Fifty years!

There are still no pictures downloaded onto this computer, and I have a good reason.  This past weekend was my 50th high school reunion.

To prepare for this event,  I treated myself to new clothes for the weekend.  Usually I shop the clearance racks.  I hate to pay a lot for clothes.  But I wanted to be self-assured for this deal!  I still got a lot of bargains.  So all that was good,

Friday night was the mixer.  I found a few of my friends from high school.  We visited for a while, but overall most of those who were there weren't my good friends.  So we decided to pack it in after a couple of hours to eat.  That's when a good friend from the past found us in the restaurant.

Saturday was a full day.  I have often spoken and even shown pictures of my high school.  It is a beautiful campus    It was built in the depression years.  It is a Moroccan style with columns, painted plasters, tiles all located on a huge plot of land.  It was so much the same. We got to tour the school on Saturday morning.  Some modifications have been made to the school - and more are going to be happening due to safety reasons.  It was such a joy to be in those halls once again.

At lunch, the middle schools had reunions.  It was there I got to see some really old friends, but missed talking to some because I thought they would be at the dinner that night.  Of course, the bill for two would be $100.  But I did make a little contact, if only to know they are still alive.

The dinner was beautiful.  I was able to sit with the "girl" who was set to be my room- mate.  She ended up not going to that college, and I changed where I was going as well.  But it was so good to catch up with her and another of my friends.

When we were being seated they had playing, in the background, the school song, fight song, and a most favorite cheer (that I think is still being used today).  I had to fight tears, and had a huge urge to "salute"  as we did in the "pep squad" at the football games.

It was such fun.  Then on Sunday, before coming home, we met my matron of honor from my wedding.  She graduated a year ahead of me, so she wasn't at the reunion.  It was a good visit.

I was so struck by the different ways we have aged.  Some look the same, others I still don't believe their name tags!  Of course, I was worried about being there with all my extra pounds.  I imagined that everyone would still be slim and trims as they were in high school.  And, in fact, some were.  The really popular ones mostly were still slim.  But some were carrying as many extra pounds as I.  Of course, I shouldn't have stressed over it.  Let's face it - time (menopause et al) most often brings pounds.  And many of us have faced chemo.  That doesn't help.

And so now I am sitting here really wanting a 51st reunion.  I hope they plan, and have, a 55th if not one sooner.  It was such fun.

Still no pictures

I am still fighting working with Windows 8.   It has a lot of things like 7, and I wasn't really in love with 7.  I was so comfortable with XP.  I am  not sure about some of the quirks I have going on.  I don't know whether they are Windows 8, the computer, and/or the new Office 365.  Anyway, this is a steep learning curve.  I used to think I was pretty computer literate, but I have really been left in the dust now!

I have found an individual who tells me he probably can get the files off the Dell.  I am in a quandary.   There is a computer repair place near-by, and G took his computer there.  He was very pleased. I just don't know what I am going to do about that computer.  I so dearly want the files back.  There were pictures, my family trees that represent hours and hours of work.  Just so much.

I had downloaded and saved the embroidery designs.  They are all safe. Why in the heck I didn't deem the other files important, I have no idea.

Today is going to be busy.  I want two new outfits.  I don't need them, but I want them.  It will give me a boost in confidence this weekend at the 50th high school reunion.  I never lost the 30 pounds I wanted to.  That sounds typical doesn't it.  My wardrobe has fallen into the very casual category, and while this is "business casual" I really don't have anything that fits into that category.  So - spend more money!

This afternoon, Lady Bug plays her first volley-ball game.  She is, of course, on the A team and is a starter.  That is something that we just take as normal because she really has physical talent, and she is so driven.  She is totally a type A, and she doesn't accept anything else from herself.  That scares me.  I have seen to many of those kids.

I was going to DIL's this afternoon to take the trinkets we brought back.  Son didn't really like that.  He actually wants to see his parents, which is like him.  So we will go out for dinner with them.

 G doesn't like all this socializing.   He is turning into a hermit.  I really think he needs to see a specialist to do something for what I see as depression.  He is very different from 4 years ago.  In fact, I do not like the new person too much.  But I guess like all relationships and marriages, this does happen periodically.

So I won't get to working with pictures until  next week.  I got Photoshop downloaded, I have the problem with a program for my embroidery, and I got the family tree maker on the computer - just missing the families.  I need to find the CDs that I have at least some of the information stored on them.  I had been planning to re-join Ancestry anyway, so I can work on the data that way.

So busy, busy until Monday.  See ya' then!

Hello from the depths of despair.

I just know that you are awaiting vacation pictures with baited breath. Everyone just LOVES someone else's vacation pictures, and I will bring you this pleasure soon, but first I have to load all the programs I used to have (and some are gone forever) that don't seem to want to play with Windows 8.  There are plenty of problems for me here.  New computer, new keyboard (and I am not a typist anyway), hitting keys that do things I don't want to happen, having the screen change for no apparent reason, and trying to remember those danged passwords as well as user names.

So far, I hate 8.  I wasn't a fan of 7; finally felt comfortable with XP, but here I am.  I think I will have to find a Windows 8 for Dummies to try to figure this OS out!

For those of you who, like me, live(d) in La-la land, PLEASE back up your files.  Your computer will fail.  It is as certain as our deaths.  So like I feel that death is for everyone else, my dear departed Dell was never going to die.  I could have those files stored there forever.  And if I wanted a new computer, I could ju st, as before, migrate my files onto a new computer.

Nope!  So lost are my family trees, my self made cookbook, my pictures of Simone, the kids, past vacations, etc all because I was so stupid.  Lost are those *&)(^ passwords because, if you find problems like me, you have to change them often.  Of course, when G retired and commanded the computer desk putting me here at the kitchen table, I didn't keep up with my "little black book" of passwords, and never had something ready to organize those new password..While I try to make them easy to remember, I don't remember who has which easy password.

Then it comes to downloading programs.  One of my dearest programs seems to not play with 8.  Not in it's present form.  Fortunately the software guru that wrote this program is easy to work with.  The problem with this program is that I loaded it from a CD that may be set up in an old format - because, after all, my Dell wasn't supposed to die.  I have emailed for help.

Please, please back up your computer. My Dell had survived a lot of bumps and jars.  When I dropped it, the distance was less that 6 inches.  I thought that was not going to be a problem, but after it happened,  I had a terrible feeling in my gut that that was the end.  Sure enough.  It was.

When I bought this one, the IT guy tried to migrate my files.  After two days he finally said he couldn't.  I asked my son if he knew any computer gurus.  They all are too busy.  But one thing they said was to not keep trying to get it going.  The less it runs, the better.  AND do not use the store's IT guy.  They don't know what they are doing and do more harm.  It can run upwards of $1000 to retrieve the files.

So alas,I have done everything wrong that could be wrong.  Use my stupidity to learn for yourself - and not the hard way.

Big Silver Bird Day

We spend the night on the plane. We take off here at 5 pm and arrive in Houston at 4am - if all goes well. I am packed. But then I never completely unpack! Even when I do "unpack" things - I put my stuff in the bags that linens come in. Makes it much nicer - especially if your bags are searched. Mine were searched both coming and going from Los Angeles during the trip from hell around the LA airport. G, on the other hand, unpacks everything. And with that statement, it explains the fact that he has lost a belt, paperwork (i.e. flight information), and something else. I will post a picture of his dirty clothes and that bag will just be forced into a suitcase. Don't know where he is going to put those Ulu knives. I really am looking forward to getting home. I will be sad that I didn't get to do some things here in Alaska. I knew if I didn't go on the train trip yesterday I would miss animals, and I did. The whales were active, there was a sheep about 200 yards from the track, and someone says they saw a bear on the mountain. If I had known about the nature preserve here, I would have made sure to go, and I started to yesterday. I was too chicken to go by myself. I will bet my luggage gets searched this trip because my poor dead Dell is in there. It is well protected, and I really don't think anything can do any more damage to its hard drive, but I still worry. The tech said he could get it to boot, but the error message said there was too much damage. I am hoping someone in Houston can access it. Talk to you in a couple of days. I can't believe the hours of our flight, but that was the way it was getting here. This time the layover will be in Tacoma rather than Chicago. See ya'.

Sad, sad, sad

Last week I dropped my beloved Dell laptop.  It slipped from my fingers as I was getting ready to put it into its case.  It would never boot again.

So I went to O*fice D*pot looking for another laptop   While we were in Fairbanks, I did manage to get it to run some checks.  I got to the part where it was checking blocks.  Every 200 I got an e rror message.  I knew that all my files on it were gone.  All my Simone pictures, my recipe collection, vacation pictures - gone. The only thing I took off was my newly downloaded embroidery designs.  It is so easy to look back on things.  I am so sad right now.a

So rub salt into my wounds, the new computer runs on Windows 8.  A new keyboard and a new OS, this is simply too much for me!
 
The trip is really good though.  We have seen some moose,  and Beluga whales!  They are in the sound feeding on the salmon.  We have seen salmon spawning in a little roadside ditch!  We have perhaps seen Dall sheep HIGH up on the mountains.  I just want to see a bear! I promise I will begin uploading some pictures because this is so beautiful. I didn't take today's train however. I have seen so many mountains, glaciers, and the like. Yesterday about half the train did see a bear - going after a crew man. But today was going to be a lot of run-bys (folks get off the train with their cameras, tripods and so on to become animals about getting their spot to film the train running back by), and I was so hoping that I would get the word that Brandon at OD could migrate my old hard drive to this computer. But no - so I will take it home to see if someone in Houston can get my stuff back. Tomorrow we will get on the plane, and it is really time. So many things and places we have stayed are closing right after us!!!

i sm alive

This is from my Kindle Fire.  Computer broke just bought new one.  Pray that files transfer to New one.  Hope to post tomorrow we or next  day.  Alaska beautiful!

Made it

I may have made it to Alaska, but I am pretty sure I would never make it to Europe or Australia.  The six and a half hour flight from Chicago just about did me in.  By the time we were almost here, I was wondering if I was going to become one of those unruly passengers that is banned from flying - or at least taken away someplace after landing the plane.

I was so miserable I could cry - and we were in  Business Class which means that rather than the 17 inch seats with 6 inches of leg room, we had 17 1/2 inch seats with 12 inches of leg room.  Oh yes, and we had the leather seat that resembled a recliner chair.

We had to lay-over in Chicago.  Now - I love Chicago.  O'Hare, not so much.  We thought we wouldn't have to change planes.  Well, that wasn't true.  Not only change places, we had to change terminals too.   My luggage consisted of the travel tote (Vera Bradley that daughter and DIL gave me for my birthday -so I had to use it so feelings weren't hurt), computer bag (with various other things besides the computer), and my rolling bag.  You  notice the "rolling bag" came last.  That's  because it was checked.  When I packed, I
thought - OK - all this other stuff goes on the rolling bag and all is well.  Changing terminals - it wasn't OK.  
But I became super trooper and bullies my way all the way across two terminals to get from the landing gate to the departure gate.

I haven't seen  much of Anchorage yet, but what I saw from the airport is really beautiful.  I have pictures of the mountains that we flew over on my cell phone - the only camera I had in my possession.  I have to email them to myself, and then I will post them.

I can post pictures of what most would consider a problem here.  Only one is a real problem.  The train isn't because after last year when we discovered sound machines in Savannah, I have one.  The bathroom one - without a big argument and all, there is nothing I can do about that.   I have lived with it for 45 years now, and it ain't gonna' change.

 You will notice there is not much remaining room.  Nothing thee is mine.  When I brush my teeth - I have to balance everything on the front part of the counter.  All my "stuff" is out in my suitcase until I need it.   Fortunately I used the little make-up remover cloths that are packaged.

   That is the train we will be taking to Fairbanks tomorrow.  We are across the street from the station.  That means a lot of train traffic.  Come to find out, we are not the only ones with the convention staying here!  Wonder why?

Pay no attention to the dates on the pictures.  I changed batteries, and didn't change the date.  I need to remember to do that.

Tomorrow

Tomorrow is September 11.  The terrible day in history, and we are celebrating it by getting on a plane that heads from Swampland to Chicago (love the city - hate the thought of their airport(s)), then on to Alaska.  I feel a bit like Alfred E Neuman (and if you are under 30 you may not know who I am referring to) with his :what me worry?"  Well, yeah.  A little.

There are little things  that are going wrong with this trip, but I guess that's to be expected when things are planned so far in advance.  The first was that we were to be on a plane, that while it stopped in Chicago, we didn't have to change planes.  Well - no  more.  That has me a tad worried.  Now we have a lay-over in Chicago, AND I can't enjoy the city.  Oh well.

Then we have been expecting Clyde's records.  They were supposed to be here Friday or Saturday.  Nope.  And they didn't come yesterday.  I really didn't panic until yesterday because we have such lousy mail service.  I guess it's karma or something.  My dad was a letter carrier and later supervisor, so it is natural that I would be getting lousy service all these years later.

Sending the records is normal for an adoption group.  They want to be sure they get their monies!  Who can blame them.  Anyway, Ann sent the records along with the tags for the microchip and rabies tag.  Those are important, and cannot be replaced.  As it was, Ann had to go to a restaurant to send the copies via email since they don't have internet at their property.

So there are little hitches.  I have to believe that all will be well in the long run.  This is a trip of a lifetime for me.  I wish we could have added a cruise along the coast, but we will be riding trains that will be going where a lot of others don't get to do.  It's a trade off!

The best news - I finally learned to cut the amount of clothes I pack for a trip. I never admit that I return home with clothes that have never been on my body during that trip!  So I really cut down - still more than I had originally intended - but I got it all in ONE suitcase.  Yea me!

I DID forget to mention

I did forget to mention that we adopted Clyde - escape artist that he is and all.  Even though we will be leaving him for two weeks plus another weekend.

He went to the SSB with us.  We got to spend extended time with him.  It was his first time without Bonnie.  She went back to the rescue group.  He did well.  My grandson spent time with him and said that he really liked the dog, but I really think it was because his dad was talking the dog up so.  I don't think he really liked Clyde so much.

September 5 was the day Clyde was going to be picked up, so we needed to make the decision - before then.  So I emailed Ann.  She was thrilled.

It was then that the escape artist became the destroyer.  Almost as fast as I could crate him, he would be out.  I put him in Simone's hard-sided crate.  He became hysterical.

I didn't have wire cut and no plastic ties, so I used the panty hose that I don't wear anymore to tie the crate together .  He was still hysterical.

I went to one of the Petsomething stores to look at leashes - and crates while there.  I saw that they had a one year warranty.  SO - I got to thinking the piece of c*ap that I have tried to put Clyde in might have a one year warranty.  It was from Petotherthing store, but I managed to look at their brand on line.  What I discovered is that all of them - I don't care the brand - has a one year warranty.  With ONE exception - animal damage.

Now that is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard of.  These yahoos sell these flimsy metal crates for an exorbitant price, and then it is made from such soft metal that a strong boxer can get out of it.  I have heard (reading the write-ups in the boxer rescue) of dogs destroying their crates. I couldn't believe it! Well - now I do.  It isn't so much the dog - it is the poor construction of the crate.

The one I have for him has two doors - bad design right there.  And the latches on these doors are very poor.  If you have ever put a crate together, they just basically "snap" together.  There are gaps everywhere.  They are certainly designed for the dog that is already crate trained and likes it.

The plastic ones do not allow the dog to see all around, and so a dog that doesn't like to be confined and not see - will panic.  I was really afraid he was going to hurt himself in there.  A crate that MIGHT work is the decorative one - with wood and all that looks like a piece of furniture.  But at $400 (on sale) I am not going to try it to see if it works.

So Clyde gets to remain out.  He isn't perfect.  He likes to get "toys" out of the trash cans - not food stuff, that is in the compactor that he can't get to.  He liked the packaging of G's insoles.  He liked the mailing envelope of a package I had gotten in the mail.  Yesterday he discovered a teddy bear that has sentimental value to me.  A student gave it to me, and she was so proud of giving me this HUGE bear;  I just have to keep it.   Clyde put it in the middle of the bed, but destroyed the red ribbon that was on it for Christmas.

All in all, he is a good dog.  He is gentle with the smaller grandchildren.  He doesn't bark a lot, only occasionally.  His bladder must be the size of Texas and Alaska put together.  And we are all getting to know one another a lot better.

I really feel he is a good fit all told.

Apprehensive

We are "gearing" up for our trip to Alaska.  We will be gone for 13 days, and as much as I really want to go, I am very apprehensive.

First of all - the airport.  I am not afraid of flying - even if we fly out on September 11.  I just hate, hate, hate the airport and TSA.  If this is being read by someone else who thinks I am a terrorist because of what I have just said, well LAX would tend to agree with you because of my experience 7 years ago when I, with the help of Chica TSA agent shut down the Continental gates.

I wrote about that then, but a thumbnail is that we took Lady Bug to Disney Land.  It ended up that her mom, dad and brother went too - so there were six of us on the plane.  When we left out bags at the curb and got boarding passes, we were only given 5.  I didn't know this until we were at the scanner - my belongings having already gone through.  I was last in line.  Guess who didn't have a boarding pass.  IF the girl at the steps - the first check point - had done her job rather than flirt with a guy standing there, we would have all been together (and I would have had my purse and everything in it with the exception of my ID) to go back to the idiot at curb side to get my boarding pass.

So that's how a 60+ year old grandmother with most of her entire family was able to shut down LAX.

I am not looking forward to going through all that mess on Wednesday.  Plus spending hours and hours in airports.  Not.  Looking. Forward. At. All.

My other apprehension is Clyde.  We (G) went against what we had said.  We were going to wait until we were back in October to adopt a dog - so that we didn't just get one only to board it.  I am worried about him, but it a way this timing may be better.  He is bonded to us, but not so much that he will simply pine away.

We are going to put him at our vet clinic.  I told them yesterday he was an escape artist, and I will need to remind them when we drop him off.  They will have to make special arrangements for him.

Of course, after last night - I am   not so sure how upset I would be.  He has completely destroyed his crate.  The bars at the bottom are bent in.  He has gotten out three or four times.  I didn't have any wire available last  night, and since I have several pairs of panty hose that I don't wear anymore, I tied the crate together with those.  But he became so anxious about being in the crate that I gave him a tranquilizer (thank you Simone for being an anxious traveler so that I have those meds on hand) at midnight.  At 6, he was back to chewing, scratching and panting.  I can't let him roam the house because he will chase the cat.  (and that was going to be another quality we wanted - a female who is cat friendly).

Right now, I am a very uneasy, very sleepy person.

Horrible memory brought back

The worst has happened here today.  A seventeen year old high school student was stabbed to death in the cafeteria of one of the high schools in the northern part of the area.  This was before school, while the breakfast was being served.  All the details are inconclusive so far, but what is known is that one child is dead, four are hurt and three are in custody.  It appears it was a misunderstanding.

Why is this a horrible memory?  Well, thirty plus years ago, I was a high school teacher.  I had a student leave my fourth period biology class, walk around the corner to the cafeteria for lunch, get in the line, and get stabbed to death right there.

Thankfully, my memory of all this isn't as clear as it was.  Thirty years ago, collection of evidence wasn't as thorough as it has to be today.  School continued.  Parents didn't mob the school demanding all stop for them to get their kids.

I'm not saying it wasn't a usual occurrence. In fact, that is the only time in my over thirty year career anything like this happened in a school where I was.  It is just that common sense took hold.  It was/is a sad thing.  Today that boy would probably be a grandparent.  Who knows what he would have contributed to the world.

This situation today was a total circus, and it wasn't caused specifically by the school  nor the sheriff.  They were doing what they needed to be done.  And here is where I will probably get flak.  The circus atmosphere was caused by the parents who immediately left home to come to the school to get their child.

I don't know the student count at this high school, but I am pretty sure it is about 2000, and in fact I will bet closer to 3000.  I KNOW the administrators' and teachers' main concern is for the safety and welfare of all the students.  I also know that, especially now, there are emergency policies that take over - and they are there for the entire student body.  The faculty and staff know what they are doing!

The first complaint from parents, who were completely excluded from school grounds (thankfully), was that they couldn't get into the school.  I know you are worried about your child.  I just wish you had trust for those who are looking out for the welfare of not only YOUR child but each and every child.  Then they were upset that some of the teachers confiscated cell phones.  Well - I am sure the students were ripe with erroneous information.  Most teachers aren't thrilled about the proliferation of cell phones anyway.  They are great for cheating on tests.

The parents wanted their child immediately released from the school.  I guess they thought there would be a mass murderer around the school, breaking into classrooms that were locked down.  Locked down works two ways - keeping in and keeping out.  If all these kids were released, just how can the school be aware of just who the child is leaving with.  Can you imagine the outrage if the kid went with someone he shouldn't?  And then something terrible happened because of that?

The district said the kids who ride the bus to and from school would ride that bus.  Well:  "I have taken off work, and I will have to wait more - and miss more work?"  Perhaps you should have stayed at work until all decisions were made?

This went on for five hours.  The school sent the message to parents after about 2 hours.  That is when the parents clogged the parking lots belonging to the local businesses.  They weren't told to do that.

And then finally they said they weren't happy with security at the school.  I am pretty sure all hell would have broken out if the schools had metal detectors at all the doors.  It would have probably prevented this, but many of these same parents would have raised holy hell about their little darling having to pass through it.  Not their precious pumpkin.  They wouldn't have contraband.  And if they did, how dare the school confiscate said item.

So, ok - I have probably gone a little (ya' think?) too  far to the other side of all this.  But I think the teachers deserve a bonus and any and all accolades there are for keeping these kids with them in order for FIVE hours.  For getting them out of the building in an orderly fashion.  For controlling the mess in the cafeteria (I have had that duty before - ye' gads what a mess), and no more students were hurt AND the perps were in custody immediately.  The sheriff did what they needed - they kept the kids in school until they could talk to anyone who might have witnessed the fight.  Last I heard, the weapons were still missing.

All in all, the school did its job.  The parents, while meaning good, caused the problems.  They blocked traffic, caused multiple businesses to lose patrons, caused more problems for the school.  Shame.

Shhhhh

This is a secret.  I should be ashamed, but I am not.  I just" unfriended"  G on Facebook.  When you boil it all down, we have the same political views,  religious views, and so on.  He has just become a radical.  He and my son are just alike - but on different sides of the isle.  But they are just as radical.  Think family dinners aren't fun??  We have banned any political or religious subjects on Sunday nights.

But as to me "unfriending" him.  He is always on these radical sites, then posts that cr*b on his facebook page (and it's not crib or crab - that star could give a lot of meanings I saw when I looked at it.)  I do not want to have to shift through all that.  I wish others would do like I did!  My son used to be bad, but he as stopped so many posting.  Several family members were ready to "unfriend" him too!

IN OTHER NEWS.  Our remote on U-verse died last night.  So I changed the batteries  just to be sure.  I tried to go on line then because I knew it was dead and we needed a new one.  What a farce.  The ATT website is just as bad as talking to them - which I got to do later - for over an hour.

All that time I was thinking - just send me a new remote for goodness sakes!  But I got to interact with their computer robot on problem solving the dead remote.  That meant talking to it a total of three times.  It also meant missing most of "Hell on Wheels" and messing us the recording of Dr Pol.  I elected for them to reboot the receiver rather than me do it - so there went my programs.

Finally I was directed to a real, live person.  But only after a looooooooooooong wait.  Then - we ordered a new remote - that will be shipped by UPS with approximate arrival here of FIVE days.  For Pete's sake, where is it coming from?  So I took the one from the bedroom to bring in here, put fresh batteries in the TV only remote, and we are in business - sort of.

DOG NEWS:  Clyde does not like to be in a crate when we are gone.  He will stay in it when it's bedtime, but he has destroyed  my $100+ crate.  Friday we went for pedicures, hair cuts, get my birthday present that goes on my sewing machine, and lunch.  We opened the door - and Clyde greeted us at the door.

G us famous for his temper tantrums, and shared one last night about Shadow, the baby gates, and Clyde.  So basically, the cat and the dog have pretty much free range of the house - except at bedtime.  So far, there has only been a little interest - which is what sparked the temper tantrum.  Shadow sashayed into the den, right under a sleeping Clyde on the couch.  I freaked out!  Then the temper tantrum.  So ..

That brings us to today.  We put Clyde in the crate.  We left for church, then lunch.  We opened the door, and you can fill in the rest.  Except this time, I don't think there is any repairing the crate.  That dog is strong.  I can't pull the wires to straighten them out.  Plus, I don't know how he got all that dog through that little opening.

That leaves me with Simone's big plastic crate - like those used on airplanes and the like.  Don't know what will happen there!

And so such is life here in the suburb of Swampland!