a Merry Christmas and a time to count their Blessings as we celebrate our Salvation through Grace God has given us. and love those who are near and dear to you. May God Bless you all and Keep you save.

Bonnie the monkey was one of the best pets I ever had. After we moved to Rosa-lou ranch vern went to LA to get the monkey ,and her cage and a cockatoo and her cage. At that time we were still living in a very small single wide trailer and the cages took up a lot of space. Bonnie was a squarrel monkey. small and very thin. with the cutest face. but she had a temper you wouldn't believe and would only let certain people handle her. At first we took her out of the cage with a leash on, but she didn't like the leash. as long as you stay'd in certain rooms she would stay on your shoulder. She sort of stired you with her little hand on your neck. If you started to go into a room she didn't like she'd chatter and start to pinch you.

I would take her for walks through the part of the house that she would allow and we''d go on safarie looking for daddy-long leg spiders that she ate like they were candy. We'd spot one and I'd raise my hand up , she'd climb up, grab the spider and pop it into her mouth. yum!yum! She also loved meal worms. The guy at the sporting goods store in Shingletown knew they were for her and he always filled the containers with extra. We had a towel in her cage and if something was messy she would wipe it off on the towel before she ate it. Once Sharon gave her a piece of popsicle and she wiped it off and put it under the towel. she went back for it later and it was gone. she got frantic looking through that towel. She knew she left it there but never found it. That was hysterical. We'd sit to eat at the table and her cage was across the room. She'd bang the latch on her door trying to get our attention. sometimes the door wouldn't be latched and she'd open it and run across the room and jump on the table before anyone could stop her and start eating out of someones plate. I'd have to grab her and put her back. When she got mad or excited she'd chatter. (her way of telling you off).

One day she had a stroke and I had to have Vern take her down to have her put to sleep. I couldn''t do it.
She was Rosalie's monkey but I took care of her and loved her. She asked me if I wanted another to take her place, but no there could never be another BONNIE. I was thankful for the 8 years I had her but didn't want to go through it again. Hasta la vista baby, till we meet again.

I woke up this morning with just a dusting of snow on my car. and since our heater in the house has been out since Thanksgiving, I'm thankful for a wood stove. I grew up in Ohio and would play out in the snow for hours and not feel the cold. But when we lived in Gabbs Nevada and it got to -20 degrees for a week straight, now that was cold. Every walk outside and have the hairs in your nose freeze, not fun. I would hang clothes on the line and they were dried by freeze dry. I can't believe they didn't break. haha. We had to break the ice so the horses could get water.
We don't really want to live in snow so it's good that we are 9 miles belong the actual snow level but sometimes we get a little and it's usually gone by night fall
Anyway everybody have a great day and remember there are 2 rules in life,
1. don't stress the small stuff.
2. everything is small stuff.

bye for now.

Judy and I are more then friends, we are like sisters. Her girls call me auntie gail and my girls called her aunt Judy. When we lived in Turlock Judy lived in a small house out on west main a little ways from town. The house was surrounded by corn field in the summer and the girls would run through the corn and pretend to get lost having a good time. One day they came running into the house yelling and my daughter kathys eyes were swollen shut. Aparently the pollen got into her eyes and she had an alergic reaction. Judy never seemed to panic, she just washed her eyes out with water and put cold washclothes on them to take the swelling down. It worked but believe me Kat didn't want to do that again.

Judy was teaching me how to make jelly one day and I really don't stop to think sometimes. I picked up the jar and poured the hot jelly , but instead of hitting the jar I hit my thumb. I guess my face went pretty weird cause judy started laughing and grabbed my thumb and put it under cold water. Again with the cold water. Boy do we really need to spend hundreds of dollars on doctors or just use cold water. I did learn not to hold the jar next time I pour something boiling hot into it.
She reminded me of the time we went to the store and was in a hurry. I got out of the car and slammed the door only my thumb was not quit out of the car yet. I opened the door , took my thumb out and looked at it. and was embarrassed cause there was someone sitting in the car next to mine. And my first thought was , I didn't want them to know I was dumb enough to do what I just did. It really didn't hurt till I got in the store and grabbed the item I was going to buy and by the time I got to the register it started hurting and pulsating all the way up my arm. and the tears started pouring out and the lady looked at me like I was nuts. She said " are you ok?" and I tried to tell her I smashed my thumb in the car door but couldn't quit get the words out. Again Judy went hysterical on me. At least she can say I've always been good for a few laughs.

Judy was not there for this one, but when Sharon was a baby another friend was over and I was trying to fix a bottle and she was screaming. I couldn't find the can opening so I took a sharp knife and stabbed down to make a hole in the can. Again I was holding the can like a dummy, and stabbed , but this time the knive went into my hand between my thumb and index finger. I stood there in shock with the knife in my hand and my friend jumbed up and yelled, "did you just stab yourself?" Believe it or not it didn't hurt at first. Needless to say I pulled the knive out and went about my business. Well the baby had to eat.

I've told you of my fear of spiders, Judy and her family use to go to some mountains not too far from Turlock and have a picnic and one time they went she called me and told me that the girls brought back a couple of tarantulas. I told her I wouldn't be coming over to visit. Some time went by and one of her girls had a birthday and she invited us over.. Forgetting about the (you know whats) we went. she had a few people over and as I went to sit down on the couch and was talking Judy started to come over toward me slowly and as I looked next to me on the end table there sat a gallon jar with a tartantula in it. At first I froze, then inhaled and jumped up and ran, only thing was I never exhaled. Her Brother Bill followed me into the other room and began to pound on my back and I finally let the air out. Pour Judy kept apologizing and I was going home. She had them put up but when the others came in the girls wanted to show them off and they didn't get put up before I walked in the door. In my life I've had a couple of small heart attacks and I think that was one of them.

Things are funny now looking back but not when it happened . The kids are all grown up now and all married and have kids of their own. And will learn lifes lessons on how to be the best parents they can be, like Judy and I did. All you can do is your best and alot of praying and hope they turn out ok. And so far they have. But our kids having their own kids will help them understand how hard it is to know to do the right things. and how easy it can be to mess up. Just have a lot of love and forgiveness and things will be ok. till next time.

In my life I have had soooo many wonderful friends, but one stands out as the best. In 1975 we lived in Turlock, ca. And a preacher talked a bunch of us into putting our kids in his Christian School even though most of us couldn't afford it. It was a guilt trip that if you loved your kids and wanted the best for them you will sacrifice anything for them to have the best education possible. Which is true unless you are already struggling to put food on the table and trying to make ends meet without adding an extra expense.
Anyway, I noticed an old van come into the parking lot everyday and a lady my age with two little girls, my kids ages, made a drop and drove off. We started to say hi, and eventually her van broke down and I would take the kids to school because it was on my route.
If it hadn't been for that school that neither one of us could afford and that van we would have missed out on an awsome friendship. Everything happens for a reason.

Judy and I hit it off right away. we both had weight issues and were on every diet know to man. We both were raising kids and at times didn't know what the heck we were doing. Our kids were the same age around 6 ,7,8 and she had a two year old baby girl. and two years after we met I had Sharon. We were soulmates. If one was down the other lifted her up, and visa-versa.

We use go to town and on the corner of main street in the drug store ,there was a hugh old time scale that you stood on and it took forever for the needle to go back and forth for all the world to see before you finally got your weight. That took guts. We bought excersie suites and took our pictures in them so we could compare the before and after pictures, I don't really remember much excersing though. anyway the before and after pitures never seemed to change.
Once we bought tennis rackets and decided that was the way to go. Only when we got to the park the gate was padlocked shut and we couldn't get in. However there were two skinny people in there batting the little ball back and forth over the net. and after we watched them for a couple of minutes I decided to try to squeeze into the little space. Not being able to accomplish this . I yelled out "Hey how'd you guys get in there? To which I thought I was going to lose Judy who was laughing hysterically. Our friendship has been full of little events like that.

I guess I really shouldn't tell this one but it goes to show how connected we were.
My mom lived near bye and had a neighbor that bought a baby goat. She had it tied up outside her back door and mom's little house was facing it. She called me one day really upset cause the neighbor had planned to raise the goat and eat it. Mom was really sensitive when it came to little animals.So I asked her what she wanted me to do about it. She said to come get the goat when they were'nt home and take it to Judy's. So I called Judy and we went over when the coast was clear and took the baby goat. We took it to Judy's house and her husband spray painted black spots on it so no one would know. We got away with it thinking we had done a good deed. (not actually thinking that it was stealing but saving a little life.). Well a month went by and the lady that had owned the goat was cutting my hair and started talking about how someone stole her goat. oh boy, I was in the hot seat. I might have took the goat but I couldn't lie about it. She point blank asked , did I take her goat and I told her yes but how did she know it was me? She said my mom told her. So we had to fess up and bring the goat back. so much for our life of crime huh? Which shows that you will get found out if you do something stupid.

Mom never drove so I would take her to the store and she hated to go with Judy and I cause we'd be playing around in the store and mom wouldn't even walk with us. cause she'd be too embarrassed. more about our adventures later. bye